http://www.articletrader.com/ Articles at ArticleTrader en-us http://www.articletrader.com/travel/destinations/medicine-in-history-baths-of-the-ancient-rome.html http://www.articletrader.com/travel/destinations/medicine-in-history-baths-of-the-ancient-rome.html Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500
In III – II centuries BC there were almost no doctors in Rome. They thought that the best way to cure diseases and stay healthy was to make regular visits to baths, or therms, which is translated as “hot.” In fact, it was not just a fashionable tendency, it was a real cult. They visited baths every day, some patricians could even spend most of their time there. But this is quite understandable: a bath was not just a place to clean your body, but also a club, a gym, a medical area... This was a place for washing, training, discussing, negotiating as well as painting, writing, playing music, partying and even sleeping. With no exaggeration, one could spend the whole life in a bath.

In the end of the V century AC there were almost 900 baths in Rome, serving a population of about 2 million. Any emperor who wanted to acquire his people's love built free public therms. The rich ones had their own baths, lavishly decorated and adorned with marble, expensive wood, silver and gold.

The Romans did know about how helpful and healthy the baths were. But how did they look like? We can be quite sure about what we know because we have the ruins of the Roman's best known baths, the Baths of Caracalla. Plus to this, there are numerous ancient scripts telling us how exactly the Romans spent their time there. So.

Palestre. A visit to baths started with some physical exercises. That's what palestras were used for. The exercises were not that energetic, and, as a rule, not aggressive. Some Romans did practice combat sports, at least that's what frescoes mention, but most of them preferred sprinting, swimming etc. The main idea was to warm up, limber up and to sweat.

Apodyterium, or simply a dressing room, contained cubicles, shelves and benches for the visitors to leave their clothes at. This was rather convenient, but however, they did not guarantee 100 % clothes safety. Those who could afford it left their slave or a servant by their belongings so as to look after it. Otherwise there were chances that you'd go home naked. If the clothes was stolen anyway, the only thing one could do is to turn to call upon the gods and demand justice. For this he had to write a damnation on a clay board and bring it to a temple.

Tepidarium is translated as the “warm place”, the heated room used for bathing and ablution. With the help of the slaves or by themselves the Romans rubbed oil into their skin (they had no soap at the time), and then scraped it with the help of special curved metal instruments. Massage and even depilation treatments were also done here (despite the pain it caused, depilation was rather popular with Romans). After all the treatments, the washed and relaxed Romans went to swim in a warm swimming pool, and then followed to the next rooms.

Caldarium and the Hypocaust. The hottest space was called Caldarium – a spacious room with high ceiling containing hot plunge baths. The water was heated by the hypocaust, a kind of a furnace located under the Caldarium which was the source of heat for the therms. The temperatures were rather high – to prevent feet burns the Romans wore wooden sandals.

And, finally, a Frigidarium, or a cold room, which was used after the baths. Visitors could bathe, relax and enjoy the cultural programme: poets, musicians, actors and dancers were there to entertain them. They could also have a snack or a drink and sleep here. In the end, tired and sometimes drunk, they returned back to the Apodyterium to get dressed and go home.

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Hotels in Rome - online hotel reservation.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/travel/destinations/centre-georges-pompidou-in-paris.html http://www.articletrader.com/travel/destinations/centre-georges-pompidou-in-paris.html Fri, 23 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500
“The European house of culture”, “the artistic cathedral”, “the cultural supermarket”, “an eclectostation”, “Pompidoulium” - there are many words the French press called the new center with. An unusual construction symbolized the purpose of the centre – culture “mass production” and spreading.

In contrast to the traditional architecture one can see at the IV arrondissement, the building impresses with its avant-garde forms and scales. Its 42 meters high, 166 meters long and 60 meters wide. It has eight floors, including three underground ones. To leave some space inside the building, all the communication systems were located outside. This looks fabulous: blue, green and yellow tubes, each with a different function.

Centre Georges Pompidou, or simply Beaubourg as the locals call it, is one of the most visited city attractions. The building houses a public library, the Musée National d'Art Moderne, IRCAM - the centre for music and acoustic research headed by Pierre Boulez, a library and art schools for children, cinema and conference halls. The building was renovated in 1999-2000.

