lunedì 20 gennaio 2014

The Marche: Senigallia, the 'velvet beach'


 Hello, my friends, welcome to My Own Italy to discover Italy with my personal touch!
Our travel today is to Marche and I'll introduce you Senigallia, in the province of Ancona.
Senigallia is located in The Marche coast, famous for its long and golden sand, lapped by crystal clear water, with its lively and fashionable promenade all the day: Senigallia is a truly unique and wonderful place!




 Senigallia doesn' t need to focus on only one item to be remembered and to attract droves of tourists.

  Inserted in the beautiful setting of the Marche, it is in an area surrounded by hills sloping down to the sea: harmonics and sinuous forms, cliffs and caves that are interspersed with unforgettable beaches, hills that recall the history, tradition, art.





The historic center of the city follows the Roman urban setting. In fact, Senigallia was founded on a hill south of the river Misa.



 In fifteenth century Senigallia became rule of the Malatesta, and in particular of Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, who became interested in the city to the point of being considered the "re-founder". Sigismondo decided to rebuild the city walls and defensive bastions too, partly following the route of the old walls demolished, and created a fortified city with a rectangular shape, incorporating new defenses in the fort. Later it became the nucleus of the famous Rocca Roverasca.



Who knows Senigallia knows that its charm can't be reduced to a single aspect.
Besides the beauty of its coastline, its beaches and its warm clear sea, you can't forget the splendor of the squares and monuments, the wealth of museums, combined with a unique vocation for hospitality, where there is also the 'excellence of good food. That's why the accommodation offer of the city is large and varied, and able to accommodate millions of tourists every year. It's not difficult, in fact, find great hotels in Senigallia on the sea or in the center as a base to visit the monuments and fortresses.


 Among the unlimited attractions to visit, I suggest a walk to the Forum Annonario, harmonious circular neo-classical brick, designed in 1834.  The Forum features a porch that welcomes you with its twenty-four Doric columns, the newspaper and photogenic fish and fruit and vegetables market.
 In the center of the square you can admire the  "triccole" with their colorful tasty garden products; in the shade of the arcade, sheltered from the sun's rays that reach it only at sunset, discover the fish market. Currently the premises of the attic have been beautifully restored and used as the headquarters of the Municipal Library and Archives.

 The "Rotonda a Mare" is visually striking and spectacular. It is a structure created for hydrotherapy and recreational purposes, overlooking the beach of Senigallia. Launched July 18, 1933, soon established itself as a qualified place of worldliness and musical entertainment. On 7 July 1935 the Prince Umberto of Savoy came to Senigallia to inaugurate the Colonia Marina Maria Pia of Savoy, and to visit the Rotonda a Mare. In the years following the Second World War, the "Rotonda" was closed and destined to a military warehouse.

 But it was the '50s and '60s the witnesses to the golden age of the "Rotonda of Senigallia" true temple of worldliness and place in which they performed first-magnitude stars of Italian pop music. In the late 80s the Rotonda experienced a phase of gradual decline that regime closed down being unfit for use. It reopened in 2006 and today it is home to exhibitions and conferences in summer.


Carlotta Tenneriello
 So, in Senigallia the holiday should be tasted slowly, with your family or with your friends, being enveloped by its soft colors, such as during a walk through the forest by the sea towards the sunset.
For me it was really a fabulous vacation!

Leisure me: this is my tourism!



giovedì 16 gennaio 2014

Tuscany: beautiful Viareggio, between papier-maché masks and art nouveau


Hello, my friends! Welcome to My Own Italy to discover Italy with my personal touch!
Today our Travel to Italy is in Tuscany to visit one of the most famous and popular cities of our country: Viareggio!

Located on the Tyrrhenian coast, between the shimmering sea on one side and the white peaks of the snow and the marble of the Apuan Alps on the other hand, Viareggio is known as "The Pearl of the Versilia".


Viareggio probably gets its name to the presence of a castle, called "Castrum de via regia" (Castle of the King Road), erected in honor of Frederick Barbarossa in 1172 AD from the cities of Lucca and Genoa, both enemies of Pisa, to defend the coast.


 The oldest fortification of the city is the Torre Matilde, which dates back to 1500, built by the Lucchesi to defend against pirates.
All around is the oldest neighborhood right along the Burlamacca canal, that is the ideal sport for fishermen and for also the people of Viareggio who moor their small boats.


 At the beginning of the nineteenth century Viareggio starts to turn into tourist destination, thanks to the holiday of Paolina Borghese, sister of Napoleon Bonaparte: Viareggio becomes a popular seaside resort.
The tourist vocation of Viareggio always combines art, and in fact you can visit the Museums of Villa Paolina, with the wonderful examples of Art-Deco and Art Nouveau that adorn the city.



The walk along the seafront is a showcase of Viareggio: a great avenue of more than 3 kilometers along the beach, decorated with Art Nouveau architecture: from Bagno Balena to the Caffe Margherita, where Giacomo Puccini loved to sit.


But Viareggio above all means Carnival: four weeks of madness while throngs of tourists come to admire the parade of the most famous papier-mache in the world.
 An ancient tradition: in fact, in 1873 a group of young middle-class, sitting at the Cafe Casino, had the idea of a procession of floats and masks along the avenue that runs along the sea and then the wagons parade on the Promenade: huge caricatures of cards that ironically make fun of the world of politics and the show business.


An unmissable event, which every year, with irreverent satire, tackles the big issues of current affairs and of politics with great sense of humor
After the parade the fun continues in the districts in Viareggio: parties involving alternately the four districts of the city, during which the closed roads are filled with costumes, music and dancing.


Viareggio therefore offers amazing vacation full of fun and relaxation.
Long sandy beaches, vast pine forests, sea and culture.
A place suitable for every season, which meets all the needs of the traveler.


Carlotta Tenneriello
I'd like to suggest you where to stay: choose among many proposals offered by HRS.
I personally had a great time: facilities located in picturesque areas really and equipped with every comfort. I'm sure you will experience a truly enjoyable and unforgettable holiday!

Leisure with me: this is my tourism!




  

sabato 7 dicembre 2013

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!

 

domenica 27 gennaio 2013

Follow me!

Hello, my friends!
From now on, follow me at my new web site:


You can find here all my posts
and much more!
Hope to find you soon...

Ciao,
Carlotta
Carlotta Tenneriello

martedì 18 dicembre 2012

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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www.myownitaly.com

Ciao, Carlotta

martedì 11 dicembre 2012

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!


Follow me: www.myownitaly.com

Ciao, Carlotta

lunedì 3 dicembre 2012

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