Pisa, Tuscany, Italy / Photo by Claire for Europe Explored

Italy

Home to Amalfi Coast, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Colosseum and famous lakes, Italy is a part of Southern Europe. Topping in every wish list of travelers, Italy brings in abundant scenic beauty just waiting to be explored. It has a lot to offer for everyone. Historical sites like Pantheon, San Giovanni, Basilica di San Paolo Fuori le Mura and Colosseum are the top sites of Italy which can’t be missed. Italian food is popular with tourists and Outdoor cafes are as much liked. Other places that one can visit while in Rome are as follows:

• Vatican Museum
• Palazzo Pamphilj
• Fontana Di Trevi
• Fountain of the Four Rivers
• Protestant Cemetery
• Roman Forum

Spain

A member of the Economic Union, Spain is located on the Iberian Peninsula on Southwest of Europe. It is now also listed as the second most visited country in the world owing to its favorable climatic conditions, historical and cultural monuments and geographical position. Its tourism industry has rapidly grown over the last four decades to become the second largest in the world. The cities of Madrid, Barcelona and Seville are hugely popular and the most visited places of Spain.

Church on Mount Tibidabo, Barcelona, Spain by Ivan Mlinaric

Two of the major events that attract millions of visitors from across the world to Spain just to witness these festivals, and they are often seen as highlights of this country are ‘the San Fermin running of the bulls’ event held in Pamplona and ‘La Tomatina (Tomato) festival held in Buñol – Valencia. Besides these two major attractions tourists also enjoy the Seville (Also known as April Fair) and Malaga Fair, Barcelona Summer Festival and carnivals at Canary Islands and Cadiz. Spain has flamboyance, charm and energetic appeal, which makes you feel more lively and rejuvenated once you step on this land of splendour. When you visit Spain do chalk out time to definitely visit the following:

• Alhambra Palace in Granada
• City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia
• Toledo in Madrid
• Tibidabo in Barcelona
• The Spanish Costas
• Park Guell in Barcelona
• Aqueduct of Segovia
• Ibiza island
• La Sagrada Familia Church in Barcelona
• Museo del Prado in Madrid
• Picos de Europa, Parque Nacional in Cantabria, Costa Verde
• Alcazar Seville

Alhambra Palace, Granada, Spain by jan zeschky

Ireland:

It is an island located on the North-west of continental Europe. It offers picturesque views and exotic locales that can keep you in awe when you see them. The capital city of Belfast and Dublin are a favorite among tourists, when they visit Ireland. Some of the highlights of this marvelous country that you cannot afford to miss when you travel here are as follows:

• Aran Islands
• Blarney Castle
• Bunratty Castle & Folk Park
• Cliffs of Moher
• Giant’s Causeway
• Christ Church Cathedral
• Dingle Peninsula
• The Céide Fields visitor centre
• Carrickfergus Castle
• Lough Neagh
• Dun Aengus
• St. Patrick’s Cathedral
• The Burren (A Karst landscape)
• Beara Peninsula
• Greencastle
• Phoenix Park
• Dublin Castle
• National Gallery of Ireland etc.

Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland, UK by Jim

The above listed are only some of the attractions of Europe for your ready reference and guidance only. Europe has much more to its glory than can be described here. This is a comprehensive and not an all inclusive list of the wonders of the royal retreat that you can experience, when you visit here.

About Author

Crystal is a travel blogger passionate about travelling and backpacking. She occasionally writes for Bank Holidays 2013, a Web site that shares information and dates of Bank Holidays in UK and Europe and US.

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Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Chris Yunker

Florence

This medieval Italian city features beautiful flower gardens, ancient buildings constructed with various colors of marble, and many of Michelangelo’s masterpieces. See the Boboli Gardens at the Pitti Palace and the Rose Garden near Michelangelo Square. One of the Renaissance artist’s most recognized pieces includes the Statue of David, which stands 17 feet (5.2 meters) tall and is on display at the Accademia Galleria. Visitors also find the tombs of Michelangelo and famed scientist Galileo in Florence. The amazing artwork throughout city also features works created by medieval artists Ammannati and Cellini.

Rome

This ancient Italian city features a number of iconic landmarks that include the Coliseum, the Forum and the Pantheon. Vatican City also attracts millions of visitors who admire the fountains, statues and dome of St. Peter’s Cathedral. See original masterpieces created by Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael in the Vatican museum. The building is also the site of the famous Sistine Chapel.

Photo by admin

Venice

The dozens of interconnected waterways and romantic gondola rides are but some of the attractions of this popular tourist destination. The city also features Byzantine to Neoclassic architecture, which spans from the 13th to the 18th century. One of the popular buildings that guests visit is the Doge’s Palace. Filled with carvings and amazing wall-sized frescoes, the palace once imprisoned famous con artist Casanova. The Bridge of Sighs is another well-known structure that connects the Doge’s Palace with a more modern prison.

Pisa

This city contains the famous tilting, freestanding bell tower of the Pisa Cathedral. Construction began on the tower in 1173 and sinking initiated only five years later. When construction resumed 100 years later, contractors compensated for the tilt by building floors higher on one side than the other. The tower stands 183 feet (56 meters) tall on the low side and 186 feet (57 meters) tall on the high side. Now stabilized by using lead counterweights and excavated soil displacement, visitors climb the 296 stairs to the top.

