Palermo - Sicily

Palermo is the gray smoked gray covering its buildings.. and the rainbow of its people.

Palermo is the luster of his ancient floors.. and the roughness of its sidewalks.

Palermo is the intensity of its fried food.. and the light salty taste that covers your skin.

Palermo is the perseverance of its smells.. and volatility of its present.

Palermo is the fullness of its endless sound.. and the faint creaking sound of its cracks.

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Mantis religiosa macro photography

The Mantis Religiosa is an insect of the order Mantodea widespread in Europe. This specie is well known due to its characteristic position, and it’s commonly known as the Praying Mantis.

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New York Architecture

In New York there are two skies, the first one is the same you can see everywhere, the second is the image reflected on the crystal surface of the buildings. Sometimes is difficult to decide witch one (here and only here) is the real one.

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Travel mates

The travel mates are like your footsteps’ shadows on the road across the world. They are with you everywhere, they must be, sometimes they are behind you, invisible. Sometimes they are in front of you more real than anything else.

The travel mates are like the sun that makes your shadow. They are with you to bare the world and to strongly impress your image over everything.

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Lindesnes Lighthouse, Norway

“Full of nature!” This is the right sentence to describe Norway. An amazing place where the senses are surrounded and absorbed by the deep green, the richness of the smells and the dense freshness of the air. The green color is stronger as usual, an  unusual vitality given by the water. It seems you could feel it.

Norway is not a single place, is a journey to be savoured.Something completely new appears at every step. Is food for the eyes and the soul.

The idea to travel on the road from Italy has been an amazing decision. One of beautiful experiences ever made. The memories about that days are impressed in the heart as a stop-motion film. A sequence of pictures preserved to be reviewed as many times as possible.

Twenty days and 5680 km covered cutting Continental Europe landing in Sweden, crossing mountains, fjords and glaciers. Visiting beautiful cities and entering in contact with nature.

• 08 agosto 2010: Pisa, IT – Km 55178 (0)
• 09 Agosto 2010: Pisa, IT; Munich, DE – Km 55834 (656)
• 10 agosto 2010: Munich, DE; Rostock, DE (imbarco traghetto) – Km 56649 (1471 +157 nave)
• 11 agosto 2010: Trolleborg, SW; Goteborg, SW – Km 56950 (1772)
• 12 agosto 2010: Goteborg, SW; Tanum, SW; Oslo, NO – Km 57255 (2077)
• 13 agosto 2010: Oslo, NO; Lillehammer, NO – Km 57450 (2272)
• 14 agosto 2010: Lillehammer, NO; Geiranger, NO – Km 57723 (2545)
• 15 agosto 2010: Geiranger, NO; Kaupanger, NO; Flam, NO – Km 57970 (2792)
• 16 agosto 2010: Flam, NO; Bergen, NO – Km 58138 (2960)
• 17 agosto 2010: Bergen, NO; Haugesund, NO – Km 58260 (3082)
• 18 agosto 2010: Haugesund, NO; Stavanger, NO – Km 58346 (3168)
• 19 agosto 2010: Stavanger, NO; Lyndesnes, NO – Km 58559 (3381)
• 20 agosto 2010: Lyndesnes, NO; Mandal, NO; Kristiansand, NO – Km 58659 (3481)
• 21 agosto 2010: Kristiansant, NO – Km  58712 (3534)
• 22 agosto 2010: Kristiansant, NO – Km  58731 (3553)
• 23 agosto 2010: Kristiansant, NO – Km  58777 (3599)
• 24 agosto 2010: Kristiansant, NO; Silkeborg, DK; Amburgo, DE – Km  59324 (4146)
• 25 agosto 2010: Amburgo, DE; Bergen, DE – Km 59432 (4254)
• 26 agosto 2010: Bergen, DE; Goslar, DE; Nurnberg, DE – Km 59790 (4612)
• 27 agosto 2010: Nurnberg, DE – Km 60029 (4851)
• 28 agosto 2010: Nurnberg, DE; Munich, DE – Km 60203 (5025)
• 29 agosto 2010: Munich, DE – Km 60203 (5025)
• 30 agosto 2010: Munich, DE; Pisa, IT – Km 60858 (5680)

