Architecture, Lecce

Strolling along the seaside promenade Goffredo di Crollalanza, you’ll come across one of the most beautiful late-Liberty buildings ever made in Bari, overlooking the gardens of Adua square and the sea. https://www.viaggiareinpuglia.it/at/5/luogocultura/663/en/Teatro-Kursaal-Santa-Lucia-Bari-(Bari)

Much like La Fenice in Venice, the Teatro Petruzzelli has a story of destruction and rebirth. Originally constructed in 1903, the theater was destroyed by arson in 1991. It took years to get construction re-started, but finally, in 2009, ownership of the theater passed from private hands to the city of Bari and the theater re-opened with a performance of the Ninth Symphony by Beethoven. https://selectitaly.com/tickets/theaters-opera-concerts/teatro-petruzzelli/59#fndtn-at-a-glance

The Old Town Centre of Crotone is easily identified because it is situated on a hill, close to the sea, enclosed until the end of 800, from the sixteenth century city wall with a very ancient history. According to archaeologists, the acropolis of the ancient Kroton stood here. It is said to house, among other buildings, the Temple of the Muses, home of the Pythagorean school, known throughout the Mediterranean. It is a very layered urban fabric, which for the continuous destruction, reconstruction, alterations, increases in volume that are superimposed over the course of three centuries, which have no name of the type Byzantine, Medieval,Renaissance, Baroque. The city was subjected to several foreign domination over the centuries whose influence is reflected in the heterogeneous style of its old town center. The types are mostly composite, with many terraced houses, narrow winding streets, wherein the worship buildings and noble palaces are concentrated in little squares. Political power and religious power are added together in these contexts of social life, where shops of merchants and artisans overlook the, but on which lies primarily the importance of the church, the convent of the palace. While Castle Square preserves the centuries the peculiarity of Square of arms, Dome Square, the political center of the city is the seat of Royal House, the Bishop's Palace, and of course the Cathedral church. At Suriano Square Suriano (now Umberto I Square), destined for popular assemblies, dominate the convent of St. Francis of Assisi, now the Seminary, with the annexed church and mansions of Suriano (now Albani Palace),and the Marquis Berlingeri. http://www.comune.crotone.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/4732

The castle acropolis Commonly called the Castle of Charles V by the imperial coat of arms that was located there, it was created as a rudimental fortress on the ancient Greek Acropolis, to defend the country from foreign invasion. http://www.federicoitineraridellostupore.it/index.php/en/calabria/crotone/the-castle-of-carlo-v

The National Archaeological Museum of Crotone, open to the public since 1968, is amongst the most important of Calabria. The building, designed by architect Franco Minissi, is located at one of the bastions of the sixteenth century city wall, near the Castle of Charles V, in the historical heart of the town. http://crotone.itineraritaly.it/en/p455/national_archaeological_museum

Symbol of the city’s millenary history, the Doric column erected on the Capocolonna promontory (at about 13 km from the centre of Crotone) carries an echo of the splendour of the Magna Grecia period. It is the only remaining column of the temple dedicated to the goddess Hera. Dating back to the 6th century B.C., it was one of the most important religious locations in Magna Gr�cia, upon which today stands Capocolonna Archaeological Park. The Park is made of roughly 30,000 square meters of terrain allocated for excavations which brought to light the foundations of different buildings and domestic locations, along with 20 hectares of Mediterranean woods in which are present pleasant natural trails that lead from the museum to the column. http://www.portofcrotone.com/index.php?id=72

Tirana’s Resurrection of Christ Orthodox Cathedral is not just a Cathedral. It is the third-largest such structure in the Balkans and is located close to the centre of Tirana. The construction of the building, south-west of Tirana Centre Plaza, was completed in 2012. The cathedral complex comprises the cathedral itself, the chapel of the Nativity, bell tower, the residence of the Holy Synod, cultural centre, a library, two other chapels and a small museum. The cathedral's dome reaches 32.2 metres above ground, with the bell tower reaching 46 metres. Following its construction the cathedral has become a major tourism attraction in Tirana http://www.visit-tirana.com/things-to-do/attractions/22/resurrection-of-christ-orthodox-cathedral-of-tirana

