Who's Taylor anyway?

well, she's a very adorablecrazytallentedlovingperfectprettysexygreatnice artist I've ever knew. and here are some facts about her. well, prepare to get starstruck!

Childhood:

 Taylor Swift was born on the 13th of December in 1989 in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. When she was young she had trouble fitting in at school and used song writing to help get through the pain from being bullied. When Taylor was in 4th grade, she won a poetry contest with her three page poem, called “Monster in my Closet”.

When She was 14 she and her family moved to Nashville, Tennesse. In Tennessee, Taylor went to Hendersonville High School.

Taylor’s musical talents include not only her voice but the banjo, ukulele and the piano. She looked up to many artists one of which is her Grandmother, Marjorie Finlay, who was a professional opera singer. She was greatly influenced by Shania Twain. She also loved Dolly Parton and Patsy Cline.

In 2009 Taylor Swift was named “Artist of the Year” by Billboard Magazine.

Awards:

Taylor Swift has had 146 award nominations and has won 89 awards!

Tours:

She did her ”Fearless Tour”  in 2009 and 2010, and is currently touring with her ”Speak Now World Tour” in 2011 and 2012.

Albums:

“Taylor Swift” her debut album, released in 2008 which turned multi-platnum, “Fearless”, released in 2008 and ”Speak Now” released in 2010, which sold 1,047,000 copies in its first week.

Taylor writes most of her songs about her ex-boyfriends. Taylor Swift was only 16 when she released her first ever single, called “Tim McGraw”.

Acting:

Taylor also has an acting career. She has been in television shows and films such as, “C.S.I” as “Haley Jones”, “Valentine’s day” and she was also in, the “Hannah Montanna Movie” where she performed her song “Crazier”. 

Caffeine in ur cup tea

25%

It is very difficult to put an exact figure on Green Tea caffeine. Like other drinks from cultivated plants (tea, coffee), there are numerous variables that can alter caffeine content.

Length of brewing time also affects caffeine content - the longer the brew - the higher the caffeine.

One study compared the content of dry matter from tea leaves and found Green Tea had 10-20mg per 1 gram dried matter. Black Tea had 22-28mg per 1 gram dried matter.

So as a general rule, Green Tea has less caffeine than Black Tea.

Another study showed that Green Tea (in Japan) has 30mg caffeine per 200ml cup.

The figure we have included in our caffeine database is an average of these two.

Tea makers Lipton list a figure of 45mg caffeine for their 100% Green Tea drink. They claim this is from 1 to 2.5 minutes of brewing (see source below)

Green tea is also high in the amino acid L-theanine. This has a calming effect and aides with concentration. There's a myth that green tea has more caffeine than coffee, but this isn't true. L-theanine is most likely responsible for this. People will have a different level of alertness when drinking green tea which people mistake for the caffeine's effect when it is really the effect of L-theanine.

Matcha green tea can have more caffeine because of the unique way it is made. You can find the caffeine content of Matcha here.

Caffeine in Other Green Tea Based Products

Product	Size (fl oz)	Caffeine
Lipton Brisk green Tea	12	6mg
Nestea Peach Green Tea	20	42mg
Oi Ocha Green Tea	16.9	60mg
SoBe Green Tea	20	35mg
Caribou Green Tea Smoothie	12	44mg
Mega-T Green Tea Supplement	1 capsule	50mg
Xingtea Flavored Green Tea	23.5	35mg
Arizona Green Teas	23.5	22mg
Bazza Green Tea	16.9	150mg
Snapple Green Tea	16	15mg
Green Tea Ginger Ale	12	9mg
Starbuck's Tazo Green Tea Latte	12

