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Tired of the usual tourist attractions in Milan? Already visited the Duomo? Motored the canals of the Navigli district?
Take a walk to the Zone of Silence neighborhood, located northeast of the Cathedral of San Babila. Aptly named because of its location tucked away from Milan’s heavily trafficked streets, it offers many early modern buildings. One of these, Casa Sola-Busca, is nothing architecturally spectacular in itself…what is located on the front of the building is what you need to seek out, keeping in mind the irony of the neighborhood name.
Nicknamed “Ca ‘de l’Oreggia” or “House of the Ear”, the building features a large ear on its facade.
Yes…an ear.
Long before doorbells were commonplace, a method of announcement was required by visitors. Hence, the ear.
Designed by master sculptor, Adolfo Wildt and maestros Lucio Fontana and Luigi Brogginiin in 1930, the auditory organ was used by callers…to do just that. Calling right into the ear, which was equipped with an early intercom, it allowed visitors to announce their arrival.
After many years of the ear’s existence, the original owners and creators relinquished their residence. Despite the ear’s former practicality, subsequent tenants finally had the sculpture disconnected, as many a curious passerby could not resist revealing their secrets into the able ear.
The now quiet ear is still visible today on Via Serbelloni.
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Casa Sola-Busca
- Address: Via Serbelloni 10, Milan, Italy
- Hours: No posted hours
- Admission: free
- Getting There: From metro stop, San Babila, take Corso Venezia northwest, crossing Via Senato. Continue of Via Senato to Via Gabrio Serbelloni and take a right. Casa Sola-Busca is located on the right.
Watching the movie, it was quite thrilling to see the Map Room, which was used continually by the officers of the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force who produced a daily intelligence summary for the King, Prime Minister and the military Chiefs of Staff. The other room I recognized was the Cabinet Room, from which Churchill visited in 1940 and famously declared, “This is the room from which I will direct the war.” And that he did. 115 Cabinet meetings, in all, were held in the Cabinet War Rooms.
Having seen the magnificent Westminster Abbey, in all of its glory the day before, this cathedral could have been sort of a letdown. However, you can’t compare apples to oranges. Southwark has an amazing history and some unique things to see as well.
Making your way toward the altar on the cathedral’s north aisle, you will encounter the tomb of medieval English poet, John Gower. A friend of Geoffrey Chaucer, he lived in the cathedral’s priory from the 1370’s until his death at the age of 78. His body is interred with his head resting on one of his most famous works, Speculum Meditantis, Vox Clamantis and Confessio Amantis. The latter’s first editions were dedicated to Richard II.
On the north aisle of the cathedral is the North Transept and many monuments are located in this area, most notably the monument to Lionel Lockyer, a physician whose pills were said to heal all ailments and another to lawyer and poet, William Austin. Austin’s monument, created by Nicholas Stone, a famous 17th century sculptor, is hard to miss for its size.
Take a peek into the Harvard Chapel and inspect the John Harvard Memorial window before continuing on toward the Lady Chapel. Along the way, take in the Humble Monument, which pays homage to Alderman Richard Humble, a member of the church vestry, and his two wives, Elizabeth and Isabel. Equally impressive is the Medieval Effigy of a Knight, an incredible carving of a knight, possible a crusader, dating from 1280.
Between the north and south aisles, behind the altar is one of the greatest treasures of the cathedral, the High Altar Screen. Erected in 1520 by Bishop Fox of Winchester, the screen displays three lines of statues depicting St. Olaf (King Olaf II of Norway) who converted to Christianity and is know for pulling down the London Bridge to protect the city from an assault from the Danes. Also featured are the figures of poet John Gower, King Henry I, Thomas Becket, St. Peter, St. Paul, Cardinal Beaufort, Bishop Fox and many others. There are also carvings of the Lamb of God, a pelican (badge of Bishop Fox), a row of angels and hunting scenes.
Be sure to inspect the tomb of Bishop Lancelot Andrewes located on the south aisle. A high ranking bishop, during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth I and James I of England, Andrewes was a key translator of the King James version of the Bible and assisted at King James’s coronation. During the latter part of his life, he became Dean of Winchester remaining in the position until his death at the age of 71 in 1626.
The last major attraction in the church is the Memorial Window of Shakespeare with a remarkable alabaster statue, created in 1912 by Henry McCarthy, of the great writer in repose, quill in hand. Shakespeare was a parishioner who worshiped at the cathedral when he lived near the Globe Theater. William’s brother Edmund was buried on the church grounds in 1607, however, the exact location of his tomb is unknown.
