Collegio Morigi

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Collegio Morigi, former Palazzo Scotti da Fombio
Via Taverna
Piacenza, May 2024

“One of the grandest historic homes in Piacenza dating back to the second half of the 15th century; it hosted illustrious figures such as the Duke of Milan M. Sforza in 1513 and the Marquis of Mantua F. Gonzaga in 1521. The palace, which originally extended to Vicolo S. Nazaro, was built between 1479 and 1495, when the property was divided between two branches of the same family. The façade on Via Taverna retains its original 15th century appearance with a terracotta façade and a stone frieze that runs under the windows on the first floor; the marble portal sculpted in 1497 is of great value. The internal courtyard has an elegant terracotta portico with stone columns and capitals; in one of the corners stands the ancient tower decorated with sandstone mullioned windows. Since the 18th century the interiors have been enriched with decorations, while the grand staircase dates back to 1825. In 1864 the Scotti family sold the building to the executors of the will of the doctor G.Morigi who wanted to make it a college for the city's youth.” (Palazzo Scotti da Fombio, FAI)

Alter Bock auf Säule

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“Alter Bock auf Säule” (Old goat on a pillar) by Peter Fritzsche, 1988
Hauptstraße, Neustadt
Dresden, September 2024

“It's wonderful how the old goat peers down suspiciously from its column... Peter Fritzsche created this sculpture in 1988. On the column's shaft, you can see – very small – scenes from the lives of lovers, married couples, and other couples. The Old Bock stands on Dresden's main street, not far from Albertplatz.” (Funny bronze sculptures in Dresden, Das schöne Detail)

Vittorio Bottego

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Monument to Vittorio Bottego by Ettore Ximenes, 1907
Piazzale Dalla Chiesa
Parma, May 2024

“This monument, which dates back to 1907, is work of the sculptor architect from Palermo Ettore Ximenes and it was projected for free because of the friendship which bound the sculptor to Vittorio Bottego. An ample tank gathers the waters gushing out from the monument formed by a tall boulders pedestal, which on the bronze statue rises from, Bottego in colonial troops uniform facing toward East. By the sides, the two Gauloises warriors represent the rivers Giuba and Omo. The monument is situated in Piazzale dalla Chiesa, in front of the railway station.” (Vittorio Bottego monument, Parma Welcome)

Náměstí Míru

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Platform of the Metro station on Line A
Náměstí Míru, Vinohrady
Prague, September 2024

“Náměstí Míru (Peace Square) is a Prague Metro station on Line A. It is located in Vinohrady district under Korunní Street and has one exit through an escalator tunnel with a sub-surface vestibule under the plaza of the same name. The exit of the metro station is in the immediate vicinity of the Church of St. Ludmila and Vinohrady Theatre. The station was completed along with the first section of Line A, between Leninova and Náměstí Míru, and opened on 12 August 1978. It served as a terminus until the extension of Line A to Želivského station on 19 December 1980. Náměstí Míru is the deepest station of the Prague Metro, its platform is situated 53 metres below surface. The station has the longest escalators in European Union (length 87 m, vertical span 43.5 m, 533 steps, taking 2 minutes and 21 seconds to ascend or 2 minutes 19 seconds to descend without walking). Náměstí Míru, however, is not the deepest point within the Prague Metro network; this record belongs to the tunnel between Hradčanská and Malostranská stations (68 m below surface). The station is named after the square under which it is located. During the 2002 European floods the station became the western terminus for its line, with trains running to Skalka. Náměstí Míru is intended to be part of the new Line D, with trains running between the station and C-line station Pankrác. The D-line station is intended to be built closer to the surface, meaning the existing station on the A-line will continue to be the deepest on the network.” (Náměstí Míru, Wikipedia)

San Michele in Borgo

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San Michele in Borgo
Borgo Stretto
Pisa, November 2024

