Saturday, April 30, 2016

Kensington Roof Gardens

Kensington Roof Gardens, Kensington High Street, London

Kensington Roof Gardens
Derry Street, off Kensington High Street
London, September 2015

“The Roof Gardens (formerly known as Derry and Toms Roof Gardens and Kensington Roof Gardens) is a roof garden covering 6,000 m2 (1.5 acres) on top of the former Derry and Toms building on Kensington High Street, in central London, in The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. They have for a long time been the largest roof garden in Europe, but was surpassed by the roof garden on the shopping mall Emporia in 2012. Facilities include a restaurant and club.” (Kensington Roof Gardens, Wikipedia)

Friday, April 29, 2016

Piazza Banchi

Chiesa di San Pietro in Banchi, church of Saint Peter in Banchi, Piazza Banchi, Genoa

Chiesa di San Pietro in Banchi (Church of Saint Peter in Banchi), 1585
Piazza Banchi
Genoa, April 2016

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Rue du Mont-Cenis

Bas-reliefs on the façade, 19 rue du Mont-Cenis, Paris

Bas-reliefs on the façade
19 rue du Mont-Cenis
Quartier de Clignancourt, 18th arrondissement
Paris, July 2008

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Lion of Saint Lawrence

One of the two lions by Carlo Rubatto, Cattedrale di San Lorenzo, Piazza San Lorenzo, Genoa

One of the two lions by Carlo Rubatto, 1840
Cattedrale di San Lorenzo (Cathedral of Saint Lawrence)
Piazza San Lorenzo
Genoa, April 2016

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Southbank House

Southbank House, Black Prince Road, Vauxhall, Lambeth, London

Southbank House, by Robert Stark Wilkinson
Formerly one of the Doulton Pottery Buildings
Black Prince Road, Vauxhall, Lambeth
London, September 2015

“Roger Dixon and Stefan Muthesius call the Doulton pottery complex, as it originally stood, ‘one of the most comprehensive commercial establishments in any city’ and, like Gavin Stamp, say that its slender 233' high factory chimney to the right was ‘a slim version of the campanile of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence’ (135). It is thought to have been suggested by Ruskin himself. These Thames-side buildings with their prominent give-away chimney were targeted in World War II, gutted during air raids and demolished in the 1950s. Royal Doulton moved its operations to Stoke-on-Trent in 1856. It is sad that most of Doulton's London pottery premises were lost, but lucky that at least one building remains to give us some idea of what an impressive landmark they must have made.” (Southbank House, The Victorian Web)

Monday, April 25, 2016

San Francesco Saverio alla Garbatella

Dome of the church of San Francesco Saverio alla Garbatella, Garbatella, Rome

Church of San Francesco Saverio alla Garbatella by Alberto Calza Bini, 1933
Via Daniele Comboni, Garbatella
Rome, April 2013

Sunday, April 24, 2016

Monument to Francis Garnier

Monument to Francis Garnier by Denys Puech, Place Camille-Jullian, Paris

Monument to Francis Garnier by Denys Puech, 1898
Place Camille-Jullian
Quartier Notre-Dame-des-Champs, 6th arrondissement
Paris, July 2009

“On 21 December 1873 Liu Yongfu and around 600 Black Flags, marching beneath an enormous black banner, approached the west gate of Hanoi. A large Vietnamese army followed in their wake. Garnier began shelling the Black Flags with a field piece mounted above the gate, and when they began to fall back he led a party of 18 French marine infantrymen out of the city to chase them away. The attack failed. Garnier, leading three men uphill in a bayonet attack on a party of Black Flags, was stabbed and hacked to death by several Black Flag soldiers after stumbling in a watercourse.” (Francis Garnier, Wikipedia)

Saturday, April 23, 2016

San Trovaso

Church of San Trovaso, Campo San Trovaso, Dorsoduro
Venice

Church of San Trovaso by Francesco Smeraldi, 1584
(dedicated to sts. Gervasius and Protasius)
Campo San Trovaso, Dorsoduro
Venice, September 2013

“The name is a Venetian blending of three saints: San Protasio and San Gervasio (Gervasius and Protasius) twin brothers and martyrs from Milan who were also the sons of martyrs, and San Crisogno (Saint Chrysogonus) an ancient Roman saint martyred in Aquila. The 10th Century church was rebuilt by the Barbarigo and Caravella families in 1028 and again after the fire of 1105. The nave of this building collapsed on 11th September 1583, with work on the present church beginning in the following year, probably to a design by Francesco Smeraldi, a pupil of Palladio, although sometimes Palladio himself is credited with the design, which is unlikely as he had died 3 years before the collapse. Consecration followed in 1657. There was hefty restoration work in the 19th Century, especially to the altars. Further work, mostly on the roof, was carried out in 1987.” (San Trovaso, The Churches of Venice)

