Positano cascades down a steep cliffside like a waterfall of pastel houses. Lemon trees burst from terraced gardens above the sea. The narrow steps that serve as streets demand a certain surrender from every visitor. You cannot rush here. The town refuses to be hurried. Every descent toward the sparkling Tyrrhenian water offers another postcard […]
Categories: Cities, Italy, Nature, Nature, Sea Sites, Sights, Sights
Baroque facades in black volcanic stone line the streets of Acireale, a town perched on the eastern coast of Sicily where the lava flows of Mount Etna meet the Ionian Sea. The cathedral, dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul, displays intricate carvings and a campanile that rises high above the surrounding rooftops. But Acireale’s most […]
Categories: Islands, Italy, Nature, Sicily, Sights, Virtual Travel
A small village in the hills of northern Sicily, Scillato is the kind of place travellers pass through without noticing. That is a mistake. From this quiet base the Madonie Mountains rise to the south, their slopes covered in oak and chestnut forests. The coastal resorts of Cefalù and Campofelice lie a short drive north. […]
Honey-hued limestone glows golden in the Sicilian sunset as you stand among ancient Greek columns overlooking the Ionian Sea. Taormina clings to a dramatic hillside where human genius and natural beauty converge in breathtaking harmony. The Teatro Antico frames Mount Etna like a postcard come to life, its stage still hosting performances beneath a sky […]
Gold covers nearly every surface inside Monreale Cathedral. Six thousand four hundred square metres of Byzantine mosaics tell stories from the Old and New Testaments. The figures stare down from the walls with enormous eyes, their robes shimmering in the dim light. King William II built this cathedral in the twelfth century to outshine the […]
Categories: Islands, Italy, Nature, Religious Monuments, Sicily, Sights, Sights, Virtual Travel
Portoferraio curves around a natural harbour on the northern coast of Elba. White buildings climb the hillsides beneath the gaze of ancient fortresses. Napoleon spent his first exile here, and his presence lingers in the Villa dei Mulini and the Villa San Martino. Ferries from the mainland arrive daily, disgorging travellers eager to explore the […]
Categories: Cities, Islands, Italy, Nature, Nature, Sights, Sights
The Nebrodi Mountains stretch across northeastern Sicily in a green wall that surprises most visitors. This region holds the largest forested area on the island, a fact that surprises those knowing Sicily only for sun-scorched coastlines. Ancient beech and oak forests cloak the slopes. Wild horses roam the high pastures. Black Nebrodi pigs root through […]
Categories: Islands, Italy, Mountains, Nature, Nature, Sicily
The limestone ridge of Monte Cofano rises sharply from the turquoise sea, its cliffs streaked with ancient fossils and scattered with wild thyme. Below, hidden coves of white pebbles give way to water so clear that the shadows of fish flicker against the seabed. Kestrels circle overhead, riding the thermal currents that warm the Sicilian […]
Categories: Islands, Italy, Mountains, Nature, Nature, Nature Reserves, Sicily, Virtual Travel
Whitewashed buildings climb the hillside above the Tyrrhenian Sea, their balconies draped with bougainvillea. Scalea stretches along the Calabrian coast, offering long sandy beaches that slope gently into warm, shallow water. The historic centre, known as Scalea Superiore, sits higher on the ridge, a maze of narrow alleys and stone stairways that lead to small […]
Categories: Italy, Nature, Nature, Sea Sites, Sights, Virtual Travel
Selinunte is one of the most spectacular ancient Greek archaeological sites in the Mediterranean, yet it remains far quieter than the crowded ruins of Athens or Pompeii. Located on the southwest coast of Sicily, this vast city was founded in the seventh century BC by Greek colonists and grew into a powerful trading centre before […]