1.
Italian language
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By most measures, Italian, together with Sardinian, is the closest to Latin of the Romance languages. Italian is a language in Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City. Italian is spoken by minorities in places such as France, Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Crimea and Tunisia and by large expatriate communities in the Americas. Many speakers are native bilinguals of both standardized Italian and other regional languages, Italian is the fourth most studied language in the world. Italian is a major European language, being one of the languages of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. It is the third most widely spoken first language in the European Union with 65 million native speakers, including Italian speakers in non-EU European countries and on other continents, the total number of speakers is around 85 million. Italian is the working language of the Holy See, serving as the lingua franca in the Roman Catholic hierarchy as well as the official language of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Italian is known as the language of music because of its use in musical terminology and its influence is also widespread in the arts and in the luxury goods market. Italian has been reported as the fourth or fifth most frequently taught foreign language in the world, Italian was adopted by the state after the Unification of Italy, having previously been a literary language based on Tuscan as spoken mostly by the upper class of Florentine society. Its development was influenced by other Italian languages and to some minor extent. Its vowels are the second-closest to Latin after Sardinian, unlike most other Romance languages, Italian retains Latins contrast between short and long consonants. As in most Romance languages, stress is distinctive, however, Italian as a language used in Italy and some surrounding regions has a longer history. What would come to be thought of as Italian was first formalized in the early 14th century through the works of Tuscan writer Dante Alighieri, written in his native Florentine. Dante is still credited with standardizing the Italian language, and thus the dialect of Florence became the basis for what would become the language of Italy. Italian was also one of the recognised languages in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Italy has always had a dialect for each city, because the cities. Those dialects now have considerable variety, as Tuscan-derived Italian came to be used throughout Italy, features of local speech were naturally adopted, producing various versions of Regional Italian. Even in the case of Northern Italian languages, however, scholars are not to overstate the effects of outsiders on the natural indigenous developments of the languages
Italian language
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Dante Alighieri (above) and
Petrarch (below) were influential in establishing their
Tuscan dialect as the most prominent literary language in all of
Italy in the
Late Middle Ages
Italian language
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The geographic distribution of the Italian language in the world: large Italian-speaking communities are shown in green; light blue indicates areas where the Italian language was used officially during the Italian colonial period.
Italian language
Italian language
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Pietro Bembo was an influential figure in the development of the Italian language from the Tuscan dialect, as a literary medium, codifying the language for standard modern usage
2.
Stupinigi
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Stupinigi, with some 200 inhabitants, is today a frazione of the commune of Nichelino, in the province of Turin. It borders on the communes Candiolo and Orbassano on the outskirts of Turin. Before 1869 it formed part of the commune of Vinovo, subsequently Emanuele Filiberto granted Stupinigi to the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus. Work started on the building in 1729 and two later it was ready to play host to its first hunt. In 1832 ownership of the Palazzina passed to the family, in 1919 it became a property of the state and in 1925 it was returned to the Order. The park, today the Parco Naturale di Stupinigi, which covers an area of woods and agricultural land in Stupinigi Candiolo, there have been no deer here since the nineteenth century, but it provides a haven for rare plant species and for wildlife
Stupinigi
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Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi.
3.
Italy
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Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a unitary parliamentary republic in Europe. Located in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy shares open land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, San Marino, Italy covers an area of 301,338 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal and Mediterranean climate. Due to its shape, it is referred to in Italy as lo Stivale. With 61 million inhabitants, it is the fourth most populous EU member state, the Italic tribe known as the Latins formed the Roman Kingdom, which eventually became a republic that conquered and assimilated other nearby civilisations. The legacy of the Roman Empire is widespread and can be observed in the distribution of civilian law, republican governments, Christianity. The Renaissance began in Italy and spread to the rest of Europe, bringing a renewed interest in humanism, science, exploration, Italian culture flourished at this time, producing famous scholars, artists and polymaths such as Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Michelangelo and Machiavelli. The weakened sovereigns soon fell victim to conquest by European powers such as France, Spain and Austria. Despite being one of the victors in World War I, Italy entered a period of economic crisis and social turmoil. The subsequent participation in World War II on the Axis side ended in defeat, economic destruction. Today, Italy has the third largest economy in the Eurozone and it has a very high level of human development and is ranked sixth in the world for life expectancy. The country plays a prominent role in regional and global economic, military, cultural and diplomatic affairs, as a reflection of its cultural wealth, Italy is home to 51 World Heritage Sites, the most in the world, and is the fifth most visited country. The assumptions on the etymology of the name Italia are very numerous, according to one of the more common explanations, the term Italia, from Latin, Italia, was borrowed through Greek from the Oscan Víteliú, meaning land of young cattle. The bull was a symbol of the southern Italic tribes and was often depicted goring the Roman wolf as a defiant symbol of free Italy during the Social War. Greek historian Dionysius of Halicarnassus states this account together with the legend that Italy was named after Italus, mentioned also by Aristotle and Thucydides. The name Italia originally applied only to a part of what is now Southern Italy – according to Antiochus of Syracuse, but by his time Oenotria and Italy had become synonymous, and the name also applied to most of Lucania as well. The Greeks gradually came to apply the name Italia to a larger region, excavations throughout Italy revealed a Neanderthal presence dating back to the Palaeolithic period, some 200,000 years ago, modern Humans arrived about 40,000 years ago. Other ancient Italian peoples of undetermined language families but of possible origins include the Rhaetian people and Cammuni. Also the Phoenicians established colonies on the coasts of Sardinia and Sicily, the Roman legacy has deeply influenced the Western civilisation, shaping most of the modern world
Italy
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The
Colosseum in Rome, built c. 70 – 80 AD, is considered one of the greatest works of
architecture and
engineering of ancient history.
Italy
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Flag
Italy
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The
Iron Crown of Lombardy, for centuries symbol of the
Kings of Italy.
Italy
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Castel del Monte, built by German Emperor
Frederick II,
UNESCO World Heritage site
4.
UNESCO
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The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations based in Paris. It is the heir of the League of Nations International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation, UNESCO has 195 member states and nine associate members. Most of its offices are cluster offices covering three or more countries, national and regional offices also exist. UNESCO pursues its objectives through five major programs, education, natural sciences, social/human sciences, culture and it is also a member of the United Nations Development Group. UNESCO and its mandate for international cooperation can be traced back to a League of Nations resolution on 21 September 1921, on 18 December 1925, the International Bureau of Education began work as a non-governmental organization in the service of international educational development. However, the work of predecessor organizations was largely interrupted by the onset of World War II. On 30 October 1943, the necessity for an organization was expressed in the Moscow Declaration, agreed upon by China, the United Kingdom, the United States. This was followed by the Dumbarton Oaks Conference proposals of 9 October 1944, a prominent figure in the initiative for UNESCO was Rab Butler, the Minister of Education for the United Kingdom. At the ECO/CONF, the Constitution of UNESCO was introduced and signed by 37 countries, the Preparatory Commission operated between 16 November 1945, and 4 November 1946—the date when UNESCOs Constitution came into force with the deposit of the twentieth ratification by a member state. The first General Conference took place between 19 November to 10 December 1946, and elected Dr. Julian Huxley to Director-General and this change in governance distinguished UNESCO from its predecessor, the CICI, in how member states would work together in the organizations fields of competence. In 1956, the Republic of South Africa withdrew from UNESCO claiming that some of the organizations publications amounted to interference in the racial problems. South Africa rejoined the organization in 1994 under the leadership of Nelson Mandela, UNESCOs early work in the field of education included the pilot project on fundamental education in the Marbial Valley, Haiti, started in 1947. This project was followed by missions to other countries, including, for example. In 1948, UNESCO recommended that Member States should make free primary education compulsory, in 1990, the World Conference on Education for All, in Jomtien, Thailand, launched a global movement to provide basic education for all children, youths and adults. Ten years later, the 2000 World Education Forum held in Dakar, Senegal, UNESCOs early activities in culture included, for example, the Nubia Campaign, launched in 1960. The purpose of the campaign was to move the Great Temple of Abu Simbel to keep it from being swamped by the Nile after construction of the Aswan Dam, during the 20-year campaign,22 monuments and architectural complexes were relocated. This was the first and largest in a series of campaigns including Mohenjo-daro, Fes, Kathmandu, Borobudur, the organizations work on heritage led to the adoption, in 1972, of the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. The World Heritage Committee was established in 1976 and the first sites inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1978, since then important legal instruments on cultural heritage and diversity have been adopted by UNESCO member states in 2003 and 2005
UNESCO
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UNESCO offices in
Brasília
UNESCO
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UNESCO
UNESCO
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UNESCO Institute for Water Education in
Delft
UNESCO
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The Garden of Peace, UNESCO headquarters, Paris. Donated by the Government of Japan, this garden was designed by American-Japanese sculptor artist Isamu Noguchi in 1958 and installed by Japanese gardener Toemon Sano.
5.
World Heritage Sites
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A World Heritage Site is a landmark which has been officially recognized by the United Nations, specifically by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Sites are selected on the basis of having cultural, historical, scientific or some form of significance. UNESCO regards these sites as being important to the interests of humanity. The programme catalogues, names, and conserves sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common culture, under certain conditions, listed sites can obtain funds from the World Heritage Fund. The program was founded with the Convention Concerning the Protection of the Worlds Cultural and Natural Heritage, since then,192 state parties have ratified the convention, making it one of the most adhered to international instruments. As of July 2016,1052 sites are listed,814 cultural,203 natural, in 1959, the governments of Egypt and Sudan requested UNESCO to assist their countries to protect and rescue the endangered monuments and sites. In 1960, the Director-General of UNESCO launched an appeal to the Member States for an International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia, the campaign, which ended in 1980, was considered a success. The project cost $80 million, about $40 million of which was collected from 50 countries, the projects success led to other safeguarding campaigns, saving Venice and its lagoon in Italy, the ruins of Mohenjo-daro in Pakistan, and the Borobodur Temple Compounds in Indonesia. UNESCO then initiated, with the International Council on Monuments and Sites, the United States initiated the idea of cultural conservation with nature conservation. The International Union for Conservation of Nature developed similar proposals in 1968, the Convention came into force on 17 December 1975. As of June 2016, it has been ratified by 192 states, including 188 UN member states plus the Cook Islands, the Holy See, Niue, a country must first list its significant cultural and natural sites, the result is called the Tentative List. A country may not nominate sites that have not been first included on the Tentative List, next, it can place sites selected from that list into a Nomination File. The Nomination File is evaluated by the International Council on Monuments and Sites and these bodies then make their recommendations to the World Heritage Committee. There are ten selection criteria – a site must meet at least one of them to be included on the list, up to 2004, there were six criteria for cultural heritage and four criteria for natural heritage. In 2005, this was modified so there is now only one set of ten criteria. Nominated sites must be of outstanding value and meet at least one of the ten criteria. Thus, the Geneva Convention treaty promulgates, Article 53, PROTECTION OF CULTURAL OBJECTS AND OF PLACES OF WORSHIP. There are 1,052 World Heritage Sites located in 165 States Party, of these,814 are cultural,203 are natural and 35 are mixed properties
World Heritage Sites
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Site #252:
Taj Mahal, an example of cultural heritage site
World Heritage Sites
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Logo of the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
World Heritage Committee
World Heritage Sites
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Site #156:
Serengeti National Park, an example of natural heritage site
World Heritage Sites
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Site #274:
Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu, an example of mixed heritage site
6.
