10 things you should do in the North of Italy

For me Italy is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. It is full of history, art and good food wherever you look. So here are only a few suggestions of things you could probably do in the north of Italy.

The Lago di Garda is something like "Mekka" for bike lovers with over 1000km bike trails  and routes for all levels. Take some days off and go on a ride in that spectacular scenery. I must admit that I am not that sportive mountain bike girl, so for me it´s enough doing a small tour and combine it with a stop over in, for example, Sirmione on the south end of Lago di Garda and take a bath in the thermal springs or visit the Grotte di Catullo ruins of a giant roman villa directly by the lake.

...and may the good Italian taste be transferred to you. Around the centre surrounding the Duomo di Santa Maria Nascente and the Plaza del Duomo you find endless shopping possibilities. My favourite thing to do is to get lost in the book shop Galleria Rizzoli under the arches of Galleria Vottorio Emanuele ll and rummage my way through the art and design section.

I walked this trail 20 years ago. Back then, it wasn´t a national park and had no locks attached in every spare wire mesh. It is not the same today but still has its magic. The via dell´amore connected the two villages of Riomaggiore and Manarola and is the easiest part of the sentiero azzuro which is the path connecting all the 5 villages of the cinque terre. Unfortunately, after a rock slide via dell´amore was closed - until now.

Only 200 m of the path coming from Manarola, were opened again. But no matter the 200 m lead right to the cafe via dell´amore.

Get a coffee or something to eat and enjoy the silence and the endless sea in front of you before seeing the other villages either by train or by boat from Porto Venere.

Instead of walking up the leaning tower take it easy, stay on the ground and watch the tower while you are diving into Italian cuisine. One of lifes greatest pleasures. Eat Pizza, gelato and tiramisu and rinse it off with an "Aperol Spritz" or a coffee and burst happily into pieces.

The city of Firenze brims over of art like nearly every ancient Italian city but on top, it houses the Uffizi Gallery. One of the biggest museums around the globe and full of mostly Italian renaissance art. A must see.

While you hop from village to village in the Tuscany spent some time to paint in the countryside. You can´t paint? That´s not important, take pictures and soak in the unique light of the landscape.

The Republic of San Marino is an enclaved microstate around 60 km2 big and surrounded completely by Italy. The capital San Marino lies not far from Rimini literally in the clouds on the Monte Titano. As it´s a state it has its own euro coins which you can buy everywhere for far more than their value OR you can simply ask when you pay somewhere if they have a san marino coin for you. Eat at least enough ice cream to collect them all.

Admittedly, February is not the most pleasant time to come to Venice, normally it´s freezing and in my case we had "agua alta", too, and Venice drowned for a night in a high flood.

BUT the next day the water was gone and Venice was full of people with beautiful masks and costumes posing for the photographers and bystanders. A scenery that makes up for all the effort.

Verona has something for everyone. In the Arena of Verona you can attend regularly concerts or operas. Just bring a cushion with you if you should sit up in the high ranks because it gets really uncomfortable after 4 hours on the stone steps. If you are not a fan of the opera maybe you are a fan of Romeo and Juliet and want to visit the house of Julieta. Be sure to chew a gum that you can stick on the wall right next to the entrance like everyone else and write a message for someone you love.