Comfortable and Classy Outfit is the Best Choice for your Italian Holiday

We all know that travelling can be extremely pleasant but also very energy-consuming – when you are on a trip, the last thing you want to think about is what to wear on that particular day. It is perfectly reasonable to pay less attention to the dress code while on vacation, but let us just say that travel to Italy allows for a few exceptions.

Italians are famous all over the world for having a certain flair for fashion and elegance, and how could it be otherwise for people from the country of Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada and Gucci? This is the reason why, when travelling in Italy, you should definitely pay a little more attention to what you put on in the morning (at least if you don’t want to be recognized as a tourist from the very moment you step out of your hotel).

Here are a few tips on what to wear when you are in Italy in summer, so you won’t be looked at with that “Oh-my-God-another-tourist” eye…

Avoid Beach Clothes

Italy is the Land of Sun, and in summertime it is almost always very hot and sunny, but this does not mean that you are at the beach and can dress as you would do in Cancun. Especially when you are visiting big cities like Florence or Rome, or locations not right on the shore, shorts, crop tops, short skirts and flip flops are definitely not the proper outfit for the day.

“Here comes the tourist”

Not exactly the ideal hat for a tour in Venice

When packing for a trip to Italy, it can be hard to leave behind the favorites from your baseball cap collection, but bringing along Hawaiian shirts or very eye-catching clothes might not be the greatest thing to do. Try to leave your beloved Knicks t-shirt, safari hats, multi-pocket jackets and your beautiful yellow and green backpack in the closet back home. Attempt, instead, to observe the Italian style and try to dress in an elegant and understated way. And if you are planning on wearing sandals, don’t even think about pairing them with knee-high white (or, even worse, striped) socks! Please…just don’t do it.

Decent Clothing

Of course summer in Italy can be hot and the temptation to go around the cities in shorts and skimpy clothes is high but, as you probably know, Italy is full of religious sites and churches that are a big part of a trip’s must-sees. You need to be aware that you won’t be allowed in any of these places without decent clothing — “decent” means you should have your shoulders and knees covered and not wear anything excessively showy. The Vatican is definitely worth a jacket, trust us!

Go Classy

Don't Leave Elegance Home While on Vacation

Italy is the place where the world’s most famous designers were born and get their inspiration so there is no doubt that when it comes to clothing, Italians do it better. If you really want to camouflage yourself and dress as the Italians do, but without spending all your money in Gucci and Prada boutiques, you are in the right place. In general, Italians have a natural tendency towards elegance so you will find classy and fashionable apparel  in almost every shop in Italy. Check out stores like Sisley or Benetton for fashionable clothes at affordable prices.

We hope our suggestions on clothing have inspired you, but in case you still need some help, you can’t go wrong with our shopping tour of Milan!

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Navigating the web to book a vacation anywhere in the world has become doable by anyone with access to a computer, however due to the enormous choice available, it can be a double-edged sword. At first glance, it might seem unnecessary to use a travel agent but there are many reasons why using one can be the right choice if you want your vacation to be perfect.

1. Time

Booking a vacation without the help of a travel agent can be time consuming and we all know that time is money! The New York Times reported “In a survey of more than 2,000 travelers worldwide, 20 percent said it took them more than five hours to search and book travel online. Nearly half said it required more than two hours” in a recent article Are travel agents back?. That’s why the time Select Italy spends making your dream vacation come true is time you’ll be able to use to plan the fun part of it!

2. Money

Get value for your money

It’s not about how much you save, it’s about the value of what you end up buying with your hard earned cash! There are many ways to visit a country but visiting it doesn’t always mean experiencing it. By choosing  Select Italy as your travel agent, you get your money’s worth since all our properties and services have been personally  selected by us.

3. Experience

If you’re planning on visiting a country, the best thing to do is to ask for advice from someone who knows that country intimately: the best places to visit, the best food and wine, every single local tradition.  Too often there is much more to see than just the best known cities and locations. Our Italy experts will design a trip just for you because we use our 15 years of experience to meet your desires.

