Destinations (42)

Verona

Comune in Veneto, Italy

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Palermo

Palermo is on the northern coast of the Italian island of Sicily. It's the capital city of the autonomous region of Sicily and of its own province.

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Pennabilli

Italian comune

43.81704112.265092

Agrigento

Agrigento is the capital of the eponymous province on the Italian island of Sicily.

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Rome

capital and largest city of Italy

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Catania

Catania is a city on the eastern coast of Sicily at the foot of Mount Etna, the biggest volcano in Europe. It is the second largest city in Sicily with the metropolitan area reaching one million inhabitants, a major transport hub, economic centre and a university city where you will enjoy a busy downtown and an active nightlife. Catania is also well known for its particular baroque architecture and urban design, consequences of the great earthquake of 1693 after which the city had to be rebuilt, like most of eastern Sicily.

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Genoa

Italian city

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Gela

Gela is a medium-sized city on the south coast of Sicily, Italy. It is an ancient town, founded around 688 BC by colonists from Rhodes and Crete, and among the oldest continually inhabited settlements in southern Italy.

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Naples

city in Campania, Italy

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Marsala

Marsala is a seaport city in Sicily.

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Turin

city and commune in Italy

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Messina

Messina is a port in the northeast corner of Sicily. Most visitors are passing through, on the 5-km ferry-crossing to mainland Italy. Although it dates to ancient times, Messina is modern and nondescript. Older buildings were mostly destroyed by the great earthquake and tsunami of 28 Dec 1908, then Allied bombing in World War II finished what was left. Nevertheless it has enough sights to justify spending a day. One modern claim to fame is that in June 1955, Messina hosted the conference that set up the European Community and common market, later the European Union.

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Amalfi Coast

coastal area in the Campania region, Italy

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Ragusa

comune in Sicily, Italy

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Cinque Terre

rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera, Liguria

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Syracuse (Italy)

Syracuse is a medium sized city on the eastern coast of Sicily, Italy.

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Lake Como

lake in Lombardy, Italy

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Trapani

Trapani is a port city and the capital of Trapani province in the north-west corner of Sicily, Italy. Trapani has a lively atmosphere due to its position as the capital and its economic activities as a port. It has a rich history and many historical buildings have been preserved. Old traditions are cherished. Thanks to the presence of an international airport, the city with its marina and beaches is increasingly popular as a tourist destination. The number of cruise ships calling at the city increases every year. For the individual traveler Trapani is a great base for day trips or for traveling further afield in Sicily.

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Pompeii

ancient Roman town-city near modern Naples, Italy

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Aegadian Islands

The Aegadian Islands or Egadi Islands are a group of three islands about 10 km west of Trapani and Marsala on the north-western coast of Sicily in Italy.

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Taormina

Italian comune

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Segesta

Calatafimi Segesta is in Sicily.

37.912.85

Trieste

Trieste (Triest in German, Trst in Slovenian and Croatian) is a city in North-East Italy that was once a very influential and powerful centre of politics, literature, music, art and culture under Austrian-Hungarian dominion.

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Sciacca

Sciacca is a small port town in the province Agrigenta of Sicily, Italy.

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Bologna

city in Emilia-Romagna, Italy

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Caltagirone

Caltagirone is a town in central Sicily, Italy, most famous for its ceramics and long ceramic-decorated staircase. The city is one of the eight world heritage listed "Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto".

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Pisa

city in Tuscany, Central Italy

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Militello in Val di Catania

Militello Val di Catania is in the Catania province. It's one of Sicily's eight world heritage listed Baroque towns.

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Capri

island near Naples

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Modica

Modica is a town in the province of Ragusa in Sicily, with a population of about 55,000.

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Lake Garda

lake in Italy

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Noto

Noto is in Sicily, Italy. The city is one of the eight world heritage listed "Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto".

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Vesuvius

Stratovolcano on the shores of the Gulf of Naples, Italy

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Milan

major city in Italy

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Rimini

Italian comune

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Florence

Italian city, located in Tuscany

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Scicli

Scicli is a small town among the Iblei hills in the Ragusa province on the southeast of Sicily. It is one of the "Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto" listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

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Palazzolo Acreide

Palazzolo is in the Syracuse province. The town is listed as a world heritage by UNESCO.

