Top Italy hotels
Outside Rome Rome
130 Reviews Regional trains are actually pretty affordable in Italy. If you're planning to make a one-day trip outside of Rome, go to the Trenitalia site and see for yourself! You can go to Florence from 14.31...
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Back Street Canals Venice
123 Reviews People are always saying "part of the charm of Venice is just wandering and getting lost." Well...I do agree with the wandering part but have a solution for the "getting lost" part. I found a...
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The Lake District: Como, Maggiore, Iseo, Lugano ... Milan
21 Reviews The city of Como on the shores of Lake Como is an easy day trip from Milan - a 45 minute train journey from Milano Cadorna station, with trains running regularly throughout the day and late into the...
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Lago di Garda & surroundings of the town Verona
39 Reviews These are some typical views of the castle and the water side. People could be horrific in the summer. The whole peninsula brings them to the point and nowhere to turn but go back. The town is not big...
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Villas and houses Pompeii
23 Reviews Close to the Casa di Caio Giulio Polibio there is the Fullonica di Fabio Ululirtemulo. It has got two wonderful paintings showing Roman legends: on the right yuo can see Aeneas, Anchises and Ascanius;...
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Excursions Bologna
5 Reviews perfect for a day trip from Bologna, only 40/60 min by train and you arrive in the town center...or half an hour by car...the best way to visit Ferrara is by bike inthis website you can find address...
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Excursions Pisa
21 Reviews When you are in Pisa for a longer time it might be nice on one of your daytrips to visit the "Ponte della Maddalana" in Borgo a Mozzano. In the photo you can see the Maddalena's bridge or also...
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Old cafeterias Torino
4 Reviews The most famous Cafe in Torino.. locates in Galleria Subalpina near Piazza Castello. The place itself is very beautiful.. worth a visit.. Baratti & Milano is wellknown for their fine coffee, delicious...
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palazzi Genoa
15 Reviews Also known as Palazzo del Principe, this building would be one of the pearls of Genova's if it wasn't so hidden, without even an inscription or a sign, close to the Principe railway station. This...
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Sinagoga ebraica Trieste
5 Reviews Trieste had four beautiful ancient temples, all of which were destoyed. Above the doors of the temple there are the symbols of the Jewish community : a crown, the breastplate of Aron, palms and a...
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Piazza del Campo Siena
8 Reviews From the campanile you have the best view down to Piazza del Campo, that is devided into 9 parts by stripes in the pavement, as 9 districts of Siena built their council here in Palazzo Publico
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The International Puppet Museum Palermo
2 Reviews We were not able to find a puppet show to attend and so this became the next best thing. This is a remarkable exhibit of a preserved "popular tradition". There are hundreds of marionettes & hand...
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Excursions Rimini
4 Reviews You can catch a regular bus from outside rimimni train station to San Marino. San Marino is a village on top of a mountain with 200 souvenir shops that sell weapons mainly. No wonder the Italians...
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5 Reviews From Como it is easy to take the train to either Lugano or Bellinzona in Switzerland. They are both beautiful places and worth a visit. Bellinzona Since 2000 the three castles, Castelgrande,...
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Villa Olmo Parco Lago di Como
3 Reviews There are many little passageways in the park behind the Villa. I spent an afternoon just wandering the little seldom-tred paths. Here is one of the parks lovely little secrets. 1) A little stream...
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Islands La Spezia
2 Reviews I had the chance to visit the nearby islands with a local guy I had met at a club and found it simply enchanting. In a seculed beach he was able to ride the "baloney pony' until he could not stand it...
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San Giorgio Portofino
6 Reviews The interior of San Giorgio is nice , but not very special, in comparison with plenty of other churches in Italy. The church was almost completely destroyed in WW II and reconstructed afterwards.
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Levanto Liguria
4 Reviews Nervi is a place I saw first , when I passed by in the train to Genua, and all the coastline was lighted, including the 2 small castellos and so decided to go there with Chiara the other day. Nervi...
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Ancient Rome Rome
87 Reviews One of the best preserved ancient structures in Rome, the Pyramid of Caius Cestius was built in 12 BC as a tomb for Caius Cestius. It was modelled after pyramid tombs in Nubia, which was attacked by...
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Isola Burano Venice
91 Reviews The second stop on our cruise was the island of Burano, which is located about 8 km north of Venice. If Murano is known all around the world for its glass production, Burano is almost as famous for...
