Travel

Italy, the birthplace of pasta and pizza provides a wide range of choices for artwork lovers to experience. A temperate climate exists here with very hot summers and not so cold winters. The weather is the best in spring and autumn with pleasant temperatures and scenic views. At that time of the year, the place isnít crowded much and things can be enjoyed in leisure.  Incase of emergency call 112. For fire call 115 and for ambulance call 118.

Culture

Italian is widely spoken and is the official language. English isnít very familiar to the locals. Family ties are of utmost importance here and hence social courtesies mean a lot to the locals. There is a great impact of the Roman Catholic Church on the culture here. There is a high content of chlorine in tap waters, so bottled water is recommended for staying fit during the trip. Since Italian is spoken on a wide scale, it is highly recommended to learn few common Italian phrases which can be of great use. Social gatherings call for formal wear, but one can dress in casuals otherwise. At some religious places, sleeveless shirt and shorts are frowned upon. So they are better avoided. Purses and wallets should be well guarded and in case of any theft, police should be informed about the incident.

Site Seeing

The first thing to check out is the leaning tower of Pisa, where Olympics originated. At places like museums and art galleries, photography, especially flash photography is restricted. Check out the ticket counter for more information. Italy should be majorly discovered on foot for a thorough viewing of all the beautiful buildings and monuments. Coaches and trains are a good option to get to a tourist spot.

Shopping

Shops here are open from 9am to 8pm, closed for lunch. Quality of goods is great although the prices are very less. Items like crystals, lacework, leather good, and jewelry can be bought at the stores. Remember to hold on to the receipt. Tipping of 10% is customary along with the service tax levied on the bill. Italy is famous for top designers of the world, so do buy clothes and accessories to update your wardrobe. Cruises have formal gatherings in the evening, so ensure to buy a cocktail dress or some formal wear, though casuals can be worn at other times.

Electricity

The voltage used is 220 volts and 50 Hz frequency.

Getting there

Alitalia is the national airline of Italy.  Many other flights connect to Italy from USA, Canada and Australia and there is big competition to attract passengers giving a wide range of offers to travelers.  Rome airport is located 26 km away from the city and it takes 45 minutes to get there from the airport.  Trains connect directly to Termini Station from where one can take taxi to get to their destination. Duty free shops, bank, car hire and restaurants are the other services provided at this airport. Milan has another famous airport here, which is at a distance of 45km away from the city.

Brindisi, Ancona, Naples and Venice are the major seaports of Italy. Italian State Railways connects many European cities. But, Eurostar provides the fastest train service.

If choosing to drive, donít forget to carry international driving license and international insurance certificate. Roads connect Italy to France, Austria and Switzerland. Many coach services are provided from the neighboring countries.

Duty Free Items

1. 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 100 cigarillos or 250g of tobacco
2. 2liter of wine and 1liter of spirits (over 22 per cent) or 2liter of fortified or sparkling wine
3. 50g of perfume and 250ml of eau de toilette; 500g of coffee or 200g of coffee extract (if over 15 years of age)
4. 100g of tea or 40g of tea extract
5. Gifts not exceeding Ä89.96 (if entering from an EU country), Ä175 (if entering from a non-EU country).

This beautiful Castle is situated in Milan, Italy and it is now in our days one of the greatest places in the entire Italy. The Castle was built to defend the city of Milan from attacators. The original construction on the site began in the 14th century. A great military architect made it bigger, but it was destroyed. A few years later, the Castle was rebuilt and enlarged and it was named after Francesco Sforza.

The Sforzesco Castle was rescued again in the 20th` Century and it became an important place for culture and art.Lots of Museums are sheltered in the Castle and many art collections are exposed in there.

If you are in love with art, this is the right place to visit,because you can satisfy some of your curiosities. Here you can visit the Museum of Decorative Arts,witch contains beautiful pieces of furniture, ceramics, etc. Amazing costume collections are exposed in there and this pieces of art helped Milan to become the leader in the fashion world.

In the Sforzesco Castle you can find some of Picasso`s paintings and other great painters works of art.the paintings are exposed in the Painting Gallery.If you want to live a little bit in the past just try to understand the beauty of their work.

You can also see and learn lots of new things about the early civilizations at the Prehistoric Museum.The beauty of the Egyptian history is also captured in the Sforzesco Castle and you can see mystery and all the beautiful contrasts between the history of pharaohs and the people who live in Egypt in our days.You can feel and imagine yourself as being in Egypt when you see all the beauty of a great culture.you can see all this magical things at the Archaeological Museum.

You can find in this beautiful shelter of art many contrasts between the museums;you can see the glamorous world of fashion and you can see great pieces of furniture and the amazing weapons and armors.To see the real beauty of this art you have to understand the supple design of the furniture,costumes and the hard design of the weapons.

From dangerous things like weapons we can go and visit the beauty of the music world,at the Musicam Instruments Museum.Not only the sounds of the intruments are great,but the intruments themselves.

So, if you want to learn more,to travel into the mistery of history and visit amazing things,from furniture to weapons ,this is the right place to go.

Milan is located in the Lombardy region in the north of Italy. It is the second city, after Rome, in size and importance in Italy.
Milan is considered to be the capital of modern and contemporary art. The main touristic attractions are the Dome, Sforzesco Castle, Galeria Vittorio Emanuele II, the Palace of San Giorgio and the columns of S. Lorenzo.
Galeria Vittorio Emanuele is one of the most beautiful covered galleries in Europe. Began in 1865, it was the first of it’s kind to make use of an iron and glass structure. In 1867, Giuseppe Mengoni, the architect, fell to his death from the heights of the glass dome while revising the decorative details, two days before King Vittorio Emanuele led the opening ceremony.
Galeria Vittorio Emmanuele II is a shopping mall with historical prestige of neo-classical baroque trend of the nineteenth century, the centre of Milan. Also called “le salon Milan”, the gallery is a passage between the Piazza Duomo in Milan and La Scala named after the king Victor Emmanuel II of Italy.
Galeria Vittorio Emanuele II is one of Milan’s most important centre of the city for its beauty and prestige. It is occupied by many shops, bookstores, antique shops, cafes, restaurants, boutiques including Louis Vuitton, Borsalino and even Prada.
Galeria Vittorio Emanuele was built not only to connect the squares of La Scala and Il Duomo, but to represent the union of church and state which came about after the nationalist revolution of 1848.
This shopping mall, which has 50 metres from the Duomo, is a beautiful place to stroll and to look through shop windows.
Although the original structure is now some kind of Fast food restaurants to eat something, though the most expensive boutiques are plentiful.
It is worthwhile to look at floors and ceilings that are a real price.