Back in Time
Is there a time machine? I think there is.... 
Sit on a plane and go to Italy. You will enter a different time zone. ....about 500 - 1000years ago.
It’s the world as it was then and we can still see it. It’s not exciting just because its old but because it still is so beautiful! It’s the history of human behaviour, survival, religion, art, science, geography and many more aspects.
The land was giving me a very familiar feeling. It was busy streets with crazy traffic, cars parked haphazardly along the road and two wheelers making their way through it. Cities full of residential buildings, offices and shops .Then there were long stretches of green fields and dense forests. It was the brightest sun and hottest afternoons but the pleasant breeze of evenings was making everything worth.
From my very first day visit to island of Capri, I knew I was about to see something different here. The sight of a tall mountain bathing in the blue-green water was m
esmerizing. The top of the mountain made me feel on top of the world .There were caves and arches on the bottom of the mountain. They are called as 'grottos' by Italians. The Grottos were filled with different hues of water ranging from white, green, blue to deep dark grey. The magical water was inviting me to the world of unknown. The water was so clear that I could see the jelly fishes swimming below our boat.
When the boat was speeding back to the mainland, I was richer with the fascinating experience.
After an adventure in the natural terrene we were about to enter the world of archaeology and religion- capital of Italy – Rome. Roma- as the Italian call it- is filled with statues, old buildings, churches and fountains.
At one end there is this huge colosseum built in the 1st century A.D and still standing tall. It’s an amphitheatre capable of accommodating 500000 people, built for the purpose of
entertainment in
the form of gladiatorial contests ,games, animal hunts, executions , re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas. Hundreds and thousands of People would come to see how 2 people kill each other or escape from the deadly attacks of wild beasts. The history of human beings is wicked and cruel; it makes you think who we really are.
On the other end- Roma includes an independent state called Vatican City. The Vatican City is of great cultural significance for Christians. The biggest and the holiest no 1 church- St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel are home to some of the most famous art in the world, which includes works by artists such as Botticelli, Bernini, Raphael and Michelangelo.
It was the biggest church I had ever seen. Why do they always build churches so enormous and tall? Probably to portray the power of the almighty God , to show how miniscule we are in front of him. Something beyond the reach of humans. Something so serene ,so beautiful to your eyes that it is hard to believe. It has taken a century to build this basilica by many ar
tists under the control of successive Popes. This is the centre and home of Christianity which is followed by millions around the globe. Patience and passion can help you achieve great things in life- is the lesson to be learnt here.
Florence is another ancient city of Italy displaying all the evidences of the history .This has another big church full of paintings, carvings, statues and not just in stone or marble but also in gold. The city has many small lanes .It is very easy to get lost here.One architecture that caught my eye was a bridge on the river. This was no ordinary bridge but was full of houses, shops like a city.
Florence is also the birth place for the Renaissance Period. It was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy and later spreading to the rest of Europe. its influence affected Literature, Philosophy, Politics, Science ,religion and other aspects of human life.
Leonardo Da Vinci, Botticelli and Michelangelo were all born near Florence. Apart from these great men, the f
amous scientist Galileo – who discovered that earth orbits the sun is also from Florence and was buried in Florence.Some places in the world are so full of history that I felt my history books from school were open in front of me.
One of the wonders of the world is the Leaning tower of Pisa. It is located in a small city called Pisa near Florence. When I first saw the tower, I wasn’t sure if it was built to be slant or it was actually leaning. The tower itself is not very tall like Eifel tower but very elegantly beautified. They say that the leaning tower is leaning every year and would probable fall in about 200 more years. It has been built over 177 years starting from 12th century. It started leaning immediately after its construction of the first floor. This was due to faulty unstable foundation. But the work of construction was stopped many times in between as Pisa was continuously in war. This allowed time for the underlying soil to settle. Otherwise, the tower would almost certainly have toppled. Everyone visiting tower of Pisa take picture in one universal pose- supporting the tower from falling.
After venturing into history of architecture and culture, I entered the romantic city of Venice. Venice is a city of many islands, about 118. The sea water has got trappe
d in the shallow land to form lagoon. There are no cars or buses to travel in the city. The only way of transport is boats. From giant ships to motorboats to small gondolas..all types of ships can be seen here. It is a city of canals and bridges. Apart from this it also has retained its history with old architecture buildings and churches. One of the most famous is St. Marks Square and Its Basilica. The big open square area is full of pigeons, used to people feeding them and taking pictures. The gondola ride in Venice is considered to be most romantic- I was with my husband in a small elegant boat, travelling in long canals of green water. On both the sides are old buildings with their balconies full of colourful flowers. It was a picture that I could have never imagined to be true and it was the moment that I never wanted to pass.
