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Archive for January, 2017

F come Farfalla {Yo Soy La Mariposa}

Posted in art,poetry,writing, Quotes, tagged , , , , on January 10, 2017| 1 Comment »


A picture is a secret about a secret, the more it tells you the less you know.

Diane Arbus

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Must Be Milano 

Posted in Architectural Photography, Architecture, architecture, art,poetry,writing, History of Architecture, Le flâneur, Lectures, Milano Diaries, Photography, Urban Design, tagged , , , , on January 9, 2017| 7 Comments »

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Flâneuring in a Medieval Italian Town 

Posted in Architectural Photography, Architecture, architecture, art,poetry,writing, Artuesdays, History of Architecture, Lectures, Photography, Research, Traveling, wanderlust, tagged , , , , , , on January 3, 2017| Leave a Comment »


Yesterday I was lucky enough to visit the old section of the town of Vittorio Veneto, in the region of Veneto, in Northeastern Italy. Present-day Vittorio Veneto is the result of the fusion of the municipalities of Ceneda and Serravalle after WWI. 
The photos below are of the old Jewish ghetto of Ceneda, and the centro ( center or downtown) with its villas, park and piazzetta ( small piazza). 


The Church pictured just below was a surprising find: it is the oldest churchsite I have ever visited, and dates from the IV century (!!!).  The Church you see was rebuilt in 1400, a millennium after the first structure was erected. The timing boggles the mind: in 313 CE Constantine declared Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire with the Edict of Milan, and on this site a church was built shortly thereafter. 



Serravalle, like Treviso, the regional center of the prosperous region of Veneto, features frescoes on the façades of buildings. This is something fascinating that I learned during this trip (from my mom, who is from Treviso) Frescoes in Serravalle- a town of Roman origin-were not just relegated to the interior of churches, but graced the buildings’ street elevations and were painted by notable local artists. Most of the palazzi date from the 1400’s. What was depicted on them? Hard to say from what remains in Serravalle. I could discern some courtly scenes  and patterns/coat of arms. Both here and in Treviso, the frescoes were plastered over during one of the bouts of the Plague, in a misguided effort to ‘disinfect’ homes. 

One of the photos depicts the winged lion of Venezia (Venice) on top of a tall pole. This whole area was indeed part of the inland empire of La Serenissima (the most serene) Republic of Venezia.

The best part for me, as a flâneuse was walking through the many porticoes of Serravalle. Enjoy my flâneuring..

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But don’t take my word…

Posted in art,poetry,writing on January 2, 2017| Leave a Comment »


AND the answer is (topmost search on Bing)…

From ucityguides.com

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Venus is a Planet, Not a Star

Posted in art,poetry,writing, Photography, Traveling, Venice Diaries on January 2, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Luna e Venere | Selene and Aphrodite | Chak Ek’ and Ix’Chel. Mestre, Italia, January 1st, 2016.




Venus is the brightest object in the sky after the Sun and the Moon, and sometimes looks like a bright star in the morning or evening sky.

Source: windows2universe.com



Venus is one of the five planets that are visible with the naked eye. Due to its easy visibility, the ancient people were well aware of the planet’s existence. They also kept track of its movement in the sky. 

Venus is 10 times brighter than Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. Venus’s clouds project the light of the Sun as a mirror would. In addition to Venus’s amazing luminosity is the origin of its name.
Venus derived its name from the Romans who religiously followed the Greek tradition. Venus is the Roman version of the Greek goddess, Aphrodite. The Roman and Greek goddess of love, beauty and fertility is Venus and therefore, the planet was named after her. Perhaps the fact that Venus is the brightest planet in the sky contributes to how it got its name. It is quite possible that the Romans found the brightness to be so enchanting that they felt it deserved to be named after the goddess of beauty and love. Furthermore, the Romans were aware of 7 bright objects that existed in the sky, moon, sun, and the 5 brightest planets. These planets were named after the most important gods. Due to Venus being a goddess of womanhood, all of the features on the planet, except for one, are named after women. The main craters, for example, are named after influential women that existed during various times. One of them is the famous ballerina, Anna Pavlova, who lived from 1881 to 1931. Sacajawea, the Native American tribeswoman who explored the West with Lewis and Clark, has a crater named after her as well. The greatest female poet of ancient Greece, Sappho, has a crater named after her too.  

The planet Venus represents woman hood, pride, and love in many ways. The symbol for the planet Venus is the symbol of a circle with a cross at the bottom, which stands for being a woman. 

Source: moonphases.info

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Venezia 

Posted in Architecture, architecture, art, art,poetry,writing, Books, Poetry, Poetry, Quotes, Venice Diaries, wanderlust, Writing, writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , on January 1, 2017| 5 Comments »

And, suddenly, you are gazing at the eternal sublime. Venice’s borders are the dream realms. This is a city that starts on water and ends in the soul. Venice is a portal between reality and myth. A city that is real, but also impossible. My little cousin declared, at ten years old, that ‘this is the most beautiful city in the whole world.’ In no other country man-made and natural Beauty is so entrenched with the national psyche and identity. Beauty is elevated as the greatest national virtue, privilege and asset. Beauty is Italy’s doctrine and her true religion. We are, after all, Il Bel Paese.
Venezia, Italia, January 1, 2017.



‘There is still one of which you never speak.’
Marco Polo bowed his head.
‘Venice,’ the Khan said.
Marco smiled. ‘What else do you believe I have been talking to you about?’
The emperor did not turn a hair. ‘And yet I have never heard you mention that name.’
And Polo said: ‘Every time I describe a city I am saying something about Venice.’

Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities



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