Carlo Ponti and Sophia Loren's Roman villa

Carlo Ponti and Sophia Loren's home in Rome captured by LIFE photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt in 1964.

The Lingotto Building

The Lingotto building in 1928

The construction of the Lingotto building began in 1616, and opened in 1923. Designed by Matté Trucco in the Lingotto district of Torino, Italy, the five floored building housed the automobile factory of Fiat. Raw materials would enter on the ground floor, and as they progressed further up the floors of the building, they would get closer and closer to becoming cars; until they reached the rooftop, finished, and tested on the rooftop track. In its time, it was the largest car factory in the world; Le Corbusier gave it high praise, calling it 'one of the most impressive sights in industry' and 'a guideline for town planning'. Eighty different models of Fiat cars were made in the Lingotto building, until the 1970s when it was outmoded, and finally closed in 1982. Such an influential and avant-garde building could surely not have gone to ruin, and after an architectural competition was held, the winner, Renzo Piano, rebuilt the factory into a modern complex of concert halls, a theatre, convention centre, shopping arcades, and a hotel. The Automotive Engineering faculty of the Polytechnic University of Torino has its headquarters in the eastern part of the building. The remodelling was finished in 1989, and the track retained; used for events such as the Red Bull Lingotto, the 2006 Winter Olympics speed skating, and the filming of movies such as The Italian Job.

Star Wars Palace Facing Ruin

This is heartbreaking. An article found here on The Telegraph, also posted below, reveals the impact of the global recession on historical buildings such as Reggia di Caserta, an Italian palace in Caserta, southern Italy. Originally a royal palace, it was built for the Bourbon king of Naples; the largest palace and one of the largest buildings constructed in 18th Century Europe. Although designated to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997; its status has not saved it from deterioration. Here is a post I wrote about Reggio di Caserta; its history and design.

Star Wars palace facing ruin

Italian heritage officials have raised the alarm over the deteriorating state of a palace which has featured in a number of Hollywood films, including Star Wars, after pieces of falling masonry nearly struck a group of tourists.

by Nick Squires, Rome

8 October 2012

Cultural heritage authorities have appealed to the Italian government for urgent funds to preserve the former Bourbon royal palace of Caserta, near Naples, which has been called Italy's answer to Versailles.

Last week a family of visitors was almost hit by a chunk of cornice which fell from the facade of the huge palace, which doubled up as the Vatican in Mission: Impossible III and the prequel to the Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons.

Paola Raffaella David, a senior cultural heritage official in the region, said the fact that bits were crumbling off the vast palace was "serious".

"In the last 10 days two pieces of the exterior have collapsed as a result of the deterioration of the iron clamps which hold the marble to the facade.

"We are seriously worried because the piece of the cornice that broke off comes from an area that was restored only 30 years ago." She called on the culture ministry to carry out urgent inspections of all the entrances to the building, through which thousands of visitors pass each day.

It is estimated that up to seven million euros (£5.66 million) are needed to carry out repairs and restoration – a sum that may be hard to come by as Italy buckles under government spending cuts and a tough austerity drive.

"We will try to find the money. We have the duty to protect this monument, which is a World Heritage site," said Gregorio Angelini, the director of cultural heritage for the Campania region.

The palace was commissioned by a Bourbon monarch, King Charles III, in the 1750s and was intended to rival Versailles.

One of the largest palaces in Europe, it has 1,200 rooms and took nearly a century to build.

In Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, it stood in for the palace of Queen Amidala, played by Natalie Portman.

In November last year the palace had to be temporarily closed because there was not enough money to pay the 150 staff to work on a public holiday.

Reggia di Caserta

Here is the description from UNESCO about Reggia di Caserta.

'The monumental complex at Caserta, while cast in the same mould as other 18th-century royal establishments, is exceptional for the broad sweep of its design, incorporating an imposing palace and park, and also much of the surrounding natural landscape and an ambitious new town laid out according to urban planning precepts of its time. The industrial complex of the Belvedere, designed to produce silk, is also of outstanding interest because of the idealistic principles underlying its original conception and management.

In 1734 Charles III, son of Philip V, became King of Naples, a self-governing kingdom that was no longer part of the Spanish realm. He decided in 1750 to build a new royal palace, to rival the Palace of Versailles. It was designed to be the centre of a new town that would compete with leading European cities. He employed architect Luigi Vanvitelli, then engaged in the restoration o St Peter's in Rome. The Bosco di San Silvestro, on the two hills of Montemaiuolo and Montebriano, was covered with vineyards and orchards when in 1773 Ferdinand IV decided to enclose it and create a hunting park.

The hill of San Leucio takes its name from the Lombard church at its top. A hunting lodge, the Belvedere, had been built at its foot in the 16th century by the Princes of Caserta. The fief had been purchased by Charles Ill, and in 1773 Ferdinand IV initiated work on the Old Hunting Lodge, to be abandoned after the death of his son. In 1778 the king decided to begin the production of silk. His architect, Collecini, converted the building for this purpose, as the centre of a large industrial complex, including a school, accommodation for teachers, silkworm rooms, and facilities for spinning and dyeing the silk. He issued a series of laws in 1789 to regulate the San Leucio Royal Colony: this laid down piecework rates of pay, abolished dowries, and prescribed similar clothing for all the workers, in a form of proto-socialism. During the next decade plans were made for enlargement of the village, and Collecini produced designs for a town, to be known as 'Ferdinandopolis', but this dream was not realized because of the French occupation.

The fishponds in the gardens of the Royal Palace, the Royal Silk Factory and the planned new town all required large amounts of water, and so the Carolino Aqueduct was built (completed in 1769) to bring water from the Fizo spring over a distance of 38 km to the top of Montebriano. In 1744 Charles III acquired the rich Carditello estate. The hunting lodge there was built in 1784, as part of a complex of rural houses and roads radiating fanwise from the main building. This had the royal apartments in the centre and rooms for agricultural and stock-rearing activities on either side.

The Royal Palace is rectangular in plan, with four large interior courtyards intersecting at right angles. It covers 45,000 m2 and its five storeys rise to a height of 36 m. An indication of its scale can be judged from the fact that there are 143 windows on the main facade and the building contains 1,200 rooms and 34 staircases. The building is constructed in brick, the two lower storeys being faced with travertine ashlars. The whole structure is crowned by a central cupola. In front of the main facade is the elliptical parade ground. Inside, there are three octagonal vestibules, aligned on the main axis of the building and acting as fulcrums for the entire complex. The monumental main staircase gives access to the royal apartments, which are decorated and furnished in 18th-century style. The chapel, inspired by that at Versailles, opens out of the lower vestibule. Another noteworthy feature is the Royal Theatre, a superb example of 18th-century design.

The park, which lies behind the palace, was planned by Luigi Vanvitelli but completed by his son Carlo. The main axis is punctuated by a series of Baroque fountains and stretches of water. This magnificent perspective terminates in the Great Fountain, where water cascades down from a height of 150 m into an ornate basin that depicts Diana bathing, observed by the unfortunate Actaeon.

In 1734 Charles III (Carlo Borbone), son of Philip V, became King of Naples, a self-governing kingdom that was no longer part of the Spanish realm. He decided in 1750 to build a new royal palace, to rival, and perhaps outdo, the palace of Versailles, as the symbol of the new kingdom. It was designed to be the centre of a new town that would also compete with the leading European cities. He employed the famous architect Luigi Vanvitelli, at that time engaged in the restoration of the Basilica of St Peter's in Rome. The tist stone was laid in 1752 and continued throughout the reign of Ferdinand IV, Charles's successor, until Vanvitelli's death in 1773.

The Bosco di San Silvestro (Wood of St Sylvester), on the two neighbouring hills of Montemaiuolo and Montebriano, was covered with vineyards and orchards when in 1773 Ferdinand IV decided to enclose it, together with some adjacent land, and create a hunting park. The building there served as a hunting lodge on the upper floor, the lower being used for agricultural purposes.

The hill of San Leucio takes its name from the Lombard church at its top. A hunting lodge, known as the Belvedere, had been built at its foot in the 16th century by the Acquaviva family, Princes of Caserta. The fief had been purchased by Charles Ill, and in 1773 Ferdinand IV initiated work on the socalled Old Hunting Lodge, to be abandoned after the death of his son. Between 1776 and 1778 the Belvedere was restored, the main hall being converted to a church.

In 1778 the King decided to begin the production of silk. His architect, Collecini, converted the building for this purpose, as the centre of a large industrial complex, including a school, accommodation for teachers, silkworm rooms, and facilities for spinning and dyeing the silk. He issued a series of laws in 1789 to regulate the San Leucio Royal Colony: this laid down piecework rates of pay, abolished dowries, and prescribed similar clothing for all the workers, in what has been described as a form of protosocialism. During the decade that followed, plans were made for enlargement of the village, and Collecini produced designs for a town, to be known as "Ferdinandopolis," but this dream was not realized because of the French occupation.

The fishponds in the gardens of the Royal Palace, the Royal silk factory, and the planned new town all required large amounts of water, and so the Carolino Aqueduct was built (completed in 1769) to bring water from the Fizo spring over a distance of 38km to the top of Montebriano. The final stretch runs through the Tifatini hills, where the medieval village of Casertavecchia, with its Romanesque cathedral, forms part of the panorama visible from the Royal estate.

In 1744 Charles III acquired the rich Carditello estate. The hunting lodge there was built in 1784, as part of a complex of rural houses and roads radiating fmwise from the main building. This had the Royal apartments in the centre and rooms for agricultural and stock-rearing activities on either side. The courtyard in front, which has the shape of a Roman circus, was used for racing horses and decorated with fontaim and obelisks. In the 19th century Ferdinand II expanded the agricultural activities.'

 

The grand palace has over 1200 rooms, including 24 state apartments, an expansive library, and its own theatre. There is also a large garden that stretches 120ha; with fountains, cascades, and a botanical garden designed by Carlo Vanvitelli and John Graefer in the 1780's.

At the end of World War II, Reggia di Caserta was the seat of the Supreme Allied Commander, and in April 1945, the signing of the unconditional German surrender of forces in Italy took place at the palace. The first Allied war trial was also located at the palace in 1945.

Germany: Decrepit Palaces

Germany: Decrepit Palaces on European Journal, Deutsche Welle

'In the eastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern hundreds [of] palaces and manor houses are falling apart. A handful of idealists [are] trying to change that. Everywhere from the River Elbe to the island of Usedom, there are vacant palaces and manors up for sale. They can be bought for a song, but repairing them can cost a fortune. Nonetheless, some intrepid colonizers do take on the challenge of replacing rotten floors and crumbling walls in an effort to breathe new life into Germany's former feudal homes. German authorities are happy whenever they can cross a formerly aristocratic, Junker address off their list of buildings that may need to be condemned.'

Fabio Novembre

This video on Euromaxx, Deutsche Welle, features Italian architect and designer Fabio Novembre who has converted an old building in eastern Milano, Italy, into a space that allows him to combine his professional and personal life.

Via del Corso

'There are verandas and balconies, of all shapes and sizes, to almost every house - not on one storey alone, but often to one room or another on every storey - put there in general with so little order or regularity, that if, year after year, and season after season, it had rained balconies, hailed balconies, snowed balconies, blown balconies, they could scarcely have come into existence in a more disorderly manner.'

from Pictures from Italy - Charles Dickens

Pratariccia

Recently eBay listed the Tuscan village of Pratariccia for sale. At 850m altitude the medieval village looks over the beautiful Casentino valley, and has been abandoned since the early 1960's when villagers traded their farming and shepherding lifestyles for jobs in Italian factories during the economic boom. It is believed the owners of the village are a monastic order, and are looking to sell the village, which includes 25 cottages and eight hectares of land, for only €2.5m. At the moment, deer, wild boar, and wolves roam the land, and without proper road leading to the site, after driving within 800m, Pratariccia must be reached on foot. It is approximated that a further €1m would be needed to do renovate the cottages, add the road, and connect to electricity. However, only 40km east from Florence, €3.5m or so seems like a steal for an entire village. Neighbouring Pratariccia are the hilltop villages of Bibbiena and Poppi, and a national park from where the river Arno is sourced.

Pratariccia is in obvious need of a lot of restoration work, but I think that if it falls into the hands of the right developers it could become a great investment and would make a beautiful holiday retreat for private or tourist use. What fun it would be to be a property developer and work with such richly historical sites.

Spires and Gables

'Admirable, however, as the Paris of the present day appears to you, build up and put together again in imagination the Paris of the fifteenth century; look at the light through that surprising host of steeples, towers, and belfries; pour forth amid the immense city, break against the points of its islands, compress within the arches of the bridges, the current of the Seine, with its large patches of green and yellow, more changeable than a serpent's skin; define clearly the Gothic profile of this old Paris upon an horizon of azure, make its contour float in a wintry fog which clings to its innumerable chimneys; drown it in deep night, and observe the extraordinary play of darkness and light in this sombre labyrinth of buildings; throw into it a ray of moonlight, which shall show its faint outline and cause the huge heads of the towers to stand forth from amid the mist; or revert to that dark picture, touch up with shade the thousand acute angles of the spires and gables, and make them stand out, more jagged than a shark's jaw, upon the copper-coloured sky of evening. Now compare the two.'

from The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Victor Hugo

Cortina d'Ampezzo

Via Ferrata Cristobal, Cortina d'Ampezzo

Philip and Karen Smith

Lonely Planet

Ghetto degli Ebrei

'It is lively; it is a gorgeous architectural jumble: Renaissance buildings next to medieval houses, Corinthian columns on sidewalks, in courtyards, even on staircases. And medieval houses gussied up with discreet and beautiful windows... and narrow streets hung with laundry that debouch into sunny small piazzas, some little more than cul-de-sacs; houses draped in ivy, courtyards adorned with succulents and fountains... To walk here is a tactile experience - sun and shadow on your skin as you walk down dark, narrow streets crowded with tall, narrow houses and exit into intimate piazzas. Architecture feels like your skin's skin and this makes a kind of moral sense. Here there are pomegranates among the ruins. Life is within us.'

from Italian Days - Barbara Grizzuti Harrison

Palazzi

'We laugh at Italian 'palaces', at their peeling paint, their nudity, their dreariness; but they have the great palatial quality - elevation and extent. They make of smaller things the apparent abode of pigmies; they round their great arches and interspace their huge windows with a proud indifference to the cost of materials... If the Italians at bottom despise the rest of mankind and regard them as barbarians, disinherited of the tradition of form, the idea proceeds largely, no doubt, from our living in comparative mole-hills. They alone were really to build their civilisation.'

from Italy Revisited - Henry James

Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore

Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (detail)

A photograph I took in Firenze, Italia, 2009

Luminarie De Cagna at the Light Festival Ghent 2012

Luminarie De Cagna is an Italian family business that began in 1930. In those days, they would illuminate buildings and town squares with oil and carbide lamps, soon making the change to electric lights. From 2006, the company has used only LEDs, joined together to make large curtains of light, blanketing buildings or other objects. For the Light Festival Ghent 2012, Luminarie De Cagna is occupying Belfortstraat in Ghent, Belgium, with a giant colonnade made of wood and hundreds of thousands of coloured lights, with arches reminiscent of Romanesque and Renaissance architecture, with an entrance of 28 meters high. And for those concerned about wasting of energy, these 55, 000 LED lights consume only 20Kw/h of electricity. Impressive and enchanting even in photographs, I can only imagine how mesmerizing this would be in real life. 

Hazy With Italian Colour

'The villa was a long, rather blank-looking structure, with the far-projecting roof which Tuscany loves and which, on the hills that encircle Florence, when considered from a distance, makes so harmonious a rectangle with the straight, dark, definite cypresses that usually rise in groups of three or four beside it. The house had a front upon a little grassy, empty, rural piazza which occupied a part of the hill-top; and this front, pierced with a few windows in irregular relations and furnished with a stone bench lengthily adjusted to the base of the structure and useful as a lounging-place to one or two persons wearing more or less of that air of undervalued merit which in Italy, for some reason or other, always gracefully invests any one who confidently assumes a perfectly passive attitude - this antique, solid, weather-worn, yet imposing front had a somewhat incommunicative character. It was the mask, not the face of the house. It had heavy lids, but no eyes; the house in reality looked another way - looked off behind, into splendid openness and the range of the afternoon light. In that quarter the villa overhung the slope of its hill and the long valley of the Arno, hazy with Italian colour. It had a narrow garden, in the manner of a terrace, productive chiefly of tangles of wild roses and other old stone benches, mossy and sun-warmed. The parapet of the terrace was just the height to lean upon, and beneath it the ground declined into the vagueness of olive-crops and vineyards.'

from The Portrait of a Lady - Henry James

Via del Paradiso

The design and architecture of Italy is amazing; even the street signs are beautiful, so different to the bright blue and green metal ones we have here in New Zealand. I photographed this one in Roma. One day when I go back to Italy I'll have to spend more time photographing the little details; last time I was so overwhelmed I photographed mainly art and architecture and regrettably forgot about the streets and the people.

Palazzo Orsini

This incredible palazzo was built on top of a teatro, and it is now for sale! Palazzo Orsini is situated in the centre of Rome, and is currently on the market for £26 million. The palace includes frescoed staterooms, a ballroom, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a library, a dining room, a terrace overlooking the Tiber, a separate penthouse, and cellars which lead to ancient Roman arches. The gardens boast numerous fountains and orange trees. But what is perhaps most special about this property is the fact that the building has been built on top of the Theatre of Marcellus, Teatro di Marcello, a stone and marble structure from the 1st Century BC that resembles a small Colosseum.

There is good reason for the frenzy and the asking price of this property; it is rare for palazzi to be sold to the public, generally they are kept within the family for centuries. The palace is being sold by the family of Dame Iris Origo, who was famous for her book, War in the Val'd'Orcia: An Italian War Diary, which describes her experience in Italy from 1943-44. Marrying an Italian aristocrat, Antonio Origo, they together bought an estate near Siena, Tuscany, and looked after refugee children, families who had been affected by the war, escaped prisoners of war, and Allied airmen.

She rented and then bought Palazzo Orsini in the 1950’s. Teatro di Marcello was designed to seat 20,000, begun by Julius Caesar, and completed in 11BC by Emperor Augustus, who named it after his favourite nephew. It was abandoned in the 4th Century AD, but was later reconstructed in the Middle Ages, with the removal of the top tier of seating and columns, it was turned into a fortress for the Fabii. Finally, in the 18th Century, the Orsini family built their home upon the travertine blocks of the theatre.


Oh Rome, you are so magnificent. Someone please buy me this.

Sources: Telegraph; Daily Mail