On your deathbed and want to know what you need to see on this mortal plane before you kick the bucket? These are the top ten places you have to visit before you travel to that cloud in the sky (or pit in the ground).
The Pyramids and the Sphinx, Egypt
You have to visit this amazing place, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Great Pyramid of Giza.
- The Great Pyramid of Khufu (or Cheops)
- The Pyramid of Kafhre
- The smaller Pyramid of Menkaura.
Each Pyramid is a tomb to a different King of Egypt. In front of the pyramids lies the Sphinx (or Abu al-Hol in Arabic, “Father of Terror”). Carved out of a single block of stone, this enormous cat-like sculpture has mesmerized millions of visitors.
Santorini, Greece
Stonehenge, England
Stonehenge is a well-known stone monument located on a world heritage site in Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England. The site as is quite large and contains many other structures from the Neolithic period and the Bronze Age. Stonehenge is considered one of the most archaeologically rich sites in Europe, with many Neolithic and Bronze Age finds. It is also the site of one of the biggest Chalk grassland reversion projects in the world. Stonehenge has been occupied since around 8000BC with early work at Stonehenge beginning in 3000BC when an outer ditch and embankment was constructed, and standing timbers erected. From about 2500BC, Neolithic and Bronze age man started to bring Bluestones and Sarsen stones from Wales and the Marlborough Downs, it was completed in 1600BC. A nearby hill fort was built during the Iron Age, and there is evidence to suggest that the area was extensively settled by the Romans. The reason behind the structure still remains a mystery with many theories developed to explain the phenomenon.
Italy
Italy has a lot to offer its visitors. Italy is a modern country with deep Roman Catholic roots, full of interesting stuff for the casual tourist and even more for the educated visitor. In the north, next to the Alps and the flatlands of the Po river, both cultural jewels and highly developed industrial cities attract. In Lombardia’s capital Milan, city of haute couture and business, you can easily spend weeks without being bored. Bergamo is only an hour away and has an upper Old Town.
The most famous tourist attractions in the north-east are Venice and Verona, that both let you think of romantic love affairs. To discover the beautiful landscapes around, for example, the Verona province may be even more fascinating. For wine lovers, Piemonte is directly connected with Barolo and Barbaresco, the most famous wines made out of the Nebbiolo grape. Piemonte’s capital, Turin offers more than just a starting point to visit these wine regions. Lots of museums, modern art, book and music fairs make Turin one of the leading Italian cities concerning cultural life. The coastal region of Liguria is another highlight.
The Riviera delle Palme has no reason to envy its French counterpart. Beaches, countryside, the right climate and old towns like Genoa make this region a must to visit. The Lunigiana region, Albenga and Ceriale are worth a visit and an even longer stay. Gourmets should not miss the Emilia Romagna, Italy’s culinary centre. Bologna, “La Grassa” like the Italians say, is a must see as well as Ravenna with its impressive mosaic works and the Byzantine architecture and last but not least Rimini, on the Adriatic Sea. For Tuscany words fail to describe its beauty: You have to go there to see, smell and experience the beauty of the old towns and lovely valleys yourself. Florence, Lucca, Pisa, Prato and Siena, offer more cultural highlights than some countries as a whole. The way of living does the rest to attract every year millions of visitors. Elba, the island of Napoleans first exile, is only one of seven Tuscan Archipelago islands.
Rome, The Eternal City, with its monumental palaces, churches, squares, and fountains still fed by aqueducts with ancient water sources, has to be visited by every Italy traveler. To discover Rome, “A lifetime is not enough”. Campania has attracted visitors over the centuries: Capri, Ischia, Sorrento and Amalfi became the chosen destinations of visitors from many countries. Sicily the largest island in the Mediterranean has been influenced by the culture of the Greeks, the Romans, the Arabs the Normans and many others. For those who enjoy walking and climbing, go to the Dolomites, this is the Mountain range in Northern Italy that sperates it from Austria and extends westwards to join the Alps. Major centres include Cortina, further South and West is Arco and a few kilometers from the Northern tip of Lake Garda.
Loch Ness, Scotland
Loch Ness is the largest of three lochs located in the Great Glen which divides the North of Scotland along a line from Fort William to Inverness. The loch is large by British standards, being 23 miles long and a mile in width, and averaging 600ft in depth. Its catchment is hilly and wet, and is drained by 6 major rivers which flow into the loch. It contains over 2 cubic miles of fresh water, and the River Ness outlet, although only 5 miles long, is one of the greatest in Britain for average flow and of course is the home of the famous monster of lore
Pyramid of the Sun and Moon, Teotihuacán
Towering and mysterious, the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon rise above silent Teotihuacán, an empty city that once bustled with as many as 200,000 people and stood at the center of Mexico’s pre-Hispanic empire. Erected by a virtually unknown culture in the first century B.C., the city sprawled over an area larger than imperial Rome. But by A.D. 750 it had been abruptly abandoned, perhaps because of disaster or drought. Five hundred years later the Aztecs came upon Teotihuacán — with its pyramids, temples, apartments, and ball courts — and adopted it as a center of pilgrimage. At roughly 210 feet high, the Pyramid of the Sun ranks as one of the largest pyramids in the world. (It is about half as tall as the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.)
The builders raised the Pyramid of the Sun around A.D. 100, somehow transporting and erecting three million tons of stone, brick, and rubble without benefit of the wheel, beasts of burden, or metal tools. In 1971, archaeologists found a previously unknown entryway some 320 feet long that leads to a cave directly beneath the apex of the pyramid. At one time the cave held a natural spring, and there are still piles of charcoal in the chamber — perhaps indicating ceremonies involving water and fire. No one knows, although scientists enjoy speculating.
