Razglednice iz sjeverne Italije

Ako vam, kad pomislite na Italiju, padaju na pamet samo stereotipi, mogli biste se iznenaditi.

Neke od mojih predodžbi o Italiji bile su:

Vrijeme u Italiji uvijek je toplo i sunčano, Talijani su svi preplanuli, glasni i opušteni, pomalo neuredni; svi talijanski gradovi izgledaju kao Rim (iz filmova) ili kao negdje na Siciliji; spaghetti i pizza su posvuda, kao i elegantno i po zadnjoj modi odjeveni ljudi...

Nakon što sam nekoliko puta posjetila sjevernu Italiju moja se slika promijenila.

Sjeverna Italija je najviše industrijaliziran, najrazvijeniji i najproduktivniji dio te zemlje.

To je, naravno, utjecalo na životni stil koji je vrlo različit od onoga što sam gore napisala. I ne samo to. Njezin zemljopisni položaj još je jedan važan faktor.

Dat ću vam primjer najsjevernije talijanske pokrajine imena Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Ona graniči s Austrijom na sjeveru, a Slovenijom na istoku. Zahvaljujući tim granicama, pejzaž koji prevladava su planine, jezera, brežuljci i šume.

                                                       (Stella)

                                                              (Lago di Cavazzo)

                               (Lago di Cavazzo)

Klima je također raznolika, ali uglavnom umjerena. 

Velike količine kiše zaslužne su za prekrasne zelene boje 

tamošnje vegetacije.

                                                                  (Torrente torre)

                                                               (Torrente torre)

                                (Roštilj na rijeci - Torrente torre)

Što se tiče lokalnog govora, govori se talijanski s dosta njemačkog i slovenskog utjecaja. Dijalekt kojim se služe lokalci u ovoj regiji zove se „friulano“ – i ponekad ga je teško povezati s književnim talijanskim. Za one od vas koji govore talijanski, evo nekoliko primjera friulano dijalekta:
cjan = pas
gjat = mačka
fradi = brat
libri = knjiga

U svakom slučaju, ovdje nećete čuti poznati stereotipni usklik „Mamma mia!“. (Također, korištenje ruku u gestikulaciji je puno manje uobičajeno nego što biste očekivali od Talijana).

Glavni grad ove pokrajine je Trst (grad koji je u suprotnosti s tipičnim karakteristikama ove regije obzirom da se nalazi na obali). Ako želite pročitati više o Trstu i pogledati slike, otvorite moj tekst o Trstu na sljedećem linku: http://meninaidris.blogspot.hr/2016/05/

                                                              (Trieste)

Sjeverni Talijani ili Friulani (iz ove regije) izrazito su marljivi ljudi, a vrste zabave slične su onima kod njihovih susjeda – lokalni festivali (sagra) vrlo su uobičajeni i popularni. Tamo ćete pronaći brojne vrste piva i lokalnu hranu, naravno.

Lokalna hrana također se razlikuje od talijanskih stereotipa 

(iako je pizza i dalje vrlo popularna i može se naći u svakom 

restoranu). 

Spomenut ću dva tipična friulani jela koja sam pronašla 

posvuda: frico i polenta. Frico se radi od prženog ili pečenog 

sira i krumpira. Polenta je skuhana kukuruzna kaša koja se 

nakon toga peče na roštilju ili zapeče u pećnici.

                                      (Frico - može se kupiti kao suvenir, ali najbolji je svježe pripremljen)

Još jedna tipična stvar za sjevernu Italiju je izrazito dobra 

iskorištenost prostora, tako da nema prostranih polja koja 

ostaju neobrađena. Slično je s gradovima. Svaka 

pokrajina ima svoj glavni grad (u ovom slučaju Trst), ali 

mnoštvo gradića je u njegovoj blizini. Svakih nekoliko 

kilometara jedan je mali grad sa svojim središnjim trgom, crkvom, lokalnim trgovinama i restoranima / barovima. 

Kuće i stanovi ljudi su obično oko tog centra. Ti centri malih gradova dojmili su me se kao tipično talijanski u svojoj arhitekturi te kao vrlo ugodna mjesta za posjetiti.

                                                              (Cividale)

                                                                (Cividale)

                                                           (Tarcento)

                                                              (Tarcento)

                                                                   (Tarcento)

                                        (Tarcento)

Nedjeljom ćete na trgovima vidjeti obitelji i prijatelje koji 

uživaju uz piće, kolač ili cijeli obrok u jednom od restorana s 

ukusnom hranom i izvrsnom kavom.

                                                          (Tarcento)

Sve slike vlasništvo su bloga @menina idris - connected

Postcards from Northern Italy

For someone who is familiar with Italian stereotypes only, northern Italy may come as a surprise. 

Some of my personal ideas of Italy were:

Weather in Italy is always hot and sunny; Italians are all sun-tanned, loud and relaxed, somewhat messy; all Italian cities look like Rome (from the movies) or like somewhere on Sicily; there are spaghetti and pizza everywhere, as well as fashionable people...

Having visited northern Italy on several occasions my ideas changed. 

Northern Italy is the most industrialized, the most developed and productive part of the country. Of course, that influenced the lifestyle, which is a lot different from what I wrote above. And not just that. Its geographical position is another important factor. 

I'll give you an example of Italy's north-easternmost region, Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It borders Austria to the north and Slovenia to the east. Thanks to these borders the prevailing landscape consists of mountains, lakes, hills and forests. 

