Italy is a country of contrasting personalities. As the one-time seat of the Roman civilisation it became a hub of classical architecture and culture, and it still contains the centre of the Roman Catholic faith in the opulent palaces of the Vatican. But you'll also find Italy to be the most modern of places, with hip nightlife, cutting edge cuisine and interesting new buildings at the heart of its identity today.
Both images stand true for Italy. There are an incredible number of well preserved historical sites. In fact UNESCO give it more World Heritage sites than any other place. People from all over the world can instantly point out the Coliseum, or the streets of Venice. Ancient history is really important to the national identity. Te Roman Empire encompassed the Mediterranean at one stage, and left a legacy that has influenced the way the Western world has developed. Pompeii is a great place to see how the Romans lived day to day.
Moving forwards a little in history you get to the renaissance. This incredible period brought us the leap from the dark ages into a quickly developing, cultural world. Visiting the galleries in Florence is an amazing experience, with names like da Vinci, Michael Angelo and Raphael at the heart of its collection. Renaissance architecture is also well-preserved in Florence, with a skyline that hasn't changed much for five hundred years.
Getting into how this lives on in modern Italy, you have to look at what's produced as practical art today. Cars are something that Italy does like nowhere else. Visit the car museum in Torino to see one of the biggest collections in Europe, and also some incredibly rare Ferrari, Alpha Romeo Lamborghini models. Or there's the other great modern art in the fashion world, which finds its home in the boutique-dotted streets of Milan. Here you'll find every major fashion brand in the world in one place, so that's some serious retail therapy opportunities.
All in all, Italy is a mixed place, but it beautifully blends its past with its present, and gives you an overall sense of a culture continuing through the centuries.
Both images stand true for Italy. There are an incredible number of well preserved historical sites. In fact UNESCO give it more World Heritage sites than any other place. People from all over the world can instantly point out the Coliseum, or the streets of Venice. Ancient history is really important to the national identity. Te Roman Empire encompassed the Mediterranean at one stage, and left a legacy that has influenced the way the Western world has developed. Pompeii is a great place to see how the Romans lived day to day.
Moving forwards a little in history you get to the renaissance. This incredible period brought us the leap from the dark ages into a quickly developing, cultural world. Visiting the galleries in Florence is an amazing experience, with names like da Vinci, Michael Angelo and Raphael at the heart of its collection. Renaissance architecture is also well-preserved in Florence, with a skyline that hasn't changed much for five hundred years.
Getting into how this lives on in modern Italy, you have to look at what's produced as practical art today. Cars are something that Italy does like nowhere else. Visit the car museum in Torino to see one of the biggest collections in Europe, and also some incredibly rare Ferrari, Alpha Romeo Lamborghini models. Or there's the other great modern art in the fashion world, which finds its home in the boutique-dotted streets of Milan. Here you'll find every major fashion brand in the world in one place, so that's some serious retail therapy opportunities.
All in all, Italy is a mixed place, but it beautifully blends its past with its present, and gives you an overall sense of a culture continuing through the centuries.
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