- published: 02 Jan 2011
- views: 31137
- author: asoaita
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![Palermo - Chievo 4-1 - Fabrizio Miccoli Incredible Goal - September 30 2012 - [High Quality]](http://web.archive.org./web/20121128045347im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/vtskILpKWwU/default.jpg "Miccoli scores a long range volley for Palermo against Chievo.")
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- 730s BC
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Abdera, Spain
Abdera (τὰ Ἄβδηρα, Strabo; Ἄβδαρα, Ptol.; τὸ Ἄβδηρον, Ephor. ap. Steph. B.) was an ancient seaport town on the south coast of Spain, between Malaca (now Málaga) and Carthago Nova (now Cartagena), in the district inhabited by the Bastuli.
It was founded by the Carthaginians as a trading station, and after a period of decline became under the Romans one of the more important towns in the province of Hispania Baetica. It was situated on a hill above the modern Adra.
Of its coins the most ancient bear the Phoenician inscription abdrt with the head of Melkart and a tunny-fish; those of Tiberius (who seems to have made the place a colonia) show the chief temple of the town with two tunny-fish erect in the form of columns.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–57). "article name needed". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.
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Albania
Albania (
i/ælˈbeɪniə/ al-BAY-nee-ə, Albanian: Shqipëri/Shqipëria; Gheg Albanian: Shqipnia), officially known as the Republic of Albania (Albanian: Republika e Shqipërisë pronounced Albanian pronunciation: [ɾɛpuˈblika ɛ ʃcipəˈɾiːs]), is a country in Southern Europe. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the west, and on the Ionian Sea to the southwest. It is less than 72 km (45 mi) from Italy, across the Strait of Otranto which links the Adriatic Sea to the Ionian Sea.
Albania is a member of the UN, NATO, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Council of Europe, World Trade Organisation, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and one of the founding members of the Union for the Mediterranean. Albania has been a potential candidate for accession to the European Union since January 2003, and it formally applied for EU membership on 28 April 2009.
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Algeria
Coordinates: 28°N 2°E / 28°N 2°E / 28; 2
Algeriai/ælˈdʒɪəriə/ (Arabic: الجزائر, al-Jazā'ir; Berber: ⴷⵣⴰⵢⴻⵔ Dzayer), officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria (الجمهورية الجزائرية الديمقراطية الشعبية, al-Jumhūriyyah al-Jazāʾiriyyah ad-Dīmuqrāṭiyyah ash-Shaʿbiyyah), also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a large country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.
When referring to its land area, Algeria is the largest country in Africa, Maghreb and the Arab World. It is also the largest of the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea; it is also the tenth-largest country in the world. The country is bordered in the northeast by Tunisia, in the east by Libya, in the west by Morocco, in the southwest by Western Sahara, Mauritania, and Mali, in the southeast by Niger, and in the north by the Mediterranean Sea. Its size is almost 2,400,000 square kilometres (926,645 sq mi) with an estimated population of 37.1 million as of 2012. Algeria is a member of the African Union, the Arab League, OPEC and the United Nations. The country is also a founding member of the Arab Maghreb Union.
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Algiers
Algiers (Arabic: الجزائر, al-Jazā’ir; Algerian Arabic: دزاير, Berber: Dzayer / ⴷⵣⴰⵢⴻⵔ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000. An estimate puts the population at about 3,574,000 as of 2010.
Called El-Behdja (البهجة) or alternatively Alger la Blanche ("Algiers the White") for the glistening white of its buildings as seen rising up from the sea, Algiers is situated on the west side of a bay of the Mediterranean Sea. The modern part of the city is built on the level ground by the seashore; the old part, the ancient city of the deys, climbs the steep hill behind the modern town and is crowned by the casbah or citadel, 122 metres (400 ft) above the sea. The casbah and the two quays form a triangle.
The city name is derived (via French Alger and Catalan Alger) from the Arabic name الجزائر al-Jazā’ir, which translates as "The Islands", referring to the four islands which lay off the city's coast until becoming part of the mainland in 1525. Al-Jazā’ir is itself a truncated form of the city's older name جزائر بني مازغان Jazā’ir Banī Mazghannā, "The Islands of the Sons of Mazghanna", used by early medieval geographers such as al-Idrisi and Yaqut al-Hamawi.
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Alicante
Alicante (Spanish: [aliˈkante]) or Alacant (Valencian: [alaˈkant]) is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,329, estimated as of 2011[update], ranking as the second-largest Valencian city. Including nearby municipalities, the Alicante conurbation had 462,281 residents. The population of the metropolitan area (including Elche and satellite towns) was 771,061 as of 2011[update] estimates, ranking as the eighth-largest metropolitan area of Spain.
The area around Alicante has been inhabited for over 7000 years, with the first tribes of hunter gatherers moving down gradually from Central Europe between 5000 and 3000 BC. Some of the earliest settlements were made on the slopes of Mount Benacantil. By 1000 BC Greek and Phoenician traders had begun to visit the eastern coast of Spain, establishing small trading ports and introducing the native Iberian tribes to the alphabet, iron and the pottery wheel. By the 3rd century BC, the rival armies of Carthage and Rome began to invade and fight for control of the Iberian Peninsula. The Carthaginian general Hamilcar Barca established the fortified settlement of Akra Leuka (Greek: Ἄκρα Λευκά, meaning "White Mountain" or "White Point"), where Alicante stands today.
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Alimena
Alimena is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 80 km southeast of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,363 and an area of 59.4 km².
Alimena borders the following municipalities: Blufi, Bompietro, Gangi, Petralia Soprana, Petralia Sottana, Resuttano, Santa Caterina Villarmosa, Villarosa.
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Aliminusa
Aliminusa is a comune (municipality) in the province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 45 km southeast of Palermo.
Aliminusa borders the following municipalities: Caccamo, Cerda, Montemaggiore Belsito, Sciara, Sclafani Bagni.
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Altavilla Milicia
Altavilla Milicia is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 20 km southeast of Palermo.
Altavilla Milicia borders the municipalities of Casteldaccia and Trabia.
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Altofonte
Altofonte (Sicilian: Parcu) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 9 km southwest of Palermo.
Altofonte borders the following municipalities: Belmonte Mezzagno, Monreale, Palermo, Piana degli Albanesi, San Giuseppe Jato.
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Amioun
Amioun in Arabic: أميون and other scripts of the name, are most probably transliterated from the original Amyūn. It is the capital town of the predominantly Greek Orthodox area Koura District (i.e. χωριά, villages in Greek) in the North of Lebanon.
Amioun’s name is very ancient and can be traced back to the earliest Semitic and Aramean periods. The name was actually cited in the letters of Tell el Amarna, which were sent in the 14 th century B.C. by local governors in Lebanon to their overlords, the pharaohs of Egypt. Those letters provide information on conditions in Lebanon at that time. Cited in those letters is the word “ Amia”, a name that might have been used to refer to the site of present-day Amioun. In his etymological study of the names of Lebanon’s towns and villages, Anis Freiha thinks that Amioun’s name is derived from the Semitic – Aramaic word “ Emun” , which means a fortified and invincible fort.
Amioun has a population of around 15,000. The large majority are followers of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch. Amioun is the 2nd largest entirely Greek Orthodox city in Lebanon and the whole Middle East second to Ashrafieh, a region in East Christian Beirut. The inhabitants of the city are descendants of Phoenicians,Greeks and Ghassanids and they speak Arabic as a first language. The major political party in the city is the Syrian Social Nationalist Party. There are also supporters of the Free Patriotic Movement, Marada Movement, Lebanese Communist Party, Kataeb and Lebanese Forces. There is a large population of people from Amioun around the world.
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Ancona
Ancona ([aŋˈkoːna] (
listen), from Greek: Ἀγκών - Ankon) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region, in central Italy, with a population of 102,997 (2010). Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region.
The city is located 280 km (170 mi) northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic Sea, between the slopes of the two extremities of the promontory of Monte Conero, Monte Astagno and Monte Guasco.
Ancona is one of the main ports on the Adriatic Sea, especially for passenger traffic, and is the main economic and demographic centre of the region.
The climate of Ancona is both Mediterranean and continental. Winters are quite cold (Jan. mean temp. +5°C), with frequent rain and fog. Low temperatures can reach -10°C outside the city centre. Snow is not unusual when the air masses come from the north or from the east, and can be heavy at times. Summers are warm (July mean temp. +22.5°C) and humid, especially by the sea. High temperatures sometimes reach +35°C / +40°C, especially when the wind blows from the south or the west (föhn effect). Thunderstorms are quite common, particularly in August and September. Spring and autumn are really changeable seasons, but generally mild.
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Aosta
Aosta
listen (help·info) (French: Aoste, Arpitan: Aoûta; Latin: Augusta Prætoria) is the principal city of Aosta Valley, a bilingual region in the Italian Alps, 110 km (68 mi) north-northwest of Turin. It is situated near the Italian entrance of the Mont Blanc Tunnel, at the confluence of the Buthier and the Dora Baltea, and at the junction of the Great and Little St. Bernard routes. Aosta is not the capital of the province, because Aosta Valley is the only Italian region not divided into provinces. Provincial administrative functions are instead shared by the region and the communes.
Aosta was settled in proto-historic times and later became a centre of the Salassi, many of whom were killed or sold into slavery by the Romans in 25 BC. The campaign was led by Marcus Terentius Varro, who then founded the Roman colony of Augusta Praetoria Salassorum, housing 3,000 retired veterans. After 11 BC Aosta became the capital of the Alpes Graies ("Grey Alps") province of the Empire. Its position at the confluence of two rivers, at the end of the Great and the Little St Bernard Pass, gave it considerable military importance, and its layout was that of a Roman military camp.
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Apulia
Coordinates: 41°0′31″N 16°30′46″E / 41.00861°N 16.51278°E / 41.00861; 16.51278
Apulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises 19,345 square kilometers (7,469 sq mi), and its population is about 4.1 million. It is bordered by the other Italian regions of Molise to the north, Campania to the west, and Basilicata to the southwest. It neighbors Greece and Albania, across the Ionian and Adriatic Seas, respectively. The region extends as far north as Monte Gargano, and was the scene of the last stages in the Second Punic War.
Situated at the south-eastern tip of the Italian peninsula, Apulia covers over 19,000 square kilometers (7,336 sq mi) in succession of broad plains and low-lying hills. The central area of the region is occupied by the Murge, a vast, semi-arid karst plateau. The only mountainous areas, the Gargano promontory and the Monti Dauni, do not exceed 1,150 m (3,800 ft) and are to be found in the north of Apulia, which is the least mountainous region in Italy.
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Austria
Austria (i/ˈɒstriə/ or /ˈɔːstriə/; German: Österreich [ˈøːstɐˌʁaɪç] ( listen)), officially the Republic of Austria (German: Republik Österreich (help·info)), is a landlocked country of roughly 8.47 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Hungary and Slovakia to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. The territory of Austria covers 83,855 square kilometres (32,377 sq mi) and has a temperate and alpine climate. Austria's terrain is highly mountainous due to the presence of the Alps; only 32% of the country is below 500 metres (1,640 ft), and its highest point is 3,798 metres (12,461 ft). The majority of the population speak local Austro-Bavarian dialects of German as their native language, and German in its standard form is the country's official language. Other local official languages are Burgenland Croatian, Hungarian and Slovene.
The origins of modern-day Austria date back to the time of the Habsburg dynasty when the vast majority of the country was a part of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Austria became one of the great powers of Europe and, in response to the coronation of Napoleon I as the Emperor of the French, the Austrian Empire was officially proclaimed in 1804. In 1867, the Austrian Empire was reformed into Austria-Hungary.
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Baalbek
Baalbek (Greek: Ἡλιούπολις; Arabic: بعلبك / ALA-LC: Ba‘albak) is a town in the Beqaa Valley of Lebanon situated east of the Litani River. It is famous for its exquisitely detailed yet monumentally scaled temple ruins of the Roman period, when Baalbek, then known as Heliopolis, was one of the largest sanctuaries in the empire. It is Lebanon's greatest Roman treasure, and it can be counted among the wonders of the ancient world, containing some of the largest and best preserved Roman ruins.
Towering high above the Beqaa plain, their monumental proportions proclaimed the power and wealth of Imperial Rome. The gods worshiped there, the triad of Jupiter, Venus and Bacchus, were grafted onto the indigenous deities of Hadad, Atargatis and a young male god of fertility. Local influences are seen in the planning and layout of the temples, which vary from the classic Roman design.
Baalbek is home to the annual Baalbeck International Festival. The town is about 85 km (53 mi) northeast of Beirut and about 75 km (47 mi) north of Damascus. It has a population of approximately 72,000.
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Baghdad
Baghdad (Arabic: بغداد, Baġdād, IPA: [bæɣˈdæːd]) is the capital of Republic of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Province. The population of Baghdad as of 2011 is approximately 7,216,040, making it the largest city in Iraq, the second largest city in the Arab World (after Cairo, Egypt), and the second largest city in Western Asia (after Tehran, Iran).
Located along the Tigris River, the city was founded in the 8th century and became the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate. Within a short time of its inception, Baghdad evolved into a significant cultural, commercial, and intellectual center for the Islamic World. This in addition to housing several key academic institutions (e.g. House of Wisdom) garnered the city a worldwide reputation as the "Center of Learning". Throughout the High Middle Ages, Baghdad was considered to be the largest city in the world with an estimated population of 1,200,000 people. The city was largely destroyed at the hands of the Mongol Empire in 1258, resulting in a decline that would linger through many centuries due to frequent plagues and multiple successive empires. With the recognition of Iraq as an independent state (formerly the British Mandate of Mesopotamia) in 1938, Baghdad gradually regained some of its former prominence as a significant center of Arabic culture.
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Bagheria
Bagheria (Baarìa in Sicilian) is a town and comune in the Province of Palermo in Sicily, Italy.
According to some sources, the name Bagheria (by way of old Sicilian Baarìa) originates from the Phoenician term Bayharia meaning "land that descends toward the sea." Other sources claim that it derives from the Arabic Bāb al-Gerib, or "windy gateway."
Since its founding, the town has gone by the names of Bayharia, Baharia, and Baarìa. In 1658 Giuseppe Branciforti, Prince of Butera and former Viceroy of Sicily, built a large villa and established the region as the preferred location for villeggiatura by Palermitan elite. Villas like the fortified Villa San Marco (designed by Andrea Cirrincione) with angled bastions and a drawbridge soon followed. The area experienced a boom in villa building roughly coinciding with the period of Savoyard (1713–21) and Habsburg (1721–30) rule and continuing for several decades thereafter. The two most striking baroque residences, Villa Valguarnera and Villa Palagonia were designed by the architect Tommaso Maria Napoli in 1712 and 1715 respectively. Both were completed only decades later. Napoli had been influenced by his experiences in Rome and Vienna and this is reflected in his designs. Other architects and clients like the Giuseppe Mariani and the Prince of Aragona also looked to prints of Roman exemplars when constructing the Villa Aragona (now Cutò) in 1714. By 1763 tastes were changing. The Villa Villarosa, supervised by the young G.V. Marvuglia, was directly modelled on more neoclassical plans published by Jean-François Neufforge in 1760.
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Balestrate
Balestrate (Sicilian: Sicciara) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 25 km southwest of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 5,853 and an area of 3.9 km².
Located in Western Sicily, on the rail line between Palermo and Trapani, Balestrate is exactly in the center of the Gulf of Castellamare. In previous times it was where much of the grape crop was grown for the island's famous Marsala wine. Today Balestrate's main industry is fishing and tourism. A small town of nearly 6000 most of the year, Balestrate's population swells up to almost 30,000 during the Summer season with vacationing Europeans and Italians from the colder climates seeking the warm water and sun.
The Coat of Arms of Balestrate with its Norman crown, honors "Sicciara," the town’s original name, with the symbol of the cuttlefish (“sicci”) so abundant in its waters. Residents of Balestrate still call themselves "sicciaroti" - the "cuttlefish people" - in honor of the old name.
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Bari
Bari listen (help·info) (Bari dialect: Bare; from Latin: Barium) is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia (or, in Italian, Puglia) region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas. The city itself has a decreasing population of about 320,000, as of 2009, over 116 km², while the fast-growing urban area counts 653,028 inhabitants over 203 km². The metropolitan area counts 1 million inhabitants.
Bari is made up of four different urban sections. To the north is the closely built old town on the peninsula between two modern harbours, with the splendid Basilica of Saint Nicholas, the Cathedral of San Sabino (1035–1171) and the Swabian Castle built for Frederick II, which is now also a major nightlife district. To the south is the Murat quarter (erected by Joachim Murat), the modern heart of the city, which is laid out on a rectangular grid-plan with a promenade on the sea and the major shopping district (the via Sparano and via Argiro).
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Basilicata
Coordinates: 40°30′N 16°30′E / 40.5°N 16.5°E / 40.5; 16.5
Basilicata (Italian pronunciation: [baziliˈkaːta]), also known as Lucania, is a region in the south of Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia (Puglia) to the north and east, and Calabria to the south, having one short southwestern coastline on the Tyrrhenian Sea between Campania in the northwest and Calabria in the southwest, and a longer one to the southeast on the Gulf of Taranto on the Ionian Sea between Calabria in the southwest and Apulia in the northeast. The region can be thought of as the "instep" of Italy, with Calabria functioning as the "toe" and Apulia the "heel". The region covers about 10,000 km2 and in 2010 had a population of about 600,000. The regional capital is Potenza. The region is divided into two provinces: Potenza and Matera.
Basilicata covers an extensive part of the southern Apennines, between Ofanto in the north and the Monte Pollino massif in the south. It is bordered on the east by a large part of the Bradano river depression which is traversed by numerous streams and declines to the south eastern coastal plains on the Ionian sea. The region also has a short coastline to the south west on the Tyrrhenian side of the peninsula.
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Batroun
The coastal city of Batroun (Greek: Βοτρύς, Arabic: البترون) located in northern Lebanon is one of the oldest cities of the world. Batroun is home to a Lebanese Red Cross First Aid Center.
The name Batroun derives from the Greek, Botrys (also spelled Bothrys), which was later Latinized to Botrus. Historians believe that the Greek name of the town originates from the Phoenician word, bater, which means to cut and it refers to the maritime wall that the Phoenicians built in the sea to protect them from tidal waves. Other historians believe that the name of the town is derivative of the Phoenician words, beit truna, which translates to house of the chief.
Batroun is a major tourist destination in North Lebanon. The town boasts tens of historic churches, both Catholic and Greek Orthodox. The town is also a major beach resort with a vibrant nightlife. Citrus groves surround Batroun, and the town has been famous, from the early twentieth century, for its fresh lemonade, which is sold by most of the cafés and restaurants on its main street.
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Baucina
Baucina is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region of Sicily, located about 25 km southeast of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,003 and an area of 24.4 km².
Baucina borders the following municipalities: Bolognetta, Caccamo, Casteldaccia, Ciminna, Ventimiglia di Sicilia, Villafrati.
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Beirut
Coordinates: 33°53′13″N 35°30′47″E / 33.88694°N 35.51306°E / 33.88694; 35.51306
Beirut (Arabic: بيروت Bayrūt, Greek: Βηρυττός, Latin: Berytus, French: Beyrouth, Hebrew: ביירות Beyrut) is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. As there has been no recent population census, the exact population is unknown; estimates in 2007 ranged from slightly less than 1 million to slightly more than 2 million. Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coast, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport. The Beirut metropolitan area consists of the city and its suburbs. The first mention of this metropolis is found in the ancient Egyptian Tell el Amarna letters, dating from the 15th century BC. The city has been inhabited continuously since then.
Beirut is Lebanon's seat of government and plays a central role in the Lebanese economy, with many banks and corporations based in its city centre, Hamra Street, Rue Verdun and Ashrafieh. The city is the focal point of the region's cultural life, renowned for its press, theatres, cultural activities and nightlife. After the destructive Lebanese Civil War, Beirut underwent major reconstruction, and the redesigned historic city centre, marina, pubs and nightlife districts have once again made it a tourist attraction. Beirut was named the top place to visit by The New York Times in 2009, and as one of the ten liveliest cities in the world by Lonely Planet in the same year.
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Belmonte Mezzagno
Belmonte Mezzagno (Sicilian: Bermunte Minzagnu) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 8 km south of Palermo.
Belmonte Mezzagno is famous for its olive oil and goat's milk cheese.
Benedetto Spera, member of the Sicilian Mafia convicted in absentia of the killings of anti-mafia judges Paolo Borsellino and Giovanni Falcone was born in Belmonte Mezzagno.
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Bisacquino
Bisacquino (Sicilian: Busacchinu) is a town and comune in the Province of Palermo in Sicily, Italy. It is located 82 km from Agrigento and currently has approximately 5,215 inhabitants. The small town rises on an inner hill zone and is 663 metres above sea-level. The economy is based on agriculture and products are sold in abundance in the main town including cereals, olives, vegetables, almonds, hazel nuts and wine-grapes. Sheep breeding is also active in Bisacquino.
The name Bisacquino derives from an Arabic farm house "Busackuin" meaning "rich in waters". In the 12th century it was owned by local lords until 1778 when it became a property of the archbishop from Monreale. The Sanctuary of the Madonna of the Balzo near Mount Triona was erected in 1678. The main church is the Cathedral Church of Bisacquino which is dedicated to John the Baptist. It was built in 1713.
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Bizerte
Bizerte or Benzert (Arabic: بنزرت Binzart, Berber: Benzert, Italian: Biserta), is the capital city of Bizerte Governorate in Tunisia and the northernmost city in Africa. It has a population of 230,879 (2009 census).
Bizerte is known as the oldest and most European city in Tunisia. It was founded around 1000 BC by Phoenicians from Tyre. It is also known as the last town to remain under French control after the rest of the country won its independence from France.
Initially a small Phoenician harbour, the city came under the influence of Carthage after the defeat of Agathocles during the Punic Wars. The city was then occupied by the Romans, under the name of Hippo Diarrhytus or Hippo Zarrytus.
Bizerte was successively conquered by the Arabs in 647 (who gave the city its current name), by the troops of Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire in 1535, and then by the Turks in 1574. The city then became a corsair harbour and struggled against the French and the Venetians.
With the occupation of Tunisia in 1881, France gained control of Bizerte and built a large naval harbour in the city.
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Blufi
Blufi is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 70 km southeast of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,169 and an area of 20.5 km².
Blufi borders the following municipalities: Alimena, Bompietro, Gangi, Petralia Soprana, Petralia Sottana, Resuttano.
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Bolognetta
Bolognetta (Sicilian: Bulugnetta) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 20 km southeast of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,632 and an area of 27.6 km². In the XVII century Bolognetta was a fief of the Mancini family with the name of Ogliastro.
Bolognetta borders the following municipalities: Baucina, Casteldaccia, Marineo, Misilmeri, Ventimiglia di Sicilia, Villafrati.
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Bompietro
Bompietro (Sicilian: Bompietru) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 80 km southeast of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,640 and an area of 42.4 km².
The municipality of Bompietro contains the frazione (subdivision) Locati.
Bompietro borders the following municipalities: Alimena, Blufi, Calascibetta, Gangi, Petralia Soprana, Resuttano, Villarosa.
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Borgetto
Borgetto (Sicilian: Lu Burgettu) is a small mountain town near the province of Palermo in Sicily. As of 2007 Borgetto had an estimated population of 6,875.
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Bukavu
Bukavu is a city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), lying at the extreme south-eastern extent of Lake Kivu, west of Cyangugu in Rwanda, and separated from it by the outlet of the Ruzizi River. It is the capital of the South Kivu province and as of 2010 it had an estimated population of 707,053.
Bukavu is part of the ancient territory of Bushi Kingdom, the main ethnic group of South-Kivu. It was governed by a “Muluzi” Nyalukemba, when the first Arabs, then the European arrived in Bushi at the end of the 19th century. (“Muluzi” or “Baluzi” in the plural means « the nobleman or nobility to Shi. It is equivalent to Watutsi or Tutsi in Kinyarwanda. Before the Europeans came in Bushi Kingdom, Bukavu was called “Rusozi”. The name Bukavu comes from the transformation of word 'bu 'nkafu ' (farm of cows) in Mashi, the language of Bashi.[citation needed] Bukavu was established in 1901 by the Belgian colonial authorities. Originally named Costermansville (or Costermansstad in Dutch) until 1954, it had a prominent European population under colonial rule. They were attracted by the subtropical climate (Lake Kivu is 1,500 metres above sea level) and scenic location (Bukavu is built on five peninsulas and has been described as "a green hand, dipped in the lake"). Many colonial villas have gardens sloping down to the shore.
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Caccamo
Caccamo (Sicilian: Càccamu) is a town and comune located on the Tyrrhenian coast of Sicily in the Province of Palermo.
The official founding of Caccamo was not until 1093, when the Normans began building the castle on a rocky spur overlooking a cliff. The castle itself is actually now being slowly converted into a conference center. On the ground level of the castle is a restaurant " A Castellana" .Submerged within the lake is a stone bridge built in 1307 on the road that once linked the town with Palermo. The city contains an attractive 11th-century cathedral, which was remodeled in 1477 and 1614. On the side of the cathedral are two churches. The Chiesa dell'Anime del Purgatorio (Church of the Souls of Purgatory) features some stucco work in the eastern end and an 18th-century organ. In the downstairs are catacombs where the skeletons of a number of townspeople lie in niches along the wall, a burial practice that lasted from the 17th century up to 1863.
Since the 1950s the town itself has lost almost half of its inhabitants to emigration. Caccamo holds some great views of the surrounding countryside, including the Rosmarina artificial lake, which was created by a controversial dam built in 1993.
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Cadiz
Cadiz (Spanish: Cádiz, pronounced: [ˈkaðiθ], locally: [ˈkaðis] ( listen) or [ˈka.i]; Phoenician: גדר, Gader; Arabic: قَادِس ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia.
Cadiz, the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the Iberian Peninsula and possibly all southwestern Europe, has been a principal home port of the Spanish Navy since the accession of the Spanish Bourbons in the 18th century. The city is a member of the Most Ancient European Towns Network. It is also the site of the University of Cadiz.
Despite its unique site — on a narrow slice of land surrounded by the sea — Cadiz is, in most respects, a typically Andalusian city with a wealth of attractive vistas and well-preserved historical landmarks. The older part of Cadiz, within the remnants of the city walls, is commonly referred to as the Old Town (in Spanish, Casco Antiguo). It is characterized by the antiquity of its various quarters (barrios), among them El Pópulo, La Viña, and Santa María, which present a marked contrast to the newer areas of town. While the Old City's street plan consists of narrow winding alleys connecting large plazas, newer areas of Cadiz typically have wide avenues and more modern buildings. In addition, the city is dotted by numerous parks where exotic plants flourish, including giant trees supposedly brought to Spain by Columbus from the New World.
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Cagliari
Cagliari (Italian: [ˈkaʎʎari] ( listen); Sardinian: Casteddu; Latin: Caralis) is the capital of the island of Sardinia, a region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name Casteddu literally means castle. It has about 156,000 inhabitants, or about 480,000 including the outlying townships (metropolitan area): Elmas, Assemini, Capoterra, Selargius, Sestu, Monserrato, Quartucciu, Quartu Sant'Elena.
An ancient city with a long history, Cagliari has seen the rule of several civilizations. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Sardinia (which in the 1861 became the Kingdom of Italy) from 1324 to 1720 and from 1798 to 1815. Seat of the important University of Cagliari and the Primate Roman Catholic archdiocese of Sardinia, the city is an important regional cultural, educational, political and artistic centre, known for its diverse Art Nouveau architecture and several monuments. It is also Sardinia's economic and industrial hub, having one of the biggest ports in the Mediterranean sea, an international airport, and the 28th highest income rate in Italy, comparable to several Northern cities, such as Turin, Vicenza and Genoa.
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Cairo
Cairo ( /ˈkaɪroʊ/ KYE-roh; Arabic: القاهرة al-Qāhira, literally "The Vanquisher" or "The Conqueror"), is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Located near the Nile Delta, it was founded in the year 969 A.D. making it 1,043 years old. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life. Cairo was founded by the Fatimid dynasty in the 10th century AD.; but the land composing the present-day city was the site of national capitals whose remnants remain visible in parts of Old Cairo. Cairo is also associated with Ancient Egypt due to its proximity to the ancient cities of Memphis, Giza and Fustat which are nearby to the Great Sphinx and the pyramids of Giza.
Egyptians today often refer to Cairo as Maṣr (Arabic: مصر), the Arabic pronunciation of the name for Egypt itself, emphasizing the city's continued role in Egyptian influence. Cairo has the oldest and largest film and music industries in the Arab World, as well as the world's second-oldest institution of higher learning, al-Azhar University. Many international media, businesses, and organizations have regional headquarters in the city, and the Arab League has had its headquarters in Cairo for most of its existence.
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Caltavuturo
Caltavuturo (Sicilian: Caltavuturu) is a town and comune in the Province of Palermo, Sicily, Italy. The neighboring comunes are Polizzi Generosa, Scillato and Sclafani Bagni.
According to many scholars, the name and origin of the town are traced back to Arab rule (the name derives from the Arabic word Qal'at Abi l-Thawr (stronghold of Abu Thawr), named after a Muslim leader that controlled the area. Others instead maintain that the name derives from the Arabic word "kala" (rock) and the Sicilian "vuturu" (vulture) so going to take the meaning of "Rock of vultures."
The town was the site of the so-called Caltavuturo massacre on January 20, 1893, when local authorities killed 13 and wounded 21 peasants that had occupied communal land that they claimed was theirs.
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Campobasso
Campobasso (IPA: [kampoˈbasso] ( listen); Campobassan dialect Cambuàsce, IPA: [kambuˈwaʃʃə]) is a city and comune in southern Italy, the capital of the Molise region and of the province of Campobasso. It is located in the high basin of the Biferno river, surrounded by the Sannio and Matese mountains.
Campobasso is renowned for the craftmanship of blades (including scissors and knives), a fact well documented since the 14th century. It is also famous for the production of pears and scamorza (cheese). The city is the home of the University of Molise and of the Archdiocese of Campobasso-Boiano.
The origins of Campobasso are disputed. According to the most widely held theory, the city was founded by the Lombards before the 8th century as a fortified camp on the slope of the hill where the castle stands.[citation needed] The original name was Campus vassorum, suggesting that the city was the seat of the vassals of the Duke of Spoleto.
After the Norman conquest of Southern Italy, Campobasso lost its importance as a defensive stronghold, but became a significant trading and administration centre.
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Campofiorito
Campofiorito (Sicilian: Campuciurutu) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 40 km south of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,379 and an area of 21.4 km².
Campofiorito borders the following municipalities: Bisacquino, Contessa Entellina, Corleone.
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Camporeale
Camporeale (Sicilian: Campuriali) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 35 km southwest of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,652 and an area of 38.6 km².
Camporeale borders the following municipalities: Alcamo, Monreale.
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Canada
Canada ( /ˈkænədə/) is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean. Spanning over 9,900,000 km2 (3,800,000 sq mi), Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, and its common border with the United States is the longest land border in the world.
The land that is now Canada has been inhabited for millennia by various Aboriginal peoples. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French colonial expeditions explored, and later settled, along the region's Atlantic coast. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years' War. In 1867, with the union of three British North American colonies through Confederation, Canada was formed as a federal dominion of four provinces. This began an accretion of provinces and territories and a process of increasing autonomy; the Canada Act 1982 severed the vestiges of legal dependence on Britain.
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Capaci
Capaci is a town and comune in the Province of Palermo in Sicily, Italy. In 2004 the commune was inhabited by 10,129 people, with the density of 1,688.2 people per square kilometer.
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Cappella Palatina
The Palatine Chapel (Italian: Cappella Palatina) is the royal chapel of the Norman kings of Sicily situated on the ground floor at the center of the Palazzo Reale in Palermo, southern Italy.
The chapel was commissioned by Roger II of Sicily in 1132 to be built upon an older chapel (now the crypt) constructed around 1080. It took eight years to build and many more to decorate with mosaics and fine art. The sanctuary, dedicated to Saint Peter, is reminiscent of a domed basilica. It has three apses, as is usual in Byzantine architecture, with six pointed arches (three on each side of the central nave) resting on recycled classical columns.
The mosaics of the Palatine Chapel are of unparalleled elegance as concerns elongated proportions and streaming draperies of figures. They are also noted for subtle modulations of colour and luminance. The oldest are probably those covering the ceiling, the drum, and the dome. The shimmering mosaics of the transept, presumably dating from the 1140s and attributed to Byzantine artists, illustrate scenes from the Acts of the Apostles. Every composition is set within an ornamental frame, not dissimilar to that used in contemporaneous mosaic icons.
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Carini
Carini (Latin:Hyccara) is a town and comune in the Province of Palermo, Sicily, 13 miles by rail WNW of Palermo. It has a population of 25,752.
On the coast are some ruins of the ancient Hyccara, the only Sican settlement (probably a fishing village) on the coast. It was stormed and taken by the Athenians in 415 BC, and the inhabitants, among them the famous courtesan Lais, sold as slaves. At La Grazia Christian catacombs have been found (Not. degli Scavi, 1899, 362).
View of 'Il Castello di Carini'
View of the town from 'Il Castello di Carini'
View of the 'Piazza D'Uomo' and 'La Chiesa Madre'
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Cartagena, Spain
Cartagena (Spanish pronunciation: [kartaˈxena]) is a Spanish city and a major naval station located in the Region of Murcia, by the Mediterranean coast, south-eastern Spain. As of January 2011, it has a population of 218,210 inhabitants being the Region’s second largest municipality and the country’s 6th non-Province capital city.
Cartagena has been inhabited for over two millennia, being founded around 227 BC as Qart Hadasht during the Phoenician conquest. The city lived its heyday during the Roman Empire, when it was known as Carthago Nova (the New Carthage) and Carthago Spartaria, capital of the province of Carthaginensis. It was one of the important cities during the Umayyad invasion of Hispania, under its Arabic name of Qartayannat al-Halfa.
Much of the historical weight of Cartagena in the past goes to its coveted defensive port, one of the most important in the western Mediterranean. Cartagena has been the capital of the Spanish Navy's Maritime Department of the Mediterranean since the arrival of the Spanish Bourbons in the 18th century. As far back as the 16th century it was one of the most important naval ports in Spain, together with Ferrol in the North. It is still an important naval seaport, the main military haven of Spain, and there is a big naval shipyard.
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Carthage
Carthage (Latin: Carthago or Karthago, Ancient Greek: Καρχηδών Karkhēdōn, Arabic: قرطاج Qarṭāj, Berber: ⴽⴰⵔⵜⴰⵊⴻⵏ Kartajen, Etruscan: *Carθaza, Modern Hebrew: קרתגו Qartágo, from the Phoenician Qart-ḥadašt meaning New City (Aramaic: קרתא חדאתא, Qarta Ḥdatha), implying it was a 'new Tyre', is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC. It is currently a suburb of Tunis, Tunisia, with a population of 20,715 (2004 Census).
The first civilization that developed within the city's sphere of influence is referred to as Punic (a form of the word "Phoenician") or Carthaginian. The city of Carthage is located on the eastern side of Lake Tunis across from the centre of Tunis. According to Greek historians it was founded by Canaanite-speaking Phoenician colonists from Tyre (in modern Lebanon) under the leadership of Elissa who was renamed (Queen Dido) in Virgil's Aeneid. It became a large and rich city and thus a major power in the Mediterranean. The resulting rivalry with Syracuse, Numidia, and Rome was accompanied by several wars with respective invasions of each other's homeland.
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Castelbuono
Castelbuono (Sicilian: Castiddubbuonu) is a town and comune in the province of Palermo, Sicily (southern Italy). It is especially famous for the castle which its name derives, and around which the city grew up in the 14th century.
Construction of the Castle began in 1316, by order of Count Francesco I of Ventimiglia, over the ruins of the ancient Byzantine town of Ypsigro, high on the San Pietro hill. Hence its original name, Castello del buon aere ("Castle of good air"), from which the name Castelbuono is derived - literally meaning "good castle".
Numerous drastic alterations were made in the 17th century for reasons of accommodation, when a number of Ventimiglia families moved here from Palermo - the castle never served any really strategic purpose, owing to its geographic position down valley. The construction presents Arab-Norman and Swabian features: the cube shape recalls Arabic architecture; the square towers, although incorporated into those of the façade, reflect Norman architectural style, as also the battlements; and the round tower recalls aspects of Swabian architecture.
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Casteldaccia
Casteldaccia (Sicilian: Castiddaccia) is a town and comune in the province of Palermo, Sicily, southern Italy. It is the seat of the Vini Corvo wine producer, and the Tomasello Pasta factory.
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Castellana Sicula
Castellana Sicula (Sicilian: Castiddana) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 70 km southeast of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,738 and an area of 72.6 km².
The municipality of Castellana Sicula contains the frazioni (subdivisions, mainly villages and hamlets) Nociazzi, Calcarelli, and Catalani.
Castellana Sicula borders the following municipalities: Petralia Sottana, Polizzi Generosa, Villalba.
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Catalonia
Catalonia (English /kætəˈloʊniə/, /kætəˈloʊnjə/; Catalan: Catalunya [kətəˈɫuɲə] or [kataˈluɲa]; Spanish: Cataluña [kataˈluɲa]; Occitan: Catalonha [kataˈluɲɔ]) is an autonomous region of Spain in the north-east of the Iberian Peninsula, with the official status of a "nationality". Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona which is the second largest Spanish city by population after Madrid. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an official population of 7,535,251. Its borders essentially reflect those of the former Principality of Catalonia. It borders France and Andorra to the north, Aragon to the west, the Valencian Community to the south, and the Mediterranean Sea to the east (580 km coastline). The official languages are Catalan, Spanish and Aranese (Occitan).
The name Catalunya (Catalonia) began to be used in the late 11th century in reference to the group of counties that comprised the Marca Hispanica. The origin of the term is subject to diverse interpretations. A theory suggests that Catalunya derives from the term "Land of Castles", having evolved from the term castlà, the ruler of a castle (see castellan). This theory therefore suggests that the names Castile and Catalonia have the same etymology.
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Catanzaro
Catanzaro (pronounced [katanˈdzaːro] ( listen) or [katanˈtsaːro]; Greek: Katantheros (Κατανθέρος), Katastarioi Lokroi (Κατασταρίοι Λοκροί)), also known as the city of the two seas, is an Italian city of 369,134 (2001) inhabitants and the capital of the Calabria region and of its province.
The archbishop seat was the capital of the province of Calabria Ultra for over 200 years. It currently houses the University "Magna Græcia", the second largest University of Calabria.
Catanzaro is an urban center, with intense activity, including some coastal towns, such as Marina Sellia Soverato, and the municipalities of Silas, with a total of 156,196 inhabitants. Catanzaro is currently being consolidated to form a greater metropolitan area, by the Region of Calabria, and in connection with the town of Lamezia Terme, comprising 10 municipalities. This will lead to the creation of an integrated area which will extend from the coast to the Ionian Sea, involving over 200,000 inhabitants.
During the summer months, the Ionian coast from Catanzaro to Soverato is an important tourist attraction, especially for the youth, and is in the presence of several important structures located in the coastal districts of the city and the town of Copanello Soverato.
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Cefalà Diana
Cefalà Diana (Sicilian: Cifalà Diana) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 25 km southeast of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 991 and an area of 9.0 km².
Cefalà Diana borders the following municipalities: Marineo, Mezzojuso, Villafrati.
