Juan Pablo II

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Monumento a Juan Pablo II by Juan Manuel Miñarro, 2012
Plaza Virgen de los Reyes, Casco Antiguo
Seville, September 2022

“The monument to John Paul II is a bronze statue on a pedestal located in the Plaza Virgen de los Reyes in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. The monument represents a gesture from the city to John Paul II, who visited Seville in 1982, for the beatification of Angela de la Cruz, and in 1993, when he closed the XLV International Eucharistic Congress. The monument was designed in 2006 by the Association for the Promotion of John Paul II. It was built and displayed at the Cajasol Center in Plaza San Francisco. Various locations were considered for its placement: Plaza de la Contratación, Puerta de Jerez, and Adolfo Rodríguez Jurado Street. Finally, it was agreed to place it in Plaza Virgen de los Reyes, near Seville Cathedral and opposite the Archbishop's Palace. The statue stands on a marble pedestal with a plaque. It was inaugurated in 2012 in the presence of the mayor, Juan Ignacio Zoido, and the archbishop, Juan José Asenjo.” (Monumento a Juan Pablo II, Wikipedia)

Palazzo Sesso Zen

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Palazzo Sesso Zen
Contra' Zanella
Vicenza, May 2025

“Palazzo Sesso Zen is a 13th-century noble palace located in Vicenza, in contrà Giacomo Zanella nº 1, built in Venetian Gothic style. The building is classified as a work of art of real estate type, architecture A. Initially owned by the Lanzade family, the palace had a tower, signs of which are still evident today. It was brought as a dowry by Chiara di Lanzè, who married Palmiero Sesso, podestà of Vicenza in 1341. The palace bears traces of past constructions dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries. The main door does not date back to before 1460, while the construction differences between the second floor and the other two are evident. In fact, the walls of the second floor were built in local stone, while for the other two the warm red marble of Verona was used. Also on the second floor, a marked lack of construction can be noted from the mouldings of the capitals. It is probable that the latter had never been built for residential use and that it was constructed no earlier than the 17th century.” (Palazzo Sesso Zen, Wikipedia)

Francisco Pizarro

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Francisco Pizarro by Pío Mollar Franch, 1930
Plaza de Manises
Valencia, September 2022

“An ornamental element located within the current plaza and created in homage to the Spanish people. A small fenced garden defines the quadrangular setting, which houses a recent stone pedestal from which emerges a slender Doric column (from the former Provincial Hospital). At the end of this rises a bronze statue (carved by Pío Mollar Franch ) representing the conquistador Francisco Pizarro. The complex, designed by municipal architect Emilio Rieta, was inaugurated on July 14, 1969.” (Plaza de Manises, Wikipedia)

Church of the Zitelle Gasparine

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Church of the Zitelle Gasparine
Via Ospedale Civile
Padua, May 2025

“In 1598, the Paduan nobleman Francesco Gasparini, together with his wife Giuliana and daughter Virginia, willed a place ‘in the style of a monastery’ to house poor girls. It was called the Zitelle Gasparine, to distinguish it from the Zitelle del Vescovo, an institution with a similar purpose established by the Bishop of Padua Marco Cornaro in the same years. The building was constructed in the Pozzo della Vacca district (which would later become the Zitelle district, from the name of the institution), on Gasparini's property. A church dedicated to the Holy Trinity was annexed to it, on the façade of which is a plaque commemorating the founder. Currently, the church dedicated to the Holy Trinity, known as ‘delle Zitelle Gasparine’, is all that remains of the ancient complex: owned by the Padua University Hospital, this deconsecrated church has a rectangular plan with a single nave and a low barrel vault. The now bare polychrome marble altar is original from the period, as are the painted images.” (Chiesa delle Zitelle Gasparine, ArtBonus)

Noria de Safont

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Noria de Safont
Parque de Safont
Toledo, September 2022

