OUR TRIP TO ITALY APRIL 2007

It was our first trip to Italy.

W e expected to see a lot of ancient civilisation( ROME, POMPEII), the religious center of the World (VATICAN CITY), icons of Italy (NICOLOSSEUM, LEANING TOWER OF PISA, VENICE, TREVI FOUNTAIN), wonderful statues and frescos, paintings, architecture and the culture of a country known for its history and its famous people( MICHAELANGELO, LEONARDO DA VINCI, GALILEO, ST PETER, ST FRANCIS OF ASSISSI,MARCO POLO).

All these we visited and saw the beauty of Italy.

Some advice we wished to give new visitors:

Parking for coaches are always very far from the tourist spots so be prepared to walk a lot. Try and get comfortable sport shoes.

During summer it can be very hot so buy lots of water to drink during your trip.
Water can be bought at different prices in the country. Rome and Vatican city are the most expensive with 500cc of water costing 3.50 euros while at Florence we were able to get 12 litres of water for only 0.99 euros.

The sun can also be very glaring to the eyes. We advise bringing good UV block sunglasses or wear a hat or cap.

Most of the big shops uses the major credit cards such as VISA, MASTERCARD, DINERS CLUB, AMERICAN EXPRESS but for the small stall holders selling souveniers cash is still important.

Bring sufficient cash for incidental buying of souvenier, food, icecream, even the usage of toilets etc. Remember that there are many pickpockets in Italy so keep your valuables(cash, credit cards, and passports) in a body pouch. It is safer than to lose your valuables to the pickpockets.

All services and goods carry a value added tax of 20% which can be refunded at the customs in the airport provided the amout is large enough. Get a form filled up at the shop where you buy the goods.

The hotels in Italy are generally comfortable but do not come with amenities like kettle, teabags or coffee. So if you need to boil water, bring along a travel kettle. Remember to bring the the right plug for the electical socket.
There is no airconditioning in most hotels but there are heaters for winter. Services like porters are slow so expect to receive your luggage late. It is better if you can bring the luggage up to your rooms yourselves.

Most Italians speak very little English. So try to learn a few Italian phrases.

Internet services cost about 5 euros for half an hour.

We found that there are a lot of illegal immigrants such as Africans and Asians selling fake goods along the roadside.

Once on the way to our hotel there was a blockage ot the road by the police as a result of strike by some workers working in factories. As a result the coach had to U turn and go by an alternative route.

Not all the toilets are free. Some cost 0.5 to 1 euro per entry. Best places to use a toilet would be at MacDonalds or you may be able to use a toilet at a food shop provided you buy food from them. No purchase means no usage of their toilets.

Bring sufficient batteries for your camera or bring the charger for your camera. If you don't then all the pictures which you take for your vacation will be wasted. The cost of batteries are very high in Italy.

Photo taking are prohibited in many places in Italy especially where there are frescos as the flash damages the painting. Examples are Sistine Chapel, Pompeii, Assissi.

Churches or Basilica are places of worship so your dress code should be decent-no mini skirts and exposed shoulders. Silence is also important!

The largest lemon in the world can be found in Sorrento.

Finally enjoy your trip to Italy as we did with all these tips and precautions.

OUR TRIP TO ITALY APRIL 2007 - MILAN

From Verona we travelled to Milan
which is one of the largest cities in Italy, located in the plains of
Lombardy, and is one of the most highly developed urban centres in
Europe.

The municipal border wraps a relatively small area because of the
historical development of high density centres in agriculturally rich
Lombardy.
The city is one of the world's major commercial and financial centres,
and is among the most affluent cities in the European Union.
Milan is also renowned as one of the world capitals of design and
fashion.

Around 400 BC, the Celtic Insubres inhabited Milan and the
surrounding region. In 222 BC, the Romans conquered this
settlement, which had the name Mediolanum.
After several centuries of Roman control, Milan was declared the
capital of the Western Roman Empire by Emperor Diocletian in A.D.
293. In the Edict of Milan of 313, Emperor Constantine I guaranteed
freedom of religion for Christians. During the Middle Ages,
Milan prospered as a centre of trade due to its command of the
rich plain of the Po and routes from Italy across the Alps.
Milan suffered severe damage from British and American carpet
bombings especially in 1944 during World War II.
Milan's name is believed by some to derive from the Celtic Medelhan,
meaning "in the middle of the plain", due either to its location in a
plain close to the confluence of two small rivers, the Olona and the
Seveso, or perhaps to its being close to, and roughly equidistant
from, two major rivers, the Ticino and the Adda. The Romans
transcribed the name as Mediolanum, which in Latin could also be
interpreted as meaning "wool in the middle".
Thus arose the legend, built on Celtic lore about the boar
as a mythical animal: according to a prophecy the site for the
settlement would have been indicated to a
Celtic king by the appearance of a wild pig or boar with a ridge of
hair along its back, as reported by Cardano around 1626:
While building the majestic walls
Of the first Town the Insubres have
From the foundation a big boar came
Half silky with hair, and half bare
Hence it was called MILAN
By the Aedui, the Burgundians or the Franks,
And from this had its origin
What others could call HALF WOOL
Today the boar is still sometimes used as a symbol of the city.

Milan is also well known as the seat of the Alfa Romeo motorcar
company, for its silk production, and as one of the world's capitals
for fashion and a world leader for design.

Milan is one of the major artistic centres of northern Italy.

The Duomo,St Mark's Cathedral, the second largest cathedral of the world,
the largest gothic church and the world's largest collection of marble statues
with the widely visible golden Madonna statue on top of the spire,
the symbol of Milan.

The Palaeo-Christian Basilica of San Lorenzo The Biblioteca Ambrosiana, containing drawings and notebooks by
Leonardo da Vinci among its vast holdings of books, manuscripts, and
drawings, and is one of the main repositories of European culture.
The church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, housing one of the most
famous paintings of Leonardo da Vinci, The Last Supper.
The Pinacoteca di Brera, Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, Poldi Pezzoli, the
Bagatti Valsecchi Museum and the Musei del Castello galleries,
host a great number of pictorial masterpieces

Like all other Italian cities, Milan's population is overwhelmingly
Roman Catholic.
Milan has its own historic Catholic rite known as the Ambrosian Rite.
It varies slightly from the typical Roman Catholic rite. The
Ambrosian rite is also practiced in other surrounding locations in
Lombardy and in the Swiss canton of Ticino.
The Gregorian chant was completely unused in Milan and sourronding
areas, because the official one was its own Ambrosian chant,
definitiveley established by the Council of Trent (1545-1563) and
earlier than the Gregorian.

