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

Turin: Enjoy the exciting experience of entering the magic world of The National Cinema Museum

The Poster Gallery, The National Cinema Museum, Turin

Hello, my friends!
Welcome again here in My Own Italy, and thank you for appreciating this particular journey to discover Italy with My Personal Touch!

Mole Antonelliana, Turin

 Today I'd like to introduce you in a very special experience, passing through an incredibly fascinating world in a unique context: the National Museum of Cinema in Turin.


The Museum is one of the most important of its kind in the world thanks to it vast collection and the many different scientific and educational activities it carries out. But what makes it truly unique is its special exhibit setup.




Carlotta in "StarWars": very exciting!!

This museum is located inside the Mole Antonelliana, a bizarre and fascinating monument which is the symbol of the City of Torino.

The Acheology of Cinema, National Cinema Museum

I shall tell you that you will find more than a traditional museum and whoever enters it isn’t just a visitor but also an explorer, an author, an actor, a spectator…look at me, for example!

The Ramp, International Cinema Museum

This fascinating site setup leads visitors along an itinerary that is organized vertically on various levels: The Archeology of Cinema, The Temple Hall, The Ramp, Cinema and Television, The Cinema Machine, The Poster Gallery.

The Temple Hall and the Cristal Lift

Each level can be lived according to your own feelings, focusing on one or another aspect that most excites and invvolves you!

At the center of the Mole Antonelliana, the visitor enters the grand Temple Hall, the spectacular heart of the Museum.

This is me & my sons on Mole Antonelliana

The Cristal Lift   located at its center takes visitors straight up to the small panoramic temple located 85 meters higher up!


In conclusion, If you would really like the experience of the cinema, and would like to know more of its magic; if you don't want only to enjoy it, I invite you really do not miss the opportunity to explore it  from "inside": try it and let me know!


Ciao, 
Carlotta!

Lombardy: The majestic Certosa di Pavia (Gratiarum Carthusia)

The Certosa di Pavia (Pavia, Lombardy)

Hello, my friends!
Welcome to My Own Italy, to discover Italy with my Personal Touch!
Today I'll introduce you to one of the most famous and majestic church in Italy: The Certosa di Pavia .

Certosa di Pavia, the Entrance

The Certosa di Pavia is a monastery  and complex situated near Pavia, in northern Italy.

Built in 1396-1495, it was once located on the border of a large hunting park belonging to the Visconti family of Milan.

Certosa is the Italian name for a house of the cloistered monastic order of Cartusians founded by St. Bruno in 1044 at Grande Chartreuse.

Particular of the Church, Certosa di Pavia

Though the Carthusians in their early centuries were known for their seclusion and asceticism and the plainness of their architecture, the Certosa is renowned for the exuberance of its architecture, in both the Gothic and Renaissance styles, and for its collection of artworks which are particularly representative of the region.

The Church

The church is built on a Latin Cross plan with a nave, two aisles and transept, typical of Ghotic architecture.  The chancel terminates with an apse. It is covered by crossed vaults on Gothic arches and is inspired, on a reduced scale, by the Duomo of Milan.

Chiostro Piccolo, Certosa di Pavia

An elegant portal, with sculptures by the Mantegazza brothers and Giovanni Antonio Amadeo, leads from the church to the Small Cloister (in Italian: Chiostro Piccolo.)

Chiostro Grande, Monastery Certosa di Pavia

This has a small garden in the center. The most striking feature is the terracotta decoration of the small pilasters.
Similar decorations also characterize the Grand Cloister (Italian: Chiostro Grande), which measures c.125x100 meters. 

The Coloumns, Certosa di Pavia

 
The elegant cells of the monks open to the central garden.
The arcades have columns with precious decorations in terracotta, with tondoes portraying saints, prophets and angels, alternatively in white and pink Verona marble.


Today the monastery is the home of only seven  Cisterian monks .
The monks are able to manage to get the financing basis in the monastery and doing the guided tours of the monastery and the church, either by selling a wide variety of products directly from them: honey, chocolate, liqueurs prepared in teas!

Listen to Padre Gabriele, here on my short interview!

In the shop of the monks can also be found trinkets to take home as a souvenir of this very special place and publications relating to the monastery itself.

Carlotta in The Monastery of Certosa di Pavia

I hope you will enjoy this visit as I did.
It was really a so mystic experience and enthusiastic time to spend in a rainy sunday....

Ciao,
Carlotta!

Venice: The Splendid Doge's Palace

Venice, The Doge's Palace (Italy)

Hello, my friends!
Welcome again on My Own Italy to discover Italy with My Personal Touch!
It's very difficult for me to start my report today, because I'm going to describe one of the very symbol of Italy: the Doge's Palace in Venice!

