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Piemonte
The Piemonte (literally meaning 'at the foot of the mountains')
and Valle d'Aosta regions, with their mountain valleys bordering
the French and Swiss Alps, are the least 'Italian' areas of
the country.
Piemonte was ruled by the House of Savoy from the eleventh
century and bequeathed upon Europe one of its grand cities,
Turin, as well as much of its lip-smacking cuisine.
The area was also instrumental in the push for the unification
of Italy; the Piemontese statesman Camillo Cavour under King
Vittorio Emanule II managed to pull several regions under
Savoy rule during the nineteenth century with Turin momentarily
becoming the Italian capital (1861-4). When Rome took over
its premier position the aristocracy and middle classes acted
fast to retain Piedmonte's influence, setting up companies
like Fiat and Olivetti. These days the region
is second only to Lombardy in industrial production and is
one of Italy's richest areas.
The regional capital, Aosta, with its attractive cobbled
streets and superb shopping make it a good entry point into
the region.
Turin is a city of wide boulevards and grand Baroque
public buildings reflecting an important past as the seat
of Italy's dynasty, the House of Savoy. The city is also known
for its museums like the Sabauda Gallery which house
Dutch and Flemish masterpieces and the Holy Shroud (thought
to be imprinted with the face of Christ from the tomb) kept
in the Duomo, Turin's Renaissance cathedral. It's also
a place of grey urban and industrial sprawl owing to its position
as the birthplace of Italian industry under its new dynasty,
Fiat, owned by the Agnellis. This family has its fingers
in so many pies that, in the words of Henry Kissinger, it
'is the permanent establishment' and wields massive economic
and thus political power.
Valle d'Aosta
The Valle d'Aosta, Italy's smallest yet disproportionately
rich region, is a largely picturesque area of valleys and
feudal castles ringed by Europe's highest mountains, Mont
Blanc, the Matterhorn and Monte Rosa. Because
of its proximity to France, its fortunes have always been
tied to its neighbours cresating a separate identity bolstered
by its language, a Franco-Provencal patois, and spurring Mussolini
on to order mass immigration from other parts of the country
to stamp out its otherness. Despite this, the Valdestan identity
endured and is reflected in the self-governing status it enjoys
today. The castles for which the area is famed are attractive
enough but it's for walking and skiing that people make the
trip there.
Liguria
Liguria, the thin strip of land sandwiched between Piemonte
and the Gulf of Genoa, is known as the 'Italian Riviera',
a reference to its proximity to its French counterpart and
the thousands of tourists who flock to its beaches each year.
Yet it's far more than a sum of its commercialised resort
towns; behind is a hinterland of hilltop villages set amid
terraced mountainsides where olives and vines are cultivated
which provide the more adventurous with opportunities for
walking, climbing and even skiing.
Genoa
Genoa has a disreputable image that belies the extent of
its interest to visitors. It was once a powerful maritime
republic and a formidable fighting force; later it was home
to Italy's industrial revolution. Its focus remains its old
port, lying close to the old town of narrow, medieval alleys.
Although not a beautiful city by any means, it's unsavoury
mixture of sailors, prostitutes and characters fascinate,
and among the sleaze you'll find a hive of artisan activity.
Lombardy & The Lakes
Lombardy, Italy's economic powerhouse, seems to have more
in common with the countries to the north than it does with
its southern neighbours, owed in big part to its tumultuous
history. Its border position has always laid it open to attack
(it was invaded by the northern Lombards who displaced the
Romans and later by the Venetians, the Hapsburgs and Napoleon),
but its location as a commercial crossroads has brought the
region rich opportunities. Milan, the state capital, has long
been considered a more important city than Rome by many northerners
and the hard-working people who've made it into Italy's economic
and fashion capital steadfastly agree. Indeed, there's a real
friction between Milan's 'workaholics' and their southern
neighbours who they derisively term 'terroni' ('earth-people').
The economic success of Lombardy has not come for free; industrial
areas stain the outskirts of all the major cities and towns,
choke the southern Po plain and have polluted many of its
lakes and valleys. There are still attractions to be found
here however; affluent towns with a distinctive character
carried over from the days of city states, interesting historical
cities like Pavia and stunning scenery in its Lakes region.
Milan is the design and fashion centre of Italy as
well as the holder of the purse strings - there's no hint
of Roman ways here and the city is far closer in spirit and
appearance to a northern European city. For this reason, people
tend to pass through it fast but it's still full of history
and has a definite cultural sophistication especially in shopping,
the arts and music.
