In brief
Rooksana Hossenally
Section editor
Travel is my driving force in life, and although I have had the privilege of visiting 30 countries so far, my heart will always remain in India...
In Italy you can spend your evening roaming the streets. The passeggiata, or evening stroll, is an Italian tradition which invites meetings and chats with people. Conversations may continue far into the night in the large outdoor cafés. Make certain you don't miss the famous Italian ice creams!
You can actually bargain in the markets to buy artefacts and souvenirs. Start by asking the price from the seller, then offer him two-thirds of the amount. However, do not bargain for the sake of it. If the seller accepts your offer, you must buy the item.
'Francesco's Venice' by Francesco da Mosto
'Tuscany' by Franco Cardini
'Leonardo Da Vinci: The Flights of the Mind' by Charles Nicholl
Works by Eugenio Montale,awarded Nobel Prize in Literature.
Frommer's Northern Italy (Frommers Complete).
The Rough Guide to Italy (Rough Guide Travel Guides).
Italy (Lonely Planet Country Guide).
Northern Italy Insight Guide (Insight Guides).
The Rough Guide to the Italian Lakes.
Florence, Venice, Milan (Access Guides).
The Rough Guide to Tuscany and Umbria (Rough Guide Travel Guides).
Tuscany and Umbria (Lonely Planet Country and Regional Guides).
Tuscany Umbria and the Marches (Cadogan Guide Tuscany, Umbria & the Marches).
Italy (Eyewitness Travel Guide).
Florence (Eyewitness Pocket Map & Guide).
Frommer's Florence, Tuscany and Umbria (Frommers Complete).
Italian Lakes Insight Pocket Guide.
Florence and Tuscany (Eyewitness Travel Guide).
Milan & the Lakes (DK Eyewitness Travel Guides).
Venice (Eyewitness Pocket Map & Guide).
Venice (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide).
Venice and the Veneto (Lonely Planet City Guides).
Italy: Hotels and Country Guesthouses For Less Than 100 (Michelin Guides).
Lonely Planet Italian Phrasebook.
Full-length feature films
'The Sweet Life' by Fellini
The Postman by Michael Radford
'Bicycle Thieves' by Vittorio de Sica
'Rocco and his brothers' by Visconti
'Viva Zapatero' by Sabina Guzzanti
The operas of Puccini and Verdi.
The concertos of Vivaldi.