The Best of Northern Italy

Northern Italy’s riches are vast, varied, and yours to discover, from art-packed muse-ums and mosaic-filled cathedrals to Roman ruins and hill towns amid vineyards thatproduce some of Europe’s best wines. You can dine at refined restaurants that casuallyflaunt their Michelin star ratings, or chow down with the town priest and police chiefat osterie (small local eateries) that have spent generations perfecting traditionalrecipes. You can spend the night in a sumptuous Renaissance villa on Lake Como inthe Alpine foothills where Napoleon once stayed (the Villa d’Este), or in a converted17th-century Venetian palazzo where the room opens directly onto the Grand Canalbut costs a mere 110€ ($143; the Hotel Galleria). Here’s a short list of the best ofwhat northern Italy has to offer.

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1 The Best Travel Experiences• Taking a Gondola Ride in Venice:

Yes, it’s hokey. Yes, it’s way over-priced. But when it comes down to it,there’s nothing quite so romanticafter a long Venetian dinner as a rideon one of these long black skiffs. Set-tle back into the plush seats with thatspecial someone and a bottle of wine,and slide through the waters ofVenice’s back canals guided by theexpert oar of a gondolier. See p. 87.

• Spending a Day Among the Islandsof the Venetian Lagoon: Venice’sferry system extends outside the cityproper to a series of other inhabitedislands in the lagoon. First stop,Murano, a village where the famedlocal glass-blowing industry beganand where its largest factories andbest artisans still reside. Not only canyou tour a glass factory (completewith a hard sell in the display roomat the end), but you’ll discover a pairof lovely churches, one hung withpaintings by Giovanni Bellini,

Veronese, and Tintoretto, the other aByzantine-Romanesque masterpieceof decoration. The isle of Burano is acolorful fishing village with anancient lace-making tradition andhouses in a variety of supersaturatedhues. Nearby, lonely Torcello mayhave been one of the first lagoonislands settled, but it’s long beenalmost abandoned, home to a strag-gly vineyard, reed-banked canals, thefine Cipriani restaurant, and a stun-ning Byzantine cathedral swathed inmosaics (see “The Best Churches,”below). Time it right and you’ll beriding the last ferry back from Tor-cello into Venice proper as the sunsets and lights up the lagoon waters.See p. 85.

• Cruising the Brenta Canal: The lazyBrenta Canal, lacing its way into theVeneto from Venice’s lagoon, haslong been the Hamptons of Venice,where the city’s nobility and mer-chant princes have kept summer

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villas. From the massive, palatial VillaPisani, with its elaborate gardens, tothe Villa Foscari, designed by Palladiohimself, most of these villas span the16th to 19th centuries and are opento visitors. In the past few years, a fewhave even been opened as eleganthotels. There are two ways to tour theBrenta: on a leisurely full-day cruisebetween Padua and Venice, stoppingto tour several villas along the waywith an optional fish lunch; or bydriving yourself along the banks,which allows you to pop into the vil-las you are most interested in—plusyou can pull over at any grassyembankment for a picnic lunch onthe canal. See p. 175.

• Driving the Great Dolomite Road:From the Adige Valley outsideBolzano (Bozen in German) across tothe ski resort of Cortina d’Ampezzoruns 110km (68 miles) of twisting,winding, switch-backed highway,called the Great Dolomite Road,which wends its way around some ofthe most dramatic mountain sceneryin Italy. The Dolomiti are craggier andsheerer than the Alps, and as this roadcrawls around the peaks and climbsover the passes, one breathtakingpanorama after another opens beforeyou, undulating to the distant Poplains to the south and to the mightySwiss Alps to the north. See p. 236.

• Riding the Cable Cars over MontBlanc: There are not many more dra-matic trips in Europe than this one,where a series of cable cars and gon-dolas rise from Courmayeur in theValle d’Aosta to the 3,300m (10,824-ft.) Punta Helbronner, from whichthe icy vistas spread over MontBlanc’s flank in one direction andacross to Monte Cervina (the Matter-horn) in the other. It is here that the

true thrill ride begins as you clamberinto a four-seat enclosed gondola thatdangles from a trio of stout cablessome 2.4km (11⁄2 miles) above thedeep fissures of the Vallée Blancheglacier. It takes half an hour to crossto Aiguille du Midi on French soil—the longest cable car ride in the worldnot supported by pylons. From here,you can take a jaunt down intoFrance’s charming Chamonix if you’dlike, or turn around to head back intoItalian territory, perhaps stopping atthe Alpine Garden two-thirds of theway back to Courmayeur to sunyourself and admire the wildflowers.See p. 367.

• Hiking the Cinque Terre: At thesouthern end of the Italian Riviera liesa string of former pirate coves calledthe Cinque Terre. These five fishingvillages are linked by a local train lineand a meandering trail that clambersover headlands, plunges amid olivegroves and vineyards, and skirts cliffedges above the glittering LigurianSea and hidden scraps of beach. Thevillages also share an excellent com-munal white wine. Though touristsare discovering this magical corner ofItaly, there are as yet no big resorthotels or overdevelopment, just tratto-rie on the tiny harbors and houses andapartments converted into small fam-ily hotels and short-term rental units.It takes a full, long day to hike fromone end to the other, or you can sim-ply walk the stretches you prefer (con-veniently, the trails get progressivelyeasier from north to south) and usethe cheap train to connect to theother towns. Pause as you like in theosterie and bars of each town to sam-ple the dry Cinque Terre white wineand refresh yourself for the nextstretch. See p. 412.

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2 The Best Museums• Galleria dell’Accademia (Venice):

The single most important gallery ofVenetian painting and one of Italy’stop museums was founded in 1750and gorgeously installed in this trio ofRenaissance buildings by Napoleonhimself in 1807. (Napoleon swelledthe collections with altarpieces con-fiscated from churches and monaster-ies he suppressed.) The works,spanning the 13th through 18th cen-turies, include masterpieces by all thelocal northern Italian greats—theBellini clan, Paolo Veneziano,Carpaccio, Giorgione, Mantegna,Piero della Francesca, Lorenzo Lotto,Palma il Vecchio, Paolo Veronese,Titian, Tintoretto, Tiepolo, andCanaletto. See p. 138.

• Collezione Peggy Guggenheim(Venice): The Guggenheim familywas among the 20th century’s great-est art patrons. Peggy not onlyamassed a stunning collection ofmodern art, she even married MaxErnst. Her half-finished 18th-centurypalazzo on the Grand Canal is nowinstalled with her collections, includ-ing works by Picasso, Pollock (anartist Peggy “discovered”), Magritte,Dalí, Miró, Brancusi, Kandinsky, andMarini. See p. 138.

• South Tyrol Museum of Archaeol-ogy (Bolzano): Bolzano’s major sightis a high-tech, modern museumcrafted around one of the mostimportant archaeological finds of thepast 50 years. When hikers first dis-covered the body of Ötzi high in theAlps at the Austrian border, everyonethought he was a mountaineer whosuccumbed to the elements. Heturned out to be a 5,300-year-oldhunter whose body, clothing, andtools had been preserved intact by theice in which he was frozen. The IceMan has done more to give us

glimpses into daily life in the StoneAge than any other find, and themuseum excels at relaying all that sci-entists are still learning from him. Seep. 221.

• Pinacoteca di Brera (Milan): One ofItaly’s finest collections of art, frommedieval to modern, is housed in a17th-century Milanese palazzo.Venice’s Accademia may have a richercollection of Venetian art, but theBrera has a broader collection of mas-terpieces from across northern andcentral Italy. As with the Accademia,the Brera started as a warehouse forartworks Napoleon looted fromchurches, monasteries, and privatecollections. There are masterpiecesfrom Mantegna, Raphael, Piero dellaFrancesca, the Bellinis, Signorelli,Titian, Tintoretto, Reni, Caravaggio,Tiepolo, and Canaletto, and greatworks by 20th-century geniuses suchas Umberto Boccioni, Gino Severini,Giorgio Morandi, and Giorgio deChirico. They even throw in someworks by Rembrandt, Goya, andReynolds. See p. 269.

• Museo Egizio & Galleria Sabauda(Turin): The world’s first real museumof Egyptian artifacts remains one ofthe most important outside Cairo andLondon’s British Museum. The his-tory between Italy and Egypt datesback to Julius Caesar and Cleopatra,though this collection of 30,000pieces was largely amassed by thePiedmont Savoy kings. The exhibitsrange from a papyrus Book of theDead to a full 15th-century-B.C. tem-ple to fascinating objects from every-day life. But Egypt isn’t all; upstairsthe Galleria Sabauda displays theSavoys’ amazing collection of Flemishand Dutch paintings by Van Dyck,van Eyck, Rembrandt, Hans Mem-ling, and Van der Weyden. See p. 341.