“The façade, in Pisan Romanesque style with Gothic influences, has a lower part from the 13th century, while the upper part with loggias dates back to the 14th century, like the tabernacle with the ‘Madonna and Child, angels and the offering abbot’ by Lupo di Francesco (a copy, the original is in the Museum of San Matteo). On the façade you can read 17th century writings for the election of the rector of the University.” (San Michele in Borgo, Wikipedia)

Frankenwerft

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Altstadt-Nord facades
Frankenwerft
Cologne, September 2024

“Today, the Frankenwerft is a car-free pedestrian area with large lawns directly on the Rhine, bordering the Martinsviertel district with the river. Since traffic in this section of the street has been relocated underground since 1982 and the open space has been landscaped, it is also called the Rheingarten ( Rhine Garden). Today, Cologne residents and tourists enjoy strolling here, as there is no longer any traffic in the Martinsviertel and along the Rhine riverbanks. One restaurant follows the next along the facades, and even in autumn, people sit outside in the evenings and enjoy the mild Rhine air. The fish market is located in the middle of the Frankenwerft at the height of the Romanesque church of Groß St. Martin, it forms the opening from the Martinsviertel to the Rhine.” (Frankenwerft, KoelnWiki)

Monumento ai Caduti

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Monumento ai Caduti nella Prima Guerra Mondiale
(Monument to the Fallen in the First World War) by Ermenegildo Luppi, 1929
Parco della Rimembranza
Modena, May 2024

“Monument with a vertical structure higher than 14 meters, formed by a central body made of four marble columns. On the top of the columns there is a large bronze statue, 4 meters high, depicting the Winged Victory, with a severe face, dressed in a long peple with a shield in her left arm and a dagger in her right arm. The columns stands on a travertine socket adorned with laurel wreaths and carved oak and placed on a circular staircase. Around the base, at the four corners, are four bronze sculptures are represent: the Offer, the Farewell, the Fighter and the Sacrifice.” (Monument to the Fallen in the First World War, Statues - Hither & Thither)

Henninger Turm

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Henninger Turm by Meixner Schlüter Wendt, 2017
Hainer Weg
Frankfurt, September 2024

“In November 2012, it was announced that Henninger Turm would be demolished because it was too costly and uneconomic for renovation. Demolition began in January 2013 and was completed by the end of the year. On its site a new 140-metre-tall (460 ft) residential tower was built. Being inspired by the former Henninger Turm, the design was conceived by the architects Meixner Schlüter Wendt.[6] Whereas both the contours and the side facing the city are strongly reminiscent of the original appearance of the old silo, the three other sides clearly indicate the new building's function as a residential tower. It contains 209 luxury apartments. The cornerstone for this project was laid in June 2014 and the tower was completed in summer 2017.” (Henninger Turm, Wikipedia)

Arte dei Mercanti del Panno

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Palazzo dell'Arte dei Mercanti del Panno
Via Toschi
Reggio Emilia, May 2024

“Begun at the end of the 15th century, the Palazzo dell’Arte dei Mercanti del Panno was completed in 1541 and housed the cloth merchants’ guild until the 18th century. The building, located in Via San Carlo on the corner of Via Filippo, is characterised by a noble and tall portico, now partly blind, with terracotta and sandstone columns. A capital with a goat’s head remains. The ‘purgo’ (hence the ancient name of Via del Purgo or Contrada delle Purghe) was connected to the noble building, that is, the place where the wool fabrics were freed from the grease used in their processing, and it overlooked the main branch of the Secchia canal, coming from Via del Guazzatoio, from which it drew the water needed for washing the wool and for motive power. The ‘purgo’ structure was later demolished: even the Secchia canal is no longer visible. The second floor of the Palazzo is due to the 19th-century restoration. Regarding the pictorial decoration of the building, it seems that it was designed in the sixteenth century by the famous painter from Novellara, Lelio Orsi, but it is doubtful whether it was built according to the preserved drawings.” (Palazzo dell'Arte dei Mercanti del Panno, Travel Italia)

