St. Anthony's Church and Little Italy

In this walk, we will consider how cities are built and renewed, and the importance of design and architecture in defining identity as well as providing inspiring and viable spaces, both indoors and out.  At St Anthony's, we will enjoy the frescoes and the stained glass windows, from the hand of Guido Nincheri.  This beautiful Renaissance Art has the power to transport us to Florence, where people live this art on a daily basis.   Luciano will talk about how art was an intrinsic aspect of how Florence was built and continues to influence how people live in that city.  He will also talk about the challenges of creating such artful infrastructure, through Brunelleschi's construction of the dome on the cathedral in Florence (La cupola del Duomo di Firenze), built more than 600 years ago. 

From there, we will go outside, where Luciano will consider how the City of Florence was planned and built and compare it with how we build our cities today.  As we walk, we will reflect on Phil Jenkins' book,  An Acre of Time,   and about decisions North Americans consistently make in planning and building our “wind tunnel" cities.  Our choices regarding architecture and building sites show that we do not learn from history.  In Scandinavia (northern countries similar to Canada), they respect people's access to sunlight.  We don't always do that here in Ottawa.

Photo:  Stained glass window at St. Anthony's Church, designed by Guido Nincheri.

Find out more about St. Anthony's Church and its role in the community here

Location
Route

We will meet in front of the church and then go inside. The address of the church is 427 Booth St., Ottawa (at Gladstone). 

About the walk leader

Luciano immigrated to Ottawa from Italy in 1966, and has been an active member of the Italian community in Ottawa ever since.  He is well-known as a walking tours guide for Little Italy. He is a long-time editor of Il Postino, the newspaper of the local Italian community. Luciano is proud of the contribution that the Italian community has made to the quality of life in Ottawa. 

During the winter months, Luciano is the one and only, very appreciated “Chestnut Roaster Guy” in Ottawa's Byward Market.  In December 2013, he published a book on his experiences selling chestnuts, entitled Chronicles of an Ottawa Chestnut Lover.

Luciano is passionate about the ideas and advice of Jane Jacobs, and is an enthusiastic supporter of Jane's Walk.  He has been a walk leader for Jane's Walk Ottawa since it began in 2008.

Guide:

Luciano Pradal

When:
Date:Sat May 7, 2016
Time:10:00 AM
Duration: 2 hours
Language: English
Where:
Start:St. Anthony's Church, corner of Gladstone & Booth
End:same
Area:Little Italy
Distance:3.0 kms
Accessibility:

There are stairs at the entrance to the church on Booth St, but there is a wheelchair entrance from the parking lot at the back of the church. You can access the parking lot from Lebreton St. The driveway is to the right of No. 178.

Other than at the church, we will follow city sidewalks and paved walkways.

Gallery
Vitrail de l'église Saint-Antoine, conçu par Guido Nincheri.
Volunteer to Marshal This Walk