PORDENONE

26/07/08 Pordenone was founded in the High Middle Ages as a river port on the Noncello, with the name Portus Naonis. To be precise, the name comes from the Latin "Portus Naonis" meaning the port on the river Noncello (Latin Naon).
It is a cosy nice town with a nice historical centre, narrow little streets and very lively. It is an early morning but the coffee shops and bars are full of people. It goes without saying that I and my friends have to take a break and pamper ourselves with a cup of coffee and chocolate dessert which is the speciality of Pordenone:-)The dessert is even more tasty because I am in a very good company!After this we have to go on sightseeing...
To sum up, the sightseeing and shopping was great but the lunch was superb:-)Finally, I want to thank Stefania and her family for a warm and hospitable welcome in her town and a meaningful time spent there!

SISTIANA AND GRADO

19/07/08 Saturday. A beautiful sunny morning (nothing new to your ears, I guess:-)Today, instead of going to Sistiana, I decided to go to Grado. Grado is situated in the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia between Trieste and Venice, both easily reachable as other interesting cultural itineraries.
Grado stretches out the southern part of Gorizia Province, on an island between Grado Lagoon and the Adriatic Sea. In fact, there the Adriatic Sea floor is particularly flat and sandy. Grado is also called "the Island of the Sun". The main beach of Grado is considered one of the best-equipped in the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, winning awards year after year. It offers a wide choice of sports, games, organized tournaments and entertainment, including water-skiing, wind-surfing, beach-volleyball, and beach-soccer.

The historic centre of Grado is very cosy with its restaurants, bars, taverns and green decorative plants. A nice island ...but I prefer the sea and the beach in Sistiana. The bay of Sistiana, to my mind, is more beautiful, the water is transparent and the landscape is really spectacular. Diving in the sea you can see sea horses and oher sea creatures. If you rent a rubber dinghy or a canoe you can sail along a rocky coastline and enjoy impressive views. The coastline is definitely worth seeing.
It depends on your taste! I have to admit that people living in Gorizia are lucky ones, because they can choose both holiday places due to favorable geographical position. One weekend in Grado, another one in Sistiana...

UDINE

16/07/08 I don't want to repeat myself saying that the whole Italy is very beautiful. Wherever you go, you find something precious...Today I decided to visit Udine, the town that is in the middle of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, in a geographically privileged position, surrounded by hills, near both the sea and the mountains and not far from Austria and Slovenia. Beautiful, really beautiful town...lively, full of colours and smells. It is impossible to express the atmosphere of this town in a written form. So, let's enjoy it!

ASSEMBLY OF PARTNERS

30/07/08 Today we had the event so called the ASSEMBLY of PARTNERS that took place in the main office of MINERVA. During this event the results and achievements of Minerva were presented and social and ethics balance sheet was approved. The presentation of the president was very interesting and detailed. It is pleasant to know that Minerva is improving every year due to investment in innovation and full responsability in all levels of the sectors. After the presentation, despite a strong rain shower outside, we managed to enjoy the barbecue... People were relaxed, in a good mood and open to communication. After eating well, we could taste a typical Italian liqueur called LIMONCELLO. It is a lemon liqueur produced in Southern Italy, mainly in the region around the Gulf of Naples, the Sorrentine Peninsula and the coast of Amalfi and islands of Procida, Ischia and Capri, but also in Sicily, Sardinia, Trentino, Veneto. It is made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water, and sugar. One employee while joking said that LIMONCELLO was fresh, pure water coming from the mountains:-) What is the effect of this magic water? Try it and then you will tell me!!! :-)
To sum up, the event was informative and entertaining!