This is possibly the most interesting tourist attraction of the city: it's a bell tower 112 metres…read morehigh, making it one of the highest in the world, and the highest red brick-built. It has been decorated with the biggest astronomical clock in the world, showing, along with date and time, lunar phases and zodiac signs. Getting to the top can be challenging, as there is no lift (not surprising considering that this building is nearly one thousand years old), but the views all the way up are superb, and get better as you appraoch the top. One should chose windier days, to enjoy the best views, and this can be problematic: the Po plain is enclosed by mountains, and wind is rare. The air is often very foggy, particularly in winter, or misty enough for people not to take the most of the views. When the alps are visible in the far distance from the roads around the town, one shouldn't miss the occasion to walk up the Torrazzo: they can be sure they won't be disappointed. The whole city can be seen, along with huge portions of the countryside and parts of the river. The price is usually around 5€ but it might vary, though not so much, as the building is managed by the Diocese who might decide that they need more money any time.

Fabulous must visit part of Genoa. I am in love with this city and it's massive medieval centre…read morewhich is supposed to be the biggest in Europe. Via Garibaldi is an amazing street with lots of small palaces and amazing architecture surrounding it. I could spend days here photographing buildings and narrow lanes :-)))) I would recommend this as a must visit :-)

Porto di Portofino is a beautiful small Italian fishing village and holiday resort famous for its…read morepicturesque harbour and historical association with celebrity and artistic visitors. It is located just a half hour boat, train, or car ride away from the Metropolitan City of Genoa on the Italian Riviera. Potofino is clustered around its small harbour, and is known for the colourfully painted buildings that line it's shore. With a short hike up to Castello Brown or Brown Castle, you can get a awesome view of the port of Portofino and the surrounding area which is ideal for the best photographs! References to Portofino date all the way back to 29 AD. After 1229 it was part of the Republic of Genoa. In 1409 Portofino was sold to the Republic of Florence by Charles VI of France, but when he was ousted from Genoa, the Florentines gave it back. In 1815 it became part of the Kingdom of Sardinia and, from 1861, it became part of the unified Kingdom of Italy. Notable residents include King Richard I of England in 1190 and Pope Gregory XI in 1377 along with several famous politicians, writers, painters, actors, and actresses. The Statue of Christ of the Abyss was placed underwater on 29 August 1954 in the inlet at a depth of 17 metres or 56 ft. This statue was placed to protect fishermen and scuba divers and in memory of Dario Gonzatti, the first Italian to use SCUBA gear, who died in 1947. In 1999, Universal Studios recreated a full-scale replica of Portofino Bay at Universal Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida, USA, but it is missing all the mountains and yachts. In 2001, Portofino inspired a recreation of the seaside town around the harbour at Tokyo DisneySea in Chiba, Japan. In 1959 Dalida released an Italian song "Love in Portofino" which Andrea Bocelli reissued in 2013. In 2017, Ferrari named one of their new V8 sports cars after Portofino. The weather on my visit in August was pretty hot but not cloudy and the town was not too packed with tourists that you couldn't move along the town shops and paths, which was ideal. For those with extra time, you can take a tour of Castello Brown. I highly recommend taking a boat trip to enjoy the beauty of this town and the surrounding area from the water! If you're anywhere near Genoa, Portofino is a must see! I highly recommend visiting for a day trip!

This building is one of the chief example of Lombard-romanic style. It's placed in one of the…read morenicest (and least known) Italian piazzas, in the town of Stradivarius, the world-famous violin maker, and Monteverdi, father of the Italian opera. The access is free, and the interior includes amazing frescos, paintings and decoration, and what is considered to be a thorn from Jesus's crown. It also has a crypt, with the body of the patron saint of Cremona, preserved in a glass coffin, and therefore visible, although the bones have been covered by a dress and the skull is hidden behind a silver mask. It is nice to stop in here for a while, especially in summer, particularly to escape the heat from outside. If you have ever wondered were the fancy on the violin, then take a look at the cathedral façade: on the top you will see two turrets, and beneath those two the decorative curls that inspired that design.

This former abbey was a rare treat to visit as a foreign tourist. Located in the tiny rural village…read moreof Morimondo, approximately an hour from central Milan, you'll find this beautiful former Cistercian monastery. Construction was begun in 1134 and not completed until 1296, and while the decoration may seem simple compared to many other Italian religious buildings, it is gorgeous and a lovely example of Gothic architecture. You will want to arrange with a tour guide to visit in order to have access to all rooms, including the scriptorium. Our English-speaking guide was excellent and I learned not just about this particular structure but the philosophy of the monks in their architectural choices and designs, how they lived and worshipped, and how and why they ended up in this location to begin with. I believe there is also a minimum group price for the tour visits; since it was (very) off season when we were there the organizer apologized for the fact that we had to pay the full group price for just three people but it was still very much worth it - and we were given a beautiful signed portfolio of watercolor prints of the abbey to "make up" the difference.

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is not only beautiful with high end shopping but it is much…read morelarger than I expected. I made way over to spinning the bull mosaic and there was a circle full of people just jumping in to spin the bull. It is best to visit the Galleria on a week day for the weekend is super crowded. I experienced both and I prefer the weekday 100%.

A centrally located, beautiful little luxury shopping gallery. The original Prada store is located…read morehere - there are actually two stores across from each other, one featuring women's items, and one for men. There is a YSL, Dior, LV, etc.

B o n g i o r n o... What a quant little Palazzo located next to Lake Como. Palazzo means square…read more Walk around on the ancient cobblestone streets to the many shops, eateries and churches. Plenty of Gelaterias for the ice cream addicts like myself. All though, it's a little hard to tell where one Palazzo ends and the other one starts, it's all one beautiful village.

We took the train from La Spezia where our hotel is to Manarola. The train was clean and the…read moreeasiest way to get from La Spezia to Cinque Terre. It was raining when we were there so the ferry wasn't an option with the choppy water. Manarola is beautiful. The buildings are so colorful. The main street from the train station down to the harbor was a short walk with lots of touristy shops, restaurants, and gelato shops. Lots of little boats out in front of the shops along the path too. Walk down to the harbor to look back at Manarola to see all the colorful buildings lined up next to each other. Then take the path to the left and hike up to the top of that hill to take a look back at Manarola. It's not as colorful as Vernazza but just as beautiful.

This was the fourth coastal town on our hike of The Blue Trail coming from Monterosso. The hike…read morepart was not ideal since we weren't aware until we couldn't turn back that we were actually on a detour from the trail due to the main trail being closed for damages. This new one was exhausting, extremely long, and not great for a hot day and definitely not what we'd planned for. Due to this, I don't feel we gave Manarola justice. We walked through it quickly and found it to not have the views or the coastline of either Vernazza or Monterosso, so we hurried through to the station to finish our journey. In retrospect I wish we'd taken the train from Cornigila to Manarola so we could have had more time to enjoy walking down to the water, eating at the many great restaurants this town boasts, and exploring the town itself. I suppose it's only motivation to return in the future!