Of all the “romantic” countries, Italy is the one country that most of us want to visit, have an affinity for and frankly, gets the most press. Italy is fully Mediterranean, which adds to its allure and Italy’s history is rich in very high profile events and culture. It serves as the center of the Catholic Church, home to one of the five greatest empires and has all the cultural trappings of dozens of centuries to make a rich cornucopia of old and new.

Mention hot destination places in Italy and you are likely to get as many answers as the people you ask. Part of this is because the country is so diverse. It ranges from the aura of Sicily, to the majesty of Rome to the canals of Venice and the northern beauty of the Southern Alps. Its cities range from “Old World,” Rome, cosmopolitan-modern Perugia, ultra-rich Milan, seaport Genoa, romantic Venice and virtually everything in between.

Depending where you choose to visit, you can see a mixture of university culture as in the city of Padova, u modern chic that can be found in Naples or renaissance-historical history in Florence. You should not, however forget the countryside. Italy has some of the most beautiful rural areas in Europe, rivaling the countryside of France or Spain in its mixture of modern amenities and old world culture. In each region the food is different, ranging from heavier and more traditional dishes in the south to lighter fish and meat based fare in the north.