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Wednesday, April 26, 2017

camminando | Rome: Finding Symmetry Inside & Outside


Two of the most meaningful buildings by Donato Bramante are located in Rome, about 2 km one from the other.

"Tempietto" is located just outside the park of Gianicolo, in the complex of San Pietro in Montorio. It was built around 1502, commissioned by the King of Sicily Ferdinando II of Aragon and his wife Isabella. Perhaps inspired by the Temple of Vesta in Tivoli, the buildings is based on circular symmetry, framed by arches of the surrounding cloister. Its almost minimalist vocabulary, based on emphasis on structure vs. decoration, is characterized by radial symmetry, with an entablature supported by sixteen columns of doric order. The interior of the dome presents a fresco resembling a starred sky, while the floor exhibits symmetrical in its mosaic pavement.