Italy Vacations

Vineyards bake in the sun by Mount Vesuvius and street pizza in Naples tastes like a slice of heaven. Shopping in Milan’s boutiques will make fashionists swoon. Foodies may have trouble eating Italian anywhere else ever again after tasting the gastronomic majesty of Emilia-Romagna’s cuisine. Sip bitter, orange Aperol Spritz in at a café in fair Verona or Medieval Siena and watch the sun melt over the Piazza del Campo, the symbol of Tuscany. 

The beauty of these experiences is that Italians are as enamoured with their culture and heritage as any visitor will be. This pride of place is reflected in their attention to detail in their own daily lives.  Italians have grown up looking at art and history; it is infused into their communities through their architecture, their cuisine, and their dress. It is unlikely you will find an Italian donning sweats to go to the grocery store; fashion is important. Even outside of the fashion centres of Milan and Rome, Italians take time to dress as a way of personal artistic expression. It is no wonder the likes of Enzo Ferrari and Gianna Versace were born of this country where Leonardo da Vinci and Botticelli had crafted their creative genius centuries before.  

Predominantly Roman Catholic, hundreds of thousands of beautiful churches have been built in Italy over the centuries. Home to the centre of Catholicism, Vatican City, the world’s smallest sovereign state, continues to house the current Pope within its walls. Inside more than 100 galleries are maintained, making it the largest and most affluent museum complex on the planet.  

Soccer may be the other primary religion of the country, with bars and coffee shops packed with locals cheering for their team on game days. Succumb to the Italian way and cheer for instant amici.

Most guidebooks tell travellers Italy is best visited in the early fall and late spring, when the European schools are back on, it’s not as busy with visitors, and the temperatures are most comfortable.  In reality, the best time to visit Italy is anytime. Winters in the mountain of the Dolomites at Cortina can feel like a fashion show on and off the slopes, or get cozy at Alta Badia, where post ski dinners of pillow soft gnocchi by the fire have earned the elegant ski town two Michelin star restaurants. With about 4,000 museums and art galleries across the country, a chilly winter wind is easily subdued once inside thick walls housing some of the world’s most cherished and prized art.  Fall brings the harvest and like any wine-centred country, the vineyards are laden with swollen grapes and walks or bike rides in Tuscany or Sicily feel like spending time in a painting.

The Venice Biennale takes place at the beginning of the spring and ends in November. A spectacle of art and architecture where artists from all over the world showcase their talents at this pavilion complex, walking distance from San Marco. Summers by the coast or on the islands are busy, but the waters are at their warmest, and donning a itsy-bitsy bikini is both liberating and acceptable along the Amalfi Coast or the Italian Riviera. In the summer try to avoid the lines and the crowds by heading out early morning and later in the evening. Mid-day naps by the sea, your villa’s pool, or in a decadent hotel room with a view, suits all seasons in Italy.  Afterall, restaurants are open late here and dining after 8pm is the norm. In Italy, life is for pleasure, in all seasons.

Italians are used to visitors. More than 65 million people travel to the country annually from all over the world. In general Italians are very friendly, especially if you exchange pleasantries such as buongiorno in the mornings or buonasera in the evenings. Italians are proud of their culture, including their language, and so any attempt to converse in Italian goes a long way. Tipping isn't customary in Italy, but it is welcomed.  The people of the north tend to appear busier and although not entirely arrogant, a Milanese attitude for example does differ from that of the south, where the pace is slower, and life seems to move on a different schedule.  Larger cities like Rome or Naples can be overwhelming but asking for directions or help, especially with a kindly spoken scusa? to catch a local’s attention will garner mostly warm responses.

Want to see it all? Museum and cultural passes are great ways to go if you wish to explore multiple museums and galleries in one city.  Driving across Italy on major highways is fairly straight-forward, however, traversing inner city streets are challenging due to many regulations about where and when you can drive. The Amalfi coastal drive may look like a car commercial, but hugging the edges of the cliffs as you wind endlessly along the coast isn’t for the faint of heart, even if it is thrilling.  Public transportation within cities can be confusing but the train system is easy to navigate and connects the country very well. With a smattering of Italian and an open mind, all in all, getting lost in Italy isn’t the worst thing; it may in fact, be one of the best.

Italy’s food culture is as diverse as it’s once independent city states. Unified just over 160 years ago Italy’s cities once existed as city-states with their own specialties and menus based on what produce was available locally.  This diversity in food culture, remains to this day with French and Austrian influence in northern Italy, where complex meat dishes are to be found. IN the south, Mediterranean flavours and more fish and seafood grace the table. Fresh tomato salads, crusty breads, pizza and pasta and desserts like creamy gelato ice cream and delicate, spongy tiramisu are to be found everywhere.

Menus begin with antipasto; hot or cold appetizers, primo; pasta, risotto, gnocchi, polenta or soup, secondo; the main dish, of fish, seafood or meat, followed by dolce and caffe or digestivi (liquors such as limoncello or marsala). 

The ancient Roman god of wine, that rosy-cheeked and rotund rascal, Bacchus, would be pleased with the wine culture of modern Italy. Wines are exported the world over, with famous ones like Barolo, Brunello, Marsala and Chianti produced from houses run by multi-generational vintners. With 20 wine regions, the country is home to some of the oldest wine-producing areas in the world. More than 60% of the grapes destined for vino in Italy is red, with Chianti being the most famous. Effervescent whites like Moscato and bubbly Prosecco are also gaining popularity and are excellent choices with fresh seafood by the coast.

Coffee shops are called simply “bar” in Italy and are social hubs, swelling with locals shouting out their orders before work and during soccer games.  Light lagers such as Moretti or Peroni are not as popular as wine but go great with a Juventus game. A hearty saluti! with your neighbouring table over a football match, is an excellent way to dive into authentic Italian culture.