“Juanelo's hydraulic mechanism was capable of raising water 90 meters, enough to supply the Tagus to the Alcázar and the city. Two water wheels powered the device. The simplest was a simple waterwheel like the one reproduced; the second was complex. There are descriptions but no plans. Two designs compete today: the rocker arm and Valturro's scissors. Sitting in Safont Park—next to the bus station—we can see the useless imitation of a wheel that weeps for the true jewels that once were, and that only our nostalgic imagination can reconstruct and dream about.” (La noria del parque Safont en Toledo, Turismo matemático)

Portrait from Al Fayyum

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Portrait from Al Fayyum
National Archaeological Museum
Piazza Santissima Annunziata
Florence, January 2025

“While commonly believed to depict Greek settlers in Egypt, the Faiyum portraits instead reflect the complex synthesis of the predominant Egyptian culture and that of the elite Greek minority in the city. According to Walker, the early Ptolemaic Greek colonists married local women and adopted Egyptian religious beliefs, and by Roman times, their descendants were viewed as Egyptians by the Roman rulers, despite their own self-perception of being Greek. The portraits are said to represent both descendants of ancient Greek mercenaries, who had fought for Alexander the Great, settled in Egypt and married local women, as well as native Egyptians who were the majority, many of whom had adopted Greek or Latin names, then seen as ‘status symbols’.” (Fayum mummy portraits, Wikipedia)

Puerta de Toledo

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Puerta de Toledo (Toledo Gate)
Glorieta de la Puerta de Toledo
Madrid, September 2022

“The Puerta de Toledo (Toledo Gate) was one of the access gates to the city of Madrid. There were previously three other gates called Toledo in the vicinity, the current one dates from the first third of the 19th century and was designed by the Spanish architect Antonio Aguado , which is located in the middle of the Glorieta de la Puerta de Toledo acting as a roundabout. It was erected as a triumphal arch in honor of King Ferdinand VII as a commemoration of the Spanish War of Independence after the French occupation. It was the last monumental gate erected in the old city of Madrid. It was built between 1813 and 1827 and was restored by Madrid City Council in 1995. Its location in the city provided access from the city center via calle de Toledo to the roads south of Madrid (Camino Real de Andalucía), after crossing the Manzanares River via the Toledo Bridge and the Carabancheles mountains.” (Puerta de Toledo, Wikipedia)

Romeo e Giulietta

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Romeo e Giulietta, un sogno sospeso (Romeo and Juliet, a suspended dream) by Enrico Muscetra, 2008
Piazza Indipendenza
Verona, May 2025

“The monument called ‘Romeo e Giulietta, un sogno sospeso’ (Romeo and Juliet, a suspended dream) represents the two Shakespearean lovers in a stylized form. It was made in Poland in 2008 by the sculptor Enrico Muscetra (Alezio, 1946); then it was placed in piazza Indipendenza in 2012. The work was created for the exposition ‘Romeo e Giulietta, un sogno sospeso’ organized in 2009 for the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall; the exposition ended an international project organized to remember the most famous European myths. Critics said that Enrico Muscetra’s sculpture was representative of the whole event. It isn't a coincidence that in this work Romeo and Juliet’s bodies are represented as two hearts: in fact, Muscetra became famous for his bronze sculptures and for “hearts”, his leitmotif. The heart is not only a human organ but it is also the symbol of spirituality. The work is in quite a good state of preservation and it is well valued thanks to its isolated location in the garden and its closeness to the main squares of the city.” (Statue of Romeo and Juliet, VisitVerona)

Marcus Claudius Marcellus

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Marcus Claudius Marcellus by Marcos Augusto Dueñas, 2015
Calle Claudio Marcelo
Córdoba, September 2022

“Marcus Claudius Marcellus (died c. 148 BC) was Roman consul for the years 166 BC (together with Gaius Sulpicius Gallus), for 155 BC (with Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Corculum), and for 152 BC (with Lucius Valerius Flaccus). He was apparently the son of Marcus Claudius Marcellus (consul 196 BC), censor in 189 BC and the grandson of Marcus Claudius Marcellus, the five-times consul. He founded Corduba (Córdoba, Spain) in 169 BC.” (Marcus Claudius Marcellus, Wikipedia)