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Venice

city in northeastern Italy, sited on a group of 118 small islands

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Sicily

Sicily (Italian: Sicilia) is a rugged and attractive island (the largest one in the Mediterranean Sea) on the southern tip of Italy, and is one of the country's 20 regions. It is separated from the mainland region of Calabria by the 5 km Straits of Messina. It can get very hot during the summer, so it is better to visit during spring and autumn, while it is still quite pleasant during winter.

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Herculaneum

Roman town

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Alps

major mountain range system in Central Europe

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Sights (150)

Mantua

Italian comune

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Calabria

region in Italy

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Colosseum

ancient Roman amphitheatre in Rome

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Nissa

Comune in Sicily, Italy

37.4902777814.0625

Uffizi

Outstanding fine art museum with Renaissance paintings and sculptures from classical antiquity. It's in a late 16th C palazzo designed by Vasari, in two wings enclosing a long narrow courtyard, effectively a street, an innovation in its day. Originally the palazzo was magistrates' offices (hence "Uffizi") and state archives; then it came to house the Medici's vast art collection. The artworks are on the first and second floors, they keep the lifts well hidden. Highlights include Birth of Venus by Boticelli, Dukes of Urbino by della Francesca, Medusa by Caravaggio, Venus of Urbino by Titian, Annunciation by da Vinci, Pope Leo X and family by Raphael, Velasquez' self-portrait, Rembrandt's final self-portrait, and many other big names. Allow three hours for a visit. Uffizi majors on Renaissance, so although later styles are represented they're few: you don't really come here for the 18th - 20th C material. The restaurant/cafè has a large balcony overlooking the main piazza with good views of the Palazzo Vecchio, and naturally their prices reflect the views.

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La Scala

opera house in Milan, Italy

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Brixen

Italian comune

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Tarquinia

Italian comune

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Pantelleria

Italian comune

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National Archaeological Museum, Naples

The most important Italian archaeological museum about Roman civilization, it contains a large collection of Roman artifacts from Pompeii, Stabiae and Herculaneum. The collection includes works of the highest quality produced in Greek, Roman and Renaissance times.

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Piazza Armerina

Italian comune

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Procida

Italian comune

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Cerveteri

Italian comune

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La Fenice

One of the best opera houses in the world. Info at Bigletteria Hello Venezia Call Center ☏ +39 041 2424. You can also visit this historic theater with an audioguide (good explanations in several languages). The theater is an identical reconstruction (rebuilt in 2003) of the previous theater building that burned down in 1996.

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Museo Nazionale di San Marco

Houses frescoes by Fra Angelico and his workshop. Fra Angelico painted a series of frescoes for the cells in which the Dominican monks lived.

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Florence Cathedral

The cathedral interior is to a basilica pattern; it's vast and at first feels dark and empty. Give your eyes time to adjust, and admire the stain glass windows, funeral monument of Bishop d'Orso, and altar of St Zanobius. Below is the Crypt (M-Sa 10:00-17:00) with remains of the preceding cathedral of Santa Reparata, and the tomb of Brunelleschi. Giotto is believed to lie here somewhere, but his tomb has yet to be identified. Above is the soaring cupola or Dome. The cathedral itself is free, but you need a pre-booked ticket and time slot to climb the 464 steps up to the Dome (entrance north side of the church). Slots are available M-F 08:30-19:00, Sa 08:30-17:00 and Su 13:00-16:00.

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Ustica

Italian comune

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Vernazza

comune located in the province of La Spezia, Liguria, northwestern Italy

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Mount Etna

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Mont Blanc

highest mountain in the Alps (15,780.9 feet)

