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003 - The Secrets of Palacio Barolo
[Transcript]
Welcome to Palacio Barolo, one of the most important landmarks in the City of Buenos Aires. Maybe you’ve heard of this building. After all, it’s over 100 years old. You’ve probably seen it and simply thought “oh, it’s just another giant old place”, but actually there’s more to it than meets the eye.
From Dante’s Inferno to government secrets, this building has more than just offices!
Welcome to Further Records, the podcast where you can stay One Step Ahead with your English practice. I’m your host, Forest
Let’s start at the beginning, shall we?
The Barolo Gallery was built in 1923. Back then, it was one of the tallest buildings in Latin America. The Palace was the creation of two Italian immigrants. Luigi Barolo was a millionaire thanks to cotton farming, and he gave money for Mario Palanti to be the architect.
Their relationship was special, they met during 1910, during the Centennial celebration of the Argentine Independence. They became collaborators very quickly thanks to the interests they shared.
There is an important theory about the building. According to legend, it was created as a representation of the famous Italian poem: Dante’s Divine Comedy. It’s important to note that the architect, Palanti, never confirmed this fact. The theory was proposed in modern times by Carlos Hilger. However, when you think about it, it begins to make sense!
The Palace itself is 100 metres high, which corresponds to the 100 cantos of the Divine Comedy. It has 22 floors, which represent the 22 stanzas in the poem. And the floors themselves can be divided into the three destinations. The basement and ground levels represent Inferno. At ground level, there are 9 archways, the 9 circles of hell. The middle floors represent Purgatory. And the higher floors represent heaven. At the very top is a lighthouse. The story goes that it is the light of god. Pretty creepy, huh?
Other people argue that the Divine Comedy stuff isn’t nearly as interesting as the fact that the building is completely unique. The style is called “Eclectic”. If you’re not an architect (I’m not, I had to look it up), Eclectic basically means “there is no category for this”.
Palanti took inspiration from a bunch of places. It was one of the most important structures made of concrete, it was influenced by gothic cathedrals, and (get this) it was inspired by a Hindu temple in India, called the Rajarani.
Unfortunately, Barolo, the millionaire, was never able to see the building get finished. He died the year before its inauguration. The architect, Palanti, had no interest in the Palace after that either, he left the country a short time later to become an architect for Mussolini. Yes, that Mussolini.
The Argentine government then sold the offices, and the rest is history. Supposedly, a few decades ago there were offices for the S.I.D.E., which is like the Argentinian C.I.A. At one point, burglars entered the building and rummaged through the furniture. The story says that they stole from the SIDE’s offices, but this was never officially confirmed.
Nowadays, people come to the Barolo to work in a huge variety of fields: Among the offices, you’ll find law firms, psychologists, and of course the coolest language services company: Further (psst, that’s us!). Yes, right there, in the middle of Purgatory, we have an office in which we offer our service called First Class Learning.
Besides that, you can visit and spend the day sightseeing, booking a tour through their website, or have a coffee at the delicious Panera Rosa Bakery on the ground floor. There’s so much more we couldn’t tell you in this short episode, but one thing is certain: the people who take care of the building love it very much, and in 1997, it was declared a National Historical Monument of Argentina.
We may never know the truth about the secrets which are kept inside the Palace, but in the end, does it really matter?
You’ve been listening to Further Records, a podcast by Further Corporate.
In this episode, we used certain phrases associated with today’s topic. Have you heard of these before?
- Eclectic: A style that doesn’t only have one influence. It has pieces of many other styles, which do not normally go together
- Concrete: One of the most popular building materials in the world. It’s made of cement, water, and aggregates like sand or gravel
- Furniture: Bookshelves, desks, chairs, beds… you know, items which give purpose to a room
- Landmark: A site or object which is unique to a place. Its location also helps people who are lost
- Basement: The section in a building that is beneath the ground level
- Ground level: The level in a building which is at the same height as the street
To keep boosting your English journey, you listen to more of our episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We’re also on YouTube, it’s Further Corporate!
If there’s any other topic you’d like to know more about, send us a message on instagram! It’s @furtherlanguges.
See you next time!
Sources:
- https://www.clarin.com/ciudades/biznietos-palacio-barolo-portenos-tomas-miqueas-tharigen-savloff_0_HydLnMtvXl.html
- https://www.clarin.com/ciudades/secretos-misterios-palacio-barolo-mito-incomprobable_0_awwtSBusD.html
- https://www.infobae.com/sociedad/2023/08/27/una-escultura-desaparecida-fantasmas-y-muertes-misteriosas-mitos-y-leyendas-del-historico-palacio-barolo/
- https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/suplementos/radar/9-9389-2013-12-29.html
- https://www.infobae.com/sociedad/2022/08/20/el-arquitecto-que-creo-el-palacio-barolo-y-su-obra-fascista-que-elogio-mussolini-y-casi-cambia-roma-para-siempre/
- https://palaciobarolo.com.ar/
- https://palaciobarolo.com.ar/palacio-barolo/divina-comedia/
- https://web.archive.org/web/20151022204341/http://www.emporis.com/buildings/131587/palacio-barolo-buenos-aires-argentina
Music and SFX:
Music: Piano Romantisme by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
Music: Savour The Moment by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
AMBISONIC Fireworks Berlin NYE - cheering by Salomé_Lubczanski -- https://freesound.org/s/733778/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
"Egmont Overture" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Music: Mysterious String Quintet by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
Music: Tomorrow's Times by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
View all episodes
By Further Corporate[Transcript]
Welcome to Palacio Barolo, one of the most important landmarks in the City of Buenos Aires. Maybe you’ve heard of this building. After all, it’s over 100 years old. You’ve probably seen it and simply thought “oh, it’s just another giant old place”, but actually there’s more to it than meets the eye.
