Tuesday 31 May 2011

Udine and its wonderful architecture ....

In the principal square (Piazza della Libertà) stands the town hall (Loggia del Lionello) built in 1448–1457 in the Venetian-Gothic style opposite a clock tower (Torre dell’Orologio) resembling that of the Piazza San Marco at Venice. It was begun in 1448 on a project by Nicolò Lionello, a local goldsmith, and was rebuilt following a fire in 1876.




The Clock Tower, is one of the jewels of Liberty Square. It was built in 1527 by Giovanni da Udine , on the same scheme of the Venetian tower in Piazza .  On top of the tower, the two statues are known as "Huomini delle ore" and on the hours they strike on a bell placed between them.  The two statues were created by the sculptor Vincenzo Luccardi in 1850. The clock is round, very elegant, decorated in the center of a golden sun on a blue background.

 The Loggia di San Giovanni, a Renaissance structure designed by Bernardino da Morcote. Other monuments in the square are the Fountain by Giovanni Carrara, an architect from Bergamo (1542); the Columns bearing the Venetian Lion and the Statue of Justice (1614), the statues of Hercules and Cacus and the Statue of Peace (1819) which was donated to Udine by Emperor Francis I to commemorate the peace Treaty of Campoformido.




Statue of Justice


There is so much more too see... this is just the start of the day.!

Monday 23 May 2011

Let's go back to Italy ....

Another fabulous city in the area of Fruili ...
is Udine..


Porta Manin, built between 1273 and 1299, is the main gateway into the old core of the town. In the medieval times it was the part of the City Walls, this gate is the only remaining part.


 What lies beyond this gate is just amazing!!



Shame that the above has just been left ,
maybe one day it will be restored
to its former glory.



This is just a snippet ... lots more to show you,
going to take me a while to sort the post out,
so much to remember.

Thank you for ALL your wonderful comments
on the postcards and ceramics .
Makes me happy that you enjoy my posts. ♥

Saturday 21 May 2011

Postcard surprise!!!

Out of the blue
I received a postcard
today ..... from


I have never been there .. but it does
seem to have a lot going on,
and with many many shops too.

If you are a fan ( I know there are a few
of you out there) .. of the Beatles
you would have to go the
Beatles shop ... !!!

My dear friend Di
A.K.A Trubes,
said she hadn't seen
any postcard posts on
the blog recently ... and everytime
she sees postcards she thinks of me ...
Love it!!! ♥♥

I also received one
from my great friend Leesa ..
who never stops travelling ..
or at least it feels that way LOL ..


Leesa went to Rouen the other week to
see a concert .. and she loved the town,
and I will be going to see it soon too!! ♥♥

BIG THANK YOU TO DI AND LEESA

Tuesday 17 May 2011

A little bit of art work ......

A few months ago
I bought some wrapping paper
which I loved and thought , mmmm
maybe I could paint that onto ceramics.


Click on photos to enlarge.

It was all handpainted straight on to the bowl and mug,
normally would draw it on first . .. it took me a while
though .. about a week!!

Thought we would have a littlebreak from Italy,
but I still have lots more of that trip to come!!!

Monday 16 May 2011

A boat trip to Sanctuary Barbana .. Italy

is a must if you are ever  near Grado.


 Barbana is a small island located at the northern end of the Grado Lagoon, near Trieste in north-east Italy. It is the site of the Santuario di Barbana, an ancient Marian sanctuary whose origins date back to 582 when Elia, Patriarch of Aquileia, built a church near the hut of a hermit called Barbano. The island, which can be easily reached by ferry from nearby Grado, is populated by a small community of Franciscan monks.





A short distance from the church, is the apparition chapel, built in 1854 to celebrate the dogma of ' Immaculate Conception . The chapel, octagonal, has taken the place of an earlier votive capital and was decorated in 1860 by the painter udinese Rocco Pitacco . . The paintings represent the glorification of Mary between angels and characters of ' Old and New Testament 




Also in the chapel, which is surrounded by a small cemetery are the remains of the venerable Bulles Egidio , a young Istrian distinguished for his apostolate in Pula and Monfalcone


We passed this cross on the way and it
was my cousin's father-in-law that
placed it here ... as protection for the fishermen,
(I should pay more attention and listen
or write things down, the story is a little longer than
just this).



We were very priviledged on this day, as not
only did we have the boat to ourselves .. (it was not really
the season, so the  normal passenger ferry was  not running )so they
took us in the small boat ....BUT we also had the chapel (within the main
church to ourselves) and our own private mass said.

I do hope that you are enjoying this small tour of an area not that
well known (correct me if I am wrong)!!!.  Very interesting to see beyond the Lakes, Florence, Rome and Cinque Terra, Amalfi,Positano ..
 and other more well known parts of Italy.

Wednesday 11 May 2011

Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta (Aquileia) Italy ....

The small and quiet but well known village of Aquileia lies in the plain of Friuli not far from the lagoon of Grado. In the 2nd century AD, the Romans built the town-fortress that became one of the most famous towns of the Empire, not only for its military, prowess and its economic wealth, but also for its cultural and spiritual magnificence


Aquileia  was destroyed by Attila in the mid-5th century. Most of it still lies unexcavated beneath the fields, and as such it constitutes the greatest archaeological reserve of its kind. The patriarchal basilica, is an outstanding building with an exceptional mosaic floor, and played a key role in the evangelization of a large region of central Europe.





Glass walkways run either side of the nave so that visitors can admire the decoration without damaging it. The mosaic features early Christian iconography such as a contest between a cockerel and a tortoise ('light' and 'dark'), representations of the seasons  and towards  the altar is an illustration of the story of Jonah and the whale, complete with a range of swimming sea-creatures.




At the beginning of the 20th century, the ancient mosaic pavement was discovered below the nave floor and is thought to be the earliest surviving remnant of any Christian church.





The wooden ceiling is from 1526






You have to visit this wonderful basilica to appreciate the workmanship ...how they did it, is beyond me!!!

Tuesday 10 May 2011

Thank you to .......

you all .

I have had so many wonderful
comments on my latest posts ,
and feel quite overwhelmed sometimes.

I know I need to
make more of an effort to get to
your blogs too,. and see your fab posts.


So this is for you and I will be over soon!!

♥♥♥

Monday 9 May 2011

Lets not forget the soldiers .. known and unknown.

Redipuglia , 34 km north west of Trieste, is renowned for its great War Memorial where the bodies of 100,000 soldiers who died during World War 1 are buried.  40,000 are known  with names  inscribed on bronze plaques at the top of the huge stairway and 60,000  unknown in a two common graves.  The marble stairway has 32 terraces and takes you up the hill , with views over the surrounding battlefields.



Entrance to the chapel.


There is also a museum.
Which is quite eerie....
but had to have a look.




Rest in peace.