Lonely Planet Italy Guide Book
Author: Lonely Planet
Date: 0101-01-01 00:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Travel
Description: Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other'. New York Times This eBook is Lonely Planet's latest Italy guide book and includes: • 15 authors, 13 volcanoes, 7600km of coastline and hundreds of Renaissance masterpieces • Inspirational photos, pull-out city map, 3D plans of iconic sights, comprehensive planning tools, special Eat & Drink Like a Local feature and in-depth background This full-colour guide with 3D illustrations of major highlights and insightful features on seasonal and regional food and outdoor activities is essential for those wanting to see the best Italy has to offer
Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Italy Cover

How to Use This Guide

Italy Map

PLAN YOUR TRIP

ON THE ROAD

UNDERSTAND ITALY

SURVIVAL GUIDE

Behind the Scenes

Our Writers

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF LONELY PLANET MAPS

E-reader devices vary in their ability to show our maps. To get the most out of the maps in this guide, use the zoom function on your device. Or, visit http://media.lonelyplanet.com/ebookmaps and grab a PDF download or print out all the maps in this guide.

Plan Your Trip

Welcome to Italy

Top Experiences

Need to Know

First Time

What's New

If You Like...

Month by Month

Itineraries

Eat & Drink Like a Local

Outdoors Experiences

Regions at a Glance

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welcome to

Italy

Despite incessant praise, Italy continues to surprise and delight. If you get it right, travelling in the bel paese (beautiful country) is one of those rare experiences in life that cannot be overrated.

Bella Vita

In few places do art and life intermingle so effortlessly. This may be the land of Dante, Michelangelo, da Vinci and Botticelli but it’s also the home of Salvatore Ferragamo, Giorgio Armani and Gualtiero Marchesi. Food, fashion, art and architecture – you’ll quickly learn that the root of Italian pathology is an unswerving dedication to living life well. A surprising number of Italians care deeply about the floral aftertastes of sheep cheese, the correct way to cut marble and the nuances of a Vivaldi concerto. Lurking behind the disinvoltura – the appearance of effortlessness – is a passionate attention to life’s fine print. So slow down, start taking note of life’s details and enjoy your own bella vita .

Bon Appetito

Then there’s the food. Italy is quite literally a feast of endless courses, but no matter how much you gorge yourself, you’ll always feel as though you haven’t made it past the antipasti. Even the simplest snack can turn into a revelation, whether you’re downing a slice of Slow Food pizza, a paper cone of fritto misto (fried seafood) or pistachio- flavoured gelato. The secret is an intense, even savage, attention to top-notch ingredients and fresh, seasonal produce. Although the origins of Italian food are earthy and rustic, and the Slow Food Movement aims to protect those artisanal roots, the modern Italian kitchen is also endlessly inventive. Get creative in Eataly’s Slow Food supermarket, sample top-class wines at Rome’s International Wine Academy and tour vineyards and olive groves to learn the latest production techniques that go into making that award-winning wine and olive oil sitting on your dining table.

Bel Paese

As if in homage to its people’s love of fashion, Italy’s outline – a ‘boot’ – makes it one of the most recognisable countries in the world. It is long and elegant – c’e bella – and is flanked on three sides by four Mediterranean seas (the Adriatic, Ionian, Ligurian and Tyrrhenian). The northern wall of the Alps and the Dolomites frostily encircle the north, fringed by sparkling glacial lakes, while fiery volcanoes – Vesuvius, Etna and Stromboli – simmer in the south. Beyond the stereotypical image of art cities and museums, Italy is a place for doing as well as seeing. What can top descending the vertical chasm of the Gola Su Gorropu gorge or riding cowboy-style across the marshes of the Maremma and diving sun-split waters full of coral and barracuda? So, just when you think every nook and cranny of this amazing country has been explored, experienced and exhausted, flick through a few pages of this book and discover that some of Italy’s best-kept secrets lie right beneath your nose.

View of Malcesine across Lago di Garda (Click here   )

DAVID TOMLINSON / LONELY PLANET IMAGES ©

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TOP
experiences

Historic Rome

1  Once caput mundi (capital of the world), Rome was legendarily spawned by a wolf-suckled wild boy, grew to be Western Europe’s first superpower, became the spiritual centrepiece of the Christian world and is the repository of over two and a half thousand years of European art and architecture. From the Pantheon (Click here ) and the Colosseum ( Click here ) to Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ( Click here ) and countless works by Caravaggio ( Click here ), there’s simply too much to see in one visit. So, do as countless others have done before you: toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain ( Click here ) and promise to come again.

St Peter’s Basilica

WIBOWO RUSLI / LONELY PLANET IMAGES ©

Virtuoso Venice

2  Stepping through the portals of Basilica di San Marco ( Click here ), try to imagine what it might have been like for an illiterate, burlap-clad, medieval peasant glimpsing those shimmering gold mosaic domes for the first time. It’s not such a stretch – once you see those millions of tiny gilt tesserae (hand-cut glazed tiles) cohere into a singular heavenly vision, every leap of the human imagination since the 12th century seems comparatively minor.

BRENT WINEBRENNER / LONELY PLANET IMAGES ©

Renaissance Florence

3  From Brunelleschi’s red-tiled dazzler, the Duomo ( Click here ), to Michelangelo’s greatest hits, David (Click here ) and The Birth of Venus ( Click here ), Florence, according to Unesco, contains ‘the greatest concentration of universally renowned works of art in the world’. Whereas Rome and Milan have torn themselves down and been rebuilt many times, central Florence looks much as it did in 1550, with stone towers and cypress-lined gardens. The effect is rather like a Renaissance painting, which makes perfect sense when you think about it.

THE ART ARCHIVE / ALAMY ©

Ruins of Pompeii

4  Nothing piques human curiosity quite like a mass catastrophe and few can beat the ruins of Pompeii ( Click here ), a once thriving Roman town frozen 2000 years ago in its death throes. Wander the Roman streets, exploring the column-lined forum, the city brothel, the 5000-seat theatre and the frescoed Villa dei Misteri, and ponder Pliny the Younger’s terrifying account of the tragedy: ‘Darkness came on again, again ashes, thick and heavy. We got up repeatedly to shake these off; otherwise we would have been buried and crushed by the weight’.

WITOLD SKRYPCZAK / LONELY PLANET IMAGES ©

Amalfi Coast

5  With its scented lemon groves, flower-strewn cliffsides, bobbing fishing boats and tumbling, sherbet-hued towns, the Amalfi Coast still claims the crown as the prettiest coast on the peninsula. Others may argue that the title belongs to Liguria’s Cinque Terre or Calabria’s Costa Viola, but the Hollywood divas and starry-eyed day trippers agree. The stretch from Sorrento ( Click here ) to Positano ( Click here ) is the least developed and most beautiful.

Positano

RICHARD I'ANSON / LONELY PLANET IMAGES ©

Museum Madness

6  A browse through your art history textbook will no doubt highlight seminal movements such as classical, Renaissance, mannerist, baroque, futurist and metaphysical – all of which were forged in Italy by artists including Giotto, da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli, Bernini, Caravaggio, Carracci, Boccioni, Balla and de Chirico. Find the best of them in Rome’s Museo e Galleria Borghese ( Click here ) and swish new MAXXI gallery ( Click here ), Florence’s Uffizi ( Click here ), Venice’s Galleria dell’Accademia ( Click here ), Bergamo’s Accademia Carrara ( Click here ) and Milan’s Museo del Novecento ( Click here ).

Uffizi Gallery

JEAN-PIERRE LESCOURRET / LONELY PLANET IMAGES ©

The Dolomites

7  Scour the globe and you’ll find plenty of taller, bigger and more geologically volatile mountains, but few can match the romance of the pink-hued, granite Dolomites ( Click here ). Maybe it’s their harsh, jagged summits, dressed in spring with vibrant skirts of wildflowers, or the rich cache of Ladin legends that line their valleys – or perhaps it’s just the notion that this tiny pocket of northern Italy has produced some of the most daring mountaineers on the planet.

GLENN VAN DER KNIJFF / LONELY PLANET IMAGES ©

Neapolitan Street Life

8  There’s nothing like waking up to the sound of the Porta Nolana market ( Click here ): what a feast for the senses! It’s as much akin to a North African bazaar as to a European market – fruit vendors raucously hawk their wares in Neapolitan dialect, swordfish heads seem to cast sidelong glances at you across piles of sardines on ice, then there’s the irresistible perfume of lemons and oranges and the just-baked aroma of sfogliatelle (sweetened ricotta pastries).

GETTY CITY COMMISSION / LONELY PLANET IMAGES ©

Religious Treasures

9  Often regarded as just plain ‘dark’, the Italian Middle Ages had an artistic brilliance that’s hard to ignore. Perhaps it was the sparkling hand-cut mosaic of Ravenna’s Byzantine basilicas (Click here) that provided the guiding light, but something inspired Giotto di Bondone to leap out of the darkness with his daring naturalistic frescoes in Padua’s Scrovegni Chapel (Click here) and the Basilica di San Francesco in Assisi (Click here). With them he gave the world a new artistic language and from then it was just a short step to Masaccio’s Trinity and the dawning light of the Renaissance.

Basilica di Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna

RUSSELL MOUNTFORD / LONELY PLANET IMAGES ©

Lovely Lake Como

10  Formed at the end of the last ice age, dazzling Lake Como, nestled in the shadow of the Rhaetian Alps, is the most spectacular of the Lombard lakes, its grand Liberty-style villas home to movie moguls and Arab sheikhs. Surrounded on all sides by luxuriant greenery, the lake’s siren calls include the landscaped gardens of Villa Melzi d’Eril (Click here), Villa Carlotta (Click here) and Villa Balbianello (Click here), which blush pink with camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons in April and May.

RICHARD I’ANSON / LONELY PLANET IMAGES ©

Italian Riviera

11  For the sinful inhabitants of the Cinque Terre’s ( Click here ) five villages – Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore – penance involved a lengthy and arduous hike up the vertiginous cliffside to the local village sanctuary to appeal for forgiveness. Scale the same sanctuary trails today, through terraced vineyards and hillsides covered in macchia (shrubbery), and it’s hard to think of a more benign punishment as the heavenly views unfurl.

Riomaggiore

SEAN CAFFREY / LONELY PLANET IMAGES ©

Coastal Landscapes

12  The English language doesn’t contain sufficient adjectives to describe the varied blue, green and, in the deepest shadows, purple hues of Sardinia’s seas. Picture-perfect they may be, but Sardinia is still a wild, raw place with rugged coastal scenery from the tumbledown boulders of Santa Teresa di Gallura ( Click here ) and the wind-chiselled cliff face of the Golfo di Orosei ( Click here ) to the celebrity-crammed Costa Smeralda ( Click here ) and the windswept beauty of the Costa Verde’s dune-backed beaches ( Click here ).

Spiaggia Scivu

DAMIEN SIMONIS / LONELY PLANET IMAGES ©

Flavours of Tuscany

13  Break bread with celebrity restaurateur Fabbio Picchi at members club Teatro del Sale ( Click here ) and sample simple, heart-warming, belly-filling Tuscan cooking. The secret ingredient in Tuscan cuisine is, well, the ingredients. In a land of legendary flavours, from San Miniato truffles ( Click here ) to wild-boar sausages and hunks of bluish bistecca alla fiorentina (T-bone steak), Tuscan farmers still tend to their pigs, cows, olives and grapes with the pride of artisans. Sample the very best at Il Santo Bevitore ( Click here ) and Osteria di Passignano ( Click here ).

Central Market, Florence

RICHARD I’ANSON / LONELY PLANET IMAGES ©

Savoy Palaces

14  Equivalent to the Medicis in Florence and the Borgheses in Rome, Turin’s Savoy princes had a penchant for extravagant royal palaces. While Turin’s Palazzo Madama ( Click here ) and Palazzo Reale ( Click here ) are impressive enough, they barely hold a candle to Italy’s mini-Versailles the Reggia de Venaria Reale ( Click here ). The none-too-modest hunting lodge of Duke Carlo Emanuele II is one of the largest royal residences in Europe and its mammoth €200-million restoration involved the preservation of 11,000 sq ft of frescoes and 1.5 million sq ft of stucco and plasterwork.

Reggia de Venaria Reale

EMMEPI TRAVEL / ALAMY ©

Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso

15  Italy’s ‘Grand Paradise’ was the country’s first national park, bequeathed by Vittorio Emanuele II when he donated his hunting reserve to the state in 1922. Part of the Graian Alps, it encompasses 724km of marked trails and mule tracks, 57 glaciers, Alpine pastures awash with wild pansies, gentians and Alpenroses, and a healthy population of Alpine ibex for whose protection the park was originally established. The eponymous Gran Paradiso mountain (4061m) is the only mountain in the park, which is accessed from quiet Cogne ( Click here ).

ANDREW PEACOCK / LONELY PLANET IMAGES ©

Italian Alps

16  What the Valle d’Aosta ( Click here ) lacks in size (it is Italy’s smallest, least populous region) it more than makes up for in height, for this narrow valley is ringed by the icy peaks of some of Europe’s highest mountains including Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, Monte Rosa and Gran Paradiso. Equipped with some of the best skiing facilities on the continent you can descend hair-raisingly into France, Switzerland or Piedmont from the prestigious resorts of Courmayeur, Cervinia and Monterosa.

CHRISTIAN ASLUND / LONELY PLANET IMAGES ©

Baroque Lecce

17  The extravagant architectural character of many Puglian towns is down to the local style of barocco leccese (Lecce baroque). The local stone was so soft, art historian Cesare Brandi boasted it could be carved with a penknife. Craftsmen vied for ever greater heights of creativity, crowding facades with swirling vegetal designs, gargoyles and strange zoomorphic figures. Lecce’s Basilica di Santa Croce ( Click here ) is the high point of the style, so outrageously busy the Marchese Grimaldi said it made him think a lunatic was having a nightmare.

GREG ELMS / LONELY PLANET IMAGES ©

Mount Etna

18  Known to the Greeks as the ‘column that holds up the sky’, Mt Etna ( Click here ) is Europe’s largest volcano and one of the world’s most active. The ancients believed the giant Tifone (Typhoon) lived in its crater and lit up the sky with regular, spectacular pyrotechnics. At 3329m it literally towers above Sicily’s Ionian Coast, and since 1987 its slopes have been part of the Parco dell’Etna, an area that encompasses both alpine forests and the forbiddingly black summit.

MICHAEL GEBICKI / LONELY PLANET IMAGES ©

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need to know

CURRENCY

» Euro (€)

LANGUAGE

» Italian

MONEY

» ATMs at every airport, most train stations and widely available in towns and cities. Credit cards accepted in most hotels and restaurants.

VISAS

» Generally not required for stays of up to 90 days (or at all for EU nationals); some nationalities need a Schengen visa ( Click here ).

MOBILE PHONES

» European and Australian phones work; other phones should be set to roaming. Use a local SIM card for cheaper rates on local calls.

DRIVING

» Drive on the right; the steering wheel is on the left side of the car. Be aware that headlights are legally required on all motorways (even during the day).

Your Daily Budget

BUDGET LESS THAN €100

» Dorm bed: €15–25

» Double room in a budget hotel: €50–100

» Pizza or pasta: €8–12

» Excellent markets and delis for self-catering

MIDRANGE €100–200

» Double room in a hotel: €80–180

» Lunch and dinner in local restaurants: €25–45

TOP END OVER €200

» Double room in a four- or five-star hotel: €200–450

» Top restaurant dinner: €50–150

When to Go

HIGH SEASON (JUL–AUG)

» Queues at big sights and on the road, especially in August.

» Prices rocket for Christmas, New Year and Easter.

» Late December to March is high season in the Alps and Dolomites.

SHOULDER (APR–JUN & SEP–OCT)

» Good deals on accommodation, especially in the south.

» Spring is best for festivals, flowers and local produce.

» Autumn provides warm weather and the grape harvest.

LOW SEASON (NOV–MAR)

» Prices at their lowest – up to 30% less than in high season.

» Many sights and hotels closed in coastal and mountainous areas.

» A good period for cultural events in large cities.

Websites

» Lonely Planet (www.lonelyplanet.com/italy) Destination information, hotel bookings, travellers forum and more.

» Trenitalia (www.trenitalia.com) Italian railways website.

» Agriturismi (www.agriturismi.it) Guide to farm accommodation.

» Slow Food (www.slowfood.com) For the best local producers, restaurants and markets.

» Enit Italia (www.italiantourism.com) Official Italian-government tourism website.

Exchange Rates

Australia

A$1

€0.72

Canada

C$1

€0.71

Japan

¥100

€0.98

NZ

NZ$1

€0.57

Switzerland

Sfr1

€0.82

UK

UK£1

€1.16

US

US$1

€0.75

For current exchange rates see www.xe.com.

Important Numbers

To dial listings in this book from outside Italy, dial your international access code (00), Italy’s country code (39) then the number (including the ‘0’).

Italy’s country code

+39

International access code

+00

Ambulance

+118

Police

+113

Fire

+115

Arriving in Italy

» Fiumicino airport

Trains & Buses: every 30 minutes, 6am to 11pm

Night Bus: hourly, 12.30am to 5am

Taxis: €40 set fare;

45 minutes

» Malpensa airport

Malpensa Express & Shuttle: every 30 minutes, 5am to 10.30pm

Night Bus: limited services, 11pm to 5am

Taxi : €79 set fare; 50 minutes

» Capodichino airport

Airport Shuttle: every 20 minutes, 6.30am to 11.40pm

Taxi: €19 set fare; 30 minutes

In Italy to Shop!

Ever wondered how every Italian seems to own a stash of fine merino wool Prada knitwear, a Ferragamo bag and a whole host of designer footwear and eyewear? How do they afford it?

What you lack, but what every style-conscious Italian knows, is exactly when and where to shop for bargains. Time your trip right and pick up designer fashion for a snip of the usual price at the annual sales ( saldi ) in January and July. Discounts start at 30% and increase to 50% as the sale goes on, but get there early if you don’t want to be left with the oversized, ill-fitting, odd-coloured items that have been rejected by the rest of the shopping fraternity. At other times of the year score at the big city flea markets or head for the discount outlets in Lombardy and Piedmont (Click here ).

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what's new

For this new edition of Italy, our authors have hunted down the fresh, the transformed, the hot and the happening. These are some of our favourites. For up-to-the-minute recommendations, see lonelyplanet.com/italy.

MAXXI, ROME

1  Winner of the 2010 Stirling Prize for architecture, Rome’s new MAXXI gallery, designed by Zaha Hadid, curves and coils like Kubrick’s Space Odyssey interiors ( Click here ).

CINQUE TERRE TRAILS

2  New national park bike trails (complete with bike rental) have opened along the Cinque Terre. Most trails head out from the Santuario della Madonna di Montenero ( Click here ).

SICILIAN FLIGHTS

3  Sicily’s Trapani airport is busy expanding. Ryanair has added 13 new routes, including flights from Scandinavia and Eastern Europe ( Click here ).

MUSEO DEL VINO A BAROLO

4  Barolo’s new interactive wine museum was designed by François Confino (the guy behind Turin’s fab film museum). There’s a different wine tasting every day ( Click here ).

VENISSA, MAZZORBO

5  Dine on rising star Paola Budel’s inspired lagoon cuisine at Venissa. If you’re lucky you may get to sample the estate’s new vintage of the heritage Dorona grape ( Click here ).

SELLA NEVEA, GIULIE ALPS

6  Looking for a bling-free ski base? Then try Sella Nevea. This resort has opened new ski lifts that link it to Bovec in Slovenia, making for a satisfying 30km of slopes ( Click here ).

LA MADDALENA HOTEL & YACHT CLUB

7  The US Navy’s NATO barracks in the Maddalena archipelago has had one of the best facelifts of the year from star-chitects Zaha Hadid, William Sawaya and Dominique Perrault ( Click here ).

HAPPY 150TH BIRTHDAY

8  Turin’s Museo Nazionale del Risorgimento Italiano opened just in time to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Italian unification. Take Italy’s most interesting history lesson here ( Click here ).

POP-UP WINE SHOPS, CARSO

9  Osmize (private wine cellars) pre-date the pop-up phenomena by a few centuries, as 18th-century Carso farmers had the right to sell their surpluses once a year, tax-free. Now they’re in fashion once again (Click here ).

PUR SÜDTIROL, MERANO

10  An inspired new concept shop showcasing top-notch farm produce and specially commissioned wood, glass and textiles, alongside a wine bar hosting regular tasting and cultural events ( Click here ).

FAMILY APARTMENTS, TUSCANY

11  Available on a nightly basis, Kristin and Kaare’s family-friendly 2italia apartments fill a big gap in Tuscany’s accommodation market. The pair also organises tours and cooking courses ( Click here ).

PALAZZO GRIMANI, VENICE

12  Venice’s Palazzo Grimani has reopened to the public after nearly 30 years. It houses Doge Antonio Grimani’s Graeco-Roman antiquities and high-calibre temporary exhibitions ( Click here ).

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first time

Everyone needs a helping hand when they visit a country for the first time. There are phrases to learn, customs to get used to and etiquette to understand. The following section will help demystify Italy so your first trip goes as smoothly as your fifth.

Language

Unlike many other European countries, English is not widely spoken in Italy. Of course, in the main tourist centres you can get by, but in the countryside and south of Rome you’ll need to master a few basic phrases. This will improve your experience no end, especially when ordering in restaurants, some of which have no written menu. See the language section of this book (Click here) for all the phrases you’ll need to get by.

Booking Ahead

Reserving a room is essential during high season and key events (such as the furniture and fashion fairs in Milan) when demand is extremely high. Big-name restaurants and experiences (such as an evening at the opera) also need to be booked ahead.

Hello. Buongiorno.

I would like to book… Vorrei prenotare…

a single room una camera singola
a double room una camera doppia con letto matrimoniale
in the name of… in nome di…

from… to… (date) dal… al…

How much is it…? Quanto costa…?

per night/per person per la notte/per persona

Thank you very much. Grazie (mille).

What to Wear

Appearances matter in Italy. The concept of la bella figura (literally ‘making a good impression’) encapsulates the Italian obsession with beauty, gallantry and looking good. Milan, the fashion capital of the country, is rigidly chic. Rome and Florence are marginally less formal, but with big fashion houses in town sloppy attire just won’t do. In the city, suitable wear for men is generally trousers (pants) and shirts or polo shirts, and for women skirts, trousers or dresses. Shorts, T-shirts and sandals are fine in summer and at the beach, but long sleeves are required for dining out. For evening wear, smart casual is the norm. A light sweater or waterproof jacket is useful in spring and autumn, and sturdy shoes are a good idea when visiting archaeological sites.

What to Pack

» Passport

» Credit card

» Drivers licence

» Phrasebook

» Travel plug

» Mobile (cell) phone charger

» Sunscreen

» Waterproof jacket

» Camera

» Money belt

» Walking boots or sandals

» Beach bag or backpack

» Smart-casual clothes

» Universal adaptor

» Earplugs

» Hat and sunglasses

» Sweater, fleece or light jacket

Checklist

» Check the validity of your passport

» Check your airline’s baggage restrictions

» Organise travel insurance ( Click here )

» Make bookings (for big, popular sights and museums, opera and accommodation)

» Inform your credit/debit card company of your travel plans

» Check if you can use your mobile (cell) phone ( Click here )

» Find out what you need to do to hire a car ( Click here )

Etiquette

Italy is a surprisingly formal society; the following tips will help you avoid any awkward moments.

» Greetings Shake hands and say buongiorno (good day) or buona sera (good evening) to strangers; kiss both cheeks and say come stai (how are you) to friends. Use lei (you) in polite company; use tu (you) with friends and children. Only use first names if invited.

» Asking for help Say mi scusi (excuse me) to attract attention; and use permesso (permission) when you want to pass someone in a crowded space.

» Religion Dress modestly (cover shoulders, torsos and thighs) and be quiet and respectful when visiting religious sites.

» Eating & Drinking When dining in an Italian home, bring a small gift of sweets ( dolci ) or wine and dress well. Let your host lead when sitting and starting the meal. Take a small amount first so you can be cajoled into accepting a second helping. If you do not want more wine, leave your glass full. When dining out summon the waiter by saying per favore (please?).

Tipping

» When to Tip Tipping is customary in restaurants, but optional elsewhere.

» Taxis Optional, but most people round up to the nearest euro.

» Restaurants Most restaurants have a cover charge ( coperto ) , usually €1 to €2, and a service charge ( servizio ) of 10% to 15%. If service isn’t included a small tip is appropriate.

» Bars There is no need to tip for drinks at a bar, although some people may leave small change; if drinks are brought to your table, tip as you would in a restaurant.

Money

Credit and debit cards can be used almost everywhere with the exception of some rural towns and villages. Visa and MasterCard are among the most widely recognised, but others like Cirrus and Maestro are also well covered. American Express is only accepted by some major chains and big hotels, and few places take Diners Club. Ask if bars and restaurants take cards before you order. Chip-and-pin is the norm for card transactions. ATMs are everywhere, but be aware of transaction fees. Some ATMs in Italy reject foreign cards. If this happens, try a few before assuming the problem is with your card. In theory you can change travellers cheques at banks and post offices, but some readers have reported problems and hefty commissions, even on cheques made out in euros. To avoid per-cheque charges get your cheques in large denominations.

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if you like...

Fabulous Food

Italy’s bucolic hills, fertile valleys and terraced hillsides are a giant natural pantry, tended by farmers with pride. Bra’s Slow Food Movement protects and promotes traditional producers and products – look out for its symbol, a well-fed snail.

Bologna Nicknamed la grassa (literally ‘the fat’), Bologna straddles Italian food lines between the butter-led north and the tomato-based cuisine of the south ( Click here ).

Truffles Go to Piedmont (Click here ), Tuscany ( Click here ) and Umbria ( Click here ).

Seafood So fresh you can eat it raw in Venice (Click here ), Sardinia ( Click here ), Sicily ( Click here ) and Puglia ( Click here ).

Parmesan Parma’s cheese (Click here ) is simply the most famous. Try the burrata (cheese made from mozzarella and cream) and the Taleggio, too.

Il Frantoio Its eight-course lunches are the definition of Slow Food (Click here ).

Pizza Italy’s most famous export, but who makes the best: Naples (Click here ) or Rome ( Click here )?

Medieval Hill Towns

There’s no simpler pleasure than wandering around the alleys of Italy’s medieval villages. Hand-laid cobbles snake up hillsides to sculpted fountains, shuttered windows shade families sitting down to lunch and washing hangs like holiday bunting.

Asolo Perched mountainside, Asolo’s nickname is ‘the town of 100 vistas’ (Click here ).

Umbria Medieval hill towns galore: start with Spello (Click here ), Spoleto ( Click here ) and Macerata ( Click here ).

Montalcino This medieval hill town is lined with wine bars where you can sample its celebrated Brunello wines (Click here ).

Cefalù Sun, sea, cobbled alleys and one of Sicily’s finest mosaic-clad cathedrals (Click here .

Il Castello Cagliari’s castello (castle) contains a perfectly preserved medieval town ( Click here ).

Maratea A 13th-century borgo (medieval town) with pint-sized piazzas, winding alleys and startling views across the Gulf of Policastro (Click here ).

Puglia From the Valle d’Itria (Click here ) to the sierras of the Salento ( Click here ), Puglia is dotted with biscuit-coloured hilltop towns.

Wine Tasting

From Etna’s elegant whites to Barolo’s complex reds, Italian wines are as varied as the country’s terrain. Sample them in cellars, over long, lazy lunches or dedicate yourself to a full-blown tour.

Wine routes Discover why chianti isn’t just a cheap table wine left over from the 1970s on this delightful tour (Click here ).

Festa dell’Uva e del Vino In early October the wine town of Bardolino is taken over by wine and food stalls (Click here ).

VinItaly Sample exceptional, rarely exported blends at Italy’s largest annual wine expo (Click here ).

Museo del Vino a Barolo Explore the history of wine through art and film at Barolo’s new wine museum (Click here ).

Al Sorriso Expert food and wine pairings in one of Italy’s finest restaurants (Click here ).

Valpolicella & Soave Wine tastings in these two Veneto regions are free and fabulous (Click here ).

Cantine Aperte Private wine cellars throughout the country open their doors to the public on the last Sunday in May.

Modern Art

Weighed down with over 2000 years of history, it sometimes seems as though Italy has entirely missed out on the era of modern art. Not so. Although often overshadowed by its illustrious past, there are some exciting modern developments, if you know where to look.

Biennale World-class, avant-garde art and architecture exhibitions take place annually in Venice on alternate years (Click here ).

MAXXI Rome’s new contemporary art museum designed by architect of the moment Zaha Hadid (Click here ).

Museo del Novecento A first-class 20th-century art museum in modernist Milan (Click here ).

Palazzo Grassi The exceptional contemporary collection of French billionaire François Pinault is showcased against Tadao Ando interior sets (Click here ).

MADRE Don’t miss Naples’ big-name contemporary art collection (Click here ).

Museion Bolzano’s contemporary collection highlights the ongoing dialogue between Trento, Austria and Germany (Click here ).

Arte Povera Castello di Rivoli is home to exhibits of Turin’s radical, anti-establishment art movement of the 1960s (Click here ).

Villas & Palaces

From the residences of Roman emperors and Renaissance princes to the palatial homes of aristocratic dynasties, take a peek inside some of Italy’s most extravagant homes and reconsider the concept that ‘less is more’.

Rome Don’t miss Palazzo e Galleria Doria Pamphilj (Click here ), Palazzo Farnese ( Click here ) and Palazzo della Civiltà del Lavoro ( Click here ).

Palazzi dei Rolli A collection of 42 Unesco-protected lodging palaces (Click here ).

Caserta One of the greatest achievements of Italian baroque architecture, Palazzo Reale was even worthy of a role in Star Wars ( Click here ).

Palazzo Ducale The doge’s palace complete with golden staircase and interrogation rooms (Click here ).

Villa Maser Andrea Palladio and Paolo Veronese conspired to create the Veneto’s finest country mansion (Click here ).

Villa Romana del Casale See where the home decor obsession began with this Roman villa’s 3500-sq-metre mosaic floor (Click here ).

Il Vittoriale degli Italiani Gabriele d’Annunzio’s bombastic estate would put a Roman emperor to shame (Click here ).

Markets

Art nouveau arcades, star-chitect designed fairgrounds, stall-packed bazaars – Italy has a market to suit all tastes. Get there early and muscle in for the best buys.

Milan Italy’s market city, Milan is furnished with world-class fairgrounds and a ‘golden quad’ of fabulous fashion (Click here ).

Porta Nolana Elbow your way past sing-song fishermen, fragrant bakeries and bootleg CD stalls for a slice of Neapolitan street theatre (Click here ).

Pescaria Shop for lagoon specialities in Venice’s 600-year-old fish market (Click here ).

Catania Fruit, fish, meat and veg stalls packed down cobbled alleys beneath striped awnings, Catania’s market is more African bazaar than Mediterranean market (Click here ).

Porta Portese A modern commedia dell’arte takes place every Sunday between vendors and bargain hunters at Rome’s mile-long flea market (Click here ).

Arezzo On the first weekend of every month, Arezzo hosts Italy’s oldest and biggest antiques market ( Click here ).

Porta Palazzo The largest outdoor food market in Europe ( Click here ).

Islands & Beaches

Counting all its offshore islands and squiggly indentations, Italy’s coastline stretches 7600km from the sheer cliffs of the Cinque Terre, down through Rimini’s brash resorts to the bijou islands in the Bay of Naples and Puglia’s sandy shores.

Puglia Italy’s best sandy beaches, including the gorgeous Baia dei Turchi (Click here ) and the cliff-backed beaches of the Gargano ( Click here ).

Aeolian Islands Sicily’s seven volcanic islands sport hillsides of silver-grey pumice, black lava beaches and lush green vineyards (Click here ).

The Lido Glamorous beach-going just 15 minutes by vaporetti (small passenger ferry) from Venice (Click here ).

Sardinia Take your pick of our favourite beaches (Click here ), including the Aga Khan’s personal fave, Spiaggia del Principe ( Click here ).

Procida Pastel-hued Procida is still a fishing village through and through (Click here ).

Rimini Swap high culture for raves on the beach in Rimini (Click here ).

Elba This island sits at the heart of the Parco Nazionale Arcipelago Toscano, Europe’s largest marine park (Click here ).

Frescoes

Practised in ancient Egypt and Crete, India and Mexico, the art of buon fresco – painting pigment on lime mortar or plaster – has been around for millennia, but few examples boast the vivid narrative drama as seen in those of the Italian masters.

Sistine Chapel Michelangelo’s show-stealing ceiling fresco (Click here ).

Pompeii The Dionysiac Frieze in the dining room of the Villa dei Misteri is one of the world’s largest ancient frescoes (Click here ).

Giotto Masterly works in the Scrovegni Chapel (Click here ) and the Basilica di San Francesco ( Click here ).

Matera Ancient cave churches, including the Crypt of Original Sin, are adorned with Old Testament scenes and saints (Click here ).

Chiesa di San Giovanni Evangelista Correggio’s magnificent mannerist dome is quite literally a heavenly vision (Click here ).

Mantua For Mantegna’s Camera degli Sposi (Click here ) and Camera dei Giganti ( Click here ).

Pinturicchio Perugia (Click here ) and Spello ( Click here ) showcase the work of Umbria’s home-grown talent, Pinturicchio.

Gardens

First they fixed the drawing room and then they started on the garden; Italy’s penchant for the ‘outdoor room’ has been going strong since Roman emperors landscaped their holiday villas. Renaissance princes refined the practice, but it was 19th-century aristocrats who really went to town.

Reggia de Venaria Reale Take a botanical, cultural or gastronomic tour to explore the 10 hectares of the Venaria’s gardens (Click here ).

The Italian Lakes Fringed with fabulous gardens such as those at Isola Madre ( Click here ), Villa Balbianello ( Click here ) and Villa Taranto ( Click here ).

Villa d’Este Tivoli’s superlative High Renaissance garden dotted with fantastical fountains and cypress-lined avenues (Click here ).

Ravello View the Amalfi Coast from the Belvedere of Infinity (Click here ) and listen to classical music concerts in romantic 19th-century gardens ( Click here ).

La Mortella A tropical paradise inspired by the gardens of Granada’s Alhambra (Click here ).

Giardini Pubblici Venice’s first green space and the home of the celebrated Biennale with its avant-garde pavilions (Click here ).

Top of section
month by month

Top Events

Settimana Santa , March–April

Festa di San Gennaro , May, September & December

La Biennale di Venezia , June–October

Estate Romana , June–September

Truffle Season , November

January

Following hot on the heels of New Year is Epiphany. In the Alps and Dolomites it’s ski season, while in the Mediterranean south winters are mild and crowd-free, although many resort towns are firmly shut.

REGATA DELLA BEFANA

Witches in Venice don’t ride brooms: they row boats. Venice celebrates Epiphany on 6 January with a fleet of brawny men dressed up as witches ( befane ) .

SKI ITALIA

Italy’s top ski resorts are in the northern Alps and the Dolomites, but you’ll also find resorts in the Apennines, Le Marche and even Sicily. The best months of the season are January and February. See our pick of the pistes, Click here .

February

‘Short’ and ‘accursed’, is how Italians describe February. In the mountains the ski season hits its peak in line with school holidays. Further south it’s chilly, but almond trees blossom and herald the carnival season.

CARNEVALE

In the period leading up to Ash Wednesday, many Italian towns stage pre-Lenten carnivals. Venice’s Carnevale ( Click here ; www.carnevale.venezia.it) is the most famous. The largest is in Viareggio ( Click here ).

Carnevale masks on display in Venice

KIMBERLEY COOLE / LONELY PLANET IMAGES ©

MOSTRA MERCATO DEL TARTUFO NERO

An early-spring taste of truffles from the gastronomic Umbrian town of Norcia. Thousands of visitors sift through booths tasting all things truffle alongside other speciality produce ( Click here ).

March

The weather in March is capricious: sunny, rainy and windy all at once. The official start of spring is 21 March, but the main holiday season starts with Easter week.

SETTIMANA SANTA

On Good Friday, the pope leads a candlelit procession to the Colosseum and on Easter Sunday he gives his blessing in St Peter’s Square, while in Florence, a cartful of fireworks explodes in Piazza del Duomo ( Click here ). Other notable processions take place in Taranto (Puglia; Click here ) and Trapani (Sicily; Click here ).

April

Spring has sprung and April sees the Italian peninsula bloom. The mountains of Sicily and Calabria are carpeted with wildflowers, while the gardens of the Italian north show off their tulips and early camellias.

SETTIMANA DEL TULIPANO

Tulips erupt in bloom in the grounds of Villa Taranto on Lake Maggiore; the dahlia path is also in bloom, as is the dogwood, in what is considered one of Europe’s finest botanical gardens ( Click here ).

VINITALY

Sandwiched between the Valpolicella and Soave wine regions, Verona hosts the world’s largest wine fair, VinItaly ( Click here ; www.vinitaly.com). Over five days 4000 international exhibitors turn your head with wine tastings, lectures and seminars.

May

The month of roses and early summer produce makes May a perfect time to travel, especially for walkers. The weather is warm but not too hot and prices throughout Italy are good value. It’s also patron-saint season.

PROCESSIONE DEI SERPARI

The strangest patron-saint day is held in Cocullo ( Click here ). A statue of St Dominic is draped with live snakes and carried in the Snake Charmers’ Procession.

FESTA DI SAN GENNARO

As patron-saint days go, Naples’ Festa di San Gennaro has a lot riding on it: securing the city from volcanic and other disasters. The faithful gather in the cathedral to see San Gennaro’s blood liquefy. If it does, the city is safe. Repeat performances take place on 19 September and 16 December (Click here ).

CICLO DI RAPPRESENTAZIONI CLASSICHE

Classical intrigue in an evocative setting, the Festival of Greek Theatre, held from mid-May to mid-June, brings Syracuse’s 5th-century-BC amphitheatre to life with performances from Italy’s acting greats ( Click here ; www.indafondazione.org).

June

The summer season kicks off in June. The temperature cranks up quickly, beach lidos start to open in earnest and some of the big summer festivals commence. Republic Day, on 2 June, is a national holiday.

LA BIENNALE DI VENEZIA

Held in odd-numbered years, the Venice Biennale ( Click here ; www.labiennale.org) is one of the art world’s most prestigious events. Exhibitions are held in venues around the city from June to October.

FESTIVAL DEI DUE MONDI

Held in the Umbrian hill town of Spoleto from late June to mid-July, the Festival of Two Worlds ( Click here ; www.spoletofestival.it) is an international arts event, featuring music, theatre, dance and art.

July

School is out and Italians everywhere are heading away from cities and to mountains or beaches for their summer holidays. Prices and temperatures rise. While the beach is in full swing, many cities host summer art festivals.

IL PALIO

Daredevils in tights thrill the crowds with this chaotic bareback horse race ( Click here ) around the piazza in Siena. Preceding the race is a parade in medieval costume. Held on 2 July and 16 August.

TAORMINA ARTE

Ancient ruins and languid summer nights in July and August set a seductive scene for Taormina’s arts festival ( Click here ; www.taormina-arte.com). It features films, theatre and concerts.

ESTATE ROMANA

Between June and September Rome puts on a summer calendar of events that turn the city into an outdoor stage. The program encompasses music, dance, literature and film, and events are staged in some of Rome’s most attractive venues ( Click here ).

August

August in Italy is hot, expensive and crowded. Everyone is on holiday and, while not everything is shut, many businesses and restaurants do close for part of the month.

FERRAGOSTO

After Christmas and Easter, Ferragosto, on 15 August, is Italy’s biggest holiday. It marks the Feast of the Assumption, but even before Christianity the Romans honoured their gods on Feriae Augusti. Naples celebrates with particular fervour.

Easter celebrations at St Peter’s Basilica

ALESSANDRA BENEDETTI/CORBIS ©

MOSTRA DEL CINEMA DI VENEZIA

The Venice Film Festival (Click here ) is held at the Lido and attracts the international film glitterati with its red-carpet premieres and paparazzi glamour.

September

This is a glorious month to travel in Italy. Summer waxes into autumn and the start of the harvest season sees lots of local sagre (food festivals) spring up. September is also the start of the grape harvest.

FESTIVAL DELLE SAGRE

On the second Sunday of September over 40 communes in the province of Asti put their wines and local gastronomic products on display (www.festivaldellesagre.it).

REGATA STORICA

On the first Sunday in September, gondoliers in period dress work those biceps in this regatta, where period boats are followed by gondola and other boat races along the Grand Canal in Venice ( Click here ).

October

October is a fabulous time to visit the south, when the days still radiate with late-summer warmth and the lidos (beaches) are emptying out. Further north the temperature starts to drop and festival season comes to an end.

SALONE INTERNAZIONALE DEL GUSTO

Hosted by the home-grown Slow Food Movement, this biennial food expo is held in Turin in even-numbered years ( Click here ).

November

The advent of winter creeps down the peninsula in November, but there’s plenty going on. Most notably, this is truffle season. It’s also the time for the chestnut harvest, mushroom picking and All Saints’ Day.

OGNISSANTI

Celebrated all over Italy as a national holiday, All Saints’ Day on 1 November commemorates the Saint Martyrs, while All Souls’ Day, on 2 November, is set aside to honour the deceased.

TRUFFLE SEASON

From Alba (www.fieradeltartufo.org) and Asti in the north to Tuscany’s San Miniato (www.san-miniato.com), November is prime truffle time.

OPERA SEASON

Italy is home to four of the world’s great opera houses: La Scala in Milan ( Click here ), La Fenice in Venice ( Click here ), Teatro San Carlo in Naples ( Click here ) and Teatro Massimo in Palermo ( Click here ). The season traditionally runs from mid-October to March, although La Scala opens later on St Ambrose Day, 7 December.

December

The days of alfresco living are firmly at an end. December is cold and Alpine resorts start to open for the early ski season, although looming Christmas festivities warm things up.

NATALE

The weeks preceding Christmas are studded with religious events. Many churches set up nativity scenes known as presepe. Naples (Click here ) is especially famous for these. On Christmas Eve the pope gives midnight mass in St Peter’s Square ( Click here ).

Top of section
itineraries

Whether you’ve got six days or 60, these itineraries provide a starting point for the trip of a lifetime. Want more inspiration? Head online to lonelyplanet.com/thorntree to chat with other travellers.

Two Weeks Classic Art Cities

The centre of the Renaissance and home to Michelangelo and Dante, Tuscany and Umbria’s treasury of architectural styles and artistic expression have made them justifiably world-famous. Start this two-week exploration with three days in Florence , where the entire scooter-crammed centre is a World Heritage Site and the Uffizi Gallery houses Italy’s finest collection of Renaissance art. Decamp to Pisa to see the architectural ensemble that makes up the Piazza dei Miracoli and then swap Renaissance for Gothic in Siena , spending at least two days before heading on to the fairy-tale medieval towers of San Gimignano ; arrive late in the day so you can enjoy the tiny hill town without the strain of crowds. On day eight make a slow procession to Pienza , stopping at the Abbazia di San Galgano on the way. From Pienza, skirt the southern shore of Lake Trasimeno to reach Assisi , where you can admire those Giotto frescoes that caused such a stir in the Middle Ages. You’ll want at least two days to do them justice before heading southeast to end with Orvieto’s lavish, mosaic-clad cathedral.

One Month The Grand Tour

Originally the preserve of aristocratic young men – part scholar’s pilgrimage, part rite of passage – the grand tour is now for anyone with enough time on their hands to travel the length of the Italian peninsula from north to south (or vice versa). The itinerary traditionally started in Turin (and, less often, Milan ). In Turin your cultural guide might show you the Savoy palaces, in particular the Venaria Reale, Italy’s mini-Versailles, and in Milan, Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper . Short excursions to Lake Maggiore or Lake Como might also be in order to enjoy the landscaped lake gardens of Villa Taranto and Villa Carlotta respectively. Board the train for Venice , stopping in Verona for a night or two along the way to catch some opera in the Roman Arena. At least four days are needed to enjoy the architectural masterpiece that is Venice – the ‘locus of decadent Italianate allure’.

During week two start your journey south by taking in Giotto’s ground-breaking frescoes in Padua’s Scrovegni Chapel, Ravenna’s dazzling Byzantine mosaics and Bologna’s culinary delights before pausing in Florence for a few days. Here grand tour days were filled with extensive museum visits admiring the monuments and art works of the Renaissance alongside Roman sculptures in the archaeological museum. Day trips to Romanesque Lucca , Renaissance Pisa or Gothic Siena might also feature, time permitting.

By week three you will have arrived in Rome to study the ruins of the ancient world and the exhaustive art collections at the Vatican, Villa Borghese and Capitoline Hill. Don’t try to do it all! Select a few highlights to enjoy and allow plenty of time for coffee in Piazza Navona or dinner in some of Rome’s more avant-garde restaurants. Then, head straight to Naples for opera at the Teatro San Carlo and archaeological day trips to Herculaneum and Pompeii . Consider also exploring the city’s catacombs or scaling Mt Vesuvius . Then end your month-long tour along the romantic Amalfi Coast from where you can day trip to the offshore islands of Capri , Ischia or Procida .

Two Weeks Venice to Milan

In the 16th century the Venetian summer began early in June, when every household loaded onto barges for a summer sojourn along the Brenta Riviera . You too can make like a Venetian on a boat trip along the Riviera after spending a few days in Venice . Marvel at the Tiepolo frescoes of Villa Pisani Nazionale , drop in to the Shoemakers’ Museum at Villa Foscarini Rossi and stop in at Palladio’s Villa Foscari .

Boat trips end in Padua where you can overnight overlooking the Basilica di Sant’Antonio. Don’t miss the small wonders next door in honour of St George: the frescoed Oratorio di San Giorgio and the Titian-filled Scoletta del Santo. With advance booking, you can see Padua’s crowning glory: Giotto’s frescoed Scrovegni Chapel, or head for the historic centre to linger at a cafe in Padua’s arcaded twin piazzas.

On day six hop on the train to Vicenza . Spend the afternoon watching sunlight ripple across the soaring facades of Palladio’s palazzi (mansions) and illuminate the story-book Villa Valmarana ‘ai Nani’, covered floor-to-ceiling with frescoes by Giambattista and Giandomenico Tiepolo, before heading on to Verona for three or four days. Here mornings can be spent viewing Mantegnas at Basilica di San Zeno Maggiore, while afternoons call for window-shopping on Via Mazzini. Then listen to opera in the Roman Arena and wander Verona’s balconied backstreets where Romeo wooed Juliet.

From Verona, day trip northwest to Valpolicella , where you can sample the highly prized Amarone by appointment at Montecariano Cellars, or back east to Soave for a sampling of its namesake DOC white wine at Azienda Agricola Coffele.

On day 11 dip southwest to regal Mantua for an impressive display of dynastic power and patronage at the Gonzagas’ fortified family pad, the Palazzo Ducale. Or for something altogether more dramatic witness the giants trying to storm Mt Olympus in Giulio Romano’s fresco in the Camera dei Giganti at Palazzo Te.

Finally, wind up with a two-day stop in Cremona where you can chat with artisans in one of the 100 or so violin-making shops around Piazza del Comune before hearing them in action at the Teatro Amilcare Ponchielli and then heading on to end your tour in Milan .

Two Weeks A Lakes Tour

A short drive northwest of Milan’s Malpensa airport and you’re on the edge of one of Italy’s most serene scenes, Lago Maggiore. Like grandees before you, this tour takes you up the west flank of the lake into Switzerland (keep an ID or passport with you) via belle époque Stresa .

Spend three nights in Stresa and visit the lavish villas and gardens of the Borromean Islands : Isola Madre for its romantic gardens and wisteria-clad Staircase of the Dead; and Isola Bella for its priceless art collection, vast ballrooms and shell-encrusted grotto. Picnic amid the tulips and rhododendrons of Villa Taranto and take the funicular up to Monte Mottarone . Day trip to Lago d’Orta and the bijou Isola San Giulio .

On day four head north from Stresa via the Lago Maggiore Express to Domodossola , cutting back east on the quaint Centovalli, or ‘Hundred Valleys’, railway, which whisks you along a vertigo-inducing track above swooping valleys to swanky Locarno in Switzerland. In Locarno wander ancient piazzas and admire the Lombard architecture, before joining market-goers on the ferry back to Cannobio in Italy. Nestled at the foot of the Val Cannobino, Cannobio makes a good base for a few days of walking, cycling or sailing. A tour up the valley affords fabulous views from the narrow gorge Orrido di Sant’Anna , while boat trips bob around the ruined Castelli della Malpaga .

Finally, on day eight skip across the lake to Luino on the eastern shore and straight on to celebrity haunt Como , via Varese . Amble the flower-laden lakeside to view art exhibits at Villa Olmo before finding a shady sunlounger poolside at the Lido di Villa Olmo. You could spend days playing in Como, hiring out seaplanes and boats, or hiking the mountainous hinterland of the Triangolo Lariano. If you’re ambitious you can walk all the way to chic Bellagio . Otherwise take the lake road on day 10 and lunch on perch in Lezzeno .

Try not to be seduced by Bellagio’s beauty and save two days at the end of your trip for patrician Bergamo . Here you can finish your tour in style with the extraordinary Carrara art collection and some of the finest Lombard-Renaissance architecture in the region.

One Week Tuscan Wine Routes

With its beautifully crafted landscapes of olive groves, vineyards and cypresses, central Italy is more than a catalogue of grand-slam sites. Start this wine tour with a big cin-cin in Florence , wining and dining in top Tuscan style at wine cellar–bakery Cantinetta dei Verrazzano, where you can sip prized vintages while munching on salty radicchio-topped focaccia. Other key wine addresses include Francesco Vini, Il Santino and Le Volpi e l’Uva. Or perhaps take a preparatory one-day wine course at the Food & Wine Academy before you set off? Versed in the ways of a true oenophile, head south out of town to Chianti Fiorentino.

Tour the new wine museum at Greve in Chianti to get a better understanding of Chianti’s long and illustrious history as a wine making region, then taste top-class regional wines at Le Cantine di Greve in Chianti. While in Chianti, spend a couple of nights on a farm at Fattoria di Rignana . And what a farm: 120 acres of vineyards, woodland and olive groves, growing Sangiovese, merlot, Malvasia, Trebbiano Bianco and the precious Canaiolo Nero grape, which forms the base ingredient of vintage Chianti Classico. While there, day trip to the historic wine cellars at Badia di Passignano and dine at the Antinori Estate’s Osteria di Passignano.

From here you have a choice: continue south via Siena to Montalcino , home of Tuscany’s finest wine, Brunello, or after stopping in Siena loop back northwest towards Florence and pick up the Strada del Vino Vernaccia di San Gimignano, where you can arrange a Vernaccia vineyard tour and overnight in the medieval city of San Gimignano .

If you decide to head south to Montalcino you can join the town in celebrating its new vintage in February at Benvenuto Brunello; otherwise, make the pilgrimage to Ristorante di Poggio Antico for a tour of its award-winning vineyard followed by a meal and tasting. End in rival wine-town Montepulciano, where you can tour the cellars of Cantine Contucci and Cantina del Redi, and take a raft of wine tours offered by the association of the Strada del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. In June you can enjoy it all along with classical concerts in Palazzo Ricci.

Two Weeks Puglian Promenade

For the majority of visitors to Italy, a trip ‘south’ means Naples and the Amalfi Coast: what a shame! Puglia, which forms the heel of Lo Stivale (The Boot), is one of the country’s most underrated regions. Fly in to Bari , where you find the relics of Father Christmas in the Romanesque cathedral. Strike out south, via Polignano a Mare , to the famous Grotte di Castellana . From here a two- to three-day drive south will take you through some of the finest Valle d’Itria towns, including Alberobello , with its hobbit-like, conical trulli houses, wine-producing Locorotondo , beautiful baroque Martina Franca and chic, whitewashed Ostuni . In Martina Franca you get just a small taste of what is awaiting you in Lecce , otherwise known as the ‘Florence of the south’ for its operatic architectural ensembles and scholarly bent. Hire a bike and spend at least three or four days there before striking out to the fortified ports of Otranto in the southeast or Gallipoli in the southwest, with their sandy blue-flag accredited beaches. If you don’t get caught up gulping raw sea urchins and octopuses, push south to Santa Maria di Leuca , the very tip of the Italian stiletto.

10 Days Sicily’s Islands & Volcanoes

It’s well known that Italy is the country with the most World Heritage Sites, but it’s less well known that those sites sit in Europe’s most volcanically active country. In fact, Italy is home to mainland Europe’s only active volcanoes – Mt Vesuvius, Stromboli and Etna. Fly in to Catania , and spend a day or two admiring a city built almost entirely from black lava rock. Then head straight up to the crater rim of Mt Etna either under your own steam or on a guided tour of grottoes and lava tunnels. On day four move on to picturesque Taormina to view Etna framed by the crumbling Roman backdrop of the amphitheatre, before heading to the port at Messina to catch the hydrofoil for the Aeolian Islands . For the next six days island-hop along this volcanic ridge, enjoying natural volcanic mudbaths on Vulcano , exploring pumice mines on Lipari , trekking the twin peaks of Salina’s extinct craters and watching Stromboli’s constant pyrotechnics against a still night sky.

Top of section
eat & drink like a local

When to Go

While sagre (local food festivals) go into overdrive in autumn, there’s never a bad time to raise your fork in Italy. For specific details on food events, Click here .

Spring (Mar–May)

Asparagus, artichokes and Easter specialities, plus a handful of festivals like Turin’s Cioccolatò ( Click here ) and Ascoli Piceno’s Fritto Misto all’Italiana ( Click here ).

Summer (Jun–Aug)

Time for eggplants, peppers, berries and seafood by the sea. Beat the heat with gelato and Sicilian granita .

Autumn (Sep–Nov)

Food festivals galore and gems like chestnuts, mushrooms and game. Truffle hunters head to Piedmont, Tuscany and Umbria while wine connoisseurs hit Elba’s wine harvest and Merano’s wine festival.

Winter (Dec–Feb)

Time for Christmas and Carnevale treats. Fishermen serve up sea urchins and mussels on Sardinia’s Poetto beach, while Umbria celebrates the black truffle with the Mostra Mercato del Tartufo Nero (       Click here ).

THE ART OF EATING WELL

A bulging boot of enviable produce and culinary know-how, Italy is a paradise for taste buds. Locals are fiercely proud of their regions’ specialities, and tucking into them is an essential part of any Italian sojourn. Whet your appetite with the following food-trip essentials; to dig deeper see ( Click here ).

Food Experiences

So much produce, so many specialities, so little time! Fine-tune your culinary radar with the following edible musts.

Meals of a Lifetime

» Pizzarium, Rome (Click here ) Superlative dough and toppings make for unforgettable pizza al taglio (pizza by the slice).

» All’Arco, Venice (Click here ) Top-of-the-class cicheti (Venetian tapas) in new- and old-school flavours.

» La Locanda di Pietracupa ( Click here ) Elegant, modern takes on classic Tuscan dishes in the vino-versed Chianti region.

» Il Cigno, Mantua, Lombardy (Click here ) Superbly executed Lombard specialities in a 15th-century abode.

» L’Antico Forziere, Casaline, Umbria (Click here ) Gorgeous, inventive dishes and a dessert sampler to die for.

» Il Frantoio, Puglia (Click here ) Legendary eight-course feasts at an olive grove–fringed masseria (working farm).

» Ristorante Gallura, Olbia, Sardinia ( Click here ) Fresh, seasonal produce gets a workout in dishes like sea anemones fried in yoghurt.

Cheap Treats

» Pizza al taglio ‘Pizza by the slice’ is the perfect piazza-side nibble.

» Arancini Deep-fried rice balls stuffed with ragù (meat sauce), tomato and vegetables.

» Pecorino A nutty, crumbly sheep’s-milk cheese perfect in fresh, crunchy pane (bread).

» Prosciutto crudo Sweet-smelling and satisfyingly salty, air-dried ham is another perfect panino filler.

» Porchetta rolls Warm sliced pork (roasted whole with fennel, garlic and pepper) in a crispy roll; a market staple in Umbria.

» Pane e panelle Palermo chickpea fritters on a sesame roll.

» Gelato The best Italian gelato uses seasonal ingredients and natural colours (no bright-green pistachio!).

Dare to Try

» Pajata A creamy Roman pasta dish made with calves’ entrails containing the mothers’ congealed milk.

» Missoltini A boldly flavoured Como speciality of sun-dried fish cured in salt and bay leaves.

» Uove di seppie (cuttlefish eggs) A Venetian treat, poached in salted water and sometimes spiked with anice stellato (star anise) in honour of Venice’s spice-trading past.

» Lardo di Colonnata Tuscany’s luscious cured pig lard keeps cardiologists in the black.

» Pani ca meusa Push the boundaries with this classic Palermo sandwich of beef spleen and lungs dipped in boiling lard.

» Zurrette Sardinian black pudding made of sheep’s blood, cooked in a sheep’s stomach with herbs and fennel.

WHAT TO BOOK

Generally, all high-end and popular restaurants should be booked ahead, especially for Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday lunch. In major tourist cities and towns, always book restaurants in the summer high season and during Easter and Christmas. Cooking courses, such as Milan’s La Cucina Italiana ( Click here ), Bologna’s La Vecchia Scuola Bolognese ( Click here ), the Cinque Terre’s Arbaspàa ( Click here ) and Lecce’s Awaiting Table ( Click here ), should also be booked ahead.

Local Specialities

The Italian term for ‘pride of place’ is campanilismo but a more accurate word would be formaggismo: loyalty to the local cheese. Clashes among medieval city-states involving castle sieges and boiling oil have been replaced by competition in speciality foods and wines. So leave your compass at home: subtle flavour variations will pinpoint your location like a gastronomic GPS.

Piedmont

Piedmont’s culinary offerings are nothing short of rich, warming and decadent. Birthplace of the Slow Food Movement, this is the place to warm up with lumache (snails), prized truffles, eggy pasta, lavish chocolate and pedigreed red wines such as Barolo, Barbaresco and Barbera. Prepare to indulge.

» Alba Famed for white truffles, hazelnuts, Ferrero chocolate and award-winning Barolo and Barbaresco reds.

» Turin Birthplace of Lavazza coffee and vermouth, with top-notch chocolate and nougat, a buzzing aperitivo scene and Slow Food emporium Eataly.

» Cherasco Lauded for lumache and hazelnut-laced Baci di Cherasco (Cherasco Kisses) chocolates.

Lombardy

Italy’s wealthiest, most populated region is less about pasta and more about risotto and burro (butter). Its capital, Milan, is home to the classic risotto alla milanese (saffron and bone marrow risotto), panettone (a yeast-risen sweet bread), and some of Italy’s most uberfashionable restaurants. Other regional musts include gorgonzola cheese and artisanal salumi (cured meats).

» Mantua Boasts the region’s highest concentration of fine-dining and Slow Food restaurants. Signature dishes include risotto alla pilota (pork and sausage risotto) and mostarda di mele or mantovana (sweet-and-sour apple or pear mustard).

» Milan Designer restaurants, luxe food emporium Peck and trendy aperitivo bars. Don’t miss risotto alla milanese and Yuletide panettone .

» Valtellina An Alpine valley famed for Sforzato red, Bitto cheese, bresaola (air-cured beef) and pizzoccheri della Valtellina (buckwheat pasta ribbons with wilted cabbage, potatoes and mountain cheese).

Venice & the Veneto

Not all bubbly prosecco (type of sparkling wine) and fiery grappa, Italy’s northeast peddles perfect seafood, polenta and the odd foreign spice – think sarde in soar (grilled sardines in a sweet-and-sour sauce), risotto alle seppie (cuttlefish-ink risotto) and polenta con le quaglie (polenta with quails).

» Venice Sail in for cicheti and fresh Rialto Market produce like lagoon seafood (look for tags reading ‘nostrano’, meaning ‘ours’), radicchio di Treviso (red, bitter chicory) and Bassano del Grappa asparagus. Eat lagoon specialities on Burano and look out for castraure di Sant’Erasmo (purple baby artichokes), grown only on Sant’Erasmo island.

» Valpollicella A prime wine region, well known for Amarone, Valpollicella Superiore, Ripasso, Recioto and inspired renegade IGT red blends from sought-after winemakers like Giuseppe Quintarelli.

Tuscany

A gastronomic giant, celebrated for its golden olive oils, smoky porcini mushrooms, luscious cinghiale (wild boar) and full-blooded red wines.

» Castelnuovo di Garfagnana Fresh autumnal porcini, chestnuts and local farm-grown farro (spelt).

» San Miniato Hunt for delicate white truffles from October to December and celebrate their mystique at the white-truffle fair (Sagra del Tartufo), held over three weekends in November.

» Il Chianti Rolling hills speckled with world-famous vineyards and top-notch modern Tuscan eateries.

» Montepulciano Home of Vino Nobile red and its equally quaffable second-string Rosso di Montepulciano. Savour local cinta senese (indigenous Tuscan pig) and Terre di Siena extra-virgin olive oil.

» Montalcino Famed for the red wine Brunello and the consistently good Rosso di Montalcino, prized extra-virgin olive oils, pecorino cheese, porcini mushrooms, truffles and cinta senese .

» The Valdichiana The valley for world-famous Chianina beef (used in bistecca alla fiorentina, T-bone steak ), pici (a type of hand-rolled pasta) and ravaggiolo (sheep’s-milk cheese wrapped in fern fronds).

Emilia-Romagna

A culinary powerhouse and creator of some of Italy’s most iconic edibles, from lasagne with ragù to the planet’s most grated cheese, parmigiano reggiano (Parmesan).

» Bologna Home of pasta alla bolognese (pasta with white wine, tomato, oregano, beef and belly pork), meat-stuffed tortellini and the deli-packed streets of the Quadrilatero.

» Modena Shop for Modena aged balsamic vinegar, tuck into zampone (stuffed pig’s trotters) and cotechino (boiled pork sausage), and wash it all down with a glass or three of sparkling red Lambrusco.

» Parma Nibble on the town’s most famous trio, parmigiano reggiano , prosciutto di Parma (cured ham) and mortadella (pork cold cut).

Umbria

Gourmets revere Umbria, known for its wild asparagus, mushrooms and hearty boar sausages. Uncork a bottle of mighty sagrantino di Montefalco red and grate a black Norcia truffle over fresh tagliatelle (ribbon pasta).

» Torgiano On the Strada dei Vini del Canto wine trail, Torgiano reveres its wine and olives with two dedicated museums.

» Lago Trasimeno Lake fish shine in dishes like regina alla porchetta (roasted carp stuffed with garlic, fennel and herbs) and tegemacchio (fish stew made with garlic, onions, tomatoes and a medley of underwater critters).

» Norcia Italy’s capital of pork, packed with famous norcinerie (butcher shops) filled with hung hams and stuffed boar’s heads and shops selling dried meats from acorn-fed pigs.

Rome & Lazio

Food fit for a pope, from thin-crust pizza and spaghetti carbonara, to supplì (risotto balls) and espresso-soaked tiramisu.

» Rome Head to Testaccio for nose-to-tail staples like trippa alla romana (tripe cooked with potatoes, tomato, mint and pecorino cheese) and the Ghetto for kosher classics including deep-fried carciofi (artichokes) and pizza ebraica (dense cake made with raisins, almonds, pine nuts and candied fruit).

» Frascati Tour the vineyards and sniff, swill and sip the area’s delicate white wine.

Naples & Campania

Explosions of flavour come with the territory in Campania, where hot peperoncino (chilli pepper), tomatoes and citrus thrive in volcanic soil and retro bars serve thick, rich espresso. Procida lemons get cheeky in limoncello (icy lemon liqueur) while the region’s vines shine in drops like intense red Taurasi and the dry white Fiano di Avellino.

» Naples & surrounds Tuck into Italy’s best pizza and mozzarella di bufala (buffalo mozzarella), on-the-go snacks like crocchè (potato croquettes), and al dente gems like spaghetti alle vongole (spaghetti with clams) and pasta cacio e pepe (pasta with caciocavallo cheese and pepper). Make room for sfogliatella (sweetened ricotta pastry) and runny babà (rum-soaked sponge cake).

» Cetara Sample Italy’s best anchovies in a tiny Amalfi Coast town. Savour the flavour with spaghetti con alici e finocchietto selavatrico (spaghetti with anchovies and wild fennel).

Puglia

Like the Wild West with better food: head southeast for peppery olive oil, crunchy pane , and honest cucina povera (poor man’s cuisine). Breadcrumbs lace everything from strascinati con la mollica (pasta with breadcrumbs and anchovies) and tiella di verdure (baked vegetable casserole), while carbolicious snacks include puccia (bread with olives) and ring-shaped taralli (pretzel-like biscuits).

» Salento Linger over lunch at a masseria and make a toast with hearty reds like Salice Salentino and Primitivo di Manduria.

Sicily

Expect cuisine with kick, from the wild-caught tuna and sardines to fiori di zucca ripieni (cheese-stuffed squash blossoms). Channel ancient Arab influences with fragrant fish couscous and spectacular sweets like cannoli (pastry shells filled with sweet ricotta), and praise Sicilian culinary skill with a bottle of devilish red Nero d’Avola.

» Palermo Snack on fried eggplant with lemon or sfincione (spongy, oily pizza topped with onions and caciocavallo cheese), and sit down to pasta con le sarde (pasta with sardines, pine nuts, raisins and wild fennel) and involtini di pesce spada (thinly sliced swordfish fillets rolled up and filled with breadcrumbs, capers, tomatoes and olives).

» Catania Pay tribute to Sicily’s Norman invaders with pasta alla Norma (pasta with basil, eggplant, ricotta and tomato).

» Noto, Modica & Ragusa Celebrate earthy flavours with lolli con le fave (hand-rolled pasta with fava beans), macco di fave (fava bean purée with wild fennel) and ravioli di ricotta al sugo di maiale (ricotta ravioli served with a pork-meat sauce) and savour Modica’s spiced chocolate creations.

TABLE MANNERS

While Italian diners will usually forgive any foreign faux pas, following a few tips should impress the toughest of gastrosnobs. On the coffee front, milky options like caffe latte and cappuccino are usually morning drinks, with espresso and macchiato the preferred post-lunch options. Coffee with dessert is fine, but ordering one with your main meal is a culinary travesty. Make eye contact when toasting, and eat spaghetti with a fork, not a spoon. Eating bread with your pasta is considered un pò strano (a bit strange), though using it to wipe any remaining sauce from your plate (affectionately called fare la scarpetta ) is fine. Feel free to give your complimenti allo chef (compliments to the chef), and in the right circumstances, a hearty handshake and cheek kisses may be in order. On the subject of il conto (the bill), whoever invites usually pays. Splitting the bill is common enough, though itemising it is molto vulgare (very vulgar). If there is no servizio (service charge), consider leaving a 10% to 15% tip. In bars, Italians usually tip the barista €0.10 or €0.20. And if you’re lucky enough to be invited to someone’s home for a meal, never go empty handed – wine, chocolates or flowers will ensure you make la bella figura (good impression).

How to Eat & Drink Like a Local

Now that your appetite is piqued, it’s time for the technicalities of eating all’italiana .

When to Eat

» Colazione (Breakfast) A continental affair, often little more than a pre-work espresso, accompanied by a cornetto (Italian croissant) or brioche .

» Pranzo (Lunch) Traditionally the main meal of the day, with many businesses closing for la pausa (afternoon break). Standard restaurant times are noon to 2.30pm, though most locals don’t lunch before 1pm.

» Aperitivo Particularly popular in northern cities, post-work drinks usually take place between 5pm and 8pm, when the price of your drink includes a buffet of tasty morsels.

» Cena (Dinner) Traditionally a little lighter than lunch, though still a main meal. Standard restaurant times are 7.30pm to around 11pm (sometimes even later in the summer and in the south).

Choosing a Restaurant

» Ristorante (Restaurant) Crisp linen, formal service and refined dishes make restaurants the obvious choice for special occasions.

» Trattoria A family-owned version of a restaurant, with cheaper prices, more-relaxed service, and classic regional specialities. Avoid places offering a ‘tourist menu’.

» Osteria Historically a tavern focused on wine, the modern version is usually an intimate, relaxed trattoria or wine bar offering a handful of dishes from a verbal menu.

» Enoteca Perfect for a little vino downtime, wine bars often serve snacks to accompany your tipple.

» Agriturismo A working farmhouse offering accommodation, as well as food made with farm-grown produce. Some allow guests to participate in farm activities.

» Pizzeria A top place for a cheap feed, cold beer and a buzzing, convivial vibe. The best pizzerias are often crowded: be patient.

» Tavola calda Literally a ‘hot table’, these cafeteria-style options peddle cheap premade food like self-service pasta, roast meats and pizza al taglio .

Menu Lowdown

» Menù a la carte Choose whatever you like from the menu.

» Menù di degustazione Degustation menu, usually consisting of six to eight ‘tasting size’ courses.

» Menù turistico The dreaded ‘tourist menu’ usually signals mediocre fare for gullible tourists – steer clear!

» Piatto del giorno Dish of the day.

» Antipasto A hot or cold appetiser. For a tasting plate of different appetisers, request an antipasto misto (mixed antipasto).

» Primo First course, usually a substantial pasta, rice or zuppa (soup) dish.

» Secondo Second course, often carne (meat) or pesce (fish).

» Contorno Side dish, usually verdura (vegetable).

» Dolce Dessert; including torta (cake).

» Frutta Fruit; usually the epilogue to a meal.

» Nostra produzione Made in-house; used to describe anything from bread and pasta to liquori (liqueurs).

» Surgelato Frozen; usually used to denote fish or seafood that has not been freshly caught.

For information on eating price ranges in this book, Click here .

Top of section
outdoor experiences

Best Experiences

Hiking The Dolomites, Piedmont’s Gran Paradiso, Trentino’s Stelvio and Calabria’s Pollino parks, Umbria’s Piano Grande and the coastal tracks of the Cinque Terre, the Amalfi Coast, Sicily and Sardinia are all super.

Cycling The Po Delta and Bolzano offer good networks, as do the wine regions of Franciacorta, Barolo, Barbaresco and Chianti. Urban options include Rome’s Via Appia, Ferrara, Lucca, Bologna and Lecce.

Skiing Cross-border into Slovenia at Sella Nevea; skiing and snowboarding in Courmayeur; downhill and cross-country in Cortina d’Ampezzo, the Valle d’Aosta and Sella Ronda.

Diving Marine parks abound. The best are off the Cinque Terre, the Gargano Promontory, Elba, the Sorrento Peninsula, the Aeolian Islands, Ustica and Sardinia.

Best Times to Go

April to June Walk among wildflowers.

July & September Water sports and warm-water diving without the August crowds.

December, February & March The best ski months for atmosphere (Christmas), snow and value.

Blessed with hills, mountains, lakes and 7600km of coastline, Italy offers much more than Roman ruins and Renaissance art. Adrenalin addicts can get their fix in any number of ways: there’s mountain biking, climbing and skiing in the Alps; hard-core hiking in the Dolomites; horse riding in the Apennines; you can climb active volcanoes in Sicily; and shoot white-water rapids in Calabria. Less daunting, Lombardy and Tuscany’s rolling landscape offers scenic cycling.

On the coast, sport goes beyond posing on packed beaches. The precipitous peaks of the Amalfi Coast harbour a network of ancient shepherd paths, while Sardinia’s cobalt waters and Sicily’s Aeolian Islands boast some of Italy’s best diving. Windsurfers flock to Sardinia, Sicily and the northern lakes to pit themselves against fierce local winds.

HIKING & WALKING

Italy is a walker’s paradise. Thousands of kilometres of sentieri (marked trails) criss-cross the peninsula, ranging from tough mountain treks to gentle lakeside ambles. In season (the end of June to September), the jagged peaks of the Dolomites provide superb walking and spectacular scenery.

The Alps

One of the great mountain ranges of Europe, the Alps stretch from Slovenia in the east, via the southern borders of Austria and Switzerland to France in the west. For hikers, they offer heady mountain vistas, swooping forested valleys and views over large glacial lakes such as Garda, Como and Maggiore.

To the east in Friuli Venezia you’ll find the Giulie and Carnic Alps, where you can hike in pursuit of lynx, marmots and eagles amid curious Tyrolean villages. Heading west, the white ridges pass through Trento’s Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio, northern Italy’s (and the Alps’) largest national park, spilling into next-door Lombardy. Lombardy’s great lakes – encompassing Garda, Como, Iseo, Maggiore and Orta – are prime hiking territory mixing mountain and lake vistas. Particularly scenic is the crumpled ridge of mountains in Como’s Triangolo Lariano, and Garda’s impressive Monte Baldo.

Finally, in the far west, dropping into Piedmont and Liguria, are the Graian, Maritime and Ligurian Alps, which take in the Valle d’Aosta, the vast Gran Paradiso park and the lesser-known Parco Naturale delle Alpi Marittime, before making a sharp and dramatic descent to the Cinque Terre and Portofino park on the Ligurian coastline.

Accommodation in the mountains is in huts ( rifugi ) or chalets, which should be booked ahead in high season. For serious hiking you’ll need to bring appropriate equipment and detailed trail maps. Tourist offices and visitor centres provide some information, resources and basic maps for easier tourist routes.

The Dolomites

Soaring across the borders of the Veneto, Trentino and Alto-Adige, the Dolomites are a stunning mountain range. Unesco thought so too, and declared the mountains and their unique ecosystem a World Heritage Site in 2009. Equally well known for their skiing and cycling, the Dolomites offer some of Italy’s most scenic (and vertiginous) walking trails, which are sprinkled with wildflowers in spring.

Top Trails

» Alpi di Siusi, Alto-Adige (Click here ) Europe’s largest plateau ends dramatically at the base of the Sciliar Mountains. Average stamina will get you to Rifugio Bolzano, one of the Alps’ oldest mountain huts. The more challenging peaks of the Catinaccio group and the Sassolungo are nearby.

» Val Pusteria, Alto-Adige (Click here ) This narrow Tyrolean valley runs from Bressanone to San Candido. At the far end of the valley are the Sesto Dolomites, which are criss-crossed with spectacular walking trails, including moderate trails around the iconic Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Three Peaks).

» Val Gardena, Alto-Adige (Click here ) One of only five valleys where the Ladin heritage is still preserved. Located amid the peaks of the Gruppo del Sella and Sassolungo there are challenging alte vie (high-altitude) trails and easier nature walks such as the Naturonda at Passo di Sella (2244m).

» Brenta Dolomites, Trentino (Click here ) The Brenta group is well known to mountaineers for its sheer cliffs and tricky ascents, which are home to some of Italy’s most famous vie ferrate (trails with permanent steel cables and ladders), including the Via Ferrata delle Bocchette.

» Parco Nazionale delle Dolomiti Bellunesi, Veneto (Click here ) A Unesco Heritage park offering trails amid wildflowers. This park also harbours the high-altitude Alte Vie delle Dolomiti trails, which are accessible between June and September.

Central Italy

In central Italy, Abruzzo’s national parks are among Italy’s least explored. Here, you can climb Corno Grande ( Click here ), the Apennines’ highest peak, and explore vast, silent valleys. Likewise, Umbria’s Monti Sibillini and Piano Grande are well off the typically trodden path, and both burst into a blooming carpet of wildflowers in spring.

Tuscany’s only significant park with good walking trails is in the southern Maremma, where you can sign up for walks of medium difficulty. For most people though, an easy amble through picturesque Chianti will suit them just fine.

