There are so many things that Italy is famous for. It has plenty of historical sites, breathtaking sceneries and landscapes and of course, we must not forget the finest wines.

So have you been debating on whether or not to take a visit of Italy? If the answer is yes then here are some things that you would enjoy when you get there.

The most coveted place to visit should be the Vatican. This state of the city of the Vatican is known to them as stato della citi del vaticano and is all surrounded by a wall. It is a landlocked city and a state as well which is all ruled by the head of the Roman Catholic Church, the pope.

With a population of about 800, the Vatican has a total area of 44 hectares. Some places of interest for you to visit while in there should be the Renaissance church, St. Peter’s cathedral and the Popes very own official residence, the Sistine chapel.

Still in Rome, you can go by the colosseum which was finished in 80 A.D. It was an arena where the public would go to watch a variety of games.

The city of Venice is also another beautiful location to visit. You can go take a look at michelangelo’s statue of David and also visit the Uffizi gallery. After these you will still have the Basillica di San Lorenzo to see and the Ponte vecchio.

A tour of Italy cannot be complete without a wine tour as Italy has the finest wines in the world. You can get the likes of Chainti, Montalcino and the world renowned Cabarnet sauvignon.

They actually say that in Italy you can get the chance to savour ‘ the Rolls Royce of Italian wines’, the Brunello di Montalcino.

Check out more of this author’s articles on topics such as and individual dental insurance plans and dental implant procedure.

categories: destinations,travel,travel tips,leisure,Italy,places,outdoors,fun,family,happiness,trip,places,wine,happiness

Every year in Seville, Spain locals and foreigners gather together for their well know and loved Seville Spring Fair. This is a great event that’s unlike nearly anything else in the world, including many of the great festivals you’ll find throughout the other cities of Spain.

The Spring Fair usually takes place two weeks after the Holy Week celebration is done and is known to last up to a week. Few people know about this event as compared to others, but it’s still one of the most special that the great nation of Spain has to offer.

Included in the festivities are carriages that carry the city’s officials, other events include gathering with the breeders and bullfighters and watching them in the arena. This makes for some special viewing if you have the privilege to see it, truly bringing out the best in Spain’s culture.

As you walk along the river bank of the Guadalquivir, you will see it decorated with colorful tents also known as casetas with people celebrating the festival over drinks and sharing food.

The fair is known to be celebrated by the all of the locals and will spend all day dancing through out the whole week.

Tapas, which are snacks and finger foods are brought and shared by all the locals. All kinds of foods are prepared here and there’s something for everyone.

The Seville fair originated in 1847 when the locals would bring in their livestock for the queen to approve. 160 years later, Seville still holds tight to and treasures this event just as much as they did when it began.

One of the greatest and arguably the most beautiful of all of Seville’s traditions for this grand festival is the woman dancing in their vibrant dresses. Surely, it shows the elegance and beauty of the city of Seville Spain.

In addition to festivals, this writer additionally frequently publishes information regarding engraved cufflinks and corrugated paper boxes.

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On a cold, gray morning in late January 2000, the historic Mapes Hotel in Reno was imploded by 75 pounds of explosives tucked into the art-deco structures support columns. The controlled demolition came despite years of effort by a number of groups within the community and nationally to preserve the building with lawsuits, redevelopment proposals, and grass roots lobbying efforts.

While the logic and necessity of demolishing the Mapes is very questionable, one thing that is certain is that the hotel was an important part of Northern Nevada history. The Mapes opened in’47 and with it ushered in a new era for casino gambling and the state of Nevada. Despite some historical revisionism that suggests that the modern era began in Las Vegas with Bugsy Siegel’s famed Flamingo, the Mapes was actually the first building in America to have a hotel, casino and live entertainment under the same roof. The Mapes attracted countless celebrities who’d make it their home when business brought them to Northern Nevada–this included movie stars like Clark Gable, TV stars like the cast of ‘Bonanza’ and political power brokers like infamous anti-Communist crusader Joseph McCarthy.

In the 50s and 60s it became, along with Lake Tahoes Cal-Neva Lodge the place to be seen in Northern Nevada. The top floor, window-walled Sky Room showcased performances by the legends: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Jackie Gleason, Louis Prima, Mae West, Milton Berle, Sammy Davis, Jr., and the Marx Brothers among others. Subsequent years were not kind to downtown Reno but the Mapes continued to do well during the 60′s and 70′s. The hotel finally closed in’82, due more to financial difficulties experienced by the Mapes family caused by one of their other Northern Nevada gaming properties than anything else.

Reno has yet to experience the sort of growth that has been seen in Southern Nevada, and for that reason the destruction of the Mapes is more open to debate than the hotel demolitions to the south. Even the demolition of The Sands–perhaps the most historically significant casino in the state–is hard to argue against given the inability of such a small property to compete in the current Las Vegas marketplace and in light of the value of the mid-strip real estate.

This is not the case in Reno, where land and buildings for development in virtually every casino area are abundant. The city argued that the land on which the Mapes stood was necessary for their redevelopment efforts–a somewhat absurd position given the realities of downtown Reno and the lack of any real development on the property since the demolition. Despite receiving a number of viable concepts for the Mapes Building, the City Redevelopment Authority rejected all of them and the Mapes was destined for demolition.

The role of the City Redevelopment Authority was questioned throughout the process. Overlooking the Truckee River, the hotel was on a prime location between the downtown casino area and the riverfront district. A number of sound financial proposals were presented that would preserve the integrity of the structure including condominiums, office space, and perhaps most viable, upscale senior apartments. Oddly, all of these proposals were turned down by the citys Redevelopment Agency which continued to maintain that demolition was the only viable option despite copious evidence to the contrary.

After the demolition of The Mapes Hotel, the lot remained vacant for almost a year until a temporary ice skating rink was constructed in the winter of 2001. The site now houses a permanent ice skating rink which, while not a bad use for the land, brings into question the insistence by the City Redevelopment Agency that none of the proposals to preserve the building were viable. Clearly, they had no specific plan or even general idea of what to do with the land but for some reason wanted to see the hotel come down. This has led to all manner of speculation, ranging from financial self interest to a rumor that the structure was ‘haunted’ and needed to be destroyed to forestall future paranormal activity in Washoe County. Whatever the reason, the city of Reno lost a valuable landmark of a more civilized era.

Ross Everett is a freelance writer and respected sports betting authority. He is also a staff handicapper for Sports-1 Sportsbook and is in charge of setting NFL lines. He has written extensively on sports handicapping theory along with a wide range of other topics including fencing, self defense and falconry.