history+of+places+i+went+in+Italy

History of places I went in Italy  Gubbio   Longitude : 12.57, Latitude : 43.35   Gubbio is a little medieval town in the Umbrian hills of northeastern Italy.  Gubbio is an important historical centre for the Umbrian people, It’s history dating back to the pre Roman era. It is well known for its churches, palaces, cathedrals and most of all the Gubbio tablets. The bronze tablets that Gubbio is most famous for consist of some of the oldest text in the Umbrian language. Most of the gothic style houses in Gubbio were built in the 14th or 15th century and inhabited by rich merchants. Gubbio is also known for its truffles (a rare mushroom like fungus that can not be cultivated) While in Gubbio I tasted some of the gourmet truffle sauce and found it divine. One of the amazing Roman architectural feats is Gubbio’s Roman amphitheatre, the second largest amphitheatre in the world still standing today, and is one of Gubbio’s major tourist attractions. I found it fascinating to walk the streets where people hundreds of years ago once walked and stood.    <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 26.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Urbino <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Longitude : 12° 38' 0" Latitude : 43° 43' 0" <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The little walled city of Urbino (originally known as <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Urvinum Mataurense <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> by the Romans) is located in the Marche region of Italy. The town is placed on a sloping hillside with much of its picturesque look still intact. The town of Urbino was a strategic stronghold during the gothic wars of the 6th century and changed hands many times between 538 and 1502. Some of the people and empires to rule Urbino were Rome, Ostrogoths, The House Of Montefeltro and the Rimini. The people of Urbino have been making a unique pottery called maiolica since the 15th century and until 1520 only sold it locally. <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The university of Urbino was founded in 1506 and is still in use today. The most well know architectural piece in Urbino is the Palazzo Ducale and today hosts a museum displaying old artefacts, Galleria Nazionale delle Marche (one of the most important collection of paintings in the world) and most of all the palace itself. <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In 1861 Urbino became part of the kingdom of Italy that later became the republic of Italy. <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 26.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 26.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 26.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Florence <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 26.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Latitude : 43° 49' 60 N, Longitude : 11° 19' 60 E <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 26.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 26.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The history of Florence can officially be dated back to the first century. The city of Florence was a swamp before the Romans drained it and built a little town they called <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Florentia. <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">After the Middle Ages Florence grew and began to flourish but the civil wars about politics raged on. Florence began to invade neighbouring towns including Pisa, Pistoia, Arezzo and Siena. In 1434 the medic family became rulers of Florence. The most significant member of the medic to gain power was Lorenzo il Magnifico who ruled Florence for half a century. Lorenzo il Magnifico was the first Italian prince of the renaissance and he made it flourish. He was a great leader and kept the Italian states in peace and the peninsular free and self-sufficient. After lots of fighting with the French and Spanish who both wanted to seize Italy Florence was taken by Charles the 5th. In 1785 Tuscany was the first state to abolish the death penalty. Many people from all over the country began to long for a united Italy. All through the first war for independence students and teachers fought and lost their lives for what they believed in. In 1859 Florence joined the newly born kingdom of Italy and in 1865 the capital was moved from Torino to Florence. During the Second World War Florence was ruled by the Germans for one year. Fortunately the city wasn’t extremely damaged but all the historical bridges on the Arno River except for one were destroyed. When the war was over Florence became one of the richest towns in Italy and began to attract tourists from all over the world. In 1966 there was an awful flood of the Arno river causing the town to become a lake. The flood damaged many artistic masterpieces of Florence but thanks to the work of volunteers from all over the world the city was saved. <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 22.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 22.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 26.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Venice <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 26.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Latitude : 45° 34' 60 N, Longitude : 12° 34' 0 E <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 26.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Venice was founded in 421 AD on the 25th of March and consists of several islands linked by bridges. In 814 AD the construction of the Palazzo Ducale was started and the construction of St Mark’s basilica began in 834 AD. Venice began to increase its trade routes and in 1000 its fleet defeated the pirates of the Adriatic Sea. Venice took part in the crusade to free Drussalam and as a business opportunity. Various works of art were taken to Venice as booty e.g. the 4 bronze horses of St Mark’s. In 1348 Venice was hit by the plague losing half the population. Even such a terrible disaster couldn’t stop Venice from thriving and becoming the leader of the 4 seaports of the Mediterranean. In 1516 the first ghetto in the world was started in Venice. In 1797 Venice was taken by Napoleon and became part of the Hapsburg Empire of Austria. In 1848 Venetians tried to defeat the Hapsburg and take back their beloved land. In 1860 Italy becomes a nation under the reign of the Sovoia Dynasty and in 1866 Venice joined Italy. In 1992 Marks bell tower collapsed and then was rebuilt in 1912. Fortunately during the 2nd world war Venice was not bombed but took some damage in the flood of 1966 with the water level reaching 2 meters in some buildings. Today Venice is a huge tourist attraction because of the canals and the originality of the city. <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Referances: <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">[] <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">[] <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">[] <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">[] <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">[] <span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">