Belriguardo Castle near Ferrara Italy

Renaissance Art  Archeology History and Regional Cuisine

Belriguardo Castle gets its name from a fifteenth century poet, so impressed with its beauty, that he exclaimed that he planned on bel riguardare, keep looking at it and admiring it!

It was built in 1435. At that time it had some of the characteristics of a castle - tower, battlements, drawbridge and a moat. However, all these elements had more of a decorative and less of a defensive function: in front of the tower there is a porch, behind the battlements there were no walk ways for the soldiers, along with many fixed bridges.

In practice, Belriguardo was a medieval castle turned into a Renaissance villa designed along the lines of a Greek one: the first courtyard had porticoes on three sides, with the second on all four sides. It was built as the summer residence of the Este family, rulers of nearby Ferrara from the 13^th century until 1598. In fact, Belriguardo can be considered the first summer residence of a European ruling family; a precursor of Versailles for the French monarchy, Venaria for the Savoy dynasty, the Quirinale and Castel Gandolfo for the popes, the Tsars’ palaces and the Caserta royal palace for the Bourbon kings of Naples.

With as many as 360 frescoed halls, on one occasion Belriguardo hosted simultaneously the courts of Ferrara, Bologna, Milan and Mantua; at least two thousand people could eat and sleep at court and its stables could hold 800 horses. The Este family entertained its guests with naval battles in the fishpond.

Inside this UNESCO protected property, one can admire the Sala della Vigna (1536), built by Duke Ercole II, son of Lucrezia Borgia, as well as many 16^th century frescoes by the Dossi brothers, Benvenuto Tisi and Girolamo da Carpi. The floor is one of the few orginals from this period.

Arts and Cooking Classes

The Civic Museum of Belriguardo is based in the castle and its archeological section includes the original wooden beams, known as composite beams, each in turn formed by seven smaller ones interlocked without the use of nails. Their design originates from a Leonardo Da Vinci drawing.

The Archaeological section contains finds from the Etruscan (IV-III century BC), Roman (I-III century AD) and Byzantine (VI-VII century AD) periods.  Some of the Roman period items are considered by researchers of great interest and a few are even unique in the world.

Belriguardo Castle is an excellent starting point for a visit to Ferrara and surrounding areas, one of the cradles of the Italian Renaissance. Nearby, you can taste the regional cuisine, considered the best in Italy.

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Philadelphia the Brandywine Valley and Wilmington Delaware

Cultural Itineraries Sustainability Wine Ale and Water Trails

Water Trails and Sustainability

In Philadelphia, the waterfront is now a walking and biking destination which covers 6 miles. Trail features include streetscape improvements along the entire waterfront trail, a bi-directional bikeway, pedestrian walkway and rain gardens that will collect the first inch of storm water, relieving the city sewer system during major weather events, as well as benches and bike racks, decorative street pavers, and innovative solar trail lighting read more

The Christina Riverfront is one of many reasons for making Wilmington your home away from home while exploring the Delaware culture trail; cruise in a water taxis or stroll the landscaped Riverwalk. Wilmington was the "last stop to freedom" on the Underground Railroad; the Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park is named for Underground Railroad Conductor Harriett Tubman and Stationmaster Thomas Garrett. The Riverfront Market offers delicious specialty foods, fresh produce, flowers and much more from a variety of vendors. And: shopping, dining and entertainment are tax free here!

Brandywine Creek is a tributary of the Christina River in southeastern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware. The 20.4 mile Lower Brandywine is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River with several tributary streams.

