82Rome, Colosseum, © belenox - iStock - Getty Images

83

LATIUM

Latium is an area worth getting to know, a land rich in blends of art, culture and nature, the crossroads of Mediterranean civilization and of Etruscan, Sabine, Sam-nite, Campanian and Latin peoples. The region probably got its name from the Latins, whose most recent history min-gles with that of Rome and the Pontifical State, the Terra del Lavoro and the King-dom of the Two Sicilies. A compound memory that only a few dozen years ago recovered its role as a unique tourist at-traction, together with that of the capital city. Nowadays the region stands out with its many charms, from spas to spec-tacular lakes, from gentle hilly scenery to charming beaches, from archaeology and art to the great wealth of traditions. Latium is a wonderland, the essence of natural beauty, historic remains and a variety of food and wine related to the soil and the simplicity and wholesome-ness of the crops. There are many archaeological sites all over the area, from the Etruscan remains in Tuscania and Tarquinia, to the necrop-olis in Cerveteri, now UNESCO sites, as well as Hadrian’s Villa and the Villa d’Este in Tivoli. Other must-sees are the ar-chaeological sites of the Temple of Jupi-ter Amur in Terracina, the Roman paved roads in Arpino, and the Roman colony of old Minturno. Mediaeval villages and polygonal walls are another feature of the area: to mention but a few, there is Viterbo with its pilgrims’ district and the Palace of the Popes, Anagni with the Pal-ace of Boniface VII and the crypt of the Cathedral with its fine frescoes, Fumone with its mediaeval village, Civita di Bag-noregio, the wonderful “dying city”, Cal-cata and Nifa, true icons of beauty, and oases of ruins and romantic parks that enchant the visitor and leave indelible memories. Culture and wellness and spas are an-other of Latium’s strongpoints: thermal waters flow through natural landscapes and historic monuments, from the Terme dei Papi in Viterbo to the Terme di Boni-facio in Fiuggi. Then there is the sea, the

beaches, the lovely cli's, all along the coastline, from Tarquinia beach to the white sand of Sabaudia with its famous dunes, to the clear waters of San Felice al Circeo and Sperlonga, an authentic Tyrrhenian fishing village, down to Gae-ta, with its split mountain overhanging the sea. There are very charming under-water itineraries along the lovely seabeds of the Pontine islands, to underwater caves, fields of posidonia, lobsters and even submerged shipwrecks. The counterpoint to the sea are the beautiful mountains, rich in avifauna and biodiversity, which mark out the region’s ridge and follow its outline from the bor-ders of Tuscany to Campania, from the Rieti salt road to the Abruzzo National Park. Then there are the Monti della Laga and della Duchessa, the magical Simbru-ini mountains, the heart of Latium, the Ausoni mountains and the Aurunci, which look down on the beauty of the coast beneath and seem to accompany the area towards the scents and land-scapes of the Mediterranean. In fact Latium is a great place for people that want to enjoy nature routes among the many protected nature areas. There are lakes, countryside, seas and mountains just outside Rome and near the count-less mediaeval villages. Hiking paths, wa-terways, woods and beech groves are the scene of often pristine natural envi-ronments. The Regional Natural Parks and Protected Oases o'er visitors a wide range of itineraries and the Roads of the Parks allow you to immerse yourself in the nature of Etruscan Latium or to reach Umbria along Roman roads, passing ne-cropolises, waterfalls and caves. Or you can reach the Latium side of the Abruz-zo-Monti della Laga Natural Park with its hundreds of equipped trails, practicable even when there is snow, where there is still a chance of seeing bears, wolves, chamois and even golden eagles. In southern Latium, lovers of the moun-tains and the sea can travel through the Parco del Circeo along ancient Roman routes, like the Via Flacca. In this area

84

you can do free climbing, on prepared faces, in Sperlonga, Itri and Gaeta. An ex-cellent way of getting to know the Latium area is to hike along the ancient pilgrimage routes that have been used for getting to Rome since the Middle Ages, where pilgrims could venerate the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul and get a plenary indulgence. The most important is the Via Francigena, the road used by merchants and travellers, carrying ideas, art, legends, languages and customs. The road runs down from the Alps to northern Latium, passing through Ac-quapendente, where there is a sacellum with a reproduction of the Holy Sepul-chre in Jerusalem, through Bolsena, fa-mous for the miracle of Saint Rose, and Capranica, Sutri, Campagnano and For-mello, and reaches Rome from Monte Mario, formerly known as Mons Gaudii (the mountain of joy) because of the joy felt by travellers when they saw the Eter-nal City. This is the same route that Si-gerico, Archbishop of Canterbury, trav-elled on at the end of the 10th century, keeping a diary listing nine stages in our region, starting from the border with Tuscany. In southern Latium you can travel along the Via Francigena del Sud, which leads from Rome to the Adriatic coast, from where pilgrims set sail for Jerusalem. In the Rieti area we find the Cammino di Francesco, a ring linking the

Franciscan sanctuaries of the Valle Santa, Greco, La Foresta, Poggio Busone and Fontecolombo, nestling in the greenery of woods and beech groves. All these routes lead through the Latium area, a real red thread which the traveller can follow to discover wonderful scenery, lovely little villages and traditional flavours.This kaleidoscopic area, with its thou-sands of years of tradition, has created countless folk traditions, historical reen-actments and folk festivals, which have spread all over the various provinces. We mention some of the most charming. In Greccio, in the Rieti province, birthplace of the first Christmas Crib in the world, at Christmas time the Nativity is commem-orated with elegant scenes; there is a Carnival in Ronciglione, near Viterbo, with horse races, decorated decorated floats, and confraternity members wear-ing traditional costumes. In Priverno, in the Latina province, there is a Passion of Christ procession through the old town, with very impressive shoulder-borne structures. In Acquapendente, in the Vit-erbo area, on the second Sunday in May the various districts compete in making the marvellous Pugnaloni, huge panels with lovely mosaics made by assembling flower petals and leaves. In June, for the feast of Corpus Christi,there are many infiorate (flower festivals) at which the

Civita di Bagnoregio (Province of Viterbo), © bluejayphoto - iStock - Getty Images

85

streets are “carpeted” with coloured flower petals. The outstanding one is the centuries-old Infiorata in Genzano, which has been the symbol of the town since 1773. Then there are palii, folkloric horse races in which di'erent districts compete; famous in Latium is the Palio dei Rioni di Morlupo, in the province of Rome, a spectacular contest between teams.Many fairs and festivals are linked with local agricultural products. There is the Chestnut Festival in Soriano nel Cimino in October, during which there is a cos-tume joust between the districts. The Grape Festival in Marino, is also very fa-mous and is mentioned in the song “Nannì”, made famous by Petrolini; the festival dates back to the 16th century victory of Lepanto by Marcantonio Col-onna; as the song says, the historic foun-tain in Marino still spills out rosé wine on the occasion of the festival. The food and wine tradition in Latium has always stayed true to its typical fea-tures: strong flavours linked with farming and shepherding. The meats are deli-cious, for instance the PDO sausage of Monte San Biagio, made by hand and fla-

voured with red pepper, or the classic “coppiette” made of spiced and dried horsemeat. The porchetta (roast suck-ling pig) of Ariccia and the whole Castel-li Romani area is famous; you can even eat it in one of the many outdoor “fra-schette” taverns, which used to be ven-ues for out-of-town excursions. There are many traditional first courses, like bucatini all’Amatriciana, pasta made with local fat bacon and pecorino cheese from Amatrice, with its unique flavour, or rigatoni con la pajata, pasta dressed with the intestines of a milk-fed calf. Carciofi romaneschi, Roman artichokes, have their fairs and festivals in the area, while the strawberries of Nemi and Terracina still have the sweet flavour of the fruit of long ago. Latium wine production has very ancient origins: the ancient Falerno, praised by Columella, Pliny the elder and Horace, now has famous descendants: from Aleatico di Gradoli to Cesanese del Piglio, Est Est Est di Montefiascone, and Moscato di Terracina, which tradition says was used by the witch Circe to be-witch Ulysses. Latium has excellent varieties of ex-tra-virgin olive oil, like Canino and Sabi-

Spaghetti alla carbonara, © WEKWEK - iStock - Getty Images

86

no, with the PDO label. You can also travel along a Wine, Oil and Typical Prod-ucts route, visiting the countryside of the Rieti area, with places dedicated to Saint Benedict. Latium has plenty of farm- house accommodation, from Tuscia to Sabina, from Ciociaria to the Riviera di Ulisse, which o'ers stays in restored farmhouses, mills and typical dwellings, with food coming directly from local farms, in environments where traditional hospitality lives on. Lovers of antique fairs and markets and artistic crafts will find many shopping opportunities, in old villages and art cities: to mention but a few, in the Castelli Romani (Roman hills) there is the Mercato dell’Antiquariato e Artigianato, Civitavecchia holds an An-tique Fair very popular with collectors also; there is a furnishing market in Viter-bo, with restored and vintage furniture; in Latina you can visit the Mercatino del-la Memoria, while the main historic vil-lages in Ciociaria, Anagni, Ferentino, Sora and Veroli have charming Sunday markets. There are many musical festivals and op-era and concert seasons in Latium.

Tuscia in Jazz Spring, in Viterbo, is an important one but so is the Festival Lirico in Casamari in Ciociaria or the Reate Fes-tival in the Flavio Theatre in Rieti, which promotes Italian operatic tradition. We must not forget the Festival Pontino in the Latina province, which supports young and upcoming artists. These are just a few suggestions for itineraries of discovery and pleasure in a fabulous area.

RomeEternal City, caput mundi, navel of the world, Great Destination… this wonderful city has had many di'erent names in the past. But if you want to get to know it you have to walk along its streets and enjoy the sensations as picturesque scenes appear in its alleys. We suggest you start from Piazza Venezia, which can be considered the heart of Rome, with the majestic monument dedicated to Victor Emanuel II and the Altar of the Fa-therland on its steps in memory of the unknown soldiers that have no graves. Behind it is Piazza del Campidoglio, the square designed by Michelangelo

Rome, Spanish Steps, © belenox - iStock - Getty Images

87

Buonarroti, with three Palazzi around it and the statue of Marcus Aurelius in the middle. Here you can visit the Capitol Museums, where works reflecting the city’s artistic and cultural evolution are on display.The ramp, with its big stone steps, links the Campidoglio (Capitol) to Piazza dell’Aracoeli, from where a staircase leads up to the church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, where important artists, includ-ing Pinturicchio and Donatello, worked.Important streets, the names of which are linked with the city’s history, stretch out from Piazza Venezia. One of these is Via dei Fori Imperiali. If we walk along the ancient Via dell’Imperio, as it was origi-nally called, on our right we overlook the Roman Forum, the civic and economic hub of the old Roman city, with the Tra-jan Markets on the opposite side of the street. In the background, as we move along the Via, the outline of one of the most famous monuments in the world comes into sight: the Colosseum, the symbol of Rome. Beside it stands the Arch of Constantine, perhaps the biggest and best preserved in Rome, a real mu-seum of Roman sculpture. Nearby is the Palatine, one of the seven hills of Rome, the hub of the ancient city, with the trac-es of its foundation by Romulus and an-cient imperial dwellings; from one side it overlooks the Roman Forum and from the other the Circo Massimo. From here, you continue along Viale Aventino to the Piramide di Caio Cestio, a funeral monu-ment in Egyptian style, and turning right towards the Lungotevere (Tiberside) you come to the temples of Foro Boario: the Tempio di Portuno and the Tempio di Er-cole Vincitore, two of the best preserved buildings of ancient Rome, which stand in Piazza della Bocca della Verità. Nearby you can visit the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, a masterpiece of Ro-manesque art, distinguished by its beau-tiful campanile, which has the famous carved image known as the Bocca della Verità (mouth of truth) from which the square gets its name and of which the story goes that it can bite the hand of a person telling a lie! Branching out from

Piazza Venezia is Via del Corso, a central street leading to Piazza del Popolo. Im-mediately to the left of Piazza Venezia is Palazzo Doria Pamphili, while on the right it stretches up to the Quirinal hill, site of a palace of the same name where the President of the Republic lives. Along Via del Corso, set among the little streets at the side, we find the Trevi Foountain and also Piazza di Spagna from where the 135 Trinita dei Monti steps (also known as the Spanish Steps) lead up to the Pincio hill, with Villa Med-ici, now the site of the French Academy in Rome, and Villa Borghese, the third biggest park in the city, where there are the Tempio di Esculapio, Piazza di Siena and the Borghese Gallery, with its won-derful collection which adds to the charm of the place. From the viewpoint on the Pincio you can look down on Pi-azza del Popolo, on the right side of which stands the basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo, with works by Caravaggio, Pinturicchio, Sansovino, Bramante, Raf-faello and Bernini. If we leave Piazza del Popolo and go into the adjacent streets, near the Lungotevere we see the Ara Pa-cis, one of the most important remains of the time of Augustus, symbolizing the peace and prosperity achieved by the emperor. We pass by Piazza Montecito-rio, where parliament sits in the palace of the same name, and nearby Piazza Col-onna, called after the column celebrat-ing the victories of Marcus Aurelius, and we come to the Pantheon, an ancient temple dedicated to all the gods, now the tomb of two kings of Italy and of Raf-faello Sanzio. Nearby is the spectacular Piazza Navona, with Bernini’s famous Fontana dei Fiumi in its centre. All around this area there are important churches and monuments, like the church of Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza, a baroque mas-terpiece and mature work by Francesco Borromini, the church of San Luigi dei Francesi, with masterpieces by Caravag-gio, Palazzo Altemps, seat of the Nation-al Roman Museum, which has excellent collections of ancient sculptures, the church of Santa Maria della Pace, with frescoes by Ra'aello, and the elegant

88

Bramante Cloister. From Piazza Navona we come to Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, close to which are the Palazzo della Cancelleria and the church of Santa Ma-ria in Vallicella, known as Chiesa Nuova, striking for its magnificence and its splendid interior. From here, across the Corso, we come to Camp de’ Fiori, site of Roman nightlife, with the statue of Giordano Bruno, who was burned at the stake here, in the centre; a must-see is the nearby Piazza Farnese, with the Pala-zzo of the same name, a splendid Re-naissance building, seat of the French Embassy, with the famous Gallery fres-coed by Annibale Carracci, and, a little further on, Palazzo Spada with the per-spective gallery by Francesco Borromini, famous for its optical illusions, one of the must-see curiosities of 17th century Rome. Crossing via Giulia, a memorable street that leads the visitor through a 16th century urban landscape, we come to the Lungotevere (Tiberside) and can cross the river over the historic Ponte Sisto. Walking to the left along Via della Lunga-ra we approach the basilica of Santa Ma-ria in Trastevere, with the distinctive mo-saics on its façade, which overlooks one

of the loveliest squares in the city. Con-tinuing towards the Janiculum hill we come to the church of San Pietro in Montorio, located on one of Rome’s most panoramic points, with Bramante’s Tempietto, which is its main attraction. Starting out again from the Lungara, but heading right this time, we come to the 16th century Villa Farnesina, one of the most stately and harmonious buildings of the Renaissance, inside which, among other things, we can see the “Triumph of Galatea”, the famous fresco by Ra'aello, and the Loggia di Amore and Psiche by one of his pupils. Behind the Villa is Pala-zzo Corsini: with the botanic gardens and the seat of the National Gallery of Ancient Art containing, among others, works by Beato Angelico, Rubens, Muril-lo and Luca Giordano. Continuing towards Borgo Santo Spirito we come to the Vatican City, the small-est state in the world, in the heart of the capital city, with its splendid Saint Peter’s basilica. Inside the walls are the Vatican Museums, a wonderful melting pot of the art and history of all ages and all places, with works of immense historical and artistic value: must-sees are the Raf-faello Rooms, the maps in the Galleria

Gardens of Ninfa (Province of Latina), © aizram18 - iStock - Getty Images

89

delle Carte Geografiche and the famous Sistine Chapel, frescoed by Michelange-lo. Travelling along the Via della Concili-azione toward the Lungotevere we come to Castel Sant’Angelo, an ancient fortress, altered several times during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, from where there is a lovely view all around. The other three patriarchal basilicas, Saint John Lateran, Saint Mary Major and Saint Paul Outside the Walls, are also part of the Vatican State. You should see the Scala Santa (holy stairs) and maybe even go up them on your knees in devotion; according to Christian tradition Jesus went up them to the place where he was interrogated by Pontius Pilate, before being crucified; they were moved to Rome by Saint Helen, the mother of Constantine. Nearby, on the road between the Colos-seum and the Lateran, is the lovely basil-ica of San Clemente, with mosaics inside the lower basilica also. The basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, situated on the Esquiline hill, is the only one that has kept its original paleochristian structure, even though it was improved later. Near-by you can visit the church of San Pietro in Vincoli, where the chains of Saint Pe-ter and one of Michelangelo’s most fa-mous statues, Moses, are kept. Lastly, to

visit the basilica of San Paolo Fuori Mura, the second biggest after Saint Peter’s, we go outside the old town centre and al-most reach a newer district than the Rome we have seen so far, the EUR, de-signed during the nineteen thirties.Among the various alternative routes are the charming itinerary of the Christian Catacombs, originally burial places and then places of refuge where Mass was celebrated when Christians were being persecuted. There are more than sixty catacombs in Rome, the principal ones being the Catacombs of Saints Agnes, Priscilla, Sebastian and Callistus. Last but not least is a visit to Ostia Antica, the best example of a Roman city in existence to-day; in the summer its Roman Theatre stages a great series of events and shows in the lovely setting of the archaeologi-cal site with its magical atmosphere. Naturally it is impossible to describe every corner and every wonder of the capital city: we just want to make a few suggestions on the basis of which every-one can select his or her personal en-counter with a city that holds enchanting sights and infinite wonders for every-body.

