Vernazza Harbor

Painting by: Teresa Dominici, Medium: Acrylic on canvas, size: 24"x18" (60cmx45cm).

The Cinque Terre, are five small villages on the "Costa Ligure of Levante". The villages from north to south are: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. Since 1926, the Cinque Terre towns have been part of the province of La Spezia.

We visited the Cinque Terre in Spring of 1989, and decided to visit each town on foot. 

Each town had his own charisma.

From Riomaggiore, we walked to Manarola along the section called “Lover’s Lane”. This is the easiest part of the walk, with the path paved and flat and giving you great views of the ocean. It took us right into Manarola.

From Manarola we followed the coastal trail to Corniglia or you can also follow the harder trails up and through the vineyards and olive groves.

The path from Corniglia to Vernazza is one of the hardest parts. The coastal path can be steep at times and get quite crowded. However, we did get great views of the towns and the terraced vineyards.

There are lots of things about Vernazza that make it known as "the jewel of Cinque Terre", and probably the first thing would be the beach. It is the only town in the Cinque Terre that has the closest thing to a natural harbor and offers superb swimming.

Leaving Vernazza for the final stop of Monterosso is the most challenging. The trail gets very steep at points and it’s a lot of up and down walking. However, we were rewarded with beautiful vineyards, olive groves, ancient stone houses, and crumbling walls.

 Cinque Terre 

Title, video, link & below text by: 

The World of Travel, 

 http://www.viaggiatore.net/

The Cinque Terre is a rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera. It is in the Liguria region of Italy, to the west of the city of La Spezia. "The Five Lands" comprises five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.

The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Cinque Terre is noted for its beauty. Over centuries, people have carefully built terraces on the rugged, steep landscape right up to the cliffs that overlook the sea. Part of its charm is the lack of visible "modern" development. Paths, trains and boats connect the villages, and cars cannot reach it from the outside. It is a very popular tourist destination.

In 1998 the Italian Ministry for the Environment set up the Protected natural marine area Cinque Terre to protect the natural environment and to promote socioeconomic development compatible with the natural landscape of the area.

In 1999 the Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre. was set up to conserve the ecological balance, protect the landscape, and safeguard the anthropological values of the location. ( source Wikipedia ) 

Villa Borghese, Rome

Villa Borghese is Rome’s largest public park; it can be a pleasant refuge from the hectic Roman streets and offers a large number of touristy attractions, featuring a lake, temples, fountains, statues and several museums. 

The artificial lake in the park has a temple dedicated to Aesculapius – the god of health. The temple is built on the island and was designed by Antonio Asprucci with beautiful Ionic columns. 

We lived in Rome for seven years and visited the Villa Borghese gardens often, we used to rent a four person bike with a canopy, and the four of us explored the vast, beautiful grounds of the Borghese Gardens.

Painting by: Teresa Dominici, Title: Villa Borghese, Year: 2011,

  

Villa Borghese - Roma 

Title, video, link, & below text by:  
Donni Roberto
 http://www.youtube.com/user/rododoro15

The Villa Borghese is the largest public park in Rome. It features a lake, temples, fountains, statues and several museums.

The park is located north of the Spanish Steps. Main entrances are at the Piazza del Popolo and the Porta Pinciana at the end of the Via Veneto. The Borghese Park is a pleasant refuge from the hectic streets in Rome.

The area started as a vineyard in the 16th century. In 1605 cardinal Scipione Borghese, a nephew of Pope Paul V, turned the vineyard into a park. 

The landscaper Domenico Savino da Montepulciano designed a very formal park with geometric shapes, the first such park in Rome. A villa was built by the architect Flaminio Ponzio after a sketch from the cardinal himself.

The park was later laid out in a more natural way. At the end of the 18th century an artificial lake was created in the middle of the park. On the island in the lake, a small Ionic temple was built. It is dedicated to Aesculapius, the God of healing.

In 1903 the city of Rome obtained the Villa Borghese from the Borghese family and the park was opened to the public. The 80 hectare/148 acres large park now featured wide shady lanes, several temples, beautiful fountains and many statues.
In 1911 the World Exposition was held in this park. Dubbed the 'park of museums', the Villa Borghese park is also home to several museums.

The Museo e Galleria Borghese is housed in the Villa Borghese. The park also contains an amphitheater (the Piazza di Siena), an 18th century arch (the arco di Settimio Severo) and a botanical garden. You might also notice Triton statues which look exactly like those on the Fontana del Moro (Moor Fountain) at the Piazza Navona.


La villa è la più nota a Roma sia per la notevole estensione sia per i diversi accessi al centro della città. A volerne la costruzione tra il Flaminio e i Parioli, area in cui sorgevano gli horti di Lucullo, fu il cardinale Scipione Borghese agli inizi del XVII secolo. L'edificio principale, ispirato al modello cinquecentesco, era ricoperto all'esterno da antiche sculture, mentre il sobrio interno accoglieva notevoli opere d'arte. All'inizio dell'800 il principe Camillo Borghese allestì la collezione d' arte della famiglia nel Casino, oggi sede della Galleria e del Museo Borghese.