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Welcome to News From Italy, my blog about our Italian Adventure. Although this blog has now ceased publication I will be continuing to blog and I am sincerely hoping that my many followers here will move with me to Travel Tales blog to follow my next adventures wherever they may take me. The links to my other blogs are:-


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Monday, July 19, 2010

Marta Lakeside - New Look Completed

 

Back in April I wrote a post about Marta Lakeside - All Change telling you all about the dramatic changes to part of the lakeside frontage at Marta due to the dangerous condition of these trees. One came down in a freak storm a couple of summers ago and since then they have been considered 'molto pericoloso' so out they all came, along with sadly the old stone benches and the street lights.

This is how the road in front of our little house 'Casa Piccola' looked until very recently.

Then in April it was reduced to this

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For one reason and another but mainly the dreadful weather we had during the Spring, progress has been much slower than anticipated. We were first promised that work would be completed for Marta's major Festa held on May 14th Festa della del Monte 2010

Update One  When it was still looking feasible that the work might be shortly completed in time for the Festa.

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Update Number Two However this was taken just the day before the Festa, so it was no where near as ready as it would have been if Mother Nature had been on the side of the workmen.

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So far so good though and I was starting to think that this would look very attractive once completed. Progress since May has been so slow that I have had nothing really worth showing you in the way of updates.

Until now that is, the promenade is as good as finished, in that work is completed and it now just needs to settle, plants to become established and a few people to be seen taking an evening passeggiata. I took these photos on Friday evening and it was all surprisingly deserted and quiet in Marta. Where are all the tourists? I really thought that after such a hot day 36C in the shade in our garden that there would have been a few more people about enjoying the slightly fresher evening air!

 

Apart from the roses I am now thinking that it all looks rather bare and somehow wish it could all have been left alone. However one must not stand in the way of progress and despite not liking the look of the new lighting or the starkness of the area; I think it will mature into an attractive promenade, along which to have a stroll by the lakeside. EVENTUALLY!!

Extra photos can be viewed in my Flickr album entitled Marta Scenes 2010

18 comments:

  1. finished at last eh? We'll have to go and have a look.

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  2. So you do read my blog then, thanks for commenting, I have responded on your Wall Mrs Wall :)

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  3. Hello Linda, such a shame that the trees were damaged in the first place, and also that the took out the benches, they should of been left or replaced, but I am sure that given time it will look different. A shame that the people who did or designed it, were not more caring about how the place should look and be kept as old as looking as possible, I thought only that sort of stuff happened in the UK .

    thanks for your FB message, I was going to come back and do the comment, as before it froze up, not your fault though, using my little notepad, and it can freeze now and again. Have fun with your daughter, you are busy busy busy :-) take care and have a good week x

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  4. I suppose it's relative because I still think the "after" pictures show a lovely scene! Think of it this way... you now have a better view of the water!

    Progress is a double edged sword, I am afraid. Hopefully, it will look a little more inviting soon.

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  5. Lindy, It's always sad when it's out with the old and in with the new , sometimes for the better , time will tell and years from now when the now kids are old and walking thru they will love it , and it will then be the old once more. Thanks for the great up-date . Say how about putting my blog on your side bar in you list of blogs you follow , I did already put you on mine , only if you like . Malcolm

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  6. Change, I hate it!!! But, you wouldn't have wanted one of those "dangerous" trees to fall down on your head, would you? And really, they have done a nice job there. How lovely to be able to park among the roses and the trees (they will grow eventually)!

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  7. It seems such a shame to remove well grown trees and to replace them with new ones, but if they were dangerous.... I guess though the new ones will hopefully soon grow. It is hot isn't it!! The garden is struggling. Diane

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  8. So nice to see the entire process. I agree it looked lovely before but look forward to seeing it in person nonetheless!

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  9. I like the raised edges around the parking spaces, but will Italians be able to cope with having to actually park in one and only one space?

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  10. Anne - Yes it is all a shame, but we must keep up with the times I suppose, nothing stays the same for ever. Thanks for your comments, yes we are looking forward to our daughter arriving tomorrow.

    citymouse - You are right of course, I need to go with the flow and get used to change as it is still a lovely place and I do appreciate that!

    Malcolm and Ciejay - You are right, time moves on, thankyou for your appreciation. I will put you on my list now, thought I had done so earlier, sorry about that :(

    Saretta - No you are right Saretta, and in a few years I am sure it will look as loveley as it ever did.

    Diane - Yes, if they survive this very hot weather because as you say all plant life is now struggling to survive.

    Some Birds - Thanks for your interest, looking forward to meeting you :)

    Martha - No they are already having problems as no lines, so some people park sideways on and others nose or tail in. Sorry park is not the right word is it Italians just stop :)

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  11. As the trees grow the look will soften, but it would be nice if some park benches were replaced.
    I think I prefer the older street lights, but maybe there was a problem with them too. And again as the trees grow, maybe the lights will blend in more. All in all, it is looking nice, and trim.

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  12. Those trees and roses will fit right in, eventually.

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  13. un saluto dall'Italia
    ciao from Italy ,you have a fine blog

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  14. I like your pictures and all the thoughtful comments. Here they also cut down old beautiful book trees because they said they were sick, and one must accept that, but oh trees grow so slowly! But just wait fifty years...

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  15. Thanks for dropping by. Hope to get to know you too once I return from my holiday in the UK. As you probably know, I'm an ex-pat Brit living in Sweden. Whereabouts do you live in Italy? Looks like a lovely place.

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  16. Mya - Not sure if we are getting any benches, like you I prefer the old lights, but my husband tells me the new wants are down lighters and better as they do not fill the skies with light pollution.

    Lakeviewer - Yes patience required :)

    Amalia - Welcome and thankyou, how kind of you, hope to see you here again.

    Angela - Thankyou so much, sadly I doubt I have fifty years to see them reach maturity.

    Lady Fi - Good to meet you, thanks for calling by. We live in the Viterbo region of Lazio, on the shores of Lago di Bolsena. It is beautiful and still fairly undiscovered by foreigners.

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  17. I thought the works in Marta along the new strip looked not too bad but as you say, all a little bare. I did like those old trees! Perhaps we need to be generous and give it all time to settle down and grow a bit.

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  18. Maggie - you are right, in time it will all look almost as it did before.

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