Mosaics of Aquileia, Italy

Three days ago I wrote a post about a trip to Italy. I still have something to write about the second part of the day.

After seeing the town of Grado me and my girlfriend followed a causeway connecting the island with mainland.

Aquileia (Oglej in Slovenian) lies just a few kilometers north from the island town of Grado. It is an ancient Roman town founded in 180 BC and situated about 10 km from the sea. It became a naval station in 4th century AD and also at that time the bishop obtained the rank of Patriarch.


The Cathedral of Aquileia is one of the most important edifices of Christianity. It is a flat-roofed basilica erected by Patriarch Poppo in 1031 on the site of an earlier church, and rebuilt about 1379 in the Gothic style by Patriarch Marquad.


Most of all I was impressed by the mosaics within the cathedral. They are really colorful and beautifully made. All of the cathedral floor is covered with them.


A view from the top of the cathedral tower is also something to mention. You can easily see the sea. Unfortunately on that day the weather wasn't really something to brag about and the same goes for the view.

After we also saw some more ancient remains and a WWI cemetery, we decided to call it a day.
Under the line it was a beautiful and relaxing day, which ended with a mortadella sandwich (Italians know how to make the best ones) and a bag of pistachio. Yummy!

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Late snow

This post was supposed to be about the second part of my Saturday's trip to Italy, but it's not going to be...

Instead of that I'm posting a yesterday afternoon view from my bedroom window in Ljubljana.


The funny thing is that a couple of days ago I was looking at people sunbathing in their swimsuits and today I have been ranting over loads of no-good snow when walking to and back from work. It is true that Grado and Ljubljana are more than one hundred kilometers apart, but nevertheless...

It was snowing for the most of yesterday and until midday today. In some parts of Slovenia this resulted in more than half a meter of fresh snow. In Ljubljana luckily it was just a half of that.

It's a shame really. Last week I was just beginning to enjoy the first signs of spring. Magnolias and cherry trees were all blooming. Now they are all covered in snow, possibly even with broken branches from heavy snow.

As I am writing this post some of the snow has already melted away. It seems it will be gone as fast as it came - at least here in Ljubljana.

This will have to do for today - I have some more work to do. Also my writings about the trip to Aquileia will have to wait for the next time.

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A day in Grado, Italy

Weather forecast for Saturday was looking good and that was enough to make plans for a trip to Italy. Unfortunately the forecast was not entirely accurate - it wasn't so sunny and hot after all. That wouldn't bother me if the air was clear.

Well it wasn't. That's why the photos didn't turn out as nice as they could. Even without that we had a wonderful time.

This time our destination was the town of Grado. It lies between Trieste and Venezia. It's a very old island town. It is situated just next to mainland and connected by not one, but two roads.

Beside churches, stone coffins, mosaics and all sorts of old buildings one can also enjoy in various beach activities. Nowadays Grado is a popular summer destination. It also had to be important in the past - a church has been standing there since the 4th century AD.


After a short history lesson we went on a walk around the town. With delicious Italian icecream in our hands we wandered through narrow streets and down the beach promenade.


Walking by the beach, we noticed an interesting contrast. Some of the people were sunbathing in their swimsuits, others were passing by still wearing winter jackets and scarfs. Me and my girlfriend were somewhere in between wearing T-shirts.

The sandy beach bellow the promenade was cowered in seashells. Millions of them.


After a few hours of relaxation we decided to move on. We went to see the city of Aquileia a few kilometers north.

More about that in tomorrows post... If you are lucky. ;)

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