AMALFI COAST, ITALY
The world's
most beautiful city, the most inspiring cultural treasures, and magnificent scenery: Nowhere else in the world will you find a bigger concentration of beauty. There's
Venice,
Florence and
Rome with their varied architecture, the natural masterpiece that is Tuscany with its rolling hills, vineyards and snow-peaked mountains. Then there's the perfect naturalist painting that is the
Amalfi Coast or Lake Maggiore and the Alps and you get the sense that no country on Earth offers as much beauty anywhere you turn as Italy
Venice
The Dream City
You'll find cities claiming to be "the Venice of the North," "the Venice of Africa," "the Venice of the East"... Any city crossed by canals or with colorful buildings sitting on the water's edge wants to be associated with the image of
the world's most beautiful city. But the beauty of Italy's Venice is unrivalled and the entire city is one work of art. It's also one of only a few cities in the world that can be described as truly unique, where main "streets" are canals, there are no cars or traffic jams, and the mixture of Renaissance, Byzantine, Gothic, and Baroque architecture leaves anyone wondering if this
magical cityscape is real at all.
The fairytale or theatrical atmosphere is then enhanced by the carnival mask shops, romantic gondola rides, and colorful palazzos. Everywhere you turn is a postcard image of this
unequalled urban masterpiece.
Nothing quite prepares you for Venice, even after seeing it a million times in tourist brochures, guidebooks, or films. You'll fall in love at first sight and will stand in awe of its architecture, piazzas, and canal views until the very last minute before you leave. You'll have the designer shops, sophisticated bars, classy restaurants, galleries, and other tempting attractions to go indoors, but nothing can prevent you from going back to standing by a canal admiring the most spectacular city ever created, over and over again.
Top 10 Sights and Attractions
Stand in the middle of P
IAZZA S
AN M
ARCO (one of the world's most beautiful squares), and marvel at its B
ASILICA.
Admire the magnificent architecture and interior of the P
ALAZZO D
UCALE.
Take a
vaporetto down the G
RAND C
ANAL and a G
ONDOLA R
IDE through the city.
Visit the
Peggy Guggenheim Museum for its modern art.
See Renaissance masterpieces in the
Accademia Gallery.
Cross the iconic R
IALTO B
RIDGE and browse the M
ARKET behind it.
Stand under the dome of the landmark S
ANTA M
ARIA D
ELLA S
ALUTE C
HURCH.
Go inside
Palazzo Grassi for the building and its art exhibitions.
See the impressive paintings of the
Scuola Grande di San Rocco.
Admire the art found inside the S
ANTA M
ARIA G
LORIOSA D
EI F
RARI C
HURCH.
SEE THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO ALL SIGHTS AND ATTRACTIONS »
Where to Stay
Look for the hotel or hostel that best matches your budget, type of trip or personality. Here you can guarantee a room but you do NOT pay anything at the time of booking. Payments are only made at the hotel and there are no booking fees. Most hotels allow cancellations with no penalty if done up to 24 or 48 hours in advance. You'll see that information at the time of booking and again in the confirmation email.
SEE ALL ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS »
Eating and Drinking
After an obligatory stop at the classic, palatial cafés in and around Piazza San Marco, avoid the city's many touristy restaurants and find the ones serving some fine regional cuisine or more ambitious contemporary menus. Venice is a city where you really need to look for a more outstanding dining experience, usually found on the backstreets away from the grand canal.
Shopping
Window-shop down
Calle Larga XXII Marzo west of Piazza San Marco for all the big-name fashion labels you expect to find in any Italian city. Other upscale shops line the streets collectively known as the
Mercerie, but note that prices in Venice are generally higher than in Rome or Florence. The best buys in the city are its crafts, especially glassware from Murano, lace from Burano, and the famous papier-mâché masks. There are so many shops selling those crafts, that many are of mass-produced low quality and very likely even made in China. To make sure it's an authentic Venetian item, look at the price. If it's an astronomical amount, it's likely to be the real thing. You'll need to take some time to look around and find the truly original pieces, with a trip to Murano being the best idea if you're really serious about special glassware.
You also can't leave Venice without visiting the bustling
Rialto Market, taking place every morning from Monday to Saturday by the Rialto Bridge. You'll find Venetians buying their fresh fruits, vegetables, fish and a variety of cheeses.
Naples
The Soul of Italy
Forget all you've ever heard of Naples and prepare yourself to enjoy one of Europe's most vibrant cities that is also the gateway to some of the continent's most beautiful scenery. Looking at the Amalfi Coast or the island of Capri is like seeing a beautiful painting come alive, and is the perfect complement to a stay in the frenetic city of Naples or a visit to the fascinating ruins of Pompeii.
Soak up the atmosphere at any of these places, admiring the spectacular cliffside villages, the deep blue sea, or the majesty of the Vesuvius volcano. Have a pizza where it was born, and experience some of Italy's finest hotels and restaurants.
It is not the fairytale that is Venice, the cosmopolitan center that is Milan, or the museum city that is Rome, but Naples and its surroundings are the very soul of Italy and the perfect escape that provides both urban excitement and sophisticated seclusion.
Top 10 Sights and Attractions
One of the world's richest archaeological collections in the N
ATIONAL A
RCHAEOLOGICAL M
USEUM.
A daytrip to
Pompeii.
A drive around the A
MALFI C
OAST.
A trip to
Capri.
The landmark C
ASTEL N
UOVO.
The grand P
ALAZZO R
EALE.
Capodimente's outstanding art collection.
The D
UOMO, the city's cathedral.
The art and cloisters of C
ERTOSA D
I S
AN M
ARTINO.
P
AESTUM's Greek temples.
.
المفضلات