Italy is a home to many of the World’s greatest works of art, architecture and gastronomy.
Take the art works of Botticelli, Leonardo DA Vinci, Michelangelo, Tintoretto and Caravaggio, the operas of Verdi and Puccini, the cinema of Federico Fellini, add the architecture of Venice, Florence and Rome and you have just a fraction of Italy's treasures from over the centuries.
Italy has Europe's richest culture. After all, this nation is the cradle of European civilization — established by the Roman Empire and carried on by the Roman Catholic Church.
As you explore Italy, you'll stand face-to-face with some of the world's most iconic images from this 2,000-year history. Traditions still live within a country that is vibrant and fully modern..
MUST VISIT:
Roman Forum (Rome), St. Peter’s Basilica and Vatican Museums (Vatican), Galleria degli Uffizi (Florence), Duke’s Palace and Basilica di San Marco (Venice), Leaning Tower (Pisa), Stunning Amalfi Coast, Five villages of Cinque Terre.
ROME
Rome is without doubt one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Every year millions of tourists come from around the world to admire the treasures and masterpieces of Roman art and architecture.
Because Rome is such a huge tourist draw, chose the date for your trip carefully. The best times of the year to visit are April, May and late September through October.
The Colosseum
The Flavius amphitheater is the biggest and most imposing in the Roman world, but is also the most famous monument in Rome and is known as the „Colosseum“. Started by Emperor Vespasian of the Flavia family, it was opened by his son Titus in 80 A.D.
The highly ostentatious opening ceremony, lasted one hundred days during which people saw great fights, shows and hunts involving the killing of thousands of animals (5000 according to historian Suetonius) For the opening, the arena space was filled with water for one of the most fantastic events held in Roman times.
The Pantheon
The Pantheon in Rome is the Roman monument with the greatest number of records: the best preserved, with the biggest brick dome in the history of architecture and is considered the forerunner of all the modern places of worship. It is the most copied and imitated of all ancient works. Michelangelo felt it was the work of angels, not men.
Where it stands was not chosen by chance, but is a legendary place in the city's history. According to Roman legend, it is the place where the founder of Rome, Romulus, at his death was seized by an eagle and taken off into the skies with the Gods. The name comes from two Greek words pan „everything“ and teon „divine“. Originally, the Pantheon was a small temple dedicated to all Roman gods.
Squares and fountains
Rome could not be imagined without the remarkable counterpoint of its squares and fountains.
Trevi fountain: You will not find any other place in the world that celebrates the ever-mutating and incredible power of water like Rome. The Trevi Fountain is a fantastic work of art that is much more than a mere sculpture. This triumphant example of Baroque art with it's soft, natural lines and fantasy creatures embodies movement as a soul of the world. The fountain is a true wonder, a jewel of water and stone that is nestled between the places of the historic center of the city. You can already hear its presence from the nearby streets. Indeed, as you get nearer the sound of its gushing waters grows constantly more intense, reaching a crescendo in the square, where you will find the most breathtaking sight.
Piazza di Spagna and Spanish steps
With its characteristic butterfly plan, the Piazza di Spagna is one of the most famous images in the world, as well as being one of the most majestic urban monuments of Roman Baroque style. In the Renaissance period, the square was the most popular tourist attraction in the city. It attracted artists and writers alike and was full of elegant hotels, inns and residences. At the end of the seventeenth century, it was called Trinita dei Monti, after the church that dominates the square from above, but it was later given the name we know today after the Spanish Ambassador who lived there. At the food of the stairs you will find the famous Barcaccia Fountain, the work of Pietro Bernini and his Son Gian Lorenzo.
St. Peter's basilica
The Centre of the Roman Catholic faith, St. Peter's draws pilgrims from all over the world. Few are disappointed when they enter the sumptuously decorated basilica beneath Michelangelo's vast dome. A shrine was erected on the site of St. Peter's tomb in the 2nd century and the first great basilica, ordered by the Emperor Constantine, was completed around AD 349. By the 15th century it was falling down, so in 1506 Pope Julius II laid the first stone of the new church. It took more than a century to build and all the great architects of the Roman Renaissance and Baroque had a hand in its design. It was necessary to enable a large crowd to see the Pope during the blessing. Bernini's solution was to design a piazza in the form of an ellipse, bordered by a quadruple colonnade forming a portico wide enough to let a carriage pass.
