I have been a bit 'lost' and at a bit of a loose end today so thought I 'should' go and have a look at the fresco that Monterchi is famous for while I am here. Piero della Francesco painted a fresco 'Madonna del Parto', the pregnant madonna, in a chapel at Momentana. The fresco has been taken from the chapel and moved to Monterchi because that is where Piero della Francesco's mother came from. I went to have a look today and after paying my 3.50euro at a building that was nothing like a chapel, I viewed a video about Piero's life (in Italian) and the story of the painting . I was the only person sitting in the 'cinema', a room with two rows of seats. After the half hour video I went to have a look at the fresco that was in another room.
The fresco was not on a wall as frescos are meant to be, but hanging behind a piece of glass. I got a surprise to find 19 other people in the room (I did a head count because I was so surprised). They were mostly sitting on the ground just meditating at the 'fresco'. (Is a fresco still a fesco if it is not on a wall?) there were three people laying in front of it, they were laying on their stomachs, arms stetched out, and their faces looking up at the fresco. Couldn't have been comforable.
Apparently, pregnant women in the area make pilgrimages to the fresco and pray to it for a healthy pregnancy and an abundance of breast milk! Today there were men meditating in front of the 'fresco' as well as women (one I recognised from the doctors!).
I had a good look at the painting then wandered around the 'shop' (two shelves of postcards of the painting) and left. None of the meditators had left.
This morning I did my 'usual' went to the cafe in Sansepolco, had a couple of cuppacinos (2 euro total), saw my mate from yesterday and swapped a hearty "Ciao", stopped off at the supermarket and got a couple of things, stopped off for espresso at the local bar, and came back for a bite to eat. Then I started to take things out of my case as I do after I have been in one place longer than two days (because by the third day my case starts to resemble my bedroom floor when I was a teenager) to start to get things organised a bit again. This bores the crap out of me so dropping everything (teenager bedroom floor), I went for a drive.
I found a village that was mostly two buildings surrounded by walls. I walked around the walls and admired the magnificent Tuscan view. The view really is everything you see in books and movies.
I swear that every wall I have touched that is a part of a city wall or a castle a piece has fallen out in to my hand - hence one of the plastic bag of treasures to come home with me. Please don't tell the Carabinieri!
Then I decided instead of coming back to Monterchi, I would keep driving and found a one lane road - quite a contrast to the four lane highway yesterday. At one stage I had to reverse so a tractor laden with purple grapes I am sure destined for a vino barrel and two cars coming from the other way could get through. I drove up the hill and stopped at a bar, had a glass of wine while enjoying the view then thought it was time to come home and tackle this teenage bedroom floor mess.
Twice I have been to the doctori building today - once at 11.30, and again at 12.45 but the building was closed. The doctori must be like everyone else here in Italy and decide on the day what hours they will work (the doctor told me to go back between 11 and 1 today). I couldn't be bothered stopping at the farmacia today and asking.
I haven't started on the bedroom mess yet, but I am getting to it. The open bottle of local moscato, dried tomatoes and local cheeses have my attention at the moment. I will have to get to the teenage bedroom mess before bed time because my bed is covered in teenage bedroom mess and it will have to either be put away or hung up on the floor until tomorrow!
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