ITALY
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page” -- St. Augustine
Florence
Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore
Name
The prominate Red Dome can easily be seen from above the City.

Name
Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is the second largest cathedral in the world capable of holding 3,000 people. It was begun in 1296 and took 140 years to complete

Name
There are ten panels in each of the two ornamental gates of the Cathedral's Baptistry

Name
One of twenty guilt bronze panels. Every panel is as detailed as this single panel

Name


Name
Fontana dei Neptuno - The Neptune Fountain was created in 1560-75 by Bartolomeo Ammannati. When Michelangelo saw it, he shook his head and moaned Ammannato, Ammannato, what a beautiful piece of marble you have ruined.

Name
The old quarter, with its renaissance architecture, paintings and sculptures, could almost be described as a living museum

Name
David was sculptured by Michelangelo in 1504 when he was 27 years old. The figure stands 14 feet high and its majesty and detail are overwhelming

Name
By Michelangelo

Name
By Michelangelo

Name
By Michelangelo

Name
Ponte Vecchio - This is the oldest bridge in Florence. It is lined with goldsmith shops and appears to be a normal street until reaching the middle where the Arno River can be seen flowing beneat

Name



Naples
The Bay of Naples
Name
The Bay of Naples as seen from Amalfi Drive, one of the most spectacular Drives in Europe


Pisa
The Tower of Pisa
Name
Construction was begun in 1172 but, by the time they had completed 3 stories, it began to lean and was abandoned. In the middle of the 14th century it was completed but the lean was never corrected

Name
The Tower stands 180 feet high. It is built of white marble and was leaning a total of 14 feet from the perpendicular at the time of this photograph. The Tower was moving at a rate of 1/4 inch per year and visitors were no longer allowed in the Tower. - Later attempts to counter balance the lean by pilling tons of lead on the opposite side seemed to work and the Tower was re-opend to visitors

Name
Duomo di Pisa - Begun in 1093, Pisa Cathedral is a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture. Despite its proximity to the eye-catching and tourist-attracting Leaning Tower, the Duomo still dominates the monumental Piazza dei Miracoli in Pisa

Name
The Baptistry of the Pisa Cathedral

Name
A disastrous fire in 1595 destroyed most of the cathedral's medieval art, but some of the best Renaissance artists were hired for the redecoration work


Pompeii
The Forum
Name
The excavations of Pompeii over the past 400 years have made it the best preserved ancient Roman town in existance and yielded more information about Roman life than any other site

Name
The Forum had been damaged by earthquakes and repaired before the volcanic eruption

Name
Pompeii was burried under 65 feet of volcanic ash from an eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD. (JK photo)

Name
Streets of Pompeii

Name


Name
Stepping Stones were used so the streets could be crossed in rainy weather. The stones were spaced so chariot wheels could pass on either side and the horse could run between them

Name
Water lines

Name
The Roman's had learned how to use the pipes to carry water to the fountains and their homes

Name
This is thought to have been a bank

Name
This Bakery was so carefully unearthed that its mills, oven and even some loaves of bread were preserved

Name
The bakery oven

Name
Street names were on the corners of the buildings

Name


Name


Name
The Vetti Brother's house was the best preserved. Many rooms were still intact

Name
The Vetti Brother's house

Name
The Vetti Brother's house

Name
The Vetti Brother's house

Name
The brothel has many well preserved paintings that appeared over the door of each tiny room

Name


Name


Name
This garden was reproduced to be exactly as it was 2,000 years ago

Name


Name


Name
Out of a total population of 20,000, it's thought that only 2,000 actually perished, asphyxiated by the toxic fumes of the volcanic debris

Name
When human remains were found, a body mould was cast before the earth was disturbed

Name
The body mould of a pregnant woman


Rome
The Colosseum
Name
The Colosseum - Inaugurated by Titus in 80 AD, it was the arena for games and galdiators. - Long after it ceased to be an arena, the Colosseum was damaged by an earthquake. Centuries later its rich marble facing was stripped away to build palaces and churches. A third of the original structure is all that remains today

Name
Seating nearly 60,000 spectators, the canopied Colosseum could be flooded and realistic naval battles were staged. - At its peak, exotic animals were used to satisfy jaded tastes (lion vs. bear, two humans vs. hippopotamus, or whatever). Many historians now believe that the legend that Christians were fed to the lions is unfounded

Name
Fontana di Trevi, 1762
Neptunus Rex standing on a shell chariot drawn by winged steeds and probably the most famous fountain in Rome

Name
This little piazza was nearly always deserted before the movie Three Coins in the Fountain

Name
The Spanish Steps
Its 137 steps link the Trinita dei Monti Church with the Baraccia Fountain below

Name
The Forum
When it came to cremating Caesar, purchasing a harlot, sacrificing a naked victim, or just discussing the day's business, the Forum was the place to go

Name
At night vestal virgins guarded the temple's sacred fire. Failure to keep the fire burning and their own passions under control sent them to an early grave - alive!

