Ainhoa

Bárbara de Braganza 12. Phone: 308 6698. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.11000 ($88) for two. All major cards. (C1).

One of many Basque places, a modern and simple restaurant with classic cooking, situated in the north-eastern part of the center, near Paseo de Recoletos.

The dining room is partioned in two by a wooden grill and covered with mirrors on one side.

• Marmitako = pea soup with turnip, potato and tuna.

• Revuelto de pisto = scrambled eggs with chopped olives.

• Merluza a la parilla = grilled hake.

• Rape a la koskera = turbot with green bean sauce.

• Tarta et truffa almondes = almond cake.

• Idiázabal = Basque cheese.

Al Mounia

Recoletos 5. Phone: 435 0828. Hours: Closed Sunday & Monday. Price: Pts.9700 ($78) for two. All major cards. (C2).

The best Moorish restaurant in Spain is in central Madrid, near Paseo de Recoletos, combining cooking and atmosphere.

It is divided into a few rooms decorated from top to bottom in Moorish style, evoking memories from Alhambra in Granada and Mezquita in Córdoba. Guests sit in sofas at low sofa-tables and enjoy especially good service.

• Al Mounia panache = pancakes of the house.

• Brochette khefta = skewered meat balls.

• Chicken with almonds and meat fumé.

• Grilled lamb.

• Cordero mechoui = oven-braised lamb.

• Taginé = minced chicken.

• Alcuzcuz = Maghreb hash.

• Almond sweets.

• Mint tea.

Asador de Aranda

Preciados 44. Phone: 547 2156. Hours: Closed Monday dinner. Price: Pts.7600 ($61) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Castilian restaurant in a pedestrian area around the main department stores in the center. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Bajamar

Gran Vía 78. Phone: 548 4818. Fax: 559 1326. Price: Pts.15000 ($120) for two. All major cards. (A1).

The best-known seafood restaurant in town, receiving airborne fish every day, popular with tourists and businessmen, in a basement on the corner of Plaza de España and Gran Vía.

An aquarium with lobsters awaits customers when the have descended the staircase. The dining room is rather cool, sheathed in bright wood Scandinavian style, like a Norwegian hotel from 1965.

• Steamed lobster.

• Dublin Bay prawns in garlic oil.

• Baked apple.

• Torrija de la casa = rice pudding with cinnamon.

Botín

Cuchilleros 17. Phone: 366 4217. Fax: 366 8494. Price: Pts.9800 ($78) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Down the steps from the southwestern corner of Plaza Mayor, 100 meters down the street on the left side, Antigua Casa Sobrino de Botín, founded in 1725, one of the very oldest restaurants in the world. This was the venue of the final chapter of Hemingway’s rising sun, not surprisingly since he was a regular here. The place is also mentioned in his story on an afternoon death.

It was originally only on the ground floor but has been expanded into two upper floors. It is not only popular with tourists but also with locals. The tavern has old and quaint furnishings, including porcelain tiles on the walls and marble in the floors. The kitchen oven has been in use since the start of the restaurant.

• Black sausages Burgos.

• Ham on melon.

• Cordero asado = braised lamb.

• Cochinillo asado = braised baby pork.

• Cheese cake with raspberries.

Buey II

Plaza de la Marina Española 1. Phone: 541 3041. Price: Pts.7000 ($56) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Near the royal palace and the Sabatine gardens. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Café de Oriente

Plaza de Oriente 2. Phone: 541 3974. Fax: 547 7707. Price: Pts.13000 ($104) for two. All major cards. (A2).

One of the very best restaurants in central Madrid, a Basque one, run by Chef Bernardo Santos, influenced by Nouvelle Cuisine. It is opposite the Royal Palace, really two places in one as you have to enter an alley to get into the better one on the left side.

The solemn dining room is wealthy and homey at the same time. Service is excellent.

• Lobster salad.

• Asparagus mousse with sea lamprey and seaweed.

• Pigeon breast.

• Sliced beef fillet.

• Nougat ice-cream flambé with timbale.

• Black-currant sorbet with blackberry sauce.

Casa Gallega

Plaza San Miguel 8. Phone: 547 3055. Price: Pts.8000 ($64) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Galician cooking a few steps from Plaza Major and Plaza de la Villa. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Casa Lucio

Cava Baja 35. Phone: 365 3252. Fax: 366 4866. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch. Price: Pts.10200 ($82) for two. All major cards. (A3).

Near the far end of the restaurant mile leading off Plaza Mayor into Cuchilleros and Cava Baja, frequented by politicians and artists, bullfighters and television people.

Its two storeys are always full to the brim. Service is good for the regulars, less so for the others.

• Melón con jamón = ham on melon.

• Jamón de Jabugó = Jabugó ham.

• Shells.

• Revuelto de patatas con huevo = omelet with chips.

• Lenguado de la casa = sole.

• Solemillo = beef steak.

• Perdices = partridge marinated in vinaigrette.

• Arroz con leche = Milky rice pudding with caramel crust.

Casa Marta

Santa Clara 10. Phone: 548 2825. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.6000 ($48) for two. All major cards. (A2).

A few steps from the opera and Plaza de Orientes. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Casa Paco

Puerta Cerrada 11. Phone: 366 3166. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.9200 ($74) for two. No cards. (A2).

On the restaurant mile leading off Plaza Mayor along Cuchilleros and Cava Baja, a celebrity eatery with extremely simple furnishings.

The main decoration are the endless pictures covering a good part of the walls of many small dining rooms. Theater personalities frequent this place for beef and salad. Coffee is not served.

• Jamón serrano = ham.

• Cochinillo asado = braised pork.

• Solomillo de buey = beef filet.

• Flan = fruit flan.

• Tarta Santiago = tart of the house.

Club 31

Alcalá 58. Phone: 531 0092. Price: Pts.14000 ($112) for two. All major cards. (C2).

One of the best restaurants in Madrid, a kind of a ladies’ club at dinner and a gentlemen’s club at lunch, is near the corner of Alcalá and Plaza de la Independencia. Ángel Paracuellos practices classic cuisine.

It is a large, dark brown room that would be bare if it were not full of noisy people all the time. The furnishings are unusual. A large carpet is on one wall, another is of cork and the third of wood. Lots of waiters keep milling around.
• Souffle de rodaballo con bacon a las finas herbas = turbot mousse.

• Cacaroles de borgona con foie en nido de patata asado = snails with goose liver on a baked potato.

• Rodaballo al horno con setas = turbot with mushroom.

• Pata azulón a la naranja y compota de membrillo = duck in orange.

• Perdiz asada en hoja de vid = partridge with baked potato.

• Venado estilo australio, ciruelas, parsas y pinones = venison Australian style, with prunes and raisins.

• Crepes de manzana al calvados con sorbete al cava = flambéed pancakes with apple filling.

• Nuestra tarta milhojas = puff pastry.

Comedor

Montalbán 9. Phone: 531 6968. Fax: 531 6191. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch & Sunday. Price: Pts.9600 ($77) for two. All major cards. (C2).

BetweenPlaza de Cibeles and Parque del Buen Retiro. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Cuevas de Luis Candelas

Cuchilleros 1. Phone: 366 5428. Fax: 366 1880. Price: Pts.9500 ($76) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Restaurant in old Madrid style with musicians, on the steps leading down from Plaza Mayor. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Don Pelayo

Alcalá 33. Phone: 531 0031. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.9000 ($72) for two. All major cards. (B2).

On the main street leading to Plaza Puerta del Sol. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Errota Zar

Jovellanos 3. Phone: 531 2564. Fax: 531 2564. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.9500 ($76) for two. All major cards. (B2).

One of the best of many good Basque restaurants in Madrid is on the short walk between the parliament building and hotel Suecia. The cooking is in traditional Basque style.

It is in a long, green room where guests sit in noble chairs at tables clothed in green linen.

• Gratinado de ostras sobre roseta de tomate a la muselina de aromáticos = gratinated oysters with tomato.

• Milhofas de paloma y foie a la gelatina de frambuesa = warm pigeon liver and duck liver in gelatine.

• Solomillo con foie-gras a las uvas = beef filet with goose liver.

• Ragout de cievres = venison in thick prune sauce.

• Bacalao al pil-pil = salt-cod.

• Suprema de perdiz en lecho de col fresada = partridge breast.

• Pudding de arroz con leche a la crema de cirulas farsas = rice pudding with plum puré.

• Charlota de peras con caramelo al Williams = pear tart with caramel sauce.

• Idiázabal = Basque cheese.

Espejo

Paseo de Recoletos 31. Phone: 308 2347. Fax: 593 2223. Price: Pts.9000 ($72) for two. All major cards. (C1).

Directly on Paseo de Recoletos, one of the most beautiful restaurants in Madrid, a lively place in turn-of-the-century Art Nouveau style.

Lots of mirrors, porcelain tiles and leaded lampshades are the main attraction. The service is also very good. The cooking hails from Navarra and the Basque country.

• Espárragos Navarra = asparagus marinated in oil.

• Ensalade de langosta, melón y salmón ahumado = a salad of shrimp, melon, smoked salmon and small tomatoes.

• Escalopines de cordero = slices of leg of lamb.

• Pato e la laranja = duck in orange.

• Profiteroles de nata con chocolate = puff pastry with cream and hot chocolate.

• Flan al caramelo = caramel pudding.

Esteban

Cava Baja 36. Phone: 365 9091. Fax: 366 9391. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.9000 ($72) for two. All major cards. (A3).

Near the far end of the restaurant mile leading off Plaza Mayor into Cuchilleros and Cava Baja, frequented by journalists, media people and theater people.

Everybody seems to know each other. People amble between tables exchanging greetings just as at a party. The furnishings are old and dark and amusingly accidental. Old beams are much in evidence. The cooking is very old-fashioned.

• Alcachofas con almejas = artichokes with shells in a soup.

• Pimientos rellenos de bacalao = salt cod in paprika.

• Solomillo de corzo = venison filet.

• Rabo de toro estofado = ox tail dressing.

• Cordero asada = braised lamb.

• Torrijas de leche frita = rice pudding.

Grillade

Jardines 3. Phone: 521 2217. Fax: 531 3127. Price: Pts.8000 ($64) for two. All major cards. (B2).

In a short street between Gran Vía and Plaza Puerta del Sol. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Gure-Etxea

Plaza de la Paja 12. Phone: 365 6149. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.10000 ($80) for two. All major cards. (A3).

A Basque dining room situated in a half-timbered house on a small church square just west off the Cava Baja restaurant street.

The quality furnishings fit the excellent service and the premium cooking.

• Piperrada vaxca = omelet, green peppers and ham.

• Shrimp in crab soup.

• Besugo al estilo de Beneo = whole sea bream in oil.

• Merluza al horno = baked hake.

• Leche frita = pan-fried milk pudding.

• Flan de la casa = caramel pudding.

Ingenio

Leganitos 10. Phone: 541 9133. Fax: 547 3534. Hours: Closed Sunday dinner. Price: Pts.6100 ($49) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Between Gran Vía and the royal palace. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Julián de Tolosa

Cava Baja 18. Phone: 365 8210. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.13000 ($104) for two. All major cards. (A3).

On the main restaurant street in the old center. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Mentidero de la Villa

Santo Tomé 6. Phone: 308 1285. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch & Sunday. Price: Pts.9000 ($72) for two. All major cards. (C1).

Restaurant with old furnishings near Museo Arquelógico Nacional and Paseo de Recoletos. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Mesón Gregorio III

Bordadores 5. Phone: 542 5956. Hours: Closed Wednesday. Price: Pts.8200 ($66) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Between the opera and Plaza Puerta del Sol. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Mi Pueblo

Costanilla de Santiago 2. Phone: 548 2073. Hours: Closed Sunday dinner & Monday. Price: Pts.6300 ($50) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Near Plaza Mayor. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Ópera de Madrid

Amnistía 5. Phone: 559 5092. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.7600 ($61) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Near the opera and Plaza de Orientes. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Paradis Madrid

Marqués de Cubas 14. Phone: 429 7303. Fax: 429 3295. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch & Sunday. Price: Pts.10000 ($80) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A few steps from Plaza Canovás del Castillo and Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Platerías

Plaza Santa Ana 11. Phone: 429 7048. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch & Sunday. Price: Pts.9000 ($72) for two. All major cards. (B2).

On a main square in old Madrid. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Posada de la Villa

Cava Baja 9. Phone: 366 1880. Fax: 366 1880. Price: Pts.9800 ($78) for two. All major cards. (A3).

Antique restaurant in Castilian style on the main restaurant street in the old center. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Rasputín

Yeseros 2. Phone: 366 3962. Hours: Closed Tuesday. Price: Pts.6400 ($51) for two. All major cards. (A3).

Russian restaurant near the royal palace. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Robata

Reina 31. Phone: 521 8528. Fax: 531 3063. Hours: Closed Tuesday. Price: Pts.7000 ($56) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A Japanese restaurant near Gran Vía. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Schotis

Cava Baja 11. Phone: 365 3230. Hours: Closed Sunday evening. Price: Pts.7800 ($62) for two. All major cards. (A3).

On the restaurant mile leading off Plaza Mayor into Cuchilleros and Cava Baja, specializing in beef steaks served on sizzling bricks.

It is long and narrow, with large paintings covering the walls, filled with local customers.

• Revuelto de trigueros = scrambled egg with green peas.

• Tomato salad.

• Merluza = hake.

• Solomillo = beef steak on brick.

• Flan de huevo = egg pudding.

• Two ice-creams with pineapple and whipped cream.

Sixto Gran Mesón

Cervantes 28. Phone: 429 2255. Fax: 523 3174. Hours: Closed Sunday dinner. Price: Pts.9000 ($72) for two. All major cards. (B2).

Castilian restaurant near Plaza Canovás del Castillo. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Taberna del Alabardero

Felipe V 6. Phone: 547 2577. Fax: 547 7707. Price: Pts.10300 ($82) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Opposite the royal palace, a restaurant in 19th C. style, probably too elegant to be called a tavern. It has spawned descendants abroad.

The best atmosphere is in the innermost room, furnished with antiques. The cooking is a combination of Modern French and Basque, offering some imaginative courses.

• Tomatoes with crab filling and egg sauce.

• Paprika with wild mushroom and spinach filling and tomato sauce.

• Bacalao “Club Ranero” = salt-cod.

• Corazón de solomillo de toro = beef filet.

• Grouse with potato chips.

• Duck slices in orange sauce.

• Rice pudding.

• Melone and cream soup with raspberries.

Toja

Siete de Julio 3. Phone: 366 4664. Fax: 366 5230. Price: Pts.10000 ($80) for two. All major cards. (A2).

On the northwestern corner of Plaza Mayor, a popular and lively tavern offering Galician food.

The simple and large dining place is equally popular with locals and foreigners.

• King prawns in egg sauce.

• Crab.

• Shellfish.

• Merluza gallega = grilled hake with white potatoes.

• Grilled lamb shoulder.

• Tarta Toya = Napoleon pastry.

• Strawberries with cream.

Valle

Humilladero 4. Phone: 366 9025. Hours: Closed Monday dinner & Sunday. Price: Pts.7000 ($56) for two. All major cards. (A3).

A few steps from Descalzas Reales. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Viridiana

Juan de Mena 14. Phone: 523 4478. Fax: 532 4274. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.13000 ($104) for two. All major cards. (C2).

Exceptional cooking at a relatively economical restaurant between Plaza de la Lealtad and Parque del Buen Retiro. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Zalachaín

Álvarez de Baena 4. Phone: 561 4840. Fax: 561 4732. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch, Sunday. Price: Pts.19000 ($152) for two. All major cards

We include Zalachaín even if it is not in the city center, near the corner of Paseo de la Castellana and Maria de Molina. It is the best restaurant in Madrid and one of the top three in Spain, a Basque restaurant as the other two. It combines content with form, cuisine with ambience and service. A tie for gentlemen is obligatory.

The dining area is in a few venerable rooms of hardwood, a few tables in each, loaded with exquisite crystal and porcelain. The service matches the dignified atmosphere. The cooking of Chef Benjamín Urdáin is in a Basque version of French Nouvelle Cuisine.

• Ensalada de gambas con maíz dulce al sorbete de tomates = shrimp salad with sweet maize on tomato sorbet.

• Raviolis rellenos de setas, rufas y foie gras = mushrooms and goose liver in ravioli.

• Bacalao Tellagorri = salted cod.

• Pato azulón al chartreuse verde = duck in liqueur.

• Ragoût de bogavante con alcachofas = lobster ragout with artichokes.

• Escalopes de lubina con salsa de almejas = sea bass fillets with shellfish sauce.

• Biscuit glacé con chocolate fundido = coffee ice with chocolate sauce.

• Frutas del tiempo con sorbete = season’s berries with sorbet.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Agata e Romeo

Via Carlo Alberto 45. Phone: 733 298 & 446 5842. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.140000 ($88) for two. All major cards. (E3).

Classy restaurant 200 meters from the Santa Maria Maggiore church, near the main railway station. Agata Paricella is in charge of the kitchen and Romeo Caraccia directs casually in the dining rooms, hands in pockets (his own).

The restaurant is small and refined with good and dignified service. The guests sit in wicket chairs at well spaced tables in nooks between arches under vaults. A good wine list. Specialises in Roman cooking, such as innards.

• Zuppa di scarola e borlotti = salad and bean soup.

• Rigatoni alla pagliata = pasta tubes with tomato sauce, parmesan and kidneys.

• Merluzzo con zabaione = poached cod in red wine sauce.

• Agnello di Abruzzo = rack of lamb with potatoes and mushrooms.

• Mousse de ricotta con salsa di canelle = cheese soufflé with cinnamon.

Innards:

• Animelle = sweetbreads.

• Cervella = brains.

• Coratella = lamb lungs.

• Fegato = liver.

• Pagliata = kidneys.

• Rognoni = kidneys.

• Trippa = tripe.

Ai Tre Scalini

Via di Santissimi Quattro 30. Phone: 70 96 309 & 70 02 835. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.160000 ($101) for two. All major cards. (D4).

Small and distinguished top-class restaurant, 200 meters from Colosseum. It combines traditional cooking with innovations. The owner-chef is a construction engineer, Rosanna Dupré, designing a new menu each day.

Unassuming on the outside, comfortable on the inside, with a big cupboard for glassware, somber paintings, parquet floors and an old chandelier. Ms. Dupré experiments with marinated fish, such as Spigola al sale.

• Spigola al sale = lightly salted, raw, delicate slices of sea bass.

• Ravioli al radiccho = radishes in pasta envelopes.

• Filetto di manzo en crusta = spiced veal with broccoli in crust.

• Piccioni farciti = stuffed duck.

• Spume de melone = melon cake with marzipan cream.

Alberto Ciarla

Piazza di San Cosimato 40. Phone: 58 18 668 & 68 84 377. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.250000 ($158) for two. All major cards. (B4).

One of the main gourmet paradises in the city, heavily decorated in an eclectic style, at the Piazza San Cosimato in the upwards mobile district of Trastevere on the left bank of the river Tevere. It carries the name of the chef-owner.

The room is high and dark, in blue shades. Mirrors at both ends make the place unreal and a few aquariums make it lika a luxury submarine. Reality is closer in framed currency bills and certificates on the walls. Three-armed candle-stands decorate each table. It specialises in gastronomic menus, such as an Etruscan menu.

• Insalata di gamberi = lemon marinated shrimp with mushrooms.

• Bomolotti allo sparacreddo = giant pasta tubes with a strong broccoli & seafood sauce.

• Zuppa di pasta e fagioli ai frutti di mare = pasta soup with shellfish and red beans.

• Filetto di pesce alle erbe = sea trout with herbs.

• Frutti di sottobosco = blueberries with ice cream.

Andrea

Via Sardegna 28. Phone: 48 21 891 & 47 40 557. Hours: Closed Sunday & lunch Monday. Price: L.180000 ($114) for two. All major cards. (D2).

One of the top culinary addresses in Rome, in the splendid Ludovisi district of established wealth, just 100 meters from the Borghese gardens and just off the Via Veneto.

A Spartan place with greenish walls, pictures of carriages, big mirrors, marble floor, bamboo chairs and big chandeliers. Offers excellent cheeses.

• Tagliolini con porcini = pasta ribbons with boletus mushrooms.

• Linguine al nero di seppie = pasta threads with black octopus sauce.

• Rombo griglia = grilled brill.

• Scampi alla griglia = grilled prawns.

• Formaggi = cheese from the trolley.

• Fragoline di bosco con panna liquida = wild strawberries with cream.

Italian cheese:

• Bel paese = mild and soft cheese.

• Gorgonzola = rather soft and strong blue cheese.

• Grana = very hard cooking cheese.

• Mozzarella = rubbery young cheese.

• Parmiggiano = parmesan cheese, a type of grana.

• Pecorino = hard and strong Roman ewe cheese.

• Provolone = strong cheese.

• Ricotta = fresh ewe cheese.

• Taleggio = mild & creamy cheese.

Buco

Via Sant’Ignazio 8. Phone: 679 3298. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.90000 ($57) for two. All major cards. (C3).

Near the Pantheon. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Campana

Vicolo della Campana 18. Phone: 686 7820 & 687 5273. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.95000 ($60) for two. All major cards. (C2).

An inexpensive restaurant in the old center, 400 meters from the north end of Piazza Navona, with refreshingly well made Roman everyday food.

This is a simple and neutral place , bright and clean, with close tables and attentive waiters in perfect Italian style.

• Penne con carciofi = big pasta tubes with artichokes.

• Pappardelle in salsa lepre = broad pasta reams with hare sauce.

• Involtini di manzo con puré = skewered veal slices with mashed potatoes.

• Filetto di tacchino = turkey with mushrooms and two types of cream sauce.

• Fragole di bosco con panna = wild strawberries with cream.

Roman cuisine:

• Abbacchio = baby lamb.

• Alla romana = (usually) with tomato and sometimes red wine.

• Asparagus.

• Mint.

• Pecorino cheese.

• Ricotta cheese.

• Stracciatella = egg and cheese soup.

• Trippa = veal tripe.

Camponeschi

Piazza Farnese 50. Phone: 687 4927. Fax: 686 5244. Hours: Closed lunch & Sunday. Price: L.175000 ($110) for two. All major cards. (B3).

Directly in front of Palazzo Farnese. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Cannavota

Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano 20. Phone: 775 007. Hours: Closed Wednesday. Price: L.65000 ($41) for two. All major cards. (E4).

A good restaurant with low prices, beautifully designed, on the square in front of the cathedral San Giovanni in Laterano. It is the best known seafood restaurant in Rome, offering traditional cooking.

The interior resembles a mountain hotel. Massive wooden columns and beams and panels, high chairs, lots of paintings and pictures.

• Fritto misto di mare = deep fried seafood with lemon.

• Linguine alla reviglio = spaghetti with tomato shrimp sauce.

• Risotto alla Cannavota = rice with tomato, cream and lobster.

• Filetto di tacchino = turkey breast under a roof of mushrooms and cheese.

• Scaloppe alla verbena = veal slices under a roof of mushrooms and cheese.

• Insalata mista = mixed salad.

• Macedonia di frutta = marinated mixed fruit.

Roman seafood:

• Antipasto di mare = cold seafood platter.

• Fritto misto di mare = deep fried seafood with lemon.

• Insalata di mare = seafood salad.

• Risotto di frutti di mare = fried rice with seafood.

• Zuppa di pesce alla romana = shellfish soup.

Cesare

Via Crescenzio 13. Phone: 686 1227 & 686 1912. Hours: Closed Sunday evening and Monday. Price: L.110000 ($69) for two. All major cards. (B2).

Behind the Palace of Justice and the Mausoleum of Hadrian, a very Roman restaurant, convenient for visitors to St Peter’s and the Vatican museums.

A long row of a few rooms connected with arches and exaggerated in length by a mirror at the end. Wooden panelling and bright walls. A noisy and a happy place frequented by regulars.

• Breasola = dry salt meat with grana cheese with oil and lemon, similar to prosciutto.

• Penne al’arrabiata = short pasta tubes with tomato, lobster and pepper sauce.

• Saltimbocca alla romana = thin veal and ham slices, fried in butter and then cooked in Marsala wine.

• Fragolini con panna = wild strawberries with cream.

Cesarina

Via Piemonte 109. Phone: 488 0828 & 460 828. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.140000 ($88) for two. All major cards. (D1).

Big and popular in country style with Bologna cuisine, in the refined Ludovisi district to the west of Via Veneto, 200 meters from the Borghese gardens and 500 meters from Via Veneto.

Brick arches divide the restaurant in sections. Lots of paintings decorate the walls. Clients talk business loudly, Italian style.

• Mortadella = unsalted pork sausages Bologna style, cooked in white wine.

• Carpaccio = thin slices of raw beef with oil, lemon and parmesan cheese.

• Tagliatelle bolognese = egg pasta with Bologna sauce, made of ground beef and pork, mushrooms, tomato, vegetables, spices and garlic.

• Filetto di bue Toscana = steak with lemon.

• Semifreddo Cesarina = ice cream with pudding and chocolate sauce.

Checchino dal 1887

Via Monte Testaccio 30. Phone: 574 6318. Fax: 574 3816. Hours: Closed Sunday dinner & Monday. Price: L.155000 ($98) for two. All major cards. (C5).

One of the few real gourmet restaurants in Rome, between the Tevere river and Stazione Ostia. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Convivio

Via dell’Orso 44. Phone: 686 9432. Fax: 686 9432. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.160000 ($101) for two. All major cards. (C2).

Between Piazza Navona and the Tevere river. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Costanza

Piazza del Paradiso 65. Phone: 686 1717 & 654 1002. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.100000 ($63) for two. All major cards. (C3).

Steak and seafood restaurant with traditional, solid Italian cooking in an alley just 100 meters from the Campo de’Fiori square in the old city center.

Unassuming as it is on the outside it is as exciting on the inside. The main room is a romantic cave with vaulted ceiling and antiques in niches, such as amphorae and column stumps. Illumination is indirect and stylish. On the side there is a panelled room with a fireplace.

• Crepes funghi e tartufi = very hot pancakes with mushrooms and the expensive white truffles grown in Northern Italy.

• Entrecote griglia = grilled beef.

• Asparagi = fresh asparagus in oil.

• Tiramisu = Venetian chocolate pudding with coffee chocolate.

Tartufi: The Italian type of tuber, the underground mushrooms dug up with the help of trained dogs and pigs. This type is white and almost as expensive as the French black ones. They have a pungent aroma and are always used uncooked, usually in small amounts with some other food. Tartufi is one of the things essentially Italian.

Crisciotti

Via del Boschetto 30. Phone: 474 4770. Hours: Closed Saturday. Price: L.100000 ($63) for two. No cards. (D3).

Typical, busy and devoid of tourists, in a side street 100 meters from Via Nazionale and 600 meters from Fori Imperiali. The food is simple, typical Roman fare, based on vegetable soups, mixed salads and fresh fruits of the season.

Local regulars sit in three small rooms under rustic decorations, where brown paintings hang on red-painted walls above heavy stone masonry. Fish are on view in a big refrigerator of glass.

• Zuppa did verdura = a filling soup of colorful vegetables.

• Agnello = lamb straight, with nothing on the side.

• Insalata mista = mixed salad.

• Frutta de stagione = fresh fruits of the season.

Galeassi

Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere 3. Phone: 580 3775 & 580 9898. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.95000 ($60) for two. All major cards. (B4).

On the main square in the fashionable Trastevere district, not as expensive as neighbouring Sabatini, but also specialising in seafood.

This is a clean and cosy place with dark panelling and dark wooden ceiling, but otherwise bright. The smaller streetside room is the better one.

• Fettucini con funghi porcini = Broad pasta reams with boletus mushrooms.

• Risotto creme di scampi = rice with scampi chunks.

• Mazzancolle al forno = king prawns oven-fried in the shell.

• Saltimbocca alla romana con funghi = veal and ham slices with sage and mushrooms.

• Ananas = fresh pineapple.

• Macedonia di frutta = fresh fruit salad.

Shrimp: There are several Italian types of shrimp:

• Gamberi.

• Scampi.

• Gamberoni (big).

• Mazzancolle (very big).

Galeone

Piazza San Cosimato 27. Phone: 580 9009. Hours: Closed Wednesday. Price: L.160000 ($101) for two. All major cards. (B4).

Interestingly decorated seafood restaurant on the San Cosimato market square in the Trastevere district, which is the part of the city center on the other side of Tevere river.

It has a high wicket ceiling. The guests sit in carved chairs on a stone floor under leaded window panes and wooden columns and beams.

• Linguine alle vongole = pasta threads with small shells.

• Tagliolini all’aragosta = pasta reams with crab chunks and tomato sauce.

• Spigola alla griglia = freshly grilled sea bass with lemon.

• Misto di frutti di bosco = fresh wild berries, including wild strawberries.

Italian fish:

• Bonito = tuna.

• Merlano = whiting.

• Merluzzo = cod.

• Rombo = turbot and brill.

• Rospo = monkfish.

• Sogliola = sole.

• Spada = swordfish.

• Spigola = sea bass.

Giarrosto Toscano

Via Campania 29. Phone: 482 1899 & 482 3835. Hours: Closed Wednesday. Price: L.140000 ($88) for two. All major cards. (D2).
An agreeable place beautifully designed in a basement opposite the Borghese gardens, about 100 meters from the upper end of Via Veneto. It offers Tuscany cooking from the Florence area.

Arches and vaults divide the restaurant into several parts. The walls are brightly panelled all the way up to the arches. Where panel and arches meet there are rows of bottles. mainly with Tuscany wine such as Chianti.

• Grand’antipasto = a collection of starters, including devilled egg with potato chunks, filled pumpkins and artichokes, meat dumplings with tomato sauce, white ricotta cheese dumplings, sausages and ham, raw prosciutto ham, smoked salmon and melon.

• Bistecca alla Fiorentina = coal grilled and salted beefsteak with spinach.

• Frutta con gelato = fresh fruit with ice cream.

Ricotta: Soft, unsalted cheese, reminiscent of Greek feta cheese, eaten fresh. Usually it is put into pasta envelopes or used in sweet bakery, but here it is served in wet and soft dumplings.

Girone VI

Vicolo Sinibaldi 2. Phone: 6880 22831. Hours: Closed lunch & Sunday. Price: L.135000 ($85) for two. All major cards. (C3).

A few steps from Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Mario

Via delle Vite 55. Phone: 678 3818. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.80000 ($51) for two. All major cards. (C2).

Very lively and rather inexpensive place with Tuscany cooking in the district of fashion shops beneath the Spanish Steps, about 400 meters from the steps and 200 meters from the traffic artery of Corso.

The decorations are simple. Small paintings and photos are tightly hung on the walls above the panelling. Most of the photos show Mario with thick brows in the company of famous and beautiful people. The restaurant is divided by arcades into three rooms with tightly set tables. Chianti in 1,5 liter bottles are put on the tables and drunk out of water glasses. The waiters are very busy and effective.

• Risotto con funghi = rice with mushrooms.

• Ribollita = vegetable soup.

• Ravioli verde = small pasta envelopes with spinach, cheese, egg and parmesan cheese.

• Due quaglie arrosto = two soft quails.

• Castagnaccio = hot and soft chestnut cake with whole nuts.

Tuscany cuisine: Generally considered the top of Italian cooking. The Queens of France were often brought from Florence, bringing with them their chefs, starting what is now called classical French cuisine. The best pasta in Italy comes from Tuscany: ravioli and gnochi. And Tuscany is one of the best wine regions in Italy.

Montevecchio

Piazza Montevecchio 22a. Phone: 686 1319. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.130000 ($82) for two. All major cards. (B3).

Tiny gourmet temple of 28 seats on a tine square in the densest and most inaccesible part of the old city, 100 meters to the west from the north end of Piazza Navona. Its speciality is game.

Earlier it was known as the restaurant Pino et Dino. Master chef Antonio Civello has changed it into a gourmet temple of the French type. The front door is locked and reservations are obligatory. The ceiling is high, the wine rack cupboard is huge, the single wall painting is huge and the wrought iron chandelier is huge.

• Strudel di funghi = Mushroom dumpling.

• Crepes al gorgonzola e noci = pancakes filled with gorgonzola cheese and almonds.

• Anitra alle noci = duck with almonds.

• Capretto d’Abruzzo al forno = oven-baked venison.

• Tiramisu = Venetian chocolate pudding with coffee chocolate.

• Creme brulée = caramel crusty pudding.

Italian game:

• Allodole = lark.

• Beccaccia = woodcock.

• Capretto = kid.

• Capriolo = roebuck.

• Cervo = venison.

• Chinghiale = wild boar.

• Lepre = hare.

• Quaglie = quail.

• Starna = partridge.

• Uccelletti = small birds, such as sparrows.

Moro

Vicolo delle Bollette 13. Phone: 68 40 736 & 67 83 495. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.120000 ($76) for two. All major cards. (C3).

Hidden in a side street about 100 meters from the Trevi fountain and other 100 meters from the main traffic artery Corso, you find this essential Roman restaurant offering true Roman food. It is mainly patronised by elderly local people even if travelers are also welcomed.

The furnishings are old-fashioned but not antique. Wooden panels cover the lower walls and above them there are discordant paintings. There are two dining rooms, the front one is better. Specialises in everything alla Romana = in the Roman way, which in fact can mean anything; and in antipasti assortiti = small and sundry appetisers.

• Spaghetti alle vongole = spaghetti with small shellfish in the shell.

• Ricotta = soft cheese.

• Abbacchio alla romana = a slice of lamb leg with pan-fried potatoes.

• Vitello cacciatora = veal with mushrooms and tomatoes.

• Insalata mista = mixed salad with oil and vinegar.

• Fragoline di bosco = wild strawberries.

Alla Romana:

• Abbachio alla romana = lamb cooked in egg, lemon and white wine sauce.

• Gnochi alla romana = mashed potato dumplings with tomato sauce and cheese.

• Pizza alla romana = pizza with mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese and basil.

• Piselli alla romana = beans fried with onion, ham and butter.

• Pollo alla romana = chicken pieces fried in oil and butter with onion, ham, pepper and tomato.

• Saltimbocca alla romana = thin veal covered in ham.

• Trippa alla romana = tripe in tomato mint sauce, accompanied with pecorino-cheese.

• Zuppa alla romana = shellfish soup.

Nerone

Via delle Terme di Tito 96. Phone: 474 5207. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.65000 ($41) for two. All major cards. (D4).

Unpretentious and inexpensive, very Roman, about 200 meters north of the Colosseum. Its speciality is beef and French fried, so it is frequented by many foreign visitors. Many Italian places have inferior steaks for tourists, so seek out places which are used by local regulars, like this one.

This is a lively place with happy locals mixed with curious travelers, sitting in two rooms on comfortable wood chairs under vaulted ceilings and high panels, big and small paintings. The kitchen is in plain view.

• Anitpasto misti = a cold buffet of 34 items.

• Antipasto di mare = a choice of seafood from the cold buffet.

• Filetto de bue ai feri con patate fritta = thin and wide beef steak from the pan, with French fried.

• Gelati misti = three types of ice cream.

• Frutta di stagione = fresh fruit of the season.

Orso ’80

Via dell’Orso 33. Phone: 686 4904 & 686 1710. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.95000 ($60) for two. All major cards. (C2).

Strangely resembling a skiing hut in the old city center, 300 meters from Piazza Navona. An inexpensive restaurant with cuisine from Abruzzi, the mountainous region east of Rome.

An arch divides the restaurant in two parts. The front room is panelled with light pine in Nordic skiing style with inlaid cupboards of wrought iron. Many kinds of incidental paintings decorate the walls.

• Zuppa pavese = egg, bread and cheese soup.

• Risotto alla pescadora = rice with tomato and squid.

• Spaghetti alle vongole = spaghetti with shellfish in the shell.

• Filetto di bue alla griglia = grilled beef filet.

• Polla toscana arrosto = oven baked chicken.

• Frutta mista = mixed fruit.

• Creme caramel = caramel pudding.

Italian soups:

• Brodo = clear soups.

• Minestrone = clear soups with pasta.

• Minestre = thick soups with rice or pasta.

• Egg soups such as zuppa pavese and stracciatella.

Pancrazio

Piazza del Biscione 92. Phone: 686 1246. Fax: 686 1246. Hours: Closed Wednesday. Price: L.120000 ($76) for two. All major cards. (C3).

Build from the ruins of Teatro di Pompeo, a few steps from Campo de’Fiori. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Papà Giovanni

Via dei Sediari 4. Phone: 868 5308. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.165000 ($104) for two. All major cards. (C3).

Old family friend, amusingly tastelessly decorated restaurant with a locked front door, excellent cuisine and an ever-changing menu. It is 150 meters south of the Senate in Palazzo Madama and 50 meters north of Corso Vittorio Emanuele II.

It is divided into long corridors with sofas and low tables on one side and bottle racks on the other. Naked bulbs hang from the old ceiling of carved wood. The walls show the varied brickwork. The wine bottles have not been dusted for decades.

• Misticanza con neretti = sea-urchin salad.

• Farfalla di spigola = marinated sea bass.

• Tagliolini alla cardinale = pasta reams with mushrooms.

• Vermicella pomodoro verde = green spaghetti with cheese.

• Portafoglio con funghi = broccoli and Brussels sprouts enclosed in veal slices.

• Granatina di filetto = veal dumplings with small tomatoes on salad.

• Creme brulée allo zenzero = crispy caramel pudding.

• Pastiera di castagne = chestnut paté with whipped cream.

Paris

Piazza San Callisto 7a. Phone: 581 5378. Hours: Closed Sunday dinner & Monday. Price: L.130000 ($82) for two. All major cards. (B4).

A few steps from Santa Maria in Trastevere. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Passetto

Via Zanardelli 14. Phone: 654 0569. Hours: Closed Monday lunch and Sunday. Price: L.140000 ($88) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A solid piece of the old block. Real Italian waiters of the old school serve food from plates as in the days before World War II. It is in the old city, 100 meters from Piazza Navona.

A long front room with a high ceiling, big mirrors on one wall and strange paintings on the other. Cork floor and panelling. A more conventional back room.

• Pasta e fagioli ai frutti di mare = pancake with chopped fish, baked with cheese and tomato sauce.

• Zuppa di cozze = mussel soup with the shells.

• Filetto al pepe verde = pepper steak with asparagus.

• Creme brulée = caramel pudding.

Zuppa di cozze: Oil, onion and tomatoes are heated in a pan, water is added and finally the mussels are added, opening on the way to the table.

Pianeta Terra

Via dell’Arco del Monte 95. Phone: 686 9893. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.300000 ($189) for two. All major cards. (B3).

One of the main cuisine temples in Rome, behind locked doors which are difficult to find in a pedestrian alley 200 meters away from the Campo de’Fiori square. The name means: The Planet Earth. Roberto Minetti cooks and Patrizia Minetti directs the service.

There is a bar and a sitting room downstairs. A dark dining room is upstairs, with different dark shades in the panelling. The ceiling is vaulted. There are special menus, taste menu, seafood menu, Roman menu and a conventional menu. The meal starts with four different breads.

• Criole al oeli di pomodoro e basilico = eel in basil and tomato sauce.

• Paté de foie gras in salsa di Recioto = goose liver in white wine sauce with redcurrant berries, wild strawberries and raspberries.

• Zuppe di lenticchie con gamberi = lentil soup with big prawns.

• Vermicelli alle mezzancolle = pasta with big giant prawn chunks in strong tomat sauce.

• Risotto au zuchine e zafferano = fried rice with zucchini, saffron and grana cheese.

• Pesce con cicoriette fritte = turbot with chicory.

• Insalate di carne = marinated beef slices with apple slices.

• Dolche di Patrizie e Roberto = fine desserts of the house.

Piccola Roma

Via Uffici del Vicario 36. Phone: 679 8606. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.80000 ($51) for two. All major cards. (C2).

Always busy, full of parliamentarians and pressure specialists, journalists and bureaucrats in a hurry, with their overcoats ready on the big pegs at the tables. Near the parliament, 200 meters from Corso.

As many exemplary restaurants in Rome this one tries not to be obvious on the outside. When inside it is rather big, in a few rooms on the first floor. The walls have brick up to the middle. Above that there are strange and accidental paintings and posters. A wine shelf goes through the restaurant.

• Prosciutto di San Daniele = lots of smoked ham, thinly sliced like Parma ham, only better, served with figs.

• Risotto pescatore = rice with squid and mussels.

• Abbachio forno = lamb, well done, with grilled potatoes.

• Gelato, three types of ice cream, with chocolate mint, vanilla and mocha.

Prosciutto is typically Italian. The best internationally known smoked ham comes from Parma. In Italy the one from San Danieli is considered at least equal to the one from Parma. The ham is always cut in very thin slices. Out of Italy it is usually accompanied with melon, but Italians like figs better.

Piperno

Via Monte de’Censi 9. Phone: 654 0629 & 654 2772. Hours: Closed Sunday dinner & Monday. Price: L.110000 ($69) for two. All major cards. (C3).

In a shady alley in the Jewish ghetto, beautiful and comfortable, with very good food, just under the walls of the Censi palace, about 50 meters from the Tevere river bank.

This is a big dining room with a circular buffet in the middle. There is wood everywhere, in the floor, in the panelling and in the ceiling. The furniture is of good quality. Enormous paintings of ancient ruins decorate the walls. There is also a simpler back room.

• Carciofi alla giudia = artichokes fried in oil in Jewish style.

• Filetti di baccalà = deep fried salt-cod.

• Le palle de nonno fritte = deep fried ricotta cheese with chocolate in butter pastry.

Carciofi alla giudia: The artichokes are opened and flattened, cut in pieces and deep fried in an oil mixture of secret ingredients. After cooking they are golden and look like flowers. This is a speciality of the Jewish ghetto.

Preistorici

Vicollo Orbitelli 13. Phone: 689 2796. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.120000 ($76) for two. No cards. (B3).

In the west end of the renaissance center of the city, in a pedestrian alley leading off Via Giulia near its northern end. A cosy restaurant with a locked door and a small doorbell sign and no other identification. It is run by one of the most adventurous chefs of the city, Luigi Frizziero.

The restaurant is in a few small rooms with vaulted ceilings. It is heavily panelled and decorated with big paintings. There is no menu.

• Prosciutto = thin slices of raw veal.

• Risotto di mare = rice with giant prawns.

• Filetto al pepe = pepper steak.

• Filetto griglia = grilled steak.

• Creme brulée = caramel pudding.

• Fragole = strawberries.

Risotto: A rice dish from the Po valley, generally connected with Milan and Venice. The rice is first fried in oil or butter, often with onions, and then cooked in a small amount of liquid, wine or the juice of the food, which then is mixed into the rice when it is served. Often butter and grana cheese are added.

Quinci Gabrieli

Via della Coppelle 6. Phone: 687 9389. Fax: 687 4940. Hours: Closed lunch & Sunday. Price: L.200000 ($126) for two. All major cards. (C3).

About 100 meters from the Pantheon. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Romolo nel Giardino

Via di Porta Settimiana 8. Phone: 581 8284. Fax: 580 0079. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.100000 ($63) for two. All major cards. (B3).

Enchanting garden restaurant in Trastevere, near the river. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Rosetta

Via della Rosetta 8-9. Phone: 686 1002 & 654 8841. Hours: Closed Saturday & Sunday. Price: L.180000 ($114) for two. All major cards. (C3).

The best seafood restaurant in Rome and one of its gourmet temples, in the old city, 100 meters north of Pantheon. You have to sound the bell to get in. From humble beginnings this Sicilian restaurant of the brothers Riccioli has gradually evolved into the refined place it is today. When we discovered it a decade ago it was much more basic than it is now.

The furnishings are elegant, with a big buffet overflowing with flowers, fruit and wine bottles. On the inner wall of the room there is a fish artwork in mosaic. The only discordant note is the piped music, which is happily absent in most Roman restaurants.

• Cappesante ai carciofi = scallops with artichokes.

• Spigola macinata al arancia = marinated sea bass in orange and lemon juice.

• Scampi insalata = prawn salad with grana cheese.

• Rombo griglia = grilled brill.

• Polipa griglia = grilled octopus.

• Macedonia di frutta = mixed fresh fruit.

• Sorbetto = lemon sorbet.

Shellfish:

• Arselle and vongole = small shells.

• Cappe and cappesante = scallops.

• Cozze and muscoli = mussels.

Sabatini

Vicolo Santa Maria in Trastevere. Phone: 581 8307. Hours: Closed Tuesday. Price: L.130000 ($82) for two. All major cards. (B4).

A popular place with travellers, but good in spite of that. In a pedestrian alley leading off Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere, about 10 meters from the square. The district is a former slum that is changing into a fashionable one. There is a sister establishment with the same name on the square itself, equally good. Both have atmosphere and good seafood cuisine.

The center of the restaurant is the grill oven and buffet which we pass when we are shown to our tables in one of the side rooms. In the middle there is a traffic congestion of hurrying waiters and cooks. The side rooms are more quiet, with old, painted ceilings with wooden beams. This restaurant has been used as a location in a Fellini movie.

• Trippa alla romana = pan-fried tripe in tomato sauce with mint and pecorino cheese.

• Crespolini = pancakes with spinach, cheese, egg and liver.

• Costata di bue = steak.

• Tiramisú = chocolate dessert.

• Trippa: Can be soft and tasty when it is correctly cooked. It is a national dish all the way from Rome to Florence.

• Pecorino: A hard ewe cheese reminiscent of grana or parmesan.
•
Sans Souchi•
Via Sicilia 20/24. Phone: 482 1814. Fax: 482b 1771. Hours: Closed lunch & Monday. Price: L.220000 ($139) for two. All major cards. (D2).

A quality restaurant a few steps from Via Veneto. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Taverna

Via Massimo d’Azeglio 3f. Phone: 474 4305. Hours: Closed Saturday. Price: L.90000 ($57) for two.,. All major cards. (E3).

Comfortable and unassuming, with quick and solid service in a cellar, about 100 meters from the square in front of the central railway terminal. It offers solid cooking in the Roman style.

There are two rooms, with high panels alternating with light walls and coat-hangers. Above the panelling there are rows of wine bottles.

• Prosciutto di Parma = raw ham with melon.

• Filetto di bue con carciofi = beef filet with artichokes.

• Torta al ciocolato = chocolate tart.

Taverna Giulia

Vicolo dell’Oro. Phone: 686 9768 & 656 4089. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.95000 ($60) for two. All major cards. (B3).

A cosy place with Ligurian cuisine at the west end of the old city center, near the bridges to the Vatican and St Peter’s.

Several small rooms and low panelling beneath rustic walls. Wrought iron rails are in arches between the rooms. Guests sit in comfortable wicket chairs.

• Trenette al pesto = flat pasta with Ligurian sauce.

• Lasagnette ai funghi porcini = small pasta plates with boletus mushrooms.

• Ravioli genovese = pasta envelopes with lamb and calf innards.

• Tagliatelle al gorgonzola = pasta strings with blue cheese.

• Vitello straccotto alla Genovese = broad and thin veal slices cooked in white wine with onion sauce.

• Faraoni di Giomnes all’arancio = guinea hen with a thin orange sauce and pan fried celery.

• Pacciugo = fresh fruit and berries with sorbet.

Pesto: A famous, strong sauce from Liguria, generally greenish, made of basil, nuts, garlic and lots of grana cheese. Liguria is the name of the coastal area around Genua.

Toulà

Via della Lupa 29b. Phone: 687 3498 & 687 3750. Hours: Closed Sunday & lunch Saturday. Price: L.190000 ($120) for two. All major cards. (C2).

In the old center, about 300 meters from the corner of Corso and Via Condotti, the refined and glamorous restaurant of international business gives good service to busy clients talking into pocket phones. In spite of that it is one of the best restaurants in the city, mainly because of chef Danaiele Repette, who cooks in Venetian style.

The place looks airy and spacious. From the entrance there are some steps down to the restaurant level, which is divided by arches into several sections with well-spaced tables. Waiters abound. At the end of the meal all guests get candy drops and a very hard frigolotta bisquit which has to be smothered with an hammer.

• Carpaccio di’vitello con pate di olive mere e pinoli = thin slices of raw veal with olive paté, grana cheese, lemon juice and oil.

• Medaglioni d’astice con insalata novelle e punte d’asparagi = freshwater crab salad with asparagus tips.

• Ventaglio di petto d’anitra alle nerue aroccasti = duck breast.

• Cotelette di’capriolo a la ginepro con polenta = venison cutlets in ginger with mashed corn.

• Budino di nocciole con mousse di cioccolato = nut putting coated with chocolate.

Vecchia Roma

Piazza di Campitelli 18, Via della Tribuna. Phone: 686 4604. Hours: Closed Wednesday. Price: L.130000 ($82) for two. All major cards. (C3).

Corn is the speciality of this well-known restaurant in the middle of the Jewish ghetto, 300 meters from the steps up to Capitolum. There are many places with this name, but this is the real one.

The restaurant is in several small rooms with bright wooden panelling, big paintings from the history of Rome, iron bars in the windows and table candlesticks of wrought iron.

• Calamaretti affogati all’uvetta = a few whole octopuses fried in oil, with tomato.

• Polenta ghiottona = corn porridge looking like mashed potatoes, corny and salty, made in the Jewish way.

• Polenta boscaiola = corn porridge with boletus mushrooms.

Polenta: Corn porridge made by boiling maize in water until it becomes thick and chunky. Then it is cooled and cut in slices which are usually fried, baked or grilled. The porridge form in Vecchia Roma is rather unusual.

Teatro dell’Opera

Via Firenze 62. (D3).

The venue of great popular operas. In summer it operates in the Baths of Caracalla.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Hótel í Feneyjum eru yfirleitt hrein og vel við haldið, þar á meðal pípulagnir, ef þau hafa þrjár stjörnur eða fleiri. En tveggja stjörnu hótel geta líka verið mjög góð, þótt þau hafi ef til vill ekki sjónvarpstæki á herbergjum. Einka baðherbergi er talið sjálfsagt. Sum hótel hafa verið innréttuð í frægum höllum, sem eru enn innréttaðar í gömlum stíl.

Dýrara er að gista í Feneyjum en annars staðar á Ítalíu. Þú getur þess vegna gist uppi í landi og farið á morgnana með lest eða bíl í bæinn, en það kostar auðvitað bæði tíma og peninga.

Morgunverður á ítölskum hótelum er yfirleitt nauðaómerkilegur, svipað og á frönskum hótelum. Betra er að fá sér ferskt pressaðan safa, nýbakað brauð og kaffi úti á horni.

Agli Alboretti

(Rio Terra Sant’Agnese, Dorsoduro 884. Sími: 523 0058. Fax: 521 0158. Verð: L.182000 (7698 kr) með morgunverði. Öll helztu greiðslukort. 20 herbergi. B2)

Skemmtilegt, lítið hótel í gömlu og brakandi húsi við hlið aðalsafnsins í Feneyjum, Accademia. Frá bátastöðinni framan við safnið er farið hliðargötuna vinstra megin við það. Hótelið er við þá götu, um 100 metra frá stöðinni.

Gestamóttaka er lítil og skemmtilega gamaldags og lyfta er ekki í húsinu. Herbergin snúa ýmist að fremur breiðri götunni milli hótels og Accademia eða að óvenjulega stórum bakgarði.

Herbergi 3 er fremur lítið og einfalt, með glugga út að garði, afar hreinlegt og milt í litum, með síma og hárþurrku, en engu sjónvarpi. Húsbúnaður er gamaldags, nánast forn. Baðherbergið er með minnsta móti, en vel búið og fullflísað. Sturtan tekur þriðjung af plássinu.

Danieli

(Riva degli Schiavoni, Castello 4196. Sími: 522 6480. Fax: 520 0208. Verð: L.770000 (32569 kr) með morgunverði. Öll helztu greiðslukort. 221 herbergi. C2)

Frábært glæsihótel í fagurri, gotneskri miðaldahöll á breiðbakkanum við lónið, nánast við hlið hertogahallarinnar, fyrrum heimkynni Dandolo-ættar. Hótelið er í þremur samhliða höllum og hægt er að gista þar fyrir tvo þriðju hluta verðsins, sem hér er gefið upp, en beztu hertogaherbergin í elztu höllinni eru þau, sem fólk sækist eftir, ef það gistir á stað sem þessum.

Opinberir salir hótelsins eru með því glæsilegasta sem sést, allt lagt marmara og dýrasta viði. Þrjár hæðir eru til lofts í móttökunni og tvær í víðáttumikilli setustofu til hliðar. Þjónar eru misjafnir, sumir eru góðir, en aðrir þyrftu að komast niður á jörðina. Lifandi tónlist er í setustofunni á brezkum tedrykkjutíma og síðan tónlist með söng á kvöldin.

Herbergi 33 er frábært, stórt og ríkmannlegt, með glugga út að lóninu, klaustureyjunni San Giorgio Maggiore og iðandi mannlífi bakkans. Það er í mildum, grænum litum í mjúkum veggdúk, gluggatjöldum, rúmábreiðum og vínskáp. Vandað parkett er á brakandi gólfi. Baðherbergið er sérstaklega glæsilegt, lagt fegursta marmara og einstaklega vel búið, þar á meðal baðsloppum.

Do Pozzi

(Calle larga 22. Marzo, San Marco 2373. Sími: 520 7855. Fax: 522 9413. Verð: L.160000 (6768 kr) með morgunverði. Öll helztu greiðslukort. 29 herbergi. B2)

Uppáhaldshótelið okkar, lítið og notalegt, við aðalgötu um 400 metra frá Markúsartorgi, hefur bezt hlutfall verðs og gæða í borginni. Frá suðvesturhorni torgsins er gengin Salizzada San Moisè og áfram yfir brú á Calle larga 22. Marzo, þar sem mörg sund liggja til vinstri að Canal Grande. Hótelið er við enda vestasta sundsins, greinilega merkt við aðalgötuna.

