Why not surprise your loved one with a romantic one-night escape at the luxury Baglio Oneto Resort in Sicily? Every couple has its own sweet rituals when it comes to a special gift:  a thought, a card, or maybe a little help with the household chores. But a special holiday is a gift that everyone appreciates! Like a stay fit for a prince and a princess at the Baglio Oneto dei Principi di San Lorenzo Luxury Wine Resort in Marsala. 

A suite in the tower

The historic Baglio Resort, set in the countryside near Marsala and a short distance from the sea, is a romantic location with authentic charm. The room awaiting the lucky couple is the exclusive suite in the 18th-century crenelated tower with its terracotta floors, wooden beams and an antique wrought iron bed crafted by local artisans. The terrace on the roof of the tower is made for relaxing and has incomparable views of the and the Stagnone Nature Reserve. 

 

A visit to the winery and an aperitif before dinner 

The offer includes one night in the suite with a bottle of sparkling wine in the room, a visit to the estate’s winery, a wine and olive oil tasting with typical products, an aperitif at sunset and dinner in the Baglio’s historical court or in the Casa Padronale residence. Breakfast, can also be served in the room. The cost is from €790 per couple and there is free cancellation up to 24 hours before the scheduled arrival date.  

The Versilia region in Liguria is framed by the Apuan Alps, which have hiking trails and awesome caves and, in next to no time you can drive from the beach to peaks that rise to nearly 2,000 metres. The Apuan Alps provide spectacular views that are hard to believe, so close are they to the sea. The Versilia is therefore an ideal destination for those who enjoy both the sea and the mountains.

Famous marble quarries and 1,300 caves

Rugged peaks with slopes that have paths, shelters, and railway tracks. The area is also well-known for extracting the famous marble that's sold all over the world. And it was this mining activity that attracted Michelangelo to the area, where he stayed for quite a few years. Then there are the over 1,300 caves; the Antro del Corchia and the Grotta del Vento being particularly notable. These trails throughout the Apuan mountain complex are all well-signposted and well-maintained.

The Apuan Alps' most important trails

The Alta Via, or runs from Castelpoggio (MS) to Casoli (LU). Garfagnana Trekking (GT), which departs from Castelnuovo Garfagnana and crosses part of the Apuan Alps, is reserved for experienced hikers and consists of six stages of six hours each. This is a circular trail for experienced hikers only. The path's official name is GT; Alta Versilia Path (SAV), and it follows old mule tracks. The distance from Seravezza to the starting point can be covered (in part) by mountain bike.

 

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Italy’s largest underground cave 

The Antro del Corchia cave was discovered in 1840 and is now the largest known underground environment in Italy, as well as one of the largest in Europe. It is a karst complex and is still being discovered, with about 70 kilometres of tunnels and halls explored and mapped so far. The maximum height difference is 1,200 metres. 

Quicksilver mines, marble quarries and traditional foods

Up to now some 20 entrances have been discovered, but ongoing research will continue to reveal this complex of tunnels in Monte Corchia's marble heart. In comparison to the nearby Grotta del Vento in Garfagnana, it is a new tourist attraction having opened only in 2001. The caves are also part of a larger complex called Corchia Park, which also includes fascinating quicksilver mines and marble quarries. And to put the cherry on the cake, some of Versilia's best traditional restaurants are to be found in the area.

Both Porto Pollo, and Punta Trettu have ideal kitesurfing conditions. Porto Pollo, which is some 35 km from Olbia between Palau and Santa Teresa, is a small kitesurfing paradise. This is one of Sardinia’s most renowned spots for kitesurfing thanks to the intensity and frequency of the wind that blows from the Strait of Bonifacio, with days of winds at between 20 and 30 knots for about seven months a year.

Two half-moon bays with blue seas and white sands

A long strip of land connects the coast of Sardinia to the small Isola dei Gabbiani, forming two half-moon bays with blue seas and white sands which are a surfer’s paradise. The prevalence of winds from the north-west and north-west guarantee flat water in one bay and choppy, small waves in the other. So there is something for everyone!

Punta Trettu has a lagoon with crystal-clear water

Heading towards the south of the Sardinian coast, in the municipality of San Giovanni Suergiu we find a 600-metre strip of sand known as Punta Trettu (meaning narrow tip) which ends in a lagoon of crystal-clear water. The coast here is super flat and exposed to winds from all directions: mistral, west, sirocco, east and libeccio.

The mistral wind, which blows mainly during the summer, is often strengthened by the thermal wind, giving it between five and ten knots more than expected. The thermal wind also acts on the sirocco, which is always tense and clean, and mainly present in the months of September and October. The shallow and sandy seabed makes Punta Trettu a perfect playground for freestyle lovers, and an ideal choice for those taking their first steps with kitesurfing.

