---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Italian cities have long been held up as…"
description: "\"Italian cities have long been held up as ideals, not least by New Yorkers and Londoners enthralled by the ways their architecture gives beauty and mean..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7a/rebecca-solnit-569_architecture_italian-cities-have-long-been-held-up-as_1277889.png"
---

#  Italian cities have long been held up as ideals, not least…

![“Italian cities have long been held up as ideals, not least by New Yorkers and Londoners enthralled by the ways their architecture gives beauty and meaning to everyday acts.” quote by Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7a/rebecca-solnit-569_architecture_italian-cities-have-long-been-held-up-as_1277889.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7a/rebecca-solnit-569_architecture_italian-cities-have-long-been-held-up-as_1277889.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7a/rebecca-solnit-569_architecture_italian-cities-have-long-been-held-up-as_1277889.png)

> “Italian cities have long been held up as ideals, not least by New Yorkers and Londoners enthralled by the ways their architecture gives beauty and meaning to everyday acts.”

[Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Cities are celebrated for their architecture that elevates daily life with beauty and purpose.

**In simple terms:** Architecture adds meaning to everyday actions.

Key Takeaway

Notice and appreciate design in daily surroundings.

Themes

urbanism beauty meaning culture everyday life

Mood

reflective inspired

Type

observational philosophical

When to use this quote

- city walking tours
- urban planning meetings
- design workshops
- personal reflection
- photography

Key Concepts

Aesthetic theory place attachment cultural identity

Questions to Reflect On

- How does architecture shape your daily mood?
- What elements make a place feel meaningful?

A Different Perspective

Not all cities provide such inspiring architecture; some may feel oppressive.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) [Architecture Gives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture-gives-4118756/) [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Cities Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities-long-3989703/) [Everyday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everyday/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Italian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/italian/) [Italian Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/italian-cities-4118755/) [Londoners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/londoners/) [Londoners Enthralled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/londoners-enthralled-4118757/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [New yorkers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-yorkers/) [Urban planning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/urban-planning/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Yorkers Londoners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yorkers-londoners-4118758/)

## Related quotes

> [China has some cities, traditional cities, with a long history. They are so beautiful, and they were planned so smartly. I call them gardens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/china-has-some-cities-traditional-cities-with-a-long-history-they-are/)

[Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/)

> [Our law very often reminds one of those outskirts of cities where you cannot for a long time tell how the streets come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/our-law-very-often-reminds-one-of-those-outskirts-of-cities-where-you/)

[Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/)

> [I love Chatsworth, Winchester Cathedral, Edinburgh Castle... Every time I'm in the vicinity of something old and worth looking at, I try to go.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-titchmarsh/i-love-chatsworth-winchester-cathedral-edinburgh-castle-every-time-i/)

[Alan Titchmarsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-titchmarsh/)

> [Londoners deserve a great, free music festival with excellent bands from around the world. They don't need to be hectored about why racism is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munira-mirza/londoners-deserve-a-great-free-music-festival-with-excellent-bands/)

[Munira Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munira-mirza/)

> [These cruel, wanton, indiscriminate bombings of London are, of course, a part of Hitler's invasion plans. He hopes, by killing large numbers of civilians,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/these-cruel-wanton-indiscriminate-bombings-of-london-are-of-course-a/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [I think Londoners welcome a spectacular event.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munira-mirza/i-think-londoners-welcome-a-spectacular-event/)

[Munira Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munira-mirza/)

> [Nobody is healthy in London, nobody can be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/nobody-is-healthy-in-london-nobody-can-be/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [If you're a Brit you kinda get used to people being cold and aloof and just generally arrogant - particularly musicians. (Compared to Londoners…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thea-gilmore/if-you-re-a-brit-you-kinda-get-used-to-people-being-cold-and-aloof/)

[Thea Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thea-gilmore/)

> [What the Londoner sees in his mind’s eye is that cluster of towers and pinnacles seen from Pentonville Hill and outlined against a foggy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-betjeman/what-the-londoner-sees-in-his-mind-s-eye-is-that-cluster-of-towers/)

[John Betjeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-betjeman/)

