Italy travel guide

Le Cinque Terre quite literally means the five lands in Italian and you will see why when you view this beautiful and bold coastline. The villages that make up the Cinque Terre are nestled into the steep cliff faces of the coast and offer some of the most amazing views and food within the Ligurian region. Travelling to the Cinque Terre has been made easy by regular trains departing from nearby La Spezia, most visitors opting to ride the train to the most northern village of Monterosso and hike the trail to the most southern village of Riomaggiore. The hike will take around 4 to 5 hours including a mouth watering lunch stop but there is also plenty of B&B's which cater for all price ranges if you should want to stretch out your stay on this stunning coastline. Best times to go are the months leading up to and after the European summer when you will find less traffic and more favourable temperatures but be careful not to go in the wet season when mudslides can occur. Don't forget to wear a good pair of walking shoes!

Florence is one of Italy's cultural and architectural centers, and although the town is very touristy, you can still sense a special historical atmosphere of the old town. Famous Florentines include artists such as Raphael, Donatello, Leonardo da Vinci and not least Michelangelo, whose famous David statue stands in several places in town. Besides beautiful statues in the city's piazzas, the great Gothic cathedral, Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, is also worth a visit. Here you can climb up into the dome and look out across the city. You should also see one of the city's famous landmarks - namely the bridge Ponte Vecchio, that was previously filled with slaughterhouses, which meat waste was thrown directly into the River. Today the street is filled with more tourist-friendly jewelry stores.

The picturesque Lake Como, covering 146 m2 with surrounding mountains, is Italy's third largest lake. Along the lake, there are many cosy villages and lots of cool large villas. Small ferries sail from one end of the y-shaped lake to the other, so it is easy to visit towns across the lake. Especially the western side of the lake with Cernobbio, Menaggio, Tremezzo and Moltrasio and the southern cities Bellagio and Como town are worth a visit. The atmosphere at Lake Como is far more exclusive and less touristy than for example the larger Lake Garda - but it is also slightly more expensive. If you are a movie buff, you will furthermore, also recognize locations from "James Bond's Casino Royale", "Oceans 12" and "A Month by the Lake".

Lake Trasimeno, covering 128 m2, is situated in the region of Umbria a couple hours drive north of Rome and an hour from Florence. The lake is less touristy than some of the larger lakes, but there are still some nice small towns along the coast such as Passignano Sul Trasimeno, and especially in the surrounding mountains are nice villages and B&B's with stunning views over Lake Trasimeno. You find 3 small islands in the lake. However, only one of them - Isola Maggiore - are inhabited, and here you can visit an ancient castle ruin/Franciscan monastery (Maggiore Castle) by ferry. The lake and the area in general is also known for its excellent local wineries and selection of freshwater fish/seafood.

Perugia is Umbria's "Capital", and is situated on a 500 m high hill with a splendid view over the landscape. The city is relatively large, with approx. 150,000 inhabitants and 2 universities with 40,000 students, so there are many young people around. Perugia consists of a wide pedestrian main street, which natural assembly point is Piazza IV Novembre, where there is a large fountain from the 1200s and the gothic cathedral of San Lorenzo. The cathedral has beautiful paintings on its ceiling, but is otherwise very bleak. There are nice outdoor restaurants in the main streeet, but they are quite touristy. However, if you look in the small winding streets, you will find many more local restaurants. On Piazza Italia there is, furthermore, a large outdoor flea market in weekends.

The seaside resort town of Rimini is Italy's mini version of Costa del Sol. A long sandy beach fringed by an equal long row of tall hotels, restaurants, and bars. The wide beach is packed with loungers, umbrellas and sun tanned bodies in speedos and bikinis. In August the density is so great that it's not possible to see neither the sea or sand from the road 100 m away. Disco tones from the beach bars have people up and dance on the sand, even during the day, and there might even be an aerobic class somewhere too. Any kind of water sports are of course available. Yes, Rimini is cheesy, but it's a fun place to chill and people watch.

Sanremo is a well established resort town on the Italian Riviera. It was apparently "the place" for the rich Europeans to spend their holiday in the old days. Today, it's not quite as glamorous as Cannes or posh as Monte Carlo, but Sanremo still has style and character, though it has also have become quirky. Some of the grand old hotels looks like they haven't been updated since 1950's, but that just part of the charm. There are plenty of Art Nouveau buildings, including the fine casino. The palm lined promenade is pretty and the tiny city beaches are packed in summer time.

It seems everywhere you go in Italy there's a UNESCO site within spitting distance. The island of Sicily is no different. Of the 4 sites on the island, the town of Syracuse is the crown jewel. Dating back some 2,700 years, Syracuse has managed to maintain the ancient while living in the present. When more magnificent fountains, beautiful churches and expansive squares, it is no wonder the whole town is UNESCO listed. While it certainly draws in the tourist crowds, it is a fraction of that on the Italian mainland. This means you get a wonderful historical Italian site with a few hundred others, not a few thousand.