Kitchen Design Ideas 2015: Ferrara

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MILAN - Architecture of the 20th Century

<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SGMuprk1t-I/AAAAAAAAEQ4/yubABFdNrQw/s1600-h/image28.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="319" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SGMuqCXko_I/AAAAAAAAERA/d8KHV1kA1ck/image_thumb15.png?imgmax=800" style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" width="666" /></a> This will be the last of my "field trips" as part of the course of study I have been on for the month of JULY in Italy: <a href="http://patriciagrayinc.blogspot.com/2008/06/ferrara-italy-university-of.html">"History of Italian Architecture 19th - 20th Century Design", </a>with our Professor Dr Giulia CERANI SEBREGONDI. I can't think of a better way to end a glorious month in Italy, well unless I can fit a trip in to see Lake Como!!! <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milan_Central_Station">Central Train Station</a> Milan Central Station (in Italian, Stazione Centrale di Milano or Milano Centrale) is one of the main European railway stations. It was officially inaugurated in 1931 to replace the old (1864) central station, which was a transit station and could not handle the new traffic caused by the opening of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplon_Tunnel">Sempione tunnel</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1906">1906</a>).<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:MilanCentralStationFront.jpg"></a><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/53/Milanstation1.jpg"></a><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/DSC02042_Uscita_Stazione_centrale_di_Milano_-_Foto_Giovanni_Dall%27Orto_1-1-2007.jpg"><img alt="Image:DSC02042 Uscita Stazione centrale di Milano - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto 1-1-2007.jpg" border="0" height="232" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c4/DSC02042_Uscita_Stazione_centrale_di_Milano_-_Foto_Giovanni_Dall%27Orto_1-1-2007.jpg/800px-DSC02042_Uscita_Stazione_centrale_di_Milano_-_Foto_Giovanni_Dall%27Orto_1-1-2007.jpg" width="307" /></a> Due to the Italian economic crisis during World War I, construction proceeded very slowly, and the project, rather simple at the beginning, kept changing and became more and more complex and majestic. This happened especially when <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benito_Mussolini">Benito Mussolini</a> became Prime Minister, and wanted the station to represent the power of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascism">fascist</a> regime. It has no definite architectural style, but is a blend of many different styles, especially <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Nouveau">Liberty</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Deco">Art Deco</a>, but not limited to those. It has been characterized by Frank Lloyd Wright as one of the most beautiful stations in the world, together with New York's Grand Central Terminal. On Sept 25, 2006 officials announced a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euro">€</a>100 million project, already in progress, to refurbish the station. Of the total cost, €20 million has been allocated to restore "certain areas of high artistic value" while the remaining €80 million will be used for more general improvements to the station to make it more functional with the current railway services. The project includes moving the ticket office and installing new elevators and escalators for increased accessibility. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirelli_Tower">Pirelli Skyscraper</a> In 1950 Alberto Pirelli, the president of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirelli">Pirelli</a> Company, required that a skyscraper be built in the original area where the first factory was constructed in the 19th century. In front of the Stazione Centrale is one of the world's highest reinforced concrete skyscrapers in the world and one of the most elegant for the shape of its tapered top. (127 meters), designed in 1955-60 by Gio Ponti, with a concrete structure by Pier Luigi Nervi.<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SGMuqjcv-6I/AAAAAAAAERE/ED2zTfP9_n8/s1600-h/image3.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="410" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SGMuqxFbR_I/AAAAAAAAERI/sDpRLZ0yZYk/image_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" width="197" /></a> <img height="415" src="http://www.iguzzini.com/photos/pirelli/pirelli1.jpg" width="333" /> Characterized by a bold, structural skeleton, smooth refined curtain wall façades, and tapered sides like the bow of a ship, it was among the first skyscrapers to abandon the customary block form. Until recently, it was the tallest building in Italy. The architectural <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hasan-Uddin_Khan&action=edit&redlink=1">Hasan-Uddin Khan</a> praised it as 'one of the most elegant tall buildings in the world' and as one of the 'few tall European buildings [that made] statements that added to the vocabulary of the skyscraper'. Some architectural critics believe that the Pirelli building was the inspiration for the design of the Pan Am Building (now <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MetLife_Building">MetLife Building</a>) in New York. <a href="http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ca%27_Brutta&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3DCa%2527%2BBrutta%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7GGLD">Ca'Brutta</a> is a residential building in Milan . The first work of the famous architect <a href="http://209.85.171.104/translate_c?