Tuesday's Dream Place to Visit

Actually, places.

During our last year in high school, we visited a few cities in Italy- Venice, Florence, Pisa and Rome. It was a very tiring journey, with so much to see in just a few short days, but that’s not to say it wasn’t fantastic.  Some of the highlights: Marron got proposed in Florence. Margarite got impressed by an amazing dessert. So much she had to eat Marron's portion, too. Don't judge, it was strawberries and whipped cream. 

At times we think it would maybe be better if we went there a little later, a year or two, cause we got more familiar with the monuments and places, and life in Italy in general, thanks to our career choice, but still it was a great experience  mostly related to shopping and food shhh but also art.

 

 Free standing bell tower of Pisa cathedral, mostly known as a leaning tower of Pisa. The tower's tilt began during construction, caused by an inadequate foundation on ground too soft on one side to properly support the structure's weight. The tilt got partially corrected by efforts in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, so now the top of the tower is displaced horizontally by 3.9 meters from where it would be if the structure were perfectly vertical. 

 

The largest amphitheater in the world, and most certainly the largest one in the Roman Empire, is one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and engineering. It could hold between 50000 and 80000 spectators, and it was used in entertainment purposes (for gladiator contests and public spectacles), up until early medieval era. It had many other usages since (it was a fortress, and a Christian shrine, among other things). It's an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome and one of main tourist attractions. In 2007 it was included in the New7Wonders of the World.

Basillica di Santa Maria del Fiore is a main church in Florence, located in the Piazza del Duomo, along with baptistery and Giotto's Campanile.  It has the largest brick dome ever constructed, a masterpiece done by Brunelleschi.

Last but not least- Piazza San Marco, St Mark's Square in Venice. the principal public square, with main attractions such as Basilica di San Marco, its enormous bell tower, Procuratie Vecchie and Procuratie Nuove, and of course, the pigeons. To be honest, we spent most of our time there taking pictures with pigeons in our hands, squealing at how cute they are, and hence that remark in the second passage of this post.:P Joking aside, the trip to Italy, a land with such history and culture, made us feel like we're a part of it, and experiencing it all first hand, not just from the books and pictures, was truly a magnificent feeling.