What can you say about Italy that hasn’t been said before? Italy is one of those countries that everybody seems to have an opinion about, but unless you’ve actually been there and experienced the way a trip to Italy makes you feel, you really won’t begin understand its appeal.

Not everybody knows that Italy has its own country-within-a-country, Vatican City, which adds to the mystery that surrounds it.

The Sistine Chapel in Rome

Italy is steeped in history – there are more UNESCO World Heritage sites in Italy than anywhere else in the world, and some of the most famous cities are renowned the world over for their beauty – Rome, Venice and Florence, for example, just conjure up images of style, elegance and culture.

Italy is synonymous with the worlds of art, history and fashion, but it is also blessed with some of the most beautiful natural landscape in Europe – from the Dolomite Mountains to the Sardinian coast and the rolling countryside of Tuscany.

Getting There

There’s no shortage of options if you want to fly into Italy, as the country is well served with airports. The main ones are:

Rome Fiumicino Airport – 32 kilometres southwest of the city, with a direct rail link to Termini Station in central Rome and a bus service to the city centre and Ciampino airport.

Rome Ciampino Airport – 15 kilometres from the city. You can catch a bus from here to the underground station Anagnina or straight to the city centre.

Pisa Airport – just 1.6 kilometres north of Pisa, and there are trains and buses which run from Pisa airport to the centre of Florence.

Milan Malpensa Airport – 45 kilometres northwest of the city and there’s a Malpensa Express train from terminal one right into the centre of Milan, as well as a free shuttle bus between airport terminals.

For the latest visa requirements visit www.projectvisa.com.

History

Where do you start with a history of Italy? There are records dating back to 500BC and the country has been through several periods of turmoil, natural disaster and other events that have shaped it into the country we now know and love. According to legend, the city of Rome was founded on April 21, 753 BC by Romulus and Remus, twin brothers who were said to be the sons of the war god Mars and to have been raised as infants by a she-wolf. Whether this historical record is actually reliable remains to be seen.

The Roman Republic was founded in 509 BC, but it didn’t work and after a series of military dictatorships which culminated in the assassination of Julius Caesar in 29AD the Roman Empire was formed, was a great success and resulted in Rome becoming a world power – for around 200 years.

The Roman Empire collapsed around 400 AD and the country went into a slow decline, called the Dark Ages, which it didn’t emerge from until the 14th Century. During this time, Italy fragmented into several ‘city-states’. The revival coincided with cities such as Venice and Milan becoming international trade centres, and famous explorers such as Marco Polo introducing Italy to the world. Italy became renowned for art and science. The revival in Italy’s status lasted until the 16th Century when trade routes started to shift and the powerful Catholic Church began to lose influence in Europe. This left the city-states vulnerable – until Napoleon’s influence helped bring about the re-unification of Italy in 1870 and the ‘fall of Rome’.

After the First World War, the country was in debt and politically divided – ripe for the Fascist movement, led by Benito Mussolini, to seize power from the then King and take over. Obsessed with restoring the Roman Empire, Mussolini ruled for 20 years and aligned himself with Hitler during the Second World War. He misjudged his own capabilities however, and after losing his own country to the Allies as well as losing control of some of the countries he’d invaded, he lost Hitler as an ally and ended up on the run, eventually being executed.

After the Second World War, Italy completely got rid of its monarchy and declared itself a republic. The country worked hard to rebuild its economy, became part of NATO and is a strong supporter of the EU.

Italian Geography

Italy is attached to the rest of Europe along the north, separated from France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia by the mountains of the Alps. The Alpine regions, the Dolomites, Piedmont and Val d'Aosta are home to some of the highest mountains in Europe and the rivers flow down from these mountains into some of the most beautiful lakes – Lakes Maggiore, Como, and Garda – which make up the Italian Lake District.

Tuscany is a beautiful region, where you can see anything from snow-capped mountains to a sandy coastline. To the east is Umbria, which offers a gentle landscape of hills and plains, interspersed with the archetypal olive groves.
Italy's capital city, Rome, includes the amazing Vatican City, while travelling down to Southern Italy you will pass even more olive trees, set among lush green forests and rolling hills. The Puglia region, which makes up the ‘heel of the boot', has a volcanic, hilly outlook dotted with isolated marshes.


St. Peter's Square in Rome

Also part of Italy’s varied landscape are the islands of Capri, Ischia and Procida. Not forgetting the two larger islands of Sicily, well known for the still active volcano Mount Etna, and Sardinia.

