Postcard from Ravenna

Ravenna is famous for its Byzantine mosaics and we visited all the city’s most important monuments but I think my favourite was the Basilica of Saint Apollinaire in Classe, about 5 km outside the town and on the bike route. It was consecrated in 549. Ravenna est célèbre pour ses mosaïques byzantines et nous avons …

Postcard from Sicily – Monreale

Each of the capitals on top of the 228 columns of the Monreale Cloisters, built on a hill overlooking Palermo, is intricately sculpted with motifs influenced by Provençal, Burgundian, Arab and Salerno medieval art. Chacun des chapiteaux des 228 colonnes du cloître de Monreale construit sur une hauteur surplombant Palerme est superbement sculpté avec des …

Postcard from Sicily – Etna

We waited all day to see it and we finally did! The snow capped peak of Etna is in the middle of that opening at the Ancient Greek/Roman amphitheatre of Taormina. Nous avons attendu toute la journée pour la voir et on a enfin réussi! Le somment enneigé d’Etna se trouve au milieu de l’ouverture …

Postcard from Sicily – Taormina

A few rays of sunshine at last and a change of architecture in Taormina. Piazza del duomo with is cathedral built in 1400. Very subdued compared with all the baroque we’ve been seeing. Quelques rayons de soleil enfin et un changement d’architecture à Taormina. Piazza del duomo avec sa cathédrale construite en 1400. Très soft …

Postcard from Sicily – Piazza Archimede

Archimedes after whom the piazza was named was born in Syracuse in the 3rd century BC but the fountain of Diane the Huntress was built in 1906. The second photo is a typical street on the island of Ortigia on the tip of Syracuse. Archimède qui a donné son nom à cette place est né …

Postcard from Sicily – Agrigento

A Greek temple built in the 5th century BC, a 500 year old olive tree and a contemporary statue of Icarus stand side by side at the Unesco World Heritage site of Agrigento. Un temple grecque construit au 5ème siècleavant Jesus Christ, un olivier de 500 ans et une statue contemporaine se trouvent côte à …