Italy entered my consciousness through film classics like Roman Holiday, Letters to Juliet, The Godfather and the like…It attracted me strongly and so when an opportunity came to do a tour of Northern Italy i jumped at it.
Italy is highly influenced by Mediterranean culture, particularly from Greece and Spain. Its capital Rome, is home to the Vatican as well as landmark art and ancient ruins. Other major cities include Florence with Renaissance masterpieces such as Michelangelo’s David and Brunelleschi’s Duomo; Venice the city of canals; and Milan, Italy’s fashion capital.
We started our Italian trip from the capital Rome
The Colloseum
The Vittoriano
The Roman Forum
-where Caesar was assassinated
The Trevi Fountain
This monument has featured in widely acclaimed films like Roman Holiday, La Dolce Vita, Three Coins in the Fountain and many more…
The Spanish Steps
Spain in Italy?
St Peter’s Basscilica @ The Vatican
-from where The Pope presides over the Catholic world.
The Sistine Chapel @The Vatican
This is where a new Pope is elected. It has exquisite paintings in its ceilings
Pisa
The Pisa tower is one of the four buildings that make up the cathedral complex in Pisa, Italy, called Campo dei Miracoli or Piazza dei Miracoli, which means Field of Miracles.
The Magic Square at Pisa complex
Romulus and Remus
In Roman mythology they are the founders of Rome. The twins were the sons of a mortal priestess and the Roman god of war, Mars. They were abandoned at birth and thrown into the river Tiber in a cradle. A she-wolf rescued them and nursed them to live.
Florence
Florence, capital of Italy’s Tuscany region, is home to many masterpieces of Renaissance art and architecture. One of its most iconic sights is the Duomo, a cathedral with a terracotta tiled dome engineered by Brunelleschi and a bell tower by Giotto. The Galleria dell’ Academia displays Michelangelo’s “David” sculpture. The Uffizi Gallery exhibits Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus” and da Vinci’s “Annunciation.”
House Frontage , Florence- you are washed by art wherever you tread in Florence
Florence’s Cathedral, The Duomo
Piazza della Signoria
Piazza della Signoria- another view
Fontana del Porcellino
Feed a coin to this pig, and you will surely return to Florence
Juliette’s Statue at Verona
Touching her makes you lucky in love.
Verona
Verona is a city in northern Italy’s Veneto region, with a medieval old town built between the meandering Adige River. It’s famous for being the setting of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” The Verona Arena is a huge 1st-century Roman amphitheater, which currently hosts concerts and large-scale opera performances.
Venice
- the city of canals, glass art, exotic masks and much more
The Grand Canal, Venice
Gondola Taxis
to take you around the city of Venice
Rialto Bridge, Venice
- the magnetic gathering point of tourists and popular site captured in many movies
Ravena, Italy
Ravena - the mosaic city
Tuscany
- a region rich in olive fields and enchanting landscapes
Ancona - a port city
From Ancona we took a cruise ship to Greece
We took an overnight luxurious cruise from Italy to Greece. Then toured Athens, Olympia and a couple of enchating Greek islands which i’ll describe in a subsequent post.
Our tours route is laid out in this map: A Whistlestop Tour of Northern Italy
Thank you for reading my post.
This is a #ConnectWritingChallenge response to @AdrianLunsong . Thanks to him i have been improving my posting skills and enjoying the activity too!
