Wednesday, January 29, 2014

WALKING TO HEAVEN


This amazing "castle" perched on a mountain and overlooking the valley, and surrounded by breathtaking mountain landscapes, is actually a very ancient abbey and one of the symbols of Piedmont, my beautiful region. The Sacra di San Michele (Saint Michael's Abbey) has ancient origins dating back to 966 AD and many myths and legends surrounding it. But the mountain bears evidence of human settlements since prehistoric times, and in later times, it was fortified by the Ligurians and by the Celts. Being such a strategic place, the Romans, the Longobards and the Franks were here too. I am pretty sure that such a place was already sacred for ancient inhabitants, way before Christianity. The walk up there is breathtaking in itself, and the place is not only of stunning beauty, but it has a mystical quality which can be literally felt in both the ancient stones and the breathtaking location. Sharing this magical place with my Loved One made it even more special :)







You can read very interesting information about the Abbey and its history here. And you can see images of the Sacra and its amazing environment here.

21 comments:

Yael said...

Absolute stunning photos you took of the marvelous and very special place Anna! :-)

Kirsti said...

Vau, onpa kaunis kuva. Hieno linna kukkulalla :)

syros2js said...

If you told us that these phtos came out of a fairytale, I would believe you!
;-)
Kisses, my friend!

Annuk said...

Thank you, Yael! I'm so glad you enjoyed! :)

Thank you Kirsti! :)

Thank you, Joanna mou! :)
It indeed looks and feels like a fairytale! :)))
Polla filakia!

Marilia said...

Amazing!!!
I love this tour!

Annuk said...

Thank you Marilia! :)

JuanitaTortilla said...

This is amazing beyond words. One of my dreams is to visit Neuschwanstein for the reason of it being perched on the mountain looking so grand!

Dawn of LaTouchables said...

Thank you for the beautiful views, always!

Akamatra said...

Oh this is magnificent Annuk!!! I would so love to visit the castle, thanks for sharing these amazing photos :)

Dori said...

So absolutely beautiful, Anna! I can't even believe this is actually real :)

Funky Monkey said...

!!!!!!!!!!!
So, so beautiful!! Thanks for sharing with us these breathtaking pictures, fili mou! Polla filakia!

DIMI said...

Wow Annuk mou!!!What a wonderful and magical place you visit!!!I love castles!!Amazing scenes and pictures!You really had a great time!!Thank you for sharing!Filakia to you,Zoe and Lilli!!
Dimi...

Mariette VandenMunckhof-Vedder said...

Dearest Anna,
Wish I could go there with you together. Words cannot describe what it looks like; such beauty. How in the world, did people manage that long ago to get materials to the very top for building a heavenly place?! On the backs of poor goats and donkeys I imagine... and poor people too for working with very little tools or comfort.
But this is a true landmark.
Hugs to you; we're having awful problems with the Internet due to the winter I guess. We got an ice storm now... Tonight again -8° for our region, without windchill that is.
Stay cozy and warm yourself!
Mariette

Pinelia said...

Every time I see you have post some pictures, I am sure that I will see something really perfect that will make me happy!Kisses!

L'Officina said...

Ciao Annuk! Grazie per il bellissimo post che hai fatto sulla Sacra. E' magica :)
Ho condiviso sul mio FaceBook.
https://www.facebook.com/sonia.girotto.3

Ciao e buona serata
Sonia

Marie-Anne said...

ΟΗ! Annuk, what an amazingly beautiful abbey!!!! I have seen many castles on the Alps and this one is gorgeous. It also reminds me of the Mont Saint-Michel in France!
Filakia,

Annuk said...

Thank you for all your wonderful comments, my friends!!!!!!!!

Mags said...

Dear darling :-) Your photos of these mountains make me a little sad though happy, miss my youth... oh yes...
Thank you for awakening these memories!

Annuk said...

Thank you, dear Mags! :)
I'm so glad these images evoked happy memories! :) Hugs!

Ariadne said...

Wow! What a castle!AriadnefromGreece!

Annuk said...

Thank you Ariadne! :)

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