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Nicola and Kayla out the front of St. Peter's Basilica.
St. Peter's Basilica is a major basilica in the
Vatican City, an enclave of Rome.
St. Peter's was until recently the largest church ever
built and it remains
one of the holiest sites in
Christendom. Contrary to what one might
reasonably assume. St. Peter's Basilica stands
on the traditional site
where Peter - the apostle who is considered the
first pope -
was crucified and buried. St. Peter's tomb is under
the main
altar (see Rome video) and many other popes
are buried in the
basilica as well. St. Peter's Basilica was
rebuilt in the 16th century by
Renaissance
masters including Bramante, Michelangelo and Bernini.
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There are different train systems and companies within Italy and while all of them are reliable, some are better than others depending on whether or not you are traveling in groups or alone, or if you wish to be able to work on the train. In order to pay for these sometimes expensive trips, you will need to use the Euro, the official currency of almost every country in the EU. If you wish to travel by car, it might be best to only do so in Northern Italy where the highways and roads are more developed than in Southern Italy. Whichever part of Italy you decide to travel in, you are sure to find an amazingly unique cultural experience filled with beautiful scenery and exquisite cuisine.
Rome
Rome is called the Eternal City. With more than 3,000 years of history behind it, it is difficult to sum up this ancient city in words. The best way to know this city is to explore it. There are many faces to this city – the capital city of the old, the center of food and fashion, and the Catholic faith. Your journey of this city will depend upon how you want to remember it.
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The Colosseum or Coliseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre
of the
city of Rome, Italy. Built of concrete and stone, it
was the largest amphitheatre of the Roman Empire,
and is considered one of
the greatest works of Roman architecture and engineering. It is
the largest amphitheatre in the world.
The Colosseum is situated just east of the Roman Forum. Construction began under the emperor Vespasian in 70 AD,
and was
completed in 80 AD under his successor and heir Titus. Further
modifications were made during the
reign of Domitian (81–96). These
three emperors are known as the Flavian dynasty, and the amphitheatre was
named
in Latin for its association with their family name (Flavius). The Colosseum could hold, it is estimated, between 50,000
and 80,000 spectators, and was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal
hunts,
executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical
mythology. The building ceased to be
used for entertainment in the early
medieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops,
and
quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a
Christian shrine.
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| Kayla and Nicola at the "Fontana di Trevi" or Trevi Fountain. It is the largest Baroque fountain in Rome and the most beautiful in the world. A traditional legend holds that if visitors throw a coin over their shoulder into the fountain, they are ensured a return to Rome. |
Italians are food-lovers, with a penchant for both cooking and eating. So, while you are here, do sample some authentic Italian pizza, pasta, cappuccino, and gelato.
Venice
Venice is one of the most charming cities in the world. Built near a lagoon about 600-years ago, the city is one of the most popular tourist destinations on the globe. The city has an incredible pull, which both the young and the old are unable to resist. Its canals and secret alleys only enhance the mystique of Venice.
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Piazza San Marco often known in English as the St
Mark's Square, is the principal public square of Venice, Italy,
where
it is generally known just as "the Piazza" (la Piazza). All other
urban spaces in the city (except the Piazzetta
and the Piazzale Roma) are
called "campi" (fields). The Piazzetta (the 'little Piazza') is an
extension of the Piazza
towards the lagoon in its south east corner. The two
spaces together form the social, religious and political centre of
Venice and
are commonly considered together. A remark usually attributed to Napoleon calls
the
Piazza San Marco "the drawing room of Europe"
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After you have toured the St. Mark’s Square, you must do what every visitor thinks of doing here after setting foot in Venice – ride in a gondola. Hire a gondola and see the beauty of Venice from a different aspect. While most of the gondolas available for hire at St. Mark’s Square are packed to the capacity, renting one from a more secluded area such as San Toma will be best. If you want the complete experience, then you can hire singers to perform onboard. This might cost you a bit extra.
In order to get a feel for Italian markets, visit the Rialto Market in Venice. To get there, you will have to cross a 16th century bridge. Rialto Market is an open-air market and sells the local produce of meat, cheese, and fish.
