Italy is one of the most favorite destinations for millions and millions of people around the world.
Italy’s contribution to the World in History, Art, Architecture, Culture, cuisine, Design, Fashion, Literature, Opera & Film is incomparable. With the 55 world heritage sites, Italy tops the list with huge China. Out of 55 sites, 49 are cultural sites, and six are natural sites. All these highlights are complemented by the fantastic coastline, beaches & mountains.
Today, People primarily visit Italy for its priceless ancient monuments, rich cuisine & Culture, fashion, and art, its superb coastline, beaches & mountains with fascinating landscapes.
After the tumble of the Roman Empire in 476 AD, Italy (Rome) lost its place in European politics traders and merchants visited Italy for centuries. But as it was the base of the Papacy, which governed the Christian Religion, Italy remained an absolute important place of Pilgrimage.
In the 16th & early 17th century during the height of the Renaissance, Italy was visited by students to study Italian architecture. Later, people traveled to Italy for the touristic purpose were the aristocrats at the beginning of the late 17th century and flourished in the 18th century. During this period, the primary purpose of the visit was Architecture and Culture. And the most visited places were Turin, Milan (short halt or bypass), Tuscany, Roma, and Italy’s north, the Bay of Naples. Pompeii and Herculaneum were also on the itinerary after the unearthing of these in 1720. For some travelers, Sicily was a vital part of the trail. This trail was famously known as “The Grand Tour.” During the 17th & 18th century the tour of Italy was somewhat reserved for the Academic and the Elite.
After the start of rail transport in the year 1840, mass tourism began. In the 19th century, the middle classes toured Italy, and the popularity of the places with fantastic nature and weather started rising. The seaside resorts around Venice, the Ligurian coast, coastal Tuscany, and Amalfi started gaining fast fame. Nevertheless, the places such as Rome, Florence, Naples, Sicily were the major attractions.
As time passed, there were additions of the essential cultural as well as the natural destinations. The Italian cuisines also played a vital role in making Italy the most popular destination in culinary tour segments and among the world’s food lovers.
Today Italy has 40 plus popular tourist sites on its list, which millions of people worldwide visit.
What is a cultural tour? Cultural tourism is whenever a person travels with the motivation to study, experience, discover, consume, or gain knowledge from tangible and intangible attractions/products. Cultural tourism is all about meeting people, visiting historical and modern sites, watching different art, architecture, festivals, and pilgrimages, Understanding the cuisines and culinary patterns. And when we look at all of these subjects, The first destination that comes to mind is Italy. Italy has everything for a traveler passionate about learning from real-life experiences, observations, and practical participation. The below write-up will give you somewhat broad exposure for most of the topics.
Tourism in Italy started in the 16th century mainly to study Italian architecture. Italy is known for its significant architectural triumphs and has a broad and diverse Architectural style that spans almost 3500 years. The timeline of Italian architecture starts from Etruscan, Greek, and Ancient Roman architecture to Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassical, Art Nouveau, Fascist, And Italian modern and contemporary architecture.
In Italy, The Colosseum, The Duomo of Milan, The Mole Antonelliana in Turin, Florence Cathedral, and Venice’s building designs are among the finest architectural works of Western architecture. In addition, there are approximately 100,000 historical monuments in Italy, including Archaeological remains, Museums, Palaces, Churches, Art Galleries, Historic Houses, Villas, and Statues. But now, Italy is also at the forefront of modernist and sustainable designs. Many famous architects, both Italian, such as Renzo Piano, Carlo Scarpa, and Aldo Rossi, and international, such as Rem Koolhaas (Netherlands), Zaha Hadid (Iraq), and Richard Meier (USA), have designed buildings of note.
For art devotees, Italy is an ecstasy with an irreplaceable wealth of works and places. Italy was at the lead of the artistic and knowledgeable developments of the Renaissance, which drew their motivation from a review of the Classical Greek and Roman World.
The Renaissance replaced previous Romanesque and Gothic forms in both art and architecture. Which heightened with a flourish into the Baroque styles of the 16th century.
