A World in a Click
Wonderful Italy is in the south of Western Europe. The shape of the peninsula is often associated with the boots of tourists. The country itself is covered with many mountain ranges and a beautiful coastline. It is home to the most significant monuments and attractions on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Therefore, it is not surprising that many travelers plan to tour Italy at least once. Italy shares the borders with France in the northwest, Switzerland and Austria in the north, and Slovenia in the northeast. Inside Italy, there are also such micro countries as the Vatican (in Rome) and San Marino (in the central part of the country, closer to the east/Adriatic coast). One should not forget the famous islands in the Mediterranean Sea, such as Sicily, Sardinia, Lampedusa, and Capri.
Rome
Italy has a subtropical Mediterranean climate mainly. In the country’s north, near the Alps, there is a continental climate. Temperatures are pretty mild in much of the country. The average annual temperature is around +10, +16 degrees Celsius, and in the hills, around +5, +10 degrees. It does not exceed -5 (-10 in the mountains) in winter, but it can swelter in summer in southern Italy, up to +45, +48 degrees Celsius. Therefore, depending on where the Italian tourist attractions are located, you can choose the right time of year to visit them. As for the weather, there are earthquakes, sometimes extreme (Abruzzo area), small tornadoes (rarely), and landslides (in the Alpine regions).
Estimated temperature by season (in degrees Celsius):
EURO
UTC+1 (CET) – Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
You can go to this country by plane and then on a tour of Italy in a rented car. You can also travel by ferry from Spain, Greece, Albania, France (Corsica Island), Croatia, Montenegro, Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria. Otherwise, you can travel from many other European countries by train and bus.
Here you can write endlessly. The culture and art of Italy are known all over the world. Famous people were born here:
You should pay special attention to delightful Italian artists: Giotto, Tiziano, Sandro Botticelli, Rafael Sanzio, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Donatello, Jacopo Pontormo, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, etc.). We should note that many of them were not only skilled artists but also excellent sculptors.
Leonardo da Vinci is an outstanding Italian architect, engineer, artist, sculptor, scientist, biologist, inventor, musician, and writer. This is the unicorn of his era and history. Da Vinci has created famous paintings such as Mona Lisa, Lady with an Ermine, Madonna Litta, Annunciation, Madonna Benoit, Madonna with a Carnation, and the famous fresco The Last Supper. He painted anatomical drawings of the skull, described the development of the human embryo, and created a sketch of Homo Vitruvius. Many of his engineering structures are still in operation in Italy today. Just inquire about his engineering transport projects. Leonardo was looking directly into our future to adopt new ideas!
It is difficult to say which of us does not know Italian cuisine. We can say that it has already entered the list of Italian tourist attractions. Many recipes have survived since the Middle Ages, if not before. On the menu, Italians have pasta (just a massive number of options, and spaghetti is even-numbered), rice (a lot of cooking options), meat, fish, seafood, poultry, mushrooms, legumes (including pods), vegetables, and fruits. Olive oil is popular; there are various options for delicious cheeses, meat delicacies (prosciutto), and many spices from aromatic herbs. Italian cuisine is delicious and relatively healthy.Â
As for soups, they are more prevalent in northern regions, where the climate is colder. We can safely distinguish beverages from excellent white Italian wine, liqueurs (Sambuca, Limoncello, Campari), and other alcoholic drinks (Grappa and Amaretto).Â
As for Italian coffee, it is probably one of the best in the world. Among the famous Italian dishes, the following can be distinguished: pizza, lasagna, cannelloni, bistecca alla fiorentina, risotto, minestrone, ravioli, chicken parmigiana, spaghetti carbonara, gnocchi, spaghetti alla bolognese, spaghetti all’amatriciana, focaccia, caprese, bruschetta, tortellini, frittata, polenta, carpaccio, tiramisu, pannacotta, and gelato. The list can be continued for a very long time. Every Italian province has its unique dishes and recipes that taste great. It isn’t easy to single out one thing, everything in Italian cuisine is delicious. And what kind of ice cream there is, one cannot even describe. It would be best to try Italian ice cream in the local gelaterias.
