The Villa was commissioned by Cardinal Ippolito II d’Este in the 1500s, a young man that was named archbishop of Milan when he was only ten years old (of course his family’s wealth helped make that happen)! When he was 27, he was sent to the French court, where he became an advisor to the […]
Tivoli is a hilltown not very far from Rome. It used to be a resort for the ancient Romans because not only did it have fresh water, but also some sulfur Springs. And the countryside is pretty spectacular too. The most famous site in Tivoli is the Villa d’ Este. But a close second is […]
Rome is such a large city that it’s hard to capture its highlights in one portfolio. Some of these night pictures are dedicated to the ancient center of Rome. There are ruins of temples and basilicas just about anywhere you look. Some of these pictures show the Roman forum, the Colosseum, and the Capitoline museums. […]
Well you know you can’t visit Rome without stopping to see the Trevi fountain. There are also plenty of street scenes around the Piazza di Spagna at sunset. When we first arrived in Rome we explored the area around the Colosseum and then walk to Trajan’s Forum. Capitoline Hill, on one of the seven hills […]
Most of the principal sites in Siena cluster around the fan-shaped Piazza Del Campo, one of Europe’s greatest medieval squares. The piazza occupies the site of the old Roman forum and for much of the city’s early history was the principal marketplace. The present shape began in 1293, when the Council of Nine, Siena’s ruling […]
Santa Maria della Scala is a former hospital in Siena, Italy, which is now a museum. The hospital was dedicated to caring for abandoned children, the poor, the sick, and pilgrims and is one of the oldest hospitals in the world. The hospital gets its name from the Piazza Del Duomo from Siena Cathedral. Santa […]
Siena’sDuomo was constructed from 1136 to 1382. Is a late Gothic church with early Renaissance painting and Baroque design. Early architects used striking Romanesque stripes but the form of the church is one of the best Gothic styles in Italy. Originally designed to be the largest church in Christendom, The plan had to be altered […]
This church was founded in 1250 as the Holy Annunciation. It was rebuilt between 1444 and 1481. It’s atrium contains frescoes by the Mannerist artists Rosso Fiorentino, Andrea del Sarto, and Jacopo Pontormo. The dark interior of the church has a fresco ceiling completed by Pietro Giambelli in 1669. There is also a shrine painting […]
Make sure to scroll to the bottom and select page 2 for more photos at the Ufizzi! The Ufizzi is one of Italy’s greatest art galleries. Art includes Florentine paintings, Byzantine icons, early Medieval works, as well as Renaissance masterpieces and Mannerist paintings. The museum was built in 1560-80 to house offices for Duke Cosimo […]