Brown Hart Gardens

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Brown Hart Gardens
Off Duke Street, Mayfair
London, September 2014

“Brown Hart Gardens, located off Duke Street, Mayfair, is a 10,000 square feet (929 m2) public garden on top of an electricity substation. The gardens began life as the Duke Street Gardens where a communal garden was laid for what were then working class dwellings in Brown Street and Hart Street. In 1902, the building of the Duke Street Electricity Substation led to the removal of the street level gardens. The substation was completed in 1905 to the design of Charles Stanley Peach in a Baroque style from Portland stone featuring a mannerist domed pavilion and steps at either end, a balustrade and Diocletian windows along the sides to light the galleries of the engine rooms, and deep basements. In order to compensate local residents for the loss of the old communal garden, the Duke of Westminster insisted that a paved Italian garden featuring trees in tubs be placed on top of the substation. It was completed in 1906. The deck of the property was open to the public as an ornamental garden until the 1980s when it was closed by the then lessees, the London Electricity Board.” (Brown Hart Gardens, Wikipedia)

Palazzo Rucellai

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Palazzo Rucellai
Via della Vigna Nuova
Florence, May 2022

“Palazzo Rucellai is a palatial fifteenth-century townhouse on the Via della Vigna Nuova in Florence, Italy. The Rucellai Palace is believed by most scholars to have been designed for Giovanni di Paolo Rucellai by Leon Battista Alberti between 1446 and 1451 and executed, at least in part, by Bernardo Rossellino. Its splendid facade was one of the first to proclaim the new ideas of Renaissance architecture based on the use of pilasters and entablatures in proportional relationship to each other. The Rucellai Palace demonstrates the impact of the antique revival but does so in a manner which is full of Renaissance originality.” (Palazzo Rucellai, Wikipedia)

Polibek

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“Polibek” (Kiss) by Josef Mařatka, 1921
Petřínské sady (Giardini di Petřín)
Prague, September 2017

“Josef Mařatka (21 May 1874, Prague – 20 April 1937, Prague) was a Czech sculptor. His father, Wilhelm Mařatka, was a shoemaker. From 1889 to 1896, he studied at the School of Applied Arts under Celda Klouček, who was a paleontologist as well as a sculptor. In 1899, he attended the Academy of Fine Arts, where he studied with Josef Václav Myslbek. The following year, he went to Paris and was briefly employed in the studios of Auguste Rodin. His first exhibition was held in Prague in 1902. He married Zdeňka Procházková (1890–1980) in 1912. Their son, Zdeněk, became a prominent gastroenterologist. He began by responding to the influences he had absorbed from the expressionist movement, incorporating elements of symbolism and Art Nouveau. His most important work from this period is the Opuštěna Ariadna (Abandoned Ariadne, 1903). He later came under the influence of Antoine Bourdelle. After World War I, he returned to the styles he had learned from Myslbek, combining Neoclassicism with a bit of early Socialist Realism; for example, ‘Praha svým vítězným synům’ (Prague's Victorious Sons) at the Emmaus Monastery. The monument was destroyed during the German Occupation and restored in 1998. After 1920, he worked as a Professor at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design.” (Josef Mařatka, Wikipedia)

Ponte di Ferro

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Ponte di Ferro (Iron Bridge)
Via San Martino
Massa, April 2022

“The Borgo del Ponte, where the eponymous Tuscan home holidays is, whose distinguishing feature is the presence of ancient low houses, many of which are being restored, and narrow streets with open passages (the voltole) leading to internal courtyards and gardens most of which are citrus gardens. Among the monuments of the village stand the seventeenth-century fountain in the square, the church of San Martino, the Porta Genovese leading to the stairs to the iron bridge over the river Frigido. The Borgo takes its name from the medieval stone bridge with three arches, we can find also on the Palazzetto Andrei’s crests (now rectory’s site) and on the fountain; the bridge was destroyed at the end of the nineteenth century by a catastrophic flood of the river and then rebuilt in iron. On summer evenings is very pleasant to stay,” (Massa, Borgo del Ponte)

