What not to miss

This city that touches the sky with its skyscrapers is surprising for those who view the crowded streets, filled with people walking fast who only stop for the thousands of traffic lights. New York’s vibrant, get-up-and-go atmosphere is contagious, freedom is in the air, the architecture is playful, one can eat sushi, drink coca-cola, sing rap on the sidewalks and go to church to listen to gospel concerts. There are no limits, every dream can come true and any wish can become reality. Try it to believe it: suffice it to look around knowing that, for example, for many years, the famous Brooklyn Bridge was the world’s largest suspension bridge created with steel cables. It required 600 workers and 15 years to complete this immense bridge. Nothing could stop Engineer John A. Roebling’s dream of linking the two shores of the East River: in order to complete this project, his own life as well as that of some twenty workers, who died from embolisms during the construction, were sacrificed. The realisation of this concrete symbol of the Great American Dream signified that there was now a connection between Manhattan and Brooklyn. The bridge is 1,833m long and 26m wide; the weight (excluding the part in stonework) is 14,680 tonnes: there is an elevated promenade for pedestrians over the roadway for vehicle traffic. From here, the entire Manhattan skyline spans beneath your view. 

From what was once known as the eight wonder of the world, visitors can move on to admiring the precious works of art held at the Museum of Modern Art , including Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” and “Les demoiselles d’Avignon” by Pablo Picasso. The permanent exhibition, founded in 1929 by wealthy patrons of art, represented a new model for museums: for the first time the boundaries of art had been extended to include previously ignored disciplines such as design and photography. Thanks to this new vision of the role of museums, today the MoMA provides visitors with a sort of chronicle of the development of the modern age with one of the world’s most complete collections of art. And if you are interested in museums and galleries, New York is surprising for the number of prestigious examples: first of all the MET - Metropolitan Museum of Art , founded in 1870, which exhibits a collection of works considered to be one of the most replete in the West with nearly two million works of art,  which bear witness to the many cultures which evolved in succession in Europe, Africa, the far East, the Arab world and America. The works include the “Temple of Dendur”, the “Portrait of the Princess of Broglie” by Ingres, “Gertrude Stein” by Pablo Ricasso, "Cipressi" by Van Gogh, "The Card Players" by Cezanne, "Self-portrait" by Rembrendt and other works by Pierre Bonnard, Botticelli, Bronzino, Caravaggio, Paul Cézanne, Gustave Courbet, Edgar Degas, El Greco, Paul Gauguin, Artemisia Gentileschi, Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Jackson Pollock, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Georges-Pierre Seurat, Jan Vermeer and Paul Klee.

The Guggenheim Museum  was designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright and houses one of the world’s most important modern and contemporary art collections. Descending the gentle slope of the spiral ramp, visitors access the tower rooms and the Small Rotunda where the works of important 19th and 20th century artists are on exhibit. Definitely not to be missed is the Guggenheim Museum Soho, a branch of the centrally located museum which was inaugurated in 1992.

From the temples of culture to the city’s most famous squares, streets, parks and skyscrapers in the city: you can start from what is considered to be the haven from the hot, metropolitan summers, Central Park. This large expanse of green in New York is characterised by large tree-lined walkways, open spaces, artificial lakes and bridges which connect 93 kilometres of footpaths and paths.  Quite a different scene is Chinatown where, in addition to the typical restaurants, some of the city’s most interesting art galleries and antique shops are also located. Don’t miss a visit to Little Italy: where the Italians who arrived in the late 19th century established their new roots. The vibrant colours are reminiscent of those in Italy and the Italian community joyously celebrates the Feast of Saint Gennaro, which is held around 19 September.

Then on to the dizzying heights of the Empire State Building, which had lost its title of the city’s tallest building to the World Trade Center until the terrorist action of 11 September 2001 destroyed. Lastly, there is no way to describe the incredible emotion of standing on the seven-point crown (representing the seven seas) of the Statue of Liberty. This symbol of New York weighs 225 tonnes and, from the base of the pedestal to the top of the torch, is 93.5 metres high; the goddess of liberty, built upon the ruins of a 19th century fortress, holds the declaration of independence in one hand and a torch in the other. At her feet are the broken chains of tyranny. Facing the old Continent, she truly does seem to be safeguarding the most important dream of liberty.