In Rome, there is the Spanish Steps!

Though the name may not be entirely accurate (they were built by the French), the Spanish Steps in Rome deliver true delight to visitors of any nationality. 'Ah,' some will say, 'they are just stairs'. A way to get from the Villa Mèdici to the Piazza di Spagna. But, as any traveler knows, it's how you get there that counts as much as the destination.

Constructed between 1723 and 1725 the Spanish Steps or Scalinata di Spagna are 137 steps arrayed near the Piazza di Spagna - a triangular outdoor plaza and one of Rome's most frequently visited tourist destinations.

These lovely steps, dark, elegant and winding up a moderate graded hill, connect some of the most active and delightful areas in Rome. At the same time, they are beautiful to see all on their own. A pleasure anytime of year, they are especially wonderful in spring when the city festoons the area with azaleas from its many municipal greenhouses.

They are alive with flowers, people and the hint of the warm summer to come. Rome can be hot, in the mid-80s, even in late October. Nearby are some of Rome's most upscale boutiques and dozens of restaurants, shops and sidewalk cafes. The steps themselves used to be a favorite place to rest and have a small lunch, though that is now forbidden. Naturally, Rome being Rome, that law is often ignored.

At the bottom is the La Barcaccia fountain (Fountain of the Old Boat), one of Bernini's many great outdoor works in the Eternal City. In the center is a sculpture of a ship that may have been designed by his son, Gian Lorenzo. Commissioned by Pope Urbano VIII Barberini in 1627, the water flows outward through 'leaks' in the ship.

While you are at that end, stop in and see the Keats-Shelley Memorial House. Then have something cool to drink in one of the numerous bars before starting your climb.

As you travel up, there are three large flat areas on which to rest and people-watch, shop or eat. At the top, be sure to look back and admire the stunning view before continuing on to the Church of Trinta dei Monti.

More formally known as the Santissima Trinita al Monte Pincio, construction began in 1502 but continued for almost two centuries. Built in the late Gothic style, the facade is neo-classical. Outside there's an obelisk, one of Rome's many instances of this Egyptian-style sculpture, first brought to Rome around the 3rd century AD.

Only a couple of blocks away is the infamous Via Veneto where many Italian girl was ogled and pinched in the 1950s. Today, the area is tamer but no less interesting. It's full of shops, restaurants and beautiful examples of Rome's architecture, old and new.

No visit to Rome would be complete without visiting this landmark of Rome. Though created by the French, and named for the long-gone 18th century Spanish Embassy to the Vatican, it is an international delight to all.

Parc Guell - The park that is a work of art...

Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Parc Guell is yet another of architect Antonio Gaudi's great gifts to the city of Barcelona. Built between 1900-1914, this 20-hectare park sits on the hills to the north of Barcelona's main areas. It provides a peaceful oasis of lush greenery and outstanding architectural elements.

On the northern edge of town, visitors have a spectacular vista to see much of Barcelona arrayed below. The terraced gardens provide an excellent combination of the natural and artificial. Seating available shows another example of the colorful mosaic tile that Gaudi loved to incorporate in his design for the park.

Stop at the small cafe on the outer edge before entering and have a cool drink. Barcelona can get very hot and many of the hills are steep. For visitors needing a little more sustenance, there are several small restaurants to choose from. Note the outstanding dragon-themed fountain as you enter. Take a moment to enjoy the multi-colored tile adorning it. Then stroll down the flower-festooned walkways dotted with many mosaic tiles that show Gaudi's distinctive influence.

But there are just as many interesting sights further inside the park itself. There's a museum dedicated to Gaudi's art, filled with photos and other items both instructive and decorative. Once the architect's house, it contains furniture designed by Gaudi himself.

Outside once again, alongside the lush shrubbery reside many worthy sights, including sculpture, columns, restaurants and museums. Even the benches are works of art. There is one enormous, curved example that is famed throughout the city, the Paseo de Palmas.

