Italy Travel Planner Guide: 20 Exotic Locations to Visit

By
Hareem Zafar
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Castel-Sant'Angelo

Italy is often nicknamed as the Bel Paese (beautiful country)! Italy is home to one the largest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites globally, owing to the historic art and iconic monuments that beautify the country. One of the fastest growing and most profitable sectors of Italy is the tourism industry, with an approximate €189.1 billion revenue.

Cities with historic significance such as Venice, Italy, Rome and Florence are famous worldwide and have been enticing tourists to pay a visit to these iconic locations since centuries. Apart from the art that Italy treasures, the city is adorned with beautiful coasts and gorgeous alpine mountains and lakes.

Ask any Italian where would they rather be and all of them will definitely say “right here”. Indeed, every other person has raved about Italy since tourism started and it is without a doubt, Italy has it all. With one of the most diverse landscapes in the whole of Europe, the world’s largest treasures of art; an exotic climate and deliciously authentic national cuisine. It is tue that once you have visited the place, you may never desire to travel anywhere else.

Here is a list of top 20 tourist attractions in Italy. Let’s have a look.

1. Amalfi Coast

amalfi-coast
The Amalfi Coast is a 50-kilometer coastline along southern Italy’s Sorrentine Peninsula, in the Campania region. It’s a famous holiday destination, with cliffs and a rugged shoreline lined small beaches and pastel-colored fishing villages.

2. The Cathedral Basilica di San Marco

basilica-di-san-marco
The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Venice, northern Italy. It is the most popular of the city’s churches and one of the best examples of Italo-Byzantine architecture.

3. The Mausoleum of Hadrian- Castel-Sant’Angelo

Castel-Sant'Angelo
The Mausoleum of Hadrian, also called Castel Sant’Angelo, is a tall cylindrical building in Rome, Italy. It was initially designed by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for his family and himself.
Castel-Sant'Angelo
The Mausoleum of Hadrian, also known as Castel Sant’Angelo, is a tall cylindrical building in Rome, Italy. It was initially built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family.

4. Grand Canal Venice

grand-canal-venice
The Grand Canal is a canal in Venice, Italy, forming one of the big water-traffic corridors in the city. The means of Public transport are water buses and private water taxis. Also, several tourists prefer exploring the canal in a gondola.

5. Leaning Tower of Pisa

Leaning-Tower-of-Pisa
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the freestanding bell tower, of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa, known globally for its unknown and unintended tilt.

6. Milan Cathedral

Milan-Cathedral
Milan Cathedral is the cathedral church of Milan, Italy. It is dedicated to St Mary of the Nativity. The Gothic cathedral almost took six centuries to be completed

7. Mount Etna

Mount-Etna
Mount Etna is an active volcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy between Messina and Catania. Mount Etna lies above the convergent plate margin between the African Plate and the Eurasian Plate.

8. Pantheon Rome

pantheon-rome
The Pantheon is a historical building in Rome, Italy. The building was completed by the emperor, Hadrian.

9. Piazza Navona

piazza-navona
Piazza Navona is a piazza in Rome, Italy. It is situated on the site of the Stadium of Domitian, developed in 1st century AD; following the form of the open space of the stadium.

10. Rialto Bridge

rialto-bridge
The Rialto Bridge is one of the four bridges on the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. It is the oldest bridge at the canal and is the segmenting line for the districts of San Marco and San Polo.

11. Roman Colosseum

roman-colosseum
The Colosseum is an oval amphitheatre in the city centre of Rome, Italy.

12. The Roman Forum

roman-forum
The Roman Forum is a rectangular forum surrounded by the ruins of crucial ancient government buildings at the center of the city of Rome.

13. Saint Mark’s Square Venice

Saint-Mark's-Square-Venice
Piazza San Marco is the capital public square of Venice, Italy, where it is generally known just as “the Piazza”. All other urban spots in the city are called “campi”

14. Sistine Chapel

sistine-chapel
The Sistine Chapel is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope, in Vatican City. The chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who restored it between 1477 and 1480.

15. St. Peter’s Basilica

st-peter's-basilica
The Papal Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican is an Italian Renaissance church in Vatican City, the enclave within the city of Rome.

16. Trevi Fountain

trevi-fountain
The Trevi Fountain is a fountain in the Trevi district in Rome, Italy. It is designed by Italian architect Nicola Salvi.

