Articles: Italy

Italy beyond Rome could be just the Amalfi coast, food, wine, the Mediterranean and Southern Italy. Amalfi was though a powerful trading republic and challenger to Venice and Genoa. Learn more about this historic destination in this article that is part of the history of Italy. An Antipodean travel company serving World Travellers since 1983 with small group educational tours for senior couples and mature solo travellers.

Article supporting tours to Morocco, Tunisia, Spain, Sicily and Crete. The Phoenicians where one of the empires controlling the Mediterranean sea from the 11th to 13th century. This article is for small group educational tours for senior couple and mature solo travellers joining a program.

Venice and the story of gondolas add to the senior couples or mature solo traveller small group tour learning about this merchant city. Europes trading centre close to the Mediterranean was for several centuries the place to trade for spice, woollen garments and silk. The attractions where substantial as was the wealth created and the wars waged across what is today's Italy. This article extends your knowledge of Venice and its merchant history.

This blog is part of a series on five influential Italian Renaissance families that shaped Italy, especially during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It is based on both our Italian Renaissance Summer School course, and…

Venice a curiosity, Merchants, pilgrims, gondolas, stories of espionage, the power of maps for trade carnival and the Peggy Guggenheim Museum. The stories fascinate, this article examines the history of the Peggy Guggenheim museum. Read and learn before joining as a senior couple of mature solo traveller a small group educational tour to Venice and Italy.

Article for senior couple and mature solo travellers joining a small group history tour visiting Venice and beyond to Italy, Greece, Turkey the Islands of the Eastern and Western Mediterranean and the Northern shores of Egypt, Tunisia. Learn about the role of Venice as emerging point of trade and navies for hire in the middle ages through to the renaissance.

Article for senior couple and mature solo travellers joining a small group history tour visiting Venice and beyond to Italy, Greece, Turkey the Islands of the Eastern and Western Mediterranean and the Northern shores of Egypt, Tunisia. Learn about the role of Venice as emerging point of trade and navies for hire in the middle ages through to the renaissance.

An article that takes you on a journey to Venice in the Middle Ages and beyond. The famous merchants of 'La Serenissima' who dominated this medieval powerhouse for hundreds of years. Learn before joining one of the small group tours for mature and senior travellers couples and solo travellers to Venice and many other destinations in Italy.

Article about Castellammare di Stabia in Southern Italy for senior couples and mature solo travellers joining a small group tour of Italy.

Trip planning advice for Mature Travellers touring Italy Italy is one of the world’s great tourist destinations. This Trip planning advice for mature travellers going to Italy should assist you […]

Five Key Figures of Renaissance Florence | Small Group Tours Regarded as the ‘birthplace of the Renaissance’, Florence from 1400 to 1600 was in a religious, cultural and political ferment that was crucial to shaping…

History & European Pilgrim Walks Walking pilgrimages provide solitude and tranquillity in an increasingly busy and fast-paced world. These walking tours follow ancient pilgrimage routes, giving the modern pilgrim the chance not only to meet new…

Are these the Best Art Galleries in Western Europe? It’s no secret that Western Europe is home to some of most spectacular art galleries in the world. These grand neoclassical buildings are hard to miss,…

Ancient Routes, Fresh Eyes: Nine European Pilgrimage Routes for the Modern Traveller The word ‘pilgrimage’ or ‘pilgrim’ comes from the Modern French word pèlerin, which means ‘foreigner, stranger’, highlighting the concept that the faithful is not of…

Around the World in Six Coffees: Italy, France, Japan, China, Morocco & Argentina Order a cappuccino in Italy after 11am and expect to receive strange looks. In Argentina, don’t be surprised when your coffee order…

For the active mature and senior traveller be they a couple or solo traveller this article outlines preparation for walking tours even for the over 80's. It may on the Wainwright, the lake district or a pilgrims walk across Europe or St James Way, the Camino. This artices give advice on getting fit, shoes and socks including for particular advice for women on this topic.

The History and Attractions of Padua By Marco Stojanovik Padua city is an intellectual, artistic, and economic centre in northern Italy, situated on the River Bacchiglione, west of Venice. The city has a long history…

Hugged by mountains and long sandy beaches, beautiful Lake Garda is a favoured holiday location. The stunning scenery, relaxed atmosphere, year-round mild temperature, and richly cultured historic towns and villages all make Lake Garda a popular place to visit.

Article about Milan, one of the great cities of Northern Italy for mature and senior travellers to explore on a small group tour for couples and solo travellers. Learn about Renaissance Italy, Rome, the Romans as well as Florence and the Pilgrims walks offered by Odyssey.

Roman houses for wealthy people built in the times of the Republic and the Empire. Popular locations included on the lakes of Northern Italy, in the hills to the East of Rome, on the bay of Naples, and outside of Pompeii.

The Roman Villa of Desenzano del Garda is Northern Italy’s most important and best preserved great late antiquity villa extending over a hectare of prime lakeside land is explored on a small group tour.

The House of Medici was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that de facto ruled the city of Florence during much of the Italian Renaissance.

La Spezia, Portovenere and the Cinque Terre The eastern Ligurian Riviera between Cinque Terre and Portovenere is a cultural site of outstanding value, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 along with the…

Venture further from Milan and explore the beautiful Lake Como and Lake Maggiore or visit Parma and learn more about their famous Parma ham and Parmesan cheese. Take advantage of Italy's great rail network and get to know the local nearby towns and people.