ITALY
Italy is one of the most frequently visited nations of the world. Rome, Venice and
Florence are amongst the premier destinations in all of Europe. People are drawn to Italy
for various reasons: Roman ruins, Renaissance art and architecture, the beaches, and, of
course, the cuisine.
Venice, located in the north of Italy, is spread across a shallow lagoon. All travel in
Venice is either by foot or by boat. The entire city is an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The following image is one of the many hundreds of canals that traverse Venice.
Venice suffers from multiple problems: waste disposal, too many visitors during certain
times of the year, flooding, and extremely high taxes that have driven most locals out of
the city to the mainland rail juncture at Mestre.
Florence, in the heart of the province of Tuscany, is the home to the world famous Uffizi
Gallery, where the Statue of David is housed. Florence suffered terrible flooding in 1966
but has recovered and has done a fine job restoring many damaged buildings. The
following image is taken from the banks above the Arno River.
The countryside of Tuscany is world famous for its vineyards and is home to several
charming hill towns, most notably Siena, Lucca and San Gimignano. The following
image of the Tuscan countryside was taken from the belfry of one of the many fortified
towers that rise from within the walls of San Gimignano.
The industrial port city of Pisa is located near Florence and San Gimignano. The main
attraction of Pisa, of course, is its famous Leaning Tower, seen in the photo below.
Structural engineers just recently completed anchoring the Tower, which was listing at
such a speed that experts warned that it would have toppled within another twenty years.
The Tower reopened to the general public in July 2001.
The central Italian countryside is dominated by the Apennines, the narrow spine of a
mountain range that runs down the peninsula. There are several beautiful towns in this
part of Italy, such as Gubbio, Assisi and Perugia. The following image is of Perugia.
Rome, the capital of Italy, is known for its Roman ruins that are spread across a wide area
in the center of the city. The Vatican, the seat of the Catholic Church, is also located
within Rome. The Architectural Technology Program at Lexington Community College
in conjunction with KIIS offers a biannual summer course in Rome. For more
information, contact Dr. Bill Batson. The most famous of the Roman ruins is the
Coliseum, the interior of which is seen in this image.
Italy is easily accessible by air or by train from several other nations in Europe. Travel
within Italy is fast and frequent, with trains running between all major and minor
destinations. The government subsidizes the rail network, making transport extremely
cheap by European standards. English is not widely spoken in Italy.
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