Frá lítilli og þægilegri gestamóttöku er innangengt í Rafaele veitingahúsið í sömu eigu. Langir og mjóir gangar eru skreyttir teikningum og málverkum. Þjónusta er afar lipur.

Herbergi 75 er notalegt, fremur lítið og bjart, snýr glugga að Calle larga 22. Marzo og brakar þægilega, þegar gengið er um gólf. Fornlegur húsbúnaður er léttur og vandaður, í mildum sumarlitum. Þar er sjónvarp, sími og vínskápur. Fullflísað baðherbergi hefur líka glugga og er vel búið, til dæmis stóru baðkeri og hárþurrku.

Europa e Regina

(Calle larga 22. Marzo, San Marco 2159. Sími: 520 0477. Fax: 523 1533. Verð: L.565000 (23898 kr) með morgunverði. Öll helztu greiðslukort. 192 herbergi. B2)

Eitt glæsihótelanna við Canal Grande snýr breiðri hlið að skurðinum, svo að tiltölulega auðvelt er að fá herbergi með útsýni yfir umferðina á skurðinum til Salute kirkjunnar á hinum bakkanum. Það er við aðalgötuna Calle larga 22. Marzo, um 300 metra frá suðvesturhorni Markúsartorgs. Farin er Salizzada San Moisè, yfir brúna og til vinstri ómerkta leið framhjá gondólaræðurunum.

Móttakan er í þeim hluta, sem áður var hótelið Europa, en beztu herbergin eru í Regina hlutanum. Niðri eru miklir salir, þar á meðal veitingastaðurinn Tiepolo, sem einnig er morgunverðarstofa hótelsins. Þjónusta er afar góð, svo sem hæfir stíl og verði staðarins.

Herbergi 456 er stórt og myndarlegt, vandað og virðulegt að öllum búnaði. Ljósgrænir veggir kalla á stærri málverk. Um tvær dyr er gengið út á stórar einkasvalir með einstæðu útsýni yfir Canal Grande. Húsbúnaður er forn og fagur. Öll þægindi eru á fullflísuðu baði. Þetta er lúxus-herbergi.

Fenice et des Artistes

(Campiello de la Fenice, San Marco 1936. Sími: 523 2333. Fax: 520 3721. Verð: L.250000 (10574 kr) með morgunverði. Öll helztu greiðslukort. 65 herbergi. B2)

Vel þekkt, samnefnt óperuhúsi borgarinnar, sem er við hliðina, um 500 metra frá Markúsartorgi. Frá suðvesturhorni torgsins er farin Salizzada San Moisè og áfram Calle larga 22. Marzo, þaðan sem beygt er til hægri eftir sundinu Calle delle Veste inn á Campo San Fantin framan við leikhúsið. Farið er hægra megin við leikhúsið til annars torgs, þar sem hótelið er.

Móttakan er í eins konar garðhúsi milli tveggja húsa hótelsins. Ekki er lyfta í eldra húsinu, en stigi og gangar eru teppalagðir og skreyttir gömlum munum. Starfsfólki er frekar ókunnugt um gang mála úti í bæ.

Herbergi 312 er meðalstórt og hlýlegt, snyrtilega innréttað fornum húsbúnaði, sjónvarpi og síma, og grænum litum í veggfóðri, ofnum, teppi og lofti. Glugginn snýr að smágarði. Fullflísað baðherbergi er vel búið og rúmgott, með setubaðkeri.

Flora

(Calle larga 22. Marzo, San Marco 2283a. Sími: 520 5844. Fax: 522 8217. Verð: L.210000 (8883 kr) með morgunverði. Öll helztu greiðslukort. 44 herbergi. B2)

Gamalfínt hótel og ekki dýrt, vel í sveit sett við aðalgötu í nágrenni Markúsartorgs, um 400 metra frá suðvesturhorni torgsins. Farin er Salizzada San Moisè, yfir brú og áfram eftir Calle larga 22. Marzo, þar sem beygt er til vinstri inn í hliðarsund, sem er hið þriðja í röðinni frá hinum enda götunnar. Hótelið er greinilega merkt við innganginn í sundið.

Bak við Art Nouveau inngang er allt í leðri og eðalviði. Virðulegur hótelstigi liggur upp á efri hæðir, skreyttur speglum og veggtjöldum, sem einkenna hótelið. Starfslið kann vel til verka og er einkar þægilegt og kurteist. Allir, sem ekki eru ávarpaðir “professore”, eru ávarpaðir “dottore”.

Herbergi 2 er gamalt og lúið, hreint og gott, búið fornum húsgögnum, sjónvarpi, síma og hárþurrku. Gluggar snúa út að nostursömum garði að baki anddyris. Fullflísað og nýtízkulegt baðherbergi er afar vel búið.

Marconi

(Riva del Vin, San Polo 729. Sími: 522 2068. Fax: 522 9700. Verð: L.283000 (11970 kr) með morgunverði. Öll helztu greiðslukort. 26 herbergi. B1)

Skemmtilegt og vel staðsett á bakka Canal Grande, nokkrum skrefum frá Rialto-brú. Frá Rialto bátastöð er farið yfir brúna og beygt til vinstri eftir bakkanum Riva del Vin.

Að baki inngangs er lítil og snyrtileg móttaka með hæfu starfsliði. Flóknir stigar liggja upp á hæðirnar, langir gangar og síðan aftur stigi niður í morgunverðarsal með hlaðborði að norður-evrópskum hætti.

Herbergi 11 er stórt og vel búið fornum húsgögnum, sjónvarpi og síma, hárþurrku og vínskáp, gólfteppi á terrazzo-gólfi og sérkennilega ljótum glerljósakrónum í svifstíl á veggjum. Burðarbitar sjást í lofti. Útsýni er aðeins út í næsta vegg. Fullflísað baðherbergi er stórt og nýtízkulegt, með hitagrind fyrir handklæði.

Monaco e Grand Canal

(Calle Vallaresso, San Marco 1325. Sími: 520 0211. Fax: 520 0501. Verð: L.360000 (15227 kr) með morgunverði. Öll helztu greiðslukort. 70 herbergi. B2)

Öndvegishótel með breiðri framhlið og frábæru útsýni yfir Canal Grande að Santa Maria della Salute, óvenjulega vel í sveit sett um 100 metra frá Markúsartorgi. Frá suðvesturhorni torgsins eru farin nokkur skref eftir Salizzada San Moisè og beygt til vinstri inn í Calle Vallaresso, þar sem hótelið er hægra megin sundsins úti á skurðbakka.

Hótelið hefur þann kost umfram flest önnur, að meirihluti herbergjanna snýr út að breiðum og fjölförnum skurðinum. Starfsfólk er einkar þægilegt.

Herbergi 306 er afar vel búið vönduðum og fornlegum húsgögnum úr renndum eðalviði, handmáluðum fataskáp og virðulegu skrifpúlti, sjónvarpi og síma. Fullflísað baðherbergi er nýtízkulegt og vel búið. Glugginn snýr beint að Canal Grande.

Paganelli

(Riva degli Schiavoni, Castello 4182. Sími: 522 4324. Fax: 523 9267. Verð: L.160000 (6768 kr) með morgunverði. Öll helztu greiðslukort. 22 herbergi. B2)

Afar hagstætt hótel á breiða gönguferðabakkanum andspænis lóninu um 300 metra frá hertogahöllinni. Bátastöðin San Zaccaria er beint framan við hótelið, sem er í tveimur aðskildum hlutum. Annar er á sjálfum bakkanum og hinn í sundi þar við hliðina. Móttakan er í fyrrnefnda hlutanum, þar sem herbergin eru heldur dýrari og morgunverðarstofan í hinum síðarnefnda.

Hótelið er afar lítið og þröngt, hreinlegt og þægilegt, án lyftu, rekið af þægilegu starfsfólki, sem reynir ekki að breiða yfir mistök. Morgunmatur er fremur góður, því að ávextir eru á boðstólum.

Herbergi 23 er í hliðarálmunni, afar lítið, búið fornum og samræmdum húsgögnum, þar á meðal handmáluðu skrifpúlti. Beinn sími er á herberginu, en ekki sjónvarp. Fornir burðarbitar í lofti fegra staðinn. Fullflísað baðherbergið er nýtízkulegt og vel búið, þar á meðal hitagrind fyrir handklæði, sem eru óvenju stór.

Sturion

(Calle Sturion, San Polo 679. Sími: 523 6243. Fax: 522 8378. Verð: L.180000 (7614 kr) með morgunverði. Öll helztu greiðslukort. 11 herbergi. B1)

Sérkennilegt hótel og skemmtilegt, aðeins 100 metra frá Rialto brú. Frá Rialto bátastöðinni er farið yfir brúna og beygt til vinstri eftir bakkanum Riva del Vin og síðan beygt til hægri inn í portið Calle Sturion, þar sem hótelið er vinstra megin. Þaðan liggur svo ógnarlangur og beinn stigi upp á fimmtu hæð.

Hótel með þessu nafni var rekið í húsinu í fimm aldir, frá lokum 13. aldar til loka 18. aldar, þekkt af málverkum og fornum skjölum. Eftir tveggja alda hlé var síðan opnað hótel aftur, en aðeins á tveimur efstu hæðum hússins. Það er notalegt fjölskyldufyrirtæki með góðri morgunverðarstofu, sem býður útsýni yfir Canal Grande. Tvö herbergjanna snúa þangað líka.

Herbergi 10 er afar sérkennilegt, myndar langan gang, þar sem lítið baðherbergi er fremst, síðan forstofa og gangur með vaski og loks svefnálma í innsta enda. Úr litlum glugga er útsýni yfir húsþök San Polo hverfis. Húsbúnaður er gamaldags, en hreinlegur. Þarna er sjónvarp og sími, vínskápur og hárþurrka.

uýmist að fremur breiðri götunni milli hótels og Accademia eða að óvenjulega stórum bakgarði.

Herbergi 3 er fremur lítið og einfalt, með glugga út að garði, afar hreinlegt og milt í litum, með síma og hárþurrku.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Ireland

The Irish get more courteous, sincere and helpful the further we get from Dublin. On the west coast they greet passing drivers with a hearty wave. Everywhere people try to help strangers and involve them in conversations. The best way to get around with freedom of movement is to rent a car. The road network is extensive, and quite good B&B’s are all over the country.

Ireland is mild and green. Most roads are lined with trees and surrounded with pastures for cattle and sheep, horses and goats. Farmhouses and villages, manors and palaces, fit naturally in the pastoral scene. Only at the west and north coasts does nature get harsher and wilder. On this trip we concentrate on nature and on historical monuments which dot the countryside.

Ancient monuments tell a story, especially from the first centuries of Christianity, when Ireland was for a while the center of the new religion. We visit monasteries, where beautiful manuscripts were made and from where monks went on missions over the oceans. We visit castles and palaces and manors, some of whom double as convenient hotels or restaurants for travelers.

We are going to thread all this up on a necklace of jewels, reaching in a circle around the country. We may use a week for the trip as distances are short or we may spend more time. We start and end in Dublin and go counter-clockwise through the country. We drive on N3 north out of Dublin and at Black Bull turn left into R154 to the castle of Trim.

Trim Castle

Trim. (I7).

The Medieval ruins of Trim castle are the most extensive ones in the country, covering nearly an hectare. English occupiers built it in Norman style. The central keep is from 1220-1225 and the outer walls from 1250.

The entrance to the castle is now from the western part of the middle of the town. The keep contained two banquet halls and bedrooms over them. The main part of the castle was on its eastern side where the original entrance was, with two drawbridges, a barbican and a prison. Henry IV was imprisoned there by Richard II, but escaped and went on to win the throne of England.

From Trim we drive on R161 in the direction of Navan and find a road sign to Tara on our right.

Tara

Tara. (I7).

Tara was the holy hill of northwestern Ireland in pagan times. There is now a church and extensive pastures, where can be seen the contours of mounds which are the remains of a Pre-Christian temple, royal palace and a parliament.

From the access of the Nialls to power as High Kings in Ulster in the 6th C. Tara was the political and religious center of Ulster. After the advent of Christianity it continued as a holy shrine until 1022, when it disappeared from the scene, continuing only in stories and tales.

We return to R161, turn right and continue to Navan. From there we take N51 through Slane in the direction of Drogheda, until we arrive at the road sign to Newgrange on the right.

Newgrange

Hours: Open in summer 10-18:30, in spring and fall 10-13 & 14-17, in winter Tuesday-Sunday 10-13 & 14-16:30. (I7).

An impressive burial temple from 3000 B.C., one of the most important in the world of the type. It is a man-made and grass covered stone mound, sheathed in white quartz. It is 80 meters in diameter and 12 meters in height.

It is enclosed in an inner circle of horizontal stones, some of them inscribed with signs, and an outer circle of vertical stones. The building is an engineering feat in an age of primitive technology, bearing witness to intense religious belief and strong political power.

From the concave entrance there is a 20 meters corridor into a burial chamber with three nooks, probably altars. At winter solstice the sun shines almost horizontally through the corridor into the burial chamber and lits it up for a few minutes.

We return to N51 where we turn right, and almost immediately turn left, following a sign to Mellifont Abbey.

Mellifont Abbey

Hours: Open in summer 9:30-18:30, in spring Monday-Saturday 9:30-13 &14-17:30, Sunday 14-17:30. (I7).

Well-preserved ruins of a Cistercian monastery from 1142. The foundations are visible of the church, which was consecrated in 1157. Remaining are mainly a gatehouse to the right, an octagonal lavabo in the middle, both original, and a chapter house from the 14th C. to the left. The monastery was closed down in 1556.

We continue on the road and follow signs to Monasterboice.

Monasterboice

(I7).

A large Round Tower from the Viking period is almost intact in the graveyard. Irish monks built such towers to defend themselves and the treasures of the church against the raiding Vikings. The tower was burned in 1097 and its treasures scattered.

Three High Crosses, monoliths from the 10th C. are also in the graveyard. The largest of them is 7 meters high. These are among the best-preserved and most beautiful High Crosses of Ireland, richly sculptured with scenes from the Bible.

High Crosses with a long leg and an orb in the center were a characteristic feature of Irish Christianity from the 8th to the 10th C., at the Golden Age of Ireland as the world center of Early Christianity. They varied from 2 to 7 meters and were sculptured first with abstract signs and later with episodes from the Holy Scriptures.

From here we go directly to N1 in the direction of Dundalk. We pass the city center in the direction of Belfast, cross a bridge and pass a graveyard on the way out of Dundalk, still on N1, and soon arrive at a signpost to Ballymascanlon hotel to the right.

Ballymascanlon

Dundalk. Phone: 42 71124. Fax: 42 71598. Price: £75 ($117) with breakfast. All major cards. 36 rooms. (I6).

An old manor converted into a cozy hotel with a golf course and a gym.

The dining room has large windows to the grounds. Fly-baiters hang in the chandeliers. Service is good, also the cooking, even if old-fashioned French. Dinner is £40 for two, excluding beverages.

Room no. 30 is small and well equipped, including a coffee machine and a trouser press.

We continue on N1 over the border to Northern Ireland, where the road continues as A1 all the way into Belfast center. From King Street we drive into a car parking house adjoining the Castlecourt shopping center. From there we walk 600 meters on King Street and then left on Wellington Place to City Hall.

Belfast

(J6).

Belfast started as an English castle in 1177, when John de Courcy invaded Ulster. The castle was destroyed by Edward Bruce in 1315 and the area was then held by the Niall High Kings until 1603.

This is mainly an industrial city, built up in the Victorian period, and has stagnated in the 20th C., partly because of its position as a battleground between Protestant Unionists and Catholic Republicans.

City Hall is the main landmark of Belfast. We are standing in front of it.

City Hall

Donegal Square, Belfast. Phone: (232) 320 202. Hours: Open 10:30, book in advance. (J6).

The most impressive building in the city, a white palace at the intersection of the main streets. It was built in 1898-1906 in a Neo-Classic wedding-cake style with a large copper dome over the middle. It is open to the public.

Donegal Square in front of City Hall is the main square of the center and its bus center. Opposite City Hall on the other side of the square there is a pedestrian shopping district.

We walk the same way back, through Wellington Place and King Street. If we take a detour to the left into Fisherwick Street instead of turning right into King Street, we will after 200 meters arrive at the most famous hotel and the most famous pub in town, in Great Victoria Street.

Crown Liquor

Great Victoria Street, Belfast. (J6).

A Victorian pub, richly decorated on the inside and outside, with porcelain tiles on the outside, stained windows, gas lights, semi-closed compartments for groups of guests, and carved wood in pillars and ceiling.

This haven of tired travelers is possibly the most remarkable monument in Belfast. We would not dwell for long in this city, were it not for the Crown Liquor.

Opposite Crown Liquor there is Hotel Europe, recently renovated and sparkling at present.

We drive out of Belfast, first on M2, then M5 and finally A2 a short way to Carrickfergus by the sea. We stop in a car park between the boat harbor and Carrickfergus Castle.

Carrickfergus Castle

Carrickfergus. Hours: Open in summer Monday-Saturday 10-18, Sunday 14-18, in winter Monday-Saturday 10-16, Sunday 14-16. (J6).

The castle dominates the main street in town, standing on ocean cliffs, originally separated from the mainland. It is a Norman castle from 1180, one of the largest and best-preserved castles in Ireland. The castle is now a museum, showing the history of itself.

It defended the entrance to Belfast harbor and was for a long time the main English fortress against Irish rebels. In spite of its apparent invulnerability it was taken three times, once by Scots in 1315, by Protestants in 1689, and by the French in 1760.

The oldest part is the keep, surrounded with two outer and younger walls. The castle is a very good example of the defense engineering technology of the French-Nordic Normans in the Middle Ages.

We cross the main street to the old hotel pub in town.

Dobbin’s Inn

6-8 High Street, Carrickfergus. Phone: 9603 51905. Price: £60 ($94) with breakfast. All major cards. (J6).
A typical Irish hotel in an old building, famous for Maud the ghost, who haunts the hotel. From the hotel there is a subterranean corridor to the castle across the street.

We can stay here or have a lunch or a pint at the pub before continuing. Lunch is £10 for two, excluding beverages.

The road is straight on A2 and we next stop at Ballygally castle hotel.

Ballygally Castle

Ballygally. Phone: 574 83212. Price: £60 ($94) with breakfast. All major cards. (J5).

Built in 1625 in Scottish style, with a view to Scotland on a good day. It has been preserved in the original condition. The hotel itself is mainly in an adjoining building.

You should book a room in the old castle. The rooms have modern conveniences, such as a hair-dryer and a trouser-press. And the plumbing is not original, for certain.

We continue on A2 to Glenariff, where we have two choices. We can turn left for a detour on A43 through Glenariff wood and past Glenariff falls and then on B14 to Cushendun. Or we can go directly on the B92 coast road to Cushendall and on to Cushendun.

Cushendun

(J5).

Cushendall and Cushendun are romantic coastal towns. The latter is as a whole protected as a national heritage. White and peaceful houses nest between large trees and broad streets.

From Cushendum we drive on to A2 and continue on that road to Ballycastle, where we turn right on B15. We soon come to a car park at the beginning of the half an hour path to the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge.

Carrick-a-Rede

(I5).

A robe bridge with a span of 20 meters, 25 meters above the sea, connecting the mainland with a rock, where fishermen catch salmon in summer.

The bridge sways under steps of passers-by. The walk over the bridge is not for the faint-hearted. But there are no documented accidents in the whole 200 years history of the bridge.

We continue on B15 to A2 and soon come to a tourist center, from which small busses drive people down to the coast to the hexagonal basalt columns of Giant’s Causeway.

Giant’s Causeway

Bushmill. (I5).

An extensive formation of groups of basaltic lava columns, created in the aftermath of volcanic eruptions sixty million years ago. Such columns are created when lava cools very slowly, making it possible for the stone to crystallize into multi-sided, often octagonal columns. There are about 40,000 such columns at Giant’s Causeway.

We continue on A2 a short way to Bushmill. When we enter the town we arrive at Bushmill’s Inn to our right.

Bushmill’s Inn

Bushmill. Phone: 2657 32339. Fax: 2657 32048. Price: £74 ($116) with breakfast. All major cards. 11 rooms. (I5).
A cozy, old lodge from the beginning of the 19th. C. in good condition.

There is an open fire in the lobby. Narrow stairs, corridors and steps are all over the house. A quaint library is above the lobby. The restaurant is partitioned by unpolished furnishings. The cooking is unusually good. Dinner is £27 or £35 for two, excluding beverages.

Room no. 24 is rather big and well equipped, with flowery wallpaper, rough furnishings of wood, creaking and carpeted floor and a parquet in the bathroom.

From Bushmill we drive on A2 and soon arrive at Dunluce Castle on the coast.

Dunluce Castle

(I5).

An enigmatic castle with a haunted look, perched on an outcrop on the coast. The oldest parts, the eastern towers and the southern wall, are from the 14th C. and the rest mainly from the 16th C. In 1639 the kitchen collapsed into the ocean with the people inside and the castle was abandoned for good.

We continue on A2 to Derry or Londonderry and drive into the old center inside the city walls.

Derry

Derry. (I5).

The city wall from 1613-1618 is the main attraction of Derry, originally with four gates but now with seven gates. It is the best Irish example of city wall so well preserved that it is possible to walk on it in a full circle around the city center.

The area inside the wall is 500 meters and 250 meters in diameter. In the middle is the main square, Diagonal. From it Bishop’s Street leads south to the Gothic St Columb’s Cathedral from 1628-1634, the first cathedral to be built after the Reformation, Gothic in style. The shopping Shipquay Street leads steeply down and north from Diagonal.

We can go straight from Derry on A2 and then N13 to a side-road on our left to Grianan of Aileach. We can also take a 160 km detour around the mountains of the Inishowen peninsula, leaving Derry on R238 through Moville, Carndonagh and Malin head, and back on the same road through Carndonagh, Ballyliffin and Buncrana to turn right into N13 to the north of Grianan of Aileach.

Malin Head

(I5).

Between Moville and Carndonagh is a side-road to the left to two High Crosses and a Cross Slab at Carrowmore. A little farther on there is a side-road to the right to the ruins of the Clonca church and a High Cross.

Malin Head is a small fishing village nestling under ocean cliffs.

On the road back is an 8th C. High Cross a little farther than Carndonagh and a Cross Slab in the graveyard of Fahan. Cross Slabs are from the 7th to the 12th C., flat and irregular stones, with hewn crosses, other religious signs and inscriptions in Latin, put over graves.

We arrive at N13 and turn right on N13 and then left on a side-road up the hill to Grianan of Aileach on the hilltop.

Grianan of Aileach

(I5).

A complete restoration from 1870 of a circular fortress originally built in the 5th C., at the beginning of Irish Christianity. It was the royal residence of the Nialls from that time to the 12th C. and was destroyed in local wars of Irish kings in 1101.

The circular hilltop fortress is 23 meters in diameter, 5 meters high and 4 meters thick. On the inside there are steps in walls to facilitate the movement of the defending forces. There is a good view from the walls, including Derry.

We go back the side-road and continue on N13 to Letterkenny, where we change to N56 and can continue until we come to a side-road to the left to Glenveagh Castle. We can also take a detour from Letterkenny on first R245 and then R247 to Rathmullan, if we want to dine and stay at Rathmullan House before we go to Glenveagh Castle.

Rathmullan House

Rathmullan. Phone: 74 58188. Fax: 74 58200. Price: £121 ($189) with breakfast. All major cards. 23 rooms. (I5).
A beautiful and remote country manor in Georgian style from the beginning of the 19th C., with comfortable antique furniture, a library, open fire, a swimming pool, a sauna and peaceful gardens.

Dinner is served in the garden pavilion of the manor. The starters’ trolley is one of the best in the whole country and the cooking is generally superior. So many people dine here that it is advisable to book a table in advance. Dinner is £60 for two, excluding beverages.

Some of the rooms have a view over beautiful gardens to the Swilly bay.

We leave on R247 and then R249 until we arrive at N56 where we turn right. Then we turn left on a side-road to Glenveagh Castle.

Glenveagh Castle

Hours: Park open all year, castle in summer 10:30-18:30. (H5).

The Glenveagh National Park covers nearly 10,000 hectares of woodland and bogs around a fake castle in Walt Disney style, built at Beagh Lake in 1870 to create a romantic atmosphere for the lord of the castle and his guests.

This is a conventional country manor disguised as a castle. It is now a museum with the rich furnishings of the former owner.

We are here in the Donegal hills.

Donegal hills

(H5).

This is the most remote part of Ireland, a narrow part of the Republic to the west and north of Northern Ireland. This is Gaelic country as we can see from many signs. The landscape is rough and rather naked.

Formerly this district was called Triconnaill, now Donegal, which comes from the Gaelic: “Dún na nGall”, meaning the Fortress of Foreigners, that is Vikings.

The best beer of Ireland, Poitin, is brewed in the Donegal hills.

We return on the side-road to N56, where we turn left and then turn right at a sign to Doe Castle, just before we come to Creeslough.

Doe Castle

(H5).

The ruins are relatively well preserved, standing on a promontory on the ocean. The age is unknown and the buildings are from several periods. The castle has obviously been damaged in several attacks over time. Many famous generals are connected with its history, either in defense or attack. At the end of the 18th C. it got more or less its present appearance.

We return on the side-road and turn right into N56 to Bunbeg.

Bunbeg

(H5).

As in many other Irish seaside villages the dwellings face inward to the country, not outside to the ocean. The harbor is lonely, quite a distance from the scattered inland dwellings. It gives the impression that people were afraid, either of pirates or of the natural powers of the ocean and wanted to live out of sight.

The harbor is peaceful and almost romantic and does not witness to much fishing nowadays.

We continue on N56 through the bogs of Rosses.

Rosses

(H5).

The Rosses means the promontories. There are few habitations and few trees, but lots of bogs and small lakes.

Peat is made here in abundance and used for heating and in electric plants. The topsoil is cut and put again in place when several shovel-layers of bog underneath have been removed for drying. Long lines of cuttings are an attribute of peat bogs country.

We continue on N56 past Dungloe and Gwebarra. When we have just passed Ardara we turn right at a sign to Glengesh Pass. From the pass we have a good view back to the valley we were coming from. We continue all the way to Glencolumbkille.

Glencolumbkille

(H5).

The landscape surrounding Glencolumbkille is wild and majestic and mainly incidental, just like it has been thrown around by the gods.

Saint Columba or Columbkille is said to have settled down here in his advanced years, far away from the commotion of the world. There are also remains of a Pre-Historic habitation.

To the south of the river outside the town the Glencolumbkille Folk Village is in a few simple houses in the farmhouse styles of 1720, 1820 and 1920, showing old tools and utensils, furnishings and furniture from those years.

We drive to Carrick and there turn left to Teelin and follow a sign to Bunglass, where an extremely narrow one-lane road clutches the steep mountain slopes and cliffs, reaching an end at an observation point from where we can see The Cliffs of Bunglass.

Cliffs of Bunglass

(H5).

Steep cliffs of 600 meters on the southern slopes of Slieve League Mountain, an impressive sight in bad weather and sparkling with colors in good weather, as there are several varieties of rock in the cliffs.

We return from Bunglass to Teelin and Carrick and continue to Killybegs.

Killybegs

(H5).

A lived-in and active fishing town with modern fishing vessels in the lively harbor. The town is on slopes above the harbor. The Killybegs hand-made carpets are made here and have been famous since the middle of the 19th C. The Irish wool industry has its center in this area.

We continue onwards from Killybegs and soon reach N56 which we follow all the way to Donegal city. We try to park in the center, near the main square, Diagonal.

Donegal center

(H5).

Founded by the Vikings and carries a name that means the Fortress of Foreigners. It is the center of the tweed-wool garment industry in Ireland.

The triangular main square was laid out in 1610. An obelisk in memory of four Irish artists and scientists is in its center.

We walk to the nearby Donegal Castle.

Donegal Castle

(H5).

Partly an old castle and partly a manor from the first half of the 17th C., as is the gate house, which is nearest to the central square.

From Donegal we take N15 in the direction of Bundoran and turn right to the Rossnowlagh strand where we come directly to Sand House.

Sand House

Rossnowlagh. Phone: 72 51777. Fax: 72 52100. Price: £80 ($125) with breakfast. All major cards. 40 rooms. (H6).
Standing alone on the beach, a bright, modern house with a crenellated roof. It has solemn furnishings and quality furniture. An open fire is in the lobby.

The service is excellent, even by Irish standards. The restaurant is top class. It offers several choices from a menu of a fixed price, £40 for two, excluding beverages.

Room no. 33 faces the ocean and listens to the comfortable lullabies of the ocean waves, when the windows are open. The quality furnishings are very beautiful.

We return to N15 and turn right, continuing south, through Bundoran and Sligo. Having passed Sligo we turn right on N59 to Ballina. We can continue on the same road to Castlebar or first make a detour to the right on R314 to a side-road to the right to Rosserk Abbey.

Rosserk Abbey

(G6).

Ruins of a Franciscan abbey from the middle of the 15th C, relatively well preserved, even if it was burned down in the 16th C. when the English drove the monks away.

Some original decorations are sill visible on the western door, in the eastern window and the southern transept.
This remote part of Ireland is Mayo, known for extensive bogs and scant habitation inland and sand beaches and rocky promontories at the seaside.

We return to Ballina and from there on N59 and then N5 to Castlebar. From there we can drive directly to Newport on R311 or take a detour from Castlebar to the left on N60 in the direction of Claremorris. On this road we soon come to Breaffy House.

Breaffy House

Castlebar. Phone: 94 22033. Fax: 94 22033. Price: £76 ($119) with breakfast. All major cards. (G6).

A quaint mixture of old and new. A modern building of concrete and glass with regular contours has been added to an old and an irregular palace. The hotel is in beautiful gardens, offering fishing, hunting and riding.

The public rooms are imposing, except the rather common dining room.

The guest rooms are modern, well furnished, including coffee machines and bathrobes.

We return the same way to Castlebar and can continue from there to Newport on R311 or make another detour, this time to the left on N84 to Ballintubber Abbey.

Ballintubber Abbey

Ballintubber. Hours: Open 9-24. (G6).

Mass has been sung daily in the Gothic abbey church for almost eight centuries since the Augustine abbey was built in 1216. Even in times of trouble not a single day was missed. The church was partly rebuilt after a fire in 1265. In 1653 Cromwell vandalized the abbey and burned the roof of the church. A new roof was added in the original style in 1966.

Inside the church there are some items from the 13th C., including an altar.

We return on N84 to Castlebar and go from there on R311 to Newport.

Newport

(G6).

A nice little resort, popular with anglers, dominated by a disused railway viaduct, converted into a pedestrian bridge.

In the town center we cross the motorists bridge and immediately turn left through a gate into the grounds of Newport House.

Newport House

Newport. Phone: 98 41222. Fax: 98 41613. Price: £87 ($136) with breakfast & dinner. All major cards. 18 rooms. (G6).
A Georgian country manor, beautifully sheathed in red creeper, almost covering the windows.

The interior is grand, especially the staircase in the hall. The dining room is superior and the food is mediocre. Coffee and confectionery are served in the drawing room after dinner. Service is outstanding. Dinner is included in the room price.

Room no. 1 is large, furnished with antiques. The bathroom is also large. There is a good view over the grounds to the river.

We can leave from here on N59 to the south to Westport. We can also drive north on N59 for a detour to Achill Island. In that case we soon turn left at a signpost to Burrishoole Friary.

Burrishoole Friary

(G6).

A Dominican friary, founded in 1486, converted into a fortress in 1486. The remains consist of a broad and squat tower, nave, chancel, south transept and parts of the friary.

We return to N59, turn left and continue a short distance to another signpost on the left to Carrigahowley or Rockfleet Castle.

Carrigahowley Castle

(G6).

A four-storeyed tower house from the 15th C, similar to several others in the country, this one especially well preserved.

Edward VI of England subsidized the building of such towers to strengthen the rule of his vassals over the unruly Irish. The ground floor housed stores and the top floor the living quarters of the masters of the tower.

We can return from here to Newport if we have little time. Otherwise we turn left on N59 and continue to Mulrany, where we turn left on R319 to the towns of Keel and Dooagh on Achill Island.

Dooagh

Dooagh. (G6).

The island of Achill is connected by a bridge to the mainland. The landscape is bare and weathered. The coast is suitable for sunbathing and the sea is suitable for surfing and fishing. Sand beached and rocky outcrops dot the coastline. Treeless villages, painted in white, rest on the beaches.

We return all the way back, first R319 and then N59 to Newport and continue on N59 south to Westport.

Westport

Westport. (G6).

A friendly tourist town, planned and built in 1780. It has a well-known manor, Westport House.

The best part of town is the Quay, where old houses have been converted into hotels and seafood restaurants. The Quay offers a good view to Croach Patrick mountain.

We take R395 out of town and drive on the coastline past Croach Patrick.

Croagh Patrick

(G6).

The 763 meters mountain on our left side has been a holy mountain since heathen times.

The story goes that Saint Patrick killed all snakes in Ireland by tolling his bell. Since then there have been no snakes in the country.

Last Sunday in July, tens of thousands of pilgrims climb the mountain, some of them bare-footed, to sing a mass at the chapel on the top. The western side of the mountain has become visually polluted because of that yearly attack.

We continue on R395 until it reaches N59, where we turn right and drive through Leenane to the fairy palace of Kylemore Abbey.

Kylemore Abbey

Hours: Open 9:30-18, closed in winter. (G7).

The abbey with all its crenellated towers rises suddenly from the wood on the far side of a lake, just as a dream or a prop in an animated Disney film. In fact the building is not especially old. It is a Neo-Gothic castle from the 19th C., a convent school of the Benedictine order. Parts of the castle are open to the public.

We continue on N59 a short way and turn left at a signpost to the Connemara National Park.

Connemara Park

Hours: Visitors center open in summer 10-18:30. (G7).

More than 200 hectares of heath, bog and wood, the home of the red Irish deer and the Connemara pony. The peak of Diamond Hill, 445 meters, dominates the view from the visitors center. The peak offers a good view over Connemara.

Connemara is a desolated and varied country with countless lakes and ridges, brooks and bogs, outcrops and sand beaches. Population is sparse in this barren country and people still speak Gaelic. The district is sometimes called Gaeltacht, the Country of the Celts.

We continue on N59. Soon we come to Letterfrack, where we have some choices. We can press on to Abbeyglen or we can turn right on a side-road to Tullycross and Renvyle. We drive to Currath Castle on the Renvyle coast.

Currath Castle

(G7).

One of many tower houses in Ireland. This one is special, as the ocean waves have broken one of its corners so that we can see the interior from the outside, including the staircase of stone.

We return the same way up to N59 and turn right. Soon we arrive at Rosleague Manor to the right.

Rosleague Manor

Letterfrack. Phone: 95 41101. Fax: 95 41168. Price: £90 ($141) with breakfast. All major cards. 20 rooms. (G7).

A country manor on a small hill in a large garden near Letterfrack, loaded with antiques and art.

Service is exceptionally friendly. The grand and beautiful dining room is one of the better ones in Ireland. Dinner is £40 for two, excluding beverages.

The guest rooms are generally large and well equipped.

We continue on N59 to Clifden center, and find the main road up the valley to Abbeyglen Castle on the slopes of the hill on the other side of town.

Abbeyglen Castle

Clifden. Phone: 95 21201. Fax: 95 21797. Price: £99 ($155) with breakfast. All major cards. (G7).

The hotel is designed as a mock castle with pointed windows, corner towers and a crenellated roof. There are large gardens near the hotels and woods farther on.

Service is very good.

The rooms are rather large and well equipped and most have good views. The best rooms are in the main building.

We continue on this side-road up the slope. We are on the Sky Road which covers the peninsula out of Clifden town.

Clifden Bay

(F7).

This road offers good views to peninsulas, islands and the ocean. This is the beautiful country of Connemara.

After the Sky Road circle we are back on N59 and drive again through Clifden. Next we turn right either on R341 or R340 and follow signs to Cashel Bay.

Cashel Bay

(G7).

Typical Connemara coastline with lots of peninsulas and islands.

We continue on the road to either Zetland House or Cashel House for an overnight.

Cashel House

Cashel Bay. Phone: 95 31001. Fax: 95 31077. Price: £127 ($198) with breakfast. All major cards. 32 rooms. (G7).
A unique hotel, most famous for being a retreat of President de Gaulle. It is a beautiful, old building in a garden, that is almost botanical, with horse stables in the back.

The lay-out of the hotel is old and accidental and mainly warm and personal. It has several nooks on the way to the bar. Drawing rooms, libraries and retreats alternate with narrow corridors. The dining room is in an adjoining garden house of glass. The cooking is first class, but the boring waiter spoke French up his nose, with an Oxford intonation. Dinner is £64 for two.

Room no. 18 is stylish, rather small, but recently and well furnished, with a good view to the garden. It has a thick carpet on the floor.

From Cashel we drive on R341 and then turn left on R340 and then turn right on N59 all the way to Maam Cross.

Maam Cross

Maam Cross. (G7).

A popular angling village in a district of extensive peat bogs, with the typical peat piles dotting the roadside.

Arriving in Maam Cross we turn left on R336 to Maam and from there to the right on R345 to Cong, where we quickly find Ashford Castle.

Ashford Castle

Cong. Phone: 92 46003. Fax: 92 46260. Price: £256 ($400) with breakfast. All major cards. 83 rooms. (G7).

This is a chapter on its own. The stone gray hotel of dreams is a quaint combination of a 13th C. castle, an old manor in the French Renaissance Chateau style and new buildings in mock-castle Neo-Gothic style. All this makes an irreal pile in spacious gardens with the hotel’s own golf course. As a hotel this pile is also a gem of quality and service and gastronomy.

Inside there is a perfect atmosphere of richness and grandeur. The wooden furnishings are heavy and the antiques numerous. There are good conference facilities for the mandarins of the European Union. The cooking is among the very best in Ireland. The smaller and more royal and expensive Connaught Room is in the manor, with large windows and tons of wood. Dinner is £80 for two.

The rooms are very spacious, offering good views in any direction and every imaginable luxury as can be understood from the price.

Before we leave Cong, we can make a detour and continue on R345 to Cross and then to the right on R334 a short way to Ross Abbey.

Ross Abbey

Ross. (G7).

The best preserved Franciscan abbey in Ireland, built in 1351, enlarged and restored in the 15th C. It was an cloister until 1753. From the church tower of 1498 there is a good view over the abbey buildings and the neighboring country.

Frescos and 15th C. windows are in the church. Parts of the cloister have been preserved, including a sacristy, lavatorium, refectory and a scriptorium.

We return on R334 and R345 to Cong, then continue on R345 to Maam and R336 to Maam Cross, where we turn left on N56 to Oughterard. Soon after entering the town we see Sweeney’s Oughterard House on our left.

Sweeney’s Oughterard House

Oughterard. Phone: 91 82207. Fax: 91 82161. Price: £70 ($109) with breakfast. All major cards. 21 rooms. (G7).

A 200 years old house covered with creepers, with a guest-rooms extension to the back.

Antique collector items are tastefully arranged in the public rooms and some of the guest rooms. The atmosphere is very comfortable. Dinner is included in the room price.

The guest rooms are simple and well appointed.

We continue to the center of Oughterard, where there is as side-road to the left with a signpost to Currarevagh House. We take that detour through woods on the banks of Lake Corrib.

Currarevagh House

Oughterard. Phone: 91 82313. Fax: 91 82731. Price: £90 ($141) with breakfast. No cards. 15 rooms. (G7).

An old country manor peacefully nested in a private wood. It does not resemble an hotel, rather a country manor. It is mainly frequented by anglers, which is evident from some of the furnishings.

Guests all dine at the same time. The host serves the main course and chats with the guests. After dinner the guests congregate in the drawing room for coffee and conversation. This is very manor-like and pleasant. People go early to bed and rise late. Breakfast is served at nine o’clock. Dinner is £38 for two, excluding beverages.

Room no. 1 is an excellent corner room with big windows with a good view to Lake Corrib. The ceiling is high and the room is spacious, the furnishings old-fashioned. The floor is covered with a carpet all the way to the bathtub. All the amenities are there, excluding a TV set and a phone, as guests are expected to be trying to forget the outside world.

We return on the side-road to the center of Oughterard, again passing the shores of Lake Corrib.

Loch Corrib

(G7).

The second largest lake in Ireland, 58 km long has several islands. It is a famous angling resort. The road between Currarevagh and Oughterard gives us a glimpse of the charm of this lake.

We continue on the side-road to the center of Oughterard, and turn left on N59. Soon we take another detour on the left, signposted for Aughnanure Castle.

Aughnanure Castle

Hours: Open in summer 9:30-18:30. (G7).

A well conserved and tower house with outer walls and the ruins of a banqueting hall. The tower has six storeys with a staircase of 73 steps. On the two topmost floors are bedrooms and a sitting hall with a fireplace. From the top there is a good view to Lake Corrib.

We return to N59, turn left and drive to Galway. We cross the bridge and drive from the roundabout to the center and find a parking place.

Galway

Galway. (G7).

The largest city on the western coast and the linguistic center of the Gaelic language. The old center with narrow streets and low-rise houses is the main attraction for tourists.

Shop Street is the main shopping street of the center and could be made more convenient by excluding cars and making it pedestrian.

Lynch’s Castle is midway along Shop Street.

Lynch’s Castle

Galway. (G7).

A tower house from the 16th C., with decorations on the outside. It is still functioning, nowadays as a bank office.

A little further on, at the same side of the street, we come to St Nicholas’ Church.

St Nicholas’

Hours: Open in summer 9-18, in winter 9-17:30. (G7).

Built in 1320 and enlarged in the 15th and 16th C., a simple and powerful church.

We leave town, first on N6, then on N18 and finally on N67, where we soon arrive at Dunguaire Castle on the coast.

Dunguaire Castle

Kinwara. Hours: Feasts start at 17:45 and 21. (G7).

A tower house of four storeys, with an outer defense wall, built in 1520 and renovated in the 20th C.

The ground and first floors are now used as a venue for banquets for tourists twice a day. These amusing feasts include a medley of short plays, witty limericks, sentimental ballads, ribald dances, all very well-done, accompanied with a food that is supposed to be as it was in the olden time.

We continue on N67 and turn left on R480 where we arrive at the Aillwee cave.

Aillwee Cave

(G7).

A long and narrow cave of 1034 meters, found in 1940 in a porous limestone mountain, the remains of a subterranean river. It has many small stalactites and stalagmites and even a small waterfall.

The atmosphere is enhanced by intelligent floodlighting.

In this area a whole system of caves and subterranean streams were found in 1987.

R480 continues up to The Burren.

Burren

(G7).

A naked, arid and stony limestone highland of 260 square km., that is being declared a National Park.

Near the road, mainly on our left side, are several megalithic tombs from the Stone Age, 4000-2000 B.C. Large and heavy, flat stones have been raised on edge and other flat stones put on top as a roof.

We continue on R480 and turn left into R476 at Leamaneh Castle.

Leamaneh Castle

(G7).

An impressive building of four storeys with large windows from the 17th C., adjoining an older tower house with small windows from the 15th C. There are 88 steps to the top.

We drive on and keep to R476 to Kilfenora. In the center there are ruins of an abbey.

Kilfenora Crosses

Kilfenora. (G7).

The cloister ruins are partly from Early Christianity in the 6th C. Three high crosses from the 12th C. are in the graveyard. The church is mainly from 1190, but renovated in the 15th C. It is mainly intact and is used for mass. This was formerly a bishopric.

We continue on R476 to Lisdoonvarna, where we turn left on L54 (R478) to the Cliffs of Moher.

Cliffs of Moher

(G7).

Dark sandstone cliffs, 182 meters high, almost vertical, stretching for 8 km.

An easy pedestrian path leads up to O’Brien’s Tower with a good view to the cliffs. The tower was built in 1853.

A tourist information center is at the start of the path, giving information on walks in the area.

We drive on, first on L54 (R478) to Lahinch and from there on N67 to Ennistymon with quaint, old shop-fronts at the main street, and from Ennistymon on N85 to Ennis. We stop in the center at Ennis Friary.

Ennis Friary

(G8).

Once a powerful Franciscan friary. 350 monks and 600 students were there in the 14th C. The friary was recently acquired again by the Franciscans.

The church is from the 13th C., except the southern transept and the central tower from the 15th C. It has no roof but is otherwise relatively intact. Its main attribute are high and narrow windows in the chancel.

We take the R469 from Ennis to Clare, Quin, Knappogue and Craggaunoven and soon come to our first stop at Clare, where we stop at the right turn in front of the railway station to inspect Clare Abbey.

Clare Abbey

(G8).

Extensive ruins of an Augustine cloister from 1189. The nave of the church is still standing, its central tower and parts of the cloister.

We continue on R469 to our next stop at Quin Friary to our left.

Quin Friary

(G8).

Extensive ruins of an imposing Franciscan friary from 1430. The cloister is mainly standing, including the central tower and the southern transept of the church.

The friary was built on the ruins of a Norman castle that again was built on the ruins of an earlier cloister.

We continue on R469 and turn right to Knappogue Castle.

Knappogue Castle

Price: £60 ($94) for two. (G8).

Built in 1467 to defend against Norman invaders and has since then been lived-in for most of the time. It really is a beautifully designed palace, built around a castle.

Now Medieval banquets for tourists are held in the grand banqueting hall twice every day, at 17:45 and 21. The food and table service are in Medieval style. Included is a program of ballads and poetry, plays and dance, which give a vivid picture of the history of Ireland and its music.

Again we return to R469 and stop at the Craggaunoven Centre.

Craggaunoven

Hours: Open in summer 10-18, in winter 9:30-17, -16 on Friday. (G8).

A kind of a museum on Irish prehistory. It is housed in a tower house from the 16th C.

The ox-hide boat or “curragh”, Brendan, is on show, a replica of the boats that Irish monks used to roam the North Atlantic from the 6th C. up to the Viking period in the 9th C. and onwards. It was built to sail to America in 1976-1977 to prove that it would have been possible for Saint Brendan to reach America in the 6th C. as has been speculated.

Below the tower is a replica of a Bronze Age village of round huts or “crannóg”, on an islet in a small lake, connected by a bridge to the mainland. The style of the huts is similar to those we see in Africa.

We return on R469 to Ennis and from there we drive on N18 to Newmarket-on-Fergus where we arrive at Dromoland Castle.

Dromoland Castle

Newmarket-on-Fergus. Phone: 61 368144. Fax: 61 363355. Price: £252 ($394) with breakfast. All major cards. 73 rooms. (G8).

The majestic castle from 1570 was owned by one of the main royal families in Ireland, the Brians, until it was converted into the primary luxury hotel in Ireland. Its main attribute is the round corner tower. The castle sits in an extensive private parkland with a famous golf course.

Inside the hotel is very cozy and comfortable, with open fire in fireplaces, lots of antiques and works of art. The library bar is a perfect venue for a drink or two. The Thomond Room restaurant is one of the best in Ireland. Dinner is £90 for two, excluding beverages.

The rooms are variable, but all are beautifully designed.

We continue on N18 almost all the way to Limerick and stop at Bunratty Castle.

Bunratty Castle

Limerick. (G8).

An unusually large and majestic tower house from 1460, recently renovated into its 16th C. form. It houses a museum of furniture and carpets from the 14th to the 17th C.

Alongside the castle is Bunratty Folk Park, exhibiting old houses and replicas of old houses, which together make a convincing village street with a 19th C. atmosphere.

Adjoining the castle is also a banquet hall, where tourists congregate twice a day, at 17:45 and 21 to have a Medieval dinner and enjoy an historic program of song and dance.

There is a short way from Bunratty Castle on N18 to Limerick. Just before we enter the town we arrive at the Limerick Inn hotel, clearly signposted.

Limerick Inn

Limerick. Phone: 61 326666. Fax: 61 326281. Price: £73 ($114) with breakfast. All major cards. 153 rooms. (G8).

A low-rise modern hotel in standard hotel style, comfortable though. It is a busy airport and convention hotel.

The food is better than can be expected at such hotels. The menu is extensive and varied. Dinner is £50 for two, excluding beverages.

Room no. 404 is large and well equipped, including a hair dryer and a trouser press. The bathroom is excellent.

We continue on N18 into Limerick, turn left, when we come to the river, and drive on the river bank to cross the river at the next bridge. On the other side of the river we arrive at King John’s Castle.

Limerick

Limerick. (G8).

Limerick is the main city of the Middle West, situated near the formerly important Shannon airport. It was founded in 922 as a Danish Viking town, its name derived from a Viking name meaning Rich Land. It was repeatedly attacked by Irish kings and finally captured by the Viking-French Normans in 1194. Little remains from this turbulent history.

A part of central Limerick has mainly an English character, including King John’s Castle and St Mary’s Cathedral, the oldest building in town.

Another part is more Irish in character, including the area around St John’s Cathedral and Limerick Museum.

We are in front of King John’s Castle.

King John’s Castle

Limerick. Hours: Open in summer 10-17. (G8).

An extremely well conserved Norman castle from 1200, majestic and powerful. It has repeatedly played a role in Irish history and is now fittingly an historical museum.

Next to the castle on Nicholas Street in the direction of the city center we come to St Mary’s Cathedral.

St Mary’s

Limerick. Hours: Open in summer 9:30-12:45 & 14:15-17:30. (G8).

The oldest building in town, from 1168, Gothic in style and crenellated.

We continue on Nicolas Street and Mary Street, cross a bridge, and continue on John Street to St John’s Cathedral.

St John’s

Hours: Open Monday-Friday 9-18:30, Saturday 9-20:30, Sunday 8-20:30. (G8).

A Neo-Gothic cathedral from 1861, with the highest church spire in Ireland, 85 meters.

John Square is in front of the church. Limerick Museum, a museum of city history, is in a 18th C. house on the square.

We leave Limerick on N20 and then N21 to Adare.

Adare Manor

Adare. Phone: 61 396566. Fax: 61 396124. Price: £220 ($344) with breakfast. All major cards. 64 rooms. (G8).

A Neo-Gothic country manor with several small towers in a large garden at the river Maigue. The hotel is beautifully furnished in an old style.

Dinner is £65 for two, excluding beverages.

The guest rooms in the main building are especially desirable.

We continue on N21 until we are near Castleisland, where there is a side-road to the left, leading to Crag Cave.

Crag Cave

(G8).

A limestone cave more than million years old, found by accident in 1983. It is almost 4 km, of which 350 m are accessible to the public. There are untouched stalagmites and stalactites, most beautiful in the floodlit Crystal Gallery.

We drive back to N21, turn left and continue through Castleisland to Tralee, where we change over to R559 to Blennerville, where we stop at a windmill on the other side of a long bridge.

Blennerville Windmill

Hours: Open in summer 9-18. (G8).

A windmill for grinding floor, 18 meters and 5 storeys, built in 1800 and still going strong. A museum on the grounds shows the history of windmills and floor-grinding and the history of Irish settlers in America.

Here is also a railway station for a narrow-gauged train with three wagons from the 19th C., all original, used for tourists today. It goes between Tralee and Blennerville.

We continue on R559 and then R560 in the direction of Connor Pass. Finally we turn into a side-road signposted to Connor Pass.

Connor Pass

(F8).

The highest road pass in Ireland, 456 meters above sea level. The road cuts through steep cliffs into a narrow slit in the mountain edge.

There is a car park at the top. From there we have good views in both directions. The landscape is naked and majestic.

We drive down the winding road on the other side, leading down to Dingle.

Dingle
Dingle. (F8).

A mixture of a fishing town and a tourist town. The outer and inner harbors shelter the ships against the fury of the Atlantic Ocean.

Every other house in the center is either a pub or a restaurant.

In the center we find Doyle’s Seafood Bar.

Doyle’s

4 John Street, Dingle. Phone: 66 51174. Fax: 66 51816. Price: £48 ($75) for two. All major cards. 8 rooms. (F8).

Situated in an house from 1830. The guest rooms are furnished with antiques and beautiful bathrooms.

Doyle’s is primarily a seafood restaurant, the best one on the west coast. The daily changing menu offers the fresh catch of each day. Dinner is £40 for two, excluding beverages.

This is the perfect place for a dinner and overnight.

We drive west out of town on a road signposted as Slea Head Drive. We go through Ventry, stopping at a sign for Dunbeg Fort. There is a footpath leading down to a Pre-Historic seaside fortress. A little further on we start to see signs to Fahan huts. We stop at the first one.

Fahan beehive huts

(F8).

There is a short walk from the road up to the first of over 400 Fahan stone huts on the slopes of Mountain Eagle.

These beehive huts or “clochans” are Pre-Historic, all built up of stones in the form of half a sphere, without any gluing or binding material, many of them in perfect condition. They are in small groups all over the mountain slopes. Most of them are from the 6th to the 10th C.

We continue on this scenic route around the peninsula and look for a sign to Gallarus Oratory, when we have driven through Ballyferriter.

Gallarus Oratory

(F8).

One of the most important historic monuments in Ireland. It is a stone church from the 8th or 9th C., built from stone slabs all the way up to the ridge, without the use of any glue or binding material.

The structure is very well done, watertight and has been preserved in perfect condition during all these centuries, while other such churches have collapsed under their own weight.

We follow signposts to Dingle. From there we take the R559 to Annaschul, the R561 to Castlemaine, N70 to Milltown and finally R563 almost all the way to Killarney, but look for a signpost to Aghadoe Heights hotel on our right.

Aghadoe Heights

Killarney. Phone: 64 31766. Fax: 64 31345. Price: £145 ($227) with breakfast. All major cards. 60 rooms. (G9).

A modern and excellent hotel on a hill outside Killarney, with a good view to Lake Leane and the mountains around Dunloe Pass.

