Italy

General Info

August 2023

Should I mention pizza and spaghetti, and maybe gelati. Ok I did it right now. Apéro time should not be missed in Italy. Order an Apérol Spritz, a glass of wine and you will be served a dish of all sorts of niblets. When dining out three to four courses are common. You start with an antipasto. That's the dish before the pasta dish. Never miss latter. As I have already mentioned, spaghetti belongs to Italy. What about risotto. Milan is famous for its saffron risotto. Have you ever tasted pasta with truffles (tartufi), it's delicious? The third dish is the one which many foreigners don't mind to miss. It's meat or fish and vegetable or salad. Have a Tiramisu to finish your meal. Whenever I go to Italy, first thing I do is having a real Italian coffee at a bar. Cappuccinos are only ordered for breakfast, but this behaviour might change with the Starbucks era. I forgot to mention that fish dishes are still common, even though sea food is more often imported from the North Sea rather than caught in the Mediterranean and its price has tremendously increased during the last couple of years. To be mentioned that I had a terrific fish dinner somewhere at the coast in Gargano (In a Trabucco between Manaccora and Zaiana bay).

Take the train or aircraft for city excursions to Venice, Milan, Rome or Florence. Ferries operate out of Genua to Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily. They operate efficient and inexpensive. For a trip to Cinque Terre take the train, there's no space for cars. The same applies for the Amalfi coast. There's no trains but narrow streets topping the abyss. You can travel by boat or by bus. Clap your hands if the bus-driver succeeds to cross another bus. Rome has a metro, Milan quite an extensive tram network and in Venice you travel by vaporetto. Whoever goes on a beach holiday or likes to explore the vineyards and small towns in Piemonte, Toscana or any other province should take the car. Italy's motorway system is in a good condition but lanes are narrow and trucks are broad. Be cautious when overtaking them. You pay road toll which is about 1 EUR per 10km on the motorway with the exception of Mont Blanc tunnel which costs nearly 50 EUR to get to the other side. Make sure you are not circling around Milan during rush hours. There's also heavy traffic on summer holiday Saturdays.

Have at least one break for a gelato per day. Keep your cafeine level high, real Italian espressi are still unbeatable in spite of Nespresso and Starbucks.

Avoid Milan's circular motorway during peak hours.

Firenze

Uffizi, Duomo, Piazza della Signoria, Ponte Vecchio are just a few of Firenzes highlights. Climb the cupola of the Duomo. Spend hot afternoons at the Boboli gardens. Spend evening hours at one of Firenzes famous piazzi.

Milano

Milano is better than its fame, that's for sure. And of course, you can go there for shopping or window watching at Via Montenapoleone, if you cannot afford a piece of Dolce and Gabbana, Prada or Gucci. And by the way, don't miss to enter deli shop Pecks at Via Spadari 9. The exposition of its delicacies is unique. Climb the roof of the cathedral. There's a jungle of turrets on top. Iglesia Sta. Maria delle Grazie houses one of the most famous paintings; da Vincis Lord's Supper. Access is limited and you have to book in advance. Pinacoteca Ambrosia and Pinacoteca di Brera are worth a visit. There's a canal district where you can spend evening hours, have dinner and some drinks at the bars, some with live music.

Roma

You get bewitched of all those cultural sites. Don't miss to see Cappella Sistina in the Vatican museum. Walk from the Colosseum through Forum Romanum. See a couple of Romes churches until you get fed up with them. Have a gelato at Piazza di Spagna and walk along the nearby alleys. Throw a coin into Fontana di Trevi, but just if you want to come back to Rome.

Venezia

Is it the most romantic city of the world? Not when you are fighting for a table along Canal Grande next to the bridge of Rialto. Not when the waiters expect you to eat up your spaghetti much faster than you can eat a Hamburger at Mac Donalds. Not when you move through the tourist crowds at Piazza San Marco. But it can be romantic late at night walking along the small canals, crossing tiny bridges and not hearing anything else than water droppings and the echo of your steps on the walls. It can be romantic when the fog is covering the laguna and floating over Canal Grande during gloomy Winter days. Well, what can you do in Venice? Travel around by vaporetto, walk along the canals. Get lost in the canal-maze. Accommodation: Tripple room with shower at Residenza Universitaria Junghans, Fondamenta della Pallada at Island of Giudecca costs 70 EUR and is recommendable.

Campania

Napoli, Capri and Ischia, the tremendously steep Amalficoast, Mt. Vesuvius, the ruined roman town Pompeii. All these famous spots belong to Campania.

