Flight To Italy (1951)

[Music] majestic Queen of the Adriatic where palaces born of the Renaissance sir the eye the imagination we're colorful intertwining canals man by story bridges are the highways for her perennial traffic in Della's make a flow parade along the timeless of the century no matter where one travels by general consent Venice is rightfully one of the world's most attractive bands only one of the most imping city here there are no cars no horses Lublin is on foot or by water along the canals where traffic has become so heavy that it has become necessary to install traffic signals at particularly dangerous intersections [Music] built on more than a hundred small islands some two and a half miles off the mainland Venice was once the center of great art trade and almost unimaginable wealth a fitting tribute to her colorful past is the impressive Cathedral of st. mark [Music] leaving Venice we travel to Pisa and her leaning tower the Campanile was well under construction when a land slip caused it to lean creating one of the architectural wonders of the world nearby astride the Arno flowing quietly through her history stands Florence wonderful city ancient home of the Medici shalini Leonardo da Vinci and the incomparable Michelangelo certainly Florence can continue to bask in true greatness today she still retains more than mere remnants of her great inheritance world-famous are her leather goods hand-worked with precision artistry and patience [Music] other craftsmen create jeweled masterpieces in the pattern of an reach the ultimate in decorative beauty [Music] the famous flag wavers of Sienna twirling their standards like band leaders at a college football game Sienna is at its medieval bets for the Palio the traditional horse race which takes on more the appearance of a brawl on horseback the explosion of a firecracker and the contestants are off on one of the most grueling plundering affairs of matches [Music] certainly this is no contest for the faint of heart or it is a rare Palio indeed in which horses do not fall and break legs or in which riders are not thrown and trampled but it's all in the spirit of sportsmanship and the first horse across the finish line with or without its rider is declared the winner ships and shipping have always been important to the life of this trading nation with a historic harbor of Genoa the Gateway for the industrial north playing an important role the oldest part of the Mediterranean Genoa has never lost its commercial importance with its wide Harbor and modern docks built to accommodate great ocean-going vessel many of which have been constructed in general shipyards genoa the superb Genoa the proud soul this Pleasant City is affectionately named the life of the city flows through history and traditions that are so much a part of this land of Italy this is the birthplace of Christopher Columbus and it was here that young Chris first dreamed of our voyages which were to shape the destinies of the world one of the truly historic remnants of the mighty Roman Empire is the Appian Way constructed under Appius Claudius three hundred years before Christ this glory road of the conquering Roman legions still endures as a truly remarkable masterpiece of highway engineering more than two thousand years later now southward along a twentieth-century highway to romantic Naples sparkling jewel of the blue Mediterranean where time and history have left their indelible marks and the Neapolitans of today live in the shadow of yesteryear life here is pleasant and colorful in what is certainly one of the world's most picturesque ports of call out in the Bay of Naples lies a rock bound island long traded in song and story the alluring and chanting Isle of Capri this is mecca for romantic lover and seasoned traveler here the waters of war and the magic of the Blue Grotto will ever remain in the memory of the fortune of visitors nearby Mount Vesuvius sleeping giant of the Neapolitan plane in August of the year 79 AD this massive volcano erupted with a terrible roar and the city of Pompeii resting serenely in the shadow of the moon was soon covered by a 20-foot layer of volcanic ash and so Pompeii was to remain for some 15 centuries today under metonic excavation this city of some 25,000 offers the complete picture of an entire city whose life was full and active and then arrested in an instant these excavations have penetrated into the intimacy of the home of the family of the whole urban society of a city beautifully designed and elaborately constructed one of the few examples of a first century City stopped dead in time and so to remain in a world centuries older the story of this land of sunny skies is also the story of its agriculture to which about 75% of the land and 35% of the population are devoted variations of climate soil and altitude favor the cultivation of almost every European crop with the growing of wines making it known that Italy is the first country after France in the production of the wine grape from these are derived from Chianti Marsala vermouth and other wines and great products Milan beautiful Queen City of the Lombardi Plains is easily recognized by her triumphal arches Milan is Italy's second city the nation's industrial and financial capitals of all Milan's attractions perhaps none is more renowned on this fine white marble cathedral one of the world's most superb works of gothic art along the top of this enormous edifice built over 600 years ago