- Lago di Levico
- Lago di Levico
The calm lake after the storm. - Valgadena
On the road towards Levico Terme, just for a short break at the end of the holidays. - Caparica sunset
Another sunset in Caparica. But the Sintra hills are already cloudy. - Rosa dos Ventos
View from the Monument of the Discoveries. A wind rose and a world map. - Padrão dos Descobrimentos
View from the top of the monument. Ponte 25 de Abril, which is 2277 m long, was built in 1966. - Padrão dos Descobrimentos
Statue built in 1940/1960 to mark the 500-year anniversary of Henry the Navigator's death. - Tiles in Alfama
Finding little treasures while getting lost in Alfama. - History of Lisbon
A complete Lisbon history in one passage. Mural by Nuno Saraiva. Every city should have a mural like this one. - Miradouro de Santa Luzia
An angry fish at the Miradouro de Santa Luzia - Life is good in Lisbon
View from Miradouro de Santa Catarina - Piazza del Campo
How?!? Mine look nothing like this. - Fonte Gaia
The original statues are kept in a museum, these are some (old) copies. - Fonte Gaia
The first fountain was built in 1342, this one was made in 1419 by Jacopo della Quercia. - Palazzo Pubblico
- Loggia della mercanzia
- Loggia della mercanzia
Frescoes by Lorenzo Rustici (1553-1563). - Siena Cathedral
A lion on the exterior of the cathedral. I am a bit intrigued by his eyes... - Siena Cathedral
Ceiling of the Piccolomini Library, painted by Pinturicchio (1503). - Siena Cathedral
Some details on the ceiling of Piccolomini Library. - Siena Cathedral
More interesting details on the ceiling of the Piccolomini Library. - Siena Cathedral
Piccolomini coat of arms: a blue cross with five crescent. - Siena Cathedral
Floors in the Piccolomini Library. - Siena Cathedral
The frescoes tell the story of cardinal Enea Silvio Piccolomini (Pope Pius II). These two are: Pius II canonizes Saint Catherine of Siena in 1461 and Pius II arrives in Ancona to launch the crusade. - Siena Cathedral
Detail of Pinturicchio's Mount of Wisdom (1505): Crates of Thebes who is throwing jewels into the sea. - Siena Cathedral
The divine interior of the Cathedral. - Siena Cathedral
The Hellespontine Sibyl (detail) by Neroccio di Bartolomeo. She was known for her prediction of Crucifixion. The wolf and the lion represent Siena and Florence. - Siena Cathedral
A detail of something. I cannot possibly remember where I took this picture. - Siena Cathedral
A wonderful ceiling, but these heads are a bit creepy. - Siena Cathedral
One of the scenes on pulpit: Massacre of the Innocents - Siena Cathedral
Detail of Liberation of Bethulia, made in 1473 possibly by Urbano da Cortona. This is the story about Judith and Holofernes. - Siena Cathedral
- Siena Cathedral
- Siena Cathedral
Pulpit by Nicola Pisano (1268). The panels narrate the Life of Christ and the central column shows Seven Liberal Arts: Grammar, Dialectica, Rhetoric, Philosophy, Arithmetic, Music, and Astronomy. - Siena Cathedral
The dome is topped with Bernini's gilded lantern. - Siena Cathedral
Detail of Pinturicchio's Mount of Wisdom (1505): Fortuna, holding a horn of plenty and a wind-swollen sail. She, standing on a sphere and a boat with a broken mast, brought the wise men to the island. - Siena Cathedral
She-wolf of Siena, surrounded with emblems of confederate cities, dating from 1373. - Siena Cathedral
The oldest bell in the tower is from 1149. - Siena Cathedral
Built in 1196-1215. - Palazzo Pubblico
A statue in the courtyard of Palazzo Publico. - Torre del Mangia
The tower was built in 1338-1348. Its height is exactly the same ad the height of the cathedral, indicating equal powers of the church and the state. - Piazza del Campo
This is the central water drain in the square, called gavinone. - Piazza del Campo
- Palazzo Pubblico
Palazzo Publico (town hall) in the Piazza del Campo. The palace is from 1297 and the tower (Torre del Mangia) from 1338-1348. - Siena souvenirs
Unfortunately they didn't have the right size ;-) - Loggia della mercanzia
Frescoes by Pastorino dei Pastorini (1549-1552). - Loggia della mercanzia
This loggia for merchants was constructed in 1417-1444. - Palazzo Tolomei
Palazzo was built in 1270-1275. It used to be a bank... and it still is. - Via Banchi di Sopra
These are very strange bouquets of light bulbs. - Piazza Salimbeni
The statue of Sallustio Bandini (1677-1760) by Tito Sarrocchi (1880). Bandini was an archdeacon, economist, and politician. - Basilica Cateriniana San Domenico
It does look strangely empty. - Basilica Cateriniana San Domenico
Now this is a wonderful window! - Basilica Cateriniana San Domenico