Further on are still more examples of wondrous sights. The Hall of the Hundred Columns (Sala de las Cien Columnas) is an array of classical supports. But what they support is drawn from later styles, such as the romantic-era balcony, which is covered in mosaic tiles of a more modern design.

Nearby there's a walkway supported by twisted rock pillars, introducing yet another style. Irregular and organic in appearance, they demonstrate another facet of the organic eclecticism Gaudi embraced.

There are a number of entrances to the park and visitors will want to choose accordingly. Taking the metro to the Lesseps stop, brings one to the base. That leads to a steep climb up the hill on which the park rests. Challenging, but great exercise in Barcelona's fine air. Taking the metro to the stop at Vallcarca brings the traveler via outdoor escalators to the top of the park, allowing for an easy walk down the hill.

Admission to the park is free and most buildings open at 10 a.m.

The unique architecture of The Centre National d'Art et de Culture Georges-Pompidou

Known to Parisians simply as Beaubourg (after the neighborhood), The Centre National d'Art et de Culture Georges-Pompidou is a museum of modern art rivaling the best in New York or London.

By design, so to speak, the architecture of the 1977 building is in sharp contrast to the traditional surrounding houses of Paris' oldest district.

Looking like a cross between a hyper-modern factory joined to a low-rise office building, it accurately reflects its contents. The red, blue and green pipes on the rear are only one example of the tradition busting goals of its makers.

Air conditioning ducts are in blue, water pipes are green and electrical conduits are colored yellow. Escalators are in red and the ventilation shafts are white in the underground areas.

The architects goals were to 'turn the building inside out', and they've largely succeeded. A low glass box that looks like the scaffolding is yet to be removed, the modern heir to Bauhaus displays air-conditioning ducts and metal stairs on the exterior.All the better to provide space for works on the interior, so it's said.

Sponsored by and named after the French president, the museum is a faithful reflection of the art trends of the last century. Every recognized name of the last hundred years is here alongside hundreds lesser or entirely unknown. Among the collection of 56,000 works are well-known names such as Matisse, Pollock, Miro, Braque, Chagall, Dali, Duchamp, Picasso, Kandinsky, Magritte, Klee... even Kelly and Warhol.

The Ten Lizes Warhol is not to be missed. An array of five small paintings atop another five, the work depicts Elizabeth Taylor in the now-familiar Warhol style. Multi-hued, multi-contrast and sharp-grained it presents Warhol at his Warholyist.

All the art movements of the last century are represented. There are examples of Fauvism, Cubism, Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism along with many that have no names.

Built at a cost of $100 million, the cultural center houses four major activities within its million square feet: the exhibits, a reference library, a center for industrial design and a center for music and acoustic research.

Ride the Plexiglas escalator to the top where there is a panoramic restaurant, 'Le Georges' at level six. One can sit and look out on the street performers at the Place George Pompidou in front, or view the nearby Stravinsky Fountain.

Pricey, but with good views of the skyline, the visitor can see Montparnasse, the Eiffel Tower and much more. Rest and refresh before continuing to view the massive collection.

The museum is easy to find. Take the metro (subway) to Rambuteau or Hotel de Ville.

The Pantheon - The work of genius that stood the test of time

Few ancient buildings have survived the ravages of time so well as the Pantheon in Rome. It is the only example of similar age, size and span that remains intact. The fact is no accident - it's largely the result of superior engineering.

Often copied, sometimes equaled but never surpassed, it had more architectural innovations than most modern buildings. All the more remarkable, given that it was built around 125 AD under the aegis of the emperor Hadrian.

The plan is simple enough: a circular enclosure aside a rectangular entrance. The entrance sports a classic Greek portico of granite columns topped by a triangular pediment. There are three ranks of the 39 ft Corinthian supports, eight in front and two sets of four further in leading to the main rotunda. A rectangular section joins the portico to the rotunda.

But within that simple design are a dozen signs of genius.

The giant concrete dome topping the cylinder forming the major component was so well designed and built that no similar type would stand up under its own weight.

