Victor E

I love travel, music & things that go fast ... F1 fan and car enthusiast. NYC based RE guy and recovering lawyer. Ayrton Senna was my childhood hero.

[🎸 Rock History 🎸 @historyrock_]

On this day in 1968, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham of Led Zeppelin played together for the first time. The rest is history...

[Car Culture @CarCultureCC]

Ferrari F80 🐊

[AXS TV @AXSTV]

Happy Birthday Mark Knopfler! The Dire Straits legend turns 77 today 🎸

[Ayrton Senna 🇧🇷 Tribute @F1_AyrtonSenna]

“Being a racing driver means you are racing with other people and if you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver because we are competing. We are competing to win.” ~
Ayrton Senna.

[Ethereal Cities @ForeverPhotos88]

Amalfi coast, Italy 🇮🇹

[The Timeless Traveler 🇺🇸 @TimelessTrvlr]

San Gimignano once had around 72 towers because wealthy families kept trying to outdo one another.

Only 14 are still standing.

The towers dominate the skyline as you approach. Most weren’t church towers. They were built by noble families and wealthy merchants, especially between the 11th and 13th centuries. A taller tower was a very public way to show how much money and influence your family had.

In 1255, the town passed a law saying private towers couldn’t be taller than the municipal one. The Ardinghelli family apparently ignored the limit with two towers near Piazza della Cisterna. They were later cut down.

San Gimignano sat directly on the Via Francigena, the old pilgrimage route toward Rome, bringing pilgrims and merchants through town. It became an independent commune in 1199 and grew wealthy enough for its leading families to compete in stone.

Piazza della Cisterna became one of the main gathering places. The octagonal well in the middle is still there, with grooves worn into the stone from generations of ropes pulling buckets of water.

The town’s fortunes changed in the 14th century.

Plague, famine and political decline hit San Gimignano hard, and by 1353 it had come under Florentine control. It never developed into a major city afterward, which meant much of its medieval layout survived without the same level of later rebuilding seen elsewhere.

UNESCO added the historic center to its World Heritage List in 1990.

Piazza della Cisterna is a good place to start. After that, climb Torre Grossa, the tallest surviving tower in town.

From the top, you can see just how close together the old family towers were. In a town this compact, adding another few meters would have been impossible for anyone to miss.

San Gimignano is often called the “Medieval Manhattan.”

The nickname makes more sense when you know the skyline was partly the result of wealthy families competing with one another.

That’s the sort of history I’m always looking for when writing newsletter.

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[Retromania 52K+ 🆑assics & M🅾️torsport Lovers @Retromania4ever]

✅⬜🟥 1967 #Ferrari Dino 206 S

[Victor E @VictorENYC]

@RoadandTrack I don’t know all of the facts here but this seems a little bit like Bug Brother.

[Architecture & Tradition @archi_tradition]

Rivello, Italy 🇮🇹

[Garage Mike 🇮🇹 @michele69028102]

#ferrari sf90 Stradale @Ferrari

[🎸 Rock History 🎸 @historyrock_]

Happy 77th birthday to the legendary guitarist and singer of Dire Straits, Mark Knopfler!

[Dire Straits 🎸 @DireStraits77]

A song that will live forever..

Sultans of Swing 🎸❤️

[Dire Straits 🎸 @DireStraits77]

Happy 77th Birthday, Mark Knopfler 🎸

Thank you for every song, every lyric, every solo, and every single note you’ve given us throughout the years. Your music has touched millions of lives and will continue to do so forever. ❤️

[Retromania 52K+ 🆑assics & M🅾️torsport Lovers @Retromania4ever]

✅⬜🟥 1966 #Bizzarrini P538

[🎸 Rock History 🎸 @historyrock_]

According to the world's leading scientists, this is what today's eclipse will look like…