The conference was held in a monastery built in the mid-14th through 17th centuries - the most unique venue for any conference I've attended. One guide told us the monastery was built in an undesirable area originally called "the dark valley" - full of prostitutes, he reminded us more than once - to hide and protect what money was left after the plague ripped through the region. After the monastery's construction, the region was renamed "the gracious valley." Way to clean up the riffraff, monks! Apparently the monastery was abandoned by the last two monks in the 1970s, then donated by the church to the University of Pisa and Italian heritage society (or some such). As a result, the oldest parts of the monastery were preserved as historical sites, and the newer or less "important" areas have been converted to house the contents of the natural history museum of Pisa. As you can imagine, this creates a bit of cognitive dissonance: one moment you're gazing at five hundred year old frescos and the next you stumble across a small courtyard showcasing dinosaur skeletons. The museum itself was amazing, and we were treated to a spectacular tour by a Univ. of Pisa researcher who works on site. (More about that to follow.) For now, just a few pics of the monastery and a museum while I'm whisked off through the Tuscan countryside on my way to La Spezia.
Photos:
1. The monastery from within the front gate, looking off to one side. The marble facade was added during a "recent" renovation in the 18th c. This gate leads to a large garden on the side.
2. The monastery is surrounded by a massive wall. On a walk around the exterior, I found a large open gate and sneaked inside for a quick picture. The conference was held in the building toward the front of the group.
3. Just beyond the courtyard of dinosaurs, a room of terror/storage.
4. The interior of the conference room. Made for a nice distraction when I lost track of a presentation.
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