The city has a large international airport known as Malpensa
International Airport (MXP), located near the industrial towns of
Busto Arsizio and Gallarate and connected to the downtown with the
"Malpensa Express" railway service (from Cadorna Station).

It is from here that we departed with a humble knowledge of the greatness of Italy and it past history as a World Power(THE ROMAN EMPIRE). We have enjoyed the beauty of its past architecture, religious history, art, sculpture, frescos and cruisine.

OUR TRIP TO ITALY APRIL 2007 - VERONA

Next we travelled to the ancient town of Verona which boast the Famous scene of Romeo & Juliet on the balcony and also a small complete Roman Arena.

"There is no world without Verona walls,But purgatory, torture, hell itself.Hence-banished is banish'd from the world,And world's exile is death."
—William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act III, Scene III

Verona is a city and provincial capital in Veneto, Northern Italy.
Verona, or Veronia, was a city of the Euganei,
who were obliged to cede it to the Cenomani (550 BC).
The city derived importance from being at the intersection of many roads.
Because of the value and importance of its many historical buildings,
Verona has been named a UNESCO world heritage site.
San Zeno Basilica, like many other Veronese churches,
is built with alternating layers of white stone and bricks.
Verona is famous for its Roman amphitheatre, the Arena,
completed around 30 AD, which is the third largest in Italy,
after Rome's Colosseum and the arena at Capua.
It measures 139 meters long and 110 meters wide, and
could seat some 25,000 spectators in its 44 tiers of marble seats.
The interior is very impressive and is virtually intact, and
has remained in use even today for public events, fairs, theatre
and open-aired opera during warm, Summer nights.
There is also a variety of other Roman monuments to be found in the town,
such as the Roman theatre.
The Arco dei Gavi (Gavi Arch), dedicated to the important Roman family
of the Gavii, was built in the 1st century AD, and is famous for having
the name of the builder (architect Lucius Vitruvius Cordone) engraved on it,
a really rare case in the architecture of the epoque.
It originally it straddled the main Roman road into the city,
now the Corso Cavour.
Nearby is the Porta dei Borsari, an archway is at
the end of Corso Porta Borsari. This is the façade of a
3rd century gate in the original Roman city walls.
The inscription is dated 245 AD and gives the city name
as Colonia Verona Augusta. The road passing through the gate
is the original Via Sacra of the Roman city.
Today, it is lined with several Renaissance palazzi.
Porta dei Leoni is the 1st century BC ruin of what was
once part of the Roman city gate. A substantial portion is still
standing as part of the wall of a medieval building. The street itself is
an open archaeological site, and the remains of the original Roman
street and gateway foundations can be seen a few feet below the present street level.

The Basilica of San Zeno Maggiore is considered one of the
great achievements of Romanesque architecture.
The present structure is the 3rd on this site,
built from 1123-1135, over the 4th century shrine to
Verona's patron saint, St. Zeno (died 380).
The splendid façade dominates the large square,
and is flanked with a beautiful 72 meter tall bell tower,
which is mentioned by Dante in Canto 18 of Purgatory in the Divine Comedy.
The weathered Veronese stone gives a warm golden glow and
the restrained lines of the pillars, columns, cornices and the gallery
with its double windows give the façade an air of harmonious elegance.
The lintels above the portal have carvings of the months of the year.
Each side of the doorway is embellished with 18 bas-relief panels of
biblical scenes, and the inner bronze door has panels have 48 primitive
but forceful Biblical scenes and depictions from the life of St Zeno.
The interior of the church is divided into a Lower Church,
occupying about 2/3 of the structure, and the Upper Church,
occupying the remainder. The walls are covered with
12th and 14th century frescos and the ceiling of the nave
is a magnificent example of a ship's keel ceiling.
The vaulted crypt contains the tomb of St. Zeno,
the first Bishop of Verona as well as the tombs of several other saints.
North of the church is a pleasant cloister.
The church also houses the tomb of King Pippin of Italy (777-810).
The small Romanesque Basilica of San Lorenzo is one of the finest and
most important in the city. Its dates from around 1177, but is built on
the site of a Paleochristian church, some fragments of which remain.
Santa Maria Antica is a huge Romanesque church was the parish church
of the Scaligeri clan. Founded in the 7th century, the interior is very beautiful.
The structure is of alternating bands of brick and stone.
The square belfry has Gothic mullioned windows, and
inset glass crosses in the roof admit light.
Only large enough to hold a couple dozen people at most for mass,
when the Scaligeri chose this to be their funerary chapel,
the only place for their massive tombs was outside.
The Duomo is also a notable Romanesque church.
Sant'Anastasia is a huge and lofty church built from 1290-1481
by the Dominicans to hold the massive congregations attracted by
their rousing fundamentalist sermons. The Gothic portal has faded
15th century frescoes and carved scenes from the life of St Peter Martyr,
but the façade is unfinished. Inside is one of the most outstanding examples of Gothic architecture in northern Italy. However, its proportions and various elements of the design are still decidedly Romanesque.

The famous balcony of Juliet at Villa Capelletti in Verona.
Verona is the setting of the story of Romeo and Juliet, made famous by
William Shakespeare. The short passageway leading to the balcony is
covered with slips of paper carrying their graffiti of love notes, and
a bronze statue of Juliet stands under the balcony,
one breast polished by those touching it for luck.

OUR TRIP TO ITALY APRIL 2007 - VENICE

Next we travel to the most romantic of Italian Cities,
Venice, the city of canals well known for its
famous inhabitant Marco Polo and Shakespeare's play" Merchant of Venice"

Venice ( Latin: Venetia) is a city in northern Italy, the capital of
region Veneto, and has a population of 271,663 (census estimate
January 1, 2004). Together with Padua (Padova), the city is included
in the Padua-Venice Metropolitan Area (population 1,600,000).
Venice's nicknames include "Queen of the Adriatic", "City of Water",
"City of Bridges", and "The City of Light".

Venice is built on one hundred and twenty two small islands, and
holds one hundred and fifty canals, connected by an amazing four
hundred and nine bridges, of which only three cross the main canal.

The area it covers is a mere 458 kilometres. Although the city
appears small, it is really quite extensive for its size. While most tour
guides don’t recommend getting lost in the majority of cities, Venice
is the place to get hopelessly lost for a day; it is certainly more
advisable than getting lost in a shopping centre and hiding out in the
frozen foods section.

However, Venice isn’t all cities and crowded
streets: through the mysterious alleyways leading off from the city,
endless mazes of backstreets and deserted squares, you'll find the
‘real’ Venice , and it's a perfect place to walk for hours on end,
pretending to know where you are.

The classical Venetian boat is the gondola, although it is now
mostly used for tourists, or for weddings, funerals, or other ceremonies.
Most Venetians now travel by motorised waterbuses ("vaporetti")
which ply regular routes along the major canals and between the city's islands.
The only gondolas still in common use by Venetians are the traghetti,
foot passenger ferries crossing the Grand Canal at certain points without bridges.

The islands of the Venetian lagoon were first settled during the
barbarian invasions of the 5th and 6th centuries AD, when the people
of the Veneto mainland sought refuge in the marshy region. The
refugees built the now-famous watery villages on rafts of wooden
posts driven into the soil, laying the foundations for the floating
palaces of today. The traditional date of Venice 's birth is given as 25
March 421, but there is little evidence to support this belief.

The famous water-villages of Venice post a threat to the historical buildings,
which are slowly sinking into the marshy ground. It is believed that
if construction work does not continue, these buildings may, in turn, pose a
threat to the safety of locals and tourists.
It has been said that “When this precious place sinks, the world will be the poorer”,
and also stated that Venice has a bleak future.

Regular buses (yes, they do exist) run from one place to another, but it's
probably the least exciting way to get around the city.
Taxis - the regular four-wheeled variety - do operate from Piazzale Roma.

It's nearly always the festive season in Venice , although the city is
particularly busy in the flourishing months of spring, especially
surrounding Easter. Accommodation is one of the most difficult
things to find around that time zone, as well as around Christmas,
New Year and festival Carnevale (in February, locals and tourists
put on masks to cover their faces). The most pleasant time of year to
visit is late March into May, with clear spring days and fewer crowds.
September is the next best in terms of weather, but October is
quieter. Flooding occurs in November and December, and winter can
be unpleasantly cold - although seeing Venice under a layer of snow
can cast the aura of a fairy tale.

Most visitors to Venice land at Marco Polo airport on the mainland,
10 km from Venice . Many of them choose the heading straight
from the city, but walking around the backstreets is really what
Venice is about.

Although it can be excruciatingly hot and stuffy in summer,
when the tourists flock, it is nonetheless one of the most romantic cities.
Like every tourist location, it’s not just tourists from the surrounding
countries who visit; all kinds of people can be found, cameras at the
ready, in Venice . The attractions in Venice include many remarkable
structures, such as an impressive array of bronze work, glass factories,
tapestries and paintings from the 5 th to 6 th century, as well as a whole
handful of amazing buildings and galleries showcasing the artistic
side of Venice .

If you are looking for the upbeat bars and restaurants, you cannot go
wrong with the area surrounding Campo di Santa Margarita in San
Polo. There you will find an Irish pub, trendy bars and even MacDonalds.
The area is frequented by students from the University and is buzzing with
life during the weekends as market stalls of fish and vegetables open.

St. Mark's Square in Venice.
These Horses of Saint Mark are a replica of the Triumphal Quadriga
captured in Constantinople in 1204 and carried to Venice as a trophy.
The Republic of Venice seized the eastern shores of the Adriatic
before 1200, mostly for commercial reasons, because pirates based
there were a menace to trade. Situated on the Adriatic Sea, Venice
traded with the Byzantine Empire and the Muslim world extensively.
During the late thirteenth century, Venice was the most prosperous city
in all of Europe. Venice remained a republic throughout its independent period and
politics and the military were kept completely separate.Venice began to lose its position as a center of international trade during the later part of the Renaissance as Portugal became Europe's principal intermediary in the trade with the East, striking at the very
foundation of Venice's great wealth.
After 1070 years, the Republic lost its independence when Napoleon
Bonaparte on May 12, 1797, conquered Venice during the First Coalition.
It was during the Settecento (1700s) that Venice became perhaps the most elegant and refined city in Europe, greatly influencing art, architecture, and literature.
Venice became Austrian territory when Napoleon signed the Treaty of
Campo Formio on October 12, 1797. In 1848-1849 a revolt briefly reestablished
the Venetian Republic. In 1866, following the Seven Weeks War,
Venice, along with the rest of Venetia, became part of Italy.

The Ponte dei Sospiri, the Bridge of Sighs.
Venice is world-famous for its canals. It is built on an archipelago of
122 islands formed by about 150 canals in a shallow lagoon. The
islands on which the city is built are connected by about 400 bridges.
In the old center, the canals serve the function of roads, and every
form of transport is on water or on foot.

The sestieri are the 6 primary traditional divisions of Venice. The city
is divided into the six districts of Cannaregio, San Polo, Dorsoduro
(including the Giudecca), Santa Croce, San Marco (including San
Giorgio Maggiore), and Castello (including San Pietro di Castello and
Sant'Elena). At the front of the Gondolas that work in the city there is
a large piece of metal intended as a likeness of the Doge's hat. On
this sit six notches pointing forwards and one pointing backwards.
Each of these represent one of the Sestieri (the one which points
backwards represents Giudecca).

