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CULTURAL TOURISM IN ITALY

For Art Cities , we mean all those cities that somehow retain traces of the expression of the human intellect

in its various forms: architecture, music, painting, sculpture, literature, dancing and films. The course of

history has left important traces in all small and large Italian cities. The topic is discussed in a general way,

so that every person can approach his/her topic of interest for actual visits and then spend a culture

holiday.

The main cities of Italy are:

• Rome. It is in the Lazio Region and is the capital city of Italy, with a long history. It was the capital of the

Roman Empire and now, in its urban structure, it retains architectural works of art, sculptures, museums

and, in a walled enclave, the seat of the Vatican State with Saint Peter's Basilica;

• Florence. It is located in the Region of Tuscany, once capital of Italy from 1865 to 1871, also an important

cultural and economic centre of central Italy. Dante Alighieri was born and attended school here, where

literary movements were born, from which the Italian language comes from, after the fall of the Roman

Empire that had spread the use of the Latin language.

• Venice. It is located in the Veneto Region, the capital of the Republic of Venice, and contains buildings

such as the Doge's Palace, the Basilica of San Marco with its frescoes and works of art as well as cultural

and historical artifacts.

• Naples. County capital of the region of Campania whose artistic and architectural heritage is protected

by UNESCO. Naples, overlooking the Mediterranean, therefore, bears evident signs of the Greek, Roman,

Medieval and Renaissance periods. The excavations of Pompeii near Naples and its historical artifacts are

found and preserved in the city, are the proof of these periods.

• Turin, capital of the Piedmont Region, was a strategic point in the Roman Empire. The historical centre

preserves its marks, especially in the Senate. The architectural features are not marked by the Middle Ages

as in the other Italian cities. especially urban aesthetics of the streets. For example, narrow streets were

not built, but it has followed over time to urbanize the city plan to follow the footprint of the old Roman

town.

• Milan, the county capital of the Lombardy Region, is the  city of reference for all the other Lombard

centers in the Middle Ages. There are monuments such as the Church of Sant'Ambrogio, the Milan

Cathedral, the Castello Sforzesco( Sforza Castle).

Milan has several museums, cultural centers important art galleries , universities, trade fairs and worldwide

reference in the fashion field.

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TORINO (TURIN)

Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy,  capital of the Piedmont

region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alps. The Turinmetropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 2.2 million.

Turin is well known for its baroque, rococo, neo-classical, and Art Nouveau architecture.

Many of the city's public squares, castles, gardens and elegant palaces such as Palazzo Madama,

were built in the 16th and 18th centuries, after the capital of the Duchy of Savoy (later Kingdom of

Sardinia) was moved to Turin from Chambéry( nowadays

in France) as part of the urban expansion.

The city used to be a major European political centre,

being Italy's first capital city in 1861 and being the home

to the House of Savoy, Italy's Royal Family. They lived inthe Royal Palace, built by Filippo Juvarra. Palazzo

Carignano was the seat of

the first Parliament in

1861. Turin is well known

as the home of the Shroud

of Turin, the football teams Juventus F.C. and Torino F.C., the

headquarters of automobile manufacturers FIAT, Lancia and Alfa

Romeo, and as the host of the 2006 Winter Olympics

MOLE ANTONELLIANA

Chosen as the seat of the synagogue, the building was started in 1863 and designed by Alessandro

Antonelli. Between financial trouble and controversies about its stability, the work was only

completed in 1889.

Extremely important both in terms of originality structure (height 167 m.), But below that of

functionality, flexibility and economy, is now home of the new National Museum of Cinema

PIAZZA CASTELLO

Piazza Castello is the center and heart of the city of

monuments, by which it is completely surrounded. It was

designed in 1584 by Vitozzi, surrounded by arcades, it is the

example of the development of the city from the Romans to

the Risorgimento Turin. Central houses are the Palazzo

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Madama, the medieval castle built from the old Roman gates

and renovated with the addition of the imposing facade of

the eighteenth century.

PORTA PALATINA

City Gates Taurinorum Romana Augusta (Porta principalis)

and part of the medieval fortress, the Palatium, from which

they derive their name. They overlook the Piazza del Duomo

and face the characteristic market of Porta Palazzo and the Museum of Antiquities.

