Home of the Renaissance, Italy has it all. It is bursting with beauty, history, art and culture. A country of contrasts you can spend a day hiking up the Alps or wandering the streets of Rome or shopping in Milan or floating down the canals of Venice in a gondola. The best time to visit the country is in spring (April-May) or autumn (October-November), when the temperatures are pleasant and the crowds are less. In August most Italians take their vacations, and many shops and businesses are closed as a result. Italy is a nation with incredible history and tradition, superb quality and great quantity of artistic treasures, more than 100,000 magnificent monuments and buildings. Ancient ruins, precious art, timeless city, beautiful countryside, Italian cuisine and warm hospitality, attract millions of tourists to come to this amazing country for a unforgettable vacation.
Bologna, a busy and bustling city, has one of Europe's oldest universities, and is a fascinating place to stroll around, with its many medieval towers, arcaded streets, historic churches, palaces, galleries and museums. Bologna also enjoys an enviable situation on the southern edge of the central plain, close to the foothills of the Appenines, which offer many possibilities for walks and drives among beautiful mountain scenery. The seaside resorts of the Adriatic coast are just 80 kms distant, as is the beautiful town of Ravenna with its wonderful mosaics.
Florence If Rome is the city of history, Florence is the city of art. Home of the Renaissance the city is stamped with medieval art and architecture, with every artist of the period featuring their work in the city.
Milan is a powerhouse of industry and commerce and, together with Turin, is home to some of Europe's most successful companies such as Fiat and Olivetti. Both cities are sophisticated centres of culture, the opera house of La Scala in Milan being famous world-wide, almost as much for the enthusiasm of its audience as for its wonderful performances. Turin and Milan vie for supremacy as the fashion capital of Europe, and both cities offer wonderful shopping; Milan in its great arcades and Turin along the imposing Via Roma, and the adjoining arcades. Turin probably offers the best in food and wine, while Milan's Cathedral, or Duomo, is among the finest anywhere. There's plenty for connoisseurs of art and history, and all this combined with a lively nightlife, makes a stay in either of these cities a thoroughly rewarding experience.
Naples & Pompei Travelling south of Rome, you will find the beautiful city of Naples, nestled into a majestic bay, it is one of Europe’s most densely populated and vibrant cities. Just short trip from Naples is the ancient city of Pompeii. Buried by a volcanic eruption from Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, it was excavated in the 1700s. Today it provides a fascinating insight into the life and times of the Ancient Romans. The coastline south of Naples is among the most spectacular anywhere. The ancient towns of Sorrento, Positano and Amalfi cling to the mountainside, along which winds the only road, offering stunning vistas of crystal clear sea. From Sorrento, on the Bay of Naples, take the fast catamaran to Capri, island of beauty and legend. Stroll through the narrow colourful streets of Amalfi and Positano. Take the bus along the coast in one direction and return by boat, by far the loveliest way to experience this superb area.
Rome is a beautiful city of history. As it is home of the Roman Empire and the Catholic Church, you will find amazing monuments, churches, tombs and buildings. One visit to Rome and you will be dying to come back and do it all over again.
Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean, is easily reached by car ferry across the short Straits of Messina. It offers something for everyone. The sea sparkles on the warm volcanic sands of its many beaches; the numerous invaders of history have left a rich and varied architectural heritage; the lush coast rises quickly to a mountainous and impressively desolate interior, over which the smoking crater of Etna looms ominously. Visit the Valley of the Temples near the attractive town of Arigento; stroll the wide and impressive streets of Catania; enjoy the many Baroque sights in the busy capital, Palermo, and marvel at the 8,000 mummies preserved in its catacombs; take in the Greek and Roman remains in the ancient city of Syracuse. The delicious and often rather spicy cuisine of Sicily and its many excellent wines add a finishing touch to a holiday in this fascinating part of Italy.
Venice is unlike anywhere else in the world. Set in the lagoon, it is completely dominated by water. Leave your car at the end of the causeway. There are no roads, so movement around the city is by motorised water-buses, or, if you're feeling romantic, by gondola. All goods are moved by boat, and all this water-borne activity gives a feeling of being in a city on another planet. As you walk through the narrow streets, wonderful sights are around every corner; palaces at the end of dead-end alleys, small squares with superb medieval churches, canals with their arched bridges; and suddenly and unexpectedly you emerge from some small passage into the brilliant sunlit space of St Mark's Square. Several days are needed to do justice to this amazing city, and try to avoid the mid-summer holiday peak when it can be uncomfortably crowded.
Verona is forever associated with the story of Romeo and Juliet, and Juliet's house, with its famous balcony, is a much visited attraction. The other great draw is the almost perfectly preserved Roman amphitheatre, where open-air performances of the great Italian operas take place throughout the summer. Take a cushion - stone seats are hard! Verona is a great base for visiting the other cities of northern Italy, and is just an hour's drive from lovely Lake Garda and the Alpine foothills. North of the city are countless acres of vineyards producing millions of litres of some of Italy's most famous wines, among them Valpolicella, Soave and Bardolino.