The caffeine in ur can

Many people might be surprised to discover there is less caffeine in Coca‑Cola than the equivalent-sized serving of instant coffee or tea.
As you can see in our comparison chart, levels of caffeine in Coca‑Cola are actually relatively low in comparison to those in other regularly consumed drinks.
The caffeine in our drinks such as Coca‑Cola, Dr Pepper and Coke Zero contributes to the overall flavour, adding a slight bitterness and working well with both sugar and sweeteners to provide an enjoyable taste. It's also used in our energy drink Relentless, and in the Spark flavour of our Glaceau Vitamin Water.
Safe for mums-to-be
The Food Standards Agency recommends that pregnant women should not consume more than 200mg of caffeine a day. A can of Coca‑Cola has 32mg of caffeine and a can of Diet Coke contains 42mg. Pregnant or breast-feeding women, or women trying to become pregnant, should follow their healthcare provider's advice regarding caffeine intake. For pregnant women wanting a completely decaf option, we offer several caffeine free drinks including Caffeine-Free Diet Coke, Oasis, Fanta, Lilt, Sprite and 5 Alive.
Suitable for regular consumption
There are no recommended daily upper limits in the European Union, or in the UK, for caffeine, except for pregnant women. The European Commission and the Food Standards Agency in the UK both state that caffeinated drinks are safe to consume daily in moderation.
Hydration and caffeinated drinks
We need to keep our bodies well hydrated. While caffeine may have a mild, short-term diuretic effect on individuals who do not normally consume it, studies show that's not the case for people who enjoy caffeine regularly. A report in 2004 by the US Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences concluded that all drinks, including those containing caffeine, contribute to hydration. This has also been supported by a scientific review by the British Nutrition Foundation in 2010.
Enhances athletic performance
Caffeine in a sufficient quantity can be a known performance enhancer, particularly in elite sports and it is not a banned substance by the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA). Scientific studies have demonstrated that it does not promote dehydration or an imbalance in electrolytes.
Better tasting drinks
The caffeine in our regular soft drinks, such as Coca‑Cola, contributes an important aspect to their taste.

What is Caffeine?

In our daily, sometimes we need a spare time. as we know, relax is not complete yet without a drink, and magazines. but then, do you know about what you drink? where they from, what are they used to be, and what are the contents? well, check this out!

Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a stimulant drug. Caffeine is found in varying quantities in the seeds, leaves, and fruit of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants. It is most commonly consumed by humans in infusions extracted from the seed of the coffee plant and the leaves of the tea bush, as well as from various foods and drinks containing products derived from the kola nut. Other sources include yerba maté, guarana berries, guayusa, and the yaupon holly.

In humans, caffeine acts as a central nervous system stimulant, temporarily warding off drowsiness and restoring alertness. It is the world's most widely consumed psychoactive drug, but, unlike many other psychoactive substances, it is both legal and unregulated in nearly all parts of the world. Beverages containing caffeine, such as coffee, tea, soft drinks, and energy drinks, enjoy great popularity; in North America, 90% of adults consume caffeine daily.


Caffeine is toxic at sufficiently high doses. Ordinary consumption can have low health risks, even when carried on for years – there may be a modest protective effect against some diseases, including certain types of cancer. Caffeine can have both positive and negative effects on anxiety disorders. Some people experience sleep disruption if they consume caffeine, especially during the evening hours, but others show little disturbance and the effect of caffeine on sleep is highly variable.

Evidence of a risk to pregnancy is equivocal, but some authorities have concluded that prudent advice is for pregnant women to limit consumption to the equivalent of two cups of coffee per day or lessCaffeine has diuretic properties when administered to people who are not used to it, but regular users develop a tolerance to this effect, and studies have generally failed to support the common notion that ordinary consumption contributes significantly to dehydration. With heavy use, strong tolerance develops rapidly and caffeine can produce clinically significant physical and mental dependence.

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift biography

Quick Facts

• NAME: Taylor Swift
• OCCUPATION: Singer
• BIRTH DATE: December 13, 1989 (Age: 23)
• EDUCATION: Hendersonville High School
• PLACE OF BIRTH: Wyomissing, Pennsylvania

Taylor Swift is an American country pop singer. Her albums have gone multi-platinum. She was nominated for the Best New Artists award at the 50th Grammy Awards.