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3 The Best Churches• Basilica di San Marco (Venice): No

church in Europe is more lavishly dec-orated, more exquisitely mosaic-cov-ered, more glittering with gold thanVenice’s San Marco. Built in the 11thcentury, the church has as its guidingarchitectural and decorative principlesByzantine style, but more than 7 cen-turies of expansion and decorationhave left behind Romanesque andGothic touches as well. The interior isencrusted with more than 3,700 sq. m(40,000 sq. ft.) of gold-backedmosaics crafted between the 12th and17th centuries, some based on car-toons by Tintoretto, Veronese, andTitian. The uneven floor is a mosaicof marble chips in swirling patterns,the Pala d’Oro altarpiece a gem-stud-ded golden trophy from Constantino-ple. Stairs lead up to a view over thepiazza from atop the atrium, wherevisitors get to see up close both themosaics and the original TriumphalQuadriga, four massive bronze horsesprobably cast in the 2nd century A.D.See p. 131.

• Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari(Venice): “I Frari” is named for theFranciscan “brothers” who foundedthis Gothic giant in 1250. It wasrebuilt between 1330 and 1453,which made it one of the most art-bedecked churches in Venice, filledwith works of art by Donatello, Tit-ian, Giovanni Bellini, and Canova.See p. 144.

• Cattedrale di Torcello (Torcello,Venice): Venice’s oldest church ispretty much all that remains of one ofthe lagoon’s earliest settlements onthe all-but-abandoned island of Tor-cello, north of what is now the city ofVenice. Santa Maria Assunta wasbegun in the 7th century, its interiorslathered with glittering gold-backed

Byzantine mosaics in the 11th and12th centuries, precursors to thosethat would later decorate Venice’s SanMarco. The inside of the entrancewall is filled with a massive Last Judg-ment. This was a common device inmedieval churches: placing above thedoor from which parishioners wouldexit a scene depicting both the heav-enly rewards that await the faithfuland the horribly inventive, gruesomepunishments for the damned inhell—sort of a final sermon at theend of the service to remind everyonewhat was at stake and to keep themholy until the next Sunday. The belltower offers a pretty panorama overthe sparsely populated island and sur-rounding lagoon. See p. 161.

• Basilica di Sant’Antonio (Padua):Think of all the people of Italiandescent you know, or have heard of,named Tony. You’re starting to get anidea of how popular the 13th-cen-tury, Portuguese-born St. Anthony isamong Italians. The patron of the lostlived in Padua, and when he died in1231, the citizenry quickly canonizedthe man and began building thishuge church to honor his remains. Itwas finished in a remarkably short 76years. The style in 13th-centuryVeneto was still largely Byzantine, sothe brick basilica is topped by anoctet of domes and twin minaret-style bell towers. Donatello, whoseGattamelata (the first large equestrianbronze cast since ancient Romantimes) sits out front, even crafted thehigh altar, but that is virtuallyignored by the flocks of faithful infavor of a chapel off the left aisle. Thisis where a constant stream of suppli-cants files past the saint’s tomb topress their palms against it and leaveflowers, small gifts, pictures, and

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written prayers asking him to helpthem find everything from lost healthto lost love to lost children (someeven pray for material objects, butrarely). Il Santo’s robes are also pre-served here, as are the silver-tonguedpreacher’s miraculously preservedjawbone, vocal chords, and tongue,all kept in a chapel behind the highaltar. See p. 169.

• Basilica San Zeno Maggiore(Verona): Verona is home to perhapsthe greatest Romanesque basilica inall of northern Italy, a stunningexample of the early medieval sculp-tor’s art. Between the 9th and 12thcenturies, architects raised thechurch, created the massive rose win-dow in the facade, and hired artistswho revived the ancient art of castingin bronze to create magnificent doorsset with 48 wonderfully minimalistpanels telling stories from the Bible aswell as the life of St. Zeno. The stonereliefs flanking them date to the 12thcentury. The 12th- to 14th-centuryfrescoes inside lead up to AndreaMantegna’s 15th-century altarpiece.See p. 201.

• Basilica (Aquilea): Tiny Aquilea wasa major town in Roman times andbuilt a church in A.D. 313 just as soonas Constantine the Great declared thereligion legal in the empire. The townwas a hotbed of early Christianity,hosting a theological conference in381 attended by the likes of Jeromeand Ambrose. Though the churchwas rebuilt and frescoed in the 11thand 12th centuries, the original floor-ing has been uncovered and is nowon display, a marvelous and preciousmosaic of complicated paleo-Christ-ian and pagan iconography. A cryptretains more mosaics from the 4thcentury, plus even earlier ones from apagan house dating to the early 1stcentury A.D. See p. 252.

• Tempietto Longobardo (Cividale):This fantastic, 8th-century churchhollowed out of the cliff face overCividale’s mighty gorge gives us a pre-cious glimpse into true Lombard style,before the High Middle Ages began tomix and mingle the cultural groups ofnorthern Italy. Flanking the entrywayare statues and decorations carveddirectly out of the native limestone inan early Lombard Romanesque style.See p. 257.

• Duomo (Milan): The greatest Gothiccathedral south of the Alps, a massivepile of pinnacles and buttresses, wasbegun in the 14th century and took500 years to complete—but itremained true to its original, Gothicstyling. It’s the fourth-largest churchin the world, its cavernous interiorpeppered with statues and monu-ments. The highlight, though, is thechance to climb up onto the eaves,weave your way through the statue-peaked buttresses, and clamber uponto the very rooftop to gaze outacross the hazy city and beyond to theAlps rising from the lakes north ofthe Lombard plain. See p. 268.

• Certosa (Pavia, outside Milan):Though Milan’s Sforza family com-pleted this Carthusian monastery,called a charterhouse, it’s really thelate-14th-century brainchild of theVisconti clan. The massive building,rich with Lombardesque decorationsand sculptures, was commissioned byGian Galeazzo in 1396 as thanks thathis second wife was delivered fromillness and bore him heirs. It becamethe repository of funerary monu-ments to Milan’s greatest rulers anddespots. Though Ludovico il Moroand his wife Beatrice d’Este boast thefinest monument, neither is buriedhere. Indeed, the repository was nevermeant to be in Pavia in the first place;cash-poor Santa Maria della Grazie in

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Milan—the one with Leonardo’s TheLast Supper and the home of Beat-rice’s remains—sold it to the charter-house. This is still a workingmonastery, now hosting a Cisterciancommunity, and you can tour anexample of the little houses theyoccupy (a far cry from the crampedcells one pictures monks enduring)and purchase their own beauty prod-ucts and liqueurs. See p. 291.

• Cappella Colleoni (Bergamo): Themercenary commander BartolomeoColleoni, a son of Bergamo, fought sogloriously on behalf of Venice that hewas actually given the generalship overthe entire Venetian army (unheard ofin such a suspicious republic formedof interlocking check-and-balancebranches of power). They commis-sioned Verrocchio to erect a statue inhis honor in Venice and gave Colleonicontrol of his hometown. He was fore-sighted enough to commission hisown tomb, which was created in thelate 15th century as a separate chapelin Bergamo’s cathedral. Colleoniinvited one of the great sculptors dec-orating the magnificent charterhouseat Pavia to carve on his tomb a com-plex series of panels and statues whosesymbolisms interweave in medievalstyle grafted onto Renaissance archi-tecture. In the 18th century, Tiepolowas brought in to fresco the ceiling.See p. 297.

• Basilica di Superga (Turin): Turingot a taste of the extravagant south-ern Italian baroque in the early 18th

century when Sicilian architectJuvarra set up shop in town. After theVirgin saved the city from Frenchtroops, the Savoys dutifully erected achurch in her honor and hiredJuvarra for the job. He married earlyneoclassical ideals of proportion withthe theatricality of the baroque tobuild this magnificent balcony over-looking the Alps in the hills aboveTurin. Vittorio Amadeo II liked hisresults so much he decided to turn itinto the Royal Tomb, wedging mon-uments to various Savoys into thechapels and the underground Cryptof Kings. See p. 343.

