È l’ora più bella, quando la luce del tramonto rende i contorni più nitidi, i colori più intensi. E io sono qui, come sempre, non posso mancare al mio appuntamento. Davanti a me il mare, che instancabile si infrange sulla scogliera, aspra e imponente da togliere il respiro. Un po’ a sinistra il profilo rassicurante della chiesa, il bianco e il nero delle strisce che la vestono appena percepibili contro il sole. E oltre, l’isola, così vicina.

 

Un luogo perfetto per un incontro d’amore. Uno dei più romantici al mondo. Ma non è questo che mi aspetta. Non l’uomo che amo, e neanche un amico o anche solo qualcuno con cui condividere il mio stato d’animo.

 

Intorno a me vedo tante persone. Turisti, che arrivano da paesi lontani per visitare il luogo che con il suo nome celebra la bellezza. Molti invece hanno percorso poca strada. Provengono dai paesi vicini, dalla città che si specchia in questo splendido golfo e che proprio adesso è accarezzata dagli ultimi raggi del sole. Non sono mossi dalla curiosità, ma solo dal desiderio di ritrovare se stessi, o sono qui semplicemente per godere di questo spettacolo, gratuito. Per colmare la loro anima con la bellezza costruita dall’uomo e quella regalata da Dio.

 

Nessuno di loro si offre di ascoltare la mia storia. Nessuno è interessato alle mie fantasie, alle mie paure. Passano davanti a me senza mai incrociare il mio sguardo. Alcuni mi siedono accanto, sfiorandomi appena, silenziosi. Altri invece deridono le mie forme generose, troppo. Questo però mi turba meno dell’indifferenza. Sola in mezzo ad una moltitudine di individui.

 

E non c’è modo di cambiare questo stato di cose. Immobile, incapace di accennare il più semplice movimento, il mio pesantissimo corpo si oppone ai miei ordini. Ho tentato, quante volte, senza risultato. Sono qui, da un tempo che mi sembra infinito. Condannata.

 

Ma con la mente posso alzarmi e non solo in piedi, posso volare, in alto, insieme ai gabbiani che tanto invidio, e posso oltrepassare l’isola, fino a vedere solo l’azzurro del cielo e del mare. E una volta raggiunto l’orizzonte, scoprire altri luoghi meravigliosi, di cui ho sentito raccontare dalle persone che sono passate da qui, che davanti a me hanno condiviso con altri la loro esperienza. O che si sono sedute, da sole, e hanno parlato, a volte pianto, sfogando le loro angosce, pensando di non essere ascoltate, di avere accanto solo una statua.

 

Nota: a Portovenere, vicino alla scalinata che conduce alla grotta Byron, si trova una statua che raffigura una donna dalle forme “generose”, seduta. Credo rappresenti la fertilità, anche se non sono riuscita a trovare informazioni a riguardo. È stata la mia fonte di ispirazione.

 

Francesca Lavezzoli

Beyond the neon of a million signs, under the reflected glow of the sodium lights, above the teeming sidewalks, she waits... and watches...

 

Aloha kākou! Hello everyone!

 

I was taken out on a shopping spree for my rez-day at the CYBER Faire (open from March 4 to March 24, 2021), and OMG it was so much fun. I've been wanting to improve my cyber/sci fi/futuristic outfit/costume situation for a long time, and have had a lot of disappointment at sci-fi/cyber type events (just bad luck?) but the current cyber faire is just FULL of goodies that I couldn't pass up.

 

Let's start off with the G647 Control BOM/applier bodysuit from GRAVES Fetish and Cyberpunk. GRAVES has long been creating some of the sleekest and sexiest body suits for your sci-fi/cyberpunk needs, and as the capabilities and appearance of clothing in SL has improved, so has theirs. Yes, it's still appliers, but now BOM is added, and they make good use of materials -- texture and specular layers. I'm a big fan of BOM here: it's supposed to be skin-tight, but the texture adds just enough pop that it looks right. The big advantage of BOM, of course, is low complexity impact, and a really big favourite is its ability to be worn on any body shape. I love the Lara Petite chest, but the available clothing items for it are still few. No problem with BOM! Control includes an unrigged mesh collar, because you just need that three-dimensionality there. I added an older pair of G322 combat boots that I had on hand -- also from GRAVES -- to go with the outfit. The gloves are included as part of the Control BOM.

 

And OMG, I just love the new Synchronicity helmet from .:Bison:.. It's sold in individual base colours, and also available in a fatpack. Several lighting effects and colours are available. The helmet visor has an opaque/transparent option, and a lovely little animation (with gestures and sound effects) for opening/closing the helmet. You have GOT to pick up a demo of this, but be warned -- to pick up a demo is to doom yourself to purchasing at least one. I found it really easy to fit over the Dext hair from A&Y Bunker CyberShop

 

One last goodie -- the beautiful Celestial tattoo from .::Nefekalum::... This one didn't come from CYBER Faire, but rather from the March edition of We Love Role Play. But wow it fits in so well, I love the whole look together here. It's busy, but I feel like it just makes my face pop (in a good way!)

 

I hope you get the chance to get out and enjoy the Faire. There's more to come that I have to share with you! This is definitely my favourite Cyber event!

 

Aloha! A hui hou kākou!

 

Aeon's pose is The Raven 6 (rev) from Poseidon Poses

  

Pictures were taken at Insilico

The [TOR] DUSK - Burnt hope windlight was used!

 

I am wearing:

•GRAVES Fetish and Cyberpunk -- G647 Control body suit (At CYBER Faire from March 4 to March 24, 2021)

•GRAVES Fetish and Cyberpunk -- G322 Combat Boots

•.:Bison:. -- Synchronize Helmet (Black Chroma) (At CYBER Faire from March 4 to March 24, 2021)

•.::Nefekalum::.. -- Celestial tattoo (6 colours, materials) (At We Love Role Play in March 2021)

•Stargazer -- Web of Fire specular tattoo

•Fallen Gods -- Chronos (Coal Gold) skin

•A&Y Bunker CyberShop -- Dext Cyber Hair (orange)

•[GA.EG] -- Ultimate eyes

•[GA.EG] -- Starshine Effects star makeup

•[GA.EG] -- Barbara mesh face

•[GA.EG] -- Glamour Lashes

•Maitreya -- Lara mesh body, hands and feet

 

……………………………….

