Monday, July 31, 2017

Ancient Baths

Bagni nelle antiche terme by Antonio Peppini, Borgo Santissimi Apostoli / Piazza del Limbo, Florence

“Bagni nelle antiche terme” by Antonio Peppini, 1826
Borgo Santissimi Apostoli / Piazza del Limbo
Florence, April 2017

“I am now standing opposite the famous Piazza del Limbo, that precious, sunken-in piazza that boasts the Chiesa dei Santi Apostoli. But before I descend, I take in the nineteenth-century building on my side of the street, the Bagni nelle Antiche Terme, which stands on the site of the original Roman baths. Antonio Peppini funded the construction of this building in 1826 (his name adorns the building) to be used once again for the city's public baths. It is now a high-end tailor shop, Bottega delle Antiche Terme di Simone Abbarchi (no. 16).” (Borgo Santissimi Apostoli, The Florentine)

Sunday, July 30, 2017

Torre de Collserola

Torre de Collserola by Norman Foster, Carretera de Vallvidrera al Tibidabo, Barcelona

Torre de Collserola by Norman Foster, 1991
Carretera de Vallvidrera al Tibidabo
Barcelona, March 2017

“Torre de Collserola is a uniquely designed tower located on the Tibidabo hill in the Serra de Collserola, in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was designed by the architect Sir Norman Foster and by the Spanish civil engineers Julio Martínez Calzón and Manuel Julià Vilardell. This emblematic tower was built in 1991 by the construction company Cubiertas y MZOV S.A. for the 1992 Summer Olympics. It features a pod for floor space like many towers but uses guy wires for lateral support like a mast. Mainly used as a TV and radio transmitter, this futuristic design provides the highest viewpoint over the city. The top antenna reaches 288.4 m (946 ft) and the top of the pod, which has thirteen floors, reaches 152 m (499 ft). The highest point of this tower is actually the highest place you could be in the city of Barcelona.” (Torre de Collserola, Wikipedia)

Saturday, July 29, 2017

St Paul's Within the Walls

St Paul's Within the Walls by George Edmund Street, Via Nazionale, Rome

St Paul's Within the Walls by George Edmund Street, 1880
Via Nazionale
Rome, April 2013

“St Paul's Within the Walls, also known as the American Church in Rome, is a church of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe on Via Nazionale in Castro Pretorio, Rome. It was the first Protestant church to be built in Rome. Designed by English architect George Edmund Street in Gothic Revival style, it was built in polychrome brick and stone, and completed in 1880. The church contains mosaics which are the largest works of the English Pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Burne-Jones.” (St Paul's Within the Walls, Wikipedia)

Friday, July 28, 2017

Room without a View

Room without a View by Antony Gormley, Brown Hart Gardens, off Duke Street, Mayfair, London

‘Room without a View’ by Antony Gormley, 2014
(That thing above The Garden Café)
Brown Hart Gardens
Off Duke Street, Mayfair
London, September 2016

“Gormley has created his suite – it's called Room – for the Beaumont, a hotel due to open this autumn in Brown Hart Gardens. The hotel is not exactly a Travelodge. It is a swanky place that raises the question of how an artist can, in good faith, make a work that teases the general public with its shiny exterior while in reality be a delight for the rich guests this Mayfair establishment is hoping to attract. No one would tell me the cost for a night in Gormley's Room, though it's said to go for roughly £2,500.” (Antony Gormley's £2,500 Room without a view, The Guardian)

Thursday, July 27, 2017

Ai Weiwei. Libero

Ai Weiwei. Libero exhibition, Palazzo Strozzi, Piazza degli Strozzi, Florence

“Ai Weiwei. Libero” exhibition
Palazzo Strozzi
Piazza degli Strozzi
Florence, January 2017

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Radio City Music Hall

Radio City Music Hall, 6th Avenue, New York City

Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Center
Sixth Avenue (Avenue of the Americas)
New York, September 2008

Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in Rockefeller Center in New York City. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city. Its interior was declared a city landmark in 1978. It is notable as being the headquarters for the precision dance company, the Rockettes.” (Radio City Music Hall, Wikipedia)

