Episode 329 - The Spanish Steps
Rebuilding The Renaissance
Built between 1723 and 1725, the Spanish Steps in Rome, Italy, are one of the most famous staircases in the world. Consisting of 135 stairs spread over different levels, the steps were immortalized in the famous movie “Roman Holiday” and today are one of the most popular destinations of the “eternal City.”
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Episode 328 - The Trevi Fountain (Rome)
Rebuilding The Renaissance
The Trevi Fountain is arguably the world’s most famous fountain! It was designed in 1732 by the Roman architect Nicola Salvi for a competition staged by Pope Clement XII. Rushing water passes through massive allegorical sculptures and blocks of stones into a massive stone basin in a uniquely dramatic fashion.
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Episode 327 - Answers to Open Questions XXIV
Rebuilding The Renaissance
From how many paintings Caravaggio produced, to visiting Florence at Easter time, to how form and color were applied in Renaissance painting, to an overlooked equestrian monument, to finding the wooden beams in Brunelleschi’s dome, to the model used by Leonardo da Vinci in three of his most famous paintings, and much, much more - this episode answers the very questions that you ask me about the great art, artists and history of the Italian Renaissance.
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Episode 326 - Borromini’s Sant’Agnese in Agone (Piazza Navona)
Rebuilding The Renaissance
In 1653, Borromini was asked by Pope Innocent X to take over the building of his family church of Sant’Agnese in Agone in Piazza Navona in Rome, Italy. The result was a revolutionary façade design that tragically was not realized according to Borromini’s plans.
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Episode 325 - Borromini’s Church of Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza
Rebuilding The Renaissance
Borromini began construction on another of his architectural masterpieces, the church of Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza in Rome, Italy, in 1642 for Pope Urban VIII. His curvilinear façade, bulging drum, and spiraling lantern are all eye-popping aspects of his design. But it is the extraordinary floor plan of the church which makes it unique – an equilateral triangle with semi-circular niches along its sides and corners cut off by inward swinging arcs.
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Episode 324 - Borromini’s Oratory of the Filippini
Rebuilding The Renaissance
In 1637, Francesco Borromini designed and began building an oratory – a place for public worship and musical performances – for the followers of St. Phillip Neri, known as the “Filippini.” The façade of this oratory is another of Borromini’s visionary architectural projects with its curved plan and unorthodox sculptural elements.
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Episode 323 - Borromini’s Church of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane (Part II)
Rebuilding The Renaissance
The cloister and façade of the church complex San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane (better known in Rome as “San Carlino”) are two of the most beautiful and revolutionary aspects of Borromini’s design for this project.
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Episode 322 - Borromini's Church of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane
Rebuilding The Renaissance
The church of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane (1634) - better known to the Romans as San Carlino (“little St. Charles”) due to its small size - is one of the most revolutionary in the history of art and introduces the new architectural vision of a Baroque genius named Francesco Borromini.
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Episode 321 - The Life of Francesco Borromini
Rebuilding The Renaissance
Francesco Borromini is celebrated as the greatest architectural genius of the Baroque age. This podcast shall examine his life, career, and rivalry with the great Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
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Episode 320 - The Death and Legacy of Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Rebuilding The Renaissance
On November 28, 1680, the 82-year-old Bernini passed away. His spectacular career was nearly 70 years long, during which he worked for 8 different popes. Only Michelangelo surpassed him in terms of lifespan and papal patrons! This podcast looks back on Bernini’s career, his rather surprisingly modest tomb, and the great legacy that he left behind.
info_outlineBuilt between 1723 and 1725, the Spanish Steps in Rome, Italy, are one of the most famous staircases in the world. Consisting of 135 stairs spread over different levels, the steps were immortalized in the famous movie “Roman Holiday” and today are one of the most popular destinations of the “eternal City.”