Church of San Gaetano

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Church of San Gaetano
Corso Palladio
Vicenza, May 2025

“San Gaetano is a Roman Catholic church located on Corso Palladio #147 in the city of Vicenza, region of Veneto, Italy. The church was erected between 1721 and 1730 using designs of Girolamo Frigimelica Roberti and commissioned by the Theatine order. The church underwent reconstruction after bombardment during WWII in 1944. The church still houses a St Cajetan painted by Francesco Solimena.” (San Gaetano, Wikipedia)

Edificio Pedro Roldán

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Edificio Pedro Roldán by José Espiau, 1927
Plaza de Jesús de la Pasión, Casco Antiguo
Seville, September 2022

“It is located next to the building that was built years earlier on the corner between Siete Revueltas and Alcaicería streets. This building, named after the Sevillian baroque artist Pedro Roldán, is one of the main examples of regionalism. The Arabic lines that can be seen on its façade are made with a combination of brick and tile, as well as the author's use of ornamental ironwork. José Espiau also adds one of the identifying elements of Second Regionalism, the panoramic tower, using again the dome that he already used in other previous constructions such as the Adriatic building and the City of London building that we can later see.” (Edificio Pedro Roldán, Visita Sevilla)

Cattedrale ex Macello

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Cattedrale ex Macello
Via Cornaro
Padua, May 2025

“This exemplary industrial archaeology complex was inaugurated in 1908, designed by engineer Alessandro Peretti, to replace Jappelli's slaughterhouse, built in 1821 and converted into an Art Institute. The entire complex expanded over an area of approximately 17,000 square meters. The main entrance consisted of a colonnaded portico, and inside, all the buildings were arranged along a central axis. This unique and innovative layout was modeled after the Offenbach slaughterhouse in Germany. The original function of the slaughterhouse was suspended in the early 1970s and in 1984 the cattle slaughterhouse, which is the main room of the complex, was restored in accordance with the original structure and used as an exhibition space. It is also called ‘cathedral’ due to its characteristic shape with three ‘naves’.” (Cattedrale ex Macello, Comune di Padova)

Rafael Guastavino

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Rafael Guastavino by Alfredo Llorens, 2022
Plaza de la Reina
Valencia, September 2022

“Rafael Guastavino Moreno (March 1, 1842 – February 1, 1908) was a Spanish building engineer and builder who immigrated to the United States in 1881; his career for the next three decades was based in New York City. Based on the Catalan vault, he created the Guastavino tile, a ‘Tile Arch System’, patented in the United States in 1885, which was used for constructing robust, self-supporting arches and architectural vaults using interlocking terracotta tiles and layers of mortar. His work appears in numerous prominent projects designed by major architectural firms in New York and other cities of the Northeast. Guastavino tile is found in some of New York's most prominent Beaux-Arts landmarks and in major buildings across the United States. It is also used in numerous architecturally important and famous buildings with vaulted spaces.” (Rafael Guastavino, Wikipedia)

L'Arringatore

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The ‘Arringatore’ (The Orator)
National Archaeological Museum
Piazza Santissima Annunziata
Florence, January 2025

“The Orator, also known as ‘L'Arringatore’ (Italian), Aule Meteli (Etruscan) or Aulus Metellus (Latin), is an Etruscan bronze sculpture from the late second or the early first century BC. Aulus Metellus was an Etruscan senator in the Roman republic, originally from Perugia or Cortona. The Aulus Metellus sculpture was found in 1566. The exact location is debated, but all sources agree the sculpture was found either in or around Lake Trasimeno in the province of Perugia on the border between Umbria and Tuscany, 177 kilometers (110 miles) from Rome. The statue is exhibited in the National Archaeological Museum of Florence. The statue is 179 cm in height and wears a toga exigua, consisting of a short sleeved tunic underneath a close fitting toga, slung over the left arm and shoulder while leaving the right arm free for movement. The hem starts over the right ankle and heads diagonally upwards to above the left calf. The statue also wears a pair of boots called calceus senatorius, a type of footwear worn by senators and high ranking magistrates made of red leather. The statue stands in a contrapposto pose with one leg supporting the bulk of its weight. The hair of the statue is cut short and combed to the left. The left arm rests at its side with the hand raised and opened slightly, while the right arm is stretched out, bent at the elbow, its palm open and the fingers spread out. The statue wears a ring on its left ringfinger, which is believed to be a scarab ring. Since the statue was made out of seven parts, you can see the seams, where they were attached to each other.” (The Orator, Wikipedia)

