General: Italy

Introduction and General Information This year my wife and I decided to inter-rail around Italy, flying into Pisa; taking in Florence, Pompeii, Sicily and finally ending up for a quick stop in Rome, a mini grand tour if you will. The review starts with general information for the first time Italian traveller, then cities and sites and, finally, is rounded off (as I was) by food and shopping. I managed to convince the wife that taking the laptop ...
...wrote the review as I went round. It's a long one so I hope you enjoy. Inter-rail Inter-rail provides regional and countrywide passes allowing the use of all domestic trains within the region where it is bought. Recently changed to allow purchase for the over 25's (though sadly more expensive) they can be bought from www.interrailnet.com. The passes allow travel for a certain number of days within a month; ours allowed 6 days of travel in Italy ...

hero164 15.05.2008 · Read full review
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Review of General: Italy

Italy. Such a beautiful country – breathtaking cliff views, rolling green hills, or the hustle and bustle of Rome or Florence, all existing side by side with the most jam-packed area on earth in terms of churches, monuments, artworks, treasures, and beautiful little jewels of towns. Having driven around Italy twice with my family, I’m convinced that it’s the way to see Italy (psychotic Italian drivers on the autostrada aside!). This way, you can ...
...as you would like and explore, or simply drive around and take in the beautiful scenery. Tuscany in particular is filled with these towns, as is the rest of northern Italy. Each town has it’s own beguiling charms, a local trade, renowned artwork, a lovely old church, cobbled, narrow streets…the list is endless. On this current trip through Tuscany and the Veneto, we had the pleasure of seeing a number of such towns, some more famous than others, ...

mystikchick17 18.08.2004 · Read full review
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Review of General: Italy

I am in two minds whether to write this review, having travelled all over Italy I have found a hidden gem and its always tempting to keep this kind of thing to yourself. However it deserves to be shared and discovered. Where am I talking about? The Appennines of Emilia Romagna. Most people only know the region of Emilia Romagna with regard to the main cities of the Po delta, namely, Modenna, Parma, Bologna and if you are a culture vulture maybe Ferrara ...
...this area of Italy than the cities and the food. So where shall I begin? The Scenery The Appennine region of Emilia Romagna, to the South of the Po Delta is an area of outstanding beauty and dramatic landscape. Unlike the Dolomites it does not have the dramatic main ridge, rather it has many ranges all at different angles over the region, and of course the dramatic Pietra de Bismantova which rises up like a giant table in the middle of the appennines. ...

innovation123 20.05.2008 · Read full review
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Review of General: Italy

A hot tip for all travellers to Italy's Tuscany region. We spent one week of our summer vacation this year in Tuscany / Italy, in the small village of Colleoli. After checking the Internet site in early June, we were lucky that there was still an apartment available for the first week in August (which is the high season). BOOKING You will find a lot of information (in English, Italian and Japanese) on the Internet at their homepage www.colleoli.it. ...
...at the homepage, by e-mail to info@colleoli.it or by telephone +39 0587 622010 (Matilda speaks English very well). We have booked by e-mail, and we received answers within 24 hours. HOW TO GET THERE It is only possible to get there by car. Via Florence or Pisa you have to take the SGC FI-PI-LI. This is not a secret code of the Italian mafia, it is the official name of the motorway from Florence to Pisa and Livorno, and exactly this abbreviation ...

Michael-S 18.08.2001 · Read full review
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Review of General: Italy

Seasoned travellers have long known there is virtually no end to the inspired and very creative restaurants and pizzeria and thoroughly delectable edibles that are distributed all over Italy’s culinary landscape. This is a land also justly famed for its fruits, ice cream, indulgent desserts ,fine cheeses such as the likes of mozzarella, provolone,ricotta, and mascarpone,the heavenly scent of basil and other gorgeous herbs and simply fabulous ...
...is so well respected and adored in so many different parts of the world? Rome - the eternal city of imperial and renaissance grandeur has a reputation for culinary excellence second to none. Lord Byron described Rome as "the city of the soul " but stomach might have been a more fitting choice. Roman cuisine is not for weight watchers : it is hardy and tasty and can be overwhelmingly ample. Abbachio al Forno, roast baby lamb cooked whole, features ...

