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Tuscany and Umbria Tips for the Traveler

Tuscany and Umbria contain some of Italy's most photogenic landscapes. The two regions include the famed cities of Florence, Siena, Assissi, Perugia, and Pisa; miles of coastline; and the islands of the Tuscan Archipelago. While Tuscany is known for its blend of cosmopolitan culture with classic architecture, Umbria is known as the "green heart of Italy,” perfect for walking, caving, hang-gliding and rafting.

CiaoBambino has gathered together some of the most useful online resources for Tuscany and Umbria. It’s a complete guide with some of the best links to online travel guidebooks, Pisa's best architectural sites, and information on Tuscany’s renowned archipelago.

Touring Italian Architecture
Two-thirds of the world's architectural heritage is located in Italy, and Tuscany is at the center of it all. A great way to take in the Tuscan heritage is on bicycle.

The Tuscan Archipelago
One of Italy's most untouched landscapes is the chain of islands in Italy's Tuscan Archipelago National Park. Some islands are only accessible by special permit, and some still serve as active prisons.

Traveling by Train through Tuscany and Umbria
Find rail travel maps and calculate distances. CiaoBambino has listed the sites that you need for your trip planning.

Eating Out: The Top Restaurants
Montepulciano is known for its incredible food. Chances are, if you're traveling between the two regions, you'll end up here.

Free Travel Guide of Milan by Flashbooking for Backpackers

Milan, a northern Italian city, stands in the centre of the large Lombardy plain, between the the Po, Adda and Ticino river valleys. Like many citys of its kind located on a plain, the city radiates out,in a regular pattern from its nucleus, the ancient city centre.This large and lively city is an important financial centre, a creative fashion workshop and a place rich in artistic and cultural sights.

Flashbooking is a growing cheap hostel Milan and hotels directory specializing in budget accommodation for independent travellers, students, backpackers, families and all the ones that travel on a pocket. Flashbooking is becoming a recognized source of information and services for who loves creating a trip by him/herself and book bed nights securely online. The Piazza del Duomo, is recognised as the official centre of the city. The square is flanked by a long line of porticoes and on the square's left side, the entrance to the Vittorio Emanuele II. The two Arengario buildings facing the gallery from across the square, indicate the access point to Piazza Diaz.

Those who love travelling light, those with a sense for adventure, those who love flexibility in their trips, those who like meeting locals and travelling slow and low... those are Flashbooking happy travellers! See Flashbooking database of selected accommodations worldwide and help us enlarging the hostel offer by reporting the contacts of some accommodations, lodgings, BandB, youth hostels and budget small hotels where you personally stayed. In fact, Flashbooking policy tends to privilege small and family-run hotels in order to promote an alternative tourism respectful of cultures and different societies.

The Castello Sforzesco in Milan, stands out among the city's many Renaissance buildings. The castle, built in 1368, is the site of the Civic Museum, dedicated to visual and applied art from the Medieval period to the 17th century, together with Paleo-Christian art and sections on ancient and Egyptian art. Flashbooking provides a large selection of cheap or low cost reservation offers in Milan where there are plenty of low cost solutions for backpackers in budget youth hostels, bed and breakfast Milan, family run guesthouses, cheap hotel deals.

With the monthly newsletter, Flashbooking puts at travellers, students, volunteers free disposal some useful pocket travel guides of major European cities: the Amsterdam City guide, the London City guide, the Prague City guide, the Paris City guide, the Rome City guide, the Florence City guide, and the freshly issued Milan City guide!! For the Milan travel guide Flashbooking staff efforts concentrate on making it simple to read dividing the Milan centre in different districts with their relevant amenities.

In general, Flashbooking guides have been written for giving the essential information about the most visited cities in the world and in particular for any traveller or first-time visitor. For a short visit, a week-end, a city break, these free pocket guides are useful printable and downloadable tools available online. Milan is renown for its open and friendly international people, art museums and Art Galleries, the sea, the movida and cheap lodgings, classic itineraries and a lot more to make a visit worth wise.

