Dolomites

Dolomites

 

The Dolomites Mountains are dramatic, majestic and at times overwhelming, with the eastern Alps meeting them. Recent study has shown that the eastern Dolomites are actually coral formations that were under an ancient seabed. Most of the Dolomites, locally known as the Dolomiti, belonged to Austria but were handed over to Italy after World War I. These majestic mountains stretch north along the Adige River valley between Lombardy and Veneto. But the change in territorial borders hasn’t changed the people of these regions are most of them are more like Austrians than the Italians. They eat Austrian food and speak not Italian but a local German dialect. This is true to the settlements of Bozen, Merano and Brixen. In some parts Ladin is spoken. This is a Latin dialect spoken by the Romansch of Switzerland. With soaring peaks and lush green meadows the Dolomites are a haven for hikers, skiers, and rock climbers. It is also a fabulous place to spend a few leisurely days exploring the towns and castles in this region.

Local Cuisines

The cuisine of the Alto Adige is more or less Austrian, with a few Italian touches. Canederli (bread dumplings) often replace pasta or polenta and are found floating in rich broths infused with liver; Speck (smoked ham) replaces prosciutto; and Wiener schnitzel Grostl (a combination of potatoes, onions, and veal -- the local version of corned beef hash), and pork roasts are among preferred secondi (second courses).

The Trentino has several good wines, both white and red, and the Adige Valley has proved an up-and-comer in recent vintages. Forst, a personal favorite in the fairly lowly pantheon of Italian beers, has been brewed outside Merano since 1857.

Botanical Gardens of Padua

Botanical Gardens of Padua
 

Take a walk into the past. Or the present. Or even the future. You just have to enter the Botanical Gardens of Padua to do all three. Meet a dwarf palm belonging to the 16th century. Or take a look at the endangered local flora and visit the laboratories where research is being carried out to ensure that traditional plant wealth is preserved for the coming generations.

Created in 1545, this awesome horticultural expanse is documented as the world’s oldest existing university Botanic garden.

The idea for the creation of such a botanical garden originated in the number of costly mistakes resulting from the wrong identification or wilful misuse of medicinal plants in ancient times. These plants were called “simples” because they were found to be direct natural remedies for various disorders. Precise knowledge about the nurture and use of these plants was thought to be invaluable, and the Senate of the Venetian Republic approved the setting up of a garden to encourage cultivation and study of medicinal herbs.

Property belonging to the Benedictine monks of the order of St.Justine was chosen, and the Horto medicinale came into existence under the guidance of Francesco Bonafede, Lecturer of Simples at the University of Padua. The garden is believed to have been planned by Daniele Barbaro, a nobleman, and executed by Andrea Moroni, an architect.

The land allotted was trapezoidal in shape, and the garden was conceived as a circle enclosing a square, which was itself divided into four squares by means of two main intersecting pathways. These smaller squares were divided into elegant flowerbeds of different geometrical shapes.

The garden was stocked with plants from many parts of the world, particularly those with which Venice had trade relations.

The custodian of the gardens, Luigi Squalermo, better known as Anguillara, was responsible for the inclusion of several rare and exotic species of plant life. The Gardens were the first home of various plant species from far-flung places, which were later passed on to other parts of the country and eventually took root in Italy. These include the Robinia pseudacacia, Solanum tuberosum, Helianthus annuus and Jasminum fruticans.

The rarity and value of the plants in the garden rendered it attractive to miscreants, and despite the best efforts of the authorities, and stringent action, going as far as exile, regular thieving occurred, eroding the plant wealth. Hence, an encircling wall was constructed. A balustrade of fine white stone, adorned with busts of famous figures looking into the garden, was added. Four gates were built in the 1700s, and two fountains were put in. These were embellished by now famous sculptures – one of Theophrastus, a Greek doctor of the 3rd century BC, and the other of Solomon and the Four Winds.

