A day in Sansepolcro: - an historic, charming town
We woke up to wind and rain, both of which are predicted to last all day. The thought of being cold for another day was not appealing... so we looked at the calendar and as we have lots of time, we decided to stay in this comfortable Albergo an extra night and take the opportunity to walk around its historic streets. We are so glad we did. We found Sansepolcro to be charming with tiny winding streets, which are seemingly unchanged from centuries past. Within the historic centre, the only touch of modernity are the tiny shops tucked in to stone walls. People live along these tiny lanes with their laundry hung from the metal hooks and lines, just as earlier generations did. Walking around at dusk, we saw that the old light fixtures are dimly lit akin to candlight, further adding to the illusion of former times. This city has survived so many earthquakes over the centuries, and it narrowly escaped destruction near the end of the second war. We learned about the British officer Anthony Clark during WWII who is credited with saving Sansepolcro's historic centre. He had read Aldous Huxley's account of a fresco which he considered to be the finest in the world and as the Allies were marching in to the city, he defied orders and stopped the bombing that was scheduled to happen. To this day, his name is remembered and a street has been named after him. We were unable to see this painting as the Civic Museum where it is hung, is undergoing renovations and the view of the painting is obscured.
The Cathedral had beautiful paintings and sculptures, but like the other churches here, it was dimly lit and there were few windows. This is a painting of The Ascension of Christ from the mid 1400's in the Cathedral.
This eye catching statue of a woman showing a girl how to make lace is in front of the small Museum and School that honours the tradition of bobbin lace making in Sansepolcro. This tradition continues herewith young and old. Every 2 years, a lace celebration is held here and exhibits of lace making from around the world is on display.
Another unique and exceptional museum in Sansepolcro is the Aboca Museum featuring a comprehensive look at herbs and their practical uses in medicine. It is the only herbal museum in the world and its large collection showcase herbs and their remedies. Aboca is a reputable name that markets herbal medicines.
This small church, The Church of San Rocco, beside the Aboca Museum dates from the early 15th century. Like the cathedral, it is dimly lit and cosy inside with just one small round stained glass window at the front.
Beside our Hotel we ventured in to a wine shop featuring a Sansepolcro winery. We were pleasantly surprised that their red wine cost only 3 euros, so we bought one to try - very good.
