Ten places in Italy that really took me by surprise ................

The wonderful thing about learning a language is that it is a perfect excuse to travel as much as possible and that is exactly what I did. Living abroad gives you time to travel to the places that are off the beaten track. I did visit the more well known places such as Venice and Florence but I had more than enough time on my hands to visit the hidden gems which aren't as well known to tourists.

Whilst living in Verona for six months I tried to visit somewhere every weekend without fail especially as the train travel was so cheap.I wanted to see as much as I could and wanted to see the real Italy, not just the overcrowded tourist spots. I'm sure that some places which are on my list you will have heard of before and some you may have not. The places which are on my list include some places which I had heard of before but never expected them to be as beautiful as they were and some places I had never heard of before which really took me by surprise. I am often asked to recommend places to visit and as holiday season is coming up and I enjoy writing I thought I should write my next article about my travel so here it is .........

1# Bolzano

My trip to Bolzano made me realise how culturally rich and diverse Italy actually is as a country and reminded me that there is not one region in Italy which is in any way the same. Each region differs enormously, these differences are seen with food, language, dialect, architecture, landscape, traditions, climate as well as many other things making Italy a very attractive country to visit.

Bolzano also known as Bozen is a beautiful city located on the Austrian-Italian border located in the South Tyrol. Despite still being in Italy very few spoke Italian, German was the main language spoken in Bolzano and at times I struggled to communicate with the locals as I don't speak German. There were German cakes and products, everything just looked so German. I felt like I had actually entered a different country rather than a different region.

My friend wanted to go on the cable car up to the mountain. I agreed without even looking at the steepness of it and before I knew it I was on it. After a terrifying journey up to the top of Bolzano seeing the pink flowers in front of the snow capped mountains assured me that the terrifying trip up to the top was 100% worth it and a glass of wine helped make the journey back down a lot better.

There is a lot to see in Bolzano including churches, a cathedral, several castles and many museums including an archaeology museum which holds the body of Ötzi the iceman, a man who died in the mountains and was rediscovered in the mountains in 1991 whose body had been frozen and preserved for 5300 years! Bolzano is known for having the biggest Christmas market in Italy which lights up Walther Square having over 80 stalls selling ceramics, glassware, food, Christmas decorations and many other products.

2# Bergamo Città Alta

My trip to Bergamo was a very last minute one. I had booked the time off work and was happy just to visit anywhere. I looked at cheap flights on the Ryanair website and the flight to Bergamo was the cheapest and was less than £40 return so I just booked it. I had heard of Milan-Bergamo airport before but never actually realised that Bergamo was an actual city! I think many will fly to Milan-Bergamo airport and head straight to Milan. I would highly recommend a trip to Bergamo.

Bergamo is made up of two towns which are connected by the funicular railway. The modern town and the old town (Città Alta) which dates from 49BC. The old town is surrounded by medieval walls, has steep cobbled streets, many historical sites to visit and shops and bakeries selling local products. There is a cathedral, basilica, old square called Piazza Vecchia with a tower you can go up and admire the old town and magnificent mountain views surrounding Bergamo amongst many over attractions such as Underground Bergamo.

3# Lake Garda

I was living in Verona which was just a short bus ride away so I went as much as I could. There are many picturesque towns scattered around the lake. My favourites were Lazise, Malcesine, Sirmione, Limone, Garda, Bardolino and Riva. I went to Lake Garda during the winter, spring and summer. Every time I went it seemed like a different place depending on the weather. Sometimes it was stormy, the waves were choppy and it was bitterly cold, sometimes the suns rays were shining through just slightly creating a gloomy effect on the lake and when it was sunny the lake glistened and really brought out the colours of the flowers and buildings, it was stunning. These pictures are both of Lazise, a beautiful town which is surrounded by medieval walls and has a castle.

I had visited Lazise on holiday a few years before and got off the bus at the entrance of the town where you will find some 'unmissable' castle walls. My friends had exams so I decided to go to Lake Garda on my own and took the bus from Verona which was about an hour's trip. I kept an eye open for the castle walls and before I knew it the bus was going away from the lake and was heading back to Verona! I'd somehow completely missed Lazise and the whole of Lake Garda so I quickly got off the bus and hoped to catch one going back towards the lake and as it was low tourist season there were very few buses so I decided to walk. I saw a sign post for Lazise and it said 10km. I walked through the hills, vineyards and some lovely villages surrounding the lake and found a bench, ate my sandwiches and admired the panoramic views of Lake Garda. When I finally arrived at Lazise the sun came out and it was absolutely stunning (1st picture).

4#Lake Como

Lake Como is Italy's third largest lake after Garda and Maggiore and within easy reach of Milan and Bergamo. My sister and I took the train from Bergamo to Lake Como and took the ferry to Bellagio on a very mild February day. Tourist season didn't start until April/May so there were very few people around. It was perfect, sitting on the edge of the lake with just us there admiring the snow topped mountains and the yellow flowers which looked stunning against the lake and mountains in the distance.

