Travel News January 2021


VIRTUAL HOLIDAY SHOW 23


FROM THE MOUNTAINS AND LAKES TO THE SEA


I Cycling is the best way to move around in the city and enjoy it as a tourist Check Out Italy’s Best Art Cities to Explore by Bicycle


IN flat cities, the bicycle has always been the most common means of transport and it is still so today, thanks to cycling lanes, bike-sharing systems and an increasingly green approach.


Cycling is the best way to move around in the city but


also to enjoy the city as a tourist: what about feeling the breeze in your hair and the sense of freedom? There’s no comparison! What’s more, by bike you can cover long distances quickly and with little effort, it is cheap and you don’t have to worry about parking. If you like cycling, these eight Italian art cities are just perfect for exploration on two wheels.


Ferrara


Ferrara, the city of the Este family, boasts an amazing historical center that is Unesco World heritage site, rich in Renaissance squares and buildings – the Castello Estense, the Town Hall, the Diamond Palace, the Cathedral – and has had a bike friendly character for a long time: the first cycling lane was accomplished in 1908. One third of its inhabitants move by bicycle and there are many events and itineraries for cyclists anywhere in the area. If you want to cycle in the middle of nature, you just have to go a little south of Ferrara, in the Po Delta Park: there are plenty of easy itineraries between land and water, where you can enjoy a real safari by bicycle among cormorants, deers and wild horses.


Mantua


The bicycle is perfect to visit downtown Mantua, the jewel of the Gonzaga family: you can easily move around from the Ducal Palace to Palazzo Te, Piazza delle Erbe and the Basilica. Exploring the surroundings of the city on the two wheels is also convenient and full of interesting itineraries: the lakefronts, Bosco Fontana and Bosco della Carpaneta, the Mincio River Nature Reserve, the Forcello Archeological Park, or the Unesco Cycleway from Mantua to Sabbioneta, UNESCO World Heritage site together with Mantua, and the Mincio Cycling Lane, from downtown Mantua to Peschiera, on Lake Garda (43,5 km long).


Lucca


The historical center of Lucca is a huge cycling and pedestrian area away from cars. The bicycle is the best way to visit Piazza dell’Anfiteatro, the Ducal Palace, the Clock Tower, Piazza San Michele and the Cathedral and especially to have the full tour of the old city walls: the walls itinerary is about 4,5 km long with several points where you can rent a bike. The route offers many convenient slopes to access the city center. By bicycle, you can also get to the villas and churches in the surroundings, like Villa Oliva and Villa Grabau.


Vicenza With riding a bike, you can easily visit the city center


of Vicenza – from the Basilica Palladiana to the Palazzo del Capitanio, from the Olympic Theatre to the Cathedral – and the wonderful Renaissance buildings that earned the city the Unesco world heritage title: the Palladian Villas, a masterpiece by architect Palladio. Along routes at the foot of the Berici Hills and cycling lanes like the Riviera Berica Cycling Lane (36 km), a former railway line, you leave Vicenza flanking Villa La Rotonda by Palladio until Noventa Vicentina, where a must-do stop is Villa Barbarigo-Loredan-Rezzonico,


or along the Bacchiglione Ceresone Cycleway (31 km) connecting Vicenza to Padua.


Parma A small bike-friendly town, Italian capital of culture


in 2020, Parma is ideal for exploration on two wheels: unmissable stopovers are the Ducal Palace and the Ducal Park, the museum complex of Palazzo della Pilotta, and the heart of the city, Piazza Duomo with the Cathedral and the Baptistery. An easy, quiet excursion by bike from Parma is to the Torrechiara Castle, of the late medieval period, consisting of a 36 km-long flat path. Along the way, the hamlet of Vigatto, with the Church of St Peter and Villa Meli Lupi, is also worth a visit. An interesting tour is the loop in the lands of Giuseppe Verdi through cycling lanes in the districts of Soragna, San Secondo, Roccabianca, Zibello and Busseto, where famous composer Giuseppe Verdi was born.


Pesaro and the “Bicipolitana” Eco-sustainable


mobility is a special feature


of Pesaro that conceived an odd project: the Bicipolitana, a network of cycling lanes divided in different lines organized as a metro network. The blue line connects the Port to Fosso Sejore, on the seaside, the green line Baia Flaminia to Borgo Santa Maria along the Foglia River, the yellow line the city center to Pantano, for a total of twelve lines with new ones under construction. Line 1, instead, crosses the heart of the historical center, passing through Piazza del Popolo, the birth house of well-known composer Gioacchino Rossini and the Miralfiore Park.


