- Spiderweb
Another upside of the fog are the pearl-like droplets on spiderwebs. - Pomposa Abbey
Ah, the apocalypse. One of the seven-headed beasts. But the real beast here is you, Alesso Bersano. - Pomposa Abbey
The unfortunate ending of Saint Eustace and his family in a brazen bull. Yes, this was a torture device: one was locked in the bronze bull and then fire was lit underneath the bull... - Museo Arcivescovile
Immortal peacocks on a sarcophagus. - Saint Andrew's Chapel
The ceiling in the narthex. Plenty of different birds, most notably the famous ducks, and the white lilies. - Saint Andrew's Chapel
Narthex of the chapel depicting Christ dressed as Roman emperor, standing on a lion and a snake (Psalm 91). His book says EGO SVM VIA VERITAS ET VITA - I am the way, the truth, the life. The top part is original mosaic, the bottom part is just painted! - Saint Andrew's Chapel
I told you it was fake. Just painted on the wall. Oh well. - Saint Andrew's Chapel
Saint Mark's lion holding the thickest Gospel - despite Mark's Gospel being the shortest of all four. - Classe
I took this picture because of the lion. Then I noticed the bull... Holy cow, what did they do to its face? - Classe
The later sarcophagi were decorated with simpler patterns, like these immortal peacocks drinking from the fountain of life. - Col de Montgenèvre
A historically super-important pass, known already to Romans (including Julius Caesar). But, as you can guess, also a possible route for Hannibal. "Does not lie in sleep." - Saint Francis
Saint Francis by Arte Legno Spello in Via Arnaldo Fortini. - Abbazia di Sant'Antimo
Capital with Daniel and the Lions by Master von Cabestany (12th century). - Detail
Detail of a lovely window grill. - Porto Azzurro
Via Nardelli Vincenzo - Elba aquarium
A jellyfish - Elba aquarium
- Elba aquarium
- Elba aquarium
- Elba aquarium
Someone's hiding here. - Elba aquarium
- Elba aquarium
- Elba aquarium
That is a Sea pen (pennatula). An animal. - Elba aquarium
- Elba aquarium
And these are shark eggs. - Elba aquarium
Aquarium in Marina di Campo - Elba aquarium
A piranha - Elba aquarium
A sawfish bone - Elba aquarium
- Doggo!
Another old barn transformed into a new house. Is that a dog-shaped opening? - Santi di Tito - Detail
Santi di Tito - Detail. Museo Civico, Sansepolcro. - Spoleto Cathedral, Interior
- Volta pinta
Volta pinta (1556) - Loggia under Palazzo del Comune in Assisi. The frescoes are inspired by Nero's Domus Aurea in Rome. Painted probably by Raffaello Coda da Rimini. - Volta pinta
Volta pinta (1556) - Loggia under Palazzo del Comune in Assisi. The frescoes are inspired by Nero's Domus Aurea in Rome. Painted probably by Raffaello Coda da Rimini. Honestly, I don't know how to feel about this image... - Volta pinta (1556) - Loggia under Palazzo del Comune in Assisi
The frescoes are inspired by Nero's Domus Aurea in Rome. Painted probably by Raffaello Coda da Rimini. Inspired by Nero probably explains it. - Volta pinta (1556) - Loggia under Palazzo del Comune in Assisi
Volta pinta (1556) - Loggia under Palazzo del Comune in Assisi. The frescoes are inspired by Nero's Domus Aurea in Rome. Painted probably by Raffaello Coda da Rimini. Yes, Nero. - Fontana Maggiore
Fontana Maggiore (1275-1278), Perugia. Romulus and Remus and their wolf-mother. - Dragon underneath San Crescentino in front of the cathedral, Urbino
San Cresentino is the patron saint of Urbino. - Studiolo, intarsia
Palazzo Ducale, Urbino. - Remains of a Roman sarcophagus
Palazzo Ducale, Urbino. - Lantern
Lantern of what is now Higher Institute for Artistic Industries. Urbino - Napoleon's villa
First French Empire coat of arms with an eagle holding thunderbolts. - Napoleon's villa
Ceilings. They are different in every room. - Napoleon's villa
Sala del nodo d'amore: Ceiling with the lover's knot, expressing the love between Napoleon and Maria Luisa. - Elba
- Santo Stefano alle Trane
- San Giacomo e San Quirico
A grave in the church of San Giacomo e San Quirico in Rio nell'Elba. - Church of the Holy Souls
The Nativity scene. Set is a mixture of 16th century buildings as well as more recent ones. - A tile on a wall
Not the official coat of arms of Marciana, but it could be. - Art in Marciana
Some local art in Marciana. - San Rufino Cathedral
Two hungry lions at the entrance. - San Rufino Cathedral
Spider-dog! On the Assisi Cathedral! I wonder what the official explanation is. - Palazzo del Popolo
Is this a dog with a helmet? And a cow sitting on top of it? - 12-sided bell tower
Coat of arms on the 12-sided bell tower, next to Chiesa di Sant'Andrea. - Chiesa di San Pietro Extra Moenia
