The port city of Ancona

29 May 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  10 minutes

The Vanvitelli's Lazzaretto, project of the architect Luigi Vanvitelli © Mungany

The Vanvitelli’s Lazzaretto, project of the architect Luigi Vanvitelli © Mungany

Ancona is a city and a seaport in the Marche region, in central Italy, with a population of 102,997. Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located 280 km (170 mi) northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic Sea, between the slopes of the two extremities of the promontory of Monte Conero, Monte Astagno and Monte Guasco. Ancona is one of the main ports on the Adriatic Sea, especially for passenger traffic, and is the main economic and demographic center of the region. Ancona is located in the mid Adriatic coast, 285 km. north-east of Rome and 424 km. south-east of Milan. Just south of the city, the Conero Mount (572 mt.) rises from the sea, with its picturesque regional park and its famous Riviera. The climate of Ancona is both mediterranean and continental.   read more…

Zadar on the Adriatic Sea

24 May 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Town Hall in the centre of People's Square © Böhringer Friedrich

Town Hall in the centre of People’s Square © Böhringer Friedrich

Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Zadar is a historical center of Dalmatia as well as the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zadar. Zadar gained its urban structure in Roman times; during the time of Julius Caesar and Emperor Augustus, the town was fortified and the city walls with towers and gates were built. On the western side of the town were the forum, the basilica and the temple, while outside the town were the amphitheatre and cemeteries. The aqueduct which supplied the town with water is partially preserved. Inside the ancient town, a medieval town had developed with a series of churches and monasteries being built.   read more…

The Greek island of Corfu

6 September 2011 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  9 minutes

Corfu City citadel © Stefanos Kozanis

Corfu City citadel © Stefanos Kozanis

Corfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands. The island is part of the Corfu peripheral unit, and is administrated as a single municipality. The municipality includes the island Corfu and the smaller islands Ereikoussa, Mathraki and Othonoi. The principal town of the island and seat of the municipality (pop. 33,886) is also named Corfu. Corfu is home to the Ionian University. The island is connected to the history of Greece from the beginning of Greek mythology. Its Greek name, Kerkyra or Korkyra, is related to two powerful water symbols: Poseidon, god of the sea, and Asopos, an important Greek mainland river. According to myth, Poseidon fell in love with the beautiful nymph Korkyra, daughter of Asopus and river nymph Metope, and abducted her. Poseidon brought Korkyra to the hitherto unnamed island and, in marital bliss, offered her name to the place: Korkyra, which gradually evolved to Kerkyra (Doric). Together, they had a child they called Phaiax, after whom the inhabitants of the island were named: Phaiakes. This term was transliterated via Latin to Phaeacians.   read more…

The Mediterranean Sea

19 August 2011 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  8 minutes

Ships near Blue Lagoon - Malta © larrylurex

Ships near Blue Lagoon – Malta © larrylurex

The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant. The sea is technically a part of the Atlantic Ocean, although it is usually identified as a completely separate body of water.   read more…

Theme Week Venice, Queen of the Adriatic Sea

30 July 2011 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Architecture, European Union, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  14 minutes

Venice Collage © DaniDF1995

Venice Collage © DaniDF1995

Venice is a city in northern Italy known both for tourism and for industry, and is the capital of the region Veneto, with a population of about 270,660 (census estimate 30 April 2009). Together with Padua and Treviso, the city is included in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area (PATREVE) (population 1,600,000).   read more…

Dubrovnik, pearl of the Adriatic

27 April 2011 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Architecture, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  7 minutes

Old town of Dubrovnik © gari.baldi

Old town of Dubrovnik © gari.baldi

Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the center of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its population was 43,770 in 2001, down from 49,728 in 1991. In 1979, the city of Dubrovnik joined the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.   read more…

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