Filmed on January 8, 2021.
Venice, the capital of northern Italy’s Veneto region, is built on more than 100 small islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. It has no roads, just canals – including the Grand Canal thoroughfare – lined with Renaissance and Gothic palaces. The central square, Piazza San Marco, contains St. Mark’s Basilica, which is tiled with Byzantine mosaics, and the Campanile bell tower offering views of the city’s red roofs.
The Pontine Coast, located just a few kilometers south of Rome, in the Thyrrenian sea, is a beautiful area surrounded by the Pontine marshes to the north and the Pontine Islands (Ponza, Ventotene, Palmarola, Zannone, Santo Stefano and Gavi) to the west.
Lazio is a central Italian region bordering the Tyrrhenian Sea. Its principal city, Rome, is Italy’s capital and was at the heart of the ancient Roman Empire. Its iconic ruins include the Coliseum, an amphitheater that seated thousands. On the coast, the ancient port of Ostia still retains detailed mosaics and a theater. Inland are the forested Apennine Mountains, with nature reserves, lakes and stone-built villages.
The Pontine Islands are an archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the coast of Lazio region, Italy. The islands were collectively named after the largest island in the group, Ponza. The other islands in the archipelago are Palmarola, Zannone, and Gavi to the northwest, Ventotene and Santo Stefano to the southeast.
Offenbach am Main is a city in Hesse, Germany, on the left bank of the river Main. It borders Frankfurt and is part of the Frankfurt urban area and the larger Frankfurt Rhein-Main urban area. It has a population of 138,335.
The Finnmarksløpet in Norway is the longest and toughest dogsled race in Europe. Among this year’s competitors are Ben Voigt from Germany and 20-year-old native Hanna Lyrek. It’s a race that is always full of surprises and setbacks.
The 2nd-century Column of Marcus Aurelius is the centerpiece of this mainly commercial and governmental neighborhood, which traverses ancient and baroque Rome. Palazzo Chigi is the prime minister’s residence, while Palazzo Montecitorio houses the Italian parliament. Main artery Via del Corso is known for brand-name and discount clothing stores. After dark, the floodlit Temple of Hadrian makes for a romantic photo-op.
Rome is the capital city and a special comune of Italy, as well as the capital of the Lazio region. The city has been a major human settlement for almost three millennia. With 2,860,009 residents in 1,285 km², it is also the country’s most populated comune.
Our annual Soft Power Survey reveals the countries whose cultural ambassadors, diplomatic missions, skilled messaging and tasty food have seen them make the grade in 2020. The December/January double issue also looks ahead to a new era of US foreign policy, goes on a culinary tour of Switzerland and wraps up in the season’s coolest coats. Available now at The Monocle Shop: https://monocle.com/shop/product/1849…
Madeira, an autonomous region of Portugal, is an archipelago comprising 4 islands off the northwest coast of Africa. It is known for its namesake wine and warm, subtropical climate. The main island of Madeira is volcanic, green and rugged, with high cliffs, pebbly beaches and settlements on deltas of the Fajã River. Capital Funchal has botanic gardens and is known for its harbor and a large New Year’s fireworks show.
It surprised me, but despite the coronavirus lockdown, the ice rink “Wiener Eistraum” on Vienna’s City Hall Rathausplatz was opened. Of course, with the corresponding adjustments, so that as a visitor you can hardly get to the rink. And this time there is no place to buy food or drinks. For the first time, a Community Distance Marker is being used at the ice rink, which supports people in maintaining the prescribed minimum distances and at the same time enables targeted contact tracing. Nevertheless, I made a short video so that you can see how things are going in Vienna during COVID.
Video recorded: January 1, 2021
The Porto-based architecture studio Paulo Merlini Architects led by Paulo Merlini and André Santos Silva has recently completed Rio House, remodeling of an old farmhouse located in Gondomar, Portugal.
Gondomar is a municipality located in the east of Portugal’s Porto Metropolitan Area and 7 km from central Porto.
Read more: https://amazingarchitecture.com/house…
Jünkerath is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It was th seat of the former Verbandsgemeinde of Obere Kyll.
