One of the first universities in the world and the world's most important Buddhist school - Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University) at Nalanda, Bihar 1502 Nalanda T3 What and Why Nālandā ( Hindi : नालंदा) was a Mahāvihāra (Sanskrit: महाविहार) , meaning 'great Buddhist monastery', was established in the 5th century CE during the end of the Gupta Empire (Sanskrit: गुप्त राजवंश, Śri Gupta ) although it was reported that there had been some form of a loos

Italy seaside city with a rich Greek culture - Syracuse and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica 1200; Mediterranean diet 00884; Italian cooking, between sustainability and biocultural diversity 02093 Piazza Duomo What and Why Syracuse ( Italian : Siracusa ) was founded in the 8th century by Greek settlers, led by the coloniser Archias (Greek: Ἀρχίας) . The settlement of Syracuse was an exercise of urban planning, as a strong central leader, Archias laid out how properties and

An ancient royal villa up in the mountain with the largest mosaic in the world - Villa Romana del Casale 832 Villa Romana del Casale What and Why We crossed from the west of Sicily (Italian: Sicilia) to the east and in the middle of the drive, we arrived at a ruined villa called Villa Romana del Casale in the middle of nowhere. The complex, dating back to the 4th century, used to be a very large villa both for public and private use. The villa is renowned for the extraordin

A city built on a huge cave - The Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera 670 ; Italian cooking, between sustainability and biocultural diversity 02093 Sassi of Matera during the evening What and Why The sassi (singular sasso ), meaning 'rock' in Italian, of Matera is often described as the most unique and picturesque landscapes in Europe, and this is no understatement. While one might imagine an inhabited cave since the Paleolithic age would look derelict