Ospedale del Ceppo

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Ospedale del Ceppo
Piazza Papa Giovanni XXIII
Pistoia, May 2022


“The current complex is the result of a series of additions and restorations of the original 13th-century edifice, which corresponds to today's corsia di Sant'Atto, a large ward with big windows now existing in a 16th-century renovation. In the 15th century the wing and the current façade were added, with the Renaissance arcaded loggia built in 1502, inspired by the Ospedale degli Innocenti at Florence. The loggia is decorated by a ceramic glaze frieze executed from 1525 by Santi Buglioni: it portrays the seven works of mercy, mixed with scenes of the Virtues. A panel was replaced in 1586 by a new one, not in ceramic glaze. Also from 1525 are the tondoes by Giovanni della Robbia, depicting the Annunciation, the Glory of the Virgin, the Visitation and the Medici coat of arms. The corsia di San Leopoldo ("Ward of St. Leopold"), now the seat of the Pistoia Medical Academy, was originally intended for the contagious patients.” (Ospedale del Ceppo, Wikipedia)

Ruferin

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“Ruferin” (Calling Angel) by Othmar Schimkowitz, 1898
Linke Wienzeile 38 (by Otto Wagner)
Vienna, June 2018

Ponte della tramvia

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Ponte della tramvia (Tramway bridge)
Parco delle Cascine (Cascine Park)
Florence, January 2023

Jaime I de Aragón

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Equestrian statue of Jaime I de Aragón by Agapit Vallmitjana i Barbany, 1891
Plaza de Alfonso el Magnánimo
Valencia, September 2022

Pulpit by Giovanni Pisano

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Pulpit by Giovanni Pisano, 1301
Sant'Andrea
Via Sant'Andrea
Pistoia, May 2022

“The pulpit in the pieve of Sant'Andrea, Pistoia, Italy is a masterpiece by the Italian sculptor Giovanni Pisano. The work is often compared to the pulpits sculpted by Giovanni's father Nicola Pisano in the Baptistery of Pisa and the Duomo of Siena, which Giovanni had assisted with. These very advanced works are often described in terms such as ‘proto-Renaissance’, and draw on Ancient Roman sarcophagi and other influences to form a style that represents an early revival of classical sculpture, while also remaining Gothic, and drawing on sources such as French ivory carvings.” (Pulpit of Sant' Andrea, Wikipedia)

Monumento Cardenal Sancha

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Monument to Cardenal Sancha by Pedro Requejo, 2009
Plaza Padre Juan de Mariana
Toledo, September 2022

“Ciriaco María Sancha y Hervás (17 June 1833 – 25 February 1909) was a Spanish cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the Archbishop of Toledo in addition to being the Primate of Spain and the Patriarch of the West Indies.[1] He established the Sisters of Charity in 1869. He was beatified on 18 October 2009 during the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI; Archbishop Angelo Amato celebrated the rite of beatification on behalf of the pontiff. The second miracle required for his canonization is now under investigation.” (Ciriaco María Sancha y Hervás, Wikipedia)

Fountain of Queen Victoria

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Fountain of Queen Victoria by Lorenzo Priuli Bon, 1900
Piazza Vittorio Veneto
Florence, January 2023

“Initially, what is now the largest park in Florence had been a Medici hunting and farming estate. In 1776, the owner at the time, Pietro Leopoldo of Lorena, opened it up to the public. From then on, it became a place for townspeople and tourists to visit and enjoy. One such tourist was British monarch Queen Victoria (1819–1901), who was often seen there whilst on holiday in Florence. She took such pleasure in her excursions there that a fountain was built in her honour, not far from the park’s original entrance, close to piazza Vittorio Veneto.” (Queen Victoria’s fountain, The Florentine)

Monumento a Velázquez

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Statue of Velázquez by Aniceto Marinas, 1899
Paseo del Prado
Madrid, September 2022

“Velázquez or the Statue of Velázquez is an instance of public art in Madrid, Spain. Located in front of the main gate of the Prado Museum, it is dedicated to Diego de Velázquez. The statue was an idea of the Círculo de Bellas Artes. The statue was cast at Masriera & Campins' foundry in Barcelona, using bronze gifted by the Spanish State. Modelled by Aniceto Marinas, the statue features a seated Velázquez, with his palette and brush at rest. The Velázquez's hand gesture imitates that of the painter's self-portrait in Las Meninas.” (Statue of Velázquez, Wikipedia)

