Trip around eastern Veneto (28/07/2024)

Leaving Jesolo I headed north along the plain and decided on seeing a few sites around eastern Veneto. My first stop was the Military Memorial of Fagarè della Battaglia, located right next to a main road. A first monument was erected here a year after the end of WWI. During the fascist period, in 1933 a new memorial was built to honor the over ten thousand fallen soldiers who died during the battle for the Piave River, nearby, and who now rest there. Also resting here is an American Red Cross officer, Lieutenant Edward McKey, a personal friend of writer Ernest Hemingway and the only U.S. who died on the Italian front. Next to the ossuary are also two preserved wall fragments from a house once located close to the river on which unknown people wrote, during the Battle of the Solstice, two famous inscriptions: "It is better to live a day as a lion than a hundred years as a sheep ‘ and ’All heroes. Either the Piave or all slugged". Once inside I stopped to talk with two volunteers who in turn kept the ossuary open. They are alpini, the Italian Army's specialist mountain infantry, now retired, and were surprised and happy to see a young visitor. We spoke a bit and then I toured the building, admiring also the nice small museum of WWI in one of the rooms. After the visit, I got back in the car and drove on to reach the church of San Giovanni Battista in the town of Tempio. Built in the 12th century it was an important stop along the ancient Roman road, Via Postumia, and owned by the Templar order. It then passed to the Knights Hospitaller order, and despite being refurbished throughout the centuries it kept most of its Romanesque style and form. The interior holds some traces of frescoes but it's the exterior, with the portico, which has an interesting cycle of frescoes, painted in three successive phases from the 12th and 13th centuries to the 16th century. A short drive led me to the nearby town of San Polo di Piave where I visited the church of San Giorgio surrounded by a tiny cemetery. Originally dating to the 11th century the current building is from the 15th century and preserves some beautiful frescoes in the interior by Giovanni di France, including an evocative Last Supper on whose table appear, next to bread and wine, crayfish and river fish from the area. In the town center of San Polo di Piave, I visited the parish church dedicated to St Paul rebuilt in a neorenaissance style in 1922 after being damaged during WW1 and following the collapse of its bell tower in 1917. Facing the parish church is the picturesque Papadopoli-Giol castle, rebuilt in neo-Gothic style in the 19th century and with an English garden surrounding it. A brief stop in the nearby locality of Rai brought me to a small motte and bailey on top of which stands the ruins of a medieval tower. Originally part of a larger complex and probably of Roman origin it had a very long history and remained almost intact until 1918, but was destroyed by the retreating Austrians at the end of the Great War as well as suffering serious damage by a hurricane shortly after in 1925. After that I drove on, passing through the town of Tezze di Piave which is an impressive but abandoned Villa Giamomini, Biscaro, Zanon. Not far from there I then reached and visited the Borgo Malanotte, a small village frozen in time. It consists of a main villa, Villa Dirce, flanked by what were once the living quarters of the servants and peasants who cultivated the villa's estates under a latifundial first and later sharecropping arrangement. The place is now a picturesque array of old houses lining a main street and really feels like stepping back in time. After some driving, I stopped at a supermarket to grab some food for lunch and then moved on to the next destination. I reached the town of Nervesa della Battaglia, and after parking the car next to the church of San Giovanni Battista with the town's cemetery I started heading uphill. I was in the Montello, a large 13km long hill that reaches a height of 400m at its highest point, due to its size it's neither a hill nor a mountain but something in between. After following the path uphill I then reached the Abbey of Sant'Eustachio a Benedictine monastery founded during the 11th century but suppressed in the 16th century. It still functioned as a place of prayer and culture until WWI when it was heavily damaged and nowadays stands mostly in ruins. The complex was never rebuilt but its ruins went through a thorough conservative restoration work which consolidated it. Nowadays it stands as an impressive monument, surrounded by vineyards owned by the Giusti Family which own the abbey ruins and helped restore and allow people to visit it. Once there it was just me and a small family as well as two workers setting up a stage and a beer pavilion mot probably for an event. I visited the grounds and admired both the architecture and the nice panorama around. Nearby I then visited the Montello Memorial, one of the main charnel houses collecting the remains of Italian fallen soldiers during World War I. Completed in 1935 on a high point overlooking the plains it contains the spoils of nearly 10 thousand soldiers who died on the Piave front. A typical brutalist structure made up of a tall cubic form it had several floors with long hallways containing the tombs. However, it was a bit