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://it.wikipedia.org/w/index.php%3Ftitle%3DGiovanni_Muzio%26action%3Dedit%26redlink%3D1&prev=/search%3Fq%3DCa%2527%2BBrutta%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7GGLD">Giovanni Muzio,</a> a symbol of Milan of the Twenties to Forties <img height="296" src="http://housingprototypes.org/images/cabrutta_21.jpg" width="218" /><img height="294" src="http://housingprototypes.org/images/cabruta_13.jpg" width="207" /><img height="294" src="http://housingprototypes.org/images/cabruta_16.jpg" width="199" /> Site Plan The interest manifested by the architect for modernism and its close link with the metaphysical painters, consists of two bodies, broken by a private street that increases the internal and interlaccia overlooking the massive building. The facade is divided into horizontal bands of which the lowest consists of courses travertine, the second is characterized by gray plaster same "French" and the third, above, is covered with white marble, pink and black. There is a wide use of classical elements, whose rigidity and symmetry, however, is dissolved in the provision of windows onto Via Turati and other elements typically asymmetrical. Also noteworthy is the technical accuracy and attention to detail constructive, to be typical of Muzio throughout his career. Interesting Note: Ca 'Brutta translates to English as "Ugly House" <img alt="Giovanni Muzio

Ca’ Brutta

1922

Via Turati and Via Moscova" border="0" height="278" src="http://gallery.photo.net/photo/5983936-md.jpg" width="367" /><img border="0" height="384" src="http://williammagruder.com/images/3_small.jpg" width="278" /> <a href="http://photo.net/user?user_id=107952">Maria Bostenaru</a> photo Palazzo Montecatini Commissioned to Gio Ponti between 1935 and 1938 the building soon became a symbol of rationalist Milan architecture between the two wars. In the shape of an H with a private opening onto Via Moscova on one floor, it is ideal for offices with its internal layout, furnishings and external aspect working together in perfect harmony. <img height="326" src="http://www.archinfo.it/vedimmagine.php?data=2&_obj=22177&PHPSESSID=4c1a83e7eff4e7233fe8a7349f19fe97" width="422" /><img height="328" src="http://www.archinfo.it/vedimmagine.php?data=2&_obj=22178&PHPSESSID=4c1a83e7eff4e7233fe8a7349f19fe97" width="218" />Externally, the green marble walls and the standardized iron and aluminum locks announce the expressive clarity and attention to detail that can also be seen on the inside. The complex actually offers avant garde solutions (mobile floors with individual work posts) as well as technological ones (controlled heating and inflatable posts) which Ponti took care of paying great attention to detail. <a href="http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://www.comune.milano.it/pac/&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=2&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3DPAC%2Bmilan%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7GGLD">PAC</a> (Contemporary Art Pavilion) Contrary to the impression one might get from its smooth, aesthetic surfaces, Milan's contemporary art pavilion, the PAC, has had a troubled history and was bombed to smithereens by the Mafia in 1993, at a time in history when the country was heavily committed in its fight against this organisation; the cost of this fight was a completely unexpected and violent attack on the symbols of culture and art in Italy. <img alt="Milano, 1930, external view from via Palestro to Villa Belgiojoso" height="181" src="http://www.comune.milano.it/dseserver/webcity/Documenti.nsf/0/74612885b7ca435cc1256fbd003eaa87/Doc_Descrizione/0.224?OpenElement&FieldElemFormat=gif" width="276" /><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SGMurNlJP5I/AAAAAAAAERM/k-KNP9OPzHE/s1600-h/image7%5B1%5D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="213" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SGMureNoUaI/AAAAAAAAERQ/uCWkAIF9y2k/image_thumb3%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" width="167" /></a> The museum was initially erected in 1947, the design by the architect Ignazio Gardella , as a symbolically peaceful and creative gesture in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, replacing the ruins of the opulent Villa Belgioioso, which was left a smoking shell. Its purpose was to serve as a repository for contemporary arts and it was subdivided into three levels: the ground floor, devoted to sculpture, the first floor to painting and the top floor to "everything else": drawings, prints and material objects of all kinds.