Be sure not to touch the displayed goods, or you will upset the shopkeeper. From here, you can hire a traghetto or a gondola ferry to give you a tour of the Grand Canal. Also near the Grand Canal, is the Ca’Rezzonico. A grand museum that contain works of art belonging mainly to the 18th century. But not just that, you will also get an idea of the home life of Venetian nobilities.
Now, you can cross over to the island of Murano to see a glassblowing demonstration. On the island, you can visit various museums that will tell you the story of the world-renowned Murano glass. This will be a great place to buy souvenirs from. Back in Venice, you can purchase a Chorus Pass. This pass gives you entry into 16 Venetian churches. But do not be in a rush to see them all. The Chorus Pass is valid for one year.
As your tour of Venice draws to a close, there’s something that will leave Venice’s indelible mark on you. Climb atop the Bell Tower of St. Mark’s. Built in the year 1912, this tower is the exact replica of the tower that was destroyed in the year 1902. It offers the best panoramic view of Venice.
Florence
Florence (Italian: Firenze) is the capital of the region of Tuscany in Italy, with a population of about 366,500. The city is considered a cultural, artistic and architectural gem.
Florence was the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance.
Politically, economically, and culturally it was the most important city in
Europe for around 250 years; from some time before 1300 until the early 1500s.
Florentines reinvented money in the form of the gold florin.
This currency was the engine that drove Europe out of the "Dark Ages"
a term invented by Petrarch, a Florentine whose family had been exiled to
Arezzo. They financed the development of industry all over Europe, from Britain
to Bruges, to Lyon, to Hungary. They financed the English kings during the
Hundred Years War. They financed the papacy, including the construction of the
papal palace in Avignon and the reconstruction of St. Peters and the Vatican
when the papacy returned to Rome from the "Babylonian captivity".
Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio pioneered the use of the
vernacular, the use of a language other than Latin. In their case, Tuscan,
which, because of them, became Italian. Because Dante, et al., wrote in Tuscan,
Geoffrey Chaucer, who spent a lot of time in Northern Italy and who borrowed
heavily from Boccaccio's little stories, wrote in English. Others started
writing in French and Spanish. This was the beginning of the end of Latin as a
common language throughout Europe.
Florentines were the driving force behind the Age of
Discovery. Florentine bankers financed Henry the Navigator and the Portuguese
explorers who pioneered the route around Africa to India and the Far East. It
was a map drawn by the Florentine Paulo del Pozzo Toscanelli, a student of
Brunelleschi, that Columbus used to sell his "enterprise" to the
Spanish monarchs, and which he then used on his first voyage. Mercator's famous
"Projection" is a refined version of Toscanelli's map, taking into
account the Americas, of which the Florentine was obviously ignorant. The
western hemisphere itself is named after a Florentine writer who claimed to be
an explorer and mapmaker, Amerigo Vespucci.
Gallileo and other scientists pioneered the study of optics,
ballistics, astronomy, anatomy, and so on. Pico della Mirandola, Leonardo
Bruni, Machiavelli, and many others laid the groundwork for our understanding
of political science.
Opera was invented in Florence. And that is just a smidgen
of what went on in this city, which never had a population above 60,000 from
the first attack of the plague in 1348 until long, long after it became
unimportant.
And there were the Medici, perhaps the most important family
that ever lived. The Medici's changed the world more than any other family.
Forget all the art for which they paid. They taught first the other Italians
how to conduct state-craft, and then they taught the rest of the Europeans.
Just to cite one example: Catherine de Medici (1519-1589), married Henry II of
France (reigned 1547-1559). After he died, Catherine ruled France as regent for
her young sons and was instrumental in turning France into Europe’s first
nation-state. She brought the Renaissance into France, introducing everything
from the chateaux of the Loire to the fork. She also was to 16th and 17th
century European royalty what Queen Victoria was to the 19th and 20th centuries
– everybody’s grandmamma. Her children included three kings of France, Francis
II (ruled 1559-1560), Charles IX (ruled 1560-1574) and Henry III (ruled
1574-1589). Her children-in-law included a fourth king of France, Henry IV
(ruled 1589-1610), plus Elizabeth of Hapsburg, Philip II of Spain (of Armada
fame), and Mary Queen of Scots.
