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Laos has remained virtually unchanged for half a century. Rich in history and culture, Laos and its peoples, more than 47 ethnic groups, harmonize life to ancient rhythms and traditions that evoke timeless Asia. The vast majority of Lao people live in Laos is approximately 4 million. Laos is generally very rural areas, and Many Lao people support by agriculture, with rice being the most important crop. Women hold dual responsibility for farm at home. In rice farming women in Laos have a substantial role. Traditionally, men plough, make bunds and prepare seedbeds, and women do more than half of the transplanting of rice, weeding, harvesting, threshing and post-harvest operations. Aside from this enumerated work, a gender division of labour exists in Laos which assigns women the major responsibility for childcare and housework. As household size averages seven people these tasks require numerous hours of work each day in addition to women's work outside their home. Women are responsible for much heavy work—hauling water for the household and, in the absence of rice mills, pounding the rice in big mortars of hollowed out logs to husk it. The men plow and deal with draft animals, while women tend to be responsible for pigs and poultry and vegetable gardens. The animals usually live under the house. Everyone, including the children, helps with transplanting and harvesting rice. Such hard life for elderly women where life expectancy is 59 years est. 2008. Although the trappings of the modern world are becoming increasingly visible, Laos remains the least developed country in Southeast Asia. Laos has enjoyed high economic growth, despite poor national infrastructure and a dominant, inefficient agriculture sector. It is also heavily reliant on international assistance programs. In 1998, Laos began formal negotiations with the World Trade Organization. In 2008 a 5.60 US$/day per capita.
Photo of an old women taken on Don Det. A backpackers’ paradise, Don Det is an island in Laos near the border of Cambodia. Nestled along the breathtaking Mekong River, Don Det is a perfect base for travelers exploring the area. Don Det is off the beaten path, so lacks the touristy feel of other destinations, but still offers beauty and adventure. Along the way to other side of the island we met this old woman. She was working in front of her house busy with household duties. Lao women have played a central role in the national country's and household economies over the past two decades. Women's participation exceeds men's in the economically active population. Due to dual responsibility for farm and household they are usually overburdened with work. At home some of these duties include water collection, which may take two to three hours a day; husking rice for family consumption, which may require two hours of work; milling rice; and caring for the sick and the elderly. Girls assist their mothers with these chores and they are often made responsible for care of younger kids. In spite of their major economic contribution, women are generally not considered as workers. However, women, particularly older ones, do control household budgets and share in financial decision making. However, for some intangible reason, the Lao people are still wonderfully friendly, hospitable and passionate. They do not have much, but show it off with pride.
Si Pan Don, ofwel vierduizend eilanden, is een verzameling bewoonde en onbewoonde eilandjes in de Mekong. De rivier is hier een maar liefst 14 km breed labyrint van zandplaten, eilanden, rotsen, stroomversnellingen en spectaculaire watervallen. De eilandjes liggen in het uiterste zuiden van Laos, tegen de grens met Cambodja en hebben een unieke flora en fauna. Don Det is een oase van rust, want gemotoriseerd verkeer is er nog vrijwel onbekend. Je kunt hier heerlijk wandelen langs tempeltjes, rijstvelden, lotusvijvers en dorpjes. De meeste guesthouses liggen aan de noordelijke zijde van Don Det, en net als Don Khon is ook dit eiland en beetje een backpackers paradijs aan het worden. Laos, is nog één van de weinige overgebleven communistisch regimes en is ook één van de armste naties van Azië. De huidige regering kwam aan de macht in 1975 en legde onmiddellijk een onbuigzaam socialistisch economisch programma op. Verandering begon in 1986 met de losmaken van beperkingen op privé-onderneming. Sinds dien heeft Laos een hoge economische groei, ondanks arme nationale infrastructuur en een overwegende, ondoelmatige landbouwsector. Het is ook zwaar afhankelijk van internationale hulpprogramma's. In 1998 begon Laos formele onderhandelingen met de Wereld Handelsorganisatie. De gemiddelde verdienste per dag is 5,60 US$ per hoofd. Opvallend is de sterke positie die de vrouwen binnen de familie innemen en ze doen zelfs het meeste werk op de rijstvelden. De natte rijstbouw is het voornaamste middel van bestaan. De vrouwen en mannen in Laos blijven ondanks hun moeilijke bestaan altijd vriendelijk en gastvrij. Ze hebben niet veel maar stralen altijd hun trots uit.
Image processing: image obtained from my footage at the singer/percussionist Franck Armocida. I superimposed one photo on the "Voices for Freedom" by Amnesty Int. poster and harmonized the background with the same main colour orange. Then I used paintbrush to draw on the background and the model is indicating the title of the important event while on his left side there is the logo (Med Free Orchestra) of his band that has been special guest. This footage has taken place just after their concert in a very friendly environment & mutual collaboration. Thanks!
P.S: about the meaning of the lettering "Ho' Oponopono", I invite to watch the video description at the below reported link.
This is the cover of my new live music video turned few days ago at "Voices for Freedom" VXL by Amnesty International, the 4-days international event & contest dedicated to prize the best songs & lyrics of songwriters and bands involving the protection of human rights & the denounce of vexations & crimes against Whumanity© (whomanity & humanity, concept copyrighted by WhiteANGEL ;)
The song "'Ho Oponopono" prayer has been played & performed by the great "Med Free Orkestra". As per the lyrics, the old traditional hawaian prayer sung in many languages & mixed with the "Prayer to the Mediterranean" (also known as "Mare nostrum" poem) written by Erri De Luca, has been performed, recited&sung by the unique voice of the artist singer & percussionist Franck Armocida (photographed by me for the video cover).
I recorded it live and then remixed & edited in studio in less than 2 days. I gave the priority to the quickness in order to release & publish it when the event "Voci per la Libertà" was still in progress so I cared less the precision in details. Anyway, I'm kinda satisfied of the audio. This was possible because I have been allowed to reach the best acustic position to record the video & because of the amazing talented workers in the sound engineering of this event. The video is visible in my Yoube WhiteANGEL channel at the link:
Cover photo, drawed background & digital editing by WhiteAngel.
Photo captured via Minolta MC Tele Rokkor-X 300mm F/4.5 lens. Channeled Scablands section within the Columbia Plateau Region. Inland Northwest. Spokane County, Washington. Late September 2018.
Exposure Time: 1/320 sec. * ISO Speed: ISO-100 * Aperture: F/5.6 * Bracketing: None * Color Temperature: 5000 K * Film Plug-In: Fuji Velvia 100
The dead woman for whom the vase had been commissioned is shown lying on a couch surrounded by mourning relatives and friends. This figural composition harmonizes well with the overall decorative scheme of the vase, being organized along the same basic horizontal-vertical lines as the framing bands of abstract ornament; some of the rhythm set up in the encircling zones of meander is picked up by the repeating motif of the mourner; the balance of dark and light elements of the abstract decoration is also preserved across the figural panel by the filling of the intervening spaces around the figures with Geometric motifs.
Even more remarkable than the formal quality is the subject matter of this scene. The events of the funeral are related in a simple and readily comprehensible manner. The deceased lies on a tall couch enveloped in a large checkered shroud, while mourners wait in file to raise the shroud for a last view of her. Grief is portrayed symbolically by an already conventional gesture of raising the hands to the head. The mourners are not all anonymous ciphers, even those waiting in line, some of them with weapons, portrayed as knights. In suggesting this relationship to the deceased, and in portraying the emotion of grief by both conventional and unconventional means, the Dipylon Master introduced a note of pathos into Greek art. He had not the formal means at his disposal to progress further in this direction, but one suspects from this attempt that he was an extraordinarily sympathetic individual. It may well be that he was influenced by another medium, namely oral poetry. Sympathy for the suffering of fellow men and a desire to portray their grief are intrinsic aspects of Homer's Iliad, which, I feel sure, must have been composed by this time.
Source: Barbara E. Bohen, “The Dipylon Amphora: Its Role in the Development of Greek Art”
Athenian geometric belly-handled amphora
H. 83 cm; D. 29 cm
Attributed to The Dipylon Painter
760 – 750 BC
From Kerameikos cemetery, Athens
Athens, National Museum, inv. 804
In: KAPPELMAYR, Barbara (Red.) (1995). Geïllustreerd handboek van de kunst. VG Bild-Kunst/De Hoeve, Alphen aan de Rijn. ISBN 90 6113 763 2
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Pp. 874ff in: QUADRALECTIC ARCHITECTURE – A Panoramic Review by Marten Kuilman. Falcon Press (2011). ISBN 978-90-814420-0-8
quadralectics.wordpress.com/4-representation/4-2-function...