BASILICA DI SUPERGA

One of the highest points and panoramic hill was chosen by the Duke Vittorio Amedeo II of Savoyby Filippo Juvarra to build this beautiful church, the most important work of architecture architect

from Messina. It was inaugurated in 1731 by Carlo Emanuele III. The great mausoleum built in his

basement houses the tombs of the kings of Savoy Victor Amadeus II to Carlo Alberto and

numerous princes of the House of

Savoy. CASTELLO E VILLAGGIO

MEDIOEVALE – CASTLE AND

MEDIEVAL VILLAGE

Built in Valentino Park for the

International Exhibition of 1884, it

is an accurate reconstruction of Gothic houses in Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta. The architect

D'Andrade, who directed the research and work, was driven by a purely educational purpose: to

illustrate a village and a castle of the fifteenth century Piedmont.

CATTEDRALE DI SAN GIOVANNI E SACRA SINDONE – SAINT JOHN’S CATHEDRAL AND HOLY

SHROUD OF TURIN 

It is adjacent to Piazza Castello and near the Porte Palatine, in Renaissance style (a rare example in

Turin), it is dedicated to St. John the Baptist. It was built in 1491-98 for Cardinal Domenico della

Rovere. In the chapel with baroque dome it houses the shrine of silver that contains the Holy

Shroud, the precious relic believed to be the cloth that wrapped the body of Christ.

MILAN

It is the second Italian city by population , after Rome , and is the center of the ' most populated

metropolitan area in Italy , and one of the most populous in Europe. Became "Italian economic

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capital" during the industrial revolution involving Europe in the

second half of the nineteenth century , constituting Turin and

Genoa the " Industrial Triangle " The symbol of the city is the

Cathedral of Santa Maria Rising, better known as the Duomo ,

located in the square, the center of economic and cultural town. Ashort distance away is the eighteenth-century Teatro alla Scala ,

one of the most famous opera houses in the world.

DUOMO 

The monument is unique in the wide range of Gothic cathedrals.

The construction started in 1386, where they had located the

Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and Santa Tecla. Commissioned

by Archbishop Antonio da Saluzzo and supported by the lord of the city, Gian Galeazzo Visconti,

the new cathedral is designed in the style of Gothic Lombard, more formal than substantial

transcription of the Lombard Romanesque, from which it inherits the experience of construction,

structural choices and the traditional material, terracotta. Only the Milan Cathedral has a large

number of spiers, one hundred thirty-five. They rise not only in the foothills around the perimeter,

but also on each internal vertical structure (piers) and the entire lantern, where with elegant play

of static equilibrium, they prepare to crown the spire, that of the Virgin Mary. The spiers are rich

in ornamentation and statuary of any size (there are more than eighteen hundred statues), niches

and tunnels, which are of a special plastic effect, enhanced by vibration changing light and

shadow. Most of the spiers are 17 meters high, there are less slender and on the four pillars of the

lantern as many high rise "Gugliotta."

SANTA MARIA DELLE GRAZIE 

The church of Santa Maria delle Grazie is a basilica and shrine of Milan, belonging to ' Dominican

Order and headed to the parish of San Vittore al Corpo . The architecture of the gallery, built

between 1492 and 1493 at the behest of the Duke of Milan, Ludovico il Moro as a mausoleum for

his family.

The refectory

The hall of the refectory, rectangular, has an elaborate cover consists of a barrel vault "scratch",

culminating in the heads with times "umbrella". Inside was entirely decorated with frescoes on the

walls and the ceiling. Following the collapse

of the roof and walls of the main, are the two

end walls with the ' Last Supper of Leonardo

da Vinci left and right of the Crucifixion

Donato Montorfano , familiar themes for the

decoration of the convent refectories.  The

Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci , declaredWorld Heritage Site of ' UNESCO.

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VENICE

St. Mark’s square 

St. Mark’s square, located in Venice, is one of the mostimportant Italian squares, renowned all over the world

for the its architectural beauty and integrity. It is the

only urban space in Venice that assumes the name of

Place St. Mark, as all the other spaces in form of square

are properly defined fields.  It has a trapezoidal form

and it is 170 metres long.

