Estádio do Morumbi, São Paulo, Brasil

Estádio do Morumbi, São Paulo, Brasil
São Paulo - SP
Fotografia

O estádio e o entorno ainda não se encontravam totalmente prontos, embora já em uso.

Celeiros, The Granaries, Pjazza San Publju, Floriana, Malta

Celeiros, The Granaries, Pjazza San Publju, Floriana, Malta
Floriana - Malta
Fotografia

Granaries are pits dug into the ground and covered by circular stone slabs. They were primarily used for the storage of Grain. Granaries can be found throughout Valletta and Floriana. The first granaries were built by the Knights to provide for storage within the fortifications in case of a siege. As the system of storage was reliable and efficient, the British authorities copied in all details the Knights’ granaries. The Granaries proved their worth as they continued to provide grain for the starving population during World War 2. The highest grouping of granaries (a total of 76) is found here.

‘Il-Fosos’ or The Granaries and now officially named Pjazza San Publiju, is also one of the largest urban open spaces in Malta and is therefore use for mass gatherings. One important gathering was held in May 1990 during the Pope John Paul II visit to Malta. During the second Papal visit on 9th May 2001, the Pope beatified three Maltese in this square, one of whom was eventually canonised (St Gorg Preca). As Malta is a predominantly Catholic country, this is considered to be an important event in Malta’s history. A third papal visit took place on 18th April 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI. The Isle of MTV summer festival is among other major events held here.

Most of the Granaries in Floriana were commissioned as an underground storage facility by Grand Master Marino de Redin between 1657 and 1660, even before the city of Floriana itself was built. At the time of the Knights of St. John, while Malta was under constant threat of attack by the Turks, there wasn’t enough grain or wheat produced in Malta to cater for all the population, and Malta had to import a lot of cereals from Sicily. It was very important for Malta to have an abundant storage of grain always available, in the event of a siege, as well as in case of other calamities, such as a plague.

The granaries in Floriana are to be found in a huge square, directly in front of the Floriana Parish church. There are actually 76 underground bell-shaped reservoirs covered up with huge stone caps, today sealed with mortar. The stone caps are either circular or squarish. A single storage pit, or trench (which is the English translation for the word ‘fossa’) can hold from around 60 to 80 tons of wheat, and is designed for the wheat to be kept dry, which is essential.

Although the largest number of ‘fosos’ is to be found in Floriana, there are also a number of other underground silos around Malta, mainly in Valletta and Birgu.

During the Second World War, the Floriana Granaries were targeted by the Germans, who wanted to destroy the Maltese’s storage of provisions. The Parish church of Saint Publius in fact, received extensive bomb damage at the time, yet amazingly enough, the granaries themselves were spared.

The underground silos remained in use until 1962, when modern storage facilities were built above ground.

Nowadays, the area known as ‘il-Fosos’ is a popular open space normally used for open-air concerts, featuring important local artists such as Joseph Calleja or Federica Falzon, as well as internationally-acclaimed singers, such as Claudio Baglioni and Rod Stewart. They were used when Pope John II celebrated Holy Mass during his visit in 1990, as well as in 2011 when Pope Benedict XVI was here.

Past, present and future; the Floriana Granaries span all three, being not only a testament of Malta’s glorious regime under the Knights of Saint John, or a media-related venue, but also a reminder of the ventures of the past transposed into our day-to-day lives. Although we might not be aware of their original meaning in the scheme of things, or treasure their worth in historical value, we still cannot but feel something every time we walk near them. It could be cultural pride, the memory of an incredible event, or the anticipation of a future one – the ‘Fosos’ still continue to influence and shape our lives to this day.

One of the motives for which Valletta’s underground exists is due to the Turks. The Knights of Malta were not quite advanced in regards to tunnelling in order to perform a surprise attack on the Turks. One of the Knights’ main goals was to conserve the grain in the case that a siege would ensue. Therefore, during the 16th century the first granaries were built by the Knights of St. John in Malta.

