Often glossed over in guidebooks as a region simply known for its production of fine wine like Moscato and great skiing in its Pre-Alpi, Friuli–Venezia Giulia is an area rich in history, architecture, and culture.

Like other regions in northernmost Italy, Friuli–Venezia Giulia is autonomous with its own language—Friulian—and cuisine, most notably polenta, radicchio, spinach gnocchi, goulash, and brodo (broth).  Both the language and cuisine have been heavily influenced by the region’s neighbors—namelyAustria andSlovenia.

Throughout history, Friuli–Venezia Giulia has been the rope in a constant tug-of-war game between dynasties and countries, having been ruled by the Romans, the Huns, and the Hapsburgs, to name a few.  They all wanted the same thing: control over the busy port city of Trieste—considered the gateway to the East via the Adriatic Sea and its proximity to Eastern Europe.  All of that change was surely chaos for locals, but the architectural gems each government left behind gives Friuli–Venezia Giulia  an amazing blend of periods and culture as if out of a fairytale.

Trieste is still an important city in the region—as well as in the country.  The easternmost Italian city, located directly across the Adriatic from Venice, is also the region’s capital.  Its wide boulevards, expansive Piazza Unita d’Italia, and abundance of parks give this metropolis a distinct cosmopolitan flair—once rivaled by Naples.

An easy day trip from Padua or Venice, Friuli–Venezia Giulia has so much to offer: coast, mountains, and plains, castles, art centers, and fishing villages.  The variety of activities and cultural influence are some of the most impressive in Italy.  Visiting Friuli–Venezia Giulia is like having one hand in the old world and one in the new, one foot in Italy and the other in Eastern Europe.  Heading to Italy’s northeast corner will give you an off-the-beaten-path experience that you’ll never forget.  

Tuscany's thousands of vineyards makes it one of Italy's largest wine-producing regions. (photo by rayced via flickr)

Every September, Italy moves from summer mode into wine mode, with la vendemmia, the annual grape harvest, during which time the country’s most beloved crop is gathered and turned into stunning red, white, rosé, and sparkling wines.

With nearly one million vineyards throughout the country with perfectly parallel rows of grapevines everywhere from the flat lands of Tuscany to the staggering cliffs of Cinque Terre, Italy is one of the largest and oldest wine producers in the world.  It may come as no surprise, then, that the country also leads the world in wine consumption.  So when you go, it’s only right to join the locals.

Italian wines are classified under four categories: Vino da Tavola (basic table wine made in Italy), Indicazione Geografica Tipica or IGT (simple wine made from a specific Italian region), Denominazione di Origine Controllata or DOC (wine made under government regulations to preserve a its unique identity), and Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita or DOCG (a small number of the highest quality wine produced under government regulations)—the most being produced in Tuscany and Piedmont.

With the grape harvest right around the corner, here is a region-by-region look at some of the most sought-after wines from around Italy.  Keep it handy during your vacation so you’ll know what kind of wine to sip in every city you visit.

Abruzzo DOCG: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colline Teramane; DOC: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Controguerra, and Trebbiano d’Abruzzo

Basilicata DOCG: Aglianico del Vulture Superiore; DOC: Matera and Terre dell’Alta Val d’Agri

Calabria DOC: Bivongi, Ciró, Greco di Bianco, Pollino, and Verbicaro

Campania DOCG: Aglianico del Taburno, Fiano di Avellino, Greco di Tufo, Taurasi; DOC: Campi Flegrei, Capri, Cilento, Penisola Sorrentina, and Vesuvio

Emilia–Romagna DOCG: Albana di Romagna and Colli Bolognesi Classico Pignoletto; DOC: Lambrusco, Sangiovese di Romagna, and Bosco Eliceo

Friuli–Venezia Giulia DOCG: Ramandolo, Colli Orientali del Friuli Picolit, and Rosazzo; DOC: Friuli Aquileia, Collio, and Lison Pramaggiore

Lazio DOCG: Cesanese del Piglio and Frascati Superiore; DOC: Castelli Romani, Colli Albani, Montecompatri-Colonna, Est! Est! Est! di Montefiascone, Velletri among others.