Musée National d'Art Moderne, or the National Museum for Modern Arts, displays a vast collection of modern arts from 1905 to present days: paintings, sculpture, architecture, design, photography. There are works by the great masters of the 20th century (Matisse, Picasso, Braque, Duchamp, Miró, Giacometti).

Bibliothèque publique d'information is the largest library in France. It occupies the third and the second floors of the centre. 2 million books, language laboratories, audiovisual equipment, newspapers and magazines from different world countries.

The main entrance to the centre is located at the Place Georges Pompidou. The facade of the building is traversed with a giant glass escalator, which brings you to the upper ground where so that you could enjoy splendid views over Paris: Saint-Jacques Tower, tower of the Notre Dame.. and on the other side there are Montmartre and Basilique du Sacré-Cœur.

The square in front of the centre is occupied by street actors, musicians and acrobats, just like in the medieval times. The arrondissement contains lots of art galleries, cosy restaurants and souvenir shops also selling photo albums, postcards and CDs.

North from the Centre Georges Pompidou there is the Quartier de l'Horloge (Clock Quarter) – a pedestrian area with numerous art and handicrafts shops. The focus of the Quartier is the giant clock which shows a soldier battling a dragon and other mythical animals.

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Hotels in Paris - online hotel reservation.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/travel/destinations/national-park-called-rome.html http://www.articletrader.com/travel/destinations/national-park-called-rome.html Tue, 20 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Falcons settled atop of the Colosseum, ducks feel fine at the former riverbed of the Tiber, and there are newts living in its nowadays riverbed. Rome has a unique ecosystem, like a true national park – in many ways, thanks to the absence of industrial premises and lack of housing in many of its districts.

Animals feel at home even in the city centre. There is enough food, the number of predators is minimum, hunting is banned. One could say their life in Rome is even safer than that in a forest – some animals are well adapted to the new conditions. Seagulls are among those, as its takes them only 10 minutes to get to Rome from the sea. They are used to building their nests by the water, and it seems they confused the city with an island amidst the ocean, and the tiled roofs of Rome with rocks. In their wildlife habitats they usually hunt for fish, but here their target is food debris swimming in the muddy Tiber. Ornithologists have countered at least 300 matches of birds having permanent residence in prestigious districts by the river.

Kestrel demonstrates its evolution against the background of the ancient ruins on the Palatine Hill. The same with pigeons, sparrows, crows, ducks, herons, kites, owls, eagle-owls and little owls. Villas Borghese and Ada are inhabited by toads, frogs, salamanders and newts. But unfortunately very often they become the victims of cars and other vehicles. Geckos, lizards and snakes, carps, crucians, grey mullets, eels, pesce gatto and spinarello... Rome has a rich fauna.

There are so many starlings, that sometimes it seems that the number of these birds is bigger than the number of people in Rome, especially near the Termini station. They live in the crowns of Italian pine trees. In past, when winter came they moved past Italy and further to Africa. During the last years they have settled in the Apennines, particularly in Rome, where its always warm, even in winter. In March – April they move back to their motherland – Russia, Finland, Poland. They feel carefree in Rome: green trees are like comfortable cottages excellent for winter holidays and rest from problems. Needless to say, the quality of food is excellent. There is abundance of insects, seeds and other delicacies.

At the same time, despite their small size, they can cause much trouble to the citizens of the Eternal city, mainly because of their dung. But let's forget about these little worries and see the beautiful bird flight many people admire with. Its a gigantic piping swarm which is constantly changing its shape. It seems that the sky is studded with little flickering dots which are then united into one moving cloud. When April comes starlings leave the banks of the Tiber and head north, bringing spring to the lands they fly to.

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Hotels in Rome - online hotel reservation.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/travel/destinations/chimeras-of-notre-dame.html http://www.articletrader.com/travel/destinations/chimeras-of-notre-dame.html Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Notre Dame de Paris – The Cathedral of Our Lady – stands on the bank of Seine not far from the Louvre, rising above Paris. The spacious square in front of the cathedral is always full of tourists, most of whom aspire to observe the city from above the cathedral. Its capacity is really impressive – there is room for around 9000 people at a time. Victor Hugo called this construction “a vast symphony in stone... the colossal work of one man and one people, all together one and complex... where, upon each stone, one sees the fancy of the workman disciplined by the genius of the artist start forth in a hundred fashions.”

