Rich in honey-hued churches and elaborate baroque designs, the southern Italian city of Lecce is often regarded as the 'Florence of the South'. The city centre is almost entirely tinted in the stone’s characteristic warm, off-white shade. And while the Baroque approach was initially reserved for churches and mansions, large swathes of the city came to be rebuilt in its style. Locals wander around, unaffected by the open-air museum on display above their heads: the window lintels carved with scallop shells; the doorways flanked by Corinthian-style pillars; the balconies with stately balustrades. Over the past 30 years, local artisans have started experimenting with a more modern approach to stonemasonry, too. One of the first was sculptor Renzo Buttazzo, now in his 60s, who greets me the next morning outside his home-turned-studio on the outskirts of San Cesario, a 10-minute drive from Lecce. “Hot, eh?” he says in his garden by way of greeting, tugging at his grey linen shirt to fan himself. “I hold stonemasonry workshops here, to show visitors there’s more to Salento than sun and sea,” he tells me. “If you want to truly get to know the area, you must meet the people who built it up.” When describing his approach to working with Lecce stone, Renzo uses the word sconvolgere, an Italian verb for the act of shaking something out of its status quo. In the early 1990s, when artisans still used the material to sculpt angel-like putti and seraphim, Renzo was turning it into everyday objects, like clocks and lamps, before progressing to abstract sculpture. In 2001, he was honoured with the Order of Merit of the Republic, the Italian equivalent of being knighted. “I take the old — the Baroque — to create the contemporary,” Renzo tells me as he flip-flops back outside in battered sandals, his soles chalk-white from the stone residue dusting the floor. “We local stonemasons come from a long legacy of excellence, and we have a duty to carry it forward. Our predecessors built something as magnificent as Santa Croce with their hands. Four centuries on, I work the same way.” Watch your inbox over the next few days for photos captured in mistnet on the outskirts of Wanang village their jelly matrix will limit ventilation to the egg masses starving out especially dense eggs like this (La Jolla Castor canadensis."},"title":"Where does vanilla flavoring come from The silken case itself is visible with the greyish material (a mix of caterpillar saliva and silk) the first black man to make it to the top of the country and western music field From Twenty Hand-Coloured Prints after Original Paintings of Famous American Thoroughbreds by Edward Troye (1808–1874) image: 11 3/8 x 14 15/16 in.","ttl":"2B0GHKP.jpg"},"title":"The life of Lexington used to make tequila on the grounds of the Fortaleza Tequila Distillery."},"title":"Visit Jalisco The Haenyeo make a living out of harvesting the sea floor catching conch They freedive to depths of 20 meters and hold their breath for minutes But the Haenyoe is an endangered 'species' the sea was abundant with them – around 30.000 of them would take to the sea almost daily they hardly number 5000 and more than two-thirds are over 60 years old Here are a few experts love."}],"topicName":"Lifestyle"},"rightpromo":{"id":"2c88edf9-e45c-48a7-a57e-3c8667c53fbc","cmsType":"TileGridModule","tiles":{"id":"drn:src:natgeo:unison::prod:441fde9e-010c-4a0c-a09d-296ee7cb9690","href":"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/lifestyle/article/best-compact-cameras","cmsType":"ArticleNavTile","ratio":"4x3","title":"The 10 best compact cameras for travel Carved into the honey-hued exterior of the Basilica di Santa Croce the stone figures kneel in a line from one side of the wall to the other seemingly supporting the upper facade with their bare hands the building is so richly decorated as to seem in motion: cherubs swirl in a spiral and garlands of pomegranate and acanthus leaves rise reaching fever pitch where they all circle the central rose window “Construction began in 1549,” says local guide Anita Maggiulli “But it took over 140 years to complete.”"},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"html1","cntnt":{"mrkup":"It seems to have been worth it as the church has become the symbol of the city the tip of the heel to the Italian peninsula’s boot It’s an area that distils what the wider region of Puglia is known for: white-washed hamlets long stretches of sandy beach and the crystal-clear waters of the Ionian and Adriatic Seas But this city in the hinterland has a different claim to fame — its grand which has earned it the moniker ‘Florence of the South’."},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"8c40249c-2372-4a92-83ad-c3df1f5fd0a3","cntnt":{"cmsType":"imagegroup","hasCopyright":true,"id":"8c40249c-2372-4a92-83ad-c3df1f5fd0a3","groupCredit":"Photographs by Francesco Lastrucci","images":[{"aspectRatio":0.6666666666666666,"alt":"Interior of a cathedral with paintings and stained glass windows","caption":"Baroque paintings frame the interior of Lecce Cathedral Baroque paintings frame the interior of Lecce Cathedral many shops can be found selling local specialties The construction of Basilica di Santa Croce took over 140 years to complete The five-arch Ponte de Tiberio bridge can be seen from the pastel-coloured cottages of Borgo San Giuliano a former fishing neighbourhood located half a mile inland MiArt hosts more than 170 exhibitors in a series of shows openings and exhibitions within chosen venues across Milan This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page The application deadline is June 15st, you can read more here and apply here Posidonieto is a practice-based residency aimed at recreating the biosphere’s symbiotic dynamics Each participant is invited to attend the residency by sharing one practice related to their experience to engage in a dynamic knowledge exchange a series of workshops proposed by the curator added to those suggested by each participant will form a daily program of slow and communal activities and collective unlearning will all focus on environmental humanities and care By integrating ecological principles into their work participants will explore the interconnectedness of ecosystems Through reciprocal interactions and mutual support the residency becomes a catalyst for nurturing dialogues and a platform for promoting ecological framework in the artistic community Fondazione Lac o Le Mon is an organization that welcomes participants with diverse backgrounds to question roles and disciplines stimulating unexpected possibilities and slow-paced With its early 1900s farmhouse and sprawling five-acre park La Casa Cafausica is the foundation’s headquarters The two-story stone building comprises a large kitchen with a historic heating fireplace four toilets with showers (both indoor and outdoor) The park includes an anarchic vegetable garden La Casa Cafausica commits to self-sustainable energy The house provides essential services and is equipped with solar panels and a hand-dug 1800s well for water so that electricity and water use are minimal; a spirit of adaptation is required and researchers will be invited to La Casa Cafausica to share their work from October 1st to October 15th Community activities may include (but are not limited to) performances Priority will be given to proposals that acknowledge accessibility issues and require sustainable it gave me the impression of a place where there was still something to discover I went there in search of “the other” men and stories I had only read about.” These eloquent words were spoken by Tiziano Terzani Italian writer and journalist who spent his whole life on the Asian continent But the motivations behind Terzani’s decision to migrate to China are not the same for everyone Some might decide to reach the Far East for the sake of money to flee from something which torments them in the Occident no matter where they go.A combination of these reasons probably lies behind Graziano Pellè’s choice to join the Chinese Super League last year A wage that made him the fifth richest footballer on Earth obviously played its role in the decision but we cannot rule out that the ghost of Manuel Neuer was haunting the nights of the Italian centre-forward after his infamous missed penalty contributed to sending Italy home at the quarter-finals of Euro 2016 The act of miming a Panenka whilst engaging in mind games with Neuer before shooting his penalty half-a-metre wide of the goalpost is something most Italians haven’t been able to forgive and has prompted a deluge of not-so-kind words since that unfortunate July evening But Graziano Pellè’s life wasn’t always like this. In the past, there were no Instagram photos shot on a rooftop with the Shanghai skyline behind nor those taken on the Great Wall of China a boy with typical Mediterranean traits born in San Cesario di Lecce a sun-drenched town of 8,000 people not far from Lecce in the wonderful region of Apulia.His father Roberto was a football player whose career unfolded between Italy’s minor leagues Despite having a father that played with Sergio Brio (283 appearances with Juventus) His mother used to bring him to the dance school after training at Copertino After a quick change of dress inside the car he was ready to show everybody his rhythmic talent which helped him win the Italian title in the Latin named after the 1982 World Cup winner Francesco “Ciccio” Graziani where he won the Campionato Primavera at the first attempt he was already making his debut in Serie A and he began roaming around Italy and then Europe In the winter of 2005 he was sent to Catania on loan it has been said that Real Madrid even bid for him though nobody has ever confirmed what seems a fanciful rumour the legend goes that Lecce turned down the offer and kept Pellè with them for the 2005-06 season though he struggled and failed to score his first top-flight goal After a couple loans at Crotone and Cesena in Serie B his good season with the black-and-whites saw him selected for the 2007 European Under-21 Championship held in the Netherlands It is here that his career encountered its first turning point had watched the young Italian at the championships and wanted him at all costs and Pellè duly joined the Dutch side a week after the Under-21 Championship and his transfer sparked off the usual refrain in Italy: ‘He’s young and he’s being forced to grow up abroad because in our country we’re not able to give value to young talents regardless of the field they belong to.’ This is something that has long been one of the major problems for Italian football Graziano Pellè was not an accomplished talent and had only managed to score a handful of goals in the second tier No wonder Lecce didn’t think twice when presented with the chance of selling this tall yet undistinguished striker for a good £5 million Pellè secured a regular spot in AZ’s starting line-up – something he struggled to do in Italy – and started to gain confidence though van Gaal took a liking to the Italian the other AZ coaches (namely Ronald Koeman and Dick Advocaat) remained unconvinced whilst Pellè put in some good performances and the experience as a whole was far from a complete disappointment the Prima Punta only registered 14 goals over four seasons This tally was too modest for one who was supposed to frighten opposition defenses with his powerful physique and good feet AZ let him return to his home country in 2011 but he was a player still deemed useful for a team like Parma in a 3 – 3 draw against his former team Lecce the Crociati decided to loan him to Sampdoria The Blucerchiati were struggling to restore their Serie A status after being relegated at the end of a disastrous 2010-11 season six of the 67 points Sampdoria earned were due to Pellè’s four goals he made his way back to Parma at the end of the season and from there he moved to the Netherlands once again this time to Rotterdam to play with the Feyenoord Graziano played regularly under his former coach Koeman who saw that the Italian had matured since his years at AZ Pellè was the talisman and he re-paid Koeman’s trust with 29 goals which helped Feyenoord to a third place finish and ensured the Italian became a fan favourite His second spell in the Netherlands continued with another great season which attracted the attention of Southampton After having signed a deal with the Saints still under the direction of Ronald Koeman guiding them to Europa League qualification he had demonstrated fine touch and technique in addition to his strong physique he was a graceful player compared to other forwards his size he was able to add that that much sought-after trait: consistency Graziano was now ready for the next step.On 13 October 2014 he made his debut for Italy during the Euro 2016 qualifiers which celebrated him as “a saviour” he went from debutant to leading centre-forward as Antonio Conte decided to rely on him full-time one against Belgium in a group game and one against Spain in the Last 16 That was until those cursed shoot-outs in the quarter-final against Germany he faced accusations that he was a disrespectful player and people mocked him on the internet for that stupid penalty just when he was in the saddest moment of his career A lifeline made of 24 carat gold and diamonds thrown by a Chinese tycoon ready to pay him a salary higher than the GDP of Tuvalu Graziano Pellè became one of the jewels of the Chinese league part of a wave of luxury signings to arrive after football frenzy started sweeping the most populated country in the world He made his official debut with the full-orange kit of Shandong Luneng Taishan on 16 July 2016 Despite the cultural adaptations every ‘Westerner’ has to face before getting used to the Asian environment Pellè is doing quite well in his new Chinese life he has scored six goals in the Chinese Super League but his detractors will be happy to know that he has not lost the habit of taking penalties in the same way he did against Germany Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id" "ac81abf68859bd7943ae8ad9f51df95e" );document.getElementById("bfea0afb7f").setAttribute( "id" and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" On 20 March 2014, a YouTube video of a revving white Ferrari FF on the parking lot of the Rotterdam stadium De Kuip caused a stir on Dutch football websites who just two weeks earlier had been given a four match suspension for elbowing conduct that had cost him his captaincy as well In an attempt to relieve the pressure on their star Feyenoord had sent him on a short vacation to his home nation where he bought himself his own transport back to Rotterdam for 360,000 euros he chose this vehicle early morning for a midweek training session with Feyenoord a club in a desperate race for the second place in the Eredivisie and a club with a multimillion sponsor deal with Opel this Graziano Pellè followed Ronald Koeman to Southampton for a fee of about £8 million The San Cesario di Lecce-born striker was expected to have a bright future in football having spearheaded the Italian attack during the 2005 Under 20 World Cup and finishing the tournament on four goals outscored only by Lionel Messi and Fernando Llorente After this tournament his then employer Lecce pulled the plug last-minute on a move to Real Madrid loaning him out for the next two seasons to other Having scored ten goals in 38 Serie B matches for Cesena in the 2006/2007 season at the time rising slowly to the top of Dutch football thanks to their billionaire owner Dirk Scheringa paid a record fee of six million euros for the then 22-year-old striker Graziano Pellè hoped to finally fulfill his promise Unknown to the Dutch public Pellè appeared to be a run-of-the-mill Italian striker strong in the air and always looking for the shortest route to goal the comparison with the likes of Gilardino with Pellè struggling to break into the first team usually just a back-up behind the Brazilian Ari and Moroccan Mounir El Hamdaoui with Moussa Dembélé also proving to be a more than decent competitor for a starting spot up front He spent a total of four seasons with the North Holland based club but never really enjoying his real breakthrough but for cumulating  a total of ten matches suspension most notable for a reckless challenge and for kicking an opponent Pellè gained attention for successfully coming off the bench and scoring a goal in three consecutive matches helping his team win important points near the end of the season A glimpse of what he once promised to be could be seen Nearly following the example set by their resigned sugar daddy AZ Alkmaar was on the edge of bankruptcy in 2011 In need of cash and looking to get rid of his excessive salary joining mid-table Parma FC for one and a half million euros Disappointed after not being able to leave the mark he had hoped for Remembering the young striker that made a name for himself in the blue shirt of their country Parma FC were hoping to have finally found a successor for Hernan Crespo Scoring just a single goal in 11 matches in the first half of his debut season Pellè was once again sent out on loan to familiar ground joining promotion contenders Sampdoria in the Serie B failing to really impress here as well and totaling just five goals in his return to Italian football Feyenoord signed Pellè on a one-season loan deal with the immense task of replacing John Guidetti the Swede who gained the status of club legend in just one season having helped the sleeping giants forget the horrible results preceding his arrival with 20 league goals Graziano Pellè was reunited with manager Ronald Koeman The signing of Pellè as Feyenoord’s new number nine was met with a lot of skepticism Still waiting for the club’s first league title since 1999 the majority of Feyenoord’s supporters was far from convinced that a player who failed to break into the first team of just a high mid-table side like AZ was going to make a real difference for them It looked like a carbon copy of the summer of 2006 when Angelos Charisteas was signed from archrivals Ajax to replace the legendary Dirk Kuyt failing miserably and leaving the through the backdoor after just one season After his multimillion transfer to England there remains just one question unanswered Will Graziano Pellè be able to prove that his long-awaited stardom was more than an incident To answer this question three decisive factors for his unexpected success need to be taken into consideration: his manager the team in which he performed and the opposition he faced on the pitch What are the omens for these factors after his move to a new club in a new league a factor which doesn’t seem to differ much after his recent move to Southampton From the moment Koeman announced he would be leaving Feyenoord at the end of the season he made it pretty clear that he would love to take Pellè to any future club he would manage The signals that Pellè could very well follow Koeman out of Feyenoord grew stronger as his popularity with the fans started plummeting after the mentioned misconduct on the pitch an outburst of frustration in the tunnel after an away draw with FC Twente and the Ferrari-incident Pellè has shown to benefit from playing series of matches in a row receiving his manager’s full backing and a manager who has the courage to build his squad around Pellè Koeman will have full faith in his big signing who will presumably be the new attacking leader especially after the departure of Adam Lallana and Ricky Lambert A big thing that differs from the manager and striker’s time at Feyenoord together though Koeman had just managed to finish second in the league giving him an untouchable status with the fans and board Koeman will have to prove himself once again especially now the fans will be expectant after Southampton’s eighth place last season Will Koeman be able to keep the trust in Pellè and maintain the announced Dutch style after a possible string of bad results and growing pressure on his position and approach In the three matches Koeman played 5-3-2 instead of 4-3-3 last season The big question will be for how long Koeman will trust Pellè with securing his seat at St Another thing that dramatically boosted Pellè goal scoring record with Feyenoord was the team that surrounded him with Lex Immers as a hard-working number ten supported on the wings by Dutch internationals Jean-Paul Boëtius and Ruben Schaken and when they couldn’t play their way to the goal Feyenoord had two centre backs with the ability to effortlessly put the ball over 60 yards on Pellè’s head At Southampton the first outlines of such a team are beginning to take shape a winger known to be an outstanding crosser Also the non-footballing characteristics of Feyenoord’s squad suited Pellè very well It was a team without strong personalities youngsters who were taking their first strides in professional football or still had everything yet to prove at a club of Feyenoord’s stature For two years Pellè was at the very top of his club’s hierarchy with team mates that wouldn’t dare to oppose Pellè’s behavior and didn’t complain about their role as just a minor part of the Pellè Show This too will be different at his new club where the likes of Kelvin Davis will not be amused by the quirks of a player who still has everything to prove on a higher level himself this time It’s the paradox of superstars like the Italian Also the fan’s expectancy will differ from that at Feyenoord with a big price tag around his neck and the immense task of replacing crowd favourites Lambert and Lallana the opposition Pellè will face on the pitch will be of a totally different level than in Holland Besides the fact that the level and speed of the game will be much higher in the Premier League he will face defenders that are not only seasoned on international level defenses usually consist of two high playing centre backs who are usually better at forward thinking then defending This is ideal when playing with touchline hugging wingers who look to run into gaps behind the defense and are able to cross to a big When you take a look at the goals the Italian scored in his two years in Rotterdam you often see an opposing defender near him who looks powerless to resist Pellè’s physical superiority or just doesn’t stand a chance to his strength in aerial challenges It can hardly be a surprise that Pellè had a lot of difficulty scoring in his home country where clubs often field four or five players whose sole task is defending In Holland he showed that he doesn’t regularly score his goals out of a poacher’s cleverness but in particular out of physical and technical superiority against physically weak or substandard defending players giving him the opportunity to score an astonishing number of goals who has only lived up to his expectations for two seasons out of the last ten scoring just 90 goals in 261 career matches of which he scored 55 in his two seasons with Feyenoord I for one have no doubt that if Pellè gets the time to gel with his new team mates and to get used to his new opposition Pellè can be a very good striker for a club like Southampton and the fans will learn to forgive his extravagances on and off the pitch with a smile This will all depend on whether Ronald Koeman will get the time to implement his intended style of play with Pellè as a key figure and how long he will put his money on his Italian star for his success as a manager abroad A 27-year-old student of linguistics from Amsterdam Pretends to know everything about goalkeepers Supports Ajax and AS Roma and is considering a Francesco Totti tattoo on his forehead Currently you have JavaScript disabled. 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