Italy Travel Guides
Why Visit Italy?
Italy is a country in Southern Europe. It has borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, and the Mediterranean Sea. The islands of Sicily and Sardinia are also part of Italy.
Italy is known for its rich history, culture, and art. In Rome, visitors can explore ancient Roman ruins such as the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Theater of Marcello, Ostia Antica, and Via Appia. Italy boasts a wealth of museums and galleries that host masterpieces by artists like Michelangelo, Caravaggio and Leonardo da Vinci. The beautiful architecture of cities like Florence, Rome, and Venice is another good reason why millions of tourists take a Northern Italy tour every year.
Italy is also famous for its food and wine, with regions like Tuscany, Piedmont, and Lombardy producing some of the world’s finest wines and traditional dishes. Additionally, Italy offers a variety of natural beauty, from the rugged Dolomites mountains to the beaches of the Amalfi coast and the islands. The country also boasts of a beautiful lake region (Lago di Garda, Como), fashion and luxury shopping and a vibrant nightlife. Milan is Europe’s capital of fashion.
In summary, Italy is a country that offers a diverse range of experiences for visitors to enjoy, from art and history to food and natural beauty.
The Italian country side is attractive to expats seeking to retire abroad. Many of them buy cheap ran-down houses for renovation, invest in them and embrace life on a farm and living off the grid. If you want to learn more about various European destinations, bookmark Violeta’s Travel Blog and subscribe to my newsletter.
Italy travel articles
What Are the Good and Bad Neighborhoods of Milan, Italy?
Milan is one of the most vibrant cities in Italy, renowned for its impressive architecture and for its thriving fashion scene. Like many other cities in Europe, Milan has its good and bad neighborhoods. Even though the city is one of the safest in Italy, it has its...
Rome Walking Tours Self Guided – Sightseeing without the Crowds
Rome has a well-deserved reputation of being overpacked with tourists. While this is true for most tourist objectives such as Fontana di Trevi, The Pantheon and The Vatican, there are lots of places to see in Rome that are off the beaten tourist track. I can give you...
Crypta Balbi – A Glimpse into the Layered Urban Evolution of Rome
Crypta Balbi is part of Museo Nationale Romano, together with Palazzo Altemps,The Baths of Diocletian and Palazzo Massimo alle Terme. When you buy your ticket to Crypta Balbi or to any other of these four buildings, you get access to all of them. If this is your first...
Castel Sant’ Angelo in Rome – Hadrian’s Tomb, Repurposed
Do you remember my article about the coffin that tells stories (The Ludovisi Battle sarcophagus)? Here's now a full tomb that also tells stories, Hadrian's Mausoleum, better known as Castel Sant' Angelo or Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant Angelo. This castle is located...
Ostia Beach (Lido di Ostia) – A Beach as Close to Rome as You’ll Ever Find
If you are in Rome during summer and you want to visit Rome's ancient harbor, Ostia Antica, consider taking your bathing suit and your flip flops with you. After you finish with the archeological park, go back to the train station and take the train to Ostia Lido...
Ostia Antica, Best Day Trip from Rome – Why Visit & How To Do It
Ostia Antica is one of Italy's landmarks that deserve to be on anyone's travel bucket list. It is the port city of old Rome, once bustling with life, now silent and covered in grass, disturbed only by noisy groups of tourists and voices of tour guides explaining their...
Why Visit the Church of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome
The church of San Luigi dei Francesi (Saint Louis of the French) is not only one of the most beautiful churches in Rome, but also home to three paintings by Caravaggio. The beauty of Rome is that you don't have to pay a fortune to visit museums, if you don't want to....
Ludovisi Battle Sarcophagus – How To Find This Roman Battle Scene and Why Visit?
The Ludovisi Battle sarcophagus can be found in Rome in Palazzo Altemps, which is part of Museo National Romano (The National Museum of Rome). Named after Ludovico Ludovisi, the sarcophagus depicts a battle of Romans and barbarians. It is a memorial of this Rome...
Where to See Caravaggio in Rome: Famous Paintings in Churches
The three churches where you can find paintings by Caravaggio in Rome are Sant' Agostino, San Luigi dei Francesi and Santa Maria Di Popolo. Find out how to visit all three churches in a self-guided tour of historic Rome. The entrance is free, but lighting up the...
Where to Stay in Rome: A Guide to Neighborhoods and Accommodations
If you've ever visited the charming capital city of Italy before, you probably know by now that seeing the best of Rome involves a lot of walking. Public transport isn't the most reliable of all, so you can easily end up wasting a lot of your precious time waiting for...
A Scenic Northern Italy Itinerary with a Swiss Twist (Four Lakes, Five Towns, Two Countries)
My trips took me to Northern Italy more than once, sometimes for business, other times for leisure. I fell in love with the lakes at first sight, so I've been keen on returning ever since. My first encounter with this area took place in Lugano, Switzerland. Although...
The Roman Baths of Caracalla – Location, Tickets & Reasons To Visit
Baths of Caracalla are the best preserved public bath complexes of ancient Rome. The construction of Baths of Caracalla, then known as Antonine Baths (Thermae Antonianae) was started under the emperor Septimius Severus, in AD 206. The construction of the baths took 10...
Baths of Diocletian in Rome – Finest Ancient Roman Architecture
Built by Emperor Diocletian in 305 AD, on the Viminal Hill, the Baths of Diocletian were the biggest thermal complex in the Ancient Rome, meant to surpass the Baths of Caracalla by being able to accommodate twice as many people at once. Public baths were common during...
Why Bergamo, Italy, Is Worth More Than A Short Layover
Bergamo, Italy, is home to Orio al Serio, one of the two Milan airports. Known mainly because of being an important flight connection node in Europe, Bergamo deserves a proper visit. It is one of the most beautiful cities in Lombardy. Although chocked-full of...
The Last Supper Tickets – How To Choose the Best Milan Tour To See Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Last Supper Painting
Most cities in northern Italy are full of historical and cultural landmarks. Unfortunately, when you are on a very short trips such as a weekend city break or a long layover, choosing your activities is hard. This is what happened to me in Milan, when I wanted to see...
One Day in Milan – A Self Guided Milan Walking Tour
In this article, I share the best free walking tour Milan can offer you. I created this itinerary myself during one of my trips to Italy, when I only had one day to spend in Milan. It is the perfect step-by-step tour that covers all major tourist landmarks in the city...
How to Plan Your Next Romantic Getaway in Italy
There's a reason Italy is such a popular destination for honeymoons. Of course, everyone knows that the food is incredible and that it's rich with history and full of culture. But after arguably the most romantic day of their life, it's no surprise newlyweds would...
6 Best Day Trips from Milan
Of course you can shop until you drop. Milano is the perfect destination in Lombardy, northern Italy, for this. There are clothes, shoes and bags for all budgets and tastes. There are hundreds of cathedrals, ruins, monuments and museums. You can spend a full week in...
Sforza Castle, Milan, Italy
Did you know Northern Italy was home to some beautiful castles? You may have heard about Museo Castelvecchio in Verona, Castello Sabbionara in Avio, or Castel Ronco in Bolzano. These are only a few examples of amazing ancient Italian architecture. A list of these...
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