run-down with some sections fenced off. A small museum up the stair ramp presented some exhibits from WW1. After visiting it I headed back to the car and crossing over the Piave River reached the small town of Collalto, set among the hills. At its highest point, it features a castle consisting of outer walls and inside a small park with a church and the main castle keep. Unfortunately, the keep was closed due to restoration work, so I was only able to walk around the church and park between the keep and the outer walls. Built around the 12th century it grew until the Collalto family, which owned it, expanded their territories in the surroundings and moved their main residency elsewhere. It served as a defensive structure expanding its size. However, like most of the surroundings, suffered great devastation during WWI. After the visit, I got back in the car and drove on to reach the town of Pieve di Soligo. Also badly damaged during the Great War it still holds some surviving parts and buildings. The Duomo which was built in 1924 was actually built anew as the previous main church was demolished in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries because it was dilapidated. Rather than a main city, the town consisted of a series of old villages, which were unified together to form a larger urban area found nowadays. Evidence of these streets and buildings can be found here and there especially along the Soligo river flowing right through town. After a nice walk around town, I got back in the car and drove to the nearby hills to reach the Pieve di San Pietro di Feletto located on a hilltop in a panoramic spot. It was closed but a note on the door said to call a number to have it opened. After a bit an old man arrived and opened the church for me, two French tourists who also had arrived on the spot entered as well and the old man started speaking about the church while I translated for the other two tourists. Erected around the 11th century, but mostly probably already serving as a meeting place of the faithful since the 7th and 8th centuries it is one of the oldest in the area. Featuring a large portico that opens up to a beautiful panorama of the surrounding hills and mountains it also features some exterior frescoes. The most important and interesting is the so-called Christ of Sunday, a very rare iconography and better preserved here than elsewhere. It depicts the bleeding Christ, due to the wounds inflicted on him by numerous work tools, arranged around him and connected through streaks of blood; this iconography is intended to communicate the message of the third commandment, according to which working on the day dedicated to God entails for Christ a second martyrdom; placed in the portico, the image serves as a warning to every visitor. The interior was even more fascinating, divided into three naves, the central one presents frescoes on both of its upper parts performed and layered between the 13th and 15th centuries. They were discovered in the 20th century and only refurbished between the 90s and 2000s. They used to cover the whole walls but were damaged over time and only three-quarters survive. The left wall holds the oldest, of Byzantine inspiration and dating to the 13th century, as well as over the semicircular apse depicting Christ Pantocrator. On the right wall are the 15th-century ones, as a sort of poor man's bible depicting the articles of faith. Another incredible feature inside was the chapel of St Sebastian, gothic in style and frescoed in the second half of the 15th century it is fully painted and details the life of the saint. After the nice tour, I thanked the old man, took my leave of the other two tourists, and drove onwards. Along the way, I took a brief stop in the town of Codogné to admire the picturesque 18th-century Villa Toderini from the outside. Then for my last stop of the day, I reached the city of Motta di Livenza. Just outside the city center I first visited the Sanctuary and Basilica of the Madonna dei Miracoli. It was erected following Our Lady's apparition to a humble peasant in 1510 and presents a typical Renaissance Venetian lagoon style. It consists of a three-nave Basilica with a rounded gable facade and a portico all around the complex. The interior is simple yet features some important pieces of art including Sansovino's stunning altarpiece, a Nativity by Bernardino d'Asola, and the Assumption by Palma il Giovane on the altar of the Chapel of the Madonna, Behind the chapel a small passageway led to the crypt where the apparition occurred. Next up was the main cloister, one of four actually, with the typical arched passageway and a nice view of the bell tower. Heading on to visit Motta di Livenza's old town I then walked through the streets, visiting the Duomo, originally built in the 11th century but rebuilt in its current style during the 16th century. The interior was nice and featured two impressive Renaissance paintings, by Pomponio Amalteo and Francesco Bassano. Just outside the Duomo some old houses one of which had a nice frescoed facade. Walking around I also passed by the Toresin, once the city gate facing Treviso, now flanked by red stone lions sculpted recently but imitating older ones. After the visit it was time to go, I walked along the bank of the Livenza river, flowing through town and then got back in the car to drive home to Jesolo.

