Christmas things and more.

I have to say I'm having a good time these days. I haven' t done anything special, but I had fun.

Several days before Christmas I went to one of my favourite shop; Ognibeni (I wrote two posts about this shop!!!!!) to see lots of Christmas decoration. I didn't buy anything at this shop. You see a nice unusual Christmas tree taken at Ognibeni's. This shop is situated some four km from my village.

I also did some shopping. I spotted some Peppa Pig treats at a cafe and told about these to my mother. She bought a couple of them in a few seconds. They were for our nephew Christian (he's my son's cousin). My mother saw another Peppa treat (the train you see) at a supermarket and bought it.

I went to Riva del Garda. I visit this town frequently. That day I discovered a "off the beaten path" street; via Marocco.

Last summer me and my mother did a day trip (or better half a day trip) to the Pinè plateau almost every week. This plateau is located at more than 900 meters on the sea level. Pinè has several villages and two lakes.

One of the lakes on the Pinè plateau is the lake of Serraia. The pink building you see in this pic is a cafe.

There was a little snow when I went to Pinè last week. Here you see a wooden pagoda. Perhaps it has only a decorative purpose.

One of the nicest villages on the Pinè plateau is Miola. It is a little village made of old stone houses. At Christmas time Miola is called "El Paès dei Presepi"; translated it is "the village of cribs".

Many cribs are set all around the village...

even in places you wouldn't imagine. Besides the cribs, Miola hosts various events during the period of the Paès dei Presepi, such as concerts and workshops for kids. Some stalls to have some hot beverages are set at the main square as well.

Well...now I'd like to wish you a good new year full of things you like!

 

Tons of cookies for the charity market.

 

As many of you knows my mother' s hobby is making cookies. These days she had been very busy making lots of these.

 

The reason is because from tomorrow until sunday included a charity market will be opened in my village. It is run three times a year. I posted some pics about this thing long ago.

 

You can find lots of things at this market. There will be handicrafed things and lots of cakes and cookies as well.

 

 

The income from this sale will go mostly to some thirld world countries.

 

Here you see some wrapped cookies.  Our house seemed partly a confectionery workshop this week.

Where I spent my latest summer holiday...Caorle.

Caorle is a nice sea side town some km from Venice. It has two long beaches, plenty of accomodations, lots of cafes, restaurants and almost everything you like.

 

 This is the church of Madonna dell' Angelo (...of the angel). As you see it overlooks the sea. I'd say this is the landmark of Caorle.

 

Every two years sculptors from various countries goes to Caorle and choose a big stone where they will carve their masterpiece. This is a competition called Scogliera Viva. These stones are located on one of the beaches of the town.

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The old core of this town is made of a maze of narrow streets and small squares.




  

I casoni! I had the pleasure of visit some of them. They are huts made of things found on the spots and  homes for fishermen of the past when they were at sea for fishing. Some are still used temporarily by some fishermen.

  

The casoni are made of a single room that serves as a kitchen and a living room.

 

The hotel I booked a room was a good one. It is a small place. The food there was really good! Its name is hotel Firenze.

Here you see a good dessert I had at the hotel Firenze. 

A week on the Island of Ischia.

 






  



 


Last june I spent a week on this island. It is located some 30 km from Naples (IT). It is known mostly for its spas.

 

Forio is one of the towns on the island. It has four or five churches; lots of shops, cafes and restaurants. The main street in Forio is practically a long boulevard lined with shops and cafes.

 

Here you see one of the churches of Forio. The church of Soccorso. As you can see it overlooks the sea.

  








  

This tower is one of the landmark of Forio. it is called "Il Torrione". Its literal translation is "the big tower".

 

People who loves plants and flowers should not miss La Mortella Gardens.

 

La Mortella Gardens is a large botanical garden created from the 1950's by William Walton and his wife Susana. Walton was a composer.

 

This is me! You can see a bit of Sant Angelo in the background of this pic.

 

Sant Angelo is a small village, but it has a good choice of shops, cafes and restaurants. It is touristy, but it is a nice place to spend some hours.

 

Here you see the entrance of a shop in Sant Angelo.

 

If you like to visit Sant Angelo properly you should climb several stairs. In fact, part of this village was built on a hill.

 

Ischia is the main town on the island. it is mde of two areas. Ischia Ponte; the "modern area" with the harbour and Ischia Porto; the old core.

 

Ischia is not my favourite place on the island, but it is not ugly. One of the main attractions of the island is situated there. The Aragonese Castle.

 

The Aragonese Castle is a fortress linked to the island by a bridge. It was originally built by Hieron I of Syracuse in 474 B. C. It was then occupied by several populations including the Romans the  Visigoths and the Arabs. The castle reached its golden age at the end of the XVI century when it hosted 1892 families; a nunnery, the bishop, various religious orders; the prince and his garrison. There were 13 churches at that time on that area. Today the castle is made of the ruined cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption; a crypt with the remains of an older chapel, dating back to the eleventh and twelfth centuries; decorated with frescoes and some other churches. At the end of your tour of the castle you can visit a museum of weapons and another of istruments of torture (replicas). There is a cafe-restaurant, a restaurant and even a hotel inside the castle.

 

I went only to two beaches on the island. In this pics you see a bit Sant Angelo from afar. Thi pic was taken from the Maronti Beach. This beach is around 2 km long.

 

Here you see part of San Montano Bay. It is a nice beach.

 

I obviously had some sweet treats during this holiday. There is a bakery near the hotel I stayed and I always had a pastry almost every day. Il Fornaretto is the name of this bakery.

 

At Il Fornaretto they also have several cakes.

Well, I decided to quit this blog, because I found it not users friendly. I had some troubles in writing properly, but it seems things are going well now. I will post something else soon!

A sunny day at the Lake of Garda.

 

    

Some days ago I went to Torbole to spend some hours and to have a stroll and...obviously take some pics. I have visited this village some times previously. Torbole should be four km far from Riva del Garda. In this pic you see a colourful dining room of a restaurant in Torbole. It caught my eyes. Torbole has a beach, but it is made of peebles. It didn't impressed me at all, so I didn't take any pics of it.

 

This is a detail of the old Custom House.

 

The old Custom House is one of the highlight of Torbole. It is located on the harbour.  After some hours I went to Riva del Garda to have lunch at my favourite pizzeria. Then I had a stroll and a cup of coffee. Around three o' clock I paid a visit to some people. I ended this trip with a very good ice cream. It is a pity I didn't take any pics of the ice cream parlour where I had my ice cream. It is a beautiful place. I am going to re visit that ice cream heaven and take several pics there.