Latest news with #Napoleonic


Daily Mirror
5 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Beautiful city dubbed 'Venice's little sister' has barely any tourists
This gorgeous Italian city has been referred to as Venice's little sister, and it's the perfect getaway destination with stunning historical buildings, delicious Italian cuisine and more This breathtaking Italian city, often dubbed as Venice's little sister, is a treasure trove of historical architecture and an ideal spot for a long weekend getaway. Italy is renowned for its captivating city break destinations, but some can be overrun with tourists. Padua, nestled in the north of the country, offers a fantastic escape without the throngs of visitors. The city is a haven of Renaissance art, medieval marketplaces, and tranquil gardens, yet it has managed to stay relatively untouched by mass tourism. It's a highly underrated gem, brimming with arcaded streets and bustling piazza cafe-bars. Art enthusiasts can marvel at the Scrovengi Chapel, adorned with Biblical scenes painted by Renaissance artist Giotto in 1306. The artwork is so invaluable that visitors are only permitted a 15-minute viewing. Padua also houses Musme, the Museum of the History of Medicine, showcasing interactive displays and artefacts that highlight the city's contribution to modern science, reports the Express. From there, guests can stroll over to Palazzo del Bo to witness the world's first anatomical theatre, constructed in 1595, housed within the University of Padua's historic headquarters. Take a leisurely walk through the Arena Gardens adjacent to the canal, where you'll find the remnants of a Roman amphitheatre nestled among lawns and coffee kiosks. The university also lays claim to the world's oldest botanical garden, established in 1545. Back then, circular plots of medicinal plants would have been meticulously cared for. A frequently missed gem in Padua is a visit to the Cathedral Baptistery. Competing with the beauty of the Scrovengi Chapel, the Cathedral Baptistery was adorned in the 1370s by Giusto de' Menabuoi, a disciple of Giotto. The patron saint of Padua has been resting in an open tomb for visitors in St Anthony's Basilica since the 13th century, which also boasts bronze statues and a lavishly decorated ceiling. Just a stone's throw away is St George's Oratory. Once serving as a Napoleonic prison, this Gothic-style Roman Catholic chapel showcases a stunningly detailed portrayal of its namesake. Padua houses numerous UNESCO-listed frescoes, some of which are free to admire at your leisure. If you wish to observe these frescoes, other sites worth visiting include Church of the Eremitani, Palazzo della Ragione and the Oratory of Saint Michael. Of course, it's also a major destination for Italian food-lovers, as the city boasts several delicious local dishes, including bigoli in salsa (spaghetti with anchovy and onion sauce), risotto with rovinassi, and the local chicken dish Gallina Padovana. If you're a sun worshipper, now's the ideal time for a city break to Padua as temperatures can soar to 29C in July. If you fancy a cooler getaway, hold off until October when temperatures hover around a more temperate 19C.

Western Telegraph
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Western Telegraph
Tenby's St Catherine's Island to feature on BBC's Our Lives
BBC One's acclaimed Our Lives returns for its ninth series – showcasing unique and extraordinary stories from the UK with a collection of powerful, personal tales told by the people living them. The series features six documentaries from Wales, each produced by a different Welsh production company and told in its own unique style. (Image: BBC/ Pixie) This year's Welsh programmes celebrate the country's colourful communities and characters. The second episode from Wales takes viewers to the resort of Tenby, where—shrouded in sea mist and memories—lies St Catherine's Island: a Napoleonic tidal fortress with a chequered past. Once a 19th-century fortification, later a stately home known for its wild parties, and most famously a seaside zoo in the 1970s, the island has been closed to the public for decades. Now, a small band of passionate volunteers are bringing it back to life and inviting the people of Tenby to rediscover it. (Image: Aaron Clayton) This intimate and moving documentary follows the team as they prepare for an open day that could determine the island's future. Leading the charge is Andi Jones, a local volunteer whose fierce dedication to the island is rooted in something deeper. As he unearths forgotten stories and reunites those who once lived or worked on the island, Andi also reveals his own, a personal journey through mental health struggles that the island helped him weather. (Image: Dai Winn) He oversees the return of a huge naval cannon to its former position, a powerful symbol of restoration and pride. Joining Andi is Charlie Love, a musician and volunteer who found healing on the island after overcoming addiction. Her connection to the island's wildlife, especially Meep, a fiercely territorial seagull she befriended as a chick, gives the story a unique and touching twist. Now, as Meep tends to her own eggs, Charlie is recording a song inspired by the island's rebirth. As open day arrives, hope and history collide, but a violent storm threatens to plunge the event into darkness. (Image: Mark Antony) When the generator fails and the old fort loses power, Andi's months of hard work hang in the balance. A story of memory, resilience, and belonging, Tenby's Forgotten Island is more than a celebration of a historic landmark, it's a tribute to the people fighting to preserve it, and the lives it's helped rebuild. Our Tenby Island, produced by Pixie, airs this evening, July 15 at 7pm on BBC One Wales and iPlayer. St Catherine's Island is open in the summer months. Opening times are variable. For up to date information, check the St Catherine's Island Facebook page.


Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Today in History: Gianni Versace shot dead outside Miami Beach home
On July 15, 1799, the Rosetta Stone, a key to deciphering ancient Egyptian scripts, was found at Fort Julien in the Nile Delta during the Napoleonic campaign in Egypt. Also on this date: In 1834, the Spanish Inquisition was abolished more than 350 years after its creation. In 1870, Georgia became the last Confederate state to be readmitted to the Union. In 1913, Democrat Augustus Bacon of Georgia became the first person elected to the U.S. Senate under the terms of the recently ratified 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, providing for popular election of senators. In 1916, The Boeing Company, originally known as Pacific Aero Products Co., was founded in Seattle. In 1975, three American astronauts blasted off aboard an Apollo spaceship hours after two Soviet cosmonauts were launched aboard a Soyuz spacecraft for a mission that included a linkup of the two ships in orbit. In 1976, a 36-hour kidnap ordeal began for 26 schoolchildren and their bus driver as they were abducted near Chowchilla, California, by three gunmen and imprisoned in an underground cell. (The captives escaped unharmed; the kidnappers were caught.) In 1996, MSNBC, a 24-hour all-news network, made its debut on cable and the internet. In 1997, fashion designer Gianni Versace, 50, was shot dead outside his Miami Beach home; suspected gunman Andrew Phillip Cunanan (koo-NAN'-an), 27, was found dead eight days later, a suicide. (Investigators believed Cunanan killed four other people before Versace in a cross-country rampage that began the previous March.) In 2002, John Walker Lindh, an American who'd fought alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan, pleaded guilty in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, to two felonies in a deal sparing him life in prison. In 2006, Twitter (now known as X) was launched to the public. In 2019, avowed white supremacist James Alex Fields Jr. was sentenced by a state court to life in prison plus 419 years for killing one and injuring dozens when he deliberately drove his car into a crowd of anti-racism protesters during a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. (The previous month, Fields received a life sentence on 29 federal hate crime charges.) In 2020, George Floyd's family filed a lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis and the four police officers charged in his death, alleging the officers violated Floyd's rights when they restrained him and that the city allowed a culture of excessive force, racism and impunity to flourish in its police force. (The city would agree to pay $27 million to settle the lawsuit in March 2021.) Today's Birthdays: Actor Patrick Wayne is 86. R&B singer Millie Jackson is 81. Singer Linda Ronstadt is 79. Author Richard Russo is 76. Musician Trevon Horn is 76. Arianna Huffington, co-founder of The Huffington Post, is 75. Former professional wrestler and Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura is 74. Actor Terry O'Quinn (TV: 'Lost') is 73. Rock drummer Marky Ramone is 73. Rock musician Joe Satriani is 69. Model Kim Alexis is 65. Actor Willie Aames is 65. Actor-director Forest Whitaker is 64. Actor Brigitte Nielsen is 62. Rock drummer Jason Bonham is 59. TV personality Adam Savage (TV' 'MythBusters') is 58. Actor-comedian Eddie Griffin is 57. Actor-screenwriter Jim Rash (TV: 'Community') is 53. Actor Scott Foley is 53. Actor Brian Austin Green is 52. Singer Buju Banton is 52. Actor Diane Kruger is 49. Actor Lana Parrilla (LAH'-nuh pa-REE'-uh) is 48. Actor Travis Fimmel is 46. Actor-singer Tristan 'Mack' Wilds is 36. Actor Iain Armitage (TV: 'Young Sheldon') is 17.