Krochhochhaus

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Krochhochhaus (Kroch High-rise) by German Bestelmeyer, 1928
Augustusplatz
Leipzig, September 2024

“The 43 m (141 ft) tall Kroch high-rise in Leipzig was the first high-rise building in the city. It was built in 1927/28 as the headquarter of the Kroch Banking House, a private bank of the German-Jewish banker Hans Kroch (1887–1970), and is located on the west side of Augustusplatz. It is topped by a clock and two buff sentries modelled after the St Mark's Clocktower in Venice. In the 1926 architectural competition organized by Bankhaus Kroch together with the Leipzig City Council, the architect German Bestelmeyer (1874–1942) took one of the two second places. The building was so controversial that the four upper levels of the twelve-storey building were just a wooden mock-up for a time, and then a film simulation. The approval was finally granted on 16 December 1927. The building opened on 1 August 1928. The outstanding feature of the high-rise and thus the landmark of Augustusplatz is the striking mechanism on the roof, which consists of three bells. The bells are struck by two 3.3 m (11 ft) tall bellmen. Below the bells is the Latin inscription OMNIA VINCIT LABOR (Work conquers all). Below this is the display of the moon phases flanked by two relief depictions of lions, which take up the entire front section of the 12th floor. There are therefore windows on the 12th floor only at the back of the building. The 11th floor only has two windows instead of the three used on the other floors, between which there is a tower clock with a dial 4.3 m (14 ft) in diameter.” (Kroch High-rise, Wikipedia)

Cappella del Battistero

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Cappella del Battistero (Baptistery Chapel)
San Giovanni in Canale
Via Croce
Piacenza, May 2024

“On the upper front wall, an oval painting depicting the Circumcision stands out, by the renowned painter Gervasio Gatti, also known as ‘Il Soiaro,’ who was active primarily in Cremona in the 16th century. This exquisite work, dated 1585, rich in detail and chromatic appeal, was transferred to the Baptistery chapel after a long journey that saw it stolen and subsequently rediscovered in 1920. The painting exudes a powerful emotional charge, with intensely rendered faces that convey the emotions of the depicted figures to the viewer, with particular emphasis on the tender bond between Jesus and his Mother Mary. The lunette below features a fresco of The Baptism of Jesus, by the Piacenza painter Luciano Ricchetti, commissioned in 1959 following the chapel's transformation into a baptistery. Two marble columns at the corners support the statues of Faith and Charity, attributed to the sculptor Giuliano Mozzani and created between 1730 and 1734, adding further decorative elements of great refinement to the chapel. On the left wall of the chapel is a large marble epigraph from 1742 dedicated to Count Ranuccio Douglas Scotti of Agazzano, the work of Piacenza sculptor Gian Antonio Seri, which testifies to the noble Scotti family's connection to the church of San Giovanni in Canale. At the center of the chapel is the 1960 baptismal font, crafted from pink Verona marble by Piacenza sculptor Pietro Daveri, while an elegant 18th-century gate gracefully encloses this sacred space.” (>La Cappella del Battistero nella chiesa di San Giovanni in Canale, Il Nuovo Giornale)

Joseph Fröhlich

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Hofnarr Joseph Fröhlich (Royal jester Joseph Fröhlich) by Heinrich Apel, 1978
Neustädter Markt (Am Narrenhäusel)
Dresden, September 2024

“Joseph Fröhlich (18 February 1694 in Altaussee , Duchy of Styria; 24 June 1757 in Marienmont near Warsaw, Kingdom of Poland) was the court jester of Augustus the Strong. Fröhlich was born the son of a traveling merchant and the granddaughter of a mill owner in Altaussee (Scheichlmühle) in Styria, Austria. His father died before Joseph was born, so the child grew up in his grandfather's mill and initially learned the milling trade. While on his travels, he learned his first tricks of sleight of hand. In 1719 he married Ursula Lainbach, who bore him two sons and a daughter.” (Joseph Fröhlich, Wikipedia)