Its setting is less spectacular than Positano's but the piazzas and alleys are inviting for a longer stay. Hike through lemon-groves to the nearby hill-towns.

A lofty place on top of the cliffs. Walking and exploring the island, its vegetation, peaks and rocky bays is as exciting as watching celebrities in the piazzetta. You can watch sunsets from the panoramic terrace of Capri town, even better, if you are one of the lucky guys who could witness a thunder storm floating accross the sky.

A beach place at the end of the peninsula of Sorrento. There's a small path to Baia di Recommone where you can have a swim at the small bay.

It is not as dirty, as dangerous as we feared. Stroll through the narrow alleys of the old town. Watch out for the lottery ticket sellers with their canary birds. Have a closer look to the cribs and all its figures, from Mary and Joseph to Maradona and the pope. Take a cable car to the town hills and enjoy the view over the city to Mt. Vesuvius in the South.

Spectacular town at the Amalfi coast built on steep cliffs.

There's probably no other romanic site of such a huge scale. At first sight it looks like a big pile of debris. Stroll through the alleys, enter villas and temples and you will discover hundreds of little details. All the crowds disturb you at the beginning. Then you feel like a member of a lively city. Who says, Pompeii is a necropolis.

Built high above the coast. You feel like an eagle when watching down to the sea from one of the palace's terrace.

Nightlife and shopping is not better than in Napoli but it is easier. Everything is close and of walking distance.

The perfect base for excusions to Capri, Amalfi and the nearby beaches. A town with lively alleys, restaurants and pubs. Go down to Marina Grande and enjoy a fish dinner at one of the seafront restaurants. For those, who don't want to miss night life, it's the place to stay.

Emilia-Romagna

You should not only traverse the flats of river Po on the motorway, which is the most boring way of travelling. Take the slow road along corn fields, traversing small towns with their inclined campaniles, always having the clouds hanging low and the wide horizon in front of you.

The center of the town is free of motorized traffic. There's lot's of cyclists criss-crossing the piazzas. Are we really in Italy or somewhere in Holland?

Gorgeous place when I was spending holidays with my teenage friends. XXL size discos. Crowded beaches. Crowds are flooding Rimini and its satellites Riccione and Cattolica.

Liguria

The strip of land where the alps hit the Mediterranean Sea. It's the extension of the famous Côte d'Azur providing almost the same glamour.

Landmark of the city is its row of houses along the beach. It's a bit poshly but also antiquated.

One of the most picturesque port towns in Italy. Its promenade along the sea-front is unique.

A medieval town built on top of a hill overlooking the sea.

Only been there to wait on the ferry to Sardegna or Sicilia.

The picturesque old town is separated by a heavily frequented road from the beach. A castle is topping the town.

One of the posh places in Italy. The meeting point of stars and starlets. It is situated in a small bay. Restaurants are built next to each other along the seafront. Its piazza is spectacular.

A good place to stay when visiting the Portofino peninsula. It has a nice old town, a gravel stone beach and a couple of restaurants and bars.

Resembles Monte Carlo. There's a lot of traffic but also an abandoned old town.

Seaside resort with a wide beach and a small old town.

Colourful buildings, 5 star hotels and a decent old town between Rapallo and Portofino

The portofino peninsula is an excellent location for treks between Camogli, San Fruttuoso, Portofino and Sta Marherita Ligure.

Lombardy

Let's keep Milan out of scope. There's still quite some top spots to be visited. Lake Como attracts visitors with its towns hanging between heaven and water. Be fit when driving from Como to Bellagio, the road is narrow, on one side rock and on the other the lake.

Medieval old town on top of a hill overlooking downtown. Have dinner at 'La Bruschetta', you won't be disappointed.

Why not stay here, instead of Lugano.

Small town surrounded by the lake.

A gem at lake Como. There's a couple of restaurants and a small pebble beach at the lower town. No space for cars in the small alleys nor along the lakeshore.

Piemonte

It is supposed to be a gastronomic highlight of Italy especially for its wine and truffles. It's quite important to have your own car or maybe your bicycle with you when exploring the hilly region of Monferrato and Langhe. You will find scenic small towns built on top of the hills, some of them with markets where merchants sell their products such as truffles, mushrooms, cheese, salamis and much more of their in-house production. You will drive through vineries and recognize well-known names such as Barolo for example. You can also explore the Alpine lake region of Lago Maggiore. Buy a daypass and visit the three islands Bella, Madre and Superiore by ship. There's hundreds of kilometers of well prepared trails in the nearby mountains.

