Travel Globally » Italy

Top Lavish Restaurants in Milan

travel globally — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 09:24:28 +0000

Enjoying a fine meal in a Milan restaurant is more than just great tasting food. Fine dining in Milan is one of the best dining experience for any food critic because the best restaurants in the city combine the beauty of the city with an exhilarating dining experience. First time tourists in Milan should try out one of these restaurants because they represent the true spirit of Italy that perfectly blends with the beauty of the city.

Armani/Nobu

The names alone should give tourists a good idea on the beauty and appeal of the restaurant. Nobu is one of the world’s most popular Japanese restaurant chains and they sought the help of Armani to improve the experience. The restaurant is located in the famous Armani Via Manzoni where guests stay in the lounge in the ground floor before moving up to the actual restaurant.

Il Coriandolo

The best thing about Il Coriandolo is that customers will experience an authentic Italian meal. Its popularity is also boosted by the fact that it’s located in a very traditional Italian street. The restaurant is discreetly located in Via Dell’Orso Milan 1 – 20122 where you will need to read the signs carefully to find the restaurant. Il Coriandolo is very popular for their authentic fresh seafood meal.

Milan Bice

This upscale restaurant located in Borgospesso Milan first opened its doors in 1926 and continues to appeal to international guests to this day. It’s already considered a tourist attraction because of its years of operation and is well known for their homemade, authentic Italian recipes.

Wherever you explore in the city we are sure a Milan city break will give you great tasting food and an amazing location.

Top 5 Most Lavish Hotels in Europe

travel globally — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 09:58:41 +0000

Tourists looking for a luxurious vacation in Europe will never leave in disappointment. Some of the most luxurious hotels in the world are located in Europe as they often combine history, exquisite accommodation and location. They can command a steep rate but many of their patrons agree that every cent spent in these hotels is worth it.

The following are the top five luxurious hotels in Europe:

Hotel de Crillon

In the heart of Paris, France is Hotel de Crillon. The structure was built during mid-18^th century and the beauty of the structure is still there today. Aside from the amazing historical structure and accommodation, it also features an amazing view of the Eiffel Tower. The hotels popularity is also base on its specialized personal services.

St. Regis Grand Rome

A personal butler, a room with exquisite design from the 15^th century and a world-class dining experience are only some of the features of the hotel. The structure was built during the end of the 19^th century and made even more beautiful with 20^th century remodeling.

The Savoy London

The 19^th century structure went through some serious remodeling in 2010 with amazing results. The hotel perfectly defines the concept of discreet, technology-driven accommodation with luxury. The Savoy London offers easy access to some of the most popular destinations in London such as theaters and museums.

Le Royal Monceau Raffles Paris

The hotel is right in the heart of Paris’ downtown but it still keeps its elegance and serene setting. Featuring a 28-meter indoor pool as well as classic Italian dining experience, tourists often visit Le Royal Monceau Raffles to experience the best of Paris and Italy.

Hotel Villa Spalletti Trivelli

Experience the classic luxury in Italy in Rome with this beautiful hotel. It’s very popular for businessmen because of the soothing setting with world-class amenities. It has a rural setting a very beautiful hotel exterior and amazing high quality interior.

Romantic city breaks in Venice

travel globally — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 10:26:15 +0000

Venice is one of the most beautiful and romantic cities in the world. It has been kept the way it is for more than six centuries. Surrounded by waters, Venice offers more than just romantic walks among magnificent structures as tourists can also enjoy viewing the city while on water.

Getting to Venice

Because Venice is a small island, there are no airports. Tourists have to go through Marco Polo Airport or Treviso Airport. The latter airport is increasing in popularity because budget airlines prefer to
land there and it’s closer to Venice. Both airlines have buses that go straight to the popular tourist destinations. Small ships and trains are also popular options for travelers wanting to spend a short break in Venice.

Transportation

If you’re in Venice, don’t worry about transportation. It’s the only city in the world that can be toured on foot without stress. Venice is a very small city but packed with beautiful structures and they are all within walking range. Aside from walking, tourists can also enjoy the city through gondola tours. Gondola is a small boat rowed and could go through different parts of the city efficiently.

Must See Structures

While almost every structure in Venice is impressive there are two unique attractions that should not be missed. First is the St. Mark’s Basilica which features not only the magnificent church but also an impressive tower and piazza. The second is the Chiesa di San Barnaba featuring the replica of codices made by Leonardo da Vinci. These two structures are remarkable for its content and history.

Pisa: inclination to travel

travel globally — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:57:14 +0000

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is omnipresent: from official posters of Italy to photo albums of travellers around the world who are captured (for eternity) trying to push the tower. Apart from its famous tower, Pisa has a lot of other attractions for you: historic churches and buildings or lovely bridges across the Arno River. The Leaning Tower is a bell tower which originally was built vertically but soon after its construction it began to lean due to a poor foundation and substrate. The tower served as a place where Galilei was experimenting his theories to demonstrate that speed is independent of the mass of objects and then during the WW2 the tower was used by the Germans as an observation post.

Remember to add to your Tuscan travel itinerary also Piazza del Duomo (or Piazza dei Miracoli – “Square of Miracles”), the Knight’s Square where you can admire vasari designed Palazzo della Carovana. Culture vultures should see the church Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri which houses works of arts signed by Vasari, Donatello or Ligozzi.

