Italy, Spain & Canary Islands

Cartagena, (kär´te-jê´ne) city (1985 pop. 563,949), capital of Bolívar dept., NW Colombia, a port on the Bay of Cartagena, in the Caribbean Sea. Oil-refining and the manufacture of leather, textile, and tobacco goods are major industries, and there is an expanding petrochemical complex. Founded in 1533, Cartagena became the treasure city of the Spanish Main, where precious New World minerals awaited transshipment to Spain. It was often sacked despite its massive fortifications, some of which still stand. It declared its independence from Spain in 1811 and was incorporated into Colombia in 1821. Its rapid development in the 20th cent. was due largely to the discovery of oil in the Magdalena basin. One of the most picturesque of Latin American cities, with shady plazas and cobblestone streets, Cartagena attracts many tourists.

Fort Lauderdale, (lô´der-dâl´) city (1990 pop. 148,377), seat of Broward Co., SE Fla., on the Atlantic coast; settled around a fort built (c.1837) in the Seminole War, inc. 1911. The city has more than 270 mi (435 km) of natural and artificial waterways and one of the largest marinas in the world. A major beach resort, it has a performing arts center and art and science museums. Products include electronic devices, boats and yachts, and various light manufactures.

This island represents man’s triumph over a hostile environment. A pock-marked lunar surface with over 300 volcanoes, Lanzarote startles with crops of melons, potatoes, and tomatoes that thrive in the black volcanic ash.

Resting along Andalusia’s bright Costa del Sol is the picturesque port of Malaga, birthplace of Pablo Picasso. At the Malaga Cathedral see the natural wood carvings of artist Pedro de Mena and visit the Gibralfaro Castle. Then continue on to the ancient city of Granada, high into the Sierra Nevada mountains. Here lies the spectacular Alhambra, the grand
fortress of the last Moorish rulers of Spain and one of the largest structures in the world. Inside is Isabella’s priceless collection of European paintings. The Granada Cathedral is the site where King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella are buried along with their daughter.

Rome wasn’t built in a day…but you can tour it in just over 10 hours. A teeming anthill of humanity and antiquity intermingled with awful traffic jams, Rome grew up on the Tiber (“Fiume Tevere”) among seven low hills that rise from the river’s soggy eastern banks. It’s a city of many peeling layers of history, of which the bottom layer–that of the earliest Roman centuries–is the most interesting and still astonishingly whole. The hub of this layer is the Palatine Hill, the Forum, the Colosseum and the Circus Maximus.

On the western bank is the Citta Vaticana, the independent papal city where the Pope blesses pilgrims from all over the world. Neighboring Trastevere (“Across the Tiber”) is a mix of Roman, Greek and Jewish subcultures, great for little restaurants and nightlife. Further north on the other bank is “vecchia Roma,” medieval Rome of the Pantheon and Piazza Navona; Renaissance Rome is centered south of the Corso Vittorio Emanuele. Commercial Rome is the city of the Via del Corso, the Piazza del Popolo, the controversial Victor Emmanuel monument and finally the Stazione Termini, the nexus for all trains and roads from Rome.

This Canary Islands’ gem off the coast of Africa has a varied landscape, offering excellent opportunities for sightseeing.

Take a colorful journey past the picturesque village of La Eperanza and through the deep green forest of the same name to the volcanic mountains of Las Canadas, a national park blanketed with black lava, red magma and white pumice.

The largest of the Canaries is shaped like a triangle. A mountain chain runs through its center where fertile slopes descend to the natural crater. Tenerife’s beaches are covered in clean, soft sand that is golden or black. Enjoy this island’s rich history and heart warming people.