The document provides an overview of Italy and several of its major cities and sites to visit, including Rome, Vatican City, Siena, Venice, and Florence. It begins with a map of Italy and background on the country, then goes into further detail about specific attractions in Rome such as the Catacombs, the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Fontana di Trevi, Piazza Navona, Piazza di Spagna, and the Pantheon. Brief descriptions are also provided for Vatican City, Siena, Venice, and Florence.

3. CONTENTS:
1. Map of Italy.................................................................................................................4
2. Portrait of Italy and places to visit...............................................................................5
2.1. Rome...............................................................................................................9
2.1.1. The Catacombs and Saint Sebastian.........................................................9
2.1.2. The Colosseum.........................................................................................11
2.1.3. The Roman Forum....................................................................................12
2.1.4. Fontana di Trevi........................................................................................14
2.1.5. Piazza Navona and Piazza di Spagna......................................................15
2.1.6. The Pantheon...........................................................................................16
2.2. Vatican City....................................................................................................17
2.3. Siena.............................................................................................................18
2.4. Venice............................................................................................................19
2.5. Florence.........................................................................................................20
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4. 4

5. Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is located in
Southern Europe. It comprises the Italian Peninsula,
the Po Valley and some islands. It is delimited by the
Alps to the north and it borders with France,
Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. To the south,
there's the Mediterranean Sea and the two biggest
Mediterranean islands: Sicily and Sardinia.
Its capital is Rome, it's also the largest city in the country. It has been for centuries the
political, religious and cultural centre of the Western civilization. It was the capital of the
Roman Empire and Christianity too. Other important cities are Milan, Turin, Florence,
Genoa, Naples, Palermo...
This country is an unitary parliamentary republic (a democratic republic). It's president is
Giorgio Napolitano since 2006 and the Prime Minister is Enrico Letta. Italy is a founding
member of the European Union and the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). It is
part of the Schengen Area and it has been a member of the Eurozone (so its coin is the
Euro, since 2002). It's also member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development, the World Trade Organization, the G7, the G8, the G20, the Council of
Europe and the United Nations. This country, specially Rome, has a strong repercussion
on universal organizations as FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), IFAD
(International Fund for Agricultural Development), the Glocal Forum and WFP (World Food
Programme).
Italy's the fifth most populous country in Europe. In 2011 it had 60,626,442 inhabitants
according to municipal records (Anagrafe). And according to the Italian government, there
were 4,570,317 foreign residents in Italy.
Italy's situation.
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6. We can find three different climatic regions in the country:
– The Mediterranean climate in the south of Italy, with hot summers.
– The continental climate in the plains of the Po river, where the winter is very cold
and summer is very hot.
– In the Apennines (Liguria), winters are warm, temperatures are low in summer and
it rains a lot.
Italy's official language is Italian. A minority of languages have co-official status alongside
Italian in different parts of the country like: French (Valle d’Aosta), German (South Tyrol)
and Slovene (Trieste, Gorizia and Udine). In Sardinia people also speak Sardinian and
Catalan.
The national symbols of Italy are:
The foreign population of Italy.
Europe
Africa
Asia
America
Oceania
Italy's population evolution.
Flag of Italy. Coat of arms.
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7. Italy is known due to these reasons: It has more UNESCO World Heritage Sites (49) than
any other country in the world, so it has lots of monuments and places with a high value
and beauty. Thus, it has many collections of art, culture and literature from many different
periods; and all of them are well-known and valued. This country is the third most visited
country of the European Union and Rome is the the third most visited city. I think that
people love visit Italy because of the warm or hot climate in summers, the beaches of the
Mediterranean sea and the large variety of monuments, palaces, buildings, statues,
churches, art galleries, fountains, historic places...
National Anthem: “Inno degli italiani”.
Emblem: Stella d'Italia.
National aerobatic team: Frecce Tricolori. National Monument: Altare della Patria.
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8. 8

9. Catacombs of Rome are underground
mausoleums (huge cemeteries). We can find
them on the outskirts of the city. They date back
to the 2nd Century AD because the Christians
were persecuted and they had to bury their dead
secretly. For this reason they built cemeteries
underground. They used volcanic tuff rock for
tunnelling, because Catacombs are many
kilometres deep in tunnels. We can find fresco
and sculptures, relics of many saints and graffiti
dedicated to different saints.
The Catacombs of Saint Sebastian is one of the
smallest ones and one of the least preserved. A basilica is built on the top. There is the
tomb of the Innocentiores and a room called Triglia, which was used for funeral banquets.
