Genoa, Liguria (Italy)
According to rrrjewelry, Genoa is a port city in northern Italy and the capital of the Liguria region. It is located on the coast of the Genoa Bay, and in the north it is bordered by the Apennine Mountains. In ancient times, this territory was a Greek colony. It was later conquered by the Romans and after the fall of the Roman Empire became an independent city-state. Now it is one of the largest ports in Italy. In addition, in the past, Genoa was the residence of the archbishops, in 1471 the University was founded here, so the city is also considered the cultural center of Italy.
Genoa – Birthplace of Christopher Columbus. The monument to this great traveler stands at the city bay and his gaze is directed towards the lands he discovered. The main attraction of the city is the Genoese fortress, which was intended to repel attacks by pirates in the 16th century.
Other architectural monuments are located on Via Garibaldi. Here are the galleries of Palazzo Bianco and Palazzo Rosso. The Aquarium is very popular among tourists, where more than 5,000 species of fish, amphibians, reptiles and mammals live.
Cagliari, Sardinia island (Italy)
The port of Cagliari is located in the south of Sardinia and is the capital of the island. In the Middle Ages, there was a Pisan naval base here. Over the centuries, the city has changed several rulers, was conquered by Pisa and Spain, was badly damaged by bombing during the Second World War, but then was restored.
Cagliari stretches along the coast and stands on 9 limestone hills. The most famous of these are Mount Urpinu, the hill of San Michele with a medieval castle, and Cape Sant’Elia, listed by the European Union as a Pan-European natural monument. Two Leaning Towers of Pisa rise above the city center- Elephant and San Pancrazio. A tour of the city should start with a visit to the medieval castle. The historic quarters of Cagliari have retained their medieval appearance. There are churches, residences of wealthy families, restaurants, souvenir shops. The 13th century Cathedral is located in this part of the city, inside you can admire the golden mosaic, the four lions of Pisano and the wooden balcony where the Piedmontese kings sat. In the Castello quarter, the bastion of San Remy has been preserved. In Cagliari there is a wonderful National Archaeological Museum, where prehistoric tombstones and other significant monuments of ancient culture, from the Punic to the Roman periods, are kept. In the same building is the Pinacoteca Nazionale, which displays a collection of religious paintings from the Baroque and the Middle Ages. It will also be interesting to visit the Roman amphitheater, which was built in the 2nd century, and the Botanical Garden at the university.
The Gulf of Cagliari is a flat sandy coast with beaches and lagoons inhabited by a large number of waterfowl. The most popular beach is Poetto. A little away from it are the white sand beaches of Villasimus and Chia.
The attractions of Cagliari include the natural ponds of Santa Gilla and Molentarjus, swampy areas of rare beauty, chosen by many birds for nesting, among which there are pink flamingos.
Cagliari is the venue for the folk festival of Sant Efisio, which has become the most famous on the whole island thanks to the picturesque procession in national costumes.
Capri (Italy)
The island of Capri, which has frequent communications with Naples and Sorrento by means of boats and hydrofoils, is only 5 km away from the extreme point of the Sorrentine Peninsula. The city of Capri, the administrative center and the largest settlement on the island, is located in the saddle between the mountains of Santa Maria, Tuoro and Tiberio.
The heart of the city is the Piazza Umberto I, known as the Piazzetta. Here, at the tables of cafeterias, in the shade of colorful umbrellas, the elite of literature and cinema, businessmen, politicians and trendsetters gather. The Piazzetta is dominated by the Clock Tower, which was once the bell tower of the ancient cathedral. Now it is crowned with a small sloping dome, under which the semi-circular openings of the belfry open.
The church of San Stefano was erected on the site of the original cathedral, of which only the Clock Tower remained. The exterior of the building is memorable thanks to the unusual side facades with curvilinear shapes and drums topped with sloping oriental domes.
Around the Piazzetta and behind the church of Santo Stefano, there is a whimsical network of narrow streets that testify to the medieval past of the city of Capri. As usual, on the facades of houses and palaces, lined with limestone and tuff, white prevails. This uniformity of color is interrupted by patches of incredibly blue Caprian sky and the green color of plants on fences, arbors, balconies and walls.
The construction of the huge monastery of San Giacomo began in the second half of the 14th century, on the initiative and contributions of Giacomo Arcucci, secretary of the Neapolitan queen Joanna I of Anjou. The oldest part of the monastery is located around the Small Cloister, ennobled by an elegant arcade with cross vaults, set on low columns. The one-nave monastery church has a strict interior.
Mysterious stone colossi, protruding from the depths of the unusually blue sea, have long become the most famous and popular Capri landscape in the world. Although in other places of the Italian Mediterranean high sea cliffs are called by the same word (faraglioni), here it has become a proper name – Faraglioni.
Castiglione Castle was built in the Middle Ages on the site of an ancient Greek acropolis. During the devastating pirate raids, this castle provided shelter to the islanders.
The Blue Grotto is another world-famous attraction in Capri. The magical atmosphere of the grotto is created by sky-blue reflections of light penetrating through a narrow inlet, to which are added the cobalt tones of the solar spectrum, filtered by water when light passes through an underwater crevice.
Cortina de Ampezzo, Veneto (Italy)
Cortina de Ampezzo is one of the most popular and most luxurious ski resorts in Italy. He became famous in the 19th century. The resort is located 160 km from Venice in the Dolomites at an altitude of 1224 m.
The elevation difference in Cortina de Ampezzo is about 2000 m, the total length of the slopes is 140 km. 5 funiculars, 27 chairlifts and 20 drag lifts will take you to the slopes. Mostly skiers of an average level of preparedness ride here. For snowboarders, there is a snowboard park with a half-pipe.
Other activities include cross-country skiing, ice skating, hockey and bobsleigh. In the resort town you can relax in bars and restaurants, go to a disco and movies.