‘Real’ palaces were designed and constructed in Spain at about the same time as Palladio provided the Valmarana family with shelter in Italy. The Royal Palace of the Escorial is located some forty-five kilometers northwest of Madrid (Spain) at the rim of the Guadarrama Mountains. It appears as a great stone platform carved from the mountain and its harmonizing with the landscape makes it a stone scape. It has reminiscence, according to George KUBLER (1982, p. 98), to certain Quattrocento paintings of ideal cities drawn with a single-point perspective in Renaissance Italy. He gives the panel painting ‘A City Square’, attributed to Luciano de Laurana, in the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore, as an example.
The history of the Escorial has four distinct elements, which were planned by King Philip II (1527 – 1598) after he became King of Spain in 1556: 1. The initial purpose as a place to house the tombs of the dynasty, in particular his father Charles V, who was buried in Yuste; 2. The foundation of a monastery (with hospital buildings); 3. A basilica (with a dome); 4. A palace (with a library). These four intentions, which were brought forward more or less simultaneously, have aspects of higher division thinking, but the psychological setting of the King is hard to prove.
Spain was in the second half of the sixteenth century on the heights of its political power, covering the larger part of Europe when Philip II was King of Spain and Portugal, King of Naples, Duke of Milan, Ruler of the Spanish Netherlands, and King consort of England (as the husband of Mary I). It was furthermore, a global player in the colonial expansions across the Atlantic.
King Philip II began his search for a foundation of a new monastery in 1558 – 1559. He called it San Lorenzo de la Victoria – referring to the victory in the battle of San Quintin (in northern France) on 10 August 1557, on the day of San Lorenzo. The King employed the help of the Jeronymite Order, but their suggestions and plan, where about half the size than the cuadro (block), which was laid out in April 1562 in a location near El Escorial. The plan of the monastery, which was first to be started, had a classical tetradic design.
George KUBLER (1982) mentioned three Jeronymite friars, who played a major role in the history of the construction of the Scoria. Juan de San Jeronimo was present from 1562 to 1591 as the chief accountant and most authoritative as a chronicler. Antonio de Villacastin was the Obrero mayor (chief workman) and Jose de Sigüenza wrote a history of the building by recording the progress of design and construction.
The official work started in 1563 with the intention of Philip II to bring the body of his father Charles V, the Emperor, who died in 1558, from Yuste to the new location. Philip had an interest in building matters, which only increased after his European tour at his father’s command (1548 – 1551). The King visited England for the marriage to Queen Mary (1516 – 1558, also known as Bloody Mary, because she had three hundred religious dissenters burned at the stake) in July 1554. He was accompanied at that (political-inspired) trip by the architect and engineer Gaspar de Vega, who had to study foreign buildings and constructions, which could be useful in Spain. Vega returned overland and visited places like the Louvre, St.Germain-en-Laye and Fontainebleau.
The three main architects of the Escorial were Francisco de Villalpando, Juan Bautista de Toledo, and Juan de Herrera. The first named architect was originally a bronze worker, who translated Serlio. He was titled as a ‘geometer and architect’, which was the first official use of this term by a Spanish royal patron. His qualities as a humanist and theorist gained him (royal) recognition in the liberal art of architecture (KUBLER, 1982).
The second, Juan Bautista de Toledo, was appointed as an architect in 1559. He had been Michelangelo’s assistant at St. Peter from 1546 to 1548. His promotion turned into a personal tragedy when his wife and two daughters and all his books and papers were lost when the ship sank, which had to bring them from Naples to Spain. His appointment – after this event and as an outsider – was marred with conflicts and crises, but the King backed him until he died on 21 May 1567.
The third, Juan de Herrera, was an assistant of Toledo, appointed by the King in 1563 to check on the unpredictable authority of Toledo. He was appointed in 1576 as a royal architect – after years working in the background, with close ties to the King as Master of the Horse (1569 – 1577) and later (1579) as a court chamberlain.
The inactive year of Toledo’s death (1567) was followed two years later by an increase in activities. Flemish slaters expanded their trade after the work on the King's temporary dwelling La Fresneda was finished. The main staircase, which was the showpiece of the monastery, the roofing of the kitchen wing, and the paving made good progress. The cloister was finished in 1579 when the parapets were placed. The basilica started in 1574 and was finished in 1586.
The building of the fountain began in 1586, following the symbolism of the Garden of Eden, with four rivers watering Asia, Africa, Europe and America. The design had similarities with the Fons Vitae, also with four basins, at the Manga cloister of Santa Cruz in Coimbra (Portugal), built in 1533 – 1534.
The work on the actual royal dwelling (King’s House) in the northeast quadrant had begun in 1570 – 1572. It took nearly fifteen years until the court moved from their provisional quarters to the new accommodation in August 1585, but most of the palace and the college had still to be finished.
The library portico, which was part of Toledo’s ‘’universal plan’, only started when the construction of the palace, basilica, and college had ceased and was finished in 1583. The hospital buildings (infirmary) were situated outside the main cuadro (of 1562) at the southwestern corner. Farm buildings, later known as La Compana, were also outside the monastery. The northern service buildings (casas de oficios) were mentioned in 1581. Fig. 727 shows the Escorial in a reconstruction of the situation in 1568.
The history of the Escorial came into a new phase after Philip died in September 1598. The complex was complete except for its initial purpose: the underground burial chamber intended for the tombs of the dynasty. The circular plan of Panteón, initiated under Herrera’s direction, had four stairs and a light shaft. However, little work was done until 1617 – 1635 when G.B. Crescenzi altered the plan from circular to octagonal. After he died in 1635 the work was completed in 1654 by Fray Nicolas de Madrid (following Crescenzi’s plan). The crypt was described by Fray Francisco de los Santos as the Panteon. His book included all the rituals of transferring the royal bodies since 1586.
Several fires caused damage to the complex in later years. The first one happened in 1577 at the southwest tower. A most destructive fire took place on the 7th of June 1671, in which also the monastery roofs burst into flames. Many manuscripts were destroyed. Some sixty years later, in 1731, the fire started again at a chimney in the college. The Compana was destroyed in 1744, and the last great fires took place in 1763 and 1825.
A plague of termites threatened the building in 1953. This event sparked a restoration program instigated by the government. The crossing towers in the monastery and college were rebuilt in 1963. Their spires were re-designed by Bartolomé Zúmbigo in 1673 in a Baroque fashion but changed again to the original layout of Herrera as given in the last quarter of the sixteenth century. The result was an example of the use of two of the major elements of a quadralectic architecture: the octagonal roof fitted onto the square of the tower.
Characterization of the Escorial complex by art historians (like Nikolaus Pevsner) pointed to a classification as a ‘mannerist’ building. Mannerism is the term (from maniera) used for imitation and exaggeration of the work of the High Renaissance. Its severity and simplicity were associated in the first half of the twentieth century (mainly by German art historians) with puritanism and asceticism, like the character of Philip II himself. This perception was later challenged and even denied: ‘If psychic states and architectural forms were this closely related in the process of design, then architecture as a whole would long ago have been recognized as a dictionary of psychic attitudes’ (KUBLER, 1982; p. 126).
The plan of the Escorial near Madrid follows tetradic lines with a four-division in function (palace, college, monastery, and place of contemplation) organized around a church with a square ground plan.
Some observers pointed to Post-Reformation geomancy as initiating the design. Nigel PENNICK (1979) stated that ‘the Escorial at Madrid was built according to a Jesuit interpretation of the Vision of Ezekiel’. Others go further back and tried to find Renaissance ideas of magic underlying the design of the Escorial (TAYLOR, 1967). René Taylor wondered whether the courtier and ‘architect’ Herrera could not be ‘a Magus, a man deeply versed in Hermetism and occult lore, who by virtue of this was attached in a special way to the King?’
