Viterbo is an ancient city and comune in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo. It conquered and absorbed the neighbouring town of Ferento in its early history. It is approximately 80 kilometres north of GRA (Rome) on the Via Cassia, and it is surrounded by the Monti Cimini and Monti Volsini. The historic centre of the city is surrounded by medieval walls, still intact, built during the 11th and 12th centuries. Entrance to the walled centre of the city is through ancient gates.
Apart from agriculture, the main resources of Viterbo's area are pottery, marble, and wood. The town is home to the Italian gold reserves, an important Academy of Fine Arts, the University of Tuscia, and the Italian Army's Aviation Command headquarters and training centre. It is located in a wide thermal area, attracting many tourists from the whole of central Italy.
The city is home to the Church of St Rose of Viterbo, which was built, thanks to a bishop, in the middle of a temple dedicated to the Poor Clare nuns. In the mid-fourteenth century the temple was dedicated to the lady who later became the patron saint of Viterbo. The decoration of the building was commissioned to Benozzo Gozzoli, who in the mid '400 created a cycle of frescoes depicting episodes from the life of the saint. But, following the work of editing and enlargement of the church undertaken two centuries later, Gozzoli's work was lost.
Rose of Viterbo, T.O.S.F. (c. 1233 – March 6, 1251), was a young woman born in Viterbo, then a contested commune of the Papal States. She spent her brief life as a recluse, who was outspoken in her support of the papacy. Otherwise leading an unremarkable life, she later became known for her mystical gifts of foretelling the future and having miraculous powers. She is honoured as a saint by the Catholic Church.
The reconstruction of the nineteenth-century was inspired by the structure of the Renaissance church of S. Mary of Fortresses. The building, made entirely of granite, was completed in 1913 by Foschini, which added a new dome, larger and made of majolica, but no longer visible. The Church is located a short walk from the house where the saint lived and died. Inside the Church, lying in a catafalque of glass, you can see the mummy of St Rose. This is the body of a young, 20-year-old woman, which bears the signs of an embolism which probably was the cause of her death.
This post is part of the Spiritual Sundays meme,
and also part of the inSPIREd Sunday meme.
Domaine Chandon was established by French Champagne house Moët & Chandon in 1986 and is dedicated to the production of méthode traditionnelle sparkling wine and cool climate still wines. Only one hour from the centre of Melbourne, the Green Point Room visitor centre at Domaine Chandon offers spectacular views across the vineyard and valley to the mountains.
This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Friday Greens meme.
Cattleya trianae (Lindl & Rchb. fil), also known as Flor de Mayo ("May flower") or "Christmas orchid", is a plant belonging to the Orchidaceae family. It grows as an epiphytic orchid, with succulent leaves, endemic to Colombia where it was nominated as the national flower in November 1936. That year, the National Academy of History of Argentina asked the Latin American countries to participate in an exhibition with the representative flowers of each country.
The Colombian government gave the botanist Emilio Robledo the task to designate the most representative flowering plant of the country. The choice of the type species of Cattleya trianae was made for two main reasons: The lip is yellow, bluish and red, in the same way as the Colombian flag. The species was named after the 19th century Colombian botanist Jerónimo Triana. The species grows at 1500–2000 meters above sea level, in Cloud forests. It is an endangered species due to habitat destruction.
Many hybrids and cultivars have now been developed and this Cattleya is one of the most spectacular and rewarding of the tropical epiphytic orchids.
This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.
Mornington is a sea side town on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia, located 57 km south-east of Melbourne's central business district. It is in the Local Government Area of the Shire of Mornington Peninsula. Mornington is known for its "village" atmosphere and its beautiful beaches. Mornington is a popular tourist destination with Melburnians who often make day trips to visit the area's bay beaches and wineries.
This post is part of the Wednesday Waters,
and also part of the Waterworld Wednesday meme,
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and also part of the Nature Footstep Digital Art Meme.
Oxalis exilis (Creeping Oxalis), is a small New Zealand native perennial weed which has tiny clover to heart shaped leaves, that form roots wherever the stems touch the ground and grows from stolons (creeping stems). Creeping oxalis is a common weed of lawns and because the stems creep under lawn runners of buffalo, kikuyu and couch, it is hard to eradicate. Seeds are spread by movement of soil and water and lawn mowers. It is typically much smaller than any of the other oxalis species found in New Zealand, and is one of the best adapted oxalis species for surviving constant defoliation within turf.
It has tiny (4-6 mm) yellow flowers which are fairly simple in structure with petals radiating out. Their bright yellow colour makes the plant obvious at those times of the year when it is flowering. Creeping oxalis appears to tolerate a wide range of growing conditions. It is typically found in fairly dry, low fertility, open swards. Creeping oxalis has trifoliate leaves (i.e. each leaf has three leaflets), and each leaflet is typically 5-10 mm across.
This post is part of the I Heart Macros meme,
and also part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Macro Monday meme.
In the heart of the historic centre of the Greek city of Kalamata (well-known for its olives) is the Byzantine Metropolitan and Cathedral Church of the Presentation of Christ. This cathedral, the pride of all Messenians, was founded on January 25, 1860 and inaugurated on 19 August 1873 by the then Archbishop of Messenia Procopius Georgiadis.
The church houses the miraculous icon of "Our Lady of the Visitation", this being the Protectress and Patron Saint of Kalamata, and the whole of Messenia. According to the story, during the period of Turkish rule, the icon was found in a barn by a stableman, after a vision he saw. The remarkable thing about it was that while the back was severely burned, the front of the icon was intact. Since 1889, every year a procession of the holy icon through the town takes place.
This post is part of the Weekly TopShot meme,
and also part of the Spiritual Sundays meme,
and also part of the inSPIREd Sunday meme.
The sophisticated architectural lines of the Yering Station Wine Bar Restaurant open out to majestic views stretching across the Yarra Valley floor. Designed by architect Robert Conti, the spectacular contemporary building combines unique stonework using pieces selected from the local Lillydale quarry, with traditional Swiss-influenced roofing structure to reflect the history of the property. Taking three years to construct, Conti's vision sought to create a structure that would sit harmoniously within the undulating natural environment rather than imposing upon it.
This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
and also part of the Weekly TopShot meme,
and also part of the Weekend in Black and White meme.
