Adria in Veneto

17 April 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  4 minutes

Canal Bianco © Pava

Canal Bianco © Pava

Adria is a town and comune in the province of Rovigo in the Veneto region of Northern Italy, situated between the mouths of the rivers Adige and Po. The Etruscan city of Adria (“Hatria”) is below the modern city, three to four metres below the current level. Adria (“Hatria”) may have given its name during an early period to the Adriatic Sea, to which it was connected by channels. Adria and Spina were the Etruscan ports and depots for Felsina (now Bologna).   read more…

Theme Week Umbria – Amelia

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

© Attilios

© Attilios

Amelia is a town and comune of the province of Terni with a population of 11,800 inhabitants. It grew up around an ancient hill fort, known to the Romans as Ameria. The town lies in the south of Umbria, on a hill overlooking the Tiber River to the east and the Nera River to the west. It is The city is 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) north of Narni, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from Orte and approximately 93 kilometres (58 mi) from Perugia. It is about 100 kilometres (62 mi) north of Rome.   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 Umbria – Narni

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

© ImagoAnimae/cc-by-sa-3.0

© ImagoAnimae/cc-by-sa-3.0

Narni is an ancient hilltown and comune with 19,900 inhabitants. At an altitude of 240 m (787 ft), it overhangs a narrow gorge of the Nera River in the province of Terni. It is very close to the Geographic center of Italy. There is a stone on the exact spot with a sign in multiple languages. The city of Rieti claims to be the center of Italy as well.   read more…

Theme Week Umbria – Castiglione del Lago

19 February 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Castiglione del Lago and Lake Trasimeno Panorama © Adrian Michael/cc-by-sa-3.0

Castiglione del Lago and Lake Trasimeno Panorama © Adrian Michael/cc-by-sa-3.0

Castiglione del Lago is a town in the Province of Perugia in central Italy, on the southwest corner of Lake Trasimeno. Orvieto is 59 km (37 mi) south, Chiusi is 21 km (13 mi) to the south west, Arezzo is 56 km (35 mi) to the north west, Cortona is 21 km (13 mi) to the north and Perugia is 47 km (29 mi) to the south east. The Association The most beautiful villages in Italy (I borghi più belli d’Italia) gave the town the title of the same name.   read more…

Theme Week Umbria – Todi

18 February 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

© Hans Peter Schaefer

© Hans Peter Schaefer

Todi is a town and comune (municipality) of the province of Perugia in central Italy. It is perched on a tall two-crested hill overlooking the east bank of the river Tiber, with distant views in every direction. Todi is a member city of the Cittaslow movement.   read more…

Theme Week Umbria

17 February 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks Reading Time:  5 minutes

Pietralunga © Sauro Bartocci/cc-by-sa-3.0

Pietralunga © Sauro Bartocci/cc-by-sa-3.0

Umbria is a region of historic and modern central Italy. It is the only region having neither a coastline nor a common border with other countries; however, the region includes the Lake Trasimeno and is crossed by the River Tiber. The regional capital is Perugia. Umbria is appreciated for its landscapes, traditions, history, artistic legacy and influence on high culture.   read more…

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

1 February 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, House of the Month, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  8 minutes

Piazza dei Miracoli Panorama © Alessio Facchin/cc-by-sa-3.0

Piazza dei Miracoli Panorama © Alessio Facchin/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Leaning Tower of Pisa or simply the Tower of Pisa is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa, known worldwide for its unintended tilt to one side. It is situated behind the Cathedral and is the third oldest structure in Pisa’s Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo) after the Cathedral and the Baptistry. The tower’s tilt began during construction, caused by an inadequate foundation on ground too soft on one side to properly support the structure’s weight. The tilt increased in the decades before the structure was completed, and gradually increased until the structure was stabilized (and the tilt partially corrected) by efforts in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.   read more…

Lampedusa in the Sicilian province of Agrigento

18 January 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

© flickr.com - fab./cc-by-2.0

© flickr.com – fab./cc-by-2.0

Lampedusa is the largest island of the Italian Pelagie Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The comune of Lampedusa e Linosa is part of the Sicilian province of Agrigento which also includes the smaller islands of Linosa and Lampione. It is the southernmost part of Italy. Tunisia, which is about 113 kilometres (70 miles) away, is the closest landfall to the islands. Sicily is farther at 176 kilometres (109 miles); Malta is a similar distance to the east.   read more…

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