OUR TRIP TO ITALY APRIL 2007 - PISA

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the freestanding bell tower,
of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa.
It is situated behind the Cathedral and
it is the third structure in Pisa's Campo dei Miracoli (field of Miracles).
Although intended to stand vertically,
the tower began leaning to the southeast
soon after the onset of construction in 1173
due to a poorly laid foundation and loose substrate
that has allowed the foundation to shift direction.
The height of the tower is 55.86 m (183.27 ft) from the ground
on the lowest side and 56.70 m (186.02 ft) on the highest side.
The width of the walls at the base is 4.09 m (13.42 ft)
and at the top 2.48 m (8.14 ft). Its weight is estimated at 14,500 tonnes.
The tower has 294 steps. The tower leans at an angle of 5.5 degrees.
This may not seem a lot, but this means that the tower is 4.5 metres
from where it used to stand vertically.
The Tower of Pisa was a work of art,
performed in three stages over a period of about 174 years.
Construction of the first floor of the white marble campanile
began on August 9, 1173, a period of military success and prosperity.
This first floor is surrounded by pillars with classical capitals,
leaning against blind arches.
The tower began to sink after construction progressed to the third floor.
In an effort to compensate for the tilt,
the engineers built higher floors with one side taller than the other.
This made the tower begin lean in the other direction.
Because of this, the tower is actually curved.
After a phase (1990-2001) of structural strengthening,
the tower is currently undergoing gradual surface restoration,
in order to repair visual damage, mostly corrosion and blackening.
These are particularly strong due to the tower's age and
to its particular conditions with respect to wind and rain.
On February 27, 1964, the government of Italy requested aid
in preventing the tower from toppling.
It was, however, considered important to retain the current tilt,
due to the vital role that this element played in
promoting the tourism industry of Pisa.
A multinational task force of engineers, mathematicians and historians
was assigned and met on the Azores islands to discuss stabilization methods.
After over two decades of work on the subject,
the tower was closed to the public in January 1990.
While the tower was closed, the bells were removed to relieve some weight,
and cables were cinched around the third level
and anchored several hundred meters away.
Apartments and houses in the path of the tower
were vacated for safety.
After a decade of corrective reconstruction and stabilization efforts,
the tower was reopened to the public on December 15, 2001.
It was found that the lean was increasing due to the stonework
expanding and contracting each day due to the heat of sunlight.
This was working in combination with the softer foundations
on the lower side.
Many methods were proposed to stabilize the tower,
including the addition of 800 metric tons of
lead counterweights to the raised end of the base.
The final solution to prevent the collapse of the tower
was to slightly straighten the tower to a safer angle,
by removing 38 m3 of soil from underneath the raised end.
The tower has been declared stable for at least another 300 years.
In 1987, the tower was declared as part of the Campo dei Miracoli
UNESCO World Heritage Site along with neighbouring cathedral,
baptistery and cemetery.
Movies associated with the leaning tower of Pisa:
The movie Superman III features an evil Superman
doing several "bad deeds" around the world -
one of which is straightening the Leaning Tower of Pisa,
played to comedic effect.
The famous final scene of the film features Superman
pushing the tower back to its normal inclination.

In the Disney movie Sky High, the very beginning shows
Will Stronghold's superhero mom getting "take out"
pizza from Italy. In one shot of the comic strip,
she is seen with a pizza box, flying past the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

On a Tool Time segment on Home Improvement,
Tim Taylor shows a picture of the tower as
an example of how men create and build masterpieces with tools.

In the Disney movie the Return of Jafar,
the Genie's song 'Nothing in the world' refers to
the Leaning Tower of Pisa where,
comically, the Genie is seen cycling into the tower,
which falls on top of him.

OUR TRIP TO ITALY APRIL 2007 - FLORENCE

Next from SIENA we travel to the important city of Florence.

Florence is the capital city of the region of
Tuscany, Italy.
From 1865 to 1870 the city was also the capital of
the Kingdom of Italy. Florence lies on the Arno
River and has a population of around 400,000
people, plus a suburban population in excess of
200,000 persons. The greater area has some
956,000 people. A center of medieval European
trade and finance, the city is often considered the
birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and was long
ruled by the Medici family. Florence is also famous
for its magnificent art and architecture. It is said
that, of the 1,000 most important European artists
of the second millennium, 350 lived or worked in
Florence. The city has also been called the Athens
of the Middle Ages.
The historic Center of Florence was declared a
World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1982.
The best-known site and crowning architectural
jewel of Florence is the domed cathedral of the
city, Santa Maria del Fiore, known as The Duomo.
The magnificent dome was built by Filippo
Brunelleschi. The nearby Campanile tower and the Baptistery

buildings are also highlights. Both the dome itself and the
campanile are open to tourists and offer excellent
views.
At the heart of the city in Piazza della Signoria is
Bartolomeo Ammanati's Fountain of Neptune,
which is a masterpiece of marble sculpture at the
terminus of a still functioning Roman aqueduct.
One of the bridges in particular stands out as
being unique — The Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge),
whose most striking feature is the multitude of
shops built upon its edges, held up by stilts. The
bridge also carried Vasari's elevated corridor
linking the Uffizi to the Medici residence.

First constructed by the Etruscans in
ancient times, this bridge is the only one in the
city to have survived World War II intact.
The San Lorenzo contains the Medici Chapel, the
mausoleum of the Medici family - the most
powerful family in Florence from the 15th to the
18th century. Nearby is the Uffizi Gallery, one of
the finest art galleries in the world - founded on a
large bequest from the last member of the Medici
family.
The Uffizi itself is located on the corner
of Piazza della Signoria, a site important for three
main reasons:
In 1301, Dante was sent into Exile from here (a
plaque on one of the walls of the Uffizi
commemorates the event). In 1497,

it was the location of the Bonfire of the
Vanities (a plaque in the middle of the plaza
commemorates that event), followed in 1498 by
the execution of its instigator, Girolamo
Savonarola In 1504, it was the original location of
Michelangelo's David (now replaced by a
reproduction as the original was moved indoors to
the Accademia dell'Arte del Disegno), in front of
the Palazzo della Signoria (also known as Palazzo
Vecchio). In addition to the Uffizi, Florence has other
world-class museums:
The Bargello concentrates on sculpture,
containing many priceless works of art created by
such sculptors as Donatello, Giambologna, and
Michelangelo.
The Accademia dell'Arte del Disegno (often simply
called the Accademia) collection's highlights are
Michelangelo's David and his unfinished Slaves.
Across the Arno river is the huge Pitti Palace containing
part of the Medici family's former private
collection. In addition to the Medici collection the
palace's galleries contain a large number of
Renaissance works, including several by Raphael
and Titian as well as a large collection of modern
art, costumes, cattiages, and porcerlain. Adjoining
the Palace are the Boboli Gardens, elaborately
landscaped and with many interesting sculptures.
The elaborate Santa Croce church contains the
monumental tombs of Galileo, Michelangelo,
Machiavelli, Dante (actually a cenotaph), and many
other notables.

Other important basilicas in Florence include
Santa Maria Novella, San Lorenzo, Santo Spirito
and the Orsanmichele.
Florence has been the setting for numerous works
of fiction and movies, including the novels and
associated films Hannibal, Tea with Mussolini and
A Room with a View.


Notable residents

Leone Battista Alberti, polymath.

Dante Alighieri, The famous poet & writer

of La Divina Commedia.(Divine Comedy)

Filippo Brunelleschi, famous architect.

