Castelnuovo, Carregine and Salamanders ...

We didn't allow the rainy overcast conditions to dampen our spirits as we took Jean on some of our haunts on the couple of days she had here.

Excitingly, up at Carregine, we saw a salamander, which we had all avoided walking on before it was spotted.  And that is a curious thing about it - it wasn't spotted!  Very dark on its back, but a yellow-orange belly.  European salamanders should have lots of yellow spots on the back too ...  Maybe a young one?

At the market (we were a bit late!) in Castelnuovo

Up among the chestnuts

A close shave - see boot at top of pic!

You can just see the fiery belly in this photo ...

Jean, Bologna and Firenze ...

After Ravenna, we headed to Bologna.  We like Bologna, but it's always very cold - of course, we are always there in the winter!  We picked up Jean at the airport at 10pm and managed to get a couple of beers before bed-time ...

Next day we headed to Florence for the afternoon.  I have few pictures of this because my camera malfunctioned, but it was pretty overcast and not a great day for photos.  We headed back to Barga just as it got dark.

The two towers of Bologna were just round the corner from our B&B

They call Bologna "La Grassa" (The fat One) for good reason ...

At the foot of the towers, heading for the train to Florence

Keeping warm on the banks of the Arno in Florence

Ravenna 2

Some more pictures from our trip to Ravenna, before we headed to Bologna to rendezvous with Jean.

Basilica di San Vitale - "one of the most important surviving examples of Byzantine art and architecture in Europe" - Wikipedia

The Byzantine octagonal plan gives an exotic eastern feel to the interior which is ornamented by wonderful mosaics ...

... The arresting mosaic of Teodora, queen of Emperor Justinian I, sometimes called "the last Roman"

Fabulous mosaics in the nearby mausoleum of Galla Placidia (417 AD) who was Roman Empress for fourteen years.

An inspired array of pot plants outside the duomo brightened up a day when the sun struggled to emerge from behind the clouds

The oldest building in Ravenna, the octagonal Baptistry of Bishop Neone

Not mosaics, but frescos, adorn the vaulted ceilings of the restaurant Ca' de Ven
where we ate later.  The ancient palazzo which houses it was used by Dante when he was banished from Florence for political reasons in 1318.  

Ravenna 1 ...

Ravenna cannot compete with Venice in its general beauty, being a fairly average small modern city in outward appearance.  However, Ravenna is home to no less eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the form of churches from the era of the collapse of the Roman empire.  We all learned about the Goths and the Huns at school - in Ravenna, the transition from Roman to Gothic to Byzantine )ie Greek Orthodox) is visible in these monuments.  A lot to discover!

To help us in our discoveries, we hired bikes from a friendly garage, and set out to see the sites - most of which are adorned with fabulous Byzantine mosaics dating from the 6th century.

Built by a Goth - The Mausoleum of Theodoric the Great in 520AD to be his tomb

The round bell-tower of the church of Sant' Appollinaire - most of the campanile in Ravenna were round.  Hawk-eyed viewers will see Barbara on her bike at the foot of the tower!

And within, the mosaics are marvellous - here the three kings proudly present their gifts - in such fancy trews!

An oddity - and a mystery.  Disembodied hands are all that remain of the figures placed here by the Visigoth artists in 504AD.  Around 550, when the Orthodox Christians(=Byzantines) had invaded, the figures were removed, leaving only these ghostly remnants ...

Night falls on Ravenna - just round the corner from our B&B, lies the ancient Byzantine Basilica di San Vidale, with its round tower

In our restaurant that evening, what passes for an hors d'ouevres for one person was all delicious, but even tackling it together, we were struggling to leave room for another course! 

The last of Venice

The weather was so kind to us in Venice that I took so many photographs (about 200!) that it has been hard to sensibly prune them down ...

Barbara waves from the water-door of our apartment - it was flooded during the recent high water event!

The bridge from which the photographer took the photo ...

Morning canal scene near our apartment

Up on the balcony of the facade of St Mark's, with the replica bronze horses - the "Triumphal Quadrigua" behind

The four magnificent bronze horses, of Roman origin, looted from Constantinople in 1204 by Venice during the fourth crusade

Shipbuilding sheds at the Arsenale catch the evening light ...

... while more mundane articles dry in the sun above the canal

An arresting display of powdered pigments in the window of an artist's supplier

Jolly street scene on the way to St Mark's square

The Architecture Biennale

On Wednesday the 14th, we set off to see the exhibits in the Venice biennale of architecture.

Our top hit was the German pavilion with its rumination on frontier walls (they know something about that) with rolling video presentations from inhabitants of Israel/Palestine, Mexico/Texas which showed the effect such barriers have on resident populations.

On the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, the Vatican (yes, it's a country!) had exhibited for the first time.  Twelve architects had been invited to create small chapels in the heavily wooded island.

What the architects are up against - the glorious unplanned chaos of the most beautiful city on the planet!

Big blobs in the Scandinavian pavilion present a photo opportunity ...

The best exhibit by far - the German pavilion 

Norman Foster's chapel on Isola San Giorgio Maggiore was our favourite - it had creeper railing up it! Lovely ... 

Vintage Murano glass on display in a special exhibition on San Giorgio Maggiore 

St Mark's square seen from the campanile of the church of San Giorgio Maggiore 

Exhibits were displayed in the cathedral-like buildings of the Arsenale shipyard

A photogenic display

Sunset over the lagoon as we walk back into town ...

Venice and beyond ...

On Tuesday the 13th, we travelled up to Venice, the start of a trip which would take in Ravenna, Bologna (where we would meet Jean off her plane) and Firenze.

Venice was hosting the Architectre Biennale, which we managed to squeeze in between visits to piazzas, canals and cafes ...

Without equal - the Grand Canal at night

A less grand canal at night with reflections of navigation lights

A small private piazza straight out of Shakespeare ...

Canal view in Dorsoduro on way to St Mark's square

St Mark's itself

Sustenance before we dive into the Biennale ...

Lucca and Careggine

Yesterday was a beautiful day to go to Lucca, and we were able to have a gentle cycle round the walls.

Today, we went back to the chestnut woods of Careggine across the valley - the chestnut harvesting hoover was still in action.

The autumn leaves are falling fast, and when we next see these sights, they will be in their winter garb ...

Outside the walls, with Lucca Duomo behind

Up on the wall roadway

Back at the duomo

Golden light in the woods of Carregine

... still in the woods