University of Virginia (University Avenue, Charlottesville; 804-924-0311; www.virginia.edu/exploring

Few things how to rent cars cheap are as exciting as traveling, freeing your mind from day-to-day doldrums, how to rent cars cheap exploring different places and cultures, eating unique foods, and meeting interesting people. Come with us as we embark on new adventures or revisit old favorites, open windows to distant places or those just down the street unlock how to rent cars cheap doors to novel experiences hear the sounds of laughter. Allegria (in Italian) means to be in high spirits. Let these pages awaken your spirit and stimulate your curiosity!
The genius of Thomas Jefferson is an integral part of America. As the author of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson set the stage for government by the people how to rent cars cheap for the people and the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. His words, written in 1776, still inspire others across the world today. A visit to Jefferson s estate at Monticello, Virginia and to the University of Virginia, which he founded in 1819 after serving as the Third President of the United how to rent cars cheap States, will bring to life this extraordinary man -- a President, philosopher, governor, ambassador, architect, landowner and farmer -- who has had such a far-reaching impact across the ages. Set on a hill near Charlottesville, Virginia, Monticello (meaning little mountain in Italian) looks out over a 5,000-acre panorama of red clay and tree-covered hills. Over the period of 40 years, Jefferson (who taught himself architecture from books) designed and constructed every aspect of this icon ( the only historic American house to be named a World Heritage site),
Monticello is built in the neo-classical style inspired by Renaissance architecture, specifically the Venetian architect, Andrea Palladio; Jefferson how to rent cars cheap s experience as Ambassador to France contributed the dome of the house. The main house has 33 rooms; there are four more in the pavilions and six others concealed under the south terrace including a kitchen, said to have been the best-equipped in Virginia. how to rent cars cheap The bricks used to construct the mansion were made at Monticello, as were the nails. The wood and the stones used for the east front columns came from Jefferson s land. Architectural features abound: there are 13 skylights, including the oculus in the dome. Fireplaces, especially designed by Jefferson to save fuel for heating, feature throughout. The house is decorated with fabrics, furniture and silver which Jefferson brought back from his travels to Europe. As you walk through the rooms, pay particular attention to Jefferson s inventions and innovations, including a dumbwaiter, a swivel desk chair, a polygraph copying machine for his letters and a seven-day clock in the entrance hall which keeps time using a system of pulleys and weights.
Jefferson s passion for gardening is evident as you walk around the grounds, how to rent cars cheap stopping to admire the profusion of daylilies and countless other species in the oval shaped flower beds at the four corners of the house and in the flower borders. Towering Mulberry trees provide shade over the area where Jefferson s slaves once lived and worked. Nearby is his revolutionary vegetable garden, which supplied his family with food. In addition to his passion for government, Jefferson was a powerful advocate of public education and no trip to this area would be complete without a visit to the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Designed and built by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 as his academic village, it is the only University in the US that has been named a World Heritage site. This was Jefferson s architectural and intellectual masterpiece. The main focus of the University is the domed Rotunda, a quarter-size model of the Pantheon in Rome, sitting at one end of a two-acre lawn. Iconic white Tuscan columns line the edges linking ten pavilions, which housed faculty and provided classrooms. The larger pavilions are linked by 54 small, single-student rooms which have provided how to rent cars cheap housing to the likes of Edgar Allen Poe, resident of Number 13 on the West Side of the Lawn, and John Singleton how to rent cars cheap Mosby, later known as the Gray Ghost of the Confederacy who was expelled in 1852. Jefferson how to rent cars cheap designed the pavilions to reflect different classical architectural styles so that they could serve as a model to the students.
Monticello (931 Thomas Jefferson Parkway, Charlottesville, Virginia ; www.monticello.org ; 434-984-9880 . A number of different tours are available for the house and gardens; although how to rent cars cheap tickets can be bought on the day of your visit for a specific time, it is recommended to buy these in advance as Monticello is a very popular location and spots sell out quickly. Half a mile from Monticello is Michie Tavern, established in 1784 (683 Thomas Jefferson Parkway, Charlottesville, Virginia; 434-977-1234; how to rent cars cheap www.michitavern.com ). The Tavern s dining room, The Ordinary, features how to rent cars cheap a menu that you might have encountered in Jefferson how to rent cars cheap s days: Colonial fried chicken, smoked how to rent cars cheap pork barbecue, stewed tomatoes, cornbread and cobblers. There are also interactive tours of the original how to rent cars cheap tavern which are particularly interesting for children as they provide a window into life in the 18 th century.
how to rent cars cheap University of Virginia (University Avenue, Charlottesville; 804-924-0311; www.virginia.edu/exploring.html ) TO STAY Clifton Inn (1296 Clifton Inn Drive, Charlottesville, how to rent cars cheap Virginia; 804-971-1800; www.cliftoninn.net ). Originally built in 1799 by Thomas Jefferson s son-in-law. Cavalier Inn at the University of Virginia (105 North Emmet Street, Charlottesville, Virginia; 434-296-8111 or 888-882-2129; www.cavalierinn.com ) Thomas Jefferson's Monticello Jefferson's Monticello Dining at Monticello: In Good Taste and Abundance (Distributed for the Thomas Jefferson Foundation) The Road to Monticello: The Life and Mind of Thomas Jefferson Mr. Jefferson's University: A History