Vatican Museums (viale Vaticano): The Vatican Museums contain the largest collection of antiquities in the world. From the Atrium of the Four Gates one arrives at the Gregorian Egyptian Museum, which has nine rooms. Among the most interesting of the works contained here is the immense status of the Queen Tuia, mother of Ramses II, and the basalt statue known as Naoforo, from 525 B.C.
In the Chiaromonti Museum, organized by Canova in a gallery of Donato Bramante, about a thousand Greek and Roman statues are exposed, including large statues of Minerva, Augustus and Tiberius. The Pius-Clementine Museum is dedicated primarily to sculpture, the art which interested Clement XIV the most. The Gregorian-Etruscan Museum, made up of objects coming from southern Etruria and private donations, presents one of the most beautiful collections of Etruscan remains in the world.
The next room you will encounter is the Biga Room followed by the Gallery of the Candalabra, the Arazzi Room and the Maps Room, the apartments of Pius V, the Sobieski Room, the Immaculate Conception Room and the Raphael Rooms. The latter are four large rooms in the apartment of Julius II and his successors up to Gregory XIII, in which the painter from Urbino began to work at the age of 26. This commission, which marked Raphael's debut in Rome, concluded the year of his death, 1520. Following are the Loggia of Raphael, the Palafrenieri Room, the Chapel of Nicolas V, the Borgia Apartments, the rooms housing the Collection of Modern Religious Art, the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican Library, the New Wing, the Art Gallery, the Museum Gregoriano Profano, the Christian Museum, the Ethnological Missionary Museum, and the Historical Museum.
In the Chiaromonti Museum, organized by Canova in a gallery of Donato Bramante, about a thousand Greek and Roman statues are exposed, including large statues of Minerva, Augustus and Tiberius. The Pius-Clementine Museum is dedicated primarily to sculpture, the art which interested Clement XIV the most. The Gregorian-Etruscan Museum, made up of objects coming from southern Etruria and private donations, presents one of the most beautiful collections of Etruscan remains in the world.
The next room you will encounter is the Biga Room followed by the Gallery of the Candalabra, the Arazzi Room and the Maps Room, the apartments of Pius V, the Sobieski Room, the Immaculate Conception Room and the Raphael Rooms. The latter are four large rooms in the apartment of Julius II and his successors up to Gregory XIII, in which the painter from Urbino began to work at the age of 26. This commission, which marked Raphael's debut in Rome, concluded the year of his death, 1520. Following are the Loggia of Raphael, the Palafrenieri Room, the Chapel of Nicolas V, the Borgia Apartments, the rooms housing the Collection of Modern Religious Art, the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican Library, the New Wing, the Art Gallery, the Museum Gregoriano Profano, the Christian Museum, the Ethnological Missionary Museum, and the Historical Museum.
Rome is a very lively city, the center of "La Dolce Vita". Cafés and bars are open until one in the morning, while discotheques and clubs close late in the night. Or, take advantage of the city's beauty and take a walk under the starlit sky and introduce yourself to the pleasures of the easygoing lifestyle Italians do best.
Movie theatres are numerous and offer both new releases, and films by little-known authors, projected in film clubs and in experimental theatres. Programs of popular films take place under the stars in the summertime.
The theatre season is rather brief, from October to May, but more than one hundred companies offer a variety of entertainment: comedies by Goldoni, Pirandello, De Filippo, French and English classics, reviews, cabarets, political theatre, experimental theatre, etc. Tickets can be acquired on the day of the show.
Movie theatres are numerous and offer both new releases, and films by little-known authors, projected in film clubs and in experimental theatres. Programs of popular films take place under the stars in the summertime.
The theatre season is rather brief, from October to May, but more than one hundred companies offer a variety of entertainment: comedies by Goldoni, Pirandello, De Filippo, French and English classics, reviews, cabarets, political theatre, experimental theatre, etc. Tickets can be acquired on the day of the show.
Florentine food is praised for its peasant traditions: It is based on a few fundamental ingredients: olive oil, tomatoes, beans, herbs, ham and salami. Among the first courses of the "poor style" cuisine you should try are "ribollita" (a soup based on black cabbage, beans, and other vegetables), "bruschette" (toasted bread with garlic and olive oil, sometimes covered with liver patè , anchovy paste or olives), beans "Uccelletta" style, minestrone soup with boiled beans, cooked in oil with tomato sauce and sage.
This morning after I awoke - I walked in the footsteps of my past - of my most fortunate past. Salizzada San Samuele, Peschera, Campo Santo Stefano, Rizzo Pane for a brioche, Campo San Vidal, Ponte All'Academia, Bar da Gino. All that remains is for me to make the actual end point at the Guggenheim - which I will. So here I am, more certain than ever that this is the best place on earth for me. I could sit here between the Acadamia, and the Guggenheim, between the flowershop and the fishstand, in my favorite café in the world, for the rest of my life.
If you are thinking about taking a ride in a Gondola, pay attention to a few guidelines to help avoid any potential mishaps: the prices, established by the Town Council (and published monthly in the Ospite di Venezia), normally range around €80 for a 40 minute ride during the day and are much more for evening rides, or trips with a serenade or accordion accompaniment. It is very important to negotiate and agree upon a set price, the duration of the tour, and where you would like to go (the smaller, more quiet canals are the most romantic) before even stepping into the boat. Gondoliers are a special group and are, for the most part, very friendly and helpful. With a little forethought and planning, a Gondola ride through Venice can be one of life's most beautiful and memorable experiences.
Opening hours of shops will vary from region to region. Generally shops are open Monday through Saturday from 8.30am to 12.30pm and from 3.30/4.00pm to 7.00/7.30pm. They are usually closed on Monday morning. Department stores and shops in tourist centers may remain open all day and, sometimes, until later in the evening.
The shops where one can buy authentic "made in Italy" products (clothing, leather goods, shoes, jewelry, art objects) are usually located in the historical centers of the cities. Via Monte Napoleone and Via della Spiga in Milan, Via del Corso and Via Condotti in Rome, Via Toledo in Naples and the shops on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence are famous worldwide.
Shopping is often less expensive in the department stores, found in various cities, and in the chain stores run by major clothing companies.
The shops where one can buy authentic "made in Italy" products (clothing, leather goods, shoes, jewelry, art objects) are usually located in the historical centers of the cities. Via Monte Napoleone and Via della Spiga in Milan, Via del Corso and Via Condotti in Rome, Via Toledo in Naples and the shops on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence are famous worldwide.
Shopping is often less expensive in the department stores, found in various cities, and in the chain stores run by major clothing companies.