The South

Backed by the spiky ridge of the southern Apennines, Campania, Basilicata and Calabria have some stunning coastal hikes. For spectacular sea views head to the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento Peninsula, where age-old paths such as the Sentiero degli Dei (Path of the Gods; Click here ) disappear into wooded mountains and ancient lemon groves.

Further south, crossing the border between Calabria and Basilicata is the Parco Nazionale del Pollino ( Click here ), Italy’s largest national park. It acts like a rocky curtain separating Calabria from the rest of Italy and has the richest repository of flora and fauna in the south. Walkers in the park can enjoy varied landscapes, from deep river canyons to alpine meadows. Calabria’s other national parks – the Sila and Aspromonte – offer similarly dramatic hiking, particularly the area around Sersale in the Sila, where there are myriad waterfalls and you can trek through the Valli Cupe canyon ( Click here ).

SELVAGGIO BLU – THE ULTIMATE TREK

Reckoned by many to be the toughest trek in Italy, Sardinia’s seven-day Selvaggio Blu (Savage Blue) is not for the faint-hearted. Stretching 45km along the Golfo di Orosei, the trek traverses wooded ravines, chasms, gorges and cliffs and passes many caves. It’s not well signposted (a deliberate decision to keep it natural) and there’s no water en route. Furthermore, it involves rock climbs of up to UIAA grade IV+ (challenging), and abseils of up to 45m.

For information , Italian speakers can consult www.selvaggioblu.it, a website with descriptions of each day’s walk, advice on what to take and when to go (namely in spring or autumn).

Sicily & Sardinia

Surprisingly, Italy’s diverse offshore islands offer some of the best walking in the country. Most people may think of Capri and Ischia as playboy summer spots, but they both offer fantastic walking trails that enable you to enjoy the islands away from the beach crowds.

Likewise, Sicily and Sardinia with their unique topographies provide wonderful walking opportunities. Take your pick of volcano hikes in Sicily: the mother of them all is Mt Etna, but there’s a whole host of lesser volcanoes on the Aeolian Islands from extinct Vulcano, where you can descend to the crater floor, to a three-hour climb to the summit of Stromboli to see it exploding against the night sky. From Etna you can also trek across into the Madonie park, or, on Sicily’s east coast, you can track the shoreline in the Riserva Naturale dello Zingaro ( Click here ).

By contrast, Sardinia’s granite peaks offer more-challenging hikes. The Golfo di Orosei e del Gennargentu park offers a network of old shepherd tracks on the Supramonte plateau and incorporates the prehistoric site of Tiscali and the Gola Su Gorropu canyon, which requires a guide and involves some rock climbing.

ITALY’S BEST PARKS & RESERVES

PARK

FEATURES

ACTIVITIES

BEST TIME TO VISIT

PAGE

Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise

granite peaks, beech woods, bears, wolves

hiking, horse riding

May–Oct

Click here

Appennino Tosco-Emiliano

mountains, forests, lakes

skiing, cycling, hiking, horse riding

Feb–Oct

Click here

Arcipelago di La Maddalena

rocky islets, beaches, translucent sea

sailing, diving, snorkelling

Jun–Sep

Click here

Asinara

albino donkeys, former prison

cycling, boat tours, snorkelling

Jun–Sep

Click here

Aspromonte

coniferous forests, high plains, vertiginous villages

hiking

May–Oct

Click here

Cilento e Vallo di Diano

Greek temples, dramatic coastline, caves

hiking, swimming, birdwatching

May–Oct

Click here

Cinque Terre

Unesco World Heritage Site, colourful fishing villages, terraced hillsides

hiking, diving

Apr–Oct

Click here

Delta del Po

marshes, wetlands

cycling, birdwatching

May–Oct

Click here

Dolomiti Bellunesi

Unesco World Heritage Site, rock spires, highland meadows, chamois

skiing, hiking, mountain biking

Dec–Oct

Click here

Dolomiti di Sesto

jagged mountains, Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Three Peaks)

hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing

Jun–Sep

Click here

Etna

active volcano, black lava fields, forests

hiking, horse riding

May–Oct

Click here

Gargano

ancient forests, limestone cliffs, grottoes

diving, hiking, cycling, snorkelling

Jun–Sep

Click here

Golfo di Orosei e del Gennargentu

sheer cliffs, granite peaks, prehistoric ruins

hiking, sailing, rock climbing, canyoning

May–Sep

Click here

Gran Paradiso

Alpine villages, mountains, meadows, ibex

skiing, snowboarding, hiking, climbing, mountain biking

Dec–Oct

Click here

Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga

ragged peaks, birds of prey, wolves

skiing, hiking, climbing

Dec–Mar

Click here

Madonie

Sicily’s highest peaks, wooded slopes, wolves, wildflowers

hiking, horse riding

May–Jun, Sep–Oct

Click here

Majella

mountains, deep gorges, bears

hiking, cycling

Jun–Sep

Click here

Maremma

reclaimed marshes, beaches

hiking, horse riding, birdwatching

May–Oct

Click here

Monti Sibillini

ancient hamlets, mountains, eagles

hiking, mountain biking, paragliding

May–Oct

Click here

Pollino

mountains, canyons, forest, Larico pines, rare orchids

rafting, canyoning, hiking

Jun–Sep

Click here

Prigionette

forest paths, albino donkeys, Giara horses, wild boar

hiking, cycling

May–Oct

Click here

Sciliar-Catinaccio

pasture lands, valleys, villages

hiking, cycling

Jun–Sep

Click here

Sila

wooded hills, lakes, remote villages, mushrooms

skiing, hiking, canyoning, horse riding

Dec–Mar, May–Oct

Click here

Stelvio

Alpine peaks, glaciers, forests

year-round skiing, hiking, cycling, mountain biking

Dec–Sep

Click here

Vesuvio

active volcano, black lava fields, woods

hiking

Apr–Oct

Click here

ROCK CLIMBING

The huge rock walls of the Dolomites set testing challenges for rock climbers of all levels, with everything from simple, single-pitch routes to long, multipitch ascents, many of which are easily accessible by road. To combine rock climbing with high-level hiking, you can clip onto the vie ferrate in the Brenta Dolomites.

For hard-core mountaineering, alpinists can pit themselves against Europe’s highest peaks in the Valle d’Aosta. Courmayeur and Cogne, a renowned ice-climbing centre, make good bases.

To the south, the Gran Sasso massif is a favourite. Of its three peaks, Corno Grande (2912m) is the highest and Corno Piccolo (2655m) the easiest to get to.

Other hot spots include Monte Pellegrino outside Palermo in Sicily, and Domusnovas and the Supramonte in Sardinia.

The best source of climbing information is the Club Alpino Italiano (CAI; www.cai.it).

SKIING

Most of Italy’s top ski resorts are in the northern Alps. Sestriere hosted the downhill events at the 2006 Winter Olympics, and names like Cortina d’Ampezzo, Madonna di Campiglio and Courmayeur will be familiar to serious ski buffs. But skiing is not limited to the north: travel down the peninsula and you’ll find smaller resorts throughout the Apennines, in Lazio, Le Marche and Abruzzo.

Facilities at the bigger centres are generally world-class, with pistes ranging from nursery slopes to tough black runs. As well as sci alpino (downhill skiing), resorts might offer sci di fondo (cross-country skiing) and sci alpinismo (ski mountaineering).

The ski season runs from December to late March, although there is year-round skiing in Trentino Alto-Adige and on Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) and the Matterhorn in the Valle d’Aosta. As a general rule, January and February are the best, busiest and most expensive months. For better value look further afield to the Friuli’s expanding Sella Nevea runs or Tarvisio, one of the coldest spots in the Alps, where the season is often extended into April.

The best bargain of the ski year is the settimana bianca (literally ‘white week’) package covering accommodation, food and ski passes.

TOP SKI RESORTS

Friuli Venezia Giulia

» Tarvisio (www.tarvisiano.org) 60km of cross-country tracks and great freeriding.

» Sella Nevea (www.sellanevea.net) 30km of slopes linking to Bovec in Slovenia.

» Forni di Sopra (www.fornidisopra.com) Family-friendly, offering skiing, ice-skating and sledging.

Valle d’Aosta

» Via Lattea (Milky Way; www.vialattea.it) 400km of pistes linking five ski resorts, including one of Europe’s most glamorous, Sestriere.

Piedmont

» Limone Piemonte (www.limonepiemonte.it) 80km of runs, including some for Nordic skiing.

» Courmayeur (www.courmayeur.com) Dominated by spectacular Mont Blanc, Courmayeur allows access to legendary runs such as the Vallee Blanche.

» Cervinia (www.cervinia.it) In the shadow of the Matterhorn and within skiing distance of Zermatt; good for late-season snow and family facilities.

» Monte Rosa (www.monterosa-ski.com) Comprised of three valleys – Val d’Ayas, Val d’Gressoney and Alagna Valsesia – Monte Rosa is characterised by Walser villages and white-knuckle off-piste skiing and heli-skiing.

Trentino Alto-Adige

» Sella Ronda (www.sella-ronda.info) A 40km circumnavigation of the Gruppo di Sella range (3151m, at Piz Boé) is one of the Alps’ iconic ski routes.

» Alta Badia (www.altabadia.org) 130km of slopes including the legendary Gran Risa.

Veneto

» Cortina d’Ampezzo (www.infodolomiti.it) Downhill and cross-country skiing with runs ranging from bunny slopes to the legendary Staunies black mogul run.

SNOWBOARDING

Ski purists might lament the fact, but snowboarding has arrived in Italy. Two hot spots are Madonna di Campiglio in Trentino and Breuil-Cervinia in Valle d’Aosta. Madonna’s facilities are among the best in the country and include a snowboard park with descents for all levels and a dedicated boarder-cross zone. Breuil-Cervinia, situated at 2050m in the shadow of the Matterhorn, is better suited to intermediate and advanced levels.

CYCLING

Whether you want a gentle ride between trattorias, a 100km road race or a teeth-rattling mountain descent, you’ll find a route to suit in Italy. Tourist offices can usually provide details on trails and guided rides, and bike hire is available in most cities and key activity spots.

Tuscany’s famously rolling countryside is a favourite with cyclists, particularly the wine-producing Chianti area south of Florence. In Umbria, the Valnerina and Piano Grande at Monte Vettore have beautiful trails and quiet country roads to explore. Further north, the flatlands of Emilia-Romagna and the terraced vineyards of Barolo, Barbaresco and Franciacorta are also ideally suited for bike touring. In the south, Puglia’s flat rolling countryside and coastal paths are another good spot.

In summer many Alpine ski resorts offer seriously good cycling. Mountain bikers will be spoilt for choice in the peaks around Lago di Garda, Lake Maggiore and the Dolomites in Trentino Alto-Adige. Another challenging area is the tough, granite landscape of the Supramonte in eastern Sardinia.

The best time for cycling is spring, when it’s not too hot and the countryside is looking its best. If cycling is a focus of your trip, get hold of a copy of Lonely Planet’s Cycling Italy .

BIKE TOURS

» Darwin Cooperative (www.cooperativadarwin.it) Organises tours in English, French, German and Spanish along Rome’s scenic Via Appia Antica.

» I Bike Tuscany (www.ibiketuscany.com) Year-round one-day tours for riders of every skill level. Transport to Chianti and a support vehicle are provided.

» Iseobike (www.iseobike.com) Tours around the Franciacorta wine region, with wine tastings.

» Mountainbike Ogliastra (www.mountainbikeogliastra.it) Organises scenic road cycling itineraries in Sardinia as well as challenging downhill routes on old mule tracks.

» Colpo di Pedale (www.colpodipedale.it) Trips for all levels on racers, mountain bikes and city bikes around Piedmont’s Langhe wine region.

» Ciclovagando (www.ciclovagando.com) Organises full-day tours of 20km, departing from various Puglian towns including Ostuni and Brindisi.

DIVING

Diving is one of Italy’s most popular summer pursuits, and there are hundreds of schools offering courses, dives for all levels and equipment hire.

Most diving schools open seasonally, typically from about June to October. If possible, avoid August, when the Italian coast is besieged by holidaymakers and prices are at their highest.

Information is available from local tourist offices and online at DiveItaly (www.diveitaly.com, in Italian) .

Top Dive Sites

» Aeolian Islands, Sicily A volcanic ridge with warm, volcanic waters encompassing the islands of Vulcano, Lipari, Salina, Panarea, Stromboli, Alicudi and Filicudi. Dive in sea grottoes around the remains of old volcanoes.

» Capri, Ischia & Procida, Campania These three islands in the Bay of Naples offer exceptional diving (and underwater photo opportunities) amid sun-struck sea grottoes.

» Cinque Terre Marine Reserve, Liguria One of the few places to dive in the north of the country. Dives head out of Riomaggiore and Santa Margherita.

» Capo Caccia, Sardinia The dive site for Sardinia’s coral divers, Capo Caccia also features the largest underwater grotto in the Mediterranean.

» Isole Tremiti, Puglia These wind-eroded islands off Puglia’s Gargano Promontory are part of a marine park and are pock-marked with huge sea grottoes.

» Pantelleria, Sicily A spectacular volcanic seabed surrounds the black lava island of Pantelleria.

» Parco Nazionale dell’Arcipelago di La Maddalena, Sardinia The Maddalena marine park boasts translucent waters and diving around 60 islets.

» Parco Nazionale Arcipelago Toscano, Tuscany Europe’s largest marine park encompasses the Tuscan archipelago and the island of Elba.

» Punta Campanella Marine Reserve, Campania Vivid marine life flourishing among underwater grottoes and ancient ruins. Dives head out from Marina del Cantone, including outings to the stunning Bay of Ieranto.

» Ustica, Sicily Italy’s first marine reserve, this volcanic island is rich with underwater flora and fauna and hosts the International Festival of Underwater Activities in July.

SAILING

Italy, virtually surrounded by water, has a proud maritime tradition and you can hire a paddle boat or sleek sailing yacht almost anywhere in the country. Sailors of all levels are catered for: experienced skippers can island-hop around Sicily and Sardinia, or along the Amalfi, Tuscan, Ligurian or Triestino coasts on chartered yachts; weekend boaters can explore hidden coves in rented dinghies around Puglia, in the Tuscan archipelago and around the Sorrento Peninsula; and speed freaks can take to the Lombard lakes in all manner of sporty speedboats.

Down south, on the Amalfi Coast, prime swimming spots are often only accessible by boat. It’s a similar story on the Cilento coast south of Naples and the islands of Elba, Capri, Ischia and Procida.

Sardinia and Sicily also provide superb sailing. In Sardinia, the Golfo di Orosei, Santa Teresa di Gallura and the Maddalena archipelago are the top sailing spots; in Sicily, the Aeolian Islands’ cobalt waters are perfect for idle island-hopping.

Italy’s most prestigious sailing regattas are Lago di Garda’s September Centomiglia (www.centomiglia.it), which sails just south of Gargnano, and the Barcolana Regatta (www.barcolana.it) held in Trieste in October. The Barcolana is the Med’s largest regatta and attracts some 20,000 sailors. Sardinia hosts the World Championships in Cagliari in September. The island’s main sailing portal is www.sailingsardinia.it (in Italian).

WHITE-WATER SPORTS

A mecca for water rats, the Sesia river in northern Piedmont is Italy’s top white-water destination. At its best between April and September, it runs from the slopes of Monte Rosa down through the spectacular scenery of the Valsesia. Operators in Varallo offer various solutions to the rapids: there’s canoeing, kayaking, white-water rafting, canyoning, hydrospeed and tubing.

In Alto-Adige, the Val di Sole is another white-water destination, as is Monti Sibillini in Umbria.

At the southern end of the peninsula, the Lao river rapids in Calabria’s Parco Nazionale del Pollino provide exhilarating rafting, as well as canoeing and canyoning. Trips can be arranged in Scalea.

WINDSURFING

Considered one of Europe’s prime windsurfing spots, Lago di Garda enjoys excellent wind conditions: the northerly peler blows in early on sunny mornings, while the southerly ora sweeps down in the early afternoon as regular as clockwork. The two main centres are Torbole, home of the World Windsurf Championship, and Malcesine, 15km south.

For windsurfing on the sea, Sardinia is a hot spot. In the north, Porto Pollo, also known as Portu Puddu, is good for beginners and experts – the bay provides protected waters for learners, while experts can enjoy the high winds as they funnel through the channel between Sardinia and Corsica. Competitions such as the Chia Classic are held off the southwest coast, while the Kitesurf World Cup is held off the beaches between Vignola and Santa Teresa di Gallura. To the northeast, there’s good windsurfing on the island of Elba, off the Tuscan coast.

Equipment hire is available at all the places mentioned here.

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regions at a glance

Rome & Lazio

Roman Sites

Food

Museums & Galleries

Ancient Icons

Rome’s ancient centre is history in 3D. Here Romulus killed Remus on the Palatine Hill, Christians were fed to lions in the Colosseum and emperors took to the spa at the Terme di Caracalla. Ponder the remains of the great and the good in the catacombs along the Via Appia Antica.

FOOD

The Roman palate favours earthy old-school flavours such as pig’s cheek, offal, salt cod and bucatini all’amatriciana (pasta with tomato, pancetta and chilli-peppers), but that’s not to say that dining out is provincial. The Italo-fusion fare of new-school chefs lends stalwart staples a contemporary twist.

MUSEUMS & GALLERIES

The breadth of cultural treasures housed in Rome’s countless museums and galleries is, quite frankly, embarrassing. If you plan on hitting several of them, it’s worth considering one of the various discount cards available.

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Turin, Piedmont & the Italian Riviera

Walking

Villages

Food

HIKING & SKIING

From the slopes of the Milky Way and the Valle d’Aosta to wild coastal hikes along the Cinque Terre, this northwest corner of the country is an outdoor paradise. The Gran Paradiso park is aptly named.

UNSPOILT VILLAGES

With chic medieval fishing villages along the Cinque Terre; quaint, wine-growing villages on Langhe hilltops; and secretive Walser villages in the Valle d’Aosta, you’re spoilt for choice.

GOURMET PARADISE

Home to the Slow Food Movement, Piedmont has an embarrassment of culinary riches, from the truffles of Alba and Asti to the renowned wines of the Langhe region.

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Milan & the Lakes

Shopping

Gardens

Food

FASHION CAPITAL

Every fashion addict worth their slate-grey, cashmere cardigan knows that Milan takes fashion and design as seriously as others take biotech or engineering. Top-notch discount outlets mean that everyone can make a bella figura (good impression) here.

VILLAS & GARDENS

Framed by gazebos, blushing bushes of camellias, artfully tumbling terraces and world-class statuary, Lombardy’s lakeside villas knock the socks off the ‘luxury getaway’ concept.

CULTURE & CUISINE

Bergamo, Brescia, Cremona and Mantua, the cultured cities of the Po Plain combine wonderful art and architecture with a slew of sophisticated, regional restaurants.

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Trento & the Dolomites

Activities

Wellness

Food

ADRENALIN RUSH

Ski, hike, ice-climb, sledge-ride or Nordic walk in the Sella Ronda and the remote Stelvio park. Real adrenalin junkies will want to scale the WWI-era vie ferrate (literally ‘roads of iron’).

THERMAL SPAS

Attend to your wellness in the thermal baths at Terme Merano or Vigilius, then stock up on tisanes and cosmetics incorporating Alpine herbs, grapes, apples and Mountain Pine.

AUSTRIAN ACCENTS

Bolzano beer halls, strudels, Sachertorte, sourdough breads and buckwheat cakes are just some of the region’s Austro-Italian specialities. Combine with regional wines such as Gewürztraminer, riesling and award-winning Sylvaner.

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Venice & the Veneto

Art

Architecture

Wine

MOVING PICTURES

Action-packed paintings by Titian, Veronese and Tintoretto illuminate the way to the modern art on view at Venice’s Biennale. The Church repeatedly tried and failed to censor these artists, who were avant-garde for their time.

REFLECTED GLORIES

Story-book castles, gracious country villas and an entire city of palaces on the water, the Veneto’s architectural landmarks admire their own reflections in the snaking canals.

INSPIRED WINE PAIRINGS

Wine aficionados throng VinItaly booths to try collector-favourite Veneto DOC Amarone, Valpolicella, Soave and prosecco (sparkling wine) – plus dozens of innovative blends and cult wines seldom tasted outside the Veneto.

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Friuli Venezia Giulia

History

Wilderness

Food & Wine

ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES

Aquileia offers up a whole Roman town for exploration, while Cividale del Friuli and Grado retain some rare, early-Christian churches.

RURAL RETREATS

The forests of the Carnic and Giulian Alps are wild and verdant, the Laghi di Fusine are still populated by lynx and deer and the Forni di Sopra are spread thick with wild Alpine flowers.

CULINARY ADVENTURE

Friuli’s crossroads cuisine incorporates smoked trout and DOC prosciutto from San Daniele, spicy brioche, gamey Mittel dishes and traditional sauerkraut. There’s also some very exciting wine coming out of the Carso and the Colli Orientali.

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Emilia-Romagna & San Marino

Cycling

Architecture

Food

URBAN CYCLING

Reggio Emilia was recently voted Italy’s best cycling city. During the week Bologna’s cobbled streets look like Oxford, and Parma is largely pedestrianised. Best of all, circumnavigate the 9 kilometres of Ferrara’s old city walls.

HOLY ARCHITECTURE

Tour the churches for a quick art history lesson from Ravenna’s dazzling Byzantine mosaics and Modena’s Romanesque cathedral to Bologna’s Gothic-Renaissance Basilica di San Petronio.

FAMOUS FLAVOURS

Come with an empty stomach and try the most famous dishes: Modena’s balsamic, Parma’s ham and cheese, and Bologna’s bolognese ragù (bolognese sauce) and mortadella (pork cold cut).

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Florence & Tuscany

Art

Food

Wine

FABULOUS FRESCOES

Read the story of the evolving Renaissance in the vibrant frescoes in Florence, Siena, Arezzo and San Gimignano by greats Piero della Francesca, Giotto, Masaccio, Ghirlandaio and Fra Angelico.

AUTUMNAL TREATS

Truffles and olive oil are two quintessential Tuscan flavours. Autumn heralds many more, such as wild porcini mushrooms and gamey wild boar.

VINEYARD TRAILS

Nothing quite fulfils the Tuscan dream like a tour of Chianti’s gentle, terraced hills. Explore further afield to sample Montepulciano’s Vino Nobile and Montalcino’s heavy-weight Brunello, which vies for top wine slot with Piedmont’s Barolo.

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Umbria & Le Marche

Villages

Scenery

Food

STEP BACK IN TIME

Perched snugly on their peaks like so many storks on chimneys, Umbria’s hill towns – Perugia, Assisi, Gubbio, Urbino – are the proud protectors of local traditions, not to mention postcard pretty.

SPECTACULAR VIEWS

Mountainous and wild, views come at you from all angles in Umbria and Le Marche. Shoot up the funivia (cable car) in Gubbio for stunning views or soar above Monti Sibillini and the Piano Grande in your own hang-glider.

FOREST FARE

Richly forested and deeply rural, the Umbrian larder is stocked with hearty flavours from wild boar and pigeon to Norcia’s cinta senese (Tuscan pig) salami and black truffles.

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Abruzzo & Molise

Scenery

Hiking

Wilderness

Road Less Taken

Discover ‘old’ Italy in the isolated mountain villages of Pescocostanzo, Scanno, Chieti and Sulmona. Enroute from Sulmona to Scanno, pass through the dramatically wild scenery of the Gole di Sagittario gorge.

MIGHTY MOUNTAINS

From Corno Grande (2912m) to Monte Amaro (2793m), Abruzzo’s parks offer free-from-the-crowds hiking and skiing. The most popular route is the ascent of Corno Grande.

BACK TO NATURE

This is an area of outstanding natural beauty and rural, back-country charm. Encompassing three national parks, the ancient forests still harbour bears, chamois and wolves and have walking trails.

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Naples & Campania

Coastline

Roman Sites

Food

CLIFFS & COVES

From the citrus-fringed panoramas of the Amalfi Coast to Ischia’s tropical gardens and Capri’s dramatic cliffs, the views from this coastline are as famous as the celebrities who holiday here.

VOLCANOES

Sitting beneath Mt Vesuvius, the Neapolitans abide by the motto carpe diem (literally ‘seize the day’). And why not? All around them, at Pompeii, Ercolano, Cuma and the Phlegraean Fields, are reminders that life is short.

PIZZA & PASTA

Vying hard for Italy’s culinary crown, Campania produces coffee, pizza, tomato pasta, sfogliatelle (sweetened ricotta pastries) and an incredible panoply of seafood, eaten every which way you can.

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Puglia, Basilicata & Calabria

Beaches

Activities

Food

SEASIDE SAVVY

Lounge beneath white cliffs in the Gargano, gaze on violet sunsets in Tropea and spend summer on the golden beaches of Otranto and Gallipoli.

WILD PLACES

With its crush of spiky mountains, Basilicata and Calabria are where the wild things are. Burst through the clouds in mountaintop Pietrapertosa, pick bergamot in the Aspromonte and take time to swap pleasantries with the locals.

CULTURE & CUISINE

Puglia has turned its poverty into a fine art: check out the renovated cave dwellings in Matera and then feast on creamy burrata (cheese made from mozzarella and cream) and turnip greens in Ostuni and Lecce.

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Sicily

Food

History

Activities

SEAFOOD & SWEETS

Sicilian cuisine will dazzle seafood lovers and set sweet teeth on edge. Tuna, sardines, swordfish and shellfish come grilled, fried or seasoned with mint or wild fennel. Desserts are laden with citrus, ricotta, almonds and pistachios.

CULTURAL HYBRID

A Mediterranean crossroads for centuries, Sicily spoils history buffs with Greek temples, Roman and Byzantine mosaics, Phoenician statues, Norman-Romanesque castles and art nouveau villas.

VOLCANOES & ISLANDS

Outdoors enthusiasts can swim and dive in volcanic waters, hike the Aeolian Islands’ dramatic coastlines or watch the thrilling fireworks of Stromboli and Etna.

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Sardinia

Beaches

Activities

Prehistory

SUN, SAND & SURF

Famous for its fjord-like coves, crystalline waters and windswept sand dunes. Surfers, kitesurfers, sailors and divers flock to the Costa Smeralda, Porto Pollo, the Golfo di Orosei and the Maddalena archipelago.

MOVING MOUNTAINS

Sardinia’s awe- inspiring mountains provide a massive playground for hikers and free-climbers. Climbs afford stunning sea views, while Supramonte hikes traverse old shepherd routes.

PREHISTORIC ROCKS

With its landscape of grey granite rocks, Sardinia is littered with strange prehistoric dolmens, menhirs, wells and nuraghi (huge, mysterious stone towers built by the island’s earliest inhabitants).

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On the Road

ROME & LAZIO

ROME

LAZIO

Ostia Antica

Tivoli

Cerveteri

Tarquinia

Viterbo

Castelli Romani

Palestrina

Isole Pontine

TURIN, PIEDMONT & THE ITALIAN RIVIERA

LIGURIA

Genoa

Riviera di Levante

Cinque Terre

Riviera di Ponente

PIEDMONT

Turin

The Milky Way

Southern & Eastern Piedmont

VALLE D'AOSTA

Aosta

Courmayeur

Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso

Valtournenche

MILAN & THE LAKES

MILAN

THE LAKES

Lago Maggiore

Lago d'Orta

Lago di Como

Lago di Garda

THE PO PLAIN

Bergamo

Mantua

Cremona

TRENTO & THE DOLOMITES

TRENTINO

Trento

Rovereto

Brenta Dolomites

Val di Fassa

ALTO ADIGE (SÜDTIROL)

Bolzano (Bozen)

Merano (Meran)

Val Badia & Alpe di Fanes

Val Pusteria (Pustertal)

VENICE & THE VENETO

VENICE

AROUND THE VENETO

Padua

Vicenza

Verona

Dolomites

FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA

Trieste

Gorizia

Palmanova

Aquileia

Grado

Udine

Tolmezzo & Carnia

Tarvisio & the Giulie Alps

EMILIA-ROMAGNA & SAN MARINO

EMILIA-ROMAGNA

Bologna

West of Bologna

East of Bologna

SAN MARINO

FLORENCE & TUSCANY

FLORENCE

NORTHERN & WESTERN TUSCANY

Pisa

Lucca

Versilian Riviera

Livorno

Isola d'Elba

CENTRAL TUSCANY

Siena

Chianti

Val d'Elsa

Val d'Orcia & Val di Chiana

SOUTHERN TUSCANY

Massa Marittima

EASTERN TUSCANY

Arezzo

Cortona

UMBRIA & LE MARCHE

UMBRIA

Perugia

Lago Trasimeno

Todi

Assisi

Gubbio

Spoleto

Orvieto

LE MARCHE

Ancona

Ascoli Piceno

Monti Sibillini

ABRUZZO & MOLISE

ABRUZZO

Sulmona

Pescara

Chieti

Vasto

MOLISE

Termoli

NAPLES & CAMPANIA

NAPLES

AROUND NAPLES

BAY OF NAPLES

Capri

Ischia

Procida

SOUTH OF NAPLES

Mt Vesuvius

Pompeii

Sorrento

AMALFI COAST

Positano

Amalfi

Ravello

COSTIERA CILENTANA

Agropoli

PUGLIA, BASILICATA & CALABRIA

PUGLIA

Bari

Promontorio del Gargano

Valle d'Itria

Lecce & Salento

BASILICATA

Matera

Potenza

CALABRIA

Cosenza

Reggio di Calabria

Southern Tyrrhenian Coast

SICILY

PALERMO

TYRRHENIAN COAST

Cefalù

AEOLIAN ISLANDS

Lipari

Salina

IONIAN COAST

Taormina

Catania

Mt Etna

SYRACUSE & THE SOUTHEAST

Syracuse

Noto

CENTRAL SICILY & THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST

Agrigento

WESTERN SICILY

Trapani

SARDINIA

CAGLIARI

AROUND CAGLIARI

IGLESIAS & THE SOUTHWEST

Iglesias

Sant'Antioco & San Pietro

ORISTANO & THE WEST

Oristano

North Oristano Coast

ALGHERO & THE NORTHWEST

Alghero

Sassari

OLBIA, THE COSTA SMERALDA & THE GALLURA

Olbia

Santa Teresa di Gallura

NUORO & THE EAST

Supramonte

Golfo di Orosei

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Rome & Lazio

Includes »

Rome

Lazio

Ostia Antica

Tivoli

Cerveteri

Tarquinia

Civitavecchia

Viterbo

Castelli Romani

Palestrina

Isole Pontine

Why Go?

Even in Italy, a country of exquisite cities, Rome is special. Pulsating, seductive and utterly disarming, the Italian capital is an epic, monumental metropolis that will steal your heart and haunt your soul. There are just too many reasons to fall in love with it: its artistic and architectural masterpieces, its operatic piazzas, its romantic corners and cobbled lanes. History reverberates all around yet modern life is lived to the full – priests in designer shades walk through the Vatican talking into mobile phones, scooters scream through medieval alleyways and stylish drinkers sip at tables on baroque piazzas. Rome also boasts a busy cultural calendar with arts festivals and a surprisingly alternative underground scene.

To visit Rome is to begin a love affair, but to ensure it lasts, find time to explore the hills of Lazio and enjoy the region’s extraordinary riches, from the ancient Roman port of Ostia Antica to azure volcanic lakes.

When to Go

Apr Lovely sunny weather, fervent Easter celebrations, Settimana della Cultura and Rome’s birthday.

May–Jul Rome’s festival calendar gets into full swing as summer temperatures soar.

Sep–Oct It’s still warm but the crowds die down and Romaeuropa music festival comes to town.

Best Places to Eat

» Casa Coppelle ( Click here )

» L’Asino d’Oro ( Click here )

» Glass Hosteria ( Click here )

» Pizzarium ( Click here )

» Gelarmony ( Click here )

Best Places to Stay

» Hotel Sant’Anselmo ( Click here )

» Hotel Campo de’ Fiori ( Click here )

» Donna Camilla Savelli ( Click here )

» Arco del Lauro ( Click here )

» Villa Spalletti Trivelli ( Click here )

Top Roman Sights

With so many world-class monuments, galleries and museums in Rome, it can be difficult to decide which to visit. To help you, here’s our selection of must-see sights. The Colosseum is an obvious choice, as are the Vatican Museums – one of the world’s great museum complexes and home to the Sistine Chapel. Adjacent to the museums, St Peter’s Basilica is the most important church in the Catholic world and a treasure trove of Renaissance and baroque art. If you like baroque art, you’ll love the Museo e Galleria Borghese and Piazza Navona. Not far from the piazza, the Pantheon is the best preserved of Rome’s ancient monuments. For the city’s finest ancient art check out the Museo Nazionale Romano: Palazzo Massimo alle Terme and the Capitoline Museums on the sublime Piazza del Campidoglio. Not far away, ancient ruins lie littered across the atmospheric Palatino (Palatine Hill).

And, of course, to ensure that you return to Rome, be sure to throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain.

DAY TRIPS FROM ROME

It can be difficult to drag yourself away from Rome, but the surrounding Lazio region harbours some exceptional sights, most within easy day-trip distance of the capital. Nearest of all are the beautifully preserved ruins of Ostia Antica , ancient Rome’s main port town. To the east of Rome, and easily accessible by bus or car, Tivoli is home to Villa Adriana , the vast summer residence of the emperor Hadrian, and Villa d’Este , famed for its fabulous fountains. Slightly further afield, Lazio’s Etruscan treasures are quite special. The easiest to get to are in Cerveteri , but push on up to Tarquinia and you’ll be rewarded with some truly amazing frescoed tombs.

Outstanding Works of Art

» Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel ( Click here ) are among the world’s most famous works of art.

» Raphael’s great masterpiece La Scuola d’Atene (The School of Athens) hangs in the Stanze di Raffaello (Raphael Rooms; Click here ) in the Vatican Museums.

» Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s sculptures at the Museo e Galleria Borghese ( Click here ) show a genius at the top of his game.

» Caravaggio’s St Matthew cycle in the Chiesa di San Luigi dei Francesi ( Click here ) features his signature chiaroscuro style.

CATACOMBS

Visit the creepy catacombs on Via Appia Antica to see where Rome’s pioneering Christians buried their dead. Hundreds of thousands of tombs line the pitch-black tunnels.

Best Viewpoints

» Il Vittoriano ( Click here )

» Dome of St Peter’s Basilica (Click here )

» Priori dei Cavalieri di Malta (boxed text, Click here )

» Gianicolo Hill ( Click here )

» Castel Sant’Angelo ( Click here )

Top Pizzerias

» Pizzarium ( Click here )

» Pizzeria da Baffetto ( Click here )

» Forno di Campo de’ Fiori ( Click here )

» Da Michele ( Click here )

Resources

» 060608 (www.060608.it) is Rome’s official tourist website.

» Pierreci (www.pierreci.it) has information and ticket booking for Rome’s monuments.

» Vatican (www.vatican.va) is the place to book tickets for the Vatican Museums.

» Auditorium (www.auditorium.com) has concert listings for the Auditorium Parco della Musica.

Rome & Lazio Highlights

Imagine the crowd’s roar at the Colosseum ( Click here )

Gaze heavenwards in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel (Click here )

Admire the audacious dome at the Pantheon (Click here )

Gape at the grandeur of St Peter’s Basilica (Click here )

Revel in ravishing baroque sculpture at the Museo e Galleria Borghese (Click here )

Check out ancient interior design at the Museo Nazionale Romano: Palazzo Massimo alle Terme ( Click here )

Explore the haunting ruins of the palatial Palatino (Click here )

Go underground at the Basilica di San Clemente (Click here )

Delve into frescoed Etruscan tombs in Tarquinia (Click here )

Walk in ancient footsteps at the preserved port town of Ostia Antica (Click here )

ROME

POP 2.74 MILLION

History

According to myth, Rome was founded on the Palatino (Palatine Hill) by Romulus and Remus, the twin sons of Vestal Virgin Rhea Silva and the God of War, Mars. Historians proffer a more prosaic version of events, involving Romulus becoming the first king of Rome on 21 April 753 BC and the city comprising Etruscan, Latin and Sabine settlements on the Palatine, Esquiline and Quirinale Hills.

Following the fall of Tarquin the Proud, the last of Rome’s seven Etruscan kings, the Roman Republic was founded in 509 BC. From modest beginnings, it spread to become the dominant Western superpower until internal rivalries led to civil war. Julius Caesar, the last of the Republic’s consuls, was assassinated in 44 BC, leaving Mark Antony and Octavian to fight for the top job. Octavian prevailed and, with the blessing of the Senate, became Augustus, the first Roman emperor.

Augustus ruled well, and the city enjoyed a period of political stability and unparalleled artistic achievement – a golden age for which the Romans yearned as they endured the depravities of Augustus’ successors Tiberius, Caligula and Nero. A huge fire in AD 64 then reduced Rome to tatters. But the city bounced back and by AD 100 it had a population of 1.5 million and was the undisputed caput mundi (capital of the world). It couldn’t last, though, and when Constantine moved his power base to Byzantium in 330, Rome’s glory days were numbered. In 455 it was routed by the Vandals and in 476 the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, Romulus Augustulus, was deposed.

By the 6th century, Rome’s population had sunk to a measly 80,000; the city was in a bad way and in desperate need of a leader. Into the breach stepped the Church. Christianity had been spreading since the 1st century AD thanks to the underground efforts of apostles Peter and Paul, and under Constantine it received official recognition. In the late 6th century Pope Gregory I did much to strengthen the Church’s grip over the city, laying the foundations for its later role as capital of the Catholic world.

The medieval period was a dark age, marked by almost continuous fighting; the city was reduced to a semi-deserted battlefield as the powerful Colonna and Orsini families battled for supremacy and the bedraggled population trembled in the face of plague, famine and flooding (the Tiber regularly broke its banks).

But out of the ruins grew the Rome of the Renaissance. At the behest of the city’s great papal dynasties – the Barberini, Farnese and Pamphilj, among others – the leading artists of the 15th and 16th centuries were summoned to work on projects such as the Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica. But the enemy was never far away, and in 1527 the Spanish forces of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V ransacked Rome.

ROME IN…

Two Days

Get to grips with ancient Rome at the Colosseum , the Roman Forum and Palatino (Palatine Hill) . Spend the afternoon exploring the Capitoline Museums before an evening in Trastevere . On day two, hit the Vatican. Marvel at St Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel in the vast Vatican Museums . Afterwards ditch your guidebook and get happily lost in the animated streets around Piazza Navona and the Pantheon .

Four Days

On day three, check out the Trevi Fountain , the Spanish Steps and the outstanding Museo e Galleria Borghese . At night, head to Campo de’ Fiori for a drink, eat somewhere in the centre and then finish up with a drink in the charming Monti district. Next day, visit the Palazzo e Galleria Doria Pamphilj or the Museo Nazionale Romano: Palazzo Massimo alle Terme before exploring the Jewish Ghetto and bijou backstreets such as Via del Governo Vecchio or Via dei Coronari . Round the day off with the student drinkers and fashionable diners in San Lorenzo .

A Week

Venture out to Via Appia Antica , home of the catacombs , and take a day trip: choose between Ostia Antica or the Etruscan treasures of Cerveteri or Tarquinia .

Another rebuild was in order, and it was to the 17th-century baroque masters Bernini and Borromini that Rome’s patrons turned. Exuberant churches, fountains and palazzi (mansions) sprouted all over the city, as these two bitter rivals competed to produce ever-more virtuosic masterpieces.

The next makeover followed the unification of Italy and the declaration of Rome as its capital. Mussolini, believing himself a modern-day Augustus, left an indelible stamp, bulldozing new imperial roads and commissioning ambitious building projects such as the monumental suburb of EUR.

Post-Fascism, the 1950s and ’60s saw the glittering era of la dolce vita and hasty urban expansion, resulting in Rome’s sometimes wretched suburbs. A clean-up in 2000 had the city in its best shape for decades, and in recent years some dramatic modernist building projects have given the Eternal City some edge, such as Richard Meier’s Museo dell’Ara Pacis and Massimiliano Fuksas’ ongoing Centro Congressi in EUR.

WATCH YOUR VALUABLES

Rome is a relatively safe city, but petty crime is rife. Pickpockets follow the tourists, so watch out around the Colosseum, Piazza di Spagna, Piazza San Pietro and Stazione Termini. Be particularly vigilant around the bus stops on Via Marsala, where thieves prey on disoriented travellers fresh in from Ciampino Airport. Crowded public transport is another hot spot – the 64 Vatican bus is notorious. If travelling on the metro, try to use the end carriages, which are usually less crowded.

Sights

They say that a lifetime’s not enough for Rome (Roma, non basta una vita!). There’s simply too much to see. So the best plan is to choose selectively, and leave the rest for next time.

Rome is a sprawling city, but the centre is relatively compact and most sights are concentrated in the area between Stazione Termini, the city’s main transport hub, and the Vatican. Halfway between the two, the Pantheon and Piazza Navona lie at the heart of the centro storico (historic centre), while to the south, the Colosseum lords it over the city’s great ancient ruins: the Roman Forum and Palatino. On the west bank of the Tiber, St Peter’s Basilica trumpets the presence of the Vatican.

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR EURO

Several discount cards are available for those planning on some serious museum-going. You can buy the cards at any of the monuments or museums listed (or online at www.pierreci.it) and the Roma Pass is also available at Comune di Roma tourist information points.

Note that EU citizens between the ages of 18 and 24 and over the age of 65 are entitled to significant discounts at most museums and galleries in Rome. Unfortunately student discounts don’t usually apply for citizens of non-EU countries.

» Appia Antica Card (adult/reduced €7.50/4.50, valid 7 days) For the Terme di Caracalla, Mausoleo di Cecilia Metella and Villa Quintili.

» Archaeologia Card (adult/reduced €23/13, valid 7 days) For entrance to the Colosseum, Palatino, Roman Forum, Terme di Caracalla, Palazzo Altemps, Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Terme di Diocleziano, Crypta Balbi, Mausoleo di Cecilia Metella and Villa Quintili.

» Roma Pass (www.romapass.it; €25, valid 3 days) Includes free admission to two museums or sites (choose from a list of 38) as well as reduced entry to extra sites, unlimited public transport within Rome, and reduced entry to other exhibitions and events. If you use this for more-expensive sights such as the Capitoline Museums and the Colosseum you’ll save money.

ANCIENT ROME

Colosseum MONUMENT

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( 06 3996 7700; Piazza del Colosseo; adult/reduced incl Roman Forum & Palatino €12/7.50, audioguide €5.50; 8.30am-1hr before sunset) A monument to raw, merciless power, the Colosseum (Colosseo) is the most thrilling of Rome’s ancient sights. It’s not just the amazing completeness of the place, or its size, but the sense of violent history that resonates: it was here that gladiators met in mortal combat and condemned prisoners fought off wild beasts in front of baying, bloodthirsty crowds. Two thousand years later it’s Italy’s top tourist attraction, pulling in between 16,000 and 19,000 people on an average day.

Built by the emperor Vespasian (r AD 69–79) in the grounds of Nero’s palatial Domus Aurea, the Colosseum was inaugurated in AD 80. To mark the occasion, Vespasian’s son and successor Titus (r 79–81) held games that lasted 100 days and nights, during which some 5000 animals were slaughtered. Trajan (r 98–117) later topped this, holding a marathon 117-day killing spree involving 9000 gladiators and 10,000 animals.

COLOSSEUM TIPS

Some useful tips to beat the Colosseum queues:

» Buy your ticket from the Palatino entrance (about 250m away at Via di San Gregorio 30) or the Roman Forum entrance (Largo della Salara Vecchia).

» Get the Roma Pass, which is valid for three days and a whole host of sites.

» Book your ticket online at www.pierreci.it (plus booking fee of €1.50).

» Join an official English-language tour – €4 on top of the regular Colosseum ticket price.

» Visit in the late afternoon rather than mid-morning

» Outside the Colosseum, you’ll almost certainly be hailed by centurions offering to pose for a photo. They are not doing this for love and will expect payment. There’s no set rate but €5 is more than enough – and that’s €5 period, not €5 per person.

Originally known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, the 50,000-capacity stadium may have been ancient Rome’s most fearful arena, but it wasn’t the biggest – the Circo Massimo could hold up to 200,000 people. The name Colosseum, when introduced in medieval times, was not a reference to its size but to the Colosso di Nerone, a giant statue of Nero that stood nearby.

The outer walls have three levels of arches, articulated by columns topped by capitals of the Ionic (at the bottom), Doric and Corinthian (at the top) orders. The external walls were originally covered in travertine, and marble statues once filled the niches on the 2nd and 3rd storeys. The upper level, punctuated with windows and slender Corinthian pilasters, had supports for 240 masts that held up a canvas awning over the arena, shielding the spectators from sun and rain. The 80 entrance arches, known as vomitoria, allowed the spectators to enter and be seated in a matter of minutes.

The Colosseum’s interior was divided into three parts: the arena, cavea and podium. The arena had a wooden floor covered in sand to prevent the combatants from slipping and to soak up the blood. Trapdoors led down to the underground chambers and passageways beneath the arena floor – the hypogeum. Animals in cages and sets for the various battles were hoisted onto the arena by a complicated system of pulleys. The cavea , for spectator seating, was divided into three tiers: knights sat in the lowest tier, wealthy citizens in the middle and the plebs in the highest tier. The podium, a broad terrace in front of the tiers of seats, was reserved for emperors, senators and VIPs.

BARBARA NAZZARO: ARCHITECT

Technical Director at the Colosseum, Barbara Nazzaro, explains what went on in the hypogeum, the underground complex of corridors, cages and lifts beneath the amphitheatre’s main arena.

‘The hypogeum was on two levels and about 1000 people worked down there. The gladiators entered through an underground corridor which led directly in from the nearby Ludus Magnus (gladiator school). This corridor was later cut through by a drain, but you can still see the original floor. In side corridors, which stand over a natural spring, boats were kept. When they wanted these boats up in the arena they would let the spring water in and flood the tunnels. Later these side passages were used for winch mechanisms, all of which were controlled by a single pulley system. There were about 80 lifts going up to the arena as well as cages where wild animals were kept. You can still see the spaces where these were.

‘The hypogeum was used until about 508, when it was virtually buried by the effects of blocked drains and a big earthquake which caused parts to fall from the upper layers of the Colosseum.’

With the fall of the empire in the 6th century, the Colosseum was abandoned. In the Middle Ages, it became a fortress occupied by two of the city’s warrior families: the Frangipani and the Annibaldi.

Damaged several times by earthquakes, it was later used as a quarry for travertine and marble for Palazzo Venezia, Palazzo Barberini and Palazzo Cancelleria among other buildings. Pollution and vibrations caused by traffic and the metro have also taken their toll.

The top tier and hypogeum have recently been opened to the public. Visits, which cost €8 on top of the normal Colosseum ticket and are by guided tour only, require advance booking.

Ancient Rome

Top Sights

Capitoline Museums B3

Colosseum G6

Palatino (Palatine Hill) E7

Roman Forum (Foro Romano)D4

Sights

1  Arco di Costantino F6

2  Arco di Giano A6

3  Arco di Settimio Severo C4

4  Arco di Tito E5

5  Basilica di Massenzio E4

6  Basilica di San Marco A1

7  Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli G3

8  Basilica di SS Cosma e Damiano D4

9  Basilica Fulvia Aemilia D4

10  Basilica Giulia C4

Basilica Ulpia (see 29)

11  Bocca della Verità A7

12  Capanee RomuleeC6

13  Carcere Mamertino C3

14  Casa delle Vestali D5

15  Casa di Augusto C6

16  Casa di Livia C6

Chiesa di San Lorenzo in Miranda(see 53)

17  Chiesa di Santa Maria Antiqua C5

18  Chiesa di Santa Maria in Aracoeli B3

Chiesa di Santa Maria in Cosmedin (see 11)

19  Colonna di Foca C4

20  Colonna di Traiano C1

21  Cordonata B3

22  Criptoportico D5

23  Curia C3

24  Domus Augustana D7

25  Domus FlaviaD6

Domus Severiana (see 62)

26  Foro di Augusto D2

27  Foro di Cesare C3

28  Foro di Nerva D2

29  Foro di Traiano C2

30  Foro di Vespasiano D3

31  Il Vittoriano B2

32  Lapis Niger C4

33  Mercati di Traiano C1

34  Millarium Aureum C4

35  Museo Centrale del Risorgimento B2

Museo dei Fori Imperiali (see 33)

Museo Nazionale del Palazzo Venezia (see 42)

36  Museo Palatino D7

37  Orti Farnesiani D5

38 Palatino EntranceF7

39  Palazzo dei Conservatori (Capitoline Museums)B3

40  Palazzo Nuovo (Capitoline Museums)B3

41 Palazzo SenatorioB3

42  Palazzo Venezia A1

43 Panoramic LiftB2

44  Piazza del Campidoglio B3

45  Portico degli Dei Consenti C4

46  Roma dal Cielo B2

47 Roman Forum EntranceD4

48 Roman Forum Entrance from PalatinoE5

49  Rostrum C4

50  Stadio D7

51  Statue of Marcus Aurelius B3

Statue of Minerva(see 41)

52  Tempio della Concordia C3

53  Tempio di Antonino e Faustina D4

54  Tempio di Castore e Polluce C4

55  Tempio di Ercole Vincitore A6

56  Tempio di Giulio Cesare D4

57  Tempio di Portunus A6

58  Tempio di Romolo D4

59  Tempio di Saturno C4

60  Tempio di Vespasiano C3

61  Tempio di Vesta D4

62  Terme di Settimio Severo E8

63  Torre di MilizieC1

Sleeping

64  Caesar House E3

65  Hotel Duca d'Alba G2

Eating

66  Hostaria da NeronaG4

67  La Carbonara G1

Drinking

68  0,75 C7

69  Ai Tre Scalini F1

70  Caffè Capitolino B3

71  Cavour 313 E3

Arco di Costantino MONUMENT

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On the western side of the Colosseum, this triumphal arch was built in 312 to honour the emperor Constantine’s victory over rival Maxentius at the battle of Ponte Milvio (Milvian Bridge).

Palatino (Palatine Hill) ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

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( 06 3996 7700; www.pierreci.it; Via di San Gregorio 30; adult/reduced incl Colosseum & Roman Forum €12/7.50, audioguide €5; 8.30am-1hr before sunset) Sandwiched between the Roman Forum and the Circo Massimo, the Palatino (Palatine Hill) is an atmospheric area of towering pine trees, majestic ruins and memorable views. According to legend, this is where Romulus killed his twin and founded Rome in 753 BC. Archaeological evidence cannot prove the legend, but it has dated human habitation here to the 8th century BC.

As the most central of Rome’s seven hills (and because it was both close to and above the Roman Forum) the Palatino was ancient Rome’s poshest neighbourhood. The emperor Augustus lived here all his life and successive emperors built increasingly opulent palaces. However, after Rome’s decline it fell into disrepair, and in the Middle Ages churches and castles were built over the ruins. During the Renaissance, members of wealthy families established gardens on the hill.

Most of the Palatino as it appears today is covered by the ruins of Emperor Domitian’s vast complex, which served as the main imperial palace for 300 years. Divided into the Domus Flavia (imperial palace), Domus Augustana (the emperor’s private residence) and a stadio (stadium), it was built in the 1st century AD.

On entering the complex from Via di San Gregorio, head uphill until you come to the first recognisable construction, the stadio Offline map Google map , probably used by the emperors for private games and events. Adjoining the stadium are the remains of the complex built by Septimius Severus, comprising baths (the Terme di Settimio Severo Offline map Google map ) and a palace (the Domus Severiana Offline map Google map ).

On the other side of the stadio are the ruins of the huge Domus Augustana Offline map Google map , the emperor’s private residence. It was built on two levels, with rooms leading off a peristilio (peristyle or garden courtyard) on each floor. You can’t get down to the lower level, but from above you can see the basin of a fountain and beyond it rooms that were paved with coloured marble. In 2007 a mosaic-covered vaulted cavern was discovered more than 15m beneath the Domus. Some believe this to be the Lupercale , a cave believed by ancient Romans to be where Romulus and Remus were suckled by a wolf.

The grey building near the Domus Augustana houses the Museo Palatino Offline map Google map and its collection of archaeological artefacts. Highlights include a beautiful 1st-century bronze, the Erma di Canefora, and a wonderful bust of Giovane Principessa, daughter of Nero’s successor Marcus Aurelius.

North of the museum is the Domus Flavia Offline map Google map , the public part of the palace complex. This was centred on a grand columned peristyle – the grassy area you see with the base of an octagonal fountain – off which the main halls led. To the north was the emperor’s throne room; to the west, a second big hall that the emperor used to meet his advisors; and to the south, a large banqueting hall, the triclinium .

Among the best-preserved buildings on the Palatino is the Casa di Livia Offline map Google map , northwest of the Domus Flavia. Home to Augustus’ wife Livia, it was built around an atrium leading onto what were once reception rooms, decorated with frescoes of mythological scenes, landscapes, fruits and flowers. In front is the Casa di Augusto Offline map Google map (entry in groups of 5; 11am-4.30pm Mon, Wed, Sat & Sun) , Augustus’ separate residence, which contains superb frescoes in vivid reds, yellows and blues.

Behind the Casa di Augusto are the Capanne Romulee Offline map Google map (Romulean Huts), where it is thought Romulus and Remus were brought up after their discovery by the shepherd Faustulus.

Northeast of the Casa di Livia lies the criptoportico Offline map Google map , a 128m tunnel where Caligula was thought to have been murdered, and which Nero later used to connect his Domus Aurea with the Palatino. Lit by a series of windows, it was once decorated by elaborate stucco. Nowadays it’s used to stage temporary exhibitions.

The area west of this was once Tiberius’ palace, the Domus Tiberiana, but is now the site of the 16th-century Orti Farnesiani Offline map Google map , one of Europe’s earliest botanical gardens. Twin pavilions stand at the northern point of the garden, commanding breathtaking views over the Roman Forum.

Roman Forum (Foro Romano) ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

Offline map Google map ( 06 3996 7700; www.pierreci.it; Largo della Salara Vecchia; adult/reduced incl Colosseum & Palatino €12/7.50, audioguide €5; 8.30am-1hr before sunset) Today an impressive, if rather confusing, sprawl of ruins, the Roman Forum was once a gleaming complex of marble-clad temples, proud basilicas and vibrant public spaces: the gleaming heart of an ancient city.

Originally an Etruscan burial ground, it was first developed in the 7th century BC and expanded over subsequent centuries. Its importance declined after the 4th century until eventually it was used as pasture land. In the Middle Ages it was known as the Campo Vaccino (literally ‘Cow Field’) and extensively plundered for its stone and marble. The area was systematically excavated in the 18th and 19th centuries, and excavations continue to this day.

Entering from Largo della Salara Vecchia (you can also enter directly from the Palatino) you’ll see the Tempio di Antonino e Faustina Offline map Google map , ahead to your left. Erected in AD 141 by the Senate and dedicated to the empress Faustina and later to the emperor Antoninus Pius, it was transformed into a church in the 8th century, so the soaring columns now frame the Chiesa di San Lorenzo in Miranda. To your right the Basilica Fulvia Aemilia Offline map Google map , built in 179 BC, was a 100m-long public hall, with a two-storey porticoed facade lined by shops. Opposite the basilica stands the Tempio di Giulio Cesare Offline map Google map (Temple of Julius Caesar) built by Augustus in 29 BC.

At the end of the short path you come to the Via Sacra , which traverses the Forum from northwest to southeast. Head right up Via Sacra and you reach the Curia Offline map Google map , the meeting place of the Roman Senate, which was rebuilt by Julius Caesar, Augustus, Domitian and Diocletian, before being converted into a church in the Middle Ages. What you see today is a 1937 reconstruction of Diocletian’s Curia. The bronze doors are copies – the originals were used by Borromini for the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano.

In front of the Curia, and hidden by scaffolding, is the Lapis Niger Offline map Google map , a large piece of black marble that covered a sacred area said to be the tomb of Romulus.

At the end of Via Sacra stands the 23m-high Arco di Settimio Severo Offline map Google map (Arch of Septimius Severus). Dedicated to the eponymous emperor and his two sons, Caracalla and Geta, it was built in AD 203 to celebrate the Roman victory over the Parthians. Nearby, at the foot of the Tempio di Saturno, is the Millarium Aureum Offline map Google map , which marked the centre of ancient Rome, from where distances to the city were measured.

On your left are the remains of the Rostrum Offline map Google map , an elaborate podium where Shakespeare had Mark Antony make his famous ‘Friends, Romans, countrymen…’ speech. In front of this, the Colonna di Foca Offline map Google map (Column of Phocus) marks the centre of the Piazza del Foro, the Forum’s main market and meeting place. The last monument erected in the Roman Forum, it was built in honour of the Eastern Roman Emperor Phocus.

The eight granite columns that rise up behind the Colonna are all that remain of the 5th-century Tempio di Saturno Offline map Google map (Temple of Saturn), one of Rome’s most important temples and home to the state treasury. Behind the temple, backing onto the Capitoline Hill, are (north to south) the ruins of Tempio della Concordia Offline map Google map (Temple of Concord), the remaining columns of Tempio di Vespasiano Offline map Google map (Temple of Vespasian and Titus) and the Portico degli Dei Consenti Offline map Google map .

Passing over to the path that runs parallel to Via Sacra, you’ll see the stubby ruins of the Basilica Giulia Offline map Google map , which was begun by Julius Caesar and finished by Augustus. At the end of the basilica are the three Corinthian columns of the Tempio di Castore e Polluce Offline map Google map (Temple of Castor and Pollux), built at the beginning of the 5th century BC to mark the defeat of the Etruscan Tarquins in 489 BC. South of the temple is the Chiesa di Santa Maria Antiqua Offline map Google map , the oldest Christian church in the Forum.

Back towards Via Sacra is the Casa delle Vestali Offline map Google map (House of the Vestal Virgins), home of the virgins who tended the sacred flame in the adjoining Tempio di Vesta Offline map Google map . The six priestesses were selected from patrician families when aged between six and 10 to serve in the temple for 30 years. If the flame in the temple went out the priestess responsible would be flogged, and if she lost her virginity she would be buried alive, since her blood couldn’t be spilled. The offending man would be flogged to death.

Continuing up Via Sacra, past the Tempio di Romolo Offline map Google map (Temple of Romulus), you come to the Basilica di Massenzio Offline map Google map , the largest building on the forum. Started by the Emperor Maxentius and finished by Constantine in 315 (it’s also known as the Basilica di Costantino), it originally covered an area of approximately 100m by 65m. A colossal statue of Constantine, pieces of which are on display at the Capitoline Museums, was unearthed at the site in 1487.

Beyond the basilica, you come to the Arco di Tito Offline map Google map (Arch of Titus), built in AD 81 to celebrate Vespasian and Titus’ victories against Jerusalem. In the past, Roman Jews would avoid passing under this arch, the historical symbol of the beginning of the Diaspora.

Basilica di SS Cosma e Damiano CHURCH

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(Via dei Fori Imperiali; 9am-1pm & 3-7pm) Backing onto the Roman Forum, this 6th-century basilica incorporates parts of the Foro di Vespasiano and Tempio di Romolo , with the latter visible through the glass wall at the end of the nave. But the real reason to visit are the vibrant 6th-century apse mosaics, depicting Christ’s Second Coming. Also worth a glance, off the tranquil 17th-century cloisters, is a lavish Neapolitan presepe (nativity scene; admission €1; 10am-1pm & 3-6pm Fri-Sun) dating from the 18th century.

Carcere Mamertino HISTORICAL SITE

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(Mamertine Prison; Click here ; Clivo Argentario 1; admission €10; 9.30am-7pm summer, to 5pm winter, last admission 40min before close) At the foot of the Campidoglio, the Mamertine Prison was ancient Rome’s maximum-security prison. Visitors are escorted into the depths of the jail, beneath the ground-level church, to see where St Peter was supposedly imprisoned. According to legend the apostle converted his jailers and created a miraculous stream of water to baptise them.

Imperial Forums ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

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The ruins over the road from the Roman Forum are known collectively as the Imperial Forums (Fori Imperiali). Constructed between 42 BC and AD 112 by successive emperors, they were largely buried in 1933 when Mussolini built Via dei Fori Imperiali. Excavations have since unearthed much of them, but work continues and visits are limited to the Mercati di Traiano (Trajan’s Markets), accessible through the Museo dei Fori Imperiali.

Little that’s recognisable remains of the Foro di Traiano Offline map Google map (Trajan’s Forum), except for some pillars from the Basilica Ulpia Offline map Google map and the Colonna di Traiano Offline map Google map (Trajan’s Column), whose minutely detailed reliefs celebrate Trajan’s military victories over the Dacians (from modern-day Romania).

To the southeast, three temple columns arise from the ruins of the Foro di Augusto Offline map Google map (Augustus’ Forum), now mostly under Via dei Fori Imperiali. The 30m-high wall behind the forum was built to protect it from the fires that frequently swept the area.

The Foro di Nerva Offline map Google map (Nerva’s Forum) was also buried by Mussolini’s road-building, although part of a temple dedicated to Minerva still stands. Originally, it would have connected the Foro di Augusto to the 1st-century Foro di Vespasiano Offline map Google map (Vespasian’s Forum), also known as the Forum of Peace.

On the other side of the road, three columns on a raised platform are the most visible remains of the Foro di Cesare Offline map Google map (Caesar’s Forum).

SILVIA PROSPERI: TOUR GUIDE

A tour guide since 2005, Silvia Prosperi knows Rome’s great sights inside out. Here she advises on some of the city’s lesser-known hits.

Favourite sights

I love too many sights. The Colonna di Traiano is a masterpiece that is sometimes neglected. The archaeological museum at Palazzo Massimo alle Terme is another underrated attraction. I also love the atmosphere of the Etruscan museum at Villa Giulia and the view from the terrace of Castel Sant’Angelo.

Most underrated sights

As to underrated sights, the Mercati di Traiano are really interesting, as is Bramante’s Tempietto on the Gianicolo.

Museo dei Fori Imperiali MUSEUM

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( 06 06 08; www.mercatiditraiano.it; Via IV Novembre 94; adult/reduced €11/9; 9am-7pm Tue-Sun, last admission 6pm) Housed in Trajan’s 2nd-century market complex, this striking museum provides a fascinating introduction to the Imperial Forums with detailed explanatory panels and a smattering of archaeological artefacts. From the main hallway, a lift whisks you up to the Torre delle Milizie Offline map Google map (Militia Tower), a 13th-century red-brick tower, and the upper levels of the Mercati di Traiano Offline map Google map (Trajan’s Markets). These markets, housed in a three-storey semicircular construction, hosted hundreds of traders selling everything from oil and vegetables to flowers, silks and spices.

Piazza del Campidoglio PIAZZA

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This elegant piazza, designed by Michelangelo in 1538, is the centrepiece of the Campidoglio (Capitoline Hill), one of the seven hills on which Rome was founded. In ancient times, Rome’s two most important temples stood here: one dedicated to Jupiter Capitolinus and the other (which housed Rome’s mint) to Juno Moneta. More than 2000 years on, the hill is still a political powerhouse as the seat of Rome’s municipal government.

You can reach the piazza from the Roman Forum, but the most dramatic approach is via the Cordonata Offline map Google map , the graceful staircase that leads up from Piazza d’Ara Coeli. At the top, the piazza is bordered by three palazzi: Palazzo Nuovo to the left, Palazzo Senatorio straight ahead, and Palazzo dei Conservatori on the right. Together, Palazzo Nuovo and Palazzo dei Conservatori house the Capitoline Museums, while Palazzo Senatorio is home to Rome’s city council.

In the centre, the bronze equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius Offline map Google map is a copy. The original, which dates from the 2nd century AD, is in the Capitoline Museums.

Capitoline Museums ART GALLERY

Offline map Google map (Musei Capitolini; Click here ; 06 06 08; www.museicapitolini.org; Piazza del Campidoglio 1; adult/reduced €12/10, audioguide €5; 9am-8pm Tue-Sun, last admission 7pm) The world’s oldest national museums were founded in 1471 when Pope Sixtus IV donated a few bronze sculptures to the city, forming the nucleus of what is now one of Italy’s finest collections of classical art.

The entrance is in Palazzo dei Conservatori Offline map Google map , where you’ll find the original core of the sculptural collection on the 1st floor. On the 2nd floor is a masterpiece-packed art gallery.

Before you head upstairs, take a moment to admire the ancient masonry littered around the ground-floor courtyard, most notably a mammoth head, hand and foot. These all come from a 12m-high statue of Constantine that originally stood in the Basilica di Massenzio in the Roman Forum.

Of the sculpture on the 1st floor, the Etruscan Lupa Capitolina (Capitoline Wolf) is the most famous. Donated to the Roman people by Pope Sixtus IV, the 5th-century-BC bronze wolf stands over her suckling wards Romulus and Remus, who were added in 1471. Other crowd-pleasers include the Spinario, a delicate 1st-century-BC bronze of a boy removing a thorn from his foot, and Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s Medusa . Also on this floor, in the modern Exedra of Marcus Aurelius, is the original of the equestrian statue that you see in the piazza.

Upstairs, the Pinacoteca contains paintings by Titian, Tintoretto, Reni, Van Dyck and Rubens. The Sala Santa Petronella boasts two important works by Caravaggio: La buona ventura (The Fortune Teller; 1595), which shows a gypsy pretending to read a young man’s hand but stealing his ring; and San Giovanni Battista (St John the Baptist; 1602), a sensual and unusual depiction of the New Testament saint.

A tunnel links Palazzo dei Conservatori to Palazzo Nuovo on the other side of the square via the Tabularium , ancient Rome’s central archive, beneath Palazzo Senatorio.

Palazzo Nuovo Offline map Google map contains some real show-stoppers. Chief among them is the Galata morente (Dying Gaul), a Roman copy of a 3rd-century-BC Greek original that movingly depicts the anguish of a dying Frenchman. Another superb figurative piece, although of a very different nature, is the Venere Capitolina (Capitoline Venus), a sensual yet demure portrayal of the nude goddess.

ROMULUS & REMUS, ROME’S LEGENDARY TWINS

The most famous of all Roman legends is the story of Romulus and Remus, the mythical twins who are said to have founded Rome on 21 April 753 BC.

Romulus and Remus were born to the Vestal Virgin Rhea Silva after she’d been seduced by Mars. At their birth they were immediately sentenced to death by their great-uncle Amulius, who had stolen the throne of Alba Longa from his brother, and Rhea Silva’s father, Numitor. But the sentence was never carried out, and the twins were abandoned in a basket on the banks of the Tiber. Following a flood, the basket ended up on the Palatino (Palatine Hill), where the babies were saved by a she-wolf and later brought up by a shepherd, Faustulus.

Years later, and after numerous heroic adventures, the twins decided to found a city on the site where they’d originally been saved. But they didn’t know where this was, so they consulted the omens. Remus, on the Aventine Hill, saw six vultures, but his brother, over on the Palatino, saw 12. The meaning was clear and Romulus began building, much to the fury of his brother. The two subsequently argued and Romulus killed his twin.

Romulus continued building and soon had a city. To populate it he created a refuge on the Campidoglio, Aventine, Celian and Quirinale Hills, to which a ragtag population of criminals, ex-slaves and outlaws soon decamped. However, the city still needed women. Romulus’s solution to this problem was to invite everyone in the surrounding country to celebrate the Festival of Consus (21 August). As the spectators watched the festival games, Romulus and his men pounced and abducted all the women, an action known as the Rape of the Sabine Women.

Chiesa di Santa Maria in Aracoeli CHURCH

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(Piazza Santa Maria in Aracoeli; 9am-12.30pm & 3-6.30pm) Marking the highest point of the Campidoglio, this 6th-century church sits on the site of the Roman temple to Juno Moneta. According to legend it was here that the Tiburtine Sybil told Augustus of the coming birth of Christ, and the church still has a strong association with the nativity. Features include an impressive Cosmatesque floor and an important 15th-century fresco by Pinturicchio. Local football hero Francesco Totti got married here.

Il Vittoriano MONUMENT

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(Piazza Venezia; admission free; 9.30am-5.30pm summer, to 4.30pm winter) Known also as the Altare della Patria (Altar of the Fatherland), this massive mountain of white marble towers over Piazza Venezia. Begun in 1885 to commemorate Italian unification and honour Victor Emmanuel II, it incorporates the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier , as well as the Museo Centrale del Risorgimento Offline map Google map (Via di San Pietro in Carcere; admission free; 9.30am-6pm) documenting Italian unification.

For Rome’s best 360-degree views, take the Roma dal Cielo Offline map Google map (adult/reduced €7/3.50; 9.30am-6.30pm Mon-Thu, to 7.30pm Fri-Sun) lift from the side of the building up to the very top of the monument.

Palazzo Venezia PALAZZO

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(Piazza Venezia) On the western side of Piazza Venezia, this was the first of Rome’s great Renaissance palaces. For centuries it served as the embassy of the Venetian Republic, although its best-known resident was Mussolini, who famously made speeches from the balcony overlooking the square.

To see inside, visit the sprawling, undervisited Museo Nazionale del Palazzo Venezia Offline map Google map ( 06 678 01 31; Via del Plebiscito 118; adult/reduced €4/2; 8.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sun) with its superb Byzantine and early-Renaissance paintings and an eclectic collection of jewellery, tapestries, ceramics, bronze figurines, arms and armour.

Basilica di San Marco CHURCH

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(Piazza di San Marco; 8.30am-noon & 4-6.30pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm & 4-8pm Sun) This 4th-century basilica stands over the house where St Mark the Evangelist is said to have stayed while in Rome. Its main attraction is a shimmering 9th-century apse mosaic, depicting Christ with saints and Pope Gregory IV.

Bocca della Verità MONUMENT

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(Piazza della Bocca della Verità 18; donation €0.50; 9.30am-4.50pm) A round piece of marble once used as an ancient manhole cover, the Bocca della Verità (Mouth of Truth) is one of Rome’s great curiosities. Legend holds that if you put your hand in the carved mouth and tell a lie, it will bite your hand off.

The mouth lives in the portico of the beautiful, medieval Chiesa di Santa Maria in Cosmedin Offline map Google map . Originally built in the 8th century, the church was given a major revamp in the 12th century, when the seven-storey bell tower and portico were added and the floor was decorated with Cosmati inlaid marble. Opposite the church are two small Roman temples: the round Tempio di Ercole Vincitore Offline map Google map and the Tempio di Portunus Offline map Google map . Just off the piazza, the Arco di Giano Offline map Google map (Arch of Janus) is a four-sided Roman arch that once covered a crossroads.

CENTRO STORICO

Pantheon MONUMENT

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( Piazza della Rotonda; audioguide €5; 8.30am-7.30pm Mon-Sat, 9am-6pm Sun) Along with the Colosseum, the Pantheon is one of Rome’s iconic sights. A striking 2000-year-old temple (now a church), it is the city’s best-preserved ancient monument and one of the most influential buildings in the Western world. The greying, pock-marked exterior might look its age, but inside it’s a different story and it’s an exhilarating experience to pass through its towering bronze doors and have your vision directed upwards to the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome.

Its current form dates from around AD 120, when Emperor Hadrian built over Marcus Agrippa’s original temple (27 BC) – you can still see Agrippa’s name inscribed on the pediment. Hadrian’s temple was dedicated to the classical gods – hence the name Pantheon, a derivation of the Greek words pan (all) and theos (god) – but in AD 608 it was consecrated as a Christian church. During the Renaissance it was much studied (Brunelleschi used it as inspiration for his Duomo in Florence) and became an important burial chamber. Today you’ll find the tomb of Raphael, alongside those of kings Vittorio Emanuele II and Umberto I.

However, the real fascination of the Pantheon lies in its massive dimensions and extraordinary dome. Considered the Romans’ most important architectural achievement, it was the largest dome in the world until the 15th century and is still the largest unreinforced concrete dome ever built. Its harmonious appearance is due to a precisely calibrated symmetry – its diameter is exactly equal to the Pantheon’s interior height of 43.3m. Light enters through the oculus, an 8.7m opening in the dome that also served as a symbolic connection between the temple and the gods. Rainwater enters but drains away through 22 almost-invisible holes in the sloping marble floor.

Somewhat the worse for wear, the exterior is still imposing, with 16 Corinthian columns (each a single block of stone) supporting a triangular pediment. Rivets and holes in the brickwork indicate where the original marble-veneer panels were removed.

Thanks to its consecration as a church in the 7th century, the building was spared the Christian neglect that left other structures to crumble, although it wasn’t entirely safe from plundering hands. The gilded-bronze roof tiles were removed and Bernini used bronze from the portico for the baldachin at St Peter’s Basilica. Thankfully, the original Roman bronze doors remain.

Centro Storico (Rome)

Top Sights

Chiesa di San Luigi dei FrancesiE3

Palazzo e Galleria Doria Pamphilj H4

Pantheon F3

Piazza Navona E3

Sights

1  Area Archeologica del Teatro di Marcello e del Portico d'Ottavia G7

2  Campo de' Fiori D5

3  Chiesa del Gesù G5

4  Chiesa di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva G4

5  Chiesa di Sant'Agnese in Agone D3

6  Chiesa di Sant'Agostino E2

7  Chiesa di Sant'Ignazio di Loyola H3

8  Colonna di Marco Aurelio H2

9  Elefantino G4

10  Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi E3

11  Fontana del Moro E4

12  Fontana del Nettuno E2

13  Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica di Palazzo Corsini B7

14  Largo di Torre Argentina (Area Sacra)F5

Loyola's Rooms(see 3)

15  Museo di Roma E4

16  Museo Ebraico di Roma G7

17  Museo Nazionale Romano: Crypta BalbiG6

18  Museo Nazionale Romano: Palazzo AltempsE2

19  Palazzo Chigi H2

20  Palazzo di Montecitorio G2

21  Palazzo Farnese D6

22  Palazzo Pamphilj D3

23  Palazzo Spada D6

24  Roman Kitchen H4

25  Villa Farnesina B6

Sleeping

26  Albergo del Sole E5

27  Argentina Residenza F5

28  Hotel Campo de' Fiori D5

29  Hotel Mimosa F4

30  Hotel Navona E4

31  Hotel Portoghesi E1

32  Hotel Teatro di Pompeo E5

33  La Foresteria Orsa Maggiore A5

34  Relais Palazzo Taverna C2

35  Teatropace 33 D3

Eating

36  Alberto Pica E7

37  Alfredo e Ada B2

38  Antico Forno Roscioli E6

39  Ar Galletto D5

40  Ara Coeli H6

41  Armando al Pantheon F3

42  Baffetto 2 E5

43  Campo de' Fiori MarketD5

44  Casa CoppelleF2

45  Cul de Sac D4

46  Da Francesco C3

47  DeSpar F3

48  Ditirambo D5

49  Enoteca Corsi G4

50  Filetti di Baccalà E6

51  Forno di Campo de' Fiori D5

52  Gelateria Giolitti G2

53  Giggetto 2 G7

54  Giggetto al Portico d'OttaviaG7

55  Gino G1

56  Lo Zozzone D3

57  Osteria del SostegnoG2

58  Pizzeria da Baffetto C3

59  San Crispino F2

60  Sora Margherita F7

61  Taverna Edoardo II H6

Drinking

62  Bar della Pace D3

63  Barnum Cafe C4

64  Caffè Farnese D5

65  Caffè Sant'Eustachio F3

66  Caffè Tazza d'Oro G3

67  Chiostro di Bramante CaffèD2

68  Circus C2

69  Etablì D3

70  Femme D5

71  II GoccettoB4

72  Open Baladin E6

73  Salotto 42 G2

74  Vineria Reggio D5

Entertainment

75  AS Roma Store H2

76  La Maison D3

77  Rialtosantambrogio G7

Shopping

78  Ai Monasteri E2

79  Confetteria Moriondo & GariglioG4

80  Feltrinelli F5

81  Ibiz – Artigianato in Cuoio E6

82  Luna & L'Altra D4

83  Nardecchia D3

84  Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella E3

Chiesa di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva CHURCH

Offline map Google map ( Piazza della Minerva; 8am-7pm Mon-Fri, 8am-1pm & 3.30-7pm Sat & Sun) Bernini’s much-loved Elefantino Offline map Google map sculpture trumpets the presence of the Dominican Chiesa di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, Rome’s only Gothic church. Built on the site of an ancient temple to Minerva, it has been much altered over the centuries and little remains of the original 13th-century design.