CATACOMBS OF SAINT SEBASTIAN
Hours Monday-Saturday 9am-noon and 2-5pm
Transportation Bus: 118
Phone 06-7850350
Prices 8€ adults, 5€ children 6-15, free for children 5 and under
For more information you can
visit the web site Catacombs
of St. Sebastian
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/rome/attractions/
207636#ixzz2qY4yd3Eo
Sights of the ornamentacions. Catacombs of Saint Sebastian.
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10. This painting is called Saint Sebastian. The
painter is Giovanni Antonio Bazzi. This picture
has a width of 154 cm and a height of 206 cm.
It was painted in 1525 and, currently it is in the
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence. It is made of oil an
canvas.
In this painting we can see the execution of Saint
Sebastian and an angel flying above him. The
man is tied to a tree and he's wearing a piece of
fabric around hi waist. An arrow has passed
through his neck and another one through his
thigh. There are other arrows stuck on the tree.
There is much light around the angel. In the
background, we can see mountains and a lot of
vegetation. There are some men with horses too.
This painting is realistic, with the exception of the
angel. The artist painted the people with realistic
trait, he didn't idealise them. The figures give a
sensation of movement and their postured are
rigid. They are well-proportioned too. They wear
realistic clothes. The composition is quite
harmonious because of the light and there are
strong contrasts between light and dark.
The painting was painted in 1525, so it belongs to the Renaissance period. It is related to
religion, a very important theme in that epoch, and Giovanni has a lot of painting related to
it.
The painting represents Sebastian's death. Personally, I don't like this painting because it's
too depressing and sad. I prefer painting that transmit calm and happiness. The only thing
I like from it is the light, at least it isn't extremely dark.
Saint Sebastian's painting.
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11. The Colosseum, also known as the
Flavian Amphitheatre, is a tourist
attraction. It receives 3.9 millions of
tourists every year. It is situated in
the city centre of Rome (in the east
of the Roman Forum). It's the
largest amphitheatre in the world,
this building could hold 50,000
spectators.
It's construction started in 70 A.D. The Emperor Vespatian ordered its construction in
honour of his son Titus. The construction lasted ten years (it finished in 80 A.D).
This building was used for doing different shows like an entertainment. The emperor let
citizens watch shows to gain their favour. Some popular shows in the Colosseum were
gladiator games, animal hunt, chariot races and theatrical plays. The gladiators were
slaves, prisoners of war and criminals. Tigers, lions, elephants, bears and alligators were
used in fights.
The Colosseum is an elliptical
amphitheatre: an oval area of ground
with tiers of seats around it for watching
plays, sports, contests... The nobles sat
near the arena and the citizens sat at
the top of the stadium. It's built of
concrete and stone. It's 157 feet high
and perimeter measured 1778 feet.
This building is make up of four floors,
the three first have got eighty semi-circular arches. All the eighty arches from the first floor
were entrances. We can see Doric, Ionic and Corinthian columns next to the arches.
Under the Colosseum there were tunnels and rooms housed gladiators and animals. The
southern part of the building was quite destroyed by an earthquake.
Colosseum's interior view.
Colosseum's exterior view.
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12. The Roman Forum (their ruins) is situated in the centre of Rome, specifically in a valley
between the Capitoline Hill (site of the Jupiter Temple) and the Palatine Hill (where the
royal palace and other palaces of noble families were located). The Forum was built from
8BC to 312AD, because there are buildings built in different years. It was a large public
space used like a market and meeting venue. It is a rectangular square surrounded by the
ruins of important buildings:
1- Curia
2- Arch of Septimus Severus
3- Rostra
4- Temple of Vespasian
5- Via Sacra
6- Temple of Saturn
7- Colonna du Foca
8- Basilica Iulia
9- Basilica Emilia
10- Temple of Julius Caesar
11- Temple of Vestals
12- Temple of Castor
13- Church of Santa Maria Antiqua
14- Temple of Augustus
15- Temple of Antoninus and Faustino
16- Temple of Romulus
17- Temple of Venus and Rome
18- House of Vesta
19- Basilica di Maxentius.
20- Coliseum
21- Arch of Titus
22- Palatine
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13. Titus Flavius lived between 9AD and 79AD. He was a Roman Emperor from 69AD to
79AD. He ruled and reigned over an empire. Beside three emperors, Vespatian expanded
the Roman Empire, they made a very important conquest.
Julius Caesar lived between 100BC and 44BC. He was a Roman general, statesman,
Consul and author of Latin prose. He reigned from 49BC to 44BC. He is known because of
his military campaigns, he conquered the Gaul.
