One of East Anglia’s most historic towns, Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk was considered a royal town by the Saxons and would certainly have been known by the Romans long before this. A monastery was built in Bury St Edmunds in around 633 by order of the King of the East Angles (Sigebert) and it was here that King Edmund was buried in 903 AD. The town grew around the abbey which later became the meeting place of the Barons of England as they formulated the Magna Carta. Much later during the 17th century the infamous Bury St Edmunds witch trials were held there. There are still remains of the abbey close to the town centre, though it was mostly destroyed during the 16th century. To the south of Bury St Edmunds, sitting beside the River Stour, Sudbury is another historic Saxon town, recorded in the Saxon Chronicles of 799 AD. Sudbury later grew prosperous through the wool and silk trade, it was also a well known haunt of famous artists such as John Constable who painted scenes of the area. A village which also benefited from the wool trade is Long Melford (located to the north of Sudbury), the proportions of its Holy Trinity Church attest to this, built with ‘wool’ money, it appears more like a cathedral. Two stately homes in the village of Long Melford, also built with ‘wool’ money, are Melford Hall and Kentwell Hall. To the north-west of Bury St Edmunds is the small market town of Mildenhall, which has held a regular market since the 15th century, Mildenhall made big news in the nineteen forties when a large haul of Roman silver was found there, it is probably best known as the home of the air base RAF Mildenhall. Suffolk Map.
August 27, 2009
Bury St Edmunds Sudbury and Mildenhall Suffolk
Burriana Costa del Azahar
Located just 13 km from Castellon de la Plana, the town of Burriana lies near the Clot de la Mare, at the mouth of the Anna River on the Costa del Azahar, Spain. A good sized town, Burriana, which is a couple of kilometres inland from its port, has a population of over 35,000 and a history going back to the Arab occupation of Spain. Re-conquered for the Christians in 1233, Burriana was subsequently fortified and walled to ward off attacks by pirates. The town walls were eventually demolished during the 18th century to allow the town to expand. In the coastal area of Burriana, there are several fine beaches and a significant harbour area, which is these days a marina for pleasure craft and a Nautical Club. Places to visit in Burriana include the famous Orange Museum, the El Salvador church and the San José de los Carmelitas church. Burriana Map.
Rimini, Ravenna and Bologna Italy
Three historic cities in the Emilia-Romana region of north-eastern Italy, Bologna, Ravenna and Rimini are all worthy of a visit if you are travelling in the area. Bologna, home to the world’s oldest university, is located in the valley of the Po River, it was founded by the Etruscans in 534 BC and given the name Velzna. The Roman colony began in 189 BC and led to the building of the Via Emilia road, which still cuts through the city. There are plenty of sights to see in Bologna including numerous fine churches, parts of the old Roman ramparts, medieval defensive towers, and later 13th century ramparts. Ravenna was once a significant port, though it is now mostly silted up and only joined to the Adriatic via a canal. The original Ravenna settlement was built on small islands in a marshy lagoon, with houses constructed on piles (similar to Venice). Under the Romans, Ravenna became an important city, it even became the capital of the Western Roman Empire in 402 AD (replacing Milan). Ravenna has a huge number of historic monuments to visit, 8 of which appear on the World Heritage List. To the south of Ravenna, Rimini is a coastal city on the Adriatic Sea, and was also settled before Roman times, with Etruscan, Greek and Umbrian colonies. The Romans founded it as Ariminum, naming it after the nearby River Ariminus. A thriving fishing port for many centuries, Rimini also has plenty of historic attractions including the thirteenth century San Francesco cathedral, the 2nd century Roman Ampitheatre (one of Rome’s greatest), and the 1st century Arch of Augustus, which was restored in the 18th century. Italy Map.
August 26, 2009
Sant Lluis and Binibeca Vell Menorca
Two very contrasting towns situated in the south-east of Menorca in the Spanish Balearic Islands, Binibeca Vell and Sant Lluis could not be more different. Sant Lluis was built as a garrison for the French fleet when they invaded Menorca in the eighteenth century and much of the grid layout of the town remains with some of the old garrison buildings also standing. Binibeca Vell is on the coast and is a purpose designed holiday complex, built to fit in with the typical Mediterranean style which it does in many ways. Binibeca Vell offers an opportunity to stay in a holiday resort on this popular island, while staying in a charming fishing village atmosphere.
Olot and Besalu Girona
Two interesting inland towns of Catalonia in north-eastern Spain are Besalu and Olot, both worth a visit for their own merits Besalu and Olot are both within the comarca of Garrotxa and are in fact the former and present capitals of that district. Besalu, though only a small town with a population of just over 2,000, was formerly of great importance for the region and was controlled by a dynasty begun by Wilfred the Hairy for over 200 years. Settled by Romans, Visigoths, Franks and various other cultures Besalu has some very ancient buildings worth visiting, the landmark of the town is the eleventh century fortified bridge which crosses the River Fluvia at the entrance to the town, this unique bridge has a fortified gatehouse and a portcullis.Besalu became a Historic national Monument in 1966 and many of its buildings have been restored to their former glory. Olot, to the west of Besalu is the current capital of the Garotxa district and was very important for textile manufacture during the 18th and 19th centuries. The demands of the textile industry encouraged the forming of the Olot School of art, which was founded by a group of local artists whose work can be seen in the Museu Comarcal de la Garrotxa. Both towns are well inland from the Costa Brava coastline and experience a considerably different climate from the coast, in fact Olot weather can be very cold during the winter with possibilities of snow and temperatures often verging on freezing, the Garrotxa region also experiences more rainfall with around forty inches per year. Catalonia Map.