27 Mar 2011

Riomaggiore

Riomaggiore is a village and comune in the province of La Spezia, situated in a smallvalley in the Liguria region of Italy. It is the first of the Cinque Terre one meets when traveling north from La Spezia. The village, dating from the early thirteenth century, is known for its historic character and its wine, produced by the town's vineyards. Riomaggiore is in the Riviera di Levante region and has a shoreline on the Mediterranean's Gulf of Genoa, with a small beach and a wharf framed by tower houses. Riomaggiore's main street is Via Colombo and numerous restaurants, bars, and shops can be found on this street.

The Via dell'Amore is a path connecting Riomaggiore to its frazione Manarola, also part of the Cinque Terre.

Riomaggiore is the most southern village of the five Cinque Terre, all connected by trail. The water and mountainside have been declared national parks. – wikipedia

20 Mar 2011

Manarola

The fourth Cinque Terre town as you go south. Similar to Vernazza in terms of the pastel colored houses.

Manarola is a small town, a frazione of the comune (municipality) of Riomaggiore, in the province of La SpeziaLiguria, northern Italy. It is the second smallest of the famous Cinque Terre towns frequented by tourists. Manarola's primary industries have traditionally been fishing and wine-making. The local wine, called Sciacchetrà, is especially renowned; references from Roman writings mention the high quality of the wine produced in the region. In recent years, Manarola and its neighboring towns have become popular tourist destinations, particularly in the summer months. Tourist attractions in the region include a famous walking trail between Manarola and Riomaggiore (called Via dell'Amore, "Love's Trail") and hiking trails in the hills and vineyards above the town. Manarola is one of the five villages. Mostly all of the houses are bright and colourful.

5 Mar 2011

Corniglia

Corniglia. To reach the town from the train station, take the small green minibus or you can hike up the long, winding road.

Corniglia is a frazione ("fraction") of the commune of Vernazza in the province of La SpeziaLiguria, northern Italy. Unlike the other localities of the Cinque Terre, Corniglia is not directly adjacent to the sea. Instead, it is on the top of a promontory about 100 meters high, surrounded on three sides by vineyards and terraces and the fourth side descends steeply on the sea. To reach Corniglia, it is necessary to climb the Lardarina, a long brick flight of steps composed of 33 flights with 382 steps or, otherwise follow a vehicular road that, from the station, leads to the village. Sometimes a small bus runs up and down here.

The village stretches along the main road, Fieschi Road, and the houses have one side facing this road and the other facing the sea. Corniglia is characterized by narrow roads and a terrace obtained in the rock from which all other four Cinque Terre's villages, two on one side and two on the other, can be seen. The town planning structure presents also original characteristics compared to those of the other villages: the houses are lower set, and only more recently higher, similar to those of the villages of the hinterland. – wikipedia

13 Feb 2011

Vernazza

Vernazza. Beautiful pastel colored buildings. 

Vernazza is a town and comune located in the province of La SpeziaLiguria, northwestern Italy. It is one of the five towns in the Cinque Terre region and is the fourth town heading north. It has no car traffic (a road leads into a parking lot on the edge of the town) and remains one the truest "fishing villages" on the Italian Riviera. – wikipedia

19 Dec 2010

Monterosso al Mare

Monterosso al Mare.

Monterosso is a town and comune in the province of La Spezia, part of the region of Liguria (northern Italy). It is one of the five villages in Cinque Terre. The town is divided into two distinct parts: the old town and the new town. The two areas are divided by a single tunnel that caters to pedestrians and the very few cars in the town.

The beach at Monterosso runs along most of the coast line and is well used by tourists and locals. The beach is the only extensive sand beach in the Cinque Terre. Monterosso is a small town that in the summer months is overrun by tourists.

The village was briefly excluded from the Cinque Terre trail in 1948, but was re-introduced in mid-1949. This is because Italian officials considered the village was too large to be considered part of the historic trail. – wikipedia

22 Mar 2010

Assisi

More views of Assisi.

Assisi is a town and comune of Italy in the province of Perugia, in the Umbria region and on the western flank of Monte Subasio.

It was the birthplace of St. Francis, who founded the Franciscan religious order in the town in 1208. – wikipedia

22 Mar 2010

Venice

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View of San Giorgio Maggiore island from Piazza San Marco.

San Giorgio Maggiore
is one of the islands of Venice, northern Italy, lying east of the Giudecca and south of the main island group. The isle is surrounded by Canale della Grazia, Canale della Giudecca, Saint Mark Basin, Canale di San Marco and the southern lagoon. It forms part of the San Marco sestiere.

San Giorgio is now best known for the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, designed by Palladio and begun in 1566. – wikipedia

7 Mar 2010

Gubbio

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Street leading up to the Palazzo dei Consoli in Gubbio.

Gubbio
is a town and comune in the far northeastern part of the Italian province of Perugia (Umbria). It is located on the lowest slope of Mt. Ingino, a small mountain of the Apennines. – wikipedia

31 Jan 2010

Venice

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La Torre dell'Orologio.

St Mark's Clock (La Torre dell'Orologio) is the clock housed in the St. Mark's Clocktower, on St. Mark's Square in Venice, adjoining the Procuratie Vecchie. The first clock housed in the tower was built and installed by Gian Paulo and Gian Carlo Rainieri, father and son, between 1496 and 1499, and was one of a number of large public astronomical clocks erected throughout Europe during the 14th and 15th centuries. The clock has had an eventful horological history, and been the subject of many restorations, some controversial.

After restorations in 1551 by Giuseppe Mazzoleni, and in 1615, by Giovanni Battista Santi, the clock mechanism was almost completely replaced in the 1750s, by Bartolomeo Ferracina. In 1858 the clock was restored by Luigi De Lucia. In 1996, a major restoration, undertaken by Giuseppe Brusa and Alberto Gorla, was the subject of controversy, amid claims of unsympathetic restoration and poor workmanship. – wikipedia

29 Aug 2009

Positano

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Hotels and houses in Positano.

"Positano is a small town on the Amalfi Coast (Costiera Amalfitana), in Campania, Italy. The main part of the city sits in an enclave in the hills leading down to the coast." – Wikipedia

Jason Jose's Posterous

16 years of travels in Europe, a few non-European countries, and still going. Random photos taken over the years with some commentary and background info. Thanks Rick Steves!

Interested in art or design? Check out my other blog.
http://faithistorment.blogspot.com/