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Cefalù
Cefalù (Sicilian: Cifalù, Greek: Κεφαλοίδιον, Diod., Strabo, or Κεφαλοιδὶς, Ptol.; Latin: Cephaloedium, or Cephaloedis, Pliny) is a city and comune in the province of Palermo, located on the northern coast of Sicily, Italy on the Tyrrhenian Sea about 70 km east from the provincial capital and 185 km west of Messina. The town is one of the major tourist attractions in the region. Despite its size, every year it attracts millions of tourists from all parts of Sicily and also, from all over Italy and Europe. In summer the population can triple, making the main streets and major roads in the country crowded, and with it a young atmosphere and lively nightlife. The villages, a unique combination of small Italian towns that stand out among others for artistic, cultural and historic reasons, and for harmony of urban liveability and public services.
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Cerda
Cerda is a comune (municipality) in the province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 45 km southeast of Palermo.
Cerda borders the following municipalities: Aliminusa, Collesano, Sciara, Scillato, Sclafani Bagni, Termini Imerese.
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Chellah
Chellah, (Arabic: شالة) or Sala Colonia is a necropolis and complex of ancient Roman Mauretania Tingitana and medievalruins at the outskirts of Rabat, Morocco. First spot of Salé, this latter was completed towards the north of the river. It is the most ancient human settlement on the mouth of the Bou Regreg River.
The Phoenicians and the Carthaginians, who founded several colonies in Morocco, probably inhabited the banks of the Bou Regreg. Chellah is the site of the ruins of the Roman town known as Sala Colonia, referred to as Sala by Ptolemy. Excavations show an important port city with ruined Roman architectural elements including a decumanus maximus or principal Roman way, a forum and a triumphal arch.
One of the two main Roman roads in Morocco reached the Atlantic through Iulia Constantia Zilil (Asilah), Lixus (Larache) and Sala Colonia. Another may have been built toward south, from Sala Colonia to modern Casablanca, then called Anfa. The Romans had two main naval ouposts on the Atlantic: Sala near modern Rabat and Mogador in north of Agadir. Roman expeditions sailed from there to find the Canary islands.
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China
China (i/ˈtʃaɪnə/; Chinese: 中国; pinyin: Zhōngguó; see also Names of China), officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is the world's most-populous country, with a population of over 1.3 billion. Covering approximately 9.6 million square kilometres, the East Asian state is the world's second-largest country by land area, and the third- or fourth-largest in total area, depending on the definition of total area.
The People's Republic of China is a single-party state governed by the Communist Party of China. It exercises jurisdiction over 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four directly controlled municipalities (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing), and two mostly self-governing special administrative regions (Hong Kong and Macau). Its capital city is Beijing. The PRC also claims Taiwan—which is controlled by the Republic of China (ROC), a separate political entity—as its 23rd province, a claim controversial due to the complex political status of Taiwan and the unresolved Chinese Civil War. The PRC government denies the legitimacy of the ROC.
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Chiusa Sclafani
Chiusa Sclafani is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 50 km south of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,224 and an area of 57.4 km².
The municipality of Chiusa Sclafani contains the frazione (subdivision) San Carlo.
Chiusa Sclafani borders the following municipalities: Bisacquino, Burgio, Caltabellotta, Corleone, Giuliana, Palazzo Adriano.
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Ciaculli
Ciaculli is an outlying suburb of Palermo, Sicily in Italy. It counts less than 5000 residents. Ciaculli is close to the suburb of Croceverde. Ciaculli has been important within the history of the Cosa Nostra. The best known Mafia family is the Greco Mafia clan. Ciaculli was the location of the Ciaculli Massacre, in which several police and military officers were killed by a bomb intended for Salvatore Greco "Ciaschiteddu".
An Agricultural Park is here.
Coordinates: 38°04′36″N 13°24′17″E / 38.07667°N 13.40472°E / 38.07667; 13.40472
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Ciminna
Ciminna is a Sicilian city in the province of Palermo, located approximately 30 miles south east of its capital, Palermo. The city's economy is derived mainly from agriculture and traditional crafts. Ciminna is located at the very top of a mountain in the Madonie (Madunìi) mountain range, about a 45-minute drive from Palermo.
The artist (and Franciscan priest) Pasquale Sarullo was born in Ciminna.
Its ancient history shows evidence of Punic and Roman settlements as well as Arab and Norman rule. There are Greek ruins overlooking the town which may be a temple to Demeter (Mother Earth), dating back to the time before Christ.
The mountaintop city's vibrant culture is centered around its annual festivals and religious processions. These include the ancient La Festa del SS. Crocifisso (Feast of the Holy Crucifix), for one week culminating on the Sunday and Monday of the first weekend of May (held every year since 1651); and the Feast of San Vito, patron saint of the city, held in early September.
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Cinisi
Cinisi is a town and a comune in the province of Palermo in Sicily. As of 2007 it had an estimated population of 12,100.
The town is part of the Palermo metropolitan area, borders with the municipalities of Carini and Terrasini and count the civil parish (frazione) of Punta Raisi, seat of Palermo Airport. It is far 36 km from Palermo centre, 77 from Trapani and 31 from Alcamo.
Cinisi is famous, among other things, for the Carnival parade with many papier-mâché. floats.[citation needed]. In Cinisi the famous antimafia activist Giuseppe Impastato has been killed in 1978.
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The Falcone-Borsellino Airport of Palermo, also known as Punta Raisi, is located in its municipal territory. Cinisi counts a pair of train stations (Cinisi-Terrasini on the Palermo-Trapani line and Punta Raisi on the Palermo Metro) and is served by the A29 motorway.
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Cirta
Cirta was the capital city of the ancient Berber kingdom of Numidia in northern Africa (modern Algeria). Its strategically important port city was Russicada. Although Numidia was a key ally of the ancient Roman Republic during the Punic Wars (264 BC-146 BC), Cirta was subject to Roman invasions during the 1st and 2nd centuries BC, eventually falling under Roman dominion during the rule of Julius Caesar. The city was destroyed in the beginning of the 4th century and was rebuilt by the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, who gave his name to the newly constructed city, Constantine.
Cirta's populace was as diverse as the Roman Republic itself — alongside native Numidians were Carthaginians displaced by the Second and Third Punic Wars, as well as Greeks, Romans, and Italians. It served as an economic hub for Rome’s African empire, as it was inhabited by Roman and Italian merchants, bankers, and businessmen. Even prior to Cirta’s fall to Julius Caesar, these economic elites constituted an important segment of the city's population, as they kept it within Rome’s sphere of influence without having to be directly controlled.
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Collesano
Collesano (Sicilian: Culisanu) is a small town in the Province of Palermo, Sicily. It is situated roughly 70 km from the provincial capital of Palermo. It lies on the Madonie's Park between the hills and the Tirrenian see and is also famous to be crossed by the Targa Florio Circuit since the beginning (1906). Actually the town owns the official Targa Florio Museum. The millenary history of Collesano belongs also to the history of old inhabitants of Sicily called "Sicani", people coming from Spain, and later to the town of Imera, country of the poetry Stesichorous, the old Greek town founded by Calcidide (Eubea Island) inhabitants and destroyed by Annibale in 408 B.C. About Collesano tells the Arab geograph Al Idrisi when he described in "The Roger's book" the destruction of the town Qal-at-as-Sirat situed on the top of Golden Mountin by the Norman king Ruggero II. After the town has been rebuilt in the neighbourhoods and has been called Bagherino. In the Middle Age Collesano began a count and changed this name in Golisano and after in Collesano. Many aristocratic families have been succeeded in the government of the town such as the countess Adelicia de Alife, nephew of the Norman king Ruggero II; the count of Avenel; the Ventimiglia's; the Cicala's; the Centelles's; the de Folch Cardona; the Aragona; the de Moncada's; the Ferrandina. Many the momuments to visit: the ruins of the Norman castle, the old ceramic manufacture, the Cathedral of St. Peter, the churches of St. Mary "the Old", St. James, St. Sebastian and Fabian, St. Dominic or St. Mary "the New", of St. Mary of Jesus, the Pedaly's Abbey and the Targa Florio's Museum that many oldtimer car clubs reach for a stop during their event on the Madonie' Circuit. Collesano is also famous for its ceramics artwork and the Mystery Plays: la "Cercha" a procession with the Penitentes organized every year in the Holy Week and la "Casazza" the "Cycle of Collesano" that has been represented in the last century five times.
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Colombia
Colombia (
/kəˈlʌmbiə/ kə-LUM-biə, or /kəˈlɒmbiə/ kə-LOM-biə), officially the Republic of Colombia (Spanish: República de Colombia [reˈpuβlika ðe koˈlombja]), is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the northwest by Panama; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean. Colombia has maritime borders with Ecuador, Panama, Venezuela, Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Colombia is the 26th largest country by area and the fourth largest in South America after Brazil, Argentina and Peru. With over 46 million people, Colombia is the 27th largest country in the world by population and has the second largest population of any Spanish-speaking country in the world, after Mexico. Colombia is a middle power, with the fourth largest economy in Latin America, and the third largest in South America. Colombia is famous for the production of coffee, flowers, emeralds, coal, and oil. All of these products make up the primary sector of economy.
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Contessa Entellina
Contessa Entellina (Albanian: Kundisa, Sicilian: Cuntissa) is a small comune of 1,981 inhabitants in the province of Palermo, in Sicily, southern Italy. Is located in the "Valle del Belice" to 571 meters above sea level, is situated 80 km from Palermo and 40 km from Sciacca.
The country, along with Piana degli Albanesi and Santa Cristina Gela, is among the three ethnic communities Arbëreshë of Sicily, who still speak the ancient language Albanian (arbërisht).
The foundation is attributed to the Countess about 1450 on the ruins of a remote farmhouse seniority, the Hamlet of Comitissa, but the chapter officers, the granting of fiefs, were built in 1520, when he start the rebuilding, upgrading and restocking of Albanians from Albania and the southern Morea.
In ancient times it was near them the ancient Elymian city of Entella, in fact, with the discovery of archaeological ancient site, to give relief to the old site, you would add the name of the country, even the term Entella
Today Contessa Entellina keeps the Albanian language, the culture of their ancestors, and holds the Byzantine-Greek rite; but lives a very difficult period. From earthquake of Belice to date have followed many migrations, halving the population and depopulating the city center, the Albanian language is also taught to fewer and fewer young people, so the vcomunità is constantly lost and stolen the identities.
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Corleone
Corleone (Sicilian: Cunigghiuni) is a small town and comune of approximately 12,000 inhabitants in the Province of Palermo in Sicily, Italy.
It is known primarily as the birthplace of several Mafia bosses, some fictional, such as The Godfather's Vito (Andolini) Corleone, and some real, such as Jack Dragna, Giuseppe Morello, Michele Navarra, Luciano Leggio, Leoluca Bagarella, Salvatore Riina and Bernardo Provenzano.
The local mafia clan, the Corleonesi, led the Mafia in the 1980s and 1990s, and were the most violent and ruthless Mafia clan ever to take control of the organization.
During the Emirate of Sicily, the city was known as Qurlayun. The Normans later achieved prominence after their conquest of Sicily.
A lookout tower built between the 11th and 12th century, known as Saracena, still stands. The view from the tower includes the Cascata delle Due Rocche, a sheer drop following the path of the Corleone river.
At one time the town was surrounded by defensive walls that connected the Castello Soprano and Castello Sottano. The latter is better preserved than the Soprano, but it cannot be visited since it serves as a Franciscan retreat.
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Croatia
Croatia (i/kroʊˈeɪʃə/ kroh-AY-shə; Croatian: Hrvatska pronounced [xř̩ʋaːtskaː]), officially the Republic of Croatia (Croatian: Republika Hrvatska listen (help·info)), is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of Central Europe, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers 56,594 square kilometres (21,851 square miles) and has diverse, mostly continental and Mediterranean climates. Croatia's Adriatic Sea coast contains more than a thousand islands. The country's population is 4.29 million, most of whom are Croats, with the most common religious denomination being Roman Catholicism.
In the early 7th century the Croats arrived in area of present-day Croatia. They organised the state into two dukedoms by the 9th century. Tomislav became the first king by 925 AD, elevating Croatia to the status of a kingdom. The Kingdom of Croatia retained its sovereignty for nearly two centuries, reaching its peak during the rule of Kings Peter Krešimir IV and Dmitar Zvonimir. Croatia entered a personal union with Hungary in 1102. In 1527, faced with Ottoman conquest the Croatian Parliament elected Ferdinand I of the House of Habsburg to the Croatian throne. In 1918, after World War I, Croatia was included in the short-lived State of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs that declared independence from Austria–Hungary and co-founded the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. A Croatian state briefly existed during World War II as a fascist puppet state. After the war, Croatia became a founding member and a federal constituent of the Second Yugoslavia, a socialist state. In June 1991, Croatia declared independence, which came into effect on 8 October of the same year. The Croatian War of Independence was fought successfully during the four years following the declaration.
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Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, (i/ˈkjuːbə/; Spanish: República de Cuba, pronounced: [reˈpuβlika ðe ˈkuβa] ( listen)) is an island country in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. To the north of Cuba lies the United States (140 km or 90 mi away) and the Bahamas, Mexico is to the west, the Cayman Islands and Jamaica are to the south, and Haiti and the Dominican Republic are to the southeast.
In 1492, Christopher Columbus landed on and claimed the island now occupied by Cuba, for the Kingdom of Spain. Cuba remained a territory of Spain until the Spanish–American War ended in 1898, and gained formal independence from the U.S. in 1902. A fragile democracy, increasingly dominated by radical politics eventually evolved, solidified by the Cuban Constitution of 1940, but was definitely quashed in 1952 by former president Fulgencio Batista, and an authoritarian regime was set up, intensifying and catalyzing already rampant corruption, political repression and crippling economic regulations.Batista was ousted in January 1959 by the July 26 movement, and a new administration under Fidel Castro established, which had by 1965 evolved into a single-party state under the revived Communist Party of Cuba, which holds power to date.
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Cuba, Palermo
The Cuba is a palace in the Sicilian city of Palermo. It was built in 1180 by William II of Sicily in his great Royal Park, as his personal recreation pavilion, together with an artificial lake: it shows strong Fatimid art influences, as it was (at least partially) designed and decorated by Arab artists still living in Palermo after the Norman conquest in 1072. During the rule of Bourbon kings of Naples it was annexed to a barracks. In the 16th century it was turned into a lepers' colony.
The edifice has a rectangular plan, with massive forms. The four façades are marked by blind arcades, small windows, and niches. The name Cuba derives in fact from its grossly cubical form. The famous Italian Middle Ages author Boccaccio was impressed by the Cuba and set here one of the novellas included in the Decameron.
The Cubola or Little Cuba is another edifice built by William II for his park, in smaller dimensions. The most striking feature of the Cubola is the little hemi-spherical cupola.
Coordinates: 38°06′28″N 13°20′33″E / 38.10778°N 13.3425°E / 38.10778; 13.3425
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Cuicul
Coordinates: 36°18′N 5°44′E / 36.3°N 5.733°E / 36.3; 5.733
Djémila (Tamazight: Ğamila, Arabic: جميلة, the Beautiful one, Latin: Cuicul or Curculum) is a mountain village in Algeria, near the northern coast east of Algiers, where some of the best preserved Berbero-Roman ruins in North Africa are found. It is situated in the region bordering the Constantinois and Petite Kabylie (Basse Kabylie).
In 1982, Djémila became a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its unique adaptation of Roman architecture to a mountain environment. Significant buildings in Djémila include a theatre, two fora, temples, basilicas, arches, streets, and houses. The exceptionally well preserved ruins surround the forum of the Harsh, a large paved square with an entry marked by a majestic arch.
Under the name of Cuicul, the city was built during the first century A.D. as a military garrison situated on a narrow triangular plateau. The terrain is somewhat rugged, being located at the confluence of two rivers. Cuicul's builders followed a standard plan with a forum at the center and two main streets, the Cardo Maximus and the Decumanus Maximus, composing the major axes. The city was initially populated by a colony of soldiers, and eventually grew to become a large trading market. The resources that contributed to the prosperity of the city were essentially agricultural (cereals, olive trees and farm).
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Cyprus
Cyprusi/ˈsaɪprəs/ (Greek: Κύπρος, Kýpros, IPA: [ˈcipɾos]; Turkish: Kıbrıs, IPA: [ˈkɯbɾɯs]), officially the Republic of Cyprus (Greek: Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία, Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía, IPA: [cipɾiaˈci ðimokɾaˈtia]; Turkish: Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti, IPA: [ˈkɯbɾɯs dʒumhuɾijeˈti]), is an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria, Lebanon, northwest of Israel and north of Egypt. Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and the Republic of Cyprus is a member state of the European Union.
The earliest known human activity on the island dates back to around the 10th millennium BC. Archaeological remains from this period include the well-preserved Neolithic village of Khirokitia, which has been declared a World Heritage Site with an "enhanced protection" status in the event of armed conflict by UNESCO, along with the archaeological sites of Paphos and the Painted Churches of the Troodos Region. Cyprus is home to some of the oldest water wells in the world.
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Córdoba, Spain
Córdoba (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkorðoβa]), also called Cordova in English, is a city in Andalusia, southern Spain, and the capital of the province of Córdoba. An Iberian and Roman city in ancient times, in the Middle Ages it became the capital of an Islamic caliphate.
The old town contains numerous architectural reminders of when Corduba was the capital of Hispania Ulterior during the Roman Republic and capital of Hispania Baetica during the Roman Empire; and when Qurṭuba (قرطبة) was the capital of the Islamic Caliphate of Córdoba, including most of the Iberian Peninsula.
It has been estimated that in the 10th century and beginning of the 11th century, Córdoba was the most populous city in the world, and during these centuries became the intellectual center of Europe. Today it is a moderately-sized modern city; its population in 2011 was 330,033.
The first trace of human presence in the area are remains of a Neanderthal Man, dating to c. 32,000 BC.[citation needed] In the 8th century BC, during the ancient Tartessos period, a pre-urban settlement existed. The population gradually learned copper and silver metallurgy. The first historical mention of a settlement dates, however, to the Carthaginian expansion across the Guadalquivir, when the general Hamilcar Barca renamed it Kartuba, from Kart-Juba, meaning "the City of Juba", the latter being a Numidian commander who had died in a battle nearby. Córdoba was conquered by the Romans in 206 BC. In 169 the Roman consul Marcus Claudius Marcellus founded a Latin colony alongside the pre-existing Iberian settlement. Between 143 and 141 BC the town was besieged by Viriatus. A Roman Forum is known to have existed in the city in 113 BC.
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Damascus
Damascus (Arabic: دِمَشق / ALA-LC: Dimashq; commonly known in Syria as al-Sham (Arabic: الشام / al-Shām), and as the City of Jasmine (Arabic: مدينة الياسمين / Madīnat al-Yāsmīn), is the capital and the second largest city of Syria. Both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major cultural and religious center of the Levant. The city has an estimated population of 1,711,000 (2009 est.).
Located in southwestern Syria, Damascus is the center of a large metropolitan area of 2.6 million people (2004). Geographically embedded on the eastern foothills of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range 80 kilometres (50 mi) inland from the eastern shore of the Mediterranean on a plateau 680 metres (2,230 ft) above sea-level, Damascus experiences a semi-arid climate due to the rain shadow effect. The Barada River flows through Damascus.
First settled in the 2nd millennium BC, it was chosen as the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate from 661 to 750. After the victory of the Abbasid dynasty, the seat of Islamic power was moved to Baghdad. Damascus saw a political decline throughout the Abbasid era, only to regain significant importance in the Ayyubid and Mamluk periods. During Ottoman rule, the city decayed completely while maintaining a certain cultural prestige. Today, it is the seat of the central government and all of the government ministries. Damascus was chosen as the 2008 Arab Capital of Culture.
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Djémila
Coordinates: 36°18′N 5°44′E / 36.3°N 5.733°E / 36.3; 5.733
Djémila (Tamazight: Ğamila, Arabic: جميلة, the Beautiful one, Latin: Cuicul or Curculum) is a mountain village in Algeria, near the northern coast east of Algiers, where some of the best preserved Berbero-Roman ruins in North Africa are found. It is situated in the region bordering the Constantinois and Petite Kabylie (Basse Kabylie).
In 1982, Djémila became a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its unique adaptation of Roman architecture to a mountain environment. Significant buildings in Djémila include a theatre, two fora, temples, basilicas, arches, streets, and houses. The exceptionally well preserved ruins surround the forum of the Harsh, a large paved square with an entry marked by a majestic arch.
Under the name of Cuicul, the city was built during the first century A.D. as a military garrison situated on a narrow triangular plateau. The terrain is somewhat rugged, being located at the confluence of two rivers. Cuicul's builders followed a standard plan with a forum at the center and two main streets, the Cardo Maximus and the Decumanus Maximus, composing the major axes. The city was initially populated by a colony of soldiers, and eventually grew to become a large trading market. The resources that contributed to the prosperity of the city were essentially agricultural (cereals, olive trees and farm).
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Enfeh
Enfeh(Arabic: انفه), or Enfe, Anfeh, Anfe, is a Greek Orthodox village in the Koura district of the North Governorate of Lebanon at Latitude 34°21'0"N and Longitude 35°44'0"E. Enfeh borders the villages of chekka, Al-Qalamoun , barghoun and zakroun. It is located 65 Kilometers north of Beirut and 15 Kilometers south of Tripoli. Its total area is 4,937,721 m2, and its population is around 6,500.
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Essaouira
Mogador redirects here, for the hamlet in Surrey see Mogador, Surrey.
Essaouira (Arabic: الصويرة, as-Ṣawīra; Berber Tassort) is a city in the western Moroccan economic region of Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz, on the Atlantic coast. Since the 16th century, the city has also been known by its Portuguese name of Mogador or Mogadore. The Berber name means the wall, a reference to the fortress walls that originally enclosed the city.
Archaeological research shows that Essaouira has been occupied since prehistoric times. The bay at Essaouira is partially sheltered by the island of Mogador, making it a peaceful harbor protected against strong marine winds.
Essaouira has long been considered as one of the best anchorages of the Moroccan coast. The Carthaginian navigator Hanno visited the place in the 5th century BC and established the trading post of Arambys.
Around the end of the 1st century BCE or early 1st century CE, Juba II established a Tyrian purple factory, processing the murex and purpura shells found in the intertidal rocks at Essaouira and the Iles Purpuraires. This dye colored the purple stripe in Imperial Roman Senatorial togas.
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Ficarazzi
Ficarazzi is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region of Sicily, located about 10 km southeast of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 9,674 and an area of 3.6 km².
Ficarazzi borders the following municipalities: Bagheria, Misilmeri, Palermo, Villabate.
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Finike
Finike, the ancient Phoenicus (Ancient Greek: Φοινικοῦς), is a district on the Mediterranean coast of Antalya Province of Turkey, 90 minutes west of the city of Antalya. It is located in the south of the Teke peninsula, and the coast here is a popular tourist destination. However, Finike is best known for its oranges, the symbol of the town.
For centuries Finike, then named Phoenicus, was a trading port, the main port of Limyra, the capital city of Lycia. Phoenicus was said to have been founded by Phoenicians in the 5th Century BC, and thus named after its founders.
The area has been inhabited for much longer than that; archaeologists have found evidence near the town of Elmalı showing that the Teke peninsula has been settled since 3000 BC (although on the coast nothing has been uncovered dating before 2000 BC).
Trade along the coast was established first by the Persians, who relinquished Lycia to the armies of Alexander the Great. However, the coast was always vulnerable to forces from Syria, Egypt and Rhodes until it was brought within the empire of the Ancient Romans and the succeeding Byzantines. Even then the Byzantines were threatened by the Arabian armies coming from the Arabian Peninsula. Eventually the area was lost to the Seljuk Turks in the 13th century. These were succeeded by the Ottoman Empire from 1426.
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Florence
Florence (Italian: Firenze [fiˈrɛntse] ( listen), alternate obsolete form: Fiorenza; Latin: Florentia) is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area.
Florence is famous for its history. A centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of the time, Florence is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, and has been called the Athens of the Middle Ages. A turbulent political history includes periods of rule by the powerful Medici family, and numerous religious and republican revolutions. From 1865 to 1870 the city was also the capital of the recently established Kingdom of Italy.
The historic centre of Florence attracts millions of tourists each year, and Euromonitor International ranked the city as the world's 72nd most visited in 2009, with 1,685,000 visitors. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982. Due to Florence's artistic and architectural heritage, it has been ranked by Forbes as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and the city is noted for its history, culture, Renaissance art and architecture and monuments. The city also contains numerous museums and art galleries, such as the Uffizi Gallery and the Pitti Palace, amongst others, and still exerts an influence in the fields of art, culture and politics.
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Gangi, Sicily
Gangi is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 80 km southeast of Palermo.
Gangi borders the following municipalities: Alimena, Blufi, Bompietro, Calascibetta, Enna, Geraci Siculo, Nicosia, Petralia Soprana, Sperlinga. The town straddles the Madonie mountains of central Sicily.
Gangi's origines have been connected to the ancient Greek city of Engyon, or Hebrita, but this theory remains unconfirmed. Traces of Roman presence are instead testified by archaeological excavations under the Abbey of Gangivecchio.
The current settlement dates to 1300, when it was rebuilt on the Monte Marone after its destruction in the course of the Sicilian Vespers war, as part of the county of Geraci. In 1625 it was acquired by the Graffeo family who, four years later, were made Princes of Gangi; in 1677 the title went to the Valguarnera. In the 18th century Gangi was a flourishing cultural centre, with several literary clubs and the construction of notable noble residences.
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Gdańsk
Gdańsk ( /ɡəˈdænsk/ or /ɡəˈdɑːnsk/; Polish: [ˈɡdaɲsk]; German: Danzig, pronounced [ˈdantsɪç]) is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the center of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.
The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay (of the Baltic Sea), in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the Tricity (Trójmiasto), with a population of over 800,000. Gdańsk itself has a population of 455,830 (June 2010), making it the largest city in the Pomerania region of Northern Poland.
Gdańsk is Poland's principal seaport as well as the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. It is also historically the largest city of the Kashubian region. The city is close to the former late medieval/modern boundary between West Slavic and Germanic lands and it has a complex political history with periods of Polish rule, periods of German rule, and extensive self-rule, with two spells as a free city. It has been part of modern Poland since 1945.
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Genoa
Genoa /ˈdʒɛnoʊ.ə/ (Italian: Genova [ˈdʒɛːnova] (
listen); Genoese and Ligurian Zena [ˈzeːna]; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is the capital of Liguria and the sixth largest city in Italy, with a population of 608,676 within its administrative limits on a land area of 243.6 km2 (94 sq mi). The urban zone of Genoa extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 718,896. The urban area of Genoa has a population of 800,709. In the metropolitan area live between 859,000 and 1.4 million or 1.5 million people. Genoa is one of Europe's largest cities on the Mediterranean Sea and the largest seaport in Italy.
Genoa has been nicknamed la Superba ("the Superb one") due to its glorious past and impressive landmarks. Part of the old town of Genoa was inscribed on the World Heritage List (UNESCO) in 2006 (see below). The city's rich art, music, gastronomy, architecture and history, allowed it to become the 2004's European Capital of Culture. It is the birthplace of Christopher Columbus.
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Georgia (country)
Georgiai/ˈdʒɔrdʒə/ (Georgian: საქართველო Sakartvelo, IPA: [sɑkʰɑrtʰvɛlɔ] ( listen)) is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of Georgia is Tbilisi. Georgia covers a territory of 69,700 km² and its population is almost 4.7 million. Georgia is a unitary, semi-presidential republic, with the government elected through a representative democracy.
During the classical era independent kingdoms became established in what is now Georgia. The kingdoms of Colchis and Iberia adopted Christianity in the early 4th century. A unified Georgia reached the peak of its political and economic strength during the reign of King David IV and Queen Tamar in the 11th–12th centuries. At the beginning of the 19th century, Georgia was annexed by the Russian Empire. After a brief period of independence following the Russian Revolution of 1917, Georgia was occupied by Soviet Russia in 1921, becoming the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic and part of the Soviet Union. After independence in 1991, post-communist Georgia suffered from civil unrest and economic crisis for most of the 1990s. This lasted until the Rose Revolution of 2003, after which the new government introduced democratic and economic reforms.
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Geraci Siculo
Geraci Siculo (Sicilian: Jiraci) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 70 km southeast of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,077 and an area of 113.2 km².
Geraci Siculo borders the following municipalities: Castel di Lucio, Castelbuono, Gangi, Nicosia, Petralia Soprana, Petralia Sottana, San Mauro Castelverde.
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Giardinello
Giardinello (Sicilian: Jardineddu) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 20 km west of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,001 and an area of 12.5 km².
Giardinello borders the following municipalities: Borgetto, Carini, Monreale, Montelepre, Partinico.
The town rose as a feudal village in the early 1700s at the foot of San Martino mountains and was populated by inhabitants of the nearby town of Partinico.
On December 10, 1893, eleven people were killed in the Giardinello massacre during the Fasci Siciliani uprising after a rally that asked for the abolition of taxes on food and disbandment of the local field guards. The protestors carried the portrait of the King taken from the municipality and burned tax files.
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Gibraltar
Gibraltar ( /dʒɨˈbrɒltər/) is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. It has an area of 6.8 square kilometres (2.6 sq mi) and a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region. At its foot is the densely populated city area, home to almost 30,000 Gibraltarians and other nationalities.
An Anglo-Dutch force captured Gibraltar from Spain in 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession. The territory was subsequently ceded to Britain "in perpetuity" under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. It was an important base for the Royal Navy; today its economy is based largely on tourism, financial services, and shipping.
The sovereignty of Gibraltar is a major point of contention in Anglo-Spanish relations as Spain asserts a claim to the territory. Gibraltarians rejected proposals for Spanish sovereignty in a 1967 referendum and again in 2002. Under the Gibraltar constitution of 2006, Gibraltar governs its own affairs, though some powers, such as defence and foreign relations, remain the responsibility of the UK Government.
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Giuliana, Sicily
Giuliana is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 50 km south of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,234 and an area of 24.2 km².
Giuliana borders the following municipalities: Bisacquino, Caltabellotta, Chiusa Sclafani, Contessa Entellina, Sambuca di Sicilia.
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Godrano
Godrano (Sicilian: Gudranu) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 25 km south of Palermo.
Godrano borders the following municipalities: Corleone, Marineo, Mezzojuso, Monreale. The Rocca Busambra (1,613 m) is located in the communal territory.
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Gozo
Gozo (Maltese: Għawdex) is a small island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Southern European country of Malta; after the island of Malta itself, it is the second-largest island in the archipelago. Compared to its southeastern neighbour, Gozo is more rural and known for its scenic hills, which are featured on its coat of arms.
The island of Gozo has long been identified as Ogygia, the domain of the nymph Calypso in Homer's Odyssey. Calypso, possessed of great supernatural powers, holds Odysseus captive for a number of years because of her love for him before releasing him to continue his journey home.
The island itself has a population of around 31,000 people (all of Malta combined has 402,000), and its inhabitants are known as Gozitans (Maltese: Għawdxin). It is rich in historical locations such as the Ġgantija temples which, along with the Megalithic Temples of Malta, are the world's oldest free-standing structures and also among the world's oldest religious structures.
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Gratteri
Gratteri (Sicilian: Ratteri) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 60 km southeast of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,050 and an area of 38.4 km².
Gratteri borders the following municipalities: Cefalù, Collesano, Isnello, Lascari.
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Portal and Community of Gratteri municipality
Gratteri's church
Football-Team U.S. Gratterese
Musical association Vincenzo Bellini - Gratteri
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Guelma
Guelma (Arabic: قالمة) is the capital of Guelma Province and Guelma District, located in northeastern Algeria, about 65 kilometers from the Mediterranean coast. It is home to the titular see of Calama.
Though Guelma was settled from early prehistory, it was first established as a town under the Phoenicians, who called it Malaca, probably a Phoenician word meaning "salt" (sharing a common etymology with Málaga in Spain). Later, the Romans settled the area and renamed it Calama, part of the Roman province of Numidia. Calama prospered during the rise of Christianity; Saint Possidius was bishop of Guelma during the 5th century. Later, the Vandal invasion devastated the area until the coming of the Byzantines, who settled the area and built city walls to protect it from further invasions. It was located in the Byzantine Exarchate of Africa. However, after the successful Islamic conquest of Algeria, the area was abandoned as a formal settlement, even later, during Ottoman rule.
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Hadrumetum
Hadrume(n)tum (sometimes called Adrametum or Adrametus) was a Phoenician colony that pre-dated Carthage and stood on the site of modern-day Sousse, Tunisia.
In the 9th century BC, the Phoenicians, astute Levantine maritime traders who would later be supplanted in Northern Africa by their major colony Carthage, sensed the possibilities of a port city south of present-day Tunis and founded Hadrumetum on what is now the Gulf of Hammamet in the Mediterranean Sea.
Hadrumetum was one of the most important communities within the Roman territory in northern Africa because of its strategic location on the sea in the heart of the fertile Sahel region. The city allied itself with Rome during the Punic Wars, thereby escaping damage or ruin and entered a relatively peaceful 700-year stint under Pax Romana, although Hannibal made use of it as a military base in his campaign against Scipio Africanus at the close of the Second Punic War. Many records have been found that say the Romans sent a garrison of 5000 soldiers to protect it. They were led by General Septus Loriinus. At some point during this period its name was slightly altered (by the addition of an N) to become Hadrumentum.
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Hippo Regius
Coordinates: 36°54′N 7°46′E / 36.9°N 7.767°E / 36.9; 7.767
Hippo Regius (Hippone) is the ancient name of the modern city of Annaba, in Algeria. Under this name, it was a major city in Roman Africa, hosting several early Christian councils, and was the home of the philosopher and theologian Augustine of Hippo. In even earlier days, the city was a royal residence for Numidian kings.
Hippo was a Tyrian colony on the west coast of the bay to which it gave its name: Hipponensis Sinus, first settled by the Phoenicians probably in the 12th century BC; the surname Regius 'of the King' was bestowed on it as one of the places where the Numidian kings resided.
A maritime city near the mouth of the river Ubus, it became a Roman colonia which prospered and became a major city in Roman Africa. It is perhaps most famous as the bishopric of Saint Augustine of Hippo in his later years. In the summer of 430 the Vandals put the city of Hippo under siege as the aged bishop lay on his death bed; he died 28 August 430. Following a 14-month siege, the city fell to the Vandals and King Geiseric made it the capital of the Vandal kingdom until the capture of Carthage in 439.
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Honaine
Honaine is a town and commune in Tlemcen Province in northwestern Algeria.
Coordinates: 35°11′N 1°39′W / 35.183°N 1.65°W / 35.183; -1.65
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Huelva
Huelva (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈwelβa]) is a city in southwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Huelva in the autonomous region of Andalusia. It is located along the Gulf of Cadiz coast, at the confluence of the Odiel and Tinto rivers. According to the 2010 census, the city has a population of 149,410 inhabitants. The city has been inhabited since 3000 BC. The town is home to Recreativo de Huelva, the oldest football club in Spain.
A maritime town between the rivers Anas (modern Guadiana) and Baetis (modern Guadalquivir), it was seated on the estuary of the River Luxia (modern Odiel), and on the road from the mouth of the Anas to Augusta Emerita (modern Mérida).
The city may be the site of Tartessus; by the Phoenicians it was called Onoba. The Greeks kept the name and rendered it Ὄνοβα. It was in the hands of the Turdetani at the time of conquest by Rome, and before the conquest it issued silver coins with Iberian legends. It was called both Onoba Aestuaria or Onuba (used on coinage) during Roman times, or, simply, Onoba. The city was incorporated into the Roman province of Hispania Baetica. The Arabs then called it Walbah and ruled between 712-1250. It suffered substantial damage in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.
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Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula (Asturian, Galician, Leonese, Mirandese, Portuguese and Spanish: Península Ibérica, Catalan: Península Ibèrica, Aragonese and Occitan: Peninsula Iberica, French: Péninsule Ibérique, Basque: Iberiar Penintsula), sometimes called Iberia, is a peninsula located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It is the westernmost of the three major southern European peninsulas—the Iberian, Italian, and Balkan peninsulas. It is bordered on the southeast and east by the Mediterranean Sea, and on the north, west and southwest by the Atlantic Ocean. The Pyrenees form the northeast edge of the peninsula, separating it from the rest of Europe. In the south, it approaches the northern coast of Africa. It is the second-largest peninsula in Europe, with an area of approximately 582,000 km2 (225,000 sq mi).
The English word Iberia was adapted from the use of the Ancient Greek word Ιβηρία (Ibēría) by the Greek geographers under the Roman Empire to refer to what is known today in English as the Iberian Peninsula. At that time the name did not describe a single political entity or a distinct population of people. Strabo's Iberia was delineated from Keltikē by the Pyrenees and included the entire land mass south-west (he named it "west") of there.
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Isnello
Isnello (Sicilian: Isneddu) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 70 km southeast of Palermo.
Isnello borders the following municipalities: Castelbuono, Cefalù, Collesano, Gratteri, Petralia Sottana, Polizzi Generosa, Scillato.
Former New York City mayor Vincent R. Impellitteri was born in Isnello in 1900.
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Isola delle Femmine
Isola delle Femmine (Sicilian: Isula dî Fìmmini) is an Italian town in North-Western Sicily, administratively part of the province of Palermo.
Despite its name, which can be translated in English as "The Island of Women", the town is located in mainland Sicily; the "island" the name refers to lies in front of the town territory, but it is not inhabited anymore. The etymology of the name is uncertain: a story claims the origins of the name from a females' only prison supposedly located in the island in the 16th century. A more reliable claim is that in the 19th century, a plague or sickness occurred in the town and the women and children were sent to the island off shore until it had passed.
Isola delle Femmine is a sister city with Pittsburg, California. The same fisherman statue that sits in Isola's Piazza di Pittsburg can be seen in downtown Pittsburg with the names of the first settlers from Isola to Pittsburg. Many of the families descended from the men on the plaque are extant in both cities. The surnames can also be found in the records of the church at the center of town.
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Italy
Italyi/ˈɪtəli/ (Italian: Italia [iˈtaːlja]), officially the Italian Republic or the Republic of Italy (Italian: Repubblica italiana), is a unitary parliamentary republic in south-central Europe. To the north, it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia along the Alps. To the south, it consists of the entirety of the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Sardinia–the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea–and many other smaller islands. The independent states of San Marino and the Vatican City are enclaves within Italy, while Campione d'Italia is an Italian exclave in Switzerland. The territory of Italy covers some 301,338 km2 (116,347 sq mi) and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. With 60.6 million inhabitants, it is the fifth most populous country in Europe, and the 23rd most populous in the world.
Rome, the capital of Italy, was for centuries a political and religious centre of Western civilisation as the capital of the Roman Empire and site of the Holy See. After the decline of the Roman Empire, Italy endured numerous invasions by foreign peoples, from Germanic tribes such as the Lombards and Ostrogoths, to the Byzantines and later, the Normans, among others. Centuries later, Italy became the birthplace of Maritime republics and the Renaissance, an immensely fruitful intellectual movement that would prove to be integral in shaping the subsequent course of European thought.
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Kelibia
Kelibia (Kélibia) (Arabic: قليبية / ALA-LC: Qilībiyah) is a coastal town on the Cap Bon peninsula, Nabeul Governorate in the far northeastern part of Tunisia. Its sand beaches are considered one the finest of the Mediterranean sea. Kelibia was founded by the Carthaginians as the fortified town of Aspis in the 5th century BC.
The main landmark of Kelibia is the recently-restored Kelibia Fort overlooking the harbor. Kelibia is a fishing port and is home to Tunisia's National Fishing School. The town has a population of 43,209 (2004 census).
The 'Muscat de Kélibia', a fruity regional white wine is widely recognized as one of the bests of the country.
Kelibia is home of the Tunisian volley-ball with Club olympique de Kélibia active since 1959 and winner of 2 national championships in 1977 and 2003; also 8 Cup titles: 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1989, 2004 and 2011.
