35 days in Paris, Dijon & Italy Itinerary

Italy is a land of high fashion, fine art, exquisite architecture, luxury sports cars, outstanding cuisine--and an insatiable taste for "la dolce vita." It's also home to the greatest number of World Heritage Sites in the world, making it an ideal place for your next holiday. The country boasts a varied landscape of mountain ranges, alpine lakes, and coastal towns, so it's no wonder travelers often refer to it as the bel paese (beautiful country). With so many places to visit, visitors often have a difficult time planning their itinerary. The smaller villages each feature a distinct character and a blend of architecture, art, and cuisine. In the country, you'll find countless archeological sites dating back to Roman times and beyond. The country's cities and seaside resorts are cosmopolitan powerhouses with museums, galleries, restaurants, shops, open-air markets, and pedestrian-friendly historic areas.

A favorite vacation spot for more than a century, Lake Como was once an exclusive retreat for local aristocrats and wealthy people. It is not only one of Europe's most beautiful lakes, but also one of the deepest at more than 400 m (1,300 ft). Surrounded by elegant villas, the lake has become a popular holiday destination for tourists because of its range of attractions, from landscapes, wildlife, and spas, to activities like sailing, windsurfing, and kite-surfing. The area has been an inspiration for artists since Roman times. English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote, "This lake exceeds anything I ever beheld in beauty…It is long and narrow and has the appearance of a mighty river winding among the mountains and the forests."

Sondrio is an Italian town and comune located in the heart of the Valtellina., Sondrio counts approximately 21,876 inhabitants and it is the administrative centre for the province of Sondrio. In 2007, Sondrio was given the Alpine Town of the Year award.HistoryFormerly an Ancient Roman military camp, today's Sondrio was founded by the Lombards: in their language Sundrium meant "Exclusive property", referring to the status of free men of the holders of the city and the surrounding land.After the fall of the Lombard Kingdom in Italy, Sondrio became part of the Holy Roman Empire. The Capitanei of Vizzola, who controlled much of the Valtellina, had it in 1040 from the emperor Henry II. From 1310 to 1335 the city was involved in the war between the Guelph and Ghibelline factions of the nearby Como, and its war against Milan. After having resisted several attacks by the Comaschi, in 1335 Sondrio and Valtellina became part of the Visconti Milanese dominions.From the second half of the 16th Century to the end of 18th Century, Sondrio was governed by the Tre Leghe Grigie ("Three Grey Leagues") of the Grisons, as the capital city of Valtellina. After the Reformation, Sondrio was the centre of heavy struggles between the Catholic Valtellinesi and the Protestant Grisons. In 1620 the citizens, led by Giacomo Robustelli, killed 180 Protestants and declared the independence of the Valtellina.

Padua is a city and comune in Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 214,000. The city is sometimes included, with Venice (Italian Venezia) and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, which has a population of c. 1,600,000.Padua stands on the Bacchiglione River, 40km west of Venice and 29km southeast of Vicenza. The Brenta River, which once ran through the city, still touches the northern districts. Its agricultural setting is the Venetian Plain (Pianura Veneta). To the city's south west lies the Euganaean Hills, praised by Lucan and Martial, Petrarch, Ugo Foscolo, and Shelley.It hosts the University of Padua, founded in 1222, where Galileo Galilei was a lecturer.The city is picturesque, with a dense network of arcaded streets opening into large communal piazze, and many bridges crossing the various branches of the Bacchiglione, which once surrounded the ancient walls like a moat.