From the ancient Roman ruins of once magnificent forums and amphitheaters to the latest in London's glassy skyscrapers, Europe is loaded with magnificent man-made spectacles. With an emphasis on art and antiquity, these top 10 suggestions were gathered from sources including UNESCO World Heritage List, travel writer Howard Hillman's book and conversations with art historians and experienced Insight Vacations professional tour guides based in Europe.

Ancient Ruins

Impressive Roman ruins, leading off with the mighty Colosseum (#1) completed in A.D. 80, and continuing with the Forum, make Rome an extraordinary city of living history dating back two millenniums.

Just 150 miles south of Rome, as the construction project started by the Emperor Vespasian drew to a close at the Colosseum, Mt. Vesuvius erupted, burying the well-to-do towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum (#2) under as much as 20 feet of ash. As 2,000-year-old streets, shops and homes are painstakingly unearthed, visitors have a unique opportunity to better understand the sophisticated Roman civilization of the first century.

In Turkey, where the eastern edge of the Roman Empire straddled the border with Asia, the sheer scale of the extant monuments speaks to the importance of Ephesus (#3), once an important regional capital city. The Library of Celsus, the open-air theater, the Temple of Hadrian and other monuments are surprisingly well-preserved and more extensive than any found in the whole of Italy or Greece.

Imperiled Treasures

Between the 13th and the 15th centuries, 118 man-made islands in an Italian lagoon established the Venetian Republic as a commercial link to Constantinople. The 150 Canals of Venice (#4), linked by 400 bridges, make this floating city packed with art treasures unlike any on earth. Imperiled by perceptible rises in the Adriatic Sea, resulting in more frequent flooding, the waters relentlessly gain ground with each passing year.

Construction began in the 12th century for the Leaning Tower of Pisa (#5), which extraordinarily and unintentionally tilts because of settlement in soft sandy foundations. When a medieval bell tower collapsed in nearby Pavia in 1989, engineers went about devising a plan to reduce the tilt. Cautiously deemed successful enough to satisfy preservationists and city officials, the campanile re-opened for visitors in 2011.

Controversial Interventions

Secretive and exclusive, the Papal Conclave is held within the confines of the Sistine Chapel (#6) in the world's smallest country, surrounded by 500-year-old Michelangelo and Botticelli masterpieces adorning walls and ceiling. Two decades of controversial restoration work concluding in 1999 have uncovered major issues regarding the future sustainability of the beloved frescoes and the walls themselves. Plans are afoot for new visitor restrictions.

Dedicated to the goddess of wisdom, the Acropolis of Athens (#7) represents one of the birthplaces of western civilization, constructed in the 5th century B.C. However, half of all the Parthenon's surviving sculptures were removed and shipped home by Lord Elgin, a former British ambassador, who sold them to the British Museum in 1816. A new Athens museum at the foot of the hill has reinvigorated the argument for the return of the Parthenon pediments, friezes and pieces.

Eastern Influences

This "pearl set in emeralds" is how Moorish poets described the magnificence of Alhambra (#8), a palace surrounded by woods where nightingales fly. The 14th-century ornate and calligraphy-covered Moorish-designed jewel of Andalusia served as a fortress and palace to the last Muslim rulers of Spain and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Known for its massive and elaborate dome of 160 feet, Istanbul's Hagia Sophia (#9) was built in less than six years during the 6th century. The landmark of Constantinople alternatively served as a Turkish, Greek and Roman Latin place of worship for more than 1,400 years. Today the landmark is a museum, the greatest example of Byzantine architecture in existence.

Prehistoric Puzzle

After 5,000 years, Stonehenge (#10) remains a mystery. Who built it, how did they build it and why? Calendar advocates point to the significance of the monolith's stones framing the sunrise at summer solstice. Other historians support the burial ground research. Theories abound. However, one consistency lies in the startling effect this place has on those who visit it, no matter what the season.

About the Author

A travel and lifestyle writer based in San Francisco, Laurie Jo Miller Farr is a contributor to CBS Travel, Love to Know, SF Eater and additional media sites and magazines. As a London-based tourism industry professional, she covered the 2012 Olympics, which appeared on "Best of Britain." Farr received the 2013 Yahoo Contributor of the Year Award.

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