The dome is 142 feet in diameter (46 feet larger than that crowning the White House in Washington, DC), while the oculus at the peak is over 25 feet of that total. It stands as a result of its unusual composition, outstanding engineering and brilliant construction.

Just one example is the oculus in the center - the opening through the top. It decreases the overall weight and serves as a ring that distributes stress around its circumference. Imagine, by analogy, how difficult it is to crush a bicycle wheel.

It also serves to admit light to the interior. And rain, too it must be said, though the floor is an early example of slanting the floor toward drains.

The dome's tapering steps provide yet more evidence of the mastery of craft displayed by the dome's designer. It's 20 feet thick at the base, 7.5 at the oculus and composed of heavier material at the bottom, lighter as it rises. That doesn't seem so remarkable until one considers that many architects a thousand years later ignored this simple idea.

Nearly two thousand years after its birth the Pantheon in Rome is as stable today as when it was first built. Yet it was constructed without the benefit of machines or modern tools.

Nor did the Pantheon engineers have the advantage of modern transportation methods. All the materials were floated down the Tiber and moved to the site by man and animal on carts of the period.

Though its enormous bronze doors have been restored many times, no major structural work has ever had to be undertaken. This is all the more remarkable given the marshy land on which the structure is built.

By contrast, observe there have been several decades-long projects to preserve the Leaning Tower of Pisa, owing in part to the soft ground in parts of the site. The Parthenon in Greece, though a great building, was a virtual ruin 2,000 years after its birth.

The Pantheon in Rome was first converted to a church during the 8th century and continues to serve that purpose today. In fact, the building has been in continuous use since first being built.

This amazing building has often been copied, two notable examples being the British Museum Reading Room and the Thomas Jefferson Rotunda at the University of Virginia.

When in Rome, be sure to spend time viewing the original.

When in Barcelona, visiting the Temple de la Sagrada Familia is a must!

Antonio Gaudi is Barcelona's patron architect. Much of the city bears his stamp. Nowhere is this more evident than in his unfinished masterpiece, The Temple of the Holy Family. Work began in 1883 but halted after the architect's untimely death from a tram accident in 1926.

On its way to becoming as tall as nearby Montjuic mountain (564 feet/172m), this tribute to the architect's passion is one of Barcelona's great wonders. Over a 120 years later, the cathedral is still actively under construction, and is scheduled to continue for the next 40 years.

The exterior is a series of spires surrounding a narrow portal that admits visitors to the interior. Looking at the unusual towers, it's clear where Cesar Pelli, the designer of the Petronas Towers in Malaysia, received his inspiration.

But before going in, take time to marvel at the hundreds of small friezes that adorn the facade. There are figures of saints and ordinary folk alike, all done in a fantastic modern style unlike any other church. At times, they appear almost cubist.

Note the many high-arched windows that surround the building, shedding light to the interior of the church that glows like a candle on a sunny day. Higher above them the slits in the spires are still more narrow, bringing the eye up to the top and then the sky.

Then enter this magnificent structure.

On the ground floor there are several reconstructed scale models of the work as Gaudi envisioned it. Most of the originals were destroyed. Photographs show the progress of construction as the building has gone through several stages. There are some of Gaudi's funeral, as well.

Visitors who look closely at them can see many reflections of elements in the building. The Nativity scene, the story of the serpent in the garden and many others are easily visible at the base of the central column of the Portal of Charity. The column itself is a work of sculpture unlike that found in any other city, with a complete genealogy of Christ.

Yet even the relatively plain columns are a wonder to behold. Starting out with simple Greek-style fluting they arch seamlessly high above the visitor's head where they branch out like living trees. Joining them are a series of organic-looking flowers in stone.

Nearby is the Portal of Faith with scenes of Jesus preaching as a teen, surrounded by religious symbols such as grapes and wheat. The Portal of Hope on the other side shows animals and plants from the Nile, another site with religious significance. Sculptures of Joseph and Mary sit beneath a sculpted boat piloted by St. Joseph.

Easily the most famous building in a city with many of them, the Temple de la Sagrada Familia could consume a day on any visit to Barcelona. Plan to spend at least a couple of hours musing among the hundreds of items to see.

