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)

San Pietro in Archivolto

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San Pietro in Archivolto
Via San Giusto
Verona, May 2025

“The church of San Pietro in Archivolto is a former Catholic place of worship located in the heart of Verona's historic center. Built on commission from the Lord of Verona, Cangrande della Scala, and consecrated in 1359 by Bishop Pietro della Scala, it is currently used as a multipurpose hall. The church, built in the 12th century, took on the characteristic Gothic forms that still distinguish it today in the first half of the 14th century, at the behest of Cangrande della Scala, Lord of Verona. The works were directed by Bono di Lanfranchino and the building was consecrated by the bishop of Verona Pietro della Scala on 12 and 13 September 1359. Of the church, positioned at an angle, the eastern façade and the northern side are visible, both with exposed brick facing. The gabled façade is characterised by a central tympanum portal and two lateral rectangular windows and ends with a decoration of hanging arches. The side, marked by pilasters and also ending with a decoration of hanging arches, has a lateral entrance protected by a porch supported by small columns in red ammonite, inside which is placed a statue of Saint Peter.” (Chiesa di San Pietro in Archivolto, Wikipedia)

Blue chimneys

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Blue chimneys
Calle Santa Matilde
Benalmádena, March 2025

Graziani Garzadori Altar

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Graziani Garzadori Altar
Santa Corona
Contrà Santa Corona
Vicenza, May 2025

“Attached to the wall of the fifth bay on the left is the Garzadori Altar, the most sumptuous in the city, built in the early 16th century by the workshop of Tommaso da Lugano and Bernardino da Como, with contributions from Rocco da Vicenza, designed vertically with a mixed order of columns, pilasters, and pillars. Framing the arch are four ringed columns, adorned with garlands at the base; the upper shafts of the two more prominent ones have Corinthian capitals, while the two recessed ones have Ionic capitals spiraling upward. Flanking the arch are two narrow recessed pilasters with the Garzadori crests adorned with an imperial eagle and animal heads in the capitals. At the ends, two wider pillars with sphinges in the capitals support the entablature, above which, aligned with the columns, four small pillars hold a wide lowered arch pediment, with a coffered and rosette-decorated intrados and an extrados enriched with bicaudate Nereids and topped by the Redeemer. Within the tympanum, under a garland of flowers and fruit, is a medallion depicting the Virgin nursing the Child; on either side of the attic, two pairs of facing dolphins hold flaming vases. Throughout are embedded small and large paterae of polychrome marbles brought by Graziani from Palestine, like the black touchstone inserted in the pedestals or those forming a cross adorning the altar frontal of the table. The altar houses Giovanni Bellini's masterpiece, Baptism of Christ, which was painted around 1500–1502.” (Santa Corona, Wikipedia)

Al pueblo del 2 de mayo de 1808

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“Al pueblo del 2 de mayo de 1808” by Aniceto Marinas, 1891
Jardines del General Fanjul, Calle Ferraz
Madrid, September 2025

“‘A los héroes del dos de mayo’ or ‘Al pueblo del dos de mayo de 1808’ is an instance of public art in Madrid, Spain. A sculptural work by Aniceto Marinas, the monument is an homage to the role of the Madrilenian people during the 1808 Dos de mayo uprising. Originally sculpted in Rome by Aniceto Marinas in 1891, the sculptural group depicts a winged statue holding a banner that emerges on top of a soldier, a cannon, a small boy and a number of corpses, male and female alike.” (Al pueblo del dos de mayo de 1808, Wikipedia)

Porta Molino

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Porta Molino
Vicolo Ponte Molino
Padua, May 2025

“The Porta Molino or Porta dei Molini was the main of the four royal entrances that opened into the medieval walls of Padua. Facing north, it stands at the end of the Roman Ponte Molino bridge that crosses the branch of the Bacchiglione called the Tronco Maestro. Until 1884, thirty-three wheels of as many mills mounted on boats operated, giving the gate and bridge their name. Nearly 26 meters high, it was built of stone and brick in the 13th century and was intended as a formal entrance to the Stra' Regia or Stra' Maggiore (now Via Dante), Padua's most important street. The tower rises externally on a sort of Romanesque triumphal stone arch (also decorated with a pair of lions), while inside there are two arches (the wider and more evocative one is pointed ) that allowed the defense mechanisms to be operated, including the large doors hinged in stone recesses that are still visible. Of interest is the Baroque access to the upper tower, a 17th-century construction adjacent to the internal façade, on the left. Sections of the municipal walls unravel on the sides, which continue westward along Via del Casin Rosso. The pedestrian access is the result of 19th-century renovations. At the end of the 19th century, the upper part of the gate was used as a storage tank for the city's first drinking water distribution network. The rumor that Galileo Galilei, during his time in Padua, used the gate as an astronomical observatory is probably false (although supported by a plaque by Carlo Leoni).” (Porta Molino, Wikipedia)

