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Italian cities and landscapes: pure beauty.

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italia italy
1M views 4K replies 123 participants last post by  keepthepast 
#1 · (Edited)
Italy is often called "il Bel Paese", " The beautiful country" and I think that this is well deserved. More than 20.000 castles, more than 5.000 historical villas only in Veneto region, many little medieval villages or renaissance towns and a lot of beautiful natural wonders as Dolomites, Frasassi Caves .....
Italy is the the country in the world with the higher number of Unesco World Heritage sites : 50.
In this thread I'm going to show some of the wonders lying inside its beautiful countrysides , villages and cities. I hope you'll enjoy .

Vicenza, Veneto



Piazza dei Signori

Vicenza, Italy di Augusto Mia Battaglia photography, su Flickr


Vicenza, Italy di Augusto Mia Battaglia photography, su Flickr


Vicenza, Italy di Augusto Mia Battaglia photography, su Flickr


Vicenza, Italy di Augusto Mia Battaglia photography, su Flickr


Vicenza, Italy di Augusto Mia Battaglia photography, su Flickr


Piazza dei Signori Vicenza di Albert dj, su Flickr


Piazza dei Signori2 di Giorgio Meneghetti, su Flickr


Vicenza Piazza dei Signori di Onufrij, su Flickr


Pallazo Chiericati, Vicenza, Italy di vabellon, su Flickr

Palazzo Chiericati

20110504-Veneto, Italy 3165 di R H Kamen, su Flickr


Palazzo Chiericati, Vicenza di twiga_swala, su Flickr

Teatro Olimpico

Teatro Olimpico di Andreaux, su Flickr


Teatro Olimpico - Vicenza (the oldest surviving enclosed theatre in the world) Vicenza di elevationus, su Flickr

Chiesa di S. Lorenzo

per Siro e Anna .... di giorgio 12, su Flickr

Cattedrale di S. Maria Annunciata

136_4_Vicenza Cattedrale di santamaria annunciata, esterno (costruite v sec su modello è Sant'ambrogio.mi di suzywong12, su Flickr

Corso Palladio

0524_Vicenza_40 di jacobdugo, su Flickr


Vicenza di dvdbramhall, su Flickr


Palazzo Da Schio - detta Ca' d'Oro di sangiopanza2000, su Flickr


Basilica seen from Corso Andrea Palladio di grosbeak_1, su Flickr
 
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20
#3,438 · (Edited)
Roma, Lazio
The Eternal City

Rome is a city and special comune (named Roma Capitale) in Italy. Rome is the capital of Italy and of the Lazio region. With 3 million residents in 1,285 km2 (496.1 sq mi), it is also the country's largest and most populated comune (so wide that can compares to those of Milano, Napoli, Torino, Palermo, Genova, Bologna, Firenze, Bari e Cagliari summed togheter) and fourth-most populous city in the European Union by population within city limits.
The Metropolitan City of Rome has a population of 4.3 million residents. The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, within Lazio (Latium), along the shores of Tiber river. The Vatican City is an independent country geographically located within the city boundaries of Rome, the only existing example of a country within a city: for this reason Rome has been often defined as capital of two states.

Rome's history spans more than two and a half thousand years. While Roman mythology dates the founding of Rome at only around 753 BC, the site has been inhabited for much longer, making it one of the oldest continuously occupied sites in Europe. The city's early population originated from a mix of Latins, Etruscans and Sabines. Eventually, the city successively became the capital of the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, and is regarded as one of the birthplaces of Western civilisation as the first ever metropolis with much more than 1 million of inhabitants under the Emperor Augustus's reign.
It was first called urbs aeterna (The Eternal City) by the Roman poet Tibullus in the 1st century BCE, and the expression was also taken up by Ovid, Virgil, and Livy.
Rome is also called the "Caput Mundi" (Capital of the World).

Rome has the status of a global city.
Rome ranked in 2014 as the 14th-most-visited city in the world, 3rd most visited in the European Union, and the most popular tourist attraction in Italy. Its historic centre is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Monuments and museums such as the Vatican Museums and the Colosseum are among the world's most visited tourist destinations with both locations receiving millions of tourists a year.
Rome today is one of the most important tourist destinations of the world, due to the incalculable immensity of its archaeological and artistic treasures, as well as for the charm of its unique traditions, the beauty of its panoramic views, and the majesty of its magnificent "villas" (parks).
The whole historic center of the city ( 1500 hectares) with more than 25.000 monuments and sites of interest was declared World Heritage by UNESCO. We can surely say that Rome is the city in the world with the greatest number of monuments per square meter.