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Lerici

Italian comune

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Galleria Borghese

art museum in Rome

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Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna

art gallery in Rome, Italy

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Leaning Tower of Pisa

The structure was conceived as the cathedral's bell tower. Construction began in 1173 and the tower started leaning soon afterwards due to subsidence of the ground underneath its base. A project to keep the tower from leaning more and tipping over finally reached a successful conclusion in 2001, and the tower is again open to those wishing to climb it. Climbing the tower requires a reservation-based ticket for €18. Tickets can be bought for the tower on the day, for a specific entry time. This could be 45 min-2 hr after the purchase time, but there is a lot to see while you wait. It is better if you buy tickets online for €18 well in advance (up to 20 days). The tickets are non-exchangeable, effectively non-refundable, and only good for the tower, so they're a bit of a risk to purchase in advance. Make the effort to climb, though, and you'll be rewarded by the view. The famous Pisa leaning tower is not the only one, due of the marshy land that they are built on, there are other 2 towers in Pisa: the Bell Tower of 43.7167510.396741 San Nicola Church , near the banks of Arno and the Bell Tower of 43.70595610.4191981 San Michele of Scalzi Church . For safety reasons, children who will not have turned 8 by the end of this year are not permitted to enter. Under-18s must be accompanied by an adult. ID may be requested to certify the age.

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Ischia

volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea

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Elba

Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy

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Museo Egizio

Houses the most important collection of ancient Egyptian artefacts outside Cairo. Founded in 1824 by King Carlo Felice after acquiring archaeologist Drovetti's collection, the museum contains 30,000 exhibits. It documents the history and civilization of Egypt from the palaeolithic to the Coptic era through unique exhibits and collections of objects d'art, articles of daily use and funeral furnishings (including the Altar of Isis, the canvas painted by Gebelein, the intact tombs of Kha and Merit, and the exceptional cliff temple to Ellesjia). It is also intelligently laid out and the exhibits are lovingly preserved; a big renovation took place up to December 2015.

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Verona Arena

Roman amphitheatre in Verona, Italy

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Trevi Fountain

fountain in Rome, Italy

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Matterhorn

mountain in the Pennine Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy

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Certosa di San Martino

A former monastery complex, now a museum. It is the most visible landmark of the city, perched atop the Vomero hill that commands the gulf. A Carthusian monastery, it was finished and inaugurated under the rule of Queen Joan I in 1368. In 1623, it was further expanded and became, under the direction of architect Cosimo Fanzago, essentially the structure one sees today. In the early 19th century, under French rule the monastery was closed and was abandoned by the religious order. Today, the buildings house a museum with a display of Spanish and Bourbon era artifacts, as well as displays of the presepe (Nativity scene) considered to be among the finest in the world.

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Palazzo Strozzi

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Museo Correr

Interesting collection of globes, starting from the 16th century. There is also an only library hall, an archeological museum of Roman antiques and an important picture gallery. The museum offers a tour of Venetian history. Remarkable painting gallery with masterpieces of the 14th to 16th cent from Venice, works of the Venetian sculpture Canova, studies on urban development and social life. At the end of your visit, don't miss the museum art cafe, with their tables on the San Marco Square. A MUVE museum.

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Cini Foundation

Multi-functional centre in an old Benedictine dormitory, the heart of the Foundation's library complex

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Aeolian Islands

archipelago

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Palazzo Madama, Turin

This wonderful hybrid of a baroque palace and a medieval castle is attracting many tourists. It was home of the regent queens of Savoy, and is a mix of medieval and baroque rooms. It now houses the City Museum of Ancient Art, which has an eclectic collection of church art, paintings, ancient sculpture, porcelain, ceramics, archaeological artefacts and some fascinating scenes of life in Torino in times gone by. On the second floor there's a room with red sofas to take a rest after the visit, with a magnificent chandelier, and a cafeteria. The moat contains a medieval castle garden, and the tower offers a beautiful view over Turin.

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Palazzo Rosso (Genoa)

historical palace of Genoa

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Santa Croce, Florence

Contains the monumental tombs of Galileo, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Dante, Rossini, and many other notables in addition to artistic decorations. There is also great artwork in the church. Museo dell'Opera di Santa Croce (included in ticket) displays a flood-damaged but still beautiful Crucifix by Cimabue (Giotto's teacher), which has become a symbol of the disastrous floods of 1966. Ticket also includes Pazzi Chapel, a perfectly symmetrical example of sublime neo-Classic Renaissance architecture.

