Category Archives: Palaces

Palazzo Vecchio – Apartments of the Elements (Florence, Italy)

Posted on by — 1 Comment ↓

A pair of Roman busts at the Room of the Elements

The Apartments of the Elements, consisting of five rooms and two loggias, were the private quarters of Cosimo I.  Designed after Cosimo I de’ Medici had the palace extended, they were built under the direction of Giovanni Battista del Tasso from 1551 to 1555 but, on Tasso’s death, were altered almost at once when Giorgio Vasari, working for the first time as court architect and artist for Cosimo I and the Medicis, suggested raising their paneled ceilings.

Check out “Palazzo Vecchio“

Room of Hercules – Bust of a Man (Roman, 3rd century)

With his assistants’ (Cristofano Gherardi and Marco Marchetti da Faenza) help, Vasari proceeded to decorate almost all of the rooms in a mere three years. A single, consistent iconographic program, devised by the scholar Cosimo Bartoli, links the decoration of the Apartments of the Elements with that of the Apartments of Leo X below them.

Ceiling of the Small Room between Room of Jupiter and Room of Hercules. In the center is a tortoise with a wind-filled sail on his back. This reminded Cosimo I to find the perfect balance between speed and patience. These sailing tortoises can be found all throughout the decoration of Palazzo Vecchio in many different forms, some are flying, some on the water, and some with angels. There are approximately 100 of them scattered across the ceilings, walls and floors of the palace.

Each one of the rooms is matched, on the floor below, by a room of the same size and dedicated to an illustrious member of the House of Medici.  In placing one set of frescoes above the other, it exalts the glory and virtue of the House of Medici (veritable “deities on earth”) by establishing a link between the dynasty’s rise to power and the origins of the “deities in heaven.”

Paneled ceiling at the Room of the Elements

The paintings in the rooms celebrate, as the beginning and end of all things, the genealogy of the “heavenly deities.” The cycle begins in the Room of the Elements, after which the apartments are named, with a depiction of the origins of the four elements (air, water, fire and earth) which sprung from the seed of Uranus scattered by Saturn.

The room perfectly reflects the proportions of the Room of Leo X immediately below it. Just as all things originate from the elements, so Pope Leo X laid the groundwork for the foundation of the Medici duchy of Tuscany.

Check out “Palazzo Vecchio – Apartments of Leo X”

The oil painting on the ceiling panels are dedicated to Air while the frescoes on the three windowless walls celebrate Water, Fire and Earth.

The marble fireplace

The marble fireplace was designed by Bartolomeo Ammannati. The genealogy of the “heavenly deities” carries on in the other rooms dedicated to Opis, the goddess of prosperity and Saturn’s wife, and to Ceres and Jupiter, the two deities’ descendants.

The Room of Ceres, dedicated the daughter of Saturn and Opis and the goddess of agriculture, lies above the Room of Cosimo il Vecchio. Just as Ceres provided for man’s welfare by bestowing on him the fruits of the earth, so did Cosimo il Vecchio bring joy and prosperity to the city of Florence.

Room of Ceres and Study of Calliope

Decorated from 1555 to 1558, the room gets its name from the oil on wood motif (depicting Ceres seeking her daughter Proserpina after her abduction by Pluto, god of the Underworld) on the ceiling by Doceno (a pupil of Vasari) while on the walls are Florentine tapestries with hunting scenes, from cartoons by Stradanus.

The stained glass window, with the Toilet of Venus, was done by Walter of Antwerp to a design by Giorgio Vasari and Marco da Faenza.

Paneled ceiling at the Room of Ceres and Study of Calliope

Ceres

Originally, the adjacent Study of Calliope housed, either on shelves or in cabinets and cases, miniatures, small bronzes, medals and other rare and precious items from Duke Cosimo I’s collection.

Room of Jupiter

The Room of Jupiter, decorated from 1555 to 1556, lies immediately above the room of Cosimo I in a juxtaposition intended to celebrate the Medici duke’s glory and virtue by likening him to the heavenly deities.

Ceiling fresco showing the young Jupiter brought up by nymphs and suckled by the goat Amalthea

The ceiling fresco decoration shows the infancy of Jupiter (and father of all the gods), whom  Opis (Jupiter’s mother) had brought up in hiding.

Cabinet with Flowers and Birds (late 17th – early 18th century), ebony, inlaid with semi-precious stones and gilted bronze. On permanent loan from the State Art Galleries in Florence (1911)

To prevent Saturn (Jupiter’s father) from devouring him as he had all of his brothers, the young Jupiter is brought up by nymphs and suckled by the goat Amalthea which evokes Capricorn, the zodiac ascendant of Cosimo I. The walls are hung with Florentine tapestries made from cartoons by Stradano (16th century).

Walnut chest (16th century)

The Terrace of Saturn (closed in winter) as well as the fresco (the allegories of the Four Ages of man and the hours of the day allude to the god of Time) on the ceiling are dedicated to Saturn, god of Time, who devoured all his children (except for Jupiter, whose mother Opis used deception to save him) to ensure that they wouldn’t topple him from his throne.

Decorated from 1557 to 1566, it has a fabulous view of Florence, with the Piazzale Michelangelo and the Fortress Belvedere in the southeast. The remains of the Church of San Piero Scheraggio  are also visible. The two panels, with stories of Saturn, evoke episodes from the life of Pope Clement VII (Giulio de ‘Medici), to whom the room beneath is dedicated.  The adjacent Study of Minerva was designed to host the small marble statues in Duke Cosimo I’s collection.

Room of Hercules

At the Room of Hercules (Sala di Ercole), stories of Hercules (the son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmene who was endowed with superhuman strength) are the subject of paintings on the ceiling (The baby Hercules strangling the snakes Juno, Jupiter’s wife, had placed in his cradle) as well as the tapestries.

Paneled ceiling

Hercules’  countless celebrated heroic deeds, especially the “Twelve Labors,” have inspired the parallel with the room dedicated to valiant mercenary captain Giovanni dalle Bande Nere, Duke Cosimo I’s father, which lies immediately beneath this room.  The room contains a polychrome Madonna and Child and a stipo, an ebony cabinet inlaid with semi-precious stones.

Stipo (cabinet with birds, flowers and fruit compositions, 1660-1680), ebony with marquetry and semi-precious stone inlay. On permanent loan from the State Art Galleries in Florence (1911)

The Terrace of Juno, dedicated to Juno (Jupiter’s wife), was originally an open loggia with columns.  The original design included the construction of a fountain emulating the monochrome painting on the wall, which appears to have been inspired, in its turn, by Andrea del Verrocchio‘s Putto with a Dolphin. It was designed to offer Eleonora of Toledo (Duke Cosimo’s wife) a view of the Santa Croce neighborhood.

Putto with Dolphin (Andrea del Verrocchio)

After the last wing of the palace was built, the loggia, which stood where the undecorated wall stands today, was walled up. The ceiling fresco depicts Juno on a carriage drawn by peacocks plus the Allegory of Abundance and the Allegory of Power.  The walls depicts Juno depriving Jupiter of his lover Io, whom he had disguised by turning her into a cow, Juno turning the nymph Callisto, beloved of Jupiter, into the constellation Ursa Minor and the Fountain with putto.

Room of Ceres and Study of Calliope – Walnut Table with Casket

The Room of Opis, named after the wife of Saturn and the goddess of prosperity, lies immediately above the Room of Lorenzo the Magnificent, whose diplomatic talents were acknowledged and appreciated by numerous monarchs just as Opis was worshipped by numerous peoples. In the center of the ceiling, the goddess appears surrounded by allegories of the seasons and of the months of the year, each shown with its matching star sign.The floor with ducal emblems are terracotta by Santi Buglioni.

Vase on Walnut Stand

The Room of Cybele has a ceiling painted with the Triumph of Cybele and the Four Season, a floor made in 1556 while against the walls are cabinets in tortoise shell and bronze. From the window, we can can see the third courtyard.

Apartments of the Elements: Palazzo Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria, Florence, Italy. Tel: +39 055 276 8325. Open daily, 9 AM – 7 PM (except Thursdays, 9 AM  – 2 PM). Admission: €6.00. Combined ticket with Cappella Brancacci: €8.00.

Palazzo Vecchio – Apartments of the Priors (Florence, Italy)

Posted on by — Leave a reply

Audience Chamber – Magistrate’s Desk (ca. mid-16th century, walnut, on permanent loan from State Archives of Florence, 1918)

The Apartments of the Priors, like those making up the adjacent Apartments of Eleonora of Toledo, are situated in one of the oldest parts of the palace.  Built between the late 13th and early 14th centuries, it housed members of the body governing the Florentine Republic which, at the time, consisted of the eight elected priori or priors (two for each of the four quarters of Florence, they were all obliged to reside permanently in the palace for the duration of their two-month mandate), the Gonfalonier of Justice (Gonfaloniere di Giustizia, the “Standard Bearer of Justice”) who acted as the figurehead of the state, two advisory bodies, the Twelve Wise Men and the Sedici Gonfalonieri, and two legislative bodies, the Consiglio del Popolo and the Consiglio del Commune.

Check out “Palazzo Vecchio“

Hall of the Lilies – Bronze Statue of Judith and Holofernes (Donatello)

Though their private quarters were renovated by Duke Cosimo I to become private chambers for his wife, Eleonora of Toledo, the public rooms now known as the Apartments of the Priors kept their more or less public character (Cosimo I de’ Medici simply had the walls of the Audience Chamber frescoed and a new room, currently the Hall of the Maps, built).

Audience Chamber

The Audience Chamber (Sala dell’Udienza) or Hall of Justice, containing the oldest decorations in the palace, was used to house the meetings of the six priori (guild masters of the arts) and granted audiences to subjects of Duke Cosimo I. Like the Hall of Lilies next door, it results from the partition of an existing hall as large as the whole of the Hall of the Two Hundred on the floor below.

It was split it into two separate chambers by a special wall, without real foundations, erected by Benedetto da Maiano between 1470 and 1472. Its carved coffer ceiling and frieze of painted wood, laminated with pure gold, was done, from 1470–1476, by Giuliano da Maiano (elder brother of Benedetto) and his assistants.

On his return from exile after his predecessor’s death, Duke Cosimo I had the walls frescoed, from 1543-1545, by Francesco de’ Rossi (also known as Francesco Salviati) with a decorative value representing Stories of Marcus Furius Camillus (a Roman general, mentioned in the writings of Plutarchus, who freed Rome from the Gaul in 390 BC). Since Salviati had his schooling in the circle around Raphael in Rome, these large frescoes are mirrored on Roman models and therefore not typical of Florentine art.