In 1300, Pope Boniface VIII said that Aristotle was wrong,
the universe was made out of five elements, not four: Earth, Air, Fire, Water,
and Florentines.
The dome was the largest ever built at the time, and the
first major dome built in Europe since the two great domes of Roman times: the
Pantheon in Rome and the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. In front of it is the
medieval Baptistery, where every Florentine was baptized until modern times.
The two buildings incorporate the transition from the Middle Ages to the
Renaissance in their decoration. In recent years, most of the important works
of art from those two buildings and from the wonderful Bell Tower, designed by
Giotto, have been removed and replaced by copies. The originals are now housed
in the spectacular Museum of the Works of the Duomo, just to the east of the
Cathedral.
Florence is filled with many other churches stuffed with
some of the finest art in the world: San Miniato al Monte, San Lorenzo, Santa
Maria Novella, Santa Trinita, the Brancacci Chapel at Santa Maria della
Carmine, Santa Croce, Santo Spirito, SS Annunziata, Ognissanti, and more.
Then there are the art galleries. The Uffizi and the Pitti
Palace are two of the most famous picture galleries in the world. But the heart
and soul of Florence are in the two superb collections of sculpture, the
Bargello and the Museum of the Works of the Duomo. They are filled with the
brilliant, revolutionary creations of Donatello, Verrochio, Desiderio da
Settignano, Michelangelo, and so many other masterpieces that create a body of
work unique in the world. And, of course, there is the Accademia, with
Michelangelo's David, perhaps the most well-known work of art anywhere, plus
the superb, unfinished prisoners and slaves Michelangelo worked on for the tomb
of Pope Julius II.
In all, Florence has something over 80 museums. Among those
at the top of most lists are the City hall, the Palazzo della Signoria (aka
Palazzo Vecchio), a wonderful building with magnificent rooms and some great
art; the Archeological Museum, the Museum of the History of Science, the
Palazzo Davanzatti, the Stibbert Museum, St. Marks, the Medici Chapels, the
Museum of the Works of Santa Croce, the Museum of the Cloister of Santa Maria
Novella, the Zoological Museum ("La Specola"), the Bardini, and the
Museo Horne. There is also a wonderful collection of works by the modern
sculptor, Marino Marini, in a museum named after him. If you are interested in
photography, you should not miss the superb collection of works by the early
photographers, the Alinari brothers. The magnificent Strozzi Palace is the site
of many special exhibits
To get a great overview of the city, you have plenty of
choices: climb the dome of the Cathedral or Giotto's Bell Tower which is much
easier or head for Piazza le Michelangelo a large parking lot on the hillside just
south of the center of town, or climb a bit further to the church of San
Miniato al Monte, a sublime 11th century masterpiece, with superb Renaissance sculptures. At vespers, the monks add to the
beauty with chants.
There are also a few places to buy things, from the high-end
jewelry stores lining the Ponte Vecchio to some of the most famous shops in the
world; Gucci, Pucci, Ferragamo, Valentino, Prada, Armani, Ermenegildo Zegna,
Buccellati, Frette, as well as many more wonderful shops that aren't yet world
famous. It is increasingly difficult to find bargains, but keen-eyed shoppers
can still find good deals on smaller, side streets running off of those above
and elsewhere in the center of town. The San Lorenzo market is now largely for
tourists. There are also a couple of collections of "outlets" in the
suburbs.
Great places to walk include along the Arno and across any
of its bridges; through narrow, medieval back streets in the Santa Croce area;
and in the Oltr'Arno - on the south side of the river, in many ways like Rome's
Trastevere or Paris's Left Bank - but far, far smaller. There are also superb
shopping streets, such as the Via Tornabuoni, the Via del Parione, and the Via
Maggio