For more information visit the following website: www.visitlazio.com

Sperlonga (Province of Latina), © irabassi - iStock - Getty Images

90Fortress of Rocca Calascio in the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park, © ROMAOSLO - iStock - Getty Images

91

ABRUZZO

Abruzzo lies between the highest peaks of the Apennines and the waters of the Adriatic Sea. It is a land waiting to be dis-covered, with many treasures and magi-cal breath-taking scenery.The natural panorama of the high imper-vious peaks of the Gran Sasso, the Monti della Laga and the Majella slope down to a harmonious range of hills and then reaches the Adriatic coast. If you like, on the same day you can hike in the moun-tains in the morning, swim in the sea in the afternoon and dine under the stars in the country that night.High in the mountains, amid pristine peaks and rock faces, there are delightful tourist resorts and areas equipped both for winter sports and summer excur-sions. Amid the mountains and hills there are narrow valleys, historic natural routes dotted with ancient villages.There are three national parks: the Abru-zzo Lazio e Molise, the Gran Sasso-Mon-ti della Laga and the Majella, as well as the Sirente Velino regional park, which ensure protection for vegetable species and the area’s typical animals, like the chamois, the golden eagle, the wolf and the marsican brown bear.Compared to the region’s relatively small area, the Abruzzi coast seems to be real-ly infinite: as many as one hundred and thirty-three kilometres of beach washed by a clean sea and kissed by the sun for whole months, with resorts that have earned the prestigious Blue Flag, sym-bolising and certifying clean waters and a well-protected environment. The Abruzzi coast, divided among the three provinces of Teramo, Pescara and Chieti, has been a popular seaside tourism des-tination since the late 19th century.The northern part of the Abruzzo coast has long, sandy beaches while there are quieter pebbled coves in the south. Typ-ical of the southern coast, before the big gulf of Vasto interrupts the jagged series of little creeks, we can see the famous “trabocchi”.They are completely made of wood and consist of a platform supported by long

posts from which the fisherman casts his net into the sea, and a long, daring walk-way, also supported by posts, connect-ing the platform to dry land, often doz-ens of metres away.A cycling track of about 130 kilometres, running along the entire Abruzzo Riviera is under completion and is going to form an unbroken link between all the seaside resorts and their best attractions.The track runs along the Riviera of each municipality and crosses rivers over pretty wooden bridges. This means that in summer you can enjoy, without inter-ruption, the whole length of the coast, safely and tranquilly, either by day or by night: in fact, life in the seaside resorts never stops in summer, with a wide choice of clubs and places that become pubs and disco-bars in the evening.The little villages in the hinterland, the monasteries and the castles are all charming and o'er many itineraries for visiting the green region of Italy.The provinces are: L’Aquila (administra-tive centre), Pescara, Teramo, Chieti.The art city most typical of the area is L’Aquila, located on the slopes of the Gran Sasso, with an inestimable art her-itage: from the magnificent basilica of San Bernardino to the 16th century cas-tle, to the basilica of Santa Maria in Col-lemaggio to the fountain with 999 spouts, decorated with the same num-ber of stone masks. The city of the “per-donanza celestiniana” (Celestine’s for-giveness) o'ers countless itineraries for history, art and faith. Unfortunately the city and the area around it were severely hit by an earthquake on 6 April 2009 and its precious art treasures were badly damaged.Pescara, overlooking long sandy beach-es, is an important tourist resort with memories connected with the poet Ga-briele D’Annunzio. Chieti, located in the hills, has a wonderful 11th century cathe-dral; as well as a spa and a Roman thea-tre and amphitheatre there is also a very interesting national Archaeological Mu-seum, with finds from the pre-Roman

92

autochthonous people (Marrucini-Pi-cenes-Peligni-Samnites etc.).Another important city is Teramo, with its majestic “Santa Maria Assunta” Basili-ca-Co-cathedral (13th century) and its impressive 55 metres tall campanile, the Roman amphitheatre and the Cathedral, a National Monument since 1899 and symbol of the ducal city, one of the few churches in the world to have a Holy Door. There are many ancient villages, cared for by a peasant civilisation which keeps up its traditions through local folklore and crafts.The kaleidoscopic panorama of Abruzzo o'ers various kinds of holiday, all thrill-ing and full of surprises. The snow-capped peaks of the Abruzzo Apennines have the principal ski areas of the Apen-nine range, which welcome tourists with modern ski lifts and a vast system of tracks.Even during the rest of the year Abruzzo has much to o'er lovers of active and

sports holidays: from trekking to moun-tain biking, from horseback riding (the Gran Sasso National Park has one of Italy’s longest bridle paths, 330 km) to canoeing, from cycling holidays to downhill, from free climbing (Abruzzo has the second-biggest rock gym in Ita-ly, in the Majella National Park) to bird watching. Along the coast there are plenty of opportunities for water sports: sailing canoeing, fishing and windsurf, thanks to the equipped beaches and modern tourism.Cyclotourism is one of the best sports for discovering the myriad aspects of Abruzzo, a unique combination of heter-ogeneous environments and landscapes that thrill the visitor travelling through our Region.The itineraries, of various degrees of dif-ficulty, introduce the tourist to the varie-gated geomorphological and cultural panoramas of Abruzzo (Parks, protected areas, historical and archaeological sites) and they are suited for people that like pedalling across plains and over hills as well as for keen cyclists always on the lookout for new challenges.There are many pilgrimage routes through pristine environments, including the famous Celestine V Hermitages, set into the rocky slopes of the Majella and Morrone mountains, or the Romanesque abbeys of Santa Maria di Propezzano, San Giovanni in Venere, San Liberatore a Majella, Santa Maria in Valle Porclaneta, San Clemente a Casauria, and Santa Ma-ria Assunta in Bominaco with the adja-cent Oratory of San Pellegrino.

Lake Scanno (Province of L’Aquila), © Regione Abruzzo

Nature Reserve of Punta Aderci in Vasto (Province of Chieti), © Regione Abruzzo

93

Not to be missed are the folkloric events, religious feasts and other events: from the famous Festa della Perdonanza (Feast of the Forgiveness) in L’Aquila to the San Domenico Festa dei Serpari (snake festival) in Cocullo, the living Na-tivity Scene in Rivisondoli to the many fairs in the little villages.Abruzzo has an excellent culinary tradi-tion and each province has its own spe-cial dishes.The star turn is maccheroni alla chitarra, homemade pasta cut on a steel wire frame; a typical Teramo dish is scrippelle,

thin pieces of pasta cooked in broth; fish is the main food on the coast.Not to be missed is the typical “brodet-to”, a delicious speciality of Abruzzo’s fishing tradition, which contains shellfish and fresh fish. Menus based on lamb, kid, and mutton (the famous “arrosticini” skewers are a “must”) are popular every-where but so are lonza (cured pork loin) and ventricina (a kind of salami).A typical Abruzzo meal is washed down by a selection of the best regional wines: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo and Trebbiano d’Abruzzo. Sweetmeats are often made with al-monds and typical ones are torrone, Sul-mona confetti (sugared almonds), cicer-chiata (little balls of dough deep fried and served with honey), bocconotti (pastry tarts) and mostaccioli (almond biscuits).

For more information visit the following website:www.abruzzoturismo.it

Maccheroni alla chitarra, © Karisssa - iStock - Getty Images

Pacentro (Province of L’Aquila), © gmalandra - iStock - Getty Images

94Cerro al Volturno (Province of Isernia), © Regione Molise

95

MOLISE

Located in the centre-south of Italy, Molise stretches from the Apennine chain to the Adriatic Sea.Nature, history, art, ancient traditions and gastronomy are the treasures of this little-known land.In fact when you visit Molise you feel you are making a “discovery”, starting with its land, mostly mountains and hills lined by “tratturi”, the old transhumance paths that join Abruzzi’s pastures with Apulia’s.The Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise, has surprisingly beautiful land-scapes, while there are many nature re-serves to protect the typical flora and fauna of the area.Scenes of pristine nature surround the region’s two most important ski resorts, Campitello Matese and Capracotta.Along the coast there are sandy beach-es, bordered by Mediterranean vegeta-tion and clear, clean sea, which got the Blue Flag again this year.You can get to know the region’s thou-sands of years of history and its culture by visiting the archaeological sites, ab-beys and villages and the many castles scattered throughout the area.The survival of customs and traditions, of handicrafts and of ancient trades that no longer exist anywhere else is a unique feature that makes Molise “a little an-tique world”.There are two provinces: Campobasso (administrative centre) and Isernia. The journey to get to know Molise starts at Campobasso, a city rich in history and culture, dominated by the Monforte cas-tle, built around 1450 over the ruins of a Norman building on a hill that dominates the whole city. The most important monuments here are the Cathedral, built in 1504 and then rebuilt in neoclassical style in 1805 after an earthquake; the Romanesque church of San Bartolomeo; the church of San Antonio Abate, built in 1572, with a late Renaissance façade and a baroque interior, decorated by 17th century paintings and frescoes; the church of San Leonardo, dating back to the 13th century, and the church of San

Giorgio, built in full Gothic style during the 12th century. The city has the Museo dei Misteri, which houses the majestic “ingegni” (contraptions) created by the Campobasso sculptor, Paolo Saveria di Zinno, in the 18th century; animated by figurants they are paraded through the streets at the Corpus Christi procession. The Museo Provinciale Sannitico (Sam-nite museum is interesting: it displays remains of the civilisation that lived in the area from prehistoric times to the Samnite period.Worth seeing in Isernia is the old town centre, with many old buildings and charming squares. There is also the im-portant prehistoric area, located just outside the town, where you can visit La Pineta, the national Palaeolithic muse-um; the mediaeval “Fontana Fraterna” fountain is particularly beautiful.Well worth visiting are two small towns: Agnone, seat of the ancient Marinelli Foundry, which makes bells for the most important churches in the world, and Scapoli, the town of the zampogna (a kind of bagpipe) which has a museum devoted to this ancient musical instru-ment.There are important archaeological sites, including the Samnite sanctuary in Pie-trabbondante with its beautiful theatre, and Sepino, with the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Altilia, with its Forum, Ba-silica, Baths and Theatre, the Cardo and Decumanus streets, the walls and ma-jestic gates. Larino, a charming town in-habited since the 5th century B.C., has monuments from di'erent periods, in-cluding the domus ellenistica, the Ro-man amphitheatre and the nearby baths, the 14th century Gothic cathedral with its bell tower, the Palazzo Comunale (town hall) and the church of San Franc-esco.The coastal town of Termoli, a popular seaside resort, has a charming old town centre with the majestic Castello Svevo and the Romanesque cathedral; in Ve-nafro the Pandone castle has a lovely series of Renaissance frescoes and

96

archaeological remains from Roman and pre-Roman times.There are many castles in the area, in-cluding the picturesque ones in Pescol-anciano and Cerro al Volturno; the ab-beys and sanctuaries include the Badia benedettina di San Vincenzo al Volturno, the Santuario dell’Addolorata in Castel-petroso and the Santuario di Canneto in Roccavivara.There are also splendid examples of Ro-manesque architecture: the church of San Giorgio in Petrella Tifernina and the church of Santa Maria della Strada in Ma-trice. From the top of the Apennines down to the coast, Molise’s pristine na-ture is the ideal place for a holiday with relaxation, sport and excursions to the region’s most picturesque places.Nature lovers can hike or trek in the var-ious protected areas, through the typical Apennine scenery of the Parco Nazion-ale d’Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise, or in a var-ied environment like the WWF Oasis in Guardaregia-Campochiari, among woods, streams, gorges and waterfalls, and the MAB reserve in Montedimez-zo-Collemeluccio.Many parts of the hills are suited for mountain bikes, while there are pano-ramic cycling tracks along the coast.Always surrounded by nature you can enjoy a unique experience travelling on horse-back along the “tratturi”, the an-cient transhumance paths typical of Molise. In Pescolanciano and nearly everywhere else in the region these his-

toric paths are an exceptional opportu-nity for “living” history and the local cul-ture.The thrill of skiing at a high altitude is guaranteed by the system of tracks in Campitello Matese, Molise’s most im-portant ski resort, as well as Capracotta, famed for its cross-country ski trails.From Termoli to Campomarino you can enjoy a quiet holiday on the coast and practise every kind of water sport amidst wide, sandy beaches, clear water and modern structures.Gourmets can take food-and-wine itin-eraries from the coast to high Molise, through a countryside covered with vineyards and picturesque villages, with halts to taste the wines and typical prod-ucts, even the famous white tru?e of San Pietro Avellana. Molise, the land of old traditions, o'ers a number of pil-grimage routes, passing through pristine environments to the sanctuary of Santa Maria del Canneto in Roccavivara, the charming sanctuary of the Addolorata amid the steep mountains of Castelpet-roso, and other places of devotion.There are not-to-be-missed events and festivals that keep local traditions alive: the International Bagpipe Festival in Sca-poli, the Fiera del tartufo bianco (white tru?e fair) in San Pietro Avellana, “La ‘Ndocciata”, a torchlight procession held in Agnone, the Pezzata, a lamb fair in Capracotta, the Festa del Mare (sea festi-val) in Termoli, the Festa del Grano (wheat festival) in Jelsi, and many more.

Termoli (Province of Campobasso), © Regione Molise

97

In this mainly agricultural region, the cui-sine is based on products of the soil and sheep farming.The many typical dishes include maccheroni alla chitarra (pasta cut on a wire frame), “pallotte cacio e uova” (cheese and egg balls), “taccozze e fagioli” (pasta with beans) and roasted “torcinelli” made from lamb o'al. Other excellent Molise products are extra-vir-gin olive oil, Isernia tru?es, and several types of charcuterie, like liver sausage, “ventricina” salami, and “pampanella” spicy pork. The milk products, especially

caciocavallo (stretched curd cheese) and “stracciata” (fresh cows’ milk cheese) from Agnone and Alto Molise, are top quality. Scamorza (spun cheese) and “burrini”, made with caciocavallo on the outside and butter on the inside, are pro-duced everywhere.The local wines are also excellent. They include Biferno, Pentro and Tintilia, made from a native vine. The star turns of typical sweetmeats are mostarda d’uva (a typical country jam), “calzoni” (pastries filled with chickpea paste), ostie farciate (wafers filled with walnuts and almonds), and “peccellate” (pastries filled with grape syrup or jam).

For more information visit the following website: www.regione.molise.it/turismo

Sanctuary of Castelpetroso (Province of Isernia), © Regione Molise

Ancient Theatre of Pietrabbondante (Province of Isernia), © Regione Molise

98Villa Rufolo, Amalfi Coast, © bluejayphoto - iStock - Getty Images

99

CAMPANIA

This is one of the regions of Southern It-aly and it stretches along the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea, from the mouth of the Garigliano river to the Gulf of Poli-castro. Its mild climate, beautiful coasts, wealth of art and history and love of cooking make Campania a really enjoy-able place.The journey starts at the sea, wonderful with its bright colours, its coastlines with many bays, inlets and cli's, and the is-lands of Capri and Ischia, real master-pieces of nature. Everything is made even lovelier by the rich Mediterranean vegetation, dotted with small but pretty villages, where you can spend your holi-day immersed in history and Campania’s traditions. How could anybody forget nature’s imposing monument that dom-inates this land? Vesuvius, dark and mys-terious, loved for its beauty and feared for its power. And then Naples, famous all over the world for the intensity and passion of its music, which, like the city, mixes cultured and folksy, sacred and profane, joyful and melancholic. Sorren-to lies on a terrace of tu' overhanging the sea. In this corner of paradise jagged and inaccessible coasts alternate with little, hidden beaches, creating a unique landscape. Here the work of mankind has been wonderful. The most inacces-sible areas have become a series of ter-races sloping down towards the sea, used for growing citrus fruits, olives and vines. These gardens give o' the heady perfumes of oranges, lemons and or-ange blossom. Music, sea, fun and na-ture, but history and culture too. To visit places like Paestum, Herculaneum, Pompeii, the Certosa di Padula or the Reggia di Caserta is an unforgettable ex-perience and a journey back in time. The area is administratively divided into 5 provinces: Naples (administrative cen-tre), Avellino, Benevento, Caserta and Salerno. If you decide to spend your hol-idays in Campania you have plenty of options, but you simply must not miss the six UNESCO Heritage Sites and the UNESCO Protected site:

- Naples old town centre;- The 19th century Palazzo Reale (royal

palace) in Caserta, with the park of the Vanvitelli aqueduct and the San Leucio complex;

- The archaeological areas of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata;

- The Parco Nazionale del Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni, with the archaeo-logical sites of Paestum and Valia and the Certosa di Padula;

- Longobardi in Italia: I luoghi del potere (568 774 A.D.) at the Santa Sofia com-plex in Benevento;

- Celebrations with great shoulder-borne processional structures: the Festa dei Gigli (lily festival) in Nola.