This temple was constructed on a mostly artificial spur. It dates to c. 450 BC, measuring 38.15 x 16.90 m: it is in Doric style, peripteros with 6 x 13 columns, preceded by a pronaos and opisthodomos. The basement has four steps. Current remains (including anastylosis from the 18th century onwards) the front columnade with parts of the architrave and of the frieze (only fragments of the other three sides are present), with few elements of the cella. The building was damaged in the fire of 406 BC and restored in Roman times, with the substitution of the roof tiles with marble ones and the addition of a steep rise in the are where today can be seen the remains of the altar. Nearby are arcosolia and other sepultures from Byzantine times, belonging to the late 6th century AD renovation of the Temple of Concordia into a Christian church. http://www.guidaturisticaagrigento.it/hera_en.php

It is absolutely an important tourist attraction. As a symbol of a notorious communism, it resisted some attempts to be destroyed by previous governments. But it is still there, unrestored, a symbol of the mixed and contradictory history of Tirana. It was inaugurated on October 14, 1988, as the mausoleum of the dictator, Enver Hoxha. The pyramid form was designed by a group of architects led by the daughter and son-in-law of the dictator. Construction began in 1986 and ended in 1988. It did indeed serve as a mausoleum for Hoxha, until 1991, after which it became a conference and fair centre. http://www.visit-tirana.com/things-to-do/attractions/21/the-pyramid

Set amidst lush verdure where the River Crn Drim tumbles into the lake, the monastery of St. Naum is a refuge of tranquillity at the very southwestern corner of the Macedonian Republic. Situated 29 km (18 m) from the town of Ohrid and only 1 kilometre (0.6 m) from the Albanian border, the monastery brings the Macedonian experience to a dramatic culmination. As with most Byzantine churches, St. Naum was chosen primarily for its location – on a high, rocky outcropping over the lake, above deep forests and life-giving springs of the river Crn Drim. The monastic complex and church of St. Naum was built originally at the turn of the tenth century by the monk that bore the same name; Macedonians believe you can still hear the saint’s heartbeat by pressing an ear to his stone coffin inside the church. The monastery has been renewed and enlarged several times over the centuries. While most of its iconostases and frescoes date from the 16th and 17th century, earlier etchings in the Byzantine Greek vernacular also remain. But numerous orthographical mistakes indicate that they were written by Slavic-speaking local monks. Other inscriptions in the church make up some of the oldest epigraphic evidence of Slavic literacy. The icons of St. Naum are some of the best religious painting achievements in the Balkans. They date from the first half of the 18th century. The wood-carved iconostasis itself was made in 1711 by an unknown artisan. A peculiar element of St. Naum is located not on the inside of the church but on the outside: the preponderance of multi-coloured peacocks strutting around and luxuriating in the grass. http://www.exploringmacedonia.com/monastery-st-naum.nspx

One of the most magnificent churches in all of Macedonia stands right above a small fishing settlement, on a cliff rising up from Lake Ohrid; St. Jovan Kaneo is a combination of Byzantine and Armenian architectural styles. Built in the honour of St. John the Theologian, St. Kaneo with its sublime atmosphere and views of the placid lake below, remains an inspiring place for spiritual contemplation. The church which was consecrated at the end of the 13th century was built on a rectangular stone base. Its exterior is decorated with ceramic decorative sculptures and stone carvings. Though the fresco painters are unknown, the fragments that have been preserved are of exceptional quality; the Communion of the Apostles and the portraits of St. Clement, St. Erasmus and Constantine Kavasilas especially stand out. Being as it is - an extraordinarily unique construction - St. Kaneo is indeed one of the most beautiful churches in Macedonia as well as in the whole Balkan region. http://www.exploringmacedonia.com/church-st-jovan-kaneo.nspx