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Giuseppe Parini

Statue of Giuseppe Parini by Luca Secchi, Piazza Cordusio, Milano

Statue of Giuseppe Parini by Luca Secchi, 1899
Piazza Cordusio
Milano, November 2016

“He was born in Cremona, but resided during his career mostly in Milan. He was initially a pupil of Pietro Magni, and then of Francesco Barzaghi at the Brera Academy. He worked on statues in bronze and marble. He exhibited in 1883 in Milan, a bronze statue titled: Modello in Riposo. His work Bel mattino was awarded at the 1883 Girotti competition. In 1884, in Turin, he exhibited a model for In Repose. In 1886 in Milan, he exhibited this statue in marble. He was commissioned a number of monuments in and around Milan. These include the Monument to the poet Giuseppe Parini, (1899) at the piazza Cordusio, Milan. The base was completed with Antonio Beltrami and inaugurated on the centenary of the writer's death. One of his masterworks is his monument to Verdi made for town where the composer lived.” (Luca Secchi, Wikipedia)

Monday, July 24, 2017

The Shard and the Staircase

The Shard and the London Bridge Staircase seen from the London Bridge, London

The Shard and the London Bridge Staircase
Seen from the London Bridge
London, September 2016

Sunday, July 23, 2017

Torre della Pagliazza

Torre della Pagliazza, Piazza Sant'Elisabetta, Florence

Torre della Pagliazza
Piazza Sant'Elisabetta
Florence, April 2017

Saturday, July 22, 2017

Montjuïc Communications Tower

Montjuïc Communications Tower by Santiago Calatrava, Anella Olímpica (Olympic Ring), Passeig Olímpic, Montjuïc, Barcelona

Montjuïc Communications Tower by Santiago Calatrava, 1992
Anella Olímpica (Olympic Ring)
Passeig Olímpic, Montjuïc
Barcelona, March 2017

“The Montjuïc Communications Tower, popularly known as Torre Calatrava and Torre Telefónica, is a telecommunication tower in the Montjuïc neighborhood of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was designed by Santiago Calatrava, with construction taking place from 1989 to 1992. The white tower was built for Telefónica to transmit television coverage of the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona. The 136-metre (446 ft) tower is located in the Olympic park and represents an athlete holding the Olympic Flame. The base is covered with trencadís, Gaudí's mosaic technique created from broken tile shards. Because of the tower's orientation, it works also as a giant sundial, which uses the Europa square to indicate the hour.” (Montjuïc Communications Tower, Wikipedia)

Friday, July 21, 2017

Street Musician

Street musician, Via Garibaldi, Genoa

Street musician
Via Garibaldi
Genoa, April 2016

Thursday, July 20, 2017

100 Regent Street

Number 100 Regent Street, Mayfair, London

Number 100 Regent Street, Mayfair
London, September 2016

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Mary Magdalene

Painted wood Mary Magdalene by Desiderio da Settignano

Painted wood Mary Magdalene by Desiderio da Settignano, 1464
Church of Santa Trinita
Piazza Santa Trinita
Florence, April 2017

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Party Headquarters

French Communist Party Headquarters, place du Colonel-Fabien, Paris

French Communist Party Headquarters
Place du Colonel-Fabien
Quartier du Combat, 19th arrondissement
Paris, July 2005

Monday, July 17, 2017

Casa Isolani

Casa Isolani (Isolani House), Strada Maggiore, Bologna

Casa Isolani (Isolani House)
Strada Maggiore
Bologna, Jene 2015

“Dominating the entrance to Strada Maggiore, one of the main streets of Medieval Bologna, is the doorway to the Casa Isolani. This is one of the most interesting examples of Roman-Gothic architecture in Bologna. The tall wood structure marks the beginning of the Corte Isolani, a covered passageway that connects two of the most monumental areas of Bologna. The complex of Isolani buildings, restored and opened to the public in 1999, still belongs to the family that gave it its name. It crosses the courtyards and atriums that line the shops, offices, and residences, continuing all the way to the Piazza Santo Stefano.” (Corte Isolani, ItalyGuides.it)

