Wow! I can't really decide what I like the most. I always love your rural updates, but that first picture is just amazing! And then I do love transportation.

I like it all!

Thank you all! And mayorm, in the new Cattala region I've tried to make it as functional as possible. So all that transport you see is working, used and a lot of it is very busy in Celeste.



Welcome back, for the last time this year, to Lessito! Our journey around the south east of Cattala is coming to a close today. I go back to school on Wednesday to start my A-Levels, so updates will probably become more infrequent again unfortunately.



So here we are. After many weeks spent travelling along the A6 road from just past San Pietro, we've arrived at the end of our road trip. Marcolla is a small village that once served as the final stopover before truckers and travellers reached Ontano Bridge, after traversing the winding lanes of the old a-road, which you can see below.



Marcolla is surrounded by sprawling fields that in late August give up their bountiful harvests. For days on end, the village is surrounded by combine harvesters and grape harvesters reaping their produce from the land and plowing it back to dirt again. Local children enjoy rides with the farmer, since Lessito's schools having longer summer holidays than other regions to allow for the harvest season.



But Marcolla has been transformed by the construction of the A6 nearby, which was upgraded to a motorway after it was widened in the 1980s for two junctions. The village has two one-way roads linking to both carriageways of the main road, as well as the motorway spur to Ontano Bridge. Now the traffic never stops and the residents are trapped between the busiest stretch of Lessito's main road, the South Coast main line and the old A-road.



As evening descends on the village, it's time to say farewell to our Lessito journey. From here, the A6 splits into two - the motorway, leading south to the island we visited last summer, and the dual carriageway continuing east and then north, to Cape Almae.



Goodnight from Marcolla, goodnight from Lessito and I hope you all had a wonderful summer.

Your damn school is ruining our glimpse into such a beautiful CJ!

The town looks nice, its interesting seeing your rural town, meeting up with the busy highways.

Good luck with your new school year

Haha well Lessito always ends when autumn begins. The fields don't look as nice so it's sort of a policy that I only show my rural southern and eastern areas in the summer months.

It's quite rare I think for a journal to have seasonal-based entries but I like it and we get to see various parts of Cattala. Besides Celeste and Calora, which I've rebuilt a couple of times, most parts of the country are seen only once to keep things flowing. We've barely explored the north and the central regions and who can forget the largest city, Jennai. Still barely visited.

Welcome back to Celeste, the capital of Cattala and the centrepiece of this city journal. Today we're returning to the bustling city and visiting some more new areas that I've built over the past few weeks. For those who don't know or are new to this journal, Cattala is not supposed to be a perfect creation when I update. It's a constantly growing, evolving entity and Celeste is now entirely different to its original form from two years ago.

Back then, I had the idea and name for a university in the city but never got round to building it. Well, here's Celeste Imperial University, in the west of Aziens. Its urban campus is based in this building, next to the M1, but it continues to operate most of its traditional courses in the original campus outside the city. CIU is the leading higher education institution in Cattala, and the oldest as well.



Since the 1990s, the new campus has created a science and technology park on the edge of Aziens in what is known as Imperial Court. The Ministry of Health and leading science and pharmaceuticals are based here.



North of this is the Alder Court Park, the redeveloped home of Cattalian tennis. The ambitious reconstruction occurred during the boom of the 1990s, and is now the main courts of the Royal Celeste Tennis Club. The city of Celeste, the government and Sport Cattala are all supporters of the Atarashima Simlympic Games.



Behind the glossy exterior of modern Celeste, lies a dark secret. For those who didn't live or know about the city two decades ago, there's little sign of the harsh reality of the rapid and ambitious development of the glass-and-steel district of Aziens. But there remains one small hint of what happened in the past.



In the 1990s the grand regeneration of what is now Amosseri Province's financial and economic heartland forced hundreds of small businesses and low-wealth residents out of their homes and estates. The housing boom was clear for all to see, as street after street of older terraced housing was demolished and replaced by line after line of multi-storey apartments. But one group made a stand, and all that remains of old Aziens is the strip of land with small shops, bakeries and a pub penned in by the towers of the boom. The developers are still hungry to seize the land, even now.



