To serve as a guide, here are some of the best romantic places that you can go visit in Italy for that memorable romantic getaway with your loved one!

Venice

This is considered to be one of the most romantic and beautiful cities in Italy where you can find love in the air with its winding canals, narrow streets and gondolas. For sure, it would be a pleasure to lose yourselves together in this small but lovely city. Other than the stunning San Marco Cathedral and piazza, you can also find a lot of small picturesque churches and squares.

This city can also offer you a variety of romantic restaurants and dreamy cafes in which you can have a lovely dinner or spend your afternoon together. On the fun side, this city is also the best destination in Italy for Carnevale or Mar di Gras festivals.

Portofino

This city’s a charming, half-moon shaped village beside the sea. You can find a lot of pastel houses, cafes and seaside restaurants that line the harbor’s shore. It also offers you a relaxing view of its crystalline green waters that expose an innumerable display of beautiful aquatic life.

Just like a scene in fairytale, you can find a romantic castle, along with a tiny church sitting atop the hill that overlooks the village. You can also take a romantic stroll, via going through the scenic pathway leading to the lighthouse situated on the point.

This village is said to be the resort for the rich and famous. However, there are much more sights to see than just famous people. There are also a lot of shops, cafes, restaurants, and luxury hotels that you can visit. You can also choose to engage in activities such as hiking, boating and diving.

You can find this lovely village in northern Italy’s Liguria region. This village is included in the Italian Riviera. It’s also near other romantic Italian Riviera villages such as Portovenere, Santa Margherita Ligure and Camogli.

Positano

This town situated on the Amalfi Coast, is another of Italy’s most romantic places. The scenic town is vertically built on a cliff’s face, which consequently gives you spectacular views of the sea. You can also find a lot of romantic restaurants that offer scrumptious seafood and wonderful views of the sea.

This town has a relatively mild climate, which is why you can opt to visit it throughout the year. Interestingly, it started out as a small fishing village that became popular with artists and writers during the 1950′s. At present, it remains to be a charming and fashionable resort.

Basically, it is a pedestrian town, which means it has a lot of stairs. It also has a lot of beautiful pastel colored houses adorned with colorful flowers that makes an even more picture perfect view of the town.

These are the top three romantic places that you can go to in Italy. So now that you know them, go ahead and take your pick and create memories you can keep for a lifetime!

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Have Fun In The Carnevale!

Carnevale, or carnival, which is also known as mardi gras, is a yearly festival celebrated in Italy along with other places in the world. It is held 40 days before Easter Sunday, one last party before Ash Wednesday and Lenten season.

In Italy it’s a big winter festival that is celebrated with masquerade balls, parades, music, entertainment, and parties. Even children join the party by throwing confetti at each other. However, a lot of pranks and mischief also happen here, thus the line “A Carnevale Ogni Scherzo Vale”, which means “anything goes at carnival”.

This occasion has roots coming from pagan traditions and festivals and as is usually the case in which a traditional festival is adapted to fit into Catholic rituals. Even though it is held only in one day, some parts of Italy such as Venice, begin the Carnevale and parties even a couple of weeks before the real date.

In this festival it’s important that you have masks or maschere. If you want a really good mask, then Venice would be the city you should go to since it’s considered to be the best in making traditional masks. In fact, such masks are sold year round in Venice. You can browse shops and for sure they can offer you with a wide variety of masks ranging from cheap ones to elaborately made one that cost a fortune.

Venice Film Festival

The Italian Mostra Internazionale d’Arte Cinematografica di Venezia or Venice Film Festival is considered to be the oldest film festival around the world. It was founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata back in 1932 and was known to be as “Esposizione Internazionale d’Arte Cinematografica”. It took plac during late August or early days of September and still continues to do so today.

It’s held in Venice’s Lido Island and film screenings are done in the historic Palazzo del Cinema to be found in Lungomare Marconi. The Venice Film Festival is considered to be one of the most celebrated film festivals around the world and comes with the Venice Biennale, which is another major festival for contemporary art and biennial exhibition.

The principal awards in the festival are the Leone d’Oro or Golden Lion, which goes to the best film; the Coppa Volpi or the Volpi Cup, which goes to the best actor and best actress. It was just this 2002, that the San Marco Award was introduced. It goes to the best film under the Controcorrente or Against the Stream section of the genres.