Sunday, July 16, 2017

Kayaking along the Thames

Kayaking along the Thames between London Bridge and Tower Bridge, London

Kayaking along the Thames
Between London Bridge and Tower Bridge
London, September 2016

Saturday, July 15, 2017

The Green Balcony

A green balcony, Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge), Florence

A green balcony
onte Vecchio (Old Bridge)
Florence, April 2017

“It has always hosted shops and merchants who displayed their goods on tables before their premises, after authorization of the Bargello (a sort of a lord mayor, a magistrate and a police authority). The back shops (retrobotteghe) that may be seen from upriver, were added in the seventeenth century. It is said that the economic concept of bankruptcy originated here: when a money-changer could not pay his debts, the table on which he sold his wares (the ‘banco’) was physically broken (‘rotto’) by soldiers, and this practice was called ‘bancorotto’ (broken table; possibly it can come from ‘banca rotta’ which means ‘broken bank’). Not having a table anymore, the merchant was not able to sell anything.” (Ponte Vecchio, Wikipedia)

Friday, July 14, 2017

Casa Trias

Casa Martí Trias i Domènech by Juli Batllevell, Parc Güell, Barcelona

Casa Martí Trias i Domènech by Juli Batllevell, 1905
Parc Güell
Barcelona, March 2017

“October 1900 saw the start of work on dividing the site into levels, with building work proceeding at a good pace. On 4 January 1903, a description published in the Anuari de l’Associació d’Arquitectes (Association of Architects Year Book) noted that the two entrance pavilions had been constructed, as well as the main flight of steps, the shelter for horse-drawn carriages, the outer enclosure, the viaducts and part of the great esplanade, together with the water evacuation system. By 1907 events were already being held in the great square, from which we know that the hypostyle room was entirely covered by then, while the tiled bench running around it was completed in 1914. The first person to buy a plot in the Park, in 1902, was a friend of Güell, lawyer Martí Trias i Domènech, who commissioned architect Juli Batllevell with building his villa. At the same time, the works contractor, Josep Pardo i Casanovas, built a show house, designed by Gaudí’s assistant Francesc Berenguer, to encourage sales. Gaudí himself moved there in 1906 to live with his father and niece. Shortly afterwards, in 1907, Eusebi Güell converted the old mansion (Casa Larrard), that was already there when he bought the site for development, into his usual residence. Over those years, a large number of civic events were held in the great square, with the owner’s approval. The complex conditions for sale of the plots, under old emphyteusis (lifetime leasehold) contracts, the lack of a suitable transport system and the highly exclusive character of the development all made it unviable. A lack of buyers led to the works being abandoned in 1914, with only two of the sixty houses envisaged having been built. The park thus became a large private garden, which Güell allowed to be used for public events, while it began to appear in tourist guides to Barcelona as one of the attractions of the city.” (Over a hundred years of history, Park Güell)

Thursday, July 13, 2017

Sant’Eufemia

Sant'Eufemia church, Fondamenta Sant'Eufemia, Giudecca, Venice

Chiesa di Sant'Eufemia (Sant'Eufemia church)
Fondamenta Sant'Eufemia, Giudecca
Venice, September 2013

