Recommend December 2017 - 41

coming for Carnevale in Venice when all
the city's a stage and its resident players
wear the most stylish costumes and
masks found anywhere. Highlights of
Carnival's magical madness celebration
range from water parades to masked
balls. At Carnival time-or anytime-Hotel
Danieli, a Luxury Collection property
located next to the Doge's Palace and
Piazza San Marco, or the famous Gritti
Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel,
on the banks of the Grand Canal, offer
magical accommodations.

foodie haven
From Venice, it's an easy run to
BOLOGNA, a thriving town with a
beautifully preserved historic center,
lined by foggias or arcade-covered
sidewalks-21 miles of them. It's the home
of Europe's oldest university, and today is
Italy's foodie capital: the town that created
tagliatelle and ragu Bolognese. Bologna's
Quadrilatero, the ancient market
district, runneth over with food stalls and
delicatessens measuring out cheeses and
cured hams from the region, serving up
the finest high-fired pizzas at Ranzani13,
along with Italian brewed beers.
Outside of town, take in the new Gelato
Museum, and visit neighboring Modena-
home of great balsamic vinegar, the
Museo enzo Ferrari and native son
Luciano Pavarotti. Come back to Bologna
to learn to cook. And heads up: Just
opened Nov.15-eataly World, a huge
culinary theme park.

on the faShionable Side
Head north to MiLAN, the fast-paced
hub of all that is modern, and all that
is fashionably Italian. The designers of
Armani and Missoni are in town, making
the city a mecca of contemporary fashion,
and giving stylish voice to two luxury
hotels: Armani Hotel Milano adds chic
accommodations to its location in the
heart of the famed fashion district, while
Bulgari Hotel Milano, occupying an
18th century palazzo, sits adjacent to the
Botanical Garden. Here, the miracles of
Milan are the Galleria Vittorio emanuele
ii-the Old World model for the New
World's shopping malls-and the soaring
Duomo cathedral, a fairytale vision of
135 Gothic spires. Then, of course, there
is the famed La Scala opera house and

Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper," at
home in the Santa Maria delle Grazie
refectory. The country around Milan
is a delight in every direction: to the
north, the Alps, the Brenner Pass and
Austria; to the northwest, Lake Como
and Lake Maggiore.

Come to explore
GeNOA, Italy's main northern port, rebuilt
its Old Harbor section for the 1992 "Ships
and the Seas" exposition dedicated
to native son Cristoforo Colombo.
Modern explorers admire Genoa for its
grand Renaissance palaces-circle the
Palazzo Ducale and the art collections
in Palazzos Rosso and Bianco-and
Europe's largest aquarium, added during
the Old Town's regeneration under the
direction of another native son, architect
Renzo Piano. The port city also embraces
Profumo, a much-heralded gelato
show, Italian foodstuffs galore at Eataly,
and hotels like Le Nuvole, which are
revitalizing old palaces. South from Genoa
along the Liguria coast is Portofino, a
jewel of the Italian Riviera.

Great City of the South
NAPLeS is the great city of the south.
A recent gathering of world leaders here
prompted an extensive facelift, removing
air pollution's grime to reveal the full glory
of Naples' incredible array of churches and
monuments, many in the Centro Storico,
which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Not to miss is underground touring, on
foot through spooky catacombs and by
spiffy subway, whose 13 subway stations
host splendid works of contemporary art.
Head up to the Posillipo area for stunning
views of the city and Vesuvius, the
mountain that blew its top on Aug. 24, AD
79, burying nearby Pompeii, now Italy's
most important archaeological site. Naples
is also the place to attend an opera,
concerts and ballet in beautiful Teatro di
San Carlo, and, of course, dine often on
the traditional hometown invention: pizza!
And speaking of food, the restaurant of the
slick 83-room Romeo Hotel, a member
of Small Luxury Hotels of the World,
earned a Michelin star.

of Culture" in 2018. This capital of
Sicily is a fascinating city that cleverly
integrates designs of Arab and Byzantine
predecessors, the Norman palaces and
churches, and the crumbling grandeur of
Spanish Baroque into the modern port
of Palermo. No visit is complete without
a stop at Palazzo dei Normanni, the
Royal Palace with its gilded Cappella
Palatine, or an opera, ballet or concert at
the Art Nouveau Teatro Massimo. Sicily's
finest cathedral, famous for its medieval
mosaics, is in the hilltop suburb of
Monreale. And elsewhere on this largest
and most fascinating island in the Med are
the Valley of the Temples at Agrigento;
the fifth century Teatro Greco, still used
for summer performances of Greek
classics; ditto for reviving Hellenic dramas
and comedies each May and June
among the ruins of Syracuse; and on
ancient stages in Taormina, a gorgeous,
medieval, arty, cable-car-to-the-beach
resort town whose summertime Arts
Festival is held in a horseshoe-shaped
Greek amphitheater framing views of Mt.
Etna, the crown jewel of Sicily. And sitting
at the foot of Mt. Etna on the east coast,
beautiful CATANiA boasts a delightful
18th century Baroque historic center,
good street markets, a bubbly nightlife,
and a raucous fish market. Experience
exceptional seafood and trattoria vibe at
Osteria Antica Marina. ♦

FASTFACTS
GETTING THERE:
Rome: ATL, JFK; seasonally from DTW
Venice: Seasonally from ATL, JFK;
connecting through AMS, CDG, and
FCO year-round
Milan: JFK; seasonally from ATL
Florence: Connecting through AMS,
CDG, and FCO
Naples: Connecting through CDG and FCO
Palermo & Catania: Connecting
through FCO
Bologna & Genoa: Connecting through
AMS, CDG, and FCO
ENTRY DOCUMENTS: Valid passport

heaven on earth
Head farther south across the Med
to PALeRMO, Italy's official "Capital

INFORMATION PLEASE: italia.it

19
http://www.italia.it
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend December 2017