The Spoleto-Norcia-Assisi Cycleway


In Umbria, you can have an amazing journey on two wheels along the cycling lane between Spoleto, Norcia and Assisi, among the region’s major historical and artistic beauties. Mainly flat, this route unwinds in a scenic setting dotted with mild hills, often along waterways. The leg from Spoleto to Assisi is about 50 km long to which you can add the 50 km-long itinerary of the former railway line Spoleto – Norcia, with gentle slopes and a bumpy track. Impressive stopovers along the cycle-way include Trevi, enlisted in the association of Italy’s most beautiful villages, Bevagna, an old town with a lovely medieval square, and the Pissignano Castle.


Trento and Rovereto Trento has a millenary historical center that can be


easily visited by bike: starting from Piazza Duomo, with the Cathedral and the frescoed buildings, Palazzo Pretorio and the Civic Tower, and then shifting to the Buonconsiglio Castle and MUSE, the science museum. The beautiful Vallagarina Cycling lane heads south flanking the shores of the Adige River arrives at Rovereto (30 km), with its downtown with a Venetian atmosphere, seat of the unmissable MART, the contemporary and modern art museum of Trento and Rovereto. The cycling lane continues to the south for more 20 kilometers, among vineyards and panoramic views, until Avio, where is the Sabbionara Castle; alternatively, in Rovereto you can take the Adige- Garda cycling lane, from the beautiful village of Mori to Torbole, from where you pedal along the lake until Riva del Garda.


N all its territorial variety, Italy boasts a large number of beautiful and evocative mountain localities, ideal for visiting any time of year, whether summer or winter.


From north to south, the Italian mountain scene offers tourists a range of landscapes: lakes at high altitutude, incredible forests, enchanting villages and borgoes rich in history, traditions and, of course, gastronomic pleasures. Sports, fun and relaxation marry themselves perfectly well in a mountain vacation in the Bel Paese, both amidst snow or in the conditions of fairer seasons. The major part of Italy’s mountain retreats also invite visitors to experience a wide array of cultural and outdoor activities each season: ski, alpine skiing, snowboarding, trekking and Nordic walking, mountain biking… not to mention excellent structures for ice skating, swimming, tennis, horseback riding… the list just goes on! The large European mountain range - the Alps - rises


in the northernmost extremity of Italy, defining the geographical boundary. The imposing Alpine ridge passes through a number of regions, from Liguria to the Valle d’Aosta, Piedmont, Lombardy, Trentino Alto Adige, Veneto, and Friuli Venezia Giulia. Italy has many lakes;


in fact, there are over a


thousand, renowned for their incomparable beauty and each is characteriSed by distinct features. Lakes Garda, Maggiore, and Como, now well-known throughout the world, have become ideal destinations for spending some time in the sun and in close contact with nature. Italy’s major lakes are fully equipped and offer a range of accommodation facilities. The beaches provide all the comforts and are suitable for bathing. In addition to relaxing, visitors can have fun testing their skills with a variety of outdoor activities. Several water sports are offered: water skiing, canoeing, windsurfing, sailing, scuba diving, and even fishing, with national level competitions. Sports such as golf, horseback riding, and mountain biking are also offered almost everywhere. A lakeside holiday also allows tourists to discover the surrounding areas, which are full of history and traditions.


Italy’s lakes create enchanting landscapes thanks to the extraordinarily prosperous ecosystems that have developed over the millennia, and the evolution of the many and various plant and animal species. Small Alpine lakes, which are quite common in high-altitude areas, are excellent destinations for exciting hikes to explore breathtaking landscapes. Visitors have a world of emotions to explore, following their instinct and their passions, savouring fragrances and tastes. A lakeside vacation gives guests the rare opportunity to discover and enjoy Italy’s charm, reflected in cool, pristine waters. The great lakes, Lakes Como, Maggiore and Garda, are the largest lakes in Italy, they have always been a major holiday destination, and their fame has never stopped growing. • Lake Garda - Lombardy, Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige • Lake Maggiore - Piedmont, Lombardy • Lake Como - Lombardy • Lake Trasimeno - Umbria • Lake Bolsena - Lazio • Lake Iseo - Lombardy • Lake Bracciano - Lazio • Lake Lesina - Apulia • Lake Lugano - Lombardy • The Sea


