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IndexItaly in the map.......................................................................................page1

Discovering Italy.....................................................................................page 2

The Catacombs of St. Sebastian............................................................page 3

St. Sebastian...........................................................................................page 4

The Colosseum........................................................................................page 5

The Roman Forum.................................................................................page 6

The Trevi Fountain.................................................................................page 8

Piazza Navona and Piazza di Spagna...................................................page 9

The pantheon..........................................................................................page 10

The Vatican City.....................................................................................page 11

Siena.........................................................................................................page 12

Venice.......................................................................................................page 13

Florence....................................................................................................page 14

Italy in the map

1.- Venice

2.- Florence

3.- Siena

4.- The Vatican City

5.- Rome

In Italy there is not problems with accommodation. There are many hotels to choose, either cheap or expensive, between luxurious or normal, hotels with many stars or without stars.

Italian food is delicious. Italy is very known by its spaguetti. They also make the best pizzas of the world. And the Italian ice cream is undoubtedly the best of the

The VaticanCity

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world. If you go to Italy, you have to try the ice cream without doubt.

Italy is also very well-known by its amounts of brand name clothes. In Italy you can find to the most spectacular stores of the world, but also the most expensive ones. There you can find clothes that you fall in love at first sight with. Some famous Italian clothes brand names are Gucci, Prada, Dolce&Gabanna,Valentino, Armani, etc. Some activities that you can do in Italy are going shopping, going to see catwalks, visiting the famous museums, seeing the famous monuments, fountains, sculptures, going around Italy on a motorcycle or on a bicycle (it is fantastic€ or having an ice cream.

DISCOVERING ITALYItaly is a country of the European Union. It is one of the six firsts countries that there were in the European Union. Italy entered the European Union on the 5th of March 1957. Italy is in the south of Europe. It borders with France, Slovenia,Austria, Switzerland, San Marino and Croatia. Italy has three islands called Sicily, Sardegna and island of Elba.Italy has many seas around such as the Mediterranean, Adriatic, Tyrrhenian, Ligurian, etc. The most important Italian cities are Rome,

Map of Italy

the Vatican city, Venice, Florence, Siena, Milan, Naples, etc. Italy is part of the UEM, NATO, OCSE, ONU, Eurolandia, European Union because it is important, because it has a lot of money because of the selling of clothes, cars, food, etc. The Italian government is the main form of government of the Italian Republic. The head of the state is the President of the Republic and the Head of Government is the Prime Minister. Italy s president is Giorgio Napolitano and the Prime Minister is Matteo Renzi. It has a population of 60 million inhabitants. The official language of Italy is Italian decending of Latin, so it's a romance language. Before the Italian unification in 1861 this language only existed in literary language. This country has a very diverse climate. To the North and to the Central regions, the climate is humid subtropical, continental or oceanic. Generally, to the south and to the coastal areas there is a Mediterranean climate. The Italian currency is the euro ( €. The Italian national symbols are their flag (has three green, white and red vertical lines€, the anthemn and the shield. It is a country that attracts people because it has a good gastronomy, beautiful places and, above all, this country has a good climate ( generally, warm weather€.

The Catacombs of St. Sebastian

The catacombs of St. Sebastian are ancient burial places. They began in the 2nd

century AD to help persecuted Christians to bury their dead. They are many

kilometres deep in tunnels and have many storeys. They are very important for the

art history because they contain exemples of fresco and sculptures and because

the relics of many saints are buried there. Around the middle of the 2nd century AD

three mausoleums were built, many grafitti were painted dedicated to different

saints.

The Catacomb of Saint Sebastian is one of the smallest Christian cemeteries and

one of the least preserved. A basilica was built on this catacomb in the 13th century.

There one can find the crypt of Saint Sebastian, atributid to Bernini.

Saint SebastianA catacomb

This painting is called Sain Sebastian. The

author is Giovanni Bazzi ( 1477-1549).

The dimensions of this painting are

145 x 204 cm. The year of this painting is 1576

and it can be found in Galleria degli Uffizi,

in Florence.

It is made of oil and on canvas. On this painting we can see St. Sebastian.

He has arrows stuck in his body, and

he's wearing a pieco of cloth. Above him there

is an angel looking after him.

Behind him there is a beautiful landscape.

It is a realistic painting. The artist painted the people in a realistic way. The figures

give a sensation that they are static. The posture of the figures is rigid and not

harmonious, but well proportioned. The clothes have been painted realistically. The

compososition is not harmonious and there are strong contrants between light and

dark. The Renaissance is this period, the painting was very religious and fantastic. It

represents a religious symbol because we can see an angel.

In my opinion, this painting is horrible. I don't like religious paintings, because in my

opinion they are invented. Angels don't exist. Nothing of this painting is beautiful.

Saint Sebastian.

