http://www.visititaly.com/ About two centuries ago, traveling in Italy becomes a trend. At the international level that fashion had a name: “Grand Tour”. Its primary value, it was believed, lay in the exposure both to the cultural legacy of classical antiquity and the Renaissance. The custom (flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transport in the 1840s), was associated with a standard itinerary. http://thegrandtoureurope.com/guided-tours-italy/ The first travelers, departed with the idea to see and experience the myth of Italy, open air museum, where the amount of art and archaeological sites, theaters and libraries were a strong cultural stimulus. But not only this, the traveler departed: enjoy the bright and sunny weather, was the suitable complement to know the beautiful city. One of the protagonists of the “Grand Tour” was Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who wrote a diary of that journey “Journey to Italy”. “We are all pilgrims who seek Italy”, Goethe wrote in a poem in 1790, two years after his return to Germany from his almost two-year spell in the land he had long dreamed of. But don’t worry you do not need to be a poet and a genius or spend two years travelling thoutht Italy to feel the same enthusiams and capture the same memories of Italy. http://www.amazon.it/The-Evolution-Grand-Tour-Anglo-Italian/dp/0714644749 Imagine you follow now this “Grand Tour”, visiting the cities that have made Italy famous all over the world. Will depart from Milan (with its theaters, galleries and Gothic cathedrals), from Verona you arrive in Venice (with the Basilica of San Marco, the bridges, the famous carnival). Passing through Pisa, you will come to Florence (with their churches, museums, palaces and works), wishing to discover the charm, antiquity, history and culture of Rome. http://www.umich.edu/~ece/student_projects/grandtour_tourism/grandtour.html Starting in the spring, you will want to go to Naples, also visiting Pompeii and Herculaneum, to conclude in the beautiful Sicily, the most inspiring and durable adventure of your life. The Grand Tour offers different type of tours, walks and activities to enjoy Rome and Italy’s infinite cultural and historical Heritage. http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/grand_tour/t1_art.html