New Ghetto

The ghetto of Venice was the zone of Venice where the venetian Jews were obliged to resideduring the period of Republic veneta.  from their name comes the say: ghetto.  The Ghetto is

situated in the district of  Cannaregio and is the seat of the Jewish community of Venice

Bridge of Rialto

The Bridge of Rialto is one of four

bridges, named Bridge Academy, Bridge

from Barefoot and Bridge of

Constitution, that cross the Big Canal, in

the city of  Venice.  The Bridge of Rialto

is the oldest and certainly the most

famous of the four.

The equestrian statue of Bartolomeo

Colleoni is a bronze statue ( 395 cm high without the base)by Andrea del Verrocchio, built

between 1480 and 1483 and located in Venice in Campo San Zanipolo. This is the second

equestrian statue of the Renaissance.

FLORENCE

Florence is the world capital of Arts.

It was founded in Pre-Roman times near the river Arno. Between the years 1865-1871 it was the

capital of Italy.

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FLORENCE BAPTISTERY

The Baptistery of Saint John in Florence is covered in white

and green marble. The Baptistery has an octagonal base.

PALAZZO PITTI

Palazzo Pitti was formerly the

residence of the grand Dukes of

Tuscany. Now it houses several

important collections of

painting and sculptures,

collections, and costume gallery.

PONTE VECCHIO( OLD BRIDGE)

The Ponte Vecchio is one of the symbols of the city of Florence and one of the most famousbridges in the world. It crosses the river Arno at its narrowest point, where there was a ford.

The first construction dates back to Roman times, In 1565 the architect Giorgio Vasari built for

Cosimo I the " Vasari Corridor ", in order to allow communication between the political and

administrative centers in the Palazzo Vecchio with the private residence of the Medici, Palazzo

Pitti. The butchers’ shops were then occupied by goldsmiths and jewellers because Ferdinand I in

1593 did not appreciate a business like this which sent odors under the noble windows of the

corridor.

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Santa Maria Novella

The Basilica of Santa Maria Novella is one of the most important churches in  Florence and stands

in the Square ., Santa Maria Novella was to Firenze the landmark for another important monk

order, the Dominicans. If the Holy Cross was and is a center of ancient Franciscan culture and theHoly Spirit hosted the Augustine order, Santa Maria Novella in Florence was the point of reference

for another important monk order , the Dominicans .

The marble facade of Santa Maria Novella is one of the most important works of the Florentine

Renaissance style, despite having been initiated in prior periods and only finally completed in 1920

.

ROME

Rome is a city from central Italy. It was founded in the XIV century B.C., and it is crossed by the

river Tiber.

THE BASILICA OF SANTA MARIA BIGGER

It has three naves divided by columns with Ionic capitals for a length

of over 85 metres . The interior design consists of a series of mosaics along the nave and a

triumphal arch which seems to be dating from the fifteen century AD.

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PLACE NAVONA

The area of Place Navona in Rome follows the

size and shape of the ancient Stadium of

Domitian Roman .

FOUNTAIN OF THE FOUR RIVERS BY BERNINI

The whole structure of the fountain of the four rivers by Bernini sustains the Egyptian obelisk

originally placed in the Circus Maxentius.

THE TREVI FOUNTAIN

The Trevi Fountain was built under Pope Clement

XII around 1735 AD.

The centre of the fountain is decorated with four

statues.

In the biggest niche in the centre, flanked by

Corinthian columns , the imposing statue of

Oceanus, designed by GiovanBattista Maini.

CATACOMBS

The Christians always opposed to the cremation of corpses and, generally too poor to buy the land

necessary for the construction of a tomb, they adapted the burial of the dead in undergroundcemeteries carved into the rock and located outside the wall. In the wall of long and narrow

galleries they carved a lot of loculi, in which they placed the deceased.

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FOUNTAIN OF THE TRITONS

By Charles Bizzaccheri, was built in 1715. The style was influenced by

Bernini. Built entirely of  travertine , is a Triton - a figure mythology linked

to water - from the mighty trunk and legs covered with scales, kneeling on

a large bivalve shell open, supported by four dolphins , in the act ofblowing into a shell, from which flows the water, dripping from the edges

of shell

COLISEUM

The biggest amphitheatre of Rome was built in 72 a.d. It was built over the artificial lake built by

Nero next to his Domus Aurea. The immortal combats of gladiators and animals were offered by

the Emperor and by the richest citizens to the Roman people.

