Tag Archives: Italy
I hope that you, my friends, might also one day find yourselves at the door to Villa La Rotonda in Vicenza while a security guard sings you the theme to Married… with Children.
“Where are you from?” asked the gregarious guard at the entry to Palladio’s Villa La Rotonda. After replying, “Chicago, USA” we braced ourselves for the usual “Al Capone, bang bang bang!” only to be surprised by the guard’s delighted smile and cheery rendition of the theme song to Married… with Children. While Chicago may be […]
Urbino: Ideal Renaissance city drowned in a sea of drunken students
How could I help it? I idealized Urbino. Even though I’ve long maintained a vigilant stance against romanticizing people and places alike, this was Urbino: Renaissance mecca for humanists, scholars, art and architecture. The location, in the isolated and mountainous region of Italy’s Marche, combined with being a university town filled me with visions of […]
Palladio’s Teatro Olimpico: classic geeks, architecture nerds and trompe-l’œil freaks hold hands and say GAH!
I’ve been meaning to write about visiting Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, Italy in an academic way, letting you all know that it was constructed in 1580 from Andrea Palladio’s plans based on a reconstruction of an ancient Roman theater ,etc, etc, because you, my readers, need the facts. But I’ve got to be straight with you: as soon […]
Piero della Francesca’s Resurrection in Sansepolcro
It’s the perfect fresco for Easter: Christ steps proudly from his tomb super hero-style in his bubblegum pink robe. Those poor dupes, the guards, are sleeping and miss the drama. The composition is symmetrical, and a perfect triangle from the top of Christ’s head to the bodies of the guards below. It was only once […]
The cloister of Monreale Cathedral
There’s a certain reaction I have, when looking though an art history book, an “Aha, there you are!” recognition that’s–let’s face it– a sense of entitlement. I study the reproduction of a building or artwork and say to myself with certainty, “I am going to go see that.” Without fail, I have always felt just that […]
Dazzling mosaics in Cappella Palatina, Palermo and–bonus!–bible stories abridged
Every surface in the Cappella Palatina in Palermo (1140-70) is a pristine work of art. Study the ceiling, the floor, and of course, at the mosaics. Don’t be rushed. This is what happens when great cultures—Arab, Norman and Byzantine–combine synergistically to produce the finest art imaginable. It was created for Sicilian kings to worship in, with […]
Temple of Olympian Zeus, Agrigento: he’s an atlas, he’s a column: HE’S SUPER TELAMON!
19th century romantics must have gone wild with nostalgic indulgence at the ruins of Temple of Olympian Zeus, in the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, Sicily. It has such a literal “feel small before the mighty ruins of past civilization” vibe about it. And to my 21st century eyes, the scale and ambition of […]
Picnic at the Greek theatre of Syracuse
It’s not every day I can chow down on a can of tuna fish sitting in a theatre built in the 5th century BC, though as someone who has worked in and around theatres most of my adult life, I was thinking of mostly practical matters. For example: if this theatre sat 15,000 or more people, […]
Picnic at the Cathedral 