1.5 Activities Man-made attractions Attractions man-made attractions 1. . ....................... attractions purpose-built attractions landmarks 2. . ....................... religious buildings castles ancient 3. . ....................... Attractions The activity of visiting sights of interest is called sightseeing . Tourists can be interested in different types of attractions and most of the time the reason and purpose for travelling is more than just one. As we have said, attractions can be divided into: Landmarks, monuments and manmade attractions Natural attractions Purpose-built attractions. Man-made attractions feature: caratteristica heritage: eredità, retaggio to host: ospitare landmark: punto di riferimento landscape: panorama shape: forma sightseeing: visita turistica 82 A landmark is an identifying feature of a landscape ; it is a construction that over time has become so wellknown and famous that it has become the image and symbol of a town, city or a country. Some examples are the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Big Ben in London, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, or the Great Wall in China. This type of attraction represents such a powerful call to tourists that in some cases cities deliberately try to build a monument that can become its landmark, as happened in Bilbao with the construction of the Guggenheim Museum, whose shape is as famous as the art collection that it hosts. Heritage sites belong to the history and the development of a city or an area and are strictly connected with its culture. In most social groups the need was felt for representations of religious beliefs, power, strength, richness and/ or culture. Sites can date back to prehistory or ancient times like the Etruscan area in Tuscany, Stonehenge in Britain, Easter Island, Palenque and Tulum in Mexico, or the Ajanta and Ellora Caves in India. Religious buildings like monasteries, cathedrals and churches are another type of attraction. The monasteries in Romania and Nepal, Saint Mark s in Venice, Saint Peter s in the Vatican, Westminster Abbey in London, and Barcelona s Sagrada Familia are some examples of impressive expressions of devotion and culture. Castles represent a valuable tourist resource, too. The Loire region in France, the Castello Sforzesco in Milan, Buckingham Palace in London, the German Castles and the Valle D Aosta ones are some examples of old royal buildings that every year host millions of tourists. Ancient buildings and palaces like the Alhambra in Granada or St Catherine s Palace in St Petersburg, similarly offer interesting historical and artistic experiences.