As the history describes, Italy has nurtured many artists, scientist, philosophers and the tradition is still continuing. Number of young, new ,unknown artists are trying to sell their art on the roadside to thousands of tourists visiting Italy. They are selling glass paintings, canvas paintings, portraits and caricature. All of this portraying beauty of various cities of Italy. Some have Gondola boats in the canals, some have the bridge of Florence bustling with busy shops, some with the leaning tower and some are simply the copies of the original paintings of Leonardo Da Vinci.
Venice is also famous for a Murano glass showroom. They make glass sculptures, show pieces, vase, cups and many more beautiful artefacts. This is an art which is passed through generations. It’s a centuries old tradition of the Island of Venice.
Venetian masks are another old tradition of Venice. They are worn during the carnival. In the past they were worn at many occasions to hide the identity of the wearer. These are multicoloured masks with very minute carvings and designs.
Food of Italy is as multicoloured and multiflavoured as the people of Italy. After all, this is the country to gift the world with Pizzas and Pastas. They have quite unique blend of spices and cheese that is sure to entertain your taste buds. Contradictory to this, I also found that all the breads in the Italy were very hard and difficult to chew.
Italians are relaxed, easy to go and very loud people. Most important things in their lives is eating, drinking, singing and sleeping ! They are very artistic and creative but they don’t like to work. In fact, we had to be very alert all the time , as Italy has many thieves eyeing on the tourists for their bread and butter. The shops close in the afternoon for a sleep and early in the evening by 4.30-5. Due to increasing tourism now the working hours have increased in the major cities like Rome.
Italy is the best example of a country which has preserved most of its old heritage, culture and architecture to help them not only earn more but also learn more for future.
When I was on my flight back to London, I kept thinking, why is the history so important to us?
It’s not just the curiosity of the unknown past but it is story of us- human beings. How we landed up with our world where we are today, how our ancestors lived, survived, progressed and made a better world with collective efforts. It’s the truth that takes us closer to knowing our world, universe and its existence by the smallest fraction of a percentage.
Sit on a plane and go to Italy. You will enter a different time zone. ....about 500 - 1000years ago.
It’s the world as it was then and we can still see it. It’s not exciting just because its old but because it still is so beautiful! It’s the history of human behaviour, survival, religion, art, science, geography and many more aspects.
The land was giving me a very familiar feeling. It was busy streets with crazy traffic, cars parked haphazardly along the road and two wheelers making their way through it. Cities full of residential buildings, offices and shops .Then there were long stretches of green fields and dense forests. It was the brightest sun and hottest afternoons but the pleasant breeze of evenings was making everything worth.
From my very first day visit to island of Capri, I knew I was about to see something different here. The sight of a tall mountain bathing in the blue-green water was m
esmerizing. The top of the mountain made me feel on top of the world .There were caves and arches on the bottom of the mountain. They are called as 'grottos' by Italians. The Grottos were filled with different hues of water ranging from white, green, blue to deep dark grey. The magical water was inviting me to the world of unknown. The water was so clear that I could see the jelly fishes swimming below our boat.When the boat was speeding back to the mainland, I was richer with the fascinating experience.
After an adventure in the natural terrene we were about to enter the world of archaeology and religion- capital of Italy – Rome. Roma- as the Italian call it- is filled with statues, old buildings, churches and fountains.
At one end there is this huge colosseum built in the 1st century A.D and still standing tall. It’s an amphitheatre capable of accommodating 500000 people, built for the purpose of
entertainment in the form of gladiatorial contests ,games, animal hunts, executions , re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas. Hundreds and thousands of People would come to see how 2 people kill each other or escape from the deadly attacks of wild beasts. The history of human beings is wicked and cruel; it makes you think who we really are.
On the other end- Roma includes an independent state called Vatican City. The Vatican City is of great cultural significance for Christians. The biggest and the holiest no 1 church- St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel are home to some of the most famous art in the world, which includes works by artists such as Botticelli, Bernini, Raphael and Michelangelo.
