About Italy
Italy is located in Southern Europe and it borders Slovenia, Austria, Switzerland and France. In addition to the main Italian territory, it also includes the two largest Mediterranean Islands – Sardinia and Sicily. The islands of Pantelleria are also part of Italy. Rome is the largest city in Italy and is also the capital city. Italy’s climate ranges from oceanic to humid continental to humid sub-tropical.
Italy is offers its inhabitants free education that is mandatory from age 6 to 16. It also runs a mixed public-private healthcare system. Italy’s economy is characterized by low unemployment and high per capita GDP. Italy is known for its history. Throughout the country, one can find some of the oldest sites in the world, making it a perfect place for history buffs to visit.
Historical Activities in Italy
For the history buffs, there is an amazing selection of historic sites to see in Italy:
- Pompeii
Pompeii is one of the most well-known ancient sites in the world as it was founded in the 6th or 7th century BC. It was destroyed by a volcano in 79 AD, causing it to be one of the most famous archeological sites of the world. The attraction to this site is that its artifacts, homes and buildings have remained intact as they have been preserved by the cinders and ash from the volcano.
- The Vatican Museums
The Vatican Museums host some of the most important and impressive artifacts of the world. The Vatican Museums was the original site of the papal palaces, making it a very popular site to visit.
- The Colosseum
For many people, the Colosseum is not like any other site. This Roman Empire represents magnificence and power, making it a stunning object in ancient architecture. This amphitheatre was built in the first century AD for the Romans to enjoy; it is now visited and enjoyed by thousands each year.
Historical Vacation Packages in Italy
There are countless tours and vacation packages that history buffs can choose from for Italy. They range from half day tours to a few weeks vacations. The day tours can be self-guided or include a tour guide and are usually of the most known historical sites across Italy. From day tours, you can go up to vacation packages that start at a few days in length – again covering the most popular sites. The vacation packages that are a week or longer are much more in-depth and covers a far larger area. For instance, Globus tour vacations have tours that include sites such as: the Colosseum, St. Peter’s, the Sistine Chapel St. Francis’ Basilica and St. Clare’s Church.
Trafalgar Tours vary from 8 days to 19 days and depending on the length, the historical sites included does vary. The main historical sites are covered on most of the tours however, on the longer tours some of the sites might be less popular but are diamonds in the rough with lots of historical value.
How much will Italy cost?
Vacation tours in Italy vary greatly in price. Tours start at about $1300-1500 and can go higher than $5000, depending on the length of the tour, the sites that are visited, whether or not accommodations and meals are included and the quality of accommodations. Most tours do not include airfare but some do so it is important when choosing a tour to take that into consideration. Also, look into what meals and accommodations are included, possible upgrades to better rooms and so on. If you choose to forgo a pre-planned guided tour, there are many cheaper options to consider such as renting a car and touring around the country – seeing all the historical sites you are interested in!