Misurina, Auronzo di Cadore Belluno, Italy

Misurina, Auronzo di Cadore Belluno, Italy

Lake Misurina is the greater natural lake of the Cadore and it is 1,754 m above sea level, fraction of Auronzo di Cadore (Belluno). The perimeter is 2.6 km long, while the depth is 5 m.

Near the lake there are about ten hotels with accommodation for around 500 people.

Lake Misurina is where the speed skating events were held during the 1956 Winter Olympics of Cortina d'Ampezzo – the last time Olympic speed skating events were held on natural ice.

The only GB register plate number in Misurina

The view from our dinning place....

 

Tre Cime de Lavaredo



Dolomites (Dolomiti) North Italy

Dolomiti, North Italy -

This is one of my favourite place I ever like to visit again. It took about 1.30 hour driving distance from Venice but it took circa 1700km driving distance from my house, Nottinghamshire, UK.

The photos below were taken from Passo Falzareg, Lagazuoi, 5 Torri & Giau

Passo Falzareg

The Falzarego Pass is a high mountain pass in the province of Belluno in Italy.

The name Falza Rego means false king in ladin and refers to a king of the Fanes, who was supposedly turned to stone for betraying his people.

A gondola rises to the Lagazuoi (2762 m.), which was the object of heavy combat in World War I. The tunnel that the Italians built under the Austrian lines is open to the public.

Musei della Grande Guerra ( first great war museum)

Finally, we have arrived our destination - Dolomiti, North Italy after circa 1700km driving distance from my house, Nottinghamshire, UK

Night view of Venice

Night view of Venice

The photos were taken from Grand Canal, Venice, Italy on 9 May 2011 at 8pm.

In order to capture small sparking lighting effect, I have set the Aperture priorty by F22 with tripod.

Milan Cathedral (Duomo di Milano)

Duomo di Milano

Milan Cathedral (Italian: Duomo di Milano; Milanese: Domm de Milan) is the cathedral church of Milan in Lombardy, northern Italy. Dedicated to Santa Maria Nascente (Saint Mary Nascent), it is the seat of the Archbishop of Milan, currently Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi.

The Gothic cathedral took nearly six centuries to complete. It is the fourth largest cathedral in the world.

The roof is open to tourists (either by take lift or walk up on staircase), which allows many a close-up view of some spectacular sculpture that would otherwise be unappreciated. The roof of the cathedral is renowned for the forest of openwork pinnacles and spires, set upon delicate flying buttresses.

The cathedral's five broad naves, divided by 40 pillars, are reflected in the hierarchic openings of the facade. Even the transepts have aisles. The nave columns are 24.5 metres (80 ft) high, and the apsidal windows are 20.7 x 8.5 metres (68 x 28 feet). The huge building is of brick construction, faced with marble from the quarries which Gian Galeazzo Visconti donated in perpetuity to the cathedral chapter. Its maintenance and repairs are very complicated.

Specifications
Length 157 metres (515 ft)
Width 92 metres (302 ft)
Width (nave) 16.75 metres (55 ft)
Height (max) 45 metres (148 ft)
Dome height (outer) 65.5 metres (215 ft)
Spire height 106.5 metres (349 ft)
Materials Brick with Candoglia marble

Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milan_Cathedral#Architecture_and_art

Villa Balbianello, Lake Como

Villa Balbianello, Lake Como, Italy

Villa Balbianello, Lenno, Italy (3rd May 2011)

The Villa del Balbianello is a villa in the comune of Lenno (province of Como), Italy, overlooking Lake Como. The villa was built in 1787 on the site of a Franciscan monastery for the Cardinal Angelo Maria Durini. The two towers which can be seen in the picture are the campanili of the convent church. After the cardinal’s death in 1796 Giuseppe Arconati Visconti bought the villa and made improvements to its gardens and the loggia.

In the nineteenth century the villa belonged to the Porro-Lambertenghi family. The writer and patriot Silvio Pellico was a visitor in 1819.

By the early twentieth century the buildings had fallen into a state of neglect when an American military officer, Butler Ames, purchased and renovated the villa and its garden. In 1974 it was bought by the explorer Guido Monzino (leader of the first Italian expedition to climb Mount Everest), who filled it with rich collections, including artifacts acquired on his expeditions. Monzino, who died in 1988, left the villa to the Fondo per l'Ambiente Italiano, the National Trust of Italy. Its grounds now form part of the Grandi Giardini Italiani.

A number of feature films have used the villa for location shooting, including A Month by the Lake (1995), Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones (2002), and Casino Royale (2006).

Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_del_Balbianello

Trip to Swiss

The Journey from Swiss to North Italy (SS36)

Driving passed Swiss to Lake Como, North Italy is the most exciting and challenging experiences I had. 

• Date: 1st May 2011
• Direction: Route SS36
• Condition: Steep + Snowy conditions