Venice, the capital of northern Italy’s Veneto region, is built on more than 100 small islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. It has no roads, just canals – including the Grand Canal thoroughfare – lined with Renaissance and Gothic palaces. The central square, Piazza San Marco, contains St. Mark’s Basilica, which is tiled with Byzantine mosaics, and the Campanile bell tower offering views of the city’s red roofs.
Tag Archives: Italy
Art: Michelangelo’s Sculpture ‘David’ & The Republic Of Florence
Michelangelo, David, 1501–04, marble, 17 feet high (The Galleria dell’Accademia, Florence), a conversation with Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris.
This astonishing Renaissance sculpture was created between 1501 and 1504. It is a 14.0 ft marble statue depicting the Biblical hero David, represented as a standing male nude. Originally commissioned by the Opera del Duomo for the Cathedral of Florence, it was meant to be one of a series of large statues to be positioned in the niches of the cathedral’s tribunes, way up at about 80mt from the ground. Michelangelo was asked by the consuls of the Board to complete an unfinished project begun in 1464 by Agostino di Duccio and later carried on by Antonio Rossellino in 1475. Both sculptors had in the end rejected an enormous block of marble due to the presence of too many “taroli”, or imperfections, which may have threatened the stability of such a huge statue. This block of marble of exceptional dimensions remained therefore neglected for 25 years, lying within the courtyard of the Opera del Duomo (Vestry Board).
Food & Travel: How Barese Focaccia Bread Is Made
Breaking away from the more well-known olive oil seasoned flatbread, focaccia in Bari, Italy is a feast of flavors made with tomatoes, olives, oregano, and olive oil. We visited Panificio Fiore, a local bakery that’s been churning fresh focaccia every day for over a century. The bakery is just a few steps away from the city’s Basilica di San Nicola, an important destination for pilgrims all over the world. For those foodies exploring the old town on another kind of pilgrimage, a slice of focaccia here will cost only 1 euro and will for sure open the doors of heaven.
Aerial Travel: Best Of The Dolomites, Italy (Video)
The Dolomites are a mountain range located in northeastern Italy. They form part of the Southern Limestone Alps and extend from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Valley in the east. The northern and southern borders are defined by the Puster Valley and the Sugana Valley.
Walking Tours: ‘Vernazza, Cinque Terre, Italy’ (Video)
This walk was filmed on August 5th, 2020 starting at 12:00pm. Vernazza is the 4th town of the Cinque Terre when hiking from Riomaggiore up to Monterosso. This was by far my favorite town of the Cinque Terre.
Vernazza is one of the 5 centuries-old villages that make up the Cinque Terre, on northwest Italy’s rugged Ligurian coast. Colorful houses surround its small marina. The Santa Margherita di Antiochia Church has a bell tower topped by an elegant cupola. Clinging to the rocks, Doria Castle is a medieval defensive structure with a cylindrical tower. The Belforte bastion is just below it.
Top Hotel Tours: ‘The St. Regis Venice’, Italy On The Grand Canal (Video)
The St. Regis Venice combines historic legacy with modern luxury in a privileged location beside the Grand Canal surrounded by views across some of Venice’s most iconic monuments. Avant-garde in outlook and revolutionary in design, the hotel is an expression of the cultural curiosity of Venice and the innovation of modern-day against a pedigreed backdrop.
Culture & Design: 15th C. Tuscan Villa, Siena, Italy
Even now, the approach to the 1,200-acre property is just as it must have been centuries ago: a long, winding ride through pale, undulating fields, leading to a dignified hilltop retreat. The three-story ivy-wrapped building is ringed by 20-foot obelisk-like cypress trees — a private citadel entered through a wrought-iron gate. Beyond the vista of olive groves, another fortresslike outcropping is visible in the distance: the mottled russet city of Siena, three miles away.
WHEN RENÉ CAOVILLA, the 82-year-old Venetian shoe designer, was first shown the Tuscan villa he bought in 1977, he fell in love with it instantly. He wasn’t only taken with the house, a 15th-century red brick monastery that had undergone a slow transformation into an austere 20-bedroom private home in the 17th century, but the Chianti landscape as well — the whole of classical history evoked in a flash.
Travel & Culture: ‘Spoleto’ In Umbria, Italy (Video)
Spoleto is a city in Umbria, Italy. It’s surrounded by hills, olive groves and vineyards. Dating from the 12th century, Spoleto Cathedral has a porticoed facade embellished by a mosaic. Inside is a cycle of frescoes by the medieval artist Filippo Lippi. The National Archaeological Museum complex displays items from the Bronze Age and Roman times. It also includes the restored Roman Theater.
Walking Tours: ‘Corniglia Cinque Terre, Italy’ (Video)
Corniglia is a frazione within the comune of Vernazza in the province of La Spezia, Liguria, northern Italy with a population of about 150. Unlike the other localities of the Cinque Terre, Corniglia is not directly adjacent to the sea.
▼▼Video Timeline Links▼▼ 0:00 – Drone Intro 1:27 – Walk begins 3:48 – Piazzetta Ciapara 4:30 – Via Fieschi 6:38 – Largo Taragio 7:06 – Oratory of the disciples of Saint Catherine 8:20 – Scenic Lookout 13:06 – Terrace of Santa Maria 17:20 – Scenic Lookout & Largo Taragio 18:20 – Via alla Marina (down) 22:19 – Via all Marina (up) 26:19 – Via Fieschi 27:39 – Path out to Viewpoint 28:34 – Viewpoint 32:10 – Church of San Pietro 36:40 – Trailhead 37:28 – Lardarina Steps to Train Station
Travel & Cycling: 87-Mile Lake Garda, Italy Bike Path Opens In 2021 – “Gorgeous”
The 140-km bike path will offer amazing views over Italy’s largest lake and the mountains that surround it. It is expected to attract many bike enthusiasts who already travel to the area to ride on the Dolomites paths.
It will circle beautiful Lake Garda in northern Italy from Capo Reamol on the lake’s western shore to Limone sul Garda at the border with Trentino. The path crosses three regions, Lombardy, Trentino and Veneto and uses both existing cycling tracks and newly built paths.
Lake Garda is already a paradise for those who love exploring on a bike; from 2021, even more so, as the so-called Garda by Bike project, is scheduled to be completed.
The project has been in the works for two years and the stretch that is yet to be completed promises to be one of the most spectacular as it’s built right above the lake, next to cliffs that almost jut out into the water.
The path is suitable for everyone as it’s 2.5 meters wide and doesn’t have any particularly steep section. It can be biked on both road and mountain bikes. The speed limit is 30 km per hour.
And if you don’t like biking, no worries: the path includes a pedestrian lane for those who prefer walking.
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