Inside, in the Cappella Carafa (also called the Cappella della Annunciazione), you’ll find two superb 15th-century frescoes by Filippino Lippi and the majestic tomb of Pope Paul IV. Left of the high altar is one of Michelangelo’s lesser-known sculptures, Cristo Risorto (Christ Bearing the Cross; 1520). An altarpiece of the Madonna and Child in the second chapel in the northern transept is attributed to Dominican friar and painter Fra Angelico, who is also buried in the church.

The body of St Catherine of Siena, minus her head (which is in Siena), lies under the high altar, and the tombs of two Medici popes, Leo X and Clement VII, are in the apse.

ART & POLITICS ON VIA DEL CORSO

On Via del Corso, the arrow-straight road that links Piazza Venezia to Piazza del Popolo, you’ll find one of Rome’s finest private art galleries. You wouldn’t know it from the grimy exterior but the Palazzo e Galleria Doria Pamphilj Offline map Google map ( 06 679 73 23; www.dopart.it; Via del Corso 305; adult/reduced €10.50/7.50; 10am-5pm, last admission 4.15pm) houses an extraordinary collection of works by Raphael, Tintoretto, Brueghel, Titian, Caravaggio, Bernini and Velázquez.

The palazzo dates from the mid-15th century, but the lavish interior is the work of the Doria Pamphilj family, who acquired it in the 18th century. Masterpieces abound, but look out for Titian’s powerful Salomè con la testa del Battista (Salome with the Head of John the Baptist) and two early works by Caravaggio: Riposso durante la fuga in Egitto (Rest During the Flight into Egypt) and Maddalene Penitente (Penitent Magdalen). The collection’s undisputed star is the Velázquez portrait of Pope Innocent X, who grumbled that the depiction was ‘too real’. In the same room, the Gabinetto di Velázquez is Bernini’s interpretation of the same subject.

A short walk to the north of the gallery, the 30m-high Colonna di Marco Aurelio Offline map Google map heralds the presence of Palazzo Chigi Offline map Google map( www.governo.it, in Italian; Piazza Colonna 370; admission free; guided visits 9am-2pm Sat Sep-Jun, booking obligatory) , the official residence of the Italian prime minister. Next door, on Piazza di Montecitorio, the Bernini-designed Palazzo di Montecitorio Offline map Google map ( 800 012955; www.camera.it; Piazza di Montecitorio; admission free; guided visits 10am-5.30pm, 1st Sun of month) is home to Italy’s Chamber of Deputies.

Chiesa di Sant’Agostino CHURCH

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(Piazza di Sant’Agostino; 7.45am-noon & 4-7.30pm) This early-Renaissance church contains two outstanding works of art: Raphael’s 1512 fresco Isaiah and Caravaggio’s Madonna dei Pellegrini (Madonna of the Pilgrims; 1604), which caused uproar when it was unveiled in 1604, due to its depiction of Mary as barefoot and her two devoted pilgrims as filthy beggars.

CHIESA DI SAN LUIGI DEI FRANCESI

( Offline map Piazza di San Luigi dei Francesi; 10am-12.30pm & 4-7pm, closed Thu afternoon) Church of Rome’s French community since 1589, this baroque treasure trove boasts three canvases by Caravaggio: La Vocazione di San Matteo (The Calling of Saint Matthew), Il Martiro di San Matteo (The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew) and San Matteo e l’Angelo (Saint Matthew and the Angel), together known as the St Matthew cycle. These are among Caravaggio’s earliest religious works, but are inescapably by his hand, with their down-to-earth realism and stunning use of chiaroscuro.

Museo Nazionale Romano: Palazzo Altemps MUSEUM

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( 06 683 35 66; www.pierreci.it; Piazza Sant’Apollinare 44; adult/reduced €7/3.50; 9am-7.45pm Tue-Sun, last admission 7pm) This gem of a museum houses the best of the Museo Nazionale Romano’s formidable collection of classical sculpture. Many pieces come from the celebrated Ludovisi collection, amassed by Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi in the 17th century. Prize exhibits include the 5th-century Trono Ludovisi (Ludovisi Throne), a carved marble throne depicting Aphrodite being plucked from the sea as a newborn babe. It shares a room with two colossal heads, one of which is the goddess Juno and dates from around 600 BC. The wall frieze (about half of which remains) depicts the 10 plagues of Egypt and the Exodus.

The building’s baroque frescoes provide an exquisite decorative backdrop. The walls of the Sala delle Prospettive Dipinte are decorated with landscapes and hunting scenes seen through trompe l’œil windows. These frescoes were painted for Cardinal Altemps, the rich nephew of Pope Pius IV (r 1560–65) who bought the palazzo in the late 16th century. Note that there is sometimes a €3 exhibition supplement.

Piazza Navona PIAZZA

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With its baroque palazzi and extravagant fountains, pavement cafes, hawkers and surging crowds, stadium-sized Piazza Navona is Rome’s most iconic public square. Laid out on the ruins of an arena built by Domitian in AD 86, it was paved over in the 15th century and for almost 300 years hosted the city’s main market.

Of the piazza’s three fountains, Bernini’s high-camp Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi Offline map Google map (Fountain of the Four Rivers) dominates. Depicting personifications of the Nile, Ganges, Danube and Plate rivers, it’s festooned with a palm tree, lion and horse and topped by an obelisk. Legend has it that the figure of the Nile is shielding his eyes from the Chiesa di Sant’Agnese in Agone Offline map Google map (www.santagneseinagone.org; 9.30am-12.30pm & 3.30-7pm Tue-Sat, 9am-1pm & 4-8pm Sun) , designed by Bernini’s bitter rival, Borromini. The truth, more boringly, is that Bernini completed his fountain two years before his contemporary started work on the facade and the gesture indicates that the source of the Nile was unknown at the time.

At the northern end of the piazza is the 19th-century Fontana del Nettuno Offline map Google map , while the Fontana del Moro Offline map Google map to the south was designed in 1576. Bernini added the Moor holding a dolphin in the mid-17th century, and the surrounding Tritons are 19th-century copies. Piazza Navona’s largest building is the 17th-century Palazzo Pamphilj Offline map Google map , built for Pope Innocent X and now home to the Brazilian Embassy.

Museo di Roma MUSEUM

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( 06 8205 9127; www.museodiroma.it; Piazza di San Pantaleo 10; adult/reduced €9/7; 9am-7pm Tue-Sun, last admission 6pm) The baroque Palazzo Braschi houses the Museo di Roma’s eclectic collection of paintings, photographs, etchings, clothes and furniture, charting the history of Rome from the Middle Ages to the early 20th century. The palazzo itself contains some beautiful frescoed halls, including the extravagant Sala Cinese and the Egyptian-themed Sala Egiziana.

Campo de’ Fiori PIAZZA

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Noisy, colourful ‘Il Campo’ is a major focus of Roman life: by day it hosts a much-loved market, while at night it morphs into a raucous open-air pub. Towering over the square is the Obi-Wan-like form of Giordano Bruno, a monk who was burned at the stake for heresy in 1600.

Palazzo Farnese PALAZZO

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( www.ambafrance-it.org, in Italian & French; Piazza Farnese; 15yr over only; tours 3pm, 4pm & 5pm Mon & Thu, by appointment only) One of Rome’s greatest Renaissance palazzi, Palazzo Farnese was started in 1514 by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, continued by Michelangelo and finished by Giacomo della Porta. Nowadays, it’s the French Embassy and open only to visitors who’ve booked a guided tour – make a booking via the website. Visits (in Italian or French) take in the Galleria dei Carracci, home to a series of frescoes by Annibale Carracci, said by some to rival those of the Sistine Chapel.

The twin fountains in the square are enormous granite baths taken from the Terme di Caracalla.

ROME’S OPTICAL ILLUSIONS

The 16th-century Palazzo Spada Offline map Google map (Via Capo di Ferro 13; adult/reduced €5/2; 8.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sun) is home to one of Rome’s most famous optical tricks – Borromini’s famous perspective. What appears to be a 25m-long corridor lined with columns leading to a hedge and life-sized statue is, in fact, only 10m long. The sculpture, which was a later addition, is actually hip-height and the columns diminish in size not because of distance but because they actually get shorter. And look more closely at that seemingly perfect hedge. Borromini didn’t trust the gardeners to clip a real hedge precisely enough so he made one of stone.

Another celebrated illusion is Andrea Pozzo’s trompe l’œil ceiling fresco at the Chiesa di Sant’Ignazio di Loyola Offline map Google map (Piazza di Sant’Ignazio; 7.30am-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am-7pm Sun) . To get the best view, stand on the small yellow spot on the nave floor and look up. The ceiling (which, in fact, is absolutely flat) appears to curve upwards. But walk a little further into the church and the deception becomes clear.

The other two optical wonders are both viewpoints. In Aventino, visit the Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta Offline map Google map, a small but ornate square designed by the 18th-century Venetian artist Piranesi. There’s no obvious view but look through the keyhole of the Priori dei Cavalieri di Malta and you’ll see the dome of St Peter’s Basilica perfectly aligned at the end of a hedge-lined avenue.

Finally, close to the beautiful park of Villa Doria Pamphilj Offline map in western Rome, stop off in Via Piccolomini , where you have a wonderful view of St Peter’s dome – in fact, far better than the view from St Peter’s Square, where it’s hard to see over the facade. Here the dome looms, filling the space at the end of the road, framed by trees. Strangely, though, as you move towards it, the cupola seems to get smaller as the view widens.

Largo di Torre Argentina PIAZZA

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A busy transport hub, Largo di Torre Argentina is set around the sunken Area Sacra and the remains of four Republican-era temples, all built between the 2nd and 4th centuries BC. On the piazza’s western flank is Rome’s premier theatre, the Teatro Argentina, built close to the spot where Julius Caesar was murdered on 15 March 44 BC.

Chiesa del Gesù CHURCH

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(www.chiesadelgesu.org; Piazza del Gesù; 7am-12.30pm & 4-7.45pm) An imposing, much-copied example of late-16th-century Counter-Reformation architecture, this is Rome’s most important Jesuit church. The facade by Giacomo della Porta is impressive, but it’s the awesome gold and marble interior that is the real attraction. Of the art on display, the most astounding work is the Trionfo del Nome di Gesù (Triumph of the Name of Jesus), the swirling, hypnotic vault fresco by Giovanni Battista Gaulli (aka Il Baciccia), who also painted the cupola frescoes and designed the stucco decoration.

Baroque master Andrea Pozzo designed the Cappella di Sant’Ignazio in the northern transept. Here you’ll find the tomb of Ignatius Loyola, the Spanish soldier and saint who founded the Jesuits in 1540. The altar-tomb is an opulent marble-and-bronze affair with columns encrusted with lapis lazuli. On top, the terrestrial globe, representing the Trinity, is the largest solid piece of lapis lazuli in the world. On either side are a couple of sculptures whose titles neatly encapsulate the Jesuit ethos: to the left, Fede che vince l’Idolatria (Faith Defeats Idolatry); and on the right, Religione che flagella l’Eresia (Religion Lashing Heresy).

The Spanish saint lived in the church from 1544 until his death in 1556. His private rooms ( 4-6pm Mon-Sat, 10am-noon Sun) , which contain a masterful trompe l’œil by Andrea del Pozzo, are just to the right of the main church.

Museo Nazionale Romano: Crypta Balbi MUSEUM

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( 06 3996 7700; www.pierreci.it; Via delle Botteghe Oscure 31; adult/reduced €7/3.50; 9am-7.45pm Tue-Sun, last admission 7pm) The least known of the Museo Nazionale Romano’s four museums, the Crypta Balbi is built around the ruins of medieval and Renaissance structures, themselves set atop the ancient Teatro di Balbus (13 BC). Duck down into the underground excavations, then examine artefacts taken from the Crypta, as well as items found in the forums and on the Oppio and Celian Hills. Note that there is sometimes a €3 exhibition supplement.

Museo Ebraico di Roma MUSEUM

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(Jewish Museum of Rome; Click here ; 06 6840 0661; www.museoebraico.roma.it; Via Catalana; adult/reduced €10/4; 10am-6.15pm Sun-Thu, to 3.15pm Fri summer, 10am-4.15pm Sun-Thu, 9am-1.15pm Fri winter) Rome’s Jewish community is one of Europe’s oldest, dating from the 2nd century BC. Between 1555 and the late 19th century, and then again during WWII, Rome’s Jews were confined to the area known as the Jewish Ghetto , now a lively and atmospheric neighbourhood. The museum, housed in Europe’s second-largest synagogue, chronicles the engrossing historical, cultural and artistic heritage of the city’s Jewry. You can also book one-hour guided walking tours of the Ghetto (adult/reduced €8/5) at the museum.

Area Archeologica del Teatro di Marcello e del Portico d’Ottavia ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

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(Via del Teatro di Marcello; 9am-7pm summer, to 6pm winter) To the east of the Ghetto is the archaeological area of the Portico d’Ottavia, the oldest quadriporto (four-sided porch) in Rome. The columns and fragmented pediment once formed part of a vast rectangular portico, supported by 300 columns. Erected by a builder called Octavius in 146 BC, it was rebuilt in 23 BC by Augustus, who kept the name in honour of his sister Octavia. From the Middle Ages until the late 19th century, the portico housed the city’s fish market.

Beyond the portico is the Teatro di Marcello, akin to a smaller Colosseum with later buildings tacked on top. The 20,000-seat theatre was planned by Julius Caesar and built by Augustus around 13 BC. In the 16th century, a palazzo was built onto the original building, which today houses some exclusive apartments.

Isola Tiberina NEIGHBOURHOOD

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To reach the Tiber Island, the world’s smallest inhabited island, cross the Ponte Fabricio , which itself is also a record-breaker: it dates from 62 BC and is Rome’s oldest standing bridge. The Isola has been associated with healing since the 3rd century BC, when the Romans built a temple to Aesculapius (god of healing) here, and today it is home to the Ospedale Fatebenefratelli. Standing on the site of the Roman temple is the 10th-century Chiesa di San Bartolomeo all’Isola ( 9am-1pm & 3.30-5.30pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm & 7-8pm Sun) . It has a Romanesque bell tower and a marble well-head, believed to have been built over the same spring that provided healing waters for the temple.

The Ponte Cestio , built in 46 BC and rebuilt in the late 19th century, connects the island with Trastevere to the south. Also to the south are the remains of Ponte Rotto (Broken Bridge), ancient Rome’s first stone bridge, which was all but swept away in a 1598 flood.

TOP FIVE FILM LOCATIONS

Rome’s celebrated monuments have played a starring role in many films over the years.

» Trevi Fountain (Click here ) Scene of Anita Ekberg’s sensual dip in La Dolce Vita .

» Bocca della Verità (Click here ) Gregory Peck goofs around with Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday .

» Piazza Navona (Click here ) In Eat Pray Love Julia Roberts finds ice-cream solace in front of the Chiesa di Sant’Agnese in Agone.

» Piazza di Spagna Drama over drinks at the foot of the Spanish Steps in The Talented Mr Ripley .

» Pantheon (Click here ) Tom Hanks checks out Raphael’s tomb in Angels and Demons .

Other classic Roman films include Belly of an Architect; Three Coins in a Fountain; Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow; Bicycle Thieves; and Rome, Open City .

TRIDENTE, TREVI & THE QUIRINALE

To the north of the centro storico, Tridente has long had a reputation as an upmarket bohemian enclave: Keats and Shelley hung out on Piazza di Spagna, Goethe held court on Via del Corso, and La Dolce Vita filmmaker Federico Fellini lived on Via Margutta. Nowadays it’s the heart of the city’s shopping district, packed with glittering designer boutiques catering to high-rolling shoppers. Encompassing the Spanish Steps, Piazza di Spagna and Piazza del Popolo, the latter marks the convergence of the three roads – Via di Ripetta, Via del Corso and Via del Babuino – forming a trident, hence the name. It’s a short walk from here to the famous Trevi Fountain and the presidential palace, the Quirinale.

Tridente (Rome)

Top Sights

Chiesa di Santa Maria del Popolo B1

Keats-Shelley Memorial House D4

Museo dell'Ara Pacis A4

Piazza del PopoloB1

Sights

1  Barcaccia D4

2  Casa di Goethe B2

3  Chiesa della Trinità dei MontiD4

4  Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli B2

5  Chiesa di Santa Maria in Montesanto B2

6  International Wine Academy of RomaD4

7  Mausoleo di Augusto A4

8  Piazza di Spagna D4

9  Porta del Popolo A1

10  Spanish Steps D4

Sleeping

11  Babuino 181 B2

12  Crossing Condotti C4

13  Hotel PandaC4

14  Hotel Scalinata di Spagna D4

15  Okapi Rooms A2

16  Portrait Suites C4

Eating

17  ’Gusto A4

18  Dì per DìC3

19  La Buca di Ripetta A3

20  Matricianella B5

21  Nino D4

22  PalatiumC5

23  Pastificio C4

24  Pizzeria al Leoncino B5

Drinking

25  Caffè Greco C4

26  L'Antica Enoteca C4

27  Salotto LocarnoA2

28  Stravinkskij Bar – Hotel de Russie B2

Shopping

29  Anglo-American Book Co D5

30  Armando Rioda C4

Borsalino (see 28)

31  Bottega di Marmoraro C3

32  Danielle C5

33  Fausto Santini C5

34  Furla D4

35  Mario Pelle B4

36  Sermoneta D4

37  TAD B3

38  Vertecchi C4

Piazza di Spagna & the Spanish Steps PIAZZA, MUSEUM

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The Spanish Steps Offline map Google map (Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti) provide a perfect auditorium for people-watching, and have been a magnet for visitors since the 18th century. The Piazza di Spagna was named after the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See, and consequently the steps were so-named, although they were designed by the Italian Francesco de Sanctis and built in 1725 with a legacy from the French. They lead to the French Chiesa della Trinità dei Monti Offline map Google map , which was commissioned by King Louis XII of France and consecrated in 1585. In addition to the great views from outside, it boasts some wonderful frescoes by Daniele da Volterra. His Deposizione (Deposition), in the second chapel on the left, is regarded as a masterpiece of mannerist painting. If you don’t fancy climbing the steep steps, there’s a lift up from Spagna metro station.

At the foot of the steps, the BarcacciaOffline map Google map (the ‘sinking boat’ fountain) is believed to be by Pietro Bernini, father of the famous Gian Lorenzo.

Keats-Shelley Memorial House MUSEUM

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( 06 678 42 35; www.keats-shelley-house.org; Piazza di Spagna 26; adult/reduced €4.50/3.50; 10am-1pm & 2-6pm Mon-Fri, 11am-2pm & 3-6pm Sat) Overlooking the Spanish Steps, this is where the 25-year-old Keats died of tuberculosis in 1821, after an obviously unsuccessful trip to Rome to improve his health – being quarantined in a boat outside Naples and then treated by his Scottish doctor for problems of the digestive system rather than his real health problem didn’t help. The cramped apartments nowadays form an evocative museum dedicated to the ill-fated romantic poets (Shelley drowned off the Tuscan coast, and both he and Keats are buried in the non-Catholic Cemetery close to Piramide), housing poems, letters and memorabilia of Keats, Shelley, Byron and their friends.

Piazza del Popolo & Around PIAZZA, CHURCH

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For centuries the site of public executions, this elegant ellipse of a piazza is one of Rome’s most impressive public spaces. It was laid out in 1538 to provide a suitably grandiose entrance to what was then the main northern gateway into the city.

Guarding its southern end are Carlo Rainaldi’s twin 17th-century baroque churches, Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli Offline map Google map and Chiesa di Santa Maria in Montesanto Offline map Google map , while over on the northern flank is the Porta del Popolo Offline map Google map , created by Bernini in 1655 to celebrate Queen Christina of Sweden’s defection to Catholicism. In the centre, the 36m-high obelisk Offline map Google map was brought by Augustus from Heliopolis, in ancient Egypt, and moved here from the Circo Massimo in the mid-16th century. To the east are the Pincio Hill Gardens .

Chiesa di Santa Maria del Popolo CHURCH

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( 06 361 08 36; Piazza del Popolo; 7am-noon & 4-7pm Mon-Sat, 8am-1.30pm & 4.30-7.30pm Sun) Next to the Porta del Popolo is one of Rome’s earliest, richest Renaissance churches. The first chapel was built here in 1099 to exorcise the ghost of Nero, who was buried on this spot and whose ghost was said to haunt the area. It was overhauled in 1462, after which Pinturicchio painted his beautiful frescoes. In Raphael’s Cappella Chigi (mostly completed by Bernini some 100 years later) you’ll find a famous mosaic of a kneeling skeleton. Adding some fierce, exquisitely rendered drama to the Cappella Cerasi, to the left of the altar are two Caravaggio masterpieces: the Conversion of St Paul and the Crucifixion of St Peter (both 1600–01).

Casa di Goethe HISTORICAL BUILDING

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( 06 3265 0412; www.casadigoethe.it; Via del Corso 18; adult/reduced €4/3; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun) Close to the Piazza del Popolo is the modest, lovingly maintained Casa di Goethe, where the German writer enjoyed his stay (1786–88), but complained about the noisy locals. Its collection includes his drawings and etchings from the period, as well as interesting souvenirs of his stay.

Museo dell’Ara Pacis MUSEUM

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( 06 8205 9127; www.arapacis.it; Lungotevere in Augusta; adult/reduced €9/7, audioguide €3.50; 9am-7pm Tue-Sun) Many Romans detest Richard Meier’s minimalist glass-and-marble pavilion (the first modern construction in Rome’s historical centre since WWII), but it is no longer likely to be completely pulled down, as Mayor Gianni Alemanno had promised on his election in 2008. However, the wall dividing the busy Lungotevere Augusta from Piazza Augusto Imperatore – which has been criticised for obscuring the baroque facade of the church of San Rocco all’Augusteo – is to be dismantled, according to new plans approved by the architect.

Inside is the less-controversial Ara Pacis Augustae (Altar of Peace), Augustus’ great monument to peace. One of the most important works of ancient Roman sculpture, the vast marble altar (it measures 11.6m by 10.6m by 3.6m) was completed in 13 BC and positioned near Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina, slightly to the southeast of its current site. The location was calculated so that on Augustus’ birthday the shadow of a huge sundial on Campus Martius would fall directly on it. Over the centuries the altar fell victim to Rome’s avid art collectors, and panels ended up in the Medici collection, the Vatican and the Louvre. However, in 1936 Mussolini unearthed the remaining parts and decided to reassemble them in the present location.

Of the reliefs, the most important depicts Augustus at the head of a procession, followed by priests, the general Marcus Agrippa and the entire imperial family.

Mausoleo di Augusto MAUSOLEUM

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(Mausoleum of Augustus; Click here ) What was once one of the most imposing monuments in ancient Rome is now an unkempt mound of earth, overgrown with weeds. Plans for a major revamp by architect Francesco Cellini are afoot, but as yet there’s no sign of activity on the ground.

The mausoleum, which was built in 28 BC and originally measured 87m in diameter, is the last resting place of Augustus, who was buried here in AD 14, and his favourite nephew and heir Marcellus. During the Middle Ages the mausoleum served as a fortress and was later used as a vineyard, a private garden and a travertine quarry. Mussolini had it restored in 1936 with an eye to being buried here himself.

Trevi (Rome)

Top Sights

Palazzo BarberiniC2

Trevi Fountain A3

Sights

1  Chiesa di San Carlo alle Quattro FontaneD2

2  Chiesa di Santa Maria della ConcezioneC1

3  Chiesa di Sant'Andrea al QuirinaleC3

4  Fontana del Tritone C2

5  Fontana delle Api C1

6  Galleria Nazionale d'Arte AnticaC2

7  Italiaidea B2

8  Palazzo del Quirinale B3

9  Time Elevator A4

Sleeping

10  Apollo Hotel C4

11  Daphne B&B C1

12  Daphne B&B B2

13  Fellini B&B B2

14  Hotel Artorius C4

15  Hotel Barocco C2

16  Hotel Modigliani B1

17  La Piccola MaisonC1

18  Villa Spalletti TrivelliC4

Eating

19  Antico Forno A3

20  Colline Emiliane C2

21  Da Michele A3

22  Da Ricci D4

23  DeSpar D3

24  L'Asino d'OroD5

25  Open Colonna C3

26  San Crispino B2

27  Via del Lavatore Market A3

28  Vineria Chianti A3

Trevi Fountain FOUNTAIN

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(Fontana di Trevi; Click here ) This fountain almost fills an entire piazza, and is Rome’s most famous fountain, its iconic status sealed when Anita Ekberg splashed here in La Dolce Vita . The flamboyant baroque ensemble was designed by Nicola Salvi in 1732 and depicts Neptune’s chariot being led by Tritons with sea horses – one wild, one docile – representing the moods of the sea. The water comes from the aqua virgo , a 1st-century-BC underground aqueduct, and the name Trevi refers to the tre vie (three roads) that converge at the fountain. It’s traditional to throw a coin into the fountain to ensure your return to the Eternal City. It’s usually very busy around the fountain during the day, so it’s worth trying to visit later in the evening when you can appreciate its foaming majesty without the hordes.

THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF THE TREVI COINS

Around €3000 is thrown into the Trevi Fountain on an average day. It’s accepted practice that this money is collected daily and goes to the Catholic charity Caritas. However, in 2002, D’Artagnan (real name Roberto Cercelletta, an unemployed 50-year-old man) was discovered to have spent 34 years raiding the fountain for change. He was banned from the fountain, and new security measures were put in place. Despite his ban, D’Artagnan returned a few days’ later, shouting to the surrounding crowds and slashing his belly in protest. A year later, a court ruled that the money could not be stolen as it has been discarded.

Eight years later, there was a further scandal when a TV company secretly filmed the fountain, discovering that D’Artagnan and some helpers were still collecting the money, with the apparent complicity of the police. When the reporter asked the police why they were not taking any action, he was pushed into the fountain by the collectors. In the following days, D’Artagnan staged a further belly-slashing protest, clambering onto the rocks surrounding the fountain to display his wounds. The police countered any criticism with the defence that there was no legal basis for arresting the coin-gatherers, but they notably didn’t ask the men to abide by the law against entering the fountains of Rome, which is usually strictly enforced (as you’ll soon find out if you try to dabble your feet). Rome’s mayor, Gianni Alemanno, now plans to pass legislation to make removal of coins from the fountain an offence.

Time Elevator CINEMA

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( 06 6992 1823; www.time-elevator.it; Via dei Santissimi Apostoli 20; adult/reduced €12/9; 10.30am-7.30pm; ) Just off Via del Corso, this cinema is ideal for armchair sightseers. There are three programs, but the one to see is Time Elevator Rome , a 45-minute virtual journey through 3000 years of Roman history. Shows kick off at half-past every hour, and children and adults alike love the panoramic screens, flight-simulator technology and surround-sound system. Note that children under five aren’t admitted and anyone who suffers motion sickness should probably give it a miss.

Piazza Barberini PIAZZA

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In the centre of traffic-busy Piazza Barberini is Bernini’s Fontana del Tritone Offline map Google map (Fountain of the Triton), created in 1643 for Pope Urban VIII, patriarch of the Barberini family. Bernini also sculpted the Fontana delle Api Offline map Google map (Fountain of the Bees), in the northeastern corner, for the powerful Barberini family, whose crest features three bees.

Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica: Palazzo Barberini ART GALLERY

( 06 2258 2493; www.galleriaborghese.it; Via delle Quattro Fontane 13; adult/reduced €5/2.50; 9am-7.30pm Tue-Sun, ticket office closes 7pm) The 17th-century Palazzo Barberini was commissioned by Urban VIII to celebrate the Barberini family’s rise to papal power. Many high-profile baroque architects worked on it, including rivals Bernini and Borromini; the former contributed a large squared staircase, the latter a helicoidal one. Today the palace houses part of Galleria Nazionale, a Renaissance and baroque art feast. Besides works by Raphael, Caravaggio, Guido Reni, Bernini, Filippo Lippi, Holbein, Titian and Tintoretto, there is the captivating ceiling of the main salon, the Triumph of Divine Providence (1632–39) by Pietro da Cortona. Don’t miss Hans Holbein’s famous portrait of a portly Henry VIII (c 1540) and Filippo Lippi’s luminous Annunciazione e due devoti . Caravaggio masterpieces include St Francis in Meditation, Narcissus (c 1571–1610), and the mesmerisingly horrific Judith Beheading Holophernes (c 1597–1600), which features some wonderfully realistic facial expressions. Another must-see is Raphael’s lovely La Fornarina (The Baker’s Girl), a portrait of his mistress Margherita Luti, who worked in a bakery on Via di Santa Dorotea in Trastevere. If you have a bag, ensure you have €1 for a locker.

Chiesa di Santa Maria della Concezione CHURCH

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( 06 487 11 85; Via Vittorio Veneto 27; admission by donation; 9am-noon & 3-6pm Fri-Wed) Descend into the Capuchin cemetery below this church and you’ll be gobsmacked. Between 1528 and 1870 the Capuchin monks used the bones of 4000 of their departed brothers in a most macabre take on interior decoration. There are vertebrae used as fleurs-de-lis, and femur light fixtures. The message in the last crypt reads: ‘What you are now we used to be; what we are now you will be.’ Happy holidays!

Palazzo del Quirinale PALAZZO

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( 06 4 69 91; www.quirinale.it; admission €2.50; 8.30am-noon Sun mid-Sep–Jun) At the top of the Quirinal (Quirinale) Hill, this immense palace served as the papal summer residence for almost three centuries until the keys were handed over (begrudgingly, and staring down the barrel of a gun) to Italy’s new king in 1870. It was passed on to the president of the republic in 1948. At the end of the Sunday visit, there is a free concert in the chapel.

Chiesa di Sant’Andrea al Quirinale CHURCH

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( 06 474 08 07; Via del Quirinale 29; 8.30am-noon & 3.30-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am-noon & 4-7pm Sun) Along Via del Quirinale are two masterpiece churches, designed by the baroque era’s great rivals: Bernini and Borromini. This late-17th-century church was designed by Bernini and is regarded by many as one of his greatest works. Faced with severe space limitations, he managed to produce a sense of grandeur by designing an elliptical floor plan with a series of chapels opening onto the central area. It is said that in his old age the artist liked to come here to enjoy its peaceful atmosphere.

Chiesa di San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane CHURCH

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( 06 488 31 09; Via del Quirinale 23; 10am-1pm & 3-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-1pm Sat, noon-1pm Sun) This is Borromini’s first church and bears all the hallmarks of his genius. The elegant curves of the facade, the play of convex and concave surfaces, the dome illuminated by hidden windows – all combine to transform a minuscule space into a light, airy interior. Nowadays perched on a traffic-choked junction, it is a great place to escape from the busy street.

TERMINI, ESQUILINO & SAN LORENZO

The largest of Rome’s seven hills, the Esquilino extends from the Colosseum to Stazione Termini, encompassing Via Cavour (a broad traffic-heavy avenue between Termini and Via dei Fori Imperiali), the mosaic-lined Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, and the increasingly trendy, boho area of Monti, which is dotted with individual boutiques, restaurants and wine bars. This was one of Rome’s oldest areas, notoriously the red-light district at the time of the Republic. Much of Esquilino was covered with vineyards and gardens until the late 19th century, when they were dug up to make way for grandiose apartment blocks.

Chiesa di Santa Maria della Vittoria CHURCH

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( 06 482 61 90; Via XX Settembre 17; 8.30am-noon & 3.30-6pm Mon-Sat, 3.30-6pm Sun) This modest church is home to a magnificent and intriguing work of religious art, Bernini’s overtly sexual Ecstasy of St Theresa , in which religious fervour is equated with rather more earthly pleasure as the saint swoons in sensual delight, pierced by an arrow by a teasing angel. Watching the whole scene from two side balconies are a number of figures, including Cardinal Federico Cornaro, for whom the chapel was built. It’s a stunning work, bathed in soft natural light filtering through a concealed window. Visit in the afternoon for the best effect.

Termini, Esquilino & San Lorenzo (Rome)

Top Sights

Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore B4

Museo Nazionale Romano: Palazzo Massimo alle Terme B3

Sights

1  Basilica di Santa Maria degli AngeliB2

2  Chiesa di Santa Maria della VittoriaA1

3  Divulgazione Lingua Italiana SocD2

4  Museo Nazionale Romano: Terme di DioclezianoB2

5  Piazza della Repubblica A2

6  Terme di Diocleziano B2

Sleeping

7  Alessandro Palace Hostel D2

8  BeehiveD2

9  Funny Palace D3

10  Hotel des Artistes D1

11  Residenza Cellini A2

12  Welrome Hotel C1

Eating

13  Agata e Romeo C5

14  Conad C3

15  Formula 1 F5

16  Indian Fast Food D5

17  Sir C2

18  Tram Tram H4

19  Trimani Wine Bar C1

Drinking

20  Bar Zest at the Radisson D5

21  Fiddler's Elbow B5

22  Solea Club G5

Entertainment

23  Dimmidisí H4

24  Lazio Point B4

25  Teatro dell'Opera di Roma A3

26  Warner Village Moderno A3

Shopping

27  Borri Books C3

28  Feltrinelli International A2

29  Giacomo Santini A5

Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore CHURCH

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( 06 6988 6800; Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore; audioguide €5; 7am-7pm) One of Rome’s four patriarchal basilicas (the others being St Peter’s, San Giovanni in Laterano and San Paolo Fuori-le-Mura), this one was built on the summit of the Esquiline Hill in the 5th century. Outside, the 18.78m-high column in the Piazza di Santa Maria Maggiore came from the Basilica di Massenzio in the Roman Forum, and the church exterior is decorated with glimmering 13th-century mosaics, protected by a porch with five openings, designed by Ferdinando Fuga.

The great interior retains its original 5th-century structure, despite the basilica having been much altered over the centuries. The nave floor is a fine example of 12th-century Cosmati paving. The 75m belfry, the highest in Rome, is 14th-century Romanesque; Ferdinand Fuga’s 1741 facade is baroque, as is much of the sumptuous interior. Particularly spectacular are the 5th-century mosaics in the triumphal arch and nave, depicting Old Testament scenes. Binoculars will come in handy. The central image in the apse, signed by Jacopo Torriti, dates from the 13th century and represents the coronation of the Virgin Mary.

The baldachin over the high altar seethes with gilt cherubs; the altar itself is a porphyry sarcophagus, which is said to contain the relics of St Matthew and other martyrs. A plaque to the right of the altar marks the spot where Gian Lorenzo Bernini and his father Pietro are buried. Steps lead down to the confessio (a crypt in which relics are placed), where a statue of Pope Pius IX kneels before a reliquary containing a fragment of Jesus’ manger.

The sumptuously decorated Cappella Sistina, last on the right, was built by Domenico Fontana in the 16th century and contains the tombs of Popes Sixtus V and Pius V.

Through the souvenir shop on the right-hand side of the church is a museum (adult/child €4/2; 9am-6pm) with a motley collection of religious artefacts. More interesting is the upper loggia ( 06 6988 6802; admission €5; 2-5pm) , where you’ll find some iridescent 13th-century mosaics.

Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli CHURCH

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( 06 488 28 65; Piazza di San Pietro in Vincoli 4a; 8am-12.30pm & 3.30-7pm Apr-Sep, 8am-12.30pm & 3-6pm Oct-Mar) Pilgrims and art lovers flock to this basilica for two reasons: to see St Peter’s chains and to see Michelangelo’s tomb of Pope Julius II. The church was built in the 5th century to house the chains that bound St Peter when he was imprisoned in the Carcere Mamertino. Some time after St Peter’s death, the chains were sent to Constantinople for a period before returning to Rome as relics. They arrived in two pieces and legend has it that when they were reunited they miraculously joined together. They are now displayed under the altar.

To the right of the altar is Julius’ monumental tomb. At its centre is Michelangelo’s buff Moses, with two small horns sticking out of his head. Subject of much curiosity, the horns were inspired by a mistranslation of a biblical passage: where the original said that rays of light issued from Moses’ face, the translator wrote ‘horns’. Michelangelo was aware of the mistake, but gave Moses horns anyway. The statues of Leah and Rachel flanking Moses were probably completed by Michelangelo’s students. Despite its imposing scale, the tomb was never finished – Michelangelo planned 40 statues but got sidetracked by the Sistine Chapel, and Pope Julius II was buried in St Peter’s Basilica.

Access to the church is via a flight of steps through a low arch that leads up from Via Cavour.

Domus Aurea HISTORICAL SITE

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(Via della Domus Aurea 1; closed for restoration) Over the road from the Colosseum, the Domus Aurea (Golden House) was Nero’s great gift to himself, a vast palace spread over the Palatine, Oppio and Celian Hills. Built after the fire of AD 64 and named after the gold that, with mother-of-pearl, covered its facade, it included frescoed banqueting halls, nymphaeums (grottoes or caves for recreation and worship), baths and terraces. Its grounds, which covered up to a third of the city, included a large artificial lake. It’s estimated only around 20% remains of the original complex. The baths and underlying ruins were abandoned by the 6th century, and it’s this area that is currently being excavated. It has formerly been open to the public, but has frequently had to be closed for extensive repairs following flooding and due to collapses in the structure – it was last open in 2010.

Piazza della Repubblica PIAZZA

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Flanked by grand neoclassical colonnades, the landmark Piazza della Repubblica was laid out as part of Rome’s post-unification makeover. Around this monumental roundabout are dotted buildings housing most of Museo Nazionale Romano’s world-famous archaeological collection.

Museo Nazionale Romano: Palazzo Massimo alle Terme ART GALLERY

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( 06 3996 7700; www.pierreci.it; Largo di Villa Peretti 1; adult/reduced €7/3.50, audioguide €4; 9am-7.45pm Tue-Sun) A treasure trove of classical art, the light-filled Palazzo Massimo alle Terme is one of Rome’s finest galleries, but remains almost off the beaten track in its position a few steps away from Termini station.

The ground and 1st floors are devoted to some incredibly fine sculpture, including the mesmerising Boxer that dates from the 1st century BC; upstairs there’s an exquisite crouching Aphrodite from Tivoli’s Villa Adriana, the softly contoured, 2nd-century BC Sleeping Hermaphrodite , and the iconic vision of perfection that is the Discus Thrower . Yet the sensational mosaics and frescoes on the 2nd floor blow everything else away. The layout has been revamped so that the rooms are arranged how they were within the villas, and lighting brings out the rich colours of the frescoes. There are intimate cubicula (bedrooms), which feature religious, erotic and theatre subjects, and delicate landscape paintings from the dark-painted winter triclinium (dining room). The show-stopping highlight is the frescoes (dating from 30 BC to 20 BC) that once lined Villa Livia, one of the homes of Augustus’ wife Livia Drusilla. These, covering an entire room, depict an illusionary, realistic yet paradisiacal garden full of a wild tangle of roses, pomegranates, iris and camomile under a deep-blue sky. These decorated a summer triclinium , a large living and dining area built half underground to provide protection from the heat. The new display includes special lighting that mimics the modulation of daylight and highlights the richness of the millennia-old colours.

Museo Nazionale Romano: Terme di Diocleziano MUSEUM

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( 06 3996 7700; www.pierreci.it; Viale Enrico de Nicola 78; adult/reduced €7/3.50, audioguide €5; 9am-7.45pm Tue-Sun) . The Terme di Diocleziano Offline map Google map is a complex of baths, libraries, concert halls and gardens that was ancient Rome’s largest, covering about 13 hectares and having a capacity for 3000 people. Completed in the early 4th century, it fell into disrepair after the aqueduct that fed the baths was destroyed by invaders in about AD 536. Today the bath complex ruins constitute part of the impressive Museo Nazionale Romano: Terme di Diocleziano. Through memorial inscriptions and other artefacts, the museum supplies a fascinating insight into the structure of Roman society, with exhibits relating to cults and the development of Christianity and Judaism. Upstairs delves into even more ancient history, with tomb objects dating from the 9th to 11th centuries BC, including jewellery and amphorae.

Outside, the vast, elegant cloister was constructed from drawings by Michelangelo. It’s lined with classical sarcophagi, headless statues, and huge sculptured animal heads, thought to have come from the Foro di Traiano.

Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli CHURCH

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( 06 488 08 12; www.santamariadegliangeliroma.it; Piazza della Repubblica; 7am-8.30pm Mon-Sat, to 7.30pm Sun) This hulking basilica occupies what was once the central hall of Diocletian’s baths complex. It was originally designed by Michelangelo, but only the great vaulted ceiling remains from his plans.

CELIO HILL & LATERAN

Stretching to the east and south of the Colosseum, this extensive and oft-overlooked area boasts a couple of Rome’s most interesting churches – the landmark Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano in the largely residential Lateran district, and the Basilica di San Clemente at the foot of Celio Hill – and some superb ancient ruins.

Basilica di San Clemente CHURCH

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(www.basilicasanclemente.com; Via di San Giovanni in Laterano; admission church/excavations free/€5; 9am-12.30pm & 3-6pm Mon-Sat, noon-6pm Sun) This fascinating basilica provides a vivid glimpse into Rome’s multilayered past: a 12th-century basilica built over a 4th-century church, which stands over a 2nd-century pagan temple and 1st-century Roman house. Beneath everything are foundations dating from the Roman Republic.

The medieval church features a marvellous 12th-century apse mosaic depicting the Trionfo della Croce (Triumph of the Cross) and some wonderful Renaissance frescoes in the Chapel of St Catherine, to the left of the entrance. Steps lead down to the 4th-century basilica inferiore, mostly destroyed by Norman invaders in 1084, but with some faded 11th-century frescoes illustrating the life of San Clement. Follow the steps down another level and you’ll come to a 1st-century Roman house and a dark, 2nd-century temple to Mithras, with an altar showing the god slaying a bull. Beneath it all, you can hear the eerie sound of a subterranean river, running through a Roman Republic–era drain.

SUBTERRANEAN CULT

Mithraism was a cult that was hugely popular with the ancient Roman military. According to its mythology, Mithras, a young, handsome god, was ordered to slay a wild bull by the Sun. As the bull died it gave life, as its blood flow caused wheat and other plants to grow. In Mithraic iconography, a serpent and dog are usually shown attacking the bull to try to prevent this, while a scorpion attacks its testicles.

Mithraic temples are always deep and dark, but the cult’s fascination with dank, dark caves doesn’t reflect a sinister undercurrent. Rather, its cave-temples represented the cosmos, because it was created from the earth. Here devotees underwent complex processes of initiation, rising through ranks such as ‘soldier’ and ‘raven’. They also ate bread and water as a representation of the body and the blood of the bull. Sound familiar? The early Christians thought so too, and were fervently against the cult, feeling its practices were too close to their own. It’s ironic that Rome’s best-preserved Mithraic temple lies beneath the beautiful Christian Basilica di San Clemente.

Celio Hill & Lateran (Rome)

Top Sights

Basilica di San Clemente C2

Basilica di San Giovanni in LateranoF3

Sights

1 BattisteroE3

2  Domus Aurea B1

3  Obelisk E3

4  Palazzo Laterano E3

5  Scala Santa & Sancta Sanctorum F3

Eating

6  Il Bocconcino B2

Drinking

7  Coming Out B1

8  II Pentagrappolo B2

Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano CHURCH

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(Piazza di San Giovanni in Laterano 4; audioguide €5; 7am-6.30pm) For a thousand years this monumental cathedral was the most important church in Christendom. Founded by Constantine in AD 324, it was the first Christian basilica built in the city and, until the late 14th century, was the pope’s main place of worship. It is still Rome’s official cathedral and the pope’s seat as the bishop of Rome.

Surmounted by 15 7m-high statues – Christ with St John the Baptist, John the Evangelist and the 12 Apostles – Alessandro Galilei’s huge white facade is a mid-18th-century example of late-baroque classicism, designed to convey the infinite authority of the Church. The central bronze doors were moved here from the Curia in the Roman Forum, while to their right is the Holy Door, which is only opened in Jubilee years.

The interior has been revamped on numerous occasions, although it owes much of its present look to Francesco Borromini, who was called in by Pope Innocent X to redecorate it for the 1650 Jubilee. But elements of earlier interiors survive, including the delightful 15th-century mosaic floor and the pointed Gothic baldachin over the papal altar. In front of the altar, a double staircase leads to the confessio, which houses the Renaissance tomb of Pope Martin V.

On the first pilaster in the right-hand nave is an original, if incomplete, fresco by Giotto. While admiring it, cock your ear towards the next pilaster, where a monument to Pope Sylvester II (r 999–1003) is said to sweat and creak when the death of a pope is imminent.

To the left of the altar, the beautiful cloister (admission €2; 9am-6pm) was built by the Vassalletto family in the 13th century. The twisted columns were once completely covered with inlaid marble mosaics, remnants of which can still be seen.

Palazzo Laterano PALAZZO

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(Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano) Flanking Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano, itself dominated by Rome’s oldest and tallest obelisk , is Domenico Fontana’s 16th-century Palazzo Laterano. Part of the original 4th-century basilica complex, it was the official papal residence until the popes moved to the Vatican in 1377, and today houses offices of the diocese of Rome.

Just around the corner, the octagonal 4th-century baptistry ( 7.30am-12.30pm & 4-6.30pm) served as the prototype for later Christian churches and bell towers. Inside, admire decorative mosaics, some of which date back to the 5th century.

TERME DI CARACALLA

Offline map ( 06 3996 7700; Viale delle Terme di Caracalla 52; adult/reduced incl Mausoleo di Cecilia Metella & Villa dei Quintili €8/4, audioguide €5; 9am-1hr before sunset Tue-Sun, 9am-2pm Mon year-round) Sandwiched between the Celian and Aventine Hills, the remnants of the emperor Caracalla’s vast baths complex are among Rome’s most awe-inspiring ruins. Spread over 10 hectares, the original leisure centre, which was inaugurated in AD 217 and used until the 6th century, could hold up to 1600 people and included caldaria (hot bath), a lukewarm tepidarium (tepid bath), a swimming pool, gymnasiums, libraries, shops and gardens. Underground, slaves sweated in 9.5km of tunnels, tending to the complex plumbing systems.

In summer, the ruins provide a spectacular stage for outdoor opera performances.

Scala Santa & Sancta Sanctorum CHURCH

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(Piazza di San Giovanni in Laterano 14; Scala/Sancta free/€3.50; Scala 6.15am-noon & 3.30-6.45pm summer, 6.15am-noon & 3-6.15pm winter, Sancta 10.30-11.30am & 3-4pm, closed Wed am & Sun year-round) The Scala Santa is said to be the staircase that Jesus walked up in Pontius Pilate’s palace in Jerusalem. Consequently you can only climb it on your knees. At the top of the stairs, the Sancta Sanctorum (Holy of Holies) was the popes’ private chapel and contains spectacular 13th-century frescoes.

SOUTHERN ROME

Southern Rome is an extensive and multifaceted neighbourhood that comprises several distinct areas: Via Appia Antica, famous for its catacombs; San Paolo, home of one of the city’s great patriarchal basilicas, trendy Via Ostiense, where most of Rome’s coolest clubs are housed in ex-industrial buildings; and EUR, Mussolini’s otherworldly building development.

Heading southeast from Porta San Sebastiano, Via Appia Antica (Appian Way) is one of the world’s oldest roads and a much-prized Roman address. It’s a beautiful part of town, with crumbling ruins set in jewel-green fields and towering umbrella pines lining the horizon. And what lies beneath supplies even more reason for visiting – some 300km of underground tunnels used as burial chambers by the early Christians.

Keats-Shelley Memorial House Fuori le Mura CHURCH

(St Paul’s Outside the Walls; Offline map 06 6988 0800; Via Ostiense 190; 6.45am-6.30pm) The biggest church in Rome after St Peter’s Basilica (and the world’s third-largest) stands on the site where the eponymous saint was buried after being decapitated in AD 67. Built by Constantine in the 4th century, it was largely destroyed by fire in 1823 and much of what you see today is a 19th-century reconstruction.

However, many treasures survived the fire, including the 5th-century triumphal arch, with its heavily restored mosaics, and the Gothic marble tabernacle over the high altar. This was designed in about 1285 by Arnolfo di Cambio together with another artist, possibly Pietro Cavallini.

Looking upwards, doom-mongers should check out the papal portraits beneath the nave windows. Every pope since St Peter is represented and legend has it that when there is no room for the next portrait, the world will fall. There are eight places left.

The stunning 13th-century Cosmati mosaic work in the cloisters (admission free; 9am-1pm & 3-6pm) of the adjacent Benedictine abbey also survived the 1823 fire.

Via Appia Antica HISTORICAL SITE

(Appian Way; Click here ; ) Heading southeast from Porta San Sebastiano, Via Appia Antica was known to the Romans as the regina viarum (queen of roads). Named after Appius Claudius Caecus, who laid the first 90km section in 312 BC, it was extended in 190 BC to reach Brindisi, some 540km away on the southern Adriatic coast.

Flanked by some of the city’s most exclusive private villas, as well as Roman tombs, the long cobbled road is a great place for a walk or cycle. It runs as straight as a die through jewel-green countryside, and is rich in ruins and history – this is where Spartacus and 6000 of his slave rebels were crucified in 71 BC. The road is best known for its catacombs, around 300km of underground tunnels used as burial chambers by the early Christians (see the boxed text,Click here ). You can’t visit all 300km, but three major catacombs (San Callisto, San Sebastiano and Santa Domitilla) are open for exploration, via half-hourly guided tours in English, Italian, French, German and Spanish.

GETTING THERE & AROUND

To get to Via Appia Antica and the catacombs, catch bus 218 from Piazza di San Giovanni in Laterano, bus 660 from the Colli Albani stop on metro A, or bus 118 from the Piramide stop on metro B. Alternatively, if you’re spending the day here and want to see several sights, the hop-on, hop-off Archeobus (€12) departs from Termini every hour, followed by a stop at Piazza Venezia and then the Colosseum, before going on to the Terme di Caracalla. Sunday is a good day to visit, when the road is closed to traffic; on other days bear in mind that the first section, from Porta San Sebastian for about three miles, is not particularly pedestrian friendly. From the area around the Tempio di Romolo to the point where it meets the Via Appia Nuova, it’s most atmospheric, and virtually traffic free every day.

APPIA ANTICA TIPS

If you’re planning on really doing the sights, think about buying the Appia Antica Card (see boxed text, Click here ). Near the start of the road, the Appia Antica Regional Park Information Point Offline map ( 06 513 53 16; www.parcoappiaantica.org; Via Appia Antica 58-60; 9.30am-1.30pm & 2-5.30pm Mon-Sat, 9.30am-5.30pm Sun, to 4.30pm daily winter) is very informative. You can buy a map of the park here and hire bikes (per hr/day €3/10) . The park authorities organise a series of free guided tours, on foot and by bike, on Sunday mornings. You can also download a free audioguide to the Caffarella Valley on the website. In addition, Darwin Cooperative (www.cooperativadarwin.it) leads group walking or biking tours in English, French, Spanish and German.

Chiesa del Domine Quo Vadis CHURCH

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( Via Appia Antica 51; 8am-6pm) This church is built at the point where St Peter, while fleeing Rome, is said to have met a vision of Jesus. Peter asked: ‘Domine, quo vadis?’ (‘Lord, where are you going?’) When Jesus replied, ‘Venio Roman iterum crucifigi’ (‘I am coming to Rome to be crucified again’), Peter decided to join him and on his return was arrested and executed. In the centre of the church’s aisle there are models of Christ’s footprints; the originals are up the road in the Basilica di San Sebastiano.

Catacombs of San Callisto CATACOMB

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( 06 5130 1580; Via Appia Antica 110 & 126; www.catacombe.roma.it; adult/reduced €8/4; 8.30am-noon & 2.30-5pm Thu-Tue, to 5.30pm Apr-Sep, closed Feb) Founded at the end of the 2nd century and named after Pope Calixtus I, these catacombs became the official cemetery of the newly established Roman Church. In the 20km of tunnels explored to date, archaeologists have found the tombs of some 500,000 people and seven popes who were martyred in the 3rd century. The patron saint of music, St Cecilia, was also buried here, although her body was later moved to the Basilica di Santa Cecilia in Trastevere. When her body was exhumed in 1599, over 1000 years after her death, it was apparently perfectly preserved.

Catacombs of San Sebastiano CATACOMB

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( 06 785 03 50; www.catacombe.org; Via Appia Antica 136; adult/reduced €8/4; 8.30am-noon & 2-5pm Mon-Sat, to 5.30pm Apr-Sep, closed Nov) These catacombs were a safe haven for the remains of St Peter and St Paul during the reign of Vespasian. Frescoes, stucco work, epigraphs and three immaculate mausoleums can be seen on the 2nd level, as well as fascinating etched graffiti by visiting pilgrims, dating from when the saints’ bodies were housed here sometime after 258 AD.

Basilica di San Sebastiano CHURCH

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( 06 780 00 47; Via Appia Antica 136; 8.30am-noon & 2-5pm Mon-Sat, to 5.30pm Apr-Sep, closed Nov) Founded in the 4th century, this basilica preserves one of the arrows allegedly used to kill St Sebastian, and the column to which he was tied. On the other side of the church you’ll find a marble slab with the imprints of Jesus’ feet.

Catacombs of San Domitilla CATACOMB

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( 06 511 03 42; Via delle Sette Chiese 283; adult/reduced €8/4; 9am-noon & 2-5pm Wed-Mon, closed Jan) Among Rome’s largest and oldest, these catacombs stretch for about 17km. Established on the private burial ground of Flavia Domitilla, niece of Emperor Domitian, they contain Christian wall paintings and the underground Chiesa di SS Nereus e Achilleus, a 4th-century church dedicated to two Roman soldiers who were martyred by Diocletian.

Villa di Massenzio HISTORICAL BUILDING

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( 06 780 13 24; www.villadimassenzio.it; Via Appia Antica 153; adult/reduced €3/2; 9am-1.30pm Tue-Sat) The outstanding feature of this 4th-century villa is the Circo di Massenzio , Rome’s best-preserved ancient racetrack – you can still make out the starting stalls used for chariot races. The 10,000-seat arena was built by Maxentius around 309, but he died before ever seeing a race here.

Above the arena are the now-weed-covered ruins of Maxentius’ imperial residence. Near the racetrack, the Mausoleo di Romolo (Tombo di Romolo) was built by Maxentius for his son Romulus. The huge mausoleum was originally crowned with a large dome and surrounded by an imposing colonnade, in part still visible.

Mausoleo di Cecilia Metella MAUSOLEUM

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( 06 3996 7700; Via Appia Antica 161; admission incl Terme di Caracalla & Villa dei Quintili adult/reduced €8/4; 9am-1hr before sunset Tue-Sun) This 1st-century-BC mausoleum encloses a now roofless burial chamber built for the daughter of the consul Quintus Metellus Creticus. The walls are made of travertine and the sorry-looking interior is decorated with a sculpted frieze featuring Gaelic shields, ox skulls and festoons. In the 14th century it was converted into a fort by the Caetani family, who used to threaten passing traffic into paying a toll.

Villa dei Quintili HISTORICAL BUILDING

( 06 3996 7700; www.pierreci.it; Via Appia Nuova 1092; adult/reduced incl Terme di Caracalla & Mausoleo di Cecilia Metella €8/4; 9am-1hr before sunset Tue-Sun) This vast 2nd-century villa was the luxurious abode of two brothers who were consuls under Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Its splendour was the brothers’ downfall: in a fit of jealousy, Emperor Commodus had them both killed, taking over the villa for himself. The highlight is the well-preserved baths complex with a pool, caldarium (hot bath) and frigidarium (cold bath).

TOMBS & CATACOMBS

Rome’s persecuted Christian community built an extensive network of communal subterranean burial grounds outside the city walls, as the laws of the time decreed.

During periods of persecution, martyrs were often buried in catacombs beside the fathers of the Church and the first popes. However, because space was limited and became increasingly sought-after, a trade in tomb real estate developed, becoming increasingly cut-throat until Pope Gregory I abolished the sale of graves in AD 597. However, Christians had already started to abandon the catacombs as early as 313, when Constantine issued the Milan decree of religious tolerance.

Following the decree, Christians opted to bury their dead in catacombs near the churches and basilicas that were being built within the city walls (often above pagan temples). This became common practice under Theodosius, who made Christianity the state religion in 394.

In about 800, after frequent incursions by invaders, the bodies of the martyrs and first popes were transferred to the basilicas inside the city walls. The catacombs were abandoned and eventually many were forgotten. In the Middle Ages only three catacombs were known. Those of San Sebastiano were the most frequented as a place of pilgrimage, since they had earlier been the burial place of St Peter and St Paul.

In the mid-19th century, scholars of Christian archaeology began a program of scientific research, and so far more than 30 catacombs in the Rome area have since been uncovered. Many have graves with touching inscriptions such as one in the Catacombs of Domitilla, erected by Aurelius Ampliatus and his son Gordianus to their wife and mother, Aurelia: ‘An incomparable spouse, a truly chaste woman who lived 25 years, two months, three days and six hours.’

EUR

Mussolini’s Orwellian quarter of wide boulevards and linear buildings (now largely used by banks and government ministries) merits a visit to see its spectacular rationalist architecture.

One of the few planned developments in Rome’s history, EUR was built for an international exhibition in 1942 and, although war intervened and the exhibition never took place, the name stuck – Esposizione Universale di Roma (Roman Universal Exhibition) or EUR.

Most iconic is the area’s ‘Square Colosseum’, the Palazzo della Civiltà del Lavoro (Palace of the Workers). A rationalist masterpiece clad in gleaming white travertine, it was designed by Giovanni Guerrini, Ernesto Bruno La Padula and Mario Romano, and built between 1938 and 1943, consisting of six rows of nine arches rising to a height of 50m. Close by is the Palazzo degli Uffici complex, designed by Gaetano Minnucci. Its most famous building is the Salone delle Fontane (Showroom of the Fountains), designed between 1937 and 1939 as the ticket office for the exhibition. The building is home to Caffè Palombini (Piazza Adenauer Konrad 12) , a popular cafe with original fittings from between 1939 and 1942, and 1960s furniture.

Other buildings of note at EUR are the brutalist post office dating from 1940 and designed by Studio BBPR; Arnaldo Foschini’s monumental Chiesa Santi Pietro e Paolo , built from 1938 to 1955; and Nervi and Vitellozzi’s futuristic Palazzetto dello Sport , built in 1958 and now functioning as the PalaLottomatica, a venue for concerts and sport. The wonderful Palazzo dei Congressi was built between 1938 and 1954 and designed by Adalberto Libera. It’s another must-see, and in summer occasionally hosts club nights on the terrace.

The Centro Congressi ‘Nuvola’ (‘Cloud’ Congress Centre), designed by superstar Roman architect Massimiliano Fuksas, will soon be another feature on EUR’s curious landscape. Inspired by a cloud-gazing daydream, a steel and Teflon cloud will be suspended by steel cables in a glass box.

To get to EUR, take metro B to EUR Palasport.

TRASTEVERE & GIANICOLO

With its network of cobbled lanes, flapping washing hung between 17th-century ivy-draped facades, and crumbling ochre buildings, Trastevere is bewitchingly pretty, and gets packed on summer evenings. It also has a powerful local character, rivalling Monti as Rome’s oldest district. Its working-class roots are still strong, despite colonisation by wealthy foreigners. It’s over the river from the centro storico, hence the name tras tevere – across the Tiber.

Rising up behind Trastevere, the summit of Gianicolo (Janiculum; Click here ) offers incredible bird’s-eye views of Rome.

Basilica di Santa Cecilia in Trastevere CHURCH

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( 06 589 92 89; Piazza di Santa Cecilia 22; basilica free, Cavallini fresco & crypt each €2.50; basilica & crypt 9.30am-12.30pm & 4-6.30pm, Cavallini fresco 10am-12.30pm Mon-Sat) The last resting place of Saint Cecilia (the patron saint of music) features a stunning 13th-century fresco by Pietro Cavallini in the nuns’ choir – the door is to the left of the church as you face it. Inside the church itself, below the altar, Stefano Moderno’s mysterious, breathtaking sculpture is a delicate rendition of exactly how Saint Cecilia’s miraculously preserved body was apparently found when it was unearthed in the Catacombs of San Callisto in 1599. Beneath the church you can visit the excavations of a maze of Roman houses, one of which is thought to have been that of the young Cecilia.

Trastevere & Gianicolo (Rome)

Top Sights

Basilica di Santa Cecilia in TrastevereE3

Basilica di Santa Maria in TrastevereC2

Sights

1  Battelli di Roma E2

2  Chiesa di San Bartolomeo all'Isola G2

3

4  Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere C2

5  Tempietto di Bramante B2

Sleeping

Arco del Lauro(see 8)

6  Donna Camilla SavelliB2

7  Hotel Santa Maria C2

8  Residenza Arco de' Tolomei F3

9  Villa della Fonte C2

Eating

10  Beer & Fud C1

11  Da Augusto C1

12  Da Enzo F3

13  Da Lucia B2

14  Fior di Luna D2

15  Forno la Renella C1

16  Glass HosteriaC2

17  Le Mani in Pasta F3

18  Osteria della Gensola F2

19  Panattoni E3

20  Paris C2

21  Piazza San Cosimato Market C3

22  Sisini D3

23  Todis C3

Drinking

24  Bar San CalistoC2

25  Freni e Frizioni C1

26  Ma Che Siete Venuti a Fà C1

27  Ombre Rosse C2

Entertainment

28  Big Mama D4

29  Lettere Caffè D3

Shopping

30  Officina della Carta C1

31  Scala Quattorodici B1

Chiesa di San Francesco d’Assisi a Ripa CHURCH

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( 06 581 90 20; Piazza San Francesco d’Assisi 88; 7am-noon & 4-7pm Mon-Sat, 7am-1pm & 4-7.30pm Sun) This church is home to Bernini’s Blessed Ludovica Albertoni, in which her religious ecstasy ripples with sexuality. St Francis of Assisi is said to have stayed in the church for a period in the 13th century and you can still see the rock that he used as a pillow.

Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere CHURCH

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( 06 581 48 02; Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere; 7.30am-9pm) Trastevere’s glittering heart is the beautiful Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere Offline map Google map , which features what is said to be the oldest church dedicated to the Virgin Mary in Rome. Begun in AD 337, a major overhaul in 1138 saw the addition of the Romanesque bell tower and glittering facade. The portico came later, added by Carlo Fontana in 1702.

Inside, the 12th-century mosaics star. In the apse, look out for Christ and his mother flanked by various saints and, on the far left, Pope Innocent II holding a model of the church. Beneath this are six mosaics by Pietro Cavallini illustrating the life of the Virgin (c 1291). The building itself incorporates 21 ancient Roman columns, some from the Terme di Caracalla, and its wooden ceiling dates from the 17th century.

Villa Farnesina HISTORICAL BUILDING

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( 06 6802 7268; Via della Lungara 230; adult/reduced €5/4; 9am-1pm Mon-Sat) This gorgeous 16th-century villa features some awe-inspiring frescoes by Sebastiano del Piombo, Raphael and the villa’s original architect, Baldassare Peruzzi. The most famous frescoes are in the Loggia of Cupid and Psyche on the ground floor, which are attributed to Raphael, who also painted the Trionfo di Galatea (Triumph of Galatea) in the room of the same name. On the 1st floor, Peruzzi’s dazzling frescoes in the Salone delle Prospettive are a superb illusionary perspective of a colonnade and panorama of 16th-century Rome.

Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica di Palazzo Corsini ART GALLERY

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( 06 6880 2323; www.galleriaborghese.it; Via della Lungara 10; adult/reduced €4/2; 8.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sun) This frescoed palace houses part of Italy’s national art collection, the highlight of which is Caravaggio’s mesmerising San Giovanni Battista (St John the Baptist).

Tempietto di Bramante HISTORICAL BUILDING

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( 06 581 39 40; www.sanpietroinmontorio.it; Piazza San Pietro in Montorio 2; tempietto 9.30am-12.30pm & 4-6pm Tue-Sun Apr-Sep, 9.30am-12.30pm & 2-4pm Tue-Sun Oct-Mar, church 8.30am-noon & 3-4pm Mon-Fri) Considered to be the first great building of the High Renaissance, Bramante’s sublime tempietto is built in the courtyard of the Chiesa di San Pietro in Montorio: the very spot on which St Peter is supposed to have been crucified. More than a century later, in 1628, Bernini added a staircase, and also contributed a chapel to the adjacent church. It’s quite a climb uphill, but you’re rewarded by the views. To cheat, take bus 870 from Via Paola just off Corso Vittorio Emanuele II near the Tiber.

VATICAN CITY, BORGO & PRATI

The Vatican, the world’s smallest sovereign state (a mere 0.44 sq km), sits atop the low-lying Vatican hill just a few hundred metres west of the Tiber. Centred on the domed bulk of St Peter’s Basilica, it is the capital of the Catholic world and jealous guardian of one of the world’s great artistic patrimonies.

Established under the terms of the 1929 Lateran Treaty, the Vatican is the modern vestige of the Papal States, the papal fiefdom that ruled Rome and much of central Italy until Italian unification in 1861. As part of the agreement, signed by Mussolini and Pope Pius XI, the Holy See was also given extraterritorial authority over a further 28 sites in and around Rome, including the basilicas of San Giovanni in Laterano, Santa Maria Maggiore and San Paolo Fuori le Mura.

As an independent state, the Vatican has its own postal service, newspaper, radio station and army. The nattily dressed, po-faced Swiss Guards, all practising Catholics from Switzerland, were first used by Julius II in 1506 and are still responsible for the pope’s personal security.

The Vatican’s current look is the culmination of more than 1000 years of chipping and chopping. The Leonine walls date from 846 when Leo IV had them put up after a series of Saracen raids, while the Vatican palace, now home to the Vatican Museums, was originally constructed by Eugenius III in the 12th century. Subsequent popes extended it, fortified it and decorated it according to their political and artistic needs.

Between the Vatican and the river lies the cobbled, medieval district of the Borgo, while to the north Prati is a graceful residential area.

St Peter’s Basilica CHURCH

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( www.vatican.va; Piazza San Pietro; audioguide €5; 7am-7pm summer, to 6pm winter) In this city of outstanding churches, St Peter’s Basilica (Basilica San Pietro) outdazzles them all. Rome’s largest, richest and most spectacular church is a magnificent monument to artistic genius, as well as a major tourist attraction, and on a busy day around 20,000 visitors pass through. If you want to be one of them, remember to dress appropriately – no shorts, miniskirts or bare shoulders.

The original basilica was built by Constantine in the 4th century. Standing on the site of Nero’s stadium, the Ager Vaticanus, where St Peter is said to have been buried between AD 64 and 67, it was consecrated in AD 326. Like many early churches, it eventually fell into disrepair, and it wasn’t until the mid-15th century that efforts were made to restore it, first by Pope Nicholas V and then, rather more successfully, by Julius II. In 1506 Bramante came up with a design for a basilica based on a Greek-cross plan, with a central dome and four smaller domes.

It took more than 150 years to complete the new basilica, now the second biggest in the world (the largest is in Yamoussoukro in Côte d’Ivoire). Bramante, Raphael, Antonio da Sangallo, Giacomo della Porta and Carlo Maderno all contributed, but it is generally held that St Peter’s owes most to Michelangelo, who took over the project in 1547 at the age of 72 and was responsible for the design of the dome.

The facade and portico were designed by Maderno, who inherited the project after Michelangelo’s death. He was also instructed to lengthen the nave towards the piazza, effectively altering Bramante’s original Greek cross plan to a Latin cross.

Free English-language tours of the basilica are run from the Vatican tourist office, the Centro Servizi Pellegrini e Turisti, at 9.45am on Tuesday and Thursday and at 2.15pm every afternoon between Monday and Friday.

Vatican City, Borgo & Prati (Rome)

Top Sights

Castel Sant'Angelo G5

Sistine Chapel C5

St Peter's Basilica C5

St Peter's Square D5

Vatican Museums C4

Sights

1  Arco di Druso D2

2  Art Studio Café G3

3  Battelli di Roma H6

4  Entrance to Prefettura della Casa PontificaD5

5 Entrance to Vatican MuseumsC3

6  Ponte Sant'Angelo G6

7  Ufficio Scavi C6

8  Vatican Grottoes C5

Sleeping

9  Casa di Accoglienza Paolo VIB3

10  Colors Hotel F4

11  Hotel Bramante E5

12  Hotel Lady F2

13  Hotel San Pietrino D1

Eating

14  Angeli a Borgo E4

15  Dal Toscano D3

16  Dino e TonyD2

17  Dolce Maniera E2

18  GelarmonyH2

19  Mondo Arancina H2

20  Old Bridge D4

21  Osteria dell'Angelo D1

22  Pizzarium A3

23  Pizzeria Amalfi E3

24  Ristorante l'Arcangelo H4

Drinking

25  Passaguai E4

Entertainment

26  Alexanderplatz C2

Shopping

27  Centro Russia Ecumenica II Messaggio dell'IconaE5

Interior

The cavernous 187m-long interior covers more than 15,000 sq metres and contains many spectacular works of art, including Michelangelo’s hauntingly beautiful Pietá at the head of the right nave. Sculpted when he was only 25, it is the only work he ever signed – his signature is etched into the sash across the Madonna’s breast.

Nearby, the red porphyry disc just inside the main door marks the spot where Charlemagne and later Holy Roman Emperors were crowned by the pope.

Dominating the centre of the basilica is Bernini’s 29m-high baldachin. Supported by four spiral columns and made with bronze taken from the Pantheon, it stands over the high altar, which itself sits on the site of St Peter’s grave. The pope is the only priest permitted to serve at the high altar.

Above, Michelangelo’s dome soars to a height of 119m. Based on Brunelleschi’s design for the Duomo in Florence, the towering cupola is supported by four solid stone piers, named after the saints whose statues adorn their Bernini-designed niches – Longinus, Helena, Veronica and Andrew.

At the base of the Pier of St Longinus, to the right as you face the high altar, is a famous bronze statue of St Peter, believed to be a 13th-century work by Arnolfo di Cambio. It’s a much-loved piece and its right foot has been worn down by centuries of pilgrims’ kisses and caresses.

PAPAL AUDIENCES

At 11am on Wednesday, the pope addresses his flock at the Vatican (in July and August in Castel Gandolfo near Rome). For free tickets, download the request form from the Vatican website (www.vatican.va) and fax it to the Prefettura della Casa Pontificia Offline map Google map ( 06 6988 5863) . Pick them up at the office through the bronze doors under the colonnade to the right of St Peter’s.

When he is in Rome, the pope blesses the crowd in St Peter’s Square on Sunday at noon. No tickets are required.

Dome

To climb the dome (with/without lift €7/5; 8am-5.45pm summer, to 4.45pm winter) , the entrance is to the right of the basilica. A small lift takes you halfway up, but it’s still a long climb to the top (320 steps). Press on, however, and you’re rewarded with stunning views. It’s well worth the effort, but bear in mind that it’s steep, long and narrow: not recommended for those who suffer from claustrophobia or vertigo.

Museo Storico Artistico

Accessed from the left nave, the Museo Storico Artistico (Treasury; adult/reduced €6/4; 9am-6.15pm summer, to 5.15pm winter) sparkles with sacred relics and priceless artefacts, including a tabernacle by Donatello and the 6th-century Crux Vaticana, a cross studded with jewels that was a gift of the emperor Justinian II.

Vatican Grottoes

The Vatican Grottoes Offline map Google map (admission free; 9am-6pm summer, to 5pm winter) contain the tombs of numerous popes, including John Paul II, whose simple sepulchre contrasts starkly with many of the flamboyant monuments in the basilica above. You can also see several huge columns from the original 4th-century basilica. The entrance is through the right side of the portico.

Tomb of St Peter

Excavations beneath the basilica have uncovered part of the original church and what the Vatican believes is the Tomb of St Peter (admission €10, over 15yr only) . In 1942 the bones of an elderly, strongly built man were found in a box hidden behind a wall covered by pilgrims’ graffiti. After more than 30 years of forensic examination, in 1976 Pope Paul VI declared the bones to be those of St Peter.

The excavations can only be visited on a 90-minute guided tour. To book a spot email the Ufficio Scavi Offline map Google map (Excavations Office; Fabbrica di San Pietro; 06 6988 5318; scavi@fsp.va) , as far in advance as possible.

St Peter’s Square PIAZZA

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One of the world’s great public spaces, Bernini’s St Peter’s Square (Piazza San Pietro) was laid out between 1656 and 1667 for Pope Alexander VII.

Seen from above, it resembles a giant keyhole with two semicircular colonnades, each consisting of four rows of Doric columns, encircling a giant ellipse that straightens out to funnel believers into the basilica. The effect was deliberate – Bernini described the colonnades as representing ‘the motherly arms of the church’. The 25m obelisk in the centre was brought to Rome by Caligula from Heliopolis in Egypt and later used by Nero as a turning post for the chariot races in his circus.

The scale of the piazza is dazzling: at its largest it measures 340m by 240m; there are 284 columns and, on top of the colonnades, 140 saints. In the midst of all this the pope seems very small as he delivers his weekly address at noon on Sunday.

QUEUE JUMPING AT THE VATICAN MUSEUMS

Here’s how to jump the ticket queue – although we can’t help with lines for the security checks.

» Book tickets at the museums’ online ticket office (http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets) . On payment, you’ll receive email confirmation that you should print and present, along with a valid ID card or passport, at the museum entrance. Note that tickets bought online incur a €4 booking fee. You can also book guided tours (adult/reduced €31/24) online.

» Time your visit: Wednesday mornings are a good bet as everyone is at the pope’s weekly audience at St Peter’s; afternoon is better than the morning; avoid Mondays, when many other museums are shut.

» Book a tour with a reputable guide.

Vatican Museums MUSEUM

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(Musei Vaticani; Click here ; 06 6988 4676; www.vatican.va; Viale Vaticano; adult/reduced €14/8, last Sun of month free; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat, last admission 4pm, 9am-2pm last Sun of month, last admission 12.30pm) Visiting the Vatican Museums is a thrilling and unforgettable experience, but one that requires stamina and patience. Queues are the norm, and once inside there are some 7km of exhibitions.

Founded by Pope Julius II in the early 16th century and enlarged by successive pontiffs, the museums are housed in what is known collectively as the Palazzo Apostolico Vaticano. This massive 5.5-hectare complex consists of two palaces – the Vatican palace (nearer to St Peter’s) and the Belvedere Palace – joined by two long galleries. On the inside are three courtyards: the Cortile della Pigna, the Cortile della Biblioteca and, to the south, the Cortile del Belvedere.