4. Assistance

Whatever you need, whenever you need it during your vacation, a travel agent can provide help and assistance regarding transportation, accommodations and all kinds of useful information. We won’t leave you on your own!

5. Much more than “Flights and hotels”

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One of the most common myths about travel agents is that they only provide flights and hotels, however, a vacation is much more than just “getting to the place.” Everything in between your arrival and your departure can be completely personalized: from transportation to guided tours to every kind of unique activity that will make your trip to Italy a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

These are just some of the reasons to use a travel agent. The list is long and we’ll keep writing about this topic, so stay tuned!

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When you are only planning to spend a day or two of your vacation in Rome and want to see as much as possible during this time, the last thing you want to do is spend half of the day standing in line waiting for Vatican tickets. But, if you do not take the time to buy your tickets in advance of the day you plan to visit, this is exactly what you are going to end up doing.

Your Vatican Tickets Are Just the Start

Buying your Vatican tickets in advance is the best way to cut down on the amount of time you could end up spending waiting in line. However, just because you have entrance tickets, this does not mean you can just waltz in; you must meet certain criteria to be able to enter. To start with, you will need your passport to show to the security guards and then they must ensure that you meet the required dress code which includes no mini-skirts, shorts, sleeveless shirts or bare shoulders.

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The summer travel season is starting to heat up, and that means it’s time to think about cool places to go in Italy. Whether it’s for a break from the summer heat or to get a closer look at some exciting destinations in Italy that are either new or just new to you, it’s never to soon to prime your Italian summer cool-seeking plan:

1. Dolomiti

In Italy the cool starts right at the top of the country with the Dolomiti, or Dolomites. The Dolomites are one of the more spectacular mountain ranges of the Alps. Stark, jagged, beautiful and cool, a drive with these peaks in the background makes for a richly rewarding scenic journey. As you hit the road you’ll be exploring the rugged northern Italian provinces of Trentino, Belluna and South Tyrol. Stay someplace amazing like the Vigilius Mountain Resort, almost 5,000 feet up and only accessible by cable car.

2. Trieste

The canal in Trieste Credits: Filip Knežić

Summer is a fabulous time to discover the urban Italian gem of Trieste, on the Adriatic Sea. This historic port city has many great cafes and an easygoing atmosphere. It also has the delightful Piazza Unità d’Italia, the largest piazza in Italy (not counting the Vatican). Travel writer Jan Morris calls it “the eye of the city and the lingering spot par excellence…on its western side it opens directly to the sea…Flags fly from the former Governor’s Palace. Bold masonry allegories look down from the immense old headquarters of the greatest of all Trieste institutions, the shipping line Lloyd Triestino…The long mock-Gothic structure with the clock tower is the Municipality, and here we are ourselves sitting  at a table outside the Caffe degli Specchi, the Café of the Mirrors, which has been comforting its customers with coffees, wines and toasted sandwiches since the days of the Emperors…”

3. Venice

Of course, Venice is on this list, but not because of the temperature: in fact, summers in La Serenissima can be on the humid side. But what gives Venice all the summer cool cred it needs is the famous Venice Biennale. This cultural smorgasbord encompasses the Venice Film Festival, theater, the Arsenale della Danza (dance), contemporary art and all attendant buzz this much artistic activity generates. Check out the programs but turn to Select Italy to pin down your travel details during this period when all of Venice sells out fast.

4. Bologna

Overview of Bologna

We love Florence, it’s true, but come summertime, we have to say it’s not always the coolest place to be, literally and otherwise. But Bologna is. Surprisingly close, refreshingly different, and still exuberantly Italian: that’s Bologna, the city of countless colonnades, sensual Baroque fountains, amazing, non-touristy restaurants and much more.

