Rome, Italy: The Splendor of the Eternal City
By: Eric Alexander Hamilton Without a doubt, Rome, Italy, is one of the world’s most majestic, beautiful, and unique cities. Nicknamed “The Eternal City”, it has been around for a long time, as far back as 500 B.C. Rome is a fascinating place to visit. It is not like most European capital cities that have a uniform style of architecture, usually either 18th or 19th century, that are so well laid out that they seem to have been artificially designed and planned. Rome evokes a sense of being “real, unplanned”. The city is so old that it has many different styles of architecture interspersed throughout it: classical, medieval, gothic, renaissance, baroque, modern, etc. There is no orderly plan to this city: it’s a virtual kaleidoscope of history. One...
Read MoreTop 10 Best Cities to Visit in Italy
Steeped in history and culture, featuring some of the world’s most important art and architecture, Italy is understandably a country at or near the top of many travelers’ lists. Obviously, for most visitors famous cities like Rome, Florence and Venice will be part of the itinerary. However, these cities are but a taste of what this majestic country has to offer. In compiling this list of the top 10 best cities in Italy my goal is to enlighten travelers about some of the other highlights they can see if they take the opportunity to venture out of “the big three” and some of the lesser known destinations. Italy has an extensive train network, and the cost of traveling from city to city is relatively inexpensive. This, in my...
Read MoreThe Isle of Capri – An Adventurous Italy Vacation Alternative
By: Adrianne Duthie When one thinks of a vacation to Italy the first destinations that spring to mind are popular tourist destinations like Rome, Venice and Florence. Obviously hitting just those three destinations will give you a varied overview of Italian culture, while affording you the opportunity to see some of Europe’s (and the world’s for that matter) most historically significant sites. However, if you’ve already seen these wonders and are looking for an experience more off the beaten track then a visit to the Isle of Capri might be an experience that will appeal to you. Part of the region of Campania, a rugged stretch of Italy’s coastline liberally peppered with islands, Capri is just a quick boat ride away from the mainland. After that a bus...
Read MoreTop 5 Things to See and Do on a Venice, Italy Vacation
Coming up with a list of the top must-see attractions in Venice is admittedly a challenge. A city this beautiful, this ancient, this steeped in culture and history has no shortage of attractions and activities that could be described as must-see or must-do. Ideally, in order to get a true flavor of the city one must return multiple times, experience different seasons, holidays and festivals, and take the time to truly get to know the people that inhabit Venice. Realistically this just isn’t possible for most people. For the majority of visitors to this magnificent city this will be their one and only opportunity to experience Venice, and the time in which to do so will seem sadly lacking. Hopefully this list of 5 of the top things...
Read MoreTips for Safe European Travel
By: Susan Gerle While vacationing in Europe, we were warned by seasoned travellers to pay attention to the people around us at all times. Pickpockets will especially target women and it is necessary to be aware of what is happening. The main Termini (railway station) in Rome, Italy is an active area for pickpockets. We had just arrived from Greece and we were trying to determine the best way to get to our hotel. Two of us watched the bags while the others went in search of information. It wasn’t long before we noticed a couple of men approaching us. We looked them directly in the eye and let them know we knew they were there and they backed off. Shortly after that incident we were outside of the train station waiting for a taxi. A group of gypsies were...
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