The pictures presented in our Italy of Old collection were passionately produced from Magic Lantern slides that my grandfather, Rinaldo Rosati, brought from Italy when he immigrated to America around 1900.
The glass slides present Italian culture, Italian art, Italian architecture, Italian cities and countryside, and were probably taken in the mid 1800’s by my great grandfather, Angelo Rosati.
Fond memories, a passion for Italy, and honor to our ancestors are what brought about this endeavor.
Just a little background:
As a child, my mother would bring my sister and myself to visit Grandma and Grandpa Rosati every Saturday. We would catch the 6 AM bus and arrive at their home around 8 AM. My dad was a milkman and would come to pick us up after he got off work. My grandmother would constantly tease him, speaking in Italian – he never understood what she was saying but he always came back with some made up words of his own which nobody understood and we laughed till we cried. We really enjoyed those visits and occasionally brought our friends with us. I think they came along because my grandmother made such great spaghetti sauce – however my grandfather always said he made the best sauce because he used wine which he made himself.
As a little boy, I would always “snoop” around their home to look for interesting things, like the wine press in the basement and the oak barrels where my grandfather aged his homemade wine.
Then there was the attic with some old trunks, a few boxes with old pictures, and a unique old wooden box with some strange looking glass slides in it. I never thought much about that box until one day grandpa said that someday I could have it – so, after that, it became a “prize” that I constantly asked for, but was told “when you get older.”
I never really thought about it as I got older until my grandfather passed away when I was in my twenties. I remembered what he had said about the box and at that time I finally collected my “prize.”
Again, many years passed and I occasionally looked at the slides, but nothing really clicked until we (my wife, Debbie, and kids, Baron & Juliene) visited Italy and fell in love with the people, the culture, the immense beauty, the amazing art, the unsurpassed architecture, and the cities and countryside.
The slides now had a new meaning and became our family’s labor of love.
We lovingly present these pictures for your enjoyment and to honor our Italian ancestry.
Grandma and Grandpa Rosati were such awesome loving grandparents who brought into our lives the appreciation of their Italian heritage which we carry with us today, as do our children.
The slides have been scanned, painstakingly detailed, and reproduced for all to see, and hopefully feel the extreme passion that Italy can bring into your heart.
Acquedotti di Roma - Italian Panorama
Imposing even after the passage of so many centuries, the ruins of the ancient Roman aqueducts still stand as a mute testimonial to the hydraulic prowess of those ancient builders and engineers. A magnificent view from the Via Appia Antica. Available in a variety of sizes, in metallic paper backing or canvas wrap. Ships in three working days, prices shown include shipping.
Venezia dal Molo
A magnificent view of the Palazzo Ducale, the Palace of the Doges, where the executive power resided when Venice was at the apex of her power and influence. The photo was taken from the direction of the Island of San George and shows the Campanile to the left and a gondola in the foreground. Available in a variety of sizes, either with metallic paper backing or in canvas wrap. Ships in three working days, prices shown include shipping.
Spanish Steps - Trinita dei Monti
All roads lead to Rome, and in particular to the Spanish Steps, where people from the whole world come to see and to be seen. The photographer captures the Roman ambience perfectly: the steps rising from Piazza di Spagna to the church on the summit of Monte Pincio constitute the longest and widest staircase in Europe. A magnificent keepsake, it is available unframed in a variety of sizes, either on metallic paper or on canvas wrap. Ships in three working days, prices shown include shipping.
Terme di Caracalla, Rome
More than just baths, the Terme di Caracalla was a leisure center than included libraries (in which Greek and Latin texts were kept separate), and exercise rooms. The Terme functioned for nearly four centuries, but all that remains now are imposing ruins that evoke the lifestyle of the ancients Romans. Sic fugit tempus, one may philosophically muse over this picture. Available unframed in a variety of sizes, on metallic paper or on canvas wrap. Ships in three working days, prices shown include shipping.
Tempio di Saturno, Roma
The Temple of Saturn, in the Forum Romanum, is one of the oldest buildings in the city, dating back to early Republican Rome. The stately columns, standing as mute sentinels, contrast oddly with the modern apartment building seen in the background. The photographer shows us two worlds in contraposition – a long-gone world of simplicity and grandeur, and the modern world of unadorned utilitarianism. This heartwrenching photograph is available in a variety of sizes, unframed, on either metallic paper or on canvas wrap. Ships in three working days, prices shown include shipping.