Teatro Regio

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Teatro Regio
Strada Garibaldi
Parma, May 2024

“Teatro Regio di Parma, originally constructed as the Nuovo Teatro Ducale (New Ducal Theatre), is an opera house and opera company in Parma, Italy. Replacing an obsolete house, the new Ducale achieved prominence in the years after 1829, and especially so after the composer Giuseppe Verdi, who was born near Busseto, some thirty kilometres away, had achieved fame. Also well known in Parma was the conductor Arturo Toscanini, born there in 1867. As has been noted by Lee Marshall, ‘while not as well known as La Scala in Milan or La Fenice in Venice, the city’s Teatro Regio... is considered by opera buffs to be one of the true homes of the great Italian tradition, and the well-informed audience is famous for giving voice to its approval or disapproval – not just from the gallery.’ The 1,400-seat auditorium, with four tiers of boxes topped by a gallery, was inaugurated on 16 May 1829 when it presented the premiere of Vincenzo Bellini's ‘Zaira’, a production which was staged another seven times, although it did not prove to be popular with the Parma audiences. Initially Rossini had been invited to compose a work for the inauguration of the house, but he was too busy and so the task fell to Bellini. However, that inaugural season saw three Rossini operas staged, including ‘Moïse et Pharaon’, ‘Semiramide’, and ‘Il barbiere di Siviglia’.” (Teatro Regio, Wikipedia)

Wildflowers and Butterflies

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Fontána Divoženky a poletuchy (Wildflowers and Butterflies Fountain) by Josef Klimeš, 1992
Františkánská zahrada (Franciscan Garden)
Vodičkova, Nové Město
Prague, September 2024

“The Wildflowers and Butterflies Fountain is a bronze sculpture with a drinking fountain placed on a granite pedestal. The author of the work is the sculptor Josef Klimeš (1928–2018). The work is located in the Franciscan Garden in New Town, Prague 1. The fountain, located in the western part of the garden, was created in 1992 and is made using the casting and cutting method. It depicts silhouettes and reliefs of three hollow dancing and fluttering figures (wild girls and flying birds) with prominent holes in the places of the eyes and mouths. The place is freely accessible all year round.” (Wildflowers and Butterflies Fountain, Wikipedia)

Church of Santa Cristina

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Church of Santa Cristina
Lungarno Gambacorti
Pisa, November 2024

"Santa Cristina is a Neoclassical-style, Roman Catholic church in Pisa, region of Tuscany, Italy. It is located on the Lungarno Gambacorti. The church is documented since the 9th century, but the apse area is from the 10th-11th century. Destroyed by a flood in 1115, it was rebuilt three years later. The Count Luigi Archinto, member of a prominent Milanese family, had moved to Pisa in the late 18th century, and in 1814, he had acquired the Agnello palace adjacent to this church. He then patronized and commissioned the reconstruction of the church, which by then was in poor conservation. He commissioned the works from the engineer Francesco Riccetti, who also restored the bell tower." (Santa Cristina, Wikipedia)

Pegel Köln

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Pegel Köln (Cologne water level)
Frankenwerft
Cologne, September 2024

“The Pegel Köln (Cologne water level) is located in Cologne's Old Town North on the left bank of the Rhine and measures the water level of the Rhine at river kilometer 688. It is one of 22 gauges on the Rhine and, along with the Kaub gauge, the most important. It is operated by the Rhine Waterways and Shipping Authority.” (Pegel Köln, Wikipedia)

Saint Mark and the Lion

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San Marco (Saint Mark)
Corso Duomo
Modena, May 2024