Norwegian caravan trip

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Vigeland Sculpture Park Oslo

Oslo is a fascinating city. If visited with the warm sun and the deep blue sky of late sprigs it could be so nice to be compared with the top of the Mediterranean touristic cities. It is not so wide, enough to be visited by bicycle but at the same time it is full of wonderful places to see. Cycling through the typical moderate and orderly traffic from downtown to north shortly is possible to find the Frognerparken better known as Vigeland Sculpture Park, from the name of the famous Norwegian sculptor.

This famous attraction took places from a deal between the Oslo’s authorities and the sculptor Gustav Vigeland. The Vigelandsparken was chosen as the space to devote to the works of the sculptor following the decision of the municipality to demolish the building where the sculptor’s studio was located. Since 1924, for about twenty years until his death, Vigeland produced a series of masterpieces that came to adorn the open spaces of the park and his house, now a museum.

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The Abbey of Montecassino

Four times in its history the Abbey of Montecassino has been near to be ereased from the maps since the foundation dated 529. The sacredness of the place was able to overcome internal wars, invasions Saracen, earthquakes and bombardaments. The actual shape is a faithful copy the previous one. The postwar reconstruction has preserved the original solemnity as to try to forget the ally bombing of the February 1944.

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Marina di Pisa - Retoni

At a time when the Maritime Republic of Pisa had one of the most important and influential military and merchant fleet the seaport called Porto Pisano have been located just north of the city of Livorno. During the years a lot of military and exploration expeditions sailed from the port, unfortunately sometimes it received back not only supplies and treasures but also enemies’ fleets that often destroyed everything. Nowadays the original buildings ruins are buried by history under the area of the commercial Livorno’s port.

Despite the destructions the port has always risen until at the XVI century  when the land army of the Republic of Florence decreed the end of the Maritime Republic of Pisa. Under the administration of Florence the mouth of the Arno, called “Boccadarno”, have been moved to the actual position about one kilometer and a half north from the previous, to help the water flowing even during heavy storms due to Libeccio wind. In the same years the fort of the custom was built on this area representing the first step of a civilization of Marina di Pisa.

On 26 April 2010 was placed the first brick for the construction of a new touristic port that will radically change the shape of the south side of mouth of the Arno. The project continues to raise many doubts, especially for impacts that may have on the delicate environment of the area of Natural Park of Migliarino and San Rossore. With the port some typical wood fishing buildings have been demolished. These structures are called Retoni and their shapes on the skyline gives to these places a unique and poetic atmosphere.

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Art Museums in New York

You don’t need any particular reason to visit New York. The multiethnic and multicultural nature of this metropolis allows each visitor to find their its own dimension. Definitively one good reason is related to the temples of art and culture all around the city.

In case you need inspiration here are the top six art museum to visit in New York City (alphabetically ordered!!).

1. Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) [http://www.moma.org/]

The world’s leading museum of modern art offers a rich program of exhibitions both temporaries and permanents. Masterpieces of the most important modern masters from Vincent van Gogh to Claude Monet and Jackson Pollock. [Saturday – Monday, Wednesday & Thursday: 10:30am – 5:30pm Friday: 10:30am – 8:00pm Closed Tuesday. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas.] – 11 West 53rd Street (between 5th/6th Avenues), New York

2. New Museum [http://www.newmuseum.org/]

The New Museum is the must to visit place in New York City for contemporary art. The exposition is continuously evolving and experimenting new talents and new form of art. [Wednesday through Sunday from 12:00 noon – 6:00 pm with extended evening hours Thursday and Friday nights from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. The Museum is closed on Monday and Tuesday.] – 235 Bowery at Prince Street New York, NY 10002