Trentino-Alto Adige
The autonomous German-Italian Alpine region of Trentino-Alto
Adige, drawn together politically, are very much too distinctly
different areas. Alto Adige only became part of Italy in 1919,
before that it was under Austrian control, a fact quickly
discernible from its landscape of forests dotted with gothic,
domed churches, street signs in German and sauerkraut on the
menu. Trentino, to the south of Adige, has a strong Italian
identity which made it a diffident member of the Austrian
and Austro-Hungarian empires for around a century until it
was returned to the fold after the First World War.
The awkward alliance between regions has led to political
tension with series of bombings in the 1950s, 60s and 80s
of railways, power stations and military installations attributed
to radical secessionists. Away from these problems, Trentino-Alto
Adige is home to the dark, jagged landscape of the Dolomites,
one of the most beautiful ranges in the country which offer
fantastic opportunities for hiking and climbing.
The Veneto
While Venice is undeniably the unmissable centrepiece of
the region, there's more to it than the twin sights of the
Ducal Palace and the Basilica of St Mark - although they're
as fantastic as their reputation suggests. Apart from Venice
the main attractions are the cities of Padua and Verona
with their collections of paintings and buildings from the
Roman era to the Renaissance.
Venice
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Friuli-Venezia Guilia
Friuli-Venezia Giulia is marked by its geographical and social
diversity. The region is a heady mix of lagoons and wetlands
on the Adriatic coast leading up to the pine-covered Alps
in the north. Bordering the Veneto to the west, Austria to
the north and Slovenia to the east, it's had a complicated
political past that still informs its ethnic and social intricacy.
It's been invaded from three directions by the Romans, Huns,
Goths, Lombards, Nazis and Russian Cossacks. It was controlled
by Venice in its heyday which was then supplanted by Napoleonic
France, followed by the Hapsburgs. It experienced some of
the fiercest fighting of World War One during which almost
200,000 Italian troops died; the prize was the inclusion of
Gorizia, Tieste, Istria and Dalmatia in the Italian union.
The latter two were lost to Tito's Yugoslavia after World
War Two and Slovenia gained independence in June 1991.
While the north is ethnically and linguistically alpine,
the south is dominated by the old peasant culture of Fruili
which is distinctive in its ways and traditions, creating
a strong sense of identity apart from the rest of Italy. The
local dialect, friulano, is even undergoing a bit of a revival,
many road signs are in both languages. The area is relatively
untouched by tourism but offers an interesting mix of urban
culture with natural attractions in the shape of the Adriatic
beaches, northern ski slopes and forest walking tracks.
Emilia-Romagno
Emilia-Romagno, sandwiched in between Lombardy and Tuscany
and stretching from the Mediterranean to Adriatic coast, is
the heartland of northern Italy. It's really two provinces,
Emilia and Romagna, former papal states joined together after
unification and still blessed with the castles and fortresses
of the ducal families who ruled there before the papacy. Its
landscape is varied to say the least, with the Appennine
Mountains in the south and flat plains in the north and
its cultural legacy is undeniable; its cities and towns are
brimming over with beautiful and enticing windows on the past.
Ferrara, Modena and Parma are important Renaissance
towns and the Adriatic towns of Ravenna and Rimini
add Byzantine mosaics, nightlife and beaches to the attractions
of this overlooked province.
Bologna
Bologna was one of the most important European medieval towns
and houses the continent's oldest university (alumni include
Dante, Erasmus and Copernicus. Bologna used to be best known
for its food (supposedly the best in Italy) and its politics
(it was the stronghold of the Italian left from the First
World War onwards). Now, it's a revitalised city, thriving
on the trappings of light engineering and hi-tech industries.
It's also one of Italy's most attractive cities after Venice,
with a medieval centre of tiled roofs fanning out from its
grand square the Piazza Maggiore. There's plenty of
historical attractions to keep you amused for several days,
and, thanks to its university whose students make up a fifth
of the population, a vibrant cultural scene of theatre, music
and cafés.