• Sacra di San Michele (outsideTurin): Its stony bulk, elaborate carv-ings, and endless staircases, all tower-ing over the valley from a MontePirchiriano perch, give this abbey amovie-set air more appropriate to aTibetan monastery than to a Christ-ian abbey. The gravity-defying way ithangs halfway off the cliff face is allthe more remarkable when you con-sider that the engineering is purelymedieval—started in 983 and rebuiltin the 1100s. Before the Savoys werethe bigwig kings they became, theirearly members were buried here, inrock-carved chapels under the partlyfrescoed main church interior; today,free concerts are held here Aprilthrough September, with a range ofofferings from Gregorian chants andCeltic music to classical pieces andgospel hymns. See p. 349.

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4 The Best Artistic Masterpieces• Tintoretto’s Scuola Grande di San

Rocco (Venice): When the Scuola diSan Rocco (a sort of gentlemen’sclub/lay fraternity) held an art com-petition in 1564, the Renaissancemaster Tintoretto pulled a fast one on

his rivals. Instead of preparing asketch for the judges like everyoneelse, he went ahead and finished apainting, secretly installing it in theceiling of the Sala dell’Albergo off thesecond-floor hall. The judges were

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suitably impressed, and Tintorettogot the job. Over the next 23 years,the artist filled the scuola’s two floorswith dozens of works. The Rest on theFlight into Egypt on the ground flooris superb, but his masterpiece hangsin that tiny Sala dell’Albergo, a hugeCrucifixion that wraps around thewalls and ranks among the greatestand most moving works in the his-tory of Venetian art. The San Roccobaroque orchestra holds excellent reg-ular chamber concerts in this fantas-tic setting; for info, contact & 041-962-999 or www.musicinvenice.com.See p. 139.

• Veronese’s Feast in the House ofLevi, Accademia (Venice): PaoloVeronese was a master of humandetail, often peopling his large can-vases with a rogues’ gallery of charac-ters. When Veronese unveiled hisLast Supper, puritanical church big-wigs nearly had a conniption. Theythreatened him with charges of blas-phemy for portraying this holiest ofmoments as a rousing, drunken ban-quet that more resembled paintingsof Roman orgies than the Last Sup-per. Veronese quickly retitled thework Feast in the House of Levi, arather less holy subject at which Jesusand Apostles were also present, andthe mollified censors let it pass. See p. 138.

• Giotto’s Scrovegni Chapel (Padua):Padua’s biggest sight by far is one ofthe two towering fresco cycles createdby Giotto (the other one is in Assisi),the artist who did more than anyother to lift painting from its staticByzantine stupor and set it on thenaturalistic, expressive, dynamicGothic road toward the Renaissance.From 1303 to 1306, Giotto coveredthe walls of this private chapel with arange of emotion, using foreshorten-ing, modeled figures, and saturated

colors, revolutionizing the concept ofart and kicking off the modern era inpainting. The chapel, as a whole, isbreathtaking, depicting scenes fromthe life of Mary and Jesus in 38 pan-els. See p. 170.

• Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Sup-per, Santa Maria delle Grazie(Milan): This tempera fresco lookssomehow more like a snapshot of areal dinner table than the staged holyevent that Last Suppers usuallyappear to be—instead of a hoveringhalo, Jesus’ holy nimbus is suggestedby the window behind his head.Leonardo was as much a scientist andinventor as he was painter, and unfor-tunately for us, he was wont to trynew painting techniques directly onhis major commissions rather thantesting them fully first. When paint-ing one fresco in Florence, he usedwax in the pigments, but when it wasdrying too slowly he put heatersalong the wall, and the whole thingsimply melted. Whatever chemistryhe was experimenting with in Milanwhen Ludovico Il Moro hired him todecorate the refectory (dining hall) ofSanta Maria della Grazie with a LastSupper, it didn’t work properly. Thefresco began deteriorating almost assoon as he finished painting it, and ithad to be touched up and paintedover several times in the succeedingcenturies. It also didn’t help whenNapoleon’s troops moved in and usedthe wall for target practice, or whenAllied World War II bombs tore theroof off the building, miraculouslynot damaging the fresco but still leav-ing it open to the elements for 3years. A lengthy restoration hasstripped away the centuries of grimeand overpainting, so what we see nowis more or less pure Leonardo, even ifthe result is extremely patchy andlooks rather faded. See p. 270.

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• Michelangelo’s Rondanini Pietà,Castello Sforzesco (Milan): Duringa lifetime in which he became theforemost artist of his age, acknowl-edged as a genius in painting, fresco,architecture, and engineering,Michelangelo never lost his love formarble and chisel. At age 89, he wasworking yet again on one of hisfavorite subjects, this Pietà. It may beunfinished—in fact, Michelangelowas in the midst of changing itwholesale, reordering the figures andtwisting the composition around—but this tall, languid representation ofMary and Nicodemus bearing thebody of Christ remains one ofMichelangelo’s most remarkableworks. At the end of his life,Michelangelo had grown so advancedin his thinking and artistic aestheticsthat this remarkable, minimalist work(the sculptor had early on developeda rough style dubbed nonfinito, or“unfinished”) looks eerily as if it werechiseled in the 1950s rather than the1560s. Michelangelo was in hisRoman studio chiseling away on thestatue when, on February 12, 1564,he was struck with a fever and took tobed. He died 6 days later. See p. 270.

• Mantegna’s Dead Christ, Pina-coteca di Brera (Milan): This mas-terpiece of the Brera’s collectiondisplays not only Mantegna’s skill atmodeling and keen eye for textureand tone, but also his utter mastery ofperspective and how he used it to cre-ate the illusion of depth. In this case,we look at Jesus laid out on a slabfrom his feet end, the entire bodyforeshortened to squeeze into a rela-tively narrow strip of canvas. Likemany great geniuses in the arts, Man-tegna actually warped reality andused his tools (in this case, perspec-tive and foreshortening) in an oddway to create his image. Most artteachers would tell you that the rulesof perspective would call for the bitsat the “near end” (in this case the feet)to be large and those at the far end(that is to say, the head) to be small toachieve the proper effect, but Man-tegna turned it around. At firstglance, the work seems wonderfullywrought and perfectly foreshortened.But after staring a few moments, yourealize the head is grotesquely largeand the feet tiny. Mantegna has givenus perfect foreshortening by turningperspective on its end. See p. 269.

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5 The Best Castles• Museo Castelvecchio (Verona):

Most people do the Romeo-and-Juliet trail, peak at the ancient Arena,and then call it a day in Verona.Unfortunately, few make it to thestunning castle on the river. This14th-century stronghold, completewith its own fortified bridge acrossthe river, was built by “Big Dog”Cangrande II Scaligeri. It was somighty that it survived the centuriesintact until the Nazis bombed it inWorld War II. Though there are col-lections of local wood sculptures and

canvases by Tintoretto, Tiepolo,Veronese, Bellini, and local boyPisanello, the true treat here is justwandering the maze of halls, passage-ways, stony staircases, and rampartsto relive the bad old days of the Mid-dle Ages. See p. 200.

• Castello Sabbionara (Avio): Thisbellicose castle was a true fortress andmakes no bones about it. Built in the11th century and enlarged in the13th century, it helped define andhold the line between the constantlywarring neighboring powers of

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Venice and Austria. It switched handsseveral times, and in the 13th centurythe Guard’s Room was frescoed withmarvelous scenes of battles foughthere. See p. 217.

• Castello di Buonconsiglio (Trent):Serious history went down in Trent’sCastle of Good Council. The namemight not be apt, however, becausethe famous Council of Trent (p. 212)—many sessions of whichwere held here—effectively put upthe wall between the Vatican and theburgeoning Protestant movementthat ended up being the cause (or atleast excuse) for many European warsand numerous unjust politico-socialsystems, from the 16th century all theway to today’s unrest in Northern Ireland. Much later, leaders of theIrrendentisti (a World War I–eramovement to return the then-Aus-trian South Tirol region to Italy) wereimprisoned here, including the popu-lar Cesare Battisti, who was executedin the yard. The castle is vast, builtaround the core 13th-centuryCastelvecchio and 15th-centurypalace of Trent’s bishop-prince. Thehighlight is the Cycle of the Monthsfresco painted around 1400 andladen with late medieval symbolism.See p. 212.

• Castel Roncolo (Bolzano): This13th-century castle sits atop a smallcliff upriver from the town and lookslike the most livable medieval castleyou can imagine: cozy, with views ofthe vineyards. The central courtyardis hung with staircases and openwood balconies running along theupper stories, while many roomsretain all sorts of wonderfully crudemedieval frescoes, including a lovelyset that tells the story of Tristan andIsolde, a popular romantic tale fromthe Middle Ages. See p. 222.