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Shopping or Fashion District Milan
9 Reviews Secondhand best shopping in Milan by Docks Dora... an old factory partially renewed to host a great secondhand store for trousers, shirts, jackets & many other stuff ... it deserves a quick visit even...
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The hidden little gems of the town Verona
28 Reviews The bust of Felice Cavallotti, 1842-1898, stands on the wall in the passage of Scaliger palace. He was Italian politician, poet and dramatic. In 1860 and 1866 he faught with the Garibaldi Corps....
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Ancient Shops and Products Pompeii
14 Reviews From Herculaneum Gate, also known as the Saliniensis or the “Salt Gate”, the Street of Tombs begins. This was discovered during the first excavations in the city (1763-1838) and constitutes a complete...
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San Luca church Bologna
4 Reviews Leave the city behind by following the longest uninterrupted arcade in the world up into the hills to the San Luca Monastery. The arcade starts at Porta Saragozza and winds its way across roads and...
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More than Campo dei Miracoli Pisa
46 Reviews Besides the Medicis which ruled Pisa after it lost to Florence in 1406, these Tuscan cities share one more thing - the Arno river. While the Arno looks romantic in Florence, it takes on a rather...
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Nostalgia... sighFor me folks, Fiat is Italia and Italia is Fiat.I still remember the smell of the new Fiat600 car, many years ago, as we all know.Those were the days, my friends..I was surprised and a bit excited to meet this mythological car in Milano, Salerno, Umbria and more.. kicking and moving proudly on the streets.Just watch a big male getting into it or out of it!
Misplaced on my way to the east coast and having just eaten in Piedeluco I was unprepared for this lovely surprise and would have spent more time were I on my own but all I could do was get just a few shots of this lovely place.The ancient Vitelleschi feud has reached modern times as it was in the Middle Ages, as if time hasn't even withered it, offering the visitor a truly particular atmosphere.Some decades ago, an architect from Belgium bought a house in the town, and then bought many others in ruins. He then began to invite his friends to the town...to sell them the various ruins under the condition that he could take care of the restoration.The result is truly attractive.There are not only particularly important monuments in Labro; that which interests the visitor is the atmosphere the town manages to create.The city dominates a tall hill; no modern building disturbs this medieval...
Lago Bolsena is only a 30 minutes drive away from Orvieto (southwest). I didn’t spent much time here (which I regret), but while I was looking for accommodation, I thought I could at least drive to the lake and get an idea if I want to come back. And oh yes, I will definitely come back! Already the little road which winds downhill (exit SS 71 from Orvieto) gives a rough idea of how this lake was formed: it once was a volcanic crater which then filled with water. All has a very peaceful atmosphere.I can’t write much at the moment, as I wasn’t here long enough to explore. But I’ve read a bit on their website (see website section below) and I am sure I will come back for a longer stay here. Please make sure to open the website link. I am amazed how extensive and informative this site is. It explains much about the lake and the Etruscan origins (they even write “welcome in our 4th...
I found this wonderful church only by accident, when I drove north into Valle Umbra coming from Lago Piediluco and Terni. I left the highway (E45/SS3bis) north of Aquasparta and only 5 minutes later I saw this church at the street so I got off and looked a bit closer. I was amazed to say the least (couldn’t close my mouth to be precise). There was this most magic church sitting there without a big sign or any notification. I found a little explanation board though. But it wasn’t mentioned in any of my guidebooks. Only later I found further information on Massa Martana’s website (the village next to it to the north). But this is very much typical for middle Italia, at least the way I perceived it: there are so many churches with very fascinating history and treasures inside which are hardly mentioned anywhere. This church is very old. According to legends it was built in 5th century but...
not just the door beautiful...Peggy Guggenheim was the great-granddaughter of Swiss immigrant Simon Guggenheim who made a fortune in metals: lead, silver, copper. Though Peggy whose father Benjamin went down on the Titanic, was not one of the major heirs, she inherited enough to support her art habit.Peggy began her career in the arts in 1938 as the owner of a gallery in London. When WWII came she fled Europe and opened Art of This Century Gallery in New York showing Surrealists and Abstract artists. In 1947, Peggy returned to Europe, bought Palazzo Venier dei Leoni and showed her collection at the Venice Biennale. Near the end of her life, Peggy, who had originally dreamed of opening a museum way back in 1939, decided to leave her house and her art to the public to serve as a museum.Photographs show Peggy Guggenheim in some of the rooms, identifying their function when she lived there....
