Nature

The Italian parks consist of land, sea, river or lake containing one or more ecosystems intact or even partially altered by man-made interventions. One or more natural formations, geological, geomorphological, biological, national interest or international naturalistic , Scientific, cultural, aesthetic, educational values to justify the intervention of the State for their conservation.

The National Parks currently enrolled are 22.

Abruzzi National Park - credit: cincinnato

The 22 national parks covering a total area of approximately 1 million and four hundred thousand hectares (14,000 square kilometre), corresponding to about 5% of the national territory.

Historical Parks

• National Park d’Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise (1922)
• National Park of Gran Paradiso (1922)
• National Park of Circeo (1934)
• National Park of Stelvio (1935)
• National Park of Calabria (1968)
• National Park of Aspromonte (1989)

The Dolomites - credit: dlanham

Created in ‘90

• National Park of Dolomiti Bellunesi (1990)
• National Park of Gran Sasso e Monti ofla Laga (1991)
• National Park of Cilento e Vallo di Diano (1991)
• National Park of Majella (1991)
• National Park of Gargano (1991)
• National Park of Val Grande (1992)
• National Park of Pollino (1993)
• National Park of Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona e Campigna (1993)
• National Park of Monti Sibillini (1993)
• National Park Arcipelago of Maddalena (1994)
• National Park of Vesuvio (1995)
• National Park Arcipelago Toscano (1996)
• National Park of Asinara (1997)

The Cinque Terre - credit: chuntera

Created in ‘00

• National Park of Cinque Terre (1999)
• National Park of Golfo di Orosei e of Gennargentu (1998)
• National Park of Appennino Tosco-Emiliano (2001)
• National Park of Sila (2002)
• National Park of Alta Murgia (istituito nel 2004)
• National Park of Val d’Agri e Lagonegrese (istituito nel febbraio 2008)

Volcanoes

Italy is also known for the presence of numerous volcanoes, the most famous are Vesuvius near Naples, Etna near Catania which with its 3323 m is the highest volcano in Europe, and Stromboli.

Here a list of the main volcanoes of Italy

Latium (Lazio)

• Vulsini
• Cimini
• Sabatini
• Tolfa
• Colli Albani

Isole Pontine

• Ponza
• Palmarola
• Ventotene e S.Stefano

South of Italy

• Roccamonfina
• Campi Flegrei e Procida
• Ischia
• Vesuvio

Sicily

Mount Etna Eruption - credit: CyboRoZ

Etna (Muncibeddu in Sicilian) is an active volcano which is located on the east coast of Sicily (Italy), between Catania and Messina. It is the highest active volcano on the European continent and one of the largest in the world. Its height varies over time because of its eruptions, but is currently about 3,340 m. s.l.m. Its diameter is about 45 km.

Stromboli Volcano Eruption - credit: astilly

The Aeolian Islands, also known as Lipari Islands are an archipelago of volcanic origin, located in the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the province of Messina, north coast sicula. They include two active volcanoes, Stromboli and Vulcano. The islands attract up to 200,000 visitors annually. The Aeolian islands have been designated World Heritage Site by UNESCO for volcanic phenomena, but this appointment is likely to be withdrawn because of planned construction of a new large marina at Lipari.

The Aeolian Islands are:

• Stromboli
• Vulcano
• Lipari
• Salina
• Panarea
• Filicudi
• Alicudi

Cities and villages

The Dome of Florence - credit: Pluca

1. Rome - Roma
2. Venice - Venezia
3. Florence - Firenze
4. Turin - Torino
5. Milan - Milano
6. Naples - Napoli
7. Bologna
8. Perugia
9. Genoa - Genova
10. Padua - Padova

Archaeological sites

ABRUZZO
Scavi di Alba Fucens
Scavi di Lanciano

BASILICATA
La ” Città of Sassi “
Scavi di Melfi

CALABRIA
Scavi di Sibari
Scavi di Locri Epizephiri

CAMPANIA
Napoli centro storico e Crypta Neapolitana
L’area archeologica di Baia

EMILIA ROMAGNA
Zona Archeologica di Reggio Emilia
Zona Archeologica di Budrio

FRIULI VEN. GIULIA
Itinerario Archeologico di Aquileia-Grado
Scavi di Udine e provincia