• Castel Tirolo (outside Merano): Theentire Tirol, covering this region ofItaly and much of western Austria, wasonce ruled from this medieval fortressperched dramatically on an outcrop-ping 4.8km (3 miles) outside Merano.You must walk a long and narrow pathto get here, where there’s a gorgeouslyfrescoed Romanesque chapel and anew museum on Tirolean history andculture. See p. 229.

• Castello di San Giusto (Trieste):Built between 1470 and 1630 andpleasingly castlelike, this gem hasmighty ramparts to walk for city vis-tas, modest collections of armor andfurnishings to peruse, and outdoorconcerts and films presented in thehuge courtyard in summer. (Note:The castle closed in late 2007 forrestoration and no definite reopeningdate has been set.) See p. 246.

• Castello di Miramare (near Trieste):The “Castle Admiring the Sea” risesin gleaming white fairy-tale splendoralong the coastline. Built in the1850s, it was doomed to host ill-fatedpotentates ever since. Its originalowner, Austrian Archduke Maximil-ian, was sent to Mexico to beemperor and ended up shot. Arch-duke Ferdinand spent the night herebefore going off to Sarajevo to be shot(which kicked off World War I).Other dukes and ladies have met bit-ter ends after sojourning here, whichis perhaps why it is now public prop-erty and no longer a royal guesthouse.They do nice concerts here, plussound-and-light shows telling the sadtale of the castle’s builder, Maximil-ian. See p. 248.

• Castello Scaligero (Sirmione): Thismighty midget is not spectacular asfar as castles go, but—if you canapply this phrase to a fortress—it’scute as a button. Unimportant inmost respects, it is darn picturesque,

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guarding the entrance to town withsomber 13th-century stone turrets andsurrounded by its little moat completewith drawbridges. See p. 307.

• Castello di Fenis (Castle of Fenis;outside Aosta): The Challant vis-counts controlled the Aosta Valleyfrom this stronghold throughout theMiddle Ages. The frescoed figuresstrolling about the balconies of itscentral courtyard spout cartoon

balloon–like scrolls of speech that area treasure-trove for linguists unlock-ing the origins of the local dialect,which is founded largely in amedieval variant on French. The fur-nishings, though all genuine castleantiques, were culled from sourcesthroughout this area, Switzerland,and France to give the place thatmedieval lived-in look. See p. 362.

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6 The Best Villas & Palazzi• Palazzo Ducale (Venice): The Gothic

palazzo from which the VenetianRepublic was ruled for centuries offerstwo incredible experiences. One issimply to wander the gorgeous roomsand halls, which are decorated withfrescoes and paintings (including theworld’s largest oil canvas) by all theVenetian School greats, from Titian,Tintoretto, and Veronese on down.The placards in each room are mar-velously informative, not only aboutthe art but also about the function ofeach room and its role in governmentor daily Venetian life. But to discoverwhat really made the ByzantineVenetian political machine tick, takethe Secret Itineraries tour, which letsyou slip behind the camouflageddoors and enter the hidden world ofthe palace-within-the-palace, thechambers in which the real governingtook place, all wedged into the mas-sive space between the inner andouter walls of the palazzo. See thechamber where the powerful Councilof Ten met, the tiny office where thedoge’s secretary kept track of all themachinations going on in high soci-ety, the tribunal where three judgescondemned the guilty and hangedthem from the rafters, and thecramped “leads” cells under the rooffrom which Casanova famouslyescaped. Then saunter across the

storied Bridge of Sighs to explore thedank, dungeonlike prisons across thecanal where lesser criminals served outtheir miserable terms—lagoon floodsand all. See p. 138.

• Ca’ d’Oro (Venice): Though nolonger graced with the decorativefacade that earned Venice’s mostbeautiful palazzo its name House ofGold, the 15th-century Ca d’Ororemains one of the most gorgeouspalaces in Venice, outside (see themain facade from the Grand Canal)and in. The gallery of art, donated—along with the palace—to the state byBaron Giorgio Franchetti in 1916,includes paintings by Van Dyck,Giorgione, Titian, and Mantegna.There’s also a small ceramics museumand fantastic canal views. See p. 145.

• Ca’ Rezzonico (Venice): Eventhough Venice was in fact well past itsheyday in the 18th century and tech-nically in decline, this is nonethelessthe era in which the city expressed itsown unique character fully, the age ofCasanova and costume balls, all thethings we picture when we think ofVenice. To this end, the Rezzonico,built in 1667 by the same architectwho crafted the baroque Santa Mariadella Salute and topped with an extrastory in 1745 (and once owned bypoet Robert Browning), was turnedinto a museum of the 18th century.

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The powers that be wanted the“museum” moniker to be takenlightly; in reality what the city hasdone is outfit this gracious palazzo asan actual house from the era as closelyas possible, using pieces culled fromacross the city. Adding to the 200-yeartime warp are a series of scenes fromdaily Venetian life painted by PietroLonghi plus several carnival frescoesthat Giandomenico Tiepolo (son ofthe more famous Giovanni BattistaTiepolo) originally painted for hisown house. See p. 142.

• Villa Pisani (Stra, Brenta Canal):Tiepolo frescoed the ballroom for thismassive 18th-century villa built forthe family of a Venetian doge, thoughNapoleon bought it in 1807. Its mostnotorious moment, though, came in1934 when two European leadersmet here for their very first summit:Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler.The rooms are sumptuous, and thegardens are extensive and include aquirky hedge maze. See p. 175.

• Villa Barbaro (outside Asolo):Though the villas right aroundVicenza get more visitors, this 1560Palladio-designed masterpiece out-side Asolo is perhaps the most gor-geous to visit. That’s because itmatches the perfect Palladian archi-tecture with stunning frescoes byVeronese, which carpet almost everyinch of wall and ceiling inside. Andto think it’s still actually in privatehands (with owners gracious enoughto allow visitors in)! See p. 163.

• Villa Rotonda (outside Vicenza): Ifyou’ve seen Monticello, the architec-ture of Washington, D.C., or InigoJones’s buildings, you’ll be preparedfor La Rotonda—it was the model forthem all. UNESCO has placed thispinnacle of Palladio’s architecturaltheories, a towering monument ofhuman achievement and ingenuity,on the same World Heritage List as

the Pyramids. This is Palladio’s strictneoclassical take on the Renaissancein all its textbook glory, an ancienttemple rewritten as a home and soft-ened by Renaissance geometry ofline. It was also one of his last, startedin 1567, but largely executed by afaithful follower after the master’sdeath. See p. 191.

• Villa Valmarana (outside Vicenza):Mattoni’s 17th-century Palladian-style villa is nicknamed ai Nani, or“of the dwarves,” because its walls arepatrolled by an army of stonedwarves. The architecture isn’t all thatremarkable, but the 18th-centuryfrescoes inside by Giambattista andGiandomenico Tiepolo certainly are.See p. 191.

• Palazzo Patriarcale (Udine): Until1734, it was the bishops who ruledUdine as patriarchs, and the finalpatriarch had the foresight to inviteTiepolo to Udine to decorate theirpalace with scenes from the Old Tes-tament that double as early-18th-cen-tury fashion shows. There’s also a finecollection of locally carved woodsculptures spanning the 13th to 18thcenturies. See p. 254.

• Palazzo Te (Mantua): Raphael’s pro-tégé Giulio Romano, hounded fromRome over a scandalous series oferotic engravings, was let loose to filllibidinous Federico Gonzaga’s Man-nerist pleasure palace with racy fres-coes. The place was built to look as ifit were crumbling, from arch key-stones to the illusionist frescoes in theRoom of Giants. See p. 303.