A single grain storage pit could keep around 60 or 80 tons of wheat, and if they were properly taken care of would serve for four years and more. A silo or “fossa” as known in Maltese, consist of bell-shaped reservoirs covered up with some huge stone cap, fastened with mortar when all the wheat is placed in the silo. The inside is deep and wide to support the weight of all the wheat that was put in. The stone caps were either circular or of a squarish shape. This was important as the wheat had to be kept in dry surroundings, but also easy to take when needed.

Beneath the churches in those times, once could find reservoirs, sewage systems, charnel houses and military tunnels. However there were also a great number of granaries. Publius Square was initially constructed by the Grand Master Marino de Redin during 1657 and 1660 so that grain could be stored underground.  There are 76 flat stone caps with lids where the grain used to be kept. Though the silos at Floriana are the easiest to see, there were other places were the granaries which were imported from Sicily could be found.

At St. Elmo there were seventy pits which could be easily found if one passes through the main gat to Valletta and continue going downhill as far as one can go. On the other hand, at the Auberge de Castille there were fifteen pits. The granaries which lie in Castille are still there though they were obstructed due to the bus terminus being situated in the vicinity. In Birgu and Senglea there were twenty four ditches underground where they stored the grain while other granaries could also be found in Vittoriosa.

The main reason for the construction of the granaries was to preserve the wheat and grain so that if a war or a siege would occur they would not run out of food. The various locations were the granaries were situated helped, so that if one site was bombed, there would still be more available at the other locations. The British later on, also used this idea as they saw that it would be quite useful. Even nowadays the wheat is kept in dry environments so as to preserve it if it is not needed immediately.

Navio de Cruzeiro à Vela Sea Cloud, Floriana, Malta

Navio de Cruzeiro à Vela Sea Cloud, Floriana, Malta
Floriana - Malta
Fotografia

Sea Cloud is a sailing cruise ship of the Sea Cloud Cruises line. Initially built as a private yacht, it subsequently served as a weather ship for the United States Coast Guard and United States Navy during World War II. The ship served as the first racially integrated warship in the United States Armed Forces since the American Civil War. Following the war, Sea Cloudwas returned to private ownership, serving as a yacht for numerous people, including as presidential yacht of the Dominican Republic. The ship currently sails in Europe and the Caribbean as part of a fleet of sail cruise ships operated by Sea Cloud Cruises GmbH of Hamburg, Germany, often under contract to the National Geographic Society. The Sea Cloud is currently the world's oldest ocean going passenger ship.

Sea Cloud was built in Kiel, Germany, as a barque for Marjorie Merriweather Post and her second husband Edward F. Hutton of Wall Street's E. F. Hutton & Co. She was launched in 1931 as Hussar V; at the time of her construction, she was the largest private yacht in the world. In 1935, the United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union, Joseph E. Davies, married Marjorie Merriweather Post. Mr. and Mrs. Davies renamed the ship Sea Cloud. Although Mrs. Davies owned the ship, she allowed Mr. Davies to claim ownership of the vessel. As a man with political influence, Davies entertained many high-profile people on the ship, including Queen Elisabeth of Belgium. The ship even served as an informal embassy, as Soviet and United States officials stayed and met on the vessel.

Mrs. Davies had first offered the ship to the U.S. Department of the Navy in 1941, but the Navy turned her down. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt objected to the ship entering service, remarking that she was too beautiful to be sacrificed. However, on January 7, 1942, the Navy reassessed their position, chartering the ship for $1 per year. The Navy sent Sea Cloud from Georgetown, South Carolina, to the United States Coast Guard Yard in Curtis Bay, Maryland, to be refitted as a "weather observation station vessel", and had its four masts removed and hull painted battleship gray. Sea Cloud was commissioned as a United States Coast Guard Cutter on April 4, 1942, and assigned to the Eastern Sea Frontier, with a permanent home port in Boston.

During 1942, Sea Cloud mostly served as a weather ship at Weather Patrol Station Number Two (position 52°0′N 42°30′W). On June 6, 1942, the ship rescued eight survivors from the schooner Maria da Gloria. On August 3, 1942 and August 4, 1942, Sea Cloud served at Weather Patrol Station Number One while USS Manhasset was converted to a weather ship.