Naples impresses the visitor with its live-liness and the splendid colours of the sea as well as with its history, which crops up in every corner of the old town centre, the biggest in Europe and a real outdoor museum. Wherever you look there is something lovely to see, baroque taber-nacles, churches and obelisks. There are ancient handicrafts, from nativity scenes (in San Gregorio Armeno), to the incom-parable skill of master lute makers, and then the ancient Borgo degli Orefici (goldsmiths’ district). There are countless itineraries you can follow: a visit to the castles, or the museums, or the historic villas and palaces, or a tour of the many churches containing priceless master-pieces of sculpture and painting. In the year 79 A.D. Herculaneum, Pom-peii, Oplonti and Stabia were completely destroyed by Vesuvius. The volcanic lava destroyed them, but it then solidified and formed an exceptional “protection”, which preserved the extraordinary re-mains, which only came to light many centuries later. A visit to the ancient Fo-rum of Pompeii allows you to visit ex-ceptional places, liked the Casa del Fau-no, a monumental structure with spaces, rooms and areas devoted to various ac-tivities, the Sacrario dei Lari Pubblici, one of the most interesting pieces of archi-tecture found in Pompeii, probably ded-icated to the city’s protective deity, and

100

the Casa dei Vetti, the interior of which is decorated with precious paintings. The Amalfi Coast is an absolutely unique landscape: bays, inlets and picturesque villages clinging to the sides of the mountain in miraculous equilibrium. The blue of the sea, the green of the Mediter-ranean maquis, the colours and shapes of the little houses, all blend together to create one of the most beautiful routes on the Italian coast. Positano, Amalfi, Ravello, Minori and Vietri sul Mare are some of the precious gems that form a necklace of little villages (12 in all) along the coast. They look like little living cribs, with their old alleys, archways and squares, which charm you with their at-mosphere, sounds and scents. The Rav-ello Festival is organized every year in the lovely setting of the Amalfi Coast, a must-see for people that like to be charmed by great music played in an in-comparably beautiful setting.The Reggia di Caserta (palace), another UNESCO site, is a real masterpiece of ar-chitecture and decoration and it con-tains valuable masterpieces. When you visit its interior you are amazed by the

continuous succession of works of art, stuccoes, bas-reliefs, frescoes, sculp-tures and marquetry flooring. This is a structure of colossal proportions: four courtyards, 1200 rooms, more than 30 impressive staircases, the most famous one is the Scalone d’Onore (staircase of honour), with 116 steps, and it is all sur-rounded by immense, beautiful grounds. Archaeology, nature and tradition are the three distinguishing features of the Ci-lento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni national park, a crossroads of cultures and people since prehistoric times.A precious trace of the past of this land is Paestum, which has the three best pre-served Greek temples in the world. The Focesi, founders of Elea (now Velia) an ancient city famous for having been the home of great thinkers like Parmenides, landed on the Cilento coast in 540 B.C. Outstanding among the many Blue Flags that fly on the Cilento coast certifying the quality of the sea and the services are the beaches of Cala Bianca and Cala de-gli Infreschi in Camerota and of the Arco Naturale in Palinuro. A visit to the Certo-sa di San Lorenzo, better known as the

The columns of the Jupiter temple in the forum of Pompeii, © bdsklo - iStock - Getty Images

101

Certosa di Padula, one of the biggest monasteries in the world, is a must. With an exceptionally beautify land-scape, shaped by the wind, by the sea and by mankind, Campania o'ers you countless ways of enjoying its land and discovering its highlights and the perfect harmony between history, nature, cul-ture, folklore and wholesome flavours. These are places where you can spend your holidays practising sport and enjoy-ing yourself, but, above all, where you can restore yourself and regain your psy-cho-physical balance by being pam-pered in one of the many spas. There are many places where you can regain new strength, because in the past there were volcanic phenomena in them, which created many aquifers, from which wa-ter with curative properties still gushes today.When we talk about spas we talk about Ischia, one of the pearls of the Bay of Naples, which, thanks to its volcanic ori-gin, has one of the best hydro-thermal heritages in the world. Modern and equipped wellness centres o'er a wide range of curative and aesthetic treat-ments for getting back into the best of form while surrounded by the charming scenery of this wonderful island. Castel-lammare di Stabia, Pozzuoli, Contursi and Villamaina are some of the other lo-calities where you can take a cure for your body and your spirit. In the wonder-ful setting of the Bay of Naples, in addi-tion to Ischia, there is one of the most famous places in the world, Capri, the queen of social life and luxury, a meeting point for political personalities, the jet set

and film stars. A stroll through its mythi-cal square is de rigueur for getting to the heart of this island, so full of charm and mystery. This island has many wonders and there are many ways of seeing them: by hiring one of the famous and com-fortable “gozzi” boats to sail around the island and see the lovely Blue Grotto; by booking a helicopter tour and flying over the whole Bay of Naples and the Hercu-laneum and Pompeii areas; or, if you want to keep your feet on the ground, by booking a guided tour to see the most beautiful places and hear the most curi-ous anecdotes. The sea is certainly Campania’s chief at-traction but the hinterland is also worth seeing. Old paths, some of them dating back 2000 years, lead into the heart of the National and Regional Parks, which contain many traces of past history in an exceptionally beautiful natural setting. We find old traditions in the many fairs and events held throughout the Campa-nia area, which is also host to cultural events of international importance. The cuisine is lively and sunny, mainly fa-mous for typical local produce. Thanks to the sun, Campania has some of the juiciest and tastiest tomatoes in the world, used in sauces for many local dishes and, last but not least, on the fa-mous Neapolitan pizza. The story is told about a pizza maker who invented a tri-coloured pizza in honour of Queen Mar-gherita of Savoy, made with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil, which is still popular today under the traditional name of “Pizza Margherita”. Naples is also the land of spaghetti. There are many kinds of sauces and they are all very tasty, but the important thing is for the pasta to be properly cooked and the Neapolitans are real masters where that is concerned. Another feather in the cap of this region is cheese, with the famous bu'alo mozzarella, excellently made in the Terra di Lavoro and Piana del Sele ar-eas. The most typical desserts are cer-tainly pastiera napoletana (ricotta pie), delicious sfogliatelle di ricotta (ricotta pu's) and babas soaked in liqueur. Of course a land kissed by the sun and bor-

Bu'alo mozzarella, © svariophoto - iStock - Getty Images

102

dered by the sea produces excellent wine, esteemed internationally. There is a wide range of excellent wines with strong and not-so-strong flavours and wine bu's can taste them by travelling along one of the Wine Routes in the good company of nature, tradition and flavour. Campania wines, from Taurasi to Aglianico, not forgetting Greco di Tufo, Asprinio d’Aversa, Lacrima Christi del Ve-suvio, Fiano and Solopaca, go wonder-fully at a dinner with traditional dishes, maybe even enjoyed on a terrace over-looking the sea, by candlelight, with a lovely Neapolitan song in the back-ground, finishing up with a Sorrento li-moncello.

NaplesNaples is a treasure trove of art and his-tory, with the indelible footprints of dominations of the past, each of which contributed to the formation of this city which has such a rich heritage in its old town centre that it has been included in the UNESCO sites. 2500 years of history are recounted by buildings, churches, monuments and art places, combined

with the everyday gaiety and imagination typical of the Neapolitans. The city has four castles. Castel Nuovo, better known as the Mascio Angioino, with quite di'er-ent but well integrated architectural styles, which recall the dual role of for-tress-palace played by this building dur-ing the Angevin and Aragonese periods. The splendid Arco di Trionfo was built on the order of King Alfonso I of Aragon and designed by Pietro de Martino and Francesco Laurana. On a small island, connected to the nearby mainland by a bridge, stands the Castello dell’Ovo, a venue for exhibitions and congresses, with a wonderful view of the whole bay. Perched on the Vomero hill is Castel Sant’Elmo, with a view of the major road popularly known as “spaccanapoli” be-cause it divides the city into two parts. Lastly there is Castel Capuano, originally a fortress and later beautified by archi-tectural work and converted into a state-ly home. Nearby is Porta Capuana, which used to be the main gate into the city, outlined by a lovely marble arch. There are very many churches all over the city. The Cathedral, built over older buildings,

The island of Procida in the Gulf of Naples, © RolfSt - iStock - Getty Images

103

part of which were included in the pres-ent structure, has undergone radical al-terations, particularly on the outside, to remedy the serious damage caused by seismic events. It was Enrico Alvino who, in 1800, designed the vertical lift charac-terising today’s façade, with pinnacles, aedicules and spires, built around the structure that had survived the earth-quake. The interior, which has a Latin cross plan and a nave and two long aisles divided by two rows of pillars, has the fa-mous Cappella del Tesoro di San Genna-ro, which not only houses the two phials containing the saint’s blood, but also wonderful masterpieces made of pre-cious metals. Another important place linked with Naple’s patron saint is the Catacombs of San Gennaro, with very precious frescoes, mosaics and finds. The imposing Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore is the result of a set of archi-tectural stratifications built at di'erent periods; it is built over the ruins of Greek-Roman structures, which have been brought to life and can be visited through the entrance located in the in-ternal cloister.

Along the “Spaccanapoli” road you find the church of Gesù Nuovo, with an unu-sual façade recovered from a fifteenth century noble palace, and wonderful marble and pictorial decorations inside it. The Santa Chiara monastery, with the plain, simple lines typical of Franciscan churches, contains the royal graves and the characteristic Chiostro delle Clarisse with unusual decorations completely in multi-coloured majolica in the colours of this land. The church of San Domeni-co Maggiore, as majestic as a cathedral and containing numerous works of art, is another interesting example of how Na-ples’ artistic and cultural heritage was formed. The Sansevero chapel, a won-derful combination of architecture and art, popularly known as the “pietatella”, or the “little pieta”, is linked with the ver-satile personality of Raimondo Di San-gro. Giuseppe Sammartino’s Cristo Vela-to sculpture is famous and people are enchanted by the unusual skill with which the winding sheet delicately rest-ing on the body of Christ was made. The rich collections of old noble fami-lies, like the Farnese and the Borgia, and

Naples, Piazza Plebiscito, © edella - iStock - Getty Images

104

the many finds brought to light in Pom-peii and Herculaneum and in other parts of the South are on display in Southern Italy’s biggest museum of ancient art: the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, housed in the ancient Palazzo degli Stu-di. The Palazzo Reale in Capodimonte, surrounded by big grounds, holds the Museo e la Gallerie Nazionali di Capodi-monte, a wonderful collection of mas-terpieces by Titian, Ra'aello, Correggio, Masaccio, Mantegna, Caravaggio and the Neapolitan masters. The Apparta-mento Reale (royal apartment) has splendid furnishings, with the salottino di Porcellana (china parlour), a masterpiece made by the Real Fabbrica in Capodi-monte, some of the products of which are on display in the Galleria delle Por-cellane. This is the only museum that displays ancient art side by side with contemporary works by artists like Andy Warhol. The Museo Civico Gaetano Filangieri not only has a series of lovely sculptures and paintings, it also has a good collection of European and Orien-tal weapons, an excellent numismatic collection and many fine pieces of china from the most important Italian and Eu-ropean factories. Among the main squares of Naples, the famous Piazza del

Plebiscito is a must, with its wonderful colonnade, built to the orders of Gioac-chino Murat, facing one of the sides of the magnificent Palazzo Reale, designed by Domenico Fontana, seat of the Vitto-rio Emanuele III national library, the big-gest in Southern Italy, with very valua-ble,extremely ancient, items. Behind the Palazzo is the San Carlo theatre, the old-est opera house still operational in Eu-rope, a temple of great music and classi-cal ballet, where world famous names, like Gioacchino Rossini and Gaetano Donizetti, have performed. In front of the entrance to the theatre is Galleria Umberto I, one of the most elegant ar-cades in Italy; its marble flooring is dec-orated with elegant geometrical pat-terns.If you like shopping you have a choice of pieces of craftwork and amusing souve-nirs to take home with you in remem-brance of Naples and its people. In the central streets there are workshops, shops and boutiques where you can buy whatever you like: from little terracotta statues in San Gregorio Armeno, where creativity is at its peak at Christmas, to high fashion creations and leather ac-cessories, ties and shoes, from precious gold jewellery to lovely umbrellas made

Panoramic view of Naples with Mount Vesuvius in the background, © bluejayphoto - iStock - Getty Images

105

by hand of fine materials. The Naples lit by the rays of the sun hides another Na-ples, nestling underground, dug out by the ancient Greeks and then the Ro-mans, who built a massive aqueduct here, which was used until 1600. A guide takes visitors on this journey through

time underneath Naples, a charming route along underground passages and important finds, like the Greek-Roman Theatre.

For more information visit the following website: www.incampania.com

Panoramic view of Amalfi and harbor, © HaizhanZheng - iStock - Getty Images

106Matera, European Capital of Culture 2019, at sunset, © RudyBalasko - iStock - Getty Images

107

BASILICATA

Basilicata is a region in Southern Italy bordered by Apulia, Calabria and Campania. You do not go there by chance and you only go if you want to enjoy a unique experience in places where silence, colours, scents and fla-vours keep away the noise and stress of everyday life and bestow genuine sensa-tions. The woods and forests that clothe the mountains are dotted by small, charming villages, some even at an alti-tude of 1000 metres, where pure air, genuine flavours and the beauty of na-ture blend with history. Basilicata is washed by two seas: the Ionian and the Tyrrhenian, on the coasts of which there are many beaches where you can relax in the sun and take a refreshing dip in the clear waters of a pristine sea. The Ionian coast, with the well-known Metaponto resort, has wide beaches of very fine sand, in some parts surrounded by pine woods and rows of eucalyptus trees, which give o' a pleasant scent. The Tyrrhenian coast, higher and jagged, has promontories perched over the sea and little beaches here and there, washed by a clear sea. Maratea, called the pearl of the Tyrrhenian, is famous not only for the richness and beauty of its seabeds but for the possibility of taking boat trips along the coast, visiting the many marine caves, and also for its lovely old town centre and many churches. Also not to be missed are the imposing statue of Cristo Redentore (Christ the Redeemer) on Monte San Biagio, from where there is a wonderful view of the gulf. In Maratea it can also be fun to have a look round the shops in the old town centre or spend a pleasant evening dining in one of the typical restaurants in the port and then go on to have a dessert in one the cafes in the square and stay up late at pleasant nightclubs.The provinces are: Potenza (administra-tive centre) and Matera. Matera, European Capital of Culture 2019, is the city of the Sassi cave dwell-ings, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993. A walk through the alleys of

the Civita, the oldest part of the town, takes you into the ancient urban settle-ment consisting of a network of caves dug out of the rock. This archaic type of architecture, with no planning, created a real monumental masterpiece, which attracts millions of visitors from all over the world. The city of Matera is a real natural film set and famous national and international directors have chosen it as a location for their films: Pier Paolo Pa-solini filmed “The Gospel According to St. Matthew” and Mel Gibson filmed “The Passion” in Matera. A great deal of the Basilicata area is occupied by mountains, clothed in wonderful woods and splen-did forests: a really spectacular land-scape where you can regain your strength, enjoy yourself and eat well all the year round. There is a beautiful area where you can see the Lakes of Montic-chio: the Lago Grande and the Lago Pic-colo are two wonderful stretches of wa-ter in two craters - now extinct - of Monte Vulture and they are surrounded by thick, lush vegetation.In winter, when the high peaks are coat-ed with white, Basilicata is the ideal des-tination for skiers, because there are so many facilities. In summer the Lucanian mountains become the ideal place for trekking, climbing, and cycling. The re-gion has a number of options for sports and outdoor activities, also thanks to the streams and brooks flowing down the mountains and the lakes surrounded by luxuriant nature, on which you can prac-tise sports like rafting or canyoning, ca-noeing or sailing, diving or sport fishing. The people of Lucania are very proud of their cuisine, which is basic and flavour-ful and entirely based on local products, skilfully combined to make typical, very traditional dishes. The hard wheat pasta, made by hand using ancient tools like the rasola and the cavarola (a blade and a small chopping board) and the macca-runara (spaghetti cutter), is really deli-cious. For other formats like minuich (short pasta tubes) and tria (fried pasta strips) all that is needed is the skill of the

108

cook. The sauces are very spicy and al-ways contain red pepper, one of the symbols of Lucanian cuisine, which is more commonly known here as “dia-volicchio” (little devil). Panella, big loaves of bread made with flour and boiled po-tatoes, and pancotto, slices of toast soaked in broth with egg added to them, are two typical dishes based on bread, a common food in Lucanian cuisine. Lamb and cazmarr, meat loaf made with o'al (gnumaredd in dialect), and cutturiddi, a kind of stew, are other specialties of Lu-canian cooking. Lamb’s head, cooked in the oven and flavoured with oregano and pecorino cheese, is also very popu-lar. Famous among meats is the Lucani-ca lean pork sausage, made in a number of variations, without any additives. An-other queen of gastronomy is the vege-table, prepared in a variety of tasty dishes. There are calzone di verdure (vegetable roll) and ciambotta (fried po-tatoes, bell peppers and eggplant fla-voured with tomato), ciaudedda (with broad beans, potatoes and artichokes), and lampascioni (hyacinth bulb) salad. Then a superb vegetarian combination is the “piatto d’erbe alla lucana” (Lucanian style herb platter), which contains onion, eggplant, bell pepper, tomato, garlic, basil and parsley, cooked together and dressed with olive oil.

PotenzaEven though much of the city has been rebuilt following the many earthquakes that have struck it down through the centuries, Potenza still has many impor-tant traces of the past. Some of the

monuments worth visiting are the Cathedral, built in the 12th century and altered in neoclassical times, which con-tains fine works of art; the Torre Guevara, the ruins of an ancient mediaeval castle; Villa Romana di Malvaccaro, with lovely mosaics; the Edicola di San Gerardo, a little temple built in the 19th century to house a highly venerated statue of the Patron Saint of the town; the Museo Archeologico Nazionale and the Museo Archeologico Provinciale, where there are many finds linked with historic events in Potenza and with Lucanian archaeol-ogy; the Archivio di Stato, with docu-ments dating back to the 14th century and many parchments; the Romanesque church of San Michele Arcangelo, built in Romanesque style in the 13th century, which contains interesting works like the “Madonna del Carmine” and the “Ma-donna del Rosario e quindici misteri”; the church of Santa Maria del Sepolcro, dat-ing back to the 12th century, inside of which there is a marble bas-relief de-picting a “Madonna col Bambino e ange-li”.

MateraYou cannot even imagine Matera with-out the Sassi, which have made the city famous all over the world. Included in the list of Heritage Sites, the “Sassi di Matera” are houses (superimposed one over the other and joined by little steep streets and wide flights of steps), inhabit-ed from ancient times until the middle of the last century; only their façades are in masonry, while the rest (often only one room) is dug out of the rock. Used since the Middle Ages the term Sassi literally means the “inhabited rocky districts” that grew up around the original centre of the ancient town, the Civita, and occupy the two basins above the precipices of the Gravina stream. They are Sasso Ba-risano and Sasso Caveoso. The architec-tural landscape includes a series of churches, also dug out of the rock. Some of the most interesting monuments in Sasso Caveoso are the rupestrian church of Santa Lucia alle Malve, founded by a Benedictine community around the 8th

Maratea, Statue of Christ the Redeemer, © APT Basilicata

109

century, the church of Madonna de Idris, which leads into the crypt of San Giovanni in Monterrone, with many lovely frescoes from various periods, the Cimitero Barbarico (barbarian cemetery) in Rione Malve and the four rupestrian churches of the Convicinio di Sant’Anto-nio. In Sasso Barisano there is the church of San Pietro Barisano, one of the big-gest churches dug out of the rock, and the church of Madonna delle Virtù, built in baroque style in 1591. Also worth visit-ing in Matera are the Cathedral, built in Romanesque style in 1268-70, Palazzo Lanfranchi, an exceptional example of 17th century architecture in Matera, and the many museums in the city, including the “Domenico Ridola” national archae-ological museum, and the Museo Nazionale d’Arte Medievale e Moderna, and the MUSMA, Museo della Scultura Contemporanea di Matera. Another must is the Parco archeologico storico e naturale delle Chiese rupestri del Mater-ano, also a Heritage Site, which has more than 160 rupestrian churches, three Neolithic villages (Serra d’Alto, Timmari and Murgia Timone) and countless pre-historic tombs.In the south-eastern area of Matera there is also a series of lovely little towns, in-cluding Montescaglioso, with the splen-did Abbazia di San Michele Arcangelo, Miglionico, with the imposing Castello del Malconsiglio, Beralda, with the 15th century castle and also Tricarico, Grassa-no, Irsina and Ferrandina, all with many monuments. If we continue southwards we come to the lovely Calanchi area, with white clay hills, pinnacles, cones

and little canyons carved out by the sun and the rain. Also of interest in this area is the charming village of Craco, now un-inhabited but full of historical layers, with the castle and a group of houses clinging to the rock, behind which alleys, steps and squares spread out. Also worth a vis-it is the town of Tursi, with the ancient La Rabatana district, the ruins of the castle and the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rabatana, and the nearby church of Santa Maria d’ Anglona. Also worth men-tioning is the coastal area around the Io-nian Sea, the only flat ground in the province, where there are many archae-ological remains because in the past it was one of the main centres of Magna Graecia. Of particular interest is the Metaponto archaeological area, with its ruins and the Tavole Palatine, ruins of a Doric-archaic temple dedicated to the goddess Hera, the Doric style Temple of Apollo, and the Ionian temple dedicated to Aphrodite, built around 470 B.C., the old agora with the theatre and the Mu-seo Archeologico Nazionale di Meta-ponto, containing many archaeological finds. Another place of interest is Policoro, with the Castle, the archaeo-logical park with Greek ruins and the Museo Nazionale della Sirtide.

