Author: rose

Giardini-Naxos, Messina, Sicily, Italy

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Giardini-Naxos is an Italian municipality in the metropolitan city of Messina in Sicily, located about 40 kilometers from Messina, about 39 kilometers from Catania and 9 kilometers from Taormina. The city is located on the Ionian Sea. This place was long ago the first Greek establishment in Sicily and had the name of Naxos. The city is very visited for its beautiful sandy beaches and tourism is the main source of income. We find hotel facilities and even apartments for rent throughout the summer period. You have a nice stroll for long walks, souvenir shops, bars, pizzerias and restaurants to have a good time by the sea. The center of the city is the Abbate Cacciola Square. To see: the Nike (the work of Carmelo Mendola representing the city and the twinning with the city of Chalkida Eubea); the church of St- Mary Recommended; the statue of Teocles (the founder of Naxos); the archaeological park; the port of Naxos, the church of St-Pancrace among other attractions.

Tips

If you are in Taormina, there is the bus that takes you to the seafront of Giardini Naxos.

There is also a small harbor, which is used to bring tourists from cruise ships to the mainland.

As you can imagine, this is the place to eat fresh fish dishes.

Zadar, Croatia

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Zadar is a city and a Croatian municipality on the Dalmatian coast. Thanks to its architecture and the natural beauty of the place, Zadar is an important tourist town built in its peninsula. Its old town has ramparts with several Venetian doors and there are Roman and Venetian ruins. It has cobbled streets and the old town is almost pedestrian. All this history is also mixed with modernity because Zadar has become the first city to have marine organs. To see: the remains of the Roman Forum, the convent of St. Mary with its religious works of art dating back to the eighth century, the Venetian fortifications, the defensive gate (Kopnena vrata), the National Square, the Church of St. Simeon , the Church of St-Donat (XI)), the Archaeological Museum, the parterre Hello Sun, among others. There are several restaurants and bars where you can taste local cuisine.

Tips

If you love nature, you will be fulfilled by visiting the 3 natural parks and the 5 national parks. There are organized excursions from the city, a half day or a full day.

There is also a 2-hour guided walking tour of the ancient city to learn about its history. Visit the Tourist Office for more information.

If you love the sea and the beautiful beaches, you will have the opportunity to visit several beaches in the area but if you do not want to go far away, visit the beach of Kolovare; pebble beaches, quite popular in high season.

The Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem, Israel

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The Holy Sepulchre is, according to Christian tradition, the tomb of Christ, that is to say, the cave where the body of Jesus of Nazareth was laid on the evening of his death on the Cross. It is said that the Emperor Hadrian had built in the second century, a temple dedicated to Venus on the location of the Holy Sepulchre to conceal the tomb where Jesus was buried. Constantine the Great, the first Christian emperor, replaced the temple by a church. A marble shrine was built above the tomb and it is this that we can see today. In the following years, a series of commemorative buildings draw a path through which the pilgrims slip in the life, death and resurrection of the Messiah, it was the place of pilgrimage in the Middle Ages. Jerusalem was under Muslim rule from the VII century, so they perceived an entrance fee from each pilgrim. Today, we found there two successive pieces, as in Jewish burials from the Roman period: the Chapel of the Angel, where the body was prepared (washed, perfumed) and the Tomb Room.

Tips

Usually the Holy Sepulchre is open at 4:00 and closes at 19:00 from October to March and 21:00 between April and September. In the evening, at the time of closing, the three sacristans (one representative for each community) are present, to decide who will open the next day. The opening is in turn of the three communities.
Holy Mass presided by the Latin in the Edicule of the Holy Sepulchre begins at 4:30 am and follows every half hour until 7:45. At 8:30 the brothers celebrate the Mass of the day sung in the antechamber of the Edicule. Simultaneously there is the Holy Mass at the Calvary, in the right aisle from 5:00 to 6:30. Every day at 16.00 the Franciscan community do its daily procession in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre.