Our European Vacation included stops in Barcelona, Spain, Monte Carlo, Monaco, various cities in Italy, and Rome. In Barcelona we visited Las Ramblas, Casa Batllo designed by Gaudi, and saw the Barcelona Cathedral. In Monte Carlo we saw the Prince's Palace and Casino. Our stops in Italy included tours of the medieval city of Lucca, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Colosseum and Roman Forum in Rome, and a tour of Pompeii and Sorrento including seeing mozzarella being made.
Ten Day vacation 2 days in Barcelona, Spain, then Norwegian Cruise Line cruse on Norwegian Jade.
Although it is one of Spain’s most dynamic cities, Barcelona is really not Spanish at all. As the capital and cultural hub of the region of Catalonia, the city has a long and glorious history all its own. Catalonia was a leading trading power in the Mediterranean during the 14th- and 15th-centuries, with enterprising merchants and bankers, and no feudal remnants whatsoever. United with the Kingdom of Aragon in the 12th-century, the region became part of Spain in 1469 with the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella. La Rambla is the most famous street in Barcelona. The wide boulevard connects the Plaça de Catalunya , a busy square, to the Monument a Colom , a tall column er ected in honor of Christoffel Columbus. The often crowded street is popular with tourists and locals alike. The middle part of the Rambla is pedestrianized and bordered by trees. Kiosks, flower stalls and street artists are in abundance here. Traffic passes on either side of the pedestrian area. The Rambla was originally a small stream flowing just outside the city walls. In the 16th century convents and a university were built along the river. The stream dried up and buidings were erected. The street is successively the Rambla de Canaletes, the Rambla dels Estudis, the Rambla de Sant Josep, the Rambla dels Caputxins, and the Rambla de Santa Monica.
Large square in central Barcelona that is generally considered to be both its city cent re and the place where the old city and the 19th century-built meet.
Gaudi - Spanish Architect 1852 -1926 Casa Batlló is one of the two great buildings designed by Antoni Gaudi. From the outside the façade of Casa Batlló looks like it has been made from skulls and bones. The "Skulls" are in fact balconies and the "bones" are supporting pillars.Gaudi used colors and shapes found in marine life as inspiration for his creativity in this building e.g. the colors chosen for the façade are those found in natural coral.The building was designed by Gaudi for Josep Batlló, a wealthy aristocrat, as an upmarket home. Señor Batlló lived in the lower two floors with his family and the upper floors were rented out as apartments.This building is a stunning and original work and well worth the visit. If you decide to take a look around inside you will learn how much attention to detail Gaudi spent on his designs thinking about such things as varying window size depending on how high the window was from the top of the building. In this way he could ensure uniform lighting conditions in each room of the house. the Sagrada Familia Church in Barcelona, was to be dedicated to the holy family.the Sagrada Familia Church in Barcelona, was to be dedicated to the holy family.
he had a rheumatic problem that prevented him from playing with other children his age, and required him to move about on a donkey or stay at home, because the pain kept him from walking. It also made him miss lots of class, which allowed him to spend many hours observing animals, plants and stones. This sickness was with him throughout his life, and doctors recommended a vegetarian diet and occasional strolls; this may be the reason that, when he was older and lived in Barcelona, he walked every evening to the church of Sant Felip Neri, where he stayed for awhile to pray. Gaudi also built the Sagrada Familia Church in Barcelona, which was to be dedicated to the holy family.
In the center of the Barri Gòtic (Gothic district), the heart of Barcelona, is the city's gothic cathedral, known as La Seu. The first stone of the current church was laid in the 13th century, but it would last until the early 20th century before the cathedral was fully completed.
Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya. The palace houses the offices of the Presidency of the Generalitat de Catalunya. Architectural landmark.
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games , officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad , were an international multi-sport e vent celebrated i n Barcelona , Catalonia , Spain i n 1992Olym pic Village Entrance to fields, Comm unications Tower, lodging for athletes, now a university.
Barcelona's Montjuïc is a broad shallow hill with a relatively flat top overlooking the harb our , to the southwest of the city centre. The eastern side of the hill is almost a sheer cliff, giving it a terrific view over the city's harbour immediately below. The top of the hill (a height of 173 metres) was the site of several fortificati ons , the lates t of which (the Castell de Montjuïc) remains today. The fortress largely dates fr om the 1 7th century, with 18th century additions. Magic Fountain - built in 1929 for Barcelona International Exhibition Church - Sagrada Familia. Gaudi took over construction in 1883, a year after it’s groundbreaking. Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926), who combined art nouveau and modernismo. La Sagrada Familia is certainly the most striking. Gaudi believed in natural and organic lines, with no trace of anything angular or mechanical. He began construction of his unique church in 1883 and completed a great part of it before he was killed by a tram in 1926. Work has resumed in spite of the fact that he left no plans or notes behind to help his successors. Although it is not said to be completed until 2026, the church has become a symbol of Catalan culture and of Barcelona. Sardana Monument -Catalan Dancers Statue
The Port > Logistic s Port The Por t of Barcelona is set up as a large network of facilities and services spread out through out the region. Connects with over 865 ports.
The picturesque resort of Monte - Carlo, lies on the sunny Mediterranean coast at the foot of the Maritime Alps in Monaco , near the boundary between France and Italy. The resort is part of the Riviera region and has a beautiful harbor. Monte - Carlo is a playground for the world's rich. It is famous for its casino which opened in 1861. The fairy-tale wedding of Prince Rainier III to the U.S. film star Grace Kelly in 19 56 made Monaco the focus of international attention. The Princess Grace Irish Library contains books about Ireland that she collected during the 1960s. In 1982 the princess died in an automobile accident after suffering a stroke while at the wheel. After Rainier III died in 2005, the couple's son, Albert, assumed the throne. Population (2009), 35,400.
Walls around Lucca built as a fortification for military protection in second half of 16th century nd first years of 17th century. They’re 4.2. kilometers long and have 11 bastions which held 124 cannons to defend the city. Lucca never had a war.
Walked through the old town in Tuscany Region, from piazza(square) to piazza. Each square had a cathedral combination of architecture. Bottom middle - amphitheater Statue Giacomo Puccinni, Italian composer of opera (Madame Butterfly) Visited Duomo, Romanesque cathedral from 12th century Visited some of the shops
Catholic church - built over the ancient Roman forum. Until 1370 it was the seat of the Consiglio Maggiore (Major Council), the commune's most important assembly. It is dedicated to Archangel Michael .
The Duomo of San Martino (or the Cathedral) was founded in the VI century. It was rebuilt around 1060 and renewed between the XII and the XIII centuries. The interior was rebuilt in the 14th and 15th centuries. The Duomo di San Martino , built in a strategic point of the ancient Roman town at the crossroads of the two main streets and near to the city walls .
Miracle Square or Fields of Miracles - religious center, built between 11th and 14th centuries From birth to death - Baptistery (birth), Cathedral (life), Hospital, Cemetery (death) Leaning tower of Pisa is a bell tower, that defies the law of gravity. It’s leaning 4.4 meters out of line when measured from the seventh story. It was built to stand vertically but began leaning soon after construction started in August 1173. It tilts because its foundation was built on unstable soil. The ground beneath the tower first started to sink after the first three stories were built. The height of the tower is 55 meters from the ground. The construction of the building began in 1173 and lasted two centuries.