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Kerkouane
Kerkouane (Arabic: كركوان; occasionally Kerkuane) is a Punic city in northeastern Tunisia, near Cape Bon. This Phoenician city was probably abandoned during the First Punic War (c. 250 B.C.), and as a result was not rebuilt by the Romans. It had existed for almost 400 years.
Excavations of the town have revealed ruins from the 4th and 3rd Centuries BC. Around the site where the layout is clearly visible, many houses still show their walls, and the coloured clay on the facades is often still visible. The houses were built to a standard plan, in accordance with a sophisticated notion of town planning.
A sanctuary has some columns preserved, and in a small atrium parts of mosaics are found. Curbstones, doorsteps, thresholds, and floors of simple mosaic layers are found all over the ruins. Still archaeologists work on the Kerkouane site, but it is believed that the best parts have already been discovered.
Kerkouane was one of the most important Punic cities, with Carthage, Hadrumetum (modern Sousse) and Utica.
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Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain (including both modern-day England and Wales) and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England and Wales. It had a land border with the Kingdom of Scotland to the north. At the start of the period its capital and chief royal residence was Winchester, but Westminster and Gloucester were accorded almost equal status, with Westminster gradually gaining preference.
England as a state began on 12 July 927 after a gathering of kings from throughout Britain at Eamont Bridge, Cumbria, but broadly traces its origins to the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain and the Heptarchy of petty states that followed and ultimately united. The Norman invasion of Wales from 1067–1283 (formalised with the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284) put Wales in England's control, and Wales came under English law with the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542. On 1 May 1707, England was united with Scotland to create the Kingdom of Great Britain under the terms of the Acts of Union 1707. Though no longer a sovereign state, modern England continues as one of the countries of the United Kingdom.
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Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of Naples to distinguish it from the island-based polity. During much of its existence, the realm was contested between French and Aragonese (Spanish) dynasties. In 1816, it again merged with island-based Kingdom of Sicily to form the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
Following the rebellion, King Charles I of Sicily (Charles of Anjou) was forced to leave the island of Sicily by Peter III of Aragon's troops. Charles, however, maintained his possessions on the mainland, customarily known as the "Kingdom of Naples", after its capital city. Charles and his Angevin successors maintained a claim to Sicily, warring against the Aragonese until 1373, when Queen Joan I of Naples formally renounced the claim. Joan's reign was contested by Louis the Great, the Angevin King of Hungary, who captured the kingdom several times (1348–1352).
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Kingdom of Spain
Spain (i/ˈspeɪn/ SPAYN; Spanish: España, pronounced: [esˈpaɲa] ( listen)), officially the Kingdom of Spain (Spanish: Reino de España), is a sovereign state and a member of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Its mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar; to the north and north east by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the northwest and west by the Atlantic Ocean and Portugal.
Spanish territory also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the African coast, and two autonomous cities in North Africa, Ceuta and Melilla, that border Morocco. Furthermore, the town of Llívia is a Spanish exclave situated inside French territory. With an area of 504,030 square kilometres (194,610 sq mi), it is the second largest country in Western Europe and the European Union after France, and the fourth largest country in Europe after Russia, Ukraine and France.
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L'Aquila
L'Aquila (Italian: [ˈlaːkwila] ( listen), meaning "The Eagle") is a city and comune in central Italy, both the capital city of the Abruzzo region and of the Province of L'Aquila. As of 2009[update], it has a population of 73,150 inhabitants, but has a daily presence in the territory of 100,000 people for study, tertiary activities, jobs and tourism. Laid out within medieval walls on a hill in the wide valley of the Aterno river, it is surrounded by the Apennine Mountains, with the Gran Sasso d'Italia to the north-east.
L'Aquila sits upon a hillside in the middle of a narrow valley; tall snow-capped mountains of the Gran Sasso massif flank the town. A maze of narrow streets, lined with Baroque and Renaissance buildings and churches, open onto elegant piazzas. Home to the University of L'Aquila, it is a lively college town and, as such, has many cultural institutions: a repertory theater, a symphony orchestra, a fine-arts academy, a state conservatory,a film institute.The city presents a tradition in the winter sports with 6 ski resorts which lies around the city (Campo Imperatore, Ovindoli,Campo Felice, Pescasseroli, Roccaraso, Scanno).
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Larnaca
Larnaca, (Greek: Λάρνακα, Lárnaka; Turkish: Larnaka/İskelel Phoenician: כתיון, Kityon) is the third largest city on the southern coast of Cyprus after Nicosia and Limassol. It has a population of 72,000 (2010) and is the island's second largest commercial port and an important tourist resort. The island's largest airport, Larnaca International Airport is located on the outskirts of the city.
To the north of the city lies the island's former oil refinery, which was reduced to a storage facility after the refinery was sold in 2008 to a Hollywood film studio for the filming of Waterworld 2. To the south is the Larnaca International Airport. The city of Larnaka is well known for its picturesque seafront, which includes rows of palm trees (or φοινικούδες finikoudes, in the Cypriot dialect). Larnaca Marina is one of the four official entry points, by sea, to Cyprus.
Larnaca was founded by Greeks (Mycenaean-Achaeans) in the 14th century B.C. and was known as Kition, or (in Latin) Citium. The biblical name Kittim, though derived from Citium, was generally used for Cyprus as a whole and occasionally by the Jews for the Greeks and Romans. Larnaca is colloquially known as "Skala" (Greek: Σκάλα) meaning "ladder" or "landing stage", referring to the town's status in history as an important port.
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Lascari
Lascari (Sicilian: Làscari) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 50 km east of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,305 and an area of 10.4 km².
Lascari borders the following municipalities: Campofelice di Roccella, Cefalù, Collesano, Gratteri.
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Lascari is not a very old village. In 1693 a group of peasants moved from Gratteri in the mountains, to a zone near the sea. They began to build houses around an existing bell tower. Baron Gaetano Ventimiglia gave the new hamlet the name of Lascari, in honor of his descent from the strain of Lascari's emperors of Constantinople. In 1840 Lascari became independent from Gratteri and in 1890 the right to a territory was granted but only in 1924 the town obtained it. Today the territory is about 10.40 kmq. and a population of 3,500. Lascari is located 50 km east of Palermo, the capital city of Sicily. During these last years a lot of detached or semi-detached houses have been built near the beaches, so in the summer a lot of holiday-makers come here from Palermo or other towns in the centre of Sicily. The town hall is in "Aldo Moro" square.
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Lazio
Lazio (pronounced [ˈlattsjo], Latin: Latium) is one of the 20 administrative regions of Italy, situated in the central peninsular section of the country. With about 5.7 million residents and a GDP of more than 170 billion euros, Lazio is the third most populated and the second richest region of Italy. It includes Rome, capital and largest city of Italy.
Lazio comprises a land area of 17,236 km2 (6,655 sq mi) and it has borders with Tuscany, Umbria, and Marche to the north, Abruzzo and Molise to the east, Campania to the south, and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west. The region is mainly flat and hilly, with small mountainous areas in the most eastern and southern districts.
The coast of Lazio is mainly composed of sandy beaches, punctuated by the headlands of Circeo (541 m) and Gaeta (171 m). The Pontine Islands, which are part of Lazio, lie opposite the southern coast. Behind the coastal strip, to the north, lies the Maremma Laziale (the continuation of Tuscan Maremma), a costal plain interrupted at Civitavecchia by the Tolfa Mountains (616 m). The central section of the region is occupied by the Roman Campagna, a vast alluvial plain surrounding the city of Rome, with an area of approximately 2,100 km2 (811 sq mi). The southern districts are characterized by the flatlands of Agro Pontino, a once swampy and malarial area, that was reclaimed over the centuries.
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Lebanon
Lebanon (i/ˈlɛbənɒn/ or /ˈlɛbənən/; Arabic: لبنان Libnān or Lubnān, Lebanese Arabic: [lɪbˈneːn]), officially the Lebanese Republic (Arabic: الجمهورية اللبنانية al-Jumhūrīyah al-Libnānīyah, Lebanese Arabic: [elˈʒʊmhuːɾɪjje l.ˈlɪbneːnɪjje]), is a country in the East Mediterranean. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east, and Israel to the south. Lebanon's location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland has dictated its rich history, and shaped a cultural identity of religious and ethnic diversity.
The earliest evidence of civilization in Lebanon dates back more than 7,000 years—predating recorded history. Lebanon was the home of the Phoenicians, a maritime culture that flourished for nearly 2,500 years (3000–539 BC). Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, the five provinces that comprise modern Lebanon were mandated to France. The French expanded the borders of Mount Lebanon, which was mostly populated by Maronite Catholics and Druze, to include more Muslims. Lebanon gained independence in 1943, and established a unique political system, known as confessionalism, a power-sharing mechanism based on religious communities – Bechara El Khoury who became independent Lebanon's first President and Riad El-Solh, who became Lebanon's first prime minister, are considered the founders of the modern Republic of Lebanon and are national heroes for having led the country's independence. French troops withdrew from Lebanon in 1946.
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Leptis Magna
Leptis Magna (Arabic: لَبْدَة) also known as Lectis Magna (or Lepcis Magna as it is sometimes spelled), also called Lpqy, Neapolis, Lebida or Lebda to modern-day residents of Libya, was a prominent city of the Roman Empire. Its ruins are located in Khoms, Libya, 130 km (81 mi) east of Tripoli, on the coast where the Wadi Lebda meets the sea. The site is one of the most spectacular and unspoiled Roman ruins in the Mediterranean.
The city appears to have been founded by Phoenician colonists sometime around 1100 BC, who gave it the Lybico-Berber name Lpqy. The town did not achieve prominence until Carthage became a major power in the Mediterranean Sea in the 4th century BC. It nominally remained part of Carthage's dominions until the end of the Third Punic War in 146 BC and then became part of the Roman Republic, although from about 200 BC onward, it was for all intents and purposes an independent city.
Leptis Magna remained as such until the reign of the Roman emperor Tiberius, when the city and the surrounding area were formally incorporated into the empire as part of the province of Africa. It soon became one of the leading cities of Roman Africa and a major trading post.
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Leptis Parva
Leptis Parva (also[citation needed]Leptis Minor, Lesser Leptis or Little Leptis; not to be confused with Leptis Magna in Tripolitania) was an ancient city on the eastern coast of Tunisia by the Gulf of Hammamet in proximity to the modern city of Monastir. It was founded as a Phoenician colony in the 8th century BCE, around the time Carthage was founded, and was a commercial city. It was a prominent city during the Phoenician period, but became a less important city during the Punic rule of the region, c. 600BCE to 146BCE. It was incorporated into the Roman Republic with the destruction of Carthage in 146BCE, but gained more autonomy than it had during Punic Era. Julius Caesar used it as his base of operations in 46BCE during his winter campaign against supporters for Pompey led by Titus Labienus. It remained an important city even during the Byzantine Period and was one of the most important cities in North Africa. It suffered the same fate that the other great cities, including Leptis Magna and Carthage, suffered at the hands of invading Arabs, who virtually destroyed the city in the 7th century CE. It was abandoned, never to be settled again.
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Lercara Friddi
Lercara Friddi is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 45 km southeast of Palermo.
Founded in 1595 by local feudataries, it is located on the slopes of Madore Hill, between the valleys of Fiumetorto and Platani rivers. In the past it was an important mining centre, the only one in the province of Palermo where sulphur was excavated.
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Libya
Libya (Arabic: ليبيا Lībyā), Berber: ⵍⵉⴱⵢⴰ) is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west.
With an area of almost 1.8 million square kilometres (700,000 sq mi), Libya is the third largest country in Africa by area, and the 17th largest in the world. The largest city, Tripoli, is home to 1.7 million of Libya's 6.4 million people. The three traditional parts of the country are Tripolitania, Fezzan and Cyrenaica.
In 2009 Libya had the highest HDI in Africa and the fourth highest GDP (PPP) per capita in Africa, behind Seychelles, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. Libya has the 10th-largest proven oil reserves of any country in the world and the 17th-highest petroleum production.
As a result of the Libyan civil war, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, which had at that time been in existence for 34 years, collapsed and Libya entered a period of governance by a transitional administration called the National Transitional Council. The NTC has stated its intention to oversee the first phase of a transition to constitutional democracy, after which it claims it will dissolve in favor of a representative legislature.
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Lixus (ancient city)
Lixus is the site of an ancient city located in Morocco just north of the modern seaport of Larache on the bank of the Loukkos River. The location was one of the main cities of the Roman province Mauretania Tingitana.
Ancient Lixus is located on Tchemmich Hill on the right bank of the Loukkos River (other names: Oued Loukous; Locus River), just to the north of the modern seaport of Larache. The site lies within the urban perimeter of Larache, and about three kilometres inland from the mouth of the river and the Atlantic ocean. From its 80 metres above the plain the site dominates the marshes through which the river flows. To the north, Lixus is surrounded by hills which themselves are bordered to the north and east by a forest of cork oaks.
Among the ruins there are baths, unknown temples, 4th century walls, a mosaic floor, and the intricate, confusing, remains of the Capitol Hill to explore.
Ancient city of Mauretania Tingitana, Lixus was settled by the Phoenicians in the 7th century BC and was later annexed by Carthage. Lixus was part of a chain of Phoenician/Carthaginian settlements along the Atlantic coast of what is now present day Morocco; other major settlements further to the south are Chellah and Mogador. When Carthage fell to Ancient Rome, Lixus, Chellah and Mogador became Roman imperial outposts.
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Madrid
Madrid (English /məˈdrɪd/, Spanish: [ma'ðrid]) is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan area is the third largest in the European Union after London and Paris. The city spans a total of 604.3 km2 (233.3 sq mi).
The city is located on the Manzanares river in the centre of both the country and the Community of Madrid (which comprises the city of Madrid, its conurbation and extended suburbs and villages); this community is bordered by the autonomous communities of Castile and León and Castile-La Mancha. As the capital city of Spain, seat of government, and residence of the Spanish monarch, Madrid is also the political centre of Spain. The current mayor is Ana Botella from the People's Party (PP).
Madrid urban agglomeration has the 3rd largest GDP in the European Union and its influences in politics, education, entertainment, environment, media, fashion, science, culture, and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the world's major global cities. Due to its economic output, high standard of living, and market size, Madrid is considered the major financial centre of Southern Europe and the Iberian Peninsula; it hosts the head offices of the vast majority of the major Spanish companies, such as Telefónica, Iberia or Repsol. Madrid is the most touristic city of Spain, the fourth-most touristic of the continent, and is the 10th most livable city in the world according to Monocle magazine, in its 2010 index. Madrid also ranks among the 12 greenest European cities in 2010. Madrid is currently a Candidate City for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
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Malta
Maltai/ˈmɒltə/, officially known as the Republic of Malta (Maltese: Repubblika ta' Malta), is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, 80 km (50 mi) south of Sicily, 284 km (176 mi) east of Tunisia and 333 km (207 mi) north of Libya, with Gibraltar 1,755 km (1,091 mi) to the west and Alexandria 1,508 km (937 mi) to the east. Malta covers just over 316 km2 (122 sq mi) in land area, making it one of the world's smallest states. It is also one of the most densely populated countries worldwide. The de facto capital city of Malta is Valletta; the largest town, Birkirkara. The main island comprises many towns, which together form one Larger Urban Zone (LUZ) with a population of 368,250 according to Eurostat. The country has two official languages, Maltese (constitutionally the national language) and English.
Throughout history, Malta's location has given it great strategic importance, and a succession of powers including the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Aragonese, Habsburg Spain, Knights of St John, French and the British ruled the islands. Malta gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1964 and became a republic in 1974, whilst retaining membership in the Commonwealth of Nations. Malta was admitted to the United Nations in 1964 and to the European Union in 2004. Malta is also party to the Schengen Agreement and in 2008 it became part of the eurozone.
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Marineo
Marineo (Sicilian: Marineu) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 20 km south of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 6,885 and an area of 33.3 km².
Marineo borders the following municipalities: Bolognetta, Cefalà Diana, Godrano, Mezzojuso, Misilmeri, Monreale, Santa Cristina Gela, Villafrati.
The town of Marineo lies in the Eleuterio river valley, at the foot of a rock, just outside the Ficuzza wood. The 17th century Mother church of San Ciro (featuring an outstanding shrine containing the remains of the patron saint), the Madonna Dajna Sanctuary (1583) and the remains of the Castle, from which you can enjoy a spectacular view. The Archeological Museum contains findings from the Eleuterio valley. You can go further down the Scanzano valley, and move along the edge of the Cappelliere wood and the shore of the Scanzano artificial lake, all the way to the amazing natural ramparts of Rocca Busambra, rising out of a vast oak wood. Major events include the Dimostranza di San Ciro, a folk pantomime taking place every four years in August, and the Cunnutta, a parade of pious people on horseback to celebrate the patron saint. In September, an important international poetry contest takes place.
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Marsala
Marsala is a seaport city located in the Province of Trapani on the island of Sicily in Italy. The low coast on which it is situated is the westernmost point of the island. It is best known as the source of Marsala wine.
Marsala occupies the site of Lilybaeum, the principal stronghold of the Carthaginians in Sicily, founded by Himilco in 396 BC after the abandonment of Motya. Neither Pyrrhus nor the Romans were able to reduce it by siege, but it was surrendered to the latter in 241 BC at the end of the First Punic War as a condition of the peace treaty. In the later wars it was a starting point for the Roman expeditions against Carthage, and under Roman rule it enjoyed considerable prosperity. It obtained municipal rights from Augustus and became a colony under either Pertinax or Septimius Severus.
The Arabs gave it its present name "Marsala," which perhaps is derived from the Arab "Marsa Allah" (port of Allah) or, more probably, from "Marsa ‘Alī" ("port of Ali", or "Marsa ‘āliyy", "great port"). The huge ancient harbor that lay on the northeast was destroyed by Charles V in the 16th century, to prevent its occupation by pirates. The modern harbor lies to the southeast.
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Martorana
The Church of Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio or San Nicolò dei Greci, commonly called the Martorana, overlooking the renowned Piazza Bellini in Palermo, Sicily, southern Italy. Co-Cathedral of Eparchy of Eastern Rite, is part of the Italo-Albanian Catholic Church, Diocese Byzantine-Greek Rite of Piana degli Albanesi.
The name Ammiraglio ("admiral") derives from the founder of the church, the Greek admiral and principal minister of King Roger II of Sicily, George of Antioch. The foundation charter of the church (which was initially Eastern Orthodox), in Greek and Arabic, is preserved and dates to 1143; construction may already have begun at this point. The church had certainly been completed by the death of George in 1151, and he and his wife were interred in the narthex. In 1184 the Arab traveller Ibn Jubayr visited the church, and later devoted a significant portion of his description of Palermo to its praise, describing it as "the most beautiful monument in the world." After the Sicilian Vespers of 1282 the island's nobility gathered in the church for a meeting that resulted in the Sicilian crown being offered to Peter III of Aragon.
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Mauritania
Mauritania
i/mɔrɪˈteɪniə/ (Arabic: موريتانيا Mūrītānyā; Berber: Muritanya / Agawej; Wolof: Gànnaar; Soninke: Murutaane; Pulaar: Moritani; French: Mauritanie), officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a country in West Africa and in the Maghreb. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara (controlled by Morocco) in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest. It is named after the ancient Berber Kingdom of Mauretania, which later became a province of the Roman Empire, even though the modern Mauritania covers a territory far to the south of the old Berber kingdom that had no relation with it. The capital and largest city is Nouakchott, located on the Atlantic coast.
The government of Mauritania was overthrown on 6 August 2008, in a military coup d'état led by General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. On 16 April 2009, General Aziz resigned from the military to run for president in the 19 July elections, which he won. In Mauritania about 20% of the population live on less than US$1.25 per day.
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Melilla
Melilla (Spanish pronunciation: [meˈliʎa]) is an autonomous city of Spain and an exclave on the north coast of Morocco, with an area of 12.3 square kilometres (4.7 sq mi). Melilla, along with the Spanish exclave Ceuta, is one of the two Spanish territories located in mainland Africa. It was regarded as a part of Málaga province prior to 14 March 1995, when the city's Statute of Autonomy was passed.
Melilla (like Ceuta) was a free port before Spain joined the European Union. As of 2008 it has a population of 73,460. Its population consists of Christians, Muslims (chiefly Riffians), and small minorities of Jews. Both Spanish and Tarifit are widely spoken. Spanish is the only official language, while there have been calls to recognise Tamazight, a standardized version of all Berber languages official in Morocco, as well.
Morocco had previously called for negotiations on the future of Melilla, Ceuta and a number of Mediterranean islands which border it. The majority of the city's population are ethnic Spanish who are opposed to the idea of being a part of Morocco. A poll conducted by Instituto Opina found that 87.9% of people from mainland Spain consider the two cities to be Spanish.
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Mezzojuso
Mezzojuso (Sicilian: Menzijusu or Menziuso ) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 34 km southeast of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,003 and an area of 49.4 km².
Mezzojuso borders the following municipalities: Campofelice di Fitalia, Cefalà Diana, Ciminna, Godrano, Marineo, Villafrati.
Mezzojuso means in Arabic: “Mensel Jusuph” which translates in English to “Houses or ‘hamlet’ of Joseph”. It could also be translated into Italian, meaning "Halfway down" because the town is located halfway down the hill.
A small Saracen (Arab) settlement from about A.D. 10th Century, passed into Norman hands in 1091. Then the christian population erected the small church of S. Maria delle Grazie. The town and all the neighbouring area was granted by the Norman king Roger (Ruggerio) II, to the Monastery of Saint John the Hermit, of Palermo in 1132. The village was nearly depopulated in the early 15th century. The Monastery of Saint John granted settlement to 48 families of Albanian soldiers, under the command of Demetrius Reres. The first Albanians who settled there were the said Reres with his two sons, leading three battalions of soldiers. King Alfonso of Aragon granted him permissioion to settle in the area and appointed D. Reres as a governor, with a decree of 1st Sept. 1448. Reres and his units had already served Alfonso and helped him to conquer Calabria, as Alfonso recognizes.
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Miami
Miami ( /maɪˈæmi/ or /maɪˈæmə/) is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625. The 42nd largest city proper in the United States, with a population of 408,568, it is the principal, central, and most populous city of the South Florida metropolitan area, and the most populous metropolis in the Southeastern United States. According to the US Census Bureau, Miami's metro area is the seventh most populous and fifth-largest urban area in the United States, with a population of around 5.5 million.
Miami is a major center and a leader in finance, commerce, culture, media, entertainment, the arts, and international trade. In 2010, Miami was classified as a Alpha- World City in the World Cities Study Group’s inventory. In 2010, Miami ranked seventh in the United States in terms of finance, commerce, culture, entertainment, fashion, education, and other sectors. It ranked thirty-third among global cities. In 2008, Forbes magazine ranked Miami "America's Cleanest City", for its year-round good air quality, vast green spaces, clean drinking water, clean streets and city-wide recycling programs. According to a 2009 UBS study of 73 world cities, Miami was ranked as the richest city in the United States, and the world's fifth-richest city in terms of purchasing power. Miami is nicknamed the "Capital of Latin America", is the 2nd largest U.S. city (after El Paso) with a Spanish-speaking majority, and the largest city with a Cuban-American plurality.
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Milan
Milan (Italian: Milano [miˈlaːno] ( listen); Lombard: [miˈlan]; Latin: Mediolanum) is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital of Lombardy as well as of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area is the 5th largest in EU and the largest in Italy with an estimated population of approximately 5 million. The growth of many suburbs and satellite settlements around the city proper, following the Italian economic miracle of 1950s–60s and massive commuting flows, suggest that socioeconomic linkages have expanded well beyond the boundaries of its administrative limits and its agglomeration, creating a region of approximately 9,3 million people. It has been suggested that the Milan metropolitan area is part of the so-called Blue Banana, the area of Europe with the highest population and industrial density. Its health care and education system is considered one of the best of Europe.
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Misilmeri
Misilmeri (Sicilian: Musulumeli) is a town and comune in the province of Palermo, Sicily, Italy. It is located approximately 15 km (9.3 mi) from Palermo and its name means "the resting place or the messuage of the Emir", and dates from the Muslim emirate of Sicily age. The village rose around a castle (today known as Castello dell'Emiro, or "Castle of the Emir") founded by emir Jafar II (998-1019).
The population is approximately 28,000 people. Misilmeri is located in the Eleuterio Valley on the southern slopes of Montagna Grande.
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Molise
Coordinates: 41°41′59″N 14°36′40″E / 41.6997°N 14.6111°E / 41.6997; 14.6111
Molise (pronounced [moˈliːze]) (Molisano: Mulise) is a region of Southern Italy, the second smallest of the regions. It was formerly (until 1963) part of the region of Abruzzi e Molise (with Abruzzo) and now a separate entity. The region covers 4,438 km² and has a population of about 300,000.
Molise is the newest Italian region, since it was established in 1963, when the region Abruzzi e Molise was split in two. It became effective only in 1970.
Though there is a large Fiat plant (Termoli), the industrial sector is dominated by the building industry with small and medium-sized farms spread widely throughout the region. Another important industry is food processing: pasta, meat, milk products, oil and wine are the traditional products of the region. In the services sector the most important industries are distribution, hotels and catering, followed by transport and communications, banking and insurance. With few exceptions, in all sectors firms are small, and this explains the difficulties encountered when marketing products on a national scale.
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Monreale
Monreale (Sicilian: Murriali) is a town and comune in the province of Palermo, in Sicily, Italy, on the slope of Monte Caputo, overlooking the very fertile valley called "La Conca d'oro" (the Golden Shell), famed for its orange, olive and almond trees, the produce of which is exported in large quantities. The town has a population of approximately 30,000, and it is located 15 km (12 mi) south of Palermo.
After the occupation of Palermo by the Arabs the Bishop of Palermo was forced to move his seat outside the capital. The role of the new cathedral was assigned to a modest little church, Aghia Kiriaki in the village nearby which was later called Monreale. After the Norman conquest in 1072 Christians got back the old city cathedral. Probably this role as temporary ecclesiastical centre played a part in King William II's decision to build here his famous cathedral.
The town was for long a mere village, and started its expansion when the Norman Kings of Sicily chose the area as their hunting resort, building here a palace (probably identifiable with the modern Town Hall).
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Montelepre
Montelepre (Sicilian: Muncilebbri) is a town and comune in the province of Palermo, Sicily, Italy. It is known for having been the native city of Sicilian bandit Salvatore Giuliano.
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Morocco
Morocco (Arabic: المغرب al-Maghrib ; Berber: ⵍⵎⴻⵖⵔⵉⴱ / ⴰⵎⴻⵔⵔⵓⴽElmeɣrib / Amerruk), officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of about 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², including the disputed region of the Western Sahara, seen by and mostly administered by Morocco as the Southern Provinces. Morocco is part of the Maghreb region, in addition to Tunisia, Algeria, Mauritania, and Libya, with which it shares cultural, historical and linguistic ties.
Morocco is a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament. The King of Morocco holds vast executive powers, including the power to dissolve the parliament. Executive power is exercised by the government but more importantly by the king himself. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of parliament, the Assembly of Representatives and the Assembly of Councillors. The king can also issue decrees called dahirs which have the force of law. The latest Parliamentary elections were held in November 25, 2011, and were considered by some neutral observers to be mostly free and fair. Voter turnout in these elections was estimated to be 43% of registered voters, but only about 25% of Moroccan adult citizens actually voted. The rest either chose not to vote or they were not registered as voters. The political capital is Rabat, but the largest city is Casablanca; other main cities include Marrakesh, Tetouan, Tangier, Salé, Fes, Agadir, Meknes, Oujda, Kenitra, and Nador.
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Motya
Motya (Greek: Μοτύη, Μοτύα; Italian: Mozia ot Mothia; Sicilian: Mozzia), was an ancient and powerful city on an island off the west coast of Sicily, between Drepanum (modern Trapani) and Lilybaeum (modern Marsala). The eponymous (in ancient times) island renamed San Pantaleo in the 11th century by Basilian monks is situated in a lagoon on the most western part of Sicily (nearly 850 metres long and 750 metres wide) about one km (six stadia) from the mainland of Sicily, to which it was joined by an artificial causeway (paved road), by which chariots with large wheels could reach the town.
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Museo del Prado
The Museo del Prado is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It features one of the world's finest collections of European art, from the 12th century to the early 19th century, based on the former Spanish Royal Collection, and unquestionably the best single collection of Spanish art. Founded as a museum of paintings and sculpture, it also contains important collections of other types of works. A new, recently opened wing enlarged the display area by about 400 paintings, and it is currently used mainly for temporary expositions. El Prado is one of the most visited sites in the world, and it is considered to be among the greatest museums of art. The large numbers of works by Velázquez and Francisco de Goya (the artist more extensively represented in the collection), Titian, Rubens and Bosch are among the highlights of the collection.
The collection currently comprises around 7,600 paintings, 1,000 sculptures, 4,800 prints and 8,200 drawings, in addition to a large number of other works of art and historic documents. By 2012 the Museum will be displaying about 1300 works in the main buildings, while around 3,100 works are on temporary loan to various museums and official institutions. The remainder are in storage.
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Myriandrus
Myriandrus (or Myriandros) was an ancient Phoenician town and seaport located near the modern city of İskenderun, Turkey.
In 333 BC Alexander the Great intended to lay an ambush at Myriandrus of Darius III of Persia but in the end the battle took place near Issus.
Coordinates: 36°35′N 36°10′E / 36.583°N 36.167°E / 36.583; 36.167
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Naples
Coordinates: 40°50′42″N 14°15′30″E / 40.845°N 14.25833°E / 40.845; 14.25833
Naples (Italian: Napoli [ˈnaːpoli] ( listen), Neapolitan: Napule; Latin: Neapolis; Ancient Greek: Νεάπολις, meaning "new city") is the capital of Campania and the third-largest city in Italy, after Rome and Milan. As of 2012[update], around 960,000 people live within the city's administrative limits. The wider Naples urban area, covering 777 km2 (300 sq mi), has a population of over 3 million, and is the 10th-most populous urban area in the European Union. Between 4.1 and 4.4 million people live in the overall Naples metropolitan area, one of the largest European cities on the Mediterranean Sea.
Naples is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Greek settlements were established on the island of Megaride in the Gulf of Naples as early as the 9th century BC. A larger mainland colony – initially known as Parthenope (Παρθενόπη) – developed around the 7th century BC, and was refounded as Neápolis (Νεάπολις) in the 5th century BC. Naples became a lynchpin of Magna Graecia and played a key role in the merging of Greek culture into Roman society, eventually becoming a cultural centre of the Roman Republic. Naples remained influential after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, serving as the capital city of the Kingdom of Naples between 1282 and 1816. Thereafter, in union with Sicily, it became the capital of the Two Sicilies until the unification of Italy in 1861. During the Neapolitan War of 1815, Naples strongly promoted Italian unification.
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Nora, Italy
Coordinates: 38°59′05″N 9°00′57″E / 38.984685°N 9.015860°E / 38.984685; 9.015860
Nora is an ancient Roman and pre-Roman town placed on a peninsula near Pula, near to Cagliari in Sardinia. According with the legend, Nora was founded by a group of Iberians led by Norax, a mythological hero son of Eriteide and the god Hermes. It is believed to be the first town founded in Sardinia and to have been settled by the ancient Sherden or the Nuraghi people, however after colonization by Phoenicians and a period of domination by Carthage the town came under Roman control after the conquest of Sardinia in 238 BC. It went into decline from the 4th century AD and appears to have been abandoned during the 8th century.
Nora was an important trading town in its time with two protected harbours, one on each side of the peninsula. Several different building styles can be seen in the excavated buildings.
Because the southern part of Sardinia is sinking into the Mediterranean Sea, a substantial part of the former town is now under the sea. A similar fate has befallen the ancient Phoenicia and later Roman city of Bithia near Chia, situated not far from Nora. Bithia is now completely submerged.
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Olbia
Olbia (Italian: [ˈɔlbja] ( listen), or locally [ˈolbja]; Gallurese Tarranòa, Sardinian: Terranòa) is a town and comune of 56,231 inhabitants (2010) in northeastern Sardinia (Italy), in the Gallura sub-region. Called Olbia in the Roman age, Civita in the Middle Ages (Giudicati period) and Terranova Pausania before the 1940s, Olbia was again the official name of the town after the period of Fascism.
It is the economic centre of this part of the island (commercial centres, food industry) and is very close to the famous Costa Smeralda tourist area. It is an administrative capital (together with Tempio Pausania) of the province of Olbia-Tempio, operative since 2005. A dynamic city, which presents itself as a tourist destination, for the beauty sea and beaches and also for the large number of places of cultural interest to visit.
Olbia (the name is of Greek origin) is very ancient and was possibly founded by the Punics, according to the archaeological findings. It contains ruins from Phoenician and Carthaginian settlement to the Roman Era, when it was an important port, and the Middle Ages, when it was the capital of the Giudicato of Gallura, one of the four independent states of Sardinia.
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Ottawa
Ottawa (i/ˈɒtəwɑː/ or /ˈɒtəwə/) is the capital of Canada. It is the second largest city in Ontario and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, located on the north bank of the Ottawa River; together they form the National Capital Region (NCR).
Founded in 1826 as Bytown and incorporated as "Ottawa" in 1855, the city has evolved into a political and technological centre of Canada. Its original boundaries were expanded through numerous minor annexations and ultimately replaced by a new city incorporation and major amalgamation in 2001 which significantly increased its land area. The name "Ottawa" is derived from the Algonquin word adawe, meaning "to trade". Initially an Irish and French Christian settlement, Ottawa has become a multicultural city with a diverse population.
The 2011 census had the city's population as 883,391, and the metropolitan population as 1,236,324.Mercer ranks Ottawa with the second highest quality of living of any large city in the Americas, and 14th highest in the world. It is also rated the second cleanest city in Canada, and third cleanest city in the world. In 2012, the city was ranked for the third consecutive year as the best community in Canada to live in by MoneySense.
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Palazzo Abatellis
Palazzo Abatellis (also known as Palazzo Patella) is a palace in Palermo, Sicily, southern Italy, located in the Kalsa quarter. It is home to the Galleria Regionale della Sicilia (Regional Gallery of Art).
The palace was designed in the 15th century by Matteo Carnelivari, at the time working in Palermo at the palazzo Aiutamicristo, and is an example of Gothic-Catalan architecture. It was the residence of Francesco Abatellis (or Patella), port master of the Kingdom of Sicily.
After the death of Abatellis, it remained to his wife, and, after her death, it was given to a female monastery. Several modifications were carried on to adapt it to monastic life. They included a chapel, built on the left side of the chapel (1535–1541), hiding one of the façades. In the 18th century the construction of a bigger church (the current Santa Maria della Pietà), the chapel was abolished and divided into several rooms. The front part was used as parlatory, while the rear section was turned into a series os store, while the altar was remoed.
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Palazzo Adriano
Palazzo Adriano (Sicilian: Palazzu) is a town and comune in the province of Palermo, Sicily, southern Italy.
The first mention of a casale Arianum dates from before 1060 under the reign of the Norman Roger I of Sicily. More reliable is information about the hamlet of Palazzo Adriano reported in a 1243 document. Since 1282, the fiefs land holdings) that now constitute the area of Palazzo Adriano saw more than thirty baronies granted leases by the abbots of the monastery of Santa Maria di Fossanova.
In 1988, Giuseppe Tornatore has also chosen as a setting outside Palazzo Adriano for his film Nuovo Cinema Paradiso.
Giovanni Emanuele Bidera, was an Italian poet and playwright. He was born in Palazzo Adriano.
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Palazzo Chiaramonte
Palazzo Chiaramonte-Steri is a historical palace in Palermo, Sicily, southern Italy.
The building was begun in the early 14th century, and was the residence of the powerful Sicilian lord Manfredi III Chiaramonte. He commissioned the decoration of the Sala Magna ("Grand Hall"), with a frescoed wooden ceiling by Cecco di Naro, Simone da Corleone and Pellegrino Darena. From the late 15th century to 1517 it housed the Aragonese-Spanish viceroys of Sicily; later it was home to the Royal Customs and, from 1600 to 1782, the tribunal of the Holy Inquisition.
The palace was restored in the 20th century, with the elimination of numerous elements associated with its role as a jail of the Inquisitions. During the works, the grooves left by cages in which had been hung the severed heads of the nobles who had rebelled against emperor Charles V were discovered in the façade. The palace is now a museum; among the artworks, it houses Renato Guttuso's Vucciria.
Coordinates: 38°07′04″N 13°22′12″E / 38.11778°N 13.37°E / 38.11778; 13.37
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Palazzo dei Normanni
The Palazzo dei Normanni (in English, Palace of the Normans) or Royal Palace of Palermo is a palace in Palermo, Italy. It was the seat of the Kings of Sicily during the Norman domination and served afterwards as the main seat of power for the subsequent rulers of Sicily. Today it is the seat of the regional parliament of Sicily.
The palace stands in what is the highest point of the ancient centre of the city, just above the first Punic settlements, whose remains can still be found in the basement.
The first building, the Qasr (in Arabic, castle or palace) is believed to have been started in the 9th century by the Emir of Palermo. Parts of this early building are still visible in the foundations and in the basements, where typical arabian vaults are present. After the Normans conquered Sicily in 1072 (just 6 years after they conquered England) and established Palermo as the capital of the new Kingdom of Sicily, the palace was chosen as the main residence of the kings. The Norman kings transformed the former Arabian palace into a multifunctional complex with both administrative and residential aims. All the buildings were linked to each other via arcades and enclosed by gardens, designed by the best gardeners of the middle east. In 1132 King Roger II added the famous Cappella Palatina to the complex, making it the focus of the palace.
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Palermo
Palermo (Italian: [paˈlɛrmo] ( listen), Sicilian: Palermu, Latin: Panormus, from Greek: Πάνορμος, Panormos, Arabic: بَلَرْم, Balarm; Phoenician: זִיז, Ziz) is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old. Palermo is located in the northwest of the island of Sicily, right by the Gulf of Palermo in the Tyrrhenian Sea.
The city was founded by the Phoenicians, but named by the Ancient Greeks as Panormus meaning 'always fit for landing in.' Palermo became part of the Roman Republic, the Roman Empire and eventually part of the Byzantine Empire, for over a thousand years. From 827 to 1071 it was under Arab rule during the Emirate of Sicily when it first became a capital. Following the Norman reconquest, Palermo became capital of a new kingdom (from 1130 to 1816), the Kingdom of Sicily. Eventually it would be united with the Kingdom of Naples to form the Two Sicilies until the Italian unification of 1860.
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Palermo Cathedral
The Cathedral of Palermo is an architectural complex in Palermo, Sicily, southern Italy. It is characterized by the presence of different styles, due to a long history of additions, alterations and restorations, the last of which occurred in the 18th century.
The church was erected in 1185 by Walter Ophamil (or Walter of the Mill), the Anglo-Norman archbishop of Palermo and King William II's minister, on the area of an earlier Byzantine basilica. By all accounts this earlier church was founded by St. Gregory and was later turned into a mosque by the Saracens after their conquest of the city in the 9th century. Ophamil is buried in a sarcophagus in the church's crypt. The medieval edifice had a basilica plan with three apses, of which only some minor architectural elements survive today.
The upper orders of the corner towers were built between the 14th and the 15th centuries, while in the early Renaissance period the southern porch was added. The present neoclassical appearance dates from the work carried out over the two decades 1781 to 1801, and supervised by Ferdinando Fuga. During this period the great retable by Gagini, decorated with statues, friezes and reliefs, was destroyed and the sculptures moved to different parts of the basilica. Also by Fuga are the great dome emerging from the main body of the building, and the smaller domes covering the aisles' ceilings.