Poster (Locandina):

 

www.acectoscana.it/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Hereafter.jpg

 

www.thecinemashow.it/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/hereafter...

 

www.warnerbros.it/sites/default/files/WB2014_HAD-01837_7f...

 

netflixmania.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/hereafter-film...

 

----------------------------------------------------------

 

click to activate the small icon of slideshow: the small triangle inscribed in the small rectangle, at the top right, in the photostream (it means the monitor);

or…. Press the “L” button to zoom in the image;

 

clicca sulla piccola icona per attivare lo slideshow: sulla facciata principale del photostream, in alto a destra c'è un piccolo rettangolo (rappresenta il monitor) con dentro un piccolo triangolo nero;

oppure…. premi il tasto “L” per ingrandire l'immagine;

 

Qi Bo's photos on Fluidr

  

Qi Bo's photos on Flickriver

  

www.worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards/winners-...

  

www.fotografidigitali.it/gallery/2726/opere-italiane-segn...

 

………………………………………………………………………

 

Does the afterlife exist? Mystics like Padre Pio, Natuzza Evolo spoke with the souls of the deceased, not knowing that they were “deceased”, they did not distinguish them from normal people (they understood it later). The Marian apparitions to Bernadette, to the three shepherds of Fatima, those of Medjugorje, were they real? And how much have they influenced the history of humanity? My profession has led me to meet people who have told me about their “uncommon experiences”. A few years ago, a young man of about 30 years old, reported his “near death” experience, hospitalized in very serious conditions in our intensive care unit, he told of when he saw doctors and paramedics from above, busy around his body, he then found himself inside a tunnel, at the end there was a light. Now “Francesco” is fine. A couple of months ago, still in intensive care, I talked with a patient of about 50 years old, who survived three almost consecutive cardiac arrests, after that event, he told me, he had unexpectedly discovered a deep faith; discharged, he is now in good health. A few days ago, again for professional reasons, I met a lady in her 60s, accompanied by her 26-year-old son, she told me that, in her troubled life, in addition to having undergone numerous surgical operations, she had been subjected to numerous cycles of chemotherapy, during one of these sessions, she had a cardiocirculatory arrest (probably caused by anaphylactic shock), at that moment she could clearly see the whole scene from above, everyone was doing their best to revive her, she saw a nurse pushing a trolley in the corridor, unable to enter the room where her body was, because half of the door was blocked by a latch, preventing the passage of the trolley, she kicked the door violently which opened thus managing to pass; she saw a doctor who, in the grip of excitement, was unable to put on her coat (these events, the lady told me, had a positive response); the story continued, she rose higher, light, as if floating on the waves of the sea, she saw a cone of light that fell on her like confetti, she felt a sensation of well-being, she saw her grandfather, who held her head and caressed her hair, she looked up and saw some figures, they seemed to have wings, she thought that perhaps they were angels, suddenly she felt herself being “sucked and banged” inside her body. Now the lady, after that experience, no longer fears death. She put her hand on mine, without touching it, just a few seconds, she began to talk about some of my personal facts, at that moment, they seemed to me to be a bit banal and obvious observations, but then, looking me in the eyes, she stated with certainty that in my family, there was a person called Angelo (in reality her name is Angela), she was not wrong. She told me that, months before Eros Ramazzotti's song "Un angelo disteso al sole" came out, she was singing that tune, including the lyrics. She showed me on her smartphone, a selfie of her taken in the car, on the windshield you could clearly see a “luminous face”, she said that her Guardian Angel, Saint Michael the Archangel, had appeared to her. (The lady was also hospitalized in the “La Maddalena” clinic in Palermo, she met the mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, she told me an anecdote of hers, but that’s another story). This story, like the one told by Francesco, are part of those numerous cases defined as “pre-death” or “NDE” acronym derived from the English, Near Death Experience. A scientific hypothesis interprets these phenomena as the result of chemical reactions that are triggered in the brain in moments of deep psycho-physical stress, in oxygen deficiency, with the release of endorphins (they generate sensations of euphoria and well-being) and other neurotransmitters, which can determine overall a hyperfunctioning and strengthening of the senses in the cerebral cortex. I am fascinated by the story of when the physicist Albert Einstein, while discussing with Gustavo Adolfo Rol (a famous Italian psychic), placed his hand between the lamp and the table, saying "you see, when matter manifests itself, it casts a dark shadow, because it is matter, whereas God, being pure spirit, when he materializes cannot manifest himself if not through light: light is nothing other than the shadow of God". I have posted a series of photographs taken in November and December of this year, the first part are shots taken according to the dictates of street / beach photography, some examples of earthly reality, to then enter into the "hypothesis of that otherworldly and parallel reality, not perceptible by our senses" accompanied by the presence of Angels, Beings of Light, who "should" always be close to us throughout our existence, after all the mystic Natuzza Evolo recognized the "plainclothes priests" by the presence of their Guardian Angel, because he was placed on their right.

 

……………………….

 

