tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41688406592420800152024-02-07T18:18:31.582-08:00Girovagando per Roma e...non solo..Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707871253846816896noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168840659242080015.post-9602382047445013732015-03-01T15:07:00.003-08:002015-03-01T15:07:26.604-08:00Silhouettes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4OopsixAEP6j_GUzHWbL7AQfXZA3zV-wS6EVT6EAyyre3klSlMM1xLDCWOkd7XkeU2Z91jGneNF6QjFeM5xb_PLFuD35aCzm4dGrNTl-ctpKbtRM9AGfsuOi8f8qDq7kUMB9sGbtINx7Z/s1600/IMG_1622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4OopsixAEP6j_GUzHWbL7AQfXZA3zV-wS6EVT6EAyyre3klSlMM1xLDCWOkd7XkeU2Z91jGneNF6QjFeM5xb_PLFuD35aCzm4dGrNTl-ctpKbtRM9AGfsuOi8f8qDq7kUMB9sGbtINx7Z/s1600/IMG_1622.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707871253846816896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168840659242080015.post-46461729076474910052015-01-10T09:25:00.001-08:002015-01-10T09:25:41.912-08:00Isola del Liri – La Cascata grande<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmQJa4VCDdKT804sazx7wEEb9BJgRlzjJ4TocUeJSCIEPwb3odc7SP_pUgIjLbL0OxQNQ3FaXOkkRexoa2yn_7S6o8ig4gL1jfZYALy_kVcLqQYAhiXe3b3em5ovhXP8tjBChwOLYgYR_v/s1600/IMG_8741.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmQJa4VCDdKT804sazx7wEEb9BJgRlzjJ4TocUeJSCIEPwb3odc7SP_pUgIjLbL0OxQNQ3FaXOkkRexoa2yn_7S6o8ig4gL1jfZYALy_kVcLqQYAhiXe3b3em5ovhXP8tjBChwOLYgYR_v/s1600/IMG_8741.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
In provincia di Frosinone, precisamente a Isola
del Liri, si trova una Cascata naturale unica
in Italia a cadere in pieno centro storico.<br />
Il fiume Liri ha il compito naturale di far da scenario nei paesi in cui passa.
E’ ad Isola del Liri che si ammira lo spettacolo imponente della Grande
Cascata, l’intera fiumana strapiomba da
un largo salto di circa ventisette metri biancheggiando in una fluida imponente
massa d’argento in cui giocano gli arcobaleni.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707871253846816896noreply@blogger.com0Via Cascata, 03036 Isola del Liri FR, Italia41.6791755 13.5734297000000241.677693 13.570908200000019 41.680658 13.57595120000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168840659242080015.post-38785307048723160942014-04-13T08:27:00.001-07:002014-04-13T08:27:31.632-07:00Place de l'Hotel de ville<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I1YuYf01srk/U0qsooj5WBI/AAAAAAAABr4/qMyuCYOGmUw/s1600/aix.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I1YuYf01srk/U0qsooj5WBI/AAAAAAAABr4/qMyuCYOGmUw/s1600/aix.JPG" height="442" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-left: 4.8pt;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;">Aix en <st1:state w:st="on">Provence</st1:state></span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"> is a</span></span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></span><span class="hps"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;">beautiful</span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"> <span class="hps">and</span> <span class="hpsalt-edited">noble</span> <span class="hps">town</span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"> whose origins date back to Roman times, it was
the capital of the Counts of Provence and is the historic capital of art and
culture of <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Provence</st1:place></st1:state>.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-left: 4.8pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Here there are more than 200 eighteenth-century villas, and is the
birthplace of the great impressionist Paul Cézanne, the city where he spent
most of his life and where he painted many of his masterpieces. Aix en <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Provence</st1:place></st1:state>
is also an important university, with more than 30,000 students.</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707871253846816896noreply@blogger.com018 Place de l'Hôtel de ville, 13100 Aix-en-Provence, Francia43.529853 5.448168399999985918.007818500000003 -35.860425600000013 69.0518875 46.756762399999985tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168840659242080015.post-21789716178468526112013-12-22T07:55:00.000-08:002013-12-22T07:55:36.718-08:00Merry Xmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-htmZ-Vfbau8/UrcLV2irngI/AAAAAAAABmk/TreVwskMMUU/s1600/IMG_3350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-htmZ-Vfbau8/UrcLV2irngI/AAAAAAAABmk/TreVwskMMUU/s640/IMG_3350.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Brush Script Std'; font-size: 22pt;">Best wishes for a Christmas full of love.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Brush Script Std'; font-size: 22pt;">Big kiss</span></div>
Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707871253846816896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168840659242080015.post-45201821121985280702013-11-03T13:31:00.003-08:002013-11-03T13:33:36.500-08:00Thank you<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k91_J8Q3S68/UnbAtu44A-I/AAAAAAAABl0/GyMs6kcFz-8/s1600/PiazzaNavona_WOK.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k91_J8Q3S68/UnbAtu44A-I/AAAAAAAABl0/GyMs6kcFz-8/s640/PiazzaNavona_WOK.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707871253846816896noreply@blogger.com0Piazza Navona, 00186 Roma, Italia41.8991623 12.47307180000007141.8962078 12.468029300000071 41.9021168 12.478114300000071tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168840659242080015.post-56252734460244335242013-10-20T16:19:00.000-07:002013-10-20T16:19:56.275-07:00St. Peter's Basilica<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl3aLwQxnS-PXI8LXblEYgSPf8zgUTkk5k_WYoxquoMaYAN8GSBkX6fOl-HdJyGVJrQD4TohB5_buMHB3hocR5cRS4DKTJ8qzGvAaHqyPGzD_k1KO86W-Ovwijlb7BAwT9lZjL5wqAHS7V/s1600/IMG_3931b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl3aLwQxnS-PXI8LXblEYgSPf8zgUTkk5k_WYoxquoMaYAN8GSBkX6fOl-HdJyGVJrQD4TohB5_buMHB3hocR5cRS4DKTJ8qzGvAaHqyPGzD_k1KO86W-Ovwijlb7BAwT9lZjL5wqAHS7V/s640/IMG_3931b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hQF7GpoFweQ/UmRjnVpb3RI/AAAAAAAABjw/xfCBegMVJqQ/s1600/IMG_4090b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hQF7GpoFweQ/UmRjnVpb3RI/AAAAAAAABjw/xfCBegMVJqQ/s640/IMG_4090b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5CfPc6LRVBQcf2TiajYy5vgTmTHzghyphenhyphenHbul-wpDRV14fN-sreoqQqtmFdSYDPxs9hsQrEIa-ZM5K2CYW94qw9P1t_ic6Q775Yrthld5Qi1_qjUSAc4YYo0TzupUWdiQFzub40wSDD3XtU/s1600/IMG_3940b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5CfPc6LRVBQcf2TiajYy5vgTmTHzghyphenhyphenHbul-wpDRV14fN-sreoqQqtmFdSYDPxs9hsQrEIa-ZM5K2CYW94qw9P1t_ic6Q775Yrthld5Qi1_qjUSAc4YYo0TzupUWdiQFzub40wSDD3XtU/s640/IMG_3940b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tpuL_lHikRQ/UmRjyMNzLCI/AAAAAAAABj4/5c2JuEZPGnA/s1600/IMG_3941b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tpuL_lHikRQ/UmRjyMNzLCI/AAAAAAAABj4/5c2JuEZPGnA/s640/IMG_3941b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CizYsUePTGo/UmRj0JTkSzI/AAAAAAAABkA/eXcH7_7s0Sg/s1600/IMG_3944b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="454" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CizYsUePTGo/UmRj0JTkSzI/AAAAAAAABkA/eXcH7_7s0Sg/s640/IMG_3944b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s3eOY-8xbRU/UmRj53VZsBI/AAAAAAAABkQ/Xqby80H4YvU/s1600/IMG_3948b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s3eOY-8xbRU/UmRj53VZsBI/AAAAAAAABkQ/Xqby80H4YvU/s640/IMG_3948b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Qj-QZNBJfS5Qm250Ldx4UBOiifyvfwxJ-peDy2_LWCpERg4Cm9OIq_EP9H60osaWcxgXPmeGf478gK3oHiqZPU2P8DcA6XtF7_Zcer0fgDO4Yy1CVoZKBeMrvMy-zD81KQOX-7G2lQS7/s1600/IMG_3949ok.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Qj-QZNBJfS5Qm250Ldx4UBOiifyvfwxJ-peDy2_LWCpERg4Cm9OIq_EP9H60osaWcxgXPmeGf478gK3oHiqZPU2P8DcA6XtF7_Zcer0fgDO4Yy1CVoZKBeMrvMy-zD81KQOX-7G2lQS7/s640/IMG_3949ok.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tOylCCI03To/UmRkCX-bi0I/AAAAAAAABkg/OYEp-i-Uc3M/s1600/IMG_3952co.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tOylCCI03To/UmRkCX-bi0I/AAAAAAAABkg/OYEp-i-Uc3M/s640/IMG_3952co.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tpf-mepFzD0/UmRkE1hAulI/AAAAAAAABko/rz8V6dJNN8A/s1600/IMG_3952ok.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tpf-mepFzD0/UmRkE1hAulI/AAAAAAAABko/rz8V6dJNN8A/s640/IMG_3952ok.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPXESJbu5u6urzsabZxH0_KRUc__1jmSf40fOUJyy_CnPwmudUqQcM8cIyUTlN0iy9iwpwWWDCTFr2lh5NtS4r2VkQQ-_xIFxjnuHaa4bWvBVtN_NTUQTwphwDtxsjikCdQmwk2rzhvemn/s1600/IMG_3955b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPXESJbu5u6urzsabZxH0_KRUc__1jmSf40fOUJyy_CnPwmudUqQcM8cIyUTlN0iy9iwpwWWDCTFr2lh5NtS4r2VkQQ-_xIFxjnuHaa4bWvBVtN_NTUQTwphwDtxsjikCdQmwk2rzhvemn/s640/IMG_3955b.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZsE0p1oSQVpk4o4kE439gEu_Va0TCd1V3iivAfLYeqEw6aVuPvczUrdJcjyx5VkmOFN_orMXyM2xjh_RAQwRZc-3dly5XoHY7NqxVPV1nB-ysm4kplfaLYjb6MdH4DbbGhIzxy9e7duhI/s1600/IMG_3959b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZsE0p1oSQVpk4o4kE439gEu_Va0TCd1V3iivAfLYeqEw6aVuPvczUrdJcjyx5VkmOFN_orMXyM2xjh_RAQwRZc-3dly5XoHY7NqxVPV1nB-ysm4kplfaLYjb6MdH4DbbGhIzxy9e7duhI/s640/IMG_3959b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZT2BDhMsMzcKVdjBz2R8JzfHH1MhL2P335gvghqRRONpiwS0QsIY-R0EpdDkrlAsUn3Bqo4_eISXrjmWsM4QsTO1hdTFVnADiDrT1bYrzXSIptHx5hIhC9eI3sWQoV5NPNX8occPFpiwV/s1600/IMG_3960b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZT2BDhMsMzcKVdjBz2R8JzfHH1MhL2P335gvghqRRONpiwS0QsIY-R0EpdDkrlAsUn3Bqo4_eISXrjmWsM4QsTO1hdTFVnADiDrT1bYrzXSIptHx5hIhC9eI3sWQoV5NPNX8occPFpiwV/s640/IMG_3960b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9sSTaVR0Q8w/UmRkVHBVrxI/AAAAAAAABlI/JzwSEOdqHaI/s1600/IMG_4094.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9sSTaVR0Q8w/UmRkVHBVrxI/AAAAAAAABlI/JzwSEOdqHaI/s640/IMG_4094.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">St. Peter's Basilica</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;"> (Latin: </span><i><span lang="LA" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">Basilica Sancti
Petri</span></i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">) is a Late Renaissance church located
within <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Vatican City</st1:place></st1:state>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: white;">Designed principally by Donato Bramante,
Michelangelo,Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, St. Peter's is the most
renowned work of Renaissance
architecture and remains one of the largest churches in the world. While it is
neither the mother church of the Roman Catholic Churc nor the cathedral of the Bishop
of Rome, St. Peter's is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic sites. It has
been described as "holding a unique position in the Christian world"<sup>
</sup>and as "the greatest of all churches of Christendom".<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: white;">By Roman Catholic tradition, the
basilica is the burial site of its namesake Saint Peter, one of the twelve
apostles of Jesus and, also according to tradition, the first Bishop of Rome
and therefore first in the line of the papal tomb succession. Tradition and
some historical evidence hold that Saint Pter’s tomb is directly below the
altar of the basilica. For this reason, many Popes have been interred at St.
Peter's since the Early Christian period. There has been a church on this site since
the time of Constantine the Great. Construction of the present basilica,
replacing the Old St. Peter’s Basilica of the 4th century, began on 18 April
1506 and was completed on 18 November 1626. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: white;">St. Peter's is famous as a place of pilfrimage,
for its liturgical functions. Because of its location in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Vatican</st1:place></st1:country-region>, the
Pope presides at a number of services throughout the year, drawing audiences of
15,000 to over 80,000 people, either within the Vatican Basilica, or in St.
Peter's Square. St. Peter's has many strong historical associations, with the Early
Christian church, the papacy, the Protestant Reformation and Counter-reformation,
and with numerous artists, most significantly Michelangelo. As a work of
architecture, it is regarded as the greatest building of its age. St. Peter's
is one of the four churches of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Rome</st1:place></st1:city>
that hold the rank of Major Basilica. Contrary to popular misconception, it is
not a cathedral as it is not the seat of a bishop; the cathedra of the Pope (as
Bishop of Rome) is located in the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">St. Peter's is a church in the Renaissance style located in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Rome</st1:city></st1:place> west of the River
Tiber and near the Janiculum Hill and Hadrian’s Mausoleum. Its central dome
dominates the skyline of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Rome</st1:place></st1:city>.
The basilica is approached via <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">St.
Peter Square</st1:address></st1:street>, a forecourt in two sections, both surrounded
by tall colonnades. The first space is oval and the second trapezoid. The
façade of the basilica, with a giant order of columns, stretches across the end
of the square and is approached by steps on which stand two <st1:metricconverter productid="5.55 metres" w:st="on">5.55 metres</st1:metricconverter>
(18.2 ft) statues of the 1st century apostles to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Rome</st1:place></st1:city>, Saints Peter and Paul. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The basilica is cruciform in shape, with an elongated nave in the Latin
cross form but the early designs were for a centrally planned structure and
this is still in evidence in the architecture. The central space is dominated
both externally and internally by one of the largest domes in the world. The
entrance is through a narthex, or entrance hall, which stretches across the
building. One of the decorated bronze doors leading from the narthex is the Holy
Door, only opened in Holy Years. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The interior is of vast dimensions when compared with other churches.<sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Peter's_Basilica#cite_note-cathency-4"></a></sup>
One author wrote: "Only gradually does it dawn upon us – as we watch
people draw near to this or that monument, strangely they appear to shrink;
they are, of course, dwarfed by the scale of everything in the building. This
in its turn overwhelms us."<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The nave which leads to the central dome is in three bays, with piers
supporting a barrel-vault, the highest of any church. The nave is framed by
wide aisles which have a number of chapels off them. There are also chapels
surrounding the dome. Moving around the basilica in a clockwise direction they
are: The Baptistery, the Chapel of the Presentation
of the Virgin, the larger Choir Chapel, the Clementine Chapel with the altar of
St Gregory, the Sacristy Entrance, the left transept with altars to the Crucifixion
of St Peter,St Joseph and St Thomas, the altar of the Sacred Heart, the Chapel
of the Madonna of Colonna, the altar of St. Peter and the Paralytic, the apse
with St. Peter's Cathedra, the altar of St. Peter raising Tabitha, the altar of
the Archangel Michael, the altar of the Navicella, the right transept with
altars of St Erasmus, Saints Processo and Martiniano, and St Wenceslas, the
altar of St Basil, the Gregorian Chapel with the altar of the Madonna of
Succour, the larger Chapel of the Holy Sacrament, the Chapel of St Sebastian
and the Chapel of the Pietà.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<sup><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Peter's_Basilica#cite_note-Pinto-7"></a></span></sup><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> At the heart of the basilica, beneath the high
altar, is the <i>Confessio</i> or <i>Chapel of the Confession</i>, in reference
to the confession of faith by St. Peter, which led to his martyrdom. Two
curving marble staircases lead to this underground chapel at the level of the
Constantinian church and immediately above the burial place of Saint Peter.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The entire interior of St. Peter's is lavishly decorated with marble,
reliefs, architectural sculpture and gilding. The basilica contains a large
number of tombs of popes and other notable people, many of which are considered
outstanding artworks. There are also a number of sculptures in niches and
chapels, including Michelangelo’s Pietà. The central feature is a baldachin, or
canopy over the Papal Altar, designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The sanctuary culminates
in a sculptural ensemble, also by Bernini, and containing the symbolic <i>Chair
of Saint Peter</i>.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">One observer wrote: "St Peter's Basilica is the reason why <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Rome</st1:place></st1:city> is still the center
of the civilized world. For religious, historical, and architectural reasons it
by itself justifies a journey to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Rome</st1:place></st1:city>,
and its interior offers a palimpsest of artistic styles at their best..." <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson described St. Peter's as
"an ornament of the earth ... the sublime of the beautiful."<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN;">(source wiki) <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707871253846816896noreply@blogger.com0Citta' del Vaticano41.902916 12.45338900000001641.891098 12.433219000000015 41.914733999999996 12.473559000000016tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168840659242080015.post-18285190427586478652013-10-09T14:33:00.001-07:002013-10-09T14:33:10.136-07:00Lake Bolsena <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigInz8XgEhehDmMr2uddhFDyDpNsLkgfT0OOFc60GMPNErsTH9V9_mg76oNj74ax64rZoCoyf6VY7xmTWObAGNmiMF2oqsF-zwWUMe8v69outGf4V1KN_xutKFlha0Wld_QeN_p8dsOLov/s1600/bolsena2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigInz8XgEhehDmMr2uddhFDyDpNsLkgfT0OOFc60GMPNErsTH9V9_mg76oNj74ax64rZoCoyf6VY7xmTWObAGNmiMF2oqsF-zwWUMe8v69outGf4V1KN_xutKFlha0Wld_QeN_p8dsOLov/s640/bolsena2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNLMWlaO5mQbTi8FZPqnC_4EI5kfI4WTI8H9UUg4YWlMwc3BLkHzJzgQri2c8EB-Fv_DSP9b8cE6Ow6yoIxUx6M3e5Nn9XqE6a7JlYq9asCld8UOJKGTBQpAGblLJJPh7gLvtX4Q6NHm_a/s1600/bolsena.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNLMWlaO5mQbTi8FZPqnC_4EI5kfI4WTI8H9UUg4YWlMwc3BLkHzJzgQri2c8EB-Fv_DSP9b8cE6Ow6yoIxUx6M3e5Nn9XqE6a7JlYq9asCld8UOJKGTBQpAGblLJJPh7gLvtX4Q6NHm_a/s640/bolsena.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nmaU1zgE2wM/UlXLB2JLFFI/AAAAAAAABiI/AC7MKRqHgPU/s1600/IMG_1026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nmaU1zgE2wM/UlXLB2JLFFI/AAAAAAAABiI/AC7MKRqHgPU/s640/IMG_1026.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1QkPZ6NUSMc/UlXLBhWatmI/AAAAAAAABiE/r7itDR3hUPU/s1600/IMG_1085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1QkPZ6NUSMc/UlXLBhWatmI/AAAAAAAABiE/r7itDR3hUPU/s640/IMG_1085.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ga4pd-oPuX8/UlXLB1EctsI/AAAAAAAABiA/K80vnSqLNtM/s1600/IMG_1089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ga4pd-oPuX8/UlXLB1EctsI/AAAAAAAABiA/K80vnSqLNtM/s640/IMG_1089.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bM3vmXrw3mA/UlXLGeHP58I/AAAAAAAABiY/yQYvCsMTA2Y/s1600/IMG_1115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bM3vmXrw3mA/UlXLGeHP58I/AAAAAAAABiY/yQYvCsMTA2Y/s640/IMG_1115.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HHvQlSJ9O2U/UlXLKJNU7qI/AAAAAAAABio/i5tW-UFz7OM/s1600/IMG_1859b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HHvQlSJ9O2U/UlXLKJNU7qI/AAAAAAAABio/i5tW-UFz7OM/s640/IMG_1859b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeba51fIL5neetVXmHJQNz6cZnRy5O9Y6Zu2nUqoBWOXgLEEThphpGK9xrhCcUF6kQP7R7mzaS3QhvEIp6_FHR5KmD4gATHXqawjPnNTeG4lTbWHnK0GpbUBySxMn3sCqq4KVQyKU-uPUH/s1600/IMG_7170.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeba51fIL5neetVXmHJQNz6cZnRy5O9Y6Zu2nUqoBWOXgLEEThphpGK9xrhCcUF6kQP7R7mzaS3QhvEIp6_FHR5KmD4gATHXqawjPnNTeG4lTbWHnK0GpbUBySxMn3sCqq4KVQyKU-uPUH/s640/IMG_7170.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq8w9EdGXqe3c-RwrOJjGM1UjJKZNTMeI-ZCKI_9_kCBptHAsyRLVVi6Juu47c-PefiQ9dPaiLUHMJtPB38ifExfXudLl27jUaTImx8fU819_6sMp8cHH20XxlcRLsz4Xqv2kBgaPcuvOU/s1600/IMG_7204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq8w9EdGXqe3c-RwrOJjGM1UjJKZNTMeI-ZCKI_9_kCBptHAsyRLVVi6Juu47c-PefiQ9dPaiLUHMJtPB38ifExfXudLl27jUaTImx8fU819_6sMp8cHH20XxlcRLsz4Xqv2kBgaPcuvOU/s640/IMG_7204.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCrSBamgy-6Yc00odkb7tDwQ1sdgU_BgFwt4iw3TgJLriE-83kxMNCHl4ctwWCg2RdHOhEOcMVVb6sxpCEdDtT6sg61jt0Rlo2eS9r3rj8aM1Zsj5lQet6Y1YlPAdeVhxJ5Ormghqhx8Tq/s1600/lagoBolsenacs6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCrSBamgy-6Yc00odkb7tDwQ1sdgU_BgFwt4iw3TgJLriE-83kxMNCHl4ctwWCg2RdHOhEOcMVVb6sxpCEdDtT6sg61jt0Rlo2eS9r3rj8aM1Zsj5lQet6Y1YlPAdeVhxJ5Ormghqhx8Tq/s640/lagoBolsenacs6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<st1:placetype w:st="on"><span class="googqs-tidbitgoogqs-tidbit-0"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Lake</span></b></span></st1:placetype><span class="googqs-tidbitgoogqs-tidbit-0"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> <st1:placename w:st="on">Bolsena</st1:placename></span></b></span><span class="googqs-tidbitgoogqs-tidbit-0"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">
is a crater lake of central <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Italy</st1:place></st1:country-region>, of volcanic
origin, which was formed starting 370,000 years ago following the collapse of a</span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">
caldera of the Vulsini volcanic complex into a deep aquifer. Roman historic
records indicate activity of the Vulsini volcano occurred as recently as 104
BC, since when it has been dormant. The two islands in the southern part of the
lake were formed by underwater eruptions following the initial collapse of the
caldera.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The lake is supplied entirely from the aquifer, rainfall and runoff, with
one outlet at the southern end. A sewage treatment plant filters most of the
raw sewage from the surrounding communities. Constructed in 1996, it features
pipelines transporting the sewage from every major community around the lake to
the treatment plant on the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Marta</st1:placename>
<st1:placename w:st="on">River</st1:placename></st1:place>; that is, no
effluents enter the lake. Fertilizers are a second source of contamination.
However, the chemical content of the lake is monitored at several stations
around it.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Lying within the northern part of the <st1:placetype w:st="on">province</st1:placetype>
of <st1:placename w:st="on">Viterbo</st1:placename> that is called <i>Alto
Lazio</i> ("<st1:place w:st="on">Upper Latium</st1:place>") or Tuscia,
the lake has a long historic tradition. The Romans called it <i>Lacus Volsinii</i>,
adapting the Etruscan name, Velzna, of
the last Etruscan city to hold out against <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Rome</st1:place></st1:city>, which was translocated after 264 BC,
and its original location today has not been securely identified. The lake is
bordered on one side by updated forms of the Roman consular road Via Cassia..
In addition to the historic sites of all periods, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Lake</st1:placetype> <st1:placename w:st="on">Bolsena</st1:placename></st1:place>
is currently surrounded by numerous tourist establishments, largely for
camping, agrotourism and bed and breakfasts.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">One third of the lake was donated to the Church by the noble family
Alberici of Orvieto. In recognition of the donation the Alberici family was
honored with a ceremony three times a year performed by the Bishop of Orvieto.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">(source wiki)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707871253846816896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168840659242080015.post-80248501713645976732013-09-29T12:49:00.000-07:002013-09-29T12:49:48.480-07:00Ponte della Musica - Armando Trovajoli<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WzeRIi43O4c/UkiDyReL38I/AAAAAAAABfY/v-YHuTPVNpc/s1600/IMG_3164b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="604" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WzeRIi43O4c/UkiDyReL38I/AAAAAAAABfY/v-YHuTPVNpc/s640/IMG_3164b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vP2P9N1nhh0/UkiD02oY1zI/AAAAAAAABfk/U-aLDiqzdvM/s1600/IMG_3188.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vP2P9N1nhh0/UkiD02oY1zI/AAAAAAAABfk/U-aLDiqzdvM/s640/IMG_3188.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiijhafdG6daLhVpCTNjeVzBxCGVdQA33bIC05cfMvpYHk_dG-IWgLXL1dKP2vyrHVGA9vpBc2FI5Wesk-9KV6r96pIZDTTLHi8TyqWdzK7NswLCkSXju1bwVfWaVxu-Zax_kXyQm16bxGb/s1600/IMG_3193.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiijhafdG6daLhVpCTNjeVzBxCGVdQA33bIC05cfMvpYHk_dG-IWgLXL1dKP2vyrHVGA9vpBc2FI5Wesk-9KV6r96pIZDTTLHi8TyqWdzK7NswLCkSXju1bwVfWaVxu-Zax_kXyQm16bxGb/s640/IMG_3193.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Ponte della Musica is a very shallow arch bridge for
pedestrians and cyclists crossing the river <st1:place w:st="on">Tiber</st1:place>.