There were several flags in the church, including this one with an angry-looking fish. Actually, the flags represent different districts (contrada) of Siena. This one represents Onda, a district of carpenters. And that is a dolphin. - Love will save the world
Detail of the statue by Andrea Roggi. - Siena Cathedral
- Love will save the world
L'Amore salva il Mondo by Andrea Roggi (2017). - Basilica Cateriniana San Domenico
The church dates from 1226-1265, but was enlarged in the 14th century. - Siena Cathedral
View of the Cathedral from Via Bruno Bonci. - San Gimignano
- Assembled Italy
Assembled Italy. Actually two of them. - Palazzo Comunale
The courtyard of Palazzo Comunale was built in 1323. The cistern was arranged in 1361. - Piazza della Cisterna
- Piazza della Cisterna
This 13th century square was at a crossroad: Via Francigena and the road connecting Pisa-Siena. The cistern is from 1287. - Piazza del Duomo
Piazza del Duomo with the dome and one of the two twin towers (Torri dei Salvucci). - San Gimignano
View from the park of Rocca di Montestaffoli, a 14th century fortress. - San Gimignano
View over the towers of San Gimignano. There are 14 of them in total. - Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta
The last judgement by Taddeo di Bartolo (1393). The hellish part. - Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta
- Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta
The last judgement by Taddeo di Bartolo (1393). The lower part is Saint Sebastian by Benozzo Gozzoli (1465). - Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta
New Testament by Barna da Siena and/or Lippo Memmi (~1345). - Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta
The ceiling was painted with lapis lazuli. - Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta
Old Testament by Bartolo di Fredi (~1360). - Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta
The Dome dates from the 12th century. Its 14th century interior is simply divine. - Torre Rognosa and Torre Chigi
The tall one (52 m) is Rognosa (1200) and the small one is Chigi (1280). - Palazzo Vecchio del Podestà
Interesting coat of arms on the town hall walls. - Palazzo Comunale
The palace was built in between 1289 and 1298. The tower (Torre Grossa) from 1300 is the tallest in town (54 m). - Torre del Diavolo
San Gimignano is known for its medieval towers. This one is called Devil's because ... apparently ... the owner got home one day finding the tower taller than it was before. Riiiight. All the balconies and terraces are now missing. - Via San Giovanni
A street lamp just behind the 13th century Porta San Giovanni. - Il Castello di Perchia
A wonderfully renovated castle. We were the only guests in the whole castle ;-) - Il Castello di Perchia
Our hotel was actually a castle, dating back to the 14th century. - Basilica di Santa Maria Degli Angeli
The exterior of the Basilica. It gives such antique grandeur vibes. - Porziuncola
Frescoes in the Porziuncola by Ilario da Viterbo (1393). - Porziuncola
The Porziuncola in Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels. In this tiny church Francis of Assisi understood his vocation. The church is original, but the paintings are much more recent. And yes, the big church was built around this tiny one. - Basilica di Santa Maria Degli Angeli
The side of the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels, located in the plain at the foot of the Assisi hills. Constructed between 1569 and 1679. - Before sunrise
Yes, this was the view from our apartment before sunrise. La Cucumelle (2689 m). - Still life
Another still life, this one is in front of the Restaurant d'altitude L'Etoile des Neiges. Where we had lunch ;-) - Planes!
I don't know what was going on but we're just not used to seeing so many planes in the sky anymore! Love the difference in the colours of the contrails. Great for conspiracies ;-) - Snow track
Somebody or something descended to the artificial lake - Ice on the artificial lake
There really wasn't much snow/water. The artificial lake was almost empty. - View towards SE
View from the artificial lake (left to right): Tête du Puy (2528 m), Crête de l'Aste (2620 m), way back Le Peouvou (3222 m), Crête des Pareis (2622 m), way back Pics de la Font Sancte (3371 m), Aiguille de Chambeyron (3396 m) and Brec de Chambeyron (3376 m), Pointe Jean Rostand (3220 m) ... Very little snow indeed. I should acknowledge the source: PeakVisor.com - Snow
- Dog sleigh!
Oooh, next time I'm trying this as well! Mushing add!ct. - Lunch!
Plat du jour at the Restaurant d'altitude L'Etoile des Neiges. Potatoes with vegetables and (plenty of goat cheese).