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Castelvecchio Museum

museum in Verona, Italy

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St Mark's Basilica

Saint Mark's Basilica is on the Piazza San Marco and is one of the highlights of a visit to Venice. As with most churches in Italy, you must be dressed appropriately to be allowed in; this means no short skirts or bare shoulders. You are not allowed to carry large bags or rucksacks inside, sometimes even small daypacks may need to be deposited. Storage is available just around the corner from the main entrance (free of charge). Filming and photography is forbidden so be prepared in advance. The visit within the basilica lasts ten minutes. Waiting for entry into the basilica can last up to five or so hours and it may be wise to use a ticket service to reserve your visit (reservation costs €2, official tickets at venetoinside.com). Once you have a reservation you can take the group entrance on the left, where you hand in the printout of your reservation.

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Mole Antonelliana

The Mole, Turin's landmark building built in 1888, was intended as a synagogue but the size and cost got out of hand and the Jewish community never used it. The 167.5-meter tower is the highest work of masonry in Europe and you can ride a lift to the cupola at the top. Within it, the National Cinema Museum is a vast exhibition space spiralling up five floors. The themes of the floors are the archaeology of cinema, the video camera, a collection of cinema posters, video installations (with side rooms screening clips), and The Great Temple where you recline in comfy red chairs and watch - or is it worship? - Italian film classics projected on giant screens overhead. Artefacts include magic lanterns, optical illusions, photographs, drawings, models, props and costumes, eg the original cape worn by Christopher Reeve in Superman in 1978.

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Tiber

river in Italy

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National Archaeological Museum, Florence

The Etruscan art collection is particularly good.

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Rialto Bridge

The bridge has become one of Venice's most recognizable icons and has a history that spans over 800 years. Today's Rialto Bridge was completed in 1591 and was used to replace a wooden bridge that collapsed in 1524.

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Palazzo Reale (Genoa)

Owns a historical picture gallery.

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San Lorenzo, Florence

The façade of this church was never completed, giving it a striking, rustic appearance. Inside the church is pure Renaissance neo-classical splendor. If you go around the back of the church, there is a separate entrance to the Medici chapels. Be sure to check out the stunning burial chapel of the princes and the sacristy down the corridor. The small sacristy is blessed with the presence of nine Michelangelo sculptures.

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Murano

island in the Venitian Lagoon, Italy

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Selinunte

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Santa Maria della Salute

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Capitoline Museums

Italian museum in Rome

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Castelmola

Italian comune

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Venetian Arsenal

shipbuilding factory of the Republic

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Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova

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Museo dell'Opera del Duomo (Florence)

This houses original artworks from the Duomo and surrounding religious buildings, including sculptures by Donatello, a Michelangelo Pietà (different from his version in Saint Peter's, Rome) and the losing entries in the 1401 contest to design the doors of the Baptistery. Plus models and drawings of the Cathedral.

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Santa Maria della Spina

A very small Gothic church built in 1230 to house a thorn from Jesus's crown, it's considered one of the best expressions of Italian Gothic. It is so small that in 1800, it was moved from the Arno riverbank to a place some metres higher, one stone at time, to protect it from flooding. It's usually not open to the public.

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Orsanmichele

A beautiful old church from the 14th century, which once functioned as a grain market.

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Giotto's Campanile

Almost 85 m tall, with 414 steps to climb, this richly decorated tower is topped by an open terrace with a panorama of the Duomo, city and surrounds.

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Royal Palace of Turin

palace in Turin

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Santa Maria Maggiore

largest Catholic Marian church in Rome

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Pisa Cathedral

A splendid cathedral, containing artwork by Giambologna, Della Robbia, and other major artists. Fine Romanesque style with double aisles and a cupola, a huge apse mosaic partly by Cimabue, and a fine pulpit by Giovanni Pisano in late Gothic/early Renaissance style.

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Santa Maria dei Miracoli, Venice

A perfect jewel box church, simple in form but ornamented with fine exterior marble facings.

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Peggy Guggenheim Collection

The Peggy Guggenheim Museum offers a personal collection of modern art collected by Peggy Guggenheim. Peggy was an American married to modern artist Max Ernst, and funded a number of his contemporaries. The gallery includes a sculpture garden and works by Picasso, Kandinsky, Tanguy, Duchamp, Pollock, Dali, and Mondrian.