Rome is since 9 April 1956 exclusively and reciprocally twinned only with: Paris, France
(French) Seule Paris est digne de Rome; seule Rome est digne de Paris.
(Italian) Solo Parigi è degna di Roma; solo Roma è degna di Parigi.
"Only Paris is worthy of Rome; only Rome is worthy of Paris



 
#3,440 ·
#3,441 · (Edited)
Lago di Ledro, Trentino Alto Adige

Lago di Ledro is a lake in Trentino, Italy. The lake is at an elevation of 655 metres (2,149 ft), and its surface area is 2.187 km2 (0.844 sq mi).

Lake Ledro is reputed to be one of the cleanest lakes in Trentino and during the summer it reaches a temperature of 24 °C (75 °F), which allows for swimming and relax at one of the four beaches around the lake.
Lake Ledro is also best known for the discovery of an archaeological area (Bronze Age houses on stilts) situated on the east river flowing into the lake. The area was discovered when the level of the lake was lowered to supply the hydroelectric plant being built at Riva del Garda. This archaeological site is one of the most important in Europe for evidencing the extent and wealth of the manufactures of its time.



Ledro Lake in summer by MattiaDaldoss, su Flickr

Lago di Ledro by Onno de Bruin, su Flickr

Lago di Ledro.jpg by Fabio riccò, su Flickr

Lago di Ledro (Trentino) by ineunte-aestate, su Flickr

Lago di Ledro by Matyas Dubai, su Flickr

Lago di Ledro by Jiri Hodbod, su Flickr

Pre di Ledro by Tobias Keller, su Flickr
 
#3,442 ·
#3,447 ·
#3,448 · (Edited)
Pavia, Lombardia


Torri medioevali pavia 2 [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], di Matteo Ruaro (Opera propria), da Wikimedia Commons


Pavia türme1 [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], by Welleschik (Own work), from Wikimedia Commons

Castello Visconteo by Gabriele Motta, su Flickr


Castello Visconteo entrata principale destra [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], di VITTORIO DESTRO (Opera propria), da Wikimedia Commons

Castello Visconteo by Leif, su Flickr

Certosa di Pavia by Omar Boasso, su Flickr

Gothic Decadence - Certosa di Pavia by Michele Moroni, su Flickr

Pavia - Piazza della Vittoria by Michele Moroni, su Flickr

Pavia by Michele Moroni, su Flickr

Il Duomo di Pavia by Michele Moroni, su Flickr

Duomo di Pavia by Michele Moroni, su Flickr

IMG_9748 by Arun Panakal, su Flickr

Pavia - San Michele Maggiore by Martin, su Flickr

Maestro Enrico Dindo by Victor Deleo, su Flickr


Santa maria del carmine [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY-SA 2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)], by Matteo Agostinelli (Own work), from Wikimedia Commons
 
#3,451 ·
Ipogeo dei Volumni, Perugia - Umbria

The Hypogeum of the Volumnus family (Italian: Ipogeo dei Volumni) is an Etruscan tomb in Ponte San Giovanni, a suburb of Perugia, central Italy. Its dating is uncertain, although it is generally assigned to the 3rd century BC.

The Hypogeum was the Roman-Etruscan tomb of Arnth Veltimna Aules. It is part of the larger Palazzone necropolis, a burial ground dating to the 6th-5th century BC, with numerous subterranean tombs. Visitors can see and enter some of the tombs found along paths in the site's grounds. A museum building displays funerary urns and other artifacts found in the excavations of the area. More urns are displayed in the separate building covering the Volumnus tomb. The Volumnus tomb itself is accessed by a staircase which leads several metres under the surface to the portal leading inside to a vestibule. This in turn opens into four small side chambers and three larger central ones, the middle of which housed the remains of the family's main members. Only this chamber now displays burial urns and artifacts. Arnth's urn is made of travertine, and is surmounted by a representation of the deceased lying on a triclinium.