Lekáreň u Salvátora

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Lekáreň u Salvátora (Pharmacy Salvator)
Panská
Staré Mesto (Old Town)
Bratislava, September 2017

“Pharmacy Salvator (Slovak: Lekáreň u Salvátora) is a neo-renaissance building and former pharmacy in the Old Town of Bratislava, Slovakia constructed by pharmacist Rudolf Adler in 1904. The building's facade features a stone statue of Christ the Saviour by sculptor Alojz Rigele. The ground floor is abandoned and the upper floors contain 10 flats, partially occupied by the Slovak National Theatre employees. Since 1963 the building is a culturally protected monument and it is one of the more striking examples of neo-renaissance architecture in Bratislava. Pharmacy Salvator is located across the street from the monumental St. Martin's Cathedral and it is part of most guided tours of the city. In the period from 1904 to 1995, the building housed a baroque cabinet of the rarest Jesuit pharmacy dating from 1727. These objects included a huge marble pharmaceutical desk supported by six lions, an antique cash register, gas chandelier, a set of pharmaceutical containers and various other furniture. This cabinet is unique not only for its rich Baroque decoration but it is also interesting for its engaging story.During its more than 300 years of existence, it has been moved four times. Additionally, it has been a church, private and national property, and about half of its life is closely connected with the Jesuit order.” (Pharmacy Salvator, Wikipedia)

Model of Brunelleschi's dome

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Model of Brunelleschi's dome
Parco dell’Anconella
Via Villamagna
Florence, May 2022

“It’s well known that Brunelleschi’s dome is shrouded in mystery: the exact logic used in designing it has still never been 100 percent clarified, and even today, there are still varied theories about how it was carried out. Among the many methods in place to help you better understand it are full-scale reproductions, and in this group, one in particular stands out. You’ll find it in the Parco dell’Anconella, just a little outside the center. Created in 1:5 scale and produced by one of the leading Brunelleschi scholars, Massimo Ricci, it recreates the setting of single bricks, set up herringbone style. The dome stands only 2/3 the size of the real structure to allow visitors to observe it from the inside. For its creation, the same techniques from Brunelleschi’s day were used, including tie-rods, pulleys and rib base systems. It’s a real doozy and different from the usual sights.” (Brunelleschi’s dome, Destination Florence)

Jimmy Choo

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Jimmy Choo
Tuchlauben
Vienna, September 2017

Massa Cathedral

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Massa Cathedral
Via Dante Alighieri
Massa, April 2022

“The church originated as a pieve dedicated to Saint Peter, enlarged in the 16th and 17th century. It became a collegiate church in 1629. In 1672, the building collapsed, and at the end of the century was replaced by a new one, designed by Alessandro Bergamini. This construction was demolished by order of duchess Elisa Bonaparte (sister of Napoleon) in 1807, when the dedication to Saint Peter was transferred to the church of Saint Francis in Massa, which had been reconstructed in 1660-1670. This church had a large marble high altar, with further altars in the transept, and paintings by Carlo Maratta (Mary Immaculate) and Luigi Garzi (Trinity in Glory with Saints), which have been preserved until today. Behind the south transept altar is the burial chapel of the Malaspina family, commissioned by duke Alberico II. In 1822, at the creation of the diocese of Massa, the church of St. Francis was declared its cathedral.” (Massa Cathedral, Wikipedia)

Honvéd-szobor

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Honvéd-szobor (Soldier's Statue) by Zala György, 1893
Disz tér
Budapest, September 2017

“Cannon metal statue of a soldier with a flag, who is honoured with a laurel wreath by Victory - a winged female figure. Bronze palm branch with on a ribbon: ‘A NEVTELEN HŐSÖKNEK’ (to the anonymous heroes); on the banner ‘SZABADSÁG VAGY HALÁL’ (Freedom or Death and on a bronze ribbon), ‘harcunk az igazak harca volt, győzelmünk a nemzet diadala’ (The real battle was to win the National triumph). Bronze palm branch with garland and text ‘MAGYAR / NOK’. Erected in memory of the freedom fighters who fought in 1848 in Buda Castle.” (Honvéd-szobor, Statues - Hither & Thither)

Santa Rosa Weir

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Pescaia di Santa Rosa (Santa Rosa Weir)
Lungarno Vespucci
Florence, May 2022

“The weir is an artificial barrage on the river that made it possible to properly channel and convey water in order to exploit it to produce energy for hydraulic factories. The Santa Rosa weir was located in the area of Cascine Park (the other large weir of Florence was the one of San Niccolò, situated in the area of the homonymous gate). It took the water to a fulling mill outside the city. Its structure is still visible today.” (Santa Rosa Weir, Scientific Itineraries in Tuscany)

Break on a bench

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Break on a bench
Grosvenor Square, Mayfair
London, September 2016

Madonna del Monte

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Church of the Madonna del Monte, 1599
Via Orecchia
Massa, April 2022

Pomník obětem komunismu

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Pomník obětem komunismu (Memorial to the Victims of Communism) by Olbram Zoubek, 2002
Petřín, Újezd, Malá Strana
Prague, September 2017

“The Memorial to the victims of Communism (Czech: Pomník obětem komunismu) is a series of statues in Prague commemorating the victims of the communist era between 1948 and 1989. It is located at the base of Petřín hill, Újezd street in the Malá Strana or the Lesser Town area. It was unveiled on the 22 May 2002, twelve years after the fall of communism in the Eastern Bloc, and is the work of Czech sculptor Olbram Zoubek and architects Jan Kerel and Zdeněk Holzel. It was supported by the local council and Confederation of Political Prisoners (KPV).” (Memorial to the Victims of Communism, Wikipedia)

Observatory

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Observatory
Villa Strozzi al Boschetto
Via Pisana
Florence, May 2022

“Built in the mid-16th century for Giovan Battista Strozzi, the park reflects his desire to expand the Cafaggio forest, for which he also acquired a number of the neighboring properties. His residence was built inside the park featuring a large garden, water 'games’ and decorative woodland elements. It wasn’t until after the Second World War that the park and villa were purchased by the City of Florence and transformed into a public park named the Garden of Villa Strozzi or the Boschetto Gardens.” (Villa Strozzi, Destination Florence)

Alchymista

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Alchymista
Laurinská
Staré Mesto (Old Town)
Bratislava, September 2017

Battì del Barilo

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Battì del Barilo fountain, 1617
Piazza Portone
Massa, April 2022

Figlmüller

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Figlmüller restaurant
Bäckerstraße
Vienna, September 2017

Cenacolo di Andrea Del Sarto

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Cenacolo di Andrea Del Sarto
(Last Supper of Andrea del Sarto), 1527
Via di San Salvi
Florence, May 2022

“In the old refectory of the Vallombrosan Abbey on the outskirts of Florence, Andrea del Sarto painted the life-like Last Supper, his most spectacular masterpiece and one of the most beautiful paintings in the world. The Last Supper was begun in 1519 and was finished between 1526 and 1527 and he painted it in so good a style that his work was held to be, as it certainly is, the most smooth, the most vivacious in colouring and drawing that he ever did, or rather that anyone could do. For apart from all the rest, he gave such infinite grace, grandeur, and majesty to all the figures that I do not know how to praise his Last Supper without saying too little, it being so fine that whoever sees it is stupefied. It is no wonder that, because of its excellence, during the devastations of the siege of Florence in the year 1529, it was allowed to be left standing, while the soldiers and wrecking squads, by command of those in charge, destroyed all the suburbs around the city, and the monasteries, hospitals and all other buildings. These men, let me say, having destroyed the church and the campanile of San Salvi, and started to tear down part of the convent, had reached the refectory containing the Last Supper when the man who led them, seeing and perhaps having heard speak of this marvellous painting, abandoned what they had embarked on and would not let any more of the place be destroyed, putting this off till they could not do otherwise.” (Giorgio Vasari, 1568).

