Italy - la dolce vita
It takes a hard heart not to be seduced by Italy with its world famous art, cutting edge fashion, renaissance palaces, passion for cuisine and eminently quaffable wines. Read on for a taste of what some of this country’s soul-stirring cities have to offer.
By Lester Moyse, art lover, world traveller, culinary expert and writer. He lives in London and some of his favourite destinations include Italy (for the food) the Caribbean (for the sun) and Scotland’s islands (for the scenery). Lester, who is proud of his Scottish ancestry, is also a keen piper.
UNESCO World Heritage Site and Tuscany’s regional capital, Florence is awash with artistic, architectural and cultural gems. Browse the collections of the Uffizi Gallery and the Accademia, home to Michelangelo's David, perhaps the most well-known work of art anywhere. When you grow weary of museums and monuments, dive into an atmospheric wine bar or cafe in the bustling Piazza Santa Croce for a snack , or visit the Mercato Centrale, a foodie's paradise teeming with wine, truffles and salami. Visit the fragrant Boboli Gardens behind the Pitti Palace, main seat of the Medici grand dukes or climb the hill to the church of San Miniato al Monte for a breathtaking view of the city.
Perhaps it’s loud, crazy, addictive Rome which fascinates you. This big fat history book of a city has as much history and culture as you can handle. Rome’s happening neighbourhood, Trastevere, where medieval meets trendy, is an enchanting maze of surprises. In the evenings the atmosphere buzzes when dozens of restaurants set their tables out along the cobblestoned streets. The sparkling white Vittoriano (Victor Emmanuel Monument) on
Capitoline Hill may be in monumentally bad taste, but there are cracking free views of the city from the top. Gaze down over the old Forum with its crumbling pagan temples and triumphal arches. This is where the expression ‘all roads lead to Rome’ originates.
Capitoline Hill may be in monumentally bad taste, but there are cracking free views of the city from the top. Gaze down over the old Forum with its crumbling pagan temples and triumphal arches. This is where the expression ‘all roads lead to Rome’ originates.
Then there’s glittering, sophisticated Venice with its sheer full-on gorgeousness. No matter how many times you’ve seen this beguiling wonderland in pictures, your first real life glimpse of this city across the lagoon still provides one of life’s ‘wow’ moments. If history had a theme park, this would be it. Venice is drop dead gorgeous by day and perhaps even more so by night, when daylight’s last streaks leave the sky and a spectral air enfolds this aptly named ‘Pearl of the Adriatic’. St Mark's Square dominated by the Basilica of San Marco and the pink and white marble building that is the Doge's Palace is pure theatre. This is somewhere to sip coffee alfresco while being serenaded by musicians at one of the square’s legendary cafes and is where Casanova and Byron came to sip their espressos.
Home of Shakespeare's legendary tale of two lovers, Romeo and Juliet, Verona holds a Shakespeare festival from June to August, while all year round you can visit Juliet’s house (Casa di Giulietta) to rub the right breast of a bronze Juliet statue for good luck! The Arena di Verona dominates the centre of the city and is the world’s best preserved Roman amphitheatre. Where better to catch a live opera? Discover one of Italy's most romantic Renaissance gardens, the Giardino Giusti . Spread over a series of terraces ending at a high belvedere with extravagant vistas, the garden features avenues planted with tall cypresses, fountains and mythological statues, a maze, pergolas and grottoes.
Although Italian inventions include everyday objects as diverse as the espresso machine (Achille Gaggia, 1946), ice cream cone (Italo Marcioni, 1896), piano (Bartolomeo Cristofori, 1709) and even liposuction (Giorgio Fischer, 1974), it’s the country’s style icons that everyone knows. Italian fashion designers include Roberto Cavalli, Fendi, Versace and Fiorucci, while film stars Gina Lollobrigida and Sophia Loren ooze style and glamour. From sports cars and sunglasses to fashion and cuisine, style is synonymous with Italy.
Want more of Italy? See Bordighera and Bordighera and Genoa and Lake Como and Photographic Holiday and Radda and Sardinia 1 and Sardinia 2 and Skip the Bucket List and Spas