<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SGMurjzUDfI/AAAAAAAAERU/2IdfrD2R8ak/s1600-h/image14.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="209" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SGMusDeWLzI/AAAAAAAAERY/6X9pwXPMBas/image_thumb6.png?imgmax=800" style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" width="272" /></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SGMusZfx-II/AAAAAAAAERc/w_iZMb87M1A/s1600-h/image15.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="210" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SGMuskXnuXI/AAAAAAAAERg/hVry_sMlAFw/image_thumb7%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" width="274" /></a> It was closed down in the 1970s, and reopened in 1979 with a slightly rethought, more modern purpose: rather than passively hosting collections of art, it now aimed to display exhibitions and works of art that made active use of the structural qualities of the building. In short, the museum itself was to become a work of art. This guiding idea persists today, in that modern works often interact closely with the structure and surfaces of the museum. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galleria_Vittorio_Emanuele_II">Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II</a> is a covered double arcade formed of two glass-vaulted arcades at right angles intersecting in an octagon; it is prominently sited on the northern side of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piazza_del_Duomo_%28Milan%29">Piazza del Duomo</a> in Milan, and connects to the Piazza della Scala. Named after Vittorio EmanueleII, the first king of united Italy, it was originally designed in 1861 and built by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Mengoni">Giuseppe Mengoni</a> between 1865 and 1877.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Galleria_Vittorio_Emanuele.jpg"><img alt="Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II: a triumphal arch motif in the Piazza del Duomo entrance" border="0" height="303" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Galleria_Vittorio_Emanuele.jpg/180px-Galleria_Vittorio_Emanuele.jpg" width="207" /></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:3838_-_Milano_-_Piazza_Duomo_e_Galleria_-_Foto_di_Giovanni_Dall%27Orto_-_14_jan_2007.jpg"><img alt="Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, centered in its palazzo-like façade" border="0" height="268" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f7/3838_-_Milano_-_Piazza_Duomo_e_Galleria_-_Foto_di_Giovanni_Dall%27Orto_-_14_jan_2007.jpg/180px-3838_-_Milano_-_Piazza_Duomo_e_Galleria_-_Foto_di_Giovanni_Dall%27Orto_-_14_jan_2007.jpg" width="388" /></a> The street is covered over by an arching glass and cast iron roof, a popular design for nineteenth-century arcades, such as the Burlington Arcade, London, which was the prototype for larger glazed shopping arcades, beginning with the Saint-Hubert Gallery in Brussels (opened 1847) and the Passazh in St Petersburg, (opened 1848) and including the Galleria Umberto in Naples (opened 1890).The central octagonal space is topped with a glass dome. The Milanese Galleria was larger in scale than its predecessors and was an important step in the evolution of the modern glazed and enclosed shopping mall, of which it was the direct progenitor. It has inspired the use of the term galleria for many other shopping arcades and malls. The Galleria connects two of Milan's most famous landmarks: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milan_Cathedral">The Duomo</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Scala">Teatro Alla Scala</a>.More than 120 years after its inauguration, the four-story arcade includes elegant shops selling most things from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haute_couture">haute couture</a> to books, as well as restaurants, cafés and bars. Directly connected to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is Milan's ultra-luxurious Town House Galleria hotel, offering the city's most luxurious (and most expensive) rooms and facilities.The Galleria is the site for many luxury goods' shops, like Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton. (I'm going to like this one!!)<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Einblick_Galerie_Viktor_Emanuel_Mailand.jpg"><img alt="Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II from inside the arcade" border="0" height="459" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Einblick_Galerie_Viktor_Emanuel_Mailand.jpg/180px-Einblick_Galerie_Viktor_Emanuel_Mailand.jpg" width="258" /></a> Propilei piazza Duomo<a href="http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/p/m/2abd33/"><img alt="Il Duomo di Milano by night - Milan" height="219" src="http://cache.virtualtourist.com/1/2800947-Duomo-Milan.jpg" width="301" /></a><a href="http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/p/m/1c7a4c/"><img alt="Roof of the Cathedral, Milan - Milan" height="223" src="http://cache.virtualtourist.com/1/1866316-Duomo-Milan.jpg" width="301" /></a><a href="http://www.virtualtourist.com/"><img alt="Just a part of the roof - Milan" height="217" src="http://cache.virtualtourist.com/1/518210-Duomo-Milan.jpg" width="297" /></a><a href="http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/p/m/31604c/"><img alt="Gothic Details - Milan" height="235" src="http://cache.virtualtourist.com/1/3235916-Duomo-Milan.jpg" width="320" /></a> <a href="http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/p/m/15804b/"><img alt="View from roof terrace of the Duomo - Milan" height="222" src="http://cache.virtualtourist.com/1/1409099-Duomo-Milan.jpg" width="306" /></a> Asnago and Vender's buildings - Mario Asnago, Claudio Vender Architects & Furniture Designers More to follow.....when I return from Italy. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torre_Velasca">Torre Velasca</a> was built in 1954 by the BBPR architectural partnership. BBPR is an acronym from the name of its founders: Gianluigi Banfi, Lodovico Belgiojoso, Enrico Peressutti, and Ernesto Nathan Rogers. The Velasca Tower is part of the first generation of Italian modern architecture, while still being part of the Milanese context in which it was born, to which also belongs the Milan cathedral and the Sforzesco Castle. <img src="http://www.exibart.com/foto/26831.jpg" /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Velascat2.png"><img alt="The Velasca Tower in a picture of the '50s" border="0" height="397" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c2/Velascat2.png/210px-Velascat2.png" width="287" /></a> The tower, approximately 100 metres tall, has a peculiar and characteristic shape: that of a "mushroom".It stands out in the city skyline, made of domes, buildings and other towers. Its structure reminds that of the Lombard tradition, made of medieval fortresses and towers, each having a massive profile. In such fortresses, the lower parts were always narrower, while the higher parts propped up by wooden boards or stone beams. As a consequence, the shape of this building is the result of a modern interpretation of the typical Italian medieval castle. At the same time, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBPR">BBPR</a> in this building satisfied the functional needs of space: narrower surfaces on the ground, wider and more spacious ones on the top floors.The town planning laws, then, imposed specific volumes (depending on the buildings' purpose); in this tower, the latter being the mixed functions of residential and commercial use. <a href="http://www.mimoa.eu/projects/Italy/Milan/Corso%20Italia%20Housing">Moretti's</a> building in Corso Italia A cluster of mid-rise towers containing houses and office spaces by Architect LUIGI MORETTI, this project looms over Corso Italia with a commanding street presence. The form and façade both exhibit careful detailing in the form of subtle inflections. It is located on one of the main streets in the centre of Milan. It is built on a difficult to infill site; an irregular block in a dense urban context. The design successfully combines the complex program of housing, ground floor commercial use, parking space and offices. The 5 building parts are arranged in such a way that together they define several public and private courtyards and streets. <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SGMutEftwXI/AAAAAAAAERk/u1_dknCuOG8/s1600-h/image7.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="412" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SGMuthA36-I/AAAAAAAAERo/HqxdTRoAjpM/image_thumb2.png?imgmax=800" style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" width="261" /></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SGMut86DqNI/AAAAAAAAERs/7LXarC2pYZQ/s1600-h/image8%5B1%5D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="412" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SGMuu611DRI/AAAAAAAAERw/3inlSylxsFo/image_thumb3.png?imgmax=800" style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" width="251" /></a> After WWII, Moretti practiced in Milan. Corso is an office, residential and shopping center constructed from 1951 to 1956 on one of the principle radial streets in the center of Milan. The structures were wedged into a space confined by the adjoining buildings on this irregularly shaped street.There are 40 two and three bedroom flats with shops, offices and below grade parking. The number of floors vary from 3 to 14 depending on the part of the building.<img alt="" border="0" height="410" src="http://www.watergatenotes.net/images/mor-corso3.jpg" width="275" />Luigi Moretti was a complex and intense individual with a deep appreciation of art, national spirit and history. Throughout his career, Moretti sought guidance from his architectural forefathers in order to solve his design problems.Moretti was born in Rome, Italy in 1907, the son of a Belgian architect. He began his professional studies at the Advanced School of Architecture. But, he soon left the university to enter into building and urban planning competitions. He was awarded the projects and designed flats in Naples, Verona and Perugia. He was professionally active from 1932 to 1973. While he began his profession in Italy. he soon expanded to the United States, Canada, Algeria, Kuwait, and elsewhere. <a href="http://www.milanocastello.it/ing/storia.html">Castello Sforzesco</a> a castle that now houses several of the city's museum and art gallery collections.