Carved coffer ceiling and frieze of painted wood

The marble door frame communicating with the Hall of Lilies, with the statue of Justice, was a marvel sculpted by brothers Giuliano and Benedetto da Maiano from 1476-1480.  The door with marquetry portraits of Dante and Petrarch was also done, from 1476-1480, by Giuliano and Benedetto da Maiano. Its inlaid woodwork (intarsia) was carved by Francesco di Giovanni (known as Del Francione ) based on a design by Sandro Botticelli.  The marble portal of the Chapel, with the Monogram of Christ, was based on a design by Baccio d’Agnolo (1529).

Chapel of the Priors

A small doorway leads into the adjoining small Chapel of the Signoria. In the 14th century, a chapel set aside for the Priors, dedicated to St. Bernard, was known to have existed but its precise original location is unknown. In 1511, at the time of the first Republic, Gonfaloniere Piero Soderini commissioned Baccio d’Agnolo to build the present chapel. In 1512, after the return of the Medici, building work continued.

The chapel contains a reliquary of St. Bernard. Here the priors, in the execution of their duties, used to supply divine aid. Thirty-two Latin inscriptions, from the Bible and Classical or early Christian writers, declaim the moral and religious principles that were supposed to guide the decisions of the government officials who gathered to pray here. Before he was hanged on the Piazza della Signoria and his body burned, Girolamo Savonarola said his last prayers in this chapel.

The dove of the Holy Spirit among the Apostles

On a background imitating gold mosaic, Ridolfo Bigordi (known as Ridolfo Ghirlandaio and son of the better known Domenico) decorated the on the walls and ceiling (its vaults echo the ceiling of Raphael’s Stanza della Segnatura in the Vatican) of the chapel with marvelous frescoes featuring religious themes, scrolls, Florentine emblems and ornamental motifs.

The Holy Trinity and the Four Evangelists

The Holy Trinity, on the ceiling, and The Annunciation on the wall facing the altar, are of particular interest. The altar formerly had a painting (now on exhibition in the corridor of the Uffizi Gallery) representing the Holy Family by Mariano Graziadei da Pescia (a pupil of Ridolfo Ghirlandaio). Today, it has a good painting of St. Bernard by an unknown artist.

The chapel was also home to the archives and most precious objects in the Treasury of the Signoria.  Among its most treasured possessions, kept in the aumbry to the right of the altar, is the famous Digest of Justinian codex (533), which was removed from the city of Pisa, and a rare 9th century Greek evangelistary, as recorded by an inscription in the grille painted on the aumbry doors (now in the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana in Florence).

Hall of Lilies

The Hall of the Lilies, like the Audience Chamber next door, also resulted from the partition of an existing hall into two separate chambers by Benedetto da Maiano between 1470 and 1472. The walls were intended to receive a cycle of Illustrious Men, models of civic virtue who were akin to the cycle that decorated the previous 14th century hall.

In 1482, the Signoria entrusted its decoration to Ridolfo Ghirlandaio, Botticelli, Perugino, Biagio d’Antonio, Piero del Pollaiolo, some the greatest artists of the day, almost all of whom had recently returned from decorating the Sistine Chapel in Rome.

However, only Domenico Ghirlandaio completed the task and frescoed one of the walls (from 1482-1485) with the The Apotheosis of St. Zenobius (bishop and first patron saint and protector of Florence), depicting the saint between Saints Eugene and Crescentius and the Marzocco lion (the symbol of the city), and painted with a perspectival illusion of the background (where one can see the Cathedral, with Giotto’s original facade and bell tower). A bas-relief of the Madonna and Child can be found in the lunette above.

Carved coffer ceiling

This fresco is flanked, on both sides, by frescoes of famed Romans with Brutus, Gaius Mucius Scaevola and Camillus, on the left , and Decius, Scipio and Cicero on the right. Medallions of Roman emperors fill the spandrils between the sections. . The Statue of St. John the Baptist and Putti are all done by Benedetto da Maiano and his brother Giuliano.

The Angevin emblem, a fleur-de-lys (in gold leaf) on a blue ground surmounted by a red rake as a tribute to the French (longstanding defenders of Florentine freedom), by Bernardo di Stefano Rosselli in 1490, decorate the other three walls and the carved ceiling.  The door leading to the Audience Chamber, with the marquetry figures of poets Dante and Petrarch, are part of the unfinished project

Hall of Geographical Maps

The door in this wall, flanked by two dark marble pillars (originally from a Roman temple), leads to the Hall of Geographical Maps (Stanza della Guardaroba) or Wardrobe where the Medici Grand Dukes kept their precious belongings. In 1988, after its lengthy restoration, the (original) statue “Judith and Holofernes” by Donatello was given a prominent place in this room.

Model of the Pinnacle on the Tower

The cabinets and carved ceiling were done by Dionigi Nigetti. The cabinet doors are decorated with 53 remarkable maps, of scientific interest, and oil paintings by Fra Ignazio Danti (1563–1575), brother of the sculptor Vincenzo Danti and Dominican monk who followed the Ptolemaic system, while already using the new cartographical system of Gerardus Mercator, and Stefano Buonsignori (1575–1584). Of great historical interest, they give a good idea of the geographical knowledge in the 16th century. In the center of the room is the mappa mundi, a large globe ruined by excessive restorations.

The Old Chancellery, part of a section of the palace built in 1511 (at the time of Gonfaloniere Piero Soderini)  to link the building’s 14th century core with the Great Council Room (now Great Hall of the Five Hundred ), was erected towards the end of the 15th century.  During the time of Duke Cosimo de’ Medici and his successors, it became one of the rooms of the Wardrobe which housed the ruling family’s moveable possessions. The room is entered via a two-light window, set in the east wall of the Hall of Lilies, which formerly overlooked the Dogana (“Customs Courtyard”).

Old Chancellery

Originally having windows down both of its long sides, the room housed the office of the First Chancellor of the Republic, a figure who worked alongside the Gonfaloniere in running the palace. In 1511, the office was held by humanist Marcello Virglio Adriani. It was also the office of the great statesman and scholar Niccolo Machiavelli (author of such celebrated works as The Prince, the Mandragola and The Art of War) when he was Secretary of the Second Chancellery.  His polychrome terracotta bust, probably modeled on his death mask donated by collector Charles Loeser, and his portrait are by Santi di Tito, placed here in the last century to recall the room’s original function. On the pedestal in the center of the room is the famous Winged Boy with a Dolphin by Verrocchio, brought to this room from the First Courtyard.

The reassembled Study Room, used by Cellini to restore the treasures of the Medici princes, was where, from the little window in the wall, Cosimo I spied on his ministers and officers, during meetings in the Salone dei Cinquecento. It later became a museum of Mannerist paintings.

Apartments of the Priors: Palazzo Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria, Florence, Italy. Tel: +39 055 276 8325. Open daily, 9 AM – 7 PM (except Thursdays, 9 AM  – 2 PM). Admission: €6.00. Combined ticket with Cappella Brancacci: €8.00.

Palazzo Vecchio – Apartments of Eleonora (Florence, Italy)

Posted on by — Leave a reply

Private Chapel of Eleonora of Toledo – Deposition of Christ (Bronzino, oil on wood)

The Apartments of Eleonora, part of the original core of the building, was erected between the late 13th and mid-14th centuries. For two centuries, they housed the private apartments of the members of the medieval city government, the Guild Priors and the Gonfalonier of Justice, who resided in isolation in the palace for the duration of their mandate.

Check out “Palazzo Vecchio“

Room of Esther. On the upper right is a copy of the oil on panel painting “Battle of Anghiari” done by an unknown artist (after Leonardo da Vinci, 1505-1563?). It is on permanent loan from the State Art Galleries of Florence (1930)

In 1540, when Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici moved his court into the palace, he assigned these apartments to his wife Eleonora di Toledo (the daughter of Don Pedro de Toledo, viceroy of Naples) whom he had married the year before. All the members of the duke’s family had their private rooms in this wing of the building. Cosimo’s rooms were on the first floor while the children’s rooms were located above Eleonora’s apartments.

Cabinet with Mythological Themes

Under the direction of Battista del Tasso, work began at once on converting the apartments into the duchess’s private rooms and it included the construction of the famous private chapel frescoed by Agnolo di Cosimo (known as  Agnolo Bronzino). From 1561 to 1562, building continued under the artist Giorgio Vasari and his assistants, raising almost all the ceilings and decorating them in honor of Eleonora di Toledo with stories of classical heroines celebrated for “equalling men’s virtue,” when not actually surpassing it. The duchess lived barely long enough to see the work completed, dying of malaria in December 1562. The oil on wood paintings are by Giorgio Vasari and Giovanni Stradano while the gilded stucco and wood frames are by Battista Botticelli.

Green Room/Eleonora’s Study

The Green Room (Sala Verde), so-called because of the now lost (they have been replaced by a standard green hue) landscape paintings that once adorned its walls, was the first in a series of rooms which Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici decided to restructure when he moved into the palazzo. However, the grotesque decoration in the vault, based on Classical models and remarkable for the presence of numerous parrots and other species of birds, has survived. The room is thought to have originally resembled a kind of trompe l’oeil loggia.

Ceiling fresco at Green Room/Eleonora’s Study

Built between 1539 and 1540, it has decorations on the ceiling and walls by Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio (1540-1542), the painter responsible for decorating the Chapel of the Priors in the Palazzo some 30 years earlier.

Check out “Palazzo Vecchio – Apartments of the Priors“

Set into the long wall of the Green Room is Eleonora’s Study, a small room thought have been used as a study or writing room. After he had finished decorating in fresco the walls of the Audience Chamber in the adjacent Apartments of the Priors, Francesco Salviati decorated the ceiling with grotesque work and with small mythological scenes of Roman inspiration (ca. 1545-1548).

The Private Chamber of Eleanora was one of the private rooms of Eleonora of Toledo, wife of Cosimo I de’ Medici. The paintings are by the Flemish painter Jan Stradan (better known under his Italian name Giovanni Stradano) while against the wall is a cabinet with Florentine mosaic designs. Originally called the “Room of Gualdrada,” the ceiling painting depicts Gualdrada refusing to kiss Emperor Otto IV, an episode that extols the virtues of purity and modesty.

According to tradition, Gualdrada, a beautiful Florentine girl who lived in the 12th century and whom Dante mentions in the Divine Comedy, disobeyed her father’s command to allow Emperor Otto IV, who was visiting Florence, to kiss her. She objected that she would only allow her future husband to do so.

The ceiling painting is also an allegory that alludes to the independence of the city of Florence. The bond between Gualdrada and Florence is highlighted by the decoration in the frieze showing views of the city and its traditional festivities.

