Arrivaderci Paradise!

This mosaic is a detail from an enormous 900-year-old mosaic flooring from the Norman cathedral in Otranto, Italy. The whole thing is huge, about 40 by 20 meters. There’s all kinds of subjects: religious, pagan, historical, and just plain made up. This one shows Adam and Eve being expelled from the Garden of Eden. Adam seems quite happy and gives a cheery wave goodbye. In fact, rather than being expelled by the angel it looks more like Adam is saying “We’re outta here” and the angel is imploring them to reconsider. Anyway, I love these cartoonish mosaics and they’re one of the many great things to see in the south of Italy.

Trulli Amazing

The ‘trulli’ of the region around Alberobello in Puglia, south Italy, are one of the most amazing examples of vernacular architecture anywhere in the world. Built of local stone, unmortared, the courses form a dome in the interiors using the technique of corbelling (setting the courses slightly further in each time). This one was a beautiful rustic one, not quite as refined as some others. They might look like the homes of trolls, but they’re well suited for the heat of summer and cold of winter. The most concentrated area of trulli houses in Alberobello has been designated a UNESCO world heritage site for the uniqueness of the structures. A few masons still are able to construct and repair these remarkable buildings.

Boyz ‘n the Hood

There are few more eloquent documents of the elegant swagger of late 15th century courtly masculinity as this high relief from the Arch of Alfonso of Aragon in the Castello Nuovo in Naples. Alfonso marched into Naples in 1443 and the arch was completed around 1470, involving the work of several sculptors. It was very much an expression of renaissance ideals of courtliness and classical tastes. The arch itself uses classicizing architectural elements and antique subjects cover every inch of the ensemble. It’s Naples’s most impressive 15th century monument.