Following Goethe's traces in Italy

The Alps mark the beginning - this applies to any northern European wanting to get to Italy. Four major routes lead across the massive mountain range. Goethe chose the Brenner Pass. He headed towards his desired country by stage coach via Munich and Innsbruck. It took him two days. Today it only takes two hours to travel from Munich to the Brenner Pass - so long as there are no traffic delays.

Just behind the Alps you enter an entirely new world. Lake Garda for many northern Europeans is the epitome of the south. Deep blue water surrounded by mountains, a mild climate, picturesque villages, abundant vegetation and good food. Germans are particularly fond of Lake Garda. Goethe along with being fascinated had an unexpected adventure here as he was mistakenly arrested as a spy.

In Goethe's time villages along the lake could only be reached by boat or by clambering over adventurous paths - including Malcesine. Today it is the tourist center of Lake Garda. Here you encounter Goethe every step of the way - a memorial and a museum serve as reminders of the poet's visit. A marble plaque also adorns the Hotel San Marco, where Goethe stayed.

Goethe travelled in order to learn. His visit of the arena in Verona marked his first encounter with an ancient monument. Goethe was impressed by how well preserved it was - and still is. The arena in Verona seats 22,000 people. During the summer months a famous opera festival is held here.

Goethe spent two weeks in Venice. As a child he played with a toy gondola which his father brought back from his travels. Now Goethe himself gets to discover the lagoon city by gondola and seems never to tire of it. Today Venice is a city that appears to nearly be smothered by the love of visitors. In high season there are some 130,000 tourists to 55,000 residents.

On November 1st, 1786 Goethe arrived in Rome and wrote: "I have eventually reached the capital of the world." He spent four months here during which time he moved in with an artist, partied a lot, wrote a lot, experienced some erotic adventures and managed to satisfy his yearning for ancient monuments. The fascination of eternal city still attracts millions of annual visitors to Rome.

In Naples Goethe attacked the prevalent perception at the time in Germany, that Italians are idle. And the people of Naples loved him for it. He enthused about the colors of the city, the food and the smells. These days sadly those smells can be overwhelming - as the city often stinks to high heaven due to an ongoing refuse collection problem.

Locals call it the "hunchback". Mount Vesuvius on the Bay of Naples is one of the best known and most active volcanoes in the world. Its eruption in 79 AD buried the city of Pompeii in ash and lava. Goethe felt magically drawn to this volcano. He climbed up it several times. Today tourists are driven by bus to the crater.

The list of places Goethe visited on Sicily is long. He was particularly taken with the diversity of the vegetation. These days it's a known fact that Italy's biggest Mediterranean island is home to more than 3,000 plant species. Goethe was also bowled over time and again by the overwhelming views. Monte Pellegrino for him became the "most world's beautiful foothill."

Goethe is regarded as one of the first tourists to visit Taormina on Sicily's eastern coast, which today is the most popular tourist destination on Sicily. Goethe went to the ancient Teatro Greco with its view of Mount Vesuvius, where he was impressed by the combination of architecture and nature's backdrop. These days visitors can enjoy concerts and opera performances here.

Goethe was surprised by the one thing he wasn't prepared for - the Italian attitude towards life, their laid-back approach, optimism, and sensuality. "La dolce vita", the good life, was his great discovery in Italy. He put it into words and Italians adored him for doing so. In Germany those words in his travel journal inspired many with the desire to visit Italy - a desire that remains unabated.