“Mark the Evangelist, also known as John Mark or Saint Mark, was the person who is traditionally ascribed to be the author of the Gospel of Mark. Most modern Bible scholars have concluded that the Gospel of Mark was written by an anonymous author rather than an identifiable historical figure, though the topic remains contentious among experts. According to Church tradition, Mark founded the episcopal see of Alexandria, which was one of the five most important sees of early Christianity. His feast day is celebrated on April 25, and his symbol is the winged lion.” (Mark the Evangelist, Wikipedia)

Städel

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Städel
Schaumainkai, Museumsufer
Frankfurt, September 2024

“The Städel, officially the Städelsches Kunstinstitut und Städtische Galerie, is an art museum in Frankfurt, with one of the most important collections in Germany. The museum is located at the Museumsufer on the Sachsenhausen bank of the River Main. The Städel Museum owns 3,100 paintings, 660 sculptures, more than 4,600 photographs and more than 100,000 drawings and prints. It has around 7,000 m2 (75,000 sq ft) of display and a library of 115,000 books. The Städel was founded in 1817, and is one of the oldest museums in Frankfurt. The founding followed a bequest by the Frankfurt banker and art patron Johann Friedrich Städel (1728–1816), who left his house, art collection and fortune with the request in his will that the institute be set up. In the early years, Städel's former living quarters at Frankfurt's Roßmarkt were used to present his collection. The collection received its first exhibition building at the Neue Mainzer Straße in 1833. In 1878, a new museum building, in the Neo-Renaissance style, was erected by Oskar Sommer on Schaumainkai, a street along the south side of the river Main.” (Städel, Wikipedia)

Palazzo Fontanelli-Ceretti

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Palazzo Fontanelli-Ceretti
Via Dante Alighieri
Reggio Emilia, May 2024

“Of sober Renaissance design, from the first half of the 16th century, it preserves, with the original brick order, a small corner balcony and a very degraded sandstone flag-stand; it is located on the corner between Via Roma and Via Dante, on whose side stood out a Renaissance portal attributed to Bartolomeo Spani, now preserved in the Civic Museums. Opposite it is the church of Ss. Giacomo e Filippo, of Romanesque foundation and late Baroque reconstruction (Gianmaria Ferraroni, 1742) with an original bell tower.” (Palazzo Fontanelli-Ceretti, Touring Club Italiano)

Specks Hof

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Specks Hof by Emil Franz Hänsel, 1929
(Restoration RKW architects, 1995)
Reichsstraße / Nikolaistraße
Leipzig, September 2024

“Specks Hof is a commercial building with the oldest preserved shopping arcade in Leipzig, Germany. The complex near St. Nicholas Church is an example of Leipzig's trade fair and trading buildings, which were built at the beginning of the 20th century. Specks Hof stretches over 82 m (269.0 ft) along Schuhmachergäßchen between Reichsstrasse and Nikolaistrasse, where the building has front lengths of 40 m (131.2 ft) and 47 m (154.2 ft) respectively. To the south it borders on the Reichshof, the Hansahaus and the post-war new building with the oriel window called Fürstenerker. The postal addresses are Reichsstrasse 4 and Nikolaistrasse 3–9.” (Specks Hof, Wikipedia)

Dragon lamp

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Dragon lamp
Palazzo Comunale (Palazzo Gotico)
Piazza del Cavalli
Piacenza, May 2024

“In 1281, the ghibellin Alberto Scoto, wanted to build the palace and sent for four architects from Piacenza: Pietro da Cagnano, Negro De Negri, Gherardo Bellman and Pietro da Borghetto. Following the first project, the palace should have been quadrangular, but work was stopped due to an epidemic plague. Only the north side of the palace was finished. The result is an excellent example of civil ogive architecture in lombard Gothic style.” (Palazzo Comunale, Wikipedia)

Boy on a turkey

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“Boy on a turkey” by Georg Wrba, 1913
Italienisches Dörfchen
Theaterplatz
Dresden, September 2024

