Rome for First-Time Visitors

Rome is an attraction for people from all the world and is a city filled with monuments and fascinating elements wherever, Therefore it is worth taking a lot of time walking all-around there. Rome is an easily to walk town, that's very good for first-time guests seeking pictures of must-see places.

Rome was not built in a day and can't be seen in a day. Visitors | travelers | people can have a fantastic | great | amazing | superb | excellent time viewing it's unimaginable | unbelievable points of interest or to get pleasure from lazy afternoons in numerous fine restaurants long the road.

  

 Lots of people come here both to enjoy the remains of ancient Rome: Colosseum, Trajan's Column, and St Peter's Basilica with Vatican Museums and their unique art items. Many arrive as pilgrims to the capital of Christianity or to see the Pope. For all of them, Rome is among the most religiously and culturally valuable areas on earth. 

However it has pretty modern sight-seeing opportunitiessuch as the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps (Rome lived baroque building boom in the 17th-century), it's largely known for its Roman Empire impressive structures and ruins. So, if you never visited Rome before, greatplaces | points of interest | attractions to take pleasure in in Rome are the Colosseum, Vatican museums, The Pantheon, Tabularium

Special and particular is Rome Jewish Ghetto where it's possible to see the infinite customs of the Jewish culture in Rome. The Rome Jewish community is the oldest in Europe.





Roman food is a well-liked, however simple. It is not complex, but abundant and has many flavours. Traveler can choose from many excellent recipes. It is not difficult to discover a pleasant place where to dine. Trattorias and pizzerias are often family run and offer very special recipes.



Rome is a shopper's paradise, too. Various Italian designer brands, popular in all the world, you can see in countless designer shops and boutiques long your road. There are very popular Designer Villages not too far from the center of Rome, too

Vesuvius in 2012

Vesuvius erupted  for centuries, but now it sleeps from 1944.  This behaviour is typical for this mount. We know that Hannibal saw Vesuvius erupt in 215 BC, but it was snoozing in 73 BC when Spartacus and other slaves took refuge on its slopes. 100 years later the Greek historian Strabo wrote that Vesuvius was a volcano like Etna because their rocks seemed similar to him, but it was  forgotten when in August 24, 79 AD, eruption began.



Vesuvius has erupted more than 80 times till 1944. The eruptions were very different in severity but all are  explosive. From time to time, the eruptions affect the whole Europe: it was often blanketed by ashes; in 472 and than in 1631, 600 years of sleep after 1037, Vesuvian ashes fell on Istanbul, over 1,000 miles away. 

In December 1631, a great eruption buried many villages, and killed around 3,000 - 4,000 persons with smoke and ash. Torrents of boiling water and mud completed the devastation. After it, it's activity became almost continuous. In 1944, Allied troops had to evacuate an airbase: ash and rocks destroyed fighter planes there.

Vesuvius is a part of the Campanian volcanic arc. This zone includes also other volcanoes: Mount Etna, the Phlegraean Fields (Campi Flegrei), Vulcano, and Stromboli. But Vesuvius' rocks are  chemically different from those erupted from the other Campanian volcanoes.


When erupts, Vesuvius throws pulverized  pumice in the sky to a height of 20.5 miles, molten rock goes out with 1.5  million  tons per second

Walking in Milan: S.Lorenzo Columns

My last visit in Milan to assist Dalai Lama Teachings on  June, 27 and 28 was very interesting from "touristic" point of view. I had enough time to see some places showing the paleochristian period of the life of this city. 


I just wrote that I never have time for walks when I go in Milan. Normally, the teachings finish late and I arrive in my hotels when it's time to sleep. That is why, I did not see Milan even if I visit this city different times a year. 


This time it was different. I had half a day to explore the places of my interest and those were paleocristian monuments. The second day I wanted to see the frescs of the basilica of S. Lorenzo. My friend asked: a, do you want to see the columns? -No, I want to visit basilica, I answered. She did not add anything more and I forgot about her words. 


So, I thought about a normal square, a church and an antique chapel with the frescs I wanted to confront with those of Naples.


When I entered the square from the sidestreet I remained astonished. I did not expect to see nothing of this kind...

Roman Colonnade street... In front of my eyes... Still alive...

I knew about these streets. There were such constructions in different Roman towns. But I thought, there are maybe the poor rests of them today... And here, in Milan, is such a street making part of the modern city...

I was shocked.

I've seen a reconstruction of the colonnade street in Milan a day before in archeological museum...

:-))) I had to turn back on the earth after I read the explanations written on the wall bill. These are Roman columns, in fact. But they are not the reste of the street but were transportated here from an other place when the basilica was built.

I entered the basilica but it was closed for vidits that day for a mass. So, I could not take photos and was just fortunate that they allowed me to enter.