Tempietto di Bramante, Roma
Perhaps more than any other Renaissance building the Tempietto, built in the early 16th century over the spot of Saint Peter’s martyrdom, exemplifies the ideal of geometric perfection. A building of classical proportions within a Christian context (San Pietro in Montorio), it perfectly symbolizes the fusion of classical and Christian ideals that was one of the mainsprings of the Italian Renaissance. This photo is available in a variety of sizes, on metallic paper or on canvas wrap. Ships in three working days, prices shown include shipping.
Strada dei Sepolcri, Pompei, Italy
This is a photo you can no longer take because the particular view no longer exists. Only the columns remain. And the distant Vesuvius, framed by the ruins in the foreground, no longer smokes. This was pre-eruption Pompei, a city that suffered one of the greatest calamities the world has ever known. This rare photo is available in a number of sizes, unframed, on either metallic paper or canvas wrap. Ships in three working days, prices shown include shipping.
Roma da Villa Medici, Piazza Trinita dei Monti
A view of Rome artfully framed by skillful topiary trees, with a fountain it the background. This is the inverse view of the Spanish Steps – the photographer is above the Steps and looking back towards the horizon, with the Dome of Saint Peter’s at the far center of the photo. An intriguing interplay of light and shadow, this photo is available in a variety of sizes, unframed, on metallic paper or on canvas wrap. Ships in three working days, prices shown include shipping.
Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs), Venezia
The iconic Bridge of Sighs ranks with the Ponte Vecchio in Florence as one of the most storied bridges in Italy. Named by Lord Byron, the Sighs are not lovers’ sighs, as is commonly misconstrued, but the sighs of condemned prisoners as they caught one last glimpse of Venice before being taken to their cells. The old Venetian prisons (the Piombi), are in fact at one end of the bridge.
This photo shows the Bridge of Sighs high in the background, with another, more pedestrian bridge in the foreground, and yet a third in the middle distance. A perfect representation of a Venetian canal.
Available in a variety of sizes, on either metallic paper or on canvas wrap, unframed. Ships in three working days, prices shown include shipping.
Panteon - Santa Maria Rotonda, Rome, Italy
The Panteon or Pantheon was built in the early years of the Empire as a temple to every god. It has the distinction of having the largest unreinforced dome in the world, even 2000 years after its construction. It is now used as a Catholic church, following the Italian Renaissance precedent of uniting pagan and Christian paradigms. The Panteon is a must-see when visiting Rome, and is within walking distance of many more tourist attractions.
Available unframed in a variety of sizes, on metallic paper or on canvas wrap. Ships in three working days, prices shown include shipping.
Napoli dal Molo
A nostalgic picture of Naples as it was, with the Maschio Angioino on the left and the hill of Pizzofalcone, crowned by the Castle of Saint Elmo, towering in the distance. This unusual photograph is taken looking northwards, with the Vesuvio behind the photographer, whereas the canonical postcard view is from the north looking south, with the sea to the right.
Available unframed in a variety of sizes, on metallic paper or on canvas wrap. Ships in three working days, prices shown include shipping.
Museo Chiaramonte, Rome, Italy
Named after a pope, this museum is part of the Vatican museum complex. It is dedicated specifically to sculpture, and has several notable works of art from Roman and pre-Roman times. The long, narrow corridor stretching into the distance is a perfect metaphor for chronological time, which carries the visitor irresistibly along as he moves in space from one exhibit to the next.
Photo available unframed in a variety of sizes, on metallic paper or on canvas wrap. Ships in three working days, prices shown include shipping.
San Pietro Basilica - interior - Rome, Italy
The famous columns of Bernini are shown, right in front of the main altar. The lower rim of the cupola of Michelangelo is just seen. The columns are said to duplicate those from an older Basilica built by Emperor Constantine, which in turn were supposed to duplicate the shape of columns from Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem. Solomon’s Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians, and a replacement Temple (the Second Temple), was (with great historical irony), destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
This photo is available unframed in a variery of sizes, on metallic paper or on canvas wrap. Ships in three working days, prices shown include shipping.
San Paolo Fuori le Mura - interior - Rome, Italy
San Paolo Outside the Walls is the second largest church in Rome. It was reputedly built by Constantine on the location of Saint Paul’s martyrdom, and it preserved its original character for more than 1400 years. Early in the 19th century it was destroyed by a fire started accidentally, and it was rebuilt with contributions from all over Europe.
The photo, taken from just inside the main doors, captures the symmetric majesty of the nave and the arches framing the aisles. The Tabernacle by Arnolfo di Cambio (13th century) is just visible in the distance. This beautiful picture is available unframed in a variety of sizes, on metallic paper or on canvas wrap. Ships in three working days, prices shown include shipping.