George Kubler (pp. 128 – 130) denied the view that the King and Herrera had occult views. He could prove that the King did not sympathize with astrology and horoscopes. The court’s association with the mystic Ramon Lull (1232 – 1316) – the ‘Doctor illuminatus’ with his combinatorial method for categorizing all possible knowledge (see p. 780), but also with his intention to convert Muslims to Christianity – was purely academically, according to Kubler. It is regrettable that none of these authors make any reference to a particular type of division thinking, which might elucidate such labels like Mannerism, Puritanism, astrology, magic, etc.
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Bibliography
KUBLER, George (1982). Building the Escorial. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. ISBN 0-691-03975-5
PENNICK, Nigel (1979). The Ancient Science of Geomancy. Man in harmony with the earth. Thames and Hudson Ltd., London.
TAYLOR, René (1967). Architecture and Magic. Considerations on the Idea of the Escorial. Pp. 81 – 109 in: Essays in the History of Archtecture Presented to Rudolf Wittkower. New York.
This is a teaspoon filled with flavored green tea blend with a ceramic tea cup on the background. Fresh cranberries, sweet raspberries, beautiful rose buds harmonize wonderfully with Sencha( Japanese green tea) base.
More information about green tea and its history can be found on my blog blog.espemporium.com/
Musically, they had kind of an Ike and Tina going. Some of my favorite music has that male-female harmonizing or call-and-response thing going. A set of pipes on both of them, for sure.
the background of the picture best describes the character of this special bottling, despite the high content of alcohol: floral.
"... aged for six months in German red wine barrels...."
"... harmonizes perfectly with the botanical of the year 2020: wild rose blossom..."
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GOLDs™ Fashion Runway Styling, PROMOTIONS, Ent, and Management.
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cordially invites you to...
The Harmonizing Theatrical Hair & Shoe Show
October 31, 2021 @3pm slt
Breathtaking... Mark your Calendars!
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GOLDs™ Fashion Runway Styling, PROMOTIONS, Ent, and Management
DISCORD:
GOLDs™ Fashion Runway Styling, PROMOTIONS, Ent, and Management
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OFFICE ADDRESS:
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IW GROUP:
secondlife:///app/group/87e58852-151a-71de-fe1c-ce179f0df438/about
Tango, the dance of love, takes intense concentration as couples intertwine with drama and speed. These professionals were sharing their art at the California State Fair. The dance has in origins in Argentina and harmonizes the physical elements of masculine and feminine. A fantastic performance .
In 2013, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea opened a new branch in Sogyeok-dong, Jongno-gu at the former site of the Defense Security Command. The announcement for the construction of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul (MMCA Seoul) came out in 2009, and the architecture for the museum was selected through idea proposals and an architectural design competition in 2010. What makes the Seoul branch different from the others is that it introduced Korea’s traditional architectural concept of ‘madang’, which is a spacious courtyard where people can come in and gather together to socialize. MMCA Seoul's building is also designed to harmonize with the surrounding nature around the city.
Equipped with facilities including a reference center, a project gallery theater and a multipurpose hall, MMCA Seoul strives to accommodate every mode of new artistic endeavor and to communicate with the public. The site is where Korea’s historical and political developments were achieved. Most of the old buildings are gone but a few still remains to remind people of its significant role.
Of all the places we've visited, Laos probably wins the award for Friendliest Country. Despite Laos poverty and isolation, its people were some of the kindest and most outgoing we've ever met. We visited a Kieng Than Lei village along the Sexet river. A number of kids played along the beach and greeted us. Walking is by far the best way to get around this small village. And during our strolls we'd often bump into the same kids over and over. A small village next to the Tad Lo waterfall. We enjoy the natural surroundings exploring by foot or elephant. Tad Lo spreads over a beautiful forest in the Bolaven Plateau. At this elevated area you can soak up the fresh climate and the friendly atmosphere.
Photo of this lovely smiling lady taken in Kieng Than Lei. A little village located on the Bolaven Plateau. A great place to explore some of the lesser-known areas of the southern region of Laos. A village to meet the friendly Lao people despite their poverty and isolation.
Laos has remained virtually unchanged for half a century. Rich in history and culture, Laos and its peoples, more than 47 ethnic groups, harmonize life to ancient rhythms and traditions that evoke timeless Asia. Although the trappings of the modern world are becoming increasingly visible, Laos remains the least developed country in Southeast Asia. A country where experienced travelers will appreciate breathtaking scenery and ofcourse the friendly people.
This is the Hyangwonjeong Pavilion, a two-story hexagonal royal structure located in Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul. It was built around 1885 during the Joseon Dynasty and sits in the center of Hyangwonji Pond. The pavilion features intricate craftsmanship and traditional Korean architecture designed to harmonize with nature. 광화문 경복궁, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul, South Korea: 2025 Feb
I wonder why they decided for these yellow light posts. Maybe bercause grey skies are pretty prevalent around here and yellow harmonizes with grey.
[Sankt-Peter-Ording_20211014_1328_e-m10_10145543]
...made to harmonize with Amy Butler curtains in an urbanite's version of a "master bedroom" (yup, it's small!).
The Function and Importance of Fairy Counting Staffs or Trasgos for Rovingians By Daniel Arrhakis (2026)
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The Function and Importance of Fairy Counting Staffs or Trasgos for Rovingians
Spiritual, Ecological, and Community Instruments in the Rovingian Tradition
Fairy Counting Staffs, also known as Trasgos, play a central role in the culture of Rovingian nomadic monks. Stuck in the ground, these staffs are recognized for their multifunctionality, serving as tools for harmonization, spiritual signage, and ecological protection for Rovingians.
Pillars of the Importance of Fairy Counting Staffs (Trasgos)
Ecological and Spiritual Sentinels
Currently, the staffs have replaced the ancient symbolism of Druidic authority, assuming the role of environmental protection markers. When placed in protected areas, they indicate that the space is sacred and should be treated with reverence.
These staffs act as anchors between heaven and earth, protecting the location against malevolent or restless entities through specific carvings and ornaments.
Vibrational Cleansing (Sound Purification)
Through the carvings and bells, the staffs use sound to dissipate negative energies and ward off "stagnant spirits." The wind, animals, or people activate the sound of the bells, which acts as a "sound prayer," purifying the environment.
This process contributes to the balance of the "harmony of the spheres" and awakens areas of stagnant energy.
Regeneration Anchors (Ecosystemic Regeneration)
When arranged in specific geometries, the staffs serve as energetic anchoring points between the earth and the spiritual plane. In areas devastated by climatic events, it is believed that these landmarks help accelerate the vital recovery of the forest, promoting the energetic and biological restoration of the soil and flora. Ritual of Crossing and Community Interaction
By ringing the bells during the crossing, the traveler asks permission from the forest beings and signals their presence. This gesture transforms the crossing into a ritual of respect and safety, functioning as a sonic prayer and a request for permission from the local spirits. Thus, a safe and harmonious journey is ensured.
Conclusion
The Fairy or Goblin Counting Staffs are essential spiritual and ecological landmarks for contemporary Rovingian tradition. Their importance lies in the transition from symbols of Druidic authority to sentinels of environmental protection and regeneration, consolidating their role in the preservation and harmony of ecosystems and communities.
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A Função e a Importância dos Bastões Contadores de Fadas ou Trasgos para os Rovingianos
Instrumentos Espirituais, Ecológicos e Comunitários na Tradição Rovingiana
Os Bastões Contadores de Fadas, também conhecidos como Trasgos, desempenham um papel central na cultura dos monges nómadas rovingianos. Espetados no solo, estes bastões são reconhecidos por sua multifuncionalidade, servindo como ferramentas de harmonização, sinalética espiritual e proteção ecológica para os rovingianos.
Pilares da Importância dos Bastões Contadores de Fadas (Trasgos)
Sentinelas Ecológicas e Espirituais
Atualmente, os bastões substituíram o antigo simbolismo de autoridade druídica, assumindo o papel de marcadores de proteção ambiental. Ao serem posicionados em áreas protegidas, indicam que o espaço é sagrado e deve ser tratado com reverência.
Estes bastões funcionam como âncoras entre o céu e a terra, protegendo o local contra entidades malévolas ou inquietas através dos entalhes e ornamentos específicos.
Limpeza Vibracional (Purificação Sonora)
Através dos entalhes e guizos, os bastões utilizam o som para dissipar energias negativas e afastar “espíritos estagnantes”. O vento, animais ou pessoas ativam o som dos guizos, que atua como uma “oração sonora” purificando o ambiente.