ashford 24.01.2001 (16.08.2001) · Read full review
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Review of General: Italy

Arona is one of the "pearls" of the Lago Maggiore (Maggiore lake). The shores of this lake have seen, during the centuries, many different peoples like Celtics, Romans, Longobards (just to say some) and to confirm this there are many archaeological finds and nomenclatures. The very first news regarding Arona are in a manuscript dated 979 AD kept in the archives of the local parish curch. The village of Arona started its development during the ...
...Red Beard) destroyed Milan and many inhabitants of Milan fled the city searching refuge in Arona that was already under the siege of the Archbishopric of Milan. The view of Arona is dominated by "La Rocca" (the stronghold) that was belong first to the Visconti family (the rulers of Milan) and then to the Borromeo's. This stronghold saw the birth, in 1538, of Carlo Borromeo who became Archbishop of Milan and now is remembered and known as Saint Carlo ...

traveller55 11.09.2005 · Read full review
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Review of General: Italy

You have arrived in the country where I live! Welcome! The first people that you will find to welcome are : Attilio (sixty years old) that he doesn't recognize the colors but that sings, accompanying himself with the guitar, "Blu Serenade ", Giorgiantonio (indeterminable age) with the bristly hair from which you would not succeed in having some information: you would have answered as a gesture with the right hand to make to understand you to attend, ...
...turning every now and then to see if you follow him. Doesn't think that it will bring you where you have asked to go, you would find in a small alley under the angle window - strange and full of charm - from which would see a figure of woman, disheveled, that however it will give you the feeling that from young it had to be a beautiful woman: it is his Maria; the parents of both are opposite to their love and he has now gone out of head and she has ...

mirrors 22.09.2001 (30.10.2001) · Read full review
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Review of General: Italy

Corigliano Calabro (http://www.coriglianocalabro.it/fotog2.jpg) is a beautiful town you can find in Calabria, on the Jonio Sea's beach in Cosenza's province, between Rossano and Sibari. Mpf... as a beginning it seems too taked for granted... I wont talk good about my town, and I wont talk bad, but only expose you some things that can help you (...I hope they're helping you...) in the choice if coming or not in Corigliano... According to me it's ...
...must decide: and don't say that I didn't advise you!! :) In Corigliano lives roughly 50.000 dwellers, it's one of the few town who also the eternal indecises could come: infact we find there the mountains (a hilly zone called Piano Caruso, or a little higher Baraccone), and also the beach, but for this last only the photos are beautiful today (http://www.coriglianocalabro.it/fg1m.jpg), because it's polluted too as the most of Italian's beaches. ...

percefal 26.05.2001 · Read full review
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Review of General: Italy

Wandering in Pescara to tell you what I discovered … Last year, when I came in Pescara I did this choice only because my ex boss invited me to spend my holidays using the office. She did it because she knew very well my economical situation… this actually was a sort of a gift, without this possibily I would have spent my holidays at home. In any case, Pescara wasn’t a choice due to the place itself, or to any sort of interest in this particular ...
...a seaside resort, but a town that lies on the sea. The difference is huge. In Pescara people aren’t prepared in receiving tourists and the majority of them aren’t friendly, expecially with Italian tourists, expecially if you are alone. There are a lot of restaurants that simply refuse to serve a single, and also in hotel’s cafeterias they usually refuse to serve a coffee to people who aren’t clients of the hotel, even is they are signaled as ‘bar ...

shaoli2 21.08.2003 (22.08.2003) · Read full review
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Review of General: Italy

ITALY Area Covered: 116,333sq miles Population: 56,778,031 Population Density: 188.4 per sq km Northern ITALY Piemonte and Val d’Aosta have some of the highest mountains in Europe, and are very good for winter sports such as Snow boarding and Skiing. There many rivers in Northern Italy and they stretch for many a mile. You can pick up a guided tour of these rivers from nearly all of the jeti points along these rivers. It tends to be a ...
...away from the Mediterranean than the south. It is still very popular though and it would visit it again. CENTRAL ITALY Tuscany in Central Italy has many snow-capped mountains, luscious countryside’s, hills and sandy coast lines and 1 or 2 off-shore islands. Rome is in Southern Central Italy and is the largest in the country, and also contains the smallest country in the world, Vatican City, which has a population of 1,000 people, and houses ...

