The Mediterranean crashes against golden sand as the Rocca looms overhead, a massive limestone promontory that has watched over this fishing town for millennia. Cefalù is the kind of place where life moves at the pace of the tide. Narrow alleyways wind past pastel coloured houses, laundry fluttering from wrought iron balconies. The Cathedral, a […]
You lie flat in a small rowboat as the oarsman guides you through a tiny opening in the cliff face. Then the world turns blue. The Blue Grotto glows with an ethereal sapphire light, as if the sea itself is lit from beneath. Sunlight enters through an underwater cavity and reflects through the water to […]
Categories: Caves, Islands, Italy, Nature, Nature, Sea Sites
Stromboli is not merely an island, it is a living volcano that has been erupting continuously for over two thousand years, earning the nickname Lighthouse of the Mediterranean. Rising from the Tyrrhenian Sea off the northern coast of Sicily, this small Aeolian island offers one of Europe most extraordinary natural spectacles: watching molten rock explode […]
Categories: Islands, Italy, Nature, Nature, Sicily, Volcanoes
Perched on a volcanic hillside above the Ionian Sea, the Castello di San Marco commands a view that stretches from the Bay of Calatabiano to the smoking summit of Mount Etna. This medieval fortress bears the scars of centuries: Norman foundations, Aragonese additions, and the quiet patience of stone that has outlasted every dynasty that […]
Categories: Castles and Palaces, Islands, Italy, Nature, Religious Monuments, Sicily, Sights, Sights
The ferry cuts through the Tyrrhenian Sea toward a cluster of volcanic islands that rise from the water like black jewels. The Aeolian Islands smell of salt and sulphur and wild Mediterranean herbs. Each island has its own personality. Stromboli glows orange at night as lava tumbles down its slope. Lipari offers white pumice beaches […]
Categories: Islands, Italy, Nature, Nature, Sicily, Volcanoes
Twice each summer, Siena’s Piazza del Campo transforms into a medieval battlefield. The Palio is not a costume party. It is a bare-knuckle horse race between seventeen contrade, the city’s historic neighbourhoods, and the competition is fierce. Jockeys ride bareback around a dirt track laid over the cobblestones, whipping each other as often as they […]
Categories: Italy, Sights, Wellness, Relax & Sports
The ferry glides across Lago Maggiore, past reedy islands and palatial villas reflected in the still water. The Borromean Islands emerge slowly from the mist, each one a different chapter in a story of aristocratic ambition and natural beauty. Isola Bella rises like a stone ship, its baroque palace and terraced gardens overflowing with white […]
Categories: Cities, Islands, Italy, Lakes, Nature, Nature, Rome, Sights
High in the Italian Alps, surrounded by some of Europe’s tallest peaks, lies a city that began as a Roman military camp. Aosta is often called the Rome of the Alps, and the comparison is justified. The Arch of Augustus still stands proudly at the edge of the old town. The Roman Theatre remains an […]
Categories: Cities, Italy, Mountains, Nature, Rome, Sights, Sights
Lake Maggiore stretches across the border between Italy and Switzerland and its western shore holds some of the most beautiful gardens in Europe. The Borromean Islands float on the lake surface like green ships anchored in blue water. Isola Bella carries a palace and terraced gardens that cascade down to the lake in a series […]
Dark green water laps against the bases of villas that have hosted poets, composers, and film stars for two centuries. Lake Como curves through the Lombard foothills like an inverted Y, its banks lined with gardens that bloom from March through October. Bellagio sits at the junction of the three branches, its alleyways climbing steeply […]
Categories: Cities, Italy, Lakes, Nature, Nature, Rome, Sights, Virtual Travel
