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Published: September 9th 2012
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Places look so much better in the sun. Well at least that is what we think. Our climate can seem so grey at times. It makes us appreciate the sun when we get abroad and can find it. And we are finding it in Italy most days.
We moved on today to the Certosa di Pavia which is a charter house in the tiny village of Pavia. We were able to park up easily in a large parking area close to the Certosa at a cost of 5 euros for a motorhome. There were very few people there probably because few people know of the Certosa.
The car park was within walking distance and it took about 5 minutes to get there. From the outside it is a stunning beautiful building surrounded by high walls possibly meant to keep the monks in and the populace out. The main church was reached via a heavily decorated portal from where it opens out into a courtyard. Inside the courtyard were buildings presumably where the monks lived and worked and also a small shop selling tinctures and herbal remedies. A solitary monk sold the products. We didn’t go in but we wondered
if he had been sworn to a vow of silence and his job in the shop at least meant that once in a while he had the opportunity to speak to the outside world. Nowhere else in the building did we see a soul. It was eerily empty.
The outside of the church was absolutely stunning with panels of inlaid marble. Bible stories starting with the story of Adam and Eve were carved into panels all round the facade. You could spend hours looking at each individual one. Unfortunately yet again there were no photographs allowed which was such a shame. It is hard to remember sometimes what you see and sad that you dont have photographs for memory joggers.
There were about 10 people in the church and no-one spoke – the silence was deafening. Around the perimeter were Baroque style chapels each with their own individual altar . The main altar was hidden Greek Orthodox style behind railings. You could catch glimpses of the altar, the choir stalls and a couple of marble graves within the body of the church. The roof was exquisite blue and jewelled with stars. Oh to have had a camera and
used it. We felt so frustrated.
Beside the church was a cloister, simple in design full of box hedging and ruby red geraniums. We failed to find a way in thwarted at every turn.
Sadly there was no literature to hand , no guides nor any entrance fee.
Worth a visit and on the way to Bologna we had some interesting experiences. Endless featureless motorways in sunny,muggy conditions. We followed the line of a new electrified railway running arrow straight into the distance. There were derelict houses sandwiched between the motorway and the railway – completely isolated now with no direct route to them. They were being left to rot. We also saw the prostitutes in the laybyes waiting for punters. Most were dark skinned, some wearing skimpy red tops and shorts and most standing in provocative stances. Others had their own plastic chairs and sat in them with their skirts barely hiding anything as they waited for clients to pick them up. And clients did pick them up as we saw one car stop on the roundabout pick the girl up and drive off. Her plastic chair left until she returned after concluding her business. Both the spiritual and the seedy side of Italy was seen today.
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