Este processo contribui para o equilíbrio da “harmonia das esferas” e desperta áreas de energia estagnada.
Âncoras de Regeneração (Regeneração Ecossistémica)
Quando dispostos em geometrias específicas, os bastões servem como pontos de ancoragem energética entre a terra e o plano espiritual. Em zonas devastadas por eventos climáticos, acredita-se que estes marcos ajudam a acelerar a recuperação vital da floresta, promovendo a restauração energética e biológica do solo e da flora.
Ritual de Travessia e Interação Comunitária
Ao tocar os guizos durante a travessia, o caminhante pede permissão aos entes da floresta e sinaliza a sua presença. Este gesto transforma a travessia num ritual de respeito e segurança, funcionando como uma oração sonora e um pedido de permissão aos espíritos locais. Assim, garante-se uma jornada segura e harmoniosa.
Conclusão
Os Bastões Contadores de Fadas ou Trasgos são marcos espirituais e ecológicos essenciais para a tradição rovingiana contemporânea. Sua importância reside na transição de símbolos de autoridade druídica para sentinelas de proteção ambiental e regeneração, consolidando seu papel na preservação e harmonia dos ecossistemas e comunidades.
Musically, they had kind of an Ike and Tina going. Some of my favorite music has that male-female harmonizing or call-and-response thing going. A set of pipes on both of them, for sure
Then I zoomed in even closer. They do a lot of Renaissance Faires, mostly in the western states, and they also do Christmas performances and the like. I guess I like coming back to them whenever I've gone to the Faire because of their familiarity. So many acts don't have that effect on me.
Close your eyes and listen. The rush of water harmonizes with the rustling leaves and the distant calls of birds. It's a symphony composed by nature–a melody that resonates deep within your soul. As you follow the stream, you'll encounter mini waterfalls, their spray catching the sunlight like a thousand diamonds.
Fujigawachi Valley receives water from Mount Natsuki, a 1,386-meter-high mountain situated on the border of Oita and Miyazaki prefectures. The journey begins at Kannon Falls and extends for approximately eight kilometers.
For photographers, Fujigawachi Valley is a dream. Capture the play of light on water, the reflections in still pools, and the interplay of shadows and sunbeams. Whether you wield a professional camera or a humble smartphone, every frame here is a masterpiece waiting to be framed.
Close your eyes and listen. The rush of water harmonizes with the rustling leaves and the distant calls of birds. It's a symphony composed by nature–a melody that resonates deep within your soul. As you follow the stream, you'll encounter mini waterfalls, their spray catching the sunlight like a thousand diamonds.
Fujigawachi Valley receives water from Mount Natsuki, a 1,386-meter-high mountain situated on the border of Oita and Miyazaki prefectures. The journey begins at Kannon Falls and extends for approximately eight kilometers.
For photographers, Fujigawachi Valley is a dream. Capture the play of light on water, the reflections in still pools, and the interplay of shadows and sunbeams. Whether you wield a professional camera or a humble smartphone, every frame here is a masterpiece waiting to be framed.
The layout and the dimension of the furniture must correspond to harmonize your veranda with the rest of your house. In general, it is best to choose furniture with clean lines, compact and practical. Your aim is to have a terrace with a warm and friendly atmosphere.
New forearms, extra padding around the waist, complete new lower legs, harmonized the color blocking. Let me know how I can make it better, I welcome your thoughts.
Museum of Ethnography Budapest Hungary
Architects: NAPUR Architect
Area : 34000 m²
The new building of the Museum of Ethnography in Budapest City Park (Városliget) was opened 2022. The award-winning new museum building – which is part of Europe’s largest urban-cultural development called Liget Budapest Project has dynamic yet simple lines simultaneously harmonized with the park environment and communicating with the surrounding urban area.
The collection, which comprises 250.000 items from the Carpathian Basin and from every corner of the world, has been hosted by various facilities since its establishment in 1872, but never in its history did it operate in a building designed specifically to cater to its needs. The project was one of over 1700 entries from 115 countries. According to the decision of an international jury, the competition was won by the Hungarian architectural studio, Napur Architect (beating leading world-class architect studios such as Zaha Hadid, BIG), whose building is distinguished by a dynamic yet simple design harmonized with the natural environment of the park while communicating with the urban texture of its surroundings. The gently curving lines enable the building to function as a gateway and a passage linking the city and the park. Sixty percent of the structure is under ground level, and thanks to the landscaped roof and the transparency of the sections over the ground, the new museum is adapted to its environment in its scale too. The grass-covered roof area will be a pleasant community space awaiting visitors to Városliget.
The spectacular trademark of the building is the glass curtain wall surrounding the landscaped roof garden, reminiscent of two intertwined hillsides, with a unique characteristic, consisting of nearly half a million pixels, a raster made by metal grid based on ethnographic motifs selected from the museum's Hungarian and international collections.
The new functions and flexible spaces of the modern and state-of-the-art museum building will facilitate the understanding of the historical heritage embodied by the collection as well as the various aspects of contemporary society. Besides passing down this historical heritage, the realization of more recent professional and research themes and perspectives continues to be among the priority objectives of the museum, as confirmed by its mission. The creatively built spaces will open up new opportunities to communicate with visitors, enabling the presentation of the everyday objects, phenomena, and ideas of the past and the present side by side.
Museum of Ethnography Budapest Hungary
Architects: NAPUR Architect
Area : 34000 m²
The new building of the Museum of Ethnography in Budapest City Park (Városliget) was opened 2022. The award-winning new museum building – which is part of Europe’s largest urban-cultural development called Liget Budapest Project has dynamic yet simple lines simultaneously harmonized with the park environment and communicating with the surrounding urban area.
The collection, which comprises 250.000 items from the Carpathian Basin and from every corner of the world, has been hosted by various facilities since its establishment in 1872, but never in its history did it operate in a building designed specifically to cater to its needs. The project was one of over 1700 entries from 115 countries. According to the decision of an international jury, the competition was won by the Hungarian architectural studio, Napur Architect (beating leading world-class architect studios such as Zaha Hadid, BIG), whose building is distinguished by a dynamic yet simple design harmonized with the natural environment of the park while communicating with the urban texture of its surroundings. The gently curving lines enable the building to function as a gateway and a passage linking the city and the park. Sixty percent of the structure is under ground level, and thanks to the landscaped roof and the transparency of the sections over the ground, the new museum is adapted to its environment in its scale too. The grass-covered roof area will be a pleasant community space awaiting visitors to Városliget.
The spectacular trademark of the building is the glass curtain wall surrounding the landscaped roof garden, reminiscent of two intertwined hillsides, with a unique characteristic, consisting of nearly half a million pixels, a raster made by metal grid based on ethnographic motifs selected from the museum's Hungarian and international collections.
The new functions and flexible spaces of the modern and state-of-the-art museum building will facilitate the understanding of the historical heritage embodied by the collection as well as the various aspects of contemporary society. Besides passing down this historical heritage, the realization of more recent professional and research themes and perspectives continues to be among the priority objectives of the museum, as confirmed by its mission. The creatively built spaces will open up new opportunities to communicate with visitors, enabling the presentation of the everyday objects, phenomena, and ideas of the past and the present side by side.
Art Nouveau it was inspired by natural forms and structures, not only in flowers and plants, but also in curved lines. Architects tried to harmonize with the natural environment.
To visualise this philosophy I took pictures of art nouveau architecture as well as plants and combined them in one picture.
This picture is double exposure done on analogue film. The film is exposed taking architecture pictures and once all pictures are taken the film is wind back to be exposed a second time. This time pictures of natural and floral objects are taken. Since one hardly remembers what picture was taken when in the first round, it is a lot of random process how the objects overlay in the final picture. But surprise is part of the fun.
Marco d'Agrate (c. 1504 – c. 1574) was an Italian sculptor of the Renaissance period, active mainly in Lombardy.
He was born to a family of sculptors, and collaborated with his brother Gian Francesco in a monument to Sforzino Sforza found in Basilica of Santa Maria della Steccata in Parma. Also worked on the tomb of Giovanni del Conte in the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Milan, and for the facade of the Certosa of Pavia.
His best known work is the statue of St Bartholomew Flayed (1562), depicting Bartholomew the Apostle, found in the transept of the Cathedral of Milan. He signed it with a line that states: I was not made by Praxiteles but by Marco d'Agrate (Non mi fece Prassitele, bensì Marco d'Agrate).
