The Duomo

The Duomo is in the centre of Milan in Italy. The word Duomo is an Italian term meaning cathedral. It 515ft in length (so in other words big) and took a total of five centuries to complete, but I suppose it is the forth largest in the world so that makes up for it. It is a spectacular building and you can go on a tour which leads you onto the roof so that you are able to see the view across Milan. The Duomo is so detailed and there are so many complex spires that it's no wonder that it took so long to construct, but the process was slow and it was only in 1965 that the last gate was added and to this day there are still alterations and renovations going on. If you are going to Milan you have to visit this building because it is outstanding. The Duomo is right next to the Galleria where all of the major designer shops are based like Prada and Gucci. I thought that since I was there I had to go into these shops just to see how unbelievably priced the stock was. There was a bag in the window for around 10,000euros and when I went in, I think I managed to stay for about a minute before seeing a price tag, screaming and then running out.

Trevi Fountain

The Trevi Fountain is situated in Rome in Italy. I went to visit the fountain when I was on holiday in italy and from photogaphs I had been shown before, I thought that there would be a huge amount of space surrounding it for tourists and locals to go and admire it (as this is a massive structure standing at 85ft in height and 65ft wide), but the fountain was squeezed into a tiny courtyard with lots of shops and cafes packed in around the fountain. When you are there it just seems like you are in two completely different places at the same time - a calming and peaceful place admiring the Trevi and then a really stressful and busy street. There were small roads surrounding the fountain which seemed to be the only thing seperating this magnificent piece of architecture from the ordinary buildings for everyday use. The roads were packed with visitors passing through, whilst at the same time trying to avoid vehicles racing past them giving them little time to get out of the way. In the end thought it was still one of the most beautiful pieces of architecture I have seen and an experience, plus there was this little shop very close by that made the best sandwiches ever, would definitely recommend them :)

John Lautner Elrod House

Elrod House was designed by the famous architect John Lautner and was used in the James Bond film Diamonds are Forever. The swimming pool at the house can be used for either indoor or outdoor use. This is possible because there is a large panel of glass which slides across the centre of the swimming pool giving the impression that it is floating effortlessly above the water. Lautner is famous for bringing nature and his buildings closer together. He uses lots of glass in his constructions to help the occupant interact with outside and the interiors of his buildings are often open plan to encourage the feeling of nature throughout the house. Sometimes he uses parts of an object from his chosen site and incorporates it into his design. This could be a tree branch, a boulder or rocks etc. He was influenced by architects including Frank Lloyd Wright and there are similarities that can be seen between his designs and Falling Water by Frank Lloyd Wright. Many of the sites for his house designs always seemed to be beautiful. He had a site which was on the side of a hill and the house looked out over it (not so great if you are afraid of hights). Somes sites were in forests and looking over water, if only all architects were so lucky when given places to create a structure.