5# Fiesole

Fiesole is a charming little village located just outside of Florence in the Tuscan hills. I came to Fiesole on a coach trip with the Verona University ERASMUS group. We spent a couple of hours in Fiesole, it was nice to escape the hustle and bustle of Florence. I ate in a very old restaurant called Vinandro located in Fiesole's main square and ate the best pasta I have ever eaten to date, it was absolutely delicious. The flowers were in bloom and being able to look down on Florence and be surrounded by the Tuscan countryside was absolutely breathtaking.

6# San Gimignano

San Gimignano is a UNESCO world heritage site. It is a fortified walled hilltop town found in the beautiful Tuscan Hills surrounded by vineyards. The town has been so well preserved that it does actually seem like you are travelling back in time. Despite being a small town San Gimignano is enriched in history and has 14 medieval towers, several squares and museums. There used to be 72 towers which were built by families who wanted to show their economical power and for protection. They competed against other to see who could build the tallest one. The towers make San Gimignano visible from far away.

There are many shops and restaurants selling local products and many art galleries selling ceramics and paintings of the landscapes of the region like this one below. If you are visiting Florence or Pisa I would highly recommend a visit to San Gimignano.

7# Verona

I am a bit biased towards Verona as it was my home for six months but it really is a beautiful city. There is a lot to see such as the Roman Arena, the Roman Amphitheatre, Ponte Pietra, Lamberti tower, Castelvecchio, the cathedral, Juliet's balcony, Piazza Erbe, Piazza Brà and many other attractions. Across the road from Ponte Pietra (Stone Bridge) there are some steps which will take you up to the top of a hill which boasts a spectacular panoramic view of Verona looking down on the entire city. There are many places to sit outside and relax in Verona whether that's in the stunning Piazza Erbe, Piazza Brà, Castelvecchio or near Ponte Pietra. Many bars serve the local Valpolicella and Bardolino wines and when buying a drink you can take some food from a buffet.

As the end of my year abroad approached and the temperatures started to rise Verona did get a lot busier. The tourist attractions were open all year round so there is always the chance not to visit in peak season. Fortunately I found several hidden spots where the tourists didn't go such as this beautiful square. I would highly recommend a trip to Verona and to neighbouring Lake Garda too.

8# Brescia

Brescia is a city located between Verona and Milan next to Lake Garda. I had never heard of Brescia before so I literally had no expectations. To my surprise there was so much to see and do, I was honestly expecting my trip to Brescia to be a very short one. Brescia is a Roman city and boasts of some of Italy's best preserved Roman buildings.There are two cathedrals, a castle, several beautiful squares with towers, some of the city is a UNESCO world heritage site which includes a Roman theatre and other sites.

9# Padova

I went to Padova as some of my friends asked whether I wanted to join them on their trip and I happily went along. I had heard of Padova before because as well as Venice and Rouen I had seen Padova jotted down in my Granddads diary which he wrote in when he was a soldier during WW2.

Padova boasts a palace, an abbey, a basilica, canals, squares, churches and has many other sites of interest. There is a very impressive elliptical square called Prato della Valle, it is 90,000 square metres in size making it the biggest square in Italy and one of the largest in Europe. There are 87 immaculate statues which are found across the entire square, it is very impressive to say the least. St Anthony basilica is just across from the Prato and is spectacular, it is massive in size and just tells you how powerful the Catholic Church was in Italy's past.

Despite just being a half an hour train ride away from Venice I didn't notice many tourists in Padova apart from ourselves. If you do visit Venice and want to escape the crowds for a day I would definitely say that Padova is worth a visit.

10# Trento

Last but by far not least, TRENTO! Trento is located on the Adige river in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Sudtirol region. I had never heard of Trento before and therefore had no expectations at all. The only reason I went to Trento was to see some friends whom I met during an Erasmus trip to Tuscany as the trip was for both Verona and Trento University. This photo was taken from the Buonconsiglio Castle where you can admire a complete panoramic view of Trento. I think my picture speaks for itself but the view really was magical, looking down at the colourful buildings and seeing the mountains in the background was stunning. I could have happily sat there all day.

Although I have lived in Italy I still have so much more to see! I feel that if I were to visit Italy fifty times not one visit would be the same. The Italians are very proud of their regional diversity and have maintained traditions which have existed for centuries which has allowed Italy to maintain it's cultural diversity that we still see today making it a wonderful country for us to visit time and time again. I would encourage others to explore more less known places as having no expectations can make the trip more worthwhile and sometimes having high expectations before you visit a place can lead to disappointment when it doesn't meet expectations.