Has a Piazza and two towers.

Lively city has various towers. Has lots of deli shops. People sit outside in the street restaurants, drink Nebbiolo wines and eat Tuscan specialities.

A small town close to the Swiss border at Lago Maggiore. Spending the day in the chest-nut forests or hiking through remote villages in the nearby valleys, climbing the cimas of 'Monte Verde', having a drink at the lakefront of the medieval town, what else shall I mention, ....maybe the Sunday-market?

Provincial town in Northern Italy. At shop closing time which is at about 7pm. people have their apéro in the bars or outside in the piazza. An hour later streets and piazzas are empty. ....Where's the famous Italianitá?

Characteristic town having its church on top of the hill. Small alleys are winding up to the top. Various window sills, facades, niches draw attention. Very picturesque.

A city in the plain of river Po. Its landmark is the cupola of church San Gaudenzio. It resembles Mole Antonelliana of Turin.

Puglia

You are in the far south of Italy. During Summer it is hot and dry. Unique are the towns which are spread with trulli, cylindrical houses with conical roofs. A special piece of land is Gargano, a peninsula with dozens of bays where you can take a swim or stay for a couple of days. Famous are its trabuccos, wooden constructions at the cliffs which are used for fishing. Castel del Monte is a castle out in the heat of Puglia. The family tree of Fred II, the German founder of the building, looks a bit strange. Apparently he fathered lots of kids with dozens of different wifes.

Is the stronghold of the trullis. Walk along the small alleys of these characteristic buildings looking like cells of a honeycomb.

Stay at friendly residence: Olimpia. Have at least one dinner at the nearby trabucco which serves excellent sea food. Spend daytime at Zaina beach. It's isolated by rocks and less populated than Manaccore.

A small town on top of a cliff. It's a bit smaller and less crowdy than it's bigger brother Vieste.

A town on top of a cliff, surrounded by the sea. On top of the cliff is the cathedral and behind an old trabucco. Mass of tourists are moving through the small alleys in the evening hours.

Sardegna

A paradise for beachcombers. Hundreds of bays, beaches, cliffs are surrounded by crystal clear water. Jet setters built their summer castles along costa smeralda. Rough and dry is the rangy inland. Don't miss to visit at least one of its famous and mystic prehistoric sits called Nuraghe.

A compact old town surrounded by thick city walls. Enjoy its sunsets from the wall overlooking the sea.

Could be a posh place at Côte d'Azur surrounded by mountains. Take an excursion by boat to Cala Luna, a beach with hughe cliffs and caves.

A rock, a castle on its top, a town with colored houses at its flanks surrounded by the sea. Visit its old town which is located on the outer flank and ends with the cathedral.

A Nuragh watch tower famous for its magnitude.

A port city with lots of industry. Not really a place to spend much time.

A town in the mountains, famous for its wall paintings.

Friendly little town.

Take a boat safari to the Maddalena archipelago. Its Islands are surrounded by turquoise water. Yachts anchor at the natural pool between islands Santa Maria, Razzoli and Budelli.

The celebrities who are not in Portofino are probably in Porto Cervo. The architecture of the town fits like wax to the rocky coast. The town resembles a Cycladic white village. There's a big yacht port in front.

Very touristy with a lively piazza. Explore its nearby beaches. Famous is the Turtle beach with its granite rock formations.

Famous for its holy well, an engineering marvel built by the Nuragh people.

The northernmost town with famous Capo Testa. Don't miss a walk to the moon valley a mysterious place where hippies spend all summer at the beach and live in the nearby caves. You feel like in Jules Vernes journey to the center of the earth.

Peninsula with bays one prettier than the other. Is Arutas famous for its grainy sand. People who smuggle a handful of this precious resource get fined. Tharros is the southernmost tongue of land with a roman site and a watch tower. Visitors stay in Cabras, an authentic Sardinian town where tourists are scarce. The nearby lagoon houses mullets which are famous for their spawn called bottarga. If you haven't tried Sardinian caviar yet, have a Spaghetti alla bottarga at its hometown.

A lively city in the inner mountains of Gallura. Its countryside is covered by cork oaks.

Sicilia

Towns built on top of the hills, miles of sandy beaches, a volcano and vibrant cities. Haven't met the mafia.

See the temple valley. There's ancient Greek architecture of its finest.

Built on top of the hills. Nobody was wearing black jacket, white collar, tie, hat and dark sunglasses.

A perfect sea resort, white limestone cliffs, white beach, few people.