Coffee

Coffee is a brewed beverage with a distinct aroma and flavor, prepared from the roasted seeds of the Coffea plant. The seeds are found in coffee "cherries", which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia, South Asia and Africa. Green (unroasted) coffee is one of the most traded agricultural commodities in the world. Coffee is slightly acidic and can have a stimulating effect on humans because of its caffeine content. It is one of the most consumed drinks in the world.

Wild coffee's energizing effect was likely first discovered in the northeast region of Ethiopia. Coffee cultivation first took place in southern Arabia the earliest credible evidence of coffee-drinking appears in the middle of the 15th century in the Sufi shrines of Yemen.

In East Africa and Yemen, coffee was used in native religious ceremonies that were in competition with the Christian Church. As a result, the Ethiopian Church banned its secular consumption until the reign of Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia. The beverage was also banned in Ottoman Turkey during the 17th century for political reasons and was associated with rebellious political activities in Europe.

Coffee berries, which contain the coffee seeds, are produced by several species of small evergreen bush of the genus Coffea. The two most commonly grown are also the most highly regarded Coffea arabica, and the "robusta" form of the hardier Coffea canephora. The latter is resistant to the devastating coffee leaf rust (Hemileia vastatrix). Once ripe, coffee berries are picked, processed, and dried. The seeds are then roasted to varying degrees, depending on the desired flavor, before being ground and brewed to create coffee. Coffee can be prepared and presented in a variety of ways.

An important export commodity, coffee was the top agricultural export for twelve countries in 2004, and it was the world's seventh-largest legal agricultural export by value in 2005. Some controversy is associated with coffee cultivation and its impact on the environment. Consequently, organic coffee is an expanding market.

Many studies have examined the health effects of coffee, and whether the overall effects of coffee consumption are positive or negative has been widely disputed. The method of brewing coffee has been found to be important in relation to its effects on health. For instance, preparing coffee in a French press leaves more oils in the drink compared with coffee prepared with a paper coffee filter. This might raise the drinker's level of "bad cholesterol."

American art song

The composition of art song in America began slowly in the Colonial and Federal periods, expanded greatly in the 19th century, and has become a distinguished and highly regarded addition to the classical music repertoire in the 20th and 21st centuries.

18th-century American art song

Francis Hopkinson, Philadelphia native and signer of the Declaration of Independence, is usually considered the first important American song composer. His most famous song is "My Days Have been so Wondrous Free", and his Seven Songs for the Harpsichord were composed in 1788 and dedicated to George Washington.

19th-century American art song

In the 19th century, many Americans composed songs for amateur musicians to sing at home. In the middle of the century Stephen Foster emerged as one of the best known American composers of songs. While many of his vocal pieces were written for Minstrel shows, the simple but effective melodies of his "songs for the hearth and home" are widely popular, often mistaken for American folksongs.

By the end of the 19th century, serious American composers were travelling to European countries to study, especially with German and French composition teachers, and they gained a thorough understanding of Romantic style, including an understanding of the Lieder tradition. American songs written between 1870 and 1910 are often dismissed as sounding too "derivative", although the compositional craft shown in these works is quite high.

20th-century American art song

American composers began to break from European traditions in the early part of the 20th century. Charles Ives composed songs in a variety of styles, including both traditional and experimental sounds, and self-published his important collection 114 Songs. Other publications of American song, such as those in the The Wa-Wan Press editions presented works by less-known American composers.

By the end of the 20th century, several composers emerged as the leaders of American art song composition, especially Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, and Ned Rorem.

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in black communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. Its African pedigree is evident in its use of blue notes, improvisation, polyrhythms, syncopation and the swung note. From its early development until the present day, jazz has also incorporated elements from American popular music.

As the music has developed and spread around the world it has drawn on many different national, regional and local musical cultures giving rise, since its early 20th century American beginnings, to many distinctive styles: big band swing, Kansas City jazz and Gypsy jazz, bebop from the mid-1940s and on down through West Coast jazz, cool jazz, avant-garde jazz, etc.

In a 1988 interview, Trombonist J. J. Johnson said, "Jazz is restless. It won't stay put and it never will".