The tomb was used until the 1st century BC. It was rediscovered on 5 February 1840.

perugia32 by Roman Cabrer, su Flickr

Ipogeo dei Volumni (PG) ITALY by effebi-sm, su Flickr

perugia33 by Roman Cabrer, su Flickr

Ipogeo dei Volumni (PG) ITALY by effebi-sm, su Flickr

Ipogeo dei Volumni (PG) ITALY by effebi-sm, su Flickr


http://polomusealeumbria.beniculturali.it/?page_id=168

perugia34 by Roman Cabrer, su Flickr


Hypogeum cyark 3 [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], by CyArk (CyArk), from Wikimedia Commons



Hypogée des Volumni 4 [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], di Adri08 (Opera propria), da Wikimedia Commons

Ipogeo dei Volumni (PG) ITALY by effebi-sm, su Flickr
 
#3,452 · (Edited)
Palazzo dei Priori , Perugia - Umbria

The Palazzo dei Priori is a historical building in Perugia, Umbria, central Italy.

As in other Italian medieval communes, it was the seat of the priori ("first citizens"). This magistrature was established in Perugia in 1303 and the palazzo had been called the Palazzo Nuovo del Popolo ("New Palace of the People") .

The Magistratura dei Priori that was housed in the structure consisted of ten representatives of each of Perugia's main guilds from among the forty-four that existed, permitted a tenure of only two months. The money-changers, who were housed in their own adjoining quarters in the fifteenth century, had the privilege of always being represented among the Priori, and the merchants' guild was represented by two members instead of one.

The structure commands the corner where the main artery of medieval Perugia, Corso Vannucci, enters the city's main square; a first section was constructed in 1293-97, at first as the Palatium Novum Populi, the "new Palace of the People", with ten bays along the Corso and three facing the piazza. Two more bays and a grand entrance portal were added to the piazza façade in 1333-37, together with the arcaded loggia, where decrees were publicly read. Later in the fourteenth century the palazzo was extended along the Corso, with six bays and a richly carved entrance doorway worthy of a cathedral. Rising above, a tower surmounts and controls the arched access to Via dei Priori, the ancient way that descends to the Etruscan gateway, the Roman Porta Trasimena, which was Christianized as the Arca di S. Luca. A further section down the Corso was built in 1429-43, still keeping to the Gothic tripartite fenestration, to house the Collegio del Cambio, the "money exchange" that was the financial center of Perugia.

The perimeter of the roof was originally crenellated all around, less for actual defensive purposes than as a symbol of Perugia's independence. Significantly, the crenellations were removed in 1610, when Perugia had submitted at last to papal armies. When Perugia was joined to a united Italy, the crenellations were triumphantly restored.

The grand portal in the Piazza is surmounted by the city's symbols, the griffin of Perugia and the Imperial Guelf lion, in bronze; the originals were probably cast in the Arsenal of Venice, in 1274, the first European bronze castings in the round achieved since Antiquity. Above the door, strung on a bar hanging from chains the keys to the gates of Siena were triumphantly displayed, following the victory of Perugia at the battle of Torrita, 1358.

The portal leads to an austere vaulted undercroft with the stairs leading to the vaulted frescoed Sala of the former council chamber of the Priori on the piano nobile; the Sala was allocated to the notaries guild in 1582, as the Sala dei Notari, when their former quarters, the Palazzetto dei Notari, on the opposite side of the Corso were partially demolished in a street widening.

On the left is the entrance to the Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria one of the most outstanding provincial Italian collections of art.


Perugia - palazzo priori 1 [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], di Greymouser (Opera propria), da Wikimedia Commons


Palazzo dei Priori e Fontana Maggiore 2 [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], di Bibopg79 (Opera propria), da Wikimedia Commons


Perugia - palazzo priori 3 [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], di Greymouser (Opera propria), da Wikimedia Commons


Perugia 011 [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], di Georges Jansoone (JoJan) (Opera propria (Own photo)), da Wikimedia Commons


Sala dei Notari [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], di Cristianopelagracci (Opera propria), da Wikimedia Commons


Palazzo dei priori interno [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], di Robertofavini (Opera propria), da Wikimedia Commons



Perugia 028 [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], di Georges Jansoone (JoJan) (Opera propria (own photo)), da Wikimedia Commons


Perugia 025 [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], di Georges Jansoone (JoJan) (Opera propria (own photo)), da Wikimedia Commons


