Italy has some famous cities. One of them is Rome. It is a very historical city.

If you visit Rome, you will

have plenty of chances to see all sorts of great sights.

Rome can be traced through its mythology when it was founded on . It was said that twins of Romulus
and Remus has founded the city in 753 BC, on the date of April 21st. This corresponds fairly closely to
archeological evidence, which shows farming communities in the area. As the Catholic Church grew,
Rome became more and more important in both religion and politics.

Rome was one of the central leading cities in the Renaissance. It is seen when visitors walk through the
streets and see the various buildings. The style was profoundly affected by the work of the artists of the
time. Visitors can see evidence of all sorts of artistic influences, such as the Baroque palaces, the huge
squares and obelisks, and other structures throughout the city.

Rome is well known for its architecture. The colosseum is one sample of famous Roman structures. It
was once a grand, ground-breaking amphitheatre, and was at the forefront of architectural
advancements in 70 AD. Since then it has fallen apart slightly, but it still an astounding and imposing
structure.

Modern Rome is a very busy place to go. It is considered a cultural center for the region, and offers all
the arts in various forms. It has a thriving music scene, with several major concert halls. Rome puts out a
lot of movies every year, more so than any other region of Italy. It is home to Cinecittà studios, the
biggest facility in Europe.
Descriptive Text

Kawah Putih (English: White Crater) is a striking crater lake and tourist spot in a volcanic crater about 50
km south of Bandung in West Java in Indonesia.

Kawah Putih lake (7.10° S 107.24° E) is one of the two craters which make up Mount Patuha, an
andesitic stratovolcano (a “composite” volcano). Mt Patuha is one of numerous volcanoes in Java.
Kawah Putih crater lake itself represents a relatively stable volcanic system with no records of significant
activity since around 1600.

The Kawah Putih site was opened to visitors in 1987. The lake is 2,430 meters above sea level so the
local climate is often quite chilly (temperatures are frequently around 10 degrees Celsius). This makes a
brisk change from the humidity of the north Java plain and the capital city of Jakarta. Kawah Putih is a
sizeable highly acid lake (pH 0.5-1.3) which changes colour from bluish to whitish green, or brown,
depending on the concentration of sulfur and the temperature or the oxidation state. The sand and
rocks surrounding the lake have been also leached into whitish colours through interaction with the
acidic lake waters (with possible mineral precipitation as well).

Contents

1 History

2 The site

3 Access

4 Gallery

5 References

6 External links
History

The lake is said to have been first documented in the western world in 1837 by Dr Franz Wilhelm
Junghuhn, a German botanist who carried out a considerable amount of research in Indonesia until his
death in Lembang, just north of Bandung, in 1864. At the time, there were various local stories about
the history of the area. Birds were said to be reluctant to fly near the region and villagers in the area
tended to regard the forest around the lake as eerie and somewhat mysterious. These stories prompted
Dr Junghuhn to investigate. He discovered Kawah Putih. There was formerly a sulfur mine at the crater
although production has now ceased. A sulfur plant known as the Zwavel Ontgining Kawah Putih was
first established near the lake during the period of Dutch rule in Java. The plant was later taken over
during World War II by the Japanese military and operated under the name Kawah Putih Kenzanka
Yokoya Ciwidey. Entry points to various tunnels which represent the remnants of these mining activities
can be seen at several points around the current site.

Over a century after Franz Wilhelm Junghuhn first discovered the lake, in 1991 the Indonesian state-
owned forestry firm Perhutani Unit III Jawa Barat dan Banten (Forestry Unit No III for West Java and
Banten) began to develop the site as a tourist spot.

The site

View of Kawah Putih from the crater floor

The surrounding area is heavily forested. There is a pathway down to the lake which is surrounded by
the high walls of the crater nestling into the side of Mt Patuha. The smell of sulfur is strong because
there is a good deal of steam and sulfurous gas bubbling from the lake. There are tracks around the lake
and through the nearby forest including to the peak of Mt Patuha. Visitors can walk around the crater
area or sit in the various shelters. Local plants not widely found in lower altitudes in Java include
javanese Edelweiss and Cantigy (Vaccinium varingifolium). Animals and birds which may be spotted
include eagles, owls, monkeys, mouse deer, and forest pigs. Panthers, leopards and pythons have also
sometimes been seen in the nearby forest.

A range of simple facilities exists near the lake. There is ample parking and public toilets. Entrepreneurial
vendors sell trinkets and food. The site is well-signposted. Local farmers often take the opportunity to
sell strawberries (widely grown in the area), steamed corn, and various other items such as pumpkin
seeds (pepita).
Kawah Putih and the surrounding area (where there are resort facilities such as hot spas) is a popular
spot for people from Bandung. On weekends and on holidays, quite large numbers of Indonesian
tourists visit Kawah Putih. The site is so far less well-known to international tourists. According to
Perhutani staff at the site, up to 10,000 people might visit on busy holidays and the total number of
visitors is perhaps 300,000 per year.

Access

Access is gained from the left of the main road travelling south by entering the park and proceeding
along a 5 km access road. Travel time from the centre of Bandung, depending on traffic in and around
Bandung, is perhaps two hours. The turnoff from the main road to Kawah Putih is hard to miss: there is a
large signboard to the left of the main road and a prominent entry gate. The entry facilities and the
crater location are well-managed by staff from the state-owned forestry firm Perhutani.

The usual arrangement is for visitors to leave their vehicles in a main carpark at the entry to the site and
catch one of the regular mini shuttlebuses (leaving every five minutes or so) for the 5 km to the crater.
For Indonesian citizens, the cost of entry to the site (October 2011) is Rp 15,000 plus Rp 5,000 for the
return minibus ride (total of Rp 20,000, around $US 2.20). Charges for foreign visitors are slightly higher.
Visitors who prefer to drive in their own vehicles up to the crater must pay a significantly higher charge
(Rp 150,000, or $US 17 per vehicle plus tickets for passengers). Tickets are issued by Perhutani staff and
include insurance while at the location.

The main road is the busy road south from Bandung through the town of Soreang, the capital of the
Bandung District, continuing down through the crowded Pasir Jambu township. Minibuses ply the route
southwards from Bandung and, depending on traffic, can take up to two hours to reach the entrance to
the Kawah Putih area. There are many thousands of small market-crop farmers in the fertile valley to
the south of Bandung which leads up towards the Kawah Putih area. Local food-crops grown include a
wide range of fruits and vegetables. A strawberry industry is well-established in the area and many
strawberry farms have fruit for sale along the side of the highway.

Accommodation is available at various hotels in the Patuha area close to the nearby town of Ciwidey
and also in Soreang.