In 1943, the Navy asked for control of Sea Cloud and Nourmahal, another former yacht converted into a weather ship. On April 9, 1943, the United States Navy commissioned Sea Cloud as USS Sea Cloud (IX-99), though she maintained a Coast Guard crew. She was assigned to Task Force 24.

Relieving USCGC Conifer in February 1944, Sea Cloud patrolled a 100-square-mile (260 km2) area near the New Englandcoast, generating weather reports for the First Naval District. On February 27, 1944, Sea Cloud traveled to be refurbished at Atlantic Yard in East Boston, afterwards taking over a new one-hundred square mile area at Weather Station Number One.

On April 5, 1944, Sea Cloud received radar indication of a small target at position 39°27′N 62°30′W, bearing 350° at 3,000 yards (2,700 m). General quarters were sounded and battle stations manned, but contact was lost ten minutes later. The target was identified as a submarine, but after Sea Cloud carried out standard anti-submarine drills with no evidence of damage being inflicted, she returned to port.

After minor repairs, Sea Cloud was rebased to Argentia, Newfoundland, where she was assigned to Weather Station Number Three. While patrolling the area on June 11, 1944, the crew spotted a Navy Grumman TBF Avenger, exchanging recognition signals. Sea Cloud received orders to report to the escort carrier Croatan and join the five other escort ships under her command. The envoy searched for a raft reported in the area, but returned with no sightings. After this event, Sea Cloud was once again reassigned to Weather Station Number Four. After a search for a downed aircraft, she returned to port in Boston. Sea Cloud was decommissioned on November 4, 1944, at the Bethlehem Steel Atlantic Yard and returned to Davies, along with $175,000 for conversion to pre-war appearance.

For her wartime service, Sea Cloud was awarded the American Campaign Medal and the World War Two Victory Medal.

In late 1944, Lieutenant Carlton Skinner took command of the ship, after previously serving as executive officer in November 1944. At that time, black seamen were only permitted to serve as ship stewards. After witnessing a black man save the crew of Northland yet still be denied promotion because of the rule, Skinner proposed an experiment. Skinner submitted his plan to the U.S. Secretary of the Navy and was allowed to sail his first weather patrol with a fully integrated crew. Within a few months, fifty black sailors, including two officers, were stationed aboard Sea Cloud. Skinner requested that the experiment not be publicized and the ship not be treated differently from other ships in the task force. Skinner showed that his integrated crew could work just as efficiently as a segregated crew, if not more so, when his crew passed two fleet inspections with no deficiencies.

Under Skinner's command when the ship was integrated, American painter Jacob Lawrence served on the Sea Cloud.  He was able to paint and sketch while in the Coast Guard, notably his War Series.

Following its return, Sea Cloud received a reassembled rigging in 1947, and a new set of twenty-nine sails in 1949. The vessel was painted white, and a gold eagle painted on the bow. The ship's reconstruction took nearly four years. Marjorie Merriweather Post retained ownership of Sea Cloud in the aftermath of her divorce from Mr. Davies, since she had originally brought the ship into the marriage. After evaluating the cost of running a year-round crew of seventy-two, Marjorie Merriweather Post decided to sell the ship.

In the beginning Sea Cloud featured royal-sails over single topgallant- and double top-sails on the fore and mizzen masts. The main mast was equipped with a royal-sail over double topgallant- and double top-sails. Today the first three masts are rigged with double top-sails, single topgallants, royals and a main skysail.

Rafael Trujillo, ruler of the Dominican Republic, purchased Sea Cloud in 1955, trading a secondhand Vickers Viscount for it. He renamed the ship Angelita after his daughter Angelita Trujillo. The yacht served as a houseboat and government office. Following Trujillo's assassination on May 30, 1961, his family attempted to smuggle themselves and Trujillo's body to the Canary Islands aboard Angelita, but were forced back by the Dominican Republic's new government.

