DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.847#0335
312 TUSCANIA.
tury, about the age when the church was built,
and the architect must have taken whatever ma-
terials he could find on the spot, which could be
made serviceable to his new erection, without regard
to anything but economy and use ; and thus ahetero-
geneous forest of pillars was planted on the founda-
tions of the baths to serve as a substruction to the
christian church, whilst these baths themselves
had been in great part constructed from the ruins of
an Etruscan temple, of which the walls and substruc-
tions exist below. We saw an Etruscan temple, a
Roman bath, and a christian cathedral, one above
the other. This church, though cold and damp, has
mass said in it every Sunday, and is held in great
esteem throughout the country for its high antiquity.
Not far from San Pietro was the ancient
bishop's palace, of which little remains except a
line of wall with some traces of gothic architec-
ture in the windows, now incorporated in a large
farm-house." Still nearer to the church stood two
double towers, very high, formed of massive archi-
tecture, and apparently as useless as the same in-
explicable constructions in some parts of Ireland
and Scotland. They had, however, served for de-
fence in the middle ages, though I believe that they
are of Etruscan origin. What I mean by double
towers is, that each consisted of two towers, the one
cased within the walls of the other: each one of
these towers was built upon Etruscan graves, and it
is highly probable that in very ancient times they
tury, about the age when the church was built,
and the architect must have taken whatever ma-
terials he could find on the spot, which could be
made serviceable to his new erection, without regard
to anything but economy and use ; and thus ahetero-
geneous forest of pillars was planted on the founda-
tions of the baths to serve as a substruction to the
christian church, whilst these baths themselves
had been in great part constructed from the ruins of
an Etruscan temple, of which the walls and substruc-
tions exist below. We saw an Etruscan temple, a
Roman bath, and a christian cathedral, one above
the other. This church, though cold and damp, has
mass said in it every Sunday, and is held in great
esteem throughout the country for its high antiquity.
Not far from San Pietro was the ancient
bishop's palace, of which little remains except a
line of wall with some traces of gothic architec-
ture in the windows, now incorporated in a large
farm-house." Still nearer to the church stood two
double towers, very high, formed of massive archi-
tecture, and apparently as useless as the same in-
explicable constructions in some parts of Ireland
and Scotland. They had, however, served for de-
fence in the middle ages, though I believe that they
are of Etruscan origin. What I mean by double
towers is, that each consisted of two towers, the one
cased within the walls of the other: each one of
these towers was built upon Etruscan graves, and it
is highly probable that in very ancient times they