For cyclists, Pisa means the Arno river bridges, gardens like San Gallo, the mediaeval walls surrounding Pisan Romanesque monuments, but also the contemporary art of Keith Haring, who chose Pisa in 1989 for his powerful mural Tuttomondo. 

Trails to beaches and pine forests

Pedaling for two or three hours (about 12 kilometres) from the city’s famous Piazza dei Miracoli there are gastronomic delights around every corner like the famous cecina snacks. The new Trammino trail on some 30 kilometres from the centre to the beach is very popular. It passes through the countryside and pine forests to then descend towards the sea with the tourist port and wooden stilt houses which are still-in-use fishing scales.

Fields of lavender in June and July

Terre di Pisa has some moderately demanding cycle loops to ride in stages while exploring the flavours and aromas of the area. The villas of Crespina, Fauglia, and Lari and the Castello dei Vicari were frequented by the Macchiaioli painters, and this unique landscape is one of the most photographed in Tuscany.  In June and July nature lovers should not miss the lavender fields between Orciano Pisano and Santa Luce.

A two-day trail between Pisa and Lucca

The Monte Pisano ring is more demanding, but very stimulating for passionate bikers: 77 kilometres over two days of paths, mule tracks and dirt roads. This is a landscape of fortresses and towers between Pisa and Lucca, where you can enjoy the locally-produced organic extra virgin olive oil, 

The Larderello geothermal springs  

There are numerous nature reserves in the area, from the Berignone to the Monterufoli-Caselli, to the Montenero. In all 7,100 hectares of a protected paradise and outside this oasis you find the geothermal springs in Larderello. This is the world capital of geothermal energy, with the fascinating natural phenomenon of boraciferous fumaroles.

Food, wine, and oil are among the main motivators for cyclists, and while Tuscany has an endless supply of delectable itineraries, Terre di Pisa has one more: white truffle hunting in San Miniato. San Miniato is a slow-food city where they hold Italy’s most important white truffle market exhibition. It comes at the end of a 100-kilometre circuit with a moderately demanding altitude difference of 1,450 metres that crosses the Via Francigena. 

The Tharros archaeological site is a vast open-air museum on the western coast of Sardinia where you can discover over two millennia of history.

The ruins of the ancient city, founded in the 8th century BC and abandoned in the 11th century AD,  are in the southern part of the Sinis peninsula, in the municipality Cabras, just a few kilometres from the coastal city of Oristano. This open air museum is a natural amphitheatre overlooking the sea and bordered by the isthmus of Capo San Marco and by the hills of San Giovanni di Sinis and su Murru Mannu, on top of which you find ancient remains of a Nuragic village. 

Two Phoenician necropolises and ancient walls

There are also remains of two Phoenician necropolises and the Tophet which is a cemetery where urns containing the cremated remains of babies and sacrificial animals were once placed. Thousands of artifacts of funerary objects were found in the tombs in the necropolises including ceramics, jewels, amulets and scarabs. Under Punic rule, the districts of Tharros, including the artisan area specialized in iron metallurgy in Montiferru, spread out across terraces on the hills of San Giovanni, where the defensive walls of the fortified city begin. 

Ancient temples with Egyptian influences

The temple built here was partially dismantled in the Imperial Age and a new sanctuary, one of the many the Romans added to the city, was built. In Temple K, consisting of a portico and an altar with an Egyptian groove frame, we can see the reuse of two blocks with engraved Semitic letters, pertinent to a probable (pre-existing) Temple of Punic Inscriptions.

You can imagine what life was like here 2000 years ago

The city was transformed over time to an orthogonal plan with regular paved streets and an impressive, articulated sewage system. Walking down these streets today you can clearly imagine what people’s lives were like here two thousand years ago. In pride of place they built three thermal plants close to the sea. In the early Middle Ages parts of the baths became Byzantine burial areas while others were transformed into an early Christian complex including a baptistery (5th-6th century AD) and a sanctuary. 

Parts of the ancient Roman aqueduct are still standing

You can still admire parts of the Roman aqueduct, in particular the castellum aquae, a distribution tank divided into three naves by pillars in the city centre.   After the 19th-century scientific excavations, investigations resumed in the mid-20th century and they continue today, bringing to light new finds on this extraordinary site.   

The rocky promontory of Capo Vaticano, on the east coast of Italy’s Calabria region at the toe of Italy has landscapes of indescribable beauty. These unfold along seven kilometres of crystal-clear waters, tinged with all shades of blue ranging from turquoise to deep cobalt. A series of sandy-bottomed coves alternate with rocky spurs, with sheer and sharp granite cliffs overlooking the sea, and there are many gorges and caves that can only be reached by boat with the help of expert local fishermen.