Money

The currency in Italy is the Euro. You can change traveller's cheques, cheques and foreign money at most banks, railway stations and airports and bigger hotels too – although they may well charge a high rate for it so beware. Take travellers cheques in Euros, US Dollars or Pounds Sterling to avoid extra charges too. For current exchange rates visit www.xe.com.

There are plenty of cash machines in Italy and credit/debit cards are widely accepted. Banking hours can vary from one city to another, but are mostly open Monday to Friday from 8:30 am - 1:30 pm and then 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm.
One thing to look out for in Italy is keeping your receipt! If you’re not offered one, ask, because you can be stopped by the authorities and asked for it. It’s not because they think you are a shop-lifter, but because of tax regulations. The seller will get a hefty fine but the buyer may also be fined – and because most tourists aren’t aware of this little piece of Italian regulation, some can get caught out.

Shopping

There aren’t many places that have Italy’s appeal when it comes to shopping. Not when it comes to pure indulgence. There’s something for everyone, whether you’re on the lookout for some Venetian glass from one of the adorable islands; a traditional face mask; hand crafted jewellery or the best designer names that you can imagine. You can wander the streets of Venice and take in Prada and Chanel along with boutiques and ice cream shops, or if you’re a fashionista head to Milan, which is still the absolute pinnacle of the Italian fashion scene, and the place to be twice a year for the Fashion Week events.


The dome of the famous Galleria shopping centre in Milan

Value-added tax (IVA) is 20 per cent on luxury goods. If you’re visiting Italy from a non-EU country you are eligible for a tax refund, as long as you spend at least 155 Euros in one shop on the same day.

If you’re looking for small, family-run and individual businesses instead of the chain stores you come across in most of the other cities, Rome is your place. Charmingly, you also find that many of the shops sell just one type of item, like gloves. If you’re brave, you can try visiting the designer shops, but you might find the sales assistants a little intimidating – and there are often no price tags. Via Condotti is where you can gaze at the delights of Gucci, Valentino, Prada, Louis Vuitton, and Giorgio Armani, or if you have the cash, splash it.
For art and antiques, the pedestrianised Via de' Coronari puts on fairs in May and October when all of the shops stay open longer. The flea markets also sell bric-a-brac and cheap clothes, the best being Via Sannio near San Giovanni and Porta Portese in Trastevere.

Florence has been renowned for its crafts since the Middle Ages. And to this day it’s the place to go in Italy for leather goods and traditional goldsmiths. For high-class fashion, there’s Via della Vigna Nuova where you’ll find Dolce e Gabbana and Mont Blanc, and Piazza degli Strozzi for Louis Vuitton and Escada.

Bargains are the order of the day at the daily open-air San Lorenzo Market in Piazza San Lorenzo. Leather belts and bags, silk and wool items are on sale cheaply but might not be top quality so make sure that you know what you’re buying.

Venice is somewhere that you have to see at least once in your lifetime, but the advice to all but the very rich is to avoid shopping there – you may get fleeced! The city shops are full of tourist trinkets, the ubiquitous highly decorated carnival masks, Murano crystal and hand-painted fabrics, as well as the fashion district which houses Benetton, Max Mara, Sisley and Calvin Klein. If you’re looking for authentic Murano glass, the usual advice is to actually take a boat trip out to Murano and buy it at a discount from one of the factory shops.


The Grand Canal in Venice

Some of the best carnival masks are made at Emilio Massaro, Calle Vitturi, San Marco, and again these are more likely to be authentic than the versions you might pick up in a souvenir shop. Venice has its own sales tax of 12 to14 per cent (depending on the value of the goods) and the same rules apply for refunds if you travel from outside the EU.

Verona carries on where Venice leaves off in the classy shopping stakes, and if you want to gaze at plenty of expensive designer stores rather than take in the architecture, Via Mazzini is the street to head for. Among the high-end designer shop fronts like Versace and Gucci, you’ll also find Italian favourites such as Stefanel, Sisley and Diesel. In Verona, almost everything closes on Sundays, and on Thursday afternoons in August.

Italian Food

Italian food is a great pleasure, and not one that can be adequately summed up in a few words. But although there’s great regional diversity, Italy is probably best known for its exports – which in fact in a lot of cases are nothing like the dishes they originated from.

Each area has its own specialities, some of these are down to the influence of a nearby country like France, or the geographical area (close to the sea). Regional specialities are also affected by economics – generally speaking the north of Italy is prosperous whereas the southern areas are less well off and rely more on staples than expensive ingredients. Italian cuisine is seasonal and based around fresh local produce, fruit and vegetables, with a love of cheeses, coffee drinking and wine.