It is the result of close collaboration between engineer and architect which
produced an elegant structure using the highest quality materials, all of which
are typical of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Rome</st1:place></st1:city>
and have been sourced locally. It’s innovative design uses the springing points
of the arch to provide stairs for public access from below the bridge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The total length of the bridge is almost 190m, comprising
a main span of 128m and two side spans of 30m. The bridge comprises two
outwardly inclined arches made of tubular, steel-supporting, stiff transverse
frames positioned at 8.5m intervals. The arches rise 10.6m above the crown of
the deck at midspan, giving a span-to-rise ratio of about 12:1. They are fully
fixed at their concrete springing points and support the deck via inclined
hangers. The soffit of the bridge deck is 21.6m asl to provide adequate
clearance above River Tiber whose average level is 8m asl.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN">(source: Designing
Buildings Wiki)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707871253846816896noreply@blogger.com0Roma, Italia41.926985006691453 12.46126224285285441.92550850669145 12.458740742852854 41.928461506691455 12.463783742852854tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168840659242080015.post-88049245341400190222013-09-21T07:55:00.000-07:002013-09-21T07:55:06.088-07:00Archbasilica of St. John Lateran<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Facade of the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V4kpbQCdfjE/Uj2soG5lx6I/AAAAAAAABdU/8Xqzmg2h2BI/s1600/IMG_4460.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="450" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V4kpbQCdfjE/Uj2soG5lx6I/AAAAAAAABdU/8Xqzmg2h2BI/s640/IMG_4460.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Portico or Atrium and statue of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Constantine</st1:place></st1:city></span></span><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_K2V1PzvHO1px3ZoY_Z79aCq54MnIIQhBLDVoRxGKnlc1APO4qhbBFVz-bFB3FyaPgO_YpQ7BEsLyKXEo81WzoAKmQafAN10o0zDeff5Tj08wKD1uM-6oxMgTu01W1hQc1XQGiwyZzkDo/s1600/IMG_4527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_K2V1PzvHO1px3ZoY_Z79aCq54MnIIQhBLDVoRxGKnlc1APO4qhbBFVz-bFB3FyaPgO_YpQ7BEsLyKXEo81WzoAKmQafAN10o0zDeff5Tj08wKD1uM-6oxMgTu01W1hQc1XQGiwyZzkDo/s640/IMG_4527.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14.0pt;">The nave</span><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14.0pt;"> of San Giovanni in Laterano<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQVEnB7zgaKyVEtJQ_56aL1K8CB9vyFVF8FzKHHl2Mi3ZgamWr_lj-JrICacs8MziTIH_Azu9lI9CGqeKZcdvj_K9kjiywSPaeKTgWLRlISl96p_xnDWQ0bE7F5ty7dozOf4njnwA8xuFo/s1600/IMG_4478.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQVEnB7zgaKyVEtJQ_56aL1K8CB9vyFVF8FzKHHl2Mi3ZgamWr_lj-JrICacs8MziTIH_Azu9lI9CGqeKZcdvj_K9kjiywSPaeKTgWLRlISl96p_xnDWQ0bE7F5ty7dozOf4njnwA8xuFo/s640/IMG_4478.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wvU8Xcpr56Q/Uj2te3XN9OI/AAAAAAAABdk/ySTP3Zlc2bU/s1600/IMG_4478colore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wvU8Xcpr56Q/Uj2te3XN9OI/AAAAAAAABdk/ySTP3Zlc2bU/s640/IMG_4478colore.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The Papal cathedra,
which makes this basilica the cathedral of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Rome</st1:place></st1:city>, is located in the apse. The decorations are
in cosmatesque style<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidhsf0CTvpgaBukxqI4Ab1cp1WeOf2-xGJM4Zf1v6xtb8MkkWmyW802wTFUAhGVJ8I1GUptSflgej5OgQ-UDdo3c__YfqRFxJMO_uLufXEH8EpDdCk0oHHZz_ldWoBMl5ST6SLBIu91pBC/s1600/IMG_4511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidhsf0CTvpgaBukxqI4Ab1cp1WeOf2-xGJM4Zf1v6xtb8MkkWmyW802wTFUAhGVJ8I1GUptSflgej5OgQ-UDdo3c__YfqRFxJMO_uLufXEH8EpDdCk0oHHZz_ldWoBMl5ST6SLBIu91pBC/s640/IMG_4511.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x0vG2Qiq3sE/Uj2t1H7RfRI/AAAAAAAABd8/lxZShCjwErY/s1600/IMG_4512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x0vG2Qiq3sE/Uj2t1H7RfRI/AAAAAAAABd8/lxZShCjwErY/s640/IMG_4512.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">14th century gothic baldacchino</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PUG-i5f962s/Uj2uPc9-QgI/AAAAAAAABeI/2RxswPr9jTU/s1600/IMG_4508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PUG-i5f962s/Uj2uPc9-QgI/AAAAAAAABeI/2RxswPr9jTU/s640/IMG_4508.jpg" width="416" /></a></div>
<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"> <span style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify;">The cloister of the monastery, with a cosmatesque</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify;"> decoration</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: IT; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWFq4xdVgW49COluRTyqZa2VaibgAJx6JNY8TBJ_74rqKxBRcmICr7AcK_TfAAC9V_HUk_gLAiPXaIkPS-ZQoTb2nw64oW3Wu3aqJ99jbFXKqm47KlD0SwFBiItNDwhNmUR1oWptyORS2/s1600/IMG_4498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWFq4xdVgW49COluRTyqZa2VaibgAJx6JNY8TBJ_74rqKxBRcmICr7AcK_TfAAC9V_HUk_gLAiPXaIkPS-ZQoTb2nw64oW3Wu3aqJ99jbFXKqm47KlD0SwFBiItNDwhNmUR1oWptyORS2/s640/IMG_4498.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLjbDGeg60w3KCratwmEhUliay7CkAHGFx_JkRFMdCt0z6C8woO7ATsJd2J6cm4jvEIx7a80gLV5f8O5_iEk7dyxRcTaV1i-ARP6_W-L8XODxiATnPbpjWbtL_VJouWyvfqnm9-ATKnvKS/s1600/IMG_4499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLjbDGeg60w3KCratwmEhUliay7CkAHGFx_JkRFMdCt0z6C8woO7ATsJd2J6cm4jvEIx7a80gLV5f8O5_iEk7dyxRcTaV1i-ARP6_W-L8XODxiATnPbpjWbtL_VJouWyvfqnm9-ATKnvKS/s640/IMG_4499.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r7xAqIqywx0/Uj2uxmkADWI/AAAAAAAABeo/V0IFMQ1Z9jM/s1600/IMG_4502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r7xAqIqywx0/Uj2uxmkADWI/AAAAAAAABeo/V0IFMQ1Z9jM/s640/IMG_4502.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Funerary relief of freedmen of the
family of Gavi (first century BC)</span></span><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fs_yHycdnDc/Uj2viG-CfzI/AAAAAAAABew/Uoe5mqYmL2U/s1600/IMG_4504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fs_yHycdnDc/Uj2viG-CfzI/AAAAAAAABew/Uoe5mqYmL2U/s640/IMG_4504.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span class="hps"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;">Papal throne</span></span><span class="shorttext"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></span><span class="hps"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;">of Pope Nicholas</span></span><span class="shorttext"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></span><span class="hps"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;">IV</span></span><span class="shorttext"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></span><span class="hps"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;">(XII</span></span><span class="shorttext"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></span><span class="hps"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;">century</span></span></span><span class="shorttext"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">)</span><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LQnOKAeqT3g/Uj2vtEc3hZI/AAAAAAAABe4/L3RxkWnBLhk/s1600/IMG_4505.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LQnOKAeqT3g/Uj2vtEc3hZI/AAAAAAAABe4/L3RxkWnBLhk/s640/IMG_4505.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;">The Papal</span><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"> Archbasilica of St. John Lateran</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"> (Italian: </span><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;">Arcibasilica Papale di San Giovanni in Laterano</span></i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;">), commonly known as <b>St. John Lateran's Archbasilica</b>,
<b>St. John Lateran's Basilica</b>, and just <b>The Lateran Basilica</b>, is
the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_church" title="Cathedral church"><span style="text-decoration: none;">cathedral church</span></a> of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diocese_of_Rome" title="Diocese of Rome"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Diocese of
Rome</span></a> and the official ecclesiastical seat of the Bishop of Rome, who
is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope" title="Pope"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Pope</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;">It is the oldest and ranks first among the four <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_Basilica" title="Papal Basilica"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Papal
Basilicas</span></a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_basilica" title="Major basilica"><span style="text-decoration: none;">major basilicas</span></a> of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome" title="Rome"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none;">Rome</span></a> (having the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedra" title="Cathedra"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none;">cathedra</span></a> of the Bishop of Rome). It claims
the title of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecumenical" title="Ecumenical"><span style="text-decoration: none;">ecumenical</span></a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_church" title="Mother church"><span style="text-decoration: none;">mother church</span></a> among <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic_Church" title="Roman Catholic Church"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Roman Catholics</span></a>. The current <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archpriest" title="Archpriest"><span style="text-decoration: none;">archpriest</span></a>
is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agostino_Vallini" title="Agostino Vallini"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Agostino Vallini</span></a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinal_Vicar" title="Cardinal Vicar"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Cardinal
Vicar</span></a> General for the Diocese of Rome. The </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Garamond;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_French_Republic" title="President of the French Republic"><span style="text-decoration: none;">President </span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; text-decoration: none;">of the French Republic</span></a></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;">, currently <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Hollande" title="François Hollande"><span style="text-decoration: none;">François Hollande</span></a>, is <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex_officio" title="Ex officio"><span style="text-decoration: none;">ex officio</span></a></i>
the "first and only <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_(priest)#Honorary_canons" title="Canon (priest)"><span style="text-decoration: none;">honorary canon</span></a>" of the basilica, a title
held by the heads of the French state since <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Henry_IV_of_France" title="King Henry IV of France"><span style="text-decoration: none;">King Henry IV of France</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: white;">An inscription on the façade, <i>Christo Salvatori</i>,
indicates the church's dedication to "Christ the Saviour", for the
cathedrals of all patriarchs are dedicated to Christ himself. As the cathedral
of the Bishop of Rome, it ranks above all other churches in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church" title="Catholic Church"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Catholic
Church</span></a>, including <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Peter%27s_Basilica" title="St. Peter's Basilica">St. Peter's Basilica</a>. For that reason,
unlike all other Roman Basilicas, it holds the title of <i>Archbasilica</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: white;">The archbasilica is located outside of the boundaries of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_City" title="Vatican City"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Vatican City</span></a>
proper, although within the city of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome" title="Rome"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Rome</span></a>. However it enjoys <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraterritoriality" title="Extraterritoriality"><span style="text-decoration: none;">extraterritorial</span></a> status as one of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Properties_of_the_Holy_See" title="Properties of the Holy See"><span style="text-decoration: none;">properties of the Holy See</span></a>. This is also
the case with several other buildings, following the resolution of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Question" title="Roman Question"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Roman
Question</span></a> with the signing of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateran_Treaty" title="Lateran Treaty"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Lateran
Treaty</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;">The archbasilica's name in Latin is <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archibasilica" title="Archibasilica"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Archibasilica</span></a>
Sanctissimi Salvatoris et Sanctorum Iohannes Baptista et Evangelista in
Laterano</i>, which translates in English as <i>Archbasilica of the Most Holy
Saviour and Saints John the Baptist and the Evangelist at the Lateran</i>.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;">In Italian, the basilica's name
translates as <i>Arcibasilica del Santissimo Salvatore e Santi Giovanni
Battista ed Evangelista in Laterano</i>.<sup>[</sup><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: white;">The archbasilica stands over the remains of the <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castra_Nova_equitum_singularium" title="Castra Nova equitum singularium"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Castra Nova equitum singularium</span></a></i>,
the 'new fort' of the imperial cavalry bodyguard. The fort was established by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septimius_Severus" title="Septimius Severus"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Septimius
Severus</span></a> in AD 193. Following the victory of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_I" title="Constantine I"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Constantine I</span></a>
over <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxentius" title="Maxentius"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Maxentius</span></a>
(for whom the <i>Equites singulares augusti</i> had fought) at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Milvian_Bridge" title="Battle of the Milvian Bridge"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Battle of the Milvian Bridge</span></a>, the guard
were abolished and the fort demolished. Substantial remains of the fort lie
directly beneath the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nave" title="Nave"><span style="text-decoration: none;">nave</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: white;">The rest of the site was occupied during the early <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Empire" title="Roman Empire"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Roman Empire</span></a>
by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace" title="Palace"><span style="text-decoration: none;">palace</span></a>
of the <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gens" title="Gens"><span style="text-decoration: none;">gens</span></a></i>
Laterani. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucius_Sextius" title="Lucius Sextius"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Sextius Lateranus</span></a> was the first <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plebeian" title="Plebeian"><span style="text-decoration: none;">plebeian</span></a>
to attain the rank of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consul" title="Consul"><span style="text-decoration: none;">consul</span></a>, and the Laterani served as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administrator_of_the_Government" title="Administrator of the Government"><span style="text-decoration: none;">administrators</span></a> for several
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor" title="Emperor"><span style="text-decoration: none;">emperors</span></a>.
One of the Laterani, Consul-designate Plautius Lateranus, became famous for
being accused by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nero" title="Nero"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Nero</span></a>
of conspiracy against the emperor. The accusation resulted in the confiscation
and redistribution of his properties.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: white;">The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateran_Palace" title="Lateran Palace"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Lateran Palace</span></a> fell into the hands of the
emperor when <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_I" title="Constantine I"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Constantine I</span></a> married his second wife <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fausta" title="Fausta"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Fausta</span></a>, sister
of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxentius" title="Maxentius"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Maxentius</span></a>.
Known by that time as the "Domus Faustae" or "House of
Fausta," the <st1:placename w:st="on">Lateran</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Palace</st1:placetype> was eventually given to the Bishop of Rome by <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Constantine</st1:place></st1:city>. The actual
date of the gift is unknown but scholars believe it had to have been during the
pontificate of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Miltiades" title="Pope Miltiades"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Pope Miltiades</span></a>, in time to host a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synod" title="Synod"><span style="text-decoration: none;">synod</span></a> of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishop" title="Bishop"><span style="text-decoration: none;">bishops</span></a> in 313
that was convened to challenge the Donatist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schism_(religion)" title="Schism (religion)"><span style="text-decoration: none;">schism</span></a>,
declaring <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donatism" title="Donatism"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Donatism</span></a>
as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heresy" title="Heresy"><span style="text-decoration: none;">heresy</span></a>.
The palace <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica" title="Basilica"><span style="text-decoration: none;">basilica</span></a>
was converted and extended, becoming the residence of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvester_I" title="Sylvester I"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Pope St.
Silvester I</span></a>, eventually becoming the cathedral of <st1:city w:st="on">Rome</st1:city>,
the seat of the popes as bishops of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Rome</st1:place></st1:city>.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: white;">The official dedication of the Basilica and the adjacent <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Lateran</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Palace</st1:placetype></st1:place>
was presided over by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Sylvester_I" title="Pope Sylvester I"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Pope Sylvester I</span></a> in 324, declaring both to be <i>Domus
Dei</i> or "House of God." In its interior, the Papal Throne was
placed, making it the Cathedral of the Bishop of Rome. In reflection of the
basilica's claim to primacy in the world as "mother church", the
words <i>Sacrosancta Lateranensis ecclesia omnium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum
mater et caput</i> (meaning "Most Holy Lateran Church, of all the churches
in the city and the world, the mother and head") are incised in the front
wall between the main entrance doors.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: white;">The <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Lateran</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Palace</st1:placetype></st1:place> and basilica have been
rededicated twice. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Sergius_III" title="Pope Sergius III"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Pope Sergius III</span></a> dedicated them to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_John_the_Baptist" title="Saint John the Baptist"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Saint John the Baptist</span></a> in the 10th century
in honor of the newly consecrated <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptistry" title="Baptistry"><span style="text-decoration: none;">baptistry</span></a>
of the Basilica. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Lucius_II" title="Pope Lucius II"><span class="googqs-tidbit-0"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Pope Lucius II</span></span></a><span class="googqs-tidbit-0"> dedicated the <st1:placename w:st="on">Lateran</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Palace</st1:placetype> and basilica to </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_John_the_Evangelist" title="Saint John the Evangelist"><span class="googqs-tidbit-0"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Saint John
the Evangelist</span></span></a><span class="googqs-tidbit-0"> in the 12th
century. However, St. John Baptist and St. John the Evangelist</span> are
regarded as co-patrons of the Cathedral, the chief patron being Christ the
Saviour himself, as the inscription in the entrance of the Basilica indicates,
and as is tradition in the patriarchal cathedrals.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: white;">Thus, the Basilica remains dedicated to the Saviour, and its titular feast
is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feast_of_the_Transfiguration" title="Feast of the Transfiguration"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Transfiguration</span></a>. That is why sometimes the
Basilica will be referred to by the full title of <i>Archbasilica of the Most
Holy Saviour and of Sts. John Baptist and John Evangelist in the Lateran</i>.
The church became the most important shrine in honor of the two saints, not
often jointly venerated. In later years, a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedictine" title="Benedictine"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Benedictine</span></a>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monastery" title="Monastery"><span style="text-decoration: none;">monastery</span></a>
was established at the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Lateran</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Palace</st1:placetype></st1:place>, devoted to
serving the basilica as a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Place_of_worship" title="Place of worship"><span style="text-decoration: none;">devotional</span></a>
to the two saints.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: white;">Every pope
from Miltiades occupied the <st1:placename w:st="on">Lateran</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Palace</st1:placetype> until the reign of the French <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Clement_V" title="Pope Clement V"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Pope Clement
V</span></a>, who in 1309 decided to transfer the official seat of the Catholic
Church to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avignon" title="Avignon"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Avignon</span></a>,
a papal fief that was an enclave within <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France" title="France"><span style="text-decoration: none;">France</span></a>. The <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Lateran</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Palace</st1:placetype></st1:place> has also been the site of five <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecumenical_council" title="Ecumenical council"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Ecumenical councils</span></a>. See <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateran_council" title="Lateran council"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Lateran
councils</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: white;">During the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avignon_papacy" title="Avignon papacy"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Avignon
papacy</span></a>, the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Lateran</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Palace</st1:placetype></st1:place> and the basilica
began to decline. Two destructive fires ravaged the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Lateran</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Palace</st1:placetype></st1:place>
and the basilica, in 1307 and <st1:metricconverter productid="1361. In" w:st="on">1361.
In</st1:metricconverter> both cases, the <st1:city w:st="on">Avignon</st1:city>
papacy sent money to their bishops in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Rome</st1:place></st1:city>
to cover the costs of reconstruction and maintenance. Despite those actions the
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Lateran</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Palace</st1:placetype></st1:place> and the basilica lost their
former splendor.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: white;">When the <st1:city w:st="on">Avignon</st1:city> papacy formally ended and the Pope again resided
in <st1:city w:st="on">Rome</st1:city>, the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Lateran</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Palace</st1:placetype></st1:place>
and the basilica were deemed inadequate considering the accumulated damage. The
popes took up residency at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_di_Santa_Maria_in_Trastevere" title="Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere</span></a>
and later at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_di_Santa_Maria_Maggiore" title="Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore</span></a>.
Eventually, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_the_Vatican" title="Palace of the Vatican"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Palace of the Vatican</span></a> was built (adjacent
to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_St._Peter" title="Basilica of St. Peter"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Basilica of St. Peter</span></a>, that already
existed at the <st1:country-region w:st="on">Vatican</st1:country-region> since
the time of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Constantine</st1:place></st1:city>),
and the papacy moved in; the papacy remains there today.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: white;">There were
several attempts at reconstruction of the basilica before Pope Sixtus V's
definitive project. Sixtus hired his favorite architect <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domenico_Fontana" title="Domenico Fontana"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Domenico
Fontana</span></a> to oversee much of the project. The original <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Lateran</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Palace</st1:placetype></st1:place> was torn down and replaced with a
new building. On the square in front of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateran_Palace" title="Lateran Palace"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Lateran
Palace</span></a> is the largest standing <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obelisk" title="Obelisk"><span style="text-decoration: none;">obelisk</span></a>
in the world, known as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateran_Obelisk" title="Lateran Obelisk"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Lateran
Obelisk</span></a> (weight estimated at 455 tons). Its manufacture was started
by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thutmose_III" title="Thutmose III"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Thutmose III</span></a>
and it was erected by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thutmose_IV" title="Thutmose IV"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Thutmose IV</span></a> before the great <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karnak" title="Karnak"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Karnak</span></a> <st1:placetype w:st="on">temple</st1:placetype> of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thebes,_Egypt" title="Thebes, Egypt"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Thebes</span></a>,
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt" title="Egypt"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Egypt</span></a>.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: white;">Intended by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_I" title="Constantine I"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Constantine I</span></a>
to be shipped to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantinople" title="Constantinople"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Constantinople</span></a>, the very pre-occupied <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantius_II" title="Constantius II"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Constantius
II</span></a> had it shipped instead to Rome, where it was re-erected in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circus_Maximus" title="Circus Maximus"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Circus
Maximus</span></a> in 357. At some time it broke and was buried under the
Circus. In the 16th century it was located and dug up, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixtus_V" title="Sixtus V"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Sixtus V</span></a>
had it re-erected on a new pedestal on August 3, 1588 on its present site.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: white;">Further
renovation on the interior of the basilica ensued under the direction of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesco_Borromini" title="Francesco Borromini"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Francesco Borromini</span></a>, commissioned by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Innocent_X" title="Pope Innocent X"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Pope Innocent
X</span></a>. The twelve niches created by his architecture came to be filled
by 1718 with statues of the apostles, using the most prominent Roman Rococo
sculptors.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: white;">The vision
of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Clement_XII" title="Pope Clement XII"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Pope Clement XII</span></a> for reconstruction was an
ambitious one: he launched a competition to design a new façade. More than 23
architects competed, mostly working in the current <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baroque" title="Baroque"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Baroque</span></a>
idiom. The putatively impartial jury was chaired by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebastiano_Conca" title="Sebastiano Conca"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Sebastiano
Conca</span></a>, president of the Roman <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_of_Saint_Luke" title="Academy of Saint Luke"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Academy of Saint Luke</span></a>. The winner of the
competition was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alessandro_Galilei" title="Alessandro Galilei"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Alessandro Galilei</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: white;">The façade as it appears today was completed in 1735. Galilei's façade
removed all vestiges of traditional ancient basilica architecture, and imparted
a neo-classical facade.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: white;">An apse
lined with mosaics and open to the air still preserves the memory of one of the
most famous halls of the ancient palace, the "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triclinium" title="Triclinium"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Triclinium</span></a>"
of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Leo_III" title="Pope Leo III"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Pope Leo III</span></a>,
which was the state banqueting hall. The existing structure is not ancient, but
some portions of the original mosaics may have been preserved in the three-part
mosaic of its niche. In the centre Christ gives their mission to the Apostles,
on the left he gives the keys to St. Sylvester and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labarum" title="Labarum"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Labarum</span></a>
to Constantine, while on the right St. Peter gives the papal <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stole_(vestment)" title="Stole (vestment)"><span style="text-decoration: none;">stole</span></a>
to Leo III and the standard to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlemagne" title="Charlemagne"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Charlemagne</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: white;">Some few
remains of the original buildings may still be traced in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_walls" title="City walls"><span style="text-decoration: none;">city walls</span></a>
outside the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porta_San_Giovanni_(Rome)" title="Porta San Giovanni (Rome)"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Gate of St. John</span></a>, and a large wall
decorated with paintings was uncovered in the 18th century within the basilica
itself, behind the Lancellotti Chapel. A few traces of older buildings also
came to light during the excavations made in 1880, when the work of extending
the apse was in progress, but nothing was published of real value or
importance.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: white;">A great many
donations from the popes and other benefactors to the basilica are recorded in the
<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liber_Pontificalis" title="Liber Pontificalis"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Liber Pontificalis</span></a></i>, and its splendour at an
early period was such that it became known as the "Basilica Aurea",
or Golden Basilica. This splendour drew upon it the attack of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vandal" title="Vandal"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Vandals</span></a>, who
stripped it of all its treasures. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Leo_I" title="Pope Leo I"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Pope Leo I</span></a>
restored it around 460, and it was again restored by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Hadrian" title="Pope Hadrian"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Pope Hadrian</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: white;">In 897, it
was almost totally destroyed by an earthquake—<i>ab altari usque ad portas
cecidit</i> ("it collapsed from the altar to the doors"). The damage
was so extensive that it was difficult to trace the lines of the old building,
but these were in the main respected and the new building was of the same
dimensions as the old. This second church lasted for four hundred years, and
then burned in 1308. It was rebuilt by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Clement_V" title="Pope Clement V"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Pope Clement
V</span></a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_XXII" title="Pope John XXII"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Pope John XXII</span></a>. It was burned down once more in
1360, and was rebuilt by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Urban_V" title="Pope Urban V"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Pope Urban V</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: white;">Through
vicissitudes the basilica retained its ancient form, being divided by rows of
columns into aisles, and having in front a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peristyle" title="Peristyle"><span style="text-decoration: none;">peristyle</span></a>
surrounded by colonnades with a fountain in the middle, the conventional Late
Antique format that was also followed by the old <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Peter%27s_Basilica" title="Saint Peter's Basilica"><span style="text-decoration: none;">St Peter's</span></a>. The façade had three windows,
and was embellished with a mosaic representing Christ, the Saviour of the
World.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: white;">The
porticoes were frescoed, probably not earlier than the 12th century,
commemorating the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Navy" title="Roman Navy"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Roman fleet</span></a> under <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vespasian" title="Vespasian"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Vespasian</span></a>,
the taking of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem" title="Jerusalem"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Jerusalem</span></a>,
the Baptism of the Emperor Constantine and his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donation_of_Constantine" title="Donation of Constantine"><span style="text-decoration: none;">"Donation" of the Papal States</span></a>
to the Church. Inside the basilica the columns no doubt ran, as in all other
basilicas of the same date, the whole length of the church from east to west.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: white;">In one of
the rebuildings, probably that which was carried out by Clement V, the feature
of a transverse nave was introduced, imitated no doubt from the one which had
been added, long before this, at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Saint_Paul_Outside_the_Walls" title="Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the
Walls</span></a>. Probably at this time the church was enlarged.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: white;">Some
portions of the older buildings survive. Among them the pavement of medieval <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmatesque" title="Cosmatesque"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Cosmatesque</span></a>
work, and the statues of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Peter" title="St. Peter"><span style="text-decoration: none;">St. Peter</span></a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_of_Tarsus" title="Paul of Tarsus"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Saint Paul</span></a>,
now in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloister" title="Cloister"><span style="text-decoration: none;">cloisters</span></a>.