Friday, April 22, 2016

Prescot Street

Building in Prescot Street, on the corner of St Mark Street, Aldgate, City of London, London

Corner building
Prescot Street / St Mark Street
Aldgate, City of London
London, September 2015

(Already posted on Instagram)

Thursday, April 21, 2016

San Zeno

Church of San Zeno, Largo San Zeno, Pisa

The church of San Zeno
Largo San Zeno
Pisa, May 2013

“The church is documented going back to 1029. It was part of a monastery built over pre-existing edifices, and, until the 15th century, it had also a hospital. In the 12th century it was held by the Camaldolese monks. The church has a nave and two aisles. The façade is preceded by a portico supported by pilasters and a central columns. The second row has mullioned windows and decorations with lozenges and small circular windows, with ceramic basins by Islamic masters. The interior has ancient Roman capitals and traces of medieval paintings.” (San Zeno, Wikipedia)

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

adidas Originals Berlin

adidas Originals Berlin, Münzstraße, Berlin

adidas Originals Berlin
Münzstraße
Berlin, September 2011

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Paratroopers

Paratroopers with assault rifles, Piazza della Signoria, Florence

Paratroopers with assault rifles
Piazza della Signoria
Florence, January 2016

Monday, April 18, 2016

Megaro Hotel

Megaro Hotel, Belgrove Street, London

Megaro Hotel
Belgrove Street, Camden
London, September 2015

“Commissioned by the company that owns Karpo restaurant and the Megaro Hotel, four street artists have completed a huge 450 square metre mural immediately opposite St Pancras International station in London… The mural, which encompasses two sides of the five storey Georgian building in which both Karpo and the Megaro Hotel are situated, was designed and painted by four members of street art collective, Agents of Change: Remi/Rough from London, Edinburgh-based Steve More, LX.One from Paris, and LA-based Augustine Kofie. It took two weeks to complete and over 150 litres of emulsion and 160 litres of spray paint were used.” (London’s largest mural, Creative Review)

Sunday, April 17, 2016

Domus Mazziniana

Facade of the Domus Mazziniana, via Mazzini, Pisa

Facade of the Domus Mazziniana
Via Mazzini
Pisa, May 2013

“This is the house where Giuseppe Mazzini spent the last years of his life and where he died on 10 March 1872. Practically rebuilt after the damages of the Second World War, it is now a museum dedicated to his life and works: the lettering on the facade of the building represent the verbose oath of the Giovine Italia (Young Italy), written by Mazzini himself in 1831 in Marseille.”

External links: Giuseppe Mazzini - Young Italy (Wikipedia) - The oath of the Giovine Italia (Mazzini: His life, Writings, and Political Principles)

Saturday, April 16, 2016

Couvent Saint-François

Couvent Saint-François, rue du Père-Corentin, rue Marie Rose, Quartier du Petit-Montrouge, Paris

Couvent Saint-François by Victor Blavette, Paul Gélis, and Louis-Jean Hulot, 1935
Rue du Père-Corentin / Rue Marie Rose
Quartier du Petit-Montrouge, 14th arrondissement
Paris, July 2005

Friday, April 15, 2016

Caran d'Ache

Boxes of Caran d'Ache pencils, Cartoleria Lory, Piazza de' Frescobaldi, Florence

Boxes of Caran d'Ache colored pencils
Cartoleria Lory
Piazza de' Frescobaldi
Florence, January 2016

Thursday, April 14, 2016

St Pancras Railway Station

St Pancras Railway Station, Euston Road, Camden, London

St Pancras Railway Station
Euston Road, Camden
London, September 2015

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Largo Benassi

Flowery balcony next to the former church of Santa Lucia, Largo Giuliano Benassi, Via Castiglione, Bologna

Flowery balcony next to the former church of Santa Lucia
Largo Giuliano Benassi / Via Castiglione
Bologna, June 2015

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Oberbaum Bridge

Oberbaumbrücke (Oberbaum Bridge), Fernsehturm (Television tower), Berlin

Oberbaumbrücke (Oberbaum Bridge) and Fernsehturm (Television tower)
Seen from the Treptowers, Alt-Treptow
Berlin, September 2011

“When the Berlin Wall was built in 1961 the bridge became part of East Berlin's border with West Berlin; as all the waters of the River Spree were in Friedrichshain, the East German fortifications extended to the shoreline on the Kreuzberg side. The West Berlin U-Bahn line was forced to terminate at Schlesisches Tor. Beginning on 21 December 1963, the Oberbaum Bridge was used as a pedestrian border crossing for West Berlin residents only.” (Oberbaum Bridge, Wikipedia)

Monday, April 11, 2016

Opificio delle Pietre Dure

Museum of the Opificio delle pietre dure, Workshop of semi-precious stones, Via Alfani, Florence

Museum of the Opificio delle pietre dure
(Workshop of semi-precious stones)
Via Alfani
Florence, January 2016

