It’s called a “masterpiece of European Rococo.” Crossing the threshold feels like being suspended in a cloud of pastel hues. It’s the church of San Filippo Neri. It stands in Lodi, a short walk from the cathedral. Built by the Filippini Fathers starting in 1740 based on a design by Antonio Veneroni (c. 1685–1749), the… Read More PLACES / THE ROCOCÒ SHOW: IN LODI (ITALY) A WONDERFUL EUROPEAN MASTERPIECE OF ART
In the province of Frosinone, not far from Rome, there is a special image (and in some ways full of mystery and charm). It is an ancient fresco: the “Labyrinth of Alatri”. It is kept in the former Convent of San Francesco, dating back to 1359 and now used as an exhibition hall. Here, in… Read More MYSTERY AND FASCINATION IN THE LABYRINTH OF ALATRI (13th CENTURY) PERHAPS CONNECTED TO THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR
Alatri (Frosinone) is a special and particular city: it announces itself from afar, from the top of a hill in the Ciociaria area (Lazio, Italy). It is first of all famous for the presence of the pre-Roman Acropolis surrounded by cyclopean walls in which the ancient Porta Civita opens. The frame of the walls, well… Read More PLACES / WONDERS OF ALATRI, THE ANCIENT CITY WITH THE PRE-ROMAN ACROPOLIS AND SURROUNDED BY CYCLOPEAN WALLS
Photos: © Roberto Alborghetti There are many surprises and wonders in the lands surrounding Rome. Like Tivoli, a city that houses two UNESCO sites in its territory. In ancient Tibur (as it was called by the Latins), the first wonder to be declared a world heritage site was the archaeological area of Villa Adriana (1998),… Read More PLACES / TIVOLI: THE ANCIENT CITY FOUNDED 5 CENTURIES BEFORE ROME (AND IT HOSTS 2 UNESCO SITES)
© Roberto Alborghetti Naples holds a priceless cultural and artistic heritage and unique masterpieces that deserve to be known. Such as the Baptistery of San Giovanni in Fonte, the heart of the ancient Basilica of Santa Restituta, today within the already extraordinary monumental complex of the Duomo. The Basilica was, with the Stefanìa, one of… Read More CITIES / NAPLES: VISITING THE BAPTISTERY OF SAN GIOVANNI IN FONTE, THE OLDEST EXAMPLE OF CHRISTIAN MOSAIC ART IN EUROPE (PART #3)
Visiting Alberobello (Bari), in the evening and at night, has a very special charm. The city of trulli, known throughout the world, takes on even more the features of a fairytale dimension, which it projects into an imaginary world of houses and enchanted streets.It is not for nothing that an event is held every year:… Read More PLACES / ALBEROBELLO (PUGLIA, ITALY): WELCOME TO THE CITY WHERE THE FAIRY TALE HAS BECOME REALITY
A truly extraordinary phenomenon occurs every year in the cathedral of Bari. At 17:10 on 21 June, the day of the summer solstice, a ray of sunlight passes through the rose window of the facade of the cathedral, dedicated to San Sabino, and is projected and precisely overlap, a few steps from the presbytery, on… Read More THAT SUNBEAM IN BARI’S CATHEDRAL: THE EXTRAORDINARY PHENOMENON OF JUNE 21, AT 5,10 PM
© Roberto Alborghetti Piazza IX Aprile is the “living room” of Taormina (Sicily, Italy) and it is the historical and tourist beating heart: monuments, outdoor bars, painters, rubbing and weddings. From the balcony, almost overlooking the sea, the view is impressive: Etna, Giardini Naxos bay, Ancient Theater. Really enviable a place like this! The square… Read More SICILIAN DAYS / TAORMINA, A BALCONY OF HISTORY AND ART ON THE SEA
Photos © Roberto Alborghetti Catania is an underrated city. Second in Sicily by population, after Palermo, it has ancient origins – it was founded by the Calcidesi in 729 BC. – and aligns an architectural, artistic and historical heritage of great prestige. Many miss the fact that its monumental historic center has been recognized as… Read More SICILIAN DAYS / CATANIA, AN EXTRAORDINARY SHOWCASE OF HISTORY, ART AND CULTURE
Despite the pouring rain, last Friday a large number of people participated to the presentation of my new book: the 500th of the “Blue Series” by Velar-Elledici … The event was a sort of journey through the ancient history of a unique place, a treasure trove of art in the heart of the Ancient Bergamo.… Read More A JOURNEY THROUGH THE HISTORY OF A UNIQUE PLACE AND OF AN EXTRAORDINARY SCRIPT FROM XIIIth CENTURY
© Roberto Alborghetti On the slopes of the Sila, in Calabria (Italy), in the province of Catanzaro, there is an extraordinary place, representing great pages of history and culture. It’s the ancient abbey of Santa Maria di Corazzo, founded by Benedictine monks in the eleventh century, near the river Corace. It was mentioned in papers since… Read More VIDEOCLIP: THE IMPRESSIVE ABBEY OF CORAZZO (CALABRIA, ITALY). A PLACE OF ART, HISTORY AND CULTURE
© Photos: ROBERTO ALBORGHETTI / OFFICINA PROFUMO-FARMACEUTICA S.M.NOVELLA, FLORENCE (Italy) * Last Friday night, the 22th of May, 2015, the presentation of my new book “Quando il giorno era una freccia” (English translation: “When the Day was an Arrow”) took place in Florence in the historical rooms of the ancient “Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica of Santa Maria… Read More THE ANCIENT “PHARMACY” OF S. MARIA NOVELLA: 400 YEARS OF HISTORY IN THE VERY HEART OF FLORENCE
© Photos: ROBERTO ALBORGHETTI * The Church of Santa Maria Novella is one of the most important Gothic churches in Tuscany. The exterior is the work of Fra Jacopo Talenti and Leon Battista Alberti. The interior holds extraordinary works of art including Masaccio’s Trinità, Ghirlandaio’s fresco cycle in the Tornabuoni Chapel and Giotto’s Crucifix, among… Read More FLORENCE, ART AS AN EXPERIENCE OF GEOMETRY (#1) / IMAGES FROM THE BEAUTIFUL FAÇADE OF S.MARIA NOVELLA
ROBERTO ALBORGHETTI 