Casa de los Picos

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Casa de los Picos
Calle Juan Bravo
Segovia, September 2025

“The Casa de los Picos is a building in the Spanish city of Segovia, home to the Segovia School of Art and Design. It is located on Calle Juan Bravo, in the historic center of Segovia. It was built in the last third of the 15th century as a fortified house by Don Pedro López de Ayala, in order to defend the Puerta de San Martín, demolished in 1883. The house was later acquired by Alonso González de la Hoz, Chief Accountant of the Kingdom, and passed by inheritance to his son Juan de la Hoz, Councilor of Segovia. It is known for its façade, with 617 granite peaks, and its Renaissance courtyard. The heraldry of the de la Hoz family can be seen on the lintels of the five balconies and on the entrance door. The entrance hall and courtyard are decorated with Talavera tiles depicting various Segovia buildings.” (Casa de los Picos, Wikipedia)

Holy Fire Stones

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Reliquary of the Holy Fire Stones
Santi Apostoli
Piazza del Limbo
Florence, January 2025

“The church houses three flints (Pietre del Santo Sepolcro) putatively from the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. These were putatively used to light the lamps of the tomb when Jesus was buried. Tradition holds that they were acquired in 1101 by Pazzino dei Pazzi, who was among the first Christians to scale the walls and lead to the capture of Jerusalem during the First Crusade. From then on, the Pazzi included a flaming cup in their coat of arms. The flints are linked to the ceremony of ‘Lo Scoppio del Carro’ and the lighting of fireworks from the ‘Portafuoco’ after a celebratory mass.” (Santi Apostoli, Wikipedia)

Colegio de Calatrava

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Colegio de Calatrava
Calle Rosario
Salamanca, September 2025

“The Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepción de Calatrava, commonly known as Colegio de Calatrava, is the only college founded in Salamanca by the military orders whose building still survives; it belonged to the Order of Calatrava. Instituted as an imperial college in 1552 by Charles V and incorporated into the University of Salamanca in 1554, the construction of this building did not begin until 1717, by Joaquín de Churriguera who directed the works until his death in 1724. In 1750 the works were resumed under the direction of Jerónimo García de Quiñones. He was forced to eliminate the baroque ornaments of the original project due to the neoclassicist ideas prevailing at that time, especially those that Francisco Ibáñez de Corbera, rector of the school when it was consecrated in 1790, wanted to impose. During the War of Independence, the Goya canvases in the altarpieces disappeared. The facade has two bodies and is articulated by pilasters of giant order and topped with a balustrade. The decorative elements that adorn it are mostly of Renaissance inspiration. We notice in the decoration baroque mixtilinear elements around the main doorway, in the doors of the side towers and in the moldings that surround all the windows of the facade. Today it is the seat of the Casa de la Iglesia, an institution that houses the offices of the Diocese of Salamanca.” (Colegio de Calatrava, Wikipedia)

Santi Siro e Libera

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Santi Siro e Libera
Lungadige Rigaste Redentore
Verona, May 2025

“The church of Saints Siro and Libera is a Catholic place of worship located in the Veronetta district of Verona, within the archaeological site which includes the Roman theatre and the museum of the same name; it is part of the diocese of Verona. According to tradition, the first mass in the city of Verona was celebrated in an archway of the Roman theatre, and it was right above this archway that in 913 the church dedicated to San Siro was built by Giovanni, bishop of Cremona and chancellor of the emperor Berengario; the same bishop donated the building to the nearby Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria in Organo in 922. Towards the beginning of the 14th century the dedication to "Santa Libera" was added, in reference to Liberata of Como, however the reasons which led to this double title are unknown. In the same century the building was transformed in Gothic style, but from this construction phase only the entrance portal and the hanging porch which protects it remain, together with the frescoes which adorn it.” (Chiesa dei Santi Siro e Libera, Wikipedia)