Traveling in Italy is simple and enjoyable when you know and understand your options. An extensive rail system with both high speed and slower, local trains makes it easy to travel between the big cities as well as most small towns. Italy still has the lowest fares in Europe for train travel, and tickets can be bought in advance or on the day of your departure. Another get around is the bus. Each region has its own bus line that works within specific cities for local transport as well as connects town and big urban centers.

Click Here for a map of the major train lines in Italy to see the most likely route to your destination and the cities along the way. The larger lines indicate faster more frequent trains. That means getting to Torontola (not far from Perugia) you will be on the main Italian train artery.

If you’re traveling great distances, you may even want to consider a low cost flight. From Florence, for instance, planes leave for Sardinia, Reggio Calabria and Sicily; from Perugia, they leave to London, Brussels, Sicily and Sardinia. Check out the links below for more travel info and how-to’s. Although you will never be short of ideas or places to visit, here just a few of Italy’s popular destinations.

Venice

An all-time favorite of poets, bohemian travelers, lovers, and just about every tourist who comes through Italy these days, Venice never ceases to please the crowds. It is a spectacular city in just about every season, with its narrow water-ways, gondolas, and bustling markets, Venice is fascinating whether it is during winter when the fog rolls in off the Adriatic, or during the hottest months when the streets fill not only with pigeons but also many many tourists.

Cinque Terre (literally meaning “the five lands” or “five towns”) becomes a more popular destination every year, both for visitors to Italy and the locals themselves, and has been dubbed recently “the Italian Riviera.” Found on the Ligurian cost, these delightful little towns are better reached by train, as there are few roads that lead into residential areas. The reason for this is because the villages literally cascade down the cliff faces, making it impossible to construct anything other than staircases and winding alleys. There is a great trail that connects all five towns, offering spectacular vistas over the Mediterranean, as well as the possibility for swimming, boating and biking in the warmer months. It’s a bit of a haul from Perugia (6 hours by train) and is recommended as a weekend trip. During the high season, it can be difficult to find inexpensive accommodation – try a neighbouring town, Levanto, for a place to stay (not to far, some have ventured to call it the “sixth cinque terre”).

Bologna
Is relatively close to Perugia (approx. 3 hours by train), and has been judged one of Italy’s most livable cities. Bologna is surrounded by hills though it sits on the plain of Emilia Romagna, and has much to offer in the way of Renaissance art and architecture, culture and cuisine, not to mention a happening student ambiance that really brings this ancient city to life. There is much to see in Bologna: the university, for instance, founded over 900 years ago, is a competitive academic center that attracts people from all over the world. There is also the Piazza Maggiore, and the Fountain of Neptune – both with great historic importance and both excellent photo ops!

By Train: www.ferroviedellostato.it (in English)

Ravenna

Ravenna is not often the first place that comes into the minds of travelers in Italy, and is a little more difficult to reach because it does not lie on the main train routes. It was of great historic importance to the Romans, as it was the capital of the Western Empire in 402 AD and one of the main ports on the Adriatic. Because Ravenna spent much of its history looking to the East, its greatest art treasures show how much the Byzantines affected the city. Ravenna is probably most know for is mosaics, which are undoubtedly the finest in Western art.

Where to Stay: http://en.venere.com/hotels_ravenna/