mattjoel 29.07.2002 · Read full review
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Review of General: Italy

I've just returned from a weeks break in Lido De Jesolo, a beach resort on the adriatic coast of Italy, just 30 miles from Venice. The resort is huge. The beach stretches for 15km's and is crowded with rows upon rows of umbrellas and sun loungers. A bit too regimented for me but certainly a sight to behold. The beach itself is clean and the sea is shallow until quite a way out, which makes it ideal for kids. In fact the whole resort is ideal for ...
...from funfairs and arcades to an aquapark. Unfortunately, that means that the resort is packed with family's and young children. Not what you want when your just a couple looking for a bit of peace and quiet. Also the resort, which is purpose built and so lacks Italian atmosphere, seems to be a big favourite with the Germans. As a consequence, almost every bar and restaurant, is decorated in almost a Beer Keller style. Not great if your expecting ...

bridgendboy 28.08.2001 · Read full review
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Review of General: Italy

First of all, I would like to thank the people who read my first and terrible-english opinion !!! My presence in Ciao UK is just to read not to write , so I hope you will pardon me if I do not write very well in English !!! Therefore, Cesena is my town, is where I was born, than it's right for me to begin my life in this community starting from my origins !! It’s situated in the middle-west of Italy, the region is called Emilia-Romagna, and ...
...The city is not a lot large, there are 100.000 people and only one street that hold all the traffic : it’s terrible principally at 12.00 o’clock !! My town is very well for people who wants to eat and drink something of fantastic, in fact there are a lot of very good and economics restaurants which makes typical foods in an excellent way !!! I suggest you “Il Rugantino” and “La Rocca” just in the middle of town ...

harket 29.10.2001 · Read full review
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Review of General: Italy

Sorry if you are looking for general Italy as i am review Perguia the forgotten city. When my family told me we were going to Perguia that year for our annual a city not as well known in Italy i was rather disappointed i thought it would be a boring place with no night life at all. Coming off the plane in Rome in the blazing heat getting in to a new car on the other side of the road was hell for my mother, but after getting used to it we were on ...
...place to be at night i was really not looking forward to it. We got on to the motorways and outside the windows was the most beautiful sites i have seen in my entire life the view was just amazing. It made me feel so good inside. After a good 2 hours of driving we made it to Perguia. Perguia is a city of art the main art gallery is in the centre of the city where there are many little Italian bistros with pizzas to die for. I didn't actually stay ...

afro_mikey123 19.02.2005 · Read full review
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Review of General: Italy

Below are some addresses of hotels and restaurants you fill find useful, if you go to Capri. As far as accommodation is concerned, the best place to stay is the house of your friends, provided you have any on the islands. If you do not, then you should know that hotel rates are fairly expensive, especially in summer. I would advice renting a room in a private house. Otherwise, at £40 per night, “Esperia”, in Liberty-style cannot be beaten for the ...

NATALIA70 21.08.2000 · Read full review
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Bardolino is a small town on the edge of Lake Garda, famous for its Bardolino Wine and Soave. The climate is mild and in the summer gets hot - the perfect place to eat the best icecream in northern Italy. Bardolino is a lively yet small and relatively traffic-free resort. There are plenty of street cafes and restaurants catering for the tourist and locals alike. There are lots of small good quality boutiques and gift shops and plenty of excellent ...
...time. It doesnt have the gaudy nightclubs and bars of many European resorts - Its more a place to sit and people-watch, eat good food and drink good wine. We're in our late 20's but I'd recommend Bardolino for anyone up to age 150. The Lake itself is huge, - there are plenty of boat trips to explore the other Garda towns and villages. Nearby is Gardaland - a theme park along the lines of Alton Towers but not quite as big. The advantage it has over ...

the_feline 29.07.2000 · Read full review
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Review of General: Italy