You’ll never manage to explore the whole complex in one go, so selectivity is the way to go. Each gallery contains priceless treasures, but for a whistle-stop tour (see the boxed text,Click here ) get to the Pinacoteca, the Museo Pio-Clementino, Galleria delle Carte Geografiche, Stanze di Raffaello (Raphael Rooms) and the Sistine Chapel.

On the whole, exhibits are not well labelled, so you might find it useful to hire an audioguide (€7) or buy the Guide to the Vatican Museums and City (€12).

The museums are well equipped for visitors with disabilities: there are suggested itineraries, lifts and specially fitted toilets. Wheelchairs are available free of charge from the Special Permits desk in the entrance hall and can be reserved in advance by emailing accoglienza.musei@scv.va. Parents with toddlers can take prams into the museums.

VATICAN MUSEUMS – THE ‘BEST OF’ TOUR

Duration: Three hours

Home to one of the world’s richest art collections, the Vatican Museums are vast – it’s said that if you spent one minute on every exhibit it would take you 12 years to see everything. This tour takes in the museums’ greatest hits, culminating in the Sistine Chapel.

Once you’ve passed through the entrance complex, head up the escalator beside the modern spiral staircase. At the top, signs indicate left for the Sistine Chapel and Raphael Rooms. Before following these, nip out to the terrace for views over St Peter’s dome and the Vatican Gardens. Re-enter and follow onto the Cortile della Pigna, home to a huge Augustan-era bronze pine cone. Cross the courtyard and enter a long corridor – the Museo Chiaramonti. Don’t stop here but continue left, up the stairs, to the Museo Pio-Clementino. Follow the flow of people through the Cortile Ottagono and onto the Sala Croce Greca (Greek Cross Room), from where stairs lead up to the Galleria dei Candelabri (Gallery of the Candelabra), the first of three galleries along a lengthy corridor. It gets very crowded up here as you are funnelled through the Galleria degli Arazzi (Tapestry Gallery) and onto the Galleria delle Carte Geografiche (Map Gallery). At the end of the corridor, carry on through the Sala Sobieski to the Sala di Costantino, the first of the four Stanze di Raffaello (Raphael Rooms). From the last Raphael Room, the one-way system routes you past a section of modern art onto the Sistine Chapel. Once in the chapel, head over to the far wall to get the best views of the frescoes. Another good tip is to bring a pocket mirror to get good close-ups of the ceiling.

Pinacoteca

Often overlooked by visitors, the papal picture gallery boasts Raphael’s last work, La Trasfigurazione (1517–20), and paintings by Giotto, Bellini, Caravaggio, Fra Angelico, Filippo Lippi, Guido Reni, Van Dyck, Pietro da Cortona and Leonardo da Vinci, whose San Gerolamo (St Jerome; c 1480) was never finished.

Museo Gregoriano Egizio (Egyptian Museum)

Founded by Gregory XVI in 1839, this museum contains pieces taken from Egypt in Roman times. The collection is small but there are fascinating exhibits including the Trono di Rameses II, part of a statue of the seated king, vividly painted sarcophagi dating from around 1000 BC, and some macabre mummies.

Museo Chiaromonti & Braccio Nuovo

The Museo Chiaramonti is effectively the long corridor that runs down the lower east side of the Belvedere Palace. Its walls are lined with thousands of statues representing everything from immortal gods to playful cherubs and ugly Roman patricians. Near the end of the hall, off to the right, is the Braccio Nuovo (New Wing), which contains a famous sculpture of Augustus and a statue depicting the Nile as a reclining god covered by 16 babies (supposedly representing the number of cubits the Nile rises when it floods).

Museo Pio-Clementino

Housed in the Belvedere Palace, this stunning museum showcases some spectacular classical statuary, including the peerless Apollo Belvedere and the 1st-century Laocoön and His Sons, both in the Cortile Ottagono (Octagonal Courtyard). Before you go into the courtyard take a moment to admire the 1st-century Apoxyomenos, near the entrance in a room where Leonardo da Vinci once slept. This sculpture of an athlete scraping himself down is an early example of the sculptural technique known as contrapposto and one of the earliest known sculptures to depict a figure with a raised arm.

To the left as you enter the courtyard, the Apollo Belvedere is a 2nd-century Roman copy of a 4th-century-BC Greek bronze. A beautifully proportioned representation of the sun god Apollo, it’s considered one of the great masterpieces of classical sculpture. Nearby, the Laocoön depicts a muscular Trojan priest and his two sons in mortal struggle with two sea serpents. When the statue was unearthed on the Esquiline Hill in 1506, Michelangelo and Giuliano da Sangallo confirmed that it was the same sculpture that had been cited by Pliny the Elder some 1500 years earlier.

In the Sala delle Muse (Room of Muses) the highlight is the fantastic Torso Belvedere, a Greek sculpture from the 1st century BC, which Michelangelo used as inspiration for his nude figures (ignudi) in the Sistine Chapel. Continuing on, the Sala Rotonda (Round Room) contains a number of colossal statues, including the gilded-bronze figure of Ercole (Hercules), and an exquisite floor mosaic featuring sea monsters and battles between Greeks and centaurs. The enormous basin in the centre of the room was found in Nero’s Domus Aurea and is made out of a single piece of red porphyry stone.

Museo Gregoriano Etrusco

On the upper level of the Belvedere (off the 18th-century Simonetti staircase), the Museo Gregoriano Etrusco contains artefacts unearthed in the Etruscan tombs of southern Etruria (now northern Lazio), as well as a collection of Greek vases and Roman antiquities. Of particular interest is the Marte di Todi (Mars of Todi), a full-length bronze statue of a warrior dating from the 4th century BC, in the Sala dei Bronzi.

Galleria delle Carte Geografiche (Map Gallery)

The last of three galleries – the other two are the Galleria dei Candelabri (Gallery of the Candelabra) and the Galleria degli Arazzi (Tapestry Gallery) – this 120m-long corridor is hung with 40 16th-century topographical maps of Italy.

Stanze di Raffaello (Raphael Rooms)

The four Raphael Rooms were the private apartments of Pope Julius II. Raphael himself painted the Stanza della Segnatura (1508–11) and the Stanza d’Eliodoro (1512–14), while both the Stanza dell’Incendio (1514–17) and the Stanza di Costantino (1517–24) were decorated by students following his designs.

The first room you come to is the Stanza di Costantino , which features a huge fresco depicting Constantine’s defeat of Maxentius at the battle of Milvian Bridge. The next, the Stanza d’Eliodoro , which was used for private audiences, is decorated with frescoes illustrating God’s protection of the church. The most famous, the Cacciata d’Eliodoro (Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple) symbolises Julius’ military victory over foreign powers. To the left is Mass of Bolsena, showing Julius II paying homage to a relic from a 13th-century miracle in the lakeside town of Bolsena. Next is Leone X ferma l’invasione di Attila (Leo X Repulsing Attila) by Raphael and his students. On the fourth wall, the Liberazione di San Pietro (Liberation of St Peter) depicts the saint being freed from prison. The masterly depiction of light in this fresco was Raphael’s answer to critics who claimed that he had won the contract to paint the rooms thanks to his connections rather than his ability.

In the Stanza della Segnatura , you’ll find Raphael’s earliest frescoes and his great masterpiece, La Scuola d’Atene (The School of Athens), featuring philosophers and scholars gathered around Plato and Aristotle. The lone figure in front of the steps is believed to be Michelangelo, while the figure of Plato is said to be a portrait of Leonardo da Vinci, and Euclide (in the lower right) is Bramante. Raphael also included a self-portrait in the lower right corner (he’s the second figure from the right).

Sistine Chapel (Capella Sistina)

This is the one place in the Vatican Museums that not one of the 12,000 daily visitors wants to miss. Home to two of the world’s most famous works of art – Michelangelo’s ceiling frescoes and the Giudizio Universale (Last Judgment) on the west wall – this 15th-century chapel is where the papal conclave is locked to elect the pope.

The chapel was originally built in 1484 for Pope Sixtus IV, after whom it is named, but it was Julius II who commissioned Michelangelo to decorate it in 1508. The great artist was initially reluctant to take on the job – he considered himself a sculptor not a painter – but Julius prevailed and over the next four years Michelangelo painted the entire 800-sq-metre ceiling. To do so he designed a curved scaffolding system that allowed him to work in an awkward backward-leaning position, and employed a steady stream of assistants to help with the plasterwork (producing frescoes involves painting directly onto wet plaster).

The ceiling frescoes, which are best viewed from the chapel’s main entrance (at the opposite end from the visitor’s entrance), represent nine scenes from the book of Genesis: God Separating Light from Darkness; Creation of the Sun, Moon and Planets; Separation of Land from Sea; Creation of Adam; Creation of Eve; Temptation and Expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden; Noah’s Sacrifice; The Flood; and the Drunkenness of Noah.

The most famous scene is the Creation of Adam, which shows a bearded God pointing his index figure at Adam, thus bringing him to life. In the Temptation and Expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve are sent packing after accepting the forbidden fruit from Satan, represented by a snake with the body of a woman coiled around a tree.

The main scenes are framed by pulsating, muscular ignudi (athletic male nudes).

Covering the chapel’s 200-sq-metre west wall, and portraying some 391 characters, Michelangelo’s highly charged Giudizio Universale depicts the souls of the dead being torn from their graves to face the wrath of God. The subject was chosen by Pope Paul III as a warning to Catholics to toe the line during the Reformation, which was then sweeping Europe. When it was unveiled in 1541, its dramatic, swirling mass of predominantly naked bodies caused controversy, and Pope Pius IV later had Daniele da Volterra, one of Michelangelo’s students, add blush-sparing fig leaves and loincloths.

The 15th-century wall frescoes, which depict scenes from the lives of Moses (on the south wall) and Christ (on the north wall), were painted by a team of Renaissance artists that included Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Pinturicchio and Luca Signorelli. Highlights include Botticelli’s Temptations of Christ (the second fresco on the right) and Perugino’s superbly composed Christ Giving the Keys to St Peter (the fifth fresco on the right).

Castel Sant’Angelo MUSEUM

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( 06 681 91 11; Lungotevere Castello 50; adult/reduced €5/2.50; 9am-7.30pm, last admission 6.30pm Tue-Sun) With its chunky round keep, this castle is an instantly recognisable landmark. Built as a mausoleum for the emperor Hadrian, it was converted into a papal fortress in the 6th century and named after an angelic vision that Pope Gregory the Great had in 590. Thanks to a secret 13th-century passageway to the Vatican palaces, the Passetta di Borgo, it provided sanctuary to many popes in times of danger, including Clemente VI, who holed up here during the 1527 sack of Rome.

Its upper floors are filled with lavishly decorated Renaissance interiors, including, on the 4th floor, the beautifully frescoed Sala Paolina. Two stories further up, the terrace, immortalised by Puccini in his opera Tosca, offers great views over Rome.

Ponte Sant’Angelo BRIDGE

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Opposite the castle, this ancient bridge was built by Hadrian in AD 134 to provide an approach to his mausoleum. In the 17th century, Bernini and his pupils sculpted the figures of angels that line the pedestrian walkway, supplying intense drama.

VILLA BORGHESE & NORTHERN ROME

Museo e Galleria Borghese ART GALLERY

( 06 3 28 10; www.galleriaborghese.it; Piazzale del Museo Borghese 5; adult/reduced €8.50/5.25, audioguide €5; 9am-7pm Tue-Sun, pre-booking necessary) If you only have time (or inclination) for one art gallery in Rome, make it this one. Not only is it exquisite, but it provides the perfect introduction to Renaissance and baroque art without being overwhelming. To limit numbers, visitors are admitted at two-hourly intervals, so you’ll need to call to pre-book, and enter at an allotted entry time – but trust us, it’s worth it.

The collection, which includes works by Caravaggio, Bernini, Botticelli, Rubens, Raphael and Titian, was formed by Cardinal Scipione Borghese (1579–1633), the most knowledgeable and ruthless art collector of his day. It’s housed in the Casino Borghese, whose neoclassical look is the result of a 17th-century revamp of Scipione’s original villa.

The villa is divided into two parts: the ground-floor gallery, with its superb sculptures, intricate Roman floor mosaics and over-the-top frescoes; and the upstairs picture gallery.

Things get off to a cracking start in the entrance hall , decorated with 4th-century floor mosaics of fighting gladiators and a gravity-defying bas-relief, Marco Curzio a Cavallo, of a horse and rider falling into the void, by Pietro Bernini (Gian Lorenzo’s father).

Sala I is centred on Antonio Canova’s daring depiction of Napoleon’s sister, Paolina Bonaparte Borghese, reclining topless as Venere vincitrice (Conquering Venus; 1805–08). Yet it’s Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s spectacular sculptures – flamboyant depictions of pagan myths – that really steal the show. Just look at Daphne’s hands morphing into leaves in the swirling Apollo e Dafne (1622–25) in Sala III , or Pluto’s hand pressing into the seemingly soft flesh of Persephone’s thigh in the Ratto di Proserpina (Rape of Persephone; 1621–22) in Sala IV.

Caravaggio dominates Sala VIII . There’s a dissipated-looking Bacchus (1592–95), the strangely beautiful La Madonna dei Palafenieri (Madonna with Serpent; 1605–06) and San Giovanni Battista (St John the Baptist; 1609–10), probably Caravaggio’s last work. Then there’s the much-loved Ragazzo col Canestro di Frutta (Boy with a Basket of Fruit; 1593–95) and the dramatic Davide con la Testa di Golia (David with the Head of Goliath; 1609–10) – Goliath’s severed head is said to be a self-portrait.

Upstairs, the pinacoteca offers a wonderful snapshot of European Renaissance art. Don’t miss Raphael’s extraordinary La Deposizione di Cristo (The Deposition; 1507) in Sala IX , and his Dama con Liocorno (Lady with a Unicorn; 1506). In the same room is the superb Adorazione del Bambino (Adoration of the Christ Child; 1495) by Fra Bartolomeo and Perugino’s Madonna con Bambino (Madonna and Child; first quarter of the 16th century).

Other highlights include Correggio’s erotic Danae (1530–31) in Sala X , Bernini’s self-portraits in Sala XIV and Titian’s early masterpiece, Amor Sacro e Amor Profano (Sacred and Profane Love; 1514) in Sala XX .

Villa Borghese PARK

Locals, lovers, tourists, joggers – no one can help heeding the call of this ravishing baroque park just north of the centro storico . Cardinal Scipione Borghese, top dog in one of Rome’s most powerful families, created these grounds in the 17th century, and they’re perfect for sun-dappled picnics, a pastoral hiatus and a chance for kids to run about and shout.

You can enter from Piazzale Flaminio, from the top of Pincio Hill above the Spanish Steps or from the top of Via Vittorio Veneto. Bike hire is available at various points, including Via delle Belle Arti, for about €5/15 per hour/day.

Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea ART GALLERY

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( 06 3229 8221; www.gnam.beniculturali.it; Viale delle Belle Arti 131; adult/reduced €8/4; 8.30am-7.30pm, last admission 6.45pm Tue-Sun) This oft-overlooked gallery of modern and contemporary art is definitely worth a visit. Set in a vast belle époque palace are works by some of the most important exponents of modern Italian art. There are canvases by the Macchiaioli (the Italian Impressionists) and futurists Boccioni and Balla, as well as several impressive sculptures by Canova and major works by Modigliani and De Chirico. International artists are also represented, with works by Degas, Cezanne, Kandinsky, Klimt, Mondrian, Pollock and Moore. The gallery’s charming terrace cafe is the perfect place for a languorous breather.

Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia MUSEUM

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( 06 322 65 71; www.ticketeria.it; Piazzale di Villa Giulia 9; adult/reduced €4/2; 8.30am-7.30pm, last admission 6.30pm Tue-Sun) Italy’s finest collection of pre-Roman Etruscan treasures is considerately presented in Villa Giulia, Pope Julius III’s 16th-century pleasure palace. Exhibits, many of which came from burial tombs in the surrounding Lazio region, range from bronze figurines and black bucchero tableware to temple decorations, terracotta vases and a dazzling display of sophisticated jewellery.

Must-sees include a polychrome terracotta statue of Apollo, the 6th-century-BC Sarcofago degli Sposi (Sarcophagus of the Betrothed) and the Euphronios Krater, a celebrated Greek vase that was returned to Italy in 2008 after a 30-year tug of war between the Italian government and New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Museo Nazionale delle Arti del XXI Secolo

(MAXXI) ART GALLERY

( 06 321 01 81; www.fondazionemaxxi.it; Via Guido Reni 2f; adult/reduced €11/7; 11am-7pm Tue, Wed, Fri & Sun, to 10pm Thu & Sat) More than the exhibitions of contemporary art and architecture, the real attraction here is the building itself. Anglo-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid has remodelled a former barracks into a light-filled showroom of snaking white walkways, staircases, and acres of glass, cement and steel. The gallery, which is just off Via Flaminia, is easily reached by tram from Piazzale Flaminio, above Flaminio metro station.

START LARGO DI TORRE ARGENTINA

FINISH PALAZZO FARNESE

DISTANCE 2KM

DURATION 2 HOURS

Walking Tour: Centro Storico

Rome’s tightly packed historical centre is ideal for leisurely strolling. There’s loads to see and even without trying you’ll come across some of the city’s best-known sights. This tour takes you through the heart of the area.

Start off in Largo di Torre Argentina , a busy square set around the ruins of four Republic-era temples and the site of Julius Caesar’s assassination in 44 BC. From here it’s a short walk up Via dei Cestari, past Bernini’s much-loved Elefantino , to the 13th-century Chiesa di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva , Rome’s only Gothic church. Continue past the church and you get to the Pantheon , ancient Rome’s best-preserved monument. Built in 27 BC, modified by Hadrian in the 2nd century AD and consecrated as a Christian church in 608, it’s an architectural masterpiece capped by the largest unreinforced concrete dome ever built. From the Pantheon, follow signs towards Piazza Navona, stopping off en route for a coffee at Caffè Sant’Eustachio , reckoned by many to be the capital’s best. A short hop away, Piazza Navona is central Rome’s showpiece square. Here, among the street artists, tourists, touts and pigeons, you can compare the two giants of Roman baroque: Bernini, creator of the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, and Borromini, responsible for the Chiesa di Sant’Agnese in Agone. On the other side of Corso Vittorio Emanuel II, the busy road that bisects the centro storico, life centres on Campo de’ Fiori . By day this noisy square stages a colourful market but at night it transforms into a raucous open-air pub, beloved of foreign students and lusty Romans. Just beyond, Piazza Farnese is a refined square overlooked by the Renaissance Palazzo Farnese . This magnificent palazzo (mansion), now home to the French Embassy, boasts some superb frescoes, said by some to rival those of the Sistine Chapel. To see them, though, you’ll need to book well in advance.

Courses

Cooking & Wine Tasting

Roman Kitchen COOKING

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( 06 678 5759; www.italiangourmet.com) Cookery writer Diane Seed (The Top One Hundred Pasta Sauces) runs cooking courses from her kitchen in Palazzo Doria Pamphilj. There are one-day, two-day, three-day and week-long courses costing €200 per day and €1000 per week.

International Wine Academy of Roma WINE TASTING

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( 06 699 08 78; www.wineacademyroma.com; Vicolo del Bottino 8) Learn about Italy’s wine regions and hone your tasting skills at Rome’s prestigious academy. For more, see the boxed text, Click here .

Città del Gusto COOKING

( 06 551 11 21; www.gamberorosso.it, in Italian; Via Fermi 161) For details of the demonstrations, workshops, lessons and courses held at this foodie complex see the boxed text, Click here .

Language

There are hundreds of schools offering individual and group language courses in Rome. Costs vary enormously, but bank on €300 to €390 for a two-week group course or about €40 to €45 for individual lessons. Some schools also offer accommodation packages for shorter courses. Reputable schools include the following:

Arco di Druso LANGUAGE

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( 06 3975 0984; www.arcodidruso.com; Via Otranto 12)

Centro Linguistico Italiano Dante Alighieri LANGUAGE

Offline map ( 06 4423 1400; www.clidante.it; Piazza Bologna 1)

Divulgazione Lingua Italiana Soc LANGUAGE

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(DILIT; Click here ; 06 446 25 93; www.dilit.it; Via Marghera 22)

Italiaidea LANGUAGE

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( 06 6994 1314; www.italiaidea.com; 1st fl, Via dei Due Macelli 47)

Torre di Babele Centro di Lingua e Cultura Italiana LANGUAGE

Offline map ( 06 4425 2578; www.torredibabele.com; Via Cosenza 7)

Arts & Crafts

Art Studio Café MOSAICS

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( 06 3260 9104; www.artstudiocafe.it; Via dei Gracchi 187a) This cafe, exhibition space and mosaic school offers a range of classes. Learn how to cut and glaze enamel tesserae, how to mix colours and how best to mount your final composition. One-day sessions start at €50.

ROME FOR CHILDREN

Romans love children, and even if there are few child-friendly facilities in town, your little ’uns will be welcome just about everywhere.

» Restaurants are very laid-back when it comes to accommodating children and will happily serve a mezza porzione (child’s portion) and provide seggioloni (highchairs). Some hotels can supply a culla (cot) on request.

» Children under 10 years old travel free on all public transport.

» You can buy baby formula and sterilising solutions at all pharmacies. Disposable nappies (diapers; pannolini in Italian) are available from supermarkets and pharmacies.

» In Villa Borghese, Casina di Raffaello Offline map ( 06 4288 8888; www.casinadiraffaello.it; Viale della Casina di Raffaello) is a well-equipped day-care centre with a nice little playground, a small library and a soft play area. Accessing the facilities costs €5 per child.

» On the downside, cobbled streets and badly parked cars can make getting around with a pram or pushchair difficult, as can tiny lifts in older buildings.

» Useful websites include http://piccolituristi.turismoroma.it, which has loads of practical information and provides a three-day child-friendly itinerary.

Sights

Rome’s museums and galleries are not ideal for rampaging toddlers, but many of the bigger ones now offer educational services and children’s workshops. Some even host kid-friendly events. Museums, galleries and archaeological sites are generally free for EU citizens under 18. Suggested sights for kids:

Colosseum (Click here )

Villa Borghese (Click here )

Bioparco Offline map ( 06 360 82 11; www.bioparco.it; Viale del Giardino Zoologico 1; adult €12.50, child over 1m & under 12yr €10.50, child under 1m free; 9.30am-6pm Apr-Oct, to 5pm Nov-Mar) Rome’s zoo.

Explora Offline map ( 06 361 37 76; www.mdbr.it; Via Flaminia 82; adult/child over 3yr/child 1-3yr/child under 1yr €7/7/3/free; 9.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sun Sep-Jul, 11.30am-7pm Tue-Sun Aug) Museum dedicated to kids under 12. Visits by guided tour only. Bookings advised and essential at weekends. Outside there’s a free play park open to all.

Time Elevator (Click here ) Not for the under-fives.

Appia Antica and the catacombs (Click here ) The catacombs are best for children over about 12.

Ostia Antica ( Click here )

Villa d’Este ( Click here )

Villa Adriana ( Click here )

Cerveteri ( Click here )

Tarquinia ( Click here )

Tours

A Friend in Rome WALKING

( 06 6614 0987; www.afriendinrome.it) Your friend in Rome is Silvia Prosperi, who organises tailor-made tours (on foot, by bike or by scooter) to suit your interests. She covers the Vatican and main historical centre as well as neighbourhoods such as Aventino, Trastevere, Celio and Monti. Rates are €50 per hour, with a minimum of three hours for most tours. She can also arrange mosaic lessons, cooking classes and coastal cruises.

Battelli di Roma BOAT

Offline map Google map ( Click here ; 06 9774 5498; www.battellidiroma.it; adult/reduced €16/12) Runs hour-long hop-on, hop-off cruises along the Tiber between Ponte Sant’Angelo and Ponte Nenni. Trips depart at 10am from Ponte Sant’Angelo, 10.10pm from Isola Tiberina, and then hourly until 6.30pm.

Trambus 110open BUS

( 800 281281; www.trambusopen.com; family/adult/reduced €50/20/18; every 15min 8.30am-8.30pm) This open-top, double-decker bus departs from Piazza dei Cinquecento in front of Termini station, and stops at the Colosseum, Bocca della Verità, Piazza Venezia, St Peter’s, Ara Pacis and Trevi Fountain. The entire tour lasts two hours but the tickets are valid for 48 hours and allow you to hop on and off as you please. Get tickets online, on board, from the info boxes on Piazza dei Cinquecento or the Colosseum, or from authorised Trambus Open dealers.

Trambus Archeobus BUS

( 800 281281; www.trambusopen.com; family/adult €40/12; half-hourly 9am-4.30pm) This is a stop-and-go bus that takes sightseers down Via Appia Antica, stopping at points of archaeological interest along the way. It departs from Piazza dei Cinquecento and tickets, valid for 48 hours, can be bought online, on board, from the info boxes on Piazza dei Cinquecento or the Colosseum, or from authorised Trambus Open dealers.

Roma Cristiana BUS, WALKING

( 06 6989 6380; www.operaromanapellegrinaggi.org) The Vatican-sponsored Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi runs the hop-on, hop-off Open Bus Roma Cristiana (24hr/one circuit €18/13; every 20min 8.40am-7pm) departing from Via della Conciliazione and Termini. It also operates a range of walking tours, including tours of the Vatican Museums (adult/reduced €26/19; 10am, 11am, noon & 2pm Mon-Sat) . Tickets are available on board the bus, online, or at the meeting point just off Piazza San Pietro.

Bici & Baci BIKE, SCOOTER

( 06 482 84 43; www.bicibaci.com; Via del Viminale 5; tours €35; 10am, 3pm & 7pm Mar-Oct, on request Nov-Feb) Bici & Baci runs daily bike tours of central Rome, taking in the historical centre, Campidoglio and the Colosseum, as well as tours on vintage Vespas and in classic Fiat 500 cars. For the Vespa and Fiat 500 tours you’ll need to book 24 hours ahead. Routes and prices vary according to your requests.

Enjoy Rome WALKING

( 06 445 18 43; www.enjoyrome.com; Via Marghera 8a) Offers three-hour walking tours of the Vatican (under/over 26 years €25/30) and Ancient & Old Rome (€25/30) as well as various other packages – see the website for further details. Note that tour prices do not cover admission charges to the Vatican Museums or Colosseum.

Festivals & Events

Settimana della Cultura CULTURAL

For a week in April public museums and galleries open free of charge (www.beniculturali.it, in Italian).

Easter RELIGIOUS

On Good Friday, the pope leads a candlelit procession around the Colosseum. At noon on Easter Sunday he blesses the crowds in St Peter’s Square.

Mostra delle Azalee CULTURAL

From mid-April to early May, the Spanish Steps are decorated with 600 vases of blooming azaleas in the Exhibition of Azaleas.

Natale di Roma CULTURAL

Rome celebrates its birthday on 21 April with music, historical recreations, fireworks and free entry to many museums.

Primo Maggio MUSIC

Rome’s May Day rock concert attracts huge crowds and international performers to the Piazza di San Giovanni in Laterano.

Festa dei Santi Pietro e Paolo RELIGIOUS

Romans celebrate the feast of patron saints Peter and Paul on 29 June. Festivities are centred on St Peter’s Basilica and Via Ostiense.

Estate Romana CULTURAL

(www.romeguide.it/estate_romana) From June to October Rome’s big summer festival includes hundreds of cultural events and activities across the capital.

Festa de’Noantri CULTURAL

Trastevere’s annual party, held in the third week of July, involves plenty of food, wine, prayer and dancing.

Festa della Madonna della Neve RELIGIOUS

On 5 August, rose petals are showered on celebrants in the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore to commemorate a miraculous 4th-century snowfall.

RomaEuropa CULTURAL

(www.romaeuropa.net, in Italian) From September to November, top international artists take to the stage for Rome’s autumn festival of theatre, opera and dance.

Festival Internazionale del Film di Roma FILM

(www.romacinemafest.it) Held at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in late October, Rome’s film festival rolls out the red carpet for big-screen big shots.

GAY & LESBIAN ROME

Rome’s gay scene remains much smaller than in other European capitals. Rome is essentially conservative: the merest mention of same-sex unions would have most politicians spluttering into their cappuccino, and intolerance seems to have become worryingly more prevalent in recent years. However, the Gay Pride march (which takes place every June), the annual summer Gay Village and regular gay nights at local clubs are signals of a thriving, if underground, scene.

Rome’s main cultural and political gay organisation is the Circolo Mario Mieli di Cultura Omosessuale ( 06 541 39 85; www.mariomieli.it, in Italian; Via Efeso 2a) , off Via Ostiense near the Basilica di San Paolo Fuori le Mura. It organises social and political events, including Rome Pride, which takes place every year in June.

The national organisation for lesbians is Coordinamento Lesbiche Italiano ( 06 686 42 01; www.clrbp.it, in Italian; Via San Francesco di Sales 1b) . The centre has a women-only hostel, La Foresteria Orsa Maggiore ( Click here ).

Useful listings guides include the free monthly AUT, Clubbing and Guide Magazine, and the international gay guide, Spartacus, available at gay and lesbian organisations and in bookshops. Also check www.azgay.it, which produces a gay-friendly guide to Rome, available at tourist booths. In summer there is a Gay Village (www.gayvillage.it) festival, with various clubs and special events – the location changes annually, but it’s usually in EUR.

The city has a small gay and lesbian nightclub and bar scene, though numerous nightclubs have gay nights ( Click here ). Also check out the following:

» Coming Out Offline map Google map (www.comingout.it; Via di San Giovanni in Laterano 8; 10.30am-2am) Spot this easygoing bar in the shadow of the Colosseum by the rainbow sign and the mixed, convivial crowds spilling out into the street. There are regular drag acts, DJs and live acts.

» Taverna Edoardo II Offline map Google map ( 06 6994 2419; www.edoardosecondo.com; Vicolo Margana 13-14; 8pm-1am Wed-Sun) Restaurant-bar that feels like a private members’ club.

» Hangar Offline map ( 06 4881 3971; Via in Selci 69a; 10.30pm-2.30am, closed Tue & 3 weeks Aug) Veteran men-only club. Porn-night Mondays and Striptease Thursdays are popular.

» L’Alibi Offline map Google map ( 06 574 34 48; www.lalibi.it; Via di Monte Testaccio 44; midnight-5am Thu-Sun) Sultry, cavernous gay club playing soulful house.

Sleeping

While there’s plenty of choice, accommodation in Rome is expensive. The nicest place to stay is the centro storico, where you’ll have everything on your doorstep. Midrange choices abound, but there’s only a smattering of good budget options. There’s also a lot to be said for bunking down in peaceful Prati, which harbours some excellent restaurants, is near the Vatican and on metro line A. Trastevere is drop-dead gorgeous and a great place to spend summer evenings, but can be noisy, especially in high season.

If you’re on a tight budget, the cheapest places are around Stazione Termini. This area, although not as bad as it’s sometimes made out to be, is not Rome’s nicest, and some of the streets to the west of the station, particularly Via Giolitti, can be unsafe at night. Women in particular should be careful. That said, it is still possible to walk into the centro storico from Termini, and most other sights are only a convenient metro ride away.

You’ll find a full list of accommodation options (with prices) at www.060608.it.

Although Rome doesn’t have a low season as such, the majority of hotels offer discounts from November to March (excluding the Christmas and New Year period) and some also in August. Expect to pay top whack in spring and autumn and over the main holiday periods (Christmas, New Year and Easter).

Always try to book ahead. If you arrive without a reservation, there’s a hotel reservation service ( 06 699 10 00; booking fee €3; 7am-10pm) next to the tourist office at Stazione Termini.

HOTEL TAX

Everyone staying overnight in Rome has to pay a room occupancy tax on top of their regular accommodation bill. Since January 2011, this has amounted to the following:

» €1 per person per night for a maximum of five days in camping grounds

» €2 per person per night for a maximum of 10 days in agriturismi (farm stay accommodation), B&Bs, guesthouses, and one-, two- and three-star hotels

» €3 per person per night for a maximum of 10 days in four- and five-star hotels.

The tax is applicable to anyone who is not a resident in Rome. Note that prices quoted in this chapter do not include the tax.

Accommodation Options

Alongside alberghi (traditional hotels) and pensioni (cheap family-run hotels often housed in converted apartments), there are hundreds of B&Bs, hostels and religious institutions. For longer stays consider renting an apartment.

Often excellent value for money, B&Bs cover the gamut from modest family lodgings to upmarket boutique-style accommodation at midrange to top-end prices. The following agencies all offer online booking services.

Bed & Breakfast Association of Rome (www.b-b.rm.it) Lists B&Bs and short-term apartment rentals.

Bed & Breakfast Italia (www.bbitalia.com) Rome’s longest-established B&B network.

Cross Pollinate (www.cross-pollinate.com) Has B&Bs, private apartments and guesthouses.

Sleeping Rome (www.sleepingrome.com) Offers B&B and has good short-term apartment rentals.

Private hostels no longer cater solely to backpackers and many now offer decent hotel-style rooms as well as traditional dorms. For information on Rome’s (and Italy’s) official HI hostels, contact the Italian Youth Hostel Association (Associazione Italiana Alberghi per la Gioventù; 06 487 11 52; www.aighostels.com; Via Cavour 44) .

Religious institutions tend to offer basic, no-frills facilities, but are cheap, clean and often quiet. Many impose strict curfews. It’s always wise to book well in advance. For a list of institutions, check out www.santasusanna.org/comingtorome.

For longer stays, renting an apartment might well work out cheaper than an extended hotel sojourn. You can usually find a studio flat or one-bedroom apartment near the centre of Rome for around €900 per month. Useful rental resources:

Accommodations Rome (www.accomodationsrome.com)

Flat in Rome (www.flatinrome.it)

Flats in Italy (www.flatsinitaly.com)

Italy Accom (www.italy-accom.com)

Leisure in Rome (www.leisureinrome.com)

Rental in Rome (www.rentalinrome.com)

Sleep in Italy (www.sleepinitaly.com)

ANCIENT ROME

Caesar House HOTEL €€€

Offline map Google map

( 06 679 26 74; www.caesarhouse.com; Via Cavour 310; s €150-230, d €170-270; ) Quiet and friendly, yet in the thick of it on busy thoroughfare Via Cavour, this is a refined apartment hotel. Its smart public areas are polished and modern, while rooms reveal a warm, peachy decor, four-poster beds and small bathrooms. The suite has a view over the forum.

Hotel Duca d’Alba HOTEL €€

Offline map Google map

( 06 48 44 71; www.hotelducadalba.com; Via Leonina 14; s €90-190, d €100-240; ) An appealing four-star hotel in the Monti district, this has small, but charming rooms. Most have fabric-covered or hand-painted walls, wood-beamed ceilings, big flat-screen TVs and sleek button-studded headboards; and many have big showers with modern square shower heads.

CENTRO STORICO

Hotel Campo de’ Fiori BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€€

Offline map Google map

( 06 687 48 86; www.hotelcampodefiori.com; Via del Biscione 6; s €170-220, d €200-270, 2-person apt €130-150, 4-person apt €180; ) This rakish four-star has the lot – sexy decor, an enviable location just off Campo de’ Fiori, attentive staff and a panoramic roof terrace. It even serves scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast. The 23 rooms are individually decorated but the overall feel is contemporary decadence with boldly coloured flock walls, gilt mirrors and restored bric-a-brac. The hotel also offers 11 apartments in the vicinity, ideal for families.

Teatropace 33 HOTEL €€

Offline map Google map

( 06 687 90 75; www.hotelteatropace.com; Via del Teatro Pace 33; s €69-150, d €110-240; ) This friendly three-star, which is wonderfully central in a lane near Piazza Navona, is a class choice. In a former cardinal’s residence, it has 23 beautifully appointed rooms decorated with parquet flooring, damask curtains and exposed-wood beams. There’s no lift, just a monumental 17th-century stone staircase and a porter to carry your bags.

Relais Palazzo Taverna BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

Offline map Google map

( 06 2039 8064; www.relaispalazzotaverna.com; Via dei Gabrielli 92; s €70-140, d €100-210; ) Housed in a 15th-century palazzo deep in the heart of the historical centre, this contemporary boutique hotel sets its bold, modern aesthetic against a lovely historical setting. Amenities such as plasma-screen satellite TVs, and tea- and coffee-making facilities ice the cake.

Hotel Teatro di Pompeo HOTEL €€

Offline map Google map

( 06 687 28 12; www.hotelteatrodipompeo.it; Largo del Pallaro 8; s €140-160, d €180-210; ) Built on top of a theatre that Pompey constructed in 55 BC (now the breakfast room), this charming hotel is tucked away behind Campo de’ Fiori. Rooms boast a classic old-fashioned feel with polished wood bedsteads and terracotta-coloured floor tiles. The best, on the 3rd floor, also have sloping wood-beamed ceilings.

Hotel Navona HOTEL €€

Offline map Google map

( 06 6821 1392; www.hotelnavona.com; Via dei Sediari 8; s €120-140, d €160-200; ) This family-run hotel occupies several floors of a 15th-century palazzo near Piazza Navona. Rooms on the reception floor are fairly small, with traditional gilt-framed decor and antique furniture, while those upstairs are completely different, boasting medieval ceilings and a contemporary silver-grey colour scheme. No lifts.

Argentina Residenza BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

Offline map Google map

( 06 6819 3267; www.argentinaresidenza.com; Via di Torre Argentina 47; r €120-200; ) This quiet boutique hotel is hidden on the 3rd floor of a building on Largo di Torre Argentina. All the bustle of the piazza will seem a very long way away as you slip into your jacuzzi and relax in your tastefully modern wood-beamed room.

Hotel Mimosa PENSIONE €

Offline map Google map

( 06 6880 1753; www.hotelmimosa.net; Via di Santa Chiara 61, 2nd fl; s €55-85, d €70-118, tr €90-160, without bathroom s €45-70, d €50-98; ) This long-standing pensione is one of the few budget options in the historical centre. It’s all fairly basic but rooms have recently been made over and they now come with laminated parquet floors and a clean cream and brown colour scheme. Payment in cash only.

Albergo del Sole PENSIONE €€

Offline map Google map

( 06 687 94 46; www.solealbiscione.it; Via del Biscione 76; s €100, d €125-160; ) Dating from 1462, this is said to be the oldest hotel in Rome. There’s nothing special about the functional rooms, but there’s a pleasant 2nd-floor roof terrace, wi-fi is available (€1.50) and the location near Campo de’ Fiori is a lively spot. Air-con is only available in some rooms. No credit cards and no breakfast.

Hotel Portoghesi HOTEL €€

Offline map Google map

( 06 686 42 31; www.hotelportoghesiroma.com; Via dei Portoghesi 1; s €130-160, d €160-200; ) This cosy, low-key hotel is on a picturesque street near Piazza Navona. Rooms are comfortable enough, if rather bland, although some (particularly the singles) are pretty small. Staff are pleasant and the peaceful roof terrace is a bonus.

TRIDENTE, TREVI & THE QUIRINALE

Villa Spalletti Trivelli HOTEL €€€

Offline map Google map

( 06 4890 7934; www.villaspalletti.it; Via Piacenza 4; r €330-345; ) With 12 rooms in a glorious mansion in central Rome, Villa Spalletti Trivelli has upped the ante for luxurious stays in the capital. Rooms are soberly and elegantly decorated, overlooking the gardens of the Quirinale or the estate’s own Italian garden. The overall feel is that of staying in the stately home of some aristocratic friends.

Hotel Panda HOTEL €

Offline map Google map

( 06 678 01 79; www.hotelpanda.it; Via della Croce 35; s with/without bathroom €80/68, d with/without bathroom €108/78; ) Only 50m from the Spanish Steps, in an area where a bargain is a Bulgari watch bought in the sales, the friendly, efficient Panda is an anomaly: a budget hotel, and a splendid one. The clean rooms are smallish but nicely furnished, and there are several triples with a bed on a cosy mezzanine. Air-con costs €6 extra per night. A few streets to the north, sister establishment Okapi Rooms Offline map Google map (Via della Penna 57) offers accommodation of a similar price and standard.

La Piccola Maison B&B €

Offline map Google map ( 06 4201 6331; www.lapiccolamaison.com; Via dei Cappuccini 30; s €50-140, d €70-200; ) The excellent Piccola Maison has a great location close to Piazza Barberini, pleasingly plain rooms decorated with contemporary flair, and thoughtful staff. It’s a great deal.

Portrait Suites BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€€

Offline map Google map

( 06 6938 0742; www.portraitsuites.com; Via Bocca di Leone 23; r €410-670; ) Owned by the Ferragamo family, this is a discreet, exclusive residence, designed by Florentine wonder-architect Michele Bonan. There are 14 exquisitely styled suites and studios across six floors in a town house overlooking Via Condotti, plus a dreamy 360-degree roof terrace and made-in-heaven staff. There’s no restaurant, but you can have meals delivered. Breakfast is served in your room or on the terrace.

Babuino 181 BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€€

Offline map Google map

( 06 3229 5295; www.romeluxurysuites.com/babuino; Via del Babuino 181; r €180-250; ) A beautifully renovated old palazzo in the heart of the shopping district, Babuino offers discreet luxury, with gorgeous rooms with touches such as a Nespresso machine and fluffy bathrobes. Breakfast is great, too (including fresh juice, toasted sandwiches and good pastries).

Hotel Barocco HOTEL €€

Offline map Google map

( 06 487 2001; www.hotelbarocco.com; Piazza Barberini 9; d €160-330; ) In a superbly convenient location, this well-run, welcoming 41-room hotel overlooking Piazza Barberini (the pricier rooms have views) has a classic feel, with rooms featuring oil paintings, gleaming linen, gentle colour schemes and fabric-covered walls; breakfast is ample and served in a wood-panelled room.

Daphne B&B B&B €€

Offline map Google map

( 06 8745 0086; www.daphne-rome.com; Via di San Basilio 55; d with bathroom €140-235, without bathroom €100-150; ) Boutique B&B Daphne is a gem. Run by an American-Italian couple, it has chic, sleek, comfortable rooms, helpful English-speaking staff, top-notch breakfasts and the loan of a mobile phone for your stay. There are rooms in two locations – the one off Via Veneto is the pick, but there’s a second at Via degli Avignonesi 20. Book months ahead.

Hotel Modigliani HOTEL €€

Offline map Google map

( 06 4281 5226; Via della Purificazione 42; s €100-168, d €115-202; ) Run by an artistic couple, the Modigliani is all about attention to detail and customer service. The 23 dove-grey rooms are spacious and light, with red and gold bedspreads, and the best have views and balconies – either outside or over the quiet internal courtyard garden that’s a lovely place for a drink.

Hotel Scalinata di Spagna HOTEL €€

Offline map Google map

( 06 6994 0896; www.hotelscalinata.com; Piazza della Trinità dei Monti 17; d €150-190; ) Given its location – perched alongside the Spanish Steps – the Scalinata is surprisingly modestly priced. An informal and friendly place, it’s something of a warren, with a great roof terrace, and low corridors leading off to smallish, old-fashioned, yet romantic rooms (think plush furnishings and gilt-edged mirrors), the best coming with balconies. Book early for a room with a view.

Crossing Condotti GUESTHOUSE €€€

Offline map Google map

( 06 6992 0633; www.crossingcondotti.com; Via Mario de’ Fiori; r €180-300; ) A five-room place, this is one of Rome’s new breed of upmarket guesthouses, where all the fittings, linen and comforts are top-notch, and the pretty (though not large) rooms have lots of character and antique furnishings. Smack bang in designer heaven, Crossing Condotti doesn’t serve breakfast, but has a well-stocked kitchen with drinks and a Nespresso machine.

Fellini B&B B&B €€

Offline map Google map

( 06 4274 2732; www.fellinibnb.com; Via Rasella 55; s €70-150, d €90-170, apt €210-370; ) A multistorey warren, cheery, efficient Fellini has light, well-furnished spick-and-span rooms with parquet floors and comfortable beds. The standout option is the top-floor four-person apartment, which has a huge terrace with a view.

Apollo Hotel HOTEL €€

Offline map Google map

( 06 488 5889; www.albergoapollo.it; Via dei Serpenti 109; s €110-140, d €120-185; ) Well run and appointed, the Apollo is an excellent choice in the upmarket bohemian district of Monti.

Hotel Artorius HOTEL €€

Offline map Google map

( 06 482 1196; www.hotelartoriusrome.com; Via dei Boschetto 13; d €160-185; ) The art deco flavoured lobby looks promising, and the rest also delivers in this small Monti hotel, with simple, plain rooms and a family-run feel. Rooms are not large but perfectly comfortable, and one (room 109) has a terrace.

TERMINI, ESQUILINO & SAN LORENZO

Residenza Cellini HOTEL €€

Offline map Google map

( 06 4782 5204; www.residenzacellini.it; Via Modena 5; d €145-240; ) With grown-up furnishings featuring potted palms, polished wood, pale yellow walls, oil paintings and a hint of chintz, this charming, family-run hotel on a quiet road offers spacious, elegant rooms, all with satellite TV and jacuzzi or hydro-massage showers. There’s a sunny flower-surrounded terrace for summer breakfasts.

Beehive HOSTEL €

Offline map Google map

( 06 4470 4553; www.the-beehive.com; Via Marghera 8; dm €20-25, d without bathroom €70-80; ) More boutique chic than backpacker crash pad, the Beehive is one of the best hostels in town. Run by a southern Californian couple, it’s an oasis of style with original art works on the walls, funky modular furniture and a vegetarian cafe (prices don’t include breakfast). Beds are in a spotless, eight-person mixed dorm or in one of six private double rooms, all with fans. Book ahead.

Welrome Hotel HOTEL €

Offline map Google map

( 06 4782 4343; www.welrome.it; Via Calatafimi 15-19; s €80-100, d €90-110; ) The owners of the Welrome have a personal mission to look after their guests: not only do Mary and Carlos take huge pride in their small, spotless hotel but they will also enthusiastically point out the cheapest places to eat, tell you where not to waste your time and point you to what’s good to do. Families should go for the huge room named after Piazza di Spagna; a cot is provided at no extra charge.

Hotel des Artistes HOSTEL, HOTEL €

Offline map Google map

( 06 445 43 65; www.hoteldesartistes.com; Via Villafranca 20; dm €14-52; r without bathroom €69-95, r with bathroom €105-119; ) The wide range of rooms here are decked out in wood and gold with faux-antique furniture and rich reds, gilt lamps and terracotta or tiled floors, and have decent bathrooms. Offers discounts for longer stays and/or cash payment.

Funny Palace HOSTEL €

Offline map Google map

( 06 4470 3523; www.hostelfunny.com; Via Varese 31, 5th fl; dm €15-25, s without bathroom €30-70, d without bathroom €55-100; ) Run by a friendly international crew, with the Splashnet Laundry as its office-laundry- internet cafe, this great little backpacker hostel has doubles, triples and quads, with a comfortable, homey feel. No credit cards. It also runs the similar Amazing Place around the corner.

Alessandro Palace Hostel HOSTEL €

Offline map Google map

( 06 446 19 58; www.hostelalessandro.com; Via Vicenza 42; dm €18-35, d €70-110; ) This long-standing favourite appeals to both budgeting families and backpackers, and offers spick-and-span, terracotta-floored doubles, triples and quads, as well as dorms sleeping from four to eight, all with cheery bedspreads. Every room has its own bathroom plus hairdryer. In some you can only open the windows a fraction.

AVENTINO & TESTACCIO

Hotel Sant’Anselmo HOTEL €€€

Offline map Google map

( 06 57 00 57; www.aventinohotels.com; Piazza Sant’Anselmo 2; s €130-265, d €150-290; ) Set amid the terracotta walls and umbrella pines of the peaceful Aventino district, this is a delightful romantic hideaway. Its rooms are not always the biggest but they are stylish, marrying carved beds, heavy brocades and dripping chandeliers with modern touches and contemporary colours. A few also have terraces offering dreamy views.

Aventino & Testaccio (Rome)

Sights

1  Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta C1

Sleeping

2  Hotel Sant'AnselmoC1

Eating

3  Da Felice C3

4  Piazza Testaccio Market B2

5  Pizzeria Remo B2

6  Trattoria da Bucatino B2

7  Volpetti Più C3

Entertainment

8  AKAB B4

9  Conte Staccio B4

10  L'Alibi A4

11  Villaggio Globale A4

TRASTEVERE & GIANICOLO

Donna Camilla Savelli HOTEL €€€

Offline map Google map

( 06 58 88 61; www.hotelsavelli.com; Via Garibaldi 27; r €230-450; ) If you have the cash, stay in this converted convent that was originally designed by great baroque architect Borromini. It’s been beautifully updated, with furnishing in muted colours that complement the serene concave and convex curves of the architecture, and service is excellent. The priciest of the 78 rooms overlook the cloister garden or have views of Rome and are decorated with antiques, but the cheaper ones are still lovely.

Arco del Lauro B&B €€

Offline map Google map

( 9am-2pm 06 9784 0350, 346 2443212; Via Arco de’ Tolomei 27; s €75-125, d €95-145; ) Through a large stone arch and on a narrow cobbled street, this fab six-room B&B in an ancient palazzo is a find, offering gleaming white rooms that combine rustic charm with minimalist simplicity. The largest room has a high wood-beamed ceiling. Beds are comfortable, showers are powerful and the owners are eager to please. Book well ahead.

Suites Trastevere B&B €€

Offline map

( 347 0744086; www.trastevere.bbsuites.com; Viale Trastevere 248; s €70-105, d €80-160; ) On the 4th floor of a honey-hued palazzo on the wide main drag and tramway running from Trastevere, this friendly, popular B&B has dramatically frescoed rooms, each themed after local sights, such as the Colosseum and the Pantheon.

Villa della Fonte B&B €€

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( 06 580 37 97; www.villafonte.com; Via della Fonte dell’Olio 8; s €110-145, d €135-170; ) A lovely terracotta-hued, ivy-shrouded gem, Villa della Fonte occupies a 17th-century building in a street off Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere. It only has five rooms, all of which are simply decorated but have pretty outlooks, good bathrooms and comfortable beds covered with lovely linen. The sunny garden terrace (for breakfast in warm weather) is a plus.

Residenza Arco de’ Tolomei B&B €€

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( 06 5832 0819; www.bbarcodeitolomei.com; Via Arco de’ Tolomei 27; d €145-220; ) Next to Arco del Lauro, this gorgeous place is decorated with polished antiques and rich contrasting chintzes that make the interiors feel like a country cottage. It’s also a lovely place to stay, and the owners are friendly and helpful.

Hotel Santa Maria HOTEL €€

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( 06 589 46 26; www.hotelsantamaria.info; Vicolo del Piede 2; s €90-190, d €130-260; ) Walk along the ivy-lined approach and you’ll enter a tranquil haven. The rooms surround a spacious modern cloister (a former convent site), shaded by orange trees. Rooms are cool and comfortable, with slightly fussy decor and terracotta floors. There are some much larger family rooms. Staff are helpful and professional, and it’s wheelchair friendly. Nearby is the more intimate, prettily rustic Residenza Santa Maria, under the same management.

La Foresteria Orsa Maggiore HOSTEL €

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( 06 689 37 53; www.casainternazionaledelledonne.org, in Italian; Via San Francesco di Sales 1a, 2nd fl; dm €26, s/d without bathroom €52/72, s/d with bathroom €75/110; ) This lesbian-friendly, predominantly women-only guesthouse (boys aged 12 or younger are welcome) is housed in a restored 16th-century convent. It is run by the Casa Internazionale delle Donne (International Women’s House) and offers safe and well-priced accommodation in a quiet corner of Trastevere. The 13 simple rooms sleep two, four, five or eight, and some have views onto the attractive internal garden. There’s a 3am curfew. Wheelchair accessible.

VATICAN CITY, BORGO & PRATI

Hotel San Pietrino HOTEL €€

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( 06 370 01 32; www.sanpietrino.it; Via Bettolo 43; s €45-75, d €65-112, s without bathroom €35-55, d without bathroom €55-85; ) In Prati, not far from Ottaviano metro station, San Pietrino is a lovely little hotel. Its rooms are characterful and prettily decorated, with terracotta floors, some with statuary, and carvings in the hallways. Added bonuses are the comfortable beds, wi-fi and helpful staff.

Hotel Bramante HOTEL €€€

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( 06 6880 6426; www.hotelbramante.com; Vicolo delle Palline 24-25; s €100-160, d €150-220; ) In the atmospheric Borgo, Hotel Bramante feels like a country house in the city, full of rustic elegance, oriental rugs, beams and antiques. It’s housed in the 16th-century building that was home to architect Domenico Fontana before Pope Sixtus V banished him from Rome, and has just 16 characterful rooms.

Colors Hotel HOTEL €

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( 06 687 40 30; www.colorshotel.com; Via Boezio 31; s/d from €30/40; ) Popular with young travellers, this is a friendly, laid-back hotel with 23 brightly painted rooms spread over three floors (no lift, though). There are also cheaper rooms with shared bathrooms and, in July and August, six-bed dorms (€18 to €30 per person).

Hotel Lady PENSIONE €

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( 06 324 21 12; www.hoteladyroma.it; Via Germanico 198, 4th fl; d €70-100, s without bathroom €45-75, d without bathroom €55-85; ) A homey old-school pensione, the Hotel Lady is a quiet and inviting place. The eight rooms are snug, comfortable and spotless, and rooms 4 and 6 have wood-beamed ceilings. Breakfast, which is optional but costs €5 to €10 extra, is served in the attractive salon.

Casa di Accoglienza Paolo VI RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION €

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( 06 390 91 41; www.ospitiamoconcuore.it; Viale Vaticano 92; s/d/tr/q €35/65/83/95; ) This is a lovely, palm-shaded convent, right opposite the entrance to the Vatican Museums, where the welcoming sisters offer small, sunny rooms, which are so clean they gleam. Book way ahead. No breakfast.

Eating

Rome bulges with trattorias, ristoranti, pizzerias and enoteche (wine bars serving food). Excellent places dot the centro storico, Trastevere, Prati, Testaccio (the heartland of Roman cuisine, featuring lots of offal) and San Lorenzo. Be warned that the area around Termini has quite a few substandard restaurants, and also choose carefully around the Vatican, which is packed with tourist traps. Many restaurants close down for several weeks during the traditional summer holiday month of August.

ANCIENT ROME

Hostaria da Nerone TRATTORIA €€

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( 06 481 79 52; Via delle Terme di Tito; meals €35; Mon-Sat) This old-school, family-run trattoria is not the place for a romantic dinner or a special-occasion splurge, but if you’re after a filling meal after exploring the Colosseum, it does the job. Tourists tuck into classic Roman pasta and salads on the few outside tables, while in the yellowing, woody interior visiting businessmen cut deals over saltimbocca and tiramisu.

CENTRO STORICO

Casa Coppelle MODERN ITALIAN €€

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( 06 6889 1707; www.casacoppelle.it; Piazza delle Coppelle 49; meals €35) Intimate and elegant with wonderful French-inspired food and a warm, attractive buzz, this is a great find. Brick walls, books, flowers and subdued lighting set the romantic scene for simple yet delicious food. The steaks, in particular, are superb, especially if served with the delicious thinly sliced potato crisps. There’s a thoughtful wine list and service is attentive.

Pizzeria da Baffetto PIZZERIA €

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( 06 686 16 17; Via del Governo Vecchio 114; pizzas €6-9; 6.30pm-1am) For the full-on Roman pizza experience, get down to this local institution. Meals are raucous, chaotic and fast, but the thin-crust pizzas are spot on and the vibe is fun. To partake, join the queue and wait to be squeezed in wherever there’s room. There’s also Baffetto 2 Offline map Google map (Piazza del Teatro di Pompeo 18; 6.30pm-12.30am Mon-Fri, 12.30-3.30pm & 6.30pm-12.30am Sat & Sun) near Campo de’ Fiori.

Forno di Campo de’ Fiori PIZZA BY SLICE €

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(Campo de’ Fiori 22; pizza slices about €3; 7.30am-2.30pm & 4.45-8pm Mon-Sat) This is one of Rome’s best takeaway joints, serving bread, panini and delicious straight-from-the-oven pizza al taglio (by the slice). Aficionados say to go for the pizza bianca (white pizza with olive oil, rosemary and salt), but the panini and pizza rossa (‘red’ pizza, with olive oil, tomato and oregano) are just as good.

Cul de Sac WINE BAR €€

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( 06 6880 1094; www.enotecaculdesac.com; Piazza Pasquino 73; meals €30; noon-4pm & 6pm-12.30am) This is a fabulous little enoteca (wine bar), just off Piazza Navona, with a tiny terrace and narrow, pine- and bottle-lined interior. The knowledgeable, swift waiters pass about platters of cold meats, pâtés and cheeses, and moreish mains: try the meatballs with white wine and mash. There’s a phone-directory-sized wine list. Book ahead in the evening.

Ditirambo MODERN ITALIAN €€

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( 06 687 16 26; www.ristoranteditirambo.it; Piazza della Cancelleria 72; meals €35; closed Mon lunch) This hugely popular new-wave trattoria offers a laid-back, unpretentious atmosphere and innovative, organic cooking. Vegetarians are well catered for, with dishes such as vellutata di ceci con rughetta e riduzione di aceto balsamico (cream of chickpeas with rocket and a balsamic vinegar reduction). Book ahead.

Lo Zozzone SANDWICH SHOP €

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(Via del Teatro Pace 32; panini from €6; Mon-Sat) With a few inside tables and a mile-long menu of panini, the affectionately named ‘dirty one’ is a great spot for a cheap lunchtime bite. The filling panini are made with pizza bianca and combinations of cured meats, cheeses and vegetables.

Antico Forno Roscioli BAKERY €

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(Via dei Chiavari 34; pizza slices from €2; 7.30am-8pm Mon-Fri, 7.30am-2.30pm Sat) This is not the renowned delicatessen and wine bar, but its brother bakery around the corner. Join the lunchtime crowds for a slice of pizza (the pizza bianca is legendary) or a freshly baked pastry. There’s also a counter serving a selection of hot pasta dishes and vegetables.

Ar Galletto TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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( 06 686 17 14; www.ristoranteargallettoroma.com; Piazza Farnese 102; meals €35-40; Mon-Sat) You wouldn’t expect there to be anywhere reasonably priced on Piazza Farnese, one of Rome’s loveliest squares, but this long-running osteria (casual tavern or eatery presided over by a host) is the real thing, with good, honest Roman food, a warm local atmosphere and dazzlingly set exterior tables. Roast chicken is the house speciality ( galletto means little rooster).

Armando al Pantheon TRATTORIA €€

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( 06 6880 3034; www.armandoalpantheon.it; Salita dei Crescenzi 31; meals €40; closed Sat dinner) A family-run trattoria, Armando’s is wood-panelled, inviting, authentic and near the Pantheon. Philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre and footballer Pelé are among the luminaries who have dined on its popular brand of traditional Roman fare. Book ahead.

Giggetto al Portico d’Ottavia TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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( 06 686 11 05; www.giggettoalportico.it; Via del Portico d’Ottavia 21a; meals €40; Tue-Sun) An atmospheric setting in the Ghetto, rustic interiors, white-jacketed waiters and fabuloso Roman-Jewish cooking – this is a quintessential Roman restaurant. Celebrate all things fried by tucking into the marvellous carciofi alla giudia (Jewish-style artichokes), fiore di zucca (zucchini or squash flowers) and baccalá (cod) and follow on with a zuppa di pesce (fish soup) or rigotoni alla gricia ( pasta with cured pig’s cheek).

Giggetto 2 TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €

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( 06 6476 0369; Via Angelo in Pescheria 13-14; meals €20) For those on a budget, this simple cafe sits behind its older and better-known parent, Giggetto al Portico d’Ottavia. It serves no-nonsense pasta and meat dishes, as well as pizza and very drinkable wine at €8 per bottle.

Enoteca Corsi OSTERIA €

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( 06 679 08 21; Via del Gesù 88; meals €25; lunch Mon-Sat) Merrily worse for wear, family-run Corsi is a genuine old-style Roman osteria . The look is rustic and the atmosphere one of cheery organised chaos. On offer are homey dishes prepared using good, fresh ingredients, and the menu follows the culinary calendar (so if it’s gnocchi, it’s a Thursday).

Gino TRATTORIA €€

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( 06 687 34 34; Vicolo Rosini 4; meals €30; Mon-Sat) Hidden away down a narrow lane close to parliament, Gino’s is perennially packed with gossiping politicians. Join the right honourables for well-executed staples such as rigotoni alla gricia and meatballs, served under hanging garlic bulbs and gaudily painted vines. No credit cards.

Osteria Sostegno MODERN ITALIAN €€

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( 06 679 38 42; www.ilsostegno.it; Via delle Colonnelle 5; meals €35-40; Tue-Sun) Follow the green neon arrow to find this well-kept secret. An intimate place, it’s a favourite of journalists and politicians, with excellent dishes such as caprese (tomato and buffalo mozzarella salad) and ravioli di ricotta e spinaci con limone e zafferano (ricotta and spinach ravioli with lemon and saffron).

Alfredo e Ada TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €

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( 06 687 88 42; Via dei Banchi Nuovo 14; meals €20; Mon-Fri) For a taste of authentic Roman cooking, head to this tiny brick-arched and wood-panelled place. It’s distinctly no-frills – the wine list consists of two choices, red or white – but the food is filling, warming and just like nonna would have cooked it.

Da Francesco PIZZERIA €

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( 06 686 40 09; Piazza del Fico 29; pizzas €6-9, meals €30; closed Tue) Gingham paper tablecloths, jovial waiters, groaning plateloads of pasta, tasty pizza: this quintessential Roman kitchen has character coming out of its ears, and tables and chairs spilling out onto the pretty piazza. Rock up early or queue. No credit cards.

Filetti di Baccalà STREET FOOD €

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(Largo dei Librari 88; meals €20; dinner Mon-Sat) On a pretty, scooter-strewn piazza, this tiny stuck-in-time institution is a classic Roman friggitoria (shop selling fried food). The house speciality is battered cod, but you can also have crispy veggies, such as puntarella (chicory), and crisp-fried zucchini flowers.

Sora Margherita TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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( 06 687 42 16; Piazza delle Cinque Scole 30; meals €30; closed dinner Mon-Thu & all day Sun) No-frills Sora Margherita started out as a cheap kitchen for hungry locals, but word has spread and it’s now a popular lunchtime haunt. Expect queues, a rowdy atmosphere, and classic Roman-Jewish dishes such as carciofi alla giudia . Service is prompt and you’re expected to be likewise.

TRIDENTE, TREVI & THE QUIRINALE

Colline Emiliane EMILIA-ROMAGNAN €€€

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( 06 481 75 38; Via degli Avignonesi 22; meals €45; Tue-Sat, Sun lunch, closed Aug) This welcoming, tucked-away trattoria off Piazza Barberini flies the flag for Emilia-Romagna, the well-fed Italian province that has gifted the world Parmesan, balsamic vinegar, bolognese sauce and Parma ham. On offer here are delicious meats, homemade pasta, rich ragù (meat and tomato sauce) and desserts worthy of a moment’s silence.

Palatium WINE BAR €€

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( 06 6920 2132; Via Frattina 94; meals €40; 11am-11pm Mon-Sat, closed Aug) Conceived as a showcase of Lazio’s bounty, this sleek enoteca close to the Spanish Steps serves excellent local specialities, such as porchetta (pork roasted with herbs), artisan cheese and delicious salami, as well as an impressive array of Lazio wines (try lesser-known drops such as Aleatico). Aperitivo is a good bet, too.

Open Colonna MODERN €€€

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( 06 4782 2641; Via Milano 9a; meals €20-80; noon-midnight Tue-Sat & Sun lunch) Spectacularly set at the back of Palazzo delle Esposizioni, superchef Antonello Colonna’s superb, chic restaurant is tucked on a mezzanine floor under an extraordinary glass roof. The cuisine is new Roman: innovative takes on traditional dishes, cooked with wit and flair. The best thing? There’s a more basic but still delectable fixed two-course lunch or buffet for €15, and Saturday and Sunday brunch at €28, served in the dramatic, glass-ceilinged hall, with a terrace for sunny days.

Nino TUSCAN €€

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( 06 679 5676; Via Borgognona 11; meals €60; lunch & dinner Mon-Sat) With a look of wrought-iron chandeliers, polished dark wood and white tablecloths that’s surely pretty unchanged since it opened in 1934, Nino is enduringly popular with the rich and famous. Waiters can be brusque if you’re not on the A-list, but the food is good hearty fare, including memorable steaks and Tuscan bean soup.

Da Michele PIZZA BY SLICE €

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( 349 252 5347; Via dell’Umiltà 31; pizza slices from €2; 8am-5pm Mon-Fri, to 8pm summer) A handy address in Spagna district: buy your fresh, light and crispy pizza al taglio and you’ll have a delicious quick bite; there are a few interior bar-style seats.

Vineria Chianti TUSCAN €€

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( 06 678 75 50; Via del Lavatore 81-82; meals €45; lunch & dinner) Many restaurants around the Trevi Fountain dish up overpriced tourist fare, but this pretty ivy-clad wine bar is one of the exceptions: bottle-lined inside, it has watch-the-world-go-by outside seating in summer. Cuisine is Tuscan, so the beef is particularly good, but it also serves up imaginative salads, plus pizza in the evenings.

Pizzeria al Leoncino PIZZERIA €

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( 06 686 77 57; Via del Leoncino 28; pizzas €6.50-8.50; Thu-Tue, dinner only Sat & Sun) A boisterous neighbourhood pizzeria with a wood-fired oven, Leoncino has two small rooms, cheerful decor and gruff but efficient waiters who will serve you an excellent Roman-style pizza and ice-cold beer faster than you can say ‘delizioso’ .

Matricianella TRATTORIA €€

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( 06 683 21 00; Via del Leone 2; meals €40; Mon-Sat, closed Aug) Tucked away near Piazza di San Lorenzo in Lucina, this is a chic trattoria with gingham tablecloths, chintzy murals and streetside seating. Romans go crazy for the delectable fried antipasti, the carciofi alla giudia , the meatballs and the Jewish-style stew. Bookings essential.

Antico Forno SANDWICH SHOP €

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( 06 679 28 66; Via delle Muratte 8; 7am-9pm) Near the Trevi Fountain, Antico Forno is one of Rome’s oldest bakery shops, and its well-stocked deli counter has a grand array of freshly baked panini, focaccia and pizza.

La Buca di Ripetta RESTAURANT €€

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( 06 321 93 91; Via di Ripetta 36; meals €50; daily) Popular with actors and directors from the district, this foodie destination offers robust Roman cuisine. Try the zuppa rustica con crostini di pane aromatizzati (country-style soup with rosemary-scented bread) or the matolino di latte al forno alle erbe con patate (baked suckling pork with potatoes) and you’ll be fuelled for either more sightseeing or a serious snooze.

Pastificio FAST FOOD €

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(Via delle Croce; pasta dishes €4; 1-3pm Mon-Sat) A great find in this pricey ’hood, Pasticcio is a pasta shop that serves up two choices of pasta at lunchtime. It’s fast food, Italian style – great fresh pasta with tasty sauces.

’Gusto PIZZERIA €

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( 06 322 62 73; Piazza Augusto Imperatore 9; pizzas €6-9.50) Once a mould-breaking warehouse-style gastronomic complex – all exposed-brickwork and industrial chic – ’Gusto is still buzzing after all these years. It’s a great place to sit on the terrace and eat Neapolitan-style pizzas (rather than the upmarket restaurant fare, which receives mixed reports). There’s live music on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.

GREAT GELATO!

Ice cream is a natural, delectable part of Roman life, and the city is dotted with superb gelaterie artigianale (makers of handmade gelato). If going off-guidebook, a handy tip is to look at the pistachio flavour. Pale olive equals good; bright green is bad. When it gets really hot, from around June to August, every Roman’s favourite cooling pursuit is to eat grattachecca (crushed ice drowned in fruit syrup) by the river. There are several riverside stands around Rome’s central bridges.

Here’s our road-tested guide to the best gelatarie in the city:

» San Crispino Offline map Google map ( 06 679 39 24) Via della Panetteria Offline map ( Via della Panetteria 42; noon-12.30am Mon, Wed, Thu & Sun, noon-1.30am Fri & Sat); Piazza della Maddalena Offline map ( Piazza della Maddalena 3; noon-12.30am Mon, Wed, Thu & Sun, noon-1.30am Fri & Sat) This is possibly the world’s best gelato. What! You want a cone? The delicate, strictly natural and seasonal flavours are served only in tubs (cones would detract from the taste).

» Alberto Pica Offline map Google map ( 06 686 84 05; Via della Seggiola 12; 8.30am-2am Mon-Sat year-round, 4pm-2am Sun, closed 2 weeks Aug) The original Mr Pica worked for Giolitti, and this historical Roman gelateria has been open since 1960. In summer, it offers flavours such as fragolini de bosco (wild strawberry) and petali di rosa (rose petal), but rice flavours are specialities whatever the season.

» Fior di Luna Offline map Google map ( 06 6456 1314; Via della Lungaretta 96; noon-1am) A small artisanal ice creamery, it only uses fresh, seasonal ingredients, and is the ideal place to stop when you’re wandering around Rome’s prettiest district after dinner.

» Gelateria Giolitti Offline map Google map ( 06 699 12 43; Via degli Uffici del Vicario 40; 7am-2am) This started as a dairy in 1900 and still keeps the hordes happy with succulent sorbets and creamy chocolates. Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn swung by in Roman Holiday and it used to deliver marron glacé to Pope John Paul II.

» Ara Coeli Offline map Google map ( 06 679 50 85; Piazza d’Aracoeli 9; 11am-11pm) Close to the base of the Campidoglio, Ara Coeli is handily located and offers more than 40 flavours of excellent organic ice cream, semicold varieties, Sicilian granita and yoghurt.

» Old Bridge Offline map Google map ( 06 3972 3026; Viale dei Bastioni di Michelangelo 5; 9am-2am) Conveniently set near the wall of the Vatican, this tiny parlour has been cheerfully dishing up generous portions of homemade ice cream for over 20 years. Try the chocolate or pistachio, and, go on, have a dollop of cream on top.

TERMINI, ESQUILINO & SAN LORENZO

L’Asino d’Oro MODERN ITALIAN €€

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( 06 4891 3832; Via del Boschetto 73; meals €40) This fabulous restaurant has been transplanted from Orvieto and its Umbrian origins resonate in Lucio Sforza’s delicious cooking. It’s unfussy yet innovative, with dishes featuring lots of flavourful contrasts, such as slow-roasted rabbit in a rich berry sauce and desserts that linger in the memory. For such excellent food, this intimate, informal yet classy place is one of Rome’s best deals, especially for the set lunch.

Panella l’Arte del Pane FAST FOOD €

( 06 487 24 35; Via Merulana 54; 8am-11pm Mon-Thu, to midnight Fri & Sat, 8.30am-4pm Sun) With a sumptuous array of pizza al taglio, supplì (fried rice balls), focaccia, and fried croquettes, this is a sublime fast lunch stop, where you can sip a glass of chilled prosecco (type of sparking wine) while eying up gastronomic souvenirs from the deli.

Roscioli FAST FOOD €

(Via Buonarroti 48; pizzas €2-3; 7am-8.15pm Mon-Sat) This off-the-track branch of this splendid deli-bakery-pizzeria, in a road leading off Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, has delish pizza al taglio , pasta dishes and so on that make it ideal for a swift lunch or picnic stock-up.

Agata e Romeo MODERN ITALIAN €€€

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( 06 446 61 15; Via Carlo Alberto 45; meals €120; Mon-Fri) This elegant, restrained place was one of Rome’s gastronomic pioneers, and still holds its own as one of the city’s most gourmet takes on Roman cuisine. Chef Agata Parisella designs and cooks menus, offering creative uses of Roman traditions, while husband Romeo curates the wine cellar and daughter Maria Antonietta chooses the cheeses. Bookings essential.

Da Danilo TRATTORIA €€

( 06 482 5176; Via Petrarca 13; meals €50; Tue-Sat lunch, Mon-Sat dinner) On a street leading off Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, Da Danilo is ideal if you’re looking for a fine robust meal a short walk from Termini. A classic neighbourhood place, it offers icons of Roman cooking in a rustic, eternal-Roman-trattoria atmosphere. Good for digging into a dish of cacio e pepe or carbonara , which are reliable favourites.

La Carbonara TRATTORIA €€

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( 06 482 5176; Via Panisperna 214; meals €35; Mon-Sat) On the go since 1906, this busy restaurant was favoured by the infamous Ragazzi di Panisperna, a group of young physicists, including Enrico Fermi, who constructed the first atomic bomb. The waiters are brusque, it crackles with energy and the interior is covered in graffiti – tradition dictates that diners should leave their mark in a message on the wall. The speciality is the eponymous carbonara .

Formula 1 PIZZERIA €

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( 06 445 38 66; Via degli Equi 13; pizzas from €6; 6.30pm-1.30am Mon-Sat) As adrenalin-fuelled as its name, at this basic, historical San Lorenzo pizzeria, waiters zoom around under whirring fans delivering tomato-loaded bruschetta, fried zucchini flowers, supplì al telefono and bubbling thin-crust pizza to eternal crowds of feasting students.

Tram Tram TRATTORIA €€

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( 06 49 04 16; Via dei Reti 44; meals €45; Tue-Sun) This trendy, yet old-style, lace-curtained trattoria takes its name from the trams that rattle past outside. It offers tasty traditional dishes, such as involtini di pesce spada con patate (rolls of swordfish with potato). Book ahead.

Indian Fast Food INDIAN €

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( 06 446 07 92; Via Mamiani 11; curries €5.50-7.50; 11am-10.30pm) Basic, formica tables, Hindi hits, neon lights, chapatti and naan, lip-smacking samosas and bhajis, and a choice of main curry dishes: you could almost imagine yourself in India in this authentic joint.

Trimani Wine Bar WINE BAR €€

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( 06 446 96 30; Via Cernaia 37b; meals €40; Mon-Sat, closed 2 weeks Aug) This is a top-of-the-range wine bar, with a delectable range of dishes – from oysters to lentil soup to salami and cheeses served with mustard and jam – plus a choice of over 4500 international wines (be steered by the seriously knowledgeable waiters), and delicious bread and olive oil.

Da Ricci PIZZERIA €

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( 06 488 11 07; Via Genova 32; pizzas €8; 7pm-midnight Tue-Sun) In a tranquil, cobbled cul-de-sac a step away from smoggy Via Nazionale, Rome’s oldest pizzeria started life as an enoteca in 1905, and its wood-panelled interior feels like it hasn’t changed much since. The sign says Est! Est!! Est!!! – Da Ricci’s other name – named after its white wine from the north of Lazio. Pizzas are thick-based Neapolitan-style (though you can get thin-based if you like), and work best with lots of toppings.

CELIO HILL & LATERAN

Il Bocconcino TRATTORIA €€

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( 06 770 791 75; www.ilbocconcino.com; Via Ostilia 23; meals €30-35; Thu-Tue, closed Aug) Visited the Colosseum and need lunch in a local trattoria? Try ‘the little mouthful’ in the area heading up towards San Giovanni. A cut above many of the eateries in this touristy neighbourhood, it serves excellent pasta and imaginative meat and fish mains such as rombo in impanatura di agrumi (turbot with citrus fruit coating).

AVENTINO & TESTACCIO

Da Felice TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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( 06 574 68 00; Via Mastro Giorgio 29; meals €40; Mon-Sat) Locals and foodies swear by this Testaccio institution, famous for its classic Roman cuisine. The decor might be post-industrial chic – exposed-brick walls, chequered marble floor, hanging lamps – but the menu is stolidly traditional. Highlights include glorious tonnarelli cacio e pepe (square-shaped pasta with pecorino Romano cheese and black pepper) and wonderful roast lamb.