Pietro Perugino - View of the Sala di Udienza - WGA17224 [Public domain], by Pietro Perugino (1448–1523) *


Pietro Perugino - View of the Sala di Udienza - WGA17225 [Public domain], di Perugino (1448–1523) *

Perugia, Collegio del Cambio, Cappella di San Giovanni Battista, Gewölbefresko von Giannicola di Paolo (Chapel of John the Baptist, vault frescoes) by HEN-Magonza, su Flickr

Perugia, Collegio del Cambio, Sala delle Udienze, Stärke und Mäßigung und berühmte Männer der Antike, Fresko von Perugino (Audience Hall, Fortitude and Temperance and Famous Men of Antiquity) by HEN-Magonza, su Flickr


Pietro Perugino - Ceiling decoration - WGA17226 [Public domain], di Perugino (1448–1523) *
 
#3,453 · (Edited)
Palazzi di Napoli - Campania

Palaces of Napoli

Palazzo dello Spagnolo

The Palazzo dello Spagnolo is a Rococo or late-Baroque-style palace in Rione Sanità in central Naples. It is best known for its elaborate staircase.
The Palace was erected during 1738, commissioned by the Marchese di Poppano, Nicola Moscati, and is attributed to the architect Ferdinando Sanfelice. Through an indistinct façade one enters to an interior octagonal courtyard leads to a double ramp stairwell. The interior was richly stuccoed by Aniello Prezioso, using designs by Francesco Attanasio in 1742. The top floor was added at the end of the 18th century. In the following century, the family sold apartments in the lower floors to Tommaso Atienza, nicknamed lo Spagnolo (the Spaniard), from whence the name of the palace.

The staircases with arches in shifting planes still grants an aura of complex scenography, despite its present cramped and dilapidated state: a grandiose entrance leading only to a decrepit palace. The nearby Palazzo San Felice is attributed to the same architect and has similar staircases


Palazzo dello Spagnolo - Naples (2) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], by original work: alterdimaggio1957
derivative work: Angelus, from Wikimedia Commons


Palazzo dello Spagnuolo [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], di Peppe Guida (Opera propria), da Wikimedia Commons


Palazzo dello Spagnuolo (1) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], di Silvio Gaudenti (Flickr: Palazzo dello Spagnuolo (1)), da Wikimedia Commons


Palazzo Trabucco


Palazzo Trabucco (Napoli)8 [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], by IlSistemone (Own work), from Wikimedia Commons

Nápoles: Palazzo Trabucco by Jorge Castro, su Flickr


Palazzo Trabucco (Napoli)4 [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], di IlSistemone (Opera propria), da Wikimedia Commons

palazzo trabucco by Lalallallala, su Flickr


Palazzo Doria d'Angri


Napoli - Palazzo Doria d'Angri (facciata) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], di Armando Mancini from Napoli, Italia (Napoli - Palazzo Doria d'Angri), da Wikimedia Commons


Napoli - Palazzo Doria d'Angri (Inside) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], di Armando Mancini from Napoli, Italia (Napoli - Palazzo Doria d'Angri), da Wikimedia Commons


Napoli - Palazzo Doria d'Angri (Atrio) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], di Armando Mancini from Napoli, Italia (Napoli - Palazzo Doria d'Angri), da Wikimedia Commons


Palazzo Stigliano-Zevallos

The Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano is a Baroque palace located on Via Toledo number 185 in the quartiere San Ferdinando of central Naples, Italy. It is also called the Palazzo Zevallos or Palazzo Colonna di Stigliano, and since 2014 hosts serves as a museum of artworks, mainly spanning the 17th through the early 20th centuries, sponsored by the Cultural Project of the bank Intesa Sanpaolo. This museum is linked to the Museum or Gallerie di Piazza Scala in Milan and the Museum at Palazzo Leoni Montanari in Vicenza, also owned by the Bank


Napoli - Palazzo Colonna di Stigliano [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], di Armando Mancini (Flickr: Napoli - Palazzo Colonna di Stigliano), da Wikimedia Commons

Palazzo Stigliano Zevallos, Napoli by klausbergheimer, su Flickr

Palazzo Stigliano Zevallos, Napoli by klausbergheimer, su Flickr


Palazzo Zevallos 006 [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], di Mentnafunangann (Opera propria), da Wikimedia Commons
 
