City Breaks For Italian Culture Best For Italian Life With Italian-Heart

City Breaks For Italian Culture Best For Italian Life With Italian-Heart

City Breaks For Italian Culture Best For Italian Life With Italian-Heart. Which Cities With Italian-Heart Suit Your Needs? Each hold their own uniqueness and different charms so which is right for you? See much more at Italian City Tours or visits during your Italian holiday should be a very fulfilling experience. You should plan in advance and be clear on you expectations and objectives. Which cities are best for your particular requirements? Each city has its own idiosyncrasies and you may want to be assured in advance that you will find what you are looking for. After several visits over the last 35 years our Italian-Heart team are able to summarise a consensus view on the pros and cons of each of the main Italian Venues. So here is a summary: Venice — a city of so many contrasts. Completely commercial and international in its self-importance as THE most beautiful tourist destination. The architecture is stunning. The views over the Lido are splendid. But expect to feel you are in Times’ Square or Piccadilly Circus, from the global nature of your fellow visitors.
Bologna — an absolute favourite if you are seeking less tourism and a charm and authenticity that is again unique. The slightly austere Romanesque architecture of the Cathedral and the streets warms to you. Everything is accessible and you can browse so many beautiful food and local produce displays in the smaller streets. There is crustiness to this University town that makes it so charming, without the new-money influences of Parma or the blatant commercialism of Venice or Florence.
Florence — yes, it has completely unique personality and the Vatican and the most splendid palaces and museums, but you have to search around the edge of the main pedestrian tourist streets for non-tourist restaurants or anything truly Tuscan. Rome — such self-esteem as the capital and the vastness of its sites gives it the ability to handle vast volumes of visitors but still keep an essential Italian character and style. Sit on the Spanish Steps and marvel and the ingenuity inside the Pantheon. Feel the spirits of tens of thousands who perished at the Coliseum and recognise the effects of Roman history on every corner. Find charming squares along the walks towards the river with locals dining ‘al fresco’. It is definitely possible to find essential Italian life here and shield yourself from the tourism for a while. But give it time. Naples — you will be surprised by the grandeur of the central government palaces and the charming harbour. Be careful of the drivers and hold your breath if you risk taking a taxi, particularly if they need to skirt around the city on the autostrada. Enjoy the long pretty streets too, just off the centre. The Bay of Naples and the Amalfi Coast are a holiday on there own. Take the ferry to Capri and enjoy the walk toTiberius Villa and the views back across to Sorrento. Cagliari — this lovely city in southern Sardinia warrants inclusion for its friendly citizens and historical buildings that are so easy on the eye as you wander up and down the hilly streets. Take a ferry from here back to the mainland or more far flung parts of the Mediterranean if you wish. Turin –the warmth of the centre belies its industrial heritage. Not much architecture to marvel at, but the museums are surprisingly good.
Milan — forget the opinions of austerity and the first impressions from the sensational thirties deco of the Stazione Centrale. This city oozes style and success and has a wonderful attitude towards work being, to quote Voltaire ‘the father of pleasure’. See the Duomo and marvel at its splendour, inside and out. Cruise the Gallerie along to Piazza della Scala and enjoy La Scala’s understated façade. Wander the chic streets of Via Monte Napoleone down Via Jesu’ to the small stradine and their simple bars, where you can sit outside and people-watch all day long. And stare up in wonder at the Michelangelo frescoes. Parma — a city that has grown wealthy on the successes of local industry and the global penetration of food exports. See the centre of their famed ham production in the Apennine foothills at Langhirano then head back into the city to be awe-struck at the Cathedral and Baptistry. Eat gelati on the wander through to the Farnese museum and enjoy the vast selection of independent (if slightly snooty) fashion shops. Restaurants feel it is their God-given duty to uphold this area’s reputation as the centre of Italian gastronomy. But walk a couple of side-streets and you will find excellent family ‘trattorie’ where there is no menu but you will be firmly advised on what to enjoy from that day’s ‘specials’. Get fit for your City Break see
So many smaller towns too, with even more charm, to explore whenever you can on
City Breaks For Italian Culture Best For Italian Life With Italian-Heart