Here we see the boundary between Aziens proper and the university campus-technology park. The M1 ends here as it splits off into various a-roads criss-crossing the capital, and you can get a clear glimpse of the entrapment of those who resisted the change in Aziens. It was only through obstructing the developers after they began bulldozing shops and homes behind the remaining buildings that they managed to save their own livelihoods and a High Court appeal protected them from forced eviction.



And now for another contrasting picture. In the last update we saw the differences between modern and rural Cattala, and now the difference within a single city. Celeste began as a castle town by the coast, and the Castello di Celestica was the grand centre of the first King of Cattala's plan to build a capital fit for a national monarch. Little of the original city remains, but medieval houses and the castle itself still stand as tourist attractions.



Next time, we should be looking at the palaces and cathedrals that the Celestine's built using their vast wealth over the 800 years of their rule. Although, we could end up somewhere completely different.

Excellent as always

Wow Nice D:

Awesome, awesome, awesome. It's brilliant to have such talented SC4 players here at Simmania!

It's time to take a pause and overview quite a lot of our journey through central Celeste so far. It's been a big and eventful trip, and we've not really visited the city in any particular order, so perhaps taking stock and reviewing the city from a far would be a good idea.

Aziens is an important crossroads in Cattala, and forms the main gateway to the capital. It's here where the east's railway lines converge before spreading out westwards, and here where the motorway from Jennai meets the city centre a-roads and the link to the motorway to Calora. As such, it's often full of traffic and always busy with travelling Cattalians.



We've already seen in the past how Cattala is a diverse and often conflicting country. The capital is no different, as this mosaic highlights. From the old to the new, the city is complete with it all.



However there's one key part of the city we haven't really explored. We've seen the old, and seen the modern, but we've only seen a glimpse of the ancient and the last time we visited the power base of the monarchy, Church and state was back in the original version of this city. So... guess where we're heading next?



Thank you for all your support this summer, and for all those of you who (I discovered recently) follow the journal, rate the updates and have helped me to develop and grow Cattala into what it is today.

The mosaic is wonderful Thomas, where did you pick up those dark red apartments? They look awesome

Thanks K50! The apartments are by spa, and are called The Lexington. Here's a link! http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=1536

Gorgeous.

Thanks!

[centre][/centre]

Buonasera from Celeste, for the twenty-third update from our illustrious capital city. That's more than a quarter of this journals updates... probably should start visiting elsewhere a bit more! Thank you all for your comments and for continuing to follow this journal.

We start today in the Castello di Celestica, the ancient heart of the city. Celeste grew up around the town of Celloporto, and was designed in the 12th century to become the grand capital of the House of Celestine's kingdom. Today, little remains of the original city after extensive reconstructions and expansion in the Middle Ages and the Industrial Age, but some landmarks have stood the test of time.



But we aren't visiting the Castello today. I promised last week that we'd visit Franogei, which was an integral part of the original Celeste that I built in 2010. This time, Alder Hill dominates the core of the city but Franogei is still an important district.



One of its most obvious roles is as the home of the government and its key ministries. The Ministry of Defence can be found in the eastern fringes of the Franogei area, nestled between some neo-Parisian architecture from the 19th century.



The divide between Alder Hill and Franogei is regarded as being at the Alder Bridge, which is the main entrance to the centre of the capital from the north. Alongside it are the Imperial University's science research centre and the Imperial History Museum of Cattala, one of the most popular museums in the country.



Franogei is a prosperous part of Celeste, which in turn is an affluent city. As such, it has one of the highest proportions of public schools in the country per person. Our Lady's Prepatory School is just one of the many dotted across the city and is one of the leading schools in Franogei.



As well as being an important cultural and educational district, Franogei is home to the devolved Parliament of Amosseri, which has similar powers to the Welsh Assembly in the UK over education, police and transport.



But of course, like the rest of the kingdom, it's also a very spiritual area. The private school is a partner of the Church of Our Lady, which is one of the oldest buildings in this part of the city and was once part of a monastery.



Another government department based in Franogei is the Ministry for National Affairs, which has overall responsibility for policing, fire services and prisons. Their base is in one of the more modern buildings, built in the 20th century to house both the Ministry and a bureaucratic arm of Celeste's Metropolitan Police force.



