Friday, April 12th, Trento, Italy

Greetings!

This morning, our local guide (Martin) took us on a walk through Trento.  A 15th century walled city, it's central square is built over a 4th century roman burial crypt discovered in the 1960's.  As I mentioned yesterday, Trento is famous for the Catholic Council which responded to Martin Luther in the period from 1545 to 1561 by re-certifying the canons of its faith in its central Cathedral.  

But first, we visited the Castle.  Its facade (and windows in particular) showcasing the variety of dominant forces and architectural styles which occupied Trento.  As Martin described the City, the area stands at the crossroads of Italian and Austro-German cultures.  Each having an interest in controlling the roadway north out of Italy though the lowest, widest pass in the Alps.  The castle was the home of the representative of the Pope and the government of Emperor Charlemagne.

The Cathedral di San Vigilio (Duomo di Trento) construction was begun after razing an earlier church by Prince-Bishop Frederico Wanga in 1212 in the Lombard-Romanesque style.  Interrupted by his death in the Fifth Crusades, construction continued for centuries.  In 1508 Emperor Maximilian I was crowned in the Cathedral.  In 1739, a baroque alter and baldachin based on the work of Berni in Rome was built.  We had the pleasure of seeing the restored Roman burial site excavated in the 1960s under the Cathedral.

Ending the morning tour with Martin, Pat and I stopped into the Museo Diocesano Tridentino (Museum of Art near the Fountain of Neptune), and then had lunch at a local Subway.  Later, we returned to the hotel for a rest before contemplating going back out when the Italian siesta was over. 

To see all of the photos taken today, Click on Friday, April 12th, Trento, Italy