There Are Many Types of Italy Tours

St. Peter's Basilica at Early Morning (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Author: Phoenix Delray

People that are looking for Italy tours are often surprised at how many different kinds are available. There are ones that go to almost every area of this country and that have emphasis on many different things.
Many people immediately associate this country with Rome. They want to see this city because of all the historically significant features it has. They may also want to visit nearby Vatican City to see the artwork and possibly get a glimpse of the Pope. While this is an interesting place, this area is not the only reason that people visit this country.

Vatican City State: a Unique Country

Vatican (Photo credit: tejvanphotos)

The Vatican is a truly unique state within a city, a city-museum which is inextricably linked to the history of the Roman Empire. Here, unique works of the best artists of all ages can be seen literally everywhere. Temples, palaces, museum collections of ancient art, masterpieces of Italian painting and sculpture are noteworthy and attract the guests' attention. Despite the small area of the Vatican, it is widely known throughout the world. The sights of this city make it very attractive for tourists. One of the most beautiful architectural monuments of the Vatican City is the St. Peter's Cathedral. It is located on St. Peter's Square, designed by the famous Bernini. It has an oval shape and is surrounded by a row of pillars, which includes four rows of Doric pillars crowned by a balustrade with the statues of saints. In the center of the square, there is the Egyptian Obelisk, which was brought to the Vatican by Caligula, and two fountains built in the 17th century.

The Lesser Seen Side of Rome

Rome (Photo credit: ryarwood)
By Simon Prendergast
When it comes to arranging the perfect study tour it's very important to make sure you pick the right location. There are plenty of destinations around the world that appeal to the travelling public in search of knowledge and experiences, but the eternal city of Rome is hard to beat. If you're lucky enough to be heading to this hotbed of history, then you might be interested in some of the lesser known sights and experiences on offer to visitors. Here is a brief rundown of some of the places you might think about including on your itinerary during your study tour to the 'Caput Mundi'.

The Colosseum - Rome's Greatest Stadium

Image via Wikipedia By Sarah Dudleymore


The Colosseum was commissioned by the Emperor Vespasian between 70 and 72 AD and was completed in 80 AD by his son Domitian. It was built on a marshy site of a lake near the site of Nero's enormous palace. There was a colossus (a very tall statue) of Nero nearby, from which legend says the Colosseum's name was originated from, later destroyed in the great fire of Rome.
The Colosseum was cleverly designed. It has been said that most today's stadiums, and structures alike have been inspired by the concepts introduced in the Colosseum's building structure, even in modern times. It could be evacuated inearly in five minutes. The most inventive part of the Colosseum was its cooling system. It was roofed using a canvas covered net-like structure made of ropes, with a hole in the center to provide a breeze for the audience.

Tuscany - A Region Ripe With Choice

Image via Wikipedia
By Giovanni Balboni


In Tuscany, villa rental isn't just a convenient way of taking a holiday - it's about sampling a way of life. Booking a villa means being able to immerse yourself entirely into the Italian lifestyle and see how the locals live - and why they love it so much!
Urban delights
For many people, the first image that springs to mind when the word Tuscany is mentioned, is that of ancient history and sophisticated cities. That's perfectly understandable, and unless you have strolled around the medieval streets of Siena, the ancient towers of San Gimignano, or watched the sun set from a Florentine piazza, it's very difficult to claim that you've seen Italy.

Dinner and a Betrayal!

Image via Wikipedia
By Mimi Rippy


Discover why The Last Supper is one of the most famous religious images in the world. This article explains The Last Supper's appeal and why it has been the centre of so much debate. It will highlight the elements that are often over looked and how being in its presence will make you reassess the brilliance of Leonardo da Vinci.

