Rome

Italy

Rome is the capital city and a special comune of Italy, as well as the capital of the Lazio region. The city has been a major human settlement for almost three millennia. With 2,860,009 residents, it is also the country's most populated comune.

The Colosseum is perhaps one of Rome's most famous monuments. Visitors are left awestruck by this old and awe-inspiring piece of architecture, which transports them back to a time of Roman gladiators and applauding fans. To obtain a sense of what it must have been like to be a part of the throng watching gladiators battle to the death inside the amphitheatre, or simply to admire the scenery

Vatican

Italy

Vatican City, a city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy, is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. It's home to the Pope and a trove of iconic art and architecture. Its Vatican Museums house ancient Roman sculptures such as the famed "Laocoon and His Sons" as well as Renaissance frescoes in the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel, famous for Michelangelo's ceiling.

The St. Peter's Basilica is the largest of the papal basilicas and one of the world's largest structures. St. Peter's Basilica is currently a structure with a length of 218 metres and a height of 136 metres, including the dome. It is 23,000 square metres in size.This basilica, which has been regarded as a significant architectural achievement due to the size of its facade and the quality of its work, annually welcomes visitors from all over the world to see the best sculptures of the period and enjoy a work that has taken centuries to complete.

Assisi

Italy

Assisi is a hill town in central Italy's Umbria region. It was the birthplace of St. Francis (1181-1226), one of Italy's patron saints. The Basilica of St. Francis is a massive, 2-level church, consecrated in 1253. Its 13th-century frescoes portraying the life of St. Francis have been attributed to Giotto and Cimabue, among others. The crypt houses the saint's stone sarcophagus.

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Italy

The Leaning Tower of Pisa or simply the Tower of Pisa is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa, known worldwide for its nearly four-degree lean, the result of an unstable foundation. The tower is situated behind the Pisa Cathedral and is the third-oldest structure in the city's Cathedral Square, after the cathedral and the Pisa Baptistry.

The height of the tower is 55.86 metres (183.27 feet) from the ground on the low side and 56.67 metres (185.93 feet) on the high side. The width of the walls at the base is 2.44 m (8 ft 0.06 in). Its weight is estimated at 14,500 metric tons (16,000 short tons).The tower has 296 or 294 steps; the seventh floor has two fewer steps on the north-facing staircase.

The tower began to lean during construction in the 12th century, due to soft ground which could not properly support the structure's weight, and it worsened through the completion of construction in the 14th century. By 1990, the tilt had reached 5.5 degrees. The structure was stabilized by remedial work between 1993 and 2001, which reduced the tilt to 3.97 degrees.

Padua

Italy

Padua is a city in Northern Italy's Veneto region. It's known for the frescoes by Giotto in its Scrovegni Chapel from 1303-05 and the vast 13th-century Basilica of St. Anthony. The basilica, with its Byzantine-style domes and notable artworks, contains the namesake saint's tomb. In Padua's old town are arcaded streets and stylish cafes frequented by students of the University of Padua, established in 1222.

Venice

Italy

Venice, the capital of northern Italy's Veneto region, is built on more than 100 small islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. It has no roads, just canals - including the Grand Canal thoroughfare - lined with Renaissance and Gothic palaces. The central square, Piazza San Marco, contains St. Mark's Basilica, which is tiled with Byzantine mosaics, and the Campanile bell tower offering views of the city's red roofs.

Milan

Italy

Milan, a metropolis in Italy's northern Lombardy region, is a global capital of fashion and design. Home to the national stock exchange, it's a financial hub also known for its high-end restaurants and shops. The Gothic Duomo di Milano cathedral and the Santa Maria delle Grazie convent, housing Leonardo da Vinci's mural "The Last Supper," testify to centuries of art and culture

Frasassi caves

Italy

The Frasassi Caves (Italian: Grotte di Frasassi) are a karst cave system in the municipality of Genga, Italy, in the province of Ancona, Marche. They are among the most famous show caves in Italy.The caves, discovered by a group of Ancona speleologists in 1971, are situated 7 kilometres (4 miles) south of Genga, near the civil parish of San Vittore and the Genga-San Vittore railway station (Rome-Ancona line).

Rich in water, the cave system is particularly well endowed with stalactites and stalagmites.

Near the entrance to the caves are two sanctuary-chapels: one is the 1029 Santuario di Santa Maria infra Saxa (Sanctuary of Holy Mary under the Rock) and the second is an 1828 Neoclassical architecture formal temple, known as Tempietto del Valadier.

