biagio antonacci colosseo

The quintessential Renaissance Man, Leonardo da Vinci was well aware of the fundamental importance of mathematics for architecture. This issue of the Nexus Network Journal examines Leonardo’s knowledge of theoretical mathematics, explores how he used concepts of geometry in his designs for architectural projects, and reports on a real-life construction project using Leonardo’s principles. Authors include Sylvie Duvernoy, Kim Williams, Rinus Roelofs, Biagio Di Carlo, Mark Reynolds, Joao Pedro Xavier, Vesna Petresin, Christopher Glass, and Jane Burry. To complete the issue Rachel Fletcher writes her Geometer’s Angle column on "Dynamic Symmetry", Michael Ostwald reviews A Theory of General Ethics by Warwick Fox, Sarah Clough Edwards reviews Inigo Jones and the Classical Tradition by Christy Anderson, and Sylvie Duvernoy reviews Architecture and Mathematics in Ancient Egypt by Corinna Rossi.

In Sicily, Easter is celebrated with great passion. The city of Trapani holds an emotional 20-hour procession in its streets with men carrying heavy "Misteri" statues that are 500 years old and tell the story of Christ's suffering. In San Biagio Platani a village in interior Sicily, huge construction made from natural material only, such as grains, bamboos and even pasta are created by two competitive groups, the Madunnara (named for the Madonna) and the Signurara (named for the Lord). While in Prizzi the Devil Dance takes places in the town’s streets. Men with colorful masks representing death and the Devil stand between mother Mary and Christ, preventing them from meeting but eventually fail as the crowd cheers for the happy ending. On Easter Monday in San Martino Della Scala, a small hidden village in the mountains, the monks of the Benedictine Monastery release birds saved from the harsh winter as they do each Easter, in a tradition that is more than 300 years old.