In Italy you find more than half (some say two thirds) of the works of art (monuments and masterpieces) and sights of the entire world. They are also extremely varied, as they are expression of various historical eras, covering nearly 2,800 years. They are also the result of different societies and political realities.
The Italian civilisation was the first to stress the importance of cities. No other country in the world has so many towns, so different, so rich in art and history, and so beautiful.
No other civilization has developed to such extent the importance of human qualities. The Italian culture has its foundations not only in a very important and fruitful religion, but also in a great secular (non religious) humanistic culture, parallel and competing with the religious.
Italy is incredibly varied. You find countless beautiful towns each with own history, architecture and works of art: not only Rome, Florence and Venice, but also Siena, Orvieto, Assisi, Naples, Palermo, Arezzo, Lucca, Genoa just to mention a few. Yet you also find medieval towns and inspiring churches (for ex. in Umbria), fishing ports, and charming little towns perched in unspoilt hills.
You also find any possible environment: varied and world-famous seaside regions (Italian Riviera in Liguria, the Amalfi coast, Sicily, Sardinia, a total of 7000 km of coast), beautiful and varied rural areas which inspired Renaissance painters, be it with cypress-studded landscapes or with scenic countryside. There are many mountains, different in their own right (the majestic Alps with skiing resorts, the Dolomite peaks interspersed with picture-perfect valleys). You find thriving plains (the Po plain), unexplored uplands (Calabria), fertile marine swamps (in Tuscany and in the Po delta), many impressive active volcanoes, a myriad of varied islands, some very large and with a totally different environment (Sicily and Sardinia), and also many lakes with world acclaimed sceneries.
Also the Italians are unbelievably varied. You find 21 regions, with different history, different regional idioms called "dialects" (they are actually authentic languages dying out), different urban layouts and different landscapes. Their populations have different cuisines, different patron saints, and contrasting political orientations. The 21 regions actually form practically three different countries: North, Centre and South, each claiming supremacy over something and actually having remarkably different societies and economies. Moreover, you find also regions with completely different languages: in Alto Adige half of the inhabitants are of German origin, there are valleys in the Alps in which people speak Ladin(an original language, not to be confused with Latin), uplands in Calabria were Greek Albanian is widely spoken (as they fled from the Turks in the 16th century), the Bergamo province in which Bergamasco (a sort of Germanic language) is popular, and Valle d'Aosta where French is the most spoken language.
Cuisine and cooking are national passions, and they are tasteful, healthy, extraordinarily imaginative and varied. There is no "Italian cuisine", but rather a galaxy of regional cuisines, each contributing to the rightful fame of the broader national one. You will not have to go to some fancy and expensive Italian restaurant to sample the countless dishes. You will find restaurants of all sorts everywhere, and you will discover that the most economic are also extremely good. The Italians will be happy then to explain to you all the nuances of this Mediterranean, natural cuisine.
Since its very origin, the civilizations appeared in Italy (the Greek, the Etruscan, the Latin, the Byzantine, and naturally the Italian), have given an unprecedented importance to style, harmony with nature, good taste, and beauty. In no other country they are such a popular and widespread heritage. Since ancient times the Italians have been harbingers of style, fashion and art. Ferraris are not only the fastest cars, but also the most beautiful.
Italian, a melodious language, is also the language of music ("presto", "piano", "forte", "allegro" etc.).
The Italians are accommodating, savvy and sensible. Yet, if you are educated and you like to explore countries in depth, you will understand why the European scholars consider Italy the most complex, intricate - and intriguing - European country. Forget the silly stereotypes! You will be mesmerised finding out the historical reasons of the countless achievements or aspects of the Italian civilisation. It is a form of pleasure knowing more about the Renaissance society, about Leonardo's and Michelangelo's lives and contrasts, about the well organised society of ancient Rome and of the Church, about the fascinating history of the Marine Republics (Venice, Genoa, Pisa, Amalfi), about the contrast between the Church and the Central Empire in the Middle Age, and about the interaction between the ideas of the middle class, the working class, and the Church in the last centuries. You will be surprised to know that the Italians define themselves "People of Poets, Saints and Explorers". So you see, the reality is different from the silly stereotypes viewing the Italians as Latin lovers, mafiosi and provincial. In everyday life, you will frequently meet very educated and erudite people. As E. M. Forster wrote "the Italians are more marvellous than the land".
Italy is also a real estate jewels mine.
So, Italy is wating for you and for the true upgrade of your lifestyle.
Please, be free to contact us.
The image, here below, represents a lakefront Ninth Century Castel, for sale, in Central Italy.