Rendőrség

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Rendőrség (Police) car
Tárnok utca
Budapest, September 2017

“The Rendőrség (English: Police) is the national civil law enforcement agency of Hungary and is governed by the Interior Ministry. Until 2006, the police operated under the authority of the Ministry of Interior. From 2006 to 2010, the Ministry of Justice and Law Enforcement was the governing body of the police, which absorbed the Border Guard on December 31, 2007. In 2010, the government reinstated the Interior Ministry.” (Rendőrség, Wikipedia)

Cloister

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Cloister, Massa Cathedral
Via Dante Alighieri
Massa, April 2022

Vue West End

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Vue West End
Cranbourn Street, Leicester Square
London, September 2016

“Vue West End is a nine-screen cinema complex in Leicester Square, London, operated by Vue Cinemas. The multiplex was constructed in 1993 on the site of what was previously the Warner West End cinema. The site was previously occupied by Daly's Theatre, which opened on 27 June 1893; following acquisition by Warner Brothers, this was demolished in 1937, to build a new 1,789-seat cinema, which opened on 12 October 1938 showing The Adventures of Robin Hood starring Errol Flynn. Known as the Warner Theatre, its architects were Thomas Somerford and E.A. Stone, and it featured a facade of reconstructed marble panels, with large relief panels in each top corner by Bainbridge Copnall depicting the spirits of sight and sound. Its single auditorium was a 2 level design, with a circle balcony, and its sidewalls were fitted with asbestos panels, perforated with large holes, over acoustic absorption. In 1970, the original auditorium was subdivided at a cost of $1.5 million to form 2 screens, known as the Warner West End (with 800 seats) and the Rendezvous Warner West End (with 700 seats). The Warner West End opened 29 October 1970 with the British premiere of There Was a Crooked Man... starring Kirk Douglas and Henry Fonda, and the Rendezvous opened 12 November with the world premiere of The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer. A third auditorium, built in the former bar area, was added in 1974, with the screens now numbered 1–3. In 1975 Screen 2 was subdivided into 2 auditoria, and a 5th auditorium was added in 1981. The whole complex became known as the Warner West End. Following its closure on 12 September 1991, the 1938 building was almost entirely demolished, but with the retention of, in particular, most of the front facade. A new 9 screen multiplex was constructed having a total capacity of 2,482, opening on 23 September 1993 with a Royal premiere of The Fugitive. The architect was HGP Greentree Allchurch Evans with Higgs and Hill as the main contractor.” (Vue West End, Wikipedia)

Colosso dell’Appennino

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Colosso dell’Appennino (Apennine Colossus) by Giambologna, 1580
Parco mediceo di Villa Demidoff
Via Fiorentina, Pratolino
Florence, May 2022

“The Apennine Colossus (Italian: Colosso Appenninico) is a stone statue, approximately 11 m high, in the estate of the Villa Demidoff in Vaglia, Tuscany in Italy. The colossus was erected in the late 1580s by the Flemish sculptor Jean de Boulogne, better known as Giambologna, as a personification of the Apennine mountains. The site was originally part of the estate of the Villa di Pratolino, which was built by Bernardo Buontalenti from 1569 onwards on orders by the Grand Duke of Tuscany Francesco de' Medici.” (Apennine Colossus, Wikipedia)

Praha hlavní nádraží

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Praha hlavní nádraží (Prague Main Station)
Wilsonova, Vinohrady
Prague, September 2017

“Praha hlavní nádraží (IATA: XYG) is the largest railway station in Prague, Czech Republic. It opened in 1871 as Franz Josef Station, after Franz Joseph I of Austria. During the First Republic and from 1945 to 1948 the station was called Wilson Station (Czech: Wilsonovo nádraží), after the former President of the United States Woodrow Wilson. In 2014, the station served 224,505 trains (610 daily) and more than 53,000,000 passengers. The Art Nouveau station building and station hall were built between 1901 and 1909, designed by Czech architect Josef Fanta on the site of the old dismantled Neo-Renaissance station designed by Czech architects Antonín Viktor Barvitius and Vojtěch Ignác Ullmann.” (Praha hlavní nádraží, Wikipedia)