Giovanni Boccaccio, famous poet.

Giotto di Bondone, early Trecento painter of the
Arena Chapel in Padua, the Bardi and Peruzzi
chapels in the Basilica di Santa Croce di Firenze,
and many great panel works including the
Ognisanti Madonna .

Michelangelo Buonarroti, a famous sculptor, also
famous for the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

Medici Family

Girolamo Mei, historian and humanist

Lorenzo Ghiberti, sculptor

Donatello, sculptor

Raphael, painter.

Leonardo da Vinci, famous for his Mona Lisa and
other paintings, inventions, and scientific
experiments.

Niccolò Machiavelli, famous Renaissance poet and
philosopher

Giorgio Vasari, painter, architect, and historian

Galileo Galilei, Italian physicist, astronomer, and
philosopher.

Vincenzo Galilei Frescobaldi Family, notable bankers and wine
producers

Oriana Fallaci, journalist and author

Florence Nightingale, pioneer of modern nursing,
and a noted statistician.



The number of important authors, painters, sculpters, scientist, politician, architects and nursing legends made Florence a famous city both for its impotance and culture. The Academia museum which holds the original Michaelangelo's David, many original paintings by Raphael, works by Leonardo Da Vinci had to be booked in advance for several months so for mere tourists like us there were no hope of entering.

OUR TRIP TO ITALY APRIL 2007 - SIENA

From ASSISI we travel to the medieval city of SIENA

Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.The historic center of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site.
Siena like other Tuscan hill towns, was first settled in the time of the Etruscans (c. 900 BC to 400 BC) when it was inhabited by a tribe called the Saina. The Etruscans were an advanced people who changed the face of central Italy through their use of irrigation to reclaim previously unfarmable land, and their custom of building their settlements in well-defended hill-forts. .
The Roman origin accounts for the town's emblem – a she-wolf suckling the infants Romulus and Remus. According to legend, Siena was founded by Senius, son of Remus, who was in turn the brother of Romulus, after whom Rome was named. Statues and other artwork depicting a she-wolf suckling the young twins Romulus and Remus can be seen all over the city of Siena. Siena did not prosper under Roman rule. It was not sited near any major roads and therefore missed out on the resulting opportunities for trade. Its insular status meant that Christianity did not penetrate until the fourth century AD, and it was not until the Lombards invaded Siena and the surrounding territory that it knew prosperity. Their occupation and the fact that the old Roman roads of Aurelia and the Cassia passed through areas exposed to Byzantine raids, caused the roads between the Lombards' northern possessions and Rome to be re-routed through Siena. The inevitable consequence of this was that Siena prospered as a trading post, and the constant streams of pilgrims passing to and from Rome were to prove a valuable source of income in the centuries to come.
It was during the 1100s that the majority of the construction of the Duomo, Siena's cathedral, was completed. It was also during this period that the Piazza del Campo, now regarded as one of the most beautiful civic spaces in Europe, grew in importance as the centre of secular life. New streets were constructed leading to it and it served as the site of the market, and the location of various sporting events . On September 4, 1260 The Senese Ghibellines, supported by the forces of King Manfred of Sicily, defeated the Florentine Guelphs at Montaperti. The Senese faced an overwhelming Florentine army. Prior to the battle, the entire city was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and entrusted to her possession – something which has been renewed several times since, most recently in 1944 to guard the city from the threat of Allied bombs. The man given command of Siena for the duration of the war, Bonaguida Lucari, walked barefoot and bareheaded, a halter around his neck, to the Duomo. Leading a procession composed of all the city's residents, he was met by all the clergy. Lucari and the Bishop embraced, to show the unity of church and state, then Lucari formally gave the city and contrade to the Virgin. Legend has it that a thick white cloud descended on the battlefield, giving the Senese cover and aiding their attack. They inflicted a crushing defeat and massacred the forces of their enemy,so crushing was the defeat that even today if the two cities meet in any sporting event, the Senese supporters are likely to exhort their Florentine counterparts to “Remember Montaperti!”.
Siena's university, founded in 1203 and famed for its faculties of law and medicine, is still among the most important Italian universities. Siena was devastated by the Black Death of 1348, and also suffered from ill-fated financial enterprises.

On the Piazza Salimbeni is the Palazzo Salimbeni, a notable building and also the medieval headquarters of Monte dei Paschi di Siena, one of the oldest banks in continuous existence and a major player in the Sienese economy.

Siena's cathedral, the Duomo, begun in the twelfth century, is one of the great examples of Italian romanesque architecture. Its main facade was completed in 1380. Its campanile and baptistery make a fine group. It is unique among Christian cathedrals in that its axis runs north-south. This is because it was originally intended to be the largest cathedral in existence, with a north-south transept and an east-west aisle, as is usual.

Inside is the famous Gothic octagonal pulpit by Nicola Pisano (1266–1268) supported on lions, and the labyrinth inlaid in the flooring, traversed by penitents on their knees. Also present near the pulpit was the head of St Catherine of Siena. Her body however remains in Rome.

Sanctuary of Santa Caterina, incorporating the old house of St. Catherine of Siena. It houses the miraculous Crucifix (late 12th century) from which the saint received her stigmata, and a 15th century statue of St. Catherine.

The shell-shaped Piazza del Campo, the town square, which houses the Palazzo Pubblico and the Torre del Mangia, is another architectural treasure, and is famous for hosting the Palio horse race.

July 2 and August 16 are the dates when the "Palio" is held. The Palio is a traditional horse race which is run around the Piazza del Campo each year. This event is attended by large crowds, and is widely televised.

OUR TRIP TO ITALY APRIL 2007 - ASSISI

The next day we were again on the move now to the middle part of Italy where we will go to two Medieval cities ASSISI and SIENA both of which are World Heritage Sites under the UNESCO proctection and funding. It was a long journey with breaks along the way. OM the way we saw many olive and grapes farms.
Assisi is a town in Italy in province of Perugia, Italy, in the Umbria region, on the western flank of Mt. Subasio. It is the birthplace of St. Francis, who founded the Franciscan religious order in the town in 1208, and St. Clare , the founder of the Poor Clares. Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows of the 19th century was also born in Assisi.
Now the site of many a pilgrimage, Assisi is linked in legend with its native son, St. Francis. The gentle saint founded the Franciscan order and shares honors with St. Catherine of Siena as the patron saint of Italy. He was a son of a rich man who disowned him in front of all the town's people for joining the Catholic priesthood. He is remembered by many, even non-Christians, as a lover of nature (his preaching to an audience of birds is one of the legends of his life). He is the patron saint of all Animals.
The Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi (St. Francis) is a World Heritage Site. The Franciscan monastery and the lower and upper church of St Francis were begun immediately after his canonization in 1228, and completed 1253. The lower church has frescos by renowned late-medieval artists Cimabue and Giotto; in the Upper church are frescos of scenes in the life of St Francis by Giotto and his circle.
On September 26, 1997 Assisi was struck by an earthquake. The Basilica was badly damaged (part of the vault collapsed, killing four people inside the church and carrying with it a fresco by Cimabue), and was closed for two years for restoration.
Santa Maria Maggiore, (St. Mary the Greater) the was the earliest extant church.
The Cathedral of San Rufino (St. Rufinus), with a Romanesque façade with three rose windows and a 16th-century interior; part of it is built on a Roman cistern.
Basilica of Santa Chiara (St Clare) with its massive lateral buttresses, rose window, and simple Gothic interior, begun in 1257, contains the tomb of the saint and 13th-century frescoes and paintings.

Besides the main Basilica of St Franscis was a small town with many shops selling souveniers to tourists and pilgrims. There was a place for taking taxis and buses. There were many roads and alleys to be explore in the town.

OUR TRIP TO ITALY APRIL 2007 - CAPRI & SORRENTO

The next morning we have to take a boat ride from the pier to the famous Isle of Capri. Capri is an Italian island off the Sorrentine Peninsula. On the south side of the Gulf of Naples, it has been a celebrated beauty spot and resort since the time of the Roman Republic. Overlooking Capri harbor from the rotunda in Villa San Michele.The main features of the island are regularly portrayed on postcards: the Marina Piccola (Small Harbor), the Belvedere of Tragara, which is a high panoramic promenade lined with villas, the limestone masses that stand out of the sea (the Faraglioni), Anacapri, the Blue Grotto (Grotta Azzurra), and the ruins of the Imperial Roman villas.
Capri is in the region of Campania, Province of Naples. The City of Capri is the main centre of population on Capri. It has two adjoining harbours, Marina Piccola and Marina Grande (the main port of the island). The separate commune of Anacapri is located high on the hills to the west.
The name of the island comes from the Italian word for goat.(capricorn for those interested in Astrology)
According to the Greek geographer Strabo, Capri was once part of the mainland. This has been recently confirmed both by geological surveys and archaeological findings.
In the latter half of the 19th century, Capri became a popular resort for European artists, writers and other celebrities such as John Singer Sargent and Frank Hyde. Sargent is best known for his series of portraits featuring the beautiful local model, Rosina Ferrara.
Gracie Fields also had a villa on the island and sang two songs, "The Isle of Capri" and "Come Back to Sorrento" about Capri. Capri is also the setting for "The Lotus Eater", a short-story by Somerset Maugham. In the story, the protagonist from Boston comes to Capri on a holiday and is so enchanted by the place he gives up his job and decides to spend the rest of his life in leisure at Capri.
From Capri we took another boat ride to Sorrento which is also a resort and famous tourist destination with shops selling all sorts of Italian food, wine, liquor, branded goods and souveniers. Sorrento is a small city in Campania, Italy, with some 16,500 inhabitants. It is a popular tourist destination. The town can be reached easily from Naples and Pompeii, as it lies at the south-eastern end of the Circumvesuviana rail line. The town overlooks the bay of Naples, as the key place of the Sorrentine Peninsula, and many viewpoints in the city allow sight of Naples itself (visible across the bay) and Vesuvius. Sorrento is famous for the production of Limoncello, an alcoholic digestif made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water and sugar. Other agricultural production includes citrus fruit, wine, nuts and olives. Wood craftsmanship is also developed.

OUR TRIP TO ITALY APRIL 2007 -POMPEII

Next we travelled towards Naples to see the ancient ruins of Pompeii well described in the movie "The Last days of Pompeii". It was a long journey and we could see many olive trees and grapes vines along the route. Nearing Naples we could see the majestic Mount Vesuvius which is apparently dormant but still a very active volcano.Finally we came to the entrance of the excavation site of Pompeii.
Pompeii is a ruined Roman city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the commune of Pompei. It, along with Herculaneum, was destroyed, and completely buried, during a catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning 2 days on 24 August 79 AD.
The volcano collapsed higher roof-lines and buried Pompeii under many meters of ash, and it was lost for nearly 1600 years before its accidental rediscovery in 1748. Since then, its excavation has provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city at the height of the Roman Empire.
The town was founded around the 6th century BC by the Osci or Oscans.
Today, Pompeii has become a popular tourist destination; with approximately 2.5 million visitors a year, it is the most popular tourist attraction in Italy. It is now part of a larger Vesuvius National Park and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997.
When Pompeii was buried under the ash and rubble of Mount Vesuvius, the objects buried beneath it were remarkably well-preserved for thousands of years. The lack of air and moisture allowed for the objects to remain underground with little to no deterioration, which meant that, once excavated, the site had a wealth of sources and evidence for analysis, giving remarkable detail into the lives of the Pompeiians. Weathering, erosion, light exposure, water damage, poor methods of excavation and reconstruction, introduced plants and animals, tourism, vandalism and theft have all damaged the site in some way. Two-thirds of the city has been excavated, but the remnants of the city are rapidly deteriorating.
There is a market with walls depicted with fresco of fishes. Near this was a well preserved body of one of inhabitant of Pompeii. There were statues of some half human half animal god and remarkable well preseved pillars. There was a area which was supposed to be a brothel with rooms depicting frescos of different positions of sex. There was an arena which has converted to allow people to view modern rock concerts during certain festivals.
After a satisfying meal (the best pizza in Italy) at the restaurant outsde the entrance, we retired to our hotel for the night.

OUR TRIP TO ITALY APRIL 2007 -ROME- ST PETER IN CHAINS, PANTHEON

Next Morning we travel to see other buildings in Rome.
Most notable were the Basilica of ST Peter in Chains where the chains binding St Peter after his capture by the Romans were kept.
Saint Peter in Chains is a basilica in Rome, best known for housing Michelangelo's statue Moses.The interior has a nave and two aisles, with three apses divided by antique Doric-style columns. The aisles are surmounted by cross-vaults, while the nave has an 18th century lacunar ceiling, frescoed in the center by Giovanni Battista Parodi, portraying the Miracle of the Chains (1706).
Michelangelo's Moses (completed 1515), while originally intended as part of a massive 47-statue, free-standing funeral monument for Pope Julius II, became the centerpiece of the Pope's funeral monument and tomb in this, his family's church. Moses is depicted with horns, as opposed to "the radiance of the Lord", due to the similarity in the Latin between the word for "beams of light" and "horns".
Other art works include two canvas of Saint Augustine and St. Margret by Guercino, the monument of cardinal Girolamo Agucchi designed by Domenichino (also author of a sacristy fresco depicting the Liberation of St. Peter (1604). The altarpiece of the basilica contains the chains used to bind Peter during his capture by the Romans.

After the basilica of ST Peter in chains, we travel to see the Pantheon, one of the oldest building in Rome which houses the dieties of Ancient Rome and was later given to the Pope Boniface IV who then renamed it the church of ST Mary and all the Martyr Saints. Here we can see two religions with their religious symbols in one church, hence the name Pantheon or Temple of the Gods.
The Pantheon ( meaning "Temple of all the Gods") is a building in Rome which was originally built as a temple to the seven deities of the seven planets in the state religion of Ancient Rome. It is the best preserved of all Roman buildings, and perhaps the best preserved building of its age in the world. It has been in continuous use throughout its history. Although the identity of the Pantheon's primary architect remains uncertain, it is largely assigned to Apollodorus of Damascus. Since the 7th century, the Pantheon has been used as a Christian church.In 609 the Byzantine emperor Phocas gave the building to Pope Boniface IV, who reconsecrated it as a Christian church titled Santa Maria ad Martyres (in English the Church of Mary and all the Martyr Saints).

Lastly before we left Rome and its historical buildings and heritage, we also indulged in some of the best delicacies provided by Rome. The ' best ice cream' in Rome comes with at least 50 over flavours. It was a particularly hot day so we enjoyed an ohur of rest quenching our thirst with ice cream.

OUR TRIP TO ITALY APRIL 2007 - ST PETER'S SQUARE

After St Peter's Basilica, where we took a photo of Pope John XX 's body and tomb, we landed in St Peter's Square. It was just after Easter and there were still lots of chairs in the Square where the Easter Sunday Mass was held. We were able to see the buildings that surround the Square and the famous Egyptian obelisk in the centre. The Vatican Obelisk is the only obelisk in Rome that has not toppled since Roman times. it was brought to Rome by Caligula in 38BC from the town of Heliopolis, on the Nile Delta.
St Peter's Square is the large public square outside St Peter's Basilica, which is considered the greatest church on Earth. The square is actually round, with the perimeter marked by two huge colonnades. The roofs of these colonnades are supported by four rows of Doric columns 60-feet tall. The ellipse symbolizes Saint Peter's, the mother church of Christianity, embracing the world. The obelisk is flanked by two fountains, and halfway between the fountains and the obelisk are stone circles in the ground. If you stand on one of the circles, you can see an optical illusion -- the four rows of 60-foot tall pillars forming the colonnade disappear behind each other and look like a single row. The piazza has to be large to accommodate the throngs that show up at noon on Sundays and several other times each week to hear the Pope say mass and to receive his blessing. As it is now, the square can handle about 300,000 people but has been known to pack in more. The Pope delivers his blessing from a library window overlooking the square.
There is also a Souvenier shop which sells Catholic books, crosses, rosaries and other souveniers to worshippers and tourists. The prices were very reasonable.

OUR TRIP TO ITALY APRIL 2007 - ST PETER"S BASILICA

The End of the Sistine Chapel was in a large room with frescos of The New Testament on one wall and The Old Testament on the opposite wall.
It is here that that the cardinals will pray to choose the next Pope. From here we leave the beautiful Sistine Chapel with the wonderful art of Michaelangelo( Remember the book and Movie "The Agony and the Ectacsy" which deals with the emotional state of Michaelangelo as he is torn between helping his Pope and his desire to return to his home in Florence.
We then entered the St Peter's Basilica where most of the Popes including St Peter were buried and where the Pope celebrates Mass.
The Basilica of Saint Petrus, officially known in Italian as the Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano and commonly called Saint Peter's Basilica, is one of four major basilicas of Rome (St. John Lateran, St. Peter's, Santa Maria Maggiore and St. Paul outside the Walls).
It is the most prominent building inside the Vatican City. Its dome is also a dominant feature of the Roman skyline. Saint Peter's is also incidentally the patriarchal basilica of Constantinople whereas the Lateran Basilica is the patriarchal basilica of Rome.
Possibly the largest church building in Christianity[2], it covers an area of 5.7 acres (2.3 ha) and has a capacity of over 60,000 people. One of the holiest sites of Christendom in the Catholic tradition, it is traditionally the burial site of its namesake Saint Peter, who was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus, first Bishop of Antioch, and later first Bishop of Rome. Although the New Testament does not mention Peter's presence or martyrdom in Rome, ancient tradition holds that his tomb is below the baldachin and altar; for this reason, many Popes, starting with the first ones, have been buried there.
Construction on the current basilica, over the old Constantinian basilica, began on April 18, 1506 and was completed in 1626[3].
Although the Vatican basilica is not the Pope's official ecclesiastical seat (Saint John Lateran), it is most certainly his principal church, as most Papal ceremonies take place at St. Peter's due to its size, proximity to the Papal residence, and location within the Vatican City walls. The basilica also holds a relic of the Cathedra Petri, the episcopal throne of the basilica's namesake when he led the Roman church, but which is no longer used as the Papal cathedra. It is believed that a piece of this cathedra, or chair, is contained within the altarpiece, designed by Bernini.

The light coming down from the roof of the Basilica lights up the whole church. It was a masterpiece of architecture with lower and upper floor. The lower floor was where the Pope celebrates Mass with his cardinals and bishops while the upper floor was where the Pope celebrate Mass with the congregation.

Welcome to our Tour Of Italy April 2007- Vatican Museums

Vatican Museums is one of the most important Museum in the world housing very important masterpieces from Egyptian Age to late Renaissance.

The museums are composed of several sections:
The Gregorian Etruscan Museum
was founded by Pope Gregory XVI in 1837 and mostly contains objects that starting from 1828 were found in the excavations of the ancient cities of southern Etruria , then part of the Pontifical State.

The Pinacoteca
was inaugurated on 27 October 1932 in the building especially constructed by the architect Luca Beltrami for Pope Pius XI.

The Missionary-Ethnological Museum
was founded on November 12, 1926 by Pope Pius XI (1922-1939) . It was established in the Lateran Apostolic Palace up to 1963, when the Pope John XXIII (1958-1963) had it transferred to the Vatican. It was opened to the public in 1973.

The Raphael Stanze
("Raphael's rooms") in the Palace of the Vatican form a suite of reception rooms, the public part of the papal apartments. They are famous for their frescos painted by Raphael and his workshop.

The Sistine Chapel
is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope, in the Vatican City. Its fame rests on its architecture, which evokes Solomon's Temple of the Old Testament, its decoration, frescoed throughout by the greatest Renaissance artists, including Michaelangelo whose ceiling is legendary, and its purpose, as a site of papal religious and functionary activity, notably the conclave at which a new Pope is selected.

Finally after a half hour queue, we entered the entrance of the Vatican Museums. We passed through the large crowd, entered the Gregorian Museum, then the Raphael Stanze and up to the Sistine chapel. The sculptures and painting were incredible particularly those by Raphael and Michaelangelo. Walls and ceiling were filled with frescoes such as the Creation of Life and the Last Judgment. Words cannot describe the beauty of the Renaissance Arts. Only photos taken were able to capture a small percentage of what we saw with our naked eyes.

Vacation Trip to Italy April 2007 -Vatican City

Next stop was Vatican City which is the smallest sovereign country in the world. Our coach has to cross the Tiber river to the west bank in order to reach the Vatican.
Vatican City, officially State of the Vatican City is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome. At approximately 44 hectares (108.7 acres), it is the smallest independent nation in the world.
It was created in 1929 by the Lateran Treaty as a vestige of the much larger Papal States (756 to 1870). Vatican City can be said to be the governmental capital of the Catholic Church.
The territory of Vatican City is part of the Mons Vaticanus, and of the adjacent former Vatican Fields where St. Peter's Basilica, the Apostolic Palace, the Sistine Chapel, and museums were built, along with various other buildings on the west bank of the Tiber river.
In 326, the first church, the Constantinian basilica, was built over the site that Catholic apologists as well as noted Italian archaeologists argue was the tomb of Saint Peter, buried in a common cemetery on the spot.
The papacy is a non-hereditary, elective monarchy, chosen by the College of Cardinals. He is the only absolute monarch in Europe.
The pope is elected for a life term in conclave by cardinals under the age of 80.
The current Pope is His Holiness Benedict XVI, born Joseph Alois Ratzinger in Bavaria, Germany.

The moment we entered the boundary of the Vatican City, we can see a large queue of at least 3 blocks long all waiting to enter the Vatican Museums, a treasure house of the Catholic faith with vast collections of ancient and Renaissance art. We joined the queue with a local guide who provided us with hand phones fixed at a certain frequency so that we can listen to his commentary. As the Vatican Museums which leads to the Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica are places of worship, we were supposed to keep quiet and wear clothes appropriate to the location( ie no miniskirts,shorts,low cut blouses etc).

Welcome to Our Tour Of Italy April 2007

Next on our tour was the beautiful Trevis Fountain of Rome. The Trevis Fountain is a fantastic work of art that is much more than a mere sculpture. The fountain is a true wonder, a jewel of water and stone that is nestled between the palaces of the historic centre 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.

Even the palace in the background blends perfectly with the composition and the game of space and mass gives an air of movement to the entire statue. The central feature of the monument is a chariot in the shape of a shell, drawn by seahorses with Triton as their guide. Before the enormous central niche stands Neptune. To the side are the statues of Abundance and Salubrity. All around, natural and artificial forms merge together in a representation of rocks and petrified vegetation that run along the foundation of the palace and around the borders of the pool, which represents the sea.

This unique statue goes back to Roman times and it was the terminal point of the Aqua Virgo aqueduct commissioned by Augustus, which was used to provide water for the thermal baths.

The aqueduct continued to function, even though it was necessary to wait until the eighteenth century when Pope Clement XII decided to restore the Trevi district and began work on the fountain we know today. It took three centuries to complete and is often attributed to Bernini, but for the most part it is the work of the Roman architect, Nicola Salvi, who took twenty years to complete it.

This work of art is so famous that even that there was a 1954 movie made around it called "Three Coins in the fountain". There is also another curious tradition regarding the Trevi Fountain. It is said that if you throw a coin over your shoulder into the water, you will be sure to return to Rome.

We spend almost an hour marveling at the beauty of the statues and the clear water flowing from the fountain.
Nearby there was a wonderful shop which sell some of the most delicious ice creams with at least 30 flavours.

Welcome to Our Vacation Trip to Italy April 2007

• "When in Rome, do as the Romans do!"

  Italy is a beautiful country. A place of olive oil, pasta, wine, mafia and sunshine, roman ruins and renaissance palaces, Italy has a lot to give its tourists.

  Italy is a country full of interesting things for the casual tourist and the educated tourist, it has deep Roman Catholic roots. The Vatican is a small country by itself in Italy.

  That is why my wife and I decided to visit Italy for the first time. We arrived in Rome's Leonardo Da Vinci airport after an exhausting journey of 12 hours on Singapore Airlines. Immigration officers were pleasant and friendly.They do not talk much and stamped your passport after a check with their computers. Then there was the retrieval of our luggage.

  We boarded a tour bus going to the main central district of Rome. Along the way were many Olive and Grape farms. In Rome most of the streets were narrow and cobbled , a remnant of the original passage ways for horses and carriages in Ancient Rome. There are many fountains and statues as well as remains of ancient Roman houses and architecture.

  First stop was the Coliseum, one of the last wonders of the world. It is the world largest arena of the ancient world well known for their so called sporting activities like gladiators fighting and killing of persecuted Christians. It is really impressive from the outside. However to get inside the Coliseum, the Romans has become wise to the tourist dollar and are charging entrance fees. Inside the Coliseum, the view from the top is spectacular and you can get a very good view of what's happening in the arena as well as outside the arena. There are dungeon rooms where the gladiators probably rest before and after a fight. You would definitely rate it as one of the wonders of the ancient world.

• Next to the Coliseum, we found the the ruins of the Roman Forum the seat of ancient public life where Julius Caesar was reportedly killed by Brutus and Cassius. The roads were all cobbled as in ancient times. If you are not careful you can sprain your ankle easily.