A walk to remember at the Champs-Elysées

Not merely a boulevard, the Champs-Elysées has justly earned its name. In Greek mythology, the Elysian Fields was the resting place of heroes who dwelt in perfect happiness. Fortunately, visitors don't have to die to reach it. Though you may think so after making your way through the French airports and into Paris.

This tree-lined avenue begins at the Arc de Triomphe and ends 2km (1.2mi) east at the Egyptian Obelisk, through the 8th arrondissement. An 'arrondissement' is a district. Paris is divided into twenty with the first at the center and the others winding clockwise around it.

Along this avenue, one of a handful known by name the world over, is arrayed a cornucopia of cinemas and theaters, cafes and restaurants, and shops and hotels that rival those of Fifth Avenue in New York.

Originally parkland, by the late 1700s the Champs-Elysées had become the street to see and on which to be seen. Beginning in 1916 Louis Vuitton formed an association to transform it into a commercial shopping area. The mixture of commerce and fashion survives to the present.

The character of the road changes along its length with one part forming the commercial area (Place Charles de Gaulle) and the other a walking area lined with chestnut trees and flower beds (Place de la Concorde). After Unirii Blvd in Bucharest it is the widest avenue in Europe.

Above the greenery rise two large buildings, the Petit Palais (which is anything but small) and the Grand Palais. Both house several rotating exhibits. Overflowing with neo-classical carvings and statuary they both deserve a look.

Food and drink along the avenue runs the spectrum from the Fouquet, an upscale bar and restaurant, to McDonald's. But there is also the opportunity to sit at one of the many outdoor cafes and simply watch the parade of people while sipping excellent coffee.

There are dozens of shops - everything from the Gap, Lacoste or the Disney Store to specialty boutiques. Through them the Champs-Elysées maintains the reputation for fashion it has enjoyed since the mid-1800s.

Along with the designer stores there are several first class hotels. Whether interested in the Hotel Napoleon, termed 'the place' by Errol Flynn, or the Frontenac, or one of the dozen others all have been excellently maintained over the years. Even for those who can't afford to stay, the lobbies make for a delightful (if discreet), visit.

Not only the hotels, but the avenue itself has enjoyed several upgrades over the years. The latest, completed in 1993, widened the sidewalks to allow for greater foot traffic. Even the streetlamps have been refurbished. The results help to maintain the avenue's reputation as "la plus belle avenue du monde" ("the most beautiful avenue in the world").

It may be pointless to describe how to reach the Champs-Elysées, since to be here is to be in Paris. But to be concrete, one can take the metro (subway) to Charles-de-Gaulle-Etoile, George V or Champs-Elysées Clemenceau.

The attraction that is now legend - The Leaning Tower of Pisa

After over a decade of being strapped in steel cables and inaccessible to tourists, La Torre di Pisa is open once again. Nearly $30 million was spent to prevent the tower from leaning any further to avoid total collapse. Now it is good for another 300 years.

Begun in 1173 AD, the tower has been an architectural problem almost from its beginning. Owing to soft ground and a shallow foundation, the tower began to lean as early as the time the third floor was completed. This despite the over 13 foot-thick walls at the base. But engineers at the time had few resources to call on. There was no ground penetrating radar, geological science, lasers or huge cranes to right the work.

Ironically, the tower is not, or more accurately was not, the main attraction of the site. It was intended as a bell tower for the nearby cathedral. Both are extraordinary works of Romanesque-Gothic art. It's only because of an unfortunate engineering failure that the tower is the more famous of the two structures.

But far from being considered a failure at the time, it was not completely unknown for buildings to be less than perfect 800 years ago. There are examples in Germany, Ireland and even not far away inside Tuscany of both towers and rectangular buildings that lean slightly.

Still, visitors today will be thrilled by the view from below or above.

From the base, standing far back from the tower, one can see the round, layer-cake type facade. The base is somewhat plain, but not far up there are magnificent columns. The elaborate carving is even more amazing when one considers that the major construction effort was completed less than 200 years after beginning.