From Dante’s Inferno to government secrets, this building has more than just offices!
Welcome to Further Records, the podcast where you can stay One Step Ahead with your English practice. I’m your host, Forest
Let’s start at the beginning, shall we?
The Barolo Gallery was built in 1923. Back then, it was one of the tallest buildings in Latin America. The Palace was the creation of two Italian immigrants. Luigi Barolo was a millionaire thanks to cotton farming, and he gave money for Mario Palanti to be the architect.
Their relationship was special, they met during 1910, during the Centennial celebration of the Argentine Independence. They became collaborators very quickly thanks to the interests they shared.
There is an important theory about the building. According to legend, it was created as a representation of the famous Italian poem: Dante’s Divine Comedy. It’s important to note that the architect, Palanti, never confirmed this fact. The theory was proposed in modern times by Carlos Hilger. However, when you think about it, it begins to make sense!
The Palace itself is 100 metres high, which corresponds to the 100 cantos of the Divine Comedy. It has 22 floors, which represent the 22 stanzas in the poem. And the floors themselves can be divided into the three destinations. The basement and ground levels represent Inferno. At ground level, there are 9 archways, the 9 circles of hell. The middle floors represent Purgatory. And the higher floors represent heaven. At the very top is a lighthouse. The story goes that it is the light of god. Pretty creepy, huh?
Other people argue that the Divine Comedy stuff isn’t nearly as interesting as the fact that the building is completely unique. The style is called “Eclectic”. If you’re not an architect (I’m not, I had to look it up), Eclectic basically means “there is no category for this”.
Palanti took inspiration from a bunch of places. It was one of the most important structures made of concrete, it was influenced by gothic cathedrals, and (get this) it was inspired by a Hindu temple in India, called the Rajarani.
Unfortunately, Barolo, the millionaire, was never able to see the building get finished. He died the year before its inauguration. The architect, Palanti, had no interest in the Palace after that either, he left the country a short time later to become an architect for Mussolini. Yes, that Mussolini.
The Argentine government then sold the offices, and the rest is history. Supposedly, a few decades ago there were offices for the S.I.D.E., which is like the Argentinian C.I.A. At one point, burglars entered the building and rummaged through the furniture. The story says that they stole from the SIDE’s offices, but this was never officially confirmed.
Nowadays, people come to the Barolo to work in a huge variety of fields: Among the offices, you’ll find law firms, psychologists, and of course the coolest language services company: Further (psst, that’s us!). Yes, right there, in the middle of Purgatory, we have an office in which we offer our service called First Class Learning.
Besides that, you can visit and spend the day sightseeing, booking a tour through their website, or have a coffee at the delicious Panera Rosa Bakery on the ground floor. There’s so much more we couldn’t tell you in this short episode, but one thing is certain: the people who take care of the building love it very much, and in 1997, it was declared a National Historical Monument of Argentina.
We may never know the truth about the secrets which are kept inside the Palace, but in the end, does it really matter?
You’ve been listening to Further Records, a podcast by Further Corporate.
In this episode, we used certain phrases associated with today’s topic. Have you heard of these before?
- Eclectic: A style that doesn’t only have one influence. It has pieces of many other styles, which do not normally go together
- Concrete: One of the most popular building materials in the world. It’s made of cement, water, and aggregates like sand or gravel
- Furniture: Bookshelves, desks, chairs, beds… you know, items which give purpose to a room
- Landmark: A site or object which is unique to a place. Its location also helps people who are lost
- Basement: The section in a building that is beneath the ground level
- Ground level: The level in a building which is at the same height as the street
To keep boosting your English journey, you listen to more of our episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We’re also on YouTube, it’s Further Corporate!
If there’s any other topic you’d like to know more about, send us a message on instagram! It’s @furtherlanguges.
See you next time!
Sources:
- https://www.clarin.com/ciudades/biznietos-palacio-barolo-portenos-tomas-miqueas-tharigen-savloff_0_HydLnMtvXl.html
- https://www.clarin.com/ciudades/secretos-misterios-palacio-barolo-mito-incomprobable_0_awwtSBusD.html
- https://www.infobae.com/sociedad/2023/08/27/una-escultura-desaparecida-fantasmas-y-muertes-misteriosas-mitos-y-leyendas-del-historico-palacio-barolo/
- https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/suplementos/radar/9-9389-2013-12-29.html
- https://www.infobae.com/sociedad/2022/08/20/el-arquitecto-que-creo-el-palacio-barolo-y-su-obra-fascista-que-elogio-mussolini-y-casi-cambia-roma-para-siempre/
- https://palaciobarolo.com.ar/
- https://palaciobarolo.com.ar/palacio-barolo/divina-comedia/
- https://web.archive.org/web/20151022204341/http://www.emporis.com/buildings/131587/palacio-barolo-buenos-aires-argentina
Music and SFX:
Music: Piano Romantisme by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
Music: Savour The Moment by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
AMBISONIC Fireworks Berlin NYE - cheering by Salomé_Lubczanski -- https://freesound.org/s/733778/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
"Egmont Overture" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Music: Mysterious String Quintet by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
Music: Tomorrow's Times by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com