by Cristiano Rubbi
Amalfi Coast - Do you wish to see a lovely coastline with a sprinkling of picturesque villages and houses along the slopes of hills overlooking the sea? Then your choice has to be the Amalfi Coast. Between the see, the hills facing it and the colorful dwellings characteristic of the local countryside, you are sure to be enchanted by the beauty of it all. The larger towns, such as Amalfi, Positano, Ravello and Sorrento, provide that additional charm which makes the area so unique.
Pompeii - Just imagine: its late in the evening, people are either going to sleep or doing their ordinary chores at home and all of a sudden there is a terrible noise, ashes and gas invade streets and houses; in a matter of minutes the whole city is dead. People have been caught unprepared and their bodies will remain forever in exactly their position at that time. This is what happened in Pompeii about 2000 years ago and now you can see casts that have been made of both men and animals, in addition to whole streets with buildings particularly well preserved.
Rome - Rome, Caput Mundi, or the Eternal City! You pick the name you wish; they all fit perfectly this wonderful city. It dates back nearly 3000 years, but if you tour Rome you will be surprise to see how well antiquity mergers with modern living. The Colosseum and the Forum sit next to the Monument to the Unknown Soldier, Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps are located close to the main thoroughfares of the city and St. Peters Basilica is in the vicinity of a railway station, while the Pantheon is only at a very short distance from the present Senate.
Florence - Piazza della Signoria, the Uffizi, the Academy Gallery, the Old Bridge, Palazzo della Signoria, Michelangelo’s David and a host of other places and artistic masterpieces are probably familiar to people all over the world. All this and much more is Florence, a city that, together with the rest of Tuscany, gave the world so many magnificent artists who created the Renaissance and as many scientists who contributed immensely to the progress of Western Civilization. Think of astronomer Galileo Galilei, scientist and painter Leonardo da Vinci and 15-16th century navigator Amerigo Vespucci (he called America, after his own name, the newly discovered continent).
Chianti Region - Are you a wine connoisseur or do you like wine, in any case? Then you cant miss a tour of the Chianti area. The countryside is covered with beautiful vineyards and the soft colors of the landscape add charm to extremely enjoyable trip. Obviously wine-tasting must be part of the tour, as will a stop at a farm to be introduced to the secrets of the art of wine-production by experts on the field.
Pisa - Pisa equals Leaning Tower. That’s the formula in everybody’s mind. True, but the Leaning Tower is only one of the four buildings facing Piazza dei Miracoli, or Miracle Square. The Cathedral, for instance, is a glorious building of the Middle Ages, the Baptistery is approximately from the same period, while the inner court of the 12th century Cemetery is sacred soil because the top layer of the ground was brought to Pisa by crusaders returning from the Holy Land.
Siena - Would you be disappointed if you were to go to Siena, but could not attend the Palio? You probably would, and this would be quite understandable, considering the prominence given to the Palio by all international media. However, even if you didn’t manage to watch the ceremony of the Palio, Siena, you would soon find out, has in store many fine surprises. Its buildings and the layout of its streets are truly admirable examples of Medieval architecture and they are equally impressive as their more famous counterparts in Florence.
Venice - Hordes of tourists pour into Venice all the time to visit this unique city. Its canals constantly crossed by picturesque gondolas are a pole of attraction for everyone since they provide the unusual view of houses lapped directly by water and of boats going past day and night. The architecture of the city is necessarily particular, but the style of the buildings is always elegant and in harmony with the environment. Take, for instance, St. Mark’s Basilica and the Clock-tower and Bell-tower nearby.
About the Author:
Cristiano Rubbi, having travelled extensively throughout Italy, long ago decided to make his experience available to foreign tourists visiting Italy. His Company specializes in providing incoming tourist service, as you will notice on the Nice & Easy Travel
website. Join
his forum and / or enter his guestbook. Want more? Send him an email to info@niceandeasytravel.it.