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Partinico
Partinico (Sicilian: Partinicu, Ancient Greek: Parthenikòn) is a town and comune in the province of Palermo, Sicily, southern Italy. It is located at 30 km from Palermo and 71 from Trapani.
The paternal side of musician Frank Zappa's family came from the town. The Italian prime minister Orlando represented Partinico in the Italian Parliament from 1897 until 1925.
The local, family-run, anti-Mafia television station Telejato is based in Partinico.
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Perugia
Perugia (Italian pronunciation: [peˈruːdʒa] ( listen); (Latin: Perusia) is the capital city of the region of Umbria in central Italy, near the River Tiber, and the capital of the province of Perugia. The city is located about 164 kilometres (102 mi) north of Rome. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area.
The history of Perugia goes back to the Etruscan period. The city is also known as a university town, with the University of Perugia (about 34,000 students), the University for Foreigners (5,000 students), and some smaller colleges, also. There are annual festivals and events: the Eurochocolate Festival (October), the Umbria Jazz Festival, and the International Journalism Festival (in April).
Perugia is a well-known artistic centre of Italy. The famous painter Pietro Vannucci, nicknamed Perugino, was a native of Città della Pieve near Perugia. He decorated the local Sala del Cambio with a beautiful series of frescoes; eight of his pictures can also be admired in the National Gallery of Umbria. Perugino was the teacher of Raphael, the great Renaissance artist who produced five paintings in Perugia (today no longer in the city) and one fresco. Another famous painter, Pinturicchio, lived in Perugia. Galeazzo Alessi is the most famous architect from Perugia. The city symbol is the griffin, which can be seen in the form of plaques and statues on buildings around the city.
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Petralia Soprana
Petralia Soprana (Sicilian: Pitralìa Suprana) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 70 km southeast of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,630 and an area of 56.8 km².
The municipality of Petralia Soprana contains the frazioni (subdivisions, mainly villages and hamlets) Acquamara, Borgo Aiello, Borgo Pala, Cipampini, Cozzo Bianco, Fasanò, Gioiotti, Gulini, Lodico, Lucia, Madonnuzza, Miranti, Pellizzara, Pianello, Pira, Raffo, San Giovanni, SS. Trinità, Sabatini, Saccù, Salaci, Salinella, Scarcini, Scarpella, Serra di Lio, Stretti, Verdi I e Verdi II, and Villa Letizia.
Petralia Soprana borders the following municipalities: Alimena, Blufi, Bompietro, Gangi, Geraci Siculo, Petralia Sottana.
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Petralia Sottana
Petralia Sottana (Sicilian: Pitralìa Suttana) is a town and comune in the Province of Palermo, in the island of Sicily, Italy.
The Madonie Mountains cover the commune. It includes the "Fractions" (frazioni) Piano Battaglia, Landro, Recattivo and Tudia.
The commune is on the border between the provinces of Palermo and Caltanissetta (CL). It is bounded by the communes of Alimena, Blufi, Caltanissetta (CL), Castelbuono, Castellana Sicula, Geraci Siculo, Isnello, Marianopoli (CL), Petralia Soprana, Polizzi Generosa, Resuttano (CL), Santa Caterina Villarmosa (CL), Villalba (CL).
The coat of arms includes a flamingo pink to rose to rosy white with three lillies and a golden edge. The colour ranges from ocean blue to sky blue to light snow-like blue to white reading Lilium Petrae. The crown on the top is shaped with lilly-leaf and on top and peach circles on the bottom of the crown.
The main characters in Emanuele Crialese's elegiac film of Sicilian immigration to America," Golden Door" (aka Nuovomondo)) come from the town of Petralia.
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Phoenicia
Phoenicia (UK /fɨˈnɪʃə/, US /fəˈniːʃə/; from the Greek: Φοινίκη: Phoiníkē), was an ancient Semitic Canaanite civilization situated on the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent. The major Phoenician cities were on the coastline of the Mediterranean. It was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550 BC to 300 BC. The Phoenicians used the galley, a man-powered sailing vessel, and are credited with the invention of the bireme. They were famed in Classical Greece and Rome as 'traders in purple', referring to their monopoly on the precious purple dye of the Murex snail, used, among other things, for royal clothing, and for their spread of the alphabet (or abjad), upon which all major modern phonetic alphabets are derived.
In the Amarna tablets of the 14th century BC, people from the region called themselves Kenaani or Kinaani (Canaanites), although these letters predate the invasion of the Sea Peoples by over a century. Much later, in the 6th century BC, Hecataeus of Miletus writes that Phoenicia was formerly called χνα, a name Philo of Byblos later adopted into his mythology as his eponym for the Phoenicians: "Khna who was afterwards called Phoinix". Egyptian seafaring expeditions had already been made to Byblos to bring back "cedars of Lebanon" as early as the third millennium BC.
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Piana degli Albanesi
Piana degli Albanesi (Albanian: Hora e Arbëreshëvet) is a comune with 6,427 inhabitants in the Province of Palermo, Sicily.
The town is the most important and populous Arbëreshë community in Sicily and it is the episcopal see of the Byzantine Catholic Church. Situated on a mountainous plateau, which is mirrored on a large lake, and on the eastern side of the imposing Mount Pizzuta, it is 24 km from the provincial capital. The community has maintained many ethnic elements of Albanian culture like language, religious ritual, traditional costumes, music and folklore. The inhabitants are the descendants of Albanian families, including nobles and relatives of Skanderbeg, that settled in Southern Italy during the Ottoman Turkish conquest of the Balkans. The municipal government uses bilingual documents and signs in Albanian and Italian under existing Italian legislation on protecting ethnic and linguistic minorities.
Piana degli Albanesi was founded in the late fifteenth century by a large group of Albanian refugees coming from the Balkans during the conquest of the latter by the Ottoman Empire. The exodus began after the defeat of the Byzantine Empire and the death of Skanderbeg, who successfully fought for the freedom of their people for more than two decades.[citation needed]
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Poland
Polandi/ˈpoʊlənd/ (Polish: Polska), officially the Republic of Poland (Polish: Rzeczpospolita Polska; Kashubian: Pòlskô Repùblika; Silesian: Polsko Republika), is a country in Central Europe, bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north. The total area of Poland is 312,679 square kilometres (120,726 sq mi), making it the 69th largest country in the world and the 9th largest in Europe. Poland has a population of over 38 million people, which makes it the 34th most populous country in the world and the sixth most populous member of the European Union, being its most populous post-communist member. Poland is a unitary state made up of 16 voivodeships. Poland is a member of the European Union, NATO, the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), European Economic Area, International Energy Agency, Council of Europe, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, International Atomic Energy Agency, G6, Council of the Baltic Sea States, Visegrád Group, Weimar Triangle and Schengen Agreement.
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Polizzi Generosa
Polizzi Generosa (Sicilian: Pulizzi) is a town and comune (population 4,530) in the Province of Palermo on the island of Sicily, southern Italy. The town sits in the hills at 917 in meters.
The site of Polizzi has traces of human presence since the 6th century BC, archaeological findings including coins from Himera, Carthaginian remains and a Hellenistic necropolis. In the 4th century it was a Carthaginian fortress occupied by mercenaries from Campania.
The town probably developed as a population center in the late Middle Ages, growing around the castle built by the Norman Count of Sicily Roger I in 1076.
People with connections to Polizzi Generosa include:
Hermitage of San Gandolfo
The church during San Gandolfo festival
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Pollina
Pollina (Sicilian: Puòddina) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 70 km east of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,102 and an area of 49.9 km². Pollina probably occupies the site of the ancient city of Apollonia.
The municipality of Pollina contains the frazione (subdivision) Finale di Pollina.
Pollina borders the following municipalities: Castelbuono, Cefalù, San Mauro Castelverde.
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Portugal
Portugali/ˈpɔrtʃʉɡəl/ (Portuguese: Portugal, IPA: [puɾtuˈɣaɫ]), officially the Portuguese Republic (Portuguese: República Portuguesa) is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula . Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira are part of Portugal. The country is named after its second largest city, Porto, whose Latin name was Portus Cale.
The land within the borders of the current Portuguese Republic has been continuously settled since prehistoric times: occupied by Celts like the Gallaeci and the Lusitanians, integrated into the Roman Republic and later settled by Germanic peoples such as the Suebi, Swabians, Vandals and the Visigoths. In the 8th century most of the Iberian Peninsula was conquered by Moorish invaders professing Islam, which were later expelled by the Knights Templar under the Order of Christ. During the Christian Reconquista, Portugal established itself as an independent kingdom from León in 1139, claiming to be the oldest European nation state.
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Potenza
Potenza (Italian: [poˈtɛntsa] ( listen)) is a city and comune in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata (former Lucania). It is the capital of the province of Potenza and the Basilicata region.
The city is the highest regional capital and one of the highest provincial capitals in Italy, overlooking the valley of the Basento river in the Apennine Mountains of Lucania, east of Salerno. Its territory is bounded by the comuni of Anzi, Avigliano, Brindisi Montagna, Picerno, Pietragalla, Pignola, Ruoti, Tito, and Vaglio Basilicata.
The first settlement of Potentia was probably located at a lower elevation than at present, some 10 km south of today's Potenza.
The Lucani of Potenza sided against Rome's enemies during the latter's wars against the Samnites and the Bruttii. Subjugated during the 4th century BC (later gaining the status of municipium), the Potentini rebelled after the Roman defeat at Cannae in 216 BC. However, the Battle of the Metaurus marked the end of any Carthaginian aspirations in Italy, and Potentia was reconquered by the Romans and reduced to the status of military colony.
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Prizzi
Prizzi is a town and comune of 5,711 inhabitants in the Italian province of Palermo, on the island of Sicily. It is located 84 km (52 mi) south of the city of Palermo at an altitude of 696 m (2,283 ft) above sea level on a hill in the upper valley of the River Sosio. Prizzi is surrounded by the comuni of Campofelice di Fitalia, Castronovo di Sicilia, Corleone, Lercara Friddi, Palazzo Adriano, and Vicari.
Traces have been found of a small Elymian settlement, called Hippana or Hyppana, dating from the 8th-6th centuries BC on the nearby Montagna dei Cavalli. This settlement was later rebuilt in the 4th century BC and inhabited by Carthaginians, Greeks, Arabs, and Romans. The name Prizzi derives from the Greek Pyrizo, meaning "incendiary" as in the context of sending smoke signals, referring to its origin as an important point for fighting off enemy invaders in Sicily. The present town, of Norman origin, was a fief of Guglielmo Bonello. In 1150, it passed to the Cistercian Monastery of Sant’Angelo. Between the 13th and 15th centuries, control of the town was disputed by various lords until it finally fell to the Bonanno family, whose fief it was until 1812.
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Quattro Canti
Quattro Canti, officially known as Piazza Vigliena, is a Baroque square in Palermo, Sicily, southern Italy.
It was laid out on the orders of the Viceroy the Duke of Maqueda between 1608-1620 by Giulio Lasso at the crossing of the two principal streets in Palermo, the Via Maqueda and the Corso Vittorio Emanuele.
The piazza is octagonal four sides being the streets, and the remaining four sides are Baroque buildings the near identical facades of which contain fountains with statues of the four seasons, the four Spanish kings of Sicily, and of the patronesses of Palermo, (Cristina, Ninfa, Olivia, and Agata). The facades onto the interchange are curved, and rise to four floors; the fountains rise to the height of the second floor, the third and fourth floors contain the statues in niches. At the time the piazza was built, it was one of the first major examples of town planning in Europe.
Coordinates: 38°06′57″N 13°21′41″E / 38.11583°N 13.36139°E / 38.11583; 13.36139
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Rijeka
Rijeka (Croatian: Rijeka, Croatian pronunciation: [rijɛ̌ːka]; Italian: Fiume) is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia (after Zagreb and Split). It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants (2011). The conurbation, which includes adjacent towns and municipalities of Opatija, Lovran, Mošćenička Draga, Matulji, Kastav, Viškovo, Klana, Kostrena, Čavle, Jelenje, Bakar, and Kraljevica has a population of 213,842 (2011).
Historically, because of its strategic position and its excellent deep-water Port of Rijeka, the city was fiercely contested, especially between Italy, Hungary, and Croatia, changing hands and demographics many times over centuries. According to the 2001 census data, the overwhelming majority of its citizens (80.39%) are Croats, with Serbs coming in second (6.21%). The Croatian, Slovene and Italian version of the city's name mean river in each of the languages.
Rijeka is the center of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in Croatia. The city's economy largely depends on shipbuilding (shipyards "3. Maj" and "Viktor Lenac") and maritime transport. Rijeka hosts the Croatian National Theatre "Ivan pl. Zajc", first built in 1765, as well as the University of Rijeka, founded in 1973 but with roots dating back to 1632.
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Roccamena
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Roccamena is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 35 km southwest of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,669 and an area of 33.3 km².
Roccamena borders the following municipalities: Bisacquino, Contessa Entellina, Corleone, Monreale.
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Roccapalumba
Roccapalumba (Sicilian: Roccapalumma) is a comune (municipality) in the province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 60 km southeast of Palermo.
Roccapalumba borders the following municipalities: Alia, Caccamo, Castronovo di Sicilia, Lercara Friddi, Vicari.
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Romania
Romania (i/roʊˈmeɪniə/ roh-MAY-nee-ə; dated: Roumania; or Rumania;Romanian: România [romɨˈni.a] ( listen)) is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Romania shares a border with Hungary and Serbia to the west, Ukraine and Moldova to the northeast and east, and Bulgaria to the south.
At 238,400 square kilometers (92,000 sq mi), Romania is the ninth largest country of the European Union by area, and has the seventh largest population of the European Union with over 19 million people. Its capital and largest city is Bucharest, the tenth largest city in the EU with about two million people.
The Kingdom of Romania emerged when the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia were united under Prince Alexander Ioan Cuza in 1859. Independence from the Ottoman Empire was declared on 9 May 1877, and was internationally recognized the following year. At the end of World War I, Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia united with the Kingdom of Romania. Greater Romania emerged into an era of progression and prosperity that would continue until World War II. By the end of the War, many north-eastern areas of Romania's territories were occupied by the Soviet Union, and Romania forcibly became a socialist republic and a member of the Warsaw Pact.
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Rome
Rome (/ˈroʊm/; Italian: Roma pronounced [ˈroːma] ( listen); Latin: Rōma) is a city and special comune ("Roma Capitale") in Italy. Rome is the capital of Italy and the capital of Lazio (Latin: Latium). With 2.8 million residents in 1,285.3 km2 (496.3 sq mi), it is also the country's largest and most populated comune and fourth-most populous city in the European Union by population within city limits. Between 3.2 and 3.7 million people live in the Rome metropolitan area. The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.
Rome's history spans two and a half thousand years. It was the capital city of the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, which was the dominant power in Western Europe and the lands bordering the Mediterranean for over seven hundred years from the 1st century BC until the 7th century AD and the city is regarded as one of the birthplaces of western civilization. Since the 1st century AD Rome has been the seat of the Papacy and, after the end of Byzantine domination, in the 8th century it became the capital of the Papal States, which lasted until 1870. In 1871 Rome became the capital of the Kingdom of Italy, and in 1946 that of the Italian Republic.
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Russia
Russiai/ˈrʌʃə/ or /ˈrʊʃə/ (Russian: Россия, tr. Rossiya; IPA: [rɐˈsʲijə] ( listen)), also officially known as the Russian Federation (Russian: Российская Федерация, tr. Rossiyskaya Federatsiya; IPA: [rɐˈsʲijskəjə fʲɪdʲɪˈratsɨjə] ( listen)), is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects. From northwest to southeast, Russia shares borders with Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland (both via Kaliningrad Oblast), Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, and North Korea. It also has maritime borders with Japan by the Sea of Okhotsk, and the US state of Alaska by the Bering Strait. At 17,075,400 square kilometres (6,592,800 sq mi), Russia is the largest country in the world, covering more than one eighth of the Earth's inhabited land area. Russia is also the eighth most populous nation with 143 million people. It extends across the whole of northern Asia and 40% of Europe, spanning nine time zones and incorporating a wide range of environments and landforms. Russia has the world's largest reserves of mineral and energy resources and is the largest producer of oil and natural gas globally. Russia has the world's largest forest reserves and its lakes contain approximately one-quarter of the world's fresh water.
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Sabratha
Sabratha, Sabratah or Siburata (Arabic: صبراتة), in the Zawiya District in the northwestern corner of modern Libya, was the westernmost of the "three cities" of Tripolis. From 2001 to 2007 it was the capital of the former Sabratha wa Sorman District. It lies on the Mediterranean coast about 66 km (41 mi) west of Tripoli. The extant archaeological site was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982.
Sabratha's port was established, perhaps about 500 BC, as a Phoenician trading-post that served as a coastal outlet for the products of the African hinterland.The Phoenicians gave it the Lybico-Berber name 'Sbrt'n', which suggests that there may have been a native town built there prior to the Phoenicians' arrival. Sabratha became part of the short-lived Numidian Kingdom of Massinissa before being Romanized and rebuilt in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. The Emperor Septimius Severus was born nearby in Leptis Magna, and Sabratha reached its monumental peak during the rule of the Severans. The city was badly damaged by earthquakes during the 4th century, particularly the quake of AD 365. It was rebuilt on a more modest scale by Byzantine governors. Within a hundred years of the Arab conquest of the maghreb, trade had shifted to other ports and Sabratha dwindled to a village.
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Safita
Safita (Arabic: صا فيتا Ṣāfītā) is a city in northwestern Syria, located to the southeast of Tartous and to the northwest of Krak des Chevaliers. The city has a population of 33,000. It's situated atop three hills and the valleys between them, in the Syrian Coastal Mountain Range. Safita grew prominent during the Crusades, and was inhabited by the Knights Templar of the castle Chastel Blanc, while a part of the County of Tripoli.
The city has been inhabited since the times of the Phoenicians, and several archaeological discoveries have been made, including Phoenician and Canaanite settlements. In 1102, Raymond IV of Toulouse began to take the land of the Banu Ammars Emirs of Tripoli. A four-year siege on Tripoli resulted in full control of the city and many lands surrounding it, including Safita. Mamluk Sultan Baibars captured the castle in 1271.
Coordinates: 34°49′N 36°07′E / 34.817°N 36.117°E / 34.817; 36.117
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Samara, Russia
Samara (Russian: Сама́ра; IPA: [sɐˈmarə]), known from 1935 to 1991 as Kuybyshev (Ку́йбышев; IPA: [ˈkujbɨʂəf]), is the sixth largestcity in Russia. It is situated in the southeastern part of European Russia at the confluence of the Volga and Samara Rivers on the east bank of the Volga. The Volga acts as the city's western boundary; across the river are the Zhiguli Mountains, after which the local beer (Zhigulyovskoye) is named. The northern boundary is formed by the Sokolyi Hills and by the steppes in the south and east. The land within the city boundaries covers 46,597 hectares (115,140 acres). Samara is the administrative center of Samara Oblast. Population: 1,164,896 (2010 Census preliminary results); 1,157,880 (2002 Census); 1,254,460 (1989 Census)..
The metropolitan area of Samara-Tolyatti-Syzran within Samara Oblast constitutes the population of more than three million people. Formerly a closed city, Samara is now a large and important social, political, economic, industrial, and cultural center of European Russia, which in May 2007 hosted the European Union—Russia Summit.
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San Cipirello
San Cipirello (Sicilian: San Ciupirreddu) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 25 km southwest of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 5,201 and an area of 20.9 km².
San Cipirello borders the following municipalities: Monreale, San Giuseppe Jato.
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San Giuseppe Jato
San Giuseppe Jato (Sicilian: San Giuseppi; Latin: Iaetia) is a village in the Province of Palermo in Sicily, southern Italy.
The village sits in a hilly region of Palermo's hinterland, 31 km from the Sicilian capital.
The first inhabited centre in the area lies on top of the adjacent Mount Jato, dating back to prehistoric times, with influence of Greek culture from the 6th century BC. Known under the Name of Iaitas in Greek sources and Ietas in Latin, this ancient village lived its most flourishing period in its history from the age of Islamic domination of Sicily to the Hohenstaufen one (c. 975-1246), when it was an important stronghold. It is believed that the last remnants of the original Muslim stronghold were demolished in 1246 by the troops of Frederick II of Sicily.
The modern village was founded in 1779 at the foot of Mount Jato. It was known simply as San Giuseppe, until 1864 when the suffix Jato was added to differentiate it from San Giuseppe Vesuviano, near Naples.
San Giuseppe Jato is the birthplace of Giovanni Brusca, a notorious mafioso who, in 1996, was arrested for the assassination of Judge Giovanni Falcone, a prominent Sicilian anti-mafia campaigner.
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Sant'Antioco
Sant'Antioco is the name of both an island and a municipality (comune) in southwestern Sardinia, in the Province of Carbonia-Iglesias, in Sulcis zone. With a population of 11,730, the municipality of Sant'Antioco it is the island's largest community. It is also the site of ancient Sulci, considered the second city of Sardinia in antiquity.
Sant'Antioco is the second largest island of the region Sardinia, after Sardinia itself, with a surface of 109 km2; it is also the fourth in Italy after Sicily, Sardinia itself and Elba. It is located some 87 km from Cagliari, to which is connected through the SS126 state road, using a modern bridge. The island is divided between the two municipalities of Sant'Antioco and Calasetta. Other settlements are the small tourist resort of Maladroxia (a frazione of Sant'Antioco municipality) and Cussorgia, part of Calasetta.
The island of Sant'Antioco was settled at least from the 5th millennium BC (the so-called culture of San Michele of Ozieri), which was based mainly on fishing and agriculture. Typical tombs (called domus de janas) and menhirs belonging to this culture have been found. The island also housed nuraghe civilizations: findings include the nuraghe of Su Niu de Su Crobu ("Crow's Nest").
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Santa Cristina Gela
Santa Cristina Gela (Albanian: Sëndahstina) is an Arbëreshë village in the province of Palermo in Sicily.
The country, along with Contessa Entellina and Piana degli Albanesi, is one of three ethnic Albanian community in Sicily, where the old Albanian language (arbërisht) is still spoken. Its inhabitants are Arbëreshë, that is, Italo-Albanian.
Santa Cristina Gela was founded in the 1691 by 82 descendants of the earlier Albanian settlers from Piana degli Albanesi. The settlers acquired the area under a contract with the Archbishop of Palermo and had to pay to him feudal rights for some public services, although they were granted tax exemptions and privated buildings rights.
Santa Cristina Gela was originally called Santa Cristina. The name Gela was affixed in honour of the Naselli family, princes of Sant'Elia (part of Santa Flavia) and dukes of Gela, who owned vast territories in the area of the village.
The inhabitants of Santa Cristina brought with them the habits and customs of their ancestors the Albanians, as well as the Byzantine rite Greek community features Arbëreshë.
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Santa Flavia
Santa Flavia (known as Solunto until 1880) is a town in the province of Palermo, Sicily, southern Italy.
The town is situated between the Gulf of Palermo and the town and hot springs known as Termini Imerese, on the Tyrrhenian Sea, 15 km east of Palermo. Inside the town are the remains of the ancient city of Soluntum.
The main agricultural product of Santa Flavia is the grapefruit. Additionally, the town, due to its location on the coast is known for its different types of freshfish. The town caters to tourism, specifically its many seaside resorts.
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Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some 540 miles (870 km) south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana.
The municipality extends over 1,023.8 square kilometers (395.3 sq mi), and contains the communities of El Caney, Guilera, Antonio Maceo, Bravo, Castillo Duany, Leyte Vidal and Moncada.
Historically Santiago de Cuba has long been the second most important city on the island after Havana, and still remains the second largest. It is on a bay connected to the Caribbean Sea and is an important sea port. In 2004 the city of Santiago de Cuba had a population of about 494,337 people.
Santiago de Cuba was founded by Spanish conquistador Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar on June 28, 1514. In 1516 the settlement was destroyed by fire, and was immediately rebuilt. This was the starting point of the expeditions led by Juan de Grijalba and Hernán Cortés to the coasts of Mexico in 1518, and in 1538 by Hernando de Soto's expedition to Florida. The first cathedral was built in the city in 1528. From 1522 until 1589 Santiago was the capital of the Spanish colony of Cuba.
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Savoy
Savoy (/ˈsævɔɪ/; Arpitan: Savouè, IPA: [saˈvwɛ]; French: Savoie, IPA: [savwa]; Italian: Savoia) is a region of France. It comprises roughly the territory of the Western Alps situated between Lake Geneva in the north and Dauphiné in the south.
The historical land of Savoy emerged as the feudal territory of the house of Savoy during the 11th to 14th centuries. The historical territory is shared between the modern republics of France and Italy.
Installed by Rudolph III, King of Burgundy, officially in 1003, the House of Savoy became the longest surviving royal house in Europe.[citation needed] It ruled the County of Savoy to 1416 and then the Duchy of Savoy from 1416 to 1714.
The territory of Savoy was annexed to France in 1792 under the French First Republic, before being returned to the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia in 1815. Savoy was finally annexed to France, under the Second French Empire in 1860, as part of a political agreement brokered between the French emperor Napoleon III and King Victor Emmanuel II of the Kingdom of Sardinia that began the process of unification of Italy. Victor Emmanuel's dynasty, the House of Savoy, retained its Italian lands of Piedmont and Liguria and became the ruling dynasty of Italy.
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Sciara, Sicily
Sciara is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 40 km southeast of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,788 and an area of 31.2 km².
Sciara borders the following municipalities: Aliminusa, Caccamo, Cerda, Termini Imerese.
Sciara is a small farming town. The main crops are tomatoes, artichokes and olives. Houses cost around 20,000 each depending on the size. A lot of houses are empty due to immigrating to the north of Italy, Germany or United States during the 70s, 80s and etc due to poor economic conditions. A lot of immigrants still own their land and houses in Sciara and are very proud of where they come from.
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Scillato
Scillato (Sicilian: Scillatu) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 60 km southeast of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 671 and an area of 30.8 km².
Scillato borders the following municipalities: Caltavuturo, Cerda, Collesano, Isnello, Polizzi Generosa, Sclafani Bagni.
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Sclafani Bagni
Sclafani Bagni (Sicilian: Sclàfani Bagni) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 50 km southeast of Palermo.
Sclafani Bagni borders the following municipalities: Alia, Aliminusa, Caccamo, Caltavuturo, Castronovo di Sicilia, Cerda, Montemaggiore Belsito, Polizzi Generosa, Scillato, Valledolmo, Vallelunga Pratameno.
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Segesta
Segesta (Sicilian: Seggesta) was the political center of the Elymian people, located in the northwestern part of Sicily, in what are now the province of Trapani and the comune of Calatafimi-Segesta.
According to the tradition used in Virgil's Aeneid, Segesta was founded jointly by the territorial king Acestes (who was son of the local river Crinisus by a Dardanian woman named Segesta or Egesta) and by those of Aeneas' folk who wished to remain behind with Acestes to found the city of Acesta.
The belief that the name of the city was originally Acesta or Egesta and changed to Segesta by the Romans to avoid its ill-omened meaning in Latin is disproved by coins showing that Segesta was indeed the earlier name.
Segesta, called Egesta (Ancient Greek: Ἕγεστα) by the Greeks, was one of the major cities of the Elymian people, one of the three indigenous peoples of Sicily. The other major cities of the Elymians were Eryx and Entella.
The population of Segesta was mixed Elymian and Ionian Greek, though the Elymians soon Hellenized and took on external characteristics of Greek life.
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Selinunte
Selinunte (Greek: Σελινοῦς; Latin: Selinus) is an ancient Greek archaeological site on the south coast of Sicily, southern Italy, between the valleys of the rivers Belice and Modione in the province of Trapani. The archaeological site contains five temples centered on an acropolis. Of the five temples, only the Temple of Hera, also known as "Temple E", has been re-erected.
Selinunte was one of the most important of the Greek colonies in Sicily, situated on the southwest coast of that island, at the mouth of the small river of the same name, and 6.5 km west of that of the Hypsas (the modern Belice River). It was founded, according to historian Thucydides, by a colony from the Sicilian city of Megara, or Megara Hyblaea, under the conduct of a leader named Pammilus, about 100 years after the settlement of that city, with the addition of a fresh body of colonists from the parent city of Megara in Greece. The date of its foundation cannot be precisely fixed, as Thucydides indicates it only by reference to that of the Sicilian Megara, which is itself not accurately known, but it may be placed about 628 BCE. Diodorus places it 22 years earlier, or 650 BCE, and Hieronymus still further back, 654 BCE. The date from Thucydides, which is probably the most likely, is incompatible with this earlier epoch. The name is supposed to have been derived from quantities of wild parsley (Greek: σέλινον—selinon) that grew on the spot. For the same reason, they adopted the parsley leaf as the symbol on their coins.
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Serbia
Serbiai/ˈsɜrbiə/, officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: Република Србија / Republika Srbija, pronounced [rɛpǔblika sř̩bija]), is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans. Serbia borders Hungary to the north; Romania and Bulgaria to the east; the Republic of Macedonia to the south; and Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro to the west; additionally, it borders Albania through Kosovo, whose status as part of Serbia is disputed. Serbia covers an area of 88,361 km2 and has a population of just over 7.1 million, while the capital and largest city is Belgrade.
The arrival of the Serbs to the Balkans in the 7th century, established several states, eventually forming the Serbian Empire in the 14th century. By the 16th century, Serbia was conquered and occupied by the Ottoman Empire, at times interrupted by the Habsburgs. In the early 19th century the Serbian revolution re-established the country as the region's first constitutional monarchy, which subsequently expanded its territory and pioneered the abolition of feudalism in the Balkans. The former Habsburg crownland of Vojvodina united with Serbia in 1918. Following World War I, Serbia formed Yugoslavia with other South Slavic peoples which existed in several forms up until 2006, when the National Assembly of Serbia declared independence and the legal succession to the former State Union. In February 2008 the parliament of UNMIK-governed Kosovo, Serbia's southern province, declared independence, with mixed responses from international governments.
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Sidon
Coordinates: 33°33′38″N 35°23′53″E / 33.56056°N 35.39806°E / 33.56056; 35.39806
Sidon or Saïda (Arabic: صيدا, Ṣaydā; Phoenician:
, Ṣydwn; Greek: Σιδών; Latin: Sidon; Hebrew: צידון, Ṣīḏōn, Turkish: Sayda) is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate of Lebanon, on the Mediterranean coast, about 40 km (25 mi) north of Tyre and 40 km (25 mi) south of the capital Beirut. In Genesis, Sidon is the son of Canaan the grandson of Noah. Its name coincides with the modern Arabic word for fishery.
Sidon is a city of 200,000 inhabitants who are overwhelmingly Muslims.
Sidon has been inhabited since very early in prehistory. The archaeological site of Sidon II shows a lithic assemblage dating to the Acheulean, whilst finds at Sidon III include a Heavy Neolithic assemblage suggested to date just prior to the invention of pottery. It was one of the most important Phoenician cities, and may have been the oldest. From here, and other ports, a great Mediterranean commercial empire was founded. Homer praised the skill of its craftsmen in producing glass, purple dyes, and its women's skill at the art of embroidery. It was also from here that a colonizing party went to found the city of Tyre. Tyre also grew into a great city, and in subsequent years there was competition between the two, each claiming to be the metropolis ('Mother City') of Phoenicia. Glass manufacturing, Sidon's most important enterprise in the Phoenician era, was conducted on a vast scale, and the production of purple dye was almost as important. The small shell of the Murex trunculus was broken in order to extract the pigment that was so rare it became the mark of royalty.
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Sitifis
Sétif (Arabic: سطيف, formerly Latin: Sitifis Colonia or Colonia Sitifis) is a town in northeastern Algeria. It is the capital of Sétif Province and it has a population of 288,461 inhabitants as of the 2008 census. Setif is located to the east of Algiers and is the second most important Wilaya after the country's capital. It is 1,096 m (3,596 ft) above sea level, making it the second highest capital of a Wilaya in Algeria. The streets are tree-lined with a fountain and theater, giving the town a French feel.
Sétif is one of the coldest regions in Algeria. Sétif is connected by rail as well as the main national highway. It is a university town located approximately 190 miles east of Algiers on the highway to Constantine.
Sétif lay in the region of the Numidian kingdom of Massaesyles. It was near Sétif that Jugurtha campaigned and lost against Marius in 105 BC. Overcome by Marius, he was taken to Rome where was executed in the prison of Tullianum. No remains of this period have been found.
Sitifis was founded by the Romans, during the reign of Nerva, as a colony for veterans. Although no buildings of this period are known, a cemetery excavated in the 1960's seems to have contained tombs from the early colony. The Romans built a circus at Sitifis, which aerial photographs show survived substantially intact until the 20th century; today only a small part of the curved end continues visible; the remainder has been destroyed or built over. As the town grew, around 297 AD, the province of Mauretania Sitifensis was established, with Sitifis as its capital. In the newly prosperous town a bath building was built, decorated with fine mosaics: its restoration in the fifth century had a cold room (frigidarium) paved with a large mosaic showing the birth of Venus.. On the northwest edge of the town two great Christian basilicas were built at the end of the fourth century, decorated, again, with splendid mosaics..
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Soluntum
Soluntum or Solus (Greek: Σολόεις, Thuc.; Σολοῦς, Diod.: Eth. Σολουντῖνος, Diod., but coins have Σολοντῖνος; Italian Solunto) was an ancient city of Sicily, one of the three chief Phoenician settlements in the island, situated on the north coast, about 16 kilometres (10 mi) east of Panormus (modern Palermo), and immediately to the east of the bold promontory called Capo Zafferano. It lay 183 metres (600 ft) above sea level, on the southeast side of Monte Catalfano 373 metres (1,225 ft), in a naturally strong situation, and commanding a fine view. Some scholars contend that Soluntum and Solus were two different cities at close quarters, Soluntum, higher upon the hillside, being a later habitation displacing the earlier settlement of Solus, at a lower elevation. Its current site is at the località of Solanto in the comune of Santa Flavia.
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Spain
Spain (i/ˈspeɪn/ SPAYN; Spanish: España, pronounced: [esˈpaɲa] ( listen)), officially the Kingdom of Spain (Spanish: Reino de España), is a sovereign state and a member of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Its mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar; to the north and north east by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the northwest and west by the Atlantic Ocean and Portugal.
Spanish territory also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the African coast, and two autonomous cities in North Africa, Ceuta and Melilla, that border Morocco. Furthermore, the town of Llívia is a Spanish exclave situated inside French territory. With an area of 504,030 square kilometres (194,610 sq mi), it is the second largest country in Western Europe and the European Union after France, and the fourth largest country in Europe after Russia, Ukraine and France.
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Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (i/ʃriː ˈlɑːŋkə/, /sriːˈlɑːŋkə/, or /sriːˈlæŋkə/;Sinhala: ශ්රී ලංකාව, Tamil: இலங்கை), is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent in South Asia. Known until 1972 as Ceylon ( /sɨˈlɒn/, /seɪˈlɒn/, or /siːˈlɒn/), Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar, the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the Maldives.
As a result of its location in the path of major sea routes, Sri Lanka is a strategic naval link between West Asia and South East Asia. It was an important stop on the ancient Silk Road. Sri Lanka has also been a center of the Buddhist religion and culture from ancient times, being the nation where the Buddhist teachings were first written down as well as the oldest continually Buddhist country. Sri Lanka boasts a diverse range of cultures, languages and religions. The Sinhalese people form the majority of the population; Tamils, who are concentrated in the north and east of the island, form the largest ethnic minority. Other communities include Moors, Burghers, Kaffirs, Malays and the aboriginal Vedda people.
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Syracuse, Sicily
Syracuse (Italian: Siracusa pronounced [siraˈkuːza] ( listen); Sicilian: Sarausa; Latin: Syracusæ; Ancient Greek: Συρακοῦσαι Syrakoúsai) is a historic city in Sicily, the capital of the province of Syracuse. The city is notable for its rich Greek history, culture, amphitheatres, architecture, and as the birthplace of the preeminent mathematician and engineer Archimedes. This 2,700-year-old city played a key role in ancient times, when it was one of the major powers of the Mediterranean world. Syracuse is located in the southeast corner of the island of Sicily, right by the Gulf of Syracuse next to the Ionian Sea.
The city was founded by Ancient Greek Corinthians and became a very powerful city-state. Syracuse was allied with Sparta and Corinth, exerting influence over the entire Magna Grecia area of which it was the most important city. Once described by Cicero as "the greatest Greek city and the most beautiful of them all", it later became part of the Roman Republic and Byzantine Empire. After this Palermo overtook it in importance, as the capital of the Kingdom of Sicily. Eventually the kingdom would be united with the Kingdom of Naples to form the Two Sicilies until the Italian unification of 1860.
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Syria
Syria (/ˈsɪriə/ ( listen) SIRR-ee-ə; Arabic: سورية Sūriyya or سوريا Sūryā; Syriac: ܣܘܪܝܐ; Kurdish: Sûrî), officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic: الجمهورية العربية السورية al-Jumhūriyyah al-‘Arabīyah as-Sūriyyah Arabic pronunciation (help·info)), is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest.
In English, the name Syria was formerly synonymous with the Levant, known in Arabic as Sham, while the modern state encompasses the sites of several ancient kingdoms and empires, including the Eblan civilization of the third millennium BC. In the Islamic era, its capital city, Damascus, the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, was the seat of the Umayyad Caliphate, and a provincial capital of the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt.
The population of Syria is 74% Sunni, 12% Alawi, 10% Christian, and 3% Druze. Combined, 87% of the Syrian population is Muslim, while the other 10% is Christian, which includes mainly Arab Christians but also Assyrians and Armenians. Major ethnic minorities in Syria include Kurds (9%), Assyrians, Armenians, Turkmens and Circassians. The majority of the population is Arab (90%).
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Tangier
Tangier, also Tangiers (Berber: Tanja, ⵜⴰⵏⵊⴰ, archaic Berber name: Tingi, Arabic: طنجة Ṭanjah, Spanish: Tánger, French: Tanger), is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 (2012 estimates). It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. It is the capital of the Tangier-Tetouan Region and of the Tangier-Asilah prefecture of Morocco.
The history of Tangier is very rich due to the historical presence of many civilizations and cultures starting from the 5th century BC. Between the period of being a Berber settlement and then a Phoenician town to the independence era around the 1950s, Tangier was a refuge for many cultures. In 1923, Tangier was considered as an international status by foreign colonial powers, and became a destination for many European and American diplomats, spies, writers and businessmen.
The city is currently undergoing rapid development and modernization. Projects include new 5-star hotels along the bay, a modern business district called Tangier City Center, a new airport terminal and a new football stadium. Tangier's economy is also set to benefit greatly from the new Tanger-Med port.
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Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973. While the first races consisted of a whole tour of the island, the track length in the race's last decades was limited to the 72 kilometres (45 mi) of the Circuito Piccolo delle Madonie, which was lapped 11 times.
After 1973, it was a national sports car event until it was discontinued in 1977 due to safety concerns. It has since been run as a rallying event, and is part of the Italian Rally Championship.
The race was created in 1906 by the wealthy pioneer race driver and automobile enthusiast, Vincenzo Florio, who had started the Coppa Florio race in Brescia, Lombardy in 1900.
One of the toughest competitions in Europe, the first Targa Florio covered 3 laps equalling 277 miles (446 km) through multiple hairpin curves on treacherous mountain roads, at heights where severe changes in climate frequently occurred. Alessandro Cagno won the inaugural 1906 race in nine hours, averaging 30 miles per hour (50 km/h).
