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Ortonovo
and Luni |
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Ortonovo
is characterised by a radial structure, with the outer ring
delimited by the city walls. Just like many other towns in the
Valle, Ortonovo has two entrances: one in the lower part of
the town opening towards the plain, and the other one facing
the surrounding hills. Here is the the Guinigi tower, which
take its name from a nobleman from Lucca who fought to impose
Lucca's supremacy on the Val di Magra. In the place once occupied
by a castle there is now a XVII century church dedicated to
San Lorenzo; the origins of this church is visible from the
belfry, a rounded tower with corbels. The tower roof is a sort
of a cap, covered by scale-shaped tiles.
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Entering
the church one finds: an XVII century statue representing
S. Antonio Abate, an XVI century sculpture of San Rocco
and an XVIII century statue of S. Antonio da Padova. In
the vicinity of Ortonovo there is the Mirteto sanctuary,
built in the second half of XVI century. The face, very
wide, is entirely made of marble and features a sculpture
with Jesus, Holy Mary and saints Anna and Gioacchino. In
the inside there are different altars; among them, one in
baroque style with 15 panels with the Rosary Mysteries.
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Luni,
located in Ortonovo municipality, features some important
Roman remains excavated in recent times. A museum is
devoted to the town's history, from foundation to early
medieval times; it hosts a collection of marble and
bronze statues, pieces of buildings, common use tools
(body care tools, clothing), coins, mosaics, earthenware
and other items that made it possible to reconstruct
the life of the ancient inhabitants of this region.
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Under
the museum are located a number of architecture
pieces, once part of the town's main buildings.
Among these the "Capitolium", a temple
whose massive dimension can still be hinted at from
the remains of its "podium" (basement),
covered with stone blocks dressed in shell mortar
and coated with stucco. The "Capitolium"
was devoted to the triad Jupiter-Giuno-Minerva,
and was modified during the first centuries a. C.
following Hellenistic criteria; the wooden structures
were replaced with stone elements and a portico
with Doric and Ionic pillars was added. A large
section of the museum is devoted to the "Capitolium"
temple and to its evolution through the centuries.
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A
great number of parietal decorations were found
in two buildings, which were consequently named
"the Fresco House" and "the Mosaic
House". In the first, a number of important
frescos from the Clodio-Nero period were brought
back to their splendor by a careful restoration
work: on the north side of the building, different
fragments were linked together into nine meters
of flower decoration on a black background. In the
Mosaic House, late republican (I century b. C.)
mosaics embellish the floors: in a characteristic
Roman style, they depict the "Circo Massimo"
in Rome, Hercules, dancing scenes, flowers and birds.
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