Torre del Clavero

---

Torre del Clavero
Calle Consuelo
Salamanca, September 2025

“The Torre del Clavero is one of the most typical and well-known monuments in the city of Salamanca, Spain. Although it is not very well documented and lacks a specific monograph. There is no agreement among historians as to who commissioned its construction, this Gothic tower is one of the best preserved in the peninsula. On the one hand, there are authors such as Villar y Macias who believe that its promoter was Mr. Baño Clavero in 1470 (the person who guarded the keys and archives of the Order of Alcántara), hence its name, or it is thought that it was commissioned by Francisco Soto Mayor, a member of the aforementioned order. On the other hand, there are those who say that it was commissioned by Diego de Anaya, also a member of the same Order of Alcántara; this thesis is defended by researcher González Dávila y Dorado. It is true that the heraldic emblems of both decorate and adorn their walls. The Clavero Tower was erected in the second half of the 15th century, although there is some controversy as to its function, whether it was a defensive tower or an integral part of a palace in the second half of the 15th century. Although its height is low to be defensive, some authors assume that the tower was attached to a civil construction; if so, it would follow a typical construction of urban buildings, so Professor Edward Cooper points out that it could have been a reduced imitation of the Cordoban Castle of Belalcázar, whose tower is practically identical and with which there are existing links. Other authors, such as Álvarez Villar, think that its layout and height do not allow us to imagine any type of defense. Again in the 15th century, its status as a noble promotion will be seen, although we must not forget the very important Board of Trustees of the University existing at the time”. (Torre del Clavero, Wikipedia)

Muscovy duck

---

Muscovy duck
Giardini Salvi
Corso SS. Felice e Fortunato
Vicenza, May 2025

“The Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) is a shelduck native to the Americas, from the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and Mexico south to Argentina and Uruguay. The species has been domesticated, and feral Muscovy ducks can be found locally in New Zealand, Australia, the United States, and in Central and Eastern Europe. It is a large duck, with the males significantly larger than the females. The males are 76–84 cm (30–33 in) long and weigh up to 3–4 kg (6.6–8.8 lb); females are 71–76 cm (28–30 in) long and 1.25 kg (2.8 lb) weight, roughly half the weight of the males. The wingspan is from 137 to 152 cm (54 to 60 in). The plumage is predominantly black, with large white patches on the wing; the back and wing feathers being iridescent and glossy in males, while the females are more drab. Muscovy ducks have long claws on their feet and a wide, flat tail. On the head, the male has a short crest on the nape. The bill is black with a speckling of pale pink. A blackish or dark red knob can be seen at the bill base, which is similar in colour to the bare skin of the face. The eyes are yellowish-brown. The legs and webbed feet are blackish. The female is similar in plumage, but smaller, with a feathered face and lacking the prominent knob. The juvenile is duller overall, with little or no white on the wing.” (Muscovy duck, Wikipedia)

Palacio de los Superunda

---

Palacio de los Superunda
Plaza Corral de las Campanas
Ávila, September 2025

“The Palacio de los Superunda is a building in the Spanish city of Ávila , Castile and León . It has the status of Site of Cultural Interest. Located in the Castilian-Leonese city of Ávila, within the walled enclosure, close to the gates of the Matadero and the Rastro, along with other buildings of outstanding artistic and historical value. The palace, of Italian style, was built in the 16th century. In 1595 the stonemason Juan Vela carried out the works of the façade. Although its first resident was Ochoa de Aguirre, it owes its name to the Count of Superunda and Marquis of Bermudo, who had the opportunity to inherit it in the 19th century. This is a beautifully proportioned Renaissance building with a square floor plan. It consists of a basement, two floors, and two turrets at the ends of the main façade that break its horizontal character. The organization of the façade, although overall symmetrical, is not so in detail, as the doorway is under one of the side turrets.” (Palacio de los Superunda, Wikipedia)

Alberto Cavalletto

---

Monument to Alberto Cavalletto by Augusto Sanavio, 1902
Via Cavalletto
Padua, May 2025

“Alberto Cavalletto (Padua, 28 November 1813 – Padua, 19 October 1897) was an Italian politician. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies of the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1860 and a member of the Chamber of Deputies of the Kingdom of Italy from 1864 to 1865 and from 1868 to 1892. In that year he was appointed senator of the Kingdom of Italy. He was born in Bassanello, a riverside suburb of Padua, on November 28, 1813, to Antonio Cavalletto and Maria Sandri. He graduated in hydraulic engineering from the University of Padua. He joined the ranks of the Liberals at a very young age, and in 1848 he fought in Vicenza as a major in the Brenta Bacchiglione Legion and played an active role in the defense of Venice. Arrested by the Austrian police in 1852, he was sentenced to death together with Tito Speri, Giovanni Malaman and other patriots, but obtained a commutation of the sentence to sixteen years of imprisonment, which was served in Josefstadt and Ljubljana. Released with the amnesty of 1856, he moved to Piedmont, where he continued his patriotic work in favour of the unification of Italy under the Savoy. From January 1859, Cavalletto became a key figure in the Central Political Committee of Veneto, created to coordinate the local secret committees that acted in the territory with propaganda actions against the Habsburg government. In the last years of Austrian domination in Veneto, Cavalletto was the instigator (or accomplice of the organisers) of various attacks and the throwing of ‘Orsini bombs’ against the houses of priests and private citizens accused of opposing unification. The Political Committee, of which the Paduan was secretary, was also responsible for financing protest demonstrations in Veneto and Friuli, characterised by the lighting of ‘Bengal fires’ and the display of tricolours.” (Alberto Cavalletto, Wikipedia)

Patatas Paco José

---

Patatas Paco José
Calle Souviron
Málaga, March 2025

“In Malaga there is a blue and yellow store with a giant lollipop at the door, in the middle of the gray buildings of the city that forced me to take a break. The store Paco José, in fact, is a factory of fried potatoes and other types of chips. But also sells everything is crap. In a good way, of course! Rather than buying potatoes, I was intrigued with a pot of ‘stone balls’ with the perfectly shaped stones that are on the ground in any city, but which are actually sugar candies.” (Patatas and more, Minube)

Castel San Pietro

---

Castel San Pietro
Piazzale Castel San Pietro
Verona, May 2025

“Colle San Pietro (Saint Peter’s Hill) is a hill, which rises a few hundred meters above the Roman Theatre. It is a place of great touristic interest. It's possible to reach it on foot thanks to the suggestive stairway that leaving from Ponte Pietra bordering the Roman Theatre, swiftly leads to its top. You can also easily reach Castel San Pietro using the funicular, so enjoying the view of the city. Then you can come back through a pleasant walk alongside the Roman Theatre, reaching Ponte Pietra. During the Roman age the hill was called ‘Monte Gallo’ (Rooster Mountain), and had a strong religious function because of its temple and theatre which is still preserved. The name ‘Colle San Pietro’ was given to the hill during the Medieval Period when a church dedicated to Saint Peter was erected on the remains of the ancient Roman temple. Being a strategic place of the town, starting from the medieval period up to 1321, when Cangrande della Scala was lord of the town, was fortified as a battlements point as typical of that historical period. Between the XIV and XV centuries, the hill, together with lots of other building works, the famous Castello Visconteo (the Castel of the Viscount) was erected, the reason being Gian Galeazzo Visconti, lord of the town, wanted the place to become a fortified stronghold controlling the whole town. The fortified citadel gained further importance with the Serenissima, which maintained the castle and constructed more around it. In 1801, when the Napoleonic army arrived, most of the ancient buildings were destroyed. The function of the site definitively chanced when the Austrians arrived. The ancient Saint Peter’s church was destroyed and, according to field marshal Radetzky will, an army base and barracks were built as a residence for the Austrian soldiers. The barracks are still at the top of the hill. The fortress style, designed by the Austrian engineer-officer Conrad Petrasch, dramatically changed the original look of the site: the structure had a clearly military look even though ‘softened’ by the crenels resembling the ancient ‘mura scaligere’, the surrounding city walls. The historical name ‘Castel San Pietro’ remains to identify this architectural complex rich in history. Thanks to its rich historical vestiges that still are preserved, Saint Peter’s Hill is a picturesque place, full of history and charm. Loved by tourists but most of all by Veronese people, it is a place not to be missed to enjoy the magnificent view of the fascinating Scaliger town.” (Castle San Pietro, VisitVerona)

Torres de Colón

---

Torres de Colón (Columbus Towers) by Antonio Lamela, 1976
Calle de Génova, Chamberí
Madrid, September 2025

“Columbus Towers or Torres de Colón is a highrise office building composed of twin towers located at the Plaza de Colón in Madrid, Spain. The building constructed in 1976 was designed by the architect Antonio Lamela. The building with its 116-meter height and 23 floors is the twelfth-tallest in the Spanish capital (counting the CTBA towers). It was the headquarters of the Rumasa company, during which time its name was changed to Torres de Jerez (Towers of Jerez), in honour of the home town of the company. It is currently valued at $116 million. It is found in and dominates the Plaza de Colón, one of the major commercial centres in Madrid. The twin buildings are known locally as ‘El Enchufe’ or ‘The Plug’ for the plug-like structure that binds them. The towers have a suspended structure; the building consists of two pillars together on top of a platform from which hang two large towers with perimeter beams six feet singing with pendulums each floor with cable-stayed steel cables. Construction commenced with the concrete footings, the two central pillars and the upper platform. Then the towers were built from top to bottom, from the upper platform plant to plant closer to the base of the building. At the base, three floors (six floors including basements) were built from the bottom up. The glass facades are covered with maroon and green and there is a structure (the ‘plug’ added later) at the top. The building houses offices of various companies and shops on the lower floors.” (Torres de Colón, Wikipedia)