What do you expect when you arrive in Italy? Forget what people in tv say, forget the bad news, ’cause Italy is really far from that. Italy is synonymous with culture, hystory, good cooking and various arts as painting, architecture, (not only classical) music and cinema. Every corner of this nation gives astonishing natural and human wonders.
Astounding landscapes by sea, mountain or rural nature, deep-in-green natural reserves, ancient towns and a thousand-years old history and culture are definitely the points of strength of this nation. Something is unfortunately forgotten, but this is the reason why we DO need to fully discover and explore it.
When in Italy… cities and natural beauties
When in Italy you absolutely need to visit Rome, Italian capital and one of the greatest art cities in the world. The Eternal city or Caput Mundi (head of the world) as we call it, is a metropolis that gives emotions and romantic mood everyday, thanks to its distinctive alleys, architectural landscapes and monuments. When in Rome you need to visit Colosseum and Basilica di San Pietro (where the Pope lives), hystorical emblems of the city and whole nation, don’t forget to visit Piazza di Spagna, Castel Sant’Angelo, Piazza Navona and Fontana di Trevi too.
You have to visit then Venice and its Laguna, an ancient and cultural city that lives covered by water, linked by several bridges and crossed by canals that you can go through via Gondola, a small distinctive boat. Venice enchants with romantic atmospheres thanks to its nature and its water landscapes crossed by artistic bridges. When in Venice you have to visit Piazza San Marco and join the very well-known Carnevale di Venezia event in February, when people stand in the city wearing traditional costumes and masks.
A separate discussion is reserved for Tuscany, a land submerged by countrysides, small peculiar towns and art cities. When in Tuscany you absolutely need to visit cities as Florence, famous for Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, Cattedrale di Santa Maria Novella, Galleria degli Uffizi and Palazzo della Signoria, or Pisa, renowned in the world for its Torre Pendente in Piazza dei Miracoli. You ought to stay in Val d’Orcia countries, where you can maroon yourself among its yellow and green hills, breathing clear air far away from traffic and chaos, eating good and tasty, drinking amazing Chianti wine and taking rest in one of the many b&b in the area. Try this experience without tv, computer or mobile, abandon yourself in serenity.
We don’t have to forget other natural wonders: sea landscapes and beaches, especially in Sicily, Calabria, Apulia and Sardegna, and mountain landscapes as Gran Sasso in Abruzzo and Monte Bianco in Val d’Aosta at France-Italy border, near Chain of the Alps mountains that cross northern Italy.
Italy is my homeland, I love its history and its territory, ’cause there is much to discover and learn from it. If you come in Italy, please, stay for a while and take a look around, it’s really worth it.
Alessandro Mariani