Italy seems to exist as two counties in people's minds. On the one hand it's a place dominated by modern chic, with the seat of fashion in Milan, luxury sports cars that are astoundingly beautiful and cutting edge cuisine. On the other hand it's a place steeped in tradition, with ancient ruins and renaissance architecture dominating its looks, and fixed ideas about the way food should be.
It helps that much of what forms Italy's older culture is preserved by law. UESCO World Heritage status means that there's a lot of old features in Italy that can't be tampered with. Also individual philanthropists have done their bit over the years to buy off and protect areas of land. There are more protected historical sites here than any other nation, and being able to see ruins such as the Coliseum, or the whole city of Pompeii, is an experience that stays with you long after the holiday is over.
Moving forwards a little in history you get to the renaissance. This incredible period brought us the leap from the dark ages into a quickly developing, cultural world. Visiting the galleries in Florence is an amazing experience, with names like da Vinci, Michael Angelo and Raphael at the heart of its collection. Renaissance architecture is also well-preserved in Florence, with a skyline that hasn't changed much for five hundred years.
Getting into how this lives on in modern Italy, you have to look at what's produced as practical art today. Cars are something that Italy does like nowhere else. Visit the car museum in Torino to see one of the biggest collections in Europe, and also some incredibly rare Ferrari, Alpha Romeo Lamborghini models. Or there's the other great modern art in the fashion world, which finds its home in the boutique-dotted streets of Milan. Here you'll find every major fashion brand in the world in one place, so that's some serious retail therapy opportunities.
All in all, Italy is a mixed place, but it beautifully blends its past with its present, and gives you an overall sense of a culture continuing through the centuries.
It helps that much of what forms Italy's older culture is preserved by law. UESCO World Heritage status means that there's a lot of old features in Italy that can't be tampered with. Also individual philanthropists have done their bit over the years to buy off and protect areas of land. There are more protected historical sites here than any other nation, and being able to see ruins such as the Coliseum, or the whole city of Pompeii, is an experience that stays with you long after the holiday is over.
Moving forwards a little in history you get to the renaissance. This incredible period brought us the leap from the dark ages into a quickly developing, cultural world. Visiting the galleries in Florence is an amazing experience, with names like da Vinci, Michael Angelo and Raphael at the heart of its collection. Renaissance architecture is also well-preserved in Florence, with a skyline that hasn't changed much for five hundred years.
Getting into how this lives on in modern Italy, you have to look at what's produced as practical art today. Cars are something that Italy does like nowhere else. Visit the car museum in Torino to see one of the biggest collections in Europe, and also some incredibly rare Ferrari, Alpha Romeo Lamborghini models. Or there's the other great modern art in the fashion world, which finds its home in the boutique-dotted streets of Milan. Here you'll find every major fashion brand in the world in one place, so that's some serious retail therapy opportunities.
All in all, Italy is a mixed place, but it beautifully blends its past with its present, and gives you an overall sense of a culture continuing through the centuries.
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