Esiste l’Aldilà? Mistici come Padre Pio, Natuzza Evolo parlavano con le anime dei defunti, non sapendo che erano dei “trapassati”, non li distinguevano dalle normali persone (lo capirono successivamente). Le apparizioni mariane a Bernadette, ai tre pastorelli di Fatima, quelle di Medugorje, erano reali ? E quanto hanno inciso nella storia dell’umanità? La mia professione mi ha portato a confrontarmi con persone che mi hanno raccontato di loro “esperienze non comuni”. Qualche anno fa, un giovane di circa 30 anni, riferì una sua esperienza di “premorte”, ricoverato in gravissime condizioni nella nostra terapia intensiva, raccontò di quando lui vide dall’alto medici e parasanitari, indaffarati attorno al suo corpo, si trovò poi dentro un tunnel, in fondo vi era una luce. Adesso “Francesco” sta bene. Un paio di mesi fa, sempre in terapia intensiva, ho conversato con un paziente di circa 50 anni, sopravvissuto a tre arresti cardiaci quasi consecutivi, dopo quell’evento, mi riferiva, aveva scoperto inaspettatamente, una profonda fede; dimesso, adesso è in buona salute. Pochi giorni fa, sempre per motivi professionali, ho conosciuto una signora sui 60 anni, accompagnata dal figlio di anni 26 anni, mi raccontò che, nella sua travagliata vita, oltre ad aver subito numerosi interventi chirurgici, è stata sottoposta a numerosi cicli di chemioterapia, durante una di questa sedute, è incorsa in un arresto cardiocircolatorio (probabilmente causato da uno shock anafilattico), in quel momento vedeva distintamente tutta la scena dall’alto, tutti si prodigavano per rianimarla, vide una infermiera spingere un carrello nel corridoio, non riuscendo ad entrare nella sala dove si trovava il suo corpo, poiché mezza anta della porta era bloccata da un chiavistello, impedendo il passaggio del carrello, lei diede un calcio violento all’anta che si aprì riuscendo così a passare; vide una dottoressa che in preda alla concitazione non riusciva a mettersi il camice (questi eventi, mi riferì la signora, ebbero un riscontro positivo); il racconto continuò, lei salì più in alto, leggera, come galleggiando sulle onde del mare, vide un cono di luce che scendeva su di lei come fossero coriandoli, lei percepiva una sensazione di benessere, vide suo nonno, che le teneva il capo e le accarezzava i capelli, guardò in alto e vide delle figure, sembrava avessero delle ali, pensò che forse erano gli angeli, improvvisamente si sentì “risucchiare e sbattere” dentro il suo corpo. Adesso la signora, dopo quella esperienza, non teme più la morte. Mise la sua mano sopra la mia, senza toccarla, solo qualche secondo, incominciò a parlare su alcuni miei fatti personali, in quel momento, mi sembrarono osservazioni un po’ banali e scontate, però poi, guardandomi negli occhi, affermò con certezza che nella mia famiglia, c’era una persona che si chiama Angelo (in realtà si chiama Angela), non si era sbagliata. Mi riferì che, mesi prima che uscisse la canzone di Eros Ramazzotti “Un angelo disteso al sole”, lei cantava quel motivo, incluse le parole. Mi mostrò sul suo smartphone, un suo selfie fatto in auto, sul parabrezza si vedeva distintamente un “volto luminoso”, lei disse che le era apparso il suo Angelo Custode, San Michele Arcangelo. (La signora fu ricoverata anche nella clinica “La Maddalena” di Palermo, fece la conoscenza del boss mafioso Matteo Messina Denaro, mi raccontò un suo aneddoto, ma questa è un’altra storia). Questa storia, come quella raccontata da Francesco, rientrano in quei numerosi casi definiti di “premorte” o “NDE” acronimo derivato dall’inglese, Near Death Experience. Una ipotesi scientifica interpreta tali fenomeni come il risultato di reazioni chimiche che si scatenano nel cervello in momenti di profondo stress psico-fisico, in carenza di ossigeno, con rilascio di endorfine (esse generano sensazioni di euforia e di benessere) ed altri neurotrasmettitori, potendo determinare nell’insieme un iperfunzionamento e potenziamento dei sensi nella corteccia cerebrale. Sono affascinato dalla vicenda, di quando il fisico Albert Einstein discutendo con Gustavo Adolfo Rol (famoso sensitivo italiano) frappose la sua mano tra lampada e tavolo, dicendo “vedi, quando la materia si manifesta, proietta una ombra scura, perché è materia, invece Dio essendo puro spirito, quando si materializza non può manifestarsi se non attraverso la luce: la luce non è altro, se non, l’ombra di Dio”. Posto una serie di fotografie eseguite nel novembre e dicembre di quest’anno, una prima parte sono scatti realizzati secondo i dettami della street /beach photography, qualche esempio di realtà terrena, per entrare poi nella “ipotesi di quella realtà ultraterrena e parallela, non percepibile dai nostri sensi” accompagnata dalla presenza degli Angeli, Esseri di Luce, che “dovrebbero” starci sempre accanto durante tutta la nostra esistenza, d'altronde la mistica Natuzza Evolo riconosceva i “sacerdoti in borghese” dalla presenza del loro Angelo Custode, perché messo alla loro destra.

 

…………………………………….

REKT_Commander Armor CUSTODES

REKT_Commander Backpack CUSTODES

[KROVA] Dreamer

olio e catrame su tela 65*90 cm ,,,,,,,,,

#Organismi

 

Riflessi nell'acquario di Pierre Huyghe che contiene pesci, fango, sabbia e piante, incluse le ninfee, realizzato con elementi estratti dal laghetto di Claude Monet a Giverny.

  

La nuova bellissima e raffinatissima mostra alla GAM di Torino, ORGANISMI

www.gamtorino.it/mostra.php?id=573

 

Zeiss Ikon Contax IIIa + Sonnar 50mm F1,5 + Kodak Portra 400 asa

Museo Benaki.

Trittico, XVII sec.

Al centro è raffigurata la Vergine Portaitissa (Custode della Porta) del Monastero di Iviron, circondata da San Paolo di Xeropotamos e Sant'Eleuterio.

 

Benaki Museum.

Triptych, 17th century

In the center is depicted the Virgin Portaitissa (Guardian of the Gate) of the Iviron Monastery, surrounded by Saint Paul of Xeropotamos and Saint Eleutherius.

 

IMG_8550m

REKT_Commander Armor CUSTODES

no.match_ ~ NO_CYCLE ~

[N.c] - Tekkou Fang Mask

[L] Chompboom Cannon of Alinx

CURELESS[+] Pneuma Arms //

 

dalla finestra di una delle toilette del museo del Louvre

Processed with VSCO with b3 preset

Dedicato a te

così simile a me

 

Dedicato a te

 

Nata libera

 

Guardiana del sole

Custode del mare

 

Dedicato a te

Che dormi fra ali di gabbiani

Che mi hai regalato

riccioli di fusa

gocce di cuore

Quando eravamo lassù

Noi due sole

Le ore

Le ore

Dentro a una luce di sole

A un’ombra di luna

 

Io voglio per te solo fortuna

Ed ora t’immagino

tra l’azzurro del tuo paradiso

E lo smeraldo del bosco

T’immagino accarezzata

da ali di farfalle

Sussurri di vento

Bagliori di sale

 

T’immagino l’ultima sera così

come t’ho incontrata

coi tuoi occhi d’oro puro

Tu mi hai stregata

 

Dedicato a te

Nata Libera

Guardiana del sole

Custode del mare.

