Hello Venice _ pt 4

The Ducal Palace

The Ducal Palace, a symbol of the city of Venice and a masterpiece of Venetian Gothic architecture, situated in the monumental Piazza San Marco, between the Piazzetta and the Pier. Ancient seat of the Venetian doge and the magistrates, it has followed the story from the dawn till the fall, and is now the Civic Museum of Palazzo Ducale. In 2010 it was visited by 1,358,186 people.



The Ducal Palace is spread over three wings around the sides of a large central courtyard portico, whose fourth side is the side body of St. Mark's Basilica, an ancient palace chapel..



The two main facades of the building in Venetian Gothic style facing the square and the pier are on two levels colonnades topped by a massive body inlaid marble opened by large windows with ogival, with a monumental central balcony, and the crowning of steeples.



The airy open galleries with columns and pointed arches pierced, bordered by balustrades, are supported by the porch on the ground floor, which has lowered the actual appearance of the subsequent rise of the paving works to combat the secular rise in sea level, which have a fresh look the more massive columns with finely carved capitals.





In the oldest part, facing the pier,are fourteenth-century capitals, and the angular sculptures are attributed to Philip Lombard Calendar or artists such as Raverti or Bregno and depict the corner towards the Ponte della Paglia, and Raphael and Tobias' drunkenness of Noah, while at the square are the Archangel Michael, and Adam and Eve..





The central balcony is from Pier Paolo Masegne and rebuilt in 1579 after the crowning of the earthquake in 1511, with the placement of Justice by Alessandro Vittoria.

Hello Venice _ pt.3

The Basin Orseolo


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The Basin Orseolo is a wide stretch of water located in the San Marco in Venice, at the back of the square.

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This small crescent-shaped lagoon bag, positioned directly behind the factory rectangular Procuratie old, was opened in 1863 during a series of urban restructuring that affected the city, with the express purpose of creating a landing for gondolas near the historic city center .

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Surrounded bymodern buildings, you can see almost piled on each other many gondolas, which occupy almost the whole basin, leaving only two clearances: one on the wide side steps, otherwise it acts as a link to neighboring channels.


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From here the "serenade", ie groups of gondolas with musicians on board, who entertain tourists with Italian songs.


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Hello Venice _ pt 2

The Bridge of Sighs.



The Bridge of Sighs is one of the most famous bridges in Venice. The Bridge of Sighs was built in Istrian stone, baroque, and was built in the early seventeenth century by the architect Antonio Contin, by order of the Doge Marino Grimani, whose coat of arms is carved on it.This picturesque bridge in Venice, located a short distance from Piazza San Marco, crosses the Rio di Palazzo connecting with a double step, the Palazzo Ducale to the new prisons, the first building in the world built specifically to be a prison. Served to the inmates to prisons by those offices of the Inquisitors of State to be judged.

It was given this name because according to legend, during the Serenissima, the prisoners, crossing it, sighed at the prospect of seeing for the last time the outside world.



Approaching the Piazza San Marco, our destination, we can see some souvenir shops, the famous Murano Glass, very expensive because handmade, and the Venetian masks...

Hello Venice _ pt 1

In this post, I will introduce one in front of Piazza San Marco called: Riva degli Schiavoni. In this first image, you see a glimpse of the Venetian part of the city.



It's located in the Castello district and extends along the Basin of San Marco in the stretch from the bridge over the Rio di Palazzo della Paglia, behind the Palazzo Ducale to the Rio Ca 'di Dio.



The bank in fact was an integral part of the commercial port of Venice and is of very great importance due to its proximity to Piazza San Marco and the center of political power in Venice.



The bank was started probably in the ninth century and had a first extension in 1060 with the draining of a wetland area. La Riva was originally much narrower than the current, being little larger than the Bridge of Straw, as also from the tree of Jacopo de 'Barbari of 1500 and countless paintings, prints and engravings. The enlargement of the current size was only resolved in 1780 and completed in 1782, ie for the last years of the Republic of Venice.

Ferrara (Italy) _ Via Delle Volte

It's probably the most evocative of Ferrara, all arches, pebbles, two kilometers long, and branch out from where the romantic and quiet Crocebianca Street, Sacca Street and Colomba Street.



