Travel

The guest articles are written by many, many authors some of whom have devoted their lives to the pleasures, and occasional complexities of touring or living in Italy. We don't necessarily agree with their point of view. But we know you will appreciate these articles and keep coming back for more. We recently added articles to most sections describing hotel and other accomodation choices. Our paper and electronic wastebaskets are filled with articles that didn't make the cut, saving you the time and effort of bothering with them. To enhance your reading and viewing experience we classified and organized selected articles, added a summary and a teaser-quote to each article and illustrated most articles with a beautiful representative photograph. We also added a mini-home page for each section such as Central Italy or The Expatriate Life (in case you just can't bear to leave Italy) and an alphabetical author list.

Click on any of the links at the left to display your choices. Here are some more ideas.

Let's tour Italy from a wine perspective. We're going to look at each of Italy's twenty regions, examining the special attractions and wines. We include information that can help you organize your own wine tours, or contact specialized travel agencies.

Regional wine tours of Italy.

Gardens in Lucca about 30 miles west of Florence

Sometimes it's not a question of geography but of your specific interests. Check out this section for articles on Italian gardens, skiing, honeymoons, cookery classes, and more.

As you can see on the map right in the heart of Italy there are six distinctive regions, each worth touring for days on end. Starting at the western coast and heading in a clockwise direction they are: Tuscany, the Marche, Abruzzi, Molise, Lazio (also known as Latium), and Umbria. Are you interested in wine, in food, in historical sights? Well Central Italy has it all. We have split out the articles on Tuscany which appear in a separate section.

Sightseeing attractions and tourist information for Central Italy.

They say good things come in small packages. The city of Florence is quite compact. You could cross it in a half-hour. Or you could spend weeks and barely scratch the surface. As the capital of Tuscany, you just know that the wines can be great. And the art. Florence is THE city of the Italian Renaissance.

Check out our newly posted articles on great Italian cities including Florence. There are more coming all the time. View our Florence tourist and boutique hotel guide articles.

Sightseeing attractions and tourist information for Florence Italy.

As you can see on the map northern Italy consists of eight distinctive regions, each worth touring for days on end. Starting at the western coast and heading in a clockwise direction they are: Liguria, Piedmont, Aosta Valley, Lombardy, Trentino Alto-Adige, Fruili-Venezia Guilia, Veneto, and Emilia Romagna. Northern Italy boasts Lake Como, Lake Garda, and Lake Maggiore as well.

The north of Italy includes both German and French speaking regions. In addition to the usual Italian attractions you can indulge in skiing and other winter sports. And one of the northern Italian cities (do you know which one?) is a world-class fashion capital. Not that you can't find great Italian fashion all over the country. Check out our newly posted articles on great Italian cities including Milan. There are more coming all the time. View our Milan tourist and boutique hotel guide articles.

Sightseeing attractions and tourist information for Northern Italy.

Roma, non basta una vita. Rome, one lifetime is not enough. We have included nine guest articles. Perhaps we should have included ninety. While Rome is known for excellence in almost every human endeavor, it no longer rates high on the wine scale. But local winemakers are trying hard to return to past glories. You can order fine Italian wines in most Roman restaurants. All in all don't miss the Eternal City. And as you will see, there is definitely enough to explore in the city of Caravaggio and Michelangelo!

Check out our newly posted Rome articles. There are more coming all the time. View our Rome tourist and boutique hotel guide articles. And click here for guest articles on sightseeing attractions and tourist information related to the Eternal City.

As you can see on the map southern Italy consists of six distinctive regions, each worth touring for days on end. Starting at the western coast and heading in a clockwise direction they are: Campania, Apulia, Calabria, and Campania on the mainland. The two major islands are Sicily to the south and Sardinia to the west. Perhaps nowhere else are the contradictions as huge. You have jet-setter paradises (make sure to bring plenty of Euros) and areas almost, but not quite, untouched by the Twentieth Century.

Sightseeing attractions and tourist information for Southern Italy.

There is something about Tuscany that puts this region of central Italy at the top of almost every tourist list. Actually there are lots of things about Tuscany that justify its extreme popularity. The sheer physical beauty, the physical beauties (if you get my drift), the artwork, and the wines many of which are out of this world or close to it. So what are you waiting for?

After a hard day navigating the canals of Venice in a gondola you may want to relax in a Venetian restaurant such as illustrated here. A local specialty is liver, but we will forgive you if you order something else. And there will be no trouble finding a local wine to accompany the food. Remember to always drink wine in moderation. It can be highly addictive and can lead to alcoholism if not treated. Then it's off to the Venice Film Festival (in season). And out of season? We think that you will manage somehow.

In dozens and dozens of articles we have visited almost all the twenty Italian regions. In most cases we needed two or more articles to cover each region's multiple attractions. We didn't forget to talk about the local wine and food as well as the more spiritual attractions. Come to think of it, fine Italian wine and food are quite spiritual. Each article includes a sample menu and discusses local wines.