For more information visit the following website: www.basilicataturistica.it

Pollino National Park, © APT BasilicataCastelmezzano (Province of Potenza), © APT Basilicata

110Trulli houses in Alberobello (Province of Bari), © claudio.arnese - iStock - Getty Images

111

APULIA

This is a multiple land, a place that has more than one soul, this is Apulia, the “heel of the boot”, an enchanting region, suspended between nature, history, tra-dition, taste and spirituality, a lovely place to visit twelve months of the year.If you like the sea you have plenty to choose from here: the cli's of Otranto and Santa Maria di Leuca, where the Ion-ian and Adriatic Seas meet, Gallipoli, the “Jewel of the Salento area”, the Gargano promontory, also known as the “Sperone d’Italia” (spur of Italy), projecting into the clear waters of the sea where the lovely Tremiti islands lie.Nature plays the leading role, with the Alta Murgia national park and the Garga-no national park with the wild Foresta Umbra, and then the Monti Dauni, the deep gorges of Laterza and the wide sinkholes of Altamura, which, with their lovely landscapes, characterise the in-land part of the region.And if you want to take a trip through history Apulia o'ers a wide choice of places that recount the ancient origins of this land: from prehistoric times to Mag-na Graecia, from the imperial period to the Renaissance, to the baroque splen-dours of Lecce and Salento.The provinces are: Bari (administrative centre), Barletta-Andria-Trani, Brindisi, Foggia, Lecce, Taranto.The devout, and even others, will want to visit San Giovanni Rotondo, a world pil-grimage centre since Padre Pio’s time, and Monte Sant’Angelo, with the famous UNESCO Heritage Site, the Santuario dedicated to the Archangel Michael, who, according to local tradition, ap-peared there.However, if you want full immersion in history and tradition, Alberobello is a must. It is the homeland of the trulli, pic-turesque old stone houses with conical roofs, many of which o'er accommoda-tion nowadays and form the city’s old town centre, recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Centre. This is the Murgia dei Trulli, land of sunny olive groves and vineyards, of trulli and farms, of Roman-

esque cathedrals and baroque churches, of good eating and of traditions. Here we find Cisternino, Locorotondo and Os-tuni, genuine villages, full of typical art and culture, with their narrow alleys, courtyards, and little squares with their craft workshops and restaurants.In addition to the trulli Apulia has anoth-er UNESCO site, the Castel del Monte, a unique masterpiece of mediaeval archi-tecture, built to the order of Frederick II of Hohenstaufen in the 13th century. Austere and solemn, with an esoteric charm, it stands in spectacular solitude at a height of 540 metres. It was certain-ly not a defensive fortress, but perhaps a hunting lodge or a centre for astronom-ical teaching; today the mansion is the symbol of Imperial Apulia, land of castles and cathedrals, including the Valle of the Ofanto River, the Adriatic Sea and the Alta Murgia hill.A must-see Apulian art city is Lecce, with its baroque buildings, churches, the se-cret gardens of the old town centre and the scenic Piazza Duomo, overlooked by the Cathedral, the Vescovado (Bishop’s palace) and the Palazzo del Seminario (seminary). Lovely Taranto, the city of the two seas, with the Aragonese Castle and the national archaeological museum, the MarTa, is one of the most important Italian areas dedicated to the culture of Magna Graecia; after seeing the famous Ori, golden artefacts dating back to the 4th-2nd century B.C., it is well worth while visiting the old town centre, once the acropolis of the Greek polis, where we can see the 11th century cathedral of San Cataldo, with the beautiful Cappel-lone (chapel), a masterpiece of the Nea-politan school of baroque décor.If you like sporting holidays in direct contact with nature you have many op-tions. If you enjoy the thrill of exploring the sea there are certainly plenty of choices. The clear waters of the Tremiti islands are a wonderful scene, with in-lets, caves and deep seabeds, all colour-ed by thick vegetation and populated by many species of fish. San Domino, San

112

Nicola, Capraia, Cretaccio and Pianosa are the five islands of the Tremiti Archi-pelago, a miniature paradise where his-tory and nature blend perfectly to o'er a wonderful landscape just waiting to be explored. Santa Maria di Leuca, between the Ionian and Adriatic seas, is another must. In some places the seabeds are 90 metres deep and the life forms that col-onise this stretch of sea create a lovely play of colours. But if you enjoy yourself better above the water there are many places where you can practise windsurf or kitesurf, and not only during the sum-mer. But Apulia is not just sea: in order to discover the wonderful gifts of nature and the traditions and travel in a di'erent way a cycling tour is the ideal way of getting to know the area. You don’t need to be an experienced cyclist to take a trip on two wheels; all you need is to want an alternative experience. The itineraries are many and varied: through nature, pedal-ling along the paths of the Gargano or Alta Murgia parks, through history, dis-covering the many traces of the past of this land, or going inland to discover a lifestyle far removed from the frantic pace of the big cities. Apulia will surprise you with a little known itinerary, the Monti Dauni route, with little villages where time seems to be standing still. All around are green hills and luxuriant woods, like those surrounding Faeto, Bovino and Biccari, from where you can depart to plunge into pristine nature,

home to the last wolves of Apulia. Let yourself go on a slow holiday and taste the traditional dishes in a fascinating area where knowledge and flavours blend. Apulian cuisine has always been classi-fied as “poor” because of the simplicity of its ingredients and it can please every type of palate. The cuisine has three strong points: durum wheat, vegetables and olive oil, which, combined with meat and fish, are always the basis for original dishes that maintain genuine and unmis-takable flavours. The cornerstone of re-gional food is home-made pasta made of durum wheat or a mixture of hard and soft wheat: orecchiette, the small pasta shells symbolic of the region, also called chiancarelle and stracenàte in dialect, were once the main dish of poorer fam-ilies but are now highly appreciated and served in the best restaurants. Some of the excellent products that have earned the protection of PDO or TGI labels are: Altamura bread, famous for its flavour; sweet, juicy clementines from the gulf of Taranto; the Bella della Daunia olive, grown in Foggia since the year 1400; the famous extra-virgin olive oils; and the fine wines from autochthonous vines like Negroamaro, Primitivo and Uva di Troia. Many patron saints’ feast days, fairs and historic reenactments are organised all the year round in every part of Apulia: the Carnival of Putignano, the Feast of Saint Nicholas in Bari, the Disfida di Bar-

Polignano a Mare (Province of Bari), © emicristea - iStock - Getty Images

113

letta tournament, and the accensione della focara (bonfire) in Novoli, are among the most famous.

Bari and its environsA tour through the cathedrals and cas-tles dominating many of the old town centres is also an opportunity to explore the area’s wonderful natural landscape. The starting point is Bari, a crossroads of cultures since ancient times. A city with two souls: the old town centre, sur-rounded by imposing walls and many streets leading to the discovery of its rich cultural heritage, and the modern city, built at the beginning of the 19th centu-ry, which, as time went by, has become the lively cosmopolitan city of today. Along the walls of the old part there is the majestic Castle, built to the order of Federico II of Swabia, with a big inner courtyard where shows and events are held today. A splendid example of Apulian Romanesque architecture is the big Basilica di San Nicola, which contains the body of the famous Saint. Its plain lu-minous façade, flanked by two towers of di'erent shapes and sizes, has three por-

tals through which you enter the naves, where there are important works of art. The second most important church in Bari is the Cathedral, flanked by a high bell tower and built over previous an-cient buildings. A beautifully decorated rose window and three portals enhance the design of the main façade. The new town, built at the desire of Gioacchino Murat, is crossed by the main shopping streets, like Corso Cavour, where the op-era house, Teatro Petruzzelli, is located.A must-see on the Adriatic coast is Trani, with its majestic Romanesque Cathedral, which looks as if it was rising up out of

Orecchiette Pasta, © DENIO RIGACCI - iStock - Getty Images

Vieste (Province of Foggia), © Poike - iStock - Getty Images

114

Ostuni (Province of Brindisi), © Poike - iStock - Getty Images

Lecce, Basilica di Santa Croce, © ROMAOSLO - iStock - Getty Images

115

the sea, and the alleys of the Giudecca district, the Synagogue of Scolanova, and the Santa Lucia and Sant’Antonio piers, with the colourful fishing boats in the background, and all the bars and clubs that become so lively in the night time. Polignano a Mare, perched over the coast, is perfect for lovers of con-temporary art, with the Fondazione Mu-seo Pino Pascali; in Monopoli there are charming views of little churches, build-ings, tower houses and clubs along the long Capitolo beach.When we go back up the Murgia, the landscape loses the warm colours of the

Mediterranean maquis, taking on the dark shades of bleak land, and we come to Altamura, known mainly for its PDO bread. We can see the town perched on a hill of the plateau with the big towers standing out in the sky, as if trying to at-tract the visitor’s attention. The last, but certainly not the least interesting, stage is a visit to Gravina in Puglia, land of ca-nals, caves and ravines carved out by un-derground water and used as a refuge by humans in the past. For more information visit the following website: www.viaggiareinpuglia.it

Bari, view from marina, © jocker17 - iStock - Getty Images

116Chianalea di Scilla (Province of Reggio Calabria), © nata_rass - iStock - Getty Images

117

CALABRIA

This is the “toe of the boot”, the extreme south of Italy, washed by the Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas and separated from Sic-ily by the Strait of Messina.Its mild climate, its rocky coasts alternat-ing with sandy shores, its pristine and mysterious nature, the intense flavours of the local food, and the traces of its ancient origins, all combine to make Calabria a unique place, lovely in both winter and summer. If you like to bask in the rays of the sun and bathe in a crys-tal-clear sea, you can choose one of the charming resorts that dot the Tyrrhenian and Ionian coasts.If you prefer getting to know about this land’s past, Calabria, cradle of Magna Graecia and land of antique settlements, o'ers you a wide choice of churches, monasteries, castles, palaces and places where centuries-old customs and tradi-tions still live on.The provinces are: Catanzaro (adminis-trative centre), Reggio Calabria, Cosen-za, Crotone and Vibo Valentia.The whole world has heard of the fa-mous Bronzi di Riace, on display in the National Museum in Reggio Calabria, important relics of Magna Graecia, a pe-riod that left a deep mark on the history of this land. These wonderful statues of two warrior heroes are a rare example of classical Greek sculpture.For lovers of the sea, Calabria - with its 800 kilometres of coastline - o'ers beautiful beaches, one of which is Capo Vaticano, in the Vibo Valentia province, said to be one of the 100 most beautiful beaches in the world: a long stretch of very fine sand, edged by centuries-old trees and washed by crystal-clear water inhabited by a wide variety of fish fauna.A journey into the wild nature of the Cal-abrese hinterland is a must and the Sila, Serre, Aspromonte and Pollino parks are some of the most interesting nationalis-tic destinations.The “fiumare” (torrents) and “grandi pie-tre” (big rocks) of Aspromonte, the “pa-triarchi vegetali” (plant patriarch trees) of Sila, and the rich fauna of Serre are only

a few of the wonders of nature that this land contains. When you think of Cal-abria what immediately comes to mind are the sea and the beaches, where you can bask in the sun, practise windsurf or kitesurf, or dive to see the wonderful seabeds with their brilliantly coloured gorgonians and fascinating wrecks from World War 2.Calabria o'ers many options for amuse-ment and relaxation to people who de-cide to spend their holidays exploring the hinterland.Lovers of winter sports can opt for one of the many ski resorts, which also have synthetic tracks for training on skis all year round.For the more adventurous, a rafting ex-cursion along the river Lao or through the Sila gorges is certainly an experience not to be missed.Alternatively, you can go down the river without the aid of special craft (rafts) but just “walking”, diving into the water and letting yourself down by rope on the more di[cult stretches (canyoning).The assistance of specialised guides makes these fascinating sports accessi-ble for all. Another opportunity for learn-ing and for enjoying yourself at the same time is orienteering, a sport that started in the Scandinavian countries, testing your ability to find your way. The partici-pant, equipped with a map and a com-pass, has to reach the finishing post as quickly as possible, choosing the route independently but with obligatory inter-mediate stages.And why not try the thrill of “flying”? Spe-cialised instructors will guide you through the skies, firmly fastened to the seat of a paraglider, and show you the beauty of Calabria from an absolutely dif-ferent perspective.Calabria is the land where thrills are strong and intense. And so are its fla-vours. The famous Calabrian red pepper is proof of this. We find it in most of the typical Calabrian dishes: from bruschetta (toast) with n’duja (chopped bacon spread) or with sardella (a paste made of

118

Briatico (Province of Vibo Valentia), a traditional fishing village, © Freeartist - iStock - Getty Images

Nduja, a typical meat spread, © Proformabooks - iStock - Getty Images

119

newly hatched sardines) known as “the poor man’s caviar”, to sauces for pasta, to fish dishes.The strong flavour of red pepper is o'set by the sweetness of the famous Tropea red onions, protected by a PGI label, used for flavouring food but also as a cure. You could write a book about Cal-abrian products and typical foods. Ex-tra-virgin olive oil; wines; liqueurs made with bergamot, liquorice, citron or herbs; honey and jam; pasta with typical shapes (strangugghij, fileja, maccaruni) still made in the old way, are just some of the delicacies you can taste when you ex-plore this wonderful region.The province of Catanzaro is famous for maritime tourism, especially on the Ioni-an coast, but there is also the beautiful Sila area. Places to visit on its slopes are Cortale, Taverna and Tiriolo. The main monuments in Catanzaro are the Cathedral, and inside it the Madonna and Child, a statue by Antonello Gagini da

Messina, dating back to the 16th century.The Norman tower, square shaped and crenelated, is what remains of the ruins of a Norman castle. Villa Trieste is sur-rounded by beautiful gardens containing rare plants and marble busts of famous people of the region. Moreover, the Bel-vedere is a perfect viewpoint for admir-ing the Fiumarella valley and the Squil-lace Gulf. The Provincial Museum, located in the Villa Comunale, has col-lections of prehistoric finds and antique coins.Soverato, known as the pearl of the Ion-ian, is Calabria’s leading tourist city, with its nightlife and dozens of nightclubs. Montepaone consists of the old town centre in the hinterland and the Lido overlooking the Costa dei Saraceni - or Costa degli Aranci.The Municipality of Borgia is also famous for its archaeological site, Scolacium, which has the ruins of the pre-Roman settlement of Skylletion, with the re-

Stilo (Province of Reggio Calabria), © SKatzenberger - iStock - Getty Images

120

One of the Riace Bronzes at display in the National Archaeological Museum of Reggio Calabria, © SimonePellicciotti - iStock - Getty Images

Tropea (Province of Vibo Valentia), © nata_rass - iStock - Getty Images

121

mains of roads, aqueducts, mausoleums, and a theatre and amphitheatre.Squillace gave its name to the Gulf and has several monumental churches in the old town centre, as well as a Norman Castle also known as “Dei Borgia”. In the streets you can see traces of Greek, Ro-man, Saracen and Byzantine domination.Cortale, located in the narrowest point of Calabria, is very important for its artis-tic-musical tradition and it has one of the oldest town centres in the region. More-over, the first regional wind farm is locat-ed here.

Belcastro is situated on the south-east-ern foot of Sila Piccola, towards the Ion-ian coast, equidistant from the sea and the mountain.It is a typical mediaeval fief, standing on a rocky spur at the foot of the castle of the Counts of Aquino, The alleys are lovely and so narrow that a car cannot pass through them. There are many churches from di'erent periods.

For more information visit the following website: www.turiscalabria.it

Reggio Calabria, Monument of Vittorio Emanuele © nata_rass - iStock - Getty Images

122Agrigento, Temple of Concordia, © RobertoGennaro - iStock - Getty Images

123

SICILY

Since ancient times, Sicily has always been a crossroads of cultures, a blend of art and history, culture and archaeology, nature and landscape, sports, food and wine, marvellous coastlines and crystal clear waters, a vast array of uniquely Mediterranean sights, sounds, colours and fragrances. The treasures of this is-land, inherited over the course of centu-ries that witnessed the passing of various cultures and civilizations, are testimony to the diverse people that have lived here: from the Greeks to the Phoeni-cians, from the Romans to the Byzan-tines, from the Arabs to the Normans, from the Spaniards to the Austrians. This is one of the real jewels of Southern Italy, a land to discover and experience via its broad range of o'-the-beaten-path itin-eraries, which span the most varied in-terests: nature, history, traditions. With its myriad small islands dotting the Sicil-ian coast, the Mediterranean here o'ers us landscapes, fragrances and flavours of such a stunningly unique and intense nature that only a pristine natural territo-ry could provide: parks, thermal springs, awe-inspiring volcanoes, and many oth-er exuberant and fascinating sights and sounds. The island’s charm is enhanced by the archaeological treasures that bear witness to the roots of the civilizations that settled this ancient land. Sicily’s main cities are: Palermo, its capi-tal, Agrigento, Catania, Caltanissetta, Enna, Messina, Ragusa, Syracuse and Trapani. Sicily is renowned worldwide also for its high number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, with the most re-cent inclusion of Arab Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalú and Monreale in 2015 it has now a total of seven sites on the prestigious list: Villa del Casale, Valle dei Templi (Valley of the temples) in Agrigento, the Aeolian Is-lands, the Mount Etna, the late baroque cities of Val di Noto, Syracuse and the rupestrian Necropolis of Pantalica. An-other folkloric and intangible world her-itage is the Opera dei Pupi marionette theatre.

