Italy – suemtravels

Noto – A Stone Garden in Sicily’s Valley of Baroque

By: suemtravels April 22, 2019April 23, 2019

Italy, SicilyAltarpiece Santa Chiara, Architect Vincenzo Sinatra, Arco di Trionfo, Baroque Architecture, Benedictine Monastery of the Holy Crucifix, Cassabile River, Cathedral of San Nicolò, Cava Grande Natural Reserve, Chiesa di San Domenico, Chiesa San Francesco, Church of Montevergine, Church of Saint Francis Immaculate, Church of San Carlo, Church of San Domenico, Church of San Francesco all ‘Immacolata, Church of Santa Maria Assunta, Colonna Pizzuta, Convent of Santa Chiara, Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Ferdinand de Bourbon, Franciscan church of Noto Antica, Golden Yellow Limestone, Greek city of Eloro, Hall of Mirrors, House of Hercules, Isola delle Correnti, Jesuit College, La Cattedrale Di San Nicolò, La Chiesa di San Francesco d’Assisi all’Immacolata, Laghetti Cavagrande, May Infiorata, Mendola Hill, Monastery of the Holy Savior, Neas, Noto Cathedral, Noto Sicily, Oasis of Vendicari, Oriented Nature Reserve Cavagrande, Palazzo Ducezio, Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, Palazzo Nicolaci Villadorata, Pantanello, Paolo Labisi, Piazza Immacolata, Piazza Municipio, Piazza XVI Maggio, Porta Reale, Princes of Villadorata, Rosario Gagliardi, S. a Benedetto, Salvatore Lo Forte, San Francesco all'immacolata, San Nicolò of Mira, Santa Scolastica, Sicilian Baroque, Syracuse Province, The Assumption of Mary Painting, Vendicari Nature Reserve, Via Capponi, Villa Romana del Tellaro, Vincenzo Sinatra, Vittorio Emanuele III Theatre2 Comments

Noto is another Sicilian town revered for spectacular Baroque architecture. I visited on Saturday. The Mediterranean has been stormy and weather was overcast and windy – not great for photography. Everything in the complex has unique symbolism and historical significance, I hoped to hire a local guide. Understanding the history and culture of countries makes…

Modica Sicily – Baroque Architecture, Earthquakes, and Chocolate

By: suemtravels April 18, 2019July 7, 2019

Italy, SicilyArab-Norman Style, Baroque Architecture, Baroque Church of S. Pietro, Baroque of the Val di Noto, Benedictine Monastery, Byzantine Rock Architecture, Cabrera Family, Castello Dei Conti Di Modica And Clock Tower, Cathedral of San Pietro, Chiaramontano Style, Chiaramonte, Chiaramonte Family, Chiaramonte Style, Chiesa del Carmine Church, Chocolate of Modica, Church and the Convent of the Carmine, Church of Berlon, Church of San Bartolomeo, Church of San Domenico in Noto, Church of San Giorgio, Church of San Giorgio Ragusa, Church of San Giuseppe, Church of San Mauro, Church of San Nicolò Inferiore, Church of Sant'Antonio, Church of Santa Maria del Soccorso, Church of Santa Maria di Berlo, Church of St. Mary of Bethlehem, City of Hercules, Corso Umberto I, Corso Umberto Modica, Counts of Modica, Dolceria Bonajuto, Enzo Assenza Artist, Eracle by Cafeo, Ercole di Modica, Garibaldi Theater, Hyblaean Mountains, Hyblean Plateau, Iblean Mountains, Iblei Mountains, Irminio River, Jesuit College Modica, Madonna Vasa Vasa Celebration, Modica Alta, Modica Bassa, Modica Bassa and Alta, Modica Civic Museum, Modica Clock Tower, Modica Earthquake 1693, Modica Sicily, Modicana Cattle, Monti Iblei, Mt. Etna, Museo Civico F.L. Belgiorno, Palace of Culture Modica, Palazzo de 'Mercedari, Palazzo De Leva, Palazzo della Cultura Modica, Palazzo Polara, Piazza Giacomo Matteotti Modica, Piazza Matteotti, Platamone Family, Poet Natale Salvatore Quasimodo, Pozzallo, Ragusa, Rosario Gagliardi Architect, Sanctuary of Madonna delle Grazie, Santa –Maria Square, Sicels, Sicilian Author Gesualdo Bufalino, Sicilian-Gothic, St. Peter’s Church Modica, Statue of San Cataldo, Statue of San Pietro and the Madonna, Statue of Santa Rosalia, Syracuse architect Vincenzo Mirabella, Tedeschi Palace, Tommaso Campailla, Torre Dell'orologio, UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, Val di Noto, Valley Sicilian Baroque, Via Marchesa Tedeschi3 Comments

I’ve been relaxing in Pozzallo, content with long walks on the beach and uninspired to post on my travel blog or chase Sicilian attractions. Daylight hours are long (6:30 am – 8:30 pm) and April weather is mild. Like most coastal areas, Pozzallo’s wind can be fierce and unpredictable with temperatures changing quickly. We’ve had…

Pozzallo Sicily

Pozzallo is a sleepy Sicilian seaside village on the Mediterranean – as “Italian / Sicilian” as you can get! I arrived Monday afternoon after flights from Belgrade to Munich and Munich to Catania followed by a 1.5-hour bus ride from Catania to Pozzallo. Each leg of the trip had unique challenges which I won’t belabor…

Arrivederci Roma!

