Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for italy
A Storied Jewel Near Milan
By Linda Tancs
Separated from Milan by the Ticino River, Vigevano was a silk-manufacturing town. It’s known for its portico-lined Piazza Ducale, considered by some to be Italy’s most beautiful square. At over 400 feet long and nearly 160 feet wide, it seems out of scale for a small city, but its grandeur is explainable given its link to Milan and the House of Sforza. Ludovico Maria Sforza, the powerful Duke of Milan, commissioned the square’s construction as a regal antechamber for Sforzesco Castle. Today this ducal square is known for its bars, restaurants and shopping.
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Spectacular Caves in Italy
By Linda Tancs
One of the largest known cave systems in Europe, Italy’s Frasassi Caves (Grotte di Frasassi) in Le Marche is one of the country’s most popular show caves. Accessible only via guided tours, highlights include Ancona Abyss with its vaulted ceilings over 600 feet high, a crystallized lake and a cavern of stalagmites resembling candles. A limited number of timed, online tickets are available, which is particularly convenient during high season; otherwise, you can purchase them on site at the ticket office.
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A Palace of Riches in Naples
By Linda Tancs
Transformed into a public museum in 1957, Capodimonte Museum in Naples, Italy, represents the legacy of four great European dynasties: the Italian aristocratic Farnese family, the Bourbon kings of Naples and Spain, the family of Napoleon Bonaparte and the Italian Savoy monarchy. King Charles of Bourbon began construction of the palace in 1738 to display the Renaissance and Baroque collection given to him by his mother. Today’s collection boasts over 47,000 works of art spanning the Middle Ages to the 21st century, featuring masterpieces by Raphael, Titian, Pieter Brueghel the Elder, Parmigianino, Caravaggio and many more. Don’t miss a walk through the Royal Wood, a historic garden adjoining the palace with over 400 different plant species planted over the course of two centuries.
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Last Call in Italy
By Linda Tancs
Located at the end of the upper Great St. Bernard Valley at an altitude of 5,354 feet, Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses is the last municipality in Italy before the Swiss border. The 15th-century castle of Bosses is a prime tourist attraction. Another delight is the area’s seasoned raw ham with mountain herbs, aged for over 12 months on beds of hay. This time of year, though, the ski slopes of Crévacol overlooking the village take center stage, boasting 13 miles of slopes suitable for all experience levels.
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St. Patrick’s Well
Named for an Irish cave in which St. Patrick prayed, St. Patrick’s Well (Pozzo di San Patrizio) is a stunning shaft in Orvieto, Italy. The well shaft is 203 feet deep and 42 feet wide, adorned by 72 windows and two staircases that meet at the bottom. It was dug at the behest of Pope Clement VII, who had taken refuge in Orvieto during the Sack of Rome in 1527, an event that saw the capture of Rome by the mutinous troops of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. You’ll find it in the center of Orvieto near gardens that include Etruscan remains.
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Italy’s Early Roman Splendor
By Linda Tancs
Located in the northeastern Italian province of Udine, Aquileia was established in 181 B.C. as a Roman military colony along an essential trade route that connected Milan and Rome. One of the largest and wealthiest cities of the Early Roman Empire, much of it lies unexcavated. For this reason, it is considered the greatest archaeological reserve of its kind and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can visit Aquileia as a day trip from Venice or Trieste.
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Baths of Caracalla
By Linda Tancs
Situated near the Appian Way, the Baths of Caracalla (Thermae Antoninianae) represent the ruins of one of the largest and most impressive thermae built in antiquity in Rome. The complex was initiated by the emperor Septimius Severus in A.D. 206 and completed by his son, the emperor Caracalla in A.D. 216. Its rectangular shape is typical of imperial baths, which also included spaces for walking, studying and sports. They were once covered with marble and decorated with valued works of art unparalleled in ancient times. Take Line B, Circo Massimo stop, to get there.
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The Ulysses Riviera
By Linda Tancs
Named for its mythological origins, Italy’s Ulysses Riviera is a coastline running from San Felice Circeo to Minturno that’s known for its natural beauty and archaeological sites. One of its beautiful seaside towns is Gaeta, which dates to Imperial Rome. Not surprisingly, it boasts a protected area with Roman ruins, which is set within Monte Orlando Park. Its most stunning attraction is arguably the Sanctuary of the Split Mountain—an 11th-century Benedictine monastery built into the cliffs and grottoes of the park. Its appearance today reflects renovations dating to the 17th century that incorporate Neapolitan and Spanish baroque styles. Popes, kings, bishops and saints have been counted among its visitors. You can reach the sanctuary from the city center of Gaeta going through Via Munazio Planco and following the indications along the road.
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Fishermen’s Island
By Linda Tancs
Accessible only by boat, Fishermen’s Island (Isola dei Pescatori) is the northernmost of Italy’s Borromean islands in Lake Maggiore. The only one to be inhabited year round, it’s particularly known for its fish cuisine given the island’s history as a fishing village. The Church of San Vittore is a national monument, which still has its original apse with a single lancet window dating from the 11th century. The interior includes wooden busts of the apostles Peter and Andrew, the patron saints of fishermen.
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Path of the Gods
By Linda Tancs
The Path of the Gods (or Sentiero degli Dei in Italian) is a clifftop trail above the Amalfi Coast. Widely regarded as one of the best hiking trails in Italy, the trek runs from Bomerano, near Agerola, to Nocelle in the province of Positano on the slopes of Mount Pertuso. All along the route you can admire the panorama of the Amalfi Coast and Capri. Legend has it that the the name of the trail comes from Homer’s Odyssey, recounting the gods who once rushed to Ulysses from the sirens of Capri and mapped out this path in the process.
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