Beyond The Sights

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Beyond The Sights is a podcast about history and travel. We put famous and overlooked monuments in context and explain their importance. Whether you are planning to visit one of the sites we talked about, or are looking for inspiration to decide where to travel next, this podcast is for you! Visit u…

Beyond The Sights

  • Sep 20, 2020 LATEST EPISODE
  • infrequent NEW EPISODES
  • 39m AVG DURATION
  • 12 EPISODES


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Latest episodes from Beyond The Sights

BTS11-Lausanne

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2020 46:48


Lausanne is a beautiful city in the Swiss canton of Vaud. It features beautiful views on Lake Geneva and the French Alps. The nearby region of Lavaux is famous for its vignards and beautiful landscape. For links and show-notes visit https://beyondthesights.info/lausanne.html. 00:00:00 Intro and Geography 00:03:33 Economy 00:05:21 History 00:11:58 Lausanne 00:17:19 Urban development 00:20:57 Collection de l'Art Brut 00:23:05 Rolex Learning Center 00:27:24 Tour de Sauvabelin 00:28:21 Lavaux 00:31:59 The surroundings 00:32:01 Rochers de Naye 00:33:11 Chillon Castle 00:35:35 Grottes de Vallorbe 00:35:53 Mosaics in Orbe-Boscéaz 00:36:42 Romainmôtier 00:38:01 Live from Romainmôtier

BTS10-Roman Baroque

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 28, 2020 51:33


Baroque is an art current which was popular in the 1600s. It had a major influence on the city of Rome, and many churches and palaces were built or restyled during this period. However, with its rich and colorful decorations, baroque architecture is quite foreign to the typical modern taste. For this reason, in this episode we want to give some context on what characterizes this period and why. We also introduce the two major protagonists, Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini. We believe that knowing the backstory will help to appreciate your visit to Baroque Rome much more! Visit https://beyondthesights.info/rome02.html for more information and pictures of the works we discuss. 04:04 The Counter-Reformation 12:47 Emotion in Baroque Art 17:02 Baroque sculpture 23:41Baroque Architecture 29:48 Gian Lorenzo Bernini 43:35 Francesco Borromini

BTS09-Padova

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 6, 2019 53:38


Padova is a beautiful city in northern Italy, close to Venice. Its golden age was in the late middle ages and the early renaissance, as testified by numerous buildings full of frescoes. Moreover, the city is famous for the oldest botanical garden in the world and one of the most ancient universities.

BTS08 - History of Concrete, part 2

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2019 58:58


Concrete is one of the most commonly used building materials, so many famous sights could not exist without it. In this episode we give you an overview on the history of the material and explain why it has been so successful. We discuss how it is made and used and talk about some famous examples. Visit https://beyondthesights.info for additional links and pictures of some of the discussed buildings! Chapters: 00:01:43.000 1920s and 1930s 00:03:17.000 Freyssinet 00:05:25.000 Shells 00:14:36.000 Formwork 00:17:17.000 India 00:23:57.000 Le Corbusier 00:29:06.000 Concrete as decoration 00:32:07.000 Unitè d'Habitation 00:37:22.000 Brazil 00:41:23.000 Ferrocement 00:45:28.000 Italy 00:48:55.000 Chiesa dell'autostrada 00:50:50.000 Perception of Concrete 00:56:01.000 Japan

BTS07 - History of Concrete, part 1

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2019 44:05


Concrete is one of the most commonly used building materials, so many famous sights could not exist without it. In this episode we give you an overview on the history of the material and explain why it has been so successful. We discuss how it is made and used and talk about some famous examples. Visit https://beyondthesights.info for additional links and pictures of some of the discussed buildings! Chapters: 00:01:40.000 What is Concrete? 00:05:21.000 Ancient Rome 00:11:18.000 Clay 00:12:15.000 Modern Cement 00:15:32.000 Compression and Tension 00:19:33.000 Reinforced Concrete 00:22:15.000 Hennebique 00:24:00.000 The shape of concrete 00:30:39.000 Notre-Dame du Raincy 00:31:50.000 Design Approaches 00:33:59.000 Palazzetto dello Sport 00:37:33.000 Prestressing 00:41:16.000 Shells

