Pompeii is a ruined Roman city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the comune of Pompei. It was destroyed, and completely buried, during a catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius on 24 August79 AD.

The volcano buried Pompeii under many meters of ash, and it was lost for 1,600 years before its accidental rediscovery in 1748. Since then, its excavation has provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city at the height of the Roman Empire. Today, it is a main tourist attraction of Italy and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. [wikipedia]

Contributed by Kevin.

The Pyramid of Cestius is a funerary monument built about 12 BC as a tomb for Caius Cestius, a member of one of the four great religious corporations at Rome, the Septemviri epulonum. [wikipedia]

Contributed by Angelo Moneta.

Frecce Tricolori (Three-coloured Arrows) is the precision aerobatic demonstration team for the Italian Air Force. The team flies the Aermacchi MB-339-A/PAN, a two-seat fighter-trainer and anti-tank craft capable of roughly 898 km/h at sea level. [wikipedia link]

Contributed by Kevin.

The Enrico Toti was the first Italian submarine to be built after World War II.  She was commissioned in 1968 and decommissioned in 2001 after which she was sailed up the Po River to Cremona, Italy. There she sat until August of 2005 when engineers transported her across land to the “Museo della Scienza e Della Tecnica” in Milan.

Here is the same sub after its move to Milan.

Contributed by Kevin.

Window Local Live has just added a large new batch of European bird’s eye coverage. Get busy searching and submitting your new posts!!

The famous Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy [wikipedia link]

Contributed by Stephen L.

Here are a few popular sites to see in Rome, Italy.

The Colosseum or Coliseum, originally known as the Flavian Amphitheatre is a giant amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome. Originally capable of seating 50,000 spectators, it was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles. It was built between 70 and 72 AD under the emperor Vespasian.

The Basilica of Saint Peter is the most prominent building inside the Vatican City. Michaelangelo’s dome is also the dominant feature of the Roman skyline.

The Pantheon is a building in Rome which was originally built as a temple to the seven deities of the seven planets in the state religion of Ancient Rome, but which has been a Christian church since the 7th century. It is the best-preserved of all Roman buildings and the oldest important building in the world with its original roof intact.

The Spanish Steps is a set of stairs in Rome, ramping a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinità dei Monti, with the church under the patronage of the Bourbon kings of France, Trinità dei Monti, above. The monumental stairway, of 138 steps, was built in 1723–1725, linking the Bourbon Spanish embassy to the Holy See, today still located in the piazza below, with the Trinità dei Monti church above.

Contributed by Kevin.

Here are a few popular sites in Venice.

Piazza San Marco, often known in English as St Mark’s Square, is the principal square of Venice. The Piazza is dominated by the Basilica, the Doge’s Palace and the Basilica’s campanile, which stands apart from it.

The Rialto Bridge is a bridge spanning the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. It is the oldest bridge across the canal and probably the most famous in the city.

The Bridge of Sighs is one of many bridges in Venice built in the 16th century. The enclosed bridge is made of white limestone and has windows with stone bars. It passes over the Rio di Palazzo and connects the old prisons to the interrogation rooms in the Doge’s Palace.

The view from the Bridge of Sighs was the last view of Venice that convicts saw before their imprisonment. The bridge name, given by Lord Byron in the 19th century, comes from the suggestion that prisoners would sigh at their final view of beautiful Venice out the window before being taken down to their cells.

Contributed by Kevin.

Here are some popular sites in Florence, Italy.

The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore is the cathedral church (Duomo) of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Florence, noted for its distinctive dome.

The Ponte Vecchio is a famous medieval bridge over the Arno, in Florence, Italy, noted for having shops (mainly jewelers) built along it. It is Europe’s oldest segmental arch bridge.

The Palazzo Pitti is a vast mainly Renaissance palace in Florence, Italy. In the 19th century, the palazzo, by then a great treasure house, was used as a power base by Napoleon, and later served for a brief period as the principal royal palace of the newly-united Italy. In the early 20th century, the palazzo together with its contents was given to the Italian people by King Victor Emmanuel III; subsequently its doors were opened to the public as one of Florence’s largest art galleries. Today, housing several minor additions in addition to those of the Medici family, it is fully open to the public.

Contributed by Kevin.

Here is the stage for the Opening Ceremonies of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.

Contributed by Kevin.