Nichelino
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Nichelino is a comune in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 8 kilometres southwest of Turin. Nichelino borders the municipalities, Turin, Orbassano, Beinasco, Moncalieri, Candiolo. In 1559 Nichelino was a fief of the Ussel family, becoming a county in 1564, in the late 17th century it has some 400 inhabitants, mostly working as peasants. In 1854, when it had some 1,700 inhabitants, the population remained nearly stable until the mid-20th century, when a huge immigration flow from southern Italy had it increase from the c.15,000 of 1961 to the some 45,000 of 1971. The frazione of Stupinigi houses the famous Palazzina di Stupinigi, part of the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites, the castle, also known as Palazzo Occelli, is also notable. Caluire-et-Cuire, France Victoria, Malta, Malta Official website www. nichelino. com/
Nichelino
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The
Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi
Nichelino
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Trinity Church of Nichelino.
7.
Turin
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Turin is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region and was the first capital city of Italy. The city is located mainly on the bank of the Po River, in front of Susa Valley and surrounded by the western Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 892,649 while the population of the area is estimated by Eurostat to be 1.7 million inhabitants. The Turin metropolitan area is estimated by the OECD to have a population of 2.2 million, in 1997 a part of the historical center of Torino was inscribed in the World Heritage List under the name Residences of the Royal House of Savoy. Turin is well known for its Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Neo-classical, many of Turins public squares, castles, gardens and elegant palazzi such as Palazzo Madama, were built between the 16th and 18th centuries. This was after the capital of the Duchy of Savoy was moved to Turin from Chambery as part of the urban expansion, the city used to be a major European political center. Turin was Italys first capital city in 1861 and home to the House of Savoy, from 1563, it was the capital of the Duchy of Savoy, then of the Kingdom of Sardinia ruled by the Royal House of Savoy and finally the first capital of the unified Italy. Turin is sometimes called the cradle of Italian liberty for having been the birthplace and home of notable politicians and people who contributed to the Risorgimento, such as Cavour. The city currently hosts some of Italys best universities, colleges, academies, lycea and gymnasia, such as the University of Turin, founded in the 15th century, in addition, the city is home to museums such as the Museo Egizio and the Mole Antonelliana. Turins attractions make it one of the worlds top 250 tourist destinations, Turin is ranked third in Italy, after Milan and Rome, for economic strength. With a GDP of $58 billion, Turin is the worlds 78th richest city by purchasing power, as of 2010, the city has been ranked by GaWC as a Gamma World city. Turin is also home to much of the Italian automotive industry, the Taurini were an ancient Celto-Ligurian Alpine people, who occupied the upper valley of the Po River, in the center of modern Piedmont. In 218 BC, they were attacked by Hannibal as he was allied with their long-standing enemies, the Taurini chief town was captured by Hannibals forces after a three-day siege. As a people they are mentioned in history. It is believed that a Roman colony was established in 27 BC under the name of Castra Taurinorum, both Livy and Strabo mention the Taurinis country as including one of the passes of the Alps, which points to a wider use of the name in earlier times. In the 1st century BC, the Romans created a military camp, the typical Roman street grid can still be seen in the modern city, especially in the neighborhood known as the Quadrilatero Romano. Via Garibaldi traces the path of the Roman citys decumanus which began at the Porta Decumani. The Porta Palatina, on the side of the current city centre, is still preserved in a park near the Cathedral
Turin
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From top to bottom, left to right: panorama of the
Mole Antonelliana,
Valentino Park with the medieval village, Piazza Castello with Palazzo Reale and Palazzo Madama, San Carlo Plaza with the Caval ëd Bronz, the Arco Olimpico and the Lingotto, the sarcophagus of Oki at the
Egyptian Museum, a view of the hills, the
Po, the Gran Madre, the Monte of Cappuccini and
Palatine Towers.
Turin
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The Roman
Palatine Towers.
Turin
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Siege of Turin
Turin
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Turin in the 17th century.
8.
Pallavicino
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The Pallavicini, Pallavicino, and in former times named Pelavicino, are an Italian noble family descended from Oberto I. The first Pallavicino fief was created by Oberto II, who received it from Frederick Barbarossa in 1162, a number of lines descended from Guglielmo, possessor of a series of fiefs between Parma and Piacenza and a descendant of the Lombard Obertenga family. They governed the Margraviate of Bodonitsa from 1204 to 1358 and they grew in riches and, after 1224, became also the most powerful family in the former Kingdom of Thessalonica. The first margraves were of Guys line until his daughter Isabella died, the Pallavicini were related to the De la Roche family then ruling in Athens. After the death of Albert in 1311 the Pallavicini influence slowly declined, the subsequent Zorzi margraves were matrilineal descendants of the last Pallavicini marquise, Guglielma. Journal of Hellenic Studies, Vol.28,1908, pp 234–249, a History of the Crusades, Volume III — The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison,1975, cawley, Charles, Latin Lordships of Greece, Boudonitza. Medieval Lands database, Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, Marquisate of Bodonitsa
Pallavicino
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Arms of the Pallavicini family on top of the
Palais Pallavicini in Vienna
Pallavicino
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Arms of the
Grafen von Pallavicini
Pallavicino
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Palais Pallavicini in Vienna
9.
Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy
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Emmanuel Philibert was Duke of Savoy from 1553 to 1580, KG. Born in Chambéry, Emmanuel Philibert was the child of Charles III, Duke of Savoy. Instead, he continued to serve the Habsburgs in hopes of recovering his lands, in this capacity he personally led the Spanish invasion of northern France and won a brilliant victory at Saint-Quentin on 10 August 1557. He was also a suitor to Lady Elizabeth Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII of England and their only child was Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy. Following the death of his uncle, Henry I of Portugal, on 31 January 1580, however, he soon realised that he had quite a fragile position due to the claims of Philip II, who gained control of the country, thus uniting Spain and Portugal. Emmanuel Philibert spent his rule regaining what had been lost in the wars with France. A skilled political strategist, he took advantage of various squabbles in Europe to slowly regain territory from both the French and the Spanish, including the city of Turin. Internally, he moved the capital of the duchy from Chambéry to Turin and he was attempting to acquire the marquisate of Saluzzo when he died in Turin. Later, he was buried in the Chapel of the Holy Shroud of the Turin Cathedral, where he did move the Sindone in 1578
Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy
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Emmanuel Philibert
Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy
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Engraving of Emmanuel Philibert
Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy
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The Caval ëd Brons, monument to Emmanuel Philibert in
Turin
Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy
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Representation of the tomb monument
10.
Filippo Juvarra
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Filippo Juvarra was an Italian architect and stage set designer, active in a late-Baroque style. He was born in Messina, Sicily, to a family of goldsmiths, after spending his formative years with his family in Sicily where he designed Messinas festive settings for the coronation of Philip V of Spain and Sicily, Juvarra moved to Rome in 1704. There he studied architecture with Carlo and Francesco Fontana, the first phase of his independent career was occupied with designs for ceremonies and celebrations, and especially with set designs for theatres. Juvarras set designs incorporate the scena per angolo, literally scenes at an angle, the exact origin of this style is unclear. Ferdinando Galli Bibiena claims to have invented it in his treatise Architettura Civile, however, the style was clearly in use before then, including in the works of Juvarra. A couple of early drawings by Juvarra, dated 1706, are associated with the Teatro S. Bartolomeo, Naples, the majority of his work in theatre and set design was in Rome under the patronage of Cardinal Ottoboni. He assisted in the rebuilding of the Cardinals private theatre in the Palazzo della Cancelleria, the first opera for which Juvarra designed all the sets was Costantino Pio. The libretto was by Cardinal Ottoboni and the music was by Carlo Francesco Pollarolli, the opera was premiered in 1709 and was one of the first operas to appear after the lifting of papal bans on secular theatre, it also inaugurated Ottoboni’s newly renovated private theatre. He also worked on set designs for performances sponsored by Ottoboni at the Teatro Capranica, in 1713 a theatre project took him to Genoa. In 1706 Juvarra won a contest for the new sacristy at the St. Peters, organized by Pope Clement XI, Juvarra was also an engraver, his book of engravings of sculpted coats-of-arms appeared in 1711, Raccolta di varie targhe fatte da professori primarii di Roma. He was engaged in projects in Lombardy, including a monumental altar for the Sanctuary Church of Caravaggio. He also designed the decorative belltower for the cathedral of Belluno, one of Juvarras masterworks, the basilica church of Superga, was built in 1731 and rises at the top of a mountain overlooking the city of Turin. It was part-picturesque monument and part-royal mausoloeum for the family of Savoy, construction was arduous, and took over fourteen years, including two years to flatten the mountaintop, and at incredible cost and effort to bring the stones and supplies to the peak. Behind the church was a monastery, the classical portico is appended to a centralized church with a highly vertical, seventy five meter, baroque dome, the latter creates a mountain atop a mountain effect. He also built in Turin the church of the Blessed Virgin of the Carmine and he also helped decorate the interior of many churches in Turin. He also built churches, including the bizarre, Borrominesque church of San Gregorio in Messina. In Mantua, he added a tall buttressed dome to the Alberti church of SantAndrea, the Palace of Stupinigi was built to be the royal hunting lodge some 6 miles outside of Turin, the huge layout and highly decorated interiors made this palace a grand setting for summer retreats. Juvarra fulfills the needs of his patron for classical grandeur, but with the urge to decorate
Filippo Juvarra
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Filippo Juvarra, relief in Messina
Filippo Juvarra
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Cappella Antamori by Juvarra and Le Gros
Filippo Juvarra
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Basilica of Superga
Filippo Juvarra
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Church of San Gregorio,
Messina
11.
Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia
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Victor Amadeus II was Duke of Savoy from 1675 to 1730. He also held the titles of marquis of Saluzzo, duke of Montferrat, prince of Piedmont, count of Aosta, Moriana, Louis XIV organised his marriage in order to maintain French influence in the Duchy but Victor Amadeus soon broke away from the influence of France. Having fought in the War of the Spanish Succession, he became king of Sicily in 1713 but he was forced to exchange this title, Victor Amadeus was born in Turin to Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy and his second wife Marie Jeanne of Savoy. Named after his paternal grandfather Victor Amadeus I he was their only child, as an infant he was styled as the Prince of Piedmont, traditional title of the heir apparent to the duchy of Savoy. A weak child, his health was greatly monitored, as an infant he had a passion for soldiers and was noted as being very intelligent. His father died in June 1675 Turin at the age of forty after a series of convulsive fevers and his mother was declared Regent of Savoy and Marie Jeanne, known as Madame Royale at court, took power. The duchy would revert to the Kingdom of Portugal at her death. Victor Amadeus refused and a party was formed which refused to recognise his leaving Savoy. Despite a marriage contract being signed between Portugal and Savoy on 15 May 1679, the marriage between Victor Amadeus and the Infanta came to nothing and was thus cancelled, other candidates included Maria Antonia of Austria, a Countess Palatine of Neuburg and Anna Maria Luisa de Medici. Victor Amadeus was keen on the match with Tuscany and negotiations were kept secret from France even though the match never happened, under the influence of Louis XIV and Marie Jeanne, Victor Amadeus was forced to marry a French princess Anne Marie dOrléans. His mother was keen on the match and had always promoted French interests having been born in Paris a member of a branch of the House of Savoy. A significant event of his mothers regency was the Salt Wars of 1680 and these rebellions were caused by the unpopular taxes on salt in all cities in Savoy. The system had been put in place by Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy in order to raise money for the crown, the unrest caused an army to be sent to stop the unrest in the town, which was pacified quickly. However, in the town of Montaldo, the unrest began again and was more serious than before,200 soldiers were killed in warfare which lasted for several days. The news of these rebellions soon reached a wider scope and it clear that soon the whole of Piedmont was on the verge of revolt. The event had allowed Victor Amadeus a chance to some power. Having succeeded in ending his mothers power in Savoy, Victor Amadeus looked to his marriage with the youngest child of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans. The contract of marriage between Anne Marie and the Duke of Savoy was signed at Versailles on 9 April, On 10 April 1684, Anne Marie was married at Versailles, by proxy, the couple were married in person on 6 May 1684
Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia
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Victor Amadeus II
Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia
Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia
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Map of Western Europe in 1713, the
Duchy of Savoy can be seen yellow in the centre
Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia
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Martin van Mytens, Portrait of Victor Amedeus II (1728/29), Reggia di Venaria
12.
