While wandering we found churches at the end of every other passageway that had art from the 1400-1600s.
Inside the Chiesa dei Frari, a Gothic Franciscan church with works by Titian, Donatello, and Bellini. Titian's Assumption is visible above the alter.
The churches in Venice (and all of Italy) were filled with fantastic art.
The Opera house had interesting art. It was an exhibit entitled "Where are we going?" I suppose the large pink balloon dog is part of the answer...
Santa Maria della Salute was built at the southern entrance to the Grand Canal to thank God following the end of the 1630 plague.
A gondolier near the Rialto. I like his hat.
Locanda al Castello- our home for a couple of days while we were in Cividale del Fruili. It's a converted 19th century castle on top of a hill overlooking town. We had fantastic food served by our friendly host Stefano. All following tiramisu paled in comparison to the dessert served here.
The piazza in Cividale, a bit emptier than most in Venice.
The Natisone River. At first we weren't sure what to do with a day in Cividale, as we wandered we discovered many buildings and walls that were hundreds of years old (and in at least one case over a thousand).
The Tempietto Longobardo. It took stumbling upon this church before we figured out we had been given tickets to it. It was constructed sometime between 760 and 810. The wooden desks are from the 14th century.
The fresco on the ceiling of the vault of the temple.
An updated window in a medieval house, the oldest in Cividale dating from the 14th century. It was used as a goldsmith's workshop.
The Ipogeo Celtico- A sign on the door indicated that we should get a key from the bar next door. We were given a key and the instructions for how to turn on and off the light and were told we could leave a tip when we came back.
There was never a good explanation as to what the Ipogeo Celtico is, though there are coves dug out at different levels that were apparently created by Celtic people in the hillside just above the Natisone River.
June 29th- Stefano drove us to Mt. Matajur where we began hiking in earnest. We ascended about 350 meters before heading down more than 1400 meters to the valley below.
A flower on the way up.
A chapel at the summit of Mt. Matajur.
Cindy at the summit- 1641 meters high.
Wildflowers seen during the long descent.
We also encountered fierce animals.
Lots of them.
Sometimes they even looked at us.
And we had to walk through the herd. There was much discussion of where the bull(s?) was. We walked through the field and the herd a number of times before finding the correct path.
I baahed and 30 sheep all came running toward me. I got out my camera and they would have nothing to do with me.
On our way down the mountain we saw this church seemingly in a fortress on a hill above the town. It looked sinister and an odd choice of architecture to hover over a small hamlet.
The Italian charnel house is a memorial to Italian soldiers, dedicated in 1938 by Mussolini which surrounds a 17th century church. Over 7000 Italian soldiers are buried there.
A view of the Soca River.
Tonocov Grad, a steep hill above Kobarid and the Soca, had settlements that dated as far back as the middle stone age. However, when we arrived we found what we think may become a museum instead of ruins.
We hiked through trenches from World War I. The battle near Kobarid in 1917 was one of the greatest losses of human lives in a battle. The battle was described by Hemmingway in "A Farewell to Arms".