  

A Lilith

   

Born Free

 

Dedicated to you

so like me

 

Dedicated to you

 

Born Free

 

Guardian of the sun

Guardian of the Sea

 

Dedicated to you

Sleeper between wings of seagulls

You gave me

curls merged

drops of heart

When we were there

We are only two

Hours

Hours

Inside a sunlight

A shadow of the moon

 

I wish for you just luck

And now you can imagine

between the blue of your paradise

And the emerald forest

Can you imagine caressed

by butterfly wings

Whispering Wind

Salt glow

 

Can you imagine the last night so

as I have met

with your eyes pure gold

You've bewitched

 

Dedicated to you

Born Free

Guardian of the sun

Guardian of the Sea.

  

To Lilith

 

[Katia Celestini]

 

Tutte le mie immagini e i miei testi sono coperti da © Copyright.

Vietato l'uso e la riproduzione senza la mia autorizzazione. Tutti i diritti riservati.

 

All my images and texts are © Copyrighted.

Forbidden to use or reproduce without my permission. All rights reserved.

 

This minifigure will also work in Shadowrun as an elite guard.

If u can tell me what that means u can have a cookie :3 P.S. Rorschach-"Because there is good and there is evil, and evil must be punished. Even in the face of Armageddon I shall not compromise in this."

 

Italien / Toskana - Lucca

 

On the city wall.

 

Auf der Stadtmauer.

 

Lucca (/ˈluːkə/ LOO-kə, Italian: [ˈlukka]) is a city and comune in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957.

 

Lucca is known as an Italian "Città d'arte" (City of Art) from its intact Renaissance-era city walls and its very well preserved historic center, where, among other buildings and monuments, are located the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, which has its origins in the second half of the 1st century A.D. and the Guinigi Tower, a 45-metre-tall (150 ft) tower that dates from the 1300s.

 

The city is also the birthplace of numerous world-class composers, including Giacomo Puccini, Alfredo Catalani, and Luigi Boccherini.

 

Toponymy

 

By the Romans, Lucca was known as Luca. From more recent and concrete toponymic studies, the name Lucca has references that lead to "sacred grove" (Latin: lucus), "to cut" (Latin: lucare) and "luminous space" (leuk, a term used by the first European populations). The origin apparently refers to a wooded area deforested to make room for light or to a clearing located on a river island of Serchio debris, in the middle of wooded areas.

 

History

 

Antiquity

 

The territory of present-day Lucca was certainly settled by the Etruscans, having also traces of a probable earlier Ligurian presence (called Luk meaning "marsh", which has already been speculated as a possible origin for the city's name), dating from 3rd century BC. However, it was only with the arrival of the Romans, that the area took on the appearance of a real town, obtaining the status of a Roman colony in 180 BC, and transformed into a town hall in 89 BC.

 

The rectangular grid of its historical centre preserves the Roman street plan, and the Piazza San Michele occupies the site of the ancient forum. The outline of the Roman amphitheatre is still seen in the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, and the outline of a Roman theater is visible in Piazza Sant'Augostino. Fragments of the Roman-era walls are incorporated into the church of Santa Maria della Rosa.

 

At the Lucca Conference, in 56 BC, Julius Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus reaffirmed their political alliance known as the First Triumvirate.

 

Middle Ages

 

Frediano, an Irish monk, was bishop of Lucca in the early sixth century. At one point, Lucca was plundered by Odoacer, the first Germanic King of Italy. Lucca was an important city and fortress even in the sixth century, when Narses besieged it for several months in 553. From 576 to 797, under the Lombards, it was the capital of a duchy, known as Ducato di Tuscia, which included a large part of today's Tuscany and the province of Viterbo, during this time the city also minted its own coins. The Holy Face of Lucca (or Volto Santo), a major relic supposedly carved by Nicodemus, arrived in 742.

 

Among the population that inhabited Lucca in the medieval era, there was also a significant presence of Jews. The first mention of their presence in the city is from a document from the year 859. The jewish community was led by the Kalonymos family (which later became a major component of proto-Ashkenazic Jewry).

 

Thanks above all to the Holy Face and to the relics of important saints, such as San Regolo and Saint Fridianus, the city was one of the main destinations of the Via Francigena, the major pilgrimage route to Rome from the north.

 

The Lucca cloth was a silk fabric that was woven with gold or silver threads. It was a popular type of textile in Lucca throughout the mediaeval period.

 

Lucca became prosperous through the silk trade that began in the eleventh century, and came to rival the silks of Byzantium. During the tenth–eleventh centuries Lucca was the capital of the feudal margraviate of Tuscany, more or less independent but owing nominal allegiance to the Holy Roman Emperor.

 

In 1057, Anselm of Baggio (later Pope Alexander II) was appointed bishop of Lucca, a position he held also during the papacy. As bishop of Lucca he managed to rebuild the patrimony of the Church of Lucca, recovering alienated assets, obtaining numerous donations thanks to his prestige, and had the Cathedral of the city rebuilt. From 1073 to 1086, the bishop of Lucca was his nephew Anselm II, a prominent figure in the Investiture Controversy.

 

During the High Middle Ages, one of the most illustrious dynasties of Lucca was the noble Allucingoli family, who managed to forge strong ties with the Church. Among the family members were Ubaldo Allucingoli, who was elected to the Papacy as Pope Lucius III in 1181, and the Cardinals Gerardo Allucingoli and Uberto Allucingoli.

 

After the death of Matilda of Tuscany, the city began to constitute itself an independent commune with a charter in 1160. For almost 500 years, Lucca remained an independent republic. There were many minor provinces in the region between southern Liguria and northern Tuscany dominated by the Malaspina; Tuscany in this time was a part of feudal Europe. Dante’s Divine Comedy includes many references to the great feudal families who had huge jurisdictions with administrative and judicial rights. Dante spent some of his exile in Lucca.