Trattoria da Bucatino TRATTORIA €€

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( 06 574 68 86; Via Luca della Robbia 84; meals €30; Tue-Sun) This laid-back neighbourhood trattoria is hugely popular. Ask for a table upstairs (with wood panels, Chianti bottles and a mounted boar’s head) and dig into huge portions of Roman soul food. The bucatini all’amatriciana is a must and meaty secondi (second courses)are also excellent, but do try to save room for a home-cooked dessert.

Pizzeria Remo PIZZERIA €

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( 06 574 62 70; Piazza Santa Maria Liberatrice 44; pizzas from €6; 7pm-1am Mon-Sat) Pizzeria Remo is one of the city’s most popular pizzerias, always full of noisy young Romans. The pizzas are thin Roman classics with toppings loaded onto the crisp, charred base. Place your order by ticking your choices on a sheet of paper slapped down by an overstretched waiter. Expect to queue.

Volpetti Più TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €

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(Via Volta 8; meals under €15; 10.30am-3.30pm & 5.30-9.30pm Mon-Sat) One of the few places in town where you can sit down and eat well for less than €15, Volpetti Più is a sumptuous tavola calda, offering an opulent choice of pizza, pasta, soup, meat, vegetables and fried nibbles.

TRASTEVERE & GIANICOLO

Glass Hosteria CREATIVE ITALIAN €€

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( 06 5833 5903; Vic del Cinque 58; meals €70; dinner Tue-Sun) Trastevere’s foremost foodie address, the Glass Hosteria is a breath of fresh air in the neighbourhood, a modernist-styled, sophisticated setting with cooking to match. Chef Cristina creates inventive, delicate dishes that combine with fresh ingredients and traditional elements to delight and surprise the palate.

Osteria della Gensola TRATTORIA €€

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( 06 581 63 12; Piazza della Gensola 15; meals €50; closed Sun mid-Jun–mid-Sep) Tucked away in Trastevere, this tranquil, classy, yet unpretentious trattoria thrills foodies with delicious food that has a Sicilian slant and emphasis on seafood, including an excellent tuna tartare, linguine with fresh anchovies and divine zuccherini (tiny fish) with fresh mint. The set menu costs €41.

Paris TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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( 06 581 53 78; Piazza San Calisto 7a; meals €45; Tue-Sat, lunch Sun, closed 3 weeks Aug) An old-school Roman restaurant set in a 17th-century building, Paris is a great, traditional and upmarket place to while away an evening, plus the best place outside the Ghetto to sample Roman-Jewish cuisine, such as delicate fritto misto con baccalà (deep-fried vegetables with salt cod) and carciofi alla giudia . There’s a sunshaded terrace.

Da Augusto TRATTORIA €

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( 06 580 37 98; Piazza de’ Renzi 15; meals €25; lunch & dinner Fri-Wed) For a true Trastevere feast, plonk yourself at one of Augusto’s rickety tables and prepare to enjoy some mamma-style cooking. The hard-working waiters dish out hearty platefuls of rigatoni all’amatriciana and stracciatella (clear broth with egg and Parmesan) among a host of Roman classics.

Da Lucia TRATTORIA €

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( 06 580 36 01; Vicolo del Mattonato 2; meals €30; Tue-Sun) Eat beneath the fluttering knickers of the neighbourhood at this terrific trattoria, frequented by hungry locals and tourists, and packed with locals for Sunday lunch. On a cobbled backstreet that is classic Trastevere, it serves up a cavalcade of Roman specialities including trippa all romana (tripe with tomato sauce) and pollo con peperoni (chicken with peppers), as well as bountiful antipasti and possibly Rome’s best tiramisu. Cash only.

Le Mani in Pasta RESTAURANT €€€

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( 06 581 60 17; Via dei Genovesi 37; meals €50; Tue-Sun) Popular and lively, this rustic, snug place has arched ceilings and an open kitchen that serves up delicious fresh pasta dishes such as fettucine con ricotta e pancetta . The grilled meats are great, too.

Da Enzo TRATTORIA €€

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( 06 581 83 55; Via dei Vascellari 29; meals €25; Mon-Sat) This snug dining room with rough yellow walls and lots of character serves up great, seasonally based Roman meals, such as spaghetti with clams and mussels or grilled lamb cutlets. There’s a tiny terrace on the quintessential Trastevere cobbled street.

Sisini FAST FOOD €

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(Via di San Francesco a Ripa 137; pizza slices & pastas from €2; 9am-10.30pm Mon-Sat, closed Aug) Locals love this fast food joint (the sign outside says ‘Supplì’), serving up fresh pizza al taglio and different pasta and risotto dishes served in plastic boxes – there’s one small table where you can eat standing up, or you can take away. It’s also worth sampling the supplì and roast chicken.

Forno la Renella PIZZA BY SLICE €

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( 06 581 72 65; Via del Moro 15-16; 9am-9pm) The wood-fired ovens at this historical Trastevere bakery have been going for decades, producing a delicious daily batch of pizza, bread and biscuits. Piled-high toppings (and fillings) vary seasonally. It’s popular with everyone from skinheads with big dogs to elderly ladies with little dogs.

Panattoni PIZZERIA €

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( 06 580 09 19; Viale di Trastevere 53; pizzas €6.50-9; 6.30pm-1am Thu-Tue) Panattoni is nicknamed l’obitorio (the morgue) because of its marble-slab tabletops, but thankfully the similarity stops there. This is one of Trastevere’s liveliest pizzerias, with paper-thin pizzas, a clattering buzz, testy waiters, streetside seating and fine fried starters (specialities are supplì and baccalá ).

Beer & Fud PIZZERIA €

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( 06 589 40 16; Via Benedetta 23; meals €25; 6.30pm-1am Tue-Sun, closed Aug) This buzzing, vaulted pizzeria wins plaudits for its small menu of organic pizzas, crostini and delicious fried things (potato, pumpkin etc) and has a microbrewery on site. Save room for dessert. Book ahead.

VATICAN CITY, BORGO & PRATI

Gelarmony GELATERIA €

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( Via Marcantonio Colonna 34; ice creams from €1.50; 10am-late) Once you’ve had a pyramid-sized arancino (deep-fried rice ball) at Mondo Arancina, head next door to this superb gelateria for dessert. Alongside delicious ice cream, there’s a devilish selection of creamy Sicilian sweets, including the best cannoli (pastry tubes filled with sweetened ricotta and chocolate pieces) this side of Palermo.

Mondo Arancina SICILIAN €

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(Via Marcantonio Colonna 38; arancine from €2) All sunny yellow ceramics, cheerful crowds and tantalising deep-fried snacks, this bustling takeaway brings a little corner of Sicily to Rome. Star of the show is the classic fist-sized arancino, a fried rice ball stuffed with ragù and peas. Pay first at the till and then take your receipt to the food counter.

Pizzarium PIZZA BY SLICE €

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(Via della Meloria 43; pizza slices €2-3) It’s worth searching out this unassuming takeaway near the Cipro-Musei Vaticani metro stop for superb fried snacks and pizza a taglio . Pizza toppings are original and intensely flavoursome and the pizza base manages to be both fluffy and crisp. Eat standing up, and wash it down with a chilled beer.

Angeli a Borgo TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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( 06 686 96 74; www.angeliaborgo.com; Borgo Angelico 28; pizzas from €5.50, meals €25-30) It is possible to escape the crowds and eat well near St Peter’s. Just a few blocks back from the basilica, this is a laid-back restaurant-pizzeria with a high brick ceiling, yellow walls and an ample menu. There are wood-fired pizzas and focaccia, abundant pasta and interesting main courses. If all else fails, the tiramisu is exceptional.

Hostaria Dino e Tony TRATTORIA €€

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( 06 3973 3284; Via Leone IV; meals €30-35; Mon-Sat) Something of a rarity, Dino e Tony is an authentic trattoria in the Vatican area. Kick off with the monumental antipasto, a minor meal in its own right, before plunging into its signature dish, rigatoni all’amatriciana . Finish up with a granita di caffè, a crushed ice coffee served with a full inch of whipped cream. No credit cards.

Cacio e Pepe TRATTORIA €

( 06 321 72 68; Via Avezzana 11; meals €25; closed Sat dinner & Sun) North of Lepanto metro station, this humble trattoria is as authentic as it gets. Romans flock here in droves, squeezing into the stamp-sized interior or hunkering down at the gingham-clad pavement tables, for simple, no-nonsense home cooking. Keep it simple with the signature dish, cacio e pepe – fresh bucatini slicked with buttery cheese and pepper – followed by pollo alla cacciatora (hunter’s chicken).

Settembrini Café MODERN ITALIAN €

(Via Settembrini 25; meals €15) A favourite lunchtime haunt of media execs from the nearby RAI TV offices, this trendy cafe near Piazza Mazzini does a roaring trade in tasty bar snacks and fresh pasta. Next door, the main restaurant ( 06 323 26 17; Via Settembrini 25; meals €60; closed Sat lunch & Sun) is highly regarded by Roman foodies for its modern cuisine and exemplary wine list.

Osteria dell’Angelo TRATTORIA €€

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( 06 372 94 70; Via Bettolo 24; set menus €25 & €30; closed Mon & Sat lunch & all day Sun) Former rugby player Angelo presides over this, his hugely popular neighbourhood trattoria (reservations are a must). The set menu features a mixed antipasti, a robust Roman-style pasta and a choice of hearty mains with a side dish. To finish, you’re offered lightly spiced biscuits to dunk in sweet dessert wine.

Dal Toscano TUSCAN €€

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( 06 3972 5717; www.ristorantedaltoscano.it; Via Germanico 58-60; meals €40; Tue-Sun) Carnivores will adore Dal Toscano, an old-fashioned ristorante that serves top-notch Tuscan food, with an emphasis on superb meat. Start with the hand-cut Tuscan prosciutto, then try the colossal char-grilled bistecca alla fiorentina (T-bone steak). You’ll need to book.

Ristorante l’Arcangelo MODERN ITALIAN €€

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( 06 321 09 92; Via Belli 59-61; meals €60; closed lunch Sat & Sun) Frequented by politicians and local celebs, this upmarket restaurant serves traditional Roman staples alongside more innovative creations – think tripe with mint and pecorino (sheep’s-milk cheese) or spicy pigeon with apples and mustard.

Pizzeria Amalfi PIZZERIA €

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( 06 3973 3165; Via dei Gracchi 12; pizzas from €6) While Roman pizzas are thin and crispy, Neapolitan pizzas are thicker and more doughy. And that’s what you get at this bustling Naples-themed pizzeria just off the main road from Ottavian metro stop to St Peter’s.

Dolce Maniera BAKERY €

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(Via Barletta 27; 24hr) This 24-hour basement bakery supplies much of the neighbourhood with breakfast. Head here for cheap-as-chips cornetti (croissants), slabs of pizza, panini and an indulgent array of cakes.

VILLA BORGHESE & NORTHERN ROME

Bar Pompi PASTRIES & CAKES €

(Via Cassia 8; tiramisu €3; Tue-Sun) Just behind happening Piazzale Ponte Milvio on the northern side of the Tiber, this small bar is famous for its tiramisu. And rightly so – it’s fabulous. It comes in four forms: classic, strawberry, pistachio, and banana and nutella. And after much painstaking research, the prize goes to the pistachio.

SELF-CATERING

For fresh fruit and vegetables, there are many outdoor markets, open from 7.30am to 1pm Monday to Saturday:

Campo de’ Fiori Offline map Google map In the Centro Storico.

Piazza San Cosimato Market Offline map Google map In Trastevere.

Piazza Testaccio Market Offline map Google map In Testaccio.

Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II Market Near Stazione Termini.

Via del Lavatore Market Offline map Google map Near Trevi Fountain.

You can also stock up at the small supermarkets dotted around town.

Conad Offline map Google map (Stazione Termini) At the train station.

DeSpar Offline map Google map Via Nazionale (Via Nazionale 212-213); Via Giustiniani Offline map ( Via Giustiniani 18b-21) Near Palazzo Barberini and the Pantheon, respectively.

Di per Di Offline map Google map ( Via Vittoria) Near the Spanish Steps.

Sir Offline map Google map ( Piazza dell’Indipendenza 28) Near Museo Nazionale Romano: Palazzo Massimo alle Terme.

Todis Offline map Google map (Via Natale del Grande 24) Near Basilica di Santa Maria Trastevere.

Drinking

Bars and cafes are an essential part of Roman life. Most Romans breakfast in a cafe (a slurp of a cappuccino and a sugary bun) and pop back at least once for a pick-me-up espresso later in the afternoon. For drinks other than coffee, there are traditional enoteche, a few pubs (trendy by virtue of their novelty), some super-sleek designer bars and some alternative counter-culture hang-outs. A growing trend in Rome is the microbrewery, with artisanal beers becoming increasingly popular as brewing takes off across Italy.

Much of the action is in the centro storico . Campo de’ Fiori is popular with a younger crowd – and it is fun, though can be a bit rowdy and trashy. For a more upmarket scene, check out the bars in the alleyways around Piazza Navona. Trastevere is another bar-filled area where locals and tourists mingle merrily. San Lorenzo is the student area and is another great place to bar-crawl. Dotted with bars and clubs, it’s packed, grungy, a little more crazy than the centre, and offers cheaper drinks. Pigneto is the other fashionable, artsy nightlife zone, and a great place to bar-hop on a summer’s night.

Recent clampdowns on taking drinks outside licensed premises have cooled the city-centre scene somewhat.

APERITIVO, ANYONE?

Young Romans love the aperitivo (happy hour). A fashion that started in Milan, it sees bars offering a snack buffet from around 6pm to 9pm – usually with a special charge for a drink and food of around €7 to €10. If the buffet is lavish enough, sometimes the city’s bright young things can skip dinner altogether. Great places to drink up and chow down include Freni e Frizoni ( Click here ), Femme ( ) and Il Pentagrappolo ( Click here ).

ANCIENT ROME

Cavour 313 WINE BAR €

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( 06 678 54 96; www.cavour313.it; Via Cavour 313; dishes €7-14; 10am-3.30pm & 7pm-midnight, closed Aug) Close to the Colosseum and Forum, wood-panelled, intimate wine bar Cavour 313 attracts everyone from actors and politicians to tourists. Sink into its pub-like cosiness and while away hours over sensational wine (over 1200 labels), cold cuts, cheeses and daily specials.

Caffè Capitolino CAFE

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(Capitoline Museums, Piazzale Caffarelli 4; Tue-Sun) Hidden behind the Capitoline Museums, this stylish rooftop cafe commands memorable views. It’s a good place to take a museum time-out and relax with a drink or snack ( panini, salads and pizza), although you don’t need a ticket to drink here – it’s accessible via an entrance behind Palazzo dei Conservatori.

0,75 BAR

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(www.075roma.com; Via dei Cerchi 65; 11am-2am) A funky bar on the Circo Massimi, it’s good for a lingering drink, weekend brunch (11am to 3pm), aperitivo or a light lunch. It’s a friendly place with a laid-back vibe, an extensive wine list, a cool exposed-brick look and mellow tunes. Free wi-fi.

CENTRO STORICO

Caffè Sant’Eustachio CAFE

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(Piazza Sant’Eustachio 82; 8.30-1am Sun-Thu, to 1.30am Fri, to 2am Sat) This small unassuming cafe, generally three-deep at the bar, serves Rome’s best coffee. The famous gran caffè is created by beating the first drops of espresso and several teaspoons of sugar into a frothy paste, then adding the rest of the coffee on top. It’s superbly smooth and guaranteed to put some zing into your sightseeing. Specify if you want it amaro (bitter) or poco zucchero (with a little sugar).

Etablì BAR

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( 06 9761 6694; www.etabli.it; Vicolo delle Vacche 9a; bar 6pm-2am Tue-Sun, restaurant 7.30pm-midnight) Etablì is a fab rustic-chic bar-cum-restaurant where Roman lovelies float in to have a drink, read the paper, indulge in aperitivo and use the wi-fi. It’s laid-back and good-looking, with an eclectic soundtrack and original French country decor. Restaurant meals average about €35.

Open Baladin BAR

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(www.openbaladin.com; Via degli Specchi 6; 12.30pm-2am) A designer beer bar near Campo de’ Fiori, Open Baladin is leading the way in Rome’s recent discovery of all things beery. It’s a slick, stylish place with more than 40 brews on tap and up to 100 bottled beers, mainly produced by Italian artisanal breweries. There’s also a food menu with panini, burgers and daily specials.

Salotto 42 BAR

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(www.salotto42.it; Piazza di Pietra 42; 10am-2am Tue-Sat, to midnight Sun & Mon) On a picturesque piazza, facing the columns of the Temple of Hadrian, this is a hip, glamorous lounge bar, complete with vintage armchairs, sleek sofas and a collection of two-tonne design books. Run by an Italian-Swedish couple, it has an excellent aperitivo spread and serves a Sunday brunch (€15).

Barnum Cafe CAFE

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(www.barnumcafe.com; Via del Pellegrino 87; 9.30am-midnight) This is a relaxed spot to check your email over a freshly squeezed orange juice (€3) or while away an hour reading a newspaper on one of the tatty old armchairs dotted around the white-brick interior. Light lunches are served and aperitivo hour starts at 7.30pm.

Chiostro del Bramante Caffè CAFE

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( www.chiostrodelbramante.it; Via della Pace; 10am-11pm) This is a well-kept secret: a footfall from Piazza Navona, you can have a drink, a snack or a light lunch (€10), all the while making use of the free wi-fi in the peaceful Renaissance splendour of Bramante’s cloister. Aperitivo from 7pm.

Caffè Tazza d’Oro CAFE

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(Via degli Orfani 84; Mon-Sat) A busy, stand-up bar, it has burnished fittings and some of the capital’s best coffee. Its espresso hits the mark perfectly and there’s a range of delicious coffee concoctions, such as granita di caffè and parfait di caffè, a €3 coffee mousse.

Circus BAR

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(Via della Vetrina 15; 10am-2am Tue-Sun) A great little cafe-bar, tucked around the corner from Piazza Navona, this is a funky, informal place to lounge and chat, with DJs on Fridays, art exhibitions and lots of books to browse through. Free wi-fi.

Femme BAR

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(Via del Pellegrino 14; 6pm-2am Tue-Sun) Entering this bar, with its funky sounds and modernist look, is like wandering into a Calvin Klein advert, with ubercool stunners everywhere you look. The cocktails are the business and the splendid aperitivo is almost worth losing one’s cool over.

Caffè Farnese CAFE

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(Via dei Baullari 106) We’re with Goethe, who thought Piazza Farnese one of the world’s most beautiful squares. Judge for yourself from the vantage point of this unassuming cafe. On a street between Campo de’ Fiori and Piazza Farnese, it’s ideally placed for whiling away the early afternoon hours. Try the caffè alla casa (house coffee) – made to a secret recipe.

II Goccetto WINE BAR

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( Via dei Banchi Vecchi 14; 11.30am-2pm & 6.30pm-midnight Mon-Sat) Join the cast of regulars at this old-style vino e olio shop for delicious wine by the glass, accompanied by a tasty assortment of snacks (cheeses, salamis, crostini etc) and large helpings of neighbourhood banter.

Bar della Pace CAFE

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(Via della Pace 5; 9am-3am Tue-Sun, 4pm-3am Mon) The quintessential dolce vita cafe, inside it’s gilded baroque and mismatched wooden tables; outside locals and tourists strike poses over their Campari against a backdrop of ivy. The perfect -watching spot.

Vineria Reggio WINE BAR

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(Campo de’ Fiori 15; 8.30am-2.30am) The pick of the bars and cafes on Campo de’ Fiori, this has a small, bottle-lined, cosy interior and outside tables. Busy from lunchtime onwards, it attracts tourists and fighi (cool) Romans like bees to a honeypot. Wine by the glass from €4.

TRIDENTE, TREVI & THE QUIRINALE

Salotto BAR

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( Via della Penna 22; noon-3am) Sister to city-centre venue Salotto 42 and summer-only Salotto Gianicolo, this attracts a similar mix of fashionistas and stylish Romans. As part of the art deco Hotel Locarno, it has a lovely Agatha Christie–era feel, and a greenery-shaded outdoor terrace in summer. Cocktails cost a chichi €16, proving that you do have to suffer for beauty.

Stravinkskij Bar – Hotel de Russie BAR

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( 06 328 88 70; Via del Babuino 9) Can’t afford to stay at Picasso’s old haunt the Hotel de Russie? Then splash out on a drink in its enchanting bar, set in the courtyard with sunshaded tables overlooked by terraced gardens. It’s impossibly romantic in the best kind of 19th-century-traveller, dolce vita way.

L’Antica Enoteca WINE BAR

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( 06 679 08 96; Via della Croce 76; meals €35; 11am-1am) Locals and tourists alike prop up the 19th-century wooden bar (or nab an outside table or one in the back room) to sample wines by the glass, snack on antipasti and order well-priced soul food such as pasta or polenta.

Caffè Greco CAFE

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( 06 679 17 00; Via dei Condotti 86; 9am-8pm) Keats and Casanova were among the early regulars at this historical gilt-and-velvet-lined cafe. It opened in 1760 and although still going strong, it’s of more interest for its history than anything it serves. To sample the bygone atmosphere, do as the locals do and take a coffee at the bar.

TERMINI, ESQUILINO & SAN LORENZO

Ai Tre Scalini WINE BAR

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( 06 4890 7495; Via Panisperna 251; noon-1am & 6pm-1am) ‘The Three Steps’ is always packed, with crowds (mostly local, with a smattering of tourists) spilling out onto the street. As well as a tasty choice of wines, it sells the damn fine Menabrea beer, brewed in northern Italy. You can also tuck into a heart-warming array of cheeses, salami and dishes such as porchetta di Ariccia con patate al forno (roasted Ariccia pork with roast potatoes).

Solea Club BAR

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( 328 9252925; Via dei Latini 51; 9pm-2am) With lots of vintage sofas, chairs, and cushions on the floor, this has the look of a chill-out room in a decadent baroque mansion. It’s full of San Lorenzo hipsters lounging all over the floor, drinking the so-mean-they-snarl mojitos. Fun.

Bar Zest at the Radisson BAR

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( 06 44 48 41; Via Filippo Turati 171; 10.30am-1am) The Radisson hotel is not ideally located as a base, but to pop by for a cocktail (€16) at the 7th-floor bar is another matter. Waiters are cute, chairs are by Jasper Morrison, views are through plate-glass, and there’s a sexy rooftop pool.

Fiddler’s Elbow PUB

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( 06 487 21 10; Via dell’Olmata 43; 5pm-2am) Near the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, the granddaddy of Rome’s Irish pubs sticks to the formula that has served it well over the last 25 years: Guinness, darts, crisps, football and rugby, attracting a mix of Romans, expats and tourists.

CELIO HILL & LATERAN

Il Pentagrappolo WINE BAR

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(Via Celimontana 21b; noon-3pm & 6pm-1am Tue-Sun) A few blocks from the Colosseum, these attractive star-vaulted rooms offer 250 labels to choose from and about 15 wines by the glass. There’s live jazz or soul on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and a daily aperitivo (6pm to 8.30pm).

TRASTEVERE & GIANICOLO

Bar San Calisto BAR

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( 06 589 56 78; Piazza San Calisto 3-5; 6-2am Mon-Sat) Those in the know head to the down-at-heel ‘Sanca’ for its basic, stuck-in-time atmosphere and cheap prices (a beer costs €1.50). It attracts everyone from drug dealers, intellectuals and pseudo-intellectuals to keeping-it-real Romans, alcoholics and American students. It’s famous for its chocolate – drunk hot with cream in winter, eaten as ice cream in summer. Try the Sambuca con la Mosca (‘with flies’ – raw coffee beans).

Ma Che Siete Venuti a Fà PUB

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(Via Benedetta 25; 3pm-2am) Also known as the Football Pub, the name means ‘What did you come here for?’ (it’s a football chant), but the answer, rather than anything to do with the beautiful game, could be atmosphere and beer. It’s a pint-sized place, but packs a huge number of artisanal beers into its interior, with delicious caramel-like tipples such as Italiano Bibock (by Birrificio Italiano).

Freni e Frizioni BAR

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( 06 5833 4210; Via del Politeama 4-6; 6.30pm-2am) All the young dudes’ favourite cool Trastevere bar was a garage in a former life, hence its name (‘brakes and clutches’). The arty crowd flocks here to slurp well-priced drinks (especially mojitos), feast on the good-value aperitivo and spill into the piazza out the front.

Ombre Rosse BAR

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( 06 588 41 55; Piazza Sant’Egidio 12; 8am-2am Mon-Sat, 11am-2am Sun) This is another seminal Trastevere hang-out; grab a table on the terrace and watch the world go by. The cosmopolitan clientele ranges from elderly Italian wide boys to chic city slickers. Tunes are slinky and there’s live music (jazz, blues and world) on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Sunday lunchtimes from October to May.

VATICAN CITY, BORGO & PRATI

Art Studio Café CAFE

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( www.artstudiocafe.it; Via dei Gracchi 187a) A cafe, exhibition space and craft school all in one, this bright and breezy spot serves one of Prati’s most popular aperitivi . It’s also good for a light lunch, something like chicken couscous or fresh salad, or a restorative mid-afternoon tea.

Passaguai WINE BAR

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(www.passaguai.it; Via Leto 1; 10am-2am Mon-Sat) A cavelike basement wine bar, Passaguai has a few outdoor tables and feels pleasingly off the beaten track. There’s a good wine list and range of artisanal beers, and the food – such as cheeses and cold cuts – is tasty, too. Free wi-fi.

Entertainment

Entertainment in Rome can be simply parking yourself at a streetside table and watching the world go by. But there’s a substantial cultural scene here too, particularly in summer when the Estate Romana (Roman Summer) festival sponsors hundreds of theatre, cinema, opera and music events. Many performances take place in parks, gardens and church courtyards, with classical ruins and Renaissance villas providing atmospheric backdrops. Autumn is also full of cultural activity, with specialised festivals dedicated to dance, drama and jazz.

Romac’è (www.romace.it, in Italian; €1) is Rome’s most comprehensive listings guide, and comes complete with a small English-language section; it’s published every Wednesday. Another useful guide is Trova Roma, which comes as a free insert with La Repubblica every Thursday. The English-language magazine Wanted in Rome (www.wantedinrome.com; €1) also contains listings of festivals, exhibitions, dance shows, classical music events, operas and cinema releases. It’s published every second Wednesday. Useful websites include www.romaturismo.it and www.comune.roma.it.

Classical Music

An abundance of spectacular settings makes Rome a superb place to catch a classical music concert. The city’s cultural and musical hub is the Auditorium Parco della Musica, but free concerts are often held in churches, especially at Easter and around Christmas and New Year. Seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis and the programs are generally excellent. Check newspapers and listings for programs.

Auditorium Parco della Musica CULTURAL CENTRE

Offline map ( 06 8024 1281; www.auditorium.com; Viale Pietro de Coubertin 30) Rome’s premier concert venue, and one of Europe’s most popular arts centres, this state-of-the-art modernist complex combines architectural innovation with perfect acoustics. Designed by Renzo Piano, its three concert halls and 3000-seater open-air arena stage everything from classical music concerts to tango exhibitions, book readings and film screenings. The auditorium is also home to Rome’s top orchestra, the world-class Orchestra dell’ Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (www.santacecilia.it). To get to the auditorium, take tram 2 from Piazzale Flaminio or bus M from Stazione Termini, which departs every 15 minutes between 5pm and the end of the last performance.

Teatro Olimpico THEATRE

Offline map ( 06 326 59 91; www.teatroolimpico.it, in Italian; Piazza Gentile da Fabriano 17) This is home to the Accademia Filarmonica Romana (www.filarmonicaromana.org, in Italian), one of Rome’s most important classical music organisations. The theatre’s program features everything from classical soloists to opera performances, multimedia events and regular ballet.

Opera

Rome’s indoor opera season runs from December to June, then moves outside in summer, to the spectacular setting of the Terme di Caracalla.

Teatro dell’Opera di Roma OPERA

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( 06 4807 8400; www.operaroma.it; Piazza Beniamino Gigli; box office 9am-5pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1.30pm Sun) After seeing the functional and Fascist-era exterior, the interior of Rome’s premier opera house – all plush red and gilt – is a stunning surprise. This has an impressive history: it premiered Puccini’s Tosca, and Maria Callas sang here. Built in 1880, it was given a Fascist makeover in the 1920s. Contemporary productions don’t always match the splendour of the setting, but you may get lucky. Tickets for the ballet cost anywhere between €12 and €80; for the opera you’ll be forking out between €23 and €150.

SUMMER NIGHTS IN ROME

From mid-June to mid-September, most of the city’s clubs and music joints close, with some moving to Fregene or Ostia for a summer’s dancing on the sand. However, the Estate Romana supplies ample after-dark entertainment. It’s a huge umbrella festival encompassing concerts, exhibitions, theatre, open-air cinema and temporary markets and bars, and includes the Lungo il Tevere festival (www.lungoiltevereroma.com) with events and stalls around Isola Tiberina, check www.estateromana.comune.roma.it for listings. Some guaranteed events include Fiesta Club (www.fiesta.it) , a Latin American dance feast in a 7000-sq-metre venue close to Via Appia Nuova, beyond Cinecittà, and the Villa Celimontana Jazz Festival (www.villacelimontanajazz.com), with jazz and blues under the stars in the Celio.

Nightclubs

Rome is no nightlife nirvana, though there’s plenty of late-night fun to be had if you seek it out. An evening out here starts late and goes on till early morning, with a good night finishing with a cappuccino and cornetto in one of the many early-opening cafes. Concerts are typically listed for 10pm, but don’t kick off till around 11pm, and clubs usually don’t warm up until well after 1am.

Some of the more popular clubs can be tricky to get into: men will often find themselves turned away. Drinks can also be expensive and of indifferent quality, whether mojito or beer; €10 per drink is usual, but many places charge €15. Ostiense, the post-industrial area spreading south of Piramide, is where serious clubbers head. It has an eclectic range of warehouse venues catering to tastes from tango to electrobeat.

Alternatively, get down to Testaccio at midnight and saunter to the end of Via Galvani – you’ll find more clubs than at a Captain Caveman fancy-dress ball. Some of these are loud, boozy meat markets, but there’s an undeniable buzz about it all, and there are a few havens of hip serving up cutting-edge tunes.

Circolo degli Artisti LIVE MUSIC

( 06 7030 5684; www.circoloartisti.it; Via Casilina Vecchia 42; 7pm-2am Tue-Thu, to 4.30am Fri-Sun) One of Rome’s nightlife venues that hits the spot, Circolo is the place for alternative music gigs. Friday night cracks open the electronica and house for gay night – Omogenic – and Saturday sees the fun-packed Screamadelica (punk-funk, ska and new wave), usually also featuring a live band. There’s even a cool garden bar and admission is either free or a snip.

Goa NIGHTCLUB

( 06 574 82 77; Via Libetta 13; 11pm-4.30am Tue-Sun Oct-May) Goa is Rome’s serious super-club, with international names (recent guests include 2ManyDJs), a fashion-forward crowd, podium dancers and heavies on the door. The night to head here, though, is Thursday, when top Italian DJ Claudio Coccoluto showcases the best of Europe’s electronic music DJs. Lesbian night, Venus Rising (www.venusrising.it), hits Goa on the last Sunday of the month.

Micca Club LIVE MUSIC

( 06 8744 0079; www.miccaclub.com; Via Pietra Micca 7a; 10pm-2am Mon, Tue & Thu, 10pm-4am Fri & Sat, 6pm-1am Sun Sep-Apr, Fri & Sat only May) At eclectic Micca, pop art and jelly-bright lighting fills ancient arched cellars. The program features everything from burlesque and the Italian Torture Garden to glam rock and swing, with loads of live gigs. There’s an admission fee if a gig’s on and at the weekend. Register online for discounts.

Villaggio Globale LIVE MUSIC

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(www.ecn.org/villaggioglobale/joomla; Lungotevere Testaccio 1) For a warehouse-party vibe, head to Rome’s best-known centro sociale (social centre), housed in the city’s graffiti-sprayed ex-slaughterhouse. Entrance is usually around €5, beer is cheap, and the music focuses on dancehall, reggae, dubstep and drum ’n’ bass.

Alexanderplatz LIVE MUSIC

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( 06 3974 2171; www.alexanderplatz.it; Via Ostia 9; 7am-2pm Sep-Jun) Rome’s top jazz joint attracts international performers and a passionate, knowledgeable crowd. You’ll need to book a table if you want dinner, and the music starts around 10pm. In July and August the club ups sticks and transfers to the grounds of Villa Celimontana.

Conte Staccio NIGHTCLUB

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(www.myspace.com\contestaccio; Via di Monte Testaccio 65b; 8pm-5am) With an under-the-stars terrace and arched interior, Conte Staccio is one of the most popular venues on the Testaccio clubbing strip, serving up a regular menu of DJs and live gigs. Admission is usually free during the week and cocktails are around €8.

Lettere Caffè LIVE MUSIC

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( 06 9727 0991; www.letterecaffe.org; Via di San Francesco a Ripa 100-01; 7pm-2am, closed mid-Aug–mid-Sep) Like books? Poetry? Blues and jazz? Then you’ll love this place – a clutter of barstools and books, where there are regular live gigs, poetry slams, comedy and gay nights, followed by DJ sets playing indie and new wave.

Locanda Atlantide NIGHTCLUB

Offline map ( 06 4470 4540; www.locandatlantide.it; Via dei Lucani 22b; usually 9pm-2am, Oct-Jun) Enter this backstreet, graffiti-covered door to tickle Rome’s grungy underbelly: you’ll descend into a cavernous place decked with retro junk to see poetry, alternative music, experimental theatre and performance art. It’s good to know that punk is not dead.

Rialtosantambrogio CULTURAL CENTRE

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( 06 6813 3640; www.rialto.roma.it; Via di San’Ambrogio 4) In the Ghetto, this ancient courtyard-centred building is Rome’s most central centro sociale , with an art-school vibe. Its edgy program is open to all, with gigs, central Rome’s best club nights, exhibitions and art-house cinema.

Big Mama LIVE MUSIC

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( 06 581 25 51; www.bigmama.it; Vicolo di San Francesco a Ripa 18; annual membership €14; 9pm-1.30am, show 10.30pm Thu-Sat, closed Jun-Sep) To wallow in the Eternal City blues, there’s only one place to go – this cramped Trastevere basement, which also hosts jazz, funk, soul and R&B.

AKAB NIGHTCLUB

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(www.akabcave.com; Via di Monte Testaccio 68-69) This eclectic former workshop has an underground cellar, an upper floor, a garden and a whimsical door policy. On Tuesdays it’s electronica L’Etrika, while it goes hip hop and R&B on Thursday. Expect local live (often cover) bands on Friday, R&B and house on Saturday. Entrance is €15, including a complimentary drink.

Dimmidisí NIGHTCLUB

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( 06 446 18 55; www.dimmidisiroma.it; Via dei Volsci 126b) This intimate, small-scale, white-walled loft of a club is devoted to new music, including jazz, soul, dub, electronica and breakbeat. There are regular DJs and it’s a good place to see live bands.

Rising Love NIGHTCLUB

( 06 8952 0643; www.risinglove.it; Via delle Conce 14; 11pm-4am Tue-Sun Oct-May) For those who like their electro, techno, funky groove and an underground vibe, this white, industrial, arty cultural association will tick all the boxes. Guest DJs as well as local talent get the crowd rocking, and there are regular special nights.

Qube NIGHTCLUB

( 06 438 54 45; www.qubedisco.com; Via di Portonaccio 212; 10.30pm-5.30am Thu-Sat Oct-May) In Rome’s eastern suburbs, the city’s hugest disco offers Radio Rock night on Thursday and the superb gay night Muccassassina (www.muccassassina.com) on Friday, which attracts a mixed crowd. Saturday is Fruit Party, with regular international guest DJs.

Alpheus NIGHTCLUB

( 06 574 78 26; www.alpheus.it, in Italian; Via del Commercio 36; Tue-Sun Oct-May) Alpheus hosts an eclectic array of sounds in its four rooms, including Argentine tango (plus lessons), hard rock and house, with plenty of live gigs. Saturday is the popular ‘Gorgeous, I am’ gay night, with lots of go-go dancers and guest DJs.

La Maison NIGHTCLUB

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(www.lamaisonroma.it; Vicolo dei Granari 3) Join Rome’s glossy see-and-be-seen crowd to flirt and frolic over poppy tunes and commercial house. La Maison is smooth, mainstream and exclusive, yet more fun than you might expect. That is, if you can get past the door-police.

Cinemas

Of Rome’s 80-odd cinemas only a handful show films in the original language (marked VO or versione originale in listings). Expect to pay around €8, with many cinemas offering discounts on Wednesdays.

Warner Village Moderno CINEMA

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( 892 111; Piazza della Repubblica 45) Film premieres are often held at this multiplex, which screens Hollywood blockbusters (both in English and Italian) and major-release Italian films.

Sport

Watching a football game at the impressive 70,000 seater Stadio Olimpico (58; Foro Italico, Viale dei Gladiatori 2) is an unforgettable experience. Throughout the season (September to May) there’s a game most Sundays involving one of the city’s two teams: AS Roma, known as the giallorossi (yellow and reds; www.asroma.it), or Lazio, the biancazzuri (white and blues; www.sslazio.it, in Italian). Ticket prices start at €10 and can be bought at Lottomatica (lottery centres), the stadium, ticket agencies, www.listicket.it or one of the many Roma or Lazio shops around the city. Try the AS Roma Store Offline map Google map (Piazza Colonna 360) or Lazio Point Offline map Google map (Via Farini 34) .

To get to the stadium take metro line A to Ottaviano and then bus 32.

Shopping

Tridente Offline map is where you’ll find all the big designer names. Prada, Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo, Dolce & Gabbana, Missoni, Moschino, Valentino, Emporio Armani and Versace are all dotted on and around the grid of streets stretching south of Piazza di Spagna, with Via Condotti as the area’s beautifully clad backbone.

Vintage shops and smaller designer boutiques dot the wonderful Via del Governo Vecchio Offline map. If you’re looking for antiques or unusual gifts, try Via dei Coronari Offline map or Via dei Banchi Vecchi Offline map. Via Margutta Offline map is lined with upmarket art galleries and antique shops.

Time your visit to coincide with the saldi (sales) and you’ll pick up some great bargains, although you’ll need to be up for some bare-knuckle shopping. Winter sales run from early January to mid-February and summer sales from July to early September.

Armando Rioda ARTISANAL

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(Via Belsiana 90) Looking longingly at the accessory shops of Via Condotti, but can’t afford an exquisitely made big-name handbag? Climb the well-worn stairs to this workshop, choose from a swatch of the softest leathers, and you can shortly be the proud owner of a handmade, designer-style bag, wallet, belt or briefcase. If you have a bag specially made, you’re looking at around €200 to €250.

Confetteria Moriondo & Gariglio SWEETS & PASTRIES

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( Via del Piè di Marmo 21-22) We’re with Roman poet Trilussa, who dedicated several sonnets to this place. It’s no ordinary sweetshop but a bygone temple of bonbons. Rows of handmade chocolates and sweets (more than 80 varieties, many made to historical recipes) lie in ceremonial splendour in old-fashioned glass cabinets.

Bottega di Marmoraro ARTISANAL

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(Via Margutta 53b) This particularly charismatic hole-in-the-wall shop is lined with marble carvings, where you can get marble tablets engraved with any inscription you like (€15). Peer inside at lunchtime and you might see the marmoraro (marble artisan) cooking a pot of tripe for his lunch on the open log fire.

Sermoneta ACCESSORIES

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( 06 679 19 60; Piazza di Spagna 61; 9.30am-8pm Mon-Sat, 10.30am-7pm Sun) Buying leather gloves in Rome is a rite of passage for some, and this is the shop to do it. At Rome’s most famous glove-seller, choose from a kaleidoscopic range of top-quality leather and suede gloves from €29. Expert assistants will size up your hand in a glance. Just don’t expect them to smile.

Luna & L’Altra FASHION

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(Piazza Pasquino 76) One of a number of independent fashion boutiques on and around Via del Governo Vecchio, this reverential gallery-like space stocks clothes and accessories by hip designers Issey Miyake, Dries Van Noten, Rick Owen and Yohji Yamamoto.

Danielle SHOES

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( 06 6792467; Via Frattina 85a) If you’re female and in need of an Italian-made shoe fix, this is an essential stop on your itinerary, for both classic and fashionable styles – including foxy heels, boots and ballet pumps – made in soft leather, in myriad colours and at extremely reasonable prices.

TAD DEPARTMENT STORE

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( 06 3269 5131; Via del Babuino 155a) TAD is a conceptual store that sells an entire lifestyle. Here you can get kitted out in Chloe or Balenciaga, have a haircut, buy scent and flowers, and furnish your apartment with wooden daybeds and perspex dining chairs. Don’t forget to pick up hip soundtracks to your perfect life from the CD rack. The serene Italian-Asian cafe is the perfect ladies-who-lunch pit stop.

Borsalino ACCESSORIES

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( 06 3265 0838; Piazza del Popolo 20; 10am-7.30pm Mon-Sat, 10.30am-7.30pm Sun) Romans really cut a dash in a hat, but don’t fret – you can learn. Borsalino is the Italian hatmaker, favoured by 1920s criminal Al Capone, Japanese Emperor Hirohito and Humphrey Bogart. Think fedoras, pork-pie styles, felt cloches and woven straw caps.

Mario Pelle ARTISANAL

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(Via Vittoria 15; Mon-Fri) Ring the bell at this unassuming doorway and hurry up flights of stairs to a family-run leather workshop that feels like it hasn’t changed for decades. The elderly artisans create belts (€70 to €100), watch straps (€40 to €90), bags, picture frames, travel cases and other such elegant stuff. You can take along a buckle or watch to which you want a belt or strap fitted.

Fausto Santini SHOES

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( 06 678 41 14; Via Frattina 120; 11am-7.30pm Mon, 10am-7.30pm Tue-Sat, 11am-2pm & 3-7pm Sun) Style mavens adore Roman designer Fausto Santini for his simple, architectural shoe designs. Colours are beautiful and the quality impeccable. For bargains, check out the outlet shop, Giacomo Santini Offline map Google map ( Via Cavour 106) , where stock from previous seasons is discounted up to half-price. Both shops sell bags, too.

Ibiz – Artigianato in Cuoio ACCESSORIES

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(Via dei Chiavari 39) In this pint-sized workshop, Elisa Nepi and her father craft exquisite, well-priced leather goods – including wallets, bags, belts and sandals – in simple designs and rainbow colours. With €40 you can pick up a wallet, purse or pair of sandals.

Nardecchia ART

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(Piazza Navona 25) This historical Piazza Navona shop specialises in antique prints, ranging from 18th-century etchings of Rome by Giovanni Battista Piranesi to more-affordable 19th-century prints. Reckon on about €120 for a small framed print.

Feltrinelli BOOKSTORE

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(www.lafeltrinelli.it, in Italian; Largo di Torre Argentina 11; 9am-8pm Mon-Fri, 9am-10pm Sat, 10am-9pm Sun) Italy’s most famous bookseller (and publisher) has shops across the capital. This one has a wide range of books (in Italian) on art, photography, cinema and history, as well as an extensive selection of Italian literature and travel guides in various languages, including English. You’ll also find CDs, DVDs and a range of stationery products.

Officina della Carta ARTISANAL

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( 06 589 55 57; Via Benedetta 26b; 10am-1pm & 3.30-7.30pm Mon-Sat) This tiny workshop produces delicately hand-painted, paper-bound boxes, photo albums, recipe books, notepads, photo frames and diaries, as well as charming marionette theatres.

Ai Monasteri COSMETICS

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(www.monasteri.it; Corso del Rinascimento 72) This apothecary-like shop stocks all-natural cosmetics, sweets, honeys, jams and wines, all made by monks. Stock up on sage toothpaste, rose shampoo, cherry brandy and a mysterious-sounding elixir of love.

Vertecchi ART

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(Via del Croce 70; 3.30am-7.30pm Mon, 10am-7.30pm Tue-Sat) Ideal for last-minute gift buying, this large paperware and art shop has beautiful printed paper, and an amazing choice of notebooks, art stuff and trinkets.

Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella COSMETICS

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(Corso del Rinascimento 47) This historical perfumery was established in Florence by Dominican friars in 1221 and has been concocting seductive scents and unguents ever since. Like Ai Monasteri, it sells all-natural perfumes, cosmetics, herbal infusions, teas and potpourri.

Furla ACCESSORIES

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( 06 6920 0363; Piazza di Spagna 22) Popular local chain Furla offers well-priced, well-made bags, wallets, umbrellas and belts in candy-bright colours. Other branches are dotted all over town.

Porta Portese Flea Market MARKET

(Piazza Porta Portese) To see another side of Rome, head to this mammoth flea market. With thousands of stalls selling everything from rare books and spare bike parts to Peruvian shawls and MP3 players, it’s crazily busy and a lot of fun. Keep your valuables safe and wear your haggling hat.

Scala Quattorodici FASHION

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( 06 588 35 80; Via della Scala 13-14) Make yourself over à la Audrey Hepburn with these classically tailored clothes in beautiful fabrics – either bespoke or off the peg. It’s pricey (a frock will set you back €600 or so) but oh so worth it.

Centro Russia Ecumenica Il Messaggio dell’Icona ART, SOUVENIRS

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( Borgo Pio 141) Nuns and priests from around the world pop into this serene shop to buy religious-themed prints and postcards, prayer cards and original painted icons, some glinting with real gold leaf.

Feltrinelli International BOOKSTORE

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( 06 482 78 78; Via Orlando 84-86; 9am-8pm Mon-Sat, 10.30am-1pm & 4-8pm Sun) Mainly English-language stock, with a smattering of French, Spanish etc.

Anglo-American Book Co BOOKSTORE

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( 06 679 52 22; www.aab.it; Via della Vite 102; 10am-7.30pm Tue-Sat, 3.30-7.30pm Mon) Literature, travel guides and reference books in English. Also has a kids’ section.

Borri Books BOOKSTORE

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( 06 482 84 22; Stazione Termini; 7am-11pm Mon-Sat, 8am-10pm Sun) There’s a good selection of English-language books (including kids’ and travel books) in this Stazione Termini shop.

INFO BY PHONE

The Comune di Roma (city council) runs a free multilingual tourist information line ( 06 06 08; www.060608.it; 9am-9pm) , providing information on culture, shows, hotels and transport. You can also book theatre, concert, exhibition and museum tickets on this number. If you need information, the city’s free 06 06 08 number is useful. By calling it you reach a Comune di Roma call centre staffed 24 hours, with English-, French-, Arabic-, German-, Spanish-, Italian- and Chinese-speaking staff available from 4pm to 7pm. The Comune also publishes the useful monthly L’Evento (What’s On) pamphlet, as well as Un Ospite a Roma (A Guest in Rome; www.unospitearoma.it, www.aguestinrome.com) . These, and other information (including maps), can be picked up at tourist information points.

Information

Emergency

Ambulance ( 118)

Police ( 113/112)

Main police station (Questura; 06 46 86; Via San Vitale 11)

Internet Access

Costs are usually between €4 and €6 per hour.

Internet Point (Via dei Serpenti 89; per hr €4; 8am-10pm) Close to Via Nazionale.

Media

The following are all published in English, apart from Roma C’è , which has an English section.

Osservatore Romano (www.vatican.va) Weekly editions of the Vatican’s official daily newspaper online.

Roma C’è (www.romace.it) Comprehensive listings magazine with an English section (€1); published on Wednesday and sold at newsstands.

Wanted in Rome (www.wantedinrome.com) A free online version of this useful expat magazine (€1) is updated every second Wednesday and features classified ads, listings and reviews.

Medical Services

Rather than go to a pronto soccorso (Accident and Emergency) department, you can try calling the Guardia Medica ( 06 570600) . You can also call a private doctor to come to your hotel or apartment. Call-out/treatment fee will probably be around €130, but worth it if you have insurance. Try Roma Medica ( 338 622 4832; 24 hr) . Night pharmacies are listed in daily newspapers and in pharmacy windows.

Ospedale di Odontoiatria G Eastman ( 06 84 48 31; Viale Regina Elena 287b) For emergency dental treatment.

Ospedale San Giacomo ( 06 3 62 61; Via A Canova 29)

Ospedale Santo Spirito ( 06 6 83 51; Lungotevere in Sassia 1)

Pharmacy Piazza Cinquecento ( 06 488 00 19; Piazza Cinquecento 51; 24hr); Stazione Termini ( 7.30am-10pm)

Policlinico Umberto I ( 06 4 99 71, first aid 06 4997 9501; Viale del Policlinico 155) Near Stazione Termini.

Money

There are ATMs and exchange booths at Stazione Termini Offline map, Fiumicino Airport and Ciampino Airport. In town, there are loads of ATMs and exchange booths, including: American Express ( 06 6 76 41; Piazza di Spagna 38; 9am-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-12.30pm Sat).

Post

There are post office branches at Via delle Terme di Diocleziane 30 Offline map, Via della Scrofa 61/63 Offline map, Stazione Termini Offline map(next to platform 24) and Via Arenula Offline map

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Main post office (Piazza di San Silvestro 20; 8.30am-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-1pm Sat) Collect poste restante mail here.

Tourist Information

Enjoy Rome Offline map ( 06 445 18 43; www.enjoyrome.com; Via Marghera 8a; 9am-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-2pm Sat) An excellent private tourist office that runs tours and publishes the free and useful Enjoy Rome city guide.

Rome Tourist Board (APT; 06 06 08; www.romaturismo.it; 9am-6pm) Has an office at Fiumicino Airport in Terminal B, International Arrivals.

There are tourist information points dotted around town, including the following:

Castel Sant’Angelo Offline map ( Piazza Pia; 9.30am-7pm)

Ciampino Airport (International Arrivals, baggage reclaim area; 9am-6.30pm)

Fiumicino Airport (Terminal C, International Arrivals; 9am-6.30pm)

Piazza Navona Offline map ( 9.30am-7pm)

Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore Offline map ( Via dell’Olmata; 9.30am-7pm)

Piazza Sonnino Offline map ( 9.30am-7pm)

Stazione Termini Offline map ( 8am-8.30pm) Next to platform 24.

Trevi Fountain Offline map ( Via Marco Minghetti; 9.30am-7pm) This tourist point is nearer to Via del Corso than the fountain.

Via Nazionale Offline map ( 9.30am-7pm)

Travel Agencies

CTS (www.cts.it, in Italian) Corso Vittorio Emanuele II ( 06 687 26 72; Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 297); Via degli Ausoni ( 06 445 01 41; Via degli Ausoni 5); Via Solferino ( 06 462 0431; Via Solferino 6a) Italy’s official student travel service offers discounted air, rail and bus tickets to students and travellers aged under 30, as long as you have a EURO<26 Youth Card or an International Student Identity Card (ISICs, which CTS also issue). Otherwise you need a CTS card, which costs €30 (€15 for students over 12) and is valid for 14 months.

Websites

Enjoy Rome (www.enjoyrome.com) Useful advice from an independent tourist agency.

In Rome Now (www.inromenow.com) Savvy internet magazine compiled by two American expats.

Parla Food (www.parlafood.com) Lippy American food blog with excellent blog links.

Roma Turismo (www.romaturismo.it) Rome Tourist Board’s comprehensive website. Lists all official accommodation options, upcoming events and more.

Getting There & Away

Air

Rome’s main international airport Leonardo da Vinci ( 06 6 59 51; www.adr.it) , better known as Fiumicino, is on the coast 30km west of the city. The much smaller Ciampino Airport ( 06 6 59 51; www.adr.it) , 15km southeast of the city centre, is the hub for low-cost carriers such as Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) and easyJet (www.easyjet.com) . Left-luggage (International Arrivals, Terminal 3; per 24hr €6; 6.30am-11.30pm) is available at Fiumicino.

Boat

Rome’s port is at Civitavecchia, about 80km north of Rome. Main ferry companies:

Sardinia Ferries ( 199 400500; www.corsica-ferries.it) To/from Golfo Aranci (Sardinia).

Grimaldi Lines ( 081 464444; www.grimaldi-lines.com) To/from Catania (Sicily), Trapani (Sicily), Porto Torres (Sardinia), Barcelona (Spain), Malta and Tunis (Tunisia).

SNAV ( 081 4285555; www.snav.it) To/from Palermo (Sicily) and Olbia (Sardinia).

Tirrenia ( 892 123; www.tirrenia.it) To/from Arbatax, Cagliari and Olbia (all Sardinia).

Bookings can be made at the Termini-based Agenzia 365 ( 7am-9pm) , at travel agents or online at www.traghettiweb.it. You can also buy directly at the port.

Half-hourly trains depart from Roma Termini to Civitavecchia (€4.50 to €12.50, one hour). On arrival, it’s about 700m to the port (to your right) as you exit the station.

Bus

Long-distance national and international buses use the Autostazione Tiburtina (Piazzale Tiburtina) in front of Stazione Tiburtina, east of the city centre. Take metro line B from Termini to Tiburtina. You can get tickets at the bus terminus or at travel agencies. Bus operators:

Interbus ( 091 34 25 25; www.interbus.it, in Italian) To/from Sicily.

Marozzi ( 080 579 01 11; www.marozzivt.it, in Italian) To/from Sorrento, Bari, Matera and Lecce.

SENA ( 0861 199 19 00; www.senabus.it) To/from Siena and Tuscany.

Sulga ( 800 099661; www.sulga.it, in Italian) To/from Perugia, Assisi and Ravenna.

For destinations in the Lazio region, Cotral ( 800 174471; www.cotralspa.it) buses depart from numerous points throughout the city. The company is linked with Rome’s public transport system, which means that you can buy tickets that cover city buses, trams, metro and train lines, as well as regional buses and trains.

Car & Motorcycle

Driving into central Rome is a challenge, involving traffic restrictions, one-way systems, a shortage of street parking, and aggressive drivers.

Rome is circled by the Grande Raccordo Anulare (GRA) to which all autostradas (motorways) connect, including the main A1 north–south artery (the Autostrada del Sole) and the A12, which connects Rome to Civitavecchia and Fiumicino Airport.

Car hire is available at both airports and Stazione Termini from the following:

Avis ( 06 481 43 73; www.avisautonoleggio.it)

Europcar ( 06 488 28 54; www.europcar.com)

Hertz ( 06 474 03 89; www.hertz.com)

Maggiore National ( 06 488 00 49; www.maggiore.com)

Train

Almost all trains arrive at and depart from Stazione Termini (Map Click here ), Rome’s principal station. There are regular connections to other European countries, all major Italian cities, and many smaller towns.

Train information is available from the train information office ( 6am-midnight) next to platform 1, online at www.ferroviedellostato.it, or (if you speak Italian) by calling 89 20 21. Left luggage (1st 5hr €4, 6-12hr per hr €0.60, 13hr & over per hr €0.20; 6am-11.50pm) is on the lower-ground floor under platform 24. Rome’s other principal train stations are Stazione Tiburtina, Stazione Roma-Ostiense and Stazione Trastevere.

TRAIN SERVICES TO MAJOR CITIES

From Stazione Termini you can catch trains to the following cities and many others. All fares quoted are 2nd class.

TO

SERVICE TYPE

FARE (€)

DURATION (HR)

Florence

fast

45

1½

slow

17.05

4

Milan

fast

91

3½

medium

49.50

6¾

Naples

fast

45

1½

slow

10.50

2¾

Palermo

day

65.50-98.50

11-13½

night

56.50-92.50

11-13½

Venice

fast

76

3¾

medium

45.50

5½

Getting Around

To/From the Airport

Fiumicino The easiest way to get to/from the airport is by train, but there are also bus services if you need transport in the wee hours. By taxi, the set fare to/from the city centre is €40, which is valid for up to four passengers with luggage. Note that taxis registered in Fiumicino charge a set fare of €60, so make sure you catch a Comune di Roma taxi.

Leonardo Express train (adult/child €14/free) Runs to/from platforms 27 and 28 at Stazione Termini. Departures from Termini every 30 minutes between 5.52am and 10.52pm; from the airport between 6.36am and 11.36pm. Journey time is 30 minutes.

FR1 train (one way €8) Connects the airport to Trastevere, Ostiense and Tiburtina stations. Departures from the airport every 15 minutes (hourly on Sunday and public holidays) between 5.57am and 11.27pm; from Tiburtina between 5.05am and 10.33pm.

Airport Shuttle ( 06 4201 3469; www.airportshuttle.it) Transfers to/from your hotel for €25 for one person, then €6 for each additional passenger up to a maximum of eight.

Cotral bus (www.cotralspa.it; one way €4.50 or €7 if bought on bus) Runs to/from Stazione Tiburtina via Stazione Termini. Night departures from Tiburtina at 12.30am, 1.15am, 2.30am and 3.45am and from the airport at 1.15am, 2.15am, 3.30am and 5am. Journey time is one hour.

Ciampino The best option is to take one of the regular bus services into the city centre. You can also take a bus to Ciampino train station and then pick up a train to Stazione Termini. By taxi, the set rate to/from the airport is €30.

Airport Shuttle ( 06 4201 3469; www.airportshuttle.it) Transfers to/from your hotel for €25 for one person, then €5 for each additional passenger up to a maximum of eight.

Terravision bus (www.terravision.eu; one way/return €4/8) Twice-hourly departures to/from Via Marsala outside Stazione Termini. From the airport services are between 8.15am and 12.15am; from Via Marsala between 4.30am and 9.20pm. Buy tickets at Terracafè in front of the Via Marsala bus stop. Journey time is 40 minutes.

Cotral bus (www.cotralspa.it; one way/return €3.90/6.90) Runs 15 daily services to/from Via Giolitti near Stazione Termini. Also buses to/from Anagnina metro station (€1.20) and Ciampino train station (€1.20), where you can connect with trains to Stazione Termini (€1.30).

Car & Motorcycle

Access & Parking Most of the historical centre is closed to normal traffic from 6.30am to 6pm Monday to Friday, from 2pm to 6pm Saturday, and from 11pm to 3am Friday to Sunday. Restrictions also apply in Trastevere (6.30am-10am Mon-Sat, 11pm-3am Fri-Sun), San Lorenzo (9pm-3am Fri-Sun), Monti (11pm-3am Fri-Sun) and Testaccio (11pm-3am Fri-Sun).

All streets accessing the ‘Limited Traffic Zone’ (ZTL) have been equipped with electronic-access detection devices. If you’re staying in this zone, contact your hotel, which will fax the authorities with your number plate, thus saving you a fine. For details, check www.agenziamobilita.roma.it or call 06 57 003.

Blue lines denote pay-and-display parking spaces with tickets available from meters (coins only) and tabaccaio (tobacconist’s shop). Expect to pay up to €1.20 per hour between 8am and 8pm (11pm in some places). After 8pm (or 11pm) parking is free until 8am the next morning. If your car gets towed away, check with the traffic police ( 06 6 76 91) . Car parks:

Piazzale dei Partigiani (per hr/day €0.77/5; 24hr)

Stazione Termini (Piazza dei Cinquecento; per hr/day €2/18; 6am-1am)

Stazione Tiburtina (Via Pietro l’Eremita; weekday/Sun per hr €2/free; 6am-10pm)

Villa Borghese (Viale del Galoppatoio 33; per hr/day €2/20; 24hr)

Scooter Hire To hire a scooter you’ll need a credit card and photo ID. You may also have to leave a cash deposit. Reliable operators:

Bici e Baci ( 06 482 84 43; www.bicibaci.com; Via del Viminale 5; per day scooters €19-80)

Eco Move Rent ( 06 4470 4518; www.ecomoverent.com; Via Varese 48-50; per day scooters €45-95)

Public Transport

Rome’s public transport system includes buses, trams, metro and a suburban train network.

Tickets These are valid for all forms of transport and come in various forms:

Single (BIT; €1) Valid for 75 minutes, during which time you can use as many buses or trams as you like, but can only go once on the metro.

Daily (BIG; €4) Unlimited travel until midnight of the day of purchase.

Three-day (BTI; €11) Unlimited travel for three days.

Weekly (CIS; €16) Unlimited travel for seven days.

Children under 10 travel free. Note also that tickets do not include routes to Fiumicino Airport. Buy tickets at tabacchi, newsstands and from vending machines at main bus stops and metro stations. They must be purchased before you start your journey and validated in the yellow machines on buses, at the entrance gates to the metro or at train stations. Ticketless riders risk an on-the-spot €50 fine.

The Roma Pass (see the boxed text, Click here ) comes with a three-day travel pass valid within the city boundaries. The Vatican and Rome card (1/2/3 days €19/21/25) provides unlimited travel on all public transport within the city and on the Open buses operated by Roma Cristiana (Click here ). Buy them online at www.operaromanapellegrinaggi.org (click on the Roma Cristiana Experience/Open Bus links) or at the Roma Cristiana meeting point near Piazza San Pietro.

Bus & Tram Both buses and trams are run by ATAC ( 06 57 003; www.atac.roma.it) . The main bus station Offline map ( Piazza dei Cinquecento) is in front of Stazione Termini, where there’s an information booth ( 7.30am-8pm) . Largo di Torre Argentina, Piazza Venezia and Piazza San Silvestro are also important hubs. Buses generally run from about 5.30am until midnight, with limited services throughout the night.

BUSES FROM TERMINI

From Piazza dei Cinquecento outside Stazione Termini buses run to all corners of the city.

DESTINATION

BUS NO

Campo de’ Fiori

40/64

Colosseum

75

Pantheon

40/64

Piazza Navona

40/64

Piazza Venezia

40/64

St Peter’s Square

40

Terme di Caracalla

714

Trastevere

H

Villa Borghese

910

Night buses operate on more than 20 lines, most of which pass Termini and/or Piazza Venezia. Buses are marked with an N after the number. Night-bus stops have a blue owl symbol. Departures usually occur every 30 minutes, but can be much slower.

Metro Rome has two metro lines, A (orange) and B (blue), which cross at Termini, the only point at which you can change from one line to the other. Take line A for the Trevi Fountain (Barberini), Spanish Steps (Spagna), and St Peter’s (Ottaviano-San Pietro); and line B for the Colosseum (Colosseo).

Trains run between 5.30am and 11.30pm (to 1.30am on Friday and Saturday). However, until April 2012 line A is closing at 9pm every day except Saturday for construction work on a third line. To replace it there are two temporary bus lines: MA1 from Battistini to Arco di Travertino and MA2 from Piazzale Flaminio to Anagnina.

All the metro stations on line B have wheelchair access except for Circo Massimo, Colosseo and Cavour (direction Laurentina), while on line A Cipro-Musei Vaticani station is one of the few stations equipped with lifts.

Overground Rail Network Rome’s overground rail network is useful only if you are heading out of town to the Castelli Romani, the beaches at Lido di Ostia or the ruins at Ostia Antica.

Taxi

Official licensed taxis are white with the symbol of Rome on the doors. Always go with the metered fare, never an arranged price (the set fares to and from the airports are exceptions). In town (within the ring road) flag fall is €2.80 between 7am and 10pm on weekdays, rising to €4 on Sundays and holidays, and €5.80 between 10pm and 7am. Then it’s €0.92 per km. Official rates are posted in taxis and on www.viviromaintaxi.eu.

You can book a taxi by phoning the Comune di Roma’s automated taxi line ( 06 06 09) or calling a taxi company direct. Note that when you call for a cab, the meter is switched on immediately and you pay for the cost of the journey from wherever the driver receives the call.

La Capitale ( 06 49 94)

Pronto Taxi ( 06 66 45)

Radio Taxi ( 06 35 70)

Samarcanda ( 06 55 51)

Tevere ( 06 41 57)

LAZIO

With a capital like Rome, it’s unsurprising that the rest of Lazio gets overlooked. But when Rome starts to feel like the Eternal City for all the wrong reasons, do as the Romans do and leave the city behind. You’ll discover a region that’s not only beautiful – verdant and hilly in the north, parched and rugged in the south – but also a historical and cultural feast.

Ostia Antica

With preservation in places matching that of Pompeii, the ancient Roman port of Ostia Antica is an extraordinary site, where you can wander through complete Roman streets, gape at Roman toilets and see a Roman menu in situ.

Founded in the 4th century BC, Ostia (referring to the mouth or ostium of the Tiber) became a great port and later a strategic centre for defence and trade. Decline arrived in the 5th century AD when barbarian invasions and the outbreak of malaria led to the abandonment of the city, and then its slow burial – up to 2nd-floor level – in river silt, hence its survival. Pope Gregory IV re-established the town in the 9th century.

Sights

Scavi Archeologici di Ostia Antica RUINS

( 06 5635 2830; www.ostiantica.info, in Italian; Viale dei Romagnoli 717; adult/child €6.5/free, car park €2.50; 8.30am-7pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct, to 6pm Mar, to 5pm Nov-Feb, last admission 1hr before close) Providing a vivid picture of everyday Roman life, these ruins are spread out and you’ll need a few hours to do them justice. You can buy a handy map of the site from the ticket office for €2.

Ostia was a busy port until 42 AD, and the town is made up of restaurants, laundries, shops, houses and public meeting places, giving a good impression of what life here must have been like. The main thoroughfare, the Decumanus Maximus , runs over 1km from the city’s entrance (the Porta Romana) to the Porta Marina, which originally led to the sea.

At one stage, Ostia had 20 bath complexes. The huge Terme di Nettuno , which occupied a whole block and dates from Hadrian’s renovation of the port, has the most impressive mosaics, which you can view from a raised platform. They include a stunning one of Neptune driving his sea-horse chariot, surrounded by sea monsters, mermaids and mermen. In the centre of the complex you’ll find the remains of a large arcaded courtyard called the Palaestra , in which athletes used to train. There’s an impressive mosaic here of four athletes engaged in boxing and wrestling.

Next to the baths is a good-sized amphitheatre , built by Agrippa and later enlarged to hold 3000 people. Stucco is still discernable in the entrance hall. Behind the amphitheatre is the Piazzale delle Corporazioni (Forum of the Corporations), the offices of Ostia’s merchant guilds, which sport well-preserved mosaics depicting the different interests of each business.

Further towards the Porta Marina is one of the highlights of the site: the Thermopolium (the equivalent in contemporary Rome is the tavola calda – ‘hot table’), an ancient cafe that’s breathtakingly similar to our modern-day versions. There’s a bar counter, a kitchen to the right and a small courtyard at the rear, where customers would have sat next to the fountain and relaxed over a drink. Above the bar is a fresco advertising the bill of fare. Across the road from here are some spectacularly well-preserved latrines, set in a sociable crescent, part of the Terme di Foro complex.

The site also has a more modern cafeteria/bar where you can buy panini and pasta dishes (but packing a picnic is a good idea), toilets, gift shop and museum, which houses statues and sarcophagi excavated on site.

Castello di Giulio II CASTLE

( 06 5635 8013; Piazza della Rocca; free guided tours 10am & noon Tue-Sun, plus 3pm Tue & Thu, max 30 people) Near the entrance to the excavations is this imposing castle, an impressive example of 15th-century military architecture, which lost its purpose when a freak flood changed the course of the river, making the location less accessible.

Getting There & Away

From Rome, take metro line B to Piramide, then the Ostia Lido train from Stazione Porta San Paolo (next to the metro station), getting off at Ostia Antica. Trains leave about every half-hour and the trip takes approximately 25 minutes. It is covered by the standard BIT tickets ( Click here ). On arrival, exit Ostia Antica station and walk over the pedestrian bridge. Go straight ahead and you’ll see the castle to your right and the ruins straight ahead.

The ruins are also easy to reach by car. Take Via del Mare, which runs parallel to Via Ostiense, or the A12 in the direction of Fiumicino, and follow the signs for the scavi (ruins).

Tivoli

POP 56,275 / ELEV 225M

For millennia, the hilltop town of Tivoli has been a summer escape for rich Romans, a status amply demonstrated by its two Unesco World Heritage Sites, Villa Adriana and Villa d’Este – holiday homes that are sumptuous hedonistic playgrounds.

More like a town than a villa, Villa Adriana was the country estate of Emperor Hadrian, while the 16th-century Villa d’Este is a wonder of the High Renaissance. You can visit both in a day, though you’ll have to start early.

Information is available from the tourist information point ( 07 7431 3536; 9am-5.30pm) on Piazza Garibaldi, where the bus arrives.

Sights

Villa Adriana ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

( 06 3996 7900; adult/reduced €8/4 parking €2; 9am-7pm, last admission 5.30pm; ) Emperor Hadrian’s summer residence Villa Adriana, 5km outside Tivoli, set new standards of luxury when it was built between AD 118 and 134 – a remarkable feat given the excesses of the Roman Empire. A model near the entrance gives you an idea of the scale of the original complex, which you’ll need several hours to explore. Consider hiring an audioguide (€5), which gives a helpful overview. There’s a small cafeteria next to the ticket office, but a nicer option is to bring a picnic lunch or eat in Tivoli.

A great traveller and enthusiastic architect, Hadrian personally designed much of the complex, taking inspiration from buildings he’d seen around the world. The pecile , a large porticoed pool area where the emperor used to stroll after lunch, was a reproduction of a building in Athens. Similarly, the canopo is a copy of the sanctuary of Serapis near Alexandria, with a long canal of water, originally surrounded by Egyptian statues, representing the Nile.

To the east of the pecile is one of the highlights, Hadrian’s private retreat, the Teatro Marittimo . Built on an island in an artificial pool, it was originally a mini-villa accessible only by swing bridges, which the emperor would have raised when he felt like a dip. Nearby, the fish pond is encircled by an underground gallery where Hadrian liked to wander. There are also nymphaeums, temples and barracks, and a museum with the latest discoveries from ongoing excavations (often closed).

Villa d’Este PALAZZO

( 199 766 166, 0445 230310; www.villadestetivoli.info; Piazza Trento; adult/reduced €8/4; 8.30am-1hr before sunset Tue-Sun; ) In Tivoli’s hilltop centre, the steeply terraced gardens of Villa d’Este are a superlative example of the High Renaissance garden, dotted by fantastical fountains all powered by gravity alone. The villa was once a Benedictine convent, converted by Lucrezia Borgia’s son, Cardinal Ippolito d’Este, into a pleasure palace in 1550. From 1865 to 1886 it was home to Franz Liszt and inspired his compositions To the Cypresses of the Villa d’Este and The Fountains of the Villa d’Este .

The rich mannerist frescoes of the villa interior merit a glance, but it’s the garden that you’re here for: water-spouting gargoyles and elaborate avenues lined with deep-green, knotty cypresses. One fountain (designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini) used its water pressure to play an organ concealed in the top part of its structure, and this plays regularly throughout the day. Another highlight is the 130m-long path of the Hundred Fountains, which joins the Fountain of Tivoli to the Fountain of Rome.

The villa is a two-minute walk north from Largo Garibaldi. Picnics are forbidden, but there’s a stylish cafe, or numerous restaurants in town, including Trattoria del Falcone ( 07 7431 2358; Via del Trevio 34; meals €30; Wed-Mon) , a lively trattoria with exposed-stone walls that’s been serving up classic pasta dishes since 1918.

Getting There & Around

Tivoli is 30km east of Rome and is accessible by Cotral bus from outside the Ponte Mammolo station on metro line B (€1.60, every 15 minutes, 50 minutes). However, it’s best to buy a Zone 3 BIRG ticket (€6), which will cover you for the whole day.

The easiest way to visit both sites is to visit the Villa D’Este first, as it is close to Tivoli town centre. Then take the Cotral bus back towards Ponte Mammolo (€1) from Largo Garibaldi, asking the driver to stop close to Villa Adriana. After visiting the villa, you can then take the same bus (€2, 50 minutes) back to Ponte Mammolo.

By car you can either take Via Tiburtina or, to save yourself some time, the Rome–L’Aquila autostrada (A24).

Cerveteri

POP 35,700 / ELEV 81M

The highly cultured ancient Etruscans had some of their most powerful strongholds in the north of Lazio. Dating from around 800 BC, the Etruscans used sophisticated architectural and artistic techniques that the Romans later adapted and claimed as their own. They were a major thorn in Roman flanks until the 3rd and 4th centuries BC, when successive waves of legionnaires swept aside the last Etruscan defences. Cerveteri and Tarquinia were two of the major city-states in the Etruscan League; together they form a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Cerveteri, or Kysry to the Etruscans and Caere to Latin-speakers, was one of the most important commercial centres in the Mediterranean from the 7th to the 5th centuries BC. As Roman power grew, however, so Cerveteri’s fortunes faded, and in 358 BC the city was annexed by Rome.

The first half of the 19th century saw the first tentative archaeological explorations in the area, and in 1911 systematic excavations began in earnest.

For information about the site, visit the helpful tourist information point ( 06 9955 2637; Piazza Aldo Moro; 9.30am-1.30pm) .

Necropoli di Banditaccia NECROPOLIS

( 06 3996 7150; Via del Necropoli; admission/reduced €6/3, incl museum €8/4; 8.30am-1hr before sunset; ) This 10-hectare necropolis is laid out as an afterlife townscape, with streets, squares and terraces of tombs. The most common type of construction is the tumulus, a circular structure cut into the earth and topped by a cumulus – a topping of turf. Signs indicate the path to follow and some of the major tombs, including the 6th-century-BC Tomba dei Rilievi , are decorated with painted reliefs of figures from the underworld, cooking implements and other household items.

Museo Nazionale di Cerveteri MUSEUM

(Piazza Santa Maria; admission €6/3, incl necropolis €8/4; 8.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sun) In Cerveteri’s medieval town centre is this splendid museum, where treasures taken from the tombs help to bring the dead to life – figuratively, at least.

Antica Locanda le Ginestre TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 06 994 06 72; Piazza Santa Maria 5; meals €35; Tue-Sun) This highly recommended, top-notch family-run restaurant has delicious food prepared with organically grown local produce and is served in the elegant dining room or flower-filled courtyard garden. Book ahead.

Getting There & Around

Cerveteri is easily accessible from Rome by regular Cotral bus (€3.50, 55 minutes, hourly) from outside the Cornelia metro stop on metro line A. When you arrive at Cornelia, go up the escalators and onto the main road – the stop is on the same side of the street a little way from the metro entrance (look for the Cotral sign). Buses leave Cerveteri for Rome from the main square, at the bottom of the staircase coming from the museum.

From the information point, take an hourly shuttle bus to the the tomb complex 2km out of town. The bus leaves seven to nine times per day starting at 8.30am and finishing at 5pm (earlier in winter; €0.70). The trip takes five minutes and costs €1. Alternatively, follow the well-signposted road – it’s a pleasant 15-minute walk.

By car, take either Via Aurelia (SS1) or the Civitavecchia autostrada (A12) and exit at Cerveteri-Ladispoli.

Tarquinia

POP 16,560 / ELEV 169M

Tarquinia is another fascinating Unesco World Heritage Site, with a necropolis of around 6000 tombs. The town alone, with its well-preserved medieval centre, is worth a visit in its own right, especially as it has a fantastic Etruscan museum housed in a beautiful medieval palazzo . Legend suggests that the town was founded towards the end of the Bronze Age in the 12th century BC. Later home to the Tarquin kings of Rome before the creation of the Roman Republic, it reached its prime in the 4th century BC, before a century of struggle ended with surrender to Rome in 204 BC.

