Genoa and the Aquarium: the fantastic emotion of diving into the world of cetaceans

 Hello, my friends! Welcome to My Own Italy to discover Italy with My Personal Touch!
Our travel today is in Liguria to visit Genoa and I'd like to invite you to experience something truly extraordinary.
Follow me then to visit the Acquarium and its wonderful and new Cetaceans Pavilion.

 

Designed by the famous architect Renzo Piano, the Pavilion of Cetaceans of the Aquarium of Genoa is an important extension of the preexisting structure.

 Located between the main body of the Acquario and the Grande Nave Blu, the new Pavilion is perfectly integrated inside the Porto Antico Area with minimum visual impact thanks to the glazed wall on the south side and the height of the visitors’ path that rises at only 3 metres above sea level. 

Consisting of four open tanks - main tank for exhibition, nursery, bath tub and medical curatorial - the Pavilion can accommodate up to 10 dolphins!
  The tour is structured on two levels and allows the public to admire the animals either from above, or from a diving perspective.

  

 However, the thing that excited me the most, was the passing through a glass tunnel about 15 meters long, which, thanks to the shape of the curve, goes partially into the volume of the tank main exhibition, offering glimpses and views of unusual and exciting of aquatic life, swimming with dolphins also just above the 

 The experience of the visit is so incredibly magic because it allows a true "immersion" underwater thanks to the large panels acrylic of the lower level of the main tank. 

 This tank is equipped with a long wall with a glass door and, thanks to the location of the platform just made for the work of trainers, and designed just beyond this window, you can also admire the incredible work done by the dolphins in the early stages of training: indeed, the cetaceans can be observed from the front, enjoying a particular point of view as these intelligent animals are in the very spotlight! 

At the end, a visit to the Acquarium of Genoa is the discovery of an integrated system of knowledge, science, studies, respect, and consistency: everything is thought so that the sea, the theme of this journey, will be life; and life, and the whole universe, can be tasted and you can enjoy it!

Carlotta  Tenneriello

A so special emotion that may offer a unique experience suitable for everyone: we can call it  '"edutainment", that is information processed with entertainment, in a formula that really involves and captures visitors.
Leisure with me: this is my tourism!

 

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Ciao,

Carlotta

Carlotta Tenneriello

Venice, the River Brenta: the ancient and noble Villa Pisani

Villa Pisani, River Brenta, Venice

Welcome, my friend!
I'm so happy to stay with you and share my personal emotions and experience in My Own Italy! 

Villa Pisani (Venice)

Today I'd like to introduce you to a magic and romantic place:
Villa Pisani.

Villa Pisani, also named The Nazionale, is certainly one of the most famous examples of Venetian Villa along the Brenta banks. It is situated in the municipality of Stra, in the province of Venice.

The Pisani of St. Stephen, who were responsible of the construction of this villa, were an important branch of the family Pisani, an ancient Venetian noble family.  

The bedroom of Napoleone

They were enriched enormously during the fourteenth century thanks to the trade and real property gains. 

In 1807 Villa Pisani became Napoleone Bonaparte’s property, in fact he bought it from the Pisani family and sold it then to the Italian Viceroi Eugène de Beauharnais.

Carlotta @ Villa Pisani

If you want to visit this masterpiece of eighteenth-century, I suggest you to expect at least half a day of quiet time to visit the interior of Villa Pisani and enjoy the pleasure of the beautiful garden: the park of Villa Pisani as been awarded in the 2008 as “the most beautiful park in Italy”.

The Orangerie, Villa Pisani

The park offers incredible scenarios, original architectures, green houses and also the famous labyrinth.

At the end of the park there is the "orangery". In fact, according to mythology, Hercules was so strong because he ate citrus.

For this reason, each Doge or the King wanted to eat citrus all year also in cold climates: they  created the greenhouses in winter to keep the lemon and orange trees!

