Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: umbrella

Oviedo was founded on a hill that the Romans called Ovetao. The monks Máximo and Fromestano founded a monastery on the Roman road in 761 and built a hermitage. Later, two dozen monks from the Muslim south joined the founders and, according to a document, chose Fromestano as their first abbot. They were under the protection of Fruela I, who chose the place as a residence for his wife Munia, who gave birth here to their son and later King Alfonso II. Alfonso II (aka "the Chaste", "el Casto" moved the capital here in 812 and made Oviedo the seat of the bishopric. In 912, however, Oviedo lost its function as capital to León under García I in the course of the reconquest. Alfonso II fortified Oviedo and furnished it with palaces and churches. During his reign, a tomb attributed to St James the Elder was discovered in Santiago de Compostela in 812. The king travelled from Oviedo to Santiago and is said to have been the first pilgrim to Santiago. He is also said to have opened the first Way of St James, the Camino Primitivo. Until the city of León was established as both the capital of the Kingdom of León and the nexus of a safe route — the Camino Francés — the Camino Primitivo remained the most frequented route for those going to Santiago. Founded in the 1930s, the fourth generation is in charge of running this family business that has been protecting Asturians from bad weather for more than 9 decades. It is the last establishment of its kind that exists in Oviedo - and meanwhile not only umbrellas but hats and caps are offered there too.

Savigny-en-Sancerre is a small town (pop 1000) in the Sancerre area, probably cultivated already by the Romans, as the sloping hills provided grapes with enough sunlight and warmth to fully ripen. Sancerre wines were very popular, - Savigny had a population of about 2000 - until in the late 19th century, the phylloxera epidemic devastated the area. The vines were replanted with Sauvignon Blanc because they grafted better onto the American rootstocks. In the late 1970s and 1980s, a wave of quality consciousness helped elevate the reputation of Sancerre as an elegant white wine, often compared to the neighbouring Pouilly-Fumé. Shadow is spent by the numerous colourful umbrellas over streets of Savigny-en-Sancerre.

Grasse, located about 20 km north of Cannes, is considered the world's capital of perfume. In the Middle Ages Grasse was known for leather tanning. When during the 16th century glove-wearing became "en vogue", the gloves got scented, what started the perfume industry. Today this industry employs about 3,500 people in the city and surrounding area - and attracts many tourists.