Villas in Rome
Villas
A villa was originally a Roman country house built for the upper
class. According to Pliny the Elder, there were two kinds of villas, the villa
urbana, which was a country seat that could easily be reached from Rome (or another
city) for a night or two, and the villa rustica, the farm-house estate, permanently
occupied by the servants who had charge generally of the estate, which would center
on the villa itself, perhaps only seasonally occupied. There were a concentration
of Imperial villas near the Bay of Naples, especially on the Isle of Capri, at
Monte Circeo on the coast and at Antium (Anzio). Wealthy Romans escaped the summer
heat in the hills round Rome, especially around Frascati (cf Hadrian's Villa).
Cicero is said to have possessed no fewer than seven villas, the oldest of which
was near Arpinum, which he inherited. Pliny the Younger had three or four, of which
the example near Laurentium is the best known from his descriptions.
Renaissance villas
In 14th and 15th century Italy, a 'villa' once more connoted a country house,
sometimes the family seat of power like Villa Caprarola, more often designed for
seasonal pleasure, usually located within easy distance of a city. The first
examples of Renaissance Villa dates back to the age of Lorenzo de' Medici, and
they are mostly located in the Italian region of Tuscany (the "Medici villas") such
as the Villa di Poggio a Caiano by Giuliano da Sangallo (begun in 1470) or the
Villa Medici in Fiesole (since 1450), probably the first villa created under the
instructions of Leon Battista Alberti, who theorized in his De re aedificatoria
the features of the new idea of villa. From Tuscany the idea of villa was spread
again through Italy and Europe.
Excerpt of "Villa." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
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Rome
Rome (Italian and Latin: Roma) is the capital
city of Italy, and the country's largest and most popolous comune,
with about 2,5 millions residents (3,8 millions considering the
whole urbanised area, as represented by the Province of Rome).
Capital of the Lazio region of central-eastern Italy, Rome is
located across the confuence of the river Aniene into the Tiber.
With a gross domestic product of €97 billion in the year 2005,
the comune of Rome produced 6.7% of Italy's GDP, which is the
highest proportion of GDP produced by any single Italian comune.
The current Mayor of Rome is Walter Veltroni.
Founded on April 21, 753 BC by the twins Romulus and Remus, according
to legend, Rome was once the capital of the Roman Empire, the most
powerful, largest and longest-lasting empire of classical Western
civilisation; after the Western Roman Empire fell in 476, it became
the seat of the Pope and centre of the Catholic Church, as well as
capital of the Papal States. Rome was conquered by the newly unified
Kingdom of Italy in 1870, witnessed the rise of Italian fascism, and
finally became capital of the current Italian Republic and one of the
largest cities of the European Union. The Vatican City is still
contained as a sovereign enclave within the city territory.
Rome, whose city centre is a UNESCO world heritage site hosting some of
the world's best known works of art and monuments, is also called "la
Città Eterna" (the Eternal City), "l'Urbe" (Latin for "the City" as an
antonomasia) and "la città dei sette colli" ("the city of the seven hills").
...
Climate
Rome enjoys the temperate climate which characterises the Mediterranean
coasts of Italy, although the weather has been getting warmer in recent
decades. It is at its most comfortable from April through June, and from
mid-September to October; in particular, the Roman "ottobrata" (roughly
translated as "October period") is famously known for its sunny days and
pleasant temperatures. By August, the temperature during the heat of the
day often exceeds 35° C (95° F); traditionally, many businesses would
close during August, and Romans would abandon the city for holiday resorts,
but this trend is weakening, and the city is increasingly remaining fully
functional during the whole summer, in response to growing tourism as well
as change in the population's work habits. The average high temperature in
December is about 13° C (55° F).
Excerpt from "Rome." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
28 Oct 2006, 11:27 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 28 Oct 2006
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rome&oldid=84218047 Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic (Italian: Italia,
[..] or Repubblica Italiana, [...], is a Southern European country. It
comprises the Po River valley, the Italian Peninsula and the two largest
islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. It is also commonly
called by Italians "lo Stivale" ("the Boot", due to its boot-like shape),
or "la Penisola"[1] ("the Peninsula" as an antonomasia).
Italy shares its northern alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria
and Slovenia. The independent countries of San Marino and the Vatican City
are enclaves within Italian territory. Campione d'Italia is an Italian enclave
in Switzerland.
...
Climate
The Italian climate is unique and can be far from the stereotype of a
"land of sun.", depending on the region. The north of Italy (Turin, Milan,
and Bologna) has a true continental climate, while below Florence it becomes
more and more Mediterranean. The climate of the coastal areas of the Peninsula
is very different from that of the interior, particularly during the winter
months. The higher areas are cold, wet, and often snowy. The coastal regions,
where most of the large towns are located, have a typical Mediterranean climate
with mild winters and hot and generally dry summers. The length and intensity
of the summer dry season increases southwards (compare the tables for Rome,
Naples, and Brindisi).
Between north and south there is a quite remarkable difference in the temperatures,
above all during the winter: in some days of December or January it can snow in
Milan by -2°C while Palermo or Naples have just clouds and +17°C. Some mornings
Turin can be by -12°C while on the same time Rome has got +6°C and Reggio Calabria
+12°C. In the summer the difference is lighter. (‘‘See how Po valley can be frosty
in winter)
Excerpt from "Italy." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
29 Oct 2006, 09:02 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 29 Oct 2006
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Italy&oldid=84391810 |
and find it!