Five years after Trujillo's death, the ship, now named Patria, was sold to Operation Sea Cruises, Inc. in 1966. Company president John Blue registered her in Panama and sent her to Naples, Italy, to recondition and outfit her for charters. Sold to Antarna Inc., Miami, in 1969 the ship was renamed Antarna. Blue brought the vessel to the United States, but port authorities docked the boat after a dispute in Colón, Panama. Charles and Stephanie Gallagher paid the fees to get the ship free and set her to sea, even though Blue still held the ship's papers. The two dreamed of making the ship an "oceanic school" where students would supplement their traditional learning with at-sea education. Blue eventually retrieved his ship after a confrontation in Panama.

After the ship stayed in port for eight years, Hartmut Paschburg and a group of Hamburg associates purchased her, once again naming her Sea Cloud. Paschburg and thirty-eight other men sailed the ship to Europe, arriving in the Port of Hamburg on November 15, 1978. Sea Cloud spent eight months undergoing repairs in the now-named Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft shipyard, the very yard she was built in. She was redesigned with a sixty-four passenger capacity for a crew of sixty. The ship set sail on her first cruise in 1979, and has since been described by the Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships as "the most romantic sailing ship afloat". In 2011, the Sea Cloud underwent extensive renovations at the MWB-Werft, Bremerhaven.  She is still operating as a cruise ship.

Portes des Bombes, Floriana, Malta

Portes des Bombes, Floriana, Malta
Floriana - Malta
Fotografia

Portes des Bombes, 1870, Floriana, Malta - Francis Frith

Portes des Bombes, 1870, Floriana, Malta - Francis Frith
Floriana - Malta
Fotografia


Portes des Bombes (Maltese: Bieb il-Bombi, Italian: Porta delle Bombe, meaning "Bombs' Gate"), originally called Porta dei Cannoni (meaning "Cannons Gate"), is an ornamental arched gate in Floriana, Malta. It was originally built in 1721 as an advanced gate within the faussebraye of the Floriana Lines, and it was enlarged with the construction of a second archway in 1868. The ramparts on either side of the gate have since been demolished, leaving the gate looking like a triumphal arch.
Construction of the Floriana Lines began in 1636, but works proceeded slowly and the lines were only completed in the early 18th century. The lines had a large bastioned land front with outworks and a faussebraye. Porte des Bombes was built in 1720–21 within the faussebraye, being constructed to designs of the French architect Charles François de Mondion at a cost of 6000 scudi. The gate originally had a single arch, and it served as Floriana's outer entrance, leading to the town's main gate Porta Sant'Anna. It was originally protected by a lunette.
Porte des Bombes was captured by French soldiers during the French invasion of Malta in June 1798. At this point the Maltese insurgents opened fire in its direction, to challenge the occupants, which had left significant bullet marks on the front.
In the mid-19th century the British government enlarged the gate by adding a second archway to accommodate the increasingly heavy traffic in the Grand Harbour area. This enlargement was designed by the architect Col. E. W. Dunford of the Royal Engineers and it cost a total of £900. The second gate was inaugurated on 17 August 1868, during the governorship of Sir Patrick Grant.
In the early 20th century, some of the ornamentation in the archways was removed so as to enable trams to pass through the gate. The lunette outside the gate was subsequently demolished to make way for a new road, while the ramparts on either side of the gate were demolished in the 1930s to cope with the increasing volume of traffic. These alterations resulted in the gate losing its legibility as part of the Floriana Lines, making it look like a triumphal arch.
The gate was restored between September 2002 and March 2003, at a cost of Lm 55,000. The restoration works also included the installation of a lighting system. The gate was vandalized in May 2005 when burnt oil was daubed on it, but the damage was cleaned within a couple of days. The gate is considered, by the police force, as a high street hazard for passing vehicles. On 24 October 2012, there was some damage when an Arriva bus skidded into it and two other buses later crashed into the first bus and 22 passengers were injured. However the damaged part of the gate was repaired a few days later.
The gate and the rest of the Floriana Lines were included on the Antiquities List of 1925. It is now scheduled as a Grade 1 national monument, and it is also listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands.
The gate is occasionally open to the public, such as in October as part of the festivities of Notte Bianca.
Porte des Bombes was built in the Baroque style. The gate originally had a single arch, but the second arch on the left is a 19th-century addition. Each arched entrance is flanked by carved cannons, which gave the gate its original name Porta dei Cannoni, and each cannon has a relief of a coat of arms. The four cannons which formed part of the original gate bear the arms of Grand Master Ramon Perellos y Roccaful, while the two cannons on the second arch bear the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom. The gate has a cornice above a row of carved Maltese crosses. Above the cornice are escutcheons bearing the coats of arms of the Order of St. John, Grand Master Perellos, and the United Kingdom, as well as two marble plaques with Latin inscriptions. The plaque on the right side of the gate reads:
VM THRACES VBIQUE PVGNO
IN SEDE SIC TVTA CONSTO
MDCCXXI
(meaning While I fight the Turks everywhere, I am secure in my seat – 1721)
The plaque on the left side reads:
AD MAJOREM POPVLI
COMMODITATEM
MDCCCLXVIII
(meaning For the greater convenience of the public – 1868)
Three trophies, the central one bearing Perellos' arms, are found at the top of the gate. These all formed part of the original gate, but they were relocated when it was enlarged.
Just outside the gate there are two pillars bearing stone balls which represent bomb shells. These gave the gate its present name Porte des Bombes. Porte des Bombes is one of only two gates in Malta which bear representations of life-sized artillery pieces, the other one being St. Helen's Gate which was built in 1736.