The church of St. Sofia is one of the largest medieval churches on this territory. For a long time, it was the cathedral church ("Great Church") of the Ohrid Archiepiscopate whose ecclesiastical authority covered the territories up to the river Danube to the north, the Albanian coast to the west, and the Bay of Thessalonica to the east. The church was probably used as a cathedral way back in the past, in the period of the Car Samuel who, in the late X century, moved his throne from Prespa to Ohrid. The other assumption is that there used to be another church on the same site during the reign of the Macedonian Czar Samuel and that later on this church was ruined for unknown reasons. The date of the construction of that church is uncertain because there are no inscriptions that help reveal it. It is also mentioned that today's church was either built or restored during the period of the Archbishop Leo who was on the throne of the Church in the period between 1035-1056. His esteemed ecclesiastical principle became a donor of the painting decorations in the church of St. Sofia. The original church had only one main dome. In the XIV century, an opulent external narthex was constructed. Its original shape was a three-naval basilica with a transept, a dome, and galleries on the side naves. It had a parvis and separate chapels above the northern and southern altar sections even in XI century. Almost three centuries later, during the period of the Archbishop Gregorius, a new parvis was built. It represents the climax of the Macedonian XIV-century culture. The concept of the extended parvis was horizontal, with a portico on the ground, and galleries on the first floor. Above the Gregorious Gallery, on the northern and southern sides, there were separate sections with towers. With the arrival of the Turks, the church St. Sofia was converted into a mosque. They "took care" to reshape the church almost entirely so that it could serve the Muslim religion. The frescoes were whitewashed, the ornamented plates from the iconostasis were used for constructing the internal staircase, and a minaret was built above the northwest dome. These undertakings distorted the structure of the entire church. In the period from 1950 to 1957 extensive conservatory and restoration activities were performed. The frescoes were cleaned and conserved, and also some reconstruction work was done. The fresco paintings in the church are amongst the highest achievements in medieval painting in Macedonia and even wider. At that time Ohrid was under the direct authority of the Constantinople Patriarchate, so these are the most important preserved works of Byzantine monumental painting. The donor of the fresco paintings, one of the most learned men of the time, Archbishop Leo, directly influenced the selection of the compositions painted in the XI century. http://www.exploringmacedonia.com/church-st-sophia.nspx

The builders of Ohrid’s ancient theater have estimated very precisely where to put the building - in the center of the elevated old town. The open theater holds a perfect location, as the two hills (Gorni Saraj and Deboj) keep it protected from winds that could interfere with acoustics during performances. The Ancient theatre of Ohrid of the Hellenistic period was built in 200 BC and is the only Hellenistic-type theatre in the country as the other three in Scupi, Stobi and Heraclea Lyncestis are from Roman times. It is unclear how many people the original theatre used to seat, as only the lower section still exists. During Roman times, the theater was also used for gladiator fights. However, since the theater was also a site of executions of Christians by the Romans, it rapidly turned to a highly disliked site by the locals. In fact, as a result of this dislike, the theatre was abandoned and buried by the locals after the demise of the Roman Empire. Discovered accidentally and later excavated completely, this 4, 000 square meter monument to antique Greco-Roman culture is being used today during the annual Ohrid Summer Festival for performances of ancient tragedies and comedies. The Theatre offers a wonderful view of Lake Ohrid and Mt. Galichica to the southeast. http://www.exploringmacedonia.com/ancient-theater.nspx

The imposing castle of Ioannina was built in 528 AD by the Emperor Justinian, and was an ambitious expression of the might of the Byzantine Empire. It is the oldest Byzantine fortress in Greece with significant influence over the history of the town which grew around it. http://www.visitgreece.gr/en/main_cities/ioannina

The Rector’s Palace (Croatian: Knežev dvor) is a palace in the city of Dubrovnik that used to serve as the seat of the Rector of the Republic of Ragusa between the 14th century and 1808. It was also the seat of the Minor Council and the state administration. Furthermore, it housed an armoury, the powder magazine, the watch house and a prison. The rector’s palace was built in the Gothic style, but it also has Renaissance and Baroque elements, harmoniously combining these elements. Originally it was a site of a defence building in the early Middle Ages. It was destroyed by a fire in 1435 and the town decided to build a new palace. The job was offered to the master-builder Onofrio della Cava of Naples, who had previously built the aqueduct. It became a Gothic building with ornaments sculpted by Pietro di Martino of Milan. A gunpowder explosion badly damaged the building in 1463. The renewal was offered to the architect Michelozzo of Florence. But he was rejected in 1464 because his plans went too much in the style of the Renaissance. Other builders continued the work. The capitals of the porch were reshaped in Renaissance style probably by Salvi di Michele of Florence. He continued the reconstruction from 1467 on. The building suffered damages from the earthquake of 1520 and again in 1667. Reconstruction was in Baroque style. A flight of stairs and a bell were added in the atrium. In 1638 the Senate erected a monument to Miho Pracat (by Pietro Giacometti of Recanati), a rich shipowner from Lopud, who had bequeathed his wealth to Dubrovnik. https://www.godubrovnik.guide/dubrovnikthingstodo/rectors-palace/