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Aquarium of Genoa

The second biggest in Europe!

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Teatro di San Carlo

Founded in 1737, is the oldest continuously active opera house in Europe. In the 18th century, Naples was the capital of European music, and even foreign composers like Hasse, Haydn, Johann Christian Bach and Gluck considered the performance of their compositions at the San Carlo theatre as the goal of their career. Two main Italian opera composers, Gioacchino Rossini and Gaetano Donizetti, were artistic directors of the San Carlo for many years. Other prominent opera composers, like Vincenzo Bellini, Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, Pietro Mascagni, and Leoncavallo, staged here the very first productions of their works (like for example the famous Lucia di Lammermoor by Donizetti).

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San Petronio Basilica

It had to be the largest church in the world and in the shape of a huge Latin cross, but was only completed the long arm and with the unfinished facade. The basilica is still one of the most beautiful examples of Italian Gothic style and is one of the greatest monuments in the city. The Basilica houses an invaluable number of treasures such as the sundial by Cassini and Guglielmini, which indicates the exact period of the current year at all times, the "S. Rocco" by Parmigianino and the marvelous Bolognini Chapel. From the left nave of the basilica, the visitor can gain access to the Museum where many bas-reliefs are collected.

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Villa of the Papyri

The coastline was significantly altered by the eruption but this large and luxurious villa originally stretched down to the sea in four terraces. Its sea front was about 250m long. It is below you on your right as you leave the ticket office and head towards the audio guide kiosk. The villa contained a fine library of scrolls and, although these were badly carbonized, there is hope that modern technology will soon make it possible to read them without destroying them by opening them.

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Roman Forum

archaeological site in Rome, Italy

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Paestum

ancient Greek city in today's Capaccio Paestum, Italy

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Doge's Palace, Genoa

Where the Dukes of Genoa used to live.

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Vittoria Light

lighthouse in Trieste, Italy

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National Museum of San Matteo, Pisa

This is a fantastic history and art museum, which houses almost all of the original artwork from all the churches in and around Pisa. Although fairly small, it is one of the biggest for Tuscan Renaissance art, hosted in the rooms of the San Matteo monastery. A gem overlooked by most tourists.

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San Francesco della Vigna

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Ca' Pesaro

Beautiful palace housing the gallery of modern art focusing on Italian art in the 19th century as well as the Marco Polo Museum, a rich collection mainly of Asian exhibits (fabrics, clothes, armours, porcelain). A MUVE museum.

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Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice

A fine, huge Dominican church with the tombs of many Doges. It shares its piazza with the fine Renaissance façade of the Scuola San Marco and an equestrian statue of the mercenary (condottiere) captain Bartolomeo Colleoni. Look out for the testicles (coglioni in Italian - it's a lousy pun) on his coat of arms!

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Royal Palace of Naples

One of the four residences used by the Bourbon Kings of Naples during their rule of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies (1730-1860). The Royal Palace is on the site of an earlier building meant to host King Philip III of Spain, who however never made the trip. The architect chosen for that palace was Domenico Fontana. The building was put up on the site of an even older Spanish viceroyal residence from the early 16th century. The 17th-century palace visible today is the result of numerous additions and changes, including some by Luigi Vanvitelli in the mid-18th century and then by Gaetano Genovese.

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Pisa Baptistery

Large round Romanesque dome with many sculptured decorations and a fine view up top; climb this if you want a great view with the Leaning Tower visible in your photos. Arabic-style pavement, pulpit by Nicola Pisano (father of Giovanni), and fine octagonal font. At regular intervals, the ticket-checker-guard at the entrance comes into the baptistery and gives an audio-treat of echo-effect. The guard shouts out few sounds which when echoed sound like pure beautiful music. You can also cast your inhibitions to the wind, stand by the wall, and sing long notes that turn into chords by yourself, as the echoes go round and round the dome of the building.

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Orto botanico di Pisa

The first university botanical garden in Europe, created by the will of Cosimo de' Medici in 1544.

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Fortuny Museum

Collection of paintings and lamps. A MUVE museum.