Etymology of "Jazz"

The origin of the word  jazz has had wide spread interest — the American Dialect Society named it the Word of the Twentieth Century — which has resulted in considerable research, and its history is well documented. The word began [under various spellings as West Coast slang around 1912, the meaning of which varied but did not refer to music. The use of the word in a musical context was documented as early as 1915 in the Chicago Daily Tribune. Its first documented use in a musical context in New Orleans appears in a November 14, 1916 Times-Picayune article about "jas bands."

Trumpeter, bandleader and singer Louis Armstrong was a much-imitated innovator of early jazz.

The King & Carter Jazzing Orchestra photographed in Houston, Texas, January 1921.

Prohibition in the United States (from 1920 to 1933) banned the sale of alcoholic drinks, resulting in illicit speakeasies becoming lively venues of the "Jazz Age", an era when popular music included current dance songs, novelty songs, and show tunes. Jazz started to get a reputation as being immoral and many members of the older generations saw it as threatening the old values in culture and promoting the new decadent values of the Roaring 20s. Professor Henry van Dyke of Princeton University wrote "... it is not music at all. It's merely an irritation of the nerves of hearing, a sensual teasing of the strings of physical passion."

Even the media began to denigrate jazz. The New York Times took stories and altered headlines to pick at jazz. For instance, villagers used pots and pans in Siberia to scare off bears, and the newspaper stated that it was jazz that scared the bears away. Another story claims that Jazz caused the death of a celebrated conductor. The actual cause of death was a fatal heart attack (natural cause).

From 1919 Kid Ory's Original Creole Jazz Band of musicians from New Orleans played in San Francisco and Los Angeles where in 1922 they became the first black jazz band of New Orleans origin to make recordings However, the main center developing the new "Hot Jazz" was Chicago, where King Oliver joined Bill Johnson. That year also saw the first recording by Bessie Smith, the most famous of the 1920s blues singers. Bix Beiderbecke formed The Wolverines in 1924.

Also in 1924 Louis Armstrong joined the Fletcher Henderson dance band as featured soloist for a year. The original New Orleans style was polyphonic, with theme variation, and simultaneous collective improvisation. Armstrong was a master of his hometown style, but by the time he joined Henderson's band, he was already a trailblazer in a new phase of jazz, with its emphasis on arrangements and soloists. Armstrong's solos went well beyond the theme-improvisation concept, and extemporized on chords, rather than melodies. According to Schuller, by comparison, the solos by Armstrong's bandmates (including a young Coleman Hawkins), sounded "stiff, stodgy," with "jerky rhythms and a grey undistinguished tone quality." The following example shows a short excerpt of the straight melody of "Mandy, Make Up Your Mind" by Irving Berlin (top), compared with Louis Armstrong's solo improvisations The example approximates Armstrong's solo, as it doesn't convey his use of swing.

Colosseum Roma

Colosseum atau Flavian Amphitheater diawali pembangunannya oleh Vespasianus, diresmikan oleh Titus di 80 AD dan diselesaikan oleh Domitianus. Terletak di atas tanah berawa antara Esquiline dan Caelian Hills, itu adalah amfiteater permanen pertama yang dibangun di Roma. ber ukuran monumental dan keagungan serta pekerja yang teroganisir dan efisien dan mengendalikan orang banyak membuat salah satu monumen arsitektur terbesar dicapai oleh orang Romawi kuno.

Amfiteater adalah elips yang sangat luas dengan balkon tempat duduk untuk 50.000 penonton di sekitar pusat arena elips. Di bawah lantai arena kayu, ada satu set kompleks kamar dan lorong-lorong untuk binatang liar untuk keperluan pementasan. kurang lebih delapan puluh area memancar dari arena dan kubah ke dinding luar yang berupa tangga dan tingkatan kursi. Di tepi luar arcade berhubungan dan melingkar menghubungkan setiap tingkat dan tangga antara tingkat.

