Saturday 30 April 2011

Ruttars, Italy ... the vineyards....and more ...

View Larger Map

Ruttars is in the middle of the Collio Goriziano  
in the region of Friuli Venezia-Giulia.

With a car you could be in  Udine, Gorizia, Aquileia or
Cividale in minutes and in less than one hour, Trieste, Grado o Lignano.
The surrounding area is suggested for the bike lovers,
starting from the Wine Road  which proceeds through
the cultivations of wine, in the famous Collio area.

The link on the "Wine Road" is a new Italian blog
I came across when doing some research.


A lovely church at the top of the winding road....

unfortunately it was closed.



and one last view....


A fantastic area to visit ,
I am sure you will agree!!

Monday 25 April 2011

Tasty treat to start your day.......

I don't really eat a lot
of sweet things .. BUT I
had to try this ... it was delicious
and soooooooo FILLING!!


Wednesday 20 April 2011

Basilica Santa Eufemia - Grado

The  Basilica of St. Euphemia,  has a three-part façade with two doors and three large windows of an early Christian type. To the right of the front of the cathedral there is a 15th century bell-tower, while inside it has an early Christian structure (three naves, columns and capitals).
In the apse of the church there is a large fresco representing Christ surrounded by symbols of  the “Tetramorph” (the “Christian tetramorph” presents the four evangelists and four saints).


Click on all photos to enlarge.

The building is a typical monument of Byzantine architecture, decorated with mosaics, and it was the cathedral of the Patriarchs of Grado until the mid-fifteenth century. (info taken from Internet)



The Lapidary, which collects many finds from Roman times;
 precious pieces of statues and
 epigraphs dating back to the Roman, Palaeo-Christian,
and late middle ages are conserved

The inscriptions are presented chronologically,
from the first to the fourth century AD.






There has been excavation work going on in the centre
 and they uncovered the ruins of another church
Basilica della Corte.

Byzantine pulpit



The  medieval belltower topped by a distinctive weathervane shaped like an angel (Anzolo),
 a gift from Venice that has become a symbol for the entire community of Grado



Just a few of the wonderful historic sights of Grado ... and
hidden treasures .... !!

Enjoy and Happy Easter to you all ♥♥

Sunday 17 April 2011

Grado ..

is a wonderful town,
full of history.

The roots of of Grado,  go back 1,500 years,
and the history is told through the
Roman-era churches and narrow, stone streets.

It has a modern town with a historic centre and although tiny,
, the little medieval quarter is the most charming part of Grado.
With lanes and courtyards, like a maze.
The old fishermen's houses are clustered together ,
almost on top of each other, with pretty squares and little bars and restaurants.




You had to have eyes looking everywhere ..
so much to take in!!

I will be back with more soon, but work calls
and then off to London to meet up with Leesa!!

Hope you enjoy the little tour.

Friday 15 April 2011

Where do I start? .. A fantastic trip to .......


Grado , Italy.

If you have been following me on
Facebook or  my blog ,
you will know that I re-connected with
a cousin after 45 years... and yes it was thanks
to Facebook , (it does have its uses)

Actually thanks to the one and only photo I have
of my cousin , her husband and children (grown up)
with their names (and surname on the back .. )!! and Facebook!!


The green lines  on the map are the areas we visted ..
and a coastal drive.

It was fantastic ♥
Not just meeting up (after all these years)
with Valerie and Gianni (1st time)
but to be shown around the wonderful area and
spending time together,

Grado  is a town and commune in the north-eastern
 region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia
 located on a peninsula of the Adriatic betweenVenice and Trieste.
Once mainly a fishing center, today it is a
popular tourist destination, known commonly
as L'Isola del Sole ("The Sunny Island"), 

Click on photos to enlarge.

Doesn't it just look amazing.. and this
was just the first afternoon !!

Monday 4 April 2011

Taking a little break ......

Sorry I have not got round to answering
your comments about the French Cheeses..
Yes it certainly does look
like I am in France ....
the choice is amazing.


The market is open everyday (some sundays)
or maybe every sunday but not every stall .
and ideal if a rainy day and you want to
look around and have a coffee and a
bite to eat,, lots of little cafes here.

I am taking a little holiday to Italy ..
to meet a cousin and her husband . we
have not seen each other since I was 9..
until last year and then that was only
on web cam and skype.. We
re-connected through Facebook , where I
found her grown up children. 

Hope all you have a fantastic week, lets hope

the sun shines for us all .. ♥♥♥
Take care Love from Oxfordshire.

Just found this cute little award on the web ...

for you!!

Sunday 3 April 2011

Cheeses from the Oxford Covered Market .........

Diane wanted to go to the covered market to
see if they had some of her husband's favourite cheese,
and to find some of their favourite sausage too.

We found both !!!

Click on photos to enlarge,


Click on photo to enlarge ...

Saturday 2 April 2011

Onwards we walk .....


which I have been to a few times now .

Would go again if anyone wanted
to walk round with me.


Click on photos to enlarge.



Richard Baylie was President of St John's College,
from 1633 to 1648 and 1660 to 1667
and built the chapel in 1662.



I am not sure what all the initials are , google tells
me it is memorial tile for  William Delaune.

(Sorry bit dark)

This is a memorial for John Case ..who we were told taught at
St Johns .  An interesting story told to us, was that
the only person who was allowed to get married was
the Head of school.. John Case fell in love and in
order to get married he had to leave. 

Afterwards we went to the beautiful gardens
and round to the  court yard .. very tranquil !



I hope you all have enjoying this little tour .....nearly finished. ♥♥♥