where eclecticnessicity abounds.
Sophie and I went to Tynemouth today, and visited the rather wonderful ruins of Tynemouth Priory & Castle. located on a rocky headland (known as Pen Bal Crag), overlooking Tynemouth Pier. The moated castle-towers, gatehouse and keep are combined with the ruins of the Benedictine Priory where early kings of Northumberland were buried. The sun was out and it was great to breath in 2000 years of history. This is just a bit of the site, more to come on the Universe blog, eventually.
The Medici Villa “La Ferdinanda” was commissioned by Ferdinand I (1549-1609) as a home to stay with their guests during the hunting within the Barco Reale, the vast reservoir created by Cosimo I.
The project was entrusted to Bernardo Buontalenti (1536 – 1608) and the building was completed in just four years, from 1596 to 1600.
Our hotel is part of the estate, and this is taken from the medieval village of Artimino, across the olive groves.
Phil was feeling a bit better today, so I finally got to go out with Sophie and Juan, whomst we call Mentat, which is his last name, but the one everyone uses for some unfathomable reason. 🙂 Sophie had shown him photo’s of castles we have visited and told him to pick one, and so off we went to Bamburgh Castle.
It was fab to get out and see the sea and take some photos. (This one’s for you Pete 🙂 )
Fraggle's Otherverse 