“It was initially built in the 9th century in the Venetian-Byzantine style. It was restored and rebuilt several times, finally in the 18th century, when the façade was altered, stucco applied to the central nave and the ceiling vaults of the interior and three altarpieces added - ‘Jesus among the Doctors’ in the Chapel of St Francis, a 1771 'Visitation of the Virgin' by Giambattista Canal and ‘The Adoration of the Magi’ by Jacopo Marieschi (the third of these has now been moved elsewhere). The ceiling painting is also by Canal in the style of Tiepolo and shows scenes relating to the church's patron saint - her baptism in the left aisle, the saint in glory in the central nave and episodes from her life in the right aisle. Its right side overlooks the Giudecca canal and has a portico with Doric style columns, taken from the nearby church and monastery of Santi Biagio e Cataldo during the latter's 1593 restoration. In a niche inside the porch is a Gothic-style image of the ‘Holy Bishop’ below a 14th century crucifixion with donors in the Byzantine style, set in a three-faceted bezel. Its interior is a three-nave basilica, whose original columns and capitals survive. A chapel now houses the remains of Blessed Giuliana of Collalto, translated there in 1822, again from santi Biagio e Cataldo. The left aisle also houses an 18th century marble sculpture of the Virgin Mary and Christ by Gianmaria Morlaiter in the left, whilst the firsts altarpiece in the right aisle houses the central part of a triptych of saint Roch and the angel under a lunette of the Virgin and Child, both by Bartolomeo Vivarini and dating to 1480. The presbytery also houses a painting of the Last Supper by Benfatto Alvise Dal Friso, from the Veronese school.” (Sant'Eufemia, Wikipedia)

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Of Saints and Sailors

Detail of Of Saints and Sailors by Benedetto Pietromarchi, St Mary Axe, City of London, London

Detail of ‘Of Saints and Sailors’ by Benedetto Pietromarchi, 2016
St Mary Axe, City of London
London, September 2016

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Abundance

The statue of the Abbondanza (Abundance) by Pietro Tacca, Homage to Joanna of Austria, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, Giardino di Boboli (Boboli Gardens), Florence

Statue of the “Abbondanza” (Abundance) by Pietro Tacca, 1636
Homage to Joanna of Austria, Grand Duchess of Tuscany
Giardino di Boboli (Boboli Gardens)
Florence, January 2017

Monday, July 10, 2017

Delivery Bike

Delivery bike, Deutsche Post, Rudi-Dutschke-Straße, Berlin

Delivery bike, Deutsche Post
Rudi-Dutschke-Straße
Berlin, September 2013

Sunday, July 9, 2017

Siena Cathedral

Cattedrale Metropolitana di Santa Maria Assunta, Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption, Piazza del Duomo, Siena

Cattedrale Metropolitana di Santa Maria Assunta, 1348
(Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption)
Piazza del Duomo
Siena, April 2017

Siena Cathedral (Duomo di Siena) is a medieval church in Siena, Italy, dedicated from its earliest days as a Roman Catholic Marian church, and now dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. Previously the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Siena, from the 15th century the Archdiocese of Siena, it is now that of the Archdiocese of Siena-Colle di Val d'Elsa-Montalcino. The cathedral itself was originally designed and completed between 1215 and 1263 on the site of an earlier structure. It has the form of a Latin cross with a slightly projecting transept, a dome and a bell tower. The dome rises from a hexagonal base with supporting columns. The lantern atop the dome was added by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The nave is separated from the two aisles by semicircular arches. The exterior and interior are constructed of white and greenish-black marble in alternating stripes, with addition of red marble on the façade. Black and white are the symbolic colors of Siena, etiologically linked to black and white horses of the legendary city's founders, Senius and Aschius.” (Siena Cathedral, Wikipedia)

Saturday, July 8, 2017

Cormorant

Cormorant by the Thames, Battersea Park, London

Cormorant on the Thames
Battersea Park
London, September 2016

Friday, July 7, 2017

Pinocchios

A bunch of plastic Pinocchios, Galleria degli Uffizi, Uffizi Gallery, Florence

A bunch of plastic Pinocchios
Galleria degli Uffizi (Uffizi Gallery)
Piazzale degli Uffizi
Florence, April 2017

Thursday, July 6, 2017

Gare de Neuilly - Porte Maillot

Gare de Neuilly - Porte Maillot, Boulevard Pereire, Quartier des Ternes, Paris

Gare de Neuilly - Porte Maillot, 1854 (1871)
Boulevard Pereire
Quartier des Ternes, 17th arrondissement
Paris, July 2012

Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Fountain of Neptune

Fontana del Nettuno (Neptune Fountain) by Giuseppe Valadier (architect), Giovanni Ceccarini (sculptor), Piazza del Popolo, Rome