> [It is not the walls that make the city, but the people who live within them. The walls of London may be battered, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-vi/it-is-not-the-walls-that-make-the-city-but-the-people-who-live-within/)

[George VI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-vi/)

> [London is a great city full of amazing people from all backgrounds and when Londoners face adversity, we always pull together. We stand up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/london-is-a-great-city-full-of-amazing-people-from-all-backgrounds/)

[Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/)

> [People say that New Yorkers aren't friendly, but I think they're more friendly than Londoners. Here there is a front-footed nature of Americans. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theo-james/people-say-that-new-yorkers-aren-t-friendly-but-i-think-they-re-more/)

[Theo James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theo-james/)

> [I hate London when it's not raining.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/i-hate-london-when-it-s-not-raining/)

[Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/)

> [Londoners, Mancunians, and Brits across the country will never, ever be cowed by terrorism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/londoners-mancunians-and-brits-across-the-country-will-never-ever-be/)

[Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/)

> [Londoners are really good at dealing with any crap that's thrown at them. We hunker down, we grit our teeth and we get on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andi-oliver/londoners-are-really-good-at-dealing-with-any-crap-that-s-thrown-at/)

[Andi Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andi-oliver/)

## More by Rebecca Solnit

> [“Georgia O’Keeffe moved to rural New Mexico, from which she would sign her letters to the people she loved, “from the faraway nearby.” It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/georgia-o-keeffe-moved-to-rural-new-mexico-from-which-she-would-sign/)

[Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/)

> [Joy doesn't betray but sustains activism. And when you face a politics that aspires to make you fearful, alienated and isolated, joy is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/joy-doesn-t-betray-but-sustains-activism-and-when-you-face-a-politics/)

[Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/)

> [“To love someone is to put yourself in their place, we say, which is to put ourself in their story, or figure out how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/to-love-someone-is-to-put-yourself-in-their-place-we-say-which-is-to/)

[Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/)

> [“People have always been good at imagining the end of the world, which is much easier to picture than the strange sidelong paths of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/people-have-always-been-good-at-imagining-the-end-of-the-world-which/)

[Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/)

> [“Whose maps are we trying to read? And what are we trying to draw? It's so common to live in a place without truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/whose-maps-are-we-trying-to-read-and-what-are-we-trying-to-draw-it-s/)

[Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/)

> [“I was being cured of soldiering on endlessly: my job was now to be still, which had become almost easy at last.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/i-was-being-cured-of-soldiering-on-endlessly-my-job-was-now-to-be/)

[Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/)

> [In the aftermath of 9/11, people had not a good time, but a deep, profound, rousing time, woke up from their ennui and isolation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/in-the-aftermath-of-9-11-people-had-not-a-good-time-but-a-deep/)

[Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/)

> [“I wonder now about Demeter and Persephone. Maybe Persephone was glad to run off with the king of death to his underground realm, maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/i-wonder-now-about-demeter-and-persephone-maybe-persephone-was-glad/)

[Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/)

> [ \[In mountaineering, if\] we look for private experience rather than public history, even getting to the top becomes an optional narrative rather than the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/in-mountaineering-if-we-look-for-private-experience-rather-than/)

[Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/)

> [For me, being in a car or on an airplane is like being in limbo. It's this dead zone between two places. But to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/for-me-being-in-a-car-or-on-an-airplane-is-like-being-in-limbo-it-s/)

[Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/)

> [“How do you calculate upon the unforeseen? It seems to be an art of recognizing the role of the unforeseen, of keeping your balance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/how-do-you-calculate-upon-the-unforeseen-it-seems-to-be-an-art-of/)

[Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/)

> [Walking shares with making and working that crucial element of engagement of the body and the mind with the world, of knowing the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/walking-shares-with-making-and-working-that-crucial-element-of/)

[Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/)

> [“Marriage equality is a threat: to inequality. It’s a boon to everyone who values and benefits from equality. It’s for all of us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/marriage-equality-is-a-threat-to-inequality-it-s-a-boon-to-everyone/)

[Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/)

