Italy - the home of romance

Having opened in 1737, the Teatro di San Carlo is the oldest opera house in the world still in use. With its horseshoe shape and six tiers of boxes, San Carlo is considered one of the most beautiful opera houses in Italy and continues to attract lovers of Verdi and Puccini. Destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1816, its acoustics are celebrated by artists and spectators alike. Tours of the theater are also offered during the day.

To ascend Mount Vesuvius is to take in one of the most beautiful views over the Bay of Naples and the islands of Capri, Ischia and Procida. It is to climb one of the continent's three active volcanoes, on a journey where you will encounter petrified lava flows, and to imagine the apocalypse that occurred during the night on October 24, 79AD, associated with the disappearance of the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Easily accessible, the summit of Vesuvius blends absolute beauty and a real sense of danger.

The Creation of Adam and The Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel alone are worth a trip to the Vatican. Regardless of the crowd and inconvenience, Michelangelo's two most famous works painted the ceiling and on the west wall of the chapel leave viewers speechless. Together they can be viewed with other frescoes, the work of major artists such as Botticelli and Pinturicchio. Six centuries after their completion, the paintings still dominate the Chapel where the conclave elects the Pope.

In Rome, discover real-life film sets, such as the Trevi Fountain, brought to the silver screen by the beautiful Anita Ekberg and the great Marcello Mastroianni. And then there are the Cinecittà studios, where you can get behind the camera. Installed in the Don Bosco district since 1937, these legendary studios evoke the filming of La Dolce Vita by Fellini, The Damned by Visconti, Medea by Pasolini, and more. Tours of its grand sets are offered with a specialized guide.

Venice home to vast quantities of art. There is Titian, Tintoretto, Carpaccio, Veronese and Canaletto. Yet also Max Ernst, Jackson Pollock, Miro, Kandinsky and Picasso, all gathered in the magnificent Peggy Guggenheim collection in the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni. Finally, Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst and Takashi Murakami, all showcased in the Grassi Palace, a building now completely dedicated to contemporary art.

Unveiled in 1792, the Fenice opera house has become a not-to-be-missed experience under the baton of Claudio Monteverdi, the father of modern opera. The operas of Rossini and Bellini are acclaimed like no other! It was here where Rigoletto and La Traviata premiered, and Stravinsky and Prokofiev were composed specifically for this theater. After falling to terrible fires in 1836 and 1996, the Fenice rose again from the ashes in 2003 to further bear its name. 

The Duomo, Milan's majestic cathedral, stands in the center of the city. Built in the 14th century to accommodate all the inhabitants of the city (about 40,000 at that time), it offers amazing views of Milan's entire skyline from its terraces. You'll be able to see the dome of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping arcade, San Siro Stadium, and far off in the distance, the Alps. Amble along the sloping rooftop terraces between white marble statues, flying buttresses, and the 135 amazingly slim spires that seem to rise weightlessly above...

There is the 'Golden Triangle' near the Champs-Elysees in Paris… and the 'Golden Square' in Milan! The epicenter of the capital of fashion and design, the area concentrates more than 500 shops entirely dedicated to luxury. Paved streets, sidewalks covered with red carpet and elegant storefronts are concentrated in the old neighborhood where Napoleon...paid his loans. Today, it is a paradise for fashion designers and fashionistas alike.