Hints and tips:
...Abandoned since the 7th century, its yawning marble squares, fractured by cold winters and earthquakes, are pierced with high weeds....
...Corinthian columns are topped with Neoclassical statues, each representing a key industry of the city: navigation, commerce, manufacture, art, science and agriculture....
...The 38-storey tower faces Park Avenue across a broad plaza of pink Vermont granite, bordered on either side by reflecting pools and ledges of verde antique marble....
...Better yet, the main entrance is flanked by two Renaissance marble lions, sculpted for the Medici by Paolo Triscorni and mentioned by Pushkin in his great narrative poem The Bronze Horseman....
...Each marble bathroom has a spa tub and you have shared use of a 25m pool, gym, 24-hour security and concierge. Who: Savills, www.savills.com/international, tel: +44 (0)20 7016 3740 ………………………………………….....
...One example is Levantina, the maker of marble tiles and granite kitchen worktops, which was bought for €540m (£458m) by Charterhouse Capital of the UK and Impala of Spain four years ago....
...Granite, marble, glass and chrome dominate, and high-end refrigerators are likely to be stocked with food from UK retailer Marks & Spencer....
...It built a pizza oven (pictured above) with granite and marble scraps that were designated to be thrown out by Home Depot....
...Marble-and-granite baths, waffle-weave robes, large Brazilian combed-cotton towels and Molton Brown toiletries make bathing a real relaxation. Be prepared to spend $300 a night....
International Edition