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)

Torrione di porta Castello

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Torrione di porta Castello
Corso Palladio
Vicenza, May 2025

“It was later enlarged by Ezzelino III da Romano and demolished after his death. In 1343 it was rebuilt larger during the Scaliger occupation and became part of the medieval city walls. Antonio and Mastino II della Scala restored the Ezzelinian fortress, transforming it into a real Castle that occupied a square area and surrounded by a deep moat. Subsequently, with the Visconti domination, the crenellated crowning and the upper lantern were added, taking on its current appearance. During the 17th century, the Castle, now deprived of its defensive role, was sold – except for the Tower because it was a public passage – by the Serenissima to the Valmarana family , who transformed the north wing into a palace overlooking their ancient garden. The dismantling of the remaining parts, at the end of the 18th century, left the Tower almost intact. However, between the 19th and 20th centuries, for traffic reasons, the entrance arch was doubled and flanked by two pedestrian passages. The last two restorations date back to 1999 and 2018. The internal perimeter of the ancient Castle – parade ground – is still identifiable in the large rectangular space that opens beyond the Torrione portal, overlooking the Corso. After five centuries, on April 3, 2018, the Torrione returned to being a public property. The collector Antonio Coppola , after having purchased it at auction, ceded the bare ownership of the imposing building to the Municipality of Vicenza. The Coppola Foundation will maintain the usufruct of the Torrione for 30 years, using it as a center of contemporary art, guaranteeing its management and maintenance.” (Torrione di porta Castello, VIVA)

Bodega El Pimpi

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Bodega El Pimpi
Calle Granada
Málaga, March 2025

“Founded in 1971, the Pimpi is one of the wine cellars with most solera in Málaga, where it is possible to enjoy local gastronomy and local wines, but mostly, the tradition and culture belonging to southern Spain. Its name makes reference to the figure of ‘Pimpi’, a popular character from Málaga who helped crew and passengers of boats that arrived at the Málaga port. Currently, the wine cellar is a famous meeting point for the famous, both Malagueños and visitors, who recommend us and value our cultural entity and gastronomy of top order in Málaga.” (Gastronomic and cultural history of Málaga, El Pimpi)

Porta Ognissanti

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Porta Ognissanti (Porta Portello)
Via del Portello
Padua, May 2025

“The Porta Ognissanti (Omnium Sanctorum in Latin, also called Portello Nuovo or Venezia, commonly Porta Portello) is one of the gates still existing within the sixteenth-century walls of Padua, built by the Serenissima Republic. It rises in the area of the city called Portello (that is ‘small port’, because this area hosted a sort of arrival - restored - for the boats that connected along the Riviera del Brenta Padua with Venice, but the recent hypothesis in deriving it from the fact that, previously to the current gate, there was a ‘Portello’ (a simple pedestrian gate or almost). The gate dates back to 1519, the year in which it took the place of the Portello Vecchio gate, located in today's Via San Massimo.” (Porta Ognissanti, Wikipedia)

Dionysos-Brunnen

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Dionysos-Brunnen (Dionysus Fountain) by Karl Burgeff, 1973
Am Domhof
Cologne, September 2024

“Somewhat hidden, in front of the tunnel entrance Am Domhof under the east side of the Domplatte, the bronze sculpture of the Greek god Dionysus graces the concrete-heavy surroundings. Created by Karl Burgeff in 1973, the curvaceously shaped god of festivities and wine is in a contorted position that is half sitting, half reclining, and directs his gaze up to the sky, lost in thought. The god depicted here as a sculpture is a modern counterpart to the mosaic in the Roman-Germanic Museum. There, Dionysus is the central motif of the mosaic of the same name around which the museum building was erected. Even if there is no direct connection, it is somewhere fitting that homage is paid to the ancient deity in Cologne, since to a certain extent the bacchanalia of ancient Rome continued in today's carnival.” (Dionysus Fountain, Cologne Tourist Board)