<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SGMuvM1T3eI/AAAAAAAAER0/QHcp5vEOPMI/s1600-h/image12.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="118" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SGMuvkrH6vI/AAAAAAAAER4/g8cJhnPPImA/image_thumb5.png?imgmax=800" style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" width="677" /></a> The original construction on the site began in the 14th century. In 1450, Francesco Sforza began reconstruction of the castle, and it was further modified by later generations.After the unification of Italy in the 19th century, the restoration of the castle was started following its transfer from military use to the city of Milan. The restoration work was directed by Luca Beltrami. The central Filarete tower above the main city entrance was rebuilt between 1900 and 1905 as a monument to King Umberto I.The castle was severely damaged as a result of the allied bombardment of Milan in 1943 during World War II. The post-war reconstruction of the building for museum purposes was undertaken by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBPR">BBPR</a> architectural partnership.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Milano-castello_sforzesco.jpg"><img alt="Front view of Castello Sforzesco" border="0" height="276" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Milano-castello_sforzesco.jpg/180px-Milano-castello_sforzesco.jpg" width="195" /></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Milano_Castello_1.jpg"><img alt="The Torre del Filarete." border="0" height="282" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Milano_Castello_1.jpg/180px-Milano_Castello_1.jpg" width="193" /></a>The best known of the current civic museums is the Pinacoteca del Castello Sforzesco, with an art collection which includes <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelangelo">Michelangelo's</a> last sculpture, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rondanini_Piet%C3%A0">Rondanini Pietà</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Mantegna">Andrea Mantegna's</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trivulzio_Madonna">Trivulzio Madonna</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci">Leonardo da Vinci's</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Trivulzianus">Codex Trivulzianus</a> manuscript.The Castello complex also includes The Museum of Ancient Art, The Furniture Museum, The Museum of Musical Instruments and the Applied Arts Collection, The Egyptian and Prehistoric sections of the Archaeological Museum and the Achille Bertarelli Print Collection. <a href="http://www.triennale.it/index.php?id=1&tbl=1">Triennale pavilion</a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SGMuvxPCDDI/AAAAAAAAER8/hI6FQkoMhX8/s1600-h/image32.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="213" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SGMuwqcWcPI/AAAAAAAAESA/sw_bMMVs2wQ/image_thumb17.png?imgmax=800" style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" width="362" /></a> <a href="http://www.triennaledesignmuseum.it/home.php?lang=EN">Triennale Design museum</a> Eclecticim in piazza Cordusio and via Dante The bustling Via Dante, a fashionable shopping street leads into Largo Cairoli, dominated by the imposing Monument to Garibaldi, sculptured by Ettore Ximenes in 1895. The bronze figures on the pedestal symbolize Revolution and Liberty. From either side of the monument extend the arms of the tree shaded boulevard, Foro Buonaparte, flanking the Sforzesco Castle in its semi-circular embrace. Behind the monument the short Via Beltrami leads right into the pleasantly landscaped Piazza Castello. <a href="http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/p/m/fb2ef/"><img alt="Largo Cairoli - Milan" src="http://cache.virtualtourist.com/1/1028847-Cordusio_and_Financial_district-Milan.jpg" /></a><a href="http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/p/m/bd5b5/"><img alt="Piazza Cordusio - Milan" src="http://cache.virtualtourist.com/1/775605-Cordusio_and_Financial_district-Milan.jpg" /></a><a href="http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/p/m/bd5b6/"><img alt="Piazza Cordusio - Milan" src="http://cache.virtualtourist.com/1/775606-Cordusio_and_Financial_district-Milan.jpg" /></a> Largo Cairoli Piazza Cordusio is one of the many beautiful squares in Milan. <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SGMuxOrOQtI/AAAAAAAAESE/xi1Tk18KNkE/s1600-h/image16.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="304" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SGMuxonLv8I/AAAAAAAAESI/V7-LgAc4rwU/image_thumb7.png?imgmax=800" style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" width="663" /></a> ciao

MILAN - Architecture of the 20th Century

This will be the last of my "field trips" as part of the course of study I have been on for the month of JULY in Italy: "Hist...