Development & Conservancy Issues In the 1960s, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania in historic Brandywine Valley, faced a possible massive industrial development that would impact a largely rural community.  Also, development plans in floodplain areas threatened to devastate water supplies for numerous communities in southeastern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware. A group of local residents bought endangered land and founded the Brandywine Conservancy in 1967.  The first conservation easements, protecting more than five and one-half miles along the Brandywine, were granted in 1969. In 1971, the Conservancy opened a museum in the renovated Hoffman’s Mill, a former gristmill built in 1864, part of the Conservancy’s first preservation efforts.  It contains an unparalleled collection of American art with emphasis on the art of the Brandywine region, illustration, still life and landscape painting, and the work of the Wyeth family. read more

TEMA’s Professional Enrichment Tours focus suburban sprawl, declining water quality, diminishing water supplies, vanishing agricultural land, loss of historic character, wildlife habitat degradation, and threatened biological resources. Learn to:

Protect and conserve land and water, natural, cultural and scenic resources;

Create and strengthen local government efforts that support resource conservation;

Improve site planning and design to support resource conservation;

Plan and conserve of natural and cultural resources;

Enhance awareness and knowledge of conservation approaches.

If you are in local government, are a developer, landowner or in business and are interested in expanding your skills in these areas, please contact us for a no obligation travel and/or training plan.

Wine and Ale Trails

Some of Pennsylvania’s vineyards are at the highest elevation east of the Rocky Mountains, while others are in the river valleys of the southeast corner of the state and is one of the top grape-growing states and consistently ranks in the top 10 for wine production, including whites - Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris and Vidal Blanc – and reds - Cabernet Sauvingon, Pinot Noir and Chambourcin.

Philadelphia Wine Country The southeast corner of Pennsylvania is known as the Philadelphia Countryside Region. It stretches from Philadelphia to the north, west and southwest with scenery filled with rich, lush farmland and river valleys. Three wine trails are located in this region:

Montgomery County - three wineries between Philadelphia and Allentown

Bucks County and its nine wineries

Brandywine - west and south of historic Philadelphia and the Amish countryside, with eight wineries within a 50 mile radius.

The Brandywine Valley is Home to several Craft Breweries that have gained significant popularity in recent years, due to a receptive craft-brewing culture. Also, water from the Brandywine Valley is

chlorine and fluoride free, and abundant with minerals that leave the beer with a refreshing taste.

Following the Colonial tradition, the beer is un-pasteurized and unfiltered with four ingredients: water, whole flour hops, grains, and cultured brewer yeast. It is also canned sustainably with recyclable aluminum.

Delaware Wine Trail The local climate benefits from the moderating effects of Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Inland, the state becomes quite rural and agriculturally based, particularly in the south. Grape-growing and wine production consists of three wineries, with adjacent vineyards growing Merlot, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Cultural Itineraries

Wilmington is strategically positioned to reach other points of interest in the middle Atlantic region of the United States. Located midway between New York City and Washington, D.C., this city is 30 minutes from Philadelphia, 90 minutes to downtown Baltimore, MD, 60 minutes from Lancaster, South Central Pennsylvania and Amish Country, less than 2 hours away from Delaware's Atlantic Ocean beaches.

Originally founded by the Swedes and Finns in 1638, and later acquired by the Dutch in 1655 and the British in 1739, today Wilmington offers a rich performing arts scene including theater, symphony, opera, ballet, rock, jazz, folk and family entertainment. It is also home to many celebrated ethnic events, music festivals and special performances at local wineries and breweries.

The Delaware History Museum located in a renovated art-deco Woolworth store in the historic district, features three galleries of changing interactive exhibits on Delaware history, including displays of rare items of everyday life, costumes, children's toys, regional decorative arts, and paintings.

Old Town Hall Built in 1798-1800, it functioned as a center of political and social activities in Wilmington's mercantile-milling economy. Today it is owned by the Delaware Historical Society and is used for exhibitions and special events read more

 

Planning Your Trip assumes uniquely local dimensions wherever you go; the activities that you, the visitor – local, or global –  select and irrespective of the length of your stay, are unique of the community you are visiting and rooted into the local economy, history and traditions.

TEMA develops personalized travel itineraries based on client interests by leveraging an in-depth knowledge of your destination, superior client service in the planning stages and throughout the trip or event as well as logistics expertise to reduce accommodations andtransport costs and transfer times.

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Connect with Tema

for Itineraries in Philadelphia the Brandywine Valley and Delaware

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