Roughly six miles outside of Palma, Spain is the dominating Bellver Castle. It covers nearly the entirety of Mallorca Island. Spain’s King James II ordered the castle to be built in 1300. The main portions of the castle took nine years to build, not including the ornamental designs that were added later. Around seventy subjects …
european travel
The Ponte Vecchio of Florence
The Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy is a marvel of a bridge that dates back to the mid- to late 900s AD. Plaza del Republica is located to the north, near Palazzo Pitti. The bridge is always open and is lined by several different types of shops, cafés, and other eateries. Also known as the …
The Museums of the Vatican
The museums at the Vatican are meant for all to enjoy. No one is ever turned away. The testimony belonging to the various historically important discoveries within their walls illustrate humanity’s spiritual aspirations – the unending search for fulfillment that only God can provide. Noted many times in the Bible, the poorest of humans are …
Castle Chillon in Veytaux, Switzerland
Castle Chillon in Veytaux, Switzerland – The way Castle Chillon looks today is nothing compared to its early years. Many renovations and additions have been made over the centuries of its existence to create the grand estate you can visit today. The castle grounds, while not much is known of the land in its earliest …
Castle Porrona – Tuscany, Italy
Porrona Village was built around the 1100s, and for five hundred years this region belonged to the two largest Sienese families of nobility, the Tolomeis and the Piccolominis. In 1894, a French noble, Pietro de Rochefort, purchased the village and all of the buildings. Porrona remains a lovely village that is not inhabited by many …
Amberley Castle – West Sussex, England
Amberley Castle’s lands were given to Bishop Wilfrid as a gift from Caedwalla the King of Wessex in 683. The buildings that are now part of the castle originated as a log-framed lodge built by Bishop Luffa in 1103 as a respite for hunting. The next 400 years would see this mere hunting lodge become …