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Showing posts from August, 2017

They are all crooked!

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They are all crooked ! A journey among some of the most incredible crooked buildings in the world Morena Giannascoli “There are no straight lines or sharp corners in nature. Therefore, buildings must have no straight lines or sharp corners.” Antoni Gaudi Here is an interesting list of crooked buildings that challenge the laws of gravity every day with their inclination giving their cities that touch of peculiarity. Some of them have become crooked over time while others are deliberately constructed by architects. ITALY , The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the most recognized leaning tower. The tower's tilt began during construction in the 12th century, caused by an inadequate foundation  on ground too soft on one side to properly support the structure's weight. The tilt increased in the decades before the structure was completed in the 14th century. It gradually increased until the structure was stabilized (and the tilt partially corrected

A Curious Shape

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Today I recommend... a nice slice of polenta! No, I’m not talking about food. Today I’m taking you on a journey to the first capital of Italy, Turin, to visit a very curious building: Casa Scaccabarozzi, also known with the name of Slice of Polenta , which is one of the narrowest buildings in the world with one of its side measuring just 54 centimetres! The nickname commonly attributed by the people of Turin, Slice of Polenta, is most probably given by the curious shape of the building,  that make it resembling a real slice , but also its characteristic yellow colour. Read also They are all crooked! The building, built in 1840, has got a triangular shape (16 metres x 5 metres x 54 centimetres) and consists of 9 floors, 2 of which are underground, all connected through an internal staircase.  The total height of the building is 24 meters. It seems that the Slice of Polenta was built more as a bet then for real need. Architect Antonelli was given a small trapezoid la

The Sleeping Beauty

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The Sleeping Beauty of Abruzzo Morena Giannascoli If I told you: "The Sleeping Beauty" what would you think? The Walt Disney animated film or perhaps the fairy tale written by Charles Perraul. Instead I think of Abruzzo, Italy, where legends never die and where the Sleeping Beauty is the profile of the massive Gran Sasso Mountain seen from the Pescara area. From this perspective the Corno Grande and Mount Camicia are aligned to form respectively the face and breast of a woman lying on her back. With the clear sky and the sunset it becomes a wonderful scenario featured in many postcards and even in this beautiful youtube video that went viral on the web.  According to the legend, the Goddess Maja fled from Phrygia and arrived in the harbour of a town called Ortona (read also Abruzzo Trabocchi ) with her giant son Hermes, wounded in battle. They took refuge on the mountain tops and she tried to cure him with her maternal love using medicinal herbs, however the sno