Private Chapel of Eleonora of Toledo

The adjoining, richly decorated private chapel of the Duchess Eleonora of Toledo, on the right, was built by walling off the first bay of an existing room (1539-1540).  It was frescoed by Mannerist Agnolo Bronzino at intervals between 1540 and 1565.

Miracle of Spring and The Gathering of Manna

One of the loftiest masterpieces of Florentine Mannerism, it celebrates the Medici dynasty in a complex iconographical program built around the Eucharist (in other words, Christ who died to save mankind). The frescoes in the vault refer to the Apocalypse.

Crossing of the Red Sea (Bronzino)

Another of Bronzino’s other masterpieces included Crossing the Red Sea.  The room’s small door indicates the beginning of the Vasari corridor, a passageway to the Palazzo Pitti built by Vasari for Cosimo I.

The dialogue between the altarpiece, with its Deposition, and the three walls, with their stories of Moses, presaging Christ’s sacrifice and the mystery of the Eucharist, points to the link between the Old and New Testaments. Over time (1545-1564), Agnolo Bronzino himself changed the three oil-on-panel paintings on the back wall with a large Pietà.

The present Deposition replaced an earlier, almost identical version which Cosimo gave to Emperor Charles V’s secretary (Besançon, Musée des Beaux-Arts); the panels with the Annunciation replaced a St John the Baptist (Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum) and a St Cosmas (fragment in a private collection).

Miracle of the Brazen Serpent

The ceiling frescoes features a head with three faces (symbolizing the Holy Trinity), St Michael the Archangel defeating the Devil, St John the Evangelist, St Jerome Penitent, St Francis receiving the stigmata, and the Cardinal virtues.

The Room of the Sabines, so named because of the ceiling decoration was, at one time, used for the ladies-in-waiting at the court of Eleonora di Toledo. It contains Portraits of Medici Princes (a painting by Justus Sustermans), statues by a Florentine art school and a tapestry by Fevère.

Latin historian Livy tells us that, after founding Rome, King Romulus deceitfully abducted the womenfolk of the neighboring Sabine tribes and brought them to his new city. The Sabines declared war on Rome, but their women, led by Ersilia (who had married Romulus), averted the clash between the two peoples by entering the fray and calling for peace.

Paneled ceiling of the Room of the Sabines

The episode, depicted in the center of the ceiling, celebrates the womanly virtue of mediation and features the Sabine women making peace between their own people and the Romans.

The Room of Esther celebrates Eleonora of Toledo in her role as duchess.  It’s ceiling depicts Esther begging Ahasuerus to halt the massacre of the Jews.

 

According to the Biblical book of Esther, after he repudiated Vashti, Persian King Ahasuerus chose Esther, a young Jewish girl of rare beauty, for his wife.  On the advice of his aide Haman, Ahasuerus ordered the Jews’ destruction, unaware that his new wife was a Jewess. By interceding with her husband, Esther saved her people. The decoration of the room

Esther begging Ahasuerus to halt the massacre of the Jews

The Dining Room, containing a lavabo and two tapestries by Van Assel representing Spring and Autumn, has a ceiling with the Coronation of Esther, decorated by Stradano, with an inscription in honor of Eleonora di Toledo.

Room of Penelope

The Room of Penelope has a ceiling depicting Penelope at the Loom surrounded by River Gods in the center, celebrating marital fidelity and extolling the role of the woman who attends to matters at home while her husband is away at war.

In the Odyssey, the poet Homer tells us that during the long voyage of Ulysses (also called Odysseus), king of Ithaca, his wife Penelope managed to avoid remarrying by postponing her choice of suitor until she had finished a piece of cloth which she wove during the day and secretly unraveled at night.

Penelope at the loom, surrounded by river gods

The frieze shows the adventures of Ulysses on his way home from the Trojan War, listed here in the order in which Homer tells them. The Madonna and Child and a Madonna and Child with St. John by Botticelli are on the walls.

The Madonna and Child and a Madonna and Child with St. John (Sandro Botticelli)

Apartments of Eleonora: Palazzo Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria, Florence, Italy. Tel: +39 055 276 8325. Open daily, 9 AM – 7 PM (except Thursdays, 9 AM  – 2 PM). Admission: €6.00. Combined ticket with Cappella Brancacci: €8.00.

Palazzo Vecchio (Florence, Italy)

Posted on by — Leave a reply

Palazzo Vecchio

The Palazzo Vecchio, the town hall of Florence, overlooks the Piazza della Signoria.  Its entrance is flanked by a copy of Michelangelo‘s David statue (erected in 1910, the original once stood at the entrance from its completion in 1504 to 1873, when it was moved to the Accademia Gallery) and Baccio Bandinelli‘s statue of Hercules and Cacus.

Check out “Gallerie dell’Accademia”

Palazzo Vecchio entrance

Originally called the Palazzo della Signoria (after the Signoria of Florence, the ruling body of the Republic of Florence), it was, in accordance with the varying use of the palace during its long history, also called the Palazzo del Popolo, Palazzo dei Priori and Palazzo Ducale. After the Medici duke’s residence was moved, across the Arno River, to the Palazzo Pitti, the building acquired its current name.

Copy of Michaelangelo’s David

When Cosimo later removed to Palazzo Pitti, he officially renamed the Palazzo della Signoria, his former palace, to the Palazzo Vecchio (“Old Palace”), although the adjacent town square, the Piazza della Signoria, still bears the original name.  Although most of it is now a museum, the Palazzo Vecchio remains as the symbol and center of local government.

Hercules and Cacus (Baccio Bandinelli)

Here is the historical timeline of the palace:

  • In 1299,the Florentine commune and people decided to build a palace that would be worthy of the Florence’s importance and, in times of turbulence, would be more secure and defensible for the magistrates of the commune. Construction was begun by Arnolfo di Cambio (the architect of the Duomo and the Santa Croce church) upon the ruins of Palazzo dei Fanti and Palazzo dell’Esecutore di Giustizia once owned by the Uberti family.
  • In 1353, the clock of the Torre d’Arnolfo was constructed by the Florentine Nicolò Bernardo.
  • In the 15th century,Michelozzo Michelozzi added decorative bas-reliefs of the cross and the Florentine lily in the spandrels between the trefoil arches of the windows.
  • In 1494, the Salone dei Cinquecento chamber was built.
  • In May 1540, Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici (later to become grand duke) moved his official seat, from the Medici palazzo in Via Larga, to the Palazzo della Signoria, signaling the security of Medici power in Florence.
  • In 1565, the frescoes at the first courtyard were painted by Giorgio Vasari for the wedding celebration of Francesco I de’ Medici (the eldest son of Cosimo I de’ Medici) to Archduchess Johanna of Austria (sister of the Emperor Maximilian II).
  • Between 1555 and 1572, the surviving decorations were made by Giorgio Vasari and his helpers, among them Livio Agresti from Forlì. They mark the culmination of Mannerism and make this hall the showpiece of the palace.
  • In 1667, the tower clock was replaced with a replica made by Georg Lederle from the German town of Augsburg (Italians refer to him as Giorgio Lederle of Augusta) and installed by Vincenzo Viviani.
  • From 1865–71, at a moment when Florence had become the temporary capital of the Kingdom of Italy, the palace gained new importance as the seat of united Italy’s provisional government.
  • Since 1872, it has housed the office of the mayor of Florence and is the seat of the City Council.

Trefoil arched windows at the facade

The solid, massive and cubical building, made of solid rusticated stonework, has two rows of two-lighted Gothic windows, each with a trefoil arch, and is crowned with a projecting crenellated battlement supported by small arches (under which are a repeated series of nine painted coats of arms of the Florentine republic) and corbels.

The 9 Forentine coat-of-arms

Some of these arches are used as embrasures (spiombati) for dropping heated liquids or rocks on invaders.

Torre d’Arnolfo

The simple, 94 m. high rectangular Torre d’Arnolfo (named after its designer Arnolfo di Cambio) has a large, one-handed clock.

The tower clock

Arnolfo di Cambio incorporated the ancient tower (then known as La Vacca or “The Cow”) of the Foraboschi family into the new tower’s facade as its substructure (this is why the tower is not directly centered in the building). The tower currently has three bells, the oldest cast in the 13th century.

The view of Florence from the top of Torre d’Arnolfo

During our visit, we climbed the 418 steps to the top of the tower where we had 360 degree views of the city.  We entered via the museum. On our way up, we passed the “Little Hotel,” two small cells that, at different times, imprisoned Cosimo de’ Medici (the Elder) (1435) and Girolamo Savonarola (1498).

No more than 35 people can enter at once and, on busy days, you’ll be limited to 30 minutes. In bad weather, it’s closed.

The Vasari corridor, an above-ground walkway commissioned to Giorgio Vasari by Cosimo I, was built from the Palazzo Vecchio, through the Uffizi (where Cosimo I moved the seat of government), over the Ponte Vecchio to the Palazzo Pitti.

Check out “Palazzo Pitti – Vasari Corridor”

The Vasari Corridor

A notable ornamental marble frontispiece, above the front entrance door, dates from 1528. The Monogram of Christ, in the middle, is flanked by two gilded lions.  The text (in Latin) above, dating from 1851 (it does not replace an earlier text by Savonarola as mentioned in guidebooks), reads Rex Regum et Dominus Dominantium (“King of Kings and Lord of Lords”).

The ornamental marble frontispiece above the entrance door

Between 1529 and 1851, this text was concealed behind a large shield with the grand-ducal coat of arms.

The first courtyard

The first courtyard, designed in 1453 by Michelozzo, has harmoniously proportioned columns which, at one time, were smooth and untouched, were at the same time richly decorated with gilt stuccoes. High around the courtyard are lunettes with crests of the church and city guilds while frescoes on the walls are vedutes, some damaged over the course of time, of the cities (Graz, Innsbruck, Linz, Vienna, Hall in Tirol, Freiburg im Breisgau, Konstanz, etc.) of the Austrian Habsburg monarchy. The barrel vaults are furnished with grotesque decorations.

Barrel vaults, with grotesque decorations, at the first courtyard

In the center of the courtyard is a porphyry fountain by Battista del Tadda. On top of the fountain’s basin is the Putto with Dolphin, a copy of the original small statue by Andrea del Verrocchio (1476), originally placed in the garden of the Villa Medici at Careggi but now on display on the second floor of the palace. Flowing through the nose of the dolphin is water brought here by pipes from the Boboli Gardens.  In front of the fountain is a niche with Samson and Philistine by Pierino da Vinci.

Check out “Palazzo Pitti – Boboli Gardens”

The massive pillars, in the second courtyard (also called Dogana or “Customs Courtyard”), were built in 1494 by Cronaca to sustain the great, most imposing 52 m. (170 ft.) long and 23 m. (75 ft.) wide “Salone dei Cinquecento” on the second floor.