As for lunch or dinner in a restaurant, you will usually be offered first snacks (antipasto), first course, second course, dessert, and coffee.
Italians know that what matters is style, not fashion. Italian style does not have social or age boundaries.
You can come any time of the year. The month’s choice will depend on what type of vacation you prefer. For example, it is better to go to the beach in summer and ski resorts in winter. For cultural recreation, you can consider spring or autumn when it is not so hot or cool and there are few tourists. If you plan to shop in Italy, you can save money by coming here for seasonal sales, which happen twice a year, starting in January and July.
From May to October.
The peak season is August, when Italian beaches are full of tourists. It can scorch the southern regions. The beaches are divided into municipally accessible beaches and club ones for which you must pay a fee. They can be covered with pebbles or fine sand. The beaches have all the infrastructure necessary for tourists. And some have excellent beach clubs (fee-paying) where you can have a good time.
All year round. But please note that it can boil and stuffy in July and August in Italian cities. In southern Italy, temperatures often rise to +45 degrees Celsius. Crowds of tourists surround the main Italian tourist attractions.
In spring and autumn, the weather is comfortable, and there are fewer tourists so you can relax in the city as much as possible.
The weather varies depending on the settlement location in winter, but it does not drop below -5 degrees Celsius (-10 in alpine cities). The sun warms in winter, and the temperature rarely drops below +15 degrees Celsius. And in Sicily, it is very comfortable all year round. The only disadvantages of winter holidays in Sicily are increased rainfall, wind, and shorter light days. Many tourists are in Italian cities on Catholic Christmas and New Year holidays.
From April to October.
You can visit the islands of Sicily and Sardinia from March to November. Be careful planning a tour of Italy in June near the Alpine rivers. There is a lot of rain this month, which provokes dangerous landslides.
December to March.
There are many tracks of varying difficulty. The infrastructure is very well developed. Besides skiing, you can relax in hot thermal springs. The most popular place for skiing is the Alps, and you can distinguish them: Dolomite Alps, Val di Souza, Val d’Aosta, Trento, Alta Valtellina, and Dolomiti di Brenta. The choice of resorts is comprehensive, and they are all wonderful. You can also go for a ride in the resorts of the Apennines. The tracks here are not as complicated, the cost of services is slightly lower than in the Alps, and there are resorts close to major cities such as Rome, Bologna, and Florence. There is another place in Italy where you can go skiing on the snow cover, which many tourists do not even think about is the island of Sicily. In winter, there are pretty modern ski resorts (Piano Battaglia / Etna) in Volcano Etna.
Remember that the Italian ski resorts are filled with tourists during the Christmas and New Year holidays and Carnival week in spring. Try to avoid these dates.
Italy has quite a few different holidays, especially in the country’s south. Here are some examples of the most famous festivals: Palio di Siena (July), Carnival of Venice (February), Ivrea Carnevale (Orange fights, February / March), Sanremo Music Festival (February), Carnival of Viareggio (February / March), Vinitaly (April), Gelato Festival (at different times), Infiorate di Spello (in June), Umbria Jazz (in July or August), Venice Film Festival (August / September), Festa Della Rificolona (September).
In Italy, it is pretty safe, food is of high quality, and medical care is good (in the country’s north – excellent). The country is well suited for family holidays. There are beaches, amusement parks, natural parks, mountains, various cultural places, and attractions where the entire family will be interested.
In Italy, you can practice rock climbing, trekking, cycling, rafting (mountain rivers), kitesurfing (especially on Lake Garda), windsurfing, and diving (especially on the island of Sardinia), you can kayak on picturesque Italian lakes. You can also practice surfing in Italy, but choose the island of Sardinia for this.