Venice
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Venice is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is situated across a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and these are located in the shallow Venetian Lagoon, an enclosed bay that lies between the mouths of the Po and the Piave Rivers. Parts of Venice are renowned for the beauty of their settings, their architecture, the lagoon and a part of the city are listed as a World Heritage Site. In 2014,264,579 people resided in Comune di Venezia, together with Padua and Treviso, the city is included in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, with a total population of 2.6 million. PATREVE is a metropolitan area without any degree of autonomy. The name is derived from the ancient Veneti people who inhabited the region by the 10th century BC, the city was historically the capital of the Republic of Venice. Venice has been known as the La Dominante, Serenissima, Queen of the Adriatic, City of Water, City of Masks, City of Bridges, The Floating City, and City of Canals. The City State of Venice is considered to have been the first real international financial center which gradually emerged from the 9th century to its peak in the 14th century and this made Venice a wealthy city throughout most of its history. It is also known for its several important artistic movements, especially the Renaissance period, Venice has played an important role in the history of symphonic and operatic music, and it is the birthplace of Antonio Vivaldi. Venice has been ranked the most beautiful city in the world as of 2016, the name Venetia, however, derives from the Roman name for the people known as the Veneti, and called by the Greeks Eneti. The meaning of the word is uncertain, although there are other Indo-European tribes with similar-sounding names, such as the Celtic Veneti, Baltic Veneti, and the Slavic Wends. Linguists suggest that the name is based on an Indo-European root *wen, so that *wenetoi would mean beloved, lovable, a connection with the Latin word venetus, meaning the color sea-blue, is also possible. The alternative obsolete form is Vinegia, some late Roman sources reveal the existence of fishermen on the islands in the original marshy lagoons. They were referred to as incolae lacunae, the traditional founding is identified with the dedication of the first church, that of San Giacomo on the islet of Rialto — said to have taken place at the stroke of noon on 25 March 421. Beginning as early as AD166 to 168, the Quadi and Marcomanni destroyed the center in the area. The Roman defences were again overthrown in the early 5th century by the Visigoths and, some 50 years later, New ports were built, including those at Malamocco and Torcello in the Venetian lagoon. The tribuni maiores, the earliest central standing governing committee of the islands in the Lagoon, the traditional first doge of Venice, Paolo Lucio Anafesto, was actually Exarch Paul, and his successor, Marcello Tegalliano, was Pauls magister militum. In 726 the soldiers and citizens of the Exarchate rose in a rebellion over the controversy at the urging of Pope Gregory II
Venice
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A collage of Venice: at the top left is the
Piazza San Marco, followed by a view of the city, then the
Grand Canal, and (smaller) the interior of
La Fenice and, finally, the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore
Venice
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UNESCO World Heritage Site
Venice
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Photography of Venice at dusk
Venice
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The Grand Canal seen from the bridge at
Ponte di Rialto
13.
Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia
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Charles Emmanuel III was the Duke of Savoy and King of Sardinia from 1730 until his death. He was born a Prince of Savoy in Turin to Victor Amadeus II of Savoy and his maternal grandparents were Prince Philippe of France and his first wife Princess Henrietta Anne, the youngest daughter of King Charles I of England and Henrietta Maria of France. From his birth he was styled as the Duke of Aosta, at the time of his birth, Charles Emmanuel was not the heir to the Duchy of Savoy, his older brother Prince Victor Amadeus John Philip, Prince of Piedmont, was the heir apparent. Charles Emmanuel was the second of three males that would be born to his parents and his older brother died in 1715 and Charles Emmanuel then became heir apparent. As a result of his aid in the War of the Spanish Succession, Victor Amadeus was forced to exchange Sicily for the less important kingdom of Sardinia in 1720 after objections from an alliance of four nations, including several of his former allies. Yet he retained his new title of King, however, Victor Amadeus in his late years was dominated by shyness and sadness, probably under the effect of some mental illness. In the end, on 3 September 1730, he abdicated and he was not loved by Victor Amadeus, and consequently received an incomplete education. He however acquired noteworthy knowledge in the field along his father. In summer,1731, after having recovered from a fatal illness. The old king was confined to the Castle of Rivoli, where he died without any further harm to Charles. In the War of the Polish Succession Charles Emmanuel sided with the French- backed king Stanislaw I, after the treaty of alliance signed in Turin, on 28 October 1733 he marched on Milan and occupied Lombardy without significant losses. However, when France tried to convince Philip V of Spain to join the coalition, he asked to receive Milan and this was not acceptable for Charles Emmanuel, as it would recreate a Spanish domination in Italy as it had been in the previous centuries. While negotiations continued about the matter, the Savoy-French-Spanish troops attacked Mantua under the command of Charles Emmanuel himself. Sure that in the end Mantua would be assigned to Spain, the Franco-Piedmontese army was victorious in two battles at Crocetta and Guastalla. In the end, when Austria and France signed a peace, in exchange, he was given some territories, including Langhe, Tortona and Novara. Charles Emmanuel was involved in the War of the Austrian Succession, in which he sided with Maria Theresa of Austria, with financial and naval support from England. After noteworthy but inconclusive initial successes, he had to face the French-Spanish invasion of Savoy and, after a failed allied attempt to conquer the Kingdom of Naples, when the enemy army invaded Piedmont, in 1744 he personally defended Cuneo against the Spanish-French besiegers. The following year, with some 20,000 men, he was facing an invasion of two armies with a total of some 60,000 troops, the important strongholds of Alessandria, Asti and Casale fell
Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia
–
Charles Emmanuel III
Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia
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The young Charles Emmanuel as duke of Aosta, by an unknown artist.
Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia
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A portrait of a young Charles Emmanuel
Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia
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The children of Charles and his second wife; (L-R)
Eleonora;
Victor Amadeus;
Maria Felicita and
Maria Luisa Gabriella.
14.
Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia
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Victor Amadeus III was King of Sardinia from 1773 to his death. Although he was conservative, he carried out numerous administrative reforms until he declared war on Revolutionary France in 1792. He was the father of the last three mainline Kings of Sardinia, born at the Royal Palace of Turin, he was a son of Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia and his second wife Polyxena of Hesse-Rotenburg. He was styled as the Duke of Savoy from birth until he succeeded to his fathers throne and he was the eldest son of his parents and was the heir apparent from birth which was greeted with much celebration. His father had had a son with his first wife, Countess Palatine Anne Christine of Sulzbach who was also named Victor Amadeus, Duke of Aosta and his education was entrusted to Gerdil Giacinto Sigismondo, with a particular emphasis on military training. Throughout his life he would have a great interest in the military on which he lavished attention. As a young prince, he surrounded himself with intellectuals and ministers and he was privately conservative and very religious person, who, as a young boy, stayed far from public life. His father felt him to be unsuitable to hold power, good-natured but naive, Savoy would be loved by his subjects for his generosity. He married Infanta Maria Antonietta of Spain, youngest daughter of Philip V of Spain and they were married on 31 May 1750 at Oulx and later had twelve children. He had a relationship with his wife who exerted little influence over her husband. The marriage had been arranged by Maria Antoniettas half brother, the ruling Ferdinand VI of Spain, the Spanish Infanta had been previously rejected by Louis, Dauphin of France. The union was used to strengthen relations between Madrid and Turin having fought on opposing sides in the War of the Austrian Succession, the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle ended the war. When Victor Amadeus came to the throne in 1773 he started working on bureaucratic and he was suspicious of anything innovative. However, he did implement several public works as well as paying a great deal of attention to his administration and he approved and set up two new important cultural state institutions on the advice of the bourgeoisie and aristocracy alike. He started works of improvements in the port of Nice, and had dams in the Arce, after four years of fighting, the French under Bonaparte had finally beaten the Piedmontese army in the Battle of Montenotte, the Battle of Millesimo and the Battle of Mondovi. On April 26 the French proclaimed the Republic of Alba on the occupied territories, two days later, with the Armistice of Cherasco, the Republic was ceded back to Victor Amadeus. He was forced to sign the Treaty of Paris on May 15 abandoning the First Coalition against the French Republic. The terms of the treaty required him to cede the fortresses of Cuneo, Ceva, Alessandria and Tortona to France and he was also compelled to cede Nice and Savoy
Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia
–
Victor Amadeus III
Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia
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The Family of the Duke of Savoy in 1760,
Giuseppe Duprà
15.
Ignazio Bertola
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Giuseppe Francesco Ignazio Bertola born Roveda was an Italian military architect. Born in 1676 in Tortona, Ignazio was the son of the architect Antonio Bertola. He made works of civil and military engineering in Alessandria and in Fenestrelle and built the road of the guns. He held the office of Master of Fortresses and then First Engineer of Her Majesty and he was the first director of the School of Theory and Practice of Artillery of Piedmont, which was founded in 1736. In 1742 he was appointed count of Exilles by Charles Emmanuel III of Savoy, Bertola died in Turin in 1755
Ignazio Bertola
–
Count Giuseppe Francesco Ignazio Bertola
16.
Benedetto Alfieri
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Benedetto Innocenzo Alfieri was an Italian architect, a representative of the late-Baroque or Rococo style. Born in Rome, he was the godson of Pope Innocent XII, in Rome, Benedetto was educated in mathematics and design by the Jesuits, he then moved to Piedmont to practice both as a lawyer and as an architect. He was frequently patronized by Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia, who commissioned him with the design of the Royal Theater of Turin and he also contributed additions and extensive decoration of the Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi. He designed the bell-tower of the Basilica of San Gaudenzio in Novara and he also completed the neoclassical façade of Saint Pierre Cathedral in Geneva. The King made him Count of Sostegno and he collaborated during his long career with artists such as Luigi Acquisti, Giovanni Battista Borra, and Emilio Usiglio among many. Venice, Googlebooks, Presso Andrea Santini e Figlio
Benedetto Alfieri
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Benedetto Alfieri from the treatise of "Leben des
Vittorio Alfieri "
Benedetto Alfieri
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Belltower Novarra
Benedetto Alfieri
Benedetto Alfieri
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Palazzo Sormani in Milan
17.
Polissena of Hesse-Rotenburg
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Princess Polyxena of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg was the second wife of Charles Emmanuel, Prince of Piedmont whom she married in 1724. The mother of the future Victor Amadeus III, she was queen consort of Sardinia from 1730 until her death in 1735, king Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia approached her family and proposed a union between Polyxena and Victor Amadeus IIs son and heir Charles Emmanuel, Prince of Piedmont. A previous match orchestrated by Agostino Steffani with a daughter of Rinaldo, although only two years younger, Polyxena was a niece of Charles Emanuels first wife, and belonged to the only Roman Catholic branch of the reigning House of Hesse. In fact, she had been nominally a canoness of Thorn since 1720, the engagement was announced on 2 July 1724, and she wed Charles Emmanuel by proxy on 23 July in Rotenburg. The marriage was celebrated in person at Thonon in Chablais on 20 August 1724. Her stepson Victor Amadeus, heir after his father and grandfather to the Sardinian crown, nonetheless, she is said to have had a close relationship with her mother-in-law Anne Marie dOrléans and the two frequented the Villa della Regina outside the capital, where the latter died in 1728. In 1732 she founded a home for mothers in Turin, redecorated the Villa della Regina, Stupinigis hunting lodge. She carried out various improvements with Filippo Juvarra and popularised chinoiserie and she was also a patron of Giovanni Battista Crosato, a baroque painter. Having been ill since June 1734, she died at the Royal Palace of Turin, two years after her death, her widower married Princess Elisabeth Therese of Lorraine, sister of the future Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor. The senior branch of the House of Savoy ended with her grandson Charles Felix of Sardinia, the Villa Polissena in Rome is named in her honour. Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia, had issue, Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, Duke of Aosta. Prince Carlo of Savoy, Duke of Chablais
Polissena of Hesse-Rotenburg
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Polyxena of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg
18.
