Italy

• 1.Europe

Italy is a great country for history, architecture, landscapes, beautiful towns, excellent food, fashionable people and more.

The Northern part of the country has lots to offer. Bologna is nice and has a a cool historical centre and a 97 metre-high tower for views of the entire city. Local delicacies include the world famous Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, aceto balsamico di Modena and Parma ham. Don't miss the leaning tower of Pisa which is nice and slightly crazier in reality than in pictures. Genoa is another beatiful city in Italy's Northern part; here you can tour a submarine at the Museo del Mare and check out the interesting Lanterna de Genova lighthouse, among other sites.

Cinque Terre is a string of five incredibly scenic villages connected by foot paths, trains and ferries (hiking trails weren't open between all villages when I visited - check with the tourist offices for details). Vernazza was my favorite of the five. I did the Vernazza - Corniglia coastal path hike and also visited Manarola by train. Highly recommended.

The small town of Sant'Agata Bolognese hosts the factory of legendary automaker Lamborghini which produces some of the coolest cars around and is my favorite car brand. The factory tour is highly recommended as you'll get to see the entire production process up-close (no pictures allowed inside the factory); the attention to detail and the level of organization were fascinating (despite there being a lot of manual work involved in producing a Lamborghini). The tour included the Huracan and Aventador production lines. The factory also has a museum displaying Lamborghini models produced over the years including a range of cool prototypes. Also, Lamborghini tests its cars on the streets around the factory, a good opportunity to see lots of the fabulous cars driving around Sant'Agata Bolognese. Other Italian car manufacturers also have factories or museums in the area if you're interested.

For an even more thrilling experience you can take a Lamborghini for a test drive. I used the services of My Motorland and did a test drive of a Lamborghini Huracan. The car is sporty yet surprisingly easy to drive. I also loved the hi-tech controls that had an airplane cockpit feel. Getting inside a Lamborghini for the first time feels like entering a spaceship. You cannot visit Northern Italy without taking this car legend for a drive. Check out a short test drive video here.

I also visited Venice and some of the surrounding islands - Murano and Lido. Venice was a pleasant surprise with its canals, narrow streets, no car traffic and lively atmosphere (I think it helps if you visit outside peak season - I was there in October). There's lots to do in Venice: get lost in the maze-like streets, take the obligatory gondola ride, feed the pigeons in San Marco Square, take a boat trip to some of the nearby islands and marvel at exquisite Murano glass artwork.

Rome is the place to go if you're interested in ancient history. Impressive achievements of the older days such as the stunning Colosseum, Trajan's Column or the Pantheon are obvious destinations. Piazza Navona, the legendary Fontana di Trevi or the majestic Vittorio Emanuele Monument are other beautiful sights. San Pietro in Vincoli basilica houses the chains that are said to have bound Saint Peter when he was imprisoned in Jerusalem. The Roman Forum is another site filled with impressive architecture and history.

Rome also hosts the official headquarters of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), the modern continuation of the original medieval order of Saint John of Jerusalem established around 1023 (also known as the Knights Hospitaller). Why is this significant? SMOM is a unique political entity which, as a sovereign subject, issues its own stamps, car license plates and passports (in limited numbers); their buildings enjoy extraterritoriality. With a bit of luck you can spot a very rare SMOM license plate on one of the organization's cars. Interesting stuff.

You can get a stamp from the SMOM Post Office and mail yourself a postcard (if your country accepts SMOM stamps). There's also a more recently opened Visitors Centre, but this wasn't available when I visited Rome. Read a few words on checking out the Sovereign Military Order of Malta here (a part of my series on Europe's Microstates, where SMOM is included as a bonus).

Sicily, to the South, has the impressive Mount Etna, the delightful town of Taormina and more excellent food. The little village of Castelmola, located close to Taormina, is also very scenic. The city of Palermo has a nice historical centre and a beautiful cathedral.

From Italy I also did a Mediterranean cruise with the MSC Seashore which was a pleasant experience. The ship was new and modern, and has a capacity of 5,877 passengers. A tour of the command bridge and of the engine control room was a very interesting experience. The cruise started and ended in Civitavecchia, close to Rome, and stopped in Palermo, Ibiza, Valencia, Marseille and Genoa (additional pictures from this cruise are posted in the Spain and France albums).

Additional info:
- country entry on Wikipedia
- country profile on Wikivoyage

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