Italy

Italy by…

Italy by… boat, motorbike, bicycle or even camper van. Every means of transport inspires a different kind of journey, in a country just waiting to be discovered. A country bursting with art, history, culture and outstanding naturalistic beauty.

In this website you will find ideas and advice for the best itineraries for visiting Italy.

Those with a passion for the sea will find ideas for sailing trips between islands, enchanting little coves that offer shelter, and exclusive beaches that can only be reached by the sea.

To each his own way to visit Italy.

Naturalistic

Trentino Alto Adige

The mildness of the Mediterranean climate has ensured that the breathtaking beauty of the Italian countryside has remained unchanged over the millennia. Numerous flora and fauna grow happily in Alpine environments, just as they do in the marine environments and in the hinterlands. The possibilities for excursions into the countryside are therefore boundless where you can explore nature to your heart’s delight. Naturalistic routes are spread out along the whole length of the Italian peninsula. Sometimes they even overlap to give rise to an itinerary that is as varied as it is uniform. There are countless corners of paradise to be discovered, starting from the top of the mountains in Val Gardena and ending up in the bewitching white beaches of the Sardinian Emerald Coast.

There is a special place in Italy for every season and every taste: Specialised routes like the castles of Valle d’Aosta or the Roman castles could be planned for tourists looking for the perfect union between nature and history. Sports and nature lovers who want to do some sailing, horse-riding, or trekking can enjoy themselves choosing itineraries that lead them to the numerous national and regional parks spread throughout the peninsula. There are plenty of spas like the ones in Tuscany, Campania, and Sicily for those who wish to pamper themselves. .

All in all, Italy is the land of travel and adventure, the discovery of nature, our relationship with the environment and with ourselves.

Artistic and Architectural

Sicily

When you think of Italy, you think of art, history, literature. This is actually easy to understand when you consider that Italy can boast one of the richest cultural heritages in the world, due to its long history, the fact that it was the cradle of a number of different civilisations, and its privileged geographical position in the centre of the Mediterranean sea.

You can take any number of journeys throughout the peninsula, each of which embodies a historical era, an architectural style, an ancestral myth. Those who love archaeology can’t fail to marvel at the still visible remains of the ancient Etruscan and Roman civilisations preserved along the Tyrrhenian Coast, the Via Ostiense, the mysterious prehistoric Sardinian Nuraghi, or the legendary Apulian trulli. Those who love architecture will be spellbound by the Baroque splendour of Salento, the romance of the Swabian castles, not to mention the splendid Venetian villas and the Trentino castles which are guaranteed to enchant the most romantic art lovers.

A wide variety of itineraries to follow the footsteps of those who created history, and wisely handed it down to us in the shape of numerous archaeological artefacts and monuments, one more precious than the other.

Enogastronomic

Prosciutto di Parma – Emilia Romagna

Hands up if you have never heard of Parmesan cheese, olive oil, Florentine steak, pizza! As everyone knows, Italy is home to one of the most extensive and varied ranges of food and wine products in the world.

Every nook and cranny of the country has its own culinary tradition, which is still alive and kicking having survived down through the centuries. Italy has a very strong food culture, and has lovingly maintained the authenticity and high quality of its food production down through the years. But the most surprising aspect is to discover how the regional borders can be redefined to create new geographical subdivisions, different place groupings, in accordance with the predominance of one or other gastronomic tradition.

You can create specific gourmet itineraries, ranging from the tasty mozzarella of Casertano to the refined salamis of Parma, from the prized and robust wines of Chianti to the spicy hot peppers from Calabria, from the cheese traditions of the Asiago plateau to the delicate pastries of Sicily.

All good reasons and a unique opportunity to come and discover the products and recipes that have made Italy a champion of good cooking in the world.

Religious

Cristo Redentore – Maratea – Basilicata

Italy is the cradle of Catholicism, and as such has always been one of the most popular destinations for pilgrims. However, the world’s faithful have more than just the Vatican to attract them, since some of the most venerated saints in the Catholic Church have come from this country in the middle of the Mediterranean. You just have to think of St. Francis of Assisi, St. Clare and St. Rita from various parts of Umbria; Padre Pio from San Giovanni Rotondo in Puglia; and Pietralcina from Campania. If you are looking for special centres of mysticism or meditation, you should follow the paths that lead to the picturesque retreats of Casentino, or the sanctuaries in the Sacred Mountains between Piedmont and Lombardy.

It can be a strong emotional experience to follow in the footsteps of the old pilgrims and walk the Romea for example from Venice to Ravenna, or the legendary Via Francigena between Canterbury and Rome walked by thousands of pilgrims in medieval times, or the path from Italy to the Sanctuary of Santiago in Compostela. Anyone who wants first hand experience of the religious places that created religious history can choose from a host of options along the whole peninsula, where they can rediscover their own spirituality often weighed down with the stress of modern life. It’s just a matter of choosing which route to take from the numerous religious itineraries available, and uniting the experience of the trip with some interior reflection.