Italy - Land of Beauty and Historic Treasure

Travel in Italy, a popular culinary destination, and find some of the world's best acclaimed foods, wines and pastries. And you won't be able to resist experiencing every bit of Old World Europe's legacies known all over the world.

Italy is only partly a Mediterranean country - 3/5ths of it is Alpine too, with the Alps and Dolomites in the North and the Apennines running down the spine. The beautiful city of Torino hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics of course and it reached -30c in Friuli last year. Italy also has several active volcanoes generating geothermal events. Etna, on the eastern tip of the island of Sicily, has been erupting intermittently since 2000.

Rome, the capital city of Italy, is full of places of historical significance from the Forum and the Collosseum of the Roman Empire to St. Other popular destinations for backpackers include, but are not limited to, the art rich cities of Florence, Pisa and Siena, the Grand Canal of Venice, and the ancient ruins of the ash buried town of Pompei. Rome is also the main town of the region known as Lazio. Rome, the Eternal City, is a walking museum of history, art and architecture. Rome is a must see on any tour of Europe but there is much more to Italy than the eternal city. Italy also offers Florence, the home of Michelangelo and Machiavelli, Venice and Pompeii, among other places, and then there is the food. Italian peasant food is one of the world's great cuisines.

Lots of tourist attractions like museums, modern art, music and book fairs make of this city, one of the notable Italian cities concerning cultural life. At the same time it is a booming industrial and multimedia city. Lots of comfortably upscale shops, bars and restaurants line the streets. It's just a short walk over the Tiber River to the historic center of Rome or the Piazza de Popolo. Florence, the cradle of Renaissance artistic thought, remained one of the undisputed centers of innovation. About 1450 ad a new generation of artists that included such masters as Pollaiuolo and Sandro Botticelli came to the fore in Florence.

Florence, long a center of intellectual and artistic activity, retains much of its Renaissance character. The works of artists and writers such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Dante, represent the city's rich cultural history. The most famous treasure of Tuscany is Florence, where you can spend more then a visit, without never getting tired of it! And if you can, take your time to discover some magic jewels like Saint Romualdo, Saint Rabano and San Galgano, lost in the magnificent countryside of Tuscany.

There is much more to Italian food that pizza and pasta. Traveling with a guide means that you don't end up in the touristy restaurants that never represent real Cucina Italiana anyway. North of Rome a traditional dish may be pork, sausage packed in a pig's leg, smothered in lentils, or turkey stuffed with chestnuts. Northern Italian cuisine (other than on the coast) favors butter, cream, polenta, Mascarpone, Grana Padano, and Parmigiano cheeses, risotto and fresh egg pasta. Southern Italian cuisine also makes greater use of the ubiquitous tomato.

Train travel in Italy is an excellent way to see the countryside and meet Italians as well as other tourists. Italians are extremely kind and tolerant but I recommend that you learn at least some travelers phrases or do a traveler's Italian course. Train tickets are sold at railway stations or travel agencies. For longer north-south distances, there are several excellent domestic airlines offering reasonable fares. The train system allows you to reach plenty of places that are otherwise accessible only by car.

Since the Eurostar system was put in place there is no reason to use the less reliable state train system if you have the Eurostar alternative. Beware of travelling overnight by train within Italy, as the local state trains have had problems recently with bug-infested sleepers.

Article by Gail Burton a renowned world traveller and Gourmet. Gail recommends the Learn Italian handbook along with the free language course available at here For authentic old style Italian recipes please refer to The Italian Cookbook

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