1 Rome
2 Venice
4 Church of Santa MarÃa delle Grazie in Milan (“Cenacolo Vinciano” Leonardo da Vinci)
5 Volcano Etna
8 Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius
9 Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park
10 Capri Island
11 Castle of Valentino (Turin)
12 Pisa Tower
13 GalerÃa Uffizi (Florence)
14 Sassi di Matera (Basilicata)
15 Piazza del Campo (Siena)
Route of the Cinque Terre (on foot)
Arcipelago di La Maddalena National Park
Route to cities and villages of Tuscany
Lombardy Lake route
Routes of the island of Sardinia
Routes of Capri Island (on foot)
Routes in Sicily (Mount Etna)
Routes around Portofino
112 – emergency service number (valid in all European countries, including Russia)
118 – emergency medical care
113 – police
117 – financial police
114 – protection of minors
115 – fire protection
1515 – environmental protection (forest protection)
1518 – information on road traffic in Italy
1530 – coast guard
911 – automatically switches to number 112
Italian fashion exemplifies classic and chic, grace, and elegance. Fashion history goes back deep into the Roman era. That’s why Italy still produces fabrics of excellent quality. The principal impulse in the development of modern Italian fashion can be considered the mid-20th century. In this era, Milan was called the fashion capital, and all kinds of designers created their famous collections, one after another. Walking through the streets of Italian cities, one cannot help but notice many small shops and workshops where small factories of local designers and artisans produce clothes, bags, shoes, and accessories of excellent quality. Italians are almost always dressed with taste; even older adults are stylish and elegant. And this is no exaggeration; you will quickly notice it yourself when you arrive in this beautiful country.
On your tour of Italy, if you note where the boutiques of well-known brands are located, Milan has Montenapoleone, Sant’ Andrea, Manzoni, and Della Spiga. In Rome, pay attention to via del Corso, Piazza Trinità dei Monti, and Piazza Spagna. There are also excellent fashion shops in Florence, Naples, Venice, and other Italian cities. Of course, the cost of good things made in Italy is not cheap, but you are guaranteed quality and exclusivity.
The most popular and well-known Italian fashion houses can be noted: Valentino, Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Gianni Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Bottega Veneta, Gianfranco Ferre, Moschino, Roberto Cavalli, Prada, Alberta Ferretti, Romeo Gigli, Genny.
The primary season is from May to October.Â
Diving is pretty popular, and it is also possible in March, April, and November, but with a unique diving suit and preferably accompanied by an experienced diver. The water clarity varies from 30 to 65 meters, and the bottom can be rocky or sandy. There may be currents in some areas. Italy’s most popular diving destinations are Liguria, Sicily, Elba, Ponzian Islands, and Sardinia.
As for Sardinia, diving is very popular. The water transparency near Sardinia is good. From April to September, the water temperature is comfortable enough, especially for beginners, but it does not exceed 25 degrees Celsius. The water is cold and more suitable for experienced divers in the remaining months. Exciting caves (Nereo, Cala Luna, Bel Torrente), reefs, and wrecks exist. You can also see a lot of beautiful fish and other underwater inhabitants. Diving clubs and schools are everywhere on the island to hire instructors and rent equipment. There are also instructors for children somewhere.
Sicily is very popular with lovers of underwater caves. The water near the island of Sicily is also immaculate, and you can watch the beautiful underwater world. The water warms up strongly during summer, and temperatures can reach 38 degrees Celsius. The most famous are Grotta dell’Academia and Grotta dell’Olio.
There are also many exciting diving sites on the coast of Liguria (e.g., Cape Portofino); you can come here for a comfortable dive from April to October. Capri Island has beautiful caves, but the currents and depths can be dangerous for beginners.
You can also dive in freshwater, such as Lake Garda.
From April to October.
This time is perfect for beginners. Surfing is also possible in winter, but for more experienced surfers, the weather is cold, the weather is windier, and the waves reach around 4 meters. It can be pretty hot during summer, especially in July/August, and a wetsuit is not required. ASurfers usually choose the west coast of Capo Mannu. Surfing school is on the island, and boards and equipment are rented.
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