The history of Italy goes on well before the days of the Roman Empire, and modern Archaeology has uncovered evidence of shipping long before the Roman Era. The city of Rome has been trying to build a subway system for more than 40 years. It seems like every time they dig a little further, they uncover another “city” or entire civilization they never knew existed. Just visit the Forum to see how many “ cities” have been built on top of another.
Much of Italy is covered with these same ruins from Roman civilization and Roman conquests. A great part of the early civilization in Rome was based on shipping, yet Rome is far inland, not a typical seaport by any means. The clever Romans built canals to bring the actual seaport into Rome. Evidence, in various forms, of those canals still exists today. It is believed the Modern Tiber River was a central part of that canal system. A giant industry of shipbuilding may have originated in Italy, and Italy today remains a major player in Modern Shipyards such as the many Fiancatieri Shipyards building the world’s largest seagoing vessels every day. Italy continued to be a major player in World History through the First and Second World Wars. The passion of the Italian people became very evident during World War II in the infamous hanging and disembowelment of Benito Mussolini, seen worldwide in black and white pictures. Italy was a very important landing area for allied troops in that war and gave the allies access over the Alps to central Europe.
This brief trip in time gives us an introduction into what we want to see in Italy. That will be Antiques, Scenery, Beaches, agriculture and Ports.
We begin in the Mountain Region of Italy. High up in the Alps there is much history of the residents in this area or Tyroleans. The very colorful outfits are duplicated today, and one can watch festivals where the citizens wear these wonderful outfits still today.
These mountains boarder Switzerland, and Ski Lodges here are more moderate (affordable) than the lodges Switzerland is famous for. The large industrial city of Milan brings together a mixture of the adjacent Millionaire’s beaches of Monaco, France, and Spain, with the moderate seaside towns of Italy, sometimes referred to as Cinque Terre, or Five Towns. This Mountain Region extends across to a border with Germany and Austria.
Nestled in here are the most beautiful lake regions in the world. Lake Como is the most famous of these. All of this has an unmatched history of Art and religion. Throughout the region are wonderful towns with castles, monasteries, and churches. Art found in these spans the entire art history of the world. The influence of Swiss, German, and Austrian is unmistakable. It lends an unparalleled vibrancy to everything, most notably the food. Here, dishes are almost always a mix of strong Italian influence, blended with flavors of all three neighbors. Italians from all over come here for vacations and respite all year long. Mountains blend into cities that blend into citrus and olive groves, that finally blend into the Adriatic Sea near Venice
