Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for italy
Art, Food and Cars
By Linda Tancs
Ninety miles north of Florence, Italy, the city of Modena is noted for its art, food and cars. If the place name sounds familiar, that’s because it’s the home of balsamic vinegar. But no less tantalizing is the local tortellini, stuffed with pork, prosciutto and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Dubbed the land of motors, its automotive heritage includes Ferrari, Maserati, Pagani Automobili, B.G. Engineering, De Tomaso and Bugatti. The Enzo Ferrari Museum captures some of the glitz of the city’s manufacturing history; the facility boasts a semi-professional simulator to allow visitors to experience the exhilaration of driving a Ferrari Formula 1 single-seater. The locale’s industriousness is balanced by its cultural diversity in the nature of old Roman ruins, great masterpieces from the likes of luminaries such as El Greco and Correggio and the cathedral, one of the most beautiful and elegant from the European Romanesque period.
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An Etruscan Wonder in Italy
By Linda Tancs
Founded by Etruscans more than 2,500 years ago, the Italian village of Civita di Bagnoregio is one of some 20,000 ghost villages, remnants of a bygone era characterized by isolated living in precariously perched hamlets forged by medieval artisans. Located on a tufa rock hill that can be reached only by crossing a pedestrian bridge, Civita di Bagnoregio’s perch is all the more dramatic considering that large portions of the commune have been reclaimed by the valley due to landslides and other natural disasters. Still, the gorgeous panoramic views make this hilltop enclave a favorite of tourists who gladly pay an entrance fee designed to shore up its crumbling infrastructure. Around 74 miles north of Rome, it’s a popular day trip with tour groups.
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Skiing in Paradise
By Linda Tancs
Contiguous with Vanoise National Park in France, Italy’s Gran Paradiso National Park joins with it to form the largest protected area in Europe. The first national park in Italy, it’s located in the Graian Alps, between the Aosta Valley and Piedmont regions. Gran Paradiso is a mountain located entirely within Italy, its highest at over 13,000 feet. Leave behind the hustle and bustle of slopes in France and Switzerland. The quieter pistes south of the Mont Blanc Massif offer charming alpine huts and traditional Italian hospitality.
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Art, Science and Genius
By Linda Tancs
Leonardo da Vinci was truly a Renaissance man. Regarded as one of the world’s greatest geniuses, he was a painter, engineer, scientist, architect, sculptor, designer, scenographer, anatomist, musician, planner, botanist and inventor. The life and works of such a big man are memorialized on a small square in Venice, Italy, at the Leonardo da Vinci Museum. Located at the Scoletta di San Rocco (in front of the Scuola Grande di San Rocco), the vast exhibition rooms explore da Vinci’s life—from his masterpieces like Mona Lisa to his contributions to industry. Accompanied by multimedia displays and hands-on models, you will see the workings of his most important engineering projects, with more than 60 perfectly functioning machines. The museum is conveniently located within minutes of the main railway station as well as St. Mark’s Square and Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari (the biggest church in Venice).
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Opulence in Brescia
By Linda Tancs
Brescia is regarded as one of Italy’s most ancient and beautiful cities. The largest province in Lombardy, it boasts three poet-inspiring lakes and three valleys amidst its Bronze Age archeological finds, cathedrals and squares. One of the most opulent attractions is no doubt Il Vittoriale degli Italiani, a hillside estate in the town of Gardone Riviera overlooking Lake Garda that was occupied by controversial writer and poet Gabriele D’Annunzio. The enviable locale is met with tiered gardens hosting a 1,000-seat Parlaggio amphitheater, the remains of the Puglia battleship cruiser and D’Annunzio’s tomb. Inside the home is a collection of 30,000 books and a dizzying array of paintings, furniture, frescoes and strange objets d’art. Take a guided tour to get the most out of your visit.
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An Invitation to the Palace
By Linda Tancs
A longtime papal summer residence, Castel Gandolfo is a scenic, lofty little town overlooking the Alban Hills, roughly 15 miles southeast of Rome, Italy. Because Pope Francis has declined to stay at the pontifical villas there, they are now open to the public. So, too, is the Apostolic Palace, where an audio tour relates 500 years of papal history amidst paintings, relics, liturgical vestments, uniforms and other artifacts, including the sedan chair of Pope Pius IX and the BMW used by Pope John Paul II during his summer stays at Castel Gandolfo. Arrive in style via a special train running on Saturdays only that links the historic Vatican City railway station with the pontifical villas.
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Shopping in Salerno
By Linda Tancs
An important trading locale for centuries, the old merchant street in the historic center of Salerno, Italy, is a shopper’s paradise. Bottega Bossa is the go-to place for leather goods and is located just blocks from the port, much to the delight of cruise travelers. Salerno also boasts lots of specialty stores that sell wine, sweets, cheese, decorated Italian paper and stationery near Salerno Cathedral. Perhaps long forgotten, the city is also the site of the (now defunct) world’s first medical school, Schola Medica Salernitana.
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Bows and Arrows in Montalcino
By Linda Tancs
Sagra del Tordo (Festival of the Thrush) is a highly anticipated event in Tuscany for tourists and locals alike. Held every year on the last weekend of October, the celebration takes place in the medieval city of Montalcino, south of Siena. Largely intact since the Middle Ages, its fortress is the backdrop for the annual fiesta, highlighted by a procession of over 100 men and women wearing medieval garb. The march leads to the archery field and is followed by a longbow tournament. Enjoy the weekend spectacle with a feast at the ramparts fit for a king, including some of that world renowned Brunello wine.
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Europe’s Oldest Ghetto
By Linda Tancs
Five hundred years ago today the rulers of Italy’s Venetian Republic created a ghetto for Jews in the city. Europe’s oldest ghetto, its occupants were subject to harsh laws governing their freedom to leave the community and to practice a profession. Emancipation followed over two centuries later when Napoleon conquered Venice. Still relatively intact, the area has five synagogues and a museum.
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A Thousand Miles
By Linda Tancs
Affectionately referred to as the most beautiful race in the world, Italy’s Mille Miglia (thousand miles) is a race limited to classic and vintage cars. In fact, participation is limited to those cars produced no later than 1957, which had attended (or were registered) to the original races from 1927 to 1957. Like the original races, the route is a round-trip jaunt between Brescia and Rome. This year’s event starts today in Brescia and ends on 17 May.
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