AMAZING facility. The location was easy to find. The equipment is plentiful and hardly used. I was…read morehere attending a class so had little to no interaction with the actual trainers who would run a class if one were to visit the box. The owner was hard to read - seeming cold and irritated initially but later warm and helpful!

I can happily say I was living in Italy at the time this place opened. We went several times over…read morethe year. I appreciated it, but now more than even I appreciate having the experience. This is the deepest scuba diving/ free diving pool in the world. Yes, it's in the Guinness Book of World Records. It goes to 40 meters (the reason it's name is the Y-40). It's built on a natural thermal hot spring and the water is always in the 90s. You use all of the gear they have on site, so it made for a easy, fun, care free dive. People can watch the divers in the on-site café they have as well. They have awesome locker rooms and showers with shampoo for post dive cleanup. You can bring your mask and dive watch and I never had an issue bringing my GoPro. There are swim throughs, and of course you can go to the deep part if you're certified to go to 40m. If you are a diver and in Italy, you MUST make this a spot to hit.

After a 20 year hiatus from diving, I went to Y-40 with my son-in-law (an…read moreavid diver) who was visiting from New York. We chose Y-40 to refresh my skills and we were not disappointed. Of course I had to use their dive gear and even rented one of their dive computers (super cheap to rent). What we received... about 45 minutes underwater exploring their many platforms and tubes in wonderfully warm water. The refresher dive reassured me of my skills and abilities enabling us to dive in the Mediterranean just a few days later. For our third and final dive of his visit, we again chose Y-40 due to inclement weather. The staff were wonderful and spoke much better English than I do Italian. The facilities are very well maintained and the Espresso bar after the dive was a much appreciated bonus!

Club Krystal is a very well designed and decorated swingers playground hidden in an office /…read moreindustrial park. It is located a couple of hours drive away from Venice, so I had to rent a car. At first I was really nervous because I didn't really know where I was. But after meeting the host Alessandro, I felt much better. Alessandro spoke English. He had a warm, soothing and welcoming personality. He gave me a tour and introduced me to everyone. The place is well staffed and the security in suits were silently ever so present, making me feel very safe. The place is modern, stylish and dimly lit. They have a large main area with dance floors and a cage which I liked. The music is great. They have many playrooms with different themes which were arranged in a maze / labyrinth-like pattern, so it's fun to just go round and round to peek / explore. They do serve alcohol, and the bartenders are friendly but do not accept any tips. The best part of all were the other members there. They were fit and in shape and took pride in their dress and appearance. The women looked very sophisticated, but were pleasant when I approached them. The only problem for me was that I do not speak any Italian at all! And none of the members seemed to speak English. So I tried to communicate with simple English and gestures. I had originally only planned to stay an hour or two to check the place out, but I had such a wonderful time that I accidentally stayed 4 or 5 hours. I was there on a Friday, but I was told that Saturdays were great too, especially for couples. Unfortunately, my vacation was too short to allow me enough time to return on Saturday.

Great place for Americans to take horseback lessons while in Itay; Denis speaks excellent English…read moreand works well (and is patient) with children. His prices are extremely reasonable, and he has discounted package deals for either 5 or 10 lessons; offering individual lessons catered to either children or adults. There are both indoor and outdoor arenas. We've been a few times now and have enjoyed watching our daughter learn how to ride and become comfortable around the horses. On a side note, there are two great mouser cats that will often come up for a little bit of affection.

This is a fabulous horse ranch. Denis and his staff are amazing with the kids and adult students…read more They offer all kinds of services including Italian lessons. He is constantly trying to find ways to help the kids learn more than just about horseback riding. The Summer Camps were wonderful and my daughter loved everything that she learned about the horses. I know we will go back again in the future for more lessons. He also hosts birthday parties and special events.

I was driving from Venice to Bologna and I found the World Heritage site in between that lays claim…read moreto being the first botanical garden on Earth, so I figure I would have to stop by. I didn't have much time because my rental was due back, and to compound this issue, parking was tough, so time spent driving around trying to park definitely ate into my time I wanted to spend here. When I finally did park, I literally ran, well jogged, to the entrance, paid around 10 euros to come in and then I was at peace. There are two areas worth exploring. First is the original garden and circular garden with various species thoughtfully planted about. The second, new area is a brief walk away and features plants from different ecosystems, like tropical, temperate, etc. The huge lily pads out front and in the tropical room were my favorite and I only wish I had more time to explore here (1.5 hours are needed) and also check out the architecture of the nearby town. Good luck parking and once you do that, you'll have fun here. And always great to support another World Heritage Site.

A beautiful Renaissance medicinal garden, well worth a stroll for the flowers and herbs (we were…read morethere the first week of May). Not to be missed, however, is the series of modern greenhouses that lead the visitors from one climate to another starting with the tropics and ending in the desert. From the piazza outside St Anthony's, take a short stroll down a quiet residential street, over the ancient moat and into the garden. Established as part of the university college of medicine in 1545, it is believed to be the oldest one in Europe, with over 7000 varieties of plants including medicinal, poisonous, and carnivorous. The flytraps quiver in anticipation if you have your hand over them! On the less creepy side the roses are gorgeous. Entrance 10 euros, 6 for seniors.