17. Uffizi Gallery

uffizi-gallery
The Uffizi Gallery is an art museum situated adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in central Florence, Italy.

18. Vatican Museums

vatican-museums
The Vatican Museums are the museums of the Vatican City and are located within the city’s boundaries. The place displays the most renowned sculptures and most critical masterpieces of Renaissance art in the world.

19. Florence Cathedral

Florence-Cathedral
The Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore is the centre church of Florence, Italy. The building came to existence in 1296 in the Gothic style with the design of Arnolfo di Cambio.

20. Borghese Gallery

borghese-gallery
The Borghese Gallery is an art gallery in Rome, Italy. It is a building that was from the first integral with its gardens. Nowadays it is known as the Villa Borghese gardens by the tourists.

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Italy Visa Requirements

  • Submit visa applications in person, at least four weeks prior to intended date of travel.
  • Passports should be valid at least six months at the time of visa application. Please bring previous passports, if any, and attach with application copies, on A4 size paper, of used pages, copies of Schengen, US, UK, Canada, Australia visas.
  • Photocopy of your national ID card.
  • Police report if previous passports lost.
  • Visa Application Form, Security questionnaire and 2 recent photos (35mmX45cm / white background)
  • Original signed letter of the applicant’s company/employer stating name, position, salary, duration of employment, address and contact numbers of the employer, purpose, and duration of the visit to the Schengen state(s).
  • Supporting documents of personal income:
    – Original bank statements of the last six months stamped by the bank, bank maintenance letter
    – National Tax Number Certificate (NTM) for the previous two years

– Proof of income tax payment (FBR)
– Last three salary slips for salaried individuals

  • Copy of flight booking
  • If you have been refused a visa by an Embassy or High Commission, written explanation about the reason for trip and refusal letter.
  • Original and photocopy of Family Registration Certificate issued by NADRA (in English or with a certified translation if in Urdu)
  • Original and copy of a travel medical insurance policy of not less than 30,000 Euros. The policy must cover medical and hospitalization expenses for the entire period of valid stay on Schengen territory as well as repatriation costs. Consult a valid list of authorized insurance companies in Pakistan as agreed by Schengen partners in Islamabad.
  • The applicants are requested to submit certificates proving that concerned person has received Oral Polio Vaccine.
  • Accommodation / hotel reservation for your period of stay.
  • Covering letter requesting the Visa officer for issuance of visa.

When to Visit and purchase air ticket

  • Try visiting in the off season. Up to 30% off during off season
  • Air tickets are the biggest expense. Plan ahead and Book early.
  • Look for periodic off-season discounts run by many airlines to get a good deal on airlines
  • September-October (Off season, weather is neither cold nor hot)

Budget (7 days/nights vacation to Milan)

  • Air tickets:                           Rs 63,000 per person
  • Visa                                       Rs   8,000 per person
  • Travel insurance                Rs   2500 per person
  • Accommodation (3 star) Rs 33,000 per person (twin sharing)(15 min walk from City Center)
  • Transportation                  Rs   12,000 per person (using bus, and Metro)
  • Food/ Entertainment      Rs 41,500 per person ( Fast food, local street food, tours)
  • Expenses                            Rs 10,000 per person
  • Total                                   Rs 175,000 per person

The calculation has been done based on the following:

  • Cheapest air ticket from Karachi- Milan (Ticket price comparison website prices)
  • Accommodation prices from world’s top hotel booking engine
  • Transport Euro 100 (Metro from Airport to City Centre, use metro where necessary)
  • Food and Accommodation @ Euro 50 per person per day. (Euro 7 per meal= Euro 21+Euro 30 for tours/museum entry per day)
  • Expenses to be spent for buying souvenirs at the end of trip $100
  • 1 Euro =PKR 118-120
  • Carry Euro from Pakistan
  • Calculations are per person based on twin sharing accommodation
  • Accommodation Prices may vary by 40% if you go for budget accommodation or luxury accommodation.

Source: Travel Package Compare

A Pakistan Travel and Tour empowerment website where various tour operators provide several packages offered for travel purposes. So discover the world today, by signing up with Travel Package Compare and enjoy a carefree vacation to some of the world’s exotic destinations.

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