Posts Tagged ‘Emilia-Romagna’
Stretching my legs in Modena, Italy
I was driving from northern Italy down to my home in Rome. Anyone who knows Italian highways know they are replete with Autogrill reststops, which offer clean bathrooms and ridiculously overpriced, tasteless food. So when lunch time rolled around, I was more than happy to escape rest stop food in order to stop in one…
Read MoreDazzled by the stars in the Galla Placidia Mausoleum, Ravenna
I‘ve already written about the amazing San Vitale Basilica in Ravenna, Italy. But another UNESCO Heritage site lies just across the lawn from that basilica – the Mausoleum of Galla Placida. This mausoleum was commissioned in 426 AD, by Empress Galla Placidia. Galla Placidia was the daughter of Emperor Theodosius I (379-395) and sister to…
Read MoreLiving like a noblewoman in Ravenna
I usually do all our holiday planning, so I was pleased recently when my husband took over and planned a weekend escape to beautiful Ravenna, Italy, in the Emilia Romagna region. He discovered a hotel I loved in the center of Ravenna: The Palazzo Galletti Abbiosi. This was a noble palace built in the 1700s…
Read MoreEnjoying a piadina on Ravenna’s picturesque Piazza del popolo
Okay, so not only do you live and learn, but you travel and learn. I’ve eaten the Italian piadina many times, but I never realized it was a specialty of Emilia Romagna, and particularly the Romagna region – from the area of Ravenna, Rimini, Forlì. But now I know. A piadina is a type of…
Read MoreSometimes all that glitters is gold: Ravenna’s San Vitale Basilica
It has been years that I’ve wanted to visit Ravenna and its spectacular early Christian churches with their stunning moasics. Of course, I had seen all the photos, but somehow nothing prepares you for visiting in person and taking in all that beauty surrounding you. In San Vitale, all that glitters most certainly is gold!…
Read MoreVisiting the world’s oldest republic: San Marino
For those who (like me) love Italy, you may be aware that, within its borders, Italy contains two independent countries. One – the Holy See or Vatican – requires little introduction. The second might be less known. San Marino, or, by its romantic sounding full Italian name Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, is just under…
Read MoreDante’s final resting place
This year, in Italy, and around the world, we’ve been marking 700 years since the death of Italian poet Dante Alighieri (1265 – 1321). Dante is considered the Father of the Italian language and litearture, with his masterpiece The Divine Comedy written in (vulgar) Italian, rather than in (erudite) Latin – thereby ushering in a rich…
Read MoreMedieval skyscrapers in Bologna
Italy’s Bologna, in medieval times, would have been a city filled with medieval-era “skyscrapers”. It s estimated that up to 180 towers may have existed during the medieval period. The reason for the construction of so many towers is not known. It is assumed that these constructions would have been built for defensive purposes, but…
Read MoreViews over Bologna from the terrace of San Petronio
During the holidays, my younger son and I decided to take the fast train up to Bologna for a day trip. I hadn’t been to Bologna for years, and my son was visiting for the first time. He and I both have a passion for finding the highest object in town and climbing to the…
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