Crucifixion

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“Crucifixion” by Coppo di Marcovaldo and Salerno di Coppo, 1274
Cathedral of Saint Zeno
Piazza del Duomo
Pistoia, May 2022

“The precious Crucifixion (1274) by Coppo di Marcovaldo and his son Salerno. It includes six panels with the Capture of Jesus, Christ in Front of the Priests, Deposition, Deposition of Jesus in the Sepulchre, The Three Marys at the Sepulchre.” (Pistoia Cathedral, Wikipedia)

Puente romano

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Puente romano (Roman bridge)
Plaza del Triunfo
Córdoba, September 2022

“The Roman bridge of Córdoba is a bridge in the Historic centre of Córdoba, Andalusia, southern Spain, originally built in the early 1st century BC across the Guadalquivir river, though it has been reconstructed at various times since. It is also known locally as the Old Bridge as for two thousand years, until the construction of the San Rafael Bridge in the mid-twentieth century, it was the city's only bridge across the river. Most of the present structure dates from the Arabs reconstruction in the 8th century. It is included in the small preserved area known as Sotos de la Albolafia. Since 1931, the bridge, together with the Puerta del Puente and the Calahorra tower, has been declared a Bien de Interés Cultural in the monument category. It also part of the historic centre of Cordoba, declared a World Heritage Site in 1984.” (Roman bridge of Córdoba, Wikipedia)

Former gasometer

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Former gasometer
Via dell'Anconella
Florence, January 2023

“A short distance from the original headquarters of the Pignone Foundry, in the vicinity of the San Frediano Gate, the gas works that for almost a century was to supply the lighting systems of the city of Florence was built in the 1840s. The plot of land that Leopold II granted to the French company Cottin Jumel Montgolfier Bodin, thus found itself in a strategic location for its nearness to the old Pignone landing (recently brought back to light), that was essential for restocking carbonaceous rock which, from Great Britain, reached the port of Livorno by river. Of the gas tanks in the area built first by the Montgolfier company and, as of 1847 by the Société Civile Lyonnaise, only the most recently built one remains. It consisted of a large cylindrical basin in masonry, partially interred and measuring 35 m in diameter, and a metal perimetric structure composed of an iron mast that joined a series of columns about 15 m high. The basin filled with water was covered by a sheet-metal bell that rose or descended along vertical runners, depending on the gas introduced inside through the piping. A second line, again situated beneath the bell, made the gas flow out towards the city piping system. Pressure was regulated by the weight of the bell, while its tightness was ensured by means of the hydraulic locks of the basin. In 1933, the Tuscan Gas Company, that had taken over from the Lyonnaise Company in 1929, decided to transfer the works to Rifredi. Today, the old structure is the scenographic nucleus of a modern social centre.” (Former Gasometer, Scientific Itineraries in Tuscany)

Juan Belmonte

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Monument to Juan Belmonte (1892-1962) by Venancio Blanco, 1972
Plaza del Altozano, Triana
Seville, September 2022

Battistero di Giovanni in Corte

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Battistero di Giovanni in Corte
(San Giovanni in Corte Baptistery)
Piazza del Duomo
Pistoia, May 2022

“The San Giovanni in Corte Baptistery (Italian: Battistero di Giovanni in Corte), also known as the Baptistery of San Giovanni di Rotondo, is a former Roman Catholic building in Pistoia, region of Tuscany, Italy. The octagonal baptistery stands at a slight angle across a small piazza from the Duomo of Pistoia in the center of town. It is presently used for cultural events. A likely centralized Lombard-era church of Santa Maria in Corte in front of the cathedral is mentioned in documents from 1114 and was likely the site of this baptistery. The decision to build this mainly Gothic-style building was made in 1303. The exterior sheath banded with marble of two colors was completed circa 1339 by Cellino di Nese. Construction lasted many decades. The baptismal font is large and circular and contained in a block with four smaller circular basins; the floral panels were sculpted in 1226 by Lanfranco da Como. The portal has some bas-reliefs and sculptures (John the Baptist, Virgin and child, and St Peter) in the architrave by a sculptor working in the style of Giovanni d'Agostino. A sculpture of St John the Baptist by Andrea Vacca is housed inside. The baptistery has a pulpit facing outside to the piazza. The steep roof of the dome creates a pyramidal profile with a lantern covering oculus at apex.” (San Giovanni in Corte Baptistery, Wikipedia)