• Il Vittoriale (Gardone, Lake Garda):Gabriele D’Annunzio was a Roman-tic ideal made of flesh, an ItalianHemingway-meets-Shelley, an adven-turer, soldier, and poet who nappedon a funeral bier covered in leopardskins; who carried on a torrid affairwith the greatest actress of his age,Eleonora Duse; and who crafted

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every iota of his villa in meticulousVictorian detail. It’s said that Mus-solini himself gave D’Annunzio theproperty—either to honor his vocif-erous support of Fascism or simply toshut him up before he said somethingto get them all into trouble. D’An-nunzio was a bit of a hothead, andnot much of a team player. In 1918,he flew to Vienna just to drop leafletson it and prove, to what he saw as thewimpy Italian military command,that he could penetrate that far.When the Adriatic town of Fiume,previously promised to Italy, endedup in Yugoslav hands, he led his ownarmy to occupy the town and claimit—much to the chagrin of the Italiancommanders, who had to talk himinto giving it up and coming home(this is the “victory” after which thevilla is named). With a whole villa tokeep him occupied, D’Annunzio pro-ceeded to remake it to his own image.The very route guests take uponentering is a subtle and intricate playon the structure of Dante’s DivineComedy. The sheer volume of bric-a-brac is enough to drive a maid with afeather duster nuts, but is redeemedby the fantastic anecdote or quirkyexplanation behind each one (hopefor a chatty guide with a good com-mand of English). Nestled in theextravagant gardens are a structurebuilt as a ship, the actual boat D’An-nunzio commanded during the GreatWar, his biplane, and his heroic hill-top tomb. See p. 310.

• Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace; Turin):This was where the Savoy kings hungtheir crowns in all the sumptuous,overwrought, gilded glory that the17th and 18th centuries could offer.From Gobelin tapestries to Orientalvases, from the royal armory to theelegant gardens laid out by masterlandscape architect Le Nôtre (whodid the Versailles gardens and thoseof the Tuileries in Paris), this palacedrips with royal frippery. See p. 342.

• Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi(outside Turin): Sicilian baroquegenius Juvarra laid out this extrava-gant and palatial hunting lodge forthe Savoys in 1729. To fill the numer-ous frescoed rooms and vast halls ofits giant, sinuous X-shape, localauthorities have collected furnishings,paintings, and other decorative ele-ments from dozens of Savoy palaces tocreate here a sort of museum of 18th-and 19th-century interior decor.Napoleon liked it so much that he setup housekeeping here for a time whenhe first conquered the region beforepressing on. (Note: The lodge isclosed for restoration, likely through2008.) See p. 344.

• Galleria Nazionale di Palazzo Spin-ola (Genoa): The Spinola provides itscollection of canvases (by Antonello daMessina, Guido Reni, Luca Giordano,Van Dyck, and Strozzi) with a stellarbackdrop consisting of a Genovesepalace of which the merchant/bankingSpinola family lavishly frescoed anddecorated each room. See p. 378.

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7 The Best Festivals• Carnevale (Venice): Every spring

Venice brings back the 18th centuryin all its silk and brocade, pouf-sleeved, men-wearing-colored-hose,Casanova, ballroom-dancing glory. Inmost Catholic countries, the weekbefore Lent begins has long been a

time to let down your hair and party.It all culminates in Shrove Tuesday,the day of feasting before AshWednesday kicks off the soberLenten period. This bash has earnedthe day the nickname Fat Tuesday—called Martedì Grasso in Italian, but

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better known by its French name,Mardi Gras. Venice ranks with Rioand New Orleans as host of one ofthe most elaborate and famous Car-nival celebrations anywhere. Ratherthan a Bacchanalian bash, Venicegoes the genteel route, with concertsand masked costume balls filling per-formance spaces, churches, and fres-coed palaces. Ten days leading up toShrove Tuesday. See p. 149 and 150.

• Venice International Film Festival:This is one of the movie business’spremier festivals, ranking just belowCannes in importance. The best filmsmade over the past year from aroundthe world are screened for audiencesand judges at the Palazzo del Cinema,other movie houses, and sometimeseven open-air piazzas. Unlike, say, theOscars, which celebrates highly pro-moted Hollywood products, this is achance for all movies—from would-be blockbusters to low-budget,unknown indies—to catch the atten-tion of critics and distributors. LateAugust/early September. See p. 150.

• Biennale d’Arte (Venice): One of themost important art festivals in theworld is hosted every 2 years by thecity of Venice. Contemporary artists(both celebrated modern masters andtalented unknowns), critics, and artaficionados from around the world fillthe hotels to attend shows and perusethe works displayed in the gardens andArsenale warehouses at the far end ofthe Castello district. June to earlyNovember, odd years. See p. 151.

• Regata Storica (Venice): EveryVenetian must have an 18th-centuryoutfit mothballed in a closet to breakout for yearly fetes such as Carnevaleand, of course, this “historicalregatta”—less of a race than merely aparade of gorgeously bedecked gon-dolas and other boats laden with cos-tumed gentry for a day cruising the

Grand Canal. First Sunday in Sep-tember. See p. 151.

• Partita a Scacchi (Marostica): A liv-ing chess match may be a throwawaygag to Mel Brooks or a special-effectsequence in a Harry Potter film, butit’s the highlight of Marostica’s calen-dar. This pretty little medieval ham-let, which barely fills the bottomthird of the ring made by its ancientwall clambering up the hillside,would probably be overlooked if itweren’t for the biennial festival thatturns the checkerboard main piazzain front of the castle into a weirdpiece of yesteryear. After a parade ofcostumed gentlefolk and medieval-style entertainers (jugglers, fire-eaters,clowns), people dressed as chesspieces fill the piazza’s board, the play-ers sit atop a stage ready to call outtheir moves, and the match begins.Actually, it’s technically not chess aswe know it but rather a medievalvariant, and it’s not a proper matchsince they’re in fact re-creating, movefor move, a game played in the 15thcentury between two noblemen vyingfor the hand of a fair lady. Still, it’s allgreat fun. Marostica has only a hand-ful of hotels, so book a few months inadvance. Second Sunday in Septem-ber, even years. See p. 187.

• Concerti in Villa (Vicenza): TheVeneto region around Vicenza opensup its villas or their grounds for aseries of summertime concerts andperformances. From famous master-pieces like Palladio’s La Rotonda tolittle-known Renaissance villas, thesettings are memorable and the musicis sweet. June and July. See p. 188.

• Opera in Arena (Verona): La Scalaand La Fenice may be more famous,but few opera stages in Italy have amore natural dramatic setting thanVerona’s ancient Roman amphithe-ater. Every season they put on Aïda as

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they have since 1913, surrounded byother operatic masterpieces byGiuseppe Verdi. For a huge 2,000-year-old sports stadium open to thesky, the Arena enjoys surprisinglygood acoustics. Late June throughAugust. See p. 198.

• Festival Shakespeariano (Verona):Verona mixes its two powerhouseattractions—ancient Roman heritageand Shakespearean fame—in a the-ater festival of Shakespeare’s plays(along with ballets and concerts, fromclassical to jazz) put on in the garden-set ruins of the Teatro Romanoancient theater. See p. 194.

• Palio (Asti): Medieval pageantry pre-cedes a breakneck horse race on thepiazza. The 2 weeks leading up to itare known as the Douja d’Or, agrape-and-wine festival and trade fair.Rival town Alba spoofs the eventwith a race of their own—ridingasses—in their Palio degli Asini onthe first Sunday in October. ThirdSunday in October. See p. 351.

• Sanremo Festival (San Remo): It’sthe Grammy Awards meets Sundancemeets American Idol. Since 1950,

Sanremo has been Italy’s beloved fes-tival of pop music, where faded Ital-ian stars get to strut their stuff, majorinternational rock stars and artists areinvited to perform, and scruffyteenage musicians from across Italyget the chance to play that carefullycrafted song they just know would bea number-one hit if only they couldsign a record contract (and many do).If you want to hear what will be belt-ing out of boom boxes and Fiatspeakers this summer at Italy’sbeaches and pumping in the discos,listen to the winning performanceshere. Late February or early March.See p. 388.

• Sagra del Pesce (Camogli): Take theworld’s largest frying pan (3.6m/12 ft.across) and place it on the wide,waterfront promenade of this tinyRiviera fishing town. Fill the pan withsizzling sardines and the town withhungry folks ready to party. There youhave a sagra, or celebration of food, inthis case of seafood, the town’s tradi-tional economic lynchpin. SecondSunday in May. See p. 399.

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8 The Best Luxury Hotels• Hotel Gritti Palace (Venice): The

grandest hotel on the Grand Canalhas hosted the crème de la crème ofwhoever visits Venice since DogeAndrea Gritti built the palace in the16th century. Charles de Gaulle,Winston Churchill, Truman Capote,John Ruskin, Henry Ford, Mick Jag-ger, Giorgio Armani, Robert DeNiro, Charlie Chaplin . . . the listgoes on. This place is luxury every-thing: hand-painted and inlaidantiques, 18th-century stuccoed ceil-ings, cutting-edge designer entertain-ment centers, and, of course,balconies overlooking the Grand

Canal (well, from the top-notchrooms at least; everyone else gets toenjoy the water from the restaurantor piano bar, or can overlook a sidecanal). Because this is now a Westinproperty, you also get access (on a freehourly boat) to their Lido WestinExcelsior hotel and its facilities (seebelow). See p. 100.

