La Fortaleza

La Fortaleza (The Fortress) is the current official residence of the Governor of Puerto Rico. It was built between 1533 and 1540 to defend the harbor of San Juan. The structure is also known as Palacio de Santa Catalina (Santa Catalina's Palace). It is the oldest executive mansion in continuous use in the New World. It was listed by UNESCO in 1983 as part of the World Heritage Site "La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site".

During the 1640 reconstruction, the chapel of Santa Catalina, which originally existed outside of the walls, was demolished and was integrated to the walls of the structure, resulting in the alternate name Santa Catalina's Palace.

The structure

La Fortaleza was the first defensive fortification built for the city of San Juan, and the first of a series of military structures built to protect the city which included the Fort San Felipe del Morro and the Fort San Cristóbal. The construction was authorized by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor as a defense against attacks from Island Caribs and the European powers of the time. Initially, the structure consisted of four walls enclosing an interior patio with a circular tower known as the Homage Tower. From the top of the tower, the governor, following military tradition, would take oaths of fidelity at critical moments to the King and Queen of Spain. Later, a second tower named the Austral Tower was constructed.

Soledad

Soledad, Spanish for "solitude", often refers to María de la Soledad (Our Lady of Solitude), a variant name of Mary the mother of Jesus, in Roman Catholic tradition

Soledad may also refer to:

People

Places

Solitary Fragments

La soledad (English: Solitary Fragments) is a 2007 Spanish drama film written and directed by Jaime Rosales. It was Rosales's second film: he had previously made, The Hours of the Day. Solitary Fragments (La soledad), divided in five chapters, follows a dual narrative, the characters' lives unfold as a series of everyday concerns over health, work, shelter, relationships and money. Made with a small budget and with actors from the theater, the film was nominated for 3 Goya Awards, Spain's most prestigious film awards. It won all three awards, including the Best Film and Director award. Voted by Spanish film critics as Best Film of the year for that reason, it was given the Fotogramas de Plata Award.

Plot

Adela, a young woman recently separated from her husband and with one-year-old baby, is tired of her life in a small hometown Leon. She leaves behind the mountains and the country life to move to Madrid. She gets a job as a hostess and moves into an apartment with Carlos and Ines, a nice young couple. The three get along well then, sharing meals, doubts and leisure. Antonia, Ines's mother, has a small neighborhood supermarket. She leads a fairly quiet life with her boyfriend Manolo. Antonia has two more daughters: Nieves and Helena, the eldest. However, little by little, Antonias's pleasant life begins to crumble. First, a doctors detects that Nieves has cancer. Later, the already tense relationship between her daughters gets more complicated when Helena asks her mother borrowed money to buy an apartment on the beach.

La solitudine

"La solitudine" (English: Loneliness) is an Italian ballad recorded by pop singer Laura Pausini and released as her debut single by CGD in February 1993. The song is included in Pausini's self-titled first album, released on 18 May 1993.

Pausini sang it for the first time on 23 February 1993, during the 43rd Sanremo Music Festival. On 27 February 1993, the song was announced the winner of the competition in the newcomers' section, receiving 7,464 votes.

The single reached the first position on the Italian Musica e dischi's Single Chart, and later became an Italian standard. Following the success obtained in Italy, in late 1993 the single was released in the rest of Europe, reaching the top 5 in France and topping the Dutch Top 40 Singles Chart and the Belgian VRT Top 30 Singles Chart.

In 1994 Pausini released a Spanish language version of the song, titled "La soledad" and included in her first Spanish language album, Laura Pausini. An English language version of the song, adapted by Tim Rice and titled "La solitudine (Loneliness)" was recorded by Laura Pausini and released as a single on 19 June 1995 to promote her self-titled compilation album.

Fortaleza

Fortaleza ([foʁtaˈlezɐ], locally [fɔɦtaˈlezɐ], Portuguese for Fortress) is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeastern Brazil. With a population close to 2.55 million (metropolitan region over 3.6 million), Fortaleza is the 5th largest city in Brazil.

To the north of the city lies the Atlantic Ocean; to the south are the municipalities of Pacatuba, Eusébio, Maracanaú and Itaitinga; to the east is the municipality of Aquiraz and the Atlantic Ocean; and to the west is the municipality of Caucaia. Residents of the city are known as Fortalezenses. Fortaleza is one of the three leading cities in the Northeast region together with Recife and Salvador.

The city was one of the host cities of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Additionally, Fortaleza was one of the host cities of the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.

History

Fortaleza's history began on February 2, 1500, when Spaniard Vicente Pinzón landed in Mucuripe's cove and named the new land Santa Maria de la Consolación. Because of the Treaty of Tordesillas, the discovery was never officially sanctioned. Colonisation began in 1603, when the Portuguese Pero Coelho de Souza constructed the Fort of São Tiago and founded the settlement of Nova Lisboa (New Lisbon). After a victory over the French in 1612, Martins Soares Moreno expanded the Fort of São Tiago and changed its name to Forte de São Sebastião.

Fortaleza (disambiguation)

Fortaleza or variations such as La Fortaleza may refer to:

Castles or Fortresses

Municipalities

Sport

Fortaleza Esporte Clube

Fortaleza Esporte Clube, usually known as Fortaleza, is primarily a football club, but is active in other sports such as futsal, handball and basketball. Fortaleza Esporte Clube is based in Fortaleza, capital of the State of Ceará, Brazil. The club was founded on October 18, 1918, emerged from an earlier club called Stella, under the name Fortaleza Sporting Club.

Fortaleza is one of the most traditional clubs in the Northeastern region of Brazil alongside Bahia, Vitória, Santa Cruz, Sport, Náutico and Ceará, its biggest rival.

Club colors are red, blue and white.

Current sponsors

Kappa, Fiat, Weber Saint-Gobain and Prefeitura Municipal de Fortaleza.

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