Ada Tiga tingkatan arcade , Dorie dalam kisah pertama, ion di kedua, dan Corinthian di ketiga. Di atas adalah sebuah lloteng dengan pilaster Korintus dan jendela persegi
Rincian
Colosseum dirancang untuk menahan 50.000 penonton, dan itu sekitar pintu masuk delapan puluh sehingga orang banyak bisa datang dan pergi dengan mudah dan cepat.
Rencana tersebut adalah elips dengan luas, berukuran 188 m x 156 m (615 kaki x 510 kaki), dengan dasar gedung meliputi sekitar 6 hektar. Kubah span antara dinding radial delapan puluh untuk mendukung tingkatan tempat duduk dan lorong-lorong dan tangga.
Fasad dari tiga tingkatan lengkungan dan loteng adalah sekitar 48,5 m (158 kaki)

Perjalanan ke Roma
Sebuah perjalanan ke Roma tidak lengkap jika Anda gagal untuk fokus pada sejarah kawasan. Meskipun modernitas tersebut, kota ini didirikan pada sejarah yang kaya yang harus digali dan dipahami jika Anda benar-benar ke Roma sebagai pengunjung . Anda dapat merencanakan perjalanan Anda di periode waktu tertentu dalam sejarah Roma (seperti Roma abad pertengahan atau Renaissance Roma, sejarah agama Roma atau sejarah seni Roma). Atau Anda bisa langsung memilih segelintir dari landmark Roma yang paling terkenal. Pastikan untuk tidak kehilangan aspek perjalanan Anda.
Roma, ibukota Italia, adalah tujuan perjalanan kosmopolitan yang dipuja oleh orang-orang di seluruh Eropa dan di seluruh dunia. Kota Ini memiliki beberapa restoran terbaik di dunia, beberapa hotel yang paling mewah berbintang lima dan beberapa bangunan baru, yang paling menarik bahwa Anda akan menemukan seluruh Italia di Kota ini. Namun, masih ada aura suasana kuno. Roma dibangun di atas sejarah ratusan tahun, Anda dapat melihatnya dalam arsitektur kota dan Anda dapat merasakannya dalam suasana kota. Roma telah berpindah ke zaman modern tetapi tetap mempertahankan kenangan masa lalu yang telah membuatnya menjadi salah satu kota yang luar biasa untuk ditempati dan dikunjungi sepanjang waktu.

Untuk benar-benar memahami Roma, Kalian perlu melihat selain membaca sejarah .Berikut adalah beberapa tempat-tempat bersejarah utama (dan beberapa yang kecil)
Historic landmark dari Romawi Kuno
Banyak tempat-tempat bersejarah yang penting di Roma , jaman dahulu ketika Roma memerintah dunia, ketika para gladiator berjalan bumi ini ,Ketika Kekaisaran menunjukkan kekuasaanya:
Appian Way. Jalan bersejarah ini dibangun untuk tentara Romawi untuk perjalanan kembali pada abad ke-4 SM dan memainkan peran penting dalam memungkinkan Roma untuk tetap berada di bawah kontrol selama bertahun-tahun. Ada beberapa situs tertentu untuk melihat di sepanjang rute termasuk Kuil Hercules, pintu gerbang dinding Aurelian dan beberapa mausoleum.
Trajan Market. Roma Kuno tidak semua berarti pertempuran atau bangunan amphitheaters yang menakjubkan. Lokasi Ini juga merupakan tempat pemukiman , kehidupan sehari-hari. Salah satu aspek utama dari kehidupan setiap hari adalah berbelanja; orang Romawi kuno harus ke pasar setiap hari . Reruntuhan ini telah dibuat sedemikian rupa tampak seperti ketika orang-orang ini melakukan cara berbelanja pada abad kedua ketika . Ini memberikan tampilan yang menarik dan intim pada kehidupan masyarakat yang dihuni Kekaisaran Romawi.