A defining piece of architecture in the capital is the AIN Commission, which took over a former museum and school combination and is now the centre of the union's European offices. It also acts as an embassy and consulate for many AIN nations without specific ambassadors for Cattala.



Alongside the AIN Commission are the Ministry of Academia, which organises education on a national scale and the Treasury, which is in control of the country's finances and spending. In recent years that's been a very hard job, especially with countries around Cattala on the brink of bankruptcy.



Thank you for visiting Franogei today, and I hope you like the surprise we've got coming up later in the week...

You've got a very nice selection of buildings that never fail to impress me Thomas

I like that church (which looks like a mosque to me)

Thank you both!



Buonasera from Cattala, the Mediterranean's last kingdom. After many weeks in the capital and Lessito, it's time to visit somewhere else on this diverse island. Due to my school commitments, major urban updates are going to become less common over the next few weeks, so I decided that we should take this opportunity to try something different.

Welcome, to Cressa.



Cressa is, at the moment, a small hamlet consisting of a farm, a petrol station and a couple of small homes. It's not set in a specific time, but is in Monte Calida, the central region of Cattala and its most mountainous and sparsely populated.



One of its most obvious roles is as the home of the government and its key ministries. The Ministry of Defence can be found in the eastern fringes of the Franogei area, nestled between some neo-Parisian architecture from the 19th century.



Over the coming weeks and the next few updates, a three-pronged approach will develop and grow this small hamlet into a village, or maybe even a town. The combination of Simcity, the readers of this journal and a sprinkling of my own ideas whilst I build what you imagine.



So please do take part in planning and growing this small community alongside a river - get involved and post ideas on where to build, what to built and who we should be encouraging to move in!

Oooh I have an idea! We should build a small chapel first

I like that small hamlet, very peaceful.

A small chapel eh? What a great suggestion! Let's see if it gets featured...


Buongiorno from Cattala, where we're continuing our Cressa adventure. This is an important update for the journal, as I'm going to be trying something completely new over the next few episodes which you can find out about at the end of this update. That's all I'm going to say for now, so read on for more!

Today we begin on a road. Now normally a road would not be a very exciting picture, or an interesting one, but in terms of Cressa's development it's vital. The old dirt road to the hamlet has finally been upgraded to a proper road surface, of sorts, so now they don't have to worry about being cut off during a flood or storm.



In addition to the resurfacing, the road has been extended beyond the village and to the north. Now it's not just a little community clinging to a track and a river - it's actually a place, on a map, that travellers can drive through and never notice as they speed past to a big town somewhere north.



Thanks to the road, the hamlet has expanded and some more homes have been built. The local bricklayers and roofers were delighted to have some more trade and even Luca the baker's boy was helping to whitewash the walls last week.



To the south of the main village an even bigger development is occurring. The Castello di Monte's have started growing fruit next to the river, making use of its fertile and moist soil. Loggers have begun clearing away some more woodland alongside the existing farm, so it looks like there'll be more agriculture up there too.



And as our little community continues to grow, the Church has decided to open a small monastery just off the main road. Of course, they tarmacked the whole thing up to their fancy new abbey but didn't offer to do up the rest of the road - oh well. At least Granny Patsy get's to go to Church everyday of the week now. Check out the full mosaic by clicking the link on the picture!



After the foundation of a monastery in Cressa, the local Church has formed a Comuni. They manage the planning applications and minor public services within a small community. And the best news is that you have been made a member of the board! That means that you can help decide the evolution of this new town and what you post below and in future updates will affect the course of the growth of Cressa. Prominent members of the local community will get given rewards and important positions within town.



So what are you waiting for - let's help this hamlet grow!

Great Work, Thomas.

I'd say build up that old road so people can visit easier

Forthwall: Thank you.

K50: What do you mean, old road! They only built that up a few years ago! They aren't all as rich as the Abbot you know.
(Thanks for the suggestion, there will be a road upgrade once there's enough traffic to justify it. Cressa's a bit small atm.)


Buongiorno and bentornato to Cattala, where we're again exploring the evolution of Cressa, our homegrown town in the hills of Monte Calida. Let's get straight back to it then, shall we?

