Wonderful Italian Cities to Visit

Florence long famous for its art and architecture is always popular with tourists.

 There is so much to see there that it is difficult to find the time to see it all one visit.  

The visitor who thinks they may only get the chance to see this city once needs to plan their trip there with care so as to fit in as much of what is on offer as is possible. My trips to Florence have been fitted in while touring Tuscany, each time I have left feeling that I need to return to spend more time on exploring the wonders of this fine city.

Florence is not the easiest place to take photographs as you will discover there are lots of other people wanting to photograph exactly what you are taking a picture of. You will also find that when taking photos in Florence you need to plan your picture, then stand in the spot where you want to take the photograph from and wait for the chance to arise when no one is blocking your view. You really do have to be quick when it comes to pushing the button on your camera and also to take as many photos of the cities attractions as you can, so that you can select the best ones to keep.

Rome is a city that has both the ancient and the modern, the two live side by side in a complimentary juxtaposition.

The modern part of the city of Rome includes the shopping areas where you can spend a pleasant hour or two window shopping or re-stocking your wardrobe. The shops range from pleasant modern department stores to the very best of top designer names.

Rome has many wonderful historic sites to see and photograph. There is the  Colosseum and close by is the ruins of the Roman Forum area and from there the Palatine Hill is just a short walk.

These are some of the must see sites of this historic city, to visit them is to see a part of history that we have read about or seen in films.

If you visit The Pantheon take a look also at Piazza Navona to see the magnificent fountains there with their larger then life size statues.  Piazza Navona is the Roman Piazza that is mentioned in Dan Brown's book called Angels and Demons, it is also in the 2008 film of the same name.  

The Vatican and the Sistine Chapel and their wonderful works of art can also be seen when you visit Rome. Plan to spend at least a day in this area of Rome.

If you travel on the buses or as you are site-seeing take care of your possessions as in certain areas tourist can be targeted by groups of pick-pockets. 

Bologna is unmistakably a city that seem full of bustle as it goes about its day to day routine. Yet there are areas that are really worthy of visiting and exploring.  

The shopping streets in many areas are covered walk ways which here are called porticoes and Bologna has more of them than anywhere else. The porticoes provide shelter from the sun and the rain when you want to window shop this city.

Here they have top designer stores with the famous names, yes even the ones that  dress the models for the catwalk shows and top magazines.

Yet, here again is the beauty of Bologna a short walk away you will find a delightful street of market stalls and small local shops furnished with the finest displays of fresh food, fruit and vegetables that you could want.  Italian's love their food, cooking and eating is very important to them the families will take their time over meals and because of this they grow up with an appreciation of good food. 

When in Italy you can dine at the finest restaurant or eat with the Italians at lunch time or evening  in one of the popular places that the locals like to dine at with their families.

Lucca is perhaps less well known to us than some of the more famous cities but it worth spending at least a  day there, exploring the streets and tourist attractions.  

There is a always the temptation when in Italy to stop and have a pizza or lunch time bowl of pasta.  However, if you are pushed for time on your visit to Lucca  then why not take advantage of one of the places that sell a portion of pizza for you to eat as you explore the area.

Lucca is the birth place of Puccini.

The city of Lucca is a walled city, has16th century walls which now are a tree-lined avenue.

The photo below this of Lucca was taken in the Piazza Anfiteatro. This place was built on the  ruins of the Roman amphitheater, you can see the shape of this piazza is an oval. Newly married couples come to the Piazza Anfiteatro to have their wedding photos taken. The bride and groom will pose for their wedding photos in the Piazza, as the tourists and locals pass by as they visit this famous place.

  It is possible to buy luxury Italian foods on-line. An Italian meal would make a great idea for a themed meal. If you plan to have an Italian style meal for your guests remember to serve Italian wines and Italian style bread with your meal.

Here is a recipe for one type of Italian bread - 

Recipe for Italian style Focaccia bread.

Parmesan cheese from the Parma area of Italy is the perfect cheese to serve with spaghetti.