Saltire
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A saltire, also called Saint Andrews Cross, is a heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross, like the shape of the letter X in Roman type. The word comes from the Middle French sautoir, possibly owing to the shape of the areas in the design. It appears in flags, including those of Scotland and Jamaica. A variant, also appearing on many past and present flags, a warning sign in the shape of a saltire is also used to indicate the point at which a railway line intersects a road at a level crossing. In Unicode, the cross is encoded at U+2613 ☓ saltire, see X mark#Unicode for similar symbols that might be more accessible. The saltire appears on vexilla that are represented consistently on coinage of Christian emperors of Rome, in the ninth and tenth century the saltire was revived in Constantinople as a symbol of Christian-imperial power. Anne Roes detected the symbol, which appears with balls in the quadrants formed by the arms of the chi-cross. She suggested that early Christians endorsed its solar symbolism as appropriate to Christ and she also wrote, although it cannot be proved. In the white saltire of St. Andrew we still have a reminiscence of the old standard of the Persepolitan kingdom, when two or more saltires appear, they are usually blazoned as cut off. A saltorel is a saltire, the term is usually defined as one-half the width of the saltire. A field per saltire is divided into four areas by a saltire-shaped cut, otherwise, each of the four divisions may be blazoned separately. Examples include, Suffolk County Council, England, The Corporation of the Municipality of Brighton, when five or more compact charges are in saltire, one is in the center and one or more lie on each arm of an invisible saltire. The Saint Andrews Cross was worn as a badge on hats in Scotland, the Cross of Burgundy, a form of the Saint Andrews Cross, is used in numerous flags across Europe and the Americas. It was first used in the 15th century as an emblem by the Valois Dukes of Burgundy, the Duchy of Burgundy, forming a large part of eastern France and the Low Countries, was inherited by the House of Habsburg on the extinction of the Valois ducal line. As a result, the Cross of Burgundy has appeared in a variety of flags connected with territories formerly part of the Burgundian or Habsburg inheritance. Examples of such diversity include the Spanish naval ensign, the flag of Carlism, the flag of the Dutch municipality of Eijsden, the naval ensign of the Imperial Russian and Russian navies is a blue saltire on a white field. Prior to the Union the Royal Scots Navy used a red ensign incorporating the St Andrews Cross, with its colours exchanged, the same design forms part of the arms and flag of Nova Scotia. The Brazilian cities of Rio de Janeiro and Fortaleza also use a blue saltire on a white field, the flags of the Spanish island of Tenerife and the remote Colombian islands of San Andrés and Providencia also use a white saltire on a blue field
Saltire
–
St Andrew crucified crucified on a diagonal cross
Saltire
Saltire
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Timber framing Saltire in Duderstadt, Germany
Saltire
–
A blue-and-white saltire used on a road sign to represent the
Flag of Scotland.
19.
House of Savoy
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The House of Savoy is one of the oldest royal families in the world, being founded in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, it grew from ruling a small county in that region to the attainment of the rank of king in 1713, the Savoyard kings of Italy were Victor Emmanuel II, Umberto I, Victor Emmanuel III, and Umberto II. The last monarch ruled for a few weeks before being deposed following the Constitutional Referendum of 1946, the name derives from the historical region of Savoy in the Alpine region between what is now France and Italy. Over time, the House of Savoy expanded its territory and influence through judicious marriages, from rule of a small region on the French/Italian border, the dynastys realm included nearly all of the Italian Peninsula by the time of its deposition. The house descended from Humbert I, Count of Sabaudia, Humberts family are thought to have originated from near Magdeburg in Saxony, with the earliest recording of the family being two 10th century brothers, Amadeus and Humbert. Though Sabaudia was originally a county, later counts were diplomatically skilled. Two of Humberts sons were bishops at the Abbey of Saint Maurice on the River Rhone east of Lake Geneva and this diplomatic skill caused the great powers such as France, England, and Spain to take the counts opinions into account. Piedmont was later joined with Sabaudia, and the name evolved into Savoy, the people of Savoy were descended from the Celts and Romans. In 1494, Charles VIII of France passed through Savoy on his way to Italy and Naples, during the outbreak of the Italian war of 1521-1526, Emperor Charles V stationed imperial troops in Savoy. In 1536, Francis I of France invaded Savoy and Piedmont taking Turin by April of that year, Charles III, Duke of Savoy, fled to Vercelli. He served Philip II as Governor of the Netherlands from 1555 to 1559, in this capacity he led the Spanish invasion of northern France and won a victory at St. Quentin in 1557. He took advantage of various squabbles in Europe to slowly regain territory from both the French and the Spanish, including the city of Turin and he moved the capital of the duchy from Chambéry to Turin. The 17th century brought economic development to the Turin area. Charles Emmanuel II developed the port of Nice and built a road through the Alps towards France, and through skillful political manoeuvres territorial expansion continued. Savoy rule over Sicily lasted only seven years, the crown of Sicily, the prestige of being kings at last, and the wealth of Palermo helped strengthen the House of Savoy further. In 1720 they were forced to exchange Sicily for Sardinia as a result of the War of the Quadruple Alliance, on the mainland, the dynasty continued its expansionist policies as well. In 1798, Joubert occupied Turin and forced Charles Emmanuel IV to abdicate, eventually, in 1814 the kingdom was restored and enlarged with the addition of the former Republic of Genoa by the Congress of Vienna. In the meantime, nationalist figures such as Giuseppe Mazzini were influencing popular opinion, the Kingdom of Italy was the first Italian state to include the Italian Peninsula since the fall of the Roman Empire
House of Savoy
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Hautecombe Abbey, where many of the dukes are buried.
House of Savoy
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House of Savoy
House of Savoy
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Map of Kingdom of Sardinia.
20.
Princess Maria Theresa of Savoy
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Maria Theresa of Savoy was a princess of Savoy by birth and the wife of Charles Philippe, Count of Artois, grandson of Louis XV and younger brother of Louis XVI. Some nineteen years after her death, her husband assumed the throne of France as King Charles X, Princess Maria Theresa of Savoy was born at the Royal Palace in Turin during the reign of her grandfather Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia. The daughter of the apparent and his wife, Victor Amadeus and Maria Antonia Ferdinanda of Spain, she was the couples third daughter. She was raised with her sister Princess Maria Giuseppina who was three years her senior and whom she would join later as a member of the family of France. Following a series of alliances, Maria Theresa was betrothed to the Count of Artois. Artois had previously intended to marry Louise Adélaïde de Bourbon. However the union never took place as her rank was much lower than Artois who, Maria Theresa married the count in a proxy ceremony at the Palazzina di caccia di Stupinigi before her official marriage, which took place at the Palace of Versailles on 16 November 1773. This marriage was the second of three Franco-Savoyard marriages that would take place four years. As her husband was the grandson of a king, the newly named Marie Thérèse held the rank of granddaughter of France and this rank allowed her to maintain the style of Royal Highness that she had enjoyed from birth as the granddaughter of the king of Sardinia. However, at Versailles, the simple style Madame la comtesse dArtois was used instead, Maria Theresa was one of the most disliked figures at the French court of the time, although she avoided the worst of the abuse directed at her sister-in-law Marie Antoinette. The Count of Mercy-Argenteau, who corresponded with Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa regarding Marie Antoinette, said that she was silent, Maria Theresa was not regarded as a beauty at Versailles, but her complexion was generally admired. She was a cousin of the famous Princess Marie Louise of Savoy, Princess of Lamballe and she was also a cousin of the Prince of Condé, who would later be instrumental in leading a large counter-revolutionary army of émigrés. Roughly a year after Maria Theresas arrival at Versailles, she became pregnant with her first child, Louis Antoine, Duke of Angoulême, the next year she gave birth to a daughter Sophie, who was known as Mademoiselle as the most senior unmarried princess at court. She died at the age of six in 1783 and her second son, Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry, was born in 1778. Her last child, Marie Thérèse dArtois, presumably named after her mother, Maria Theresa fled France with her husband shortly after the storming of the Bastille, which marked the beginning of the French Revolution. Some time after, she took refuge in her homeland of Savoy and she died in exile at Graz, in 1805. Because she died before her husband became king of France, she remained Countess of Artois and she was buried in the Imperial Mausoleum next to Graz Cathedral. Louis Antoine, Duke of Angoulême married Marie Thérèse of France, had no issue, Sophie, Mademoiselle dArtois died in childhood
Princess Maria Theresa of Savoy
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Marie Thérèse by Jean-Baptiste André Gautier-Dagoty (1740–1786), with a bust of her husband and holding a portrait of her mother
Princess Maria Theresa of Savoy
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Signature
Princess Maria Theresa of Savoy
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Marie Thérèse with her three surviving children, by Charles Leclercq, 1783.
21.
Charles X
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Charles X was King of France from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. For most of his life he was known as the Count of Artois, an uncle of the uncrowned King Louis XVII, and younger brother to reigning Kings Louis XVI and Louis XVIII, he supported the latter in exile and eventually succeeded him. His rule of almost six years ended in the July Revolution of 1830, which resulted in his abdication, exiled once again, Charles died in 1836 in Gorizia, then part of the Austrian Empire. He was the last of the French rulers from the branch of the House of Bourbon. Charles Philippe of France was born in 1757, the youngest son of the Dauphin Louis and his wife, Charles was created Count of Artois at birth by his grandfather, the reigning King Louis XV. As the youngest male in the family, Charles seemed unlikely ever to become king and his eldest brother, Louis, Duke of Burgundy, died unexpectedly in 1761, which moved Charles up one place in the line of succession. He was raised in childhood by Madame de Marsan, the Governess of the Children of France. At the death of his father in 1765, Charless oldest surviving brother, Louis Auguste and their mother Marie Josèphe, who never recovered from the loss of her husband, died in March 1767 from tuberculosis. This left Charles an orphan at the age of nine, along with his siblings Louis Auguste, Louis Stanislas, Count of Provence, Clotilde, Louis XV fell ill on 27 April 1774 and died on 10 May of smallpox at the age of 64. His grandson Louis-Auguste succeeded him as King Louis XVI of France, in November 1773, Charles married Marie Thérèse of Savoy. The marriage, unlike that of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, was consummated almost immediately, in 1775, Marie Thérèse gave birth to a boy, Louis Antoine, who was created Duke of Angoulême by Louis XVI. Three years later, in 1778, Charles second son, Charles Ferdinand, was born, in the same year Queen Marie Antoinette gave birth to her first child, Marie Thérèse, quelling all rumours that she could not bear children. Charles was thought of as the most attractive member of his family and his wife was considered quite ugly by most contemporaries, and he looked for company in numerous extramarital affairs. According to the Count of Hézecques, few beauties were cruel to him, later, he embarked upon a lifelong love affair with the beautiful Louise de Polastron, the sister-in-law of Marie Antoinettes closest companion, the Duchess of Polignac. Charles also struck up a friendship with Marie Antoinette herself. The closeness of the relationship was such that he was accused by Parisian rumour mongers of having seduced her. As part of Marie Antoinettes social set, Charles often appeared opposite her in the theatre of her favourite royal retreat. They were both said to be very talented amateur actors, Marie Antoinette played milkmaids, shepherdesses, and country ladies, whereas Charles played lovers, valets, and farmers
Charles X
–
Signature
Charles X
–
Portrait by
Baron Gérard, c.1829
Charles X
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Charles Philippe with his younger sister Clotilde on a goat.
Charles X
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Charles as Count of Artois (1798).
22.