Before leaving the church, make sure to take a quick walk around the grounds of the church. While taking a look at the stunning Gothic architecture, also look for shrapnel damage which is still visible from the bombs dropped in the area between October 1940 to June 1941. Also, take a look at the archaeological remains located in the far side of the entry hall.
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The first thing I noticed about Rotterdam is while there are new buildings and skyscrapers, there are also still some older buildings scattered throughout the city, sometimes sandwiched between newer construction. I thought that this gave an interesting quality to the city…a sort of ying-yang. The second thing I noticed was that sculpture is EVERYWHERE! Following the canal that led away from the train station, I began to see interesting pieces of artwork lining the banks. Each piece was identified by a metal plaque on the walkway advising observers of the name of the artwork, the artist’s name and location and year constructed. Making for a nice leisurely walk, I stopped at each of the sculptures as I made my way south on Westersingel to Eendrachtsplein, where I found the current location of the controversial sculpture by Paul McCarthy, Santa Claus. A shocking statue, it depicts the beloved Santa not holding a Christmas tree but a sex toy. While some people have defended it proclaiming that it reflects the fetishization of Christmas and the prevalent sexuality in consumer society, others declared it vulgar and offensive.
Further on, I gazed upward at the Euromast, the observation tower constructed between 1958 and 1960 and designed by Hugh Maaskant. Though I would have like to visit the observation platform to see the city from the tallest building in Rotterdam, time was limited and I was headed to the oldest part of the city, Delfshaven.
The Pilgrim Father’s Church, dating back to 1417, when the Roman Catholic Church of St. Anthony was consecrated on the site, later fell into Protestant hands in 1574. When a group of English dissenters fled to the Netherlands in 1608, they later decided to make the journey to America so that they might worship in their own way. On July 21, 1620, they knelt in prayer on the quay near the church before boarding the ship, the Speedwell.
The Erasmus Bridge (Erasmusbrug) was completed in 1996 and is the largest and heaviest bascule bridge in Western Europe, connecting the north and south parts of the city. Named after Desiderius Erasmus (Erasmus of Rotterdam), a prominent Christian renaissance humanist, the cable-stayed bridge section with its single asymmetrical pale blue pylon with a prominent horizontal base has earned the bridge the nickname, The Swan.
Finally, heading back toward the train station, I made three quick detours to see some fantastic landmarks, Kijk Kubus (Cube Houses), innovative housing designed by Piet Blom, Grote of St. Laurenskerk (Church of St. Lawrence), the only remnant of the medieval city of Rotterdam, and Stadhuis Rotterdam (City Hall), the Beaux Art style building (with Byzantine, Roman and Art Deco influences) that was one of the few buildings to survive the bombardment of World War II.
After five hours of intense sightseeing and walking throughout the old-yet-new city of Rotterdam, my feet were aching, yet satisfied. I had seen all that the city had to offer and was confident that future travels would be easier, allowing me to explore the city in depth.
It was time head back to Amsterdam and this time, I caught the Intercity Direct! Definitely the way to go! Heck, I didn’t really even have time to catch a nap!
After doing some research on the 2017-2018 Amsterdam Light Festival, I discovered that the land exhibition had been relocated to the Marineterrein area near the Maritime Museum, making it much more accessible to visitors arriving through Central Station.
Setting out during an extremely cold evening, I walked from Central Station along the water, following signs marking the way to the exhibit. Information booths were located at both ends of the exhibit, where you could obtain information about each of the light displays and purchase information guides.
Okayyyyy…
The next display, Innersense had me waiting for at least twenty minutes. I was admitted into a small space where I was instructed to step onto a small round platform under a “shower head.” Two Dutch ladies looked over at me and asked if I was feeling anything. Anything? No, just a shower head with lights changing color, giving me a “light shower”. Hmmm.
Another confusing one…Fields of Frequencies. Ushered into a small room there were benches and a screen. The light on the screen changed color to different frequencies. Exciting.
One of my favorites, however, was the small tin building with millions of small holes drilled into it. Brocken 6 A. After entering, we were subject to a smokey interior which reflected the light entering from the outside, offering thousands of rays of light. Another, Save Our Souls, was a projection onto one of the buildings which showed a stormy sea with an SOS light in the distance. I think we were supposed to wonder who might need help? Still, the projection was pretty awesome.
How many kinds of tulips are there? One. There is one kind. The tulip. This statement is quite misleading, however, because there are many different groups of tulips each with their own specific characteristics and classified into a system of 15 different groups, broken down into shape, heritage and flowering season.
