No, art is not eternal. (This has become my mantra). The seismic activity in Italy since August 24, 2016 has affirmed that for us. Again and again. The strongest tremor of all – the 6. 5 quake at 7 41 a.m on October 30. 2016 – brutally gouged the rich artistic patrimony of southeastern mountain Umbrian hill towns – Norcia, Casteulluccio, Preci – as well as hill towns in the Macerata province of the Marches region. Visso is one.
Of Roman origins, the 13th-century defensive walls of Visso enclose a charming hill town characterized by graceful porticoed noble palaces of pastel shades, flanking medieval churches. Elegant Renaissance Visso doorways are often surmounted by limestone plaques bearing family coats-of-arms or a variety of inscriptions; in fact, I called Visso the town where “it’s written on the walls” in a past blog note.
Visso’s splendor…..before the earthquake:
..and I had written in that note about elderly Elio, too, and his passione for Visso, transmitted in the writings on his own wall.
Read about nearby Castelluccio and its floral majesty
Everyone has now been evacuated from Elio’s Visso following the devastation of the October 30th earthquake.
I hope Elio is safe – and will return some to day to his home, his boxes of writings on the walls – and his flower boxes.
Read about – and see! – Visso..and Elio
Read about nearby Norcia’s earthquake devastation
Read about the Umbrian goodness for which Norcia is/was famous
Read about St. Benedict of Norcia, founder of western monasticism and patron saint of Europe
Click here for news on the Benedictine monks of Norcia
Read about nearby San Salvatore, also devastated in the October 30, 2016 earthquake
Read more about – and see! – damage to cemeteries – and the psychological trauma
Read where we were the night of the October earthquake
Click here to read about the August 24, 2016 earthquake damage in Umbria
Read about earthquake benefit dinners
Read more on the benefit dinners following the earthquake
Click here for news on our benefit dinner starring pasta all’amatriciana
Click here to read about nearby Preci also devastated
Click here for news on the glorious Benedictine abbey of Sant’Eutizio (outside Preci)
Click here for earthquake news on splendid Castelluccio
Click here to read about Preci (near epicenter and near Norcia, also devastated)
See the recipe for pasta alla norcina (a possible earthquake-benefit dish)
Read about Castelluccio di Norcia and lentils as quake solidarity
Read about Norcia’s norcinerie, needing a comeback
Read about Cascia and earthquake concerns there
Read about Visso merchants post-earthquake
