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Category Archives: architecture

Day Out at Trerice

Trerice, an Elizabethan manor house, was the lovely place we met our friends for a delightful reunion after first meeting on our holiday in Tuscany last May. It was just a continuation of the special time we all spent together in Italy, today strolling around the house and garden with no let up in the conversation and enjoying lunch together in the barn. Enjoy the gallery.

Trerice Manor House

Love this window

Such old glass

A grotesque

Just imagine the horrid mess!

Bee house

Bee house info

Lion

Feather – whose?

Cornish chough, emblem of the Home Guard

Beautiful doorstop

8 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on September 11, 2024 in architecture, Cornwall, environment, friendship, glass, Happiness, Postaday 2024

Tags: 16th century glass

Another Day Out

03 Jun

We took our friends over the King Harry Ferry today to enjoy The Roseland. We strolled around St Mawes enjoing the warmth, the sea, the delightful streets and the wonderful views. On the way back to the ferry, we stopped off to see the beautifully placed St Just Church. Click on any photo in the gallery for the caption and a bigger view.

St Just Church

Heron on the shoreline as the ferry prpares to unload the cars

Looking out from St Mawes

View from inside the church

The main door

The Church, pillars and organ

Heron kneeler

View kneeler

Owl kneeler

Another beautifully decorated doorway

View from the grounds

On the ferry approaching home

And for dinner tonight we went up to Carn Brea Castle and had a very special evening.

It is thought that Carn Brea Castle was first built around 1379 AD as a chapel to St. Michael. Around 1790 the building was converted into a castle folly by the Basset Family who once owned the hill as part of their Tehidy Estate.

3 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on June 3, 2024 in architecture, Carn Brea, Cornwall, environment, Food, friendship, nature, Postaday 2024, St Mawes, Uncategorized

Tags: carn brea castle

Knobs and Knockers

31 May

Most of these were taken in Pistoia but odd ones we found in Siena. They pleased me with their variety, their lovely shapes, the wooden doors and the humour. Click on any photo to see the detail.

In San Gimignano

In Siena

3 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on May 31, 2024 in architecture, art, Beauty, blacksmith metalwork, environment, Humour, Italy, Postaday 2024, travel, Uncategorized

Tags: Pistoia, Siena

San Gimignano

21 May

From this point onwards the sun shone!
Most of our journeys from Montecatini Terme were by train, this one was a coach trip to the “City of the Beautiful Towers’ and it was very beautiful.We visited the Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta, the duomo, and were blown away by the lovely frescoes, the painted ceilings, the stained glass. The views from the hill top town were lovely too. We also visited a delightful museum and had dinner at a vineyard – more of that another day.

gatewy to San Gimignano

Lucca in the Rain

15 May

Another deluge, this time in lovely Lucca, so much that we were all wet through so after a very good lunch, we went for an earlier train back to Montecatini Terme. The sun shone on us there so we explored some more.

I love how the patterns look like a suit jacket.

Duomo San Martino

Rain

A few moments after I took this photo, the large ‘balloon’ broke away from its moorings and barreled away down the street.

Lovely side street

Chiesa San Michele

Rainbow bench

After a very good lunch, emerging into the rain

Abandoning his busking spot

On the Basilica San Frediano

Window near the medicinal/edible plants

Plants with medicinal or edible qualities

11 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on May 15, 2024 in architecture, environment, Italy, nature, Postaday 2024, travel, Uncategorized

Tags: Basilica San Frediano, Chiesa San Michele, Duomo Sa Martino

Florence in the Rain

14 May

The heavens opened as we left our hotel, boarded the train and visited Florence, along with thousands of others as we visited on a bank holiday, it being May Day! We were taken around by a guide who filled us with information, most of which I promptly forgot. Dodging the puddles meant looking up to see the beauty in Florence was quite hard but we had fun anyway.
I had a mission for the day – to buy myself a red purse with Firenze on it. Many years ago when I was about 17, my Daddy had been on a school trip with his pupils and he brought me home a lovely red purse from Florence. Sadly, I left it in a phone box and though I returned within minutes, it had gone. Now, 70 years later, I have another.

Umbrellas in the crowds

Santa Maria Novella

Baptistry

Gates of Paradise, Baptistry

Dragon in Florence

Statue in the rain

The San Lorenzo market stall where I bought my purse

Beautiful coffee and ice cream shop we sheltered in

Wedding couple – in the rain

In a brief respite from the rain, with calm waters, the Ponte Vecchio

2 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on May 14, 2024 in architecture, blacksmith metalwork, environment, Italy, Postaday 2024, sculpture, travel, Wedding

Tags: Baptistry, Gates of Paradise, Ponte Vecchio, Santa Maria Novella

A First Taste of Tuscany

13 May

We took the train to Tuscany – well, several trains! After three days by train and two overnight stays – Redruth to St Pancras, St Pancras to Chambéry and finally Chambéry to Montecatini Terme where we stayed for the next eight nights and a first day of exploration and adventures.
Montecatini Terme is a spa town with a beautiful park and a wonderful old spa building, Terme Tettucio where we spent the morning with new friends.
We then went up the delightful funicular to the old hilltop village of Montecatini Alto, found a lovely place to have lunch and enjoyed the architecture and the very extensive views. Enjoy the gallery and click on any photo for a bigger picture.

Gateway

Entrance

Fountain

Waters for the drinking

The funicular

Square

Colours

The café where we had lunch (more of that in another post)

Café Giusti

The view

2 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on May 13, 2024 in architecture, environment, friendship, Italy, Postaday 2024, travel

Tags: Great Rail Journeys, Montecatini Terme

St Day Old Church

25 Apr

Join us on our lovely stroll around St Day Old Church admiring the many wild flowers, English Bluebells, Three Cornered Leek, Primroses and Buttercups.

3 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on April 25, 2024 in architecture, Cornwall, environment, flowers, nature, Postaday 2024, Uncategorized

Tags: wildflowers

Full Moon, Stonework and Border

24 Apr

Last night’s full moon, the Pink Moon, called pink as this is the season of much pink blossom, came on a clear night, much to my delight. I do love seeing the full moon.

In Truro today for some quick shopping, the sun was shining on the front of the cathedral and lighting up all the glorious stonework.

The Forget-me-not border has some white Bluebells popping up and they look lovely.

2 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on April 24, 2024 in architecture, Cornwall, flowers, garden, nature, Postaday 2024, Truro

Tags: pink moon, Truro Cathedral

Moons, Birds and Flowers

28 Nov

The full Beaver Moon was there high in the pink dawning sky as we drew back the curtains this morning and then again, this evening in the dark – just gorgeous.