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Do you bear a passion for history? Are you interested in ancient architecture and temples? Do age-long and legendary activities beckon you? If so, then you must definitely explore the ancient lands of Rome, at least once in your lifetime.

With an area of about 150 square kilometers, and a population of 3.8 million, the city still stands tall in the vast field of world history. Whenever we come across Rome, Etruscan tombs, Republican meeting rooms, Imperial temples, ancient Christian churches, medieval bell towers, Renaissance palaces, and Baroque basilicas strike the core of our mind and we enter the superficial world of history and architecture.

The city is situated halfway down Italy’s western coast, about 20 kilometers inland. It is a large city, though the historical area is quite small. A majority of the historical sights are restricted within a reasonable distance of the central railway station, Stazione Termini. All the main monuments are situated west of the train station. However, it is always advisable to use the map of Rome.

Attractions

The central attractions are the Palatine Hill and the Forum. Via Del Corso is located north from the Forum to Piazza Del Popolo, accompanied by Spanish steps and the Trevi Fountain on the east. The Vatican in Rome is situated northwest of the Forum, across the River Tiber.

Rome offers a great deal of pleasure with the likes of the arrogance of the Vatican, the immemorial haunting memories of the Coliseum or the sheer thrill of going back to centuries ago of timeless history.

Rome offers you a wide range of excitement, adventure, and enjoyment. The thrill and sheer experience of the city is very distinctive and unique. It gives you the liberty to thrive on wine, architecture, history, and sunshine.

Map of Rome

Author
David Chandler

Interesting places to visit in Italy

• Siena
• Lake Garda
• Florence
• Verona
• Naples
• Venice
• Lake Como
• Sardinia
• Pisa
• Milan
• Genoa

Kulturrejser Italien

The crystal clear waters of Lake Garda are perfect for swimming and many popular sports such as windsurfing and sailing. The local climate is softened by the presence of this large body of water, which makes it comfortable for exploring the towns and villages on and close to the lake towns such as Garda, Lazise, Sirmione, Torri del Benaco Bardolino, Limone and Peschiera which are wonderful places to visit with a great choice of hotels, villas and holiday homes or just for wandering around the cobbled streets filled with shops, hotels and restaurants and are home to bustling lakeside markets.

Other places to visit at Lake Garda

Do visit the old port of Torbole, the charming old streets of Limone and the castle and Roman Villa in Sirmione. From Malcesine you can take a cable car onto Monte Baldo for some mountain walking and superb views. Walks on the lake shore from Lazie or Bardolino also help to work up an appetite. On the southern shore, jutting into lake garda, lays Sirmione with its quiet cobblestone streets, thermal baths, fairytale castle, olive groves and quaint hotels. Gazing across the lake from the town of Desenzano on its southwest bank, the view is quite spectacular. Lake Garda’s has more in common with southern Italy. The Veronese east bank of the Lake produces olive oil and famous wines, such as Valpolicella and Bardolino.

Looming above the area is Mount Baldo with its three peaks. Projecting through the last glacial sheet, its unique flora is a throwback to pre-glacial times.The rich soil and mild climate of the lake area encourages an abundance of wildlife and flora. Cedars, olives, lemon and palm trees flourish and the Gorgeous shoreline offers pristine beaches. Numerous ancient castles dot the hillsides. The cablecar ride to Monte Baldo provides magnificent views of Lake Garda and the mountains beyond.

Hope you will enjoy your visit and will find our web site useful, please feel free to contact us if you have any more questions regarding the lake.

About the author

Christopher Panduro
Moved to Lake Garda from the UK 13 years ago.

Interesting places to visit in Italy

• Siena
• Rome
• Florence
• Verona
• Naples
• Venice
• Lake Como
• Sardinia
• Pisa
• Milan
• Genoa

Ah, the glamour of backpacking through Europe. Of course, the glamour comes with a price as I found in Siena, Italy.

Siena

Siena is located an hour or so outside of Florence, Italy. My handy dandy guidebook suggested it was a side trip that just had to be made. A medieval structure located behind protective walls on the top of a hill. The central area was generally closed off to cars and it was a taste of true Italy. Who was I to argue?

As I sat on the train, I check my backpack for any excess weight. I had already discarded or sent home unnecessary items and was feeling pretty light on my feet. Next thing I knew, the train had stopped and I was standing on flat road next to a rolling hill covered in trees and homes. Siena proper was at the top.

The thing about rolling hills with lots of foliage is they are simply evil. You can never get a grasp on how far it is to the top. You keep thinking the top appears to be a few hundred feet in front of you until you reach it. Then you discover it is just a dip before another upward section. The hill up to Siena is just such a rolling hill. Throw in a road that twists all over the hill like a drunken sailor on leave, and you’ll never scoff at a moped again.

Getting in touch with my inner mule, I began to climb and tame the great beast. As I trudged along, I thought of all the great people that must of walked up the same hill throughout history. As I stood in the shade panting, I thought all of those great people probably hitched a ride instead of walking like me.

After thirty-five minutes or so, I was seriously starting to think about hitching a ride. Of course, this would mean admitting defeat. The battle between my genetic male stubbornness and “this sucks” attitude was intense. Like a mule, I kept going. Five bends, three dips that I could have sworn were the top.

Just as I was giving in…a wall. A really big wall. I passed it and suddenly was in a large parking lot area with tourist buses. Hands on knees, shirt soaking, I tried to maintain my dignity as the tourist looked at me like I was insane. Did that moron walk up here? One even took a picture!

After composing myself…err, getting my breath back, I booked a room in a little hotel. The young lady working the desk seemed hesitant, but I made some comment about it being a long way up from the valley. She started giggling and I had the room.

I showered and went looking for trouble. Well, trouble that was on a flat surface. In the town centre, I stumbled upon a small café selling Mexican beer. Being from San Diego, this was nirvana. My inner mule was quickly appeased and the hill of death forgotten.

Reflecting on my climb from a historical perspective, I learned a good lesson. It is far better to be behind the wall than trying to attack it!

About the author

Rick Chapo is with nomadjournals.com – makers of travel journals. Writing journals are the perfect travel accessories. Visit nomadjournaltrips.com to read more travel articles and travelogues.

Interesting places to visit in Italy

• Lake Garda
• Rome
• Florence
• Verona
• Naples
• Venice
• Lake Como
• Sardinia
• Pisa
• Milan
• Genoa

Where does one begin to start when discussing Italy. Well, if you intend to travel there, Rome and Venice are good places to start.

Rome

Perhaps you’ve heard of it? It goes without saying that Rome has a rather prominent past. Lets see, in Rome you will find…[deep breath]…the Vatican, Coliseum, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Church of Saint Agnese, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and a guy name Allassandro. Just making sure you’re paying attention.

Indeed, Rome is filthy with historically significant attractions. It seems you can’t turn around without bumping into something an Emperor built, captured or destroyed. For those willing to risk potential wrath, there are also the new Divinci Code tours, which take you to the locations found in the book.

In all serious, Rome is a city you should visit at least once in your life. No article could ever do it justice, so I’ll just stop here.

Venice

I fondly refer to Venice as the floating city even though it is apparently sinking. If you’ve seen Venice is movies or televisions shows, the depictions are accurate. Piazza San Marco looks exactly the same, birds and all. The Grande Canal is, well, a grand canal with incredible houses lining it and boats putting up down this water way. Built on mudflats in a lagoon, the city doesn’t really have much room to grow. It just seems paralyzed in time.

Once you’ve conquered the tourist attractions, it will be time to get serious about Venice. The best way to do this is stand in front of your hotel or hostel, determine which direction the tourist attractions lie and start walking in the opposite direction. While you may feel like you’re driving the wrong way on a freeway for a few minutes, you’ll eventually start getting into real Venice.

An entirely different side of Venice will appear and you’ll love it. You’ll find little cafes with locals happy to talk to you [and non-tourist prices]. In fact, the Venetians will tend to hold you in high regard since you’re a tourist who is bypassing the tourist areas. This, of course, will logically lead to a whirl of introductions to this nephew, that son of a brother and so on. Next thing you know, you’ll be complaining about Italian politicians and how things used to be better in the past.

While Rome and Venice are excellent travel destinations, you can’t really go wrong in Italy. For the adventurous, set your itinerary with the old map on a wall and dart technique.

About the author

Rick Chapo is with nomadjournals.com – makers of travel journals. Writing journals are the perfect travel accessories. Visit nomadjournaltrips.com to read more travel articles and travelogues.

Interesting places to visit in Italy

• Siena
• Lake Garda
• Rome
• Florence
• Verona
• Naples
• Venice
• Lake Como
• Sardinia
• Pisa
• Milan
• Genoa