The Fagarè della Battaglia War Memorial

The church of San Giovanni Battista in Tempio

Frescoes of the church

The church of San Giorgio in San Polo di Piave

Interior of the church

The Papadopoli-Giol castle

Borgo Malanotte

Another view of the village

The entrance to the  Abbey of Sant'Eustachio in Nervesa della Battaglia

The ruined abbey

View from the abbey

The Montello Memorial

The town and castle of Collalto

View of Pieve di Soligo

Interior of the Pieve di San Pietro di Feletto

the frescoes of the church

Villa Toderini in Codogné

The Sanctuary and Basilica of the Madonna dei Miracoli in Motta di Livenza

Interior of the basilica

The cloister

Motta's main square and Duomo

Interior of the Duomo

A street in the old town

Bodetal hike (14/07/2024)

On a partly sunny weekend, Ania and I decided to go on a day trip to the Harz mountains. With a direct train from Berlin in the early morning we reached the town of Thale at the foot of the mountains where we would start our hike. We left the train station and headed to reach the cable car; here we bought a one-way ticket to the top and rode on a cabin enjoying the view as it took us from 187m to 431m above sea level. Once at the top we enjoyed the panorama towards the plains of the north and the town of Thale below, and then started our hike, We reached a spot known as the Hexentanzplatz, or Witches′ Dance Floor, a plateau where a restaurant was built and some kiosk set up as it is a popular tourist attraction. The place is believed to be an Old Saxon cult site, at which pagan celebrations were held in honor of the forest and mountain goddesses. Nowadays it seems more like a Disneyland park but at least the view over the Bode Valley below was impressive. We started following a trail heading south through the semi-forested landscape. We were on relatively flat terrain, high above 500m. After a short while, we took a detour and reached the Prinzensicht a viewing point above the Bode Valley. After enjoying the view we headed back the way we came and rejoined the main trail continuing onwards. Following the trail, we eventually reached a vantage point above the village of Treseburg. Here we stopped at a bench to have our lunch while enjoying the view. After eating we then headed down and reached the village, situated in a picturesque location, at a bend of the Bode river and surrounded by forest. We walked through the picturesque village admiring the nice wooden and timber-framed houses. From that point, we started to follow the trail which meandered its way parallel to the Bode River, flowing downwards but northwards. The trail didn't stand at the level of the river but instead meandered its way through forest, rocky terrain, and with lots of ups and downs. This part of the hike had many more people as it is one of the most popular in the area. Nevertheless, it was never crowded, and on many occasions, it was just the two of us. We admired the nice landscape as we continued pushing on. We saw some nice rock formations as well as many waterfalls along the way. The highlight was also the beautiful viewpoint at one of the tightest bends of the river, right below the Hexentazplatz. Nearby we then crossed over the river on the Teufelsbrücke, the devil's bridge, and continued on the trail till we reached another bridge, the Jungfernbrücke from which we had a picturesque view of the valley and river and to the side of which was a small restaurant. Continuing on the last part of the valley we passed by a youth hostel and then eventually got back to the place we started from where the cable car station was located. As we still had some time we decided to have a snack and picked a cafè in Thale where we had a piece of cake. It was then time to go, we headed to the station and eventually got our direct train back to Berlin. 

