I was happy to host my airbnb guest to Muurame Church. She is an Italian architect preparing her thesis about Alvar Aalto. She wanted to explore at least the Säynätsalo Town Hall and the Muuratsalo experimental house, but I suggested that we could also visit the church. Of course the church was familiar to her, because it is an good example of the influence of Italian architecture in Aalto’s work. The church is among the first works of Aalto. He has several drawings for churches, but this is the only realized building.

Church has been renovated latelly. This was our common observation. The church is very polished, materials are new, colors are bright… The guest told me that is something they struggle with also in in Italy: how to spare the old touch, but replace it with modern painting and materials. Some of the items has been replaced totally but all has been done according to the original drawings.

I especially liked the blue color! The main sealing was like a sky – and I was even able to catch the real sky and the blue on ”loggia’s” sealing in the same image.

The Italian guest – if I understood right – is interested in besides the architecture, also in Aalto as a person. I borrowed from library a book “Alvar Aalto – ex intimo“… in Finnish, but fortunatelly we were able to get an English copy from Muuratsalo Experimental House later the day. But the Experimental House is an other story that I will post later.