(map) Pisa, Tuscany
Holy ground indeed!
Tradition tells us that the Campo Santo (literally “holy field”), a magnificent walled cemetery in Pisa, contains 5 shiploads of earth from Golgotha, the hill upon which Christ was crucified. To Archbishop Ubaldo de’ Lanfranchi goes the credit for ordering this unusual cargo in the 12th century. Such truly Holy Ground merited an exquisite building and the richest decoration – frescoes were added by important masters and a huge collection of Roman 
sarcophagi and sculptures were amassed from the 14th century onwards. It was here that the great, good and wealthy of Pisa were buried.
Alas, on 27th July 1944 Allied incendiary bombs ignited the roof, and molten lead streamed down the walls destroying most of the frescoes and many of the sculptures. The beauty of what remains is both a reproach and an inspiration.
-- Written by Penny Ewles-Bergeron (see bio), writer, artist, (some paintings visible here), ... finding the many good things in Naples.
February 8th, 2010 at 6:02 pm
Unfortunately, wars have been responsible for destroying (B elle ARTI) amongst allother unrepleaceable thousands upon thousands of artistic material.To me that I have witnessed and ,luckily survived many wars up to toaday,s ones, it is such asurprise, to be able to see even small remnants of a glorious past.Hope that some powerful decision makers, will think ten times over before starting another war and can simply pray for their good will.
February 8th, 2010 at 8:54 pm
Thank you so much for sharing this note…we hear so many negative things about Naples, but my family and I LOVE Naples. Thanks for sharing more of its secrets….gives me more to look forward to. I also enjoyed looking at your paintings via your link. Best wishes in your endeavors!
February 9th, 2010 at 7:59 pm
Golgotha, that mythical hill in nothing more than a little mound of earth which stood, before Titus destroyed the Jerusalem of the time of Christ, just outside one of the gates of Jerusalem. Today its inside the walls and not very impressive. So if the good bishop had 5 shiploads, I really wonder if it came from Golgotha or some nearby hill in Italy.
February 11th, 2010 at 2:56 pm
What intrueged me about this place were the graves in the ground. You could walk over the graves. Some of them had a pirate sign engraved in it, that really impressed me. There weren’t really famous people burried there, but I really enjoyed it. You can find my pictures on http://toscane.nl.
April 25th, 2010 at 3:50 pm
[...] time you’re in Pisa, look for Leonardo’s statue in the Camposanto, the famous cemetery, and whisper, “Che Bighellone!” – Contributed by Joseph D’Agnese, [...]