Beautiful Histories ✓

[image] You never know. This ordinary French farmhouse became a significant D-Day site. The de Vallavieille family’s farm, Brécourt Manor, was occupied by the Germans because of its strategic location for a concealed artillery position. The family was forced to live on the property

[image] 5 Elements of Venetian Gothic Architecture in 1 photo: 1. Ogee “pinched” arch 2. Rondel (“bullseye”) glass panes 3. Pointed trefoil arches with stone tracery (and the trefoil arches are echoed in the balustrade below) 4. Exposed wood beam ceiling 5. Open loggia Ca’ d’Oro,

[image] On this day, May 12, 113 A.D., Trajan’s Column, near the Roman Forum, was dedicated. Thanks to its architect, Apollodorus of Damascus, it has never fallen, standing in this same spot over 1900 years. (Apparently, Napoleon wanted it, but couldn’t find a way to move it.)

[video] Know this before you go: “Reading” the Sistine Chapel ceiling, Part 2:

[video] There’s a kaleidoscope of medieval floor designs in St. Mark’s we rarely get to see. 60-seconds of geometric joy: 🔊

[video] Did you know? 1. The gorgeous 15th c. pulpit in Santa Maria Novella, Florence, was designed by Filippo Brunelleschi? 2. From this pulpit in 1614 Tommaso Caccini preached a sermon attacking Galileo Galilei, denouncing heliocentrism as heretical. 3. The exquisite panels depict

[video] Sacred spaces. Padua, Italy:

[image] Even small churches can mesmerize. San Nicolò dei Mendicoli: One of few Venetian churches with its original porch, which once provided shelter to the poor.

[image] The “Giovanni da San Giovanni” room in the Pitti Palace, Florence, named after the artist who designed it around 1635. The Medici didn’t just collect art, they lived in it.

[image] If you love frescoes, make Santa Maria Novella in Florence a must-see. These, from 1485-90, are by Ghirlandaio (perhaps aided by his apprentice, a young Michelangelo.)

[image] 4 Things to Know About the Miracoli, “the Jewel Box of Venice”: 1. It’s not the work of Codussi, as you might think, but built by by Pietro Lombardo and his sons between 1481 and 1489. 2. It wasn't commissioned by a grand monastic order or the state, but by the public. It was

[image] “ . . . the illustrious city of Florence, the fairest of all the cities of Italy . . .” - Giovanni Boccaccio, 1353

[image] The jaw-dropping Baroncelli Chapel in Santa Croce, Florence, has a stunning altarpiece by Giotto and frescoes by Taddeo Gaddi. Wow. See comment for a look at Giotto’s altarpiece! 👇

[image] 4 things to know about Michelangelo's lantern and the golden sphere of St. Peter's Basilica, Rome: 1. Even though the lantern looks like a small, decorative cap, it's about 59 feet tall. That's the equivalent of a 5-story building sitting on top of the dome. 2. The lantern

[image] A meticulously rendered architectural painting by Gentile Bellini, c. 1501. He was known for highly detailed scenes, and in this he highlights lavish Venetian-styled architectural elements and designs.

[image] “Oh - you wanted a window there? Don’t worry, we’ll just scooch the chimney over a bit. Trust me. No one will notice.”

[image] Happy Birthday, Gothic! 🏛️ On June 11, 1144, Abbot Suger hosted the consecration of the new choir of the Basilica of Saint-Denis outside Paris, introducing Gothic architecture. By blending pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and a "theology of light" via large stained-glass windows,

[video] “Mystery is not the absence of meaning, but the presence of more meaning than we can comprehend.” San Giorgio dei Greci, Venice, Italy

[image] Charming Trento: A hidden gem in northern Italy . . . With an underground Roman city, a cutting edge science museum, and a fresco-filled castle.

[image] The spirit of Bologna, Italy, as per Stendhal: "The Bolognese is full of fire, passion, generosity, and sometimes imprudence."

[image] The medieval courtyard of the Bargello. Dante Alighieri walked up and down these stairs many times when he served on the Council of the Hundred, before being banished from Florence forever.

[image] A medieval optical illusion: Sant Maria Novella, Florence, Italy (built 1279-1357) To create the illusion of a longer nave, the distance between the columns progressively shortens as you walk toward the high altar. This compression of the architectural bays tricks the eye into

[video] A geometry lesson in stone: Santa Giustina, Padua, Italy

[image] The soaring central nave of Santa Anastasia in Verona, Italy. A serene masterpiece that seems to be dressed in endless embroidery.