Flashbooking chose to provide backpackers, students and families with a list of budget selected and independent accommodations worldwide, mostly run by locals, in order to promote an alternative tourism respectful of cultures and different societies. For this and other reasons Flashbooking is becoming a recognized source of information and services for who loves creating a trip by him/herself and book bed nights securely online.

Flashbooking cheap lodging solutions are all available for online bookings and divided by Countries. Travellers have free access to the updated list of Europe hostels and budget hotels, North and South America hostels, Caribbean and Central America hostels as well as for Asia cheap accommodations, Oceania youth hostels and Africa hostels.

Having the reservation final price is also convenient as it does give the transparency our users pretend while booking. Having the final total amount of your booking means you do not have to worry about other extra surprises! Flashbooking policy tends to privilege small and family-run hotels in order to promote an alternative tourism respectful of cultures and different societies. So mates, we are looking forward to finding you THE budget accommodation in Milan, that meets your needs and pocket for your next trip!

Italy Vacations With Kids

Some parents are anxious to depart the children in the home regarding holiday time, but some others are strong-minded to offer their children with as numerous experiences as possible despite the fact that they are growing up and, often, no expedition is too extreme or too outrageous for several of those families.

If you're looking for the best vacation getaway for you and your kids, consider a trip to family-friendly Italy. Italy vacations along with children can sprint pretty easily since there's a lot to maintain them busy, most Italians love kids, and what kid does not enjoy a pretty good plate of spaghetti or some other perennial Italian favorite on their dinner plate.

Traveling with kids demands a little pacing, particularly if you have children below the teenager years that are more likely to need extra time-out than the adults which can be along within the expedition. In addition, children's attentions spans are basically shorter than those of adults, hence it's a necessity to arrange less activities in the course of a daylight hours. While older kids as well as their parents could possibly endure 8-10 hours of seeing the sights, little ones want a break in between. So, while its fine to tour the Colosseum, stopover Vatican City, or take in a church or 2 in Rome, give the children a break by heading towards awesome catacombs over the Appian Way or enjoying the summer puppet theater on the Borghese Gardens.

Italy vacations along with children should include a trip to Venice. Even children are charmed by this amazing metropolis and will be dying to drive the canals and rush through the pigeons at St. Mark's Square. Venice is also, naturally, full of bridges. Embark upon a bridge finding excursion and spot how many you possibly can photograph. Consider, however, that many of the bridges have steps up and down, thus little ones in strollers make traversing them rather difficult.

In Tuscany, Italy vacations intended for families together with children can include baking lessons for everyone, visits toward cheese-making establishments, or bicycle rides through the countryside. In the Tuscan region's rich metropolis of Florence, kids can explore Boboli Gardens with its fountains, grottoes, and ponds or stopover the oldest zoological museum in the world.

Don't take little things with no consideration, like making ample stops for food as well as drink. Energetic children get hungry fast and also a break for drink also means a stopover to re-energize. Usually, Italian food might be a little different than what American children possess at home, but it's a broad pull to all ages.Certainly, your child should eat Italy's signature ice cream treat - gelato - and gelaterias are literally all over the place, particularly within the big cities. There are actually many of flavors from which to select so sample a different one each day! Furthermore, Italy tends to possess a sweet tooth in general, so Italy vacations should always include stops for delicious pastries as well as cookies meant for the youngsters and an excellent cup of cappuccino for mother and dad - even if it's almost supper time!

The beauty of Italy

Italy is a beautiful country but is one of those countries which you probably have some questions and preconceptions, before your coming to this special country. A place of olive oil, pasta, wine, mafia and sunshine, roman ruins and renaissance palaces, Italy has a lot to give its tourists. Although some of these conceptions are amazing and interesting, it would be a shame if that was the only thing you come away with. Italy is certainly much more complex and stimulating than these concepts.