Grace (center) and Jandy (right) at the first courtyard

The massive and monumental stairs by Giorgio Vasari, between the first and second courtyard, lead up to the Hall of the Five Hundred (Salone dei Cinquecento).  The third courtyard was used mainly for offices of the city.

Check out “Palazzo Vecchio – Hall of the Five Hundred”

The author at the Hall of the Five Hundred

The Studiolo of Francesco I (a studiolo is a small study), a small side room, without windows, situated at the end of the hall, was also designed by Giorgio Vasari (1570–1575) in a Mannerist style. Paintings, stucco and sculptures fill the walls and the barrel vault and Baroque paintings hide secret cupboards. Most paintings, representing the four elements (water, fire, earth and air), are by the School of Vasari. The portrait of Cosimo I and his wife Eleonora of Toledo was made by Bronzino while the delicate bronze sculptures were made by Bartolomeo Ammanati and  Giambologna. The latter, dismantled within decades of its construction, were re-assembled in the 20th century.

Check out “Palazzo Vecchio – Apartments of the Priors” and Palazzo Vecchio – Apartments of Leo X”

Normally, the Quartieri monumentali (Residence of the Priors and the Quarters of Leo X), the other rooms on the first floor, are not accessible to the public as they are used by the mayor as offices and reception rooms but, probably it was past office hours, it was opened during our visit.  A staircase, designed by Giorgio Vasari, led us to the second floor where we visited  the Chapel of Signoria, the Hall of Justice (Sala delle Udienze), the Room of the Lilies (Sala dei Gigli), the Study Room and the Apartments of the Elements (Sala degli Elementi).

Check out “Palazzo Vecchio – Apartments of the Elements,” and “Palazzo Vecchio – Apartments of Eleonora”  

Palazzo Vecchio: Piazza della Signoria, Florence, Italy. Tel: +39 055 276 8325. Open daily, 9 AM – 7 PM (except Thursdays, 9 AM  – 2 PM). Admission: €6.00. Combined ticket with Cappella Brancacci: €8.00

Villa d’Este – Villa (Tivoli, Italy)

Posted on by — Leave a reply

The Villa d’Este, a villa  near Rome  listed as a UNESCO world heritage site, is a fine example of Renaissance architecture and the Italian Renaissance garden. Since December 2014, it has been run as a State Museum  by the Polo Museale del Lazio.

Villa d'Este

Villa d’Este

Here are some historical trivia regaring the villa:

  • The Villa d’Este was commissioned by Cardinal Ippolito II d’Este, son ofAlfonso I d’Este and Lucrezia Borgia;  grandson of Pope Alexander VI and the appointed governor of Tivoli (from 1550) by Pope Julius III (the villa was the pope’s gift). Cardinal d’Este, after 5 failed bids for the papacy, saw to its construction from 1550 until his death in 1572, when the villa was nearing completion. He drew inspiration (and many statues and much of the marble used for construction) from the nearby Villa Adriana, the palatial retreat of Emperor Hadrian.
  • The villa was entirely reconstructed to plans ofpainter-architect-archeologist  Pirro Ligorio and carried out under the direction of the Ferrarese architect-engineer Alberto Galvani, court architect of the Este.
  • The rooms of the Palace were decorated under the tutelage of the stars of the late Roman Mannerism, such as Livio Agresti (the chief painter of the ambitious internal decoration) fromForlì, Federico Zuccari, Durante Alberti, Girolamo Muziano, Cesare Nebbia and Antonio Tempesta. The work was almost complete at the time of the Cardinal’s death (1572).
  • Pirro Ligorio was responsible for the iconographic programs worked out in the villa’s frescos.
  • In the 18th century, the lack of maintenance led to the decay of the complex and the villa and its gardens passed to theHouse of Habsburg after Ercole III d’Este bequeathed it to his daughter Maria Beatrice, married to Grand Duke Ferdinand of Habsburg. The villa and its gardens were neglected.
  • In 1851, Cardinal Gustav von Hohelohe, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingfürst, obtained the villa, in enfiteusi, from the Dukes of Modena.  To pull the complex back from its state of ruin, he launched a series of works. Between 1867 and 1882, the villa once again became a cultural point of reference.
  • After World War I, Villa d’Este was purchased for the Italian State, restored, and refurnished with paintings from the storerooms of the Galleria Nazionale, Rome.
  • During the 1920s, it was restored and opened to the public.
  • Immediately after World War II, another radical restoration was carried out to repair the damage caused by the bombing of 1944.
  • During the past 20 years, due to particularly unfavorable environmental conditions, the restorations have continued practically without interruption. Among these is the recent cleaning of the Organ Fountain (also the “Birdsong”).
Entrance

Entrance

Here, Cardinal Ippolito II d’Este brought back to life the splendor of the courts of Ferrara, Rome and Fontainebleau. The villa is surrounded, on three sides, by a sixteenth-century courtyard sited on the former Benedictine cloister. The central main entrance leads to the Appartamento Vecchio (“Old Apartment”) made for Ippolito d’Este.  Its vaulted ceilings was frescoed in secular allegories by Livio Agresti and his students, centered on the grand Sala, with its spectacular view down the main axis of the garden.

Courtyard

Courtyard

To the left and right are suites of rooms.  The suite on the left contains Cardinal Ippolito’s’s library and his bedchamber with the chapel beyond, and the private stairs to the lower apartment, the Appartamento Nobile, which gives directly onto Pirro Ligorio’s Cenacolo (Gran Loggia) straddling the graveled terrace with a triumphal arch motif.

Cenacolo (Grand Loggia)

Cenacolo (Grand Loggia) with its triumphal arch motif

A series of highly decorated rooms, less formal than the Cardinal’s personal apartments above it, are each decorated with a specific theme, all connected to nature, mythology and water. Reached by a large ceremonial stairway that descends from the courtyard, they have high vaulted ceilings (receiving light from a series of openings to the courtyard above), are connected to each other by a long narrow corridor and were used for private moments in the life of the Cardinal; listening to music or poetry; conversation, reading and religious reflection.

Corridor

Corridor

The ceiling of the corridor, decorated with late 16th century mosaics representing a pergola inhabited by colorful birds (making it seem a part of the garden) and also features three elaborate rustic fountains containing miniature grottos framed with columns and pediments.

Room of Noah

Room of Noah

The Room of Noah, dated to 1571 (at the end of the decoration of the villa) and attributed to Girolamo Muziano (famous for scenes of Venetian landscapes), has walls covered with frescoes designed to resemble tapestries, intertwined with scenes of Classical landscapes, ruins, rustic farm houses, and other scenes covering every inch of the ceiling and walls. The major scenes portrayed are the Four Seasons, allegories of Prudence and Temperance, and the central scene of Noah with the ark shortly after its landing on Mount Ararat, making an agreement with God. A white eagle, the symbol of the d’Este, is prominently shown landing from the Ark.

Room of Moses

Room of Moses

The next room is the Room of Moses. The fresco at the center of its ceiling shows Moses striking a rock with his rod, bringing forth water for the people of Israel, an allusion to the Cardinal who brought water to the villa’s gardens by making channels through the rock. Other panels show scenes from the life of Moses, a hydra with seven heads, the emblem of the family of Ercole I d’Este(an ancestor of Ippolito) and fantastic landscapes.

Room of Venus

Room of Venus

The Room of Venus originally had, as its centerpiece, a large fountain (a basin of water with a classical statue of a sleeping Venus) with an artificial cliff and grotto framed in stucco. In the 19th century, the basin was removed and the Venus (removed after the death of the Cardinal) was replaced by two new statues of Peace and Religion representing a scene at the grotto of Lourdes. The original terra cotta floor, featuring the white eagle of the d’Este family, is still in place. The 17th century painting on the ceiling of angels offering flowers to Venus is the only other decoration in the room.

First Tiburtine Room

First Tiburtine Room

The First and Second Tiburtine Rooms both made before 1569 by a team of painters led by Cesare Nebia, both have a common plan and its decoration illustrates stories from mythology and the history of Tiburtine region (where the villa is located).  The walls are covered with painted architectural elements (with the spaces between are filled with floral designs, medals, masks and other insignia), including columns and doors and elaborate painted moldings and sculptural elements.

Second Tiburtine Room

Second Tiburtine Room

Illustrated in the Second Tiburtine Room is the story of the Tiburtine Sibyl, its main theme,  plus the legend of King Annius (the Aniene River, which provides the water for the fountains of the villa, takes his name from him). The Sibyl, King Annius and the personification of the Aniene River, along with the Triumph of Apollo, all appear in the frescoes of the room.

Battle

Wall painting detail at First Tiburtine Room 

The frescoes of the First Tiburtine Room illustrates the story of three legendary Greek brothers (Tiburtus, Coras and Catillus) who defeated the Sicels, an Italic tribe, and built a new city, Tibur (now Tivoli). Their battle, as well as other events in the founding of the region, is illustrated in the central fresco of the ceiling. The decoration of the room also includes the Tenth Labor of Hercules as well as pairs of gods and goddesses (Vulcan and Venus; Jupiter and Juno; Apollo with Diana; and Bacchus with Circe) in painted niches. On the wall is an illustration of the oval fountain, which Ippolito was building at the time the room was decorated.

Salon of the Fountain

Salon of the Fountain

The Salon of the Fountain, designed and made between 1565 and 1570, probably by Girolamo Muziano and his team of artists, was used by Cardinal Ippolito as a reception room for guests, who had just arrived through the garden below, and for concerts and other artistic events.  A wall fountain, its central element, was finished in 1568 by Paolo Calandrino.  Its basin rests on two stone dolphins. The fountain is covered with multicolored ceramics and sculpture, encrusted with pieces of glass, seashells and precious stones, and is crowned by the white eagle of the d’Este family.

The fountain at the Salon of the Fountain

The fountain at the Salon of the Fountain

The central niche has reliefs depicting the fountain, the Tiburtine acropolis and the Temple of the Sibyl. On the other walls are images of the house and unfinished garden and fountains, and a small illustration, on the opposite wall, from the fountain of Ippolito’s villa (now a residence of the Pope) on the Quirinal Hill in Rome. The ceiling paintings are devoted to scenes of mythology with each corner having portraits of a different gods and goddesses (tradition says that the painting of Mercury is a self-portrait of Muziano).

Ceiling fresco at Salon of the Fountain

Ceiling fresco at Salon of the Fountain

The central fresco on the ceiling, modeled after a similar work by Raphael in the Loggia of Psyche in the Villa Farnesina, depicts the Synod of the Gods, with Jupiter in the center surrounded by all the gods of Olympus. The hall connects with the loggia, and from there a stairway descends to the garden.

