Santa Maria della Scala

Where do I start? This has got to be one of the coolest museums anywhere!
It consists of a medieval hospital complex dating back to as early as the 10th century, which served not just the sick and injured but also fed the poor and cared for orphans and pilgrims. The complex was developed over several hundred years and was an important part of city life. It's now a labyrinth of a museum, housing not just a variety of collections but also showing off the history of the building. You walk through chapels, infirmaries, tunnels, and at least one covered street. It had its own underground water system fed by an aqueduct.
For a summer Saturday, I was surprised at how empty it was. There were only a handful of other people in there, making it more enjoyable. The first section had a collection of Byzantine relics from Constantinople which were "donated" by a collector. To me the coolest of the Byzantine pieces was an ornately decorated Bible, 700-1000 years old.

Next was a series of chapels and various hospital rooms, with your regular works of art. I found the "Oratory" to be especially fascinating and it was the first room that had a bit of a creepy vibe to it... it had the skull message at the entrance (see photo below) and was rather dark. However, the furniture and styling was really beautiful and reminiscent of an old style church. Off to one side there was a tiny little room with a separate little altar.

But it was after this that the museum started to get REALLY interesting. As I continued through the maze of rooms and passageways, I kept discovering these tiny little side rooms and nooks with various things to look at. Each one had some random curiosity. One led me into a cistern (if you're on my fb you can see the video of that there). Another showed an ancient, faded fresco.

I entered the Etruscan archaeological museum on the lower floor and was surrounded by the oldest pieces in the collection. The passageways continued downward.... the air got colder, and the then I was alone. I saw no other humans for some time, just artefacts and stone passageways. I could feel myself descending further downward and I kept checking out the little side rooms, and I confess that I felt a little creeped out, being all alone down there! Then I saw this mysterious little set of stairs going into the wall, with no signage. I was a little nervous to go in there all by myself, but I couldn't resist. In I went, following the tiny, curved stairway up into a little cavern. All that was in there was one of the water reservoirs, and it was a bit claustrophobic, so I snapped a pic and turned around, just as a trio of people were coming in.

I confess that I felt a little relieved when I finally came back out into the exit area and was not deep in the caverns by myself anymore! :D

Photos!