The Roman Villa del Casale is a late Ro-manesque structure located in Piazza Armerina (in the province of Enna), which is very famous for its exquisite architec-ture and elegant mosaics. Agrigento’s Greek temples are an architectural mar-vel, and at sunset, you can see the light turn them into an intense yellow and pink; while in summer a night tour of the moonlit structures makes for an unfor-gettable experience. Hellenic sanctuar-ies and necropolises dot the whole Valle dei Templi, spanning an archaeological area of 1,300 hectares. The Aeolian Is-lands are a volcanic archipelago com-prising 7 islands: Lipari, Volcano, Salina, Stromboli, Filicudi, Alicudi and Panarea. These “seven pearls of the Mediterrane-an” are home to a number of incompa-rable natural treasures: beaches, coves, caves, inlets, stacks, seabeds and other beauties of nature. The baroque old city centres of Val di Noto are of incompara-ble artistic and architectural beauty. Syr-acuse is an architectural jewel, with its archaeological park, theatre, quarries, amphitheatre and the old city centre of Ortigia, founded by Greek colonists from Corinth, and the remains of the temple of Athena, currently a Cathedral. Pantali-ca’s Necropolis, with more than 5,000 tombs built between the eighth and sev-enth century B.C. Finally, there is Mount Etna, Europe’s largest active volcano, declared a UNESCO World Heritage be-cause of the exceptional level of volcan-ic activity and because of its document-ed activity dating back 2,700 years. It is a perfect spot to go skiing or for a hike with fantastic views of the intense blue of the Sicilian seas. Sicily’s mediaeval towns and castles are also magnificent places to visit. The undisputed ruler of this land is defi-nitely the sea, which can be enjoyed and experienced in many di'erent ways: re-laxing on a sandy beach enjoying the fantastic scenery of the coastlines, snor-kelling and scuba diving in its waters, or riding its waves and winds on a windsurf or kite surf. The force of the sea, mixed

124

with the strength of the winds, is the per-fect opportunity to experience “gliding” or even “flying” on the pristine waters that caress the coasts of San Vito lo Capo and the Zingaro natural reserve, Mondel-lo, Cefalu, Marina di Ragusa, Taormina, the Aeolian Isles, the Aegadian Islands, Pantel- leria, Lampedusa, Ustica (which is also a scuba diving paradise), Menfi, Torre Salsa, Capo d’Orlando, Patti, Leto-janni and Fiumefreddo near Messina, the Playa di Catania, the coast of San Leone and the Scala dei Turchi, a huge rock wall overlooking the sea near Agrigento. The most famous place near Syracuse is Fontane Bianche. For those who love sports and the great outdoors, Sicily o'ers breathtaking land-scapes that are perfect for the enjoy-ment of diving, trekking, kayaking, rock climbing, MTB and horseback riding. The exuberant plant life, mild climate, beauti-ful mountains and crystal clear waters, high-end resorts and hotels, and the tra-ditional colours and fragrances of the region are joined by spectacular golf courses, some with Mount Etna or Punic Necropolises as their backdrop, while others are located in historic parks from the eighteenth century or surrounded by the unique Mediterranean vegetation,

and others yet are just a few steps away from the sea or right by a salt pit. The vulcanelli delle Macalube di Aragona (in Agrigento) also make for an unforgetta-ble experience. Since ancient Roman times, Sicily has been a sought-after destination for those seeking thermal treatments. A land of water and volcanoes, Sicily has a wide range of therapeutic and cosmetic spa treatments. The most famous thermal locations are those in Sciacca, Ali Terme, Volcano, Terme Vigliatore, Termini Imer-ese, Montevago Acqua Pia and finally Acireale, where underground seawater blends with sulphuric waters from Mount Etna. The Istituto Nazionale di Dramma Antico INDA (national institute of ancient dra-ma) puts up great shows at the scenic Teatro Antico (ancient theatre) of Syra-cuse, while the Teatro Massimo in Paler-mo and Taormina Arte at the Teatro Anti-co in Taormina organize a great variety of thrilling shows. The Segesta and Seli-nunte archaeological areas also o'er shows and performances. But Sicily is also a land of contemporary art, the Cretto di Burri and the Atelier sul Mare art hotel are perfect examples of the work of artists from the last century. Sic-

Favignana, one of the Aegadian Islands (Province of Trapani), Cala Rossa Beach, © spooh - E+ - Getty Images

125

ily’s archaeological museums, on the other hand, host exquisite treasures dat-ing back to prehistoric times, while re-gional galleries display mediaeval, re-naissance and baroque works of art, and contemporary art museums host pieces from the last two centuries. Sicily is also a land of many fairs and tra-ditional festivals. There are many festi-vals on the occasion of the Carnival, the year’s most cheerful and colourful event. Acireale’s celebration is particularly fa-mous for its creativity and originality, with allegorical floats built in papi-er-mâché and decorated with many flowers, for a parade that is also a de-lightful and colourful masquerade. Ritual and tradition find their expression also in the many celebrations in honour of the various Patron Saints of Sicily, with events that are a blend of faith and folk-lore and reflect the profound devotion of the Sicilian people. In July, there is the feast of Saint Rosalia in Palermo, while in February there is Saint Agatha’s Feast in Catania, being just a few of the many celebrations held yearly throughout all of the region. Noto’s Infiorata flower fes-tival is a beautiful event held in spring in this baroque town. The charm and warmth of this land has even influenced the Sicilian cuisine, which, through its exquisite platters, re-veals the passion and attention to detail that characterizes the Sicilian people and their love for genuine flavours. There are a myriad of traditional platters that are renowned worldwide for their Mediter-ranean flavour. Pasta alla norma, pasta

with sardines, with broccoli, sarde a beccafico, just to name a few. The tiny silver anchovies, the exquisite red tuna and the pink swordfish, as well as savoury cheeses, like Caciocavallo and Ragusano, and even Bronte’s pistachio nuts: just a few of the traditional ingredi-ents used to prepare the local delicacies. A platter that every visitor should try is the Trapani style Couscous. In Sicily, street food reigns supreme. Palermo is Italy’s only city included in the world’s top ten for street food. The panino con la milza (a spleen sandwich), the panelle and crocché fritters, the arancine (stu'ed and fried rice balls) and the sfincione (a type of Sicilian pizza), cardi fritti (fried cardoons) and the stigghiola (a type of kebab), the caponata (a traditional aubergine platter), the octopus and the sea urchin, are some of the many delica-cies on o'er here. Catania also has its own street food tradition. For lunch, there is a long list of hors d’oeuvres, delicious main courses and second courses with fish or meat, followed by the pleasures of the unparalleled Sicilian pastries, where Ricotta cheese and almond paste reign supreme. A variety of extra virgin olive oils, the deliciously juicy blood oranges and the sweet grapes of Canicattì, the Pachino tomatoes and the Pantelleria capers, the prickly pears and olives of Nocellara del Belice, Castelve-trano’s black bread, are all just a few of the many gastronomic delicacies used in Sicilian cuisine, along with cheeses like the Ragusano or Piacentino, and many di'erent types of cold cuts

Palermo, the Italian Capital of Culture 2018, © marcociannarel - iStock - Getty Images

126

and baked goods like the pagnotta di Dittaino bread. Sicily’s wine has grown in popularity and prestige in recent years, with some ex-cellent wines with bold and full-bodied flavours, like the Passito di Pantelleria and the Nero d’Avola, which are re-nowned worldwide. Sicily is home to many PDO and TGI products, which makes the island one of the points of ref-erence world- wide for Mediterranean cuisine, well known for the authenticity of its products.

PalermoA picturesque city dominated by its red Arabic domes that have been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the majes-tic façades of its luminous palaces; from then colourful historic markets of Ballarò and del Capo to its luscious verdant parks: Parco della Favorita, the one at Villa Giulia, the Giardino di Garibaldi and the Giardino Inglese. The buildings in the old centre are witnesses to the city’s glo-

rious past: majestic Palazzo dei Norman-ni or Palazzo Reale with the Palatina Chapel, filled with ancient mosaics in gold-foil; there is also the spectacular Duomo di Monreale (another, the church of San Giovanni degli Eremiti; the Cathe-dral, a masterpiece of Arab-Norman ar-chitecture, which hosts the collections of the Diocesan museum. Particularly noteworthy is the Chiesa del Gesù (the church of Jesus), one of Palermo’s most important baroque architectural works, while the Oratorio del Santo Rosario di San Domenico (oratory of the holy rosa-ry of Saint Dominic) and the Oratorio di Santa Zita (oratory of Saint Zita) are fa-mous for their intricately designed stuc-co façades and their exquisite interiors. A tour of the city must always include a visit to the Martorana or Chiesa di Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio, which hosts one of the most important series of mosaics in all of Sicily; the Church of Saint Cath-erine, with its richly decorated interiors, and the Chiesa del Magione, which was

Traditional Sicilian cannoli, © EnkiPhoto - iStock - Getty Images

127

founded in the twelfth century. For a uniquely distinct tour, visit the Cata-combs of the Capuchin monks. Another must-see is the botanical gardens. For some beautiful scenery, visit Castello Ut-veggio, which overlooks the city from

Mount Pellegrino. Thanks to its unique cultural heritage Palermo was named the Italian Capital of Culture 2018.

For more information visit the following website: www.visitsicily.info

Cefalù (Province of Palermo), © xenotar - E+ - Getty Images

Noto (Province of Syracuse), © dalib0r - iStock - Getty Images

128Stintino (Province of Sassari), La Pelosa Beach, © kasto80 - iStock - Getty Images

129

SARDINIA

Thousands of years of history steeped in fascination and mystery, a very distinctive cultural identity and a unique mix of cli-mate and natural beauty make this island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea a land to visit, discover and love, and it has deep, almost indissoluble, links with its inhabitants and its guests. Sardinia dis-plays to its visitors a treasure trove of lovely beaches and crystal-clear and temperate seas, mountains and valleys of volcanic origin, breathtaking scenery and natural contrasts of lights and colours, and also culture, art, monuments, fairs and big events, artistic crafts and tradi-tional cuisine. Around its circumference (1800 metres of coastline), where stretch-es of sand alternate with high promonto-ries, you can enjoy a lovely itinerary with frequent and thorough visits, to discover the hinterland with its wild, and often pristine, scenery. The first stop is Alghero, on the north-western coast. Known as ‘Barce-loneta’ (little Barcelona) because the people speak an Alghero version of Cata-lan, it is the chief town of the red coral Riviera. Of the many beaches, Bombarde is worth mentioning. Not to be missed is an excursion to Capo Cassia, an impres-sive calcareous rock promontory, also famous for its many marine caves. Going northwards we see the island of Asinara with the colonies of white don-keys that still live wild there. This is a part of the country where you ought to go on an excursion by bicycle or in the little train, and bathe in the waters of Sardinia’s biggest island, the national park of which is an extremely beautiful treasure of na-ture and avifauna, with many rare species. You can easily get there from Stintino. Christened the “capital of the lateen sail” and famous for “La Pelosa” (an oasis of white sand in a sea of inimitable colours), the town was founded by fishermen who originally lived on Asinara. Time has not altered the charm of the old fishing vil-lage. Beside the Pelosa beach stands the tower of the same name, a 16th century Aragonese building, one of the many an-

cient watchtowers in Sardinia. Castelsar-do also overlooks this Gulf, but from the other side. You can stop there to see its lovely mediaeval old town and the castle of the Genovese family, Doria. Before going west along the coast it is well worth while stopping in Sassari, where two typical events of Sardinian culture are held: in mid-May there is the Cavalcata Sarda (horse parade) and, on the 14th of August (the day before the Feast of the Assumption) there is the Discesa dei Candelieri (candlestick pro-cession). On the road again, along the north-eastern coast, we come to the charming port of Santa Teresa di Gallura, at the centre-north end; surfers and sail-ors should make a short visit to the Rena Bianca beach. On the east, amid the charms of Gallura, is the Costa Smeralda, one of the most famous tourist resorts in the world. In particular there is Porto Cervo (in the Arzachena area), built around the natural port, which is now the best equipped tourist port on the Mediterranean; it dates back to the sixties when Prince Karim Aga Khan IV opened up this area to luxury tourism. From the port to the beaches: Cala Moresca and Cala Pittulongu (in Porto Cervo and Porto Rotondo) attract lovers of crystal-clear atmospheres. A few minutes by sea takes us to the Madd-alena archipelago, an ideal place for di-vers: the underwater world is just as beautiful as what we see on the surface. Along the coast of the park’s main island you can stop for a bathe on the Relitto or Spalmatore beach. Then you come to Porto Massimo, a tourist resort located in the north-eastern area. The marina, framed by pristine scenery, directly faces another island, Caprera, with many pas-tures and pine woods where there is a Garibaldi museum and Garibaldi’s tomb. Sailing from Caprera towards the Bocche di Bonifacio you are struck by the wild splendour of the Budelli island, with its lovely Spiagga Rosa (pink beach), which gets its colour from shells and corals. From here you go a little further south

130

along the Tyrrhenian coast to Capo Coda Cavallo and the Tavolara Island, in one of Italy’s loveliest marine protected areas; everyone likes diving on the delightful seabeds.Further south, departing from Porto Otti-olu, used by the Romans as a landing stage on the Sardinian coasts, we can vis-it the Gulf of Orosei. The bay is famous for some of Sardinia’s most beautiful beaches: Cala Brandinchi (in San Teo-doro, a little further north than the Gulf), Berchida (in Siniscola) and Bidderosa (in Orosei). Then we land at Cala Gonone, perched on a steep hill.This lovely hamlet of Dorgali has some wonderful coves (Cartoe, Cala Fuili and Cala Luna), some of which can only be reached by sea or along paths from the hinterland. A must in this area is an excursion to the Grotta del Bue Marino. We set out from Dorgali for not-to-miss trekking in the fascinat-ing archaeological area of Tiscali.And then we go on to visit the Gennar-gentu, Sardinia’s biggest mountain com-plex, with its picturesque scenery where man and nature have come together, with nature taking the leading role. The fauna is plentiful, with mouflons, golden eagles, Sardinian deer and various almost extinct species. The Gennargentu area is not just trekking and archaeological ex-cursions, you can ski here too, especially on Bruncu Spina and Monte Spada. Fur-ther south, the natural continuation of

the marine itinerary is a visit to Ogliastra, with scenery marked by Mediterranean maquis reflected in the transparent wa-ters of the creek of Santa Maria Navar-rese, a coastal hamlet of Baunei. The symbol of Santa Maria is a little church, probably dating back to the year 1000, which, legend has it, the Princess of Navarre had built in honour of Our Lady, because she had survived a shipwreck. We leave from the port of Santa Maria to explore 40 kilometres of the uncontami-nated coast of the Mediterranean, with the not-to-be-missed Cala Sisine, Cala Mariolu and Cala Goloritzè (all in the Bau-nei area), which the keenest and most skilled trekkers in the world opt for every year. We head for the south-eastern coast to admire the very long (10 kilo-metres) beach of Costa Rei and dive on the seabeds of Capo Ferrato (in the Mura-vera area) and then make a stop at the port of Villasimius: a wonderful destina-tion because of its many white beaches (Cala Giunco, for example). Nowadays it is one of the most popular resorts on the Mediterranean. We move from the south-eastern end to the Sardinian capi-tal. Cagliari for Sardinians is “Casteddu”, the castle. The fortified area is full of monu-ments: the mediaeval Rampart of Saint Remy, the Elephant and the San Pan-crazio Towers, the Cathedral of Santa Maria, located in the beautiful Piazza

Capo Coda Cavallo (Province of Olbia-Tempio), © massi67 - iStock - Getty Images

131

Palazzo, and the ‘Cittadella dei Musei’, with its museums. Outside the walls are the Amphitheatre and the Villa of Tigellio, from Roman times, and the Tuvixeddu Necropolis, with hundreds of tombs dat-ing back to between the 6th century B.C. and the 1st century A.D., and many other early mediaeval constructions. The city looks down on some areas of naturalistic value, the ponds of Molentargius (with many colonies of flamingos) and Santa Gilla; there are spectacular stretches along its coastline, like Poetto, which reaches the foot of the hill called ‘Sella del Diavolo’. We start again from here across the Golfo degli Angeli towards Pula, along the same road as the fair of Sant’Efisio, one of the most important re-ligious and folkloric events in all Sardinia, enhanced by the traditional costumes of every town participating. The main cul-tural attraction in Pula is the Phoeni-cian-Punic and Roman ruins in Nora. This was probably the island’s most important city at the time of the Roman conquest (238 B.C.). The remains of the old town are the forum, theatre, tophet, temple of Tanit, thermal baths and dwellings. From culture to the beaches, the lovely ones of Chia, like Cala Cipolla (perfect for kite surfers) and the wild ones of Teulada, Tuerredda for instance, which can be ex-plored by bicycle or on horseback. Before going back to our travels we can immerse ourselves in the folk traditions of the province of Cagliari, in search of the mys-terious “tombs of the giants” and the “do-mus de janas”, ancient graves carved out of the rock, and the nuraghic villages of

Barumini, considered a Heritage Site. There are more than seven thousand nuraghes scattered throughout the is-land: they are truncated conical stone towers and are the biggest and best pre-served megalithic monuments in all Eu-rope, unique in the world, traces of an ancient culture that existed between the 15th and 6th centuries B.C. We go back west, on the coasts of Sulcis. Sulcis was Sardinia’s mining centre and so the re-cent development of tourism is one more reason for discovery for people who thought they already knew everything about Sardinia. The mines are open to the public now, thanks to the Parco Geomin-erario, a notable example of industrial ar-chaeology. We can take the port of Sant’Antioco as a starting point for diving at San Pietro island (Carloforte), which of-fers expert technical tips, and for a dive into the waters of Porto Pino (in Sant’An-na Arresi), Masua and Pan di Zucchero (Iglesias), and Cala Domestica (a Bugger-ru), a breathtaking place. A little further north of Buggerru we come to Medio Campidano, Sardinia’s granary, here the Arbus marina, and especially the beaches of Piscinas and Torre dei Corsari, are well worth a visit. Further up, in the Oristano area, we make a stop at the Ma-rina of Torregrande, a little fishing village that grew up around the ancient Spanish tower, the biggest in Sardinia. The almost 3 kilometres-long strand runs from the mouth of the Tirso as far as the port. From here we depart to visit the Sinis peninsula and the Mal de Ventre (Cabras) island, frequented by divers and very popular with international surfers. Inland, a stop at the Tharros archaeological site, of Roman times, from which there is a wonderful view down to the sea, is a must. Last stop: Bosa, a mediaeval village, unique of its kind in Sardinia. A visit to the old town centre and the castle is obliga-tory. A thing the whole island has in com-mon is its authentic Sardinian hospitality, with many acts of kindness and a cuisine renowned all over the world. Famous traditional specialities include: porchetto (roast suckling pig), cordula (grilled intestines of milk-fed lamb or

Seadas, a typical sardinian dessert, © Macrolife.it - iStock - Getty Images

132

calf), boiled mutton, homemade char-cuterie and sausages, all typical delicacies of the hinterland. De rigueur at the sea are mullet (bottarga, mullet roe prepared in Cabras, is a must), grilled bass, bream or eels, not forgetting lobster (Alghero is particularly recommended) and tuna (with Carloforte in the forefront), sea ur-chins and mussels and clams. The bread, like ‘su coccoi’ (rolls in various shapes),

‘su civraxiu’ (big circular loaves), or cara-sau (crispy sheets), and the home-made pasta, like culurgionis (kind of ravioli), fer-gola (tiny balls of dough) or malloreddus (small dumplings) would appeal to any palate. Hors d’oeuvres and first and sec-ond courses may be accompanied by Sardinian pecorino cheese, and an end-less variety of almond cakes, honey and pastries. Food can be washed down with

Tavolara Island (Province of Olbia-Tempio), © lucien82 - iStock - Getty Images

Panoramic view of Cagliari, © Comune di Cagliari

133

first-class wines like Cannonau and Ver-mentino and accompanied by liqueurs like myrtle. All these ingredients greatly contribute to a very high quality of life.