Photo by admin

Pompeii

In 79 A.D., Mount Vesuvius violently erupted, covering the nearby ancient Roman city of Pompeii with 13 to 20 feet (4 to 6 meters) of ash. Though all 20,000 residents lost their lives on that fateful day, the ash protected and preserved all of the city’s structures. Since the community’s discovery and excavation in 1749, Pompeii attracts millions of visitors annually. Besides architectural features, buildings display complete mosaic tiles and frescoes depicting mythological figures and legends.

Have you considered a luxury apartment for your next holiday to Italy? Worldwide Accom has a huge selection of Rome apartment rentals available. Each apartment is personally inspected so you can be sure you’ll be staying in quality, safe accommodation.

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Leaning Tower of Pisa was built as a freestanding bell tower of the Pisa Cathedral. However in the beginning, the tower stood uprightly like the majority of bell towers. But because of carelessly made ​​bases and soft soil it started to lean. Leaning Tower of Pisa is one of the few cases where thanks to poor work it became popular throughout the world.

The building is approximately 55.9 meters high on the lower side and 56.7 meters on that higher one. To its top you can get by 294 stairs. Construction of the tower began in 1173 and lasted almost 200 years since it was interrupted several times due to the wars with its neighbours (Genoa, Lucca and Florence). Its top with the bells was finished in 1372. However at that time the tower was already inclined, actually since the completion of the first three floors in 1178.

Because the tilt of the tower was constantly increasing and threatening its collapse, the tower was closed to the public in 1990 and rescue works started. In 2001 the tower was finally reopened with the statement that it should be stable at least for the following 300 years.

Although the Leaning tower is the most famous attraction in Pisa, it is not the only one. It stands in a place called Campo dei Miracoli or “Field of Miracles”. We can find here other wonderful architectural gems, such as Duomo, the Baptistery, or monumental cemetery Campo Santo. All the buildings are really beautiful, but in fact, they still attract far less attention than the famous tower.

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In 1990 the historic center of San Gimignano has been included in UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is a good one-day travel tip for those visiting Pisa, Firenze and Siena.

San Gimignano is significant for its numerous medieval monuments. Most dominant are the already mentioned high ancestral towers. Unfortunately, only 15 of originally 75 towers survived until now, but they are still unique decoration of the city. You can find them in the old parts of the city – San Matteo and San Giovanni. At the time of their creation (in the year 1150) served to defend the city, but were also a symbol of prestige of the ruling families.

San Gimignano is situated at an altitude of 320 meters above sea level, so it also offers a great view of the surrounding hills and the Val d’Elsa valley. For those who wish to spend holidays in a quiet place surrounded by nature, far from the bustle of cities, San Gimignano is an ideal choice. Despite its considerable popularity and attractiveness, San Gimignano managed to retain its medieval character and unique atmosphere. Most tourists come here just for one day, and especially in the main tourist season, however off season the city is really quiet.

The city was built on the Via Francigena trail that led from Rome to the north, used mainly by traders and pilgrims. Later the settlement was renamed to Silvia. In the 11th century it was still just a small village with four houses, but in next hundred years grown to a smaller city. In 1348 the town was so weakened by constant fighting between the aristocrats and also by the plague, that they were forced to ask for a help of Florence.

By the time San Gimignano began to be attractive for Italian noble families who built magnificent palaces here. The city then experienced the largest glory, which was stopped in the 15th century. Since the beginning of the 20th century tourists from all over Europe began to explore San Gimignano and over time it became a popular tourist destination.

The most important sights include (in the addition to the stone towers) such as the city gate Porta San Giovanni of 13th century. Next to gate, among other medieval buildings, you can see the church of San Francesco. At the end of Via San Giovanni there is a medieval arch that connects two main squares, Piazza della Cisterna, lined with towers, medieval buildings and a range of tempting cafes, and Piazza del Duomo with two other landmarks: Collegiata and Museo Civic.

Another important monument is the Romanesque-Gothic church of Sant’Agostino from the 13th century or the ruins of Rocca castle with its public gardens. You can also visit a modest museum of religious art and archaeological finds – Museo d’Arte Sacra.

San Gimignano is worth visiting not only for its monuments, but also because of the amazing art gallery and great views of the Tuscan countryside.

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Pisa, Tuscany, Italy / Photo by admin

There are many famous universities and other institutes of higher learning located in Pisa. The 12th century University of Pisa is the most famous of the institutes in the city. However, you can also find the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies and the Napoleonic Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa in the Italian city of Pisa.

The city dates back to the days of the Greek Empire. There have been a number of artefacts uncovered over the years which have confirmed this. The most important of these is the discovery of an Etruscan necropolis back in 1991. This means that Pisa can be easily dated back to the 5th century B.C.

Pisa was known as an important port city for the Roman Empire. Known back in 89 B.C. as Portus Pisanus, the city played an important role in the Roman naval battles against the Carthaginians, Gauls and Ligurians. Pisa would continue to be a prosperous city and home to the Italian Naval fleets until 1284 when the Genoese fleet defeated Albertino Morosini at the Battle of Meloria.

The famous 67 meter tall leaning tower of Pisa took an amazing 344 years to build. The construction of the tower began in 1173 and by the time that the second floor was added in 1178, the tower began to sink as a result of the small foundation.

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