Florence

Italy

Florence, capital of Italy's Tuscany region, is home to many masterpieces of Renaissance art and architecture. One of its most iconic sights is the Duomo, a cathedral with a terracotta-tiled dome engineered by Brunelleschi and a bell tower by Giotto. The Galleria dell'Accademia displays Michelangelo's "David" sculpture. The Uffizi Gallery exhibits Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus" and da Vinci's "Annunciation"

Lugano

Switzerland

Town in Switzerland Lugano is a city in southern Switzerland's Italian-speaking Ticino region. Its Swiss-Mediterranean mix of cultures is closely related to that of Italy's northern Lombardy region. This mix is reflected in its architecture and cuisine. The city stands on the northern shore of glacial Lake Lugano, surrounded by mountains. Its main square, Piazza della Riforma, is ringed with pastel-colored, neoclassical palazzi.

Lucerne

Switzerland

City in Switzerland Lucerne, a compact city in Switzerland known for its preserved medieval architecture, sits amid snowcapped mountains on Lake Lucerne. Its colorful Altstadt (Old Town) is bordered on the north by 870m Museggmauer (Musegg Wall), a 14-century rampart. The covered Kapellbrucke (Chapel Bridge), built in 1333, links the Aldstadt to the Reuss River's right bank

Mount Pilatus

Switzerland

Mountain in Switzerland Pilatus, also often referred to as Mount Pilatus, is a mountain massif overlooking Lucerne in Central Switzerland. It is composed of several peaks, of which the highest is named Tomlishorn.

Bern

Switzerland

capital city of Switzerland Bern is built around a crook in the Aare River. It traces its origins back to the 12th century, with medieval architecture preserved in the Altstadt (Old Town). The Swiss Parliament and diplomats meet in the Neo-Renaissance Bundeshaus (Federal Palace). The Franzosische Kirche (French Church) and the nearby medieval tower known as the Zytglogge both date to the 13th century..

Interlaken

Switzerland

Interlaken is a Swiss town and municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern. It is an important and well-known tourist destination in the Bernese Oberland region of the Swiss Alps, and the main transport gateway to the mountains and lakes of that region. The town is located on the flat alluvial land called Bodeli between two lakes, Brienz to the east and Thun to the west, and alongside the river Aare, which flows between them. Transport routes to the east and west alongside the lakes are complemented by a route southwards into the near mountain resorts and high mountains, e.g. the famous high Alpine peaks of Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau, following upwards the Lutschine.

Interlaken is the central town of a Small Agglomeration with the same name of 23,300 inhabitants.

The official language of Interlaken is Swiss Standard German, but the main spoken language is the local variant of the Alemannic German Swiss German dialect.

Titlis

Switzerland

Titlis is a mountain of the Uri Alps, located on the border between the cantons of Obwalden and Bern. At 3,238 metres (10,623 ft) above sea level, it is the highest summit of the range north of the Susten Pass, between the Bernese Oberland and Central Switzerland. It is mainly accessed from Engelberg (OW) on the north side and is famous as the site of the world's first rotating cable car. The cable car system connects Engelberg (996 m (3,268 ft)) to the summit of Klein Titlis (3,028 m (9,934 ft)) through the three stages of Gerschnialp (1,262 m (4,140 ft)), Trubsee (1,796 m (5,892 ft)) and Stand (2,428 m (7,966 ft)).

The last part of cable car leads above the glacier. At Klein Titlis, it is possible to visit an illuminated glacier cave from an entrance within the cable-car station, which also includes shops and restaurants. The Titlis Cliff Walk, the highest elevation suspension bridge in Europe, opened in December 2012, giving views across the Alps. Many people use Titlis as a cheaper and easier option than Jungfraujoch.

Zurich

Switzerland

Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 434,335 inhabitants, the urban area (agglomeration) 1.315 million (2009), and the Zurich metropolitan area 1.83 million (2011). Zurich is a hub for railways, roads, and air traffic. Both Zurich Airport and its main railway station are the largest and busiest in the country.

The official language of Zurich is German, but the main spoken language is the local variant of the Alemannic Swiss German dialect, Zurich German.

Many museums and art galleries can be found in the city, including the Swiss National Museum and Kunsthaus. Schauspielhaus Zurich is considered to be one of the most important theatres in the German-speaking world.

Zurich is among the world's largest financial centres despite having a relatively small population. The city is home to many financial institutions and banking companies.

Rhein Falls

Switzerland

The Rhine Falls is a waterfall located in Switzerland and the most powerful waterfall in Europe. The falls are located on the High Rhine on the border between the cantons of Schaffhausen (SH) and Zurich(ZH), between the municipalities of Neuhausen am Rheinfall (SH) and Laufen-Uhwiesen/Dachsen (ZH), next to the town of Schaffhausen in northern Switzerland.

Switzerland

Switzerland