The project was stalled for about 100 years while the Pisans engaged in battles with Genoa and other Italian city-states of the period. Then, picking up in 1275 AD it stalled again in 1284 AD, just before the belfry was added. Finally, in 1360, the building topped out at 51m/167ft.

From the perspective of distance those who observe carefully can see that not only is the tower leaning (which is obvious), but that it is curved as well. Noting the lean, builders attempted to compensate by making some of the floors taller on the side opposite. The result gives the tower its slight banana shape.

Fortunately, since digging out 70 tons of earth from below the ground, the tower was reopened in 2001. Visitors in bunches of 30 can now go up inside for a 35-minute guided tour. Be sure to obtain tickets well in advance. It's a hugely popular attraction.

Now, tourists can see the surrounding area from on high, as well as some of the magnificent bells in the belfry. Not to worry about the lean, though. It's only 13 feet from the vertical and modern engineering has ensured a safe visit.

Tuscany - The personification of art in an entire region

Tuscany may be the world's only truly organic work of art. The region and all it contains is one enormous museum, both natural and man-made. Here, as in few other places, the beauty of nature and human creation are integrated into a harmonious whole.

For centuries the region has been the site of olive groves, wineries and hills of unparalleled loveliness. At the same time, cities like Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa and Florence have provided works of architecture, painting and sculpture that are at the pinnacle of achievement.

Though much of the look of Tuscany is from the Middle Ages and beyond, this region of Italy has been settled for over 3,000 years. Ancient Etruscans built homes and fortresses that are still extant. The Romans continued the effort and there is still much evidence of their influence. But it was with the late Middle Ages and the aptly named Renaissance that Tuscany came into its present greatness.

The Duomo (or, cathedral) in Pisa alongside the famed Leaning Tower is just one example. Two of the finest examples of Romanesque-Gothic architecture, both are still standing almost 1,000 years after their births. The Siena Cathedral is yet another example of outstanding religious-themed building that continues to delight visitors nine centuries after its first brick was laid.

The towers of San Gimignano, first erected as defensive structures in the Middle Ages, show that even warfare in this Italian region created art. There are other grisly reminders in this Tuscan town of a different kind of art, one that inflicts cruelty rather than inspires. The Medieval Torture Museum here provides over 100 examples of objects that, unfortunately, brought this human endeavor to a high art, too.

But a grander, more elevating type of art can be found in Fiesole, just outside Florence. Here the Roman Theater, erected in the 1st century BC, still offers plays and musical performances 2,000 years later. Visitors can hear the lines of a comedy by Terence or Plautus that were first spoken here two millennia earlier.

In Tuscany, even the towns are works of art. The Piazza Grande in Cortona provides one outstanding example. This hilltop town sports a Town Hall from the 6th century. But that's relatively recent compared to the ancient Etruscan walls erected over 2,600 years ago. The 'modern' Great Cloister of the Monastero Di Monte Oliveto Maggiore, built in 1443, provides frescoes that are the envy of anything to be found in more famous Florence.

But, of course, that great republic still retains the top spot in man-made creations. The Galleria dell'Accademia housing Michelangelo's David is one convincing piece of evidence. But the proof is sealed by the contents of the Uffizi Gallery, holding more Renaissance masterpieces per square yard than any other museum in the world.

Still, even the natural beauty of the Tuscan villas, the countryside and the great vistas of this peaceful corner of Italy compete well with the works of Raphael and Da Vinci. A short bike tour will persuade even the most ardent art lover of that.

The Sistine Chapel - Meticulously crafted masterpiece

Though named after Pope Sixtus IV, who commissioned the chapel construction, the Sistine Chapel was given everlasting fame by Pope Julius II. For, in 1508, it was he who commissioned Michaelangelo to paint frescoes to cover the 10,000 square foot ceiling.

But on the way to the ceiling there are many delights for visitors to Rome and Vatican City, of which the Sistine forms a part. The chapel is nearby the Vatican Museum, itself worth a day or two. And, St. Peter's is also not far away with another Michaelangelo masterpiece, the Pieta not to mention the dome of the basilica.

