Travel Tips

One of the most popular destinations for people on a vacation to Italy is the Vatican City. Most people do not know that this is a sovereign city-state. This means that it makes its own rules and has its own governing system independent of the Italian system. The Vatican City is a walled state within the city of Rome. It is the smallest independent state in the whole world with only a little over 100 acres. It was formed in 1929 under an agreement between the Kingdom of Italy and the Holy See. The Holy See refers to the central governing system of the Catholic Church headed by the Pope. The Pope is also known as the Bishop of Rome. The Vatican City houses the official residence of the Pope and it is visited by millions of people each year on an Italy vacation.

You can enter the Vatican City through the famous St. Peter’s square. This square is characterized by great Baroque architecture from the 1600s to include symbols of the church motherly embracing its people in its arms. St. Peter’s Basilica is another place you can visit in the Vatican City while on your Italy vacation because it is also found in St. Peter’s square. It is the most notable building in the Vatican City and this church’s dome can be seen for miles around Rome. St. Peter’s Basilica seats 60,000 and is said to be the largest building in the Christian church. It is noted for being the burial site of St. Peter who is said to be the founding father of the Catholic Church by being the first Bishop of Rome. The discovery of his tomb was announced in 1950 after a decade of archeological research.

Catholic tradition says that St. Peter is buried under the altar of this Basilica and therefore all the Popes since then have also been buried in the Basilica the most recent being Pope John Paul II in April 2005. At the entrance of the Basilica are statues of Christ, St. John the Baptist and 11 of the 12 apostles. You can enter the Basilica for free during your Italian vacation if you are properly dressed with no bare shoulders or knees. If you would like to attend mass you should go to the Basilica on a Sunday.

There are several other places to see here during your Italy vacation. The largest museum in the world is also found in the Vatican City. It has over 1400 rooms and galleries that represent 3000 years of art. The Sistine Chapel is also found here and is known for being the private chapel that the cardinals go to when electing a new Pope.

So what is the best way to see all the sights that the Vatican City has to offer during your Italian vacation? There are guided tours available that can be taken for half a day or longer. You can take a guided tour of just the museum or a guided tour to include all the important places of interest in the Vatican City and this will ensure that you don’t miss a thing here on your Italian vacation.

There is no doubt that there are millions of people out there, not only Americans but other nationalities as well, who dream of spending that one dream vacation in Europe. There are so many places to go to but Europe has charmed its way into the hearts of a lot of many people as the destination for all sorts of things and occasions.

There are so many unforgettable movies with Europe as its setting. There is Under the Tuscan Sun that tackled a very beautiful story with most of the unforgettable scenes and most of the characters important realizations happening in a small, obscure village in Tuscany.

In what seems to be the toast movie of the publishing slash fashion industry, The Devil Wears Prada, the characters are all crazy about going to the Paris Fashion Week and be the first to witness the unfolding of the worlds best designers collections. There are also films that are now viewed as masterpieces and were once filmed in historic Germany or in the streets of Madrid. All these make people even more excited at the prospect of going to Europe.

Among all the other continents, vacationing in Europe tops most peoples list mainly because of the different sites to see and the various cultures to experience. England seems to be getting a lot of attention because of the very popular royal family including the late Princess Diana. Londons One Downing Street is one of the most familiar addresses around the world. Paris is known as the fashion capital of the world so obviously you go there for shopping but France, if you go beyond Paris, has more to offer.

The provinces offer tranquil havens for weary souls. Spain has flamenco and a lot of other festivities that attract happy go lucky people who want to dance their emotions away or learn a new dance skill that you can teach to people when you go home.

The Berlin wall is a landmark like no other. Its importance to the modern world is something that cannot be denied and even if it was torn down, nothing can ever destroy what it stands for at least not anytime soon. Vatican City is visited not only by Catholics but also by people of other religious faiths. One of the citys greatest but saddest moments was the death of Pope John Paul II. For one day, leaders of nations and millions flocked to the city to pay their respects to one great leader.

So you see there is nothing like a vacation in Europe. All you have to do is to really plan your vacation so you will be able to cover the countries you want to cover for the entire period of your visit. Tours and packages are available all year round but have their own advantages and disadvantages.

Some tours and packages are crammed so you do not really get to explore as much as you can but they can also help you go to more areas even for just a short period of time. If you are game to go backpacking then that will be a different kind of adventure but can still be fit for Europe as long as you just take the right stuff with you and more importantly the right company to join you.

History and Attractions of Boston Common
Boston Common is the oldest city park in the United States. The eccentric William
Blaxton settled the land, all alone with his books, in the 1620s. In 1634 he sold the land
to English Puritan colonists for use as a shared cow and sheep pasture. Each household
contributed six shillings to the purchase. Eventually, the land was also used for military
training, sometimes by colonists and sometimes by their British occupiers. Until 1817,
the land was Bostons site for public hangings. Livestock grazing was banned in 1830.
In modern times, Boston Common serves mainly as a recreation center. It anchors
Bostons Emerald Necklace, a chain of parks that runs about seven miles through the
city. The park itself measures about forty-four acres.
As one of the nations oldest landmarks, Boston Common has become rich with items of
historical interest. The park is home to the Central Burying Ground, one of Bostons first
graveyards. Among those buried there are choral composer William Billings, portrait
artist Gilbert Stuart, and many casualties of the 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill.
Unfortunately, the subway tunneling of 1894 disturbed more than 900 (perhaps 2,000) of
the cemeterys deceased residents! They were later reburied, and a tablet marks the
location of the event.
Several monuments can be spotted throughout the Common. The Robert Gould Shaw
Memorial, for example, is a Civil War monument honoring the first free black regiment
in the Union Army. (Shaw commanded the all-volunteer regiment and is depicted in the
Hollywood film Glory.) Another impressive Civil War sculpture is The Soldiers and
Sailors Monument. Located atop the Commons Flagstaff Hill, this neoclassical work of
art rises an impressive 126 feet. Elsewhere, in the parks Parkman Plaza, statues pay
homage to the ideals of Industry, Learning, and Religion.
With so many acres of green space, the park has hosted many large public events. In 1713
a public riot broke out in response to a food shortage. Two hundred people were present,
and the lieutenant governor was shot during the chaos. A century and half later, in 1969,
a Vietnam protest drew 100,000 people. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Pope John Paul II
also drew large crowds for their speeches. The parks Parkman Bandstand holds smaller
crowds for plays and concerts.
Boston Common is full of longstanding attractions for people of all ages. The Public
Garden was established in 1837 as the nations oldest botanical garden. Prior to that time,
the land had been a salty swamp. The 24-acre garden is especially famous for its fleet of
swan-shaped boats. Weather permitting, visitors ride the boats from spring through
autumn.
The Frog Pond is another popular destination within the park. The Frog Pond is a popular
childrens wading pool in the summer. During the brisk Boston winters, it freezes into an
ice skating rink. When the Frog Pond first opened in 1848, school was closed for a day
just so children could play in the fountain! Today the Tadpole Playground is adjacent.
Boston Common is flanked by other points of interest, such as: the Massachusetts State
House, which stands to the north; Park Street Station Americas first subway station
in the eastern corner; and Boylston Street Station Americas second subway station to
the south. For those who prefer to walk, the Freedom Trail (a popular walking tour) also
starts to the south of Boston Common at the Visitor Center.
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