• Hotel Danieli (Venice): Venice’sbacino (the bay into which the GrandCanal spills) is lined with luxuryhotels, but none beats the Danieli, a14th-century doge’s palace of pinkplaster and elaborate marble win-dowsills that’s been a hotel since

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1822. The centerpiece is a four-story,sky-lit, enclosed courtyard of Byzan-tine-Gothic arches, open stairwells,balustrades, and verdant pottedplants, off of which sit luxurioussalons. It’s worth popping your headin just to see it even if you don’t stayhere. The rooms vary, but no matterwhat, insist upon a lagoon view—andtry to stay in the original wing or,failing that, the larger rooms of the19th-century palazzo next door (byall means, avoid the bland, albeitcushy, 1940s wing). As with itsWestin sister, Hotel Gritti Palace, youcan enjoy the facilities at the chain’sExcelsior on the Lido (see below). Seep. 105.

• Hotel Cipriani (Venice): This is thelast independent, locally owned lux-ury hotel in Venice, and quite possi-bly the best. It sits in splendidisolation at the tip of Giudecca, theonly large island of central Venice notconnected by a bridge (rather, it’s a10-min. boat ride to Piazza SanMarco). Giuseppe Cipriani, theVenetian impresario behind Harry’sBar and the Locanda Cipriani onTorcello, where Ernest Hemingwayloved to hang out (Cipriani evenmade it into a Papa story), craftedthis retreat out of several Renaissancepalazzi in 1959, offering stylishaccommodations, discreet service,and modern comfort. See p. 116.

• Westin Excelsior (Venice): The Lidomight never have been developed as abathing resort if not for the pre-science of Nicolò Spada, who createdthe Excelsior’s Moorish-style centralstructure in 1907. As one of Venice’sonly custom-built luxury hotels, itdidn’t have to abide by all the histor-ical considerations converted palazzinow have to take into account, so itsarchitectural plans allowed for morespacious accommodations than those

found in most Venetian hotels.Rooms overlook either the Adriatic(there’s a private beach across theroad) or the small, lush, Moorish gar-den. It also sports all the resort-typeamenities: pool, fitness center, golfand tennis, sauna. See p. 116.

• Villa Margherita (Mira Porte,Brenta): This villa’s role as a guest-house hasn’t changed much since itwas built in the 17th century byVenice’s Contarini family. It stilllooks much like a country-villa home(if your family happened to be Venet-ian and fabulously wealthy), withrooms overlooking the shady gardens,a restaurant across the street along thecanal, and a similar sister propertynearby with a swimming pool. See p. 177.

• Hotel Villa Cipriani (Asolo): In1962, Giuseppe Cipriani branchedout from his premium-grade Venicemini-empire to turn this 16th-cen-tury villa into a well-appointed hotel.Once the home of poets Robert andElizabeth Barrett Browning, it enjoysa dreamlike setting: the medieval hilltown of Asolo, famed for its vistasover the Veneto. See p. 182.

• Hotel Greif (Bolzano): Boutiquehotels have officially arrived inItaly—though so far only the Greifseems to have heard. The Stafflerfamily has owned this 500-year-oldhotel on the main square ofBolzano—the Dolomiti’s liveliesttown—since 1796. But in 1999 and2000, they decided to overhaul itcompletely in a minimalist, modernvein of burnished steel and originalcontemporary art mixed with 19th-century antiques and an Internet-equipped laptop in every room. Seep. 223.

• Four Seasons Hotel Milano(Milan): In 1993, the Four Seasonsopened and rewrote the rules on

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deluxe hotels in Milan. Seven yearswere spent restructuring and trans-forming a 1476 convent, a processthat brought many of its Renaissanceelements back to light, including alovely cloister. The rooms are huge byItalian city standards and flush withamenities and small luxuries such asCD stereos and king-size beds. Thebi-level suites with frescoed vaultingare particularly nice. See p. 279.

• Grand Hotel et de Milan (Milan):How do you define superior service?While resident guest Giuseppe Verdi,who lived for 30 years in the suitenow named for him, lay dying in hisbed, the hotel spread straw over thestreets under his window every day tomuffle the sounds of carriage wheelsso as not to disturb the maestro’s rest.They’re constantly upping the luxuryquotient here—even closing downfrom 1993 to 1995 for a completeoverhaul (perhaps a response to thesudden competition from the FourSeasons)—to keep the 1863 hotellooking and feeling its best. Thismeans marble surfaces and lushupholstery, thick curtains, andantique furnishings. Okay, so theopera music trickling lightly fromhidden speakers may be overdoing it,but what did you expect from a hotel3 blocks from La Scala that hasplayed host to divas and tenors fordecades? See p. 280.

• Villa d’Este (Cernobbio, LakeComo): On short lists of the world’sgreatest hotels, the Villa d’Este alwaysranks near the top. There’s nothingreproduction or faux about this place.The villa is true Renaissance, themarble precious, the guest book A-list, and the Empire furnishings sogenuine they actually date back toNapoleon’s tenure when his aide-de-camp owned it. Add to all that severalpools (one floating on the lake), a

vast park that hides tennis courts, afitness center that includes squashcourts and a virtual driving range,and a trio of restaurants. See p. 319.

• Grand Hôtel et des Iles Borromées(Stresa, Lake Maggiore): ErnestHemingway loved this retreat by thelake so much he set part of A Farewellto Arms at the hotel. Shell out2,860€ ($3,718) and you can stay inthe suite named after him (two bed-rooms with king-size beds and hugemarble bathrooms in each, frescoedceilings, lake-view terrace). Recentrenovations have restored the decorto its original 1860s splendor andrichness, regilding an old lily of theItalian hotel scene and restoring it tothe ranks of Europe’s most exclusivehotels. Rooms are sumptuouslyappointed in a variety of styles, from19th-century inlaid wood to lavishEmpire style to opulent Italianaterooms of lacquered furnishings andMurano chandeliers. See p. 330.

• Hotel Splendido/Splendido Mare(Portofino): Portofino is the fishingvillage chosen by the world’s jet-setelite as their own little bit of Italy, itstiny harbor overshadowed by yachts,and the hillside Splendido hotelbooked by the top names from Hol-lywood, European nobility registers,and CEO boardrooms. The villa itselfis 19th century, though its founda-tion is a 16th-century monastery, setamid olive groves a 10-minute walkabove the town. Suites come withantique furnishings and cutting-edgeentertainment centers. The sisterhotel, Splendido Mare, sits right atthe harborfront, stays open year-round, and offers dining with a viewof the boats. See p. 408.

• Royal Hotel (San Remo): With sucha small town and such a major popfestival, once a year you’ll find a con-centration of rock stars here rarely

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seen outside of a major benefit con-cert. The rest of the year, almost all ofus can enjoy its private beach acrossthe road, its cushy accommodations,

its stuccoed bar, and the wonderfulpool styled as if it were carved out ofrock. See p. 389.

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9 The Best Moderately Priced Hotels• Pensione Accademia (Venice): If you

ever wanted to live like KatharineHepburn, here’s your chance. Well,not exactly, though her character didlive in this 16th-century Villa Mar-avege (Villa of Wonders) in the 1955film Summertime. It sits in an envi-able position, a flower-filled garden atthe confluence of two canals empty-ing into the Grand Canal, and therooms are done in a tasteful antiquestyle that makes you feel as if you’restaying in the home of your wealthyVenetian relative rather than in ahotel. See p. 111.

• Hotel San Cassiano Ca’Favretto(Venice): It’s one of the cheapesthotels on the Grand Canal—plus therooms and bar terrace overlook theprettiest stretch of the canal, with theCa’ d’Oro directly across the waters.Even most non–Grand Canal roomsoverlook a side canal. All that, and thehotel in the 16th-century villa retainsmuch of its 18th-century ambience(though room decor is vintage 1970srepro antiques). See p. 112.

• Hotel Majestic Toscanelli (Padua):The management of the Toscanelli isalways reinvesting in this gem of ahotel, three quiet shop- and osteria-lined blocks from the central Piazzadelle Erbe. Its latest refurbishmentcame in 1999, with burnished cherryfurnishings gracing the spaciousrooms. The reception is warm andhelpful, and the location excellent.See p. 173.