The great names in Italian art through the centuries make a long list that includes, among many others, Giotto, Donatello, Filippo Brunelleschi, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Titian, Bernini, and Tiepolo.
Today Italy has 40 plus popular tourist sites on its list, which millions of people worldwide visit. The Romanesque and Gothic art was trailed by more nature-inspired artworks until the reawakening of the ancient world, as the Renaissance period appeared in Italy.
A new art style dominated Italy initially from Florence with the strong support from the church and prosperous cities. The great names marked the heyday of the Italian Renaissance were Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1520), Michelangelo (1475-1564), Raphael (1483-1520), and Titian (1488/90-1576). They left many beautiful works that make the hearts of all enthusiasts of Italian art beat faster.
The two artists, Annibale Carracci (1560-1609) and Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1573-1610) are as crucial as captivating marked this during the transition to Baroque transition, whose works can be seen in Naples and Rome.
During the Baroque period, the church used art as a tool for propaganda that was meant to exemplify the importance of the Catholic Church. When recalling Baroque in Italy, the precious contribution of two great artists come to mind: Gianlorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) and Francesco Borromini (1599-1667). Rome has indebted its present appearance to these two masters.
By the end of the 19th century, the time of the great Italian artists who set all their skills and knowledge under the church’s service was finally over. But, Their legacy makes a central factor for tourists on their journeys through this beautiful country.
Italy has miles of awesome things to explore. Italy’s nature gifts start from the north with its rugged alpine border, which connects with neighboring Switzerland to its boot-shaped coastline to the south end. Along with art & Culture, the natural Wonders in Italy will take Your Breath Away. The ancient ruins, rolling vineyards, and cliffside villages are perfectly integrated into Italy’s natural environments. All these features make Italy an alluring destination for visitors who love arts, Culture & picturesque landscapes.
Italy’s location has played an essential role in its scenic landscape. The sea surrounds Italy, and mountains crisscross the interior, dividing it into regions. As a result, Italy is blessed with beautiful beaches and snowy mountain peaks; Italy has the most picturesque freshwater lakes and verdant valleys.
With some of the world’s most mesmerizing sceneries and landscapes spread across its numerous regions and territories, Italy is filled with natural wonders that will leave tourists speechless.
We have listed 30 plus natural and artificial sites in Italy, which will Take Your Breath Away.
Right from the school days, in our mind, Italy is all about Pizza, pasta, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. So let us know the Journey of Pizza & Pasta in Italy.
Neapolitan – An inhabitant or resident of Naples required low-cost food that could be consumed fast. Pizza—flatbreads with numerous toppings, eaten for any mealtime and sold by street vendors or informal restaurants—met this need.
These early pizzas consumed by Neapolitan featured the tasty garnishes beloved today, such as tomatoes, cheese, oil, anchovies, and garlic. After the amalgamation of Italy in 1861, King Umberto I and Queen Margherita visited Naples in 1889. They were bored of their routine cuisines, So they asked for various pizzas from the city’s Pizzeria Brandi. The queen enjoyed most pizza mozzarella, a pie topped with soft white cheese, red tomatoes, and green basil. From then on, the story starts. That particular topping combination was named Pizza Margherita. The immigrants to the USA from Naples replicated the crusty Pizzas in New York and other well-known US cities. As Americans of Italian origin, and their food, traveled from town to suburb areas, east to west, particularly after World War II, Pizza’s popularity in the United States roared. Now the Pizza gained popularity as fast food. Later on, non-Neapolitan variations emerged, and the Pizzas were topped with anything from barbecued chicken to smoked salmon. And this is how Italian Pizza conquered the world. Today international outposts of American chains like Domino’s and Pizza Hut thrive in about 60 different countries.
Primary Italian staple Food; Pasta
The national food of Italy is a pasta dish that is called Ragu Alla Bolognese. A common belief about the origin of pasta is that Marco Polo from China brought it during the 13th century. But the fact was pasta had already gained popularity in other areas of Italy during the 13th century.
