Hello everyone,

We celebrated a milestone on our blog recently when we published our 100th post. In honor of the occasion, we're rounding up our most popular articles. We try to balance practical information (like how to navigate the ferries on Lake Como) with our personal obsessions (such as anything with stripes). To our delight, this list includes quite a range of topics.

Palladio’s Architecture in Venice

The churches of San Giorgio Maggiore and Il Redentore feel like a shot of oxygen after trooping through the smoky light and elaborate ornamentation of San Marco. Palladio’s cool, expansive spaces epitomize Venetian serenity – and they remain surprisingly empty even in the high season. In spite of their iconic status, not many people cross the basin to see them up close. We took the three-minute vaporetto ride and rediscovered some of La Serenissima’s most sublime architecture. 

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Seville’s Architecture: An Islamic Legacy

Before the Inquisition and before Spain’s heyday as the gateway to the Americas, the Iberian Peninsula flourished with an exhilarating jumble of cultures. Muslims called the land Al-Andalus, and their influence ushered in a golden age. Seville, capital of Andalusia since the twelfth century, brims with remnants of a rich and complicated history. At the palace and garden complex of the Real Alcázar, Christian and Islamic styles merged to become one of Spain’s most evocative architectural treasures. Seville’s Islamic heritage also lives on in the Giralda tower and the Casa de Pilatos.

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Borromini’s Baroque: Rome Beyond the Gilt

It’s easy to overdose on gilt, colored marble, and cherubs when visiting Baroque buildings in Rome. The Roman church used excessive ornamentation to impress the masses, but it obscures some fascinating architecture. The good news is that Francesco Borromini’s revolutionary buildings are anything but gaudy. The bad news is that there aren’t many of them, and they are not always easy to access.

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The Striped Cathedrals of Orvieto and Siena

Most of us associate medieval European architecture with bare stone, limited colors, and above all, solemnity. The cathedrals of Siena and Orvieto are a delightful exception. From the confectionary colors and sculptural froth of their facades to the wealth of patterns, pictures, and trompe l’oeil accents, both buildings celebrate a surprisingly wide range of styles. Perhaps most strikingly, both places wrap the entire edifice up in bands of near-black and white. Even today, few structures can match these cathedrals for sheer exuberance.

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A Guide to Istanbul’s Three Monumental Cisterns

Long after Constantinople’s holy relics were sold and its treasures plundered, the mighty underground reservoirs survived. The metropolis once held over 200 cisterns with the oldest and largest clustered in the ancient city center. Many continued to provide water (and fish) for over a millenia, even as their existence disappeared from written records. No one knows how many cisterns remain buried today. Three of the largest have been excavated and opened to the public: the Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnıcı or Sarayı), the Binbirdirek Sarnıcı (the Cistern of 1001 Columns or Cistern of Philoxenos), and the Cistern of Theodosius (Şerefiye Sarnıcı).

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History of the Alhambra’s Paradisal Gardens and Courtyards

Inspired by paradise itself, Granada’s Alhambra holds the power to transport us from the cares of the outside world. In spite of being photographed thousands of times per hour every day, the palace still generates a feeling of enchantment which cannot be replicated. Its gardens and courtyards form an all-encompassing sensory experience where indoor and outdoor spaces blend, and the earthly becomes heavenly.

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The Architecture of Jodhpur, India’s Blue City

In the hot, dusty stretches of the Thar Desert, Jodhpur may appear more vision than city. Its mighty fortress grows right out of a mountain, over 400 feet straight up from the scrubby plain. At its base, a wash of buildings echoes the sky by day and lights up with blue pinpricks at night. It’s hard to conceive of mere mortals creating this place. Understanding Jodhpur requires diving into the streetside currents of cobalt. The shades not only mitigate blazing heat, they also compliment green plants and jewel-toned saris, providing a respite from the bazaars’ chaos. 

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Easy Day Trips From Bari by Train

There’s no denying the seductive power of Puglia’s coastline, where white stone architecture and craggy coves set off an astonishingly-vivid sea. As Puglia’s biggest transportation hub, Bari offers a tantalizing number of day trips. Entire regions beckon, from the Valle d’Itria and Salento to the south, Murgia and Gargano to the north, or Gravina and Basilicata inland. 

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Gaudí and Modernisme in Palma de Mallorca

Caught between the island’s beach resorts and the better-known landmarks in nearby Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca flies under most visitors’ radar. Yet the city is an oasis of incredible architecture. Along with its lush gardens and historic patios, Palma holds some of the greatest Modernista structures outside of Barcelona – including works by Antonio Gaudí and Lluís Domènech i Montaner. 

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A Guide to Ferries in Lake Como

On Lake Como, when a ferry pulls into shore, not everyone wants to get off. The boats’ gentle pace encourages passengers to relinquish their when-will-we-get-there mindset and enjoy the proverbial journey. Crossing the lake cures all sorts of ailments, physical as well as mental – my miserable cold evaporated somewhere between Varenna and Bellagio.  

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Lions in the Piazza News

We’re off to Japan next week. Our Tokyo map alone includes over 150 buildings and places to visit!

Our latest blog posts include:

Milan’s Innovative and Unusual Churches

Visiting Cappadocia Without a Tour

The Pantheon and the Domes of Rome

A Guide to Ancient Architecture in Rome

As always, previous newsletters can be found on our beehiiv archive page.

If any of you have questions, comments, or suggestions, please do get in touch.

Mary & Sarah

[email protected]