discover

ITALY

CRISTIAN BONETTODAMIEN SIMONIS, ALISON BING, GREGOR CLARK, DUNCAN

GARWOOD, ABIGAIL HOLE, ALEX LEVITON, VIRGINIA MAXWELL, JOSEPHINE QUINTERO, BRENDAN SAINSBURY

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NAPLES,POMPEII &

AMALFIp263

SICILY &THE SOUTH

p297

ROMEp50

MILAN & THENORTHWEST

p103

VENICE & THENORTHEAST

p155

FLORENCE &CENTRAL ITALY

p207

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DISCOVER ITALY

Rome (p50) Italy’s former Caput Mundi is a breathtaking combo of priceless ruins, vainglorious churches, sweeping piazzas and effortless cool.

Milan & the Northwest (p103) Moneyed cities and uber-romantic lakes meet snow-capped Alps, truffle- sprinkled hills and gorgeous coastal hamlets.

Venice & the Northeast (p155) Foodie-fabulous cities and glittering Byzantine churches meet villa-freckled plains and the inimitable romance of Venice.

Florence & Central Italy (p207) A clas-sic blend of cultured Renaissance cities, brooding Gothic towns and heavenly vine-laced hills.

Naples, Pompeii & Amalfi (p263) An adrenalin-pumping mash-up of elec-trifying street life, bombastic baroque palazzi, vivid ancient ruins and tumbling coastal villages.

Sicily & the South (p297) Arabesque architecture and spicy flavours meet steamy volcanoes, stunning turquoise beaches and surreal, far-flung abodes.

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CONTENTS

CONTENTSTHIS IS ITALY 10

ITALY’S TOP 25 EXPERIENCES 12

ITALY’S TOP ITINERARIES 31

PLANNING YOUR TRIP 39

ROME 50ROME HIGHLIGHTS 54ROME’S BEST… 60THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 61DISCOVER ROME 62History 63Orientation 64Information 65Sights 66Tours 89Festivals & Events 89

Sleeping 90Eating 93Drinking 97Entertainment 98Shopping 99Getting There & Away 100Getting Around 100

MILAN & THE NORTHWEST 103MILAN & THE NORTHWEST HIGHLIGHTS 106MILAN & THE NORTHWEST’S BEST… 112THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 113MILAN & THE NORTHWEST ITINERARIES 114DISCOVER MILAN & THE NORTHWEST 116MILAN 116History 116Orientation 117Information 117

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Sights 117Tours 122Festivals & Events 122Sleeping 122Eating 123Drinking 123Entertainment 124Shopping 125Getting There & Away 125Getting Around 125AROUND MILAN 126Certosa di Pavia 126Bergamo 126THE LAKES 128Lago Maggiore 128Lago di Como 130LIGURIA 135Genoa 135Riviera di Levante 136PIEDMONT 141Turin 141Alba 148Around Alba 150Asti 151Around Asti 152PARCO NAZIONALE DEL GRAN PARADISO 153

VENICE & THE NORTHEAST 155VENICE & THE NORTHEAST HIGHLIGHTS 158VENICE & THE NORTHEAST’S BEST… 164THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 165VENICE & THE NORTHEAST ITINERARIES 166DISCOVER VENICE & THE NORTHEAST 168VENICE 168History 168Orientation 169Information 169Sights 172Activities 178

Tours 179Festivals & Events 179Sleeping 179Eating 182Drinking 184Entertainment 184Getting There & Away 184Getting Around 185AROUND THE VENETO 186Brenta Riviera 186Vicenza 187Verona 191EMILIA-ROMAGNA 194Bologna 194Modena 200Maranello 201Parma 202Ravenna 204

FLORENCE & CENTRAL ITALY 207FLORENCE & CENTRAL ITALY HIGHLIGHTS 210FLORENCE & CENTRAL ITALY’S BEST… 216THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 217FLORENCE & CENTRAL ITALY ITINERARIES 218DISCOVER FLORENCE & CENTRAL ITALY 220FLORENCE 220History 220Orientation 221Information 221Sights 221Tours 230Festivals & Events 230Sleeping 230Eating 231Drinking 232Entertainment 232Shopping 232

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Getting There & Away 233Getting Around 233NORTHERN & WESTERN TUSCANY 234Fiesole 234Lucca 234Pisa 236CENTRAL TUSCANY 240Chianti 240Siena 243San Gimignano 247UMBRIA 249Perugia 249Assisi 253Gubbio 256Spoleto 258Orvieto 260