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Tbilisi
Tbilisi (Georgian: თბილისი [tʰb̥ilisi] ( listen)) is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi (ტფილისი) and it was officially known as Tpilisi (in Georgian) or Tiflis (in Russian) until 1936. The city covers an area of 726 km2 (280 sq mi) and has 1,480,000 inhabitants.
Founded in the 5th century by Vakhtang Gorgasali, the monarch of Georgia's precursor Kingdom of Iberia, Tbilisi has served, with various intervals, as Georgia's capital for nearly 1500 years and represents a significant industrial, social, and cultural center of the country. Located near the southeastern edge of Europe, Tbilisi's proximity to lucrative east-west trade routes often made the city a point of contention between various rival empires throughout history and the city's location to this day ensures its position as an important transit route for global energy and trade projects. Tbilisi's varied history is reflected in its architecture, which is a mix of medieval, classical, and Soviet structures.
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Termini Imerese
Termini Imerese is a town and comune in the province of Palermo on the northern coast of Sicily, southern Italy.
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Terrasini
Terrasini is a town and comune in the Province of Palermo on the island of Sicily in Italy.
Terrasini is located 30 kilometres (19 mi) west of Palermo at the motorway between Palermo and Trapani, between the mountains and the Gulf of Castellammare near the Palermo International Airport.
Terrasini's population works mainly in fishing and tourism. The population triples during the summer.
Bounding communes are: Carini, Cinisi, Partinico and Trappeto.
The name Terrasini probably derives from Latin "terra sinus" = "land at the gulf" (the Gulf of Castellamare) or from "terra sinorum" = "land of the bays" due to the strongly curved coastline with a large number of larger and smaller bays. The name was first cited for the region in a letter of saint Martin della Scale of November 24, 1350 as "terras vocatas li Terrasini".
The grottoes in the area of Terrasini were inhabited already in the late paleolithic times. On different sites, tracks of Roman settlers were found.
The origin of the town goes back to the late medieval times to a small settlement (called Favarotta) of agricultural workers on the large-scale landed property of the family "La Grua Talamanca" from Carini.
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Thapsus
Thapsus (less commonly, Tapsus) was an ancient city in what is modern day Tunisia. Its ruins exist at Ras Dimas near Bekalta, approximately 200 km southeast of Carthage. Originally founded by Phoenicians, it served as a marketplace on the coast of the province Byzacena in Africa Propria. Thapsus was established near a salt lake on a point of land eighty stadia (14.8 km) from the island of Lampedusa.
In 46 BC, Julius Caesar defeated Metellus Scipio and the Numidian King Juba with a tremendous loss of men near Thapsus (see Battle of Thapsus). Caesar exacted a payment of 50,000 sesterces from the vanquished. Their defeat marked the end of opposition to Caesar in Africa. Thapsus then became a Roman colony.
Coordinates: 35°37′33″N 11°02′42″E / 35.62583°N 11.045°E / 35.62583; 11.045
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Tharros
Coordinates: 39°52′24″N 8°26′23″E / 39.8733°N 8.43972°E / 39.8733; 8.43972
Tharros (also spelled Tharras, Greek: Θάρρας, Ptol., Tarrae or Tarras) was an ancient city on the west coast of Sardinia, Italy, and is currently an archaeological site near the village of San Giovanni di Sinis, municipality of Cabras, in the Province of Oristano. It is located on the southern shores of the Sinis peninsula, that forms the northern cape of the Bay of Oristano, the cape of San Marco. Tharros, mentioned by Ptolemy and in the Itineraries, seems to have been one of the most important places on the island.
Archaeological research done in the area of Tharros has established that in the eighth century BCE the town was founded by Phoenicians. On the remains of a former village built by the nuragic peoples (1900-730 BCE) on top of the hill called Su Muru Mannu they founded a tophet, an open air sacred place common for several installations of Phoenicians in the western Mediterranean, and seen as a first sign of colonization and urbanization. Excavations have shown that from the eighth century BCE until the abandonment of Tharros in the 10th century the place was inhabited, first by Phoenicians, then by the Punics and then under Roman domination. The town was the capital of the medieval Guidicato of Arborea, a Roman/Byzantine relict state from the 9th century until 1070 when Orzocorre I relocated to Oristano under pressure of Saracen raiders. The town was effectively abandoned at this time or shortly thereafter. The site was used for centuries after that as a quarry for building materials for the surrounding villages and towns. Certainly there has always been a strong Sardic element during the whole time of its existence. An inscription records the repair of the road from Tharras to Cornus as late as the reign of the emperor Philip. The Antonine Itinerary correctly places it 18 miles from Cornus and 12 from Othoca (modern Santa Giusta near Oristano).
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Thyna
Thyna is a town and commune in the Sfax Governorate, Tunisia. As of 2004 it had a population of 26,635.
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Timgad
Coordinates: 35°29′03″N 6°28′07″E / 35.484237°N 6.468666°E / 35.484237; 6.468666 Timgad (called Thamugas or Tamugadi in old Berber) was a Roman colonial town in the Aures mountain- numidia Algeria founded by the Emperor Trajan around AD 100. The full name of the town was Colonia Marciana Ulpia Traiana Thamugadi. Trajan commemorated the city after his mother Marcia, father Marcus Ulpius Traianus and his eldest sister Ulpia Marciana.
Located in modern-day Algeria, about 35 km east of the town of Batna, the ruins are noteworthy for representing one of the best extant examples of the grid plan as used in Roman city planning.
The city was founded ex nihilo as a military colony by the Emperor Trajan around AD 100. It was intended to serve, primarily, as a bastion against the Berbers in the nearby Aures Mountains. It was originally populated largely by Parthian veterans of the Roman army who were granted lands in return for years in service.
The city enjoyed a peaceful existence for the first several hundred years and became a center of Christian activity starting in the 3rd century, and a Donatist center in the 4th century.
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Timişoara
Timișoara (Romanian pronunciation: [timiˈʃo̯ara] ( listen); German: Temeswar, also formerly Temeschburg or Temeschwar, Hungarian: Temesvár, Serbian: Темишвар/Temišvar, Turkish: Temeşvar) is the capital city of Timiș County, in western Romania. One of the largest Romanian cities, with a population of 303,708 inhabitants (the third most populous city in the country, as of 2011), and considered the informal capital city of the historical region of Banat, Timișoara is the main social, economic and cultural center in the western part of Romania.
Timișoara lies at an altitude of 95 m on the southeast edge of the Banat plain, part of the great Panonia plain. The rich black soil and relatively low water table make this a fertile agricultural region.
Due to the hydrography projects undertaken in the 18th century, the city no longer lies on the Timiș River, but on the Bega canal. This is a relatively active seismic area, and earthquakes up to 6 on the Richter scale have been recorded.
Timișoara was first mentioned as a place in either 1212 or 1266. The territory later to be known as Banat was conquered and annexed by the Kingdom of Hungary in 1030. Timișoara grew considerably during the reign of Charles I, who, upon his visit here in 1307, ordered the construction of a royal palace. Timișoara's importance also grew thanks to its strategic location, which facilitated control over the Banat plain. John Hunyadi established a permanent military encampment here, and moved here together with his family. In 1552, Ahmed Pasha conquered the city with a 16,000 Ottomans and transformed it into a capital city in the region. The local military commander, Stefan Losonczy, was captured and beheaded on July 27, 1552 after resisting the Ottoman invasion with just over 2,300 men.[citation needed]
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Tipaza
Tipaza (formerly Tefessedt, Chenoua:
Bazar, Arabic: تيپاازة) is a Berber-speaking town on the coast of Algeria, capital of the Tipaza province. The modern town, founded in 1857, is remarkable chiefly for its sandy beach, and ancient ruins.
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Torretta
Torretta (Sicilian: Turretta) is a comune in the province of Palermo located on the Mediterranean island of Sicily.
This town is situated on a mountainous area overlooking Palermo.
Olive production is Torretta's primary agriculture product and other industries include aluminum and marble. Monuments include the Santuario della Madonna delle Grazie of XVII. Churches include the Chiesa del Sacramento and the Chiesa and the Monastero del Collegio di Maria.
The town is named Torretta probably due to the presence of a small tower around the latter half of the 17th century. The first inhabited center dates back to 1599 by Baron Arrigo Traina. Later it came under dominion of Giulio Tommaso Caro, prince of Pelagie (Lampedusa and Linosa). It was later ruled by DiBenedetto family who is renowned for the risings of 1860 for the Unity of Italy.
The population as of 2004 consists of 3,881 people.
Popular surnames in this town include: Caruso, Carollo, Gambino, DiMaggio, Intravaia, Mannino, Parlanti and Badalamenti.
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Trabia
Trabia (Sicilian: Trabbìa) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 30 km southeast of Palermo.
The municipality of Trabia contains the frazione (subdivision) San Nicola l'Arena.
Trabia borders the following municipalities: Altavilla Milicia, Caccamo, Casteldaccia, Termini Imerese.
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Trappeto
Trappeto (Trappitu in Sicilian) is an Italian municipality of 3,123 inhabitants in the province of Palermo, located in the north-west part of Sicily. It is part of the metropolitan area of Palermo. The capital city is 45 km from Palermo and about 60 from Trapani.
It is a seaside resort on the coast in the Gulf of Castellammare. The city was founded in the 15th century. Frederick II of Aragon used it as psrt of his hunting grounds. From this, Trappeto evolved as a fertile agricultural centre. The main sources of income for the town include fishing and tourism. Known as "Trappetum cannamelarum", for the mill of the Sugar cane which was planted here in 1480 by the rich landowner Francis Bologna, who subsequently made a fortune during the 16th century.
In early 1600 it was abandoned by its inhabitants, but was later returned to and repopulated at the end of 1700 for cultivating grapes for wine. Stable population took hold in the early 19th century, thanks to houses built around the old Church of the Annunciation. The city is famous for the work of activist, Danilo Dolci, a social and cultural writer who helped bring Trappeto back from depths of poverty and ruin. He established an orphanage in Trappeto. Trappeto is also famous for its beaches, with the most popular being Ciammarita
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Trento
Trento listen (help·info) (traditional English: Trent; Italian: Trento, pronounced [ˈtrɛnto] or [ˈtrento][citation needed]; local dialects: Trènt; German: Trient) is an Italian city located in the Adige River valley in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. It is the capital of Trentino. In the 16th century the city was the location of the Council of Trent.
Trento is a major educational, scientific, financial and political centre in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol and Northern Italy in general. The University of Trento ranks highly out of Italy's top 30 colleges, coming 1st in the Italian Ministry of Education ranking, 1st in Engineering area according to Censis-La Repubblica ranking and 5th in the Il Sole 24 Ore ranking of Italian universities, and amongst the 500 best in the world according to the Times Higher Education, coming 252nd. The city contains a picturesque Medieval and Renaissance historic centre, with ancient buildings such as Trento Cathedral and the Castello del Buonconsiglio.
Modern-day Trento is a cosmopolitan city, with highly-developed and organized modern social services.[citation needed] The city often ranks extremely highly out of all 103 Italian cities for quality of life, standard of living, and business and job opportunities, coming 1st, 6th and 2nd respectively. Trento is also one of the nation's wealthiest and most prosperous, with its province being one of the richest in Italy, although poorer than its neighbours Lombardy and South Tyrol, with a GDP per capita of €29,500 and a GDP (nominal) of €14.878 billion.
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Trieste
Trieste (/triːˈɛst/;Italian pronunciation: [triˈɛste] listen (help·info); Slovene: Trst, German: Triest) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city. Trieste is located at the head of the Gulf of Trieste and throughout history it has been influenced by its location at the crossroads of Germanic, Latin and Slavic cultures. In 2009, it had a population of about 205,000 and it is the capital of the autonomous region Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Trieste province.
Trieste was one of the oldest parts of the Habsburg Monarchy from 1382 until 1918. In the 19th century, it was the most important port of one of the Great Powers of Europe. As a prosperous seaport in the Mediterranean region, Trieste became the fourth largest city of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (after Vienna, Budapest, and Prague). In the fin-de-siecle period, it emerged as an important hub for literature and music. However, the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Trieste's union to Italy after World War I led to some decline of its "Mittel-European" cultural and commercial importance. Enjoying an economic revival during the 1930s and throughout the Cold War, Trieste was an important spot in the struggle between the Eastern and Western blocs. Today, the city is in one of the richest regions of Italy, and has been a great centre for shipping, through its port (Port of Trieste), shipbuilding and financial services.
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Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Tripoli-of-the-West (Arabic: طرابلس الغرب Ṭarābulus al-Gharb), to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean (Arabic: عروسة البحر ʼarūsat el-baḥr; lit: "bride of the sea"), describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli (English pronunciation: /ˈtrɪpɵli/) is a Greek name that means "Three Cities", introduced in Western European languages through the Italian Tripoli. In Arabic: طرابلس it is called Ṭarābulus ( pronunciation (help·info), Libyan Arabic: Ṭrābləs pronunciation (help·info), Berber: Ṭrables, from Ancient Greek: Τρίπολις Trípolis). As of 2011, the Tripoli metropolitan area (district area) had a population of 2.2 million. The city is located in the northwest part of the country on the edge of the desert, on a point of rocky land projecting into the Mediterranean and forming a bay.
The city includes the Port of Tripoli and the country's largest commercial and manufacturing centre. It is also the site of the University of Tripoli. The vast Bab al-Azizia barracks, which includes the former family compound of Muammar Gaddafi, is also located in the city; Gaddafi largely ruled the country from his residence in this barracks.
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Tripoli, Lebanon
Coordinates: 34°26′N 35°51′E / 34.433°N 35.85°E / 34.433; 35.85
Tripoli (Formal Arabic: طرابلس / ALA-LC: Ṭarābulus; Lebanese Arabic: Ṭrāblus; Greek: Τρίπολις / Tripolis) is the largest city in northern Lebanon and the second-largest city in Lebanon. Situated 85 km north of the capital Beirut, Tripoli is the capital of the North Governorate and the Tripoli District. Geographically located on the east of the Mediterranean, the city's history dates back to the 14th century BC. Tripoli is home to the easternmost port in Lebanon, and holds offshore a remarkable string of four small islands, the only surviving islands of Lebanon. The largest of these islands, the Island of Palm Trees, has been declared a protected reserve by UNESCO in 1992 for its rich ecosystem of green sea turtles and rare birds.
In ancient times, it was the center of a Phoenician confederation which included Tyre, Sidon and Arados, hence the name Tripoli, meaning "triple city" in Greek. Later, it was controlled successively by the Assyrian Empire, Persian Empire, Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Caliphate, the Seljuk Empire, Crusader States, the Mamluks, the Ottoman Empire and France. The Crusaders established the County of Tripoli there in the twelfth century.
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Tunisia
Tunisia (USi/tuːˈniːʒə/ two-NEE-zhə or UK /tjuːˈnɪziə/ tew-NIZ-iə; Arabic: تونس Tūnis pronounced [ˈtuːnɪs]), officially the Republic of Tunisia (Arabic: الجمهورية التونسية al-Jumhūriyyah at-Tūnisiyyah), is the northernmost country in Africa. It is an Arab Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area is almost 165,000 square kilometres (64,000 sq mi), with an estimated population of just under 10.7 million. Its name is derived from the capital Tunis located in the northeast.
Tunisia is the smallest country in North Africa. The south of the country is composed of the Sahara desert, with much of the remainder consisting of particularly fertile soil and 1,300 kilometres (810 mi) of coastline.
Tunisia has relations with both the European Union—with whom it has an association agreement—and the Arab world. Tunisia is also a member of the Arab Maghreb Union, the Arab League, and the African Union. Tunisia has established close relations with France in particular, through economic cooperation, industrial modernization, and privatisation programs.
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Turin
Turin (Italian: Torino, pronounced [toˈriːno] ( listen); Piedmontese: Turin, pronounced [tyˈɾiŋ]; Latin: Augusta Taurinorum) is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 (November 2008) while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 1.7 million inhabitants. The Turin metropolitan area is estimated by the OECD to have a population of 2.2 million.
The city has a rich culture and history, and is known for its numerous art galleries, restaurants, churches, palaces, opera houses, piazzas, parks, gardens, theatres, libraries, museums and other venues. Turin is well known for its baroque, rococo, neo-classical, and Art Nouveau architecture. Much of the city's public squares, castles, gardens and elegant palazzi such as Palazzo Madama, were built in the 16th and 18th century, after the capital of the Duchy of Savoy (later Kingdom of Sardinia) was moved to Turin from Chambery( nowadays France) as part of the urban expansion.
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Turkey
Turkey (Turkish: Türkiye), known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( Türkiye Cumhuriyeti (help·info)), is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia (mostly in the Anatolian peninsula) and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe. Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Bulgaria to the northwest; Greece to the west; Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, Azerbaijan (the exclave of Nakhchivan) and Iran to the east; and Iraq and Syria to the southeast. The Mediterranean Sea and Cyprus are to the south; the Aegean Sea is to the west; and the Black Sea is to the north. The Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles (which together form the Turkish Straits) demarcate the boundary between East Thrace and Anatolia; they also separate Europe and Asia.
Turkey is one of the six independent Turkic states. The vast majority of the population are Muslims. The country's official language is Turkish, whereas Kurdish and Zazaki languages are spoken by Kurds and Zazas, who constitute 18% of the population.
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Tyre, Lebanon
Tyre (Arabic: صور, Ṣūr; Phoenician:
, Ṣur; Hebrew: צוֹר, Tzor; Tiberian Hebrew צר, Ṣōr; Akkadian: 𒋗𒊒 Ṣurru; Greek: Τύρος, Týros; Turkish: Sur; Latin: Tyrus) is a city in the South Governorate of Lebanon. There were approximately 117,000 inhabitants in 2003, however, the government of Lebanon has released only rough estimates of population numbers since 1932, so an accurate statistical accounting is not possible. Tyre juts out from the coast of the Mediterranean and is located about 80 km (50 mi) south of Beirut. The name of the city means "rock" after the rocky formation on which the town was originally built. The adjective for Tyre is Tyrian, and the inhabitants are Tyrians.
Tyre is an ancient Phoenician city and the legendary birthplace of Europa and Elissa (Dido). Today it is the fourth largest city in Lebanon and houses one of the nation's major ports. Tourism is a major industry. The city has a number of ancient sites, including its Roman Hippodrome which was added to UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 1979.
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Tyrrhenian Sea
The Tyrrhenian Sea (Corsican: Mari Tirrenu, French: Mer Tyrrhénienne, Italian: Mare Tirreno, Neapolitan: Mar Tirreno, Sardinian: Mare Tirrenu, Sicilian: Mari Tirrenu, Latin: Mare Tyrrhenum) is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy.
The sea is bounded by Corsica and Sardinia (to the west), Tuscany, Lazio, Campania, Basilicata and Calabria (to the east) and Sicily (to the south).
The maximum depth of the sea is 3,785 metres (12,418 ft).
The Tyrrhenian Sea is situated near where the African and European Plates meet; therefore mountain chains and active volcanoes such as Mount Marsili are found in its depths. The eight Aeolian Islands and Ustica are located in the southern part of the sea, north of Sicily.
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Tyrrhenian Sea as follows:
There are four exits from the Tyrrhenian Sea (north to south):
The Tyrrhenian Sea is divided into two basins (or plains), the Vavilov plain and the Marsili plain. They are separated by the undersea ridge known as the Issel Bridge, after Arturo Issel.[dead link]
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Ukraine
Ukraine (i/juːˈkreɪn/ yew-KRAYN; Ukrainian: Україна, transliterated: Ukrayina, [ukrɑˈjinɑ]; Russian: Украина; Crimean Tatar: Ukraina) is a country in Central and Eastern Europe. Ukraine borders the Russian Federation to the east and northeast, Belarus to the northwest, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to the west, Romania and Moldova to the southwest, and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south and southeast, respectively. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after the Russian Federation.
According to a popular and well established theory, the medieval state of Kievan Rus was established by the Varangians in the 9th century as the first historically recorded East Slavic state which emerged as a powerful nation in the Middle Ages until it disintegrated in the 12th century. By the middle of the 14th century, Ukrainian territories were under the rule of three external powers—the Golden Horde, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Kingdom of Poland. After the Great Northern War (1700–1721) Ukraine was divided between a number of regional powers and, by the 19th century, the largest part of Ukraine was integrated into the Russian Empire with the rest under Austro-Hungarian control. A chaotic period of incessant warfare ensued, with several internationally recognized attempts at independence from 1917 to 1921, following World War I and the Russian Civil War. Ukraine emerged from its own civil war, and on December 30, 1922 Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic became one of the founding republics of the Soviet Union. The Ukrainian SSR's territory was enlarged westward during the civil war shortly before, and after World War II, and further south in 1954 with the Crimea transfer. In 1945, the Ukrainian SSR became one of the founding members of the United Nations.
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United States
The United States of America (commonly abbreviated to the United States, the U.S., the USA, America, and the States) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west, across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Pacific and Caribbean.
At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km2) and with over 312 million people, the United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and the third largest by both land area and population. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. The U.S. economy is the world's largest national economy, with an estimated 2011 GDP of $15.1 trillion (22% of nominal global GDP and over 19% of global GDP at purchasing-power parity). Per capita income is the world's sixth-highest.
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USA
The United States of America (commonly abbreviated to the United States, the U.S., the USA, America, and the States) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west, across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Pacific and Caribbean.
At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km2) and with over 312 million people, the United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and the third largest by both land area and population. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. The U.S. economy is the world's largest national economy, with an estimated 2011 GDP of $15.1 trillion (22% of nominal global GDP and over 19% of global GDP at purchasing-power parity). Per capita income is the world's sixth-highest.
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Ustica
Ustica (Sicilian: Ùstica) is the name of a small island, about 9 km across, situated 52 km north of Capo Gallo, Italy in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Roughly 1,300 people live in the comune (municipality) of the same name. There is regular ferry service from the island to Palermo, Italy.
Excavations begun in 1989 at Faraglioni have unearthed what was a large prehistoric village dating from the 14th to the 13th century BC. The foundations of some 300 stone-built houses were discovered, and the defensive walls of the settlement are among the strongest fortifications of any period known in Italy. It is believed that these early settlers came over from the Aeolian Islands.
In historic times, the island has been populated at least since about 1500 BC by Phoenician peoples. In ancient Greece, the Island was named Osteodes (ossuary) in memory of the thousands of Carthaginian mutineers left there to die of hunger in the 4th century BC. The Romans renamed the island Ustica, Latin for burnt, for its black rocks. The island is also known locally as the "black pearl".
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Utica, Tunisia
Utica (English pronunciation: /ˌjutɪkə/) is an ancient city northwest of Carthage near the outflow of the Medjerda River into the Mediterranean Sea, traditionally considered to be the first colony founded by the Phoenicians in North Africa. Today, Utica no longer exists, and its remains are located not on the coast where it once lay, but further inland because deforestation and agriculture upriver led to massive erosion and the Medjerda River silted over its original mouth.
"Utica" is from the Phoenician ˁattiq (identical to modern Arabic عُتَيقة and Hebrew עתיק) meaning "old [town]", contrasting with the later colony "Carthage", meaning "new town".
Utica was founded as a port located on the trade route leading to the Straits of Gibraltar and the Atlantic, thus facilitating Phoenician trade in the Mediterranean. The actual founding date of Utica is controversial. Several classical authors date its foundation around 1100 BC. The archaeological evidence, however, suggests a foundation no earlier than the eighth century BC. Although Carthage was later founded about 40 km. from Utica, records suggest “that until 540 BC Utica was still maintaining political and economic autonomy in relation to its powerful Carthaginian neighbor”. By the fourth century BC, Utica came under Punic control but continued to exist as a privileged ally of Carthage.
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Valledolmo
Valledolmo (Sicilian: Vaddilurmu) (Valley of the Elm) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 60 km southeast of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 4,017 and an area of 25.8 km².
Valledolmo borders the following municipalities: Alia, Sclafani Bagni, Vallelunga Pratameno.
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Venice
Venice (Italian: Venezia [veˈnɛttsja] ( listen), Venetian: Venexia [veˈnɛsja]; (Latin: Venetia) is a city in northeast Italy sited on a group of 118 small islands separated by canals and linked by bridges. It is located in the marshy Venetian Lagoon which stretches along the shoreline between the mouths of the Po and the Piave Rivers. Venice is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. The city in its entirety is listed as World Heritage Site, along with its lagoon.
Venice is the capital of the Veneto region. In 2009, there were 270,098 people residing in Venice's comune (the population estimate of 272,000 inhabitants includes the population of the whole Comune of Venezia; around 60,000 in the historic city of Venice (Centro storico); 176,000 in Terraferma (the Mainland), mostly in the large frazioni of Mestre and Marghera; 31,000 live on other islands in the lagoon). Together with Padua and Treviso, the city is included in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area (PATREVE) (population 1,600,000).
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Vicari
Vicari (Sicilian: Vìcari) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 35 km southeast of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,997 and an area of 85.7 km².
Vicari borders the following municipalities: Caccamo, Campofelice di Fitalia, Ciminna, Lercara Friddi, Prizzi, Roccapalumba.
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Villabate
Villabate (Sicilian: Villabbati) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 8 km southeast of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 19,441 and an area of 3.8 km².
Villabate borders the following municipalities: Ficarazzi, Misilmeri, Palermo.
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Villafrati
Villafrati is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 25 km southeast of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,350 and an area of 25.6 km².
Villafrati borders the following municipalities: Baucina, Bolognetta, Cefalà Diana, Ciminna, Marineo, Mezzojuso.
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Volubilis
Volubilis, or Walili, is an archaeological site in Morocco situated near Meknes between Fez and Rabat along the N13 road. The nearest town is Moulay Idriss. Walili features the best preserved Roman ruins in this part of northern Africa. In 1997 the site was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Volubilis was an important Roman town situated near the westernmost border of Roman conquests. It was built on the site of the previous Punic settlement, but that settlement overlies an earlier neolithic habitation.
During the reign of the Berber King Juba II and his son Ptolemy of Mauretania between the year 32 BC and 40 AD Walili was a powerful ancient capital of Mauritania kingdom, The fertile lands of the province produced many commodities such as grain and olive oil, contributing to the province's wealth and prosperity.
The city became the administrative center of the province in Roman Africa called Mauretania Tingitana. Archaeology has documented the presence of a Jewish community in the Roman period.
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Zagreb, Croatia
Zagreb (Croatian pronunciation: [zǎːɡrɛb]) is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately 122 m (400 ft) above sea level. In the last official census of 2011, the population of the settlement of Zagreb was 686,568, while the total population of its administrative area was 792,875. The wider Zagreb metropolitan area includes the City of Zagreb and the separate Zagreb County with a population of 317,642, bringing the total metropolitan area population up to 1,110,517. It is the only metropolitan area in Croatia with a population of over one million.
Its favourable geographic position in the southwestern part of the Pannonian Basin, which extends to the Alpine, Dinaric, Adriatic and Pannonic regions, provides an excellent connection for traffic between Central Europe and the Adriatic Sea. The transport connections, concentration of industry, scientific and research institutions and industrial tradition underlie its leading economic position in Croatia. Zagreb is the seat of the central government, administrative bodies and almost all government ministries.
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Zisa, Palermo
The Zisa is a castle in the western part of Palermo, Sicily.
The construction was begun in the 12th century by Arabian craftsmen for king William I of Sicily, and completed by his son William II. The edifice had been conceived as summer residence for the Norman kings, as a part of the large hunting resort known as Genoard ("Paradise on Earth") that included also the Cuba Sottana, the Cuba Soprana and the Uscibene palace.
The Zisa is clearly inspired by Moorish architecture. The name Zisa itself derives from the Arab term al-Azîz, meaning "noble", "glorious", "magnificent". The same word, in Naskh script, is impressed in the entrance, according to the usual habit for the main Islamic edifices of the time.
In the 14th century merlons were added, by partly destroying the Arab inscription (in Kufic characters) which embellished the upper part of the edifice. More substantial modifications were introduced in the 17th century, when the Zisa, reduced to very poor conditions, was purchased by Giovanni di Sandoval e Platamone, Marquis of S. Giovanni la Mendola, Prince of Castelreale, Lord of the Mezzagrana and the Zisa. The latter's marble coat of arms with two lions can be seen over the entrance fornix. Several rooms of the interior were modified and others added on the ceiling, a great stair was built, as well as new external windows.
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Antonello da Messina
Antonello da Messina, properly Antonello di Giovanni di Antonio (c. 1430 – February 1479) was an Italian painter from Messina, Sicily, active during the Italian Renaissance. His work shows strong influences from Early Netherlandish painting and, unusually for a painter from Southern Italy, he was influential on the art of Northern Italy, especially Venice.
Antonello was born at Messina around 1429-1431, to Giovanni de Antonio Mazonus and Garita (Margherita). He was probably apprenticed both in his native city and in Palermo.
Around the year 1450, according to a 1524 letter of the Neapolitan humanist Pietro Summonte, he was a pupil of the painter Niccolò Colantonio at Naples, at the time one of the most active centres of Renaissance arts.
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Austria
Austria (i/ˈɒstriə/ or /ˈɔːstriə/; German: Österreich [ˈøːstɐˌʁaɪç] ( listen)), officially the Republic of Austria (German: Republik Österreich (help·info)), is a landlocked country of roughly 8.47 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Hungary and Slovakia to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. The territory of Austria covers 83,855 square kilometres (32,377 sq mi) and has a temperate and alpine climate. Austria's terrain is highly mountainous due to the presence of the Alps; only 32% of the country is below 500 metres (1,640 ft), and its highest point is 3,798 metres (12,461 ft). The majority of the population speak local Austro-Bavarian dialects of German as their native language, and German in its standard form is the country's official language. Other local official languages are Burgenland Croatian, Hungarian and Slovene.
The origins of modern-day Austria date back to the time of the Habsburg dynasty when the vast majority of the country was a part of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Austria became one of the great powers of Europe and, in response to the coronation of Napoleon I as the Emperor of the French, the Austrian Empire was officially proclaimed in 1804. In 1867, the Austrian Empire was reformed into Austria-Hungary.
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Belisarius
Flavius Belisarius (Greek: Βελισάριος, ca. AD 500 – AD 565) was a general of the Byzantine Empire. He was instrumental to Emperor Justinian's ambitious project of reconquering much of the Mediterranean territory of the former Western Roman Empire, which had been lost less than a century previously.
One of the defining features of Belisarius' career was his success despite the little or no support he received from Justinian. He is also among a select group of men considered by historians to be the "Last of the Romans".
Belisarius was probably born in Germane or Germania, a city that once stood on the site of present day Sapareva Banya in south-west Bulgaria, in the borders of Thrace and Illyria. Born into an Illyrian or Thracian family, he became a Roman soldier as a young man, serving as bodyguard of Emperor Justin I.
He came to the attention of Justin and his nephew, Justinian, as a promising and innovative officer. He was given permission by the emperor to form a bodyguard regiment (bucellarii), of heavy cavalry. He was given permission to expand this unit into a personal household regiment, 1,500 strong. Belisarius' bucellarii were the nucleus around which all the armies he would later command were organized. Armed with lance, Hunnish composite bow, throwing darts, and broadsword, they were fully armored to the standard of heavy cavalry of the day. A multi-purpose unit, they were capable of skirmishing at a distance with bow, like the Huns; or could act as heavy shock cavalry, charging and crushing an enemy with lance and sword. In essence, they combined the best and most dangerous aspects of both of Rome's greatest enemies, the Huns and the Goths.
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Carlo Scarpa
Carlo Scarpa (June 2, 1906–1978), was an Italian architect, influenced by the materials, landscape, and the history of Venetian culture, and Japan. Scarpa was also a glass and furniture designer of note.
Scarpa was born in Venice. Much of his early childhood was spent in Vicenza, where his family relocated when he was 2 years old. After his mother's death when he was 13, he, his father and brother moved back to Venice. Carlo attended the Academy of Fine Arts where he focused on architectural studies. Graduated from the Accademia in Venice, with the title of Professor of Architecture, he apprenticed with the architect Francesco Rinaldo. Scarpa married Rinaldo's niece, Onorina Lazzari.
However, Scarpa refused to sit the pro forma professional exam administrated by the Italian Government after World War II. As a consequence, he was not permitted to practice architecture without associating with an architect. Hence, those who worked with him, his clients, associates, craftspersons, called him "Professor", rather than "architect".
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Charles III of Spain
Charles III (Spanish: Carlos III; Italian: Carlo III; 20 January 1716 – 14 December 1788) was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese. In 1731, the fifteen-year-old Charles became the Duke of Parma and Piacenza, as Charles I, at the death of his childless great uncle Antonio Farnese, Duke of Parma.
In 1734, as the Duke of Parma, he conquered the kingdoms of Naples and of Sicily, and was crowned as the King of Naples and Sicily on 3 July 1735, reigning as Charles VII of Naples and Charles V of Sicily. In 1738 he married the Princess Maria Amalia of Saxony, an educated, cultured woman who gave birth to thirteen children, eight of whom reached adulthood. Charles and Maria Amalia resided in Naples for nineteen years; she died in 1760.
Upon succeeding to the Spanish throne on 10 August 1759, Charles, a proponent of enlightened absolutism, on 6 October 1759 abdicated the Neapolitan and Sicilian thrones in favour of Ferdinand, his third surviving son, who became Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies, or Ferdinand IV of Naples and III of Sicily. Charles III's descendants ruled the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies until 1861.
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China
China (i/ˈtʃaɪnə/; Chinese: 中国; pinyin: Zhōngguó; see also Names of China), officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is the world's most-populous country, with a population of over 1.3 billion. Covering approximately 9.6 million square kilometres, the East Asian state is the world's second-largest country by land area, and the third- or fourth-largest in total area, depending on the definition of total area.
The People's Republic of China is a single-party state governed by the Communist Party of China. It exercises jurisdiction over 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four directly controlled municipalities (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing), and two mostly self-governing special administrative regions (Hong Kong and Macau). Its capital city is Beijing. The PRC also claims Taiwan—which is controlled by the Republic of China (ROC), a separate political entity—as its 23rd province, a claim controversial due to the complex political status of Taiwan and the unresolved Chinese Civil War. The PRC government denies the legitimacy of the ROC.
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Enrico Caruso
Enrico Caruso (Italian pronunciation: [enˈriːko kaˈruːzo]) (February 25, 1873 – August 2, 1921) was an Italian tenor. He sang to great acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and North and South America, appearing in a wide variety of roles from the Italian and French repertoires that ranged from the lyric to the dramatic. Caruso also made approximately 290 commercially released recordings from 1902 to 1920. All of these recordings, which span most of his stage career, are available today on CDs and as digital downloads.
Caruso's 1904 recording of "Vesti la giubba" from Leoncavallo's opera Pagliacci was the first sound recording to sell a million copies.
Caruso's 25-year career, stretching from 1895 to 1920, included 863 appearances at the New York Metropolitan Opera before he died from an infection at the age of 48. His fame has lasted to the present day despite the limited marketing and promotional vehicles available during Caruso's era. (He was, nonetheless, a client of Edward Bernays, during the latter's tenure as a press agent in the United States.) Publicity in Caruso's time relied on newspapers, particularly wire services, along with magazines, photography and relatively instantaneous communication via the telephone and the telegraph, to spread a message and raise a performer's profile.
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Ernesto Basile
Ernesto Basile (January 31, 1857, in Palermo, died August 26, 1932, in Palermo) was an Italian architect and an exponent of modernism and Art Nouveau. He became well-known because of his stylistic fusion of ancient, medieval and modern elements. He was one of the pioneers of Art Nouveau in Italy.
He was born on January 31, 1857 in Palermo. His father Giovanni Battista Filippo Basile was also an architect and a professor at the University of Palermo. Ernesto graduated in 1878 as an architect in Palermo in the Royal School of Engineering and Architecture (Italian: Regia Scuola di Applicazione per Ingegneri e Architetti). During the 1880s he lived in Rome. There in 1887 he married Ida Negrini and became assistant professor at the University of Rome. In the following years he was appointed professor of technical architecture in the University of Rome. At that period of his life he travelled in Brazil and in Spain. In 1890 he succeeded his father Giovanni, who died in 1891, as a professor of architecture. Ernesto Basile died on August 26, 1932 in Palermo.
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Euphemius (Sicily)
Euphemius was a Byzantine admiral, probably born in Messina. At ca. 826 according to Michele Amari, the Emperor appointed a new governor of Sicily called either Constantine or Photinus, who in turn entrusted a naval command to Euphemius, a landowner with a large following; accused on a perhaps trumped-up charge of abducting a young nun from a convent, he organized an uprising against the Byzantine Emperor, Michael II and, after some military successes, procaimed himself emperor in Syracuse, independent from Constantinople. In practice, he was a charismatic chief, and, respected as a king, the title of emperor meant that he dominated the whole territory of the island. Realising that he would be defeated by Byzantine troops when reinforcement were sent from the East, he appealed to Muslim leaders of Ifriqiya, where he asked the help of Arabs to take Sicily and Malta from the Byzantines. In the high summer of 827 he joined his forces with a large fleet commanded by Asad ibn al-Furat, but died later that year, killed by members of the imperial garrison at Enna. He is considered to be the man who initiated the Arab invasion of Sicily and Malta and the beginning of the two-century Islamic domination on the island as the Emirate of Sicily.
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Francesco Laurana
Francesco Laurana, also known as Francesco de la Vrana (Croatian: Frane Vranjanin) (c. 1430 – before 12 March 1502) was a Dalmatian-born sculptor and medallist. He is considered as both Croatian and Italian sculptor.
Laurana was born in Vrana, near Zadar, in Dalmatia. Under the rule of Venice Vrana was named La Vrana, forme romance de Vrana, which is the name used by Francesco Laurana.
After an apprenticeship under a sculptor, he began his solo career at Naples, where he was one of the team of sculptors finishing the triumphal arch of Castel Nuovo for Alfonso V of Aragon. After the death of Alfonso (1458) he was called to the court at Aix-en-Provence, of René d'Anjou, the former and still titular King of Naples, who commissioned from him a series of bronze portrait medals of personnages at the court.
From 1466 to 1471 Laurana was in Sicily. Works of this period include the Mastrantonio Chapel and the tomb of Pietro Speciale in the church of S. Francesco in Palermo, the side door of the church of St. Marguerite in Sciacca, Madonna and Child sculptures in the Cathedrals of Palermo (1471) and Noto, and a bust allegedly portraying Eleanor of Aragon, now in the Palazzo Abatellis in Palermo, Sicily.
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Francis of Assisi
Saint Francis of Assisi (born Giovanni Francesco di Bernardone; 1181/1182 – October 3, 1226) was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men's Franciscan Order, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the lay Third Order of Saint Francis. St. Francis is one of the most venerated religious figures in history.
Francis was the son of a wealthy cloth merchant in Assisi, and he lived the high-spirited life typical of a wealthy young man, even fighting as a soldier for Assisi. While going off to war in 1204, Francis had a vision that directed him back to Assisi, where he lost his taste for his worldly life. On a pilgrimage to Rome, he begged with the beggars at St. Peter's. The experience moved him to live in poverty. Francis returned home, began preaching on the streets, and soon amassed a following. His order was endorsed by Pope Innocent III in 1210. He then founded the Order of Poor Clares, which was an enclosed order for women, as well as the Third Order of Brothers and Sisters of Penance. In 1219, he went to Egypt in an attempt to convert the Sultan. By this point, the Franciscan Order had grown to such an extent that its primitive organizational structure was no longer sufficient. He returned to Italy to organize the order. Once his organization was endorsed by the Pope, he withdrew increasingly from external affairs. In 1223, Francis arranged for the first Christmas manger scene. In 1224, he received the stigmata, making him the first recorded person to bear the wounds of Christ's Passion. He died in 1226 while preaching Psalm 141.
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Geiseric
Genseric (c. 389 – January 25, 477), also spelled as Geiseric or Gaiseric, was King of the Vandals and Alans (428–477) and was one of the key players in the troubles of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century. During his nearly 50 years of rule, he raised a relatively insignificant Germanic tribe to the status of a major Mediterranean power — which, after he died, entered a swift decline and eventual collapse.
Succeeding his brother Gunderic at a time when the Vandals were settled in Baetica (modern Andalusia, Spain), Gaiseric transported all his people, around 80,000, to to Northern Africa in 428. He might have been invited by the Roman governor Bonifacius, who wished to use the military strength of the Vandals in his struggle against the imperial government.
Gaiseric caused great devastation as he moved eastward from the Strait of Gibraltar across Africa. He turned on Bonifacius, defeated his army in 430, and then crushed the joint forces of the Eastern and Western empires that had been sent against him. In 435 Gaiseric concluded a treaty with the Romans under which the Vandals retained Mauretania and part of Numidia as federates (allies under special treaty) of Rome. In a surprise move on October 19, 439, Gaiseric captured Carthage, striking a devastating blow at imperial power. In a 442 treaty with Rome the Vandals were recognized as the independent rulers of Byzacena, and part of Numidia. Gaiseric’s fleet soon came to control much of the western Mediterranean, and he annexed the Balearic Islands, Sardinia, Corsica, Malta and Sicily.
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Germanic peoples
The Germanic peoples (also called Teutonic or Gothic in older literature) are an Indo-European ethno-linguistic group of Northern European origin, identified by their use of the Germanic languages which diversified out of Proto-Germanic during the Pre-Roman Iron Age.
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Giacomo Gagini
Giacomo Gaggini (also Gagini) (15 December 1517 – 25 June 1598) was an Italian sculptor.
Born in Palermo, he was the son of the sculptor Antonello Gagini, and the brother of Fazio and Vincenzo, and half-brother of Giovanni Domenico and Antonino Gaggini, all sculptors.
He started to collaborate with his father at an early age, including the work at the Palermo Cathedral. In 1536 he sculpted two statues for the church of San Francesco di Paola and, in 1537, the Omodei tomb in the church of San Francesco d'Assisi. In 1544, also in the Palermo Cathedral, he sculpted the archbishop's throne, together with his brother Fazio and others. He also produced numerous works in the province of Palermo (Trapani, Alcamo, Sinagra, Naro, Pettineo).
He died at Palermo in 1598.
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Giovanni Falcone
Giovanni Falcone (Palermo, 18 May 1939 – Palermo, 23 May 1992) was an Italian prosecuting magistrate born in Palermo, Sicily. From his office in the Palace of Justice in Palermo, he spent most of his professional life trying to overthrow the power of the Mafia in Sicily. After a long and distinguished career, culminating in the famous Maxi Trial, he was killed by the Corleonesi Mafia in May 1992, on the motorway near the town of Capaci.
His life parallels that of his close friend Paolo Borsellino. They both spent their early years in the same neighbourhood in Palermo. And though many of their childhood friends grew up in the Mafia background, both men fought on the other side of the war as prosecuting magistrates. They were both killed in 1992, a few months from each other. In recognition of their tireless effort and sacrifice during the anti-mafia trials, they were both awarded the Italian "Medaglia d'oro al valore civile" (Gold medal for civil value). They were also named as heroes of the last 60 years in the November 13, 2006, issue of Time Magazine.
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Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes (Greek: Ἕλληνες, [ˈelines]), are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and other regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world.
Greek colonies and communities have been historically established in most corners of the Mediterranean, but Greeks have always been centered around the Aegean Sea, where the Greek language has been spoken since antiquity. Until the early 20th century, Greeks were uniformly distributed between the Greek peninsula, the western coast of Asia Minor, Pontus, Egypt, Cyprus and Constantinople; many of these regions coincided to a large extent with the borders of the Byzantine Empire of the late 11th century and the Eastern Mediterranean areas of the ancient Greek colonization.
In the aftermath of the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922), a large-scale population exchange between Greece and Turkey transferred and confined Christians from Turkey, except Constantinople (effectively ethnic Greeks) into the borders of the modern Greek state and Cyprus. Other ethnic Greek populations can be found from southern Italy to the Caucasus and in diaspora communities in a number of other countries. Today, most Greeks are officially registered as members of the Greek Orthodox Church.
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Hamilcar Barca
Hamilcar Barca or Barcas (ca. 275 BC – 228 BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman, leader of the Barcid family, and father of Hannibal, Hasdrubal and Mago. He was also father-in-law to Hasdrubal the Fair. The name Hamilcar (Punic-Phoenician ḥmlqrt, "brother of Melqart") was a common name for Carthaginian men. The name Brq (or Baraq) means "thunderbolt" in the Punic language and is thus equivalent to the epithet or cognomen Keraunos, common among many contemporary Greek commanders. The word remains in Lebanese, Arabic and Hebrew with the same meaning.
Hamilcar commanded the Carthaginian land forces in Sicily during 247–241 BC during the later stages of the First Punic War. He kept his army intact and led a successful guerrilla war against the Romans in Sicily. After the defeat of Carthage in 241 BC Hamilcar retired to Africa after the peace treaty. When the Mercenary War burst out in 239 BC, Hamilcar was recalled to command and was instrumental in concluding that conflict successfully. Hamilcar commanded the Carthaginian expedition to Spain in 237 BC, and for 8 years expanded the territory of Carthage in Spain before dying in battle in 228 BC.
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Italians
Italians (Italian: italiani) are an ethnic group native of Southern Europe that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence (though the principle of jus sanguinis is used extensively and arguably more favorably in the Italian nationality law), and are distinguished from people of Italian descent and, historically, from ethnic Italians living in the unredeemed territories adjacent to the Italian Peninsula.
In 2012, in addition to the 60 million Italians in Italy and 3,000 in San Marino, Italian-speaking, autonomous groups are found in neighboring countries: about 500,000 in Switzerland, a large, but undefined population in France (Nice, Corsica), and smaller groups in Slovenia and Croatia, primarily in Istria. If regarded as an ethnic group, they constitute one of the world's largest.
Because of wide-ranging and long-lasting diaspora, about 4 and half million Italian citizens and over 70 million people of full or part Italian ancestry live outside of Italy, most notably in South America, North America, Australia and parts of Europe.
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Jan Mabuse
Jan Mabuse (c. 1478 – 1 October 1532) was the name adopted (from his birthplace, Maubeuge) by the Flemish painter Jan Gossaert; or Jennyn van Hennegouwe (Hainaut), as he called himself when he matriculated in the guild of St Luke, at Antwerp, in 1503.
Little is known of his early life. One of his earliest biographers, Karel van Mander, claimed he was from a small town in Artois or Henegouwen (County of Hainaut) called Maubuse. Other scholars have determined he was the son of a bookbinder who received his training at Maubeuge Abbey, while the RKD mentions there is evidence to support a claim that he was born in Duurstede Castle. He is registered in the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke in 1503. From 1508-9 he traveled to Rome and in 1509-17 he is registered in Middelburg. According to Van Mander he was one of the first Flemish artists to bring back the Italian manner of painting with lots of nudity in historical allegories. From 1517-24 he is registered at Duurstede Castle where according to the RKD, he had Jan van Scorel as pupil. From 1524 onwards he returned to Middelburg as court painter to Adolf of Burgundy.
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John Julius Norwich
John Julius Cooper, 2nd Viscount Norwich CVO (born 15 September 1929) — known as John Julius Norwich — is an English historian, travel writer and television personality.
Norwich is the son of the Conservative politician and diplomat Duff Cooper and of Lady Diana Cooper, a celebrated beauty and society figure. Through his father, he is descended from King William IV and his mistress Dorothea Jordan.
He was educated at Upper Canada College, Toronto, Canada (as a wartime evacuee), at Eton College, and at the University of Strasbourg. He served in the Royal Navy before taking a degree in French and Russian at New College, Oxford.
Joining the British Foreign Service after Oxford, John Julius Cooper served in Yugoslavia and Lebanon, and as a member of British delegation to the Disarmament Conference in Geneva. At his father's death in 1954, he inherited the title of Viscount Norwich, created for Duff Cooper in 1952, which made him a member of the British House of Lords.
In 1964, Norwich left the diplomatic service to become a writer. Apart from his many books (see list), he has also served as editor of series such as Great Architecture of the World, The Italian World, The New Shell Guides to Great Britain, The Oxford Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Art and the Duff Cooper Diaries. Norwich has often contributed to Cornucopia, a magazine devoted to the history and culture of Turkey.
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Joseph Strayer
Joseph Reese Strayer (1904–1987) was an American medievalist historian. He was a student of, and mentored by, Charles H. Haskins, America's first prominent medievalist historian.
Strayer taught at Princeton University for many decades, starting in the 1930s. He was chair of the history department (1941–1961) and president of the American Historical Association in 1971. Strayer has been credited with training a large percentage of the American medievalists profession; many of his students are still teaching and active. Notable students include Teofilo Ruiz, William Chester Jordan, and Richard W. Kaeuper. Norman F. Cantor often highlighted his status as a student of Strayer's, but several of Strayer's other pupils - who wish to remain anonymous for personal and professional reasons - have expressed their doubt that Strayer ever acknowledged Cantor as his student or that Cantor had any formal affiliation with him at all.[citation needed]
When not teaching medieval history at Princeton, Strayer was involved with the CIA, as a member of the CIA's Office of National Estimates. The extent of his involvement, at a time when the C.I.A was running covert operations to destabilize democratically elected and constitutional governments around the world (Iran, Brazil, Congo, Dominican Republic, Guyana and Chile), has never been fully assessed or verified.
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Justinian I
Justinian I ( /dʒʌˈstɪniən/) (Latin: Flavius Petrus Sabbatius Iustinianus Augustus, Ancient Greek: Φλάβιος Πέτρος Σαββάτιος Ἰουστινιανός) (c. 482 – 14 November 565), commonly known as Justinian the Great, was Byzantine Emperor from 527 to 565. During his reign, Justinian sought to revive the Empire's greatness and reconquer the lost western half of the classical Roman Empire.
One of the most important figures of Late Antiquity and the last Roman Emperor to speak Latin as a first language, Justinian's rule constitutes a distinct epoch in the history of the Eastern Roman Empire. The impact of his administration extended far beyond the boundaries of his time and domain. Justinian's reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized renovatio imperii, or "restoration of the Empire". This ambition was expressed by the partial recovery of the territories of the defunct Western Roman Empire. His general Belisarius swiftly conquered the Vandal Kingdom in North Africa, extending Roman control to the Atlantic Ocean. Subsequently Belisarius, Narses, and other generals conquered the Ostrogothic Kingdom, restoring Dalmatia, Sicily, Italy, and Rome to the Empire after more than half a century of barbarian control.
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Leoluca Orlando
Leoluca Orlando (born 1 August 1947), is an Italian politician and current Mayor of Palermo. He was also mayor of the city in 1985–1990 and 1993–2000. He is best known for his strong opposition to the Sicilian Mafia.
Orlando was born in Palermo. He studied in Germany and the UK, graduated in jurisprudence and worked as lawyer and professor in the University of Palermo.
He was a member of Christian Democracy (DC), in the left wing of the party. He entered politics in 1976 as legal adviser to Christian Democratic reformer Piersanti Mattarella, who became president of the Sicilian Region in 1978. The two men set out to break the Mafia's hold on the island, transferring budget authority from the corrupt regional government back to the cities and passing a law enforcing the same building standards used in the rest of Italy, thereby making the Mafia's building schemes illegal. In retaliation, the Mafia killed Mattarella in January 1980.
The brother of Mattarella and other associates urged him to run for the Palermo municipal council, he ran successfully, and was elected mayor by the town council in 1985. From 1985-1990 he was elected mayor of Palermo, and received many threats as a result of his open opposition to the power of the Mafia in the city. He was re-elected as mayor in 1993 with 75.2% of the vote. In 1992 he was also elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies. Two years later he became a member of the European Parliament.
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Maurizio Zamparini
Maurizio Zamparini (born 9 June 1941 in Sevegliano, Udine) is an Italian businessman and the current owner and chairman of Serie A club U.S. Città di Palermo.
Zamparini has business interest in several fields, with Emmezeta department stores being the most important one. He entered into football in 1987, after having bought then Serie C2 club Venezia, saving it from a possible bankruptcy. His investments in the football club led Venezia to reach Serie A in a few years. He sold Venezia in 2002 in order to buy then-Serie B club Palermo from AS Roma chairman Franco Sensi with the goal to bring the Sicilian team back to Serie A in a very few years, a goal that was achieved in 2004.
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Ostrogoths
The Ostrogoths (Latin: Ostrogothi or Austrogothi) were a branch of the Goths (the other branch being the Visigoths), a Germanic tribe who developed a vast empire north of the Black Sea in the 3rd century AD and, in the late 5th century, under Theodoric the Great, established a Kingdom in Italy.
Invading southward from the Baltic Sea, the Ostrogoths, at the time known as the Greuthungi, built up a huge empire stretching from the Dniester to the Volga river and from the Black Sea to the Baltic shores. The Ostrogoths were probably literate in the 3rd century, and their trade with the Romans was highly developed. Their Danubian kingdom reached its zenith under King Ermanaric, who is said to have committed suicide at an old age when the Huns attacked his people and subjugated them about 370.
After their subjugation by the Huns, little is heard of the Ostrogoths for about 80 years, after which they reappear in Pannonia on the middle Danube River as federates of the Romans. However, a pocket remained behind in the Crimea when the bulk of them moved to central Europe, and these Crimean Ostrogoths existed until at least the 16th century. After the collapse of the Hun empire after the Battle of Nedao (453), the Ostrogoths under Theodoric the Great first moved to Moesia (c. 475–488) and later conquered the Italian Kingdom of the German warrior Odoacer. Theodoric became King of the Ostrogothic Kingdom in 493 and died in 526. A period of instability then ensued, tempting the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian to declare war on the Ostrogoths in 535 in an effort to restore the former western provinces of the Roman Empire. Initially, the Byzantines were successful, but under the leadership of Totila, the Goths reconquered most of the lost territory until Totila's death at the Battle of Taginae. The war lasted for almost 20 years and caused enormous damage and depopulation of Italy. The remaining Ostrogoths were absorbed into the Lombards who established a Kingdom in Italy in 567 AD.
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Phoenicia
Phoenicia (UK /fɨˈnɪʃə/, US /fəˈniːʃə/; from the Greek: Φοινίκη: Phoiníkē), was an ancient Semitic Canaanite civilization situated on the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent. The major Phoenician cities were on the coastline of the Mediterranean. It was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550 BC to 300 BC. The Phoenicians used the galley, a man-powered sailing vessel, and are credited with the invention of the bireme. They were famed in Classical Greece and Rome as 'traders in purple', referring to their monopoly on the precious purple dye of the Murex snail, used, among other things, for royal clothing, and for their spread of the alphabet (or abjad), upon which all major modern phonetic alphabets are derived.
In the Amarna tablets of the 14th century BC, people from the region called themselves Kenaani or Kinaani (Canaanites), although these letters predate the invasion of the Sea Peoples by over a century. Much later, in the 6th century BC, Hecataeus of Miletus writes that Phoenicia was formerly called χνα, a name Philo of Byblos later adopted into his mythology as his eponym for the Phoenicians: "Khna who was afterwards called Phoinix". Egyptian seafaring expeditions had already been made to Byblos to bring back "cedars of Lebanon" as early as the third millennium BC.
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Piersanti Mattarella
Piersanti Mattarella (May 24, 1935 - January 6, 1980) was an Italian politician. He was assassinated by the Mafia while he held the position of President of the Regional Government of Sicily.
Mattarella was born in Castellammare del Golfo, in the province of Trapani, Sicily. He was the son of Bernardo Mattarella, a member of Christian Democracy (DC), and a leading political boss in Sicily in the 1950s. The power network his father had created benefited his initial political career.
He received a Catholic-oriented education by the Jesuits. In 1960 he became a national leader of the Azione Cattolica, and subsequently became an important regional member of DC. Inspired by the politics of Giorgio La Pira, he adhered to the more progressive approach of national leader Aldo Moro. In 1967 he became deputy to the Regional Parliament of Sicily, a position he held until 1978, when he was elected President of Sicily.
Two years later, on January 6, 1980, he was killed by the Mafia in Palermo. Initially believed to be an act of neo-fascist terrorism, his assassination was spurred by his strong commitment against the relationships of numerous Sicilian politicians (mostly members of DC itself) with the Mafia. While in office, Mattarella had decided to launch a moral renewal of the Sicilian Christan Democracy. He wanted to clean up the government’s public contracts racket that benefited Cosa Nostra, passing a law enforcing the same building standards used in the rest of Italy, thereby making the Mafia's building schemes illegal.
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Pino Puglisi
Giuseppe 'Pino' Puglisi (September 15, 1937 – September 15, 1993) was a Roman Catholic priest in the rough Palermo neighbourhood of Brancaccio. He openly challenged the Mafia who controlled the neighbourhood, and was killed by them on his 56th birthday. His life story has been retold in a book, Don Puglisi: Vita del prete palermitano ucciso dalla mafia (2001), and portrayed in a film, In the Sunlight (2005).
Puglisi was born in Brancaccio, a working class neighbourhood in Palermo (Sicily), into a family of modest means. His father was a shoemaker and his mother a dressmaker. He entered the seminary at age sixteen. Following ordination, he worked in various parishes, including a country parish afflicted by a bloody vendetta.
Puglisi was ordained as a priest in 1960 by Cardinal Ernesto Ruffini from Palermo. Ruffini regarded Communism as a greater threat than the Mafia. He once questioned the Mafia's very existence. To a journalist's question of "What is the Mafia?" he responded: "So far as I know, it could be a brand of detergent." This denial persuaded Puglisi of the need to challenge church authorities. "We can, we must criticize the church when we feel it doesn't respond to our expectations, because it's absolutely right to seek to improve it," he said. With his trademark humour, Puglisi added: "But we should always criticize it like a mother, never a mother-in-law!"
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Pyrrhus of Epirus
Pyrrhus or Pyrrhos (Greek: Πύρρος, Pyrros; 319/318 BC–272 BC) was a Greekgeneral and statesman of the Hellenistic era. He was king of the Greek tribe of Molossians, of the royal Aeacid house (from circa 297 BC), and later he became king of Epirus (r. 306–302, 297–272 BC) and Macedon (r. 288–284, 273–272 BC). He was one of the strongest opponents of early Rome. Some of his battles, though successful, cost him heavy losses, from which the term "Pyrrhic victory" was coined. He is the subject of one of Plutarch's Parallel Lives (Greek: Βίοι Παράλληλοι).
Pyrrhus was the son of Aeacides and Phthia, a Thessalian woman, and a second cousin of Alexander the Great (via Alexander's mother, Olympias). He had two sisters: Deidamia and Troias. Pyrrhus was only two years old when his father was dethroned, in 317 BC, his family taking refuge with Glaukias, king of the Taulantians, one of the largest Illyrian tribes. Pyrrhus was raised by Beroea, Glaukias's wife and a Molossian of the Aeacidae dynasty.
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Raphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (April 6 or March 28, 1483 – April 6, 1520), better known simply as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form and ease of composition and for its visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur. Together with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, he forms the traditional trinity of great masters of that period.
Raphael was enormously productive, running an unusually large workshop, and despite his death at 37, a large body of his work remains. Many of his works are found in the Apostolic Palace of The Vatican, where the frescoed Raphael Rooms were the central, and the largest, work of his career. The best known work is The School of Athens in the Vatican Stanza della Segnatura. After his early years in Rome much of his work was self-designed, but for the most part executed by the workshop from his drawings, with considerable loss of quality. He was extremely influential in his lifetime, though outside Rome his work was mostly known from his collaborative printmaking. After his death, the influence of his great rival Michelangelo was more widespread until the 18th and 19th centuries, when Raphael's more serene and harmonious qualities were again regarded as the highest models. His career falls naturally into three phases and three styles, first described by Giorgio Vasari: his early years in Umbria, then a period of about four years (from 1504–1508) absorbing the artistic traditions of Florence, followed by his last hectic and triumphant twelve years in Rome, working for two Popes and their close associates.
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Ruggero Settimo
Ruggeru Sèttimu (Italian: Ruggiero Settimo; May 19, 1778 — May 12, 1863) was an Italian politician, diplomat, and patriotic activist of Sicily. The name means "Roger the Seventh", but though he was a nobleman as the Prince of Castelnuovo, it is not clear whether he was a descendant of Roger, the Great Count of Sicily.
He was born in Palermo.
He was one of the most important protagonists of the Sicilian revolution of independence of 1848, after which he was effective head of state of an independent Sicily that replaced the Bourbon Two Sicilies for 16 months. Once the rebellion was put down by King Ferdinand II's army, he escaped to Malta, where he lived out the rest of his life in exile.
Following the success of the Risorgimento movement during 1860 and 1861, he was offered the position of the President of the Senate of the newly created Parliament of the Kingdom of Italy, but he declined for health reasons, dying only two years later in Malta.
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Saint Anne
Saint Anne (also Ann or Anna, from Hebrew Hannah חַנָּה, meaning "favor" or "grace") of David's house and line, was the mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus Christ according to Christian and Islamic tradition. English Anne is derived from Greek rendering of her Hebrew name Hannah. Mary's mother is not named in the canonical gospels or the Qur'an, and her name and that of her husband Joachim come only from New Testament apocrypha, of which the Protoevangelium of James, written perhaps around 150, seems to be the earliest that mentions them.
The story bears a similarity to that of the birth of Samuel, whose mother Hannah had also been childless. Although Hanna receives little attention in the Western church prior to the late 12th century, dedications to Hanna in the Eastern church occur as early as the 6th century. In the Eastern Orthodox Churches and Eastern Catholic Churches, she is revered as Hanna. In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, Hanna, is ascribed the title Forbear of God, and both the Birth of Mary and the Dedication of Mary to the Temple are celebrated as two of the Twelve Great Feasts. The Dormition of Hanna is also a minor feast in the Eastern Church. In Protestant tradition it is held that Martin Luther chose to enter religious life as a monk after receiving heavenly aid from St. Anne.
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Saint Lucy
Saint Lucy (283–304), also known as Saint Lucia or Santa Lucia, was a wealthy young Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint by Roman Catholic Church, Anglican, Lutheran, and Orthodox Christians. Her feast day in the West is 13 December; with a name derived from Lux, Lucis meaning "Light", as she is the patron saint of those who are blind. Saint Lucy is one of the few saints celebrated by members of the Lutheran Church among the Scandinavian peoples, who take part in Saint Lucy's Day celebrations that retain many elements of Germanic paganism.
Saint Lucy is one of seven women, aside from the Blessed Virgin Mary, commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass. Hagiography tells us that Lucy was a Christian martyr during the Diocletian persecution. She consecrated her virginity to God through pious works refused to marry a pagan betrothed, and had her wedding dowry distributed to the poor. Her betrothed pagan groom denounced her as a Christian to the governor of Syracuse, Sicily. Miraculously unable to move her or burn her, the guards took out her eyes with a fork. In another version, Lucy's betrothed admired her eyes, so she tore them out and gave them to him, saying, "Now let me live to God".
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Saint Olivia
Saint Olivia, according to the legend, was the beautiful daughter of a noble Sicilian family. She is supposed to have lived in the 9th century. When she was 13 years old she was kidnapped by and taken as a slave to Tunis. Impressed by her virtue and beauty her abductors permitted her to live as a hermitess in a cave.
Before 1624 Palermo had four patron saints, one for each of the four major parts of the city. They were Saint Agatha, Saint Christina, Saint Nympha, and Saint Olivia.
Saint Olivia is the patron saint of music, and her feast day is June 10.
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Saint Rosalia
Saint Rosalia (1130–1166), also called La Santuzza or "The Little Saint", is the patron saint of Palermo, Italy, El Hatillo, Venezuela, and Zuata, Anzoátegui, Venezuela.
According to legend, Rosalia was born of a Norman noble family that claimed descent from Charlemagne. Devoutly religious, she retired to life as a hermit in a cave on Mount Pellegrino, where she died alone in 1166. Tradition says that she was led to the cave by two angels. On the cave wall she wrote "I, Rosalia, daughter of Sinibald, Lord of Roses, and Quisquina, have taken the resolution to live in this cave for the love of my Lord, Jesus Christ."
In 1624, a horrible plague haunted Palermo, and during this hardship St Rosalia appeared first to a sick woman, then to a hunter to whom she indicated where her remains were to be found. She ordered him to bring her bones to Palermo and have them carried in procession through the city.
The hunter climbed the mountain and found her bones in the cave as described. He did what she had asked in the apparition, and after the procession the plague ceased. After this St Rosalia would be venerated as the patron saint of Palermo, and a sanctuary was built in the cave where her remains were discovered.
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Salvatore Giuliano
Salvatore Giuliano (November 16, 1922 – July 5, 1950) was a Sicilian peasant, a separatist and, according to some sources a bandit who was mythologised during his life and after his death. He has been compared to Robin Hood in popular culture, owing to the stories about him helping the poor villagers in his area by taking from the rich and redistributing the spoils.
As a member of the Sicilian Independence Movement, Giuliano actively pursued efforts aimed at achieving the independence Sicily from the Italian government. His story attracted attention in the media worldwide, partly due to his good looks. An account of his endeavours appeared in Time Magazine in 1950.
Salvatore Giuliano was born in Montelepre within the Province of Palermo as the fourth child of Salvatore and Maria Giuliano. As a child he was nicknamed Turiddu or Turi. He had a decent primary education, but limited by Sicilian class strictures, went to work on his father's land at the age of 13.
He transported olive oil and worked as a telephone repairman and on road construction. Giuliano was due to be called up to the Italian army, but the Allied invasion of Sicily prevented his actual enlistment. He became involved in the wartime black market and was armed in case of attacks from bandits.
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Theodoric the Great
Theoderic the Great (Gothic: Þiudareiks; Latin: Flāvius Theodericus; Greek: Θευδέριχος, Theuderikhos; Old English: Þēodrīc; Old Norse: Þjōðrēkr, Þīðrēkr; 454 – August 30, 526) was king of the Ostrogoths (471–526), ruler of Italy (493–526), regent of the Visigoths (511–526), and a viceroy of the Eastern Roman Empire. His Gothic name Þiudareiks translates into "people-king" or "ruler of the people".
A son of King Theodemir, an Amali nobleman, Theoderic was born in Pannonia, after his people had defeated the Huns at the Battle of Nedao. Growing up as a hostage in Constantinople, Theoderic received a privileged education, and succeeded his father as leader of the Pannonian Ostrogoths in 471 AD. Settling his people in lower Moesia, Theoderic came in conflict with Thracian Ostrogoths led by Theoderic Strabo, whom he eventually supplanted, uniting the peoples in 484.
Subsequently, Byzantine Emperor Zeno gave him the title of Patrician and the office of Magister militum (master of the soldiers), and even appointed him as Roman Consul. Trying to achieve further aims, Theoderic frequently ravaged the provinces of the Eastern Roman Empire, eventually threatening Constantinople itself. In 488, Emperor Zeno ordered Theoderic to overthrow the German usurper Odoacer, who had established himself as King of Italy. After a victorious three-year long war, Theoderic killed Odoacer with his own hands, settled his 100,000 to 200,000 people in Italy, and founded a Kingdom based in Ravenna. Although promoting separation between the Arian Ostrogoths and the Roman population, Theoderic stressed the importance of racial harmony. Seeking to restore the glory of Ancient Rome, he ruled Italy in its most peaceful and prosperous period since Valentinian, until his death in 526. Memories of his reign made him a hero of Germanic legend as Dietrich von Bern.
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Thucydides
Thucydides (/θ[unsupported input]ˈsɪdɪˌdiz/; Greek: Θουκυδίδης, Thoukydídēs; c. 460 BC – c. 395 BC) was a Greek historian and author from Alimos. His History of the Peloponnesian War recounts the 5th century BC war between Sparta and Athens to the year 411 BC. Thucydides has been dubbed the father of "scientific history", because of his strict standards of evidence-gathering and analysis in terms of cause and effect without reference to intervention by the gods, as outlined in his introduction to his work.
He has also been called the father of the school of political realism, which views the relations between nations as based on might rather than right. His text is still studied at advanced military colleges worldwide, and the Melian dialogue remains a seminal work of international relations theory.
More generally, Thucydides showed an interest in developing an understanding of human nature to explain behaviour in such crises as plague, massacres, as in that of the Melians, and civil war.
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Vandals
The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe who in 429 under king Genseric entered Africa and by 439 established a kingdom which included the Roman Africa province, besides the islands of Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia, Malta and the Balearics. In 455, they sacked the city of Rome. Their kingdom collapsed in the Vandalic War of 533–4, in which Justinian I managed to reconquer the Africa province for the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire.
Renaissance and Early Modern writers characterized the Vandals as barbarians, "sacking and looting" Rome. This led to the use of the term "vandalism", to describe any senseless destruction, particularly the "barbarian" defacing of artworks. However, modern historians tend to regard the Vandals during the transitional period (from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages) as perpetuators, not destroyers, of Roman culture.
The name of the Vandals has often been connected to that of Vendel,[citation needed] the name of a province in Uppland, Sweden, which is also eponymous of the Vendel period of Swedish prehistory, corresponding to the late Germanic Iron Age leading up to the Viking Age. The connection would be that Vendel is the original homeland of the Vandals prior to the Migration Period, and retains their tribal name as a toponym.
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Vito Ciancimino
Vito Ciancimino (April 2, 1924 - November 19, 2002) was an Italian politician who served as mayor of Palermo, Sicily. He belonged to the Christian Democrat party (DC - Democrazia Cristiana), and was the first Italian politician to be found guilty of Mafia membership. In 2001 he was declared guilty of being involved in several Mafia-linked crimes, and in 2002 the Municipality of Palermo demanded restitution of 150 million euros, of which only 7 million were recovered.
Ciancimino was born in Corleone, a village notorious for its powerful Mafia clans, such as the Corleonesi. Ciancimino's very poor childhood revolved around his father's barber shop in Corleone, giving him early contacts with the local Mafia bosses. He later broke off studying engineering at University of Palermo to work as an interpreter for Italy's post-war allied military government.
As a Christian Democrat politician, he became a protégé of Bernardo Mattarella, who supported his political and financial career. In 1950 Ciancimino obtained concessions for all railway transport inside Palermo. The three other firms that had made a bid were put out of the game, because Ciancimino's bid was accompanied by a letter of Mattarella, who was then Minister of Transports.
wn.com/Vito_Ciancimino
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Palermo (Sicily)
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- Duration: 9:14
- Updated: 25 Nov 2012
A city of contrasts: Norman, Arabic, Romanic, gothic, baroque architecture in grandiose or derelict structures! Dark, narrow streets under an amazing blue sky! The sea and the mountains! We spent three days (at the fabulous B&B; Casa Orioles) walking the streets of this unforgettable city! Music: Tarrega's 'Capriccio Arabe'; Handel's 'Organ Concerto in B flat major Op.7 No.3'; Kitaro's 'Caravansary'.
http://wn.com/Palermo_Sicily
Street Food - Palermo - 5 Dec 08 - Part 1
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- Duration: 11:49
- Updated: 10 Nov 2012
Sicily has stood as a crossroads for traffic and trade throughout the ages - inhabited by Phoenicians, Romans, Goths, Normans and Arabs among others. Today it is a transit point for would-be immigrants coming from the south. Sicily's unique geography and history is reflected in the variety of dishes present on the streets of the capital, Palermo.
http://wn.com/Street_Food_Palermo_5_Dec_08_Part_1
Street Food - Palermo - 5 Dec 08 - Part 2
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 11:01
- Updated: 09 Nov 2012
Sicily has stood as a crossroads for traffic and trade throughout the ages - inhabited by Phoenicians, Romans, Goths, Normans and Arabs among others. Today it is a transit point for would-be immigrants coming from the south. Sicily's unique geography and history is reflected in the variety of dishes present on the streets of the capital, Palermo.
http://wn.com/Street_Food_Palermo_5_Dec_08_Part_2
Palermo Sicily
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- Duration: 1:38
- Updated: 16 Nov 2012
Palermo in Sensational Sicily www.SensationalSicily.com is presented by Alessandro Sorbello http Sicily is rich in history and culture. This project is born from a collaboration between the Region of Sicily www.regione.sicilia.it The Italian Chamber of Commerce, New Realm Media www.newrea...
http://wn.com/Palermo_Sicily
Venus Palermo Doll Make Up Interview Daybreak 04/April/2012
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- Duration: 4:00
- Updated: 26 Nov 2012
Venus with Helen Fospero and Dan Lobb.
http://wn.com/Venus_Palermo_Doll_Make_Up_Interview_Daybreak_04_April_2012
Catacombs of the Dead on Palermo, Sicily
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- Duration: 2:28
- Updated: 17 Nov 2012
Creepy must see while visiting Palermo in Italy. More info about place with over 8000 mummies on our Sicily blog: palermo.for91days.com
http://wn.com/Catacombs_of_the_Dead_on_Palermo,_Sicily
Palermo - Catania 3-1 All Highlights & Goals / HD
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- Duration: 4:31
- Updated: 26 Nov 2012
/Subscribe, Like & Share/ Palermo - Catania 3-1 All Highlights & Goals Palermo - Catania 3-1 Todos De Gols Palermo vs Catania 3-1 Tutti di Gol __________________________________________________ Serie A | Calcio 2012/2013
http://wn.com/Palermo_Catania_3-1_All_Highlights_Goals_HD
Palermo - Chievo 4-1 - Fabrizio Miccoli Incredible Goal - September 30 2012 - [High Quality]
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:18
- Updated: 25 Nov 2012
Miccoli scores a long range volley for Palermo against Chievo.
http://wn.com/Palermo_Chievo_4-1_Fabrizio_Miccoli_Incredible_Goal_September_30_2012_High_Quality_
Palermo-Milan 3-1 HQ sintesi sky sport 24/04/10
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- Duration: 3:20
- Updated: 21 Nov 2012
Palermo-Milan 3-1 HQ sintesi sky sport 24/04/10
http://wn.com/Palermo-Milan_3-1_HQ_sintesi_sky_sport_24_04_10
Olivia Palermo Hearts NYC On Fashioner
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- Duration: 5:03
- Updated: 26 Nov 2012
A very nice video of our dear Olivia Palermo from MTV The City. Notice how sophisticated and stylish she looks, Another nice video: www.youtube.com More pictures of her. www.flickr.com
http://wn.com/Olivia_Palermo_Hearts_NYC_On_Fashioner
Los goles mas lindos de martin palermo
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- Duration: 7:01
- Updated: 25 Nov 2012
Gracias www.golesbosteros.com
http://wn.com/Los_goles_mas_lindos_de_martin_palermo
Il "suca" a Palermo
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- Duration: 3:14
- Updated: 25 Nov 2012
† Se non leggi la descrizione... † Palermo, venerdì 10 febbraio 2012 Stai leggendo la descrizione per sapere cosa poteva succederti ? Nulla ! ù,ù Tratto dal romanzo "ZERO MAGGIO A PALERMO" di Fulvio Abate, questo video è totalmente associato alla lettura di Salvino Martinciglio. L'ho trovato "interessante", ed eccomi qui! Ringrazio: - Loto: www.youtube.com Per l'intro di questo video. & - Biluè: www.youtube.com Per aver scritto e cantato la mia sigla. VUOI ANCHE TU UNA SIGLA PERSONALIZZATA ? Contattalo. ù.ù ★ Facebook ★ www.facebook.com ★ Twitter ★ twitter.com Grazie per aver letto la descrizione fino in fondo ! ;-) Per dimostrare che lo hai fatto scrivi in un commento "ciucciotto" Un saluto a tutti dal MIGLIOR YOUTUBER ITAgLIANO: ★ GIUSEPPE RICOTTA da PALERMO™ ★ Ps. Chi si iscrive al mio c anale AMMETTE di essere MENTALMENTE DEVIATO ! O_o` Pps. La musica utilizzata è copyleft quindi non vìola nessun copyright !
http://wn.com/Il_suca_a_Palermo
Pif a Palermo
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- Duration: 5:22
- Updated: 20 Nov 2012
Pif a Palermo
http://wn.com/Pif_a_Palermo
Palermo, città meravigliosa!!!!
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- Duration: 4:12
- Updated: 21 Nov 2012
Attimi di nostalgia
http://wn.com/Palermo,_città_meravigliosa!!!!
![Palermo - Chievo 4-1 - Fabrizio Miccoli Incredible Goal - September 30 2012 - [HD Quality]](http://web.archive.org./web/20121128045347im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Tuzy-7q9LYE/default.jpg "Palermo - Chievo 4-1 - Fabrizio Miccoli Incredible Goal - September 30 2012 - [HD Quality]")
Palermo - Chievo 4-1 - Fabrizio Miccoli Incredible Goal - September 30 2012 - [HD Quality]
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:18
- Updated: 15 Nov 2012
Palermo - Chievo 4-1 - Fabrizio Miccoli Incredible Goal - September 30 2012 - [HD Quality] Add in FB : www.facebook.com Follow : twitter.com
http://wn.com/Palermo_Chievo_4-1_Fabrizio_Miccoli_Incredible_Goal_September_30_2012_HD_Quality_
Sei di Palermo se...
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- Duration: 5:20
- Updated: 21 Nov 2012
Da una delle catene più belle che circolano sul Web....sei di palermo se...
http://wn.com/Sei_di_Palermo_se
Palermo,incredibile città
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- Duration: 9:57
- Updated: 19 Nov 2012
La musica degli agricantus fa da sottofondo alle stupende immagini di una città che come Palermo, ha conservato tante testimonianze della cultura dei conquistatori: dai Romani ai Bizantini, dagli Arabi ai Normanni, dagli Svevi ai Francesi, dagli Spagnoli agli Austriaci, tutti hanno lasciato linconfondibile traccia della loro permanenza; e quasi sempre si tratta di testimonianze di straordinario valore, in quanto la confluenza di forme e stili, dal Nord Europa allAfrica, dal Medioevo al Barocco, ha spesso dato vita ad originalissime creazioni artistiche, architettoniche e decorative. Ed è questa laltra particolarità di Palermo: che, nonostante la commistione di culture, la città ha conservato la sua identità. Unidentità di città capitale che in ogni tempo ha saputo coniugare il meglio delle altre genti con la propria vocazione di libertà.
http://wn.com/Palermo,incredibile_città
The MOST HAUNTED places on Earth: Palermo Italy PARANORMAL EVIDENCE
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- Duration: 7:47
- Updated: 02 Nov 2012
The Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo (also Catacombe dei Cappuccini or Catacombs of the Capuchins) are burial catacombs in Palermo, Sicily, southern Italy. Today they provide a somewhat macabre tourist attraction as well as an extraordinary historical record. Palermo's Capuchin monastery outgrew its original cemetery in the 16th century and monks began to excavate crypts below it. In 1599 they mummified one of their number, recently-dead brother Silvestro of Gubbio, and placed him into the catacombs. The bodies were dehydrated on the racks of ceramic pipes in the catacombs and sometimes later washed with vinegar. Some of the bodies were embalmed and others enclosed in sealed glass cabinets. Monks were preserved with their everyday clothing and sometimes with ropes they had worn as a penance. Originally the catacombs were intended only for the dead friars. However, in the following centuries it became a status symbol to be entombed into the Capuchin catacombs. In their wills, local luminaries would ask to be preserved in certain clothes, or even to have their clothes changed at regular intervals. Priests wore their clerical vestments, others were clothed according to the contemporary fashion. Relatives would visit to pray for the deceased and also to maintain the body in presentable condition. The catacombs were maintained through the donations of the relatives of the deceased. Each new body was placed in a temporary niche and later placed into a more permanent place. As long ...
http://wn.com/The_MOST_HAUNTED_places_on_Earth_Palermo_Italy_PARANORMAL_EVIDENCE
Palermo 3 - 1 Catania All Goals and Highlights
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- Duration: 3:34
- Updated: 25 Nov 2012
Palermo - Catania 3:1 - All Goals & Highlights Palermo 3 - 1 Catania All Goals and Highlights Palermo 3 - 1 Catania All Goals and Highlights Palermo 3 - 1 Catania All Goals and Highlights
http://wn.com/Palermo_3_1_Catania_All_Goals_and_Highlights
Direttastadio 7Gold - (PALERMO INTER 4-3)
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- Duration: 5:39
- Updated: 21 Nov 2012
www.crozzopizzo.it
http://wn.com/Direttastadio_7Gold_PALERMO_INTER_4-3
![Palermo vs Napoli [0-3] Italian Serie A Highlights [26/08/12]](http://web.archive.org./web/20121128045347im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/z1xN12BlVi4/default.jpg "Palermo vs Napoli [0-3] Italian Serie A Highlights [26/08/12]")
Palermo vs Napoli [0-3] Italian Serie A Highlights [26/08/12]
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- Duration: 2:01
- Updated: 03 Nov 2012
Palermo host Napoli at the Renzo Barbera in the opening game of the new Serie A season. Napoli were in fine goal scoring form to put three past Palermo. Marek Hamsik found the roof of the net with a blistering strike in first-half stoppage time. A quick counter-attack saw Christian Maggio double Napoli's lead and Edinson Cavani headed in from close-range to seal the win and put Napoli joint-top of the table tied with Inter Milan on goal difference. Love Serie A is your premier destination for Italian football match highlights, news and behind the scenes access. For more football coverage from the German Bundesliga, French Ligue 1, Brazilian Serie A, and dozens of other leagues and competitions, please subscribe to LoveFootball. Lovefootball - www.youtube.com LoveSerieA - www.youtube.com Subscribe - www.youtube.com Explore LoveSerieA for highlights of your favorite clubs, including AC Milan, Atalanta, Bologna, Cagliari, Catania, Chievo, Fiorentina, Genoa, Internazionale Milan, Juventus Lazio, Napoli, Palermo, Parma, Pescara, Roma, Sampdoria, Siena, Torino, and Udinese
http://wn.com/Palermo_vs_Napoli_0-3_Italian_Serie_A_Highlights_26_08_12_
![Lazio vs Palermo [3-0] Serie A Highlights, 02 September 2012](http://web.archive.org./web/20121128045347im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1IHkmDSzvBI/default.jpg "Lazio vs Palermo [3-0] Serie A Highlights, 02 September 2012")
Lazio vs Palermo [3-0] Serie A Highlights, 02 September 2012
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- Duration: 1:57
- Updated: 24 Nov 2012
Miroslav Klose scores twice as Lazio beat Palermo 3-0 with Antonio Candreva also hitting the back of the net. Love Football presents Italian Serie A highlights, week 2, 2012/13 Season. www.youtube.com www.youtube.com www.facebook.com twitter.com Explore LoveSerieA for highlights of your favorite clubs, including AC Milan, Atalanta, Bologna, Cagliari, Catania, Chievo, Fiorentina, Genoa, Internazionale Milan, Juventus Lazio, Napoli, Palermo, Parma, Pescara, Roma, Sampdoria, Siena, Torino, and Udinese
http://wn.com/Lazio_vs_Palermo_3-0_Serie_A_Highlights,_02_September_2012
I.aM.FREE Ep. 4 Palermo Sicily
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:33
- Updated: 23 Nov 2012
PacMan Dances to dubstep off the coast of Sicily just before sunset.
http://wn.com/IaMFREE_Ep_4_Palermo_Sicily
photo: AP / Jerome Delay
27 Nov 2012
M23 rebels controlling the eastern city of Goma in the DR Congo have said they are not about to withdraw as demanded by regional leaders. The rebels said on Tuesday there were still in charge of Goma, just hours after General Aronda Nyakairima, the head of the Ugandan military, was quoted by the Reuters news agency as saying that their leader, Sultani Makenga, had told him he would pull out of Goma and Sake....(size: 17.7Kb)
photo: AP / Henry Griffin
26 Nov 2012
Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling "In our opinion and from our experience," declared John Kerry in 1971, "there is nothing in South Vietnam which could happen that realistically threatens the United States of America. And to attempt to justify the loss of one American life in Vietnam, Cambodia or Laos by linking such loss to the preservation of freedom..is to us the height of criminal hypocrisy..." ... The U.S....(size: 6.4Kb)
photo: UN / Jan Golinski
27 Nov 2012
Permafrost covers nearly a quarter of the northern hemisphere. Photograph: Francis Latreille/Corbis
The United Nations sounded a stark warning on the threat to the climate from methane in the thawing permafrost as governments met for the second day of climate change negotiations in Doha, Qatar. ... The next IPCC report will be published in several parts from next year. ... The talks will continue until the end of next week. ....(size: 5.3Kb)
photo: AP / George Osodi
25 Nov 2012
Twin suicide car bombs exploded Sunday at a church inside one of Nigeria's top military bases, killing at least 11 people and wounding another 30 in an embarrassing attack showing the continued insecurity that haunts Africa's most populous nation. ... This attack in Jaji on Sunday, however, happened inside a barracks home to the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, one of the country's most important military colleges. ... Gen. ... ....(size: 4.1Kb)
The Guardian
27 Nov 2012
ESPN
27 Nov 2012
Verona pulled off a shock in the fourth round of the Coppa Italia after they beat Serie A side Palermo ......(size: 0.6Kb)
The Times of India
27 Nov 2012
MILAN (Italy): A goal in either half from ten-man second division side Hellas Verona was enough to send Palermo crashing out of the Italian Cup at ......(size: 0.7Kb)
Sky Sports
27 Nov 2012
Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini has reassured fans that he has no immediate plans to leave the Serie A club. ... Palermo struggled to finish 16th last season, though, with Zamparini turning to former Catania director Lo Monaco and ex-Inter Milan coach Gian Piero Gasperini to turn things around. ... "I'm just sorry that after 10 years the Palermo fans don't know who the president is."...(size: 7.1Kb)
Sporting Life
27 Nov 2012
The home side made the ideal start as Luigi Giorgi gave Palermo a ......(size: 0.4Kb)
Sporting Life
27 Nov 2012
Palermo struggled to finish 16th last season, though, with Zamparini turning to former Catania director Lo Monaco and ex-Inter Milan coach Gian Piero Gasperini to turn things around. Zamparini told the club's official website: "I receive daily communications from Palermo fans who are convinced that the arrival of Lo Monaco is a prelude to my departure....(size: 1.6Kb)
Sacramento Bee
27 Nov 2012
And in Milwaukee, a 5-month-old strike was started by workers at Palermo's, a frozen pizza manufacturer where efforts to form a union have clashed with immigration enforcement and drawn national attention along with a boycott campaign. ... The worker centers often, but not always, collaborate with unions, such as the carwash workers who teamed up with the United Steelworkers and the Palermo's workers who got help from Voces....(size: 7.9Kb)
Goal
27 Nov 2012
Goal
27 Nov 2012
The Examiner
27 Nov 2012
Having gone into Palermo in July ranked No.113, Robson went as high as No.52 in October, then finished at No.53 on the November 5 year-end rankings. ... I reached my first WTA semifinal in Palermo earlier in the year along with my first WTA final in Guangzhou and finished the year with a career-high ranking....(size: 2.9Kb)
Business Journal
27 Nov 2012
| Menomonee Falls, WI GWS Americas EHS Manager - Virtual Position Johnson Controls | Milwaukee, WI Solutions Sourcing Manager Johnson Controls | Milwaukee, WI Post a Job | View More Jobs Listings Most Popular Most popular Slideshows Facebook Twitter Emailed Mobile Sanford tops Zagat list of best Milwaukee restaurants Palermo Villa: NLRB decision ......(size: 11.1Kb)
Business Journal
27 Nov 2012
| Menomonee Falls, WI Market Team Engineering & Operations Manager - Milwaukee, WI Johnson Controls | Milwaukee, WI Customer Operations Manager - Facilities Management Johnson Controls | Milwaukee, WI Post a Job | View More Jobs Listings Most Popular Most popular Slideshows Facebook Twitter Emailed Mobile Sanford tops Zagat list of best Milwaukee ......(size: 11.6Kb)
Business Journal
27 Nov 2012
| Menomonee Falls, WI Careers at Verizon Wireless Verizon Wireless | Local Opportunities Director of Medical Administration Vestica Healthcare | Menomonee Falls, WI Solutions Sourcing Manager Johnson Controls | Milwaukee, WI GWS Americas EHS Manager - Virtual Position Johnson Controls | Milwaukee, WI Post a Job | View More Jobs Listings Most ......(size: 11.6Kb)
For other uses, see Palermo (disambiguation).
| Palermo | |
|---|---|
| — Comune — | |
| Comune di Palermo | |
 |
|
 Palermo
|
|
| Coordinates: 38°07′N 13°22′E / 38.117°N 13.367°E / 38.117; 13.367 | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Sicily |
| Province | Palermo (PA) |
| Founded | 736 BC |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Leoluca Orlando (IdV) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 158.9 km2 (61.4 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 14 m (46 ft) |
| Population (30 September 2011) | |
| • Total | 654,735 |
| • Density | 4,100/km2 (11,000/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Palermitani |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | 90100 |
| Dialing code | 091 |
| Patron saint | Saint Rosalia |
| Saint day | 15 July |
| Website | Official website |
Palermo (Italian: [paˈlɛrmo] ( listen), Sicilian: Palermu, Latin: Panormus, from Greek: Πάνορμος, Panormos, Arabic: بَلَرْم, Balarm; Phoenician: זִיז, Ziz) is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old. Palermo is located in the northwest of the island of Sicily, right by the Gulf of Palermo in the Tyrrhenian Sea.
The city was founded by the Phoenicians, but named by the Ancient Greeks as Panormus meaning 'always fit for landing in.' Palermo became part of the Roman Republic, the Roman Empire and eventually part of the Byzantine Empire, for over a thousand years. From 827 to 1071 it was under Arab rule during the Emirate of Sicily when it first became a capital. Following the Norman reconquest, Palermo became capital of a new kingdom (from 1130 to 1816), the Kingdom of Sicily. Eventually it would be united with the Kingdom of Naples to form the Two Sicilies until the Italian unification of 1860.
The population of Palermo urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 855,285, while its metropolitan area is the fifth most populated in Italy with around 1.2 million people. In the central area, the city has a population of around 650,000 people. The inhabitants are known as Palermitans or, poetically, panormiti. The languages spoken by its inhabitants are the Italian language and the Sicilian language, in its Palermitan variation.
Palermo is Sicily's cultural, economic and touristic capital. It is a city rich in history, culture, art, music and food. Numerous tourists are attracted to the city for its good Mediterranean weather, its renowned gastronomy and restaurants, its Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque churches, palaces and buildings, and its nightlife and music.[1] Palermo is the main Sicilian industrial and commercial center: the main industrial sectors include tourism, services, commerce and agriculture.[2] Palermo currently has an international airport, and a significant underground economy.[citation needed] In fact, for cultural, artistic and economic reasons, Palermo was one of the largest cities in the Mediterranean and is now among the top tourist destinations in both Italy and Europe. The city is also going through careful redevelopment, preparing to become one of the major cities of the Euro-Mediterranean area.[3]
Roman Catholicism is highly important in Palermitan culture. The patron saint of the city is Saint Rosalia. Her feast day on July 15 is perhaps the biggest social event in the city. The area attracts significant numbers of tourists each year and is widely known for its colourful fruit, vegetable and fish market at the heart of Palermo, known as the Vucciria.[4]
Contents |
History[link]
Main article: History of Palermo
Ancient era[link]
Evidence for human settlement in the area now known as Palermo goes back to the Pleistocene Epoch, around 8000 BC.[5] This evidence is present in the form of cave drawings at nearby Addaura writ by the Sicani who, according to Thucydides, arrived from the Iberian Peninsula (perhaps Catalonia).[6][7] During 734 BC the Phoenicians, a sea trading peoples from the north of ancient Canaan, built a small settlement on the natural habour of Palermo. Some sources suggest they named the settlement "Ziz."[8] The Greeks, who were the most dominant culture on the island of Sicily due to the powerful city state of Syracuse to the east, instead called the settlement Panormus. Its Greek name means "all-port" and it was named so because of its fine natural harbour.[8] Palermo was then passed on to the Phoenician's descendants and successors, the Carthaginians.[9]
During this period it was a centre of commerce; however a power struggle between the Greeks and the Carthaginians broke out in the form of the Sicilian Wars, causing unrest. It was from Palermo that Hamilcar's fleet (which was defeated at the Battle of Himera) was launched.[9] Palermo eventually became a Greek colony when Pyrrhus of Epirus gained it during the Pyrrhic War period in 276 BC.[10] However, as the Romans flooded into Sicily during the First Punic War, the city came under Roman rule only three decades later. The Romans made sure that, in the words of Roman consul M. Valerian to the Roman Senate; "no Carthaginian remains in Sicily". This period was quite a calm time for Palermo, which was growing into an important Roman trade centre. Also during this period Christianity first began to be practised in Palermo.[10][11]
The Middle Ages[link]
As the Roman Empire was falling apart, Palermo fell under the control of several Germanic tribes. The first were the Vandals in 440 AD under the rule of their king Geiseric. The Vandals had occupied all the Roman provinces in North Africa by 455 establishing themselves as a significant force.[12] They acquired Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily shortly afterwards. However, they soon lost these newly acquired possessions to the Ostrogoths. The Ostrogothic conquest under Theodoric the Great began in 488; although the Goths were Germanic, Theodoric supported Roman culture and government instead.[13] The Gothic War took place between the Ostrogoths and the Eastern Roman Empire, also known as the Byzantine Empire. Sicily was the first part of Italy to be taken under control of General Belisarius who was commissioned by Eastern Emperor Justinian I who solidified his rule in the following years.[14][15]
After the Byzantines were betrayed by Admiral Euphemius, who fled to Tunisia and begged the Aghlabid leader Ziyadat Allah to help him, there was a Muslim conquest of Sicily in 831, which took until 904 against fierce resistance. The Emirate of Sicily was established.[16] The Muslims rule within the whole island lasted for about 120 years. Palermo (Balarm during Arab rule) displaced Syracuse as the prime city of Sicily. It was said to have then begun to compete with Córdoba and Cairo in terms of importance and splendor.[17] For more than one hundred years Palermo was the capital of a flourishing emirate.[18] The Arabs also introduced many agricultural items which remain a mainstay of Sicilian cuisine.[12]
After dynastic quarrels however, there was a Christian reconquest in 1072. The family who returned the city to Christianity were called the Hautevilles, including Robert Guiscard and his army, who is regarded as a hero by the natives.[16][19] It was under Roger II of Sicily that Norman holdings in Sicily and the southern part of the Italian Peninsula were promoted from the County of Sicily into the Kingdom of Sicily. The kingdom was ruled from Palermo as its capital, with the king's court held at Palazzo dei Normanni. Much construction was undertaken during this period, such as the building of the Palermo Cathedral. The Kingdom of Sicily became one of the wealthiest states in Europe, as wealthy as the fellow Norman state, the Kingdom of England.[20]
Sicily, in 1194, fell under the control of the Holy Roman Empire. Palermo was the preferred city of the Emperor Frederick II. Muslims of Palermo emigrated and were and expelled during Holy Roman rule. After an interval of Angevin rule (1266–1282), Sicily came under the house of Aragon. By 1330, Palermo's population had declined to 51,000.[21] From 1479, it was ruled by the Kingdom of Spain until 1713 and between 1717–1718. Palermo was also managed by Savoy between 1713–1717 and 1718–1720 and Austria between 1720–1734.
Two Sicilies[link]
After the Treaty of Utrecht (1713), Sicily was handed over to the Savoia, but by 1734 it was again a Bourbon possession. Charles III chose Palermo for his coronation as King of Sicily. Charles had new houses built for the increased population, while trade and industry grew as well. However, Palermo was now just another provincial city as the royal court resided in Naples. Charles' son Ferdinand, though disliked by the population, took refuge in Palermo after the French Revolution in 1798. His son Alberto died on the way to Palermo and is buried in the city.
From 1820 to 1848 all Sicily was shaken by upheavals, which culminated on January 12, 1848, with a popular insurrection, the first one in Europe that year, led by Giuseppe La Masa. A parliament and constitution were proclaimed. The first president was Ruggero Settimo. The Bourbons soon reconquered Palermo (May 1849), which remained under their rule until the appearance of Giuseppe Garibaldi. This famous general entered Palermo with his troops (the “Thousands”) on May 27, 1860. After the plebiscite later that year Palermo and the whole of Sicily became part of the new Kingdom of Italy (1861).
Italian unification and today[link]
From that year onwards, Palermo followed the history of Italy as the administrative centre of Sicily. A new cultural, economic and industrial growth was spurred by more families, like the Florio, the Ducrot, the Rutelli, the Sandron, the Whitaker, the Utveggio, and other families. In the early twentieth century Palermo expanded outside the old city walls, mostly to the north along the new boulevard, the Via della Libertà. This road would soon boast a huge number of villas in the Art Nouveau style or Stile Liberty as it is known in Italy. Many of these were designed by the famous architect Ernesto Basile. The Grand Hotel Villa Igiea, designed by Ernesto Basile for the Florio family, is a good example of Palermitan Liberty Style. The very large Teatro Massimo was designed in the same period by Giovan Battista Filippo Basile, and built by the Rutelli & Machì building firm of the industrial and old Rutelli Italian family in Palermo, and was opened in 1897.
During World War II, Palermo was untouched until the Allies began to advance up Italy after the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943. In July, the harbour and the surrounding quarters were heavily bombed by the allied forces and were all but destroyed. Six decades later the city centre has still not been fully rebuilt, and hollow walls and devastated buildings are commonplace.
In 1946 the city was declared the seat of the Regional Parliament, as capital of a Special Status Region (1947) whose seat is in the Palazzo dei Normanni. Palermo's future seemed to look bright again. Many opportunities were lost in the coming decades, owing to incompetence, incapacity, corruption and abuse of power[citation needed].
The main topic of the modern age is the struggle against the Mafia and bandits like Salvatore Giuliano, who controlled the neighbouring area of Montelepre. The Italian State had to share effective control of the territory, economic as well as administrative, with the Mafia families.
The so-called "Sack of Palermo" is one of the major visible faces of this problem. The term is used today to indicate the heavy building speculations that filled the city with poor buildings. The reduced importance of agriculture in the Sicilian economy had led to a massive migration to the cities, especially Palermo, which swelled in size. Instead of rebuilding the city centre the town was thrown into a frantic expansion towards the north, where practically a new town was built. The regulatory plan for the expansion was largely ignored. New parts of town appeared almost out of nowhere, but without parks, schools, public buildings, proper roads and the other amenities that characterise a modern city. The Mafia played a huge role in this process, which was an important element in the Mafia's transition from a mostly rural phenomenon into a modern criminal organisation. The Mafia took advantage of corrupt city officials (a former mayor of Palermo, Vito Ciancimino, has been condemned for his bribery with Mafiosi) and protection coming from the Italian central government itself.
Many civil servants lost their lives in the struggle against the criminal organisations of Palermo and Sicily. These include the Carabinieri general Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa, the region’s president Piersanti Mattarella, Padre Pino Puglisi, a priest who had fought for the young people living in the suburbs, and courageous magistrates such as Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino.
Today, Palermo is a city still struggling to recover from the devastation of uncontrolled urban growth. The historic city centre is still partly in ruins, the traffic is horrific, and poverty is widespread.[citation needed] Being the city in which the Italian Mafia historically had its main interests, it has also been the place of several recent well-publicized murders. Situated on a beautiful promontories on the Mediterranean, Palermo is however an important trading and business centre and the seat of a university frequented by many students coming from Islamic countries, as its relationships with the Muslim world never ceased.
Palermo is connected to the mainland by an international airport and an increasing number of maritime links. However, land connections remain poor. This and other reasons have until now thwarted the development of tourism. This has been identified as the main resource to exploit for the city's recovery, the legacy of three millennia of history and folklore.
Geography[link]
Administration[link]
| Municipality | Quarters |
|---|---|
| I | Kalsa, Albergheria, Seralcadio & La Loggia |
| II | Settecannoli, Brancaccio & Ciaculli-Oreto |
| III | Villagrazia-Falsomiele & Stazione-Oreto |
| IV | Montegrappa, S. Rosalia, Cuba, Calafatimi, Mezzomonreale, Villa Tasca-Altarello & Boccadifalco |
| V | Zisa, Noce, Uditore-Passo di Rigano & Borgo Nuovo |
| VI | Cruillas, S. Giovanni Apostolo, Resuttana & San Lorenzo |
| VII | Pallavicino, Tommaso Natale, Sferracavallo, Partanna Mondello, Arenella, Vergine Maria & San Filippo Neri (formerly known as ZEN) |
| VIII | Politeama, Malaspina-Palagonia, Libertà & Monte Pellegrino |
Shown above are the thirty five quarters of Palermo: these thirty five neighbourhoods or "quartiere" as they are known, are further divided into eight governmental community boards.[22]
Climate[link]
Palermo experiences a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csa). Winters are mild and wet, while Summers are warm to hot, and dry. Palermo is one of the warmest cities in Europe (mainly due to its warm nights), with an average annual ambient air temperature of 18.5 °C (65.3 °F). It receives approximately 2,530 hours of sunshine per year. Snow is rare but not impossible. In the late 40's and in the early 2000s it snowed as far as the harbour eight times. More often snow stopped on the edge of the city.
Average annual temperature of the sea is above 19 °C (66 °F), from 14 °C (57 °F) in February to 26 °C (79 °F) in August. In the period from May to November, the average sea temperature exceeds 18 °C (64 °F) and in the period from June to October, the average sea temperature exceeds 21 °C (70 °F).[23]
| Climate data for Palermo | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 14.8 (58.6) |
15.1 (59.2) |
16.1 (61.0) |
18.4 (65.1) |
21.8 (71.2) |
25.1 (77.2) |
28.3 (82.9) |
28.8 (83.8) |
26.6 (79.9) |
22.9 (73.2) |
19.3 (66.7) |
16.0 (60.8) |
21.1 (70.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 11.5 (52.7) |
12.1 (53.8) |
13.2 (55.8) |
15.7 (60.3) |
18.9 (66.0) |
22.4 (72.3) |
25.6 (78.1) |
26.2 (79.2) |
24.1 (75.4) |
20.4 (68.7) |
16.8 (62.2) |
13.3 (55.9) |
18.3 (64.9) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 8.2 (46.8) |
9.1 (48.4) |
10.9 (51.6) |
12.9 (55.2) |
16.0 (60.8) |
19.7 (67.5) |
22.9 (73.2) |
23.6 (74.5) |
21.5 (70.7) |
17.8 (64.0) |
14.3 (57.7) |
10.5 (50.9) |
15.6 (60.1) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 71.6 (2.819) |
65.4 (2.575) |
59.5 (2.343) |
44.1 (1.736) |
25.5 (1.004) |
12.2 (0.48) |
5.1 (0.201) |
13.3 (0.524) |
41.5 (1.634) |
98.0 (3.858) |
94.3 (3.713) |
80.0 (3.15) |
610.5 (24.035) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 9.7 | 10.0 | 8.7 | 6.1 | 3.2 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 4.1 | 8.3 | 9.4 | 10.8 | 74.3 |
| Source: World Meteorological Organization (UN)[24] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Palermo-Boccadifalco Airport on the outskirts of the city (altitude: 117 m sl, satelitte view) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 14.7 (58.5) |
14.5 (58.1) |
16.4 (61.5) |
18.7 (65.7) |
23.3 (73.9) |
27.2 (81.0) |
29.8 (85.6) |
30.5 (86.9) |
27.5 (81.5) |
23.5 (74.3) |
19.0 (66.2) |
15.8 (60.4) |
21.8 (71.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 11.8 (53.2) |
11.5 (52.7) |
13.0 (55.4) |
15.1 (59.2) |
19.3 (66.7) |
23.2 (73.8) |
25.8 (78.4) |
26.6 (79.9) |
23.8 (74.8) |
20.1 (68.2) |
16.0 (60.8) |
13.0 (55.4) |
18.3 (64.9) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 8.9 (48.0) |
8.5 (47.3) |
9.6 (49.3) |
11.4 (52.5) |
15.3 (59.5) |
19.2 (66.6) |
21.7 (71.1) |
22.7 (72.9) |
20.1 (68.2) |
16.7 (62.1) |
12.9 (55.2) |
10.2 (50.4) |
14.8 (58.6) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 97.5 (3.839) |
109.9 (4.327) |
78.2 (3.079) |
65.1 (2.563) |
36.2 (1.425) |
17.9 (0.705) |
6.7 (0.264) |
31.8 (1.252) |
65.3 (2.571) |
105.6 (4.157) |
117.5 (4.626) |
123.7 (4.87) |
855.4 (33.677) |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) | 9.0 | 9.6 | 8.7 | 8.6 | 4.1 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 2.4 | 5.4 | 8.2 | 10.4 | 12.0 | 81.5 |
| Source: Servizio Meteorologico[25] | |||||||||||||
Main sights[link]
Palermo has a large architectural heritage and is notable for its many Norman buildings.
Churches[link]
- Palermo Cathedral is the city's cathedral and main church. It is characterized by the presence of different architectural styles, due to a long history of additions, alterations and restorations, the last of which occurred in the 18th century. The cathedral is located at Corso Vittorio Emanuele, corner of Via Matteo Bonello, Palermo.
- San Giovanni dei Lebbrosi
- San Giovanni degli Eremiti (St. John of the Hermits) is a church near the Palazzo dei Normanni. The church is notable for its brilliant red domes, which show clearly the persistence of Arab influences in Sicily at the time of its reconstruction in the 12th century. In his Diary of an Idle Woman in Sicily, F. Elliot described it as "... totally oriental... it would fit well in Baghdad or Damascus". The bell tower, with four orders of arcaded loggias, is, instead, a typical example of Gothic architecture.
- Chiesa della Martorana, also known as Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio (Saint Mary of the Admiral), is annexed to the next-door church of San Cataldo and overlooks the Piazza Bellini in central Palermo. The original church was built in the form of a compact cross-in-square ("Greek cross plan"), a common south Italian and Sicilian variation on the standard middle Byzantine church type. The three apses in the east adjoin directly on the naos, instead of being separated by an additional bay, as was usual in contemporary Byzantine architecture in the Balkans and Asia Minor.[26] In the first century of its existence the church was expanded in three distinct phases; first through the addition of a narthex to house the tombs of George of Antioch and his wife; next through the addition of a forehall; and finally through the construction of a centrally-aligned campanile at the west. The campanile, which is richly decorated with three orders of arches and lodges with mullioned windows, still serves as the main entrance to the church. Significant later additions to the church include the Baroque façade which today faces onto the piazza. In the late 19th century, historically-minded restorers attempted to return the church to its original state, although many elements of the Baroque modifications remain.[27]
- San Cataldo is a church building on the central Piazza Bellini. It is a notable example of Norman architecture. The church is annexed to that of Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio.
- Santa Maria della Gancia
- Santa Maria della Catena was built in 1490–1520, designed by Matteo Carnilivari. The name derives from the presence, on one of the walls, of a chain (Italian: catena) which closed the Cala port.
- San Giuseppe dei Teatini is a Baroque church located near the Quattro Canti, and is considered one of the most outstanding examples of the Sicilian Baroque in Palermo.
- Oratorio di San Lorenzo
- Oratorio del Rosario
- Santa Teresa alla Kalsa derives its name from Al-Khalisa, an Arab term meaning elected. The church, constructed in 1686–1706 over the former emir's residence, is one of the most outstanding examples of Sicilian Baroque. It has a single, airy nave, with stucco decorations from the early 18th century.
- Santa Maria dello Spasimo was built in 1506 and later turned into a hospital. For this temple Raphael painted his famous Sicilia's Spasimo, now in the Museo del Prado of Madrid. The church today is a fascinating open-air, which occasionally houses exhibitions and musical shows.
- the Church of the Jesus (Chiesa del Gesù) was built by the Jesuits in the centre of the city in 1564, over a pre-existing convent of Basilian monks. The edifice was further enlarged starting in 1591, becoming one of the most relevant examples of Sicilian Baroque, though retaining some severe late Renaissance fashion. The church was heavily damaged after the 1943 bombings, which destroyed most of the frescoes. The interior has a Latin cross plan with a nave and two aisles, characterized by a particularly rich decoration of marbles, tarsias and stuccoes, especially in the St. Anne's Chapel. At the right is the Casa Professa, with a 1685 portal and a precious 18th century cloister. The Church of the Jesus is home to the Municipal Library, placed here in 1775.
- The church of St. Francis of Assisi was erected between 1255 and 1277 in what was once the market district of the city. It was built at the site of two pre-existing churches and was largely renovated in the 15th, 16th, 18th and 19th centuries, the latter after an earthquake. After the 1943 bombings, the church was restored to its Mediaeval appearance, which now includes part of the original building such as part of the right side, the apses and the Gothic portal in the façade. The interior has a typical Gothic flavour, with a nave and two aisles separated by two rows of cylindrical pilasters. Some of the chapels are in Renaissance style, as well as the late 16th century side portals. The church includes precious sculptures by Antonio and Giacomo Gagini and Francesco Laurana, plus a noteworthy wooden choir dating from the 16th century. Of note are also the allegorical statues by Giacomo Serpotta (1723), also author of the stucco decoration.
- The church of the Magione (officially church of the Holy Trinity), an ancient example of Norman architecture, was founded in 1191 by Matteo d'Ajello, who donated it to the Cistercian monks.
Palaces and museums[link]
- Palazzo dei Normanni, one of the most beautiful Italian palaces and a notable example of Norman architecture, probably built over an Arab fortress. It houses the famous Cappella Palatina.
- Zisa (1160) and Cuba, magnificent castles/houses used by the kings of Palermo for hunting. Similar buildings were common in northern Africa, but today these two are the only ones remaining. The Zisa houses the Islamic museum. The Cuba was once encircled by water.
- Palazzo Chiaramonte
- Palazzo Abatellis, with the Regional Gallery. It was built at the end of the 15th century for the prefect of the city, Francesco Abatellis. It is a massive though elegant construction, in typical Catalan Gothic style, with Renaissance influences. The Gallery houses an Eleonora of Aragon bust by Francesco Laurana (1471) and the Malvagna Triptych (c. 1510), by Jan Gossaert and the famous Annunziata by Antonello da Messina. The exposition in the museum has been designed by the architect Carlo Scarpa.
- The Museo Archeologico Regionale is one the main museums of Italy: it includes numerous remains from Etruscan, Carthaginian, Roman and Hellenistic civilizations. It houses all the decorative parts from the Sicilian temples of Segesta and Selinunte.
City Walls[link]
Palermo has got at least 2 circuits of City Walls - many pieces of which still survive. The first circuit surrounded the ancient core of the punic City - the so-called Palaeopolis (in the area east of Porta Nuovo) and the Neopolis. Via Vittorio Emanuele was the main road E-W through this early walled City. The eastern edge of the walled City was on Via Roma and the ancient port in the vicinity of Piazza Marina. The wall circuit was approximately Porto Nuovo, Corso Alberti, Piazza Peranni, Via Isodoro, Via Candela, Via Venezia, Via Roma, Piazza Paninni, Via Biscottari, Via Del Bastione, Palazzo dei Normanni and back to Porto Nuovo.
File:Palermo corso alberto feb 12 2347.jpg
City Wall at Corso Alberto
File:Palermo City Wall via del bastione feb 12 .jpg
City Wall at Via Del Bastione
In the medieval period the wall circuit was expanded. Via Vittorio Emanuele continued to be the main road E-W through the walled City. West gate was still Porto Nuovo, the circuit continued to Corso Alberti, to Piazza Vittorio em Orlando where it turned east along Via Volturno to Piazza Verdi and along the line of Via Cavour. At this North East corner there was a defense, Castello a Mare, to protect the port at La Cala. A huge chain was used to block La Cala with the other end at S Maria della Catena (St Mary of the Chain). The sea-side wall was along the western side of Foro Italico Umberto. The wall turns west along the northern side of Via Abramo Lincoln, continues along Corso Tukory. The wall turns north approximately on Via Benedetto, to Palazzo dei Normanni and back to Porto Nuovo. Source: Palermo - City Guide by Adriana Chirco, 1998, Dario Flaccovio Editore.
Several gates in the City Wall survive. Images of the City Wall can be see here [1]
Opera houses[link]
- The Teatro Massimo ("Greatest Theatre") was opened in 1897. Closed for renovation from 1974 until 1997, it is now carefully restored and has an active schedule. Enrico Caruso sang in a performance of La Gioconda during the opening season, returning for Rigoletto at the very end of his career. It is the largest theater in Italy and the third largest in Europe (8000 sm) .
- The Teatro Politeama was built between 1867 and 1874.
Squares[link]
- Quattro Canti is a small square at the crossing of the ancient main roads (now: Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Via Maqueda) dividing the town into its quarters (mandamenti). The buildings at the corner have diagonal baroque facades so that the square gets an almost octagonal form.
- Piazza Pretoria was planned in the 16th century near the Quattro Canti as the site of a fountain by Francesco Camilliani, the Fontana Pretoria.
Other sights[link]
The cathedral has a heliometer (solar "observatory") of 1690, one of a number[28] built in Italy in the 17th and 18th centuries. The device itself is quite simple: a tiny hole in one of the minor domes acts as Pinhole camera, projecting an image of the sun onto the floor at solar noon (12:00 in winter, 13:00 in summer). There is a bronze line, la Meridiana on the floor, running precisely N/S. The ends of the line mark the positions as at the summer and winter solstices; signs of the zodiac show the various other dates throughout the year.
The purpose of the instrument was to standardise the measurement of time and the calendar. The convention in Sicily had been that the (24 hour) day was measured from the moment of sun-rise, which of course meant that no two locations had the same time and, more importantly, did not have the same time as in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. It was also important to know when the Vernal Equinox occurred, to provide the correct date for Easter.
The Orto botanico di Palermo, founded in 1785, is the largest in Italy with a surface of 10 ha.
One site of interest is the Capuchin Catacombs, with many mummified corpses in varying degrees of preservation.
Close to the city is the 600 m-high Monte Pellegrino, offering a panorama of the city, its surrounding mountains and the sea.
Demographics[link]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1861 | 199,911 | — |
| 1871 | 223,689 | +11.9% |
| 1881 | 244,898 | +9.5% |
| 1901 | 309,566 | +26.4% |
| 1911 | 339,465 | +9.7% |
| 1921 | 397,486 | +17.1% |
| 1931 | 379,905 | −4.4% |
| 1936 | 411,879 | +8.4% |
| 1951 | 490,692 | +19.1% |
| 1961 | 587,985 | +19.8% |
| 1971 | 642,814 | +9.3% |
| 1981 | 701,782 | +9.2% |
| 1991 | 698,556 | −0.5% |
| 2001 | 686,722 | −1.7% |
| 2008 (Est.) | 659,623 | −3.9% |
| Source: ISTAT 2001 | ||
In 2010, there were 655,875 people residing in Palermo, of which 1.2 million live in the greater Palermo area, and of whom 47.4% were male and 52.6% were female. People under age 15 totalled 15.6% of the population compared to pensioners who number 17.2. This compares with the Italian average of 14.1% (people under age 15) and 20.2% pensioners. The average age of Palermo resident is 40,4 compared to the Italian average of 42,8. In the ten years between 2001 and 2010, the population of Palermo declined by 4.5%, while the population of Italy, as a whole, grew by 6.0%. The reason for Palermo's decline is a population flight to the suburbs, and to Northern Italy.[29] The current birth rate of Palermo is 10.2 births per 1,000 inhabitants compared to the Italian average of 9.3 births.
As of 2006, 97.79% of the population was of Sicilian/Italian descent. The largest immigrant group came from South Asia (mostly from Sri Lanka): 0.80%, other European countries (mostly from Albania, Romania, Serbia, Macedonia and Ukraine,): 0.3%, and North Africa (mostly from Tunisia): 0.28%.[30]
Sports[link]
Palermo has its own football team, U.S. Città di Palermo, playing in Italian Serie A and in Europa League group stage of the 2010–2011 season. The chairman is Maurizio Zamparini and the coach is Bartolo Mutti.
The Targa Florio was an open road endurance car race held near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it used to be one of the oldest sports car racing events until it was discontinued in 1977 due to safety concerns but has since run as a rallying event.
Palermo was home to the grand depart of the 2008 Giro d'Italia. The initial stage was a 28.5 km long TTT (Team Time Trial) held on May 10.
Internazionali Femminili di Palermo is a WTA Tour Tier IV tournament in Palermo.
Economy[link]
Being Sicily's administrative capital, Palermo is home to much of the region's main economic, financial, touristic and commercial life. The city currently hosts an international airport,[31] and Palermo's economic growth over the years has brought to the opening of many new businesses and entrepreneurial opportunities. The economy mainly relies on tourism and services, but also commerce, shipbuilding, trade and agriculture.[2] The city, however, still has high unemployment levels, high corruption and a significant black market empire (Palermo being the home of the Sicilian Mafia). Even though the city still suffers from widespread corruption, inefficient bureaucracy and organized crime (Mafia), Palermo's crime level has gone down dramatically, unemployment has been decreasing and many new, profitable, strategies (especially regarding tourism) have been introduced, making the city safer and better to live in.[2]
Patron saints[link]
The patron saint of Palermo is Santa Rosalia, who is widely venerated. On 14 July, people in Palermo celebrate the Festino, the most important religious event of the year. The Festino is a procession in the main street of Palermo to remember the miracle attributed to Santa Rosalia who, it is believed by the vast majority of people, freed the city from the Black Death in 1624. The cave where the bones of Santa Rosalia were discovered is on Monte Pellegrino (see above): when her relics were carried around the city three times, the plague was lifted. There is a Santuario marking the spot and can be reached via a scenic bus ride from the city below.
Before 1624 Palermo had four patron saints, one for each of the four major parts of the city. They were Saint Agatha, Saint Christina, Saint Ninfa and Saint Olivia.
Saint Lucy is also honoured with a peculiar celebration, during which inhabitants of Palermo do not eat anything made with flour, but boil wheat in its natural state and use it to prepare a special dish called cuccìa. This commemorates the saving of the city from famine through the intercession of St Lucia. A ship full of grain mysteriously arrived in the city's harbour and the population was so hungry that they did not waste time in making flour but ate the grain as it had arrived.
Saint Benedict the Moor is the heavenly protector of the city of Palermo.
The ancient patron of the city was the Genius of Palermo, genius loci and numen protector of the place, that became the laic patron of the modern Palermo.[32]
Transport[link]
Palermo International Airport, also known as Falcone-Borsellino Airport, Punta Raisi Airport: dedicated to Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, two anti-mafia judges killed by the mafia in early 1990s, is located 32 km (20 mi) west of Palermo (Punta Raisi).
The airport's rail facility, known as Punta Raisi railway station, can be reached by trains departing from Palermo Centrale, Palermo Notarbartolo and Palermo Francia.
Palermo-Boccadifalco Airport is the second airport of the city.
Palermo has a metro system called the Metropolitana di Palermo with 2 lines. There are also plans for a 3 line light rail system (LRT).[33]
Palermo's public bus system is operated by AMAT
International relations[link]
Twin towns and sister cities[link]
Palermo is twinned with:
See also[link]
References[link]
Notes[link]
- ^ "Travel: Palermo, Sicily". Sicilian Culture. 2002-03-09. http://www.sicilianculture.com/travel/palermo.htm. Retrieved 2010-04-20.
- ^ a b c "The Sunday Times guide: Palermo". Bcg.thetimes.co.uk. http://bcg.thetimes.co.uk/Europe/Italy/Palermo. Retrieved 2011-04-03.
- ^ php Capital dell'euromediterraneo for redevelopment, development and promotion of the metropolitan area of Palermo[dead link]
- ^ Pergament, Danielle (8 January 2008). "In Palermo, Life Vibrates in a Fading Market". NYTimes.com. http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/05/20/travel/20journeys.html. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
- ^ "Sicilian Peoples: The Sicanians". Best of Sicily. 7 October 2007. http://www.bestofsicily.com/mag/art141.htm.
- ^ "Sicily: Encyclopedia II – Sicily – History". Experience Festival. 7 October 2007. http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Sicily_-_History/id/5462681.
- ^ "Aapologetico de la literatura española contra los opiniones". Ensayo historico. 7 October 2007. http://books.google.com/books?id=A7kGAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA11&lpg=PA11&dq=segre+sicano.
- ^ a b "History of Palermo". ItalyTravelEscape.com. 7 October 2007. http://www.italytravelescape.com/history-of-palermo.htm.
- ^ a b "Destiny of a King's Capital". BestofSicily.com. 7 October 2007. http://www.bestofsicily.com/palermo.htm#Palermo%20history.
- ^ a b "Panormos Info". Bio.vu.nl. 7 October 2007. http://www.bio.vu.nl/home/vwielink/WWW_MGC/Area_III_map/Panormos_map/InfoPanormos.html.
- ^ "Early & Medieval History". BestofSicily.com. 7 October 2007. http://www.bestofsicily.com/history2.htm.
- ^ a b Privitera, Joseph. Sicily: An Illustrated History. Hippocrene Books. ISBN 978-0-7818-0909-2. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0781809096.
- ^ "Theodoric". Encyclopædia Britannica. 7 October2007. http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9026834/Theodoric#949802.hook.
- ^ Hearder, Harry. Italy: A Short History. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-33719-9. http://www.history.ac.uk/reviews/paper/FootJohn2.html.
- ^ "The Greek and Byzantine Roots of Palermo". HellenicComserve.com. 7 October 2007. http://www.helleniccomserve.com/palermo.html.
- ^ a b "Brief history of Sicily" (PDF). Archaeology.Stanford.edu. 7 October 2007. http://archaeology.stanford.edu/MountPolizzo/handbookPDF/MPHandbook5.pdf. [dead link]
- ^ Of Italy, Touring Club. Authentic Sicily. Touring Editore. ISBN 88-365-3403-1. http://books.google.com/books?id=E7BYFRh5b7oC&pg=PA52&lpg=PA52&dq=%22Palermo%22+%22Cordoba%22+splendor.
- ^ Joseph Strayer, Dictionary of the Middle Ages, Scribner, 1987, t.9, p.352
- ^ Appleton, The World in the Middle Ages, 100.
- ^ John Julius, Norwich. The Normans in Sicily: The Normans in the South 1016–1130 and the Kingdom in the Sun 1130–1194. Penguin Global. ISBN 978-0-14-015212-8. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0140152121.
- ^ J. Bradford De Long and Andrei Shleifer (October 1993), "Princes and Merchants: European City Growth before the Industrial Revolution", The Journal of Law and Economics (University of Chicago Press) 36 (2): 671–702 [678]
- ^ "Quartieri". Palapa.it. 8 January 2008. http://www.palapa.it/palapadnn/Quartieri/tabid/67/Default.aspx.
- ^ "Palermo Climate Guide". http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/italy/sicily/palermo.php.
- ^ "Weather Information for Palermo". http://www.worldweather.org/176/c00605.htm.
- ^ "Palermo/Boccadifalco (PA) 117 m. - Servizio Meteorologico dell'Aeronautica Militare, 1971-2000". http://clima.meteoam.it/AtlanteClimatico/pdf/(410)Palermo%20Boccadifalco.pdf.
- ^ Kitzinger, Mosaics, 29–30.
- ^ Kitzinger, Mosaics, 42ff.
- ^ "A paper from University of Bologna describing Heliometers in Italian Cathedrals". Cis.alma.unibo.it. 1995-12-06. http://cis.alma.unibo.it/NewsLetter/090496Nw/Heilbron.htm. Retrieved 2011-04-03.
- ^ "Informazioni, CAP e dati utili". Comuni-Italiani.it. http://www.comuni-italiani.it/. Retrieved 2011-08-29.
- ^ http://demo.istat.it/str2006/dati/Palermo.zip
- ^ "Palermo Falcone Borsellino Airport (PMO) Information: Airport in Punta Raisi Area, Italy". Palermo-pmo.airports-guides.com. http://www.palermo-pmo.airports-guides.com/. Retrieved 2010-04-20.
- ^ (It) Alberto Samonà. Il Genio di Palermo e il Monte Pellegrino. Retrieved 2 September 2010.
- ^ "Palermo Subway Metro Light Rail". Subways.net. http://www.subways.net/italy/palermo.htm. Retrieved 2010-04-20.
- ^ "Gdańsk Official Website: 'Miasta partnerskie'" (in Polish & English). © 2009 Urząd Miejski w Gdańsku. http://www.gdansk.pl/samorzad,62,733.html. Retrieved 2009-07-11.
- ^ "Tbilisi Municipal Portal – Sister Cities". © 2009 – Tbilisi City Hall. http://www.tbilisi.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=4571. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
Sources[link]
- Fabbri, Patrizia (2005). Palermo e Monreale. Florence: Bonechi.
- Almsaodi, Aymn. The Desert Race.
- Appleton, D (2005). The World in the Middle Ages. University of Michigan. http://books.google.com/books?id=MCNjaNgw9u4C&q=Robert+Guiscard+hero&dq=Robert+Guiscard+hero&pgis=1.
External links[link]
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- Palermo travel guide from Wikitravel
- Official website (Italian)
- Official tourism website for the city
- Online documentary on the city's social precarities (In Italian and German)
- Rosalio – Palermo's blog (Italian)
- Palermo: the complete guide (Times Online)
- The Tyrants of Sicily (Manchester University Press)
- – families from Palermo
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This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palermo
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1979-06-27) June 27, 1979 (age 32) | ||
| Place of birth | Nardò, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) [1] | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Palermo | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1991–1995 | Milan | ||
| 1995–1996 | Casarano | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1996–1998 | Casarano | 57 | (19) |
| 1998–2002 | Ternana | 120 | (32) |
| 2002–2007 | Juventus | 25 | (8) |
| 2002–2003 | → Perugia (loan) | 34 | (9) |
| 2004–2005 | → Fiorentina (loan) | 35 | (12) |
| 2005–2007 | → Benfica (loan) | 39 | (14) |
| 2007– | Palermo | 136 | (66) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 1996–1997 | Italy U-18 | 10 | (5) |
| 1998–2000 | Italy U-21 | 7 | (2) |
| 2003–2004 | Italy | 10 | (2) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 01 February 2012. † Appearances (Goals). |
|||
Fabrizio Miccoli (Italian pronunciation: [faˈbrittsjo ˈmikkoli]; born on 27 June 1979) is an Italian football striker who currently is playing for Serie A team Palermo.
Contents |
Club career[link]
Early years[link]
After playing at youth level with Milan,[2] he returned to his native Apulia in 1995 to join Serie C1 team Casarano, where he made his professional debut at the age of 17. He then agreed for a move to Serie B side Ternana in 1998, where he scored a total 32 goals in four season, 15 of which in his final year at the club. His performances at Ternana had Miccoli dubbed the "new Del Piero" by many sections of the Italian media.[3]
Juventus and Perugia[link]
Following his impressive performances, Juventus showed interest in signing the player, and ultimately acquired his transfer rights from Ternana in July 2002, then loaning him to minor Serie A side Perugia for the 2002–03 season.
Miccoli showed great qualities during his first season in the top flight, scoring great goals and showing excellent technical ability. He was dubbed the Romario of the Salento, the Maradona of the Salento, and bomber tascabile (pocket bomber), due to his small stature, pace and his technical ability. His efforts helped Perugia reach an UEFA Intertoto Cup spot. For his efforts, he received an Azzurri call-up during the season and Juventus recalled him back for the following season.
Fabrizio Miccoli played six UEFA Champions League games for Juventus, and scored one goal. He also scored seven goals in Serie A for Juventus. However, after a fall-out with Juve manager, Fabio Capello, he did not get much playing time and the next season, half of Miccoli's registration rights was sold to newly promoted Fiorentina for €7million.[4] Once in Florence, Miccoli showed his good qualities once again, helping Fiorentina to salvation on the last day of the season, scoring a goal to send Brescia to Serie B. At the end of the season there was a blind auction between Fiorentina and Juventus to decide his ownership, and Juventus won it by a lump sum of €6.7million for Miccoli, Maresca and Chiellini. Therefore, Miccoli had to return to Turin, but he was sent on loan to Benfica.
Benfica[link]
In July 2006, his loan to Benfica was confirmed despite initial interest from Aston Villa.[5][6] Miccoli scored two goals for Benfica in six Champions League appearances. He also became a fan favorite when he scored a magnificent scissors kick goal against Liverpool during that competition, sending Benfica to the quarterfinals. At Benfica, Miccoli attracted attention from other clubs such as Roma and Internazionale. There was suggestion in the media that Roma were interested in a swap deal with problematic striker, Antonio Cassano[7][8] but the move never eventuated and Miccoli opted to stay one more year in Lisbon with Benfica.[9] The empathy between Benfica supporters and Miccoli was always extraordinary, they still miss the "small bomber".
Palermo[link]
On 5 July 2007, Palermo announced on their official website to have signed Miccoli with a 3-year agreement, costing Palermo €4.3 million.[10] He completed a 4-way swap, which Miccoli replaced the left of Andrea Caracciolo, Caracciolo for Fabio Quagliarella and Vincenzo Iaquinta was replaced by Quagliarella. He returned to Italian football in the 2007–08 season, and took part in the rosanero's third UEFA Cup campaign. He scored a total eight goals in his first season with the Sicilian club, including the winning goal in the Sicilian derby against Catania, despite a number of injuries which prevented him from playing continuously in the season.
In 2008–09, Miccoli, now Palermo vice-captain (behind Fabio Liverani) following the transfers of Andrea Barzagli and Cristian Zaccardo to German club Wolfsburg, enjoyed a remarkable seasonal start, especially after the appointment of Davide Ballardini as new head coach for the team, creating a prolific striking partnership with Uruguayan Edinson Cavani, scoring 14 goals each. He renewed his contract on 30 May.[11]
Starting in the 2009–10 season, Fabrizio Miccoli took the role of captain leading the team through the campaign in place of the injured Fabio Liverani, and being then confirmed after the latter rejoined the team on November 2009. During the 2009–10 season, Miccoli scored 19 goals, tying him for third in the Serie A goal-scoring race. He scored a hat-trick on 27 March 2010 against Bologna, and in a home draw against Sampdoria on the 9 May 2010, Miccoli scored his 41st goal in Serie A for Palermo on a penalty which he had earned, making him the all-time Serie A leading goal scorer for Palermo. The Luciano Zauri foul that earned Miccoli the penalty against Sampdoria, though it resulted in a successfully converted penalty, also caused a moderate injury to Miccoli's knee.[12] As a result, Miccoli underwent right knee surgery on the 13 May 2010 at the Villa Stuart Clinic in Rome. The moderate damage to his cruciate ligament was deemed "successfully repaired" by knee specialist Professor Pier Paolo Mariani, and Miccoli is expected to make a full recovery over the summer months.[13]
Miccoli's strong 2009–10 season played a big part in Palermo's campaign, which saw the club finish 5th in Serie A, tied for the best league finish in club history, and narrowly missing out on Champions League football. This also brought transfer interest from English Premier League side, Birmingham City, whom despite his injury at the time and the prospect of Miccoli missing most of the first half of the next season, still bid a reported £5 million for the 31 year old striker.[14][15]
Miccoli made a strong start to the Serie A 2011-12 season, scoring twice in a 4-3 win against Inter and helping Palermo to 4th place in Serie A after 5 games, recording 3 goals and 3 assists along the way.[16] He maintained his good form despite a lacklustre season from Palermo, with three different managers serving as head coach from August to January, and on 1 February 2012 he became the top goalscorer in the whole club history thanks to a hat-trick in a 4–4 draw against Inter at San Siro.[17] In may 2012, he scored a hat-trick against Chievo Verona away in a 4-4 draw.
International career[link]
Fabrizio Miccoli made his Azzurri debut against Portugal in February 2003, creating the only goal for Bernardo Corradi. On 30 March 2004, Miccoli scored directly from a corner kick in another friendly match versus Portugal. He was subsequently featured in UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying matches and received another call-up in a friendly against Finland in November 2004, which ended in a 1–0 win, with the only goal scored by Miccoli from a free kick.
After leaving Juventus on numerous loan stints, Miccoli did not receive any call ups under Marcelo Lippi and has since still not been called up to the Azzurri under either Roberto Donadoni or Cesare Prandelli. Many sections of the Italian media attribute Miccoli's exclusion from the Italian national side under Lippi due Miccoli's role in court during the Calciopoli scandal where Miccoli testified against Juventus, Juventus of whom have very close relations with Lippi.[18][19] Despite this, Lippi still spoke positively in the media about Miccoli, referring to him in 2005: "I am constantly keeping him under observation, He's a big quality player and technically he is really good. He is a genius. Miccoli is a forward that can be really important for all teams in which he plays." .[20]
During the 2009-10 Serie A season, there were several calls and speculation within the Italian media and high football figures that Miccoli could make a return to the Azzurri for the 2010 FIFA World Cup,[21][22] and expressed continued interest in playing for the national team.[23][24]
Despite these calls, he was not selected for the World Cup and in March 2011 upon return from a serious knee injury, he effectively announced his intentions to not purse an international career any further.[25]
Career statistics[link]
- As of 4 October 2011.
| Club | League | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | |||
| Casarano | Serie D | 1996-97 | 27 | 8 | - | 27 | 8 | - | ||||||
| 1997-98 | 30 | 11 | - | 30 | 11 | - | ||||||||
| Total | 57 | 18 | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 18 | - | |||||
| Ternana | Serie B | 1998–99 | 30 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 1 | 3 | |||
| 1999-00 | 33 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 40 | 9 | 7 | |||||
| 2000–01 | 23 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 7 | 2 | |||||
| 2001–02 | 34 | 15 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 38 | 18 | 15 | |||||
| Total | 120 | 32 | 22 | 15 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 135 | 35 | 27 | ||
| Perugia | Serie A | 2002–03 | 34 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 42 | 16 | 10 |
| Total | 34 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 42 | 16 | 10 | ||
| Juventus | Serie A | 2003–04 | 25 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 37 | 10 | 7 |
| 2004–05 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 25 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 38 | 10 | 7 | ||
| Fiorentina | Serie A | 2004–05 | 35 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 38 | 12 | 10 | |||
| Total | 35 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 12 | 10 | ||
| Benfica | Primeira Liga | 2005–06 | 17 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 6 | 2 |
| 2006–07 | 22 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 33 | 13 | 3 | ||
| Total | 39 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 56 | 19 | 5 | ||
| Palermo | Serie A | 2007–08 | 22 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 8 | 5 |
| 2008–09 | 30 | 14 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 14 | 10 | |||||
| 2009–10 | 35 | 19 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 38 | 22 | 11 | |||||
| 2010–11 | 21 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 28 | 10 | 4 | ||
| 2011–12 | 28 | 16 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 17 | 14 | ||
| Total | 136 | 66 | 41 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 149 | 71 | 44 | ||
| Career total | 436 | 159 | 85 | 40 | 13 | 13 | 30 | 9 | 5 | 506 | 181 | 103 | ||
Personal life[link]
Miccoli is married to Flaviana, a girl he met first when he was 17 and she was 14. Together they have a daughter, Suami, named after the Hindi word for love, and born on March 2003. His second child, a son named Diego, was born on June 2008.[26]
On early 2010, Miccoli gained national news after he managed to buy an earring belonging to his childhood hero Diego Maradona. The earring had been confiscated by the national tax office during a visit by Maradona to Italy (the Argentine star owing several million euros in taxes to the Italian state). It was sold at a public action for € 25,000. After confirming the purchase, Miccoli revealed that he would return the earring to Maradona were he to meet him.[27]
Miccoli is a supporter of Lecce, and has expressed an interest in playing for the club in the future.[28] Miccoli has a tattoo of Che Guevara on his right lower leg.
References[link]
- ^ http://www.goal.com/de/people/italy/110/fabrizio-miccoli Goal.com profile
- ^ "Palermo's pocket rocket". UFIFA (fifa.com). 22 September 2011. http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=1514720.html. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- ^ "Lippi keeping eye on Miccoli". Azzurri News (azzurricentral). 17 September 2005. http://www.freewebs.com/azzurricentralnews/news2.htm. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- ^ "Magical Miccoli". David Taylor (Football-Italia). November 2007. http://www.football-italia.net/ccu/miccoliccu.html. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- ^ "Villa linked with Miccoli swoop". BBC Sport (BBC). 18 August 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/4163486.stm. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- ^ "Miccoli linked with Villa move". sportinglife (Sporting life). 19 August 2005. http://www.sportinglife.com/football/premiership/astonvilla/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=international_feed/05/08/18/SOCCER_Ita-Juventus_Miccoli.html&TEAMHD=astonvilla. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- ^ "Miccoli to Roma?". Goal.com (Goal.com). 3 January 2006. http://www.goal.com/NewsDetail.aspx?idNews=67308&idSez=20. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- ^ "Miccoli open to Roma move". Goal.com (Goal.com). 5 January 2006. http://www.goal.com/NewsDetail.aspx?idNews=68862&idSez=16. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- ^ "Miccoli loaned back to Benfica". UEFA (UEFA). 11 July 2006. http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/newsid=436108.html. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- ^ http://www.juventus.com/site/filesite/finance/comunicatipricesensitive/05_lug_2007_eng.pdf
- ^ "Palermo: Miccoli prolunga contratto" (in Italian). US Citta diPalermo (ilpalermocalcio.it). 20 May 2009. http://www.ilpalermocalcio.it/it/1011/news_scheda.php?id=17093. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
- ^ "Palermo confirm Miccoli needs surgery". Salvatore Landolina (Goal.com). 13 May 2010. http://www.goal.com/en/news/10/italy/2010/05/13/1923088/palermo-confirm-fabrizio-miccoli-needs-knee-surgery-will-be. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- ^ "The magic of Miccoli". Ben Moody (Football Italiano). 23 August 2010. http://www.footballitaliano.co.uk/p6_66_1407_club-focus-palermo-the-magic-of-miccoli.html. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- ^ "The magic of Miccoli". Ben Moody (Football Italiano). 23 August 2010. http://www.footballitaliano.co.uk/p6_66_1407_club-focus-palermo-the-magic-of-miccoli.html. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- ^ "BCFC plan to bid for Miccoli". Oz Ryan (BBC). 5 June 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A69516228. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- ^ "World player of the week". Goal.com. 12 September 2011. http://www.goal.com/en/news/2318/world-player-of-the-week/2011/09/12/2661949/world-player-of-the-week-fabrizio-miccoli-palermo. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- ^ "Miccoli, il bomber dei record [Miccoli, the recordman striker]" (in Italian). Giornale di Sicilia. 2 January 2012. http://www.gds.it/gds/sezioni/sport/qui-palermo/articolo/gdsid/186387/. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
- ^ "Miccoli effectively ends Italy career". Dylan Fahy (Forza IF). 25 March 2011. http://forzaitalianfootball.com/2011/03/palermos-miccoli-effectively-ends-italy-career/. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- ^ "Fabrizio Miccoli speaks out...kinda". Paul (World Cup blog/Italy). 22 December 2009. http://italy.worldcupblog.org/group-e/fabrizio-miccoli-speaks-out-kinda.html. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- ^ "Lippi keeping eye on Miccoli". Azzurri News (Azzuri News). 17 September 2005. http://www.freewebs.com/azzurricentralnews/news2.htm. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- ^ "Zamparini: Miccoli deserves Italy call". Salvatore Landolina (Goal.com). 10 October 2009. http://www.goal.com/en/news/1863/world-cup-2010/2009/10/10/1552222/fabrizio-miccoli-deserves-italy-call-palermo-president. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- ^ "Miccoli Azzurri worthy". Steven Sciavillo (Bleacher Report). 4 May 2010. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/388152-fabrizio-miccoli-azzurri-worthy. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- ^ "World Cup Call up would be cherry on the cake". Salvatore Landolina (Goal.com). 15 December 2009. http://www.goal.com/en/news/1863/world-cup-2010/2009/12/15/1689054/world-cup-2010-fabrizio-miccoli-italy-call-up-would-be-a. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- ^ "Miccoli bemused by Italy omission". Mirrorfootball. 8 March 2010. http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Miccoli-bemused-by-Italy-omission-article348379.html. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- ^ "Miccoli effectively ends Italy career". Dylan Fahy (Forza IF). 25 March 2011. http://forzaitalianfootball.com/2011/03/palermos-miccoli-effectively-ends-italy-career/. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- ^ "Auguri a Miccoli, è nato Diego" (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 2008-06-03. http://www.ilpalermocalcio.it/it/0708/news_scheda.jsp?id=9009&date=6-2008. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
- ^ "Miccoli, una promessa e una bugia" (in Italian). Giornale di Sicilia. 2010-03-02. http://www.gds.it/gds/sezioni/sport/qui-palermo/articolo/gdsid/98941/. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
- ^ "Lecce, pari con l'Albinoleffe: è A!". Corriere dello Sport – Stadio. 2008-06-15. http://www.corrieredellosport.it/Notizie/Calcio/33422/Lecce+pareggia,+terza+promossa+Ecco+come+sar%C3%A0+la+nuova+A. Retrieved 2010-03-08. [dead link]
External links[link]
|
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Miccoli, Fabrizio |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | Association football player |
| Date of birth | 1979-06-27 |
| Place of birth | Nardò, Italy |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Fabrizio_Miccoli
Related pages:
http://ru.wn.com/Микколи, Фабрицио
http://fr.wn.com/Fabrizio Miccoli
http://nl.wn.com/Fabrizio Miccoli
http://pt.wn.com/Fabrizio Miccoli
http://de.wn.com/Fabrizio Miccoli
http://it.wn.com/Fabrizio Miccoli
http://pl.wn.com/Fabrizio Miccoli
http://es.wn.com/Fabrizio Miccoli
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabrizio_Miccoli
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
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This article's lead section may not adequately summarize its contents. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of the article's key points. (June 2010) |
 |
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Martín Palermo | ||
| Date of birth | (1973-11-07) 7 November 1973 (age 38) | ||
| Place of birth | La Plata, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 1 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Centre forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1992–1997 | Estudiantes | 93 | (34) |
| 1997–2000 | Boca Juniors | 102 | (81) |
| 2001–2003 | Villarreal | 70 | (18) |
| 2003–2004 | Betis | 11 | (1) |
| 2004 | Alavés | 14 | (3) |
| 2004–2011 | Boca Juniors | 216 | (113) |
| Total | 506 | (249) | |
| National team‡ | |||
| 1999–2010 | Argentina | 15 | (9) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19:10, June 19, 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
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Martín Palermo (born 7 November 1973) is an Argentine retired footballer who formerly played for Boca Juniors of Argentina, and the Argentina national team. Nicknamed Loco (crazy) or Titán (titan), he has also played in Argentina for Estudiantes de La Plata as well as in Spain for Villarreal, Real Betis, and Alavés.
Contents |
Club career[link]
Born in La Plata, Palermo began his career at Estudiantes de La Plata; it was not until he transferred to Boca Juniors that he won international recognition due to his impressive goal average, and his excellent performances in international matches, because of this success at least three European teams (Lazio, Real Betis and Milan) had him in their sights.[1] But on November 13, 1999 on a game against Colón, he had a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee, before he left the game and without him knowing the seriousness of the injury, he managed to score his 100th goal in the Argentine First Division.[2] The injury required a six-month recovery period.
On May 24, 2000, he returned to football after more than six months of inactivity after his first major injury. He played the last fifteen minutes of the quarterfinal match of the Copa Libertadores against River Plate, and scored the goal that sealed the victory with what he called "the most emotional goal of my career," leaving the score at 3–0 to Boca Juniors (the first match ended 1–2).
Boca Juniors fans started to consider him an idol during his first stint with the club, not only because of the number of goals he scored for the team, but also for scoring many important goals against Boca's arch rivals River Plate.
The peak of his career was probably the Intercontinental Cup in 2000, when he scored two goals in Boca's 2–1 victory over Real Madrid, winning the man of the match award and catching the attention of football clubs in Spain.[3]
Spell in Spain[link]
Palermo signed with the up and coming team Villarreal of the Spanish La Liga on January 19, 2001 in a €7,600,000 transfer.[4][5] In his second season with the team on November 29, after celebrating a goal, Palermo stood on a small concrete wall, which collapsed under the weight of Villarreal's fans and broke both the tibia and fibula of his left leg,[6] leading to two months of inactivity. Palermo never regained his form and after two and half seasons with Villarreal, on August 20, 2003, he decided to cut his ties with the club.[7] The following day on August 21, Martín signed a contract with Real Betis,[8] but on March 2004 after very little success with the club he decided to leave Real Betis. Later that month he signed with Alavés of the Spanish Segunda División.[9]
Back to Boca Juniors[link]
On July 13, 2004, after 3 and a half years of playing in Spain for 3 different teams (Villarreal, Real Betis, and Alavés),[10] Palermo returned to Boca Juniors.[11] Later that year on December 17, Martín scored his 100th goal with Boca on the final of the 2004 Copa Sudamericana a 2–0 victory over Bolívar.[12]
Palermo once again back in top form kept himself placed among the best scorers in the Argentine league, scoring 11 goals in three consecutive tournaments (2006 Clausura, 2006 Apertura and top scorer of the 2007 Clausura). During the 2007 Clausura tournament he had several memorable moments, the first of which came on February 25, when he scored a half pitch goal in the dying seconds of a 3–1 victory over Independiente,[13] a couple of weeks later on March 10 he scored three goals against his former team Estudiantes in a 3–1 Boca victory at La Plata, and he didn't celebrate any of them.[14] It was the fourth hat-trick of his career. A game later, on March 18, he scored a career high of four goals in the 5–1 victory against Gimnasia de la Plata,[15] Estudiantes de La Plata's archi-rivals.
The following season the 2007 Apertura, he continued to be among the Argentine league top scorers with 13 goals. His best game that season came on September 16, in a game against Banfield, in which Martín scored four goals, in the 6–0 Boca victory.[16]
Palermo scored his fifth career hat-trick in a 3–0 Boca Juniors victory, this was a must win game that was played in Jalisco, Mexico, against Atlas on May 21, 2008.[17]
At the beginning of the 2008 Apertura, on August 24 he suffered yet another serious injury, this time he injured his anterior cruciate and tore his medial collateral ligament during the 2–1 victory against Lanús, with an expected recovery period of 5 to 8 months.[18] After this was known, the Argentine coach at that time, Alfio Basile commented that he had chosen him to play for the national team for the following match in the World Cup qualifiers[19]
Palermo's first goal since his injury came on his fourth game back, during a 3–1 victory over Huracán on March 1 in the 2009 Clausura, this was Martín Palermo's 195 goal with Boca Juniors, breaking Francisco Varallo record of 194 goals in the professional era.[20] Almost two months after on April 30, Martín scored a bicycle kick goal, which gave him 200 goals with Boca Juniors, in a 3–0 victory against Deportivo Táchira.[21]
During the 2009 Apertura, on October 4 in a game against Vélez Sársfield, Martín Palermo scored a very special goal (a header that traveled around 38.9 meters), this goal gave him 200 goals in the Argentine First Division and also gave Boca a 3–2 victory.[22]
On July 22, 2010, at 36 years of age, Palermo announced that he had renewed his contract with Boca Juniors for one year and that he will retire at the end of the contract.[23][24]
Martín Palermo scored his sixth career hat-trick on September 19, 2010 in a 3–1 Boca victory over Colón.[25][26]
On December 13, 2010, Palermo scored his 300th career goal in the final match of the 2010 Apertura in a 1–1 draw against Gimnasia de La Plata.[27]
On April 24, 2011, Martin scored the third goal of Boca Juniors against Huracán in a 3–0 away win, with that goal Palermo cut a streak of 10 matches without scoring.[28] Then he scored in the next consecutive matches against Independiente,[29] Argentinos Juniors[30] and in the 2–0 victory over River Plate in the Superclasico.[31]
Palermo achieved legendary status in Boca in the last few years,[32] thanks to his many memorable goals for both the club and the Argentina national team. On June 12, 2011, Palermo played his last home match at La Bombonera,[33] after the match Martín was honored by Boca Juniors and was given several gifts, among the gifts was one of the goal frames of the stadium.[34]
Palermo officially retired from football on June 18, 2011, in a 2–2 draw against his classic rival Gimnasia de La Plata. He provided a headed assistance for Boca's second goal in the last minute of the match, marking the end of a 19-year playing career at senior level.,[35]
International career[link]
With the Argentina national football team, Palermo has played fifteen matches and scored nine goals. He is in the Guinness Book of World Records for missing three penalties for Argentina in a single international match against Colombia in the Copa América 1999. The first penalty rebounded off the crossbar; the second penalty went over; the third was saved by the Colombian goalkeeper, Miguel Calero. Though his international career seemed to be over at the end of 1999, the 2008 Argentine national coach Alfio Basile stated that he had been considering offering Palermo a return to international football and was disappointed that Palermo was injured at the time.[19]
The coach of the 2010 national team, Diego Maradona, recalled Palermo to the national team and introduced him as a substitute in a 2010 World Cup qualifying match against Paraguay after a 10-year exile from the international scene.[36] A couple of weeks later he was once again called up to play a friendly against Ghana.[37] In this game, Palermo was part of the starting eleven and made the most of it by scoring both of Argentina's goals, resulting in a 2–0 win.[38] Palermo's next match was on October 10, a 2010 World Cup qualifier against Peru. Palermo sealed a 2–1 victory for Argentina with a 93rd minute strike,[39] causing Maradona to describe the goal after the game as "one more miracle of Saint Palermo."[40]
On May 19, 2010, Palermo was selected as part of the Argentina national team's 23-man final roster for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Palermo's first World Cup.[41] On June 22, 2010, Palermo played his first World Cup match, coming in as a substitute in the second half of Argentina's final group match against Greece. In the 89th minute, he scored his first ever World Cup goal on a rebound from a shot by Lionel Messi.[42] Argentina won the match 2–0 and finished at the top of their group.[43] This goal also made Palermo the oldest Argentine national footballer to score a goal in World Cup play, an honor previously held by Diego Maradona.[44][45]
Achievements[link]
Club[link]
- Primera B Nacional (1): 1994–95
- Primera División (6): 1998 Apertura, 1999 Clausura, 2000 Apertura, 2005 Apertura, 2006 Clausura, 2008 Apertura
- Copa Libertadores (2): 2000, 2007
- Intercontinental Cup (1): 2000
- Copa Sudamericana (2): 2004, 2005
- Recopa Sudamericana (2): 2006, 2008
Individual[link]
- Primera División top scorer (2): 1998 Apertura (20 goals, short tournament record), 2007 Clausura
- Boca Juniors top scorer (16): 1998 Clausura,1998 Apertura, 1999 Clausura, 1999 Apertura, 2000 Apertura, 2004 Apertura, 2005 Clausura, 2006 Clausura, 2007 Clausura, 2007 Apertura, 2008 Clausura, 2009 Clausura, 2009 Apertura, 2010 Clausura, 2010 Apertura, 2011 Clausura
- South American Footballer of the Year (1): 1998
- Intercontinental Cup Man of the match (1): 2000
- American Golden Shoe (1): 2007 (shared with Giancarlo Maldonado) [46]
Facts[link]
- First professional match: July 5, 1992 Clausura. (San Lorenzo 0–0 Estudiantes)[47]
- First professional goal: May 22, 1993 Clausura. (Estudiantes 3–0 San Martín de Tucumán)[48]
- First International match: February 3, 1999. (Venezuela 0–2 Argentina)[49]
- First International goal: July 1, 1999. (Ecuador 1–3 Argentina)[50]
- First European professional match: February 4, 2001. (Villarreal 2–0 Alavés)[51]
- First European professional goal: February 11, 2001. (Oviedo 1–3 Villarreal)[52]
- He is in the Guinness book of records for having missed three penalty kicks in the same match, against Colombia in the 1999 Copa América.
- Palermo holds an Italian passport, which enables him to play as a UEFA player.[53][54]
- World Cup debut: June 22, 2010 in a match against Greece in the 2010 World Cup.
- Oldest player to score for the Argentina national football team: 36 years and 7 months old, scored the second goal of Argentina's 2–0 win over Greece (This record was previously held by Diego Armando Maradona, who was 33 years old when he scored his last goal in a 1994 World Cup match, also against Greece).
- Tied for 5th place of all time in a career among the Argentine Primera División top scorers with 227 goals (34 with Estudiantes and 193 with Boca Juniors).[55][56]
- 1st place among Boca's all time top scorers with 236 goals,[56][57] having surpassed the 221 goal mark of Roberto Cherro.
- Top scorer in the professional era among Boca's top scorers with 236 Goals. (193 in Primera división Argentine tournaments and 43 in international tournaments) [56][58]
- Boca Junior's top scorer in international matches with 43 goals, 15 more than 2nd place Rodrigo Palacio.
Statistics[link]
Club statistics[link]
| Club appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Season | League | Super Copa | Mercosur | Libertadores | Intercontinental/ Club World Cup |
Copa del Rey | Intertoto | Sudamericana | Recopa | Total | ||||||||||
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
 Estudiantes |
1992 Clausura | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 |
| 1992 Apertura | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | 0 | |
| 1993 Clausura | 7 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7 | 1 | |
| 1993 Apertura | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 11 | 0 | |
| 1994 Clausura | 7 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7 | 1 | |
| 1994–95 Primera B | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5 | 0 | |
| 1995 Apertura | 8 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8 | 6 | |
| 1996 Clausura | 19 | 11 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 19 | 11 | |
| 1996 Apertura | 19 | 6 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 21 | 8 | |
| 1997 Clausura | 17 | 9 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 17 | 9 | |
| Subtotal | 93 | 34 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 99 | 36 | |
| Boca Juniors |
1997 Apertura | 17 | 8 | 4 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 21 | 9 |
| 1998 Clausura | 15 | 12 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15 | 12 | |
| 1998 Apertura | 19 | 20 | - | - | 4 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 23 | 23 | |
| 1999 Clausura | 16 | 12 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 16 | 12 | |
| 1999 Apertura | 13 | 14 | - | - | 5 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 18 | 16 | |
| 2000 Clausura | 4 | 4 | - | - | - | - | 4 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8 | 5 | |
| 2000 Apertura | 18 | 11 | - | - | 4 | 1 | - | - | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 23 | 14 | |
| Subtotal | 102 | 81 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 124 | 91 | |
 Villarreal |
2001 | 17 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 17 | 6 |
| 2001–02 | 19 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 21 | 7 | |
| 2002–03 | 34 | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 43 | 8 | |
| Real Betis |
2003–04 | 11 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 12 | 1 |
| Alavés |
2004 | 14 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 14 | 3 |
| Subtotal | 95 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 107 | 25 | |
| Boca Juniors |
2004 Apertura | 13 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 9 |
| 2005 Clausura | 12 | 6 | - | - | - | - | 9 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 21 | 12 | |
| 2005 Apertura | 16 | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7 | 4 | - | - | 23 | 11 | |
| 2006 Clausura | 19 | 11 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 19 | 11 | |
| 2006 Apertura | 16 | 11 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 12 | |
| 2007 Clausura | 16 | 11 | - | - | - | - | 12 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 28 | 15 | |
| 2007 Apertura | 19 | 13 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 2 | 2 | - | - | 23 | 15 | |
| 2008 Clausura | 14 | 10 | - | - | - | - | 12 | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 26 | 17 | |
| 2008 Apertura | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2009 Clausura | 15 | 7 | - | - | - | - | 7 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 22 | 12 | |
| 2009 Apertura | 17 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | 0 | - | - | 19 | 6 | |
| 2010 Clausura | 19 | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 19 | 10 | |
| 2010 Apertura | 19 | 8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 19 | 8 | |
| 2011 Clausura | 19 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 19 | 6 | |
| Subtotal | 216 | 112 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 280 | 145 | |
| Total | 506 | 249 | 10 | 3 | 13 | 6 | 44 | 23 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 18 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 610 | 297 | |
As of June 19, 2011 [59]
International statistics[link]
| National Team | Year | International competitions |
Friendlies | Total | Goals per match | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | |||
| Argentina |
||||||||
| 1999 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0.43 | |
| 2009 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2010 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 0.60 | |
| Total | 7 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 15 | 9 | 0.60 | |
International goals[link]
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | July 1, 1999 | Estadio Feliciano Cáceres, Luque, Paraguay |  Ecuador |
2–0 | 3–1 | 1999 Copa América |
| 2. | 3–0 | |||||
| 3. | July 7, 1999 | Estadio Feliciano Cáceres, Luque, Paraguay |  Uruguay |
2–0 | 2–0 | 1999 Copa América |
| 4. | September 30, 2009 | Estadio Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina |  Ghana |
1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 5. | 2–0 | |||||
| 6. | October 10, 2009 | El Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina |  Peru |
2–1 | 2–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 7. | February 10, 2010 | Estadio José María Minella, Mar del Plata, Argentina |  Jamaica |
1–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 8. | May 5, 2010 | El Coloso del Ruca Quimey, Cutral Có, Argentina |  Haiti |
2–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 9. | June 22, 2010 | Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane, South Africa |  Greece |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup |
References[link]
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- ^ "Una locura de remontada" (in Spanish). El Mundo Deportivo. 2001-02-12. http://hemeroteca.elmundodeportivo.es/preview/2001/02/12/pagina-23/1539036/pdf.html. Retrieved 2009-10-23.
- ^ "Palermo ni se asusta" (in Spanish). Diario Olé. 2001-02-11. http://old.ole.com.ar/diario/2001/02/11/r-02603f.htm. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
- ^ "Martín Palermo". transfermarkt.co.uk. http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/martin-palermo/profil/spieler_3412.html. Retrieved 25 August 2010.
- ^ "Está hecho un avión". Diario Olé. http://www.ole.com.ar/boca-juniors/hecho-avion_0_338366310.html. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
- ^ a b c Still active, as of June 13, 2011.
- ^ "Palermo, Martín" (in Spanish). Historiadeboca.com.ar. 2009-05-03. http://www.historiadeboca.com.ar/jugadores.asp?CodJug=750&OpTipoTorneos=6. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
- ^ Palermo Gollywood in Ole.com (Spanish)
- ^ "Los números de Palermo". Diario Olé. http://www.ole.com.ar/boca-juniors/numeros-Palermo_0_389361177.html. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
External links[link]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Martín Palermo |
- Palermo, Martín at Boca Juniors' official website (Spanish)
- Palermo, Martín at Historiadeboca.com (Spanish)
- Argentine Primera statistics (Spanish)
- Guardian statistics
- Martín Palermo at National-Football-Teams.com
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Palermo, Martin |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | Argentine footballer |
| Date of birth | November 7, 1973 |
| Place of birth | La Plata, Argentina |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Martín_Palermo
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http://ru.wn.com/Палермо, Мартин
http://nl.wn.com/Martín Palermo
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http://fr.wn.com/Martín Palermo
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http://pt.wn.com/Martín Palermo
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
