The miracle of Italy

The miracle of Italy is that all its treasures come packaged in a gorgeous country of majestic mountains, placid lakes, idyllic islands, splendid cities and wonderful walled villages. An ideal climate plus warm and gracious people make Italy a perfect destination for an active vacation, the art lover, the gourmand, the hedonist combined, why not, with business.

For thousands of years, Italy has been at the forefront of modern culture. The birthplace of the Roman Empire and fountainhead of the Renaissance, Italy has retained a prominent spot atop the global radar since long before the time of Caesar. While there are million of reasons to visit Italy, to list them all would take weeks. For those interested in historical architecture, the ruins that dot the countryside are a marvel to behold. The most famous are those of Ancient Rome, where the Roman Forum, the Colosseum and Pantheon are all within a couple miles of each other. Palaces, castles, villas and gardens spread throughout the finest cities in Italy, while famous cathedrals, towering cathedrals and glittering Renaissance structures dot the skylines of Florence and Siena, Rome and Naples.

Active Holidays
Doing nothing is not easy! For active holidaymakers Italy features a wide variety of distraction to choose from, when you want to gain new strength and energy from your adventures and activities.

Art Cities
The great artistic legacy of Italy, unequalled anywhere in the world, is not only distributed throughout the major cities and their famous museums; one can say in truth that there is no Italian city, however modest, which does not contain and cherish some share of this wealth of art. Indeed, many of them can be considered real treasures - so beautiful and valuable are the works they contain. The artistic riches of Italy's main cities have already been described.


For art lovers, trips to Italy are a must. The Uffizi Gallery in Florence holds many of the grandest treasures of the Renaissance, while the nearby Galleria dell"Accademia is home to one of the most famous sculptures in all the world: Michelangelo"s David. The Vatican Museums, located within the city limits of Rome, hold all of the Catholic Church"s immense treasures, capped off with the imposing St. Peter"s and one of the major highlights of many trips to Italy, the Sistine Chapel. There are many other artistic wonders to behold in nearly every Italian city, from the northern Venetian museums all the way down to the coast of Sicily. Italy vacations can also include the sophistication and pageantry of the theater. While operas are the main draw, there are many other musical options, not to mention the chance to watch famed plays that have stood the test of time in some of the most ornate and celebrated buildings in the world.

Food & Wine
The gentle lifestyle of Italy is partly a product of its civilized eating habits: eating and drinking in tranquility at least once a day are a norm here.