Theme Week Italian Riviera

9 May 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Theme Weeks, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  6 minutes

Vernazza © Charles van Dijk/cc-by-3.0

Vernazza © Charles van Dijk/cc-by-3.0

The Italian Riviera, or Ligurian Riviera, is the narrow coastal strip in Italy which lies between the Ligurian Sea and the mountain chain formed by the Maritime Alps and the Apennines. Longitudinally it extends from the border with France and the French Riviera (or Côte d’Azur) near Ventimiglia (a former customs post) eastwards to Capo Corvo (also known as Punta Bianca) which marks the eastern end of the Gulf of La Spezia and is close to the regional border between Liguria and Tuscany. The Italian Riviera thus includes nearly all of the coastline of Liguria. Historically the “Riviera” extended further to the west, through what is now French territory as far as Marseille.   read more…

Theme Week Umbria – Gubbio

21 February 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Palazzo Pretorio © Geobia/cc-by-sa-3.0

Palazzo Pretorio © Geobia/cc-by-sa-3.0

Gubbio is a town and comune in the far northeastern part of the province of Perugia. It is located on the lowest slope of Mt. Ingino, a small mountain of the Apennines. The historical centre of Gubbio is beautiful and of decidedly medieval aspect: the town is austere in appearance because of the dark grey stone, narrow streets, and Gothic architecture.   read more…

Theme Week Emilia-Romagna – Ravenna

27 October 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  6 minutes

Garibaldi statue © flickr.com - currybet

Garibaldi statue © flickr.com – currybet

Ravenna is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 402 until that empire collapsed in 476. It then served as the capital of the Kingdom of the Ostrogoths until it was conquered in 554. Afterwards, the city formed the centre of the Byzantine Exarchate of Ravenna until the invasion of the Franks in 751, after which it became the seat of the Kingdom of the Lombards.   read more…

Theme Week Emilia-Romagna – Forlì

26 October 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Town Hall © Controllore Fiscale

Town Hall © Controllore Fiscale

Forlì is the capital of the province of Forlì-Cesena. It’s the central city of Romagna.   read more…

Theme Week Emilia-Romagna – Piacenza

25 October 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Piazza Duomo © Giovanni Dall'Orto

Piazza Duomo © Giovanni Dall’Orto

Piacenza is the capital of the province of Piacenza. Strategically the city is at a major crossroads at the intersection of Route E35/A1 between Bologna, gateway to eastern Italy, and Milan, gateway to the Alps, and Route E70/A21 between Brescia at the foot of the Alps and Tortona, where branches lead to Turin in the north, a major industrial city, and Genoa, a major coastal port. Piacenza is also at the confluence of the Trebbia, draining the northern Apennines, and the Po, the major waterway of northern Italy, draining to the east. Piacenza right from its foundation has been of vital interest to political powers who would control northern Italy, more than any other city there. In peace it is a cultural center; in war, a focus of conflict. Piacenza also host one campus of the Politecnico di Milano. Piacenza boasts a great number of historical palaces, often characterized by splendid gardens.   read more…

Theme Week Emilia-Romagna – Cesena

24 October 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Panorama of Cesena © Uomodis08

Panorama of Cesena © Uomodis08

Cesena is a city and comune south of Ravenna and west of Rimini, on the Savio River, co-chief of the Province of Forlì-Cesena. It is at the foot of the Apennines, and about 15 km from the Adriatic Sea.   read more…

Theme Week Emilia-Romagna – Reggio nell’Emilia

23 October 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  4 minutes

Panorama of Reggio nell’Emilia © Paolo Picciati

Panorama of Reggio nell’Emilia © Paolo Picciati

Reggio Emilia is an affluent city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 170,000 inhabitants and is the main comune (municipality) of the Province of Reggio Emilia.   read more…

Theme Week Emilia-Romagna

22 October 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Theme Weeks Reading Time:  5 minutes

Emilia-Romagna Provinces © Rarelibra

Emilia-Romagna Provinces © Rarelibra

Emilia–Romagna is an administrative Region of Northern Italy, comprising the former regions of Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of 22,446 km2 (8,666 sq mi), and about 4.4 million inhabitants.   read more…

Return to TopReturn to Top