散落在意大利的兩顆璀璨明珠

The name \"Italy\" is extremely old. It seems to have been used first in documents of the 5th century B.C. to describe a small territory at the tip of the boot-shaped peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea. But it was not until the mid-19th century that the many separate nations on the peninsula were united into one nation.

“意大利”這一名字極其古老。它最早被用在公元前5世紀的文件中，指的是延伸進地中海的靴形半島頂端的那一小塊領土。但是一直到19世紀中期，該半島上的許多獨立國家才聯合成為一個國家。

Venice 威尼斯

What images come to mind when you think of a trip to Venice? No doubt you imagine yourself taking a romantic gondola ride along narrow canals and under delicate bridges. Perhaps you picture the beautiful old buildings and famous works of art that have made the city one of Europe's leading tourist spots.

想到威尼斯一游，你的腦海中會浮現出什么畫面？毫無疑問你一定會想象自己乘坐浪漫的平底船，沿著窄窄的運河航行，從一座座別致的橋下穿梭而過。也許你還會在腦海中勾勒出那些讓威尼斯成為歐洲一流旅游勝地的美麗而古老的建筑和藝術名作。

Venice was built on more than 100 islands and has about 150 canals. The best-known of these， the Grand Canal， functions as the \"main street\" in the part of the city most popular with visitors. The canal winds through each of the six districts that comprise this historic city center before reaching Venice Lagoon.

威尼斯建在100多個小島上，擁有大約150條運河。最有名的運河就是“大運河”，它位于市區游客最多的地方，并發揮“大街”的功能。這條運河在構成這個歷史上的市中心的6個行政區間蜿蜒穿流，最后流入威尼斯湖。

One of these districts， San Marco， is home to many of Venice's main attractions， including St. Mark's Basilica. This spectacular church has five main arches and some extraordinary onion-shaped domes. It is decorated with priceless treasures， many of which were stolen from other countries when medieval Venice was a leading sea power.

行政區之一的圣馬可是威尼斯許多主要旅游景的中心，包括圣馬可大教堂。這座雄偉的大教堂由5道大拱門和數座壯觀的洋蔥形圓頂組成。教堂用很貴重的珠寶裝飾，其中許多是在中世紀威尼斯稱霸海權時從其他國家掠奪來的。

Florence 佛羅倫薩

The city of Florence eats， sleeps and breathes art. Examples of man's artistic genius stand on nearly every street. Dozens of museums and art shops wait to be explored. Florence， Italy， isparadise of art fanciers.

在佛羅倫薩這個城市里，吃的、睡的、呼吸的都是藝術。人類藝術天賦的典范幾乎矗立在每一條街上。成打的博物館和藝術品店等待著您去探索。意大利的佛羅倫薩是藝術愛好者的天堂。

During the Renaissance (or \"Rebirth\" of art)， Florence was a paradise for artists themselves. In fact， the Renaissance began here more than 500 years ago. Before this time， art focused completely on religious subjects. Renaissance art began to include more variety. Artists painted pictures of ordinary people. They painted scenes from history and characters from Greek and Roman myths. Michelangelo was the greatest of Florence's artists.

在文藝復興時期（或稱藝術“重生”時期），佛羅倫薩對藝術家們來說本身就是個天堂，事實上在500多年前，文藝復興就在這兒發跡了。在這之前，藝術作品完全集中在宗教主題上，而文藝復興時期的藝術則包含更多變化的風貌，藝術家們描繪普通人物，也繪畫歷史場景和希臘羅馬神話中人物。米開朗基羅是佛羅倫薩藝術家中的佼佼者。

Not far from the Palazzo Vecchio lies Florence's Cathedral Square. The beautiful domed Duomo， or \"House of God，\" took nearly 150 years to build (1294-1436). One of the most famous engineers of the day designed it. Visitors still marvel at the dome， the crowning feature of the cathedral. To this day， no building in Florence may rise above the dome.

離韋奇奧宮不遠的地方座落著的是佛羅倫薩教堂廣場。華麗圓頂的翡冷翠教堂，（或稱“神的殿堂”），花了將近150年才建造完工（1294-1436），并由當時最著名的工程師設計而成。今日的游客仍驚嘆于這個圓頂，它是教堂中最引人注目像皇冠似的一景。時至今日，在佛羅倫薩沒有任何一棟建筑能高過這個圓頂的。

A right turn brings visitors to one of Florence's famous outdoor sights， the Ponte Vecchio. This bridge over the Arno River has been lined with jewelry shops and goldsmiths since 1593. Those interested in purchasing a few modern treasures may want to shop here. The quality of the craftsmanship is very high-but so are the prices.

右轉便將游客帶入佛羅倫薩最著名的戶外風景區韋奇奧橋，此橋橫跨亞諾河上，橋上自1593年便設有成排的珠寶店和金匠鋪子。有興趣購買一些現代寶物的人，或許可以在這兒采購一番。這兒的技術品質相當高，不過價錢也是很高的。

Florence has given the world many great art treasures. Some stand in gardens and squares. Others line the walls of beautiful palaces. Still others are the palaces themselves. For art lovers， Florence is indeed paradise.

佛羅倫薩貢獻給世人許多絕佳的藝術寶藏，它們有些矗立在花園和廣場上，有些則陳列在華麗的宮墻上，而有些寶藏就是那些宮殿本身。對藝術愛好者而言，佛羅倫薩就是天堂。

愛鏈culture

Renaissance: 文藝復興是14～16世紀反映西歐各國正在形成中的資產階級要求的思想、文化運動。其主要中心最初在意大利，16世紀擴及德意志、尼德蘭、英國、法國和西班牙等地。“文藝復興”的概念在14～16世紀時己被意大利的人文主義作家和學者所使用。該詞源自意大利文“Rinascita”，一般多寫為法文“Renaissance”。它概括了喬托以來的文藝活動的特點，被世界各國沿用至今。中國曾有人直譯為“再生”或“再生運動”，但“文藝復興”的譯法己被普遍接受。

Michelangelo: 米開朗基羅代表了歐洲文藝復興時期雕塑藝術的最高峰，他創作的人物雕像雄偉健壯，氣魄宏大，充滿了無窮的力量。他的大量作品顯示了寫實基礎上非同尋常的理想加工，成為整個時代的典型象征。代表作品有《大衛》《摩西》《奴隸》《創世紀》等。

◆編輯：Nina