The church of St. Petri in Thale

The cable car up to the Hexentanzplatz

A view from the top

Brocken in the distance

A view of the village of Treseburg

View of the village

The Bode river flowing through

Another part of the river

View of the Bodetal

Another section of the canyon

A bridge over the river

Hundisburg & Haldensleben (13/07/2024)

Ania and I decided to go on a trip to Saxony-Anhalt. After leaving Berlin by train we then switched to a bus and reached the small town of Hundisburg. Walking through we passed what is known as Boitzturm, a 13th-century residential tower built, alongside six other such towers, for the knights entrusted with protecting the nearby castle. The tower, with its thick walls and battlements, was originally used for defense, but as it also features ornamental windows it was also a prestigious dwelling. Not far from it we then reached Schloss Hundisburg, considered one of the most beautiful baroque castles in Saxony-Anhalt. Originally dating to the early middle ages the castle was then rebuilt between 1693 and 1712 in a baroque style. Unfortunately, right after WWII, in 1945, the castle which had served as quarters for Soviet soldiers occupying that area of Germany was hit by a tremendous fire that destroyed much of it. Efforts to rebuild it were postponed and eventually starting in 1994, were carried out. Once there we first walked through the rear part which consists of service buildings around a central courtyard on the highest spot which the castle used to occupy. From here we could admire the two towers flanking the main castle structure, both looking the same in style but made from different stones. Then we headed over to the eastern side where we admired the reconstructed baroque palace. The complex was even nicer as it had a large garden extending eastwards with an elaborate terracing from the hill to the west all the way to the baroque gate to the east. It featured an array of low and tall hedges, an ad topiary decoration set in an orderly fashion as was typical with baroque gardens. A nice reconstruction as well, considering that after the destruction a soccer field had even been built there. We walked around the grounds enjoying the view and then once we had done a large loop through the garden we headed out and into town. Here we passed by the church of St Andrew built in stone in the 13th century. As it was closed we continued on and exited town heading westwards until we reached what is the ruins of the Nordhusen church. Consisting of only the outer shell of the tower still standing it was an impressive sight, due to its size, standing tall in its stone structure isolated and surrounded by fields. Dating to the 12th century it used to serve the village of Nordhusen, however, due to the construction of the nearby castle the inhabitants of the village increasingly moved to it eventually deserting the settlement. We decided then to have a break there and sat on a bench right next to the church ruins where we had our lunch. After that, we headed on and started walking through the open countryside until we reached a nice forest. We followed it for a bit until we got to a town called Althaldensleben, where once a former Cistercian monastery used to stand. The complex which was thoroughly changed now hosts a vocational school center. From there we then walked on, and after crossing the Mittelland Canal we reached the town of Haldensleben. As we approached the old town we admired the nice timber-framed and other houses, many of which old and well preserved. At the center of town we reached and entered the church of St Mary, Originally from the 12th century, it was then built in a Gothic style starting in the 14th century but then destroyed by fire in 1661. The church was rebuilt thereafter, with just the exterior shell and arches in the Gothic while the rest including the interior fittings in the Baroque style. After visiting it we walked to the nearby main square, the Marktplatz. Here was the 19th neoclassical town hall and in front of it the statue of Roland, a knight with a drawn sword, signifying the town privileges of a medieval city. Curiously this is the only statue of Roland sitting on a horse. From the square we continued through the rest of town, passing by the Bülstringer Torturm, one of only two surviving medieval towers that once encircled the old town together with the medieval walls. After walking the rest of the old town streets we eventually headed back to the train station from where we took a ride back to Berlin.