Noodles have existed in Asia long before Polo’s trip to China. From Asia, it migrated westward. And Once it reached the Mediterranean, refining, this cuisine was started., and durum – A type of wheat, because of its high gluten content and long shelf life became the perfect ingredient of choice for pasta flour.
The warm Mediterranean climate of Italy is the best for growing fresh vegetables and herbs, which helped Italians become original with a delicious variability of pasta sauces. Tomato-based sauces arisen as a favorite complement to pasta, and tomatoes remain the most popular ingredient in pasta sauce today. During the late 19th century, when a big group of migrants relocated from Italy to America (most from Naples), pasta became a public food in the states.
Italian Gelato
The Tour of Italy is incomplete without enjoying Gelato. For the everyday person, Gelato is Ice cream. But it is different than ice cream. It may not be possible to express the difference between ice cream and Gelato from a distance, and they are very distinct. Gelato is much silkier in texture and a bit denser than ice cream. This denseness allows Gelato to pack much more flavor than traditional ice cream. Gelato also usually takes its flavors from natural sources.
“speak English, drive German, kiss French, and dress Italian” is a famous saying. Italy has been prominent for its high-quality craftsmanship, sharp tailoring, and luxury designs since the 11th century. When talking about Italy’s economy, the production and export of fashionable items are an integral part of the country’s economy. Italian fashion is the symbol of the style and elegance of the Bel Paese.
Today, Italy’s fashion capitals are Milan and Rome. They are the major international centers for fashion design, rivaling other cities such as Tokyo, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and New York.
Also, Venice, Florence, Naples, Vicenza, Bologna, Genoa, and Turin are of great importance in Fashion Design.
The textile sector – clothing, leather, and footwear – move significant volumes and represents a substantial part of the high-quality production exported all over the world.
The Italian fashion brands that have extended their original activities in clothing to the footwear, purse, accessories, and perfume divisions continue to see rising sales in all the relevant markets, not only those emerging.
The legends of Made in Italy predominate, and they’re global: Prada, Armani, Versace, Gucci, Cavalli, Dolce & Gabbana, Bottega Veneta, Ferragamo, Tod’s, Marni, Valentino, Missoni, Sergio Rossi, Gianfranco Ferrè, Krizia, Coveri, Trussardi, Laura Biagiotti, Luciano Soprani, Alberta Ferretti, Moschino, Rocco Barocco, Emanuel Ungaro, Romeo Gigli, and many others.
Italy is not just about Art, Architecture, Culture, Landscapes & Cuisines. Italy is also known as “A Shopper’s Paradise.” Shopping in Italy is one of the memorable experiences you can do. Italy is also home to some of the best places to shop in the world.
To be able to create memories forever, one has to experience the best of shopping. Shopping can be of a couple of affordable souvenirs, Venetian glass and masks, Florentine leather goods, fashion-forward outfits, jewelry, Perfumes, fine leather boots, hand-painted ceramics, and a bottle of locally made limoncello. There is no scarcity of things to buy in Italy. We can guide you to find the best shops and the best shopping tricks in popular tourist destinations in Italy.
The first mantra you need to know is that you should act like a local when shopping in Italy. The best shopping experience is when you know where you can buy the best. When looking for things to buy in Italy, you want to make sure you’re in the right region. Every general area has specific products in which they are specialized. And it would help if you also tried some off the beaten path. A vital shopping tip is to make sure you see the price tags. Price tags should be visible by law to prevent anyone from taking advantage of tourist buyers.
Finally, it is imperative to Understand the value-added tax (IVA Tax) in every sale in Italy. It goes at a rate of 22%, expected in the price tag already. It’s vital to always ask for a receipt to make sure you have the IVA paid, and this precaution averts anyone to charge you twice. Please keep the receipts carefully as you leave the store, as you may want to show those at tax refund kiosks in many major transport hubs around Italy.
With so many options to buy in this beautiful country, we have tried to sort out the regions with specializations in specific products. Please click here to know about it.