Construction of this magnificent Gothic cathedral took more than 1,5 centuries. This building was the initiative of bishop Maurice de Sully, who ordered to demolish the current Parisian cathedral in 1160. Legend says that de Sully wanted Notre Dame de Paris to outshine all the other world buildings and become the best Our Lady's cathedral ever existing. Works started in 1163, during the reign of Louis VII, the foundation stone was laid by Pope Alexander III. Those were the times when Roman architectural style was gradually giving place to the Gothic one, that is why the cathedral's looks is typical of the time. Construction finished in 1345, both styles were harmoniously combined. The variety of sculptural ornaments is what many visitors to the cathedral are attracted by.

Notre Dame de Paris is 35 meters high and 48 meters wide. The South Tower holds the magnificent Emmanuel bell, which weights over 13 tons and contains gold and silver – many explain it by the legend that the bell was made of molten jewellery that local women threw into the cauldron.

Like many other French churches, during the French Revolution Notre Dame has suffered destruction and plunder. The statues of Biblical Kings were beheaded – some of those were found much later and are now displayed at the Musée de Cluny. Restoration started in 1845 and brought some changes to the cathedral's looks: they added chimeras – the allegorical images of human griefs. Some think that those are the masterpieces of different authors, created in different periods of time. But in fact, they are important constituents of one complex plot. Chimeras and other “creatures” of Notre Dame help communicate the ideas of its architects, the main of which is the idea of complexity of human nature. They are the soul of the cathedral, its different “egos”: thoughtful, melancholic, watching, cunning, wicked, looking at something that we don't see. What is unusual about all these sculptures is that sometimes they look more even lively than people.

Don't be in a hurry when visiting the cathedral. Just think how many people worked to construct it, how much force and efforts they put into this work, to carve these chimeras, and saints, and scenes from the Bible, and religious sermons – all that many tourists never pay attention at.

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Hotels in Paris - online hotel reservation.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/travel/destinations/the-ancient-modern-rome.html http://www.articletrader.com/travel/destinations/the-ancient-modern-rome.html Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Having read a couple of guides on Rome you might feel a bit confused: the Colosseum, the Pantheon, Saint Peter's Square... Experienced travelers say that excursions around main attractions, when you see them one by one in the order they are mentioned in travel guides, are useless. Leisurely idle walks – that is the best way to make friends with Rome.

First thing a tourist is advised to do in Rome is to get the city map and find the nearest stop for trams 3 and 8, which go around the city demonstrating a great amount of attractions. They will of course take you to the Colosseum. It might sometimes be difficult to get inside, but after your visit you can go further to Via dei Fori Imperiali – a road rich in archaeological and historic attractions: the ancient market, Forum of Trajan, Basilica Ulpia etc. Various events often take place here.

You are then free to go anywhere you want – Rome is rich in churches, fountains, squares, museums, cosy streets and shops. On your way from the Pantheon to Piazza Navona (by the way, the famous Fountain of the four Rivers is located here) you will encounter a modern house standing on piles right above the ancient ruins. This is what true Rome is – full understanding between the ancient history and modern life.

Squares are almost at every turn in Rome. The best known of them, like Piazza di Spagna, Campo de' Fiori, Piazza Venezia and Piazza Navona, are always crowded with people. However, there are also spots that are rarely mentioned in standard guides. Piazza Mincio in the Quartiere Coppede is one of those – fountain, arches and art-nouveau roofs are definitely worth seeing.

A historic district concentrated around Campo de' Fiori also deserves one's attention. The place is full of narrow lanes, endless stores selling various goods, small shops selling vintage clothes standing side by side with Renaissance palaces and ancient ruins. Another district (or “rione” like they call them here) pleasant to walk around is the bohemian Trastevere, which greatly differs from other Roman districts. Time runs more slowly, and colours are unlike anywhere else in the city. Trastevere has some churches (basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere, Santa Cecilia in Trastevere) and museums (Museo di Roma). The district is rich in cafes and restaurants serving wine and food. Trastevere still keeps its historic traditions.