Venice (Italy)

I must say that when you arrive in Venice, you are inebriated: the city is beautiful, full of colors, smells, sounds ... So many emotions and things to see and visit!
So I will choose for you the Doge's Palace.

 

View to the lagoon from the Doge's Palace (Venice)

The Doge's Palace is certainly the most famous building in the city, the most representative symbol of its civilization and its historical, political and cultural events. Along with the Basilica of San Marco square in the background and the foreground, helps to draw one of the most famous scenery in the world.

Doge's Palace (Venice)

For centuries it has played three roles: it was the residence of the Doge, the seat of government of the city and the palace of justice.
It is here that were taken many of the most important decisions that determined the fate of Venice and, sometime, even in Europe!

Doge's Palace (Venice)

This impressive building has a feature typical of Venetian architecture: lightness! 

The Council Chamber, Doge's Palace

Spite of its large size, in fact, the polychrome decorations of the facade, the beautiful tracery of Gothic loggias like a precious stone lace give us back the image of an elegant structure.


Inside the Palace, you can visit the Doge's Apartements, the Insitutional Chambers, and also the Prisons!


It 's path that leaves you breathless, and, as for me, it was an extraordinary experience.

The Bridge of Sighs (Venice)

I suggest to visit the corridor that leads over the Bridge of Sighs, built in 1614 to link the Doge’s Palace to the structure intended to house the New Prisons. Enclosed and covered on all sides, the bridge contains two separate corridors that run next to each other.

The famous name of the bridge Bridge of Sighs dates from the Romantic period.

 

The Bridge of Sighs, Doge's Palace (Venice)

It was supposed to refer to the sighs of prisoners who, passing from the courtroom to the cell in which they would serve their sentence, took a last look at freedom as they glimpsed the lagoon and San Giorgio through the small windows.

In the end, I hope you will have time enough to spend in the most fomous lagoon in the world.

My sons and I in the Courtyard of Doge's Palace, Venice

I'm so fascinated by the beauty of my country ... and I'd like to envolve you to be in love with Italy, too!

Follow me: www.myownitaly.com 
Ciao, Carlotta!

Piedmont: Discover The Castle of Camino

The Castle of Camino (Alessandria, Piedmont)

Hello, My Friends!
Welcome again here in My Own Italy to discover Italy with My Personal Touch!
Today I'd like to tell you something about one of the many castles in Piedmont: Castle of Camino.

Going to Camino (Alessandria)

The Castle of Camino is situated in the famous Monferrato Hills, in the north west of Italy, about an hour away from Milan, Genoa and Turin.

The castle’s origins date back to around the year 1000 for defensive reasons and enlarged at the end of the 18th century, it is still one of the most beautiful castles in Italy both for its architecture as well as for its perfect state of preservation.

The charming view of Monferrato Hills form the Castle

Due to his strategic position, the castle was an ideal observation point as well as offering protection to the inhabitants of the surrounding plains; during the 12th century, at times of danger the local people would take shelter within its walls, traces of which are still left today.

The entrance of the Castle (Camino, AL)

 

Until the 13th century Camino was owned by the bishops of Asti, before passing into the control of the marquises of Monferrato. 

In 1323 Theodore Palaeologus, deeply in debt and in need of money, granted the investiture and ownership of the Castello di Camino to brothers Tommaso and Francesco Scarampi, bankers and merchants from Asti. 

The Castle of Camino Interiors: this is me in The Ballroom

The castle remained in the hands of the Scarampi family of Villanova from then until 1950.

The Dining Room in the Castle

Ferdinando Scarampi restructured the oldest part of the castle, creating the dining room in a Neo-Gothic style, the library, and the theater frescoed with scenes from Don Quixote. 

During the same period, a spacious courtyard and a chapel were also created within the castle’s interior.

 

The guided tour of the castle’s halls will take you through various historical eras and also to the legends linked to the castle.

The Garden of Castle of Camino (Alessandria, Italy)

Afterwards, I suggest you to explore the beautiful grounds, part of the River Po Natural Park.

So, what about a dip in the Piedmontese aristocracy??

I'll wait for your comments! :-)

Follow me: www.myownitaly.com
Ciao,Carlotta

Tuscany: Montecarlo, and its Fortress of Cerruglio

The Fortress of Montecarlo (Lucca, Tuscany)

Hello my friends!
Happy to find you again here in My Own Italy  to Discover Italy with My Personal Touch!
Today I suggest you a gem in Tuscany, in the middle of the way of Wine and Olive Oil: I'd like to introduce you to Montecarlo.

Montecarlo (Lucca, Tuscany)

Montecarlo is a small village located at 162 m above sea level, on a hill overlooking the surrounding plains, between Lucca and the Valdinievole.
 

