Thursday, March 31, 2016

Ponte Vitturi

Ponte Vitturi, Rio del Duca, San Marco, Venice

Ponte Vitturi
Rio del Duca / Rio di San Vidal
Calle del Frutarol, San Marco
Venice, September 2013

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Caryatids

Caryatids, 116 rue de Turenne, Quartier des Enfants-Rouges, Paris

“Caryatids” of sorts
116 rue de Turenne
Quartier des Enfants-Rouges, 3rd arrondissement
Paris, July 2012

(Already posted on Instagram)

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Ugo Bassi

Monument to Ugo Bassi by Carlo Parmeggiani, Via Ugo Bassi, Bologna

Monument to Ugo Bassi by Carlo Parmeggiani, 1888
Via Ugo Bassi
Bologna, June 2015

“Ugo Bassi was a Roman Catholic priest and Italian nationalist. Bassi was born at Cento, Emilia-Romagna, and received his early education at University of Bologna. An unhappy love affair induced him to become a novice in the Barnabite order when eighteen years old. He returned to Rome, where he led a life of study and devotion, and entered into his ministry in 1833. It was as a preacher that he became famous, his sermons attracting large crowds owing to their eloquence and genuine enthusiasm. He lived chiefly in Bologna, but travelled all over Italy preaching and tending the poor. He was so poor himself that he often did not have food to eat. At the outbreak of the revolutionary movements in 1848, when Pope Pius IX still appeared to be a Liberal and an Italian nationalist. As a result, Father Bassi, filled with enthusiasm, joined General Durando's papal force to protect the frontiers as an army chaplain. His eloquence drew fresh recruits to the ranks, and he exercised great influence over the soldiers and people. When the Supreme Pontiff renounced all connection with the nationalist movement, it was only Bassi who could restrain Bolognese Liberals in their indignation.” (Ugo Bassi, Wikipedia)

Monday, March 28, 2016

Sumo Wrestler and Flowers

Sumo wrestler and poppies, Zimmerstrasse, Berlin

Sumo wrestler and flowers
Zimmerstraße
Berlin, September 2011

Sunday, March 27, 2016

Wake Up Florence

Wake Up Florence mural, Piazza Santo Spirito, Florence

Wake Up Florence mural
Piazza Santo Spirito
Florence, January 2016

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Juicebox

Juicebox, fresh juice from fresh produce, Oxford Street at Woodstock Street, London

Juicebox, fresh juice from fresh produce
Oxford Street at Woodstock Street
London, September 2015

Friday, March 25, 2016

The Gondolier

A gondolier waiting for customers, Riva degli Schiavoni, San Marco, Venice

A gondolier waiting for customers
Riva degli Schiavoni, San Marco
Venice, September 2013

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Le souvenir

Le temps passe les souvenir reste, Time passes the memory remains, Montparnasse Cemetery, Paris

“Le temps passe, les souvenir reste” (Time passes, the memory remains)
Cimetière du Montparnasse, Montparnasse Cemetery
Quartier du Montparnasse, 14th arrondissement
Paris, July 2014

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

I testimoni

I testimoni, The Witnesses by Mimmo Paladino, parvis of the Basilica di San Lorenzo, Piazza di San Lorenzo, Florence

“I testimoni” (The Witnesses) by Mimmo Paladino, 2009
Parvis of the Basilica di San Lorenzo
Piazza di San Lorenzo
Florence, November 2015

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Two Mice Eating Cheese

Sculpture of mice fighting over a piece of cheese, Philpot Street, London

“Two Mice Eating Cheese”
Philpot Lane at Eastcheap
London, September 2015

“Not far from the northern end of London Bridge, in the capital’s historic centre, you’ll find a short street called ‘Philpot Lane.’ Named after Sir John Philpot (Lord Mayor of London between 1378-1379), Philpot Lane links Eastcheap and Fenchurch Street. It is also home to London’s tiniest public statue; ‘The Two Mice Eating Cheese.’ These two small fellows can be found half-way up a building which sits on the south-eastern corner of Philpot Lane, just by the junction with Eastcheap. Details of who created these critters, and when they were placed here are pretty much non-existent. However, one thing is certain- these two wee mice are a memorial to two builders who died nearby… The builders in question were working on ‘The Monument’; a towering column which stands on the junction of Fish Street Hill and Monument Street, about 400 ft. away from Philpot Lane.” (London’s Smallest Statue, View from the Mirror)