The origins of the Museum go back to 1872, when the Patriotic Museum was founded, for in its holdings it had a smallish collection of artworks of a cultural history character. More systematic collection of material began after World War II, thanks to the urging of the curator and first manager of the cultural history department, Dr Božo Glavić, to whom goes the credit for moving the collection into the Rector’s Palace and setting up the first in situ display, opened to the public in 1950. During the course of time, the collection turned into first a distinct department of the Dubrovnik Museum, and then into the Cultural History Museum, a component of Dubrovnik Museums. The holdings of the museum consist of material of distinctly cultural, historical and artistic value, with about ten thousand objects created over a time span from the end of the 15th to the beginning of the 20th century. It has been systematised into fifteen collections featuring painting, printmaking, furniture, textiles, ceramics, metals, icons, glass, photographs and photographic materials, miscellanea, documents, postcards, the writer Ivo Vojnović, old weaponry and numismatics. https://www.godubrovnik.guide/dubrovnikthingstodo/cultural-history-museum/

The Ethnographic Museum has its origins in the collection of traditional culture that began to be formed in the first decades of the twentieth century. Its holdings were very much enlarged with specimens of traditional attire and lace donated several times by that great benefactor of the museum, Jelka Miš (1875 -1956). In the course of time, the collection grew into the ethnological department of Dubrovnik Museum, and in 1950 opened its first display of original ethnographic folk handicrafts from the local area on the second floor of Fort St John. At the end of the eighties, the ethnographic department was relocated to the building of the Dubrovnik Republic’s granary, popularly known as Rupe/The Holes, which derives from the name for the underground grain storage areas carved out of bedrock or tufa. https://www.godubrovnik.guide/dubrovnikthingstodo/ethnographic-museum/

The Sponza Palace (Croatian: Palača Sponza), also called Divona (from dogana, customs), is a 16th­century palace in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Its name is derived from the Latin word “spongia”, the spot where rainwater was collected. The rectangular building with an inner courtyard was built in a mixed Gothic and Renaissance style between 1516 and 1522 by Paskoje Miličević Mihov. The loggia and sculptures were crafted by the brothers Andrijić and other stonecutters. The palace has served a variety of public functions, including as a customs office and bonded warehouse, mint, armoury, treasury, bank and school. It became the cultural center of the Republic of Ragusa with the establishment of the Academia dei Concordi, a literary academy, in the 16th century. It survived the 1667 earthquake without damage. The palace’s atrium served as a trading center and business meeting place. An inscription on an arch testifies to this public function: https://www.godubrovnik.guide/dubrovnikthingstodo/sponza-palace/

Fort Lovrijenac or St. Lawrence Fortress, often called “Dubrovnik’s Gibraltar”, is a fortress and theater located outside the western wall of the city of Dubrovnik in Croatia, 37 m above sea level. Famous for its plays and importance in resisting Venetian rule, it overshadows the two entrances to the city, from the sea and by land. Early in the 11th century the Venetians attempted to build a fort on the same spot where Fort Lovrijenac currently stands. If they had succeeded, they would have kept Dubrovnik under their power, but the people of the city beat them to it. The “Chronicles of Ragusa” reveal how the fort was built within just three months time and from then on constantly reconstructed. When the Venetian ships arrived, full of materials for the construction of the fort, they were told to return to Venice. The Croatian leg of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series takes place in Lovrijenac. https://www.godubrovnik.guide/dubrovnikthingstodo/fort-lovrijenac/

The Museum of Modern Art Dubrovnik was founded in 1945. The building now occupied by the Museum of Modern Art Dubrovnik was originally conceived and built (1935 – ­1939) as the showcase residential mansion of Dubrovnik ship owner Božo Banac, and in 1948 it was converted into exhibition premises and museum. It was designed by the well­known Croatian architects Lavoslav Horvat and Harold Bilinić in the neo­Renaissance­cum­Gothic style, along the lines of masterpieces of Dubrovnik urban and villa Renaissance architecture (the Rector’s Palace, the Divona/Sponza, the Sorkočević Villa and so on). Through the conversion works, nine exhibition rooms were created, along with two storerooms and some smaller working areas. Together with the large terraces looking on to the sea and its garden, the Museum has 900 square metres of indoor and over 1100 square metres of outdoor exhibition space. https://www.godubrovnik.guide/dubrovnikthingstodo/museum-modern-art/

