Italy: A tour of Italy

Your dream vacation is awaiting you in magnificent Italy. The country has so much to offer with beautiful landscaped surroundings, museums, churches, vineyards, shopping, and delightful cuisine.

Rome

A visit to Italy is not complete without visiting its capital Rome. It is the largest city in Italy with over 2000 years of history, art, and exquisite architecture.

Vatican City

Vatican City is located on the west bank of the Tiber. It is best known for the spectacular St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Palace, the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican Museum, and the special guided tours through the Vatican Gardens.

Valle d’Aosta

Valle d’Aosta with its picturesque ruins of castles, fine ski resorts, and popular hiking and climbing destinations within the Gran Paradiso National Park is a place to add to your trip.

Lombardy

Lombardy is an affluent region with temperate climate, fertile soil, and spectacular lakes. The high northern mountains make it an excellent retreat for skiers, hikers, and climbers.

Milan

Milan is Italy’s rival to Paris with international character, astonishing skyscrapers, modern art, and breathtaking fashion.

Cremona

Cremona is a charismatic haven of historic architecture and the birthplace of the Stradivarius violin. No trip is complete without stopping at the Museo Stradivariano to view various Stradivarius musical instruments or the Museo Civico to admire numerous displays of mosaics and relics from the Romaneque period.

The Lakes

For water lovers, the great northern region has a multitude of lakes running down onto the plains from the Alps. Three can’t miss lakes in the most attractive Lake Como, the most elegant Lake Maggiore, and the most wildest and spectacular Lake Garda.

Verona

Verona was the setting for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Thousands of visitors each year visit the Casa di Giuletta (Juliet’s House), a beautiful little Medieval home with a balcony and enchanting courtyard. A can’t miss is also the Roman Arena which was built in 290 AD and during the summer stages an opera festival with night time performances.

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Italy: Tourist Attractions

Italy has so much to offer in popular cities such as Venice, Rome, Florence, and Tuscany. Each city is filled with museums, galleries, picturesque countryside, architecture, restaurants, and shopping.

Tuscany Attractions

Tuscany is one of the most spectacular destinations in the world and is the home to Florence, Lucca, Siena, and Pisa. The Uffizi Gallery in Florence has paintings, sculptures, and other masterpieces from the artists Leonardo, Michelangelo, Rafaello, Rubans, and Rembrandt.

The Tower of Pisa constructed in 1173 is the bell tower of the Cathedral in Pisa. Because of the soft ground, soon after construction began the tower began to lean to one side. In 2001, after more than 12 years of repairs, the tower was re-opened to the public. Guided visits for small groups are permitted and require extreme physical fitness to climb the over 300 winding steps up a narrow staircase.

Rome Attractions

A trip to Italy is not complete without a visit to the Vatican City. Nothing is more spectacular than a tour of the Vatican Museums, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, Vatican Gardens, and St. Peter’s Square.

In Rome, the Colosseum built by emperor Vesapasiano in 80 AD for gladiator fights is open to the public permitting guided tours throughout the immense structure.

Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Steps) is a series of steps with Trinita’ dei Monti church residing at the top and Fontana della Barcaccia fountain residing at the bottom. The piazza is a popular summer tourist destination with lots of local vendors.

Don’t miss out on tossing a coin in the Fontana di Trevi built in the 1700s. Legend says that whoever throws a coin in the fountain and makes a wish will return to visit Rome at least one more time.

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Italy: Touring Vineyards

Italy is famous for it spectacular wines and a tour of Italy is not complete without at least one visit to a vineyard. The country produces wine from 20 major growing regions and more than 2000 grape variations, which means a vineyard or two is not hard to find.

Planning a visit to an Italian winery can be easily arranged through a tour company or done on your own. Organized wine tours are good choice for most tourists. Day trip and multi-day tour packages can be planned with numerous tour providers throughout the region, and most offer meals and accomodations along the way.

Countless multi-day excursions feature relaxing slow-paced vineyard exploration with highlights including top notch accomodations in Italian villas, five star meals, and beautiful views to create a truly memorable trip. For a less expensive experience, organized single day trips are a great way to get a taste of Italy’s wine culture and see beautiful local vineyards.