Coliseum Roma
Colosseum. Juga dikenal sebagai Flavian Amphitheater, ini adalah tempat di mana para gladiator di pertontonkan dalam pertempuran . Apa yang tersisa dari amfiteater hari ini masih berdiri sebagai monumen , betapa terampilnya arsitektur Romawi kuno. Pengunjung datang dari seluruh dunia untuk melihat tempat ini dengan harapan untuk mendapatkan wawasan tentang bangkit dan runtuhnya Kekaisaran Romawi.
Pantheon. Nama gedung ini secara harfiah diterjemahkan sebagai “Kuil Semua Dewa” Yang menarik adalah bahwa tempat ini telah memainkan peran yang berbeda sepanjang sejarah Roma, berfungsi sebagai tempat ibadah di hari-hari awal dan kemudian sebagai tempat pemakaman bagi seniman terkenal pada masa Renaissance Roma. Saat ini banyak pengunjung datang untuk suatu upacara keagamaan modern , juga merupakan daya tarik wisata utama bagi orang-orang yang tertarik dalam sejarah arsitektur kota.
Castel Sant’Angelo. Berbicara tentang mausoleum, ada beberapa yang bersejarah besar di Roma termasuk yang satu ini Makam Hadrian. berfungsi sebagai benteng, sebuah benteng dan sebuah museum selama bertahun-tahun dan terus menarik perhatian pengunjung bukan hanya karena sejarahnya tetapi juga karena keindahan yang menakjubkan.
Periode lain yang sangat penting dalam sejarah Roma Renaisans dari abad ke-14-17. Beberapa karya terbesar dunia seni keluar dari Italia selama periode waktu dan beberapa bangunan yang dibuat itu masih berdiri sebagai tengara mengesankan.
Palazzo Farnese. yang paling mengesankan istana Italia abad keenam belas ,gedung ini merupakan arsitektur indah yang ditampilkan sepanjang Renaisans Roma. Ada beberapa museum dan pameran di istana ini sehingga Anda dapat belajar tentang sejarah daerah, termasuk melihat senjata Roma kuno dan memeriksa lukisan Renaissance era yang menggantung di istana .
Santa Maria della Pace. Ini adalah salah satu contoh terbaik dari sebuah gereja yang berdiri dari zaman Renaissance. eksterior ini mengungkapkan arsitektur yang penting selama era ini (dan yang ditambahkan ke seluruh Renaisans sebagai gaya berubah ). interior ini mengungkapkan lukisan dari seniman-seniman terkenal beberapa Renaisans.
Trevi Fountain. Ada air mancur tua banyak menghiasi Cityscape Roma tetapi yang satu ini sangat menarik karena ukurannya yang sangat besar. Dibangun pada abad ketujuh belas, diabaikan selama bertahun-tahun dan kemudian dikembalikan ke aslinya pada akhir abad kedua puluh.

Tengara Bersejarah di Vatikan
Kota Vatikan adalah kota yang bertembok sendiri dalam Roma yang paling membuat wisatawan untuk mengunjungi tempat ini ,Selain sejarah keagamaan umum dari Vatikan, ada beberapa landmark bersejarah Roma .
Basilika Santo Petrus. Jika Anda akan mengunjungi tempat-tempat bersejarah di Vatikan maka Anda mungkin memiliki setidaknya tertarik dalam sejarah agama Roma. Hal ini dianggap sebagai salah satu gereja paling suci di dunia, tempat dimana Santo Petrus dikatakan dikuburkan, dan ini adalah tempat yang banyak orang berdatangan setiap hari untuk beribadah dan melihat pengalaman beberapa masa lalu. Perlu diketahui bahwa kode gaun dikenakan pada mereka yang tertarik masuk gereja dan ingat untuk bertindak dengan tepat

Lapangan Santo Petrus.
alun-alun yang terletak tepat di luar basilika. Ada beberapa situs bersejarah lihat di sini termasuk Obelisk Vatikan, sebuah obelisk dari Mesir kuno dibawa ke Roma dan yang berdiri di sana hari ini untuk memperingati masa lalu kedua negara.
Kapel Sistina. Siapapun yang berkepentingan dengan sejarah seni atau melihat keindahan seni akan berhenti di Istana Apostolik untuk melihat Kapel Sistina. Dengan langit-langit yang dilukis oleh Michaelangelo, adalah salah satu karya paling terkenal seni di Roma

Roma, Kota Karya Seni Renaissance

Menapaki reruntuhan Kerajaan Romawi, bagaikan menjalani sejarah yang penuh cerita. Reruntuhan terdiri dari 22 bangunan, yang tak terbayangkan megah dan luasnya, seandainya masih utuh. The Arch of Septimius Severus, Basilica Giulia, The Temple of Julius Caesar dan The Colosseum, adalah reruntuhan yang banyak dikunjungi wisatawan.

