Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
product of Florence, which gives new meaning to the phrase “death by chocolate”;
and the cream-and-custard-based gelato of Northern Italy.)
To wash it all down?
Wine
from the folks who taught the French how to tend
grapes. Again, every region in Italy produces phenomenal wines, from the earthy,
purple-black
Salice Salentino
in Puglia to the light, fruity
tocai
in the Friuli. But,
if you had to pick just two regions that are constantly trying to outdo each other
in the prodigious production of truly great wines, those would have to be Tuscany
(the short-short list of varietals includes Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, and
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano) and the northern region of Piemonte (from
which the mighty Barolo, Barbera, Barbaresco, and Nebbiolo hail—not to men-
tion Asti spumanti, the champagne of Italian sparkling whites).
Now let's get down to specifics. You will, of course, tailor your trip to your
own tastes and interest, but there are a few things no one should miss. What fol-
low are the greatest Italian attractions and experiences—plus ways to get off the
beaten path and discover the “other Italy.”
THE BEST CHURCHES
ST. PETER'S & THE VATICAN (ROME)
The capital of Christendom and
the Pope's personal pulpit is St. Peter's Basilica, one of the most spectacular assem-
blages of art and architecture on the planet, and a pilgrimage point for Catholics
from around the world. The world's smallest country—Vatican City—is also
home to one of the grandest museum complexes in Europe, of which
Michelangelo's ceiling in the Sistine Chapel is just a teensy part. See p. 67.
THE DUOMO (FLORENCE)
Florence's cathedral is a study in the origins of
the Renaissance, from the doors on the baptistery out front, which set the tone
and style for all later Renaissance art; to the frescoes in the church by Paolo
Uccello, one of the first masters of perspective; to Brunelleschi's ingenious dome,
which revolutionized architecture. Bonus: You can climb up between the two lay-
ers of that dome and see Brunelleschi's genius up close as well as the brilliant
panorama of the city. See p. 119.
ST. FRANCIS'S BASILICA (ASSISI)
This massive home of the Franciscan
order is a major pilgrimage destination, both for devout Catholics and art afi-
cionados, who arrive in droves and tour buses to view the famous frescoes by
Giotto—though don't miss the equally brilliant frescoes by early Sienese masters
Simone Martini and the Lorenzetti brothers in the lower church of this double-
decker basilica. See p. 211.
ST. MARK'S BASILICA (VENICE)
Grafted together from bits of military
plunder, coated inside with golden mosaics, and sporting a quintet of vaguely
Eastern-looking domes, the cathedral of Venice epitomizes this city's obsession
with beauty and religious ritual, and its style reflects its ancient trading connec-
tions with the Oriental world. See p. 309.
CAPPELLA DEGLI SCROVEGNI (VENETO)
For every 100 people who visit
the Giotto frescoes in Assisi, maybe one makes it to the university town of Padova,
which the Gothic master painter—widely considered to be the father of Western