Montecarlo was founded in 1333 by the future Emperor Charles IV of Bohemia, to which it owes its name (in latin: Mons Caroli).

Due to its extraordinary strategic importance, since its foundation, Monte Carlo was the scene of battles between Pisa, Florence and Lucca, for the domain of Valdinievole and Lucca.

Lucca authorities decided to move the town at the top of the hill on which stood the Fortress of Cerruglio.

Fortress of Montecarlo (Lucca, Italy)

The fort played a strategic role in the wars of the fourteenth century: the fortress was enlarged by Lucca themselves first and then by the Florentines, especially Grand-ducal government which, since 1437, had finally Montecarlo under its control!

Fortress of Montecarlo (Lucca, Italy)

In 1775 the fortress was broken up by the Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo and sold at auction. 


Since then  it became a private property; the fortified complex is covered by the owners of ongoing works of conservation and restoration.

The Garden inside the Montecarlo Fortress (LU)

The fortress is open to the public during the summer months, its renovated rooms and courtyards host exhibitions and cultural events.







If you would like to know something more, why don't you follow me on this interview?
Enjoy!


 

If you want to take your rest in this magic place, I suggest you to stay at Casa Fontanino : you'll find more information on my page Where To Sleep!

Ciao,
Carlotta!

Historic Tuscany: Lucca and its walls

Lucca and Its magical Walls

Welcome my friends! 

Glad to have you here in my My Own Italy again, to discover Italy with My Personal Touch!

Today I'd like to indroduce you to a very significant place for the Medieval architecture; I'm speaking about Lucca and its Walls.

Entering Lucca by the doors though The Walls

 The Walls of Lucca are a symbol of the city is recognized worldwide for its beautiful art-monuments for their historical value.

The construction of the walls of Lucca dates back to the Renaissance period that elapses between the first half of the sixteenth century to the mid-seventeenth century and has been preserved intact to this day.  

Lucca, The Walls (Italy)

From an architectural point of view, the walls are made up of twelve curtains embankment, which join together eleven bastions, faced in brick, twelve feet high and thirty wide at the base.

Lucca, beyond its Walls

They extend for more than four kilometers make up a large and impressive urban park.

 

Piazza Anfiteatro, Lucca (Italy)

When you finished to walk around, you can visit the city: a lot of magnificient monuments and the famous  Piazza Anfiteatro.

Me @ "Old Charlie", Piazza Anfiteatro, Lucca (Italy)

  

I'd like to descrive you more, but I'll talk later: now I would like to take a break in this magic Piazza. It's so exiciting to breath this air of ancient times...

Follow me: www.myownitaly.com
Ciao, Carlotta!

Rimini: the most popular Italian Seaside!

Hi everybody, welcome in My Own Italy!

Summer is coming and I'd like to suggest you a classic itinary: Rimini, the most popular italian seaside....

But, as usual, I'll do it with my personal Touch!

Rimini Seaside with My Personal Touch

Rimini, the History of  Dolce Vita

Rimini is on the Adriatic Sea, in the center of Italy. It is the hometown of Federico Fellini, the most famous italian Film Director (wikipedia, Federico Fellini), .

Welcome @ Grand Hotel Rimini

You can also breathe the air of the Italian Dolce Vita in the historic Grand Hotel (www.grandhotelrimini.com), a masterpiece of art nouveau in the city center situated in fornt of the beach and still popular haunt of artists and actors.

Discovering Rimini

Of course, we can't forget that Rimini was an important city during the Romans Emperor, so I think you will enjoy a tour in the ancient part of the city.

Let's have a look to the Guide Map!

In the very old center you can visit Piazza Cavour, a medieval square.

Formerly called the "town square" or "fountain square"; in the Middle Ages there was the center of city life (Rimini, Piazza Cavour).

Piazza Cavour (Rimini, Italy)

Today it no longer reflects the shape of medieval, but still retains the old public fountain, around which the place of the fish and vegetable market.

On one side of the square there are coffee shops, on the other you can admire the historic buildings: Garampi building (city hall), Arengo Palace and Palace of the Podestà.

Measurement system used in the Middle Ages, Piazza Cavour

Viale Pricipe Amedeo, Rimini

Coming back to the seaside, you can walk along Viale Principe Amedeo, one of the main streets of Rimini, where you can admire ancient and aristocratic mansions.

Villa in Viale Pricipe Amedeo

Certainly a different perspective of Rimini! :-)

Of course, we can't forget that Rimini is the capital of the traditional Piadina Romagnola... so please follow me at "Where to eat" section: I'm going to introduce you to a unique gastronomic experience!

Follow me: www.myownitaly.com