The Boitzturm in Hundisburg

Entrance to the castle

A view of the castle and its garden

The garden

Another view of the complex

A view of the town from tbe castle

Houses of the old town

The church of St Andreas

The Nordhusen church ruins

The old town of Haldensleben

The interior of the church of St Mary

The town hall

A street in the old town

Altenburg, Glauchau, & Zwickau (07/07/2024)

 On a nice weekend, I decided to do a long trip, heading south of Berlin. I left very early and after a few changes reached the first stop of the day, the town of Altenburg. The city has a long history, having been first mentioned in 976. It grew throughout the Middle Ages, even being often visited by Frederick Barbarossa during the 12th century. Industrialization reached Altenburg and the region quite early in the first half of the 19th century, becoming also the first city in Thuringia to be connected to the railway in 1842. Economic malaise set in while Altenburg was in East Germany and continued after German reunification in 1990, evidenced by the population which is nearly half what it was fifty years ago. I immediately saw signs of its past grandeur once I exited the train station and headed towards the old town. The suburb in fact held beautiful 19th and early 20th century Gründerzeit style villas, many of which are now badly unkempt. Not too far on I then reached a large park. I headed uphill through it, passing by the Lindenau-Museum housed inside an 1876 building, but unfortunately closed due to restructuring. At the top of the park, I passed by the Orangerie and finally reached the town's main highlight the castle. Before heading inside though I decided to see the old town. I headed downhill and walked through town, first reaching St. Mary's Monastery, a former monastery on a hill in the eastern part of town. It was founded during the 12th century and abandoned in 1543, with only the two Romanesque towers and some walls remaining. Not too far from it another, tower, the Kunstturm, built in the mid 19th century in the style of an Italian campanile, and used as a water tower until 1878. Heading then through the old town I reached the church of St. Nicholas, first mentioned in 1140 but eventually demolished during the 16th century. Only its steeple remains, refurbished and painting its baroque early 17th century appearance. From there I then reached the Markt, the main square, surrounded by nice old buildings. A small food fair with a stage and band playing was set up in the middle. On the southern side of the square stands the town hall, built between 1562 and 1564 and considered one of the most important Renaissance buildings in Germany. Moving onwards I then reached and entered St. Bartholomew's Church, built between 1428 and 1443 in Gothic style over a pre-existing Romanesque church. It once also featured two towers, the first collapsed in 1659 and the other was demolished after and replaced by a single baroque tower in 1668. Next door was the Brühl, the oldest square in town, a small space surrounded by nice buildings. At its southern end is a fountain known as the Skatbrunnen, built to honor Skat, a three-player trick-taking card game of the ace-ten family, devised around 1810 in Altenburg and considered the national card game of Germany alongside Doppelkopf. Many skat players come to the fountain to baptize their cards in the water, which is said to bring luck to the player. Right next to the fountain another impressive sight, the 18th-century baroque Seckendorffsches Palais. Finally, after the round of the town I was back at the castle, a huge ducal residence located on a hill above the city center. It was in use first as a fortification and later as a residence from the 9th century until the end of the monarchy in Germany in 1918. Today's castle is a mix of styles, with parts still from the Gothic period, while many buildings and the interior are of 17th and 18th-century periods. After entering the large courtyard through the main southern gate I then walked to the western end where the baroque palace part is set. Here I bought the entry ticket and started touring the many rooms. The lower floor was dedicated to an exhibition on playing cards including the popular Skat game invented in Altenburg. Here was also the original fountain which I had previously seen as a copy in the Brühl square. On the upper floor, I then visited some more rooms, including the large and beautifully decorated ballroom which can only be visited during a guided tour and I was lucky enough to sneak in while a tour group was ending its visit. Throughout the rest of the rooms, including the so-called Empire and Alexandra Rooms, designed for Duke Frederick III and his wife, I saw exhibits on weaponry, porcelain, and sacred art as well as a watch collection. Also nice was the library built at the beginning of the 20th century. After the tour of the upper floors, I headed to the ground floor where a section presented an exhibition on the Schlöben hoard, a collection of gold jewelry and objects found nearby from the bronze age. Once outside the building, I passed by the nice Gothic castle church, unfortunately only visitable through a tour, and then walked