Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan)

Santa Maria delle Grazie is a church and Dominican convent in Milan which is mostly famous for the mural painting "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci. The church was built between 1466 and 1490. During the WW II, bombs attacked this church but the mural was survived! In 1980, the architecture complex was added into the list of world cultural heritages by UNESCO.  
Many thanks to Giada from Milan for sending me these awesome postcards for my UNESCO collections (also the great stamps)! :) The postmarks read "Milano Borromeo CMP", one of the sorting centers in Italy also the only one international exchange center of the country. 

Venice and its Lagoon

My friend Hao lives in Venice and she is a photograher also a big fan of Postcrossing. She have sent me some nice postcards to share with me the beautiful city, the amazing lagoon and the famous carnival. Many of my friends know I like Europa stamps so Hao is kind enough to buy these fantastic stamps on my cards. Thank you very much! :) The maximum card of the Piazza San Marco was also made by her, with a nice philatelic cancellation of Venice on it - a very good job indeed. The "Venice and its Lagoon" has been a World Cultural Heritage Site since 1987.
I have never been to Venice but get a little impression of the city from my trips to Macau. "The Venetian Macao"  is a famous resort hotel, inside which there is a small man-made city similar to Venice, very interesting. But I am still looking forward to my trip to the real one. :)
You are also welcome to visit Hao's website to see her photos, thanks. :)
http://www.veniceweddingphoto.com/

Mantova - seeking for special postmarks

Firstly, I would like to thank Matty for this nice postcard of Mantova, which shows Castle of S.George of the Ducal Palace, symbol of this famous Renaissance city. Mantova and another nearby city Sabbioneta were together designated in the list of World Culture Heritages in 2008.
When I got this postcard for the first time I feel very disappointed because there was no postmarks on the stamps. Personally it is not so perfect. As I had have some successful experiences of requesting postmarks directly from foreign post offices, I decided to send the card back for cancellations. At the same, Matty told me there is a kind of special postmark offered in the philatelic counter in the main post office in Mantova. He is also kind enough to write for me some sentences in Italian because he said the lady there may not understand English. So I just printed his note and sent back together with the card then waiting. :) One month later, I found this card in my mail box again, this time with beautiful postmarks depict the tower of Ducal Palace, they match  the postcard very well! Thanks again to Matty and the lady who did the great job for me! :)
If you want the special postmark, just prepare your envelop/postcard to the address shown below. But please note that you should frank enough postage stamps for shipping! 

Poste Italiane / UP Mantova centro (UMI 6001) 

Sportello FILATELICO

 Via Martiri di Belfiore, 15 

46100 Mantova,  ITALY

The Dolomites

Today's postcard shows beautiful views of the Dolomites,parts of the Southern Limestone Alps located in the north-eastern Italy. It was sent from my friend Hanna, a kind lady lives in Germany, when she had a trip in Italy this summer. Thank you very much Hanna! :)
The stunning scenery of the Lake Misurina is featured on the card, which is so miraculous. The other small photos shown below give me some basic impressions about the area, such as the ski-resorts, faunas and folk customs. In 2009, the Dolomites was listed for a World Natural Heritage site. The words on the postcard discribe very well their feelings: "Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritages are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration".
Hanna sent the card from a town in the south called "Lamezia Terme", where is more than 1200 km far from the Dolomites.

Historic Centre of Naples

Naples is the third-largest municipality in Italy, after Rome and Milan. It is one of the oldest continuously-inhabited cities in the world and has long been a major cultural centre with a global sphere of influence, particularly during the Renaissance and Enlightenment eras. In 1995, the Historic Centre of Naples, which is the largest in Europe, was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Thank you very much Roberto, for sending me this beautiful postcard from Naples. The card shows some culturally and historically significant sites of the historic centre. The most prominent one is the Castel Nuovo, which is main symbol of the architecture of the city. Others including, the Piazza del Plebiscito, the Spaccanapoli Street, the Galleria Umberto I and the Royal Palace of Naples.

Milan Cathedral

Thank you very much my friend AA who studied in Italy and sent me this amazing postcard of the Great Cathedral from Milan during his trip. The Cathedral looks spectacular! Also the pictorial postmarks are  much appreciated too!