Guest blog by Dianne Hales, author of La Bella Lingua: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language (compare prices).
Italy offers special delights every month of the year, but May is my favorite. Here are the reasons why:
1. The weather. Fa bello -- literally it makes beautiful. It's not as cold as March, not as wet as April, not as hot as summer. Perfect for hiking the hills and trekking through hill towns.
2. The flowers. Florence opens its famous Iris Garden for about three weeks in May (the only time the public can visit all year). Red poppies cover the hillsides. Girasoli (sunflowers) stretch toward the sun. Azaleas bloom in parks and window boxes.
3. The food. Seasonal favorites such as asparagus and artichokes appear in markets and on restaurant tables. Depending on the region, you may find the first cherries and wild strawberries.
4. The music. The annual Maggio Musicale Fiorentino fills the concert halls and piazze of Florence with concerts, operas and dance presentations. This year's program features Indian dance and Canadian ballet.
5. The festivals. You can celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit at the La Palombella festival in Orvieto (May 23), watch a jousting match in Grazzano Visconti in Emilia-Romagna (May 30) or sip local wines in Montespertoli in Chianti the last Sunday in May and the first Sunday in June.
6. The rebirth. You can feel the sense of rinascita in the air as the tourist season begins. After a long, cold, wet winter, Italians eagerly welcome visitors. City streets bustle, but the throngs aren't as thick as in summer. And with the sun setting later, there's more time for an evening passeggiata or an aperitivo in a shady piazza.
Buon Viaggio!
Read more travel tips from Dianne and information about her blog in her blog submission.