“The Opificio delle pietre dure, literally meaning Workshop of semi-precious stones, is a public institute of the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage based in Florence. It is a global leader in the field of art restoration and provides teaching as one of two Italian state conservation schools (the other being the Istituto Superiore per la Conservazione ed il Restauro). The institute maintains also a specialist library and archive of conservation and a museum displaying historic examples of pietre dure inlaid semi-precious stones artefacts. A scientific laboratory conducts research and diagnostics and provides a preventive conservation service.” (Opificio delle pietre dure, Wikipedia)

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Dying Eurydice

Copy of Eurydice mourante, Dying Eurydice, by Charles-François Lebœuf, Galerie Colbert, Paris

“Eurydice mourante” (Dying Eurydice) by Charles-François Lebœuf, 1822
(Copy of the original at the Louvre), Galerie Colbert
Rue des Petits-Champs / rue Vivienne
Quartier Vivienne, 2nd arrondissement
Paris, July 2012

(Already posted on Instagram)

Saturday, April 9, 2016

Street Painter

Street painter, Piazzale degli Uffizi, Florence

Street painter
Piazzale degli Uffizi
Florence, January 2016

Friday, April 8, 2016

The Walbrook

The Walbrook Building by Foster + Partners, Walbrook, City of London, London

The Walbrook Building by Foster + Partners, 2010
Walbrook, City of London
London, September 2015

“The facade is articulated as a series of bays, which refer to the domestic scale of the buildings that originally stood here and have the effect of extending the site boundary to optimise the plan area. While the scheme's massing is determined by the historical fabric of the city, the horizontal bands of reflective brise soleil are a contemporary statement in an area where planning guidance has traditionally favoured the use of stone. Made of a glass-fibre-reinforced polymer - a material more commonly used in the bodywork of cars - the louvres wrap the entire building, unifying the main volume with the receding upper levels, so that from the street the facade appears as a continuous arc.” (The Walbrook, Foster + Partners)

Thursday, April 7, 2016

Central Market at Night

Mercato Centrale, Central Market at night with Christmas decorations, Piazza del Mercato Centrale, Florence

Mercato Centrale (Central Market) at night, with Christmas decorations
Piazza del Mercato Centrale
Florence, December 2015

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Dinner in the Sky

Dining suspended 25 meters in the air, Upper Ground, South Bank, London

Dining suspended 25 meters in the air
Upper Ground, South Bank
London, September 2015

“Last year's inaugural London in the Sky event - when adventurous diners were treated to a three course meal 25 metres above Canary Wharf - was so successful that it's back in 2015 for an extended fourteen-day stay. This time the platform will be suspended above the South Bank - changed from its original location at St Katharine Docks - next to the BFI, Hayward Gallery and Queen Elizabeth Hall. The air-bourne restaurant which seats 22 (strapped in) guests employs some of London's finest chefs including Dan Doherty of Duck & Waffle, Robert Ortiz of Lima, Mark Sargeant of Morden & Lea, Sophie Michell of Pont St, and Mike Reid of M Restaurants.” (London in the Sky, LondonTown)

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Ponte dei Sospiri

Ponte dei Sospiri, Bridge of Sighs, Rio de la Canonica, Ponte del Rimedio, Venice

Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs) by Antonio Contino, 1600
Rio de la Canonica, with Ponte del Rimedio in background
Venice, September 2013

“The enclosed bridge is made of white limestone and has windows with stone bars. It passes over the Rio di Palazzo and connects the New Prison (Prigioni Nuove) to the interrogation rooms in the Doge's Palace. It was designed by Antonio Contino (whose uncle Antonio da Ponte had designed the Rialto Bridge) and was built in 1600.” (Bridge of Sighs, Wikipedia)

Monday, April 4, 2016

Centre Michelet

Institut d'art et d'archéologie or Centre Michelet, by Paul Bigot, rue Michelet, Paris

Institut d'art et d'archéologie (Centre Michelet), by Paul Bigot, 1928
Rue Michelet / avenue de l'Observatoire / rue des Chartreux
Quartier Notre-Dame-des-Champs, 6th arrondissement
Paris, July 2011

Sunday, April 3, 2016

Unter den Linden

Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral) and Fernsehturm (Television tower) seen from Unter den Linden, Berlin

Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral) and Fernsehturm (Television tower)
Seen from the Unter den Linden
Berlin, September 2011

Saturday, April 2, 2016

Piazza di Spagna

Piazza di Spagna, Roma

In costumes, with a cellphone
Piazza di Spagna
Rome, April 2013

Friday, April 1, 2016

Fontaine Souham

Fontaine Souham by Alberto Guzmán, Place Souham, Quartier de la Gare, Paris

Fontaine Souham by Alberto Guzmán, 1983
Place Souham
Quartier de la Gare, 13th arrondissement
Paris, July 2005

(Already posted on Instagram)