Vista Geral de Floriana, Malta

Vista Geral de Floriana, Malta
Floriana - Malta
Fotografia - Cartão Postal

Floriana (Maltese: Il-Furjana or Il-Floriana), also known by its title Borgo Vilhena, is a fortified town in the South Eastern Region area of Malta, just outside the capital city Valletta. It has a population of 2,205 as of March 2014. Floriana is the birthplace of many famous Maltese, amongst which the composer of the national anthem, 'L-Innu Malti', Robert Samut; former Bishop of Malta Dun Mauro Caruana, the poets Oliver Friggieri & Maria Grech Ganado, the writer and politician Herbert Ganadoand Swedish Idol winner Kevin Borg.

Floriana is named after Pietro Paolo Floriani, an Italian military engineer who designed the Floriana Lines, the line of fortifications surrounding the town. In Maltese, the town is called Il-Floriana by the local council. However, it is popularly known as Il-Furjana, and the latter is regarded as the official name by the National Council for the Maltese Language. Government sources use both variants.

The town's original official name was Borgo Vilhena (or Subborgo Vilhena) after Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena, but the name fell out of use in favour of Floriana or Furjana. The name Borgo Vilhena is now used as a title, just like Vallettahas the title Città Umilissima.

The origins of Floriana go back to 1636, when construction of the Floriana Linescommenced. The line of fortifications was built outside the fortifications of Valletta as an outer defensive line for the capital city. The lines were named after Pietro Paolo Floriani, the Italian military engineer who had designed them. The fortifications were partially defensible by 1640, but construction and modifications continued throughout the 17th and 18th century, being fully completed in the 1720s.

The area between the Floriana Lines and the Valletta Land Front began to be built up in 1724, when Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena founded the suburb Borgo Vilhena.

Calle Sarandi e Juan Carlos Gómez, Montevidéu, Uruguai

Calle Sarandi e Juan Carlos Gómez, Montevidéu, Uruguai
Montevidéu - Uruguai
Fotografia 

Calle Sarandi, Montevidéu, Uruguai

Calle Sarandi, Montevidéu, Uruguai
Montevidéu - Uruguai
Fotografia - Cartão Postal

Calle Sarandi e Juan Carlos Gómez, Montevidéu, Uruguai

Calle Sarandi e Juan Carlos Gómez, Montevidéu, Uruguai
Montevidéu - Uruguai
Fotografia - Cartão Postal

Teatro Urquiza, Montevidéu, Uruguai

Teatro Urquiza, Montevidéu, Uruguai
Montevidéu - Uruguai
Fotografia - Uruguai

Donde hoy se ubica el flamante edificio del Auditorio Nacional del Sodre. Donde antes, hasta el incendio que lo destruyó irremediablemente, estuvo el Estudio Auditorio del mismo Servicio Oficial de Radiodifusión Radioeléctrica -escenario de temporadas de música y ópera memorables-, funcionó desde los orígenes del edificio el Teatro Urquiza.

