Pompeii - One of the best known ancient sites in the world, Pompeii
was an ancient Roman city founded in the 6th to 7th century BC and famously
destroyed by the eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
Today, Pompeii
is one of the world’s most famous archeological sites. It is a ghost town
filled with the bodies of its tragic citizens, many of whom died from
asphyxiation and who were preserved by the ash and cinders which buried them.
The most
intriguing aspect of Pompeii and what makes it such a popular site to visit is
the extent to which its homes, buildings and artifacts have remained intact.
Essentially, walking through Pompeii is treading in the footsteps of ancient
Roman life, with its houses, shops, walkways, pedestrian stones and carriage
tracks.
The Colosseum (Rome): The Colosseum was once the largest amphitheatre in the Roman Empire. It
was built in the first century AD by the Emperor Vespasian as a place for the
people of Rome to enjoy.
Completed in 80
AD, the Colosseum was opened with great fanfare by Titus, Vespasian’s son and
successor. He marked the opening of the Colosseum with one hundred days of
games, including stunning battle recreations on artificial lakes of water.
The Colosseum
remained the amphitheatre of Rome until the end of the Roman Empire. This was
the place where gladiators, lions and those accused of crimes were put to the
test, often fighting to the death.
Santa Maria del Fiore (Florence): Florence Cathedral is an iconic site built in 1296.
One of the most
famous aspects of Florence Cathedral is its dome. Designed by Renaissance
architect Filippo Brunelleschi who took inspiration from the engineering style
used to build Rome’s Pantheon, it was one of the largest of its day and is
tiled in a distinctive orange shade. Visitors who climb the 463 steps of the
“Duomo” are rewarded with incredible views of Florence.
Paestrum (Naples): Paestum is
a Greco-Roman site located south of Naples which contains the stunning remains
of three ancient Greek temples which still stand tall today.
Founded as a Greek colony in the 6th century BC,
Paestum was originally known as Poseidonia, named for the Greek god Poseidon.
The city was captured by the Romans in 273BC after the Pyrrhic Wars and became
the thriving Roman settlement of Paestum.
However, the changing climate and political upheavals
of the later Roman Empire saw Paestum begin to decline in the early medieval
period and by the turn of the millennium the site had been abandoned – it was
not rediscovered until the 18th century.
Today, visitors to Paestum can still see the
spectacular temples – the Temple of Hera, the Temple of Neptune and the Temple
of Ceres (thought by some to be a temple of Athena).
Baths of Caracalla (Rome): The Baths of Caracalla are an ancient
Roman public baths complex in Rome, the incredible remains of which are one of
the very best ancient sites in Rome.
It was the
Emperor Septimus Severus who began building the Baths of Caracalla in 206 AD,
but they are named after his son, the emperor Caracalla, who completed the
works in 216 AD.
Comprised of a vast compound of red-brick buildings, the Baths of Caracalla
would, like all ancient Roman baths, have been used for a variety of social
functions and could accommodate thousands of visitors at any one time. As well
as being where people gathered and bathed, the Baths of Caracalla would have
had shops, libraries and galleries as well as other leisure facilities.
Used until they
were destroyed by the Goths in the sixth century AD, they Baths of Caracalla
were later exploited for their marble. However, due to their position slightly
outside the centre of the city, the baths were never built over and have
therefore survived in good condition.
In short this blog is about traveling to different countries as Italy and Norway and its great places and culture, history and gastronomy. We try to get away from the typical tourist guides, for the simple reason of making cheap and interesting trips. This countries are full of extraordinary natural settings and extraordinary of buildings, that some guides ignore. 
There are many reasons
to visit Italy, too many to list.
Heirs of more than three thousand years of history, the whole of Italy
is a history book open to everyone, every corner of Italy has its history through
its buildings, its monuments, art and cuisine.
And we have the lakes in the
north, the Apennines, the rolling
hills of Tuscany, beaches, volcanoes ...Italy is open to hiking,
to biking, to
rural holiday.
Norway is known for its natural attractions
like fjords, mountains and the midnight sun, and is
well connected with the rest of Europe.
The first thing to consider is the currency in Norway is
the Norwegian Krone 
Norway
Oslo Cathedral (Oslo): Oslo
Cathedral is a 17th century Dutch Baroque style church in a cruciform shape.
Whilst the ground works for Oslo Cathedral began in 1692, it was consecrated on
7 November 1697 and originally named the Church of Our Savior.
Selje Monastery: Selje Monastery
is a picturesque ruined Benedictine monastery in Norway. Dating back to the
early 12th century, Selje Monastery was dedicated to St. Sunniva, the country’s
only female patron saint.
