Italy
Italy is at its best in April-May and in October-November. During these seasons you can visit Roman ruins, gawk at Renaissance art, stay in tiny medieval hill towns, go skiing in the Alps, explore the canals of Venice and gaze at beautiful churches. Naturally you can also indulge in the pleasures of la dolce vita : good food, good wine and improving your wardrobe.
Rome is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the European Union. Visitors come from around the world to see world-famous landmarks such as the Colosseum, the Forum and the Patheon.
The Colosseum is one of Rome's most distinctive landmarks. The building was designed to feature fight-to-the-death combats between gladiators and between gladiators and wild animals. Construction of this famous amphitheatre began in 72 AD. You can tour this wonderfully preserved 2000 year old structure and learn about life in the Roman Empire.
The Roman Forum lies in a small valley just below Capitoline Hill in Rome Italy. The Forum was the heart of the Roman Empire and the centre for commerce, politics and social life. Visitors to the Forum Romanum will see many ancient buildings and ruins that date back two thousand years. This Forum district of Rome is easily accessible by either city bus or metro service.
Young couples love to throw three coins into Trevi Fountain, climb the Spanish Steps or enjoy a latte in Piazza Navona.
The Trevi Fountain is one of the most famous landmarks in Rome Italy. The fountain features a statue of Neptune which was completed in 1762. It is beautiful by both day and by night. Trevi Fountain was featured in the 1954 movie 1954 entitled "Three Coins in the Fountain" starring Dorothy McGuire and Rossano Brazzi. The theme song for the film won the Academy Award for best original song that year.
Naples
There must be some reason why men of every country - Goethe, Ibsen, Wagner - were drawn to Naples and its celebrated gulf. The years pass, tastes and habits change but the age-old fascination of Naples remains.
The history of Naples in every period is to be seen in its monuments, churches, palazzi, squares and streets. All testify to an intense cultural tradition and centuries of fascinating history.
Pompeii
The eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D. buried this town, a flourishing commercial centre with 20.000 inhabitants, under a deep mantle of pebbles, mud and ash. It is a unique sensation to walk around Pompeii and imagine living as those people did in the past, seeing those bodies immortalized by the lava like a flash in a photograph.
Vesuvius
This is the only active volcano on the mainland of Europe, at present dormant after the last disastrous eruption of 1944 when streams of lava poured down and showered Naples and surroundings towns.
From the top of the crater, the visitor has a breathtaking view of the two gulfs of Naples and Salerno, a sight hardly equalled in any part of the world.
Sorrento
Amidst the colour and noise of all the small towns fringing the bay of Naples, Sorrento is a haven of peace and quiet immersed amongst its orange groves, parks and gardens, with walks leading to a translucent sea in a series of charming bays. This small town is built on a cliff dropping sheer into the limpid blue of the sea and looks across to Capri. The Correale Museum is well worth a visit and it has a rich collection of furniture, paintings and porcelain.
Capri
This island has an unequalled natural beauty, archaelogically and artistically. Attracting an enormous amount of tourists year round, it has been the international jet-setters playground for decades.
Renowned for its Blue Grotto, the Faraglioni rocks, its incomparable fauna and flora and the stupendous beauty of its scenery.
Vatican City is an independent state located entirely within the city of Rome. It is situated across the Tiber River (Fiume Tevere) from the centre of Rome. The distinctive dome of St. Paul's Cathedral can be seen from many locations in Rome Italy.
Venice is one of the few cities in the world that can be truly described as unique. Over an extraordinarily long period, the city was embellished with monuments of rare splendour that today make it a tourist attraction like none other in the entire world.
Florence, capital of the region of Tuscany, has a population of around half a million inhabitants, spreads on the banks of the Arno, between the Adriatic and the Tyrrhenian seas, almost in the middle of the Italian peninsula. It is a city which bustles with industry and craft, commerce and culture, art and science.
Milan, the capital of Lombardy, has a population of 1.3 million people. It is the biggest industrial city of Italy with many different industrial sectors. It is a magnetic point for designers, artists, photographers and models. Milan has an ancient city centre with high and interesting buildings and palazzos, that is why so many people from all over the world want to see the city of glamour. Milan is a cosmopolitan city of fashion, big business and luxury, from the extremely upscale stores of the Quadrilatero d’Oro to the more reasonably priced shops on Corso Buenos Aires. There is a lot to do and see in Milan, including the ornate Duomo Cathedral, the famous La Scala opera house and Leonardo’s The Last Supper. Milan today is the commercial and financial center of contemporary Italy.