St. Mark's Square, Venice

It can be expensive to eat out when you’re in Italy – and watch out for the practice of charging you up to double for eating at the table. Standing at the bar is cheaper and take-away the cheapest option. Unless you are very rich, don’t sit down to eat in St Mark’s Square in Venice. Some establishments add up to 30 Euros to the bill, plus a service charge. It could be a costly coffee stop. There’s no need to tip, although it’s common to round up to the nearest five Euros.

Where to go in Italy

Rome


The Colosseum in Rome

Rome is full of historical sites that will keep you enthralled for more than one visit. Reminders of the best days of the Roman Empire have pride of place in the city, think of the massive Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the amazing Pantheon which was originally a Roman temple and is now a church.
The historic centre of Rome is where you’ll find examples of Renaissance art and architecture with the Piazza Navona, Spanish Steps, and the Trevi Fountain all close to each other, and usually surrounded by tourists. Across the river is the Vatican State – an independent sovereign state that is best known for being the spiritual home of the Roman Catholic Church (and the official residence of the Pope) and the awe-inspiring Sistine Chapel. The Vatican Museums make up the largest museum complex in the world, and contain some amazing collections, a legacy of Popes past who used their great wealth to support the Arts.

Venice


Venice from the air

In Venice you can see two sides to Italy. The stunningly beautiful, historic and quite frankly awesome side...and the ugly, touristy side. Whatever you do, avoid Venice in high summer. The heat and humidity make the impatient crowds and incessant queuing unbearable, and don’t even think about sitting down and having a coffee in St Mark’s Square, it will cost you one of your aching arms or legs! However – Venice is undoubtedly one of those places everybody needs to see at some point in their life, so if you manage to visit at a more sane time of the year, St Mark’s Square is just astonishing.


St Mark’s Basilica

The major attractions are St Mark’s Basilica, The Doge’s Palace and the Campanila (bell tower) but expect to queue for these. Only a certain number of people are allowed into the Doges Palace at a time, and the Campanila, which offers some stunning views across the City and over to the islands, is usually busy. All three are well worth seeing though. If you’re an art lover, The Galleria dell'Accademia has hundreds of Venetian paintings on view.
Away from the hectic square there are of course the canals and bridges, famously the Rialto Bridge that crosses the Grand Canal, with the famous view that forms another favoured tourist photo-call. If you decide to take a Gondola ride expect to pay up to 100 Euros. The trick to hiring a Gondola, unless you desperately want to be alone, is to share it with a few more tourists as you’re charged by boat, not per person.

Travel over from Venice to the charming Venetian Islands of Murano and Burano – Murano is famous for the handmade glass which is sold all over the island in the form of beautiful ornaments and jewellery. Burano is better known for lace-making and the adorable colourful houses that come with their own legends.

Verona


The Ponte Pietra bridge crossing the Adige River in Verona

Verona, in northern Italy, is just half an hour from Lake Garda and surrounded by the lush hilly landscapes of the Valpolicella and Soave wine districts.
The city's old castle, Castelvecchio, was built by the very influential della Scala family in the Middle Ages and attracts many visitors to this day. It was restored in the last century by world-renowned architect Carlo Scarpa. Most people know Verona because of the Shakespeare ‘Romeo and Juliet’ connection – who can resist a visit to Juliet’s House (Casa Juliet) in the Old Town and standing on the famous balcony for a photo? If you visit at the right time, you could even catch a re-enactment of the balcony scene from the play.
If you are really interested in Shakespearean literature and its Verona connections, you can also see the house where Romeo is said to have lived (although it’s not open to the public) and Juliet’s tomb, set in a pretty garden. Although the Capulets did live in Verona, they didn’t actually live in Casa Juliet, and the balcony was actually only put up in the 1920s. But nobody seems to mind.

Turin

Turin is home to the second largest Egyptian museum in the world after Cairo. The city’s major landmark is the Mole Antonelliana, a building which was actually intended to be a synagogue, but now houses Italy's Museo Nazionale del Cinema (National Museum of Cinema). Its tower, which you can only reach by lift, gives you stunning panoramic views of the city and the Alps.

Of course the Turin name is forever associated with the famous religious relic, the Holy Shroud, which legend dictates is the cloth which wrapped Christ's body after the crucifixion. The Turin Shroud still attracts thousands of pilgrims.

