Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Week 29: CASTELLI

A few CASTELLI from my trips to Milan and Naples. First, Milan, where I (and about 1,000 schoolchildren) visited the Castello Sforzesco. Built in 1450, it used to house the ruling family of Milan.





Then, Naples. Home to three important CASTELLI. In the distance you can see the New Castle or  Maschio Angioino, as seen from Castel Sant'Elmo. For any opera lovers, right next to the large Galleria is the Teatro San Carlo, the oldest (1737) active opera house in the world.




They started building the New Castle in 1279. So, what then, is the old castle? Il Castel dell'Ovo (Egg Castle). The Normans started building the castle on this site in the 12th century, although important religious and political buildings had been located there since many centuries before Christ. This is a view of the castle from my friend's terrace. Grazie, amica mia!



Most astonishing for me, who has spent most of my tourist time in Florence, is that the entrance to these castles was FREE! Actually, most astonishing was that next to the castle were fishermen in their boats wearing swimming suits. Yes, it is hard to believe, but warm weather might actually be arriving!!!

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