Famous Buildings GREECE
Acropolis of Athens
The Acropolis of Athens is an ancient citadel located on a rocky outcrop above the city of Athens and contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historic significance, the most famous being the Parthenon. The word acropolis is from the Greek words ἄκρον (akron, "highest point, extremity") and πόλις ( polis, "city"). Although the term acropolis is generic and there are many other acropolis in Greece, the significance of the Acropolis of Athens is such that it is commonly known as "The Acropolis" without qualification. During ancient times it was known also more properly as Cecropia, after the legendary serpent-man, Cecrops, the first Athenian king.
Archaeological Site of Delphi (Greece) The pan-Hellenic sanctuary of Delphi, where the oracle of Apollo spoke, was the site of the omphalos, the 'navel of the world'. Blending harmoniously with the superb landscape and charged with sacred meaning, Delphi in the 6th century B.C. was indeed the religious centre and symbol of unity of the ancient Greek world.
The Academy of Athens The Academy of Athens is Greece's national academy, and the highest research establishment in the country. It was established in 1926, and operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Education. The Academy's main building is one of the major landmarks of Athens.
Temple of Zeus, Olympia The Temple of Zeus at Olympia was an ancient Greek tempel in Olympia Greece, dedicated to the god Zeus. The temple, built in the second quarter of the fifth century BCE, was the very model of the fully developed classical Greek temple of the Doric order.
Herod Atticus Conservatory The Herod Atticus Conservatory is an ancient conservatory of the Roman period, located on the southwest slope of the Acropolis of Athens. It was built at a very fast pace at the expense of Herod Atticus in the 2nd century AD, in honor of Aspasia's wife, Annie Rigillis, who died in 160 AD. The building's destination was and still is mainly for musical events and for this is called Conservatory.
Messene officially Ancient Messene, is a local community of the municipal unit Ithomi, of the municipality of Messini within the regional unit of Messenia in the region of Peloponnese, one of 13 regions into which Greece has been divided.[2] Before 2011 it held the same position in the administrative hierarchy, according to Law 2539 of 1997, the Kapodistrias Plan, except that Ithomi was an independent municipality and Ancient Messene was a local division within it.
FAMOUS BUILDINGS -ITALY
THE LEANING TOWER IN 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 unintended tilt. The tower is situated behind the Pisa Cathedral and is the third oldest structure in the city's Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo), after the cathedral and the Pisa Baptistry.The tower's tilt began during construction in the 12th century, caused by an inadequate foundation on ground too soft on one side to properly support the structure's weight. The tilt increased in the decades before the structure was completed in the 14th century. It gradually increased until the structure was stabilized (and the tilt partially corrected) by efforts in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.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. Galileo Galilei is said to have dropped two cannonballs of different masses from the tower to demonstrate that their speed of descent was independent of their mass. However, the only primary source for this is the biography Racconto istorico della vita di Galileo Galilei (Historical Account of the Life of Galileo Galilei), written by Galileo's secretary Vincenzo Viviani and published in 1717, long after Viviani's death.The tower and the neighbouring cathedral, baptistery, and cemetery are included in the Piazza del Duomo.
THE LEANING TOWER IN PISA THE LEANING TOWER AND THE BAPTISTERY.
THE COLISEUM The Coliseum is the most relevant monument of the Ancient Rome, and the biggest amphitheatre in the world. In the 1990, the Coliseum, along with the whole historic center of Rome, the areas of the Vatican in Italy and the basilica of San Paolo, is included in the list of UNESCO heritage, while in July 2017 it was included among the new seven world-wide merlons. The Flavio amphitheater is elliptical in shape, with a circumference of 527 meters. it could hold seventy thousand seats and the arena was 76 meters by 46. the first three floors consisted of arches framed by halfcolumns. the fourth floor is divided by pilasters and there were inserted the poles that supported the large wedge-shaped velarium to protect the spectators from the sun. it was the Flavi emperors who first equipped Rome with a stable amphitheater and built the grandeur of the capital of the empire: the works began during the reign of Vespasiano in the area between Palatino, Esquilino and Celio, above the pond that was to be found inside Nero's Domus Aurea. Vespasian gave back to the people what the tyrant-Nero had wanted only for himself. the name Colosseum derives from the colossus representing Nero, whom he had wanted in the atrium of his magnificent residence. Inside the amphitheatre, people could attend games and other varieties of shows. There were fights taken by the gladiators. The building was started by Vespasian in AD 72 and in AD 80 the emperor Titus inaugurated the building.
NOSSIDE’S STATUE The Monument of Nosside is one of the most important buildings in Locri. The bronze sculpture is dedicated to the Magno-Greek poet Locrese Nosside, lived between the fourth and third centuries B.C. The Monument was created by the artist and teacher Tony Custureri and is located on the square of the Seafront. It stands on a base of about 3.20 meters, and has a total height of 5.20 meters. On the two sides of the base there are quadrangular panels representing two dioscuri, in bronze. Below there is an epilogram of Nosside, in Greek and Italian, where the poet expresses her belonging to Locri. On the base there is a bronze parallelepiped with decorations in the Ionic style, where the statue stands. The human figure is portrayed in the act of starting a movement with the right leg. She has got a papyrus on his right arm.