The church of St. Francis has works by Empoli or Gaddi. To admire some gothic architecture visit the church of Santa maria della Spina. Science fans should visit the Palazzo Reale where Galileo Galilei showed the Duke of Tuscany the planets he had discovered.

After such a tour end your day with a nice dinner in a fine Italian restaurant or an osteria.

Don’t miss out Venice

travel globally — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:43:20 +0000

Venice (Italy) is a must-see and everyone should have a chance to enjoy the beautiful Venice at least once in their lifetime. Their waterways here are just amazing and unique and there are lots of great attractions here that should be checked out on your every trip such as the Rialto Bridge which is a landmark in Venice that is strongly recommended to all tourists to see. The Basilica di San Marco is another well-known tourist attraction of Venice.

Though there are several major tourist attractions in Venice that are very popular, there are many lesser known attractions that you should not miss as well. Don’t just pop to one spot and pop on another without looking around and check out other areas around Venice so you won’t miss out on those little things that make Venice what it is.

You should explore these less popular attractions at your own time and you don’t even need to have a list of things to do. Just walk around and enjoy. But, if you want to have a list of not so popular attractions then you can first go to the Murano Island where you will find several stores that sell different types of glassware. Also, there is this museum where Pietro Longhi’s paintings are displayed and it’s the Museo della Fondazione Querini Stampalia.

Explore Venice without missing out on every inch of the place. There’s so much to see and do in this romantic city that you wouldn’t even have imagined.

Sunny Sicily and Palermo

travel globally — Tue, 19 May 2009 17:12:50 +0000

Sicily is an island tucked away in the southern part of Italy and its capital – Palermo – features remarkable historic sites as well as beautiful beaches. It’s one of best places in Italy for a vacation.

Getting to Palermo is no problem. The international airport receives daily flights from different airlines from major cities in Europe. From the airport, you can take a shuttle bus that departs every half hour that will take you to the city center. From that point on, you could walk or rent a bike as the city is relatively small. Cars are not recommended because of the small roads.

There are two reasons why you should visit Palermo – the churches and the beach. The beautiful Cathedral is undoubtedly their most prized structure. The architecture inside and out is simply astounding. The Catacombe dei Cappuccini is also an interesting place to visit as it features mummified skeletons. Although scary for some, it offers a remarkable look at the traditional mummification process.

A little bit outside the city but still part of Palermo is Monreale. This is probably one of the best scenic places in Italy as it offers a view of central Palermo as well as the coastline. They also have a cathedral with very interesting mosaic that tells of the history of the church and Palermo.

The beach in Palermo is found in their suburb in Modello. The golden sanded beach offers a relaxing view of the sea. On the shore, you’ll find a good number of hotels and clubs. Modello is regarded as the center for nightlife in Palermo because of these clubs.

With a lively beach as well as historic structures, it’s not hard to understand why tourists frequently visit Sicily and stay in Palermo.

The palatal attractions of Naples

travel globally — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:48:21 +0000

Do you ever wonder where pizza was actually invented? Yes, it was in Italy but do you know which part of Italy was pizza first created? It was in Naples. Their restaurants here still continue to serve the finest Italian pizza and other cuisines but of course that’s not the only reason why people travel to Naples.

Naples is the 3rd largest city of Italy and it’s naturally abundant. Aside from its natural resources and beauty, you will also find some Baroque and Renaissance churches along its crumbling blocks.

If you want to explore the Pompeii, Amalfi Coast as well as Herculaneum, then Naples is the destination you have in mind. Tourists come here to visit the preserved Pompeii and the well-preserved Herculaneum that was destroyed completely by Mount Vesuvius eruption.

When you go to Naples, you would have lots of sightseeing places to go to so make sure you come prepared. You will surely have long days here as you have lots of places to visit. There are archeological sights and expeditions along Vesuvius. Make sure you come here around autumn or spring. Summer can be really hot in Naples and it’s not the time to travel.

In Naples you can find the weirdest collection of items as well as the cheapest and most expensive ones. The markets here can get noisy but that’s because of the many buyers and vendors willing to make bargains with each other.

Italian waterways to be restored to their former glory

travel globally — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:50:51 +0000

Italy is to spend a billion euros to restore its traditional waterways. This was caused by the surge of interest in the traditional waterways in Milan. As some of Milan’s canals are restored, interest in these waterways increased considerably that the price of the properties within the area increased. On the side of tourism, more and more tourists are clamouring for more waterways as they know that the country used to have a vast and highly efficient canal system. Unfortunately, the canals was slowly discarded during the 30s. Faster and more efficient means of transportation were introduced during that time. Dams and irrigations were even introduced in some canals which have prevented boats from passing through.

The project will be under the care of Navigli Lombardi Company. When the project of cleaning up of the canals is finished, it is expected that boats will be able to travel for more than 500 kilometers on these canals. The waterways will practically link Milan and Switzerland. For the dams and irrigations, controlled locks will be installed to enable the tourist boats to pass through.

The canals in Italy were first built during the 12th century. These were designed and built by monks. However, the canals were vastly improved, particularly in Milan by the famed artist Leonardo Da Vinci. Through his design, the canal in Milan was able to end up in the sea. In the past some of the routes of the canal was used to transport marbles for churches wherein the boats were pulled by horses.