#3,454 · (Edited)
Palazzi di Napoli

Palaces of Napoli


Napoli - Camera di Commercio [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], di Armando Mancini (Flickr: Napoli - Camera di Commercio), da Wikimedia Commons


PalazzoBorsaesterno [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) o GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], di IlSistemone (Opera propria), da Wikimedia Commons


Foro2 [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) o CC BY-SA 4.0-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0)], di Baku (Opera propria), da Wikimedia Commons


Palazzo Albertini di Cimitile (Napoli) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], by IlSistemone (Own work), from Wikimedia Commons


Palazzo Carafa di Maddaloni (facciata su via Toledo) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], di Giuseppe Guida (DSC_8460 (2)), da Wikimedia Commons


Cellamare Nápoles 01 [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], di Miguel Hermoso Cuesta (Opera propria), da Wikimedia Commons


Palazzo Avena a Piazzetta Fuga100 1928 [Public domain], di Pinotto992 (Italian wikipedia), da Wikimedia Commons


Palazzo Firrao - Napoli [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], di Anita from Den Haag / L'Aja / The Hague, Nederland / Olanda / The Netherlands (Piazza Bellini), da Wikimedia Commons


Gravina Nápoles 01 [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], di Miguel Hermoso Cuesta (Opera propria), da Wikimedia Commons


Calabritto Nápoles 01 [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], di Miguel Hermoso Cuesta (Opera propria), da Wikimedia Commons


Napoli - Palazzo Ricciardi-Cottrau in Piazza Amedeo [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], di Armando Mancini, da Wikimedia Commons
 
#3,455 · (Edited)
Roma, Lazio


Piazza fanti, ex-acquario (1884-85) 01 [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], di Sailko (Opera propria), da Wikimedia Commons


2013-04-11 Roma Palazzo delle Esposizioni [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], di Blackcat (Opera propria), da Wikimedia Commons



Monti - via Nazionale Palazzo Koch 1000117 [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], by Lalupa (Own work), from Wikimedia Commons


Constitutional.court.of.italy.in.rome.arp [Public domain], by Adrian Pingstone (Arpingstone) (Own work), from Wikimedia Commons


Roma Palazzo Altieri GS P1040424c [CC BY-SA 3.0 lu (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/lu/deed.en)], di Georg Schelbert (Opera propria), da Wikimedia Commons


Piazza di Spagna din Roma12 [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], di Cezar Suceveanu (Opera propria), da Wikimedia Commons


Trevi - piazza ss Apostoli 1050945 [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], by Lalupa (Own work), from Wikimedia Commons


Pigna - Collegio romano 1080166 [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) o GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], di Lalupa (Opera propria), da Wikimedia Commons


Pigna - Corso, pal de Carolis restaurato 1260297 [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], by Lalupa (Own work), from Wikimedia Commons


Casina Valadier (23950416939) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], di Marco Verch (Casina Valadier), da Wikimedia Commons


Benfoto-Roma2013-135 [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) o CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], di Ben Skála, Benfoto (Opera propria), da Wikimedia Commons


Palazzo Zuccari Roma 119-1983 IMG GS [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], by Georg Schelbert (Own work), from Wikimedia Commons
 
#3,459 · (Edited)
Mausoleo di Santa Costanza, Roma - Lazio

Santa Costanza is a 4th-century church in Rome, Italy, on the Via Nomentana.
According to the traditional view, Santa Costanza was built under Constantine I as a mausoleum for his daughter Constantina, later also known as Constantia or Costanza, who died in AD 354
The mausoleum is of circular form with an ambulatory surrounding a central dome. The fabric of Santa Costanza survives in essentially its original form. Despite the loss of the coloured stone veneers of the walls, some damage to the mosaics and incorrect restoration, the building stands in excellent condition as a prime example of Early Christian art and architecture. The vaults of the apses and ambulatory display well preserved examples of Late Roman mosaics. A key component which is missing from the decorative scheme is the mosaic of the central dome. In the sixteenth-century, watercolours were made of this central dome so the pictorial scheme can be hypothetically reconstructed. The large porphyry sarcophagus of either Constantina or her sister Helena has survived intact, and is now in the Vatican Museum - an object of great significance to the study of the art of Late Antiquity


S Costanza - facciata 1160930 [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], by Lalupa (Own work), from Wikimedia Commons


