How can you not love Italy? Is it fair that one country can have Rome, Florence, and Venice? Why did it inspire every monarch in Europe to want some piece of it? Who are these people who raise Leonardo’s and Michelangelo’s, but can’t run their trains on time?
Astonishing depth! In art, history, religion, food, wine, scenery, and dolce vita, Italy delivers. After you hit the big-name cities and you think you have it covered, you discover Lake Como, Palermo, and Siena. After you chase Michelangelo all over Florence and the Vatican, you visit the Villa Borghese and fall in awe of Bernini.
You see the Sistine Chapel in the sumptuous Papal Palace, and then search out “The Last Supper” in a bombed-out monk’s dining hall in Milan, or Giotto’s unassuming Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, or Tintoretto’s masterful Scuola Grande di San Rocco in Venice.
There is a certain irony that the powerful Caesars crucified an itinerant Jewish minister, only to have his church take over their city. The imprint of Empire and Church are both integral to the chronicle of Western Culture.
I suggest, strongly, that you do not arrive uninitiated. You don’t have to go crazy, but don’t show up cold. I’ve listed a few of my favorites to get you started. Follow your own interests.
The best introduction is The Italians, by Luigi Barzini. The acclaimed journalist knows and loves his people. He will do his best to help you understand them. There are reasons why we think of them as fiery and emotional. Barzini is an eloquent advocate.
Art will probably play a prominent role in your Italian sojourn. Art critic Robert Hughes leads you to the important works throughout his favorite city in Rome: A Cultural, Visual, and Personal History. This is education the easy way.
You should know something about Italy’s titans. Pick up Walter Isaacson’s Leonardo da Vinci. I just finished it. The man was amazing! For Michelangelo, you can pick up Irving Stone’s classic The Agony and the Ecstasy: A Biographical Novel of Michelangelo, or Ross King’s more recent Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling. Both are excellent.
For a touch more history, without getting too into the weeds, try Rome: A History in Seven Sackings
, by Matthew Kneale. Southern Italy and Sicily are like the Dixie of Italy. They’d just as soon secede! Their strategic position, smack in the middle of the Mediterranean, has made Palermo “the most conquered city in Europe.” John Julius Norwich tells the fascinating tale in Sicily: An Island at the Crossroads of History
.
That should do it for deep background. When it comes time for planning your actual itinerary, trust Rick Steve’s guides: Rick Steves Italy 2020 (Rick Steves Travel Guide), Rick Steves Rome 2020 (Rick Steves Travel Guide)
, Rick Steves Florence & Tuscany (Rick Steves Travel Guide)
. If you want a comprehensive guidebook, go with Lonely Planet Italy (Country Guide)
.
Ciao, Baby! Have a great trip.
