Etruria. Under the Tuscan Sun.

photos by Anna Maria Krycia & Paweł Worsztynowicz / 2024 / Italy

Tuscany, for me, is above all the overwhelming beauty of architecture, painting, and sculpture. Sun-reflecting travertine and sandstone. Traces of the ancient Etruscans and the first Christians.

Volterra

One of the oldest towns in Tuscany. Walking through its narrow, stone streets, one has the impression that time has stood still here.

Volterra, like many other small towns, is perched atop a hill, offering panoramic views of the surrounding countryside and the ruins of a Roman theatre.

The spirit of the Etruscans — the first civilization of Italy — still lingers here. The art they left behind consists mainly of funerary urns, mosaics, and jewelry.

I found something here that I never even suspected I could find — a clue for my future creative path. Volterra made me realise what I really want. The time will come to talk about it openly.

Sienna

Siena Cathedral is a dose of beauty so intense that it feels almost overwhelming.

Its central feature is the marble floor, composed of 56 esoteric scenes that reference both pagan mythology and the Old Testament.

The whole forms a curious narrative — according to some, it conveys a message about the path of human life.

Heading toward the side nave, I stepped into the dreamlike world of the Libreria Piccolomini — a library of illuminated manuscripts.

The floor is adorned with replicas of historic diamond-shaped tiles (the originals were replaced in the 19th century), produced by the Ginori porcelain manufactory.

The walls and ceiling are filled with vivid, colorful frescoes depicting scenes from classical mythology as well as Scenes from the Life of the future pope, Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini.

Florence

I lost myself in the golden glow of Madonna depictions from the era of Italian Gothic art.

Reproductions of Botticelli’s works fail to convey the scale of his painting, the refinement of detail, or the subtlety of the gilding. Encountering art on this level becomes an almost metaphysical experience.

The museum housing the papal collections is a place that evokes mixed feelings: on the one hand, the objects displayed there are masterpieces of the highest craftsmanship; on the other, they stand as symbols of power and exaltation. Within these beautiful reliquaries were once kept real fingers, hair or bones.

Lukka

A labyrinth on the façade of the Church of St. Martin has stayed in my heart — one of the few that have survived to this day.
Labyrinths used to adorn temples, but over time they were removed due to the belief in their “non-Christian” significance.
It is a symbol rich in meaning, though in my view, placing it in a church was meant to serve as a metaphor for a spiritual journey — one of self-discovery and transformation.

The inscription by the labyrinth reads:
‘Here is the labyrinth built by Daedalus of Crete, from which no one who entered could escape except Theseus with the help of Ariadne’s thread.’