• Hotel Aurora (Verona): Situatedright on the scenic Piazza delle Erbe,the Aurora enjoys a combination of

prime location, low prices, and per-fect, simple comfort that keeps guestscoming back. See p. 205.

• Antica Locanda Solferino (Milan):The most wonderfully eclectic hotelin Milan exudes character. It sits inthe heart of the fashionable Breraneighborhood, its quirky amalgam offurnishings fitted into generally spa-cious rooms. Sig. Gerardo Vitololeads one of the friendliest manage-ments in town; it’s no wonder thisdelightful place stays booked by regu-lars, who enjoy its creaky, homeyatmosphere. See p. 280.

• Agnello d’Oro (Bergamo): Bergamomay not quite be the Alps, but you’rehigh up enough in their foothills thatthis tall, narrow ocher building withits flower-box windows, patio foun-tain, and sloping roof looks perfectlyappropriate, offering a bit of Ital-ianate Alpine charm smack-dab inthe center of the pedestrian medievalquarter. Furnishings are simple andserviceable, but the price and locationcan’t be beat. See p. 298.

• Du Lac (Bellagio, Lake Como): Ofall the hotels lining Bellagio’s littlelakefront piazza, the Du Lac is thefriendliest by a long shot. For over acentury and a half, it has offeredcomfort and genuine hospitality,from the panoramic dining room androoftop sun terrace to the simple butfully stocked rooms and the bar tablestucked under the arcades of the side-walk. The hotel recently added a pooland tennis courts. See p. 322.

• Verbano (Stresa, Lake Maggiore):Why shell out hundreds of dollars for

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a hotel by the lake when you can haveone on the lake for half the price? Thedusty rose villa of the Verbano sits atthe tip of Isola dei Pescatori, an islandof colorful fishermen’s houses in themidst of Lake Maggiore, with views

over the landscaped Isola Bella, thelake, and the Alps beyond from mostrooms and also from the gravelly ter-race, where they serve excellentmeals. See p. 331.

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10 The Best Budget Gems• Hotel La Residenza (Venice): Just

off the highly fashionable Riva degliSchiavoni sits one of the greatremaining cheap pensioni in Italy, a15th-century palazzo converted intoan inexpensive hotel. Hotels thischeap are hard to come by anywherein Venice, let alone in such a primelocation, and none have such remark-able decor and faded style. Its 15rooms occupy the piano nobile, thehigh-ceilinged “noble floor” wherethe wealthy family once lived, so itsports 18th-century stuccoes overVenetian-style furnishings, 17th-cen-tury oil paintings, and Murano chan-deliers. See p. 109.

• Foresteria Valdese (Palazzo Cavag-nis; Venice): If La Residenza (seeabove) is full, you may luck into evenmore decaying style (18th-c. frescoesdecorate the ceilings in several rooms)for less money at this 16th-centurypalazzo run as a sort of hostel by theWaldesian and Methodist Church.The drawbacks are that it’s a sort ofhostel-type arrangement—many, butnot all, of the accommodations areshared rooms—and the rooms lackamenities such as telephones and air-conditioning. The location isn’t quiteas sweet as that of La Residenza, butthe rooms do have balconies over alovely small side canal. See p. 107.

• Hotel Galleria (Venice): This place isremarkable: a 17th-century palazzowith double rooms for under 110€($143), a half-dozen of which opendirectly onto the Grand Canal, and it’s

next door to one of Venice’s top sights,the Accademia Gallery. All that andyou get breakfast (including freshlybaked bread) in bed. See p. 110.

• Pensione Guerrato (Venice): Thischarming pensione is run by a pair ofbrothers-in-law in a converted 13th-century convent near the daily Rialtomarket. The furnishings are mis-matched but lovely, a mix of antiquesculled from markets over the years,and the breakfast is excellent. Theyalso rent two great apartments atexcellent prices near San Marco. Seep. 112.

• Hotel Bernardi-Semenzato (Venice):The friendly Pepoli family runs thiswell-maintained palazzo hidden ablock off the main drag about halfwaybetween the train station and SanMarco. It’s surrounded by osterie andgood restaurants patronized by locals,and the modernized rooms retainrough wood-beam ceilings andantique-style furnishings. They alsorent simple but spacious rooms in twoannexes nearby that make you feel asif you’re staying in your own Venetianapartment; one room has a fireplace,another overlooks a pair of sidecanals. See p. 114.

• Due Mori (Vicenza): Just off the cen-tral Piazza dei Signori lies this simple,no-frills but comfortable hotel, theoldest in Vicenza, packed with gen-uine 19th-century antiques and afriendly reception. See p. 192.

• Grifone (Sirmione, Lake Garda):Would you believe a vine-covered

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hotel where the simple rooms enjoyviews of the lake and access to a smallbeach for under 65€ ($85) a person?Well, that’s what the Marcolini sib-lings offer at this gem of an innaround the corner from the littlemedieval castle. Book early. See p. 309.

• Ostello La Primula (Menaggio,Lake Como): If this hostel is stillopen during your stay (it was headedfor the auction block in 2007), youcan get a bed overlooking the lake forabout 14€ ($18) and fixed-price din-ners for just 8.50€ ($11). See p. 327.

• Fasce (Santa Margherita Ligure):This little hotel a few blocks up fromthe harbor is now in its third genera-tion of family management, whichincludes the incredibly helpfulBritish-born Jane at the front desk.Not only are the bright guest roomsspacious and comfortable, and thesurroundings a lovely profusion ofplants and flowers, but they pile onthe extras, from free bicycles toCinque Terre packets for guests whostay at least 3 nights (including atrain ticket a day and all the info youneed to explore the coast). See p. 403.

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11 The Best Countryside Retreats• Cavallino d’Oro/Goldenes Rössl

(Kastelruth/Castelrotto, near Bozen):The village is a full-bore Tiroleanmountain hamlet straight out of theMiddle Ages, and this rambling hotelhas sat at the cobblestone center oftown since the 1400s, its swingingshingle emblazoned with its GoldenHorse moniker. It includes the cornerbar where the locals hang out forlunch and a genuine, preserved 18th-century Stuben (beer nook) in therestaurant at back. It’s a nice mix ofnew and old: The lounge has awidescreen TV with 300 digital chan-nels set next to a picture window ofthe Alps; the rooms offer moderncomforts amid hand-painted woodfurnishings and four-poster beds. Bestof all, the Urthaler family couldn’t bemore welcoming, and they happen tobe Frommer’s fans. See p. 225.

• Hotel Castello Schloss Labers (out-side Merano): The road from townwends its way through vine-clad hillsto the Stapf-Neubert family’s 11th-century, countryside castle—a hotelsince 1885. The cozy hunting salonscluster around a magnificent centralstaircase that leads up to the eclectic

collection of rooms tucked into tow-ers, eaves, and high-ceilinged rooms.A statue-studded garden out backoffers views across the valley to thesurrounding peaks, and they alsohave a heated pool, tennis courts, anda Tirolean restaurant. See p. 231.

• Villa Fiordaliso (Gardone Riviera,Lake Garda): This Liberty-style villawas built in 1903 and immediatelystarted attracting formidable owners,including poet Gabriele d’Annunzioand, later, Claretta Petacci, Mus-solini’s mistress (this is where theyspent their final weeks in semi-hidingat the end of World War II beforebeing hunted down and killed).Things have calmed down consider-ably since then, the villa transformedin 1990 into one of the most popularhigh-end restaurants in the lakeregion (it even has a Michelin starnow), with seven elegant guest roomsupstairs. See p. 312.

• Villa La Meridiana/Az. AgrituristicaReine (near Alba): An agriturismo is aworking farm whose family openstheir home and hospitality to guests.The Pionzo family runs this graciousagriturismo above the Piedmont wine

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town of Alba, with rooms in the mainhouse and converted from the formerstalls, almost all overlooking the vine-yards that produce their Barberawine, the surrounding village-cappedhills, and the peaks of the Alps in thedistance. The ample breakfast mayinclude apricot preserves from theirown orchard and sheep’s milk cheesefrom the neighbors. See p. 355.

• La Cascina del Monastero (outsideLa Morra): The di Grasso family runsan agriturismo similar to Villa LaMeridiana (see above); it’s anothervineyard and fruit orchard farm out-side a Piemontese village with largeguest rooms and apartments filledwith comfortable rustic furnishingsand exposed wood beams. This placewould be worth staying at if only forthe sumptuous breakfast spread, theonly drawback being that you mayhave to cancel lunch plans and returnto your room for a nap. See p. 358.