BTS06 - All roads lead to Rome

Play Episode Listen Later May 4, 2019 43:50


In this first episode on Rome we discuss how people went to Rome in the past and how you can arrive there today. We talk about the Appian Way, the urban interventions of Piazza del Popolo and the Trident and the Grand Tour. Visit https://beyondthesights.info for additional links and show-notes! Chapters: 02:02 Geography and origins 05:13 The Appian Way 11:36 Parco Appia Antica 13:54 Papal Urbanism 17:35 Pilgrimage 19:14 Obelisks 22:10 Piazza del Popolo 23:09 Grand Tour 33:50 Getting to Rome today

BTS05 - Castle Runkelstein

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 5, 2019 20:32


Castle Runkelstein is located north of Bolzano, a medieval trading town in the Alps in modern-day Italy. It is famous for its beautiful frescoes featuring secular topics, like romantic stories or scenes from the life of the aristocracy. The castle is also a good chance to speak about trade across the alps in the middle-ages. Visit https://beyondthesights.info/runkelstein.html for additional links and show-notes! Chapters: 00:14 Regional geography 00:51 Alpine passes 02:57 Trade across the Alps 04:52 Bolzano 06:14 Castles 07:47 Castles around Bolzano 09:11 Castle Runkelstein 11:49 The Frescoes 17:36 Other Sights in the Area

BTS04 - Istanbul

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2019 49:07


Located at the crossroad between Europe and Asia, Istanbul is an amazing city with over 2000 years of history. In this episode we give a historical overview and talk about its foundation, the Hagia Sophia, the cisterns and many more famous sights! For additional links and show-notes visit us at https://beyondthesights.info/istanbul ! Chapters: 06:16 Foundation 12:28 Fourth Crusade 13:00 Turkish Conquest 15:13 Turkish Republic 17:04 Population-Swap 19:01 Haghia Sophia 25:15 Neighbourhoods 25:59 Blue Mosque 26:29 Sinan 28:38 Topkapi Palace 31:60 Grand Bazaar 32:50 Cisterns 37:15 Galata 42:13 Tourist worries 46:55 Food

BTS03 - La Chaux-de-Fonds

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2019 30:40


La Chaux-de-Fonds is a town in western Switzerland, famous for its watch-making industry. The very specialized local economy led to a particular urban landscape, which made it to an UNESCO-World-Heritage site. Moreover, it's also the birthplace of architect Le Corbusier. For additional links and show-notes visit us at https://beyondthesights.info ! 00:00:19 Location and Geography 00:01:50 A Town of Watchmakers 00:04:20 Urbanism of the City 00:15:28 Residential Buildings 00:19:30 Expectations 00:21:07 Le Corbusier 00:22:45 Maison Blanche 00:27:02 Zoo 00:27:32 Ancien Menage

BTS02 - The Tarot Garden

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 6, 2019 23:04


The Tarot Garden is a sculpture garden by artist Niki de Saint Phalle, located near Capalbio in Italy. It resembles the famous Park Güell by Antoni Gaudi, as it is full of amazing sculptures covered in small tiles and mirrors. For additional links and show-notes visit us at https://beyondthesights.info!

BTS01 - Aegina

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 1, 2019 40:13


In this episode of Beyond The Sights we talk about the Greek island of Aegina, a wonderful place for a short vacation. It features cultural sites, wild nature and a wonderful sea: what more could you desire? For Links and shownotes visit https://beyondthesights.info.

BTS00 - Introduction

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2018 6:02


Welcome to Beyond the Sights, a podcast on monuments and sights, their history and significance. In this introduction episode we discuss what this program is about and why we are making it. The short version: we want to give you an overview of the historic and cultural context of several cities and towns and explain why their main sights are significant and worthwhile visiting. Follow us on www.beyondthesights.info!

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