By: suemtravels June 12, 2017August 13, 2019

Italy, RomeBeyoğlu District, Digestivo, Istanbul, Primi Piatti, Secondi Piatti, Sultanahmet1 Comment

These weeks in Rome have passed so quickly! It’s sad that just as I’m settling in and finally beginning to conquer the Italian learning curve, it’s time to move on to Istanbul. I sometimes resist the “moving part” of each leg on a long trip – knowing everything changes completely overnight and a new orientation…

Ancient Rome’s Appian Way

By: suemtravels June 12, 2017June 11, 2019

Italy, RomeAdriatic Coast, Appian Way, Appius Claudius Caecus, Capua, Catacombs of San Callisto, Catacombs of San Sebastiano, Censor of Rome, Domine Quo Vadis Church, Julius Ceasar, Porta San Sebastián, Queen of Roads, Spartacus, Via AppiaLeave a Comment

Sunday afternoon I visited the Appian Way, “ancient Rome’s most important military and economic artery”. Built in 312 BC, the road is one of the “oldest roads in existence” and called the “Queen of Roads”! History “The Appian Way was a crucial road for the Roman Empire. It connected Rome to its most distant settlements.…

Exhibitions Complesso del Vittoriano – Botero, Giovanni Boldini, Rome’s Fire Artist

Museums and exhibition halls in Rome’s Complesso del Vittoriano, the “Altar of the Italian Nation,” are known for hosting great art. The complex was built as a “symbolic monument” to “celebrate Vittorio Emanuele II of Savoy, the first King of a unified Italy”. Two incredible showings are now running: Fernando Botero Giovanni Boldini Colombian Artist Fernando…

Trinità dei Monti Rome

Santissima Trinità dei Monti Roman Catholic Church and monastery is at the top of the Spanish Steps in Rome. Obelisco Sallustiano stands at the church’s entrance. Trinità dei Monti is a French national church and one of Rome’s main attractions. The church contains magnificent Renaissance Art and has interesting history. In 1502, to celebrate France’s invasion of…

Campo Marzio Rome

By: suemtravels June 8, 2017January 13, 2019

Italy, RomeBasilica of Santa Maria del Popolo, Campo Marzio, Flamino Metro Station, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, Mars God of War, Piazza di Spagna, Piazza Navona, Saint Peter’s Square, Sistine Chapel, Tarquinius Superbus, VaticanLeave a Comment

Yesterday I spent time walking the upper areas of Campo Marzio, the Roman district that “boasts ruins with some of the most famous monuments in the world”. The district was dedicated to Mars, the Roman God of War. Campo Marzio covers a large area, including Piazza Navona, Piazza di Spagna, and Trinita dei Monti. During…

Rome’s Piazza del Popolo, Basilica Santa Maria del Popolo, and Museo Leonardo da Vinci

By: suemtravels June 6, 2017May 23, 2019

Italy, RomeAurelian Wall, Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo, Basilica of the Holy Cross, Carracci, Church of Santa Maria del Popolo, Circus Maximus, Da Vinci The Universal Genius, Domenico Fontana, La belle Ferronnière, Mona Lisa, Museo Leonardo da Vinci, Nero, Obelisks in Rome, Piazza del Popolo, Piazza del Popolo Obélisque, Pincio Gardens, Pope Sixtus V, Portrait of a Young Fiancée, Purgatory, Ramses II, Roman Catholic Indulgences, Rome Tridente Neighborhood, Rome's Major Churches, St. John Lateran, St. Lawrence Church, St. Mary Major Basilica, St. Paul Basilica, St. Peter's Basilica, St. Sebastian Basilica, The Last Supper, The Virgin of the Rocks, Tiber River, Villa Borghese ParkLeave a Comment

Piazza del Popolo Piazza del Popolo (People’s Square), along the northern edge of “tourist Rome”, is near the northern gate of the Aurelian Wall and part of Rome’s tridente neighborhood. The church of Santa Maria del Popolo and several parks surround the square. The hot weather in Rome zaps your energy. I’ve been leaving my…

Villa Borghese Rome

Yesterday, I walked throughout Villa Borghese, one of Rome’s largest parks with gardens, museums, galleries, and more. The sprawling urban park is north of central Rome in the upscale Spagna district near the Aurelian Wall. Other notable attractions in the area include Piazza del Popolo, Spanish Steps, and Piazza di Spagna. I took the subway to…

Magnifico Giro in Bicicletta a Roma

Thursday, I enjoyed an all-day bicycle tour of many of Rome’s famous historical monuments! It was a small group of three led by our Italian guide, Emanuele. The other two members of the group – Conor and Cara – were Americans from New York City traveling through Italy for several weeks. On their way to…