Even if you have traveled quite a bit in the big world, there is no doubt that you keep a warm corner of your heart for Italy. Eretz Magaf provides a very wide variety of ways to tour, rest, see, experience, taste and be impressed and every person will be able to find there the things that make him feel good. For some of you it will be the impressive cuisine that Italy is so proud of, some of you will look for the meeting with local characters, lively stories and everyday conversations in the market or over an espresso in the cafe and for some of you it is an opportunity to see a magical place through the lens, as photogenic Italy provides so much Lots of things to record. To this list you can also add the travelers who come to participate in desirable sports such as the luxury cars, the Italian soccer league and the ski resorts, the lovers of fashion, history, architecture, cinema and art, and of course all the lovers of romance who dream of a relaxed week with wine in front of a mountain and a river.
In order to provide the best and most comprehensive information about travel in Italy, we have paid close attention to the most prominent and popular tourist spots and collected all the necessary information so that you can put together an enjoyable and comprehensive trip to each of these destinations. As a result, the Simple Italy site is the most comprehensive site that stands for the differences between each of the destinations both in terms of the proposed tourism model and in terms of the characteristics of the place and its culture. Here are some more tips and suggestions regarding choosing the destination that suits you personally.
All the destinations from north to south – what is available everywhere and also how it is appropriate to behave in it on the tip of the fork:
Torino
A big city that still does not get the popularity it deserves and this will allow you to tour it with a relative minority of tourists, which hardly happens in any other Italian destination. The city is at the foot of the Italian Alps on the banks of the Po River and is very suitable for travelers who are interested in collecting unique and unusual experiences in terms of Italy’s main attractions, which mostly includes period history from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. In general, it can be said that the more you spend in Italy, the more conservative and strict the population becomes regarding the rules of the place, but they have much more respect for outside guests, as long as they respect back the place where they step. To experience Turin in a pleasant and friendly way it is important to behave politely and kindly, to act according to the small social codes that you will recognize while staying there (for example the unwritten practice of wishing “good morning” and “good night” when entering any store or business) and not to follow the rules or instructions as a recommendation. This is a small and less diverse destination compared to other cities, so for any trip that lasts more than three or four days, it is advisable to combine it with other destinations in the vicinity.
Verona
Large, popular and especially romantic which includes two most famous places: the Arena (the huge and powerful amphitheater) and the balcony of Juliet, Romeo’s partner from the Shakespeare play. The people of Verona are quite “typical” northerners – smiling and cordial on the one hand but experiencing a complex routine on the other, mainly due to the economic hardship and the high cost of living. The city has a lot to see and is full of good food, but most of the great attractions are around it and not inside it, which will probably require you to rent a car. The city is very suitable for star trips (overnight in another place and arriving for a whole day’s trip) as well as for a stay of two or three nights for those who want to use it to the fullest. Verona is composed in such a way that the central-historical area of the city is crowded and busy, but gradually relaxes as you get closer to the outskirts of the city. On the outskirts of the city there is a division into pleasant neighborhoods and difficult neighborhoods, so it is advisable to understand exactly which area you are in. In Verona and its surroundings it is important to behave politely and respectfully towards holy sites and citizens. The behavior of the “beautiful Israeli” will draw sullen faces and quite a few people who will not hesitate to put you on the spot and curse in vigorous Italian. And by the way, Italian, the dialect here was extremely fast and does not allow a good follow-up of the language for those who do not speak it and the English is at a weak level.
Venice
One of the most exciting and prestigious urban destinations in the world, which is especially suitable for couples of all ages, as well as for kosher keepers and the traditional observant public (this is the only destination in Italy that offers strictly kosher restaurants and hotels). The local culture is based on a long and important history, but its many canals invite charming romantic adventures and a lot of common interest. The city in the peak season is a particularly crowded and busy place and this must be taken into account, especially in light of the fact that the city is spent only on foot and in severe humidity. Unlike other cities such as Turin, Verona and even Rome which are very suitable for trips in the winter, here you will have to take into account the routine floods that may detract a lot from the experience. However, the trip to Venice in the height of winter or the height of summer is also a matter of luck: much of the experience depends on the type of people you meet, your ability to integrate with the character and rhythm of the place and your ability to enjoy (or not) the annual holidays or festivals that crowd the city with visitors from all over the world. There are specific laws here regarding the prohibition of the entry of vehicles and the feeding of pigeons (unlike Milan where they will offer you to purchase corn kernels for feeding) and it is important to obey them. As we have already made clear, Northern Italy is considered conservative and excessively unusual behavior in the landscape will draw explicit comments from the local residents, which will make the rest of the stay in the city much less pleasant. Venice is a rare and magical destination that must be visited and each of you will experience it in a completely different way than others. This is one of the reasons why it is very important to know in advance how to conduct oneself in the city and what to expect from it.
The national fashion capital will bring you together with streets for dreamy shopping and a host of colorful characters from the upper millennium, alongside courteous bourgeois locals who sanctify the national coffee and food culture. Milan has a huge selection of sites and historical cultural centers, a multitude of museums, cathedrals and squares, each of which has a selection of attractions and entertainment options. Compared to destinations like Verona in the north or Sorrento in the south, here it is not necessary to leave the city to absorb the local charm and it will also suit a week’s stay without changing hotels. The city hosts a huge number of visitors every day and therefore its main sites suffer from queues and congestion. Therefore, it is recommended to check their opening hours and arrive at opening time or about half an hour before closing to avoid tedious gifts. The city is also welcoming to children and is very suitable for families, but it is advisable not to enter it with a car and to navigate mainly via the tram and metro, or by purchasing a free daily ticket for the tourist bus that picks up and drops off passengers without limit so that you can easily visit any of the destinations.
