Römerberg

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Late afternoon sunlight
Römerberg
Frankfurt, September 2024

“Römerberg (also spelled as Roemerberg, lit. ‘Roman Mountain’) is a public space in Frankfurt, Germany. It is located in front of the Römer building complex, seat of the Frankfurt city administration since the 15th century. As the site of numerous imperial coronations, trade fairs and Christmas markets, the square is the historic heart of the medieval Altstadt (old town) and a popular tourist destination. Paulsplatz, another historic square, is to the north. The Old St Nicholas Church and Historical Museum are to the south. Beyond that is the Mainkai, a promenade by the River Main. On the west side of the square is the reconstructed Römer medieval building. To the east is the Dom-Römer Project, and beyond that is Frankfurt Cathedral.” (Römerberg, Wikipedia)

San Francesco

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Church of San Francesco
Piazza San Francesco
Lucca, June 2024

"San Francesco is a former Gothic-style Roman-Catholic church and monastery located in Piazza San Francesco in central Lucca, Tuscany, Italy. Since its restoration, it is home to IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, a superior graduate school. Members of the Franciscan order were present since 1228, but the church as we see it dates from the 14th century. The church, built out of gravel, has an aisle-less with a trussed roof. It was completed in the early 15th century with the inclusion of three apsidal chapels. The façade, which has two arches either side of the doorway, adopted a coat of white limestone, which remained incomplete, and was completed only in the 20th century. The care taken with the interior design is in parallel with the construction of the complex, which took from the 14th century to the 17th century." (San Francesco, Wikipedia)

Trifugium

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Trifugium
Barfußgäßchen
Leipzig, September 2024

“Trifugium is the name for a group of three neighboring Wilhelminian-style residential and commercial buildings in Leipzig, Barfußgäßchen 11/13/15 between Klostergasse and Dittrichring. Houses no. 11 and 13 are listed buildings. As late as 1902, the Barfußgäßchen ended at Klostergasse and continued as Kleine Fleischergasse. Until 1439, the latter was still part of the Barfußgäßchen, and the only access to the Thomasring (today Dittrichring) was the narrow passage of the former Barfußpförtchen. In the following years, houses were demolished to create a street access to the Ring and the Barfußgäßchen was extended in a straight line. One of the demolished houses was the house ‘Stadtgarten’, on the corner of Klostergasse, which was named after a garden restaurant and was formerly called ‘Goldene Sonne’. On the south side of the new street section, three houses were built between 1904 and 1906 according to plans by the Leipzig architect Arthur Hänsch (1876–1947). The Leipzig Creditbank had its headquarters in house number 11. House number 13 was purchased by Phoenix Life Insurance in the 1930s. House number 15 housed the Kaiserhof Café, later the Palast Café. As the Silberstein restaurant, it survived the pogrom night of 1938. When citizens of the Jewish faith were then forbidden to visit bars and cafés, the Silberstein restaurant was the only one that kept its doors open to Jewish citizens. During the Second World War, No. 15 burned down almost completely and was demolished in 1946 except for the ground floor, where a betting office was located. House No. 11 was badly damaged - the entire roof was missing - but was repaired as best as possible. No. 13 remained almost undamaged.” (Trifugium, Wikipedia)

San Franceschetto

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San Franceschetto
Piazza San Francesco
Lucca, June 2024

"San Franceschetto is the small church on the corner of Piazza San Francesco, beside the entry of the cloister. Held by Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca Foundation, was transformed in a exhibition space: a cozy place where paintings, sculptures, modernity, originality, beauty are united to offer unique experiences." (San Franceschetto, The Lands of Giacomo Puccini)

Frescoes on the Altan

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Frescoes by Benedetto and Gabriele Tola, 1555
Großer Schlosshof (Great Courtyard)
Residenzschloss (Residential Palace)
Schloßstraße, Altstadt
Dresden, September 2024

“The history of the frescoes begins in the 16th century. Elector Moritz I of Saxony, like so many rulers and nobles of his time, had a soft spot for the Italian Renaissance. And after visiting the country in 1549, he brought capable artists and master builders to the Elbe. They were to transform Dresden Castle into the most modern residence north of the Alps, following the Italian model, and to let the Elector's power shine through their work. The highlight of the imposing Renaissance building was the Altan in the Great Courtyard with its giant paintings 19 metres long and up to 5.70 metres high, which Moritz commissioned the brothers Benedict and Gabriel Tola from Brescia to create. For centuries, they were considered the Saxon wonder of the world. But nothing had been seen of the original for a long time: A large part of the pictures was destroyed by the great castle fire of 1701, and another was simply painted over at the end of the 19th century. The little that remained was destroyed by the bombs in 1945. But the frescoes, which covered an area of 250 square metres, were not irretrievably lost: Already in the 1970s there were initial plans to recreate the paintings. In 2015, Matthias Zahn, who had been involved in planning the reconstruction of Dresden Castle since 1988, was finally commissioned to restore the loggia. Over several years, the restorer evaluated old models of the castle, studied historical engravings and oil paintings from the 17th century. Fortunately, some sketches by the Tola brothers for the Altan were found in the Kupferstichkabinett. A photo by the Dresden photographer Hermann Krone from 1865 also provided information about the motifs. But in which style did the artists paint? ‘Because the Tola brothers didn't leave any paintings behind, we had to look for other role models,’ reports Matthias Zahn.” (The frescoes on the Altan are finished, Dresden Magazin)

Francesco Geminiani

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Francesco Geminiani by Nicola Domenici, 2017
Piazza Guidiccioni
Lucca, June 2024

"Francesco Xaverio Geminiani (baptised 5 December 1687 – 17 September 1762) was an Italian violinist, composer, and music theorist. BBC Radio 3 once described him as ‘now largely forgotten, but in his time considered almost a musical god, deemed to be the equal of Handel and Corelli’. Born in Lucca, he received lessons in music from Alessandro Scarlatti, and studied the violin under Carlo Ambrogio Lonati in Milan and afterwards under Arcangelo Corelli. From 1707 he took the place of his father in the Cappella Palatina of Lucca. From 1711, he led the opera orchestra at Naples, as Leader of the Opera Orchestra and concertmaster, which gave him many opportunities for contact with Alessandro Scarlatti. After a brief return to Lucca, in 1714, he set off for London in the company of Francesco Barsanti, where he arrived with the reputation of a virtuoso violinist, and soon attracted attention and patrons, including William Capel, 3rd Earl of Essex, who remained a consistent patron. In 1715 Geminiani played his violin concerti for the court of George I, with Handel at the keyboard." (Francesco Geminiani, Wikipedia)

Meran Hotel

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Meran Hotel
Václavské náměstí, Nové Město
Prague, September 2024

“The Meran Hotel, Wenceslas Square (formerly the Hotel Garni) was designed by Alois Dryák and Jan Letzel, and constructed between 1895 and 1906. Directly abutting on this building is another fine example of contemporary art nouveau work, the Grand Hotel Evropa.” (Meran Hotel, The Prague Vitruvius)