Service is perfect, combining German efficiency and Irish hospitality. The dining room combines good views with good furnishings, excellent service and excellent food. Dinner is £60 for two, excluding beverages.

Room no. 227 is very large and majestic and mainly stylish, with a good view and all amenities.

We follow signposts to Killarney, find R562, which we drive on to Killorglin, where we change to N70 and drive a scenic route to Glenbeigh, Cahirciveen and finally Waterville.

Waterville

(F9).

A famous summer holiday resort with pleasant, old-fashioned atmosphere. The main street is on the seaside, with hotels and restaurants on the land-side and a well-tended garden on the ocean-side.

We continue on N70 up Coomakista Pass above the town, offering good views in both directions. The grand landscape of Iveragh peninsula is particularly obvious from this observation point. Then we continue on N70 and look for a signpost to Staigue to our left.

Staigue

(F9).

A 2000 years old circular fortress which has mostly withstood the ravages of time. The walls are 5 meters high and 4 meters broad.

The fortress has probably been built as a sanctuary for the local people in raids by pirates. Other fortresses have been discovered in this area, but Staigue is the largest and the best preserved one.

We continue on N70 to Sneem.

Sneem

Sneem. (F9).

A nice little tourist village with two central squares connected with an old bridge.

We continue on N70 almost all the way to Kenmare, but turn right at a signpost to Dromquinna Manor.

Dromquinna Manor

Blackwater Bridge, Kenmare. Phone: 64 41657. Fax: 64 41791. Price: £70 ($109) with breakfast. All major cards. 28 rooms. (G9).

A beautiful old Victorian manor in romantic oceanside surroundings, with its own boat harbor.

The hotel is very cozy, with creaking floors, open fire in the fireplace and several drawing rooms. This is a good place for relaxation. Dinner is £40 for two, excluding beverages.

Room without a number, named Robertson, is very large and very grand, with a royal bed and large windows to the garden. The bathroom is also elegant, with parquet on the floor.

We have a short way on N70 to Kenmare, where we stop at the main square or in its immediate vicinity.

Kenmare

Kenmare. (G9).

A quaint tourist town with an old-fashioned shopping street, Main Street, with several interesting shop-signs.

We drive Market Street which runs parallel to Main Street from the central square up to the Kenmare Stone Circle.

Kenmare Stone Circle

(G9).

Probably laid out and built by Spanish copper miners 4000 years ago. There is a big stone in the middle, surrounded with 15 smaller stones in a circle.

We drive from Kenmare on N71 through beautiful landscapes and through a 726 m mountain tunnel and arrive at the other side of the mountain in Glengariff, where we see the Eccles hotel on our left.

Eccles

Glengariff. (G9).

The best known building in this tourist town, built in 1833. It still has the same featherlight and charming look as it had when Queen Victoria stayed there. Inside as outside the hotel preserves the charm of the 19th C.

We continue on N71 to Ballylickey, where two excellent hotels are side by side to the left of the road, Ballylickey Manor House and Sea View House. We drive to the latter one.

Sea View House

Ballylickey. Phone: 27 50462. Fax: 27 51555. Price: £132 ($206) with breakfast. All major cards. 17 rooms. (G9).

A white summer manor on the hillside, very comfortable, best known for the excellent cooking.

There are antiques all over the building. Dinner is served in several adjoining small rooms. The excellent dinner is £46, excluding beverages. Breakfast includes boxty pancakes made from potatoes, an Irish specialty.

Room no. 4 is of a medium size, tasteful and old-fashioned, with a very small bathroom with a sitting tub and a shower. It has a good view over the garden down to the ocean.

We continue on N71 a short way to the 19th C. town of Bantry. When we have crossed the main square we turn left through a brick gate and drive through formal, Italian gardens to the hotel entrance of Bantry House.

Bantry House

Bantry. All major cards. 10 rooms. (G9).

A palace from 1740, now a hotel and an art museum, showing what the owners have collected through two centuries and a half.

Dinner is £40 for two, excluding beverages.

The museum has a few rooms for travelers.

We continue on N71 to Skibberen. Then we turn right into a side-road to Glandore, a small town at a small harbor. We drive on R597 through the town and look for a signpost to Drombeg Circle.

Drombeg

(G9).

One of the best preserved stone circles in Ireland. Fourteen stone slabs of up to 1.5 m each stand upright in a circle of 9 m in diameter.

The purpose of such stone circles is unknown. Possibly they are religious structures.

We continue to Roscarberry, where we take N71 and drive to Clonakilty, where we change to R600 for Timoleague.

Timoleague Friary

(G9).

The ruins of a Franciscan cloister from 1320, destroyed by Cromwell in 1642. Near it are the ruins of an hospital and the 13th C. Barrymore Castle.

R600 brings us to Kinsale, where we can park at the port.

Kinsale

(G9).

For a long time considered the gastronomic capital of Ireland, a little overstated nowadays. Its restaurants specialize in seafood.

Sailing boats dominate the harbor of this oldest town in Ireland. The streets are narrow, almost undriveable in cars. The white houses are neat and well maintained. This was such an English town that Irish were not allowed to live there until at the end of the 18th C.

We drive through town and follow signs to Charles Fort.

Charles Fort

Kinsale. Hours: Open in summer 9:30-17:30, in spring Tuesday-Saturday 9-17, Sunday 14-17. (G9).

A fortress from 1670 on a promontory to the west of the entrance to Kinsale harbor. It is as extensive as a village, surrounded by a wall. The English built it after Spanish raids and used it up to 1922, when the Irish Republic was founded.

There is a good view from the fortress to the Kinsale harbor.

We continue on R600 to the center of Cork. Before we drive down the slope to the center we stop to have a look at St Fin Barre’s Cathedral.

St Fin Barre’s

Cork. Hours: Open Monday-Friday 10-13 & 14-17:30. (G9).

A Neo-Gothic church from 1865, with a central tower of 73 m. The Elizabeth Fort from 1590 is immediately to the west from the church, offering a good view over the city center, which is on an island in the river Lee.

We continue down the slope and drive into the center of Cork, looking for a parking-house.

Cork

Cork. (G9).

The principal streets of the city center are the broad Grand Parade and the winding St Patrick’s Street. The houses along these streets are low-rise and give a comfortable impression of the city.

From the center we drive along St Patrick’s Street, then straight over the bridge, turn right, not on the river bank, but next street after it, Mac Curtain Street. Then we turn a little to the left up the slope of Summerhill and its continuation in Middle Glanmire Road, where Arbutus Lodge is on our right side.

Arbutus Lodge

Middle Glanmire Road, Cork. Phone: 21 501237. Fax: 21 502893. Price: £53 ($83) for two. All major cards. 20 rooms. (G9).

A city mansion in a beautiful garden on a slope overlooking the city center. It is one of the very best restaurants in Ireland and a comfortable hotel at the same time.

Service is young and friendly. Strawberries and raspberries were included in the breakfast. Dinner is a special occasion, costs £44-£56 for two, excluding beverages. You may start with feta salad, continue with mussels and walnuts in garlic sauce, then rhubarb and ginger sorbet, go on to braised duck with duck-leg dressing and finish with the excellent cheese and dessert trolleys.

Room without a number, called Montenotte, does not have the coveted city view. It is large and quaint, furnished with antiques.

We return down Middle Glanmire Road and Summerhill in the direction of Cork center, but make a sharp left turn into Lower Glanmire Road, which continues as N25 out of town. We then turn right into a road signposted to Cobh, where we park at the harbor.

Cobh harbor & cathedral

Cobh. (H9).

Cobh was the harbor of the British fleet in the independence war of the United States of America, later the embarkment point of hundreds of thousands of Irish emigrants, and finally a port of call for the large Atlantic liners in their heyday.

The harbor is dominated by St Colman’s Cathedral with a giant tower of 47 bells, built 1868-1915 for collection money from emigrants to America.

We return to N25 and drive all the way to the center of Youghal, where we park at Main Street, near the southern side of the city wall.

Clock Gate

Youghal. (H9).

There are some important landmarks in Main Street. Clock Gate is one, a four storeyed house built in 1777 across the street, as a part of the southern side of the city wall.

We walk Main Street to the northern side of the city wall.

Tynte’s Castle

Youghal. (H9).

On our right side, adjoining the city wall, a tower house from the 15th C., Tynte’s Castle.

Opposite, on our left side. is the Red House in Dutch style from the early 18th C.

Farther to the left, also nesting under the city wall, we come to St Mary’s Collegiate Church from the early 13th C.

We turn our attention to the city wall.

Youghal City Wall

Youghal. (H9).

This city wall is the best preserved one in Ireland. It is still intact, in spite of being built in the 13th C.

We leave town on N25 in the direction of Waterford, but soon turn left into R671 which we follow through beautiful landscapes to Clonmel, where we try to park in the central O’Connell Street, near the West Gate.

Clonmel

Clonmel. (H8).

O’Connell Street is the main street in Clonmel. In its west end the West Gate sits across the street, a 14th C. gate on the city wall.

From the gate there is a passage to the north to St Mary’s Church with an octagonal tower. In the graveyard is a well-preserved part of the city wall.

In the west O’Connell Street ends at Main Guard, the old courts building of the city.

We drive N24 to Caher and stop at a car park between the main square and the castle.

Caher

(H8).

A nice little historic town at Suir river. Its central square is on a split level, surrounded with shops in low houses.
Caher Castle is the main attraction in Caher.

Caher Castle

Hours: Open in summer 9:30-19:30, in spring and fall 10-18, in winter Monday-Saturday 10-13 & 14-16:30, Sunday 14-16:30. (H8).

An extensive castle beside the river Suir, built in the 13th C. and renovated in the 15th C. There is a keep in the middle and three ports, surrounded with a wall with three large towers.

The castle is in good condition and is used as a local museum.

We leave town on N8 and drive to Cashel, turn right into the main street and then immediately left through a gate into the grounds of Cashel Palace.

Cashel

Cashel. (H8).

Cashel is a tourist town nested under the Rock of Cashel.

It has two cathedrals linked by a passage.

There is also a Folk Village, a reconstruction of 18th C. rural life in Ireland.

Cashel Palace is our abode tonight.

Cashel Palace

Cashel. Phone: 62 61411. Fax: 62 61521. Price: £100 ($156) with breakfast. All major cards. 20 rooms. (H8).

Built in 1730 in Palladian Renaissance style as a bishopric, now a dignified and a little tired hotel with antiques and an open fire in the lobby. Its main attraction is a beautiful garden leading up o the Rock of Cashel.

Dinner is £46 for two, excluding beverages.

Room 35 is very large and has several windows to the garden, furnished with comfortable furniture and a good bathroom, also with a large window to the garden.

We walk through the garden on the Bishop’s Walk for about 7 minutes to reach the Rock of Cashel.

Rock of Cashel

Cashel. Hours: Open in summer 9-19:30, in winter 9:30-16:30. (H8).

The royal seat of the Munster kings 370-1101, similar to Tara of the Ulster kings, north of Dublin. St Patrick is said to have baptized king Aengus here in 450. The rock became a cathedral site in the 12 th C. and remained so until 1749. An English barbarian, Lord Inchiguin, burned 3000 inhabitants of Cashel inside the church in 1647.

The rock is entered through a museum in a priest’s house from the 15th C., adjoining a dormitory from the same time.

The Gothic cathedral itself rises behind, badly damaged in the fire of 1647. It is mainly from the 13th C. It has a simple crucifix form without aisles, with high lance-windows and a massive central tower. A castle tower from 1450 is at the west end of the church, built as an archbishop seat in violent times. Behind the northern transept is a Round Tower from the 12th C.

Opposite the dormitory is the Cormac’s Chapel.

Cormac’s Chapel

Cashel. (H8).

The oldest part of the monuments on the Rock of Cashel, built in Romanesque style in 1127-1134, a single nave with a chancel and two towers on the sides.

We return on the Bishop’s Walk to Cashel Palace. If we have time before dinner we can visit the Folk Village.

Folk Village

Cashel. Hours: Open in summer Monday-Saturday 10-19:30, Sunday 14-19:30. (H8).

A reconstruction of 18th C. rural life in Ireland. It shows shops and homes with the corresponding utensils.

We leave town on R660 in the direction of Holycross Abbey.

Holycross Abbey

(H8).

Built in 1168 as a Benedictine abbey and soon converted into a Cistercian abbey. It was a cloister until the 17th C. and was considered a holy place.

It has now been renovated as a parish church. It has a nave with aisles, two transepts and a powerful central

Corral de la Morería

Morería 17. Phone: 365 1137. Fax: 364 1219. (A3).

The Andalucian Flamenco dance, influenced by Moors and Gipsys, is at its Madrid best at this restaurant. The famous Blanca del Rey dances there in a red dress almost every evening.

The show continues from 23 in the night to 3 in the morning. Diners arrive at 21:30 and get the best tables. The food is acceptable, the atmosphere is perfect and the feeling is great, if Spaniards outnumber the tourists.

Dancers and singers sit on the stage and stand up to take solo turns. Lament and grief, pride and despair are forcefully expressed in wailing and rapid songs. The instruments are guitars and castanets, in addition to the clapping of hands. The ladies dance in colorful and substantial dresses and the gentlemen sing in high-heeled shoes.

Plaza de Toros

Alcalá 231.

The main bullfight arena in the world, built 1931 in Neo-Moorish style as many bullfight arenas in Spain, with seats for 26,000 people. Fights are performed Sunday afternoon, competing with soccer, sometimes also on Thursday. Bullfighting comes from Andalucía and has been performed since the Middle Ages. The present form is from the late 18th C.

This is not a sport or a competition between man and but. It is a ritual drama, almost always resulting in the death of the bull. Three matadors perform and each kills two bulls. There are three acts to the drama. First the matador shows some traditional movements, such as the Veronica, with the red muleta cloth. Then riding picadores come and put spears in the bull.

In the second act the assisting bandilleras put three arrows in the neck of the bull. Finally the matador arrives again in the third act with his muleta cloth, performs some ritual movements and kills the bull with a single, perfect estocada with his sword. Everything must be performed according to strict rules of conduct and etiquette. This is like a religious performance.

Cervecería Alemana

Plaza de Santa Ana. (B2).

On one of the major squares in the old and liveliest part of the center, a combination of a café, a pub and a snack bar.

This is one of the places made famous by Hemingway, a simple and straightforward café, bursting with conversation from morning to night.

The tapas snacks are popular.

Cuevas de Sésame

Principe 5. (B2).

A friendly basement piano bar in a side street leading north from Plaza de Santa Ana.

Guests sit on different levels at small tables. The walls are covered with paintings by well-known artists and the sayings of well-known intellectuals.

Sometimes he guests pick up their own musical instruments, but otherwise a pianist takes care of that.

La Trucha

Manuel Fernandez y Gonzalez 3. (B2).

The snack-bar in front of the relaxed Andalusian restaurant La Trucha is one of the more popular discussion venues in the lively Plaza de Santa Ana area, in a pedestrian alley leading off the northeastern corner.

Madrilenos stand at the bar in three or four layers and devour tapas.

Mesón

Ciudad Rodrigo. (A2).

In the arcade leading off the northwestern corner of Plaza Mayor, offering the best tapas snacks in town.

Try the squid, shellfish, mushrooms and some far-flung varieties.

Café Central

Plaza del Ángel 10. (B2).

An old café opposite Victoria hotel, reminiscent of French turn-of-the-century cafés, decorated with mirrors.

Jazz is often played live here at night, when people feel like it.

There are some other jazz cafés in this neighborhood.

Café de Oriente

Plaza de Oriente 2. (A2).

Opposite the royal palace, a café and a tapas bar and a meeting point for musicians and politicians.

The outdoor part of the café is popular in good weather.

The same name also applies to an excellent restaurant on the premises.

Círculo de Bellas Artes

Alcalá 42. (B2).

One of the most interesting morning cafés, often full of artists, on the traffic artery between Plaza Puerta del Sol and Plaza de Cibeles.

You can relax with your coffee in deep leather chairs and enjoy a good view either out to the street or into the gallery with paintings and leaded window panes.

To enter the café we must buy a ticket to the current exhibition.

Gran Café de Gíjon

Paseo de Recoletos 21. (C2).

The main discussion center of politics and culture, one of many cafés on this major avenue, just north of Plaza de Cibeles.

This is a typical 19th C. café, open and noisy. Large windows open to the heavy motor traffic on the avenue. The intellectuals hang out there for hours on end and express themselves eloquently.

Mallorquina

Calle Mayor / Plaza Puerta del Sol. (B2).

A quiet breakfast café on the first floor at the western end of Plaza Puerta del Sol.

This is the ideal place for breakfasting on café and bakeries, such as ensaimada, spiral pastry in Mallorca style.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Bernasconi

Largo di Torre Argentina 1. (C3).

Famous café beside the Argentina theatre.

Café de Paris

Via Veneto 90. (D2).

Famous sidewalk café

Caffè Greco

Via Condotti. (C2).

In the main street of fashion shops, just beneath The Spanish Steps.

It is the best known café in Rome, founded in 1760, and has ever since been the haunt of writers and artists. H. C. Andersen was there, Berlioz, Browning, Goethe, Tennyson, Thackeray and Wagner. Local people drink their coffee standing in the small front room, and travellers sitting down in the narrow back room.

Canova

Piazza del Popolo 16. (C1).

Famous sidewalk café

Colombia

Piazza Navona 88. (C3).

Famous sidewalk café

Doney

Via Veneto 145. (D2).

Famous sidewalk café

Om Shanti

Piazza Campo dei Fiori. (B3).

Famous sidewalk café. Probably the best coffee in Rome.

Rosati

Piazza del Popolo 5a. (C1).

Famous sidewalk café

Sant’Eustachio

Piazza Sant’Eustachio. (C3).

Famous sidewalk café

Tre Scalini

Piazza Navona 28. (B3).

Famous sidewalk café

Azienda Agricola

Vicolo della Torretta 3. (C2).

A tiny shop in the old center, with many types of olive oil, truffle paté and other delicacies.

Cisterino Cooperativa

Vicolo del Gallo 20. (B3).

A cheese shop near Campo de’Fiori, with many special cheeses, such as ewe and buffalo cheese.

Rizzoli

Largo Chigi 15. (C2).

The largest book shop in Rome has many English and other foreign books.

Via dei Capellari

(B3).

Furniture restorers and other craftsmen work out in the open in this alley in the old center.

Via dei Condotti

(C2).

Via dei Condotti runs from the Spanish Steps to Via del Corso. It is the axis of the fashion shops district.

This quarter of baroque buildings has overtaken Via Veneto as the fashion street in town. Almost all known Italian fashion houses have shops there, and some of the most famous are directly on the Via dei Condotti.

Via del Pellegrino

(B3).

Book shops and art shops cluster in this street near Campo de’Fiori.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Piazza San Marco

(C2) Fyrsta gönguleið okkar um Feneyjar er stutt. Hún liggur um Piazza San Marco = Markúsartorg og mannvirkin umhverfis það. Þetta er þungamiðja Feneyja, glæsilegt torg framan við Markúsarkirkju, 175 metra langt og 58-82 metra breitt, lagt stórum marmaraflísum með reitamynztri, að jafnaði fjölskipað ferðamönnum.

Þar leika hljómsveitir fyrir kaffihúsagesti og þaðan er gengið inn í Markúsarkirkju, Campanile, Torre dell’Orologio og nokkur söfn að auki. Í bogagöngunum, sem umlykja torgið, eru tízkuvöru- og minjagripabúðir. Þar eru frægustu kaffihús borgarinnar, Florian og Quadri. Rétt hjá torginu eru matstaðirnir Al Conte Pescaor, La Colomba, Do Forni, Harry’s Bar and Rivetta.

Í flóðum rennur sjór inn á torgið. Þá eru settar upp göngubrautir kruss og þvers, svo að fólk geti gengið um þurrum fótum. Þá er líka beztur friður fyrir þúsundum útbelgdra dúfna, sem eru helzta myndefni ferðamanna í Feneyjum.

Við byrjum á því að skoða Markúsarkirkju.

San Marco

(Piazza San Marco. Opið mánudaga-laugardaga 9:45-17, sunnudaga 14-17. C2)

Ævintýrahöll úr Þúsund og einni nótt, austræn kirkja í vestrænni kristni, reist 1063-1094 í býzönskum stíl, jafnarma kross að grunnfleti, með fimm hvelfingum á þaki. Hún er bezta dæmi Feneyja um hin miklu og aldalöngu sambönd borgríkisins við hinn gríska eða býzanska heim, löndin um austanvert Miðjarðarhaf og Miðausturlönd.

Öldum saman var hún hlaðin skarti og dýrgripum að innan sem utan. Þó varð hún ekki dómkirkja Feneyja fyrr en 1807, en hafði fram að því verið einkakirkja hertogans, oft notuð við móttöku sendiherra og annarra borgaralegra athafna. Í henni var val nýs hertoga kynnt fyrir borgurunum og frá henni var farið í skrúðgöngur um víðáttumikið Markúsartorg.

Steinfellumyndir einkenna kirkjuna að utan og innan, í veggjum, lofti og jafnvel gólfi. Þær eru frá ýmsum tímum, en flestar þó frá miðöldum, yfirleitt eftir óþekkta listamenn. Núverandi útlit fékk kirkjan á síðari hluta 15. aldar og fyrri hluta 16. aldar. Fræg eru bronzhrossin, sem voru áður yfir aðalinngangi, en eru nú geymd í hliðarsal að baki núverandi eftirlíkinga.

Gengið er inn í kirkjuna um miðdyrnar að framanverðu.

San Marco interior

(San Marco. C2)

Markúsarkirkja breytist að innan í sífellu eftir því, hvaðan birtan fellur á steinfellumyndirnar. Bezt er að skoða þær af kirkjusvölunum. Hvelfingin, sem sést bezt þaðan er Hvítasunnuhvelfingin með elztu steinfellumyndunum, frá 12. öld. Upprisuhvelfingin í kirkjumiðju er frá 13. öld.

Steinfellumyndirnar þekja samtals heila ekru. Þær eru líflegar og sýna samskipti fólks, greina kirkjuna frá hinum stirðnuðu býzönsku fyrirmyndum, þar sem hver persóna lifir í eigin heimi. Þannig marka þær upphaf þeirrar forustu, sem feneyskir listamenn tóku í málaralist Vesturlanda og héldu um nokkrar aldir.

Eftir að hafa skoðað okkur um í kirkjunni förum við inn að kórbaki til að skoða gullbríkina miklu.

Pala d’Oro

(San Marco. C2)

Við kórbak er gullbríkin, altaristafla kirkjunnar, gerð á 10. öld af feneyskum gullsmiðum, þrír fermetrar að stærð, þakin 250 smámyndum, sem hver um sig er skreytt dýrindis eðalsteinum og glerungi. Þessi altaristafla er einstök í sinni röð í heiminum og án efa sú verðmætasta. Napóleon rændi nokkrum eðalsteinum úr henni, en að öðru leyti hefur hún varðveitzt.

Stundum er erfitt að greina á milli sökudólga og fórnardýra í ránum og gripdeildum veraldarsögunnar. Glerungnum í gullbríkinni rændu Feneyingar í Miklagarði 1204, þar sem þeir rændu líka hrossunum á kirkjuloftinu. Napóleon rændi síðan hrossunum af þaki Markúsarkirkju 1797, en þeim var síðan skilað, þegar hann hafði hrökklazt frá völdum.

Helgustu minjum kirkjunnar, jarðneskum leifum Markúsar guðspjallamanns, rændu Feneyingar raunar í Alexandríu 828 og voru stoltir af. Raunar gilti um þá eins og Víkinga og fleiri siglingaþjóðir, að oft var skammt milli kaupsýslu og gripdeilda á sjóferðum þeirra. Feneyingar sneru til dæmis fjórðu krossferðinni upp í að rústa og ræna keppninaut sinn í Miklagarði.

Við höldum áleiðis úr kirkjunni. Sunnan við innganginn innanverðan eru tröppur upp á kirkjusvalirnar. Þaðan er gengið inn í fjársjóðastofuna og í bronzhrossastofuna og út á svalirnar fyrir ofan anddyri kirkjunnar. Við lítum fyrst út á svalirnar.

Equini San Marco

(San Marco. C2)

Hrossastytturnar fjórar ofan við innganginn eru eftirlíkingar þeirra, sem þar stóðu í hartnær sex aldir, frá 1204, þegar Feneyingar rændu þeim úr Miklagarði, og til 1797, þegar Napóleon rændi þeim frá Feneyjum og flutti til Parísar. Af svölunum er ágætt útsýni niður á Markúsartorg og byggingarnar umhverfis það.

Í stofu að baki svalanna eru hinar upprunalegu hrossastyttur úr bronzi varðveittar úti í horni. Þær voru upphaflega við keisarastúku paðreimsins í Miklagarði. Margt hafa þær séð um dagana, en núna á elliárunum hafa þær ekkert útsýni.

Áður en við yfirgefum kirkjuna getum við minnzt þess, að hér varð tónskáldið Monteverdi kórstjóri árið 1613 og varð þar með upphafsmaður forustu Fenyja á sviði tónsmíða, sem náði hámarki á upphafi næstu aldar, þegar Vivaldi varð tónstjóri Pietà kirkjunnar hér í nágrenninu.

Eftir að hafa skoðað fjársjóðastofuna förum við niður tröppurnar aftur og höldum út á torgið. Við förum til vinstri suður fyrir kirkjuna. Á miðri þeirri hlið er lágmynd á kirkjuhorni af rómversku fjórkeisurunum.

Di Tetrarci

(Piazzetta. C2)

Fræg lágmynd úr dílagrjóti, sem talin er sýna fjórkeisarana Díókletíanus, Maximíanus, Galeríus og Konstantíus, sem stjórnuðu Rómarveldi í lok þriðju aldar. Faðmlög þeirra eru hugnæm og í samræmi við raunveruleikann, því að þeir stóðu saman um stjórn ríkisins.

Við lágmyndina er inngangurinn í hertogahöllina.

Palazzo Ducale

(Piazzetta. Opið á sumrin 9-19, á veturna 9-16. C2)

Hertogahöllin er einkennistákn Feneyja, enda nýtur hún þess að vera til sýnis á lónsbakkanum framan við kirkjuna. Hún er mannvirkið, sem heilsar ferðamönnum, sem koma sjóleiðina til Markúsartorgs. Hún var öldum saman stjórnmálamiðstöð Feneyja, heimili hertogans, fundarstaður ríkisráðsins og öldungaráðsins, aðsetur yfirdómstólsins og leynilögreglunnar.

Í núverandi mynd er hún leikandi léttbyggð og leiftrandi fögur gotnesk höll frá 14. öld og upphafi 15. aldar. Hún er afar sérstök, byggð á tveimur hæðum súlnaganga, sem ná eftir öllum torghliðum hallarinnar, þeirri efri í blúndustíl, sem víða má sjá í Feneyjum. Ofan við súlnagöngin eru fagurlega mynztraðir og ljósir veggir úr marmara frá Verona.

Nú á tímum er hún safn. Til sýnis er íbúð hertogans og fundarsalir ríkisráðs og öldungaráðs, svo og ríkisfangelsið. Þessi glæsilegu salarkynni gefa góða hugmynd um stórveldistíma Feneyja, þegar borgin atti kappi við stórveldi á borð við Austrómverska keisaradæmið og síðar Tyrkjaveldi um yfirráð á austanverðu Miðjarðarhafi.

Inn í hallargarðinn er farið um gotneskt hlið milli hennar og Markúsarkirkju, Porta della Carta. Þegar komið er inn í portið, er sigurbogi á vinstri hönd, Arco Foscari. Framundan eru miklar tröppur, stigi risanna.

Scala dei Giganti

(Palazzo Ducale. C2)

Tröppurnar miklu inn í höllina voru hannaðar af Antonio Rizzo og reistar á síðari hluta 15. aldar. Nafn þeirra stafar af risavöxnum styttum eftir Sansovino efst í stiganum, af Neptúnusi og Marz, guðum láðs og lagar.

Tröppurnar voru notaðar við hátíðleg tækifæri. Í þeim voru nýir hertogar jafnan krýndir frýgversku húfunni með toppi að aftanverðu, sem minnir dálítið á kórónu Neðra-Egyptalands hins forna.

Við förum inn í höllina og að stiganum, sem liggur upp af Scala dei Giganti innan veggja hallarinnar, gullstiganum.

Scala d’Oro

(Palazzo Ducale. C2)

Logagyllti stiginn liggur upp á þriðju hæð hallarinnar, þar sem voru salir stjórnvalda og íbúð hertogans. Stiginn var gerður af Sansovino 1554-1558, með miklu gullflúri eftir Alessandro Vittoria í bogadregnum hvelfingum. Hann hefur án efa verið tilkomumikil sjón ókunnugum sendiherrum erlendra ríkja.

Við förum um tilkomumikla sali hallarinnar. Meðal annars förum við yfir lokuðu göngubrúna, Ponte dei Sospiri, sem tengir höllina við dómhöllina til hliðar. Hástigi nær hallarskoðunin í sal ríkisráðsins.

Sala del Maggior Consiglio

(Palazzo Ducale. C2)

Risastór fundarsalur tæplega 2000 manna ríkisráðsins og veizlusalur borgarinnar á sjálfstæðistíma Feneyja. Eitt stærsta málverk heims, Paradís eftir Tintoretto, rúmlega 180 metrar að flatarmáli, prýðir hásætisenda salarins. Veggir og loft hans eru þaktir málverkum, meðal annars eftir Veronese.

Hér voru teknar formlegar ákvarðanir um samninga og stríð Feneyinga við Tyrki og við ítalska keppinauta þeirra í Genova. Hér var lagður grundvöllurinn að sjóorrustunni við Lepanto, þar sem Feneyjar, Genova og fleiri vestræn ríki stöðvuðu sigurgöngu Tyrkja á Miðjarðarhafi 1571 undir forustu Feneyinga.

Við yfirgefum höllina, göngum kringum hana og upp á brúna Ponte della Paglia, þaðan sem við sjáum brú, sem tengir höllina við dómhöllina við hliðina. Það er hin fræga stunubrú.

Ponte dei Sospiri

(Palazzo Ducale. C2)

Stunubrúin, sem tengir hertogahöllina við dómhöllina handan síkisins, var reist á síðari hluta sextándu aldar. Nafnið stafar af stunum fanga, sem leiddir voru til dómhallar og sáu gegnum litla glugga til lífsins í Feneyjum í síðasta sinn, eftir því sem sagan segir.
Við höldum til baka meðfram höllinni og komum aftur inn á Piazzetta, torgið milli hallarinnar og Libreria Sansovina. Nálægt lónsbakkanum eru tvær sögufrægar súlur heilags Markúsar og heilags Theódórs.

Colonne di San Marco e San Teodoro

(Piazzetta. C2)

Helzta borgarhlið Feneyja í gamla daga, þegar aðeins varð komizt þangað sjóleiðina. Þeim var eins og mörgu öðru rænt í Miklagarði. Auk þess að vera borgarhlið voru þeir einnig aftökustaður borgarinnar fram á miðja 18. öld.

Á eystri súlunni er bronzlíkan af vængjuðu ljóni heilags Markúsar. Það er aðflutt og talið vera kínverskrar ættar. Á vestari súlunni er marmarastytta af heilögum Theódór, sem var verndardýrlingur Feneyja áður en jarðneskum leifum Markúsar var stolið í Alexandríu og smyglað til Feneyja árið 828.

Vestan styttanna er fornbókasafnið Libreria Sansovina. Þar er einnig inngangurinn í forngripasafnið, sem annars snýr sýningarsölum sínum á annarri hæð inn að Markúsartorgi.

Museo Archeologico

(Piazzetta. Opið 9-14. C2)

Lítið og rólegt safn listmuna frá rómverskum tíma, einkum frá 2. öld, tilvalinn griðastaður, þegar mannhafið á torgunum í kring er að verða yfirþyrmandi.

Við förum aftur út á Piazzetta og beinum athygli okkar að hinum frístandandi turni Markúsarkirkju.

Campanile

(Piazza San Marco. Opið 9:30-19. C2)

Turninn er frá 1902-1912, nákvæm eftirlíking af turni frá 1173, sem hrundi 1902. Hann er 98,5 metra hár, upprunalega innsiglingarviti, en síðar einnig ríkisturn og kirkjuturn. Fimm klukkur eru í turninum og gegndi hver sínu hlutverki á lýðveldistímanum, ein kallaði öldungaráðsmenn til fundar, önnur ríkisráðsmenn, hin þriðja tilkynnti aftökur og tvær gáfu upplýsingar um tíma.

Lyfta hefur verið sett í turninn fyrir ferðamenn til að auðvelda þeim að komast upp á útsýnispallinn, sem veitir frábært útsýni yfir Feneyjar. Oft er löng biðröð við lyftuna um hádaginn, svo að bezt er að vera þar sem fyrst að morgni eða síðla dags.

Turnhúsið er hannað af 16. aldar arkitektinum Jacopo Sansovino, sem einnig hannaði Libreria Sansovina hér til hliðar og hallirnar Ca’Grande og Palazzo Manin-Dolfin við Canal Grande. Öll þessi mannvirki eru í endurreisnarstíl þess tíma.

Úr turninum förum við yfir Markúsartorg framan við kirkjuna að tímaturninum, sem er felldur inn í húsaröðina norðan torgsins.

Torre dell’Orologio

(Piazza San Marco. Lokað vegna viðgerða. C2)

Turninn er þekktastur fyrir bronzstyttur Máranna tveggja á þakinu, sem hringja klukkunni á heilu tímunum, og stafa vinsældirnar mest af því, að þeir eru ekki í neinu að neðan. Efst á turnveggnum er lágmynd af vængjuðu ljóni heilags Markúsar. Þar fyrir neðan er líkneski af Maríu mey og hreyfilíkön af vitringunum þremur, sem færa jesúbarninu gjafir.

Merkasti hluti turnsins er þar fyrir neðan. Það er tímatalsklukka með gyllingu og bláum glerungi. Hún sýnir stjörnuhimininn og kvartilaskipti tunglsins.

Við göngum langsum yfir torgið að höllinni Ala Napoleonica við austurenda þess. Þar er gengið upp steintröppur í borgarlista- og -minjasafnið.

Museo Correr

(Piazza San Marco. Opið miðvikudaga-mánudaga 10-17. B2)

Málverkin í safninu eru í tímaröð, svo að unnt er að sjá, hvernig stíllinn breyttist með menningarskeiðunum. Tvö málverk Carpaccio eru einna þekktust: Ungur maður með rauðan hatt, og Tvær Feneyjafrúr. Í safninu eru einnig kort, vopn og myntir frá sögu Feneyja.

Í safninu er meðal annars stórt líkan af einkar skrautlegu hefðarskipi hertogans, Bucintoro. Það var meðal annars notað á hverjum uppstigningardegi til að flytja hertogann út á Adríahaf, þar sem hann fleygði gullhring í sjóinn og mælti: “Desponsamus te mare in signum veri perpetuique dominii” til marks um hjónaband sitt og hafsins og yfirráð Feneyja á hafinu.

Við ljúkum þessari gönguferð um næsta nágrenni Markúsartorgs með því að fá okkur kaffi á Florian eða Quadri.

Canal Grande

Breiðstræti og aðalgata borgarinnar er í rauninni fljót. Þar sem Canal Grande bugðar sig núna, var áður fyrr áll í Feneyjalóni. Á bökkum hans varð borgin til og frá upphafi hefur hann verið helzta samgönguæð hennar. Hann er varðaður um það bil 200 margra alda gömlum höllum á tæplega 4 kílómetra leið sinni um borgina.

Canal Grande er iðandi af lífi frá morgni til kvölds. Almenningsbátar og leigubátar, lögreglubátar og sjúkrabátar, flutningabátar og útfararbátar, sorpbátar og gondólar eru sífellt á ferðinni fram og aftur. Á bökkunum bíður fólk eftir fari yfir vatnsgötuna eins og á rauðu ljósi í öðrum borgum.

Bátaleið 1 stanzar á flestum viðkomustöðum við Canal Grande. Flestar leiðarlýsingar hér eru miðaðar við bátastöðvarnar. Og fáir staðir í Feneyjum eru í meira en eins kílómetra göngufjarlægð frá einhverri bátastöðinni.

Við siglum frá járnbrautarstöðinni Santa Lucia, sem tengir Feneyjar við meginlandið, og ætlum til Markúsartorgs. Við förum auðvitað með leið 1, svokallaðri hraðferð, Accelerato, sem þekkist á því, að hún er hægari og kemur víðar við en aðrar leiðir. Fyrst förum við undir Ponte Scalzi.

Ponte Scalzi

(Canal Grande. A1)

Hér var áður smíðajárnsbrú yfir Canal Grande, en 1934 var þessi steinbrú lögð.

Brátt komum við að breiðum skurði vinstra megin, Canale di Cannaregio. Við hann, nálægt horninu er fyrsta höllin, sem við ræðum hér.

Palazzo Labia

(Fondamenta Labia. A1)

Labiarnir voru auðug kaupmannaætt, sem keypti sig inn í aðalinn á sautjándu öld. Höll þeirra er frá lokum aldarinnar.
Giambattista Tiepolo skreytti danssal hallarinnar veggmálverkum um miðja átjándu öld. Þau er unnt að sjá með því að fara á hljómleika í höllinni.

Framan við höllina er San Geremia, grísk krosskirkja, sem geymir jarðneskar leifar heilagrar Lúsíu.

Næst komum við að lágri og breiðri höll á hægri bakkanum.

Fondaco dei Turchi

(Salizzada dei Fondaco dei Turchi. Opið þriðjudaga-sunnudaga 9-13 . B1)

Býzönsk höll frá 13. öld, ein elzta og fegursta og lengi ein stærsta höllin við Canal Grande, tveggja hæða með turnum beggja vegna. Býzanski stíllinn sést vel á grönnum súlum og háum súlnabogum.

Á 17. öld komst hún í eigu Tyrkja og var vöruhús þeirra, gistiheimili og ræðismannssetur. Frá þeim tíma stafar nafn hennar. Fondaco er raunar afbökun úr arabiska orðinu funduk, sem þýðir krá eða gistihús.

Nú er náttúrusögusafn Feneyja í höllinni.

Aðeins lengra á leið okkar komum við að mikilli höll vinstra megin, merktri Casino Municipale á rauðu pelli yfir aðaldyrum.

Palazzo Vendramin Calergi

(Calle larga Vendramin. B1)

Þriggja hæða höllin er frá upphafi endurreisnartímans, hönnuð af Mauro Coducci og reist um 1500, afar stílhrein með rómönskum bogum og hringgluggum.

Hún er núna spilavíti á vegum borgarinnar, opið á veturna.

Aðeins ofar við Canal Grande komum við að kirkju og bátastöð á vinstri bakkanum.

San Stae

(Campo San Stae. Opið 9-12, 16-18. B1)

Marmarahvít hlaðstílskirkja frá upphafi 18. aldar með styttum skreyttri hásúlna-framhlið.

Í kórnum eru listaverk eftir Tiepolo og Piazzetta.

Frá bakkanum framan við kirkjuna er ágætt útsýni yfir Canal Grande til hallanna fyrir handan.

Enn höldum við áfram og komum hægra megin að voldugri og hvítri höll.

Ca’ Pesaro

(Calle Pesaro. Opið þriðjudaga-sunnudaga, Galleria 10-17, Museo 9-14 . B1)

Þetta er dæmigerð hlaðstílshöll, hönnuð af Baldassare Longhena, reist á síðari hluta 17. aldar í grófum stórgrýtisstíl að neðan og ríkulega skreyttri framhlið með súlum og súlnapörum.

Hún hýsir nú nútímalistasafnið, Galleria D’Arte Moderna og Austurlandasafnið, Museo Orientale. Í listasafninu eru meðal annars verk eftir Miró og Matisse, Klee og Kandinsky.

Handan Canal Grande sjáum við rauðgula glæsihöll.

Palazzo Fontana Rezzonico

(Strada Nova. B1)

Þessi höll er þekktust fyrir að vera fæðingarstaður Rezzonico greifa, sem varð síðar fimmti páfinn frá Feneyjum. Hún er tímalaus að stíl, minnir mest á býzanska stílinn með háum og grönnum rómönskum bogum, en samt engum bátasvölum á neðstu hæð. Aðalsmerki hennar er rauðguli liturinn.

Aðeins ofar, sömu megin er ein fegursta höll Feneyja, Gullhöllin.

Ca’ d’Oro

(Strada Nova. Opið 9-13:30. B1)

Blúnduhöll frá 15. öld í gotneskum stíl, með þakskeggsprjónum, s-laga bogum að arabískum hætti og flóknum marmaraskreytingum. Framhliðin var upprunalega máluð í rauðu og bláu og skreytt gulllaufum, sem gáfu henni nafn.

Höllin er núna málverkasafn. Þar eru meðal annars verk eftir Mantegna og Sansovino, Carpaccio og Tiziano, Giorgione og Guardi.

Aðeins ofar, sömu megin, er rauðgul höll.

Palazzo Sagredo

(Campo Santa Sofia. B1)

Blanda af býzönskum og gotneskum stíl. Háar og grannar súlur annarrar hæðar eru býzanskar, en oddbogar og blúndugluggar þriðju hæðar eru gotneskir.

Handan Canal Grande er fiskmarkaðshöll Feneyja.

Pescheria

(Campo della Pescheria. B1)

Sjálf höllin er 20. aldar stæling á gotneskum stíl. Jarðhæðin er opin í gegn og þar er meginhluti fiskmarkaðarins til húsa, þótt hann flói líka út í næstu götur.

Hann hefur verið á þessum stað í sex aldir og er enn líflegur sem fyrr. Skemmtilegast er að vera þar á morgnana, þegar húsfreyjur Feneyja gera innkaupin.

Við skoðum hann betur í síðari gönguferð. Við nálgumst nú sveigju á Canal Grande og komum að afar gamalli höll vinstra megin.

Ca’ da Mosto

(Calle della Posta. B1)

Ein af elztu höllunum, frá 13. öld, gott dæmi um býzanska hallarstílinn í Feneyjum.

Á átjándu öld var þetta fínasta hótelið í Feneyjum, meðal annars dvalarstaður Austurríkiskeisara.

Þegar við erum alveg að koma að Rialto-brú, er breið og ljósgul höll á vinstri hlið.

Fondaco dei Tedeschi

(Calle de Fontego dei Tedeschi. B1)

Ein stærsta höll Feneyja, byggð 1505, með 160 herbergjum á fjórum hæðum umhverfis lokaðan garð, fyrr á öldum verzlunarmiðstöð, vörulager og gistiheimili þýzkra kaupmanna.

Nú er hún aðalpósthúsið í borginni.

Andspænis höllinni, við hinn sporð Rialto-brúar er önnur umfangsmikil höll.

Palazzo Camerlenghi

(Ruga degli Orefici. B1)

Byggð 1528, einföld í sniðum, með háum býzönskum bogagluggum, löngum aðsetur fjármálaráðuneytis Feneyja. Jarðhæðin var notuð sem fangelsi.

Næst beinum við athygli okkar að brúnni miklu yfir borgarmóðuna.

Ponte di Rialto

(Canal Grande. B1)

Elzt og merkust þriggja brúa yfir Canal Grande, reist þar sem þungamiðja athafnalífsins hefur jafnan verið, miðja vega milli járnbrautarstöðvarinnar og Markúsartorgs. Á þessum stað hefur verið brú síðan í lok 12. aldar, en þessi brú er frá 1588-1591, hönnuð af Antonio da Ponte, sem sigraði í samkeppni við hina heimsfrægu Michelangelo, Palladio og Sansovino.

Brúin spannar fljótið í einum boga. Hvor brúarstöpull um sig hvílir á 6000 lóðréttum eikarbolum, sem voru reknir niður í botninn. Hún er svo breið, að hún rúmar tvær lengjur af sölubúðum með göngutröppum á milli og til beggja hliða.

Umhverfis brúna er mesta verzlunarlífið, tízkubúðir austan brúar og markaðsbúðir vestan hennar. Bakkinn suður frá vesturenda brúarinnar heitir Riva del Vin og er miðstöð gangstéttar-veitingahúsa í borginni. Frá brúnni er mikið og gott útsýni til suðurs eftir Canal Grande.

Við höldum áfram og komum næst að ljósri höll, sem er á vinstri hönd aftan við Rialto bátastöðina.

Palazzo Manin-Dolfin

(Calle larga Mazzini. B1)

Einföld og stílhrein endurreisnarhöll með grískum veggsúlnariðum, byggð af þekktasta arkitekti Feneyja, Sansovino, árin 1538-1540, heimili síðasta hertogans í Feneyjum, Ludovico Manin.

Við hliðina er rauðgul höll.

Palazzo Bembo

(Riva del Carbon. B1)

Fagurlega hönnuð gotnesk höll frá 15. öld með tvöföldum gluggaknippum í miðjunni.

Aðeins ofar, einnig vinstra megin, komum við að einna elztu og fegurstu höllum þessarar leiðar, Loredan og Farsetti.

Palazzo Loredan

(Riva del Carbon. B1)

Léttu tvíburahallirnar eru frá lokum 12. aldar eða upphafi 13. aldar. Loredan er sú bjartari, sem er vinstra megin, afar býzönsk að stíl, með háum og nettum skeifusúlnariðum, sem ná eftir endilangri framhlið tveggja neðstu hæðanna og mynda þar svalir.

Við hlið hallarinnar er tvíburahöll frá sama skeiði byggingasögunnar.

Palazzo Farsetti

(Riva del Carbon. B1)

Þessi er heldur breiðari og dekkri en tvíburahöllin við hliðina. Hún er líka frá upphafi 13. aldar, í tærum býzönskum stíl, skólabókardæmi um Feneyjaútgáfu þess stíls. Há og nett skeifusúlnariðin ná einnig hér eftir endilangri framhliðinni.

Borgarráð Feneyja er til húsa í þessum tveimur höllum.

Aðeins ofar komum við að svartflekkóttri marmarahöll.

Palazzo Grimani

(Calle Grimani. B2)

Dæmigerður endurreisnarstíll einkennir þessa höll, sem væri mjög fögur, ef framhliðin væri hreinsuð. Hún er afar formföst og nákvæm í hlutföllum með grískum súlum og rómverskum bogum, skörpum skilum milli hæða og miklu þakskeggi. Dyraumbúnaðurinn á jarðhæð, með stórum dyrum í miðju og minni dyrum til hliðar, er kenndur við Feneyjar.

Á hinum bakkanum, vinstra megin við San Silvestro bátastöðina, er höll með útskoti á jarðhæð.

Palazzo Barzizza

(Corte Barzizza. B1)

Býzönsk 13. aldar höll með upprunalegri framhlið.

Við förum heldur lengra og komum að þekktri höll frá endurreisnartíma.

Palazzo Corner-Spinelli

(Ramo del Teatro. B2)

Ein af elztu endurreisnarhöllunum, reist 1490-1510 og varð fyrirmynd annarra slíkra halla. Hún er úr grófum steini með djúpum fúgum að neðanverðu, en að ofanverðu tiltölulega fínleg og skrautleg.

Við lýsum ekki frekar höllum á þessum kafla samgönguæðarinnar og nemum næst staðar á kröppu beygjunni á Canal Grande, þar sem háskólahallirnar þrjár blasa við augum.

Ca’ Foscari

(Calle Foscari. A2)

Þetta er hæsta höllin af þremur sambyggðum í sama síðgotneska stílnum, reist á 15. öld, með blúnduverki í kringum flókna oddbogaglugga, þar á meðal fjögurralaufa gluggum ofan við súlnahöfuð. Allar hallirnar hafa dæmigerðan skrautgluggahluta á miðri framhliðinni, sem einkennir síðgotneska stílinn í Feneyjum.

Þessar gotnesku hallir eru núna háskólinn í Feneyjum.

Nokkurn veginn andspænis háskólanum er afar breið höll.

Palazzo Moro Lin

(Calle Ca’ Lin. B2)

17. aldar breiðsíðuhöll, sem stundum er kölluð þrettán glugga höllin, af því að gluggarnir eru þrettán á hverri hæð.

Nánast við hlið hennar er mikilúðleg höll.

Palazzo Grassi

(B2)

Þessi þunga, hvíta höll var reist 1730 í endurvaktri útgáfu af endurreisnarstíl.

Hún er núna notuð fyrir listsýningar, sumar hverjar afar athyglisverðar.

Andspænis henni á hinum bakkanum er sögufræg höll við hlið samnefndrar bátastöðvar.

Ca’ Rezzonico

(Fondamenta Rezzonico. Opið á sumrin 10-17, á veturna laugardaga-fimmtudaga 10-16. A2)

Afar skrauthlaðin og formföst framsíða ber vott um hlaðstíl arkitektsins Baldassare Longhena, sem reisti hana á síðari hluta 17. aldar.
Höllin er ekki síður skarti búin að innanverðu, þétt skipuð málverkum, veggmyndum og forngripum. Danssalurinn liggur eftir endilangri annarri hæðinni, með gylltum ljósakrónum og þrívíddarmálverkum í lofti, svo og útskornum húsbúnaði. Nokkur stofuloft eru með veggfreskum eftir Giambattista Tiepolo.

Höllin er núna minjasafn um Feneyjar 18. aldar. Þar eru meðal annars málverk eftir Pietro Longhi, Francesco Guardi, Canaletto og Giandomenico Tiepolo.

Örlitlu ofar, sömu megin, er önnur athyglisverð höll.

Palazzo Loredan dell’Ambasciatire

(Calle dei Cerchieri. A2)

Síðgotnesk höll með ívafi endurreisnarstíls, sendiráð austurrísk-ungverska keisaradæmisins um langt skeið.

Við höldum áfram og komum að Accademia bátastöðinni. Að baki hennar er gömul kirkja í nýju hlutverki.

Santa Maria della Carità

(Campo della Carità. B2)

Miðaldakirkja, sem var færð í núverandi mynd á 15. öld.

Hún og klausturhúsin að baki hennar rúma nú eitt af þekktustu listasöfnum heims, Accademia, sem sagt er frá í einni gönguferðinni um Feneyjar.

Hér er trébrú yfir Canal Grande.

Ponte dell’Accademia

(Canal Grande. B2)

Timburbrú, sem reist var til bráðabirgða 1932 og menn vildu ekki láta rífa, þegar á reyndi. Um hana er jafnan mikil umferð gangandi fólks milli hverfanna San Marco og Dorsoduro.

Frá brúnni er gott útsýni til beggja átta eftir Canal Grande, einkum í átt til kirkjunnar Santa Maria della Salute.

Rétt handan við nyrðri brúarsporðinn er fögur höll með gróðursælum garði.

Palazzo Francetti Cavalli

(Campo San Vidal. B2)

Fagurlega hönnuð, gotnesk glæsihöll í góðu ásigkomulagi.

Andspænis henni á hinum bakkanum er fögur marmarahöll.

Palazzo Contarini del Zaffo

(Calle Rota. B2)

Fagur marmari klæðir framhlið hallarinnar, sem er ein af fyrstu höllum borgarinnar í endurreisnarstíl, reist á síðari hluta 15. aldar. Litauðugur marmarinn gefur henni líflegan svip, þótt hún sé að öðru leyti formföst í sniðum.

Aðeins ofar komum við hægra megin að höll með steinfellumyndum.

Palazzo Barbarigo

(Campiello San Vio. B2)

Steinfellumyndir framhliðarinnar skera í augu þeirra, sem fara um Canal Grande. Þær eru í skörpum litum með mikilli gyllingu og fremur ungar, miðað við annað á þessum slóðum, frá 1887.

Aðeins ofar, handan Canal Grande, er umfangsmikil og frístandandi höll, sem ber nafn með rentu.

Ca’ Grande

(Fondamenta Corner Zaguri. B2)

Eitt þekktasta og bezta verk Sansovino, helzta arkitekts Feneyja í endurreisnarstíl, frá 1545. Að neðan er gróf þrívíddarhleðsla og að ofan samfelld og jöfn bogagluggaröð með súlnapörum á milli.

Handan Canal Grande er rómantísk höll.

Palazzo Dario

(Calle Barbaro. B2)

Framhlið hallarins er ekki sammiðja, heldur er gluggahlutinn úti í öðrum kantinum. Þetta er ein elzta höll borgarinnar í endurreisnarstíl, frá 1478. Hringgluggarnir með ytra hring minni hringglugga grípa athygli augans, einnig hin fagurlita marmaraklæðning.

Þjóðtrúin segir, að eigendur hallarinnar lendi í ógæfu, og rekur því til stuðnings dæmi, sem ná fram til ársins 1992.
Rétt hjá er höll með glerfellumynd á miðri framhlið.

Palazzo Salviati

(Calle Maggiore. B2)

Lítil höll í eigu glerlistasmiðju. Listaverkið á framhliðinni er fremur nýlegt.

Við höldum áfram og förum hjá Gritti hóteli á hinum bakkanum. Þegar við komum að Salute bátastöðinni, sjáum við andspænis okkur litla og granna höll á milli annarra, sem eru fyrirferðarmeiri.

Palazzo Contarini Fasan

(Calle dei Pestrin. B2)

Fegursta höll Feneyja er lítil og mjó, í gotneskum stíl, með afar fínlegu skrautvirki í svalariðum, arabískum oddbogum, gullin og hvít að lit.

Hún er stundum kölluð Höll Desdemónu eftir söguhetju í Kaupmanninum í Feneyjum eftir Shakespeare.

Andspænis höllinni er ein af þekktustu kirkjum borgarinnar.

