Our Italian adventure is a work in progress. At this time we
have been there twice and will return again and again if we can.
Italy is one of those places that has much more to see and
experience than can be done in single holiday or even several
holidays.
The Renaissance which is generally credited to moving Western
civilization out of the Dark Ages following the fall of the
Romans in 5AD began around 1420 in Florence, Italy. The country
at the time was organized as cities where the rich and powerful
governed more or less through elected councils that were at least
nominally supported by the will of the citizens. They were in
effect a kind of commune. The communes evolved into the formal
City State, the most famous being Rome, Naples, Florence, Genoa,
Turin and Venice. Today Italy still retains some of the diversity
of the City States. Not until 1861 was the country brought under
a unified government. Since then it has emerged as a modern,
democratic state albeit during Mussolini's fascist dictatorship
prior to and during WWII. There is an essential North-South
dichotomy in much of the Italian culture, politics and economics.
The South is poorer and politically ultra-liberal. The North
where the economic center of gravity lies is richer and
relatively conservative. We only barely scratch the surface of
this country with our visits. There is so much art and history
here that merely walking around in towns like Florence qualify as
a legitimate art tour even without going inside. The buildings
themselves are enough to impress the average tourist not to
mention the incredibly valuable art on display inside.
We made Italy the subject of our first European tour after our
arrival in Spain in December 2000. Driving from our home in the
Basque region of Spain we headed east to Barcelona then along the
Mediterranean coast of Southern France and into Italy near Genoa.
Being December the weather along the route was often wet and cold
but the presence of palms and other semi-tropical plants was
evidence of a mild climate. Our rental car having a top speed of
180KPH (108MPH) was barely adequate for the high speed roads
linking most of the Western European countries. It was not
uncommon to be passed at 180 like you were parked at the curb by
some of the powerful German cars and a few exotics like Ferraris
and Lamborghinis. At one rest stop we were able to get a close
look at a late model Ferrari. What a lovely piece of work, giving
the feeling of looking at a sleek and powerful animal, and
reflective of the spirit of artistic creation that still is found
in Italy.
In general we found Italy to be first rate modern country with
all the amenities. Like any place there were some disappointments
and problems, but overall they have it together. Of course one
will sometimes be confused and frustrated by such things as road
signs providing directions immediately at the intersection where
you should have turned (Spanish style) and ATM card eating road
toll machines. But at least you know you have missed the turn and
the card will be eventually extracted and returned if you are
willing to wait.
Rather than provide a city by city description we provide the
following links which are full of interesting and useful
information about the places we visited.
Florence: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/europe/florence/index.htm
Rome: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/europe/rome/index.htm
Pisa: http://torre.duomo.pisa.it/
Venice: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/europe/venice/index.htm
We strongly encourage anyone going to Europe for the first time
to begin with Italy. Doing that you will have experienced the
best of the best in art, architecture, and cuisine. Other
countries offer individual attractions which sometimes match
those in Italy, but none offer such a rich density of memorable
experiences. If you can make only one trip to Europe make it
Italy.
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