Charles X of France
–
Charles X was King of France from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. For most of his life he was known as the Count of Artois, an uncle of the uncrowned King Louis XVII, and younger brother to reigning Kings Louis XVI and Louis XVIII, he supported the latter in exile and eventually succeeded him. His rule of almost six years ended in the July Revolution of 1830, which resulted in his abdication, exiled once again, Charles died in 1836 in Gorizia, then part of the Austrian Empire. He was the last of the French rulers from the branch of the House of Bourbon. Charles Philippe of France was born in 1757, the youngest son of the Dauphin Louis and his wife, Charles was created Count of Artois at birth by his grandfather, the reigning King Louis XV. As the youngest male in the family, Charles seemed unlikely ever to become king and his eldest brother, Louis, Duke of Burgundy, died unexpectedly in 1761, which moved Charles up one place in the line of succession. He was raised in childhood by Madame de Marsan, the Governess of the Children of France. At the death of his father in 1765, Charless oldest surviving brother, Louis Auguste and their mother Marie Josèphe, who never recovered from the loss of her husband, died in March 1767 from tuberculosis. This left Charles an orphan at the age of nine, along with his siblings Louis Auguste, Louis Stanislas, Count of Provence, Clotilde, Louis XV fell ill on 27 April 1774 and died on 10 May of smallpox at the age of 64. His grandson Louis-Auguste succeeded him as King Louis XVI of France, in November 1773, Charles married Marie Thérèse of Savoy. The marriage, unlike that of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, was consummated almost immediately, in 1775, Marie Thérèse gave birth to a boy, Louis Antoine, who was created Duke of Angoulême by Louis XVI. Three years later, in 1778, Charles second son, Charles Ferdinand, was born, in the same year Queen Marie Antoinette gave birth to her first child, Marie Thérèse, quelling all rumours that she could not bear children. Charles was thought of as the most attractive member of his family and his wife was considered quite ugly by most contemporaries, and he looked for company in numerous extramarital affairs. According to the Count of Hézecques, few beauties were cruel to him, later, he embarked upon a lifelong love affair with the beautiful Louise de Polastron, the sister-in-law of Marie Antoinettes closest companion, the Duchess of Polignac. Charles also struck up a friendship with Marie Antoinette herself. The closeness of the relationship was such that he was accused by Parisian rumour mongers of having seduced her. As part of Marie Antoinettes social set, Charles often appeared opposite her in the theatre of her favourite royal retreat. They were both said to be very talented amateur actors, Marie Antoinette played milkmaids, shepherdesses, and country ladies, whereas Charles played lovers, valets, and farmers
Charles X of France
–
Signature
Charles X of France
–
Portrait by
Baron Gérard, c.1829
Charles X of France
–
Charles Philippe with his younger sister Clotilde on a goat.
Charles X of France
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Charles as Count of Artois (1798).
23.
Orbassano
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Orbassano is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 13 kilometres southwest of Turin. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 21,667, the most famous local is Sonia Gandhi, who was raised here, although she was born in Lusiana, near Vicenza. Orbassano borders the municipalities, Turin, Rivoli, Rivalta di Torino, Beinasco, Nichelino, Volvera, Candiolo. The known origins of the city back to the Roman conquest of Cisalpine Gaul. By the end of the first millennium, Orbassano was among the lands of the Margrave of Susa, shortly thereafter, in 1035, some of the land came into the possession of the Diocese of Turin. In the twelfth century Orbassano came under the control of its neighbours the Lords of Rivalta. Orbassano is twinned with, Elk, Poland Official website
Orbassano
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Orbassano
24.
Beech marten
–
It is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN on account of its wide distribution, its large population, and its presence in a number of protected areas. It is superficially similar to the marten, but differs from it by its smaller size. While the pine marten is a forest specialist, the beech marten is a more generalist and adaptable species, occurring in a number of open and its most likely ancestor is Martes vetus, which also gave rise to the pine marten. The earliest M. vetus fossils were found in dated to the Würm glaciation in Lebanon. The beech marten likely originated in the Near East or southwestern Asia, thus, the beech marten differs from most other European mustelids of the Quaternary, as all other species appeared during the Middle Pleistocene. Comparisons between fossil animals and their descendants indicate that the beech marten underwent a decrease in size beginning in the Würm period, beech martens indigenous to the Aegean Islands represent a relic population with primitive Asiatic affinities. Selective pressures must have acted to increase the beech martens bite force at the expense of gape and these traits probably acted on male beech martens as a mechanism to avoid both intraspecific competition with females and interspecific competition with the ecologically overlapping pine marten. As of 2005, eleven subspecies are recognised, the beech marten is superficially similar to the pine marten, but has a somewhat longer tail, a more elongated and angular head and has shorter, more rounded and widely spaced ears. Its nose is also of a peach or grey colour. Its feet are not as densely furred as those of the marten, thus making them look less broad. The weight load per 1 cm2 of the surface of the beech martens foot is double that of the pine marten. Its skull is similar to that of the marten, but differs in its shorter facial region, more convex profile, its larger carnassials. The beech martens penis is larger than the pine martens, with the bacula of young beech martens often outsizing those of old pine martens, males measure 430–590 mm in body length, while females measure 380–470 mm. The tail measures 250–320 mm in males and 230–275 mm in females, males weigh 1. 7–1.8 kg in winter and 2–2.1 kg in summer, while females weigh 1. 1–1.3 kg in winter and 1. 4–1.5 kg in summer. The beech martens fur is coarser than the pine martens, with guard hairs. Its summer coat is short, sparse and coarse, and the tail is sparsely furred, the colour tone is lighter than the pine martens. Unlike the pine marten, its underfur is whitish, rather than greyish, the tail is dark-brown, while the back is darker than that of the pine marten. The throat patch of the beech marten is always white, the patch is large and generally has two projections extending backwards to the base of the forelegs and upward on the legs
Beech marten
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Beech marten
Beech marten
–
(
Nominate subspecies)
Beech marten
–
A litter of beech marten kits in а farm outbuilding in the village of Orlintzi,
Bulgaria
25.
Least weasel
–
It is classed as being of least concern by the IUCN, due to its wide distribution and presumed large population. Least weasels from various parts of its range vary greatly in size, the body is slender and elongated and the legs and tail are relatively short. The colour varies geographically, as does the type and length of tail. The dorsal surface, flanks, limbs and tail of the animal are usually some shade of brown while the underparts are white, the line delineating the boundary between the two colours is usually straight. At high altitudes and in the part of its range. Small rodents form the largest part of the least weasels diet, but it kills and eats rabbits and other mammals. Males mark their territories with olfactory signals and have home ranges which may intersect with or include several female ranges. Least weasels use pre-existing holes to sleep, store food and raise their young, breeding takes place in the spring and summer, and there is a single litter of about six kits which are reared exclusively by the female. Due to its size and fierce nature, the least weasel plays an important part in the mythology. The least weasel was given its scientific name Mustela nivalis by Carl Linnaeus in his 12th edition of Systema Naturae in 1766, the type locality was Westrobothnia in Sweden. As an animal with a wide distribution, the morphology of the least weasel varies geographically. The species was reviewed by Reichstein in 1957 and again by van Zyll de Jong in 1992, youngman placed it in the subgenus Mustela while Abramov considered it should be included in the subgenus Gale. Based on skull characteristics, Reig proposed that the taxon should be split into four species, M. subpalmata, M. rixosa, M. vulgaris, abrimov and Baryshinikov disagreed, recognising only M. subpalmata as a separate species. Within the genus Mustela, the least weasel is a relatively unspecialised form, as evidenced by its pedomorphic skull and its direct ancestor was Mustela praenivalis, which lived in Europe during the Middle Pleistocene and Villafranchian. M. praenivalis itself was preceded by M. pliocaenica of the Pliocene. The modern species probably arose during the Late Pleistocene, the least weasel is the product of a process begun 5–7 million years ago, when northern forests were replaced by open grassland, thus prompting an explosive evolution of small, burrowing rodents. The weasels ancestors were larger than the current form, and underwent a reduction in size to exploit the new food source. The least weasel throve during the Ice Age, as its size and long body allowed it to easily operate beneath snow
Least weasel
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Least weasel Temporal range: Late
Pleistocene –Recent
Least weasel
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Transcaucasian weasel Mustela n. boccamela
Least weasel
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Mustela n. eskimo
Least weasel
–
Bangs' weasel Mustela n. rixosa
26.
Fox
–
Foxes are small-to-medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. Foxes are slightly smaller than a domestic dog, with a flattened skull, upright triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout. Twelve species belong to the group of Vulpes genus of true foxes. Foxes live on every continent except Antarctica, by far the most common and widespread species of fox is the red fox with about 47 recognized subspecies. The global distribution of foxes, together with their reputation for cunning, has contributed to their prominence in popular culture and folklore in many societies around the world. The hunting of foxes with packs of hounds, long an established pursuit in Europe, the word fox comes from Old English, which derived from Proto-Germanic *fuhsaz. This in turn derives from Proto-Indo-European *puḱ-, meaning ’thick-haired, tail’. Male foxes are known as dogs, tods or reynards, females as vixens, a group of foxes is referred to as a skulk, leash, or earth. Foxes are generally smaller than members of the family Canidae such as wolves, jackals. For example, in the largest species, the red fox, males weigh on average between 4.1 and 8.7 kg, while the smallest species, the fennec fox, weighs just 0.7 to 1.6 kg. Fox-like features typically include a face, pointed ears, an elongated rostrum. Foxes are digitigrade, and thus, walk on their toes, unlike their dog relatives, foxes have partially retractable claws. Fox vibrissae, or whiskers, are black, the whiskers on the muzzle, mystaciae vibrissae, average 100-110mm long, while the whiskers everywhere else on the head average to be shorter in length. Whiskers are also on the forelimbs and average 40mm long, pointing downward and backward, other physical characteristics vary according to habitat and adaptive significance. Fox species differ in fur color, length, and density, coat colors range from pearly white to black and white to black flecked with white or grey on the underside. Fennec foxes, for example, have ears and short fur to aid in keeping the body cool. Arctic foxes, on the hand, have tiny ears and short limbs as well as thick, insulating fur. Red foxes, by contrast, have a typical auburn pelt, a foxs coat color and texture may vary due to the change in seasons, fox pelts are richer and denser in the colder months and lighter in the warmer months
Fox
–
Fox
Fox
–
Arctic fox curled up in snow
Fox
–
Ethiopian wolf, native to the Ethiopian highlands
Fox
–
Crab-eating fox, a South American species
27.
Hazel dormouse
–
The hazel dormouse or common dormouse is a small mammal and the only living species in the genus Muscardinus. It is 6 to 9 cm long with a tail of 5.7 to 7.5 cm and it weighs 17 to 20 g, although this increases to 30 to 40 grams just before hibernation. The hazel dormouse hibernates from October to April–May, the hazel dormouse has golden-brown fur and large, black eyes. It is a creature and spends most of its waking hours among the branches of trees looking for food. It will make long detours rather than come down to the ground, the hazel dormouse is native to northern Europe and Asia Minor. The first record of the dormouse in Ireland was noted in Co, the United Kingdom distribution of the hazel dormouse can be found on the National Biodivestity Network website. A2016 study finds that hazel dormice in Britain have declined by one third since 2000. Woodland habitat loss and management and a warming climate are seen as threats to their future status. Woodland Hedgerows – These are species-rich and connected to woodland, ideally, they are three to four metres high, and left at least seven years before cutting, because many shrubs do not begin to fruit until that time period has passed. Nestboxes They seldom travel more than 70 m from their nest, the hazel dormouse is protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. Dormice are almost completely arboreal in habit but much less reluctant to open ground than was thought even recently. When it wakes up in spring, it builds woven nests of shredded honeysuckle bark, if the weather is cold and wet, and food scarce, it saves energy by going into torpor, it curls up into a ball and goes to sleep. The hazel dormouse, therefore, spends a large proportion of its life sleeping − either hibernating in winter or in torpor in summer, examination of hazelnuts may show a neat, round hole in the shell. This indicates it has opened by a small rodent, e. g. the dormouse, wood mouse. Other animals, such as squirrels or jays, will split the shell completely in half or make a jagged hole in it. Further examination reveals the cut surface of the hole has toothmarks which follow the direction of the shell, in addition, there will be toothmarks on the outer surface of the nut, at an angle of about 45 degrees to the cut surface. Woodmice and voles bite across the nutshell leaving clear parallel toothmarks from inside to outside, woodmice also leave toothmarks on the outer surface of the nut but voles do not. The hazel dormouse requires a variety of foods to survive
Hazel dormouse
–
Hazel dormouse Temporal range: Middle
Miocene – Recent
28.
