In 2007, Italy still topped the list as the number one honeymoon destination in Modern Bride magazine's annual "Best honeymoons" survey. With cobblestone streets, gothic and renaissance architecture, infinite bridges and rolling hills, how could anybody deny that Italy has all the right ingredients for the perfect honeymoon? It's no wonder that this oldest of countries still can't be beat as the number one choice for romance.
Italy has one difficulty however - it is also one of the top tourist destinations. To avoid being overrun by tourists and ensure that you do get some private time on your honeymoon, try to book your vacation for the off or mid-season. The off-season is of course during the winter months, (January to the end of March), but the mid-season, which runs from the middle of September to mid-December, and April to June, are ideal times to visit Italy. The temperate spring and fall seasons provide the perfect climate for explorations and excursions, bicycle rides and romantic candle-lit dinners.
The northern region of Tuscany is one of the more popular tourist destinations in Italy, but if you go in the right season, and skip the fashionable coastal resorts for the hillside bed and breakfasts, this dreamy landscape still provides many reasons that tell you that this honeymoon destination is worth the trip.
Go For the Food and Wine
The region of Tuscany is the land of scrumptious cheeses and world re-known wines. Enjoy the freshness of the countryside; instead of buying your goods in town, where prices will greatly vary, arrange with your hotel or villa concierge to find a recommended tour of local wineries and dairy farms where you can purchase fresh wines and cheeses right from the farmers and manufacturers.
The varieties of wine found in this region are too many to list but at their inflated prices, you can enjoy them all! As there are just too many vineyards and vines in Tuscany, you will end up with an exquisite bottle of red for a mere 10 US dollars.
As for the food and restaurants - go ahead - spoil yourself! You'll find pasta secrets from this region that have been passed down for generations and are nothing like the sloppy spaghetti and gnocchi you get at home. In addition, you'll sample the stews, truffles, and fresh organic vegetables grown in the area as well as the fresh-baked bread, which you can also find on market days. Most of the restaurants in the Tuscan region are still hidden away in ancient buildings; you will not find any large neon signs here. This only adds to the feeling that when you walk into a restaurant here, it is like walking into someone's home. In addition, many restaurants are still family run and are several generations old. One word of caution: Do not go into any places with pictures of their food on the window - real Italian restaurants would never "stoop that low."
If you and your new spouse are real foodies, why not treat yourselves to a self-cooked Tuscan meal? Try indulging in a Tuscan cooking school experience on your honeymoon. From larger estates to smaller cottages that only accommodate 2-4 people, you will surely get the special treatment you're looking for if you tell your hosts that you are on your honeymoon. Learn some great cooking, uncork a bottle of the magnificent wine and enjoy your pasta with the backdrop of the rolling hills. Check out www.tuscany-cooking-class.com for more information.
Go For the Landscape
As you dine on your gourmet feast with the pastoral backdrop of rolling hills, soft mists and forest groves you will realize that everything experienced in Tuscany makes you feel like the subject of a watercolor painting from the Baroque period.
A series of medieval cities set on top of hills, one is overcome by beautiful stone walls Cypress groves, and rocks covered in grass and moss. If you exit any city in Tuscany and look over the landscape, you'll see a picture that is a wash of color. This region is the epitome of Europe untouched by western culture: nothing is flat or structured, city streets follow the natural landscapes, vistas run up and down hills, businesses are hidden in traditional rustic buildings. Tuscan farming is what makes this countryside particularly beautiful. Farms are still owned by families - not corporations - and grow all types of organic produce. Farm regions such as Chianti are blanketed with rows of grape vines or olive trees, lush and verdant against an orange sunset.
Go For the Architecture
The very fact that UNESCO declared no less than 6 cities in Tuscany as World Heritage Sites goes to show how unspoiled and inspiring this region really is. The secret to the romantic landscape in the region of Tuscany is in the restrictions placed on development. There are very few buildings permitted in the countryside and any new buildings you are likely to see built in the areas just outside certain towns. Ancient estates and farmhouses are renovated in their original styles and provide charming accommodations for out of town guests.
If buildings and structures have not been renovated, they are preserved or remodeled in their original style of masonry construction. Many old castles and estates such as Fosdinovo Castle in northern Lunigiana (the land of 100 castles) provide tours of how the people of Italy lived long, long ago (Dante is rumored to have lived in this castle.) Monasteries of the Dark and Middle Ages still dot the skyline of the landscape. You'll see many abbeys, basilicas and parish churches, just too many to list, that go as far back as the Roman ages.
Of course, there is the infamous tower of Pisa in this region, but quite simply, the towns and cities with their cobble stone streets, stone and timber homes and shops are something to behold. One well kept secret is the walled city of Lucca north of the UNESCO site of San Gimignano. It is a perfectly preserved city reflecting Medieval Italy, with influences from the Renaissance architecture of the 16th century. The city is replete with lush gardens and plazas, fountains and lazy courtyards, perfect to enjoy a good cappuccino with your loved one.