Room of Hercules

Room of Hercules

The Room of Hercules, dating to 1565–66, was also one by Muziano. The ceiling paintings depict eight of the labors of Hercules, surrounded by depictions of landscapes, ancient architecture, and the graces and the virtues. The ceiling’s central painting shows Hercules being welcomed into Olympus by the gods.

Ceiling fresco of Hercules welcomed to Olympus

Ceiling fresco of Hercules welcomed to Olympus

The Room of the Nobility, done by Federico Zuccari and his team of painters, has a central ceiling fresco depicting “Nobility on the throne between Liberality and Generosity.” The decoration on the walls includes paintings of busts of Classical philosophers (Diogenes, Socrates, Plato, Pythagoras,  etc.), the Graces and Virtues, and Diana of Ephesus (the goddess of Fertility).

Room of the Nobility

Room of the Nobility

The Room of Glory, completed between 1566 and 1577 by Federico Zuccari and eight assistants, with painted illusions of doors, windows, tapestries, sculptures, and of everyday objects used by the Cardinal, is a masterpiece of Roman Mannerist painting. The Allegory of Glory, the central painting of the ceiling, has been lost but there are allegorical depictions of the Virtues, the Four Seasons, and of Religion, Magnanimity, Fortune and Time.

Room of Glory

Room of Glory

The Hunting Room, built later than the other rooms (from the end of the 16th or beginning the 17th century), is in a different style.  It features hunting scenes, rural landscapes, hunting trophie and, oddly, scenes of naval battles.  The “Snail Stairway,” built with travertine stone, descends to the garden. Originally built to access a pallacorda (an ancestor of tennis) court which Ippolito imported into Italy from the French Court, the space where the court was located now houses the cafeteria and bookstore.

Hunting Room

Hunting Room

The Villa’s uppermost terrace ends in a balustraded balcony at the left end, with a sweeping view over the plain below. The grounds of the Villa d’Este also house the Museo Didattico del Libro Antico, a teaching museum for the study and conservation of antiquarian books.

L-R: Kyle, Cheska, Grace and Jandy

L-R: Kyle, Cheska, Grace and Jandy

Villa d‘ Este: Piazza Trento, 5, 00019 Tivoli,  RM, Italy. Tel: 0039 0412719036. Fax: 0039 0412770747. E-mail:  villadestetivoli@teleart.org. Website: www.villadestetivoli.info.

Open 8.30 AM – 6.45 PM (May to August), 8:30 AM – 4 PM (January, November, December), 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM (February), 8:30 AM – 5:15 PM (March), 8:30 AM – 6:30 PM (April), 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM (October) and 8:30 AM – 6:15 PM (September). Admission: € 8.00. The visitor can take pictures without any physical contact with the cultural heritage and he cannot use either flash or tripod. 

How to Get There:

  • Taking the blue regional COTRAL busRoma Tivoli-Via Prenestina at the bus terminal just outside Ponte Mammolo station of metro line B; the stop Largo Nazioni Unite is about 100m far from the entrance of the Villa.
  • Taking the urban train line FL2 (Roma-Pescara Line) from Tiburtina stationto Tivoli station (Stazione Tivoli), then, local bus CAT number 1 or 4/ to Piazza Garibaldi stop; the stop is in Tivoli’s main square in front of the Villa.

Hadrian’s Villa (Tivoli, Italy)

Posted on by — Leave a reply

Our first trip outside Rome brought us to Hadrian’s Villa (Villa Adriana in Italian), a large, important Roman cultural and archaeological site, major tourist destination (along with the nearby Villa d’Este and the town of Tivoli) and a UNESCO World Heritage Site at Tibur (now modern-day Tivoli). It is situated southeast of Tivoli, on a small plain extending on the slopes of the Tiburine Hills. In early times, it was accessed by the Via Tiburtina and the Aniene river, a tributary of the Tiber River.

Hadrian's Villa

Hadrian’s Villa

Roman Emperor Hadrian, who was said to dislike the palace on the Palatine Hill in Rome, built the villa  as his retreat from Rome.   Around AD 128, it became his official residence, actually governing the empire from here during the later years of his reign. Therefore, a large court had to live there permanently and a postal service kept it in contact with Rome 29 kms. (18 mi.) away. Although its architect is unknown, it is said that Hadrian had a direct intervention in the design of the villa.

L-R: Cheska, Kyle, Grace and Jandy

L-R: Cheska, Kyle, Grace and Jandy

After Hadrian, the villa was occasionally used by his various successors. Busts of Antoninus Pius (138-161), Marcus Aurelius (161-180), Lucius Verus (161-169), Septimius Severus and Caracalla have been found on the premises and Zenobia, the deposed queen of Palmyra, possibly lived here in the 270s after her defeat by Emperor Aurelian.

The author with Jandy

The author with Jandy

In the 4th century, during the decline of the Roman Empire, the villa gradually fell into disuse.  It was partially ruined as valuable statues and marble were taken away and, during the destructive Gothic War (535–554) between the Ostrogoths and Byzantines, the facility was used as a warehouse by both sides.

dsc00948

Remains of lime kilns, where marble from the complex was burned to extract lime for building material, have been found. In the 16th century, much of the remaining marble and statues in Hadrian’s Villa was removed to decorate Cardinal Ippolito II d’Este own Villa d’Este located nearby. In the 18th century, many antiquities were also excavated by dealers such as Piranesi and Gavin Hamilton to sell to Grand Tourists and antiquarians such as Charles Towneley. They are now in major antiquities collections elsewhere in Europe and North America.

dsc00939

Today, the villa is a property of the Republic of Italy and, since December 2014, was directed and run by the Polo Museale del Lazio . Because of the rapid deterioration of the ruins, the villa was placed on the 100 Most Endangered Sites 2006 list of the World Monuments Watch.

dsc00967

The site of this luxurious complex is a vast area of land (much still unexcavated) with over 30 buildings (including a theatre, libraries, a stadium, servants’ quarters, etc.) covering an area of at least 1 sq. km. (c. 250 acres or 100 ha.), all constructed in travertine, lime, pozzolana and tufa, plus many pools, fountains and water features; thermal baths (thermae); underground supply tunnels; and classical Greek architecture. Abundant water was readily available from aqueducts that passed through Rome, including Anio Vetus, Anio Nobus, Aqua Marcia and Aqua Claudia.

dsc00979

The ground stretches from north to south on a rise of about 40 m., starting from the foot of Monte Arcese, at the top of which is the town of Tivoli. The scale was so amazing, we spent hours wandering among the extensive ruins but only explored a number of buildings. There are essentially three types of buildings in Hadrian’s Villa – servants quarters, secondary buildings (ex. Great Baths) and noble buildings (ex. Small Baths).

1950s plastic model of Hadrian's Villa

1950s plastic model of Hadrian’s Villa

The villa, described as an architectural masterpiece and the greatest Roman example of an Alexandrian garden, recreates a sacred landscape and shows echoes of many different architectural orders (mostly Greek and Egyptian) and innovations.

Wall of the Poikile

Wall of the Poikile

The designs were borrowed and utilized by the very well traveled Hadrian who personally supervised the building work and included these architectural features to remind him of his travels, of the countries he had visited and the times the bisexual Hadrian spent with his deified favorite and lover, Antinous (accidentally drowned in Egypt), around whose youthful charm a cult was established.  It is thought that Hadrian modelled parts of his palace on sites he knew and admired throughout his empire, from Athens to Egypt, giving them names such as Lyceum, Academy, Prytaneum, Canopus, Poikile and Tempes. He even made an Underworld.

The Pecile

The Pecile

One of the first stops on our tour of the villa was a little pavilion housing a 1950s plastic model of the villa, giving us an idea of the original appearance of the site. We then passed through a large Wall of the Poikile (a huge rectangular colonnade with a pool in the center, half the structure rests on a large artificial platform), arriving at Hadrian’s Pecile, a huge garden surrounded by an arcade and a large, restored rectangular 232 by 97 m. swimming pool, fishpond or lake in the center of the quadriportico, originally surrounded by four walls (creating a peaceful solitude for Hadrian and guests) with Greek-style colonnaded (these columns helped to support the roof) interior.

The Cento Camerelle (Hundred Chambers)

The Cento Camerelle (Hundred Chambers)

The less visible Cento Camerelle (Hundred Chambers), beneath the esplanade of the Pecile, consists of dozens of rooms of lower quality that identify them as the living quarters of the Villa’s serving class. To keep these rooms from becoming too humid, it has a hollow double wall separating them from the adjacent hill. and vast amount of rooms in the Chambers help .

The Building with Three Exedrae

The Building with Three Exedrae

The Building with Three Exedrae, a rectangular, highly articulated complex, has a triple exedra with porticoes on three of its outer walls. One wing of the building has mainly open spaces while the other more has more enclosed areas.  The north-facing rooms were used for summer banquets.

The Canopus

The Canopus

Caryatids

Caryatids

Statue of Neptune

Statue of Neptune

The Canopus (named after an Egyptian resort next to Alexandria), one of the most striking and best preserved parts of the villa, is a 119 m. long by 18 m. wide lake with Greek-influenced architecture (typical in Roman architecture of the High and Late Empire) that can be seen in the Corinthian columns, connected to each other with marble, and the copies of famous Greek caryatids  that surround the pool.

Statue of an Amazon

Statue of an Amazon

Statue of Ares

Statue of Ares

The Serapeum

The Serapeum

At its farthest end is the Serapeum, a temple with with a peculiarly-shaped umbrella dome  and artificial grotto dedicated to the god Serapis. The Corinthian arches of the Canopus and Serapeum as well as the domes of the main buildings, show clear Roman architecture. Fine mosaics are still preserved in a row of sleeping chambers.  Some of the more recent finds and statues from the site are on display in a museum near the Canopus.

The Small Bath (Piccole Terme)

The Small Bath (Piccole Terme)

Just northwest of the Canopus, in the central part of the villa, are the ruins of the Great and Small Baths. In front were the palestras, open paved courtyards where excersises took place, then calidariums (hot water bath), tepidarium (warm bath), laconicums (circular shaped saunas) and frigidariums (cold water rinsing room). Scattered throughout are a few latrines, one of a single seater in the Small Baths and two public ones in the Great Baths.

The Great Bath (Grandi Terme)

The Great Bath (Grandi Terme)

The Great Baths (Grandi Terme) were paved in opus spicatum (a simple black and white mosaic) while the Small Baths (Piccole Terme) were done in the higher quality marble opus sectile.

Frigidarium of the Great Bath

Frigidarium of the Great Bath

Both used white marble (especially typical of water basins in the villa) revetments as a type of finish and colored fresco ceiling decorations could also be found throughout each (the Small Baths even have some of the red and white pattern still visible today). The noble Small Baths exhibited more elaborate architecture.  At the Octagon Hall, the perspective view through other rooms create an illusion of infinite space.

