ROME (Roma), is the capital of the country of Italy. Rome is located in the central portion of the Italian peninsula, on the Tiber River, about 15 miles inland from the Tyrrhenian Sea.  Historic Rome was once the capital of an ancient republic and empire whose armies and process of civil government defined the Western world in antiquity and left seemingly indelible imprints thereafter.

ROME (Roma) - The Colosseum.  The Colosseum is a large amphitheater in Rome, built sometime between C.E. 70 and 72. The massive structure, whose main attraction was the gladiatorial games, measured approximately 189 by 156 meters, towered four stories high, and included eighty entrances to the amphitheater.  The Colosseum could hold more than 50,000 spectators at its maximum capacity.  Today it is one of modern-day Rome’s most popular tourist attractions, hosting millions of visitors a year.

FLORENCE (Firenze) - The Duomo.  Florence's cathedral stands tall over the city with its magnificent Renaissance dome designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, with the baptistery right across. The cathedral named in honor of Santa Maria del Fiore is a vast Gothic structure built on the site of the 7th century church of Santa Reparata, the remains of which can be seen in the crypt.

FLORENCE (Firenze) - Ponte Vecchio   The Ponte Vecchio ("Old Bridge") is a medieval, stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge over the Arno River.  The only bridge in Florence spared from destruction during the Second World War, it is noted for the shops built along it.  Building shops on such bridges was once a common practice. Butchers, tanners, and farmers initially occupied the shops, but the present tenants are jewelers, art dealers, and souvenir sellers.

VENICE (Venezia) - Piazza San Marco (St Mark's Square) is the principal public square of Venice, Italy. It is said that Napoleon called the Piazza San Marco "the drawing room of Europe". The square is dominated at its eastern end by St. Mark's Basilica, with its great arches and marble decoration, the Romanesque carvings around the central doorway and, the four horses which preside over the whole piazza.  Nearby is St.

VENICE (Venezia) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is situated on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The islands are located in the shallow Venetian Lagoon, an enclosed bay that lies between the mouths of the Po and the Piave rivers.  The Grand Canal forms one of the major water-traffic corridors in the city.

NAPLES (Napoli) - Southern Italy’s largest city, located in the Region of Campania, is famous for its intoxicating mix of Old World charm and modern grit. This is one of the oldest cities in Europe, with enough art, architecture, and archeology to hold its own against other metropolitan cities. It is situated on the Gulf of Naples, on the western coast of southern Italy, in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius (Vesuvio), the only active volcano in mainland Europe. 

PISA is a city and commune in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea.  Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the city contains more than twenty other historic churches, several medieval palaces, and bridges across the Arno.