Italian's Do it better!/ Italy in detail

Left: Details of Basilica di Santa Maria Della Salute, Venice, Photography: Marcus Hay

Left: Light and Shadows on a wall in Florence, Right: Detail of the Floor in the Duomo di Siena
Photography: Marcus Hay

Left & Right: Details of the columns and floor in the Duomo di Siena, Photography: Marcus Hay

Left: Detail of wall in the Duomo di Siena, Right: Protruding bricked wall in Milan, Photography: Marcus Hay

Left & Right: Details in Milan Central Station, Photography: Marcus Hay

Left: Detail of the doors at Firenze Santa Maria Novella Train Station, Right: Clock and mural at the Station
Photography: Marcus Hay

Left: Detail of the marble floors at Firenze Santa Maria Novella Train Station, Right: Doors at the Station
Photography: Marcus Hay

Left and Right: Details of the marble floor and the front doors of The Hotel de la Ville in Florence
Photography: Marcus Hay

Left and Right: Details of the exterior of The Hotel de la Ville in Florence, Photography: Marcus Hay 

Left: Wallpaper in the bar at The Savoy Hotel in Florence, Right: Street Scene in Vicenza
Photography: Marcus Hay

Left: Doorbells in Venice, Right: G Boutique Hotel in Vicenza, Photography: Marcus Hay

There is just something about Italy! It would explain the million’s of tourists I near collided with over 5 cities in 7 days. Revisiting some cities I have been to many times and exploring some new ones, I hit the streets, the basilicas, duomos and hotels with my camera and tried to capture in details what I love the most and where you can find like no other that magic that only Italy has to offer. In my travels this time I went to Vicenza, Venice, Florence, Siena and Milan.

Each time I go to Italy I find new empowered senses or new details that seem to spring up that perhaps I did not see before as a younger self, This trip I was particularly obsessed with the renowned marble used in Italian buildings in particular. Either tumbled, honed or polished, marble is such a beautiful material. While most people would think of marble as white, the range colors that can be found are incredible and often unexpected. Grey’s, Greens, Brown’s, Gold’s, Peach, Red’s, Black’s and Coral are but some. Marble technically is a non-foliated metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone. 

In many of the striking train stations in Italy, marble is used in abundance The Central Station in Milan is monumental and was conceived that way by Mussolini and in 1931 it opened with the idea of projecting the power of his Fascist regime. The station has no definite architectural style, but is a blend of many different styles, especially Liberty and Art Deco, but not limited to those. It is adorned with numerous powerful looking sculptures and murals. Florence's main train station Firenze Santa Maria Novella Station was designed in 1932 by a group of architects known as the Gruppo Toscano. The building is one of the key works of Italian Modernism strongly influenced by the Viennese architecture of Adlolf Loos and Josef Hoffman, with perhaps a nod to Frank Lloyd Wright, I love both stations for their majestic grandeur and sense of style when traveling was actually much more glamourous. 

Even though the marble seemed to dazzle my senses, I also was struck by the Italian light and the summer sun that caresses but does not seem to burn you! The best thing about Italy though really is the food, the flavors melting in your mouth, bringing memories of childhood when things tasted like they were supposed too before the introduction of tasteless hormones over riding our food.    

Pictured above are once again snippets or details of what I saw, I hope you enjoy as much as I did. Viva Italia!