Mussolini’s Palace Benito Mussolini was born in Forli, Italy , in 1883. After working briefly as a schoolteacher, Mussolini fled to Switzerland in 1902 in an effort to evade military service. Mussolini returned to Italy in 1 904 and over the next ten years worked as a journalist and eventually became editor of Avanti . Mussolini was active in the socialist movement but moved to right in 1914 when the Italian government failed to support the Triple Alliance . In 1915 Mussolini resigned from the Socialist Party when it advocated support for the Allies in the First World War. Whe n Ital y entered the war Mussolini se rved in the Italian Army and eventually reached the rank of corporal . After bein g wounded he returned to Milan to edit the right-wing Il Popolo d'Italia . The journal demanded that the Allies fully supported Italy's demands at the Paris Peace Conference . After the war Mussolini attacked Vittorio O rlando for failing to achieve Italy's objectives at the Versailles Peace Treaty and helped to or ganize the various right-wing groups in Italy into the Fascist Pa rty . After a series of r iots in 1922 King Victor Emmanuel III appointed Mussolini in an attempt to prevent a communist r evolution in Italy. Mussolini headed a coalition of fascists and nationalists and p arliamentary government continued until the murder of the socialist leader, Giacomo Matteotti in 1924. Left-wing parties were suppressed and in 1929 Italy became a one-party state. Mussolini also carried out an extensive public-works prog ramm and the fall in unemployment made him a popular figure in Italy. Italy controlled Eritrea and Somalia in Africa but had failed several times to colonize neighbouring Ethiopia . When Mussolini came to power he was determined to show the strength of his regime by occupyi ng the count ry. In October 1935 Mussolini sent in General Pietro Badoglio and the Italian A rmy into Ethiopia.The League of Nations condemned Italy's aggression and in November imposed sanctions. This included an attempt to ban countries from selling arms, rub ber and some me tals to Italy. Some poli tical leader s in France and Britain opposed sanctions arguin g that it might persuade Mussolini to form an alliance with Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany . Ancient Romans since B.C. walked on these paving stones. Colloseum
The Fontana di Trevi or Trevi Fountain is the most famous and arguably the most beautiful fountain in all of Rome. In 1732, Pope Clement XII commissioned Nicola Salvi to create a large fountain at the Trevi Square. Construction of the monumental baroque fountain was finally completed in 1762. The central figure of the fountain, is Neptune, god of the sea. He is riding a chariot in the shape of a shell, pulled by two sea horses. Each sea horse is guided by a Triton. One of the horses is calm and obedient, the other one restive. They symbolize the fluctuating moods of the sea.
The Roman Forum is located in a valley that is between the Palatine hill and the Capitoline hill. It originally was a marsh, but the Romans drained the area and turned it into a center of political and social activity. The Forum was the marketplace of Rome and also the business district and civic center. It was expanded to include temples, a senate house and law courts. When the Roman Empire fell, the Forum became forgotten, buried and was used as a cattle pasture during the Middle Ages. Much of the forum has been destroyed. Columns and stone blocks are all that remain of some temples. The arch of Titus and the arch of Septimius Severus still stand and are in good shape. Like many other ancient Roman buildings, stone blocks have been removed from the Forum and used to build nearby churches and palaces.
The first stone amphitheater in Rome was the Colosseum , built in the 70's AD by the R oman emperor Vespasian and was c ompleted by his son, Domitian , in the 80s A.D. D uring the Roman E mpi re any area of more than 100 people had an amphitheater. It was built of concrete and marble and limesto ne . It held 45,000 p eople. It had 80 entrance s, 4 of them for royalty. It could be evacuated in 5 minutes. Sight of gladiator fights, animals killing prisoners, animal fights. In the Middle Ages , the Colosseum was converted into a fortre ss[] and th e marble burned to make quicklime . During the Re naissance , but mostly in the Baroqu e age, the ruling Roma n familie s (from which many Pop es of the C atholic Church came) used it as a sour ce of marble for the construction of St. Peters Basilica
110 acres locked inside Rome - it’s its own city/state. Home of Pope Benedict XVI
St. Peter’s Basilica was started in 1506 and completed in 1626. Burial site of St. Peter. There are 45 alters. Michaelangelo designed the dome.
Sorrento
In 79 AD Pompeii was an ancient Roman city, buried by a volcanic eruption. 2000 years later, archaeologists uncovered the city. The people in ancient Pompeii did not have a chance to escape. The city had been quickly buried by volcanic ash. When archaeologists dug out the city, two thousand years later, they found petrified bread still in the ovens that had been baking that day. Archaeologists learned a great deal from the ruins of this ancient city because it had been so well preserved.