Travel Destination: Italy
About Italy
Italy is a feast for the senses. It has the culture, the grace, the vibe and the attitude of a place that has the right mix—traditions, food, fashion, arts and economy. The list can go on and on but no words can really capture the real beauty of Italy.
The world enjoys what Italy brings to it. Some of its major exports are firearms (Beretta), motor vehicles (Ducati, Piaggio, Aprilia, Fiat Group), luxury vehicles (Maserati, Lamborghini, Pagani, Ferrari), food (Barilla, Ferrero, Campari, Parmalat) fashion (Versace, Valentino, Armani, Roberto Cavalli, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Benetton), electricity, home appliances and more.
Exploring Italy is like visiting a living museum. From Etruscan to ancient Rome to middle ages to monarchy to world wars to present republic form, Italy has managed to find its identity amidst the influx of various concepts.
To describe the cultural heritage of Italy is to visit its museums, galleries, monuments, buildings and architecture, listen to renaissance and romantic music or watch classic movies. Think visual artists Leonardo da Vinci, Donatello, Botticelli, Bernini, Raphael, Titian and Bernini or music geniuses Vivaldi, Verdi, Puccini, Paganini and Palestrina to get a good picture.
Currently there are 43 UNESCO World Heritage Sites around Italy. Some of these are the Rock Drawings in Valcamonica in Lombardy, Historic Centre of Rome, Historic Centre of Florence in Tuscany, Venice and its Lagoon in Veneto, I Sassi di Matera in Basilicata and the Early Christian Monuments and Mosaics of Ravenna in Emilia-Romagna. These beauties all the more enhance the urban landscape and even complement modern buildings. Italy’s biggest cities by population are Rome, Milan, Naples, Turin, Palermo, Genoa, Bologna, Florence, Bari, Catania, Venice and Verona. Each city is an art gallery.
If you’re a fan of Italian food, you wouldn’t get disappointed. Breakfast usually consists of sweet pastry called brioche and cappuccino or espresso. Lunch starts with antipasto (appetizer) followed with main courses which is either pasta, rice or soup or the primo piatto, a secondo piatto which is either fish or meat with contorno (salad or vegetable), frutta or fruits for dessert and to cap the hearty meal is to drink espresso or liqueur (grappa or amaro). Dinner is usually a lighter version of the lunch. Any city has ristoranti (for fine dining or family-run fancy restaurant), trattoria or osteria (less formal than ristoranti, best for local specialties), panineria (sandwich bar, best if you’re just looking to get a quick meal), and pizzeria (pizza, pasta and more). Wines are usually part of the gastronomic fare and Italy produces some of the best wines. Complement the rich but healthy Italian food with dessert wines such as Marsala, Moscato and Malvasia from Sicily while sparkling wines are usually from Tuscany, Piedmont, Veneto and the islands.
A vacation is always punctuated with R&R. Like most European countries spas abound in Italy as well. Naples and Tuscany are famous spa destinations. There are major thermal spa facilities in Ischia, Fiuggi, Montecatini, Chianciano, Abano and Salsomaggiore.
Beaches are also popular tourist spots. Italy has many beaches along the Mediterranean, Sardinian, Ligurian, Tyrrhenian, Sicilian and Ionian Seas. Sun and sea worshippers would enjoy Italy’s 7,600-kilometre coastline for their swimming, sunbathing, sailing, diving, snorkelling and other water sports activities. Check out Sicily, Veneto, Marches, Latium, Emilia-Romagna, Calabria or Abruzzo and get that golden tan in their Blue Flag beaches.
Italy is famous for a lot of things, fashion, arts, culture, gorgeous people and very rich history. There are 20 regions to explore and finding your favourite spot may challenge you more than you can imagine.