Ancient Roman shipwrecks found

Underwater archaeologists in Italy have discovered the wrecks of five ancient Roman ships in the Mediterranean, with their cargo still largely intact.

The ships are lying in up to 150 metres (500 feet) of water off the tiny island of Ventotene, between Rome and Naples. They are between 1,600 and 1,900 years old, and were laden with - among other things - jars for carrying wine, olive oil and fish sauce.

Also on board were kitchen tools, and certain metal and glass objects which have not yet been identified. The discovery of wrecked ships is not unusual - there are said to be thousands dotted around the Mediterranean.

But Annalisa Zarattini, from the Italian Culture Ministry, said the latest to be found are much better preserved than usual because they sank in deeper water, which protected them from destructive currents.

The ships also sank without capsizing, she said, allowing examination of the cargo in almost the form it had been loaded.

Officials say the latest finds are the result of a new drive by archaeologists to scan deeper waters, organised by the Italian culture ministry and the Aurora Trust, a maritime research group.

Ghiberti, Brunelleschi & The Battistero

Of all the buildings in Florence that have a connection with the Renaissance period, by far the most prominent is the Battistero to the west of the Duomo (Florence cathedral).

The little octagonal Battistero dates to the 6th Century, though the interior was redesigned and given it’s ceiling mosaics of the Creation and Last Judgement in 1300. The Baptistry has three sets of bronze doors and those to the north have an important place in art history. If it is possible to pin down the start of the Renaissance to a particular event then it was the competition held in the winter 1401 to choose an artist to design these doors.

Of the six artists who entered the competition, Ghiberti and Brunelleschi were adjudged joint winners. Unfortunately Brunelleschi could not accept anything less than victory and went off to Rome in somewhat of a huff.

Ghiberti, left with sole responsibility for the completion of the doors did not finish the task until 1424, demonstrating that ‘taking your time to get it right’ really meant something in those days. Nonetheless, the resulting work shows many of the key features that define Renaissance art including realistic depiction of people, fully worked out perspective, and narrative clarity combined with dramatic tension.

Ghiberti was immediately commissioned to make another set of doors, this time for the east portal to the Baptistry which were unveiled in 1452 when Michelangelo hailed them as fit to serve as the ‘Gates of Paradise’. Indeed the doors are know to this day as the ‘Paradise Doors’.

Ties between German and Italian Culture.

The limestone peaks of the Dolomites frame an area of castles, lakes and ancient spas, with its own distinctive mix of Italian and German culture.

This mountainous region wich stretches North to the Italian-Austrian border first came to the attention of tourists in the English speaking world in 1837 when John Murray the London publisher brought out a handbook for travellers. The books description of the Dolomites sparked interest particularly among mountaineers who had conquered the Swiss Alps and were looking for new challenges.

Today, Trentino-Alto Adige ( also know as the South Tyrol) is a popular holiday retreat for hikers, skiers and water sports enthusiasts and is marked by contrasts in the landscape as well as in the culture.

Trentino-Alto Adige actually consists of two different provinces. Trentino, historically a part of Italy except for a period during the 19th and early 20th Centuries when it was ruled by Austria, has a definite Italian flair. Alto Adige, on the other hand was a part of the Austrian Tyrol for six centuries, first becoming an Italian domain in 1919 when the Austro-Hungarian empire was carved up and the European borders were redrawn.