Delle Volte Street marks the axis along which developed Ferrara, the so-called linear, from the seventh to the eleventh century, a decisive bearing on the further development of the city. In this way the development in architecturally depth was resolved with the creation of air passages, the current faces dotting the street and used to connect the warehouse on the river bank to the shops, homes to the center.



And 'well take a good stretch of the street to enjoy the vision of building fourteenth century, and the charm of the streets which they arise. At one time not too far away was also known as the street prostitutes, and some popular sayings still refer to it. Today, however, that its former function has not been anything except a certain atmosphere that you breathe again. The road runs parallel to the most modern and busiest street and Via Carlo Mayr Ripagrande, and is joined by many of these steps



Recently, the street was restored in many of his lines and it is paved with cobblestones in a rustic river stones, typical of the medieval city.



Giorgio Bassani describes it thus in his masterpiece (The Garden of the Finzi-Contini)

"With no sidewalks, cobblestone full of potholes, the road also appeared darker than usual. As we proceeded almost groping, and the only help, and head, the light coming out of half-closed doors of the brothels, was attacked as Malnate Bring some of the usual verse. "



It 'really beautiful and walk in it seems to go back in time.

Bombus

Dear friends, having the good fortune of living close to the campaign, one can encounter in even the smallest inhabitants who live there. In the company of my SLR and 60mm macro lens, Canon, I decided to explore this environment in a different way by looking around me with different eyes



These photos were taken by hand, this means do not place the camera on a tripod. Getting as close as possible to the subject, without confusion I took some photos that can be improved with the experience and the desire to photograph. I was advised to photograph this kind of insects in the early morning. These are still sleepy, and then approach them without danger.



The bumblebee (Bombus Latreille, 1802) is a genus of hymenopterous insects of the family Apidae. As bees collect nectar and pollen to feed their young. They are among the most important pollinators and useful to humans.



Bumblebees are haracterized by a yellow and black striped livery, although there are species or all black with orange bands, are generally larger and hairy bees and the common people, generally, wider bands of color. The main feature of these wasps is certainly the soft fuzz hat covers them and makes them look hairy. Bumblebees are not very aggressive, the ueens and workers are able to sting, however, and their sting, not having serrated edge,allowing them to sting more than once unlike the common bees.



The bumblebees feed on nectar and pollen of the flowers they visit. Extracting nectar from flowers with their long tongue and store it in their crop. Some species of bumblebees (eg, B. occidentalis and B. affinis) behave differently and pierce the flower at the base of the Corolla to access the nectar. In the latter case, the bumblebee is not in contact with the pollen of these species still receive pollen from other flowers in which they are forced into a normal visit.



Another characteristic is their buzz of bumblebees. Their flight is rather "noisy" and in the past it was thought that the noise was due to the incessant beat of wings of the insect. In fact, the typical buzz of this insect is caused by the vibration of the muscles of the flight. This is possible because the muscles are not coupled to the wings but they vibrate the entire abdomen of the insect, a characteristic that they share with the bumble bees, and also develop the necessary heat to the insect for its biological functions If the bomb cold "vibrate " to warm up. This process is particularly noticeable in these insects as bumblebees must warm up to fly, especially in the case of very low temperatures, and can reach temperatures around 30 ° C inside their chest.

Ferrara (Italy) _ At Night_Pt 2

Dear friends, we continue our visit to the city center, which is worth a visit (at night) without any disturbance. Peace and tranquility reign in the early hours of the day. The city is waking up, but still no one sees around.

A view of the castle of Este is the starting point for our excursion night photography

The dynasty of the Este of Ferrara made the capital of a small but culturally active, regional state. The heyday of the city was the second half of the fifteenth century, when the ducal court agreed people like Piero della Francesca, Pisanello, Leon Battista Alberti, Andrea Mantegna, Rogier van der Weyden, etc., and had developed a painting school in Ferrara, with capiscuola the likes of Cosmè Tura, Ercole de 'Roberti and Francesco del Cossa (the famous Ferrarese Workshop).