Santa Maria della Salute

(Campo della Salute. B2)

Skrautleg hlaðstílsterta úr hvítum kalksteini, hönnuð af Longhena, reist 1631-1687. Hún stendur á bezta stað, við austurodda Dorsoduro hverfis, þar sem Canal Grande mætir Feneyjalóni, og blasir við úr öllum áttum. Hún er áttstrend og ofhlaðin skrauti, með sextán risavöxnum bókrollustoðum, sem þykjast styðja við stórt timburhvolf, er þarfnast slíks ekki.

Að innanverðu er kirkjan hófsamlegri. Hún hefur að geyma altaristöflu og loftmálverk eftir Tiziano og verk eftir fleiri kunna listamenn, svo sem Jacopo Tintoretto. Steinfellugólfið er óvenjulega fallegt, með ýmsum tilbrigðum í hringlaga mynztri.

Fyrir utan kirkjuna, á eyraroddanum er gamla tollbúðin í Feneyjum.

Dogana di Mare

(Punta della Dogana. B2)

Glæsilegt útsýni er frá eyraroddanum til turns Markúsartorgs, hertogahallarinnar, breiðbakkans Riva degli Schiavoni og eyjanna San Giorgio Maggiore og Giudecca. Núverandi tollbúð er frá síðari hluta 17. aldar. Á hornturni hennar bera tveir bronzrisar gullna kúlu, þar sem gæfugyðjan stendur á einum fæti og snýst eins og vindhani.

Hér er Canal Grande á enda og við tekur sjálft Feneyjalónið víðáttumikið. Lokið er yfirgripsmikilli ferð okkar um Canal Grande. Við tökum bátinn yfir til Markúsartorgs, þar sem við hefjum gönguferð um miðborgina.

Sestiere San Marco

Tanginn, sem Canal Grande sveigist umhverfis frá Rialto brú að Markúsartorgi, myndar hverfi, sem kennt er við kirkjuna San Marco og er hjarta miðborgarinnar. Við förum nú í hringferð um hverfið og raunar einnig lítillega inn í aðliggjandi hverfi.

Við hefjum ferð okkar við suðvesturhorn Markúsartorgs, göngum út af torginu tæpa 100 metra leið eftir Salizzada San Moisè, þar sem við komum að hliðargötunum Calle Vallaresso til vinstri og Frezzeria til hægri. Við göngum þá fyrrnefndu á enda, um 150 metra leið, þar sem hún kemur fram á bakka Canal Grande.

Calle Vallaresso

(B2)

Ein helzta gondólastöðin er þar sem gatan mætir bakkanum. Þar er oft mikill ys og þys og stundum raðir fólks, sem bíður eftir að kynnast einkennisfarartækjum Feneyja.

Merkar stofnanir eru hér á horninu, öðrum megin hinn kunni Harry’s Bar, sem Hemingway gerði frægan, og hinum megin hótelið Monaco, sem býður fjölmörg herbergi með útsýni yfir Canal Grande.

Í götunni eru einnig dýrar tízkuverzlanir og listmunaverzlanir, svo og eitt leikhús.

Við göngum götuna til baka og höldum áfram um 100 metra vegalengd eftir Frezzeria.

Frezzeria

(B2)

Ein helzta verzlunargata Feneyja frá fornu fari. Hún er dæmigerð fyrir slíkar götur í borginni. Nafnið stafar af, að þar voru í fyrndinni seldar örvar. Nú er þar mest um fataverzlanir.

Í hliðargötu út frá Frezzeria er veitingahúsið La Colomba.

Við snúum til baka og beygjum til hægri í Salizzada San Moisè, sem við göngum um 100 metra leið út á Campo San Moisè and lítum á kirkjuna.

San Moisè

(Campo San Moisè. Opið 15:30-19. B2)

Rækilega skreytt og þunglamaleg hlaðstílskirkja frá 1668. Hún væri ásjálegri, ef óhreinindin á framhliðinni væru hreinsuð.

Við förum yfir torgið og brúna handan þess og lítum niður eftir skurðinum.

Rio San Moisè

(B2)

Á horninu er ein af bátastöðvum gondólanna og ómerktur aðgangur að frægðarhótelinu Europa e Regina. Hér sitja ræðararnir löngum stundum og spila meðan þeir bíða eftir viðskiptavinum.

Frá brúnni höldum við áfram inn í breiðgötuna framundan.

Calle larga 22 Marzo

(B2)

Ein breiðasta og fjölfarnasta gata borgarinnar, með tízkuverzlunum og hótelum á báðar hendur. Við sjálfa götuna hægra megin er hótelið Saturnia og veitingastaðurinn Caravella. Mjó sund liggja til suðurs frá götunni til hótelanna Europa e Regina, Flora og Pozzi.

Í nágrenninu er hótelið og veitingahúsið Gritti.

Við tökum krók norður úr götunni eftir sundinu Calle delle Veste út á torgið Campo San Fantin, um 100 metra leið.

Campo San Fantin

(B2)

Nokkuð er af þekktum veitingahúsum við torgið og í næsta nágrenni þess. Frægasta stofnun torgsins er þó óperuhúsið Fenice.

Við skoðum leikhúsið nánar.

Teatro Fenice

(Campo San Fantin. B2)

Elzta leikhús borgarinnar og ein þekktasta ópera veraldar brann í ársbyrjun 1996. Það var frá 1792, í fölskum endurreisnarstíl, fremur einfalt að utan en hlaðið skrauti að innan, í rauðgulu, rauðu og gullnu. Áhorfendastúkur voru á fimm hæðum í hálfhring kringum sviðið og gólfið. Við hlið leikhússins er hótelið La Fenice et des Artistes og veitingahúsið La Fenice í sama húsi.

Frægast er leikhúsið fyrir frumflutning sögufrægra óperuverka á borð við La Traviata eftir Verdi, Tancredi og Semiramis eftir Rossini, I Capuleti ed i Montecchi eftir Bellini, Rake’s Progress efir Stravinsky og Turn of the Screw eftir Britten. Mörg verk eftir Richard Wagner voru sýnd hér, enda bjó hann lengi í Feneyjum.

Snemma á 17. öld urðu Feneyjar óperumiðstöð Ítalíu og héldu þeirri forustu í þrjár aldir. Í Feneyjum hætti óperan að vera einkamál aðalsins og varð að almenningseign. Þar náði óperettuformið flugi. Þar var líka jafnan lögð meiri áherzla á tónlistarþátt óperunnar en víðast annars staðar. Á 19. öld frumflutti Giuseppi Verdi mörg verka sinna einmitt hér í Teatro Fenice.

Við göngum Calle delle Veste til baka, beygjum til hægri eftir Calle larga 22 Marzo og síðan Calle delle Ostreghe í beinu framhaldi af henni í áttina að Campo San Maurizio, tæplega 400 metra leið. Á leiðinni förum við yfir nokkrar síkisbrýr.

Canals

Krókóttir skurðirnir fylgja oft útlínum hinna rúmlega 100 eyja, sem borgin var reist á. Þeir mynda samfellt samgöngukerfi í borginni, að verulegu leyti óháð samgöngukerfi göngugatna. Milli tveggja nálægra staða getur verið margfalt lengra að fara á landi en sjó eða öfugt. Bátaleiðirnar hafa svo það umfram gönguleiðirnar, að hinar síðarnefndu henta síður vöruflutningum.

Skurðirnir hreinsast af straumunum, sem myndast í þeim vegna mismunar á flóði og fjöru. Eigi að síður safnast fyrir í þeim mikið af úrgangi og leirkenndri leðju, sem þarf að hreinsa, svo að skurðirnir fyllist ekki og verði ófærir bátum. Er þá skurði lokað, dælt úr honum, lagðir teinar í botninn fyrir vagna, sem flytja leðjuna frá dæluprömmum út í flutningapramma.

Við höldum áfram til torgsins Campo San Maurizio, þar sem við sjáum skakkan turn Santo Stefano að húsabaki og höldum beint áfram eftir Calle dello Spezier inn á næsta torg, samtals um 100 metra leið.

Campo Santo Stefano

(B2)

Eitt stærsta torg borgarinnar, fyrr á öldum miðstöð kjötkveðjuhátíða og nautaats, en núna leikvöllur barna og kaffidrykkjustaður ferðamanna.

Frá suðurenda torgsins eru aðeins 100 metrar að Accademia-brú yfir Canal Grande. Torgið myndar því krossgötur gönguleiðanna milli Accademia, Markúsartorgs og Rialto-brúar, enda fer mikill flaumur fólks um torgið.

Við norðurenda torgsins er kirkja.

Santo Stefano

(Opið mánudaga-laugardaga 8-12 & 16-19, sunnudaga 7:30-12:30 & 18-20. B2)

14. og 15. aldar smíði, með bátskjalarlofti, útskornum loftbitum og gotneskum bogariðum. Nokkur málverk Tintorettos eru í kirkjunni. Turninn að kirkjubaki er með skakkari turnum borgarinnar.

Við förum um sundið Calle dei Frati meðfram vesturstafni kirkjunnar til næsta torgs, um 100 metra leið.

Campo Sant’Angelo

(B2)

Skakkur turn Santo Stefano gnæfir yfir torginu að húsabaki.

Við höldum áfram um 200 metra eftir Calle dello Spezier, Calle della Mandola og Calle della Cortesia til torgsins Campo Manin, þar sem við beygjum til hægri 100 metra leið eftir Calle della Vida, Calle della Locanda og Corte del Palazzo Risi að sívaliturni borgarinnar.

Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo

(Corte del Palazzo Risi. B2)

Léttur gormur Langbarðastigans er helzta einkenni þessarar 15. aldar hallar Contarini ættar. Í garðinum er slökunarstaður katta hverfisins.

Í húsasundi rétt hjá höllinni er veitingahúsið Al Campiello.

Við höldum sömu leið til baka um Calle della Locanda og Calle della Vida til Campo Manin, þar sem við beygjum til hægri og göngum merkta og krókótta leið í átt til Rialto-brúar. Rúmlega 200 metra frá torginu verður fyrir okkur San Salvatore á hægri hönd.

San Salvatore

(Opið 10-12 & 17-19. B1)

Kirkja í endurreisnarstíl frá upphafi 16. aldar með fagurlitu marmaragólfi og nokkrum verkum Tiziano.

Rétt hjá kirkjunni, nálægt Canal Grande, er veitingahúsið Antica Carbonera.

Handan kirkjunnar er Merceria, stytzta leiðin milli Rialto brúar og Markúsartorgs, um 500 metrar, ein helzta verzlunargata borgarinnar. Að þessu sinni förum við norður úr torginu eftir Merceria 2 Aprile tæplega 100 metra leið til helzta stefnumótatorgs borgarinnar.

Campo San Bartolomeo

(B1)

Að lokinni vinnu mæla Feneyingar sér mót hér á torginu til að undirbúa kvöldið. Styttan af leikskáldinu Carlo Goldoni á torginu miðju gegnir sama hlutverki og klukkan á Lækjartorgi gegndi fyrr á árum í Reykjavík. Á þessum slóðum er mikið um kaffibari.

Rétt hjá torginu er veitingahúsið Al Graspo de Ua.

Við torgið beygjum við til vinstri eftir Salizzada Pio X, rúmlega 50 metra að Rialto-brú til að skoða minjagripaverzlanir brúarsvæðisins.

Salizzada Pio X

(B1)

Kjötkveðjuhátíðargrímur eru ein helzta minjagripavara Feneyja. Þær eru gerðar eftir fyrirmyndum úr Commedia dell’Arte leikhúshefðinni. Kristall er önnur helzta minjagripavaran, yfirleitt handblásinn í gleriðjum Murano-eyjar. Hin þriðja eru blúndur frá eyjunni Burano og hin fjórða eru vörur úr handunnum marmarapappír. Allt þetta fæst í götusundunum við brúna.

Eftir að hafa gengið upp á Rialto brú til að skoða okkur um, snúum við til baka eftir Salizzada Pio X út á Campo San Bartolomeo, þar sem við beygjum til vinstri og förum um 250 metra leið eftir Salizzada di Fontego de Tedeschi og Salizzada San Giovanni Crisostomo til kirkjunnar San Giovanni Crisostomo.

San Giovanni Crisostomo

(Campo San Giovanni Crisostomo. Opið 8:15-12:15 & 15:30-18. B1)

Fremur lítil krosskirkja grísk, frá 1479-1504, í rauðbrúnum lit, skreytt málverkum eftir Giovanni Bellini og Sebastiano del Piombo. Hún er þægilegur áningarstaður í ys og þys gatnanna í kring.

Andspænis kirkjunni er veitingahúsið Fiaschetteria Toscana.

Við förum áfram leiðina yfir næstu brú, þar sem við beygjum til hægri eftir Salizzada San Canciano. Eftir 100 metra komum að Palazzo Boldú, þar sem við beygjum til hægri eftir Calle dei Miracoli, yfir brú og að kirkju á skurðbakkanum, tæplega 100 metra leið.

Santa Maria dei Miracoli

(Campo dei Miracoli. Opið mánudaga-laugardaga 10-12 & 15-18. C1)

Afar fögur smákirkja frá upphafi endurreisnartímans, hönnuð af Pietro Lombardo, fagurlega lögð marglitum marmara og öðrum fægðum steini að utan og innan. Einkum er vesturstafninn fagurlitur og skrautlegur með rómönskum bogagluggum og hringgluggum. Kirkjan er höfuðverk Lombardo, en við munum sjá fleiri verk hans í þessari gönguferð.

Nafn sitt dregur kirkjan af málverki Nicolò di Pietro af heilagri guðsmóður og barninu, sem er yfir altarinu. Myndin er talin valda kraftaverkum. Í tunnulaga kirkjuloftinu eru myndir af 50 englum og spámönnum. Kirkjan hefur nýlega verið gerð upp, svo að hún skartar sínu fegursta.

Við förum úr kirkjunni og göngum umhverfis hana, yfir brúna að baki hennar, beygjum síðan strax til hægri og göngum eftir Fondamenta Piovan og Calle larga Gallina að torginu fyrir framan San Zanipolo og Scuola di San Marco, þar sem er styttan af Colleoni, alls um 300 metra leið.

Colleoni

(Campo San Zanipolo. C1)

Riddarastyttan úr bronzi af Bartolomeo Colleoni sýnir vel kraft og hreyfingu atvinnuhermanns og stríðsgæðings hans. Hún er eftir Andrea Verrocchio og er frá 1481-1488.

Colleoni var frægur 15. aldar hershöfðingi málaliða, sem Feneyingar tóku á leigu til landhernaðar, því að sjálfum hentaði þeim betur sjóhernaður. Þeir stigu betur ölduna en þeir sátu hestana. Colleoni gagnaðist þeim vel og græddu báðir aðilar á þeim viðskiptum.

Colleoni arfleiddi að lokum Feneyjalýðveldi að tíunda hluta auðæfa sinna gegn því, að stytta yrði reist af sér fyrir framan San Marco.

Feneyingar játuðu þessu, en reistu hana ekki fyrir framan kirkjuna San Marco, heldur klúbbhúsið Scuola Grande di San Marco. Styttan hefur verið hér síðan og haldið minningu Colleoni á lofti, þótt ekki sé með sama hætti og hann sá fyrir sér.

Frá styttunni sjáum við vel framhlið klúbbhússins.

Scuola Grande di San Marco

(Campo San Zanipolo. C1)

Neðri hluti marmaraklæddrar framhliðarinnar og frumlegar þrívíddar-blekkimyndir hennar eru eftir arkitektinn fræga Pietro Lombardo og syni hans, 1485-1495. Efri hæðirnar eru eftir Mauro Coducci, einnig frá lokum 15. aldar.

Höllin var reist sem klúbbhús eins af sex karlaklúbbum borgarinnar. Flest listaverk hennar eru horfin á braut, en þó eru þar enn málverk eftir Tintoretto og Veronese.

Nú er höllin notuð sem sjúkrahús, Ospedale Civile, og er ekki opin almenningi.

Hornrétt á framhlið hallarinnar er vesturvirki kirkjunnar San Zanipolo.

San Zanipolo

(Campo San Zanipolo. Opið mánudaga-laugardaga 7:30-12:30 & 15:30-19. C1)

Önnur af tveimur helztu gotnesku kirkjunum í Feneyjum, rúmlega 100 metra löng og háreist eftir því, með einföldum og voldugum vesturstafni, reist síðast á 13. öld og fyrst á 14. öld sem klausturkirkja Dóminíkusa. Sjálfur dyraumbúnaður kirkjunnar er yngri, frá upphafi endurreisnartímans.

Fullu nafni heitir hún Santi Giovanni e Paolo, en jafnan stytt í munni Feneyinga. Kirkjan hýsir fræg listaverk, einkum eftir Pietro Lombardo, Giovanni Bellini og Paolo Veronese.

Innst við kór er gengið til vinstri inn í Capella del Rosario. Þar eru mörg málverk eftir Paolo Veronese, þar á meðal Tilbeiðsla fjárhirðanna, á norðurveggnum andspænis inngangi. Við fjöllum nánar um Veronese í annarri gönguferð, þegar við heimsækjum listasafnið Accademia.

Hér snúum við okkur fyrst að verkum Lombardo.

Pietro Lombardo

(San Zanipolo. C1)

Legsteinar 25 hertoga eru í kirkjunni, þar á meðal steinkista Pietro Mocenigo hægra megin við innganginn, þekkt listaverk frá 1481 eftir Pietro Lombardo. Vinstra megin við meginaltarið er steinkista Andrea Vendramin frá 1476-1478, einnig eftir Lombardo, sem á hér fleiri listaverk. Altarið sjálft er mikið yngra, eftir Baldassare Longhena, frá 17. öld.

Lombardo hannaði einnig neðri hluta óvenjulegrar framhliðar Scuola Grande di San Marco og alla skartkirkjuna Santa Maria dei Miracoli, sem við erum áður búin að skoða á þessari gönguferð. Hann gerði líka róðubríkina í Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, sem við sjáum í annarri gönguferð um Feneyjar.

Lombardo var uppi 1435-1515 og vann einkum í Feneyjum. Hann var einn helzti frumkvöðull endurreisnarstílsins í Feneyjum, þegar þar var að syngja sitt síðasta vers síðgotneski stíllinn, sem hélt þar lengur velli en víðast annars staðar.

Næst snúum við okkur að listamanninum Bellini.

Giovanni Bellini

(San Zanipolo. C1)

Frægt altari eftir Bellini er inn af hægra hliðarskipi kirkjunnar, með nokkrum málverkum í gullnum skrautramma. Stóru málverkin í miðröð sýna þrjá helga menn. Fyrir ofan eru málverk úr ævi Krists og fyrir neðan málverk úr ævi heilags Vincentíusar.

Í annarri göngu heimsækjum við Accademia-safnið með mörgum verkum Bellini, einkum málverk af heilagri guðsmóður með jesúbarninu og öðru helgu fólki. Frægt guðsmóðuraltari hans er í Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, og Pièta í Museo Correr, sem við skoðum hvort tveggja í öðrum gönguferðum um borgina. Einnig málverk í San Giovanni Crisostomo, sem við sáum fyrr á þessari göngu.

Giovanni Bellini var uppi 1430-1516, sonur Jacopo Bellini, bróðir Gentile Bellini og mágur Andrea Mantegna, sem allir voru miklir málarar. Hann var einn af helztu einkennismálurum upphafsskeiðs endurreisnartímans, undir áhrifum frá mági sínum Mantegna, en sýndi mildari mannlegar tilfinningar í verkum sínum. Þau eru nákvæm og vönduð, sýna næmt samspil ljóss og skugga.

Við yfirgefum kirkjuna og förum meðfram suðurhlið hennar, göngum yfir torgið og förum inn sundið Calle Bressane, yfir brú og síðan eftir Calle Trévisagna og beygjum svo á næsta horni til hægri eftir Calle lunga Santa Maria Formosa og komum eftir samtals 250 metra leið að torginu Campo di Santa Maria Formosa.

Campo di Santa Maria Formosa

(C1)

Eitt helzta markaðstorg Feneyja, óvenju stórt í sniðum í landþröngri borginni. Umhverfis það eru litlar verzlanir, fagrar hallir og kirkjan Santa Maria Formosa. Þótt torgið sé í næsta nágrenni Markúsartorgs, er það ekkert ferðamannalegt. Mannlífið á torginu ber með sér feneyskan hverfissvip eins og það sé heimur út af fyrir sig.

Við beinum athygli okkar að kirkjunni.

Santa Maria Formosa

(Campo di Santa Maria Formosa. C1)

Hönnuð 1492, en var heila öld í byggingu, svo að hún er misjöfn að stíl. Hliðin að torginu, með bogadregnum kórbökum, er allt öðru vísi en kantaður stafninn að skurðinum. Kirkjuturninn er yngri, frá 1688, með þekktu afskræmisandliti í lágmynd.

Þekktasta listaverkið í kirkjunni er altari í syðri kór eftir Paolo il Vecchio með miðjumálverki af heilagri Barböru og hliðarmálverkum af helgum mönnum. Barbara var verndardýrlingur hermanna. Önnur málverk eftir Paolo eru í listasafninu Accademia.

Við förum kringum kirkjuna að austanverðu og göngum yfir brú að dyrum Stampalia-safnsins.

Fondazione Querini Stampalia

(Campiello Querini. Opið mánudaga-laugardaga 10-12 & 14:30-23:30. C1)

Höllin var hönnuð og reist á 16. öld.

Þar er núna málverka- og bókasafn Querini-ættarinnar, meðal annars verk eftir Giovanni Bellini og Giambattista Tiepolo.

Við förum yfir brúna til baka og tökum næstu brú til vinstri, förum meðfram Rio del Rimedio, beygjum til hægri í Calle del Rimedio og síðan til vinstri í Calle dell’Angelo og loks til hægri í Calle Canonica, sem leiðir okkur til Markúsartorgs, samtals tæplega 500 metra leið. Þessari gönguferð er lokið.

Castello

Riva degli Schiavoni, breiði lónsbakkinn frá hertogahöllinni til austurs í átt að borgargarðinum, er sá hluti hverfisins Castello, sem flestir ferðamenn kynnast. Að baki hans eru róleg og fáfarin húsasund og hinar fornu skipasmíðastöðvar borgarinnar.

Við skoðum hluta hverfisins í annarri gönguferð, svæðin við San Zanipolo og Santa Maria Formosa. Í þessari ferð skoðum við aðra hluta hverfisins.

Við hefjum gönguna á Molo, bakkanum fyrir framan hertogahöllina, göngum til austurs yfir Ponte della Paglia út á Riva degli Schiavoni.

Riva degli Schiavoni

(C2)

Vesturhluti bakkans er viðkomu- og endastöð margra áætlunarbáta á Feneyjasvæðinu. Ferðamenn koma margir hverjir hér að landi og ganga inn á Markúsartorg. Oft er því margt um manninn á vesturenda bakkans, á leiðinni milli báta og torgs. Hér eru ferðavöruvagnar og gangstéttarkaffihús.

Hér hefur jafnan verið mikið um skip og báta. Fyrr á öldum var þetta löndunarsvæði kaupmanna frá ströndinni handan Adríahafs, Dalmatíu, þar sem nú eru Slóvenía, Króatía og Bosnía. Feneyingar höfðu mikil áhrif á þeim slóðum. Þeir kölluðu íbúana Schiavoni og af því er nafn breiðbakkans dregið.

Bakkinn liggur í mjúkum sveig að lóninu og veitir gott útsýni til eyjarinnar San Giorgio Maggiore og skipaumferðarinnar á lóninu. Hann er mikið notaður til gönguferða og skokks. Hann tengir saman Bíennalinn og miðborgina. Oft eru þar sett upp tímabundin listaverk í tengslum við Bíennalinn og aðrar listsýningar í borginni.

Við göngum framhjá Danieli hótelinu, þar sem veitingahúsið Rivetta er að hallarbaki, förum áfram bakkann yfir brú og framhjá Paganelli hótelinu að Londra hótelinu. Fyrir framan það er riddarastytta.

Vittorio Emanuele II

(Riva degli Schiavoni. C2)

Engin borg á Ítalíu er borg með borgum án þess að þar sé riddarastytta af Vittorio Emanuele II, fyrsta konungi sameinaðrar Ítalíu. Hér fyrir framan Londra hótelið er feneyska útgáfan. Hana gerði Ettore Ferrari árið 1887.

Við förum nokkur skref til baka og inn í sund vinstra megin við Paganelli hótelið. Eftir 100 metra leið komum við þar inn á lítið torg framan við Zaccaria kirkjuna.

San Zaccaria

(Campo San Zaccaria. Opið 10-12 & 16-18. C2)

Byggð 1444-1515 í blöndu síðgotnesks stíls og endurreisnarstíls við nunnuklaustur af reglu Benedikts. Antonio Gambello hóf gerð framhliðarinnar í síðgotneskum stíl og Mauro Coducci lauk henni í endurreisnarstíl.

Að innanverðu eru veggir kirkjunnar þétt skipaðir málverkum. Í nyrðra hliðarskipi er guðsmóðurmynd eftir Giovanni Bellini.

Við förum vestur eftir norðurenda torgsins og beygjum síðan til hægri eftir Campo San Provolo og Fondamenta dell’Osmarin. Þar komum við að skurði, sem við förum yfir á tveimur brúm. Samtals er þetta tæplega 300 metra leið. Með bakkanum handan síðari brúarinnar liggur leið að kirkju með óvenjulega skökkum turni.

San Giorgio dei Greci

(Rio dei Greci. Opið 9-13 & 14-17. C2)

16. aldar kirkja með afar höllum turni. Hún er grísk rétttrúnaðarkirkja með innri kvennasvölum og íkonabrík milli kórs og kirkjuskips.
Í þessu hverfi er veitingahúsið Arcimboldo.

Við förum til baka út að brúnum tveim, sem við fórum yfir, beygjum þar til hægri og förum eftir Calle della Madonna og Salizzada dei Greci yfir brú og áfram meðfram kirkjunni San Antonio eftir Salizzada Sant’Antonin að torginu Campo Bandera e Moro, að Bragora kirkjunni, samtals um 400 metra leið.

San Giovanni in Bragora

(Campo Bandiera e Moro. Opið 8-11 & 17-18. C2)

Einföld gotnesk kirkja frá 1475-1479.

Hún er búin mörgum listaverkum frá síðgotneskum tíma og frá upphafi endurreisnar. Þar á meðal er gotneskt guðsmóðuraltari eftir Bartolomeo Vivarini og endurreisnarmálverk við háaltari eftir Cima da Conegliano af skírn Krists.

Rétt hjá kirkjunni er veitingahúsið Corte Sconta.

Úr suðurenda torgsins göngum við tæpra 100 metra leið á Calle del Dose til Riva degli Schiavoni, þar sem við beygjum til vinstri eftir lónsbakkanum. Við göngum eftir bakkanum yfir tvær brýr, samtals tæplega 400 metra leið, unz við komum að skurðinum Rio dell’Arsenale, sem liggur að herskipasmíðastöðinni gömlu. Við getum tekið krók með skurðinum til að skoða inngang stöðvarinnar.

Arsenale

(D2)

Turnarnir tveir við innganginn að Arsenale eru frá 16. öld. Þeir eru hluti virkisveggs með skotraufum. Við komumst ekki inn í stöðina sjálfa, því að hún er ennþá talin vera hernaðarsvæði, þótt hún sé í eyði. Við getum hins vegar siglt um hana endilanga með því að taka okkur far með 23. eða 52. leið áætlunarbáta borgarinnar.

Herskipasmíðastöðin var hornsteinn sjóveldis Feneyinga, stofnuð á 12. öld. Hún varð stærsta skipasmíðastöð veraldar, með 16.000 manna starfsliði. Hún var fyrsta færibandaverksmiðja Evrópu og gat árið 1574 fullsmíðað galeiðu á meðan Hinrik III af Frakklandi var í borginni í matarveizlu, sem tók 24 klukkustundir.

Ef við nennum ekki að taka krókinn að Arsenale, getum við farið yfir brúna á lónsbakkanum og skoðað safnið í húsinu á horninu handan brúarinnar. Það er flotasögusafnið Museo Storico Navale, opið mánudaga-laugardaga 9-13. Þar má sjá fróðlega skipasmíðasögu Feneyinga.

Ef við höfum ekki mikinn tíma, getum við látið þessa skoðun nægja, snúið hér við og gengið lónsbakkann til hertogahallarinnar. Að öðrum kosti höldum við áfram eftir lónsbakkanum, yfir næstu brú og komum þar að mjóu hornhúsi milli Riva degli Sette Martiri og Via Garibaldi.

Alls er þetta um 200 metra leið.

Ca’ Giovanni Caboto

(Via Garibaldi. D2)

Hornhúsið var heimili feðganna Sebastian og Giovanni Caboto, sem fundu Labrador 1497 í upphafi landafundatímans. Þeir voru þá í þjónustu Englandskonungs.

Via Garibaldi er ein fárra breiðgatna í borginni, mynduð 1808 með því að fylla skurð.

Við göngum Via Garibaldi á enda, tæplega 500 metra leið, þar sem langur garður liggur suður frá götunni.

Garibaldi

(Viale Garibaldi. D2)

Í enda garðsins hér við götuna er minnisvarði ítölsku frelsishetjunnar Garibaldi eftir listamanninn Augusto Benvenuti frá 1895.

Við göngum áfram Via Garibaldi að skurðinum Rio di Sant’Anna, förum sunnan hans í beina stefnu á brúna Ponte de Quintavalle, um 500 metra leið.

Ponte de Quintavalle

(D2)

Frá brúnni er ágætt útsýni um breiðan og rólegan Canale di San Piero og skakkan turn kirkjunnar að baki hans.
Við göngum norður eftir bakkanum Calle drio il Campanile til kirkjunnar, um 300 metra leið.

San Pietro di Castello

(Campo San Pietro. D2)

Hér var einna fyrst byggð í Feneyjum og erkibiskupssetur allan sjálfstæðistíma borgarinnar. Kirkjan var dómkirkja Feneyja frá upphafi til 1807, þegar Markúsarkirkja tók við. Núverandi kirkja er frá miðri 16. öld, en skakki turninn eftir Mauro Coducci er eldri, frá 1482-1488.

Gamla erkibiskupshöllin er milli kirkju og turns.

Við förum til baka suður með bakkanum, yfir brúna Ponte de Quintavalle og áfram eftir Fondamenta Sant’Anna unz við komum að Calle Tiepolo, sem við göngum suður að skurðinum Rio di San Giuseppe. Við beygjum þar til hægri, förum yfir næstu brú og göngum suður að görðunum, þar sem alþjóðlegi bíennalinn er haldinn. Alls er þetta um kílómetra löng ganga.

Giardini Pubblici

(D2)

Garðarnir eru víðáttumiklir beggja vegna Rio dei Giardini. Hérna megin heita þeir Giardini Pubblici og þar er bíennalinn til húsa. Hinum megin heita þeir Parco delle Rimembranze.

Við göngum úr görðunum út á lónsbakkann og förum hann langleiðina til baka til hertogahallarinnar, um hálfs annars kílómetra leið. Milli skurðanna Rio della Pietà og Rio dei Greci komum við að framhlið kirkju. Við getum líka sleppt því að skoða þessa kirkju og tekið almenningsbát beint frá bátastöðinni Giardini við vesturenda garðanna.

La Pietà

(Riva degli Schiavoni. Opið 9:30-12:30. C2)

Endurreist 1745-1760, með framhlið frá 1906, upprunalega kirkja munaðarleysingjahælis, en núna einkum notuð fyrir tónleika, sem haldnir eru að minnsta kosti mánudaga og fimmtudaga árið um kring.

Hælið varð frægt fyrir kóra og frægast fyrir kórstjórann Antonio Vivaldi, sem samdi hér ótal óratóríur, kantötur og önnur verk fyrir kóra. Kirkjan er raunar stundum kölluð Chiesa di Vivaldi eftir honum, enda skipa verk hans heiðursess í dagskránni.

Vivaldi var frægasti tónsnillingur Feneyja, uppi 1678-1741. Hann lærði til prests og starfaði fyrri hluta ævinnar sem kórstjóri Pietà munaðarleysingjahælisins. Hann samdi rúmlega 770 tónverk, þar á meðal 46 óperur, flestar þeirra frumfluttar í Feneyjum.

Uppáhaldshljóðfæri hans var fiðlan. Hann notaði hana mikið sem einleikshljóðfæri í verkum sínum.

Við ljúkum þessari gönguferð með því að fara tæplega 300 metra leið eftir bakkanum frá kirkjunni til Palazzo Ducale.

Dorsoduro

Sunnanverður tanginn milli Canal Grande að norðanverðu og Feneyjalóns að sunnanverðu. Nafnið þýðir, að jarðvegur er hér þéttari og traustari en víðast annars staðar í borginni. Þungamiðja hverfisins er listasafnið Accademia og brúin, sem er fyrir framan safnið og tengir hverfið við meginhluta miðborgarinnar.

Á sjálfum tanganum vestan við Accademia er rólegt íbúðahverfi vel stæðra Feneyinga og útlendinga. Austan við safnið er fjörugra hverfi miðstéttafólks og allra austast við hafskipahöfnina er verkamannahverfi. Suðurbakkinn við lónið er vinsæll slökunarstaður með útikaffihúsum, þar sem fólk sameinar sólskinið, útsýnið og sjávarloftið.

Við byrjum gönguna austast, við bátastöðina Salute, fyrir framan kirkjuna.

Santa Maria della Salute

(Campo della Salute. Opið 8:30-12 & 15-17. B2)

Skrautleg hlaðstílsterta úr hvítum kalksteini, hönnuð af Baldassare Longhena, reist 1631-1687. Hún stendur á bezta stað, við austurodda Dorsoduro hverfis, þar sem Canal Grande mætir Feneyjalóni, og blasir við úr öllum áttum. Hún er áttstrend og ofhlaðin skrauti, með sextán risavöxnum bókrollustoðum á þaki.

Að innanverðu er kirkjan hófsamlegri. Hún hefur að geyma altaristöflu og loftmálverk eftir Tiziano og verk eftir fleiri kunna listamenn, svo sem Jacopo Tintoretto. Steinfellugólfið er óvenjulega fallegt, með ýmsum tilbrigðum í hringlaga mynztri.

Baldassare Longhena var einn helzti hlaðstílsarkitekt Feneyja á 17. öld. Hann hannaði líka höllina Ca’Pesaro og byrjaði á Ca’Rezzonico.

Við göngum beint inn í hverfið vestan við kirkjuna. Af kirkjutorginu förum við á trébrú milli San Gregorio kirkju og klausturs.

San Gregorio

(Campo della Salute. B2)

Þetta eru leifar voldugs klausturs heilags Gregoríusar, sem lagt var niður fyrir löngu. Kirkjan er einföld og látlaus múrsteinskirkja í gotneskum stíl.

Við göngum meðfram kirkjunni eftir Calle Abazia og Calle Bastion, yfir brú og áfram Calle San Cristoforo að Guggenheim safninu, alls um 300 metra leið.

Collezione Peggy Guggenheim

(Calle San Cristoforo. Opið miðvikudaga-mánudaga 11-18. B2)

Merkilegt nútímalistasafn í garði og höll, sem aldrei varð nema jarðhæðin ein. Þar eru verk eftir Jackson Pollock, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Constantin Brancusi, Max Ernst, Wassily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian, Giorgio de Chirico, Kasimir Malevich og Marino Marini.

Peggy Guggenheim var mikill listvinur og framúrstefnukona, þegar hún safnaði verkum málaranna, sem síðar urðu einkennismálarar síðari hluta 20. aldar. Það er hressandi að skoða safn hennar, þegar maður er orðinn þreyttur á aldagamalli list, sem hvarvetna verður á vegi manns í borginni.

Ráðgert er að flytja hluta safnsins í gömlu tollbúðina, Dogana di Mare, við Salute kirkjuna. Þá verður unnt að sýna mun fleiri verk, sem nú eru í geymslum þess.

Við höldum áfram frá safninu nokkur skref út á Fondamenta Venier.

Rio della Torreselle

(Fondamenta Venier. B2)

Friðsæll skurður á gönguleiðinni milli Salute og Accademia.

Við skurðinn er veitingahúsið Ai Gondolieri. Í nágrenninu er hótelið og veitingahúsið Agli Alboretti.

Við göngum eftir skurðbakkanum og síðan beint áfram eftir Calle della Chiesa og Piscina Fornier, framhjá listasafninu Collezione Cini, sem er stundum opið og oftast ekki, og áfram eftir Calle Nuova Sant’Agnese að vesturhlið Accademia, alls rúmlega 300 metra leið. Við göngum norður fyrir safnið til að komast að innganginum.

Accademia

(Campo dei Carità. Opið mánudaga-laugardaga 9-14, sunnudaga 9-13. B2)

Helzta og stærsta listasafn borgarinnar er til húsa í klaustri og klausturkirkjunni Santa Maria della Carità. Það sýnir þróun feneyskrar málaralistar frá býzönsku og gotnesku upphafi til endurreisnar og hlaðstíls. Þar sem feneysk málaralist skipar eitt fremsta sætið í listasögu þessara tímabila, er Accademia með merkustu málverkasöfnum veraldar.

Merkustu verkin úr aflögðum kirkjum og klaustrum borgarinnar hafa verið flutt hingað, svo og ýmis helztu einkennisverk feneyskrar listasögu. Uppsetningin er í tímaröð, svo að auðvelt er að átta sig á þróun feneyskrar málaralistar. Rúmt er um málverkin, svo að tiltölulega auðvelt er að njóta þeirra, einkum þó á vel björtum degi.

Safnið stækkaði við brottflutning akademíunnar sjálfrar, Accademia di Belle Arti, svo að unnt er að sýna verk, sem áður lágu í geymslum. Hér eru verk eftir hina býzönsku Paolo Veneziano og Lorenzo Veneziano, endurreisnarmennina Jacopo Bellini, Gentile Bellini og Giovanni Bellini, Palma og Tiziano, svo og hlaðstílsmálarana Giambattista Tiepolo og Giandomenico Tiepolo.

Við staðnæmumst hér einkum við verk eftir snemm-endurreisnarmanninn Carpaccio, síð-endurreisnarmanninn Tintoretto og hlaðstílsmanninn Veronese. Við tökum þá í tímaröð.

Vittore Carpaccio

(Accademia. B2)

Carpaccio var uppi 1486-1525, kom sem málari í kjölfar Bellini-feðga, notaði skarpa teikningu og milda liti, svo og mikla nákvæmni í útfærslu. Málverkið í safninu frá Canal Grande hefur mikið sagnfræðilegt gildi fyrir utan það listræna, því að hann málaði meira að segja texta skiltanna á húsunum nákvæmlega. Þar má líka sjá Rialto-brú eins og hún var á blómaskeiði Feneyja.

Verk hans má meðal annars einnig sjá í safninu í Ca’d’Oro og í Museo Correr.

Annar höfuðmálari í Accademia er Tintoretto.

Jacopo Tintoretto

(Accademia. B2)

Tintoretto var uppi 1518-1594, helzti málari Feneyja á fægistíls-blómaskeiði endurreisnartímans. Hann notaði mikið dimma myndfleti með lýstum flötum, sterka liti og litaandstæður. Málverk hans eru flest trúarleg.

Í Accademia eru nokkur málverk hans, en heillegast safn þeirra er í Scuola Grande di San Rocco. Risaverk hans um Paradís og nokkur fleiri eru í veizlusal hertogahallarinnar. Verk hans eru víða í kirkjum hverfisins Cannaergio, þar sem hann var búsettur.

Veronese er þriðji málarinn, sem við ræðum sérstaklega, keppinautur Tintoretto.

Paolo Veronese

(Accademia. B2)

Veronese var uppi 1528-1588, einn helzti upphafsmaður svonefnds fægistíls, sem var lokaskeið endurreisnartímans í listum. Hann fæddist í Verona, en vann mest í Feneyjum. Myndir hans eru bjartar og afar litskrúðugar og sumar hverjar risastórar og flóknar, með raunsæjum smáatriðum. Meðal þeirra er Gestaboð í húsi Leví, risastórt málverk í Accademia.

Verk hans má sjá víðar í Feneyjum, meðal annars í hertogahöllinni og safninu í Ca’Rezzonico.

Við yfirgefum Accademia, göngum austur fyrir safnið og göngum Rio terrà Antonio Foscarini niður á lónsbakkann, rúmlega 300 metra leið.

Þar er kirkja á hægri hönd.

Gesuati

(Fondamenta Zattere ai Gesuati. Opið 8-12 & 17-19. B2)

Dómíníkönsk munkakirkja frá fyrri hluta átjándu aldar, mikið skreytt að innanverðu.

Þekktust er hún fyrir loftfreskur Giambattista Tiepolo með samspili ljóss og skugga. Í kirkjunni eru líka altarismyndir eftir Tintoretto og Tiziano.

Við athugum nánar loftmyndirnar eftir Tiepolo.

Giambattista Tiepolo

(Gesuati. B2)

Svifstílsmálarinn Giambattista Tiepolo var uppi 1696-1770, meira en heilli öld á eftir Veronese, langsíðastur hinna frægu málara Feneyinga. Verk hans eru svanasöngur feneyskrar myndlistar. Hann naut mikillar hylli í heimaborg sinni, en vann einnig töluvert við erlendar hirðir, þar á meðal hjá Karli III Spánarkonungi.

Tiepolo notaði ljós og skugga eins og flestir fyrri málarar Feneyja, en lagði meiri áherzlu en aðrir á milt samspil pastel-lita. Loftfreskurnar í Gesuati eru dæmigerð verk hans, sem og málverkið af heilagri guðsmóður og englunum.

Verk eftir hann má meðal annars einnig sjá í safninu Accademia hér í nágrenninu, í kirkjunni San Polo og í söfnunum í Palazzo Labia og Ca’Rezzonico.

Við göngum út á lónsbakkann framan við kirkjuna.

Zattere

(A2)

Lónsbakkinn eftir endilangri suðurhlið hverfisins Dorsoduro, andspænis eyjunni löngu og mjóu, Giudecca, er vinsæll slökunar- og kaffidrykkjustaður í sólskini og sjávarlofti. Fyrr á öldum var bakkinn helzta salthöfn Evrópu.

Við höldum til vesturs 200 metra eftir bakkanum unz við komum að næstu brú, yfir Rio di San Trovaso. Við beygjum til hægri meðfram skurðinum, 100 metra eftir Fondamenta Nani. Handan skurðarins sjáum við gondólasmiðju.

Squero di San Trovaso

(A2)

Elzta gondólasmiðja borgarinnar, í húsakynnum, sem minna á Týról. Vinnusvæðið sést aðeins úr þessari átt, yfir skurðinn.

Við höldum áfram tæplega 200 metra eftir bakkanum, yfir næstu brú og til baka um 100 metra eftir hinum bakkanum, þar sem við komum að kirkju.

San Trovaso

(Campo San Trovaso. Opið mánudaga-laugardaga 8-11 & 16:30-18:30, sunnudaga 8:30-13 . A2)

Reist 1590, með tveimur framhliðum, þekkt fyrir málverk eftir Tintoretto.

Hægra megin við altarið er litskært málverk hans af Tilbeiðslu vitringanna.

Við snúum til baka til norðurs eftir skurðbakkanum og beygjum síðan til vinstri eftir Calle della Toletta, Sacca Toletta, Fondamenta Toletta og Sottoportego Casin yfir á torgið Campo San Barnaba. Alls er þetta um 500 metra leið.

Campo San Barnaba

(A2)

Rólegt markaðstorg í miðju Dorsoduro. Í götunum í kring er töluvert um skemmtilegar verzlanir, þar sem meðal annars er hægt að kaupa minjagripi lægra verði en við helztu ferðamannastaðina. Í Calle dei Botteghe handan brúarinnar við kirkjustafninn er til dæmis ágæt grímubúð.

Skömmu áður en komið er að torginu er merkt leið um sund til veitingahússins Antica Locanda Montin. Frá torginu sjálfu er stuttur spölur til veitingahússins La Furatola.

Eftir að hafa litið inn í Calle dei Botteghe, göngum við til baka að brúnni, en beygjum þar til vinstri eftir Fondamenta Rezzonico, sem er 100 metra löng og liggur að hallarsafni við Canal Grande.

Ca’ Rezzonico

(Fondamenta Rezzonico. Opið á sumrin 10-17, á veturna laugardaga-fimmtudaga 10-16. A2)

Baldassare Longhena reisti höllina í hlaðstíl á síðari hluta 17. aldar.

Hún er skarti búin að innanverðu, þétt skipuð málverkum, veggmyndum og forngripum. Danssalurinn liggur eftir endilangri annarri hæðinni, með gylltum ljósakrónum og þrívíddarmálverkum í lofti, svo og útskornum húsbúnaði. Nokkur stofuloft eru með veggfreskum eftir Giambattista Tiepolo.

Hún er núna minjasafn um Feneyjar 18. aldar. Þar eru meðal annars málverk eftir Pietro Longhi, Francesco Guardi, Canaletto og Giandomenico Tiepolo.

Við höldum til baka eftir bakkanum að annarri brú, Ponte dei Pugni eða “Slagsmálabrú”, þar sem hefðbundið var fyrr á öldum, að klíkur fengju að slást. Við förum ekki yfir brúna, heldur beygjum til hægri eftir Rio terrà Canal og síðan til vinstri eftir Rio terrà della Scoazzera inn á stórt torg, alls rúmlega 300 metra leið.

Campo di Santa Margherita

(A2)

Notaleg miðstöð mannlífs í vesturhluta Dorsoduro-hverfis, óreglulegt og þorpslegt torg, umkringt sérkennilegum verzlunum í 14. og 15. aldar húsum.

Við göngum úr suðurenda torgsins að sundi milli kirkju og klausturs inn á torgið Campo dei Carmini og virðum fyrir okkur kirkjuna.

Santa Maria dei Carmini

(Campo dei Carmini. Opið 7:30-12 & 16:30-19. A2)

14. aldar kirkja, töluvert breytt á síðari

“Hygge”

“Hygge” is a Danish word not easily translated into English. It resembles the German “Gemütlichkeit” and means a relaxed, feeling comfortable and secure. It describes a personality trait that is more common in easy-going Denmark and positive attitude, feeling comfortable and secure. It describes a personality trait that is more common in easy-going Danes.

History

Warrior bishop Absalon founded Copenhagen in 1167 by building a castle on the island of Slotsholmen. The fishing village around the castle soon grew into a merchant town, giving it the present name, which means: “Merchants’ harbor”. For centuries the royal palace was on the island and the merchant town was on the banks round the island. Now the parliament is on Slotsholmen.

It became an official capital of Denmark in the early 15th C. Many churches and palaces in the center date from a building boom in the 17th C. during the reign of Christian IV. Devastating city fires in 1728 and 1795 destroyed most of the ordinary houses inside the city walls, so that the present-day architecture of the old center is mainly from the beginning of the 19th C.

Life

There is no better place for guests. This merry city is one of the friendliest in the world, open-minded and international, without having lost Danish customs and culture. The Danes have acquired the style of the relaxed cosmopolitan, the witty prankster and the adventurous artist. They have opened up their windows to the world and are nevertheless unlike anyone else.

They have few natural resources other than their wits, which are best evident in their world-famous works of art. Everything becomes beautiful in their hands, glass, clay and wood, silver, hides and steel. And nowhere is this better seen than in Copenhagen.

Life is both rough and soft, all the way from the drug addict’s despair to the connoisseur’s delight. Here beer and wine flow freely with good and abundant food. Here is companionship and solitude in cafés and pubs, in pedestrian streets and gardens. Here is coziness and charm as guests from abroad are quick to find the Danish beat of life.

Taste

The Danes are justly famous for applied arts. Copenhagen shops are a fairy-tale land of refined taste and traditional handicraft. No shopping street in the world equals the pedestrian Strøget for its concentration of beautiful and useful things. During 15 minutes of walking one sees there rows of shops, all full of wonders to admire and enjoy.

We see unique things, furniture and home appliances, furs and porcelain, gold and glass, pottery and linen, much of it so exquisite that we look at in awe. It is simplest to window-shop on Strøget and its pedestrian side-streets. It has the densest concentration of exactly those shops offering goods that travelers want to inspect.

Accident

Phone: 112.

Indicate fire, policed or ambulance as required, sea or air accident. Speak slowly and distinctly. State phone number and address. Emergency calls from public booths are free, coins not needed.

Ambulance

Phone: 112.

Indicate fire, policed or ambulance as required, sea or air accident. Speak slowly and distinctly. State phone number and address. Emergency calls from public booths are free, coins not needed.

Complaints

The police in Copenhagen are generally nice, just as the population on the whole. Most people understand English.

Dentist

Oslo Plads 14. Phone: 3138 0251. Hours: Open 8-21:30 Monday-Friday, 10-12 Saturday-Sunday.

Tandlægevagten. Personal callers only. Emergencies only.

Fire

Phone: 112.

Indicate fire, policed or ambulance as required, sea or air accident. Speak slowly and distinctly. State phone number and address. Emergency calls from public booths are free, coins not needed.

Hospital

Blegdamsvej 9. Phone: 112.

Casualty wards. Day & night treatment, emergencies only.

All foreigners staying temporarily in Denmark are entitled to free treatment in hospitals and casualty wards in the event of sudden illness or aggravation of chronic disease, provide the patient has not come to Denmark with the intention of obtaining treatment or is not strong enough to return to home country. Transport home is paid by patient or his insurance.

Medical care

Phone: 3393 6300. Hours: Monday-Friday 9-16.

Doctors on Call. Outside work hours dial 3312 0041. In emergency dial 112.

Pharmacy

Vesterbrogade 6c. Phone: 3314 8266. Hours: Open day & night. (A3).

Steno Apotek.

Police

Phone: 112.

Indicate fire, policed or ambulance as required, sea or air accident. Speak slowly and distinctly. State phone number and address. Emergency calls from public booths are free, coins not needed.

Precautions

There is little petty crime and almost no violent crime in Copenhagen.

Banks

(A3).

Den Danske Bank at the central railway station is open all days 7-21. Banking hours are Monday-Friday 9:30-16, Thursday -18.

Credit cards

Credit cards are accepted in hotels, restaurants and shops. Visa and Eurocard (Access, MasterCard) have the largest circulation.

Missing cards: For Eurocheque, Eurocard, MasterCard, Access, Visa and JCB dial Eurocard Danmark 4489 2500 day & night. For American Express dial 8001 0021, for Diners dial 3672 3672.

Electricity

Danish voltage is 220V, same as in Europe. Plugs are continental.

Hotels

Copenhagen hotels are generally clean and well maintained, including plumbing. Small hotels can be good, even if they do not have TV sets in guest rooms. A bathroom is taken for granted nowadays. Some hotels have been artistically designed out of old warehouse buildings and have a personal appearance.

We only include hotels with private bathrooms, and in most cases we also demand a direct telephone line, working air-condition, and peace and silence during the night. Only hotels in the city center are included as we want to avoid long journeys between sightseeing and our afternoon naps.

The price ranges from DKr. 500 to DKr. 2050, including a substantial breakfast.

We checked all the hotels in this database during the winter of 1995-1996 as everything is fickle in this world. We have also tested some other hotels that are not included as they were not on par with the best in each price category. Some expensive hotels in Copenhagen are in fact no better than our selection of smaller hotels.

Money

The currency in Denmark is the Danish Krone, DKr, divided into 100 ører.

Prices

Prices have lately become stable in Denmark.

Shopping

Normal shopping hours are Monday-Friday 9:30/10:00-5:30/7:00 and Saturday 9-14. Some shops may open at 6:00 and some may close at 20:00. Some may be open weekends. The Seven-Eleven supermarket at Rådhuspladsen square is open day and night. Shop-owners are allowed to keep open at any hours Monday-Saturday and large shops are also allowed to keep open on Sunday also.

Non-residents of the European Union and Norway are entitled to buy tax-free in Denmark. Buying tax-free is easy. You save from 15% up to 19% on purchases in shops with the Europe Tax-Free Shopping sign on doors or windows. Each time you buy, ask for your tax-refund cheque. You can cash that cheque at Copenhagen Airport or one of the major European airports when you leave.

Tipping

Service is included in hotel and restaurant bills and on taximeters.

Toilets

Toilets are free of charge in restaurants, cafés and pubs. They are generally good.

Tourist office

Bernstorffsgade 1 / Vesterbrogade. Phone: 3312 2880. Fax: 3393 4969. Hours: Open 9-24 in summer, in winter Monday-Friday 9-17, Saturday 9-14. (A3).

Copenhagen Tourist Information, opposite the central railway station.

Water

Tap water is quite drinkable.

Accommodation

Bernstorffsgade 1 / Vesterbrogade. Phone: 3312 2880. Fax: 3393 4969. Hours: Open 9-24 in summer, in winter Monday-Friday 9-17, Saturday 9-14. (A3).

Copenhagen Tourist Information Hotel Bookings, opposite the central railway station.

Airport

Hovedbanegården, Bernstorffsgade. Phone: 3154 1701. (A3).

The SAS airport bus from the bus terminal at main entrance of Hovedbanegården, the central railway station, opposite Tivoli Gardens, leaves 5:42 & 6:10, from 6:15-6:45 every 15 minutes, 7:00-7:50 every 10 minutes, 8:00-21:45 every 15 minutes.

The phone number gives information on bus departures and on flight arrivals and departures.

News

International newspapers are readily available in Copenhagen. Some English channels are usually on TV sets in hotels. Information on what is on in the city is in the weekly Copenhagen This Week.

Phone

The Danish country code is 45. There are no local codes. The foreign code from Denmark is 00.

Post

Hovedbanegården, Bernstorffsgade. Hours: Monday-Friday 8-22, Saturday 9-16, Sunday 10-17. (A3).

The main post office is at Tietgensgade 37, behind Tivoli Gardens, open Monday-Friday 9-19, Saturday 9-13.

Railways

The Danish railway is reliable.

