Accomodation in Italy
Find the Best Hotel for your Vacation!
Cheap Hotels Rome, Venice, Florence...

The main regions to visit!

Welcome to Italy!
Italy is described lovingly as an open-air art gallery - every town and village seems to have a beautiful little church to wander round or a historic square where you can sit and enjoy a cappuccino.

There are so many art treasures of such quality, spread so well across the country. You will stumble over theatres and other buildings dating back to ancient Greek and Roman times.

One thing that this year's sweltering summer made clear is that much of Italy is best visited in cooler weather. With average temperatures in October and November varying between 10C and 20C in Rome , and between 15C and 22C in Sicily, now is an ideal time to go for a more active holiday. And finally, Italy is justly famed for its beautiful countryside. Green and rolling hills with emerald cypress firs and silver-grey olive groves, on every other hilltop the towers of medieval villages piercing the skies, the mysterious stone 'trulli' houses of Puglia, cobbled streets to wander round and trattorias in which to savour some of the best cuisine in the world.

Tuscany - Notable tourist destinations in Tuscany include Florence Hotel , Siena Hotel , San Gimignano, Arezzo, Pisa, Lucca, Barga, the Maremma, the Crete Senesi, the Lunigiana and Garfagnana areas, and the island of Elba . The region is noted for the production of wine, notably Chianti , one of the most famous wines in Italy. Also cattle (particularly the famous 'Fiorentina' steak) and the production of olive oil, principally in Lucca and the surrounding hills. Tourism is the economic backbone of the so-called 'Cities of Art' (Florence, Lucca, Pisa , Siena , San Gimignano ), as well as on the coast and in the isles (Elba ).

Tuscany was the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Dante Alighieri ("the father of the Italian language"). Tuscany is known for its wines (most famous of which are Chianti , Morellino di Scansano and Brunello di Montalcino ) and has 120 protected regions. You don't need to consult the Michelin Guide to find a good trattoria in Tuscany. The host is gracious and will propose the day's dishes which might include a pheasant "as big as a turkey." Tuscans are a strange mixture of intelligence and a kind of gracious arrogance. Essential food, lacking fat, strongly flavored, made for a population with bright minds and a distaste for a thick waist, faithful to the grill and the spit. It's a tough life here for the cook

Most Trebbiano is based on the prolific Tuscan variety, which makes light, rather acidic whites of subtle aroma and flavour. A few growers work with the "true" Trebbiano d'Abruzzo (which may or may not be related to the Bombino Bianco of Apulia). One manages to make a Trebbiano of remarkable depth and texture, with a propensity to develop almost Burgandy-like complexity with four or five years, sometimes even more, of ageing. But these fine wines are rarely found in commerce, even in Italy.

The native Montepulciano (not to be confused with the town of that name in Tuscany where Vino Nobile is made) is a vine of undeniable distinction, even if its inherent class is not as widely acclaimed as it deserves to be.

Trentino-South Tyrol - The main resorts include: Madonna di Campiglio, San Martino di Castrozza, Fiera di Primiero, Canazei, Moena, Cavalese , Folgaria, Folgarida-Marilleva, Riva del Garda and Levico Terme, Desenzano del Garda, Comano Terme and Roncegno, these last three being renowned thermal stations.

The fertile valleys of Trentino-South Tyrol produce wine, fruit, dairy products and timber, while its industries include paper, chemical and metal production. The region is a major exporter of hydroelectric power. Tourism is an important source of revenue and the region is renowned for its winter skiing opportunities, especially in the Gröden-Val Gardena area.

It is extremely mountainous, covering a large part of the Dolomites and the southern Alps . There's nothing tastier than the local "speck", boneless pork meat cut in small square pieces and placed in saltpeter with garlic, laurel, juniper, pepper and other herbs that vary according to secret family traditions handed down from one generation to another. Canederli are served as a soup, boiled in water or broth and placed in a tureen with boiling broth, or boiled and then served with goulash. Some 250 varieties of mushrooms are sold, with the careful supervision of experts from the surrounding areas

The lowest pass across the Alps, the Brennerpass, is located at the far north of the region on the border with Austria. Trentino-Alto Adige is walled in by the Rhaetian Alps and the Dolomites, so only about 15 percent of the land is cultivable. Much of that produces fruit and wine grapes. The difficulty of training vines over wooden pergolas on hillside terraces compels growers to emphasise quality. Trentino, which boasts Italy's largest production of Chardonnay, is a leader with sparkling wines by the classical method, spumante that may qualify under the trademark of Trento Classico.

