Gemona del Friuli and its Cathedral

The church that was rebuilt stone by stone

The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta in Gemona del Friuli during the #ItaliaGrandSketchingTour

Once arrived in Gemona del Friuli, I went to my room at the Locanda al Central which felt immediately like home. I was staying in the room where the poet Giosuè Carducci slept and worked during his stays in town. The Locanda is a wonderful decorated space. It feels like being a traveler during the Grand Tour. Another époque surrounds you, with ancient rich and harmonious furniture that creates a perfect atmosphere.

After my first night, I went to look around in the city. The first stop was the Cathedral of Maria Assunta. With its incredible facade, the bell tower and the mountain at its back I couldn’t but stop to paint it, trying to capture the beauty of this extreme perspective.

In particular I love the statue of Saint Cristoforo, the patron of the travelers and pilgrims. It really felt like a good omen for my trip. The statue is huge, 7 meters high and it was carved in 1332. The Duomo itself was started in 1290 and finished in 1337, while the bell tower was built few years later. 

Story of excellence in the hardship of the earthquake 

The cathedral is the perfect example on how the reconstruction of the town took place after the earthquake destroyed the whole area in 1976. The cathedral and the bell tower were destroyed and rebuilt stone by stone with the original materials but with the most advanced anti-seismic techniques in a very short time. It is so pleasing to hear this story of excellence, while often in Italy the public work is attached to the stigma of bureaucracy and corruption. It is therefore good to see that there are still good examples of when the things do work, for me it is a sign of hope that things can change and great results can be accomplished.

Original Paintings of Gemona del Friuli from my Collection

Those paintings are from the Italia Grand Sketching Tour Collection, a series of original ink and watercolor paintings done on location during my 2019 tour to discovery the  Italian heritage. The paintings are also featured in the book about my motorbike Italian tour. 

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