For more information visit the following website: www.sardegnaturismo.it

Beautiful narrow alley in the old town of Alghero, © kkoszowski- iStock - Getty Images

134

MUSEUMS AND PERMANENT EXHIBITION AREAS

ITALY’S GREAT MUSEUMS

U"zi Gallery, Florence www.u%zi.firenze.it Foremost home of Renaissance and fourteenth century art, the U[zi Gallery contains absolute masterpieces of Italian art.Normal opening hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 8.15 a.m. to 6.50 p.m.Tickets: full price 20 € from March 1st to October 31st, 12 € from November 1st to February 28th, reduced 10/6 €There are integrated prices and special reductions Info and reservations: phone +39.055.294883.

Palazzo Pitti, Florence www.u%zi.it/en/pitti-palaceThe Florentine palace is the imposing setting for one of the most varied collec-tions of art in central Italy: painting, sculpture, ceramics, goldsmithery… every branch is found in it.

Normal opening hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 8.15 a.m. to 6.50 p.m.Tickets: full price 16 € from March 1st to October 31st, 10 € from November 1st to February 28th, reduced 8/5 €Info and reservations: phone +39.055.294883

Capitoline Museums, Rome www.museicapitolini.orgSince 1734, the first public museum in the world has been showing its visitors the splendours of classical times and opening its doors to exhibiting modern works during the following centuries. Today it is the kingpin of the “Sistema dei Musei in Comune” (civic museums sys-tem).Normal opening hours: Open daily from 9.30 a.m. to 7.30. p.m.,Tickets: full price 15 €, reduced 13 €Info and reservations: phone +39.06.0608.

The U[zi Gallery, Florence, © NicolasMcComber - E+ - Getty Images

135

Vatican Museums, Romewww.museivaticani.vaVan Gogh, Matisse, Michelangelo, Cara-vaggio, Giotto, Da Vinci… The museums cultivated by the Popes for five centuries o'er visitors the possibility of enjoying the works of the greatest artists in history. Normal opening hours: Monday through Saturday, 9.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. (closes at 6.00 p.m.)Tickets: full price 17 €, reduced 8 €There are integrated prices and special reductionsInfo: phone +39.06.69884676Reservations: www.museivaticani.va

Borghese Gallery, Romewww.galleriaborghese.beniculturali.itThe collection started by Scipione Borghese at the beginning of the 17th century hosts masterpieces by Caravag-gio, Ra'aello, Titian as well as classical antiques and magnificent sculptures by Canova and Bernini.Normal opening hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 9.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m.Tickets: full price 13 € + 2 € reservation fee, reduced 6.50 €There are integrated prices and special reductions. Advance booking is required.Info: phone +39.06.8413979.Reservations at number +39.06.32810

Brera Art Gallery, Milanwww.pinacotecabrera.orgMilan’s most important museum is an in-teresting treasure trove of works of art, particularly religious art, collected since the end of the 18th century.Normal opening hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 8.30 a.m. to 7.15 p.m.Tickets: full price 10 € reduced 7 €Info: phone +39.02.722631Reservations at number +39.0292800361

Capodimonte Museum, Napleswww.museocapodimonte.beniculturali.itThe Farnese collection, together with the Bourbon collection, is housed in this splendid Neapolitan Palace. A particular-ly vast cultural o'er is completed by the area devoted to contemporary art.

Normal opening hours: every day except Wednesday, from 8.30 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. Tickets: full price 12 €, reduced 8 €Info and reservations:+39.06.39967050.

Egyptian Museum, Turin www.museoegizio.it Champollion said: “The road to Memphis and Thebes passes through Turin”. And to be precise, it passes through this mu-seum, the most important in the world after Cairo.Normal opening hours: Monday 9.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m., Tuesday through Sun-day,9.00 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. Tickets: full price 15 €, reduced 11€Info and reservations: phone +39.011.4406903.

136

THEATRES AND AUDITORIUMS

TEATRO ALLA SCALA IN MILANwww.teatroallascala.orgFounded in 1776, the Teatro alla Scala is certainly the most famous Italian opera house and its season’s opening night is an internationally important social event.

LA FENICE THEATRE IN VENICEwww.teatrolafenice.itSplendidly risen from its ashes in 2003 after it had been destroyed by fire 7 years before, the La Fenice Theatre is one of the places that has made the history of Italian symphonic music.

ARENA IN VERONAwww.arena.itEvery year, from June to August, the are-na from Roman times, perfectly pre-served in Verona, hosts one of the most important opera festivals in the world. ROMAN THEATRE IN OSTIA ANTICAwww.ostianticateatro.com

The ruins of Ostia Antica and its theatre come to life every year to host a series of summer events in their unique atmos-phere.

PARCO DELLA MUSICA AUDITORIUM IN ROMEwww.auditorium.comAll year round the futuristic “scarabs” of Renzo Piano host a full calendar of mu-sical events.

GREEK THEATRE IN TAORMINAwww.taormina-arte.itIn addition to music, ballet and opera, the Greek Theatre is famous in particular for being the location of the Taormina Film Fest, a cinema event that brings world cinema to the banks of the Medi-terranean every June.

GREEK THEATRE IN SYRACUSEwww.indafondazione.org Sophocles, Euripides, Aeschylus… the full

Ancient Greek Theatre in Taormina, Sicily, © michelangeloop - iStock - Getty Images

137

programme of the Greek Theatre in Syr-acuse every summer takes us back in time, with the same dramas staged now as thousands of years ago.

RAVELLO AUDITORIUMwww.ravellofestival.com Niemeyer’s creation is the most recent and futuristic setting in Ravello, city of music. In addition to the usual pro-gramme, the auditorium hosts part of the famous Ravello Festival (from July to September).

SAN CARLO IN NAPLESwww.teatrosancarlo.itThe historic theatre of the Neapolitan city, built to the order of the Bourbons in 1737, isa wonderful place to enjoy the works of Neapolitan baroque melodrama.

SFERISTERIO IN MACERATAwww.sferisterio.itThis unique pearl of Italian neoclassi-cism, built to host sports in the nine-teenth century, now hosts an interesting opera festival in its massive structure every summer.

Teatro alla Scala, Milan, © AndreaAstes - iStock - Getty Images

138

UNESCO SITES

PIEDMONT- Ivrea Industrial City of the Twentieth CenturyThis is the 54th and most recent Italian UNESCO site. The recognition was de-liberated during the work of the 42nd World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cul-tural Organization in July 2018. An im-portant recognition for a positive idea (the possible „humanization“ of industrial and social transformations, and their po-tential compatibility with the wellbeing of local communities) that the technical skills of great professionals have trans-formed in Ivrea into tangible achieve-ments. The Industrial City of Ivrea is an industrial and socio-cultural project of the Company founded in 1908 by Camil-lo Olivetti, progressively developed from the 1930s to the end of the 1960s.

PIEDMONT - Savoy Royal PalacesThe fifteen Savoy buildings - villas, pal-aces and castles - located near Turin bear witness, with their magnificent ar-chitectural style, to the splendour of the most important Piedmont noble family. Almost all of the buildings are open to visitors, but with di'erent times and pro-cedures.

PIEDMONT - Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and MonferratoThe hills of Langhe-Roero and Monfer-rato in Southern Piedmont are a vast ter-ritory spanning five di'erent winemaking areas, located between the river Po and the Ligurian Apennines. The exceptional beauty of these landscapes, which have been shaped by mankind as a result of the craft of winemaking, in the shade of the beautiful Grinanze Cavour Castle, are a living witness of the history and culture of wine, which is inextricably linked to the lives of the people of Pied-mont. The rows of vines, the types of crops and the production systems used are all defining traits of this unique land-scape that is constantly evolving in an

Sabbioneta, © phbcz - iStock - Getty Images

Serralunga d’Alba in the Langhe area, © argalis - E+ - Getty Images

139

ongoing pursuit of balancing innovation and tradition. This constant pursuit of excellence and the heritage of traditional knowledge combined give us the exqui-site traditional wines Barolo, Asti Spu-mante, Barbera d’Asti, Nebbiolo, Mosca-to Bianco and Barbera, great wines of international renown. The whole area is just waiting to be explored with a broad range of wine tasting itineraries available.

PIEDMONT AND LOMBARDY - Sacri MontiLocated partly in each of the two regions, in the Prealpine area, the nine complexes covered by the UNESCO definition are a wonderful combination of architectural, spiritual and scenic values. Started in the 15th century they are still an important destination for believers and others.LOMBARDY - Monte San GiorgioLike a gigantic casket, Monte San Gior-gio, on the border with Switzerland, brings back memories of ancient times through its priceless heritage of fossils. A great many of the more than 10,000 ex-amples of fossil fauna and flora which came to light in this area divided between Italy and Switzerland, are still kept in the museums in the area.

LOMBARDY - Crespi d’Adda, the Industrial VillageThis real workers’ village, built at the end of the 19th century, springs from an illu-minated industrial mentality, careful about the balance between the quality of the products and the living conditions of the workers. As the village is still inhabit-ed it has no opening or closing hours and can be visited with or without a guide.

LOMBARDY - Mantua and SabbionetaA little-known but very important ex-pression of the Renaissance. The cities of Mantua and Sabbioneta are the em-blem of the most significant Renaissance town planning concepts, without ne-glecting the exceptional value of each piece of architecture.

Verona, the balcony of Juliet`s house, © LuigiConsiglio - iStock - Getty Images

Dolomites, Giau Pass, Veneto, © TomasSereda - iStock - Getty Images

140

LOMBARDY - The Last Supper by Leonardo da VinciThe sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Gra-zie, in Milan, contains the most famous and significant picture of Christ’s last supper, painted at the end of the 15th century by an artist who symbolizes the Renaissance period: Leonardo da Vinci. The work can be seen from Tuesday through Sunday, buying a ticket in ad-vance.

LOMBARDY - Rhaetian RailwayBecause of its unique route and integra-tion with the environment it travels through, the Rhaetian Railway of the Al-bula and the Bernina has become some-thing much di'erent from an ordinary means of transport. In fact, the “little red train” that links Italy and Switzerland has acquired the unusual and well-deserved role of a tourist destination.

LOMBARDY - Rock art in Val CamonicaThe diary, written on stone, of the origins of the cammunic civilization was the first Italian site to be included in the UNESCO Heritage Sites. The area’s rupestrian sites are included in seven natural or archae-ological parks: a visit to them reveals the ancient need of men to communicate their daily life, beliefs and rituals.

LOMBARDY, VENETO, FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA - Venetian Works of DefenceThe “Venetian Works of Defence be-tween the 16th and 17th Centuries: Stato da Terra - Western Stato da Mar” are col-lected in a transnational site that includes the most extensive and innovative de-fense networks built by the Serenissima, wall structures with exceptional histori-cal, architectural and technological val-ue. The fortifications throughout the “Stato da Tera” protected the Republic of Venice from other European powers to the northwest while those of the “Stato da Mar” protected the commercial sea routes and ports vital to the expansion of the Republic of Venice. Three of the six sites declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites are within Italian borders: in Lom-bardy, Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

Vicenza, Andrea Palladio’s Villa Rotonda, © ChiccoDodiFC - iStock - Getty Images

Verona, the balcony of Juliet`s house, © LuigiConsiglio - iStock - Getty ImagesAquileia, Patriarchal Basilica, © Emmeci74 - iStock - Getty Images

141

VENETO, TRENTINO, FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA - DolomitesThe Dolomites, which became a Herit-age Site in 2009, are a group of moun-tains that are special from the geological point of view and unique for their beauty. Nowadays the Dolomites are popular with lovers of the mountains, skiers and naturalists.

VENETO - Padua Botanic Gardens“It is the origin of all the botanical gar-dens in the world, a cradle of science and scientific exchange, serving as the basis for the understanding of the rela-tionship between nature and culture.” The description given by UNESCO gives a better idea than any other of the uniqueness of this site, which can be vis-ited all year round.

VENETO - Venice and its LagoonThere is no place in the world like Venice and probably no city as famous. Venice, its system of canals and its splendid ar-chitecture have kept their charm intact over the centuries, and fully deserved to be included among the UNESCO sites.

VENETO - City of VeronaWith a very ancient structure capable of developing over the millennia without every losing its harmony, the city of Ro-meo and Juliet is one of Italy’s best ex-amples of town planning. The number of excellent examples of architecture and art add to its value.

VENETO - Vicenza and the Palladian Villas in the VenetoThere are as many as 39 sites included in this definition: the constellation of villas designed by Andrea Palladio around the middle of the sixteenth century. This ar-chitectural experience was destined to influence European and North-American styles in the centuries to come. The villas can be visited, with di'erent opening hours and procedures, available on the spot.

Verona, the balcony of Juliet`s house, © LuigiConsiglio - iStock - Getty ImagesRavenna , Mosaics in the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, © VvoeVale - iStock - Getty Images

Dolomites, Giau Pass, Veneto, © TomasSereda - iStock - Getty ImagesManarola, Cinque Terre, © MarkHatfield - iStock - Getty Images

142

FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA LOMBARDY, UMBRIA, APULIA - Longobards in Italy. Places of the PowerThe serial property “Longobards in Italy. Places of the Power (568-774 A.D.)” spans the most important architectural heritage left by the Longobards in Italy. Spanning the peninsula from north to South, these were the domains of the most important dukedoms of the Lon-gobards, who formed the first “nation” that we could truly define as Italian. Carefully selected, the property repre-sents the quintessence of Longobard culture at its apex. During their time in Italy, the Longobards assimilated the culture and traditions of the Romans, the spiritual values of Christianity, and even Byzantine influences, which they magnif-icently blended with their Germanic val-ues, breathing life into a whole new and original culture during the late seventh century and the eighth century.

FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA, TRENTINO ALTO ADIGE, VENETO, LOMBARDY, PIEDMONT - Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the AlpsThe area where excavations yielded the remains of prehistoric pile-dwell-ings (or stilt houses) spans the whole alpine range and encompasses 111 small individual sites located in Italy, Switzer-land, Austria, and Slovenia. Built from around 5000 to 500 B.C., these villag-es were located on the edges of lakes, rivers or wetlands. The humidity of these waterlogged sites provided ex-ceptional conservation conditions for organic materials such as wood, fabrics, as well as vegetable and bone scraps. The richness of the findings allowed for incredible insights into the world of early agrarian societies, a time when in Europe, men were developing agriculture and animal husbandry. Unfortunately these sites cannot be visited because they are located under water or layers of sediment. Because of this reason, the sites are interpreted in museums, archaeological parks and private collections, where artefacts from the excavations are placed on exhibit

Vicenza, Andrea Palladio’s Villa Rotonda, © ChiccoDodiFC - iStock - Getty Images

Leaning Tower of Pisa, © ekinyalgin -

iStock - Getty Images

Verona, the balcony of Juliet`s house, © LuigiConsiglio - iStock - Getty ImagesSan Gimignano, medieval town towers, © StevanZZ - iStock - Getty Images

143

and reconstructions of the prehistoric villages are put on display.

FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA - Aquileia the Ruins and the Patriarchal BasilicaAquileia can boast of its origin as a pro-tagonist of the Roman Empire. The city, an important port city as well as a bul-wark against the barbarian invasions, was founded in 181 B.C. and its original form has remained almost intact. The perfect-ly preserved mosaics in its Basilica (11th century) are of exceptional value.

LIGURIA - Portovenere, Cinque Terre and IslandsCultural and human values interweave with those related to the scenery of this exceptional corner of Italy. The area be-tween Cinque Terre and Portovenere still bears witness to a successful balance between man and the environment, consisting of landscapes and customs that have never changed over time.

LIGURIA - The Strade Nuove (new roads) and the Palazzi dei Rolli complex, GenoaThe Ligurian city can boast a town plan-ning system unique of its kind: more than one hundred historic buildings built by the nobility of the sixteenth and seven-teenth centuries on the basis of lots drawn by the public authorities. A long catalogue of exceptional aesthetic and historic value, which is well worth seeing.

EMILIA ROMAGNA - Ferrara, a Renais-sance city, and the Po DeltaFerrara: a city that was able to evolve without losing its identity and the archi-tectural delights that the Este family started bestowing on it in the 13th cen-tury. Its old town centre and the Po Delta have been recognized by UNESCO: a landscape in which culture and nature mutually enhance each other.

EMILIA ROMAGNA - Cathedral, Torre Civica bell tower and Piazza Grande, ModenaThe religious, civic and cultural spheres all converge around the Cathedral of

Verona, the balcony of Juliet`s house, © LuigiConsiglio - iStock - Getty ImagesTivoli, Hadrian’s Villa, © santirf - iStock - Getty Images

Dolomites, Giau Pass, Veneto, © TomasSereda - iStock - Getty ImagesRome, Imperial Forums, © RudyBalasko - iStock - Getty Images

144

Modena, which is regarded as a basic feature of the evolution of Romanesque architecture. The building, built in the 12th century, has an incredible figurative wealth, consisting of statues and sym-bols of exceptional symbolic and artistic value.

EMILIA ROMAGNA - The Paleochristian monuments, RavennaEight monuments built in the 6th and 7th centuries have survived until our times, together with their exceptional mosaics. Eight religious buildings that take us back to just before the golden age of the Christian religion, in the presence of Byzantine art in all its glory.

EMILIA ROMAGNA, ABRUZZO, LAZIO, BASILICATA, APULIA - The Ancient Beech ForestsTen ancient Italian beech forests which extend from Emilia Romagna to Basilica-ta are recognized by the UNESCO World Heritage for their exceptional naturalistic value and the incredible biodiversity that characterizes them. The Italian Ancient Beech forests protected by UNESCO fall within the context of the transnational environmental site of the „Primeval for-ests of the Carpathian beech and other parts of Europe“. The ten naturalistic sites protected by UNESCO are Casenti-nesi forests in Emilia Romagna; the for-ests of the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park in the villages of Villavallel-onga, Lecce in the Marsi, Pescasseroli and Opi in Abruzzo; the forests of Monte Cimino and Monte Raschio in Lazio; the Umbra Forest in the Gargano National Park in Puglia; the Cozzo Ferriero Forest in Basilicata in the Pollino National Park.