3. Queens Museum of Art [http://www.queensmuseum.org/]

Not too far from the La Guardia International Airport the Queens Museum of Art is the premier fine arts institution in the borough of Queens. The museum presents 20th century and contemporary art exhibitions, including a permanent collection of Tiffany art glass, and the world-famous architectural model Panorama of the City of New York. [Wednesday - Friday: 10:00am - 5:00pm Saturday - Sunday: 12:00pm - 5:00pm Closed Monday - Tuesday. Call museum for holiday closings.] – The New York City Building, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, NY 11368-3398

4. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum [http://www.guggenheim.org/]

In this place the art begin outside the museum for the modern architecture of the building designed bu Frank Lloyd Wright. One of the finest collection of masterpieces by such important artists as Chagall, Kandinsky, Picasso, and van Gogh, plus changing exhibitions that are always significant and intriguing. [Sunday-Wednesday: 10:00am–5:45pm Thursday: CLOSED Friday: 10:00am–5:45pm Saturday: 10:00am–7:45pm Some galleries may close prior to 5:45pm Sunday-Wednesday and Friday (7:45pm Saturday)] – Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth Avenue (at 89th Street), New York, NY

5. The Metropolitan Museum of Art [http://www.metmuseum.org/]

Other two million works of art from all over the world. From paintings to sculptures, from old weapons to cooking stuffs, buildings and clothes are only some examples. The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents the best of human creativity from across the globe and form all the ages. [Friday & Saturday: 9:30 am – 9 pm Sunday, Tuesday–Thursday: 9:30 am – 5:30 pm Closed: Mondays (except select holiday Mondays), January 1, Thanksgiving Day, and December 25.] – Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street, New York, NY 10028

6. Whitney Museum of American Art [http://whitney.org/]

Representing the leading institution of American art and culture of our time, housed in a Marcel Breuer-designed building that is a landmark of modern architecture. Among others includes works of the 20^th and 21^st century by Edward Hopper, Georgia O’Keeffe, Jackson Pollock, and Jasper Johns. Lots of temporary exhibition during the year. [Wednesday & Thursday: 11:00am – 6:00pm Friday 1:00pm – 9:00pm Saturday & Sunday: 11:00am – 6:00pm Closed: Monday & Tuesday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.] – 945 Madison Avenue (corner of 75th Street), New York, NY 10021

Just the last tip.. Try to mark these places on a map and find a walking path around the city, this could add some nice experience to your cultural day switching between shopping, open air and extraordinary culinary experience.

PS: opening times could change, contact the museums to check before…

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Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum - New York

The Solomon R. Gugghenheim Museum in New York is a treasure chest containing one of the most famous collections of masterpieces from impressionism  to contemporary art. Its distinctive structure have been designed  by Frank Lloyd Wright and opened on October 21, 1959 thanks to the R. Salomon Gugghenheim Foundation.

The spiral architecture that characterizes the white building is in itself and artwork. The sinuous shapes  give the observer an image of softness and strength to same time. Thanks to a  perspective that does not exist estimating the size of the structure is not easy, sometimes it could seems smaller or considerably larger than it actually is. Inside the eyes immediately run upwards pointing at the circular window where the converging circles of the spiral are converging.

Sometimes happens to talk with someone trying to convince him to wait and reflect before giving hasty opinion on modern and contemporary art. The Solomon R. Gugghenheim Museum is definitely one of the best place to recommend to visit. A place full of inspiration and natural birthplace of question marks to break every kind of resistance.

Just in case happens to spend some times in this part of New York a good way to satisfy the body beyond the spirit is to visit the Caffe Grazie only some steps away from the museum (84Th str. between 5th and Madison Ave http://www.caffegrazie.com). The dishes are delicious with some of the most intriguing flavor in the city, highly recommended.

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