As for spiritual traditions, one place that will remind you of those is the Vatican City. However, to enter it you will have to join a guided tour. And don't forget to observe Rome from the Janiculum Hill and Piazzale Garibaldi. An unmounted trip is the best way to get there – on your way you will see some beautiful houses and fountains. On the hilltop there is a green park. One of the most important local landmarks is the monument to Giuseppe Garibaldi

For the romantic persons I would recommend seeing the sunset from Circo Massimo (Circus Maximus), when the sun throws rays of light on the opposite Palatine.

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Hotels in Rome - online hotel reservation.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/travel/destinations/discovering-paris-arrondissement-1.html http://www.articletrader.com/travel/destinations/discovering-paris-arrondissement-1.html Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Don't trust those who say they know Paris like the back of their hand, this is impossible. Those who don't have enough time to study Paris thoroughly are advised to choose one or two districts, or regions, or arrondissements, or whatever you want to study, and walk them far and wide. On your next visit you will definitely want to continue your studies. So, what shall we start with?

The first arrondissement of Paris contains lots of attractions. It is located on the right bank of Seine, also covering the west end of the Ile de la Cite – the very heart of Paris, the place from where it started. It contains the oldest, the most historic and the most “Parisian” points of interest. We will try to give a brief overview of what is worth seeing there.

Pont Neuf 1607. Even though the name is translated as the “New Bridge”, Pont Neuf is the actually the oldest city bridge. The bridge is made of stone, construction was finished during the reign of Henri IV. The bridge was of great success, the French people liked its “half-round” arches which made it exceptionally elegant. The looks of the bridge hasn't changed till nowadays.

Le Louvre. The largest museum in France and the royal gallery of arts. It reflects many epochs and those who want to see it all in one day are... not advised to do this. A thorough survey needs some time. King Philip Augustus wanted to make it a fortress – for this, he constructed the "Old Tower", which was both an observation tower and a shelter. Francois I started its transformation into a Renaissance palace. King Henry IV united the Palais du Louvre with the Palais des Tuileries. Two galleries were constructed, which contained royal pieces of art. In 1793 the palace was turned into a museum. In 1981 the Louvre's courtyard was reconstructed, there was a new entrance to the museum - the Pyramide - built, and the underground area was transformed into a huge space with restaurants, souvenir shops, book stores etc. This is where modernity interweaves with history.

The Tuileries Garden is also a place not to be missed. It is beautiful, majestic and at the same time intimate and individual. In 1666 André Le Notre transformed the small garden of the Tuileries Palace into a park with spacious lanes that were the “sketch” for the future Champs-Élysées. Hundreds of statues adorned the new park, making it look like an outdoor museum.

Palais Royal. North of the Louvre there is the Palais Royal, the old residence built by the project of the the architect Jacques Lemercier. This is where Louis XIV spent his childhood, until the Fronde made him leave the place. After the fire of 1761 the palace was reconstructed, and after the Revolution there was the French theatre (the seat of the Comédie-Française,) added to the building. Nowadays the palace houses the Constitutional Council, and the Ministry of Culture.

Other objects worth seeing here are La Samaritaine - Grand Magazin, which started the architectural tendency for the numerous commercial buildings constructed in the beginning of the 20th century, and Rivoli Squat (chez Robert, electron libre) – an unusual old building, decorated with bottles, angels, wings and what not. This is a kind of manifestation – more than 200 artists squatted the building in 1999, and refused to leave it. The “decoration” of the building is a kind of their demonstration of freedom and independence.

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Hotels in Paris - online hotel reservation.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/travel/destinations/are-there-queues-in-roman-shops.html http://www.articletrader.com/travel/destinations/are-there-queues-in-roman-shops.html Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Well, don't be ashamed of your “earthly” desires. Mind that Italy is one of the best European countries to shop in, so it is really hard to stand the temptation.

So, you are in Rome. First thing to do is to go straight to Via Condotti and the streets next to the Piazza di Spagna. There are famous designer boutiques (Armani, Gucci, Bulgari, Cartier) all around. Why not get in, if you can afford it? Then let's have a walk down Via del Corso, which connects Piazza Venezia with Piazza del Popolo and its famous Egyptian obelisk, known as the obelisco Flaminio. Via del Corso is the main shopping street in Rome, from where streets with hundreds of stores radiate. Cheap shops stand side by side with boutiques, but even the most expensive of them are not as expensive as one might think. Don't forget that the street gets really crowded in the evening, and there might be traffic jams.