[image] Technique: Jan Vermeer Art historian Carol Strickland notes that in "The Milkmaid," Vermeer defines forms with impasto and with dots of light -- 'a mosaic of paint daubs.' He added everyday details for interest and context, from the Delft tiles along the floor, the footwarmer,

[image] We see things differently in black and white: Textures take on more prominence. Patterns become more assertive. San Moisè, Venice, Italy (My photo)

[image] 3 Things to Know about Montepulciano's Famous Clock Tower, chronologically: 1. It originated in the 1300s as a private fortress used by a wealthy family during bloody medieval feuds. 2. Centuries later, the city heightened it and added a Renaissance-era clock in 1524. 3. The

[image] A really, really old remnant of the past in the hills above Verona, Italy. St. Peter's Hill, rising above the Adige River is the literal birthplace of Verona. Long before the city expanded into the bend of the river where the famous Arena stands, the original Roman settlement

[image] Happy birthday to Artemisia Gentileschi -- born July 8, 1593. 3 things to know about this Italian Baroque master: 1. A Historic First: In 1616, she became the first woman ever admitted to Florence’s prestigious Academy of the Arts of Drawing, granting her unprecedented legal

[image] One reason (of many) to spend a day at Ferrari’s Museo Schifanoia: Amazing frescos from the 1400s. Even the story of their survival is fascinating.

[image] Brunelleschi’s ‘miraculous’ dome in Florence: Unreinforced Renaissance masonry spanning a massive 140-foot void. The base of the dome’s inner, supporting shell is approximately 7-feet thick, of heavy stone. As it tapers upward, its thickness decreases to less than 5-feet, while

[image] One of Verona’s medieval conical spires. This terracotta “pigna” (pinecone) style was a practical way to top a square tower — and, some say — to direct eyes heavenward. Santi Apostoli, Verona, Italy. (My photo)

[image] It seems these days we’ve lost the ability to “take the long view.” Did you know? 👇 - J.R.R. Tolkien worked on The Lord of the Rings for 12 years. - Johannes Brahms tinkered with his Symphony No. 1 over a period of 21 years before letting it be performed -Nelson Mandela was

[image] Tomb of the great composer, Giacchino Rossini (1792-1868) in the Basilica of Santa Croce, Florence. He is mourned by an allegorical personification of Music.

[image] Italian Churches: GOTHIC or CLASSICAL Which do you prefer?

[image] "I stood in Venice, on the Bridge of Sighs; A palace and a prison on each hand: I saw from out the wave her structures rise As from the stroke of the enchanter's wand..." (Lord Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage). My 📸

[image] Verona Style: The 12th-century striped Duomo, with its majestic white limestone belltower towering above.

[video] Here sits Victor Hugo, slumped in his chair, quill in hand, thinking of what he could possibly write to top Les Misérables. Sculpted by Gaetano Trentanove (c. 1890). Pitti Palace, Florence, Italy

[image] There’s something odd about Titian’s painting of St. Mark Enthroned: St. Mark's head is in the shadows. Titian did this intentionally. At the time he painted it, Venice was suffering under the shadow of the Plague. Mark is joined by saints who were protectors against the

[image] For all you dads on Father's Day weekend: 10 Poignant paintings showing fatherhood in its various forms: 1. "Rudolf von Arthaber and His Children," by Friedrich von Amerling, c. 1837

[video] 3 Things to Know about the architectural wonder, the Princes’ Chapel in Florence, Italy:  1. Why: It was commissioned in 1604 as a mausoleum to immortalize the power & wealth of the Medici Grand Dukes. (It took over 350 years to completely finish it!)  2. How: The intricate

[image] "It's not necessarily at home that we best encounter our true self"  -  Alain de Botton

[image] "I hold a number of beliefs that have been repudiated by the liveliest intellects of our time. I believe that order is better than chaos, creation better than destruction. I prefer gentleness to violence, forgiveness to vendetta. On the whole I think that knowledge is preferable

[image] Pietà – Detail of Door Panel, Duomo, Milan, Italy. This panel from one of the cathedral's massive bronze doors is worth pondering solely for its beauty; but I also have a point to make. Because of the size of the doors, it’s impossible to view some of the individual panels at

[image] What is it about an arcaded walkway that seems so civilized? This one is in Treviso, Italy. My 📸

[image] Remembering Captain Walter J. Huchthausen, killed in action in the final months of WWII. Before the war he was an American architect and educator. He served with the MFAA ("Monuments Men") unit, tasked with protecting cultural monuments and rescuing Nazi-looted art. He was

[image] A stroll in Venice’s lovely sestiere of Dorsoduro — with the supposedly cursed Ca’ Dario in the background.

[image] How do you put a door where a door was never intended? Like this. (Giudecca, Venice)

[video] Join me for a 1-minute stroll through lovely Ferrara, Italy. 🔊🎹

[image] “The blood flow to the brain increases for a beautiful painting just as it increases when you look at somebody you love. It tells us art induces a feel good sensation direct to the brain." (Semir Zeki, Neurobiologist)