Rick Steves' Italy 2012

With all the information on the Web it can still be difficult to find out if there is an English bookstore in town or a laundromat or where there are Internet cafes or free Wi-Fi. Rick Steves guidebooks will give you all that information and more.

You can count on Rick Steves to tell you what you really need to know when traveling in Italy.
From the beaches to the Alps, from fine art to fine pasta, Italy has it all. With this book, you’ll trace Italian culture from Rome’s Colosseum to Michelangelo’s David to the bustling elegance of Milan. Experience the art-drenched cities of Venice and Florence, explore the ancient ruins of the Roman Forum, and learn how to avoid the lines at the most popular museums. Discover the villages of Tuscany and Umbria and the lazy rhythms of the Cinque Terre. Shop at local market stalls, sip a cappuccino at an outdoor café, and pick up a picknic lunch at an allimentari. Relax and enjoy the life of Bella Italia

Rome at night

It is worth walking in Rome and after sunset, because the superb lighting of monuments makes them look more impressive. Rome`s  large squares are filled with tourists in the morning but the evening gather even more visitors to relax and talk in front of the illuminated fountains.A mystical and purifying Sensation

The Dolomiten South Tyrol

The Dolomiten offer scenic in any season a very attractive backdrop and space for diverse activities.
As a winter sports area, the region is opened up completely, families can plan everything that fits the appropriate season. Are priced accommodation with the same comprehensive care services to children in a hotel in South Tyrol.

The landscape in the Dolomiten
Since 2009 include the Dolomiten around Val Gardena's World Heritage by UNESCO. The bleaching of the Dolomite Mountains massif are of such monumental beauty that they provide for many decades for the encouragement of regular holidaymakers.Hiking, skiing, climbing, endless meadows and woods and exquisite catering holiday at the highest level of guarantee. For many, the spa area is now known throughout Europe and worldwide.
The highest plateau in Europe is in the heart of the Seiser Alm in South Tyrol. Sustainable tourism provides its still completely intact natural landscape, place on the providers and managers are still great value. With its 6.796 hectares of cultivated landscape provides the natural park Sciliar in the western Dolomites in South Tyrol at the animal communities, and Kastelruth Vols, with the Seiser Alm one unit. Who makes this holiday should not leave the mountain massif of the bizarre Schlern, the Rose Garden and the solid Tschamin Valley missed - remarkable landmark of the region and magical attraction for many tourists.

Hotels in South Tyrol
Many hotels in South Tyrol are specialized in the creative vacation the whole family. It should finally be something of everything and nature is to be felt by the whole family and experience. The region offers here mountains and pastures, meadows, rivers, streams and mountain lakes in winter and some of the best ski slopes in Europe. In the midst of the legendary hotel environment has become so much distinguished himself as a specialist provider of real adventurous holidays.
Hotels in children educationally trained supervisors to ensure that the children get bored at any minute. This allows the parents to exercise once a certain sporting activities or simply to enjoy the spa all to yourself. To find the right hostel, the only decision is to take over the budget request. Because there is every price range, from small board to the upper class, that is, for example through the Cavallino Bianco represented in Val Gardena.

