Backlit Mosaics-Perdido Beach Resort

This panel is in the lobby of the Perdido Beach Resort, once known as the Perdido Hilton (of the book, 'The Firm' fame) . The mosaics are mounted to glass or plexiglas and the transparent colored glass is back-lit.

Boston, Mass. USA - Whiskey's Bar

I was in Boston in April 2006 for PubCon and spotted these handsome mosaics on the two sides of Whiskey's Bar on the Corner of Boylston and Gloucester near the Hynes Convention Center and the Backbay Area.

They were set into the wall as windows would be. All of the mosaic panels had lighting directed to them. Click to see the big photo and mosaic details.

Barcelona--Casa Batllo--Gaudi

Mosaic Wall Panels in The Vatican

When we entered in the busy month of July, there were just mobs of people. With increased security almost everywhere I visited since my previous visit about 5 years ago, I was used to seeing new check stations at entrances to important places. On the right side of St. Peters steps, I saw people lining up between wooden 'form a line' barriers, so we fell in place. It is funny, because we had been in that line for a while before we realized that we were actually waiting for the opportunity to ride/climb to the top of the dome on the cathedral. We didn't even know what it would entail, but it sounded interesting. Little did we know how cool, and how physically challanging it actually was.

Eventually we saw a big sign about "Don't do it if you have a weak heart", etc...they could and should have added "claustrophobia" to that list.

We were offered the choice of either climbing ALL the way up ourselves or taking a tiny lift to the rooftop level where you see the row of statues standing on the horizonal front edge of the front of St. Peters and walking from there. Nut that I am, I might have picked the all steps route, but my companion flatly stated that we were doing the lift part way and she was paying for both of us. We tried to ask how many stairs the lift bypassed, but could never get clear info on that. We were just curious.

Along the waiting area was a series of mosaic panels set into the wall. It was VERY difficult to get these photos. The people were basically shoulder to shoulder and all spoke a different alnguage. The folks from some Norway/Denmark/Sweden place in front of me could see, if they had cared to notice that I was attempting to make photos of the mosaics and helped out a bit but instead, they continued to lean against them, or if nothing else keep one hand and arm (or backpack) on them at all times---and anytime a gap opened up--the pressure was on from behind to move forward. Meanwhile it was about 90 degrees F the whole time.

St. Peters In Rome--The Mosaic Pinnacle of the Universe

For anyone who has not done so, either immediately buy a ticket to Italy and go directly to Rome and do not leave there until you have seen St. Peters. OR, start saving money and do not stop until you have enuf to go. St. Peters Cathedral is, without a doubt, the greatest man-made structure on the planet--and I am not Roman Catholic, so don't even think for a minute that my saying this has anything to do with my being hyptomtized by church traditions, etc...

This is the foyer into St. Peters Basicila. This picture gives you some idea of the scale of this building.

At the end from which I am taking the photo, there was a view of a wonderful mosaic behind a statue of a man on a horse. The closed gate prevented me from getting any closer. I tried to go outside and around, but it was guarded and not accessible. If you click on the larger image, you can get some idea of the 3-D effect of the mosaics behind the statue.

There are many small altars (by St. Peters standards) in alcove chapels on the sides in the Basilica. They are incredibly beautiful. I have taken some full length photos and a few detail shots.





































The scale and magnificance of St. Peters is TOTALLY OFF THE SCALE.........it is the only building that has ever brought tears to my eyes, just by it's being there, as it is. MIND BOGGLING......

Some of the photos I will put here are just there to give you a sense of the scale.

AND I truely do not believe that many people have any idea that all those 'paintings' that they see from w-a-y down there on the floor are really, totally mosaics.........even I, who had been there once before about 5 yrs ago, had no idea. Considering the scale, it seems impossible.

BUT....Sara O'Dell and I spent a whole day climbing the stairs , thru the most narrow of passage-ways, up, up, up, thru tiny spiral towers, round and round the cavity between dome and the outside roofing materials to the tip-top cupola on the top of the cathedral and can tell you, and show you by these photos, that these highly details illustrations that cover the entire dome are mosaics made of hundreds of thousands, and probably millions of smalti. From up there in the dome, the people on the floor look like ants. They are not aware of the presence of any people up there when they look up. It is THAT BIG !!

I have done searches and image searches on the web, and have not found any decent photos of the Dome mosaics in St. Peters, which is even more remarkable, considering that they are probably the most impressive mosaics that I have ever seen --and yes I have been to Ravenna and churches in the Po River Delta.

Click to see a bigger image. Here is a link to photos of St. Peter's Organ--it shows some of the interior. Keep in mind that this is an organ that usually FILLS one wall of a typical big church .





Notice the people standing behind the safety screening right above the solid gold band above the lettering. My stomach did flips when I looked down or even up for that matter...it was UNREAL !!

Rome Metro Subway Mosaics

The city of Rome Italy does not have as extensive an Underground system as London or Paris, but the Rome Metro is full of big modern mosaics. I only had a couple days in Rome and was always in pretty much of a rush and this was July and there were people EVERYWHERE....so it was very difficult to get these photos. I did not make notes as to which panel was located where, I was just rushing (like trying to get to the Sunday flea market before it closed,etc) and with too much else on my mind. I am including a map of the Rome Underground Metro here, if you go for a visit and want to see these mosaics, just buy a all day ticket and hop on and off. You will find the mosaics in the passageways leading from the street entrances leading to the train platforms or in tunnels that connect two train lines.

Tip: Don't visit in June, July or worse-August. Go in early fall for an ideal time. There is a great deal of interesting detail within the solid areas of color in these modern abstract mosaics. You will be able to see that in some of the close-ups shown here. I noticed a sign that seemed to identify one mosaic panel, shown here. The others may have them too, altho I did not notice them but I don't see them in the long shots of the mosaic panels.

Don't forget to click the photos for a bigger image. Then if you are using XP with FireFox Browser, you can move the curser till you see the magnifying glass with the plus sign and click again, the photo getts bigger yet. Hope you have high-speed Internet !