Entries about region.

I did two day trips more when I was in Gabicce Mare. I visited Pesaro and Urbino.

I had already been to these towns some years ago.

Pesaro is a beautiful town situated in the Marche region. It overlooks the Adriatic Sea.

It was the birtplace of Gioacchino Rossini (1792 - 1868); a famous Italian composer.

Piazza del Popolo is the main square in Pesaro. Here you see the Palazzo Ducale (the ducal palace) and a fountain; built in 1593 and restored between 1684 and 1685.

The first structure of the ducal palace was probably commissioned by the Malatesta family (the lords of Pesaro!) between 1285 and 1429.

The present palace was built on the orders; in the 15th century by Alessandro Sforza. It was restored in 1523 .

It is opened to visitors, but I haven' t visited yet.

Every morning inside the two cloisters of the ex monastery of saint Domenico a food and vegetable market is held.

A vist to this market is probably a good opportunity to find some typical Italian food.

The house where Giacomo Rossini was born and spent the first years of his life is not far from piazza del Popolo.

Today its interior is a museum dedicated to the composer.

The cathedral of saint Maria Assunta was originally built joining two churches; one dated to the IV century and the other to the IV century.

This church was remodelled more times trought the centuries.

On the floor of the church there are several Roman mosaics.

This nice buliding is Casetta Vaccari. It dates to the 1400. Today there is a cafe on its ground floor

Not far from Casetta Vaccari there is a palace that houses some museums of art; the Musei Civici.

I think this palace has a section with archaeological artifacts.

It is a pleasure to get lost in the Pesaro backstreets.

This is a shop inside an old building.

Villino Ruggeri is a small palace built in the Art Nouveau style.

It was built from 1902 to 1907.

You can see it on the street that takes to the beaches.

In piazzale della Libertà; a large square not far from the sea, you will surely notice a large sculpture. The Sfera Grande.

It was created by the sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro in 1998. It is a copy. The original Sfera Grande is on display somewhere.

We can say that Pesaro is a beach resort. It has a long beach.

Orti Giuli is a place I like very much. It is a small park.

It was created between 1827 and 1830.

I spotted these boats from Orti Giuli.

Urbino is a large walled town with a well preserved Medieval and Reinassance center.

It is located at the top of a hill.

Palazzo Ducale is the main sight in Urbino. It was built in various phases. It was finished in the second half of the XV century.

Inside the palace the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche is housed.

This palace was commissioned by Federico da Montefeltro (the leader of Urbino) from 1444.

One of the things I was going to see in Urbino was the botanical gardens. Its name is Orto Botanico.

As in other botanical gardens here there are some conservatories.

These gardens was created in 1809. It is not a large gardens, but there is a large variety of plants and flowers.

Some streets in Urbino are very steep!

Other sights in Urbino are the oratory of saint John the Baptist and the oratory of saint Joseph.

I wrote about these churches in my previous post about Urbino.

If you like to enjoy a great view over a large part of Urbino you could head to the park outside the Albornoz fortress.

This fortress dates to the second half of the XIV century.

Yesterday I was going to spend a day in Feltre. It is a beautiful town in the Veneto region. I have been lots of times there.

Unfortunately the only road I know to Feltre was closed. So I had to choose another destination for my day trip. I didn' t want to go back home!

My partner suggested to re visit Marostica and so we did.

It is a nice town located some miles from Bassano del Grappa. I wrote a post about this town here on Travellerspoint some time ago.

Marostica has two castles. The lower one; situated on the main square and the upper castle. This one overlooks the town.

A chess turnament played with persons is held every two years in this town. Marostica is mostly popular for this event.

After a stroll under the porticoes and some window shoppings I visited a couple of churches. Then I headed to the upper castle.

I found a path to the castle and I had a very long walk. You have to walk uphill to get to the castle.

I didn' t reacht it because I was tired and it was around lunch time. I suppose I wasn' t far from the castle.

I enjoyed a lot the view from the wood. Yes, I found myself in a real wood.

When I visit Marostica I usually have lunch at Caffè Centrale. It is one of the cafes - restaurants which stands under the porticoes in piazza Castello.

I had polenta and cod fish for lunch. I liked it.

After lunch, I went for a long stroll and at a certain point I discovered part of the walls of the castle and also a road that should takes to the castle.

I also discovered a tower house. I am quite sure it is inhabited. This house is part of the walls.

There are various porticoes in Marostica, Even the main square; piazza Castello is surrounded partly by some of them

There are various shops, some cafes and restaurants under the porticoes.

Have a look at my previous post about Marostica to learn more about this town; if you like.

Some days ago I did a day trip to Venice. I have been there many times!

Venice is around two hours and half by train from the village where I live.

I have found an itinerary on the web some time ago and I wished to follow it.