The graceful <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldachin" title="Baldachin"><span style="text-decoration: none;">baldacchino</span></a>
over the high altar, which looks out of place in its present surroundings,
dates from 1369. The <i>stercoraria</i>, or throne of red marble on which the
popes sat, is now in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_Museums" title="Vatican Museums"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Vatican Museums</span></a>. It owes its unsavoury name to
the anthem sung at the papal enthronement, "De <i>stercore</i> erigens
pauperem" ("lifting up the poor out of the dunghill", from Psalm
112).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: white;">From the 5th
century, there were seven oratories surrounding the basilica. These before long
were incorporated in the church. The devotion of visiting these oratories,
which held its ground all through the medieval period, gave rise to the similar
devotion of the seven altars, still common in many churches of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Rome</st1:place></st1:city> and elsewhere.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: white;">Of the
façade by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alessandro_Galilei" title="Alessandro Galilei"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Alessandro Galilei</span></a> (1735), the cliché
assessment has ever been that it is the façade of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace" title="Palace"><span style="text-decoration: none;">palace</span></a>, not of
a church. Galilei's front, which is a screen across the older front creating a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narthex" title="Narthex"><span style="text-decoration: none;">narthex</span></a>
or vestibule, does express the nave and double aisles of the basilica, which
required a central bay wider than the rest of the sequence; Galilei provided
it, without abandoning the range of identical arch-headed openings, by
extending the central window by flanking columns that support the arch, in the
familiar <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palladian_window" title="Palladian window"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Serlian motif</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">By bringing the central bay forward very slightly, and capping it with a
pediment that breaks into the roof balustrade, Galilei provides an entrance
doorway on a more-than-colossal scale, framed in the paired colossal <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corinthian_order" title="Corinthian order"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Corinthian
pilasters</span></a> that tie together the façade in </span><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14.0pt;">the manner introduced</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelangelo" title="Michelangelo"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Michelangelo</span></a>'s
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campidoglio" title="Campidoglio"><span style="text-decoration: none;">palace on the
Campidoglio</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(source wiki)</span></span>Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707871253846816896noreply@blogger.com0Pontificia Universita' Lateranense, Piazza San Giovanni In Laterano, 4, 00120 Roma, Italia41.885313986135564 12.50810623168945341.882358486135566 12.503063731689453 41.888269486135563 12.513148731689453tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168840659242080015.post-70748510423778547472013-09-17T02:41:00.002-07:002013-09-17T02:41:32.407-07:00*_*<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6n6eliIryTc/UjgjAfxVnbI/AAAAAAAABcA/k2j5fyl194s/s1600/ny2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6n6eliIryTc/UjgjAfxVnbI/AAAAAAAABcA/k2j5fyl194s/s640/ny2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4VCkypmmaFY/Ujgi_9Yl3FI/AAAAAAAABb8/CAz72Zf2DiI/s1600/NY.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4VCkypmmaFY/Ujgi_9Yl3FI/AAAAAAAABb8/CAz72Zf2DiI/s640/NY.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gLHFhZzhPfQ/UjgjIxk2xcI/AAAAAAAABcM/GqXaxKMBPvU/s1600/Singer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gLHFhZzhPfQ/UjgjIxk2xcI/AAAAAAAABcM/GqXaxKMBPvU/s640/Singer.JPG" width="438" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUZZQy309qYG0U1Oj_ynYgKBhf2rpBfbbYL7NxWR250cVwqeF2KFO7LoVFDOPrixrMVLOBMYjrAsAfJRmzk-_yM4M9ND19lms6ESlmM3SkKbDQL2lMJZwAiOeYvyuITrLVFpJu73Q-gJdV/s1600/Broadway_W.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUZZQy309qYG0U1Oj_ynYgKBhf2rpBfbbYL7NxWR250cVwqeF2KFO7LoVFDOPrixrMVLOBMYjrAsAfJRmzk-_yM4M9ND19lms6ESlmM3SkKbDQL2lMJZwAiOeYvyuITrLVFpJu73Q-gJdV/s640/Broadway_W.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707871253846816896noreply@blogger.com0New York, Stati Uniti40.7143528 -74.005973140.3291643 -74.65142010000001 41.0995413 -73.3605261tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168840659242080015.post-67264335528352642392013-09-10T15:19:00.000-07:002013-09-10T15:19:16.725-07:00Domkirche St. Rupert und Virgil<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprSiUJjkuKeGW7fP5_dNxRG4ddREp1GkbM3FapVemvH-40rYBNWaoBUgU1fCglpV9aPfyTcYleQVpdq2EukTaRb8BqcaYGBIghq9656SbOmT9nwFXYtsmbZ2Xta5AZov4Fa9pb7j7S0kb/s1600/Domkirche+St.+Rupert+und+Virgilrd.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprSiUJjkuKeGW7fP5_dNxRG4ddREp1GkbM3FapVemvH-40rYBNWaoBUgU1fCglpV9aPfyTcYleQVpdq2EukTaRb8BqcaYGBIghq9656SbOmT9nwFXYtsmbZ2Xta5AZov4Fa9pb7j7S0kb/s640/Domkirche+St.+Rupert+und+Virgilrd.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN">The <b>Salzburg
Cathedral</b> (German: </span><i><span lang="DE">Salzburger
Dom</span></i><span lang="EN">) is a
seventeenth-century Baroque cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of
Salzburg in the city of Salzburg , Austria, dedicated to and Saint Rupert and Saint Virgilius. Founded by Saint Rupert
in 774 on the remnants of a Roman town, the cathedral was rebuilt in 1181 after
a fire.<sup> </sup>In the seventeenth century, the cathedral was completely
rebuilt in the Baroque style under Prince-Bishop Wolf Dietrich Raitenau present appearance. Salzburg Cathedral still
contains the baptismal font in which composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was baptized.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707871253846816896noreply@blogger.com0Salisburgo, Austria47.80949 13.05501000000003847.638842499999996 12.732286500000038 47.9801375 13.377733500000039tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168840659242080015.post-36748014647519126842013-08-24T10:21:00.001-07:002013-08-24T10:21:43.171-07:00Château de Chenonceau<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUERvvPlnVTYo2eWLXOKW8Djnsu73txHaQh99745IY-B6AkNTSMYj39H6vzrq6_33atpNad4vu2wawnxgzPbslmFEolXQFOj3-hZtllJb8s3dedpkX-2wqsPnr5gj1Jug0AyKmN2ddrIEs/s1600/IMG_8192b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUERvvPlnVTYo2eWLXOKW8Djnsu73txHaQh99745IY-B6AkNTSMYj39H6vzrq6_33atpNad4vu2wawnxgzPbslmFEolXQFOj3-hZtllJb8s3dedpkX-2wqsPnr5gj1Jug0AyKmN2ddrIEs/s640/IMG_8192b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9SvCdVUVEA4/UhjqaVkshOI/AAAAAAAABa8/BWkUXJr3mKw/s1600/IMG_8234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="500" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9SvCdVUVEA4/UhjqaVkshOI/AAAAAAAABa8/BWkUXJr3mKw/s640/IMG_8234.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The <b>Château
de Chenonceau</b> is a French </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau" title="Château"><span lang="IT" style="text-decoration: none;">château</span></a> </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN;">near the small village of </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chenonceaux" title="Chenonceaux"><span lang="IT" style="text-decoration: none;">Chenonc</span><span style="text-decoration: none;">e</span><span lang="IT" style="text-decoration: none;">aux</span></a>,</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> in the </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indre-et-Loire" title="Indre-et-Loire"><span lang="IT" style="text-decoration: none;">Indre-et-Loire</span></a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%A9partement_in_France" title="Département in France"><span lang="IT" style="text-decoration: none;">département</span></a> of</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> the </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loire_Valley" title="Loire Valley"><span lang="IT" style="text-decoration: none;">Loire Valley</span></a> in</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> France.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The château
was built on the site of an old mill on the </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher_River" title="Cher River"><span lang="IT" style="text-decoration: none;">River Cher</span></a>, sometime</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> before its first mention in
writing in the 11th century. It was designed by the French Renaissance
architect <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philibert_de_l%27Orme" title="Philibert de l'Orme"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Philibert de l'Orme</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="color: white;">The original
château was torched in 1412 to punish owner Jean Marques for an act of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedition" title="Sedition"><span style="text-decoration: none;">sedition</span></a>.
He rebuilt a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau" title="Château"><span style="text-decoration: none;">château</span></a>
and fortified <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watermill" title="Watermill">mill</a> on the site in the 1430s.
Subsequently, his indebted heir Pierre Marques sold the castle to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thomas_Bohier&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Thomas Bohier (page does not exist)"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Thomas Bohier</span></a> (<a href="http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Bohier" title="fr:Thomas Bohier"><span style="text-decoration: none;">fr</span></a>)
Chamberlain for King <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_VIII_of_France" title="Charles VIII of France"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Charles VIII of France</span></a> in 1513. Bohier
destroyed the castle, though its 15th-century keep was left standing, and built
an entirely new residence between 1515 and 1521. The work was sometimes
overseen by his wife <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Bri%C3%A7onnet" title="Katherine Briçonnet"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Katherine Briçonnet</span></a>, who delighted in hosting
French nobility, including <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_I_of_France" title="Francis I of France"><span style="text-decoration: none;">King Francis I</span></a> on two occasions.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="color: white;">In 1535 the
château was seized from Bohier's son by King <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_I_of_France" title="Francis I of France"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Francis I of France</span></a> for unpaid debts to the
Crown; after Francis' death in 1547, <u><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_II_of_France" title="Henry II of France">Henry II</a></u>
offered the château as a gift to his mistress, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diane_de_Poitiers" title="Diane de Poitiers"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Diane de
Poitiers</span></a>, who became fervently attached to the château along the
river. In 1555 she commissioned <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philibert_de_l%27Orme" title="Philibert de l'Orme">Philibert de l'Orme</a>
to build the arched bridge joining the château to its opposite bank. Diane then
oversaw the planting of extensive flower and vegetable gardens along with a
variety of fruit trees. Set along the banks of the river, but buttressed from
flooding by stone terraces, the exquisite gardens were laid out in four
triangles.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="color: white;">Diane de
Poitiers was the unquestioned mistress of the castle, but ownership remained
with the crown until 1555, when years of delicate legal maneuvers finally
yielded possession to her. However, after King Henry II died in 1559, his
strong-willed widow and regent <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_de%27_Medici" title="Catherine de' Medici"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Catherine de' Medici</span></a> forced Diane to
exchange it for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_Chaumont" title="Château Chaumont"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Château</span> <span style="text-decoration: none;">Chaumont</span></a>.
Queen Catherine then made Chenonceau her own favorite residence, adding a new
series of gardens.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="color: white;">As <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regent" title="Regent">Regent</a> of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place></st1:country-region>, Catherine would spend a
fortune on the château and on spectacular nighttime parties. In 1560, the first
ever fireworks display seen in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place></st1:country-region>
took place during the celebrations marking the ascension to the throne of
Catherine's son <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_II_of_France" title="Francis II of France"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Francis II</span></a>. The grand gallery, which
extended along the existing bridge to cross the <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="color: white;">On Catherine's death in 1589 the château
went to her daughter-in-law, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_de_Lorraine-Vaud%C3%A9mont" title="Louise de Lorraine-Vaudémont"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Louise de Lorraine-Vaudémont</span></a>, wife of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_III_of_France" title="Henry III of France"><span style="text-decoration: none;">King Henry III</span></a>. At Chenonceau Louise was told
of her husband's assassination in 1589 and she fell into a state of depression,
spending the remainder of her days wandering aimlessly along the château's
corridors dressed in mourning clothes amidst somber black <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapestry" title="Tapestry"><span style="text-decoration: none;">tapestries</span></a>
stitched with skulls and crossbones.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="color: white;">After that, it was owned by Louise's
heir <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%A9sar_de_Bourbon,_duc_de_Vend%C3%B4me" title="César de Bourbon, duc de Vendôme"><span style="text-decoration: none;">César of Vendôme</span></a> and his
wife, Françoise of Lorraine, Duchess of Vendôme, and passed quietly down the <st1:place w:st="on">Valois</st1:place> line of inheritance, alternately inhabited and
abandoned for more than a hundred years.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="color: white;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Madame_Louise_Dupin&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Madame Louise Dupin (page does not exist)"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Madame Louise Dupin</span></a> (<a href="http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Marie_Madeleine_Fontaine" title="fr:Louise Marie Madeleine Fontaine">fr</a>)
by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Marc_Nattier" title="Jean-Marc Nattier"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Jean-Marc Nattier</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="color: white;">Château de Chenonceau was bought by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_of_Bourbon" title="Duke of Bourbon">Duke of Bourbon</a> in 1720. Little by little,
he sold off all of the castle's contents. Many of the fine statues ended up at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Versailles" title="Palace of Versailles"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Versailles</span></a>. The estate itself was finally
sold for 130,000 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_livre" title="French livre"><span style="text-decoration: none;">livres</span></a> in 1733 to a wealthy squire named <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Claude_Dupin&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Claude Dupin (page does not exist)"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Claude Dupin</span></a> (<a href="http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Dupin" title="fr:Claude Dupin">fr</a>).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="color: white;">Claude's wife (daughter of financier
Samuel Bernard and grandmother of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Sand" title="George Sand"><span style="text-decoration: none;">George Sand</span></a>),
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Madame_Louise_Dupin&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Madame Louise Dupin (page does not exist)"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Madame Louise Dupin</span></a> (<a href="http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Marie_Madeleine_Fontaine" title="fr:Louise Marie Madeleine Fontaine">fr</a>),
brought life back to the castle by entertaining the leaders of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Enlightenment" title="The Enlightenment"><span style="text-decoration: none;">The
Enlightenment</span></a>: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltaire" title="Voltaire"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Voltaire</span></a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_de_Secondat,_Baron_de_Montesquieu" title="Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Montesquieu</span></a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges-Louis_Leclerc,_Comte_de_Buffon" title="Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Buffon</span></a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_le_Bovier_de_Fontenelle" title="Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle</span></a>,
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_de_Marivaux" title="Pierre de Marivaux"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Pierre de Marivaux</span></a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Jacques_Rousseau" title="Jean-Jacques Rousseau"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Jean-Jacques Rousseau</span></a>. She saved the
château from destruction during the French Revolution, preserving it from being
destroyed by the Revolutionary Guard because it was essential to travel and
commerce, being the only bridge across the river for many miles. She is said to
be the one who changed the spelling of the Château (from Chenonceaux to
Chenonceau) to please the villagers during the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution" title="French Revolution"><span style="text-decoration: none;">French
Revolution</span></a>. She dropped the "x" at the end of the
Château's name to differentiate what was a symbol of royalty from the Republic.
Although no official sources have been found to support this legend, the
Château has been since referred to and accepted as Chenonceau.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="color: white;">In 1864, Daniel Wilson, a Scotsman who
had made a fortune installing gaslights throughout <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Paris</st1:place></st1:city>, bought the château for his daughter.
In the tradition of Catherine de' Medici, she would spend a fortune on
elaborate parties to such an extent that her finances were depleted and the
château was seized and sold to José-Emilio Terry, a Cuban millionaire, in 1891.
Terry sold it in 1896 to a family member, Francisco Terry, and in 1913, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menier_family" title="Menier family"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Menier family</span></a>,
famous for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menier_Chocolate" title="Menier Chocolate"><span style="text-decoration: none;">their chocolates</span></a>, bought the château and still
own it to this day.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="color: white;">During World War I the gallery was used
as a hospital ward; during the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II" title="World War II"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Second War</span></a>
it was a means of escaping from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazism" title="Nazism"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Nazi</span></a> occupied
zone on one side of the River Cher to the "free" zone on the opposite
bank.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="color: white;">In 1951, the Menier family entrusted the
château's restoration to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bernard_Voisin&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Bernard Voisin (page does not exist)"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Bernard Voisin</span></a>, who
brought the dilapidated structure and the gardens (ravaged in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher_River" title="Cher River"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Cher River</span></a>
flood in 1940) back to a reflection of its former glory.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="color: white;">An architectural mixture of late <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_architecture" title="Gothic architecture"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Gothic</span></a> and early <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_architecture" title="Renaissance architecture"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Renaissance</span></a>, Château de Chenonceau and its
gardens are open to the public. Other than the Royal <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Versailles" title="Palace of Versailles"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Palace of Versailles</span></a>, Chenonceau is the
most visited château in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="color: white;">The château is classified as a <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monument_historique" title="Monument historique"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Monument historique</span></a></i> since 1840 by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Ministry_of_Culture" title="French Ministry of Culture"><span style="text-decoration: none;">French Ministry of Culture</span></a>. Today,
Chenonceau is a major tourist attraction and in 2007 received around
800,000 visitors.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="color: white;">(source wikipedia)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707871253846816896noreply@blogger.com0Castello di Chenonceau, 37150 Chenonceau, Francia47.324936699999988 1.070165699999961421.802902199999988 -40.238428300000038 72.846971199999984 42.378759699999961tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168840659242080015.post-53748433570959846622013-08-21T03:23:00.001-07:002013-08-21T03:23:03.608-07:00Theatre of Marcellus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oGZh5C_BFiE/UhSU3oegSAI/AAAAAAAABaA/p0AMzV9N4oU/s1600/anfMarcello.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oGZh5C_BFiE/UhSU3oegSAI/AAAAAAAABaA/p0AMzV9N4oU/s640/anfMarcello.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN">The <b>Theatre of
Marcellus</b> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_language" title="Latin language"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Latin</span></a>: </span><i><span lang="LA">Theatrum
Marcelli</span></i><span lang="EN">, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_language" title="Italian language"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Italian</span></a>: </span><i><span lang="EN-GB">Teatro di Marcello</span></i><span lang="EN">) is an ancient open-air theatre in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome" title="Rome"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Rome</span></a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy" title="Italy"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Italy</span></a>, built in the
closing years of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Republic" title="Roman Republic"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Roman Republic</span></a>. At the theatre, locals and visitors alike were
able to watch performances of drama and song. Today its <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_architecture" title="Roman architecture"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">ancient edifice</span></a> in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rioni_of_Rome" title="Rioni of Rome"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">rione</span></a> of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sant%27Angelo_(rione_of_Rome)" title="Sant'Angelo (rione of Rome)"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Sant'Angelo</span></a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome" title="Rome"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Rome</span></a>, once again provides
one of the city's many popular spectacles or tourist sites. It was named after <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Claudius_Marcellus_(Julio-Claudian_dynasty)" title="Marcus Claudius Marcellus (Julio-Claudian dynasty)"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Marcus Marcellus</span></a>,
Emperor <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus" title="Augustus"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Augustus</span></a>'s
nephew, who died five years before its completion. Space for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_theatre_(structure)" title="Roman theatre (structure)"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">theatre</span></a> was cleared by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Caesar" title="Julius Caesar"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Julius Caesar</span></a>,
who was murdered before it could be begun; the theatre was so far advanced by
17 BC that part of the celebration of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular_games" title="Secular games"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">ludi saeculares</span></a>
took place within the theatre; it was completed in 13 BC and formally
inaugurated in 12 BC by Augustus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN">The theatre was <st1:metricconverter productid="111 m" w:st="on">111 m</st1:metricconverter> in diameter; it could
originally hold 11,000 spectators. It was an impressive example of what was to
become one of the most pervasive urban architectural forms of the Roman world.
The theatre was built mainly of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuff" title="Tuff"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">tuff</span></a>,
and concrete faced with stones in the pattern known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opus_reticulatum" title="Opus reticulatum"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">opus reticulatum</span></a>,
completely sheathed in white <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travertine" title="Travertine"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">travertine</span></a>. The network of arches, corridors, tunnels and
ramps that gave access to the interiors of such Roman theaters were normally
ornamented with a screen of engaged columns in Greek orders: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doric_order" title="Doric order"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Doric</span></a> at
the base, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ionic_order" title="Ionic order"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Ionic</span></a> in
the middle. It is believed that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corinthian_order" title="Corinthian order"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Corinthian</span></a>
columns were used for the upper level but this is uncertain as the theater was
reconstructed in the Middle Ages, removing the top tier of seating and the
columns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN">Like other Roman
theaters in suitable locations, it had openings through which the natural
setting could be seen, in this case the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiber_Island" title="Tiber Island"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Tiber Island</span></a>
to the southwest. The permanent setting, the <i>scaena</i>, also rose to the
top of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavea" title="Cavea"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">cavea</span></a> as
in other Roman theaters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN">The theatre fell
out of use in the early 4th century and the structure served as quarry for e.g.
the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pons_Cestius" title="Pons Cestius"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Pons Cestius</span></a>
in 370 AD. However, the statues located inside the building were restored by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petronius_Maximus" title="Petronius Maximus"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Petronius Maximus</span></a>
in 421 and the remaining structure still housed small residential buildings. In
the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Middle_Ages" title="Early Middle Ages"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Early Middle Ages</span></a> the theatre was used as a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortress" title="Fortress"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">fortress</span></a>
of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabii" title="Fabii"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Fabii</span></a> and
then at the end of the 11th century (when it was known as <i>templum Marcelli</i>),
by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pier_Leoni" title="Pier Leoni"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Pier Leoni</span></a>
and later his heirs (the Pierleoni). This saved the complex from further
destruction. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savelli" title="Savelli"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Savelli</span></a>
held it in the 13th century. Later, in the 16th century, the residence of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orsini" title="Orsini"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Orsini</span></a>, designed by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldassare_Peruzzi" title="Baldassare Peruzzi"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Baldassare Peruzzi</span></a>, was built atop the ruins of
the ancient theatre.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN">Now the upper
portion is divided into multiple apartments, and its surroundings are used as a
venue for small summer concerts; the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porticus_Octaviae" title="Porticus Octaviae"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Portico d'Ottavia</span></a>
lies to the <st1:state w:st="on">north west</st1:state> leading to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Ghetto" title="Roman Ghetto"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Roman Ghetto</span></a>
and the <st1:place w:st="on">Tiber</st1:place> to the south west.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN">In the 17th
century, the renowned <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England" title="England"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">English</span></a>
architect Sir <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Wren" title="Christopher Wren"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Christopher Wren</span></a> explicitly acknowledged that
his design for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheldonian_Theatre" title="Sheldonian Theatre"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Sheldonian Theatre</span></a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford" title="Oxford"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Oxford</span></a> was influenced
by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serlio" title="Serlio"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Serlio</span></a>'s
engraving of the Theatre of Marcellus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN">(source
wikipedia)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707871253846816896noreply@blogger.com0Teatro di Marcello, Via del Teatro di Marcello, 00186 Roma, Italia41.8919308 12.47990830000003416.369896299999997 -28.828685699999966 67.4139653 53.788502300000033tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168840659242080015.post-72115187798971858002013-08-19T15:14:00.001-07:002013-08-19T15:14:34.251-07:00Tiber<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAlzMjaeYBi90UUvyiaEilS9gUZIMe7OVKdiNBH2UUbEq7jdcwdBfBBbax2sksaaKh4uuL3JXu1X51VesrE07Xdat7ia-Q5n9ICV_cY1VUfkcC3UjqgA8J-4ljVEC_Aa_UvaJc7M6xJ50k/s1600/roma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAlzMjaeYBi90UUvyiaEilS9gUZIMe7OVKdiNBH2UUbEq7jdcwdBfBBbax2sksaaKh4uuL3JXu1X51VesrE07Xdat7ia-Q5n9ICV_cY1VUfkcC3UjqgA8J-4ljVEC_Aa_UvaJc7M6xJ50k/s640/roma.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707871253846816896noreply@blogger.com0Ponte Sisto, 00153 Roma, Italia41.8920726 12.47036249999996541.891333599999996 12.469101999999964 41.8928116 12.471622999999965tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168840659242080015.post-76811686512734670562013-07-23T08:16:00.000-07:002013-07-23T08:16:03.681-07:00Palazzo Madama - Senate of the Republic (Rome – Italy)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRI91QZZufjHd9PgPmoo8LotQk8zZWnwp_QoeG_FE26eS7NSGi5o5GesBE3G_Eh25DM5JNmHVG-848MZVxnVg_C0cEVgp3F6FuhC11Rg0AHu-KfWc27bjlrPTU7XJ8bX_vAejL7Z0iVRVu/s1600/IMG_3694+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRI91QZZufjHd9PgPmoo8LotQk8zZWnwp_QoeG_FE26eS7NSGi5o5GesBE3G_Eh25DM5JNmHVG-848MZVxnVg_C0cEVgp3F6FuhC11Rg0AHu-KfWc27bjlrPTU7XJ8bX_vAejL7Z0iVRVu/s640/IMG_3694+(2).JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 14.4pt; margin: 4.8pt 0cm 6pt;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;">It was
built atop the ruins of the ancient<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Baths_of_Nero&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Baths of Nero (page does not exist)"><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-decoration: none;">baths of Nero</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;">, next to<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piazza_Navona" title="Piazza Navona"><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-decoration: none;">Piazza Navona</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;">. The terrain had been acquired in the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Ages" title="Middle Ages"><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-decoration: none;">Middle Ages</span></a></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;">by the monks of the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbey_of_Farfa" title="Abbey of Farfa"><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-decoration: none;">Abbey of Farfa</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;">, who later ceded it to<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France" title="France"><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-decoration: none;">France</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin: 4.8pt 0cm 6pt;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;">The new building was begun at the end of the 15th century and completed
in 1505, for the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medici" title="Medici"><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-decoration: none;">Medici</span></a></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;">family.