The Colosseum menjadi salah satu simbol keabadian Roma. Awalnya bernama Flavian Amphitheatre, dibangun untuk menghormati keluarga Vespasian. Semasa Julius Caesar berkuasa, gedung melingkar tersebut dijadikan tempat laga gladiator.

Gereja Santa Maria yang dibangun pada abad XVI, bergaya Romanesque, selalu terlihat memesona. Pada dinding bagian depan terdapat topeng raksasa Bocca delta Verita (The Mouth of Truth). Menurut legenda, topeng tersebut digunakan untuk menghukum orang yang bersaksi palsu, dengan cara memasukkan tangan ke dalam mulut topeng. Bila berdusta, raiblah tangannya.

Indahnya Roma di malam hari dapat dinikmati dari atas bukit Monte Mario. Ketika malam semakin larut, angin berdesir menerpa pucuk-pucuk pohon zaitun. Dalam kegelapan terlihat kerlap-kerlip lampu kota Roma, seperti kunang-kunang terbang bebas. Keindahan yang nyata, tidak hanya di angan-angan.

Palazzo dan Piazza

Sebuah tawaran menelusuri kota dengan naik kereta kuda, membuat saya terlonjak senang. Lorong kota dipadati oleh bangunan dengan teras penuh bunga warna warni. Beberapa sudut kota dihiasi palazzo (istana) dan piazza (lapangan).

Menurut Signor Bianchini, sais kereta, keberadaan mafia di tahun 1860 merupakan produk masyarakat feodal. Mafioso menjadi perantara para tuan tanah yang tinggal di istana dengan rakyat biasa di lapangan. Namun, kini jaringan mafia selalu dihubungkan dengan politisi dan peredaran narkoba.

Gedung Balai Kota Roma, Piazza del Compidoglio, tidak hanya megah tetapi juga sangat luas. Terdiri dari tiga bangunan, Palazzo Nuovo di sebelah kiri, Palazzo Conservatori di sisi kanannya. Di bagian tengah, berdiri Palazzo Senatorio.

Di persimpangan via di San Marcello dan via delta Muratte, terlihat air mancur Fontana di Trevi yang dibangun oleh Nicolo Salvi pada pertengahan abad XVIII. Beberapa wisatawan tampak memejamkan mata lalu melempar koin ke air, dengan harapan suatu saat dapat kembali lagi mengunjungi Roma.

Konon, air yang mengucur tersebut dikumpulkan oleh para perawan di desa, untuk mandi Dewi Agrippa. Karena itu, air Fontana di Trevi disebut Acqua Vergine atau air perawan. Uang logam yang terkumpul di dasar kolam, secara berkala diambil untuk disumbangkan ke Palang Merah setempat.

Via del Corso menghubungkan Piazza Venezia dengan Piazza del Populo, menjadi tujuan mereka yang senang tampil trendi. Di sepanjang jalan berjajar toko busana, parfum, tas, dan sepatu karya perancang ternama. Koleksi Gucci, Armani dan Dior dapat menjadikan Anda berpenampilan romantic glam, anggun sekaligus terlihat mahal. Di sisi lain, pedagang kaki lima berteriak-teriak menjajakan cenderamata di pinggir jalan.

Ketika mulai terasa lelah, luruskan kaki pada deretan tangga Piazza di Spagna. Didesain oleh Francesco De Sanctis, di puncaknya berdiri kokoh Gereja Trinita dei Monti. Di depan tangga ada air mancur mungil. Airnya bening, membuat para wisatawan tergoda untuk mencelupkan jemari mereka.