Wide angle view - Santa Costanza - Rome 2016 [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], di José Luiz

MAUSOLEO DI SANTA COSTANZA by elenarossi98, su Flickr

Mausoleum of Santa Costanza by Spiros I., su Flickr

Mausoleo di Santa Costanza by Giovanni Paggi, su Flickr

Mausoleum of Santa Costanza by Spiros I., su Flickr

Mausoleo di Santa Costanza, Traditio Clavium (Schlüsselübergabe an Petrus / Giving of the Keys to Peter) by HEN-Magonza, su Flickr
 
#3,460 · (Edited)
Basilica di Sant'Agnese fuori le Mura, Roma - Lazio

The church of Saint Agnes Outside the Walls (Italian: Sant'Agnese fuori le mura) is a titulus church, minor basilica in Rome, on a site sloping down from the Via Nomentana, which runs north-east out of the city, still under its ancient name. What are said to be the remains of Saint Agnes are below the high altar.
A large basilica with the same name was built nearby in the 4th century and its ruins can be seen near Santa Costanza, in the same site. The existing church was built by Pope Honorius I in the 7th century, and largely retains its original structure, despite many changes to the decoration. In particular the mosaic in the apse of Agnes, Honorius, and another Pope is largely in its original condition
The church is built over the Catacombs of Saint Agnes, where the saint was originally buried, and which may still be visited from the church.
The catacombs are on three levels, dating from the 2nd to the 5th centuries; part of the highest level dating to the 2nd century can be visited by a guided tour. Though no paintings remain in place, there are a number of inscriptions and engraved images of interest. Many more inscriptions line the large staircase leading from the main convent above to the church.

Grandine eri e grandine ritornerai by Simtrota, su Flickr

Basilica of St Agnes by Lawrence OP, su Flickr

2850419220055071577Bdznyo_fs by han santing, su Flickr

Saint Agnes outside the walls by kholburn, su Flickr

Basilica di Sant'Agnese Fuori le Mura by @@@@@, su Flickr


Sant'Agnese fuori le mura (Rome) - Inside [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], di Livioandronico2013 (Opera propria), da Wikimedia Commons


Ceiling - Sant'Agnese fuori le mura - Rome 2016 [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], di José Luiz

Sant'Agnese fuori le Mura, Holzdecke des Hauptschiffs (coffered ceiling of the center nave) by HEN-Magonza, su Flickr

Sant'Agnese fuori le Mura, 7th cent. apse mosaic showing St. Agnes flanked by two popes (3) by Richard Mortel, su Flickr

Rome by Colin Hepburn, su Flickr
 
#3,462 · (Edited)
Cappella dei Principi, Firenze - Toscana

The octagonal Cappella dei Principi surmounted by a tall dome, 59 m. high, is the distinguishing feature of San Lorenzo Church when seen from a distance. It is on the same axis as the nave and chancel to which it provides the equivalent of an apsidal chapel. Its entrance is from the exterior, in Piazza Madonna degli Aldobrandini, and through the low vaulted crypt planned by Bernardo Buontalenti before plans for the chapel above were made.

The opulent Cappella dei Principi, an idea formulated by Cosimo I, was put into effect by Ferdinand I de' Medici. It was designed by Matteo Nigetti, following some sketches tendered to an informal competition of 1602 by Don Giovanni de' Medici, the natural son of Cosimo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany, which were altered in the execution by the aged Buontalenti. A true expression of court art, it was the result of collaboration among designers and patrons.

For the execution of its astonishing revetment of marbles inlaid with colored marbles and semi-precious stone, the Grand Ducal hardstone workshop, the Opificio delle Pietre Dure was established. The art of commessi, as it was called in Florence, assembled jig-sawn fragments of specimen stones to form the designs of the revetment that entirely cover the walls. The result was disapproved of by 18th and 19th century visitors, but has come to be appreciated for an example of the taste of its time.[12] Six grand sarcophagi are empty; the Medici remains are interred in the crypt below. In sixteen compartments of the dado are coats-of-arms of Tuscan cities under Medici control. In the niches that were intended to hold portrait sculptures of Medici, two (Ferdinando I and Cosimo II) were executed by Pietro Tacca (1626–42).

CAPELLA DEI PRINCIPI [FIRENZE] by ML.P, su Flickr

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