Romulus was one of the legendary founders of Rome. His mother was the daughter of the
king of Alba Longa and his father was the God Mars. However, he was suckled by a wolf
and raised by a shepherd.
The Vestals were priestesses of Vesta, goddess of the hearth. They married people and
bear children. At the beginning they were selected by the Emperor. They were between six
and ten years old. They had to keep the sacred fire in the temple.
Venus is the goddess of love and beauty. Venus was married to Vulcan (the god of fire).
His son was Cupido. She's also the goddess of fertility and prosperity. She's the Roman
version of the Greek Aphrodite.
Venus on seashell, from the Casa di Venus.
Titus Flavius Vespatian. Julius Caesar.
Romulus and Remus with the wolf.
Virgo Vestalis Maxima.
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14. Fontana di Trevi is a fountain situated in the centre of Rome, specifically in the Trevi
district. It's 26.3 metres high and 49.15 metres wide. The fountain's construction was from
1732 to 1762. Nicola Salvi designed it and Pietro Bracci completed it.
The monument is a mixture of rocks and water (the theme of it is the sea). The sculpture is
a cart in the shape of a shell. On the top of it, there's the god Neptune. There are also
some tritons and horses. Near Neptune, we can see Abundance spilling water from her urn
and Salubrity with a snake drinking from a cup. At the background there's the Palazzo Poli
(it's a palace which has got Corinthian pilasters).
Fontana di Trevi is a Baroque fountain. It's the largest one in the city and one of the most
important in the world. The Baroque period of artistic style was from 1600 to 1725. The
exaggeration, the grandeur and the exuberance are characteristic of this order. We can
note that the fountain belongs to the Baroque period because it has got a lot of
characteristics of that order.
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
(there's the god Neptune).
This monument is very important for the tourism of the city. It receives a lot of visitors
every year. Some people throw some coins into it looking for luck. Approximately 3,000
Euros are thrown every day into the water.
I quite like this fountain because it's a very large one and it's incredible. The only thing I
don't like it very much is that it's too exaggerated.
Fontana di Trevi.
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15. Piazza Navona is a city square of Rome,
it is situated between the Castle Sant
Angelo and the Pantheon. It was built on
the site of the Stadium of Domitian,
where the ancient Romans went to
watch the agones (games). It dates back
the 1st century AD, when the pontificate
of Innocent X ordered its construction.
This square is one of the most important
of the city and an incredible example of
the Baroque Roman architecture and art.
It presents important sculptures and
architectural creations. In the middle
there's the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi
(Fountain of the Four Rivers: the
Danube, the Ganges, the Nile and the Rio de la Plata). It was built in 1651 by Gian
Lorenzo Bernini. It is topped by the Obelisk of Domitian. There are two other fountains: at
the southern end the Fontana del Moro and at the northern end the Fountain of Neptune.
During history, the square has hosted theatrical events and other activities. For exemple, a
Christmas market takes place in the square. There are important monuments near it: the
Stabilimenti Spagnoli, the Palazzo de Cupis Palazzo Torres Massimo Lancellotti, the
Church of Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore, the Palazzo Braschi (Museo di Roma) and the
Sant'Agnese in Agone.
Piazza di Spagna is situated at the
bottom of the Spanish Steps (near to
the Villa Borghese). It is one of the
most famous squares of Rome (Italy).
In the centre of the square there's the
famous Fontana della Barcaccia. It
dates back to the beginning of the
baroque age. It was sculpted by Pietro
Bernini and his son, Gian Lorenzo
Bernini.
The 135-step staircase (the Spanish
Steps) was inaugurated by Pope
Benedict XIII during 1725. Its
construction had specific purpose:
connect the Bourbon Spanish
embassy to the Church of Trinità dei
Monti. This project was designed by Alessandro Specchi and Francesco De Sanctis. The
staircase is decorated with many garden-terraces with flowers. The creation is typical of
the baroque architecture.
Near the Spanish Steps there's the house of the English poet John Keats, the Babington's
tea room, the Giorgio De Chirico House, the Column of the Immaculate Conception...
Panoramic view of Piazza Navona.
Fontana della Barcaccia and the Spanish Steps.
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16. The Pantheon of Rome is a building devoted to the Gods of ancient Rome. It is situated in
the Piazza de la Rotonda. The word Pantheon derives from Greek and it means all Gods.
This building is still preserved. It was built in year 27 AC by Marcus Agrippa. In the year 80
AD, a fire destroyed the building, so Romans rebuilt it. However, thirty years later, another
fire destroyed it again. The Romans rebuilt the temple under the emperor Hadrian. He
preserved the text at the entrance in honour to Agrippa. In the 7th
century the Pantheon
became a church devoted to St. Mary and the martyrs.
