A Month in Bella Italia

[Lisbeth]

Maybe I saw one in India...

[Pumbaa]

Love the banyan tree, Flutterby,

and the more I see from Palermo the more the City is fascinating me

[Flutterby]

The cathedral is impressive...from the outside. The architecture looks a lot like the cathedrals in Southern Spain. In any case I do not like the inside of most catholic church; they are too full of "things"

Nice story linked to Piazza della Vergogna

Is the statue by Vincenzo Muratore dedicated to his father or is Father here intended as God

I have seen a tree like that in Madeira or was it the Azores

The Father in the statue is intended as God.

"Piazza Pretoria". Yay...what rugby team do they support, I wonder?

Those old Eyeties would have a fit if they saw some of the Municipal Corruption we have here!

I think the banyan trees are from India...

Ja RP, the one thing we do better than anyone else...corruption!!

Love the banyan tree, Flutterby,

and the more I see from Palermo the more the City is fascinating me

Thanks Pumbaa. It is a very interesting city.

[Flutterby]

When we got back to the car, this is what we found!! We were parked in, front and back, and this is common practice in Italy!! Luckily, the driver of the car in front arrived and moved his car so that we could get out!

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We then made our way to Mondello which is a small borough of the city of Palermo. Its beach lies between two cliffs called Mount Gallo and Mount Pellegrino. The town was originally a small fishing village situated on marshland, but at the end of the 19th century it grew into a favourite tourist destination.

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From there we went to the nearby town of Sferracavallo. Founded in the 15th century by a group of fishermen, this small village was called “Calandria”. Today it is well known for its tasty and traditional fish restaurants located on the seafront. We were having dinner at Il Delfino Restaurant (The Dolphin), considered a jewel of Sicilian gastronomy. The Delfino is also a destination for VIPs and celebrities, whose photos decorate the long wall that divides the two large rooms of the restaurant...there was even a photo of our very own Dr Chris Barnard!! There is a fixed menu and the waiters just keep bringing plates of different seafood, from oysters, mussels and prawns, to sardines, sword fish, octopus, calamari, crayfish and clams. To be honest, the Brat and I agreed that we've had much better seafood in SA!

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[Richprins]

All so neat and tidy! (except the parking... )

Interesting food - looks quite rich!

Flutts!

[Lisbeth]

I am not too sure that all that seafood comes from the Mediterranean

RE parking: Clearly shows the lack of respect for others

Looks like a nice little harbour village

[Pumbaa]

Also do love the habour, Flutterby

and agree with Lisbeth that most of the seafood comes from farer away and not from the habour or sea just around the corner

[Flutterby]

All so neat and tidy! (except the parking... )

Interesting food - looks quite rich!

Flutts!

Yes, everywhere was very clean. The food was actually quite bland!

I am not too sure that all that seafood comes from the Mediterranean

RE parking: Clearly shows the lack of respect for others

Looks like a nice little harbour village

It was lovely there. You are probably right about the seafood.

Also do love the habour, Flutterby

and agree with Lisbeth that most of the seafood comes from farer away and not from the habour or sea just around the corner

Thanks Pumbaa! Maybe the seafood comes from SA!!

[Flutterby]

And so it was time to leave Sicily and head to Florence!

We arrived at about midday and caught a taxi to our Air BnB apartment. It was a lovely, spacious apartment, but it was on the fourth floor, with no elevator!

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We settled in and then found the nearest supermarket to buy some necessities. On the way we had our first view of Il Duomo!!

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In the Piazza della Republica, is a carousel with 20 horses and two gilded “king’s carriages.” This is the antique carousel of the Picci family and is run by Carlo Picci, who represents the fourth generation of the family to run a carousel. The carousel dates from the beginning of the 20th century but has been lovingly restored.

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Up until now we had eaten almost no meat during our trip, so we were both keen to try the famous Bistecca alla Fiorentina. It is basically a T-bone steak and the only real difference to what we get here is the size - you order one to share between two of you. Another big difference is the price!! Beef is generally very expensive in Italy, so this meal really put a dent in our budget, but we were craving some red meat! They serve it already cut off the bone and then season it with salt and pepper at the table.

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Feeling much poorer after dinner we took a walk to Il Duomo to have a proper look. 'Il Duomo' actually means 'the cathedral', and not 'the dome' as many visitors believe. Florence Cathedral, formally the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to a design of Arnolfo di Cambio and was structurally completed by 1436, with the dome designed by Filippo Brunelleschi. The exterior of the basilica is faced with polychrome marble panels in various shades of green and pink, bordered by white, and has an elaborate 19th-century Gothic Revival façade by Emilio De Fabris. The cathedral complex, in Piazza del Duomo, includes the Baptistery and Giotto's Campanile. These three buildings are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site covering the historic centre of Florence. The basilica is one of Italy's largest churches, and until the development of new structural materials in the modern era, the dome was the largest in the world. It remains the largest brick dome ever constructed.

It is a massive building which is impossible to convey in photographs! The colours are also more subdued in the pictures...the pink and green are so vivid when you see it for yourself!!

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The front facade.

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The Baptistry and the Campanile.

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[Lisbeth]

Unfortunately, the square is surrounded by building so that you cannot get far enough away to really enjoy the marvellous architecture and the colours, also because it is very large.

And as you have to shoot before someone passes in front...........

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It happens that you cut off a piece of the top or the buttom