TUSCANY - Florence, Old Town Centre When you say Florence you think of the Renaissance. The old town centre of the Tuscan capital is recognized by UNESCO as much for its material value as its sym-bolic ones: an exceptional number of masterpieces of art and architecture blend with a cultural climate that has been influencing the whole of Europe since the 15th century.

Herculaneum, House of Neptune and Amphitrite, © RPMGsas - iStock - Getty Images

Verona, the balcony of Juliet`s house, © LuigiConsiglio - iStock - Getty ImagesPaestum, Temple of Hera, © bluejayphoto - iStock - Getty Images

145

TUSCANY - Pienza, Old Town CentreIt is thanks to Pope Pius II that we can enjoy the beauties of this little town in Val D’Orcia. The pope, who came from Pienza, decided to transform the place into the “ideal town”. Even today Pienza is still emblematic of the Renaissance concept of town planning.

TUSCANY - Pisa, Piazza del DuomoThe image of Pisa is indissolubly linked with the fascination of its leaning tower. A blend of cultures and di'erent archi-tectural experiences, the complex con-sisting of the four monuments located in Piazza del Duomo can be visited all the year round.

TUSCANY - San Gimignano, Old Town Centre In Val d’Elsa, in the heart of Tuscany, stand the towers of this little town of very ancient origins. San Gimignano was founded by the Etruscans, while its de-velopment is linked with via Francigena, which passed through it in mediaeval times.

TUSCANY - Siena, Old Town CentreThe great value of Siena, like other Italian cities listed by UNESCO, can be summed up in its e'ective integration between the architecture, the urban layout and their environment. Siena and its tradi-tions are an example of rare excellence in that sense.

TUSCANY - Val d’OrciaIt’s just like walking personally into a Re-naissance painting when you pass through the magnificent settings of the Val d’Orcia, an expression of the excep-tional sensitivity applied in the 14th and 15th centuries for redesigning the Italian landscape.

TUSCANY - Medici Villas and Gardens in Tuscany Twelve villas and two gardens spread across the Tuscan landscape make up this site which bears testimony to the in-fluence the Medici family exerted over modern European culture through its

Verona, the balcony of Juliet`s house, © LuigiConsiglio - iStock - Getty ImagesAlberobello, Trulli houses, © annavee - iStock - Getty Images

Dolomites, Giau Pass, Veneto, © TomasSereda - iStock - Getty ImagesPositano, Amalfi Coast, © Milena Pigdanowicz-Fideraf - iStock - Getty Images

146

patronage of the arts. The villas were built using an innovative construction system in harmony with nature, and were developed to be dedicated to lei-sure, the arts and knowledge. They em-body a new type of princely residence that di'ered from both the farms owned by rich Florentines of the period and from the military might of baronial cas-tles. The sober elegance and their con-nection with their magnificent grounds and gardens helped develop the appre-ciation of beauty and landscape charac-teristic to Humanism and the Renais-sance.

THE MARCHES - Urbino, Old Town CentreA little jewel, able to integrate the Middle Ages and the Renaissance harmonically, the city of Urbino played a leading role on the Italian cultural scene in the past. The number of masterpieces you can see when you stroll around the city is re-ally amazing.

UMBRIA - Assisi, Basilica di San Franc-esco and other Franciscan sitesThe city of Assisi is an exceptional cor-nerstone of artistic, architectural and spiritual values. Seat of the sanctuary dedicated to Saint Francis, its Basilica contains the frescoes that are consid-ered to have confirmed the birth of Ital-ian art, by artists like Giotto, Cimabue and Martini.

LATIUM - Old Town Centre of RomeThis old town centre, one of the most famous in the world, certainly needs no introduction. You can stroll through an-cient Rome with or without a guide, and feel the beating heart of a unique civili-zation.

LATIUM - Etruscan necropolises in Cerveteri and TarquiniaThe two cities of the dead are probably the most important source of informa-tion concerning the ancient Etruscan civilization, its daily life and its art. These sites, with their unique and mysterious charm, can be visited all the year round.

Vicenza, Andrea Palladio’s Villa Rotonda, © ChiccoDodiFC - iStock - Getty ImagesMatera, © Ladiras - iStock - Getty Images

Verona, the balcony of Juliet`s house, © LuigiConsiglio - iStock - Getty ImagesCathedral of Monreale, © fauk74 - iStock - Getty Images

147

LATIUM - Villa d’EsteThe Villa d’Este in Tivoli, with its palace, garden, fountains, nymphs and grottoes, is one of the most magn ificent examples of Renaissance architecture and 16th-century gardens. Defined by ter-races, staircases, grand slopes and promenades, the stunning garden evokes the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and constitutes a much-copied model for European gardens in the mannerist and baroque styles. The “100 Fountains” lining the longest promenade also make a strong impact on the scenography, and contributed to the gardens’ turns as the background for several films - such as the banquet scene in William Wyler’s “Ben Hur”.

LATIUM - Hadrian’s VillaHadrian’s Villa in Tivoli, designed to be a home for the Roman Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century A.D., is a an exceptional monumental living complex that even today continues to display the lavishness and enormous power of Ancient Rome. The magnificent display of Roman luxury combines the best elements of the ar-chitectural heritage of the ancient Medi-terranean world in the form of an ‘ideal city’. This villa, that is open all year round, is an absolute must-see excursion while you are visiting Rome.

CAMPANIA - Naples Old Town Centre More than twenty centuries of history and of architectural and artistic styles are condensed in this fascinating city. Its ar-tistic and intellectual energy has had a great influence in the development of all Europe and it can still be felt in the tur-moil of its squares and the magnificence of its buildings.

CAMPANIA - Archaeological areas of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre AnnunziataPreserved almost intact after the erup-tion of Vesuvius in year 79 A.D., the ancient cities of Pompeii and Hercu-laneum, as well as the buildings of Oplontis (Torre Annunziata), allow visi-tors to project themselves personally

Verona, the balcony of Juliet`s house, © LuigiConsiglio - iStock - Getty ImagesAeolian Islands, Vulcano with Lipari in the background, © Flavio Vallenari - E+ - Getty Images

Dolomites, Giau Pass, Veneto, © TomasSereda - iStock - Getty ImagesRagusa Ibla in the Noto Valley, © elxeneize- iStock - Getty Images

148

into the classical age and learn about the habits and customs of daily life in ancient times.

CAMPANIA - Costiera AmalfitanaA Symbol of a Mediterranean landscape, the Amalfi Coast combines exceptional cultural value with natural value in one of the most famous areas of Italy, a real symbol of Italianism.

CAMPANIA - Reggia di Caserta, the Park, the Vanvitelli aqueduct and the San Leucio ComplexThe magnificent project was the result of the craving for grandeur of King Charles of Bourbon, who was determined to make Caserta into a new innovative Eu-ropean capital. Vanvitelli used all his ge-nius in designing a villa regarded as Italy’s Versailles; now it can be visited every day except Tuesday.

CAMPANIA - Parco Nazionale del Cilento e del Vallo di Diano with the archaeological sites of Paestum and Velia and the Certosa di PadulaThe synthesis of the Mediterranean land-scape: this is what you could call this area that, among its ilexes, olive trees and pines, guards significant prehistoric settlements, thousand year old temples and baroque buildings. The Certosa can be visited every day except Tuesday.

APULIA - The Trulli in AlberobelloBuilding techniques that date back to prehistoric times. The trulli are an exam-ple of a method of building and a way of living in the area that can last for thou-sands of years without any change in its usefulness. Their white walls speak of civilisations that no longer exist while in-side they accommodate inhabitants and visitors of our times.

APULIA - Andria, Castel del Monte1240: Frederic II Hohenstaufen of Swa-bia had Castel del Monte built: a real stone compendium of mathematical, ar-chitectural, philosophical and astronom-ical knowledge. Since then the Castle has never ceased to amaze its guests

with the perfection and mysterious sym-bolism of its shapes.

BASILICATA - The Sassi in MateraThere are not many places in the world that bear witness, like Matera, to man’s ability to adapt to the harshness of his environment. In fact it was the local shepherds in the 10th century who got the idea of digging these simple dwell-ings out of the rock, creating a complex capable of taking in the whole slope of the mountain.

SICILY - Agrigento, archaeological areaThe Agrigento archaeological area gives us the feeling of a city of remote origins and magnificent size, while its group of Doric temples survives over the millen-nia to show the splendour of the part of the Mediterranean area once known as Magna Graecia.SICILY - Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalú and MonrealeThe serial heritage site “Arab-Norman Palermo” consists of a set of nine indi-vidual sites, comprising monuments and churches; the first seven located in Palermo itself whilst to complete the itinerary and visit the last two treasures it is necessary to go on to Cefalù and Monreale. The Royal Palace (aka Nor-man Palace - Palazzo dei Normanni) with its Palatine Chapel, containing Byz-antine mosaics of rare beauty, the Zisa Palace; the Church of San Giovanni deg-li Eremiti, the church of Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio (or „della Martorana“), the Church of San Cataldo, Ponte dell’Ammiraglio, which used to span the ancient course of the Oreto river, Paler-mo Cathedral, Monreale Cathedral and Cefalù Cathedral, all with their extraordi-nary depictions of Cristo Pantocratore, famous throughout the world, are the places reminiscent of the multicultural Western-Islamic-Byzantine harmonious syncretism, cultural heritage of a unique historical period in the religious and po-litical life of the island.

149

SICILY - Piazza Armerina, Villa Romana del CasaleA Roman villa built between the 3rd and 4th centuaries A.D. and perfectly pre-served in its original structure and the splendour of its mosaic floors, for which it is really considered to be a unique ex-ample.

SICILY- Syracuse and the rupestrian Necropolis of Pantalica From the rupestrian necropolis down to our times, passing through Greek, Ro-man and - much more modern - ba-roque influence, Syracuse has preserved in its territory the unmistakeable and magnificent traces of the cultures that lived there. Three thousand years of his-tory contained in a city with thousands of aspects.

SICILY - Val di Noto, baroque townsNoto, Scicli, Ragusa, Caltagirone… southern Sicily contains a constellation of places linked with the curvaceous lines of the late baroque. An unmistaka-ble style that distinguishes this area, har-moniously linking the towns in this love-ly corner of Italy.

SICILY - Aeolian IslandsThe islands that, according to Greek my-thology, gave shelter to Aeolus, god of the wind, are an exceptional “manual” for geologists and students of volcanic ac-tivity. These pearls of the Mediterranean have also preserved valuable traces of the more than millennial presence of man.

SICILY - Mount Etna ParkLocated on the Eastern coast, at 3,350 metres a.s.l., Mount Etna is not only Sici-ly’s highest mountain; it is also one of the world’s most active volcanoes. Its erup-tions constantly shape the landscape, which spans large deserted areas cov-ered in igneous rock and important eco-systems with their own endemic plant and wildlife. The diverse and accessible range of volcanic features such as sum-mit craters, cinder cones, lava flows and the Valle de Bove depression have made the site a prime destination for research and training of vulcanologists. The whole area can be considered a natural labora-tory for the study of ecological and bio-logical processes. Inside the Park, in the areas below the main volcanic cone, there are a number of hiking trails of un-paralleled beauty.

SARDINIA - Barumini, the Su Nuraxi Nuraghic VillageThe most complete nuraghe in Sardinia shows traces of the basalt of the nuraghic culture, one of the most mysterious in the whole Mediterranean area. More than three and half thousand years of history have passed through these pe-rimeters, which we can still clearly make out.

For more information visit the following website:http://www.italia.it/en/travel-ideas/unesco-world-heritage-sites.html

150

NATIONAL PARKS

Abruzzo Latium and Molisewww.parcoabruzzo.itLocated in the heart of central Italy, this is an international model for the protec-tion of its natural and environmental heritage, for which it received the Euro-pean Diploma of Protected Areas from the Council of Europe. If you are lucky you might see some of its most famous inhabitants: the bear, the wolf, the eagle or the deer.

Alta Murgia, Apuliawww.parcoaltamurgia.gov.itWith its canyons and its karstic sinkholes, the Parco dell’Alta Murgia has got very impressive scenery only a few kilometres away from the Adriatic Sea. Excursions in its hinterland are not particularly chal-lenging and they are well supported by the organization of the agency.

Appenino Lucano - Val d’Agri – Lagonegrese, Basilicatawww.parcoappenninolucano.it The peasant imprint of man continues tolive side by side with pristine nature in It-aly’s youngest natural park, set between the parks of Pollino and Cilento. In the

shade of the typical silver fir trees you can see views that extend to the neigh-bouring protected areas.

Appennino Tosco-Emilianowww.parcoappennino.itThe mountain landscapes that separate Tuscany from Emilia Romagna are not only a wonderful sight. The area o'ers visitors a wide variety of typical products and high quality services for people who want to spend quiet periods of relaxation surrounded by nature.

Arcipelago di La Maddalena, Sardiniawww.lamaddalenapark.itThis geomarine park, created to protect one of the most incredible environments of Sardinia, is a kind of natural Garden of Eden. The many endemic species and the fact that there are not many people preserve the sensation of having discov-ered a place out of this world.

Arcipelago Toscanowww.islepark.itOnce dominated by mining work, the is-lands of the Tuscan archipelago now form the biggest geomarine park in the

Arcipelago di La Maddalena, the famous pink beach of the Budelli island, © alanphillips - E+ - Getty Images

151

Mediterranean. The extraordinary envi-ronmental wealth of the islands can be experienced and enjoyed by taking ad-vantage of a wide range of outdoor ac-tivities.

Asinara, Sardiniawww.parcoasinara.orgIsola di Ercole, Isola Sinuosa, Isola del Di-avolo… of its thousand names Asanara has kept the one that celebrates its most famous inhabitants: the albino donkeys, symbol of this island and a unique spe-cies.

Aspromonte, Calabriawww.parcoaspromonte.gov.itThe area is crisscrossed by a thick web of torrents, streams and waterfalls as well as by the many people that have lived there over the centuries. The Park has some of the most beautiful Calabrian towns, which overlook the Mediterrane-an Sea and protect the hinterland and coasts of this lovely region. Cilento e Vallo di Diano, Campaniawww.cilentoediano.itThe area of the Parco del Cilento e Vallo di Diano has been inhabited for more

than 500 thousand years and its history blends with Greek and Roman mytholo-gy. As well as a wonderful scenic and en-vironmental heritage, the area contains sites considered by UNESCO to be Her-itage of Humanity: Paestum and the Certosa di Padula.

Cinque Terre, Liguriawww.parconazionale5terre.itThe most typical scenery of this park, formed by thousands of kilometres of terraces overhanging the sea, bears wit-ness to man’s ancient ability to over-come the harshness of the land. It was just this equilibrium between man and nature that made this park a UNESCO site.

Circeo, Latiumwww.parcocirceo.it It has the task of holding the last remains of the pontine marshes, most of which area was reclaimed during the early 20th century. For this reason it has a large number of quite rare animal and vegeta-ble species and has been included in the “UNESCO Man and Biosphere” areas.

Foreste Casentinesi National Park, © anzeletti - iStock - Getty Images

152

Dolomiti Bellunesi, Venetowww.dolomitipark.itWith its 18 peaks higher than 3000 me-tres, the Park has one of the most im-pressive pieces of natural scenery in the world, worthy of being included among the UNESCO Heritage of Humanity Sites. One of the good things about visiting the park is the extensive network of access points, information centres and an inter-esting calendar of events.

Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona, Campigna www.parcoforestecasentinesi.itBetween Tuscany and Emilia Romagna, where the still young river Arno flows, lie the Casentini Forests, among the oldest in Europe. The Camaldoli Hermitage, founded in 1012, and the La Verna Sanc-tuary join with the forests as millennial witnesses of time.

Gennargentu, Sardiniawww.parcogennargentu.itProtector of the natural value of the Sar-dinian hinterland, the Gennargentu Park has flora that is very typical of the Medi-terranean maquis. Ilexes, chestnut trees

and junipers cover big stretches of this land, rich in history and tradition.

Gargano, Apuliawww.parcogargano.itIlexes, pine trees, olive trees, and orange and almond trees line the Gargano promontory until it meets the clear sea. Thanks to its natural setting and its old picturesque villages, the Gargano park can be considered emblematic of the Mediterranean landscape.

Gran Paradiso, Valle d’Aostawww.pngp.itThis is Italy’s first national park, created in 1922 with the main purpose of protect-ing the ibex from extinction and that an-imal is now the symbol of this protected area. Because of the attention it pays to sustainable development, the Gran Paradiso park was awarded the Europe-an Diploma of Protected Areas.

Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga, Abruzzowww.gransassolagapark.itThe Gran Sasso park has the highest peak (the Corno Grande) and the only glacier (the Calderone) in the Apennines

Gargano National Park, Baia delle Zagare, © Poike - iStock - Getty Images

153

as well as a considerable amount of tra-ditions and important historic-architec-tural traces, which are well worth seeing for yourself.

Majella, Abruzzowww.parcomajella.itThis is the reign of the wolf and the bear, which live here permanently. But it is also a very mountainous area where karstic rocks create spectacular views: The Cavallone and Piccioni caves, ac-cessible to the public, are an opportunity for an unforgettable excursion.

Monti Sibilliniwww.sibillini.netSituated partly in the Marches and partly in Umbria, the Sibillini Park includes mythological and rural traditions, natural endemic species and spiritual places in its area. All in a park that has made sus-tainable development its slogan.

Pollino, Basilicata and Calabriawww.parcopollino.itItaly’s biggest national park, set between the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas, has unique natural and cultural riches, de-posited during thousands of years of his-

tory. Its area includes the ancient Ita-lo-Albanian arbëreschë community with its centuries-old store of Greek-Byzan-tine traditions.

Sila, Calabriawww.parcosila.itBetween the parks of Pollino and Aspro-monte, the Sila Park has wonderful natu-ral scenery, sloping down towards the Tyrrhenian Sea, leaving the sight of the Aeolian Islands and Mount Etna on the horizon, and towards the Ionian. The most important inhabitant of this area is the Sila wolf, an autochthonous species of which about one hundred individuals have survived.

Stelvio - Stilfserjoch, Trentino-Alto Adige, Lombardywww.stelviopark.itThe great altitude variations in the Stelvio Park enable you to admire high and low Alpine scenery in the heart of the central Alps. Each of the three areas that make up this protected area is crossed by a thick network of paths, of di'erent di[-culty and type, just waiting for you to travel on them.

Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park, Campo Imperatore, © ROMAOSLO - iStock - Getty Images

154

Val Grande, Piedmontwww.parcovalgrande.itThe biggest wild area in Italy, which has never even seen asphalt: in Val Grande you can only travel along the paths and cart-tracks used for centuries by shep-herds and woodsmen. The wilderness needs to be visited prudently, accompa-nied by expert guides.