Like other institutions attached to centres of learning, the Botanic Gardens of Padua has evolved into a resource for scholars. What set out to be a sanctuary for medicinal plants gradually grew into a centre for the study of all branches of botany. But the medicinal plants remain an important feature. The section is periodically updated with the addition of more plants of therapeutic interest.

Over the years, various architectural changes were implemented in the garden to cater to the changing needs and aims of the project. Several greenhouses were replaced by laboratories and a classroom with the capacity to accommodate about a 100 students was also added on. A herbarium and a library aid modern research.

The Botanic Garden of Padua has been divided into various sections, on the basis of types of plants. Despite constraints of space, the Garden offers visitors a rich variety of horticultural experience.

Marvel at the segment containing insectivorous plants – watch how the meat-eaters of the plant kingdom find sustenance – the leaves of a Venus Fly-Trap snap shut over an unwary bug and the pitcher plant ensnares the unwise bee in the sticky fluid it generates.

Take in the exotic locale of the rainforests enclosed in the glasshouse which is home to rare orchids, maintained in a hot and humid temperature.

In the recreated Mediterranean maquis, see the creeper-entwined thick evergreen trees and underbrush. Go from the Alpine rockery, with small, twisted trees and shrubs, to the miniature peat bog, and from there visit a desert, complete with plants that demonstrate how they adapt to conditions where water is scarce. An aquatic habitat filled with freshwater plants and a segment of succulents add to the variety.

The Botanic Gardens of Padua was the first in Italy to create an itinerary for the blind and partially-sighted. It includes a collection of aromatic and poisonous plants, with labels written in Braille.

For your tryst with the past, visit the dwarf palm (Chamaerops humilis L.), planted in 1585. It is currently the oldest plant in the garden and is known as Goethe’s palm, because the celebrated author is believed to have studied the tree in detail for his study of the evolution of plants. He has dedicated a number of his works to this palm.

Enter the present through the section devoted to the Euganean Hills and Veneto region. It is devoted to rare plants from the area, and has a two-pronged aim: to familiarize the public with flora which is quintessentially Paduan as well as preserve germ plasma and study the biology of endangered plant life with a view to conservation. The best known local species is probably the Paduan Rue (Haplophyllum patavinium (L) Don. Fil), the only plant bearing the name of this region. Encroachment into its environment has rendered it an endangered species.

For a glimpse into the future, look at the laboratories where important research work is carried on. The Botanic Garden of Padua has made major contributions to the fields of botany, medicine, chemistry, ecology and pharmacy.

The Botanic Gardens of Padua now houses upward of 6000 plants. These include several historic specimens, like a ginkgo dating back to 1750, a southern magnolia planted in 1786 and believed to be the oldest in Europe, an even older hollow-trunked Oriental plane (1680), the first Himalayan Cedar to be introduced into Italy, and a dawn redwood, which, though comparatively young (it was planted in 1961), is important because it sprang from the seed of a tree found in China long after the species was thought to have died out.

The garden also contains a fragment of the subfossil trunk of a 2650-year-old English oak, recovered during excavations in the area.

With so much horticultural wealth, it is small wonder that the UNESCO has designated the Botanic Gardens of Padua a World Heritage site.

The Botanic Garden is located just south of the Basilica di Sant'Antonio, at the
University of Padova,
Via Orto Botanico, 15
Tel. 049/656614 - Fax 049/656614

It is open to the public, on payment of an entrance fee, from 9.00 am to 13.00 pm and 15.00 pm to 18.00 pm from April to October, and from 9.00 am to 1.00 pm from November to March. It remains closed on all public holidays.

Cortina

Cortina
 

Spectacular! No lens but that of human eye can catch and truly comprehend the grandeur of the Dolomites of Cortina d'Ampezzo in its starkness, and even that fine instrument can sometimes be overwhelmed by the majesty of Cortina's compelling surroundings.