For information about the town and its sights, pop into the tourist office ( 0766 84 92 82; info@tarquinia@apt.it; Piazza Cavour 1; 9am-1pm & 4.30-7.30pm) , which is on your left as you walk through the town’s medieval gate (Barriera San Giusto).

Museo Nazionale Tarquiniese MUSEUM

( 06 3996 7150; Piazza Cavour; adult/child €6/3, incl necropolis €8/4; 8.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sun) Just beyond the tourist office is the exquisite 15th-century Palazzo Vitelleschi, a courtyard-centred house that contains this fine museum. Highlights of its collection are a breathtaking terracotta frieze of winged horses (the Cavalli Alati) and several complete frescoed tombs on the upper floors, full of incredibly vibrant paintings.

Tarquina Necropolis NECROPOLIS

( 06 3996 7150; adult/child €6/3, incl museum adult/child €8/4; 8.30am-1hr before sunset Tue-Sun; ) To see the famous painted tombs in situ, head to this necropolis, 2km from town. There are around 6000 tombs in this area, of which around 200 are painted. The first digs began here in 1489. Now protected by Unesco, the tombs have suffered centuries of exposure and are maintained at constant temperatures, and are visible through glass partitions. There are some beautiful hunting and fishing scenes in the Tomba della Caccia e della Pesca; scenes featuring dancers, she-lions and dolphins in the Tomba delle Leonesse; and a surprising S&M scene of a man whipping a woman in the Tomba della Fustigazione (Tomb of the Flogging).

To get to the necropolis from the tourist office, walk up Corso Vittorio Emanuele and turn right at Piazza Nazionale into Via di Porta Tarquinia. Continue past the Chiesa di San Francesco and then down Via Ripagretta until you see the necropolis on your left. Alternatively, a shuttle bus leaves from outside the tourist office (free, every 20 minutes 9am to 1pm and 4pm to 7pm Monday to Saturday), returning to town five minutes after it arrives at the necropolis. Alternatively, the local bus serving the necropolis also runs regularly and costs €0.70.

Il Cavatappi TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 07 6684 2303; Via dei Granari 19; meals €30; Fri-Sun) The town has various decent lunch spots, including this one that’s tucked away in the old town. It specialises in dishes made with local products and has a small streetside terrace; otherwise grab a picnic and head up to the town viewpoint at the top of Via Alberata Dante Alighieri.

Getting There & Away

The best way to reach Tarquinia is by train; catch the train from Termini (€6.20, one hour and 20 minutes, half-hourly). Buy a return ticket, as the ticket office in Tarquinia only operates in the morning. After getting off at Tarquinia station, you’ll need to catch the line BC shuttle bus to the centre of town.

By car, take the autostrada for Civitavecchia and then the Via Aurelia (SS1). Tarquinia is about 90km northwest of Rome.

Civitavecchia

POP 52,200

There’s no compelling reason to come to Civitavecchia, other than to take a ferry to Sardinia, though you could make a stop long enough to eat at one of the good fish restaurants in this pleasant town. Established by Emperor Trajan in AD 106, it was later conquered by the Saracens, but regained importance as a papal stronghold in the 16th century. The medieval town was almost completely destroyed by bombing during WWII.

The port is about a 400m walk from the train station. As you leave the station, turn right into Viale Garibaldi and follow the road along the seafront. If you’re stopping for a meal, try upmarket La Scaletta ( 0766 2 43 34; Lungoporto Gramsci Antonio 65) .

Getting There & Away

Boat For information on ferries to/from Sardinia, see the boxed text, Click here .

Bus Cotral buses from Rome to Civitavecchia leave from outside the Cornelia station on metro line A (€4.50, 1½ hours, hourly). When you arrive at Cornelia, go up the escalators and onto the main road – the stop is on the same side of the street, a little way from the metro entrance (look for the Cotral sign). The bus stop in Civitavecchia is on Viale Guido Baccelli. Civitavecchia is covered by a Zone 5 BIRG ticket (€9).

Train Regional services run regularly between Stazione Termini in Rome and Civitavecchia (€4.50, 1¼ hours), with fewer services on Sunday. Intercity services take 40 minutes, but cost €13.50. Civitavecchia station is close to the port.

Viterbo

POP 62,800 / ELEV 327M

Viterbo is a medieval gem with a beautiful and interesting city centre, despite having sustained WWII bomb damage. It makes a good base for exploring Lazio’s rugged north, or can be visited on a day trip from Rome.

Founded by the Etruscans and eventually taken over by Rome, Viterbo developed into an important medieval centre, and in the 13th century became the residence of the popes. Papal elections were held in the Gothic Palazzo dei Papi where, in 1271, the entire college of cardinals was briefly imprisoned. The story goes that after three years of deliberation the cardinals still hadn’t elected a new pope. Mad with frustration, the Viterbesi locked the dithering priests in a turreted hall and starved them into electing Pope Gregory X.

In addition to its historical appeal, Viterbo is famous for its therapeutic hot springs.

Sights

Palazzo dei Priori PALAZZO

(Piazza del Plebiscito; 9am-1pm & 3-7pm) The elegant Renaissance Piazza del Plebiscito is dominated by this imposing palace. Now home to the town council, it’s worth venturing inside for the 16th-century frescoes that colourfully depict Viterbo’s ancient origins – the finest are in the Sala Regia on the 1st floor. Outside, the elegant courtyard and fountain were added two centuries after the palazzo was built in 1460.

Viterbo

Top Sights

Cattedrale di San Lorenzo A5

Chiesa di Santa Maria Nuova B5

Palazzo dei Papi A4

Palazzo dei PrioriB4

Sights

1  Chiesa di San Francesco C2

2  Museo Civico D4

3  Museo del Colle del Duomo A5

4  Museo Nazionale Etrusco B2

Sleeping

5  Tuscia Hotel B3

Eating

6  Gran Caffè Schenardi C3

7  Ristorante Enoteca La Torre C4

8  Ristorante Tre Re C3

Cattedrale di San Lorenzo CHURCH

Offline map Google map

(Piazza San Lorenzo) For an idea of how rich Viterbo once was, head to Piazza San Lorenzo, the religious heart of the medieval city. It was here that the cardinals came to vote for their popes and pray in the 12th century. Built originally to a simple Romanesque design, this cathedral owes its current Gothic look to a 14th-century makeover; later damage by Allied bombs meant the roof and nave had to be rebuilt.

Museo del Colle del Duomo MUSEUM

Offline map Google map

(Piazza San Lorenzo; adult/reduced incl guided visit to Palazzo dei Papi, Sala del Conclave & Loggia €7/5; 10am-1pm & 3-8pm Tue-Sun, to 6pm winter) Next door to the cathedral, this museum displays a small collection of religious artefacts, including a reliquary said to contain the chin(!) of John the Baptist.

Palazzo dei Papi PALAZZO

Offline map Google map

(Piazza San Lorenzo; 0761 34 17 16) On the northern side of the square, this 13th-century palazzo was built to entice the papacy away from Rome. Head up the stairs to the graceful Gothic loggia (colonnade) to peer into the Sala del Conclave , the hall where five popes were elected.

Chiesa di Santa Maria Nuova CHURCH

Offline map Google map

(Piazza Santa Maria Nuova; 10am-1pm & 3-5pm) This 11th-century Romanesque church, the oldest in Viterbo, was restored to its original form after bomb damage in WWII. The cloisters are particularly lovely, and are believed to date from an earlier period.

Museo Nazionale Etrusco MUSEUM

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( 0761 32 59 29; Piazza della Rocca; admission €6; 8.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sun) For a shot of Etruscan culture head to this museum, which has an interesting collection of local artefacts housed in an attractive palazzo by the town’s northern entrance.

Chiesa di San Francesco CHURCH

Offline map Google map

( 0761 34 16 96; Piazza San Francesco; 8am-6.30pm) A short walk away from Museo Nazionale Etrusco is this Gothic church, which contains the tombs of two popes: Clement IV (d 1268) and Adrian V (d 1276). Both are attractively decorated, particularly that of Adrian, which features Cosmati work (multicoloured marble and glass mosaics set into stone and white marble).

Museo Civico MUSEUM

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( 0761 34 82 75; Piazza Crispi; admission €3.10; 9am-7pm Tue-Sun summer, to 6pm winter) On the other side of town, this museum features more Etruscan goodies, as well as curious fake antiquities created in the 15th century by Annius of Viterbo, a monk and forger trying to give Viterbo extra kudos. There’s also a small art gallery, the highlight of which is Sebastiano del Piombo’s Pietà.

Sleeping & Eating

Tuscia Hotel HOTEL €

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( 0761 34 44 00; www.tusciahotel.com; Via Cairoli 41; s €44-50, d €68-76; ) The best of the city’s midrange options, this central, spick-and-span three-star place is leagues ahead of the competition in cleanliness and comfort. The rooms here are large, light and kitted out with satellite TV; nine rooms have air-con. There’s a sunny roof terrace.

Agriturismo Antica Sosta AGRITURISMO €

( 0761 25 13 69; SS Cassia Nord; s/d €40/70) Set in pea-green countryside 5km from Viterbo, this mansion has spacious, simple rooms. There’s also a delicious restaurant ( meals €35) , serving scrumptious dishes such as strozzapreti con salsiccia, porcini e pancetta (‘priest-strangler’ pasta with sausage, porcini mushrooms and cured ham).

Ristorante Enoteca La Torre WINE BAR €€€

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( 0761 22 64 67; Via della Torre 5; meals €65; lunch Thu-Tue, dinner Thu-Wed) This is Viterbo’s best restaurant: the Japanese chef combines precision and delicacy of presentation with innovative uses of fresh seasonal produce.

Ristorante Tre Re TRATTORIA €€

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( 0761 30 46 19; Via Gattesco 3; meals €35; Fri-Wed) This historical trattoria dishes up steaming plates of tasty local specialities and seasonally driven dishes. None is more typical than the pollo alla viterbese , excellent roast chicken stuffed with spiced potato and green olives.

Gran Caffè Schenardi CAFE €

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( 0761 34 58 60; Corso Italia 11-13) The Schenardi has been operating since 1818, and the wonderfully ornate interior looks like it hasn’t changed much since, though the coffee and cakes are nothing out of the ordinary.

Information

Post office (Via Filippo Ascenzi) Opposite the tourist office.

Tourist office ( 0761 32 59 92; www.provincia.vt.it, in Italian; Via Filippo Ascenzi; 10am-1pm & 3-6pm Tue-Sun)

Getting There & Away

Bus From Rome, Cotral buses (€4.80, 1½ hours, every 30 minutes) depart from the Saxa Rubra station on the Ferrovia Roma-Nord train line. Catch the train (standard BIT) to Saxa Rubra from Piazzale Flaminio (just north of Piazza del Popolo). Viterbo is covered by a Zone 5 BIRG ticket (€9).

In Viterbo, ensure you get off at Porta Romana, not the intercity bus station at Riello, which is a few kilometres northwest of the town. If this happens, you can catch a bus into town (€1). Returning to Rome, take the bus from the Porta Romana or Piazzale Gramsci stops.

Car & Motorcycle Viterbo is about a 1½-hour drive up Via Cassia (SS2). Enter the old town through the Porta Romana onto Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, which becomes Via Cavour. The best bet for parking is either Piazza Martiri d’Ungheria or Piazza della Rocca.

Train Services depart hourly from Monday to Saturday and every two hours on Sunday from Rome’s Ostiense station (get off at Viterbo Porta Romana). The journey takes nearly two hours and costs €4.50 one way.

Around Viterbo

The main reason Romans go to Viterbo is for the thermal springs, about 3km west of town. The easiest to get to are the Terme dei Papi ( 0761 35 01; www.termedeipapi.it; Strada Bagni 12; pool €12, Sun €25; 9am-7pm Wed-Mon, plus 9.30pm-1am Sat) , where you can take a dip in the sulphurous pool, have an invigorating massage (from €65 for 50 minutes) or treat yourself to a gloopy mudbath (from €15). Take the bus from Viterbo’s Viale Trento (€1).

For less mud and more High Renaissance spectacle, head to the wonderful Villa Lante , 4km northeast of Viterbo at Bagnaia . This mannerist drama of a garden, with terraces, water cascades and gaily waving statues, forms part of the large, bucolic park ( 0761 28 80 08; admission €2; 8.30am-1hr before sunset Tue-Sun) that surrounds the 16th-century villa. To get to Bagnaia from Viterbo, take the bus from Viale Trieste (€1).

Nearby, another Renaissance wonder is the pentagonal Palazzo Farnese ( 0761 64 60 52; admission €5; 8.30am-6.45pm Tue-Sun) , with its internal circular courtyard. It’s at Caprarola , 20km southeast of Viterbo. The walls were started by a great military engineer, Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, then adapted by Vignal. The extraordinary interior contains paintings by some of the finest mannerist artists of the day. Don’t miss the frescoes by Taddeo and Federico Zuccari in the Sala del Concilio di Trento. Regular buses leave from the Riello bus station just outside Viterbo for Caprarola (€2, 40 minutes).

At Bomarzo , 17km northeast of Viterbo, is a 16th-century curiosity that will entertain children and adults alike, the Parco dei Mostri (Monster Park; 0761 92 40 29; www.parcodeimostri.com; admission/reduced €10/8; 8am-sunset) . The gardens of the Palazzo Orsini are peopled by ancient gigantic sculptures, including an ogre, giant and a dragon. From Viterbo, catch the Cotral bus from Piazzale Giordano Bruno to Bomarzo (€0.60, 40 minutes), then follow the signs to Palazzo Orsini.

Around 32km north of Viterbo, in beautiful, emerald-green countryside, lies handsome Bagnoregio , from where you can visit il paese che muore (the dying town) of the Civita di Bagnoregio that it has replaced. This dramatically scenic hilltop town is accessible via a long bridge. Already on the decline, its fate was sealed by a serious 17th-century earthquake. Set on a piece of volcanic tuff that is slowly crumbling, its buildings are gradually collapsing around the edges. The permanent population numbers around 12, though it multiplies in summer. For info, check www.civitadibagnoregio.it. Bagnoregio is accessible via regular Cotral buses from Viterbo (€2.50, 35 minutes), then the old town is around a 2km walk.

Castelli Romani

About 20km south of Rome, the Colli Albani (Alban Hills) and their 13 towns are collectively known as the Castelli Romani. Since early Roman days they’ve provided a green refuge from the city and today Romans still flock to the area on hot summer weekends. The most famous towns are Castel Gandolfo, where the pope has his summer residence, and Frascati, famous for its delicate white wine.

FRASCATI

An easy bus or train ride from Rome, pretty Frascati makes for a refreshing day trip, with hazy views over Rome, and delicious food and wine.

At Frascati Point ( 06 9401 5378; Piazza G Marconi; 8am-8pm) , you can access information about local wines, vineyards and cantinas (wine cellars). The building is the former stables of the Villa Aldobrandini, recently renovated by Italy’s hippest architect, Massimiliano Fuksas, and including Museo Tuscolano ( 06 941 71 95; 10am-6pm Tue-Fri, 10am-7pm Sat) , with artfully lit Republican and imperial artefacts and interesting models of Tuscolo villas.

The imposing villa that rises from gardens above the square is the 16th-century Villa Aldobrandini , designed by Giacomo della Porta and built by Carlo Maderno; it’s closed to the public, but you can visit the gardens ( 8am-2pm & 3-6pm Mon-Fri) .

If you have a car, head up to the ruins of ancient Tusculum . All that remains of this once imposing town is a small amphitheatre, a crumbling villa and a small stretch of road leading up to the city. The grassy hilltop, however, is a popular spot to do some walking and it commands some fine views.

However, the reasons people really come to Frascati are to eat and drink, and for a breath of fresh air in the dog days of summer (it’s a few degrees cooler up here). The area is famous for its white wine and there are plenty of places where you can try it and other local varieties.

The town’s best restaurant is Cacciani ( 06 942 03 78; Via Al Diaz; meals €55; Tue-Sat) , with fine food and a graceful terrace, but most fun are the town’s famous rough-and-ready cantinas, which usually sell porchetta, olives, salami and cheeses, to go with jugs of the fresh young white wine. You can also pick up a porchetta panini from one of the stands that do a brisk weekend trade around Piazza del Mercato.

To try a typical fraschette ( osteria that traditionally served only porchetta and wine) head to Hosteria San Rocco ( 06 9428 2786; Via Cadorna 1; lunch & dinner) . Called ‘Da Trinco’ by locals, it serves up traditional pasta dishes such as spaghetti alla gricia or saltimbocca, and a fine array of antipasti.

CASTEL GANDOLFO & AROUND

A short drive away in elegant Grottaferrata there’s a 15th-century abbey ( 06 945 93 09; Viale San Nilo; 7am-12.30pm & 3.30pm-1hr before sunset) , founded in 1004. It’s now home to a congregation of Greek monks who sport tall black hats, and has a decidedly mystic atmosphere, the elaborate interior thick with incense. To eat in the town, try the recommended Da Franchino ( 06 945 91 72; Via Principe Amadeo).

Continuing southwest brings you to Castel Gandolfo , a smart hilltop borgo (medieval town). Dominating the town is the pope’s summer residence, a 17th-century confection, where he holds audiences in July and August.

The town overlooks the great azure expanse of Lago di Albano , where you can swim, and there are places to rent sun loungers and pedalos around its banks, as well as cafes. The lake makes a great escape from Rome on a hot day.

The smaller of the two volcanic lakes in the Castelli Romani, Lago di Nemi was the centre of a cult to the goddess Diana in ancient times, and favourite holiday spot of the emperor Caligula. The Museo delle Navi Romani ( 06 939 80 40; Via Diana 15; admission €3; 9am-7pm Mon-Sat, to 1pm Sun) on the shore of the lake was built by Mussolini to house two Roman boats salvaged from the lake in 1932. These dated from Caligula’s time but were tragically destroyed by fire in 1944 – what you see now are scale models of the originals. You can grab a bite to eat at the clifftop Trattoria la Sirena del Lago ( 06 936 80 20; Via del Plebiscito 26; meals €30) , where the local game and trout are excellent and the local wine refreshing. Nemi is also famous for its wild strawberries – sprinkled over almost everything (especially ice cream) in season.

Getting There & Around

There are buses to Frascati, but the best way to reach the city is by train from Stazione Termini (€1.90, 30 minutes, about hourly Monday to Saturday, every two hours Sunday).

To get from Frascati to Grottaferrata (€1, 10 minutes, every 30 to 40 minutes), catch a Cotral bus from Piazza Marconi. Buses also leave from here to Genzano di Roma (€1, 45 minutes, about hourly), from where you can catch another bus to Nemi (€1, 10 minutes, about hourly). There are buses to Castel Gandolfo, but it’s far easier to reach by train from Rome’s Stazione Termini (€1.90, 40 minutes); it’s not possible to catch a train between Frascati and Castel Gandolfo, but there are buses from Piazza Marconi (€1, 30 minutes).

Palestrina

POP 21,340

The pretty town of Palestrina stands on the slopes of Monte Ginestro, one of the foothills of the Apennines. In imperial times it was an important getaway, favoured by wealthy Romans during the stifling summer.

It was dominated by the Santuario della Fortuna Primigenia , a massive sanctuary dating from the 2nd century BC, which had six terraced levels and was dedicated to the goddess of fortune. It would have covered much of what is now the town’s centro storico, but was largely built over. In the 17th century the Palazzo Colonna Barberini was built on its uppermost terrace, and today houses the fantastic Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Palestrina ( 06 953 81 00; Piazza della Cortina; admission €5; 9am-8pm, ticket office closes at 7pm) . Highlights of its collection include the wonderful ‘Capitoline Triad’, a marble sculpture of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva; and a spectacular 2nd-century-BC mosaic showing the flooding of the Nile, an incredibly rich depiction of daily life in ancient Egypt. The cryptoportico once surrounded the highest terrace of the sanctuary and has been incorporated into the palace.

The best spot for lunch is Ristorante Stella ( 06 953 81 72; Piazza della Liberazione 3; meals €30) in the 1960s hotel of the same name just down from the cathedral. It serves delicious dishes such as pappardelle alla lepre (egg-noodle pasta with hare and tomato sauce) and risotto al tartufo (risotto with truffles).

Take a Cotral bus from Ponte Mammolo Metro stop in Rome (€2.50, one hour, half-hourly). It is covered by a Zone 3 BIRG ticket (€6). When you arrive in Palestrina, get off at the second stop along the main street and walk up the very steep stairs and narrow roads to reach the museum, which is high on the hill above the cathedral.

By car it’s a straightforward 39km along Via Prenestina (SS155).

Along the Coast

Fregene and the Lido di Ostia, the two beaches nearest Rome, are all about Roman socialising in summer (when many clubs move out here), but they are afflicted by traffic jams and polluted water. For a serener, cleaner experience, head for the coast further south.

SABAUDIA

Developed on reclaimed land by sun-worshipping Fascists, Sabaudia, 120km southeast of Rome, is a stark 1930s curiosity and the centre of the lovely Parco Nazionale del Circeo (www.parcocirceo.it; Via Carlo Alberto 104; 9am-1pm & 2.30-5pm) , an 800-hectare area of sand dunes, rocky coastline, forest and wetlands. The visitor centre ( 07 7351 1385) can provide details on activities available in the area including fishing, birdwatching, walking and cycling.

Cotral buses leave from outside the Laurentina station on metro line B heading for Terracina and pass by Sabaudia en route (€5.50, two to three hours depending on traffic).

SPERLONGA

Fashionable coastal town Sperlonga is all about tourism. Its whitewashed centro storico is a buzzing spot (in summer, at least) and there are two inviting, sandy beaches either side of a rocky promontory.

Other than the beach, the town’s main attraction is the Museo Archeologico di Sperlonga ( 07 7154 8028; Via Flacca, km1.6; admission/reduced €4/2; 9am-7pm) , home to sculptures and masks dating from the 2nd century BC, and a cave with a circular pool used by the emperor Tiberius. The remains of his villa are in front of the cave.

Hotel Mayor ( 07 7154 9245; Via 1 Romita 4; www.hotelmayor.it; s €65-140, d €90-150; ) , just off the main seafront road into town, has plain but fairly smart and clean rooms, some with balconies.

To treat yourself to seafood so fresh it virtually wriggles off the plate, head to rustic Gli Archi ( 07 7154 83 00; Via Ottaviano 17; meals €40) up in the medieval quarter. Signature dishes include a tantalising linguine agli scampi (long pasta with scampi) and zuppa di cozze (mussel soup). It’s worth eating buffalo mozzarella while you’re here – it’s superfresh because there are many producers in the area.

To get to Sperlonga from Rome, take a regional train from Stazione Termini to Fondi-Sperlonga (€6.20, 1¼ hours, about 20 daily). From the Fondi train station, you can catch the connecting Piazzoli (www.piazzoli.com) bus to Sperlonga (€1, 10 minutes, hourly). Returning from Sperlonga, the bus to Fondi leaves from the main road in the lower town.

Sperlonga is 120km from Rome by car. Take the Via Pontina (SS148) and follow signs to Terracina and then Sperlonga.

Isole Pontine

This group of small islands between Rome and Naples serves as an Italian Hamptons. Roman weekenders descend in droves to eat shellfish at little terrace restaurants, swim in emerald coves and take boat trips round the craggy coast. Be warned that Ponza and Ventotene – the only two inhabited islands – get packed out during holiday periods, and they’re not cheap. It’s best to visit in spring or autumn.

They’ve long been a favoured getaway – Homer refers to Ponza in the Odyssey . But as the Roman Empire declined, the islands were left vulnerable to violent attacks by the Saracens and by groups from mainland Italy and the nearby Aeolian Islands. During this period the island’s main visitors were exiled outcasts from society.

A golden age came in the 18th century, but commerce flourished at the expense of the natural habitat. Today Ponza is ecologically still in poor shape: there’s a lot of erosion caused by terraced farming, and migrating birds would do better to find a different route between Europe and Africa, as hunting is hugely popular. Fortunately, the islands are now under national park protection.

Sleeping

Many of the locals rent out individual rooms to tourists; you’ll find them touting at the port. Otherwise, the Pro Loco tourist office ( 0771 800 31; www.prolocodiponza.it) will help you out. The following places are on Ponza.

Villa Ersilia RENTAL ROOMS €

( 0771 800 97; www.villaersilia.it) This company rents out a variety of simple rooms, studios and apartments. Prices range from €35 to €100 per person per night.

Villa Laetitia BOUTIQUE GUESTHOUSE €€

( 0771 985 10 03; www.villalaetitia.com; Salita Scotti; d €230) Book ahead for this haven of chic. A residence owned by the Fendi family, it has just three rooms that are exquisitely decorated with fabulous artefacts, with amazing sea views.

Getting There & Around

Ponza and Ventotene are accessible by car ferry or hydrofoil from Anzio, Terracina, Naples and Formia. Some services run year-round but others run only from late June to the start of September. The major companies are SNAP (www.snapnavigazione.it, in Italian) , Caremar (www.caremar.it, in Italian) and Vetor (www.vetor.it) . Timetable information is available from the websites, from most travel agents and, in summer, from the Rome section of Il Messaggero and Il Tempo newspapers. Prices vary according to the point of departure and whether you’re on a hydrofoil or ferry (journey time varies from 80 minutes to 2½ hours) – from Terracina to Ponza the 2½-hour daily ferry crossing costs from €20 (return).

Cars and large motorbikes are forbidden on Ponza in summer, but there’s a good local bus service (tickets €1). Otherwise, you can rent a scooter or even a golf buggy to get around.

ST BENEDICT, CAVEMAN

St Benedict is generally regarded as the father of Western monasticism. Fleeing the vice that had so disgusted him as a student in Rome, he sought the gloom of the grotto at Subiaco to meditate and pray. During this time he attracted a large local following that eventually provoked the ire of his fellow friars and forced him onto the road.

Remote-feeling and dramatic, Subiaco is well worth the trip to see its wonderful monasteries and impressive abbey, with breathtaking views. The Monastery of St Benedict ( 07 748 50 39; 9am-12.15pm & 3.30-6.15pm via guided visit) is carved into the rock over the saint’s former cave. Apart from its stunning setting, described by Petrarch as ‘the edge of Paradise’, it’s adorned with rich 13th- to 15th-century frescoes.

Halfway down the hill from St Benedict is the Monastery of St Scholastica ( 07 748 55 69; 9am-12.30pm & 3-6.30pm, 3.30-7pm Jun-Aug) , the only one of the 13 monasteries built by St Benedict still standing in the Valley of the Amiene. It has a restaurant offering set menus for €18 and €26. If you decide to stay the night, its Foresteria ( 07 748 55 69; www.benedettini-subiaco.org; per person full board €58) is a great place to spend a comfortable and contemplative night. But book ahead, as Benedictine clergy from around the world often make the pilgrimage here to work in the monastery’s famous library and archive .

From Subiaco, St Benedict headed south until, it’s said, three ravens led him to the top of Monte Cassino. Here, in 529 AD, he founded the abbey that was to be his home until he died in 547. One of the medieval world’s most important Christian centres, the monumental Abbey of Monte Cassino ( 07 7631 1529; 8.30am-12.30pm & 3.30-5pm, to 6pm Jul & Aug) has been destroyed and rebuilt several times throughout its history, most recently in 1953. During WWII the abbey was central to German efforts to stop the Allied push north. After almost six months of bitter fighting, the Allies finally bombed the abbey in May 1944 in a desperate attempt to break through. In Cassino, there’s a helpful tourist office ( 07 762 12 92; Via Di Biasio; www.apt.frosinone.it; 8.30am-1.30pm & 4-6pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-1.30pm Sat).

To get to the monasteries in Subiaco from Rome by public transport, take a Cotral bus to Piazza Falcone, Subiaco (€6.30, 1¼ hours, every 15 to 30 minutes Monday to Friday, less frequently at weekends) from Ponte Mammolo on metro line B. The shorter trip takes the A24; the longer trip is via Tivoli. The bus stops a little way from the Monastery of St Scholastica – it’s a 3km scenic, if demanding, uphill walk.

For Cassino, take one of the regular trains from Stazione Termini (€7.40, 80 minutes to two hours); some are faster than others. There are regular buses from Piazza San Benedetto up to the abbey. If you walk, it’ll take around two hours to get up the hill and 1½ hours to walk back down!

Top of section

Turin, Piedmont & the Italian Riviera

Includes »

Genoa

Riviera di Levante

Cinque Terre

Riviera di Ponente

Turin

The Milky Way

Southern & Eastern Piedmont

Varallo & the Valsesia

Aosta

Courmayeur

Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso

Valtournenche

Why Go?

The beauty of northwestern Italy is its density. You only have to take a short train ride out of Turin and everything changes: food, culture, scenery – even the language.

The seduction starts in Liguria, a thin, precipitous coastal strip famous for its food (pesto and focaccia), swanky resorts and the once-powerful independent trading empire of Genoa. Piedmont is a flat, fertile medallion of land trapped between the Alps and the Mediterranean, an economic and political powerhouse that provided the nation with its first capital (Turin), a popular car (Fiat) and – more recently – Slow Food and fine wine. Mountainous Aosta, meanwhile, is a semi-autonomous Alpine region with a different history, its own language, and ample skiing and hiking terrain, all guarded by Europe’s highest mountains.

If the three regions share anything in common it’s their Savoia connections and proud sense of history. Italy, in the modern sense, was invented right here.

When to Go

Jan–Mar Most reliable snow cover for skiing in the Alps.

Apr Fewer crowds and better hiking on the Ligurian coast.

Sep & Oct Late-season hiking in the Alps and autumn food festivals in Turin and Alba.

Best Places to Eat

» Osteria dei Sognatori ( Click here )

» Sfashion ( Click here )

» Ombre Rosse ( Click here )

» Delle Antiche Contrade ( Click here )

Best Places to Stay

» Hotel Cairoli ( Click here )

» Hotel Langhe ( Click here )

» Hotel Residence Torino Centro ( Click here )

» Hotel Barolo ( Click here )

Northwest Culinary Inventions

» Pesto Pasta sauce originating in Genoa made from ground basil, pine nuts, olive oil, garlic and hard cheese

» Focaccia A flat oven-baked bread topped with herbs that hails from Liguria

» Breadsticks The thin crunchy sticks known as grissini were allegedly invented in Turin province in 1679

» Nutella Hazelnut spread first concocted by the Ferrero chocolate dynasty in Alba in 1963

» Fontina Pungent, earthy cheese that has been produced in the Valle d’Aosta since the 12th century

» Arborio Short-grain creamy rice used in risotto from the eponymous town in northern Piedmont

SLOW FOOD

Slow Food was the 1980s brainchild of a group of disenchanted Italian journalists from the Piemontese town of Bra. United by their taste buds, they ignited a global crusade against the fast-food juggernaut whose plastic tentacles were threatening to engulf Italy’s centuries-old gastronomic heritage. Their mantra was pleasure over speed and taste over convenience in a manifesto that promoted sustainability, local production and the protection of long-standing epicurean traditions. Paradoxically, Slow Food grew quickly after its 1987 inauguration and by the early 2000s it was sponsoring more restaurants in Piedmont than McDonald’s. In 2004 its founder Carlo Petrini opened up a University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo as a way of passing the baton onto future generations. The mindset worked. Today Slow Food counts 100,000 members in 150 countries and has attracted big-name affiliates such as Turin-founded supermarket company Eataly and popular ice-cream manufacturer Grom, as well as dozens of characterful and refreshingly slow restaurants – all of them defiantly individualistic.

Best Places for Walking

» Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso One of Italy’s few true wilderness areas is packed with trails, wildlife and solitude.

» Courmayeur The meeting point of three of Italy’s great long-distance paths: Aosta’s Alte Vie 1 and 2, and the 165km Tour du Mont Blanc.

» Cinque Terre Cliffside hikes through terraced farmland and soporific fishing villages little changed since the Middle Ages.

» Barbaresco Walks and wine tastings in the undulating vine-striped hills of Piedmont’s Langhe region.

» Portofino A priceless pocket of coastal wilderness sandwiched in between Italy’s poshest resorts.

» Maritime Alps The Alps’ western extremity has majestic hiking possibilities flush up against the border with France.

DON’T MISS

Alpine skiing is wildly popular in the northwest, in the Milky Way resorts west of Turin, the Valle d’Aosta and the town of Limone Piemonte near Cueno.

Unesco World Heritage Sites

» Cinque Terre Medieval fishing villages and landscaped cliffsides on the Ligurian coast.

» Residences of the Royal House of Turin A collection of baroque pleasure palaces in and around Turin including Palazzo Madama, Reale and Venaria Reale.

» Sacri Monti Nine sacred mountains in Piedmont and Lombardy with chapels and pilgrims’ paths dedicated to the Christian faith.

» Palazzi dei Rolli Forty-two Renaissance and baroque palaces in Genoa.

Best Wines

» Barolo

» Barbaresco

» Barbera d’Asti

» Dolcetto d’Alba

» Sciacchetrà

» Asti Spumante

Turin, Piedmont & the Italian Riviera Highlights

Recline beneath the regal furnishings with a bicerin in a fin-de-siècle cafe in Turin ( Click here )

Discover the art and architecture of a once-great maritime empire in Genoa’s amazing Palazzi dei Rolli (Click here )

Discuss terroir, tannins and taste with the wine-quaffers of the Barolo region (Click here )

Hike the blue trail, the red trail, the sanctuary trails – in fact, any trails on the stunning cliffsides of Cinque Terre (Click here )

Work out who’s French, Italian and Swiss-Walser in the multicultural Valle d’Aosta (Click here )

Escape the clamorous Valle d’Aosta on foot with an excursion into the Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso ( Click here )

Descend on Alba in October to see white truffles sell for big prices in the annual Truffle Festival (Click here )

LIGURIA

POP 1.61 MILLION

The first thing to strike you about Liguria is its almost total lack of flatness. Wedged in a sinuous arc between Piedmont and the sea, this is where the Alps and Apennines cascade precipitously into the Mediterranean. The demanding topography has had an indelible effect on almost every facet of Ligurian life. Farming is carried out on ingeniously terraced cliff faces, and impossibly stacked fishing villages have long plundered the sea to both make their livings and fill their menus.

Anchored beside the region’s best natural harbour is noble Genoa. Known as La Superba (The Superb One) to biased locals, it’s a city that once ruled over one of the finest maritime empires in medieval Europe. Spread on either side are the swanky resorts of the so-called Italian Riviera, punctuated with pockets of timelessness, most notably the Portofino peninsula and the legendary Cinque Terre. Surprisingly, given its lack of obvious agricultural land, Liguria is renowned for its food: anchovies, lemons, crunchy focaccia bread and an earthy green sauce known to the world as pesto.

Genoa

POP 609,746

Contrasting sharply with the elegance of Turin, Genoa is a big crawling port that’s almost Dickensian in places, thanks to its narrow, twisting lanes (caruggi) that are more reminiscent of the clamour of Morocco than the splendour of Venice. A once-important trading centre that bred such historic game-changers as Columbus and Mazzini, the city breathes a cosmopolitan air, with remnants of empire evident in its weighty art heritage.

Deep in the maze of the gritty old town, beauty and the beast sit side by side in streets that glimmer like a film noir movie set. Old men smoke languidly outside noisy bars and prostitutes stand like sentries in dark doorways, while on the periphery memories of the great years echo through the gold-leaf halls of the Unesco-sponsored Palazzi dei Rolli – a myriad collection of 16th- and 17th-century ‘lodging palaces’.

The Most Serene Republic of Genoa ruled the Mediterranean waves during the 12th to the 13th centuries before deferring to the superior power of Piedmont. Its crusading noblemen once established colonies in the Middle East and North Africa, and its emblematic flag, the red cross of St George, was greedily hijacked by the English.

Since hosting Expo 1992 and being championed as 2004’s European City of Culture, Genoa has undergone some radical renovations, with its once-tatty port area now hosting Europe’s largest aquarium and one of its best maritime museums.

History

Genoa’s name is thought to come from the Latin ianua, meaning ‘door’. Founded in the 4th century BC, it was an important Roman port and was later occupied by Franks, Saracens and the Milanese. The first ring of Genoa’s defensive walls was constructed in the 12th century. (The only remaining section of these walls, Porta Soprana, was built in 1155, although what you see today is a restored version.)

A victory over Venice in 1298 led to a period of growth, but bickering between the Grimaldis, Dorias, Spinolas and other dynasties caused internal chaos. The Grimaldis headed west, establishing the principality of Monaco – hence the similarity of Monaco’s language, Monegasque, to the Genoese dialect.

In the 16th century, under the rule of Imperial Admiral Andrea Doria, Genoa benefited
from financing Spanish exploration. Its coffers swelled further in the 17th century, which saw an outer ring of walls added as the city expanded, and its newly built palaces filled with art, attracting masters such as Rubens. Celebrated architect Galeazzo Alessi (1512–72) designed many of the city’s splendid buildings.

The end of the Age of Exploration came as a blow and as the Mediterranean’s mercantile importance declined, so did Genoa’s. The city languished for centuries.

Genoa was the first northern city to rise against Nazi occupation and the Italian Fascists during WWII, liberating itself before Allied troops arrived. After the war the city developed rapidly, although by the 1970s decline had set in as industries folded.

Christopher Columbus is Genoa’s most famous son. In 1992 the 500th anniversary of his seminal voyage to America transformed Genoa’s ancient harbour from a decaying backwater into a showpiece for the city. Renzo Piano orchestrated the overhaul, adding a number of striking permanent attractions. Two years later, Genoa was named a European City of Culture, spurring further renovations and additions to the cityscape, including several new museums and a much-needed metro system.

Sights

Aside from its Ligurian cuisine, Genoa’s tour de force is its Palazzi dei Rolli. Forty-two of these plush ‘lodging palaces’ – built between 1576 and 1664 to host visiting European gentry – were placed on the Unesco World Heritage list in 2006. They are mostly located on or around Via Garibaldi and Via Balbi.

Genoa

Top Sights

Cattedrale di San Lorenzo E5

Museo del Risorgimento D3

Palazzo Reale C2

Palazzo Rosso E3

Sights

1  Acquario C4

2  Biosfera C4

3  Casa della Famiglia Colombo F6

4  Chiesa del Gesù E5

5  Galata Museo del Mare B2

6  Galleria Nazionale D4

7 II BigoC4

8  Il Galeone Neptune C3

9  Museo d'Arte Orientale F3

Museo del Jazz (see 14)

10  Museo del Tesoro E5

11  Palazzo Bianco E3

12  Palazzo della Borsa F5

13  Palazzo Doria-Tursi E3

14  Palazzo Ducale E5

15  Ticket Booths C4

Sleeping

16  B&B Palazzo Morali D4

17  Hotel Acquaverde B1

18  Hotel Bristol Palace F5

19  Hotel CairoliD3

20  Hotel Cristoforo Colombo E6

21  Hotel della Posta Nuova B1

22  Hotel Europa B1

Eating

23  Al Veliero D3

24  Antica Trattoria del Porto MariaD4

25  Da Gaia D2

26  I Tre Merli C5

27  Lupo B1

28  M-Cafe E3

29  Ombre RosseE5

30  Trattoria della Raibetta D5

Drinking

31  Café degli Specchi E6

32  Café di Barbarossa F6

33  Fratelli Klainguti E4

34  La Madeleine Café Teatro D3

35  La Nouvelle VagueD5

Entertainment

36  Teatro Carlo Felice F5

37  Teatro della Tosse E6

Shopping

38  Galleria Mazzini F4

Musei di Strada Nuova ART GALLERY

(combined ticket adult/reduced €8/6; 9am-7pm Tue-Fri, 10am-7pm Sat & Sun) Skirting the northern edge of what was once the city limits, pedestrianised Via Garibaldi (formerly called the Strada Nuova) was planned by Galeazzo Alessi in the 16th century. It quickly became the city’s most sought-after quarter, lined with the palaces of Genoa’s wealthiest citizens. Three of these palazzi (mansions) – Rosso, Bianco and Doria-Tursi – comprise the Musei di Strada Nuova. Between them, they hold the city’s finest collection of old masters.

Tickets must be purchased at the bookshop inside Palazzo Doria-Tursi Offline map Google map (Via Garibaldi 9) . This palace’s highlight is the Sala Paganiniana, which showcases a small but absorbing collection of legendary violinist Niccolò Paganini’s personal effects. Pride of place goes to his ‘Canone’ violin, made in Cremona in 1743. One lucky musician gets to play the maestro’s violin during October’s Paganiniana festival. Other artefacts on show include letters, musical scores and his travelling chess set. Elsewhere the collections are centred on ceramics and coins.

Lavishly frescoed rooms in Palazzo Rosso Offline map Google map (www.museopalazzorosso.it; Via Garibaldi 18) are the backdrop for several Van Dyck portraits of the local Brignole-Sale family. Other standouts include Guido Reni’s San Sebastiano and Guercino’s La morte di Cleopatra, as well as works by Veronese, Dürer and Bernardo Strozzi.

Flemish, Spanish and Italian artists feature at Palazzo Bianco Offline map Google map (www.museopalazzobianco.it; Via Garibaldi 11) . Rubens’ Venere e Marte and Van Dyck’s Vertumna e Pomona are among the highlights, which also include works by Hans Memling, Filippino Lippi and Spanish masters Murillo and Zurbarán.

Palazzo Ducale MUSEUM

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(www.palazzoducale.genova.it; Piazza Giacomo Matteotti 9; admission €5-10; exhibitions 9am-9pm Tue-Sun) Once the seat of an independent republic, this grand palace was built in the mannerist style in the 1590s and largely refurbished after a fire in the 1770s. Today it hosts high-profile temporary art exhibitions (an excellent Monet and Matisse show was running at last visit). There are several smaller museums inside, including the Museo del Jazz Offline map Google map (www.italianjazzinstitute.com, in Italian; admission free; 4-7pm Mon-Sat by reservation) , with a collection of original recordings. The palazzo also has a bookshop, and the fine M-Cafe (Click here ).

Cattedrale di San Lorenzo CHURCH

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(Piazza San Lorenzo; 9am-12.30pm & 3.30-7pm) Impressive even by Italian standards, Genoa’s black-and-white-striped Gothic-Romanesque cathedral owes its continued existence to the poor quality of a British WWII bomb that failed to ignite here in 1941. Fronted by twisting columns and crouching lions, it was first consecrated in 1118. The two bell towers and cupola were added in the 16th century.

Inside, above the central doorway, there’s a great lunette with a painting of the Last Judgment, the work of an anonymous Byzantine painter of the early 14th century. In the sacristy, the Museo del Tesoro Offline map (adult/child €5.50/4.50; tours 9am-noon & 3-6pm Mon-Sat) preserves various dubious holy relics, including the medieval Sacro Catino, a glass vessel once thought to be the Holy Grail. Other artefacts include the polished quartz platter upon which Salome is said to have received John the Baptist’s head, and a fragment of the True Cross.

Palazzo Reale PALAZZO, MUSEUM

(www.palazzorealegenova.it; Via Balbi 10; adult/child €4/2; 9am-7pm Thu-Sun, to 1.30pm Tue & Wed) If you only get the chance to visit one of the Palazzi dei Rolli, make it this one – a veritable Versailles with terraced gardens, exquisite furnishings and a fine collection of Renaissance art. The gilded ‘Hall of Mirrors’ is worth the entry fee alone. Add in frescoes, stuccos and numerous other artefacts collected by its two illustrious Genovese owners, the Balbis and the Durazzos, and you’ll be blinking gold for hours afterwards. Complimentary guided tours enhance the experience.

Museo del Risorgimento MUSEUM

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(www.istitutomazziniano.it; Via Lomellini 11; adult/reduced €4/2.80; 9am-7pm Tue-Fri, 10am-7pm Sat) One of numerous Risorgimento (reunification period) museums in Italy, Genoa’s has extra significance: it is housed in the residence where Italian patriot and activist Giuseppe Mazzini was born in 1805. Occupying rooms that once sheltered the so-called ‘soul of Italy’ are flags, personal possessions and well-laid-out and succinct explanations (some of them in English) of the complicated process of Italy’s unification.

Chiesa del Gesù CHURCH

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(Piazza Giacomo Matteotti; 4.30-7pm) Half-hidden behind the cathedral, but emulating it in its ecclesial brilliance, this former Jesuit church dating from 1597 has an intricate and lavish interior. The wonderfully frescoed walls and ceiling are anchored by two works by the great Dutch artist Rubens. Circoncisione hangs over the main altar, and Miracoli di San Ignazio is displayed in a side chapel.

Casa della Famiglia Colombo MUSEUM

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(Piazza Dante; admission €4; 9am-noon & 2-6pm Sat & Sun) Not the only house claiming to be the birthplace of the navigator Christopher Columbus (Calvi in Corsica is another contender), this one probably has the most merit, as various documents inside testify. Curiously it stands just outside the old city walls in the shadow of the Porta Soprana gate built in 1155. Columbus allegedly lived here from 1455 until 1470, when he was between the ages of four and 19.

Piazza de Ferrari PIAZZA

After the asphyxiation of the caruggi, this fountain-embellished main piazza ringed by magnificent buildings feels as if you’ve just come up for air. Showcase architecture includes the art nouveau Palazzo della Borsa Offline map Google map (closed to the public), which was once the country’s stock exchange; the neoclassical Teatro Carlo Felice ( Click here ); and the impressive central fountain.

Museo d’Arte Orientale MUSEUM

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(Piazzale Mazzini 1; adult/reduced €4/2.80; 9am-1pm Tue-Fri, 10am-7pm Sat & Sun) Just east of Via Garibaldi, a path from Piazza Corvetto twists through terraced gardens to one of Europe’s largest collections of Japanese art, bringing together some 20,000 items, including porcelain, bronzes, costumes and musical instruments.

CORSO ITALIA

When you’ve had your fill of the rats and pungent alleys of the old city, decamp (as locals do) to the oceanside promenade known as Corso Italia, which lies approximately 3km east of the city centre. This broad 2.5km-long pavement is where Genovese Romeos pledge undying love to their Juliets, and joggers justify last night’s gelati. The beach here is pebble, but the Corso displays some lovely Liberty facades and ends in unexpectedly cute Boccadasse , a once separate fishing village that appears like a sawn-off part of Cinque Terre out of the surrounding urbanity.

Old City NEIGHBOURHOOD

The heart of medieval Genoa – bounded by Porta dei Vacca, the streets of Via Cairoli, Via Garibaldi and Via XXV Aprile, and the Porta Soprana – is famed for its caruggi . As evidenced by the washing pegged on lines strung outside the buildings, these dark, almost cave-like laneways and dank, odoriferous blind alleys are largely residential, with a sprinkling of bars, shops and cafes. Particularly after dark, parts of the caruggi can feel somewhat unnerving. Although it’s not overly dangerous (especially compared with a decade ago), take care in the zone west of Via San Luca and south to Piazza Banchi, where most of the old city’s lowlife (prostitution, drugs and so on) concentrates. East of the piazza is Via Orefici, where you’ll find market stalls.

Galleria Nazionale ART GALLERY

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(www.palazzospinola.it; Piazza Superiore di Pellicceria 1; adult/reduced €5/3; 9am-8pm Tue-Sat, 2-8pm Sun) This gallery’s paintings are wonderfully displayed over four floors of the 16th-century Palazzo Spinola, once owned by the Spinola family, one of the Republic’s most formidable dynasties. The main focus is Italian and Flemish Renaissance art of the so-called ‘Ligurian school’ (look out for Van Dyck, Rubens and Strozzi), but it’s also worth visiting to gape at the decorative architecture.

Museo delle Culture del Mondo MUSEUM

(Museum of World Cultures; www.castellodalbertisgenova.it; Corso Dogali 18; adult/reduced €6/4.50; 10am-6pm) Towering over the western end of town, Castello D’Albertis houses an eclectic museum showcasing artefacts collecting by its globetrotting owner. The neo-Gothic edifice was built in 1892 on the ruins of a much older castle for the Capitano Enrico D’Albertis, who hauled back all manner of ‘curiosities’ from his extensive sea voyages. Where else could you find a stuffed platypus, a fragment of the Great Wall of China and a handful of sand from San Salvador (Columbus’ first disembarkation point) in the same cabinet? If you don’t fancy the climb up to Corso Dogali, there’s a lift from Via Balbi (€0.70) to the castle gates.

Porto Antico NEIGHBOURHOOD

(www.portoantico.it) The port that once controlled a small empire has reaffirmed itself as one of the best places to enjoy a passeggiata (evening stroll) since a decade-long facelift in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Young nightlife searchers and kids are particularly well catered for.

Acquario AQUARIUM

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(www.acquariodigenova.it; Ponte Spinola; adult/child €18/12; 9.30am-7.30pm; ) No glorified fish tank, Genoa’s bright-blue aquarium is one of the largest in Europe, with more than 5000 sea creatures, including sharks, swimming in six million litres of water. The adjoining floating barge takes visitors on a voyage through the Age of Discovery and into a Madagascan rainforest. The aquarium has disabled access. Opening hours are lengthened in high summer and at weekends.

Biosfera BIOSPHERE DOME

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(Ponte Spinola; adult/reduced €5/3.50; 10am-sunset Tue-Sun) A giant glass ball housing a humid mini-ecosystem with tropical plants, butterflies and birds, the Biosphere is an interesting and innovative addition to the port, although its assorted greenery probably won’t delay you more than 15 minutes. The ambient temperature inside is controlled by computers.

II Bigo LOOKOUT

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(Calata Cattaneo; adult/reduced €4/3; 2-6pm Mon, 10am-6pm Tue-Sun) The port’s most eye-catching and futuristic structure is this giant spider-like contraption that hoists a cylindrical viewing cabin 200m into the air for mediocre city views that struggle to justify the price tag. The lift has access for visitors with disabilities.

Galata Museo del Mare MUSEUM

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(www.galatamuseodelmare.it, in Italian; Calata di Mari 1; admission €11; 10am-7.30pm, closed Mon Nov-Feb) Rivalled only by Barcelona and Venice as a medieval/Renaissance maritime power, it stands to reason that Genoa’s ‘museum of the sea’ is one of its most relevant and interesting. Hi-tech exhibits tracing the history of seafaring from earliest times through the ages of sail and steam justify the rather steep entry fee.

Il Galeone Neptune PIRATE SHIP

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(Mole Ponte Calvi; adult/reduced €5/3; 10am-6pm; ) This full-sized replica pirate ship was built in 1986 as a prop in the Roman Polanski movie Pirates . Moored permanently in the port, it is now a favourite playground for kids re-enacting scenes from Peter Pan and Pirates of the Caribbean with their beleaguered parents.

Genoa–Casella Railway NARROW-GAUGE RAILWAY

Spectacular views of Genoa’s forts can be seen from the 1929 narrow-gauge railway, which snakes 25km north from the Stazione Genova (www.ferroviagenovacasella.it, in Italian; Via alla Stazione per Casella 15) to the village of Casella (one way/return €2/3.20, one hour, eight to 12 daily) in the Scrivia valley. Stazione Genova is 1.3km north of Stazione Brignole: it’s 15 minutes by foot or you can catch bus 33.

La Lanterna HISTORICAL SITE, MUSEUM

(Via Alla Lanterna; admission €6; 10am-7pm Sat & Sun) The port may have changed radically since its ’90s rebirth, but its omnipresent sentinel hasn’t moved an inch since 1543. Genoa’s emblematic lighthouse is one of the world’s oldest and tallest – and it still works, beaming its light over 50km to warn ships and tankers. Visitors can climb 172 steps and ponder exhibits in an adjacent museum of lamps, lenses and related history. The Lanterna is best accessed via a special 800m walking trail that starts at the ferry terminal. It’s surrounded by a fine park.

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR EURO

Serial museum-goers should pick up the Card Musei (Museum Card; www.museigenova.it; 24/48hr €12/16) . The card gives free admission to around 20 of Genoa’s museums and discounted access to several more. You can buy it at various museums, information booths or online at www.happyticket.it.

Tours

Information and tickets for boat trips round the port and destinations further afield are available from the ticket booths Offline map Google map (Ponte Spinola; 9.30am-6.30pm Sep-Jun, 9am-8pm Jul & Aug) beside the aquarium at Porto Antico.

Whale Watch Liguria WHALE-WATCHING

(www.whalewatchliguria.it; tickets €33; 1pm Sat Apr-Oct) These five-hour spring/summer tours are run in consultation with the World Wide Fund for Nature and include fascinating background on the world’s largest mammals provided by an onboard biologist.

Genova Tours BUS

(adult/child €15/7.50) Runs three or four open-topped bus tours daily, with headphone commentary in five languages. It’s best to confirm the departure point for your specific trip; tourist offices can provide departure details. Tickets are sold on the bus.

Festivals & Events

Slow Fish FOOD

(www.slowfish.it) Every odd-numbered year in early May, this festival celebrates seafood with a fish market and tastings. Affiliated with the Slow Food Movement, it also runs free workshops focusing on water pollution, good fishing practices and aquaculture.

Palio delle Quattro Antiche Repubbliche Marinare SAILING

(Regatta of the Four Ancient Maritime Republics) In June, Genoa is one of four historical maritime cities (along with Pisa, Amalfi and Venice) that race in this regatta. The next event in Genoa is in 2012.

Premio Paganini MUSIC

In homage to Genoese violinist Niccolò Paganini (1782–1849), this is an international violin competition held in September.

Sleeping

Dozens of hotels are spread round town. The greatest concentration is near Stazione Principe on and around Via Balbi.

Hotel Cairoli HOTEL €

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( 010 246 14 54; www.hotelcairoligenova.com; Via Cairoli 14/4; s €55-90, d €65-105; ) Window-shoppers wouldn’t know it, but Mondrian lurks three flights up in this Genoa palazzo . Themed on various modern artists, the rooms at the cleverly put-together Cairoli exhibit the personalities and works of various famous artists. Add in a communal library, chill-out area, internet room, fully equipped gym, free newspapers, terrace and informative maps on the wall and you have five stars in a three-star wrapping. It’s multilingual and friendly, too.

B&B Palazzo Morali B&B €

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( 010 246 70 27; www.palazzomorali.com; Piazza della Raibetta; s €50-70, d €70-100; ) Your instant reaction on entering the rarefied world of Palazzo Morali is: I’ve stumbled upon a secret Palazzo Rolli that Unesco forgot to list. When you come to your senses, you’ll realise that ‘B&B’ is a misnomer at this exquisite place situated on the top two floors of a lofty building overlooking Genoa’s port. Palatial rooms (some with shared bathroom) are embellished with gold-leafed four-poster beds and Genovese art, and breakfast feels more like a banquet than an early-morning snack.

Hotel Bristol Palace HOTEL €€€

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( 010 59 25 41; www.hotelbristolpalace.com; Via XX Settembre 35; s €147-350, d €166-470; ) Under the huge portals of Via XX Settembre lies one of Genoa’s fanciest pads, a belle époque masterpiece exhibiting atmospheric, airy rooms with geometric parquet flooring and original antiques (as well as mod cons). Enter the domain via a sweeping staircase with an ornamental glass roof visible at the top.

Hostel Genova HOSTEL €

( 010 242 24 57; hostelge@iol.it; Via G Costanzi 120; dm/s/d incl breakfast from €16/23.50/44; reception 9am-3.30pm & midnight-7am Feb–mid-Dec; ) A steep 2km north of the centre, Genoa’s only hostel has rules that won’t endear it to free-spirited backpackers: its eight-bed dorms are single-sex, there’s a lockout from 9am to 3.30pm, a 1am curfew, and Hostelling International (HI) cards are mandatory. Catch bus 40 from Stazione Brignole to the end of the line. Has access for guests with disabilities.

Hotel Acquaverde HOTEL €

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( 010 26 54 27; www.hotelacquaverde.it; Via Balbi 29; s €40-45, d €55-65; ) On the top three floors of a restored 17th-century town house (accessed by a lift), the Acquaverde’s rooms are simple but comfortable. If you’re self-catering, four rooms have their own kitchen facilities (€80 to €130). There’s also access for travellers with disabilities.

Hotel della Posta Nuova HOTEL €€

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( 010 25 29 29; www.albergopostagenova.com; Via Balbi 24; s €40-115, d €60-130; ) No real surprises at this journeyman hotel 150m from Stazione Principe, though it’s clean, safe and relatively friendly for such a transient quarter. Rooms are smallish and simple but admit plenty of natural light. The ones on the top floor have a terrace overlooking Via Balbi.

Hotel Cristoforo Colombo HOTEL €€

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( 010 251 36 43; www.hotelcolombo.it; Via di Porta Soprana 27; s €88-160, d €110-170) A rather charming family-run hotel ideally situated near the San Lorenzo cathedral with 18 colour-accented rooms with postmodern furnishings. Breakfast is served on an inviting 6th-floor rooftop terrace.

Albergo Carola HOTEL €

( 010 839 13 40; Via Groppallo 4; s/d from €28/50, with bathroom from €35/60) Albergo Carola’s nine well-kept rooms are on the 3rd floor of a lovely old building near Stazione Brignole. It’s clean, central and charming. And look at the price!

Hotel Europa HOTEL €

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( 010 25 69 55; www.hoteleuropagenova.it; Via delle Monachette 8; s/d €72/105; ) Tucked down a little laneway a few footsteps from Stazione Principe, Europa’s small rooms come with elegant peach-toned decor and amenities such as flat-screen satellite TV and minibar.

Eating

It’s practically impossible to leave town without tasting pesto genovese (the famous sauce that appears on menus everywhere). Ubiquitous local specialities focaccia (especially topped with cheese) and farinata (a thin pancake made from chickpea flour) make cheap takeaway snacks. Nail a place with a visible oven and dive in when you see the baker stocking his display cases with a fresh round. Torta pasqualina (spinach, ricotta cheese and egg tart), pansotti (spinach-filled ravioli with a thick, creamy hazelnut sauce) and freshly caught seafood are also good.

Ombre Rosse TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€€

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( 010 27 57 608; Vico Indoratori 20; meals €35-35) Encased in one of the oldest medieval houses in the city, dating from the early 13th century, Ombre Rosse offers another dose of urban serendipity. First there’s the dark but romantic interior, full of books, posters and interesting nooks. Second is the alfresco seating in a delightful small park (one of the few in Genoa’s dense urban grid). Third and most importantly is the 100% Ligurian food – trofie al pesto, pasta with salsa de noci and fine verdure torta (vegetable quiche) with a side salad.

Trattoria della Raibetta TRATTORIA €€

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(www.trattoriadellaraibetta.it; Vico Caprettari 10-12; meals €20-30; lunch & dinner Tue-Sun) The most authentic Genoese food can be procured in the family-run joints hidden in the warren of streets near the cathedral. The Raibetta’s menu is unfussy and fish-biased. Try the seafood with riso venere (a local black rice) or the signature homemade trofiette al pesto . The octopus salad makes a good overture, while the wine is a toss-up between 200 different vintages.

Lupo TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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(www.lupoanticatrattoria.it; Via delle Monachette 20; meals €25-30; 12.30-3pm & 7.30pm-midnight) Inviting aromas of home cooking – cuttlefish in tomato sauce, ravioli in walnut sauce, and homemade desserts – greet you at the door, as do owners who welcome you like a lost Columbus. Lupo’s wine list is outstanding, and its antiques and objets d’art – such as cast-iron candelabras, a grandfather clock and black-and-white photographs suspended on wire strings – create a refined yet relaxed ambience.

Da Gaia TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€€

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(Vico dell’Argento 13r; meals €30-50; closed Sun) Don’t let the dark, Dickensian alley put you off. Gaia is a ray of light in murky surroundings, and regularly voted the best restaurant in town by those who should know (ie the locals). It’s famous for its fish, so try the antipasto vegetable plate before diving into prawns, sea bass or tuna. It also does all the Genovese staples (pesto, noci ) and a good stewed rabbit.

I Tre Merli MODERN ITALIAN €

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(Palazzina Millo, Porto Antico; snacks €7-12, meals €20-25) Grander than some of its portside counterparts, this well-positioned restaurant is flanked by towering black-and-white-striped columns. Excellent Ligurian cuisine includes salted cod fritters, and veal stuffed with porcini mushrooms and potatoes. Otherwise, you can just have a glass of wine with wood-fired snacks such as focaccia col formaggio (Liguria’s answer to cheese on toast).

Antica Trattoria del Porto Maria TRATTORIA €€

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(Piazza Caricamento 22; meals €20-30; lunch Tue-Sun, dinner Fri & Sat) Classic Genoese cuisine such as scampi in brandy is dished up at this atmospheric little old-port trattoria with green-and-white chequered tables down a flight of steps in an old storeroom.

M-Cafe SANDWICH SHOP, CAFE €

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(Palazzo Rosso, Via Garibaldi 18; ) You’ll need this neat little haven of modernity in Genoa’s ‘museum street’ for a quick panini and espresso to refresh your brain in between spells of art gawping.

Al Veliero SEAFOOD €€

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( 010 246 57 73; Via Ponte Calvi 10r; meals €30-40; Tue-Sun) On the steps of the port, Al Veliero is seafood central, where the fish is served simply but delicately to much local acclaim.

Drinking

The revamped Porto Antico has captured much of the youthful night-time scene, but never underestimate the lure of the caruggi . You’ll also find sophisticated new drinking spots intermingled with old-time favourites throughout the city, particularly in the streets just northwest of Piazza de Ferrari. Piazza della Erbe is clad with cafe terraces where you can linger over a coffee or something stronger.

La Nouvelle Vague WINE BAR

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(www.nouvelle-vague.it; Vico de Gradi 4r; to 1am Sun-Thu, to 2am Fri & Sat) The carrugi pull many surprises, but few are as sweet as this enclave of cool underground intellectualism beneath the clammy confusion of Genoa’s medieval streets. Nouvelle Vague is a French-themed bookshop and bar where you can sip Italian wine while leafing through the works of Genet and Proust. Photos of a gamine Jean Seaberg adorn the walls and the top-drawer aperitif snacks that accompany all drink orders have led to numerous dinner cancellations.

Fratelli Klainguti CAFE €

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(Via di Soziglia) Pre-dating cappuccinos and Lavazza coffee, Klainguti presumably found other ways to pull in the clientele when it opened in 1828. These days, caffeine and pastries do the trick for most people who are happy to pay over the odds to get served by a waiter in a bowtie under an ostentatious chandelier. Simple primi (first courses) start at a more reasonable €5.

Café degli Specchi CAFE

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(Via Salita Pollaiuoli 43r; mains €7-10; Mon-Sat) A bit of Turin disconnected and relocated 150km to the south, this roaring-’20s, tiled, art deco showpiece was (and is) a favourite hang-out of the literati. You can sink your espresso at street level or disappear upstairs amid the velvet seats and mirrors for coffee, cake and an aperitivo (happy hour) buffet.

Café di Barbarossa BAR, CAFE

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(Piano di Sant’Andrea 21-3r; 7am-4pm Mon, to 2.30am Tue-Fri, 5pm-2.30am Sat & Sun) A life-sized statue of Elvis outside the entrance kitschily disguises a good-time bar-cafe set in a medieval red-brick cellar below the towering 12th-century Porta Soprana. Outside there’s a leafy deck.

La Madeleine Café Teatro BAR

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( 010 246 53 12; Via della Maddalena 103) Live bands blast till 10pm most nights at this energetic cafe-theatre-music bar.

Entertainment

At the western end of the Porto Antico, the Magazzini del Cotone (one-time cotton warehouses) have been converted into an entertainment area with a multiplex cinema, games arcade and shops.

Teatro Carlo Felice THEATRE

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(www.carlofelice.it, in Italian; Passo Eugenio Montale 4) Take in a play or opera at Genoa’s stunning four-stage opera house.

Teatro della Tosse THEATRE

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(www.teatrodellatosse.it, in Italian; Piazza Renato Negri 4) Casanova trod the boards of the city’s oldest theatre, which dates from 1702.

Shopping

Heading southwest, elegant Via Roma, with its art nouveau boutiques and adjacent glass-covered Galleria Mazzini Offline map Google map , is Genoa’s most exclusive designer-shopping street. It links Piazza Corvetto with Piazza de Ferrari.

Information

Internet Cafe (Via Balbi 110; per hr €1; 9am-8pm Mon-Fri, 2-8pm Sat) Near Stazione Principe.

Ospedale San Martino ( 010 55 51; Largo Rosanna Benci 10) Hospital.

Police station ( 010 5 36 61; Via Armando Diaz 2)

Post office Main post office (Via Dante; 8am-6.30pm Mon-Sat); Stazione Principe ( 8am-6.30pm Mon-Fri, to 12.30pm Sat)

Tourist offices Airport ( 9am-1pm, 1.30-5.30pm); Via Garibaldi ( 9am-6.30pm); Piazza Ferrari (next to Teatro Carlo Felice; 9am-1pm, 2.30-6.30pm)

Getting There & Away

Air

Regular domestic and international services, including easyJet flights, use Christopher Columbus airport (Aeroporto Internazionale di Cristoforo Colombo; www.airport.genova.it) , 6km west of the city in Sestri Ponente.

Boat

Ferries sail to/from Spain, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica and Tunisia from the international passenger terminal (terminal traghetti; www.porto.genova.it; Via Milano 51) . Only cruise ships use the 1930s passenger ship terminal on Ponte dei Mille.

Fares listed following are for one-way, low-/high-season deck-class tickets. Ferry operators based at the international passenger terminal include the following:

Grandi Navi Veloci (www.gnv.it) Ferries to Sardinia (Porto Torres, €88, year-round; Olbia, €81, June to September) and Sicily (Palermo, €50, year-round). Also ferries to Barcelona, Tunis and Tangier (Morocco).

Moby Lines (www.mobylines.it) Ferries year-round to Corsica (Bastia, €39) and Sardinia (Olbia, €67).

From June to September, Cooperativa Battellieri del Golfo Paradiso (www.golfoparadiso.it) operates boats from Porto Antico to Camogli (one way/return €10/15), Portofino (€12/20) and Porto Venere (€18/33).

Consorzio Liguria Via Mare (www.liguriaviamare.it) runs a range of seasonal trips to Camogli, San Fruttuoso and Portofino, Monterosso in the Cinque Terre, and Porto Venere.

Bus

Buses to international cities depart from Piazza della Vittoria, as do buses to/from Milan’s Malpensa airport (€16, two hours, 6am and 3pm) and other interregional services. Tickets are sold at Geotravels (Piazza della Vittoria 30r) and Pesci Viaggi e Turismo (Piazza della Vittoria 94r) .

Train

Genoa’s Stazione Principe and Stazione Brignole are linked by train to the following destinations.

TO

FARE (€)

DURATION (HR)

FREQUENCY

Milan

13.70

1½

up to 8 daily

Pisa

17

2

up to 8 daily

Rome

37.50

5¼

6 daily

Turin

9.10

1¾

7-10 daily

Stazione Principe tends to have more trains, particularly going west to San Remo (€14.50, two hours, five daily) and Ventimiglia (€11.60, 2¼ hours, six daily).

Getting Around

To/From the Airport

AMT (www.amt.genova.it) line 100 runs between Stazione Principe and the airport at least every hour from 5.30am to 11pm (€4, 30 minutes). Tickets can be bought from the driver.

A taxi to or from the airport will cost around €15.

Public Transport

AMT (www.amt.genova.it) operates buses throughout the city and there is an AMT information office (Via d’Annunzio; 7.15am-6pm Mon-Fri, 7am-7pm Sat & Sun) at the bus terminal. Bus line 383 links Stazione Brignole with Piazza de Ferrari and Stazione Principe. A ticket valid for 90 minutes costs €1.50. Tickets can be used on main-line trains within the city limits, as well as on the currently expanding metro (www.genovametro.com) , which has numerous stations across the city.

Around Genoa

NERVI

A former fishing village engulfed by Genoa’s urban sprawl, modern Nervi classifies itself as a ‘resort’ – though with plenty of ritzier Riviera competition, it’s rarely top of anyone’s holiday list. Its saving graces are its bounty of museums and galleries, and the 2km cliffside promenade, the Passeggiata Anita Garibaldi.

Sights

All four of Nervi’s museums and galleries can be accessed in a combined ticket (€10) or they’re included on the Genoa Museum Card (see the boxed text,Click here ).

Galleria d’Arte Moderna ART GALLERY

(Via Capolungo 3; adult/reduced €6/5; 10am-7pm Tue-Sun) This museum – the most celebrated of the four – displays works by 19th- and 20th-century artists such as Filippo De Pisis, Arturo Martini and Rubaldo Merello.

Raccolte Frugone ART GALLERY

(Via Capolungo 9; adult/reduced €4/2.80; 9am-7pm Tue-Fri, 10am-7pm Sat & Sun) More 19th- and early-20th-century Italian art, including Eduardo Rubino’s sensual marble nude, Il Risveglio, is displayed here in the Villa Grimaldi Fassio, overlooking the leafy, squirrel-filled Parchi di Nervi.

Wolfsoniana MUSEUM

(www.wolfsoniana.it; Via Serra Gropallo 4; adult/reduced €5/4; 10am-7pm Tue-Sun) Some 18,000 items from the period 1880–1945 are displayed at the Wolfsoniana. On show are items documenting this turbulent time in Italy’s history, including advertising and propaganda posters, along with architectural drawings, paintings and furnishings.

Museo Giannettino Luxoro MUSEUM

(Via Mafalda di Savoia 3; adult/reduced €4/2.80; 9am-1pm Tue-Fri, 10am-1pm Sat) Going back earlier in time, this place has a rich collection of 18th-century clocks, silverware, ceramics and furniture, displayed in a splendidly restored villa. The entrance fee also includes entry to Raccolte Frugone.

Eating

Chandra Bar INTERNATIONAL €

(Passeggiata Garibaldi 26r; meals €18-25; 3pm-2am Tue-Sat, 11.30am-2am Sun) Situated on the seafront promenade, the Chandra serves up pasta and daily specials of freshly caught fish occasionally spiced up with Thai and Brazilian inflections. Also live music.

Getting There & Away

Nervi is 7km east of Genoa and best reached by frequent trains from Stazione Brignole and Stazione Principe (€1.20, 20 to 25 minutes).

PEGLI

Roughly 9km west of Genoa’s centre, flower-filled parks make Pegli a peaceful spot to retreat from the urban tumult. Like Nervi, this former seafront village now lies within the city boundaries of Genoa; and, again like Nervi, it has yet more museums. A combined ticket for all of the following sights costs €8.

Sights

Museo di Archeologia Ligure MUSEUM

(www.museoarcheologicogenova.it; Via Pallavicini 11; admission €4; 9am-7pm Tue-Fri, 10am-7pm Sat & Sun) This museum in the striking Villa Pallavicini, holds displays of locally excavated artefacts from the prehistoric through to the Roman period, as well as a collection of Egyptian antiquities.

Museo Navale MUSEUM

(www.museonavale.it; Villa Doria, Piazza Bonavino 7; admission €4; 9am-1pm Tue-Fri, 10am-7pm Sat & Sun) Maritime matters are covered in a former residence of the Doria clan with an exhibition of models, photographs and other reminders of the days when Genoa sported a significant sea force from the 15th to 19th centuries.

Parco Villa Pallavicini PARK

(Via Pallavicini; admission €3.50; 9am-7pm Apr-Sep, to 5pm Oct-Mar) Pallavacini is a manicured park with formal lawns, lakes and glasshouse that is an epitome of the lush Italian Riviera landscape. The neighbouring Giardino Botanico (admission €3.50; 9am-12.30pm Tue-Sun) is home to a small collection of exotic plants.

Getting There & Away

Frequent trains from Genoa’s Stazione Brignole and Stazione Principe (€1.20, 20 to 25 minutes) travel to Pegli.

Riviera di Levante

Running claustrophobically from Genoa’s eastern sprawl, you’re quickly apprehended by the deep blue waters of the Mediterranean fringed by some of Italy’s most elite resorts, including jet-set favourite Portofino. Anything but off the beaten track, this glittering stretch of coast is hugely popular but never tacky. Heading further east, swanky resorts battle bravely with increasingly precipitous topography.

CAMOGLI

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This still-authentic fishing village, 25km east of Genoa, has trompe l’œil decorating its alleys and cobbled streets, beneath a canopy of umbrella pines and voluptuous olive groves.

Camogli’s name means ‘house of wives’, hailing from the days when the women ran the village while their husbands were at sea. Fishing traditions continue here, especially during the second weekend in May when fishermen celebrate the Sagra del Pesce (Fish Festival) with a big fry-up – hundreds of fish are cooked in 3m-wide pans along the busy waterfront.

Sights & Activities

From the main esplanade, Via Garibaldi, boats sail to the Punta Chiappa , a rocky outcrop on the Portofino promontory where you can swim and sunbathe like an Italian.

A trail from the train station leads along Via Nicolò Cuneo and up countless steps to the church of San Rocco di Camogli (follow the two red dots). From here the path continues 3km to the clifftop batterie , a WW2 German anti-aircraft gun emplacement.

Sleeping

Delve down the lanes away from the water to escape the lunchtime crowd and search for some of the town’s extra-crunchy focaccia.

Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi HOTEL €€€

( 0185 72 41; www.cenobio.com; Via Cuneo 34; s €120-160, d €160-230; ) Welcome to Riviera luxury. The Cenobio’s name means ‘gathering place of the doges’, and yes, the Genovese dukes used to holiday here eons ago – sensible souls! Choose from one of 105 refined rooms that still manage to feel intimate.

Information

Tourist office (www.camogli.it, in Italian; Via XX Settembre 33; 9am-12.30pm & 3.30-6pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun) Has a list of diving schools and boat-rental operators.

Getting There & Away

Camogli is on the Genoa–La Spezia train line with regular connections to Santa Margherita (€1.80, five minutes) and Rapallo (€1.80, 10 minutes).

The Cooperativa Battellieri del Golfo Paradiso (www.golfoparadiso.it) runs boats year-round to Punta Chiappa (one way/return €5/8) and San Fruttuoso (€8/11). Between June and September there are services to Genoa’s Porto Antico (€10/15), Portofino (€10/16) and the Cinque Terre (€20/27.50).

SAN FRUTTUOSO

The yin to Portofino’s yang, San Fruttuoso is a slice of ancient tranquillity preserved amid some of Italy’s ritziest coastal resorts. There are no roads here – thank heavens! Access is either by boat or on foot.

Sights

Abbazia di San Fruttuoso di Capodimonte CHURCH

(adult/child €4/2.50; 10am-6pm May-Sep, to 4pm Mar, Apr & Oct, also to 4pm public holidays & day prior to public holidays Dec-Feb) The hamlet’s extraordinary Benedictine abbey was built as a final resting place for Bishop St Fructuosus of Tarragona (martyred in Spain in AD 259). It was rebuilt in the mid-13th century with the assistance of the Doria family. The abbey fell into decay with the decline of the religious community, and in the 19th century it was divided into small living quarters by local fishermen.

In 1954 a bronze statue of Christ was lowered 15m to the seabed, offshore from the abbey, to bless the waters. Dive to see it or view it from a boat if the waters are calm – the Cooperativa Battellieri del Golfo Paradiso can provide details. Replicas were lowered in St George’s harbour, Grenada, in 1961, and off Key Largo in Florida in 1966.

Getting There & Away

San Fruttuoso’s isolation is maintained by its lack of road access. You can walk in on foot from Camogli (a tricky, rocky hike with metal hand supports) or Portofino, a steep but easier 5km cliffside walk. Both hikes take about 2½ hours one way. Alternatively, you can catch a boat from Camogli (one way/return €8/11) or Punta Chiappa (€5/8).