However, if you are not hunting for well-known brands and labels, go to the Termini railway station. Many Italians don't like it as being too “coarse” for historic centre. On the right there is Santa Maria degli Angeli church – one of the world's oldest, on the left - Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore – one of the six biggest basilicas in Rome. The place might seem a bit gloomy, but the prices are lower than those in the city centre.

Some tourists are looking for souvenirs for their relatives, nearest and dearest. If you are one of those and need to buy lots of things, there is one fantastic place for you. Every Sunday lots of Romans head to Porto Portese street market, which is really easy to find: its is located at the Piramide station, crowds of people go there so you won't miss it. Porto Portese is a true heaven for those who like “leisurely” shopping and bargaining. Things that will cost you a fortune in the city centre will definitely be cheap at the market. Though you are never safe from counterfeits. Other advantage of Porto Portese is that it gives you a chance to communicate with locals. Besides, its really “democratic” - everything can be touched or tried on. Plus to this, there are lots of snack bars selling pizzas, fish and hot dogs. But beware of pickpockets! Still, one could say that Porto Portese is the largest “department store” in Rome.

But all in all, there are relatively few department stores in Rome. As a rule, when you are looking for an English-speaking local, you can't find one. That is why one good advise for you is to prepare for a visit to Rome and learn names of some department stores. One popular chain of stores is La Rinascente, but prices are rather high. Standa and Upim sell things at moderate prices. Also remember such shopping malls as Cinecittà Due Centro Commerciale, which contains about 100 stores, banks bars and restaurants, and the Granai, which is even bigger.

Pay attention to the signs which say “sconti” and “saldi”, which mean discounts and sales, and especially to the shops with draped windows – this means that the shop is closing and sells its goods at high discounts, which sometimes rise up to 70 and 80 %. As for the question above – well, speaking of shops like this, don't believe those who say that there are no queues in Rome: having encountered a shop with big discounts, you might have to queue for hours.

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Hotels in Rome - online hotel reservation.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/travel/destinations/chateau-de-vincennes-and-its-park-paris.html http://www.articletrader.com/travel/destinations/chateau-de-vincennes-and-its-park-paris.html Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500
At about 1150 king Louis VII bought the forest and built a hunting lodge here. Next king built a bigger manor, then there was a small temple erected... this way each monarch added something new that suited his tastes and ambitions most: defensive constructions, rooms, living and non-residential premises etc. It was a royal residence and a royal prison, a fortress and military barracks. It was the symbol of oppression and power. Much of the work to enlarge the castle was done during the 14th century. One of the things that was added to the castle at the time was its well-known donjon, remarkable for its looks, size and history. The structure is the largest among the Medieval European donjons. Construction of the donjon started in 1340 by Philippe VI, the first of Valois, then continued by his son, and finished by his grandson Charles V Le Sage. The castle became the residence for the royal family of Valois, just like Versailles was the residence for the Bourbon dynasty.

Starting from the 16th century, during religious wars between the Catholics and the Protestants, this small country castle, which by the time had turned into a huge well-reinforced stronghold, served as a shelter for the nobility, most of whom,, however, preferred Castles of the Loire. In the 17th century royalties lost their interest in Vincennes as a country residence, but, to make some use of it, they turned Château de Vincennes into a state prison. Many famous people were imprisoned in it. Marie de' Medici started construction of the new classic-style pavilion and settled there with her son, future king Louis XIII, during her regency. In the end of the 17th century there was the Queen's pavilion added to the construction and this way the whole architectural ensemble got two wings (the king's and the queen's).

The beginning of the 18th century brought another change in the castle's “specialization”, and for the next 20 years it served as a royal porcelain manufacture. Then the king wanted to sell it but those who lived and worked there strongly opposed to this decision and the castle stayed a symbol of royal powers, which was then, during the revolution, distorted into the royal tyrany. During the times of the Napoleon its main function was to defend, and the castle turned into a fortress. After this time of great battles and glorious victories there were barracks founded there, for some time the castle also served as military headquarters. Napoleon III turned the Bois de Vincennes and its château into a public park.