Taxis

You wave cabs down in the street. Otherwise: Københavns Taxa 3135 3535; Amager/Øbro Taxi 3151 5151; Hovedstadens Taxi 3122 5555; Radio/Codan Bilen 3131 7777.

Traffic

The Copenhagen Card is available at railway stations, hotels and travel agents. It is valid for buses and trains, many museums and Tivoli. It also gives a rebate on boat trips to Malmø in Sweden. 24 hours card costs DKr. 140, 48 hours card costs DKr. 230 and 72 hours card costs DKr. 295. Children under 12 pay half price.

Each trip in the center costs DKr. 10. Ten tickets together cost DKr. 70. Month tickets cost DKr. 235. A ticket for a city train is also valid for the connecting bus and vice versa. Some buses go all night.

1000 cycles are available for free at 120 special stands. You pay DKr. 20 to release one. If you return it to another stand, you get back your DKr. 20. This is a Danish innovation. Otherwise cycles are for rent in the center at: Rent-a-bike, Colbjørnsensgade 3; Københavns Cykelbørs, Gothersgade 157; Københavns Cykler, Reventlowsgade 11; and Østerport Cykler, Oslo Plads 9.

Cheese

Danablue and Mycella are blue mould cheeses, Havarti and Esrom are half-firm ones, Samsö, Danbo, Fynbo and Maribo are firm and Hingino and Svenbo are hard cheeses.

Cuisine

Danish cuisine has always been related to the mother cuisine in France, adapted to Danish countryside cooking. Open sandwiches for lunch are often an artwork of beauty. Many varieties of marinated herring are another popular lunch item. Beer is the national drink and Danish aquavit is well-known.

• Øllebrød = bread and beer soup, really thick and hot.

• Leverpostej = pork liver paté.

• Plukfisk = chopped fish and eggs in cream sauce.

• Frikadeller = meatballs.

• Oksebryst = lightly smoked beef.

• Rødkål = sweet and sour red cabbage.

• Risengrød = rice dessert with almond.

• Rødgrød med fløde = stewed redcurrants, blackcurrants and raspberries with cream.

• Æblekage = apple pie.

• Wienerbrød = Danish pastry.

Drinks

Beer is the national drink. Tuborg and Carlsberg are well-known breweries. The best beer is the light one, sometimes called “grøn” (Tuborg) or “hof” (Carlsberg). Stronger beers are called “guld” or “luxus” and one of the strongest is “elefant” (Carlsberg) and “fine festival” (Tuborg).

Akvavit is the hard drink of the country, mainly the Ålborg brand, either Taffel or Jubilæum. It is a clear spirit with a taste of caraway seeds, taken ice cold from the freezer. Many use it as a chaser with beer.

The morning hangover drink is Gammel Dansk, widely seen at breakfast tables. The cherry liqueur Cherry Herring, the coffee liqueur Kahlua and the Solbærrom blackcurrant rum are well known.

Lunch

All over central Copenhagen there are small restaurants that are only open for lunch. They serve light snacks, such as beautiful open sandwiches of many types and several varieties of marinated herring.

Restaurants

The Danish take their meals early. Normal lunch hours are 12:15-13:30, dinner hours 19-21. Most waiters speak excellent English and Danish restaurants are generally spotless.

The Danish have more or less accepted French cuisine as their own. They still keep to aspects of their old-fashioned heavy cooking and like to dine in snug and cozy rooms with traditional Danish antiques and traditional Copenhagen atmosphere.

A Danish specialty are the lunch restaurants, specializing in open sandwiches, called “smørrebrød”, and marinated herring.

Smørrebrød

Open sandwiches are a Danish specialty. They come in endless variations. Some special shops in Copenhagen have 200 different types. They are usually based on meat, fish or vegetables with lots of mayonnaise and other sauces plus garnishes. The presentation, decoration and colors are considered important.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Old Madrid

A maze of narrow streets between Palacio Real to the west and Museo del Prado to the east, from Gran Vía in the north and the Rastro market in the south.

This is the leisure center of Madrid, full of tapas bars, cafés, pubs, restaurants and hotels. Most of the interesting sights of Madrid is in this part of town, on the periphery of this part or just outside it.

Two famous squares are the center of this center, Plaza Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor, 500 meters apart.

Our first walk in Madrid will start and finish at Plaza Puerta del Sol.

Plaza Puerta del Sol

Plaza Puerta del Sol. (B2).

The geographical and factual center of Madrid. All distances in Spain are measured from this plaza. The kilometer stone of “zero” is in front of the palace of the security police on the southern side of the square. All clocks in Spain follow the clock in the tower of that palace. The square itself is surrounded with conform and cream colored houses from the 18th C.

This is the place to start from, if you want to go somewhere in the center. Madrilenos meet here at all times of the day and night, arriving by bus or metro, both of whom are centered here. The lively plaza is also the venue of protests and processions. The only relatively quiet period on the square is in the early 5-7 morning hours.

North from the square the pedestrian Preciado and Carmen lead in the direction of the fashionable shopping and traffic street of Gran Vía. Some of the best known department stores are in these pedestrian streets, El Corte Inglés and Galerias Preciados. The main leisure part of Madrid is south of the square, full of tapas bars, cafés, pubs and restaurants.

Two major streets lead west off the plaza, Mayor and Arenal. The famous Mallorquina café occupies the first floor of the building between them. Under its windows there are always some women selling lottery tickets.

Puerta del Sol lottery ticket sales

Plaza Puerta del Sol.

The old people selling tickets for the state lottery are a common sight in the streets of Madrid. There are always some vendors with a sharp tongue at the western end of Plaza Puerta del Sol.

We turn our attention upwards and look for street signs on the buildings.

Street signs

Plaza Puerta del Sol.

Beautiful ceramic tiles with street signs have been put up in most of central Madrid. We can see some of them where streets lead off Plaza Puerta del Sol.

From the west end of Plaza Puerta del Sol we walk along Arenal in the direction of the opera palace. Arriving at the second street to the right, San Martín, we turn right and take a detour to Monasterio de Descalzas Reales at a square with a corresponding name.

Descalzas Reales

Hours: Open Tuesday-Sunday 10:30-13, Tuesday-Thursday 16-18. (B2).

A 16th C. convent for daughters of noble families. It became very rich and collected paintings. It has now been converted into a museum, showing famous works by Brüghel the elder, David, Titian, Rubens and others.

In the middle of the monastery there is a courtyard with 30 chapels.

We return to Arenal and turn right, pass the opera palace, Teatro Real, from the early 19th C and arrive at the square in front of the royal palace, Plaza de Oriente.

Plaza de Oriente

Plaza de Oriente. (A2).

The statue on the plaza is of Felipe IV, King of Spain, made according to drawings by Velázquez. The popular Café de Oriente is on our left, when we enter the plaza. The Palacio Real is in front of us, on the other side of the plaza.

We can make a detour into the Sabatini gardens on the northern side of Palacio Real, with a grandiose view to the palace.

Then we walk along the palace front to arrive at the tourist entrance through the courtyard on the southern side of Palacio Real.

Palacio Real

Plaza de Oriente. Hours: Open 9:30-12:45, in summer 16-18:30, in winter 15:30-17:15. (A2).

Built in the 18th C. on the foundation of an older palace that burned down in 1734. This one has 2,800 rooms and has stayed vacant since 1931. It is now a museum, open to the public, except for an occasional reception. The main attraction is the Throne Room, probably the most decorated room in the world, clothed in gold and velvet, with a ceiling painting by Tiepolo.

The apartment of Reina Maria Christina is now a tapestry museum. The apartment of Princesa Isabel is a museum of painting, embroidery, porcelain and crystal, containing works by Goya, Bosco, Rubens, Greco and Velázquez. The library of King Felipe V is now a book and coin museum. There is also a pharmaceutic museum and a museum of armor.

There is a special entrance to a carriage museum from the gardens Campo del Moro on the western side of the palace. The view from there up to the palace is imposing.

We leave the palace, turn right into Bailén past Catedral de la Almuenda for about 150 meters until we come to Mayor, which leads back to Plaza Puerta del Sol. We turn left at this corner of Bailén and Mayor and continue on Mayor just over 200 meters to arrive at Plaza de la Villa, the old City Hall square of Madrid. We turn right into the square and have Ayuntamiento on our right.

Ayuntamiento

Plaza de la Villa. (A2).

The City Hall of Madrid, built in the middle of 17th C. in Neo-Renaissance style.

The statue in the middle of the plaza depicts Admiral Alvaro de Bazán, the Spanish hero of the naval battle of Lepanto.

Casa de Cisneros is at the far end of the plaza.

Casa de Cisneros

Plaza de la Villa. (A2).

A 16th C. palace in Neo-Gothic Plateresque style with a noticable oriel window overlooking the plaza.

It is now a tapestry museum.

Hermeroteca is at the eastern side of the square.

Hemeroteca

Plaza de la Villa. (A2).

The Moorish palace has a Neo-Gothic entrance

It is now a library of periodicals.

Torre de Los Lujanes rises at the northern end of Hermeroteca

Torre de los Lujanes

Plaza de la Villa. (A2).

A 15th C. military defense tower, the prison of Francis I after the battle of Pavia.

At the northern side of Torre de los Lujanes the Punonrostro alley leads off the plaza. We follow the curved alley all the way south to San Miguel, about 200 meters in all.

San Miguel

Sacramento. (A2).

A 18th C. Baroque church with a convex street front.

We cross San Justo in front of San Miguel and turn into Letamendi which we follow to the San Pedro tower.

San Pedro

(A3).

A 14th C. tower, one of two Moorish towers in Madrid.

We continue on San Pedro past the church south to Plaza San Andrés and the adjoining Plaza Puerta de Moros, from where we turn left into the long Cava Baja, the main restaurant street in Madrid. Near the other end of the street we turn right into Bruno and walk a short way to arrive at Toledo where Catedral de San Isidro is in front of us.

Catedral de San Isidro

Toledo. (B3).

A 17th C. church in powerful and strict Jesuit style.

San Isidro is the patron saint of Madrid. The major festival of the year is held in his honor May 8.-15. It is a festival of music and cooking, bullfights and nightlife.

We go past the cathedral to the south and turn left into Estudios and continue to Plaza de Cascorro, where the Rastro market begins.

Rastro

(A3).

The main street market of Madrid is south from Plaza de Cascorro, in the street Ribera di Curtidores and most of the adjoining streets. This is a flea market, open Saturday & Sunday 10-14. It is a lively place with some pickpockets around so you have to be careful with your valuables.

This is the oldest and most colorful part of Madrid, with lots of alleys and the thickest Madrilenos patios.

We walk back Ribera di Curtidores, Plaza de Cascorro, Estudios and Toledo to Cava Baja, turn right into that street, cross Plaza Puerta Cerrada and walk along Cuchilleros.

Cuchilleros

(A2).

The main street of good restaurants Madrid, along with its continuation in Cava Baja in the other direction.

Among the restaurants on this mile are Casa Paco and Casa Botín in this part and Schotis, Esteban and Casa Lucio in the Cava Baja part.

We continue on Cuchilleros all the way up the steps and arcade of Plaza Mayor.

Plaza Mayor

(A2).

A comfortable square, completely free of motor traffic, a chosen place to sit down at a café. This is a rectangular square built in the beginning of the 17th C. All the buildings are in the same style, all three storeys and all with an arcade on the ground floor. We can walk in the arcade around the whole square.

In the middle of the square there is a statue of Felipe III. Nine arcades lead into the square, which otherwise is closed to the outside world.

This was formerly the main square of Madrid. Sentences were passed on heretics and they were executed here. Bullfights were here and coronations of kings. Now this is the tourist center of Madrid, also popular with locals. The Tourist Board office is at no. 3.

The square is the focal point of the yearly San Isidro festival.

San Isidro á Plaza Mayor

San Isidro is the patron saint of Madrid. The major festival of the year is held in his honor May 8.-15. It is a festival of music and cooking, bullfights and nightlife. The focal point of the festival is at Plaza Mayor.

If it is Sunday morning we can observe a quaint market in the square.

Plaza Mayor stamp market

Sunday morning stamp collectors gather at Plaza Mayor to exchange, buy and sell stamps. They clutch their large albums and huddle together at small tables, absorbed in their hobby.

We leave Plaza Mayor through the west arcade at the northwestern corner of the square, pass the Mesón tapas bar and turn left into Plaza San Miguel.

Plaza San Miguel

(A2).

A beautiful and lively food market is at the 17th C. square.

We return to Plaza Mayor, cross the square diagonally and leave it to the east at the southeastern corner and walk along Gerona and Bolsa past the Foreign Ministry of Spain to the squares Plaza del Ángel and Plaza de Santa Ana.

Plaza Santa Ana

(B2).

These two squares are the center of café nightlife in Madrid. The squares are dominated by the Victoria hotel, which fronts them both.

Here are Café Central, Cerveceria Alemana, Cuevas de Sésame and La Trucha, also the restaurant El Cenador del Prado.

From Santa Ana we walk north along Principe until we come to San Jerónimo where we turn left into Plaza Puerta del Sol where we started this walk through the old center of Madrid.

New Madrid

The newer part of central Madrid covers for our purposes two avenues and their neighborhood, Gran Vía and Paseo de Recoletos and the continuation of the latter in Paseo del Prado. It includes Plaza de España in the west and the Retiro park in the east.

Most of the important museums of Madrid are in the area around Paseo del Prado. They are Museo del Prado, Centro de Arte Reina Sofia and Colección Thyssen. We will end our walk through this part of the center at these important museums.

We start at Plaza de España.

Plaza España

Plaza España. (A1).

The square is far from beautiful, surrounded by ugly buildings from the last decades. It is important for the memorial of Cervantes the writer and the statue of his characters Quixote and Sancho Panza.

We turn our attention to the memorial and statues.

Don Quixote & Sancho Panza

Plaza España. (A1).

The bronze statue of Quixote and Sancho Panza has become a symbol of Madrid, vividly showing these extreme rather than typical characters from the well of Castilian history. Quixote is the aristocratic idealist and Sancho Panza is the earthy farmer, both in a way divorced from reality, just as many Castilians want to think of themselves.

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was a contemporary of Shakespeare in the end of the 16th C. By writing the story of the travails of Quixote and Sancho Panza he was of the same importance to the Spanish language as Shakespeare was to the English language.

We leave the plaza at its eastern corner and walk along Gran Vía.

Gran Vía

Gran Vía. (B2).

The main tourist avenue in Madrid, lined with offices of airlines and car rentals, international thrash food restaurants and hotels. The center of Gran Vía is at Plaza de Callao, where two pedestrian streets, Preciados and Carmen lead down to Plaza Puerta del Sol, passing the main department stores of Madrid on their way, El Corte Inglés and Galerias Preciados.

A little farther to the east Gran Via joins with another traffic artery, Alcalá, which comes from Plaza Puerta del Sol. All the way to Paseo de Recoletos we are walking alongside the heavy traffic of beeping motorists.

To the south of Gran Vía is the old center of Madrid with a web of narrow alleys, lots of tapas bars, cafés and restaurants. To the north is a more recent part of the center, more frequented by young people, with louder music entering the streets from the establishments of leisure.

When we arrive at Paseo de Recoletos we observe the palatial post office on the other side.

Postes

Plaza de Cibeles. (C2).

Probably the most heavily decorated post office in the world, built in wedding-cake style at the beginning of the 20th C.

We are at Plaza de Cibeles. On the plaza there is a statue from the 18th C. depicting the goddess of fertility, Cybele, in a wagon pulled by lions.

We turn left into Paseo de Recoletos.

Paseo de Recoletos

Paseo de Recoletos. (C1).

The avenue is lined with cafés with outdoor sections on the green islands between the motor traffic lanes. Among them is an Art Nouveau glass house, belonging to Café d’Espejo. The best-known café at this stretch is Gran Café de Gijón.

When you enter the cafés the traffic noise drowns in the noise of the lively conversation. But the heavy motor traffic continues all day, all evening and far into the night.

Just before we arrive at Plaza de Cólon we pass Biblioteca Naçional, the national library.

We arrive at Plaza de Cólon.

Plaza de Cólon

Plaza de Cólon. (C1).

The plaza is dominated by a giant monument with a statue of Cólon or Colombus on top. The monument rises above fountains and a subterranean cultural center with a gallery and a theater. The entrance is at the monument.

At the back of the plaza there are monuments honoring famous Spanish explorers.

The palace to our right houses Biblioteca Naçional, facing Paseo de Recoletos, and Museo Arquelógico Naçional, the national museum of archeology, facing Serrano, open Tuesday-Sunday 9:15-13:15.

We turn our attention to the Cólon statue.

Cólon

(C1).

Columbus is a national hero of Spain, even if he was really an Italian, born in Genova. But it was Spain that was ready to finance his addiction to explorations, which enormously helped the European discovery of the Americas and made Spain for a century the major superpower on earth, amassing an empire covering most of Latin America.

It is no wonder that his memorial is a major landmark of Madrid.

We turn right into Serrano.

Serrano

Serrano. (C1).

The main fashion and antique street of Madrid, in fact the most expensive street in town, good for observing fashionable ladies walking with flourish on the pavement.

This is the Salamanca district, built by noble families in the 19th C., now a district of foreign embassies.

We continue on Serrano all the way to Plaza de la Independenzia with the Puerta de Alcalá in the center of the plaza.

Puerta de Alcalá

Plaza de la Independenzia. (C2).

A triumphal arch built according to drawings by Sabatini in the late 18th C. in memory of the investiture of Carlos III.

From the plaza we enter the northwestern corner of the Retiro park.

Retiro

(C2).

The large park is similar in size to Hyde Park in London, but much more covered in woodland. This park was laid out in the 17th C. for the summer palace of Felipe IV, converted into a public garden in the late 19th C.

We pass a marionette theater for children, fortune-tellers with Tarot cards, hot-dog stands and pickpockets.

On our left we pass lake Estanque.

Estanque

People rent pleasure boats to row around the lake.

A memorial to Alfonso XII is on the other side of the lake, designed in a wedding-cake style that is similar to the memorial of Victor Emanuel II in Rome.

We continue straight through the park, passing bridge, backgammon and chess players, excited lovers and peculiar dogs. Finally we leave the park by the southwestern corner and walk down Claudio Mayanno.

Claudio Mayanno

Claudio Mayanno. (C3).

Second-hand bookstalls line the street. The action is most interesting on Sunday morning when Madrilenos relax in the Retiro park.

We cross Plaza del Emperador Carlos V and walk a few meters southwest along Atocha and turn right into Santa Isabel where Centro de Arte Reina Sofia is at no. 52.

Centro de Arte Reina Sofia

Santa Isabel 52. (C3).

The old building is immediately recognizable by glass enclosures that have been erected around new outside elevators.

This extensive museum is similar in size to Museum Pompidou in Paris. It boasts of 20th C. Spanish masters, such as Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró and Pablo Picasso.

The main attraction is the Guernica by Pablo Picasso.

Picasso

Santa Isabel 52. (C3).

Guernica may be the best-known work of art in the 20th C. It describes the effect of a German aircraft attack on a Basque town in the Civil War of 1936-1939. Picasso painted it for the Republican government, that Franco displaced at the end of the civil war.

The painting was returned to Spain after the death of Franco and demise of Falangism and became a symbol of Spanish democracy. It has a place of honor in Centro de Arte Reina Sofia.

We return on Santa Isabel and Atocha to Plaza del Emperador Carlos V. There we turn left along Paseo del Prado, past Jardín Botanico and Museo del Prado on the other side. At Plaza Canovás del Castilio we arrive at Palacio de Villahermosa housing Colección Thyssen.

Colección Thyssen

Plaza Canovás del Castilio. (C2).

A museum of 787 works of art collected by the Swiss millionaire Thyssen-Bornemisza and put by him into the custodianship of Spain. It opened it doors in 1992.

Opposite Palacio de Villahermosa on the other side of San Jerónimó is the Palace luxury hotel. Behind Villahermosa on San Jerónimó is Cortes Españolas, the parliament of Spain. Opposite Villahermosa on the other side of Plaza Canovás del Castilio is another luxury hotel, the Ritz.

We cross Plaza Canovás del Castilio, turn right and walk to the entrance of Museo del Prado. If there are crowds waiting to enter the main entrance, it is often easier to walk on and enter the museum from the south side, where there tend to be less crowds.

Museo del Prado

Paseo del Prado. Hours: Open Tuesday-Saturday 9-15, Sunday 9-14. (C2).

Prado is one of a handful of major art museums in the world, in the same class as the Louvre in Paris, Uffizi in Florence, National Gallery in London and National Museum of Art in Manhattan. It started as the private collection of the Spanish royal dynasty.

When browsing the museum we may notice the violent nature of many of the works of art. The paintings are more brutal and bloody than the paintings of other museums of the same stature. Destruction, death and the Devil seem to have weighed heavily on the religious minds of the extremely Catholic Habsburg dynasty of Spanish kings.

Some of the major works of Goya, El Greco, El Bosco, Raphael and Rubens decorate the walls of Prado, in addition to several other masters. The collections of Prado are so large that only a tiny fraction can be exhibited at the same time in the extensive palace. It is difficult to give directions as the placing has tended to change.

There are some important works by Goya.

Goya

Goya was a major force in the Romantic period of European painting. He lived 1746-1828, famous for his violent paintings expressing extreme feelings and abhorrence of war and its terrors.

His paintings in Prado include the two Majas, the clothed and the naked Maja, the Execution of the Rioters, and Saturnus Eating His Son.

El Greco is another major master in Prado.

El Greco

El Greco dominated the Spanish scene of painting in the Renaissance period. He lived 1541-1614, born in Crete, studied with Titian in Venice and later fled to Spain as a vehement Catholic. He is famous for his strong use of powerful colors marking the pinnacle of Renaissance art. He lived in Toledo and painted for religious patrons.

His paintings in Prado include Nobleman with a Hand on His Chest and Adoration of the Shepherds.

El Bosco is another great master in Prado.

El Bosco

El Bosco was a Dutchman, also known as Hieronymus Bosch, lived 1450-1516, a member of a fanatic group of Catholics. His weird pictures are hair-raising and surrealistic attacks on hypocrisy, greed and lust. The extremely religious King Felipe II of Spain adored them.

His paintings in Prado include Garden of Delights and Adoration of the Magi.

Velásques is another Spanish master at the Prado.

Velásques

Possibly the greatest painter in Spanish history, 1599-1660, born in Sevilla and became the court painter of the kings in Madrid.

His paintings in Prado include Maids of Honor, probably the main diamond of the museum.

Memorable paintings by other masters include the Cardinal in Red by Raphael, and the many naked and fat ladies of Rubens.

This concludes the second walk through the center of Madrid.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Papal Rome

St Peter’s is the main attraction of Rome and the Vatican museums with the Sistine Chapel are also in the group of main attractions. The Vatican museums reflect the fact that the Papal state was for centuries one of the main centers of the world.

We start our walk on the Tevere river bank at the Ponte Umberto bridge, opposite one of the most conspicuous buildings in Rome, the national courthouse.

Palazzo di Giustizia

(B2).

The national courthouse is an enormous, cream-colored, ornate pile in historical style, designed by Gugliemo Calderini, built 1889-1910, dominating the river view.

We walk downriver along Lungotevere Castello to the next bridge, Ponte Sant’Angelo

Ponte Sant’Angelo

(B2).

The most beautiful bridge in Rome is from antiquity, built by emperor Hadrian in 136 to connect the Martian Fields (Campus Martius, Campo di Marzo) with his mausoleum on the other side of the river.

The three central arches are original and the two bankside arches are 17th C. The statues of St Peter and St Paul on the southern end of the bridge are from 1530. The other ten statues are by Bernini, from 1667-1669.

At the northern end of the bridge the imposing mausoleum of emperor Hadrian lies open before the eye.

Mausoleo Adriano

(B2).

The circular building is predominantly original, built by emperor Hadrian in 135-139 to contain his ashes, completed by emperor Antonius Pius. It is in the Etruscan mausoleum style, originally with a conical earth mound on top of the building, crowned by a statue of Hadrian himself.

When emperor Aurelian fortified Rome in 270 he included the mausoleum as a fortress in the city wall. Pope Gregorian I built a chapel on the mound in 590, dedicated to archangel Michael (Sant’Angelo) whose statue replaced the one of emperor Hadrian. Later the mausoleum was converted into a papal castle which has up to now carried the name of Castel Sant’Angelo.

Pope Nicolas V built a brick building on top of the circle in mid-15th C. Pope Alexander VI built the Passetto escape corridor between the castle and the Vatican in 1493 and the octagonal defence towers around 1500. The castle withstood an attack by the French king Charles V in 1527 during his sack of Rome. Pope Clementine VII fled through the Passetto to the castle. Later the castle became a barracks and a prison.

The mausoleum is now a castle museum which we enter from the river side.

Castel Sant’Angelo

Hours: Open Tuesday-Saturday 9-14, Sunday 9-13, Monday 14-19. (B2).

We walk up ramps and stairs to get into the main courtyard with the original statue of Sant’Angelo from 1544. A 18th C. bronze statue by Pieter Verschaffelt has replaced it at the top of the castle. The ramp is mostly original, with black and white mosaics, ending in Hadrian’s burial chamber.

The museum is mainly of military nature. On the top floor there are apartments of three popes, Pius IV, Julian II and Paul III. Bramante decorated the apartments of Julian II where there is an excellent view over the city. The library and archives of the Vatican is also on this floor.

The main garden, Cortile di Onore, laid out by Pope Alexander VI of Borgia, is on the level below the apartments, also the main courtroom, a few prison cells and the chapel of Pope Leo X, built by Michelangelo in place of the old chapel. One of the most famous prisoners was the monk and scientist Giordano Bruno.

We turn right from the castle and walk the avenue Via della Conciliazione all the way to Piazza San Marco in front of St Peter’s. From the piazza we turn right along the Vatican buildings.

Vaticano

(A2).

This is not Italy, we are in the papal state of the Vatican. Here the post boxes are blue, ensuring swift delivery of your letters. But you have to use Vatican stamps, not Italian. This is a separate state with special ambassadors to the capitals of the world, the papal nuncios.

Building started in 500 and got an impetus after 1377 when the Pope moved back to Rome from Avignon. At that time the Vatican took over as papal headquarters from the Lateran palace which had been destroyed in a fire. Most of the buildings are 15th and 16th C.
The buildings were gradually filled with artworks and antiques which now make up the Vatican museums.

We continue along the Vatican buildings on Via did Porta angelica, Piazza del Risorgimento, Via Michelangelo and Viale Vaticano to the entrance of the Vatican museums.

Musei Vaticani

Hours: Open Monday-Saturday 8:45-13, last Sunday of month 8:45-13. (A2).

Well organised and much visited, most famous for the Sistine Chapel, which sparkles after the recent cleanup. We can take four differently long walks through the museums, marked in different colors. We should choose the longest walk if we can possible manage.

We start in the Egyptian Collection with the 13th C. B.C. statue of Queen Tuia, mother of Ramses II and the 21st C. B.C. bust of Pharaoh Mentuhotep. Then we continue to the Greek-Roman Collection with the famous Belvedere garden of the original 1st C. violent-dynamic Late-Hellenic Baroque statue of King Laocoën and his sons fighting with snakes, found in the ruins of Nero’s Golden House.

Next comes the Etruscan Collection showing artefacts from the tomb of an Etruscan couple. The collections shows well the special position of Etruscan culture which often is considered to have originated in Asia Minor and was certainly different from the Greek and Roman ones. Etruscan civilisation preceded the Latin one in the area around Rome.

We continue along a long corridor with carpets, geographic maps from 1580-1583 and extensively decorated ceilings and arrive at the Rafaello Rooms.

Stanze di Rafaello

The collection shows Rafaello’s frescos from 1508-1517, including The Fire in the Borgo, The School of Athens, The Dispute of the Holy Sacrament, The Mass at Bolsena and The Liberation of St Peter.

Pope Julius II liked Rafaello’s work and commissioned him to decorate four rooms of his apartment, replacing earlier artworks. Rafaello died before he could finish his work.

This part of the Vatican museums probably ranks behind the Sistine Chapel as one of the main attractions.

We next pass the Chapel of Nicolas with frescos by Fra Angelico from 1447-1451 and the Borgia apartments with frescos by Pinturicchio from 1492-1503 and arrive at the Sistine Chapel.

Capella Sistina

(A2).

Built in 1475-1480, famous for the Michelangelo ceiling frescos, painted in 1508-1511 and the altar wall fresco painted in 1533. The ceiling frescos depict scenes from the Old Testament, like Creation of the Sun and Moon, Creation of Adam, Original Sin, and The Deluge.

The altar wall fresco depicts The Last Judgement. It is a dynamic picture marking a historical departure from the Renaissance style into the emerging Baroque style.

Several artists painted the 12 frescos on the walls of the chapel, Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Michelangelo, Perugino, Rosselli and Signorelli. These frescos show episodes from the lives of Moses and Christ.

We visit the Pinacoteca with famous paintings by 15th and 16th C. artists like Rafaello, da Vinci, Caravaggio and Bellini. Finally we come to the Archaeological Museum with mosaics from Caracalla’s Baths. We leave not by foot but in a special bus that traverses the Vatican gardens every half an hour between the Vatican museums and Piazza San Pietro. It is the easiest way to get to see the gardens.

Piazza San Pietro

(A2).

The elliptical piazza with colonnades of four rows of columns, designed by Bernini, built in 1656-1667. The purpose of the ellipse is to draw attention to the front of St Peter’s and to act as an embrace for the believers when they listen to the Pope.

On top of the colonnades are 140 statues of angels. A 1st C. obelisk from Heliopolis is in the middle of the piazza, brought to Rome during the reign of Caligula. The fountains are by Maderno to the right and Bernini to the left.

Preceding St Peter’s was the Old St Peter’s, built during the reign of Constantine the Great in early 4th C., probably in 326. The old cathedral was the main cathedral of Rome but not a papal church. It was built in this place because St Peter is said to have been crucified here during the reign of Nero.

We observe the front of the cathedral before we enter St Peter’s.

San Pietro

(A2).

Originally a Greek cross church designed and mostly built by Michelangelo in 1547-1564 and extended into a Latin cross basilica by Maderno and Bernini in early 17th C. The majestic dome was finished by Giacomo della Porta after Michelangelo’s death. In all it took a century and a half to build St Peter’s, from the first designs by Bramante in 1506 to the finishing of the piazza by Bernini in 1667.

St Peter’s is built in Renaissance style and decorated in Baroque style. The front is rather diminutive, designed by Maderno and built in 1607-1614. It largely hides the masterpiece of Michelangelo, the enormous dome. Statues of St Peter and St Paul are in front of the church. On top of the front there are statues of Christ and all his disciples except for Peter. The balcony of the pope is beneath the pediment.

The church is one of the biggest in the world, with 450 statues, 500 columns and 50 altars, heavily decorated with marble and artworks. It can take 60.000 people at the same time. It is just over 200 meters long with a central dome of 140 meters in height and 40 meters in width, modelled on the Pantheon. It is lighter in appearance than envisioned by Michelangelo, completely set with mosaics.

We observe some of the most beautiful artworks in the church, such as Pietà.

Pietà

To the right of the entrance we see the crown of Michelangelo’s work. It is Pietà, from 1499-1500, showing the sorrow of Maria after the death of Christ.

We go to the altar in the middle of the cathedral.

Baldacchino

The papal altar is in the middle of the nave under the dome. It is a throne from 1592-1605, overlooking the crypt where St Peter is supposedly buried. An enormous baroque baldacchino rises 20 meters on spiral columns above the altar, built by Bernini in 1624 from bronze that Pope Urban VIII robbed from the Pantheon.

In front of the altar to the right there is a bronze statue of Jupiter, originally from the Capitolum, but now said to depict St Peter. The foot of Jupiter has become shiny of believers’ kisses who do not know that this is a pagan god. In the apse there is the heavily baroque Throne of St Peter in Glory from 1666 by Bernini.

From the church entrance to the right we can access an elevator to the roof with good views over Rome and with stairs up to the dome with views down to the church. From the south side of the church there is an entrance into a 1th-4th C. graveyard which has been excavated. You have to book beforehand if you want to inspect it.

But this walk is over.

Imperial Rome

The classical center of Rome was in the valley west of the Capitolum hill and north of the Palatinum hill. It was Forum Romanum which was the central square of Rome in republican antiquity and Fori Imperiali which was a series of central squares in imperial antiquity.

During centuries these squares were the center of the Western world, from the time that Romans took over from Greeks as the standard-bearers of the west and until the popes moved the center a kilometer and af half to the south-east, to the Laterano square.

Most of the glory of the past has disappeared. There are broken columns and remains of walls which give an idea of the classical grandeur. Much of the Trajan Market and the Maxentian Basilica is still standing. There are some remains of imperial palaces, a few whole triumphal arches and the Curia, the meeting room of the senate. The enormous Colosseum is now the center-stage of this part of Rome.

We start the walk at the northern end, on the central square of modern Rome, on Piazza Venezia, where we can clearly see the Column of Trajan. We approach the column.

Colonna Traiana

(C3).

The Trajan column is surprisingly intact, having been standing here for nineteen centuries. Emperor Trajan built it in 113 to commemorate his victories in two wars against the Dacians in Romania. The column is 40 meters tall, including the pedestal.

The story of the wars is told in 100 marble reliefs spiralling up the column. They would cover 200 meters if they were laid out in a straight line. As many monuments of antiquity it was originally painted in bright colors. Originally the column was surrounded by library buildings from whom people could observe the marble reliefs at close hand.

For centuries a statue of Trajan stood at the top of the column. In 1587 it was replaced with a statue of St Peter. Behind the columns we see the remains of Basilica Ulpia, bearing the family name of Trajan. We see that in antiquity the level of the land was much lower than it is nowadays.

We pass the ruins and go uphill by way of the stairs of Via Magnanapoli up to Via Quattro Novembre, where the entrance is to the Trajan Forum.

Foro di Traiano

Hours: Open Tuesday-Saturday 9-13 & 15-18, Sunday 9-12:30, closed Monday. (C3).

The largest market or mall of imperial Rome was built in a semicircle at the bottom of the hill. It was built in 107-113 by Apollodorus of Damascus, the architect of Trajan. It is a complex of 150 shops and offices on several storeys, considered at that time to be one of the wonders of the classical world.

The shops are grouped together according to the merchandise. There is a mall of wine shops and spices, Via Biberatica. The cool shops at the bottom of the complex probably sold vegetables and fruit. On the second floor there were shops for olive oil and wine. Higher up there were shops of less perishable goods and distribution offices for the corn dole.

Above the ruins of the Trajan market there is a military tower from 1227-1241, one of the best preserved remains of medieval architecture in Rome. It is Torre delle Milizie.

We return down the steps and walk along Via Alessandrina by the railing separating us from the Trajan forum, past Casa dei Cavalieri di Rodi, the palace of the Rhodos or Maltese knights, built in 1464-1471 in Venetian Renaissance style as we can see from the oriel balcony facing the forum. We now come to the Augustus Forum.

Foro di Augusto

(D3).

This market was built in 31 B.C. by emperor Augustus to celebrate his victory over Brutus and Cassius at Philippi in 41 B.C. In the middle there are remains of the Temple of Mars the Avenger (Martius Ultor), which thereupon became the family temple of Augustus’s descendants.

On both sides of the temple there are remains of basilicas. Between the basilicas and the temples are steps which led the way to the ancient slum of Suburra, which was directly behind the wall. Half of the Forum of Augustus is hidden below the modern road of Via di Fori Imperiali.

We continue along the railing and come next to the Forum of Nerva.

Foro di Nerva

(D3).

The last part of the excavations on the other side of the railing, directly behind the Hotel Forum. This long and narrow market was opened by emperor Nerva in 98, adjoining the ancient street of Argiletum, which lead from Forum Romanum, along the Curia, to the suburb of Suburra.

Little can be seen of the ancient temple of Minerva which was in the center of this forum. The stones were used by Pope Paul V to build a fountain on Janiculum hill. Northeast of the forum there is a 13th C. tower, Torre de’Conti.

At that time there was yet another forum on the other side of the forum of Nerva. It was the Forum of Peace built by emperor Vespanian in 70. This forum is almost completely covered by Via dei Fori Imperiali and Via Cavour. It had a temple of peace and a library where now the church Santi Cosma e Damiano stands.

We now pass Via dei Fori Imperiali which was laid by Mussolini straight through the antique ruins. It should be removed to enable new excavations and will probably be, sooner or later. We return by the other side of the street and arrive at the Forum of Caesar.

Foro di Cesare

(C3).

Two thirds of this forum are visible, including three columns from the temple of Venus Genetrix, which the Julian family considered to be their ancestor, and broken columns from the money-changing market of Basilica Argentaria, which was alongside the ancient road of Clivus Argentarius. Julius Cesar built this forum in 51.

We take a detour from the south end of the forum into the alley of Via Tulliano in the direction of the Arch of Septimus Severus. On our right we see steps into a church cellar. These steps lead to the Mamertine Prison.

Carcere Mamertino

Hours: 9-12:30 & 14:30-18. (C3).

The prison is on two levels. In antiquity it housed famous prisoners such as Jugurta, King of Africa, in 104 B.C., and Vercingetorix, Chief of the Gauls, in 46 B.C. There are stories that St Peter and other Christina martyrs were also incarcerated here.

From here we have a good view of part of Forum Romanum, which we shall soon visit. First we have to retrace our steps along Via dei Fori Imperiali or along the footpath of Via della Salara Vecchia, to the entrance to the Roman Forum.

Foro Romano

Hours: Open daily 9-14, Monday, Wednesday-Saturday -30 min. before sunset. (C3).

The main square of republican Rome was originally a shopping center with brick buildings, but was then transformed into a marbled square of politics and religion up to the migration of tribes in the Middle Ages, when the Roman empire disintegrated.

Excavations have opened up this place so that we can imagine the layout of the city center in ancient times, if we take our time to stroll through the area. The western part was dominated by the two main basilicas, Basilica Aemilia and Basilica Julia, the oratorical platform of Rostra and the senate of Curia. The eastern part was dominated by several temples and the Basilica of Constantine and Maxentius.

The Roman Forum was a kind of a living room for political citizens during the Roman republic. All major political and religious activity was concentrated there, also the major financial transactions and much commerce. Originally the area was a sump that was drained by Cloaca Maxima to make buildings possible.

When we enter the area we have the base of Basilica Aemilia on our right side and the Temple of Antonius and Faustina on our left side.

Antonio e Faustina

(D3).

The temple was built by Antonius Pius in 141 and dedicated to his late wife Faustina. The six frontal columns are the original obelisks and the steps up to the temple are also original.

The front itself is a baroque addition from 1602. The temple had already been converted into a church in the 11th C., dedicated to San Lorenzo. The building is now closed to the public.

We turn our attention to Basilica Aemilia on the other side of the entrance.

Basilica Aemilia

(D3).

This basilica from 179 B.C. was named by the family that built it and was responsible for its upkeep. The remains are mainly from the 1st C. It was burnt down by the Goths when they sacked Rome in 410.

The basilica was a rectangular building with colonnades. It was a meeting place for politicians, financiers and businessmen all the way to its demise.

Between Basilica Aemilia and Basilica Julia on the other side of the Forum, is the Via Sacra.

Via Sacra

(C3).

The street of religious, political and military processions, the most important avenue in ancient Rome. When victorious generals came back from their successful campaigns they rode along this street in triumphal processions to the Capitoline hill to give thanks to Jupiter.

Triumphal arches were later built across this road, the Arch of Septimus Severus, the Arch of Titus and the Arch of Constantine.

We walk Via Sacra past Basilica Aemilia and come at its end to the ancient street of Argiletum, which lead to the Suburra. On the other side of Argiletum is the Curia.

Curia

(C3).

The meeting place of the Roman senate was built approximately here in 80 B.C. and restored in this place several times in ancient history. The present building is a restoration of Emperor Diocletian’s Curia in the 3rd C., built on its ruins.

This is a rather dour brick building. The original was more beautiful, as it was clothed in marble. The Curia was robbed of its famous bronze doors by Pope Alexander VII for use in San Giovanni in Laterano and are still there. The bronze doors to the present Curia are replicas.

Two relief panel decorations from the Rostra in Trajan’s time are on show inside the Curia building.

Outside the Curia we see the Arch of Septimus Severus.

Arco di Severo

(C3).

The arch was built in 203 by Septimus Severus after his and his sons’ victory over the Parthians to celebrate his decade in power. When his son Caracalla became emperor after the death of Severus he had his brother Geta killed and removed his names from the arch. The holes are still visible.

This is first triumphal arch with the columns separated from the wall behind them. It is one of the best preserved monuments in the forum. During the Middle Ages it lay half-buried in earth. Since then it has been excavated and has regained some of its older splendor, except for being rather eroded.

Beside the arch we see the Rostra.

Rostra

(C3).

A podium or a dais for Roman politicians. Such a platform was here all the way back to 338 B.C., and the present one is from Caesar’s time, 44 B.C. The name comes from a decoration made of ships’ prows (rostra), captured in the Battle of Antium in the 4th C. B.C.

Behind the Rostra there are some remains of temples, the Temple of Saturn, the Temple of Vespasian and the Temple of Concord.

Tempio di Saturno

(C3).

The most prominent of the remains of the temples at the western end of the Roman Forum are eight Ionic columns of the Temple of Saturn with a section of the entablature. A temple dedicated to Saturn was here since 497 B.C., the first temple in the forum. These remains are from the 4th C. Saturn was the god of the masses. Every year the Saturnalia revelries were held in his honor in December.

Beside these columns there are three Corinthian columns from the Temple of Vespasian. It was built in 79 by his son and grandson after his death.

Beside the Saturnine columns there a platform from the Temple of Concord, built in memory of the concord between the Roman patricians and plebeians in 367 B.C. Behind the Vespasian and Saturnine columns there are twelve Corinthian columns from a portico that Emperor Dominitian built at the end of the 1st C. for the twelve main Roman gods.

Behind all this temples the massive wall of Tabularium dominates the scene.

Tabularium

(C3).

The austere building was built of peperine in 78 B.C. as national archives and national treasury, filling the depression between the Capitolum and Palatinum. The portico and six of the nine pillars are original. The building on top of them is the Senatorial Palace which was built upon the ruins of the Tabularium.

We turn back from the Rostra. In front of us is the Column of Phocas.

Colonna di Foca

(C3).

The slender, Corinthian column is 13,5 meters high, built in 608 to thank the Byzantine emperor Phocas for visiting Rome and giving the Pantheon to the pope. It is the last monument known to be erected in the forum before its demise.

On the right side we see the foundation of Basilica Julia

Basilica Giulia

(C3).

The basilica was enormous, measuring 82 meters by 18 meters, with five aisles and three storeys, fronting Basilica Aemilia on the other side of Via Sacra. This basilica was built by Julius Cesar in 55 B.C. and finished by emperor Augustus in 12. It has been almost completely destroyed. Standing are the steps, the pavement and some column stumps.

The purpose of this basilica was to be a courthouse, where the 180 centumviri or magistrates tried cases in four courtrooms in public.

The remains of a row of columns are in front of the basilica. The columns were built in 300 to honor some Roman generals. On the side of the basilica, a little to the back, there are three white and slender columns from the Temple of Castor and Pollux, built in 484 in memory of a victory in the battle of Lake Regillus against the Tarquinian kings. The present remains are from a restoration in 12 B.C.

The Temple of Julius Caesar, erected by Augustus, is next to the basilica on the Via Sacra. On the far side of the temple we come to the Temple and the House of the Vestal Virgins.

Vestae

(D4).

The circular temple, originally surrounded by 20 columns, is from the 4th C., based on earlier Vestal temples which had been in the same place since the 6th C. B.C.

The Vestal virgins kept alight the sacred flame of Vesta, the goddess of the hearth, and guarded the other holy items of the Roman state, such as the Palladium statue.

The Vestal virgins lived in the building behind, the Vestae. We can still see the garden with two ponds of water lilies and eroded statues of the virgins. Originally the house had 50 rooms on three storeys. Some of the rooms around the garden have been preserved.

We leave the Vestae and cross Via Sacra to Antonio e Faustina on the other side. On the way we pass the back side of the scant remains of the Regia, the office of the Pontifex Maximus, the High Pries of Rome. On the other side of the Via Sacra we turn right and see on our left side the Temple of Romulus.

Tempio di Romolo

(D4).

The circular temple from the early 4th C. is possibly dedicated to Romulus, son of emperor Maxentius. It is a brick building with a cupola on top, flanked by two rooms and with a concave porch in front with heavy and original 4th C. bronze doors.

This temple has been preserved as an entrance to the 6th C. church of Santi Cosma e Damiano, built into a part of the Vespanian Forum of Peace. Nowadays the church is entered from the Via dei Fori Imperiali side.

We continue on Via Sacra to the imposing Basilica of Constantine and Maxentius.

Basilica Constantino e Maxentius

(D4).

This giant basilica is partly still there, 35 meters high. It was the largest building in the forum and has three immense vaults, built by emperor Maxentius in 308-312 and finished by emperor Constantine.

This last basilica of antiquity covered an area similar to the Julian and Aemilian basilicas and is higher than they were. It was used for judicial and business purposes. Originally the roof was covered with gilded tiles which were stolen in the 7th C. to cover the roof of the old St Peter’s.

It bears witness to the feats of Roman engineers. The technique was the same as in the building of the vast baths of Caracalla and Diocletian in Rome.

Via Sacra continues to the Arch of Titus.

Arco di Tito

(D4).

A triumphal arch of classic proportions on a ridge in the Via Sacra. It was erected in 81 by emperor Dominitian to honor the victories of his brother Tito and father Vespanian in the war against the Jews.

The beautifully carved marble reliefs show Roman soldiers carrying off the booty, including the seven-armed chandelier from the temple in Jerusalem.

Here we turn right off the Via Sacra and climb uphill to the Palatine hill on the Clivus Palatinus path.

Palatino

(C4).

The oldest village of Rome was on the cool slopes of the Palatine hill. Emperor Augustus built his imperial palace in a wealthy suburb on the hilltop. The following emperors continued to build palaces there and the last emperor of the Flavian dynasty, Dominitianus, converted the whole hill into an imperial palace, Domus Flavia.

Little can now be seen of the former splendor of antiquity but many gems must be hidden under the Farnese-gardens that now occupy the major part of the hill. Excavations are going on in the area of Domus Livia. In addition the Augustinian and Flavian palaces, remains have been found of the Tiberian and Severan palaces.

With the change from republican to imperial Rome, the political center of the Western world gradually moved from the Forum Romanum beneath the hill up to the imperial Palatine hill. It then gradually began to decline in the 3rd C., when the emperors left Rome for other places in the far-flung empire. And the Christian popes never took a liking to this hill.

If we walk toward the modern archaeological museum we pass Domus Augustana on our left and Domus Flavia on our right. We start with the latter.

Domus Flavia

(D4).

The remains of the family temple of Domus Flavia are nearest to the road down to the Forum Romanum. Then comes the throne room and finally the judicial basilica, where the emperor distributed justice.

A courtyard, peristyle, is behind the remains of these buildings, originally surrounded by a colonnade. An octagonal pond in the middle is still there. Subterranean rooms are below the buildings and the garden.

Beyond the peristyle there was the triclinium, the dining room of the emperor, the most beautiful part of the palace. A part of the multi-colored marble floor has been preserved. Around the triclinium were drawing rooms, nymphaea. The one on the right has been partly preserved.

To the west are the remains of Domus Augustana.

Domus Augustana

(D4).

The palace was built around two gardens. The higher garden was in front of the present museum house and the lower one was behind it and to its left. The lower floors of the palace still rise in a concave form above Circus Maximus on the other side of the hill.

To the left of the palace is a stadium from the time of emperor Dominitian, originally surrounded by a giant colonnade. The ellipse at the southern end is an addition from the time of the Ostrogothic king Theodoric in the 6th C. A balcony is on the far side, probably for observing games in the stadium.

On the other side of the stadium are the remains of the baths of Septimus Severus and to the south the remains of his palace, which partly stands on arches stretching up from the Circus Maximus lowland.

We turn back to Domus Livia and pass through it to get to the excavation area around the House of Livia.

Domus Livia

(C4).

This was the relatively modest palace of emperor Augustus and his wife, Livia. Archaeologists have removed frescos from some rooms and put them outside for people to see.

The remains of a temple that emperor Augustus built for Apollo are in this area. Also the so-called huts of Romulus, which are remains of prehistoric dwellings. And the Temple of Cybele, where we can still see a few column stumps.

We continue into the Farnese gardens where the Tiberian palace was.

Domus Tiberiana

(C4).

The Farnese gardens were laid out in the middle of the 16th C. on the ruins of the former palaces of emperors Tiberius, Caligula, Trajan and Hadrian. The palace of Tiberius, Domus Tiberiana, was adjacent to Domus Livia. Then came the palaces of Trajan and Hadrian and on the far western tip was the palace of Caligula.

Nothing can be seen from above of these palaces but remains of outer arches can be seen from the Roman Forum below. Excavations would probably bring important things to light.

We return down to the Arch of Titus and there turn right on Via Sacra along a few columns from the Temple of Venus and Rome, which emperor Hadrian built in 121-136 and continue in the direction of the Colosseum. Once the entrance to the golden palace of Nero was here. We go to the right to observe the Arch of Constantine.

Arco di Constantino

(D4).

The triumphal arch was erected in 315 to commemorate the victory of Constantine over his co-emperor and rival Maxentius. It is beautifully designed and heavily decorated with marble reliefs.

Some of these were robbed from older 2nd C. monuments of Trajan, Hadrian and Aurelius. Already in the time of Constantine the practice had started to erect new and lesser monuments by spoiling older and better existing ones. This continued for centuries. Popes and cardinals were especially damaging, as can clearly be seen on the ruins of the Colosseum.

We now turn our attention to the enormous Colosseum.

Colosseo

Hours: 9-19, except Wednesday & Sunday 9-13. (D4).

The symbol of classical Rome. The elliptical circus is 188 and 156 meters in diameter and could seat 50.000 spectators when it was built in 72-96 during the reigns of the Flavian emperors Vespanian, Titus and Dominitian. Much of the outer walls are still there, but devoid of the marble and other decorations that made this building one of the wonders of the world.

Four storeys are on the outside, a Doric arcade at the bottom, then a Ionic arcade and a Corinthian one. The outer wall of the top floor was massive, originally covered with bronze shields. This order of the Greek column styles has since been an example for later architects. A canopy was stretched over the arena to protect spectators against the sun.

This engineering feat had 80 entrances and a complicated system of staircases to enable 50.000 spectators to leave in a hurry. The underground city of officials, slaves and animals below the arena is now visible. The games stopped in the 6th C., and in the 13th C it became a fortress. In the 15th C the popes started to rob it of material for St Peter’s. This malpractice was halted in the 18th C.

After making the rounds inside the Colosseum we cross the Piazza del Colosseo and climb the Esquiline hill to a few remains of the ancient Golden House of Nero.

Domus Aurea

(D4).

Colosseum was built in the former palace pond of the Golden House of emperor Nero. He built this palace in 64 after a major fire in Rome. The palace only existed for a few years and was famous for the bottomless luxury, including the piping of scents. The main dining room was rotated by slaves.

The emperors who succeeded Nero tore his palace down. The floor was used for the Baths of Trajan, which also has disappeared. Some remains of the Golden House can be seen in the slope down to the Colosseum.

We next take a taxi or walk for a kilometer and a half from the Arch of Constantine to the south on Via di San Gregorio and then to the south-east on Via delle Terme Caracalla. The imposing walls of the Caracalla Baths soon become visible.

Terme di Caracalla

Hours: Open Tuesday-Saturday 9-18, Sunday-Monday 9-13 . (D5).

The ruins give a good picture of a major bathing house from Roman times. It was built around three bathrooms in the middle. One room was hot, caldarium, one was tepid, tepidarium, and the third was cold, frigidarium. Clothing rooms are on both sides of the of the frigidarium and gymnastic halls are on the other side of the clothing rooms. A dry sauna, laconicum, is on either side of the caldarium.

The baths were based on a complicated system of waterways and heating. They were built by Caracalla and his successors in 212-235 and was at that time the largest ones in Rome. 1600 people could use it concurrently. The buildings were laid in marble and mosaics. It was in use for over three centuries until barbarians destroyed many of Roman aqueducts that brought fresh water to the city.

We can walk around the enormous rooms and inspect beautiful mosaics in the floors. Important concerts and operas are performed in the caldarium and in the garden in front of it. On the outskirts of the gardens there are gymnastic buildings and libraries.

We cross Via delle Terme Caracalla, turn right along it and then turn left into Via Druso and again turn left from Via Druso on Via della Navicella and then right on Via di San Stefano Rotondo with a church on the right hand side.

San Stefano Rotondo

Hours: Open Monday-Friday 9-12. (D4).

The biggest circular church of early Christianity, built in 468-483 and was then meant to be an exact replica of the mountain church in Jerusalem. This church was for a long time one of the main churches in Rome and has seen better times. In the 16th C. Pomarancio painted gruesome frescos of several martyrs on the church walls.

It was originally 45 meters in diameter with two concentric ambulatories around an altar and four chapels making the shape of a cross. The roof is carried by Ionic columns and lighted by 22 high windows. Pope Nicolas V spoiled the church by walling up the outer colonnade and removing the outer ambulatory.

We continue on Via di San Stefano to the Piazza di San Giovanni in Laterano.

Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano

(E4).

The highest obelisk in Rome is in the middle of the piazza. It is from the 15th C. B.C. brought to Rome during the reign of Constantine II.

The baptistery, Battistero, is on our right. It is from the early 4th C. In that century all Christians in Rome were christened there. It got its present octagonal shape in 432 and has since then been a model for other baptisteries in the world.