Bertha von Suttner

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“Die Waffen nieder” (Lay Down Your Arms)
Bertha von Suttner monument by Siegfried Charoux, 1959
Bertha-von-Suttner-Hof
Favoritenstraße
Vienna, June 2018

“Bertha Sophie Felicitas Freifrau von Suttner (née Countess Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau 9 June 1843 – 21 June 1914) was an Austrian-Bohemian pacifist and novelist. In 1905, she became the second female Nobel laureate (after Marie Curie in 1903), the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and the first Austrian laureate.” (Bertha von Suttner, Wikipedia)

Arcturus and Sun

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“Arcturus” and “Sun” by Antonio Signorini, 2022
Piazza del Carmine
Florence, December 2022

“In piazza San Firenze, piazza del Carmine and piazza del Grano, horses take flight, dancers leap and long slender figures stretch their way seemingly beyond the very limits of the city’s iconic architecture, streaming with a lightness that casts the eyes upwards as our own bodies seem to stretch taller in response to the grand images. But these are images of contrast; to create flight, the sculptures must be balanced by the solid pressure of a counterweight, yet somehow the bases remain almost invisible, so completely is the eye drawn by the lithe and powerful dancing figures above.” (Antonio Signorini’s Attraverso show, The Florentine)

Yellow Piaggio Ape

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Touristic attractions ‘ticket office’
Praça da Figueira
Lisbon, April 2019

Cathedral of Saint Zeno

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Cathedral of Saint Zeno
Piazza del Duomo
Pistoia, May 2022

“Pistoia Cathedral, or Cathedral of Saint Zeno (Italian: Duomo di Pistoia or Cattedrale di San Zeno) is the main religious building of Pistoia, Tuscany, central Italy, located in the Piazza del Duomo in the centre of the city. It is the seat of the Bishop of Pistoia and is dedicated to Saint Zeno of Verona. Most probably built in the 10th century, it has a façade in Romanesque style, inspired by other churches in Pistoia (San Bartolomeo and San Jacopo). The interior has a nave and two side-aisles, with a presbytery and crypt. A restoration in 1952–1999 returned the church to its original lines.” (Pistoia Cathedral, Wikipedia)

Plaza del Patriarca

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Fuente de la Plaza del Patriarca
Plaza del Patriarca
Valencia, September 2022

Stories of St. Francis

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“Stories of St. Francis” by Domenico Ghirlandaio, 1486
Cappella Sassetti (Sassetti Chapel)
Basilica of Santa Trinita
Piazza Santa Trinita
Florence, December 2022

“The Sassetti Chapel (Cappella Sassetti) is a chapel in the basilica of Santa Trinita in Florence, Italy. It is especially notable for its frescoes of the ‘Stories of St. Francis’, considered Domenico Ghirlandaio's masterwork. Francesco Sassetti (1421–1490) was a rich banker and a member of the Medici entourage, for which he directed the Medici Bank. In 1478 he acquired the chapel of St. Francis in Santa Trinita, after his proposal to add a decoration portraying the saint had been rejected by the Dominicans of Santa Maria Novella, where his family had had a chapel (later also frescoed by Ghirlandaio, and now known as the Tornabuoni Chapel) since the 14th century.” (Sassetti Chapel, Wikipedia)

Capilla Mayor

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Vault of the Capilla Mayor (Main Chapel)
Catedral de Toledo (Toledo Cathedral)
Calle Cardenal Cisneros
Toledo, September 2022