PORTOFINO

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Even the trees are handsome in Portofino, a small but perfectly coiffured coastal village that sits on its own peninsula like a Milanese model glued to the catwalk. Spending the night here might be beyond the wallet-stretching capabilities of the hoi polloi, but mere mortals should save up to enjoy an expensive cappuccino next to Portofino’s yacht-filled harbour logging the ubiquity of Ferrari key-rings and Gucci handbags.

Sights

Castello Brown CASTLE

(www.portofinoevents.com; Via alla Penisola 13a; admission €3.50; vary) From the sublime harbour, a flight of stairs signposted ‘Salita San Giorgio’ leads past the Chiesa di San Giorgio to Portofino’s unusual castle, a 10-minute walk altogether (confirm the opening times with the tourist office prior to setting out, as the castle often hosts private events). The Genoese-built castle saw action against the Venetians, Savoyards, Sardinians and Austrians, and later fell to Napoleon. In 1867 it was transformed by the British diplomat Montague Yeats Brown into a private mansion. The fabulous tiled staircase is one of the showpieces of the neo-Gothic interior, while there are great views from the garden. For a better outlook, continue for another 300m or so along the same track to the lighthouse .

Activities

If you’re feeling flush, chat to the boat-taxi operators in the harbour about snorkelling and sightseeing trips.

Parco Naturale Regionale di Portofino HIKING

(www.parks.it/parco.portofino) Unbeknown to the soft-top-sportscar drivers who zoom in via the sinuous road from Santa Margherita, the Portofino peninsula is criss-crossed with 60km of narrow trails, many of them surprisingly remote and all of them free of charge. The tourist office has maps. A good but tough day hike (there are exposed sections) is the 18km coastal route from Camogli to Santa Margherita via San Fruttuoso and Portofino. There are handy train connections at both ends.

Sleeping

Warning: staying the night can severely damage your credit card!

Eden BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€€

( 0185 26 90 91; www.hoteledenportofino.com; Vico Dritto 18; d €140-270; ) You’ve arrived in heaven, so you might as well stay there. Eden is an apt word on the quiet cobbled side streets a stone’s throw from Portofino’s idyllic harbourfront where this residential-like hotel does a good job at looking posh without being too pretentious.

Hotel Splendido LUXURY HOTEL €€€

( 0185 26 78 01; www.hotelsplendido.com; Salita Baratta 16; s/d from €562/975; ) The megarich or those intent on blowing their life’s savings check into this bastion of whimsy and wisteria to follow in the footsteps of the Duke of Windsor, Frank Sinatra and countless other zillionaires. Ordinary Joes can freely wander round the columns and cupolas while nurturing fanciful dreams.

Eating & Drinking

Portofino favours Serie A footballers and lottery winners, though the average traveller can usually rustle up sufficient cash (€5) for a harbourside cappuccino.

Pizzeria Il Portico PIZZERIA €€

(Via Roma 21; meals €20-25; closed Tue) Wander a block from the harbour and pizza margheritas can be procured for €6. At Il Portici, diners can enjoy dishes such as octopus salad, vongole (clams) and Genovese specials on chequered tablecloths outside.

Caffè Excelsior CAFE €€

(Piazza Martiri dell’Olivetta 54) Standard €1.30 cappuccinos are a pipe dream here, but what you’re paying for isn’t the coffee but the perch: a lovely cafe with romantic alfresco booths where Greta Garbo used to hide behind dark glasses.

Information

Tourist office (www.apttigullio.liguria.it; Via Roma 35; 10am-1pm & 1.30-4.30pm Tue-Sun) Has free trail maps for the Parco Naturale Regionale di Portofino and information on mountain-bike rental, as well as seasonal sail and motorboat rental.

Getting There & Around

ATP (www.atp-spa.it) bus 882 runs to Portofino from outside the tourist office in Santa Margherita (€1.50, every 30 minutes), but by far the best way is to walk. A designated path tracks the gorgeous coastline for 3km.

From April to October, Servizio Marittimo del Tigullio (www.traghettiportofino.it) runs daily ferries from Portofino to/from San Fruttuoso (€7.50/10.50), Rapallo (€7/10.50) and Santa Margherita (€5.50/8.50).

Motorists must park at the village entrance, with obligatory parking fees starting from €4.50 per hour (cash only).

SANTA MARGHERITA

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After the chaos of Genoa, Santa Margherita materialises like a calm Impressionist painting. You wouldn’t want to change a single detail of its picture-perfect seaside promenade, where elegant hotels with Liberty facades overlook million-dollar yachts in this favourite fishing-village-turned-wealthy-retirement-spot. Fortunately, unlike in Portofino, you don’t have to be a millionaire to stay here.

Sights & Activities

Santa Margherita’s idyllic position in a sheltered bay on the turquoise Golfo di Tigullio makes it a good base for sailing , water-skiing and scuba diving . Those feeling less active can simply stretch out on its popular beach .

Villa Durazzo MUSEUM, GARDEN

(www.villadurazzo.it; Piazzale San Giacomo 3; 9am-1pm & 2.30-6.30pm) Villa Durazzo is Santa Margherita personified: an exquisite mansion and gardens that are linked to a 16th-century castle overlooking the sea. You can take an aromatic stroll among lemon trees, hydrangea and camellia hedges, and other flora typical of the town’s hot climate, in the lavish Italian gardens. The house is being made into a museum and is regularly used for weddings. There’s a lovely coffee terrace.

Sleeping

Lido Palace Hotel HOTEL €€

( 0185 28 58 21; www.lidopalacehotel.com; Via Doria 3; s €110-140, d €140-200; ) Right on the waterfront and oozing old-school refinement, this Liberty-style grande dame offers the quintessential Santa Margherita experience. Rooms are generously proportioned and the breakfast buffet is bountiful. The restaurant has an outdoor terrace with elevated views and there are half- and full-board options.

Fasce HOTEL €€

( 0185 28 64 35; www.hotelfasce.it; Via Luigi Bozzo 3; s/d €98/108; ) This is one of Santa Margherita’s cheaper options, with a rooftop sun deck, 16 decent-sized rooms (though bathrooms are teensy) and a limited breakfast. Parking costs an extra €18.

Eating & Drinking

Trattoria dei Pescatori SEAFOOD €€

(Via Bottaro 43-44; meals around €35; Wed-Mon Sep-Jun, daily Jul & Aug) Moscardini affogati (spicy stewed baby octopus) is the summertime speciality of Santa Margherita’s first-ever restaurant, opened in 1910. Autumn brings wild mushrooms to the table, while year-round Pescatori serves a delicious regional fish soup, oven-baked fish with olives and pine nuts, and handmade pasta in all shapes and sizes.

Bar Colombo CAFE, BAR €€

(Via Pescino 13; to late Tue-Sun) A celebration of art nouveau, this resplendent coffee bar-restaurant on the seafront is the former hang-out of silver-screen stars such as Burton and Taylor.

Information

Tourist office (www.apttigullio.liguria.it; Piazza Vittorio Veneto; 9.30am-12.30pm & 2.30-5.30pm Mon-Sat) Has a raft of information about water sports along the gulf.

Parco Naturale Regionale di Portofino (www.parks.it/parco.portofino; Viale Rainusso 1) Maps and information on hiking.

Getting There & Around

ATP Tigullio Trasporti (www.tigulliotrasporti.it, in Italian) runs buses to/from Portofino (every 20 minutes) and Camogli (every 30 minutes).

By train, there are hourly services to/from Genoa (€3, 35 minutes) and La Spezia (€5.50, 1½ hours).

Servizio Marittimo del Tigullio (www.traghettiportofino.it; Via Palestro 8/1b) runs seasonal ferries to/from Cinque Terre (one way/return €17/24.50), Porto Venere (€21/32), San Fruttuoso (€9.50/14.50), Portofino (€5.50/8.50) and Rapallo (€3.50/4.50).

RAPALLO

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WB Yeats, Max Beerbohm and Ezra Pound all garnered inspiration in Rapallo and it’s not difficult to see why. With its bright-blue changing cabins, palm-fringed beach and diminutive 16th-century castle perched above the sea (hosting temporary art exhibitions), the town has a refined and nostalgic air. That’s not to say it isn’t friendly. Rapallo’s compactness gives it a less elite atmosphere than its jet-set neighbours. It’s at its busiest on Thursdays, when market stalls fill central Piazza Cile.

Sights

Rapallo’s seafront promenade – Lungomare Vittorio Veneto – is an unwitting street theatre of the beautiful and the damned. It’s worth checking inside the picturesque impossible-to-miss castle where temporary exhibitions are sometimes held.

Cable Car CABLE CAR

(Piazzale Solari 2; one way/return €5.50/8; 9am-12.30pm & 2-6pm) When you’ve had your fill of the promenade poseurs, rise above them in a 1934-vintage cable car up to Santuario Basilica di Montallegro (612m), a sanctuary built on the spot where, on 2 July 1557, the Virgin Mary was reportedly sighted. Walkers and mountain bikers can follow an old mule track (5km, 1½ hours) to the hilltop site.

Sleeping

Hotel Miro HOTEL €€

( 0185 23 41 00; www.hotelmiro.net; Lungomare Vittorio Veneto 32; s €70-125, d €90-145; ) Right on the seafront, this charming boutique hotel with an occluded entrance behind a promenade cafe has retained much of its historical character, with canopied beds and floral-print wallpaper.

Hotel L’Approdo HOTEL €€

( 0185 23 45 45; www.approdohotel.it; Via San Michele di Pagana 160; d €98-156; ) Set on the hillside, L’Approdo has some great sea views, but if you’re willing to forgo them and look out onto the garden instead, you can negotiate a lower rate. Rooms are shiny and modern, and some are wheelchair accessible. Parking (€10 per day) needs to be booked ahead.

Eating

Behind rows of parked scooters, the waterfront has plenty of places to eat, drink and snack.

Antica Cucina Genovese TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

(Via Santa Maria del Campo 133; meals €18-30; Tue-Sun) Handmade pasta dishes include a huge variety of vegetarian options such as chestnut ravioli with pesto, as well as vegan fare such as potato and mushroom stew. The open kitchen also prepares meat and fish dishes, and there’s a great range of Ligurian wines.

Biancaneve CAFE €

(Lungomare Vittorio Veneto 37) Old dames in heavy jewellery mix with the nouveau riche under the awning of this seafront cafe. There are stashes of Vogue -like magazines to flick through inside and some impressive signed photos on the wall (Mick Jagger included).

Information

Tourist office (www.apttigullio.liguria.it; Lungo Vittorio Veneto 7; 9.30am-12.30pm & 2.30-5.30pm Mon-Sat) Details of walks in the area plus maps.

Getting There & Away

Trains run along the coast to Genoa (€3, 40 minutes) and La Spezia (€5.50, one hour).

Servizio Marittimo del Tigullio (www.traghettiportofino.it) runs boats to/from Santa Margherita (one way/return €3.50/4.50), Portofino (€7/10.50), San Fruttuoso (€10/15.50), Genoa (€13.50/19), the Cinque Terre (€17/24.50) and Porto Venere (€21/32). Not all operate daily, and many are seasonal – the website posts updated schedules.

Cinque Terre

If you ever get tired of life, bypass the therapist and decamp immediately to Cinque Terre. Here five crazily constructed fishing villages, set amid some of the most dramatic coastal scenery on the planet, ought to provide enough ammunition to bolster the most jaded of spirits. A Unesco World Heritage Site since 1997, Cinque Terre isn’t the undiscovered Eden it was 30 years ago, but frankly – who cares? Sinuous paths tempt the antisocial to traverse seemingly impregnable cliffsides, while a 19th-century railway line cut through a series of coastal tunnels ferries the less brave from village to village. Thankfully cars – those most ubiquitous of modern interferences – were banned over a decade ago.

Rooted in antiquity, Cinque Terre’s five towns date from the early medieval period. Monterosso, the oldest, was founded in AD 643 when beleaguered hill dwellers moved down to the coast to escape from invading barbarians. Riomaggiore came next, purportedly established in the 8th century by Greek settlers fleeing persecution in Byzantium. The others are Vernazza, Corniglia and Manarola. Much of what remains in the towns today dates from the late High Middle Ages, including several castles and a quintet of illustrious parish churches.

Buildings aside, Cinque Terre’s unique historical feature is the steeply terraced cliffs bisected by a complicated system of fields and gardens that has been hacked, chiselled, shaped and layered over the course of nearly two millennia. So marked are these artificial contours that some scholars have compared the extensive muretti (low stone walls) to the Great Wall of China in their grandeur and scope.

Activities

WALKING

Coming to Cinque Terre and not hiking is like sitting down for dinner in an Italian restaurant and eschewing the wine. The blue-riband hike is the 12km Sentiero Azzurro (Blue Trail; marked No 2 on maps), a one-time mule path that links all five oceanside villages by foot. The trail dates back to the early days of the Republic of Genoa in the 12th and 13th centuries and, until the opening of the railway line in 1874, it was the only practical means of getting from village to village. To walk the Blue Trail you must first purchase a Cinque Terre card for €5. Far from flat, the Azzurro is a narrow, precipitous hike, though people of all shapes and sizes complete it every day. The most popular direction of traffic is east–west, beginning in Riomaggiore and finishing in Monterosso, starting on the famed Via dell’Amore. If you’re not up to going the full distance, try walking as far as the middle village, Corniglia, and getting a train back.

Just a few kilometres shy of a full-blown marathon, the 38km Sentiero Rosso (Red trail; marked No 1 on maps) – which runs from Porto Venere to Levanto – dangles a tempting challenge to experienced walkers who aim to complete it in nine to 12 hours. For every 100 people you see on the Sentiero Azzurro, there are less than a dozen up here plying their way along a route that is mainly flat, tree-covered and punctuated with plenty of shortcuts. An early start is assured by an efficient train and bus connection to Porto Venere (via La Spezia), while refreshments en route are possible in a liberal smattering of welcoming bars and restaurants.

MOUNTAIN BIKING

Since 2009 the national park has allowed mountain bikes on some of its paths. The starting point of most of the paths is the Santuario della Madonna di Montenero , accessible by road or sentiero No 3 above Riomaggiore

THE SANCTUARY WALKS

Each of Cinque Terre’s villages is associated with a sanctuary perched high on the cliffsides above the azure Mediterranean. Reaching these religious retreats used to be part of a hefty Catholic penance, but these days the walks through terraced vineyards and across view-splayed cliffs are a lot less onerous.

Monterosso to Santuario della Madonna di Soviore From Via Roma in the village, follow trail 9 up through forest and past the ruins of an old hexagonal chapel to an ancient paved mule path that leads to Liguria’s oldest sanctuary. Here you’ll find a bar, restaurant and views as far as Corsica on a clear day.

Vernazza to Santuario della Madonna di Reggio From underneath Vernazza’s railway bridge, follow trail 8 up numerous flights of steps and past 14 sculpted Stations of the Cross to this 11th-century chapel with a Romanesque facade.

Corniglia to Santuario della Madonna delle Grazie This sanctuary can be approached from either Corniglia (on trail 7b) or Vernazza (trail 7), though the latter is better. Branch off the Sentiero Azzurro and ascend the spectacular Salla di Comeneco to the village of San Bernardino where you’ll find the church with its adored image of Madonna and child above the altar.

Manarola to Santuario della Madonna delle Salute The pick of all the sanctuary walks is this breathtaking traverse (trail 6) through Cinque Terre’s finest vineyards to a diminutive Romanesque-meets-Gothic chapel in the tiny village of Volastra.

Riomaggiore to Santuario della Madonna di Montenero Trail 3 ascends from the top of the village, up steps and past walled gardens to a restored 18th-century chapel with a frescoed ceiling that sits atop an astounding lookout next to the park’s new cycling centre.

Courses

Arbaspàa COOKING

( 0187 76 00 83; www.arbaspaa.com; courses €109-129) Prepare Ligurian specialities in a farmhouse near the town of Levanto. Cooking lessons are available on Monday and Tuesday from March to October.

Information

Online information is available at www.cinqueterre.it and www.cinqueterre.com.

Parco Nazionale (www.parconazionale5terre.it; 7am-8pm) Offices in the train stations of all five villages and also in La Spezia station.

Getting There & Around

Boat In summer Cooperativa Battellieri del Golfo Paradiso (www.golfoparadiso.it) runs boats to the Cinque Terre from Genoa (one way/return €18/33). Seasonal boat services to/from Santa Margherita (€17/24.50) are handled by Servizio Marittimo del Tigullio (www.traghettiportofino.it) .

From late March to October, La Spezia–based Consorzio Marittimo Turistico Cinque Terre Golfo dei Poeti (www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti.it) runs daily shuttle boats between all of the Cinque Terre villages (except Corniglia), costing €18 one way including all stops, €23 return on weekdays and €25 on weekends.

Car & Motorcycle Private vehicles are not allowed beyond village entrances. If you’re arriving by car or motorcycle, you’ll need to pay to park in designated car parks. In some villages, minibus shuttles depart from the car parks (one way/return €1.50/2.50) – park offices have seasonal schedules.

Train Between 6.30am and 10pm, one to three trains an hour trundle along the coast between Genoa and La Spezia, stopping at each of the Cinque Terre’s villages. Unlimited 2nd-class rail travel between Levanto and La Spezia is covered by the Cinque Terre card (see the boxed text, Click here ).

MONTEROSSO

POP 1527

The most accessible village by car and the only Cinque Terre settlement to sport a tourist beach, Monterosso is the furthest west and least quintessential of the quintet (it was briefly ditched from the group in the 1940s). Noted for its lemon trees and anchovies, the village is split into two parts (old and new) linked by an underground tunnel that burrows beneath the blustery San Cristoforo promontory.

Sights

Convento dei Cappuccini CHURCH

Monterosso’s most interesting church and convent complex is set on the hill that divides the old town from the newer Fegina quarter. The striped church, the Chiesa di San Francesco , dates from 1623 and has a painting attributed to Van Dyck (Crocifissione) to the left of the altar. Nearby, the ruins of an old castle have been converted into a cemetery.

Sleeping

Unlike the other four towns, Monterosso has a credible stash of hotels to choose from.

La Poesia B&B €€

( 0187 81 72 83; www.lapoesia-cinqueterre.com; Via Genova 4; d €90-180) Shoehorned up a backstreet in the older part of town, La Poesia’s three rooms (named Clizia, Annetta and Aspasia for the women to which Nobel Prize–winning poet Eugenio Montale dedicated his poems) occupy an early-17th-century house. Breakfast is served on a terrace surrounded by lemon trees and the house has a regal quality missing elsewhere in Cinque Terre.

Hotel Palme HOTEL €€

( 0187 82 90 13; www.hotelpalme.it; Via IV Novembre 18; s €60-120, d €80-160; Apr-Oct; ) True to its name, Palme has lazy palm-filled gardens, refurbished rooms and a handy location in the newer part of the village.

Hotel Baia HOTEL €€

( 0187 81 75 12; www.baiahotel.it; Via Fegina 88; s €100-150, d €120-180; ) Big beds and basic rooms with killer seafront views characterise Baia, which sits next to the railway station right on the beach. There’s a three-night minimum stay.

Eating

Along the seafront, restaurants dish up local anchovies straight out of the sea, served fried, raw (with lemon juice), pickled in brine or in a tian (baked with potatoes and tomatoes). To wash them down, stop in at one of several wine bars throughout the village.

Focacceria Enoteca Antonia SNACKS €

(Via Fegina 124; focaccia slice €2-3; 9am-8pm Fri-Wed Mar-Oct) To pack an authentic Ligurian beach picnic, head to where Paola and her husband Giuseppe make 15 kinds of piping-hot focaccia from scratch and also stock well-priced local wines.

La Cantina del Pescatore SNACKS €

(Via V Emanuele 19; snacks €4-9; ) You can also buy local food and wine at this newly opened restaurant, including excellent jam, spreads and lemoncino liquor, making it worthwhile for a snack lunch. Try the pesto on toast, salads, hot dogs (for kids) and local wine. There’s free wi-fi.

VERNAZZA

POP 987

Guarding the only secure landing point on the Cinque Terre coast, Vernazza’s small quintessential Mediterranean harbour guards what is perhaps the quaintest of the five villages. Lined with little cafes, Vernazza’s main cobbled street, Via Roma, links seaside Piazza Marconi with the train station. Side streets lead to the village’s trademark Genoa-style caruggi (narrow lanes).

Sights

Piazza Matteotti and the harbour are a delight. There’s a tiny sandy beach here and swimming is possible.

Chiesa di Santa Margherita d’Antiochia CHURCH

(Piazza Matteotti) The waterfront is framed by a small Gothic-Ligurian church built in 1318 after a murky legend about the bones of St Margaret being found in a wooden box on a nearby beach. It is notable for its 40m-tall octagonal tower.

Castello Doria CASTLE

(admission €1.50; 10am-7pm) The oldest surviving fortification in Cinque Terre dates from around 1000. Today it is a collection of ruins with some astounding views. Climb up through the winding caruggi to the entrance.

Sleeping & Eating

Gianni Franzi SEAFOOD, GUESTHOUSE €€

( 0187 82 10 03; www.giannifranzi.it; Piazza Matteotti 5; meals €22-30, s/d €70/100; mid-Mar–early Jan) Traditional Cinque Terre seafood (mussels, seafood, ravioli and lemon anchovies) has been served up in this harbourside trattoria since the 1960s. More recently they’ve been renting rooms with views, all of which share a communal terrace. Cheaper single rooms with a shared bathroom go for €45.

Gambero Rosso SEAFOOD €€

(www.ristorantegamberorosso.net; Piazza Marconi 7; meals €30-35) If you’ve subsisted on focaccia, splash out here on Gambero’s house special for dinner: Tegame di Venazza (anchovies with baked potatoes and tomatoes).

Batti Batti SNACKS €

(Via Roma 3) The bastion of that cheap Cinque Terre trademark – focaccia – Batti Batti knocks out the best slices in the village (some would say in the whole Cinque Terre). There’s pizza slices too.

CORNIGLIA

POP 600

Corniglia is the ‘quiet’ middle village that sits atop a 100m-high rocky promontory surrounded by vineyards. It is the only Cinque Terre settlement with no direct sea access (steep steps lead down to a rocky cove). Narrow alleys and colourfully painted four-storey houses characterise the ancient core, a timeless streetscape that was name-checked in Boccaccio’s Decameron . To reach the village proper from the railway station you must first tackle the 377-step Lardarina .

Sights

Centrally located Corniglia is the only place where you can see all five settlements in the same panorama.

La Torre LOOKOUT

This medieval lookout is reached by a stairway that leads up from the diminutive main square (Piazza Taragio).

Belvedere Santa Maria LOOKOUT

Follow Via Fieschi through the heart of the village and you’ll eventually dead-end at this heart-stopping lookout with sweeping sea views.

Guvano Beach BEACH

This hard-to-find, clothing-optional beach is situated between Cornigla and Vernazza. Getting there involves walking through an abandoned railway tunnel – ask a local for directions.

Sleeping & Eating

As elsewhere in the Cinque Terre, fish is the mainstay of Corniglia’s restaurants – you can’t go wrong by asking for whatever’s fresh.

Ostello di Corniglia HOSTEL €

( 0187 81 25 59; www.ostellocorniglia.com; dm/d €24/60; ) Cinque Terre’s newest hostel is perched at the top of the village and has two eight-bed dorms and four doubles (with private bathroom). Prices are negotiable. There’s a lockout from 1pm to 3pm.

Case di Corniglia RENTAL ROOMS €

( 0187 81 23 42; www.casedicorniglia.com; Via alla Stazione 19) These recently refurbished rent-a-rooms are spread over two buildings in the village’s main street. Good for families or groups.

Caffe Matteo CAFE €

(Piazza Taragio) While the rest of Corniglia siestas, the Matteo stays open all day with its chairs spilling into the tiny main square. Don’t leave without trying the pesto lasagne.

MANAROLA

POP 850

Bequeathed with more grapevines than any other Cinque Terre village, Manarola is famous for its sweet Sciacchetrà wine. It’s also awash with priceless medieval relics, supporting claims that it is the oldest of the five. Due to its proximity to Riomaggiore (852m away), the village is heavily trafficked, especially by Italian school parties. The spirited locals speak an esoteric local dialect known as Manarolese.

Sights

Piazzale Papa Innocenzo IV PIAZZA

At the northern end of Via Discovolo, you’ll come upon this small piazza, dominated by a bell tower used as a defensive lookout. Opposite, the Chiesa di San Lorenzo dates from 1338 and houses a 15th-century polyptych. If you’re geared up for a steep walk, from nearby Via Rollandi you can follow a path that leads through vineyards to the top of the mountain.

Punta Buonfiglio LOOKOUT

Manarola’s prized viewpoint is on a rocky promontory on the path out of town (Sentiero Azzurro) towards Corniglia where walkers stop for classic photos of the village. A rest area has been constructed here. Nearby are the ruins of an old chapel once used as a shelter by local farmers.

Museo dello Sciacchetrá MUSEUM

(Via Discovolo 225) Sporadic opening hours haunt this tiny museum where you can quiz whoever’s around about traditional vine-growing methods.

Sleeping & Eating

Ostello 5 Terre HOSTEL €

( 0187 92 02 15; www.cinqueterre.net/ostello; Via Riccobaldi 21; dm €20-23, d €55-65; Mar-Dec; ) This hostel rents out mountain bikes, kayaks, Nordic-walking poles and snorkelling gear. Its single-sex, six-bed dorms come with their own bathrooms, and there’s English-language satellite TV, Playstation and a book exchange. Lockout times are 10am to 4pm (or 5pm June to August).

Marina Piccola SEAFOOD, GUESTHOUSE €

( 0187 92 01 03; www.hotelmarinapiccola.com; Via Lo Scalo 16; meals €22-30, s/d €90/120) A shoal of fish dishes and the house speciality zuppa di datteri (date soup) are served up here along with sea views. If you want to stay, the ‘little marina’ has good deals for half- and full-board.

Cinque Terre Gelataria & Creperia GELATERIA €

(Via Discovolo) It’s all subjective, but if you did a snap survey of Cinque Terre’s best ice-cream joints, this would be the likely winner.

RIOMAGGIORE

POP 1712

Cinque Terre’s easternmost village, Riomaggiore is the largest of the five and acts as its unofficial HQ (the main park office is based here). Its peeling pastel buildings tumble like faded chocolate boxes down a steep ravine to a tiny harbour – the region’s favourite postcard view – and glow romantically at sunset. The famous Sentiero Azzurro coastal path (Click here ) starts here. The first hideously busy section to Manarola is called the Via dell’Amore.

Sights & Activities

Outside the train station near the water’s edge, murals depict the backbreaking work of Cinque Terre farmers who, over the centuries, built the Cinque Terre with their bare hands. The village also has a couple of small churches and a ruined castle on a headland overlooking the settlement.

Torre Guardiola NATURE RESERVE

(admission €1.50; 9am-1pm Aug, 9am-1pm & 4-7pm Feb-Jul, Sep & Oct) Birdlife and local flora can be seen from a nature observation and bird-watching centre located on a promontory of land just east of Riomaggiore. The building was a former naval installation in WWII, known as La Batteria Racchia. Today there’s a small bar and panels explaining the surrounding flora. The Torre is reachable via a trail that starts just west of Fossola Beach.

Fossola Beach BEACH

This small pebbly beach is located immediately southeast of Riomaggiore marina. It’s rugged but secluded. Swimmers should be wary of rocks and currents.

Cooperative Sub 5 Terre DIVE CENTRE

( 0187 92 00 11; www.5terrediving.it; Via San Giacomo; vary seasonally) To dive or snorkel in the translucent waters of the protected marine park, contact this outfit in the subway at the bottom of Via Colombo. It also rents out canoes and kayaks.

Sleeping

B&Bs and a handful of hotels are situated in the village, but the town’s forte is room- and apartment-rental agencies.

Hotel Zorza HOTEL €

(www.hotelzorza.com; Via Colombo 231; d from €90; ) One of the few hotels in the five villages, the Zorza is a little sleepier than your average big-town affair. The reception shuts down at 7pm-ish, but opens in the morning for a decent breakfast. Well-kept middle-ranking rooms are spread across the sinuous 17th-century house of a former wine-grower.

Edi RENTAL ROOMS €€

( 0187 92 03 25; Via Colombo 111; r €60-180) This rental agency on the main drag has five rooms and seven two- to four-bed apartments for rent, many with sea views. It also operates the village laundry next door.

La Casa di Venere RENTAL ROOMS €€

( 349 075 31 40; www.lacasadivenere.com; Via Colombo 194; d €50-120, tr €80-150) This agency offers some of the cheapest harbourside rooms. All are clean, bright and modern, and some have to-die-for views.

Eating

Riomaggiore has the best selection of restaurants in the five villages.

Dau Cila MODERN ITALIAN €€

(www.ristorantedaucila.com; Via San Giacomo 65; meals €25-30; 8am-2am Mar-Oct) Perched within pebble-lobbing distance of Riomaggiore’s snug harbour (which is crammed with fishing nets and overturned boats), Dau Cila is an obvious place to tuck into the local seafood. It also has the best wine cellar in town. You can pair the best local stuff with cold plates such as smoked tuna with apples and lemon, or lemon-marinaded anchovies with pears and Parmesan.

La Lampara MODERN ITALIAN €€

(Via Malborghetto 2; meals €25; 7am-midnight) There’s always lots of tourists here, but you won’t feel like one as the service is so genuinely personable. Fish dishes predominate, though the pizza and pasta al pesto are also formidable .

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR EURO

Easily the best way to get around the Cinque Terre is with a Cinque Terre card .

Two versions of the card are available: with or without train travel. Both include unlimited use of walking paths and electric village buses, as well as cultural exhibitions. Without train travel, a basic one-/two-/three-/seven-day card for those aged over four years costs €5/8/10/20. A card that also includes unlimited train trips between the towns costs €8.50/14.70/19.50/36.50.

Both versions of the card are sold at all Cinque Terre park information offices.

Around Cinque Terre

LA SPEZIA

POP 95,641

It’s an understandable oversight. Situated minutes to the east of Cinque Terre by train, the hard-working port town of La Spezia is routinely overlooked. If you happen to get delayed, give it a once-over: it’s home to Italy’s largest naval base, where echoes of Genoa ring through the narrow winding streets of the Old Town. Not surprisingly, La Spezia has some cosy trattorias showcasing the standard Ligurian delicacies of wine, bread and pesto sauce.

La Spezia’s bustle peaks on 19 March, the feast day of the city’s patron saint, San Giuseppe (St Joseph). Celebrations see a giant market fill the port and surrounding streets, and the naval base (off limits the rest of the year) open to the public.

Sights

Museo Amedeo Lia MUSEUM

(www.castagna.it/mal; Via Prione 234; adult/reduced €6.50/4; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun) This fine-arts museum in a restored 17th-century friary is La Spezia’s star attraction. The collection covers the 13th to 18th centuries and includes paintings by masters such as Tintoretto, Montagna, Titian and Pietro Lorenzetti. Also on show are Roman bronzes and ecclesiastical treasures such as Limoges crucifixes and illuminated musical manuscripts.

Castello di San Giorgio CASTLE

(www.castagna.it/sangiorgio; Via XXVII Marzo; adult/reduced €5/4; 9.30am-12.30pm & 3-6pm Wed-Mon) An assortment of local archaeological artefacts from prehistoric to medieval times is on display at this lofty castle.

Sleeping & Eating

There are several cheap hotels around the train station, but they tend to be scruffy. The waterfront has plenty of relaxed places to wine and dine.

Albergo Birillo HOTEL €

( 0187 73 26 66; Via Dei Mille 11/13; s €30-50, d €65-75) This homey haven has rather tight-fitting rooms, which are made up for by the ultrafriendly owners, who’ll fill you in on the town’s hidden attractions. Situated a few blocks from Via Prione and near plenty of good eateries, it makes an economical alternative to digs in Cinque Terre.

Vicolo Intherno MODERN ITALIAN €€

(Via della Canonica 22; meals around €25; Tue-Sat) Take a seat around chunky wooden tables beneath beamed ceilings at this Slow Food–affiliated restaurant and wash down the torte di verdure (Ligurian vegetable pie) or stockfish with local vintages.

Information

Cinque Terre Park Office ( 0187 74 35 00; internet access per 10min €0.80; 7am-8pm) Inside La Spezia’s train station. See Click here for other park offices.

Tourist office (www.aptcinqueterre.sp.it; Viale Giuseppe Mazzini 47; 9am-1pm & 2.30-5.30pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun)

Getting There & Away

Buses run by Azienda Trasporti Consortile (ATC; www.atclaspezia.it, in Italian) are the only way to reach Porto Venere (€1.45, approximately every 30 minutes) and Lerici (€1.45, approximately every 15 minutes).

La Spezia is on the Genoa–Rome railway line and is also connected to Milan (€23.50, three hours, four daily), Turin (€27, 3½ hours, several daily) and Pisa (€5.20, 50 minutes, almost hourly). The Cinque Terre and other coastal towns are easily accessible by train ( Click here ) and boat ( Click here ).

PORTO VENERE

POP 3942

If Cinque Terre were ever to pick up an honorary sixth member, Porto Venere would surely be it. Perched on the Gulf of Poets’ western promontory, the village’s sinuous seven- and eight-storey harbourfront houses form an almost impregnable citadel around the muscular Castello Doria. The Romans built Portus Veneris as a base en route from Gaul to Spain, and in later years Byzantines, Lombards, the Genovese and Napoleon all passed through here. Cinque Terre’s marathon-length Sentiero Rosso trail to Levanto (Click here ) starts here, just behind the castle. Hikers, take a deep breath…

Sights

Outside the hectic summer season, Porto Venere is something of a ghost town – and all the more alluring for it.

Castello Doria CASTLE

(admission €2.20; 10.30am-1.30pm & 2.30-6pm) A formidable example of the Genoese military architecture, no one knows when the original castle was built though the current structure dates from the 16th century. A highly strategic citadel in its time, it once stood on the front line with Genoa’s maritime feud with Pisa. There are magnificent views from its ornate terraced gardens.

Chiesa di San Pietro CHURCH

This wind- and wave-lashed church, built in 1198 in Gothic style, stands on the ruins of a 5th-century palaeo-Christian church. Before that it was a Roman temple dedicated to the goddess Venus (born from the foam of the sea), from whom Porto Venere takes its name.

Grotta Arpaia GROTTO

At the end of the quay, a Cinque Terre panorama unfolds from the rocky terraces of Grotta Arpaia, a former haunt of Byron, who once swam across the gulf from Porto Venere to Lerici to visit his mate, Shelley. Traces of a pagan temple have been uncovered on the quay, inside the black-and-white-marble Chiesa di San Pietro , which was built in 1277. Just off the promontory lie the tiny islands of Palmaria , Tino and Tinetto .

Sleeping & Eating

A half-dozen or so restaurants line Calata Doria, by the sea. A block inland, Porto Venere’s main old-town street, Via Cappellini, has several tasty choices.

Albergo Genio HOTEL €€

( 0187 79 06 11; www.hotelgenioportovenere.com; Piazza Bastreri 8; s €80-95, d €100-125; mid-Feb–mid-Jan; ) From Piazza Bastreri, scale the spiral stairs in the round tower to reach this charming seven-room hotel. In summer breakfast is served alfresco beneath the vines, and some rooms are equipped with air-conditioning.

La Lanterna B&B €

( 0187 79 22 91; www.lalanterna-portovenere.it; Via Capellini 109; d €75-85; ) Down by Porto Venere’s picturesque harbourfront, this little guesthouse has just two airy rooms (there’s also an option of a four-person apartment on request). Breakfast isn’t included, but can be arranged; otherwise stroll to a nearby cafe.

Information

Tourist office (www.portovenere.it; Piazza Bastreri 7; 10am-noon & 3-8pm Jun-Aug, 10am-noon & 3-6pm Thu-Tue Sep-May) Sells a couple of useful maps and walking guides in English.

Getting There & Away

Porto Venere is served by daily buses from La Spezia ( Click here ).

From late March to October, Consorzio Maritimo Turistico Cinque Terre Golfo dei Poeti (www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti.it) sails from Porto Venere to/from Cinque Terre villages (one way with all stops €15, return €20 to €22) and runs boat excursions to the islands of Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto (€9), as well as services to La Spezia and Lerici (call for seasonal information).

LERICI & AROUND

POP 10,447

Magnolia, yew and cedar trees grow in the 1930s public gardens at Lerici, an exclusive retreat of pool-equipped villas clinging to the cliffs along its beach. In another age Byron and Shelley sought inspiration here.

Sights & Activities

From Lerici a scenic 3km coastal stroll leads northwest to San Terenzo , a seaside village with a sandy beach and Genoese castle. The Shelleys stayed at the waterfront Villa Magni (closed to visitors) in the early 1820s and Percy drowned here when his boat sank off the coast in 1822 on a return trip from Livorno.

Another coastal stroll, 4km southeast, takes you past magnificent little bays to Tellaro , a fishing hamlet with pink-and-orange houses cluttered about narrow lanes and tiny squares. Sit on the rocks at the Chiesa San Giorgio and imagine an octopus ringing the church bells – which, according to legend, it did to warn the villagers of a Saracen attack.

Castello di Lerici CASTLE, MUSEUM

(Piazza San Giorgio 1) For outstanding views make your way on foot or by public lift to Lerici’s symbolic 12th-century castle, once taken by the Pisans but today given over to a rather bizarre collection of dinosaurs in its Museo di Palaeontologia (fossils have been found near here).

Sleeping & Eating

Locanda Miranda INN, GASTRONOMIC €€€

( 0187 96 40 12; Via Fiascherina 92; d €120, d with half-board €180, set menus €40-60; ) Tellaro is home to this gourmet hideaway, an exquisite seven-room inn with art- and antiques-decorated rooms, and a Michelin-starred restaurant specialising exclusively in seafood (not for vegetarians or carnivores!).

Information

Tourist office (Via Biaggini 6; 9am-1pm & 2.30-5.30pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun) Can advise on walking and cycling in the area, as well as accommodation.

Riviera di Ponente

Curving west from Genoa to the French border, the Ponente stretch of the Ligurian coast is more down-to-earth than the flashy Rivieria di Levante. As a result it shelters some unlikely escape hatches, particularly along the stretch of coast from Noli to Finale Ligure.

SAVONA

POP 62,494

Behind Savona’s sprawling port facilities, the city’s unexpectedly graceful medieval centre is well worth getting off the train to check out. Among the old-town treasures to survive destruction by Genoese forces in the 16th century are the baroque Cattedrale di Nostra Signora Assunta (Piazza Cattedrale) and the lumbering Fortezza del Priamàr (Piazza Priamar) . This imposing fortress guards a couple of sculpture museums and the Civico Museo Storico Archeologico (Piazza Priamar; admission €2.50; 10am-noon & 3-5pm Tue-Sat, 3-5pm Sun) , which displays archaeological finds.

Art aficionados won’t want to miss the Pinacoteca Civica Savona (Piazza Chabrol 1/2; admission €4; 8.30am-1pm & 2-7pm Mon, Tue & Thu, 2-9pm Wed & Fri, 8.30am-1pm & 8-11pm Sat & Sun) , which has an important collection of religious paintings, including a Madonna and child by Taddeo di Bartolo, dating from the 14th to 15th centuries, and two Picassos.

Six- to seven-hour whale-watching trips (www.whalewatchliguria.it; tickets €35) depart Savona at 10am from July to September.

Sleeping & Eating

The tourist office can help book accommodation, both in the city and the coastal towns to the west.

Villa de’ Franceschini HOSTEL €

( 019 26 32 22; www.ostellionline.org; Via alla Strà ‘Conca Verde’ 29; dm/d €13/32; mid-Mar–Oct; ) Savona has one of Liguria’s few hostels; it’s 3km from the train station in a sprawling park.

Albergo Savona HOTEL €

( 019 82 18 20; Piazza del Popolo 53; s €30-40, d €45-62) A no-frills cheap sleep wedged between the train station and the old town, and handy for both.

Vino e Farinata TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €

(Via Pia 15; meals €17-20; Tue-Sat) To enter this place in the cobbled centre, you’ll have to walk past the two ancient chefs: one shovelling fish into a wood-fired oven and the other mixing up batter in a barrel-sized whisking machine. The result: Ligurian farinata (flat bread), the menu staple in this very local restaurant that also hordes some excellent wines.

Information

Tourist office (Corso Italia 157r; 9am-12.30pm & 3-6pm Mon-Sat, 9am-12.30pm Sun) A short stroll from Savona’s sandy beach.

Getting There & Around

SAR ( 0182 2 15 44) and ACTS (www.tpllinea.it) buses, departing from Piazza del Popolo and the train station, are the best options for reaching points inland.

Trains run along the coast to Genoa’s Stazione Brignole (€3.30, 45 minutes, almost hourly) and San Remo (€5.70, 1¾ hours, eight daily).

Corsica Ferries (www.corsicaferries.com) runs up to three boats daily between Savona’s Porto Vado and Corsica.

FINALE LIGURE

POP 11,669

Set amid lush Mediterranean vegetation, this township actually comprises several districts. Finale Ligure has a wide, fine-sand beach; the walled medieval centre, known as Finalborgo , is a knot of twisting alleys set 1km back from the coast on the Pora river. Finale Marina sits on the waterfront, while the more residential Finale Pia runs along the Sciusa river in the direction of Genoa.

Each year in March, Finalborgo’s cloisters are home to the Salone dell’Agroalimentare Ligure , where local farmers and artisan producers display delicacies and vintages.

Sleeping & Eating

The promenade along Via San Pietro and Via Concezione is crammed with eateries.

Hotel Florenz HOTEL €€

( 019 69 56 67; www.florenz.it; Via Celesia 1; s €52-75, d €74-120; closed Nov & Feb; ) This rambling 18th-century former convent just outside Finalborgo’s village walls (800m from the sea) is one of the area’s most atmospheric spots to sleep.

HI – Finale Ligure HOSTEL $

( 019 69 05 15; Via Generale Caviglia 46; dm/d €15.50/44) Offering the Florenz stiff competition is this youth hostel in a castle (Castello Vuillermin) no less, with stunning views from its terrace. It’s 1km from the station and up 300-plus steps. It accepts nonmembers for a small supplement.

Osteria ai Cuattru Canti OSTERIA €

(Via Torcelli 22; set menus €20; Tue-Sun) Delicious Ligurian cuisine is cooked up at this rustic place in Finalborgo’s historic centre.

Information

Tourist office (Via San Pietro 14; 9am-12.30pm & 3-6.30pm Mon-Sat & 9am-noon Sun Jul & Aug) From the train station on Piazza Vittorio Veneto, at Finale Marina’s western end, walk down Via Saccone to the sea and this office.

Getting There & Away

SAR ( 0182 2 15 44) buses yo-yo every 30 minutes to/from Finale Ligure and Savona (€2.20, 50 minutes), stopping en route in Finalborgo (€1, five minutes) and Noli (€1.30, 20 minutes).

SAN REMO

POP 56,879

Fifty kilometres east of Europe’s premier gambling capital lies San Remo, Italy’s wannabe Monte Carlo, a sun-dappled Mediterranean resort with a casino, a clutch of ostentatious villas and lashings of Riviera-style grandeur. Known colloquially as the City of Flowers for its colourful summer blooms, San Remo also stages an annual music festival (the supposed inspiration for the Eurovision Song Contest) and the world’s longest professional one-day cycling race, the 298km Milan–San Remo classic .

During the mid-19th century the city became a magnet for regal European exiles such as Empress Elizabeth of Austria and Tsar Nicola of Russia, who favoured the town’s balmy winters. Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel maintained a villa here and an onion-domed Russian Orthodox church reminiscent of Moscow’s St Basil’s Cathedral still turns heads down by the seafront.

Beyond the manicured lawns and belle époque hotels, San Remo hides a little-visited old town, a labyrinth of twisting lanes that cascade down the Ligurian hillside. Curling around the base is a new 25km bike and walking path that tracks the coast as far as Imperia, following the course of a former railway line and passing through the town’s two character-filled harbours.

Sights

Chiesa Russa Ortodossia CHURCH

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(Via Nuvoloni 2; admission €1; 9.30am-noon & 3-6pm) Non-Catholic churches are rare in Italy, so make the most of this multicoloured classic built for the Russian community that followed Tsarina Maria to San Remo in 1906. The Russian Orthodox church – with its onion domes and pale-blue interior – was designed by Alexei Shchusev, who later planned Lenin’s mausoleum in Moscow. These days it’s used as an exhibition space for Russian icons.

San Remo

Sights

1  Chiesa Russa Ortodossia A3

2  Il Casino Municipale A3

Museo Civico(see 3)

3  Palazzo Borea D'Olmo C2

Sleeping

4  Hotel Eletto B3

5  Hotel Liberty D1

6  Hotel Marinella D1

Eating

7  Caffè Ducale C2

8  Cantine SanremesiB2

9  Cuvea D1

Il Casinò Municipale CASINO

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(www.casinosanremo.it; Corso degli Inglesi) San Remo’s belle époque casino (one of only four in Italy) was dealing cards when Vegas was still a waterhole in the desert. The building dates from 1905 and was designed by Parisian architect, Eugenio Ferret. Slot machines (there are over 400 of them) open at 10am; other games (roulette, blackjack, poker etc) kick off at 2.30pm. Dress smart-casual and bring ID.

Museo Civico MUSEUM

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(Corso Matteotti 143; 9am-noon & 3-6pm Tue-Sat) Housed in the 15th-century Palazzo Borea d’Olmo Offline map , several rooms in this museum, some with fine frescoed ceilings, display local prehistoric and Roman archaeological finds, paintings and temporary exhibitions. Highlights include Maurizio Carrega’s Gloria di San Napoleone (painted in 1808 as a sycophantic homage to the Corsican despot of the same name) and bronze statues by Franco Bargiggia.

Villas MUSEUM, GARDEN

A short stroll east of town, elegant villas include the Moorish Villa Nobel (Corso Felice Cavallotti 112; 11am-12.30pm Tue-Fri) , housing a museum dedicated to Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, who established the Nobel Prize while living here; and the peaceful Japanese gardens of Villa Ormond (Corso Felice Cavallotti 51; gardens 8am-7pm) .

Bussana Vecchia HISTORICAL SITE

Ten kilometres northeast of San Remo lies an intriguing artists colony. On Ash Wednesday 1887, an earthquake destroyed the village of Bussana Vecchia and survivors were eventually forced to abandon it. It remained a ghost town until the 1960s, when artists moved in and began rebuilding the ruins using the original stones from the rubble. After successfully standing up to authorities who wanted to remove them, a thriving community of international artists remains in residence today.

Activities

In a spirit befitting a city that hosts professional cycling’s greatest Spring Classic, San Remo has recently completed a 25km walking and cycling path known as the Italian Cycling Riviera . The path – which runs along the route of a former railway line – connects Ospedaletti to San Lorenzo al Mare via San Remo and eight other seaside towns. Bike hire is offered; enquire at the tourist office.

The Polo Sub Dive Centre (Via Lungomare, Arma di Taggia) offers diving for €35 per immersion from the Darsena Porto in Taggia, 5km to the east.

Festivals & Events

Corso Fiorito FLOWER

This colourful parade, held over the last weekend in January, kicks off the town’s annual festivities.

Festival di San Remo MUSIC

(www.festivaldisanremo.com, in Italian) Celebrating Italian music, this has been going since 1951, and attracts top Italian and international talent each March.

Rally Storico CAR

(www.sanremorally.it) In April, San Remo’s famous car rally revs up for cars made between 1931 and 1981.

Sleeping

San Remo has no shortage of hotels, although summer and festival times can be busy and a few places shut from September until just before Christmas.

Hotel Eletto HOTEL €€

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( 0184 53 15 48; www.elettohotel.it; Corso G Matteotti 44; s €80-95, d €90-135; ) Let the Parisian art nouveau entrance canopy lure you to a friendly reception desk where they’ll direct you upstairs to clean, refurbished soundproofed rooms in a central location.

Hotel Liberty HOTEL €

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( 0184 50 99 52; www.hotellibertysanremo.com; Rondò Garibaldi 2; s €50-60, d €70-100; ) Equipped with new, young owners and a new name, this 10-room hotel is set in a Liberty-style villa off a small traffic circle about 100m from the train station. The small but clean rooms are quiet and infused with faded elegance, while most sights of note are only footsteps away.

Hotel Marinella HOTEL €€

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( 0184 50 59 00; www.hotelmarinella.it; Via Ruffini 21; s/d €78/105; ) Across the road from the waterfront, most of Marinella’s sun-splashed, tiled rooms have balconies, and all are spotless and spacious. The hotel’s attached glass restaurant (mains around €15) is a bit like dining in a goldfish bowl, but the sea views are worth it.

Eating & Drinking

Cheap trattorias fill the old-town alleys around Piazza Eroi Sanremesi and open-air snack bars stud the length of Corso Nazario Sauro, the promenade overlooking the old port.

Cantine Sanremesi TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €

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(Via Palazzo 7; meals €20; Tue-Sun) Meet the locals at this time-worn tavern over trofie al pesto or a delicious stoccafisso alla sanremasa (stockfish with tomato and potatoes).

Cuvea TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €

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(Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi 110; set menus €15-20, mains €8-9) This cosy, brightly lit place lined with wine bottles overflows with locals tucking into its homemade traditional dishes such as pesto-doused pasta.

Caffè Ducale CAFE €

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(Corso Matteotti 145; lunch menus €18-22; 7.30am-midnight) Italian panache with an added dash of San Remo swankiness make this elegant cafe- enoteca-salon de thé one of the most refined joints east of the Côte d’Azur. Enjoy a few aperitivi under the weighty chandeliers before heading off to the casino to blow what’s left of your holiday budget.

Information

Tourist office (www.rivieradeifiori.org; Largo Nuvoloni 1; 8am-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun)

Getting There & Away

Riviera Trasporti (Piazza Colombo 42) buses leave regularly from the bus station for the French border, east along the coast and inland destinations.

From San Remo’s underground train station there are trains to/from Genoa (€10.10, three hours, hourly), Ventimiglia (€2.40, 15 minutes, hourly) and stations in between.

VENTIMIGLIA

POP 25,693

Long before the French–Italian border bore any significance, Ventimiglia harboured a stoic Roman town known as Albintimulium that survived until the 5th century AD when it was besieged by the Goths.

Sights

On a hill on the western bank of the Roia river, Ventimiglia’s medieval town is crowned with a 12th-century cathedral (Via del Capo) . The town itself is largely residential.

Area Archeologica ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

( 3-5.30pm Sat & Sun) Sandwiched between the road and the railway line on the eastern edge of town, these Roman ruins bear testimony to Ventimiglia’s Roman romance and include the remains of an amphitheatre and baths dating from the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD.

Market MARKET

( 8am-3pm or 4pm) These days Ventimiglia is better known as a border town, with a huge Friday market when hundreds of stalls sell food, clothes, homewares, baskets and everything else under the sun. The market is concentrated on Piazza della Liberta, near the river, and is popular with French day trippers.

Giardini Botanici Hanbury BOTANICAL GARDEN

(Corso Montecarlo 43, La Mortola; adult/child €7.50/4; 9.30am-6pm) Established in 1867 by English businessman Sir Thomas Hanbury, the 18-hectare Villa Hanbury estate is planted with 5800 botanical species from five continents, including cacti, palm groves and citrus orchards. Today it’s a protected area, under the care of the University of Genoa. Take bus 1a from Via Cavour in Ventimiglia; the bus continues on to the Ponte San Lodovico frontier post, from where you can walk down to the Balzi Rossi on the French border.

Sleeping & Eating

Cheap, cheerful eateries congregate around Via Cavour.

Hotel Seagull HOTEL €

( 0184 35 17 26; www.seagullhotel.it; Passeggiata Marconi 24; s/d from €55/75; ) A 10-minute stroll along the seafront from Ventimiglia’s town centre, this family-run hotel has simple but appealing sky-blue-and-white rooms, a fragrant garden and a breezy terrace. Both half- and full-board options are available.

Information

Tourist office (Via T Hanbury 3a; 9am-12.30pm & 3.30-7pm Mon-Sat Jul & Aug, 9am-12.30pm & 3-6.30pm Mon-Sat Sep-Jun) Just steps from the train station.

Getting There & Away

From the train station (Via della Stazione) , Corso della Repubblica leads to the beach. Trains connect Ventimiglia with Genoa (€11.60, two to 3½ hours, hourly), Nice (50 minutes, hourly) and other destinations in France.

PIEDMONT

POP 4.47 MILLION

Italy’s second-largest region arguably is its most elegant; a purveyor of Slow Food and fine wine, regal palazzi and an atmosphere that is superficially more francais than Italiano . But dig deeper and you’ll discover that Piedmont has ‘Made in Italy’ stamped all over it. Emerging from the chaos of the Austrian wars, the unification movement first exploded here in the 1850s when the noble House of Savoy provided the nascent nation with its first prime minister and its dynastic royal family.

Most Piedmont journeys start in grandiose Turin, famous for football and Fiats. But beyond the car factories, Piedmont is also notable for its food – everything from arborio rice to white truffles – and pastoral landscapes not unlike nearby Tuscany.

The region’s smaller towns were once feuding fiefdoms that bickered over trade and religion. Today the biggest skirmishes are more likely to be over cheese recipes and wine vintages. Traditionally, Asti and Alba stand tallest in the culinary stakes, while understated Cuneo uses its long-standing chocolate obsession to help fuel outdoor adventures in the nearby Maritime Alps.

Turin

POP 909,538 / ELEV 240M

There’s a whiff of Paris in Turin’s elegant tree-lined boulevards and echoes of Vienna in its stately art nouveau cafes, but make no mistake – this city is anything but a copycat. The innovative Torinese gave the world it first saleable hard chocolate, perpetuated one of its greatest mysteries (the Holy Shroud), popularised a best-selling car (the Fiat) and inspired the black-and-white stripes of one of the planet’s most iconic football teams (Juventus).

But more important than any of this is Turin’s role as instigator of the modern Italian state. Piedmont, with its wily Torinese president, the Count of Cavour, was the engine room of the Risorgimento (literally ‘the Resurgence’, referring to Italian unification). Turin also briefly served as Italy’s first capital and donated its monarchy – the venerable House of Savoy – to the newly unified Italian nation in 1861.

More recently, the 2006 Winter Olympics sparked an urban revival in the city, which has spread to its culture and (most deliciously) cuisine.

History

Whether the ancient city of Taurisia began as a Celtic or Ligurian settlement is unknown: it was destroyed by Hannibal in 218 BC. The Roman colony of Augusta Taurinorum was established here almost two centuries later. In succeeding years, Goths, Lombards and Franks tramped through the city. In 1563 the Savoys abandoned their old capital of Chambéry (now in France) to set up court in Turin, which shared the dynasty’s fortunes thereafter. The Savoys annexed Sardinia in 1720, but Napoleon virtually put an end to their power when he occupied Turin in 1798. Turin was occupied by Austria and Russia before Vittorio Emanuele I restored the House of Savoy and re-entered Turin in 1814. Nevertheless, Austria remained the true power throughout northern Italy until the Risorgimento in 1861, when Turin became the nation’s inaugural capital. Its capital status lasted only until 1864, and the parliament had already moved to Florence by the time full-sized chambers were completed.

Turin adapted quickly to its loss of political significance, becoming a centre for industrial production during the early 20th century. Giants such as Fiat lured hundreds of thousands of impoverished southern Italians to Turin and housed them in vast company-built and -owned suburbs. Fiat’s owners, the Agnelli family (who also happen to own the Juventus football club, Turin’s local newspaper and a large chunk of the national daily Corriere della Sera ), remain one of Italy’s most powerful establishment forces. Fiat’s fortunes declined later in the 20th century, however, and only revived around a decade ago.

The highly successful 2006 Winter Olympics were a turning point for the city. The Olympics not only ushered in a building boom, including a brand-new metro system, but also transformed Turin from a staid industrial centre into a vibrant metropolis. Turin was European Capital of Design in 2008, hosting conferences and exhibitions, and the national focus of celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the Risorgimento in 2011.

TURIN IN…

Two Days

Two-day tourists will want to start early with a wake-up coffee at a historic coffeehouse – pint-sized Caffè Mulassano is a good bet. Flip a euro to decide which museum to visit first – the Museo Nazionale del Cinema or the Museo Egizio . Check out Slow Food–affiliated baker Andrea Perino for lunch and walk it off with a passeggiata (stroll) in Parco Valentino beside the Po River. On day two visit whichever museum you missed yesterday before grabbing an aperitif and buffet snacks in I Tre Galli .

Four Days

If you have two more days, there are a couple more prestigious museums you should add to your itinerary: the Museo della Sindone , outlining the history of the Holy Shroud, and the recently refurbished Museo Nazionale del Risorgimento Italiano . Be sure to stop afterwards for coffee in Fiorio and chocolate in Al Bicerin .

One Week

A week will enable you to get out to the outlying sights such as the Basilica di Superga and the massive Reggia de Venaria Reale . Be sure to also visit Lingotto and its Eataly supermarket and that quintessential Italian night-time treat – the opera, at the Teatro Regio Torino .

Sights

Got a week? You might need it to see all the sights Turin has to offer. The time-poor can concentrate on a trio of highlights: the Museo Egizio, the Mole Antonelliana and the Museo della Sindone.

Turin

Top Sights

Mole AntonellianaD3

Museo della Sindone A1

Museo Egizio B3

Museo Nazionale del Risorgimento Italiano C3

Sights

1  Armeria Reale C2

2  Duomo di San Giovanni C2

Galleria Sabauda (see 9)

3  Giardino Reale C2

4  Imbarco Murazzi D6

5  Museo Civico d'Arte Antica C3

6  Museo d'Antichità C1

7  Museo Nazionale del Cinema D3

8  Palazzo Carignano C3

9  Palazzo dell'Accademia delle Scienze B3

Palazzo Madama (see 5)

10  Palazzo Reale C2

11  Parco Valentino C7

12  Porta Palatina B1

13  Roman Amphitheatre C2

Sleeping

14  Ai Savoia A1

15  Hotel Chelsea B2

16  Hotel Dogana Vecchia B2

17  Hotel Due Mondi A6

18  Hotel Roma e Rocca Cavour A5

Eating

19  Andrea Perino B4

20  Brek A5

21  Gofri PiemontéisaB2

22  GromA5

23  Kuoki D3

24  Pappa & Ciccia A2

25  Porta di Savona D4

26  Porta PalazzoB1

27  Ristorante del Cambio B3

28 SfashionC3

Drinking

29  Al Bicerin A1

30  Caffè Mulassano C3

31  Caffè San CarloB3

32  Caffè Torino B4

33  Fiorio C3

34  I Tre Galli B1

35  Lobelix A1

36  Mood C3

37  Pastis B1

38  Pepino B3

39  San Tommaso 10 B3

Entertainment

40  Cinema Massimo D4

41  Phuddhu Bar D6

42  Teatro Regio Torino C3

43  Ticket office (football)B3

Shopping

44  Libreria Luxemburg C3

45  Paissa B4

46  Pastificio Defilippis B5

Mole Antonelliana LANDMARK, MUSEUM

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(Via Montebello 20) The symbol of Turin, this 167m tower with its distinctive aluminium spire appears on the Italian two-cent coin. It was originally intended as a synagogue when construction began in 1862, but was never used as a place of worship. In the mid-1990s, the tower became home to the multifloored Museo Nazionale del CinemaOffline map Google map (www.museonazionaledelcinema.org; adult/reduced €7/5; 9am-8pm Tue-Fri & Sun, to 11pm Sat), which takes you on a fantastic tour through cinematic history, from the earliest magic lanterns, stereoscopes and other optical toys to the present day. Movie memorabilia on display includes Marilyn Monroe’s black lace bustiere, Peter O’Toole’s robe from Lawrence of Arabia and the coffin used by Bela Lugosi’s Dracula. At the heart of the museum, the vast Temple Hall is surrounded by 10 interactive ‘chapels’ devoted to various film genres.

The Mole’s glass panoramic lift (lift & museum ticket €9) whisks you 85m up through the centre of the museum to the Mole’s roof terrace in 59 seconds. Fair warning if you’re even slightly prone to vertigo: it’s suspended only by cables, so when you look out it’s as if you’re free-floating in space. The 360-degree views from the outdoor viewing deck are dazzling by day or night.

Museo della Sindone MUSEUM

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(Via Santo Domenico 28; www.sindone.org; adult/reduced €6/5; 9am-noon & 3-7pm) Encased in the crypt of the Santo Sudario church, this fascinating museum documents one of the most studied objects in human history: the Holy Shroud. Whatever your position on the shroud’s authenticity, its story unfolds like a gripping suspense mystery, with countless plots, subplots and revelations. Of particular interest is the story of the shroud post-1898, when camera technology allowed people to see much clearer photographic negatives of the cloth for the first time.

Museo Nazionale delRisorgimento Italiano MUSEUM

(www.museorisorgimentotorino.it; Via Accademia delle Scienze 5; adult/reduced €7/5; 9am-7pm Tue-Sun) If only school history lessons had been this interesting. After extensive renovations, this legendary museum has reopened with an astounding 30-room trajectory covering the background and details of Italian unification in the very building (the baroque Palazzo CarignanoOffline map Google map) where many of the key events happened. Not only was this the birthplace of Carlo Alberto and Vittorio Emanuele II, but it was also the seat of united Italy’s first parliament from 1861 to 1864. Unmissable!

Museo Egizio MUSEUM

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(Egyptian Museum; www.museoegizio.org; Via Accademia delle Scienze 6; adult/reduced €7.50/3.50; 8.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sun)‘The road through Memphis and Thebes passes through Turin’ trumpeted French hieroglyphic decoder, Jean-François Champollion in the early 19th century, and he wasn’t far wrong. Opened in 1824, this legendary museum in the Palazzo dell’Accademia delle ScienzeOffline map Google map houses the most important collection of Egyptian treasure outside Cairo. Two of many highlights include a statue of Ramesses II (one of the world’s most important pieces of Egyptian art) and over 500 items found in the tomb of Kha and Merit (from 1400 BC) in 1906. Though it remains open, the museum is undergoing a five-year refurbishment due for completion in 2013.

Galleria Sabauda ART GALLERY

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(adult/reduced €4/2; 8.30am-2pm Tue, Fri, Sat & Sun, 2-7.30pm Wed & Thu) As if 3000 years of Egyptology wasn’t enough, the Accademia delle Scienze building also houses the incredible collection of art amassed by the Savoy royal family since 1832. Exhibits include works by Van Dyck, Rembrandt, Poussin, Bellini and Titian. A combination ticket for both museums costs €8 for adults (free for children).

Duomo di San Giovanni CHURCH

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(Piazza San Giovanni)Turin’s cathedral was built between 1491 and 1498 on the site of three 14th-century basilicas and, before that, a Roman theatre. Most ignore the fairly plain interior and focus on a far bigger myth: the church is home to the famous Shroud of Turin (alleged to be the burial cloth in which Jesus’ body was wrapped). A copy of the cloth is on permanent display to the left of the cathedral altar, but to get the full story you’ll need to visit the Museo della Sindone.

The separate Romanesque-style bell towerlooks older than it really is; it was designed by Juvarra and built in 1723. Just to the north lie the remains of a 1st-century Roman amphitheatreOffline map Google map , while a little further to the northwest lies Porta PalatinaOffline map Google map, the red-brick remains of a Roman-era gate.

Piazza Castello PIAZZA

Turin’s central square shelters a wealth of museums, theatres and cafes. Essentially baroque, the grand piazza was laid out from the 14th century to serve as the seat of dynastic power for the House of Savoy.

Museo Civico d’Arte Antica MUSEUM

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(Piazza Castello; www.palazzomadamatorino.it; adult/reduced €7.50/6; 10am-6pm Tue-Sat, to 8pm Sun)The piazza is dominated by Palazzo MadamaOffline map Google map ), a part-medieval, part-baroque castle built in the 13th century on the site of the old Roman gate. It was named after Madama Reale Maria Cristina, the widow of Vittorio Amedeo I, who lived here in the 17th century. Today, part of the palace houses this expansive museum containing four floors of works that document the city’s artistic movements post–Italian unification.

Palazzo Reale PALAZZO

(Piazza Castello; adult/reduced €6.50/3.25; 8.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sun)Statues of the mythical twins Castor and Pollux guard the entrance to this eye-drawing palace and, according to local legend, also watch over the border between the sacred (‘white magic’) and diabolical (‘black magic’) halves of the city. Built for Carlo Emanuele II around 1646, its lavishly decorated rooms house an assortment of furnishings, porcelain and other knick-knacks. The surrounding Giardino RealeOffline map Google map (Royal Garden; admission free; 9am-1hr before sunset), north and east of the palace, was designed in 1697 by André le Nôtre, who also created the gardens at Versailles.

Armeria Reale MUSEUM

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(Royal Armoury; www.artito.arti.beniculturali.it; Piazza Castello; adult/reduced €4/2; 9am-2pm Tue-Fri, 1-7pm Sat & Sun) If you’ve had your fill of art, relocate under the porticoes just to the right of the Palazzo Reale gates to see one of Europe’s best collections of armaments.

Museo d’Antichità MUSEUM

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(Museum of Antiquity; Via XX Settembre 88c; admission €4; 8.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sun)Across the square from the duomo, this museum displays antiquities amassed by the Savoy dynasty, including Etruscan urns, Roman bronzes and Greek vases, alongside assorted locally excavated archaeological finds.

ARTE POVERA

Turin is famed for its ground-breaking contemporary art. According to Valentina Marocco of the Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, its origins come from Turin’s role as ‘the home town of the Arte Povera, a revolutionary art movement that developed at the end of the 1960s.’ Adherents to this ‘poor art’ movement used simple materials to trigger memories and associations through sculpture and installations. One of the school’s most famous works was Michelangelo Pistoletto’s Venere degli Stracci (Venus of the Rags), a classical marble statue facing a huge heap of old clothes and rags. The movement had an enormous impact on an international level through artists like Pistoletto, Mario Merz, Gilberto Zorio and Giuseppe Penone.

Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea ART GALLERY

(GAM; www.gamtorino.it; Via Magenta 31; adult/reduced €7.50/6; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun) Italy can sometimes feel strangely light on modern art, until you come to Turin. GAM has an astounding 45,000 works in its vaults dedicated to 19th- and 20th-century artists, including De Chirico, Otto Dix and Klee. It cleverly hires art experts to reconfigure its permanent displays on a regular basis. You never know what you’re going to get.

Museo d’ArteContemporanea ART GALLERY

(www.castellodirivoli.org; Piazza Mafalda di Savoia, Rivoli; adult/reduced €6.50/4.50; 10am-5pm Tue-Fri, 10am-7pm Sat & Sun)Works by Franz Ackermann, Gilbert and George, and Frank Gehry would have been beyond the wildest imagination of the Savoy family, who once resided in the 17th-century Castello di Rivoli where the cutting edge of Turin’s contemporary art scene has been housed since 1984. The castle is west of central Turin in the town of Rivoli (not to be confused with the city’s metro station named Rivoli). Take the metro to Paradiso station and then bus 36 to Rivoli bus station. Journey time is about one hour. Otherwise, take the metro to the Fermi stop, from where there’s a free daily shuttle – see website for shuttle schedules.

Parco Valentino PARK

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( 24hr; ) Opened in 1856, this 550,000-sq-metre, French-style park kisses the banks of the Po and and is filled with joggers, promenaders and lovers night and day. Walking southwest along the river brings you to Castello del Valentino (closed to the public), a mock chateau built in the 17th century.

Borgo Medievale HISTORIC PARK

(Parco Valentino; admission free; 9am-8pm Apr-Sep; )One of Parco Valentino’s more esoteric sights is this faux medieval village, built for the Italian General Exhibition in 1884. Its centrepiece is the Rocca (Viale Virgilio 107; adult/reduced €5/4; 9am-5pm Tue-Sat, to 6pm Sun), a mock scaled-down castle. Real historians might want to spare their change for the real thing (there’s no shortage of medieval villages in Italy), though kids might enjoy the kitsch.

Chiesa di Gran Madre di Dio CHURCH

(Piazza Vittorio Veneto)Framing the exquisite view southeast over Piazza Vittorio Veneto towards the Po river, this church was built in the style of a mini Pantheon from 1818 to 1831 to commemorate the return of Vittorio Emanuele I from exile. It’s small and rounded inside; some claim it’s yet another secret repository for the Holy Grail. In 1969 the church was memorably featured in the film The Italian Job when Michael Caine and his gang drove their Mini Coopers down the front staircase.

Lingotto LANDMARK

(www.lingottofiere.it; Via Nizza 294) Around 3km south of the city centre is the Lingotto Fiere, Turin’s former Fiat factory, which was redesigned by architect Renzo Piano into a congress and exhibition centre. In addition to two striking Le Meridien hotels (Click here), it houses the Eataly supermarket, congress facilities and the precariously perched ‘treasure chest’ rooftop gallery Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli (Via Nizza 230; admission €4; 10am-7pm Tue-Sun), with masterpieces by Canaletto, Renoir, Manet, Matisse and Picasso, among others.

Lingotto is on Turin’s new metro line and easily accessible from the city centre.

Basilica di Superga BASILICA

(www.basilicadisuperga.com; Strada della Basilica di Superga 73) In 1706 Vittorio Amedeo II promised to build a basilica to honour the Virgin Mary if Turin was saved from besieging French and Spanish armies. Like a religious epiphany, the city was saved and architect Filippo Juvarra built the church on a hill across the Po river. Basilica di Superga became the final resting place of the Savoy family, whose lavish tombs make for interesting viewing, as does the dome here. In 1949 the basilica gained a less welcome fame when a plane carrying the entire Turin football team crashed into the church in thick fog, killing all on board. Their tomb rests at the rear of the church.

To get here take tram 15 from Piazza Vittorio Veneto to the Sassi-Superga stop on Corso Casale, then walk 20m to Stazione Sassi (Strada Comunale di Superga 4), from where an original 1934 tram (one way €4-6, return €6-9; from Sassi 9am-noon & 2-8pm Mon & Wed-Fri, 9.30am-12.30pm & 2.30-8.30pm Sat & Sun, 30min later from Superga) rattles the 3.1km up the hillside in 18 minutes every day except Tuesday.

Reggia de Venaria Reale PALAZZO, MUSEUM

(Piazza della Repubblica; www.lavenaria.it; adult/reduced €12/8, gardens €4/3; 9am-6pm Tue-Fri, 9am-9.30pm Sat, 9am-8pm Sun) Welcome to Turin’s Versailles, a Unesco-listed palace complex built as a glorified hunting lodge by the frivolous Duke of Savoy Carlo Emanuele II in 1675. It is one of the biggest royal residences in the world and lengthy restoration works were concluded in late 2010. Among the slew of things to see are a huge garden complex, the Fontana del Cervo (stag fountain), the stunning Galeria Grande (Grand Gallery), the Capella di Sant’Uberto and the Juvarra stables. The last three were all designed by the great Sicilian architect Filippo Juvarra in the 1720s. The full trajectory is 2km long and a lot to take in. Check the website for the numerous temporary exhibitions. There are also a cafe and restaurant on site. You can reach the palace complex on bus 11 from Porta Nuova station.

Courses

Eataly COOKING

(www.eatalytorino.it; in Italian; from €20) Food sampling, tasting, becoming a chef, sommelier secrets and cookery workshops are held at Turin’s famous Slow Food supermarket.

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR EURO

Serious sightseers will save a bundle with a Torino + Piemonte Card (2/5/7 days €22/33/37, junior 2 days €11) . It covers admission to most of Turin’s monuments and museums, a ride up the Mole Antonelliana panoramic lift, a return trip on the Sassi–Superga cable car, and all public transport costs, including GTT boats on the Po river and the Turismo Bus Torino. It also offers discounts for some guided tours and theatres. You can buy the card at the tourist office.

Tours

Turismo Bus Torino BUS

(1-day ticket adult/child €15/7.50; 10am-6pm) This hop-on, hop-off bus service has on-board staff providing information that serves over a dozen different points around central Turin. Tickets are sold on board; information is available from Gruppo Torinese Trasporti (GTT; www.gtt.to.it, in Italian; Stazione Porta Nuova; 7am-9pm).

Navigazione sul Po BOAT

(return fare €4)Turin transport operates boat trips on the Po. Boats to the Borgo Medievale in Parco Valentino and on to Moncalieri depart from Imbarco Murazzi Offline map Google map (Murazzi del Po 65) four to seven times daily except Mondays.

Somewhere WALK

(www.somewhere.it) Turin’s ‘black and white magic’ is illuminated on quirky walking tours with ‘Somewhere’. The company also runs other tours on lesser-known aspects of the city, such as ‘Underground Turin’. Tours cost around €25; confirm departure points when booking.

Festivals & Events

The tourist office has details of these and other events.

Salone Internazionaledel Gusto FOOD

(www.salonedelgusto.it) Every October in even-numbered years, foodies roll into town for this festival organised by Slow Food, with traditional producers from around the world showcasing their wares in a huge market at Lingotto Fiere. A day’s entry costs €20, after which tastings cost between €1 and €5.

Cioccolatò FOOD

(www.cioccola-to.it) Turin’s famous chocolate is the focus of celebrations during March

Salone Internazionaledel Libro di Torino BOOK

(http://en.salonelibro.it) Held every May, Turin’s book fair is one of the most important in Europe.

Turino Film Festival FILM

(www.torinofilmfest.org) Currently headed up by Palme d’Or winner Nanni Moretti, it takes place in November.

Sleeping

Hotel ResidenceTorino Centro HOTEL €

( 011 433 82 23; www.hoteltorinocentro.it; Corso Inghilterra 33; d/tr €77/90; ) The best new player in the field by a good stretch is this chic upgraded convent right behind the Porta Susa train station. Smart modern furnishings combine with old mosaic floors in huge rooms with all mod cons. Service is professional and efficient and there’s a funky coffee bar (Coffee Lab Inghiliterra) downstairs in which to enjoy a complimentary breakfast. Best bargain in Turin!

Ai Savoia BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

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( 339 1257711; www.aisavoia.it; Via del Carmine 1b; r €95-125; ) Occupying an 18th-century town house, this little treasure seems like something out of a small town rather than a big city. The classical decor of each of its three rooms is ornate without being overwrought, and staff are friendly and obliging.

Le Meridien Lingotto &Le Meridien Art + Tech LUXURY HOTEL €€€

( 011 664 20 00; www.lemeridienlingotto.it; Via Nizza 262; Le Meridien Lingotto d €270-300, Le Meridien Art + Tech d €390-410; )These twin hotels are both situated within the historic Fiat car factory, which was built in the 1920s and renovated by Renzo Piano in the late 1980s. The factory’s original full-length windows have been retained, allowing light to flood the large, luxurious four-star rooms of Le Meridien Lingotto and those of its five-star annex, Le Meridien Art + Tech. Guests can jog around the former car-testing circuit on the roof, which was featured in the classic 1969 film The Italian Job.

Hotel Dogana Vecchia HOTEL €€

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( 011 436 67 52; www.hoteldoganavecchia.com; Via Corte d’Appello 4; s/d €90/110; ) Mozart, Verdi and Napoleon are among those who have stayed at this historic three-star inn. Recent renovations have fortunately preserved its old-world charm, and its location in the Quadrilatero Romano is hard to beat.

Ostello Torino HOSTEL €

( 011 660 29 39; www.ostellotorino.it; Via Alby 1; dm/s/tw without bathroom €15/22/42; mid-Jan–mid-Dec; ) Turin’s 76-bed HI hostel, 1.8km from Stazione Porta Nuova, can be reached by bus 52 (bus 64 on Sunday) from the train station. Facilities are good (including online computers, wi-fi, and dinner Monday to Saturday for €10) and breakfast’s included, but there’s an afternoon lockout.

