Display of Pastoral Vestments

Piazza

Piazza Duomo in Savona

There is a display of images of pastoral vestments and attributes dated couple of hundreds years ago and it takes place at the courtyard of several impressive buildings in the historical city of Savona. So, if you enjoy sightseeing then this is a must-see place for you. Four historic buildings, Cathedral dell' Assunta, Capella Sistina (Sistine Chapel), Oratorio del Castello (Oratorio of the Castle) and Vescovile Palace (the Palace of the Bishop), comprise a splendid complex which can be find at Piazza Duomo (Cathedral Square), right here.

The facade of the Cathedral has been going through a process of renovation now. You can still get in when its open and I promise you, it is one of the most magnificent buildings in Savona. The entrance to the courtyard is usually open and from there you can enter the Chapel and the Oratorio. It seems to me that the Bishop's Palace can be reached from inside the Oratorio.

You can also use a guide's service to show you around and I think they can provide guidance only in English or German.

The exhibition takes place in this beautiful garden and it was quite an interesting display of different clothing materials because it seems to me that the "pastoral fashion" hasn't changed a lot for several hundred years. Besides vestments, you can also see marvelous candlesticks, crosses and even holy remains.

Items are displayed through photographs with very high resolution not "in real". We left our message in the visitor's book too.

In the end of this corridor there is a direct link to the Cathedral so you can enter it from there too. It is interesting that in some of the churches in Savona you can pick up a candle from a bunch and leave a donation, as much as you decide, instead of paying a price for it. Quite often, you can see people who are resting or praying in the churches here too.

There are two photos on the collage above: the left corridor will lead you directly to the Oratoria while on the right side of the next corridor you'll find the Capella Sistina.

So you can spend some time at this place especially if you are fond of history or you are looking for a tranquil place in the heart of the city to muse for a while. Taking photos is allowed only in the courtyard ☺

Shopping fever in Savona

Piazza

What's behind the Gothic archivolts next to Il Torre Del Brandale?

There is the entrance to the old city of Savona, a maze of narrow Mediterranean streets, cosy cafés and ... many boutique shops.

The May sun drove me out of home on a walk to the town's old city. This is the place where you can feel the spirit of both the Mediterranean and the Italian culture as they are shown on the movies. And even more: you can sense the smell of bread and flowers, the colorful shop windows and the nice breeze coming from the docks.


Each street leads to smaller or bigger piazza and I, in my search for a hunting club (bird feathers in particular), chose a way that led me to Piazza della Rovere. (Perhaps you remember my short review of the history of Savona's major families. Well, one of them was Rovere.)

Just round the corner you will walk into the Rovere square.

The light building with the two columns is called Palazzo della Rovere. Alright, it was built by Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere himself (later Pope Julius II) in 1495. This is the largest building in the historical center of Savona and was designed by a Florentine architect, Giuliano da Sangallo. Noteworthy, the queen of Spain, Germana di Foix (wife of Ferdinand V) stayed in the palace during 1507. In fact, the building has a long and intriguing story which I will try to tell some other time.

The palace is located at Via Pia - a beautiful Renaissance street and the main alley of the old city.

Not to mention how many little shops are located on Via Pia - so many fashion shops besides souvenirs, fishing tackles, book stores and others. Well, I found some of them really expensive. Anyhow, this is the place where you can spend a bunch of money for really unique goods.

I carried on and via Pia led me to my most favorite cafe in Savona located at another square - Piazza della Maddalena. I'll tell you that Piazza della Maddalena is the heart of Savona's historical center and holds this name, obviously because of a shrine on the corner of a building. It is an eighteen century shrine and is dedicated to the "Lady of Mercy" which became the symbol of the old city.

Oh, I can just sit in this cafe and contemplate... You can have a cup of cappuccino and a croissant only for € 2.10. An old man was reading his newspaper there, a lady passed by for a quick coffee. By the way, Italians tend to drink a cup of coffee with one big swallow e fine.

After the pause, I continued my walk on Via Pia and thus I reached Via Paleocapa or the main shopping street in Savona. Here we are ☻

However, this story is about Via Pia and the little boutique shops on it. There you can also buy gifts to take back home. You can literally lose yourself along this street and its many branches where besides your shopping fever, you can see amazing architecture, portals, churches, taverns...

With respect to me, I didn't find feathers. Maybe I should look more thoroughly. Anyway, I had a great time. And talking about shopping, there is a detail to mention about. Most of the shops in Savona have a quite long lunch break - from 12.30 until 15.30 ☺ Italian way...