The Colosseum

Today the Colosseum of Rome is a tourist attraction.It has an elliptical amphitheatre in the central part of Rome. Nowadays it's the major tourist attraction in Rome, the largest amphitheatre of the world. There are 3.9 million visitors every year. It s located in the city centre of Rome, in the east of the Roman Forum. Its construction started in 70AD and under emperor Vespatian. It took 10 years to rebuild it and it was in honour of emperor Vespatian. Its dimensions are like a football stadium, like a stadium nowadays. It is 157 feet high and 178 feet perimetre. There were 4 floors. Each floor has 80 arches. It has a capacity of between 50,000 and 80,000 spectadors. The seating for the nobles are near the arena and the seating for the common men are all at the top of the stadium. Into the building there is the terracing with many stairs. The arena's floor was made of movable wooden sections. Under this floor, there were passages, rooms, prisons cells and cages. Under the Colosseum there were tunnels and rooms that housed gladiators and animals. One million animals could die in the course of the games. The last games took place in the 6th century. The southern part of the Colosseum was destroyed by an earthquake. It took about 15 minutes to leave your seat in the Colosseum after the show. The Emperors let people watch shows in the Colosseum to favour people. The 2 most famous types of games were gladitional shows and animal hunts. In fights animals like tigers, lions, bears, elephants, alligators were used. There were 3 types of gladiators: slaves, prioners of war and criminals. The 2 other populars shows in the Colosseum were : chariot races and threatical plays. The Colosseum was used for 450 years.

The Colosseum

The Roman Forum You can find ruins of acient monuments in the Roman Forum. The Forum is the birth linked to the battle between Romulus (controlling the Palatine€ and his rival Titus Tacitus (controling capital€. The battle stopped according to the legend because of the crying and prayers of the woman who demanded negotiations. The forum is the place where people met and discussed. The Cloaca Maxima is a sewer and it was built because the land was too marsh. After the sewage was built, the marketplace and other constructions were built around the forum like temples and public buildings. Most buildings were constructed in honour of Julius Caesar and his succesor Augustus. Many temples started to be abandoned, destroyed or converted into churches in 4AD. Stepherds used the Roman Forum in the Middle Ages. In 1980 the archaelogists started to feel they had to protect the area. The excavations show the forum was built in layers.

You’ll see a reconstruction of the Roman Forum :1) Curia2) Arch of Septimius Severus3) Rostra4) Temple of Vespasian5) Via Sacra6) Temple of Saturn7)Colonna di Foca8) Basilica Iulia9) Basilica Emilia10) Temple of Julius Caesar11) Temple of Vestals12) Temple of Castor13) Church of S. Maria Antiqua14) Temple of Agustus15) Temple of Antoninus and Faustina16) Temple of Romulus17) Temple of Venus and Rome18) House os Vestals19) Basilica di Maxentius20) Coliseum

21) Arch of Titus22) Palatine

Titus Flavius : He was a Roman Emperor. He was born on 30th December 39BC

and he died on 13th September 81. He was famous because he besieged and

captured Jerusalem.

Julius Caesar : He was a Roman general, statesman, consul and notable author of

Latin prose. He reigned from 49BC to 44BC. He was born in July 100BC and died

on 15 March 44BC. He is famous because he conquered Gaul in a brilliant

campaign and brought one of the most important new territories to Roman Empire.

Romulus and Remus were twin brothers. He was one of the main characters of

ancient Rome and he was nursed by a wolf. He founded Rome and was the killer of

his twin. He was famous because he founded Rome.

The Vestals : They were priestesses of Vesta, goddess of the hearth. They were

famous because they had to cultivate the sacred fire that wasn’t allowed to go out

from the temple. The Vestals were dissolved by emperor Teodesio in 394. Any

offense against then could be punished with death.

Venus : It is the Roman goddess whose functions encompassed love, beauty, sex,

fertility and prosperity. In Roman mythology she was the mother of the Roman

people through her son, Aeneas.

Fontana di Trevi

Fontana di Trevi is a Baroque fountain situated in the centre of Rome. It dates back to the XVIII century. The monument is a mixture of rocks and water. There s the sculpture of the God Neptune. There are also some tritons and horses. It was built because the Roman Catholic Church wanted to use art for spreading religious matters. Because of that, the fountain represents the sea and also religious aspects. This monument is very important for tourism. It receives a lot of visitors every year and some people throw some coins into it looking for luck.

Fontana di Trevi

Piazza Navona Piazza Navona is a city square of Rome which dates back to the 1st century AD. It is one of the most important in the city and an incredible example of the Baroque Roman architecture and art. In the middle there s the Fountain of the Four Rivers: the Danube, the Ganges, the Nile and the Rio de la Plata. It is topped by the Obelisk of Domitian. It was built by Bernini. There are also two other fountains: the Fontana del Moro and the Fountain of Neptupe. During history, the square has hosted theatrical events and other activities, for example a Christmas market takes place in the square.