Milan Cathedral or Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Nativity of Saint Mary is the cathedral church of Milan, Lombardy, Italy. Dedicated to the Nativity of St Mary (Santa Maria Nascente), it is the seat of the Archbishop of Milan, currently Archbishop Mario Delpini.
The cathedral took nearly six centuries to complete: construction began in 1386, and the final details were completed in 1965. It is the largest church in the Italian Republic—the larger St. Peter's Basilica is in the State of Vatican City, a sovereign state—and possibly the second largest in Europe and the third largest in the world (its size and position remain a matter of debate).
Milan's layout, with streets either radiating from the Duomo or circling it, reveals that the Duomo occupies what was the most central site in Roman Mediolanum, that of the public basilica facing the forum. The first cathedral, the "new basilica" (basilica nova) dedicated to St Thecla, was completed by 355. It seems to share, on a slightly smaller scale, the plan of the contemporaneous church recently rediscovered beneath Tower Hill in London. An adjoining basilica was erected in 836. The old octagonal baptistery, the Battistero Paleocristiano, dates to 335 and still can be visited under the cathedral. When a fire damaged the cathedral and basilica in 1075, they were rebuilt as the Duomo.
In 1386, Archbishop Antonio da Saluzzo began construction of the cathedral. Start of the construction coincided with the ascension to power in Milan of the archbishop's cousin Gian Galeazzo Visconti, and was meant as a reward to the noble and working classes, who had suffered under his tyrannical Visconti predecessor Barnabò. The construction of the cathedral was also dictated by very specific political choices: with the new construction site the population of Milan intended to emphasize the centrality of Milan in the eyes of Gian Galeazzo, a prominence questioned by the choice of the new lord to reside and maintain his court, like his father Galeazzo II, in Pavia and not in Milan.[8] Before actual work began, three main buildings were demolished: the palace of the Archbishop, the Ordinari Palace and the Baptistry of St. Stephen at the Spring, while the old church of Sta. Maria Maggiore was exploited as a stone quarry. Enthusiasm for the immense new building soon spread among the population, and the shrewd Gian Galeazzo, together with his cousin the archbishop, collected large donations for the work-in-progress. The construction program was strictly regulated under the "Fabbrica del Duomo", which had 300 employees led by first chief engineer Simone da Orsenigo. Orsenigo initially planned to build the cathedral from brick in Lombard Gothic style.
Visconti had ambitions to follow the newest trends in European architecture. In 1389, a French chief engineer, Nicolas de Bonaventure, was appointed, adding to the church its Rayonnant Gothic. Galeazzo gave the Fabbrica del Duomo exclusive use of the marble from the Candoglia quarry and exempted it from taxes. Ten years later another French architect, Jean Mignot, was called from Paris to judge and improve upon the work done, as the masons needed new technical aid to lift stones to an unprecedented height.[9] Mignot declared all the work done up until then as in pericolo di ruina ("peril of ruin"), as it had been done sine scienzia ("without science"). In the following years Mignot's forecasts proved untrue, but they spurred Galeazzo's engineers to improve their instruments and techniques. However, relations between Gian Galeazzo and the top management of the factory (chosen by the citizens of Milan) were often tense: the lord (who in 1395 had become Duke of Milan) intended to transform the cathedral into the dynastic mausoleum of the Visconti, inserting the central part of the cathedral funeral monument of his father Galeazzo II and this met with strong opposition from both the factory and the Milanese, who wanted to underline their autonomy. A clash arose, which forced Gian Galeazzo to decide on the foundation of a new construction site intended exclusively for the Visconti dynasty: the Certosa di Pavia.[10] Work proceeded quickly, and at the death of Gian Galeazzo in 1402, almost half the cathedral was complete. Construction, however, stalled almost totally until 1480, for lack of money and ideas: the most notable works of this period were the tombs of Marco Carelli and Pope Martin V (1424) and the windows of the apse (1470s), of which those extant portray St. John the Evangelist, by Cristoforo de' Mottis, and Saint Eligius and San John of Damascus, both by Niccolò da Varallo. In 1452, under Francesco Sforza, the nave and the aisles were completed up to the sixth bay.
In 1488, both Leonardo da Vinci and Donato Bramante created models in a competition to design the central cupola; Leonardo later withdrew his submission.[11] From 1500 to 1510, under Ludovico Sforza, the octagonal cupola was completed, and decorated in the interior with four series of 15 statues each, portraying saints, prophets, sibyls and other Figures from the Bible. The exterior long remained without any decoration, except for the Guglietto dell'Amadeo ("Amadeo's Little Spire"), constructed 1507–1510. This is a Renaissance masterwork which nevertheless harmonized well with the general Gothic appearance of the church.
During the subsequent Spanish domination, the new church proved usable, even though the interior remained largely unfinished, and some bays of the nave and the transepts were still missing. In 1552 Giacomo Antegnati was commissioned to build a large organ for the north side of the choir, and Giuseppe Meda provided four of the sixteen reliefs which were to decorate the altar area (the program was completed by Federico Borromeo). In 1562, Marco d'Agrate's St. Bartholomew and the famous Trivulzio candelabrum (12th century) were added.
After the accession of Carlo Borromeo to the archbishop's throne, all lay monuments were removed from the Duomo. These included the tombs of Giovanni, and Filippo Maria Visconti, Francesco I and his wife Bianca, Galeazzo Maria, which were brought to unknown destinations. However, Borromeo's main intervention was the appointment, in 1571, of Pellegrino Pellegrini as chief engineer— a contentious move, since to appoint Pellegrino, who was not a lay brother of the duomo, required a revision of the Fabbrica's statutes.
Borromeo and Pellegrini strove for a new, Renaissance appearance for the cathedral, that would emphasise its Roman / Italian nature, and subdue the Gothic style, which was now seen as foreign. As the façade still was largely incomplete, Pellegrini designed a "Roman" style one, with columns, obelisks and a large tympanum. When Pellegrini's design was revealed, a competition for the design of the façade was announced, and this elicited nearly a dozen entries, including one by Antonio Barca.
This design was never carried out, but the interior decoration continued: in 1575-1585 the presbytery was rebuilt, while new altars and the baptistry were added. The wooden choir stalls were constructed by 1614 for the main altar by Francesco Brambilla. In 1577 Borromeo finally consecrated the whole edifice as a new church, distinct from the old Santa Maria Maggiore and Santa Tecla (which had been unified in 1549 after heavy disputes).
At the beginning of the 17th century Federico Borromeo had the foundations of the new façade laid by Francesco Maria Richini and Fabio Mangone. Work continued until 1638 with the construction of five portals and two middle windows. In 1649, however, the new chief architect Carlo Buzzi introduced a striking revolution: the façade was to revert to original Gothic style, including the already finished details within big Gothic pilasters and two giant belfries. Other designs were provided by, among others, Filippo Juvarra (1733) and Luigi Vanvitelli (1745), but all remained unapplied. In 1682 the façade of Santa Maria Maggiore was demolished and the cathedral's roof covering completed.
In 1762 one of the main features of the cathedral, the Madonnina's spire, was erected at the dizzying height of 108.5 m. The spire was designed by Carlo Pellicani and sports at the top a famous polychrome Madonnina statue, designed by Giuseppe Perego that befits the stature of the cathedral. Given Milan's notoriously damp and foggy climate, the Milanese consider it a fair-weather day when the Madonnina is visible from a distance, as it is so often covered by mist.
On 20 May 1805, Napoleon Bonaparte, about to be crowned King of Italy, ordered the façade to be finished by Pellicani. In his enthusiasm, he assured that all expenses would fall to the French treasurer, who would reimburse the Fabbrica for the real estate it had to sell. Even though this reimbursement was never paid, it still meant that finally, within only seven years, the cathedral's façade was completed. Pellicani largely followed Buzzi's project, adding some neo-Gothic details to the upper windows. As a form of thanksgiving, a statue of Napoleon was placed at the top of one of the spires. Napoleon was crowned King of Italy at the Duomo.