Bologna is Italy’s seventh largest city by population and also the most learned: The world’s oldest university is here, tracing its roots back to 1088, and to this day a youthful spirit characterizes Bologna. Indulge in some fresh egg-pasta tagliatelle with traditional Bolognese meat ragu at an insider eatery before inspecting the Piazza del Nettuno or the offbeat and very cool Museo di Palazzo Poggi.

5. Marche

The rolling hills of the Marche

You’ve read it here, but because we’re slightly partial to it, here you go again: An undiscovered pearl in the Italian landscape, a captivating beauty that harbors Renaissance history, art and serenity, and a place that the New York Times considers ”the next Tuscany” – that’s Le Marche. Situated between the Adriatic Sea and the rolling hills of a picturesque back country, this unspoiled region is the perfect blend of natural beauty and rich Italian history.

The lush Marche is an untrammeled and easily accessible region with a long, scenic coastline. You’ve got Tuscany and Umbria to the west and Abruzzo to the south. Here, you’ll feel very much in the heart of the Italy, yet far from the madding crowds – which in summertime is a very cool place to be.

6. Italian Lakes District

The Italian Lake District, classically made up of Lake Maggiore, Lake Como and a portion of Lake Lugano, but also accommodating the more easterly Lake Garda, is classic Italian summertime cool. And not just because George Clooney made Lake Como famous by buying a villa there. It’s a truly harmonious balance of mountain vistas, crisp blue waters and legendary hotels like the Villa d’Este in Lake Como and Grand Hotel a Villa Feltrinelli on the shore of Lake Garda. Italian lakeside luxury in the warm months never goes out of style.

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The Coffee Shop

Sant' Eustachio il Caffè, 1938

Sant’Eustachio il Caffè is located in the heart of Rome between Piazza Navona and the Pantheon; it was opened in 1938 and the mosaic paving and furnishings are still the original ones. Right across the square from the coffee shop stands the church dedicated to Sant’Eustachio, founded in the 8th century. The coffee shop is owned by Raimondo and Roberto Ricci, two brothers who have run this place since 1999.

The Unique Aroma

Sant'Eustachio Coffee

Sant’Eustachio coffee is the result of a blend of different coffees from different places, selected and slowly roasted separately over a wood fire. This is the secret behind its famous and unique aroma. Fair trade coffee beans are purchased from cooperatives of producers in the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Ethiopia and Brazil, as well as special beans coming from the Galapagos and St. Elena islands. As William Grimes of the New York Times advised those seeking the perfect espresso: “When the need for a real espresso becomes overpowering, buy a ticket to Rome, tell the taxi driver to head straight for the Sant’Eustachio cafe. The espresso will be perfect. A little expensive, but surely worth the trouble.”

Espresso, Cappuccino and Much More…

Sant'Eustachio monachella coffee

From a classic espresso to the different versions of creamy, sweet or cold coffee, there’s a long list of specialties you’ll be able to taste at this place. Some examples are granita, a creamy blend of frozen coffee, topped with whipped cream; mousse al caffè, a sweet tasting cream made with strong coffee, sugar, eggs and whipped cream; or monachella, espresso coffee with chocolate and whipped cream. Other than all these variations on espresso coffee that are prepared and served at the counter, another famous specialty of Sant’Eustachio is called chicchi di caffè: these are whole coffee beans that are dipped in dark chocolate.

If you would like to try Sant’Eustachio coffee at home, it is Select Italy Food Store’s Special Offer of the Month for May!

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The Building of the Corridor

Giorgio Vasari self portrait

Cosimo I de’Medici originally ordered his favorite architect, Giorgio Vasari, to build a Corridor to connect Palazzo della Signoria, the Government Palace, to Palazzo Pitti, the Medici’s newly-purchased residence. The Vasari Corridor is today one of the most interesting and popular tourist attractions in Florence.

