О,Италия, Италия… Oh Italy, Italy...

Oh, Italy, Italy... Although it was last year, I remember everything as if I had returned from there yesterday. Amazing country, amazing climate, beautiful landscapes, wonderful people, what can we say about the sea, local cuisine and shopping. But first things first. We went at the end of June 2009. We flew from Yekaterinburg to Italy (the airport in Rimini is small and very cozy). The flight went without any problems, unlike the organization of the tour to the tour agency with which we travel.
We lived in the Continental 4 * hotel. The hotel is just wonderful, we really liked it, it fully corresponds to the declared 4 *, the view from the room is right on the sea, the rooms are cleaned regularly, the service is at the European level, the staff is very friendly and adequate. In general, only positive emotions remained from the hotel, I don’t even talk about food, cuisine in Italy is generally a separate song. Of course, you need to go to Italy for excursions, they are simply magnificent there. We drove through several cities with Alexander. And all the time there was a feeling that there was not enough time, I wanted to see so much more... This was especially felt in Rome, but to see everything in Rome, I think it takes at least a week. As a result, we did not even try to get to the Vatican, but we wanted to. In general, I must say that if you go during the tourist season, you can, of course, lie down on the beach to your heart's content, because in Rimini the beach is simply wonderful and the entire infrastructure of the hotel is built for a beach holiday. But it was more interesting for me and my family to just look at this great country, at its sights. For some reason, we especially remember the park "Italy in Miniature" there are 272 miniatures of the most famous architectural monuments of Italy. You can see the most beautiful sights in just a few hours, there is a "small" St. Mark's Square, Venice, the Vatican, the Colosseum, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, etc. , in general, it's great. It was also insanely nice to just walk along the streets, all of them are literally strewn with restaurants, cafes, snack bars, pizzerias. Milanese risotto, Venetian shrimp on a rasp, Roman roast veal, mozzarella, swordfish, pasta, Piedmontese truffles, crispy grissini - listing and remembering is simply useless, you need to urgently go again and try it all. In general, the great Italian art - it is impossible to fully enjoy life without delicious food and fine wine, which is also plentiful there (not a single meal is complete without wine in Italy). For a week spent in Italy, we got even more than we planned - the wildest dreams about what a vacation should be came true there. Naturally, I would like to say a huge thank you to Alexander for organizing our trip, we received so many pleasures and impressions that it is simply difficult to put into words. Just in case, I leave his phone number for those who wish... 3463250884. To save money for groups of up to 8 people, he can only provide a transfer to one city or another, and there, if desired, you can order a guide. Excursions are much cheaper than on a big bus. It is not clear only what caused such high prices for excursions on large buses in Rimini. At the same time, all the tourists who returned from such an excursion are tired and dissatisfied...
But in general, Italy is a pleasant country, rich in its historical values. One thing does not please: the high cost... and the lack of normal service from operators.