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Camposanto Monumentale di Pisa

cemetery, historical edifice in Pisa, Italy

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Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi

Royal hunting lodge built between 1729 and 1933 and designed by Filippo Juvarra as one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy. It houses an important collection of Piedmontese furniture in its perfectly preserved Italian Rococo interiors. The core of the building is the central hall, richly decorated with frescoes which make it look like something out of a Disney movie. Outside there's the Parco naturale di Stupinigi, the hunting park and gardens.

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Museo d'Arte Contemporanea Donnaregina

Very nice museum for contemporary art, with a permanent collection and temporary exhibitions.

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Gesuati

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Museo Ferrari

automobile museum

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Madonna dell'Orto

With the grave and 10 paintings of Tintoretto.

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Ponte Sant'Angelo

This is a footbridge connecting Castel Sant'Angelo with the other side of the Tiber. It is a Roman bridge completed in 134 AD by Hadrian, to give access to his newly constructed mausoleum. Pilgrims used this bridge to reach St Peter's Basilica, hence it was earlier known as the "bridge of Saint Peter". In the seventh century, the castle and the bridge took on the name Sant'Angelo, when it is said that an angel appeared on the roof of the castle to announce the end of a plague. The statues of ten angels on the bridge reflect its name.

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Turin Cathedral

Large elegant cathedral dating from late 15th century, enlarged in the 17th to create the Chapel for the Shroud of Turin. The original shroud is kept safe in a vault and only rarely displayed - visit the nearby Sindone Museum to see a copy. The Chapel was destroyed in a fire in 1997; rebuilding is complete but other restoration continues, eg a new altar is still needed. This Chapel is nowadays accessed as part of a tour of Palazzo Reale and can't be seen from the Cathedral.

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St Mark's Campanile

The current tower dates from 1912; an exact replica of the previous tower which collapsed in 1902. The top of the tower offers great views of Venice and the lagoon.

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Santa Costanza

church

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Burano

island

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Ponte Vecchio

The oldest and most celebrated bridge over the Arno, and the only Florentine bridge to survive World War II. The design is distinctive: it's a three-arched bridge supporting a parade of shops supporting another bridge. It dates to 1345 (hence Ponte Vecchio, "old bridge"), with earlier bridges being swept away by floods, rebuilt and swept away again. At street level it's a pedestrianised cobbled arch. It's lined by shops, which were butchers until Renaissance times then - in an insight as dramatic as the discovery of perspective in painting - they realised that goldsmiths' shops paid higher rents and didn't stink; so from then to this day it's just been overpriced jewellery shops and market stalls. Above these is the higher bridge, the Vasari Corridor, a private walkway added in 1565 so that the Medici Dukes could move between Palazzo Vecchio (Town Hall) and Palazzo Pitti (their blingy residence) without mixing with common folk. On the south bank, the Corridor nowadays continues as a gallery of the Uffizi, and there is sometimes talk of extending this over the bridge, or otherwise making the space accessible. Nothing's come of this so far, so the common folk will have to continue admiring the scene from street level.

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Amphitheatre of Pompeii

This is in the most easterly corner of the excavated area, near the Sarno Gate entrance. It was completed in 80BC, measures 135 x 104 metres and could hold about 20,000 people. It is the earliest surviving permanent amphitheatre in Italy and one of the best preserved anywhere. It was used for gladiator battles, other sports and spectacles involving wild animals.

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Villa of the Mysteries

A house with curious frescoes, perhaps of women being initiated into the Cult of Dionysus. Contains one of the finest fresco cycles in Italy, as well as humorous ancient graffiti.

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Santa Chiara, Naples

A religious complex which includes the Church of Santa Chiara, a monastery, tombs, and an archaeological museum. The double monastic complex was built in 1313-1340 by Queen Sancha of Majorca and her husband King Robert of Naples. The original church was in traditional Provençal-Gothic style, but was decorated in the 1744 century in Baroque style by Domenico Antonio Vaccaro. Santa Chiara was the largest Clarissan church ever built, and it was the first Clarissan church built where the nuns in their choir would have been able to view the performance of Mass. The bell tower, separated from the main edifice, was begun in 1328 but was completed only in Renaissance times. The simple interior houses the tomb of King Robert and, in the side chapels, those of the Bourbon king of Naples, Francis II and his consort Maria Sophie of Bavaria, as well as of Queen Maria Christina of Savoy and of the national hero Salvo d'Acquisto (a carabiniere who sacrificed his own life to save the lives of 22 civilian hostages at the time of the Nazi occupation). Famous is the cloister of the Clarisses, transformed in 1742 by Vaccaro with the addition of precious majolica tiles in Rococò style. The Nuns' Choir houses fragments of frescoes by Giotto.

