Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Kevin Poh

Italy Summer Festivals

One thing Italians enjoy is being Al Fresco. Throughout the summer Italian towns and cities make the most of the warmer days and evenings by holding a range of outdoor concerts and music and art festivals. The venues for the festivals are exciting and innovative and range from ruins to public spaces. The type of music on offer varies from classical composers and opera shows to new live music.

Festival dei Due Mondi

Translated as “The Festival of Two Worlds”, this performing arts festival takes place in Spoleta and showcases a broad spectrum of artistic disciplines, from ballet, opera, films and art. The festival has been running for over 60 years, and celebrates the amalgamation of European and American art. Festival dei Due Mondi usually takes place in June and July each year.

Soundlabs Festival

Usually in August, Soundlabs is a more contemporary festival that celebrates the international independent music scene in the rural area of central Italy. Soundlabs usually hosts popular acts from the UK, US and Italy and is popular with European tourists.

Verona Opera

The Verona Opera series is a true taste of authentic opera in Italy’s most elegant open air arena – the Roman amphitheatre of Verona. Shakespeare fans will be pleased to visit this popular town to be steeped in history and rich Italian poetry in motion.

Summer Accommodation in Italy

Unless roughing it and making most of the camp sites at some of the more alternative music festivals appeals, there is a good choice of accommodation in Italy to suit all budgets. The most popular cities to stay in are Rome, Florence and Venice, and all of these areas have large (and expensive) hotel chains such as Hilton and Grand that can provide luxury and convenient accommodations.

For those wanting to break away from the confines and expense of a hotel room, clever travellers opt for schemes like LoveHomeSwap.com that offer home exchange Italy services allowing owners of holiday apartments and second homes to swap locations for their holidays in whichever cities across Europe and elsewhere in the world they choose to visit and can find a suitable swap in.

Summer Sight Seeing

A trip to Italy can be finished off with a trip to the leaning tower of Pisa to see it for real. The Tower is open until 11pm in the summer, and in the same trip tourists can also visit the Cathedral, Cathedral museum and Baptistery.

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Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Christopher John SSF

The city was established by the Romans as a first-century military base. It had a larger fortress than those built in York and other parts of the country, which suggests that Chester was meant to be the capital of Roman Britain. In any case, it was certainly a very important place, and some evidence of Roman Chester survives to this day. These include the remains of Britain’s largest Roman amphitheatre, and central Chester’s main street plan, which follows the same pattern that was laid out by its Roman pioneers.

Chester’s medieval past is more immediately visible today. This was a violent period in the city’s history, and the impressive wall surrounding Chester is evidence of this. First the Saxons, then the Normans built up its fortifications. The Normans further strengthened the city by constructing the castle, and they also carried out much of the early work on the cathedral. Today, Chester has one of the most complete city walls in Britain. Apart from a short section, the wall is virtually intact. It creates a certain feeling of calm within, and walking around the city wall is a fantastic ways to see Chester from a different angle.

Whatever aspect of Chester’s long history you’d like to learn more about, the city works hard to bring it to life for you. There are plenty of activities and attractions for children and families. These recreate moments in history, to help better our understanding of Roman and medieval times.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Christopher John SSF

Walking through Chester’s streets, you could be forgiven for thinking it’s entirely built in the middle-ages. The shopping streets are dominated by black and white timber-framed buildings. They create a unique atmosphere. In reality, some of Chester’s buildings are medieval, but most are the product of Victorian reconstruction and revival. Authentic or not, it doesn’t really matter. The city’s streets have a wonderful charm to them.

Shopping in Chester is especially famous for what it calls the Rows. You won’t find anything else quite like these in Britain. The lower two floors of these typical black and white houses are usually commercial in purpose. The bottom floor is below street level, and there are steps leading down to the shops there. The first floor is above street level, and shops are accessed via a walkway. You’ll find all the big high street names in Chester, but the design of the Rows is much better suited to smaller shops. As a result, Chester has a thriving independent retail sector. It’s not just the atmosphere that’s unique, many of the shops are too.

