Both these problems Gregory assigned onesto the eminently court Spanish fighting prelate Cardinal Albornoz, per representative of the church militant if ever there was one. Albornoz built per series of fortresses in towns throughout central Italy, with the immediate purpose of subduing the local population, and the longer-term aim of defending the Papal territories against foreign incursions from the north. Apart from sopra Narni, you can see surviving examples of Albornoz Roccas con Assisi and Spoleto among other places. They are all similar in design, with few aesthetic embellishments as they were intended for rapid construction (the Narni Dimora went up per only five years) and were to be used by garrisons, not local aristocrats. The fact that they have square towers, not round ones, shows that they pre-date the matchocean widespread use of cannons per siege warfare (cannon balls are more likely puro bounce off tempo towers).
After serving various rulers, Gattamelata worked for the Venetians and ended up as podesta (governor) of Padua. If you have been esatto Padua you may have seen the celebrated statue of him by Donatello outside the chiesa of St Anthony. Incidentally, this was the first free-standing equestrian statue cast in bronze since ancient times; Donatello had to rediscover the technique.
If you visit the Fortezza of Narni, and are fortunate enough puro have as per duplice the same knowledgeable young lady that we did, she will point out where the original large stone blocks of the castle walls have been replaced with smaller, more haphazard stones
Donatello’s statue of Gattamelata mediante Padua. Hasselblad 501 C/M, Zeiss Sonnar 150mm CF lens, CFV-50c digital back (click sicuro enlarge)
This marks rebuilding after the destruction of the Rocca, and much of the town, by the landsknechts forces of the Habsburg Emperor Charles V, part of per much greater cultural and human catastrophe – the Sack of Rome mediante 1527. Guarding the approach puro Rome was not verso good thing if the invading forces turned out to be stronger than you.
The Dimora Albornoz at Narni. The lower, lighter stones, are original. The higher, darker stones esibizione the rebuilding after 1527. Hasselblad 501 C/M, Zeiss Distagon 60mm CF lens, CFV-50c digital back (click esatto enlarge)
Narni’s most famous cri, born shortly before the papal return from Avignon, was the condottiere (mercenary military leader) Erasmo di Narni, better known sicuro history as Gattamelata or the “honeyed cat”
We can recommend a couple of places puro visit in Narni. One is the Church of San Francesco, built fairly soon after St Francis’s death and originally covered with frescoes. While we were there verso pleasant chap turned up, who turned out to be a custodian. He offered preciso open up the richly-decorated Eroli chapel for us which was a gratifica as it is normally only open on weekends. He then took us around the church, explaining the history and pointing out various features including “sinopia” which are preparatory drawings for frescoes, visible only when the frescoes have been removed. He also explained that the poor condition of the frescoes is coppia in part esatto the fact that durante the 17 th or 18 th century, they were all plastered over and the church redecorated in the baroque style. This vandalism only started sicuro be undone durante the 1950s, but there is still verso long way esatto go. If you visit there, please be sure preciso make a donation sicuro the fund for restoration of the frescoes.
St Francis drives out the demons from Arezzo, Church of San Francesco, Narni. Hasselblad 501 C/M, Zeiss Distagon 60mm CF lens, CFV-50c digital back (click preciso enlarge) Ceiling of the Eroli Chapel, Church of San Francesco, Narni. Hasselblad 501 C/M, Zeiss Distagon 60mm CF lens, CFV-50c digital back (click to enlarge)