Entries about veneto

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After my stay in Portogruaro I spent some days in Caorle. It is a beautiful seaside restort.

Caorle is a island connected by bridges.

It is situated some kilometers from Portogruaro.

This town has two long beaches. Spiaggia di levante (the east beach) and spiaggia di ponente (the west beach).

The beaches are divided by a dam formed by lots of rocks.

Many of these rocks are sculpted every two years by sculptors from various countries.

It is a real contest called Scogliera Viva.

One of the things to do in Caorle is to get lost into its colourful old core.

The old core is made of calli (narrow alleys) and campi (small squares).

A nice small square.

Rio Terrà delle Botteghe is a long street in the old centre of Caorle.

Here you can find a good choice of shops and some cafes and restaurants.

I usually had a spritz around 11 p. m. Spritz is a long drink typical from the Veneto region.

It is made with white wine, sparkling water and a bit of beverage called Bitter or Campari.

This was one of my favourite places to rest in Caorle. It is near the cathedral.

It is a good place to protect oneself from the heat. It was hot when I was in Caorle!

I booked a room at a hotel where they served only breakfast. Hotel Luana.

This hotel is simple, clean and not far from the old centre of Caorle.

I found a good place to have lunch. It is a kind of take away. Its name is Gastronomia da Emilio.

Here I had two kinds of pasticcio (casserole) and cold rice. These dishes were really good.

Pasticcio with fish and sea fruits.

Cold rice.

If you like to know more about Caorle, please, check my previous post about this town.

I spent four days in Portogruaro and I never got bored of this town.

Portogruaro is situated in the western part of the Veneto region.

The river Lemene crosses Portogruaro.

Several kinds of fowls live by the Lemene river.

Along the Lemene river there is a short promenade. Let' s say it is more than a path.

Here you can also find some benches to rest a bit.

You will not surely miss these old water mills if you visit Portogruaro.

They date to the XIII century. Today they are used for art exibitions.

This is a small wooden oratory dedicated to the Madonna. It was made in 1600.

Here you see the painting of the Madonna that is housed into the oratory.

Piazza della Repubblica; the main square in Portogruaro is bordered by various palaces and with the town hall.

In this picture you see the town hall. Its central part was built in 1265. Probably the side wings date to the 1512.

There are many old palaces in the center of Portogruaro.

Many of these are decorated with beautiful frescoes.

This is one of my favourite spots in Portogruaro. It is a small square right in the old center of the town.

Forno Zani is a cafe bakery. It is a good place to have something to eat as slices of pizza and other savoury food.

Two slices of pizza I had for dinner at Forno Zani.

Forno Zani is situated right in the city center of Portogruaro.

There are lots of porticoes in this town. Under many of these there are shops, cafes and restaurants.

A portico with frescoes.

There is an interesting archaeological museum in Portogruaro. The museo nazionale Concordiese.

This museum houses lots of Roman finds discovered in Concordia Sagittaria and the surronding areas.

Concordia Sagittaria is a town located some three kilometers from Portogruaro.

It was a Roman settlement named Iulia Concordia at the Roman times.

I suppose there are two parks in this town. One of these is quite small. Its name is Giardini dell' Abbazia.

Here you can see a beautiful fountains and some sculptures.

The other park; Parco della Pace is quite large and has various kinds of trees and a cafes.

I didn' t take any pics at this park....

A fairy tale house.

A private garden.

Mel is a small village located almost halfway between Belluno and Feltre.

It is so small you can explore it in a couple of hours. Small, but beautiful.

The main square in Mel; piazza Papa Luciani is quite large. Papa Luciani was pope Johannes Paulus I. He was pope for a very short time.

This square is surrounded by several palaces built from the 1500.

Here you see the town hall; built in 1510. Besides it you see the Palazzo delle Contesse. It houses an archaeological museum, the tourist office and some halls for meetings.

There is also the parish church in the square. The Santa Maria Annunziata church. It was built in the 1600.

Another palace you see in piazza Papa Luciani is Casa Franceschi. Long ago it was completely covered with frescoes.

Mel has a couple of restaurants as far as I know. One of these is the Antica Locanda (inn) Cappello. It dates to the XVII century.

This restaurant is also in the main square. It is the orange building you see in this picture.

It was closed when I visited Mel.

Here you see another beautiful palace situated in piazza Papa Luciani; Casa Fulcis (and later Zadra).

Today it houses an ice cream parlour. Also this place was closed the day I was in Mel.

In Mel there is a cafe where you can buy newspapers, magazines and cigarettes, a pharmacy and some other shops, but not many.

There is a small bakery some meters from the square. It is also a grocery shop.

Here you can buy a good cake make with jam or Nutella and various other sweet treats.

Palazzo Pivetta is a palace you can find a little downill from piazza Papa Luciani.

As you can see this palace has an arch. Under this arch you will walk on a Roman road that takes to some other villages.

Mel is really a good place to visit as a day trip from where I live; even if it wasn' t easy to get there!

Me and my partner got lost in the countryside! Not for long.

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.