Corso Martiri della Libertà, which leads from the castle in Cathedral Square.

The first "modern urban plan in Europe, " the biggest project ever conceived for a futuristic city, was designed by Biagio Rossetti with a happy fusion of old and new by combining the story of the medieval town with the new path Renaissance.Since 1995, the historic center of Ferrara has been included in UNESCO's World Heritage Sites such as "... a wonderful example of Renaissance urban plan that preserves its historic center intact."

The ancient Via degli Adelardi

In front of the small porch at the cusp, of the Cathedral, is the Face of the Horse on the sides of this ancient entrance of the Palace of the Court, are a refined bow and a column on which are placed respectively on horseback Marquis Nicolò III d'Este and the Duke Borso sitting faldistorio up.(is a special type of chair used in the liturgy by Catholic bishops.)

The two statues, made ​​in 1927 by the sculptor Giacomo Zilocchi, are copies of the originals of the fifteenth century, the latter, made ​​by talented artists such as Nicolò Baroncelli, Antonio di Domenico di Cristoforo and Paris, were destroyed in 1796 during the French occupation.

Is the original column Borso, restored several times, and the fifteenth-century arch on which the equestrian statue, authoritatively attributed to Leon Battista Alberti for the purity of the lines throughout the Renaissance and performed by Francesco Bartolomeo.

The Duke Borso



The Marquis Niccolò III d'Este

Only friend of the night, this beautiful full moon which makes it even more attractive city trip.

Rhododendron

These photos have been conducted in a greenhouse, which owns, has agreed to the photos. It 'been a good test for the technical test "Macro" very difficult and challenging.

Botanical name: Rhododendron
Family: Ericaceae
Short Description: Evergreen shrub and flowers outside. It features sturdy branches with leathery leaves, the margins entire, revolute, large and very dark green color. The flowers are in corymbs at the ends of branches and have a funnel-shaped corolla divided in half to five lobes. The maximum height can be up to 6 m.




Duration: perennial
Flowering period: the rhododendron to flower requires a certain need of cold and a reduction in the number of daylight hours to 12 hours, which in nature is met in the autumn and winter, without which no flower induction. Also flourishes on new branches
Area of origin: Asia, Europe, America.
Climate: Temperate




History: Rhododendron in Greek literally means tree of the rose. In German it is called Alpenrose ie, rose in the Alps, in fact, going up to 2000 meters above sea level.
Environment: In Italy they are the wild species and ferrugineum Rhododendron hirsutum, grows on the Alps and the Pyrenees, on acid soil, to creating the sub-alpine heaths.
medicine from the dried leaves are used as drugs because they contain tannins and essential oils, it is rarely used in folk medicine as a diuretic or sweating, and muscle and joint diseases.



Exposure and brightness: It can withstand the sun, but sometimes has problems such as burning of leaves and roots of overheating, and that 'better place in bright but shaded area. The place is under a big tree where the Rhododendron will receive a diffused light.
Temperature: This plant is resistant to heat and cold being very hardy. Withstands temperatures falling well below zero degrees.




Substrate: Use a soil for acidophilic plants, or a light soil consisting of land chestnut and / or pine needles with the addition of universal soil.
Irrigation: For juveniles keep the soil slightly moist, particularly in the presence of young plants or during the hottest season. For older individuals act in the presence of prolonged drought.

Ferrara (Italy) _ At Night_Pt 1

Statue of Girolamo Savonarola

Girolamo Maria Francesco Matteo Savonarola  (Ferrara, September 21, 1452 - Florence, May 23, 1498) was an Italian religious and political.

Belonging to the order of  Dominican friars in 1497 he was excommunicated by Pope

Alexander VI, the year after he was hanged and burned at the stake as a "heretic, schismatic, and for preaching new things" and his works were ncluded in the 1559 Index of Prohibited Books.



Now is the servant of God present, the cause of her beatification was introduced May 30, 1997 by the Archdiocese of Florence.

The statue of Savonarola, is located in the square, located in the medieval center of town.

The dominant element of the square is the statue of the monk Girolamo Savonarola of Ferrara,which opened in 1875, which stands at the center of the square, supported by a large white marble pedestal.