It housed two Medici cardinals and cousins, Giovanni and Giulio, who both later
became popes as<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_X" title="Leo X"><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-decoration: none;">Leo X</span></a></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;">and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clement_VII" title="Clement VII"><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-decoration: none;">Clement VII</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;">, respectively.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_de%27_Medici" title="Catherine de' Medici"><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-decoration: none;">Catherine de'
Medici</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;">, Clement VII's niece, also lived
here before she was married to Henry, son of King<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_I_of_France" title="Francis I of France"><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-decoration: none;">Francis I of
France</span></a></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;">in 1533. As
well as<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinal_Francesco_Maria_Del_Monte" title="Cardinal Francesco Maria Del Monte"><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-decoration: none;">Cardinal
Francesco Maria Del Monte</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;">,
patron of the artist<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caravaggio" title="Caravaggio"><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-decoration: none;">Caravaggio</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;">, who died here.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin: 4.8pt 0cm 6pt;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;">The palace takes its name from Madama<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margherita_of_Austria" title="Margherita of Austria"><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-decoration: none;">Margherita of
Austria</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;">, illegitimate
daughter of Emperor<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_V,_Holy_Roman_Emperor" title="Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor"><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-decoration: none;">Charles V</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;">, who married another illegitimate son,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alessandro_de%27_Medici" title="Alessandro de' Medici"><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-decoration: none;">Alessandro
de' Medici</span></a></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;">and, after his
death,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottavio_Farnese" title="Ottavio Farnese"><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-decoration: none;">Ottavio Farnese</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;">. Thus part of the art collection of the Florentine Medici family was
inherited by the Farnese family.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin: 4.8pt 0cm 6pt;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;">The current façade was built in the mid-1650s by both<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cigoli" title="Cigoli"><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-decoration: none;">Cigoli</span></a></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;">and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paolo_Maruccelli&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Paolo Maruccelli (page does not exist)"><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-decoration: none;">Paolo
Maruccelli</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;">. The latter
added the ornate cornice and whimsical decorative urns on the roof.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin: 4.8pt 0cm 6pt;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;">After the extinction of the Medici, the palace was handed over to the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Lorraine" title="House of Lorraine"><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-decoration: none;">House of Lorraine</span></a></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;">and, later, to<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XIV" title="Pope Benedict XIV"><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-decoration: none;">Pope Benedict XIV</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;">, who made it the seat of the Papal Government. In 1849<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pius_IX" title="Pius IX"><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-decoration: none;">Pius IX</span></a></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;">moved
here the Ministries of Finances and of the Public Debt, as well as the Papal
Post Offices.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: black; font-family: Cambria;"><span style="color: white;">The Senate of the Republic is a house of the bicameral<span lang="EN-GB"> </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament_of_Italy" title="Parliament of Italy"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Italian Parliament</span></a>. It was established in its current form on 8 May 1948.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 10pt;">(source </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 10pt;">Wikipedia)</span></span></span>Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707871253846816896noreply@blogger.com0Corso Rinascimento, 00186 Roma, Italia41.8980021 12.47392939999997516.3759676 -28.834664600000025 67.4200366 53.782523399999974tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168840659242080015.post-14888941564633803402013-07-15T10:24:00.001-07:002013-07-15T10:24:14.752-07:00The flowering of Castelluccio - Norcia<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><strong><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia;">Castelluccio
di Norcia</span></strong><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia;"> (altitude of <st1:metricconverter productid="1452 meters" w:st="on">1452 meters</st1:metricconverter>) is a small
town located in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on"><em>Mount</em></st1:placetype><em> <st1:placename w:st="on">Sibillini</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">National Park</st1:placetype></em></st1:place>
a few kilometers (about 28) from </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://www.bellaumbria.net/en/norcia/" title="Norcia"><span lang="EN-GB">Norcia</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> <span lang="EN-GB">(PG), in <strong>Valnerina</strong>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="color: white;">The
borgo is located atop a hill in the middle of a <strong>plateau</strong> in front of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Mount</st1:placetype> <st1:placename w:st="on">Vettore</st1:placename></st1:place>
(<st1:metricconverter productid="2.476 m" w:st="on">2.476 m</st1:metricconverter>)
. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span class="hps"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia;">D</span></span><span class="hps"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia;">uring the year</span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia;"> <span class="hps">the park is</span> <span class="hps">poor</span> <span class="hps">of flowers</span> <span class="hps">but </span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span><strong><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">between late May and early
July of each year</span></strong><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> the </span><span class="hps"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia;">nature explodes</span></span><span class="shorttext"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></span><span class="hps"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia;">in</span></span><span class="shorttext"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></span><span class="hps"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia;">all its beauty</span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">giving the eyes an
incredible show of colours. </span><span class="hps"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia;">this</span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia;"> <span class="hps">show is</span> <span class="hps">called</span> <span class="hpsalt-edited">the flowering</span> <span class="hps">or</span> <span class="hps">blossom</span> <span class="hps">festival of Castelluccio di Norcia.</span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> When the flowers bloom the plateau bursting
with colours, with shades ranging from yellow ocher to red, from violet to
white. You can enjoy lentils (</span><span class="hps"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia;">Castelluccio</span></span><span class="shorttext"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></span><span class="hpsalt-edited"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia;">is also
known for</span></span><span class="shorttext"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></span><span class="hps"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia;">its lentils</span></span><span class="shorttext"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia;">)</span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">. gentianella, poppies,
narcissuses, violets, asphodels, clovers, oxalis and many more. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span class="hpsalt-edited"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia;">T</span></span><span class="hpsalt-edited"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia;">he flowering</span></span><span class="shorttext"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></span><span class="hps"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia;">changes every year</span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">, it depends on many
factors: how much it rained during winter and spring; the period of exposure to
the sun and so on..<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="color: white;">Despite
this, thousands of people flock every year to enjoy the show in Castelluccio<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Enjoy my
friends</span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n-CVFBVsPNo/UeQuyLGJHkI/AAAAAAAABXQ/ffxF2vC4Q34/s1600/bicolor_W.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n-CVFBVsPNo/UeQuyLGJHkI/AAAAAAAABXQ/ffxF2vC4Q34/s640/bicolor_W.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tg2uSd7cNn4/UeQvJVDRulI/AAAAAAAABXg/5IDl3ODJQfE/s1600/IMG_2941.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tg2uSd7cNn4/UeQvJVDRulI/AAAAAAAABXg/5IDl3ODJQfE/s640/IMG_2941.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvL8Nq8DicEZE_bV5w_ntg59-J32v8eJngjMOdUj_9Zn0LX-QfOsTOxqsZbBgIFRZbMnqsXWFU9CN-qy93HVxoQ0OCbn8TK02V53UrWkoWZ1HJVlTW_EpPkZTWsR8NSKsQaIvGg9HFaoLv/s1600/IMG_2960.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvL8Nq8DicEZE_bV5w_ntg59-J32v8eJngjMOdUj_9Zn0LX-QfOsTOxqsZbBgIFRZbMnqsXWFU9CN-qy93HVxoQ0OCbn8TK02V53UrWkoWZ1HJVlTW_EpPkZTWsR8NSKsQaIvGg9HFaoLv/s640/IMG_2960.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXqqMraoucuL1qkobI6wrjXoBNDleiNG2SjrA_No-C_5PfHKuN8V9mMUsRpfTlxDLxyx-jxYstReqX7VOHyGJZxeJZsdfkA9y16t8MxCIDEzSlymQsyYclDF6xMZ2kIA0S-N5Up72D6A1N/s1600/IMG_2965.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXqqMraoucuL1qkobI6wrjXoBNDleiNG2SjrA_No-C_5PfHKuN8V9mMUsRpfTlxDLxyx-jxYstReqX7VOHyGJZxeJZsdfkA9y16t8MxCIDEzSlymQsyYclDF6xMZ2kIA0S-N5Up72D6A1N/s640/IMG_2965.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_oI-8qIU8wwnWl5mJb6-ze6DqeDTd_5H6SiueU72gGiUKZZAR4PyWHLa3Do2KUm9cUdQSE8HLLxq8jnz3y3Df0tur8omn8CWTd7vJLdYNtM7CupCNeZ_Izio3LjPc6LSOd-L9bFhwTTMh/s1600/IMG_2972.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_oI-8qIU8wwnWl5mJb6-ze6DqeDTd_5H6SiueU72gGiUKZZAR4PyWHLa3Do2KUm9cUdQSE8HLLxq8jnz3y3Df0tur8omn8CWTd7vJLdYNtM7CupCNeZ_Izio3LjPc6LSOd-L9bFhwTTMh/s640/IMG_2972.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRoq8UAU4U0IUY90y1vfi5bJo5l8jsoFLUwKni_j1hp8YJsJopyiLFoslVK0529rieMr-nsbYPuTYkW0UuQqTf8WJnQsKR0jSmvl1L8yXOdBLJ5T2dnkeLnhfJ3CyNe_Ek3FOvoT-1Pxkz/s1600/IMG_2991.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRoq8UAU4U0IUY90y1vfi5bJo5l8jsoFLUwKni_j1hp8YJsJopyiLFoslVK0529rieMr-nsbYPuTYkW0UuQqTf8WJnQsKR0jSmvl1L8yXOdBLJ5T2dnkeLnhfJ3CyNe_Ek3FOvoT-1Pxkz/s640/IMG_2991.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1nC7CPO27GQ/UeQvZzHVd_I/AAAAAAAABX4/i8NhVCSPwp4/s1600/IMG_2999.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1nC7CPO27GQ/UeQvZzHVd_I/AAAAAAAABX4/i8NhVCSPwp4/s640/IMG_2999.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bCfSYuhAsjs/UeQvnbCN0CI/AAAAAAAABYQ/0jKzP78Vn9c/s1600/IMG_3071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bCfSYuhAsjs/UeQvnbCN0CI/AAAAAAAABYQ/0jKzP78Vn9c/s640/IMG_3071.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqdyQQ2S4VMhLhQyMRtIQKRC_sBVggCX30c4GNyMPBQ2FFPySqlW9hrktz9XM3vuSb-GVlPRhZluwCAN9SKzB6Oq29eiIVVWaYZx88WQIcaZMiIYo4yi9Qqk_-IJ4fymb36zwNteMEa_SN/s1600/IMG_3100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqdyQQ2S4VMhLhQyMRtIQKRC_sBVggCX30c4GNyMPBQ2FFPySqlW9hrktz9XM3vuSb-GVlPRhZluwCAN9SKzB6Oq29eiIVVWaYZx88WQIcaZMiIYo4yi9Qqk_-IJ4fymb36zwNteMEa_SN/s640/IMG_3100.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br /></span></span>Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707871253846816896noreply@blogger.com006046 Castelluccio PG, Italia42.8288889 13.20583329999999542.8230664 13.195748299999995 42.8347114 13.215918299999995tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168840659242080015.post-78504838363538711462012-12-24T06:09:00.001-08:002012-12-24T06:09:23.818-08:00Vice versa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bqT2x5mZha4/UNhg6g7sUwI/AAAAAAAABQE/TEGmHB1JjvE/s1600/Vice+versa.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bqT2x5mZha4/UNhg6g7sUwI/AAAAAAAABQE/TEGmHB1JjvE/s640/Vice+versa.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">The <b>Mausoleum
of Hadrian</b>, usually known as the <b>Castel Sant'Angelo</b> (English: <i>Castle
of the Holy Angel</i>), is a towering cylindrical building in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parco_Adriano" title="Parco Adriano">Parco
Adriano</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome" title="Rome">Rome</a>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Italy</st1:country-region>. It was initially commissioned by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Emperor" title="Roman Emperor">Roman
Emperor</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadrian" title="Hadrian">Hadrian</a>
as a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mausoleum" title="Mausoleum">mausoleum</a>
for himself and his family. The building was later used by the popes as a
fortress and castle, and is now a museum.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">The tomb of the
Roman emperor <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadrian" title="Hadrian">Hadrian</a>,
also called <b>Hadrian's mole</b>, was erected on the <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/right_bank" title="wikt:right bank">right
bank</a> of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiber" title="Tiber">Tiber</a>,
between 130 AD and 139 AD. Originally the mausoleum was a decorated cylinder,
with a garden top and golden <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadriga" title="Quadriga">quadriga</a>. Hadrian's ashes were placed here a year after his
death in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baiae" title="Baiae">Baiae</a> in
138 AD, together with those of his wife <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vibia_Sabina" title="Vibia Sabina">Sabina</a>,
and his first adopted son, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucius_Aelius" title="Lucius Aelius">Lucius Aelius</a>, who also died in 138 AD. Following
this, the remains of succeeding emperors were also placed here, the last
recorded deposition being <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caracalla" title="Caracalla">Caracalla</a> in 217 AD. The urns containing these ashes were
probably placed in what is now known as the Treasury room deep within the
building. Hadrian also built the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponte_Sant%27Angelo" title="Ponte Sant'Angelo">Pons Aelius</a> facing straight onto the mausoleum –
it still provides a scenic approach from the center of Rome and the right bank
of the Tiber, and is renowned for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baroque" title="Baroque">Baroque</a> additions
of statues of angels holding aloft elements of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passion_of_Christ" title="Passion of Christ">Passion
of Christ</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Much of the tomb contents and decorations have been lost since the
building's conversion to a military <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortification" title="Fortification">fortress</a>
in 401 and its subsequent inclusion in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurelian_Walls" title="Aurelian Walls">Aurelian
Walls</a> by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavius_Augustus_Honorius" title="Flavius Augustus Honorius">Flavius Augustus Honorius</a>. The urns and
ashes were scattered by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visigoths" title="Visigoths">Visigoth</a> looters during <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaric_I" title="Alaric I">Alaric</a>'s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sack_of_Rome_(410)" title="Sack of Rome (410)">sacking of Rome</a> in 410, and the original
decorative bronze and stone statuary were thrown down upon the attacking <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goths" title="Goths">Goths</a> when they
besieged Rome in 537, as recounted by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procopius" title="Procopius">Procopius</a>. An
unusual survivor, however, is the capstone of a funerary urn (probably that of
Hadrian), which made its way to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Saint_Peter%27s_Basilica" title="Old Saint Peter's Basilica">Saint Peter's Basilica</a> and was
incorporated into a massive <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance" title="Renaissance">Renaissance</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptistery" title="Baptistery">baptistery</a>.
The use of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spolia" title="Spolia">spolia</a>
from the tomb in the post-Roman period was noted in the 16th century - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giorgio_Vasari" title="Giorgio Vasari">Giorgio
Vasari</a> writes:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">...in order to build churches for the
use of the Christians, not only were the most honoured temples of the idols
[pagan Roman gods] destroyed, but in order to ennoble and decorate Saint
Peter's with more ornaments than it then possessed, they took away the stone
columns from the tomb of Hadrian, now the castle of Sant'Angelo, as well as
many other things which we now see in ruins. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Legend holds that the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archangel_Michael" title="Archangel Michael">Archangel
Michael</a> appeared atop the mausoleum, sheathing his sword as a sign of the
end of the plague of 590, thus lending the castle its present name. A less
charitable yet more apt elaboration of the legend, given the militant
disposition of this archangel, was heard by the 15th century traveler, who saw
an angel statue on the castle roof. He recounts that during a prolonged season
of the plague, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Gregory_I" title="Pope Gregory I">Pope Gregory I</a> heard that the populace, even
Christians, had begun revering a pagan idol at the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">church</st1:placetype> of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Santa_Agata_in_Suburra&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Santa Agata in Suburra (page does not exist)">Santa Agata in Suburra</a>.
A vision urged the Pope to lead a procession to the church. Upon arriving, the
idol miraculously fell apart with a clap of thunder. Returning to St Peter's
by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponte_Sant%27Angelo" title="Ponte Sant'Angelo">Aelian Bridge</a>, the Pope had another vision of an
angel atop the castle, wiping the blood from his sword on his mantle, and then
sheathing it. While the Pope interpreted this as a sign that God was appeased,
this did not detract Gregory from destroying more sites of pagan worship in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Rome</st1:place></st1:city>.<o:p></o:p></st1:place></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">The popes converted the structure
into a castle, beginning in the 14th century; <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Nicholas_III" title="Pope Nicholas III">Pope
Nicholas III</a> connected the castle to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Peter%27s_Basilica" title="St. Peter's Basilica">St. Peter's Basilica</a> by a covered fortified
corridor called the <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passetto_di_Borgo" title="Passetto di Borgo">Passetto di Borgo</a>.</i> The fortress was the
refuge of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Clement_VII" title="Pope Clement VII">Pope Clement VII</a> from the siege of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_V,_Holy_Roman_Emperor" title="Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor">Charles V</a>'s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landsknecht" title="Landsknecht">Landsknechte</a>
during the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sack_of_Rome_(1527)" title="Sack of Rome (1527)">Sack of Rome (1527)</a>, in which <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benvenuto_Cellini" title="Benvenuto Cellini">Benvenuto
Cellini</a> describes strolling the ramparts and shooting enemy soldiers.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Leo_X" title="Pope Leo X">Leo X</a>
built a chapel with a <i>Madonna</i> by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raffaello_da_Montelupo" title="Raffaello da Montelupo">Raffaello da Montelupo</a>. In 1536 Montelupo
also created a marble statue of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Michael" title="Saint Michael">Saint
Michael</a> holding his sword after the 590 plague (as described <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castel_Sant'Angelo#Destruction#Destruction">above</a>)
to surmount the Castel.<sup id="cite_ref-4"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castel_Sant'Angelo#cite_note-4#cite_note-4">[4]</a></sup>
Later <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Paul_III" title="Pope Paul III">Paul
III</a> built a rich apartment, to ensure that in any future siege the Pope had
an appropriate place to stay.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Montelupo's statue was replaced
by a bronze statue of the same subject, executed by the Flemish sculptor <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Anton_von_Verschaffelt" title="Peter Anton von Verschaffelt">Peter Anton von Verschaffelt</a>, in 1753.
