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Simeon Mitropolitski is a Canadian analyst, of Bulgarian origin, and a former syndicated columnist with the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA). He is the author of several hundred articles dealing with hot political and economic topics, both national and international.

He was part of the first group of Bulgarian intellectuals and students that began the opposition movement that finally put an end to the communist regime in this country in 1989, and in 1996-1997 participated in international observation teams during the elections in several Balkan countries - Romania, Albania and Bulgaria.

In 2002 Simeon and his family moved from Bulgaria to Canada where they live now in Montreal, province of Quebec. Simeon is a Master of Political Science from McGill University and a B.A. of Political Science and History.

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• Italy 2001
  
• Italy 2002
  
• Italy 2003
  
• Italy 2006
  
• Italy 2006, 2
  
• Italy 2008
  
• Italy 2008, 2
  

So far this summer the weather isn't very good in Europe, I mean in Southern Europe we have couple of days sunny then couple of days rainy. If you aren't a big fan of the sport called "lying on the beach" now it's the right moment to turn to something new.

Are you going for couple of weeks in Italy with your loved one? So I have for you something you will remember for the rest of your life.

First take a map and call your travel agent. Book a ticket to Milan (you'll find it at the far north of the Italian boot). Take your credit and debit cards and you are already there.

• 1st day
  

  You are in Milan, the biggest city in Northern Italy, but that isn't very important when we talk about the culture. Your job for this day is mainly to rent a car ($20-40 per day, maybe more if you prefer larger models) and to find a hotel for couple of nights (you can do that for no more than $50 per night). Then go walking. The must seeing is the central Cathedral but of course many other 500-years old buildings deserve you attention.

• 2nd day
  

  There are primarily two things you must see that day - the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie and the Castle Sforzesco. In the first you will admire "The Last Meal" by Leonardo da Vinci and in the second - the Pieta Rondanini by Michelangelo. There are no words to explain the beauty of what you'll see there.

• 3rd day
  

  If time isn't pressing, you may continue to go around the local museums. If you don't have enough time for that you say have to goodbye to Milan and drive eastward. After 2 hours of driving (a little bit more than 100 miles) you will reach Padova, also a very old town with many places to see and admire. What you have absolutely to see after your check-in at the hotel are the frescoes of Giotto - one among the first Renaissance painters in the Chapel of Enrico Scrovegni all'Arena. In the evenings (where the sun isn't so strong) you may again admire the ancient architecture.

• 4th day
  

  You go to Florence, the city of Dante, Leonardo and the Medici. The road goes southward and the travel won't take you more than 2 hours too. Here you'll meet again the works of the three prominent painters and sculptors. Fortunately (or unfortunately) the cultural treasures in Florence are so big you can't see even the most important of them in just one day. So for this day I suggest to you to go the house of Buanarotti where you can see the paintings of Michelangelo and also to go to the church of Badia where you'll find recently found fragments of Giotto.

• 5th day
  

  For the next stay you'll have to sacrifice one whole day because the place I suggest to you to go is the gallery Uffizi. There you'll find many masterpieces of Leonardo da Vinci, Giotto and Michelangelo.

• 6th day
  

  Now you go further southward and on the road to Rome you make a 1-day stay in Assisi, the medieval town of St. Francisco. There I propose to you to see first of all the Giotto's paintings and other frescoes in the main basilica. If you feel tired from all you have seen in the previous days, please take a rest for a day or two. If you are strong enough we'll continue our journey.

• 7th day
  

  All the roads lead to Rome so it's time for you to go there too. Assisi-Rome will take you less than 2 hours but within the city usually two hours aren't enough even to drive from one district to another. So it will be better to find a parking lot and continue walking. For the first day in Rome I suggest to you to see the St. Peter basilica and the square.

• 8th day
  

  Maybe you want to continue walking down the streets but some treasures are hidden from the eyes of pedestrians. It's the right moment to go to the Chapel Sistina where you'll see the famous decorations of Michelangelo. For the rest of the day walk wherever you want - Rome offers so many cultural attractions.

• 9th day
  

  It's time to go back northward to Milan but don't forget to take a look at Genoa where Christopher Columbus was born. The road Rome-Milan considering your short stay in Genoa will take you almost all the day.

• 10th day
  

  It's time to say goodbye to Italy and to return your rented car intact. Without the price of the flight ticket(s) the whole journey discovering the cultural treasures of Italy will cost you less than $1000. I think this tour deserves that price.

Please follow the golden rule and ask for the working hours before going to any of the above museums, churches and attractions.

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See also the directory of companies providing real estate services in, and general real estate information of Italy.