Italy's best-known mountain resort was put on the international map when it hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics and since then has often been associated with affluence and style. But this wasn’t the first time that the region attracted holidaymakers. Long before the Olympics European Alpine enthusiasts have been coming here to stay in the town's first hotels as early as the 1860s. Skiing was and still is the most important attraction in Cortina. The first ski competition was held here as early as 1902. After the completion of the Strada di Dolomiti in 1909 more and more skiers have found their way here each year. Today there is a 145km long ski run and around fifty cable cars and chairlifts to help you get to them.
If you aren’t a skier then worry not, you can still have a magnificent holiday at Cortina. The surrounding Dolomite peaks are spectacular with 18 of them being more than 3,000m in height. The view during sunrise and sunset are breathtaking as the mountains take on a rosy glow.

Cortina can be expensive especially in Aug and the high-ski-season months of Jan-Mar as many wealthy Italians have homes here. The strict laws of the region have prevented development band, as a result, the town is lined with white wooden houses.

St. Francis di Assisi

St. Francis di Assisi

 

The first stone of the Lower Basilica was laid on July 17th 1228 (by Pope Gregory IX) on the day after the canonisation of St Francis. Two years later the saint's body was brought here in secret for fear of looting by tomb raiders and buried in the unfinished church. It had earlier been resting in the church of San Giorgio (the future church of St Claire's). It is unclear when the work on the Upper Basilica started. It is commonly believed that it must have been after the abdication from the order of Brother Elia in 1239, who had until then directed the works on the Romanesque Lower Basilica. Built in the area of Assisi popularly known in the Middle Ages as the “hill of hell” (as it was used for public executions) the church of St. Francis of Assisi rises up today in the place where the Saint chose to be buried.

Pope Innocent IV consecrated both churches in 1253 the square outside the main facade did not exist at the time and it was also before work started on the large cycle of fresco decorations. A flight of steps led upwards to the gothic entrance, pierced by a large rose window surrounded by the symbols of the four evangelists. A central drum in turn sealed this off. The lateral towers served as supports for the structure, while those near the choir, contained stairs.

1487 saw the addition of another entrance. This one was in front of the old gothic entrance. Francesco da Pietrasanta designed it. Other parts of the cathedral that were built at the same time are the lower square and the oratory of San Bernardino. On the left side of the façade is the benediction loggia, which was added in 1754, the year in which the church was raised to the status of basilica. After this they ran out of space on the hillside and all further constructions had to stretch the cathedral outwards in the opposite direction.

The transept is the first thing you see on entering the Lower Basilica. It was built between 1280 and 1300. A single nave runs through the ceiling of the Lower Basilica. It is supported up to the semicircular apse by cross vaulting. Opposite the entrance are lateral chapels that were added between 1350 and 1400.

In 1818, the crypt that held the remains of St Francis was discovered. This led to its renovation to the designs of Pasquale Belli in 1822. Ugo Tarchi redesigned the crypt in the neo-Romanesque style between 1925 and 1932. Ceccolo di Giovanni painted a fresco, in the 15th century. You can find this on the left hand wall of the entrance transept, next to the chapel of San Sebastiano. Opposite it stands a 14th century gothic funerary monument to the Cerchi family of Florence.

The chapel of St. Catherine of Alexandria was built in 1367 to the design of Gattapone after it was commissioned by Cardinal Albornoz, who was buried here after his death. The transept terminates here. This chapel contains Andrea da Bologna’s frescoes of the life of St Catherine, painted in 1368.

The high altar of the basilica was built in 1230. Above it, a canopy, surrounded by 12 columns, was built in the 14th century, but was removed in 1870. The vaulted is decorated with paintings of St Francis’ Apotheosis and also allegories like Poverty, Chastity and Obedience. On the right hand side of the transept is a series of paintings like the chilhood of Christ and Posthumous Miracles of St Francis. There are partly credited to the workshop of Giotto (1315-20). It also contains work by Cimabue (Enthroned Madonna with Angels and St Francis, 1280), and Simone Martini (1321-26 Madonna with Child and Two Wise me and St Francis, St Ludwig of Toulouse, St Elisabeth of Thuringia, St Claire and an Unknown Saint). The left side of the transept was completely decorated by Lorenzo Lorenzetti and his workshop between 1315 and 1330.