European hare
–
The European hare, also known as the brown hare, is a species of hare native to Europe and parts of Asia. It is among the largest hare species and is adapted to temperate, hares are herbivorous and feed mainly on grasses and herbs, supplementing these with twigs, buds, bark and field crops, particularly in winter. Their natural predators include birds of prey, canids and felids. They rely on high-speed endurance running to escape from their enemies, having long, powerful limbs, generally nocturnal and shy in nature, hares change their behaviour in the spring, when they can be seen in broad daylight chasing one another around in fields. During this spring frenzy, they sometimes strike one another with their paws and this is usually not competition between males, but a female hitting a male, either to show she is not yet ready to mate or as a test of his determination. The female nests in a depression on the surface of the rather than in a burrow. Litters may consist of three or four young and a female can bear three litters a year, with living for up to twelve years. The breeding season lasts from January to August, the European hare is listed as being of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature because it has a wide range and is moderately abundant. However, populations have been declining in mainland Europe since the 1960s, the hare has been a traditional symbol of fertility and reproduction in some cultures, and its courtship behaviour in the spring inspired the English idiom mad as a March hare. The European hare was first described in 1778 by German zoologist Peter Simon Pallas and it shares the genus Lepus with 31 other hare and jackrabbit species, jackrabbits being the name given to some species of hare native to North America. They are distinguished from other leporids by their legs, wider nostrils. There is some debate as to whether the European hare and the Cape hare are the same species. A2008 study claims that in the case of Lepus species, with their evolution, species designation cannot be based solely on mtDNA. It is possible that the differences between the European and Cape hare are due to geographic separation rather than actual divergence. It has been speculated that in the Near East, hare populations are intergrading and experiencing gene flow, cladogenetic analysis suggests that European hares survived the last glacial period during the Pleistocene via refugia in southern Europe and Asia Minor. Subsequent colonisations of Central Europe appear to have been initiated by human-caused environmental changes, genetic diversity in current populations is high with no signs of inbreeding. Gene flow appears to be biased towards males, but overall populations are matrilineally structured, there appears to be a particularly large degree of genetic diversity in hares in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany. It is however possible that restricted gene flow could reduce genetic diversity within populations that become isolated, historically, up to 30 subspecies of European hare have been described, although their status has been disputed
European hare
–
European hare
European hare
–
A European hare (above) compared with a
mountain hare
European hare
–
Portrait of a European hare
European hare
–
Hare running in open field
29.
White stork
–
The white stork is a large bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. Its plumage is white, with black on its wings. Adults have long red legs and long pointed red beaks, and measure on average 100–115 cm from tip to end of tail. The two subspecies, which differ slightly in size, breed in Europe, northwestern Africa, southwestern Asia, the white stork is a long-distance migrant, wintering in Africa from tropical Sub-Saharan Africa to as far south as South Africa, or on the Indian subcontinent. A carnivore, the white stork eats a range of animal prey, including insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, small mammals. It takes most of its food from the ground, among low vegetation and it is a monogamous breeder, but does not pair for life. Both members of the build a large stick nest, which may be used for several years. Each year the female can lay one clutch of four eggs. Both parents take turns incubating the eggs and both feed the young, the young leave the nest 58–64 days after hatching, and continue to be fed by the parents for a further 7–20 days. The white stork has been rated as least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Conservation and reintroduction programs across Europe have resulted in the white stork resuming breeding in the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and Sweden. It has few predators, but may harbour several types of parasite. This conspicuous species has given rise to many legends across its range, the white stork was one of the many bird species originally described by Linnaeus in the landmark 1758 10th edition of his Systema Naturae, where it was given the binomial name of Ardea ciconia. It was reclassified to the new genus Ciconia by French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760, both the genus and specific epithet, cǐcōnia, are the Latin word for stork, originally recorded in the works of Horace and Ovid. The Latin word survives in most Romance languages, the word stork is derived from the Old English word storc, and appeared in the 10th-century works the Erfurt Glossary, where the word is equated with Ciconia, and Aelfrics Homilies. The word is related to the Old High German storah, stork, there are two subspecies, C. c. C. c. asiatica, described by Russian naturalist Nikolai Severtzov in 1873, breeds in Turkestan and it is slightly larger than the nominate subspecies. The stork family contains six genera in three groups, the open-billed and wood storks, the giant storks, and the typical storks. The typical storks include the stork and six other extant species
White stork
–
White stork
White stork
–
A juvenile feeding on an insect
White stork
–
In flight. White storks fly with their necks outstretched.
White stork
–
An older juvenile at
Vogelpark Avifauna, Netherlands. Beaks turn red starting at the base.
30.
Tree squirrel
–
Tree squirrels are the members of the squirrel family most commonly referred to as squirrels. They include over a hundred primarily tree-dwelling species, native to all continents except Antarctica, the defining characteristic that is used to determine which of the various species of Sciuridae are tree squirrels is therefore not so dependent on their physiology, but their habitat. Tree squirrels live mostly among trees, as opposed to other squirrels that live in burrows in the ground or among rocks. The most well known genus of squirrels is Sciurus, which includes the Eastern gray squirrel of North America, the red squirrel of Eurasia. In some larger cities, they are often the wild mammals that most people ever see. Current taxonomy, based on data, splits the tree squirrels into several subfamilies. The following genera of the family are classified as tree squirrels. In residential neighborhoods, they are notorious for tenaciously trying to circumvent obstacles in order to eat from bird feeders, although they are expert climbers, and primarily arboreal, some species of squirrels also thrive in urban environments, where they have adapted to humans. Squirrels are sometimes considered pests because of their propensity to chew on various edible and inedible objects and their characteristic gnawing trait also aids in maintaining sharp teeth, and because their teeth grow continuously, prevents their over-growth. On occasion, squirrels will chew through plastic and even metal to get to food, tree squirrels may bury food in the ground for later retrieval. Birds, especially crows, will watch a squirrel bury a nut. Squirrels use their sense of smell to search for buried food. This may become an annoyance to gardeners with strict landscape requirements, homeowners in areas with a heavy squirrel population must be vigilant in keeping attics, basements, and sheds carefully sealed to prevent property damage caused by nesting squirrels. A squirrel nest is called a drey, Squirrels are a serious fire hazard when they break into buildings. They often treat exposed power cables as tree branches, and gnaw on the electrical insulation, the resulting exposed conductors can short out, causing a fire. For this reason alone, squirrel nests inside buildings cannot be safely ignored, a squirrel nest will also cause problems with noise, excreta, unpleasant odors, and eventual structural damage. Some homeowners resort to more interesting ways of dealing with this problem, such as collecting and placing fur from pets such as domestic cats and it is hoped that this fur would indicate to nesting squirrels that a potential predator roams, and will encourage evacuation. Odoriferous repellents, including mothballs and ammonia, are ineffective in expelling squirrels from buildings
Tree squirrel
–
Eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)
Tree squirrel
–
A squirrel in the University of Cambridge Botanic Gardens
Tree squirrel
–
Indian palm squirrel (Funambulus palmarum)
Tree squirrel
–
American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)
31.
International Standard Book Number
–
The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an e-book, a paperback and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, the method of assigning an ISBN is nation-based and varies from country to country, often depending on how large the publishing industry is within a country. The initial ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering created in 1966, the 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108. Occasionally, a book may appear without a printed ISBN if it is printed privately or the author does not follow the usual ISBN procedure, however, this can be rectified later. Another identifier, the International Standard Serial Number, identifies periodical publications such as magazines, the ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 in the United Kingdom by David Whitaker and in 1968 in the US by Emery Koltay. The 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108, the United Kingdom continued to use the 9-digit SBN code until 1974. The ISO on-line facility only refers back to 1978, an SBN may be converted to an ISBN by prefixing the digit 0. For example, the edition of Mr. J. G. Reeder Returns, published by Hodder in 1965, has SBN340013818 -340 indicating the publisher,01381 their serial number. This can be converted to ISBN 0-340-01381-8, the check digit does not need to be re-calculated, since 1 January 2007, ISBNs have contained 13 digits, a format that is compatible with Bookland European Article Number EAN-13s. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an ebook, a paperback, and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, a 13-digit ISBN can be separated into its parts, and when this is done it is customary to separate the parts with hyphens or spaces. Separating the parts of a 10-digit ISBN is also done with either hyphens or spaces, figuring out how to correctly separate a given ISBN number is complicated, because most of the parts do not use a fixed number of digits. ISBN issuance is country-specific, in that ISBNs are issued by the ISBN registration agency that is responsible for country or territory regardless of the publication language. Some ISBN registration agencies are based in national libraries or within ministries of culture, in other cases, the ISBN registration service is provided by organisations such as bibliographic data providers that are not government funded. In Canada, ISBNs are issued at no cost with the purpose of encouraging Canadian culture. In the United Kingdom, United States, and some countries, where the service is provided by non-government-funded organisations. Australia, ISBNs are issued by the library services agency Thorpe-Bowker
International Standard Book Number
–
A 13-digit ISBN, 978-3-16-148410-0, as represented by an
EAN-13 bar code
32.
Piedmont
–
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.6 million, the capital of Piedmont is Turin. The name Piedmont comes from medieval Latin Pedemontium or Pedemontis, i. e. ad pedem montium, meaning “at the foot of the mountains”. Other towns of Piedmont with more than 20,000 inhabitants sorted by population and it borders with France, Switzerland and the Italian regions of Lombardy, Liguria, Aosta Valley and for a very small fragment with Emilia Romagna. The geography of Piedmont is 43. 3% mountainous, along with areas of hills. Piedmont is the second largest of Italys 20 regions, after Sicily and it is broadly coincident with the upper part of the drainage basin of the river Po, which rises from the slopes of Monviso in the west of the region and is Italy’s largest river. The Po collects all the waters provided within the semicircle of mountains which surround the region on three sides, from the highest peaks the land slopes down to hilly areas, and then to the upper, and then to the lower great Padan Plain. 7. 6% of the territory is considered protected area. There are 56 different national or regional parks, one of the most famous is the Gran Paradiso National Park located between Piedmont and the Aosta Valley, Piedmont was inhabited in early historic times by Celtic-Ligurian tribes such as the Taurini and the Salassi. They were later subdued by the Romans, who founded several colonies there including Augusta Taurinorum, after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the region was repeatedly invaded by the Burgundians, the Goths, Byzantines, Lombards, Franks. In the 9th–10th centuries there were incursions by the Magyars. At the time Piedmont, as part of the Kingdom of Italy within the Holy Roman Empire, was subdivided into several marks, in 1046, Oddo of Savoy added Piedmont to their main territory of Savoy, with a capital at Chambéry. Other areas remained independent, such as the powerful comuni of Asti and Alessandria, the County of Savoy was elevated to a duchy in 1416, and Duke Emanuele Filiberto moved the seat to Turin in 1563. In 1720, the Duke of Savoy became King of Sardinia, founding what evolved into the Kingdom of Sardinia, the Republic of Alba was created in 1796 as a French client republic in Piedmont. A new client republic, the Piedmontese Republic, existed between 1798 and 1799 before it was reoccupied by Austrian and Russian troops, in June 1800 a third client republic, the Subalpine Republic, was established in Piedmont. It fell under full French control in 1801 and it was annexed by France in September 1802, in the congress of Vienna, the Kingdom of Sardinia was restored, and furthermore received the Republic of Genoa to strengthen it as a barrier against France. Piedmont was a springboard for Italys unification in 1859–1861, following earlier unsuccessful wars against the Austrian Empire in 1820–1821 and this process is sometimes referred to as Piedmontisation. However, the efforts were countered by the efforts of rural farmers
Piedmont
–
A
Montferrat landscape, with the distant
Alps in the background.
