Italy is a favorite destination among travelers. Italy tours 2021 are out and there is no doubt that people are ready to go back next year. In the meantime, let’s take a virtual tour of Italy!
The people, the scenery, the scent of lemon and pine on a sea breeze. The language whispering in the air and the laughing through the cypress trees. This is Italy. Feel the warm Italian sunshine and taste the wonderful Italian food. Here are some ways to have a perfect Italian experience without leaving home.
Art Galleries & Museums:
- The Uffizi Gallery in Florence is by far one of the most popular and their HyperVisions (IperVisioni) online tours are a wonderful way of seeing their collection. The artwork is among the world’s best and a thorough explanation of each gives far more information than you would receive if visiting in person. View the high-resolution images of featured works which include masterpieces by great Italian masters such as Giotto, Simone Martini, Piero della Francesca, Beato Angelico, Fillippo Lippi, Botticelli, Mantega, Corregio, Leonardo, Raffaello and Michelangelo. The new IperVisioni section on the official website allows ad hoc exhibitions creating a dialogue between art from the past and various cultures of the world.
- Accademia is another super art gallery in Florence. The site of the home of Michelangelo’s David contains tons of information and beautiful photos of its most important pieces.
- The Musei Vaticani (The Vatican Museums Rome) also offers a virtual tour. This resource gives a full 360-degree view of some of the most beautiful rooms and art-filled corridors in the world, including the Sistine Chapel. You can zoom in on individual artwork and get a better view of the Sistine Chapel ceiling than by being there.
- The virtual tour of the Capitoline Museum brings the museum to life, allowing you to skip down its corridors. It’s easy to navigate if you sue the floor plans, but it allows you to spend an hour or so feeling like you’re walking through its stately passageways.
- The Pinacoteca di Brera (Brera Art Gallery) in Milan has a virtual tour where you can discover highlights and details of more than 669 masterpieces from the Pinacoteca’s permanent collection.
- The Fondazione Prada in Milan has their current contemporary art exhibitions are part of this online offer with guests taking advantage of activities for kids and adults.
- The Triennale di Milano, also in Milan, still has their Triennale Decameron program activities going on although the museum doors are closed. Artists, designers, and architects can be seen and heard live on the official Instagram account @triennalemilano. Enjoy interviews, podcasts, and highlights on the world of art and culture.
- The Museo Egizio (The Egyptian Museum) has guided tours led by the museum’s director that you can enjoy.
- The Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte in Naples has over 536 works of art available online through the Google Art & Culture platform. Over 203 paintings can be seen thanks to Art Camera technology, while the Street View tool enables visitors to enjoy 14 themed stories and virtual tours.
Walking tour of Italy with ProWalk Tours & A Virtual Drive Through Italy:
- Rome the Roman Forum, Colosseum, and Spanish Steps to the Trevi Fountain
- Venice: The Grand Canal and Rialto Bridge
- Florence: a long walking tour and a Tuscan Hill Town
- Murano Glass Factory (with a glass blowing tour)
- For more Roman history, have a look at the Trajan’s Market virtual tour. It lets you poke around one of the most recognizable buildings in Rome. It’s actually the world’s oldest shopping mall.
- Let’s move on to Pompeii, one of the most visited historic sites in the world. Pompeii and Herculaneum were destroyed by a volcanic eruption of nearby Mt. Vesuvius in AD 79, and they’ve been shrouded in mystery and archaeological excitement ever since their rediscovery. ProWalk Tours has got a 360-degree tour of Pompeii.
Immersing in Italian Culture:
- Take a virtual Italian cooking class with a genuine Italian grandma and her friends! Sign up with Nonna Nerina Live, the 84 year old local legend in her village. She is the Pasta Master. With her granddaughter Chiara, she will teach you how to cook authentic Italian dishes and she emails you a list of necessary ingredients and utensils. It’s reasonably priced with no need to worry about language issues. It’s as much fun as taking a cooking class in Italy and if you go wrong, no one is going to see the charred embers.
- Italian Language Classes are a must. Italian is a beautiful language and with a little bit of learning each day, you’ll be speaking Italian in no time. You can download language learning apps that will teach you how to speak Italian. Duolingo, Memrise, Rosetta Stone and Babbel are all available in app stores for sources on learning the language.
I hope you enjoyed this mini tour of Italy. Browse best escorted Italy tours 2021. Enjoy every minute and remember, when life deals you lemons, make lemonade!