When planning a tour on your own, it is very imporant to arrange in advance and confirm plans as many vineyards offer tours but only for a few hours a day and not many days throughout the year. Many vineyards do not have tasting rooms or permit tours for visitors so plan ahead so you don’t end up doing little more than just viewing the vineyards from afar.

The Movimento Turismo del Vino group was created in 1993 to help tourists connect with wineries that are open to the public and accept visitors. They have a website with information on all wine-producing regions within Italy and provide links with suggested itineraries for visitors to follow. They also sponsor several wine-related events and festivals annually for you which you can plan your Italian trip accordingly.

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Italy: Tips for Travelers

Traveling to a foreign land is suppose to be enjoyable, relaxing, and a way to take in the surroundings.  Keep these things in mind to have an enjoyable Italian vacation.

Touring

  • Wear comfortable shoes as walking is to be expected.
  • Dress appropriately when visiting museums and churches. Many expect shoulders, knees and midriff areas to be covered.
  • Wear stylish clothing to fit in with Italians as they take much pride in their appearances
  • Be aware that not all places allow pictures to be taken since flash photography can over time fade and damage masterpieces
  • Keep cell phones off and refrain from eating during museum and church tours
  • Be mindful of business hours as many close between 1 and 4 pm for leisure lunches
  • Italy is predominantly Catholic, so many stores and businesses are closed on Sunday
  • Museums are often closed one day a week, usually on Monday
  • Serious crime is not a norm, but pickpockets and purse snatching is common. Keep valuables safe and secure at all times.

Shopping

  • Keep track of your purchases as US Customs will inquire upon return to the states. Goods under $800 can be brought in duty free.
  • Know your size ahead of time because shops don’t allow trying on shirts and blouses.
  • Italian stores frown upon returns and exchanges even if the item is flawed

Dining

  • Reservations are required for most fine dining experiences
  • Don’t ask for water unless it is bottled due to high chlorination.
  • Italians take their food as served, so asking for dressing on the side is uncommon.
  • Don’t wait for you check, you must ask for it.
  • Expect to pay a 10%-15% service charge which is added to your restaurant bill
  • Include a small tip on top if the service was excellent
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Italy: Cuisine and Specialties

Italian cuisine is much more than pasta and pizza. Italy has one of the most diverse samplings of foods in the world and each region has food specialties to tempt the taste buds of hungry travelers.

Contrary to popular belief, pasta and tomato sauce is a small pittance of the Italian kitchen. It is more common to find national specialties include gnocchi (semolina dumplings), Parmigiano (parmesan cheese), pesto (basil, pine nuts, and pecorino cheese), and bagna caoda (anchovy dip).

Traditionally, Northern cuisine was based on a hearty staple of potatoes and rice rich meals, Central cuisine was influenced by pasta, roasts, and meats, and Southern cuisine relied on vegetables, pasta, seafood, and pizza. Cross-influence of regions flavor has now smudged the line between traditional offerings of the North, Central, and Southern regions.

Travel through Tuscany and the most noted dishes include flavorful beans. Some parts of the Italian region enjoy rich risottos, staples of potatoes, lentils, and soups, while others dine on vegetarian cuisine and hearty cheeses including mozzarella, pecorino, and gorgonzola. Italian food is based on varying ingredients and discriminating tastes, that often seem strange to visitors.

Traditional work day meals include a small breakfast, one-dish lunch, and one dish dinner. Coffee is the drink of choice and often ends a meal. Breakfast is very light and consists of cappuccino or coffee with a pastry or bread with fruit jam.

Lunch is considered the most important meal of the day and Italians have one hour reserved for eating. In the past a second hour was reserved for napping, which accounts for why many shops in small towns still close down for a two hour break during the day.

Dinner is always late in the evening and customarily eaten at 8pm. Weekend and restaurant meals typically has several courses; antipasto (appetizer), primo (rice or pasta), secondo (meat or fish) served with a side dish known as contorno, and dolce (dessert).

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