Italy Travel Tours

Posts Tagged ‘Milan’

In the summer, Northern Italy Tours have more to offer than what most people expect. There are ancient cities, medieval castles, old salt smuggler trails leading into the mountains along with the Alps themselves that can be a welcome break for the summer heat.

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The most visited and enjoyed of the northern Italy attractions is a tossup between Venice and the Clinque Terre, but no matter where you end up going, the main airport in the north is in Milan. This is the starting point for nearly all of the tours of Northern Italy.

Milan has many attractions to get your trip off to a new start. It was first conquered by the Romans in 222 BC from the Celtics that founded this city in about 400 BC. It was also the western Capital of the Roman Empire until 402 AD. There are numerous ancient Roman buildings along with Gothic architecture.

Venice is a destination no one should miss. This is a city made up of 117 small islands and as most know, the streets are canals filled with water. The history of this city stretches back to 10 BC and was fought over by many invading armies. The structures found there are Roman along with gothic that have Byzantine and Arab influences that can be visibly seen.

There are some that feel this is a tourist trap city, but the history of it keeps people coming back for more. For this reason a brief visit is recommended.

The Clinque Terre is a set of 5 sea side towns on the cliffs. They are towns that have turned back time to a simpler way of life. The choice of tours can be either by sea or land. What is fascinating is that each one of these towns is connected by a scenic footpath that is hundreds of years old and still used today.

You can see each town from the sea and at certain points on the cliffs, but the walking trail is for those of you in relatively good shape. Some of the distances take up to 90 minutes of walking to cover between towns.

In the further reaches of the north are the Lake Como and Lake Orta. These are inland away from the sea. There you can have a tranquil experience of just what life was like in Old Italy.

This is some of what you can experience in the summer time with Northern Italy tours. With so much to see, a week is not long enough to enough everything so more than one trip is recommended.

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There are Northern Italy tours that are economical with transportation by train and bus. For those that want something a little more intimate, there are also guided tours in the back of a limousine with your own private chauffeur. The choice is yours considering the amount of money you are willing to spend.

Regardless of the mode of transportation you have decided to use, the places will be the same. The northern part of Italy has many villages and historical sites that are enjoyed by travelers from around the world. One site most travelers stop and see is Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper. This famous painting is located on the back wall in the dining hall at Santa Maria delle Grazie which is located in Milan.

Also located in the north is the town of Saint Francis where masterpieces created by Giotto and Cimabue can be found. This town has other mystical qualities with the ancient walls still standing to help transport tourists to a long ago time.

For those wishing to ski or go mountain climbing, the Italian Alps are located at the northern extreme of the country, or the beautiful water roads of Venice can be enjoyed.

The temperature in this upper region is also ideal for the growing of grapes which is why so many of the best wineries are located here.

Lake Orta is the place for romance. The tiny village of Orta San Giulio on the lake’s edge is the destination for many Italian couples as the perfect place for their wedding. On the lake is the island of San Giulio that is the home of many monks from the Benedictine Monastery of Mater Ecclesiae.

These are just a few examples of what is in store for tourists on the many Northern Italy tours that are available.

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With off-the-beaten-path Italian vacations, they can take you to places most not only have not gone to but never heard of. These are once-in-a-lifetime experiences that few people get to enjoy. These experiences are not like off the beaten paths in America where most would be thinking of exploring some rarely-gone-to wilderness area.

These types of vacations do not mean you have to avoid the star attractions like Rome, Venice, and Milan, but spending too much time there will take away for more unique experiences that is your aim.

But there are places in the tourist areas that are not well known or seen, like the La Donna Partigiana. This is the hidden statue of Venice. This statue is at the Riva Dei Sette Martiri at the water’s edge of the Castello area. During high tide, the statue is literally hidden under water. Low tide is the only time this statue, dedicated to the women that served and died in WWII, can be seen.

Just north of Rieto and south of Terni is the picturesque village of Piediluco. This island is set beside a lake by the same name. The trees in autumn are a site that will not be soon forgotten. The church at one end of town has high quality art work inside, and the village has numerous B&Bs for tourists to stay in while enjoying this peaceful little village.

On the upper west side of Italy is the Marche region. This is a place that has fantastic beaches that most tourists have never seen or heard of before. By staying off the beaten path, Italian vacations that are spent there are of authentic Italy that is not experienced by most visitors to this historic land.

When planning a trip to Italy the first thing you’ll want to decide is the time of year for your travel.    Summer is the most popular time.  Temperatures are attractive and the country with its flowers and gardens is its most beautiful.

The downside is prices for everything are generally higher in the peak season and many of the locals leave to take vacations for themselves.  This is particularly true in the large cities like Rome, Naples, Florence, Milan and Venice.  Europeans typically enjoy six weeks of vacation time and they think nothing of leaving home for an entire month.

However even when residents are vacationing elsewhere, there are millions of Italians ready to welcome you to their proud and beautiful country.

Do you want to plan your trip so you have total freedom to venture where you want at will?  Many Americans do this and come home with memorable stories and photographs.  Still others enlist the services of a guide service which can organize large group travel or small.

Large companies rent tour buses for their group which hails from throughout the U.S.  They have a regular schedule of trips and they enjoy a relationship with various hotels and restaurants that ensure large blocks of space for a busload of tourists.

Or, you may chose to find a smaller, more personal tour guide such as the sponsor of this Blog at Tuscany With Me.  This company excels at a small group of friends who enjoy traveling together.  It may be a family reunion as the reason for the holiday travel and the tour guide can learn in advance the nature of the trip before selecting sites and locales.

Whether you are celebrating a wedding, or an anniversary or a graduation, planning a trip to italy is a wonderful way to mark a rite of passage.