 

In 1273 and again in 1277, Lucca was ruled by a Guelph capitano del popolo (captain of the people) named Luchetto Gattilusio. In 1314, internal discord allowed Uguccione della Faggiuola of Pisa to make himself lord of Lucca. The Lucchesi expelled him two years later, and handed over the city to another condottiero, Castruccio Castracani, under whose rule it became a leading state in central Italy. Lucca rivalled Florence until Castracani's death in 1328. On 22 and 23 September 1325, in the battle of Altopascio, Castracani defeated Florence's Guelphs. For this he was nominated by Louis IV the Bavarian to become duke of Lucca. Castracani's tomb is in the church of San Francesco. His biography is Machiavelli's third famous book on political rule.

 

Occupied by the troops of Louis of Bavaria, the city was sold to a rich Genoese, Gherardino Spinola, then seized by John, king of Bohemia. Pawned to the Rossi of Parma, by them it was ceded to Mastino II della Scala of Verona, sold to the Florentines, surrendered to the Pisans, and then nominally liberated by the emperor Charles IV and governed by his vicar.

 

In 1408, Lucca hosted a convocation organized by Pope Gregory XII with his cardinals intended to end the schism in the papacy.

 

Lucca managed, at first as a democracy, and after 1628 as an oligarchy, to maintain its independence alongside of Venice and Genoa, and painted the word Libertas on its banner until the French Revolution in 1789.

 

Early modern period

 

Lucca had been the second largest Italian city state (after Venice) with a republican constitution ("comune") to remain independent over the centuries.

 

Between 1799 and 1800, it was contested by the French and Austrian armies. Finally the French prevailed and granted a democratic constitution in the 1801. However, already in 1805 the Republic of Lucca was converted into a monarchy by Napoleon, who installed his sister Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi as "Princess of Lucca".

 

From 1815 to 1847, it was a Bourbon-Parma duchy. The only reigning dukes of Lucca were Maria Luisa of Spain, who was succeeded by her son Charles II, Duke of Parma in 1824. Meanwhile, the Duchy of Parma had been assigned for life to Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma, the second wife of Napoleon. In accordance with the Treaty of Vienna (1815), upon the death of Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma in 1847, Parma reverted to Charles II, Duke of Parma, while Lucca lost independence and was annexed to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. As part of Tuscany, it became part of the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1860 and finally part of the Italian State in 1861.

 

World War II internment camp

 

In 1942, during World War II, a prisoner-of-war camp was established at the village of Colle di Compito, in the municipality of Capannori, about 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) from Lucca. Its official number was P.G. (prigionieri di guerra) 60, and it was usually referred to as PG 60 Lucca. Although it never had permanent structures and accommodation consisted of tents in an area prone to flooding, it housed more than 3,000 British and Commonwealth prisoners of war during the period of its existence. It was handed over to the Germans on 10 September 1943, not long after the signing of the Italian armistice. During the Italian Social Republic, as a puppet state of the Germans, political prisoners, foreigners, common law prisoners and Jews were interned there, and it functioned as a concentration camp. In June 1944, the prisoners were moved to Bagni di Lucca.

 

Culture

 

Lucca is the birthplace of composers Giacomo Puccini (La Bohème and Madama Butterfly), Nicolao Dorati, Francesco Geminiani, Gioseffo Guami, Luigi Boccherini, and Alfredo Catalani. It is also the birthplace of artist Benedetto Brandimarte. Since 2004, Lucca is home to IMT Lucca, a public research institution and a selective graduate school and part of the Superior Graduate Schools in Italy (Grandes écoles).

 

Events

 

Lucca hosts the annual Lucca Summer Festival. The 2006 edition featured live performances by Eric Clapton, Placebo, Massive Attack, Roger Waters, Tracy Chapman, and Santana at the Piazza Napoleone.

 

Lucca hosts the annual Lucca Comics and Games festival, Europe's largest festival for comics, movies, games and related subjects.

 

Other events include:

 

Lucca Film Festival

Lucca Digital Photography Fest

Procession of Santa Croce, on 13 September. Costume procession through the town's roads.

Lucca Jazz Donna

Moreover, Lucca hosts Lucca Biennale Cartasia, an international biennial contemporary art exhibition focusing solely on Paper Art.

 

Film and television

 

Mauro Bolognini's 1958 film Giovani mariti, with Sylva Koscina, is set and was filmed in Lucca.

 

Top Gear filmed the third episode of the 17th season here.

 

Architecture

 

Lucca is also known for its marble deposits. After a fire in the early 1900s, the West Wing of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario was rebuilt with marble sourced in Lucca. The floor mosaic in the West Wing was hand-laid and is constructed entirely of Italian, Lucca marble.

 

Main sights

 

Walls, streets, and squares

 

The walls encircling the old town remain intact, even though the city has expanded and been modernised, which is unusual for cities in this region. These walls were built initially as a defensive rampart which, after losing their military importance, became a pedestrian promenade (the Passeggiata delle Mure Urbane) atop the walls which not only links the Bastions of Santa Croce, San Frediano, San Martino, San Pietro/Battisti, San Salvatore, La Libertà/Cairoli, San Regolo, San Colombano, Santa Maria, San Paolino/Catalani and San Donato but also passes over the gates (Porte) of San Donato, Santa Maria, San Jacopo, Elisa, San Pietro, and Sant'Anna. Each of the four principal sides of the structure is lined with a tree species different from the others.

 

The walled city is encircled by Piazzale Boccherini, Viale Lazzaro Papi, Viale Carlo Del Prete, Piazzale Martiri della Libertà, Via Batoni, Viale Agostino Marti, Viale G. Marconi (vide Guglielmo Marconi), Piazza Don A. Mei, Viale Pacini, Viale Giusti, Piazza Curtatone, Piazzale Ricasoli, Viale Ricasoli, Piazza Risorgimento (vide Risorgimento), and Viale Giosuè Carducci.

 

The town includes a number of public squares, most notably the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, (site of the ancient Roman amphitheater), the Piazzale Verdi, the Piazza Napoleone, and the Piazza San Michele.

