A short guide about Self Drive travel to Italy
Most visitors have preconceptions of the Mafia, olive oil, pasta and wine, but once you tour Italy, you will find it is quite a modern place with it Roman Ruins and Renaissance Palaces. The coastline provides beautiful beaches and a great climate; mountain chains run throughout the country and provide excellent places for hiking. The Dolomites in Northern Italy separate it from Austria and to the west are the Alps. Volcanoes like Stromboli or Mt Etna are still active and can be visited.
To the North, near the Alps and flatlands of the Po River is two cultural jewels. Lombardia's capital Milan is a city of haute couture and business, and Bergamo has an upper Old Town. In the North-East are Venice and Verona, these famous tourist attractions will have you thinking of romantic love affairs. To the North-West of Italy is Piemonte, a paradise for every wine and culinary traveller. Produced there are the famous wines of the Nebbiolo grape. Piemonte's capital, Turin is a leading tourist spot for cultured offering museums and modern art.
The highlights of the Coastal Region of Liguria is its old towns. Genoa and the Riviera delle Palme provide the right climate with beautiful beaches and countryside. The Lunigiana region, Albenga and Ceriale are worth a visit and Gourmets should not miss the Emilia Romagna Italy's culinary centre. Bologna, has impressive mosaic works and Byzantine architecture and Rimini sits on the Adriatic Sea. A tour of Tuscany’s old towns and valleys is a must, to experience the beauty yourself. Florence, Lucca, Pisa and Siena offer cultural highlights, attracting millions of visitors a year. Napoleons’ first exile was to Elba, one of the seven Tuscan Archipelago islands.
Rome, The Eternal City, has monumental palaces, churches, squares, and fountains that are still fed by aqueducts from ancient water sources. The southern part of Italy has become the chosen destination for most tours with Campania, Capri, Ischia, Sorrento and Amalfi providing hospitality and gorgeous landscapes. Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean and the influence of the Greeks, Romans and Arabs has left their mark.