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Hotels in Paris - online hotel reservation.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/travel/destinations/victory-in-thessaly-the-story-of-a-greek-city.html http://www.articletrader.com/travel/destinations/victory-in-thessaly-the-story-of-a-greek-city.html Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500
After the Roman conquest in 146 BC, Thessaloniki growth was even more rapid, and this reflected in its architectural looks (the Roman Forum is a good example). Many renowned Romans lived in the city: statesman Cicero, the celebrated commander Pompey, and emperor Galerius. The latter turned Thessaloniki into his capital and a number of structures appeared on its territory during his reign: such are the Arch and Tomb of Galerius (the Rotunda), most often called the "Kamara", which commemorates the ruler's victory over the Sassanid Persians. St. Paul the Apostle founded one of the first European Christian communities here. As for the times of the Byzantine empire, Thessaloniki remained a prosperous place.

After 904, when the city was ravaged by the Saracen pirates, it faced a period of misfortunes. It was conquered by the Norsemen, then the Francs, the Turks, Venetians and again the Turks, who held their positions there until the first First Balkan War, when Thessaloniki reunited with its native country – Greece. Then there was the Great Fire in 1917, after which the city had to be reconstructed from the very beginning, an earthquake of 1978, and, finally, good news - in 1997 the city became the European City of Culture. The name is well-earned, since lots of cultural events are organised in Thessaloniki every year. Some call Acropolis in Athens the museum under the blue sky; as for Salonica, it could be called the treasury of the Byzantine arts. One of its treasures are the Church of Panayia Halkeion and The Church of Saint Demetrius.

White Tower of Thessaloniki is the symbol of Thessaloniki, It was built by the Turks in XIV-XV, initially was fort, then served as a prison and even acquired the name of the "Tower of Blood." The Church of Agios Georgios, or the above-mentioned Rotunda, attracts tourists with its mosaics and unusual looks.

The Church of Saint Demetrius was constructed at about 500 AC, and is dedicated to Saint Demetrius, the patron saint of Thessaloniki. The church was damaged during the fire, but was later well reconstructed, - some mosaics can still be seen there.

Also don't miss a visit to the Thessaloniki Archaeological Museum with many interesting things to discover.

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Thessaloniki hotels reservation - reservation of hotels in Thessaloniki.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/travel/destinations/what-to-expect-from-florentine-restaurants.html http://www.articletrader.com/travel/destinations/what-to-expect-from-florentine-restaurants.html Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500
But those are not only its cultural attractions like The Duomo, the Fountain of Neptune and The Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) that attract great numbers of tourists to Florence. Visitors of one of the travel portals — tripadvisor, said that best restaurants are found in Florence, Paris and Rome. Let's have a closer look at what dining options Florence offers.

Florence has a great number of restaurants, from small ones preparing traditional Tuscan dishes to exclusive offering best Italian and international food. The quality is good in most of them, though there might be some exceptions. Those who want to taste traditional food are advised to go to cheap or medium-priced cafes and restaurants: don't forget that the secret of Florentine cuisine is in its simplicity and the excellent quality of its ingredients (olive oil in the first place). Surprisingly, the most expensive of them are aimed at local people, who dine at home and go eating outside mostly on special cases. That's why they prefer delicious and creative dishes.

If you aren't really hungry, you can have a snack at one of local pizzerias: there are a great number of them in Florence, but best pizza is prepared in Rome. Local bakeries sell tasty pizzas too. The choice of snacks is also great. Don't want bread? Then go to one of local bars: food is no worse than in any Florentian restaurant. Bars are self-serviced: all you have to do is to take a tray, take the food you like and pay for it at the cash desk. Pasta is good, especially when served hot. Some restaurants serve nice complex dinners.

Dinner can cost even cheaper. Some Florentine bars and clubs offer free snacks for those who buy drinks after 7 or 8 pm. Just buy something to drink, and choose one of the snacks offered.

To cut the story short, Florentian food is a sacred thing. Gatsronomic impressions might become the topic for any talk, be it a business dinner or a romantic date. One could hardly name all the restaurants of Florence, but five of them are definitely worth mentioning. Those are the Alle Murate, minimalistic -style Beccofino with excellent views on the embankment, Buca Lapi serving delicious Tuscan dishes, four-halled Cibreo, and the legendary Da Sergi (which, by the way, serves complex dinners only).

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Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]>