The Complete Guide to Italian art towns
By Wine Atlas, Saturday 19 July 2008 :: Wine - Italy :: #163 :: rss
In northern Italy, you don't need to visit a big city to see spectacular art. Harriet O'Brien presents a cultural itinerary of frescos, paintings and sculptures – all off the beaten track
Why not 'art cities'?
From Roman ruins to Renaissance masterpieces and Baroque glories, Italy is so packed with sensational sights and art collections that it is difficult to know quite how to start choosing what to see. So we have stepped away from the big cities and centres such as Rome, Naples, Milan, Florence and Venice and have opted to take in several of the most atmospheric smaller art-venues of northern Italy, which is liberally endowed with amazing masterpieces. Finding a major work of art in a minor town is a fabulous and intrinsically Italian experience.
To narrow down the bewildering range of options, we are concentrating here on decorative art rather than architecture or archaeology – principally the world of paintings, with a nod to sculpture. And we are also visiting a couple of larger centres that are often neglected by tourists. All offer excellent galleries and/or have stunning art that is part of the very fabric of the place: frescos painted into the plasterwork of palaces, churches, chapels and cathedrals, and wonderful works carved in stone. __ Take me to Tuscany__
For many, Siena is the most beautiful town in Tuscany, if not Italy. Superbly set over three hills, it is a fairytale place of medieval palaces and towers, winding alleys and noble squares. The most sublime of these is Il Campo, paved in medieval brick and surrounded by staggeringly lovely buildings. It is in this square that the famous Palio horse races are held on 2 July and 16 August every year. On the east side the magnificent Palazzo Pubblico houses the Museo Civico (daily 10am-7pm; admission €6.50 (£5.40) where highlights include works by Simone Martini and the celebrated fresco Allegory of Good and Bad Government by Ambrogio Lorenzetti.
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