Here we go!

Start from piazzale Roma. This is a large square where there is the coach depot in Venice. It is quite near the train station.

Cross the Calatrava bridge. It was designed by the Spanish architect Calatrava.

Head to campo santa Margherita. This square is surrounded by various palaces built from the XVI and the XV centuries.

Saint Pantalon church is worth a visit for its large painting on its walls; the martyrius of saint Pantalon. It is not a fresco, but a painting on canvas. Gian Antonio Fumiani painted it between 1680 and 1704.

The church was re built between 1684 and 1704. Its origins were not certain.

This church is situated just some meters from campo santa Margherita.

This painting is quite dark as you can see.

Make your way to campo san Barnaba.

Follow the signs to saint Mark' s square. It is the only square in Venice. The other squares are called "campi".

Look for the squero di san Trovaso. A squero is a place where gondolas and other boats are repaired or made. The word "squero" comes from"squara"; a tool used to build vessels.

This squero has a Tyrolese look. It dates to the 1600. This is one of the last left. This boatyard is not open to the public.

Stroll to the fondamenta delle Zattere. This is a very long promenade is situated just off the squero di san Trovaso.

Search for the Gallerie dell' Accademia. It' s a large art museum.

Walk to the Accademia bridge and then cross it. This picture was taken from this bridge.

Near the Accademia bridge I spotted a gondola. The gondola is a long narrow black boat you see in some canals in this city. Today it is used for pleasure trips and for weddings.

This kind of boat requires a lot of time to be built. It is 10.85 long and its medium length is around 1.40 meters. It is built with nine kinds of wood.

The average gondola ride lasts forty minutes for a settled price. I think it should be around 80 euros (not per person; per ride). I' ve read you can bargain to get a lower price. After 7 or 8 p. m. it costs more to do a gondola trip.

Head for campo san Stefano.

Walk along the calle on the left side of the church of san Maurizio.

The next stop will be at the theater la Fenice.

Head to the Frezzeria. It is a street.

Try to find the Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo. It was built in the late XV century. This palace has a beautiful exterior spiral staircase. You can climb to its top and enjoy the landscape over the surrounding areas.

It is located in Saint Marks' area. If you like to go there you have to go to Campo Manin, toward calle della Mandola. You find it near campo san Bortolo.

This is part of a restaurant.

Walk to the Rialto bridge.

The Rialto bridge was originally built on disused boats in 1175. It was substituted by another one made of wood in 1265. It had a movable central section that could be raised to allow the passage of the tallest boats. This was partly burnt in a revolt in 1310 and then rebuilt.

It collapsed in 1444 under the weight of people watching a boat parade during the wedding of the marquis of Ferrara. It collapsed again in 1524.

The current structure of this bridge was built between 1588 and 1591.

This bridge is formed by two inclined ramps with shops on either sides and covered by a portico. It has three walkways.

I spent some time at the Rialto market. It is made of the Erbaria; the fruits and vegetables market and the fish market. This market is located quite near the Rialto bridge.

Here you can find almost every kind of vegetables and fruits. I didn' t visit the fish market when I was here.

I had a simple lunch made of a couple of sandwiches and a spritz (it is alcoholic drink) at the bar "Al Mercà". This is a "hole in the wall" bar where they have a good choice of small sandwiches with cold cuts. They also serve various kinds of wines.

This bar is located near the Rialto market.

Visit saint Mark' s square. It was laid out in the 9th century and enlarged in the 12th century. Irs main sight are saint Mark's basilica, its belltower and the Ducal Palace. There are even some museums, several shops and a couple of expensive cafes at this square.

Originally saint Mark' s basilica was built in 828 to house the remains of saint Mark the evangelist. These were stolen by two Venetian merchants from Alexandria in Egypt.

Much of this church was destroyed in 974 by a fire originated in the Ducal Palace. Later a second church was built.

The church we see today is the result of the transformations made between the XIth and the end of the XIV centuries. It was the ducal chapel until 1807, when it became cathedral.

The church is decorated with mosaics made from the XII to the XIV century. There are mosaics both outside and inside of this worship place.

One of its highlights is the Pala d' Oro. This golden altarpiece is decorated with 2000 gemstones. It is 3 meters wide and 2 meters high and is made of gold and silver. It was made between the X and the XIV centuries.

Inside the basilica you can visit the treasury. It is located behind the main altar.

In saint Mark' s square; beside the basilica there is a tower; the torre dell' orologio. It was built between 1469 and 1499.

I got lost at the arsenal area so I decided not to follow the itineray, but to go to the station.

The arsenal was for a long time the largest shipyard in the world. Here, the ships were built, and also repaired. The first ships were built at the arsenal in the 12th century.

On my way to the train station I spotted this beautiful red palace.