Drive up to the lava fields, climb one of its many calderas. Feel the ground and its krackle below your shoes.

A tourist ghetto with a beach of umbrella and coach rows, dirty water and hordes of Northerners.

What a church. It's worth having a good guide book or audio guide inside. So many murals to be explored.

Beautiful setting with baroque churches and palaces. Lido di Noto is an authentic Italian sea resort, most of its visitors are Italians.

Either you like this city or you don't. That's what they say. I was there on a Monday in July. Museums and many churches were closed. It was hot, the traffic chaotic.

Built on two hills. A maze of small alleys leading up and down. Baroque buildings.

Visit the ancient sites, the theatre and the huge grot called the ear of Dionysus. The old town is built on a peninsula.

The setting of this town is phantastic. From the Greek theatre you have an appalling view to the town which is built on a rock high above the coast with Etna smoking in the background.

Toscana

Picturesque medieval towns built on top of the hills, wineries, ocheraceous landscapes and the sea.

A searesort. Good for spending a few days at the beach. But you shouldn't spend too much time there, because Toscana is much more than just the coastline.

Pisa's main and only attraction is its leaning tower and its adjacent Cathedral.

Embeded in a hilly landscape. You can spend afternoons and evenings sitting in the main Piazza and nipping capucinos and Tuscan vines.

Manhattan of the dark age. Dozens of family towers generate a skyline like Manhattan. San Giminiano is one of Toscana's highlights. Unfortunately it is very, very touristy.

Trentino - South Tyrol

German speeking people living in chalets and eating spaetzle and dumplings. The Dolomites are mountains like granite cathedrals. The famous Sellaronda connects ski slopes around the Sella range. It takes you half a day to do the tour. A hikers paradise are the Brenta Dolomites. Bring your via ferrata set along, you will need it. There are also some leftovers of glaciars, so you will need crampons as well.

A skiresort in Val Gardena, connected to the Dolomiti Superski area which is one of the biggest ski-areas in the Alps interconnecting hundreds of kilometers of piste. It's a nice little town with a handful 5 star hotels. It is close to the famous Langkofel peak which is a landmark of the Dolomiti mountains.

A good place to start your tours to the Brenta Dolomites. You preferably spend a couple of nights in the Refugios.

Umbria

In fact. There's not a big difference to its neighbour Toscana. It's less expensive, less busy but there's quite some gems which require attention. Many hills have there towns on top, some are small like bird's nests others are cities which spread over various hills.

Basilica of San Francesco with its frescoes should not be missed.

The cathedral is absolutely worth a visit. Not only the reliefs of its portals are masterpieces of human art but also the paintings of the new chapel. If your condition allows, then walk down the well of San Patrizio. It is 60m deep.

A fascinating city built on the rock. It has hols, tunnels, elevators, small steep alleys, gates and bridges. A meeting point of language students from all over the world, infamous for the student murder some years ago.

Perugias little sister, less international. You'll have your apéro amongst locals in the bar. Don't lunge at the antipasti which are exposed on the bar. Italians take their time and dedicate themselves to their conversational partners rather than to the food.

Valle d'Aosta

It's neither Switzerland nor is it Austria even though the landscape could represent either country. 50% of famous Matterhorn and Mont Blanc belong to this province.

If the countryside does not seem to belong to Italy, Aosta does. Its piazzi and the people living in the city; pure italianità. If you don't believe it, go to the street bar at Piazza Augusto and have an Aperitivo at about 6 p.m.

Veneto

Veneto is not just Venezia.

See above.

Not just an arena and the balcony of Juliet. One of the nicest piazzas of Italy is there, Piazza Erbe. Its museums, churches, sites easily fill a two day's program. Don't miss the table tombs of the Scaligeri clan. They call themselves dogs and the statues representing them are knights with dog-heads. Have a glass of Valpolicella or two in the trendy Osteria del Bugiardo near Porta Borsari after dinner.

Links

Travelogue Toscana and Umbria 2010

Antipasti

Duomo - Milano

Santa Maria della Salute - Venezia

Figure - Monforte d'Alba

Signora sul terrazzo - Cannobio

Ponte Vecchio - Firenze

Palazzo am Lago di Como - Varenna

La dolce vita - Verona

Cava grande del Cassabile - Sicilia

Positano - Amalfi coast

Langkofel - Dolomiti

Piazza - Aosta

Sardegna - Sinis

Liguria - Portofino

South Tyrol - Brenta Dolomites - Rifugio Tommaso Pedrotti