No, this picture is not in the USA but here, in Concordia Sagittaria! These road signs are on the corner of the street where the pizzeria Sacco Vanzetti is.

Ducklings

Young ducklings in a small canal in the centre of Portogruaro, always swimming in a perfect straight queue and gathering in a circle when they stop.

June garden (II)

After yesterday's tomatoes, here are the zucchini growing fast (we already ate them: delicious!).

June garden (I)

Here we are, at his point. Grandpa's garden has a lot of vegetables growing, not yet ripe, but hopefully with some sun these tomatoes will turn red.

Art exhibit

The fourth and fofth graders of our elementary school made an art exhibit of their paintings. It was very interesting.

Family biking

Biking in the countryside: one of our favourite pastime during the weekend!

Sports meeting

Mini-basketball meeting for my son, in the town's sports hall. Young athletes, ranging from 5 to 7 years old, played small basketball matches having lots of fun!

Will it last?

A graffiti on a wall declaring true love...wonder if it still is so!

Shopping carts

This is a normal sight here: in order to get a shopping cart outside of the supermarket, you must insert a coin as a depot. This is thought to prevent shopping cart thefts or shopping carts brought away too far from the entrance.

Is this a common system in you country too?

Reflections

This is one of my favourite spots in town. Along the river, the different colored houses reflect in the quiet river, on a windless day. Peaceful.

A nice spot

A nice spot along the river Lèmene, on one side a tree full of spring blossoms, on the other side of the waterway an old farm house.

It used to be a cinema...

...and now it is a bank!

Spring fair

Today "from dawn till dusk" Concordia will be full of plants and flowers and stalls selling all kinds of interesting things: it's the annual Spring Fair that always takes place the first Sunday in April. Pictures of the fair coming up soon!

Kindergarden

I finally remembered to bring my camera when fetching my son from school: today a picture (actually a panorama made by three pictures) of his classroom!

Theme Day: Edges

Wild grass and flowers growing at the edge of an old wall.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

A walk along the river

This morning I took a walk along the river Lemene. The small road first and path then, along the river is one of my favourite places in my town. This is one of the many beautiful spots along the way.

Madonna della Tavella

In via Alte, a small church called Madonna della Tavella (XIV-XVII centuries), dedicated to the Madonna of the farmed lands.

Sitting in the olive tree

Some years ago a famous song said

I'm turning my head up and down
I'm turning turning turning turning turning around
And all that I can see is just a yellow lemon-tree

...it came back in my mind when I saw Miki - my neighbor's cat - sitting in the olive tree...

Spring has come!

A wonderful camelia tree I saw taking a walk in the mild spring sun!

Certainly a music lover

Certainly here lives a music lover: the balcony's handrail is made of two pentagrams full of musical notes!

A picture to remember a man

Today in Concordia Sagittaria is a mourning day: last Friday, the parson, also said monsignore, suddenly died, leaving the community, religious and not, astonished. I remember seeing him almost every day, moving in the town by bike, going to visit elder people and accomplishing his duty. Today the funeral.

I want to remember him witha happy picture: 5 years ago, the Baptism of my son Leonardo.

Celebrating the 150th birthday of Italy (I)

Tomorrow schools and offices will be closed for an extraordinary day of vacation to celebrate the 150th birthday of the Italian state. Today in many schools, children sing the national anthem and wear a little flag. I just came back from my daughter's school (a primary elementary school) where I listened to children beautifully singing and playing instruments, with the school's principal and the town's major attending the celebration.

Thermae Concordiae

This is the one of the two sites where the Roman baths were found. Probably built at the end of the II century a.C and discovered almost completely in 1981. Work is in progress on the site because there are still some rooms with unknown function.

You can read more about this site here.

Theme Day: your favorite part of town

My favorite part of the town is anyplace you can walk or sit by the river. Watching the water flow slowly is a very peaceful sight and let my thoughts flow with it. This picture shows both the river, I love, and the quite new path made along the river, where you can stroll on foot or by bike.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

The Aristocats

Again, a picture taken yesterday at the Carnival parade: the Aristocats!

Carnival

Today the traditional Carnival parade, each neighborhood builds its own carnival float and challenges the other contenders for the first prize. This year the themes brought up by the neighborhoods were: Flower Power (in the picture), the Aristocats, Lavazza Carmencita (about caffettiere, coffee pots), Popeye the Sailor Man and Mary Poppins....I don't know who won, but tomorrow I will!

Pencil sharpener

We visited a small exhibit of instruments and equipment used in the old days in Concordia. This a pencil sharpener, looks very modern!

