Lake Garda
The jewel of the Italian Lake District has been a fashionable holiday destination since the Roman times. It is the largest lake in Italy, even changing the local climate and making it milder. The northern section of the lake in encircled by the Alps, that form an interesting shoreline with cliff-top villages. The lakeside towns of Sirmione and Desenzano, old unspoilt Venetian towns of Salò and Gargnano attract many history and watersports lovers. While you are there, also try the scenic Bardolino Wine Route that passes from several wine producing towns and villages around the lake.
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Hotel Lefay Resort & Spa, Gargnano
A modern spa hotel, located in 11 hectares of natural park surrounded by gentle hills and natural terraces with spectacular views of the lake.
Verona
This is a picturesque city with well-protected Roman sites and medieval buildings. But the main attraction for travellers here is the Roman Arena that hosts an annual opera festival every summer. Famous Italian operas like Nabucco, Aida, Tosca, Rigoletto and Madame Butterfly are performed here with historical stage designs at the backdrop. Palazzo and Giardino Giusti is another Renaissance jewel of Verona. This 15th century aristocrat's palace is surrounded by impressive gardens, where the sculpture and ancient inscriptions collection of the Giusti family is still displayed. Verona is also known as the city of love, as Sheakspeare's famous "Romeo and Juliet" has been inspired by the city's two important aristocratic families: The Montagues and the Capulets. No one seems to know if the lovers ever existed, but the 13th century Casa di Giulietta (Juliet's House) is open to visitors as a museum dedicated to this famous love story. After a visit to the museum, don't forget to taste "Baci di Romeo e Giulietta", a chocolate cookie you would find in Pasticceria de Rossi. The city has some extraordinary culinary traditions as well. Pasta with donkey ragu is a local specialty worth trying.
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Byblos Art Hotel
A 15th century villa turned into a temple of contemporary art and design.
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Gabbia D'Oro
A classically furnished small hotel in a historical townhouse.
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Hotel Villa del Quar
A luxury hotel with renowned gourmet restaurant Arquade, only 5 km from Verona.
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Il Desco
A modern cuisine served in a Renaissance palace.
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Enoteca Segreta
A small and dedicated place run by a pair of young chefs, with an extensive wine list.
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Signorvino
A wine shop chain that has branches all around Italy. They serve 100% Italian wine in their bar, accompanied with a simple menu.
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Vicenza
This is the city where the Renaissance master Andrea Palladio’s (1508–80) architectural genius gave its several fruits. The work of Palladio was based on a detailed study of classical Roman architecture, and he inspired a distinct architectural style known as "Palladian" that spread around the world. The city of Vicenza with its twenty-three most representative Palladian buildings, as well as twenty-four villas outside the city walls, scattered throughout the Veneto region, are under protection today as UNESCO World Heritage sites. Palladio Museum is a good place to see the master's original drawings and get into the details of his work. Make sure that you visit some of his best works, including Teatro Olympico that he designed in Vicenza just before his death, La Rotonda that has been copied several times later around the world, Villa Barbaro that sits at the nearby town Maser and Villa Pisani Bonetti at the village of Bagnolo. Do not miss the nearby wine route of Colli Berici, beginning at the Sanctuary of Monte Berico, passing along La Rotonda, and continuing to the outskirts of Verona and Chiampo Valley, before ending at Vicenza again.
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G Boutique Hotel
A great little hotel located 150 metres from Centro Storico (Old City), and renovated fairly recently.
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Villa Michalengelo
A wonderful Palladian-style country house offering great views of the Berici Hills.
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Julien Restaurant
A nice small restaurant where a young and hip clientele come together.
Padua
The city is a true cultural center with its 800-year-old University of Padova, where Galileo Galilei also thought lessons. The university hosts the world's oldest botanic garden as well. Architect Palladio was born in Padua, while Piano was also invented here in the 17th century by Bartolomeo Cristofori. The famous sculpture Antonio Canova gave most of his works here. Museo Canova is a delightful little museum for those who would like to see the full collection of his sculptures made for the celebrities of his time. Today, Padua is one of Italy's most prosperous industrial cities, though its historical center is still intact, encircled by defensive walls of 11 kilometers. At the very heart of it stands one of Europe's largest square, Prato Della Valle, which has an elliptic design adorned by statues and pools.
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Le Camp Resort & Spa
A nice town house hotel at the historical center of Padua, with spa facilities.
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Antico Brolo
One of the most chic culinary venues of Padua since 1984, run by a family specialized at catering.
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Cafe Pedrocchi
A cafe, a pastry shop and a restaurant in an elegant building, which has been one of the social hot spots of the city since 1831. Try their coffee with mint flavored cream.
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Ristorante Le Calandre
The culinary playground of chef Massimiliano Alajmo, where he serves his experimental regional dishes.
Bassano del Grappa
This sleepy little town is renowned for its digestive grappa liqueur and Ponte degli Alpini, a medieval covered wooden bridge on the Brenta River, reconstructed by Andrea Palladio in 1570, and then rebuilt again in the 18th century. You can visit the local grappa distillery Poli to taste varieties of grappa, after a visit to their small museum showing how the spirit is made. The area along the river also offers the ideal conditions for growing white asparagus, one of the rarest delicacies in Italy. Ernest Hemingway’s famous book "A Farewell to Arms" is also staged here in Bassano, where the writer served as a military ambulance driver during the World War I and witnessed the terrible final battles between Italian and Austrian-Hungarian soldiers on Monte Grappa. Today, near the summit of Monte Grappa stands Sacrario Militare del Monte Grappa, which is one of the grandest monumental burial sites of the world.
Asolo
One of the most beautiful medieval hilltop towns of Italy, located at the foot of the Dolomites. It is full of cafes and romantic settings, and hosted many important literary figures, including the American writer Ernest Hemingway and the British poet Robert Browning, whose last published work carries the title of "Asolando".
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Hotel Albergo al Sole
A 5-star in the heart of the medieval town of Asolo. Perfect choice for a stay, or a lunch at its terrace restaurant.
Treviso
With its medieval walls and gates, Renaissance squares and palaces, frescoed churches, pretty canals and watermills, Treviso is a well-kept travel secret just 40 minutes from Venice. The headquarters of textile giant Benetton is also here. The countryside surrounding Treviso is famous for its prosecco vineyards. If you would like to explore La Strada del Prosecco (Prosecco Road), the best place to make your base is the village of Follina, which is 35 kilometres from Treviso.
Riviera del Brenta
The banks of the Brenta River is a combination of history, culture and arts. In the 16th century, the 36-km section of the river was turned into a canal that stretches from Padua to the Venetian Lagoon. Venice's noble families built extraordinary summer villas along it, designed by great architects like Palladio and Preti. Today, you can join the boat trips along the canal to see the exquisite aristocrats' family villas, palaces and gardens. It is also possible to explore the valley by car, stopping at the towns of Stra and Mira, to visit Villa Pisani and Villa Valmarana.
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I Molini del Dolo
A cute restaurant and wine bar at a historic mill on the canal, in the town of Dolo.