The drawings and descriptions in the Sir Bannister Fletcher book were my first introduction to the history of architecture, especially western architecture. These drawings, primarily plans, elevations, sections, details and some perspectives were intriguing because they were so informative. I could now start to ‘read’ the buildings that I was encountering as a young university student. But reading about these buildings was not enough. The compelling Sir Bannister Fletcher pages with their detailed building descriptions did not satisfy a yearning I had to visit the buildings I had studied. Travelling is a sensuous experience. I needed to confirm that these buildings really existed. Following the maps that I needed to prepare for the building visits in advance, how would I experience them after they had been found? Would I be able to connect with the artists and architects who conceived them?
In 1980 I went to Italy specifically to experience the buildings I had studied. This involved three cities, Rome, Florence and Venice, with side trips to Siena, San Gimignano and Vicenza. Let’s Go Italy served me well and kept me from sleeping in the streets, except the first night when I was delayed by lost luggage and could not find a cheap hotel. After roaming the streets that night for an atmospheric rendezvous with a Roman ruin and finding nothing open, I slept on a Roman park bench. Over the following week, the Renaissance came alive on the streets of Rome: Borromini’s S. Carlo alle Quatro Fontani, Bernini’s S. Andrea del Quirinale and Michelangelo’s St. Peter’s dome.
David Murray
left , Detailed drawings of Palladio’s Basilica in Vicenza, in A History of Architecture on the Comparative Method . above , my 1980 photo of the Basilica
18 on site review 46 :: travel
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