Umbertide Market Every Wednesday - Art, History and Local Color

Salve Tutti,
Wednesday is market day in Umbertide and this is the Wednesday before Easter, so there are lots of busy people in town.

A view of Umberitide from across the Tiber River.

Looking back at Mt. Acuto through the provincial rail road bridge.

The rail road of the province of Umbria consists of two (2) cars when it passes through Umbertide.  The safety bar goes down quite a long time before the train passes.

 Umbertide Waiting for the Train to Pass ( Some people don't have time to wait!) 
(Click to view video clip on http://www.youtube.com/, then press back arrow at top left to come back).

Church of S. Croce now Museum of Santa Croce – (Umbertide)

 Niccolò Circignani (c. 1517/1524 - after 1596) was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance or Mannerist period. Born in Pomarance, he is one of three Italian painters called Pomarancio. His first works are documented from the 1560s, where he painted frescos on the Old Testament stories for the Vatican Belvedere, where he may have worked alongside Santi di Tito and Giovanni de' Vecchi. He also completed altarpieces for Orvieto (1570), Umbertide (1572), Città di Castello (1573-1577) as well as Città della Pieve.
The church was built in 1610, to a design by a local architect, Fracassini, which involved enlarging a chapel belonging to the Augustinian fathers which had been in existence from 1338.

Now deconsecrated and converted into the Museum of Santa Croce it contains the restored Deposition from the Cross by Luca Signorelli and other important paintings including a canvas by Pomarancio, together with several bronze objects of a votive nature discovered near the Sanctuary on the high ground of Monte Acuto, dating back to the 6th and 5th century B.C. and kept upstairs. The high altar has an interesting wooden mostra by Pietro Lazzari.



Food Stalls and 13th c. La Rocca (Tower and Fort)



La Rocca is the site of many mordern art shows.



























Bouquets of Flowers prepared for Pasqua.



 Traditional Flower Patterns by Busatti Fabrics.  



Great Meat!!



Daiseys and Fashion Hand Bags



Hotel Capponi (No relation to Al - I think! ) in the Piazza 25 Aprile.



I stayed at the Hotel Capponi when I came to buy Il Convento Mincione.

Piazza 25 Aprile Memorial Plaque - 74 Citizens Died in this Allied Action



Extra-Large Beaver Lodge in the Tevere.

In 2004 or so, Umbria was experiencing a draught. The Tevere (Tiber River) was so low that an unexploded Allied bomb that had been hidden under the water for about 50 years (See commemorating plaque above.), became visible just about where the beavers have built their lodge (See photo  above.) and was spotted by a passerby.  A bomb squad defused the bomb and after a few hours everything was back to normal.

What makes Umbertide so special? Art, history and local color (and Il Convento Mincione , of course!) - Welcome to Umbertide!!!.

Ciao for now,

Joan

PS. Happy Easter - Enjoy Yourself!

Reference:
Il Pomarancio:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niccol%C3%B2_Circignani