Milan Italy Tour

Posted on Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Milan is the center of Italian fashion and business. Milan is a bustling cosmopolitan city with lots to offer the sophisticated traveler. Milan's museums house such treasures as Da Vinci's Last Supper and works by Mantegna, Raphael and Titian.

There are 9 distinct zones that come off of the Historical Center of Milan: Centro Storico & Brera, Corso Buenos Aires, Magenta, Ticinese-Navigli, Amendola-Fiera & San Siro, Porta Vittoria & Porta Romana, Citta Studi and Isola. Brera is a great place to start. By day you can visit art galleries and palaces, as well as lots of antique shops and hand made goods.  By night there are plenty of restaurants and nightlife.

Milan is not typically included in the shorter tours, as they focus on Rome, Florence and Venice. The shortest trip we offer including Milan is the 9 day Reflections of Italy tour that begins in Rome visits Assisi, Siene, Florence, Venice and ends in Rome.  For those that have visited the Southern area of Rome, there is the 10 day Nothern Italy and Cinque Terre tour vacation. Browse our Italy tours or call a travel specialist for assistance in finding the right trip that visit Milan.

Italy: Art and Culture

Posted on Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Italy has been witness to the birth of two of the most powerful and influential forces in not only Europe, but the Western World. The mark the Romans left on the world is not only cultural but the evidence of their highly sophisticated society is no more abundant than in the heart of the former Empire itself, Rome.

Almost 1000 years after the fall of the ancient Roman Empire, Italy again (this time with Florence leading the way) became the cultural capital of the world, the Renascence (not just an art movement, but an intellectual awakening, an explosion of science, technology and discovery that changed the way the people of Europe operated and saw themselves) flourished here.

Florence is still today the undisputed capital of Renascence Art, fueled by the Medici Family in the late 1400’s and into the 1600’s the city was host to Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Donatello and a who’s who of art science and philosophy legends . People still visit the city today to witness for themselves the beauty and perfection in painting, sculpture and architecture that was created during this time. Some of the cities most famous and visited museums include the Accademia and the Uffuzi.

Rome was never far behind Florence in this cultural awakening and is home to the Vatican City, home to the Vatican Museums and the roof of the Sistine Chapel so famously painted by Michelangelo as well as his ‘Last Judgment’. People also flock to Rome from every corner of the globe for religious pilgrimages, to St. Peters Basilica, home of the Catholic Church and the Vatican City, located in the heart of Rome.

Venice also provides a totally unique experience with it’s canals, bridges, gondolas, the Basilica of St Mark and the square, reputed to be one of the most beautiful and romantic in the world.

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Naples and Capri Italy

Posted on Thursday, December 15, 2011

Once the domain of kings and wealthy nobleman, modern Naples is a lively, working port city along the Amalfi Coast. It is surrounded by Cape Miseno on one side and the Sorrento peninsula on the other and across the blue waters of the Bay of Naples lies the charming isle of Capri. Its modern skyline is dominated by the heights of the not-too-distant Mount Vesuvius.

Things to do While on a Tour in Florence

Posted on Tuesday, November 01, 2011

La Piazza Della Signoria Florence

Posted on Thursday, October 27, 2011

"What’s the best vantage point to ponder the most illustrious town square in Florence, the Signoria? An outdoor table in the venerable Caffè Rivoire – preferably over a delicious, if not painfully expensive cioccolata con pane, a dark and mud-thick hot chocolate. Late at night, when the crowds have gone, you can search the long shadows and imagine that very little has changed here since the 1400s. The Signoria is the most elegant sculpture garden in Europe. Masterpieces include the splendid Neptune Fountain by Ammannati, Hercules and Cacus by Bandinelli and a precise copy of Michelangelo’s David, all strategically poised in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. This grand public space has been the centerpiece of Florence since the 15th Century, the golden age when the city was established as the most beautiful in Europe. Eminent merchants in their ostentatious finery met here to discuss business in the midst of Florence’s raucous daily life."