Italy travel planning tips and photos
Florence is the the quintessential artistic and cultural symbol of the Renaissance period. Historical buildings filled with amazing art abound in Florence’s medieval old town. So put on your walking shoes and let’s go together on a walking tour of Florence, Italy.
Milan is a great starting point for exploring Northern Italy. While Milan itself has a few great tourist attractions, exploring the area surrounding this bustling city will give you a much greater appreciation for this area of Northern Italy.
Genova, Italy has a beautiful location on the Ligurian sea and an amazingly intricate history. The city has been built in layers over the course of history. This layering is especially visible from the old port area as it allows for a panoramic view of the surrounding hills. Unfortunately, we only stopped for a few good hours on our way to the French Riviera. Read on about my favorite things to see in Genoa.
Sirmione, Italy is a stunning place to visit in Northern Italy. It is situated on the southern tip of beautiful lake Garda and it has amazing history. Sirmione, Italy is the quintessential Italian tourist destination. We arrived in Sirmione a bit tired, coming from Padua, but taking a swim in the warm waters of Lake Garda, completely refreshed us and made us ready to head into town.
Soave, Italy was a small village that we knew nothing about when we visited Italy. We simply saw it from the freeway and decided to stop…and we were glad we did it. It is definitely a very old small village with an impressive castle and beautiful views of the surrounding country side. Soave, Italy is a delightful day trip from Verona or Lake Garda. The stairs leading to the castle provide beautiful views all around the area and the surrounding hills are simply beautiful with grape vines stretching in all directions. Read more about visiting Soave.
Padova (or Padua) was one of the tourist attractions that we were not prepared for. Being impressed and tired after visiting Venice for two days, we did not research Padova very well, so we came ill prepared for what the city had to offer. Padova, Italy is a large city with beautiful tourist attractions which makes for a great day trip from Venice if you have an extra day. Padova, has three large areas with attractions, each within 15 minutes walking distance from each other. Read on about my walking tour of Padova, Italy.
Burano is another well known island in the Venice archipelago. Burano is well known for its fine lace industry that dates back several hundreds of years. It is a popular tourist attraction in Venice but it is not very crowded even at the beginning of August when we visited. Let’s walk together and explore my favorite things to do in Burano.
Since we have already visited the main island of Venice Italy we felt really bad about being near Venice and not visiting more. So we decided that we would visit Venice again for the second day but this time we wanted to visit the two islands that are well known but not visited as much as the main island. So on our second day to Venice we decided to visit the island of Murano and the island of Burano.
Before visiting Venice for the first time, I have read a lot and seen lots of pictures. I understood that Venice is fundamentally different than everything else simply because instead of roads they have water canals. Yeah, I got it…or so I thought. However, when I arrived in the central station in Venice, things were different…very different! Why am I saying that?
We arrived in Verona, Italy after a few hours drive from Milan. We were ready to stretch our legs, but most of all we were eager to experience this symbol of Italian charm and romance. We kept using the promise of Italian ice cream as a bribe for our kids as we started exploring this beautiful medieval city. Read on to experience my charming walking tour of Verona, Italy.
Italy