Florence - The Gem Of The Italian Renaissance - Michelangelo

Image via Wikipedia

By Orson Johnson


Florence was the city that witnessed the great revival of learning and culture in 14th to 16th centuries. The city was epicenter of the great surge in artistic, literary, and scientific explorations.
The precious Gem of the Italian Renaissance, Florence is often considered as the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. The city was ruled by Medici family during Renaissance age, which brought up the great artists and intellectuals like Boccaccio, Botticelli, Dante, Donatello, Filippo Brunelleschi, Galileo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Niccolò Machiavelli etc. flourished in the city.
It's a saying that "of the 1,000 most important European artists of the second millennium, 350 lived or worked in Florence." Modern city of Florence is highly esteemed due to the great works of its great men.
Florence is among the greatest cities of Europe famous for art, learning, and culture. It's a great cultural hub of Italy. Famous for its art and architecture, the city of Florence is a perfect pleasing place for aesthetic cognoscenti. Florence is home to the finest Museums and Galleries that exhibit the great works of great artists. The great Museums and Galleries of the cities are listed below.

Florence and Art - The Site of Unbound Artistry

Image via Wikipedia
By Annette Labedzki


Florence - The City

Initially named as Florentia, Julius Caesar originally established Florence in 59 BC as a settlement for his veteran soldiers. It was therefore, built in the style of an army camp. Presently, it is the capital city on the banks of River Arno in the region of Tuscany, North Italy. Florence is one of Tuscany's most populous cities with around 3,67,000 inhabitants.
The Activity Log

The Golden Age of Florentine Art began in around 1000 AD. Most aptly known as the 'Athens of the Middle Age,' the city is famous for its art and architecture from the Middle Ages (5th-16th centuries) and the European Renaissance (1300-1600). In fact, it was considered the origin point of the Italian Renaissance (1490's-1600). Ruled by the powerful Italian Medici Family and being the capital of Italy from 1865-70, it was also one of the biggest centers of business and trade in Italy. In 1982, UNESCO declared the Historic Centre of Florence as a World Heritage Site.
The Art

Venetian gentlemen, once preferred them blondes

Image via Wikipedia
Author: Albapp

It is well known that beauty standards change. Marilyn Monroe's admired feminine curves have been replaced by the androgynous and thin Agyness Deyn and the big curly hairstyles of the 80's are now a distant (and often embarrassing) memory for women who now sport sleek straight hair like walls.
Italy has seen its perception of beauty change with the times too, while today's most desired Italian women are brunettes or black-haired with tanned skin and clear Latina traits, in the years of the Serenissima Republic, women worked hard on keeping their pale skin white as milk and their blond hair as rich as gold, both symbols of the high class delicate and prosperous women that attended the feasts, parties and events organized by the wealthy inhabitants of the city.
Women in ancient Rome started this tradition by brightening up their hair with a soap made of animal fat and birch ashes or with a mixture of chamomile flowers and the yellow of an egg.

5 Exhibitions to Attend in Rome, Italy for 2011

Image via Wikipedia


By James Burrows

Each year a number of different exhibitions are held in Rome. These exhibitions vary in size and nature. Rome is an obvious choice for event organisers as it has an established infrastructure to accommodate the large numbers of people who are attracted to the exhibitions. Whether you visit Rome especially for one of these events or just happen to be in town when an exhibition is on, you will be sure to enjoy the pleasant yet professional feel which Italians exhibitions are renowned for. Below are just some of the exhibitions which take place in Rome:

