Things to Do in Europe

The Piazza Venezia defies many assumptions one might make from the name. It’s an open space, so it can be called a piazza, but it’s really a gigantic intersection and not a public square. And it’s in central Rome, not Venice. The name comes from the nearby Palazzo Venezia, in which ambassadors from the Venetian republic once lived.

The enormous Vittorio Emmanuele Monument faces one side of Piazza Venezia, and the interchange is also at the base of the Capitoline Hill and next to Trajan’s Forum. In short, although this piazza isn’t one in which you’re likely to spend lots of leisure time, you’ll certainly pass through it on your way to and from other major attractions in central Rome.

Those of you taking the bus around Rome will find Piazza Venezia to be a major transportation hub, which is useful for getting around the city. And if you’re ambitious enough to be driving in Rome, you’ll probably pass through the intersection a number of times.

Italy’s public squares come in all shapes and sizes, and some are decidedly more beautiful than others. Taormina’s main square, Piazza IX Aprile, is both popular and gorgeous - which is why it features so prominently in many Taormina photographs.

One of the first things you’ll notice about the Piazza IX Aprile is the paving - rather than a simple gray stone surface, the piazza looks a bit like a giant chessboard with its oversized alternating black and white marble squares. The impact is striking, especially on a sunny day.

The ornate Church of St. Joseph, built in the 17th century, overlooks the square, and its bright pink and white facade gleams against the black and white squares. Another building on the piazza is the 15th century St. Augustine, a former church that now serves as Taormina’s library. The passageway in the 12th century clock tower on one side of the piazza leads to the Borgo Medievale, one of Taormina’s oldest districts.

Many streets and piazzas in Italy are named after important dates in Italian history, which is where the name Piazza IX Aprile comes in. Although Giuseppe Garibaldi, a leader in the unification efforts, didn’t actually land on Sicily until early May in 1860, a rumor spread through Taormina on April 9 that Garibaldi had landed at Marsala. The rumor may have been a month early, but the locals still preserve the news of that April date in the name of their main square.

Piccadilly Circus is the meeting place of many of London's most famous roads. Here beautiful Regent Street (shopping heaven), famous Piccadilly (Fortnum and Mason's, The Ritz, the Royal Academy of Art), and cultural Shaftsbury Avenue (theaters, Chinatown) intersect. In the middle of it all is the famous 1893 statue of Eros, the winged messenger of love, which commemorates Lord Shaftesbury.

The circus was originally created as part of a plan to connect Carlton House, the home of the Prince Regent who became King George IV in 1820, to Regent's Park. When Shaftesbury Avenue was created in 1885, the area became busy with traffic and advertisers saw the potential for advertising; in 1895 London's first illuminated billboards were put up in Piccadilly Circus. For the next century it was London's version of Times Square but now only one building carries billboards. For history buffs, the name Piccadilly dates from the 17th century and comes from piccadill, a type of collar or ruff.

Home to more than 4,000 works by the incomparable Pablo Picasso, the Picasso Museum (Museu Picasso) is Barcelona's most visited art collection. It's housed inside five Gothic mansions, meaning the museum's architecture is an attraction all on its own — but it's the artwork and Picasso's connection to the city that truly make this museum a must-see. Among the many famous paintings, you'll find some of his self portraits and his study of 'Las Meninas' by Diego Velazquez.

The Basics
Many of the museum's permanent pieces correspond with the time Picasso spent living in Barcelona, which culminated in his Blue Period. Visitors who want more insight into the art can pay a small fee for audio guides, or join a very limited selection of small-group guided tours that are included in admission (reservations required). If you want to explore with a tour guide on your own schedule, book a separate museum tour that includes admission. Your options include a private tour, skip-the-line tickets, and a combo tour that combines a guided tour of the museum with a Gothic Quarter walking tour that stops at sites important to Picasso's Barcelona, such as the famous Els Quatre Gats café.

• If you want a visual memory of your trip, you'll have to buy something at the gift shop, as photography is not allowed inside the museum.
• The museum is wheelchair accessible and offers free wheelchair service. Monthly guided tours are available for visitors with visual or auditory disabilities; they must be reserved in advance.
• A few temporary museum exhibits can be seen for an additional fee.

How to Get to the Picasso Museum
The Picasso Museum is centrally located and accessible by bus, metro, and Barcelona's public bike system. There is no parking lot at the museum.

When to Get There
The museum is open year round, but be aware it's closed on Mondays and has extended hours on Thursdays. If you're willing to brave the crowds, it's free every Sunday after 3pm and all day every first Sunday of the month.

How Does It Compare to Europe's Other Picasso Museums?
Picasso has close ties to both Spain and France, and each country has two museums to honor him (the others are in Malaga, Paris, and Antibes). Münster, Germany, also features a museum in his honor. However, Barcelona's Museu Picasso was the first, and it was the only museum opened at the request of the artist.