Globus - Italy 2008 Galleries

*Fellow Travelers, etc. : A very compatible group of wonderful people to share the beauty of Italy; also some shots of living statues in Florence, Rome, and Verona.

*Fellow Travelers, etc.

A very compatible group of wonderful people to share the beauty of Ita ...

Updated: Jul 18, 2008 4:55pm PST

Rome : Rome is the capital city of Italy and of the Lazio region, as well as the country's largest and most populous city, with more than 2.7 million residents; located in the central-western portion of the Italian peninsula, where the river Aniene joins the Tiber. Rome is known as Capital of the world, Eternal City, Threshold of the Apostles, City of the Seven Hills or simply The City, has been for centuries a center of Western civilization and is the seat of the Catholic Church. The State of the Vatican City, the sovereign territory of the Holy See is an enclave of Rome. As one of the few major European cities that escaped World War II relatively unscathed, central Rome remains essentially Renaissance and Baroque in character. The Historic Center of Rome is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Rome

Rome is the capital city of Italy and of the Lazio region, as well as ...

Updated: Jul 18, 2008 5:59pm PST

Pisa : A city of western Italy on the Arno River near the Tyrrhenian Sea. An important Etruscan town, it developed into a powerful maritime republic in the 9th to 11th centuries but was crushed by Genoa in 1284. Florence controlled the city from 1406 to 1509. The campanile of its cathedral, built 1174–c. 1350, is the famed Leaning Tower of Pisa. Population: 87,200.

Pisa

A city of western Italy on the Arno River near the Tyrrhenian Sea. An ...

Updated: Aug 17, 2008 8:42am PST

Florence : Florence (Firenze) is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany, and of the province of Florence;ththost populous city in Tuscany with a population of approximately 364,779. The city lies on the Arno River and is known for its history and its importance in the Middle Ages and in the Renaissance, especially for its art and architecture. A centre of medieval European trade and finance, the city is often considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance; in fact, it has been called the Athens of the Middle Ages. Long under the de facto rule of the Medici family and from 1865 to 1870 was the capital of the Kingdom of Italy. The "historic centre of Florence" continues to attract millions of tourists each year and was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1982.

Florence

Florence (Firenze) is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscan ...

Updated: Aug 18, 2008 11:27am PST

Milan : Milan is one of the largest cities in Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy; has a population of 1.3 million; Milan metropolitan area, depending on the specific definition, has a population ranging from 2.9 to 7.4 million. Milan is renowned as one of the world capitals of design and fashion (The English word milliner is derived from the name of the city). The Lombard metropolis is famous for its fashion houses and shops (such as along via Montenapoleone) and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in the Piazza Duomo (reputed to be the world's oldest shopping mall). The city hosted the World Exposition in 1906 and will host the Universal Expo in 2015.

Milan

Milan is one of the largest cities in Italy, located in the plains of ...

Updated: Jul 20, 2008 8:46am PST

Lake Como, Lake Lugano : Lake Como Lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of 146 km², making it the third largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore. At over 400 m deep it is one of the deepest lakes in Europe and the bottom of the lake is more than 656 ft below sea-level. Lake Lugano: Lake in Switzerland and Italy, located between Maggiore and Como lakes. Straddling the border of the two countries, it has an area of 19 sq mi and a maximum depth of 945 ft. Between Melide and Bissone, the lake is so shallow that a stone dam across it carries the St. Gotthard railway. The resort town of Lugano, on its shores in Switzerland, is Italian in appearance.

Lake Como, Lake Lugano

Lake Como Lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of ...

Updated: Jul 21, 2008 8:33am PST

Lake Maggiore (Stressa) : Lake Maggiore, Italy’s second biggest lake. Acting as a watery boundary between two regions – Lombardy and Piedmont, Maggiore can also claim to be in two countries at once: its northern tip sits in Switzerland. Isola Bella is indeed beautiful - and very theatrical. A Italian baroque palace with terraced gardens, it seems at odds with its surroundings. It’s been described as an enormous tiered wedding cake, and French composer Gabriel Fauré wasn’t overly impressed: "on Isola Bella... nature has been tortured into artificiality’’ he wrote. Charles Dickens was a fan, though, and reasoned [that] " …however fanciful and fantastic the Isola Bella may be, and is, it still is beautiful.’’ Love it or hate it, but see it you must.

Lake Maggiore (Stressa)

Lake Maggiore, Italy’s second biggest lake. Acting as a watery bound ...