Verschaffelt's is still in place, though Montelupo's can be seen in an open
court in the interior of the Castle.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">The Papal state also used
Sant'Angelo as a prison; <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giordano_Bruno" title="Giordano Bruno">Giordano Bruno</a>, for example, was imprisoned there
for six years. another prisoner was the goldsmith <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benvenuto_Cellini" title="Benvenuto Cellini">Benvenuto
Cellini</a>. Executions were made in the small interior square. As a prison, it
was also the setting for the third act of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giacomo_Puccini" title="Giacomo Puccini">Giacomo
Puccini</a>'s <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tosca" title="Tosca">Tosca</a></i>
from whose ramparts the eponymous heroine of the opera leaps to her death<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">The Castel Sant'Angelo was
featured in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Brown" title="Dan Brown">Dan
Brown</a>'s 2000 novel <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angels_%26_Demons" title="Angels & Demons">Angels
& Demons</a></i>. The location was the secret <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lair" title="Lair">lair</a> for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hassassin_(Angels_%26_Demons)" title="Hassassin (Angels & Demons)">Hassassin</a> and contained the last
existing church of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illuminati" title="Illuminati">Illuminati</a>. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passetto_di_Borgo" title="Passetto di Borgo">Passetto
di Borgo</a> was described as a secret passageway between the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Vatican</st1:place></st1:country-region> and the
Castel. It subsequently appeared in the 2009 film based on the novel <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angels_%26_Demons_(film)" title="Angels & Demons (film)">Angels & Demons</a></i>. The Castel has
also appeared in the film <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Holiday_(1953_film)" title="Roman Holiday (1953 film)">Roman Holiday</a></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">The Castel is one of the settings
of <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endymion_(Simmons_novel)" title="Endymion (Simmons novel)">Endymion</a></i> and <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rise_of_Endymion" title="The Rise of Endymion">The Rise of Endymion</a></i>, books in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperion_Cantos" title="Hyperion Cantos">Hyperion
Cantos</a> by author <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Simmons" title="Dan Simmons">Dan Simmons</a>. However, it is set on the fictional planet
Pacem. It serves as a prison and site of the torture of several protagonists in
the novels.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">The Castel is featured
prominently in Puccini's opera <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tosca" title="Tosca">Tosca</a></i>. The Castel serves as the prison and location of
execution of Mario Cavaradossi. Floria Tosca also throws herself from the
rooftop after discovering Cavaradossi's death to escape capture by Scarpia's
henchmen.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">In 1980, two <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States" title="United States">American</a>
rock bands performed concerts outside the Castel. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiss_(band)" title="Kiss (band)">Kiss</a>
performed in August and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ramones" title="The Ramones">The Ramones</a> performed in September.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">The Castel has appeared twice in
the <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassin%27s_Creed" title="Assassin's Creed">Assassin's Creed game series</a></i>. It first
appeared in <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassin%27s_Creed_II" title="Assassin's Creed II">Assassin's Creed II</a></i>, and was featured more
prominently in the following <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassin%27s_Creed:_Brotherhood" title="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood">Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood</a></i>. It
is depicted as the official residence of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Alexander_VI" title="Pope Alexander VI">Pope
Alexander VI</a> and his children <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesare_Borgia" title="Cesare Borgia">Cesare</a>
and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucrezia_Borgia" title="Lucrezia Borgia">Lucrezia Borgia</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">The design of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McKinley_National_Memorial" title="McKinley National Memorial">McKinley National Memorial</a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canton,_Ohio" title="Canton, Ohio">Canton,
Ohio</a>, the final resting place of US President <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_McKinley" title="William McKinley">William
McKinley</a> and his family, was based on the Castel according to its
architect, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Van_Buren_Magonigle" title="Harold Van Buren Magonigle">Harold Van Buren Magonigle</a>.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"><span lang="EN">(</span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10pt;">Source Wikipedia</span></span></span><span lang="EN"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;">)</span></span><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707871253846816896noreply@blogger.com11Piazza di Ponte Sant'Angelo, 28, 00186 Roma, Italia41.901122400000013 12.46691590000000416.379087900000012 -28.841678099999996 67.423156900000009 53.7755099tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168840659242080015.post-64618022367487779032012-04-29T15:13:00.000-07:002012-05-04T07:09:52.657-07:00From Provence to Brittany - First stop - Avignon - I know the north of France but had never gone to South so last summer we decided to go to Paris, passing through Provence Follow me on this journey ...<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Ik5spwxuphxRgugNaQEB0ng3GvBB-me4pKDppBQe-mkeGfAUujgjNTNTmnwD-4gS_Uq9IL3z3S6z2cp81Lv1A71ORkomXvzQXBAp_sCeHk-rzRKCsGZFmsFTYuyu5nxX5yrYA2AHkp7h/s1600/arrivo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Ik5spwxuphxRgugNaQEB0ng3GvBB-me4pKDppBQe-mkeGfAUujgjNTNTmnwD-4gS_Uq9IL3z3S6z2cp81Lv1A71ORkomXvzQXBAp_sCeHk-rzRKCsGZFmsFTYuyu5nxX5yrYA2AHkp7h/s640/arrivo.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">The walls that were built
by the popes</span></div>
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<span style="background-color: black;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0X0IGOlkGcY/T52okXKJSqI/AAAAAAAABCM/KYq-raxHmm4/s1600/azzurraelanotte.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0X0IGOlkGcY/T52okXKJSqI/AAAAAAAABCM/KYq-raxHmm4/s640/azzurraelanotte.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">The Rhone</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbLBOASXXZ6AiSJi7hOeqXrywUseaCJO6uNCddZnhEJDkqPWGYJNfGg_YSnBdb3iaY3O28dXJ3_8IsWQdM-a6evEOYXBMbQtj_Ov1ljEUM3rAf4TGInEnQybue1ZAJV9YtymUAL9-rlSLX/s1600/dueperlastrada.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbLBOASXXZ6AiSJi7hOeqXrywUseaCJO6uNCddZnhEJDkqPWGYJNfGg_YSnBdb3iaY3O28dXJ3_8IsWQdM-a6evEOYXBMbQtj_Ov1ljEUM3rAf4TGInEnQybue1ZAJV9YtymUAL9-rlSLX/s640/dueperlastrada.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: center;">
<span class="hps"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">Nigth shot of </span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">Palais des Papes</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iIJjqSom_EY/T52qKWC5JdI/AAAAAAAABCk/Bx-QjFCwi_8/s1600/larivaoppostaavig.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iIJjqSom_EY/T52qKWC5JdI/AAAAAAAABCk/Bx-QjFCwi_8/s640/larivaoppostaavig.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Cambria;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Cambria;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Cambria;"><span class="hps"></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jPD580ZIsPM/T52qgNPa3CI/AAAAAAAABCs/WyalNgDyf98/s1600/notturnoavignone.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jPD580ZIsPM/T52qgNPa3CI/AAAAAAAABCs/WyalNgDyf98/s640/notturnoavignone.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Cambria;"><span style="color: windowtext;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">Night shot of the Pont d'Avignon (</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;">Saint-Bénezet)</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PK9Lc-M-ZVw/T52q_8l0rJI/AAAAAAAABC0/P8N46Nrcg9Q/s1600/portaestavih.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PK9Lc-M-ZVw/T52q_8l0rJI/AAAAAAAABC0/P8N46Nrcg9Q/s640/portaestavih.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">The ring road</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7o3kt46L_d6-fAx8J473dFnvwc_P2hHU4km0EBmkfs8Cq_1bZWuqUZehxyTtHSxYH7lfSh8pjUD-a8L3YUOMX8ZYSnrh1z5B8hRYQgD7DWiBAjLOVd2hOPwvOY8p2Ri6dQ8EWVzy_2xE-/s1600/pontdaladier+%282%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7o3kt46L_d6-fAx8J473dFnvwc_P2hHU4km0EBmkfs8Cq_1bZWuqUZehxyTtHSxYH7lfSh8pjUD-a8L3YUOMX8ZYSnrh1z5B8hRYQgD7DWiBAjLOVd2hOPwvOY8p2Ri6dQ8EWVzy_2xE-/s640/pontdaladier+%282%29.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: center;">
<span class="hps">Bridge</span> <span class="hps">Daladier</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzz4_YvE8XlXo4pckA_OCoaR55dSwkPS-K3us09UuDS2werKD9ox4n4qW6faOUHM6NT01eov6mb4x1HoHXAKg7SQyKg-WBYrIGLojsTIIkOg2z2C1D4ebYKgl2mV0leBt7E6IVR773FOC/s1600/panoramaemiciottofr.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzz4_YvE8XlXo4pckA_OCoaR55dSwkPS-K3us09UuDS2werKD9ox4n4qW6faOUHM6NT01eov6mb4x1HoHXAKg7SQyKg-WBYrIGLojsTIIkOg2z2C1D4ebYKgl2mV0leBt7E6IVR773FOC/s640/panoramaemiciottofr.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">Fantastic sky</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y2pbooZwx0A/T52tL6BWJ1I/AAAAAAAABDU/y51Tmjwbz5I/s1600/pontavignon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y2pbooZwx0A/T52tL6BWJ1I/AAAAAAAABDU/y51Tmjwbz5I/s640/pontavignon.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">Pont d’Avignon </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">(Saint-Bénezet) </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;"> in the evening</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihqgCDCbJql29DsVVDFf3toziYnBXscLjZhSC_qp0FXwxVctToGd6hpKMldGOFbxRL9lVOXaght5x4LXAXsle3YRTDyriSiTy80Ui9qPGkBC6yv1gAf8LWmpbRSIJ0RIDjovehXv7R0scL/s1600/TraDUEb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihqgCDCbJql29DsVVDFf3toziYnBXscLjZhSC_qp0FXwxVctToGd6hpKMldGOFbxRL9lVOXaght5x4LXAXsle3YRTDyriSiTy80Ui9qPGkBC6yv1gAf8LWmpbRSIJ0RIDjovehXv7R0scL/s640/TraDUEb.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlEqIkfMwTicemE4ljA8dGhwmxj5NB7w2hN5vjX05ewVvTnRTJDXTuABuSuj6BsFJS-jd2iL2x_EDMJO2ABpdfHzaTN-3GMfg7HlFQ9OhQA7tS-DbS0AmFy3QJdbG0jV1xYKaBcc1j0Ql5/s1600/tramontospeciale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlEqIkfMwTicemE4ljA8dGhwmxj5NB7w2hN5vjX05ewVvTnRTJDXTuABuSuj6BsFJS-jd2iL2x_EDMJO2ABpdfHzaTN-3GMfg7HlFQ9OhQA7tS-DbS0AmFy3QJdbG0jV1xYKaBcc1j0Ql5/s640/tramontospeciale.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;">Sunset
(from Notre Dame des Doms)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl_ar0seqk9QkUW2iqf9LLpm1biQr35v74SOeBqtb4wy9IYQWDigPyTbSuzN-w2thRku_j1eD2kGXFGV3EDGM6FdYh1k_HQoWSuRb0urrkezzQ09esT1SJbLW6rSKsoDVRFvHlKZ5kaFCE/s1600/langelo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl_ar0seqk9QkUW2iqf9LLpm1biQr35v74SOeBqtb4wy9IYQWDigPyTbSuzN-w2thRku_j1eD2kGXFGV3EDGM6FdYh1k_HQoWSuRb0urrkezzQ09esT1SJbLW6rSKsoDVRFvHlKZ5kaFCE/s640/langelo.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span>The walls</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F7at6AWvIv0/T52xC7ZS8AI/AAAAAAAABD0/VRqyBmmK3y4/s1600/hermes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F7at6AWvIv0/T52xC7ZS8AI/AAAAAAAABD0/VRqyBmmK3y4/s640/hermes.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">Hermès</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iq0bQNCxUcw/T52xKUroBpI/AAAAAAAABD8/Wda7OmWWsAE/s1600/hoteleurope.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iq0bQNCxUcw/T52xKUroBpI/AAAAAAAABD8/Wda7OmWWsAE/s640/hoteleurope.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Hotel D’Europe - Place de l'Horloge in centre-ville</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-poY--FYwXH0/T52xSoFGNmI/AAAAAAAABEE/Jdpzllyy__s/s1600/lecrillon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-poY--FYwXH0/T52xSoFGNmI/AAAAAAAABEE/Jdpzllyy__s/s640/lecrillon.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Restaurant Le Crillon - Place de l'Horloge in
centre-ville</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7sIP2HONbJQI9Fzs-otKCAiaMLTNU2XXax_nnYDYidqI9wqXQu3ABYbb8TVFdm0Ehz8cKwbZB9HLvLq7RpBbYE211Dqd5zzocUErU1tib2-4HjFeI91sr5XUtesYc6N4JCm7lfmvvG-o7/s1600/municipioavignone2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7sIP2HONbJQI9Fzs-otKCAiaMLTNU2XXax_nnYDYidqI9wqXQu3ABYbb8TVFdm0Ehz8cKwbZB9HLvLq7RpBbYE211Dqd5zzocUErU1tib2-4HjFeI91sr5XUtesYc6N4JCm7lfmvvG-o7/s640/municipioavignone2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">Hotel de Ville - </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">Place de l'Horloge in
centre-ville</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m1hsE_TwkSA/T52ywXlqg_I/AAAAAAAABEU/4K0ReVGjZ4c/s1600/rientroinalbergo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m1hsE_TwkSA/T52ywXlqg_I/AAAAAAAABEU/4K0ReVGjZ4c/s640/rientroinalbergo.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">People</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C1fNpdYPWmg/T52y-MAEovI/AAAAAAAABEc/A7I9MhV4YrU/s1600/viarepubblica.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C1fNpdYPWmg/T52y-MAEovI/AAAAAAAABEc/A7I9MhV4YrU/s640/viarepubblica.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">Rue de la Republique, the city's main central boulevard</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OGBNOP_WShE/T52zxaj35gI/AAAAAAAABEk/5WG0AAh31RQ/s1600/caff%C3%A8fr.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="380" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OGBNOP_WShE/T52zxaj35gI/AAAAAAAABEk/5WG0AAh31RQ/s640/caff%C3%A8fr.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YivKgTi651s/T520DLghlxI/AAAAAAAABEs/q7RAapufEco/s1600/castelloavignoneb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="274" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YivKgTi651s/T520DLghlxI/AAAAAAAABEs/q7RAapufEco/s640/castelloavignoneb.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">The Notre Dame des Doms
cathedral ( located in the heart of Avignon,
near the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palais_des_Papes" style="color: white;" title="Palais des Papes">Palais des Papes</a><span style="color: white;">)</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpEj9E7jenNHHaUoOTwgvnGeh1KK6KI152HTHKRSu9Ni6Xc1JQRDJlDUjCFJCUiVEURWCkBZVzvyGIePeB43XHUkzo9xXHulzH0rB6uSR7AL8GuTGqiHHr5yswwJ4dLj0PP3mGhMBw0fXw/s1600/scorciopapi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpEj9E7jenNHHaUoOTwgvnGeh1KK6KI152HTHKRSu9Ni6Xc1JQRDJlDUjCFJCUiVEURWCkBZVzvyGIePeB43XHUkzo9xXHulzH0rB6uSR7AL8GuTGqiHHr5yswwJ4dLj0PP3mGhMBw0fXw/s640/scorciopapi.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBiCrXH4zf2ter3V8jUf9AidTKp7iI_bZwYExWQe1ftZlv2Pg-KIYRTpDdYlfy5wMhVBO0Je8Kj08DtuPV5UdbDg0eepaV3zNGuvJYTsg0yZmsbqn65htkIR1n-v-YLwwSArt26tZl8kgz/s1600/ok+%2822%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBiCrXH4zf2ter3V8jUf9AidTKp7iI_bZwYExWQe1ftZlv2Pg-KIYRTpDdYlfy5wMhVBO0Je8Kj08DtuPV5UdbDg0eepaV3zNGuvJYTsg0yZmsbqn65htkIR1n-v-YLwwSArt26tZl8kgz/s640/ok+%2822%29.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN" style="background-color: black; color: #333333; font-family: Arial;">S</span><span lang="EN" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Cambria;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">quare
the Palace of the Popes (UNESCO </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Heritage_Site" style="background-color: black; color: white;" title="World Heritage Site">World Heritage Site</a><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">)</span>
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R6Jq1V-SvGk/T520W8wE26I/AAAAAAAABE8/uMCXhGpeSaw/s1600/targa.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R6Jq1V-SvGk/T520W8wE26I/AAAAAAAABE8/uMCXhGpeSaw/s640/targa.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">Paul V's coat-of-arms on a building located
opposite the Papal
Palace</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkBI-dPr8nUpa1wJc29W97IkVZztnn50wlZap9fRg0ZuJIwacZzVlW31QNCLOSiGS2zd6flrPshIGhDySFC9dVBJwJmu54dh_t6MLMonPnLDJghFH7EbAyO9ze4-tQECg9x11m_vN5CEQa/s1600/notredameavignone.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkBI-dPr8nUpa1wJc29W97IkVZztnn50wlZap9fRg0ZuJIwacZzVlW31QNCLOSiGS2zd6flrPshIGhDySFC9dVBJwJmu54dh_t6MLMonPnLDJghFH7EbAyO9ze4-tQECg9x11m_vN5CEQa/s640/notredameavignone.JPG" width="622" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">Notre Dame des Doms
cathedral shows the Palais des Papes
just to the right</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dli2ogq7o5s/T524diN2OhI/AAAAAAAABFc/SvYBLMzz8e4/s1600/placedanielsoriano.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="570" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dli2ogq7o5s/T524diN2OhI/AAAAAAAABFc/SvYBLMzz8e4/s640/placedanielsoriano.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">Place Daniel Soriano </span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">A few of the very artistic Avignon building façade
paintings in centre-ville</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4HtpgBgQ-ywBeXSaSUjHa9vLwvyabTQ9fR_epwByXv5j_RSuITHUScbqHqLJzinz-Ryr0FdWu6CQ_Bml1moYJ5m4X2kQLoGdsZ7ojykGLpSh_29T6DD13-mtA-5gbAD_Oek0s5H4Q_N7/s1600/ristoVIfr.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4HtpgBgQ-ywBeXSaSUjHa9vLwvyabTQ9fR_epwByXv5j_RSuITHUScbqHqLJzinz-Ryr0FdWu6CQ_Bml1moYJ5m4X2kQLoGdsZ7ojykGLpSh_29T6DD13-mtA-5gbAD_Oek0s5H4Q_N7/s640/ristoVIfr.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;">Restaurant Christian Etienne</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTJcxD24nYwg_WFHIePvBUBYwiLpjz-3QmXhRQPjcS7fXWTUreTe-TpGlcYhOfSm_CI1gj3Xof0Sl02lfw04N3JbBnCiP2qRpCN9swV8Iof_diaU45dVmxiUj8mhTveBfZopsWIJublE-T/s1600/Rue+de+la+Peyrolerietg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTJcxD24nYwg_WFHIePvBUBYwiLpjz-3QmXhRQPjcS7fXWTUreTe-TpGlcYhOfSm_CI1gj3Xof0Sl02lfw04N3JbBnCiP2qRpCN9swV8Iof_diaU45dVmxiUj8mhTveBfZopsWIJublE-T/s640/Rue+de+la+Peyrolerietg.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">Rue de la Peyroleriet</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SEsT1WGJquU/T526s0W-kvI/AAAAAAAABF0/J99SmYGewNc/s1600/ruedetaulignan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SEsT1WGJquU/T526s0W-kvI/AAAAAAAABF0/J99SmYGewNc/s640/ruedetaulignan.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">Rue de Taulignan</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dKX-AtWpRlY/T527GlTmMRI/AAAAAAAABF8/p-QxJZro-NQ/s1600/placeCarnot.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="468" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dKX-AtWpRlY/T527GlTmMRI/AAAAAAAABF8/p-QxJZro-NQ/s640/placeCarnot.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">Place
Carnot near the Synagogue</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2T3pd7jK8uM/T527obfDfDI/AAAAAAAABGE/u7vtAqpEN6g/s1600/ciao.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2T3pd7jK8uM/T527obfDfDI/AAAAAAAABGE/u7vtAqpEN6g/s640/ciao.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mPb9jG0LJuU/T527zhOmf5I/AAAAAAAABGM/m2j9dLz5C0s/s1600/rodano.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mPb9jG0LJuU/T527zhOmf5I/AAAAAAAABGM/m2j9dLz5C0s/s640/rodano.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">Good morning & Goodbye Avignon ...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<span class="hps"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">Some historical
information about</span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">Avignon</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;"> is the <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pr%C3%A9fecture" title="Préfecture"><span style="text-decoration: none;">préfecture</span></a></i> (capital)
of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaucluse" title="Vaucluse"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Vaucluse</span></a> <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Departments_of_France" title="Departments of France"><span style="text-decoration: none;">département</span></a></i> in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur
bordered by the left bank of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rh%C3%B4ne" title="Rhône"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Rhône</span></a> river.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
</span><br />
<div style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">Avignon</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">,
written as <b>Avennio</b> or <b>Avenio</b> in the ancient texts and
inscriptions, takes its name from the Avennius clan. Founded by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_peoples_of_Gaul" title="List of peoples of Gaul"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Gallic tribe</span></a> of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavares" title="Cavares"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Cavares</span></a> or Cavari,
it became the centre of an important <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phocaea" title="Phocaea"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Phocaean</span></a> colony
from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marseilles" title="Marseilles"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Massilia</span></a> (present Marseilles).</span></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
</span><br />
<div style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">Under the Romans, Avenio was a flourishing city of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallia_Narbonensis" title="Gallia Narbonensis"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Gallia Narbonensis</span></a>, the first Transalpine province of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Empire" title="Roman Empire"><span style="text-decoration: none;">the Roman Empire</span></a>,
but very little from this period remains (a few fragments of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forum_%28Roman%29" title="Forum (Roman)"><span style="text-decoration: none;">forum</span></a> near Rue
Molière).</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">
</span><br />
<div style="background-color: black; color: black;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">
</span><br />
<div style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">During the inroads of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goths#Within_the_Roman_Empire" title="Goths"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Goths</span></a>, it was badly
damaged in the fifth century and belonged in turn to the Goths, the kingdoms of
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Burgundy" title="Kingdom of Burgundy"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Burgundy</span></a> and of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Arles" title="Kingdom of Arles"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Arles</span></a>, in the 12th
Century. It fell into the hands of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saracens" title="Saracens"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Saracens</span></a> and was
destroyed in 737 by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franks" title="Franks"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Franks</span></a>
under <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Martel" title="Charles Martel"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Charles
Martel</span></a> for having sided with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab" title="Arab"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Arabs</span></a> against him. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boso_of_Provence" title="Boso of Provence"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Boso</span></a> having been
proclaimed Burgundian <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_of_Provence" title="King of Provence"><span style="text-decoration: none;">King
of Provence</span></a>, or of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arelat" title="Arelat"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Arelat</span></a>
(after its capital Arles), by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synod_of_Mantaille" title="Synod of Mantaille"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Synod of Mantaille</span></a>, at the death of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_the_Stammerer" title="Louis the Stammerer"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Louis the Stammerer</span></a> (879), Avignon ceased to belong to the
Frankish kings.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">In 1033, when <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conrad_II,_Holy_Roman_Emperor" title="Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Conrad II</span></a> inherited the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Arelat" title="Kingdom of Arelat"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Kingdom of
Arelat</span></a>, Avignon passed to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empire" title="Holy Roman Empire"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Holy Roman
Empire</span></a>. With the German rulers at a distance, Avignon set up as a republic with a consular <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Form_of_government" title="Form of government"><span style="text-decoration: none;">form of government</span></a>, between 1135 and 1146. In addition to the
Emperor, the Counts of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forcalquier" title="Forcalquier"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Forcalquier</span></a>, of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toulouse" title="Toulouse"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Toulouse</span></a>
and of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provence" title="Provence"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Provence</span></a>
exercised a purely nominal sway over the city; on two occasions, in 1125 and in
1251, the Counts of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toulouse" title="Toulouse"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Toulouse</span></a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provence" title="Provence"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Provence</span></a> divided their rights in regard to it, while the Count
of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forcalquier" title="Forcalquier"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Forcalquier</span></a>
resigned any right he possessed to the local Bishops and Consuls in 1135.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
</span><br />
<div style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">At the end of the twelfth century, Avignon
declared itself an independent republic, but independence was crushed in 1226
during the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albigensian_Crusade" title="Albigensian Crusade"><span style="text-decoration: none;">crusade against the Albigenses</span></a> (the dualist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathar" title="Cathar"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Cathar</span></a> heresy centred in neighboring
Albi). After the citizens refused to open the gates of Avignon
to King <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_VIII_of_France" title="Louis VIII of France"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Louis VIII of France</span></a> and the papal Legate, a three month siege
ensued starting on 10 June 1226, and ending in capitulation by Avignon on 13 September
1226. Following the defeat, they were forced to pull down the ramparts and fill
up the moat of the city.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
</span><br />
<div style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">On 7 May 1251 Avignon
was made a common possession of counts <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_of_Anjou" title="Charles of Anjou"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Charles of</span> <span style="text-decoration: none;">Anjou</span></a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphonse_de_Poitiers" title="Alphonse de Poitiers"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Alphonse de Poitiers</span></a>, brothers of French king <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Louis_IX" title="Saint Louis IX"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Saint Louis IX</span></a>. On
25 August 1271, at the death of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphonse_de_Poitiers" title="Alphonse de Poitiers"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Alphonse de Poitiers</span></a>, Avignon
and the surrounding countship <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comtat-Venaissin" title="Comtat-Venaissin"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Comtat-Venaissin</span></a>
(which was governed by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rector" title="Rector"><span style="text-decoration: none;">rectors</span></a>
since 1274) were united with the French crown.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
</span><br />
<div style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">Avignon</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;"> and
the Comtat did not become French until 1791. In 1274, the Comtat became a possession
of the popes, with Avignon itself,
self-governing, under the overlordship of the Angevin count of Provence (who was also king of "Sicily"
[i.e., Naples]).
The popes were allowed by the count of Provence
(a papal vassal) to settle in Avignon
in the early 14th century. The popes bought Avignon from the Angevin ruler for 80,000
florins in 1348. From then on until the French Revolution, Avignon
and the Comtat were papal possessions, first under the schismatic popes of the
Great Schism, then under the popes of Rome
ruling via legates and vice-legates. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death" title="Black Death"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Black Death</span></a>
appeared at Avignon
in 1348; killing almost two-thirds of the city's population. </span></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16pt;">Avignon</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16pt;"> and its popes</span></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">In 1309 the city, still part of the
Kingdom of Arles, was chosen by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Clement_V" title="Pope Clement V"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Pope Clement V</span></a> as
his residence, and from 9 March 1309 until 13 January 1377 was the seat of the
Papacy instead of Rome. This caused a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schism_%28religion%29" title="Schism (religion)"><span style="text-decoration: none;">schism</span></a> in the
Catholic Church. At the time, the city and the surrounding <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comtat_Venaissin" title="Comtat Venaissin"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Comtat Venaissin</span></a>
were ruled by the kings of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicily" title="Sicily"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Sicily</span></a>
of the house of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anjou" title="Anjou"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Anjou</span></a>. The French
King <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_IV_of_France" title="Philip IV of France"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Philip the Fair</span></a>, who had inherited from his father all the
rights of Alphonse de Poitiers (the last <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counts_of_Toulouse" title="Counts of Toulouse"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Count of Toulouse</span></a>), made them over to Charles II, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_monarchs_of_Naples" title="List of monarchs of Naples"><span style="text-decoration: none;">King of Naples</span></a> and Count of Provence (1290).
Nonetheless, Phillip was a shrewd ruler. Inasmuch as the eastern banks of the
Rhone marked the edge of his kingdom, when the river flooded up into the city
of Avignon,
Phillip taxed the city since during periods of flood, the city technically lay
within his domain.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">This period from 1309–1377 – the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avignon_Papacy" title="Avignon Papacy"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Avignon
Papacy</span></a> – was also called the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avignon_Papacy" title="Avignon Papacy"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Babylonian
Captivity</span></a> of exile, in reference to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israelite" title="Israelite"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Israelites</span></a>'
enslavement in biblical times.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">Seven popes resided there:</span></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
</span><br />
<ul style="background-color: black; color: white; margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Clement_V" title="Pope Clement V"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Pope
Clement V</span></a>: 1305–1314</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_XXII" title="Pope John XXII"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Pope
John XXII</span></a>: 1316–1334</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XII" title="Pope Benedict XII"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Pope Benedict XII</span></a>: 1334–1342</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Clement_VI" title="Pope Clement VI"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Pope
Clement VI</span></a>: 1342–1352</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Innocent_VI" title="Pope Innocent VI"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Pope Innocent VI</span></a>: 1352–1362</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Urban_V" title="Pope Urban V"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Pope
Urban V</span></a>: 1362–1370</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Gregory_XI" title="Pope Gregory XI"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Pope
Gregory XI</span></a>: 1370–1378</span></li>
</ul>
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"></span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">Avignon</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">, which at the beginning of the 14th century was a town
of no great importance, underwent extensive development during the time the
seven Avignon
popes and two anti-popes, Clement V to Benedict XIII made their residences
there. To the north and south of the rock of the Doms, partly on the site of
the Bishop's Palace, which had been enlarged by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_XXII" title="John XXII"><span style="text-decoration: none;">John XXII</span></a>, was
built the Palace of the Popes, in the form of an imposing fortress consisting
of towers, linked to each other, and named as follows: De la Campane, de
Trouillas, de la Glacière, de Saint-Jean, des Saints-Anges (Benedict XII), de
la Gâche, de la Garde-Robe (Clement VI), de Saint-Laurent (Innocent VI). The
Palace of the Popes belongs, in virtue of its severe architecture, to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_art" title="Gothic art"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Gothic art</span></a> of the
South of France. Other noble examples can be seen in the churches of St.
