If you’re like us, you’ll drop everything and go to Italy at a moment’s notice, without a reason, without a set plan in mind, and without aspirations of ever returning to the “real world.”  However, some people, we hear, need a bit more incentive.  Here is a short list of reasons to visit Italy in 2012.

Rome.  While the Colosseum will be getting a facelift for a good part of the year starting in March, you’ll finally be able to get into formerly-off-limits areas like underground passageways and sections of the third level.  Perhaps more exciting, though, is the opening of the Vatican Secret Archives, an exhibit of some fascinating documents and manuscripts previously locked in the Vatican’s safe.

Cinque Terre.  Italy’s Riviera had a tough 2011 with devastating floods wiping out two of Cinque Terre’s most visited towns: Monterosso and Vernazza.  So why is it on our list?  The remaining three cliffside villages, while minimally damaged, can’t be forgotten.  Help their struggling economies by visiting, donating money (Italian Red Cross, Save Vernazza, and directly to Monterrosso), or helping in relief efforts.   There are also beautiful places to see just outside of Cinque Terre, including Portofino and Santa Margherita Ligure.

Florence.  While replicas have been on display for years, the original, restored Gates of Paradise bronze doors by Ghiberti will finally be reinstalled at the Duomo Museum.  A formal inauguration ceremony will be held on June 24.

Big year in sports.  Between the Olympics and soccer’s Euro Cup, in addition to other annual sporting events around Italy, 2012 will bring plenty of team spirit and enthusiasm across the country.  Head to any bar, or in some cases piazzas, to help locals cheer on the Italian athletes and (hopefully) celebrate their victories.

As you travel around Italy, you’ll notice a difference in the cuisine from region to region—and it’s not all about pasta.  You may fall in love with one dish in Florence, but when you get to Venice or Palermo it’s nowhere to be found.  In the north of Italy, meals tend to be heavy and substantial—enough to pack on the extra layers needed during the harsh winter.  But as you travel south, you’ll notice that risotto and polenta are harder to come by, being replaced by sardines and anchovies with vegetables or lemons.  Fear not, what you crave in one place can easily be satisfied with a specialty dish of the next city.  Here is a list of typical dishes of some of Italy’s most gastronomically-inclined regions:

Liguria—Gnocchi and trofie with pesto, seafood, focaccia, easy-to-eat food that fishermen can take with them on-the-go.

Sicily—Seafood, arancini (fried rice balls fills with meats and cheese), caponata (stewed vegetables mixed with olives, anchovies, and capers), pasta alla norma with eggplant, pasta con le sarde (pasta with sardines).

Lombardy—Risotto, polenta, agnolotti (half-moon pasta), cotoletta (veal cutlet), osso bucco.

Piedmont—Vitello tonnato (veal in tuna sauce with capers); meat, egg, and cheese-filled agnolotti; dishes alla cacciatora, or hunter’s style.

Emilia Romagna—Ravioli and its relatives.  Meat and cheese-stuffed, spinach or chard with cheese, pumkin-filled, and chestnut-filled varieties of ravioli, tortellini, agnolini, cappelletti, tortelli.  Lasagna and tagliatelle are popular as well, but not as famous as Parmiggiano-Reggiano cheese, mortadella, or prosciutto di Parma.

Tuscany—Bruschetta is common throughout the region, but not just topped with tomato.  Sliced veal, anchovies, capers, liver, and clams can also be put atop a crunchy piece of bread.  While pastas such as pappardelle and Siena’s pici are widely-used, rich soups thickened with day-old bread are more common first courses—ribolitta and pappa al pomodoro are some.  Bring your appetite for tripe and bistecca alla fiorentina, about half a kilo of beef cooked rare.

Umbria is where you’ll find variations of hand-made spaghetti: strangozzi, strozzapreti, umbricelli, brignoli.  Black truffles grow rampant, so winter and fall dishes will feature these delicacies.

Lazio—Pasta amatriciana, gnocchi alla romana, and pasta carbonara.  There are also an abundance of greens in the area, including many variations of lettuce, radicchio, endive, and arugula.  Also produced is pecorino romano cheese; ricotta; and fior di latte, provola, and provatura mozzarellas.

Abruzzo—The spicy pasta arrabbiata and pasta carbonara, which is now also popular in Lazio.  Lots of lamb dishes as well as dishes spiced with saffron, which grows in the region.

Campania—Pasta puttanesca, spaghetti with clams, mozzarella in carrozza (fried mozzarella), plenty of seafood, including mussels and anchovies.  Then, of course, you have Naples’s famous pizza and calzone.