Beautiful stucco decoration at the Great Bath

Beautiful stucco decoration at the Great Bath

The Praetorium, dating to 125-133 CE, has two distinct levels.  The upper level, reserved for distinguished guests, has lavishly decorated rooms facing a large garden to the south, with walls and pavements in opus sectile, and Doric columns of cipollino marble.  The lower level, composed of three floors of substructions (servants’ lodgings), supported the richly decorated upper part.  It has rooms of utilitarian purpose such as storage rooms and perhaps dormitory rooms for the service staff.

The Praetorium

The Praetorium

Hadrian’s Villa:  Largo Marguerite Yourcenar, 1, 00010 Tivoli RM, Italy. Tel: +39 0774 530203. Admission: €6.50. Open 9 AM to 7 PM.

How to Get There: Frequent buses, operated by Cotral, run from Rome to Tivoli along the Via Tiburtina. They depart from a bus station outside Ponte Mammolo Metro station on Linea B, nine stops from Stazione Termini. This bus service stops on the main road, the Via Tiburtina, about a mile from Hadrian’s Villa. Ask the driver where to get off, then walk along the suburban Via di Villa Adriana to the site’s entrance. An alternative service from Rome to Tivoli, which runs along the Via Prenestina, stops nearer to the villa, but is very infrequent.

An alternative is to catch a second bus out from Tivoli to the archaeological site. A local company called CAT runs a bus service (numbers 4, 4X) from Tivoli to the suburbs near the Villa Adriana. It calls at various bus stops in Tivoli including Piazza Garibaldi. Tickets cost €1 per journey and can be bought at the CAT office, shops and news-stands in Tivoli and from a bar opposite the bus stop (buy your return ticket in advance). Ask the driver where to get off, as the bus drops you a few hundred yards from the site. To return towards Tivoli, leave the villa, walk past the little park and continue straight along the road for a few yards till you find a bus stop. Since the CAT local bus takes the same Via Tiburtina route up into Tivoli as the Cotral buses, you can cross the road and change to the Rome-bound service without riding all the way back into Tivoli.

You can then return to Rome by one of three methods: catch the occasional Via Prenestina bus, walk back to the Via Tiburtina to catch the frequent Rome Cotral bus, or take the CAT service either to the Via Tiburtina or all the way back into Tivoli and change there for a Rome service. It can be slow getting back into Rome during the rush hour, so it’s worth considering visiting on a Saturday when the roads may be clearer.

Fountain of the Four Rivers (Rome, Italy)

Posted on by — Leave a reply
Fountain of the Four Rivers

Fountain of the Four Rivers

The Fountain of the Four Rivers (Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi), triumphantly and theatrically unveiled to the Roman populace on June 12, 1651, is Rome’s greatest achievement in this genre and the epitome of Baroque theatricality.

Piazza Navona

Piazza Navona

The author (right) and son Jandy at Piazza Navona

The author (right) and son Jandy at Piazza Navona

This fountain, which can be strolled around, was built on Piazza Navona, the site of the Stadium of Domitian, built in 1st century AD. It was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini for Pope Innocent X (reigned 1644-1655).  The pope’s family palace, the Palazzo Pamphili, faced onto the piazza as did the church of Sant’Agnese in Agone of which Innocent was the sponsor.

Palazzo Pamphili

Palazzo Pamphili

Bernini‘s design was influenced by the design of the Monument of the Four Moors (Monumento dei Quattro mori). It may have also been influenced by a fountain in Marino, Lazio which was constructed to commemorate the defeat of the Ottomans at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.

The obelisk

The obelisk

The base of the fountain is a basin whose center has a slender, ancient Egyptian obelisk, brought in pieces from the Circus of Maxentius to Rome by the Emperor Caracalla. It was built for the Roman Serapeum in AD 81 but had been buried for a long time at Capo di Bove.

Pamphili family emblem

Pamphili family emblem

Beneath it are four semi-prostrate giant nudes of river gods, all in awe of the central tower surmounted with the Pamphili family emblem of a dove with an olive twig, symbol of Papal power and the Holy Spirit. The river gods depict the four major rivers of the four continents, (whose rivers feed the ocean, represented by the large pool) as then recognized by the Renaissance geographers, through which papal authority had spread.

The river gods

The river gods

Supported on the base by a jagged and pierced mountainous disorder of  travertine marble rocks, the marble giants are arranged at the center of a scene of carved grottoes and decorated with flowers, exotic plants and 7 animals (a horse, a sea monster, a serpent, a dolphin, a crocodile, a lion and a dragon) that further carry forth identification.

Lion

Lion

Sea monster

Sea monster

Each carries a certain number of allegories and metaphors with it. The Nile, representing Africa, has a head draped with a loose piece of cloth, meaning that no one, at that time, knew exactly where the Nile’s source was.  Symbolically, this also refers to what the Catholic world saw as the dark ignorance of the “pagan” world: the sculpture has not seen the light of Christianity

Statue of the Nile River

Statue of the Nile River

The apathetic Ganges river god, representing Asia, carries a long oar, representing the river’s navigability, and looks away from the light of the Church, representing the spiritual ignorance of this hedonistic land.

Statue of the Ganges

Statue of the Ganges

The Danube, representing Europe, touches the Pope’s personal coat of arms, since it is the large river closest to Rome.  The most “civilized” and cultured of the figures, the Danube looks toward and embraces the light of the lord.

Statue of the Danube

Statue of the Danube

The Río de la Plata (the word plata means “silver” in Spanish), representing America, sits on a pile of coins, a symbol of the riches America could offer to Europe. The Río de la Plata also looks scared by a snake, showing rich men’s fear that their money could be stolen. Although he throws his hands back in surprise, this representative of the newly converted lands has begun to see the light.

Statue of the Rio de la Plata

Statue of the Rio de la Plata

There are a number of urban legends regarding the fountain, nasty rumors fed by the famous rivalry between the Bermini and Borromini, designer of the church of Sant’Agnese right in front of the fountain.  Borromini lost the fountain commission to Bermini. Many tour-guides, would tell you that Bernini positioned the cowering sculpture of the Rio de la Plata River as if it feared the facade of the church could possibly crumble against him; that the statue of the Nile covered its head so as not to have to see the church; and that the statue of Sant’Agnese on the facade of the church, with her hand on her chest, seems to reassure the Rio de la Plata of the church’s stability. However, the truth is the fountain was completed several years before Borromini began work on the church.

Church of Sant' Agnese

Church of Sant’ Agnese

Today, this revolutionary and grandiose monument to the power and glory of the pope and his family and dynamic fusion of architecture and sculpture, with its highly dramatic, evocative, and individualized figures, dramatically spurting water and a wealth of surprising and charming sculptural details, continues to amaze and entertain visitors to Rome.

Fontana del Moro

Fontana del Moro

Statue o the Moor

Statue of the Moor

One of our Tritons

One of four Tritons

Piazza Navona has two other fountains – the Fontana del Moro, at the southern end, and the Fountain of Neptune at the northern end. The Fontana del Moro has a basin and four Tritons sculpted by Giacomo della Porta in 1575.  In 1673, Bernini added a statue of a Moor,  standing on a conch shell, wrestling with a dolphin.

Fountain of Neptune

Fountain of Neptune

The Fountain of Neptune was also created by Giacomo della Porta in1574.  In1878, the statue of Neptune, by Antonio Della Bitta, was added in to create a balance with La Fontana del Moro.

Museo di Roma

Museo di Roma

Other buildings within the piazza include the Museo di Roma, housed in the large Neoclassical Palazzo Braschi, covering the history of the city in the period from the Middle Ages through the nineteenth century; and the Church of Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore (Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, also known as the Church of San Giacomo degli Spagnoli), the national church of the Spanish community in Rome.

Church of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

Church of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

Fountain of the Four Rivers: Piazza Navona, Boccadellaverità, Rome, Italy.

Neue Burg (Vienna, Austria)

Posted on by — Leave a reply

Neue Burg

Upon arrival at the grandiose New Castle (Neue Burg) within the Hofburg Palace Complex, Grace, Vicky, Manny, Cheska, Jandy and I availed of a combination ticket that includes admission to important Imperial collections at three of Neue Burg’s four specialty museums, all branch museums of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, which was in urgent need for more exhibition space  – the Ephesus Museum, the Sammlung Alter Musikinstrumente (Collection of Ancient Musical Instruments) and the Hofjadg und Rüstkammer (Collection of Arms and Armor).

Check out “Kunsthistorisches Museum,“ “Kunsthistorisches Museum – Egyptian and Near Eastern Collection,” “Kunsthistorisches Museum – Collection of Greek and Roman Antiquities,” “Kunsthistorisches Museum – Picture Gallery” and “Kunsthistorisches Museum – Kunstkammer.”

L-R: Jandy, Grace, Vicky and Cheska

The massive, curved new wing on the southwest, the Neue Berg is the most recent and grandest addition to the Hofburg complex. Designed by Ringstrasse architects Gottfried Semper and Karl Freiherr von Hasenauer, it was built between 1881 and 1913.

Ceiling frescoes

A symbol of architectural overconfidence, the Neue Burg was part of a much larger scheme to make the Hofburg rival the Louvre, if not Versailles. It originally contained the personal memorabilia of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

From the balcony of the terraced central bay on New Castle onto Heroes’ Square, Adolf Hitler, on March 15, 1938, proclaimed, to the tens of thousands of the Viennese gathered outside, the “Anschluss” of Austria into the Third Reich (Deutsches Reich).

The palace’s spectacular Baroque design is reflected both inside and out. The opulent marble staircase displays artifacts removed from the ancient Greek city of Ephesus (now in present-day Turkey).

The marble stairway

The Collection of Ancient Musical Instruments and the Collection of Arms and Armor are only accessible via an elevator at the ticket counter level while the Ephesos Museum can only be reached, from this level, via a 60-step stairway.

Collection of Ancient Musical Instruments

The Collection of Ancient Musical Instruments (Sammlung Alter Musik Instrumente), which arrived at Neue Burg post-war in 1945, contains a wonderfully diverse and impressive array of Renaissance-period musical instruments, including pianos owned by Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert and Joseph Haydn, and the world’s oldest surviving claviorgan (1596).

Collection of Ancient Musical Instruments

Showcasing the musical journey from harpsichord to modern-day piano, highlights in the museum include archaic wind instruments, mandolins and priceless violins.

Check out “Neue Burg – Collection of Ancient Musical Instruments”

Ephesos Museum

The Ephesos Museum features artifacts unearthed during Austrian archaeologists’ excavations, between 1895 and 1906, from the Greek and Roman site at Ephesus in Turkey plus findings from the Greek island of Samothrace, excavated in the 1870s.