Didier, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Peter" title="Saint Peter"><span style="text-decoration: none;">St. Peter</span></a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saints_Vitalis_and_Agricola" title="Saints Vitalis and Agricola"><span style="text-decoration: none;">St. Agricola</span></a>, as well as the Clock Tower, and
in the fortifications built between 1349 and 1368 for a distance of some three
miles (5 km),
and flanked by thirty-nine towers, all of which were erected or restored by the
Roman Catholic Church. The frescoes that are painted on the interiors of the
Palace of the Popes and the churches of Avignon
were created primarily by artists from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siena" title="Siena"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Siena</span></a>.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16pt;">Councils of Avignon</span></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">The Councils of Avignon are Councils of
the Roman Catholic Church. The first reported council was held in 1060, though
nothing is known about the events of the council. In 1080 another council was
held, with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugues_de_Di%C3%A9" title="Hugues de Dié">Hugues de Dié</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_legate" title="Papal legate">papal
legate</a> as council president. During the 1080 council <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aicard" title="Aicard">Aicard</a>, usurper of
the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/See_of_Arles" title="See of Arles">See
of Arles</a> was deposed, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibelin" title="Gibelin">Gibelin</a> placed in his position. Three bishops-elect (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lautelin_of_Embrun&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Lautelin of Embrun (page does not exist)">Lautelin of Embrun</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugues_of_Grenoble" title="Hugues of Grenoble">Hugues of Grenoble</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Didier_of_Cavaillon&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Didier of Cavaillon (page does not exist)">Didier of Cavaillon</a>)
accompanied the legate to Rome and were consecrated there by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Gregory_VII" title="Pope Gregory VII">Pope
Gregory VII</a>.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
</span><br />
<div style="background-color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: white;">(</span><span class="mw-headline"><span style="color: white;">Source</span><span style="color: red;"> </span></span></span><span class="mw-headline" style="color: red;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 10pt;">Wikipedia</span></span><span class="mw-headline"><span lang="EN" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 10pt;">)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span><span class="mw-headline"><span lang="EN" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;"></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Cambria;"><span class="hps"></span></span></div>Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707871253846816896noreply@blogger.com11Avignone, Francia43.949317 4.80552843.8578625 4.6475995 44.0407715 4.9634564999999995tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168840659242080015.post-26019048981966377732012-03-13T11:45:00.000-07:002012-03-14T03:33:43.403-07:00Cascata delle Marmore – Marmore's Falls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ReFmzkvNrXM/T1-P_pmhOkI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/k4SGJwwsiCk/s1600/marmoreblog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ReFmzkvNrXM/T1-P_pmhOkI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/k4SGJwwsiCk/s640/marmoreblog.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">Oggi facciamo una gita nella bella e verde
Umbria</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">La <b>Cascata delle Marmore</b> è una <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascata" title="Cascata"><span style="color: red;">cascata</span></a> </span></b>a flusso controllato, tra le
più alte d'<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europa" title="Europa"><span style="color: red;">Europa</span></a></span></b>, potendo contare su un dislivello complessivo
di 165 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro" title="Metro"><span style="color: red;">m</span></a></span></b>,
suddiviso in tre salti.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">Il nome deriva dai sali di <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcio_%28elemento_chimico%29" title="Calcio (elemento chimico)"><span style="color: red;">calcio</span></a></span></b>
presenti sulle rocce che sembrano simili a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmo" title="Marmo"><span style="color: red;">marmo</span></a></span></b>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">Le acque della cascata sono sfruttate intensamente per
la produzione di energia elettrica, nella centrale di <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Galleto&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Galleto (page does not exist)"><span style="color: #ba0000;">Galleto</span></a></b>.
Questo fa sì che la cascata vera e propria non sia continuamente funzionante,
ma per la maggior parte del tempo si riduca alle dimensioni di un torrente. Il
bacino del <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lago_di_Piediluco" title="Lago di Piediluco"><span style="color: red;">lago di Piediluco</span></a></span></b> funge da serbatoio
idrico per la centrale, costruita nel <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/1929" title="1929"><span style="color: red;">1929</span></a></span></b>, capace di produrre energia
elettrica con una potenza di circa 530 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watt" title="Watt"><span style="color: red;">MW</span></a></span></b>. Per regolare il funzionamento della
centrale e per permetterne la visione a tutti, in orari e periodi definiti, la
cascata viene fatta funzionare alla massima portata: un segnale acustico avvisa
dell'apertura delle <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paratoia" title="Paratoia"><span style="color: red;">paratoie</span></a></span></b> di
regolazione, e in pochi minuti la portata aumenta fino al valore massimo.
Normalmente, la cascata funziona un paio di ore al giorno, con orari di
funzionamento prolungati in occasione di giorni festivi. Si accede ai punti di
osservazione migliori previo pagamento di un biglietto d'ingresso.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-59GMHatll5A/T1-Qk9O0zYI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/oq9KEf_xQKI/s1600/ok.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-59GMHatll5A/T1-Qk9O0zYI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/oq9KEf_xQKI/s640/ok.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">Essa si trova a circa 7,5 km di distanza da <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terni" title="Terni"><span style="color: red;">Terni</span></a></span></b>,
in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umbria" title="Umbria"><span style="color: red;">Umbria</span></a></span></b>, quasi alla fine della <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valnerina" title="Valnerina"><span style="color: red;">Valnerina</span></a></span></b>, la
lunga valle scavata dal fiume <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nera_%28Italia%29" title="Nera (Italia)"><span style="color: red;">Nera</span></a></span></b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;">(<img border="0" class="noprint" height="17" id="bodyContent" src="file:///C:/Users/minu/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtml1/01/clip_image002.gif" title="mostra la località su una carta interattiva" width="17" /><span class="plainlinksnourlexpansion"><a href="http://toolserver.org/%7Egeohack/geohack.php?pagename=Cascata_delle_Marmore&language=it&params=42_32_39_N_12_43_16_E_type:landmark"><span class="latitude2"><span style="color: red;">42°32′39″N</span></span><span class="geo-dms1"><span style="color: red;"> </span></span><span class="longitude"><span style="color: red;">12°43′16″E</span></span><span class="geo-multi-punct1"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span><span class="geo-multi-punct1"><span style="color: red;"> / </span></span><span class="geo-multi-punct1"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span><span class="geo-dec1"><span style="color: red;">42.54417°N 12.72111°E</span></span><span class="geo-nondefault1"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span><span class="geo-nondefault1"><span style="color: red;"> / </span></span><span class="geo"><span style="color: red; display: none;">42.54417; 12.72111</span></span></a></span>)</span></b>.
La cascata è formata dal fiume <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velino_%28fiume%29" title="Velino (fiume)"><span style="color: red;">Velino</span></a></span></b>
che, in prossimità della frazione di <b>Marmore</b> (376 <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metri_sul_livello_del_mare" title="Metri sul livello del mare"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;">m s.l.m</span></b>.</a>), defluisce dal <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lago_di_Piediluco" title="Lago di Piediluco"><span style="color: red;">lago di Piediluco</span></a></span></b> e si tuffa con
fragore nella sottostante gola del Nera. Normalmente solo una parte dell'acqua
del fiume Velino (portata media 50 m³/s) viene deviata verso la cascata (circa
il 30%, equivalenti a circa 15 m³/s).</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">Il fiume Velino percorre gran parte dell'altopiano che
circonda, e a valle si trova naturalmente intralciato dalla presenza di
massicci calcarei e dall'assenza di un adeguato letto dove scorrere. Questa
particolare configurazione geologica ha portato, nel corso delle ere, alla
formazione di una palude stagnante, nociva per la salubrità dei luoghi. Nel <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/271_a.C." title="271 a.C."><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;">271 a.C</span></b>.</a>,
il console romano <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manio_Curio_Dentato" title="Manio Curio Dentato"><span style="color: red;">Manio Curio Dentato</span></a></span></b>
ordina la costruzione di un canale (il <i>Cavo Curiano</i>) per far defluire le
acque stagnanti in direzione del salto naturale di Marmore: da lì, l'acqua
precipitava direttamente nel fiume Nera, affluente del <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tevere" title="Tevere"><span style="color: red;">Tevere</span></a></span></b>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">Tuttavia, la soluzione di questo problema ne creava un
altro: in concomitanza delle piene del Velino, l'enorme quantità d'acqua
trasportata dal Nera minacciava direttamente il centro abitato di Terni. Questo
fu motivo di contenzioso tra le due città, tanto che nel 54 a.C. si giunse a porre la
questione direttamente al Senato Romano: Rieti era rappresentata da <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicerone" title="Cicerone"><span style="color: red;">Cicerone</span></a></span></b>, Terni da <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aulo_Pompeo&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Aulo Pompeo (page does not exist)"><span style="color: #ba0000;">Aulo
Pompeo</span></a></b>. La causa si risolse con un nulla di fatto, e le cose
rimasero così per i secoli successivi.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">La mancata manutenzione del canale portò però a una
diminuzione del deflusso delle acque e a un principio di impaludamento della
piana reatina. Dopo varie peripezie, nel <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/1422" title="1422"><span style="color: red;">1422</span></a></span></b> un nuovo canale venne costruito
per ripristinare l'originaria portata del fiume (<i>Cavo Reatino</i> o <i>Cavo
Gregoriano</i>, per via dell'intervento di <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papa_Gregorio_XII" title="Papa Gregorio XII"><span style="color: red;">Gregorio XII</span></a></span></b>).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0QcHcNRqsx-6FGLY07CAi74imJVUwFh3yBGSQ560pgZeaHS0BUFfD2UK3eBigWdn9lau1MKWKa-1DNa-Ad2tAJ1WaJH6KgTRzKVEjAlA4jTUAXZEswG3mNoBGpb3yGX-6Xo2GzbL4-CwW/s1600/falls2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0QcHcNRqsx-6FGLY07CAi74imJVUwFh3yBGSQ560pgZeaHS0BUFfD2UK3eBigWdn9lau1MKWKa-1DNa-Ad2tAJ1WaJH6KgTRzKVEjAlA4jTUAXZEswG3mNoBGpb3yGX-6Xo2GzbL4-CwW/s640/falls2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzYqea3obJyKl3ruAkxO_dXMWLGB7-VAvWwA4ZdI3g2LbfWPgZTb5NPXMx7Lw5kQmw820ucZrqI712_6fBSiRzsGltvTM5bASrPV1qtsVwEK1cqGEBkWT0ar55VYaHklI0xYU_m1Z4spDu/s1600/IMG_0949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzYqea3obJyKl3ruAkxO_dXMWLGB7-VAvWwA4ZdI3g2LbfWPgZTb5NPXMx7Lw5kQmw820ucZrqI712_6fBSiRzsGltvTM5bASrPV1qtsVwEK1cqGEBkWT0ar55VYaHklI0xYU_m1Z4spDu/s640/IMG_0949.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">Papa <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paolo_III" title="Paolo III"><span style="color: red;">Paolo III</span></a></span></b>, nel
1545, diede mandato ad <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_da_Sangallo_il_Giovane" title="Antonio da Sangallo il Giovane"><span style="color: red;">Antonio da
Sangallo il Giovane</span></a></span></b> di aprire un altro canale, la <i>Cava
Paolina</i>, che però riuscì ad assolvere il proprio compito solo per 50 anni.
Si pensò allora di ampliare la Cava Curiana e di costruire un <i>ponte regolatore</i>,
una sorta di valvola che avrebbe permesso di regolare il deflusso delle acque.
Quest'opera fu inaugurata nel 1598 da Papa Clemente VIII, che aveva affidato
l'incarico progettuale a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Fontana_%28ingegnere%29" title="Giovanni Fontana (ingegnere)"><span style="color: red;">Giovanni Fontana</span></a></span></b>,
fratello di <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domenico_Fontana" title="Domenico Fontana"><span style="color: red;">Domenico</span></a></span></b>; ovviamente, il canale prese
il nome di <i>Cava Clementina</i>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">Nei due secoli seguenti, l'opera creò non pochi
problemi alla piana sottostante, ostacolando il corretto deflusso del Nera e
provocando l'allagamento delle campagne circostanti. Per ordine di <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papa_Pio_VI" title="Papa Pio VI"><span style="color: red;">Papa Pio VI</span></a></span></b>, nel <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/1787" title="1787"><span style="color: red;">1787</span></a></span></b>, l'architetto <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Vici" title="Andrea Vici"><span style="color: red;">Andrea Vici</span></a> </span></b>operò direttamente sui
balzi della cascata, dandole l'aspetto attuale e risolvendo finalmente la maggior
parte dei problemi.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">Nel XIX secolo le acque della cascata cominciarono a
essere utilizzate per la loro forza motrice: nel 1896, le neonate Acciaierie di
Terni alimentavano i loro meccanismi sfruttando 2 m³ d'acqua del Cavo Curiano.
Negli anni successivi, la cascata cominciò a essere sfruttata intensamente per
la produzione di energia idroelettrica.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">Una vista panoramica della cascata si può ammirare dal
borgo medievale di <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torreorsina" title="Torreorsina"><span style="color: red;">Torreorsina</span></a></span></b>,
unico paese della Valnerina che si affaccia direttamente su di essa.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRw2iVcFYFFi7p1AdxnMzCtiW3K3YQMj54JBS9miy3efmfwigNrjLKkSGaeROsm3utNdtmAYVVjdI5h0ezOKHk1gF9saqXYTObMZP3U93vDnUS55bjZpt5RhZfZYCsFDGOvXyJsBRprykR/s1600/acquamar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRw2iVcFYFFi7p1AdxnMzCtiW3K3YQMj54JBS9miy3efmfwigNrjLKkSGaeROsm3utNdtmAYVVjdI5h0ezOKHk1gF9saqXYTObMZP3U93vDnUS55bjZpt5RhZfZYCsFDGOvXyJsBRprykR/s640/acquamar.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EXDEpqjNbqQ/T1-SPHvnF0I/AAAAAAAAA94/bRPc0acgwBA/s1600/cascatemarIII.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EXDEpqjNbqQ/T1-SPHvnF0I/AAAAAAAAA94/bRPc0acgwBA/s640/cascatemarIII.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IduBu6cEFIo/T1-SVb-ThRI/AAAAAAAAA-A/bzot8faZV38/s1600/iris2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IduBu6cEFIo/T1-SVb-ThRI/AAAAAAAAA-A/bzot8faZV38/s640/iris2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">La leggenda</span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">Sulle origini della
cascata c'è una leggenda: una ninfa di nome Nera si innamorò di un bel pastore:
Velino. Ma Giunone, gelosa di questo amore, trasformò la ninfa in un fiume, che
prese appunto il nome di Nera. Allora Velino, per non perdere la sua amata, si
gettò a capofitto dalla rupe di Marmore. Questo salto, destinato a ripetersi
per l'eternità, si replica ora nella Cascata delle Marmore.</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 18pt;">English version</span><span lang="EN-GB"> </span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 18pt;">Today we take a trip in the green Umbria</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTSeC9UXk22-ejuA_S0Lq2JH48iDpZVhj6ibuRW99Rozdukd1yjRNIKd54I6FmLRDPNNUZfnDK-1czk-CYF3fTdOT8c_kkt1W6EEKUeQXf1-zhIvDOWWu9ya1NvreByKxoK7r16c7mVPgG/s1600/fallsmarmore.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTSeC9UXk22-ejuA_S0Lq2JH48iDpZVhj6ibuRW99Rozdukd1yjRNIKd54I6FmLRDPNNUZfnDK-1czk-CYF3fTdOT8c_kkt1W6EEKUeQXf1-zhIvDOWWu9ya1NvreByKxoK7r16c7mVPgG/s640/fallsmarmore.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ohxjJogz8Rk/T1-TYGR2imI/AAAAAAAAA-Q/2yWj34xc7Bw/s1600/cascatamarmore.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ohxjJogz8Rk/T1-TYGR2imI/AAAAAAAAA-Q/2yWj34xc7Bw/s640/cascatamarmore.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">The <b>Cascata delle
Marmore</b> (Marmore's Falls) is a man-made <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterfall" title="Waterfall"><span style="color: red;">waterfall</span></a></span></b> created
by the ancient <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Rome" title="Ancient Rome"><span style="color: red;">Romans</span></a></span></b>. Its total height is 165 m (541 feet), making it one
of the tallest in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe" title="Europe"><span style="color: red;">Europe</span></a></span></b> and the tallest man-made
waterfall in the world. Of its 3 sections, the top one is the tallest, at 83 m (272 feet).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">It is located 7.7 km from <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terni" title="Terni"><span style="color: red;">Terni</span></a></span></b>,
a provincial capital of the Italian region of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umbria" title="Umbria"><span style="color: red;">Umbria</span></a></span></b>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">Its source is a
portion of the waters of the river <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velino" title="Velino"><span style="color: red;">Velino</span></a></span></b> (the rest of the river flows
into a hydroelectric power plant), after flowing through <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piediluco" title="Piediluco"><span style="color: red;">Piediluco</span></a></span></b> lake
near the community of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmore" title="Marmore"><span style="color: red;">Marmore</span></a></span></b>. It pours into the valley below
formed by the river <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nera_River_%28Italy%29" title="Nera River (Italy)"><span style="color: red;">Nera</span></a></span></b>.
Its flow is turned on and off according to a published schedule, to satisfy the
needs of tourists and the power company alike. Tourists try to be there the
moment the gates are opened to see the powerful rush of water.</span></div>
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">Most of the time, the water in the canals above the falls is diverted to a
hydroelectric power plant, so the flow in the falls themselves is reduced to
the level of a creek. Piediluco
Lake, above the falls, is
used as a reservoir for the power plant. The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Galleto&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Galleto (page does not exist)"><span style="color: #ba0000;">Galleto</span></a></b>
power plant, built in 1929, is architecturally interesting. Its capacity is
about 530 MW. To control the operation of the power plant, and to satisfy tourists,
the fall is turned on according to a set schedule, achieving a spectacular
effect at full flow. An alarm is sounded first, then the gates are opened, and
in a few minutes the small creek is transformed into a full-sized river rushing
into the void below.</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">Normally, the fall is turned on between noon and 1:00 PM and again between
4:00 and 5:00 PM every day, with additional times on holidays. An entrance fee
is charged to visit the falls and the surrounding area.</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">A path along the falls allows the visitor to hike up to the top of the
falls. Along the way, a tunnel leads to an observatory just next to the falls,
where a visitor is guaranteed to get soaked. A safer observatory near the top
affords a grandiose view of the falls and of the Nera valley below.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWRu4BoPbjO65vx_F-jCwEq1lJbUAvouua75oencqLyjHjvF2ofCrDCauDTKcllMNkudrnS-G3kGVMq0Xb3sgleYCh08DBsdbh5ne1keLqyLelzLHJojGTvgeeBFyAS8D1fqT_PCSTg6K3/s1600/arcoiris2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWRu4BoPbjO65vx_F-jCwEq1lJbUAvouua75oencqLyjHjvF2ofCrDCauDTKcllMNkudrnS-G3kGVMq0Xb3sgleYCh08DBsdbh5ne1keLqyLelzLHJojGTvgeeBFyAS8D1fqT_PCSTg6K3/s640/arcoiris2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XlPtgVt8rKM/T1-T7C0d_mI/AAAAAAAAA-g/YIGjKB6YXzo/s1600/cascata.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XlPtgVt8rKM/T1-T7C0d_mI/AAAAAAAAA-g/YIGjKB6YXzo/s640/cascata.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxAGGD01SlzqdVKNjDZoe0JhOMgGyvAy1kuW8GzqAyv5QJwdZ1nxuQdMSmVuilr3NktQ6dQ9Sxu3_s1OFV7uLlnY_3nDHkqA5LfQoLnHZBG6qowCLBZbw6uuB2GFQNJQmGKCeCbFGg-vBW/s1600/cascatamarmIIb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxAGGD01SlzqdVKNjDZoe0JhOMgGyvAy1kuW8GzqAyv5QJwdZ1nxuQdMSmVuilr3NktQ6dQ9Sxu3_s1OFV7uLlnY_3nDHkqA5LfQoLnHZBG6qowCLBZbw6uuB2GFQNJQmGKCeCbFGg-vBW/s640/cascatamarmIIb.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U6H3BA6sdPc/T1-UG0tLj3I/AAAAAAAAA-w/n7-MV0x6TiQ/s1600/falls3b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U6H3BA6sdPc/T1-UG0tLj3I/AAAAAAAAA-w/n7-MV0x6TiQ/s640/falls3b.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">History</span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;"></span></h2>
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">The Velino river flows through the highlands that surround the city of Rieti. In ancient times,
it fed a wetland that was thought to bring illness (probably <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaria" title="Malaria"><span style="color: red;">malaria</span></a></span></b>). To remove that threat to the
city of Rieti,
in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/271_BC" title="271 BC"><span style="color: red;">271 BC</span></a></span></b>, the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_consul" title="Roman consul"><span style="color: red;">Roman consul</span></a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curius_Dentatus" title="Curius Dentatus"><span style="color: red;">Manlius Curius Dentatus</span></a></span></b> ordered the
construction of a canal (the <i>Curiano Trench</i>) to divert the stagnant
waters into the natural cliff at Marmore. From there, the water fell into the
Nera river below. However, that solution created a different problem: when the
Velino river was in flood stage, its water flowed through the Nera toward the
city of Terni,
threatening its population. The issue was so contentious between the two cities
that the Roman Senate was forced to address it in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/54_BC" title="54 BC"><span style="color: red;">54 BC</span></a></span></b>. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicero" title="Cicero"><span style="color: red;">Cicero</span></a></span></b> represented Terni, and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aulus_Pompeius" title="Aulus Pompeius"><span style="color: red;">Aulus Pompeius</span></a></span></b> represented Rieti. The
Senate did nothing about the problem, and the problem remained the same for
centuries.</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">Lack of maintenance in the canal resulted in a decrease in the flow, until
eventually the wetland began to reappear. In 1422, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Gregory_XII" title="Pope Gregory XII"><span style="color: red;">Pope Gregory XII</span></a></span></b> ordered the
construction of a new canal to restore the original flow (the <i>Gregorian
Trench</i> or <i>Rieti Trench</i>).</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">In 1545, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Paul_III" title="Pope Paul III"><span style="color: red;">Pope Paul III</span></a></span></b> ordered that a new canal
be built (the <i>Pauline Trench</i>). The plan was to expand the Curian Trench
and to build a regulating valve to control the flow. Upon its completion some
50 years later (in 1598), <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Clement_VIII" title="Pope Clement VIII"><span style="color: red;">Pope Clement VIII</span></a></span></b>
inaugurated the new work, and named it after himself: the <i>Clementine Trench</i>.</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">In the following two centuries, the presence of the canal was problematic
for the countryside in the valley below, as the Nera often flooded it. In 1787,
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Pius_VI" title="Pope Pius VI"><span style="color: red;">Pope Pius VI</span></a></span></b> ordered architect <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Andrea_Vici&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Andrea Vici (page does not exist)"><span style="color: #ba0000;">Andrea
Vici</span></a> </b>to modify the leaps below the falls, giving the falls its
present look and finally resolving the majority of the problems.</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">In 1896, the newly formed steel mills in Terni began using the water flow in the Curiano
Trench to power their operation. In the following years, engineers began using