The Franciscan Church and Monastery is a large complex belonging to the Order of the Friars Minor. It consists of a monastery, a church, a library and a pharmacy. It is situated at the Placa, the main street of Dubrovnik, Croatia. Church and bell tower of the Franciscan church The earliest monastery was built in the 13th century outside the walls. A new monastery inside the walls and close to the Pile Gate, was built in 1317, but its construction took centuries. Parts of the complex were rebuilt several times. The church was destroyed by the earthquake of 1667. Amongst the losses was a statue by Pietro di Martino da Milano. The only element remaining is the decorated portal overlooking the beginning of the Placa, the main street of Dubrovnik. It was sculpted in 1498 in Gothic style by the workshop of the brothers Leonard and Petar Petroviċ. The almost life-sized Pietà in the central lunette, decorated with flamboyant leaves, is flanked by the figures of St. Jerome (holding a model of the pre-earthquake church) and St. John the Baptist. On top of the lunette stands the figure of the Father Creator. The interior of the church was reconstructed in Baroque style with a single nave. The marble pulpit survived the earthquake of 1667. The main altar with the statue of the resurrected Christ between four twisted marble columns was created by the sculptor Celia from Ancona in 1713. The five side altars were sculpted by the Venetian Giuseppe Sardi between 1684 and 1696. The decorations on the altar of St. Francis were painted in 1888 by the painter Celestin Medovic. The poet Ivan Gundulić is buried in this church. The monastery was built in 1360 in late Romanesque style by the master Mihoje Brajkov of Bar. https://www.godubrovnik.guide/dubrovnikthingstodo/franciscan-church-and-monastery/

The Walls of Dubrovnik (Croatian: Dubrovačke gradske zidine) are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the citizens of the afterward proclaimed maritime city-state of Dubrovnik (Ragusa), situated in southern Croatia, since the city’s founding prior to the 7th century as a Byzantium castrum on a rocky island named Laus (Ragusia or Lave). With numerous additions and modifications throughout their history, they have been considered to be amongst the great fortification systems of the Middle Ages, as they were never breached by a hostile army during this time period.[2] In 1979, the old city of Dubrovnik, which includes a substantial portion of the old walls of Dubrovnik, joined the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. The oldest systems of fortifications around the town were likely wooden palisades. Today’s intact city walls, constructed mainly during the 12th–17th centuries, mostly a double line, have long been a source of pride for Dubrovnik. The walls run an uninterrupted course of approximately 1,940 metres (6,360 ft) in length, encircling most of the old city, and reach a maximum height of about 25 metres (82 ft). The bulk of the existing walls and fortifications were constructed during the 14th and 15th centuries but were continually extended and strengthened up until the 17th century. https://www.godubrovnik.guide/dubrovnikthingstodo/ancient-city-walls/

You will absolutely fall in love with the byzantine churches and the beautiful mansions, which are typical examples of Macedonian architecture. http://www.visitgreece.gr/en/main_cities/kastoria

The consequence of this battle was the collapse of the last Hellenistic kingdom (the Ptolemeans of Egypt) and the beginning of the Roman Age under the monocracy (autocracy) of the victor, Octavian Augustus. In memory of his glorious victory, Octavian founded Nicopolis (the City of Victory) to the southernmost end of Epirus by forcing the inhabitants from around twenty cities of Etolia, Acarnania and Epirus to resettle there, in addition to bringing new settlers from Italy. Endowed with exceptional privileges and tax exemptions, as a "free city", Nicopolis did not take long to develop into a large thriving city. Its harbours (Komaros and Vathy), its excellent geographical position at a junction between Epirus and Acarnania as well as between Greece and Italy, the re-establishment of the Aktia Games as an "equivalent to the Olympic gymnastic games along with musical competitions, horse races that were held every four full years", turned it into a pole of attraction in the wider Mediterranean area. 'Nicopolis is populous, and its numbers are increasing daily', mentions Strabo. Its inhabitance continued on into the Byzantine times as well. http://www.visit-preveza.com/el/nikopoli

Cattedrale di San Matteo—the cathedral of Salerno—houses ancient Greek columns, Roman sarcophagi, medieval pulpits, and the body of St. Matthew the Evangelist Although World War II bombs devastated most of medieval Salerno, the Duomo's lovely 11th-century atrium courtyard was spared. It contains 28 antique columns pilfered from the ancient Greek ruins of Paestum. Behind them are Roman sarcophagi recycled in the Middle Ages as the tombs for local grandees. The cathedral was founded in 1081 by Hauteville Norman adventurer Robert Guiscard who by then had conquered his way to becoming Duke of Apulia and Calabria (which, at the time, covered pretty much all of southern Italy; the neighbouring Dutchy of Naples was confined just the sliver of land around the Bay of Naples itself). Robert was, for good measure, also Duke of Sicily. An earthquake in 1688 caused most of the cathedral to be rebuilt along baroque lines, though from the older church remain a fabulous pair of inlaid ambones (pulpits) similar to those at Ravello. Proof that the city of Salerno was once a much bigger deal than it is today: The cathedral crypt, lavishly decorated with precious marbles in the 17th century (and restructured in the 1960s), houses the bones of St. Matthew the Evangelist. http://www.reidsitaly.com/places/salerno/see/the-duomo-of-salerno/