Italy is a country full of interesting things for the casual tourist and the educated tourist, it has deep Roman Catholic roots. The tourists can stay weeks in important tourist centers without reason to feel bored, but it is equally simple to get off the beaten track. In the north, next to the Alps and the landscapes of the Po river, many cultural gems and highly developed industrial cities fascinate. In this exciting country the people live the "la vita Italiana".    

Lombardia is the capital of Milan, city of business organization and haute couture, the tourist can easily stay weeks without being bored. Bergamo is only an hour of distance and has an upper Old Town. On every corner you will observe something new. Venice and Verona are the most famous tourist attractions in the north-east of Italy, maybe you can think about romantic love affairs here.

The people can discover easily the beautiful landscapes of Italy, Verona province may be the more fascinating. Many persons say that the north-west of Italy is a paradise for every culinary interested traveler. For the people who adore the wine, Piemonte is related with Barolo and Barbaresco, the most famous wines made out of the Nebbiolo grape. Turin is the capital of Piemonte, this city provides more than just a starting point to visit these wine regions.

Lots of tourist attractions like museums, modern art, music and book fairs make of this city, one of the notable Italian cities concerning cultural life. At the same time it is a booming industrial and multimedia city. One of the most popular areas in Italy is Tuscany which is located in central Italy. Known for it's beautiful landscape and picturesque towns and villages including Florence, Lucca, Siena and Cortona.

Exploring The Depths Of The Senses In Italy

We humans are creatures of sight and touch, and Italy will not disappoint seekers of tactile and visual stimulation.  Visualize the blending of ancient and modern worlds in the image of a double decker bus pulling up in front of the Colosseum in Rome.  Imagine the magic of the Renaissance artists in full bloom still on display after centuries, like the everlasting artwork of Michelangelo, including David in Florence and La Pieta in Rome, accompanying the height of modern fashion and some of the world's best clothes shopping opportunities.  

Picture the sights of Venice, one of the world's most romantic cities, where a huge crowd gathers in Saint Marc square on New Year's Eve to celebrate love, friendship, and passion with traditional copious kissing, then immerse yourself in the sensation of sinking into the therapeutic thermal baths on the Isle of Ischia.  By enjoying your next vacation in Italy, you can treat yourself to a world of unique sights, smells, sounds, tastes, and sensations unlike anything you have experienced before.

The smells of Italy will greet you from the moment of your arrival, at once calming the mind and enticing the appetites.  The smells of nature, from sea air blowing in off the breathtaking Amalfi coast to fragrant cherry blossoms in Sicily, will greet you at each destination, stimulating both memory and imagination.  The smells of fresh baked bread and other elements of Italy's world-renowned and exotic cuisine will envelope you as you walk down the streets of its historic cities.  No Italy trip would be complete without the experience of tasting the variety of its culinary delights, accompanied by some of the world's finest wine, topped off by a visit to Torino, the City of Chocolate, dedicated for centuries to perfecting the confectionery arts.  

Your experience may include the captivating sounds of one of Italy's fine traditional operas, the spellbinding performance of a classical symphony orchestra, or the booming of fireworks over Venice during the Festa del Redentore. There can be no better vacation destination than Italy for exploring the depths of the senses.  With its intensity and variety of experiences and sensations, a vacation to Italy is guaranteed to be stimulating, thrilling, and memorable.  In this rich land full of history and culture, from prehistoric ruins, through the ancient Roman relics, to the philosophical and artistic explosion of the Renaissance, each location is different and holds unique treasures for those who wish to develop a fine palate and perfect the art of living through the senses. 

Ultimately, the purpose of traveling is to stimulate the senses with unique experiences.  The reason we go on vacations and travel overseas is to experience the sensations associated with places other than where we call home, and the pleasure in any vacation or travel experience is directly related to the degree to which we experience sights, smells, sounds, flavors, and sensations that are not only different from what we normally experience, but also immersive and stimulating.  We rely on arousal and variety to not only heighten the senses, and thus the experience, but also to fully impress our memories with all we have taken in.  A vacation without intense stimulation of the senses can only be a less-than memorable experience.