Carol and I will be walking down a street, pass a beautiful ragazza and she’ll say something like “Did you see that beautiful girl?” to which I’ll respond, “No…I was admiring the façade of that old building.” It’s not that I don’t appreciate all the beautiful Italian women; but almost everywhere we go in Italy I fall in love again …with the architecture. Architecture has been my passion…no, an obsession since I was a kid. Only other architects understand this; and my dear wife has tolerated it for over 38 years.
Recently we took the train into Rome and I was blown away by what we found. Tucked away in the northeast corner of Rome, away from the tourists and souvenir vendors, we discovered Piazza Minco in the Quartiere Coppedè. The neighborhood is named for the architect who originally planned and designed many of the buildings, Gino Coppedè (1866 to 1927). Begun around 1912 and completed after Coppedè’s death in 1927, the villas and large apartment buildings employ architectural elements of Imperial Roman (as was dictated by the governing commission that hired Mr. Coppedè).
That’s enough of an architectural history lecture…enjoy the photos and music.
Billy...I'm not an Architect but I certainly understand your obsession. I am also fascinated by the beautiful buildings. I went on Google Maps street view in the Piazza Mincio
ReplyDelete& saw what you were looking at....Amazing.
On another note, I am reading 'La Bella Lingua' and on page 161-163, she talks about Caravaggio and his burial place in the Tuscan town of 'Porto Ercole'. Wondering if you have plans to visit..sounds interesting. Ciao,
Berto
What a delightful treat! ...through the eyes of an architect...as a painter views the world as a canvas and a photographer in the frame of a lens. If there are any contemporary architectural tours, that could be quite interesting in Italy also. MK
ReplyDeleteIt is such a treat to read your posts. Full of appreciation for what you are experiencing in Italy. I think many of us would like a little lecture about architectural history - I am one of those that go around with my head tilted back and looking upwards in order to see the details in buildings - yes, I do bump into things.
ReplyDeleteThanks all for your comments:
ReplyDeleteRoberto - We don't have Porto Ercole on our list of sights to see but if we do visit, I'll take photos and write a post.
MK - I do't find much of the "contemporary" architecture is not very interesting; blending contemporary with the traditional styles rarely works well. Nevertheless, I always have an eye out for such photo opportunities.
Mya - Thanks...I especially love the cities' and towns' centri storici (historic centers) that were not designed or planned but evolved over the centuries.
Don't miss the chance to visit Vitorchiano, Villa Lante and even the monsters of Bomarzo during your time here. We could go on and on (and probably do...too much) but you get the idea. Our time here is getting short so we're in the full "don't miss this..." mode I guess.
ReplyDeleteIt was great meeting you both yesterday. Shame we didn't get a chance to chat more! I love looking at architecture and it would've been interesting hearing your opinions on some of the buildings you see here! In Florence I'm surrounded by the Renaissance, but the buildings I really love are the "Liberty" buildings! I love that era and we have some amazing examples here in Florence, the station being one of the best! I'd love to know your opinion...:)
ReplyDeletelarry&heather - thank you for your suggestions. They are all on our list.Already done Parco dei Mostri. Those Orsini were a wacky bunch, no?
ReplyDeleteAlyson - Yes, sorry too that we didn't get to chat more...hope there'll be another time. We alexmoms need to stick together. thanks for stopping here. Hope you'll come back.