Tuesday,
September 26, 2006
The
ANNOTICO Report
Oh, another
gem that I missed. The List grows, and I always felt I had "covered"
Italy SO Well!! :)
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Reading
Eagle
September
26, 2006
Look at a
map of the Adriatic Sea and you will notice, at the northern flap of the
entrance to the
Find that dot. Go to that
resort town. It is truly a gem of the
Grado's past is peppered with Caesar's
legions, Attila's hordes, the Huns, the Ottomans, the Byzantines, the Lombards, the Franks and the earliest Christians.
Its present is spiced by a sunswept climate, shallow sand seabed beaches, a wide
selection of hotels, a century-old marine thermal bath spa built by Austrian
Emperor Franz Joseph, a seaside golf course, busy marinas and a variety of
water and land tours.
Called the Isle of
Sun, Grado is actually connected by causeways to
the mainland. The heart of town is a web of narrow streets now reserved
exclusively for pedestrians. Its historical highlights include the stabilized
ruins of the Castrum, or Roman fortifications; the
Basilica of S. Maria delle Grazie, one of the earliest Christian churches in
the world; and scenes that seem to leap from paintings of
Wine bars, restaurants, and
bakeries are in abundance. Each of the many campielli,
or small squares, is lined with trattorias and cafes.
Dramatic lighting in the pedestrian quarter gives it a romantic glow after
dark, and after the sun sets, local theater groups present traditional open-air
musicals with a backdrop of rugged stone and stucco homes and apartments.
Grado's beaches are divided into two zones.
The private strand, dotted with colorful bathers' huts and beach umbrellas, is
open only to hotel guests. On the other end of town is the public beach, open
to all.
Collectively, Grado's beaches have consistently earned prestigious
Blue Flags of excellence and were recently awarded the
More information: www.gradoit.it.
The
ANNOTICO Reports
Can
be Viewed, and are Archived at:
Italia
Italia Mia: http://www.ItaliaMia.com
Annotico
Email: annotico@earthlink.net