ITALY
Italy is a European Union country geographically located in south-central Europe, but is usually considered part of western Europe. Italy is a peninsula (famously shaped like a boot), bordered by the Alps to the north and surrounded by several islands. The country is bordered by France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, and completely surrounds the enclaved microstates of Vatican City and San Marino. With around 60 million inhabitants, Italy is the fourth-most populous member state of the European Union.
Italy is considered to be one of the world's most culturally and economically advanced countries, with its economy ranking eighth-largest in the world and third in the Eurozone by nominal GDP. It is home to many famous cultural sites and sights, including the Roman Colosseum, Venice, the ancient ruined city of Pompeii, many famous churches, cathedrals and religious sites, along with famous works of art and architecture. In fact, Italy is home to the largest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites (55), and is the fifth-most visited country in the world.
Italy is also known for its fine Mediterranean cuisine. Visitors to Italy will enjoy some of the world's finest wines, some of the finest espresso and coffees in Europe, along with pastas, pizzas, Mediterranean seafood, salumi (cold cut meats), cheeses, and plenty of tomato and olive dishes. For dessert, diners will enjoy gelato, tiramisu, cassata, and unique Italian dishes such as cannoli (which blend cheeses with pistachios, cacao, or other sweets).
LETTERBOX:
The cache is not at the posted coordinates. They are your starting point, however.
To find ITALY you will start at the posted coordinates and follow these letterbox clues. You will need to do some research on a few important cultural sites in Italia in order to find the cache.
(1) Starting at the posted coordinates, follow the trail in a clockwise direction. Continue along the trail as it curves north, and continue until the trail intersects with the following latitude: W 113° AB.CDE. AB.CDE is the radius of the duomo in the Roman Pantheon. There is a picture of the duomo below for you to look at, but you'll probably need to do a bit of web-searching for the exact number. For even more fun with Italian and Vatican domes, I highly recommend this cache if you are ever in Italy!
(2) Once you arrive at W 113° AB.CDE, mark a waypoint as you stand in the middle of the trail. You are now FG meters away from the cache! FG is the height of the campanile in St. Mark's Square in Venice.
(3) The cache is located between the trail and the river, but is closer to the latter than the former. If you've already solved the rest of the EU CARW2020 series, you should be able to narrow it down very close based on the "161 meter proximity rule". If not, just follow a line in the forest at FG meters away from your previous waypoint and you'll eventually bump into it.
As a letterbox cache, ITALY contains a stamp. This is not a trading item, so please leave it in the cache. Please don't remove the uva either. There is room for trades in the cache however, so please feel free to swap.
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This cache has been placed for CARW2020
1. This CARW2020 cache will be published about 6pm on Thursday, February 20, 2020.
2. This cache has been placed for the CARW event with the intention that it not be located prior to 9:00 a.m. Saturday February 22, 2020. The caches for the CARW event are released early so that the geocaching community has an opportunity to plan their routes and strategies prior to the event start.
3. Should you hunt and find this cache before the event start, it will not count for the event, and FTF points are only valid as of 9AM February 22nd.
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The dome (duomo) of the Pantheon, Rome:
Oh look what you found! Just in case you need it- final is at N 53° 36.370 W 113° 21.597