Gradisca d'Isonzo, Italy Part one of two
Gradisca is a member of the organisation of the most attractive towns in Italy and when you arrive in the main square you will see that this little town of some 6,500 people located 12km from the regional capital of Gorizia has so much to offer.
My first view of Gradisca was in an usual way. I crossed the Isonzo river over the narrow bridge to the east of the town on my bicycle which afforded views over the river with its almost turquoise colour and the walls of the Venetian fortifications of the town. Others will come in other directions, if by car no doubt via the main road from Gorizia, Udine or Venice or perhaps by motorhome, in which case one can park it at the motorhome parking space allocated at via Trieste 40.
Throughout the following article, I shall refer to Gradisca as a town, as it seems strange to refer to a place with 6,500 inhabitants as a city - but it is a city and has enjoyed this right for many centuries and has its own cathedral.
The name of the town is clearly linked to the word for fortification - compare, for example, Hrad in Czech meaning fort. So the meaning is probably fort on a hill although the hill is not very high. Beyond Gradisca to the east we have the Karst and to the north we have views of the Julian Alps. This geography suited the growth of Gradisca as it was on a trade route through the mountains at the same time as being protected by the fast flowing and wide Isonzo river.
In 1420 the town became part of the Republic of Venice which gave us many of the monuments we see today such as the castle which was largely meant to be an outpost against Ottoman attacks. The fortifications were initially built between 1476 and 1498, in places they were twenty metres high. The water of the Isonzo was directed into a moat around Gradisca whilst turrets completed the defences. In 1500, Leonardo da Vinci was hired by the Venetian Senate to make additions to the defences.
However this was to no avail. In 1511, Gradisca was captured by the Habsburgs and later it became part of the Eggenberg family possession although always under the tutelage of the Habsburgs. From 1615 - 1617, the Venetians attempted to recapture the city but failed.
During the Habsburg and Eggenberg era, Gradisca gradually became less military and more of a residential area for wealthy people. Some of the palaces we see today were built then as was the baroque cathedral of Peter and Paul (Pietro e Paolo).
In 1855, as in many places where the city walls stopped the growth of the town, some of the fortifications were torn down - although fortunately much was left for us to appreciate today.
A few days after Italy's invasion of Austria-Hungary in WW1, Gradisca was captured. It lay only around 25km from the Italian border. Nonetheless it became a town almost on the front line. Austrian positions above the town gave a clear view as to what was happening there and the Isonzo river became the scene of twelve very bloody battles, eleven of which were near Gradisca. The town was recaptured by Austria-Hungary after the Battle of Caporetto in October 1917 although the following year it was retaken again by Italy as the war was ending. On 6 January 1921, it was annexed by Italy.
See more here :
VSI MindAppz Vacation 2017 - Venice & Province of Treviso
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rouen, l'une des plus importantes cathédrales de France (notrebellefrance)
Située au coeur de la ville, la cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rouen est un monument où l'on peut lire toute l'évolution de l'art gothique. La construction de l'édifice a été entreprise au milieu du XIIe siècle, à l'emplacement de la cathédrale romane dont on a conservé la crypte. Une centaine d'années plus tard, elle était achevée mais elle fut remaniée et terminée au cours des siècles suivants. La façade représente ainsi un précieux témoignage de l'évolution de l'art gothique du milieu du XIIe siècle jusqu'au début du XVIe siècle. La jolie tour lanterne a reçu au XIXe siècle une flèche en fonte qui s'élève à 151 mètres !
La Cathédrale abrite dans le déambulatoire quelques sépultures des anciens ducs de Normandie, telles celle de Rollon, le fondateur du duché et celle de Richard Coeur de Lion, qui aimait tant la ville et fit déposer son coeur dans la crypte après sa mort. Toute l'histoire du vitrail du XIIIe siècle à nos jours peut se lire à l'intérieur de l'église. Durant les années 1890, le célèbre peintre Claude Monet peint une série de 30 tableaux représentant la cathédrale aux différentes heures du jour et des saisons.
Les cryptes de la cathédrale peuvent se visiter, sur réservation, auprès de l'office de tourisme de Rouen.
Tower of the Clock, Chioggia - Italy
Subtitles in EN & GR - Υπότιτλοι στα ελληνικά και αγγλικά
The bell tower of Sant’Andrea, is a military construction probably dating back to the Roman or Byzantine era. The tower is approximately 30 m tall and presents a rare, unique clock created in the workshop of Giovanni Dondi, who also created some of the most sophisticated devices of that era.