the water flow to generate electricity.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ruvGP0e0ith92_xDtB_dgimsLWdztL4SyZA86PCOTMtoMImz2t4bfRzaHZQc9EXJl3wPSSxwiNld6GIUojJcReYY2nnFD9IVVTi2EfLU0JvvL8zbNdZD6pzgUfil20RwFthS3u1TYTvA/s1600/V.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ruvGP0e0ith92_xDtB_dgimsLWdztL4SyZA86PCOTMtoMImz2t4bfRzaHZQc9EXJl3wPSSxwiNld6GIUojJcReYY2nnFD9IVVTi2EfLU0JvvL8zbNdZD6pzgUfil20RwFthS3u1TYTvA/s640/V.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OZXobXqSKF8/T1-UqKs3e3I/AAAAAAAAA_A/aRPw-IT71ts/s1600/VI.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OZXobXqSKF8/T1-UqKs3e3I/AAAAAAAAA_A/aRPw-IT71ts/s640/VI.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8_tfOFP5NCQ/T1-UvPf6WhI/AAAAAAAAA_I/PSUkgZg1IuU/s1600/iris.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8_tfOFP5NCQ/T1-UvPf6WhI/AAAAAAAAA_I/PSUkgZg1IuU/s640/iris.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h0hK3OSkh9g/T1-UzBava5I/AAAAAAAAA_Q/TrDf0W5TnXQ/s1600/lemarmore.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h0hK3OSkh9g/T1-UzBava5I/AAAAAAAAA_Q/TrDf0W5TnXQ/s640/lemarmore.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCIy3w9bLshr3tVPASF1RV0EsfN9_QS8IgzH_6iY0_ZaToGNLzgCnl8zCWS5C2AOz_TQCNLJ8iM2t52e7x_vSlhV7Dnr5ofleC9lS3zqfWcOdYZD8f_O7ojKXaER8Zro0ytOZTCfgQYy2S/s1600/meraviglia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCIy3w9bLshr3tVPASF1RV0EsfN9_QS8IgzH_6iY0_ZaToGNLzgCnl8zCWS5C2AOz_TQCNLJ8iM2t52e7x_vSlhV7Dnr5ofleC9lS3zqfWcOdYZD8f_O7ojKXaER8Zro0ytOZTCfgQYy2S/s640/meraviglia.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 18pt;">The Legend</span></b><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">On the origins of the waterfall there is a legend: a nymph called Nera
fell in love with a handsome sherperd Velino. But Juno, jealous of this love,
the nymph transformed into a river, which took the name of Nera. Then Velino,
not to lose his beloved, he threw himself headlong from the rock of Marmore. This
jump, likely to be repeated for eternity, is replicated now in Marmore Falls. (<span style="color: red;">my
tranlastion</span>)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2PaNRBZsJkg/T1-VNeP4j9I/AAAAAAAAA_g/riQNCplcLOo/s1600/vicino.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2PaNRBZsJkg/T1-VNeP4j9I/AAAAAAAAA_g/riQNCplcLOo/s640/vicino.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: Cambria;">(source </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Cambria;">Wikipedia)</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;"></span><br />
<br />
<br />Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707871253846816896noreply@blogger.com12Via Casa Lina, 05100 Terni TR, Italia42.546124901270055 12.71684646606445342.534427401270058 12.697105466064453 42.557822401270052 12.736587466064453tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168840659242080015.post-15444873538705532542012-02-25T10:07:00.002-08:002012-02-26T03:33:55.080-08:00Basilica di San Paolo fuori le mura - Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifNcTZbSgzflwxNOpWD0YwM1gg7liMVmZpFccbdYyNwa7Km63N8zptpecYvs4EW6H6pKTzSBi7HtQL_-bvLBLOxFacZVkP3L_7C7J-YYHpdsjeYiyi2YCwK2Ry7NISMhQVvaN9k8hh93eT/s1600/spaolofr.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifNcTZbSgzflwxNOpWD0YwM1gg7liMVmZpFccbdYyNwa7Km63N8zptpecYvs4EW6H6pKTzSBi7HtQL_-bvLBLOxFacZVkP3L_7C7J-YYHpdsjeYiyi2YCwK2Ry7NISMhQVvaN9k8hh93eT/s640/spaolofr.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb69JP7QjpE6XyYhIWH741JmVjXNk1VqhejmWRcmbL3Wv-5qGUVVO9MYfV7Ioe8O6nOVrdpxiAr0uBWC0_f7-COBUtGE_XG7Dt9ojRrcY_aNSvCFJf4NyNPomLvjWhzxndFtOoaAflSUL9/s1600/sanpaolo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb69JP7QjpE6XyYhIWH741JmVjXNk1VqhejmWRcmbL3Wv-5qGUVVO9MYfV7Ioe8O6nOVrdpxiAr0uBWC0_f7-COBUtGE_XG7Dt9ojRrcY_aNSvCFJf4NyNPomLvjWhzxndFtOoaAflSUL9/s640/sanpaolo.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">La <b>Basilica di San Paolo fuori le mura</b> è una
delle quattro <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica" style="color: red;" title="Basilica">basiliche</a><span style="color: red;">
</span><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basiliche_papali" title="Basiliche papali"><span style="color: red;">papal</span>i</a>
di <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roma" style="color: red;" title="Roma">Roma</a>, la seconda
più grande dopo quella di <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_di_San_Pietro_in_Vaticano" style="color: red;" title="Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano">San Pietro in Vaticano</a>. Il suo
nome completo è <b>Papale Arcibasilica Patriarcale Maggiore Arcipretale
Abbaziale di S. Paolo fuori le Mura</b>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Sorge lungo la <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_Ostiense" style="color: red;" title="Via Ostiense">via
Ostiense</a>, vicino alla riva sinistra del <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tevere" style="color: red;" title="Tevere">Tevere</a>, a circa due
km fuori dalle <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mura_aureliane" title="Mura aureliane"><span style="color: red;">mura</span> <span style="color: red;">aureliane</span></a> (da cui il suo nome) uscendo dalla <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porta_San_Paolo" style="color: red;" title="Porta San Paolo">Porta
San Paolo</a>. Si erge sul luogo che la tradizione indica come quello della
sepoltura dell'apostolo <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paolo_di_Tarso" style="color: red;" title="Paolo di Tarso">Paolo</a> (a circa 3 km dal luogo - detto "<a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbazia_delle_Tre_Fontane" title="Abbazia delle Tre Fontane"><span style="color: red;">Tre</span> <span style="color: red;">Fontane</span></a>" - in cui subì il
martirio e fu decapitato); la tomba del santo si trova sotto l'<a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altare" style="color: red;" title="Altare">altare</a> maggiore,
detto "altare papale". Per questo, nel corso dei secoli, è stata
sempre meta di pellegrinaggi; dal <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/1300" style="color: red;" title="1300">1300</a>, data del primo <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anno_Santo" style="color: red;" title="Anno Santo">Anno Santo</a>,
fa parte dell'itinerario giubilare per ottenere l'indulgenza e vi si celebra il
rito dell'apertura della <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porta_Santa" style="color: red;" title="Porta Santa">Porta Santa</a>. Fin dall'<a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/VIII_secolo" style="color: red;" title="VIII secolo">VIII secolo</a>
la cura della liturgia e della lampada votiva sulla tomba dell'apostolo è stata
affidata ai monaci benedettini dell'annessa <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbazia_di_San_Paolo" style="color: red;" title="Abbazia di San Paolo">abbazia di San Paolo</a> fuori le Mura.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">L'intero complesso degli edifici gode dell'<a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraterritorialit%C3%A0" style="color: red;" title="Extraterritorialità">extraterritorialità</a> della <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Sede" title="Santa Sede"><span style="color: red;">Santa Sede</span></a>,
pur trovandosi nel territorio della <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repubblica_Italiana" style="color: red;" title="Repubblica Italiana">Repubblica Italiana</a>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Il luogo rientra nella lista dei <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrimoni_dell%27umanit%C3%A0" title="Patrimoni dell'umanità"><span style="color: red;">patrimoni dell'umanità</span></a> dell'<a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unesco" style="color: red;" title="Unesco">Unesco</a> dal 1980.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span class="mw-headline"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Dalla sepoltura di Paolo a
Costantino</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 234, 234); color: #444444; font-family: Cambria;">È in
quest'area sepolcrale che, come qualsiasi condannato a morte, la tradizione
afferma che <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paolo_di_Tarso" style="color: red;" title="Paolo di Tarso">Paolo di Tarso</a> sia stato sepolto, dopo aver subito
il martirio.</span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> Sia Paolo che <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pietro_apostolo" style="color: red;" title="Pietro apostolo">Pietro</a>
sarebbero caduti vittime della persecuzione neroniana seguita al<span style="color: red;"> </span><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grande_incendio_di_Roma" style="color: red;" title="Grande incendio di Roma">grande incendio di Roma</a> del <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/64" style="color: red;" title="64">64</a>. Secondo alcune teorie i
due sarebbero stati martirizzati proprio nel 64, dopo l'incendio. Secondo <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebio_di_Cesarea" style="color: red;" title="Eusebio di Cesarea">Eusebio di Cesarea</a> invece i due sarebbero stati
uccisi nel <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/67" style="color: red;" title="67">67</a>. Una tradizione
vuole che una matrona (tale Lucina, ma il nome è quasi sicuramente frutto di
leggende successive) abbia messo a disposizione una tomba per seppellire i
resti dell'apostolo.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Come per il sepolcro di Pietro anche quello di
Paolo divenne immediatamente oggetto di venerazione per la nutrita comunità
cristiana di Roma che relativamente presto eresse, sulle tombe dei due, dei
piccoli monumenti funerari. Eusebio di Cesarea riporta nella sua<span style="color: red;"> </span><i><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storia_ecclesiastica_%28Eusebio_di_Cesarea%29" title="Storia ecclesiastica (Eusebio di Cesarea)"><span style="color: red;">Storia ecclesiastica</span></a></i>
un passo di una lettera di Gaio, presbitero sotto <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papa_Zefirino" style="color: red;" title="Papa Zefirino">papa
Zefirino</a>, che cita i due trofei posti sopra le tombe degli apostoli, uno
sul colle Vaticano e l'altro lungo la Via Ostiense.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Il luogo, meta di pellegrinaggi ininterrotti dal<span style="color: red;"> </span><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_secolo" title="I secolo"><span style="color: red;">I secolo</span></a>,
venne monumentalizzato, come testimoniato dal<span style="color: red;"> </span><b><i style="color: red;"><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liber_Pontificalis" title="Liber Pontificalis">Liber Pontificalis</a></i></b>, dall'imperatore <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costantino_I" style="color: red;" title="Costantino I">Costantino
I</a>, con la creazione di una piccola basilica, di cui si conserva solo la
curva dell'<a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abside" style="color: red;" title="Abside">abside</a>,
visibile nei pressi dell'<a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altare" style="color: red;" title="Altare">altare</a> centrale della basilica attuale ed orientato in
direzione opposta all'attuale. Doveva trattarsi di un piccolo edificio
probabilmente a tre navate, che ospitava in prossimità dell'abside la tomba di
Paolo, ornata da una croce dorata.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">La basilica di Costantino venne consacrata il <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/18_novembre" style="color: red;" title="18 novembre">18 novembre</a><span style="color: red;">
</span><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/324" title="324"><span style="color: red;">324</span></a> durante il
pontificato di <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silvestro_I" title="Silvestro I"><span style="color: red;">Silvestro</span> I</a>, e si inserisce nella serie di basiliche
costruite dall'imperatore dentro ma soprattutto fuori della città, ed è la
seconda fondazione costantiniana in ordine di tempo, dopo la <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattedrale" style="color: red;" title="Cattedrale">cattedrale</a>
dedicata al Santo Salvatore (l'attuale <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_di_San_Giovanni_in_Laterano" style="color: red;" title="Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano">basilica di San Giovanni in
Laterano</a>).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">La basilica attuale</span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">La ricostruzione fu voluta da <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leone_XII" title="Leone XII">Leone XII</a>,
che il <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/25_gennaio" title="25 gennaio">25
gennaio</a> <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/1825" title="1825">1825</a>
emanò l'<a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enciclica" title="Enciclica">enciclica</a>
<i><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_plurimas" title="Ad plurimas">Ad
plurimas</a></i> nella quale invitava i vescovi ad una raccolta di offerte
presso i fedeli per la ricostruzione. All'appello rispose buona parte del mondo
cristiano, con offerte generose tra le quali quelle del Re di Sardegna, della
Francia, delle Due Sicilie, dei sovrani dei Paesi Bassi, dello zar Nicola I che
offrì i blocchi di <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malachite" title="Malachite">malachite</a> dei due altari laterali del transetto e del
viceré d'Egitto che inviò le colonne d'alabastro. Proprio il dono dello zar
fece sì che non si potesse più collocare nella chiesa l'altare a cui avevano
lavorato <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camillo_Rusconi" title="Camillo Rusconi">Camillo Rusconi</a> e <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Luigi_Mirri&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Luigi Mirri (pagina inesistente)"><span style="color: #ba0000;">Luigi
Mirri</span></a>, che venne così donato da <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pio_IX" title="Pio IX">Pio IX</a> alla <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattedrale_di_Forl%C3%AC" title="Cattedrale di Forlì">Cattedrale di Forlì</a> in occasione di un suo
viaggio in quella città <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/1857" title="1857">1857</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Lo stesso Leone XII, in un chirografo del <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/18_settembre" title="18 settembre">18
settembre</a> <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/1825" title="1825">1825</a>
pose le basi per il progetto:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">I lavori, diretti dall'architetto <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasquale_Belli" title="Pasquale Belli">Pasquale
Belli</a> (che lavorava su un progetto iniziale di <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Valadier" title="Giuseppe Valadier">Giuseppe
Valadier</a>) poterono iniziare l'anno successivo, con la demolizione dell'Arco
di Galla Placidia ed il reinserimento del quadriportico.</span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Interno – Navate – Transetto e Cappelle - </span><span class="hps">Interior -</span> <span class="hps">Nave</span> <span class="hps">-</span> <span class="hps">Transept</span> <span class="hps">and Chapels</span></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZgw7hhpWdpbXIzvmsyfJhz9Mj7086UkLeZx1sP46bOk0haP9mBSnMkVgdcqxly2MrW_UVW-QgxmN6Jn77q_Kf2pjDFZzhgweVmeUBWLcGcmT433aVXbVZJe2zUgIAxIXdDiexuX3jvDbn/s1600/navatabasilica.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZgw7hhpWdpbXIzvmsyfJhz9Mj7086UkLeZx1sP46bOk0haP9mBSnMkVgdcqxly2MrW_UVW-QgxmN6Jn77q_Kf2pjDFZzhgweVmeUBWLcGcmT433aVXbVZJe2zUgIAxIXdDiexuX3jvDbn/s640/navatabasilica.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Una prima consacrazione avvenne il <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/5_ottobre" title="5 ottobre">5 ottobre</a> <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/1840" title="1840">1840</a> ad opera di <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorio_XVI" title="Gregorio XVI">Gregorio
XVI</a> che consacrò solennemente l'altare della Confessione ma l'intera
basilica venne consacrata da <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pio_IX" title="Pio IX">Pio IX</a> il <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/10_settembre" title="10 settembre">10 settembre</a> <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/1854" title="1854">1854</a>, alla presenza di
un gran numero di cardinali e di vescovi, presenti a Roma per la proclamazione
del Dogma dell’Immacolata Concezione. I lavori comunque andarono oltre, entro
il <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/1874" title="1874">1874</a> furono
completati i mosaici della facciata, mentre solo nel <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/1928" title="1928">1928</a> fu aggiunto il
vasto quadriportico esterno, formato da quasi 150 colonne.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Il <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/23_aprile" title="23 aprile">23 aprile</a> <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/1891" title="1891">1891</a> lo scoppio della polveriera del Forte Campanile e Portico
Portuense mandò in frantumi le vetrate a colori eseguite da <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Antonio_Moroni&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Antonio Moroni (pagina inesistente)"><span style="color: #ba0000;">Antonio
Moroni</span></a> nel <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/1830" title="1830">1830</a>:
al loro posto furono sistemate sottilissime lastre di alabastro donate da re
Fuad I d'<a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egitto" title="Egitto">Egitto</a>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Nel dicembre <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006" title="2006">2006</a> furono ultimati
alcuni lavori di ristrutturazione nella zona davanti all'altare papale, più
bassa rispetto al pavimento della basilica: con la demolizione dell'altare che
era presente in questa zona, è stato reso in parte visibile il <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarcofago" title="Sarcofago">sarcofago</a>
marmoreo che si trova sotto l'altare papale e che, secondo la tradizione,
contiene i resti mortali dell'apostolo Paolo. È anche visibile la traccia della
piccola <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abside" title="Abside">abside</a>
appartenente alla chiesa più antica e orientata in senso contrario rispetto
alla basilica attuale (l'abside era anticamente rivolta verso ovest, mentre
oggi è rivolta verso est).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Oy1TdcraIGs/T0kfCXVWRVI/AAAAAAAAA7Q/mnMJoIVkiz8/s1600/soffitto.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Oy1TdcraIGs/T0kfCXVWRVI/AAAAAAAAA7Q/mnMJoIVkiz8/s640/soffitto.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">La basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura
presenta una pianta a <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croce_latina" title="Croce latina">croce latina</a>; l'aula è divisa in cinque navate
separate da quattro file di 20 colonne monolitiche di granito e prive di <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cappella" title="Cappella">cappelle laterali</a>.
Il rivestimento delle pareti, come quello del pavimento, è in <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmo" title="Marmo">marmi policromi</a> che
compongono motivi geometrici. Lungo le due navate laterali più esterne, il <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transetto" title="Transetto">transetto</a> e
la navata centrale si aprono i grandi <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finestra" title="Finestra">finestroni</a> ad <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arco_a_tutto_sesto" title="Arco a tutto sesto">arco a tutto sesto</a>, chiusi con sottilissime
lastre di <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alabastro" title="Alabastro">alabastro</a>
sorrette da elaborate intelaiature in <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferro_battuto" title="Ferro battuto">ferro
battuto</a>. Nella fascia immediatamente sopra gli archi che dividono le
navate, vi è la serie dei tondi contenenti i ritratti di tutti i <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papa" title="Papa">Pontefici</a>, da <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Pietro" title="San Pietro">San Pietro</a>
fino all'attuale <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papa_Benedetto_XVI" title="Papa Benedetto XVI">papa Benedetto XVI</a>. Realizzati con la tecnica
del <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosaico" title="Mosaico">mosaico</a> e
su sfondo oro, furono iniziati nell'anno <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/1847" title="1847">1847</a>, durante il
pontificato di <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pio_IX" title="Pio IX">Pio
IX</a>. L'idea di questa serie di tondi ha le radici nell'antica basilica,
poiché erano presenti anche in quest'ultima. Sopra i medaglioni mosivi, nella
parte alta della navata centrale e del transetto, sono presenti 36 affreschi
nei quali sono raffigurati degli episodi della vita di San Paolo, anch'essi
voluti da Pio IX, ma terminati soltanto nel <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/1860" title="1860">1860</a>. Durante i vari
scavi e sondaggi compiuti dalla prima metà dell'Ottocento ad oggi sono emerse
più di 1700 lastre con iscrizioni, che fungevano da lapidi per le oltre 5000
sepolture stimate ancora sotto il pavimento della basilica. Le basiliche
martiriali (non solo di Roma) vennero infatti usate dal IV secolo in poi come
enormi cimiteri coperti, con una densa stratificazione e numerosi casi di
"furti di tombe".</span><br />
<h4>
<span class="mw-headline"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">Arco di Galla Placidia</span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">L'arco trionfale, ovvero l'arco che separa
il <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transetto" title="Transetto">transetto</a>
dalla <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navata" title="Navata">navata
centrale</a>, è detto <i>di <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galla_Placidia" title="Galla Placidia">Galla
Placidia</a></i>, dal nome della committente dell'opera, che fece realizzare la
decorazione <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosaico" title="Mosaico">musiva</a>
che lo ricopre tuttora durante il pontificato di <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papa_Leone_I" title="Papa Leone I">Leone I</a>.
Alcuni importanti restauri conservativi furono attuati durante il pontificato
di <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clemente_XII" title="Clemente XII">Clemente
XII</a> (<a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/1731" title="1731">1731</a>-<a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/1740" title="1740">1740</a>). Dopo l'incendio
del <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/1823" title="1823">1823</a>, il mosaico
venne staccato e sottoposto ad un intervento di restauro. Al centro della
composizione, al disopra dell'arco, vi è raffigurato <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristo_Pantocratore" title="Cristo Pantocratore">Cristo Pantocratore</a> iscritto dentro una circonferenza
da cui fuoriescono dei raggi. Ai suoi lati, fra le nuvole rosse e verdi del
cielo dorato, vi sono i quattro simboli degli <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangelisti" title="Evangelisti">Evangelisti</a>:
il bue di <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luca_evangelista" title="Luca evangelista">Luca</a> e l'angelo di <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matteo_evangelista" title="Matteo evangelista">Matteo</a> a sinistra; l'aquila di <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_evangelista" title="Giovanni evangelista">Giovanni</a> e il leone di <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_evangelista" title="Marco evangelista">Marco</a>
a destra. Più in basso, ai due lati dell'arco, sono raffigurati ventiquattro
uomini anziani disposti in quattro gruppi da sei, due per ogni lato. Indossano
il pallio e portano una <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corona_%28copricapo%29" title="Corona (copricapo)">corona</a>. Ancora più sotto, su sfondo blu scuro,
vi sono le figure di <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Paolo" title="San Paolo">San Paolo</a> (a sinistra) e di <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Pietro" title="San Pietro">San Pietro</a>
(a destra).</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Il transetto riprende nella decorazione lo
schema della navata centrale: le pareti sono decorate da marmi policromi e
scandite da <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesena" title="Lesena">lesene</a>
<a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordine_corinzio" title="Ordine corinzio">corinzie</a>
nella fascia inferiore, mentre in quella superiore continuano gli affreschi
sulla vita di San Paolo alternati ai finestroni in <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alabastro" title="Alabastro">alabastro</a>.
Alle due testate vi sono due altari gemelli, realizzati con la <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malachite" title="Malachite">malachite</a>
donata dallo <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zar_di_Russia" title="Zar di Russia">zar di Russia</a> <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicola_I_di_Russia" title="Nicola I di Russia">Nicola I</a> in <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architettura_neoclassica" title="Architettura neoclassica">stile neoclassico</a>. I due altari sono
dedicati alla <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria,_madre_di_Ges%C3%B9" title="Maria, madre di Gesù">Madonna</a> (altare di destra, con pala
raffigurante l'<i>Incoronazione della Vergine</i> e a <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Paolo" title="San Paolo">San Paolo</a>
(altare di destra, con pala raffigurante la <i>Conversione di San Paolo</i>).
Sul transetto si aprono quattro cappelle, due a destra e due a sinistra
dell'abside, in corrispondenza alle relative navate laterali. Qui di seguito si
descrivono a partire dall'estrema sinistra.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">La prima è la <i>cappella di Santo Stefano</i>.
Conserva all'interno il dipinto <i>Martirio di Santo Stefano</i> di <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesco_Podesti" title="Francesco Podesti">Francesco
Podesti</a> e la statua del protomartire, di <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rinaldo_Rinaldi" title="Rinaldo Rinaldi">Rinaldo
Rinaldi</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">La seconda è la <i>cappella del Santissimo
Sacramento</i>, scampata all'incendio del 1823; fu progettata da <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_Maderno" title="Carlo Maderno">Carlo
Maderno</a>, che ha scolpì anche la statua di Santa Brigida qui conservata.
