Page 19 - Southern Europe

Downtown
Providing Fascinating Travel Experiences
Why visit Italy?
Italy is a country that no longer needs presentation. Most travelers dream going there; Italy is therefore often chosen as the first overseas destination for Americans dreaming of Europe.
The best way to move around in Italy is by train or by bus. Here are the highlights of this great country
Rome: The capital, renowned for its architecture, museums, Coliseum, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Sistine Chapel, Vatican (* that we must visit the covered shoulders): impossible to see everything in one visit. Florence: Where one has the impression of entering a painting of the Renaissance in this city-museum. The red-tile domes, the cathedral, Michelangelo's David, the Botticelli Venus, the stone towers, the gardens. Tuscany: These are the landscapes that we see in films when present- ing Italy. Good wine (* a reader advises us to visit the Chianti vineyard in the region *), good food and outdoor activities are expected.
Venice: The romantic, much less kitsch than I would have thought. Its canals, its small bridges, its narrow and labyrinthine streets, its taxi- boats, its basilica St-Marc (and its place St-Marc that one must see once during the journey, but of which one must move away as quickly as possible to really discover and appreciate Venice), the typical neighbor- hoods where the real life takes place, the gondolas, the canals, the churches, the wine bars and their pieces of Parma ham cut in f ront of us. Cinque Terre (in Liguria): 5 small villages with colorful houses perched on rocks: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. We go from one to the other by train (a few minutes between each village) or preferably hiking.
Amalfi Coast: There are orchards, blooming cliffs, fishing boats and small colorful villages: it is said to be the most beautiful coast of the peninsula.
Naples: Vibrant city if there is one, Naples is a happy bazaar of smells, flavors and typical Italian scenes. I went there in search of the best Neapolitan pizza and drank divine Italian espressos. During Christmas, this is the place to buy small cribs made by hand.
Pompeii: Its ruins frozen in time, because destroyed 2,000 years ago by the eruption of the Vesuvius volcano. A fascinating visit.
Sienna: Its historic center, registered with UNESCO, would be the perfect example of a typically Gothic medieval town.
Why Italy?
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