12:53 AM

Ferrara - The City and the Walls

<h3> </h3> Today is my first day in Ferrara, the ancient walled city located in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy just above Tuscany. It is situated 50 km northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River. The town has broad streets and numerous palaces dating from the 14th & 15th century, when it hosted the court of the house of Este. For its beauty and cultural importance it has been qualified by UNESCO as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Heritage_Site">World Heritage Site</a>. I will be spending the month of July 2008 in this beautiful walled, Medieval City, studying Architecture (<a href="http://patriciagrayinc.blogspot.com/2008/06/ferrara-italy-university-of.html">see my previous post</a>) at the top ranked University in all of Italy.  I am staying off campus, but I get a bike when I arrive, and will ride back and forth between campus and the Residence.  It is apparently a 10 minute bike ride which is very European and very energy efficient, as well as good exercise. <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SGq5VafGbYI/AAAAAAAAEbY/SHTczqthNys/s1600-h/image_thumb44.png"><img alt="image_thumb4" border="0" height="505" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SGq5V-5KEMI/AAAAAAAAEbc/FmeKKcHEXsM/image_thumb4_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" width="540" /></a> The Walls Arriving in Ferrara the Walls around this historic City constitute your first contact with the city: a red curtain of brick encircles it, almost without interruption for nine kilometers, constituting one of the oldest and most impressive defensive systems of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.  Within these walls you can find all of the techniques of defence used in the 1400s and 1500s: city gates, bastions, large towers, gun slots and embrasures. Now these walls have been transformed into a place for meeting friends, practicing sport and recreation, with paths for cycling and walking. <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SGq5Wi3_nEI/AAAAAAAAEbg/Wl2DSpuNydM/s1600-h/image_thumb132.png"><img alt="image_thumb13" border="0" height="379" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SGq5ZRPBEgI/AAAAAAAAEbk/Ceq8Z5hbINM/image_thumb13_thumb.png?imgmax=800" width="339" /></a>  This is a map of Ferrara and you can see the outlines of the wall around the city which is reportedly 9 kilometers long. <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SGq5aqiPGYI/AAAAAAAAEbw/xQMmd5JswuE/s1600-h/image_thumb192.png"><img alt="ferrara picture italy" height="315" src="http://z.about.com/d/goeurope/1/0/g/5/ferrara_7.jpg" width="395" /><img alt="ferrara picture italy" height="397" src="http://z.about.com/d/goeurope/1/0/Z/5/ferrara_2.jpg" width="190" /></a> Picture on left:The city walls and one of the gates into the City of Ferrara Picture on right: Castello Estense de Ferrara has a working drawbridge.   Palazzo dei Diamanti  is one of the most famous palaces in Italy, as well one of the most influential examples of Renaissance European architecture. <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKsxocErJI/AAAAAAAAEjA/4KRXBINUfYA/20080706_00044.jpg"><img alt="2008 07 06_0004" border="0" height="454" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKsybTXKRI/AAAAAAAAEjE/PB09-JDXbF0/20080706_0004_thumb2.jpg" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" width="605" /></a>    <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKsza8U8yI/AAAAAAAAEjI/woBG_dpz8jA/20080706_00057.jpg"><img alt="2008 07 06_0005" border="0" height="574" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKs0QP3JzI/AAAAAAAAEjM/_CRF5Ihw_Jk/20080706_0005_thumb5.jpg" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" width="433" /></a> Designed by Biagio Rossetti, it was built starting from 1493 by order of Sigismondo d'Este. The most striking features is the bugnato of the exterior walls: it consist of some 8,500 white (with pink veins) marble blocks carved to represent diamonds, hence the common name "Diamanti". The palace today houses the National Gallery of Art.    <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKwF4aGxxI/AAAAAAAAEno/mQ8G3Mfji44/2008%2007%2006_0017%5B2%5D.jpg"><img alt="2008 07 06_0017" border="0" height="414" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKs2X5k61I/AAAAAAAAEns/H26-DNpmbZU/2008%2007%2006_0017_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="312" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKs29pWs4I/AAAAAAAAEnw/TMDCJ9xyJs0/2008%2007%2006_0013%5B2%5D.jpg"><img alt="2008 07 06_0013" border="0" height="392" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKs3eQJ_sI/AAAAAAAAEn0/4ixvOIt_BNs/2008%2007%2006_0013_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="296" /></a> The interior courtyard   </a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKs4zd4JsI/AAAAAAAAEjg/lH9LFFGNac0/20080706_00143.jpg"><img alt="2008 07 06_0014" border="0" height="376" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKs5jI6kMI/AAAAAAAAEjk/ZZt2_uNJVBo/20080706_0014_thumb1.jpg" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" width="500" /></a>  Interior courtyard colonnade   <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKs6Ghv4qI/AAAAAAAAEn4/hxYLYhPVZZY/2008%2007%2006_0010%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="2008 07 06_0010" border="0" height="378" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKs6qPCRnI/AAAAAAAAEn8/D3_qcryppFU/2008%2007%2006_0010_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="285" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKs7XaHFZI/AAAAAAAAEoA/3dK6511THlA/2008%2007%2006_0021%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="2008 07 06_0021" border="0" height="374" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKs8Tqw0aI/AAAAAAAAEoE/-65bVG7B1Mo/2008%2007%2006_0021_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="281" /></a> Wooden coffered ceiling of the colonnade with detail of a beautiful iron chandelier <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKs9es0_NI/AAAAAAAAEog/e9lxvWEWfKU/20080706_00115.jpg"></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKs9es0_NI/AAAAAAAAEog/e9lxvWEWfKU/20080706_00115.jpg"></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKs-x_eXHI/AAAAAAAAEoQ/t2OGg5QdNCQ/2008%2007%2006_0015%5B2%5D.jpg"><img alt="2008 07 06_0015" border="0" height="384" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKs_rKAuEI/AAAAAAAAEoU/jcR17nK1NWQ/2008%2007%2006_0015_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="290" /></a></a></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKtABfO6RI/AAAAAAAAEoY/zvv8toTJyFo/2008%2007%2006_0020%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="2008 07 06_0020" border="0" height="383" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKtAkQapXI/AAAAAAAAEoc/IQ6hpZG4oos/2008%2007%2006_0020_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="288" /></a>  Fountain detail                                                                      Column detail <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKs9es0_NI/AAAAAAAAEog/e9lxvWEWfKU/20080706_00115.jpg"><img alt="2008 07 06_0011" border="0" height="452" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKtB8OuyxI/AAAAAAAAEkU/yPL53Mc1d-M/20080706_0011_thumb3.jpg" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" width="340" /></a>                                                               Iron Gate in colonnade Below are some of the tables in the market in the central piazza.  <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKtCeqlGUI/AAAAAAAAEkY/gqrHYui8Ne4/2008%2007%2006_0037%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="2008 07 06_0037" border="0" height="416" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKtDbOT_uI/AAAAAAAAEkc/O5itpLoCyEU/2008%2007%2006_0037_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="554" /></a> I wanted to buy a bunch of the sunflowers for my room, but two things were against me: 1. I was riding my bike and I am not yet as adept as the Italians in navigating the busy streets packed down with goods, and  2. I did not pack the proper vase in my suitcase to accommodate 3 foot long stems.  