Son of the mercenary military captain Giovanni dalle Bande Nere and his wife Maria Salviati, Cosimo came to power in 1537 when he was just seventeen years old.  He married Eleonora of Toledo, daughter of Don Pedro Alvarez de Toledo, the Spanish viceroy in Naples at the time. Although Cosimo wielded power in a despotic way, during his administration Tuscany was a state in step with the times. He was able to exploit his political role in the field of fine arts, promoting many construction sites that changed the city of Florence for the better, improving the city’s cultural and economic status. The Corridor was certainly one of the great architectural gems that he gave to his city.

Today this aerial passageway houses both a collection of paintings from the Uffizi Gallery dating to the 1600′s and 1700′s, as well the world’s oldest and most comprehensive collection of artists’ self-portraits. The Corridor offers a spectacular view of the Arno river and the interior of Santa Felicità; it is the same view the Medici family had of the church when they attended Mass here and didn’t wish to be seen.

The Play

"Compagnia delle Seggiole" theatrical company

This beautiful place is rarely open to the public so it’s necessary to book tickets in advance. In 2011 on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of Vasari’s birth, an historical costume drama was performed by the theatrical group La Compagnia delle Seggiole (the Chairs’ Company) and it’s now back by popular demand.

A limited number of tickets are available for two English-language performances on the evenings of Saturday May 12th and Saturday May 26th, 2012.

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR TICKETS…

This enthralling drama introduces spectators to five characters from the passageway’s half-millenium history; play the video below for an interview with the Italian cast from the popular Italian TV show, “Sereno Variabile.”

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If you are looking for something a little different for your next vacation, you might be interested in one of our wine tours of Italy.  The Divino Tuscany is a special four day event that is held each year, and gives you the chance to sample some of the finest wines of Tuscany. This year it will be held in Florence from the 17-20th of May and if you like wine is an event not to be missed.

These Tours of Italy Encourage You to Taste Numerous Wines

Over the course of this event you will have a chance to enjoy tutored wine tastings that are guided by the vintners themselves. Of all of the wine tours of Italy we offer, this is one of the most popular as you will have a chance to sample not only some of the best wines from the region, but some of the finest local cuisine as well.

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The Origin

Taranta dancer

La Notte della Taranta Festival (Taranta Night Festival) is one of the most popular summer events in Italy.  It is dedicated to the Pizzica, a popular Italian folk dance that originated in the Salentine peninsula in Apulia. The traditions of this dance are centuries old, but the festival only started in the late ‘90s and consists of a entire night in which many famous musicians alternate their performances with orchestras while people dance to this obsessive, hounding sound.

Galatina in Apulia is the city where this tradition started; in fact the church of San Paolo was the place where people bitten by the spider went to drink holy water from a well situated behind the church. Every year on June 29^th a Mass of exorcism is celebrated here.

The Meaning

What does Taranta mean? The dance’s name comes from the tarantula spider. According to the popular belief, Tarantismo is considered an hysterical phenomenon caused by the spiders’ bite with convulsions and a confused physiological condition; the dance was also meant to get rid of part of the spider’s poison.

The Festival Today

Taranta Night Festival

Nowadays many different orchestras and cultural associations recall the tarantati (bitten people’s) dance, even if it has a deeply different meaning than the original one. Tradition, mythology, ethnology, religion and psychiatry have interwoven and merged in this amazing festival that takes place at the end of August in Melpignano in Salentine Greece. The festival was first organized in 1998 by the Union of the Salentine Greek Cities and by the Institute founded by Diego Carpitella, an Italian professor of ethnomusicology at La Sapienza University in Rome who was considered to be one of the greatest scholars of Italian folk music.

With its 400.000 spectators each year, La Notte della Taranta is the biggest European festival dedicated to folk music and it’s well worth going if you’re in Apulia in August (this year’s dates are 11-27 August, 2012).

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Cynthia enjoys the summer season

1. Name and What do you do at Select Italy?

Cynthia Bianchini. I’m an intern in New York for the Production Department.