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Ciao, Carlotta

Piedmont: Lake Orta, The most romantic Lake in Italy

San Giulio Island, Lake Orta (Italy)

Hello my friends, Welcome again in My Own Italy !
Today my personal suggestion is  The Orta Lake, in Piedmont.

Sacro Monte d'Orta

Lake Orta, known as one of the most romantic lakes in Italy, is situated in the Cusio area, which extends from the lower area of the Ossola valley to the western shore of the lower Lake Maggiore area. 

 Once arrived in Orta you can not miss a visit to the Sacro Monte .  

A Chapel of Sacro Monte d'Orta

The sacred place comprises a total of 20 chapels (originally the project envisaged 36) that illustrate the life of Saint Francis of Assisi.

Also the convent of the Capuchins connected to the church, which was still dedicated to Saint Nikolaos in the beginning, but also to Saint Francis whose extraordinary vicissitudes impregnate the itinerary and also its peak.

Chapel XX of St. Francis

The church also has a precious wooden statue depicting the Pietà, which in 1538 was at the centre of a miracle: the wooden Madonna became the subject of worship and perhaps this boosted selecting this place as the location of such an important spiritual project.

Inside the Chapel XX

The Sacro Monte of Orta was mostly built between the 16th-17th centuries and the chapels were also decorated by the most important artists of the time.
  

This is me looking the St Giulio Island

The path unwinds uphill on the slopes of the hill enclosing Orta from behind, whose starting point is just a few minutes from the centre of town. The path and its chapels reach approximately 400 metres asl at the summit and churchyard, where there is a breathtaking view of an unexpected thrill and not just for pilgrims!


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Ciao, Carlotta

Valle d'Aosta: the Impressive Fortress of Bard

Fortress of Bard, Valle d'Aosta (Italy)

Welcome, my friends!
Very happy to have you here again on my blog My Own Italy , to discover Italy with my personal touch!
Today I'd like to introduce you to Fortress of Bard.

View from the lift, Fortress of Bard

The Fortress is an impressive work of barrage, built to the Valle d'Aosta , in the north west of Italy.
This Savoy fortress fully occupies the strategic rocky outcrop that blocks access through the valley.  

The current fort was built between 1830 and 1838 on the ruins of a castle destroyed in 1800 by the troops of Napoleon. 

The Fortress of Bard, Italy

The fortress is a perfect example of military architecture of the time, possessed of powerful artillery housed in bunkers placed on different levels.  

It could accommodate 416 men and had stocks to withstand a siege of three months. We must say that this fortress was never the scene of clashes and was then preserved virtually intact!
  

The Fortress of Bard

Some numbers are enough to give you an idea of ​​the size of this bastion: 14.467 square meters, 283 rooms, 106 m altitude, 806 steps, 2.036 square meters of courtyards, 9.000 square meters of roofs, 1.295 square meters of corridors, 385 doors, 323 windows and 296 slots!!
 

The Museum od The Alpes, Aosta (Italy)

Since the end of the nineteenth century the fort gradually lost its importance war and was sent first to prison and then to military munitions depot.
Today you can visit the Fortress and the Museum of The Alpes .

You can discover the Alpes and get to know the mountain in an interactive, multimedia and multidisciplinary journey.

The Fortress of Bard, entrance (Italy)

It is an avant-garde museum space telling the story of a living, breathing mountain transformed in the hands of mankind.

Tradition and modern technology are fused together to take you on a voyage into time and space where the sets are brought alive through visual projections, sounds and interactive multimedia games. 

My sons and I at The Fortress of Bard

It was a so exiting experience for me, and I enjoyed it very much.
Will you enjoy too? 
Let me know :-)

Ciao, 
Carlotta

Milan: Discover Gallerie d'Italia Museum, Piazza Scala

Milan, Vittorio Emanuele II Gallery (Italy)

Hello, my friends! Welcome in My Own Italy!
Today I suggest you a different itinery in Milan, away from the most famous tourist destinations; you know that I love to let you discover Italy with My Personal Touch!

