Royal Palace of Caserta

2 June 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Museums, Exhibitions, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  12 minutes

© Editor04082022/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Editor04082022/cc-by-sa-4.0

The Royal Palace of Caserta (Italian: Reggia di Caserta) is a former royal residence in Caserta, southern Italy, constructed by the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies as their main residence as kings of Naples. It is the largest palace erected in Europe during the 18th century. In 1997, the palace was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site; its nomination described it as “the swan song of the spectacular art of the Baroque, from which it adopted all the features needed to create the illusions of multidirectional space”. The Royal Palace of Caserta is the largest former royal residence in the world, over 2 million in volume and covering an area of 47,000 . and a floorspace of 138,000 square meters in the distributed in the five storeys of the building.   read more…

Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels

1 June 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, House of the Month Reading Time:  7 minutes

The nave © Diego Delso/cc-by-sa-4.0

The nave © Diego Delso/cc-by-sa-4.0

The Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula (French: Cathédrale des Saints Michel et Gudule, Dutch: Kathedraal van Sint-Michiel en Sint-Goedele), usually shortened to the Cathedral of St. Gudula or St. Gudula by locals, is a medieval Roman Catholic cathedral in central Brussels, Belgium. It is dedicated to Saint Michael and Saint Gudula, the patron saints of the City of Brussels, and is considered to be one of the finest examples of Brabantine Gothic architecture.   read more…

Villa d’Este on Lake Como

30 May 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Hotels, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks Reading Time:  11 minutes

© panoramio.com - Nikolai Karaneschev/cc-by-3.0

© panoramio.com – Nikolai Karaneschev/cc-by-3.0

The Villa d’Este, originally Villa del Garovo, is a Renaissance patrician residence in Cernobbio on the shores of Lake Como in northern Italy. Both the villa and the 25-acre (100,000 m²) park which surrounds it have undergone significant changes since their sixteenth-century origins as a summer residence for the Cardinal of Como. Nevertheless, visiting the garden in 1903 for Century Magazine, Edith Wharton found this to be ‘the only old garden on Como which keeps more than a fragment of its original architecture’, and noted that ‘though Queen Caroline anglicised part of the grounds, the main lines of the Renaissance garden still exist’. Since 1873, the complex has been a luxury hotel.   read more…

Theme Week Leinster – Dundalk

27 May 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Town Hall © DSexton/cc-by-sa-4.0

Town Hall © DSexton/cc-by-sa-4.0

Dundalk (Irish: Dún Dealgan), meaning “the fort of Dealgan”, is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is halfway between Dublin and Belfast, close to the border with Northern Ireland. It is the eighth largest urban area in Ireland, with a population of 39,004 as of the 2016 census.   read more…

Cîteaux Abbey in Saint-Nicolas-lès-Cîteaux

27 May 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

© Arnaud 25/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Arnaud 25/cc-by-sa-4.0

Cîteaux Abbey (French: Abbaye de Cîteaux) is a Catholic abbey located in Saint-Nicolas-lès-Cîteaux, south of Dijon, France. It is notable for being the original house of the Cistercian order. Today, it belongs to the Trappists (also called the Cistercians of the Strict Observance). The abbey has about 35 members. The monks produce a cheese branded under the abbey’s name, as well as caramels and honey-based candies.   read more…

Theme Week Leinster – Bray

26 May 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  9 minutes

Esplanade Hotel © Photogoddle/cc-by-sa-4.0

Esplanade Hotel © Photogoddle/cc-by-sa-4.0

Bray (Irish: Bré) is a coastal town in north County Wicklow, Ireland. It is situated about twenty km (12 mi) south of Dublin city centre on the east coast. It has a population of 32,600 making it the ninth largest urban area within Ireland (at the 2016 census). Bray is home to Ardmore Studios, and some light industry is located in the town, with some business and retail parks on its southern periphery. Commuter links between Bray and Dublin are provided by rail, Dublin Bus and the M11 and M50 motorways. Small parts of the town’s northern outskirts are in County Dublin.   read more…

Theme Week Leinster – Carlow

25 May 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

The Liberty Tree © NicolaODonoghue/cc-by-sa-4.0

The Liberty Tree © NicolaODonoghue/cc-by-sa-4.0

Carlow (Irish: Ceatharlach) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Ireland, 84 km (52 mi) from Dublin. At the 2016 census, it had a combined urban and rural population of 24,272.   read more…

Fondation Monet in Giverny

25 May 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Museums, Exhibitions Reading Time:  5 minutes

House of Claude Monet © Fondation Monet/cc-by-sa-3.0

House of Claude Monet © Fondation Monet/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Fondation Claude Monet is a nonprofit organisation that runs and preserves the house and gardens of Claude Monet in Giverny, France, where Monet lived and painted for 43 years. Monet was inspired by his gardens, and spent years transforming them, planting thousands of flowers. He believed that it was important to surround himself with nature and paint outdoors. He created many paintings of his house and gardens, especially of water lilies in the pond, the Japanese bridge, and a weeping willow tree.   read more…

Theme Week Leinster – Navan

24 May 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

Trimgate Street © geograph.org.uk - James Allan/cc-by-sa-2.0

Trimgate Street © geograph.org.uk – James Allan/cc-by-sa-2.0

Navan (Irish: An Uaimh, meaning “the Cave”) is the county town of County Meath, Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 30,173, making it the tenth largest settlement in Ireland. It is at the confluence of the River Boyne and Blackwater, around 50 km northwest of Dublin.   read more…

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