Famous Sites in Italy

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Famous Sites in Italy
By Caitlin Hicks Period 2
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The Trevi Fountain
The Trevi Fountain is the most famous fountain in
Rome. The fountain is celebrated for the legend
that whoever drinks it or throws a coin in the
fountain, will assure a return to Rome. It was
created by the architect Salvi in the 1732 under
Pope Clemente XII, who continued work begun by
Bernini about a hundred years before.
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Colosseum

• The Colosseum was built during the reign of
  Emperor Vespasiano c. 72 AD. Over 160 ft high
  with eighty entrances, the Colosseum could hold
  upwards of 50,000 spectators. Public events such
  as gladiator fights, mock naval battles and wild
  animal hunts were held at the Colosseum.

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Sistine Chapel

• The Sistine Chapel is the official residence of
  the Roman Catholic Pope in the Vatican City. It
  was built between 1475 and 1483, in the time of
  Pope Sixtus IV, and is one of the most famous
  churches of the Western World. It is known
  worldwide both for being the hall in which
  conclaves and other official ceremonies are held
  and for having been decorated by Michelangelo. It
  is located to the north of St. Peter's Basilica
  and originally served as the Palatine chapel
  inside the old Vatican fortress.

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Leaning Tower Of Pisa

• The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the bell tower
  Pisa's cathedral. Construction started in August
  of 1173. After the third floor was built in 1178,
  the tower acquired a lean, due to weak, unstable
  subsoil. The design of this tower was flawed from
  the beginning. Construction ceased for a century.
  This allowed for the underlying soil to settle,
  otherwise the tower would almost certainly have
  toppled. After many centuries of repairs, it was
  reopened to the public in December of 2001.

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Vatican City

• Vatican City is an independent state within Rome,
  Italy. Its ruled by the pope and serves as the
  world headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church.
  It is entirely surrounded by Rome and is the
  smallest country in the world. In 2001 it had an
  estimated population of 1,000. Vatican City is
  the last of the Papal States. Vatican City has
  its own constitution, postal system, seal, flag,
  and other symbols of statehood. The Vatican also
  has its own army, the Swiss Guard, numbering
  about 100 soldiers.

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St. Peters Basilica

• St. Peters Basilica ranks second among the five
  major basilicas of Rome and Vatican City. It is
  the largest church in Christianity with a
  capacity of over 60,000 people. Tradition holds
  that his tomb is below the baldachino and altar
  for this reason, many Popes have been buried
  there. The current basilica was started in 1506
  and was completed in 1626. It was built over the
  Constantinian basilica.

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Galleria Degli Uffizi

• The Uffizi is the world's oldest gallery and the
  most popular museum in Italy. In 1560, Cosimo I
  de' Medici commissioned Giorgio Vasari to design
  a building to house the Florentine State's
  administrative and judicial offices. Much of the
  Uffizi's collection originally belonged to the
  Medici family. The Uffizi houses the largest
  collection of Italy's artistic heritage
  consisting of thousands of works of art ranging
  from Greek and Roman sculptures to Renaissance
  and Baroque paintings.

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The Vasari Corridor

• Designed and built by Giorgio Vasari in 1564, the
  Corridor offered a private walkway for the
  Medicee family to travel from home to work
  without ever setting foot on the streets of
  Florence. The Corridor stretches nearly 1
  kilometer, from the Palazzo Pitti through the
  church of Santa Felicita across the Ponte Vecchio
  and River Arno to the Galleria degli Uffizi.
  Housed within its walls is a collection of 17th
  to 20th century paintings.

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Galleria Borghese

• The Galleria Borghese contains a vast collection
  of masterpieces assembled by the great collector
  and patron of the arts Cardinal Scipione Borghese
  in the 17th century. His passion and instinct for
  art led him to a unique collection that includes
  many masterpieces of the Baroque style. The Villa
  Borghese is itself noteworthy as a beautifully
  decorated and frescoed villa. Highlighted items
  in the collection are Gianlorenzo Bernini's
  sculptures of Pluto and Persephone and Apollo and
  Daphne.

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Roman Baths

• After a morning's work most Romans enjoyed
  spending the afternoon at the public bath. They
  were a social meeting place. Men and women
  enjoyed coming to the baths not only to get clean
  but to meet with friends, exercise, or read at
  the library. The baths had hot and cold pools,
  towels, steam rooms, saunas, exercise rooms, and
  hair cutting salons. They had reading rooms and
  libraries. Baths were often crowded and children
  were not permitted.