Pinocchio Park

The Pinocchio Park, opened in 1956, is not only a place of fun, but also a precious masterpiece created by artists of great character. It is located in Collodi, a fraction of Pescia in the province of Pistoia, a medieval village documented since the twelfth century, linked to the name of Carlo Lorenzini, the author of the famous book. The Florentine writer, whose mother was originally from the country, spent part of his childhood and took the name, signed by Carlo Collodi.
The protagonist is himself, Pinocchio, the famous puppet, along with all the people who cross the path of his beautiful and eternal tale. The literary path, marked by mosaics, sculptures and buildings surrounded by greenery, was created thanks to the 'union between art and environment: every step, every character, every encounter is a surprise, and the same vegetation helps to recreate the atmosphere of his adventures .
The Park is not the usual place of amusement, but the charming, precious collective work of great artists, where he recounts the tale through the symbolic language of art, sculptures, paintings and mosaics. The idea of ​​the monument was, sixty years ago, the mayor of Pescia, Professor Rolando Anzilotti, who formed the Committee for the Monument to Pinocchio and invited the best artists in the competition. Eighty-four sculptors in the race winners were Emilio Greek with Pinocchio and the Fairy, and Venturini Venturino with the Square of Mosaics.
Not only green and artistic attractions for children, but also the possibility of ever new cultural activities: exhibitions of art and illustrations inspired by children's reading and the Story of Pinocchio, puppet building workshops, puppet shows and storytellers, activity of facial make-up. And then many historical rides, carefully restored, dating back to various periods between 1900 and 1950, recovered thanks to the collaboration of Antonio Buccioni, still preserving the freshness and poetry of the past.
Do not miss the Museum of Pinocchio, where there are exhibitions of art, illustration, rarities and curiosities dedicated to Pinocchio, the coach of the eater and the Fairy, with their objects and furnishings, and the Game of the Goose , where a wheel to turn replaces the traditional and authentic human pawns nuts take the place of traditional place cards.

Portofino Italy

portofino Italy

Until early 1900, the tiny harbor of Portofino was an inaccessible village. In the 1950's, however, the picturesque bay in the famous Italian Riviera in Liguria Region, won the hearts of the stars of Hollywood and somehow the legend was born.

 Panoramic View of Portofino, with its pine-covered slopes reaching down to the sea in their path hugging the colorful houses in a setting of relaxationSpectacular villas perched on the cliff overlooking the Ligurian SeaA steep path leads to the Castello Brown, which operates as a museum and is named after the British consul who converted to housing in 1870The colorful facades of the buildings are typical of the region, many of which once belonged to the fishermen while today they are refuges from rich and famous people.To beach hotel «Splendido Mare» in the heart of PortofinoBenedictine Monastery, overlooking the bay San FruttuosoThe lighthouse on the impressive rock at the harbor entranceDusk in the enchanting bay of the northwest coast of Italy
 
Typical of Portofino are the brightly painted facades of the houses that once belonged to the fishermen and now a multimillionaire refuge , so grafical that produse a distinctive atmosphare, Portofino seduces the visitor when see its little Port
Within walking distance from the sea, the pine-covered slopes, the warm climate, the delicious Italian cuisine, sandy bays that meet the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean and the favorite of the Italians «dolce far niente» (sweet to do nothing) constitute the ultimate setting for a relaxing holiday.
What to see- Walk in the small town with quaint, colorful houses, chic boutiques, shops with local products and the impressive yacht, tied at the marina. Cross the square, wander along the pier and enjoy the magical colors of the sea. Follow the steep path to the Castello Brown.
The 16th century fortress, which once played an important defensive role in History of the site and now serves as a museum, is named after the British consul who turned it into a private residence in 1870. On the back of the castle, rocky, densely wooded peninsula is a protected park in 1935.
- Number of marked hiking trails traverse the forest. Choose what you will lead, after a two-hour walk, Bay San Fruttuoso, the Benedictine Abbey of the 10th century. If you can not afford the hike, take one of the boats or water taxis leaving from the port and visit the sea (www.traghettiportofino.it).
- The Cathedral Church of St. Martin in the 11th century, is a masterpiece on the corner of the harbor that is worth visiting. Take a boat trip to nearby Santa Marguerita and discover the antiquarian market, the beach and the charming shops and restaurants.

How to reach Portofino- Arriving at the airport in Milan, contact one of the rental car companies, otherwise choose the train as Santa Marguerita (journey time two hours). From there you can take a bus, taxi or boat to Portofino. By car Take the motorway A7 direction Milan - Genoa and take the exit Rapallo, Santa Margherita. Attention to Portofino the movement of cars. The best months to visit it this season and from September to October.