Italy

In this travel talk, Rick Steves covers practical skills for making the most of Italy, including transportation (trains and rental cars), avoiding lines, planning an itinerary, choosing hotels, taking a cruise, and enjoying Italy's cuisine and wine Rick Steves' Europe Travel Guide | In the shadow of Venice, we visit three great cities in the Veneto area. Padova is famed for its venerable university, precious Giotto frescoes, and pilgrim-packed basilica. Verona is a hit with aficionados of Roman ruins and Romeo and Juliet fans. And Ravenna, Rick Steves' Europe Travel Guide | After sorting through the monuments of Venice's powerful past, we'll trace its decline from Europe's most powerful city to its most hedonistic one. We'll cruise the Grand Canal, luxuriate in a venerable café, and savor fresh fish canal-side with Venetian friends. Rick Steves' Europe Travel Guide | Venice, more than any other European city, has an endlessly seductive charm. For centuries, it was nicknamed La Serenissima, "The Most Serenely Beautiful One"— and for good reason. Along with sampling the sumptuous art treasures of Venice Rick Steves' Europe Travel Guide | Fifteenth-century Florence was the home of the Renaissance and the birthplace of our modern world. In this first of two episodes, we'll gaze into the self-assured eyes of Michelangelo's David, enjoy Botticelli's Birth of Venus, delve into the 3-D wonders Rick Steves' Europe Travel Guide | Tuscany offers a "dolce vita" mix of hearty cuisine, fascinating history, and gentle beauty. First we'll learn about the original Tuscans — the ancient Etruscans — at Volterra's Etruscan Museum, then we'll tour a hill town Rick Steves' Europe Travel Guide | Check your local public television station for this Rick Steves’ Europe episode or watch it on https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read... Siena, once a proud and independent city-state, retains its confidence and unique traditions Rick Steves' Europe Travel Guide | Check your local public television station for this Rick Steves’ Europe episode or watch it on https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read... In the Italian countryside, we'll connect with rustic, traditional culture: enjoying an agriturismo (farmhouse inn)