Our Balade In Bellinzona

Posted on August 15, 2012 by Schwingen In Switzerland

Bellinzona would be epic (and possibly ruined) if it were located on a lake. Instead, it is strategically located at the confluence mountain passes and near others (Nufenen, St. Gotthard, Lukmanier, San Bernardino and the Poebene). At one time, it was the capital of the region.

Bellinzona’s Old Town is graceful and enchanting. It has beautiful, ornate merchants’ houses, stone gateways, wrought iron balconies and peaceful courtyards. It is car free. If you ignore the other tourists strolling the alleyways, it is easy to transport yourself to a bygone era.

It’s not glitzy, but its richly decorated patrician houses, beautiful churches and charming streets are relaxing and seductive. You can literally feel your blood pressure drop. Walking the streets, you want to stop, enjoy the atmosphere and take in all the colorful details.

This peacefulness is ironic. Bellinzona doesn’t derive its name from its beauty (Belle or Bella), but from “zone bellica” which translates into “war zone.” The main evidence of the city’s turbulent past are its castles and fortifications which are just outside the old town.

Fribourg’s Wrought Iron Signs With Icons (schwingeninswitzerland.wordpress.com)
Bellinzona’s Strategic Location (schwingeninswitzerland.wordpress.com)
We Had Fun Storming Bellinzona’s Castles (schwingeninswitzerland.wordpress.com)

Everyone Loves St.-Paul-de-Vence

Posted on May 30, 2012 by Schwingen In Switzerland

St.-Paul-de-Vence has been discovered. Around 2.5 million people visit the tiny, 16th century medieval hilltop village each year. It is filled with art galleries, boutiques and cafes. The picturesque walk along the Rue Grande (aka Main Street) from Vence Gate to the Nice Gate, is way more beautiful and much more enjoyable than any shopping mall. Tourists love to photograph magnificent old medieval and baroque facades for good reason. It is beautiful. Scenic and charming, it is hard to take a bad picture here (unless other tourists photo-bomb you).

We found ourselves ducking into side streets and back alleys to avoid the hoards of tour bus passengers and students on field trips gushing down the streets like a lava stream. St.-Paul-de-Vence is quaint and its backstreets are enchanting. These who only shop the main drag are missing out.

I loved the potted plants outside doors, vine-covered stone walls, weathered squares, trickling fountains, narrow alleys, statues tucked into nooks, wrought iron gates, intricate door knockers and delicately worked wrought-iron shop signs . It seemed as though there were adorable details everywhere I looked. For example, the sidewalk stones are laid in patterns. I’m just lucky to keep my floor relatively clean, forget about tiling flowers into it.

St.-Paul-de-Vence is built on a natural defensible spot, a rock outcropping in the Alps Maritimes on the Cote d’Azur. French king Francis 1st made it a stronghold and ordered the construction of massive defensive walls. Good call Frankie. I wouldn’t want to lose this town to the enemy either. Paul’s medieval fortress walls surround the town and are some of the most intact in the region. We walked the perimeter taking in the breathtaking views of mountains and sea.

Yep. That’s the Mediterranean in the distance

The cemetery is just outside the city walls on the Mediterranean side. The painter, Mark Chagall, is buried in the Saint Paul-de-Vence cemetery. His simple white tomb has small stones on top. They are added by visitors as tributes pursuant to both Russian and Jewish tradition.

In case you were wondering, St.-Paul-de-Vence is also known as St. Paul. Since there are a lot of other towns named St. Paul in France, it is typically referred to as the one by Vence.

Take It Eze-y, The Cote D’Azur Town Of Eze (schwingeninswitzerland.wordpress.com)
We Took The High Road – La Grande Corniche (schwingeninswitzerland.wordpress.com)

Fribourg’s Wrought Iron Signs With Icons

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Schwingen In Switzerland

I visited Fribourg. It is a charming, medieval town. Wonderful old details have been preserved and in the historic quarters many new additions are consistent with the traditional surroundings. Before streets were numbered, buildings and businesses were identified by symbols carved into the buildings or signs hanging from them. Walking through the streets, I noticed many hanging wrought iron signs with icons over shops, cafes, hotels, restaurants and other businesses.

Such signs were hugely popular in the 16^th and 17^th centuries. Their purpose was to attract the public; they were a sort of advertising. As a result, they were often artistic and elaborate. Even the metal posts from which they hung were elaborately worked. They functioned not only to identify the business and as advertisement, but also as landmarks for directional information before street names and building numbers.

Over time, certain symbols became common on signs as a sort of code to help the illiterate public identify the nature of the business inside. They include:

Bible = Bookseller
Civet Cat = Perfumer
Key = Locksmith
Mortar & Pestle = Apothecary
Red & White Striped Pole = Barber (the red stripe signifies the bloodletting they preformed)
Shoe = Shoemaker
Sugar Loaf = Grocer
Three Golden Balls = Pawn Broker (this became the symbol of the Medici family)
Eagle on a bolt of cloth = Merchants, finishers and dyers of foreign cloth
Lambs = Wool manufacturers and merchants
Alehouse = traditional garland of leaves or hops

Eventually, increased travel led to competition. To differentiate themselves from their competition, signs began bearing the name of the business and a representative symbol for illiterate customers. Over time, the sizes and heights became more or less standardized to keep those on horseback from banging their noggin. While these types of signs were common in Europe, different areas enacted different rules governing their size and height.

I chuckled at some of the more modern twists on the signs. WC means water closet. This sign marks the entrance to public toilets.

Even Starbucks got themselves one.

I have to admit, they are a bit more charming (if less hypnotizing) than the giant neon signs that are so prevalent in the US. Looking for pictures of them made me a bit homesick, but not hungry.