Italy Travel Tours

Posts Tagged ‘Venice’

The well known Italy travel highlights are pretty much a given. This includes Rome, Venice, and the Italian Riviera. With over 20 million visitors a year, more and more sites are becoming popular tourist attractions.

This is how the leaning tower of Pisa became a tourist attraction. It is unique, one of a kind and has become a World Heritage site. This tower was constructed in 1173, but there are many buildings older than this in Italy.

What most people come to see, at least on their first visit, are the old Roman ruins to give visitors a feel for how much Rome has expanded from this time. One of the oldest is the Pantheon. The construction on this temple was started in 27 BC. When it was constructed, the Pantheon was on the outskirts of Rome. Because of fires, the present day Pantheon is the third one that has been built. The present day building was rebuilt starting in 126 AD. This building has been in continuous use since it was first constructed. Since the 7th century, it has been a Roman Catholic Church that is dedicated to Saint Mary and the Martyrs.

The Roman Coliseum was constructed in 80 AD.  It too has seen the effects of fire and earthquakes that have left it in disrepair. It had been in continuous use until the early 19 century when finally, because of the numerous earthquakes and fires, it has become only a place for tourists and as a sacred place where so many Christians were sacrificed.

There are also the canals of Venice where over 400 bridges crossing the waterways can be found. Florence is in the heart of Tuscany. This is home to the renaissance period where works from Machiavelli and Michelangelo can be found.

Sorrento is the kind of Italian town that most people think of when imagining Italy. This city overlooks the Tyrrhenian Sea, on top of high cliffs.

These are just a few of the better known Italy travel highlights. With so much to see, it is nearly impossible to mention them all.

The northern Italy travel destinations    do not include the famed Rome, but there is so much more than that old empire’s capital that Italy has to offer. One of the most luxurious places in all of Italy is Liguria or the Italian Riviera. This is the smallest of the 22 regions in Italy but for its size, there is more than enough to see. This is also where the city of Genoa is located.

The most prosperous industrial region is Lombardy, located in the northwestern part of the country. This is a rugged mountain area, along with wide stretching plains. This is the region where Milan is located. The Lake region is also here, along with the Italian Alps which reach for the sky.

In the northeastern part of the country is the famed Venice. Most visitors to this part of the country arrive in Milan and take the scenic 175-mile train ride to Venice. While on this route, travelers will pass through Brescia, Verona, Vicenza, and Padua.

In Brescia, there are Roman ruins and the Monastery of Santa Giulia with three churches in its walls.

Verona is the world famous setting of Romeo and Giulietta. This is also referred to as the Florence of the North, due to its valuable art.

Vicenza is the home town of the famous architect Palladio.

The oldest botanical garden in all of Europe is in Padua. This town is so close to Venice many visitors stay here and take the day train when they wish to visit the city.

If a straight shot from Milan to Venice is preferred, then the train ride will last less than 3 hours, but there is so much in between as northern Italy travel destinations along the way.

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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.

There are many travel tours in Italy. The reasons are obvious since there is so much rich history there along with things and places to see that exist nowhere else in the world. When thinking of Italy most tourist think of visiting Rome, Venice and Florence, but there is so much more.

One place that is not very well known but is unforgettable is the Cinque Terre National Park. This park is part of the coast line that is just east of the port of Genoa. Located in the north western part of the country near France and Monaco, the climate is mild and the sea breeze peaceful. This is also where the sheer cliffs of the Appenine Mountains drop off to the sea for a fantastic view.

South of this national park is the region of Tuscany. This is the area of Italy this is filling with rolling hills where many Italians, generations ago started their vineyards. The most famous of these wineries are in the Chianti Hills. For a sense of history there is the medieval town of San Gimignano which has distinctive towers along with other buildings that take you back in time.

This is what dots the landscape between the mountains and the valleys where rivers are too numerous to count.

The Romans brought olive trees from the Middle East over 2000 years ago which is now the source of liquid gold or the Tuscan Olive Oil.

When taking travel tours in Italy make sure you experience one of the many Roman roads that are still in good shape and are used to help give you the real Italian adventure.

A most distinct area of Northern Italy tours that will entice you with its charm is the Veneto region.  It consists of seven provinces and the cities of Mestre, Verona, Venice, and Padua.  Veneto exists in the northeast, between the Dolomite mountain range and the Adriatic Sea.

Veneto is a prime wine making region of Italy with more than 20 well known wines made from German and French grapes and produced into Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Merlot.

Accommodations in this exciting region of the country are abundant and include private homes and cottages as a possibility for your lodging.  For example, for June 2010 you can book a 2 bedroom apartment in Venice within walking distance to the canals for $826.00 for a four night stay.  In San Peitro di Feletto a three bedroom villa can be rented for $1,404.00 for four nights.

Many websites can help you with your accommodations and many have a minimum number of nights for your stay.  Contact your tour representative for assistance with lodging.

The locals believe every trip to Italy must include a trip to Venice where cars are forbidden and all travel is by foot, boat or bicycle.  For this reason, time in Venice seems to stand still.  Modern life is forgotten in this ancient city with a lifestyle that is preserved.

Venice is one of the honeymoon capitals of Europe for its romantic nature.  But it is also famous for its food markets and abundance of seafood.   In fact, the city’s proximity to the ocean make the seafood dishes in Venice world class and famous.

The other mandatory stop on your Italian trip is Florence.  Florence is the cradle of the renaissance and the works of Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael and Botticelli are in full splendor throughout the city’s many museums and churches.

Consider custom Northern Italy tours when you chose to travel to this marvelous country.  Our blog host, Federica will work with you to design the perfect tour plan that will be just perfect for you.  Contact her at Tuscany With Me.

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.

Traveler’s vacations to Italy needn’t be complicated or overwhelming.  With a little time and research, anyone can plan an excellent trip that will provide a lifetime of memories.

First of all, begin by asking friends and colleagues about their experiences in Europe.  Do they have a travel agent they recommend or did they rely on a website for their planning?  More and more vacationers are turning to the web for all their research, whether it’s the history of the country, flight schedules or prices and hotels and itineraries.

Americans often book trips to Rome, Florence and Venice, and with good reason.  These ancient cities are the cultural capitals of Italy housing centuries old works of art in classic structures built for the ages.  Likewise, the cuisine in these cities is remarkable.  You won’t go home hungry.

However you would do yourself an injustice to overlook the lesser known villages in this beautiful country.  Rustic and charming, life in the places off the beaten path is often the most memorable.   Locals welcome tourists to their little corner of the world and it is not uncommon to be invited into the home or vineyard of an Italian-born citizen.  The Italians take great pride in their offerings and are eager to share.

If you are not invited into a private home or winery, why not give your tired feet a break with an afternoon spent at an outdoor café.  Europeans have talked politics and gossip from the little metal chairs and tables that are set out in all weather except rain.

If you plan to travel extensively in the country you will want to enlist the services of a local guide, many of whom are on the internet.  They make vacations to italy pleasurable and stress-free and would be happy to serve you.  We recommend that you contact “Tuscany with Me” for a fabulous and unforgettable vacation.