St. Gallen

St. Gallen gets its name from the Abbey of St. Gall. Since the 700s the Abbey copied manuscripts to fill its library, making it one of the most important medieval libraries in Europe. While visiting the Abbey one must see the interior of the Cathedral, a Baroque masterpiece, the Plan of St Gall, an idealized plan of a monastic compound and the only surviving architectural drawing from the period between the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the 13th century, and the library itself. You aren't allowed to take pictures inside any of these areas, so you will have to look them up yourself.

In the 13th century, a bourgeoisie element emerged in the town of St. Gallen in the form of rich cloth-weaving guilds. In the 1400s the Appenzell estates and the town rebelled against the Abbey and became part of the Swiss Confederacy. The Abbey and its holdings also became part of the Confederacy to protect themselves from losing more land. The Abbey co-existed with the town through the Protestant reformation, but was finally secularized in the Napoleonic era. The Protestant Church of St. Lawrence, which became Protestant in the 16th century, is a stones throw away from the Abbey.

St. Gallen is named after Saint Gall.

Saint Gall was born in Ireland in the 6th century. The Abbey and city are said to be built on the site of his hermitage.

Legend has it a bear tried to attack Saint Gall, but his presence so awed the bear that it brought him firewood and became his lifelong companion.

The hero of the city of St. Gallen is Vadian, who in the 16th century helped convert the city to Protestantism and preserved the city's independence from the Abbey.

The city's other best feature is oriel windows. And possibly dinner at Zum Goldenen Schafli.

While we were in St. Gallen, Switzerland won its first UEFA European Football Championship knockout match against the reigning World Cup Champion, France. Needless to say, drinks were on the house.

Liechtenstein

No drive through northeastern Switzerland is complete without visiting Liechtenstein. As best I can tell, Liechtenstein is independent because the land was granted to the family by the Holy Roman Emperor, so when Napoleon abolished the office, the land because independent. The Liechtenstein family didn't move there until their other vast holding were seized or threatened during World War 2. The Prince of Liechtenstein is the richest monarch in Europe, mostly because he owns LGT Group bank, the largest family-owned private bank in the world. On an unrelated note, Liechtenstein has been accused of being a tax haven. We stopped in the capital, Vaduz, to sample some of the Prince's wines.

The wine from the Prince of Liechtenstein's Austrian vineyards is unsurprisingly superior to the wine made from grapes grown in Liechtenstein. The Principatus Zweigelt/Merlot blend is quite good and reasonably priced!

 

Bellinzona

Bellinzona is a Swiss town famous for its three castles. The most prominent is Castelgrande.

The other two castles are Montebello and Sasso Corbaro.

Bellinzona was always strategic because it sits near Alpine passes and the Ticino and Moesa rivers. The Visconti of Milan built up the castles to defend against the Holy Roman Emperor from the north during the Guelph and Ghibelline conflict.

Later Bellinzona served as a buffer against Swiss expansion into Milanese territory. When the French first took over Milan from the Sforzas in 1500, Bellinzona joined the Swiss Confederation to protect itself from France. The town is now part of the Italian speaking Canton of Ticino.

Parma 2021

We stopped into Parma to visit Torrechiara again. We ate an excellent lunch at Rosa Croce then visited a few places in Parma. First we stopped by the Palazzo dell Pilotta, a massive Ducal Palace complex initiated by the Farnese family that was never completed. It houses, among other things, an art gallery and the Teatro Farnese, one of a few Renaissance theaters still in existence.

A massive Roman statue of Hercules from the Palatine Hill

We also stopped by the Parma Baptistery and took a look inside.

You really can tell when artwork is pre Renaissance.

But you have to love the lions.

Milan 2021

 

Milan is one of our favorite cities, so we went back to see some places we missed and eat at our favorite restaurants there. We managed to get tickets to see the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci at the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie.

Classic

The Church interior is also worth a look.

We also climbed to the top of the Duomo.

The views of the city can't be beat.

Visconti fighting on the Duomo doors

The Duomo Museum has a great collection, including a 16th century humming-bird mitre from Mexico.

Vive L'Empereur!

My favorite hotel band

We also went to see the Iron Crown of Lombardy in Monza Cathedral. It is housed in the impressive Theodelinda Chapel inside. The treasury also holds the Lombard hen with seven chicks gold statue and the Diptych of Stilicho. They don't let you take photos so you will have to look them up yourselves.

Augsburg

Augsburg is the third largest city in Bavaria. It flourished as a Free Imperial City and trade hub.

The history of Augsburg is inextricably tied to the Fugger family. Jakob Fugger, known as "the Rich," may have been in richest man in history. He lived from 1459-1525, and during that period Augsburg became a manufacturing hub.

The Fuggers founded the Fuggerei, a social housing complex, in the 1500s. It still costs 88 cents a year to live there; you just need to be Catholic and say three prayers a day!

Augsburg was founded in 15 B.C. and named after Emperor Augustus. Roman ruins are often unearthed here; these are from the 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D.

Augsburg's medieval canal system is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Some of the buildings have odd supports.

Despite damage during World War II, some opulence survives.

There are some interesting painted buildings in Augsburg.

Augsburg Cathedral was founded in the 11th century. The patron saints of Augsburg are Saints Simpert, Ulrich, and Afra, all of whom resided in Augsburg.

St. Ulrich was the first saint to be canonized by the Pope, and in the 900s greatly contributed to Augsburg's protection and splendor.

Augsburg Cathedral has a lot of interesting art styles.

The Augsburg Cathedral bronze doors are from the 11th century, but no one is sure where they were made.

Pretty pagan...

When Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, died, copies of his funerary regalia were sent to Augsburg. Many wealthy citizens of Augsburg contributed to his life's successes.

The Bishop of Augsburg's ring and crosier are 1000 years old.