This blog series is about five more countries in Europe I loved visiting. I have already covered four countries – Scotland, The UK, Portugal, and Austria. Time for country #5. In this blog, I will share five reasons I love visiting Italy.
My wife and I recently visited Italy
Let me provide a bit of background information. My wife, Kim, and I recently went to Italy for a week over the Thanksgiving holiday break. We spent time in three classic Italian cities: Rome, Florence and Milan. We spent three nights in Rome, three in Florence, and one in Milan.
Reason #1 – Rome, the capital of Italy
Like many visitors to Italy, we started our vacation in Rome. It is amazing. We spent three days here and I feel like we only scratched the surface of the Eternal City. I will post another blog soon detailing why I loved visiting Rome. The one thing I will say now is that you do not need a car in this city. It is one of the main transportation hubs in Italy. You can take the train to just about anywhere from here.
Reason #2 – History
We took multiple tours during our vacation. There is so much history there, layer upon layer upon layer. A few thousand years of History. If you’re a history fan you need to visit Italy.
Reason #3 – Classic Italian Cities
This country is well known for its classic cities like Rome, Venice, Florence, Milan, and Naples to name a few. These classic cities are full of art, architecture, food, wine, and sights galore. You name it Italy has it. If you like exploring cities Italy is the right place for you to visit.
Reason #4 – Sights
The sights in Italy are incredible. We saw the Coliseum and all kinds of churches including the Vatican and the Duomo in Milan. I believe that this country has the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world.
Reason #5 – Food and Wine
Italy is known for its world-class food. I mean who doesn’t love Italian food? We ate to our heart’s content during the entire trip. Of course, you need to pair the food with the proper wine. Kim and I took a day trip all over Tuscany. We ate an excellent Thanksgiving lunch and sampled a bunch of wines. If you love food and wine you need to go to Italy.
Bonus Reason – hill towns
Another reason to visit this beautiful country is the hill towns. They are wonderful and found all over the place. Explore the countryside to visit these medieval hilltowns and just soak it all in.
Extra bonus reason – Regional Diversity
The regional diversity is amazing in Italy. You drive a few hours in this country and you see different people, different history, different cultures, different food, and different wine. It is a cornucopia across this country. Its citizens take pride in where they come from – city, region, and country. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by all the diverse regions you’ll experience as you wander around this beautiful country.
One thing I do not like about Italy
Everything’s not perfect in Italy. It’s certainly an awesome country to visit. I’m going to talk about one thing I don’t like and I fully realize I am part of the problem. It is packed full of tourists. What does that mean? Come in the off-season. I would not visit in the summer. We heard there were even more people and it was hot as hell during the summer months. Go some other time of the year.
Three of my favorite things in Italy
- My favorite city – Florence.
- My Favorite sight is the Milan Duomo.
- Coffee – Italians do it right.
I am Doug Keating and this is my letter to my sons.