THE SISTINE CHAPEL The Sistine Chapel is named after his commissioner, Sixtus IV della Rovere (1471-1484), who decided to have a large room built where the “Cappella Magna” once stood. The “Cappella Magna” was a mediaeval fortified hall that the Papal Court used for assemblies. At that time, it was made up of about 200 members: a college of 20 cardinals, representatives of religious orders and important families, a choir, and a large number of laymen and servants. The Sistine construction was also to be a defensive structure, warding off both the Medici family, because of the continuous tension between the rulers of Florence and the Pope, and Muhammad II’s Turks, who at that time were threatening the western coast of Italy. Its construction started in 1475, during the Jubilee Year proclaimed by Sixtus IV, and ended in 1483, when on August 15th the Pope solemnly inaugurated the new Chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption. The project, designed by Baccio Pontelli, included the use of a third of the height of the existing mediaeval walls.According to some scholars, the dimensions of the hall (40.23 metres in length, 13.40 metres in width and 20.70 metres in height) are copied from Solomon’s great temple in Jerusalem, which was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D.The main entrance to the Chapel, located opposite the small entrance used today, is preceded by the imposing Sala Regia built for papal audiences. Arched windows light the chapel, while lunettes and triangular webs join the ceiling’s barrel vault with the side walls. A choir once used the stalls on the right, while the Papal Court sat on the stone benches along three sides of the hall, excluding the altar side. An elegant 15th century balustrade surmounted by candelabra divides the area destined to the clergy from the area used by the public; at the end of the 16th century the balustrade was pushed back to make the former area larger. The splendid 15th century mosaic floor was copied from mediaeval models and is completely original.After the architectural structure was completed in 1481, Sixtus IV summoned various Florentine painters to work in the chapel, including Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Cosimo Rosselli, Signorelli and Umbrian artists such as Perugino and Pinturicchio.
THE SISTINE CHAPEL HERE IS A PICTURE OF THE SISTINE CHAPEL
THE AMPHITHEATRE IN SYRACUSE The Roman Amphitheater in Syracuse. The amphitheater of Syracuse was constructed during the Roman period, most likely during the reign of Nero, but it took the form we see today only in the 3rd or 4th century A.D. It is it he largest in Sicily, measuring 140 by 119 meters/ 460 by 390 feet, and one of the largest in Italy, being only slightly smaller than the Arena of Verona. The structure was used for gladiatorial and animal fights, while the nearby theater was reserved for proper theatrical presentations.Today, only the portion of the amphitheater carved into the rock remains, while all that was built of stone blocks was dismantled by the Spanish in the 16th century to build fortifications of the island of Ortigia. The centuries have also carved themselves into the rock, as it now shows veins running diagonally across the rows of seats. Because of the bad quality of its original stone, the amphitheater was entirely recovered with stone blocks, and these were also dismantled by the Spanish. At the center of the arena, a rectangular excavation (originally covered in ancient times) contained equipment used for performances. Despite its ruinous state, the building retains an aura of majesty and grandeur by virtue of its size. Within the Roman Amphitheater of Syracuse, visitors can only walk along the top ring (with the exception of the stairs and the arena); in compensation, the route is facilitated by a convenient flat road, which runs from one end of the structure to the other.Surrounding the amphitheater and on the access road one can see several ancient sarcophagi, transported here from the necropolis in the area, as well as some remains of houses dating from the Hellenistic period.
GERACE’S CATHEDRAL The cathedral in Gerace is among the most important buildings in southern Italy. Its profile dominates the town. The cathedral was consecrated in 1045 and is 76 metres in length and 26 metres wide. Its ground plan is a Latin cross and it rests on the foundations of an earlier building – possibly from the Basilan monastic order.It is divided into three aisles with impressive columns, which come from various Greek and Roman temples and villas which were found in the area. All the columns are different to symbolise that the cathedral and Gerace parish were the most important in the area and could unify the area and its population.Its structure is Romanesque in its simplicity and purity. However, it is easy to find the Norman traces which decorate the lines with elegance and power. The cathedral’s altars show signs of Baroque style.
MILAN’S CATHEDRAL The construction of the Milan's Cathedral began in 1386 on the area where the ancient basilicas of "Santa Tecla" and "Santa Maria Maggiore" were demolished in later times. Dedicated to "Maria Nascente", it was committed by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, with a double purpose:on the one hand they wanted to renew, the cult sites in the heart of Milan and on the other hand to celebrate the Visconti domination and their ambitious expansionist policy.Milan's Cathedral is the largest and most complex Gothic building in Italy, made of white rosÊ marble. On the top of the spire on October 1774, the golden statue of the Madonnina, by the sculptor Giuseppe Perego, was placed.From the terraces, which can be reached by elevator or stairs, you can admire the whole city of Milan.