Which region has your favorite Italian food?

There is so much to do in Venice--but the city is best enjoyed outdoors! (photo via wikimedia)

Because of its unique position as the City on the Water, most of the must-sees of Venice are outdoor.  Seeing the hustle and bustle of the Grand Canal, admiring the architecture of the city’s grand palaces, winding your way through its narrow alleys, and crossing over countless pedestrian bridges doesn’t leave much time for anything indoors.  In just two or three days, you can see the best of Venice—both indoor and out—but if you’re just planning a day trip or an overnight, here is how you can make the most out of the one-of-a-kind city of Venice:

Hit the water.  Be it on a vaporetto (water bus) or on a private gondola ride, the essence of Venice is best seen by water.  After all, it’s how the city functions.  Boats carrying people in everyday activities, delivery vessels, taxis, and buses all zip through Venice’s canals like cars on a highway.

Ditch the map and get lost in the alleyways.  With all of the attractions Venice has to offer, the best way to truly see the city is to head off of the beaten path.  With contradicting streets signs to guide your way, it’s easy to get lost in Venice, and in the process to fall in love with it.  Navigate your way through the city’s six sestieri, each one with its own distinct neighborhood identity.

As glorious as the Basilica di San Marco is from the outside, it’s even better from the inside.  Floor-to-ceiling mosaics, much of which are in gold, make the interior of the church glow, and the view from the roof helps put the piazza below into perspective.

See the two sides of Piazza San Marco.  While Venice’s most famous piazza makes for unparalleled people-watching during the day as it teems with tourists, vendors, and pigeons, Piazza San Marco at night is abandoned.  The magnificent space becomes even more magical once the day-trippers have gone and visitors have retreated to their hotels after dinner, leaving you, the piazza, and its never-ending rows of lights in glorious isolation.

Head to the islands.  While Venice proper consists of 117 islands, some other islands in the Venetian Lagoon are worth a visit as well.   Hop on a vaporetto to see artisans blow glass in Murano; pick up some fine lace and see the brightly-colored houses on Burano; go glam on the Lido; and become one with nature on Torcello.

Seafood lunch along the Grand Canal.  Being that it’s on the water, Venice is known for its seafood.  So, if you’re a fish, mollusk, or shrimp lover, prepare for a feast!  And there’s no better place to wine and dine than at a restaurant right on the city’s busiest waterway.

If there’s one event in Venice not to be missed it’s Carnevale.  Every year, Venetians and visitors alike dress up in elaborate costumes and masks, parading through town in order to celebrate the days leading up to Lent.  The two week-plus festival (this year from February 4 to 21) is packed with outdoor concerts, grand costume galas, lots of confetti, and plenty of fun.

Traveling to a country with its own set of customs, way of life, and, of course, language can be daunting.  Getting accustomed to Italy, with its foreign signs, ancient cobblestone streets, small cars, cover charges at restaurants, and Euro conversions may throw your mind into a tizzy.  Whether you’re in Rome or Florence, Verona or Milan, knowing some basic Italian can get you pretty far.  While chances are the locals you interact with will be able to speak English, and certainly your tour guide will, it’s still important to know a few key words and phrases to get through your trip.  Even in places like Venice, Naples, and Sicily, where dialects are heavily spoken, the more Italian you know, the more authentic you’re experience will be.  So, practice away—soon you’ll be able to sing the captivating song of Italian.

There are two descriptors that apply to all of Italy, but the Southern region of Campania perfects them: breathtaking scenery and guilt-inducing gastronomy.

Campania’s nearly 220 miles of glistening coastline along the Tyrrhenian Sea is home to the jewels of the Amalfi Coast, Sorrento, and the Flegrean Islands of Capri, Procida, Nisida, Ischia, and Vivara, as well as their sandy and stone beaches.  The region’s capital city of Naples is a daunting mix of class and chaos, with gorgeous architecture, charming shopping districts, and esteemed museums dissected by zooming cars and thousands of the warmest residents the country has to offer.

The region balances a Greco-Roman history with historical sites like the ghostly ruins of Pompei and Herculaneum a short drive from the best-preserved Doric temple in the world in Paestum.  Fast-forwarding a few centuries, Campania is also home to the royal palace in Caserta, whose elaborate gardens and expansive mansion give Versailles a run for its money.

And then there’s the food.  Many of the dishes we consider Italian mainstays in this country come from Campania: calzone, spaghetti, tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella, fiordilatte mozzarella, ricotta cheese, zeppole, sfogliatella, struffoli, countless seafood dishes, and, of course, pizza.