LAZIO
Ceccano e l’antica Fregellae
I Castelli Romani

LIGURIA
L’antica città di Luna
Scavi: Finale Ligure - Savona

LOMBARDIA
Scavi archeologici di S.Andrea
Montevecchia Preistorica

MARCHE
L’archeologia di Cingoli - Camerino -
Zona archeologica di Suasa

MOLISE
l’Abbazia di San Vincenzo al Volturno
Isernia La Pineta

PIEMONTE
Scavi di Viverone e la ‘pietra fica’
Scavi nell’alta Val Tanaro

PUGLIA
L’antica Gnatia
Ruvo di Puglia Museo e Cattedrale

SARDEGNA
La Sardegna: il museo a cielo aperto
Grotta verde - Grotta di Nettuno

SICILIA
Gli scavi di Cittadella
Archeologia nella provincia di Trapani

TOSCANA
Gli scavi di Pisa
Zone archeologiche della Garfagnana

TRENTINO ALTO ADIGE
Sito archeologico di Dos Castel
Le palafitte di Ledro e Fiavè

UMBRIA
Le Mummie, l’Abbazia e le Chiese di Ferentillo
L’antica Otricoli

VALLE D’AOSTA
Museo archeologico Regionale
Zona archeologica d’Aosta

VENETO
Gli scavi di Belluno - Mel - Feltre
L’area archeologica of Veneto

You can practice different types of activities:

• Trekking
• Hiking
• Moderate walking tours
• Mountain biking
• Cycling
• Horse back riding
• Winter sports

Ther's more then crowded tourist sites…there are 20 regions to visit and every single region has its particular attraction and culture to discover.

The Alps, the hills of Tuscany, the national parks, the volcanoes or the coastal ares are a little summary of all experience Italy could offer.

Top 10 adventure experiences:

1. Walking in the Cinque Terre
2. Explore the national park of Abruzzi
3. Winter sports in Dolomites
4. Hiking the "vie ferrate" in the Dolomites
5. The grand canyon of Sardinia
6. The lake district in Lombardy
7. Biking the Gargano in Apulia
8. Conquest the Europe's Tallest Volcano, Mount Etna

Adventure activities to practice

Hiking and walking tours

• National Parks have good hiking trails. Especially those in the mountain areas (Alps, Dolomites and Abruzzi region). Interesting are the "Vie ferrate" in the Dolomites.
• The Garda lake in Lombardy's lake district is another great spot for hiking.
• The heart of Italy, Tuscany and Umbria is an ideal region to join walking and cultural visit. The territory is rich of medieval cities (Florence, Pisa, Siena, etc…) and vine regions to taste the Italian cuisine.
• The Ligurian riviera with the Cinque terre (5 lands) is another good place for walking. It's a coast are formed by 5 little sea towns in the province of La Spezia.
• In the South of Italy worth a visit are the Amalfi coast in the Naples bay, the Gargano natural trails and Sicily with the majestic Mount Etna the tallest volcano of Europe.

Mtb and Cycling tours

Consider also that there is not a typical Italian cycling region…every single region offers this mix of experience.

Depending on your needs you could:

• Cycle with your family: In this case Tuscany, Apulia and Sicily are well
• Biking in mountain tracks or natural parks with your mountain bike: Choose Trentino, Veneto or Abruzzi.
• Combine food and cycling: In this case the top are Apulia, Emilia Romagna and the Chianti region in Tuscany.