Milan


The interior of the Duomo in Milan

In Milan you’ll find Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece, The Last Supper, displayed at the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, and La Scala Opera House for opera lovers. Museo Teatrale alla Scala is a homage to the celebrated opera house, and has two collections devoted to Verdi alone.
Milan's Duomo is the world's largest Gothic cathedral, beautiful to see in the sunshine when the brightly decorated windows reflect amazing kaleidoscopic colours throughout the cathedral’s interior. In May and September, Milan's most important relic, a nail which is said to have been from the cross of Christ, is brought down into the cathedral by the bishop. You can also take in some retail history at the fabulous glass-domed Vittorio Emanuele II Gallery shopping arcade. It was built to link the Piazza del Duomo and the Piazza della Scala.

Pisa


The Leaning Tower of Pisa

Constructed in 1174, the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Pisa’s Campo dei Miracoli, is famous not just because of its history and undoubted beauty, but also because of its famously wonky geometry. It was once the bell tower of the Cattedrale (Cathedral) and Battistero (Baptistry), and due to the swampy soil beneath rather than a miscalculation in architecture, it has leaned to one side ever since it was built!

Florence

Visit Florence and you’ll be swept up in the city’s Renaissance undertones. Florence is home to the most important and the richest art collection in Italy. Located in the Uffizi Palace, the Uffizi Gallery holds the Medici art collection bequeathed to Florence in 1737, on the condition that it never leaves the city, as well as works by Botticelli and Da Vinci. True art lovers will probably want to make more than one visit. The Cathedral Square is beautiful, and contains the Duomo built by Bruneshelli, Bell Tower and Baptistry.


The Ponte Vecchio in Florence

If you prefer more outdoorsy exploits, something a little different could be a truffle-hunting trip in Umbria. Black truffles are celebrated in their own right during an annual festival in Norcia. If you want to try and find the even more prized white truffles, they are around between the months of October and December if you fancy your chances.

The Italian Lake District is popular for film-star residences as well as tourists, and you’ll often get the former pointed out to you while you’re in the area. A boat trip on Lake Garda is a must, and if you get a chance, stop off at the ancient fortified town of Sirmione on the south of the lake. One tip for boat trips on the lakes is not to go on a humid day, as the scenery all but disappears in the mist. Another tip – mosquito repellent.

The wine cellars in Tuscany are certainly worth seeing, as is the rest of the region, famous for its vine-covered hills, sunflowers and quaint villages. Chianti is made in the area north of Siena, and there are several cellars that open to the public.

Pompeii was once a resort town for wealthy Romans, but the town, which lies south of Naples, was quite literally buried alive under volcanic ash and mud when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. The city remained buried until the 16th Century, and has now been excavated. It’s a fascinating place to visit, where you can really get a feel for the everyday lives of the ancient Romans.

Beach lovers are well catered for in Italy too. For pure relaxation Lido di Jesolo in the northeast of Italy is a tourist mecca – a purpose-built resort within easy driving distance of Venice and Verona. It’s perfect for a family holiday, has miles of sandy beach, unfortunately spoiled by the rows of sun beds, and is a haven for shopping and entertainment. It’s probably best used as a base, unless you’re the type of person who can sit on a beach all day and wander souvenir shops without getting a little bored.

Amalfi is justifiably one of the most popular resorts in Italy. Located on the western coast south of Naples, it’s part of the Campania region. Once an independent maritime republic rivalling Pisa, Genoa and Venice, Amalfi has more to offer than beaches as the historic heart of town has plenty of attractions too. It is set on the most stunning section of Italy's coast, the Amalfi coast.

Capri, the glamorous holiday island on the western coast of Italy, has been a treasured Italian holiday spot since Roman times, when Augustus Tiberius loved it so much that he decided to live there. Today, the stylish island is just as popular (and exclusive) with its beautiful turquoise seas and high-end facilities. There are two main tourist hubs – Capri Town and Anacapri. It’s one for the more sophisticated tastes, and not cheap.

Sorrento is one of Italy's most well-established beach resorts, mainly because of its location on one of the most picturesque stretches of Italian coastline, and its proximity to historic attractions at Pompeii, Naples and Herculaneum.

Although Italy is far from the biggest country in Europe, it probably has one of the biggest personalities. From historical ruins of buried towns, to religious artifacts and Catholic heritage, to the bustling mayhem of Venice and unrivalled shopping opportunities in Milan, no visitor to Italy could possibly come away disappointed – or without a burning desire to return as soon as possible.

For information about weather conditions in Italy visit www.worldweather.org.