The Lateran Palace is in front of us. This palace replaced an earlier one and dates from 1586. It is the official palace of the Archbishop of Rome, alias the Pope. For centuries it was the political center of papal power.

We walk around the palace to get to the main entrance of San Giovanni in Laterano.

San Giovanni in Laterano

(E4).

Behind a baroque facade from the 18th C. is an original Romanesque church with parts from 314 when it was built by Constantine the Great. Originally it had five aisles. It was damaged in barbarian attacks in the 5th C., in an earthquake in 896 and a fire in 1308. This church was the cherished end of endless pilgrimages to Rome during ten centuries, 314-1309. It still is the cathedral of Rome.

Behind the vestibule we see the majestic bronze doors that were robbed from the Curia when the church was built. On the inside the church is mainly baroque, designed by Borromini and built from the older church in 1646-1650, incorporating the 16th C. timber roof and the big mosaic in the apse. Giant statues of the twelve apostles, made by Bernini’s disciples, dominate the cathedral.

Parts of the big mosaic in the apse is from the original church. It survived a renovation in the 5th C. and another in the 13th C. Borromini left it in peace in the 17th C. but then it was damaged in the 19th C. It is difficult to estimate how much of it is original.

From the main entrance we cross the Piazza di Porta San Giovanni to Scala Santa.

Scala Santa

Hours: Open daily 6-12. (E4).

The staircase and the chapel on top of it are parts of the old Lateran Palace and were moved here by Sixtus V when the new palace was built. The Sancta Sanctorum is the private chapel of the pope and the Scala Santa of 28 steps is believed by the faithful to have been brought from Pontius Pilate’s palace in Jerusalem by St Helena, mother of emperor Constantine.

The holy steps are covered with boards. Devout Christians climb the staircase on their knees, especially on Good Friday.

We continue downhill on Piazza di Porta San Giovanni to Porta Asinaria.

Porta Asinaria

(E4).

The Gate of the Donkeys is a minor gateway from the 3rd C. Aurelian city wall. It has played a part in the vicissitudes of Roman History.

In 546 barbarian mercenaries opened this gate for the army of Goth Totila who thereupon sacked the city. In 1084 emperor Henry IV entered it with an anti-pope to oust Pope Gregory VII. Later that year the gate was damaged by Robert Guiscard from Normandy, when he came to the rescue of the pope and burned down the Lateran district.

One of the flea-markets of Rome is held in the area around the gateway.

This walk is over.

Ancient Rome

On the last walk through Imperial Rome we saw many sights that date from the classical Roman times. On this walk we continue to inspect what remains of ancient Rome in the historical center of the city.

We start on the Aventine hill, the stronghold of the ancient plebeian party and end on the Capitoline hill, the ancient stronghold of the patrician party. On the way we pass through the area of the ancient riverside markets between those hills.

We take a taxi to Santa Sabina. It is on a viewpoint on the Aventine hill, where Caius Graccus made his last stand against the Roman senate of patricians.

Santa Sabina

Hours: Open daily 7-12:30 and 15:30-18. (C4).

One of the oldest basilicas and the first Romanesque church in Rome, from 422. with a nave and two aisles. After several alterations the church has now been restored to its original appearance.

Its beautiful Corinthian colonnades are the first Roman example of rows of columns replacing arches. The rifled columns come from a Roman temple. The mosaic above the entrance is the remnant of many pictures that originally extended around the church above the colonnades.

The original doors of cypress are from the 5th C. with 18 panels showing woodcuts from the life of Jesus and Moses. One of the oldest extant pictures of the Crucifixion in a public place is above the panels on the left side. From the garden beside the church there is a view over central Rome and to the San Pietro cathedral in the Vatican.

When we leave the garden we turn right and walk Via di Santa Sabina and continue along Valle Murcia. After 500 meters we come to Piazzale Romolo e Remo, where we have a view over the ancient Circus Maximus and behind it to the ruins of the imperial palaces of the Palatinum.

Circo Massimo

(C4).

This is now an esplanade with slopes of grass in the valley between the hills of Aventinum and Palatinum. It shows well the contours of the original and magnificent track, which was used exclusively for chariot racing. The teams were known by their colors of blue, green, etc.

The circus was the biggest track of Rome, originally measuring 500 meters and later 600 meters, having place for 150.000 spectators in the Julian period, growing to 250.000 spectators in the Dominitian and Trajan periods.

We walk to the left along Via dei Circo Massimo and continue along Via Greca down the hill to Piazza Bocca della Verità, in all 400 meters. Santa Maria in Cosmedin dominates the square on our right side.

Santa Maria in Cosmedin

Hours: Open daily 9-13, 15-18. (C4).

The elegant Romanesque church tower and the portico is from the 12th C., but the church itself is from the 6th C., one of the most beautiful Romanesque churches in existence, originally a Greek church. After many alterations it was restored to its ancient charm in the 19th C.

The church has many works by Cosimati, especially the mosaic floor, the bishop’s throne, the choir and the canopy over the main altar.

We look at the drain cover on the left side of the portico of the church.

Bocca della Verità

(C4).

The ancient drain cover on the left side of the portico of Santa Maria in Cosmendin is called Bocca della Verità. It is a frightening face which is supposed to bite the hand off people with a bad conscience.

The piazza outside, the Piazza Bocca della Verità occupies approximately the same area as Forum Boarium, the ancient meat market of Rome. Forum Holitorium, the fruit and vegetable market, adjoined it on the north side.

Facing the church on the other side of the square is the circular Temple of Vesta.

Tempio di Vesta

(C4).

A temple from the 2nd C. B.C., incorrectly named after the Vestas, possibly because it resembles the Vestan temple in Forum Romanum. Probably it was a temple for the god Hercules.

It is one of the oldest surviving marble temples in Rome, built of imported marble from Greece. The Corinthian colonnade is from the reign of Tiberius, who had the temple restored. It was spared in the Christian period as it was converted to a church.

Beside this temple is the Temple of Fortuna Virilis.

Tempio della Fortuna Virile

(C4).

The temple is now attributed to the luck of male people, but was in fact probably dedicated to the river god Portumnus. It is from the 2nd Century B.C., quadratic in design, supported by rifled Ionic pillars.

It is the best preserved temple in Rome was like Tempio di Vesta spared during the centuries because it had been converted to a Christian church.

Behind the temple there is Casa dei Crescenzi, an 11th C. fortress built from columns and capitals from ancient temples.

We go to the other side of the square, to the Arch of Janus.

Arco di Giano

(C4).

This arch is unique in having four sides with arches, not only two. It was built in the 4th C over cross-roads at the northern end of Forum Boarium, the ancient meat market of Rome. It honors the god Janus.

Behind the arch is a 7th C. church, San Giorgio in Velabro, with a Romanesque bell tower from the 12th C. It has a ionic portico in front.

In a side street leading off the square there is San Giovanni Decollato from 1490, the burial church of executed people.

We walk this street, the Via di San Giovanni Decollato, to Piazza della Consolazione, where we face the Tarpeian Rock.

Rupe Tarpea

(C3).

The rock is named after Tarpeia who secretly let the army of Sabines up the cliff and into Rome in a war in the 8th C. B.C. After that episode traitors were executed by throwing them off the same cliff.

At the top end of the piazza there is a church built in 1470 with a baroque front from the 16th C. It is Santa Maria della Consolazione, built to provide consolation to prisoners before their execution.

We go past the cliff down Vico Jugario to the avenue of Via di Tetro di Marcello. We cross that street to visit San Nicola in Carcere.

San Nicola in Carcere

Hours: Open 7:30-12, Monday-Saturday 16-19, Sunday 10-13. (C4).

The church is built on the ruins of three temples that were side by side above the Forum Holitiorum, the ancient fruit and vegetable market. From the outside we can see columns from the old temples incorporated into the side wall of the church.

The bank of the river Tevere at Forum Boarium and Forum Holitorum was the Roman harbor in antiquity. Ships came here to unload their goods from faraway countries. The harbor included the whole area from Santa Maria in Cosmedin to San Nicola in Carcere and had many temples.

Adjoining the harbor to the north was the military harbor of Rome. Both these harbors became unusable due to silting in the river. In imperial time the harbor was moved out to Ostia which was on the coast in those times, but has in turn also become silted and unusable.

We go behind the church and walk along the river bank, Lungotevere dei Pierleoni to the Fabricio river bridge.

Ponte Fabricio

(C4).

v
The only bridge that has been preserved intact from classical times. It was built in 62 B.C. and is thus over 20 centuries old. It connects the island of Tibur to the center of Rome.

Its broad arches show how competent, daring and sure of themselves Roman engineers were in matters of weight suspension and how well some of their works have withstood earthquakes, floods and wars.

The Tiber island is the site of a monastic order which specialises in caring for the sick. In antiquity this was the island of medicine. Where now the church stands there was at that time a temple of Aesculapius, the god of healing. The buildings on the island are now mostly part of a hospital.

After inspecting the island we return over Ponte Fabricio and walk between San Nicola in Carcere and Teatro di Marcello to Via di Teatro di Marcello where we turn right along the Theater of Marcellus.

Teatro di Marcello

(C3).

The building of the theater started during Caesar’s reign and was finished in the year 11, during Augustus’s reign, dedicated to his nephew Marcellus. The lowest tier has Doric columns, the second done Ionic ones, and the third one is believed to have had Corinthian ones. This architecture probably influenced the design of the Colosseum.

These columns are a part of the semicircular spectator stands. This was the largest theater in Rome next after the Pompeian amphitheater in the Martian Fields. It was 120 meters in diameter and could place 20.000 spectators. It was a venue of plays, concerts, readings and oratory.

Two tiers of arcades out of three are still there. The ruins were converted in 1150 to a castle and then to a palace. The additions are visible on the top floor.

We see columns in front of the theater.

Tempio di Apollo

(C3).

Three Corinthian columns stand in front of the arcade, the remains of a famous Temple of Apollo, built in 433-431 B.C. and renovated in 34 B.C. The Greek god Apollo was revered by many Romans, especially in fighting illness.

We pass the columns and turn left into Piazza di Campitelli, pass the heavily arcaded church of Santa Maria in Campitelli from 1661 and then turn left on the corner of restaurant Vecchia Roma into Via Tribuna di Campitelli and walk it and its continuation, Via di Sant’Angelo di Peschieria, all the way to Via Portico d’Ottavia, where we see the Portico of Octavia.

Portico d’Ottavia

(C3).

The portico is all what remains of an extensive complex, built by Caecilius Metellus in 146 B.C. The portico is part of a wall around two temples dedicated to Juno and Jupiter.

Emperor Augustus renovated the temple complex in 27-23 B.C. and dedicated it to his wife Octavia. Emperor Severus renovated it again in 203. The present portico is from that time.

Two of the columns in the portico were replaced in the Middle Ages by a brick arch which is in contrast to the rest of the monument.

We walk along Via Portico d’Ottavia to the west in the direction of Via del Progresso. We are in the Jewish Ghetto.

Ghetto

Jews first lived in Trastevere on the other side of the river. They were made to move to this area in the 13th C. Pope Paul IV built a wall around the district in the middle of the 16th C. It was then torn down again in the middle of the 19th C.

This area still retains some ghetto atmosphere. It has several restaurants with Jewish cuisine.

We turn right into Via Sant’Ambrogio to Piazza Mattei. There is a tortoise fountain in the square.

Fontana delle Tartarughe

(C3).

The tortoise fountain was designed by Giacomo della Porta, built in 1581-1588, and the bronze figures are by Taddeo Landini. Later the tortoises were added by an unknown artist. This is one of the most beautiful fountains in Rome.

From the square we continue into Via Paganica. We come to a big square with excavations in the middle.

Largo di Torre Argentina

(C3).

Excavations in the square show how much lover the level of the land was in classical times. The remains are of the oldest temples that have been found in Rome. They date from the republican age, partly from the 5th C. B.C. A tower from the Middle Ages is on the corner, giving its name to the square.

Nearest to the tower is the oldest temple, in Etruscan style. Then comes a circular temple from the 2nd C. B.C. Finally there is a temple that was built and rebuilt several times from the 4th C. B.C. to the 1st C. B.C. It is partly entwined with the remains of a church from the Middle Ages. Behind the temple there is a wall of a public toilet building from ancient Rome.

Behind the ruins, on the other side of the square, is the Teatro Argentina, where Rossini’s Barber of Seville debuted catastrophically in 1816. The famous café Bernasconi is beside the theater.

We walk east from the square on the avenue of Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and soon came to the imposing church of Gesú.

Gesú

Hours: Open daily 6-12:30, 16:30-19:15. (C3).

The first baroque church of Rome, built in 1568-1575, compactly designed by Vignola for the new order of Jesuits. It still is their head church. The majestic and dynamic front is by Giacomo della Porta in 1573-1584. The giant order of columns and the powerful scrolls became a model for many churches around the world.

The compact church was an expression of the Catholic counter-reformation led by the Jesuit order. It only has one nave, and chapels replaced the usual transepts. This made it easier for the congregation to see and hear the priests. It is also designed with acoustics in mind.

The extensive decorations inside are from the 17th C. when the baroque style had matured. Giovanni Battista painted frescos in 1672, including one of Jesus in the vault over the apse. The most extensive decorations are in the third chapel to the left, dedicated to Ignazio Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order. They were made by Andrea Pozzo in 1696-1700 using marble with inlaid lapis azuli.

We continue along Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and its continuation, Via del Plebiscito all the way to Piazza Venezia.

Piazza Venezia

Hours: Open Tuesday-Saturday 9-14, Sunday 9-13. (C3).

This is the traffic center of Rome. It is the crossing point of its main traffic arteries, the supreme piazza of traffic jams. All taxi trips seem to cross this piazza.

On the Palazzo Venezia balcony Mussolini made some of his speeches. The most popular rendezvous point in the city is below that balcony.

We enter the palace on the piazza, the Palazzo Venezia.

Palazzo Venezia

Hours: Open 9-14, 9-13 Sunday, closed Monday. (C3).

Built in 1455-1471 by Pope Paul II who had his apartments here. Later many popes lived here, also Charles VIII, King of France. Mussolini had his offices here. The name of palace derives from the time that the Venetian ambassador in Rome lived here.

It is the first secular Renaissance building in Rome. Parts of it are older in style such as the massive corner tower. The Renaissance elements are obvious in the fenestration and in the double portico of the palace church beside the tower.

The church itself is older than the palace, originally from 336 and renovated in the 9th C. It is decorated in many styles. The palace is also much decorated in spite of its austere outer appearance. There is a famous palace garden and a museum of medieval art.

We leave the museum, walk into the piazza and turn our attention to an imposing monument

Monumento Vittorio Emanuele II

(C3).

The imposing, creamy-white monument dominates the Venetian square and spreads out in front of the Capitolum hill, obscuring the view to the ruins of ancient Rome. This is the absolute top of the wedding-cake variety of the Historic style in the latter half of the 19th C., designed in 1884 by Giuseppi Sacconi, but not finished until 1922.

An equestrian statue of king Vittorio Emanuele II is in front of the monument. He was the first king of a united Italy after its freedom wars. The national altar and the monument of the unknown soldier are in front of the statue.

We pass the monument to the right. When we come to the Capitolum steps we observe ancient ruins on our left side.

Insula

(C3).

In imperial time the poor people of Rome lived in barrel-vault Insulae like this one, which dates from the 2nd C. The Insulae were big apartment blocks. This one is the only survivor in Rome. It had at least six storeys and housed 380 people in its heyday.

The living conditions in such tenements were mostly squalid and more so the higher you were in the building.

Part of the upper storeys was converted into a church in the 14th C. The church tower is still visible.

Now we can choose either to climb the Aracoeli stairs or the Cordonata steps up to the hill of Capitolum. We take the first one which leads us to the church of Santa Maria d’Aracoeli.

Santa Maria d’Aracoeli

Hours: Open daily 7-12, 16-18. (C3).

The steps are from 1346, 122 in number. From the top of them, in front of the church, there is a good view over the medieval city center with the dome of St Peter’s in the background. This was once the most holy place in Rome with the Temple of Juno and the castle of Arx.

The church is from 1250, with Gothic rose windows. It contains many works of art from the Middle Ages, including a marble floor and stone tombs at the entrance, also frescos by Pinturicchio in the right corner chapel at the entrance.

The most famous item in the church is Santo Bambino, an olive-wood figure in the left transept, believed to have miraculous powers.

From the church we walk down steps into Piazza Campodoglio.

Piazza Campodoglio

(C3).

Michelangelo designed this piazza and the steps leading up to it. He also was influential in the design of the three palaces around the piazza. The piazza is beautifully laid in stone according to his designs. Old statues from imperial times of Castor and Pollux with their horses, found in the Martian Fields, are at the edge of the piazza, moved to this place in the 16th C.

Capitolum was the hill of gods in Rome. Already in Etruscan time, in the 6th C. B.C. a temple of Jupiter was standing here. Later the temples were three, dedicated to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. When Michelangelo started his work, the fame of ancient times had disappeared long ago and goats were grassing in the holy place.

A replica of an equestrian statue of emperor Aurelius is in the middle of the piazza. The original was moved to here from the Lateran piazza, where it had been allowed to stand as people thought it depicted the Christian emperor Constantine. The original was recently moved from the piazza to protect it from pollution.

We turn our attention to the palaces and start with the one in the middle, Palazzo Senatorio.

Palazzo Senatorio

(C3).

Built in 1143 upon the ruins of the ancient Tabularium and was the city senate at that time, towering over the Roman Forum behind. It is now the city hall of Rome.

Michelangelo spared the walls and only designed a new front, which was realised in 1582-1605 by Giacomo della Porta.

Now we turn to the palace on the north side of the piazza, Palazzzo Nuovo.

Palazzo Nuovo

Hours: 9-13:30 Tuesday-Sunday, Tuesday also 17-20. (C3).

Designed by Michelangelo and finished in 1654. In 1734 it became the world’s first museum. It specialises in ancient sculpture.

Among the sculptures are busts of most of the known philosophers and poets of ancient Greece and of all of the rulers of ancient Rome. The original equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, that formerly was in the square, is now in this museum. It also contains the Venus from Capitolum and a replica of the Dying Galatian by the Greek sculptor Praxiteles.

The third palace on the piazza is Palazzo dei Conservatori.

Palazzo dei Conservatori

Hours: 9-13:30 Tuesday-Sunday, Tuesday also 17-20. (C3).

Built in the 15th C. for the magistrates of the city. Michelangelo redesigned it in the same style as Palazzo Nuovo and it was then rebuilt by Giacomo della Porta. It combines painting and sculpture from ancient and medieval times.

The most famous statue is an Etruscan 5th C. B.C. bronze of the wolverine that mothered the brothers Romulus and Remus. There is also Spinario, a 1st C. B.C. bronze showing a boy taking a thorn out of his foot. And a 3rd C. bust of Junius Brutus, the founder of the ancient Republic of Rome.

The paintings are in Pinacoteca Capitolina. Among them are works by Caravaggio, Veronese, Tintoretto, Cortona, Rubens, Titian and Van Dyck.

From the piazza we can walk down steps to the Roman Forum on the left of Palazzo Senatorio. Or we can walk to the right of the palace on Via del Campidoglio where there is a good view over the Roman Forum. This is the ancient Clivus Capitolinus, the road of processions from the Forum up to the Capitolum. This walk ends here.

Renaissance Rome

The district covers the ancient Martian Fields and their surrounding plain between the river and the hills of Capitolum, Quirinal and Pincius. It still retains some of its Renaissance character with narrow streets and winding alleys, barely or not passable by cars. It is also the most pleasant part of present Rome.

This part of the city center is where the action is. Many of the best restaurants cluster in this district around Piazza Campo dei Fiori, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon and the parliament.

We start by taking a taxi to the other side of the river, to the church of San Pietro in Montorio on the hill Gianicolo just above the district of Trastevere. In the church garden we see the Tempietto.

Tempietto

Hours: Open daily 9-12, 16-18. (B4).

The small temple designed by Bramante is one of the most beautiful works of art in Rome. It is circular and classic, with a Doric colonnade of 16 columns, built in 1502. Above the colonnade there is a frieze and a balustrade. Then comes a second floor topped by a dome.

This small building of harmonious proportions showed the way to the high Renaissance period in architecture and is often used to decorate books on the history of architecture.

From the square in front of the church we have a good view over Rome, from Castel Sant’Angelo to the left, to the Vittorio Emanuele monument, Capitolum and the Basilica of Constantine and Maxentius in the middle and San Giovanni in Laterano to the right.

We walk down the stairs and the hillside road of Via Garibaldi to the next crossing and then down Via Memeli until we come to a staircase leading us down to Via della Paglia in Trastevere. We walk that street to the main square in Trastevere, Piazza Santa Maria di Trastevere. There we see the church by the same name.

Santa Maria in Trastevere

Hours: Open daily 7:30-13, 16-19. (B4).

The church is from 341, rebuilt in 1140 and furnished with the present bell tower. The colonnade in front is much more recent, from 1702.

It is famous for the mosaics in front and inside. The picture in the higher apse depicting Jesus and Maria is in Byzantine style by Greek masters in the 12th C. The six pictures below are by Pietro Cavallini in the 13th C.

We are in the district of Trastevere.

Trastevere

This district is not part of the ancient Rome. It was built by Etruscans and later also Jews and Syrians. Emperor Augustus made it a part of the city. The Aurelian city wall included it.

Since then it has been a district of tradespeople and artisans, who worked in the nearby harbor. Lately it has become fashionable and has been invaded by prosperous people. Restaurants are everywhere and street life is vivid in the evening.

We walk from the piazza on Via della Lungaretta to Piazza Sonnino, where San Crisogno is on the corner, built in the 5th C. and renovated in the 12th C. On the square we turn left, and walk to the Anguillara Tower.

Torre degli Anguillara

(C4).

A typical city tower from the Middle Ages, built in the 13th C., adjoining the Anguillara palace. It got its name from one of the most influential families in Rome in medieval times. Now it is an institute for studies in Dante.

We cross the river on the Garibaldi bridge. On the other side we turn left on Lungarotevere de Vallati, until we come to Piazza Pallotti, where we enter the pedestrian Via Giulia.

Via Giulia

(B3).

The main street in Renaissance Rome. It was the street of proud palaces of cardinals such as Palazzo Farnese and Palazzo Sacchetti. It has been rehabilitated in present times as a street of art and antique galleries.

It may be the only straight street in this old part of Rome and it is a street for pedestrians only. This makes is unique and pleasant for visiting strollers.

The garden wall around the Farnese palace is especially beautiful, with cascades of ivy falling over it.

We arrive at a fountain on the left side of street.

Fontana del Mascherone

(B3).

The grotesque fountain was put up in 1626 but has probably been stolen from a nearby building from classical times, now lost and forgotten. It combines an ancient mask and a granite basin to make a baroque whole.

We pass the Farnese palace and turn right on the next corner to get to the front of the Farnese palace

Palazzo Farnese

(B3).

The main work of Antonio Sangallo jr, designed in 1514. The building started in 1534 and was more or less finished by Michelangelo in 1546 and finally by Giacomo della Porta in 1589. Its outer form is often considered to be a perfect example of the Renaissance style in Rome. It is now the French embassy.

The proud palace is free-standing and rectangular. It has a courtyard with arcades and pairs of columns in the Romanesque style. On the outside it has horizontal Renaissance lines. On the first floor triangular and circular pediments alternate, after an example in the Pantheon.

Two giant stone tubs are in the square in front of the palace. They were robbed from the Caracalla baths in 1626.

We walk Via dei Venti to another palace, Palazzo Spada.

Palazzo Spada

Hours: Open Tuesday-Saturday 8:30-14, Sunday 9-13. (B3).

The palace was built in 1540 in the late Renaissance style of Mannerism. The walls are not smooth and strict but laden with friez

Jónas Kristjánsson ritstjóri

Feneyjar engu líkar

Leiðsögurit fyrir

íslenzka ferðamenn

Bókarstefna

Við höfum lesið bækurnar, sem ekki taka tillit til, að mikill hluti ferðamanna ver nokkrum hluta tímans á hóteli og í veitingahúsum og hefur þess á milli töluverðan áhuga á að skemmta sér og líta í búðarglugga, en er ekki allan sólarhringinn að skoða söfn og merka staði. Við viljum taka tillit til þessa og reyna að semja raunsæja bók.

Við höfum líka lesið bækurnar, sem leggja dóm á hótel, veitingahús, verzlanir og skemmtistaði, en eru þá fremur að þjónusta þessar stofnanir en lesendur. Við teljum svo eindregið, að upplýsingar af því tagi eigi að vera óháðar, að við prófuðum allar þessar stofnanir og komum hvarvetna fram sem venjulegir gestir, greiðandi almennt og afsláttarlaust verð og gáfum okkur ekki fram fyrr en að reikningum greiddum. Á þann hátt teljum við mestar líkur á, að reynsla lesenda komi heim og saman við þá reynslu, sem hér er lýst.

Þá höfum við skoðað bæklinga hótela, veitingahúsa og ferðamálaráða og fundizt myndirnar falsaðar. Innanhúss eru þær stúdíóteknar og sýna ekki raunveruleikann, hvað þá þegar þær eru teknar í hótelsvítu, en viðskiptavinurinn fær venjulegt herbergi. Utanhúss er beðið dögum saman eftir réttri birtu og réttu birtuhorni og myndirnar sýna ekki þungskýjaðan raunveruleika ferðamannsins.

Við höfnuðum öllum gjafamyndum af slíku tagi, tókum okkar eigin og teljum þær gefa raunhæfari mynd en glansmyndir áróðursbæklinga.

Jónas Kristjánsson

Feneyjar eru einstæðar. Helzta umferðaræðin er stórfljót með röðum glæsihalla á bakkanum. Bátar eru farartæki allra vöruflutninga og almenningssamgangna. Að öðru leyti er umferðin fótgangandi. Engin hávaða- eða loftmengun er frá bílum, sem engir eru. Hressandi sjávarloftið í borginni fyllist ölduniði náttúrunnar og orðaniði mannlífsins. Streita nútímans á hér hvergi heima.

Þótt borgin sé orðin að safni um stórveldistíma liðinna alda, búa þar enn tugir þúsunda, um helmingur af því, sem mest var. Annað eins kemur af fólki af landi til starfa á morgnana og hverfur heim til sín á kvöldin. Þar við bætast ferðamennirnir. Feneyjar eru lifandi borg, þótt henni hafi hnignað á síðustu öldum. En hún er ekki fjörug, heldur bæði morgunsvæf og kvöldsvæf.

Borgin er samfellt listaverk og samfelld listasaga. Hver kirkja er full af dýrgripum gömlu meistaranna. Sumar gömlu hallirnar eru orðnar að listasöfnum og önnur að hótelum. Hún er full af veitingahúsum, sem bjóða gott sjávarfang úr Adríahafi. Hún er full af bátum, allt frá einærum gondólum yfir í hraðskreiða leigubáta. Hún er menningarsinnuðum ferðamanni samfelld slökun.

Saga

Feneyingar eru að stofni afkomendur Veneta, sem bjuggu á óshólmum Pó-dals á valdatíma Rómverja. Árásir þjóðflutningatímans hröktu fólkið út á fenjamiðju, þar sem borgin var stofnuð á rúmlega hundrað hólmum, árið 421 samkvæmt bókum Feneyinga. Þeir ráku staura niður í leðjuna, reistu hús sín á þeim og tengdu smám saman tugi hólma með skurðum og brúm, sem æ síðan hafa einkennt borgina.

Feneyingar horfðu út á hafið og urðu smám saman miklir sjómenn og kaupsýslumenn. Ófærir óshólmar vörðu borgina landmegin og skipakostur þeirra sjávarmegin. Þeir hófu snemma viðskipti við Miklagarð, helztu stórborg þess tíma og urðu fyrir miklum áhrifum frá býzanskri list. Á miðöldum juku þeir sæveldi sitt um austanvert Miðjarðarhaf og unnu sigur á Miklagarði 1204.

Meðan aðrar borgir Ítalíu sættu borgarastyrjöldum á endurreisnartíma, bjuggu Feneyingar við vel skipulagt lýðveldi um það bil 2000 höfðingja, sem kusu sér hertoga. Þetta höfðingjaveldi stóðst áfallalítið í ellefu aldir, unz Napóleon batt enda á það án vopnaviðskipta í lok 18. aldar. Feneyjum byrjaði að hnigna á 16. öld, þegar Atlantshafið tók við af Miðjarðarhafi sem heimshafið.

Verndun

Feneyjar hafa verið að síga í sæ, aðallega á síðustu áratugum. Stafar það einkum af uppþurrkun lands vegna útþenslu iðnaðar í nágrannaborgunum Mestre og Porto Marghera og vegna óhóflegrar notkunar á tilbúnum áburði í Pó-dal. Þá hefur notkun vélbáta valdið ókyrrð í síkjum og veikt undirstöður húsanna. Með ýmsum aðgerðum hefur landsigið hægt á sér, en alls ekki stöðvazt.

Eldhætta er mikil í borginni vegna hins takmarkalitla kæruleysis, sem einkennir borgarstjórnina eins og fleiri slíkar á Ítalíu. Ómetanleg listaverk, margra alda og þúsund ára gömul eru í stöðugri hættu vegna afleitra eldvarna í borginni. Þetta kom vel í ljós, þegar óperuhúsið Fenice brann í ársbyrjun 1996.

Hallir

Hundruð halla þekja síkisbakka Feneyja. Þær snúa yfirleitt fögrum framhliðum að vatninu og einföldum bakhliðum að göngugötum. Oftast eru þær fjórar hæðir. Neðst voru vörugeymslur og skrifstofur. Þar fyrir ofan voru stofur á helztu glæsihæðinni, piano nobile. Þriðja hæðin var íbúðarhæð fjölskyldunnar og á fjórðu hæð bjuggu þjónarnir.

Elztu og fegurstu hallir Feneyja eru frá 13. öld. Þær eru í býzönskum stíl með léttum og háum bogariðum á grönnum súlum, sem ná þvert yfir veizlustofuhæð framhliðarinnar. Palazzo Loredan er gott dæmi. Flestar eru gotnesku hallirnar, frá 13.-15.öld og einkennast of oddbogum, oddmjóum gluggum og blúndugluggum. Palazzo Foscari er gott dæmi um þennan stíl.

Frá 15.-16.öld eru þyngri hallir í endurreisnarstíl, samhverfar og mælirænar, með riffluðum súlum og kórinþskum súluhöfðum. Ca’Grande er gott dæmi. Frá 17. öld eru svo þunglamalegar hlaðstílshallir með ýktu skrautflúri og djúpum gluggum á framhliðum. Ca’Pesaro er gott dæmi um þann stíl.

List

Feneyskir málarar, fæddir þar eða búsettir, voru allar aldir meðal fremstu listamanna Ítalíu. Þeir kynntu ekki nýjungar á borð við gotneskan stíl og endurreisnarstíl, en þeir tóku þær upp og gerðu þær að hefð. Róm og Flórenz eru frægari fyrir einstök tímabil ítalskrar listar, en Feneyjar eiga mikla listamenn frá öllum þessum tímabilum. Og málverk þeirra eru enn í Feneyjum.

Feneysk list fæddist af meiði Miklagarðs og blandaði saman býzönskum stíl og gotneskum. Mósaík og gullinn litur einkennir fyrstu listamenn Feneyja, svo sem frændurna Paolo og Lorenzo Veneziano. Síðan komu Jacopo Bellini, bræðurnir Gentile og Giovanni Bellini, Andrea Mantegna, Bartolomeo Vivarini og Vittoro Carpaccio með skarpar myndir á frumskeiði endurreisnartímans.

Háskeið endurreisnartímans endurspeglast svo í leik ljóss og skugga í málverkum Tiziano, Tintoretto og Paolo Veronese. Helztu fulltrúar Feneyja frá tímum hlaðstíls og svifstíls voru svo Canaletto, Pietro Longhi og frændurnir Giambattista og Giandomenico Tiepolo. Í nánast hverri af hinum mörgu kirkjum Feneyja má finna málverk eftir þessa heimsfrægu meistara.

Gondólar

Gondólar eru eitt helzta einkennistákn Feneyja, smíðaðir í 1000 ára gömlum stíl, breiðari öðrum megin til að vega upp á móti einni ár. Gondólarnir eru allir svartir, 11 metra langir, vandlega smíðaðir úr níu viðartegundum og kosta yfir eina milljón króna hver. Þegar þeir voru helzta samgöngutæki borgarinnar, voru þeir um 10.000, en núna eru þeir 400.

Þegar Feneyjar urðu ferðamannaborg, breyttust gondólarnir úr hversdagslegu samgöngutæki yfir í rómantískan unað, þar sem ræðarinn söng aríur fyrir ástfangin farþegapör. Þriðja stigið kom svo með japönskum ferðamönnum, sem fara fjölmennir saman í gondólum um Canal Grande og hafa með sér harmoníkuleikara og aríusöngvara. Sú er helzt notkun gondóla nú á tímum.

Kjötkveðjuhátíð

Karnívalið í Feneyjum er elzta og sögufrægasta kjötkveðjuhátíð heims og hófst á 11. öld. Framan af var það tveggja mánaða veizla, en stendur núna í tíu daga fyrir föstubyrjun í febrúar. Fólk klæðist grímubúningum, fer í skrúðgöngur og reynir að sleppa fram af sér taumunum. Margir búningarnir eru stórkostlegir og grímurnar eru ein helzta ferðamannavara borgarinnar.

Bankar

Bankar eru opnir mánudaga-föstudaga 8:30-13:30 og 14:30-15:30. Skiptu peningum í bönkum eða gjaldeyrisstofum, cambio, en ekki á hótelum. Sumir bankar skipta gjaldeyri bara á morgnana. Á Marco Polo flugvelli við Feneyjar er gjaldeyrisstofa opin allan daginn.

Ferðir

Uffici Informazioni, Piazza San Marco 71c. Sími: 522 6356.

Flug

Leigubíll er 15 mínútur frá Marco Polo flugvelli til Piazzale Roma í Feneyjum. Áætlunarbíll er 30 mínútur og kostar L. 5000. Almenningsbátur, vaporetto, er 50 mínútur til San Marco og kostar L. 15000. Leigubátur er 25 mínútur til hvaða staðar sem er í borginni og kostar 130000. Síminn á Marco Polo er 260 9260.

Fréttir

International Herald Tribune og brezku blöðin fást í sumum blaðsöluturnum á ferðamannaslóðum í Feneyjum. Helztu blöðin í Feneyjum eru Gazzettino og Nuova Venezia. Þrjár rásir eru í ríkissjónvarpinu, Uno, Due og Tre, og auk þess kapalsjónvarp á mörgum hótelherbergjum, þar með talið CNN. Upplýsingar um atburði í Feneyjum fást í ókeypis bæklingi, Un Ospite di Venezia.

Götunúmer

Engin götunúmer eru í Feneyjum, ólíkt öðrum borgum Vesturlanda. Húsin eru númeruð eftir hverfum, en samstæð númer eru oftast í sömu götu. Þetta getur orðið ókunnugum til vandræða, nema hann hafi við hendina hverfisheiti, götunafn og hverfisnúmer staðarins, sem hann er að leita að. Þetta er svipað kerfi og er í Japan.

Hótel

Ferðamálaskrifstofur á Marco Polo flugvelli við Feneyjar og við Piazzale Roma bílageymsluhúsið í Feneyjum útvega ferðamönnum gistingu. Herbergi með “twin beds” eru oft stærri en herbergi með “double bed”. Herbergi sem snúa út að síki eru oft kyrrlátari og bjartari en þau, sem snúa út að götu. Herbergi í Feneyjum eru dýrari en utan borgar, en þú sparar tíma og flutningskostnað.

Járnbrautarlestar

Ítalskar lestir eru ódýrar og stundvísar. Ferrovia Santa Lucia lestarstöðin í Feneyjum er rétt við Piazzale Roma við vesturenda Canal Grande, sími 71 5555. Þaðan liggja allar bátaleiðir um borgina.

Krítarkort

Krítarkort eru almennt tekin á hótelum, veitingahúsum og verzlunum. Visa og Eurocard eru útbreiddust. Græn neyðarsímalína beggja er 167 82 80 47.

Kvartanir

Það er tímasóun að kvarta á Ítalíu. Reyndu heldur að sjá björtu hliðarnar.

Leigubátar

Leigubátar eru fljótasti og dýrasti ferðamátinn í Feneyjum, sími: 522 2303.

Lyfjabúð

Opnar mánudaga-föstudaga 8:30-12:30 & 16-20, laugardaga 9-12. Í gluggum lyfjabúða er vísað á nálægar lyfjabúðir með helgarvakt. Vaktþjónusta er einnig skráð í Un Ospite di Venezia. Mörg minni háttar lyf fást afgreidd án lyfseðils.

Læknishjálp

Sími: 118.

Löggæzla

Sími: 112.

Borgarlögreglan, Vigili urbani, er í bláum einkennisbúningum á veturna og hvítum á sumrin. Ríkislögreglan, La Polizia, er í bláum búningum með hvítum beltum og húfum. Herlögreglan, Carabineri, er í rauðröndóttum buxum. Þú getur leitað til allra um aðstoð.

Peningar

Líra (L.) heitir mynt Ítalíu. Einkum eru notaðir seðlar, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10000, 50000 og 100000 líru seðlar og fara stækkandi eftir upphæð. 1000 lírur samsvara um 50 krónum. Mynt nemur 50, 100, 200 og 500 lírum.

Póstur

Ítalska póstkerfið er lélegt og seinvirkt. Aðalpósthúsið í Feneyjum er í höllinni Fondaco dei Tedeschi við hlið Rialto-brúar.

Rafmagn

Rafmagnsspenna er sama og á Íslandi, 220 volt, og rafmagnsklær eru eins.

Salerni

Nokkur almenningssalerni eru í miðbænum. Salerni kaffihúsa eru stundum léleg, en yfirleitt í lagi á veitingahúsum. Sum þeirra eru ekki ætluð til setu. Taktu pappír með, ef þú ert ekki á veitingahúsi.

Samgöngur

Einfaldast er að fara fótgangandi um Feneyjar. Borgin er aðeins 5 km á langveginn og 2 km á þverveginn. Kerfi almenningsbáta er það næsteinfaldasta. Leið 1 fer um Canal Grande og stanzar næstum á hverri stöð. Þriggja daga kort með öllum leiðum kostar L. 30000 og sjö daga kort kostar L. 55000. Rómantíska samgöngutækið eru gondólar, sem kosta L. 70000-90000 í 50 mínútur.

Sími

Landsnúmer Ítalíu er 39 og svæðisnúmer Feneyja er 41. Millilandanúmerið frá Ítalíu er 00.

Sjúkrabíll

Sími: 523 0000.

Sjúkrahús

Ospedale Civile, Campo Santi Zanipolo. Sími: 523 0000.

Slys

Sími: 113.

Slökkvilið

Sími: 115.

Vatn

Kranavatn er yfirleitt hreint og gott í Feneyjum. Á veitingahúsum drekka menn þó yfirleitt lindarvatn af flöskum.

Verðlag

Verðlag í Feneyjum er hátt í samanburði við aðra hluta Ítalíu og fer hækkandi í takt við verðlag í Vestur-Evrópu.

Verzlun

Verzlanir eru yfirleitt opnar á veturna 9-12:30 & 15:30-19:30, á sumrin 9-12:30 & 16-20. Stundum er þeim lokað fyrr á laugardögum. Margar ferðamannaverzlanir eru opnar allan daginn og einnig á sunnudögum.

Þjórfé

Þjónusta er yfirleitt innifalin í reikningum veitingahúsa. Sumir skilja eftir nokkur þúsund lírur til viðbótar. Ræðarar gondóla búast ekki við þjórfé. Leigubílstjórar reikna með 10% þjórfé frá útlendingum. Burðarmenn gera ráð fyrir L. 1000 á tösku.

Öryggi

Notaðu ekki handtösku. Hafðu peninga innan klæða. Notaðu plastkort sem mest. Hafðu skilríki ekki á sama stað og peninga. Skildu ekki eftir verðmæti í læstum bíl. Vasaþjófnaðir eru algengir í Feneyjum, en ofbeldisglæpir fátíðir.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

71 Nyhavn

Nyhavn 71, 1051 K. Phone: 3311 8585. Fax: 3393 1585. Price: DKr.1350 ($235) with breakfast. All major cards. 82 rooms. (C2).

A relaxing hotel in a converted harbor warehouse, 500 meters from Kongens Nytorv, built as a storehouse for salt and spices at the tip of Nyhavn harbor. It survived the bombardment of Copenhagen in 1807, fell on hard times and served as a furniture storehouse in the latter part of this century. In 1971 is was converted into a hotel, collecting several restoration awards.

It looks like the warehouse it was. Even most of the window shutters are original. The entrance is modest. The supporting structure of broad pine beams is everywhere in evidence, in every room. Corridors are narrow. Most modern conveniences have been built into this skeleton. Staying here is like traveling first class to the past. The staff remember guests’ room numbers.

Room no. 340 has the preferred Nyhavn side and Malmø ferries view. It is small but grows larger when the curtains are drawn. The furniture is modern and comfortable, with one easy-chair. The tiled bathroom is even smaller. All instruments are of the most modern kind and function perfectly, but the towels are on the small side.

Admiral

Toldbodgade 24-28, 1253 K. Phone: 3311 8282. Fax: 3332 5542. Price: DKr.950 ($165) with breakfast. All major cards. 366 rooms. (C2).

The avant-garde antique hotel is in a 200 years old grain-drying house at the harbor, 500 meters from Kongens Nytorv square and 300 meters from the royal residence in Amalienborg. This severe-looking building is one of a few substantial ones to survive both the city fire of 1795 and the bombardment of 1807. The heavy Pomeranian pine structure is everywhere evident.

There is no steel and no concrete. Most of the corridors have the original wide and arched brick wall running through the whole length of the building. Reception and service is friendly, but there can be a traffic congestion in the lobby when groups are leaving and coming. A nightclub is in the hotel, which is popular for conferences.

The spacious room no. 624 has the preferred harborside view. It is on two levels in the attic, with a sleeping area upstairs. Brown beams and buttresses contrast with white walls. A wooden staircase connects the two levels. Amusing paintings decorate the place. In the sitting area there are two easy-chairs and a convertible sofa. The tiled bathroom is well equipped.

Angleterre

Kongens Nytorv 34, 1050 K. Phone: 3312 0095. Fax: 3312 1118. Price: DKr.2050 ($357) with breakfast. All major cards. 139 rooms. (B2).

The prestigious address in Copenhagen for centuries, one of the oldest luxury hotels of the world, founded more than two centuries ago. The White Lady of the North has ever since been a stopover for kings and presidents, nobles and snobs, the right address at the right city square. It look elegant at Kongens Nytorv, stealing the scene from other palaces around the square.

Restorations have succeeded in keeping up with time. Service is quick and friendly. Famous restaurant Reine Pedauque is surprisingly good and surprisingly inexpensive, especially the set lunch. Breakfast is served in the glassed-in sidewalk café on the square.

The large room no. 427 is comfortable and polished, with ample furniture of an inconsistent style, neither modern nor antique. It is quiet in spite of having a balcony overlooking the street. In the spacious bathroom everything is in good condition.

Ascot

Studiestræde 61, 1554 V. Phone: 3312 6000. Fax: 3314 6040. Price: DKr.890 ($155) with breakfast. All major cards. 58 rooms. (A3).

One of the friendliest hotels in town, in a small building just 100 meters from Rådhuspladsen square.

It is a peaceful and an homelike inn, manned by staff of friendly young people who remember guests’ room numbers and give lightning-fast room service. It has an eccentric lift in ancient British style. The hotel is decorated with several works by Bjørn Viinblad, paintings, sculpture and flower-pots.

Room no. 305 is smallish, with an inside corner window. The furniture is showing signs of age, but not unpleasantly so. Lights are modern and rather dim. The spacious bathroom has all necessary fixtures. A graphic work by Bjørn Viinblad brightens one of the walls.

Christian IV

Dronningens Tværgade 45, 1302 K. Phone: 3332 1044. Fax: 3332 0706. Price: DKr.900 ($157) with breakfast. All major cards. 42 rooms. (B2).

A small and modern hotel a few steps from Kongens Have and 300 meters from Kongens Nytorv.

The public rooms are tasteful and comfortable, with good breakfast and several newspapers.

Room no. 22 is of medium size, white walls and bright furniture, blue and golden curtains and bed-spreads. The fully tiled bathroom has an open shower.

City

Peder Skramsgade 24, 1054 K. Phone: 3313 0666. Fax: 3313 0667. Price: DKr.1040 ($181) with breakfast. All major cards. 81 rooms. (C2).

A comfortable and centrally located hotel in a white building on the stretch between Holbergsgade and Havnegade about 200 meters from Kongens Nytorv square.

In the lobby a fountain staircase sculpture with ivy greets you in front of the breakfast room.

The clean and comfortable room no. 511 has quality furniture in bright, somewhat sterile colors, and reproductions on the walls. It has a trouser press. The bathroom in light brown tiles functions very well.

Copenhagen Crown

Vesterbrogade 41, 1620 V. Phone: 3121 2166. Fax: 3121 0066. Price: DKr.1150 ($200) with breakfast. All major cards. 80 rooms. (A3).

Situated on the main traffic artery in the center. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Danmark

Vester Voldgade 89, 1552 V. Phone: 3311 4806. Fax: 3314 3630. Price: DKr.895 ($156) with breakfast. All major cards. 49 rooms. (B3).

A very small hotel just behind the City Hall, 200 meters from Rådhuspladsen square.

It is recently furnished in a modern building with large windows.

Room no. 508 is well furnished, with large windows, and is quiet in spite of that. The tiled bathroom is comfortable.

Esplanaden

Bredgade 78, 1260 K. Phone: 3391 3200. Fax: 3391 3239. Price: DKr.850 ($148) with breakfast. All major cards. 116 rooms. (C1).

Near the Kastellet promenade area and the Little Mermaid. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Grand

Vesterbrogade 9a, 1620 V. Phone: 3131 3600. Fax: 3131 3350. Price: DKr.1095 ($190) with breakfast. All major cards. 144 rooms. (A3).

Conveniently located in front of the central railway station. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Hebron

Helgolandsgade 4, 1653 V. Phone: 3131 6906. Fax: 3131 9067. Price: DKr.500 ($87) with breakfast. All major cards. (A3).

A cheap and basic hotel 200 meters from the central railway station.

There is no service but the breakfast buffet is good.

The rooms are clean and comfortable and have everything in good working condition.

Komfort

Løngangsstræde 27, 1468 K. Phone: 3312 6570. Fax: 3315 2899. Price: DKr.950 ($165) with breakfast. All major cards. 201 rooms. (B3).

An adequate hotel in a nondescript building perfectly located a few steps from the city hall, on the stretch between Vester Voldgade and Kattesund.

The lobby is clean, the breakfast room is fine and service is rather good. There is also a game room with a billiard table.

The worn and old-fashioned room no. 407 has solid furniture of wood, including a writing table and two easy-chairs. The bathroom is clean and fully tiled, but not especially inviting.

Kong Arthur

Nørre Søgade 11, 1370 K. Phone: 3311 1212. Fax: 3332 6130. Price: DKr.1195 ($208) with breakfast. All major cards. 107 rooms. (A2).

In a quiet place near he lakes. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Kong Frederik

Vester Voldgade 25, 1552 V. Phone: 3312 5902. Fax: 3393 5901. Price: DKr.1750 ($304) without breakfast. All major cards. 110 rooms. (A2).

Beautiful inside and out, a white building from the start of the 20th C.,centrally located a few steps from Rådhuspladsen square, between Vestergade and Studiestræde.

A large lobby with pictures of Danish kings is in front of a glassed-in garden for breakfasts. Service is friendly and comfortable.

The spacious room no. 129 has quality furniture of brown wood, yellow wallpaper and thick curtains in front of a large window overlooking the breakfast garden. The fully tiled bathroom has all the amenities.

Mayfair

Helgolandsgade 3, 1653 V. Phone: 3131 4801. Fax: 3313 8900. Price: DKr.925 ($161) with breakfast. All major cards. 126 rooms. (A3).

Conveniently situated around the corner from the central railway station, about 200 meters away.

It has moved up in the world following a face-lift.

The rooms are recently furnished and comfortable and all the fixtures are working in the bathrooms. The rooms even have trouser-presses.

Mercur

17 Vester Farimagsgade, 1780 V. Phone: 3312 5711. Fax: 3312 5717. Price: DKr.955 ($166) with breakfast. All major cards. 108 rooms. (A3).

In the central railway station area. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Neptun

Sankt Annæ Plads 14-20, 1250 K. Phone: 3313 8900. Fax: 3314 1250. Price: DKr.1235 ($215) with breakfast. All major cards. 60 rooms. (C2).

A small neighbor to Angleterre, 300 meters from Kongens Nytorv square.

The reception is small and the service is friendly. Behind the lobby there a small back garden and distinguished sitting rooms with antique furniture.

Room no. 204 was on the small side, overlooking the garden, very clean and well equipped, including a trouser-press.

Opera

Tordenskjoldsgade 15, 1055 K. Phone: 3312 1519. Fax: 3332 1282. Price: DKr.980 ($170) with breakfast. All major cards. 66 rooms. (B2).

A small and central hotel behind the Royal Theater and Opera, 100 meters from Kongens Nytorv square.
It has a distinguished atmosphere and efficient staff that know guests by their names. It sports a comfortable bar which is popular after performances.

Room no. 316 is complicated and looks to three directions at the same time. It is divided into a front area with a cupboard, a sitting area and a sleeping area with a fully tiled bathroom. In the middle there is an old writing desk.

Palace

Rådhuspladsen 57, 1550 V. Phone: 3314 4050. Fax: 3314 5279. Price: DKr.1425 ($248) with breakfast. All major cards. (A3).

The most elegant rooms are to be had directly at Rådhuspladsen square, in a hotel that has been renovated and is sparkling again. It has a respectable front and an imposing tower.

The service and the price do not quite match the elegance of the guest rooms.

The spacious room no. 308 has a perfect view and is completely quiet when the window is closed. It is richly and comfortably furnished in polished wood of excellent carpentry.

Park

Jarmers Plads 3, 1551 V. Phone: 3313 3000. Fax: 3314 3033. Price: DKr.760 ($132) with breakfast. All major cards. 66 rooms. (A2).

A small hotel with a human touch and variable rooms, just 200 meters from Rådhuspladsen square.

The reception and service is agreeably Danish and old-fashioned. The inside rooms are preferable to the ones facing the traffic-heavy avenue outside. Many of the back rooms have elements of the original structure included in the decoration.

Room no. 102 is large and elegant, with a sitting area, a real writing desk, a bathroom laid in marble and three big windows to the street, a little more expensive than the other two. No. 402 is not as large and not as noisy. No. 315 is smallest and most romantic, with a half-timbered wall. All the rooms are in mint condition, equipped with excellent bathrooms.

Phoenix

Bredgade 37, 1260 K. Phone: 3395 9500. Fax: 3333 9833. Price: DKr.1450 ($252) without breakfast. All major cards. 212 rooms. (B2).

A beautiful 17th C. building in a lovely location, used in sequence as headquarters for the German occupation army, the Allied Forces and the Danish Communist Party before it was converted into a hotel. It is centrally located on the corner of Bredgade and Dronningens Tværgade about 200 meters from the central Kongens Nytorv square.

The large and marbled lobby has a fountain in the middle and carved furniture, sculptures and statues, crystal chandeliers and paintings. The service fits the august atmosphere.

Room no. 1147 is rather spacious and very tasteful, with thick curtains in front of three windows, a crystal chandelier. It is crowded with white and antique furnishings of quality, including such modern things as a trouser press, a fax machine, a security box and a large TV set. The fully tied bathroom has a marble table.

Plaza

Bernstorffsgade 4, 1577 V. Phone: 3314 9262. Fax: 3393 9362. Price: DKr.1650 ($287) with breakfast. All major cards. 96 rooms. (A3).

One of the two best hotels in Copenhagen, smaller and not quite as expensive as Angleterre, is opposite the central railway station and Tivoli, convenient for those who arrive by train or plane.

Heavy wood and thick leather are the hallmarks. Speech hushes into a whisper in the distinguished library, dominated by a flower arrangement. The reception is small and the service is friendly, remembering the room numbers and names of guests. A lift of glass whisks up to the upper floors after a drink in the irresistible library.

The unusual room no. 602 is in the attic, characterized by the structural beams. Room no. 408 is more conventional. Both are big, well furnished in a traditional manner and well equipped, also in the completely tiled bathroom. Mild and cozy colors dominate with exuberant modern paintings.

Richmond

Vester Farimagsgade 33, 1780 V. Phone: 3312 3366. Fax: 3312 9717. Price: DKr.955 ($166) with breakfast. All major cards. 135 rooms. (A2).

A small and quiet hotel 600 meters from Rådhuspladsen and the central railway station.

Rooms at the back are preferable to the noisy front rooms.

Room no. 502 is ample, furnished with quality and sober elegance in a somewhat outdated Scandinavian style.

Royal

Hammerichsgade 1, 1611 V. Phone: 3314 1412. Fax: 3314 1421. Price: DKr.2000 ($348) without breakfast. All major cards. 263 rooms. (A3).

The oldest and the most central of the hotel towers. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Sophie Amalie

Sankt Annæ Plads 21, 1250 K. Phone: 4533 1334. Price: DKr.960 ($167) without breakfast. All major cards. 134 rooms. (C2).

A nice and modern hotel with a harbour view on the corner of Sankt Annæ Plads and Toldbodgade, about 200 meters from the royal Amalienborg palace and the same distance in the other direction to Nyhavn harbour.

The lobby is graced with a charming water sculpture.