Piazza di Spagna

Piazza di Spagna is situated at the bottom of the Spanish Steps. It is one of the most famous squares of Rome. In the centre there s the famous Fontana della Barcaccia which belongs to the Baroque period. It was sculpted by Bernini and his son. The 135-step staircase ( the Spanish Steps € were constructed to connect the Bourbon Spanish embassy to the Church of Trinità dei Monti. The staircase is decorated with many garden terraces with flowers, it is typical od the baroque architecture.

Piazza Navona

Piazza di Spagna

Pantheon The Pantheon was devoted to the Gods of ancient Rome. The world pantheon

derives from the Greek language. It means all Gods. The Pantheon is still

preserved and it was built in 27AD by Agrippa. In year 80AD and 30 years later

a fire destroyed it. It was rebuilt and another fire destroyed it. The Romans rebuild

the temple again under emperor Hadrian. He preserved the text at the entrance in

honour of Marcus Agrippa.

In 7th century it became a church devoted to St. Mary and the martyrs. The

Pantheon is most famous for the inside. Inside there is a huge, perfect sphere,

a hole in the roof (oculus) to let the light into the building ant to let out sacred

smoke, it rains both inside and outside. The statues represent Romand Gods such

as Saturn and Venus. The Pantheon is also on mausoleums because the Royal

family and many Renaissance artists such as Raphael were buried there. The

Pantheon is located in Piazza de la Rotonda.

The Pantheon

The Vatican CityThe 5 top tourist attractions that you can’t miss when visiting the Vatican City are

St. Peter’s Basilica, the gardens, the Vatican museums, the Vatican guards and

Saint Peter's square.

It is a city-state situated in Rome. In the place of the Obelisk St. Peter was crucified. In 338AD Emperor Constantine legalised Christianity. The first impression you get when you enter St. Peter s is that it s big and glorious. Inside St. Peter s Basilica you can find important scuptures, for exemple La Pieta by Michelangelo. The altar is attributed to Bernini in the baroque age. There s the inscription Tu es Petrus which means You are Peter . The Dome was designed by Michelangelo. To get to the cupula you have to climb 300 steps. In the Vatican Museums you can find scuptures, painnting, frescoes, graffiti and tapesties.

St. Peter's Basilica

Siena

Siena is a cultural city and its historic centre is very important. The piazza del Campo is the town square and has the shape of a shell. Siena has had a rich tradition of arts and artists. Siena has become important because of its easy access to locally produced luxury goods in Tuscany and with new independent fashion designers such as Romana Correale. The Siena Cathedral (Duomo€ was built in the 12 th century. It is one of the great examples of Italian Romanesque-Gothic architecture. We can find there several building like the Palazzo Pubblico, the Torre de Mangia, etc. The Patio di Siena is a traditional medieval horse race which takes places around the Piazza del Campo. It is celebrated twice a year in July and August. Seventeen contrades fight for the trophy.

Siena

VENICE Its a city in the north east of Italy. The best form to reach Venice is by plane. There are 2 airports: Marco Polo and Treviso. You can reach the city centre by crossing the bridge El Puenti de la Liberta. Venice is considered one of the largest car free cities. You can discovered its water streets, canals and narrow streets. The most common mean of transportation is a boat called gondola. A ride without music may cost 80 . The name of the most important square is St. Mark's square. The Palazzo Ducale was the residence of the Dukes. You can visit St. Mark's basilica and the relics of St. Mark.The tallest building in Venice is St. Mark's campanili. You can have a coffee for 6 in St. Mark's square. You can buy souvenirs like masks, juvels, paintings. Canal Grande is the name of the canal that goes through Venice. The vaporetti are water buses. Murano is an island located on the north of Venice well known for glass making. There are 14 million tourists every year. In Venice there are 150 canals and 409 bridges. They connect 117 islands. Venice's problem is that it's sinking and you'll always get lost. Most of the people in Venice live on tourism. The most famous bridge in Venice is Ronte di Rialto, it was built in 1588 and it was made of marble. The most famous market is the fish market.

FLORENCE Florence is situatedat at the feet of the Apennine mountains. Its buildings and monuments tell stories about art, war and life. The famous minds that threaded their way around Venice are da Vinci, Michelangelo and Dante. The time to take the shuttle bus from Pisa airport to Florence is 70 minutes. The temperatures in Florence are 40ºC in summer and below 0ºC in winter. You

can explore Florence in 1 or 2 days. The museums are closed on Monday. The busiest building in the entire city is The Uffizi Gallery. You can see Michelangelo s David in La Galleria de la Academia. In Palazzo Vecchio you can visit secret paths and rooms. The Duomo is a cathedral and the entrance is free. Brunelleschi painted the dome, and tit takes you 10-15 minutes to climb there.

The Uffizi Gallery