Signorelli s beautiful, terrifying frescoes in Orvieto
18 Jan, 2021
By Martin Bennett
As a prelude to visiting the Sistine Chapel, one could take the train to Orvieto, an hour north of Rome, and view the frescoes which inspired Michelangelo’s
Last Judgement.
On arrival at Orvieto station, the train prompts the reaction, ‘But where is it?’ Until a look upward reveals the town’s older part perched on a beetling crag. A small funicular railway transports you past vineyards famous for its classic Orvieto wine; all Italy in a bottle goes a phrase.
At the top of the funicular, take Via del Duomo to the cathedral which dominates the city s skyline. In the S. Brizio chapel to the right of the cathedral s main altar, there they are, body after perfect body, the hard-won art of anatomy standing on its own feet, or in take-off mode, or hurtling downward.