ITALY

Colosseum

The Colosseum of Rome, originally called Flavian amphitheater was built by the Flavian family- Vespasian and Titus in 80 A.D. and completed by Domitian. The Colosseum was designed to hold 50,000 spectators, and it had approximately eighty entrances so crowds could arrive and leave easily and quickly. It measures externally 188 m x 156 m, with the base of the building covering about 6 acres. Also called as “arena of death” since its opening was celebrated with 100 days of games in which thousands of animals and gladiators were killed. This is an impressive ancient building to seen.


Fontana di Trevi

Trevi Fountain is the most famous fountain in Italy. It was built by the architect Salvi in 1735 and decorated by several artists of Bernini's school. The fountain shows the sea god in his chariot. The tradition here is to throw a coin into the fountain to ensure your return to Rome.


Castle Nuovo

Castel Nuovo (New Castle), is a beautiful castle, situated on the bay of Napoli(Naples) in Italy. Its construction was undertaken in the second half of the 13th century under the Angevin sovereign who entrusted the work to the French architects. It is one of the most outstanding works of Renaissance honorary architecture. I had the chance to visit this city since I had an interview for my studies. I would say, Naples is a very good place to visit but not for living!


Piazza del Duomo

Piazza del Duomo or Piazza dei Miracoli is recognized as one of the main centers for medieval art in the world. It consists of the Duomo-cathedral, the Leaning tower, the Baptistery and the Camposanto. The whole square is a UNESCO world heritage site. In the above picture you see the leaning tower and the Duoma. The Leaning tower of Pisa is the bell tower of the cathedral. The tower leans at an angle of 3.97 degrees. The Tower was designed to be "vertical", it began leaning soon after the onset of construction due to a poorly laid foundation and loose substrate. Although the construction of these started in 10-11th century, it took almost two centuries to complete them.

Galileo Galilei is said to have dropped two cannon balls of different masses from the tower to demonstrate that their descending speed was independent of their mass.


Ponte di Rialto

Ponte di Rialto or the rialto bridge is the oldest bridge across the canal and probably the most famous in Venice. This stone bridge was constructed by architect Antonio da Ponte in late-15th century to replace the wooden bridge that collapsed repeatedly. I was there during the Christmas along with my brother, sister-in-law as well as my husband. The bridge and the surroundings were beautifully lit.