Certosa di Pavia
The Certosa di Pavia is a monastery built back in the 13th century near the hunting park of the wealthy Visconti family of Milan. The church was built to be the final resting place of the family and it is one of the most beautifully preserved churches from the Renaissance era we've seen.
Entrance
The Details
Address: Via Del Monumento, 4, 27012 Certosa di Pavia Province of Pavia, Italy
Hours: 9:30-11:30am/2:30-4:30pm
Cost: free, but donations welcome
Tip: You can wander around the site freely, but for full access to the church and other buildings you must take the tour. Only in Italian, but if you don't mind not understanding what they are saying you will be treated to the interiors that are not open to the public.
Time: 45 minutes
Parking: Park on the street for free, or in the paid lot, a 5 minute walk from the Certosa.
The long building on the right is where the family lived.
You enter the complex through this beautifully painted portal. You can see the door still has it's wooden cross beams for securing (not original, I am sure) and brightly colored ceiling.
View from inside the cloister
The front of the church is a patch work of sculpted panels and multi-colored marble.
I snagged these photos from the internet since taking photos inside was forbidden. The interior is so beautiful with rich colors--reds, blues and gold. This is the first church we've seen that is still so vivid and bright; most have faded with time and war. I suspect the remote location of this property is what has helped keep it from harms way.
0 comments: