Lago di Como

When two friends visited me in Milan, we embarked on an excursion to Lake Como, or how Italians call it: Lago di Como :)

It is famous for the lakeside villas belonging to actors and celebrities such as George Clooney.

It was a very nice and chilly winter day we spent there, the landscape was snowy. We took the funicular to the village of Brunate.

I remember the stunning futurist style World War I memorial by the lakeside, which was designed by Giuseppe and Attilio Terragni, using the original futurist style sketches of Antonio Sant'Elia and it was finally built in 1931.

Date: January 2013

Colosseum

The Colosseum is a building which doesn't need any introduction, it is one of the New7Wonders of the World. One of the most recognized ancient structure, the symbol of Rome. 

Even though, I try to write a few interesting fact about it. 

The construction spanned from emperor Vespasian who ordered its building in AD 72, his son and successor, Titus completed it in 80 and then, Domitian made further modifications between 81–96. All three of these emperors were the members of the Flavian dynasty, so the Colosseum is also referred as the Flavian Amphiteatre. It is believed that its name derives from the colossal, 30-metre high bronze statue of emperor Nero (Colossus Neronis) that stood nearby.

Yes, it is an amphiteatre, the biggest ever built. It was built for Roman citizens to entertain themselves with gladiator combats, naumachiae (staged naval battles), executions and drama plays. The estimated capacity of the building is between 50 000–80 000 spectators.

During the course of history, the Colosseum was stripped of by stone-robbers, its material was reused in bulding palaces, churches and any other edifice of Rome.

I have visited the Colosseum three times and besides its artistic grandeur, I was surprised it is a home to lots of cats :)

From: W. J.
Date: December 2012

Petra

Al-Khazneh, the "Treasury"

Though its name means "Treasury" in Arabic, Al-Khazneh, in fact, is an ancient temple, one of the main tourist attractions of the antique city of Petra. Local Beduins believed it contained treasure, hence its name. More probably, it was the mausoleum of the Nabatean King Aretas IV, who lived in the first century AD. 

The temple is carved out from a sandstone rock face and its façade bears decorative sculptures and reliefs: eagles, dancing amazons and the sculptures by the entrance of the Dioscuri twins: Castor and Pollux. The urn at the top of the center line connects back to the treasury legend: it is assumed that it was shot numerous times at the beginning of the 20th century by the Beduins who thought it contains treasure.

Petra was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.

From: P. E.
Date: October 2012