“The Italienisches Dörfchen (Italian Village) is a restaurant in Dresden. It is located on Theaterplatz, near the Hofkirche (Court Church), the Zwinger Palace, and the Semper Opera House, in the historic part of the city center. The name refers to earlier buildings on this site. When the Italian architect Gaetano Chiaveri built the Catholic Court Church, Chiaveri's craftsmen and artists, who presumably also came from Italy, lived in numerous small houses near the construction site on the steep left bank of the Elbe bend. This followed the principle of the cathedral construction lodges, which were established in the Middle Ages during the construction and later for the maintenance of great cathedrals. Dresden's locals soon dubbed the houses the ‘Italian Village.’ The settlement, with the exception of a few inns, was demolished to build the new Royal Court Theater, the first Semper Opera House.” (Italienisches Dörfchen, Wikipedia)

Cittadella di Parma

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Cittadella di Parma (Cittadella di Parma)
Parco Cittadella
Parma, May 2024

“The Citadel of Parma (Italian: Cittadella di Parma) is a pentagonal fortress built in the Emilian city in the last years of the 16th century. The structure was erected at the behest of the Duke of Parma and Piacenza Alessandro Farnese and entrusted to the engineers Giovanni Antonio Stirpio de' Brunelli and Genesio Bresciani with the collaboration of Smeraldo Smeraldi. To build it, the Maggiore canal was diverted, whose course was joined with that of the Comune canal up to the Porta Nuova (today's Barriera Farini). Created for defensive purposes, and for this reason equipped with ramparts and moats, it was later used as barracks, as a prison for political crimes and as a place for executions. Between the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the fortress, which retains its original pentagonal shape, was renovated and used as a public park, with spaces dedicated to sports and children's activities. The structure has five bastions. The main entrance, characterized by a monumental facade in Angera stone, is to the north, while the other, the Porta del Soccorso, is to the south. The main entrance gate, designed by Simone Moschino and built by Giambattista Carra in 1596, has been preserved without later modifications.” (Citadel of Parma, Wikipedia)

Dům U Nováků

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Dům U Nováků (Novak House)
Vodičkova, Nové Město
Prague, September 2024

“The U Nováků House is an Art Nouveau commercial and multi-purpose building at Vodičkova 699/34, 110 00 in New Town, Prague 1, near Wenceslas Square. It was named after Josef Novák, a tailor and textile entrepreneur who operated the department store and also owned a tailor's salon there. The building has been protected as a cultural monument since 1958. The plot once housed the house and shop of the butcher Vodička, after whom the street is named. Here in 1878, the brothers Antonín and Josef Nováková, originally from Česká Třebová, purchased a house and a yarn and toy shop, a former brewery, U Štajgrů, for a relatively small sum. The brothers acquired the shop from a seriously ill owner who died three days after the transaction. The brothers focused the shop solely on selling textiles. After Antonín Novák's death, Josef took over the management of the business, successfully developing it and expanding the range to include tailoring and fashion. The house was built between 1901 and 1904 according to the design of the famous architect Osvald Polívka. It is a multifunctional commercial palace with an arcade, shop and facilities, offices, sports halls, a gaming room and the U Nováků theatre for 700 spectators and a cabaret hall. The client and owner of the building, Josef Novák, died two years after its completion in 1906 , at the age of 51. However, the name J. Novák remained on the house for a long time and was returned to it after the Velvet Revolution of 1989.” (Dům U Nováků, Wikipedia)

Caryatid MTPHSCL

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“Caryatid MTPHSCL” by Alexey Morosov
Via Toselli
Pisa, November 2024

“Four sculptures will be placed outdoors, in a route that traverses the history of the city: starting from Via Duomo, in the context of Piazza dei Miracoli, a position of honour that only a few contemporary artists have had the privilege of conquering. The other works will be placed in Via Pietro Toselli, in front of Palazzo Blu, a historical residence and art centre, Lungarno Gambacorti, in front of the Church of Santa Maria della Spina, Lungarno Ranieri Simonelli, in the space in front of the Guelfa Tower.” (Exodus, Turismo Pisa)