Monday, March 21, 2016

You Got Watches

Bench with graffiti, Campo Santo Stefano, San Marco, Venice

Bench with graffiti in background
Campo Santo Stefano, San Marco
Venice, September 2013

“Voi avete gli orologi
Noi abbiamo il tempo”
(You got watches
We got time)

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Schleuse Mühlendamm

Schleuse Mühlendamm, Mühlendamm Lock seen from the Mühlendammbrücke, Berlin

Schleuse Mühlendamm (Mühlendamm Lock)
Seen from the Mühlendammbrücke
Berlin, September 2011

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Nicola Pisano

Monument to Nicola Pisano by Salvino Salvini, Santa Maria del Carmine, corso Italia, Pisa

Monument to Nicola Pisano by Salvino Salvini, 1864
Santa Maria del Carmine (St. Mary of Carmel)
Corso Italia
Pisa, January 2013

Friday, March 18, 2016

Still Water

Still Water by Nic Fiddian-Green, Marble Arch, London

“Still Water” by Nic Fiddian-Green, 2011
Marble Arch
London, September 2015

“An artist who crafted a sculpture of a horse's head in central London was so distressed at the local pigeons making a mess of his landmark he has climbed the 35ft high structure to clean it himself. Nic Fiddian-Green is known the world over for his incredible signature sculptures of horses inspired by his own chestnut hunter George. His bronze horse creation Still Water is now a permanent feature in Marble Arch but it appears the pigeons loved it as much as London sightseers - leaving the prominent statue in need of a spring clean.” (On his high horse, MailOnline)

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Ponte Giustinian

Ponte Giustinian, Giustinian Bridge, Rio de San Vidal, San Marco, Venice

Ponte Giustinian (Giustinian Bridge)
Rio de San Vidal, San Marco
Venice, September 2013

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

The Vendôme Column

Detail of the The Vendôme Column, Place Vendôme, Paris

Detail of the Vendôme Column
Place Vendôme
Quartier de la Place-Vendôme, 1st arrondissement
Paris, July 2012

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Piazza della Stazione

Fountain by Arnaldo Pomodoro, piazza della Stazione, Pisa

Fountain by Arnaldo Pomodoro
Piazza della Stazione
Pisa, December 2011

Monday, March 14, 2016

Little Dorrit's Playground

Utility box mural, Little Dorrit's Playground, Marshalsea Road, Southwark, London

Utility box mural
Little Dorrit's Playground
Marshalsea Road, Southwark
London, September 2015

“In 1902, a small public open space called Little Dorrit's Playground was opened north of Marshalsea Road. The surrounding area has many Dickensian associations. Charles Dickens himself had lodgings in Lant Street to the south of Marsalsea Road as a child when his father is in the Marshalsea debtors' prison nearby in 1824. This had a profound effect on the yound Dickens and his later novel Little Dorrit is based around the area and the prison. The character Little Dorrit was baptised and married in the local church, St George the Martyr, at the southeast end of Marshalsea Road close to the playground. Much of the area became derelict as a result of air raid damage during World War II. In 2001, the playground was improved through the effort of the Little Dorrit Park Group, set up by mothers in the area.” (Little Dorrit's Playground, Wikipedia)

Sunday, March 13, 2016

Via Alamanni

Line 1 Tram, Via Luigi Alamanni, Santa Maria Novella railway station, Florence

Line 1 tram of Florence tramway network
(Santa Maria Novella railway station)
Via Luigi Alamanni
Florence, April 2015

Saturday, March 12, 2016

André Chénier

Statue of André Chénier by Auguste Preault, Musée du Louvre, Louvre Museum, Paris

Statue of André Chénier by Auguste Preault
Aile Lescot (Lescot Wing) seen from the Cour Napoléon
Palais du Louvre (Louvre Palace)
Quartier Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois, 1st arrondissement
Paris, July 2012

Friday, March 11, 2016

Kinzica de' Sismondi

Presumed sculpture of Kinzica de' Sismondi, Casa Tizzoni, Via San Martino, Pisa

Presumed sculpture of Kinzica de' Sismondi
(probably only a fragment of a 3rd-century Roman sarcophagus)
Casa Tizzoni
Via San Martino
Pisa, April 2011

