Bonn, Madrid and Rome tourism 
n the opposite direction from the Pantheon, Piazza Navona is the most appealing square in Rome, an almost entirely enclosed space fringed with cafes and restaurants that follows the lines of the Emperor Domitian's chariot arena. Pope Innocent X built most of the grandiose palaces that surround it in the seventeenth century and commissioned Borromini to design the church of Sant'Agnese on the west side. The church, typically squeezed into the tightest of spaces by Borromini, supposedly stands on the spot where St Agnes, exposed naked to tin-public in the stadium, miraculously grew hair to cover herself.The Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi opposite, one of three that punctuate the square, is by Borromini's arch-rival, Bernini; each figure represents one of the four great rivers of the world - the Nile, Danube, Ganges and Plate - though only the horse, symbolizing tin-Danube, was actually carved by Bernini himself. It is astonishing to think that Mussolini once planned to plough a boulevard straight through the piazza.Just out of the north end, you'll find Palazzo Altemps, functioning as part of the Museo Nazionale Roniano and featuring the unmissable ancient statuary collected by the Ludovisi family. The highlight is the original fifth-century-BC Greek throne, embellished with a delicate relief of the birth of Aphrodite. East of Altemps, the Renaissance facade of the church ol Sant'Agostino is not much to look at but the church's handful of art treasures might draw you in - among them Raphael's vibrant Isaiali, on the third pillar on the left, Sansovino's craggy St Annr, Virgin and Child, and, in the first chapel on tin left, a Madonna and Pilgrims by Caravaggio, which is badly lit, so come prepared with coins for the light box. There's more work by Caravaggio down Via della Scrota, in the French national church of San Luigi dei Frances!, in the last chapel on the left: early works, describing the life and martyrdom of St Matthew, best of which is the Calling of St Matthew on the left wall - Matthew is the dissolute-looking youth on the far left, illuminated by a shaft of sunlight. A little way up Via della Ripetta from here, the Ara Pads Augustae (closed for restoration) was built in 13 ВС to celebrate Augustus' victory over Spain and Gaul. It supports a fragmented frieze showing Augustus himself, his wife Livia, Tiberius, Agrippa, and various children clutching the togas of the elders, the last of whom is said to be the young Claudius.At the far end of Via di Ripetta the Piazza del Popolo provides an impressive entrance to the city, all symmetry and grand vistas, although its real attraction is tin-church of Santa Maria del Popolo, which holds some of the best Renaissance art of any Roman church, including frescoes by Pinturicchio in the south aisle and two fine tombs by Andrea Sansovino. Two pictures by Caravaggio get most atten tiou - the Conversion of St Paul and the Crucifixion of St Peter. Villa BorgheseAt the northern edge of the city centre, the Villa Borghese (Metro Flaminio or Spagna), now beautifully restored, is made up of the grounds of the seventeenth-century palace of Cardinal Scipione Borghese - a vast and peaceful area of woods, lakes and grass. The main attraction is the Galleria Borghese (Tues-Sun 9am-7pm), which has an assortment of works collected by Scipione Borghese, notably sculptures by Bernini and a small, but fine collection of paintings: Aeneas and Anchises, Rape of Proserpine, Apollo and Daphne and David.The Villa Borgheses two other major museums are on the other side of the park, along the Viale delle Belle Arti. Of these, Museo Nazionale di Villa Giulia (Tues-Sun 8.30am-7.30pm) is the worlds primary collection of Etruscan treasures.The Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna (Tues-Sun 8.30am-7.20pm) houses an undistinguished collection of nineteenth - and twentieth-century Italian are including works by Modigliani, Di Chirico, Boccion and other Futurists, along with the odd Cezanne, Mondrian and Klimt.South of the centreOn the southern side of the Palatine Hill is the Circo Massimo, a long green expanse that was ancient Rome s chariot racing track. The arena once held a crowd of 200,000, but now a litter of stones at theViale Aventino end is all that remains Across the far side of Piazza di Porta Capena, the Baths of Caracalla are better preserved, and give a much better sense of the scale of Roman architecture. It's a short walk from behind the baths down Via Gitto to the Protestant Cemetery, accessible direct on metro line В (Piramide stop), the burial place of Keats and Shelley - a small, tranquil enclave, crouched behind the mossy pyramidal tomb of Caius Cestius.San Paolo fuori le Mura, 2km south, is one of the four patriarchal basilicas Rome, occupying the supposed site of St. Paul's tomb. Of the four, it has fared k well over the years, and the church you see is largely a nineteenth-century recon struction after a devastating fire. It is a huge, impressive building, and home to a handful of ancient features in the south transept, the Paschal Candlestick is a remarkable piece of Romanesque carving, supported by half-human beasts and rising through entwined tendrils and strangely human limbs and bodies to scene from Christ's life, the bronze aisle doors date from 1070, and the Cosmati cloister, just behind here, is probably Rome's finest, its spiralling, mosaic-encrusted column enclosing a peaceful rose garden.Further south still, on the edge of the city, the Via Appia was the most important of all the Roman trade routes. Its sides are lined with the underground burial cemeteries or Catacombs of the first Christians. There are five complexes in all, dating from the first to the fourth centuries, almost entirely emptied of bodies now but still decorated with the primitive signs and frescoes that were the hallmark of the then-burgeoning Christian movement. You can get to the main grouping on bus #218 from the Colosseum (Via San Gregono in Laterano), but the only ones of any significance are the catacombs of San Callisto, burial place of all the third-century popes, whose tombs are preserved in the papal crypt and the site of some well-preserved seventh - an eighth-century frescoes, and those of San Sebastiano 500m further on under a basilica that was originally built by Constantine Tours take in paintings of doves and fish, a contemporary carved oil lamp and inscriptions dating the tombs themselves - although the most striking features are three pagan tombs discovered when archeologists were burrowing beneath the floor of the basilica upstairs. Nearby graffiti records the fact that this was indeed, albeit temporarily, where the Apostles Peter and Paul rested.TrastevereAcross the Tiber from the centre of town, Trastevere is a small, tightly knit neigh bourhood that was once the artisan quarter of the city and has since become gentrified. It is now home to much of its most vibrant and youthful nightlife - and some of Rome's best restaurants The best time to come is on Sunday morning, when the Porta Portese flea market stretches down Via Portuense to Trastevere station in a congested medley of junk, antiques and clothing.Afterwards, stroll north up Via Anicia to the church of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere built over the site of the second-century home of the patron saint of music Locked in the hot chamber of her own baths for several days, she sang her way through the ordeal until her head was hacked half off with an axe. At the back of the church you can see excavations of the baths, though hints at restoration have robbed these of any atmosphere. If you get the chance, have a peek at the Singing Gallery's beautifully coloured and tender frescoes by Piero Cavallim.Santa Cecilia is situated in the quieter part of Trastevere, on the southern side of Viale Trastevere, the wide boulevard which cuts through the centre of the district. There's more life on the other side centred on Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere, named after the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere - held to be the first official church in Rome, built on a site where a fountain of oil is said to have sprung on the day of Christ's birth and sporting some of the city's most impressive mosaics, also by Cavallim North towards the Tiber, the Villa Farnesina is known for its Renaissance murals, including a Raphael-designed painting of Cupid and Psyche, completed in 1517 by the artists assistants. Raphael did, however, manage to finish the Galatea next door. The other paintings in the room are by Sebastiano del Piombo and the architect of the building, Peruzzi, who also decorated the upstairs Salone delle Prospettive which shows trompe 1'oeil galleries with views of contemporary Rome - one of the earliest examples of the technique.Castel Sant'Angelo, St Peter's and the Vatican MuseumsAcross the Tiber from Rome's old centre, the Castel Sant'Angelo was the burial place of the Emperor Hadrian In the sixteenth century, the pope converted the building for use as a fortress and built a passageway to link it with the Vatican as a refuge in times of siege Inside, rooms hold swords, armour, guns and the like, while below, dungeons and storerooms are testament to the castle's grisly past as the city s most notorious Renaissance prison Upstairs, the official papal apartments, accessible from the terrace, are extravagantly decorated with lewd frescoes amid paintings by Poussin, Jordaens and others Via della Conciliazione, which Mussolini ploughed through the old borgo to seal a pact with the pope, leads to the Vatican City (Metro Cipro), a tiny territory surrounded by high walls on its far side and on the near side opening its doors to the rest of the city and its pilgrims in the form of Bernini's Piazza San Pietro.The basilica of St Peter's (daily 7am-6/7pm, free) is the replacement of a basilica built during the time of Constantine, to a plan initially conceived at the turn of the fifteenth century by Bramante and finished off, heavily modified, over a century later by Carlo Maderno, making it something of a bridge between the Renaissance and Baroque eras The inside is full of features from the Baroque period, although the first thing you see, on the right, is Michelangelo's Pieta, completed when he was just 24 and, following an attack in 1972, displayed behind glass To the right is the Holy Door, opened by the pope for 2000, which he had declared a holy year, in all other years it remains bricked up On the right-hand side of the nave, the bronze statue of St Peter was cast in the thirteenth century by Arnolfo di Camblo and has its right foot polished smooth by the attentions of pilgrims Bronze was also the material used in Bernini's massive 28m high baldachmo, the centrepiece of the sculptor's embellishment of the interior Bernini's feverish sculpting decorates the apse, too, his cafedra enclosing the supposed chair of St Peter in a curvy marble and stucco throne An entrance off the aisle leads to the treasury, while back at the central crossing steps lead down to the Vatican Grottoes (daily 7/8am-5/6pm), where a number of popes are buried in grandiose tombs - in the main, those not distinguished enough to be buried up above Under the portico, to the right of the main doors,) ou can ascend to the roof and dome - from where the views over the city are glorious.A five-minute walk out of the northern side of the piazza takes you up to the only part of the Vatican Palace you can visit independently, the Vatican Museums (Mon-Sat 8 45am-4 45pm, last Sun of month 8 45am-l 45pm, в10, free Sun) - quite simply the largest, richest museum complex in the world, stuffed with booty from every period of the city's history. There's no point in trying to see everything