One of the advantages of running small group tours to Europe, is that we get to visit a variety of different places. Sometimes we do it with our small group tours, sometimes we visit these small cities when doing research for a tour. In today's blog post The Traveling Professor tells you about his favorite small cities in Europe, one each in France, Italy, and Norway and two in Austria.
Everyone wants to see Rome, Florence and Venice. And why not? They should be seen. However, the larger cities of Italy are expensive and full of tourists, trinket shops, ordinary restaurants, and standard chain hotels. Why not relax and visit the REAL Italy on your next trip? Enjoy the tastes and culture of smaller authentic cities. Avoid the crowds and long lines, eat real Italian food, see amazing sites, and stay at outstanding hotels all less expensively than can be done in the large cities.
The top spots to visit in Italy are Rome, Florence and Venice. But after visiting these places I looked for something a little more laid-back, a little less touristy and crowded, a little bit more authentic. So, I traveled to Padua in the Veneto region last March and fell in love with it. I liked it so much that we will be offering regular small group tours to Padau and the Veneto region of Italy in 2014. Read my blog post to see why you want to put Padua on the list on the next tour to Italy.