The walls of the apse were earlier had frescoes depiction an allegory of Crucifixion on them. Last Judgement by Cesare Sermei di Orvieto has replaced it now. Apollonio Petrocchi da Ripatransone completed the wooden choir in 1471.

The chapel of St Ludwig of Toulouse and St Stephen had frescoes by Dono Doni, painted in 1575. It also has a Simone Martini stained glass window. After this chapel you will find two more chapels – one built to commemorate St. Anthony of Padua and the other for Mary Magdalene. This latter has a series of frescoes by Giotto and his workshop in 1320.

Pope Sixtus IV asked for a cloister to be built in 1476. Stairs on either side of the choir lead you to it and you can get to the Upper Basilica and the Museo del Tesoro from here. The latter is a must see as it houses relics, valuable manuscripts, vestments and 13th century works. In rooms adjacent to the Museo you can find 14th and 15th century panels collected by Perkins.

The Upper Basilica is built on the original plans for the Lower Basilica, with a single nave with two lateral arms and a polygonal apse. However the Upper Basilica, though unique in style and design, has features of French architecture. It is simple unlike the Lower Basilica with a gallery running around it. Cimabue and his workshop decorated the Upper Basilica in 1280. The only exception is the upper right hand side section, which was decorated by a Gothic and Roman artist between 1267 and 1270. The nave contains 34 episodes from the Old and the New Testament. This work of art is attributed to the painters of the Rome School and the followers of Cimabue. This excludes the scenes from the life of Isaac, which are attributed to Giotto.

The walls under the gallery are decorated with 28 frescoes on the life of St Francis. The Life of St Francis by San Bonaventura inspired these. It is not clear who painted these beautiful frescoes. It is however commonly attributed to Giotto.

A German workshop was commissioned for the stained glass windows of the choir. This was due to the backwardness of the Italian artisans in this form of art. The stained glass windows were the first decorative element to be completed in the church. International help was used again during the construction of the windows on the left hand side of the church. It is believed that a French workshop created this structure.

Lake Como

Lake Como
 

Surrounded bye gardens and forests and backed by the snowcapped Alps. The first sight of the dramatic expanse of Lake Como is likely to evoke strong emotions, sometimes strong enough to be an artist’s muse. Lord Byron (poet), Stendhal (novelist), Verdi and Rossini (composers) are just a few. It’s peace and quite has also attracted the rich and the famous to build summer villas here. George Clooney being the latest Hollywood celebrity to buy a villa here last. Apart from attracting movie stars, Como has also been the setting for many movies including George Lucas’ Star Wars II – Attack of the Clones. Easily accessible (only an hour from Milan), Como has also been a great holiday spot with many Italians and international travelers coming to enjoy the lake’s pristine water and surroundings.

Duomo of Florence

Duomo of Florence

 

Until 1293 Santa Reparta was the primary cathedral in the Florentine Republic. It was suggested by Ser Mino de Cantoribus that a larger, more beautiful cathedral be built. The people of Florence were required to pitch in financially. All last wills and testaments were imposed a tax that was put in the construction fund. Arnolfo di Cambio was asked to design this cathedral in 1294 and by 1296 the first stone was laid. The Duomo of Florence is the spectacular result of almost six hundred years of hard work. The cupola built during the Renaissance period is the grandest architectural feature in Tuscany. There were endless debates, stretching over several years, amongst the Florentines regarding the design of the cupola until Filippo Brunelleschi’s architectural genius came up with an exquisite design. His design was so impressive that Michelangelo took it as an inspiration while designing St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Work on the cathedral spanned from the 13th until the façade was finally completed in the late 19th century.

The Cupola

Francesco Talenti modified Arnolfo’s original design for the duomo. The problem with Talenti’s design was that there was no way to construct a rood for the chancel, while Arnolfo had planned for a low cupola. After spending some time in Rome, Arnolfo returned to execute his designs. There were no means to construct his massive roof using wooden scaffolding until Brunelleschi came up with a solution. The architectural and mathematical genius suggested a technique of double walling used by the ancient Romans by constructing a drum above the chancel. His final design was used to construct a 91 meters high double cupola made of brick. Construction was completed in 1434. The final structure is self-supporting and while its exterior appears to be larger than the interior the pointed arch is actually constructed to perfection.

