WONDERS OF ITALY | The most fascinating places in Italy

The most incredible places in Italy, a country that is much more than Rome, Venice, Florence, and Pisa. It is the birthplace of the Roman Empire, one of the fundamental pillars of Western civilization. From its mythical foundation by Romulus and Remus in 753 BC, Rome went from being a small city-state to becoming a colossus that dominated Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East for centuries. The fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD marked the beginning of the Middle Ages and a period of political and social fragmentation, but also of artistic and architectural flourishing with the Carolingian Renaissance and later the full Renaissance. The Italian Renaissance, which began in the 14th century, propelled an unprecedented cultural revival, where geniuses like Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Galileo changed the perception of art, science, and philosophy. Modern Italy began to take shape in the 19th century with the Risorgimento movement, which culminated in the Italian unification under the leadership of figures like Garibaldi and Cavour. The country was proclaimed a kingdom in 1861, and Rome joined as the capital in 1870. ___________ Original or licensed content. All rights reserved.