The C9th tower of San Zeno
San Zeno Maggiore is a remarkable example of the Romanesque style of architecture. It originates in the C5th and was rebuilt in the C9th as a the church of a Benedictine monastry (of which the tower remains). It was later re-constructed in the early C11th and completed in the C13th and C14th centuries.
Lodged on the inside face of the wall that guards Piazza Bra, Verona, Italy - is a familiar face to any Englishman.
A plaque next to the bust reads:
"There is no world without Verona walls,
But purgatory, torture, hell itself,
Hence banished is banish'd from the world,
and world's exile is death....."
Italiano
"Non esiste mondo fuor dalle mura di Verona,
Ma solo purgatorio, tortura, inferno,
Chi e bandito de qui, e bandito del mondo,
e l'esilio dal mondo, e morte....."
It is of course taken from one of his most famous plays, Romeo and Juliet which was based in Verona.
It was a dark and cloudy day and I didn't think that I would be able to get any type of representative shot of the much beloved poet Dante. I focused upon the angle and the composition and forgot about the lighting.
Fortunately with a little help from my photoshop friend I have managed to turn this pic into an image with brooding symbolism ... err .. well it's got very dark clouds and Dante certainly doesn't look impressed
The shot was taken in Piazza dei Signori Verona.
Check out my Verona set here
The way is barred for such a romantic soul , to the house of Juliet :_(
I found the crowds around the balcony at the fictional house of Juliet intimidating! So - I went the next day early on and the doors were barred. But, not disheartened by the absence of access I decided to make the most of it and photographed the gates instead.
Standing at ease like soldiers, these beautiful brick crennellations guarding a medieval frontage behind Piazza Bra have an Arabic influence and remind me of the great Mosque at Djenne
Piazza Dei Signori is just off the famous Piazza delle Erbe and is a wonderfully compact space bursting full of cultural artefacts, colour and movement. It is here that the statue to Dante is situated. I was lucky to be there early in the morning to catch the hypnotic long shadows of the Veronese lamps.
Here's a few detail images to illustrate the wonderful Romanesque sculpture which is apparent on the Duomo in Verona.
Known as Santa Maria Matricolare, the cathedral was largely built in the C12th and has on most of its walls the characteristic brick banding of the Romanesque in northern Italy.
On the south portal is a wonderful series of sculptures which are showcased here. Verona is a gem for the Romanesque - just a mile away there is also the church of San Zeno which has some fantastic sculptures.
Andy Marshall is a professional architectural photographer. Most images can be downloaded 24/7 at Alamy as stock photography
As much as the door handles in Verona, I was overwhelmed by the textures and patterns layered up within the warp and weft of this beautiful city.
Here's a few that caught my attention.
This photo has been ZAZZLED!
The clock at Castel Vecchio is a curious piece of work.
It looks more akin to a comedy cartoon clock rather than that of a medieval clock. It is a marvelous time piece nether the less and I needed the full length of a 300mm zoom lens to capture this.
I have tried to emphasise its importance by having some of the clock out of view
This statue is situated in front of a beautiful medieval church called San Zeno in Oratario. Any idea who this is?
If not click on the photo to go to the flickr page where the conundrum is resolved
Check out these pics I took of the door handles of Verona - a bity geeky?
If you are interested in architecture at all it's worth while picking up on some of the different themes of a locality and recording them. When I was in Verona last week I noticed quite a few striking door handles which represent the full gamut of architectural and stylistic history from medieval designs through to Georgian and Contemporary design.
Click on the pics to get through to the descriptions and see some comments made on them.
Andy Marshall is a professional architectural photographer. Most images can be downloaded 24/7 at Alamy as stock photography
A trip to Verona, Italy last week caught my imagination - it is a remarkable hotbed of architecture.
Squeezed in between the loop of the River Adige it has developed from a defensive site into a City State and now a popular tourist attraction. All the architectural layers are there to see from the earliest Roman existence, through to the Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance. I was particularly struck by the rich survival of detail to doors, windows and floors.
Anyway no more of that - here's a taster of some of the shots I took - clicking on them should take you through to flickr which has a description of each shot.
Heres a link to the full set on flickr (which will grow as I add more)