Eurochocolate Festival

If you have a sweet tooth, then going to the Eurochocolate Festival would be heaven for you. This festival is held yearly year in Perugia, Italy. If you know Baci, which is the Italian response to Hershey’s Kisses, it’s interesting to know that it’s made by Perugina, which is a company in Perugia. For one week, every year, Perugia is transformed into “La citta’ del cioccolato” or The City Of Chocolates. You can find a lot of chocolate sculptures, chocolate face painting, chocolate games, and of course chocolates for sale!

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As you know, languages have different intonations with words. And in some languages, a little difference in intonation can lead to a difference in meaning. Thus, pronunciation is vital especially if it’s a foreign language. So, if you’ll be travelling to Italy and decide that you want to show of some of your Italian skills then here are the five Italian words that you wouldn’t dare mispronounce.

Fico

This word is a noun, which means fig. Sweet and succulent, figs are quite well loved, right? Yes, just make sure that you maintain saying this word in a masculine way in which it ends with a powerful and clear “o”. Be wary, since once you make it slang and say it like “figa” or “fica” then you are in big trouble. Why?-because the last two are Italian words that actually refer to the female anatomy’s vagina.

However, if you would desire to say that something’s generally cool or a certain man is attractive, then you could say “figo.”

Penne

This is yet another noun, which could mean penne, or basically the type of pasta. It may also mean “pens” in which the singular form would be “penna”. It would be helpful to know that the Italian language is quite particular with the letters on their words, in which you have to pronounce each letter clearly. Thus, the word ‘penne’ should be pronounced as ‘pen-ne’.

Although non-Italian ears wouldn’t be able to discriminate the difference with regard to pronouncing correctly the double ‘n’ or not; Italian ears however would definitely do, most especially with this word. Why?-Since once you pronounce it as “pene” you are actually referring to the word “penis”. Such little variation in pronunciation could lead to a big difference with meaning!

Pisolino

This is a noun for “nap”. When saying this word, make sure that you pronounce it the way it is written. Do not forget the long “o” in the middle too. If ever you become lazy, and say it like “pisellino,” which literally means “small pea”. However, even though ‘small pea’ is the literal translation, it is also Popeye’s Swee’Pea in Italian, which is the slang word for ‘tiny pene’. Hence, to put it briefly, go have a nap and not a tiny penis.

Scappare

This verb means “to escape”. This is yet another word that you should be careful in pronouncing the middle vowel. If you mispronounce it to “devo scopare,” then you are actually telling somebody that you’ve got to sweep the floor. Although that seems not so bad at all, you should know that it’s also the slang for making love.

Scoraggiare

This verb means “to discourage”. If ever you mispronounce it to “scoreggia” what you’ll be talking about actually is to pass gas in a very unpleasing manner. This is quite a common mistake by foreign teachers who are teaching students English in Italy.

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Piracy Is A Crime

Even in Italy, piracy is considered to be a crime. In fact they impose hefty fines on Tourists that purchase counterfeit goods when visiting Italy. Being a part of the Italian Government Tourist Board’s ongoing commitment to make sure that travelers like you would be safe and secure, it is extremely recommended that you do not, in whatever circumstance; attempt to buy any kind of counterfeit item. Doing so can make you end up paying a fine that costs more than the authentic product.

Fines in Italy can cost you up to 10,000 Euros if you are caught buying a counterfeit product. On the other hand, those selling counterfeit items are charged criminal charges. The Italian government’s campaign on such kind of illegal transaction is quite strong.

Customs Regulations

Upon entering and leaving Italy, your luggage would be examined. There is free entry for personal things such as: clothing, whether used or new; books, fishing tackle, household and camping equipments, a pair of skis, two tennis racquets, CD player accompanied by up to ten CD’s, tape recorder, Dictaphone, computer, baby carriage, two still cameras and up to ten film rolls for each camera, one movie camera, personal jewelry, binoculars; a portable radio set, with a small amount of license fee; 400 cigarette sticks, and a number of pipe tobacco or cigars that doesn’t exceed 500 grams or 1.1 lb.

All of these items mentioned can be duty-free imported, provided that they’re for personal use only. Thus, these shouldn’t be sold, traded or given away. You can also bring a maximum of one hard liquor bottle and two wine bottles. However, these bottles shouldn’t be open. Additionally, you are allowed to bring a maximum of 6.6 lbs. of sugar, 2.2 lbs. of cocoa and 4.4 lbs. of coffee, which you can bring duty-free.

If you’ve visited another country prior going to Italy, you’re allowed to bring with you souvenir items purchased from that other country up to a maximum value of $500 only.

Exporting From Italy

If you’ll be buying souvenirs from Italy, you do not really have to worry about restrictions, since there is none. However, one exception to the rule would be works of art and antiques. Items like these would require authorization from the Ministero dei Beni Culturali e Ambientali, in able for you to export them.

Are You Canadian?

If you’re residing in Canada and you’re returning from an out of the country trip, then you could pass for personal exemption. Every article which you acquired from other countries, whether received as gifts, purchased, or bought from the duty free shop, either in Canada or abroad, should be declared on your return back to Canada.

Are You From The States?

If you’re a U.S. tourist, you are allowed to bring back home duty-free goods purchased abroad that values up to $400. Your goods should be with you as you travel. An assessment of 10% is imposed on your next $1,000 worth of purchased goods.

However, you can also send parcels, which contain gifts, back home duty-free, provided that each parcel that a person receives wouldn’t exceed $50. All packages that you would send should also have the mark “Unsolicited Gift”, and you should declare all the contents of the package and the amount that you paid for it.

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Italy can offer you an experience filled with overflowing art and astonishing architecture that would give you an experience of a lifetime. In fact, Venice, Rome, and Florence alone could offer you an endless selection of design pleasure trips. As a guide, here are some of the must visit places that showcases designs of both modern and ancient Italy. So, take a trip, bring your sketch book, and be fascinated with what you’ll be seeing!

The Coliseum

This is considered to be an architectural marvel. In fact, some even consider it to be one of the seen wonders of the world! It was built starting in 72 AD. Originally, the place was used for entertainment purposes, such as barbaric combats. However, up until now it is an amazing site to visit. Ironically, even though it can be considered to be a source of embarrassment in regard to the past, the Coliseum has become one of Rome’s icons for greatness. You can find the Coliseum in Piazza del Colosseo, Via dei Fori Imperiali, at Rome.

Vatican City

Although small in size, Vatican City is considered to be one of Italy’s remarkable aspects. It is the seat and heart of Catholicism, both politically and spiritually. If truth be told, St. Peter was even crucified on this very spot. In fact, St. Peter’s basilica was directly built above that exact ancient hill.

Up until now both St. Peter’s square and the Basilica are still used for studying art history and architecture classes. If you’re really into art, one day may not be enough for you to see the Vatican’s museums. In fact, you can lose yourself just wondering the city’s museums for days, and it may seem still not enough. The Sistine Chapel is also one good place to visit where you can find some of the real masterpieces of Roman art.

Il Duomo

Il Duomo, which is also known as The Cathedral of Santa Maria Dei Fiori, is considered to be one of the grandest achievements of Renaissance architecture. During the time it was built. the cathedral’s octagonal dome that was the largest around the world. It was originally designed by Brunelleschi. Ever since, it took about six centuries for Il Duomo to be completed. It is one of Florence’s symbol nowadays.

If you can, try climbing the 414 steps up towards the bell tower and for sure the sight you’ll see would be worth your endeavour since you’ll be seeing Renaissance Florence laid before you.

Piazza San Marco

This square is yet another masterpiece that is popularly studied by urban planners and architects. It is also one of Italy’s most successful and beautiful public squares. You can find a lot of cafes and shops around the square. Also, it houses St. Peter’s Basilica and the Campanile. A lot of locals and visitors sip espresso in cafes around the square, meet, talk, and even climb up the Campanile to have a breathtaking view of Venice.

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Risotto

Risotto is basically rice which have been sautéed and cooked with stock in a shallow pan, which results into a scrumptious creamy dish. It basically depends on the locale and recipe, but meat, seafood, poultry, vegetables, and different kinds of cheese are somewhat always added to complete the dish.

It is usually eaten after Pasta or Antipasto during a meal. You can generally choose between Pasta or Antipasto, then followed by Risotto. Eating rice in Italy is quite common. In fact, in all European countries, they are the ones who eat the most rice.

A lot of regions, towns, restaurants, and families would have a signature risotto recipe or at least a risotto style of cooking. Risotto is a typical dish in Piedmont and Lombardy.

Arancini

Arancini are fried, or less frequently, baked rice balls which has a diameter of 8-10 cm. It is usually filled with rag

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See Native Handicrafts and Go Shopping

In Italy you can find a lot of outdoor markets. However, what makes outdoor markets in Italy different is their liveliness. They are also eclectic and most of all challenging. You can find wide array of goods being sold in the market, ranging from worthless knickknacks up to precious works of art. As a visitor, you are welcome and encouraged to bargain in either Italian or English.

Florence, Milan and Rome offer you fine leathers in the trade, while Como puts beautiful silk in the bag, whilst Rome and Spoleto offers truffles to complete the package. Additionally, whether it’s a tiny village you are visiting or a city, it doesn’t really matter since for sure you can find various clothing, antiques, woodcarvings, lace, embroidery, silver and gold jewelries, alabaster and marble, ceramics, glass, food products, and wines. If you’ll be going to Vatican City, you can purchase postage stamps and other religious products.

Italy is also popular for its designer fashion, but other than expensive boutiques, you can still find beautiful clothing in local and small shops. If you still prefer branded clothing, but find it too heavy on the pocket, then you can also visit factory outlets, which offer you just the right mix of class and budget. One good buy would be custom-made suits, also shoes that are made of the finest leathers in Italy’s are considered to be enviable items to bring home.

Go Skiing

Skiing is one popular sport in Italy. The Italian Alps houses resorts that offer high class facilities which can even compete with what its neighboring countries such as France, Austria, and Switzerland has to offer. Italy’s major resorts include Sauze d’Oulx, Bardonecchia, and Sestriere, which was the setting of the Winter Olympic Games 2006. The Piemonte region offers Courmayeur, Cervinia, and La Thuile situated in the Aosta Valley.

The region near the Swiss border off to the east is quite isolated yet still accessible through long, winding roads which could be treacherous during bad weather. Although driving could be quite difficult around the Dolomites, it all seems worth it once you see the beautiful scenery, which makes it one of Italia’s primary skiing destinations.

The major resorts in the area include the well-known Cortina D’Ampezzo, Selva/Sella Ronda and Madonna di Campiglio. Skiing is not only done in the outskirts of Italy, it is also possible in the central portion where you can find resorts such as Campo Imperatore (Abruzzo), and Abetone (Toscana).

Other Sports

Other than skiing, there are also a lot of water sports that you can engage to in Italy. In fact, all kinds of water sports are available from river rafting, fishing, diving, sailing and windsurfing. If you want something more extreme, then you can go climb up the Dolomite peaks, which a lot of climbers enjoy doing. If you’re not into extreme kind of sports, you can always play a laid back game of golf in Italy’s first-class golf courses.

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This city is filled with a lot of wonderful shops that you can browse through. Additionally, it has a lot of markets where you can find exquisite buys that are worth the bucks. The city also offers class boutiques where you can get haute couture items. Definitely, Italy is a shopper’s paradise!

So, if you’ll be shopping in Italy, you would want to be equipped with some tips before you go out for a shopping spree. Here are some very helpful tips that you can bring with you as you go shopping.

Barter, Barter, Barter!

If you’ll be shopping in any kind of Italian market, always keep in mind that you have to barter. It doesn’t really matter if you think the price is right just think of how many more items you can buy if you get to barter. The truth is that sellers do have marked up goods and are very much willing to barter with their customers.

That stylish Italian leather purse you are holding marked by $40 Euro could be yours for only $30 if you’re armed with a few basic Italian words and could charm the vendor with your chopped attempts of speaking their tongue.

One, Two, Three And Counting

Buying more that one item would be very helpful in landing on a better deal! Have you found the ideal marble statue that you’d bring back to Aunt Jane? How about getting another one for you Cousin Lana? Bartering for 2 same items can save you a lot for the long run!

Be An Early Bird

As the saying goes, “The early bird gets the worm”, so does an early shopper gets the deal!

Try to be there early and browse through the whole market. It isn’t really advisable to shop in the beginning of the marketplace. Try to explore further and for sure you can get much better deals!

Shopping And Food

Of course, when there’s shopping, there’s food too. So don’t get too caught up on your shopping that you’ll be missing out the food. A lot of vender’s in Italian markets offer scrumptious treats and snacks. You can try out some deep-fried squid or fried mashed potato balls. Try to observe what the locals are buying and let yourself free by being adventurous with your palate.

Be Equipped

When going to markets it would be best that you are quipped with the right kind of clothing. Try to wear the most comfortable pair of shoes you’ve got and protect yourself from the sun by bring an umbrella. If you’ll be going to Rome, cobblestones could be torture to your feet. Thus, try to leave those stylish high heels at your hotel room and rather go for comfy walking shoes instead. Also keep in mind that weather in Italy could be very unpredictable that even a seemingly sunny day could transform into a gloomy rainy one quickly.

Bring Your Own Treasure Bag

You should also bring a bag or something else that you can use to carry your buys in! Interestingly, the majority of European countries’ vendors and shopkeepers don’t bag your goods! It’s advised that you bring your own large canvas bag that you can put your newfound treasures in!

