Portofino
Explore the peaceful walking
paths of picture-perfect
Portofino, where Europe's
jetset royals, film stars and
other glitterati come to
holiday year after year.
Café Florian
Sip a cappuccino for all it's
worth (prices are outrageous)
at eighteenth-century café Florian
in Venice with its view of
Piazza San Marco, the
Campanile and the incomparably
exotic Basilica.
Palazzo Te
Experience the delight - for
some, the shock - of the
frankly erotic frescoes
decorating Mantua's Palazzo
Te; it's an unforgettable
lovers' retreat created by
Renaissance artist/architect
Giulio Romano for Federico
Gonzaga, a fabulously wealthy
prince, and his mistress.
Trattoria Corrieri
Tuck into the world-famous
culinary masterpieces of
immaculate Parma - emphasis on
five kinds of prosciutto and
real parmesan cheese - at the
memorable, but not overpriced,
Trattoria Corrieri.
Galleria dell'Accademia
In Florence's Galleria
dell'Accademia, have a
personal encounter with
Michelangelo's David ,
the stalwart nude hero placed
in his own domed space like
some pagan god in a cult
shrine.
Assisi
In Assisi, attend one of the
fairly frequent concerts in
the Upper Church of the
Basilica di San Francesco, a
space so beautiful and
uplifting the music truly
takes on celestial dimensions.
Abruzzi
At the very old-fashioned
pensione Abruzzi in
Rome you'll open your shutters
in the morning to the
imposing, timeless façade of
the Pantheon, the most
perfectly preserved of all
Roman temples.
Da Michele
Sink your teeth into an
authentic pizza in the most
traditional of Neapolitan
pizzerias, Da Michele
in Naples, where savory pies
are fashioned according to the
three most time-honored
recipes: marinara,
margherita and ripieno.
Monte Solaro
Take the scenic chairlift ride
up to the top of Monte Solaro,
the highest point on the
island of Capri, for
stupendous views of the entire
Bay of Naples.
Mount Etna
Climb to the uppermost level
of the third-century BC Teatro
Greco in Taormina, Sicily, for
a view of snow-capped Mount
Etna, then let your gaze
plunge to the turquoise sea
far, far below.