Check out “Neue Burg – Ephesos Museum”

Collection of Arms and Armor

The Collection of Arms and Armor (Hofjägd und Rüstkammer), which moved into its palatial new home in 1935, displays to stunning effect, in long, marble-floored corridors, battle armor, worn by both man and beast, dating mainly from the 15th and 16th centuries.

Also on display are fine weaponry, remarkable in terms of size and workmanship (filigree inlay on swords, medieval ceremonial saddles and jeweled Turkish and Syrian maces), the core of which are the personal armories of the Habsburgs.

Check out “Neue Burg – Collection of Arms and Armor”

Aside from the three museums, it houses the reading rooms of the Austrian National Library, the Hofburg Congress Center of international renown, the Hofburg Info Centre, the Imperial Shop and the Weltmuseum Wien (Museum of Ethnology) whose galleries explore the aspects of travel, anthropology and ethnography with exhibits from across the globe.

Austrian National Library

Neue Burg: Heldenplatz, 1010 Vienna.  Open Wednesdays to Sundays, 10 AM – 6 PM. Admission: adults (€12), young people under 19 years (free). Audio guides cost €5. Tel: 01-525–240.

How to Get There:

The closest subway station is Museumsquartier on the U2 line but it’s only a short walk from Volkstheater (U3 and U2), Herrengasse (U3) and Stephansplatz (U3 and U1). By tram/bus, the Ring trams stop practically outside. Take the 1, 2, D or 71 to Burgring.

Hofburg Palace (Vienna, Austria)

Posted on by — Leave a reply

Hofburg Palace Complex

The popular Hofburg, the extensive former imperial palace complex of the Habsburg dynasty rulers, was the political centre of the monarchy and was their principal imperial winter residence for over 600 years, as Schönbrunn Palace was their summer residence.  Previously, the castle of the Austrian rulers had been located on the Am Hof, a square near the Schottenstift (Scottish Monastery).

Check out “Schonbrunn Palace and Gardens”

Since 1279, the Hofburg was the documented seat of government for various empires and republics,  housing some of the most powerful people in European and Austrian history including kings and emperors of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation (from 1438 to 1583 and from 1612 to 1806) and, thereafter, the seat of the Emperor of Austria of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until 1918. Today, part of it forms the official residence and workplace of the Austrian Federal President.

Originally a fortified Medieval castle built in the 13th century, the Hofburg area has, over the centuries, been expanded by each emperor to include various residences (with the Amalienburg), the Imperial Chapel (Hofkapelle or Burgkapelle), the Naturhistorisches Museum (Natural History Museum) and Kunsthistorisches Museum, the Austrian National Library (Hofbibliothek), the Imperial Treasury (Schatzkammer), the Burgtheater, the Spanish Riding School (Hofreitschule), the Imperial Horse Stables (Stallburg and Hofstallungen), and the Hofburg Congress Center.

Check out “Kunsthistorisches Museum,” “Imperial Treasury” and “Natural History Museum”

This sprawling, asymmetric complex extends over 240,000 sq.m., consists of 18 wings, 19 courtyards and 2,600 rooms in which nearly 5,000 people still work and live today.

The Hofburg faces Heroes Square (Heldenplatz), ordered built under the reign of Emperor Francis Joseph, as part of what was to become an Imperial Forum (Kaiserforum), a two-winged structure reaching beyond the Ringstraße that was never completed. Standing at the foci of Heroes Square are the equestrian statues of Prince Eugene of Savoy and Archduke Charles, the two most important Austrian field marshals.

The statue of Archduke Charles

The Alte Burg (Old Fortress), the  oldest part of the Hofburg has, since the 18th century, been called the Schweizertrakt (Swiss Wing) after the Swiss Guards who served as the palace watch. Over the centuries, the palace underwent alterations and, thought the core of the Medieval fortress complex has been preserved, its four corner towers, most of the moat and the drawbridge had to make way for that.

The Swiss Court (Schweizerhof), built during the reign of Emperor Ferdinand I in the style of the Renaissance, corresponds somewhat to a square formed around the oldest sections of the castle which originate from the 13th century and were primarily constructed by the last of the Babenbergers or by Ottakar II of Bohemia. The lower section of this wing once accommodated the imperial kitchen.

Grace and the author at the Imperial Treasury (Schatzkammer)

Situated here are the Burgkapelle (the Vienna Boys’ Choir still sings on Sundays at High Mass), a Gothic chapel built in 1449; the Schatzkammer, the Imperial Treasury which holds, among other objects, the Imperial Insignia of the Holy Roman Empire (Reichskleinodien) and that of the Empire of Austria); and the Hofmusikkapelle (the Imperial Music Chapel).

Cheska and Kyle entering the Swiss Gate

Its famous Schweizertor, the red-black Swiss Gate, is the main motif in the silver 20 euro Renaissance commemorative coin.  The gate, designed by Pietro Ferabosco, is one of only a handful of Renaissance monuments in Vienna. It displays the many titles of Emperor Ferdinand I and the insignia of the Order of the Golden Fleece. It is flanked by two soldiers in period attire, a reminder of the unsettled times which saw Vienna besieged by Turkish armies in 1529, as well as the struggles between Protestants and Catholics during the Reformation.

The many titles of Emperor Ferdinand I and the insignia of the Order of the Golden Fleece at the Swiss Gate.

The formerly free-standing Amalienburg (Amalia Residence) wing, across from the Swiss Gate, was named after Empress Amalie Wilhelmine, who used it as her dower residence after the death of husband, Emperor Joseph I.

Grace and Vicky at Amalienburg

Constructed during the 16th century, in the style of the late Renaissance, as the Viennese residence of Emperor Rudolph II, it had already been in use for more than a century. Its last occupant was Empress Elisabeth, whose apartments are today open to the public. The small domed tower has an astronomical clock on its façade.

Astronomical Clock Tower at Amalienburg

The early Baroque Leopoldine Wing (the Leopoldischiner Trakt), connecting the Amalienburg with the Swiss Court, was designed by Italian architect-engineer Filiberto Luchese and built between 1668 and 1680 under Emperor Leopold I. After the Siege of 1683 by the Turks, the Leopold Wing was rebuilt by Giovanni Pietro Tencala with an additional floor installed.

The Leopoldine Wing

During the 18th century, it was occupied by Empress Maria Theresa and, after her death, its magnificent apartments were used as state rooms until the end of the monarchy. The architecture of this wing still bears a connection to the late Renaissance. Since 1946, this wing houses the offices of the Federal President. As well as that of the Amalienburg, the lower section of this wing served as the enormous wine cellar for the Hofburg.

Plaque at the Leopoldine Wing

The Imperial Stables (Stallburg), although not physically connected to the rest of the Hofburg complex, was started in 1559 and were originally built as a residence for Maximilian II, the son of Ferdinand I and the then crown prince. Later, this structure accommodated the art collection (which formed the core of the later Kunsthistorisches Museum from 1889) of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm, the art-inclined brother of Emperor Ferdinand III. The first Austrian parliament sat here in 1848. Only later was it used to house the imperial horses. Today, it is still used by the Spanish Riding School (Spanische Hofreitschule). The famous Lipizzan stallions, can be seen here daily (except on Mondays), at their morning training.

The Winter Riding School (Winterreitschule), where you can watch performances of Lipizzan stallions, is located across from the Stallburg and was also designed by the Baroque architects Lukas von Hildebrandt and Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach.

Imperial Chancellery Wing (Reichskanzleitrakt)

The Imperial Chancellery Wing Reichskanzleitrakt, across from the Leopold Wing, was originally planned by Baroque architect Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt and completed in 1730.  It accommodated the Aulic Council (Reichshofrat), the offices of the Imperial Vice Chancellor (Reichsvizekanzler).  After the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, this wing housed the apartments of the Duke of Reichstadt (Napoleon II) and, from the middle of the 19th century, those of Emperor Francis Joseph I.

Attika with Shield of Kaiser Karl VI

On the Chancellery portals are sculptures, representing the Labors of Hercules, by Lorenzo Mattielli. The Kaisertor (Emperor’s Gate), at the central section, gives access to the imperial apartments. The imposing armorial shield of Emperor Charles VI with the double eagle bearing the Austrian shield in the colors of red, white and red and surmounted by the imperial crown, rises from the edge of the roof.

The originally free-standing Imperial Library (Hofbibliothek), housed on the other side of the complex, was founded by Charles VI.  Now called the Prunksaal, it now houses the Austrian National Library (Österreichische Nationalbibliothek). Its construction was begun by Baroque court architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach and, after Johann’s death in 1723, finished in 1735 by his son Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach.  This magnificent hall, the most significant part of the Hofburg in artistic terms, contains the precious book collection of Prince Eugene, an enormous ceiling fresco by Daniel Gran, and statues of emperors by Paul Strudel.

The exterior, decorated with Attika figures, was executed, in 1726, by Lorenzo Mattielli who placed a statue of Pallas Athene, riding on a quadriga, above the main entrance. He also situated Atlas, supporting the celestial globe and flanked by Astronomy and Astrology, on the left portion of the roof and, on the opposite side, Gaia with the terrestrial globe, flanked by allegories of Geometry and Geography.

The present Joseph Square (Josephsplatz), one of the most beautiful locations in Vienna, was created when, from 1763 to 1769, Nicolo Pacassi connected the Imperial Library to the other parts of the Hofburg and its other side to St. Augustine’s Church (Augustinerkirche).  At the center of Joseph Square is the equestrian statue of Emperor Joseph II by Franz Anton von Zauner.

On the southeast side of Joseph Square, adjacent to the Imperial Library, is the Baroque Augustinian Wing, so identified for its proximity to the Augustinian Church and Monastery.  The Augustinian Church (Augustinerkirche), used by the Habsburgs as their court church and also for weddings, was where Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth, alias Sisi, were married.

As the Hofburg Palace expanded, the wing became part of it. Because of its structural connections to the Augustinian Monastery, the Archduke Albrecht Palace (formerly Tarouca-de Sylva Palace), home of the Albertina Museum, is also considered part of the Hofburg Palace after the renovation of the Albertina in the 1820s by Joseph Kornhäusel. In early years of the 19th century, Archduke Albrecht and, later, his nephew, Archduke Friedrich, Duke of Teschen, both members of the Habsburg Family, lived in the building.

The Hearts’ Crypt, behind the Loreto side chapel, is a semicircular-shaped annex, separated by an iron door, where 54 hearts of House of Habsburg members are kept in silver urns.

The magnificent  Zeremoniensaal (Ceremonial Hall), built for Emperor Franz II/I by the Belgian architect Louis Montoyer at the beginning of the 19th century, was nicknamed as the “Nose of the Hofburg,” derived from the fact that it, for almost a hundred years, formed a clearly visible protrusion at right angles to the Leopold Wing.

