The Gardens of Ninfa (Giardino di Ninfa) are widely considered the most romantic garden in the world, a hauntingly beautiful English-style landscape garden created among the atmospheric ruins of a medieval ghost town in the Lazio countryside, just south of Rome. Declared a Natural Monument of the Italian Republic and described by The New York […]
Categories: Gardens, Italy, Nature, Nature, Virtual Travel
Filicudi is the third smallest of the seven Aeolian Islands and the least visited after Alicudi. The permanent population hovers around 250 people. There is one bank, one pharmacy, one school with a single teacher, and a handful of restaurants that close for lunch. The island has no airport, no ferry from the mainland, and […]
Mount Etna is the largest active volcano in Europe and the most frequently erupting volcano on Earth. It has been erupting for at least 500,000 years. In 2021 alone it erupted more than 50 times. The locals call it Mungibeddu in Sicilian, and they have learned to live with a mountain that could, at any […]
Categories: Islands, Italy, Nature, Nature, Sicily, Volcanoes
The Cascate del Serio is the tallest waterfall in Italy at 315 metres, and it is only visible for a few hours each week. The water is regulated by a hydroelectric dam upstream, and the valve that releases the water into the natural falls is opened on a fixed schedule. The rest of the time […]
Categories: Italy, Nature, Nature, Waterfalls
Siracusa was once the most powerful city in the ancient Greek world, greater even than Athens. Its Greek Theatre is one of the largest and best preserved anywhere. The Ear of Dionysius, a limestone cave with incredible acoustics, still echoes with whispered words. On the island of Ortigia, the old city core, layers of history […]
Categories: Cities, Islands, Italy, Nature, Sicily, Sights, Sights
Venice rises from the lagoon like a mirage, a city built on wood pilings driven into mud a thousand years ago. There are no cars here. The streets are canals. The buses are boats. Gondolas glide under low bridges while water taxis skip across the Giudecca Canal. St. Mark’s Square floods at high tide, reflecting […]
Categories: Cities, Italy, Nature, Sea Sites, Sights, Sights
The market of Ballaro hits every sense at once. Vendors shout prices in Sicilian dialect, the smell of grilled sardines and frying arancini fills the air, and the colors of piled citrus and wild herbs blur into a dizzying mosaic. Palermo does nothing by halves. Decaying Norman palaces stand next to bustling street food stalls. […]
Categories: Cities, Islands, Italy, Nature, Sicily, Sights, Sights, Virtual Travel
Jasmine-scented air drifts through the narrow streets of Gioiosa Marea, a Sicilian town perched on a promontory overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. White houses cascade down the hillside toward a coastline of hidden coves and dark volcanic sand. The historic centre centres on Piazza Municipio, where locals gather in the evening for a passeggiata beneath the […]
Categories: Cities, Islands, Italy, Nature, Nature, Sicily, Sights, Sights
Naples is a city that does not pause. It pulses with energy from dawn until late into the night, sprawled beneath the threatening shadow of Mount Vesuvius. The historic centre is a UNESCO World heritage site, a dense grid of narrow streets filled with churches, palaces, and street food stalls. Pizza was born here, and […]
Categories: Cities, Italy, Nature, Sights, Sights, Volcanoes
The ferry approaches the island and the first thing you see are the Faraglioni, three limestone stacks rising from the turquoise sea like ancient sentinels. Capri has long been synonymous with luxury, drawing visitors from Roman emperors to Hollywood stars. Yet beyond the designer boutiques and glamorous cafes lies an island of stunning natural beauty. […]