Founded in 1893 as the Columbian Museum, this treasure trove of archaeological artifacts is one of the world’s preeminent institutions. With a library of more than 250,000 volumes and millions of stored objects, it is a world class center of learning about the history of mankind. A major part of that collection is available to the public and it makes for much more than a dry, academic visit.
Housed in an 1893 building erected as part of the World’s Fair, The Art Institute of Chicago is one of the country’s preeminent schools and museums.
The college which is part of the Institute actually began in 1866, with classes beginning two years later. A few bumpy years followed, but the school had revived by 1882. Down the years, the school has had some notable students, including Walt Disney, Georgia O’Keefe and Hugh Hefner. But for the traveler, the primary attraction is the world class exhibits.
No matter what your interests, if you can’t find it in Chicago consider staying home. Whether your taste runs to Shakespeare or meerkats, food or Jazz, airy museums or dank coffee houses, this city has everything – in spades.
For those who enjoy fine arts, The Art Institute offers one of the best collections to be found anywhere in the world. Though much smaller than the Metropolitan in New York or the Louvre in Paris, the paintings and other objects on display are second to none.
Frank Lloyd Wright is justly regarded as one of the greatest architects in history. But it wasn’t always so. Early in his career, as with most artists, he struggled for recognition and commercial success. After some initial popularity, for decades afterwards (as a result of scandals and changing tastes), he was largely ignored. But genius is irrepressible. That talent is more than hinted at in Wright’s own home and studio, constructed in 1889 and 1898.
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.
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.
Located in a valley between Palatine Hill and Capitoline Hill, the Forum Romanum is one of the foremost archaeological sites in the world. Long before the first millennium the forum was the center of political and cultural life for the Roman Empire.
Under construction for centuries, by the 7th century BC it was already a major part of Roman culture. It grew into final form under Octavian, son of Julius Caesar in the decades around the beginning of the first millennium.
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