Le Marche DOCG: Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi; DOC: Bianchello del Metauro, Rosso Cònero, Lacrima di Morro d’Alba, and Falerio dei Colli Ascolani

Liguria DOC: Cinque Terre Schiacchetrà, Colli di Luni, Colline di Levanto, Golfo del Tigullio, Riviera Ligure di Ponente, Rossese di Dolceacqua, Val Polcevera, and Pornassio

Lombardy DOCG: Franciacorta, Moscato di Scanzo, and Valtellina Superiore; DOC: Garda Classico, Cellatica, and Botticino

Molise DOC: Biferno, Molise, and Pentro di Isernia

Piedmont DOCG: Asti, Barbaresco, Barbera d’Asti, Barbera del Monferrato Superiore, Barolo, Brachetto d’Acqui, Dolcetto di Diano d’Alba, Erbaluce di Caluso, Gavi, Gattinara, Ghemme, and Roero; DOC: Barbera d’Alba, Freisa d’Asti, and Freisa di Chieri

Puglia DOCG: Primitivo di Manduria; DOC: Aleatico di Puglia, Cacc’e Mmitte di Lucera, Salice Salentino, and Rosso di Cerignola

Sardinia DOCG: Vermentino di Gallura; DOC: Malvasia di Bosa, Moscato di Sorso-Sennori, Moscato di Cagliari, Vernaccia di Oristano, Cannonau di Sardegna, Nuragus di Cagliari, Carignano del Sulcis, and Mandrolisai

Sicily DOCG: Cerasuolo di Vittoria; DOC: Moscato di Noto Naturale, Moscato di Pantelleria, Moscato di Siracusa, Marsala, Malvasia delle Lipari, and Sambuca di Sicilia

Trentino-Alto Adige DOC: Alto Adige/Südtirol which has six subzones, Valdadige, Teroldego Rotaliano, Casteller, and Lago di Caldaro/Caldaro

Tuscany DOCG: Chianti, Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Carmignano, Vernaccia di San Gimignano and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano; DOC: Bolgheri, Vin Santo del Chianti, Bianco della Valdinievole, and Ansonica Costa dell’Argentario

Umbria DOCG: Sagrantino di Montefalco and Torgiano Rosso Riserva; DOC: Rosso Orvietano, Colli del Trasimeno, Assisi, and Colli Altotiberini

Val d’Aosta Blanc de Mordex et de la Salle, Petit Rouge de Enfer d’Arvier et Torrette, Petite Arvine; DOC: Val d’Aosta

Veneto DOCG: Amarone di Valpolicella, Recioto di Soave, Prosecco, and Bardolino;  DOC: Valpolicella, Lessini Durello, and Bianco di Custoza

While the tarentella is one of Italy's most recognized dances, Tango World in Venice is about to take over the City of Water. (photo by Peter Hummers via flickr)

From June 1 to 5, Venice’s passenger terminal 103 will be transformed into an Argentine milonga, transporting you across the Atlantic for the fourth installment of Tango World in Venice.  While Italians are more known for their fast-paced tarantella than their sultry tango, Italian immigrants to Buenos Aires put their stamp on the national dance, influencing controversial changes in the lyrics, the music, and even the dance itself.  During Tango World in Venice locals, visitors, and cruise passengers alike can mix it up with professional dancers at nightly milongas, tango-ing the night away to live music.

While Italians may have put their stamp on the tango, here are some of the dances that they are really known for:

The Furlana, popular in Friuli and in particular Venice, is an old-fashioned dance that has a waltz feel to it, often featuring a couple flirting, courting, fighting, and making up.  Fast-paced and dramatic, the woman’s handkerchief is passed back and forth between the couple.

Liscio is a fluid, polka-like folk dance from northern Italy’s Romagna region that involves a couple circling the dance floor.  Both the dance and its music gained popularity across the country.

The Monferrina is a lively dance from the Piedmont region danced in two phases: the promenade and a couple dance.  The female dancers playfully move their skirts along with the accordion music.

By far the most well-known of Italian folk dances, the Tarantella, varies across Southern Italy and Sicily in name and performance (for example, the Puglia region calls it pizzica)—all of them fast-paced with jumpy movements and lots of tambourine playing.  Originally known as the cure to a deadly tarantula wolf spider bite, the frenzied dance known as the tarantella snuck its way into Italian and global culture.