Name: 小さなヨーロッパ5つのミクロの国 (Little Europe: Five Micro-Countries)
Uploaded: 2021-01-14T05:36:34.000Z
Duration: 24 min 57 s
Description: VoiceTubeの動画で発音を聞きながら英語表現を覚えよう！学べる英語：

Hi, I'm Rick Steves and I'm standing atop one of the tiniest countries in Europe.

Europe has a handful of these little "don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-'em" lands:

There's Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Vatican City, and San Marino...

we're about to visit them all. This time, it's Little Europe.

Medieval Europe was a patchwork of miniscule dukedoms, princedoms, and feudal states. Modern-day

Germany - about the size of Montana - was fragmented into over 300 of these...each with

its own petty ruler, weights and measures, crown jewels, and curfew. These "countries"

were only about as big as the distance a cannon could fire from the town walls. And today,

only a handful of Europe's mini-nations survive.

The world's smallest country comes with the planet's biggest church. Another is famous

for its casino and car races. A stone's throw from the Adriatic Sea, the last of the independent

hill towns still looks pretty formidable. This castle-guarded principality is a remnant

of Europe's once-mighty Holy Roman Empire. And here, where Spain and France meet, another

tiny country entertains shoppers and hikers alike with the rugged beauty of the Pyrenees.

Europe's "microstates" are scattered far and wide. We'll start at Vatican City, drop by

San Marino, hike up to Liechtenstein, speed over to Monaco, and finish high in the Pyrenees

Our first country is ruled by a man from another country, it has less than 1,000 permanent

residents, and its birthrate is zero. It's visited by hordes of tourists daily, and it's

the capital of a holy empire with more than a billion subjects worldwide. Any guesses?

The Vatican City. This is the smallest independent country on earth. Even though it occupies

less than a square mile - this country has its own radio station, newspaper, post office,

and a cute little train station. Along with the grandest church on Earth, it has a massive

museum. The Vatican is ruled - both politically and religiously - by the pope.

Vatican City is embedded in the city of Rome. It's surrounded by a mighty medieval wall

that evokes a less-than-peaceful history.

After the Roman Empire fell in the fifth century, the city of Rome gradually came under control

of the pope. In fact for centuries, the pope was called the "King Pope." Little by little,

the "King Pope" built his own empire. At its peak around the 17th century, the "Papal States,"

as they were called, encompassed much of the Italian peninsula. When the modern nation

of Italy was united, it absorbed most of the Papal States, including the city of Rome.

For sixty years the pope was holed up here, behind the Vatican Walls. Finally, in 1929,

the pope and Mussolini signed the Lateran Treaty, establishing the Vatican as its own

nation. The garden-like core of the country - where serious administration takes place

The Vatican "military" is made up of the Swiss Guard. In 1506, the pope imported mercenaries

from Switzerland, who were known for their loyalty and courage. Today, about 100 Swiss

soldiers still protect the pope, keep the crush of tourists as orderly as possible...and

wear the flamboyant Renaissance-style uniform that tourists just love to photograph.

The Vatican has its own postal service. Many consider it to be more reliable than mailing

things from across the street, in Italy...and Vatican stamps are a fun souvenir.

The Vatican is built on the memory and tomb of the first pope, St. Peter. Piazza San Pietro

sits on what was the site of a Roman racetrack. Imagine chariots making their hairpin turns

For added entertainment during the games, Christians were executed here. In about 65

A.D., the apostle Peter was crucified within sight of this obelisk. His friends buried

him in a humble graveyard atop what pagan Romans called the Vatican Hill. For about

250 years Christians worshipped quietly on this spot. Then, when Emperor Constantine

legalized Christianity in 313 A.D., a basilica was built here, and this became the head of

Twelve hundred years later, the original St. Peter's was replaced by this, the most glorious

church in all Christendom. Upon entering, your first impression is: It's big...over

600 feet long, bathed in glorious sunbeams. It can accommodate thousands of worshippers.

Near the entrance, Michelangelo's Pietà is adored by pilgrims and tourists alike. Here

the 25-year-old Michelangelo intends to make the theological message very clear: Jesus

- once alive but now dead - gave his life for our salvation. The contrast provided by

Mary's rough robe makes his body - even carved in hard marble - seems soft and believable.

The high altar, like so much of the art decorating the Vatican, is a masterpiece by the great

Baroque artist Bernini. With sunlight illuminating its alabaster window - as if powering the

Holy Spirit, it encrusts the legendary throne of St. Peter with a starburst of Baroque praise.

Directly above the altar which marks the tomb of St. Peter, stands Bernini's bronze canopy,

and above that Michelangelo's dome - taller than a football field on end. The inscription

declares, in Latin: Tu es Petrus..."You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church."

This is the scriptural basis for the primacy of Rome in the Catholic Church.

A viewing perch gives travelers a close-up look at those huge letters and a heavenly

perspective into the church. From the rooftop you can size up the dome you're about to climb.

For a close look at Michelangelo's dome-within-a-dome design, lean in as you climb 300 steps to

The view from the top is unrivaled: both of the city of Rome...and of the Vatican grounds.

You can survey the entire country from this lofty perch. The long rectangular building

is the Vatican Museum with the adjacent Sistine Chapel. These buildings and courtyards display

some of the greatest art of Western civilization.

Over the centuries the popes have amassed enough art to fill what many consider Europe's

richest museum. Long halls are sumptuously decorated with precious tapestries, frescoed

The museum features art from every age. Its exquisite painting gallery includes Raphael's

much-loved painting of the Transfiguration. Halls and courtyards are littered with ancient

Greek masterpieces - like the Laocoön...so inspirational to the great masters of the

And the pope's apartments tell Christian history - this is the battle in which Emperor Constantine

was led by angels and a holy cross both to a key military victory and to his own religious

And these rooms celebrate pre-Christian philosophy. Here Raphael paints the School of Athens...the

who's who of ancient Greek intellectual heroes...many painted with the features of Renaissance greats...Leonardo,

Michelangelo...and a self-portrait of Raphael in the black cap.

But of course, we've just scratched the surface. If you're pondering eternity, try covering

On the opposite side of the Italian peninsula, just a few miles inland from the Adriatic

coast, is another tiny nation that's entirely surrounded by Italy...San Marino.

The Republic of San Marino brags it's the world's oldest and smallest republic. It's

remained sovereign through almost all its 1,700-year history. San Marino's isolated

location has helped it maintain its independence. The 24-square-mile country clings bravely

to Monte Titano, in Italy's rugged Apennine Mountains.

A thousand years ago, Italy was made up of dozens of independent little states like this.

Over the centuries, virtually all of them disappeared from the map. First, Europe's

dominant royal families snatched up these tiny territories, and added them to their

vast kingdoms. Then, in the 19th century, Italy's unification movement consolidated

virtually the entire Italian peninsula into the modern nation of Italy.