Great American West - Grand Tour from Minneapolis to Denver

Known as the Twin Cities, Minneapolis and St. Paul are facing each other on opposite banks of the Mississippi River. St. Paul, the state capital, is home to the Minnesota Symphony Orchestra. Must-see attractions include the Italian Renaissance-style Capitol designed by Cass Gilbert, the architect of the United States Supreme Court in Washington, the cathedral modeled after St. Peter's in Rome, and the Victorian houses along Summit Avenue. The city is also famous for its Carnival celebrations, especially for the enormous ice sculptures. Minneapolis has gained international recognition for its dedication to the arts. A visit to the Guthrie Theater, one of the best repertory theaters in the United States, is a must.

Fargo, made famous by the renowned film starring Frances McDormand and later by the eponymous television series, is a bustling town with excellent local breweries. Just a short distance away is Fort Ramson State Park, which is home to a portion of the North Country National Scenic Trail.

Bismarck, the capital of North Dakota, is a pleasant town with the interesting North Dakota Heritage Center and a modern Capitol with an Observation Deck. A short distance away is Fort Abraham Lincoln, from where General Custer departed with the 7th Cavalry for Little Bighorn. The Missouri River divides Bismarck from Mandan, the historic part, where you can visit the earthlodges, the typical dwellings of the affiliated Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Native American tribes.

Medora is a charming western-style town, famous for its summer musical held in the scenic Burning Hills Amphitheater and for the original Pitchfork Steak Fondue, which allows you to taste excellent meat cooked and served on a pitchfork. It is the gateway to Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Billings is the largest city in the state of Montana. Surrounded by seven mountain ranges, it allows you to explore the surrounding wilderness, visit museums that trace the history and culture of the Old West, as well as the Moss Mansion, designed by the same architect responsible for the construction of the Waldorf Astoria and Plaza hotels in New York.

In Great Falls, at the confluence of the Missouri and Sun rivers, you will find the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Visitor Center, where you can discover the adventurous expedition of Lewis and Clark, the first Americans to reach the Pacific coast overland in the early 19th century.

Two thousand lakes, rivers, forests, majestic mountains, here is Glacier National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a paradise also for wild animals, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, brown bears and grizzly bears, wolves and cougars. The name does not derive so much from the existing glaciers, few, small and retreating, but from the enormous expanse of ice that created its valleys during the last ice age, about 20,000 years ago. Only one road crosses it, Going-to-the-Sun Road, an 80 km long road, one of the most picturesque in the country, with stunning views at every turn.

The town of Wallace, Idaho, has been known as "the Silver Capital of the World" since the late 1800s. Every building in its downtown area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and serves as an ideal starting point for outdoor activities in the Silver Valley and the surrounding Bitterroot Mountains. A must-see is the bike route along the Route of the Hiawatha, which spans approximately 25 km and takes you through mountains, cliffs, and lush green coniferous forests, passing old railway tunnels and suspension bridges.

Coeur d'Alene is a small town nestled on a beautiful lake, known for the presence of the native Indian tribe that gives the city its name. It is located in a rapidly growing wine region and offers visitors casinos and a famous golf course with a floating hole in the middle of the lake.

From the western town of Lewiston, you can set off to visit the deepest canyon in North America, where the Snake River flows. Along its course, you can navigate by raft or jet boat, admire rock art, spot birds of prey, and go fishing.

The charming town of McCall, on the shores of Payette Lake, offers beautiful hiking and biking trails and the opportunity to taste excellent local beers, produced in the area's over 70 breweries.

Ketchum, an important mountain center and chic and sophisticated resort, is an excellent stop between Craters of the Moon and Boise. It is attached to Sun Valley, a place beloved by Hemingway (buried here), offering high-level services and is popular all year round.

Yellowstone is one of the largest parks in the USA, and the oldest national park in the world (it was opened in 1872). What truly makes it unique, though, is its enormous central area, which is in fact the huge caldera of a dormant volcano (the last eruption dates back to 640,000 years ago). Thousands of geysers outburst in the caldera, and several other geothermal features can be seen there – hot springs, mudpots, acid lakes. The area is also home to many animal species, including bears, wolves, bison, moose, deer, cougars and coyotes.

Cheyenne marks the gateway to the great expanses of the north, with the Rocky Mountains in the distance and an endless horizon. The builders of the Union Pacific Railroad arrived here in 1867 and found an outpost of gamblers and gunmen, known as ‘Hell on Wheels’. The railway terminal can still be seen here, to the east of the city, while to the west are the military installations that housed the first intercontinental missile base in 1957. The cowboy atmosphere is tangible and authentic, in clothing stores such as the large Wrangler store in the main square and in the numerous honky-tonk bars, but above all during Cheyenne Frontier Days, a 9-day festival with the largest outdoor rodeo in America, which takes place every year at the end of July and attracts thousands of people to attend concerts by country music stars, parades, wagon races and air shows.

Founded in 1859 by gold seekers from Kansas and Georgia, Denver marks the boundary between the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains that provide a splendid backdrop. A university town and the capital of American craft beer, it is called the 'Mile High City' because it is located exactly one mile (about 1600 meters) high, as noted on the 13th step of its Capitol building. Modern and youthful, it has trendy neighborhoods for all tastes and is pleasant to explore on foot, featuring diverse architectures ranging from Victorian to postmodern, along with art, history, culture, shopping, and a vibrant nightlife.