mercoledì 20 novembre 2013

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

venerdì 1 novembre 2013

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.


 

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!