“The main chapel of the cathedral brings together a wealth of artwork, starting with the architecture of the enclosure itself. In its original state, the enclosure was separated into two parts with two independent vaults. The polygonal vault pertained to the chapel of the Old Monarchs, which was somewhat separated. With this arbitrary division, the presbytery was improperly narrow for such a grand cathedral. Cardinal Cisneros insisted that he wanted this part of the cathedral to be rebuilt and despite some resistance from the Chapel Chapter, he finally received its consent to demolish the old chapel and build one with a wider presbytery and sufficient space for the great Gothic retable which he himself had commissioned.” (Toledo Cathedral, Wikipedia)

Madonna with Child and Angels

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“Madonna with Child and Angels” by Andrea della Robbia, 1505
Cathedral of Saint Zeno
Piazza del Duomo
Pistoia, May 2022

“Between 1379 and 1440 the façade was reconstructed with the addition of three tiers of loggias and a portico. In 1504 Andrea della Robbia was commissioned to undertake the decoration of the archivolt (for which he created a festoon with plant themes and, in the middle, the crest of the Opera di San Jacopo), of the portico as well as of the lunette with bas-reliefs over the central portal, depicting the ‘Madonna with Child and Angels’. He finished the works in 1505.” (Pistoia Cathedral, Wikipedia)

Carlos III de España

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Equestrian statue of King Carlos III, by Miguel Ángel Rodríguez and Eduardo Zancada, 1994
(replica of a 18th century smaller statue by Juan Pascual de Mena)
Puerta del Sol
Madrid, September 2022

“Charles III (Carlos Sebastián de Borbón y Farnesio; 20 January 1716 – 14 December 1788) was King of Spain (1759–1788). He also was Duke of Parma and Piacenza, as Charles I (1731–1735); King of Naples, as Charles VII, and King of Sicily, as Charles V (1734–1759). He was the fifth son of Philip V of Spain and the eldest son of Philip's second wife, Elisabeth Farnese. He was a proponent of enlightened absolutism and regalism.” (Charles III of Spain, Wikipedia)

Il Vinile

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Il Vinile Caffè Art Bar
Via Dante Alighieri
Florence, December 2022

“A lovely themed cafe with a unique aesthetic, with tables designed in the shape of vinyls, friendly staff, good prices, and some fantastic sandwiches named after famous bands. Would definitely recommend.” (Lovely unique cafe, Tripadvisor)

San Rafael del Puente

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Triunfo de San Rafael del Puente Romano by Bernabé Gómez del Río, 1651
Puente romano
Córdoba, September 2022

“The Triumph of San Rafael del Puente Romano is the oldest of the many existing triumphs in the city of Córdoba (Spain) dedicated to the archangel San Rafael , guardian angel of the city. The work of Bernabé Gómez del Río in 1651, it was incorporated into the Roman Bridge on its parapet, to bless all those visitors who came and went through the Puerta del Puente. It is the object of special devotion by the residents of the Campo de la Verdad neighborhood, whose flame is kept alive through offerings in the form of candles. It contains two commemorative headstones. The one located at the lower end is from 1789 and was offered by the tanners' guild to the recently proclaimed King Carlos IV.” (Triunfo de San Rafael del Puente Romano, Wikipedia)

Pozzo del Leoncino

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Pozzo del Leoncino
Piazza della Sala
Pistoia, May 2022

“The Pozzo del Leoncino (Well of the Small Lion) is 15th-16th century well located in Piazza della Sala in central Pistoia, region of Tuscany, Italy. It is suspected that this part of town formed part of the ancient forum of the Roman town of Pistoia, but was likely devastated during the Barbarian invasions. Around this piazza were built administrative buildings for the Lombard Kingdom. Nothing remains of those early medieval structures. With the elaboration of the City Hall and bureaucratic offices at the Palazzo degli Anziani in the Piazza del Duomo, this area became a marketplace and site of commerce. The surrounding streets and alleys recall different professions clustering around the piazza. Documents indicated that in the mid-15th century, the commune banned the slaughter of animals in the Piazza, which appeared to have led to the refuse contaminating the well water. The square Renaissance-style arch was designed by Cecchino di Giorgio in 1453. It is decorated with the coats of arms of the Capponi, Ridolfi, Da Diaccetto families, and the emblems of the Operai di San Jacopo, a major public works office. In 1529, atop the architrave, was placed a small lion (thus the name of the well) holding the checkered symbol of Pistoia under its paws. The use of lion, representing the Florentine Marzocco may have been part of an assertion of the Florentine rule over the town, since typically the shield of Pistoia had been upheld by a bear(s).” (Pozzo del Leoncino, Wikipedia)

