The Sights of Italy
Like a colossal “Christmas stocking” hanging down into the Mediterranean Sea, the boot of Italy is stuffed with delights for everyone. Its history dates from the founding of the tiny republic of Rome in (traditionally) 509 B.C.
Later Roman expansion created a fabulous Empire which extended dominion over the entire Mediterranean and beyond. After the Fall of Rome came Barbarian invasions, the Holy Roman Empire, the city-states of the Renaissance, rule by Hapsburgs and Bourbons, and finally reunification of Italy in the 19th Century by Garibaldi, Cavour, and Mazzini.
Nowhere in Europe, nowhere indeed in the whole world, is there a country which can boast of such architectural and artistic splendours as are found in the cities of Italy. Some of these sights, which are included in the Italian tours are briefly outlined below.
Rome
Called “eternal” and “holy” and “city of seven hills”, Rome invokes these and many other epithets.
Within its precincts are multiple cities in one: Vatican City, with the mighty Basilica of St. Peter, the incomparable Vatican Museum, and Papal Guards still wearing costumes designed for them by Michelangelo.
- Ancient Rome, with the ruins of the Forum and Colosseum, the catacombs, temples, baths, and aqueducts;
- Renaissance Rome, with its public squares, fountains, notable churches, palaces;
- and modern Rome, with its contemporary commercial and public buildings.
As one of the original twin bulwarks of our entire Western civilization (the other being Athens), Rome is a must for any visitor to Italy.
Florence
By the end of the 12th Century, trade and wealth made “proud” Florence an important city. Renaissance glories added by Giotto and a long line of distinguished artists extended the city's fame.
In Florence today one may see the bronzes of Cellini, the famous Pitti and Uffizi art collections, the noble Piazza delta Signoria, the beautiful Ponte Vecchio spanning the Arno River, Michelangelo's statue of David and Ghiberti's bronze Baptistry doors “worthy of the gates of Paradise”.
Pisa
Located 43 miles southwest of Florence, the city of Pisa dates from Roman times. Its great prominence, however, came in the 9th and 10th Centuries and during the Renaissance when it fell under the influence of Genoa, Aragon, and Florence.
Pisa's conglomeration of great architecture, all within the modest Piazza del Duomo, includes the famous Tower (leaning 16½ feet from the perpendicular), the 12th Century Baptistry with its remarkable acoustics, and the Romanesque Cathedral enriched by local artists.
[Produced for the 1967 Spring Cruise departing New York 05 May 1967]