Milan is one of the largest cities in Italy and one of the most highly developed areas of all of Europe. If you like to be in a city when you go on vacation then you must visit Milan when you are in Italy. It makes for a great combination of a city vacation amidst cultural and historic relevance. There are over one million people living in Milan. Not only is this where you will find Da Vinci’s famous painting “The Last Supper” but this city is also one of the best shopping centers of the world. Many fashion designers have their houses here and you will find opportunity for a lot of window shopping or real shopping while in Milan for your Italy vacation.

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuel II is said to be the oldest shopping mall in the world. It was designed and built in the 1800s and features a huge glass and steel arch covering a long street. At its center is a large glass dome and to this day the oldest shopping mall in the world continues to be a bustling retail center with shops selling everything from books to haute couture and numerous restaurants serving tourists and residents of Milan. During your Italy vacation in Milan you will find that the Galleria Vittorio Emanuel II connects 2 of Milan’s most popular attractions. These are the Duomo and the Teatro Ala Scalla.

The Duomo is the cathedral of Milan that you may visit while on vacation in Italy. This is where the Archbishop of Milan resides. With its amazing gothic architecture this cathedral played an important role in establishing Catholic traditions and spreading the Catholic faith. In Italy, the only church that is larger than the Duomo is St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City in Rome. Most guided tours of Milan will feature a visit to the Duomo and you will get a chance to see this beautiful feat of Italian history.

The Teatro Alla Scala is a world famous opera house in Milan that you must visit on your Italy vacation. It was built in the late 1700s after a carnival fire destroyed the previous opera house. It was known to be the gathering place of the rich in Milan and had a gallery area above the boxes where the less wealthy were allowed to come to also enjoy the opera performances. After much controversy the theatre was renovated a few years ago. Most of the controversy was regarding a concern with whether the historical details would be lost. But during your Italy vacation here if you see the Teatro Alla Scala you will find that an excellent job was done in preserving the history of this great opera house.

Villas are becoming an important part of planning for a vacation in Italy. In Roman culture a villa used to be a luxurious country house built by a member of the upper class as a second or third residence. It was not the main place of residence and city folks usually had 2 villas. One of the 2 villas could be easily reached from Rome if needed and the other was seasonally used and had servants permanently there to run it. After the nineteenth century, villas came to be used in reference to any type of single detached house that stood on its own with its own compound and unattached to any other homes or buildings.

As with all the architecture in Rome there are some famous villas that you could visit during your Italy vacation. But villas are also now rented by tourists all over Italy. Villas allow the privacy you may want away from the crowds during your Italy vacation and also allow you to cook and enjoy fresh locally grown Italian produce. Most villas are also close enough to shops and restaurants that if you choose to immerse yourself back into the hustle and bustle with everyone else, nothing is still too far away.

Taking pictures when you go on vacation is extremely important. It will allow you to re-visit all those fond memories and also make for great conversation pieces when you return home. On your Italian vacation there will be many opportunities to take tons of pictures. The country is famous for its beautiful architecture, amazing landscapes and friendly people. There is a photo opportunity every corner you turn. You will want to remember what the Vatican looked like when you first saw it or the huge Colosseum. If you visit Tuscany, you will see architecture at its best and you will be able to take pictures of all the wonderful buildings and structures like the leaning tower of Pisa. Even quaint chapels and little Old Italian ladies make for perfect shots that cannot be missed during your vacation to Italy. There are a few things to remember if you want to be able to take great shots each time.

Make sure your subject matter is within the frame of your shot. You must always check the corners and edges in the shot before you click. This will reduce the chances of amateur mistakes like missing top halves of heads. Also look for patterns and symmetry especially when shooting buildings on your Italy vacation. For example if you are taking a picture of a street scene, try to have all the buildings in your shot on an angle. Simple patterns and simple subjects also make for beautiful shots especially when you use natural light.

The best times to shoot for the best shots are early in the morning or late in the day. This is because film or digital sensors in digital cameras are much more sensitive to light than your eyes so what may seem to be a normal bright day could show up in your prints as too bright and washed over. You will do best to also always make sure the light is behind you unless you are shooting people. If you take pictures of people who are looking into the sun you end up with squinted eyes in your pictures. You can also avoid this by taking pictures early morning or late in the day when the sun is not as powerful.

Italy is said to be one of the most romantic places to visit for your honeymoon. If you are planning a vacation to Italy and never had a honeymoon or recently got married, this is the perfect place to go. Venice is the most popular destination for lovers and there are several companies that will help you plan your honeymoon as a vacation in Italy.

When traveling to Italy there are several things you must have. The least of these are a passport and maybe even a visa. If this is your first time traveling out of the US you will need to apply for a passport. You may also need to apply for a passport if your old one has expired, is damaged or lost. Applying for a passport is a fairly simple process which may be as simple as a trip to the post office but be sure to start early so you can be ready for your Italy vacation. There are stories of people who have had to cancel vacations because their passport was not ready. You don’t want to do this as it will be very disappointing and also expensive especially if you have reserved an airline ticket or some sort of package vacation.

You cannot go on an Italy vacation without doing some sightseeing. In fact this is one of the most cited reasons for visiting Italy. The country has a rich culture and a rich history. All over Italy are historic buildings, monuments, museums and all kinds of places to visit that will make your Italy vacation truly eventful. Italy is also a center for high fashion and along with the great food, friendly people, wine and the Catholic Church this may be one of the best sightseeing vacations you have ever been on. It is important to make sure you see the most important sights before you leave. So where do most people go to when they are on an Italian Vacation?

When you go to Italy you must visit Rome. There are several popular places here for sightseers. The Colosseum is a very famous landmark in Rome. It is a huge open air theatre that was built by Emperor Titus in AD80 for games and gladiatorial battles. When many people see the Colosseum the movie “Gladiator” comes to mind. Another magnificent sight is the Pantheon in Rome. It is a huge temple built in AD120 and up until 1960 it had the largest dome in the world. Rome is also the home of the Pope in Vatican City, another popular destination for sightseeing on an Italian Vacation. Other cities in Italy that are popular for sightseers include Milan, Venice, Naples and Sicily.

Pisa is a smaller city but it is world famous due to the Leaning Tower. It is a bell tower in the Pisa Cathedral that is made up of a group of 4 beautiful white marble buildings. Construction on this started in 1173 and went on for 200 years because of a lot of interruptions. Since the construction took so long, the bell tower started to lean hence the name.

If you are a savvy sightseer or traveler and know some Italian you may be able to arrange to see all these sights for yourself. But you may want to consider having everything arranged by someone else because you don’t want to miss any of the important places and you will benefit greatly from a guided tour. There are several sightseeing companies that offer tours for visitors. Guided tours will usually follow a pre-set route through a city or town during your Italy vacation. Not only are the guides fluent in English but they also have a wealth of information on the historical sights and there are opportunities to ask questions. Some tours on your Italian vacation will allow you to get off the tour vehicle to explore and then catch another tour vehicle from the same company later on.

One of the most popular destinations for people on a vacation to Italy is the Vatican City. Most people do not know that this is a sovereign city-state. This means that it makes its own rules and has its own governing system independent of the Italian system. The Vatican City is a walled state within the city of Rome. It is the smallest independent state in the whole world with only a little over 100 acres. It was formed in 1929 under an agreement between the Kingdom of Italy and the Holy See. The Holy See refers to the central governing system of the Catholic Church headed by the Pope. The Pope is also known as the Bishop of Rome. The Vatican City houses the official residence of the Pope and it is visited by millions of people each year on an Italy vacation.

You can enter the Vatican City through the famous St. Peter’s square. This square is characterized by great Baroque architecture from the 1600s to include symbols of the church motherly embracing its people in its arms. St. Peter’s Basilica is another place you can visit in the Vatican City while on your Italy vacation because it is also found in St. Peter’s square. It is the most notable building in the Vatican City and this church’s dome can be seen for miles around Rome. St. Peter’s Basilica seats 60,000 and is said to be the largest building in the Christian church. It is noted for being the burial site of St. Peter who is said to be the founding father of the Catholic Church by being the first Bishop of Rome. The discovery of his tomb was announced in 1950 after a decade of archeological research.

Catholic tradition says that St. Peter is buried under the altar of this Basilica and therefore all the Popes since then have also been buried in the Basilica the most recent being Pope John Paul II in April 2005. At the entrance of the Basilica are statues of Christ, St. John the Baptist and 11 of the 12 apostles. You can enter the Basilica for free during your Italian vacation if you are properly dressed with no bare shoulders or knees. If you would like to attend mass you should go to the Basilica on a Sunday.

There are several other places to see here during your Italy vacation. The largest museum in the world is also found in the Vatican City. It has over 1400 rooms and galleries that represent 3000 years of art. The Sistine Chapel is also found here and is known for being the private chapel that the cardinals go to when electing a new Pope.

If you are musically inclined or just simply interested in Italian music, a vacation to Italy may be just the perfect vacation choice for you. Italy is famous for opera and classical music but has various other types of music to include traditional music, religious music and popular music which is both native and imported. The culture of Italy is deeply rooted in music and it is very important to the people. Therefore it would be impossible to go on an Italy vacation and not come across some great musical performances if that is what you are interested in. Over the centuries Italian music has taken on elements from foreign sources that may have ruled or influenced the people. Classical music is especially important in Italy and it has taken forms in opera and sacred music. Opera music began in Italy in the late 1500s and sacred music is of course a dominant presence due to the base of the Catholic Church being in Italy specifically in Rome.

So if you are on an Italy vacation, and you are interested in exploring this rich aspect of Italian culture you are most definitely looking for places to go to for concerts. Italy has many music conservatories that hold concerts in virtually every city you visit. There are also several opera houses and symphony halls to choose from where you could see well-known orchestras from Italy and other parts of the world. Open air operas are also held in amphitheatres across Italy. If you are looking for something a little less formal you may want to try going to an international music festival during your Italian vacation. There are several that are organized each year for classical and opera lovers. The most well known include the Festival of Spoleto and the Wagner Festival in Ravello. You will find that some of these international music festivals offer you a chance to enter and win music competitions during your Italy vacation. Some of these competitions are geared towards young composers and allow them to produce and stage their entries. Not only could you win money but your music would be performed at the festival.

For people looking for more modern forms of music specifically pop and rock fans, an Italy vacation also provides for several concerts that occur throughout the year. Some theatres also hold Italian translations of American musicals but for a true experience, try an Italian musical comedy. If you only know a few Italian words, these are still great if you want to immerse yourself in the culture.