El Oso y el Madroño

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“El Oso y el Madroño” by Antonio Navarro Santafé, 1967
Puerta del Sol
Madrid, September 2025

“The Statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree (Spanish: El Oso y el Madroño) is a sculpture from the second half of the 20th century, situated in the Spanish capital, Madrid. It represents the coat of arms of Madrid and is found on the east side of the Puerta del Sol, between Calle de Alcalá and Carrera de San Jerónimo, in the historical centre of the capital. The statue is a work of the sculptor Antonio Navarro Santafé (1906-1983) and it was inaugurated on 19 January 1967. It was promoted by the section of Culture of the City council of Madrid, which wanted to represent the main heraldic symbols of the city in a monument. The first appearance of a wild bear and a strawberry tree on the coat of arms of the city was in the 13th century. Previously, it only incorporated a bear in passant attitude, until it was replaced in the aforementioned century by the two current figures. With this change, they wanted to symbolise the resolution adopted by the municipality and the Chapter of Priests and Beneficiaries after a long litigation about the control of Madrilenian pastures and trees. Since this agreement, the former became property of the Chapter and the latter of the council. From here they modified the arms, including a strawberry tree and of a bear in a new posture: leaning on the tree with both paws. The sculpture has always been in the Puerta del Sol, but in two locations inside the square. Before 1986, it was situated in the east side of it, in the vicinity of the building between the Calle de Alcalá and the Carrera St. Jerónimo. That year, it was moved to the front of Carmen Street for the square's reform and remodeling, promoted by mayor Enrique Tierno Galván. In September 2009, with the integral renewal of the square promoted by Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón, it has gone back to its original location.” (Statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree, Wikipedia)

Abbey of Santa Giustina

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Abbey of Santa Giustina
Via Ferrari
Padua, May 2025

“The Abbey of Santa Giustina is a 10th-century Benedictine abbey complex located in front of the Prato della Valle in central Padua, region of Veneto, Italy. Adjacent to the former monastery is the basilica church of Santa Giustina, initially built in the 6th century, but whose present form derives from a 17th-century reconstruction. A church dedicated to Saint Justina of Padua and other 4th-century Christian martyrs of Padua, was present at the site by the 520s, erected under the patronage of the Prefect Opilius and housing the relics of the saint. The church was already described as lavish in decoration in the 565 biography "Life of St Martin", written by Venantius Fortunatus. By the 10th century, monks ministered to pilgrims who came to the basilica to venerate the saints' relics. In 971, the Bishop of Padua placed the community under the Rule of St. Benedict.” (Abbey of Santa Giustina, Wikipedia)

Iglesia de San Millán

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Iglesia de San Millán
Avenida del Acueducto
Segovia, September 2025

“The church of San Millán is a Catholic church located next to the Avenida del Acueducto, in the San Millán neighborhood of the city of Segovia, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is located in the neighborhood of the same name. The pre-Romanesque tower is the oldest remains of the temple, as it dates back to the 11th century and is in the Mudejar style, an aspect that gives the building a distinctive character within the important number of Romanesque churches in the city, which together with Zamora are the largest group in Spain. The rest of the building is the product of the reform carried out between 1111 and 1126 by Alfonso I the Battler during his government in Castile for his marriage to Doña Urraca, making it one of the oldest churches in the city.” (Iglesia de San Millán, Wikipedia)

The Modest Painter

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‘Il Pittore Pudico’ (The Modest Painter) by Maurizio Rapiti, 2019
Piazza della Passera
Florence, December 2024

“‘The Birth of Venus’ by Sandro Botticelli (1486) revisited by Maurizio Rapiti.”

Iglesia de San Sebastián

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Iglesia de San Sebastián
Plaza de Anaya
Salamanca, September 2025

“The church of San Sebastián is a temple located in Salamanca, in the Plaza de Anaya, adjacent to the Colegio Mayor de San Bartolomé. On October 6, 2011, the Colegio de Anaya, the Hospedería and the church of San Sebastián were declared a Site of Cultural Interest with the category of Monument. The original temple was designed by the master builder Juan Álvarez de Toledo around 1410 for Don Diego de Anaya in imitation of that of San Clemente de Bolonia. Structural problems caused the building to weaken and finally had to be demolished, the Dominicans attempted to build another church. The church was developed between the years 1730 and 1739, under the direction of Alberto de Churriguera, who also directed the works of the cathedral at that time, imprinting its style both externally and internally.” (Iglesia de San Sebastián, Wikipedia)

Fountain of the Alps

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Fountain of the Alps, 1975
Piazza Bra
Verona, May 2025

“The Fountain of the Alps is the fountain located in the center of Piazza Bra and symbolizes the close union between the cities of Verona and Munich. Donated to the city in 1975 by the German city on the occasion of the twinning between the two cities, a copy of the Statue of Juliet, which currently resides inside the Town Hall, was sent in exchange. With its particular shape, it is jokingly called by the Veronese ‘strucca limoni’, because its shape reminds a citrus squeezer. Another sign of the twinning between the two cities is next to the fountain, where a memorial plaque is erected in memory of Italian deportees to German concentration camps.” (Fountain of the Alps, VisitVerona)

Basílica de San Vicente

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Basílica de San Vicente
Plaza de San Vicente
Ávila, September 2025

“The Basílica de los Santos Hermanos Mártires, Vicente, Sabina y Cristeta, best known as Basílica de San Vicente, is a church in Ávila, Spain. It is one of the best examples of Romanesque architecture in the country. According to legend, Christian martyrs Vicente, Sabina and Cristeta were martyred during the rule of the Roman Emperor Diocletian; their corpses were buried into the rock and later a basilica was built over their tombs. In 1062 their remains were moved to the monastery of San Pedro de Arlanza in Burgos, but later, in 1175, they were returned to Ávila and the construction of a new basilica was started at the location. Construction was repeatedly halted or slowed, and were finished in the fourteenth century thanks to the support of Alfonso X and Sancho IV.” (Basilica of San Vicente, Wikipedia)