Aosta Valley - The Aosta Valley is an Alpine valley that with its side valleys includes the Italian slopes of Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn; its highest peak is the Gran Paradiso, protected in Gran Paradiso National Park, established in 1922. It is a major centre for winter sports, most famously at Courmayeur. The Dora Baltea has its origins in the Valle d'Aosta, flowing south to join the Po. Grape varieties range from Piedmontese (Nebbiolo, Dolcetto, Moscato) to French (the pinots, Gamay), to the teutonic Müller Thurgau called in for alpine duty. But the most intriguing wines of Valle d'Aosta stem from varieties it calls its own.

Veneto - The capital is Venice. Other important towns include Verona, Padova, Treviso, Belluno, Rovigo and Vicenza. This region is very rich in cultural and historic treasures. The University of Padua is one of the oldest (1222) in Europe and has counted among its many famous professors Galileo Galilei. Verona's classic wines are bona fide natives. Soave, from Garganega and Trebbiano di Soave, is usually dry and still, though spumante and sweet Recioto versions are also prescribed. Third after Chianti and Asti Spumante in volume among classified wines (with some 50 million litres a year), Soave has long been Italy's most popular DOC wine abroad. Sirmione

The central hills in the provinces of Vicenza Hotel , Padova Hotel , Treviso Hotel ; the eastern plains of the Piave and Tagliamento river basins along the Adriatic coast northeast of Venice. In red wines, Merlot and Cabernet Franc have been the workhorse varieties of the central and eastern Veneto for decades, often in light and easy wines to drink young. The thermal baths at Abano Terme Hotel are also an attraction. Although the most famous, Abano is by no means the only thermal town in the area.

Pilasters of Venetian cuisine are beans and polenta. The classic "minestra di pasta e fagioli" is simple but delicious. Polenta (a kind of fried corn bread) is a basic ingredient of Venetian cooking. Seafood depends on the season but is prepared in the simplest manner. Venetians love to "Andar per ombre", spend the evening going from one osteria to another, tasting an "ombra" or "shadow" of wine, before settling down to dinner. Lido of Venice is famous for the "Festival del Cinema"

Visit Abano Terme near Venice, famed for its health-giving waters. With its hot springs, mud baths and face and body massages, this modern spa town is entirely geared to your physical wellbeing.

Rome The Capital - Rome is the largest comune in Italy and it is also one of the largest European capital cities in land area, with an area of 1,285 square kilometers. The comune territory extends up to the Tyrrhenian Sea, with the district of Ostia, on the south-west, located on the shore. Within the city limits, the population is about 2.5 million; almost 3.8 million live in the general area of Rome, as represented by the province of Rome, making it second in population to Milan. Frosinone Latina Rieti Rome Viterbo.

Cooking in Rome has very old traditions and is based on simple cooking with inexpensive ingredients. Fettucine or bucatini all'amatriciana were born from the country kitchens where one never lacked for a bit of bacon, some good olive oil and a few fresh tomatoes; and "coda alla vaccinara" or "rigatoni alla pajata" were born at Testaccio,

Cabernet and Merlot are the stars in three highly praised modern "vini da tavola" of Latium, in Fiorano Rosso and Colle Picchioni from just south of Rome and in Torre Ercolana, which combines the French varieties with Cesanese, at the hill town of Anagni.

My husband and I are just beginning to plan a trip to Italy for July 2007. Our tentative itinerary includes 4 days in Rome, 3 days in Florence, 2 days in Turin and 3 days in Venice. A)is this enough time to spend in each location and B)could anyone recommend hotels in each city that are within a reasonable distance from the "must see" areas? I'm a big fan of Turin and love it's "aperitivo hour(s)", food, wine, cafes, chocolate, tunnels ... etc. However for a first timer, it might not be as easy to settle into the city as the others.

It's not very touristy (which is great), however the down side is that you could really use some Italian Language to get value out of it. Two days is feasible, but I sense it might be worth spreading those two days over your other cities. Remember that it is supposed to be a vacation and you don't want to spend all your time on the train or trying to locate your new hotel :-)

In Rome, I loved the Ceasar house. GREAT people, perfect location to walk everywhere! In Venice another great place to stay is Pensione La Calcina, on the water on a quiet canal. in Florence, again, wonderful location with wonderful views..and 5 minute walk to everywhere. It was called ANTICA TORRE TONABUONI. I have some great tour guides as well. If you need cheap Hotel go to Siena

To Gard Karlson I have to tell you how much I enjoyed your discussions on Rome and Venice. I will be taking my 5th trip to these places and have all my travel books. I should have saved time and money had I read your trip discussions first. Again, thank you for your insights, they were well written and informative.

In Rome we stayed at the Hotel Aberdeen, again on a quiet street but only a 1/2 block to the bus stop and about 10 minutes to the train station. Again reasonably priced, both of these hotels were recommended by Rick Steve's guide book, he has yet to disappoint me. Both hotels include breakfast and if you mention Rick Steve you get a discount.In Florence be sure to call ahead and make reservations for the museums, it is definitley worth it, not waiting in those lines!! Also if you want to climb the tower in Pisa you can book ahead online. We took trains in the evening so we didn't waste any of our day time in the cities. Even flew between 2 cities for under $50 on airone. Cheap Italy Hotels

Abruzzo - The regional capital is L'Aquila. The region is divided into four provinces: L'Aquila (the largest), Teramo, Chieti (the most populous) and Pescara, Abruzzo's main economic centre. The four provinces are further divided into 305 municipalities. Abruzzo has a population of around 1.3 million.

Abruzzo is known for strong flavors and strong hospitality. Peperoncino (hot red pepper) is used to flavor many dishes, and a favorite is pasta with aglio, olio, and peperoncino (garlic, olive oil and hot red pepper), strong enough to burn a hole in the stomach. The native Montepulciano (not to be confused with the town of that name in Tuscany where Vino Nobile is made) is a vine of undeniable distinction, even if its inherent class is not as widely acclaimed as it deserves to be. A few growers work with the "true" Trebbiano d'Abruzzo (which may or may not be related to the Bombino Bianco of Apulia).

Marche - The regional capital is Ancona. The region is divided into five provinces: Ancona, Ascoli Piceno, Fermo, Macerata (all part of the ancient territory of Picenum), and Pesaro e Urbino which is composed of the traditionally separate provinces of Pesaro and Urbino, that were part of ancient Umbria.

The red wines of the Marches are based chiefly on Sangiovese or Montepulciano - sometimes blended, sometimes not. The most important, in terms of volume, is Rosso Piceno, dominated by Sangiovese. It comes from a DOC zone covering nearly the entire eastern flank of the region stretching from the Superiore area between Ascoli Piceno and the sea north through the coastal hills to Senigallia. Housewives prepare mountains of wide tagliatelle, and maccheroni destined to be filled with exquisite flavours. The women from Le Marche are traditional good cooks.

Emilia Romagna - The principal city is Bologna, an historic, cultural and entertainment center of national importance. Other important cities include Parma, Piacenza, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Rimini, Ferrara, Forlì, Cesena, Ravenna and Maranello Ferrari Italian car. Even in Emilia's hills, along the Apennine range to the south, the wines are often "frizzante," made from Malvasia, Trebbiano and Ortrugo into easy, fun-loving whites, or from Barbera and Bonarda into zesty reds of more flavour intensity than Lambrusco. In Romagna, too, there are trends toward Sauvignon, Chardonnay, the Pinots and Cabernet. But leading producers devote efforts to developing superior strains of Sangiovese and Albana. "Culatello" is another specialty of the area, which has a very special quality, considered by some even finer than "prosciutto." 

Everything in Emilia is fat. The fertile land is fat, and its dows are fat, as well as its pigs, the vats that hold the sea of wine produced every year, and the bellies of the diners that love to tell anecdotes during their lavish meals. The region is also characterised by a unique economic attitude: the economy of Emilia-Romagna is largely based on its tens of thousands of cooperatives.

Umbria - The regional capital is Perugia. The region is divided into two provinces: Perugia, with 59 comuni, and Terni, with 33 comuni. Among the many outside varieties planted in Umbria, Merlot and Barbera have been prominent for more than a century. More recently, Cabernet Sauvignon has shown promise, both as a varietal wine and in blends. Even Pinot Nero has given indications of more than the usual class here.
Just lately Orvieto's "abbocato" has made a comeback as a dessert wine. Though Procanico (Trebbiano) and Malvasia prevail in Orvieto, growers in the zone have been working successfully with such outside varieties as Chardonnay, Sauvignon, the Pinots and Gewürztraminer, as well as the admirable local . The sweets of Umbria are often tied to religious holidays.

Perugia has the "frittelle di San Giuseppe" and for San Costanzo, patron of the city, they prepare "torcolo", a doughnut with candied fruits, raisins, pine nuts and anise seed. Assisi boasts "stinchetti" and "rocciata." Grechetto. Umbria, green and wise. Although crushed between Emilia Romagna, Tuscany, and Lazio, this region has managed to conserve its original simplicity founded on certain basic ingredients: olive oil, among the best in Italy, the hog, the lamb.