Sip on Amalfi Coast-made limoncello while watching the sunset in Salerno; be a part of the glitterazzi in Capri; grab a real slice of pizza in Naples; and step back in time in Pompei.  Campania has it all covered.

The Bridge of Sighs--once again scaffolding-free! (photo via wikimedia)

If you traveled to Venice over the past three years, you were probably surprised by the eyesore of advertisement-covered scaffolding blocking your view of the famed Bridge of Sighs.  The brightly-colored billboards offended many, but thankfully they have been taken down as the 2.8 million Euro restoration of the bridge is finally complete.

Built in 1602 to connect the prison to interrogation rooms in the Doge’s Palace, the Bridge of Sighs, or Ponte dei Sospiri, is rumored to have gotten its name because prisoners, Casanova among them, sighed while looking out the windows en route to their cells, seeing the beautiful City of Water before them.

The restoration project fixed the crumbling limestone of the bridge, which had been falling off in large chunks, as well as rust and other dirt collected over the one hundred years since the last restoration.

So, rest assured, the Bridge of Sighs is back to its former glory, causing tourists, gondoliers, and romantic couples getting engaged in the waters below to sigh at its beauty.

Check out the storied view from the Bridge of Sighs during one of our Venice Walking Tours!

Christmas Eve dinner in Italy is a seafood-lover's dream! (photo by Matteo Paciotti Photography via flickr)

When asked about holiday traditions, most Italians’ first response will be about food.  Alongside some everyday staples, special plates of fish, delicate side dishes, and hearty meats are paired with regional wines and bubbly prosecco to round out the traditional holiday menu.   But it’s not just about feasting—the most important thing about the holidays is gathering around a table with family and friends to reflect on the year that has past and to share in a meal that has been prepared with love.  So put some Italian flair on your holiday meals this year by adding some of these specialties.

Christmas Eve
The most well-known Italian Christmas Eve menu has seven fish, but, depending on the town, it can contain nine or thirteen!  This menu, mainly found in Naples and Southern Italy, is fairly strict: drowned broccoli rabe, vermicelli (either with anchovies, clams, or just olive oil and garlic), eel, fish salad, and dessert.  The other fish dishes are served around the eel, and can include lobster, baccala, mussels, shrimp, or whatever fish the chef can get.  In other parts of Italy, like Rome, expect some fish dishes on Christmas Eve rounded out by fried antipasti like mozzarella and artichokes.

Christmas Day
The mid-day Christmas feast centers around turkey, or in some cases pheasant, rooster, or pork.  The primi piatti consist of baked pasta like lasagna or the soup cappelletti in brodo, which features pasta stuffed with meats, cheese, or pumpkin. Small plates and sides include crostini, sometimes with chicken liver or rabbit paté; boiled spinach; and roasted potatoes.

New Year’s Eve and Day
Capodanno meals are just as elaborate as those served at Christmas and usually focus around lentils, their round shape representing coins and therefore riches for the coming year.  You’ll also find stuffed pig’s foot, called zampone, and, obviously, plenty of prosecco.

Dolci
Of course, these meals finish with a dolci, or dessert.  The most commonly served is the panettone, a dome-shaped sweet bread from Milan that traditionally contains candied fruit.  Other sweet tooth favorites include struffoli, fried balls of dough and honey; cenci, fried dough sprinkled with powdered sugar; panforte and pandolce, sweet breads from Siena and Genoa, respectively; rococo, almond rings; toasted almond ice cream; and dried fruits and nuts.

Buone feste e buon appetito!

Venice's night sky lights up around the holidays! (photo via Inverno Veneziana)

With Christmas just over a week away, Italy is bustling with preparations.  And while Rome and Florence may receive more festive fanfare, the celebrations in Venice are just as beautiful and unique.

One of the most anticipated and attended holiday events in Venice is midnight mass at the Basilica di San Marco.  The famous church and its grand piazza are simply splendid, the gold and mosaics of the basilica glittering in the soft lights.  If you can’t get in for the service, the piazza both before and after mass lets out makes for great people-watching.

Unlike the rest of the year when trattorias and cafes are serving up a constant stream of food, dining out in Venice at Christmastime can be tricky as many restaurants are closed.  To snag a table and fuel up for the chilly days and nights, be sure to make a reservation ahead of time.

Do some shopping in the city’s pop-up outdoor markets like Campo Santo Stefano, Campo San Bartolomeo, and Strada Nova.  In addition to traditional Carnevale masks and typical gondolier gear, you’ll also be able to pick up more one-of-a-kind artisan items like pottery, jewelry, perfumes, and glass work.

The holiday festivities continue through New Year’s Eve with plenty of music concerts (including the free one on December 26 at Frari Church in San Polo), fine dinners, ice skating in Campo San Polo, and even a La Befana boat race on January 6.

Even if you stay away from the mainstream activities, you won’t be able to avoid catching the city’s holiday cheer as the pealing of church bells echo their way down Venice’s canals and across its picturesque piazzas.

Keep an eye out for Santa–he arrives in a gondola instead of a sleigh!

Milan's must-sees include seeing the Duomo from both land and sky, taking in a game at San Siro, shopping at Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele II, and seeing an opera at La Scala. (photo via wikimedia)

It’s Italy’s (and arguably the world’s) fashion capital, but there are plenty of things other than shopping to keep you busy in Milan.

You may not make it there on your first trip to Italy, but Milan should definitely be included on your second.  An ideal visit in Italy’s second-largest city should last about two days—the perfect stopover between Venice and any number of Italy’s other popular destinations: Florence, Turin, Cinque Terre.  It also provides easy access to the country’s northern lakes of Como, Garda, and Maggiore for summertime fun; the Dolomites and the Alps for outdoor winter activities; and Northern Italy’s charming small towns of Verona, Brescia, and Bergamo.

Here is our list of Milan musts:

Enjoy the Last Supper.  See the da Vinci work you’ve been hearing for as long as you can remember.  Reservations to see this masterpiece are required well in advance, but the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see this world-renowned fresco at Santa Maria delle Grazie is one you can’t pass up.

Go for a stroll on the Duomo’s rooftop.  Aside from the new financial district and the Pirelli Tower, Milan is pretty flat and you can see it all from between the soaring spires of Milan’s cathedral.

See an opera at La Scala.  Tickets can be hard to come by, but seeing an opera in the world’s most famed opera house is worth the effort.  Opera geniuses Verdi, Puccini, and Rossini all premiered works at the theater, and their music still lives on within its grand walls.

You can’t escape Milan without going shopping.  Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele II is convenient, linking Piazza del Duomo with Piazza della Scala (be sure to spin around on the mosaic bull on the floor in the center of the galleria for good luck) or check out the big Italian names of fashion in the Quadrilatero d’Oro shopping district

Take in the calcio classico: Inter vs AC—if you can’t score a ticket to see Milan’s two home soccer teams face off in their shared stadium, at least take a tour of the famed San Siro.  You can even sit in the leather chair assigned to your favorite AC Milan player in the team’s dressing room.

Eat risotto and, in the Christmas season, panettone, two Milanese specialties.

Have any Milan must-dos?  Tell us about them!

New Year's Eve turns Italy into one giant celebration.

There’s only one way to sum up how Italians celebrate the holidays: “Natale con i tuoi, Capodanno con chi vuoi,” Christmas with family, New Year’s with whomever you want.

New Year’s Eve is one of Italy’s biggest celebrations, rung in with fireworks across the country, swanky parties, dancing, music, and, of course, food.  The traditional New Year’s Eve menu consists of lentils, pork, and sausage, symbolizing prosperity and richness of life in the coming year.

After dinner, there are plenty of places to see and be seen on New Year’s Eve in Italy: the gala at Florence’s Uffizi Gallery, the Concerto di Capodanno at the legendary La Fenice Theater in Venice, the world-famous fireworks display over Naples, or staying up until the sun rises with thousands of concert-goers in Rome’s Piazza del Popolo.

Ring in the new year in style with any of our customized New Year’s itineraries:

Concordia Tour—a week of exploring Sicily, spending New Year’s Eve in the island’s capital, Palermo.

Fantasia Italiana: Southern Italy—12 days in Italy’s breathtaking southern region, spending New Year’s Eve in the mountaintop perch of Taormina, the Pearl of the Mediterranean.

A Luxurious New Year’s Eve in Florence—a relaxing stay at the five-star mansion Villa Cora, just steps from Boboli Gardens, with a 6-course grand gala dinner to celebrate the new year.

A Five-Star New Year’s Eve in Rome—four days at Rome’s exclusive Hotel D’Inghliterra near the Spanish Steps with day tours and an indulgent 6-course New Year’s Eve dinner.

Dinner and Music for New Year’s Eve in Rome—Be in the center of Italy’s New Year’s Eve celebrations with this 4-day stay at the Regina Hotel Baglioni near the Trevi Fountain.

No matter where you end up this New Year’s Eve, but sure to pop open the prosecco as the clock nears midnight!