Es Krim Buah Hutan

Roma selain menyimpan sudut kota antik dan cantik, juga memiliki selera kuliner yang bercita rasa tinggi. Kualitas rasanya prima, dan cara penyajiannya sangat dekoratif.

Gelato adalah es krim Italia dengan kandungan lemak rendah, es tersebut selalu menggoda dengan kreasi aneka rasa yang ditawarkan. Cobalah gelato rasa buah hutan liar, dipadu campuran buah musim semi. Saat mencecap, indra perasa bagaikan dibuai sensasi musim semi di hutan liar.

Mengunjungi Roma tanpa menikmati cappuccino, serasa belum sah datang di Italia. Banyak kafe berjajar di teras toko, menyediakan aneka minuman kopi, seperti cappuccino dan frappuccino. Biasanya cappuccino disajikan bersama cornetto atau croissant.

Secangkir cappuccino terdiri dari ramuan espresso (kopi hitam berkadar kafein tinggi), susu panas, dan susu berbusa. Jika tidak menyukai busanya, Anda bisa memesan cappuccino senza schiuma. Sementara frappuccino atau ice blended coffee terbuat dari campuran es batu, kopi, additional flavor (seperti vanila, karamel) yang diblender, di atasnya diberi whipped cream.

Singgahi salah satu kafe, nikmati secangkir cappuccino con cioccolato, cappuccino dengan larutan cokelat. Di antara rasa cokelat yang kental dan manis, lidah dibelai rasa espresso dengan aroma kopi yang kuat.

Romantisme Roma jadi makin terasa lekat, saat indra pencium mendukung indra perasa, lewat secangkir cappuccino.

Popular Culture in Rome

The Castel Sant'Angelo was featured in Dan Brown's 2000 novel Angels & Demons. The location was the secret lair for the Hassassin and contained the last existing church of the Illuminati. The Passetto di Borgo was described as a secret passageway between the Vatican and the Castel. It subsequently appeared in the 2009 film based on the novel Angels & Demons. The Castel has also appeared in the film Roman Holiday.
The Castel is one of the settings of Endymion and The Rise of Endymion, books in the Hyperion Cantos by author Dan Simmons. However, it is set on the fictional planet Pacem. It serves as a prison and site of the torture of several protagonists in the novels.
The Castel is featured prominently in Puccini's opera Tosca. The Castel serves as the prison and location of execution of Mario Cavaradossi. Floria Tosca also throws herself from the rooftop after discovering Cavaradossi's death to escape capture by Scarpia's henchmen.
In 1980, two American rock bands performed concerts outside the Castel. Kiss performed in August and The Ramones performed in September.
The Castel has appeared twice in the Assassin's Creed game series. It first appeared in Assassin's Creed II, and was featured more prominently in the following Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. It is depicted as the official residence of Pope Alexander VI and his children Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia.
The design of the McKinley National Memorial in Canton, Ohio, the final resting place of US President William McKinley and his family, was based on the Castel according to its architect, Harold Van Buren Magonigle.

Rome

Rome is a city and special comune in Italy. Rome is the capital of Italy and also of Lazio  is also the country's largest and most populated comune and fourth-most populous city in the European Union by population within city limits. Between 3.2 and 3.8 million people live in the Rome urban and metropolitan area.The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy. Rome is referred to as "The Eternal City", a notion expressed by ancient Roman poets and writers.

Rome's history spans more than two and a half thousand years, since its founding in 753 BC, with the union of rural villages. It was the capital city of the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, which was the dominant power in Western Europe and the lands bordering the Mediterranean for over seven hundred years from the 1st century BC until the 7th century AD and the city is regarded as one of the birthplaces of western civilization. Since the 1st century AD Rome has been the seat of the Papacy and, after the end of Byzantine domination, in the 8th century it became the capital of the Papal States, which lasted until 1870. In 1871 Rome became the capital of the Kingdom of Italy, and in 1946 that of the Italian Republic.