In the following years, most of the missing arches and spires were constructed. The statues on the southern wall were also finished, while in 1829–1858, new stained glass windows replaced the old ones, though with less aesthetically significant results. The last details of the cathedral were finished only in the 20th century: the last portal was inaugurated on 6 January 1965. This date is considered the very end of a process which had proceeded for generations, although even now, some uncarved blocks remain to be completed as statues. The Allied bombing of Milan in World War II further delayed construction. Like many other cathedrals in cities bombed by the Allied forces, the Duomo suffered some damage, although to a lesser degree compared to other major buildings in the vicinity such as the La Scala Theatre. It was quickly repaired and became a place of solace and gathering for displaced local residents.
The Duomo's main façade went under renovation from 2003 to early 2009: as of February 2009, it has been completely uncovered, showing again the colours of the Candoglia marble.
In November 2012 officials announced a campaign to raise funds for the cathedral's preservation by asking patrons to adopt the building's spires. The effects of pollution on the 14th-century building entail regular maintenance, and recent austerity cuts to Italy's culture budget has left less money for upkeep of cultural institutions, including the cathedral. To help make up funds, Duomo management launched a campaign offering its 135 spires up for "adoption". Donors who contribute €100,000 (about $110,505) or more will have a plaque with their name engraved on it placed on the spire.
Milan is a city in Northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city has 3.22 million residents The urban area of Milan is the fourth largest in the EU with 5.27 million inhabitants. According to national sources, the population within the wider Milan metropolitan area (also known as Greater Milan), is estimated between 4.9 million and 7.4 million making it by far the largest metropolitan area in Italy and one of the largest in the EU. Milan is the economic capital of Italy and is a global financial centre. Milan is, together with London, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Munich and Paris, one of the six European economic capitals.
Milan is a leading alpha global city, with strengths in the fields of art, chemicals, commerce, design, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media (communication), services, research and tourism. Its business district hosts Italy's stock exchange (Italian: Borsa Italiana), and the headquarters of national and international banks and companies. In terms of GDP, Milan is the wealthiest city in Italy, has the third-largest economy among EU cities after Paris and Madrid, and is the wealthiest among EU non-capital cities. Milan is viewed along with Turin as the southernmost part of the Blue Banana urban development corridor (also known as the "European Megalopolis"), and one of the Four Motors for Europe. Milan is one of the international tourism destinations, appearing among the forty most visited cities in the world, ranking second in Italy after Rome, fifth in Europe and sixteenth in the world. Milan is a major cultural centre, with museums and art galleries that include some of the most important collections in the world, such as major works by Leonardo da Vinci. It also hosts numerous educational institutions, academies and universities, with 11% of the national total of enrolled students.
Founded around 590 BC under the name Medhelanon by a Celtic tribe belonging to the Insubres group and belonging to the Golasecca culture, it was conquered by the ancient Romans in 222 BC, who latinized the name of the city into Mediolanum. The city's role as a major political centre dates back to the late antiquity, when it served as the capital of the Western Roman Empire. From the 12th century until the 16th century, Milan was one of the largest European cities and a major trade and commercial centre; consequently, it became the capital of the Duchy of Milan, one of the greatest political, artistic and fashion forces in the Renaissance. Having become one of the main centres of the Italian Enlightenment during the early modern period, the city subsequently became the industrial and financial capital of modern Italy. Capital of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy, after the Restoration it was among the most active centres of the Risorgimento, until its entry into the unified Kingdom of Italy.
Milan has been recognized as one of the world's four fashion capitals. Many of the most famous luxury fashion brands in the world have their headquarters in the city, including: Armani, Prada, Versace, Moschino, Valentino and Zegna. It also hosts several international events and fairs, including Milan Fashion Week and the Milan Furniture Fair, which are among the world's biggest in terms of revenue, visitors and growth. The city is served by many luxury hotels and is the fifth-most starred in the world by Michelin Guide. It hosted the Universal Exposition in 1906 and 2015. In the field of sports, Milan is home to two of Europe's most successful football teams, AC Milan and Inter Milan, and one of Europe's main basketball teams, Olimpia Milano. Milan will host the Winter Olympic and Paralympic games for the first time in 2026, together with Cortina d'Ampezzo.
Milan, Italy is an ancient city in northern Italy first settled under the name Medhelanon in about 590 BC by a Celtic tribe belonging to the Insubres group and belonging to the Golasecca culture.[1][2] The settlement was conquered by the Romans in 222 BC and renamed it Mediolanum. Diocletian divided the Roman Empire, choosing the eastern half for himself, making Milan the seat of the western half of the empire, from which Maximian ruled, in the late 3rd and early 4th century AD. In 313 AD Emperors Constantine and Licinius issued the Edict of Milan, which officially ended the persecution of Christians. In 774 AD, Milan surrendered to Charlemagne and the Franks.
During the Middle Ages, the city's history was the story of the struggle between two political factions: the Guelphs and the Ghibellines. Finally the Visconti family took power (signoria) in Milan. In 1395 Emperor Wenceslas made Milan a duchy, thus raising the dignity of the city's citizens. In the mid-15th century the Ambrosian Republic was established, taking its name from St. Ambrose, a beloved patron saint of the city. The two rival factions worked together to create the Ambrosian Republic in Milan. However, the republic fell apart in 1450 when Milan was conquered by Francesco Sforza of the House of Sforza, which ushered Milan into becoming one of the leading cities of the Italian Renaissance.
From the late 15th century until the mid 16th century, Milan was involved in The Italian Wars, a series of conflicts, along with most of the city-states of Italy, the Papal States, the Republic of Venice and later most of Western Europe. In 1629 The Great Plague of Milan killed about 60,000 people out of a total population of about 130,000, by 1631 when the plague subsided. This event is considered one of the last great outbreaks of what was a pandemic that ravaged Europe for several centuries, beginning with the Black Death. In 1713-1714 treaties gave sovereignty to Austria over most of Spain's Italian possessions, including Lombardy and its capital, Milan. Napoleon invaded Italy in 1796, and later declared Milan the capital of the Kingdom of Italy. After Napoleon's occupation ended the Congress of Vienna returned Lombardy and Milan to Austrian control in 1815. This is the period when Milan became a center for lyric opera.
The Milanese staged a rebellion against Austrian rule on March 18, 1848. The Kingdom of Sardinia joined the rebels, and a vote was held in Lombardy which voted to unify with Sardinia. The Austrians defeated the Sardinians on 24 July and reasserted their domination over Milan and northern Italy. Just a few years later another insurgency by Italian nationalists succeeded in ousting the Austrians with the help of Sardinia and France in 1859. Following the Battle of Solferino Milan and the rest of Lombardy joined the Kingdom of Sardinia, which soon achieved control of most of Italy. In 1861 the re-unified city-states and kingdoms became the Kingdom of Italy once again.
With the unification of the country, Milan became the dominant commercial center of northern Italy. In 1919 Benito Mussolini rallied the Blackshirts for the first time in Milan, and later they began their March on Rome from Milan. During World War II Milan was extensively damaged by Allied bombings. Upon the surrender of Italy in 1943 German forces occupied northern Italy until the end of the war in 1945. Members of the Italian resistance in Milan took control of the city and executed Mussolini, his mistress, and other leaders of his Fascist government by hanging in Piazzale Loreto, Milan.
Since the end of World War II, Italy experienced an economic boom. From 1951 until 1967 the population of Milan grew from 1.3 million to 1.7 million. The city was reconstructed, but in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the city suffered from a huge wave of street violence, labor strikes and political terrorism during so called Years of Lead. During the 1980s, Milan became one of the world's fashion capitals. The rise of financial services and the service economy during the late 20th century further strengthened Milan’s position as the Italian economic capital. The city’s renewal in the 21st century was marked, among others, by hosting of the World Expo 2015 or big redevelopment projects such as Puorta Nuova or CityLife.
Antiquity
Around 590 BC, a Celtic tribe belonging to the Insubres group and belonging to the Golasecca culture settled the city under the name Medhelanon. According to Titus Livy's comments, the city was founded around 600 B.C. by Belloveso, chief of the Insubres. Legend has it that Belloveso found a mythological animal known as the scrofa semilanuta (in Italian: "half-woollen boar") which became the ancient emblem of the city of Milan (from semi-lanuta or medio-lanum). Several ancient sources (including Sidonius Apollinaris, Datius, and, more recently, Andrea Alciato) have argued that the scrofa semilanuta is connected to the etymology of the ancient name of Milan, "Mediolanum", and this is still occasionally mentioned in modern sources, although this interpretation has long been dismissed by scholars. Nonetheless, wool production became a key industry in this area, as recorded during the early Middle Ages (see below).