Sull'altare si trova un pregevole crocifisso scolpito <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 234, 234); color: #444444;">secondo alcuni</span><span class="noprint"><sup><span style="color: red;"></span></sup></span> da <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pietro_Cavallini" title="Pietro Cavallini">Pietro
Cavallini</a>, che è sepolto in questa cappella. Secondo altri l'autore del
crocifisso è Tino di Camaino.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;">Esterno - <span class="mw-headline">Quadriportico</span> – </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">La Porta Sacra - </span></b><span class="hpsalt-edited"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial;">Exterior</span> - Quadriporticus - </b></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Front of the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls –– The Holy Door</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9kH_n7C0ZZ5lYpaztJ2sOO3yKZ4JbMT_Sdh4mkedrOhWxyCLDrM689tqlfjCr5kqBxz_Z7NnPyk5-WVsj9zNCF4J2Fybag9aMzXPU7_ZlKd2The7wC3c7rdExpr1EY6aCiFHz0LNA_dCe/s1600/spaologiardino.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9kH_n7C0ZZ5lYpaztJ2sOO3yKZ4JbMT_Sdh4mkedrOhWxyCLDrM689tqlfjCr5kqBxz_Z7NnPyk5-WVsj9zNCF4J2Fybag9aMzXPU7_ZlKd2The7wC3c7rdExpr1EY6aCiFHz0LNA_dCe/s640/spaologiardino.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zrSMv6wBQh4/T0kgldLmdII/AAAAAAAAA7g/TCxFsVbEnTQ/s1600/portasacra.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zrSMv6wBQh4/T0kgldLmdII/AAAAAAAAA7g/TCxFsVbEnTQ/s640/portasacra.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Il corpo della basilica è preceduto dal
cortile quadriporticato realizzato tra il <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/1890" title="1890">1890</a> e il <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/1928" title="1928">1928</a> da Guglielmo
Calderini su progetto iniziale di <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luigi_Poletti_%28architetto%29" title="Luigi Poletti (architetto)">Luigi Poletti</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Mentre il <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nartece" title="Nartece">nartece</a>, ovvero
il portico che costeggia la facciata della basilica, ha una sola fila di
colonne, i due laterali hanno una doppia fila, quello che si trova sul lato
opposto presenta una tripla fila di colonne più alte e robuste rispetto alle
altre. Le pareti laterali sono decorate con medaglioni raffiguranti i simboli
degli apostoli e alcuni discepoli di San Paolo. Nei medaglioni del lato
d'ingresso, invece, sono raffigurati i <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodici_apostoli" title="Dodici apostoli">dodici
apostoli</a>.</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">Al centro del cortile si
trova la statua di San Paolo, realizzata in marmo di Carrara da <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Giuseppe_Obici&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Giuseppe Obici (pagina inesistente)"><span style="color: #ba0000;">Giuseppe
Obici</span></a></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h4>
<span class="mw-headline"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">Facciata</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"> - </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">Façade
of the Basilica of St Paul
Outside the Walls</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"></span></h4>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xxXPYpMmmchEsWP9VaD94xplgrX-_WiozMDEwaU6gJPD9Ft6Jwmn4RLbiKjCvmwJig66SxdpNlGAW-oxxUSr_x2PfebyLVLl5kkBqM421PD1H9PhyphenhyphenLdutfy0VZG1k2aAn-_P9llz1wpI/s1600/facciata.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xxXPYpMmmchEsWP9VaD94xplgrX-_WiozMDEwaU6gJPD9Ft6Jwmn4RLbiKjCvmwJig66SxdpNlGAW-oxxUSr_x2PfebyLVLl5kkBqM421PD1H9PhyphenhyphenLdutfy0VZG1k2aAn-_P9llz1wpI/s640/facciata.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">I mosaici della facciata</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">La facciata sopra il colonnato è decorata
con dei mosaici eseguiti fra il <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/1854" title="1854">1854</a> e il <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/1874" title="1874">1874</a> su cartoni di Filippo Agricola e Giulio Consoni che si
ispirarono per quanto possibili a quello originale del <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_secolo" title="X secolo">X secolo</a>. Il
mosaico è suddiviso in tre fasce. In quella inferiore, su sfondo oro, alternati
alle finestre sono raffigurati i quattro profeti dell'Antico Testamento: Isaia,
Daniele, Geremia ed Ezechiele. Sopra di essi, prima del cornicione, vi è una
fascia con l'<i><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnus_Dei" title="Agnus Dei">Agnus Dei</a></i> sul monte del paradiso da cui sgorgano i
quattro fiumi simboleggianti i Vangeli, nei quali si dissetano dodici agnelli,
che simboleggiano gli apostoli. Nel <i><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timpano_%28architettura%29" title="Timpano (architettura)">timpano</a></i> triangolare, infine, vi è
raffigurato <i>Cristo benedicente</i> posto in mezzo a San Paolo e San Pietro e
la striscia centrale</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Nel <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nartece" title="Nartece">nartece</a>,
arricchito anch'esso, come gli altri tre lati del <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadriportico" title="Quadriportico">quadriportico</a>,
da marmi policromi nel rivestimento delle pareti, si aprono i cinque <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Portali&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Portali (pagina inesistente)"><span style="color: #ba0000;">portali</span></a>
che permettono l'accesso alla basilica. Fra le porte, quella centrale, che è la
più grande, risale al <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/1931" title="1931">1931</a>
ed è opera di <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Maraini" title="Antonio Maraini">Antonio Maraini</a>. Essa, alta 7,48 metri e larga 3,35
raffigura degli episodi della vita dei santi Pietro e Paolo ed è realizzata in
bronzo e decorata da una croce realizzata con la tecnica dell'agemina in
argento ed incrostata di lapislazzuli.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">La porta di destra, risalente all'<a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/XI_secolo" title="XI secolo">XI secolo</a> è
la più antica: divisa in 54 pannelli nei quali sono incise scene di vita di
Gesù e dei suoi apostoli, è chiamata <i>Porta Bizantina</i> e fungeva da
ingresso principale fino al <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967" title="1967">1967</a> quando è stata invece scelta per chiudere dall'interno il
vano della <i><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porta_Santa" title="Porta Santa">Porta Santa</a></i>. Quest'ultima, opera di <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enrico_Manfrini" title="Enrico Manfrini">Enrico
Manfrini</a>, misura 3,71
metri in altezza e 1,82 in larghezza, illustra
sull'esterno il tema della <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinit%C3%A0_%28cristianesimo%29" title="Trinità (cristianesimo)">Trinità</a> e reca alla base un distico
augurale in latino: <i>Ad sacram Pauli cunctis venientibus aedem – sit pacis
donum perpetuoquoe salus</i> (<i>A quanti vengono nel santo tempio di Paolo sia
concesso il dono della pace e della salvezza eterna</i>)</span><br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><sup><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 18pt;">English
version</span></sup></b><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">The <b>Papal
Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls</b> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_language" title="Italian language">Italian</a>:
</span><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Cambria;">Basilica
Papale di San Paolo fuori le Mura</span></i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">), commonly known as <b>St Paul's Outside the
Walls</b>, is one of Rome's four <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Rome" title="Ancient Rome">ancient</a>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_basilica" title="Major basilica">major
basilicas</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_basilica" title="Papal basilica">papal basilicas</a>: the basilicas of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_di_San_Giovanni_in_Laterano" title="Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano">St. John Lateran</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_di_Santa_Maria_Maggiore" title="Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore">St. Mary Major</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Peter%27s_Basilica" title="St. Peter's Basilica">St. Peter's</a> and Saint Paul Outside the Walls. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesco_Monterisi" title="Francesco Monterisi">Francesco Monterisi</a> was named archpriest of the
basilica in 2009. </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">The basilica was
founded by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Emperor" title="Roman Emperor">Roman Emperor</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_I_%28emperor%29" title="Constantine I (emperor)">Constantine I</a> over the burial place of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_of_Tarsus" title="Paul of Tarsus">Saint
Paul</a>, where it was said that, after the Apostle's execution, his followers
erected a memorial, called a <i>cella memoriae</i>. This first edifice was
expanded under <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentinian_I" title="Valentinian I">Valentinian I</a> in the 370s.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">In 386, Emperor <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodosius_I" title="Theodosius I">Theodosius
I</a> began erecting a much larger and more beautiful basilica with a nave and
four aisles with a transept; the work including the mosaics was not completed
until <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Leo_I" title="Pope Leo I">Leo
I</a>'s pontificate (440–461). In the 5th century it was larger than the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_St._Peter%27s_Basilica" title="Old St. Peter's Basilica">Old St. Peter's Basilica</a>. The Christian
poet <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prudentius" title="Prudentius">Prudentius</a>,
who saw it at the time of emperor <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honorius_%28emperor%29" title="Honorius (emperor)">Honorius</a> (395–423), describes the splendours of
the monument in a few expressive lines. As it was dedicated also to Saints <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Taurinus" title="Saint Taurinus">Taurinus</a>
and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herculanus" title="Herculanus">Herculanus</a>,
martyrs of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostia_Antica_%28archaeological_site%29" title="Ostia Antica (archaeological site)">Ostia</a> in the 5th century, it was
called the <i>basilica trium Dominorum</i> ("basilica of Three
Lords").</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">Under <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Gregory_I" title="Pope Gregory I">Gregory
the Great</a> (590–604) the basilica was extensively modified. The pavement was
raised to place the altar directly over Paul's tomb. A confession permitted
access to the Apostle's sepulcher.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">In that period there were two
monasteries near the basilica: St. Aristus's
for men and St. Stefano's for women. Masses were celebrated by a special body
of clerics instituted by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Simplicius" title="Pope Simplicius">Pope Simplicius</a>. Over time the monasteries and the
basilica's clergy declined; <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Gregory_II" title="Pope Gregory II">Pope
Saint Gregory II</a> restored the former and entrusted the monks with the
basilica's care.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">As it lay outside the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurelian_Walls" title="Aurelian Walls">Aurelian
Walls</a>, the basilica was damaged in the 9th century during the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saracen" title="Saracen">Saracen</a>
invasions. Consequently, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_VIII" title="Pope John VIII">Pope John VIII</a> (872–882) fortified the basilica, the
monastery, and the dwellings of the peasantry, forming the town of Joannispolis (Italian: <i>Giovannipoli</i>)
which existed until 1348, when an earthquake totally destroyed it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">In 937, when <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odo_of_Cluny" title="Odo of Cluny">Saint Odo
of Cluny</a> came to Rome,
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberic_II_of_Spoleto" title="Alberic II of Spoleto">Alberic II of Spoleto</a>, Patrician of Rome,
entrusted the monastery and basilica to his congregation and Odo placed
Balduino of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Cassino" title="Monte Cassino">Monte Cassino</a> in charge. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Gregory_VII" title="Pope Gregory VII">Pope
Gregory VII</a> was abbot of the monastery and in his time Pantaleone, a rich
merchant of Amalfi who lived in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantinople" title="Constantinople">Constantinople</a>,
presented the bronze doors of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_maior" title="Basilica maior">basilica
maior</a>, which were executed by Constantinopolitan artists; the doors are
inscribed with Pantaleone's prayer that the "doors of life" may be opened
to him. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Martin_V" title="Pope Martin V">Pope Martin V</a> entrusted it to the monks of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congregation_of_Monte_Cassino" title="Congregation of Monte Cassino">Congregation of Monte Cassino</a>. It was
then made an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbey_nullius" title="Abbey nullius">abbey nullius</a>. The abbot's jurisdiction extended over
the districts of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civitella_San_Paolo" title="Civitella San Paolo">Civitella San Paolo</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leprignano" title="Leprignano">Leprignano</a>,
and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazzano" title="Nazzano">Nazzano</a>,
all of which formed parishes. But the parish of San Paolo in Rome is under the jurisdiction of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinal_vicar" title="Cardinal vicar">cardinal
vicar</a>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">The graceful <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloister" title="Cloister">cloister</a> of the
monastery was erected between 1220 and 1241.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">From 1215 until 1964 it was the
seat of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_Patriarch_of_Alexandria" title="Latin Patriarch of Alexandria">Latin Patriarch of Alexandria</a>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnolfo_di_Cambio" title="Arnolfo di Cambio">Arnolfo
di Cambio</a>'s tabernacle</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">On 15 July 1823 a fire, started through
the negligence of a workman who was repairing the lead of the roof, resulted in
the almost total destruction of the basilica which, alone of all the churches
of Rome, had
preserved its primitive character for 1435 years. It was re-opened in 1840, and
reconsecrated 1855 with the presence of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Pius_IX" title="Pope Pius IX">Pope Pius
IX</a> and fifty cardinals. Completing the works of reconstruction took longer,
however, and many countries made their contributions. The Viceroy of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt" title="Egypt">Egypt</a> sent pillars of
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alabaster" title="Alabaster">alabaster</a>,
the Emperor of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia" title="Russia">Russia</a>
the precious <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malachite" title="Malachite">malachite</a>
and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapis_lazuli" title="Lapis lazuli">lapis
lazuli</a> of the tabernacle. The work on the principal facade, looking toward
the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiber" title="Tiber">Tiber</a>, was
completed by the Italian Government, which declared the church a national
monument. On 23 April 1891 an explosion at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porta_Portese" title="Porta Portese">Porta
Portese</a> destroyed the stained glasses.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">On 31 May 2005 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI" title="Pope Benedict XVI">Pope
Benedict XVI</a> ordered the Basilica to come under the control of an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archpriest" title="Archpriest">Archpriest</a>
and he named <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archbishop" title="Archbishop">Archbishop</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Cordero_Lanza_di_Montezemolo" title="Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo">Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo</a>
as its first archpriest.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span class="mw-headline"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">Architecture and interior</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">The covered portico that precedes
the facade is a Neo-classicist addition of the 19th-century reconstruction. The
20th-century door includes the remains of the leaves from the originary portal,
executed by Staurachius of Chios around 1070 in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantinople" title="Constantinople">Constantinople</a>,
with scenes from the New and Old Testament. On the right is the Holy Door,
which is opened only during the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jubilee_%28Christian%29" title="Jubilee (Christian)">Jubilees</a>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">The new basilica has maintained
the original structure with one nave and four aisles. It is 131.66 metres (432.0 ft) long, 65 metres (213 ft)-wide , and 29.70 metres (97.4 ft)-high, the second
largest in Rome.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">The nave's 80 columns and its stucco-decorated
ceiling are from the 19th century. All that remains of the ancient basilica are
the interior portion of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apse" title="Apse">apse</a> with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triumphal_arch" title="Triumphal arch">triumphal
arch</a>. The mosaics of the apse, work by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pietro_Cavallini" title="Pietro Cavallini">Pietro
Cavallini</a>, were mostly lost in the 1823 fire; only a few traces were
incorporated in the reconstruction. The 5th-century mosaics of the triumphal
arch are original: an inscription in the lower section attest they were done at
the time of Leo I, paid by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galla_Placidia" title="Galla Placidia">Galla Placidia</a>. The subject portrays the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocalypse" title="Apocalypse">Apocalypse</a>
of John, with the bust of Christ in the middle flanked by the 24 doctors of the
church, surmounted by the flying symbols of the four Evangelists. St. Peter and
St. Paul are
portrayed at the right and left of the arch, the latter pointing downwards
(probably to his tomb).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_tabernacle" title="Church tabernacle">tabernacle</a>
of the confession of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnolfo_di_Cambio" title="Arnolfo di Cambio">Arnolfo di Cambio</a> (1285) belong to the 13th
century.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">In the old basilica each pope had
his portrait in a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frieze" title="Frieze">frieze</a>
extending above the columns separating the four aisles and naves. A
19th-century version can be seen now. The nave's interior walls were also
redecorated with scenes from Saint
Paul's life in two mosaics.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacristy" title="Sacristy">sacristy</a>
contains a fine statue of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Boniface_IX" title="Pope Boniface IX">Pope
Boniface IX</a>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">South of the transept is the
cloister, considered "one of the most beautiful of the Middle Ages".
Built by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vassalletto" title="Vassalletto">Vassalletto</a>
in 1205-1241, it has double columns of different shapes. Some columns have
inlays with golden and coloured-glass mosaics; the same decoration can be seen
on the architrave and the inner frame of the cloister. Also visible are
fragments from the destroyed basilica and ancient sarcophagi, one with scenes of
the myth of Apollo.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="mw-headline"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">The tomb of St. Paul</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">According to tradition, Paul's
body was buried two miles away from the place of his martyrdom, in the
sepulchral area along the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostiense_Way" title="Ostiense Way">Ostiense Way</a>, which was owned by a Christian woman
named Lucina. A <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropaion" title="Tropaion">tropaeum</a>
was erected on it and quickly became a place of veneration. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_I" title="Constantine I">Constantine
I</a> erected a basilica on the tropaeum's site, and the basilica was
significantly extended by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodosius_I" title="Theodosius I">Theodosius I</a> from 386, into what is now known as Saint
Paul Outside the Walls. During the 4th century, Paul's remains, excluding the
head, were moved into a sarcophagus. (According to church tradition the head
rests at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateran" title="Lateran">Lateran</a>.)
Paul's tomb is below a marble tombstone in the Basilica's crypt, at 1.37 metres (4.5 ft) below the altar. The
tombstone bears the Latin inscription PAULO APOSTOLO MART ("to Paul the
apostle and martyr"). The inscribed portion of the tombstone has three
holes, two square and one circular. The circular hole is connected to the tomb
by a pipeline, reflecting the Roman custom of pouring perfumes inside the
sarcophagus, or to the practice of providing the bones of the dead with
libations. The sarcophagus below the tombstone measures 2.55 metres (8.4 ft) long, 1.25 metres (4.1 ft) wide and 0.97 metres (3.2 ft) high.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">The discovery of the sarcophagus
is mentioned in the chronicle of the Benedictine monastery attached to the
Basilica, in regard to the 19th century rebuilding. Unlike other sarcophagi
found at that time, this was not mentioned in the excavation papers. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">On 6 December 2006, it was
announced that Vatican archaeologists had
confirmed the presence of a white marble <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarcophagus" title="Sarcophagus">sarcophagus</a>
beneath the altar, perhaps containing the remains of the Apostle. A press
conference held on 11 December 2006 gave more details of the work of
excavation, which lasted from 2002 to 22 September 2006, and which had been
initiated after pilgrims to the basilica expressed disappointment that the
Apostle's tomb could not be visited or touched during the Jubilee year of 2000.
The sarcophagus was not extracted from its position, so that only one of its
two narrow sides is visible. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">On 29 June 2009 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI" title="Pope Benedict XVI">Pope
Benedict XVI</a> announced that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_14_dating" title="Carbon 14 dating">carbon
14 dating</a> of bone fragments in the sarcophagus confirmed a date in the 1st
or 2nd century. "This seems to confirm the unanimous and uncontested
tradition that they are the mortal remains of the Apostle Paul," Benedict
announced at a service in the basilica to mark the end of the Vatican's
Paoline year in honor of the apostle. With the bone fragments archaeologists
discovered some grains of incense, and pieces of purple linen with gold sequins
and blue linen textiles. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">A curved line of bricks
indicating the outline of the apse of the Constantinian basilica was discovered
immediately to the <i>west</i> of the sarcophagus, showing that the original
basilica had its entrance to the east, like Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.
The larger 386 basilica that replaced it had the Via Ostiense (the road to Ostia) to the east and so was extended westward, towards
the river Tiber, changing the orientation
diametrically.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Cambria;">UNESCO World Heritage site since 1980</span><span lang="EN">.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10pt;">(source <span style="color: red;">Wikipedia</span>)</span></div>Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707871253846816896noreply@blogger.com5Abbazia di San Paolo Fuori le Mura, Via Ostiense, 186, 00146 Roma, Italia41.8587005 12.476833941.846874 12.457092900000001 41.870526999999996 12.4965749tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168840659242080015.post-20475198824817388642012-02-23T04:23:00.001-08:002012-02-23T04:23:42.241-08:00The roofs and domes of Rome from the terrace of Castel Sant'Angelo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8PIvAPz_gu0br8FmMd2igpngUBytO4AnDZBCZkCsBio6ky-dmm40fOia7gY3Z97OnxleODIYwHE_9K5H1WunzqStMj43sPxe5po07j2v3IDbe166paIlTrVR7AEj4Bx3nVwgav1_bZ2z/s1600/stichcupole.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8PIvAPz_gu0br8FmMd2igpngUBytO4AnDZBCZkCsBio6ky-dmm40fOia7gY3Z97OnxleODIYwHE_9K5H1WunzqStMj43sPxe5po07j2v3IDbe166paIlTrVR7AEj4Bx3nVwgav1_bZ2z/s640/stichcupole.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707871253846816896noreply@blogger.com0Lungotevere Vaticano, 00193 Roma, Italia41.902788098873515 12.46633887290954641.902049598873518 12.465104872909546 41.903526598873512 12.467572872909546tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168840659242080015.post-25791210918467059582012-02-09T15:21:00.000-08:002012-02-09T15:21:58.124-08:00Roma di bianco vestita<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij_Gh4OUqzslXYDKu0wV31jgnjPcQeo8-OQt7ZdCD4DR5EglNKP8BOoaSFbpCtF48A9uhKQ6qyeGZDdiPzNZko7f8__PZx-ti-CSB9xHRq24YdAG9s5cI5FJPD_LVyRF96PryKbTlPRmmK/s1600/macchinaperscrivere.JPG.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij_Gh4OUqzslXYDKu0wV31jgnjPcQeo8-OQt7ZdCD4DR5EglNKP8BOoaSFbpCtF48A9uhKQ6qyeGZDdiPzNZko7f8__PZx-ti-CSB9xHRq24YdAG9s5cI5FJPD_LVyRF96PryKbTlPRmmK/s640/macchinaperscrivere.JPG.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJoSPsZD_phDOeTi69NY7ly0BfiKjT7Rn3Ad_hFa8vx5Mo5qMLbHEYVI_Wi2vxR1lAZvw7vqzMyr4fUd5i-hWxnNl-bsql78Wvc9LxagEoKB9AF8cjF1YNmriGU0eUhZDLBno_YqNo693/s1600/anienecircolo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJoSPsZD_phDOeTi69NY7ly0BfiKjT7Rn3Ad_hFa8vx5Mo5qMLbHEYVI_Wi2vxR1lAZvw7vqzMyr4fUd5i-hWxnNl-bsql78Wvc9LxagEoKB9AF8cjF1YNmriGU0eUhZDLBno_YqNo693/s640/anienecircolo.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHr5_HJLA_tIuONS7qneIgdDu6lDQNfv0hyphenhyphenvE48NXMf_9fjeBk-fkykxDk0wykT5C1lvB_2QVWUc1FGzUK_w3dZ4cCn4g9EfPQMOznGXBpbIRoXDlWYAe7Uxjtz5VthZPGAOmNICHFRBDi/s1600/iltev.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHr5_HJLA_tIuONS7qneIgdDu6lDQNfv0hyphenhyphenvE48NXMf_9fjeBk-fkykxDk0wykT5C1lvB_2QVWUc1FGzUK_w3dZ4cCn4g9EfPQMOznGXBpbIRoXDlWYAe7Uxjtz5VthZPGAOmNICHFRBDi/s640/iltev.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3cWzW1GnvZY/TzRUFAQkayI/AAAAAAAAA6I/Yi-2saU-tUU/s1600/spot.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3cWzW1GnvZY/TzRUFAQkayI/AAAAAAAAA6I/Yi-2saU-tUU/s640/spot.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sgKU83qaLDI/TzRUWTNgssI/AAAAAAAAA6Q/xlr9L1ECJ2w/s1600/neveanavonahdr.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sgKU83qaLDI/TzRUWTNgssI/AAAAAAAAA6Q/xlr9L1ECJ2w/s640/neveanavonahdr.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwbIwW3YJkWSFJA6BcwURxoru8PamBWWnEnGtYF8p-LeGgQKOpkUMOLxNtkxpiQbIhcSKYmZRNB31jeZ5vZeD0eqmRA_X66AI0P5_2Rh9-wJDkuC3WQ3AFtbs4fMtqzrHbvQMYOYIlhLlL/s1600/palazzaccio.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwbIwW3YJkWSFJA6BcwURxoru8PamBWWnEnGtYF8p-LeGgQKOpkUMOLxNtkxpiQbIhcSKYmZRNB31jeZ5vZeD0eqmRA_X66AI0P5_2Rh9-wJDkuC3WQ3AFtbs4fMtqzrHbvQMYOYIlhLlL/s640/palazzaccio.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRc0BGiZwDH80da67Mpo_Ig-AZeQ28QpU9SVMJX8lqCOjg6DzqC4RlVr_uEmiHzCRgG1dCWqPx5jLkp4OOcNlwh0V57ssFjye5XtIye8hHmSxwA89IE0cli3ClBGhxeL08hJWnZyuY2lLo/s1600/ponte_neve.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRc0BGiZwDH80da67Mpo_Ig-AZeQ28QpU9SVMJX8lqCOjg6DzqC4RlVr_uEmiHzCRgG1dCWqPx5jLkp4OOcNlwh0V57ssFjye5XtIye8hHmSxwA89IE0cli3ClBGhxeL08hJWnZyuY2lLo/s640/ponte_neve.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707871253846816896noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168840659242080015.post-5144780915838653572012-01-22T01:19:00.000-08:002012-01-22T01:19:26.944-08:00Roman sunsets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f41VaTINjvg/TxvTL2bqYII/AAAAAAAAA4g/76zpr7W_0SE/s1600/centurioni.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f41VaTINjvg/TxvTL2bqYII/AAAAAAAAA4g/76zpr7W_0SE/s640/centurioni.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a_uq4nrc0EU/TxvTUCD1E-I/AAAAAAAAA4o/BkWM_hxDeCk/s1600/palatino.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a_uq4nrc0EU/TxvTUCD1E-I/AAAAAAAAA4o/BkWM_hxDeCk/s640/palatino.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6rasd-PBh3M/TxvTdZq_BCI/AAAAAAAAA4w/yupbcfvKsGQ/s1600/rosso.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6rasd-PBh3M/TxvTdZq_BCI/AAAAAAAAA4w/yupbcfvKsGQ/s640/rosso.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BP_BJ8bsJUY/TxvTnv8kuII/AAAAAAAAA44/-wMcadAozk4/s1600/restiforo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BP_BJ8bsJUY/TxvTnv8kuII/AAAAAAAAA44/-wMcadAozk4/s640/restiforo.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7suPkIn8TTFVCCxG8xD6phPYUg05Lvdl74zksqeiHjfeVyN3T6Gr630K5WqUn5U60MrnLOJNWCH0Cx1Pr40l4EayUbe0KTtexOEV08-N0LYdyxyh-d9PyaT6j2At-UoizJyStfbiYjI8w/s1600/under.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7suPkIn8TTFVCCxG8xD6phPYUg05Lvdl74zksqeiHjfeVyN3T6Gr630K5WqUn5U60MrnLOJNWCH0Cx1Pr40l4EayUbe0KTtexOEV08-N0LYdyxyh-d9PyaT6j2At-UoizJyStfbiYjI8w/s640/under.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oAYzPR6y_Vs/TxvT_NMg-1I/AAAAAAAAA5I/uqz2XSmVAkk/s1600/viacolosseo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oAYzPR6y_Vs/TxvT_NMg-1I/AAAAAAAAA5I/uqz2XSmVAkk/s640/viacolosseo.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WB_eD7i_sxGDrH0L2eJjWo1WLX2wZwbeDMFOnmNY1YwdU4hKVqIGtDvM6hQ95kRW8nSSxFci_FoeRHGMnVT8sPitEMGHvkg4MjoBJrEJZymM0lhkBXj3_ChAygzjTKR6LYFTP2gpGurg/s1600/viadellagreca.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WB_eD7i_sxGDrH0L2eJjWo1WLX2wZwbeDMFOnmNY1YwdU4hKVqIGtDvM6hQ95kRW8nSSxFci_FoeRHGMnVT8sPitEMGHvkg4MjoBJrEJZymM0lhkBXj3_ChAygzjTKR6LYFTP2gpGurg/s640/viadellagreca.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--zzXh6os-_E/TxvUOxOuUVI/AAAAAAAAA5Y/sHNkUSBMtTI/s1600/colossoecielo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--zzXh6os-_E/TxvUOxOuUVI/AAAAAAAAA5Y/sHNkUSBMtTI/s640/colossoecielo.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707871253846816896noreply@blogger.com2Roma, Italia41.8905198 12.494248641.5122753 11.8625346 42.2687643 13.125962600000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168840659242080015.post-38884399650590855752012-01-22T01:09:00.000-08:002012-01-22T01:09:21.219-08:00Saint Peter - The nativity scene<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8HaomcFC49LQ132ISzlVGQdM-F6FOsMsE6YI4ddLddQCbGcVrYCETimNNSFwnWk6XTm_IIjx5rnxxjKZ_O42bn5Xqw8xIIadv3xql96BWylOd5Z7cvZfVfZFUryMONrnyfMrl0nBJbOXC/s1600/Pietrofr.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8HaomcFC49LQ132ISzlVGQdM-F6FOsMsE6YI4ddLddQCbGcVrYCETimNNSFwnWk6XTm_IIjx5rnxxjKZ_O42bn5Xqw8xIIadv3xql96BWylOd5Z7cvZfVfZFUryMONrnyfMrl0nBJbOXC/s640/Pietrofr.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707871253846816896noreply@blogger.com0Piazza San Pietro, Roma, Italia41.9022528 12.45832541.8992983 12.4533895 41.9052073 12.4632605tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168840659242080015.post-19931931938755490842012-01-22T01:06:00.000-08:002012-01-22T01:06:28.819-08:00Opera singers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nkhBG0iJ12c/TxvQ3xKRUjI/AAAAAAAAA4I/5GoMAWDknNM/s1600/lirici.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nkhBG0iJ12c/TxvQ3xKRUjI/AAAAAAAAA4I/5GoMAWDknNM/s640/lirici.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXyPEE7maB8qNKZvIWkh6_6MY8eI_8GPBUS9-9PbneVgJGEYSYdR4riL-3N-oJn7FN91Cy_gSVDd5E17DppGqqKPVjGYjfyKPbYf7n3_O2PWQHpZ_1RuiStcf-Dxd9m3EM7NLRqMwgUKkM/s1600/scalefr.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXyPEE7maB8qNKZvIWkh6_6MY8eI_8GPBUS9-9PbneVgJGEYSYdR4riL-3N-oJn7FN91Cy_gSVDd5E17DppGqqKPVjGYjfyKPbYf7n3_O2PWQHpZ_1RuiStcf-Dxd9m3EM7NLRqMwgUKkM/s640/scalefr.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707871253846816896noreply@blogger.com0Piazza di Spagna, 00187 Roma, Italia41.9056841 12.482311241.9042071 12.4798437 41.9071611 12.4847787