Valerio Minato's photo that won the Astronomy Picture of the Day Contest by NASA on December 25th, 2023.
In the picture: the moon, the Monviso Mount and the Basilica of Superga (on the Superga hill) outside Turin are all aligned. it took him 6 years to take this shot (and I take it as an example to never give up on your dreams).
Statue of Pope Urbano VIII Barberini Pontifici Optimo Maximo (by Gian Lorenzo Bernini) in Capitoline Museum, Rome, Italy. He was the 235th pope, ruling from 1623 to the time of his death in 1644 at the age of 76.
Una serata stupenda per tornare a un rito cui ero mancata nelle ultime edizioni (oltre ai due anni di chiusure covid). C'erano più di centomila persone. Ed è stato bello 💞💞💞 ascoltare voci amiche che incrociandoti di nuovo dopo tanto tempo ti dicono con l'inflessione del dialetto: "Te sei uguale".
Lo scrittore tedesco Rudolf Borchardt, originario di Königsberg, diceva che Pisa era un impero delle vele diverso da tutti gli altri. È vero, quest'anima in alcuni momenti si sente ancora.
Grazie, Pisa, per la bellezza, la poesia e il dono dell'arte che generosamente mi hai offerto.
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A wonderful evening to return to a ritual that I had missed in the last few editions (in addition to the two years of covid closures). There were more than a hundred thousand people. And it was nice 💞💞💞 listening to friendly voices that crossing you again after a long time tell you with the inflection of the dialect: "You are the same". The German writer Rudolf Borchardt, originally from Königsberg, said that Pisa was a sailing empire different from all the others. True, this soul is still felt at some moments. Thank you, Pisa, for the beauty, the poetry and the gift of art that you have generously offered me.
Tuscany Italy, near the city of Pienza (Val d'Orcia)
The Tuscan Dream: clouds and sun shaping patchen of licht and dark as the wind plays with the tall grassen on the Tuscan hills. To soar like a bird and let it all come in.