Piedmont
–
Piedmont Piemonte
Piedmont
–
The
Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi, in
Nichelino, is a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Piedmont
–
The
Kingdom of Sardinia in 1856.
33.
Castello del Valentino
–
The Castle of Valentino is a historic building in the north-west Italian city of Turin. It is located in Parco del Valentino, and is the seat of the Architecture Faculty of the Polytechnic University of Turin and it is one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1997. The ancient castle was bought by Duke Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy on the advice of Andrea Palladio, the name Valentino, first mentioned in 1275, seems to derive from a saint called Valentine whose relics were venerated in a church which stood nearby. The current structure is due to Princess Christine Marie of France, wife of Victor Amadeus I, architect Carlo di Castellamonte renovated the construction substantially, with the help of his son Amedeo. Works started around 1633 and lasted until 1660 and it has a horseshoe shape, with four round towers at each angle, and a wide inner court with a marble pavement. The ceilings of the upper floors are clearly in transalpino style. The façade sports a coat of arms of the House of Savoy. Minor modifications were made in the nineteenth century, at this time, too. For the next century the palace was more or less abandoned. Renovations were carried out in 1860 when it was selected as the seat of the faculty of Turin. Today it is the building of the Architecture faculty of the Polytechnic University of Turin. The Orto Botanico dellUniversità di Torino, a botanical garden in the castle grounds
Castello del Valentino
–
Castello del Valentino, seat of the Architecture Faculty of the
Polytechnic University of Turin
Castello del Valentino
–
A cutaway drawing of the palace.
34.
Palazzo Carignano
–
The Palazzo Carignano is a historical building in the centre of Turin, Italy, which houses the Museum of the Risorgimento. It was a residence of the Princes of Carignano, after whom it is named. Its rounded façade is different from other façades of the same structure and it is located on the Via Accademia delle Scienze. The construction of the Palazzo Carignano was ordered by Prince Emmanuel Philibert, son of Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano, the Prince commissioned architect Guarino Guarini to design a suitable residence for his home and the cadet house of the reigning House of Savoy. Guarini designed the structure in the shape of a square, with a straight and restrained east façade, Guarini also added a forecourt at the center of the palace. Construction began in 1679, when the Prince was 51 years old, the decorations over the windows of the piano nobile recall the campaign of the Carignano family with Carignan-Salières Regiment against the Iroquois in 1667. The interior has always described as lavish and has splendid frescoes. Among the frescoes are some by Stefano Legnani, called il Legnanino, the main stairwell is decorated with busts by Pietro Somazzi. The building, constructed in brick in a typical Baroque style, has an elliptical main façade, the Palazzo was the birthplace of princesse de Lamballe in 1749 – confidant of Marie Antoinette and for whom she died in 1792. Charles Emmanuel, Prince of Carignano was born there in 1770 and it was also the birthplace of the first King of Italy, Victor Emmanuel II in 1820. From 1848 to 1861 the palace was used as the House of Deputies of the Subalpine Parliament. In 1861, with the creation of the parliament of the newly unified Kingdom of Italy, the room was not large enough to host the House of Deputies, Palazzo Carignano, from the site of the Museo nazionale del Risorgimento italiano
Palazzo Carignano
–
The
Baroque façade
Palazzo Carignano
–
The 19th century rear façade of the Palazzo Carignano on Piazza Carlo Alberto.
35.
Palazzo Chiablese
–
The Palazzo Chiablese is a wing of the Royal Palace of Turin, in Northwest Italy. It was the residence of the Duke of Chablais first and then of Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia, today it is home to a cultural collection honouring the history of Piedmont. It is open to the public Wednesday, Thursday, Friday from 4 pm to 8pm and during press conferences, located in Piazza San Giovanni, the Palazzo Chiablese is part of the Royal Palace of Turin which was a residence of the Kings of Sardinia. As an extension of the palace, it was the home of Maurice of Savoy and it was then used as offices by the court. From 1753, it served as the residence of Benedetto of Savoy, son of Charles Emmanuel III, consequently, it was named after his courtesy title of Duke of Chablais. Chablais carried out improvements to the interior of the palace under the direction of Benedetto Alfieri. The former died here in 1831, the building was the seat of the provisional government of France during the Napoleonic occupation. It was the home of Camillo Borghese and his wife Pauline Bonaparte, restored to the House of Savoy, it was later the birthplace of Margherita of Savoy, daughter of the Duke of Genoa and later Queen of Italy as wife of Umberto I. A century later the palace was bombed during World War II, the property passed to the State in the 1950s and it was then used as the Superintendence headquarters. Later on the palace was converted to provide the dormitories, kitchens and it is closed to the public except on special occasions
Palazzo Chiablese
–
Palazzo Chaiblese
Palazzo Chiablese
–
Engraving of Turin's Piazza Castello, Royal Palace (center), Palazzo Madama (front right) and Palazzo Chiablese (back left)
36.
Palazzo Madama, Turin
–
Palazzo Madama e Casaforte degli Acaja is a palace in Turin, northern Italy. It was the first Senate of the Italian Kingdom, and takes its name from the embellishments it received under two queens of the House of Savoy. At the beginning of the first century BC, the site of the palace was occupied by a gate in the Roman walls from which the decumanus maximus of Augusta Taurinorum departed, two of the towers, although restored, still testify to this original nucleus. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the gate was used as a stronghold in the defences of the city. Later the building became a possession of the Savoia-Acaja, a branch of the House of Savoy, in the early 14th century. A century later Ludovico of Acaja rebuilt it in shape, with an inner court and a portico. The form of this edifice is still recognizable from the back section of the palace. After the extinction of the Acajas, the became a residence for guests of the house of Savoy. In 1637 the regent for Duke Charles Emmanuel II, Christine Marie of France and she commissioned the covering of the court and a revamping of the inner apartments. Sixty years later another regent, Marie Jeanne of Savoy, who was known as Madama Reale and she conferred upon it definitively the nickname of Madama. She invited many artists to renovate the building which the duchess wanted to turn into a royal palace. The duchess also asked architect Filippo Juvarra to design a new Baroque palace in white stone, later the palace had various uses, and housed the headquarters of the provisional French government during the Napoleonic Wars. In the 19th century King Charles Albert selected it as seat of the Pinacoteca Regia, the art gallery. Since 1934 it has housed to the City Museum of Ancient Art, overlooking Piazza Castello, the section built by Juvarra constitutes today a scenographic façade a single bay deep, screening the rear part of the edifice, which has remained unchanged. Each pilaster stands on a sturdy and formal fielded channel-rusticated base against the masonry of the ground floor. Their prominence is emphasised by the tall socles on which they stand, on either side the bays windows are set together within a slightly recessed panel, thus there are three layered planes to the façade. The dentiled cornice supported on consoles in the frieze breaks forward over the central columns. A conforming balustrade decorated with vases and statues in white marble surmounts the façade, the Palazzo Madama houses Turins Turin City Museum of Ancient Art
Palazzo Madama, Turin
–
Juvarra 's façade of the palace.
Palazzo Madama, Turin
–
The rear area, still bearing the 15th-century appearance of a castle.
Palazzo Madama, Turin
–
Stone piers atop brick footings stand out of the excavated Roman stratum.
Palazzo Madama, Turin
–
A defiant monument to the Sardinian troops, erected by Milanese exiles during the triumphant visit to Milan of Austrian
Emperor Franz Joseph, 15 January 1857, stands before the Palazzo Madama.
37.
Royal Palace of Turin
–
The Royal Palace of Turin is a historic palace of the House of Savoy in the city of Turin in Northern Italy. It was originally built in the 16th century and was modernized by Christine Marie of France in the 17th century. The palace also includes the Palazzo Chiablese and the Chapel of the Holy Shroud, in 1946, the building became the property of the state and was turned into a museum. In 1997, it was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list along with 13 other residences of the House of Savoy, construction of the palace was ordered by the Regent Maria Christina in 1645. She wanted a new residence for the court after her son returned from the civil war. The chosen location was the previous Bishops Palace, which had built in the middle of the new capital of Savoy, Turin, during the reign of Emmanuel Philibert. Its advantages included an open and sunny position, in addition to being close to buildings where the court met. The Duke was able to monitor the two entrances of the city from the Bishops Palace, the Bishops Palace in Turin was later captured by the French in 1536 and served as a residence of the French Viceroys of Savoy, who were appointed by Francis I of France. Opposite the Bishops Palace was the Palazzo Vecchio or the Palazzo di San Giovanni and this building, disparagingly known as Pasta con Tonno because of its architecture, was later replaced by the grand Ducal Palace. Thus the old Bishops Palace became the seat of power and was expanded by Emmanuel Philibert to house his ever growing collection of art, animals, marbles. Emmanuel Philibert died in Turin in August 1580 and the Savoyard throne was handed down to his son, Charles Emmanuel I and his son, the future Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy, entered into a prestigious marriage when he married the French Princess Christine Marie of France. Their marriage took place in Paris at the Louvre in 1619, Victor Amadeus I succeeded to the Duchy of Savoy in 1630. He had previously spent his youth in Madrid at the court of his grandfather and his wife set the tone for Victor Amadeus Is reign. Christine Marie had the court moved from the palace in Turin to the Castello del Valentino. Many of Victor Amadeus I and Christine Maries children were born at Valentino, including Francis Hyacinth, Duke of Savoy and his successor Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy. Christine Marie became the regent of Savoy after the death of her husband in 1637 on behalf of her two sons, who succeeded as Dukes of Savoy. During the reign of Victor Amadeus II, the Daniel gallery was created and named after Daniel Seiter, Victor Amadeus II also had a collection of summer apartments built to look onto the court and a winter apartment overlooking the gardens. His wife was the niece of Louis XIV, born Anne Marie dOrléans, Louis XVs mother and aunt were born in the palace in 1685 and 1688, respectively
Royal Palace of Turin
–
UNESCO World Heritage Site
38.