So I reluctantly passed. I had to be content just to feast my eyes on them. <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKtEAcNW9I/AAAAAAAAEok/0YbH5K8xX_c/2008%2007%2006_0028%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="2008 07 06_0028" border="0" height="409" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKtFba0GbI/AAAAAAAAEoo/pXBGxwQPdZo/2008%2007%2006_0028_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="308" /></a>   <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKtGOA0-9I/AAAAAAAAEos/OnnPUDJ_jSc/2008%2007%2006_0033%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="2008 07 06_0033" border="0" height="405" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKtGqEwUiI/AAAAAAAAEow/ix7xxy5ufik/2008%2007%2006_0033_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="304" /></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKtHD41WAI/AAAAAAAAEkw/4mV58nTAPPY/20080706_00314.jpg"><img alt="2008 07 06_0031" border="0" height="371" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKtHsqkowI/AAAAAAAAEk0/ABgNshRgLZ4/20080706_0031_thumb2.jpg" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" width="493" /></a> I bought some cheeses from this vendor after tasting slim slivers that he cut off for me. <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKtIuJ7oNI/AAAAAAAAEo0/ot1-HE7-Lhk/2008%2007%2006_0029%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="2008 07 06_0029" border="0" height="235" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKtKFCfP2I/AAAAAAAAEo4/G1lRQer7hvQ/2008%2007%2006_0029_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="312" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKtLueA-eI/AAAAAAAAEo8/ZVl4RVsc9KE/2008%2007%2006_0030%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="2008 07 06_0030" border="0" height="232" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKtMSprJ1I/AAAAAAAAEpA/bdSOkRV5PGk/2008%2007%2006_0030_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="308" /></a> </a>The cantaloupes in the picture on the right were so fragrant that I had to buy one.  <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKtNpt4TNI/AAAAAAAAEpE/U0XqmkJlRLU/2008%2007%2006_0032%5B2%5D.jpg"><img alt="2008 07 06_0032" border="0" height="403" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKtPLkBaUI/AAAAAAAAEpI/9QhhZDYil-4/2008%2007%2006_0032_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="303" /></a>  <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKtQU92FZI/AAAAAAAAEpM/TZZT2Afpp3g/2008%2007%2006_0038%5B2%5D.jpg"><img alt="2008 07 06_0038" border="0" height="405" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKtSJ419gI/AAAAAAAAEpQ/rezvLToDU0c/2008%2007%2006_0038_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="305" /></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKtT4RVjmI/AAAAAAAAElY/VTzLCysWVR8/20080706_00344.jpg"><img alt="2008 07 06_0034" border="0" height="370" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKtVD9JoRI/AAAAAAAAElg/SvzYqZLkaUo/20080706_0034_thumb2.jpg" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" width="492" /></a>    After strolling through the market we found a restaurant with an exterior patio for supper and enjoyed some of the good Italian red wine.  I had a dish of pasta laced with asparagus and a sauce of 4 cheeses. <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKtWwi1m5I/AAAAAAAAElk/JxwGRvi0HDo/20080706_0043Copy5.jpg"><img alt="2008 07 06_0043 - Copy" border="0" height="369" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKtYfuHMrI/AAAAAAAAElo/sKlRr4SKJCk/20080706_0043Copy_thumb3.jpg" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" width="490" /></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKtaBovFHI/AAAAAAAAEls/7gT2JiQ1X9A/2008%2007%2006_0041%5B4%5D.jpg"><img alt="2008 07 06_0041" border="0" height="365" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKtbhahKCI/AAAAAAAAElw/dXhba4hwZLs/2008%2007%2006_0041_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="486" /></a> A view of the facade of the cathedral facing the restaurant where we had supper. <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKtcxP5gXI/AAAAAAAAEl0/LTVxBDtUS0w/2008%2007%2006_0042%5B5%5D.jpg"><img alt="2008 07 06_0042" border="0" height="365" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/SHKteL34ixI/AAAAAAAAEl4/vYug9PzolOc/2008%2007%2006_0042_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="485" /></a> A view of the castle fortress which is surrounded by a moat ( A deep trench around the rampart of a castle or other fortified place, sometimes filled with water ) which faced the restaurant where we had supper. It was a wonderful end to my first day in Ferrara.

Ferrara - The City and the Walls

Today is my first day in Ferrara, the ancient walled city located in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy just above Tuscany. It is situate...

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Ferrara - The City and the Walls

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