Neue Burg

Having a truly imperial aspect, the Zeremoniensaal, fully integrated into the New Castle (Neue Burg), has an ornate coffered ceiling, 26 crystal chandeliers (which once held 1,300 candles) and 24 Corinthian columns with an artificial marble finish (the surface is not real stone but a form of painted gypsum known as stucco lustro).

Check out “Neue Burg”

During an exclusive Ball at the Court held here, Napoleon I asked for the hand of Marie Louise, the daughter of Emperor Franz II/I and, during a traditional Maundy Thursday ceremony, Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth invited twelve poor old men and women to have their feet washed.

The St. Michael’s Wing, originally planned by Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach, was built from 1889 to 1893, utilizing a slightly altered plan of Ferdinand Kirschner. It serves as the connection between the Winter Riding School and the Imperial Chancellery Wing.

The Redoutensaele (derived from the French word “wikt:redoute” meaning an elegant masked ball), a 17th-century opera house converted into the beautiful dance and concert halls by Maria Theresia, became the setting for a cultivated style of entertainment. Its original plans were drawn up by Jean Nicolas Jadot de Ville-Issey (de), while the external facades are the work of Nicolò Pacassi and Franz Anton Hillebrandt (de).

Johann Strauss served as musical director to the court for the balls held at the Redoutensaele, and the audience was treated to music by Joseph Haydn, Nicolo Paganini and Franz Liszt and, in 1814, the premiere of Beethoven‘s 8th Symphony took place there. Over the centuries, in line with changing tastes, various modifications have been made in the balls. On November 27, 1992 the whole wing with the Redoutensaele was seriously damaged by fire and the reconstruction and faithful restoration work performed lasted five years. The Redoutensaele reopened in 1998 and, since then, became part of the Hofburg Congress Center.

Fiaker  (Horse-Drawn Carriage) inside the Hofburg

Hofburg Palace: Michaelerplatz 1 (Michaelerkuppel), 1010 Vienna, Austria. Tel: +43 1 5337570. Open 9 AM-6 PM.

How to Get There:

Underground: U3 Herrengasse

Tram: 1, 2, 71, D Burgring

Bus: 2A, 3A Hofburg

HOP ON HOP OFF: Red Line: Kunsthistorisches Museum / Heldenplatz

Upper Belvedere (Vienna, Austria)

Posted on by — 1 Comment ↓

Upper Belvedere

After our tour of Schonbrunn Palace and its Imperial Carriage Museum, Grace, Jandy, Cheska, Kyle, Vicky, Isko, Manny and I walked towards the nearby Wien Schonbrunn where we took the tram to Wien Karlsplatz.

The author (left foreground) at the Upper Belvedere

Upon arrival, we walked 600 m., from the Belvedere Palace entrance, to the Upper Belvedere where Grace, Jandy, Cheska and I were to explore Österreichische Galerie.  The others stayed behind with Kyle.

Check out “Schonbrunn Palace and Gardens,” Imperial Carriage Museum” and “Österreichische Galerie Belvedere”

The historic Upper Belvedere (Oberes Belvedere), one of two Baroque palaces (the other is the Lower Belvedere or Unteres Belvedere), is part of the palace complex (which also included the Orangery and the Palace Stables) built as a summer residence for Prince Eugene of Savoy, the commander-in-chief who had just successfully concluded a series of wars against the Ottoman Empire.

The Belvedere was built during a period of extensive construction in Vienna, which at the time was both the imperial capital and home to the ruling Habsburg dynasty.

Here’s the historical timeline of the Upper Belvedere:

  • On November 30, 1697, one year after commencing with the construction of the Stadtpalais, Prince Eugene purchased a sizable plot of land south of the Rennweg, the main road to Hungary. Plans for the Belvedere garden complex were drawn up immediately. Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt was the chief architect for this project.
  • As early as 1717, the construction of the Upper Belvedere began as testified by two letters that Prince Eugene sent from Belgrade to his servant Benedetti in summer 1718 describing the progress of work on the palace.
  • By October 2, 1719, construction was so far advanced that the prince was able to receive the Turkish ambassador Ibrahim Pasha there.
  • As early as 1718, the decoration of the interior started.
  • In 1719, Prince Eugene commissioned the Italian painter Francesco Solimena to execute both the altarpiece for the Palace Chapel and the ceiling fresco in the Golden Room.
  • In the same year, Gaetano Fanti was commissioned to execute the illusionistic quadratura painting in the Marble Hall.
  • In 1720, Carlo Carlone was entrusted with the task of painting the ceiling fresco in the Marble Hall, which he executed from 1721–23.
  • In 1723, the building was completed.
  • In the winter of 1732–33, as the Sala Terrena was at risk of collapsing due to structural problems, Hildebrandt was forced to install a nine-bay vaulted ceiling supported by four structural telamons, giving the room its current appearance.
  • On April 21 1736, the childless Prince Eugene died in his City Palace in Vienna without a legally binding will. A commission, set up by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI, named the prince’s niece Victoria (daughter of his eldest brother Thomas and the only surviving member of the house of Savoy-Soissons) as his heir.
  • On July 6, 1736, Princess Victoria moved into the Belvedere, known at that point as the Gartenpalais.
  • In November 1752, Maria Theresa, the daughter of Charles VI, purchased the estate from Princess Victoria.
  • In 1776, Maria Theresa and her son, Emperor Joseph II, decided to transfer the u.k. Gemäldegalerie (“Imperial Picture Gallery”) from the Imperial Stables  (a part of the city’s Hofburg Imperial Palace) to the Upper Belvedere. Inspired by the idea of enlightened absolutism, her intention was to make the imperial collection accessible to the general public.
  • In 1781, the picture gallery opened, making it one of the first public museums in the world.
  • In 1891, the imperial collection was transferred to the newly built Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Fine Arts) on Vienna’s splendid Ringstrasse.
  • In 1896, Emperor Franz Joseph I decided that the Upper Belvedere should serve as a residence for Franz Ferdinand, his nephew and the heir presumptive to the throne. Under the supervision of the architect Emil von Förster (also imperial undersecretary), the heir had the palace remodeled.
  • In November 1918, shortly after the end of World War I, art historian Franz Haberditzl submitted a request to the Ministry of Education, asking for the palaces to be left to the Staatsgalerie. This application was granted the very next year.
  • During World War II, the palaces suffered considerable damage. Parts of the Marble Hall in the Upper Belvedere and the Hall of Grotesques in the Lower Belvedere were destroyed by bombs.
  • On February 4, 1953, after reconstruction work was completed, the Österreichische Galerie (Austrian Gallery) reopened in the Upper Belvedere.
  • On May 15, 1955, the Austrian State Treaty (the treaty that gave Austria its independence back after the post-World War II occupation) was signed at the Marble Hall by Leopold Figl and representatives of the four occupying powers, England, France, the Soviet Union, and the USA.

One of 12 Rococo sphinxes

The buildings are set in a Baroque park landscape in the third district of the city, on the south-eastern edge of its centre.  The grounds are set on a gentle gradient and include decorative tiered fountains and cascades, Baroque sculptures, and majestic wrought iron gates.

Sculpture of a man fighting with a horse

The Upper Belvedere is located at the top of the slope at the southern end of the park. It had a purely representative function and only contained reception halls and banquet halls.

Its exterior, especially the magnificent main façade, facing south, is much more impressive than the rather modest Lower Belvedere. The many sculptures that adorn the facade are a reference to Prince Eugene’s victory over the Turkish army and the rooftop structures are said to evoke tents at Turkish army camps.

Unfortunately little of the original interior, designed by French furniture maker Claude le Fort du Plessy, has been preserved since the building was actively used until the mid-twentieth century.

Originally, the main entrance was located on the south side of the Upper Belvedere and can still be recognized by its access ramps.

We entered the Upper Belvedere via the Sala Terrena, a large, brilliant white ground floor hall that opens onto to the garden side of the Upper Belvedere.

Atlas (Giovanni Giuliani)

It is dominated by four mighty atlases (atlantes), sculpted by Giovanni Giuliani, supporting the richly decorated, stuccoed vaulted ceiling of the room.

Initially, the Sala Terrena was designed as a uniform spacious hall but, after structural damage in the winter of 1732/33, the installation of the four supports became necessary.

Bas-relief

Serving both as the garden hall and vestibule, the hall led us to the huge, wide stone Grand Staircase with its stucco martial reliefs and giant iron-wrought lamps.

Grand Staircase

Lining the staircase are scenes from the life of Alexander the Great meant to inspire visitors to contemplate the virtuous deeds of Prince Eugene.

Wrought iron lamp

The right wall is adorned with a stucco relief depicting the triumph of Alexander the Great over Darius III, while on the left, Darius’s wives are depicted in front of Alexander.

Ecce Homo (Anton Hanak) at stairway gallery

Statue of Maria Theresia (Franz Xaver Messerschmidt)

Statue of Emperor Francis I (Franz Xaver Messerschmidt)

The magnificent Marble Hall, the Baroque state room and the central chamber of the Upper Belvedere, is the first room we encountered from the Grand Staircase.

Marble Hall

Open to the public, it reaches two stories in height and is dominated by reddish-brown marble, rich gilding, and a large, ornate ceiling fresco (“Prince Eugene as a new Apollo and Leader of the Muses”).

The ceiling fresco was created by northern Italian fresco master and itinerant artist Carlo Innocenzo Carlone (1686–1775) and framed by fake architectures by Marcantonio Chiarini (from Bologna) and Gaetano Fanti, two Italian painters who specialized in quadratura , an illusionistic technique based on perspective laws.

Prince Eugene as a new Apollo and leader of the Muses

These illusionist paintings add false galleries and niches to the architecture. The windows here gave us great views down to Lower Belvedere and let us properly grasp the layout of the main gardens.

The Carlone Hall (or Painted Hall), originally serving as a spot to cool off and socialize on hot summer days, was named after its creator Carlo Innocenzo Carlone who painted the impressive ceiling fresco depicting the “Triumphs of Aurora” (1722/23).

While walking round the Klimt part of the collection, we saw the small, octagonal Palace Chapel which is largely preserved in its original condition, as evidenced by a drawing by Salomon Kleiner from the 1830s. Mass is held here every Sunday at 12 noon

L-R: Isko, Kyle, Jandy, the author, Manny, Cheska and Grace

Upper Belvedere: Prinz Eugen-Straße 27, 1030 Vienna, Austria. Tel: +43 1 795 57-0 and +43 1 79557134. Open: 10 AM -6 PM. E-mail: info@belvedere.at. Website:  www.belvedere.at. Admission (Upper Belvedere): €16 (adult).