Il Duomo di Firenze

While on our Italian adventure we travelled to Florence for the night. Florence is a lively city full of people, shops, restaurants, and beautiful architecture. Il Duomo di Firenze (The Florence Cathedral) is a central point in Florence. People gather around the church to take a look inside and to observe the thousands of details of the huge cathedral.

The cathedral was created in the late 13th century in the Gothic style but was left unfinished for over a century because the architects were unsure of how to make domes large enough for the grand cathedral. There was a competition to engineer a dome for the Duomo announced in 1418. The two final competitors were Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi. Brunelleschi won the competition and work was begun on the dome in his design. The large dome was completed in 1436 and is pictured below:

As for the outside design of the building, the facade was started but left unfinished. The original design was for a wooden facade but seemed out of style by the Medici court. It was dismantled in 1588 under order of the Grand Duke Francesco de Medici. The outside of the building was left unfinished until the 1800s. A competition to design the facade was held and won by Emilio de Fabris. The design was created in the neo-gothic style in red, green, and white marble. The facade is said to honor Mary, the mother of Christ and the picture of Mary holding a flower sceptor can be seen above the central portal. The interior of the cathedral was kept fairly simple. It was created in the Gothic style and is very bare when compared to the detailed facade of the building.

Transformation of the City

Another thing I talked about with my supervisor was the transformation of large Italian cities. In the middle ages there were streets with very narrow houses built along each street. The Middle Ages saw the emergence of trade squares and was a very commercial period. Due to this, each house had a space beside it where they could have a shop. After the middle ages, in the Renaissance, richer families would buy a lot of the little houses and transform them into big palaces. There was a sort of competition between noble families of who could create the larges houses and palaces. They would garnish their houses with fancy gardens and decorations to show their wealth. The wealthy also transformed public spaces. The rich families would pool together money to create something that could be used by them. For example, in Bergamo, families in the upper town gathered together their money to pay for a theater uptown because downtown had a theater and they did not. This was not only a matter of convenience in the close location of the theater, but it was also a display of power by the wealthy families. Families would also put a lot of money into family tombs, and art for the church. One wealthy man destroyed part of an established church in order to make his own chapel.

In Rome there was a change in structure during the Baroque period (late 1500s- early 1600s). The structures of the middle ages were destroyed and larger streets were made. These streets typically had two circular centers on either side. These circles would consist of gardens or other public spaces. There was not as much Baroque architectural change in Northern Italy, but it was significant in places like Rome and Sicily.

One more thing that brought a lot of change to the towns were Railways. When the railways were built, new connections between towns were established. This was a typical transformation of Italian towns in the 1800s. The creation of railways changed the structure of the town. The railways were built outside of the previously established town. New roads were built to connect the towns to the railways and eventually the city expanded to include the railway station and the area around it.

The City Plan

When I met with my supervisor, Mrs. Barcella, she was very interested in discussing the general city planning with me. The basic plans for the city of Bergamo were the same basic plans as in other Italian cities that were built around the same time. First of all there were two major streets running through the city. There would be a main street going north to south, called the cardo, and another main street crossing it going east to west, called the decumano. Markets and buildings lined these main streets. Secondary streets formed off these parallel to the initial roads. Buildings would have a certain amount of allotted space to take up and this resulted in a rather grid-like city structure. The first walls that were built around Italian cities were the Roman walls. These walls surrounded the grid-like city in a square shape. Each side of the walls had a gate, so there was a north, east, south, and west gate to the city. As time went on, into the Middle Ages, the city grew outside of the initial Roman walls. The Roman walls were destroyed and a circular wall was created to surround the growing city. This happened around the 1100s, and 1200s. In the case of Bergamo there was a third series of walls built. The third walls were the Venetian walls. The Venetian walls were built around the 1500s and were jagged in shape and were important for the defense of Bergamo. Bergamo was in a key spot between Venice and Milan, so it needed to be protected. The walls of the Middle Ages were destroyed in order to make the Venetian walls. The walls were equipped with cannons, but Bergamo was never attacked so the wall remained in tact and the cannons were not used. Bergamo expanded but since the Citta Alta (upper city) was on a hill, the expansion happened lower down. Because of this, a new part of the city formed, a downtown or Citta Bassa. The Venetian walls did not get in the way of this expansion so they are some of the few walls that still remain in any of the old Italian cities. This is obviously a very simple description of the city planning but I felt that Mrs. Barcella did a very nice job explaining it. This was significant because it was not only the way Bergamo was formed but it was the way nearly all Italian cities were formed. Below is a rough sketch I drew of the city planning described by Mrs. Barcella:

More Venetian Architecture

The Doge's Palace, or Palazzo Ducale, was the home of the elected ruler of Venice, or Doge, for centuries. It has also been the house of law courts, civil administration, bureaucracy and the city jail. Below is a picture of the Doge's Palace that I took:

Venetian Gothic (as mentioned in my other post) is the named given to the combination of Byzantine, Gothic, and moorish architecture. This style originated in the 14th century with the meeting of these three influences. The window-like structures of the arcade include the pointed arches and the quatrefoil above that is typical of a Venetian Gothic style window. As you can see in the arches below the arcade of the Doge's, There are Gothic pointed arches surrounding the entirety of the Doge's Palace. Part of the style of the Venetian Gothic architecture is a lightness and grace in their architecture. Because of the canals running through the entirety of the city, the space in Venice was limited and every amount of land was necessary space. This sets Venetian Gothic architecture apart from the architecture of many other European cities. Many other cities wanted to make their buildings large and heavy, but due to the land limitations in Venice, Venetians did not make their buildings any larger or heavier than was necessary. This resulted in the very light and graceful structure as seen in buildings such as the Doge's Palace.

Basilica di San Marco

We have been traveling a ton recently so we will have to take some time to update everyone on what we have been doing! First we went to Venice so I will talk a little bit about that. Venice is a very unique city in that it is accessible not by cars, but by boats in canals, and by foot. Venice also has a very interesting mix of architectural styles. One place this can be seen very clearly is in the Basilica di San Marco (St. Mark's Basilica). Below is a picture I took from right in front of the Basilica.

Below is a picture that has more of a full view of the Basilica: 

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=saint+marks+basilica&FORM=HDRSC2#view=detail&id=7BCE911A2EF82AD0E0B8D559F019C2BB3DAA7BD5&selectedIndex=1

The Basilica has a large number of different styles mixed in and represents what came to be known as Venetian Gothic architecture. This style of architecture was a result of the trade relations that Venice developed with the East. Byzantine domes were featured as well as Islamic minarets. Gothic pointed arches were also mixed into this type of architecture. On the Basilica di San Marco mosaics can be seen. These mosaics are in the Byzantine style. Onion-shaped cupolas can be seen on top of the Byzantine domes. The cupolas are in a style borrowed from Islamic art. In the picture that is closer up it is easier to see that there are both pointed gothic arches and rounded Roman arches. The Basilica di San Marco is a great example of the blending of architectural styles that is typical in Venice.

Bergamasque Arches

Today we walked all around the city of Bergamo. We went to two museums: The Archaeology Museum and The Academia. While I was walking around the city, I observed the various styles of buildings.  Because Bergamo has been a host to many different groups of people, it has many different types of architecture. One thing I noticed in particular is that there are arches everywhere, and arches are different based upon what period they are from. Many of the houses in the Citta Alta (upper city/ gated area) of Bergamo have arched doors.  Here is one arch below:

This arch is a simple Roman arch. Roman arches are characterized by being strong and rounded. Many of the doors of houses had this style of arch. As you can see, the door right next door also has a Roman arch. This arch comes from the time when the Romans were in control of Bergamo. Another type of arch I observed is a Gothic arch. These arches are from the Gothic era. The arch is pointed and is in a form that results in the ability to make structures taller. The Gothic period emphasized the importance of tall buildings. They especially wanted churches to be tall, to convey the presence of God. Below is a picture of a simple Gothic arch:

The Experience

I am going to travel to Bergamo, Italy and explore the architecture of the area and surrounding areas. Bergamo was part of the Republic of Venice for about 400 years starting in the 15th century. I plan to explore the old part of the city Citta Alta. We are staying with Maria Sison's grandmother, Maria Massolo. Maria Massolo, lives within walking distance to the old churches and buildings in Citta Alta.  The Venetians built the old wall that surrounds the Citta Alta. I would like to explore the architecture and take pictures using what I have learned in photography. I plan to ask locals about the architecture and explore and record the history of different buildings. We will also take overnight trips to places such as Venice itself. I will compare this architecture to the architecture of Bergamo, because much of Bergamo’s architecture is Venetian. The experience is unique in that we have the opportunity to stay with someone who lives in the area year-round. Maria’s grandmother will also be a valuable resource for information and should be able to introduce us to people who are knowledgeable about the area. I am more interested in the history of the buildings then the specific architectural aspects. I do not seek as much to know how exactly each building is made, but the story behind each structure.

The opportunity to stay with a local person is unique because we will be living directly in a town that is rich with old and medieval architecture. It will be much different from a regular trip because Maria’s grandmother is local and knows the area and the people. We will not be so much tourists as we will have more of an immersion into local life. I would like to study this architecture some beforehand, then observe and learn more about it as I am there. I would also like to photograph the architecture and relate the architecture to the history of the town. I want to gain a first hand knowledge of the area and to really understand how the town (as well as surrounding areas) came to look the way they do.

I will bring my digital SLR camera and I will record what I learn and experience on this blog. I will keep a journal with meme to take notes on our travels. I will update the blog with pictures and new information when in Bergamo because we have definite internet access there. I am very excited about this experience and I look forward to gaining knowledge and sharing what I have learned.