Updated: Jul 21, 2008 9:49am PST

Verona : Verona is a plunge into the emotions of bygone times, of a city that conserves values and forms related to an ancient past of medieval and renaissance splendour. According to the poet, Shakespeare, “There is no world outside these walls…” but this also expresses the impression that strikes tourists when they enter the ancient walls that surround the city. The tragic story of the love of Romeo and Juliet, which Shakespeare situates in the Verona of the Scala seigniory, makes the city a preferred destination for lovers and tourists seeking emotions. You experience a serene and relaxing rhythm in the historical centre, marked by the placid current of the Adige River, which crosses the city, forming a wide and soft S, with a suggestive network of bridges.

Verona

Verona is a plunge into the emotions of bygone times, of a city that c ...

Updated: Jul 21, 2008 10:20am PST

Ravenna : Ravenna is on the tourist map for one reason: its 1,500-year-old churches, decorated with best-in-the-West Byzantine mosaics. Known in Roman times as Classe, the city was an imperial port for the large naval fleet. Briefly a capital of eastern Rome during its fall, Ravenna was taken by the barbarians. Then, in a.d. 540, the Byzantine emperor Justinian turned Ravenna into the westernmost pillar of the Byzantine Empire. A pinnacle of civilization in that age, Ravenna was a light in Europe's Dark Ages. Two hundred years later, the Lombards booted the Byzantines out, and Ravenna melted into the backwaters of medieval Italy, staying out of historical sight for a thousand years. Today the local economy booms with a big chemical industry, the discovery of offshore gas deposits, and the construction of a new ship canal. The bustling town center is Italy's best for bi­cyclists. Locals go about their business, while busloads of tourists slip quietly in and out of town for the best look at the glories of Byzantium this side of Istanbul. Central Ravenna is quiet, with more bikes than cars, and a pedestrian-friendly core.

Ravenna

Ravenna is on the tourist map for one reason: its 1,500-year-old churc ...

Updated: Jul 21, 2008 12:48pm PST

Assisi : 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 (Chiara d'Offreducci), the founder of the Poor Clares. Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows of the 19th century was also born in Assisi.

Assisi

Assisi is a town in Italy in province of Perugia, Italy, in the Umbria ...

Updated: Jul 21, 2008 4:34pm PST

Pompei : Pompeii is a ruined and partially buried Roman city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the comune of Pompei. Along with Herculaneum, its sister city, Pompeii was destroyed, and completely buried, during a catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning two days on 24 August 79 AD. The volcano collapsed higher roof-lines and buried Pompeii under many meters of ash and pumice, and it was lost for nearly 1700 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. Today, it is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Italy, with 2,571,725 visitors in 2007, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Pompei

Pompeii is a ruined and partially buried Roman city near modern Naples ...

Updated: Jul 25, 2008 8:27am PST

Sorrento : Land of Mermaids, Orange and Lemon Groves, Colors. This small city in Campania has earned a plethora of alluring names; famed for its sea cliffs, the town's steep slopes look out over azure waters to Ischia, Capri and the Bay of Naples; birthplace of Limoncello liqueur.

Sorrento

Land of Mermaids, Orange and Lemon Groves, Colors. This small city in ...

Updated: Jul 22, 2008 11:12am PST

Capri, Positano : Capri: Twenty miles from Naples, rising abruptly out of the azure gulf, is the little island of Capri, its shape something like a gigantic hour glass. It seems to exercise a peculiar fascination on all visitors to Naples, and few can withstand the temptation of braving the not always pacific Bay of Naples, in order to visit the island which has inspired so many pens. The special characteristic of the Capri climate is the softness and mildness of the atmosphere. The island abounds in hills, cliffs, olive groves, vineyards, and garden terraces overlooking the blue water of the Mediterranean. Naples and Vesuvius loom in the distance, with white ferries and hydrofoils zigzagging across the bay. Positano: Once a vital part of a mighty sea power, Positano is today a sophisticated Tyrrhenian resort on the central Amalfi Coast. Moorish- style architecture rises up steep slopes that gaze out on the Sirenuse Islands. Smart boutiques, selling beach fashions for visitors to display on Grand Beach, bustle in the village.

Capri, Positano

Capri: Twenty miles from Naples, rising abruptly out of the azure gulf ...

Updated: Jul 22, 2008 10:48am PST

Montecassino, Naples :

Montecassino, Naples

Updated: Aug 03, 2008 6:42am PST