St. Anthony's Church and Little Italy
Vitrail de l'église Saint-Antoine, conçu par Guido Nincheri.
In this walk, we will consider how cities are built and renewed, and the importance of design and architecture in defining identity as well as providing inspiring and viable spaces, both indoors and out. At St Anthony's, we will enjoy the frescoes and the stained glass windows, from the hand of Guido Nincheri. This beautiful Renaissance Art has the power to transport us to Florence, where people live this art on a daily basis. Luciano will talk about how art was an intrinsic aspect of how Florence was built and continues to influence how people live in that city. He will also talk about the challenges of creating such artful infrastructure, through Brunelleschi's construction of the dome on the cathedral in Florence (La cupola del Duomo di Firenze), built more than 600 years ago.
From there, we will go outside, where Luciano will consider how the City of Florence was planned and built and compare it with how we build our cities today. As we walk, we will reflect on Phil Jenkins' book, An Acre of Time, and about decisions North Americans consistently make in planning and building our “wind tunnel" cities. Our choices regarding architecture and building sites show that we do not learn from history. In Scandinavia (northern countries similar to Canada), they respect people's access to sunlight. We don't always do that here in Ottawa.
Photo: Stained glass window at St. Anthony's Church, designed by Guido Nincheri.
Find out more about St. Anthony's Church and its role in the community here.