 

Palaces, villas, houses, offices, and museums

 

Ducal Palace: built on the site of Castruccio Castracani's fortress. Construction was begun by Ammannati in 1577–1582 and continued by Juvarra in the eighteenth century

Pfanner Palace

Villa Garzoni, noted for its water gardens

Casa di Puccini: House of the opera composer, at the nearby Torre del Lago, where the composer spent his summers. A Puccini opera festival takes place every July–August

Torre delle Ore: ("The Clock Tower")

Guinigi Tower and House: Panoramic view from tower-top balcony with oak trees

National Museum of Villa Guinigi

National Museum of Palazzo Mansi

Orto Botanico Comunale di Lucca: botanical garden dating from 1820

Academy of Sciences (1584)

Teatro del Giglio: nineteenth-century opera house

 

Churches

 

There are many medieval, a few as old as the eighth century, basilica-form churches with richly arcaded façades and campaniles

 

Duomo di San Martino: St Martin's Cathedral

San Michele in Foro: Romanesque church

San Giusto: Romanesque church

Basilica di San Frediano

SanSan Romano, Luccat'Alessandro an example of medieval classicism

Santa Giulia: Lombard church rebuilt in thirteenth century

San Michele: church at Antraccoli, founded in 777, it was enlarged and rebuilt in the twelfth century with the introduction of a sixteenth-century portico

San Giorgio church in the locality of Brancoli, built in the late twelfth century has a bell tower in Lombard-Romanesque style, the interior houses a massive ambo (1194) with four columns mounted on lion sculptures, a highly decorated Romanesque octagonal baptismal fount, and the altar is supported by six small columns with human figures

San Lorenzo di Moriano, a 12th century Romanesque style parish church

San Romano, erected by the Dominican order in the second half of the 13th century, is today a deconsecrated Roman Catholic Church located on Piazza San Romano in the center of Lucca

 

Museums

 

Museo della Cattedrale

Orto Botanico Comunale di Lucca

 

(Wikipedia)

 

Lucca (in der Antike: Luca) ist die Hauptstadt der Provinz Lucca in der Toskana mit 90.055 Einwohnern (Stand 31. Dezember 2019). Sie liegt im Tal des Flusses Serchio etwa 20 km nordöstlich von Pisa und 20 km östlich der toskanischen Küste. Im 13. und 14. Jahrhundert zählte Lucca zu den einflussreichsten europäischen Städten. Große Bedeutung hatte insbesondere die Textilindustrie. Die großen Plätze, die romanischen Kirchen und die mittelalterlichen Türme zeugen von der einstigen Bedeutung dieser Stadt. Ihre von vier Toren durchbrochenen Befestigungsanlagen wurden 1504 begonnen und 1645 fertiggestellt. Die heute noch gut erhaltenen Anlagen, die lange zu den bemerkenswertesten in Italien zählten, tragen eine von Bäumen gesäumte Promenade um den Stadtkern.

 

Geschichte

 

Antike bis Renaissance

 

Das antike etruskische Lucca, das das Tal des Serchio beherrschte, findet erstmals Erwähnung beim Historiker Livius als der Ort, wohin sich Sempronius 218 v. Chr. vor Hannibal zurückzog; es gibt Zweifel an der Korrektheit von Livius’ Feststellung, denn obwohl es kontinuierlich Kriege mit den Ligurern gab, wird Lucca erst 180 v. Chr. erneut genannt. Damals wurde Lucca gleichzeitig mit Pisa (ebenfalls 180) und Luna (177) als römische Kolonie gegründet, um die Herrschaft der bis dahin in diesem Raum ansässigen Apuaner endgültig brechen zu können und das Land für Rom in Besitz zu nehmen. Durch die Lex Julia von 90 v. Chr. muss es ein municipium geworden sein; hier hielt Julius Caesar 56 v. Chr. seine berühmte Besprechung mit Pompeius und Crassus. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt gehörte Lucca noch zu Ligurien, nicht zu Etrurien. Wenig später wurde hier durch das Triumvirat oder durch Octavian eine Kolonie geführt, ob nach der Schlacht von Philippi oder nach der von Actium ist unklar.

 

In der augusteischen Unterteilung Italiens wurde Lucca der siebten Region (Etruria) zugeordnet. Aus der Periode des Kaiserreichs ist wenig bekannt, außer dass es eine Kreuzung der Straßen nach Florentia (siehe Via Clodia), Luna und Pisae war. Obwohl es von Odoaker geplündert und eines Teils seines Territoriums beraubt wurde, erscheint Lucca zur Zeit von Narses, der es 553 drei Monate lang belagerte, als wichtige Stadt und Festung. Unter den Langobarden war Lucca die Residenz eines Herzogs oder Markgrafen, welche das Münzprivileg hatte. Die Herzöge erweiterten ihre Macht allmählich auf die ganze Toskana, aber nach dem Tod der berühmten Matilda begann sich die Stadt als unabhängige Kommune zu konstituieren. 1160 erhielt sie vom bayerischen Herzog und toskanischen Markgrafen Welf VI. im Gegenzug für einen jährlichen Tribut die Herrschaft über ein Territorium um die Stadt. Der Reichtum und Einfluss der Stadt Lucca im 13. Jahrhundert basierte zu einem großen Teil auf ihrer Textilindustrie.

 

Innere Uneinigkeit gab Uguccione della Faggiola, mit dem Dante einige Zeit dort verbrachte, Gelegenheit, sich 1314 zum Herrn von Lucca zu machen, aber die Lucchesi verstießen ihn zwei Jahre später und übergaben die Stadt an Castruccio Castracani, unter dessen geschickter Tyrannei sie für kurze Zeit bis zu seinem Tod 1328 – sein Grab befindet sich in der Kirche San Francesco – die führende Stadt Italiens wurde.

 

Von den Truppen Ludwigs des Bayern besetzt, an den reichen Genueser Gheradino Spinola verkauft, vom böhmischen König Johann besetzt, an die Rossi aus Parma verpfändet, von denen an Mastino della Scala aus Verona abgetreten, an die Florentiner verkauft, an die Pisaner übergeben, nominell befreit von Kaiser Karl IV. und von seinem Vikar regiert, gelang es Lucca, ab 1369 zuerst als Demokratie, nach 1628 als patrizisch-aristokratische Oligarchie, seine Unabhängigkeit als Stadtrepublik neben Venedig und Genua zu behaupten. Bis zur Französischen Revolution schrieb es das Wort Libertas auf seine Fahnen. Die politischen Wirren des 13. und 14. Jahrhunderts wurden von Dante in seinem Werk thematisiert, so führt Leeck (2007) anhand der Fallbeispiele Alessio Interminelli, Bonturo Dati und Bonagiunta aus.

