Fall in Love with Northern Italy

Planning a trip to Italy? Forget what you think you know. Stop dreaming of wine and pasta. The Italy that you think you want to visit is still there; you’ll find it if it’s what you’re after — but that Italy pales in comparison to the one you could find if you dug a little deeper. > Valchiavenna – Take the train north to this town and get ready to pick your jaw up off the ground. It’s the ...
Fall in Love with Northern Italy
Bologna, Italy

Planning a trip to Italy? Forget what you think you know. Stop dreaming of wine and pasta. The Italy that you think you want to visit is still there; you’ll find it if it’s what you’re after but that Italy pales in comparison to the one you could find if you dug a little deeper.

> Valchiavenna – Take the train north to this town and get ready to pick your jaw up off the ground. It’s the landscape that digital cameras are made for. You’ll snap thousands of photos as you make your way through the small towns and lakeside residences on your way to Valchiavenna, approaching the Alps. Plan your trip right and you’ll be there in time for the Sagra dei crotti a walking celebration of food that takes you in and out of the privately owned caves filled with cheese, curing meats and wine. Work it off with a hike (via Spluga) or simply find the perfect spot near the Palazzo Vertemate and take in the views. www.valchiavenna.com

> Mantua (Mantova) – While other travellers head to bustling Florence or Rome, take the road less travelled and while a few hours away in this tiny town. (You could probably walk it in an hour if the scenery didn’t slow you down.) Impressive architecture and fine art – including the incredible paintings you’ll find inside Palazzo Te – are only the beginning. Cobblestone streets are easy with the right shoes. And to leave without seeing the Palazzo Ducale would be a grave error; ditto for not tasting the local specialty tortelli di zucca (pumpkin ravioli). www.mantovatourism.it

> Bologna – Yes, you need to eat here – delicacies like pasta bolognese and mortadella originate in this area – but Bologna is so much more than that. Walk the medieval centre, take photos in the Piazza Maggiore, browse the medieval market stands of the Q uadrilatero, and walk beneath the intricate porticos on the main street housing boutique shops. And don’t skip the Sala Borsa library! Sure, it may look like any other, with students scattered across the steps, but inside are architecture and Roman ruins so impressive you may find yourself pulling up a chair to take it all in.

Heather Greenwood Davis is a lawyer and freelance writer based in Toronto. Reach her at [email protected].