is a forest of some 4,000 marble pinnacles each supporting a delicately carved statue the testing track of the Fiat armoire in puron is the Italian automotive capital and the Fiat plant is recognized as one of the world's most effective automotive manufacturing operations [Music] these cars somewhat smaller lower in cost and in gas consumption and those to which most people have become accustomed are produced by the thousands on modern production lines not only our home consumption demands for these cars increasing today the Italian car competes favorably with American and English cars in the European and other world markets [Music] it's summertime and what is more enjoyable than to vacation along the inviting Italian Riviera here the calm clear waters of the blue Mediterranean join with the white sandy beaches to create a scene of complete relaxation a vacationers dream come true it's fun in the Sun and whatever your pleasure be it swimming boating or just lying around on the beach under a colorful umbrella this is the place you have been looking for no matter where you search certainly there are few vacations bars anywhere quite comparable to the friendliness and charm to be found along the colorful Italian Riviera [Music] the way to travel to Italy is by air and the dependable luxurious way to fly is with TWA time passes quickly as your skyliner wings across oceans and continents providing one airline service from 60 cities in the United States a [Music] cocktail or a glass of wine before dinner and then comes meal time your TWA hostess will delight you with wonderful meals and tasty between meal snacks and with never an extra charge [Music] as your Skyliner approaches role menu' freshen up in attractive restrooms you realize even more than before that flying is the modern comfortable and economic way to travel to Italy and the way to fly is TWA [Music] just a few kilometers from the center of Rome is Ciampino Airport this modern air terminal situated within a stone's throw of the ancient Appian Way welcomes increasing numbers of visitors each year to this intriguing land of Italy to this storehouse of ancient culture [Music] Rome is like a wonderful history book come to life wherever you turn be at the arch of Constantine or other great monuments solid with age you feel the dignity of this timeless city which traces its forebears back 27 centuries here mark Caesar's legions here Nero fiddled while the city burned here stand the forum's of the Great ruins and remnants representing the hike of Roman culture during the greatest period of the empire the Colosseum the very symbol of pagan Rome this enormous Stadium which originally seated almost 90,000 spectators was constructed to satisfy the ancient Roman lust for the flow of blood of human combatants here in storage spectacles thousands of powerful gladiators were urged in deadly combat by the wild cheering of the vast throng and to add an even more exciting touch to the program's early Christian martyrs were often turned into the arena to do battle barehanded with starving beasts of the jungle today Rome is still a great city the national capital and world center of the Catholic faith her clean streets are alive with the everyday flow of traffic and of a people who in the majority are determined to restore Italy's domestic economy to regain a place of dignity and importance in world affairs this Roman policeman stands before the monument to Victor Emmanuel the second the first king of United Italy and the tomb of Italy's Unknown Soldier [Music] the Piazza Venezia and the fine Renaissance Palazzo Venezia it was from this balcony that the infamous Mussolini made jaw jutting speeches to his wildly cheering black shirt and boshy speak and here once again is our friend the ever-present traffic cop this one just to relieve the monotony engages in slightly more than energetic gyrations [Music] such is the new Rome of today where the surging life of the Eternal City marches to a stirring temple the flower vendor is a common sight offering fresh colorful blooms in many instances the vendor is much more ancient than the fresh flowers she sell and speaking of fragrant flowers this vendor is selling a fine string of sweet-smelling odor of garlic as in every country throughout the world for the entertainment of children of every age the Punch and Judy show this is an art which we hope will ever survive in a changing world the greatness of Italy is not founded on material wealth but on her contributions to Western culture through the Roman Empire and the Roman Catholic Church throughout Rome the history of the church is ever-present just across the Tiber from the centre of Rome is the castle San Angelo once used as a fortress and a sanctuary for the Pope's it was from this castle that Puccini's heroine Tosca committed suicide the world capital of the Roman Catholic faith is a tiny independent state on the left bank of the river Tiber dominating the scene is st. Peter's crowned by the great dome designed by the creative genius of Michelangelo the Swiss Guards the Pope's personal troops aptly named because they are Swiss they're colorful uniforms of orange blue and red straps and bloomer trousers were also designed by the have come some of the mightiest achievements of mankind today's Italy is once again join in the family of Nations determined to be deserving of her position of unquestioned importance as the cultural and spiritual Colossus of this world of ours [Music]