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Holiday Essentials
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La Dolce Vita has never been sweeter. Europe's kinky over-the-knee boot has it all: popes, painters, polenta, paramours, poets, political puerility and potentates. Its dreamy light and sumptuous landscapes seem made for romance, and its three millennia of history, culture and cuisine seduces just about everyone. You can visit Roman ruins, gawk at Renaissance art, stay in tiny medieval hill towns, go skiing in the Alps, explore the canals of Venice and gaze at beautiful churches. Naturally you can also indulge in the pleasures of la dolce vita : good food, good wine and improving your wardrobe. When to Go
Italy is at its best in spring (April-May) and autumn
(October-November). During these seasons, the scenery is
beautiful, the temperatures are pleasant and there are
relatively few crowds. Try to avoid August, as this is the time
that most Italians take their vacations, and many shops and
businesses are closed as a result.
WeatherItaly's climate varies from north to south and from lowland to mountain top. Temperatures at sea-level tend to be similar around the country, with altitudes creating steep changes between summer and winter. Winters are long and severe in the Alps, with snow falling as early as mid-September. Storms develop in spring and tend to last to autumn, making summer the wettest season. The northern regions experience chilly winters, hot summers and regular even rain distribution, while conditions become milder as you head south. The sirocco, the hot and humid African wind that affects regions south of Rome, produces at least a couple of stiflingly hot weeks in summer. Itineraries The Classic Route
From Rome to Venice via Florence is a breathtaking 660km (410mi)
that you can do in a week but which easily merits as much time
as you can give it.
A week is not a long time to spend in Italy but, with a bit of planning and a desire to make the most of every moment, it's possible to undertake a whistle-stop tour of the tried and tested. Where else to start but with a couple of days in the ancient capital of Rome, home to St Peter's dome, the Sistine Chapel and its famous ceiling, the world-renowned Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and much, much more. From Rome push onto Florence for a mind-blowing collection of Italian art in the splendid Uffizi Gallery, squeezing in a day trip to Siena, a charming medieval town, or Pisa with its renowned leaning tower and majestic cathedral. After two days in Tuscany it's time to head for the illustrious jewel of the Adriatic - Venice. Spend your last two precious days marvelling at the mosaics of St Mark's Basilica, exploring the picturesque waterways of the lagoon city and gazing in awe at the grand houses of the Grand Canal. If you don't have to travel back to Rome on the final day, stay in Venice to check out the attractive islands of the lagoon or move on to explore the beautiful streets of historic Verona and possibly even cram in a quick visit to elegant Bologna with its graceful monuments and bustling boulevards. Events Religious, cultural and historical events pepper the Italian calendar. The pre-Easter Carnevale is closely associated with Venice; Holy Week Easter processions are especially flamboyant at Taranto, Chieti and in Sicily; and Florence explodes a cart full of fireworks on Easter Sunday. Festivals honouring patron saints are also particularly colourful events; for example the Festas di San Nicola in Bari and San Gennaro in Naples, the Snake-charmer's Procession in Abruzzo (May) and the Festa di Sant'Antonio in Padua (June). Events betraying more than a hint of history include the Race of the Candles and Palio of the Crossbow in Gubbio (May), the Sardinian Cavalcade (May), the Regata of the Four Ancient Maritime Republics (which rotates between Pisa, Venice, Amalfi and Genoa, and is held in June), Il Palio in Siena (July & August) and Venice's Historic Regatta (September). Sights Each of Italy's major cities has its own enticing character. Rome is about grandeur, history and haste. Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance, is a masterpiece of studied elegance. Venice is ethereal and mysterious. Milan has powerhouse pace. The countryside is from paintings or dreams.
Getting There
For travel between Italy and other parts of Europe, including
the UK, buses are the cheapest but most tiring type of
transport, although discount rail tickets are competitive and
budget flights can be good value - sometimes better value than
buses.
Getting Around
Given the excellent network of relatively cheap bus and train
services in Italy, both are a great, stress-free way of seeing
the country - and of being part of the great Italian travelling
public. Bus travel is the less expensive of the two, but as
there are many different operators it is less straightforward
than train travel. Your own wheels give you the most potential
freedom and flexibility, although both fuel and autostrada
(motorway) tolls are rather expensive. Domestic air travel can
be costly and is probably worth it only if you are really short
of time.
Pre-20th-Century HistoryWhile Italy's status as a single political entity is relatively recent (1861), its strategic Mediterranean position made it a target for colonisers and opportunists fairly early on in human history. The Etruscans were the first people to rule the peninsula, arriving somewhere between the 12th and 8th century BC. They were eventually subsumed within the mighty Roman Empire, leaving little cultural evidence, other than the odd tomb. The ancient Greeks, their contemporaries, set up a few colonies along the southern coast that became known as Magna Graecia and developed into independent city states. Thus the greater glory that was Rome was itself the offspring of Etruscan and Greek cultures. The first Roman Republic was founded in 509 BC, and eventually bequeathed us the idea of a common European identity, a language that has spawned many of Europe's contemporary tongues and one of the largest empires the world has ever seen. The Republic's defeat of Carthage (near present-day Tunis) and Hellenic Macedonia during the three Punic Wars cleared the way for ultimate expansion into Spain, Britain, North Africa and present-day Iraq. Meanwhile, relative peace at home enabled the infrastructure of civilisation - roads, aqueducts, cities - to spread. A slave-driven lifestyle and economy triumphed over the concept of people power, and the reigns of the Republic were increasingly taken in hand by the military and, ultimately, the dictatorship. The empire grew so large, it was eventually divided into eastern and western sectors. Already, however, the bloodthirsty theatrics of regicide and intrigue were planting the seeds of its eventual destruction. Christianity was embraced by Constantine in 313, and the empire's capital was moved from Rome to Constantinople (present-day Istanbul). The western arm of the empire was undone by plague, famine and tribal incursions from the north, and was officially declared null and void in 476 when Odovacar, a German warrior, dubbed himself ruler. The Eastern Roman Empire clung on, even prospering in fits and starts, until overrun by the Turks in 1453. After the fall of Rome the peninsula entered the Dark Ages and suffered repeated barbarian invasions. Among the more effective of these hordes were the Lombards who successfully controlled large parts of the north before being defeated by the Franks. In 800, the Frankish king Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor as symbolic Christian successor to ancient Rome. The south came to be dominated by Muslims until usurped by Normans in the early 11th century. This ethnic cocktail began to settle in the 12th century, just when the next big chapter in textbook history was taking shape. Powerfully combative and competitive city states arose in the north, supporting either the Pope, who represented spiritual power in Christendom but also had considerable political power within Italy(the Papal States), or the Holy Roman Emperor, a foreign leader who claimed secular sovereignty over all Christian Europe (including Italy). The rise of cities and a merchant class culminated in the Renaissance of the 15th century. Painters, architects, poets, philosophers and sculptors produced unsurpassed works of genius, despite the turmoil of intercity warfare and invasion by countries to the north. First Spain and then Austria controlled the peninsula during the ensuing centuries, followed briefly by Napoleon's imperial flourish. The post-Napoleon shake-up led to the drive for unification of the 19th century, led by Garibaldi, Cavour and Mazzini. The Kingdom of Italy was declared in 1861, although Venice was not prised away from Austria until 1866 and papal claims remained an issue until 1870, when Rome officially joined the young nation. No label of unity, however, could hide the huge cultural and social differences that split the industrialised north from the poverty-stricken south. Modern HistoryEconomic crisis and fickle politics dogged the new nation in the ensuing decades, as Italy muddled through WWI and became riddled with industrial unrest in the early 1920s. In a memorably unwise employment decision, the king asked one Benito Mussolini to take the reins of government under the auspices of his Fascist Party. Il Duce soon became head of state, outlawed the opposition, controlled the press and trade unions and cut franchise by two-thirds. His relationship with Hitler soured after a series of military disasters during WWII and Italian capitulation in 1943, eventually culminating in a fatal dose of rough justice at the hands of partisans in April 1945. The postwar years were coloured by extremism: the extreme violence of terrorists such as the Brigatte Rosse (Red Brigades), extreme centre-right politics, extreme economic boom and economic crisis, extreme corruption and bribery in extremely high places - and an extremely cynical and fatigued public. Recent HistoryItaly's parliament has a reputation for scandal and resignation, and at times it has left Italy virtually ungoverned and utterly chaotic. The explosion of corruption cases in the Mani Pulite (Clean Hands) and Tangentopoli (Bribesville) cases in the 1990s threw the traditional political parties into chaos and eventually led to Italy's richest man, entrepreneur Silvio Berlusconi, becoming prime minister in alliance with the former Fascist party and northern Italian secessionists in 2001. Berlusconi, plagued by fraud and other charges, spent much of his term concocting laws to suit his private and business interests. His most lasting legacy was probably the nationwide ban on smoking in all enclosed public spaces in early 2005. With his coalition looking brittle and many Italians desperately disillusioned with his cavalier approach to politics, the ever disunited left wing snatched power in a neck-and-neck election in 2006. Romano Prodi was named the new prime minister. Though Prodi was less fond of football than Berlusconi, the Italians took out the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. However, investigations back home into the national league revealed entrenched corruption in the sport. Five Serie A teams received sanctions for their role in match-rigging and bribery. One of these teams, AC Milan, put the furore behind them and went on to win the 2007 Champions League. Meanwhile, AC Milan's owner, one Silvio Berlusconi, began regaining political ground in regional and municipal elections across the country.
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