Florence
One of the most important cities in Italy and in general, the symbol of the Renaissance and the art that is considered a cultural and architectural asset in all respects. The attractive center contains most of the sites and attractions and you can cross it on foot, when in fact only one day trip can be enough to experience the city at a good level. However, Florence also has an amazing food scene, good music and an intriguing human culture that takes place outside its touristic center, so if you dreamed of “tasting” the real Italy, a good hotel outside the center and a visit to the restaurants, cafes and shops for locals only can reveal to you a different and special experience, much less touristic Getting around the city is mainly by foot, although it is advisable to use the train to move between distant places and as long as you want to leave the city and explore the surroundings, it is advisable to rent a car. The city is very neat and clean, but suffers a lot from dirty tourists and also a lot of pigeons that have become the scourge of the city (similar to what happens in Venice), so avoid dirtying the public space because the number of inspectors and examining eyes here is high. The local population is kind and welcoming, which helps the city maintain a high level of satisfaction among the hotels and restaurants that operate there.
Rome
One of the two main cities in Italy (along with Naples), which can fill on their own even a week or two of staying in the same place. Rome is an ancient and intriguing power whose greatness has been preserved to this very day and it brings together its many tourists with extraordinary and unprecedented monuments in modern times, as well as a huge number of cathedrals, churches, palaces, gardens, museums, art centers, changing galleries, annual festivals and of course – The famous Vatican State, which is a must-visit. The congestion in the city is a routine matter and therefore the locals lead a busy routine where everything happens quickly – from speaking in a hard-to-understand fluency to drinking coffee while standing only (only the tourists sit in the cafes, so it is so easy to understand who is a tourist here and who is a local). This causes Rome to suffer mainly during the season from overloading the roads, pedestrian traffic and queues to the sites and restaurants considered. Here it is advisable to order as many things as possible in advance (hotels, tickets for the tourist bus, entry to various sites, restaurants, etc.) to skip the long wait. It is also advisable to understand a little about the highlights of the rules of the culinary culture, which include many cultural codes that will make it easier for you to blend in with everything that happens in the city. Rome is also the most successful connection point between the north and the south and its well-developed train system is very suitable for traveling to other Italian destinations. Within the city there is a highly developed public transportation (unlike places like Tuscany and Florence for example, where there is transportation but much less convenient and advanced) that will allow you to reach every corner of the city easily and quickly.
Naples
The capital of the southern Italian region of Campania is a very reserved destination. In the initial sailing, it causes a severe culture shock (as happens, for example, to travelers who meet Bangkok in Thailand for the first time), but as you get through the first two or three days, you discover a magical and interesting city, with a surprising history and many options for couples, families with children and groups of all kinds. Naples is difficult to “swallow” in one day and at least several days are needed here to fully exhaust the city. The city offers a huge selection of places to see and visit: buildings, sites, churches, palaces, cathedrals, museums, parks and restaurants of every shape and type, which allows great flexibility in the way to travel through it. There are several must-see sites around Naples, among them ancient Roman cities that were destroyed by the volcanic eruption of the nearby Mount Vesuvius at the beginning of the AD. The volcanic eruption marked the character of the city in a very interesting way, which on the one hand is mostly considered a world heritage site and on the other hand is considered difficult, distressed and neglected in many parts of it. The Neapolitans are known for several dishes that are the fruit of their pen, so it is also a particularly attractive culinary destination. Beyond that, the locals are warm and kind-hearted people who maintain a fairly simple lifestyle and they will be happy to assist you during your visit to the city and also recommend certain places that are better to stay away from due to the typical pickpocketing and car theft.
Sorrento
A beautiful, picturesque and amazing town on the road from Naples to Amalfi, which attracts the attention of many travelers from all over the world. Sorrento itself has several sites and attractions that you should take part in and it will be suitable both as a city to rest for the night during the big trip in the Campania region and as a wonderful tourist place to rest and relax for a few days. It is a destination that combines both adventure and dynamism, but also a very good level of freedom, thanks to the open sea view, the local charm and atmosphere and the preserved and special culture. Compared to big cities like Naples, Milan, Rome or Florence, you won’t particularly suffer from queues and crowds of tourists here, but it is advisable to schedule your arrival for dates at the end of the season to avoid waves of tourist groups that may greatly affect the ways of getting around and walking through the town’s streets. Sorrento has an excellent food scene that combines all Neapolitan motifs and foods, along with a fashionable and updated serving that appeals to the tourists from many countries in the West.
Sicily
The famous peninsula that forms the “fan” of the tip of the boot is conducted as a place with character, customs and atmosphere completely different from those of the other destinations in Italy. Sicily is divided into a number of central cities that exist within it, with Catania being considered the capital and also the best access point by flight or sailing. Although the Italians and the Israelis share a lot of common features that make the two peoples identify wonderfully with each other, Sicily is strongly identified with Israeliness in a special way. This happens due to the fact that it is a spectacular stomach-back destination in the summer months, which reminds a lot of the summer vacation in the various Greek islands. The island has many attractions and is considered the best place in Italy for water sports and diving. At the same time, the summer months are extremely busy, so you need to consider whether your trip focuses on hitting the beaches and being pampered at the hotel, or whether it aims to exhaust everything the city has to offer culturally and historically, so you can also consider arriving in other seasons throughout the year.
