Travellers always speculated on the "fatal spell" of Italy, which makes people the world over want to visit it. Is it just because "All roads lead to Rome", i.e. because of the attraction of the most classical western civilisation having its foundations in ancient Rome, and bloomed in the Middle Age, Renaissance and Baroque? Think again, there are many more reasons making Italy so universally desirable. There follows a brief presentation.

(1) In Italy you find more than half (some say two thirds) of the works of art (monuments and masterpieces) and sights of the entire world. They are also extremely varied, as they are expression of various historical eras, covering nearly 2,800 years. They are also the result of different societies and political realities. Half of this legacy can be found in Rome.

(2) The Italian civilisation was the first to stress the importance of cities. No other country in the world has so many towns, so different, so rich in art and history, and so beautiful. (3) No other civilization has developed to such extent the importance of human qualities. The Italian culture has its foundations not only in a very important and fruitful religion, but also in a great secular (non religious) humanistic culture, parallel and competing with the religious. (Right) Forest of domes, an ordinary view in Rome. View from top of the Spanish Steps, with San Carlo al Corso and the Vatican more prominent.

(4) Italy is incredibly varied. You find countless beautiful towns each with own history, architecture and works of art: not only Rome, Florence and Venice, but also Siena, Orvieto, Assisi, Naples, Palermo, Arezzo, Lucca, Genoa just to mention a few. Yet you also find medieval towns and inspiring churches (for ex. in Umbria), fishing ports, and charming little towns perched in unspoilt hills.
You also find any possible environment: varied and world-famous seaside regions (Italian Riviera in Liguria, the Amalfi coast, Sicily, Sardinia, a total of 7000 km of coast), beautiful and varied rural areas which inspired Renaissance painters, be it with cypress-studded landscapes or with scenic countryside. There are many mountains, different in their own right (the majestic Alps with skiing resorts, the Dolomite peaks interspersed with picture-perfect valleys). You find thriving plains (the Po plain), unexplored uplands (Calabria), fertile marine swamps (in Tuscany and in the Po delta), many impressive active volcanoes, a myriad of varied islands, some very large and with a totally different environment (Sicily and Sardinia), and also many lakes with world acclaimed sceneries.

(Right): A gladiator... having a smoke

(7) Since its very origin, the civilizations appeared in Italy (the Greek, the Etruscan, the Latin, the Byzantine, and naturally the Italian), have given an unprecedented importance to style, harmony with nature, good taste, and beauty. In no other country they are such a popular and widespread heritage. Since ancient times the Italians have been harbingers of style, fashion and art. Ferraris are not only the fastest cars, but also the most beautiful.

Italian, a melodious language, is also the language of music ("presto", "piano", "forte", "allegro" etc.).

(10) Although the historical centre ("centro storico") of Rome is the largest in the world, and although the one of the countless Italian towns have an outstanding personality, also the other quarters and the surroundings are equally interesting. All of Rome 100 or so quarters have a specific character. It is often debated in Rome which is best, where life is more interesting, and so on. The peripheral quarters are not shabby and inexpressive suburbs. They contribute to the broader Roman culture, and they are the typical setting of Italian movies (think about those of Pier Paolo Pasolini, of Fellini, of the post-WW2 neorealist movies). Each quarter has its anecdotes, and most of them are also beautiful, or intriguing to say the least. You have wonderful views from Monte Mario, you can enjoy walking along the mannerly Parioli quarter, or experience Testaccio and its popular atmosphere, etc.
The surroundings of Rome are extremely charming and beautiful. There are thousands places around Rome, in any direction: 13 Roman "Castles" or poetic villages including Tivoli heading south, five lakes (in opposite directions), two rivers (Tiber and Aniene), the Etruscan towns north of Rome (Cerveteri, Tarquinia etc), ancient Roman towns (Ostia Antica, to the west), the charming seaside localities (Ladispoli, Fregene etc.), the mountain villages and resorts (Monterotondo, Terminillo), the inspiring fertile and undulated countryside with its sanctuaries, and - just a little further - Cassino with its abbey, Viterbo and its historical centre etc.
You will thus understand why this land of expressive, vibrant and imaginative people has given pasta and pizza, Verdi and Pavarotti, Raphael, Leonardo and Michelangelo, Dante and Machiavelli, Catholicism with its saints and martyrs, but also Fellini, Mastroianni and Sophia Loren, an outstanding sense of style and "Dolce Vita" (Sweet Life), and countless other charms - among which one should include the Italian women -. Forster wrote "One doesn't come to Italy for niceness... one comes for life".

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