Italy is a country that continues to fascinate its visitors. One of the aspects that characterises Italy, besides exceptionally delicious food, is the beautiful architecture and a wonderful climate and the country's huge variation in landscapes. Unspoiled mountains, deep lakes, volcanoes, white sandy beaches, lush green landscapes, vibrant medieval cities and charming villages of Italy has it all and more.
The country's 20 regions are all different, though an important division can be made between north and south. There is no precise definition of what is northern Italy, and what is southern Italy. There is genuine controversy about the North and South, such as the political party Lega Nord's occasionally expressed their desire to detach the two parts from each other. There are more humorous and friendly banters between Northerners and Southerners. The latter fills fortunately most, and as a holiday guest, you only enjoy, to the north and south compete over who can make the best food, or who has the best climate and is where the guests and visitors feels most welcome.
The following regions are most described as belonging to the northern part of Italy. A few brief recommendations for your holiday in each region:
Tuscany, picturesque, verdant and hilly landscapes, world class art, food, history and culture. Try, for example:
Lombardy, a rich and fascinating region where among other things you can go take a
Veneto, The region just breaths romanticsm:
Liguria, perhaps Italy"s most beautiful coast, which is also known
as the Italian Riviera. A classic place to go on a beach holiday with hiking in the rocks
Friuli, explore the dramatic mountain scenery and
do not forget the beach at the beautiful lagoons
South Tyrol, beautiful ski between the magnificent Alps, or take
a swim in Lake Garda from the north side when the season to warm for skiing
Emilia-Romagna, ski, go hiking in the beautiful surroundings and delight yourself with authentic and well-prepared, local dishes
Umbria, a verdant region of rich culture and history, where you can stay in lovely villas in a rural setting
Piedmont, experience the utter peace surrounded by the Alps, ski and enjoy the exquisite food here.
Aosta, here are some of Europe"s highest peaks and you can among other things visit the national park Gran Paradiso
Marche, village life, nature reserves and beaches. Marche is a well kept secret in Italy, which has much to offer
>>> See a list of all destinations in Italy
If you are looking for a city break and want to combine it with a trip to northern Italy you have plenty of options. In northern Italy are some of Europe"s most magnificent cities, and both Florence Venice Milan and Siena stands as masterpieces in themselves. These cities" architecture will make you loose breath in the sense of human geniuses and sense of aesthetics, as well as Italy"s cultural richness. In northern Italy"s informal limits you will also experience great variation between regions. In Piedmont, you will in some places almost feel as if you were in France, in South Tyrol, German is the dominant language, and in Friuli-Venezia-Giulia in the north-eastern corner, you will meet an impressive ethnic and language-related cocktail that includes Slovenian. The general trends shows, the more you move toward the centre of Italy, the more arch-Italian the culture grows, in the sense how most Europeans from the North are imagining it. When you arrive to southern Italy, the culture becomes slowly more Latin and with hints of Middle Eastern features.
The fantastically beautiful and varied Northern Italy is a delight to explore, and if you choose to travel with In-Italia, you can stay in the area's finest hotels and make use of our extensive expertise in Italy prior and during your trip. Our local knowledge helps you get the most out of your holiday in northern Italy. It"s hard to be brief, when describing northern Italy, an area exceptionally rich in both nature, culture and history. In fact, it is difficult to describe it in general. There is no doubt that Northern Italy is something you have to experience yourself. We will nevertheless try to give you an idea of the many attractive options you have when you decide to your journey should go to Northern Italy .
There are, as we briefly outlined the list of regions of northern Italy, many ways to go when you are looking for a holiday in northern Italy.
You can explore Northern Italy's stunning landscapes, castles and villages on a self-drive vacation where you have maximum freedom and flexibility. How about an eventful holiday where we set the framework, both you, your partner and your children will remember the joy for years to come.
Top 3 destinations for self-drive holiday to northern Italy
- Self-drive holidays to Lake Garda
- Self-drive holiday to Tuscany
Or how to spice up everyday life or make the love revive with a city break or long weekend where you stay central in romantic Venice, fantastic Florence or majestic Milan and enjoy what these cities have to offer? Shakespeare's beautiful Verona, where Romeo and Juliet played out, is also a classic destination for city trip.
Top 3 destinations for vacation in cities in northern Italy
- City Breaks in Venice
- City Breaks in Florence
- City Breaks in Milan
The whole family will love a holiday in a rural setting in Tuscany, where you can enjoy a refreshing swim in the hotel pool and live within walking distance to a small spa town. Or how about a wonderful family holiday at the classic and beautiful Lake Garda, surrounded by mountain views, fresh water and a perfect climate. Be active or just relax at one of the shorelines of the lake, while your children play around.
Top 3 destinations for family holidays in northern Italy
- Family holidays on the coast of Tuscany
- Family at the southern part of Lake Garda
- Family holiday in Caorle south of Venice
Northern Italy is brimming with world-class museums, Roman ruins, magnificent cities, vineyards and picturesque towns scattered across the picturesque hills that characterize much of the area. You can eat your dinner in the refined restaurants that are so famous that they barely consider it necessary to advertise their Michelin stars.
However, you can also take your food in a casual setting next to the local Catholic priest and the local police chief in northern Italy many osteriaer (small local restaurants) and trattorias.
These places are often family-run, and the owners have spent generations to develop their own perfect version of the local specialties that will surely get your teeth watering.
In northern Italy, where many places makes a virtue of using local ingredients and take the time to prepare the food. Making up the food and wine is often the excuse as a centre for gatherings. You are on the right location if the wine chapter is also willing to be explored on your holiday where the tasteful, northern Italian red wine will be your perfect companion, with for example tender beef cooked with rich, creamy sauces, fresh herbs and garlic. The taste experience will only be surpassed by the cozy atmosphere of the local eateries where the enjoyment of food and casual conversation go hand in hand.
Once you have completed the journey from your Northern European hub, Northern Italy presents you magnificent scenery and charming towns. The food, dialect, architecture and landscape changes over short distances from region to region.
For example, try Ligurian medieval towns in pastel colors, which lie like pearls along the Italian Riviera and are bound together by beautiful beaches and rugged rocky stretches. Or shopping spree in Milan, Bergamo and Bologna. You can also choose for the lively atmosphere at the lakes, perhaps large, classically and tourist friendly as Lake Garda or more intimate and unpolished as Lake Orta or Lake Iseo. Finally, a vineyard or the big draw on the Adriatic coast: long, wide sandy beaches as far as the eye can see. Kids will love it. Northern Italy seems to have it all, for both large and small.
Escapeaway's TOP 3: Caroline's recommendation to romantic destinations in northern Italy
Escapeaway's TOP 3 allows the travel consultant (Caroline) to give you our personal recommendations to a preferred holiday of a particular destination in Italy. So you should you have difficulty in choosing a destination what suits you. Then have a look here as travel consultant Caroline gives her suggestions to three romantic destinations.
These three locations can be combined either as a round trip or you can choose one of them and just enjoy it to the max. I highly recommend all three of them, and therefore they are described in the order, I would visit them in. I would start with the one furthest away from the nearest airport. (if you decide to come by plane) This makes there is not as much stress and unnecessary transport on departure day.
Stay cheap and comfortable with the Italian siblings Sofia and Domenico at the Hotel Europe just above the center of Limone. Enjoy the charming small city center, have an aperitif on the lake shore, while you gaze out over the lake, eat and enjoy the atmosphere. By day, I had lunch and a tour up to Tremosine above Limone. The Nature at Limone is absolutely the most breathtaking at lake Garda. The roads are spectacular with hairpin bends and steady increases. Paid parking is available.
Hotel Piroscafo is located in the center of the little big city of Desenzano, where you get a beautiful room and an even more stunning location next to the city's old port. In summer there are concerts on the square. Perhaps if you're also lucky to find the market in town, try a visit. Alternatively, I recommend visiting Sirmione's historic center, although it is quite an achievement to get out there with the large tourism numbers and shortage in parking, it's worth the trip. The hotel can assist with parking in Desenzano.
I will definitely would love to stay at the absolutely ravishing beautiful island in the middle of Iseo lake on the beautiful and inviting Castello Oldofredi. Rent a bike and take a look around in the small fishing villages or take a shopping trip to beautiful town of Iseo. Or take a trip down to the wine region Franciacorte south of the lake. Here is plenty to do. It is a car-free island, how special and just great for your health. The cars are left out on the mainland and the crossing takes only about 4 minutes. There is help for transporting your luggage to the island. Hop on and enjoy.
