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Standing on the northern side of the Sonoran Desert, in the aptly named ‘Valley of
the Sun’ Phoenix is one of the most popular cities in Arizona. Known for its
extremely sunny weather and related winter tourist trade, Phoenix has much to offer
visitors, with strip malls surrounding the downtown district. Now amongst
America’s largest cities, Phoenix is a true metropolis, with many striking high-rise
buildings in the city center, together with exceptional golf courses and impressive
resort areas nearby.

Many of the attractions in Phoenix are situated in the downtown district, the heart of
the city, where you will find notable restaurants, sporting venues and shops. Other
popular areas of the city include the business district, Old Phoenix, particularly
around Heritage Square, and the Glendale area, which is home to many of the city’s
main museums and numerous well-preserved, historical structures. The Mesa area
of Phoenix contains a number of shopping malls, whereas Scottsdale boasts resorts
and specialty shops. For entertainment venues and a vibrant nightlife, be sure to
head to Tempe, where you will not be disappointed.

Phoenix Tourism:

Tourism in the Phoenix area is well catered for, with many top attractions, a number
of which are particularly appealing to families. Ranging from historical ruins and
sights, to amusement parks and major shopping centers, Phoenix offers plenty of
things to see and places to go. Top attractions include the Castles and Coasters
theme park, the vast Phoenix Zoo, the historical St Mary’s Basilica, the prehistoric
Casa Grande ruins, Goldfield Ghost Town mining village, the Apache Trail, Piestewa
Peak walking trails and the Phoenix Mountains Park and Recreation Center, known
for its views of the famous Valley of the Sun.

The Phoenix area also contains its fair share of cultural museums and art galleries,
with notable attractions including the Arizona Science Center, the Hall of Flame Fire
Fighting Museum and the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. Phoenix offers
a range of festivals, which are held throughout the year, such as the Arabian Horse
Show in February, the Scottsdale Arts Festival in March, the September National
Public Lands Day Outdoor Recreation Fair, and the Way Out West Oktoberfest.

Phoenix Transport:

Interstates 10 and 17 provide good connections to a number of nearby cities, such
as Flagstaff. Many visitors to Phoenix choose to rent a car and this is one of the
best ways to travel around the city and neighboring areas. Public buses are also
heavily used and the Downtown Area Shuttle, better known simply as ‘DASH’,
connects many top tourist hotspots at no cost.

Close to the city’s downtown district, Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) is an
important air hub and is connected to the city by shuttle buses and taxicabs. This
important international airport caters for many thousands of arrivals and departures
each day and offers good ground transportation options.

Phoenix Hotels:

Hotels in the Phoenix area are in good supply and hotel rates are often cheapest
during the summer months of July and August. Winter is a particularly pleasant
time to visit the city and accommodation becomes fully booked at the time of the
year.

Phoenix Shopping:

With many expansive shopping malls, which always feature air conditioning,
Phoenix is the perfect city for those who enjoy shopping. All kinds of shops are well
represented here, ranging from chain stores and department stores, to fashion
boutiques and independent retailers. Many of the city’s main shops are
concentrated in the Biltmore and Scottsdale districts.

Phoenix Restaurants:

Southwestern cuisine has long been popular in Phoenix, with more international
offerings available throughout the city. Restaurants offer a varied choice of food,
although the many notable steakhouses are a must. Clustered in the city center and in the older areas of Biltmore and Scottsdale, a number of eateries and bars can also
be found in the lively University area.

Phoenix Weather:

Standing in the Sonoran Desert, Phoenix offers predictably sunny and hot
temperatures, with over 300 days of sunshine each year. Many people choose to
visit the city during its warm winter months, particularly during January through
March, when temperatures average 13

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The unique blend of unspoiled natural beauty and beaches and the finest surviving temples of Ancient Greece, makes Sicily a vacation destination like no other. For theatre enthusiasts, Ancient Greek Drama is also available in Syracuse.

The ancient Greek playwright Euripides (480 to 406 B.C) wrote works of tragedy and drama regarding mythological characters and Greek heroines. Picking out from his prolific list of works, this year in the Greek Theatre of Syracuse, The Trojan Women and Hecuba will intrigue the audience from 11th May to 25th June.

Euripide’s play analyses the fates of the royal women of Troy who are at the hands of Greek conquerors who under the pretext of saving Helen, are more deeply concerned by the rat race dominated by pride and personal ambition. In this milieu, Eurpide makes of Hecuba the central figure of the two works, the homonym tragedy Hecubas and the Trojan Women.

At the end of the Trojan War after ten years of harsh fight and traumatic losses, the victorious Greeks, led by their king, Agamemnon, and the great soldier Odysseus, have destroyed the city of Troy and are returning home with the women of Troy enslaved as their war prize, amongst which there is Hecuba, who once was queen of Troy. The play begins with Queen Hecuba devastated by the war and agonizing over the death of her husband, the king, her sons and her grandson.

However, although being a spoil of war herself, she manifests her strong character and superiority as from the beginning by shouting at the women enslaved on the shore. Moreover she hates Helen for bringing so much misery to her city and her people. Hecuba decides to share the burden of war and all throughout the play she imparts her pain but at the same time gaining strength by planning a horrific revenge. Hecubas impersonates the continuity of the disorder that war brought. The spectator witnesses the gradual decomposing humanity of this dethroned queen. The tragedy emphasises the transformation of this character form a matriarch and grieving mother to a cruel being.

Last year’s protagonist in the same Greek Theatre was Antigone (by Sophocles) who for twenty years accompanied her father; she is the personification of grace and patience. In contrast to Hecubas, she chose to be courageous after the great disaster of her youth without being menacing. In Antigone it was God’s justice to be proved powerful in the constant battle between human and divine law. In Hecubas, attack, war, honour and revenge play a key role in Euripide’s work. Moreover, the audience will realize that history repeats itself and that people are incapable to prevent more of the same from happening as if humans have an innate inclination towards war and battle, thus instead of learning a lesson, like Hecubas, human beings tend to do worse and perpetuate devastation and causing more pain hence getting trapped in vicious circle.

It is interesting to highlight that in the Port of Syracuse the Athenian fleet has been destroyed in the last action of the Peloponnesian War. Prisoners were taken in the latomie (stone quarries) placed nearby the Greek Theatre where many died of hunger and hardships. However, Plutarco says that many survived because they could recite pieces form Euripide’s works. Knowing if this really happened is secondary to the fact that poetry can save our life.

Angela Rossi
bbsicilia@virgilio.it

More Details about SICILY TOUR, SICILY HOTELS, SICILY TRAVEL here: http://www.sleepinsicily.com/ Committed to international travel indicating accommodations where to stay and where to rest.

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In my experience, bed and breakfasts are one of the best ways of experiencing a new place. In many cases the rates can be quite reasonable although there is an increasing number of high end luxury bed and breakfasts and inns, many of whom may end up charging several hundred dollars per night as well. At some of the more budget-oriented B&Bs you can get a simple, yet usually comfortable room, often with unique d

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