1. Leaning tower of Pisa
1. The tower is 56.67m high
2. It took 176 years to build
3. It used to lean to the north but now leans to the south
4.The leaning tower of Pisa is not the only leaning tower in Pisa. The Campanile of San Nicola and theCampanile of San Michele degli Scalzi also lean
2. Colosseum
1. There are 80 entrances
2. It is one of the seven wonders of the world
3. It could seat up to 50,000 people
4. Measuring 189 metres long, 156 metres wide and 50 metres in height, the Colosseum is the largest amphitheater in the world.
5. Natural disasters and vandalism destroyed approximately two-thirds of the Colosseum. But it was the 847 AD and 1231 AD earthquakes that did the most damage that you can see today.
3. Pompeii
1. Pompeii was destroyed and buried under 4 to 6 meters (13 to 20 feet) of volcanic ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD
2. The eruption occurred on 24 August 79 AD one day after the religious festival to Vulcan, the Roman god of fire
3. Pompeii was a highly developed and flourishing city before the disaster. The city had a complex water system, an amphitheatre, gymnasium, and a port
4. Pompeii was first rediscovered in 1599 by Domenico Fontana, an Italian architect
5. The ashes had acted as a marvelous preservative. Underneath all that dust, Pompeii was almost exactly as it had been 2,000 years before.
4. Fountain Trevi
1. Legend has it that if you toss a coin into the fountain with your right hand over your right shoulder you will return to Rome
2. An estimated 3 000 Euros are thrown into the Trevi Fountain each day. The coins are collected every night and given to charity
3. The fountain is about 86 feet high (26.3 meters) and 65 feet wide (20 meters)
4. Work on the fountain began in 1732 and was finished in 1762
5. In 1730 there was a contest to select an artist to design the fountain. But when a Florentine won the people of Rome were up in arms and so the Pope selected the designer who came in second the Roman Nicola Salvi