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Ancient theatre of Taormina

Ancient theatre of Grecian origin, but re-built in Roman brick in the 3rd century BCE. Impressive for the views and because the proscenium (the back-drop) survives, unlike in most amphitheatres.

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San Zaccaria, Venice

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Basilica of San Zeno, Verona

minor basilica of Verona, Northern Italy

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San Salvador, Venice

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Florence Baptistery

Octagonal plan, with a pyramidal roof covering its dome. It's famous for its bronze doors by Andrea Pisano (14th C) and Lorenzo Ghiberti (15th C) and a beautiful interior vault decorated with 13th C mosaics.

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Palazzo Re Enzo

palace

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Tempio Malatestiano

Bizarre burial chapel for Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, the lord of the city, together with his mistress Isotta degli Atti and the Malatesta family.

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San Giacomo di Rialto

This church is possibly the oldest church in Venice built around 421. It is most recognized for its 15th-century clock above the entrance of the church. It is also recognized for the red pillars and beautiful gold accents around the church itself.

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Girolamini, Naples

Ecclesiastic complex comprising a a gallery of paintings, a cloister, a library of thousands of ancient manuscripts, and a baroque church.

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San Simeone Piccolo

The last church built in Venice. One of the things that it is recognized for is the fact that they celebrate Tridentine Mass on Sundays. It is also recognized for its dome because it is used to make the church look taller than it is and the dome itself is entirely covered with lead sheet.

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San Giobbe

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Edoardo Chiossone Museum of Oriental Art

The biggest European collection of oriental art.

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Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana

palazzo

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Trastevere

rione XIII of Rome, Italy

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Il Redentore

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Piccolo Teatro (Milan)

theatre company in Milan, Italy

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San Giovanni Grisostomo, Venice

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Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence

Famous frescoes (Masaccio’s Adam and Eve Banished From the Garden and others by Lippi and Masolino) in the Brancacci Chapel.

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Genoa Cathedral

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Santa Croce in Gerusalemme

church

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Corniglia

human settlement in Vernazza, Province of La Spezia, Liguria, Italy

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Madonie

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Palace of Capodimonte

Hosts paintings from the 13th to 18th centuries, including major works by Simone Martini, Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio, Masaccio, Sandro Botticelli, Lorenzo Lotto, Giovanni Bellini, Giorgio Vasari, El Greco, Jacob Philipp Hackert. It also hosts the works of the most important Neapolitan painters, like Jusepe de Ribera, Luca Giordano, the Neapolitan Caravaggisti.

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Ponte di Tiberio (Rimini)

The Roman bridge that marks the beginning of the Aemilian Way.

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Torre dei Lamberti

medieval tower in Verona (Italy)

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Naples Cathedral

Built in the 18th century, it is the main church of Naples. It is widely known as the Cattedrale di San Gennaro, in honour of Saint Januarius, the city's patron saint. It was built on the foundations of two palaeo-Christian basilicas, whose traces can still be clearly seen. Underneath the building, excavations have revealed Greek and Roman artifacts. The Cathedral is famous for Miracle of the Blood, a recurring miracle taking place on the first Saturday of May and September 19th every year. During the ritual an ampull containing the old dried out blood of Saint Januarius is brought out and stirred; and miraculously liquefies. According to legend, disaster will befall Naples if the blood fails to liquefy.

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House of the Faun

This is named after a statue of a dancing faun found on the site. It is considered to be an excellent example of the fusion of Italian and Greek architectural styles, and occupies an entire block.

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Circus Maximus

Ancient Roman circus in Rome

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Roman theatre, Verona

performing arts venue in Verona

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Museo della Città, Rimini

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National Railway Museum of Pietrarsa

A museum housed in the ancient 19th century's Bourbon Factories, along the route of the first railway in Italy: the Napoli-Portici line. Here is possible to admire a large variety of rolling stock like steam locomotives and different periods' carriages.