Milan was conquered by the Romans in 222 B.C. due to its strategic position on the northern borders of the Empire and was renamed Mediolanum. When Diocletian decided to divide the Empire in half choosing the Eastern half for himself, Milan became the residence of Maximian, ruler of the Western Roman Empire. The construction of the second city walls, roughly four and a half kilometers long and unfurling at today's Foro Bonaparte, date back to his reign. After the abdication of Maximian (in 305 A.D.) on the same day on which Diocletian also abdicated, there were a series of wars of succession, during which there was a succession of three emperors in just a few short years: first Severus, who prepared the expedition against Maxentius, then Maxentius himself in a war against Constantine, and finally Constantine himself, victor of the war against Maxentius. In 313 A.D. the Emperors Constantine and Licinius issued the Edict of Milan (Edict of Constantine), ending the persecutions against Christians.
The beginning of the 5th century was the start of a tortuous period of barbarian invasions for Milan. After the city was besieged by the Visigoths in 402, the imperial residence was moved to Ravenna. An age of decadence began which worsened when Attila, King of the Huns, sacked and devastated the city in 452 A.D.
Middle Ages
In 539, the Ostrogoths conquered and destroyed Milan during the Gothic War against Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. In the summer of 569, a Germanic tribe, the Lombards (from which the name of the Italian region Lombardy derives), conquered Milan, overpowering the small Byzantine army left for its defense. Some Roman structures remained in use in Milan under Lombard rule, but the city was eclipsed by the nearby Lombard capital of Pavia during the next two centuries.
Milan surrendered to Charlemagne and the Franks in 774. The aristocracy and majority of the clergy had taken refuge in Genoa. In 774, when Charlemagne took the title of "King of the Lombards", he established his imperial capital of Aachen in what is today Germany. Before then the Germanic kingdoms had frequently conquered each other, but none had adopted the title of King of another people. The Iron Crown of Lombardy (i.e. referring to Charlemagne's kingdom and not to the Italian region), which was worn by Charlemagne, dates from this period. Milan's domination under the Franks led by Charlemagne did nothing to improve the city's fortune, and the city's impoverishment increased and Milan became a county seat.
The 11th century saw a reaction against the control of the Holy Roman Emperors. The city-state was born, an expression of the new political power of the city and its will to fight against feudal overlords. Milan was no exception. It did not take long, however, for the city states to begin fighting each other to try to limit neighbouring powers. The Milanese destroyed Lodi and continuously warred with Pavia, Cremona and Como, who in turn asked Frederick I Barbarossa for help. In a sally, they captured Empress Beatrice and forced her to ride a donkey backwards out through the city. These acts brought the destruction of much of Milan in 1162. A fire destroyed the storehouses containing the entire food supply: and within just a few days Milan was forced to surrender.
A period of peace followed and Milan prospered as a centre of trade due to its position. As a result of the independence that the Lombard cities gained in the Peace of Constance in 1183, Milan returned to the commune form of local government first established in the 11th century. In 1208 Rambertino Buvalelli served a term as podestà of the city, in 1242 Luca Grimaldi, and in 1282 Luchetto Gattilusio. The position was a dangerous one: in 1252 Milanese heretics assassinated the Church's Inquisitor, later known as Saint Peter Martyr, at a ford in the nearby contado; the killers bribed their way to freedom, and in the ensuing riot the podestà was almost lynched. In 1256 the archbishop and leading nobles were expelled from the city. In 1259 Martino della Torre was elected Capitano del Popolo by members of the guilds; he took the city by force, expelled his enemies, and ruled by dictatorial powers, paving streets, digging canals, and taxing the countryside. He also brought the Milanese treasury to collapse; the use of often reckless mercenary units further angered the population, granting an increasing support for the della Torre's traditional enemies, the Visconti. The most important industries in this period were armaments and wool production, a whole catalogue of activities and trades is given in Bonvesin della Riva's "de Magnalibus Urbis Mediolani".
On 22 July 1262, Ottone Visconti was made archbishop of Milan by Pope Urban IV, against the candidacy of Raimondo della Torre, Bishop of Como. The latter started to publicise allegations that the Visconti had ties to the heretic Cathars and charged them with high treason: the Visconti, who accused the della Torre of the same crimes, were then banned from Milan and their properties confiscated. The ensuing civil war caused more damage to Milan's population and economy, lasting for more than a decade. Ottone Visconti unsuccessfully led a group of exiles against the city in 1263, but after years of escalating violence on all sides, in the Battle of Desio (1277) he won the city for his family. The Visconti succeeded in ousting the della Torre permanently, and proceeded to rule Milan and its possessions until the 15th century.
Much of the prior history of Milan was the tale of the struggle between two political factions: the Guelphs and the Ghibellines. Most of the time the Guelphs were successful in the city of Milan. Eventually, however, the Visconti family were able to seize power (signoria) in Milan, based on their "Ghibelline" friendship with the Holy Roman Emperors. In 1395, one of these emperors, Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia (1378–1400), raised Milan to the dignity of a duchy. Also in 1395, Gian Galeazzo Visconti became Duke of Milan. The Ghibelline Visconti family was to retain power in Milan for a century and a half from the early 14th century until the middle of the 15th century.
In 1447 Filippo Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan, died without a male heir; following the end of the Visconti line, the Ambrosian Republic was enacted. The Ambrosian Republic took its name from St. Ambrose, popular patron saint of the city of Milan. Both the Guelph and the Ghibelline factions worked together to bring about the Ambrosian Republic in Milan. Nonetheless, the Republic collapsed when, in 1450, Milan was conquered by Francesco Sforza, of the House of Sforza, who made Milan one of the leading cities of the Italian Renaissance.
Early modern
The Italian Wars were a series of conflicts from 1494 to 1559 that involved, at various times, most of the city-states of Italy, the Papal States, the Republic of Venice, and later most of the major states of Western Europe. Milan's last independent ruler, Lodovico Sforza, called French king Charles VIII into Italy in the expectation that France might be an ally in inter-Italian wars. The future King of France, Louis of Orléans, took part in the expedition and realised Italy was virtually defenceless. This prompted him to return a few years later in 1500, and claim the Duchy of Milan for himself, his grandmother having been a member of the ruling Visconti family. At that time, Milan was also defended by Swiss mercenaries. After the victory of Louis's successor Francis I over the Swiss at the Battle of Marignan, the duchy was promised to the French king. When the Habsburg Emperor Charles V defeated Francis I at the Battle of Pavia in 1525, northern Italy, including Milan, returned to Francesco II Sforza, passing to Habsburg Spain ten years later on his death and the extinction of the Sforza line.
In 1556, Charles V abdicated in favour of his son Philip II and his brother Ferdinand I. Charles's Italian possessions, including Milan, passed to Philip II and remained with the Spanish line of Habsburgs, while Ferdinand's Austrian line of Habsburgs ruled the Holy Roman Empire.
Great Plague of Milan
The Great Plague of Milan in 1629–31 killed an estimated 60,000 people out of a population of 130,000. This episode is considered one of the last outbreaks of the centuries-long pandemic of plague that began with the Black Death.
War of the Spanish Succession
In 1700 the Spanish line of Habsburgs was extinguished with the death of Charles II. After his death, the War of the Spanish Succession began in 1701 with the occupation of all Spanish possessions by French troops backing the claim of the French Philippe of Anjou to the Spanish throne. In 1706, the French were defeated at the Battle of Turin and were forced to yield northern Italy to the Austrian Habsburgs. In 1713–1714 the Treaties of Utrecht and Rastatt formally confirmed Austrian sovereignty over most of Spain's Italian possessions including Lombardy and its capital, Milan.
Napoleon invaded Italy in 1796, and Milan was declared the capital of the Cisalpine Republic. Later, he declared Milan the capital of the Kingdom of Italy and was crowned in the Duomo. Once Napoleon's occupation ended, the Congress of Vienna returned Lombardy, and Milan, along with Veneto, to Austrian control in 1814. During this period, Milan became a centre of lyric opera. Here in the 1770s Mozart had premiered three operas at the Teatro Regio Ducale. Later La Scala became the reference theatre in the world, with its premières of Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini and Verdi. Verdi himself is interred in the Casa di Riposo per Musicisti, his present to Milan. In the 19th century, other important theatres were La Cannobiana and the Teatro Carcano.