Boston Globe
5 days ago
- General
- Boston Globe
Today in History: discovery of the Rosetta Stone
In 1775, 250 years ago, General George Washington moved his headquarters in Cambridge from the Wadsworth House to the building no w known as the Longfellow House. Also, Daniel Morgan and his rifle corps of 96 marksmen began their 600 mile march from Virginia to Boston to provide General Washington with snipers capable of targeting British officers. The march would take 21 days. And also on this day, the Second Continental Congress agreed to a secret plot to support a raid on a massive storehouse of gunpowder in Bermuda by local residents loyal to the rebel cause. The success of the raid the following month would be crucial to Washington's forces, which were nearly out of gunpowder, forcing soldiers to scrounge for pikes and swords instead for hand-to-hand combat. The purloined powder equalled four times what Washington's army had at the time. Advertisement In 1799, the Rosetta Stone, a key to deciphering ancient Egyptian scripts, was found at Fort Julien in the Nile Delta during the Napoleonic campaign in Egypt. In 1834, the Spanish Inquisition was abolished more than 350 years after its creation. In 1870, Georgia became the last Confederate state to be readmitted to the Union. In 1913, Democrat Augustus Bacon of Georgia became the first person elected to the U.S. Senate under the terms of the recently ratified 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, providing for popular election of senators. In 1916, The Boeing Company, originally known as Pacific Aero Products Co., was founded in Seattle. In 1975, three American astronauts blasted off aboard an Apollo spaceship hours after two Soviet cosmonauts were launched aboard a Soyuz spacecraft for a mission that included a linkup of the two ships in orbit. In 1976, a 36-hour kidnap ordeal began for 26 schoolchildren and their bus driver as they were abducted near Chowchilla, California, by three gunmen and imprisoned in an underground cell. (The captives escaped unharmed; the kidnappers were caught.) In 1996, MSNBC, a 24-hour all-news network, made its debut on cable and the internet. In 1997, fashion designer Gianni Versace, 50, was shot dead outside his Miami Beach home; suspected gunman Andrew Phillip Cunanan (koo-NAN'-an), 27, was found dead eight days later, a suicide. (Investigators believed Cunanan killed four other people before Versace in a cross-country rampage that began the previous March.) In 2002, John Walker Lindh, an American who'd fought alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan, pleaded guilty in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, to two felonies in a deal sparing him life in prison. Advertisement In 2006, Twitter (now known as X) was launched to the public. In 2019, avowed white supremacist James Alex Fields Jr. was In 2020, George Floyd's family filed a lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis and the four police officers charged in his death, alleging the officers violated Floyd's rights when they restrained him and that the city allowed a culture of excessive force, racism and impunity to flourish in its police force. (The city would agree to pay $27 million to settle the lawsuit in March 2021.)


Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mirror
'Doctors must think before downing stethoscopes - strike would be self harm'
Sympathising with striking workers is in my DNA, so I hope that England's hospital doctors think again before downing their stethoscopes. This is because Wes Streeting has already won the battle for the public's hearts and minds. With recent average pay rises totalling 28.9 per cent – the Health Secretary authorising 22.3 per cent over two years to settle a dispute inherited from the Tories, then this year's inflation-beating 5.4 per cent – have transformed the mood. We could all agree these hard-working, skilled and stressed life-savers are worth even more. But with the NHS finally getting back on its feet, waiting lists falling from Conservative record highs, patients wouldn't be voicing solidarity on picket lines should five days of walkouts start on July 25. Public support for the doctors has collapsed ahead of talks between Streeting and their British Medical Association trade union. New polling finding previously strong approval for industrial action by what are now called resident doctors halving from 52 per cent a year ago to just 26 per cent . As surveyor Ipsos's senior director Gideon Skinner opined, these would be the first doctors' strikes for some years without broad-based support from the public, with Labour voters among them. Pats on the back don't pay bills and muscle is key in disputes, but while participating medics voted overwhelmingly to strike in 2025 (90 per cent) as they did in 2023 (98 per cent), ballot turnout dropping to 55 per cent from 77 per cent signalled some queasiness on the wards. Perhaps their BMA resident doctors' committee co-chair Dr Ross Nieuwoudt was carried away when he suggested 'people are excited to go again', later clarifying docs were 'energised' to strike. How much their living standards are down since 2008 is disputed, the BMA claiming a painful 29 per cent while the Nuffield Trust puts it at a smaller 5 per cent. Still, whichever financial calculation is accepted, doctors have a case as do millions of other workers punished by what the TUC – which the BMA is not affiliated to – billed as the Tory worst wages squeeze since the Napoleonic era. The health and political calculations the BMA must also consider are whether squandering bedside trust and the respect are prices these doctors are prepared to pay in a dispute they could lose industrially as well as publicly. Streeting's up for the fight. Are they? The best outcome for patients would be no strikes followed by an agreed independent review to improve earnings long-term. Wages, jobs and lives are in the balance.