Freshly made salame

Freshly made salame ready for customers to buy and eat. School children went during the weektime to see how salame is made and got a coupon for getting one on Sunday. So we took a walk downtown and fetched our salame! (It was very very good!)

Tradition and modernity

Tradition and modernity in Venezia: traditional gondolas waiting for tourists and a modern ferry boat leaving for Crete in the background.

Yes, Venezia!

Yes, the answer to yesterday's question is: we went to Venezia. We are lucky enough to live about 60 km from one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and now and then we take the train (one hour ride) and go to Venezia for a walk.

Today's picture is one of the paintings above the doors entering the San Marco Cathedral, with bright colors and lots of gold!

And where is this?

Again, columns and a covered place to walk. Guess where have we been for a walk? (tomorrow the solution!)

Winter seaside

The seaside is very beautiful in winter, maybe even more than in summer. You walk, lonely, on the packed cold sand and see nothing around you, except seagulls and branches the sea brings on the beach.

Let's walk!

Again, a covered walk in Portogruaro (already showed you some shots here and here), this one near the University.

Young woman's wishes

I noticed that when we take a walk downtown Portogruaro, my almost 8-year-old daughter likes more and more to stop in front every jewelry and...dream. This young girl is growing fast!

Walking

I already showed you the covered walks in Portogruaro (that is the closest town to Concordia Sagittaria, only 3 km away). In this picture, the older part of the town, not yet renewed.

Reaching the sky

We finally had some sunny cold days, it has been a big relief after all the fog. Ok, the sunny days are already over and we're back into the fog...but I take a look at my sunny pictures and feel better!

Handmade sign

Almost a threatening sign: handmade, I found it on a countryside road and it says

Speed is the way to the cemetary. Have a nice trip!

Colors

The Oratorio di Santo Stefano is where kids can reunite to play basketball, talk, have fun together (it's property of the Parish). Last summer one of the activities that teenagers did was to color brightly the dull gray cement walls.

Via San Pietro

Via San Pietro, or Saint Peter Street: the street that goes from the Cathedral to the cemetary, the other main street together with via Claudia.

Ready to go home

It's 4 PM and it's time to go home. School bus is waiting outside the "Carducci" elementary school, ready to bring some kids to destination. For the others, moms, dads and granparents are waiting the school bell to ring.

Advertisement

This is an advertsiment for English language lessons and it says "Do you want an English tongue?": in Italian, for "tongue" and "language" we use the same word, lingua.

Countryside

Winter is slowly rolling by and we experience daylight longer and longer. Pawns are now starting to prepare the fields for seeds. In the background, the Monte Cavallo, full of snow.

The fishmonger

Today a cross-over post with my other blog I Cinque Creativi (the five creative artists). This is a drawing my 5 year old son made after visiting the local fishmonger with his kindergarden class.

Via Claudia

Concordia Sagittaria has two major roads crossing its center: one of them is via Claudia. Via Claudia comes in from Portogruaro at the right side of river Lemene and has some pretty shops and a beauty parlor. This picture has been shot approaching the center of the town.

Red twin cars

Telecom Italia used to be the only Italian telephone company. Its monopoly ended about in 1998 when by law, other telephone companies could be chosen for home telephone lines. For some years however, Telecom still owned the phisycal lines, so you ended up paying your own telephone company PLUS a fixed tax to Telecom Italia. Also this came to and end. Right now, there are many different telephone companies and when you choose them, you can also choose to dismiss totally Telecom Italia and pay only one company.

These are Telecom Italia cars...becoming rarer and rarer. These two, parked together at noon near a pizzeria are a clear sign of..lunch time!

Only clothes, bags and shoes

CARITAS is the main charity organization in Italy. It is sponsored by the Catholic Church and organizes many different activities to sustain those who are in need. Caritas also collects used clothes, bags and shoes in these brilliant yellow containers that you see now and then around in all towns and cities.

Water, again

This is another picture of the fountain I showed you yesterday here. I shot lots of pictures that day, I really liked the water fell on the stones.

Theme Day: Fountains

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

The newest and modern fountain in Concordia.

Fog

Fog. This is a foggy winter, not too cold, but with often a dull grey sky.

Typical parking sign

Typical sign that indicates when and how you can park in this place. In this case, from Monday to Saturday from 8 AM to 8 PM, you must show at what time you have arrived with your parking disc and you may stay only 30 minutes. It is free (costless). On Sunday, no rules and you can park how long you want to!