Triana al arte flamenco

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“Triana al arte flamenco” by Jesús Gavira Alba, 1994
Plaza del Altozano, Triana
Seville, September 2022

Cosimo dismounted

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Equestrian Monument of Cosimo I by Giambologna, 1594
Piazza della Signoria
Florence, December 2022

“The statue of Cosimo I, usually found in piazza della Signoria, has been dismantled for restoration. The bronze work by Giambologna was taken apart as a crane lifted the rider off his horse and placed him on a wooden support. The two will be reunited once the works are complete, which is expected to be in March. The statue was last disassembled during the Second World War, when it was moved to protect it from bombing, and the most recent external restoration took place in the 1990s. These new restorations will make it possible for work to be carried out internally as the horse has a cavity under the saddle to allow the internal walls to be treated with protective substances. Furthermore, non-invasive investigations into the statue using x-ray technology have already taken place and analysis of the metal within the legs of the horse have revealed that they remain solid and stable.” (Statue of Cosimo I dismantled for restoration, The Florentine)

Praça do Comércio

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Arco da Rua Augusta (Augusta Street Arch)
Praça do Comércio
Lisbon, April 2019

“The Praça do Comércio (Commerce Plaza) is a large, harbour-facing plaza in Portugal's capital, Lisbon, and is one of the largest in Portugal, with an area of 175 by 175 m (574 by 574 ft), that is, 30,600 m2 (329,000 ft2). Facing the Tagus (Tejo) to the South, the plaza is still commonly known in Portuguese as Terreiro do Paço (Palace Yard), as it hosted the Paço da Ribeira (Royal Palace of Ribeira) until the latter was destroyed by the great 1755 Lisbon earthquake (the subway station located there is still named after the old name of the plaza). After the earthquake, the plaza was completely remodeled as part of the rebuilding of the Pombaline Downtown (Baixa), ordered by Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal, who was (chief) Minister of Portugal from 1750 to 1777, during the reign of the Portuguese King José I.” (Praça do Comércio, Wikipedia)

Giro del Sole

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“Giro del Sole” (Trip around the Sun) by Roberto Barni, 1994
Piazzetta dell'Ortaggio
Pistoia, September 2022

“The smaller Piazza della Sala and even smaller adjacent Piazzetta degli Ortaggi feel like the friendly living room of Pistoia. They are ringed with bars, shops, and restaurants. Look for the beautiful stone well in the middle of Piazza della Sala. Lunch was great at the lively Taverna Gargantua', which looks into the piazzetta and onto a modern sculpture of 3 young men, all blindfolded and holding lanterns as they set out in different directions. The sculpture, called Giro del Sole (Trip around the Sun), is by local Pistoian artist Roberto Barni.” (Pistoia - a City of Culture, Two Parts Italy)

Wiedener Elisabethkirche

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Wiedener Elisabethkirche (St. Elisabeth Church in Wieden)
Sankt-Elisabeth-Platz
Vienna, June 2018

Under the weather

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“Under the weather” by Olafur Eliasson, 2022
Palazzo Strozzi
Piazza degli Strozzi
Florence, December 2022

“‘Under the weather’ is a new site-specific artwork created by Olafur Eliasson for the courtyard of Palazzo Strozzi and the starting point for the exhibition ‘Olafur Eliasson: Nel tuo tempo’, which unfolds inside the palazzo, on the Piano Nobile and in the Strozzina. The installation consists of an 11-meter-large elliptical screen hanging at a height of 8 m. The screen, which appears to flicker and change as visitors move around the courtyard, presents a moiré pattern – an effect that occurs wherever two or more grids or similar patterns are overlaid and clash, interfering with our vision. The artist offers us an experience that allows us to reflect on perception and movement in relation to the space around us. As we move about the courtyard, the pattern appears to change with our shifting perspectives, interacting with each of us individually and destabilising our perception of the strict, right-angled Renaissance architecture of Palazzo Strozzi.” (Under the weather, Palazzo Strozzi)