European Jaguar - Italy

Italy is the only country on the European mainland featuring active volcanoes; Mount Vesuvius, Mount Etna, and Mount Stromboli being the most famous. Mount Vesuvius buried the Roman city of Pompeii in 79 AD. Mount Etna, located on the island of Sicily, is the tallest of the Italian volcanoes; it stands at almost 3,400 meters. 

- - - - -

Panthera gombaszoegensis - Fossil remains of the European jaguar were found in Olivola, Italy and dated as the earliest Panthera species in Europe. The Panthera genus includes lions, jaguars, leopards, and tigers. These cats, with the exception of the snow leopard, have anatomical features allowing them to roar. Most animals have triangular vocal chords, but those of the Panthera genus are squared and flattened. This produces a louder sound with a minimal amount of air having to pass over the vocal chords.

Torre di Pisa - Italy

The Torre di Pisa is a bell tower located on the grounds of the Piazza del Duomo, Pisa’s Cathedral Square. Construction of the 56 meter tower lasted almost two hundred years; it began in 1173, and ended in 1372. Unstable subsoil and a poorly designed foundation caused the tower to lean during the early construction stages. Attempts to correct the problem failed or worsened the lean until recently, when the tower was stabilized and the tilt reduced by several inches. 

- - - - -

Italy began to fragment into independent city states after the fall of the Roman Empire. Some of the city states flourished during the Renaissance; Florence, Venice, and Milan, but they began to fall into decline with the formation of larger unified nations. Most became vassal states to their more powerful neighbors. The process for Italian unification, the “Risorgimento,” began with the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815, and was completed with the signing of the Treaty of Saint-Germain in 1919.

The Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was founded in 27 BC and remained a powerful entity until it was divided into an eastern and western sector in 395 AD. The eastern division, known as the Byzantine Empire, continued to flourish until 1453, finally succumbing to the Ottoman Turks. The first two centuries of the Roman Empire’s existence was a period known as “Pax Romana,” a period of internal stability, rapid economic growth, and territorial expansion achieved through victorious military campaigns. The Roman Empire reached its apex in 117 AD during the leadership of Trajan, the second to hold power during a chapter of Roman history when a successive line of emperors, known as the “Five Good Emperors,” led the country to prosperity. This golden era lasted for almost 100 years, beginning with Emperor Nerva in 96 AD and ended with the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius in 180 AD.