Church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence

Image via WikipediaIf you have been to Rome and Venice, but not Florence, you have not really seen Italy. Florence is a city of stunning beauty, its name translates as the "blossoming". It is believed to be one of the oldest centers and cities in Europe. Florence has many wonderful attractions and monuments. One of them is the Church of Santa Maria Novella.
Church of Santa Maria Novella
Many historians argue that the city of Florence (Italy) was founded in 59 BC by Julius Caesar. However, science provides no firm confirmation of this fact. It is known that the city of Florence gave birth to the Renaissance, so today the city features many ancient churches, cathedrals, palaces and museums designed in the style of the Renaissance epoch.
The Church of Santa Maria Novella was conceived and built by Dominican monks Sisto da Firenze and Ristoro da Campi. The construction started in 1246, at the site where once sat the 10th century Dominican Chapel of Santa Maria delle Vinet. In 1279 aisles were completed, and in the second half of the fourteenth century Jacopo Talenti was able to finish the construction of Towers and the Sacristy. As a result of alterations made by Leon Battista Alberti in the mid-fifteenth century, the beautiful facade of the church emerged. A talented architect, he completed a wonderful portal and the upper part of the church with a clear rhythm of squares, which are inlaid with marble.


The interior of the church through the pylons is divided into three naves, and the pylons are provided with ligament columns supporting the huge arches covered with lancet arches. The interior was renovated in the sixteenth century. This church houses a great number of art works dating back to fourteenth to sixteenth centuries by famous masters (Vasari, Brunelleschi, Rossellini, Ghirlandaio, Giuliano da Sangallo, Ghiberti, etc.)



Through a gate in the form of a lattice you can enter the monastery courtyard designed in the Romanesque style of the fourteenth century, then to the large monastery, surrounded by arched walls that are painted by Florentine artists.



The Chapter Hall of the Monastery in the Spanish chapel is a work of the genius Jacopo Talenti (mid-fourteenth century). This chapel was intended for church services in the presence of Eleanor of Toledo, the wife of Cosimo I, accompanied by her entourage. The chapel is decorated with frescoes of the fourteenth century by Andrea di Buonayuto.



Hours:

Closed on Friday and Sunday

Open on other days from 09.00 to 17.00

---

Planning a trip to Florence? Don't miss the list of Florence hotels with descriptions, rates, photos and offerings from most popular hotel booking systems.



Source: http://www.submityourarticle.com



Permalink: http://www.submityourarticle.com/a.php?a=125489

24 Hours in Rome (2)

Image via Wikipedia

Rome is a city that has a long time of history. You can track the rudiment of history here. In Rome, you should stay in good spirits. You should grasp every minute to get to know the magnificence and glory of Rome. On the full schedule, if you have only one day to tour around Rome, the following things can help you know Rome quickly.

Via del Governo Vecchio

If you cross the Plazza di spagrla from Giorgio de Chirico House-Museum, you will see the window of the guest room of ol' Giorgio as well as the famous Via Condotti where most of those Italian designers get together. However, for the sake of money, I will choose to go to Via del Governo Vecchio which is located in the other side the this city. Although it is not that famous, you can still go shopping happily here. You can buy nearly all things here, from fur to bathing suit.

Walk to Ponte Sisto

The best way to understand a city is to choose some cheap and typical store to go around. Here is a two-hour walking route---start from the noisy and crowded Piazza Navona, walk southward to Campo de' Fiori where you can find coffee shops, daily food and flower market, then you will arrive at Dafarr plaza where there are springs and palaces during Renaissance, next continue you walking until reaching Ponte Sisto. The Ponte bridge here provide you with the best prospective of taking view of the beauty of Rome. Then you can walk across the river Tiber. You can continue your walking. Different kinds of charming things will arrive one by one.

Pizza

If you feel hungry, but do not have enough time to stop to having lunch, you can try some pizza with which you can eat standing up. There are a lot flake pizza everywhere in Rome. What you should do is to point out the kind of pizza that you want to buy. Apart from the standard Magarit pizza, there are also other kinds of pizza such as potato pizza and pumpkin pizza. My favourite kind of pizza do not has a name. You can taste the eggplant one in Via del Piedi Marmo.

He He Jian is obsessed with a great fashion blog: http://www.ladywild.com/blog, where various news and information about these hottest accessories are provided, such as discount Tiffany jewelry, Cartier, cheap Christian Louboutin high heel shoes, GHD, etc. It is really great to visit http://www.ladywild.com/blog.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=He_He_Jian