While in Verona in October, I couldnt help but notice some amazing architectural patterns replicated across a number of their distinct buildings - in particular a beautiful pink and white striped theme.
Above is the Torre dei Lamberti, which is an amazing tower right in the centre of town - it really sports the motif, showing it off to its best, creating a really standout building with a superbly designed facade.
The pic above is also from within the courtyard, and its just beautiful.
The design stretches all the way back to the Roman period, and you can clearly see it within the vast Roman arena (built around 30 AD - 2000 years ago !), where its large blocks alternate between pink and white.
This extends to the steps/seating on the inside as well - it really is everywhere, and its probably very reflective of the building material they had available to them in the region - and then putting it to good use to give a distinctive design.
So it appears to be a trend set by the Romans, that has then continued right through the ages in Verona.
Above you can see the theme again on Verona cathedral, which was built in the 12th century (1100 years after the Arena, and about 850 years ago from today - mind boggling time scales !).
And above is the archway of the cathedral - just look at it - absolutely stunning, with the pink and white theme playing a very key role.
Above is Ponte Pietra, a bridge dating back to Roman times (but clearly rebuilt over the years), which also sports the theme.
Also of significance is the Chiesa di San Fermo Maggiore - where again this important theme plays a large part inside and out.
Its quite stunning, and can be found in pretty much any architectural feature you can think of, somewhere in the city,.
Above we find it in the marble floor of one of the churches.
And above it decorates the window arches on a much more modern building, making an important nod to Verona's signature architectural theme.
And above it can be clearly seen on another church, this time over the river and out of the centre of town.
Another beautiful church front sporting the theme.
And again, on lovely arches in the building above.
Now compare to the picture above, which was taken in Florence, where green and white marble is a particular theme used throughout the city - and to great effect above the door here and the small double arched windows to the side. I do find this interesting. The striped theme seemed to take a hold during renaissance architecture within both cities, but with them adopting their own distinctive colour - possible architecture rivalry !!
For me, being a lover of architecture, I really did enjoy seeing this around, in different uses across different time spans. What a fantastic city for architecture - its already on the list of places to revisit when we get the chance !!! And heres hoping we'll find even more examples.