Scarica Top Tourist Attractions in Paris, Lisbon, Stonehenge, and Vienna e più Appunti in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! Paris Paris is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world. With so much to see, it can be difficult to choose what to do. The Eiffel Tower was built for the Universal Exhibition of 1889. Tourist can climb the stairs to the top or take a lift, stopping at each of the three floors to shop, have a meal or just admire the exceptional view. The Sacre Coeur, a Romano-Byzantine basilica standing high above the city in the lively district of Montmartre. The Louvre, the world's largest museum and home to famous works such as the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci and the Greek statue Venus de Milo. In the main courtyard there is a distinctive glass and metal pyramid. The Palace of Versailles is 18km from the center. In the 17° century the luxurious residence was the seat of the Royal Court under Louis XIV. Notre-Dame de Paris, one of the first Gothic churches in the world to use the flying buttress to support its slender structure. Gargoyles sit on the roof to keep away evil spirts ( and to carry water away during a rainstorm!). The River Seine, which is a navigable river allowing great boat trips. The Musée d'Orsay, which holds the largest collection of Impressionist and post- Impressionist masterpieces in the world by painters such as Monet, Manet , Degas, Renoir, Cézanne, Gauguin and Van Gogh. The Arc de Triomphe (meaning arch of victory), at the centre of the place de l'Étoile and the western end of the Champs-Elysées, is a very famous landmark of Paris. Emperor Napoléon Bonaparte commissioned it in 1806 after victory in the Battle of Austerlitz. Lisbon The origin of Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, goes back to 1200 BC. Thanks to famous Portuguese explorers such as Vasco da Gama the city became a global player and a major trade center. Despite a disastrous earthquake which destroyed much of the city in 1755, Lisbon has a charming historic center. Several magnificent buildings such as the Belém Tower and the Hieronymites Monastery are reminiscent of Lisbon's heyday. Tourist attractions The Belem Tower is the most iconic landmark of Lisbon. The elegant tower was designed in the new Manueline architecture style, named for king Manuel I. It was built in the sixteenth century in the Tagus river to control the entrance to the city from the sea. The Praga do Comércio (commerce square) was the centerpiece of the reconstruction that took place after the earthquake of 1755 had reduced Lisbon to rubble. Its main attraction is a monumental equestrian statue of king José I. The Monument to the Discoveries was built in honor of Henry the Navigator, who was instrumental in the success of the Portuguese explorations during the fifteenth century, a period now known as the Age of Discoveries. The Vasco da Gama Bridge is a modern cable-stayed bridge that spans the estuary of the Tagus river. The 17 km long bridge opened in 1998 and connects Lisbon's eastern districts with main highways across the river. The Hieronymites Monastery is a monastery built in the early sixteenth century in a Portuguese variant of the Gothic style. It is considered one of the most magnificent buildings of the city. Lisbon's Oceanarium is a large aquarium located in the Parque das Nagdes (Nations' Park), the site of the World Expo of 1998. It hosts more than 15,000 fish and marine mammals, including the ever popular sharks. The Sintra National Palace was the favorite summer residence of the Portuguese kings. The palace was built in the fourteenth century and is decorated with beautiful ceramic tiles. Stonehenge Stonehenge is a group of stones erected in the Salisbury plain in southern England. Dating from 2000-1800 BC, the megaliths are enclosed by a circular moat and an embankment that could date back to 2800 BC. The arrangement of the stones suggests that Stonehenge was used asa religious center and also as an astronomical observatory. There are probably hundreds of myths and legends about Stonehenge. One of the most popular beliefs was that Stonehenge had been built by the Druids for sacrificial ceremonies. It was built with blue stones (a particular stone that is present only in the south-west of Wales) because for this prehistoric populations the blue representing the sky and for them the sky was considered sacred. Nowadays, maybe as an effect of weathering, this colour appears like dark grey. Vienna Vienna, the capital of Austria, boasts an impressive number of palaces, monuments and other landmarks due to its centuries long position as the heart of the Habsburg Empire. Most of the city's attractions are located in the historic center. Other neighborhoods are easily accessible thanks to the efficient underground . Tourist attractions Schònbrunn Palace is the former summer residence of the imperial family. Ever since it was completed in 1780 during the reign of Maria-Theresa, the palace was the favorite residence of the Habsburg monarchs. Of the many museums in Vienna, the Kunsthistorisches Museum has one of the most impressive collections. Its numerous paintings, archaeological artifacts and works of decorative art are displayed ina monumental building at the Maria-Theresien-Platz. Vienna's City Hall was built at the end of the nineteenth century as the Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall) and replaced the Altes Rathaus in the inner city. The square in front of the city hall is the site of several yearly events, the most famous of which is the Christmas market.