Villa della Regina
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The Villa della Regina is a palace in the city of Turin, Italy. It was originally built by the House of Savoy in the 17th century, the original structure was designed in early 1615 by the Italian soldier, architect and military engineer, Ascanio Vitozzi. He died in 1615 and the project was passed over to his collaborators, father and son Carlo, the original building was built for the Prince-Cardinal Maurice of Savoy during the reign of his brother Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy. The property was built as a villa with its own vineyard. In 1637 Cardinal Maurice lost his brother and his sister in law Christine Marie of France became Regent of Savoy for her young son, Prince Maurice of Savoy and his brother Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano opposed the Regency and fled to Spain. Following his return to Turin, Maurice died at the Villa in 1657, at the death of Louise Christine, it passed to Anne Marie dOrléans, niece of Louis XIV of France wife Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy in 1684. She used the Vigna when she could, most of the present décor of the Vigna is from her lifetime. Her husband was the King of Sicily from 1713 till 1720, from then on, the building was known as Villa della Regina. It was here Anne Marie died in 1728, Anne Maries eldest daughter Maria Adelaide came here and tried to recreate it at Versailles at the Ménagerie. Polyxena of Hesse-Rotenburg, daughter in law of Anne Marie, did work in the main saloon of the building when she became the owner of the villa in 1728 at the death of Anne Marie. In the park there is the Pavilion of the Solinghi, pagoda building in which the Academy of the Solinghi used to meet, the Villa was later used by the Spanish Queen of Sardinia Maria Antonietta Ferdinanda. It remained the property of the House of Savoy till 1868 when it was donated by Victor Emmanuel II of Italy to the Institute of the Armys Daughters, damaged in the Second World War, it is today open to the public in order to fund its maintenance
Villa della Regina
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UNESCO World Heritage Site
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Province of Turin
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The Province of Turin was a province in the Piedmont region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Turin, the province existed until 31 December 2014, when it was replaced by the Metropolitan City of Turin. It has an area of 6,830 km2, and a population of 2,306,676. There are 315 comuni in the province – the most of any province in Italy, the second highest comunis are in the Province of Cuneo which has 250. Torino, the capital of the province was the first Italian national capital in 1861. The most important export items from Turin are cars, machinery, the province has commercial relations with Germany, France, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom, Romania and Czech Republic. A large quantity of import and export is carried with these nations, service is the most important economic sector accounting to 66% of the Gross Domestic Product. The other two important sectors are Industry and agriculture, to promote entrepreneurship the provincial body has started- Start your own business, an advice service to help aspiring entrepreneurs who have new business ideas
Province of Turin
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Location of the Province of Turin within Italy
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Castle of Moncalieri
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The Castle of Moncalieri is a palace in Moncalieri, Piedmont, in northern Italy. It is one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites in 1997, the first structure was a fortress built by Thomas I of Savoy around 1100 on a hill, to command the main southern access to Turin. In the mid-15th century Yolanda of Valois, wife of Duke Amadeus IX, architect Carlo di Castellamonte enlarged the construction substantially, and the interiors were redesigned by him and other local artists. The castle was the site of the marriage between Maria Vittoria Francesca of Savoy to the Prince of Carignano and it was also the place where Maria Carolina of Savoy married Anthony of Saxony by proxy in 1781. It was the scene of the death of Maria Antonietta of Spain in 1785, Victor Amadeus would later die there in 1796. The castle was used extensively by the Savoyards, and was the first castle occupied in 1798 by the French armies, who retained it until 1814. Returned to Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia and later to his distant nephew Charles Albert of Sardinia, Prince of Carignano, king Victor Emmanuel II preferred it to the Royal Palace of Turin, and had numerous apartments furnished according to his tastes. In 1849, it was from this palace that emerged the famous Proclamation of Moncalieri, written by Massimo DAzeglio, the palace was later was used by the Mother Queens and royal princesses. Since 1921 it has been the home of the 1st Battalion of the Carabinieri, on April 5,2008, a fire broke out in the castle, damaging one of the towers and the hall of the proclaim. The current structure of the castle is in the shape of a horseshoe facing south, with four square towers at each angle. The side sections have fived floors, brick walls and robust buttresses, two other minor buildings parallel the side sections and create two courts. The southern façade has a giardino allitaliana and two cylindrical towers, last remains of the 15th-century castle. The northern entrance has also a notable belvedere
Castle of Moncalieri
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The castle
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Castle of Rivoli
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The Castle of Rivoli is a former Residence of the Royal House of Savoy in Rivoli. It is currently home to the Castello di Rivoli - Museo dArte Contemporanea, the House of Savoy acquired Rivoli in the 11th century, and soon began a feud with the bishops that as soon as 1184 resulted in damage to the castle. In 1330 Amadeus VI of Savoy moved in the castle the Consiglio dei Principi, the castle was also the first place of public veneration of the Shroud of Turin in his path towards Turin under Amadeus IX. After a period of decline, the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis established that Duke Emmanuel Philibert could not reside in Turin until he had not a male child and he therefore set his residency in the Castle of Rivoli, having it restored by architect Ascanio Vitozzi. In 1562 heir Charles Emmanuel I was born, and he returned to Turin, numerous works of art were however stolen by French troops in the following years. Victor Amadeus II commissioned a new façade from Filippo Juvarra, Victor Amadeus lived here as a prisoner with his morganatic spouse the Marchesa di Spigno after his abdication and his failed attempt to regain the reign from his son Charles Emmanuel III. After his death, the castle was abandoned, and in 1863 the commune of Rivoli turned it into barracks. The edifice was damaged during World War II, and remained in a substantial state of abandon until 1979. In 1984 the castle was reopened as seat of the Museo di Arte Contemporanea, the castle also contains the Michelin-starred restaurant Combal. Zero. The first renovation works was made by the Turin architect Andrea Bruno, unfortunately, the initiative was not completed for the budget was only enough to repair the structure damages. A few years later, in 1967, the same Bruno proceed to break down the parts of the atrium. The palace is the setting for the play King Victor and King Charles by Robert Browning
Castle of Rivoli
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The unifinished façade by
Filippo Juvarra.
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La Mandria Regional Park
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La Mandria Regional Park is a park in the communes of Venaria Reale and Druento, near Turin, northern Italy. Founded in 1978 by the council of Piedmont, it occupies a wide area between the Stura di Lanzo torrent and the north-western part of Turin and Venaria. The park included one of the last relics of the large forest which covered the whole Po Plain. Fauna includes wild boars and reindeers, the park has also breeds of horse races which are considered in risk of extinction. Filippo Juvarra worked at the castle in the 1720s, in 1860 Victor Emmanuel ordered the enlargement of the village, turning it into a castle with a surface of 35,000 m². The new structure had a rectangular shape measuring 280 x 100 m with three internal courtyards divided by rows of trees, the king wanted here a private residence to live with his morganatic wife, Rosa Vercellana. An apartment was built for her family by Domenico Ferri, in 1861 the structure was expanded with the Castle of the Lakes, a neo-Gothic wing and a fountain of a sea horse fighting a triton by Vincenzo Vela. All the edifices, similarly to the Palazzo Carignano in Turin, are in brickwork, in the late 19th century La Mandria and its buildings were sold to the Medici del Vascello family. After World War II, a testing track owned by FIAT, a golf court and it became a regional estate in 1976. Francesco Pernice, ed. LAppartamento di Vittorio Emanuele II
La Mandria Regional Park
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The
Ceronda torrent at the entrance of the park.
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Palace of Venaria
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The Palace of Venaria is a former royal residence located in Venaria Reale, near Turin, in Piedmont, northern Italy. It is one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy, the name itself derives from Latin, Venatio Regia meaning Royal Hunt. Charles Emmanuel was inspired by the example of the Castle of Mirafiori, the place was rechristened Venaria for his future function as hunting base. The design was commissioned from architects Amedeo di Castellamonte and Michelangelo Garove, the plan of the annexed borough was to symbolize the collar symbol of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation, a dynastic order created by the House of Savoy. In 1675 the borough and the palace were completed, including the so-called Reggia di Diana (Royal Residence of Diana. Further damage was inflicted during the Siege of Turin, when the French troops under Louis dAubusson de La Feuillade were billeted there, after the Savoyard victory, Victor Amadeus named Filippo Juvarra as director of the works. It was here that during the reign of Charles Emmanuel III that his wife died giving birth to son. The structure was used after. During the Napoleonic domination, the structures were turned into barracks, the complex maintained this role also after the fall of Napoleon, and was used by the Italian Army until 1978, when it was sold to the Ministry of Culture. Restoration works were begun, but most of the complex was open for tourism from 13 October 2007, the entrance of the palace leads into the Cour dhonneur, which once housed a fountain with a deer. The main facade, covered in the 17th century section with plaster and featuring cornucopias, shells, the original gardens of the residence are now totally disappeared, since French troops turned them into training grounds. Recent works have recreated a park in modern style, exhibiting works by Giuseppe Penone. After the death of Garove, Juvarra built the Grand Gallery and in built a church dedicated to St. Hubertus. The church is included within the palaces structure, so that it was impossible to build a dome. Other works of the Juvarra period included the stables, the citroneria, ambienti e Figure di Torino Vecchia. Lux – a 2012 album by Brian Eno which was initially a soundtrack for the Grand Gallery Official website A. V. T. A
Palace of Venaria
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View of the Palace.
Palace of Venaria
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The Belvedere and the Garove Pavilion.
Palace of Venaria
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Galleria Grande (erroneously known as "Diana's Gallery")
Palace of Venaria
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Church of Sant'Uberto, with the royal palace on the left
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Province of Cuneo
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Cuneo or Coni is a province in the southwest of the Piedmont region of Italy. To the west it borders on the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur, to the north it borders on the province of Turin. To the east it borders on the province of Asti, to the south it borders on the Ligurian provinces of Savona and Imperia. It is also known as the Provincia Granda, the big province, because it is the third largest province in Italy, briga Marittima and Tenda were part of this province before cession to France in 1947. Its capital is the city of Cuneo, communes of the province of Cuneo Piemonte Bole, David. Innovative policies for Alpine towns, Alpine space small local urban centres innovative pack, losing Paradise, The Water Crisis in the Mediterranean. Earth Repair, A Transatlantic History of Environmental Restoration, the Aging Population and the Competitiveness of Cities, Benefits to the Urban Economy
Province of Cuneo
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Map highlighting the location of the province of Cuneo in Italy
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Pollentia
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Pollentia, known today as Pollenzo, was an ancient city on the left bank of the Tanaro. It is now a frazione of Bra in the Province of Cuneo, Piedmont, during the Antiquity Pollentia belonged to the Ligurian Statielli, Augusta Bagiennorum being 16 km to the south. Its position on the road from Augusta Taurinorum to the coast at Vada Sabatia, decimus Brutus managed to occupy it an hour before Mark Antony in 43 BC. Here Stilicho on April 6,402 fought the Battle of Pollentia with Alaric I, the place was famous for its brown wool and pottery. Today it is home to the University of Gastronomic Sciences which offers undergraduate, graduate and masters programs focused on gastronomy and food tourism. Pollentia, la Pollenzo romana, from the website of the Commune of Bra, gives a history of Pollentia. This article incorporates text from a now in the public domain, Chisholm, Hugh
Pollentia
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Church of San Vittore at Pollenzo.
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Castle of Racconigi
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The Royal Castle of Racconigi is a palace and landscape park in Racconigi, province of Cuneo, Italy. It was the residence of the Carignano line of the House of Savoy. The first records of the castle are from around the year 1000, the castle was a possession of the margraves of Saluzzo and others starting in the 13th century, and in the 16th century was acquired by the House of Savoy. In 1630, Duke Charles Emmanuel I granted it to his nephew Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano, at this time, the castle was a high brick moated fortress with a square plan, four corner towers and a tall donjon on one side. Emanuele Filiberto, Prince of Carignano, Tommasos son, in the late 17th century, the architect erected the current central section where the court was, adding a pagoda-like roof. The two northern towers were replaced by pavilions with dome roof and square plan, provided with white marble lanterns, Charles Albert, a Carignano who eventually became King of Sardinia, further enlarged and embellished the castle to represent the splendour of the newly acquired reign. Here the last King of Italy, Umberto II, was born in 1904, having received the castle as a wedding present in 1930, he proceeded to install in it the family gallery of some 3,000 paintings and historical documents regarding the Shroud of Turin. Emmanuel Philibert created a magnificent wide park in the jardin à la française style that opens for the castles northwards view and it was designed by the renowned 17th century French landscape architect André Le Notre, known for designing the gardens of Versailles radiating from Château de Versailles. A Russian dacha, built to honour tsar Nicholas II of Russias visit to Piedmont in order to sign the Racconigi Bargain, was created in the landscape park. Italian Renaissance garden Giardino allitaliana List of gardens in Italy Grandi Giardini Italiani Official Castle of Racconigi website
Castle of Racconigi
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The northern façade of the castle.
Castle of Racconigi
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Park with the big lake
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