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The basilica of St Peter's (daily 7am-6/7pm, free) is the replacement of a basilica built during the time of Constantine, to a plan initially conceived at the turn of the fifteenth century by Bramante and finished off, heavily modified, over a century later by Carlo Maderno, making it something of a bridge between the Renaissance and Baroque eras The inside is full of features from the Baroque period, although the first thing you see, on the right, is Michelangelo's Pieta, completed when he was just 24 and, following an attack in 1972, displayed behind glass To the right is the Holy Door, opened by the pope for 2000, which he had declared a holy year, in all other years it remains bricked up On the right-hand side of the nave, the bronze statue of St Peter was cast in the thirteenth century by Arnolfo di Camblo and has its right foot polished smooth by the attentions of pilgrims Bronze was also the material used in Bernini's massive 28m high baldachmo, the centrepiece of the sculptor's embellishment of the interior Bernini's feverish sculpting decorates the apse, too, his cafedra enclosing the supposed chair of St Peter in a curvy marble and stucco throne An entrance off the aisle leads to the treasury, while back at the central crossing steps lead down to the Vatican Grottoes (daily 7/8am-5/6pm), where a number of popes are buried in grandiose tombs - in the main, those not distinguished enough to be buried up above Under the portico, to the right of the main doors,) ou can ascend to the roof and dome - from where the views over the city are glorious.

A five-minute walk out of the northern side of the piazza takes you up to the only part of the Vatican Palace you can visit independently, the Vatican Museums (Mon-Sat 8 45am-4 45pm, last Sun of month 8 45am-l 45pm, в10, free Sun) - quite simply the largest, richest museum complex in the world, stuffed with booty from every period of the city's history. There's no point in trying to see everything on one visit, you'd do far better to select what you want to see and aim to return another time if you can. It's worth also taking account of the official, colour-coded routes that are constructed for varying amounts of time and interest and can take anything from 45 minutes to the best part of a day.

Start off at the Raphael Stanze, at the opposite end of the building to the entrance, a set of rooms decorated for Pope Julius II by Raphael among others Of the two most interesting rooms, the Stanza Eliodoro is home to the Expulsion of Hehodorus from the Temple, an allusion to the military success of Julius II, depicted on the left in portrait Not to be outdone, Leo X, Julius's successor, in the Meeting of Attda and Si Leo opposite, ordered Raphael to substitute his head for that of Julius II, turning the painting into an allegory of the Battle of Ravenna at which he was present, thus he appears twice, as pope and as the equally portly Medici cardinal. Just behind In the same room, the Mass at Bolwza shows Julius again on the right, pictured in attendance at a famous thirteenth-century miracle in Orvieto. The next room, the Stanza della Segnatura or pope's study, was decorated between 1512 and 1514, and its School of Athens, on the near wall as you come in, is perhaps Raphael's most renowned work, a representation of the "Triumph of Scientific Truth" in which all the great minds from antiquity are present.

Eating and drinking

You can eat cheaply and well in Rome. Restaurants cluster near Campo dei Fion and Piazza Navona, but Trastevere is Rome's traditional restaurant ghetto and the home of some fine and reasonably priced eateries.

Nightlife

Roman nightlife still retains some of the smart ethos satirized in Fellini's Dolce Vita Discos and clubs cover the range there are vast glittering palaces with stunning lights and sound systems, places that are not much more than upmarket bars with music, and other, more down-to-earth places to dance, playing a more interesting selection of music to a younger crowd, with the centri sociali offering an innovative alternative to the mainstream scene, usually on a "pay what you can" basis Rome's rock scene is a fairly limp affair, and the city is much more in its element with jazz, with lots of venues and a wide choice of styles performed by a healthy array of local talent. Most clubs close during July and August, or move to locations on the coast, but Estate Romana organizes main outdoor locations all over Rome for concerts, discos, bars and cinemas.

Many top international groups participate You may have to pay a membership fee on top of the admission price Drinks, though, are generally no more expensive than you'd pay in the average bar.

The city's best source of listings is the magazine Roma C'e issued on Friday with a section in English, or the TiovaRoma supplement published with the Thursday edition of La Repubblica.

Classical music, opera and film

For classical music, the city's churches host a wide range of choral, chamber and organ recitals, many of them free. International names appear at Rome's new Auditorium. The Accademia di Santa Cecilia stages concerts by its own or visiting orchestras at Via della Conciliazione 4 and, in summer, in the gardens of the Villa Giulia. Rome's opera scene concentrates on the Teatro dell'Opera, on the Via Firenze, Piazza B. Gigh in winter and at various outdoor venues in summer. Purists should be prepared for a carnival atmosphere and plenty of unscheduled intervals. Rome's two English-language cinemas are the Pasqumo, Piazza Sant'Egidio 10 on Vicolo del Piede in Trastevere, and the Quirinetta at Via Minghetti 4. Other cinemas occasionally showing English-language films are the Nuovo Sacher, Largo Ascianghi 1, and Alcazar. Via Cardinal Merry delVal 14.

Festivals

Much of Rome's nightlife moves outdoors during the summer, all part of the Estate Romana programme; festivals offer live music, movies, markets and munchies and may be a more appealing option than the clubs on a hot summer evening.

La Festa di Noantri Viale Trastevere and around, Medieval Trastevere's traditional summer festival in honour of the Virgin, with street stalls selling all sorts of snacks and trinkets, and a grand finale of fireworks. The main event is the Virgin's effigy being hauled joyously from the church of Santa Agata to that of San Crisogono, and back again. Last two weeks of July. La Festa dell'Unita Venues change annually; check Roma C'e for details. Throughout the summer, this cheery hotchpotch of music, film, eateries, games and other attractions - much of it free - is the re-founded Communist Party's way of reminding people of what fun the Left can be.

Conclusion

The main position of Europe in the international tourism is defined not only quantity of foreign visitors and the sum of currency incomes, but also capacity of material base of foreign tourism, which in the certain measure surpasses opportunities of the tourist industry of other areas of the world, in particular, by means of passenger transport, hotel accommodation, excursion and entertainment objects.

The main role in the international tourism in Europe belongs to a tourist exchange between European peoples. On a share of the European states it is necessary about 90% of all foreign tourism in Europe.

The largest cities of Europe possess a high cultural heritage and are its tourist capitals. Each such city in each country involves tourists with the something. However, all of them are unusual and are worthy the tourist who has gathered in travel across Europe.

Literature

1. The Rough Guide to Europe. Published by Rough Guides. 2007 Edition.

2. Rosenbaum R. Explaining Hitler: The Search for the Origins of his Evil/R. Rosenbaum. - London etc.: Papermac, 1998.

3. Harding K., Henderson P. High Season: English for the Hotel and Tourist Industry. - Oxford etc.: Oxford Univ. Press, 2003.