Welcome to the first meeting of the Comune di Cressa. Over the past few months we've seen a lot of change in our parish so we've got a lot to go through in today's discussion. Firstly, the new vineyard in the north of the town is coming along well and we're expecting a great crop for next summer.



Our very first market has opened up, thanks to increased business along the Cressa Road and within the community itself. With all the new homes that were built in the summer there's been no shortage of buyers and sellers.



Now for the most exciting development in town at the moment. I know a lot of you are concerned about Ashington Manor and the development around it, but I'm sure Mr Spidey will be attending the next meeting and will tell us how much longer the building work is going to go on for and how many more luxury villas he wants to build. His own one looks quite nice though, and all the extra tourists we're getting is going to help with revenue.



The new orange groves from the Castello di Monte's are all planted and ready for winter. We're very pleased to have them here at the meeting today, so thank you for coming along. Your contribution to Cressa with jobs, support and funding are most generous.
I'm sure I speak for everyone when I wish Mr Benzina the best of luck with his heart operation in Jennai later this week, we do still need volunteers to help out with the petrol station for the time that he's away, so any more offers of help with the management down there would be appreciated.



Finally from me, I'd like to thank everyone for their time tonight, at last we've got our own meeting place here in the centre of the parish. Thank you to the Abbey for supporting us for the past months whilst the new hall was built, I'm sure you'd all agree it's a fantastic setup and long may it remain this good.



Now the floor is open for you to raise suggestions, comment on what we've been doing and offer your support for Cressa. Don't be shy now!



Oh yes, I almost forgot about that - thanks Ggamgus! - and the trip to Marcolla next month is all organised now, it'll be a great trip down there for the weekend to visit my cousin Luca and to see how they've grown over the years, but with a bit more road and rail traffic than us! There's a few places still available so see Ggamgus on the way out if you're interested. Now, really, the floor is open...

Oooo Purty!

Looks Nice

Excellent Work!

Welcome to Cattala. Today is a huge milestone for this journal and that's why we're returning to the capital. Over the past 88 updates, more than a quarter have been Celeste updates so I thought it would be fitting to have a general view of all areas of the ever-growing City of Kings. We'll be back in Cressa again shortly.

Since Cattala began one of the most audacious projects I've done is the rebuilding of Celeste. In the New Year it became clear that the way I was creating my cities was taking its toll on my game and the ability for me to update. I started anew with Cattala then, and growing most of my cities has been the priority. For example, Vittoria...



In the north of Celeste, Vittoria is my first fully-functioning, modern Anglicised town. The original Victoria was empty, lifeless. Now Celeste's suburban neighbour is a thriving town of not just imperial sprawl, but modern homes and construction and industry.



Vittoria is it's own, individual town, with it's own Council and its own style. Not a dominion of Celeste, but a defining part of its character.



The capital has evolved from a city for the aristocracy into a vibrant hub of trade, politics, transport and most of all, people.



Its history still has an important role though. Celeste is the most popular city with tourists, thanks to its historic Citadel and architecture that breaks the Mediterranean mould. There's no Colosseum but having an active monarchy with dozens of palaces sure makes up for that. Anyway, Cattala's history didn't stop with the Romans.



France and Britain extensively adapted this country. A small island kingdom had to find support from overseas and the centuries of trade and cooperation with the Great Powers means Celeste is more of a melting pot of all of Europe. You can find traces of Paris, London and Milan around every corner.



In the original Celeste, the city had barely changed since 1820. This year I've developed it much further forward, with modern skyscrapers and plenty of glass and steel dominating the skyline now. Functioning transport and even sports have finally been given a role in Cattala and make the continued growth of my cities in-game even easier in the long term. Plus they make half decent images too.



There's been a lot of development and evolution in this journal over the past two years. Cattala is a constantly changing region and part of this journal's philosophy has been that if I don't like something or someone spots something that's a bit odd, it gets changed. It's this flexibility that has ensured Cattala is always becoming better and never staying the same.
The proof, though, is in the pudding. Cue Update 1: An Introduction!








731 days, 88 updates and several revamps later we arrive at today's Cattala...



This has been the longest Cattala update in history, and I hope you enjoyed it, and the past two years, as much as I have.

Thomas