Monument of Victor Emanuel II
Walking for ten minutes from the Square where Constantine’s arch sits, we arrive to the Monumment of Victor Emanuel II.
It is towering up under the Capitol, right in the heart of Rome where its impressing with its imposing dimension. In the middle of this monument there is rising up the altar of the Fatherland. Under the Statue of the Roma there is since 1921 the “Grave of the unknown soldier” or like we say in Italy “Il milite ignoto", which is supposed to remind us of the soldiers who died in the World War I.
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Piazza Venezia
Orient yourself facing the large marble monument (Vittoriano/'Wedding Cake') to the south. Take a brief look to your right at the balcony of Palazzo Venezia from which Mussolini used to orate.
Dominating the square, the Vittoriano is the monument to King Victor Emanuele, the unifier of Italy. (The 1870 Resorgimento - Italy is a young country, despite its ancient heritage.) Gaudy to some, the Italians derisively call it the Wedding Cake or the Typewriter. The flame in the center and the military guards mark Italy's tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Cross the square toward the right side of the Wedding Cake
The Soviet honour mark (The Soviet War Memorial) was established 1945 from marble stones of the former Reichskanzlei and is to remind of the Soviet soldiers pleased in the war against Nazi Germany. On the center of the semi-circle stands a statue from bronze, which represents a Soviet soldier in field equipment. At the two sides of the monument stand the two T34 tank, the end 2. World war first Berlin to have reached are. The monument stands on west-Berliner side and to short after the reunification around the clock by two soldiers of the Red Army was guarded.
Location:
Place des Vosges
Place des Vosges is one of Paris' finest squares. Walk to the center where Louis XIII sits on a horse surrounded by locals enjoying their fine community park. Henry IV built this centerpiece of the Marais in 1605. As hoped, this turned the Marais into Paris' most exclusive neighborhood. Victor Hugo lived at #6 (corner closest the Bastille, open to the public, admission fee).
To leave the square, walk behind Louis' horse to the arcade. Follow it left past art galleries and antique shops onto the boutique-filled rue des Francs Bourgeois. Browse two blocks off the place des Vosges
Museum in the Monastery of Pedralbes
The monastery is a Gothic strucute and is declared a national and artistic monument.
tel: 93 20 39 282
address: Baixada Monestir 9
open: Workdays and Sunday: 10-14:00. Saturday 10-17:00. Monday and holidays closed.
Musee d'Orsay
The Musée d'Orsay is an old trainstation converted into a Museum. The conversion has been very successful and the museum is worth a visit for the special setting alone. The old Gare (train station) d'Orsay was built by Victor Laloux and inaugurated in 1900 for the Universal Exhibition. The station was closed in 1939.
The museum was opened in December 1986 and was dedicated to all artistic production from 1848 to 1914. Paintings, pastels, sculptures, furniture and objets d'art, photography and documentary objects reflect the richness and diversity of this era.
If you have limited time, you may well prefer to