The two panels indicating the contrast between posthumous fates of a righteous man (above) and of a sinner (below). - Chiesa di San Pietro Extra Moenia
The main portal with the reliefs of a peacock pecking grapes (top), a grazing cow (middle), and a man driving a yoke of oxen, while his dog jumps up in front (bottom). - Chiesa di San Pietro Extra Moenia
The story about the lion and the woodcutter. - Street sign
- La Fontana Maggiore
The fountain was built in 1275-1278. And it's still standing in the main square. Here we see: The she-wolf that fed Romulus, Remus and their mother Rea Silvia; Two of Aesop's fables (the fox and the crane and the wolf and the lamb); January (a gentleman and his wife at the hearth - Aquarius) - La Fontana Maggiore
Here we see: May (two Knights on Falconry - Gemini); June (the harvest and flailing - Cancer); July (the threshing and the division of wheat - Lion). - La Fontana Maggiore
Here we see: The Lion Guelph and the Griffin of Perugia; with a bit of December on the left and a bit of Grammar and Dialectic on the right. - Palazzo Vecchio del Podestà
Interesting coat of arms on the town hall walls. - Basilica Cateriniana San Domenico
There were several flags in the church, including this one with an angry-looking fish. Actually, the flags represent different districts (contrada) of Siena. This one represents Onda, a district of carpenters. And that is a dolphin. - Siena Cathedral
She-wolf of Siena, surrounded with emblems of confederate cities, dating from 1373. - Siena Cathedral
The Hellespontine Sibyl (detail) by Neroccio di Bartolomeo. She was known for her prediction of Crucifixion. The wolf and the lion represent Siena and Florence. - Siena Cathedral
A lion on the exterior of the cathedral. I am a bit intrigued by his eyes... - Loggia della mercanzia
- Fonte Gaia
The first fountain was built in 1342, this one was made in 1419 by Jacopo della Quercia. - Fonte Gaia
The original statues are kept in a museum, these are some (old) copies. - Abbazia di Sant'Antimo
The exterior is full of funny creatures. - Abbazia di Sant'Antimo
Capital with Daniel and the Lions by Master von Cabestany (12th century). - Abbazia di Sant'Antimo
Another lovely creature on the church. - Abbazia di Sant'Antimo
- Abbazia di Sant'Antimo
I did say a lot of strange creatures, right? - Palazzo Avignonesi
Built between 1542 and 1572 by Jacopo Barozzi, known as the Vignola. Now a hotel. - Palazzo Bucelli
The bottom part of this palace is decorated with plenty of Etruscan and Roman remains. Some are quite interesting. - Palazzo Bucelli
A fish biting a pegasussnake? - Pozzo dei Grifi e dei Leoni
Two griffons and two lions holding the Medici coat of arms. - :-)
Two doggos watching the Florence Cathedral. - Palazzo Vecchio
A lion in the Palazzo Vecchio. No, this time we didn't enter it, just walked around the palace a bit. - Detail
Street lamps in Florence have very interesting bases ;-) Oh, and they are of course three-legged. - Wild boar family!
In broad daylight. Mum with a bunch of squeakers. - Wild boar family!
There is seven of them! Plus the mum, of course. - Levico Terme
How to make a boring fence interesting. - Pomposa Abbey
What a lovely peacock. A peacock is apparently considered incorruptible, representing the yearning for heavenly beatitude. - Ravenna
After two days of sightseeing in the town, one recognises almost all the street-sign mosaics. - Casa Matha
Casa Matha is a guild of fishermen, one of the oldest in the world. - Mausoleum of Galla Placidia
Deer drinking water. At first I thought they were eating watermelons :-) And then there are two more apostles around the chi-rho-alpha-omega sign. - Basilica of San Vitale
The apostles, decorated with fish! Fish! - Basilica of San Vitale
The Lamb of God, supported by four angels standing on blue globes. And plenty of animals, my favourite being peacocks. - Ravenna
- Saint Andrew's Chapel
The dome is decorated with four angels pointing towards IX, and the four symbols of the evangelists. - Museo Arcivescovile
Pulpit - ambo (597) shows plenty of animals as well as Saints John and Paul. Made out of a reused old sarcophagus. - Museo Arcivescovile
- Ravenna
Well, hello there! - Domus dei Tappeti di Pietra
The Good Shepherd, depicted as a pretty well-off young man with fancy shoes and stockings. This mosaic was found on a different (older) level that the previous ones. - Classe
Buffalo by Davide Rivalta. In front of the Basilica of Sant' Apollinare in Classe. - Classe
What an idyllic scene. - Classe
My guess would be that the difference in green background also means the border between the original and restored mosaics. - Classe
More idyllic scenery. Not all of it is completely original though, but I don't know which part is and which isn't.