Vesuvio, Campaniawww.parconazionalevesuvio.itThe Vesuvius Park protects a unique area, dominated by the volcano that gives it its name and its environmental characteristics. A system of paths was created in 2003 so that you can see the various kinds of scenery in an area that is sometimes luxuriant and sometimes lunar.

An ibex in the Gran Paradiso National Park, © ueuaphoto - iStock - Getty Images

155

USEFUL INFORMATION

BY AIRGetting to ItalyThe main intercontinental and interna-tional arrival points in Italia are Leonardo da Vinci airport in Rome Fiumicino and Malpensa Airport in Milan, but almost all of the many Italian airports have interna-tional connections.There are plenty of flights, both by low-cost and traditional airlines, and they cover a large number of destinations. It-aly is connected by air with most Euro-pean countries and with every continent. You can obtain more information about routes, timetables, prices and availability on the sites of the main and low-cost airlines. Nearly all the airports are served by an extensive network of taxis, buses and trains, so that you can arrive at your final destination quite comfortably.

Getting around in ItalyIt is easy to travel by air in Italy, thanks to the wide range of flights and carriers ex-isting in the country. Connections be-

tween cities are numerous and there are frequent services from Rome and Milan to all the other Italian airports. The broad network of connections also connects the peninsula with Sicily and Sardinia and with the minor islands. Italy has nearly forty medium and small airports, distrib-uted through all the regions (except Molise and Basilicata).

BY TRAINGetting to ItalyThe charm of travelling by train never fades if the destination is Italy. The cur-rent services for travelling either by day or by night between Italy and the other European countries are distinguished for high quality, shorter travel times and ex-cellent comfort while travelling. It is ad-visable (and sometimes obligatory) to book seats. You have to punch your tick-et before boarding the carriage, other-wise you will be fined. Some internation-al railway companies also o'er car transport service. Every day many inter-

Getting around by train is a very comfortable way of exploring Italy, © Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane SpA

156

national trains arrive in Italy, crossing the frontier and connecting the Peninsula with the main cities in Austria, Germany, France and Eastern Europe.For more information:www.trenitalia.com, www.italotreno.itFor information about trains from France: www.sncf.comFor information about trains from Germany: www.reiseauskunft.bahn.de, www.dbitalia.itFor information about trains from Swit-zerland: www.sbb.ch

Getting around in ItalyItaly has a vast railway network, which connects almost the whole country, and plenty of regional, Intercity and high-speed trains. Trenitalia operates 95% of the routes and guarantees as many as 7,000 trains a day, almost half of which travel during peak hours. There are vari-ous types of trains: local ones, Direct (DIR), Regional (R) and Interregional (IR), which stop at all the intermediate sta-tions, and faster, long-distance ones, In-tercity (IC) and Eurostar (ES), which only stop in the big cities. Then there are the High-Speed Eurostar Italia Trains, known as the Freccia Rossa (red arrow), which can travel as fast as 300 km/h. When you have bought your ticket, before getting on the train, you have to punch the tick-et in one of the yellow machines, of which there are many near the tracks.For timetables and information you are advised to consult the Ferrovie dello Sta-to (State railways), please visit the foll-lowing websites: www.trenitalia.com, www.italotreno.it

BY SHIPGetting to ItalyGetting to Italy by sea is a not-to-be-missed experience: on the waves of the Mediterranean, on board of comfortable ships, by the oldest and most fascinating mode of travel.Before leaving, however, you need to find out how long the crossing takes and about the international routes that stop at Italian ports.Many national and international shipping

companies connect the main European ports with Italy. The ticket prices vary ac-cording to the weight of the means of transport you are taking with you.

Getting around in ItalyThe Italian islands are an ideal place to spend a holiday. Discovering Sicily, Sar-dinia, the Tuscan Archipelago, Lipari, Lampedusa and Stromboli, to mention just a few, is certainly a unique experi-ence.Many ferry companies sail on di'erent and varied routes all the year round. Big ships ensure connections with the main Italian islands, Sardinia and Sicily.The main departure points for getting to the island of Sardinia are Genoa, Livorno, Civitavecchia and Naples. To get to Sicily, to the ports of Palermo and Messina, however, it is better to leave from Na-ples, or from Villa San Giovanni in Cal-abria, a municipality that stretches along the famous Strait of Messina. Many ships sail by night and travellers can either choose to spend the night in a cabin or book an armchair on the covered decks. You can get to the smaller islands by fer-ry and hydrofoil.You can take your vehicles with you on almost all the ships and ferries, paying the basic fare plus an extra. It should be remembered that many companies give discounts and very special o'ers if you book in advance.

BY BUSGetting to ItalyYou can travel through the Alps and get to Italy on board comfortable buses. Eu-rolines is a consortium of the main Euro-pean companies; it has information of-fices in the main cities and more than thirty departure points all over Italy. The buses have all the comforts necessary for the journey and, obviously, call at the big cities, like Milan, Rome and Florence.

Getting around in ItalyThe cities, towns and villages of Italy are connected by e[cient interurban trans-port services, which allow you to travel and discover the country, its attractions

157

and its beauty spots. What is more, you can travel all over the country using the various passenger transport lines.The many companies existing in Italy provide both local connections between small country villages and small and me-dium cities as well as faster travel be-tween the big cities. Usually, when it is a case of getting to minor places or little country villages, it is cheaper and more comfortable to travel by bus than by train.You can consult the departure and arrival timetables in local information of-fices or with the Aziende di Promozione Turistica (tourist agencies) and the U%ci d’Informazione Turistica Locali (local tourist information o[ces. In the bigger cities you can buy tickets at the o'ces of the companies or at travel agencies. In small places, however, it is easier to con-tact co' shops, or even the driver. It is not necessary to book seats but it is ad-visable for long or night journeys.For any information regarding destina-tions, timetables and prices you can consult either the portals or the o[cial sites of the various companies.

BY CAR OR MOTORCYCLEGetting to ItalyThe extensive network of European mo-torways and the existence of direct crossings facilitate access to Italy by car or motorcycle. You can get to the penin-sula from Austria, France, Switzerland and Slovenia.The main entry points, open all the year round, are the Mont Blanc tunnel, which, from Chamonix, connects France to the A5 motorway for Turin and Milan, the Gran San Bernardo tunnel, which con-nects Switzerland to the A5 motorway also, the Brenner Pass through Austria, which joins up with the A22 motorway to Bologna. The Alpine tunnels are often closed during the winter and sometimes even in autumn and spring due to snow. For information: www.autostrade.it

Getting around in ItalyAn excellent network of motorways, in-dicated by green signs, shortens the dis-tance between the twenty Italian re-gions: 3,408 kilometres, which ensure e'ective mobility and territorial commu-nication, in complete safety.

Many of Italy’s streets o'er magnificent panoramic views, © Dainela - iStock - Getty Images

158

Two main motorways connect Northern and Southern Italy: the Autostrada del Sole (the A1, which passes by Milan, Bo-logna, Florence, Rome and Naples) and the Adriatica (the A14, which connects Bologna, Ancona, Pescara, Bari and Taranto).On the motorways you have to pay a toll. You can pay in cash or with a credit card. Or, instead, there are faster methods, like the “Viacard”or “Telepass” cards. The Via-card is a magnetic card, which can be used at the automatic or manual gates, or even handed to the collector. The Telepass is the most practical and fastest automatic payment system, based on remote electronic recognition and deb-ited to the user: it makes it possible to carry out the financial transactions with-out stopping at the tollgate, thus speed-ing up tra[c and reducing fuel con-sumption.For any information related to weather conditions, toll charges, or tra[c you can stop at the “Punti Blu” (blue point of-fices) situated at all the motorway junc-tions, contact the o[cial site of the Soci-età Autostrade, or phone the Viabilità Call Centre, open all day, on 840-042121. In addition to the motorways, an exten-sive national road system, indicated by blue signs, connects all the regions or the towns of di'erent regions. With no toll charges, one or two lanes, the sec-ondary roads o' panoramas and lovely views that cannot be seen from the mo-torway: they are not as fast but the jour-ney is definitely more interesting.For information: www.autostrade.it, www.aci.it

Italy by motorcycleItaly is also the home of motorcycling tours. In summer the roads are full of en-thusiasts, attracted by breathtaking scenery along the coastal stretches, on the slopes of hills or tree-lined mountain roads. There are many itineraries sug-gested by public or private bodies, which help you to discover the peninsula, from North to South, from the sea to the mountains. When travelling by motorcy-cle you do not need to book your pas-

sage on ships or ferries and, furthermore you are allowed into some of the limited tra[c areas in the big cities. You must wear a helmet.

AssistanceAt any time of the day, assistance for motorists in emergencies is guaranteed by ACI (the Italian automobile club), a federation of 106 provincial automobile clubs, which represents and protects the interests of Italian motoring. You can phone 803.116 or visit the ACI o[cial site. The radio o'ers assistance regard-ing tra[c conditions: in fact the three RAI channels broadcast the “Onda verde” news bulletin (about every 30 minutes), while in the stretches served you can tune into 103.3 MHz on Isoradio, which broadcasts good music as well as road news.

Petrol stationsItaly has an extensive network of petrol distribution stations (lead-free, diesel) on both the motorway network and sec-ondary roads.

HireIt is very simple to hire a car but it is bet-ter to enquire in advance about the re-quirements of the various agencies. Usu-ally the driver must be over 23 years old (sometimes 25), but some companies hire even to younger people. Then you need a credit card and a driving licence. Citizens from non-EU countries must also hold an international driving licence (IDP).

ParkingParking areas in the big cities are marked o' by lines of various colours: usually white lines indicate free parking, yellow lines mean reserved parking (residents, disabled, taxis …), while blue lines mean paid parking, the cost of which varies ac-cording to the town, the area, and the time band.

TaxisIn Italy authorized taxis are white and must bear the word “Taxi” written on the

159

roof. They must also have a meter that shows the cost of the trip in real time, to which, depending on the case, extra costs are added for luggage, holidays, night hours, out-of-town runs (like in the case of trips to airports). To find a taxi you have to go to the special areas, marked by yellow lines or by an orange notice, or phone the radio-taxi numbers, which vary from town to town.

BY BICYCLEItaly is a place worth getting to know, for keen cyclists and people who have cho-sen the bicycle as their main mode of travel. In fact you can take a bicycle on all trains marked with a logo showing the outline of a bicycle.The cheapest way of travelling with your bicycle is to buy, even from the auto-matic machines, a separate ticket for the bicycle, which is valid for 24 hours from the time of issue. If, however, you decide to make a trip around any of the big or small Italian islands travelling is even easier: in general the ferries and ships of-fer free transport for bicycles.

ENTRY DOCUMENTSAll that citizens of European Union countries that have signed the Schengen agreement need is an identity card or a valid passport. Citizens from all other countries must show their passport at the frontier and, where necessary, have an entry visa, which must show the dura-tion of their stay and their place of desti-nation. You can apply for a visa at the Italian consulates in your country of res-idence, specifying the reason for the travel (visas are usually issued 90 days after the application). When you reach your destination, and if you are not stay-ing at a hotel or accommodation facility, you must register at the police head-quarters within 8 days of your arrival. For tourists staying at hotels, or other types of tourist accommodation, registration is done automatically by the facility’s re-ception.

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR DRIVING IN ITALYDriving licences issued by any State be-longing to the European Union are valid in all the EU territory, and therefore also in Italy.

If you have a licence issued by a non-EU State, you must have an international driving licence or a sworn (o[cial) trans-lation of your licence. To be able to drive in Italy you must be over 18 years of age.You drive on the right and overtake on the left. According to the new Highway Code, in force since 01/07/2003, all mo-tor vehicles must have their dipped headlights, side lights and number plate lights lit on any road outside the town and on the motorway. In town you can decide whether to keep them lit or not.However the obligation to have the lights on is valid in town also for all two-wheel vehicles (mopeds and motor- cycles).The horn should not be used in built-up areas, except for emergencies.Trams and trains have precedence.The use of seatbelts in the front and in the back (if the vehicle has them) is com-pulsory and both driver and the passen-gers can be fined. On roads with two or more lanes you should use the free lane furthest to the right; the left lane or lanes are only for overtaking.When you come to a crossroads you must give precedence to vehicles com-ing from your right unless otherwise in-dicated.Motorcycles with a cylinder capacity of less than 150 are not allowed to travel on motorways in any circumstances. A hel-met is absolutely compulsory for per-sons driving mopeds and motorcycles of any cylinder capacity.

What are the speed limits?Cars and Motorcycles (over 150 cylinder capacity): urban areas 50 km/h; second-ary outside-town roads 90 km/h; main outside-town roads 110 km/h; motor-ways 130 km/h.If there is rain or snow the limit goes down to 110 km/h on motorways and 90 km/h on main outside-town roads.

160

Moreover, to make sure that speed limits are complied with, many “autovelox” electronic controls have been installed along all the Italian road and motorway network.Cars with a trailer or caravan: In urban areas the speed limit is 50 km/h; on sec-ondary outside-town roads 70 km/h; on main outside-town roads 70 km/h; on motorways 80 km/h.Camper caravans weighing more than 3.5 tons but less than 12 tons: urban are-as 50 km/h; secondary outside-town roads 80 km/h; main outside-town roads 80 km/h; motorways 100 km/h.Compulsory equipment in the vehicle:warning triangle; spare tyre; first-aid kit (recommended); extinguisher (recom-mended).You must have safety jackets and reflect-ing braces in the vehicle and they must be worn by drivers of vehicles that are stopped on the road, outside built-up ar-eas, by night or when visibility is poor. You must also wear them when you go to place the warning triangle on the road after a breakdown, or if you get out of a car stopped on the emergency lane.Insurance: you must have third party in-surance.People coming from abroad are advised to have the green card: an insurance that can even be taken out at the frontier and is valid for 15, 30 or 45 days.Alcohol and driving: in Italy the limit of alcohol in the blood for driving is 0.5 grammes per litre, more or less the same as the rest of Europe.

Useful and emergency numbers:State Police: 113Fire Brigade: 115 Emergency and medical emergency ser-vice: 118.

SAFETY AND EMERGENCYItaly is a safe country. If you do encoun-ter problematical or dangerous situa-tions you should contact the police forc-es, which are responsible for the safety of citizens and for foreigners staying in Italy.

Emergency numbersA modern and e[cient network of oper-ations centres of the various police forc-es and of emergency centres connects, in a single integrated system, all the po-lice forces, bodies and agencies respon-sible for responding to emergency calls throughout the country. Contacting this network is simple and fast.All you have to do is call the national emergency numbers, which are well known and easy to remember.

POLIZIA DI STATO (State police): 113This is the single national number for every kind of emergency, from reports of theft, robberies or assaults, to accidents and health emergencies.This number connects with the State Po-lice network of operations centres, op-erational 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

CARABINIERI (Police): 112When you dial 112 the police operations centres are activated. Since 1991 the Eu-ropean Union introduced 112 as a single emergency number for all the Member States, precisely to facilitate tourists and foreigners when travelling around the continent. For this very reason an an-swering service in a foreign language ex-ists for callers to this number.

VIGILI DEL FUOCO (Fire Brigade): 115In case of fire, sighting of smoke or gas leaks you can also call the Fire Brigade directly; it is present all over the country and acts promptly even in the event of earthquakes or other calamities.

MEDICAL EMERGENCIES - AMBULANCES: 118When you call this number from any-where in Italy (including the islands) the network for medical assistance and for transport by ambulance to the nearest hospital or medical facility is alerted.A helicopter-ambulance service is also available for the most impassable and hard-to- get-at places.

161

SOCCORSO STRADALE (Road assistance): 803.116This is the number of the ACI road assis-tance service, available to Members and clients for requesting ACI services in Italy (road assistance, replacement car, car to your home, doctor quickly etc.). It is a toll-free number, operational only in Ita-ly, 365 days a year, round the clock.

FOREST FIRES: 1515This is the number of the forestry corps (Corpo Forestale dello Stato) for envi-ronmental emergencies and it is opera-tional 24 hours a day all year round.The forestry corps deals with the protec-tion of the environmental and scenic heritage and, in particular, with forest fires, which may be an issue especially during the summer months.

GUARDIA COSTIERA - SOCCORSO MARITTIMO (coast guard - maritime rescue): 1530If your boat breaks down or there is any emergency in Italian territorial waters, you can contact the national coast guard directly on this number.

CLIMATEIn Italy there are marked di'erences in climate between North and South.In the North, which is the part between the Alps and the Appenino Tos-co-Emiliano, the climate is severe: the winters are very cold and the summers very hot, with high levels of humidity.In the Centre, approximately between Liguria and the Rome area, the climate is temperate and there is less di'erence in temperature between summer and win-ter than in the North: the cold period is

shorter and less severe and the summer is longer, but there is hardly ever the sul-try weather that a'ects northern cities, thanks to the mitigating e'ect of the sea, which touches nearly the whole area.In the South and on the Islands, the win-ter is never too harsh and the tempera-tures in autumn and spring are nearly the same as the summer ones in other parts of Italy.

EMBASSIESThere rare embassies of over 200 coun-tries in Rome, the capital city, and it is possible to find out about the cultural events organized by the various States in Italy and the business opportunities, as well as the procedures for working in It-aly or for obtaining a teaching qualifica-tionYou can find a full list by visiting the site of the Ministero degli A'ari Esteri (minis-try of foreign a'airs) www.esteri.it

CONSULATESConsulates can be a great help for tour-ists that, unfortunately, are having prob-lems in Italy. Th ey can help out in specific individual and collective emergency situations and is-sue travel documents for returning home if identity documents have been stolen or lost. Countries that have permanent and frequent relations with Italy have consulates in the principal Italian cities. Furthermore, there are honorary consu-lates in many Italian cities, which can help tourists and back them up in any eventuality.You can find a full list by visiting the web-site of the Ministry of Foreign A'airs: www.esteri.it

162The variety of Italian cuisine is famous all over the world, © Foxys_forest_manufacture - iStock - Getty Images

Active holiday in Italy - Hiking the Path of Gods, Amalfi Coast, © RomanBabakin - iStock - Getty Images

164A hot balloon ride is the ideal way of exploring Italy’s breathtaking landscapes, © ah_fotobox - iStock - Getty Images

Front Cover Photo: Procida, Island, Campania, © mikolajn- iStock - Getty Images

Back cover photo: Matera, European Capital of Culture 2019, © bluejayphoto - iStock - Getty Images

Printed by Piacek Ges.m.b.H, Vienna, Austria

By the Italian National Tourist Board ENIT ViennaMariahilfer Straße 1b/Top XVI - 1060 ViennaPhone: +43 1 5051639Mail: vienna@enit.itwww.italia.it

@Italia.it @italiait @italia

Where everything is possible

Matera - Basilicata www.italia.it