Italy is a peninsula located in southern Europe with its largest and capital city in Rome. During the springtime (April to May) or Autumn season (September to November) is usually the best travel time to see Italy, when the weather is nicer, temperatures moderate, fewer tourists, and lower prices. The summer months (June to August) in Italy can be hot and crowded with tourists but there are a lot more local festival happening during this period. The winter months (December to March) are often grey, cold and a perfect time to take in the Italian culture. The Italian culture is deeply rooted it's arts, family, architecture, music and food. The Italians make up the largest ethnic group in the country while a small population of the people are Albanians, Romanians, Ukrainians, Europeans and Africans. Christianity is predominantly practiced while a smaller percentage are Muslims or atheists. Popular foods eaten here are Pizza Margherita, Spaghetti Bolognese, Risotto, Lasagna, Ribollita, and Truffles. Italian is the official language but you will often notice that the country's immigrants speak either English, French, Spanish or German.
Italy is a big country and it is a lot more easier and convenient to explore the country by air than taking the train. However train travel is very popular in Italy as a means of intra city travel. When seeing the beautiful cities of Italy, you can use a high speed train, ferry, boat, vespa, bikes, car rentals and buses. While Italy is a very safe country, some parts of Italy’s cities are best to be avoided, and pickpockets can be a problem near some touristic landmark or crowded places.
Italy is one of the best travel destinations, with its fascinating history, breathtaking natural beauty, delicious cuisine, and endless entertainment options. Rome, one of its oldest cities and an all time favorite of every visitor, is home to great monuments and works of art as well as a place to explore the vibrant life of Italy. The city of Milan is its industrial and fashion hub. Venice is one of the world's oldest tourist destination and major seaport, the city is famous for its narrow streets and city canals. If you are ever in Italy, great festivals you should attend are the Battle of the Oranges Festival in Ivrea, the Carnevale Festival in Venice, Scoppio del Carro Festival in Florence,
Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia and the Opera Festival in Verona.
There are a lot of fascinating places of interest to see while exploring Italy. You should definitely see the:
Grand Canal, the most famous of the waterways and the most photographed sites in Venice. It is a great way to see the grand palaces, whose fronts face the water, while riding in a Vaporetto.
Pompeii which is the still smoking volcano of Mt. Vesuvius that preserved many of the city's art treasures: frescoes, mosaics, and sculptures that were encased in the eruption. Visitors can tour the site, walk along the old streets scarred by the tracks of chariots, and see ancient city remains and the engineering used by Romans more than 2,000 years ago.
The Pantheon, one of the oldest temples in Italy and an exceptionally well preserved remnant from Roman times, which showcases the incredible architectural achievements of the Roman Empire. Italian Kings, the Renaissance painter Raphael, and other great Italians are buried in the Pantheon.
There are over 10,000 hotels and apartments to stay in Italy so you will be spoiled for choice especially when in Rome.