 

Ab dem 16. Jahrhundert

 

Anfang des 16. Jahrhunderts unternahm einer seiner führenden Bürger, Francesco Burlamacchi, einen Versuch, Italien politischen Zusammenhalt zu verleihen, er fiel aber auf dem Schafott; sein Denkmal von Ulisse Cambi wurde 1863 auf der Piazza San Michele aufgestellt.

 

Durch die militärische Macht der siegreichen französischen Revolutionsarmeen, die die österreichische Oberherrschaft über Italien beendeten, wurde die Republik Lucca 1799/1800 gezwungen, eine moderne „Demokratie“ nach französischem Muster und in völliger Abhängigkeit vom Frankreich Napoleon Bonapartes einzuführen (Lucchesische Republik). Im Juni 1805 dekretierte der unterdessen zum Kaiser der Franzosen und zum König von Italien proklamierte Napoleon Bonaparte die Abschaffung der Republik, die stattdessen zugunsten seiner Schwester Elisa und ihres Ehemanns Félix Baciocchi zum Fürstentum Lucca umgebildet wurde. Lucca wurde im Zuge des Sturzes Napoleons 1814 kurzfristig von neapolitanischen, dann von österreichischen Truppen besetzt. Auf dem Wiener Kongress, der 1814/15 über die Neuordnung Europas entschied, wurde der kleine, aber wohlhabende Staat Lucca zur Verschiebe- und Entschädigungsmasse für dynastische und machtpolitische Interessen. Das Kaisertum Österreich verweigerte damals – trotz des ansonsten von ihm hochgehaltenen dynastischen Legitimitätsprinzips – dem bourbonischen Herzog von Parma die Rückkehr in dessen Hauptstädte Parma und Piacenza, die auf Lebenszeit als Versorgungsgebiet für Napoleons Ehefrau, die ehemalige französische Kaiserin Marie Louise († 1847), eine Tochter von Franz I., vorgesehen wurden. Die parmesischen Bourbonen sollten, solange Marie Louise lebte, stattdessen mit der ehemaligen Republik Lucca als Herzogtum entschädigt werden, das allerdings nach einem Überwechseln der Bourbonen nach Parma und Piacenza an das habsburgische Großherzogtum Toskana (und damit in den Einflussbereich Österreichs) fallen sollte. Nach längerem Widerstand des Hauses Bourbon-Parma, das darin (vergeblich) vom eng verwandten spanischen König Ferdinand VII. unterstützt wurde, trat Ferdinands Schwester Maria Luisa (die unter Napoleon zeitweilig Königin und Regentin des in der Toskana gebildeten „Königreiches Etrurien“ gewesen war), im November 1817 die Herrschaft als Herzogin von Lucca an. Mit ihrem Tode 1824 folgte ihr Sohn Karl Ludwig († 1883), der ehemalige Kind-König von Etrurien. Dieser verzichtete aufgrund der sich verschärfenden innenpolitischen Lage im Vorfeld der Revolution von 1848/49 jedoch im Oktober 1847 schon vor dem Tode der parmesisch-habsburgischen Herrscherin Marie Louise zugunsten des Großherzogs der Toskana auf die Regierung in Lucca. Das Herzogtum bildete seither einen Teil der Toskana, mit der es im Laufe des Risorgimento 1859/61 zunächst an Sardinien, dann an den neuen Einheitsstaat Italien angeschlossen wurde.

 

Wirtschaft

 

Lucca war früher ein Zentrum der Luxusstoffindustrie. Berühmt war die Stadt unter anderem für ihre Seide, deren Farbenpracht in Europa als unübertroffen galt.[3] Politische Unruhen zu Beginn des 14. Jahrhunderts führten dazu, dass viele Luccheser Färber und Seidenweber nach Venedig flohen. Die Stadt Venedig bot den Flüchtlingen großzügig Asyl und finanzielle Hilfe an, allerdings unter der Bedingung, dass sie in Venedig ihr Gewerbe praktizierten. Die Luccheser Zunftgesetze sahen zwar den Tod für alle Bürger vor, die ihr Textilhandwerk außerhalb der Stadtmauern praktizierten, angesichts ihrer finanziellen Lage nahmen jedoch viele Luccheser Handwerker die venezianischen Bedingungen an.

 

Begonnen um 1300, ist die Papierindustrie seit vielen Jahren eine der wichtigsten Säulen für die Wirtschaft der gesamten Provinz. Hinzu kommt für Lucca unter anderem der Fremdenverkehr, die chemische, pharmazeutische und mechanische Industrie.

 

Sehenswürdigkeiten

 

Das rechtwinklige Straßennetz im historischen Zentrum lässt noch die Struktur der römischen Anlage erkennen. Die antike Stadtmauer verlief entlang der heutigen Straßen Via San Giorgio/A. Mordini – Via dell’Angelo Custode/della Rosa – Corso Garibaldi – Via della Cittadella/Galli Tassi. Das Forum befand sich am Kreuzungspunkt von Cardo und Decumanus, seit dem Mittelalter die Piazza San Michele. Im Namen der Kirche San Michele in Foro lebt dieses römische Erbe bis in unsere Zeit fort.

 

Lucca ist reich an Sehenswürdigkeiten und daher auch touristisch von großem Interesse. Das historische Zentrum stand von 2006 bis 2021 auf der Welterbe-Tentativliste, dann wurde die Kandidatur entweder zurückgezogen oder von der UNESCO abgelehnt.

 

Mit mehr als 200.000 Besuchern ist Lucca Comics & Games ist die zweitgrößte Comicbuch- und Gaming-Messe der Welt.

 

Das Geburtshaus des Komponisten Giacomo Puccini beherbergt heute ein Museum. Der italienische Staat hat das Haus – zusammen mit den Museums-Geburtshäusern von Gioachino Rossini und Giuseppe Verdi – mit dem Europäischen Kulturerbe-Siegel ausgezeichnet (nach dem alten System bis 2010).