on one visit, you'd do far better to select what you want to see and aim to return another time if you can. It's worth also taking account of the official, colour-coded routes that are constructed for varying amounts of time and interest and can take anything from 45 minutes to the best part of a day.Start off at the Raphael Stanze, at the opposite end of the building to the entrance, a set of rooms decorated for Pope Julius II by Raphael among others Of the two most interesting rooms, the Stanza Eliodoro is home to the Expulsion of Hehodorus from the Temple, an allusion to the military success of Julius II, depicted on the left in portrait Not to be outdone, Leo X, Julius's successor, in the Meeting of Attda and Si Leo opposite, ordered Raphael to substitute his head for that of Julius II, turning the painting into an allegory of the Battle of Ravenna at which he was present, thus he appears twice, as pope and as the equally portly Medici cardinal. Just behind In the same room, the Mass at Bolwza shows Julius again on the right, pictured in attendance at a famous thirteenth-century miracle in Orvieto. The next room, the Stanza della Segnatura or pope's study, was decorated between 1512 and 1514, and its School of Athens, on the near wall as you come in, is perhaps Raphael's most renowned work, a representation of the "Triumph of Scientific Truth" in which all the great minds from antiquity are present.Eating and drinkingYou can eat cheaply and well in Rome. Restaurants cluster near Campo dei Fion and Piazza Navona, but Trastevere is Rome's traditional restaurant ghetto and the home of some fine and reasonably priced eateries.NightlifeRoman nightlife still retains some of the smart ethos satirized in Fellini's Dolce Vita Discos and clubs cover the range there are vast glittering palaces with stunning lights and sound systems, places that are not much more than upmarket bars with music, and other, more down-to-earth places to dance, playing a more interesting selection of music to a younger crowd, with the centri sociali offering an innovative alternative to the mainstream scene, usually on a "pay what you can" basis Rome's rock scene is a fairly limp affair, and the city is much more in its element with jazz, with lots of venues and a wide choice of styles performed by a healthy array of local talent. Most clubs close during July and August, or move to locations on the coast, but Estate Romana organizes main outdoor locations all over Rome for concerts, discos, bars and cinemas.Many top international groups participate You may have to pay a membership fee on top of the admission price Drinks, though, are generally no more expensive than you'd pay in the average bar.The city's best source of listings is the magazine Roma C'e issued on Friday with a section in English, or the TiovaRoma supplement published with the Thursday edition of La Repubblica.Classical music, opera and filmFor classical music, the city's churches host a wide range of choral, chamber and organ recitals, many of them free. International names appear at Rome's new Auditorium. The Accademia di Santa Cecilia stages concerts by its own or visiting orchestras at Via della Conciliazione 4 and, in summer, in the gardens of the Villa Giulia. Rome's opera scene concentrates on the Teatro dell'Opera, on the Via Firenze, Piazza B. Gigh in winter and at various outdoor venues in summer. Purists should be prepared for a carnival atmosphere and plenty of unscheduled intervals. Rome's two English-language cinemas are the Pasqumo, Piazza Sant'Egidio 10 on Vicolo del Piede in Trastevere, and the Quirinetta at Via Minghetti 4. Other cinemas occasionally showing English-language films are the Nuovo Sacher, Largo Ascianghi 1, and Alcazar. Via Cardinal Merry delVal 14.FestivalsMuch of Rome's nightlife moves outdoors during the summer, all part of the Estate Romana programme; festivals offer live music, movies, markets and munchies and may be a more appealing option than the clubs on a hot summer evening.La Festa di Noantri Viale Trastevere and around, Medieval Trastevere's traditional summer festival in honour of the Virgin, with street stalls selling all sorts of snacks and trinkets, and a grand finale of fireworks. The main event is the Virgin's effigy being hauled joyously from the church of Santa Agata to that of San Crisogono, and back again. Last two weeks of July. La Festa dell'Unita Venues change annually; check Roma C'e for details. Throughout the summer, this cheery hotchpotch of music, film, eateries, games and other attractions - much of it free - is the re-founded Communist Party's way of reminding people of what fun the Left can be. ConclusionThe main position of Europe in the international tourism is defined not only quantity of foreign visitors and the sum of currency incomes, but also capacity of material base of foreign tourism, which in the certain measure surpasses opportunities of the tourist industry of other areas of the world, in particular, by means of passenger transport, hotel accommodation, excursion and entertainment objects.The main role in the international tourism in Europe belongs to a tourist exchange between European peoples. On a share of the European states it is necessary about 90% of all foreign tourism in Europe.The largest cities of Europe possess a high cultural heritage and are its tourist capitals. Each such city in each country involves tourists with the something. However, all of them are unusual and are worthy the tourist who has gathered in travel across Europe. Literature1. The Rough Guide to Europe. Published by Rough Guides. 2007 Edition. 2. Rosenbaum R. Explaining Hitler: The Search for the Origins of his Evil/R. Rosenbaum. - London etc.: Papermac, 1998. 3. Harding K., Henderson P. High Season: English for the Hotel and Tourist Industry. - Oxford etc.: Oxford Univ. Press, 2003.
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