The Arco della Pace (Arch of Peace) is from the 19th century, too, but its origins can be traced back to a gate of the Roman walls of Milan. [2]ISO 100, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/4000s.
Santa Maria delle Grazie ("Holy Mary of Grace") is a church and Dominican convent in Milan, northern Italy, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. [3]ISO 1000, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
Now, the church is much older, and takes us back to the Italian Renaissance. Duke Ludovico Sforza decided to have the church serve as the Sforza family burial site, and rebuilt the cloister and the apse, both completed after 1490. [3]ISO 250, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
The Renaissance began in Tuscany (Central Italy), and was centred in the city of Florence. Florence, one of the several city-states of the peninsula, rose to economic prominence by providing credit for European monarchs and laying down the groundwork for capitalism and banking. [4]ISO 1100, 38mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
Famously, the Italian Renaissance was itself born out of (or at least further advanced by) instability and war - see the Italian Wars. The age of discovery began, with Italians working for foreign powers (like Columbus working for the Spanish) or foreigners learning in Italy (like Copernicus).ISO 2200, 48mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
Many thinkers of the time, to the terror of the Catholic Church, rejected dogma and scholasticism - Galileo, Machiavelli, Giordano Bruno, and Pico della Mirandola among them.ISO 640, 70mm, f/3.2, 1/50s.
The church contains the mural of The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, which is in the refectory of the convent. The painting was exposed to the elements after the Second World War, and is in a bad state. If you're curious what the Last Supper looked like back when it was painted by Leonardo da Vinci, there's a great documentary that tries to find out. It may well inspire you to travel.ISO 1400, 70mm, f/3.2, 1/50s.
They have a height of 111 metres and 76 metres and contain more than 900 trees (approximately 550 and 350 in the first and second towers, respectively) on 8,900 square metres of terraces. [5]ISO 100, 55mm, f/6.3, 1/125s.
"The flag of Italy with a shield divided into four squares representing the four Maritime Republics: Venice (represented by the Lion of St. Mark, top left), Genoa (top right), Amalfi (bottom left), and Pisa (represented by their respective crosses). The ensign is similar to the one used by the Italian Navy, with the exception that the lion of Venice is carrying no sword, the emblem is not crowned, and the book of the Gospel is open." [6]ISO 100, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/5000s.
Typical buildings around Lake Como. We were told that because of many high profile inhabitants - celebrities who bought property here - the prices were extremely high, and the regular life of these towns has all but disappeared.ISO 200, 58mm, f/7.1, 1/50s.
We spoke to a local person who told me that he had not remembered the weather being so extreme ever in his several decades by the lake.ISO 100, 35mm, f/7.1, 1/250s.
Our guide who described the Last Supper to us said it's entirely possible that this landscape is what taught Leonardo the technique of representing distant objects as hazy.ISO 100, 200mm, f/5.6, 1/500s.
Being a mix of styles, it has caused some controversy. "A structure not supremely interesting, not logical, not ... commandingly beautiful, but grandly curious and superbly rich. ... If it had no other distinction it would still have that of impressive, immeasurable achievement ... a supreme embodiment of vigorous effort." [8]ISO 100, 70mm, f/2.8, 1/1000s.
A statue of St Bartholomew, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. According to legends he was skinned alive and beheaded, hence he's here without his skin. [9]ISO 720, 70mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
This is Luca's little flat - where we stayed for a couple of nights. It's the ultimate intellectual's apartment in central Milan, walls of books, old paintings and etching decorating the few blank spaces, Indian and Iranian embroidery and carpets. Scenes from China and Istanbul. Couple of photos Luca himself took. I took this shot after we returned from a Neapolitan dinner nearby - the chef emerged from the depths of the kitchen to advise us on our choice, and then brought a special cake that wasn't on the menu... Anyway, the picture is taken from a small platform where Luca wrote his books, and on the other side of the wall the bed hangs, supported by metal frames. No space was wasted in this charming home, and everything spoke volumes of Luca's experiences and adventures, both those in the realm of geography as well as intellect. It was a great privilege for us to be able to stay there, and its almost naval cosiness gave me a few ideas on how to decorate my own home, too. There was a thunderstorm that night, and I found Moby Dick on the shelves - a book Luca recommended me a while back. The time had come to plan future adventures.ISO 400, 14mm, f/5.0, 1/2s.Sources