                                       (Stella)

                                                                   (Lago di Cavazzo)

                                                  (Lago di Cavazzo)

The climate is also various, but mostly temperate. Lots of rain wraps everything up in beautiful green colors.

                                        (Torrente torre)

                                    (Torrente torre)

                                (why not have a barbecue - Torrente torre)

As to the local language, it's Italian mixed with a lot of German influence and Slovenian, as well. The vernacular spoken in this region is "friulano" - and it is sometimes difficult to connect it with standard Italian. For those of you who speak Italian, here are some examples of Friulano:
cjan = dog
gjat = cat
fradi = brother
libri = book

Anyway, you definitely won't hear the famous "Mamma mia" exclamation stereotype there. (Also, hand gestures are much less common than what one would expect from Italians). 

The capital of this region is Trieste (a city quite in contrast to this region, being located on the coast). If you want to read more about Trieste and check the pictures, you can find it on my blog on the following link: http://meninaidris.blogspot.hr/2016/05/

                                     (Trieste)

Northern Italians or Friulani (from this region) are extremely hard-working people and types of entertainment are similar to those of their neighbours - local festivals (sagra) are very common and popular. There you'll find plenty of beer sorts to choose from and local food, of course.
Local food is again very different from Italian stereotypes (although pizza is still very popular and you can find it in every restaurant/bar). 
I'll mention two typical friulani dishes that I found everywhere: frico and polenta. Frico is made of fried or baked cheese and potatoes. Polenta is boiled cornmeal which is then grilled or baked.

                                                  (Frico - can be bought as souvenir, but the best is to be eaten fresh)



Another thing typical of northern Italy is that the space is used very well and there are no vast fields left uncultivated. Similar is with towns. There is a capital (in this case Trieste), but there are numerous small towns nearby. Every few kilometres there is a small town with its main square, a church, local shops and restaurants/bars. People's houses or flats are around that centre usually. Those town centres did strike me as being typically Italian in their architecture and also very pleasant to visit. 

                                                              (Cividale)

                                                                      (Cividale)

                                                          (Tarcento)

                                                           Tarcento

                                          (Tarcento)

                      

                                       (Cividale)

On a Sunday you will find families and friends enjoying a drink, a cake or a whole meal in one of the restaurants with delicious food and excellent coffee. 

                                                            (Tarcento)


All photos are copyright @blogspot connected - menina idris

Postcards from Croatia (August)

To spend August on the coast, or more precisely, in south Croatia, means you have to brace yourself for the heat but also expect to see some lovely scenery. There is everything to be enjoyed in terms of nature, from mountains, rivers, lakes, national parks, to the sea and endless beaches. 

Having said that, I must chuckle because in all these years I visited only a few places in my own country during summer. I rather spent those summer months somewhere else.

Now I'm asking myself the contrary: why would I need to travel anywhere else when I have all these nice things to see at home? Well, I do, but....I also do like new horizons.

Right, let me give you a short overview of how to spend two weeks traveling in south Croatia.

Drive from Zagreb to Rastoke-"small lakes of Plitvice Lakes" and you will already feel that you left the city life far behind you. The scenery is extremely relaxing. 

After that continue your journey towards Split. If you want to read more about Split at the time of the famous Ultra Music, you can find it on my blog on this link: http://meninaidris.blogspot.hr/2015/10/ultra-music-festival-experience-split.html

However, if you choose to stay in Split  for a few days during August, you will find it interesting enough with plenty of things and people going around. I like Split, and as many people say here, there is a special vibe of this place. 

                                                       (Split)

 

                                     (Split)

  It's worth finding accommodation in the center so that you can easily take a ferry every day and do short trips to the nearby islands. My pick were Brač, Šolta and Hvar. 

Although the islands can be enjoyed most if you stay longer, one-day trips are still worthwhile. You have enough time to take a swim, grab a local bite and take a stroll (or just lie in the shadow).

                                           (Brač-Supetar)

                                         (Brač-Supetar)

                                        (Brač-Supetar)

                                             (Šolta)

                                     

                                             (Hvar)

                                                     (Hvar)

                                                (Hvar)

                                             (Palmižana, Paklinski otoci)

After that head down south to the Pelješac peninsula. My favourite place on Croatian coast at the moment. Hills, vineyards, pebbles, blue and turquoise sea, coves and beaches...I don't need much more, really. Life seems quite simple there, at least during summer.

                                              (Pelješac)

It is also very simple to visit another beauty from there, the  island of Korčula. Korčula is only half an hour ferry ride away from Pelješac. The old town is full of history and also famous for being Marco Polo's hometown.  You'll find it to be extremely crowded in August, but it doesn't diminish its attraction.

                                       (Korčula)

Further down south you will find Dubrovnik. When you get tired of tourists, take a boat to the nearby Elaphiti Islands. This archipelago consists of three main islands: Koločep, Šipan and Lopud. You can visit them all in one day by boat or just spend a few days on one of them to enjoy it properly. 

                                                               (Dubrovnik)

                                                              (Details from a bar in Dubrovnik)

                                                    (Details from a bar in Dubrovnik)

                                            

                                    (On the way from Pelješac to Dubrovnik-Ston)

                                                

                                                       Koločep

                                                     Šipan

                                         (Lopud

Well, that's it - seems like there's plenty to be done and seen in two weeks!

All photos are copyright @blogspot connected - menina idris