It was the biggest church I had ever seen. Why do they always build churches so enormous and tall? Probably to portray the power of the almighty God , to show how miniscule we are in front of him. Something beyond the reach of humans. Something so serene ,so beautiful to your eyes that it is hard to believe. It has taken a century to build this basilica by many ar
tists under the control of successive Popes. This is the centre and home of Christianity which is followed by millions around the globe. Patience and passion can help you achieve great things in life- is the lesson to be learnt here.Florence is another ancient city of Italy displaying all the evidences of the history .This has another big church full of paintings, carvings, statues and not just in stone or marble but also in gold. The city has many small lanes .It is very easy to get lost here.One architecture that caught my eye was a bridge on the river. This was no ordinary bridge but was full of houses, shops like a city.
Florence is also the birth place for the Renaissance Period. It was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy and later spreading to the rest of Europe. its influence affected Literature, Philosophy, Politics, Science ,religion and other aspects of human life.
Leonardo Da Vinci, Botticelli and Michelangelo were all born near Florence. Apart from these great men, the f
amous scientist Galileo – who discovered that earth orbits the sun is also from Florence and was buried in Florence.Some places in the world are so full of history that I felt my history books from school were open in front of me.One of the wonders of the world is the Leaning tower of Pisa. It is located in a small city called Pisa near Florence. When I first saw the tower, I wasn’t sure if it was built to be slant or it was actually leaning. The tower itself is not very tall like Eifel tower but very elegantly beautified. They say that the leaning tower is leaning every year and would probable fall in about 200 more years. It has been built over 177 years starting from 12th century. It started leaning immediately after its construction of the first floor. This was due to faulty unstable foundation. But the work of construction was stopped many times in between as Pisa was continuously in war. This allowed time for the underlying soil to settle. Otherwise, the tower would almost certainly have toppled. Everyone visiting tower of Pisa take picture in one universal pose- supporting the tower from falling.
After venturing into history of architecture and culture, I entered the romantic city of Venice. Venice is a city of many islands, about 118. The sea water has got trappe
d in the shallow land to form lagoon. There are no cars or buses to travel in the city. The only way of transport is boats. From giant ships to motorboats to small gondolas..all types of ships can be seen here. It is a city of canals and bridges. Apart from this it also has retained its history with old architecture buildings and churches. One of the most famous is St. Marks Square and Its Basilica. The big open square area is full of pigeons, used to people feeding them and taking pictures. The gondola ride in Venice is considered to be most romantic- I was with my husband in a small elegant boat, travelling in long canals of green water. On both the sides are old buildings with their balconies full of colourful flowers. It was a picture that I could have never imagined to be true and it was the moment that I never wanted to pass.As the history describes, Italy has nurtured many artists, scientist, philosophers and the tradition is still continuing. Number of young, new ,unknown artists are trying to sell their art on the roadside to thousands of tourists visiting Italy. They are selling glass paintings, canvas paintings, portraits and caricature. All of this portraying beauty of various cities of Italy. Some have Gondola boats in the canals, some have the bridge of Florence bustling with busy shops, some with the leaning tower and some are simply the copies of the original paintings of Leonardo Da Vinci.
Venice is also famous for a Murano glass showroom. They make glass sculptures, show pieces, vase, cups and many more beautiful artefacts. This is an art which is passed through generations. It’s a centuries old tradition of the Island of Venice.
Venetian masks are another old tradition of Venice. They are worn during the carnival. In the past they were worn at many occasions to hide the identity of the wearer. These are multicoloured masks with very minute carvings and designs.
Food of Italy is as multicoloured and multiflavoured as the people of Italy. After all, this is the country to gift the world with Pizzas and Pastas. They have quite unique blend of spices and cheese that is sure to entertain your taste buds. Contradictory to this, I also found that all the breads in the Italy were very hard and difficult to chew.
Italians are relaxed, easy to go and very loud people. Most important things in their lives is eating, drinking, singing and sleeping ! They are very artistic and creative but they don’t like to work. In fact, we had to be very alert all the time , as Italy has many thieves eyeing on the tourists for their bread and butter. The shops close in the afternoon for a sleep and early in the evening by 4.30-5. Due to increasing tourism now the working hours have increased in the major cities like Rome.
Italy is the best example of a country which has preserved most of its old heritage, culture and architecture to help them not only earn more but also learn more for future.
When I was on my flight back to London, I kept thinking, why is the history so important to us?
It’s not just the curiosity of the unknown past but it is story of us- human beings. How we landed up with our world where we are today, how our ancestors lived, survived, progressed and made a better world with collective efforts. It’s the truth that takes us closer to knowing our world, universe and its existence by the smallest fraction of a percentage.
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