NAPLES, POMPEII & AMALFI 263NAPLES, POMPEII & AMALFI HIGHLIGHTS 266NAPLES, POMPEII & AMALFI’S BEST… 270THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 271NAPLES, POMPEII & AMALFI ITINERARIES 272DISCOVER NAPLES, POMPEII & AMALFI 274NAPLES 274History 274Orientation 274Information 275Sights 275Tours 281Sleeping 281Eating 281Drinking 282Entertainment 282Getting There & Away 283Getting Around 283CAPRI 284Orientation 284

Information 284Sights 285Activities 286Eating 286Drinking & Entertainment 287Getting There & Away 287Getting Around 287SOUTH OF NAPLES 288Mt Vesuvius 288Pompeii 288Sorrento 290AMALFI COAST 291Positano 291Around Positano 292Amalfi 293Ravello 294Amalfi to Salerno 296

SICILY & THE SOUTH 297SICILY & THE SOUTH HIGHLIGHTS 300SICILY & THE SOUTH’S BEST… 304THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 305SICILY & THE SOUTH ITINERARIES 306DISCOVER SICILY & THE SOUTH 308SICILY 308Palermo 310Monreale 314Cefalù 314Aeolian Islands 316Ionian Coast 319Southeastern Sicily 324Agrigento 328PUGLIA 330Promontorio del Gargano 330Castel del Monte 332Bari 332Murgia Plateau & Trulli Country 334Lecce 336BASILICATA 338Matera 338Maratea 340

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ITALY IN FOCUS 342ART & ARCHITECTURE 344FAMILY TRAVEL 351HISTORY 353THE ITALIAN TABLE 364LIFESTYLE 370THE OUTDOORS 376

DIRECTORY & TRANSPORT 379DIRECTORY 380Accommodation 380Children 383Climate Charts 383Customs Regulations 384Dangers & Annoyances 384Discount Cards 385Embassies & Consulates 386Food & Drink 386Gay & Lesbian Travellers 387Health 387Holidays 389Insurance 389Internet Access 389Legal Matters 389Maps 390Money 391Shopping 392Telephone 392Time 393Tourist Information 393Travellers with Disabilities 394Visas 395Women Travellers 395TRANSPORT 396Getting There & Away 396Getting Around 400

GLOSSARY 406

BEHIND THE SCENES 408

INDEX 413

GREENDEX 422

LEGEND 424

NAPLES,POMPEII &

AMALFIp263

SICILY &THE SOUTH

p297

ROMEp50

MILAN & THENORTHWEST

p103

VENICE & THENORTHEAST

p155

FLORENCE &CENTRAL ITALY

p207

7

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It’s not the size that matters – it’s what you do with it. Italy should know. Smaller than New Mexico, this dramatic, self-assured marvel boasts art collections, culinary skills and landscapes that few nations would ever dare compete with.

Not surprisingly, the Belpaese (Beautiful Country) is a seasoned seducer. For millennia, foreigners have fought for a slice of Europe’s sexiest boot. Goethe and Keats sipped espresso in Rome; Wagner and Wolfe waxed lyrical about the Amalfi Coast; and George Clooney continues to live la dolce vita on Lago di Como’s elegant shores.

Italy’s great città d’arte (cities of art) – among them Rome, Venice and Florence – count masterpieces the way most cities count cars. Beyond these cities lies an exhaust-ing bounty of treasures, from Tuscany’s vine-laced hills and Emilia-Romagna’s food- obsessed cities to the raw, brooding beauty of ‘deep south’ Basilicata.

Not that Italy is without a dark side. Philandering politicians, Mafia dealings, illegal immigration and the country’s infamous bureaucracy are as much a part of Italian life as da Vinci, Armani and long Sunday lunches.

THIS IS ITALY

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And the country is no stranger to drama. Local history is littered with tales of self- serving viceroys, martyred saints, devastating earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. But while the peninsula’s history could fill countless volumes, the country of Italy is actually quite young. After the fall of Rome, the peninsula remained divided into bickering city-states and small warring kingdoms, eventually succumbing to foreign control before finally opting for unifica-tion in 1861.

Almost 150 years on, Europe’s fourth-largest economy remains a country of enormous contra-dictions, its 20 regions flaunting their own idiosyn-cratic cuisines, dialects, architecture and cultural traditions. With Napoleonic palazzi (palaces) in Piedmont, medieval pageants in Umbria and Arabesque domes in Sicily, Italy can feel more like a compact collection of different worlds than a single country. The con-trasts might cause the odd political division, but for the rest of us it’s what makes this Mediterranean diva so deliciously rewarding.

“Italy can feel more like a compact collection of different worlds than a single country”

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