All roads lead to Rome
The eternal city of Rome, founded by the brothers Romulus and Remus in the 8th century BC, never ceased to play a crucial role in world history, politics and culture. Rome has been recognized for centuries as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and attractions such as the Colosseum, the Pantheon or the Sistine Chapel are known to everyone without exception.
It should be noted that in the heart of Rome there is a mini-state of the Vatican, famous for the Cathedral of St. Peter, the Papal Palace, the Vatican Pinacoteca, the Sistine Chapel with ingenious frescoes by Michelangelo and Botticelli. During walks, you should climb Capitol Hill with its palaces, temples and the Roman Forum, visit the Terms of Caracalla, built in the 3rd century BC, walk along the Spanish stairs, throw a coin into the Trevi fountain, wander through the park of Villa Borghese and take a couple of steps along the Appian Road.
The wealth of Rome – he himself, his narrow paved streets with houses of different eras, especially many of which are in the Trastevere quarter, there are also many restaurants and bars, the noise in which does not subside even at night. Here there are countless squares and museums, cathedrals and churches, palaces and ancient ruins, it will take no week to get around them all.
Buenas nights, mi amor… Milan!
Milan, which has a history of 25 centuries, today is a modern, bright and noisy metropolis, a world center of fashion and style. There are no fewer sights here than in Rome, but the sensations of gray antiquity do not inspire walks in Milan.
The main one is Duomo, which was built in 1386 in the Gothic style. The Middle Ages include preserved shopping galleries, as well as classicism-style palaces unique to the region. Interest will be aroused by a visit to the Castle of Sforza, the villa of Napoleon, as well as the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, with the canonical “Secret Evening” by Leonardo. The evening can be spent visiting the performance of the famous La Scala Theater.
As for shopping, Quadrilatero della Moda (“fashion square”) begins right outside Duomo Square, boutiques of all famous world brands are located here, you don’t have to count on low prices, but here the quality is always impeccable. Milan is famous for its confectionery restaurants, where you can relax after a fashionable race, establishments are better to choose away from Duomo, prices are lower here, and the cuisine is more authentic and no less tasty.
In Venice, any realist will become a romantic.
Probably the most romantic city in the world, Venice, is located on 120 islands, which are connected by 400 bridges. They go here on romantic journeys, there are no sights in which the rigor of Gothic and the magnificent splendor of Baroque have merged. The highlight of the city is the main mode of transport – gondolas and river trams, a trip on which will help to get to the right quarter, while becoming a real adventure. In this monument city, every building is famous for something. Under the protection of UNESCO is a lagoon and old city blocks. The heart of Venice is San Marco Square, where the cathedral is dominant, as well as a column with a winged lion – one of the symbols of the city. The Doge Palace makes a lasting impression, as well as the hundred-meter Galileo bell tower, on which he installed the first telescope in 1609. It is also worth visiting the most beautiful Golden House Palace, as well as the palaces of Fondaco dei Turki, Giustiniani, Redzonico Square and Ca da Mosto.
Venice has the island-beach of Lido and long beaches on the coast, where there are always many tourists and citizens. Venice is also one of the shopping capitals, the most exquisite and famous boutiques are concentrated here. In February, the most striking performance in the world – the famous Venice Carnival – was played here for 10 days.
City of Sun and Beach
The most popular Italian resort of Rimini is located on the banks of the Adriatic Sea. It combines excellent wide sandy beaches stretching over 15 km, and the charm of a cozy city, more than two thousand years old. The city has created all the conditions for excellent shopping, there are countless restaurants and bars.
On the coast there are many hotels of different price categories, and along the beach there is a promenade with numerous cafes, where you should definitely try real Parmesan and Parma ham, because it is Rimini that is the birthplace of these products. With children you can go to a water park, the theme park “Italy in miniature” and a noisy amusement park.
Among the sights can be distinguished the Triumphal Arch of Augustus, created in 27 BC. e., the oldest surviving ancient Roman arch. Interesting monuments of the Middle Ages are the Mair Palace of 1330, Cavour Square with a statue of Pope Paul the Fifth, as well as the Municipality, built in 1204. Not far from it is the old Fish Market, where there are still shelves of stone. Interest is also aroused by the Fellini Museum, which glorified the city.
Bruschetta
As a light snack or before eating in Italy, they will serve you something like hot sandwiches. Translated bruschetta means “bake on coals.” For bruschetta, chiabatta is mainly used, but there may be other similar varieties of bread. The base remains unchanged – pieces of bread dried on a grill or grill, grated with garlic and sprayed with olive oil. And on top lay out the filling – ham, mozzarella, tomatoes, olives and more. The most popular type of bruschetta is with tomatoes and basil.
Pasta, Pasta and once again Pasta
It is not for nothing that Italians are called pasta, because it is this dish that they love most in the world. They just call it paste and nothing else. Traditionally, the paste (in Russian “dough”) is divided into five types: long (spaghetti), short (feathers), filled (ravioli), soup (vermichel) and baking paste. The latter is the most unusual, and therefore the most interesting option for us. This type of paste includes lasagna, that is, a meat layered pie with two types of sauces (creamy and tomato-meat), and cannelloni, which are tubes of dough? stuffed most often with meat or ricotta with spinach. There is also a special kind of paste called “nyokki” and more like a mixture of dough and potatoes. The taste of the snokki is rather strange, it feels a little like jam, although in fact they have no analogues in the traditional cuisine for us.
Italy without Pizza would not be Italy
Pizza is the second most popular Italian dish. There are many variations on this round theme, but only one is considered a real classic of the genre – MargErita pizza and in no case MargArita, as often written in guides. By the way, the Italians themselves will never choose a restaurant on the menu of which they will see MargArita, as this indicates the absence of any “Italianism” among the owner of the institution. The three main ingredients are drawn on your plate Italian tricolor: red tomatoes, white mozzarella and green basil. Try exactly this, surprisingly unpretentious, but unusually tasty pizza and you will understand that everything ingenious is really simple. The main thing is the skill of the cook.
Risotto is not a plow!
Among the main culinary pride of many countries of the world are rice dishes. Italy is no exception. On the Apennines, risotto is prepared, which in no case can be confused with piles. Risotto looks more like rice porridge, as if boiled up, while the mistress left the kitchen. The most popular fillings for this dish are seafood and mushrooms, of course, separately. There is also a funny option called “Rizi e bizi” – risotto with green peas.
Spritz
Favorite drink of the inhabitants of Venice, Padua and all nearby towns. Short evenings at a glass of spritz’a here are common both students, professors, and venerable housewives, and top managers. The base of the kchassic spritz’a is also all white wine, in which is added sweet tincture Aperol “soda, a piece of orange with zest, and in some cases olive, and, of course, ice. The taste is sweet, a little tickling tongue, but non-rhetorical, in a word, what is needed for a pleasant pastime in a hot Italian evening.
They drink any food in Italy, of course, wine. Therefore, sin will return from a trip without a bottle of the same, 2-Hebrew. It is best to choose the wine of the region in which you visited, the locals will gladly help you with this matter. If in the near future you do not plan to return to Italy and explore its other cities, you can limit yourself to the classics – Chianti, Lambrusco, Bardolino. Lovers should pay attention to traditional Italian limoncello liquor or a local vodka variety called grappa. All this is better to buy not in original bottles, in abundance presented in souvenir shops, but in the most ordinary stores: the goods are cheaper, and the capacity is larger.
Crunchy Cantuccini cookies or mouth-melting almonds Amaretti. From New Year’s trips, you must bring Panettone or Pandoro Christmas cakes (the best producers are Bauli and Paulani), and during Easter catch Colomba Easter pigeon (poultry-shaped cupcake). If you happen to be in Turin, which is rightfully considered the chocolate capital of Italy, if not the whole of Europe, then boldly purchase local chocolate pyramids Gianduiotti!
Traditionally, from Venice, although in fact not only from there, it is customary to carry magnificent carnival masks. Do not count the options for their shapes and colors, choose for your taste and wallet. Yeah, and don’t forget to take care of transporting your mask so she doesn’t get hurt in the luggage. Although you can carry on yourself, only at passport control you will have to remove.
The most popular Italian doll is Pinocchio, the one that we know under the pseudonym Buratino. It can be found in a wide variety of variations: from magnets on the refrigerator and caps on pencils to the most real dolls almost in human stature. In Sicily, it is best to purchase a puppet for memory, because this island is considered one of the birthplaces of the puppet theater. But if you visit Italy immediately after the New Year, then pay attention to the figures of Befana (or Epiphany) very similar to our Baba Yaga. On January 6, Catholics celebrate the Epiphany when the old woman Bethan carried sweets to little Jesus. So now she pleases the goodies of all Italian bambini, because her figure is designed so that you can put a couple of sweets and cookies inside.
Muran glass products are very valuable around the world. Murano is one of the islands of Venice, where glassmakers settled from ancient times, and once they were even forbidden to leave the island so as not to take out the secrets of making local glass. Now not only in Venice, but throughout Italy you can purchase a variety of decorations, interior items and just funny pieces of Muran glass. It is clear that not all of it is as valuable as we would like, but they say that in any case all products are manufactured at Murano, they simply differ in quality and, accordingly, price.
Lovers of everything unusual, as well as geologists and their sympathizers, will definitely like the interesting Sicilian souvenir – figures from frozen lava. If you are sorry to spend your blood-earned euros on them, you can bring a piece of the volcano by going on an excursion to Etna craters or simply gaining black volcanic sand on the beaches in the Catania area.
20
%
80
%
98
%
80
%
40
years
Language
So far, 20% of the Italian population does not understand the official Italian language.
Mafia
About 80% of businesses in Sicily and Calabria pay mafia tribute.
Religion
When completing the annual tax return, a donation must be made to the Catholic Church. 98% of Italians are Catholics.
Mountains
80% of Italy’s territory is occupied by mountains.
Marriage
It is considered normal for a man to live up to 40 years with his mother