2. What’s your favorite Italian destination?

I haven’t been in many Italian cities, but I liked all the cities I visited. Each of them were different. I loved Modena, a historical city, but I would advise it for a short stay, because it is not a huge town. Yet my favorite one is Venice. This city is beautiful!

3. Whom would you go there with?

As it is a romantic city, I would go there with my boyfriend. To enjoy a Gondola Tour and
visit.

4. Which 3 things should you never be missing in your luggage when traveling to Italy?

My camera, credit card and sunglasses.

5. What Italian food are you addicted to?

Without hesitation, I’m addicted to pasta. So good and numerous ways to cook it.

6. Reveal to us a secret about Italy! Food, shop, unique view, restaurant, your favorite T4T…Whatever, we are really curious!

Aceto balsamico di Modena, a very good vinegar I often use at home. Ice creams from Piazza del Duomo, Milan, a lot of flavors, colors but to consume with moderation!   There are several nice parks in Milan, where you can relax and tan (weather permitting) in the heart of his huge city.

Do you want to ask something directly to Cynthia? Leave a comment below and she will reply!

Read all the other experts advice and travel tips.

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You don’t have to be a rock star to enjoy a break at one of these tantalizing Italian islands – but each has some association with celebrity. The reasons for that vary, but maybe these islands are also rock stars unto themselves.

1.Capri

The colorful port of Capri

Some would argue that Capri in the Gulf of Naples is the most famous island in the Mediterranean, and the very name has become synonymous with glamorous island escapism: remember those ads for Capri cigarettes in the 1980s? “She’s gone to Capri, and she’s not coming back.” Well, a few days in this stunning jewel of an island and you’ll not want to come back, either. The neon blue waters and Faraglioni (rock formations) and stunning, jagged coastline give Capri a truly ethereal aura. Capri’s got history, too: you can visit the ruins of Villa Jovis, built by the Roman Emperor Tiberius. And then there are the legendary hotels. If it’s true that the main town is often overcrowded with day-trippers, the island is four square miles and there’s actually plenty of room to roam.

2.Elba

Elba is big: at 86.5 square miles, it’s actually Italy’s third largest island after Sicily and Sardinia and part of the Arcipelago Toscano National Park. But it’s not its size that put Elba in the map: it was Napoleon. Following the French Emperor’s forced abdication in 1814, he was exiled to Elba for 300 days. Today Elba is as known for its wines, beaches and rugged scenery.

3. Panarea

Is it an island, or just a speck? Well, when it’s this cool, does it really matter? Tiny Panarea is a mere 1.3 square miles, but becomes a bastion for the chic set each summer. If traveling then, you’ll want to make reservations at trendy hotels like the Raya well in advance. Mycenaeans and later Romans settled Panarea, which is an inactive volcano and part of the Aeolian Island chain.

4.Pantelleria

Giorgio Armani has a dammuso on Pantelleria that’s pretty much as good as it gets. A what, you ask?  A dammuso is an ancient Mediterranean dwelling with rectangular walls made from lava stones, and a domed roof. Pantelleria, a remote island off the southwestern coast of Sicily, is one of the few places left where dammusi are still the predominant form of residential architecture. Naturally, Armani’s take on this traditional style of building is more modern and luxurious, but the designer’s choice of this volcanic island as a getaway speaks volumes about its appeal. The wind-swept landscapes are hauntingly beautiful.

5.Giudecca

The small island of La Giudecca

You can’t talk about Italy’s rock star islands without mentioning Venice, but it’s also difficult, because actually Venice is made up of 118 little islands. But one is worth mentioning specifically in this context: the Giudecca. This slender island just south of the central portion of Venice is where rocker Elton John is said to keep his Venice home. The island is also home to the famous Hotel Cipriani and its just-as-famous swimming pool – Olympic-sized and the only one in Venice. Sources say that one evening after an event at the hotel, George Clooney was spotted in the pool with his clothes on – that qualifies as a rock star moment, does it not?

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