When you’ve had enough of history and shopping, you won’t have to walk too far before finding somewhere to sit and have a bite to eat. Cafes and restaurants are all over the city. Sometimes they’re tucked away in quiet little courtyards, so look out for the signs. It’s also worth getting a map when you visit Chester. It’s a compact city, but it has some hidden gems. If you don’t know where to look, you might miss out on something special.

Written by www.globaltravelblog.co.uk

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Other historical treasures include local Malaga Cathedral of the first half of the 16th century, which combines several artistic styles. You can walk through Paseo Marítimo seaside promenade, but there are also several pedestrian zones criss-crossing the center. You certainly should not miss a tour of the Picasso Museum, housed in a Palacio de Buenavista palace. Establishment of this museum was made thanks to the wife and grandson of painter, Christine and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso, who donated a large portion of images. Currently you can see there more than 200 works, including the paintings, drawings, sculptures or engravings.

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The museum was inaugurated March 27, 2003 with the participation of the Spanish royal family. Besides the permanent exhibition of works by Picasso are also temporary exhibitions.

Roman amphitheatre is one of the oldest monuments in Malaga. It is situated at the foot of the Alcazaba fortress. It dates from the 2nd century after Christ, from the reign of Emperor Augustus. It was discovered only in 1951, during completion of one of the gardens.

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Lucca, Tuscany, Italy by Myrabella

The city of Lucca was founded as a Roman colony in 180 BC and its urban structure is a relic of the period of Roman domination. It has became the Free City-State in the early 12th century and has retained its freedom until 1847. During the reign of the Goths and Langobard, Lucca was the capital of Tuscany. In the Middle Ages, its importance has even increased due to trade with silk. Also now, the city is a huge luxury linen exporter. In the 14th century Lucca conquered Pisa, Pistorius and almost conquered Florence. However the period of decline came soon, the city still managed to retain its independence until the coming of Napoleon. Until the unification of Italy, the city was ruled by the Bourbons.

In 1805, Lucca was taken over by Napoleon, who put his sister Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi in charge as “Queen of Etruria”.

Cathedral of San Michele Arcangelo in Lucca, Tuscany, Italy by echiner1

Everything worth seeing in Lucca, you will find within the massive brick fortifications with gates and bastions intact, which are preserved in its original form. Walking on the ramparts that surround the whole city is really very interesting. To the centre you can get through the gate Porta San Donato, which takes you to the main Piazza San Michele. Upon it rises a magnificent church of San Michele in Foro, built on the site of the old Roman forum. It has a beautiful facade consisting of streaked marble. Furthermore, the church completed miniature balconies, blind arcades and imaginatively twisted columns.

Near the church of San Michele in Foro, the famous Italian composer Giacomo Puccini was born here, whose native home was remodelled into a museum. Also another cathedral Duomo di San Martino standing in Piazza San Martino boasts beautiful facade.

Great artistic importance is the tomb of Ilaria del Carretto stored in the sacristy. Ilaria was the wife of an important medieval ruler Guinigiho Paola.

Piazza dell’Anfiteatro – Lucca, Tuscany, Italy by Kevin Poh

What to see in Lucca

• Piazza dell’Anfiteatro
• Piazzale Verdi
• Piazza Napoleone
• Piazza San Michele
• Duomo di San Martino (St Martin’s Cathedral)
• The Ducal Palace
• The ancient Roman amphitheatre
• Church of San Michele in Foro
• Basilica di San Frediano
• Torre delle ore
• Casa and Torre Guinigi
• Museo Nazionale Guinigi
• Museo e Pinacoteca Nazionale
• Orto Botanico Comunale di Lucca, a botanical garden dating from 1820
• Palazzo Pfanner
• Villa Garzoni

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