With its approximately 4,660 mi of coastline, Italy is the ideal place for water lovers. The wide variety of its beaches makes it perfect for every type of holidaymaker in search of nature, fun, and rest and relaxation. The Italian coast, with its countless gulfs, coves and inlets, touristic ports and long, sandy beaches, is truly adapted to the water lover’s every demand. It is chock-full of fishing villages, and coastal cities with sea resorts and day beaches - much of it easily reachable by car, train and planes, and vessels large and small.From North to South, East to West, this mountainous land slopes into the rocky, indented coasts of the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas in the west and southeast respectively, and toward the softer, sandier shores of the Adriatic in the east. From these seas that wash up upon the “beautiful country” surge two magnificent islands – Sicily and Sardinia – in addition to numerous tiny archipelagos. These include the Tuscan Archipelago, to which Elba belongs;


the Archipelago of the Maddalena in Sardinia; the Campanian Archipelago with Ischia and Capri; and finally the Pontine Islands off the southern shores of Lazio. Between the coasts of Tunisia and Sicily, we also find the Pelagian (Lampedusa) Islands and, to Sicily’s north, the Aeolians – with two active volcanoes, Stromboli and Vulcano – and the Egadi Islands, a natural reserve. Last but not least, in Puglia, there are the splendid Islands of Tremiti. From Liguria to the Maritime Alps (west of Genova) and the Appenine zone of Liguria, the foothills of the Alpine Mountains push out and brush the waves that lap at the Italian Riviera. With their high and rocky cliffs, these rugged coasts are rich with gorgeous nooks, crannies and deep, deep sea-beds. The marvels of nature do not stop there. This area is a paradise for numerous animal species and for humans alike: whether you want to watch nature or seek the thrill of water sports, you can enjoy a variety of activities in both the protected areas of Cinque Terre and Poets’ Gulf. The beaches on the Tuscan coast are lower and sandier even though it comprises the coast of the Apuan Alps, Versilia, littoral Pisa and the Etruscan Coast. All these spots have seen vibrant touristic activity since the 1960s. The rather well-known Islands of Elba and Capraia lie about 12 mi off the region’s coast, and although they make up part of the Tuscan Archipelago, they reside in the Ligurian Sea. Continuing along the shores that line the Tyrrhenian,


one finds the Maremma, Lazio and then Campania, in large part low and sandy in character but with random, rocky peninsulas that almost meet the edge of the Pontine Islands.


Going further south, the Bay of Naples eventually


opens itself up to the Sea, followed by the Amalfi Coast, the Gulf of Salerno and the high, rocky promontory of Cilento. This wonderfully lofty and jagged terrain continues almost all the way to the Strait of Messina that separates Sicily from the rest of the Continent. The Southern Coasts bathing in the Ionian Sea, resemble the shorelines sitting on the Tyrrhenian Sea: steep and precipitous bluffs where the Appennine Range is closest to the sea, and uniform, consistent where Calabria and Basilicata move toward Apulia, near the mouth of the River Po.


Excluding the promontories of Monte Gargano and Mount Conero, the littoral zone awash in the Adriatic Sea is made up of an immense sandy swathe of land, naturally the location for many seaside establishments.


The largest Italian island, Sicily, is edged by a mountainous, serrated coastline in the north and east (as in Taormina), and by flatter shores in the south and west (think the Trapani Coast and Egadi Islands). Sicily, too, is covered in natural reserves and breathtaking landscapes. The region is absolutely astonishing, as are all its surrounding islets, where vacationers flock from every part of the world. It is also in the Tyrrhenian Sea that we find the Island


of Sardinia, where the shores are varyingly rocky and smooth (Costa Smeralda). Giant boulders, as well as other islands large and small (e.g. Maddalena, Caprera), make up the off-shore landscape of Sardinia.


Manarola is a small town, a frazione of the comune of Riomaggiore, in the province of La Spezia, Liguria, northern Italy. It is the second- smallest of the famous Cinque Terre towns frequented by tourists, with a population of 353


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