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When All Roads Lead To Rome

Top of the list would be Rome. With the mention of the name, you may have sudden picture flashes in your mind of Roman soldiers and the likes; however, present Rome or Roma is far from being old aged as you imagine. In fact, it’s quite well developed nowadays and maintains its vibrant and lively aura, yet still has remnants of its rich history everywhere.

The city is situated on the western part of Central Italy, not that far from the coast. Its main port is Civitavecchia, which is where cruise ships dock to visit the city.

When you visit Rome, you are sure to encounter a lot of ancient monuments, Renaissance and medieval fountains, buildings, and great museums. This city is modern Italy’s capital and boasts a lot of fine cafes and restaurants, along with great nightlife, lively streets and wonderful squares. Even though Rome is a big city, it has a quite small historic center. It is also home to the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica.

Venice: Looking At Water In A Different Way

Second to visit would be Venice, which is considered to be one of the most stunning and romantic cities in Italy. It is built on the water amidst a lagoon. For sure you’ll find the city’s small traffic-free streets pleasing for walking along the winding canals. There are a lot of magnificent churches and beautiful palaces, lively squares, and exciting shops along the way.

You can fin Venice on Italy’s northern coast and it’s actually protected by a strip of land called Lido from the Adriatic Sea. Veneto is the name of the region around the city. The city is actually consisted of 117 bodies of land that are connected by over 400 bridges with 150 canals. The city’s main street would be The Grand Canal, which cuts through the city’s center.

Because it’s situated near the sea, the city is blessed with moderate weather, though there could be some rainfall throughout the year. Summertime is humid while winter could be wet and foggy. If you don’t want to go with the crowd, then it would be best that you visit the city during spring and fall.

Art At Its Best In Florence

Third in the list would be Florence. This is a beautiful Renaissance city situated in the heart of Tuscany. It houses some of Italy’s prime museums, stunning cathedrals and outstanding churches. You can also find a lot of interesting streets and lively squares that has numerous elegant buildings and exciting shops.

If you’ll be going to Florence, Centro Storico would be one of the must see places since this is where most of the sites are situated. Florence’s most popular square is Piazza della Signoria, which is the heart of the city’s historic center and caters an open-air free sculpture exhibit.

You may also want to visit Loggia della Signoria, which holds a number of important statues such as a copy of David by Michelangelo. It would also be interesting to visit the piazza, which has been the political center ever since the middle ages and at present is Florence’s town hall.

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Learn!

As the famous saying goes, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” It’s quite a cliché if you think about it, but just like in travelling to any other country, you should learn about the country’s culture before you go there. You should research first about Italy’s customs, traditions and other vital data.

Advance Planning

Planning in advance is always the right thing to do with any kind of excursion. Take into consideration some vital factors. For instance, are you in need of some kind of medication? If yes, then you should always have your medication around with you. Thus, appropriate documentation would be needed to prove so, in order for you to bring it. Even though there’s a chance that you can get the same medication in Italy, there is also a chance that you may not. Thus, playing safe would be better than risking it at all.

Additionally, you should think about whether you want to drive around the city or not. You should find out if you’ll be allowed to drive around Italy with just your regular license, or if you’d have to go get an “international driving license’ in able for you to drive. Also, if you’re not that familiar with what international road signs look like, then you should do your research and familiarize yourself!

If you’ll be driving, it would be best to do and advance check on your route. In that way you have less chances of getting loss and you can have at least some knowledge on where you’ll be going before you even get there. You should also research and know the road rules in Italy, so that you won’t get into any trouble or commit violations when driving.

Know The Spots

Before going out your hotel room, it would also be best to create a list of all the scenic spots and things that you would want to see. Try researching them first before heading out. This is so that you won’t waste your time, since some museums, events or exhibits are quite time sensitive, which is why you’d definitely want to be sure that you’re visiting on the right timing to see all that you want to see.

Nowadays, almost all museums and art galleries have a Web page. It’s pretty easy to surf the Internet and check their sites so that you would know their opening and closing times.

Get Connected

If you’re someone who needs to have his or her cell phone all the time, there’s a way in which you can make it work in Italy. You can get a specialized card that can make your phone capable in receiving signal while in Italy. You can ask your service provider regarding that matter.

Additionally, if you’ll be bringing your laptop computer, you should be sure that you have your transformers with you and some converters, just in case the voltages in the plugs are different from the ones that are conventionally used in your country. Also, do not forget to bring any documentation that may be needed.

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