The chapel itself is on the small side, only 41m (135 ft) by 13.4m (44ft). But within these walls are works of art that would happily be acquired by any of the major art museums in the world. All have benefited from a large restoration project carried out from 1979 to 1999.

Many famous names are represented and many others that should be better known. There are several Botticelli works here, including the 1482 Life of Moses and The Punishment of Korah. Alongside and nearby are Perugino, Ghirlandaio and Rosselli, master artists of the period.

Of course, the main attraction - and properly so - remains the Sistine Ceiling. Formerly decorated only with a bland covering of painted stars, after four years of literally back breaking labor, Michaelangelo transformed it into the glorious nine-panel magnum opus it is today.

Drawing from stories in the Old Testament, Michaelangelo festooned the ceiling with Sibyls, prophets, Noah, obscure nude males, and - not least - Jehovah giving life to Adam with the touch of a finger.

Cleaned and restored in the 1990s, the ceiling shows the magnificent colors of one of the five greatest painters the world has ever seen. As Goethe described it:

"Without having seen the Sistine Chapel one can form no appreciable idea of what one man is capable of achieving."

Spending four years on a specially constructed scaffold, the paint nearly making him blind, the great artist had to devise and supervise a dozen innovations. Just as one example, an entirely new plaster - intonaco, still in use today - was created to resist mold and hold the paint properly.

Though the main sections were completed in 1512, Michaelangelo returned to the work more than 20 years later to paint the Last Judgment, beginning in 1535 and finishing the work in 1541. It too is not to be missed. Nor can it be, really, since it covers the entire wall behind the altar of the Sistine Chapel.

Among other fascinating aspects is the depiction of St. Bartholomew, a self-portrait that shows the figure having his skin flayed. Michaelangelo was heavily criticized at the time, and by powerful figures, for his frequent depiction of nude figures. Though he won a temporary victory, the genitalia were later painted over.

Even those not usually interested in fine art come away from seeing the Sistine Chapel with a sense of awe. No visit to Rome is complete without a viewing of this site of so many masterpieces.

Arc de Triomf in Barcelona - A different take...

Though it carries the same name as its French cousin, the Arc de Triomf in Barcelona is quite different, both architecturally and historically.

The famous one in Paris (though France actually has several that go by that name) was initiated by Napoleon to memorialize his victories. The Barcelona Arc de Triomf was erected for the 1888 Universal Exposition held at the Parc de la Ciutadella, where it served as the entrance to the event.

It is equally different in appearance. Though it shares the same large scale and general 'arch with horizontal lintel and vertical posts' look, this one is a bright orange brick that gives it a much less somber facade. The style is similar to Moorish designs, known as Mudejar, not surprising since they dominated Spain for centuries.

The decorations around the structure vary widely, too, from the French tourist attraction. The exterior is festooned with stone carvings, including a frieze executed by the sculptor Josep Reynés. The delightful work symbolizes the welcoming of visitors to Barcelona. On the opposite side, a stone carving called Recompense executed by Josep Llimona decorates the wall.

Along the horizontal sections above the arc there are twelve statues of women representing various aspects of the city. It is accompanied by decorative elements symbolizing all the other provinces of Spain. At the top above the central figure there is a superbly crafted Coat of Arms, the official logo of Barcelona. Alongside the shield are two impressive looking lions. Those elements show an interesting mix and a deviation from Moorish influence, since Islamic art is decorative but contains no human or animal figures.

But the Moorish influence continues in the small minaret-style caps that adorn each of the integrated pillars on each side. Those are difficult to see from street level. But careful observation will reveal outstanding carving around each small dome, capped by a stellar carved ball at the very top.

Located between Passeig de Lluís Companys and Passeig de Sant Joan, the Arc de Triomf is easy to find. Many popular hotels are located within a kilometer of the entrance to Ciutadella Park where the arch is located. It can be seen easily at the end of the wide promenade running in front of them.