FOUL WEATHER

It's been raining in Perugia for three days, so I haven't made any side trips yet this week.  Tomorrow, I'm going somewhere by bus or train.  Monday and Tuesday, I just caught up on emails, did some research on little towns in Umbria, and watched a lot of movies on Youtube.  I watched BBC's six part Pride and Prejudice series, which is probably about the fourth time I've seen it, but I just can't get enough of Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy.  There's a scene when Elizabeth and her aunt and uncle are dining at Pemberly, and after dinner, she's turning the pages of the sheet music for Darcy's younger sister, who's playing her new pianoforte.  Colin Firth casts a perfect look of achy longing in Elizabeth's direction, and it's just too, too romantic.  There was so much unsaid in Victorian times.  It's no wonder there were so many misunderstandings.  

Anyway, I love Colin Firth and I'm happy his talent was recognized with an Oscar last year for his amazing performance in The King's Speech.  I watched him again in Bridget Jones, too.  I really wasn't in the mood for visiting museums, even though rainy days are really perfect for that.

After a couple of days of enjoying a sluggish existence, I got off my duff today and went to the Galleria Nazionale dell' Umbria.  The collection there was about 95% Umbrian religious art from the 13th through the 19th century.  

I spent a couple of hours wandering through the 30 plus rooms which are housed in the Palazzo dei Priori, a very impressive Gothic building.  

I wasn't that familiar with the artists represented there--maybe my niece would have recognized some of the names, art history major that she is.  The collection includes masterpieces by the Maestro di San Francesco, Arnolfo di Cambio, Nicola and Giovanni Pisano, Duccio di Buoninsegna, Gentile da Fabriano, Beato Angelico, Benozzo Gozzoli, Piero della Francesca, Agostino di Duccio, Francesco di Giorgio Martini, a large group of paintings by Pietro Vannucci, known as Perugino, in addition to works by Pinturicchio, Orazio Gentileschi, Pietro da Cortona, and Valentin de Boulogne.  (Anyone you recognize, Shelley?)

Anyway, I couldn't take pictures and I'm not feeling inclined to hunt for any on the Internet.  Just wanted to go on record as saying, I think I'm getting weary of religious art.  Too much of anything can be tiresome...except maybe gelato!