Hospital de Tavera

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Hospital de Tavera
Calle Duque de Lerma
Toledo, September 2022

“The Hospital de Tavera, also known as the Hospital de San Juan Bautista, Hospital de afuera, or simply as Hospital Tavera, is an important building of Renaissance architecture located is in the Spanish city of Toledo. It was built between 1541 and 1603 by order of the Cardinal Tavera. This hospital is dedicated to John the Baptist and also served as pantheon for its patron, Cardinal Tavera. Initially it began to be constructed under the supervision of Alonso de Covarrubias, being succeeded by other architects, with Bartolomé Bustamante finishing the work. The remoteness with the old part of the city made it known as el hospital de afuera, since within the walls there already existed the Hospital de Santa Cruz. Currently the building remains the property of the House of Medinaceli and inside it is the Museo Fundación Lerma, which houses part of the artistic collections of this lineage, as well as the Section of the Nobility of the National Historic Archive.” (Hospital de Tavera, Wikipedia)

Santa Maria della Scala

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Santa Maria della Scala
Via Scala
Verona, May 2025

“The church of Santa Maria della Scala is a Catholic place of worship located in the historic centre of Verona, a few steps from Via Mazzini; it is part of the diocese of Verona. In 1324 Cangrande della Scala donated a building in the heart of the ancient city of Verona to the Servants of Mary, after he had made a vow to the Virgin to overcome a serious illness: that was the first of a long series of donations that allowed the Servants to settle in the centre of the city by building a church with an adjoining convent, next to the Franciscans of the church of San Fermo Maggiore, the Hermits of Sant'Eufemia and the Dominicans of Santa Anastasia. However, they encountered strong opposition from the Franciscans of the nearby convent of San Fermo. The construction of the church building in 1329 must have already been well underway, so much so that it was consecrated on 6 December, but the building site (contemporaneous with that of the convent) continued for a long time: in 1341 the first cloister of the convent and the sacristy were built, following the fire that had occurred inside a dormitory three years earlier; in 1362 the right apse of the church was completed, the bell tower was finished and the altar of the Virgin was renovated; in 1371 an organ with its choir had already been placed while a portico was built on the road in front of the church; in 1388 the central apse was finished; in 1416 the left apse was also completed; In 1423 a second cloister was built and the new dormitory of the convent was completed, built across the street from the first.” (Chiesa di Santa Maria della Scala, Wikipedia)

Statue of Isabel II

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Statue of Isabel II by José Piquer, 1850
Plaza de Isabel II
Madrid, September 2022

“That same year, 1868, the statue of Isabel II, commissioned and paid for by Manuel López Santaella and the work of José Piquer y Duart, was placed in the center of the square. A year later, the statue was removed from the center of the square and placed in the Teatro Real, until 1862, when an allegorical sculpture of the Comedy, the work of Francisco Elías Vallejo, was placed in its place. However, Isabel II did not return to the square until 1905. Valentín Gutiérrez de Miguel in the newspaper La Voz of February 3, 1922, gives a long account of the events and vicissitudes of the statue, its various locations and the pedestals needed, as well as the stinginess of the repeated operations to finance the works.” (Plaza de Isabel II, Wikipedia)

Pagello Altar

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Pagello or Santa Maria Maddalena Altar
Santa Corona
Contrà Santa Corona
Vicenza, May 2025

