The boot of Europe
Italy, a relatively small peninsula in southern Europe, was the heart of one of the world’s greatest empires — and later nurtured one of the most important developments in modern times, the reopening of the western mind known as the Renaissance. The effect was to produce for our enrichment a vast collection of artifacts, ancient structures, paintings, sculptures — the kinds of things historians and artists want to preserve and tourists want to see.

As if that were not enough, the destination offers a beautiful landscape, excellent food and wine and friendly hosts.

About Italy
It is no wonder that, as the seat for the Roman Empire and the birthplace of the Renaissance, Italy produced a vast array of historically important artifacts, buildings and works of fine art. It is something of a wonder, though, that so much has survived. Relying on UNESCO statistics, Italy claims it is home to two-thirds of the world’s historical artistic heritage. In other words, art and history lovers don’t have to plan a trip around where they can find attractions of great significance and beauty. They can choose a region to visit based other factors — local food or wine, the terrain, the climate, etc. — knowing there will be treasures no matter where they go.

Nevertheless, most travelers on a first visit want to see the city the caesars built, the city where Michelangelo launched his career and the city where gondolas aren’t just for show — so they choose a route that encompasses Rome, Florence, perhaps some Tuscan countryside and Venice.

That leaves much rich fodder for later trips, either in the south (such as the Amalfi Coast and sunny Sicily) and north (sophisticated Milan or Turin of recent Olympic fame, plus the Alps and the northern lakes).

Italy rates high with its overseas visitors because of its historical heritage, of course, but it gets an extra boost because it is a beautiful country with lakes, rolling hills, mountains — good for boating, hiking, skiing and a wide range of outdoor pursuits. Besides, the food is good; aficionados come to Italy for cooking classes or simply to wine and dine their way around the country.

What’s not to like? The prices give some pause, given the recent weakness of the U.S. dollar against the euro. The prices pinch, but tourists so far have been remarkably resilient.

All personality types visit and appreciate Italy, a country that presents so many faces that every traveler can find something to enjoy. Besides, Italians are welcoming and the country offers good weather most of the year.

• Go to Venice for Carnival. Celebrants dress up in Commedia dell’Arte style, and concerts and all kinds of festivities abound.

• Jump on a mountain bike and take to the hills and mountains of northern Italy — or wherever the mood strikes and the temperatures are cool enough for comfort. Italy’s regions have many trails to suggest; start with www.italiantourism.com/italybybike.html.

• Take in the must-sees of Florence — the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio and Uffizi, for starters — then get thee to the hills. Hike the five miles up to Fiesole, an old Roman town with an ancient amphitheater, medieval cathedral and villas. It is a good place for strolling and enjoying the views.

• Overnight at a holiday farm in one of Italy’s national parks. The experience is essentially a sojourn at a working farm with some features added, like a restaurant, to accommodate tourists.

• Alternatively, stay at a mountain hut for better access to hiking trails and maybe some mountain climbing. The hut may provide shelter year-round but with outdoor facilities.

• Hiking is the most common outdoor pursuit in Italy’s parks, but depending on the park, you can go caving, canoeing, diving, horseback riding — or pursue a raft of other interests. Start with www.parks.it.

• Visit Pompeii, or what one can see of the city that was famously destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the year 79. Yes, you will see some of the erotic scenes on house walls so this is probably not a trip for the kids, but you also will get new insights into the life of a first century resident of today’s Italy.

• Go rock climbing in the Dolomites.

• Grab your spot early beside the railings of Siena’s Piazza del Campo on the day, in July, of the annual Palio horse race. It will be a hot and tense scene waiting for this race, which dates from 1310, — but you’ll get a very colorful show that lasts about five hours.

• Take a seven-day sea kayaking and camping trip on the island of Elba, which is part of the Tuscan Archipelago National Park. Take courses in sea kayaking if needed.

• For sheer spectacular scenery, take the Amalfi Drive, with its views of the Mediterranean, fantastic rock formations and subtropical flora.

• Ski the Alps, or take a guided snowshoe tour in the Dolomites. Spend evenings with pasta and good local wine in laid-back local restaurants.

• Take a wine tour through some of Italy’s premier vineyards south of Florence. Indeed, sample the local wines in every region.

• Hone your skills in the kitchen. Sign on for a cooking tour of Italy. Women-only options are available, too.

• Attend one or more out-of-the-ordinary festivals: Ivrea Carnival in Ivrea which wraps up with three afternoons of orange-tossing battles or the Festival of the Betrayed Spouse in Rocca Canterano which celebrates the victims of spousal betrayal.

• From Venice, visit some of its nearby islands. Burano is noted for its colorful low houses, doors and windows, and Murano is known as the island of glassworks (since 1291). You will want to buy Venetian glass before leaving town, too.

• Treat yourself to a driving tour that circumnavigates Lake Garda, stopping along the way at the most charming villages (don’t miss Sirmione) and crawling through every church and castle or castle ruin that strikes your fancy.

• From Genoa, Naples and a number of other ports, take a ferry to Sardinia or Sicily to take in the points of historical and cultural interest on either island.

• See the must-sees in Rome (the Colosseum, the Forum, Vatican City, et al), then pursue some less-visited, less-known points of historical interest in a quieter setting outside Rome, at the Parco Regionale dell’Appia Antica (effectively, the Appian Way Regional Park). Some sights here are historic churches, ancient villas, old tombs and catacombs.

• Get married in Italy. Spend your honeymoon in a countryside villa.

• In modern, design-conscious Milan, shop for Italian high fashion (for men and women). Don’t expect bargains, but the quality and range of choices are terrific.

• Book time at a spa and be part of a time-honored tradition. From the time of the Romans, thermal waters and baths have been a feature of Italian life.

• Take a cruise on one of the lakes of the north (Como, Garda or Maggiore); in summertime, look for the option of a nighttime cruise and dining or dancing or both.

• Travel back in time. Attend the reenactment, on the first weekend of July, of a 1499 battle between Florence and Venice in the small town of Mignano, and sample foods based on recipes from the same Renaissance time period.

• Visit the enchanting small city of Lucca, and walk atop its fine Old Town walls.

• Go to the opera at Verona’s colosseum. The seats are hard but think of the experience as a way to connect with the ancient Romans.

• Arrange to see Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper,” which was painted on what was literally a lunchroom wall in the Church and Dominican Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. Then, take another look at this genius by visiting Milan’s National Museum of Science and Technology which displays copies of da Vinci’s mechanical drawings with models showing what his machines (including a flying machine) might have looked like and how they were supposed to work.

• Visit the pretty Tuscan hill town San Gimignano, noted for its distinctive towers. After admiring its charms, drop in at its torture museum!

• Play golf against the backdrop of your choice: a lake, the mountains, the sea or one of Italy’s famed art cities.

• Plan a religious pilgrimage to the Piedmont region in northwestern Italy. Points of interest include the nine Sacred Mountains of Piedmont and Lombardy, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and most famously, the Holy Shroud of Turin, protected since 1578 in the Duomo of Turin. Tourists see a copy of the shroud, which is permanently on display on the high altar.