• Milleluci (outside Aosta): Fourmatrilineal generations of hoteliershave turned this family farm intoone of the coziest, friendliest hotelsin the whole of the Valle d’Aosta. Afire crackles in the large lounge

downstairs, and the rooms are donein woodsy Alpine style with canopybeds in suites, traditional wood fur-nishings, and hand-hewn ceilings. Intrue country tradition, the breakfasthere is overwhelming, with freshlybaked pies, cakes, and breads everymorning accompanied by farm-freshcheese, milk, and preserves. Unlikemost countryside retreats, the Mil-leluci sports plenty of facilities afour-star hotel would be jealous of: aheated outdoor pool, tennis courts,exercise facilities, hot tub, andsauna. See p. 364.

• La Grange (Courmayeur-Entrèves):Entrèves may not properly be coun-tryside, but this tiny collection ofAlpine chalets below the Mont Blanccable-car station is so small it barelyqualifies as a village, and the atmos-phere is fully rustic. The Bertholdfamily converted this hotel from abarn by fitting the rooms with a mixof antiques and sturdy country fur-nishings. It makes a refreshing (andfar less expensive) alternative to theresort hotels of Courmayeur justdown the road. See p. 368.

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12 The Best Restaurants• Do Forni (Venice): Though the

menu is vast, they seem to devoteequal attention to every single dish,making this one of the best restau-rants in Venice (though also the mosteyebrow-raisingly expensive). Thebulk of the place is done in a vaguelyrustic style, but the best room is thefront one, fitted out like a car fromthe luxurious Orient Express. See p. 121.

• La Cusina (Venice): One of the newstars on the Venetian restaurant sceneis also one of the few hotel diningrooms worth singling out. In warm

weather, this becomes one of themost romantic dinner settings intown, the tables set on terraces thathang over the Grand Canal. Thelocation alone makes it worth book-ing ahead, but happily the cooking isas delicious as the view is stunning,offering an inventive take on Italiancuisine based on Venetian and Venetotraditions and using the freshestingredients. See p. 121.

• Le Bistrot de Venise (Venice): Themenu at this upscale bistro is splitthree ways to satisfy your appetite (orat least make your choice harder):

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Venetian/Italian, French, and ancientlocal recipes culled from historiccookbooks and documents. Theyattract hip artistic types by turningthe back room into a coffeehouse-style performance space most nights,hosting poets, acoustic musicians, artexhibits, and cabarets. See p. 122.

• Al Covo (Venice): Texan DianeRankin makes the pastries and chatswith guests while husband-chefCesare Benelli watches over thekitchen at this always-popular restau-rant that mixes a warm welcome andexcellent fresh seafood dishes withrelatively reasonable prices (especiallyon the quality wine list). See p. 125.

• Trattoria Milanese (Milan): In a citywith many fine restaurants whosestars rise and fall almost as soon asthey make it onto the map, LaMilanese is a stalwart survivor, a tradi-tional trattoria that has never stoppedoffering typical Milanese dishes,smart service, and moderate prices, aformula that has kept it successful forover 70 years now. See p. 286.

• Antica Hosteria del Vino Buono(Bergamo): This cozy restaurant isspread over two floors of a cornerpalazzo on the market square. Thefood is mountain-style, rib-sticking

good, heavy on the game meats andthick polenta accompanied by heartyred wines. See p. 299.

• Ochina Bianca (Mantua): Mantuancooking is somewhat more complexthan most northern Italian cuisines,and the Venturinis put their owninnovative spin on it at the “WhiteGoose,” marrying local ingredientswith fresh fish from the Mincio andgame in this elegant restaurant. See p. 305.

• C’era Una Volta (Turin): That youhave to ring the bell and climb to thefirst floor gives this place a clubby air,but owner Piero Prete will instantlymake you feel like a longtime mem-ber as he greets you warmly andcomes back around to help you selectyour wine. The cooking is traditionalTorinese, excellently prepared. See p. 346.

• Lalibera (Alba): Franco and Manuelereign over this stylish dining room onan alley off a pedestrian shoppingstreet, with Marco in the kitchencrafting excellent variants onPiemontese cuisine by using only thefreshest of ingredients, all locally pro-duced, from the cheese to the fruit tothe meats. See p. 356.

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13 The Best Countryside Eateries• Al Camin (outside Cortina d’Am-

pezzo): This barnlike structure liesalong the rushing Run Brigantinemountain stream, 10 minutes outsidetown, serving hearty Alpine food in awoodsy dining room around a stonefireplace. Some regional specialtiesthat are hard to find elsewhere thesedays are staples on Al Camin’s sea-sonal menus. See p. 242.

• L’Osteria del Vignaiolo (La Morra):This place is sophisticated rustic,

with simple rooms with pale-goldwalls expanding to tables outside insummer. It’s set amid the vineyardsthat produce its excellent wines andprovide the excellent views. Thecooking, in the hands of chef LucianoMarengo, samples from the variedbounty of Piemontese regionalcuisines, accompanied by choicecheese platters and, of course, someof the best fine wines in Italy. See p. 358.

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• La Maison de Filippo (Entrèves):This is the never-ending meal to beatall feasts. I honestly tried to keeptrack of the courses, but after the sev-enth appetizer, I had to give it up.But it’s not just quantity (two words:pace yourself ): The food actuallymanages to be fantastic as well, and

it’s served in an archetypal rustic-countryside dining room of lowwood ceilings and open kitchens.Sometimes there’s even a dog underthe table. Book here and then plan tospend much of the next day merelydigesting. See p. 369.

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14 The Best Down-Home Trattorie & Osterie• Vino Vino (Venice): Antico Martini

is a pricey but good restaurant nearLa Fenice opera house; Vino Vino isits worst-kept secret, an inexpensiveosteria branch that serves simple buttasty dishes that come out of thesame kitchen. You choose from thedaily chalkboard menu, stake out atable, and then carry your meal to italong with a wine from their excel-lent and extensive shared wine cellar.See p. 124.

• Ai Tre Spiedi (Venice): Although thisplace recently changed ownershipand isn’t the hidden gem it once was,you’ll still find a great Venetian mealat reasonably low prices—not thecheapest in town, but some of thebest value for your money. The own-ers are jolly, and the food is excellent,including the fish (which is oftendicey at the more inexpensive placesin Venice). See p. 125.

• Cantina do Mori (Venice): Notwith-standing the change in management(and a slight price hike), the Cantinado Mori has remained one of the bestbacari in Venice, a wine bar thatserves exquisite cicchetti (tapaslikesnacks) to a crowd of regulars nightlyunder the low-beam ceilings thatseem unchanged since the jointopened in 1462. After all, this is theplace where even Casanova suppos-edly came to tipple between affairs.See p. 129.

• Toni del Spin (Treviso): Seventyyears of satisfying Trevisani dinershas imparted a patina of reliability tothis down-home trattoria of criss-crossing beams, swirling fans, andchalkboard menus. The choices arelimited, but each dish is excellent,mixing local traditions with experi-mental cooking and some interna-tional dishes. The wine list isstellar—they also run the wine shopacross the street. See p. 180.

• La Taverna di Via Stella (Verona):The Vantini brothers and their bud-dies run this newish, laid-back osteriathat feels as if it’s been around forcenturies. Here, the local volunteerfire squad shows up to hang out inuniform and hit on girls, and officeworkers troop in to unwind over tra-ditional Veronese dishes and wine (oftheir some 180 bottles, 10 varietiesare opened nightly so that you cansample by the glass). See p. 207.

• Osteria del Duca (Verona): Theladies bustling around this old fave ofa trattoria know to double-checkwith foreign visitors who have inad-vertently ordered one of the manytraditional Veronese dishes made ofhorse or donkey meat. The setting isromantic in true Verona style: It’s onthe ground floor of a medievalpalazzo that most likely belonged tothe historical Montecchi family,immortalized by Shakespeare as the

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Montagues, whose son Romeo fell inlove with Juliet of the enemy Capuletclan. See p. 207.

• Vineria Cozzi (Bergamo): LeonardoVigorelli’s wine bar is the turnstilearound which Bergamo’s upper city

spins, a requisite stop for locals andvisitors alike who enjoy his hospital-ity, good wine selection, and yummypanini, meat and cheese platters, andsimple dishes. See p. 300.

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