The best regions to find your adventures

• Campania and the Amalfi coast. It's one of the Italy's main tourist destinations. It's famous for the presence of art, history and nature.
• Sicily islands and its 2 volcanoes: Etna and Stromboli
• Tuscany, the chianti region, Florence and Siena. It's famous for its cities like Florence, Siena, Pisa and their surroundings (Chianti, Hills, Towns). Who visits the Tuscan region must to visit: The  Via Francigena. An ancient road used to link North of Europe with Rome and Jerusalem.
• Veneto, Cortina and the Dolomites. Sure most people know this region for the presence of Venice.
• Liguria and the 5 terre. The Cinque Terre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's among the most popular tourist areas of Italy.
• Trentino Alto Adige - South Tyrol. The region is very famous for the presence of the Dolomites mountains. It's the ideal place where practice outdoor activities like winter sports, excursions, mountain biking etc…
• Apulia and Gargano. It's the heel of the Italian "boot" (Also called Salento peninsula) The region is rich of natural resources and parks. Gargano offers different natural environments. It's a place where find the routes of migratory birds between Europe and Africa.
• Abruzzi and the national park of Abruzzo. It's the region with the highest density of natural parks in Italy. The Main attraction of Abruzzi are mountains. Great during winter periods…but awesome during sprint, summer and autumn.
• Emilia Romagna, Bologna and the Apennines. The Emilia Romagna is one of the richest Italian regions. The capital is Bologna, well known for its cuisine tradition.
• Sardinia and the Gurroppu Gorges. Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily). Its unique natural landscape, history, and culture are well worth investigating.
• Lombardy and the Lake district. Lombardy is the richest region of Italy. Its capital is Milan.

Travel Ideas: Trekking in Sicily - Sicily Bike Tour - Tuscany Bike Tour - Tuscany Walking Tour

Italy is found on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe It shares its northern Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia.

The country is surrounded by the Ligurian Sea, the Sardinian Sea, and the Tyrrhenian Sea in the west, the Sicilian and Ionian Sea in the South, and Adraitic Sea in the East.

Italy has a very diverse landscape, but can be primarily described as mountainous including the Alpes and the Apennies mountain ranges that run through it.

How to Arrive in Italy by Air

• Milan - Malpensa (MXP) and Linate (LIN); The Malapensa Express train connects terminal one with the centre of Milan (journey time - 40 minutes). A free shuttle bus connects the airport terminals. Taxis are available.
• Bergamo (BGY - Orio al Serio)
• Rome - Fiumicino (FCO - Leonardo Da Vinci) and Ciampino (CIA). There is a direct rail link to Termini Station in central Rome and a bus service to the city centre and to Ciampino airport. Taxis are also available to the city.
• Bologna (BLQ – Guglielmo Marconi)
• Naples (NAP - Capodichino)
• Pisa (PSA - Galileo Galilei)
• Venice (VCE – Marco Polo)
• Turin (TRN – Sandro Pertini)

The national airline is Alitalia (AZ) (website: www.alitalia.com).

Getting There by Water

Main ports: Ancona (website: www.autoritaportuale.ancona.it), Brindisi (website: www.porto.br.it), Naples (website: www.porto.napoli.it) and Venice (website: www.port.venice.it).

Italian Freeway - credit: Marco DG

Getting Around

Given the excellent network of fairly cheap bus and train services in Italy, both are a great, stress-free way of seeing the country - and of being part of the great Italian travelling public. Bus travel is the less expensive of the two, but as there are many different operators it is less straightforward than train travel.

Your own wheels give you the most potential freedom and flexibility, although both fuel and autostrada (motorway) tolls are expensive. Domestic air travel can be costly and is worth it only if you are short of time.

By Road - Buses are fast and reliable, whether they are traversing local routes linking small villages or zooming along autostrade between cities.

There are many reasons to vacation in Italy: museums and ruins, Florence and Venice, pizza and pasta. But if you dare to leave the well-worn path you’re bound to discover some of Italy’s hidden jewels.

In Italy you find more than half of the art works and sights of the entire world. They are also varied, as they are expression of various historical eras, covering nearly 2,800 years. They are also the result of different societies and political realities. Half of this legacy can be found in Rome.

The Italian civilization was the first to stress the importance of cities. No other country in the world has so many towns, so different, so rich in art and history, and so beautiful.

Farm House in Trentino, Northern Italy- credit: ezioman

All over Italy, in picturesque hilltop hamlets where feudal counts once housed their serfs and stored their oil and wine, holidaymakers can now enjoy the comforts of modern living.

There are hundreds of these ”agriturismo” (Farm Houses) enterprises whose owners seek to secure the future of their estates by renting out accommodation.

Patient and curious travellers will discover villages that have hardly changed in the last 500 years, see wine and cheese being made, or walk on the stone-paved roads of the ancient Romans.