This castle, located on the Bonadies Mountain, was built in the VII century on behalf of the Lombard Prince Arechi II who moved the capital of the Dukedom from Benevento to Salerno. To this day, the castle still dominates and guards over the city. http://www.turismoinsalerno.it/salernoartecultura_e.htm

Tower of All Saints, locally called Kula Svih Svetih is also called Capello tower or Rampada. It is built 1493, as part of 12 Korcula towers. It is located on the South-East part of Korcula Town walls, situated in Rampada street, Zakerjan area. Nowadays, the only basement is left of this tower. It is named after All Saints Church located in its near vicinity. https://www.korculainfo.com/towers/all-saints/

Bishop’s Treasury Museum is located in Bishops Palace in an elegant two-storey palace on Sveti Marko Square in Korcula Old Town. The museum is also called Abbey Treasury of St Mark (Opatska Riznica Svetog Marka). The ground floor covers parish office, library, archives and Kitchen exhibition hall. On the first floor, there are exhibits of Treasury hall, while the top floor covers residence of the parish priest. The museum exhibits numerous works of art including some paintings by Blaz Jurjev and Tiepolo. There are also old manuscripts with illuminated codex from the 12th century, alabaster sculptures from the 15th century as well as a statue of Mary Stuart from the 17th century. This is an interesting museum collection worth to visit if you are in Korcula. https://www.korculainfo.com/bishops-treasury/

Korcula Town Museum (Gradski muzej Korcula) is located at St Mark’s Square facing Cathedral Sveti Marko. The Museum is housed in Gabrielis palace that was built in 15th and 16th century. It is 3 storey building with basement and attic. Museum has various collections covering Korcula’s history and culture from Ancient history to nowadays. https://www.korculainfo.com/museums/korcula-museum/

St. Mark’s Cathedral is probably the most important building in the Korcula Old Town. It is built in Gothic-Renaissance style, completed in the 15th century at the place of other church from 13th century. It was built by local masters and craftsman of stone masonry, very well known in renaissance and baroque Dubrovnik and Venice. Most famous among them was stonemason Marko Andijic who completed the cathedral’s tower and cupola (1481) as well as elegant ciborium above the main altar. Cathedral’s facade is decorated with the truly beautiful fluted rose and various relief and statues (photos), while the main door – portal is framed by statues of Adam and Eve and figures of lions. Inside the Cathedral there are two Tintoretto’s paintings. This is the largest Church in the city, oriented east-west. Here on the highest point on the peninsula and central square was a smaller Church most likely consecrated to the Mother of God. https://www.korculainfo.com/st-marks-cathedral/

Arneri Palace in Korcula extends from the western edge of the Old Town to Trg Svetog Marka – the main Old Town square (also, known as Pjaca). Built in Venetian Gothic architecture by Arneri family, this elegantly ornamented palace dates from late sixteenth / early seventeenth century. Beside the artistically valuable courtyard (see above photos) the windows and the walls of the palace in the south street are decorated by intricate building and sculpting details. The palace, being among the most beautiful buildings in the town is a well-known town landmark. https://www.korculainfo.com/arneri-palace/

House of Marco Polo – believed to be house in which Marco Polo, the famous world traveller and writer was born. It’s recently bought by Korcula’s Town Authority which is currently planning to reconstruct and redone it into the Museum of Marco Polo… At present, just the part of the house is opened for visitors to have a look around. Climb narrow stairs and enter to the Loggia that has great views over Korcula Old town’s roofs. https://www.korculainfo.com/marcopolohouse/

Vapor Art Gallery is lovely Korčula art space located in the very Sea Gate medieval Tower right next to Morska vrata town entrance. The gallery offers for sale large selection of major Croatian contemporary and modern artists including paintings by Stipe Nobilo, the local painter, Vasko Lipovac and others https://www.korculainfo.com/vapor-art-gallery/