 

Stadtmauer und Stadttore

 

Das womöglich beeindruckendste Bauwerk der Stadt ist die vollständig erhaltene Stadtmauer von Lucca, italienisch Mura di Lucca. Ihr Ursprung liegt im Mittelalter, als sie im 12./13. Jahrhundert die römische Mauer ablöste, um im Nordosten die Borghi San Frediano, San Pietro Somaldi und Santa Mari Forisportam mit einzuschließen. Der nächsten, eher marginalen Erweiterung folgte 1504 – 1648 der Ausbau zur Stadtmauer, wie sie sich heute darbietet: 4,2 km lang, mit 11 Bastionen und 12 Kurtinen. Das Kuriose: Die Mauer wurde nie wirklich zur Verteidigung gebraucht. Immerhin bewahrte sie ganz Lucca vor der Überschwemmung durch das Hochwasser 1812. Maria Luisa von Bourbon-Spanien, 1815 – 1824 Herzogin von Lucca, ließ auf der Mauer eine Promenade errichten und die Bastionen und Außenbereiche begrünen. Sowohl der Spazierweg als auch die Grünflächen sind äußerst beliebte Areale für sportliche Aktivitäten und Veranstaltungen.

 

Beim Ausbau der Mauer waren ursprünglich nur drei Stadttore vorgesehen: die Porta di Santa Maria im Norden, die Porta di San Donato im Nordwesten und die Porta di San Pietro im Südwesten. Der Ostteil erhielt erst 1804 ein Tor. Es heißt nach seiner Erbauerin, der Fürstin von Lucca Elisa Bonaparte, Porta Elisa. Zwei weitere Torbauten, die Porta San Jacopo im Nordosten und die Porta Sant‘Anna im Westen sind jüngeren Datums. Die mittelalterliche Stadtmauer hatte ebenfalls vier Stadttore. Die beiden heute noch erhaltenen, die Porta San Gervasio (oder Portone dell‘Anunziata) und die Porta dei Borghi, befinden sich jetzt innerhalb des Mauerrings.

 

(Wikpedia)

Barche, ormeggiate in una secca del Golfo di Catania. Sembrano custodite, maestosamente, dall'Etna, col suo privilegiato affaccio al mare.

...better seen large please.

 

"...è il mio angelo custode, se così si può dire. E' grazie a lui se adesso sono qui."

 

"...he's my guardian angel, if I may say so. I must thank him if now I'm here."

 

by glp

Red Flag 16-3

Las Vegas - Nellis AFB (LSV / KLSV)

TDelCoro

July 26, 2016

Terlizzi - Maggio 2017

  

Digital StillCamera

Photo Marathon Genova 2016

DSC_0356-1-1 border

Mach keine Türen auf in diesem Haus!

Gepresster Atem, pfui! und Röcheln von Erwürgten,

nichts andres gibt's in diesen Mauern.

Mach keine Türen auf! Schleich nicht herum.

Sitz an der Tür wie ich und wünsch den Tod

und das Gericht herbei auf sie und ihn.

 

(H. von Hofmannstahl, Elektra)

 

Non aprire porte, in questa casa,

respiro strozzato, puh! e rantoli di scannati!

nient'altro abita queste mura!

non aprire porte! Non trascinarti intorno,

acquàttati accanto all'uscio, come faccio io, e invoca la morte

e il giudizio su di lei e su lui!

Apostolos Andreas Monastery

Karpaz Peninsula

Northern Cyprus

Canon ae1 50mm kodak tri-x 400 @800 expired 2008

 

 

(carl zeiss jena flektogon 35/2.4)

It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonored by your contempt of all virtue, and defiled by your practice of every vice; ye are a factious crew, and enemies to all good government; ye are a pack of mercenary wretches, and would like Esau sell your country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas betray your God for a few pieces of money.

 

Is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you? Is there one vice you do not possess? Ye have no more religion than my horse; gold is your God; which of you have not barter’d your conscience for bribes? Is there a man amongst you that has the least care for the good of the Commonwealth?

 

Ye sordid prostitutes have you not defil’d this sacred place, and turn’d the Lord’s temple into a den of thieves, by your immoral principles and wicked practices? Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation; you were deputed here by the people to get grievances redress’d, are yourselves gone! So! Take away that shining bauble there, and lock up the doors.

In the name of God, go!

 

Dissolution of the Long Parliament by Oliver Cromwell given to the House of Commons 20 April 1653

A few quick little builds from Watchmen. There’s not really much in the way of actual building here, more just careful placement of parts. I did the Comedian’s badge first, then threw together Rorschach’s calling card, and I think both look good.

Last weekend I was at the Book Fair of Turin (Italy). Instead of looking at the books, I photographed people why - year after year - the fair has become an event of promotion, adopting original strategies to get noticed by the public, as this guardian angel walking behind the author and mimicking fluctuations flight.

----------------------------------

Lo scorso fine settimana sono stata al Salone del Libro di Torino (Italia). A differenza di tante edizioni passate, anziché guardare i libri, ho fotografato le persone perché - edizione dopo edizione - il Salone si è trasformato in una kermesse della promozione, adottando strategie sempre più originali per farsi notare dal pubblico, come questo angelo custode che camminava dietro l'autrice e mimando le fluttuazioni del volo.

Kythira, Agia Moni monastry

PEN-F - OLYMPUS M.12-40mm F2.8 @40mm

 

°°° ITA °°°

 

Questo monastero di Agia Moni si trova sulla vetta di una delle montagne dell'isola, ci si può arrivare in macchina oppure a piedi partendo dal mare (noi ovviamente siamo salite a piedi, bellissimo sentiero).

 

La signora che vedete lì seduta è la custode, non parla una parola di alcuna lingua tranne probabilmente il greco (ma dubito che si capisca davvero con i suoi compatrioti): sembra totalmente persa nel nulla, probabilmente è impazzita a forza di stare seduta lì... perchè il luogo è completamente deserto, immerso nella natura e nel silenzio... e lei lì seduta sulla sua seggiolina, a guardare nel vuoto.

 

Mi ha fatto una grande tristezza ma a dire la verità non sembrava così triste!

 

°°° ENG °°°

 

This monastery of Agia Moni is located on the summit of one of the island's mountains, you can get there by car or on foot, starting from the sea (we climbed it, wonderful path).

 

The lady you see sitting there is the guardian, she does not speak a word of any language other than probably the greek (but I doubt that she can really understand with her compatriots): she seemed totally lost in anything, maybe she got crazy by sitting there. .. because the place is completely deserted, surrounded by nature and silence ... and she sat there on his chair, staring into space.

 

It made me very sad but to tell the truth she did'nt look so sad!