Room no. 301 is spacious, with a sitting area. It has modern furnishings in white and softly violet colors, a granite table and a glass wall with a harbour view. The bathroom is small and adequate.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Espagna

Andalucía

The real Andalucía is behind the coastal mountains of the south, in the river basin of Guadalquivir, around the historical cities of Sevilla, Córdoba and Granada. It is a country of endless sunshine and lassitude, fiestas and music. It is the country of bullfights and flamenco dances, lemons and sherry. The most agreeable months are March-April and September-October.

This is the home of gazpacho, the cold tomato soup with olive oil and vinegar, garlic and onions, often with bread crumbs, in endless variations. This is the home of the iced refreshment drink, sangría, containing red wine, carbonated water, fruit juice and a drop of brandy.

Sherry originates from Andalucía. The best sherry is fino, scraping dry, pale and light. It is the pre-prandial drink par excellence, emphasizing taste rather than numbing it. Real amontillado is darker and heavier, suitable for closing a meal.

Costa del Sol

The main tourist center of Spain, a Mediterranean coastline of nice beaches and garish hotels from Cabo de Gata to Algeciras. Málaga is the major city and Marbella the most stylish resort. Torremolinos is the main tourist center and we start from there.

The first leg of our Andalusia drive is 110 km and brings us from Torremolinos on Costa del Sol to Ronda. We drive on the cost east through Malaga and turn inland at San Pedro de Alcántara on the road to Ronda. It passes through the beautiful mountain landscapes of Serranía de Ronda

Ronda

The town is built on a mountain 750 meters above sea level at Tajo, the gorge of Guadelevín, which runs through the center of Ronda. The old town is on a separate rock and the newer one is on the edge of the mountain. There are two bridges between the two town parts. The older is Puente Romano and the younger Puente Nuevo. Both offer grandiose views into the gorge.

Take time to wander in the pedestrian alleys of the old town. There is an old, massive church with a Moorish minaret. Also the Renaissance Mondragón palace, the Salvatiera palace and the Moorish baths, which remind us that Ronda was the capital of one of the Moorish states in Spain. It is easy to walk between these places as the city center is only 15 hectares.

We have lunch at Don Miguel on the Tajo cliffs, beside Puente Nuevo.

Parador de Ronda

Plaza de España. Phone: 287 7500. Fax: 287 8188. Price: Pts.15800 ($126) without breakfast. 71 rooms.

A convenient abode for travelers, directly beside the Puenta Nuevo, formerly the town hall of Ronda. There are short distances from the hotel to Plaza de Toros and Carrera de Espinel and over the Puenta Nuevo to the old town center

Don Miguel

Plaza de España 3. Phone: 287 1090. Fax: 287 8377. Price: Pts.7000 ($56) for two. All major cards.

At the cliff’s edge beside Puenta Nouvo, a perfect observation point in Ronda, offering the best food in town.

The chef, Miguel Coronel, is a specialist on old receipes from the mountains of Andalucía.

• Revuelto de setas = omelet with mushroom.

• Faisán de la serranía rondena = pheasant from the mountains.

Puente Nuevo

One of the best vantage points for viewing the gorge.

In the newer town, 100 meters from Puente Nuevo, is Plaza de Toros, one of the oldest bullfight arenas in Spain, from 1785. Spanish bullfighting got it present form in Ronda. It was Francisco Romero, born in 1698, who formulated the complicated rules. His son, Pedro Romero became the most illustrious bullfighter in the history of Spain.

A quaint street, Carrera de Espinel, with old houses, leads off the arena.

From Ronda there are 86 km to Arcos de la Frontera. We drive through a mountainous area with the famous “white” towns glimmering in the sunshine, such as Castellar, Vejer and Zahara. This was for some the frontier between Islamic and Christian Spain and many towns still have “de la Frontera” or “on the frontier” in their name.

Arcos de la Frontera

The town sits on a rock above Guadalete river. The best view is from the main square which is on the edge of the rock.

The Plateresque church of Santa María is on the square. Also the hotel of Parador de Arcos de la Frontera in Casa del Corregidor, with some balconies hanging over the edge of the cliff.

Parador de Arcos de la Frontera

Plaza de España. Phone: 70 0500. Fax: 70 1116. Price: Pts.14200 ($114) without breakfast. All major cards. 24 rooms.

One of the famous Paradors of Spain, in the old Casa del Corregidor building on the main square in town.

It has a magnificent view from the dining room and from guest room balconies on the cliff’s edge. The cooking is rather good, specializing in Andalucian food.

• Gazpacho = cold tomato soup with vegetables.

From here there are 91 km to Sevilla.

Sevilla

The main city of Andalucía and in earlier centuries the main city of Spain, a Moorish city for more than five centuries, 712-1248, as testified by the city castle and the church tower. Sevilla became rich following the discovery of America in the end of the 15th C. The river Guadalquivir was navigable to Sevilla at that time.

Voyagers like Amerigo Vespucci, Cristóbal Cólon (Columbus) and Fernao de Magalhaes (Magellan) were here. This is also the city of Don Júan, Don Quixote, Cervantes, Velázques and Carmen. It is a lively city with over half a million people and lots of tourists. The World Fair of 1992 was held on a Guadalquivir island in Sevilla.

The famous Semana Santo starts at Palm Sunday and continues with processions for a week. Brotherhoods compete in marking the most decorative wagons with towers and sculpture. People dance and sing between the wagons. Feria de Abril is a festive week in April, when people raise tents, dine and dance and sing. Sevilla is also the home of the flamenco and sevilliana dances.
We start our walk at Catedral de Santa María.

Catedral de Santa María

Avenue de la Constitución.

The cathedral dwarfs the surroundings with its powerful tower and extensive flying buttresses, the third largest church in Europe, after San Pietro in Rome and St Paul’s in London. Everything of importance in Sevilla is near the cathedral, built in Late Gothic style in 1401-1506, after the destruction of an earlier Islamic mosque.

The western front with its complicated portals is well-known.

The cathedral is entered from the other side.

Catedral de Santa María interior

Hours: Open 10:30-13 and 16-18:30.

Enormous and cold inside, 56 meters in height, with 75 stained windows, some of them the original ones from the start of the 16th C.

Capilla Real on the left of the entrance is the burial place of a few Spanish kings.

At the southern end is the tomb of Christopher Columbus, carried by four figures representing the four kingdoms of Spain, Aragón, Castilla, León and Navarra.

Giralda

Hours: Open 10:30-13 and 16-18:30.

Beside the cathedral eastern entrance, the late 12th C. church tower was originally a minaret of an earlier mosque. It is 98 meters in height, wide and rectangular, as usual in Western Islam, built of pink brick.

The style is Moorish, from the reign of the Almohads, who were religious hardliners and opponents of gaudiness. The tower is therefore very formal in design, with regular pointed arches, horseshoe windows and delicate ornaments. A decorative top floor with a Christian belfry was added in the 16th C.

A spiral path inside the tower leads you up to an excellent view of the city.

We go to the north side of the cathedral to enter Patio de los Naranjos

Patio de los Naranjos

A garden of orange trees, laid out in Moorish times, a typical part of an Islamic mosque.

To get from the cathedral to the city castle we cross Plaza del Triunfo, with Casa Lonja on the right side.

Lonja

Hours: Open Monday-Saturday 10-13.

The Museum of West-Indies, Archivo General de Indias, in a palace that was built in 1572 as an exchange when Sevilla was the main city of America voyages. It was designed by Juan de Herrera who also designed the royal palace of El Escorial.

Old navigation charts and charts of towns in Latin America are in the museum.

The city castle, Alcázar, is in front of us.

Alcázar

Hours: Open Monday-Friday 9-12:45 and 15-17:45, Saturday-Sunday 9-13.

The oldest part of the castle is from Moorish times, the wall between the outer courtyard, Patio de la Montería, and the middle courtyard, Patio del León. Otherwise the castle is mostly from the reign of the Christian King Pedro the Cruel, 1364-1366.

The castle was designed in Mudejar style, clearly influence by the Alhambra in Granada, and the craftsmen were Mudejar Moors. Pedro the Cruel did not understand Arabic and did not know that their decorative scrollwork on the walls says: “There is no victor except Allah”.

Moorish style survived in Spain in competition with French and Italian styles for a long time after the Moors had been evicted from Spain. Alcázar in Sevilla is the best and the most straightforward example of Moorish style from the Christian era.

We go from the middle courtyard to the inner courtyard, Patio de las Doncellas.

Patio de las Doncellas

The ground floor of the inner courtyard is in Moorish Alhambra style with pointed arches on all sides. An upper floor of a mismatching arcade was added in the 16th C.

Behind the palace there is a large garden with rows of shrubs and trees, ponds and flowers and the garden house of Pedro the Cruel. Another garden, less formal, is on the left side.

The district to the east of the cathedral is Santa Cruz.

Santa Cruz

The Jewish ghetto in the Middle Ages became the district of nobility in the 17th C. It still is the quarter of well-off people who live in well-preserved houses with peaceful courtyards and narrow pedestrian alleys.

Lots of cafés, bars and restaurants are in Santa Cruz, especially on the squares, such as Dona Elvira, Venerables Sacredotes and Santa Cruz with a statue of Don Juan.

We walk to Plaza Dona Elvira.

Plaza Dona Elvira

The main square of Santa Cruz, a popular site of restaurants and cafés, accessible by pedestrians only. It has an Andalucian atmosphere of lassitude.

Alfonso XIII

San Fernando 2. Phone: 422 2850. Fax: 421 6033. Price: Pts.35000 ($280) without breakfast. All major cards. 129 rooms.

The classy hotel in Sevilla, a large palace 300 meters from the cathedral and just in front of the old tobacco factory of Carmen, now housing the University of Sevilla. Alfonso XIII was built on the occasion of the World Fair in 1929 and has ever since been the preferred abode of the rich and famous.

A nice tiled courtyard with a fountain and Moorish arcades graces the ground floor. There are lots of Moorish decorations. The mayor parties in town are held at the hotel. It has good parking facilities.

Fernando III

San José 21. Phone: 421 7307. Fax: 422 0246. Price: Pts.11600 ($93) without breakfast. All major cards.

A practical hotel in the old luxury district of Santa Cruz, 300 meters from the cathedral.

A modern building furnished in country style, sporting a swimming pool and rather large rooms, well equipped. Rooms with a balcony are preferable. The hotel has good parking facilities.

Albahaca

Plaza Santa Cruz 12. Phone: 422 0714. Fax: 456 1204. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.10600 ($85) for two. All major cards.

A beautiful city mansion in the middle of Santa Cruz, offering versatile cooking.

It combines beautiful ambience, good service and the best food of Santa Cruz.

• Sopa de frutos del mar = seafood soup.

• Lenguado a la naranja = sole in orange sauce.

• Entrecote de ternera grillé con trufas del olivar y verduras naturales = grilled veal entrecote.

• Mousse de queso con salsa de frambuesa = cheese mousse with raspberry sauce.

Egana Oriza

San Fernando 41. Phone: 422 7211. Fax: 421 0429. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch, Sunday. Price: Pts.13800 ($110) for two. All major cards.

The best restaurant of Sevilla is in the center, beautifully designed in an old house under the city walls.

The Basque cook is José Mari Egana, mixing Basque traditions and Andalusian material, such as game from the surrounding areas.

• Sopa de bacalao = saltfish soup.

• Ajo blanco = cold tomato and garlic soup with melon, a kind of gazpacho.

• Revuelto de patatas, ajetes, setas y pimientos = scrambled eggs with a potato and mushroom filling.

• Chipirones = small squid in flaky pastry.

• Pichón de Bresse asado con salsa de vino tinto = braised pigeons in red wine sauce.

• Helado de queso y miel con crema de nueces = cheese ice-cream in honey.

Hostería del Laurel

Plaza de los Venerables 5. Phone: 422 0295. Price: Pts.7800 ($62) for two.

An old and a traditional Andalusian restaurant on two floors in a Santa Cruz building and on the pavement outside.

There are tiled walls and arched doors, lamps of wrought iron and wooden sculptures.

• Espárragos = asparagus with three sauces.

• Tournedos Hostería del Laurel = beef tournedos in house style.

Isla

Arfe 25. Phone: 421 2631. Fax: 456 2219. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: Pts.10000 ($80) for two. All major cards.

Near the cathedral, but on the other side of Constitución avenue, in a side street, specializing in deep-fried and grilled seafood, mainly from Galicia and the coast of Cadiz.

Popular with local people, unknown by tourists, who seldom happen to be in this street. The furnishings are plain and the conversations are loud. Service is very good.

• Jamón de Cumbres Mayores = raw ham.

• Revuelto de salmón con champiñones y gambas = scrambled salmon with mushroom and shrimp.

• Tocino de cielo = crème caramel.

San Marco

Cuna 6. Phone: 421 2440. Hours: Closed Monday lunch, Sunday. Price: Pts.11000 ($88) for two. All major cards.

One of the best restaurants of town, about 600 meters straight north from the cathedral.

Situated in a beautiful town house from the 18th C., offering unusually good service. Asana Ramacciotti cocks in an Italian way in the kitchen.

• Boullabese a nuestro estilo = seafood soup.

• Couscous de pescado = fish couscous.

• Pato con aceitunas = duck in olive oil.

• Ravioli rellenos de lubina en salsa de almejas = ravioli with sea bass and shell sauce.

From Sevilla we drive 143 km to Córdoba.

Córdoba

Emirs from Damascus reigned here from 719 and kept power until 1236. It was for a long time the major Moorish city in Spain and a celebrated center of learning. It was the home of the famous Jewish physician Maimónides and the equally famous Moorish philosopher Averroes. At one time there were 300 mosques in Córdoba. The Mezquita is a memorial to this glorious past.

The city declined when the Moors were evicted in the 15th C and the Christians took over, allowing the irrigation system to disintegrate. It is now a city of 300,000 inhabitants.

The action is in Córdoba in May. The celebration is similar to the April celebration in Sevilla, with a week of music and dance. The patios celebration is also in May, with competition between house-owners on the most beautiful flower arrangements in their patios, which are open to the public for the occasion.

The Mezquita is in the center of Córdoba.

Mezquita

A true wonder of the world, built in 785 and broke at that time new ground in the history of architecture, as its horseshoe arches have a height of two storeys. It gives an impression of greater height and space. Later the mosque was enlarged several times, always in the same style.

Basically the Mezquita resembles other congregation mosques. Outside it is surrounded with powerful walls. Inside them the conventional garden of orange trees, Patio de los Naranjos, is a forecourt with an impressive minaret and a cleansing fountain.

We enter the mosque.

Mezquita interior

Hours: Open in summer 10:30-13:30 and 16-19, in winter 10:30-13:30 and 15:30-17:30.

A dense wood of 850 columns in 10 rows, seeming at places to be endless. The columns support double Moorish horseshoe arches, striped with alternate white limestone and red brick. As a whole the mosque is a silent dream world of endless refraction of light, changing at every footstep.

At the far end there is a Qiblah for prayers and the sacred Mihrab niche which shows the direction to Mecca. Also complicated series of interweaving arches.

An ugly Rococo cathedral has been forcibly erected in the middle of the mosque. The church stands in grotesque excess in comparison with the simple Moorish elegance.

When leaving the courtyard of orange trees we turn left into Torrijos and walk alongside the Mezquita to Amador de los Ríos, where we turn right and walk to the entrance of the Alcázar.

Alcázar

Amador de los Ríos. Hours: Open in summer 9:30-13:30 & 17-20, in winter 9:30-13:30 & 16-19.

The city castle is from the 14th C.

The most interesting part are the Moorish gardens behind the castle, on uneven ground with fountains, flowing water and ponds. It is a good place for resting after sightseeing in Córdóba.

We now return to the Mezquita for a walk in Judería.

Judería

The Jewish Ghetto surrounds the Mezquita with its narrow, winding pedestrian alleys and potted plants on the walls. We start our walk at the minaret corner of the Mezquita square. We enter the corner alley, turn right into Deanes and then left into Romero to the square of Salazar where we turn left and walk through a narrow alley to the square of Maímonides.

The museum of bullfighting is in Maímonides, open 9:30-13:30 and 17-20. We walk alongside the museum, past the handicraft market behind the museum and past one of the last two remaining Jewish synagogues in Spain, this one in a 14th C. house on the left side of the street, open Tuesday-Saturday 10-14 and 16-19. Finally we return by the same way to the Mezquita.

From the northern corner of the Mezquita forecourt we walk into the alley of Bosco and immediately turn right into Calleje de las Flores with beautiful potted flowers on the walls. At the end of the alley there is a small square with an excellent view to the minaret of the Mezquita. We then return the same way to the Mezquita.

Conquistador

Magistral González Francés 15. Phone: 48 1102. Fax: 47 4677. Price: Pts.16000 ($128) without breakfast. All major cards. 103 rooms.

The best hotel in Córdoba, a recent one, in Moorish style.

Maimónides

Torrijos 4. Phone: 47 1500. Price: Pts.13700 ($110) with breakfast. All major cards. 60 rooms.

An economical hotel just in front of the Mezquita.

There is a car park under the hotel.

Room no. 208 had a wonderful view over the main street in town, the minaret of the Mezquita and the lively entrance to the popular restaurant El Caballo Rojo. The room is luxuriously outfitted with leather furniture. The bathroom is in good condition, but the air condition is rather weak.

Caballo Rojo

Cardenal Herrero 28. Phone: 47 5375. Fax: 47 4742. Price: Pts.9000 ($72) for two. All major cards.

Possibly the best restaurant of Andalucía, in a prime location just in front of the minaret of the Mezquita.

A simple restaurant on two floors at the end of a long courtyard. The service is good and the prices are economical. The popularity is such that there are often queues on the sidewalk. Chef Francisco Medina Navarro specializing in old receipes from Moorish times.

• Alcachofas a la montillana = artichokes of the house.

• Espárragos blancos de Córdoba a la Crema de almendras = asparagus with almond cream.

• rape Mozárabe = monkfish in Moorish raisin sauce.

• Cordero a la miel = lamb in honey.

• Surtido des postres = mixed desserts.

Churrasco

Romero 16. Phone: 29 0819. Fax: 29 4081. Hours: Closed Thursday. Price: Pts.8600 ($69) for two. All major cards.

One of the very best restaurants in Córdoba, economical in price, situated in the Jewish ghetto just over 100 meters from the minaret of the Mezquita.

It is in four rooms on two floors in a beautiful city mansion with a courtyard for alfresco dining. It has also one of the best wine lists in the whole of Andalucía. It is always busy and always popular with the locals. Rafael Carrillo is the chef.

• Jamón de pato = marinated duck.

• Salmon al vapor de las finas hierbas = steamed salmon with mayonnaise.

• Bacalao al estilo del chef = saltfish of the house.

• Magret de pato en salsa de dátiles = duck breast.

• Buey churrasco = beef from the coal grill.

• Cerdo churrasco = pork from the coal grill.

• Iles flottante = meringue.

Next we drive 166 km from Córdoba to Granada. We drive through the flatlands of Andalucía in the direction of the mountains.

Granada

Mainly famous for Alhambra, the most beautiful and important monument in Spain, perched on a hill above the city center. The city of 250,000 inhabitants sits at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, which shows its white snowcaps on a good day.

This was the last bastion of the Moors, when Christian kings pushed their power southwards. The Moors fled to Granada from Córdoba when it fell in 1236 and held on to power in Granada until 1492. Granada was an Islamic city for almost eight centuries and has now been Christian for only five centuries. Nothing remains from the time of the Moors except the palace of Alhambra.

We drive uphill to Alhambra.

Alhambra

Hours: Open Sunday-Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9:30-20, Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday 9:30-20:30 & 22-24.

The apex of Moorish architecture, the sole Moorish palace to survive almost intact to the present day. It reflects the desire of the sons of the deserts for an oasis of greenery and running water. The buildings themselves are a secondary matter, deferring to the open spaces, acting as frames around flowers, brooks and fountains. In and out becomes a united whole.

The building material is light, simple and transitory, an haphazard stucco mixture of brick, refuse and plaster. The landscape architecture and delicate ornaments are the focal point. It is surprising how the weak buildings have survived all these centuries and are now as sparkling as if they were abandoned yesterday.

To enter the Moorish palace, Palacio árabe, we pass the ugly and intruding palace of the Christian King Carlos V in a strict Renaissance style, clashing violently with the Moorish elegance. It is now a museum of history and art. Behind the ticket office is the oldest part of the complex, the 9th C. castle of Alcazaba, with singular views over Alhambra, Granada and Sierra Nevada.

We enter Palacio árabe and go to Patio de los Leones in the center of the palace.

Patio de los Leones

The delicate excess of intricate decorations in the arcades around the open-air gardens is well preserved. Sunlight reflects in the mathematically exact plastering rolls, beautifully colored porcelain tiles and in Arabic sayings. The ceilings sparkle with multicolored stalactites and a riot of wood-carvings.

Some of the rooms have roofs and others are in the open. There are several windows with views over the city. The most famous roofed room is Sala de Embajadores = the ambassadors’ room. The most famous open rooms are Patio de los Arrayanes = the courtyard of myrtles; and Patio de los Leones = the courtyard of lions. Alhambra is designed around these two courtyards.

From Patio de los Leones we enter the gardens, Jardínes del Partal, who extend with brooks and orange groves along the ridge of the hill to Torre del Agua, where Alhambra ends and Generalife begins.

We enter the gardens of Generalife.

Generalife

Hours: Open Sunday-Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9:30-20, Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday 9:30-20:30 & 22-24.

The summer palace of Alhambra with long walks, cordoned by cypress and laurel trees, rioting in blossoms in July and August. Otherwise the beauty of the flowers is at a zenith in May.

The small 14th C. summer palace is at the far end of the paths, offering a good view to Alhambra.

We leave Generalife and Alhambra and drive down to the city center to park near Catedral de Santa María and Capilla Real.

Catedral de Santa María

Hours: Open 10:30-13 & 16-19, in winter -18.

The 16th and 17th C. cathedral is entered by a footpath leading from the main street in the center, Vía de Colón. It was started in Gothic style but mainly built in Renaissance style.

It has a nave with two aisles on either side. An unusual, circular chapel is in the middle of the church, supposed to emulate the Church of the Holy Grave in Jerusalem.

Capilla Real is alongside the cathedral. It is entered from Vía de Colón on a footpath alongside the old exchange building, Lonja.

Capilla Real

Hours: Open 10:30-13 & 16-19, in winter -18.

A royal chapel in late Gothic style from the beginning of the 16th C., the burial place of Fernando and Isabel, who combined Aragón and Castilla to make a united Spain. The couple won their final victory over the Moors here in Granada and drove them out of Spain.

On the other side of the chapel is a Baroque City Hall from the 18th C.

To reach Alcaisería we walk on the footpath past Capilla Real and turn left.

Alcaisería

The ancient Moorish silk market, now a tourist bazaar with long arcades of boutiques.

The main market square in Granada, Plaza de Bibarrambla is at the other end of the Alcaisería.

We pick up the car in Via de Colón and follow signs out of town to Cartuija.

Cartuija

Hours: Open 10-13 & 16-19, in winter -18.

A Carthusian monastery on a hill above Granada, a perfect example of the exuberant Churriguera Baroque style of the late 17th C.

América

Real de la Alhambra 53. Phone: 22 7471. Fax: 22 7470. Hours: Closed November-February. Price: Pts.10000 ($80) without breakfast. All major cards. 13 rooms.

An economical hotel at the Alhambra entrance, surrounded by the Alhambra gardens, very clean and plain, built around a courtyard.

Parador de Granada

Alhambra. Phone: 22 1440. Fax: 22 2264. Price: Pts.23200 ($186) without breakfast. All major cards. 36 rooms.

A real dream of a hotel in the 15th C. monastery of San Francisco, surrounded by the Alhambra gardens on three sides. It is the flagship of the Spanish Paradors chain of hotels. The hotel is a gem inside out. The rooms are on two storeys around a peaceful courtyard and have a view to the Alhambra gardens, some of them also to the snow-capped mountains.

The cooking is also good, specializing in historical courses from Andalucía, such as: Gazpacho Andaluz = cold tomato soup; and Moorish courses, such as: Postre Albacain = Moorish dessert. Also: Habas con jamón = peas with dried ham; and: Tortilla del Sacromonte = omelet with brains, testicles and vegetables. Dinner for two costs 8500 pts.

Room no. 213 is large and with a spacious bathroom. All furnishings are luxurious.

Sevilla

Oficios 12. Phone: 22 1223. Hours: Closed Sunday dinner. Price: Pts.7500 ($60) for two.

One of the best restaurants in Granada is alongside the Capilla Real, furnished in typical Andalusian country style with large tiles, small pictures and platters on the walls, beams and lanterns in the ceiling.

Before the civil war intellectuals met here, such as Federico García Lorca, who was born in an nearby town. José Rodríguez López makes traditional Andalusian food in the kitchen.

• Sopa Sevilla = Hot milk soup with fish and shrimp.

• Tortilla Sacromonte = omelet with brains, testicles and vegetables.

• Jamón con habas = peas with ham bits.

From Granada we drive straight over the mountains to Costa del Sol and arrive at the coastal town of Almunécar. We drive on the coastal road through Nerja with its cave, all the way to Málaga. This leg from Granada to Málaga is 127 km.

Málaga

The main city of Costa del Sol, a township for 3000 years, already an important port in Roman and Phoenican times.

The twin castles of Alcazaba and Gibralfaro are on a cliff above the center of Málaga. We drive the winding road up to the cliff.

Parador Málaga-Gibralfaro

Gibralfaro. Phone: 222 1903. Fax: 22 1904. Price: Pts.12000 ($96) without breakfast. All major cards. 36 rooms.

One of the famous Spanish paradors, perching on the cliffside just under the the walls of the Gibralfaro castle above Málaga.

The rooms offer wonderful views over the Plaza de Toros in Málaga and the harbor. The dining room offers traditional food from Málaga.

Antonio Martín

Paseo Marítimo 4. Phone: 22 2113. Price: Pts.9000 ($72) for two. All major cards.

The best harbor restaurant in Málaga.

Other good harbor restaurants nearby are in the Maestranza street, Taberna del Pintor at no. 6, Nuevo Bistrot at no. 16; and in Vélez Málaga, Café de Paris at no. 8.

We are going on an Andalucía trip of several days from Costa del Sol to Ronda, Arcos de la Frontera, Sevilla, Córdoba, Granada and Málaga. We rent a car and are going to drive about 700-750 km.

Alcazaba

Hours: Open in summer Monday-Saturday 10-13 & 17-20, Sunday 10-14, in winter Monday-Saturday 10-13 & 16-19, Sunday 10-14.

Side by side, two Moorish castles, originally the major strongholds of the Moors in Andalucía. Alcazaba is the one which rises above the city center. It is now a museum of Moorish art. Inside the ramparts there are also Moorish gardens.

There are extensive views from Gibralfaro, the other castle on the cliff.

This is the end of our drive through Andalucía. We take a well-earned rest in Parador Málaga-Gibralfaro.

1991

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Barcelona

The capital of Catalunya is the second largest city in Spain with 2 million inhabitants, the main center of banks and commerce, more nervous and hurried than Madrid, similar to Western Europe and also the main link of Spain to the main part of the continent. People work in Barcelona and live in Madrid. They hang less out in cafés and have a quicker step on the city pavements.

Barcelona has broader avenues and more avenues than the larger Madrid. Still the traffic is much heavier in Barcelona, reaching congestion all over the center. Many famous buildings hail from the Art Nouveau period in the beginning of the 20th C. From that time we see bank palaces that seem like fairy-tale castles, different from the sober bank buildings of Europe.

Catalan is replacing Spanish as the official language in Barcelona. It is a different language, related to French, influenced by the proximity to Provençe. Free taxis use the sign “lliure” instead of “libre”. Street-signs and menus are now in Catalan. The explanations in Joan Miró’s museum are only in Catalan. The Spanish language is being evicted from Barcelona.

We start our walk through central Barcelona at Plaça de Catalunya.

Plaça de Catalunya

Plaça de Catalunya. (B2).

The large square with a fountain garden in the middle is the central square of Barcelona.

El Corte Inglés department store is at the eastern side of the square.

We walk past the department store and continue down the pedestrian Portal de l’Ángel. Gradually the street narrows to its end at Plaça Nova.

Plaça Nova

Plaça Nova. (B2).

On out left is a modern building with a large bas-relief by Picasso showing Catalans dancing Sardana, their national dance.

In front of us are two towers, the remains of the west port of the Roman city wall from the 4th C.

To the right of the towers is the bishop’s palace, Palau Episcopal. To the left is the house of the archdeacon, Casa de l’Ardiaca, originally from the 11th C. and renovated in the 16th C.

From the square we see the cathedral of Barcelona, Catedral de Santa Eulalia.

Catedral de Santa Eulalia

Plaça de la Seu. Hours: Open 7:30-13:30 & 16-19:30. (B2).

Built in the 14th and early 15th C. in a Catalan version of the Gothic style, with no aisles, only a nave with numerous chapels between the buttresses. In the 19th C. it was restored in the original style.

The white choir-screen of marble is from the 16th C.

On the right side there is an exit from the church to a peaceful cloister from the 15th C., with rambling geese.

The best time to be here is just after 12 on Sunday when the Sardana dance starts in front of the cathedral.

Sardana

Plaça de la Seu.

A complicated Catalan ring dance, banned during the Falangist regime of Franco, practiced in secret and became a symbol of the movement of Catalan independence. Arriving churchgoers, young as well as old, participate in the dance each Sunday. This happening is a moving experience, also for travelers.

We now enter the Barri Gòtic district.

Barri Gòtic

(B2).

The name of the old center of Barcelona, with its narrow and winding pedestrian alleys, lined with cafés and restaurants, derives from the Gothic 13th to 15th C. style of many houses.

We walk along Condes alley on the northern side of the church. Museu Frederic-Marès is on our left.

Museu Frederic-Marès

Condes. Hours: Open Tuesday-Saturday 9-14 & 16-19, Sunday 9-14. (B2).

The medieval royal palace, the residence of the counts of Barcelona, who became the kings of Aragón in 1137, the forerunners of the kings of Spain.

The palace is now a museum of Medieval art, especially sculpture.

We continue along the palace and the next one, Palau del Lloctinent.

Palau del Lloctinent

(B2).

The former Renaissance palace of the vice-king of Spain, now the National Archives.

We turn left, walk around this palace and enter Plaça del Rei

Plaça del Rei

Plaça del Rei. (B2).

The courtyard of the palace of the counts of Aragón, later kings of Aragón and finally kings of Spain.

To the left of the plaza is Palau del Lloctinent and Torre del Rei Martí. To the right is Capella de Santa Agata. In the center is Saló del Tinell.

We first observe Saló del Tinell.

Saló del Tinell

Plaça del Rei. (B2).

The 14th C. banqueting hall and throne room of the royal palace.

The steps in front are famous as the place where King Fernando of Aragón and Queen Isabel of Castilla received Christopher Columbus when he returned from his first voyage to America.

The tower to the left of Saló del Tinell is Torre del Rei Martí.

Torre del Rei Martí

Plaça del Rei. (B2).

An observation tower from the 16th C. with several levels of arcades.

To the right of the palace steps there is Capella de Santa Agata.

Capella de Santa Agata

Plaça del Rei. (B2).

A Gothic church from the 14th C.

Opposite the palace courtyard is Museu d’Història de la Ciutat.

Museu d’Història de la Ciutat

Plaça del Rei. Hours: Open Tuesday-Friday 9-20:30, Saturday-Sunday 9-13:30. (B2).

The Museum of City History is in the 16th C. Casa Clariana Padellòs and the surrounding buildings.

We continue along Casa Clariana Padellòs and turn left along Libreteria where we immediately arrive at Plaça de l´Ángel. We can take a detour of a few steps to the north to observe Capella de Santa Agata and the city wall from Plaça de Ramón Berenguer el Gran. Then we return to Plaça de l’Ángel, cross the traffic of Laietana, walk along Princesa and turn right into Montcada.

Montcada

Montcada. (B2).

In the 12th C. this alley of greenery on balconies was the main residence street of the nobility. The palaces on both sides are from the 13th to the 18th C.

Museu Picasso is at Montcada 15-19.

Museu Picasso

Montcada 15-19. Hours: Open Tuesday-Sunday 10-20. (B2).

The museum is in three palaces. It is entered through a typical Catalan palace courtyard.

The museum exhibits important works by Picasso who came to Barcelona at the age of 15 and learned to paint.

The fashion museum, Museu de tèxtil i de la Indumentària, is opposite Museu Picasso on the other side of Montcada.

We return through Montcada, Princesa and again cross Laietana and then walk along Jaume to Plaça Sant Jaume.

Plaça Sant Jaume

Plaça Sant Jaume. (B2).

The central square of the old Gothic center of Barcelona. On the right there is Palau de la Generalitat and to the left is the Ajuntament.

We turn our attention to Palau de la Generalitat.

Palau de la Generalitat

Plaça Sant Jaume. Hours: Open Sunday 10-13. (B2).

The Council of Catalunya is a large 15th C. palace.

Before we turn our attention to the other palace on the square we walk into the alley to the right of the Generalitat palace, Calle Bisbe Irurita, to a covered gallery connecting the Generalitat and the Canonges palaces.

Canonges

Calle Bisbe Irurita. (B2).

The 19th C. Neo-Gothic covered gallery connects the office of the Council of Catalunya to the office of the President of the council in the Canonges palace.

We return on Calle Bisbe Irurita to Plaça Sant Jaume and turn our attention to Ajuntament on the other side of the square.

Ajuntament

Plaça Sant Jaume. (B2).

The 14th C. City Hall of Barcelona.

We leave the square at its southern corner and walk along Ferran to Gegants where we turn left and walk on Gegants and Avinyó, typical Barri Gòtic alleys, all the way to Moll de la Fusta.

Moll de la Fusta

Moll de la Fusta. (B2).

An extensive promenade, lined with palm trees, running along the yacht harbor.

We turn right and walk along the promenade to the Monument a Colom.

Monument a Colom

Plaça Portal de la Pau. (B2).

A giant column with a statue of Christopher Columbus at the top.

We can use an elevator to the top of the column to enjoy the view.

On the harbor side is the Custom House of Barcelona.

Custom House

(B2).

A decorative palace, recently built in Historical style.

The Santa María replica is on the other side of the palace.

Santa María

(B2).

This full-sized replica of the caravel that brought Christopher Columbus on his first voyage to America is usually moored at the quay near the Custom House.

Opposite the Custom House, on the other side of the avenue, is the Drassanes.

Drassanes

Plaça Portal de la Pau. Hours: Open Tuesday-Friday 10-14 and 16-19, Saturday-Sunday 10-14. (B2).

The 14th C. shipyard of Barcelona, the only existing example of an industrial building of that age.

It is now a large maritime museum, Museu Marítim.

Here at Plaça Portal de la Pau is the southern end of Las Ramblas.

Las Ramblas

Las Ramblas. (B2).

The most popular promenade in Barcelona, leading from Plaça Portal de la Pau to Plaça de Catalunya, where we started this walk. It is a broad street following the contours of an earlier river. In its center is an island of trees and kiosks, cafés and shops, including flower shops and bird shops.

We pass the wax museum on our right in Museu de Cera, on the corner of Passatge Banca. Then we take a detour to the left into Carrer Nou de la Rambla, where Palau Güell is near the corner.

Palau Güell

Carrer Nou de la Rambla. (B2).

An Art Nouveau palace by Gaudí, with typical ironwork decorations. It is now a theater museum.

This is the Chinatown of Barcelona.

Barri Chino

(B2).

The Chinatown of Barcelona with lots of shady characters, including pickpockets and whores.

We return to Las Ramblas, cross it and walk into Carrer Colom, which leads in a few steps to Plaça Reial.

Plaça Reial

Plaça Reial. (B2).

A pedestrian square closed to motor traffic. It is a completely designed square with identical buildings and a ground floor arcade in the style of Plaza Mayor in Madrid.

Stamp and coin collectors meet in the cafés in the shades of the arcade on Sunday morning. At night the square is overtaken by hobos and drug addicts.

We return to Las Ramblas and continue northward. On the left side we see Gran Teatre del Liceu on the corner of Sant Pau.

Gran Teatre del Liceu

Las Ramblas. (B2).

The City Opera from 1846, refined and unobtrusive on the outside but spacious inside. It has been restored after a fire in 1993.

Opposite Liceu the Cardenal Casanas leads north to the squares of Plaça del Pia and Plaça Sant Joseph Oriol.

Plaça del Pi

Plaça del Pi. (B2).

These two squares under the church of Mare de Déu del Pi accommodate the flea market of the city center. They are also the venue of some artistic happenings.

Bordering Plaça del Pi on the northern side is a district of shops and shopping arcades, combining the maze of an Eastern bazaar with the polished cleanliness of the West.

We return on Cardenal Casanas to Las Ramblas and continue northward. On the left we come to La Bouqueria and cross the street to enter the market.

Boqueria

Las Ramblas. (B2).

The food market of Barcelona is formally named Mercat de Sant Josep and usually called La Boqueria. It is an Art Nouveau building of glass and wrought iron from the end of the 19th C.

Inside there are colorful oceans of fruit and vegetables, fish and meat. The action is mainly in the morning and dies out in the afternoon.

We return to Las Ramblas and come on the left to Palau de la Virreina.

Palau de la Virreina

Las Ramblas. (B2).

In colonial times the Vice King of Peru lived in this palace. It now houses some museums and exhibitions.

We continue on Las Ramblas, past trees and cafés, bird and flower shops, newspaper kiosks and possibly protest marches to arrive at Plaça de Catalunya where we started this walk. We cross the square to enter Passeig de Gracìa on the north side.

Passeig de Gracìa

Passeig de Gracìa. (B1).

This is one of many avenues of the new city center from the end of the 19th C. It was then the luxury apartment district of Barcelona, Eixample, and is now the luxury shopping district.

The producers of Cava, the Catalan sparkling wine, often have tents on the spacious pavement, offering pedestrians free samples of their product.

At no. 41 we arrive at the colorful Casa Amatller from 1900 by Josep Puigi Cadafach in Flemish Art Nouveau style and at no. 43 at Casa Batlló.

Casa Battló

Passeig de Gracìa 43. (B1).

Built by Gaudí in 1905, easily recognizable from its wavy balconies and curved roof.

These buildings are all in a radical Catalan version of Art Nouveau alias Jugendstil of the years around 1900. This style had more influence in Barcelona than in any other European city.

A little farther to the north is Casa Milà or La Pedrera, also by Gaudí and also from 1905, almost sea-sick in its form. We turn right on this corner and soon arrive at Sagrada Família.

Sagrada Família

(B1).

The symbol of Barcelona, the extravagant church of Gaudí, the famous architect of Barcelona, the Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família. Building started at the end of the 19th C. and is not finished yet. The many towers with their multicolored mosaic tips rise in a riot of grandeur above the city.

This fairy-tale construction cannot be described in text and not even in pictures, as the immense size is not properly reflected. The only way is to come here, stand in the roofless nave and gaze upwards to Gaudí’s towers.

From here we hail a taxi to Parc Güell.

Parc Güell

An amusement park designed by Gaudí. It was originally meant to be a district of 60 garden houses. The plan was never realized. What remains of the project is the pleasure garden of outrageously funny houses and absurdly amusing brick-walls, a dream world of children of all ages.

From here we take a taxi to the top of the Montjuïc hill.

Montjuïc

Montjuïc. (A2).

Accessible with a funicular from the harbor near Monument a Colom or by road, offering a good view over the city center, harbor and ocean.

A military museum, Museu Militar, is on the top of the hill. Below it is an amusement park with a Ferris wheel and diverse gadgets.

We start our walk down the northern side of the hill. First we arrive at Fundació Joan Miró.

Fundació Joan Miró

Montjuïc. Hours: Open Tuesday-Friday 11-20, Saturday-Sunday 11-14:30. (A2).

The Miró museum is a modern building showing works of art by one of the main practitioners of Abstract art in the 20th C., the Catalan Joan Miró.

On our way down the hill we next come to Palau Naçional.

Palau Naçional

Montjuïc. Hours: Open Tuesday-Sunday 9-14. (A2).

An imposing palace on the northern rim of the hill, overlooking the fairgrounds of Barcelona and Plaça d’Espanya, built for the World Fair in Barcelona 1929.

It now houses one of the world’s largest museums of Medieval art in the world, Museu d’Art de Catalunya.

On the slopes to the right and down from Palau Naçional there is the archeological museum, Museu Arquelògic, open Tuesday-Saturday 9:30-13 and 16-16, Sunday 9:30-14. Also the museum of ethnology, Museu Etnològic, open Tuesday-Saturday 9:20-20:30, Sunday 9-14.

On the slopes to the left and down from Palau Naçional we arrive at Poble Espanyol.

Poble Espanyol

Hours: Open 9-past midnight. (A2).

A living museum of folklore, a whole village composed of clusters of exact replicas of typical houses representing parts of Spain, such as Catalunya, Andalucía and Castilla. The houses are used as shops, artisan workshops, cafés and restaurants, representing town life in earlier times.

Variable programs are in the evening, dances, concerts, plays, exhibitions, performances and other entertainment.

We leave the folklore village by the northern entrance, turn right and walk to the area of Barcelona fairs. From there we have an imposing view up to Palau Naçional. We walk to Plaça d’Espanya, cross it and arrive at Plaça del Toro.

Plaça del Toro

(A2).

One of the main bullfight stadiums of Barcelona, built in Moorish style, like so many such stadiums in Spain.

We walk around the stadium and at its back arrive at Parc Joan Miró.

Parc Joan Miró

(A2).

A recreation area with a large sculpture by Joan Miró.

From here we take a taxi to the other end of the city center, to Parc de la Ciutadella.

Parc de la Ciutadella

(B2).

The World Fair of 1888 was held here. It is now a popular park for Sunday walks.

The small and modern city zoo is in the southern end of the park. To the north of the zoo is the city museum of modern art, Museu d’Art Modern, where Catalan artists are well represented.

The parliament of Catalunya is also in the park. To the south are the grounds of the Olympic Village from 1992.

This sightseeing walk in central Barcelona is finished. We are now ready for excursions in the surrounding country, Catalunya.

Catalunya

A cultural driving force in Spain, the country of Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Gaudí, Salvador Dalí and Pau Casals, especially marked in the decades before the Falangist takeover. After the reemergence of democracy Catalunya has again sprung to the forefront of culture and politics, industry and commerce.

Zarzuela = seafood mixture, comes from Catalunya, also Bullabesa = a strong bouillabaisse, and rape = monkfish. A national dish is Crema Catalana = a milk pudding with caramel crust.

Catalunya is the country of Cava, a sparkling wine made in the Champagne manner. Cava is commonly sold in the streets of Barcelona and in special Xampanyerias-bars. Catalunyan wine is not as good as Rioja wine, but is improving, especially the wine from the district of Penedès.

Costa Dorada is an interesting part of Catalunya.

Costa Dorada

The sunshine coast south of Barcelona. The main town is Sitges, 30 km south from Barcelona, with a beach, cafés and a quaint old center.

Farther to the south, 100 km from Barcelona, is Tarragona, an ancient Roman town with a Medieval center and lots of antique remains, such as an arena and a city wall.

From Barcelona there is also a short way of 60 km to the mountain monastery of Montserrat with beautiful landscapes.

We can also drive north from Barcelona, to Costa Brava.

Costa Brava

One of the most beautiful coasts of Spain, with interchanging promontories and peaceful sand beaches. The town of Gerona is 100 km north from Barcelona, with the best preserved Medieval town center in Spain.

Art nouveau

Many famous buildings hail from the Art Nouveau period in the beginning of the 20th C. From that time we see bank palaces that seem like fairy-tale castles, different from the sober bank buildings of Europe.

Artists

A cultural driving force in Spain, the country of Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Gaudí, Salvador Dalí and Pau Casals, especially marked in the decades before the Falangist takeover. After the reemergence of democracy Catalunya has again sprung to the forefront of culture and politics, industry and commerce.

Catalan

Catalan is replacing Spanish as the official language in Barcelona. It is a different language, related to French, influenced by the proximity to Provençe. Free taxis use the sign “lliure” instead of “libre”. Street-signs and menus are now in Catalan. The explanations in Joan Miró’s museum are only in Catalan. The Spanish language is being evicted from Barcelona.

Cava

Catalunya is the country of Cava, a sparkling wine made in the Champagne manner. Cava is commonly sold in the streets of Barcelona and in special Xampanyerias-bars.

Catalunyan wine is not as good as Rioja wine, but is improving, especially the wine from the district of Penedès.

Colón

Avenída Catedral 7. Phone: 301 1404. Fax: 317 2915. Price: Pts.23500 ($188) without breakfast. All major cards. 138 rooms. (B2).

The good hotel of the city center is perfectly situated in front of the cathedral, the only four-star hotel in the old Gothic town.

It is rather old-fashioned but has been renovated on the inside. Many rooms are in light and flowery colors.

A room with a view to the cathedral is preferable.

Metropol

Ample 31. Phone: 310 5100. Fax: 319 1276. Price: Pts.12400 ($99) without breakfast. All major cards. 68 rooms. (B2).

An economical hotel in the Gothic center, 300 meters from Plaça Sant Jaume.

It is a dignified hotel with agreeable staff.

Room no. 404 is elegantly furnished in taste and includes a writing-desk. The marble bathroom is unusually large.

Regencia Colón

Sagristans 13. Phone: 318 9858. Fax: 317 2822. Price: Pts.14200 ($114) without breakfast. All major cards. 55 rooms. (B2).

An economical and recently renovated hotel just 100 meters from the cathedral.

The cheerful staff is efficient.

Room no. 57 is nice and refined and has a small balcony with a view to Torre del Rei. It has a flowery wallpaper and old furniture in perfect condition. The tiled bathroom functions well.

Suizo

Plaça del Ángel. Phone: 315 4111. Fax: 315 3819. Price: Pts.12600 ($101) with breakfast. All major cards. 48 rooms. (B2).

A tired, antique but usable and economical hotel in the Gothic city center, 200 meters from the cathedral.

The cleaning staff is just as tired as the hotel.

Room no. 211 is small, well furnished in an old-fashioned manner, with a balcony. The tiled bathroom functions well.

Agút d’Avinyó

Trinitat 3 / Avinyó 8. Phone: 302 6034. Fax: 302 5318. Price: Pts.11000 ($88) for two. All major cards. (B2).

In a Gothic alley a few steps from Plaça Sant Jaume, one of the best restaurants of the old city center, practicing traditional Catalan cuisine.

Beautifully designed with nooks and crannies on different levels with only a few tables on each level, with lots of steps and railings. Enormous paintings from the turn of the century and lots of antiques add to the perfect atmosphere. Politicians and business-people lunch here and joke with Mercedes Giralt.

• Sopa di bogavante = lobster soup with toast.

• Chicken and vegetable puré with ham cubes.

• Bacalao = plucked salt-fish.

• Langostinos = prawns in cheese gelatine.

• Shellfish in tomato sauce.

• Pato = duck.

• Wild strawberries.

Brassiere Flo

Junqueres 10. Phone: 319 3102. Fax: 268 2395. Price: Pts.8300 ($66) for two. All major cards. (B2).

Just west off Plaça de Catalunya, a large and noisy, happy and lively brassiere, one of the best restaurants in town, with French-Catalan cooking, open for orders until 1 in the morning.

Oysters are on exhibit at the entrance, the specialty of the place. The spacious dining room has large chandeliers and numerous pillars. Old posters and high mirrors line the walls. There are many regulars from the media and opera.

• Crema de bogavante = lobster soup.

• Ostras al cava = cheese-baked oysters in sparkling wine.

• Solomillo de buey = beef filet.

• Filet mignon de ciervo = venison filet with pear, raisins and pepper sauce.

• Crema catalana = milk pudding with caramel crust.

• Macedonia de frutas = fresh fruit.

Cuineta

Paradis 4 / Pietat 12. Phone: 315 0111. Fax: 315 0798. Price: Pts.11300 ($90) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A double restaurant behind the old cathedral of Barcelona, one kitchen with one menu, but two entrances and separate dining rooms, owned by antique dealers.

A beautiful place, paneled in hardwood and glass, full of antiques. Guests dine in comfortable arm-chairs and receive automatically a fino sherry while they are studying the menu.

• Espáragos gratinados = cheese gratinated asparagus with ham.

• Pate higos = paté of the house.

• Bacalao Cuineta = salt-fish with spinach and raisins.

• Lenguado plancha = grilled sole.

• Pudding with whipped cream and kiwi.

• Ricotta cheese with chestnuts and honey.

El Túnel

Ample 33. Phone: 315 2759. Hours: Closed Sunday dinner, Monday. Price: Pts.9500 ($76) for two. All major cards. (B2).

At the bottom of a narrow alley beside hotel Metropol lies hidden one of the best restaurants of the Gothic city center, 300 meters south of Plaça Sant Jaume.

It has been owned by the same family since 1923. Virgilio Casado cooks in the traditional Catalan manner according to the fresh food situation of the day. The restaurant is popular with locals who like the food and the quality paneling and other furnishings.

• Ensalada de judía verde con fois gras y trufas = salad with truffles and goose liver.

• Sopa de pescados con su rouille = tomato fish soup.

• Lenguado pieza grille = grilled sole.

• Turbot planche = grilled turbot.

• Cabrito = kid goat.

• Tarta Tatin = apple pie.

• Biscuit = ice-cream with chocolate sauce.

• Crema Catalana = milk pudding with caramel crust.

Gran Café

Avinyó 9. Phone: 318 7986. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch, Sunday. Price: Pts.12000 ($96) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A romantic, split-level restaurant in a pedestrian alley a few steps off Plaça Sant Jaume, offering traditional Catalan cooking.

The style is turn-of-the century Art Nouveau, with large windows, chandeliers and lamps. The place gets very romantic at night when dinner music is played on the piano.

• Amanida de bacalla marinat = salt-fish flakes, marinated in vinaigrette, with beans.

• Amanida de tofones i llagostins = shrimp and liver paté on salad.

• Mushroom salad with ham.

• Filet d’Ávila a la vinagreta = beef filet from Ávila with tomato vinaigrette.

• Burxets de filet al oporto = beef on skewers.

• Cheese-cake.

• Apple pie.

Neichel

Avenída de Pedralbes 16 bis. Phone: 203 8408. Fax: 205 6369. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch, Sunday. Price: Pts.14000 ($112) for two. All major cards.

The best restaurant in Barcelona is outside the city center, but included here as an exception, as it is also one of the three best restaurants in Spain. It is in the soccer stadium and university district in the west, hidden in a one-way drive behind a swimming pool. Surprisingly this is not a Basque restaurant, as Chef Jean-Louis Neichel is from Alsace in France.

The dining room is plain and unadorned and rather empty before it fills up with people. Large windows open out to lemon trees in the garden. The service is so perfect that every detail in the ultra-professional firing-up of a Havana cigar is observed. Evelyne Neichel directs the service. The cuisine is Nouvelle Française.

• Sopita de cigalas y centollo = shell soup.

• Esqueixada de atún al limón verde y bogavante con caviar de berengenas = lobster and tuna in aubergine.

• Croustillant de salmonete y hortalizas en un fumet de setas de bosque = red mullet in crust with wild mushrooms and mushroom fumé.

• Granizado de manzanas verdes y coulis de frutas silvestres = apple sorbet.

• Lomo de buey del Limousin en escalopas a las cinco pimientas aromáticas = filet slices from Limousin beef.

• La caravana de los finos postres = dessert wagon.

Quo Vadis

Carme 7. Phone: 302 4072. Fax: 301 0435. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.11300 ($90) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A traditional and simple restaurant with good food and good service in a street leading off La Rambla, a few steps from Palacio de la Virreina. It is open for orders until 2 in the morning, convenient for the opera audience from the nearby Liceu theater.

The raw material is not far away, as the food market of Barcelona, La Boquería, is almost next door.

• Six different mushrooms.

• Mixed vegetables in vinaigrette.

• Shrimp, egg, fish and salt-fish, pan-fried in oil.

• Seafood plate in tomato sauce.

• Cheeses.

• Fresh berries and fruits of the season.

Seynor Parellada

Argentería 37. Phone: 310 5094. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.7700 ($62) for two. All major cards. (B2).

Near the old city walls, 500 meters from the cathedral, a large and noisy restaurant, simple and friendly, rather economical, frequented by business people. The cooking is traditional.

Mr. Parellada himself walks around and takes care of the guests, not only the habitués.

• Carpaccio = marinated salmon.

• Esqueixada con escalibada = salt-fish salad.

• Calamars = small squid.

• bacalao con samfaina = salt-fish.

• Grilled sole.

Siete Puertas

Passeig d’Isabel II. Phone: 319 3033. Fax: 319 4662. Price: Pts.9500 ($76) for two. All major cards. (B2).

Situated on the harbor avenue, a large and lively restaurant, French in style, always brimming with people, founded in the early 19th C., one of the landmarks of Barcelona. Chef Antonio Roca specialized in rice and paella.

Guests sit on small chairs and long benches under walls of panel and tile. Large mirrors enlargen the already large restaurant.

• Esquixada = salt-fish in tomato.

• Espárragos = asparagus.

• Rodaballo = braised turbot.

• Paella Parellada = paella of the house.

• Biscuit = ice-cream with hot chocolate sauce.

• Sorbete de orujo con pasas = sorbet with raisins.

1991

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Espagna

The heart of Spain and the fountain of the Spanish language, called Castilian by the minorities in Spain. It is a barren plateau, overgrazed and sparsely inhabited, a country of shepherds and poets, warriors and priests. Castilla is also, as the name implies, a country of castles, including Manzanares el Real, Mombeltrán, Coca, Gormaz, Peñafiel, Belmonte and Sigüenza.

