Milan and Northern Italy

Posted on Thursday, June 23, 2011

Italy is a country with many different flavors. Northern Italy is a unique and exquisite experience where you’ll find a more continental European feel with majestic mountain views, and stunning natural wonders.

Milan is a bustling cosmopolitan city charged with its own u unique energy. It is home to the world’s fashion industry, artistic masterpieces such as Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” and the world-famous opera house, La Scala.

Milan is the perfect launch for jaunts into the lake region, nestled just below the Italian Alps. Lake Como provides breathtaking vistas dotted with quaint lakeside towns and lavish villas.

For the most beautiful gardens in Italy, visit the shores of Lake Maggiore. Straddling the border between Italy and Switzerland, this glorious setting may just be the single most romantic spot on Earth.

Charming Sorrento

Posted on Thursday, June 09, 2011

This week we have the pleasure of including posts from a guest blogger who is sailing on a 12 day Crystal Cruise from Venice to Barcelona.

Long a favorite summer play ground for the rich and famous, including Emperors Augustus and later Tiberius, they were followed by artists, writers and then us , the tourists.  The cobblestone streets lead in every direction to unforgetable views, excellent cuisine and of course, sone world class shopping for leather goods, jewelry boxes, fine linens and inlaid wood ornaments and furniture.

But before indulging in all of the above, we hired a car for the famous Amalfi coast drive that offer some incredible views of the area. On other trips we have visited Ravello, Positano and the town of Amalfi, but today we had a date at a restaurant/ farm named Coline di Sorrento– Hills of Sorrento. Here we had mozzarela cheese making demonstration followed by a tasting, some local wines and finishing with Limoncello, both classic flavors ( lemon and creme) and even chocolate, which I didn’ t care for.

Then down the hill, and we lost ourselves in shopping and sight seeing only to realize 8 hours just wasn’t enough and we would want ( need ) to return in the not too distant future !

The Valley of the Temples

Posted on Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Travel to the Valley of the Temples, in Agrigento, Sicily, where you’ll see some of the best preserved ruins of ancient Greece. Among the countryside full of blooming almond tress are wonderful ruins of the temples that, in course of time, kept intact their architectural magnificence. Ten major temples are found in this valley. The temples have a Doric style, with 6 majestic columns on the front side, except for the Temple of Olympian Zeus. The most impressive is the Temple of Concordia, built in 440 B.C. it is nearly perfectly preserved and has continued to be used over time. At night the illuminated temple is a sight to behold. Come see why the Greeks chose this site on a cliff a few miles from the ocean. Experience the beautiful ocean view, and the soft, constant cool breezes. All the temples offer an amazing view at dawn and sunset when they display a warm golden color.

San Gimignano, Italy - An Adventure of Its Own

Posted on Friday, June 04, 2010

The province of Siena, Tuscany is the home to a small little medieval hill town that is completely walled in known as San Gimignano. It is located in the north-central parts of Italy. San Gimignano has become popular because of its medieval architecture scattered throughout including the towers which people can see kilometers away.

San Gimignano is popular for its white wine, Vernaccia di San Gimignano which has been grown in the area for many years. This is a town that not only has a sweet taste, but also a lot of history behind it.

Back in the 3rd century BC, San Gimignano was founded by the Etruscans. There are records dating back to the 10th century when it got the town name from the bishop, Saint Geminianus, who was the defender against the Attila’s Huns.

Throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance eras, San Gimignano became the stopping point for many Catholic pilgrims traveling to the Vatican and Rome because the town is placed on the medieval Via Francigena. The city developed further as the years continued by trading agricultural products with the fertile neighbor hills.

Until 1348 the city flourished greatly, but the plague had a massive affect on not only San Gimignano, but many other European towns which in turn led the town to submit to Florence. Not it has become a touristic and artistic hot spot for many people throughout the world and is once again becoming recognized for all the beauty many millions have missed.

Travel deep to the heart of the town where you can experience four town squares which are filled with entertainment, excitement and delicious appetizing delights. The four squares are...

Piazza della Cisterna
Piazza Duomo
Piazza Pecori
Piazza delle Erbe

Make sure that you take the time to visit all the wonders of San Gimignano, especially the four squares if you plan on traveling here. This is one place that truly holds a lot of Italian history and culture, so why not experience it?

Italy Tour Video

Posted on Friday, May 28, 2010

Globus is one of our best travel partners, and you will find their itineraries throughout our 40 websites. We spend a lot of time in our blogs telling you about Globus and their promotions, but for those of you who have never taken a tour, you may find it hard to visualize.

Here is a video of Italy reviewing Globus' various travel options to this amazing country.

We also invite you to visit our Flickr account where you can find numerous photos of some of our favorite places in Italy: Sorrento, Amalfi Coast, Florence and Pisa.

Speak with an Italy travel specialist to help you select the best Italy trip for your next vacation.