Bologna does not get the hordes of tourists that cities like Rome, Venice and Florence receive. This is probably because when it comes to big ticket attractions Bologna really does not rank up there with these other cities. Still it is a shame to pass up this lovely city with its stunning ochre coloured buildings it is fun to wander around the streets of Bologna. Like all Italian cities there are several interesting old churches, piazzas with great cafes and fine art museums. Bologna is about halfway along the railway line between Florence and Venice. Perhaps this is why it has become so overlooked. People with limited times on their hands have been so rushed to get from one of these two cities to the other haven't taken the time to hop of the train and tour Bologna on the way. It is definately worth a days visit.Also of note is that Bologna makes for an excellent base if you want to...
Nove is famous in Italy for beautiful ceramics, and some of the shops here even produce for Tiffany & Co. and Lenox. The costs are about 1/4 of what you'd pay in a retail store. A beautiful set of 8 will cost less than $300 euro. For instance, a Lenox Plate is normally $26 in the store, but in Nove it's only $5This display is in my wife's favorite store in Nove, VBCVia Molini 45I - 36055 Nove (VI)Mon-Fri 10:00-12:00, 13:30-18:00 and Sat 8:00-13:00
This church is an example of a very much unexpected find in the middle of Valle Umbra, away from any village. When I drove from Montefalco to Campello sul Clitunno I suddenly saw this huge church in the distance and wanted to know what it is. I wouldn’t have seen it if it would not stand that much isolated – nothing around but plain meadowns and fields. And when I arrived on the premises, I was amazed of the huge parking facilities and a little shop around the church. Only later (when doing my “post research”) I found out the background of this all. It was a bit difficult as all I found was in Italian only, but “babelfish” helped me to understand what I was reading.Madonna della Stella (Madonna of the star) was built in Medieval times and dedicated to Sant’ Bartolomeo. Mid of 19th century, so the story tells, voices of the madonna were heard here and that she wanted this church to be...
Fonti di Clitunno was one of these unexpected finds which are close to a main road but not easy to recognise but once one gets off the car, bike or bus – provokes this special “wow” factor and one feels as if on another planet. When I was driving along the street next to SS3 (the one that connects Assisi and Spoleto) I suddenly saw a little temple, but it was too late to turn off the street. So I continued down south to look for a place to turn around. I found one, but then I saw this sign “Fonti di Clitunno” and decided I stop here and look what this is all about. Oh my…. Such an enchanting place!! At the entrance I got a little leaflet (Italian only) with the history of this spring and garden and was let onto the grounds. Ducks were greeting me and they seemed to be happily living here and happy to share their home with the visitors.This place got its name from the spring of river...
This little lake attracted my attention when I saw it on the map. It looked small and no bigger city nearby. So I wanted to see it on my way from San Pietro in Valle to Valle Umbra. What a good decision! It was a bit tricky to get “uphill” to Marmore, as the road lead through the very tiny and narrow streets of Papigno, off SS 209 (the street through Valnerina) but once I was up at Marmore, the lake is signposted. And when the lake came in view I was amazed of this very much beautiful setting. The area is rather flat in this region, a kind of high plain but surrounded by little hills and the big mountains of Monti Reatini in the background to the east. There was such a quiet and serene atmosphere around the whole place, it was as if I was in another world. Maybe it is different in summer, when the little village of Piediluco prepares for summer guests with many watersport options such as...
Albergo Del Senato Rome
5 Reviews and 1085 Opinions The Pantheon is my favorite building in Rome and might be my favorite building in the world. The...
Al Ponte Antico Hotel Venice Venice
6 Reviews and 474 Opinions My sisters and I stayed 2 nights at this hotel and our time there was priceless. Matteo and his...
Hotel David Florence
6 Reviews and 920 Opinions My husband and I stayed at the hotel 4 years ago and loved it, so when I planned our family trip...
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Q: For my 3rd trip to Italy, my mother and I are on a tight budget (food-wise). On previous visits, I'd simply select a recommended...
A: Sandi, I'm no expert on Italian eating but eating from each menu section would be an incredible feat. We always order a starter OR a dessert and then we order either a...
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