Should bulbs be dug up every year? In warmer climate zones, digging of the tulip bulbs is advised after the flowering periods and new bulbs planted during the following fall season. For zones 3-8, the bulbs do not need to be removed.
Can tulips be brought to your home country (USA)? Ensure that the bulbs have been approved by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Flower bulbs remaining within the European community can be exported throughout Europe with no problems.
The audio guide led me up the stairs and to the various parts of the theater, including the VIP room, the secret, almost-hidden Moroccan room and the main theater, the Grote Zaal.
The beautiful details throughout the building…the light fixtures, the stained glass, the woodwork…all lend to the opinion of it being considered one of the most beautiful cinemas in the world. However, not just a place of beauty, the theater in its time was considered to be revolutionary with its unique heating and ventilation system which kept an even temperature throughout the building and the state of the art Wurlitzer organ with 850 pipes that could make just about any sound, including voice.
Over time, the theater underwent many changes including one to its name when it was retitled “Tivoli” during the Second World War and began screening German made Nazi anti-semitic films. Sadly during this time, Abraham Tuschinski and most of his family were deported to Auschwitz, never to return. The theater name was changed back to Tuschinski in 1945 and used for many concerts starring big names of the day such as Judy Garland, Marlene Dietrich, Dizzy Gillespie and Fats Domino. More changes came in more recent years when the theater was renovated to its original style between 1998 and 2002 and expanded to add more auditoriums. Today, the theater goes by the name Pathé Tuschinski and the Grote Zaal has a capacity of only 784, however, five additional screens can accommodate 105 to 191 more patrons each.
As I walked through this incredible, historic theater, I was moved at how much attention to detail and thought could be put into a place of business and I imagined that I would see movies more often if I could come to a place so extraordinary.
As I returned my audio guide and collected my complimentary cup of tea, I checked the time schedule and discovered that “The Greatest Showman” was playing later in the day.
What I did find, however, is that the Katten Kabinet offers a look at the role of the cat in art and culture throughout the centuries, displaying hosts of art in the forms of posters, original paintings and sculptures paying homage to cats. The most interesting display, however, was a host of letters written to the museum and its cats from other cat lovers expressing their love of felines!
Founded in 1990, by William Meijer, a wealthy Dutchman, the museum pays homage to his feline companion, John Pierpont Morgan (1966-1983) and is housed in a structure that commands more attention than the collection displayed in it. Built in 1667, for William and Adrian Van Loon, the museum faces the historical Museum Van Loon, an identical floorplan, just across the canal. After a draw, which decided which of the brothers were to receive either of the homes, it was William who acquired the property at 497 Herengracht. Throughout its history, the house has hosted several famous people, such as the Mayor of Amsterdam, Jan Calkoen and former American president, John Adams. It has been rebuilt and redecorated several times, though most of its current state represents the 19th century.
After walking through a couple of the rooms in the museum, I finally did encounter two of the five cats that are reported to live on the premises. Stretched out on a window sill, a black and white feline stared impassively at the visitors wandering through its home. A short while later, another mostly white cat paced back and forth behind a glass-pane doorway, obviously hoping to be released from its confines by the owner who currently resides on the top floor.
One museum, the Sexmuseum Venustempel, located on busy Damrak Street, has been around since 1985, welcoming curious visitors by the thousands. With its convenient location near Amsterdam’s Central Station and many of the city’s hotels, plus its relatively cheap admission, it has evolved into one of the most visited museums in the Netherlands, with 675,000 visitors in 2015 alone.
As you make your way up the stairs, plastic body parts line the stairwell and each floor offers encounters with various exhibits including Asian Art, Sex Through the Ages, Sex and Artists (with a depiction of Rembrandt painting a nude subject, Demons and Sex and numerous phallic representations, displayed singularly and in groupings. In the architecturally compelling atrium, which houses the Venus Gallery, make sure to look up at the window where a leather clad sex worker perches asymmetrically atop a stool.
Though not for those easily offended, the museum is both amusing at times and quite compelling. Judging from people’s reactions when I mentioned that I visited, it is also probably not what most people imagine it to be. You’ll definitely get your five euros worth (and maybe more!).
After your visit to St. Catherine’s church is complete make sure to check out the Tour Noire (Black Tower) located on the side of the NH Hotel and diagonal from St. Catherine’s. This 12th century tower, still stands strong and is the lone surviving part of the ancient stone city walls.