Panteon - interior - Rome, Italy
The severe and elegant symmetry of the interior of the Pantheon is captured in this remarkable photo. Few buildings in Rome can boast the historical significance of this building. Built as a pagan temple at the beginning of the Empire, it was repeatedly repaired and cannibalized, and saved from further destruction by being converted into a Catholic church. Interestingly, the only interior light is that admitted via the oculum, a round opening cut out of the center of the dome. The Pantheon is today still a consecrated church and doubles as a tomb for a few illustrious personages, among which are Raffaello and two kings of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II and Umberto I.
Photo is available unframed in a variety of sizes, on metallic paper or on canvas wrap. Ships in three working days, prices shown include shipping.
Fontana di Porta Furba, Rome, Italy
Porta Furba is not a really a door, as it lies at some distance from the walls of the city. We see in the photo an incongruity often seen in Rome: the juxtaposition of ruins that date from very different historical periods. The fountain draws its water from the aqueduct (Happy Water) built by Pope Sixtus V, he of the Sistine Chapel.
Available unframed in a variety of sizes, either on metallic paper or on canvas wrap. Ships in three working days, prices shown include shipping.
Corso Umberto I, Rome, Italy
This photo perfectly captures the serene ambience of a Roman street at the turn of the century. It is archetypal, it could be a street in a hundred other Italian cities, unmistakably Italian.
Photo available unframed in a variety of sizes, either on metallic paper or on canvas wrap. Ships in three working days, prices shown include shipping.
Colosseo, Rome, Italy
The Colosseo (Coliseum) in Rome needs no introduction; it is widely recognized as the symbol of the Eternal City. This is a photograph of the interior, showing the subterranean structure of cells and passages which presumably housed, at various times, gladiators, wild beasts, and prisoners, as well as performers.
Available unframed in a variety of sizes, either on metallic paper or on canvas wrap. Ships in three working days, prices shown include shipping.
Chiostro di San Paolo, Rome, Italy
This is a beautiful photograph of the elegant cloister in San Paolo Fuori le Mura. Graceful arches rest on ornately sculpted columns of various designs. and the interior garden is an oasis of tranquillity. The cloister inspires transcendental feelings of introspective and serene meditation, and the photographer has artfully contrived to capture the lingering echoes of these feelings. This is a photo which is a joy to behold in any setting
Available unframed in a variety of sizes, on metallic paper or on canvas wrap. Ships in three working days, prices shown include shipping.
Cappella Sistina - Sistine Chapel, Rome, Italy
Michelangelo’s immortal work, the Creation of Man, is captured in a stunning photo that should be part of every collection. The apotheosis of Man, being directly touched by God, was one of the results of the Italian Renaissance’s humanistic undercurrent. No longer an unworthy sinner, Man receives the spark of life from the Creator Himself and takes control of his own destiny by giving full scope to his human faculties. A philosophical, historical, and social statement powerfully expressed through the artistry of Michelangelo.
Available unframed in a variety of sizes, on metallic paper or on canvas wrap. Ships in three working days, prices shown include shipping.
Arco di Costantino, Rome, Italy
The arch of Constantine is one of several triumphal arches in Rome. It commemorates the victory of Constantine over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge, a victory which eventually ushered the era of Christian dominance and the extinction of the earlier pagan religion of Rome.
The stately Arch served as a model for arches and other buildings in Paris, London, Washington, and New York. Its majesty is well reflected in this wonderful photo from years gone by.
Available unframed in several sizes, on metallic paper or canvas wrap. Ships in three working days, prices shown include shipping.
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Hi, I’ve been searching on the internet for places to sell glass slides, I have quite a large collection, mostly of Italian buildings, architectural drawings and floor plans. I have looked on the obvious sites such as ebay but they don’t seem to have as much interest as i would like. I would like to sell them eventually but do not want to underprice them as I have looked after them very carefully. Would you have any idea where I could sell them or even get them valued. Any info would be greatly appriciated, Thanks Jemma
jemma, can you send photos and whatever other information you have about these slides? Thanks
Loved your website. My father and mother have an interesting collection of lantern slides. The are mostly works of art many Italian. We found them in an attic of a house that they moved in to. They would like to sell them but are not sure how much they are worth. Can you helps us figure out their worth. Is there a website that we can go? Many slides say “Made by Edgar Burton” Thanks for any help you can give us.
Stephen Facenda
Hi Stephen, thanks for writing and sorry about the late reply. I am in Italy and sometimes the internet does not work as well as in the States. To answer your question, our artists generally set their own prices, we just publish them on the web. Then, I would have to have a lot more info about your photos to give an opinion. If you want to pursue this what you should do is choose one of your photos, produce a final version that you think would sell, and send it to me. I could run it by our photographer-artist and ask him how much he thinks it’ worth. Best regards
Mario Fusco
CEO, FinestItalian