> [“Mountaineering is always spoken of as though summiting is conquest, but as you get higher, the world gets bigger, and you feel smaller in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/mountaineering-is-always-spoken-of-as-though-summiting-is-conquest/)

[Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/)

> [“A procession is a participants' journey, while a parade is a performance with an audience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/a-procession-is-a-participants-journey-while-a-parade-is-a/)

[Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/)

[Explore all 469 Rebecca Solnit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/)

## More Architecture quotes

> [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/)

[Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/)

> [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/)

[Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/)

> [The Parthenon is really only a farmyard over which someone put a roof; colonades and sculptures were added because there were people in Athens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/the-parthenon-is-really-only-a-farmyard-over-which-someone-put-a-roof/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

> [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/)

[Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/)

> [I just think structure can make a book feel so much bigger. It's the architecture. You could use flimsy materials if you wanted to,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/i-just-think-structure-can-make-a-book-feel-so-much-bigger-it-s-the/)

[Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/)

> [When I am asked what I believe in, I say that I believe in architecture. Architecture is the mother of the arts. I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-meier/when-i-am-asked-what-i-believe-in-i-say-that-i-believe-in/)

[Richard Meier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-meier/)

> [Some architects have a preconceived notion of what a building should be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-w-fentress/some-architects-have-a-preconceived-notion-of-what-a-building-should/)

[Curtis W. Fentress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-w-fentress/)

> [The essential functions of the mind consist in understanding and in inventing, in other words, in building up structures by structuring reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-essential-functions-of-the-mind-consist-in-understanding-and-in/)

[Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

> [London, from the architecture to the culture to the fashion to the accents, feels like it's a special place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-eazy/london-from-the-architecture-to-the-culture-to-the-fashion-to-the/)

[G-Eazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-eazy/)

> [A wiki works best where you're trying to answer a question that you can't easily pose, where there's not a natural structure that's known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-cunningham/a-wiki-works-best-where-you-re-trying-to-answer-a-question-that-you/)

[Ward Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-cunningham/)

> [Architecture is not a profession for the faint-hearted, the weak-willed, or the short-lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/architecture-is-not-a-profession-for-the-faint-hearted-the-weak/)

[Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/)

> [As a result of reading science fiction when I was eight, I grew up with an interest in music, architecture, city planning, transportation, politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/as-a-result-of-reading-science-fiction-when-i-was-eight-i-grew-up/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [Winning a competition in architecture is a ticket to oblivion. It's just an idea. Ninety-nine per cent never get built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-libeskind/winning-a-competition-in-architecture-is-a-ticket-to-oblivion-it-s/)

[Daniel Libeskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-libeskind/)

> [It's not so much about form versus functionality. Rather, it's about doing both and doing them a lot and doing them well-and that's how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-prince-ramus/it-s-not-so-much-about-form-versus-functionality-rather-it-s-about/)

[Joshua Prince-Ramus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-prince-ramus/)

> [Engineering, medicine, business, architecture and painting are concerned not with the necessary but with the contingent - not with how things are but with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-simon/engineering-medicine-business-architecture-and-painting-are-concerned/)

[Herbert Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-simon/)

[Browse all 3,013 Architecture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Italian cities have long been held up as ideals, not least by New Yorkers and Londoners enthralled by the ways their architecture gives beauty and meaning to everyday acts.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Rebecca Solnit"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/italian-cities-have-long-been-held-up-as-ideals-not-least-by-new/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Architecture"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/italian-cities-have-long-been-held-up-as-ideals-not-least-by-new/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7a/rebecca-solnit-569_architecture_italian-cities-have-long-been-held-up-as_1277889.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7a/rebecca-solnit-569_architecture_italian-cities-have-long-been-held-up-as_1277889.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7a/rebecca-solnit-569_architecture_italian-cities-have-long-been-held-up-as_1277889.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Italian cities have long been held up as ideals, not least by New Yorkers and Londoners enthralled by the…” — Rebecca Solnit",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Rebecca Solnit",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Italian cities have long been held...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/italian-cities-have-long-been-held-up-as-ideals-not-least-by-new/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/italian-cities-have-long-been-held-up-as-ideals-not-least-by-new/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
