Smart Travels Europe with Rudy Maxa: Sicily / Milan & Lake Como

Two episodes plus bonus clips: Milan symbolizes 21st century Italy--a center for finance and fashion. We explore Italy's most extravagant Gothic cathedral,check out Leonardo's Last Supper and shop, shop, shop. The Milan Design Museum shows how, for locals, everyday life is art. We train north to Lake Como, ferry-hop lakeside villages, and explore elegant villas and historic Villa D'Este Hotel. A side trip to ancient Bergamo and a festival in the Valtellina complete our journey. Once the hub of the ancient world, Sicily offers a vibrant, sun-soaked brew of history, tradition, and cultural pride. At Palermo, a city bursting with atmospheric past, we visit the lively market, and marvel at Monreale Cathedral, which shows off remnants of its Arab, Norman, and Byzantine past. The finest classical Greek temples outside of Greece stand near Segesta and Agrigento, while Villa Romana del Casale houses the most extensive surviving Roman mosaics. Then it's on to ancient Syracuse, once the rival of Athens for power. Finally we climb Mount Etna for steaming craters and unearthly views.

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• nonfiction
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