Cherokee Street/Via dei Tribunali

I thought the painting sitting in the window of El Torito Grocery Store looked familiar. Then I realized it; I had seen a similar composition, a scene of presumably the Virgin and Child saving souls from Purgatory, in the chapel of a church on the Via dei Tribunali, in Naples, Italy.

Neo-Classicism and Greek Revival: What is Really the Difference?

What is the difference between Neo-Classical architecture and the Greek Revival style? The key is in the proportions of the building; while the Romans certainly copied their architectural style from the ancient Greeks, they were also influenced by their northern neighbors, the Etruscans. Here is a primer on how to tell the difference. First, let’s…

Interior, Cathedral, Milan

Update: These pictures are really blurry; I probably wouldn’t post these in 2020 or later. Sorry about the low quality! The interior of Milan Cathedral is probably the darkest place I’ve ever tried to photograph; it is downright cavernous with minimal light. I hope these pictures give you some sense of the experience. Huge paintings…

Cathedral, Milan, Italy

Milan’s cathedral is a glorious pile of stone, a strange mix of the Gothic style, which never moved too terribly further south on such a grand scale, and other more Renaissance style motifs, such as the half moon lintels above the five front portals of the church. No major cathedral is ever completely free of…

A Room With A View, Urbino, Italy

I was in Urbino, Italy, last fall on business and snapped these three pictures out of my hotel window: once in the afternoon, once at dusk, and once the next morning before I left. What a great city, one that I will never forget, even if I do not get back there.

Architectural Variety, Milan, Italy

I was actually sort of tired of Renaissance buildings by the time I got to Milan, so I was pleased to discover that the city is graced with stunning architecture of the Nineteenth Century, as well buildings from the centuries before.

Pyramid of Cestius, Rome, Italy

The Romans loved the ancient Egyptians too. But the great irony of our interest in the Romans is that builders of the Pyramids were more distant in time to the Romans than the Romans are to us.