The coliseum's architecture was very elegant : eighty entrances to ground level gave access to

55000 spectators.

FORUM

The Roman meeting point was the forum. The Roman forum included numerous temples and

churches. You can see the sacred way, the street through the forum from which the religious

processions arrived to Campidoglio. Until the XVIII century, when the archaeologists startedexcavations, the Settimio Severo arch and the columns of the Saturn Temple were half buried in

earth.

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CAPODIMONTE

Capodimonte: this is a city near Naples

famous for its museum collections Important

element typical of Capodimonte porcelain,

grafted together to the palace of  Charles III ,

 but that was the most flourishing period under his son Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies, who founded

the Royal Factory of King Ferdinand, whose works will lead the school and town association in theworld with the name Capodimonte porcelain. A Capodimonte is one of the 12 observatories of '

 National Institute of Astrophysics. 

Pompei 

Pompeii is an

Italian city of

the province

of Naples in

Campania . n

the summer of

79 AD (first

year of the

reign of the

Emperor Titus,

cf. Dio V), Pompeii was the victim of a violent eruption of

Vesuvius. The city was buried by a rain of ash and lapilli (lava and not, as is often the law) that,

unless an interval of a few hours, he fell unbroken to form a layer of over three meters. n the

archaeological site was brought to light the ancient Roman city destroyed tragically as a result of

the ' eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD The sudden rain of ash and lapilli and the thick layer of dust

that was crystallized in time the entire city and its tragedy preserving the centuries. Brought to thesurface has become the second most visited site in the world. In 1997 , the ' UNESCO World

Heritage Site Pompei said. 

PALERMO

Italy is a famous touristic country. One of these touristic cities in Italy is Palermo. In Palermo Easter

is still celebrated with the Greek rite. Palermo was founded by the Phoenicians, but so called bythe Greek because of the wealth of citrus, fruits and for its beauty.

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Palermo, fifth city in Italy for population, is situated on the edge of the coastal plain. That is a

hollow of gold. It is the seat of several industrial sites. In Palermo there are the characteristic

market of Vucciaria and there is also the cloister of St John of Thrill in Arabic style.

DUOMO DI PALERMO

The Cathedral of  Palermo , dedicated to the Virgin Mary of the Assumption into heaven, is an

architectural complex composed of different styles, due to the various stages of construction.

Erected in 1184 by the

Archbishop Gualtiero Offamilio

on the area of the first church

that the Saracens had turned

into a mosque , has undergone

several changes over the

centuries, and the last was atthe end of the eighteenth

century , when, on the

occasion of structural

consolidation, the interior

design by Ferdinando Fuga was

radically remade.

In this cathedral, synthesis of

history and art of the last millennium, in addition to the Norman kings were also crowned Vittorio

Amedeo II of Savoy and Charles III of Bourbon , important figures in the history of Sicily. Thecathedral is flanked by four towers of the Norman era and is topped by a dome. To the south it is

connected to the Archbishop's Palace with two large pointed arches where the bell tower with a

clock stands.

The main façade is situated on the corner with via Bonello and is so built thanks to master

stonecutters of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The gothic appearance derives from the

presence of the mullioned towers and columns and the battlements with arches which run along

the entire right side of the construction.

The interior, which has undergone profound changes in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth

century, is a Latin cross with three naves divided by columns with statues of saints.

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one, performed by Bonanno Pisano , is composed of forty panels with scenes from the biblical

books.

Contemporary to the construction of the cathedral, the cloister has a square shape and encloses,

in a small space, a whole collection of shapes and cultures taken from the art of Provence,

Burgundy, classicism of Salerno and, as always in this area of Sicily, Arabian Art. In the southerncorner there is a square with a fountain pen with a high stem, which evokes the shape of the trunk

of a palm tree, and shows, with the delicacy of shapes and colours, the magical and sensual

atmosphere of oriental houses.