“The third most beautiful beach in Italy”

The French magazine Les Grands Voyageurs calls Capo Vaticano “the third most beautiful beach in Italy and among the hundred most beautiful beaches in the world,” and Condè Nast’s Traveler puts Capo Vaticano’s beach among the top “10 Best Hidden Beaches in Italy.” Known for its truly unique sunsets and uncontaminated seabed both the Capo Vaticano promontory and the Costa degli Dei coast and its hinterland are packed with history and age-old traditions.

Scuba diving and mild weather 

For those who decide to visit Capo Vaticano, make sure you don’t miss the many little bays and beaches, some of which can only be reached by sea. There are also many panoramic viewpoints from which you can see the Calabrian-Tyrrhenian coast, the Strait of Messina, Sicily with Mount Etna and the Aeolian Islands, and of course the sunsets are quite unique. The waters are also ideal for scuba diving, and the area enjoys a particular microclimate with mild and breezy weather that favours the cultivation of the region’s famous red onion.

Federalberghi and Faita-Federcamping have signed a memorandum of understanding, committing to achieve better protection for businesses, and expanding the range of assistance and consultancy services offered to members.

Focussing on the dissemination of good practices

The agreement also envisages the implementation of special projects, with a particular focus on the dissemination of good practices in the areas of accessibility, sustainability and digitalisation. On-going training for workers and entrepreneurs, and the link between businesses and the technical and professional education and training system are also envisaged in the understanding.

“Members will have more effective and incisive tools” 

Bernabò Bocca, president of Federalberghi, stressed that "With this new agreement, members will have more effective and incisive tools with which to resurrect their businesses. In addition, they will be able to increase the quality of services for customers; the aim being to help tourism emerge from the deep crisis occasioned by the effects of the pandemic."

The Costa Viola is a strip of land in the province of Reggio Calabria that stretches for about 35 kilometres and includes the towns of Palmi, Bagnara Calabra and Scilla. It has become a major attraction for tourists who love the sea as well as for trekking and diving enthusiasts. The name Costa Viola was given to the area in ancient times, and it certainly represents the unique colour of the coastline at sunset when the cobalt-blue sea acquires deep hues as it reflects the light of the setting sun. 

Coastal terraces with orderly vineyards

The beaches along the coast have many cliffs and caves, but also an uncontaminated ecosystem and the seabed, which has all the magic of a tropical destination, confirms the Costa Viola as a place not to be missed. Other distinctive elements are the terraces overhanging the sea with orderly vineyards, and the typical Mediterranean scrub vegetation covering many of the slopes.

Bagnara Calabra and its seafaring 

It was the Normans who decided to build Bagnara Calabra, a town whose history is linked to fishing and in particular to swordfish. History buffs who wish to get a complete overview of the events that have left their mark on the town over the centuries will find many documents shedding light on the past in the Church of the Confraternity of the Rosary. 

Traditional swordfish fishing from May to August

Like Palmi, Bagnara Calabra has several kilometres of beach, green cliffs and terraces and its maritime tradition is celebrated every year between May and August with the traditional swordfish fishing. Tourists who choose the Costa Viola for a few days of relaxation can also admire the inlets and the natural Grotta del Monaco and Grotta delle Rondini caves in Bagnara. As far as historical monuments are concerned from the Ruggiero Tower, a building on the rocky 'uCucuzzo mountain, there are particularly stunning views. 

Scilla and its famous stone cathedrals

Another enchanting village along the Costa Viola is Scilla, whose beauty has earned it the name Pearl of the Coast. The Ruffo Castle, a fortress dating back to the 14th century in the village of Chianalea, dominates the scene in this seaside resort. Another famous attraction are the Secche di Scilla stone cathedrals. Scilla's beaches extend for several hundred metres and alternate between coarse-grained sand and gravel, creating a fascinating visual effect. 

Crystal clear waters and popular beaches

The seawater, as in other parts of the Costa Viola, is crystal clear and one of the most popular beaches is the Spiaggia delle Sirene, which stretches between Punta Pacì and the Ruffo Castle. If, in addition to relaxing by the sea, your intention is also to visit the main monuments, in addition to Scilla’s castle don’t miss the Church of the Immaculate Conception and the Baroque Church of the Holy Spirit. 

Caves with fossils, stalactites and stalagmites

From the town you can easily reach the Tremusa caves, in the centre of Melia. On the walls of these caves you will find fossils, the so-called Shells of Pecten, dating back to the Pleistocene, as well as stalactites and stalagmites. If time permits then Borgo di Chianalea is ready to surprise. Called the Little Venice of the South, this village consists of little houses built directly on the rocks which, in ancient days, were inhabited almost exclusively by local fishermen.