Via Ferrata in the Dolomites - credit: Charles Masters

For walkers with a real head for heights, there are opportunities to join guided groups tackling some of Italy’s vie ferrate (iron ways) in Dolomites. Built to aid troop movement through the Dolomites during the First World War, these footpaths use fixed cables and steel ladders to help walkers climb rock faces and traverse narrow ledges.

Palermo, Sicily - credit: Vanbest

Separated from the mainland Italy by the Strait of Messina, Sicily is an exotic island, in west of the southern end of the Italian peninsula, in the Mediterranean Sea. Sicily also includes the Aeolian Islands, the Egadi Islands, the Lipari Islands, the Pelagie Islands, the Pantelleria Island, and Ustica Island.

Lying on the Arno River, Florence is the ‘Renaissance capital’ of the art world. Often dubbed as “Athens of Italy,” Florence was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982. It is a destination for art lovers.

Gargano Long Beach - credit: nataledirodi

Apulia and Gargano. It’s the heel of the Italian “boot” (Also called Salento peninsula) The region is rich of natural resources and parks. Gargano offers different natural environments. It’s a place where find the routes of migratory birds between Europe and Africa.

Alpi Apuane - credit: bettola

Italy is not only famous for its cultural patrimony, arts, great cuisine or beaches…it’s also one of the biggest outdoor adventure destination of Europe.

You can practice different types of activities:

• Trekking
• Mountain biking
• Horseback riding
• Winter sports

Here You can find a list of useful articles and resource to help you travel in Italy.

You can browse this list to click on the sections You are interested in…

Italy Trips Guide

Travel Info

• Why visit Italy?
• Where is Italy?

Attractions

• What to visit in Italy?
• Nature
  • Volcanoes
  • Regional Parks
  • Beaches
• Popular Destinations
  • Tuscany
  • Lombardy
  • Campania
  • Lazio
  • Sicily
  • Veneto
• Archaeological sites
• Events

Travel Facilities

• When travel in Italy?
• How to visit Italy?
• Who can visit Italy?
• Travel services
• Food
• Travel Resources

If you want to experience Italian culture at its most authentic, Rome, the country’s capital, is probably the best place to start. One of Europe’s most fascinating cities, Rome is a vibrant tourist hub which successfully blends the old and the new.

If architecture is your thing, one of the best buildings to check out is the famous Colosseum – a former stadium which once housed a staggering 50,000 spectators and hosted gladiators fighting an array of fearsome animals including elephants, tigers and lions.

A trip to Rome would also not be complete without witnessing the stunning 15^th century Sistene Chapel, where visitors will be awe-struck by the 10,000 sq ft of ceiling painted by Michelangelo. The imposing Vatican Museums and colossal St. Peter’s Basilica house some of the world’s greatest collection of Renaissance art, and are the only buildings in Vatican city open to the public. Particularly notable is the Pietà - a marble statue of the Virgin Mary holding the dead body of Christ. Carved by Michelangelo when he was only 25, it is the only piece of work he ever signed, visible on a band across Mary’s breast.

Italy is also a popular destination for golf enthusiasts, and just eight miles south west of Rome is the fantastic Sheraton Golf Parco De’ Medici.  This comprehensive, 4* resort boasts a 27-hole golf complex with modern facilities and three different standards of course designed in consultation with legendary American architect, Peter Fazio.

Stretching to 3,247 yards, the Blue course is the longest and most challenging of the three courses. Along the way, lakes act as dangerous obstacles, as well as adding to the beauty of the landscape. The White course also compromises a number of tricky water obstacles, as well as boasting an interesting history – the land once being the favoured hunting ground of Pope Leo X in the 15^th century. Finally, the Red course, despite being the shortest, is arguably the most interesting and challenging of the three.

Accommodation is simple yet elegant, with excellent modern facilities such as satellite television, mini-bar and safe, and air-conditioning. This, along with its unparalleled proximity to central Rome make the Sheraton one of the most popular golf holiday destinations in Italy.

Further reading

Travel guide Italy

Picture references:

1 - http://www.10best.com/Rome,Italy/locationDetails.html

2 - http://www.yourgolftravel.com/sheraton-golf-parco-de-medici.html#LocalKnowledge