A lantern was added on top of the cupola in 1436 but its decoration wasn’t completed until 1446. Soon after Arnolfo died. A copper sphere was added on top of the lantern in 1474. One of Leonardo da Vinci’s machines was used to place the sphere. In 1600 it was struck by lightning that caused it to fall. A bigger one replaced it two years later. A marble plaque behind the duomo commemorates the falling of the sphere. You can climb up to the top of the cupola. 463 stairs are built to take you there. Although this is tiring it will be worth the effort to see how magnificent this 600-year-old cupola is. It is also a fabulous place to get a bird’s eye view of the city of Florence. Make sure you stop to see Vasari and Zucchari’s fresco of the Last Judgement on your way up.

Plans for a gallery around the drum were made. Baccio d’Agnolo designed the octagonal balustrade but only one of the eight sides was completed due to the disapproval of Michelangelo.

The Façade

The façade as is seen today was not part of the original designs to the cathedral. Arnolfo originally designed it but his plans were never executed as he died in 1302. Nothing was done for another five centuries until Emilio de Fabris drew out new plans and construction was completed between 1876 and 1886. It was influenced by the Gothic style of architecture and is made of green, white and red marble with statues, rose windows and mosaics. Although not as beautiful as the rest of the cathedral it majestic enough to stand beside the cathedral, the bell tower and the baptistery. Local families, a tribute to whom is paid through the coat of arms in the lower part, funded it.

Inside, the first three statues of the Mother of God reinstate the Gothic style in which the façade is built. There were other noteworthy statues inside that were designed similarly. These are at the Louvre today and include St. Lawrence by Giovanni Tedesco and St. Stephen by Piero di Giovanni Tedesco. Replicas are on display inside the façade.

Other important statues are the marble statues found in the four niches. These commissions of the Evangelists were undertaken between 1408 and 1415 and include Lamberti’s St. Mark, Ciuffagni’s St. Matther, Banco’s St. Luke and Donatello’s St. John. You can find there on either side of the main entrance. Donatello’s St. Luke has a long torso and a crooked stance. The genius of the artist is evident has he invented an “optial correction” for the statue to look normal when view from below.

The Interior

Originally designed by Arnolfo and later completed by Talenti the interiors of this duomo are spectacular. There are several Gothic features including the huge vaults that make the central nave. Your eyes will be naturally guided to the cathedral’s spatial fulcrum. This is formed by the chancel and the cupola that is over it. The Cathedral was built in the shape of a Latin cross. It has naves that are 153 meters long by 38 meters wide, the cupola is 45 meters high and the transept 90 meters long. The marble flooring is said to have been the work of Baccio d'Agnolo and Francesco da Sangallo. Interestingly, when the cathedral was renovated after the 1966 flood it was noticed that Arnolfo’s original marbles for the façade were used on the floor. The naves are decorated with stained glass windows painted by Paolo Uccello, Donatello and Andrea del Castagno in the 15th century. These windows also help bring in a lot of light into the interiors of this cathedral.

The internal façade is also the oldest part of the church. Above the door is a mosaic by Gaddo Gaddi from the early 14th century. He also designed the mosaics in the baptistery. There is also a famous clock here. Paolo Uccello painted it with quadrant and medallions in 1443. Surprisingly it works even today. It has only one hand that rotates anti-clockwise like the ancient sundial! You must also look at the tastefully decorated tomb of Bishop d'Orso here.

Milan's Duomo

Milan's Duomo

 

Massive and gleaming white the Duomo of Milan overlooks the entire city. It is definitely one of the country’s most outstanding structures, built completely in marble with 135 spires and 3,400 statues. With the amount of marble used and its sheer gigantic size, you would think that it would be ostentatious, but it isn’t. This church, which is one of the largest in the world, will stun you with its elegance. It was commissioned by Gian Galeazzo Visconti in 1386,but took more than four hundred years to be completed. With the construction spanning for so many years what began as a Gothic cathedral is now a mixture of various styles.