Allí, en la esquina de Mercedes y Andes, fue construido por el arquitecto Guillermo West sobre planos de su colega Horacio Acosta y Lara. El propietario fue un argentino, el Dr. Justo de Urquiza. El inmueble sustituyó a un teatro anterior en ese mismo sitio, llamado Alhambra.

El 5 de setiembre de 1905 se inauguró el Teatro Urquiza, con un espectáculo a cargo de la gran actriz francesa Sarah Bernhardt. Ella llegó a Montevideo con problemas en una pierna, y el Dr. Alfredo Navarro que la atendió y curó, le aconsejó una semana de reposo. La diva no atendió el consejo, y en complicidad con el empresario salió al escenario la noche estipulada. Fue protagonista de "La hechicera", obra de Victorien Sardou.

El teatro iba a tener, año a año, una intensa actividad. En su escenario se pudo ver al famoso actor Coquelin interpretando a Cyrano de Bergerac, de Rostand; al transformista Leopoldo Frégoli; a la trágica española Margarita Xirgu (que luego, después de la Guerra Civil Española, se exiliaría en Uruguay y cumpliría un decisivo papel en la formación de actores para la Comedia Nacional).

En materia de canto lírico, se dio en el Teatro Urquiza la actuación conjunta del tenor Enrico Caruso y el barítono Titta Ruffo, interpretando "I pagliacci" de Leoncavallo. Grandes textos del teatro contemporáneo se recrearon en esa sala. Obras de Jacinto Benavente, Luigi Pirandello y Gregorio Martínez Sierra. En materia de dramaturgia nacional, en el Urquiza se estrenó "Dios te salve", de José Pedro Bellán, en 1920. Y en 1933, "La cruz de los caminos" de Justino Zavala Muniz. Poco después: "La fuga en el espejo" de Francisco Espínola y "los amores de Rivera" de Orlando Aldama.

De la vecina orilla llegaban al teatro Urquiza, para realizar exitosas temporadas, figuras como Roberto Casaux, Camila Quiroga, Angelina Pagano, Eva Franco y Florencio Parravicini. Y por supuesto nuestro Carlos Brussa con su compañía (con la que por años llevo el buen teatro por todo el interior de la república). Por ley del año 1929, el Teatro Urquiza pasó a ser Estudio Auditorio del Sodre, comenzando para la sala una nueva época. En ésta, la música fue la gran protagonista. En tardes memorables, estuvieron en ese escenario; Rubinstein, Stravinsky, Toscanini, Segovia, Villa Lobos, entre otros.

El 18 de setiembre de 1971 se trunca la fecunda trayectoria de la sala, cuando un voraz incendio la destruye completamente. En el año 1985 la entonces ministra de Educación y Cultura Adela Reta, impulsó un Concurso Público Internacional y luego una licitación para reconstruir el Auditorio. Las obras comenzaron en el año 1989 pero su realización fue tan lenta que recién en el año 2008 se avanzo a la culminación de la obra. El 21 de noviembre de 2009 fue inaugurado bajo el nombre de Auditorio Nacional del Sodre Dra. Adela Reta.

El Auditorio es hoy el espacio que alberga a los cuerpos artísticos del Sodre: el BNS, la Orquesta Sinfónica, la Orquesta Juvenil, el Coro Nacional y el Conjunto de Cámara, brindando a los artistas condiciones locativas inmejorables tanto para su trabajo diario como para sus presentaciones y espectáculos ante el público. Hoy en día, el Auditorio Nacional, con sus modernas salas Eduardo Fabini y Hugo Balzo, un anfiteatro, salas de ensayo de los cuerpos estables y talleres donde se realiza la producción de montajes escénicos, es un centro indiscutido para las más diversas expresiones artísticas.