Name
The Catacombs

Name
Arch of Constantine - Built circa 315 AD

Name
Il Vittoriano - This monument to Victor Emanuel was is constructed of all white marble and took 26 years to build

Name
Castel San Angelo on the Tiber River

Name
The Tiber River separates the City of Rome from The Vatican


Sorrento
The Bay of Naples
Name
For the Romans, the Bay of Naples was the land of plenty, a blessed region of mild climate, gorgeous scenery and an accessible location that made it a favorite vacation and retirement area for the region's nobility

Name
Sorrento is a peaceful resort and traditional holiday center amid beautiful cliff-side gardens


Vatican City
Vatican is a Soverign State
Name
This tiny soverign state is governed by the Pope and protected by a small army of Swiss Guards. It contains the residence of the Pope, the worlds largest church and the most famous square and has its own post office and stamps

Name
St. Peter's Basilica
The largest Catholic church ever built, it was consecrated in 1626 after many years of construction under various architects. - The dome of the Basilica is an architectural masterpiece of Michelangelo. It was started when he was 71 and finished by Della Poria

Name
St. Peter's Square is surrounded by 284 doric columns designed by Bernini

Name
There are 142 statues of Saints on top of these mamonth columned structures

Name
The Basilica

Name


Name
The tomb of St. Peter lies under the main alter and the Cathedral's dome rises above it

Name


Name
The Swiss Guard



Venice
The Canal Grande (Grand Canal)
Name


Name
Campanile di San Marco

Name
Piazzetta San Marco

Name
Venice is made up of 120 islands which are separated by 177 canals and spanned by 450 bridges

Name
The gondola adds a touch of romance but it is also a practical means of transportation

Name


Name
Pizza & Gelato

Name



Isle of Capri, Sicily
Its natural beauty has been celebrated for the last 2000 years
Name
Capri is a tiny island with an area of 5 1/2 square miles located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrento Peninsula

Name
The Funicular (red building) is the only way for people and supplies to reach the top of Capri

Name
Capri was brought into the "tourist orbit" by Augustus Caesar, the first Roman Emperor

Name
Its natural beauty has been celebrated for the last 2000 years

Name


Name
Mt. Vesuvius

Name
Mt. Vesuvius is visible on a clear day

Name



Messina, Sicily
The Port of Messina
Name
The Port of Messina dates back to the 8th century BC but Messina has been badly damaged by earthquakes and destroyed by World War II so today it is mostly a modern city

Name
Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is rugged and mountainous with Mt. Etna, an active volcano, dominating its eastern coast. The peak of Mt. Etna is 10,900 feet

Name
The Astronomical Clock is the world's largest figurine clock. Each day at noon the mechanism is activated

Name
These figures and scenes appear on the balconys and move through a fifteen-minute cycle



Taormina, Sicily
Name
Taormina is about two hours train ride south of Messina

Name


Name
The town of Taormina is perched on a cliff overlooking the Ionian Sea.

Name
Many of Taormina's buildings date back to the middle ages

Name
Old town is about 820 ft above the sea, while a very steep and almost isolated rock, crowned by a Norman castle, rises about 490 ft higher

Name
The Bay of Taormina

Name
Taormina's beaches are on the Ionian sea

Name
This Greco-Roman Theater faces the sea from a hill 700 feet high

Name
The theater dates back to 358 BC. (JK photo)

Name
This ancient theater is so renowned for its acoustics that it is still used to present Greek tragedies


Google Maps
Florence


Naples


Pisa


Pompeii


Rome


Sorrento


Vatican


Venice


Capri, Sicily


Messina, Sicily


Taormina, Sicily


©Copyright 2000   All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored, or transmitted in any form without my prior permission. Charles Tyrrell, Webmaster