The clock’s mechanism, is now kept in a protective glass case, where it can also be admired.
Το καμπαναριό του Sant'Andrea, είναι μια στρατιωτική κατασκευή που πιθανότατα χρονολογείται από τη ρωμαϊκή ή βυζαντινή εποχή. Ο πύργος έχει ύψος περίπου 30 m και περιέχει ένα σπάνιο, μοναδικό ρολόι που δημιουργήθηκε στο εργαστήριο του Giovanni Dondi, ο οποίος επίσης δημιούργησε μερικές από τις πιο εξελιγμένες συσκευές της εποχής εκείνης.
Ο μηχανισμός του ρολογιού, βρίσκεται σήμερα σε μια γυάλινη προστατευτική θήκη, όπου μπορεί κανείς να τον θαυμάσει.
Palmanova (UD) Città Fortezza - Patrimonio UNESCO - Piazza Grande
Palmanova (Palme in friulano) è un comune italiano di 5 432 abitanti della provincia di Udine in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Città fortezza pianificata dai veneziani nel 1593, è chiamata la città stellata per la sua pianta poligonale a stella con 9 punte.
Dal 1960 la città storica è monumento nazionale. Dal 9 luglio 2017 la fortezza di Palmanova è entrata a far parte del patrimonio dell'umanità Unesco, nel sito seriale transnazionale Opere di difesa veneziane tra XVI e XVII secolo: Stato da Terra-Stato da Mar occidentale.
Friuli Doc 22 | 7 - 10 settembre 2017 | Friuli Venezia Giulia
Il video ufficiale della ventitreesima edizione di Friuli Doc. Buona visione e appuntamento al prossimo anno con la più grande manifestazione enogastronomica regionale del Friuli Venezia Giulia!
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BILANCIO POSITIVO PER FRIULI DOC 2017
Un format che funziona mixando enogastronomia, cultura e intrattenimento
Una XXIII edizione che ha dovuto fare i conti con il meteo, ma che ha sfidato la pioggia con un programma di appuntamenti molto ricco e grazie a un’organizzazione ben studiata. Nonostante il maltempo, anche quest’anno Friuli Doc ha registrato un trend positivo e sono state tante le persone che hanno raggiunto il centro di Udine e fatto vivere la città. La pioggia di questi giorni ha creato qualche disagio, ma organizzatori, operatori, artisti e pubblico hanno accolto favorevolmente il “Piano P (pioggia)” e la kermesse ha saputo regalare comunque quattro giorni all’insegna della qualità e del divertimento.
L’esordio parzialmente bagnato di giovedì, giornata di apertura, è stato animato dal caloroso benvenuto della folla di spettatori e curiosi radunatasi per salutare l’alpino friulano Mattia Popesso, scelto come ospite per il taglio del nastro. Il venerdì di sole ha visto un’alta affluenza di pubblico che ha goduto appieno del programma della rassegna e si è concluso con esibizioni in tutte le piazze e un bagno di folla per lo straordinario show MT Live in piazza Libertà. Nella giornata di sabato il meteo è stato clemente, alternando momenti di pioggia a schiarite che hanno convinto il pubblico a raggiungere il centro dove stand, piazze e strade sono stati animati per tutto il giorno e grandi e piccini hanno potuto divertirsi con showcooking, laboratori, degustazioni, spettacoli e molto altro. Una pioggia scrosciante ha accompagnato, invece, la giornata di domenica che ha mantenuto comunque in programma la maggior parte degli eventi previsti. Al maltempo, infatti, l’organizzazione ha risposto con la copertura delle piazze allestite con gli stand dove i gazebi hanno consentito non solo di poter continuare a degustare le eccellenze enogastronomiche made in Friuli, ma anche di seguire gli spettacoli.
Stephansdom - Domkirche St. Stephan Wien - St.Stephen's Cathedral Vienna
St. Stephen's Cathedral (more commonly known by its German title: Stephansdom) is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, OP. The current Romanesque and Gothic form of the cathedral, seen today in the Stephansplatz, was largely initiated by Duke Rudolf IV (1339–1365) and stands on the ruins of two earlier churches, the first a parish church consecrated in 1147. The most important religious building in Vienna, St. Stephen's Cathedral has borne witness to many important events in Habsburg and Austrian history and has, with its multi-coloured tile roof, become one of the city's most recognizable symbols.