“The majestic altar in the second bay on the left was built—likely by the Pedemuro workshop—in the early 16th century and bears the Pagello family crest at the center of the entablature, commissioned by the family. In 1529, the Vicentine writer Luigi da Porto—author of the novella that inspired Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet—stipulated in his will to be buried in front of this altar. The altarpiece, painted between 1514 and 1515 by Bartolomeo Montagna, depicts Saint Mary Magdalene with Saints Jerome and Paula on her left, Saint Augustine and Saint Monica on her right. The depiction of Saint Monica, the widowed mother of Saint Augustine, is likely a portrait of the patroness Piera da Porto, widow of Bernardino Pagello.” (Santa Corona, Wikipedia)

Custodia de Arfe

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Custodia de Arfe (Arfe monstrance) by by Enrique de Arfe, 1518
Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba
(Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba)
Calle Cardenal Herrero
Córdoba, September 2022

“The ‘custodia de Arfe’ (Arfe monstrance) is the processional monstrance of the Cathedral of Córdoba, carved by Enrique de Arfe between 1514 and 1518. Its base was made by the Cordoban Bernabé García de los Reyes between 1734 and 1735. Its function is to process the consecrated host which, according to the Catholic faith, is the body of Christ on the feast of Corpus Christi, an annual celebration. Bishop Martín Fernández de Angulo commissioned Enrique de Arfe, a goldsmith of Germanic origin, to create the Corpus Christi monstrance. Arfe had already built one in León and was already working on the one in Toledo. He began work on it around 1512, with the prelate leaving 500 ducats in his will for its completion. Archdeacon Francisco de Simancas also contributed 100 marks. The exquisitely finished work was premiered on June 3, 1518 under the pontificate of Cardinal Alonso Manrique, the year in which it was carried in procession for the first time. It is fair to point out that it was not only Arfe who made this magnificent jewel, but that he was assisted in its making by several Cordoban silversmiths (among them Juan Ruiz el Vandalino) who, trained by the German master, perfected their art and were thus able to replace him on his frequent trips to Toledo, where he was also sculpting the monstrance for that capital.” (Custodia procesional de la Mezquita-catedral de Córdoba, Wikipedia)

Francesco Petrarca

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Francesco Petrarca by Luigi Ceccon, 1874
Piazza Petrarca
Padua, May 2025

“Luigi Ceccon is the sculptor of the statue of Francesco Petrarca located in Piazza Petrarca in Padua. The work, carved from Vicenza stone, dates back to 1874 and was erected on the fifth centenary of the poet's death. The base bears the inscription ‘To Petrarca / Five centuries after his death / Padua — XVIII LUGLIO MDCCCLXXIV’, accompanied by three medallions depicting Cola di Rienzo, Iacopo da Carrara, and Laura di Noves. A plaster model by the same sculptor is preserved in Petrarca's house in Arquà Petrarca.” (Statue of Francesco Petrarca, Grok)

Basílica del Cristo de la Expiración

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Basílica del Cristo de la Expiración
Calle Castilla
Seville, September 2022

“The Basílica del Santísimo Cristo de la Expiración (Basilica of the Most Holy Christ of the Expiration), also called the Basílica del Cachorro or Basílica del Patrocinio, is a Catholic temple located in the Triana neighborhood of the city of Seville (Andalusia, Spain). The original Chapel of Sponsorship dates back to the late 17th century. In 1689, the Brotherhood of Sponsorship and that of Christ of the Expiration merged here, giving rise to the current Pontifical, Royal and Illustrious Brotherhood and Confraternity of Nazarenes of the Most Holy Christ of the Expiration and Our Mother and Lady of Sponsorship in Her Pain and Glory. The current chapel consists of two temples adjoining each other. The first of these temples dates from the 17th century, and was renovated around the middle of the following century, following the Lisbon earthquake of 1755.” (Basílica del Cristo de la Expiración, Wikipedia)