Many historic cities are in Castilla, including Segovia, Ávila, Salamanca and Toledo.

Castilla has brought Cochinillo asado = braised baby pork, and Cordero asado = braised lamb, to Spanish cuisine, also kid, partridge and venison. Well known is Manchego, the cheese from La Mancha.

We are planning a tour of 580 km from Madrid through El Escorial, Segovia, Ávila, Salamanca and Toledo back to Madrid. The first leg covers 50 km from Madrid to El Escorial.

El Escorial

Hours: Open 10-13:30 and 15:30-19, -18 in winter.

Felipe II of Habsburg was one of the most peculiar Spanish kings. He was an ultra-religious Catholic and built the religious royal palace complex of El Escorial. The palace is in strict and cold Renaissance style, designed by Juan de Herrera, and built in the late 16th C., when Madrid became the capital of Spain.

The form of the palace complex is a mathematical square with a Greek crucifix inside. The crucifix has a Renaissance church in the middle. In two of the four sections is a smaller Greek crucifix. Half of the complex was a monastery, a quarter was a university and a quarter was the royal abode.

There are many works of art in the palace, including the Agony of St. Moritz by El Greco. It is interesting to compare the austere apartment of the Habsburg king Felipe II on the 1st floor with the elaborate apartment of the Bourbon king Carlos IV on the 3rd floor. Most Spanish kings of recent centuries are buried under the floor of the central church.

From El Escorial we drive 50 km to Segovia.

Segovia

A city of 50,000 people 1000 meters above sea level, rising like a ship above the highland plateau. It is mainly famous for its Roman aqueduct and the city castle.

We find Acueducto romano just before we enter the walled center of the city.

Acueducto Romano

You will not miss the immense Roman aqueduct from 100 AD, when you enter the old center of Segovia. It is one of the best preserved remains in the world of buildings from the reigns of Vespanian and Trajan.

It still carries water to the old center on 167 arches. It is 728 meters long and 28 meters high at the square, where the street passes under it. It is built from hewn granite stones without any gluing material whatsoever.

If we can say that the aqueduct is at the stern of the ship of Segovia, the Alcázar can be called the stem of that ship. Between them there is an easy walk of 1 km through the old city center. On the way we pass a 16th C. Gothic cathedral, slender and splendid, with a golden patina in the sunshine. There are many interesting houses and alleys. We continue to the Alcázar.

Alcázar

Hours: Open 10-18:30, -15:30 in winter.

The city castle from the middle of the 14th C. rises above the highland plateau. Very few castles in Spain are as imposing in the landscape as this one.

It was for a while the residential palace of Queen Isabel. It is now an armory museum.

It pays to drive around the old center of Segovia and observe the castle, especially from the bridge over Eresma river and from the Vera Cruz chapel on the other side of the river.

Linajes

Dr Velasco 9. Phone: 46 0475. Fax: 46 0479. Price: Pts.10000 ($80) without breakfast. All major cards. 55 rooms.

The best and most interesting hotel in Segovia is in the 11th C. Falconi palace, hidden in a narrow street in the old center, just north of the cathedral and east of the city castle.

It is loaded with antiques. Try to book a room in the old style.

Mesón de Cándido

Plaza Azoguejo 5. Phone: 42 5911. Fax: 42 9633. Price: Pts.7200 ($58) for two. All major cards.

The best and most interesting restaurant in Segovia is just in front of the Roman aqueduct in a 15th C. house.

It is on several storeys in an old Segovian style, popular with travelers who are admiring the aqueduct.

• Sopa Castellana = an old Castilian soup.

• Truchas frescas Felipe V = trout.

• Cochinnillo asado = braised baby pork.

• Cordero asado = braised lamb.

• Perdiz estofada = partridge with dressing.

From Segovia we drive 67 km to Ávila.

Ávila

A completely walled town from the Middle Ages, now the domicile of 40,000 people. It is 1131 meters above sea level, the highest district capital in Spain.

The city walls are the main attraction of the town, floodlit at night, especially beautiful when arriving from the west. When we leave town on the road to Salamanca we shall stop at the viewpoint of Cuatro Postes on the other side of Adaja river to observe the town from the west.

We park in the old center, preferably near the cathedral at the eastern side of the walls. Then we inspect the Murallas on foot.

Murallas

The 11th C. walls are still intact, with their 8 gateways and 88 semicircular towers. The walls are 10 meters high. We can take a 3 km walk on the walls for a full circle.

Next we turn out attention to the cathedral.

Catedral

The fortified granite cathedral with crenellations is a part of the eastern wall of Ávila and looks like a fortress. It is one of the oldest Early-Gothic churches in Spain, built in the 12th C. Ávila was for a long time on the border of Islamic and Christian Spain and the church reflects that insecure period.

San Vicente is a little older Romanesque church from the early 12th C, just outside the northeastern corner of the city walls.

Palacio Valderrábanos

Plaza de la Catedral 9. Phone: 21 1023. Fax: 25 1691. Price: Pts.13700 ($110) without breakfast. All major cards. 73 rooms.

An historical hotel in an old Bishop’s palace opposite the cathedral, with a powerful Gothic entrance from the 15th C.

The elegant restaurant El Fogón de Santa Teresa is in the hotel.

The rooms are large and comfortable, luxuriously furnished.

Parador Raimundo de Borgoña<

Villa Adriana

Hours: 9:00 – 90 minutes before sunset.

The vacation town of Tivoli is 30 km east of Rome, at the root of the Sabian hills. In 126-134 emperor Hadrian built a summer palace in a garden of 5 km in length about 5 km from Tivoli. Hadrian designed the area himself and copied buildings and monuments that he had seen on this travels. The ruins have been excavated and are now a museum.

We walk from the entrance through a wall remaining from an Athenian gateway called Pokile. We continue on the banks of a pond and pass a small and a big bath house, arriving at a long pond. On its other end there is Canopus, a copy of an Egyptian temple for Seramis. On our way back we cross the ruins on the right, first the barracks of the guards, Praetorium.

Then we continue past the fish pond to the real summer palace. On the highest ground there is a square, Piazza d’Oro. Below it are the ruins of the emperor’s residence, such as a dining room and a sitting room. Still lower are the ruins of a library. To the left of the libraries is a colonnade around a circular pond. We have again arrived at the Pokile.

The daily sightseeing buses to Villa Adriana also include a visit to the cardinal Villa d’Este.

Ostia Antica

Hours: Open daily 9 – 1 hour before sunset.

The old harbor city of Rome is 25 km south-west of the capital. It is reachable by a train from Porta San Paolo, which is connected with the metro system of Rome. The ruins have been excavated and are now a museum. They are mainly from the 2nd C. River silt closed the harbor and the city was abandoned, hidden by silt and has thus been preserved.

The ruins are 1,5 km in length. From the entrance we walk the main street, Decumanus Maximus, part the graveyard to the bath house of Neptun with beautiful mosaics. Beside it is a well preserved theater and further on a square of shops and offices of merchant and transport companies.

On the main street we continue to the main square, Forum, with the main temple, Capitolum, from early 2nd C. The marble has disappeared, but parts of the walls are still there. There are many remains of Insulae, residential apartments of 3-4 storeys, often built around a courtyard. We can spend a lot of time to stroll around the side streets and alleys before returning by the main street.

Castelli Romani

The generic name of a few towns in the hills 25 km south of Rome. They include Castel Gandolfo, Rocca di Papa, Grottaferrata and Frascati.

They are accessible by sightseeing buses from Rome. They usually stop first at a catacomb and at Via Appia Antica.

Via Appia Antica

This ancient road was built in 312 B.C. and led from Rome to Capua, Benevento and Brindisi. Tombs were early placed alongside it, as it was forbidden to bury people inside the city limits.

We can still drive on parts of this road, past the major Christian catacombs, the tomb of Romulus, the arena of Maxentius and the tomb of Cecilia Metella, in addition to lots of smaller tombstones.

We visit one of the catacombs signposted from the Via Appia Antica.

Catacombe

Three catacombs are open on the Via Appia Antica. They are all conveniently open Monday when most of the museums in Rome are closed. Catacombe Callisto is closed Wednesday, Catacombe Domitilla is closed Tuesday and Catacombe Sebastiano is closed Thursday.

The catacombs were not a hiding place for Christians. Most of them were dug in the 3rd and the 4th C, when Christianity had become an acceptable religion. They were normal Christian graveyards, usually a few storeys down, as the early Christians had to dig deeper down when the space filled up.

We drive on to Castelli Romani and start with Castel Gandolfo.

Castel Gandolfo

The village is on the edge of the big crater that created Lago di Albano. The summer residence of the Pope and his astronomy observatory are in this town. In front of the entrance there is a balcony with a good view over the lake of Albano.

We next drive to Rocca di Papa

Rocca di Papa

This town is perched on the slopes of Monte Cavo. The streets are steep and the alleys are twisted. It is the highest town in the Castelli Romani area.

Next we drive to Grottaferrata.

Grottaferrata

A beautiful monastery is behind a moat in this town. It is a Catholic monastery with some Orthodox rituals. It has a church tower from the 12th C.

Our last stop on this trip is in Frascati.

Frascati

The center of vineyards and of wine making in the area around Rome.

The majestic Villa Aldobrandini towers over the central square.

After seeing Frascati we drive back to Rome.

Napoli

Napoli is no more a beautiful city. It is a noisy city of congested car traffic, dominated by the Italian crime society of Camorra. Robbery and theft is common.

On the other hand the city is a convenient starting point for those visitors to Rome who want to visit the ghost towns of Herculanum and Pompeii, climb the Vesuvius volcano, drive along the Amalfi coast or visit the island of Capri.

Most of the sights in the city are clustered in the center by the old harbor, including the city castle and the royal palace.

Napoli is 219 km from Rome. The trains are good and punctual. We do some sightseeing in Napoli, starting with the harbor castle.

Castel Nuovo

The giant harbor castle was built in 1282, surrounded with a wide and deep moat. The city entrance is in the shape of a triumphal arch of two storeys, built in 1467.

Adjacent to the castle is the royal palace of Napoli, Palazzo Reale. On our way we pass Teatro San Carlo, an opera house and a theater from 1737. Opposite the theater there is an old mall.

Galleria Umberto I

The oldest shopping mall in Naples, in the form of a crucifix, with an enormous glass and iron dome over the crossing.
We continue to the front of the royal palace.

Palazzo Reale

Hours: Open in the morning.

The royal palace of the kings of Napoli was built in the beginning of the 17th C. It has been renovated several times, but always according to the original style. It is now a museum.

The semicircular Piazza del Plebiscito is in front of the royal palace.

We walk further on the coastal hotel street to a sailboat harbour and a seaside castle.

Porto di Santa Lucia

This is the tiny Santa Lucia harbor, made famous by a Napoli song. It is now a sailboat harbor, nestling under a castle. From the jetty there is a good view of Vesuvius and the Napoli bay.

The Castel dell’Ovo is a Norman castle sitting on a seaside rock. It got its present look in 1274.

Opposite the harbor and castle is the main hotel street of Napoli.

This is the end of our walk in Napoli.

Miramare

Via Nazario Sauro 24. Phone: (081) 427 388. Fax: (081) 416 775. Price: L.240000 ($152) with breakfast. All major cards. 30 rooms.

The nicest hotel in Napoli is on the coast south of the city center, just 500 meters from the old royal palace.

It is in an old townhouse and has a good view over the bay to the Vesuvius volcano. It is modern and tasteful. A breakfast room is on the top floor with good views.

Room no. 107 is big, decorated in light blue colors, with a good writing desk, trouser press, coffee machine and an enormous mirror over the headpiece of the bed. From a big window there is a good view to Vesuvius. The bathroom is big and splendid, all done in marble, with a jacuzzi bathtub.

Royal

Via Partenope 38. Phone: (081) 764 4800. Fax: (081) 764 5707. Price: L.240000 ($152) with breakfast. All major cards. 273 rooms.

This practical hotel is round the corner on the coastal road from the Naples royal palace, opposite the sailing boat harbor of Santa Lucia. A group of hotels line this part of the seaside, Excelcior, Santa Lucia, Vesuvio, Continental and Royal.

This large hotel is rather functional, lacking in charm.

Room no. 810 is big and comfortable, in modern business decor. It has a good view to the sailing boat harbor Santa Lucia and the Castel d’Ovo castle. It has a giant mirror and a parquet floor. It is well outfitted, including a fully tiled bathroom.

Ciro a Santa Brigida

Via Santa Brigida 71-73. Phone: (081) 552 4072. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.70000 ($44) for two. All major cards.
A traditional and inexpensive place for business lunches and luxury shopping lunches adjoining the architecturally interesting shopping mall of Galeria Umberto I, but entered from the outside.

This is a big and noisy place, but also comfortable and clean, with good service in a few rooms on two floors.

• Penna mozzarella e malanzane = pasta tubes with cheese and aubergine.

• Pizza marinara = shellfish pizza.

• Magro di vitello ai ferri = pan fried veal slice with egg.

• Fritto calamari e gamberi = deep fried squid and shrimp.

• Zuppa inglese = sponge cake with whipped cream.

• Cannoli = butter pastry filled with sugared ricotta cheese, sugared orange peel and cocoa.

La Cantinella

Via Cuma 42. Phone: (081) 404 884 & (081) 405 375. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.100000 ($63) for two. All major cards.

The best restaurant in Naples, on the hotel beach road leading from the royal palace, beside the Miramare hotel.

The main dining room is dominated by huge and bright pillars. Along the street there is a long and narrow room decorated in blue, with velvet walls and ceiling.

• Linguine alla cantine = pasta threads with shrimp and spinach.

• Insalata di mare = cold seafood salad.

• Filetto di manzo = beef filet.

• Medaglioni de manzo = beef medallions.

• Mozzarella = Italian soft cheese.

• Macedonia di frutta = marinated fresh fruit.

Sbrescia Ciro

Rampe San Antonio a Posillipo 110. Phone: (081) 669 140. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.70000 ($44) for two. All major cards.

A lively place with a view, rather inexpensive, in Positano, a rich residential suburb on a peninsula north from the Naples center. It is on a steep road that winds up a hill.

Enormous windows give a good view to the Mergellina suburb and the castle of Uvo, all they way to Vesuvius.

• Linguine casa nostra = pasta threads of the house.

• Vermicelli alle vongole = spaghetti with small shells.

• Scaloppa alla Sbrescia = veal slices.

• Spigola = grilled sea bass.

• Uva = grapes.

• Gelato = ice cream.

Campania

The area around Napoli and the Vesuvius bay is the ancient Campania, a fertile crescent with lots of things to see. A one day drive south from Napels will take in the ghost cities of Herculanum and Pompeii, the volcano Vesuvius, the Sorrento peninsula and the Amalfi coast.

We start from Napoli on our first leg of 10 km to Herculanum.

Herculanum

Hours: Open daily.

A ghost town of 5000 people that drowned in 12 meter deep mud when Vesuvius erupted in the year 79. It was a rather poor town of fishermen at that time. It is rather well preserved as the wood has partly become ossified in the mud. Whole houses have been preserved, including the wooden structure, cooking utensils and furniture.

The excavation covers 150 x 250 meters. Three major and parallel streets are intersected by smaller streets, all on a rectangular plan. We go first into Casa dell’Albergo just below the stairs down to the ruins, then go to the main street Cardo IV up to the main square and then back again on the main street Cardo V. It is best to rent a guide and tell him how much time you want to spend there.

Among other things we can see mosaics on floors, the town baths with separate areas for the sexes, shops with counters on the street, a sculpture of deer and half-burnt furniture.

We drive the 15 km from Herculanum under the slopes of Vesuvius in the direction of Pompeii.

Vesuvio

One of the few remaining active volcanoes on the continent of Europe. It has two summits, the 1277 meter Vesuvius proper in the south and the 1132 meter Monte Somma in the north. The lower slopes are of fertile lava, supporting the production of Lacryma Christi wine.

Vesuvius had been quiet for a long time when it erupted in 79, burying the towns of Herculanum and Pompeii. During the next millennium it erupted seven times. Then came again a quiet period. In 1631 it started all over again, destroying many towns and killing 3000 people. Since then it has erupted at least eleven times, the last time in 1944.

The mountain is mainly climbed from the south and the west, which is the easier way. The crater is a strange lunar sight and the panorama from the top is unique.

We continue on the main road to Pompeii.

Pompeii

Hours: Open daily.

This was a business city of 25.000 people that disappeared in two days in a 6-7 meter layer of ash when Vesuvius erupted in the year of 79. Its center has been brought again to light in excavations of 2 x 1 km. We can see in a nutshell how life must have been in such a city more than nineteen centuries ago. We still can see election slogans on the walls and pornographic pictures in the brothel.

The central square is surrounded by the temples of Jupiter, Apollo and Vespanian, and a 67 meter basilica for commerce and courts. There are two theaters, one for 5000 people and the other for 800. Also two well-designed bath houses, including Terme Stabiane where we can see ossified mummies. The amphitheatre is one of the oldest preserved, from 80 B.C. There are many bars lining the main street.

We can see lots of Insulae apartment buildings with inner courts. Casa dei Vettii has frescos and gardens with sculpture and fountains. Rent a guide to make the most of your time. If you have extra time you can take a detour to Villa dei Misteri with big frescos showing the cult of Dinoysios.

We seek out the Casa dei Vettii.

Casa dei Vettii

Most of the best mosaics in Pompeii are in Casa dei Vettii, the best-preserved house, the home of two merchant brothers.

We now drive to the town of Sant’Agata sui due Golfi on the Sorrento peninsula, about 40 km from Pompeii. We can find lodgings in Hermitage, tel. (081) 878 0062 or in Jaccarino, tel. (081) 878 0026. Both have views to Napoli and Vesuvius. Then we prepare for dinner in the best restaurant in southern Italy, Don Alfonso. Next morning we take the Amalfi coast road, stopping first in Positano.

Don Alfonso

Corso Santa Agata 11, Sant’Agata. Phone: (081) 878 0026. Price: L.180000 ($114) for two. All major cards.

The best restaurant in southern Italy, including Rome, is in the little town of Sant’Agata which is perched on the peninsula between the Vesuvius and Salerno bays. It is on the main street, near the central square.

The couple Alfonso and Livia Jaccarino own this bright and beautiful restaurant and the adjoining Jaccarino hotel. He does the cooking and she directs the service. The tasting menu is especially good. The room is divided by a brick wall into two parts. The decorations are in hunting style.

• Involtino di pesce con rughetta e semi di finocchio selvatico = marinated fish with vegetables and egg sauce.

• Treccine di pesce azzurro agli ortaggi = hornfish with carrot, onion and celery.

• I paiceri della pasta = pasta threads with shells and pumpkin.

• Filetti di boccadoro ai cetrioli e rosmarino = poached small fish with rosmarin, mashed potatoes, tomato and cheese.

• Infuso alle erbe = lemon sorbet.

• Braciole di annecchia con pinoli e uvetta = raisins and nuts enclosed in beef.

• Scelta di formaggi = three types of cheese, gorgonzola, provolone and caciocavallo.

• Dolce e piccola pasticceria = green pistachio marzipan with mango sauce and filled with a cheese mixture.

Positano

Positano is the first village on the Amalfi coast, a fishing village transformed into a hotel town. The slope is so steep that in some cases there are cliffs between rows of houses. The white houses remind us of Greek or Spanish islands.

We continue on the scenic road on the Amalfi coast to the town of Amalfi.

Amalfi

The Amalfi coast is one of the most beautiful coastlines in Italy. Small fishing villages cower where deep gorges meet with tiny estuaries. Wealthy villas perch on steep slopes.

The tourist town of Amalfi has given its name to the coast. The houses are white as in Positano, but the landscape is not as wild, so there is room for a city center with a church in Byzantine style.

Vallone di Furore is the wildest part of the landscape on the coast. A small fishing village is hiding under vertical cliffs and steep slopes.

We drive on to Salerno and continue 60 km straight to Napoli.

Capri

Just off Sorrento peninsula, a vertical cliff island, 6×3 km. It has a mild climate and an abundant flora and has been a coveted place for relaxing all the way back to the time of Roman emperors. The main village is Capri, sitting in a saddle between mountains, with harbours on both sides.

There are no private cars in Capri, just small buses, taxis and electrical cycles which are used for transporting goods. Most streets in the village are pedestrian, some of them with no houses at street level, but with steep steps up and down to the houses.

From the main square, Piazza Umberto I, there are short walks to viewpoints, such as Cannone Belvedere, Tragara Belvedere and Giardini Augusto, also a long and steep path to the ruins of the palace of emperor Tiberius on a mountain top.

We start our visit in the harbor

Marina Grande

There are two harbors in Capri on either side of the town, both accessible by car. Marina Piccola is a tiny fishing harbor with beaches in the South and Marina Grande is the main harbor the North, nestling under steep cliffs. The latter is the embarkation point for visitors.

Next we take a bus or taxi to Anacapri.

Anacapri

The second village on the island, on its eastern part. It lies much higher than Capri and is accessible by a road through steep cliffs.

Anacapri is not as full of tourists as Capri. From there you can take a chair lift to the top of Monte Solaro, the highest top of the island, from where you have in good weather an unforgettable view over the whole island, the bay of Napoli and the Appenia mountain range. The road to the Blue Grotto also leads from Anacapri.

From Anacapri we can take a taxi down the slope to the Blue Grotto.

Grotta Azurra

The main attraction of Capri. It can be reached either by boat or car. From the boats and cars you embark into small rowing boats that are used for entering the cave. It is famous for its mysterious blue color reflected up from the sea.

There are organised boat trips to Grotta Azzurra from Marina Grande, partly in connection with trips around the island. On such trips you can see other caves, such as the Green Cave and the White Cave, which you can enter by foot. You also sail through the Faraglioni cliffs.

Palma

Via Vittorio Emanuele 39. Phone: (081) 837 0133. Fax: (081) 837 6966. Price: L.300000 ($189) with breakfast. All major cards. 80 rooms.

One of the best hotels in Capri, well situated on a pedestrian street leading from the central Piazza Umberto I, about 100 meters from the piazza.

Pineta

Via Tragara 6. Phone: (081) 837 0644. Fax: (081) 837 6445. Price: L.120000 ($76) with breakfast. All major cards. 52 rooms.

A nice little hotel, about 10 minutes walk from the central Piazza Umberto I. We walk past the hotels Palma and Quisisana and turn left on Via Camerelle. Where it ends we walk a few steps up to Via Tragara, where the hotel is on the right.

Room no. 41 is enormous, with a big balcony with sun-deck chairs and with a very big bathroom in mint condition. The room has pleasant quality furniture in modern style, including an amusing painting of fish. It has good view to the ocean.

Quisisana

Via Camerelle 2. Phone: (081) 837 0788. Fax: (081) 837 6080. Price: L.400000 ($253) with breakfast. All major cards. 150 rooms.

The main luxury hotel is about 200 meters downhill from the central Piazza Umberto I.

La Tavernetta

Via Lo Palazzo 23a. Phone: (081) 837 6864. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.120000 ($76) for two. All major cards.

The best restaurant on Capri is in the narrow pedestrian street which is parallel with the main street, Via Roma, near the end that is farther away from the central Piazza Umberto I.

The restaurant is divided by arches into sections. The kitchen is in view.

• Ravioli alla caprese = pasta with tomato sauce and Capri-cheese.

• Risotto al gamberi = fried rice with king prawns.

• Filetto di manzo alla griglia = grilled beef filet.

• Capriccio-parfait = ice cream.

Moscardino

Piazza Umberto I. Price: L.70000 ($44) for two. All major cards.

A simple, good seafood restaurant with a convenient location in an arcade between Piazza Umberto I and the bus stop.

It has pine walls, decorated with incidental photos. It offers paper napkins and paper table-covers.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Padova

Gamall háskólabær með fjörlegri borgarmiðju, einkum að morgni dags á markaðstorginu Piazza delle Erbe við Palazzo della Ragione. Í nágrenni þess eru ýmsar sögufrægar byggingar, svo sem Battistero við dómkirkjuna og hallirnar Corte Capitano og Loggia della Gran Guardia. Önnur torg á þessu svæði eru Piazza dei Frutti og Piazza dei Signori.

Caffé Pedrocchi er einnig í þessari gömlu borgarmiðju, miðstöð menningarvita. Stúdentar setja mikinn svip á miðbæinn, enda er háskólinn sá annar elzti á Ítalíu, stofnaður 1222. Í miðbænum er fullt af kaffihúsum, veitingastofum og sérverzlunum með mat.

Við leggjum bílnum á bílageymslusvæði við Via Gaspare Gozzi rétt við norðausturhorn umferðarhringsins um miðborgina. Stæðið er í króknum milli Via Trieste og skurðarins Giotto Popolo og verður tæpast nær miðbænum komizt með góðu móti. Þaðan göngum við á brú yfir skurðinn inn í miðbæinn og verður þá strax fyrir okkur lystigarður borgarinnar á vinstri hönd.

Giardini dell’Arena

(Corso Garibaldi. )

Leifum gamla borgarmúrsins hefur á þessum hluta verið breytt í lystigarð, sem nær frá borgarskurðinum upp að Cappella degli Scrovegni og Museo Civico Eremitani. Þar er til sýnis nýtízkulegur skúlptúr.

Þegar við vorum þar síðast, var La Foresta di Birnam (sbr. Macbeth eftir Shakespeare) eftir Pino Castagna beint fyrir framan Cappella degli Scrovegni.

Til þess að komast inn í kapelluna þurfum við að fara inn um innganginn að safninu, sem er í suðvesturhorni garðsins.

Cappella degli Scrovegni

(Piazza Eremitani. Opið 9-18. )

Reist 1303 í rómönskum stíl til sáluhjálpar okrara að nafni Scrovegni, einn geimur að innanverðu, allur þakinn steinmálverkum eftir Giotto, máluðum 1303-1305. Bezt er að skoða kapelluna að morgni dags, þegar farþegarúturnar eru enn ekki komnar.

Giotto var fyrsti afburða listmálari Ítalíu, merkisberi hins líflega gotneska stíls, þegar hann tók við af hinum stirða býzanska stíl í upphafi fjórtándu aldar. Hann var fátækur bóndasonur, en varð snemma mikilvirkur í starfi og miðpunktur í hópi ítalskra menningarvita þess tíma. Málverkin í þessari kapellu eru það, sem bezt hefur varðveitzt af verkum hans.

Málverkin í kapellunni eru á fjórum hæðum. Í neðstu röð eru myndir, sem sýna dyggðir og lesti. Síðan koma tvær raðir með myndum af lífi og dauða Krists. Efst er röð mynda úr lífi Maríu meyjar. Innan á kapellustafni er risamynd af dómsdegi og er hún nær býzanska stílnum en hinar.

Við skoðum næst söfnin við kapelluna.

Museo Civico Eremitani

(Piazza Eremitani. Opið mánudaga-laugardaga 8:15-12 & 15:30-18:30 (-17:30 að vetri), sunnudaga 9-12 & 15:30-17:30 (-17 á veturna). )
Í klaustrinu við hlið kapellunnar eru nokkur söfn, svo sem fornminjasafn, myntsafn og listasögusafn. Klausturhúsin eru frá 1276-1306.

Merkasti hluti fornminjasafnsins er grafhýsi Volumni-ættar frá 1. öld. Þar eru líka steinfellumyndir frá rómverskum tíma. Í myntsafninu er nánast heilt safn feneyskrar myntar. Listasögusafnið er í mótun og á að sýna þróun myndlistar Feneyjasvæðisins. Verk eftir Giotto skipa þar virðingarsess.

Við förum vestur yfir Piazza Eremitani, förum norður fyrir hornið á húsaröðinni og göngum síðan 600 metra til suðurs eftir Via Cavour, þar sem við komum að Caffè Pedrocchi hægra megin götunnar.

Caffè Pedrocchi

(Via 8. Febbraio 2. Lokað mánudaga. )

Risastórt kaffihús frá 1831 í nýgnæfum stíl, einn helzti hornsteinn menningar- og stjórnmálalífs Ítalíu á sameiningarárum landsins, þegar það brauzt undan veldi austurríska keisaradæmisins. Þar héldu til ýmsar helztu frelsishetjur landsins. Þetta er núna í senn veitingahús og kaffihús, spila- og setustofa, þungamiðja alls þess, sem gerist í Padova.

Frá suðurdyrum kaffihússins förum við til hægri 50 metra eftir Via Cesare inn á Piazza dei Frutti við hlið borgarhallarinnar. Við göngum fyrir austurenda hennar inn á Piazza delle Erbe og virðum hana fyrir okkur.

Palazzo della Ragione

(Piazza dei Frutti. )

Reist 1218 sem dómhöll og ráðhús borgarinnar.

Hún hefur að geyma stærsta miðaldasal Evrópu, 80 metra langan, 27 metra breiðan og 27 metra háan. Veggir salarins eru skreyttir 333 freskum eftir Nicola Miretto, frá 1420-1425. Þær komu stað fyrri steinmálverka eftir Giotto, sem eyðilögðust í bruna 1420.

Við göngum vestur úr torginu tæplega 100 metra leið eftir Via Manin og beygjum til vinstri inn á Piazza del Duomo, þar sem dómkirkjan blasir við. Hægra megin torgsins er miðaldahöll.

Palazzo del Monte di Pietà

(Piazza del Duomo. )

Höllin sjálf er frá miðöldum, en bogagöngin framan við hana eru frá 16. öld.

Milli hallar og dómkirkju er skírnhús.

Battistero

(Piazza del Duomo. )

Rómanskt skírnhús stílhreint frá 4. öld, leifar kirkju, sem hér stóð, áður en 16. aldar dómkirkjan var reist. Inni í því eru fjörlegar freskur eftir Giusto de’Menabuoi frá síðari hluta 14. aldar.

Michelangelo hóf hönnun dómkirkjunnar, sem breyttist töluvert í höndum eftirmannanna.

Við förum frá torginu 50 metra leið norður eftir Via Monte di Pietà að Piazza dei Signori. Gamla herlögreglustöðin er við vesturenda torgsins.

Palazzo del Capitaniato

(Piazza dei Signori. )

Reist 1599-1605 fyrir herlögreglu borgarinnar. Í turninum er stjörnuúr frá 1344.

Við torgið eru fögur boga- og súlnagöng með sérverzlunum og kaffistofum.

Við vesturenda suðurhliðar torgsins er hásúlnahöll.

Loggia della Gran Guardia

(Piazza dei Signori. )

Höll höfðingjaráðsins, reist 1523 í endurreisnarstíl með háu og grönnu súlnaporti, núna notuð sem ráðstefnumiðstöð.

Við höfum lokið skoðun, förum austur úr Piazza dei Signori eftir Via San Clemente og síðan Piazza dei Frutti og Via Oberdan, samtals um 300 metra leið. Á horninu við Caffè Pedrocchi beygjum við til vinstri í Via Cavour og förum norður hana 600 metra að lystigarðinum, sem við göngum langsum til að komast yfir brúna að bílastæðinu. Næst könnum við gististaði í miðborginni.

Hótel

(Padova. )

Miðborgargistingu má fá 50 metrum sunnan við Piazza delle Erbe, í 29 herbergja Majestic Toscanelli, Via dell’Arco 2, sími 663 244, fax 876 0025, verð L. 190000 með morgunverði.

Eða við hlið Caffè Pedrocchi, í 22 herbergja Leon Bianco, Piazzetta Pedrocchi 12, sími 875 0814, fax 875 6184, verð L. 157000.

Næst beinum við sjónum okkar að völdum veitingahúsum miðborgarinnar, sem heimamenn nota sjálfir.

Veitingahús

(Padova. )

Miðborgarveitingar má fá 100 metrum norðan við Piazza dei Signori, í Belle Parti-Toulá, Via Belle Parti 11, sími 875 1822, verð fyrir tvo L. 160000, lokað sunnudaga og í hádegi mánudaga.

Einnig 50 metrum norðan þess, í Isola di Caprera, Via Marsilio da Padova 11/15, sími 876 0244, verð fyrir tvo L. 120000, lokað sunnudaga.

Eða við vesturenda borgarhallarinnar, í Cavalca, Via Manin 8, sími 876 0061, verð fyrir tvo L. 90000, lokað þriðjudagskvöld og miðvikudaga.

Við höldum svo úr bænum áleiðis til Vicenza, um 40 km leið.

Vicenza

Frægust er borgin fyrir arkitektinn Andrea Palladio, sem var uppi 1508-1580. Hann fæddist í borginni og hannaði ýmsar frægustu byggingar miðbæjarins, svo sem Basilica Palladiana, Loggia del Capitaniato, Palazzo Valmarana, Teatro Olimpico og Palazzo Chiericati. Margir telja miðbæ Vicenza einn fegursta miðbæ Ítalíu, enda er hann að mestu leyti frá endurreisnartímanum.

Palladio nam rómverska byggingarlist keisaratímans í Róm. Síðan hannaði hann mörg sveitasetur feneyskra aðalsmanna í nágrenni borgarinnar og nokkrar hallir í Feneyjum sjálfum, kirkjuna Redentore á Giudecca-eyju, svo og klaustrið og kirkjuna á San Giorgio eyju. Flest eru verk hans þó í heimaborginni.

Hér skoðum við ekki aðeins verk Palladio, heldur einnig mannlífið á torgunum umhverfis Basilica Palladiana.

Við komum frá Padova úr austri, förum inn á umferðarhring borgarinnar og inn úr honum eftir Contrà porta Padova, yfir brú og beygjum strax til vinstri inn á torgið fyrir framan Palazzo Chiericati, þar sem eru bílastæði.

Palazzo Chiericati

(Piazza Matteotti. Opið þriðjudaga-sunnudaga. )

Reist 1550 af Andrea Palladio.

Höllin er núna borgarminjasafn, Museo Civico. Þekktasta listaverkið er sólarvagn Giulio Carpione. Þar eru einnig nokkrar gotneskar altaristöflur.

Við göngum af torginu yfir Corso Andrea Palladio og í Teatro Olimpico.

Teatro Olimpico

(Corso Andrea Palladio. Opið á sumrin 9:30-12:20 & 15-17:30, á veturna 14-16:30. )

Elzta leikhús Evrópu undir þaki, reist 1579-1585, hannað af Palladio og lærisveini hans, Vincenzo Scamozzi.

Áhorfendasalurinn myndar hálfan hring í líkingu við útileikhús Grikkja og Rómverja, en trébekkir koma í stað steinbekkja og eins konar himinn er málaður í loftið. Sviðsmyndin er föst, með Þebustrætum máluðum í þrívídd.

Ödipus konungur eftir Sófókles var fyrsta verkið, sem sýnt var í leikhúsinu. Grísk leikskáld fornaldar skipa fastan sess í sýningarskrá leikhússins.

Frá leikhúsinu förum við upp Corso Andrea Palladio um 200 metra og beygjum til vinstri í Contrà Santa Barbara, þar sem við komum eftir 100 metra að Piazza dei Signori. Þar blasir við borgarturninn mikli.

Torre di Piazza

(Piazza dei Signori. )

Óvenjulega grannur múrsteinsturn, reistur á 12. öld og hækkaður á 14. og 15. öld, svo að hann er nú 82 metra hár.

Hann gnæfir yfir Piazza dei Signori, sem er umkringt 15. aldar höllum, þar á meðal Basilica Palladiana. Torgið er líflegt markaðs- og kaffihúsatorg.

Við beinum athygli okkar að basilíkunni.

Basilica Palladiana

(Piazza dei Signori. )

Rétt nafn borgarhallarinnar með sívala koparþakið er Palazzo della Ragione, en oftast er hún kennd við höfund súlnaganga hennar, arkitektinn Palladio. Sjálf höllin er frá 15. öld og var farin að gefa sig, þegar hann var fenginn til að styrkja hana með tveggja hæða súlnagöngum árið 1549. Ofan á súlnagöngunum eru marmarastyttur grískra og rómverskra guða.

Myndastytta af Palladio er undir suðvesturgafli hallarinnar.

Norðan torgsins er lögreglustöðin gamla.

Loggia del Capitaniato

(Piazza dei Signori. )

Palladio reisti höllina 1571. Fyrst var hún lögreglustöð borgarinnar, en nú er borgarráðssalurinn þar til húsa.
Vinstra megin við höllina er þekktasta veitingahús borgarinnar, Gran Caffè Garibaldi á 2. hæð, sími 544 147, verð fyrir tvo L. 110000.

Hægra megin við hana er gatan Contrà del Monte. Framhald hennar handan Corso Andrea Palladio er Contrà Porti. Við þá götu eru nokkrar gotneskar hallir í feneyskum stíl og nokkrar hallir eftir Palladio í palladískum endurreisnarstíl.

Ef við höfum tíma, getum við gengið frá suðvesturenda basilíkunnar um Calle Muscheria og Contrà Garibaldi tæplega 200 metra leið að dómkirkjunni.

Duomo

(Piazza Duomo. )

Kirkjukórinn, sem snýr að torginu, er upprunalegur, sem og útveggir kirkjunnar. Að öðru leyti skemmdist dómkirkjan mikið í síðari heimsstyrjöldinni.

Frá dómkirkjutorginu göngum við norðvestur Via Battisti rúmlega 100 metra leið og beygjum til hægri í Corso Andrea Palladio. Á norðurhorni gatnamótanna er Palazzo Valmarana, ein af höllum Palladio, frá 1566. Síðan förum við Corso Andrea Palladio til norðausturs 600 metra leið til Piazza Matteotti, þar sem er bílastæðið okkar. Næst beinum við athyglinni að gististöðum í miðborginni.

Hótel

(Vicenza. )

Miðborgargistingu má fá 300 metrum suðvestan dómkirkjunnar, í 35 herbergja Campo Marzio, Viale Roma 21, sími 545 700, fax 320 495, verð L. 250000 með morgunverði.

Eða 300 metrum vestan við suðvesturenda Corso Andrea Palladio í 33 herbergja Cristina, Corso Santi Felice e Fortunato 32, sími 323 751, fax 543 656, verð L. 165000 með morgunverði.

Næst beinum við sjónum okkar að völdum veitingahúsum miðborgarinnar, sem heimamenn nota sjálfir.

Veitingahús

(Vicenza. )

Miðborgarveitingar má fá 100 metrum sunnan austurenda Piazza dei Signori, í Scudo di Francia, Contrà Piancoli 4, sími 323 322, verð fyrir tvo L. 130000, lokað sunnudagskvöld og mánudaga.

Einnig 200 metrum vestan dómkirkjunnar, í Agli Schioppi, Contrà del Castello 26, sími 543 701, verð fyrir tvo L. 110000, lokað laugardagskvöld og sunnudaga.

Eða 50 metrum norðan Piazza dei Signori, í Tre Visi, Contrà Porti 6, sími 324 868, verð fyrir tvo L. 150000, lokað sunnudagskvöld og mánudaga.

Við höldum svo úr bænum áleiðis til Verona, um 40 km leið.

Garibaldi

(Piazza dei Signori. Lokað miðvikudaga. Verð: L.110000 (4653 kr) fyrir tvo. Öll helztu greiðslukort. B2)

Gamalfínt veitingahús á annarri hæð fyrir ofan pizzustofu við hlið Loggia del Capitaniato við Piazza dei Signori.

Frekar fínlegur, en víðáttumikill staður með flísagólfi og tágasetum á tréstólum. Þjónusta er kurteis.

• Olive farcite all’ascolani = djúpsteiktar olífur á salatbeði. • Petto d’oca affumicato con crostini = reykt gæsabrjóst. • Filetto di manzo con tartufi = ungnauta-hryggsteik með soðnu grænmeti.

Verona

Frægust er borgin sem sögusvið leikrits Shakespeare um Rómeó og Júlíu, elskendur frá 1302. Enn eru mörg hús gamla miðbæjarins frá þeim tíma og sum raunar eldri, þar á meðal hið fræga, tuttugu alda gamla hringleikahús. Borgin var 1263-1387 ein af endurreisnarborgum Ítalíu, undir stjórn Scaligeri hertoganna og undir stjórn feneyska heimsveldisins 1405-1814.

Ferðamenn koma til Verona til að komast í stemmningu á söngleik undir berum himni og til að kynnast borg, sem blandar saman endurreisnarstíl meginlands Ítalíu og hinum austræna stíl frá Miklagarði, sem einkennir nágrannaborgina Feneyjar. Gott er að skoða miðbæinn, því að hann er samanrekinn á eins ferkílómetra svæði, sem er vafið fljótinu Adige á þrjá vegu.

Í borginni eru fræg torg, Piazza Brà, Piazza delle Erbe og Piazza dei Signori; frægar hallir, Palazzo del Comune, Palazzo di Cangrande; og frægar kirkjur, Santa Anastasia og Duomo; svo og Péturskastali og gamli borgarkastalinn. Þar eru einnig háloftagrafhýsi Scaligeri-hertoganna og rómverskt útileikhús, auk hringleikahússins fræga.

Við byrjum borgarskoðun á torginu framan við hringleikahúsið.

Piazza Brà

Stærsta torg miðborgarinnar, útisamkomustaður borgarinnar og forgrunnur hins mikilfenglega hringleikahúss frá fornöld. Það er varðað nýgnæfum byggingum frá 19. öld og fornminjasafninu Museo Lapidario Maffeiano, á nr. 28.

Hringleikahúsið gnæfir austan við torgið.

Arena

(Piazza Brà. Lokað mánudaga. )

Byggingu þriðja stærsta hringleikahúss veraldar lauk árið 30. Það er 139 metra langt og 110 metra breitt og rúmar 25.000 áhorfendur í 44 sætaröðum. Það hefur varðveitzt nokkurn veginn í heilu lagi, að öðru leyti en því, að yzta byrðið er að mestu horfið.

Efst uppi er á góðum degi fagurt útsýni yfir borgina og til fjalla. Á sumrin eru haldnar þar miklar tónlistarhátíðir.

Frá hringleikahúsinu norðanverðu förum við inn í Via Mazzini.

Via Mazzini

Göngugata og eins konar miðbæjarás, sem tengir helztu torg miðborgarinnar, Piazza Brà og Piazza delle Erbe. Helztu tízkuverzlanir borgarinnar eru við þessa 500 metra löngu götu, sem liggur um gamalt hverfi þröngra göngugatna.

Úr norðausturenda götunnar komum við í suðurenda gamla miðbæjartorgsins.

Piazza delle Erbe

Fagrar byggingar frá endurreisnartíma einkenna þetta langa og mjóa torg, sem hóf göngu sína sem Rómverjatorg, Forum, og hefur verið lifandi borgartorg í tuttugu aldir. Það er nú markaðstorg, þakið sólhlífum torgsala, umkringt listsýningarsölum, tízkuverzlunum og gangstéttarkaffihúsum, af sumum talið eitt fegursta borgartorg Ítalíu.

Á torginu miðju er gosbrunnur með rómverskri höggmynd, sem táknar verzlun, venjulega kölluð Madonna di Verona. Í norðurenda þess er súla frá 1528 með ljóni heilags Markúsar, tákni Feneyjaveldis.

Við norðurendann er Palazzo Maffei, hlaðstílshöll frá 1668, með tízkuverzlunum og lúxusíbúðum.

Við austanverðan syðri hluta torgsins er kastali.

Palazzo del Comune

(Piazza delle Erbe. )

Ráðhúsið í borginni er gluggalítill miðaldakastali, sem ber strangan svip við torgið.

Sömu megin götunnar gnæfir hár turn yfir torgið.

Torre Lamberti

(Piazza delle Erbe. )

Háreistur turn frá 1172, 84 metra hár, með miklu útsýni. Inngangur í turninn er úr porti, sem við skoðum í þessari gönguferð.

Sömu megin torgsins, aðeins norðar er skrautleg höll.

Casa dei Mazzanti
(Piazza delle Erbe. )

Höll frá 1301, að utanverðu skreytt veggmálverkum, sem hafa verið gerð upp.

Við förum um sund norðan Torre dei Lamberti undir steinbogann Arco della Costa inn á annað myndarlegt torg.

Piazza dei Signori

Ferhyrnt torg með feneyskum svip. Á miðju torginu er stytta af rithöfundinum Dante Aligheri, sem bjó í borginni í skjóli Scaligeri-hertoganna, meðan hann var í útlegð frá Flórenz 1301-1304. Hann tileinkaði Scaligeri-hertoganum Cangrande I lokakafla meginverks síns, La Divina Commedia.

Norðan torgsins er höllin Loggia del Consiglio, austan þess er höllin Palazzo di Cangrande, og í suðurhorninu er höllin Palazzo di Ragione, sem er raunar bakhlið hallarinnar Palazzo del Comune.

Í suðausturhorninu hefur verið grafið niður á leifar hellulagðrar brautar, sem var rómverski þjóðvegurinn inn í borgina.

Við lítum fyrst inn í hallarport Palazzo di Ragione.

Scala della Ragione

(Piazza dei Signori. )

Portið var á miðöldum helzti markaður borgarinnar. Af torginu og upp að þáverandi dómsölum borgarinnar liggja voldugar tröppur í síðgotneskum Feneyjastíl, reistar 1446-1450. Sjálf höllin er frá 14. öld.

Við förum aftur úr portinu og skoðum höllina við norðurenda torgsins.

Loggia del Consiglio

(Piazza dei Signori. )

Fögur tengihöll frá 1493 í feneyskum endurreisnarstíl með háum og grönnum súlnasvölum við torgið og veggfreskum yfir svölunum. Á þakskeggi eru styttur af rómverskum frægðarmönnum, sem voru fæddir í Verona, svo sem Catullusi skáldi, Pliniusi náttúruvísindamanni og Vitruviusi byggingameistara.

Hornrétt á tengihöllina er önnur höll.

Palazzo di Cangrande

(Piazza dei Signori. )

Höllin er kennd við Cangrande I, þekktasta hertoga Scaligeri-ættarinnar, sem stjórnaði borginni 1263-1387. Hún er núna lögreglustöð.
Við förum með suðurhlið hallarinnar nokkra metra að litlu torgi með miklum minnisvörðum.

Arche Scaligere

(Santa Maria in Chiavica. )

Hér eru steinkistur Scaligeri-hertoganna hátt á stalli undir berum himni í tilkomumiklum 14. aldar turnum í gotneskum stíl með oddhvössum spírum framan við framhlið Palazzo di Cangrande. Þess háttar greftrun er einsdæmi í miðaldasögu Ítalíu.

Scaligeri-hertogarnir höfðu svo mikið sjálfsálit, að þeir vildu hvíla nær guði en aðrir höfðingjar, sem yfirleitt hvíla í kirkjuhvelfingum.

Að baki kistuturnanna er lítil, rómönsk kirkja frá 7. öld, Santa Maria Antica. Hún var ættarkirkja Scaligeri-hertoganna. Kistuturn Cangrande I er beint fyrir framan kirkjudyrnar.

Við förum norður með austurhlið Palazzo di Cangrande 100 metra eftir götunni Cavaletto og beygjum til hægri í Corso Sant’Anastasia, sem liggur að einni höfuðkirkju borgarinnar, aðra 100 metra til viðbótar.

Sant’Anastasia

(Piazza Sant’Anastasia. )

Voldug og háreist klausturkirkja Dóminíkusarmunka í rómönskum stíl frá 1290, með gotneskum inngangi, skreyttum veggfreskum frá 15. öld.

Frá bakhlið kirkjunnar förum við norður og niður brekkuna að ánni Adige, yfir hana á rómversku brúnni Ponte della Pietra og suður með bakkanum hinum megin að rómverska leikhúsinu, alls um 400 metra leið.

Teatro Romano

(Rigaste Redentore. Lokað mánudaga. )

Rómverskt leikhús frá 1. öld fyrir Krist, tíma Ágústusar keisara, og er enn notað til leiksýninga. Áður voru þar sýnd leikverk eftir Plautus, en nú er þar haldin árleg Shakespeare-hátíð. Leikhúsið er byggt inn í árbakkann og veitir gott útsýni frá heillegum áhorfendapöllum yfir ána til miðborgarinnar.

Frá leikhúsinu er farið í lyftu upp í klaustrið fyrir ofan.

Castel San Pietro

(Rigaste Redentore. Lokað mánudaga. )

Klaustrinu ofan við rómverska leikhúsið hefur verið breytt í fornminjasafn með frábæru útsýni yfir borgina og héraðið. Í safninu eru meðal annars fornar steinfellumyndir.

Við förum til baka yfir rómversku brúna og upp brekkuna handan hennar að dómkirkjunni. Við afturenda kirkjunnar förum við hjá anddyri biskupsgarðsins.

Palazzo di Vescovo

Gotneskur inngangur hallar dómkirkjubiskupsins.

Við förum fram fyrir kirkjuna og inn á torgið fyrir framan hana.

Duomo

Dómkirkjan hefur verið gerð upp og geislar hinum mildu steinlitum, sem hún bar upprunalega. Elzti hluti hennar er frá 12. öld og framhliðin er í rómönskum langbarðastíl, hönnuð af Nicolò.

Bleikar súlur halda uppi kirkjuþakinu. Helzta meistaraverk kirkjunnar er Upprisan eftir Tiziano, frá 1535-1540, í fyrstu kapellunni vinstra megin.

Frá kirkjunni er innangengt í skírnhúsið, sem raunverulega er 8. aldar múrsteinskirkja, San Giovanni in Fonte, með 12. aldar framhlið úr marmara.

Við förum frá kirkjunni til baka eftir Via Duomo, beygjum til hægri og förum 1200 metra eftir Corso Cavour að gamla borgarkastalanum.

Castelvecchio

(Corte Castelvecchio. Lokað mánudaga. )

Fagurlega hannaður kastali Scaligeri-hertoganna, reistur 1355-1375, á valdatíma Cangrande II, enn í góðu ástandi og hýsir nú glæsilega skipulagt listasögusafn, sem auðvelt er að skoða í réttri tímaröð. Það spannar síðrómverska list, frumkristna list, miðaldalist og list endurreisnartímans, þar á meðal verk Giovanni Bellini, Tiziano og Veronese.

Handan vopnadeildar safnsins er göngubrú, sem veitir gott útsýni til brúarinnar Ponte Scaligero.

Ponte Scaligero

Miðaldabrú, reist 1354-1376, á valdaskeiði Cangrande II, helzti vettvangur gönguferða borgarbúa nú á tímum. Brúin skemmdist í heimsstyrjöldinni síðari, en hefur verið gerð upp að nýju.

Frá Castelvecchio er bein, 600 metra leið eftir Via Roma til Piazza Brà, þar sem við hófum þessa gönguferð um Verona. Næst beinum við athygli okkar að gististöðum í miðborginni.

Hótel

(Verona. )

Í húsasundi út frá Corso Porta Nuova, alls um 200 metra frá megintorginu Piazza Brà, er 41 herbergja lúxushótelið San Luca, Vicolo Volto San Luca 8, sími 591 333, fax 800 2143, verð L. 260000 með morgunverði. Í þvergötu, nokkrum skrefum frá miðbæjarásnum Via Mazzini, er 93 herbergja Accademia, Via Scala 12, sími og fax 596 222, verð L. 300000 án morgunverðar.

Í þvergötu, nokkrum skrefum frá Corso Cavour, er 38 herbergja Victoria, Via Adua 6, sími 590 566, fax 590 155, verð L. 240000 án morgunverðar. Nokkrum skrefum austan við hringleikahúsið er 30 herbergja Giulietta e Romeo, Vicolo Tre Marchetti 3, sími 800 3554, fax 801 0862, verð L. 170000 með morgunverði.

Nokkurn veginn á sama stað er 49 herbergja Milano, Vicolo Tre Marchetti 11, sími 596 011, fax 801 1299, verð L. 150000 án morgunverðar. Um 200 metrum austan við borgarkastalann er 17 herbergja Cavour, Vicolo Chiodo 4, sími 590 166, verð L. 100000 án morgunverðar, en þar er ekki tekið við plastkortum.

Næst beinum við sjónum okkar að völdum veitingahúsum miðborgarinnar, sem heimamenn nota sjálfir.

Veitingahús

(Verona. )

Bezta veitingahúsið, um 300 metra beint suður af Piazza dei Signori, er Il Desco, Via Dietro San Sebastiano 7, sími 595 358, fax 590 236, verð L. 230000 fyrir tvo, lokað sunnudaga. Næst kemur afar gamalt og fagurt Dodici Apostoli, í húsasundi í elzta hluta borgarinnar, rúmlega 200 metrum vestur frá Piazza delle Erbe, við Corticella San Marco 3, sími 596 999, fax 591 530, verð L. 220000 fyrir tvo, lokað sunnudagskvöld og mánudaga.

Bezta fiskréttahúsið, nokkrum skrefum frá Arche Scaligeri, er Arche, Via Arche Scaligeri 6, sími 800 7415, verð L. 200000 fyrir tvo, lokað sunnudaga og í hádegi mánudaga. Bezti hótelsalurinn, nokkrum skrefum frá Via Mazzini, er Accademia, Via Scala 10, sími og fax 800 6072, lokað sunnudagskvöld og miðvikudaga. Nokkrum skrefum norður frá Piazza Brà er Torcolo, Via Cattaneo 11, sími 803 0018, fax 801 1083, verð L. 130000 for two, lokað mánudaga.

Aðeins 200 metrum framan við Anastasíu-kirkju er Trattoria Sant’Anastasia, Corso Sant’Anastasia 27, sími 800 9177, verð L. 110000 fyrir tvo, lokað sunnudaga og miðvikudaga. Nokkrum skrefum austan við hringleikahúsið er Tre Marchetti, Vicolo Tre Marchetti 19/b, sími 803 0463, verð L. 120000 fyrir tvo, lokað sunnudaga.

Þar með lýkur ferð okkar til Verona og dvöl okkar á Feneyjasvæðinu. Ef við ætlum til Feneyja, er gott að vita, að þangað eru 114 km á hraðbrautinni.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson