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San Lorenzo Columns
The freestanding row of 16 Corinthian columns from Milan’s Mediolanum heyday were salvaged from a crumbling Roman residence and lined up here to form the portico of the new church. Their pagan spirit lingers; welcome to what is the site of many an evening’s beery indulgence.
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Oratorio di Santa Cecilia
This is one of Bolognas unsung gems. Inside, the magnificent 16th-century frescoes by Lorenzo Costa depicting the life and Technicolor death of St Cecilia and her husband Valeriano are in remarkably good nick, their colours vibrant and their imagery bold and unabashed.
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Orto Medievale
Take a stroll or picnic at the Medieval Gardens , entered from behind the Chiesa di San Pietro. During the medieval period, monasteries often created gardens reminiscent of the Garden of Eden and biblical stories, with plants that symbolised myths and sacred stories.
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Museo Nazionale di San Martino
The Certosa di San Martino and its Museo Nazionale di San Martino are absolutely superb and must sees. What was once a Carthusian monastery is now home to one of the most extensive collections of Neapolitan art and history, all of it wisely collected by its resident monks.
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La Tana
In 1303–04 came the first expansion of the Arsenale dockyards, known as La Tana. Occupying almost the whole length of the southern side of the Arsenale and performing essential rope-making work, it was refashioned in 1579 by Antonio da Ponte (of Rialto bridge fame).
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Frantoio Ipogeo
This is only one of some 35 olive presses buried in the tufa rock below the town. It was here, between the 16th and early 19th centuries, that local workers pressed Gallipolis olive oil, which was then stored in one of the 2000 cisterns carved beneath the old town.
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Castello di Malpaga
On a farming estate, lies the crenellated brickwork Castello di Malpaga, another Colleoni residence. He had the original 14th-century castle expanded, turning the original defensive walls into a kind of interior courtyard. Some original frescoes still remain in place.
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Tempio di Ercole Vincitore
Dating to the 2nd century BC, the circular Tempio di Ercole Vincitore is the oldest marble temple in Rome. Twenty Corinthian columns surround the compact structure, which was consecrated as a Christian church in the 12th century.Visits are by guided tour only.
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Riserva Naturale di Monte Arcosu
South of the Castello di Acquafredda, the Riserva Naturale di Monte Arcosu is a WWF reserve and one of the few remaining habitats of the cervo sardo (Sardinian deer). Covering the peak of Monte Arcosu (948m), it also harbours wild boar, wildcats and plenty of birds of prey.
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Scuderie Aldobrandini
The former stables of Villa Aldobrandini, restored by architect Massimiliano Fuksas, house Frascatis single museum of note, the Museo Tuscolano . Dedicated to local history, its collection includes ancient Roman artefacts and several interesting models of local villas.
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Quadrilatero
To the east of Piazza Maggiore, the grid of streets around Via Clavature (Street of Locksmiths) sits on what was once Roman Bologna. Known as the Quadrilatero, this compact district is a great place for a wander with its market stalls, cafes and lavishly stocked delis.
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La Raccolta delle Acque
Materas fascinating water-storage system can be better understood when you visit this ancient complex of underground cisterns and canals, which was used to collect rainwater from roofs, streets and houses in the vicinity. The largest cistern is nearly 15m deep and 5m long.
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Guglia di San Domenico
Taking centre stage on elegant, operatic Piazza di San Domenico Maggiore is this 18th-century obelisk. The work of Cosimo Fanzago, Francesco Antonio Picchiatti and Domenico Antonio Vaccaro, it honours its namesake saint for stamping out the plague epidemic of 1656.
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Civico Museo Storico
Head along Borgo Udine to uncover local history and weaponry from the Venetian and Napoleonic eras in the Civico Museo Storico, inside Palazzo Trevisan . The museum also acts as a tourist office and has information on secret-tunnel tours that wind beneath the city walls.
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Palazzo Poggi
At the university museums at Palazzo Poggi you can peruse waxwork uteri in the Obstetrics Museum and giant tortoise shells in the Museum of Natural Sciences . Further surprises are to be found in museums dedicated to ships and old maps, military architecture and physics.
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Il Galeone Neptune
This full-sized replica pirate ship was built in 1986 as a prop in the Roman Polanski movie Pirates . Moored permanently in the port, it is now a favourite playground for kids re-enacting scenes from Peter Pan and Pirates of the Caribbean with their beleaguered parents.
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Rotonda di San Lorenzo
The weather-worn 11th-century Rotonda di San Lorenzo is sunk below the level of the square, its red-brick walls still decorated with the shadowy remains of 12th- and 13th-century frescoes. Its thought to stand on the site of a Roman temple dedicated to Venus.
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Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Mansi
This 16th-century mansion built for a wealthy Luccan merchant is a wonderful piece of rococo excess. The private apartments are draped head to toe in tapestries, paintings and chintz. The elaborate, gilded bridal suite must have inspired such high jinks in its time.
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Guglia dellImmacolata
Soaring high above beautiful Piazza del Gesù Nuovo is Giuseppe Genuinos lavish Guglia dellImmacolata, an obelisk built between 1747 and 1750. On 8 December, the feast of the Immacolata, firemen scramble up to the top to place a wreath of flowers at the Virgin Marys feet.
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Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore
The impressive 12th-century Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore houses the town’s real treat. In its Cappella Baglioni , Pinturicchio’s beautiful frescoes of the life of Christ are in the right-hand corner as you enter. Even the floor, dating back to 1566, is a masterpiece.
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