Travel

Northern Italy Top-20 Towns

travel videos & photos at: https://townsofeurope.com/ with text, maps & links. 00:00 Introduction 01:06 Genoa 03:44 Camogli 04:50 Sestri Levante 5:40 Savona 6:31 Albenga 7:22 Bellagio 9:14 Varenna 11:14 Bergamo 14:50 Brescia 18:00 Iseo 18:43 Peschiera 20:26 Sirmione 23:02 Verona 25:03 Vicenza 26:35 Padua 28:31 Mantua 31:42 Cremona 33:23 Parma 34:31 Modena 36:14 Bologna We are taking you on a grand tour of northern Italy, traveling by train, by boat, and on foot walking through these beautiful places. We'll be visiting a couple of big cities, including Genoa and Bologna. But mostly we're visiting smaller towns, experiencing their history and modern life today. These towns, such as Brescia, are ideal destinations because they're not so crowded, they are much less famous than those super-popular cities such as Rome, Florence and Venice which are always packed with tourists. We'll show you how much more there is to see in these smaller out -of-the-way places, that I’m calling my Top-20 Towns of Northern Italy, loaded with that authentic Italian charm. I visited these 20 towns on a three-week trip and this program will summarize that entire amazing journey. The towns are pretty close together and connected nicely by train, so it's easy to get around and see a lot. 1:06 GENOA We begin in the harbor city of Genoa with its delightful waterfront promenades, a collection of classical buildings, monumental statues and my favorite attraction of the city, a vast pedestrian zone. 3:44 CAMOGLI You might be familiar with nearby Portofino and Cinque Terre. Well, Camogli is just as beautiful and a little bit less famous, which makes it less crowded and more attractive. 4:50 SESTRI LEVANTE The main charming pedestrian lane of town. It's only 600 meters long, but lined with beautiful pastel buildings, leading to the idyllic beach front, right out of a picture postcard. 5:40 SAVONA The main street is lined with porticos and merchants and soon leads down to the waterfront. Symbol of the city is the medieval tower overlooking the harbor. The massive fortress was built in the 16th century by Genoa, which had already conquered Savona and was trying to maintain its hold over the town. 6:31 ALBENGA The main attraction here is the well-preserved center of town, with buildings dating back to the Middle Ages with a grid of streets that reflect the early Roman origins. 7:22 BELLAGIO This magical little village is right on the shore of Lake Como and extends a few blocks inland up a hillside. So there will be some steps, with a picturesque setting that makes the climb worthwhile. 9:14 VARENNA It's just a 15-minute boat ride across Lake Como over to another classic village, Varenna, a scenic lakefront village with its pastel-colored buildings and picturesque setting. 11:14 BERGAMO It is one of the most fascinating towns in our itinerary, with a piazza considered among the prettiest in Italy. Bergamo's Old Town is up on a hill surrounded by massive fortified walls that were built by the Venetians in the middle of the 16th century. 14:50 BRESCIA This is one of the least-known of the cities we are visiting, yet has many fine things to see and friendly people enjoying a relaxed, modern lifestyle. 18:00 ISEO and PESCHIERA The small town of Iseo is along the lakeshore, with beautiful promenades on the waterfront and several little piazzas but for most people, the reason for coming here is to take a boat ride and explore the little village of Peschiera. 20:26 SIRMIONE This fortified village is on Lake Garda, with a castle, constructed in the 14th century. The place is full of narrow lanes and old stone buildings that give the feeling of a medieval village. 23:02 VERONA The romantic city of Romeo and Juliet, with many fine attractions, including a large pedestrian zone, several major piazzas, Roman amphitheater, lots of stores, and great places to eat. 25:03 VICENZA It's a very easy place to visit on a day-trip because the Old Town center is quite small, about one square kilometer, with many pedestrian lanes and beautiful historic sites. 26:35 PADUA The lovely pedestrian zone of Padua, has got arcades lined with shops, many bars and cafes, large cobblestone piazzas with lots of people out having a good time. 28:31 MANTUA All 20 of the towns we're visiting in the program are among the best of northern Italy, and I'm happy to say that Mantua was one of my favorites of all these amazing towns. 31:42 CREMONA This quiet town of 70,000 residents is even further off the tourist route than the other towns that we've been looking at, and yet you'll see that it's a very pleasant place to spend a day or two. 33:23 PARMA and MODENA Just enjoying a favorite activity, strolling the little streets, observing local lifestyles 36:14 BOLOGNA We finally reach the last destination of our grand tour of the Top-20 towns of northern Italy, arriving in the great city of Bologna, which has one of the largest and best-preserved historic centers in Italy.