past the other building surrounding the central courtyard to reach the Hausmannsturm. Built in the 12th century, it is one of two surviving towers of the original seven towers of the castle. At 32 meters, it is the tallest structure in the castle complex. Once at the top, I had a great view of the complex as well as part of the city and the surrounding landscape. Once back down the tower I exited the castle and headed on to reach the train station where I took the next ride to the town of Glauchau. Once there I got off the train and then walked through the city center. I passed through the small old town with some nice preserved 19th-century buildings and past the main square, the Markt. Not long after I walked by the baroque church of St George, which was unfortunately closed, and then reached the town's main monument, Schloss Glauchau. This large castle complex consists of actually two castles, the Hinterglauchau Castle and the Forderglauchau Castle. The former was built between 1170 and 1180. and then converted into a late Gothic structure between 1470 and 1485. The latter was then added from 1527 to 1534 and is considered the earliest Renaissance building in Central Germany. During the same period, the Hinterglauchau part was then rebuilt in the Renaissance style, kind of uniforming the whole complex. As I entered the courtyard I headed to the rear part where the museum is located. As I entered the building I admired the beautiful Renaissance style still showing some gothic features. After paying for the entry ticket, once inside I toured the rooms, starting out with the nice late 19th-century wooden dining room. A stair led to the upper rooms where some nice realist paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries were exhibited. Moving on I reached the core of the Renaissance building, here was the part of the castle facing the courtyard with a gothic bay window, an original Renaissance painted wooden ceiling, and the historical rooms. These were furnished in different styles ranging from the rococo, through the neoclassical, and later romantic periods. Once I had visited the museum, I came back out and the lady at the ticket office led me to the castle church, which she opened up for me. This is one of the few gothic features still left of the complex. Inside were some religious art pieces including some nice gothic statues and altarpieces. After the visit, it was time to head on. I left the castle complex behind and walking through the old town once more reached the train station. After switching once I then reached the last stop of the day, the city of Zwickau. Once there I headed toward the city center and as I approached the old town some streets were under construction. I reached then the church of St Mary, the town's cathedral, a beautiful 15th and 16th century late gothic building. It features a tall 87m high spire. Unfortunately, as I found out, the church was closed, despite being afternoon, and it usually is on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays with the addition of needing an entry fee. This was quite comical and insane so I just accepted to having to admire it only from the exterior. In front of the church, were the so-called Priesterhäuser, four buildings with steep Gothic gables, which are among the oldest residential buildings in Germany and now turned into a museum. From there I continued on through town and reached the Hauptmarkt, the main square. At its southwestern part was the house where Robert Schumann was born in 1810, while at its southern part was the town hall, built in 1404 but rebuilt in the 19th century. Next to the town hall another landmark, the Gewandhaus, the former clothmakers' trading house built in 1522-1525 in late Gothic style, with Renaissance elements and stepped gables. The square overall was quite nice and lively, with the northern and eastern parts filled with cafes and restaurants already packed with people having a drink or snack or others even starting their dinner. Continuing on throughout town I reached the northern part of town where the church of St Catherine is set. It was built in the 15th century in a Gothic style but was unfortunately closed as well when I was there. Not far from it was the Schloss Osterstein, built as an electoral palace complex in the late 16th century and completely rebuilt in the early 2000s as it was in full ruins. It was then time to go, I walked through the rest of the old town and once more through the main square before eventually reaching the train station and taking the next ride back to Berlin.

One of the gates to the Altenburg castle

The towers of St. Mary's Monastery

The Kunstturm

The tower of St Nicholas' church

The renaissance town hall

The main square

The church of St Bartholomew

A street in the old town

The Skatbrunneb

A view of the castle

The large ballroom

One of the castle rooms

The Flasche tower

View of the castle and city from the Hausmannsturm

Glauchau's main square

One of the rooms of Schloss Glauchau

The castle's main courtyard

The inner courtyard

Exterior view of the castle

A street in the old town

The Zwickau cathedral

The main square and Gewandhaus

A street in the old town