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Syndicate
Washington’s Italian Heritage
Now that it’s the summer tourist season, it’s timely to note the city’s major monuments, even for us natives. That’s where a gorgeous book that came out earlier this year can make your visits even more interesting: The Italian Legacy in Washington, D.C.: Architecture, Design, Art and Culture, edited by Luca Molinari and Andrea Canepari (Rizzoli International, $70).
Consider:
- The dome of Rome’s Pantheon can be seen in many incarnations at the U.S. Capitol, the Jefferson Memorial, the National Gallery of Art and Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello.
- An Italian sculptor and his five brothers carved the statue of Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial.
- The interior of the Capitol Rotunda (the famous “Apotheosis of George Washington,” which graces the book’s cover) and the Capitol’s many corridors and offices showcase the ornate paintings of the Italian-American Constantino Brumidi.
- The iconic curves of the Watergate Complex were designed by Italian architect Luigi Moretti.
Other notable buildings include:
- The Holy Rosary Chuch, which was built in the early 1900s for Italian-speaking Catholics
- The Italian Ambassador’s residence near Rock Creek Park
- And the thoroughly modern Italian Embassy
Some lesser-known facts to be found in the book:
- Paintings on the walls of the Speaker of the House offices in the Capitol depict Italian architects.
- The great bronze statues flanking the entrance to Rock Creek Park near the Lincoln Memorial are gifts from the Italian people. The statues are allegories for Aspiration, Music, Literature and Harvest. Two additional statues symbolizing Sacrifice and Valor were also given from Italy as a bond of friendship with the United States following World War II.
- Statues of famous Italians dot our landscape: Christopher Columbus in front of Union Station, Dante at Meridian Hill Park, and Leonardo da Vinci and Galileo at the National Academy of Science Building.
This sumptuous coffee table book will serve as a beautiful guide to our city’s landmarks this summer – and beyond. For any lover of Washington, it’s well worth the investment.