The most striking feature about the Cathedral is the fact it was built entirely in marble despite the fact that there are no quarries in or near Milan. All the marble was quarried in the Candoglia mountains near Novara, shipped to Milan as blocks by boat on the Toce river. From there on to Lake Maggiore, followed by the river Ticino and the Naviglio Grande canal, to reach the Milan habour from where it was finally sent to another small harbour Piazza Santo Stefano by the city’s canals.

It is unclear who the first architect of the Cathedral was: Considering the fact that the construction spanned over four centuries, many architects have undoubtedly added their bit to it. Ancient texts prove that some of the architects were brought from Germany and France. Masons and sculptors were summoned from Como, Bourgogne, Provence, Savoy, Swabia, Slesia, Prague, Hungary, Austria, to name a few.

San Marino

San Marino

San Marino is the smallest republic in the world. Though it has a total area of only 24 square miles it is an important tourist destination, with thousands of visitors flocking to it each day in the summer months. It is also a playground for the rich and the famous with affluence put on display everywhere… whether it’s the long white luxurious yachts that line the marina, the designer boutiques that line the streets or the flash speedsters that tear through the streets.

San Marino is unique because of its medieval characteristics and because, in spite of its size, it has managed to stay independent through most of its history. The country is located mostly on the slopes of Monte Titano in the northern Apennines of Italy, and its impressive walls of the fortress on the hill is looked at from the Adriatic coast like an off-colour crown in a clear-glass case in the east. The language of the court is of course Italian, and you will not need a passport to travel there from Italy. Most people in the country are Roman Catholic.

San Marino claims to be the oldest republic in the world. Its birth as an independent state dates back to 301 A.D during the persecutions by Emperor Diocletian. A Christian stonecutter, Marinus (later Saint Marinus), left his native island of Arbe in Dalmatia to establish a small community of Christians and managed to keep itself away from disputes during the Middle Ages. The only time its independence was threatened was when the pope censured the republic in the 13th century when the country aligned itself with a group called the Gihebellines. Cesare Borgia controlled the republic in 1503. San Marino was once again deemed a republic by the pope in 1631. In 1862 the republic placed itself under the protection of the Kingdom of Italy.

San Marino adopted a Fascist form of government during World War II, and despite its avowed neutrality was bombed by the Allies. The republic departed from its traditional isolationist policy by signing the limited nuclear test-ban treaty in 1963.

A lot of importance is given to the history of the region. Your mind will be taken to a time when horse riding gallant soldiers fought to defend their land. To bring this history to life and to pay tribute to the brave ancestors of the land a traditional crossbow tournament is staged on the 3rd of September each year.

There are no longer any border formalities at Dogana, so the only green channel that you pass through is the countryside. The country has only a few towns, the largest of these is the capital, also named San Marino. The only other towns of significance are Borgo Maggiore and Serravalle. Traces of 14th, 15th and 16th century walls surround the three peaks of Monte Titano. On the northernmost peak is the town of San Marino. A medieval-style castle on the highest edge of the peak overlooks the town. Several other buildings of the town are built in similar style.

Agriculture is the chief occupation of the people. The principal crops are grains and grapes. Stone from mountain quarries and wine made from the local grapes are chief exports. Postage stamps are one of the country’s chief sources of revenue, and are valued by collectors. Tourists also bring income to San Marino, and some small handicraft industries are based on the tourist trade. The agricultural income generated from such a tiny territory can best be described as modest, yet the San Marinese boast one of the highest per capita incomes in Europe; earned almost entirely from tourism.

Although tourism is being given a lot of importance, visitors to San Marino spend only a day here. There are camping grounds in the hills below the castle, and a couple of hotels in the capital. Around three million visitors come to San Marino each year. Apart from Italians, San Marino also attracts a number of international tourists.