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Santa Maria Formosa

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I Gesuiti, Venice

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Santo Stefano, Venice

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Carmini

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Accorsi - Ometto Museum

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Santa Maria della Pietà, Venice

A church that used to house an orphanage and hospital in the 18th century, it is known among classical music enthusiasts as the church where the Catholic priest and composer Antonio Vivaldi worked for most of his career.

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San Zulian

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Temple of Apollo (Pompeii)

This is to the north of the Basilica on the western side of the Forum. It has the oldest remains discovered, with some, including Etruscan items, dating back to 575BC, although the layout we see now was later than that.

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San Sebastiano, Venice

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San Giovanni in Bragora

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Piazza Navona

Piazza in Rome, Italy

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Verona Cathedral

church building in Verona, Italy

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Santa Felicita, Florence

Contains frescoes of the Annunciation and a painting of the Deposition of Christ by the brilliant and weird mannerist painter, Pontormo. They are to be found in the Barbadori Chapel, which is to your immediate right when entering the church.

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Sant'Anastasia (Verona)

church in Verona

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San Pietro di Castello (church)

Venice cathedral up to 1807, when the see was transferred to San Marco.

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Casa di Giulietta

building in Verona, Italy

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San Lazzaro degli Armeni

Library with historical manuscripts, collection of works, miniatures and documents of the Armenian history, Monastery Church. Tours in Italian, English, and Armenian. On the small island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni.

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Manarola

human settlement in Riomaggiore, Province of La Spezia, Liguria, Italy

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Ospedale L'Albergo Reale dei Poveri, Naples

A former public hospital/almshouse. It was designed by the architect Ferdinando Fuga, and construction was started in 1751. It is five storeys tall and about 300 m long. It was popularly known as "Palazzo Fuga". King Charles III of the House of Bourbon meant the facility to house the destitute and ill, as well as to provide a self-sufficient community where the poor would live and work. The building was designed with five courtyards and a church in the centre, but only the three innermost courtyards were built, and plans to complete the building according to the original design were finally abandoned in 1819. It is no longer a hospital, and has suffered much from neglect and earthquakes. The centre behind the entrance is now used for exhibitions, conferences, and concerts.

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Mozia

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Marina di Pisa

When you have done the main attractions of Pisa, there is still one little gem left: Marina di Pisa, the harbor of Pisa at the Mediterranean sea. It hosts a beach, not with sand, but with little marble pebbles. The pebbles are smooth, and will not harm your feet, but since they are slightly unstable near the water, sea water compatible footwear is recommended for walking along the beach and getting in or out of the water.

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San Domenico Maggiore

One of the most prominent churches of Naples. This Gothic church (est. 1283) incorporates a smaller, original church built on this site in the 10th century, San Michele Arcangelo a Morfisa. The monastery annexed to the church has been the home of prominent names in the history of religion and philosophy. It was the original seat of the University of Naples, where Thomas Aquinas, a former monk at San Domenico Maggiore, returned to teach theology in 1272. As well, the philosopher monk, Giordano Bruno, lived here. The sacristy houses a series of 45 sepulchres of members of the royal Aragonese family, including that of King Ferdinand I.

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Basilica of Our Lady Help of Christians, Turin

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Palazzo del Podestà, Bologna

The first seat of the city government.

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Janiculum

hill in western Rome

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House of the Vettii

This is believed to have been the home of two brothers who were freed slaves and became very affluent. It contains many frescoes. In the vestibule there is a striking fresco of a well-endowed Priapus, God of Fertility and among the frescos in other parts of the building are illustrations of couples making love, of cupids and of mythological characters.

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we will see

Italy

Someday we will visit Italy or begin to dream about going there! However, for now its not on our radar. Let us know in the comments if you think that should change!

Italy

Italy (Italian: Italia), officially the Italian Republic (Repubblica italiana), is a country in Southern Europe, occupying the Italian Peninsula and the Po Valley south of the Alps. Once the core of the mighty Roman Empire, and the cradle of the Renaissance, it is also home to the greatest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world, including high art and monuments.

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