“Whereupon, according to the legend, the Saracen Emir Moezz-Ibn-Badis, called Musa or Mugettus by the Italian chroniclers, left Sardinia, which he had conquered, and sailed up the Arno by night to attack Pisa in 1005. The houses on the left bank of the river were in flames and the inhabitants in full flight, when a woman of the Sismondi family named Chinzica rushed across the bridge to the palace of the Consuls and gave the alarm. A statue was erected to her when the burnt portion of the town was rebuilt and called after her.” (Janet Ross and Nelly Erichsen, The Story of Pisa, 1909)

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Beyond the White Tower

The Shard by Renzo Piano seen beyond the White Tower, London

The Shard by Renzo Piano, 2013
Seen beyond the White Tower
London, September 2015

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Opera del Duomo

Entrance Hall, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Museum of the Works of the Cathedral, Piazza del Duomo, Florence

Entrance hall, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo
(Museum of the Works of the Cathedral)
Piazza del Duomo
Florence, October 2015

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

The Falconer

The Falconer by George Blackall Simonds, Central Park, New York

“The Falconer” by George Blackall Simonds, 1871
Terrace Drive, Central Park
New York, September 2008

“The Falconer is a bronze sculpture in Central Park, New York City by English sculptor George Blackall Simonds. It depicts a man in a theatrical version of Elizabethan dress standing on a high granite pedestal, releasing a hunting falcon. The Falconer, cast in 1871 in Florence, was erected in 1875 on a prominent rock overlooking the confluence of Terrace Drive and another carriage drive near the West 72nd Street drive entrance. The growth of surrounding trees has partly obscured the site. The sculpture has a history of being vandalized. The original falcon was stolen, and in the 1960s the New York City Parks Department commissioned their employee and sculptor, Joel Rudnick, to mold a new falcon which now sits on The Falconer's arm. This new falcon is substantially different from the original falcon.” (The Falconer, Wikipedia)

Monday, March 7, 2016

Nâzım Hikmet

Nâzım Hikmet's verses on a wall, Piazza Giuseppe Verdi, Bologna

Nâzım Hikmet's verses on a wall
Piazza Giuseppe Verdi
Bologna, June 2015

“To walk toward the good, the just, the true,
to fight for the good, the just, the true,
to seize the good, the just, the true.”
(Nâzım Hikmet, Bach's Concerto No.1 in C Minor)

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Unexpected Guests

Unexpected guests at the London Fashion Week, Brewer Street Car Park, London

Unexpected guests at the London Fashion Week
Brewer Street Car Park
Brewer Street, Soho
London, September 2015

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Loggia at Night

Loggia del Mercato Nuovo at night, Piazza del Mercato Nuovo, Florence

Loggia del Mercato Nuovo at night
Piazza del Mercato Nuovo
Florence, October 2015

Friday, March 4, 2016

Heartbeat

Heartbeat by Charles Pétillon, Market Building, Covent Garden, London

“Heartbeat” by Charles Pétillon, 2015
Market Building, Covent Garden
London, September 2015

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Newborn Lamp

Newborn lamp post, Palazzo Re Enzo, Piazza del Nettuno, Bologna

“Newborn” lamp post
(It should illuminate at every birth in Bologna)
Palazzo Re Enzo
Piazza del Nettuno / Via Rizzoli
Bologna, June 2015

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

The Stolen Bust

Grave of Georges Bizet without the stolen bust, Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris

Grave of Georges Bizet without the stolen bust
Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, (Père Lachaise Cemetery)
Quartier du Père-Lachaise, 20th arrondissement
Paris, July 2014

“Now the Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris, where famous residents such as Molière, Marcel Proust, Edith Piaf and Maria Callas attract 2 million visitors a year, has been the victim of theft. Six bronze busts were stolen last month from its 19th century tombs, including that of Georges Bizet, the composer of Carmen. The busts dated from the second half of the 19th century and were made by well-known artists of the time. Each is worth between €5,000 and €10,000.” (Thieves make off with Bizet's bust in series of cemetery raids, The Guardian)

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Roof Gardens

Roof gardens by Foster + Partners, Crossrail station, Canary Wharf, London

Roof gardens by Foster + Partners
Crossrail station, Canary Wharf
London, September 2015