Fontana del Nettuno (Fountain of Neptune), 1823
By Giuseppe Valadier (architect), Giovanni Ceccarini (sculptor)
Piazza del Popolo
Rome, April 2013

“Fountains by Giovanni Ceccarini (1822–23), with matching compositions of a central figure flanked by two attendant figures, stand on each side of the piazza to the east and west, flanked by neoclassical statues of The Seasons (1828). The Fontana del Nettuno (Fountain of Neptune) stands on the west side, Neptune with his trident is accompanied by two dolphins. Rome between the Tiber and the Aniene on the east side, against the steep slope of the Pincio, represents the terminal mostra of the aqueduct. Dea Roma armed with lance and helmet, and in front is the she-wolf feeding Romulus and Remus.” (Piazza del Popolo, Wikipedia)

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

The Broad Family

The Broad Family by Xavier Corberó, Exchange Square, Broadgate, City of London, London

“The Broad Family” by Xavier Corberó, 1991
Exchange Square, Broadgate, City of London
London, September 2016

“Corberó's family members evoke a range of human feelings we all share – togetherness and separation, safety and vulnerability, innocence and experience. Approaching from a distance, you’d be forgiven for thinking they were hunks of rock. As you come closer the individual characters take shape, closer still and you’ll see a gentle humour woven into the work – in the ball, the dog and a pair of polished, lace-up shoes peeking out. Of great interest to visiting sculpture students, the scale of the basalt pieces is impressive, yet the distance between each figure is also important - a family group where each individual has its own space – something we all welcome at times. Considered by many to be Spain’s premier living sculptor, Corberó's roots are firmly in the Catalan artistic tradition. The son and grandson of artists and artisans, he is now based in Barcelona, a city he has perhaps influenced more than any artist since Gaudí. Many of his massive works line major boulevards, and he created the medals for the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.” (The Broad Family, Broadgate)

Monday, July 3, 2017

Piazza Santa Croce Fountain

Santa Croce fountain, Piazza Santa Croce, Florence

Fountain (restored in 2017)
Piazza Santa Croce
Florence, April 2017

“On November 27, 2015, at the culmination of three days of sumptuous celebrations, the fairytale marriage of the son of Indian millionaire Yogesh (‘Yogi’) Mehta, Rohan and his bride Roshni took place in piazza Ognissanti. Only disappointed that Rohan could not, for health and safety reasons, arrive at the ceremony by elephant, the groom’s father, whose personal fortune is said to top 665 million euro, paid for it all. Mehta is the founder of the Petrochem empire, based in Dubai, with offices in Mumbai, Antwerp and London, as well as in Singapore and China. The marriage cost the entrepreneur an estimated eight million euro. About a third of this money went into the coffers of the City of Florence as payment for the use of public land and as tourist taxes generated by the 500-plus wedding guests staying in luxury hotels around town, whilst an additional 58,000 euro was earmarked to restore the fountain in piazza Santa Croce.” (The piazza Santa Croce fountain, The Florentine)

Sunday, July 2, 2017

Las Golondrinas

One of the Las Golondrinas tourist boat, seen from Plaça Rosa dels Vents, Barcelona

One of the “Golondrinas” tourist boat
Seen from Plaça Rosa dels Vents
Barcelona, March 2017

Barcelona Mar offers for 1h30' the opportunity to visit the port, coastline and beaches of Barcelona. The ship sails from the Portal de la Pau (next to the Drassanes pier, under the Colón monument), and travel 9 miles sailing along the coast of Barcelona showing the main buildings that make up the city skyline. It is a perfect activity for children, as it is a unique opportunity to enjoy nature and different view of the city, while allowing you to discover all its emblematic monuments, symbols of the culture of Barcelona.” (Las Golondrinas de Barcelona)

Saturday, July 1, 2017

Coffee Cups

Coffee cups chandelier, illy Caffè, Piazza Gae Aulenti, Milano

illy Art collection chandelier, illy Caffè
Piazza Gae Aulenti
Milano, November 2016