Piazza Aranci

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Orange trees
Piazza Aranci (Oranges Square)
Massa, April 2022

“Piazza Aranci in Massa is named after the double row of orange trees, which were planted in the early nineteenth century after the hotly debated demolition of the Church of San Pietro ordered by the Countess Elisa Baciocchi, Napoleon's niece. In the beginning, sweet citrus trees were selected and strict laws were in place to ensure that tourists and passersby didn’t pick the fruit, which were given instead to charities. Over time, less appetizing bitter citruses were planted, proving hardier in the winter. Giacomo Leopardi and Giosué Carducci were equally entranced by these trees, mentioning them in letters after having visited the square.” (Piazza Aranci and Palazzo Ducale, Visit Tuscany)

Krása Vesmírna

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Krása Vesmírna
Panská
Staré Mesto (Old Town)
Bratislava, September 2017

Fyodor Dostoevsky

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Fyodor Dostoevsky by Aidyn Zeinalov, 2021
Viale Washington
Parco delle Cascine (Cascine Park)
Florence, May 2022

“The city of Florence, Italy, is so proud of its short-term resident Fyodor Dostoyevsky that it recently erected a statue to the writer. In Florence, Dostoyevsky finished writing one of his most famous novels, The Idiot. A plaque has long hung at the location where he finished the novel. He and his second wife, Anna, lived in Florence for about eight months in 1868-1869. Although the author notably disliked all of the abroad, he appreciated Florence more than anywhere else. The 3.5-meter-high (11-foot-high) statue was installed in Cascine Park on the outskirts of Florence, where an allée is already named after Dostoyevsky. The Russian ambassador to Italy attended the unveiling of the statue on December 14, as well as the advisor to the Russian president on cultural matters, Vladimir Tolstoy. Ironically, Tolstoy is the great-grandson of writer Lev Tolstoy, who was Dostoyevsky's contemporary, though they never met. Dostoyevsky complained that he could never hope to write something as memorable as Count Lev Tolstoy, who did not have to scrounge for money the way that the former did. The statue was a gift from the Russian government to Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance. It was sculpted by Russian artist Aydyn Zeynalov. The gift is part of the 200th anniversary year of Dostoyevsky's birth (2021).” (Fyodor in Florence, Russian Life)

Apotheke “Zum heiligen Geist”

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Apotheke “Zum heiligen Geist”
Operngasse
Vienna, September 2017

Palazzo Ducale

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Palazzo Ducale
Piazza Aranci
Massa, April 2022

“Palazzo Ducale is the main attraction in the piazza, now housing the provincial offices and the prefecture. Erected in the mid-sixteenth century according to the wishes of Prince Alberico I Cybo-Malaspina, the palace underwent many changes over the centuries to make it into Massa’s most striking monument. The impressive façade that looks out over the square offers a colour scheme of red and white (in the marble and stuccowork).” (Piazza Aranci and Palazzo Ducale, Visit Tuscany)

Arany Sas Patikamúzeum

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Arany Sas Patikamúzeum (Golden Eagle Pharmacy Museum)
Tárnok utca
Budapest, September 2017

Horse Protome

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Horse Protome (Carafa Head) by Donatello, 1456
‘Donatello, the Renaissance’ exhibition
Palazzo Strozzi
Florence, May 2022

“The ‘Monument to Gattamelata’, which Donatello delivered in Padua in 1453, sparked such enthusiasm that it prompted the King of Naples, Alfonso V of Aragon, via his Florentine agent Bartolomeo Serragli, to commission a colossal equestrian group from the artist. The only part that Donatello ever made was this imposing horse's head ‘so beautiful’, according to Vasari, ‘that many take it for an antique’.” (Donatello, the Renaissance exhibition)