This building is very famous for the
inside. The inside has the shape of a
perfect sphere. There, we can find a
hole in the roof named oculus, to let
the light into the building and to let
out the sacred smoke, it also rains
both inside and outside. There are
also some sculptures of Roman
Gods, such as Saturn and Venus. It
is also a mausoleum, because the
Royal Family and many Renaissance
artists like Raphael are buried there.
The columns of the entrance belong
to the Corithian order, they are made
with marble and they come from Greece. The Pantheon is a radial building, so it has got a
central point. It accommodates a sphere in the centre. The designers of this building were
obsessed with spheres, rectangles,circles, perfect geometrical shapes... Inside, you could
rotate and have a feeling of freedom because the space is vast. The dome lays on
concrete and brick. The dominant colours of marble are purple, orange and blue.
Other buildings in the world which are inspired in the Pantheon are: St Peter's Basilica in
Rome, National Gallery of Washington...
The oculus.
The pantheon (the outside).
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17. The Vatican City is a landlocked sovereign city-state which is situated in Rome, Italy. We
can find there famous attractions, such as St. Peter's Basilica, Gardens, the Vatican
Museums, the Vatican Guards and St. Peter's square.
In the place of the obelisk at St. Peter's square St. Peter was crucified. Christianity was
legalised in 338 AD by Emperor Constantine. When you enter St. Peter's Basilica, your
first impression is that it's big and glorious. Inside St. Peter's Basilica you can find a very
famous sculpture: la Pieta (by Michelangelo). The altar is attributed to Bernini, it belongs to
the Baroque period. The Dome was designed by Michelangelo, Inside there's the
inscription TU ES PETRUS which means you are Peter.
You have to climb 300 steps if you want to climb to the cupola. In the Vatican museums
you can find frescoes, paintings, graffiti, tapestries, sculptures.
The Vatican City.
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18. Siena is situated in Tuscany, Italy. It is a cultural city. The historic centre of Siena has been
declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is recieves a lot of tourists every year.
There is the Piazza del Campo, which has the shape of a shell. It is the town square and
be can find there several buildings: the Palazzo Pubblico, the Torre del Mangia, the
Palazzo Pubblico...
The Palio di Siena is a traditional medieval horse race which takes place around the
Piazza del Campo because there are treacherous turns and you can circle the square. It is
celebrated twice a year, on 2nd
July and 16th
August. Seventeen Contrade (which are city
neighbourhoods) fight for the trophy: a painted banner, or Palio bearing an image of the
Blessed Virgin Mary. The race lasts three minutes. The contrada of Oca won last 2013 July
competition and the region that has won more times is Chiocciola.
Views of Piazza del Campo.
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19. Venice is a city in northeaster Italy. The best form to reach there is by plane. There are two
airports: the Marco Polo airport and the Treviso airport. You have to cross a bridge if you
want to reach the city centre. The city is considered one of the most car free cities.
There you can discover a lot of water streets, canals and narrow streets. The most
common mean of transportation is the gondola. A 40 minute ride without music costs 80€.
The name of the square at the heart of Venice is St. Mark's square. In that square you can
have a coffee for 6€. You also can buy some souvenirs like masks, jewels, paintings...
There is also the Palazzo Ducale which was the residence of the Dukes. Next to the
Palazzo Ducale there is St. Mark's Basilica and in the inside we can find the relics of St.
Mark. The tallest building in Venice is St. Mark's campanile.
The Canal Grande is a canal which goes through Venice. The vaporetti are water buses,
which are used inside the city. Murano is a small island located on the north of Venice,
which is well known for glass making.
A canal in Venice.
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20. Florence is situated at the fit of the Apenine mountains in Italy. Its buildings and
monuments tell stories about art, war and life. Several illustrious minds thread their way
around Florence, for example, da Vinci, Michelangelo or Dante.
You can take a shuttle bus from Pisa Airport to Florence, which takes you 70 minutes. The
temperatures in Florence in the summer are usually about 40º in summer and in winter the
temperature decreases until below 0º. The best months to visit Florence are March and
September.
Explore the city's marvels it takes you one or two days. The museums are closed on
Mondays in the city. The busiest building in the entire city is The Uffizzi Gallery. In La
Galleria de la Academia, you can see Michelangelo's David. Inside the Palazzo Vecchio
you can visit secret paths and rooms. The Duomo is a cathedral, which its entrance is free,
except if you want to reach the bell tower. The dome was painted by Brunelleschi, it takes
you between 10 and 15 minutes if you want to reach there.
Panoramic views of Florence.
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