In the very center of the city, Piazza  Scala, you can visit a new museum: Gallerie d'Italia .

Symbols of the history of Milan, the buildings that together form the architectural complex that houses the Galleries were designed by leading Italian architects between the end of the eighteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century.

The Galleries, Milan (Italy)

The exhibition Twentieth Century Worksite presents Italian art of the second half of the 20th century, in a selection of approximately 200 art works from the Intesa Sanpaolo collections.

Organised into 12 sections, they are enriched by the inclusion of sculptures, by a themed study dedicated to Colour as a plastic form.


If you want, you can enjoy a short presentation of the Galleries in this video:

 

This is me inside the Galleries

The art works of the twentieth century are organized in 12 sections and 2 single-subject itineraries. The leading artistic movements of the period –  Informal Art , Spatialism ,  Nuclear Art, Concrete Art Movement , Kinetic and Programmed Art, Arte Povera, Conceptual Art  and Italian Pop Art  – are retraced through the most important artists.

The Galleries (Milan, Piazza Scala)

For me it was a really exiting experience: not only for the incredible richness of the works in the exhibition, but also because you can play with multimedia screens and customize your itinerary and deepen the arguments that you prefer.

The Galleries, Milan (Italy)

I hope that while you are visiting Milan, you can have enough time to visit this art Gallery.
Milan in the capital not only of fashion, but also of Italian art and design!!



Ciao, 
Carlotta

Lombardy: Cremona and the ancient tradition of Nougat

Cremona, Palazzo Comunale (Town Hall), Italy

Hello, my friends, welcome in My Own Italy!
Here in Italy we are in the pre-Christmas period, and in my blog  I'd like to introduce you to one of the most famous italian product: the Nougat (in italian: Torrone) and also the city that is its homeland.

Nougat in Cremona (Italy)

Today I suggest you to visit  Cremona, a little hystorical town in Lombardy. It is one hour from Milan, and even it isn't so famous, it can offer you to discover an interestiong architecture of the Middle Ages.

Cremona was conquered by the Romans in 218 BC who made it a military stronghold and an important settlement.

Cremona (Italy)

Focus of Cremona is historic Piazza del Comune, where you overlook the main monuments of the city: The Torrazzo, the Baptistery, the Loggia of the Soldiers and the Town Hall!


 

Looking at the Torrazzo (Cremona)

The Il Torrazzo is an imposing tower built between the thirteenth and fourteenth century, it is certainly the most famous monument of Cremona.


Il Torrazzo is the highest historical bell tower in Italy!

On the fourth floor, you can admire one of the largest astronomical clocks in the world.

Built around the end of the '500 the clock represents the sky with the zodiacal constellations through which the motion of the Sun and the Moon.

The clock in the Tower Torrazzo (Cremona)

By the way, once a year, at this time, in Cremona takes place the Festival of Nougat!

Nougat is the typical cake of Cremona: it's a mixture of egg white, honey and sugar, stuffed with almonds, walnuts, peanuts, hazelnuts, often covered with two wafers.

This is Carlotta @ Festival of Nougat (Cremona)

The Festival of Nougat  is an appointment for the gourmands.

The streets and squares of Cremona are animated by events, shows and tastings.

Festival of Nougat (Cremona, Italy)

I invite you to join tourism and gastronomic tradition: taste the nougat also means living the
Cremonese tradition.

Nougats (Cremona, Italy)

The theme of the 2012 was the sweetness; more than 60 initiatives between games, entertainment moments, cultural events, food and wine designed to celebrate the combination of nougat-sweetness in a magical atmosphere rich in history and traditions!

Carlotta and Nougat! (Cremona)

In fact, it is said that this cake is created to celebrate the marriage of Francesco Sforza and Bianca Maria Visconti back in 1441.

As you can see, I let myself really win! 
Enjoy, and let me know... :-)


 
Ciao, 
Carlotta!