Fresco at Monte Oliveto Maggiore

Our little square shower is the kind you can hardly bend over in, and since there is no place to put your supplies other than on the floor (assuming you have luggage from which to remove your supplies), you have to bend over anyway.

The Untours group assembled at the Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore for a meet and greet, info session and a fine lunch at their restaurant on the terrace. 

Lunch in my new shirt

We walked down to the abbey church where, outside the door, we met a newly-formed Australian choir who agreed to sing for us.  Then we entered the church and sat near the front to hear the monks chant their office.  Surprise—they walked past us to their stalls in the back.

The chanting was resonant and prayerful, but I would have liked it more if the lovely Romanesque church hadn’t been remodeled into something from a gaudier century.

The cloister walls are covered with richly colored, detailed and sometimes amusing frescoes from the lates 1400s to early 1500s of Biblical scenes, monastic living and stories from the life of St. Benedict:  a rival who tried to poison Benedict was crushed when a building fell on him (at top of post); a monk swiping a piece of bread from his compatriot’s plate was spotted by a fellow who would mete out punishment later (below).

One fresco included portraits of some notables of the day.  Look at the white-robed Benedictine toward the left.  The bearded man to the left behind him is Leonardo da Vinci; the clean-shaven man to the right behind him is Luca Signorelli, the artist of many of the frescoes.  Directly to the right of Signorelli is the long-haired Cosimo di Medici; the gray-bearded man to the right of Cosimo is Michelangelo; and the foppish man in front of Michelangelo with his back toward us is Rafael.

The refectory, set for the monks’ supper, had wood paneling, artwork and a high vault. 

Since it is unusual for a vaulted room to be on the lower floor, an exceptionally sturdy support system had to be built for the library above it.  In a 1950s renovation the wooden support beams were replaced with concrete; they cracked in a later earthquake.  When the plans were dug out of the archives to see what the architect had drawn, renovators found a note to future generations:  Whatever you do, don’t replace the wooden support beams.

At La Canonica, the farm twenty minutes away where the rest of the group are staying, Janice led a creativity session for everyone under a canopy in the beautiful yard.  It was fun and Paige, another non-artist among us, and I even did (pretty awful) paintings.  Janice encouraged everyone to do something creative first thing every morning, which would lead to being more creative all day.

Our luggage was supposed to arrive this morning, so we were hopeful when we turned into our driveway.  Ha.  This is Italy.  Maurice says they’re not going to drive all the way out here with just two suitcases no matter what they promised—they’re waiting until they have a bigger delivery.  But we did stop at the Co-op, for it was the day my sandals would be on sale.  Only 11.90 said the sign.  I carried my selection to the checkout line, smiling…until the clerk charged me 17 euros.  “But the sign…” I tried to say in Italian.  A man in front of me kindly got out his store card and presented it to the cashier on my behalf.  Like at home, you need to give out your personal information and be a “member” to get the sale prices.