Parma

Parma, a city founded by the Etruscans and a strategic point ever since, also has a puppet museum.

I'm not sure what Romans and Eni have in common.

Unfortunate.

A monument of fascist aesthetic downtown.

The Cathedral and Baptistery of Parma. The Baptistery was made with Verona marble; construction was halted numerous times due to disputes between the two cities and general conflict in the 13th century.

The massive Palazzo della Pilotta, built by the Farnese family, who ruled Parma for 300 years.

A strange evening meal of pork with long island ice tea pairing.

You can't go to Parma without eating prosciutto di Parma and Parmesan cheese.

Monte Isola

Monte Isola is one the largest lake islands in Europe. It is located in Lake Iseo, which lies between Bergamo and Brescia.

A ferry runs regularly between the island and the mainland.

A mysterious secluded villa on a small private island

The path to the small church on the highest point on the island.

World War 2 even effected a place as isolated as Monte Isola.

The path continues

A view of the church on the way down

The beauty of Northern Italian lakes without the crowds.

Cittadella

Cittadella was founded in the 13th century by Padua to counter a nearby fortification controlled by Treviso.

There are four entrances into the town, which is completely surrounded by the old walls.

Who doesn't love modern art.

Like all good Venetian towns, the Lion of St. Mark can be found on a pillar in the town square.

Modena

Modena and its environs are famous for balsamic vinegar, cheese, and ham.

Balsamic vinegar barrels are used for hundreds of years. Only some of the contents of each barrel are passed from largest to smallest as it is distilled; this means when you taste the vinegar, some small portion of it is also hundreds of years old.

Many varieties of balsamic vinegar are sold with various flavors added, or of various ages.

Old balsamic vinegar looses its tartness. This vinegar is worth its weight in gold.

Parmesan cheese is another art form of the region.

A fortune in cheese.

Modena has some interesting graffiti

And some ancient churches

Art on the ceiling of a colonnade

The inside of the Modena opera house. If you don't book all five seats in the box, you're going to have to share!

Syracuse

Syracuse was the greatest city of Magna Graecia, and today is a modern city and UNESCO site encompassing the ruins of its past generations. The Greek theater of Syracuse was initially built in the 400s B.C. and renovated later by both Greek and Roman subjects.

The theater is on the outskirts of modern Syracuse and encompasses a large, overgrown area.

The Ear of Dionysius is a cave nearby with strange acoustic features. Legend has it Greek tyrants used it as a prison to listen in on captives conversations.

The Romans built an amphitheater adjacent to the Greek theater.

A modern church next to the Syracuse Archeology Museum.

The Syracuse Archeology Museum has a variety of local finds, including these tiny ancient animal skeletons.

Pre-Greek inhabitants of Syracuse liked ducks.

Strange copper storage balls.

A fourth century B.C. depiction of Artemis with some paint still present.

A popular horse symbol of Syracuse.

Tiny detailed vases found in a boy's tomb.

A vase depicting the myth of Hades and Persephone.

A Corinthian perfume vase based on an Assyrian aesthetic.

So many horse legs!

A Gorgon

A statue of Priapus

A statue of Bes, an Egyptian god

A statue of a fisherman

The sarcophagus of Adefia is from the 4th century A.D., of Roman origin, with scenes from the Old and New Testament.

The ruins of the Temple of Apollo is the first ancient landmark on Ortygia, a small island off the mainland of Sicily that is the heart of Syracuse.

The Cathedral of Syracuse

The ancient Temple of Athena was used in the construction of the cathedral.

The Church of Santa Lucia alla Badia

The Fountain of Arethusa, a freshwater source on Ortygia linked to the eponymous Greek myth.

Locals play Kayak polo between Ortygia and the mainland.