Noria de Safont

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Noria de Safont
Parque de Safont
Toledo, September 2022

“Juanelo's hydraulic mechanism was capable of raising water 90 meters, enough to supply the Tagus to the Alcázar and the city. Two water wheels powered the device. The simplest was a simple waterwheel like the one reproduced; the second was complex. There are descriptions but no plans. Two designs compete today: the rocker arm and Valturro's scissors. Sitting in Safont Park—next to the bus station—we can see the useless imitation of a wheel that weeps for the true jewels that once were, and that only our nostalgic imagination can reconstruct and dream about.” (La noria del parque Safont en Toledo, Turismo matemático)

Portrait from Al Fayyum

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Portrait from Al Fayyum
National Archaeological Museum
Piazza Santissima Annunziata
Florence, January 2025

“While commonly believed to depict Greek settlers in Egypt, the Faiyum portraits instead reflect the complex synthesis of the predominant Egyptian culture and that of the elite Greek minority in the city. According to Walker, the early Ptolemaic Greek colonists married local women and adopted Egyptian religious beliefs, and by Roman times, their descendants were viewed as Egyptians by the Roman rulers, despite their own self-perception of being Greek. The portraits are said to represent both descendants of ancient Greek mercenaries, who had fought for Alexander the Great, settled in Egypt and married local women, as well as native Egyptians who were the majority, many of whom had adopted Greek or Latin names, then seen as ‘status symbols’.” (Fayum mummy portraits, Wikipedia)

Puerta de Toledo

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Puerta de Toledo (Toledo Gate)
Glorieta de la Puerta de Toledo
Madrid, September 2022

“The Puerta de Toledo (Toledo Gate) was one of the access gates to the city of Madrid. There were previously three other gates called Toledo in the vicinity, the current one dates from the first third of the 19th century and was designed by the Spanish architect Antonio Aguado , which is located in the middle of the Glorieta de la Puerta de Toledo acting as a roundabout. It was erected as a triumphal arch in honor of King Ferdinand VII as a commemoration of the Spanish War of Independence after the French occupation. It was the last monumental gate erected in the old city of Madrid. It was built between 1813 and 1827 and was restored by Madrid City Council in 1995. Its location in the city provided access from the city center via calle de Toledo to the roads south of Madrid (Camino Real de Andalucía), after crossing the Manzanares River via the Toledo Bridge and the Carabancheles mountains.” (Puerta de Toledo, Wikipedia)

Romeo e Giulietta

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Romeo e Giulietta, un sogno sospeso (Romeo and Juliet, a suspended dream) by Enrico Muscetra, 2008
Piazza Indipendenza
Verona, May 2025

“The monument called ‘Romeo e Giulietta, un sogno sospeso’ (Romeo and Juliet, a suspended dream) represents the two Shakespearean lovers in a stylized form. It was made in Poland in 2008 by the sculptor Enrico Muscetra (Alezio, 1946); then it was placed in piazza Indipendenza in 2012. The work was created for the exposition ‘Romeo e Giulietta, un sogno sospeso’ organized in 2009 for the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall; the exposition ended an international project organized to remember the most famous European myths. Critics said that Enrico Muscetra’s sculpture was representative of the whole event. It isn't a coincidence that in this work Romeo and Juliet’s bodies are represented as two hearts: in fact, Muscetra became famous for his bronze sculptures and for “hearts”, his leitmotif. The heart is not only a human organ but it is also the symbol of spirituality. The work is in quite a good state of preservation and it is well valued thanks to its isolated location in the garden and its closeness to the main squares of the city.” (Statue of Romeo and Juliet, VisitVerona)

Marcus Claudius Marcellus

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Marcus Claudius Marcellus by Marcos Augusto Dueñas, 2015
Calle Claudio Marcelo
Córdoba, September 2022

“Marcus Claudius Marcellus (died c. 148 BC) was Roman consul for the years 166 BC (together with Gaius Sulpicius Gallus), for 155 BC (with Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Corculum), and for 152 BC (with Lucius Valerius Flaccus). He was apparently the son of Marcus Claudius Marcellus (consul 196 BC), censor in 189 BC and the grandson of Marcus Claudius Marcellus, the five-times consul. He founded Corduba (Córdoba, Spain) in 169 BC.” (Marcus Claudius Marcellus, Wikipedia)

Church of San Gaetano

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Church of San Gaetano
Corso Palladio
Vicenza, May 2025

“San Gaetano is a Roman Catholic church located on Corso Palladio #147 in the city of Vicenza, region of Veneto, Italy. The church was erected between 1721 and 1730 using designs of Girolamo Frigimelica Roberti and commissioned by the Theatine order. The church underwent reconstruction after bombardment during WWII in 1944. The church still houses a St Cajetan painted by Francesco Solimena.” (San Gaetano, Wikipedia)

Edificio Pedro Roldán

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Edificio Pedro Roldán by José Espiau, 1927
Plaza de Jesús de la Pasión, Casco Antiguo
Seville, September 2022

“It is located next to the building that was built years earlier on the corner between Siete Revueltas and Alcaicería streets. This building, named after the Sevillian baroque artist Pedro Roldán, is one of the main examples of regionalism. The Arabic lines that can be seen on its façade are made with a combination of brick and tile, as well as the author's use of ornamental ironwork. José Espiau also adds one of the identifying elements of Second Regionalism, the panoramic tower, using again the dome that he already used in other previous constructions such as the Adriatic building and the City of London building that we can later see.” (Edificio Pedro Roldán, Visita Sevilla)