Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
El Capitolio in the center of La Habana, Cuba is the former parliament of the island. It was built in 1929 and served for that purpose until 1959. It is currently under restauration and in 2018 the parliament shall move back in. People often see similarities in architecture with the Capitol in Washington, US. In fact, both buildings copy the style of St. Peter’s Basilica in Roma, Italy. Continue reading “El Capitolio”
Malecón is simply the Spanish word for a wall at the shore of the ocean. Often it is a wall next to a street built afterwards in front of buildings close to the ocean. When using the word most people think of the Malecón in La Habana, Cuba – but most cities located at the shore on Cuba have a Malecón. Continue reading “Malecón”
Bellagio is a small but wonderful village on a peninsula at the center of Lago di Como. It is has only 3700 inhabitants but many tourists get here by boat from Como – mainly because of the beautiful landscape. Continue reading “Bellagio”
The Lago di Como is a lake in northern Italy and named after the city of Como located on its shore. It is shaped like a “Y” and contains many fishes. Characteristic are the many small villages and villas at the shore. The area became rich by growing silkworms. Continue reading “Lago di Como”
Directly next to the Duomo in Milano, Italy you can find the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II – a shopping mall from the 19th century. It is named after the former king of Italy and was opened in 1867. Today it is full of shops of well-known brands with high prices. Continue reading “Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II”
The Duomo di Santa Maria Nascente is the cathedral of Milano, Italy and the third largest church in the world. It dates back to 1386 and is the building with the most marble used world-wide. It contains 3500 sculptures and 35000 worshippers can attend a religious service here. Continue reading “Duomo di Milano”
The Cinque Terre is a 12 kilometers long section of the Italian riviera close to La Spezia, Italy. It is a wonderful place with five villages fitted into a mountain range: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. Since 1997 the place is a UNESCO world heritage site and many tourists come here. Continue reading “Cinque Terre”
The church San Michele in Foro is the second important church in Lucca, Italy – after the duomo. It is located at the central market place and was built from 1143 on. It is impressive because of the high front façade, the columns at the upper level and the attached bell tower.
Continue reading “San Michele in Foro”
I wasn’t able to go further on into Tuscany and therefore decided to at least visit the city of Lucca, Italy. I parked my car at the railway station, crossed the old fortifications and walked into the city center, without orientation or a specific target destination; I simply enjoyed the special atmosphere.
Continue reading “A glimpse of Tuscany”
The Torre pendente in Pisa, Italy is a well-known tower and especially famous because of its inclination. It was built from 1173 on and contains numerous columns on several levels. He was meant to be a campanile (free-standing bell tower) of the cathedral. Already during the construction of the third level the building inclined. Continue reading “Torre pendente di Pisa”