Tuscany
Tuscany gave birth to the Renaissance and it is the revolutionary
impact of this great cultural movement that has given the
province its importance. Works by Tuscan masters like Leonardo
da Vinci and Michelangelo influenced the path of
art to the present day and Tuscan architects, most notably
Brunelleschi who designed the dome of Florence's Duomo,
had a lasting influence on architecture. Even the Italian
language has its roots in the dialect written by Dante,
Boccaccio and Petrarch who were all born in the
region. Quite apart from the dazzling cultural relics of its
past, amply provided by the cities of Florence, Siena and
Pisa, it's the Tuscan countryside that draws people to
the province. For many people it's typically Italian with
its hilltop towns, rows of cypress trees and vineyard-covered
hills and it's this very charm that has led to Tuscany's unfortunate
overcrowding. No visit to Tuscany is complete without a visit
to its major attractions like Florence but to get away from
the tourist hordes head to the Etruscan sites in the south
and some of Italy's best beaches on Monte Argentario
and the island of Elba.
Florence
Florence has long been celebrated as Italy's most spectacular
city, with its skyline dominated by Brunelleschi's amazing
dome and the wonderful medieval Ponte Vecchio bridge
over the River Arno. Although some people find the incessant
traffic and ubiquitous scaffolding aggravating, there's so
much culture here that Florence rarely disappoints. Under
the patronage of the Medici family the city's Renaissance
artists have left the city with a formidable array of cultural
treasures in the Uffizi, Bargello, Museo dell'Opera, Santa
Maria del Carmine, San Marco and Santissima Annunziata.
Umbria
Known as the 'green heart of Italy', Umbria is a beautiful
region of hills, woods and valleys, dotted with about a dozen
classic hill towns brimming over with artistic and architectural
gems. It takes its name from the Umbrii tribe, cited by Pliny
as the oldest in Italy, but who remain a mystery to archaeologists.
Umbria is best known as the birthplace of several saints and
its religious traditions. The most famous is Saint Francis,
born in Assisi, now a primary tourist attraction because of
the Basilica di San Francesco and its beautiful frescos.
There's a mystical charm that hangs over much of the region
and has given rise to its names like Umbra Santa and Umbra
Mistica.
Roman domination was broken by successive barbarian incursions
and Umbrians withdrew to fortified hill towns, setting the
scene for the rivalry between states that continued until
the region fell to the papacy and declined into economic and
cultural stagnation. Now, finally, it's begun to capitalise
on its considerable charms; foreign ownership of property
has taken off and people are visiting in larger and larger
numbers.
Marche
Le Marche is a narrow strip of less-travelled land between
the Appennines and the Adriatic coast. The coast is very developed
with rows of generic hotels and beaches covered in sun beds
while the port of Ancona and further inland is quite industrialised.
That said, there are still large areas of unspoilt countryside
dotted with medieval towns and villages that have attracted
Italians and foreigners looking for old farmhouses to renovate
away from pricey Tuscany. Of the hill towns, Urbino
is the most attractive with its wonderful Renaissance palaces.
This legacy is a result of a prosperous period in the Middle
Ages and 15th and 16th centuries when the powerful Montefeltro
ruled Urbino and it produced the greats Raphael and Bramante.
Urbino
Urbino's heyday was in the second half of the fifteenth century
when it has one of the premier courts in Europe, ruled by
Federico da Montefeltro, who employed some of the best architects
and artists around to build and adorn his palace in the town.
This is still present in this most likeable of towns, which
has been saved from posterity by its relatively lively university.
Lazio
Lazio is very much an extension of Rome, a city uniquely
and enthrallingly ancient and modern, intensely proud of its
culture and heritage yet mired in a bloated sea of bureaucracy
and corruption. Since Roman times, the rich have built their
villas in the Lazio countryside and its towns sprang up as
fiefdoms of noble Roman families. Even today, Romans take
to the road in the suffocating heat of summer and make their
homes in pretty areas of the region. Although it has less
obvious attractions than most of Italy's over-indulged provinces
there are still things worth doing here; a tour of Etruria
in the north is an obvious starting place with tombs and museums
of Cerveteri and Tarquinia. The quiet beauty of the lakes
Bracciano, Vico and Bolsena north of Rome are pleasant
summer retreats and hilltop towns like Angani and Altari
to the southwest of Rome are worthy daytrips.
Rome
Rome is a city that inspires awe and wonder in its visitors.
It's a city that transformed itself at critical junctures
during the imperial, medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods
of its history to bequeath its inhabitants with the rich mosaics
of legend, monuments and cultural relics it offers today.
That said, its not just a museum to its past; it pulsates
with an energy that's sure to leave you spellbound. Don't
miss the Vatican City and its awe-inspiring Basilica
di San Pietro, one of the most opulently designed religious
buildings in the world, where you can attend Sunday Catholic
Mass with the Pope in St Peter's Square. While you're
there, visit Michelangelo's masterstroke, the high domed Sistine
Chapel or climb to the top of its high dome to get an
amazing view of Rome. For more ancient history, the Roman
Forum, or the Colosseum - the showcase of the Roman
Empire where gladiators battled to the death - both easily
rating as wonders of the world and both remarkably well preserved.
There are endless art galleries, museums, and on every corner
you turn, you will experience stunning architecture and history
that shaped the modern world. If all this culture gets to
much, numerous elegant piazza are a great place to enjoy food
or an ice cream.
Abruzzo and Molise
Abruzzo and Molise are unusual in Italy because they've been
spared the incursions of mass tourism, probably because they're
sparsely populated, mountainous and have always been cut off
from mainstream affairs resulting in less cultural heritage
here to explore. That said, Abruzzo in particular, offers
wildly beautiful landscapes, historic (and often abandoned)
hill towns and some developing resorts on the Adriatic coastline.
Its cultural seclusion means that legends and local customs
have survived more readily and the region's costumes, crafts
and festivals are less like the touristy affairs that take
place across the rest of Italy. Molise seems more southern
than its position suggests due to its poverty. It's pretty
uninviting although there are some low-key Roman ruins and
some dramatic scenery (although nothing to rival Abruzzo).
Campania
Campania, immediately to the south of Lazio, marks the real
beginning of the Italian south and is romantically known as
mezzogiorno ('midday'). Through the centuries it's
inspired writers with its dramatic coastline, enticing islands
and rich heritage although nowadays it's sometimes hard to
believe; the Bay of Naples is an industrialised area
that's well past its prime. However, history is visible at
every turn with the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum
under Mount Vesuvius, the Phlegraean Fields
to the west and the Greek temples of Paestum. There
are also attractive beach resorts to the south of Naples.
Moreover the region is home to Italy's most famed exports,
the pizza and pasta with tomato sauce.
Naples
Naples, the capital of Campania and the whole of southern
Italy, is a city of filth, crime and harassment; probably
the key to its charm! It's a city of fierce loyalties, one
that encapsulates the resentment and distrust felt between
the south and the north of the country. It's staunchly Catholic
and religious about its football, two defining aspects of
its identity as well as the importance of music. Its medieval
centre is a sensory overload of ancient churches crammed alongside
its university and lots of restaurants and crowded cafes pulsating
with the noise of mopeds and people socialising and - once
you've adjusted - will bowl you over with its character.
Puglia
Not many people make it further south than Campania but those
who do find themselves well rewarded. Puglia, on the 'heel'
of Italy, bears the marks of its strategic position: it's
been colonised, invaded and conquered by virtually everyone
from the Greeks, to the Normans to the Spanish. These days
it's an entry point for illegal immigrants from the Balkans,
Turkey, the Middle East and North Africa. Because of its rich
history there are several surprises on offer here like the
Monte Sant' Angelo's Sanctuary and the floor mosaics of
Otranto's Cathedral yet by no means as much as you'll
find further north.
Calabria and Bailicata
Calabria, alongside Basilicata, is really quintessential
mezzogiorno: culturally unendowed, underdeveloped and
sparsely populated. Despite this, Calabria is worth some exploration
in its own right: it has some great beaches, a forbidding
mountainous interior and some fascinating medieval towns nestled
on hilltops.
Sicily
People think Sicily can be summed up by beaches and the mafia;
these are certainly two major Sicilian elements but they don't
add up to its whole. It's discernibly different in feel from
mainland Italy; occupying a strategically vital position and
as the largest island in the Mediterranean, it has a history
and outlook that's very different. Relics of its many occupiers
are all over the island, the Sicilian language immediately
transports you out of Italy and the food is noticeably different;
spicier and with more use of fish and vegetables.
Sardinia
Sardinia is the Mediterranean's second largest island and
has always been considered an isolated place. Today its people
and culture still have a separate identity from mainland Italy.
It offers some of Italy's cleanest beaches but its interior
is of interest too. There are vestiges of various invaders
in the guise of Roman ruins, Genoan fortresses and Gothic
and Baroque architecture. But perhaps most interesting of
all are the unique stone constructions that dot the landscape
- remnants of Sardinia's only significant native 'nuraghic'
civilisation.
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