Wars of the 19th century
On 18 March 1848, the Milanese rebelled against Austrian rule, during the so-called "Five Days" (Italian: Le Cinque Giornate), and Field Marshal Radetzky was forced to withdraw from the city temporarily. The Kingdom of Sardinia stepped in to help the insurgents; a plebiscite held in Lombardy decided in favour of unification with Sardinia. However, after defeating the Sardinian forces at Custoza on 24 July, Radetzky was able to reassert Austrian control over Milan and northern Italy. A few years on, however, Italian nationalists again called for the removal of Austria and Italian unification, with riots consuming the city in 1853. In 1859 Sardinia and France formed an alliance and defeated Austria at the Battle of Solferino. Following this battle, Milan and the rest of Lombardy were incorporated into the Kingdom of Sardinia, which soon gained control of most of Italy and in 1861 was rechristened as the Kingdom of Italy.
Early industrialization
The political unification of Italy cemented Milan's commercial dominance over northern Italy. It also led to a flurry of railway construction that had started under Austrian patronage (Venice–Milan; Milan–Monza) that made Milan the rail hub of northern Italy. Thereafter with the opening of the Gotthard (1881) and Simplon (1906) railway tunnels, Milan became the major South European rail focus for business and passenger movements e.g. the Simplon Orient Express. Rapid industrialization and market expansion put Milan at the centre of Italy's leading industrial region, including extensive stone quarries that have led to much of the air pollution we see today in the region. In the 1890s, Milan was shaken by the Bava-Beccaris massacre, a riot related to a high inflation rate. Meanwhile, as Milanese banks dominated Italy's financial sphere, the city became the country's leading financial centre.
Late modern and contemporary
In 1919, Benito Mussolini's Blackshirts rallied for the first time in Piazza San Sepolcro and later began their March on Rome in Milan. During the Second World War Milan suffered extensive damage from Allied bombings.[18] When Italy surrendered in 1943, German forces occupied most of Northern Italy until 1945. As a result, resistance groups formed. As the war came to an end, the American 1st Armored Division advanced on Milan – but before they arrived, the resistance seized control of the city and executed Mussolini along with several members of his government. On 29 April 1945, the corpses of Mussolini, his mistress Clara Petacci and other Fascist leaders were hanged in Piazzale Loreto.
During the post-war economic boom, a large wave of internal migration (especially from rural areas of Southern Italy), moved to Milan. The population grew from 1.3 million in 1951 to 1.7 million in 1967. During this period, Milan was largely reconstructed, with the building of several innovative and modernist skyscrapers, such as the Torre Velasca and the Pirelli Tower. The economic prosperity was however overshadowed in the late 1960s and early 1970s during the so-called Years of Lead, when Milan witnessed an unprecedented wave of street violence, labour strikes and political terrorism. The apex of this period of turmoil occurred on 12 December 1969, when a bomb exploded at the National Agrarian Bank in Piazza Fontana, killing seventeen people and injuring eighty-eight.
In the 1980s, with the international success of Milanese houses (like Armani, Versace, and Dolce & Gabbana), Milan became one of the world's fashion capitals. The city saw also a marked rise in international tourism, notably from America and Japan, while the stock exchange increased its market capitalisation more than five-fold. This period led the mass media to nickname the metropolis "Milano da bere", literally "Milan to drink". However, in the 1990s, Milan was badly affected by Tangentopoli, a political scandal in which many politicians and businessmen were tried for corruption. The city was also affected by a severe financial crisis and a steady decline in textiles, automobile, and steel production.
In the early 21st century, Milan underwent a series of sweeping redevelopments. Its exhibition centre moved to a much larger site in Rho. New business districts such as Porta Nuova and CityLife were constructed. With the decline in manufacturing, the city has sought to develop on its other sources of revenue, including publishing, finance, banking, fashion design, information technology, logistics, transport, and tourism. In addition, the city's decades-long population decline seems to have come to an end in recent years, with signs of recovery as it grew by seven percent since the last census.
This is the last shot I took at Cabo Raso on a magnificent evening for photography, meaning plenty of clouds with the light shining through and an abundance of color right after the sun had set. I tried to arrange the shot so that the gap in the clouds harmonizes with the swirling water in front of me, unfortunately in the upper right there was no light getting through and nearly no texture in the clouds but I still like it.
I used a lee 0.9 hard grad and a hoya hd polarizer and the postprocessing was mostly contrast adjustments.
have a nice weekend, hopefully I'll find the time to go out shoot again, even if it's only here in germany ;-)
The beginning of the 1930’s marks the democratization of aerodynamics in the car lines. Each manufacturer tries to harmonize its range with more contemporary offerings, including Peugeot with its 301 Profilée version. The model we present is in an advanced state of preservation, but is very healthy. Its paint is not the original one, and shows an old quality restoration. The interior is complete, but the upholstery is in a rather used state. From a mechanical point of view, a restoration will be necessary, but the package seems to be in good condition. Here is the opportunity to acquire one of the rare survivors of the 301 Profilée versions!
l'Aventure Peugeot Citroën DS, la Vente Officielle
Aguttes
Estimated : € 5.000 - 10.000
Sold for € 8.580
Citroen Heritage
93600 Aulnay-sous-Bois
France
September 2021
Design composed of a symbols set harmonized to each other that blend together for a very personal creation of great visual impact.
In a game of overlap born the unusual idea with an evocative aesthetic from the world of slot machines, roulettes, poker chips and dices of the American casinos green tables.
In this composition stand out, as well as the unmistakable symbol of the ace of spades, playing cards with their rich decorations printed on the back.
Harley-Davidson Softail tank airbrushed and painted with special techniques.
Full of overlapping transparent glazes, metallic and pearlescent colors that blend together with each other.
The rural choir of fauna.. ready to harmonize
breaks into joyful song.. as the sun begins to rise
an orchestra of wild oats performs on center stage
directing the entire field .. pleasing crowds of any age
... those who witness glory.. those who hear the morning song
those that feel the peace within.. those that truly belong
capture the notes each morning ...beauty of dawns rural choir
the climb of the crescendo.. encouraging the sunrise higher
....let the wild oats of dawn..sow a song today..
- Kelly De Witt Schlicht -
Close your eyes and listen. The rush of water harmonizes with the rustling leaves and the distant calls of birds. It's a symphony composed by nature–a melody that resonates deep within your soul. As you follow the stream, you'll encounter mini waterfalls, their spray catching the sunlight like a thousand diamonds.
Fujigawachi Valley receives water from Mount Natsuki, a 1,386-meter-high mountain situated on the border of Oita and Miyazaki prefectures. The journey begins at Kannon Falls and extends for approximately eight kilometers.
For photographers, Fujigawachi Valley is a dream. Capture the play of light on water, the reflections in still pools, and the interplay of shadows and sunbeams. Whether you wield a professional camera or a humble smartphone, every frame here is a masterpiece waiting to be framed.
A well-harmonized picture of the beautiful local architecture in the background of million billion of birds.
Nikon D200 with AF Nikkor 24 mm 1:2:8 D
Another test picture that is rather meaningless as such but tells me that camera and lens are good, that they harmonize well and produce a consistently high IQ, though rather subdued, the way I like it.
Darmstadt, Germany
Sony DSC-W55. After looking at my previous attempt, I decided the colors weren't right and the apple was too prominent. After fiddling with it in Photoshop Elements 6, I'm not sure this is any better.
Design composed of a symbols set harmonized to each other that blend together for a very personal creation of great visual impact.
In a game of overlap born the unusual idea with an evocative aesthetic from the world of slot machines, roulettes, poker chips and dices of the American casinos green tables.
In this composition stand out, as well as the unmistakable symbol of the ace of spades, playing cards with their rich decorations printed on the back.
Harley-Davidson Softail tank airbrushed and painted with special techniques.
Full of overlapping transparent glazes, metallic and pearlescent colors that blend together with each other.
Chengdu, Sichuan province, China - Feb 2, 2025 : Bustling urban landscape of Chengdu's Baoli ShiGuangLi district comes alive at night, as traditional and contemporary aesthetics harmonize. A large red lantern with intricate white and gold patterns hangs prominently, surrounded by smaller white-lit trees, creating a magical ambiance. The photo showcases the city's fusion of cultural heritage and modern progress. Neon-lit skyscrapers and vibrant buildings serve as the backdrop to this picturesque scene
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