Hotel Due Mondi HOTEL €

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( 011 650 50 84; www.hotelduemondi.it; Via Saluzzo 3; s/d €55/69; ) A close-to-the-station bargain, the Due Mondi equips its small rooms with bright laminated floors, comfortable furnishings and ingenious shower-sauna cubicles. Most rooms have wi-fi, there’s a cosy sitting area downstairs and a classy restaurant next door lures you in with tasty-looking food trolleys. With such elegant diversions, the slightly seedy surroundings barely register.

Hotel Roma e Rocca Cavour HOTEL €€

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( 011 561 27 72; www.romarocca.it; Piazza Carlo Felice 60; s €62.50-95.50, d €91-124; ) If you’ve stayed in too many cramped hotel rooms, you’ll love this c 1854 hotel opposite the Porta Nuova train station. Hallways are wide, ceilings are high and antique-furnished rooms are sumptuously proportioned, especially the flowing ‘comfort’ rooms.

Hotel Chelsea HOTEL €€

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( 011 436 01 00; www.hotelchelsea.it; Via XX Settembre 79e; s €85-120, d €110-160; ) A stone’s throw from Turin’s main square, Piazza Castello, the Chelsea has modern, softly lit rooms with coordinated bedspreads and drapes. The romantic downstairs restaurant, La Campana, serves Pugliese cuisine.

Hotel Montevecchio HOTEL €

( 011 562 00 23; www.hotelmontevecchio.com; Via Montevecchio 13; s €40-85, d €60-100; ) In a quiet residential area yet just 300m from Stazione Porta Nuova, this two-star hotel has colourful, stencilled rooms in sunset shades, an above-average buffet breakfast and a guest laundry.

Eating

Turin’s cuisine has been influenced by everyone from the French to the Sicilians, but the bulk of the inspiration comes from its own hinterland – Piedmont. Specialities include risotto alla piemontese (risotto with butter and cheese), finanziera (sweetbreads, mushrooms and chicken livers in a creamy sauce) and panna cotta (like an Italian crème caramel).

The San Salvario neighbourhood, in the southeastern part of the city, has a host of multicultural eateries, particularly around Piazza Madama Cristina, as well as some of the city’s best pizzerias and pubs.

Sfashion PIZZERIA €

(Via Cesare Battisti 13; set menus €21, mains €7.50-14.50) Best pizza in Turin? Mention Sfashion and you’ll get more than a few takers. Naples-thick and with wonderfully rustic ingredients (and not too much cheese), they fly like hot bullets from the ovens of comic Torinese TV presenter Piero Chiamretti, whose funky postmodern city-centre set-up pitches retro toys amid an outlandish interior. The other in-house classic is mussels in tomato sauce.

È Cucina FUSION €€

(www.cesaremarretti.com; Via Bertola 27a; meals €20-30)Here’s an interesting new Torinese culinary concept: haute cuisine at everyman prices. The meals at this sleek restaurant are courtesy of Bolognese chef Cesare Marretti and his creative scope is breathtaking. There is no printed menu; waitstaff will merely tell you it’s a sorpesa (surprise). You pay for the number of courses you consume. It’s impossible to list or rank the pot-luck dishes. Bank on artichokes with prawns, eggplants overlaid with avocado cream, pears atop salmon, and plenty more.

Kuoki FUSION €

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( 011 839 78 65; Via Gaudenzio Ferrari 2h; set menus €9-25, mains €6-10; 11am-3pm & 6.30-11pm Mon-Sat) Head round the corner from the Mole Antonelliana to this intriguing spot run by Giorgio Armani’s former personal chef, Toni Vitiello. At high communal tables, you can dine on Italian blackboard specials, or sushi bar twists such as a Kuoki roll (salmon or tuna with ricotta, olive oil and basil). Toni’s other fusion creations include chicken in Coca-Cola with orange peel.

Porta di Savona TRATTORIA €€

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(Piazza Vittoria Veneto 2; meals €25; lunch & dinner Wed-Sun, dinner only Tue) An economical, unpretentious trattoria, it has a deserved reputation for superb agnolotti al sugo arrosto (Piemontese ravioli in a meat gravy), and gnocchi di patate al gorgonzola.The mains – including bollito misto alla piemontese (boiled meat and vegetable stew) – are equally memorable. Be patient: the food takes a while to arrive, probably because it’s 100% homemade and 100% Piemontese.

Ristorante del Cambio GASTRONOMIC €€€

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( 011 54 66 90; Piazza Carignano 2; set menus from €60; Mon-Sat) Crimson velvet, glittering chandeliers, baroque mirrors and a timeless air greet you at this grande dame of the Turin dining scene, regularly patronised by Count Cavour in his day. It first opened its doors in 1757, and classic Piedmont cuisine still dominates the menu. Bookings and smart dress are advised.

Brek BUFFET €

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(www.brek.com; Piazza Carlo Felice 18; buffets from €10; 8.30am-11pm) Only Italians could take ‘fast food’ and make it both credible and edible. Brek is a small self-service restaurant chain where you can pick up fresh pasta, pizza, sausages, salads and desserts. Inside, the ambience is far from plastic. Indeed you might even be inclined to linger awhile in the plant-bedecked outdoor courtyard.

Eataly CAFE, DELI €

(www.eatalytorino.it; Via Nizza 230; 10am-8pm Tue-Sun) Adjacent to the Lingotto congress centre is the Slow Food Movement’s ‘supermarket’. Set in a vast converted factory, it houses a staggering array of sustainable food and beverages, with a separate area for each, including cheeses, breads, meats, fish, pasta, chocolate and much more. The best time to visit is around 12.30pm to 2.30pm, when each area has its own little restaurant serving lunch. There’s also a high-end restaurant here, for which you’ll need to book ahead.

Grom GELATERIA €

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(www.grom.it; Piazza Paleocapa 1d; noon-midnight Mon-Thu, to 1am Fri & Sat, 11am-11pm Sun) Spot a queue in Turin and you know you’re probably in the vicinity of a Grom gelateria. The Slow Food–affiliated ice-cream maker now has 37 outlets (including ones in New York, Tokyo and Paris), but the first-ever Grom started right here in 2003. Come for a host of organic flavours made from fruit grown on Grom’s own Piedmont farm.

Andrea Perino BAKERY €

(Via Cavour 10; snacks from €4) Ligurians missing their daily bread fix needn’t worry. The fresh focaccia has followed you to Turin courtesy of cult Slow Food Torinese baker Andrea Perino, who knocks out generous portions of tasty snacks at this bakery-cum-cafe.

Gofri Piemontéisa SNACKS €

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(www.gofriemiassepiemontesi.it; Via San Tommaso 4a; 11.30-7.30) Gofriare thin waffles made from flour, water and yeast, then cooked in hot irons. This traditional dish from the mountainous regions of northern Piedmont has been reinvented as tasty fast food by a local chef. Try the house gofre with ham, soft cheese and rocket or one of the equally delicious corn-based miasse.

Pappa & Ciccia MODERN ITALIAN €€

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(Via San Dalmazzo 1; meals €30) Easy to miss off Via Garibaldi, this stylish but down-to-earth place has dishes like agnolotti arrosto sugo,a fine communal antipasto plate, and a Russian salad di nonna (grandma’s).

Porta Palazzo MARKET €

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(Piazza della Repubblica; 8.30am-1.30pm Mon-Fri, to 6.30pm Sat) Europe’s largest open-air food market has literally hundreds of food stalls. Pick up a picnic.

Drinking

In Turin, drinking can also mean eating. Aperitivi is a Turinese institution. As in Milan, if you’re on a tight budget, you can fill up on a generous buffet of bar snacks for the cost of a drink. The main drinking spots are the riverside area around Piazza Vittoria Veneto, and the Quadrilatero Romano district.

Turin’s historical cafes have their rivals – Trieste and Rome to name but two – but it’s splitting hairs really. These are evocative places full of literary legend, architectural excellence, aromatic coffee and the city’s best gossip – and gossipers. Then there’s the chocolate, either liquid or solid, a speciality unto itself.

Caffè San Carlo CAFE

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(Piazza San Carlo 156; 8am-1am) Perhaps the most gilded of the gilded, this glittery cafe dates from 1822. You’ll get neckache admiring the weighty chandelier and heartache contemplating your bill (a hefty €4.50 for a cappuccino).

Caffè Mulassano CAFE

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(Piazza Castello 15; 7.30am-10.30pm)With dozens of customers and only five dwarf-sized tables, the art nouveau Mulassano is where regulars sink white-hot espresso a piedi while discussing Juventus’ current form with the knowledgeable bowtied barista.

Fiorio CAFE

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(Via Po 8; 8.30am-1am Tue-Sun) Garner literary inspiration in Mark Twain’s old window seat as you contemplate the gilded interior of a cafe where 19th-century students once plotted revolutions and the Count of Cavour deftly played whist. The bittersweet hot chocolate ain’t bad either.

Al Bicerin CAFE, CHOCOLATE

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(Piazza della Consolata 5; 8.30am-7.30pm Mon, Tue, Thu & Fri, to 1pm & 3.30-7.30pm Sat & Sun)Established in 1763 beneath a 14th-century bell tower, the cafe takes its name from bicerin, a caffeine-charged hot drink of chocolate, coffee and cream. It also serves snacks such as chocolate on toast.

I Tre Galli WINE BAR

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(www.3galli.com; Via Sant’Agostino 25; noon-midnight) Spacious and rustic, this is a fabulous spot for a drink at any time, but most people come for the gourmet aperitivi snacks served on a buzzing pavement terrace. Meals cost about €15.

Mood CAFE

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(www.moodlibri.it; Via Battisti 3e; cafe 8am-9pm Mon-Sat, bookshop 10am-9pm Mon-Sat) Are you bluesy, deflated, in dire need of a caffeine injection? Any mood suits this coffee shop/cocktail bar/bookshop combo, as long as you can find room among the wilting shoppers and students flicking through Dante. The interior’s slavishly hip, all polished concrete and shiny laminate.

Pastis WINE BAR

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(Piazza Emanuele Filiberto 9; 9am-3.30pm & 6pm-2am) This boldly painted cafe-bar is where Torinese office workers go for a two-hour lunch break – spicy meatballs with an obligatory glass of wine.

La Drogheria BAR

(Piazza Vittorio Veneto 18; 11am-2am)Occupying the space of an old pharmacy, La Drogheria’s sofas are coveted by a studenty crowd who enjoy cheap drinks and aperitivi fare before hitting the Murazzi nightlife.

Lobelix BAR

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(Via Corte d’Appello 15f; 7pm-3am Mon-Sat) Beneath the trees on Piazza Savoia, the terrace here is a favourite place for an aperitivo – its buffet banquet is one of Turin’s most extravagant.

Caffè Torino CAFE

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(Piazza San Carlo 204; 7.30am-1am) This chandelier-lit showpiece opened in 1903. A brass plaque of the city’s emblem, a bull (Torino in Italian means ‘little bull’), is embedded in the pavement out the front; rub your shoe across it for good luck.

San Tommaso 10 CAFE

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(Via San Tommaso 10; 8am-midnight Mon-Sat) The Lavazza family started roasting coffee here in 1900. Now modernised, the cafe offers a staggering variety of flavours as well as an excellent restaurant. Caffeine fiends can buy espresso machines.

Pepino CAFE, CHOCOLATE

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(Piazza Carignano 8; 8.30am-8pm Sun-Thu, to midnight Fri & Sat, longer hr summer) Chocolate in all its guises is available at Pepino, where ice cream dipped in chocolate on a stick was invented in 1937.

Platti CAFE

(Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 72; 7.30am-9pm) This sweet-laden coffee, cake and liquor shop has a gilded 1870 interior.

Entertainment

Most clubs open from 9pm to late and cover charges vary depending on the night. Turin’s clubbing district centres on Murazzi del Po (also called Lungo Po Murazzi), the arcaded riverside area stretching between Pontes Vittorio Emanuele I and Umberto I – follow the crowds (and the music).

Teatro Regio Torino THEATRE

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( 011 881 52 41; www.teatroregio.torino.it, in Italian; Piazza Castello 215; ticket office 10.30am-6pm Tue-Fri, to 4pm Sat & 1hr before performances)Sold-out performances can sometimes be watched free on live TV in the adjoining Teatro Piccolo Regio, where Puccini premiered La bohème in 1896. Tickets start at €48.

Hiroshima Mon Amour NIGHTCLUB

(Via Bossoli 83; admission free-€15) This legendary dance club plays everything from folk and punk to tango and techno.

Phuddhu Bar NIGHTCLUB

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(Murazzi del Po; 7pm-3am)Drum and bass music on Friday and Saturday nights with DJs are par for the course in this Murazzi club in the river.

Cinema Massimo CINEMA

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(Via Giuseppe Verdi 18; admission €7) Near the Mole Antonelliana, the cinema offers an eclectic mix of films, mainly in English or with subtitles. One of its three screens only shows classic films.

Sport

Any football fan knows Turin has two teams, Torino Football Club (www.torinofc.it, in Italian)and the infinitely more famous Vecchia Signora(Old Lady), aka Juventus Football Club (www.juventus.com). Most Torinese favour the former, while the rest of the world leans heavily towards the latter. Watching either is a quasi-religious experience. They both currently play at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino (Corso Sebastopoli 123)on the southwestern edge of town, served by buses on match days. For tickets try the ticket office Offline map Google map (Galleria San Federico 38; tickets from €11; 11am-7.30pm) near Piazza San Carlo.

Shopping

Via Roma’s arcaded walkways shelter the city’s most expensive fashion boutiques, while those along pedestrianised Via Garibaldi are more affordable. Via Po has some great secondhand record shops and vintage and alternative clothes.

Peyrano CHOCOLATE

(www.peyrano.com; Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 76)Creator of Dolci Momenti a Torino(Sweet Moments in Turin) and grappini (chocolates filled with grappa), Peyrano has been in operation since 1912. After changing hands in 2002, it went during the recent economic crisis, but was quickly bought back by its original family owners.

Libreria Luxemburg BOOKSTORE

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(Via Battisti 7) This British bookshop is well stocked with light and heavy lit plus a full stash of Lonely Planet guides. There are also daily British newspapers.

Pastificio Defilippis FOOD

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(Via Lagrange 39; 8.30am-1pm & 4-7.30pm Mon-Sat) Nose through the open doorway of this 1872 establishment to watch the family making dozens of varieties of pasta; you can buy it here fresh or dried.

Paissa FOOD

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(www.paissa.it; Piazza San Carlo 196)This wonderful old-fashioned emporium in Piazza San Carlo, complete with ladders and a heavy wooden counter, is where you can buy everything Turin is famous for, including grissini (breadsticks), wine and chocolates.

Information

A bank, ATM and exchange booth can all be found within Stazione Porta Nuova; others are dotted throughout the city. A 24-hour automatic banknote-change machine can be found outside Unicredit Banca (Piazza CLN).

1PC4YOU ( 011 83 59 08; Via G Verdi 20g; per hr €6; 9am-10pm Mon-Sat, noon-10pm Sun) Internet access.

Circolo Culturale Maurice (www.mauriceglbt.org, in Italian; Via della Basilica 3-5) Gay and lesbian information.

Farmacia Boniscontro ( 011 53 82 71; Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 66; 3pm-12.30am)

Ospedale Mauriziano Umberto I ( 011 5 08 01; Largo Turati 62) Hospital.

Pharmacy ( 011 518 64 67; Stazione Porta Nuova; 7am-7.30pm)

Police station ( 011 5 58 81; Corso Vinzaglio 10)

Post office (Via Alfieri 10; 8.30am-7pm Mon-Fri, to 1pm Sat)

Tourist office ( 011 535 181); Stazione Porta Nuova ( 9.30am-7pm); Airport ( 8am-11pm); Piazza Castello ( 9am-7pm) The office at Stazione Porta Nuova offers a free accommodation and restaurant booking service.

Getting There & Away

Air

Turin airport (TRN; www.turin-airport.com), 16km northwest of the city centre in Caselle, has connections to European and national destinations. Budget airline Ryanair operates flights to London Stansted, Madrid, Ibiza and Brussels.

Bus

Most international, national and regional buses terminate at the bus station (Corso Castelfidardo), 1km west from Stazione Porta Nuova along Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. You can also get to Milan’s Malpensa airport from here.

Train

Regular daily trains connect Turin’s Stazione Porta Nuova (Piazza Carlo Felice) to the following destinations.

DESTINATION

FARE (€)

DURATION (HR)

FREQUENCY

Milan

9.55

1¾

28

Aosta

7.90

2

21

Venice

42

5

17

Genoa

9.10

2

16

Rome

from 51.50

7

11

Most also stop at Stazione Porta Susa (Corso Inghilterra), which will gradually take over as the main station in the next few years. Some trains also stop at Stazione Torino Lingotto (Via Pannunzio 1), though it’s generally more convenient to travel between the city centre and Lingotto by metro.

Getting Around

To/From the Airport

Sadem (www.sadem.it, in Italian)runs buses to the airport from Stazione Porta Nuova (40 minutes), also stopping at Stazione Porta Susa (30 minutes). Buses depart every 30 minutes between 5.15am and 10.30pm (6.30am and 11.30pm from the airport). Single tickets cost €5 from Confetteria Avvignano (Piazza Carlo Felice 50), opposite where the bus stops, or €5.50 if bought on the bus.

A taxi between the airport and the city centre will cost around €35 to €40.

Car & Motorcycle

Major car-rental agencies have offices at Stazione Porta Nuova and the airport.

Public Transport

The city boasts a dense network of buses, trams and a cable car run by Gruppo Torinese Trasporti (GTT; www.gtt.to.it, in Italian), which has an information office ( 7am-9pm) at Stazione Porta Nuova. Buses and trams run from 6am to midnight and tickets cost €1 (€13.50 for a 15-ticket carnet and €3.50 for a one-day pass).

Turin’s single-line metro (www.metrotorino.it) runs from Fermi to Lingotto. It first opened for the Winter Olympics in February 2006. It was extended to Stazione Porta Nuova in October 2007 and Lingotto in March 2011. Work is still being completed on a separate Porta Susa station and there are plans to extend the line further west and south by 2013.

Taxi

Call Centrale Radio ( 011 57 37)or Radio Taxi ( 011 57 30).

The Milky Way

Neither a chocolate bar nor a galaxy of stars, Piedmont’s Milky Way (Via Lattea) consists of two parallel valleys just west of Turin that offer top-notch skiing facilities. The more northern of the two, Valle di Susa, meanders past a moody abbey, the old Celtic town of Susa and pretty mountain villages. Its southern counterpart, the Valle di Chisone, is pure ski-resort territory. The valleys hosted many events at the 2006 Winter Olympics and the facilities and infrastructure are state of the art.

Sights

Brooding above the road 14km from Turin is the Sacra di San Michele (admission €4; 9.30am-12.30pm & 3-6pm Tue-Fri, 9.30am-noon & 2.40-6pm Sat & Sun, to 5pm Oct-Mar), a Gothic-Romanesque abbey that has kept watch atop Monte Pirchiriano (962m) since the 10th century. Look out for the whimsical ‘Zodiac door’, a 12th-century doorway sculpted with putti(cherubs) pulling each other’s hair. To get to the abbey get off at Sant’Ambrogio station and hike up a steep path for 1½ hours. Alternatively, there’s a special bus from Avigliana train station six times a day from May to September. Concerts are held on Saturday evenings in summer; ask for details at the tourist office in Avigliana (population 10,500), 12km west.

A Druid well remains as testimony to the Celtic origins of Susa(population 6580, elevation 503m) before it fell under the Roman Empire’s sway. Susa’s Roman ruins make for an interesting stop on the way to the western ski resorts. In addition to the remains of a Roman aqueduct, a still-used amphitheatreand the triumphal Arco d’Augusto(dating from 9 BC), you can visit the town’s early-11th-century cathedral.

Also worth a brief stop is the forbidding Forte di Exilles (admission €6; 10am-7pm Tue-Sun Apr-Sep, to 2pm Oct-Mar), overlooking the quiet village of Exilles, 15km west of Susa. Its military role only ended in 1943.

Activities

Skiing

The prestigious Via Lattea (www.vialattea.it) ski domain embraces 400km of pistes and five interlinked ski resorts: Sestriere (2035m), Sauze d’Oulx (1509m), Sansicario (1700m), Cesana Torinese (1350m) and Claviere (1760m) in Italy; and Montgenèvre (1850m) in neighbouring France. Its enormous range of slopes and generally reliable snow conditions provide for skiers and boarders of all abilities. A single daily ski pass costing €34 covers the entire Milky Way, including the French slopes.

Built in the 1930s by the Agnelli clan of Fiat fame, Sestriere (population 885) ranks among Europe’s most glamorous ski resorts due to its enviable location in the eastern realms of the vast Milky Way ski area.

The tourist offices have mountains of information on every conceivable summer and winter sport, including heli-skiing, bobsledding, golfing on Europe’s highest golf course, walking, free-climbing and mountain biking.

Cross-country skiing in the area is centred on Bardonecchia (population 3084, elevation 1312m), the last stop in Italy before the Fréjus Tunnel.

Hiking

Avigliana’s tourist office has route maps and information on summertime walking and mountain biking, including the protected lakes and marshlands in the Parco Naturale dei Laghi di Avigliana (www.parks.it/parco.laghi.avigliana) on the town’s western fringe. From Avigliana, experienced walkers can tackle a strenuous climb or take a 30km circular bike trail to the Sacra di San Michele abbey.

Rafting

Rafting and kayaking trips from Cesana Torinese are organised through OK Adventure (www.okadventure.it; 3hr trips €40-50).

Sleeping & Eating

Many hotels shut outside winter and summer. The area’s tourist offices can make hotel reservations.

Sestriere’s central square, Piazza Fraiteve, is loaded with places to eat and drink, including the perennially popular pizzeria Pinky (Piazza Fraiteve 5n; pizzas €4-6)and the trendier Napapijri (Piazza Agnelli 1; meals €17-18).

Casa Cesana HOTEL €

( 0122 8 94 62; www.hotelcasacesana.com; Viale Bouvier, Cesana Torinese; d €45-50; ) Right across from Cesana’s ski lift, this timber chalet was built for the 2006 Olympics. Its rooms are light-filled and spotless, there’s a well-patronised restaurant open to nonguests (set menus around €18), and its bar is one of the area’s liveliest.

Hotel Susa & Stazione HOTEL €

( 0122 62 22 26; www.hotelsusa.it; Corso Stati Uniti 4/6, Susa; s/d €62/85; ) A handy all-round base for the area and located directly opposite Susa’s train station, this cycle-friendly hotel has 12 uniform rooms with private bathrooms, plus a restaurant (set menu €20). Staff hand out maps and itinerary proposals.

Information

There are numerous tourist offices in the valleys:

Avigliana ( 011 936 60 37; Piazza del Popolo 2; 9am-1pm & 2-6pm Mon-Fri)

Cesana Torinese (Piazza Vittorio Amedeo 3; 9am-12.30pm & 2.30-7pm)

Sestriere (www.sestriere.it; Via Louset; 9am-12.30pm & 2.30-7pm).

Getting There & Away

The main Italy–France motorway and railway line roar along the Valle di Susa, making the area easily accessible by both public transport and car (though motorists should keep change on hand for the numerous tolls).

Sapav buses (www.sapav.it, in Italian) link Susa with Avigliana (€3, 35 minutes), Oulx (€2.20, 45 minutes), Turin (€3.90, 1¼ hours) and the Milky Way resorts. From Sestriere, buses serve Cesana (€1.70, 25 minutes), Oulx (€2.20, 45 minutes) and Turin (€5.70, two to three hours) up to five times daily.

Southern & Eastern Piedmont

Gourmets on the rebound from an Emilia-Romagna food tour (fattened up with balsamic vinegar and Parmesan) might think it couldn’t get any better. But it can and it does. The rolling hills, valleys and townships of southern and eastern Piedmont are northern Italy’s specialist pantry, weighed down with sweet hazelnuts, rare white truffles, arborio rice, delicate veal, subtle cheeses and Nebbiolo grapes that metamorphose into Barolo and Barbaresco wines. Out here in the damp Po river basin, they give out Michelin stars like overzealous schoolteachers give out house points, and with good reason. The food is sublime, doused in traditions as old as the towns that fostered them. There’s Bra, home of the Slow Food Movement; Pollenzo, host to a University of Gastronomic Sciences; Asti, replete with truffles and wine; and Alba, home of Barolo wines.

Many trace the gourmet routes in a car, but to compensate for the calorific overload, there are also excellent walking and cycling opportunities.

South of Cuneo, and forgotten by most, are the Maritime Alps, a one-time hunting ground for Savoy kings that’s now open to hikers.

CUNEO & AROUND

POP 55,464/ ELEV 543M

Cuneo is a condensed version of Turin without the clamour. There is a raft of reasons why you should drop by here, not least the food, the bike friendliness, the hiking possibilities in the nearby Maritime Alps, and the city’s signature rum-filled chocolates.

Sitting on a promontory of land between two rivers, Cuneo enjoys excellent Alpine views framed by the high pyramid-shaped peak of Monte Viso (3841m) in the Cottian Alps.

Sights

The settlement’s Napoleonic avenues give it an almost French air.

Piazza Galimberti PIAZZA

Arriving in Cuneo’s gargantuan main piazza, you’d think you just touched down in a capital city. The outsized square was finished in 1884 and sits aside an older portico-embellished town founded in 1198. Some of the heavier arches date back to the Middle Ages.

Museo Civico di Cuneo MUSEUM

(Via Santa María 10; admission €2.60; 9am-1pm & 3-5.30pm Tue-Thu, to 7pm Fri & Sat) Cuneo has some wonderfully dark and mysterious churches. The oldest is the deconsecrated San Francisco convent and church, which today hosts this museum tracking the history of the town and province.

Activities

To the southwest lie the Maritime Alps, a rugged outdoor adventure playground where French and Italian influences mix (see the boxed text,Click here).

The best-equipped ski town is Limone Piemonte (www.limonepiemonte.it), 20km south of Cuneo and reachable by regular trains (€2.50, 40 minutes). Limone has been a ski station since 1907 and maintains 15 lifts and 80km of runs, including some put aside for Nordic skiing. The town (population 1600) has numerous hotels and ski-hire shops. See the website for details.

Sleeping

Hotel Royal Superga HOTEL €

( 0171 69 32 23; www.hotelroyalsuperga.com; Via Pascal 3; s €59-89, d €79-109; )For ‘Superga’ read ‘superb’. This appealing, old-fashioned hotel hidden off a corner of Piazza Galimberti mixes some regal touches with a raft of complimentary items. Bank on free wi-fi, free DVDs to watch in your room, free aperitivo if you linger in the lobby between 5pm and 9pm, and free city bikes for guests. Breakfast (included) is a delicious spread made from organic produce.

Hotel Palazzo Loverna HOTEL €€

( 0171 69 04 20; www.palazzolovera.com; Via Roma 37; s €95-110, d €120-140; ) A French king and an Italian pope have stayed here, hinting at the Loverna’s stately past. Rooms are comfortable if not lavish, but the value for money comes with rare small-town Italian extras such as a gym, sauna and two affiliated restaurants, one of which (Delle Antiche Contrade) has a deserved Michelin star.

Hotel Ligure HOTEL €

( 0171 63 45 45; www.ligurehotel.com; Via Savigliano 11; s €55-65, d €78-98; ) In the heart of the old town, this two-star hotel has a handful of apartments, each with its own kitchen (minimum seven-night stay). If you’re just passing through, its freshly spruced-up hotel rooms (with breakfast) are simple but spotless. Friendly trilingual service adds further kudos.

Eating & Drinking

Typically for Piedmont, Cuneo has some standout places to wine and dine.

Delle Antiche Contrade GASTRONOMIC €€€

( 0171 48 04 88; www.antichecontrade.it; Via Savigliano 11; meals €60; lunch Tue-Sun, dinner Tue-Sat) This former 17th-century postal station is the culinary workshop of Ligurian chef Luigi Taglienti, who melds the fish of his home region with the meat and pasta of his adopted one. The result: a Michelin star. Those with bottomless wallets can bag a personal table overlooking the kitchen action for a cool €130 per head.

Osteria dellaChiocciola GASTRONOMIC €€

( 0171 6 62 77; Via Fossano 1; meals €28-33; Mon-Sat) The lack of outside signage reflects an inner confidence at Chiocciola’s, where seasoned cooks perform small miracles. Although the restaurant is Slow Food affiliated, the time-poor can still stop by for a glass of wine with cheese and salami on the ground floor. Upstairs, in a buttercup dining room, dawdlers can choose from the handwritten menu’s alchemy of flavours.

Arione CHOCOLATE €

(www.arione-cuneo.com; Piazza Galimberti 14; 8am-8pm Tue-Sat, to 1pm & 3.30-8pm Sun)This 1920s-vintage chocolatier invented the Cuneesi al Rhum – a large, rum-laced praline wrapped in cellophane. The chocolates came to the attention of Hemingway, who made a detour from Milan en route to Nice in 1954 to try them – there’s a photograph of his visit in the window.

Locanda La Volpe TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

(Via Chiusa Pesio 6; meals €25; closed Wed) The best bet for traditional local food (ie mountain fare including rabbit) is this foxy place tucked down a cobbled side street in the Old Town.

Bruno CAFE €

(www.localistorici.it; Via Roma 28) Elbow your way to the bar for a morning cappuccino with the locals in this typically grand Cuneo coffee and chocolate house dating from 1864.

Information

Tourist office (www.comune.cuneo.it; Via Roma 28; 9.30am-12.30pm & 3-6.30pm Mon-Sat)

Getting There & Away

Regular trains run from Cuneo’s central train station, at Piazzale Libertà, to Saluzzo (€2.70, 35 minutes, up to six daily), Turin (€5.30, 1¼ hours, up to eight daily), San Remo (€6.50, 2¼ hours, three daily) and Ventimiglia (€5.80, two hours, around four daily), as well as Nice (2¾ hours, at least six daily) in France. A second train station for the Cuneo–Gesso line serves the small town of Mondovì, from where there are connections to Savona and Genoa.

HIKING IN THE MARITIME ALPS

Northern Italy, crowded? Not if you bring your hiking boots. Shoehorned between the rice-growing plains of Piedmont and the sparkling coastline of Liguria lie the brooding Maritime Alps – a small pocket of dramatically sculpted mountains that rise like stony-faced border guards along the frontier of Italy and France. Smaller yet no less majestic than their Alpine cousins to the north, the Maritimes are speckled with mirror-like lakes, foraging ibexes and a hybrid cultural heritage that is as much southern French as northern Italian.

Despite their diminutive size, there’s a palpable wilderness feel to be found among these glowering peaks. Get out of the populated valleys and onto the imposing central massif and you’ll quickly be projected into a high-altitude Shangri La. Whistling marmots scurry under rocky crags doused in mist above a well-marked network of mountain trails where the sight of another hiker – even in peak season – is about as rare as an empty piazza in Rome. This is Italy at its most serene and serendipitous. Not 20km to the south lie the swanky resort towns of Portofino and San Remo, where martini-supping celebrities wouldn’t be seen dead without their expensive handbags and private yachts. Yet up here in the high country that straddles the invisible border between Italy and France, all you need is a map, a decent pair of shoes and enough cheese and ciabatta to keep you going until dinnertime.

The main trailheads lie to the south of the city of Cuneo in a couple of recently inaugurated regional parks: the Parco Naturale delle Alpi Marittime and the Parco Naturale dell’Alta Valle Pesio e Tamaro . The Lago di Valscura Circuit (21km) starts in the airy spa of Terme di Valdieri and follows an old military road via the Piano del Valasco to an icy lake near the French border. It loops back past the Rifugio Questa before descending via the same route. For a two-day hike try the Marguareis Circuit (35km) that begins in the small ski centre of Limone Piemonte and tracks up across cols and ridges to the Rifugio Garelli ( 0171 73 80 78; dm €36; Jun-Sep) . Day two involves looping back through a small segment of France to your starting point in Limone. For more information on both hikes check out Lonely Planet’s Hiking in Italy guide or consult the APT offices in either Terme or Limone.

SALUZZO

POP 16,877/ ELEV 395M

Like Asti and Alba, Saluzzo was once a powerful city-state and its historical importance – while now diminished – has left a stirring legacy etched in red terracotta bricks.

The town is divided into ‘old’ and ‘new’ quarters, and the two sections are a short walk apart. Once a medieval stronghold, the town maintained its independence until the Savoys won it in a 1601 treaty with France. One of its better-known sons was the Italian writer Silvio Pellico (1788–1854). Imprisoned for his patriotism against the Austrian occupation, he wrote parts of his novel Le Mie Prigioni (My Prisons) by cutting himself and using his blood as ink. A second well-known local is General Carlo dalla Chiesa (1920–82), whose implacable pursuit of the Mafia led to his assassination.

Sights

Torre Civica LANDMARK

(Via San Giovanni; admission €2, incl Museo Civico di Casa Cavassa €6; 10.30am-12.30pm & 2.30-6.30pm Fri-Sun) The burnt-red-tiled rooftops of Saluzzo’s old town make a timeless picture from the loggia beneath the 15th-century belfry, which is reached by a steep flight of steps.

La Castiglia CASTLE

(Piazza Castello; adult/reduced €5/2.50) Saluzzo’s medieval rulers meted out justice from this 13th-century castle atop Saluzzo’s old town. It was recently refurbished but is open at weekends only. Enquire at the tourist office about guided tours.

Museo Civico di Casa Cavassa MUSEUM

(Via San Giovanni 5; adult/child €5/2.50, admission incl Torre Civica €6; 10am-1pm & 2-6pm Thu-Sun)This fine example of a 16th-century noble residence contains a valuable 1499 gold-leaved painting, Nostra Signora dell Grazie (Our Lady of Mercy) by Hans Klemer.

Sleeping & Eating

Albergo Ristorante Persico HOTEL €

( 0175 4 12 13; www.albergopersico.net; Vicolo Mercati 10; s/d €43/63; ) This simple but comfy hotel is tucked just off Piazza Cavour in Saluzzo’s new town. Discounted half-board options are available at the restaurant (closed Monday), which has regional menus ranging from €15 to €25 for nonguests. Free wi-fi is available in the lobby.

Perpöin HOTEL, INTERNATIONAL €

( 0175 4 23 83; www.hotelsaluzzo.com; Via Spielberg 19-27; s €40-70, d €70-100; ) Enjoy hearty home cooking (and fresh-from-the-oven Nutella-filled croissants at breakfast) at this family-run hotel-restaurant (set menus €12-25) in the new town’s centre. There is no hotel reception (the building is a maze of corridors), so call ahead to confirm your arrival.

Le Quattro Stagioni MEDITERRANEAN €€

(Via Volta 21; lunch & dinner Wed-Mon)As the name implies, the food changes with the season at this bodega-cum-restaurant situated in a street of dark porticoes and obscure arcades. The smell of fruity wine through the doorway provides the initial temptation, but just wait till you get inside for crusty pizza and al dente pasta. There’s a pleasant giardino (garden) attached.

Information

Tourist office (www.comune.saluzzo.it; Piazza Risorgimento; 9am-12.30pm & 3-6.30pm Mon-Sat, 9am-noon & 3-7pm Sun)

Getting There & Away

There are buses from Saluzzo to/from Turin (€3.50, 1½ hours, hourly). Otherwise, take a train to Savigliano (€1.70, 30 minutes, up to six daily), from where there are connections for Turin.

ALBA

POP 31,272/ ELEV 172M

In the gastronomic heaven that is Italy, Alba is a leading player courtesy of its black truffles, dark chocolate and wine – including the incomparable Barolo, the Ferrari of reds. Eschewing the modern penchant for junk food, this once-powerful city-state has redirected its energy into showcasing the fine art of real cooking, with ingredients plucked from within spear-throwing distance of your restaurant table. All becomes clearer at the annual truffle fair and the equally ecstatic vendemia (grape harvest).

The vine-striped Langhe Hills radiate out from the town like a giant undulating vegetable garden, replete with grapes, hazelnut groves and fine wineries. Exploring Alba’s fertile larder on foot or with two wheels is a rare pleasure.

Sights

A historical heavyweight, Alba enjoyed prosperity that reached its apex in the Middle Ages and lasted until 1628 when Savoy took control. At its peak Alba sported more than 100 towers. A less illustrious four remain.

Cattedrale di San Lorenzo CHURCH

(Piazza Duomo) There’s been a cathedral here since the 12th century, though the current terracotta-brick affair is mostly a result of an almost complete neo-Gothic 19th-century makeover. The intricate choir stalls date from 1512.

Museo Civico Archeologico ‘Federico Eusebio’ MUSEUM

(Via Vittorio Emanuele II; 3-6pm Tue-Fri, 10am-5.30pm Sat & Sun) Worth a peek for those keen to sober up between wine-tasting excursions, the city museum was founded in 1887. It has archeological and natural history sections.

Festivals & Events

Truffle Festival FOOD

The countryside around Alba contains precious white truffles and they change hands for ridiculous amounts of money at this annual festival held every weekend in October.

Tours

Alba’s tourist office has a special desk organising excursions to both Langhe and Roero valleys. Some are seasonal, including 3½-hour winery tours (€80-100; Sep-Nov)in an air-con minibus, and two-hour truffle-hunting excursions ( Sep-Oct), with the price dependent on group size. There are year-round cooking courses (half-/full-day course €70/100), horse riding (per day €80) in the Upper Langhe, rafting (3hr adult/child from €20/12) on the Tanaro river, and – for the ultimate view of the vineyards – a hot-air balloon flight (incl transfers, wine & breakfast €220-250). Sunrise balloon flights last one hour, but you’ll need to allow four hours in total.

Most activities and tours need to be booked at least two days ahead (tours may be cancelled if there aren’t sufficient numbers).

Sleeping

Hotel Langhe HOTEL €

( 0173 36 69 33; www.hotellanghe.it; Strada Profonda 21; s €64-78, d €84-98; ) Two kilometres from the city centre but worth every step (even if you’re walking it), Hotel Langhe sits on the cusp of the vineyards that push up against Alba’s suburbs and manages to ignite feelings of bucolic bliss despite its proximity to the urban core. The layout is sublime: a wine conservatory, a bright breakfast area and downstairs rooms with French windows that open onto a sunny forecourt.

Hotel San Lorenzo HOTEL €€

( 0173 36 24 06; www.albergo-sanlorenzo.it; Piazza Rossetti 6; s/d/tr €85/100/125; closed 2 weeks Jan & Aug; ) It’s very simple. Take 11 rooms in a refurbished 18th-century house, stick it just steps from the cathedral, call it a boutique hotel and add a unique downstairs pastry shop (‘Golosi’) selling butter-, egg- and dairy-free confectionery. The result is one of those only-in-Alba moments. Enjoy it while you can.

Eating & Drinking

The key to finding out about Alba’s fantastic cuisine is not by counting Michelin stars, but by word of mouth. Here lie some of the best grandma-in-the-kitchen places north of Sicily.

Osteria dei Sognatori OSTERIA €

(Via Macrino 8b; meals €12-20; lunch & dinner Mon-Sat) Menu? What menu? You get whatever’s in the pot at this rustic beneath-the-radar place and it’s always delicious. Bank on homemade pasta in a nutty pesto-like sauce and the best breadsticks in Italy. Walls are bedecked with football memorabilia and B&W snaps of bearded wartime partisans.

Vincafé WINE BAR €

(www.vincafe.com; Via Vittorio Emanuele II 12; set menus €10-25) It’s hip, but by no means exclusive. Anyone can sup on a glass of wine here, as long as you can squeeze through the door (it’s small and popular) and have the time and/or expertise to sift through a list of over 350 varieties. If in doubt, choose Barolo. Downstairs, in a cool vaulted stone cellar, the restaurant serves up huge healthy salads and pasta.

Locanda CortilettoD’Alba TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

(www.cortilettodalba.com; Corso M Coppino 27; meals €20-30 closed Wed) The Cortiletto is one of those secluded ring-the-front-door-bell kind of places where you’re welcomed like a family friend and served like a Savoy king. Seating is on an upstairs terrace or in a downstairs wine cellar, and menu items never stray far from the Langhe hinterland. Think plin (ravioli) sautéed in sage and butter, cheese fondue, or veal cooked in Nebbiolo wine. It has five lovely colour-themed rooms upstairs that are rented out from €80 a double.

Piazza Duomo-La Piola GASTRONOMIC €€€

( 0173 44 28 00; www.piazzaduomoalba.it; Piazza Risorgimento 4; meals €20-30, set menus €60-80; lunch Tue-Sun, dinner Tue-Sat)The best of both worlds are bivouacked in this two-in-one, suit-all-budgets culinary extravaganza in Alba’s main square. Downstairs, La Piola sports local blackboard specials, such as vitello tonnato, that change daily and allow diners to create their own plates. Upstairs, the theme goes more international in chef Enrico Crippa’s Michelin-starred Piazza Duomo, where you can eat creative food beneath colourful wall frescoes painted by contemporary artist Francesco Clemente.

Information

Tourist office (www.langheroero.it; Piazza Risorgimento 2; 9am-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6.30pm Sat & Sun) In the town’s historic centre, it sells walking maps and has internet access.

Getting There & Around

From the bus station (Corso Matteotti 10) there are frequent buses to/from Turin (€4, 1½ hours, up to 10 daily) and infrequent buses to/from Barolo (€1.80, 25 minutes, two daily) and other surrounding villages.

From Alba’s train station (Piazza Trento e Trieste) there are regular trains to/from Turin (€4.40 via Bra/Asti, 50 minutes, hourly).

Irregularity of buses makes touring the Langhe better by car or bike. For bike hire try super-flexible Motocicli Destefanis (www.motociclidestefanis.it; Via Margherita 2; bikes per day €15) just to the south of town off Corso Langhe. It also hires out motor-scooters. Car hire goes from about €35 per day or the tourist office can hook you up with a driver (prices vary).

BAROLO REGION

Wine lovers rejoice! This tiny 1800-hectare parcel of undulating land immediately southwest of Alba knocks out what is arguably (but not by many) the finest vino in Italy. Unbiased laymen call it Barolo (after the eponymous village where it is produced), but everyone else hails it as the ‘wine of kings’ and discusses its velvety truffle-scented flavours with an almost religious reverence.

Barolo

POP 750

A wine village for centuries, Barolo is no uppity New World viticultural wannabe. The settlement dates from the 13th century and references to wine production have been commonplace since the late 1600s.

SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES

Castello Falletti CASTLE

(www.baroloworld.it; Piazza Falletti) Barolo village is lorded over by a castle once owned by the powerful Falletti banking family. Its origins lie in the 10th century, though most of the current structure dates from the 1600s. Today the castle hosts the Museo del Vino a Barolo and, in its cellars, the Enoteca Regionale del Barolo ( 10am-12.30pm & 3-6.30pm Fri-Wed), organised and run by the region’s 11 wine-growing communities. The enoteca (wine bar) has three Barolo wines available for tasting each day, costing €2 each or €5 for all three.

Museo del Vino a Barolo MUSEUM

(www.wimubarolo.it; adult/reduced €7/5; 10.30am-7pm Fri-Wed, closed Jan-Feb) Put together by the same guy who designed the cinema museum in Turin’s Mole Antonelliana, this flashy new museum spread over three floors inside the Castello Falletti uses multimedia innovations and modern technology to tell the story of wine through history, art, music, film, literature and food. Some traditionalists are riled by the gimmicks, but it has quickly established itself as a popular drawcard.

Museo dei Cavatappi MUSEUM

(adult/reduced €4/3; 10am-1pm & 2pm-6.30pm Fri-Wed) This is a rather expensive way to view the evolution of corkscrews (decorative, miniature, multipurpose etc) throughout history. There’s also a display of old (empty) Barolo bottles and an equally pricey shop.

CRISTIANA GRIMALDI: DIRECTOR, ENOTECA BAROLO

Tell us a bit about Barolo’s growing area.

Barolo’s growing area is small – it is only possible to cultivate Nebbiolo grapes in 1800 hectares scattered round Barolo and 11 other wine-growing villages. Furthermore, at 8000kg per hectare, the grape’s yield is low. Sixty-five per cent of the wine we make is exported. It is popular in Germany, the US, China and Japan.

Fill us in on Nebbiolo grapes.

Nebbiolo is a strange grape in that it needs the climate of Piedmont. Non-native plantings haven’t worked, at least not in the same way. Climate is important. Nebbiolo requires relatively wet, humid autumnal conditions, cool-ish temperatures (25°C to 30°C) in the spring and summer, and some winter snow (80cm to 85cm). The grape needs to sleep!

What are the differences between Barbaresco and Barolo?

The main difference is age. Barbaresco is younger and can be drunk within two years of picking. Barolo requires three years to age. Then there is the soil. Barbaresco’s soil is sandy; Barolo’s consists of mineral-rich clay. As a result the body and flavour of Barbaresco is lighter, fresher and more delicate. Both wines are top-quality well-known labels and sell for a similar high-ish price. Barolo’s ageing qualities are legendary and it can be good at 25- to 30-year maturity. I once tasted a 1923 vintage. It was perfect.

What is Barolo best paired with?

Local Castelmango cheese, game and foods with a strong important taste such as ragù (meat and tomato sauce) .

What other non-Piedmont wine would you recommend?

Nero d’Avola from the south; it’s a young wine and not particularly famous yet, but it’s of high quality.

SLEEPING & EATING

Hotel Barolo HOTEL €€

( 0173 5 63 54; www.hotelbarolo.it; Via Lomondo 2; s/d €70/110; )Overlooked by the famous enoteca-castle, Hotel Barolo is the ultimate place to sit back on the terrace with a glass of you know what, contemplating the 18th-century Piemontese architecture that guards its shimmering swimming pool. You don’t have to go far for a good meal – the on-site Ristorante Brezza has been serving up truffles and the like for four generations. The family have been making wine since 1885.

La Morra

POP 2668

Atop a hill surrounded by vines with the Alps as a backdrop, La Morra is quieter than Barolo, though no less beguiling. It could be Tuscany, until you taste the vino, which could only be one thing – the wine of kings!

Villa Carita B&B B&B €€

( 0173 50 96 33; www.villacarita.it; Via Roma 105; s/d/ste €90/120/150; ) When you dream of Italy, the chances are somewhere in that dream is a room with a view across sun-dappled vineyards. This B&B not only has ‘blink to be sure you’re not still dreaming’ daytime views from every room (and its panoramic terrace), but also romantic night-time views of the village lights. Tucked below the main building, one room and one suite are hidden in the hillside with their own private terraces.

Belvedere GASTRONOMIC €€€

( 0173 5 01 90; Piazza Castello 5; set menus €45; lunch Tue-Sun, dinner Tue-Sat Mar-Dec, closed last week Jul)‘Beautiful view’ is no arbitrary name – it’s adjacent to La Morra’s lookout point. But Gian Bovio’s risotto al Barolo, Barbera-cooked steak and triple pyramid of chocolate all do their best to distract you from the vistas; as does the bewildering decision of choosing among more than 1000 wines.

BARBARESCO REGION

Same grape, different flavour! Only a few kilometres separate Barolo from Barbaresco, the home of the renowned wine of the same name, but a rainier microclimate and fewer ageing requirements have made the latter into a softer, more delicate red that plays ‘queen’ to Barolo’s ‘king’.

Barbaresco

POP 650

The village of Barbaresco is surrounded by vineyards and characterised by its 30m-high, 11th-century tower visible from miles around. There are over 40 wineries and three enotecas in the area.

ACTIVITIES

Enoteca Regionaledel Barbaresco WINE TASTING

(Piazza del Municipio 7; 9.30am-6pm Thu-Tue) Blasphemous as it may seem, you can worship Barbaresco wines at this intimate enoteca housed inside a deconsecrated church, with wines lined up where the altar once stood. It costs €1.50 per individual tasting; six Barbaresco wines are available to try each day.

Sentiero dei Barbaresco HIKE

Various trails surround the village, including this 13km loop through the undulating vineyards. The enoteca and info centre have maps.

SLEEPING & EATING

The village has four fine restaurants, one of which – Antinè – has a Michelin star.

Casa Boffa PENSIONE €

( 0173 63 51 74, www.boffacarlo.it; Via Torino 9a; s/d/tr €65/80/100; )In a lovely house in the centre of the village, Boffa offers four modern, minimalist rooms and one suite above a stunning terrace with limitless Langhe valley views. There’s a bright breakfast room downstairs and also an enoteca open for tasting (11am to 6pm daily except Wednesday).

RistoranteRabayà TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 0173 63 52 23; Via Rabayà 9; set menus €30-45; Fri-Wed, closed mid-Feb–early Mar) One in a quartet of Barbaresco restaurants, the Rabayà on the fringe of the village is first rate, with the ambience of dining at a private home. Its antique-furnished dining room has a roaring fire, but when the sun’s shining there’s no better spot than its terrace set high above the vineyards. Try Rabayà’s signature rabbit in Barbaresco, followed by a platter of local cheese.

Neive

POP 2930

Ping-ponged between Alba and Asti during the Middle Ages, Neive is a quieter proposition these days, its hilltop medieval layout earning it a rating as one of Italy’s borghi più belli (most beautiful towns). Come here to taste the village’s four legendary wines – Dolcetto d’Alba, Barbaresco, moscato and Barbera d’Alba – amid sun-dappled squares and purple wisteria.

ACTIVITIES

The tourist office has a list of six different local day hikes from 12.5km to 20km distance.

Bottega dei Quattro Vini WINE TASTING

(Piazza Italia 2; vary) This two-room shop was set up by the local community to showcase the four DOC wines produced on Neive’s hills. Inside you can sample wines by the glass (€1.80 to €4.50), accompanied by cold local specialities (€3.50 to €10).

SLEEPING & EATING

La Contea PENSIONE €

( 0173 67 12 6; www.la-contea.it; Piazza Cocito 8; s/d €70/100) Enoteca, shop, restaurant and small hotel, the family-run La Contea has been part of Neive’s fabric for eons. Chefs pluck fresh herbs from their window boxes to embellish dishes such as rabbit, ravioli al plin, and brasato al Barbaresco. The rooms are traditional and comfortable.

Getting There & Away

Neive is on the train line between Alba and Asti. Trains and buses to Alba (€1.40) run hourly.

CHERASCO & ITS SNAILS

Located 23km west of Alba, within the Langhe’s lush wine country, Cherasco is actually best known for lumache (snails). The town is home to the Istituto Internazionale di Elicoltura (International Institute for Heliciculture; 0172 48 92 18; www.lumache-elici.com; Via Vittorio Emanuele 55) , which provides technical advice for snail breeders (heliciculture is edible-snail breeding). Snails in this neck of the woods are dished up nudo (shell-less). They can be pan-fried, roasted, dressed in an artichoke sauce or minced inside ravioli. Piedmont dishes made with snails include lumache al barbera (snails simmered in Barbera red wine and ground nuts) and lumache alla piemontese (snails stewed with onions, nuts, anchovies and parsley in a tomato sauce).

Traditional trattorias serving such dishes include Osteria della Rosa Rossa ( 0172 48 81 33; Via San Pietro 31; set menus €30-35; 12.30-2pm & 8-9pm Fri-Tue). Reservations are required.

BRA & POLLENZO

POP 29,796

Home to some of the best gastronomic alchemy in Italy, Bra is the small, unassuming Piemontese town where the Slow Food Movement first took root in 1986. The brainchild of a group of disenchanted local journalists, the initial manifesto ignited a global crusade against the encroaching fast-food juggernaut whose plastic tentacles were threatening to engulf Italy’s centuries-old gastronomic traditions. The backlash worked and Bra happily broadcasts its success. There are no cars and no supermarkets in this refreshingly laid-back town’s historic centre, where small, family-run shops (which shut religiously for a ‘slowdown’ twice a week) are replete with organic sausages, handcrafted chocolates and fresh local farm produce.

Sights

Churches CHURCH

Bra’s sloping main square contains some stately baroque architecture best exemplified in the Chiesa di San Andrea (Piazza Caduti), designed by Bernini. The Santuario della Madonna dei Fiori (Viale Madonna dei Fiori)mixes baroque with neoclassical and is devoted to the Madonna, who supposedly appeared here in 1336, while the elegantly domed Chiesa di Santa Chiara (Via Craveri) is a jewel of Piemontese Rococo.

Museo CivicoArtistico-Storico MUSEUM

(Palazzo Traversa, Via Parpera 4; 3-6pm Tue-Thu, 10am-noon & 3-6pm Sat & Sun 2nd week of month) Bra’s history began long before its 1986 Slow Food epiphany and is exhibited in the Palazzo Traversa. Displays include Roman artefacts, 18th-century paintings and medieval weaponry.

Università di ScienzeGastronomiche UNIVERSITY

(University of Gastronomic Sciences; www.unisg.it; Piazza Vittorio Emanuele 9)Another creation of Carlo Petrini, founder of the Slow Food Movement, this university established in the village of Pollenzo (4km southeast of Bra) in 2004 occupies a former royal palace, and offers three-year courses in gastronomy and food management. Also here is the acclaimed Guido Restaurante ( 0172 45 84 22; www.guidoristorante.it; set menus €75; Tue-Sat, closed Jan & Aug)that people have been known to cross borders to visit, especially for the veal. Next door is the Albergo Dell’Agenzia (s €155, d €195-240) and the Banca del Vino (www.bancadelvino.it; Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 13), a wine cellar–‘library’ of Italian wines. Free guided tastings are available by reservation.

Sleeping & Eating

Albergo Cantine Ascheri HOTEL €€

( 0172 43 03 12; www.ascherihotel.it; Via Piumati 25; s/d €100/130; ) Built around the Ascheri family’s 1880-established winery, incorporating wood, steel mesh and glass, this ultracontemporary hotel includes a mezzanine library, 27 sun-drenched rooms and a vine-lined terrace overlooking the rooftops. From the lobby you can see straight down to the vats in the cellar (guests get a free tour). It’s just one block south of Bra’s train station.

Osteria del Boccondivino OSTERIA €€

( 0172 42 56 74; www.boccondivinoslow.it; Via Mendicità Istruita 14; set menus €26-28; Tue-Sat) Up on the 1st floor of the recessed courtyard of the Slow Food Movement’s headquarters, this homey little eatery lined with wine bottles was the first to be opened by the emerging organisation back in the 1980s. The food is predictably fresh and excellent, and the local Langhe menu changes daily.

Information

Tourist office (www.comune.bra.cn.it, in Italian; Via Moffa di Lisio 14; 9am-1pm & 3-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon Sat & Sun Mar-Nov) Has information on both towns and the region.

Getting There & Away

From the train station on Piazza Roma, trains link Bra with Turin (€3.50, one hour), via Carmagnola, while buses connect Bra with Pollenzo (€1, 15 minutes, Monday to Saturday morning).

ASTI

POP 75,910/ ELEV 123M

Just 30km apart, Asti and Alba were fierce rivals in medieval times when they faced off against each other as feisty independent strongholds ruled over by feuding royal families. These days the two towns are united by viticulture rather than divided by factionalism. Asti – by far the bigger town – produces the sparkling white Asti Spumante wine made from white muscat grapes, while Alba concocts Barolo and Barbaresco.

Festivals & Events

Palio d’Asti HORSE RACING

Held on the third Sunday of September, this bareback horse race commemorates a victorious battle against Alba during the Middle Ages and draws over a quarter of a million spectators from surrounding villages. (Alba answers with a tongue-in-cheek donkey race on the first Sunday in October.)

Douja d’Or FOOD

This 10-day festival (a douja is a terracotta wine jug unique to Asti), held in early September, is complemented by the Delle Sagre food festival on the second Sunday of September.

Sights & Activities

Asti’s largely pedestrianised centre is attractive, though less intimate than Alba’s.

Torre Troyana oDell’Orologio LANDMARK

(Piazza Medici; 10am-1pm & 4-7pm Apr-Sep, 10am-1pm & 3-6pm Sat & Sun Oct) During the late 13th century the region became one of Italy’s wealthiest, with 150-odd towers springing up in Asti alone. Of the 12 that remain, only this one can be climbed. Troyana is a 38m-tall tower that dates from the 12th century. The clock was added in 1420.

Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta CHURCH

(Piazza Cattedrale) Rising above Asti’s historic core is the enormous belfry of this 13th-century Romanesque-Gothic cathedral. Its grandly painted interior merits a peek.

Palazzo Mazzetti MUSEUM

(www.palazzomazzetti.it; Corso Alfieri 357; 10.30am-6.30pm Tue-Sun) This 18th-century residence of the Mazzetti family houses the civic museum and an information office. Downstairs you’ll find Roman artefacts and a scale model of the city. Upstairs there are Italian paintings from the 17th to 19th centuries.

Enoteca Boero di Boero Mario WINE TASTING

(Piazza Astesano 17; 9am-noon & 3-8pm daily, closed Mon morning) Roll up your sleeves and get down to Asti’s most pleasurable activity – wine tasting. This small, unassuming enoteca lines up the glasses morning and afternoon for free tastings administered with expert evaluations from the owner. Don’t miss the Barbera d’Asti and the sparkling moscato.

Sleeping & Eating

Outside the town centre, there are some lovely spots to sleep in the nearby Monferrato vineyards –Click hereor ask Asti’s tourist offices for a list of properties, including agriturismi.

Fresh food, clothes and all sorts of household paraphernalia are sold at Asti’s Wednesday and Saturday morning markets on Piazza Alfieri and Piazza Campo del Palio.

Hotel Palio HOTEL €€

( 0141 3 43 71; www.hotelpalio.com; Via Cavour 106; s/d €85/115; ) Wedged between the train station and the old town, the Palio’s utilitarian exterior belies plusher facilities inside. Reflecting Asti’s juxtaposition of old and new, the hotel broadcasts chic, smart rooms with satellite TVs and wi-fi along with an atmospherically decorated inner sanctum. The owners also run the Ristorante Falcon Vecchia, one of Asti’s oldest, which opened in 1607.

Osteria La Vecchia Carrozza OSTERIA €

(Via Caducci 41; meals €18-25; Tue-Sun)You could be sharing the room with a quartet of nuns or a birthday party of celebrating college graduates at this local spot bedecked with white tablecloths and polished wine glasses, but characterised by plenty of down-to-earth Piemontese ambience. This being Asti, the food is infused with truffles, Barolo wine and a formidable agnolotti di astigiana.

Pompa Magna INTERNATIONAL €€

(www.pompamagna.it; Via Aliberti 65; set menus €20-30; Tue-Sun; )This split-level brasserie-style restaurant is a great spot for a bruschetta and glass of very good wine (the Pompa Magna also owns an enotecain town at Corso Alfieri 332). But it’s worth coming hungry for its chef-prepared menus and especially its bônnet (an elaborate chocolate pudding) for dessert.

Information

Tourist office (www.astiturismo.it; Piazza Alfieri 29; 9am-1pm & 2.30-6.30pm) Has details of September’s flurry of wine festivals.

Getting There & Away

Asti is on the Turin–Genoa railway line and is served by hourly trains in both directions. Journey time is 30 to 55 minutes to/from Turin (€3.90), and 1¾ hours to/from Genoa (€6.50), stopping at Alba (€2.70, 40 minutes).

MONFERRATO REGION

Vineyards fan out around Asti, interspersed with castles and celebrated restaurants. Buses run from Asti to many of the villages; Asti’s tourist offices can provide schedules.

A land of literary giants (contemporary academic and novelist Umberto Eco and 18th-century dramatist Vittorio Alfieri hail from here) and yet another classic wine (the intense Barbera del Monferrato), the Monferrato area occupies a fertile triangle of terrain between Asti, Alessandria and its historical capital, Casale Monferrato (population 38,500).

Sights

The tiny hamlet of Moncalvo(population 3320), 15km north of Asti along the S457, makes a perfect photo stop, with a lookout above its castle, where you’ll also find an information office (Piazza Antico Castello; Sat & Sun, specific hours vary) and wine tasting.

Many producers conduct cellar tours; the Consorzio Operatori Turistici Asti e Monferrato (www.terredasti.it; Piazza Alfieri 29) in Asti has a detailed list of tours and can provide directions.

Sleeping & Eating

Tenuta del Barone AGRITURISMO €

( 0141 91 01 61; www.tenutadelbarone.com; Via Barone 18, Penango; s €45-50, d €70-75; ) This family farm dating from 1550 has been converted into a cheery B&B, where you can sleep in the old stables and feast on huge amounts of homemade food (dinner including wine €25). Medieval-cooking courses and wine tasting are often available. Penango, 2km from Moncalvo, is signposted from Moncalvo’s southern end.

Tenuta Castellodi Razzano BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

( 0141 92 21 24; www.castellodirazzano.it; Frazione Casarello 2, Alfiano Natta; d/ste €130/220; )You can visit this rambling castle just to tour its working winery, and take part in a personal, seated wine tasting (from €6 for five wines and food snacks). But to soak up the antiques-filled castle’s atmosphere – you’ll want to stay in one of its rooms (the size of small apartments), roam its historical halls or curl up in its book-lined reading room. The new Museo Artevino Razzano (admission €10) bills itself as a museum of art and wine. Entrance is by appointment only. Alfiano Natta is 6km west of Moncalvo.

Locanda del Sant’Uffizio LUXURY HOTEL €€€

( 0141 91 62 92; Strada Sant’Uffizio 1, Cioccaro di Penango; s €130-180, d €180-250; )This knockout, restored 17th-century convent (and sleek wellness centre) is set in 4 hectares of vineyards. Many of the convent’s rooms – some with original frescoes – reflect the colour of the flowers after which they are named. Bike rental is free, and a pick-up service from Asti can be arranged. Sant’Uffizio has a small, elegant restaurant (lunch/dinner menus €23/55), which is open to nonguests, though you’ll need to book ahead. The Locanda is 3.3km south of Moncalvo.

Varallo & the Valsesia

Situated 66km northwest of Vercelli in northern Piedmont, Varalloguards the amazing Sacro Monte di Varallo (www.sacromontedivarallo.it; admission free; 7.30am-6.30pm), the oldest of Italy’s nine Sacri Monti (Sacred Mountains), which were inscribed communally as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2003. The complex consists of an astounding 45 chapels, with 800 religious statues depicting the Passion of Christ set on a rocky buttress high above Varallo on the slopes of Monte Tre Croci. It was founded in 1491 by a Franciscan friar whose aim was to reproduce a version of Jerusalem as a substitute pilgrimage site for local worshippers. The complex is anchored by a basilica dating from 1614, and the subsequent chapels follow the course of Christ’s life told through frescoes and life-sized terracotta statues. The scenes are sometimes macabre. The Monte is accessed via a winding walking path from Piazza Ferrari in town.

Beyond Varallo, the Sesia river heads spectacularly north to the foot of the Monte Rosa massif. Alpine slopes climb sharply, offering numerous walking, cycling and white-water-rafting possibilities. The valley’s last village, Alagna Valsesia, is an ancient Swiss-Walser settlement-turned-ski resort, which is part of the Monte Rosa Ski Area (www.monterosa-ski.com).It is well known for its off-piste runs. From the town a cable car climbs to Punta Indren (3260m), from where fit walkers/climbers can strike out for the highest rifugioin Europe, the Capanna Regina Margherita ( 0163 9 10 39; dm €80)perched atop Punta Gnifetti on the Swiss–Italian border at an astounding 4554m. The ascent requires glacier travel, but non-experts can hire a guide through Corpo Guide Alagna (www.guidealagna.com; Piazza Grober 1, Alagna Valsesia). Costs are €100 to €383, depending on group size, for the two-day excursion (June to September) .

VALLE D'AOSTA

POP 127,866

While its Dolomite cousins exhibit notable German tendencies, Aosta’s nuances are French. The result is a curious hybrid culture known as Valdostan, a historical mix of French-Provençal and northern Italian that has infiltrated the food (polenta, spicy sausages and the famous fontina cheese) and ensured the survival of an esoteric local language, Franco-Provençal or Valdôtain, a dialect still used by approximately 55% of the population.

Comprising one large glacial valley running east–west, which is bisected by several smaller valleys, the semi-autonomous Val d’Aosta is overlooked by some of Europe’s highest peaks, including Mont Blanc (4807m), the Matterhorn (4478m), Monte Rosa (4633m) and Gran Paradiso (4061m). Not surprisingly the region offers some of the best snow facilities on the continent, with opportunities for skiers to descend hair-raisingly into France and Switzerland over lofty glaciers or traverse them in equally spectacular cable cars.

When the snow melts, the hiking is even more sublime, with access to the 165km Tour du Mont Blanc, the Gran Paradiso National Park, and Aosta’s two blue-riband, high-altitude trails: the Alte Vie 1 and 2.

Aosta’s roots are Roman – the eponymous town guards some significant ruins – while annexation by the House of Savoy in the 11th century led to the building of numerous medieval castles. In the 12th and 13th centuries, German-speaking Walsers from Switzerland migrated into the Val di Gressoney and a handful of villages still preserve the vernacular language and architecture.

SKIING IN THE VALLE D’AOSTA

The Aosta Valley allows access to three of Europe’s most prestigious ski areas – Courmayeur, Breuil-Cervinia and Monte Rosa – plus numerous smaller runs.

Courmayeur (www.courmayeur.com) is dominated by spectacular Mont Blanc vistas and allows access to legendary runs such as the Vallée Blanche. Down below, the pretty Alpine town hosts a chilled, non-glitzy après-ski scene. Breuil-Cervinia (www.cervinia.it) , in the shadow of the Matterhorn, is set at a higher altitude and has more reliable late-season snow. There are good intermediate runs and kids facilities here, but the resort is ugly and rather tacky in places. On the brighter side, you can ski across into Zermatt in Switzerland.

The three valleys to the east are home to the Monte Rosa ski area (www.monterosa-ski.com) . Champoluc anchors the Val d’Ayas, Gressoney lights up the Val d’Gressoney and Alagna Valsesia is the nexus in the Valsesia. These valleys have a less manic resort scene and harbour some quiet Walser villages. The skiing, however, is white-knuckle, with plenty of off-piste and heli-skiing possibilities particularly in the Valsesia.

The best of the smaller resorts is Pila (www.pila.it) , easily accessible by cable car from Aosta town, while the pristine Valle di Cogne , in Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso, is an idyllic place to enjoy cross-country skiing in relative solitude.

A lift pass covering the entire Valle d’Aosta costs €111/241 for three/seven days; add on access to Zermatt and you’ll be parting with €171/285. For up-to-date prices and pass variations see www.skivallee.it.

Aosta

POP 35,078/ ELEV 565M

Jagged Alpine peaks rise like marble cathedrals above the town of Aosta, a once-important Roman settlement that has sprawled rather untidily across the valley floor since the opening of the Mont Blanc tunnel in the 1960s. Bounced around between Burgundy (France) and Savoy (Italy) in the Middle Ages, the modern town remains bilingual with a culture that is Valdostan, a factor best reflected in its musical local dialect and simple but hearty cuisine.

Sights

Chiesa di Sant’Orso CHURCH

Offline map

(Via Sant’Orso; 9am-7pm) Aosta’s most intriguing church is part of a still-operating monastery. The church dates back to the 10th century but was altered on several occasions, notably in the 15th century when Giorgio di Challant of the ruling family ordered the original frescoes painted over and a new, lower roof installed. All was not lost: the renovations left the upper levels of the frescoes intact above the new roofline. You can ask the warden to unlock the door, letting you clamber up a narrow flight of wooden steps into the cavity between the original and 15th-century ceilings to view the well-preserved remnants.

The interior and the magnificently carved choir stalls are Gothic, but excavations have unearthed the remains of an earlier church. Beneath the altar, protected by glass, is a 12th-century mosaic, which was only discovered in 1999 when the church’s heating system underwent maintenance.

The monastery’s beautiful Romanesque cloister, with ornately carved capitals representing biblical scenes, is to the right of the church.

Aosta

Top Sights

Chiesa di Sant'Orso C1

Sights

1  Arco di Augusto D1

2  Cattedrale Santa Maria Assunta B2

Museo del Tesoro (see 2)

Porta Praetoria (see 15)

3  Roman Bridge D1

4  Roman Forum A2

5  Roman Theatre C1

6  Torre dei Balivi C1

7  Torre dei Fromage C2

Activities, Courses & Tours

8  Meinardi Sport A2

Sleeping

9  Hotel Le Pageot D3

10  Hotel Turin C2

Eating

11  Ad Forum B2

12  Osteria del Calvino A2

13  Ristorante-Pizzeria Ulisse A2

14  Trattoria degli ArtistiA2

15  Vecchia Aosta C2

Roman Ruins ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

While Aosta’s splayed suburbs can be a little hard on the eye, its 2000-year-old central district is awash with Roman ruins. The grand triumphal arch, Arco di AugustoOffline map Google map (Piazza Arco di Augusto)has been strung with a crucifix in its centre since medieval times. From the arch, head east across the Buthier river bridge to view the cobbled Roman bridgeOffline map – still in use since the 1st century. Backtracking west 300m along Via Sant’Anselmo brings you to Porta PraetoriaOffline map , the main gate to the Roman city.

Heading north along Via di Bailliage and down a dust track brings you to Aosta’s Roman theatreOffline map (Via Porta Praetoria; 9am-7pm Sep-Jun, to 8pm Jul & Aug). Part of its 22m-high facade is still intact. In summer, performances are held in the better-preserved lower section. Further north, the forbidding Torre dei BaliviOffline map , a former prison, marks one corner of the Roman wall and peers down on the smaller Torre dei FromageOffline map ( vary depending on exhibition)– named after a family rather than a cheese. It’s closed to the public except during temporary art exhibitions – the tourist office has a program. All that remains of the Roman forumOffline map , another couple of blocks west, beneath Piazza Giovanni XXIII, is a colonnaded underground walkway known as Criptoportico.

Cattedrale Santa Maria Assunta CHURCH

Offline map

(Piazza Giovanni XXIII; 6.30am-noon & 3-7pm)The neoclassical facade of Aosta’s cathedralbelies the impressive Gothic interior. Inside, the carved 15th-century walnut-wood choir stalls are particularly beautiful. Two mosaics on the floor, dating from the 12th to the 13th centuries, are also worth studying, as are the religious art treasures displayed in the lovingly attended Museo del Tesoro (admission €2.10; 9-11.30am & 3-5.30pm Mon-Sat, 8.30-10am & 10.45-11.30am Sun).

Activities

Skiing

The nearest skiing to the town of Aosta is the 1800m-high resort of Pila (www.pila.it; half-/full-day pass €25/34; mid-Dec–mid-Apr), accessible by the Aosta–Pila cable car from town or a zigzagging 18km drive south. Its 70km of runs, served by 13 lifts, form one of the valley’s largest ski areas. Its highest slope, in the shadow of Gran Paradiso, reaches 2700m and sports an ace snow park with a half-pipe, jump and slide, and freestyle area for boarders and freestyle skiers. The ski station is a village of sorts, but services such as the tourist office, police and medical services are handled from Aosta. For details on ski passes see the boxed text, Click here.

Hiking & Mountain Biking

The lower slopes leading down from Pila into the Dora Baltea valley provide picturesque walks and rides. Mountain bikes can be transported for free on the Aosta–Pila cable car (one way/return €3/5; 8am-12.15pm & 2-5pm or 6pm Jun-Aug) and mountain bikers can buy a one-day pass (transport only; €13), allowing unlimited use of the cable car and chairlifts. The tourist office gives advice on mountain-biking itineraries and walking trails and has lists of Alpine guides and mountain accommodation.

Recommended walking clubs that organise treks and provide guides include the following:

Club Alpino Italiano (CAI; www.caivda.it, in Italian; Corso Battaglione Aosta 81; 6.30-8pm Tue, 8-10pm Fri) West of the city centre.

Meinardi Sport Offline map (Via E Aubert; 3-7.30pm Mon, 9am-12.30pm & 3-7.30pm Tue-Sat) A well-stocked sports shop with walking supplies and maps.

Wine & Cheese Tasting

Morgex et de La Salle WINE TASTING

(www.caveduvinblanc.com; Chemin des Iles 31, La Ruine) The Valle d’Aosta is home to vineyards producing sought-after wines that are rarely available outside the region, including those from Europe’s highest vineyard, named for the two villages strung together by its vines. Aosta’s tourist office has a free, comprehensive booklet in English with information on cellars you can tour and taste. The vineyard is 25km west of Aosta. Take the A5 before branching off onto SS26.

Valpelline Visitors’Centre CHEESE TASTING

(www.fontinacoop.it; Frissonière; 8.30am-12.30pm & 2.30-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon & 3-6pm Sat & Sun) In a country where cheese can inspire feuds and debates, if not all-out wars, it’s a good idea to get a lowdown on the local curds before you state an opinion; in this case fontina.Aosta’s signature cheese is made from the full-cream, unpasteurised milk of Valdostan cows that have grazed on pastures up to 2700m above sea level, before being matured for three months in underground rock tunnels. You can learn more about the history, terroir(the land) and production of fontina and other Aostan cheeses at this museum-cum-visitors centre You’ll need wheels to get here from Aosta. Follow the SR28 for 7km north to Valpelline, turn east towards Ollomont and after 1.5km turn west along a mountain road to Frissonière.

Festivals & Events

Fiera di Sant’Orso WOODCARVING

For over 1000 years the annual winter wood fair has been held on 30 and 31 January around Porta Praetoria, in honour of the town’s patron saint who made wooden shoes for the poor (hence you’ll see many wooden shoes in craft shops around town). Woodcarvers from all over the valley gather to display their works and present an item to the saint at the Chiesa di Sant’Orso.

Sleeping

Bar the magnificent (if expensive) Hotel Milleluci, you probably won’t be tweeting your mates about the wonders of Aosta’s hotel scene. But with hiking and skiing on the agenda, the chances are you won’t be spending much time in your room anyway.

Hotel Milleluci LUXURY HOTEL €€€

( 0165 4 42 74; www.hotelmilleluci.com; Loc Porossan 15; s €110-130, d €130-240; ) Old wooden skis, traditionally carved wooden shoes, claw-foot baths, indoor and outdoor pools, a jacuzzi, sauna and gym, and sumptuous skiers’ breakfasts make this large, family-run converted farmhouse seem more like a palace. Set on a hillside above town, its balconied rooms look out to the eponymous ‘thousand lights’ twinkling from Aosta below.

Hotel Turin HOTEL €

Offline map

( 0165 4 45 93; www.hotelturin.it; Via Torino 14; s/d €52/84; ) A modern, boxy glass-and-steel affair, the Turin is a handy suitcase-drag from the train station and a short distance to carry your skis or snowboard to the cable car.

Hotel Le Pageot HOTEL €€

Offline map

( 0165 3 24 33; www.lepageot.info; Via Carrel 31; s €55-65, d €90-100; ) Next to the bus stop, the no-frills, family-run and clean Le Pageot ought to suit hikers and skiers on a budget even if it doesn’t win any architectural/interior design awards.

Eating

Traditional dishes include seupa valpellinentze(a thick soup of cabbage, bread, beef broth and fontina) and carbonada con polenta (soup traditionally made with chamois, though these days usually beef). Open-air cafe terraces spring up on Piazza Chanoux in summer.

Trattoria degli Artisti TRATTORIA €€

Offline map

(Via Maillet 5-7; meals €18-28; Tue-Sat) Fabulous Valdostan cuisine is dished up at this dark, cosy little trattoria, tucked down an alleyway off Via E Aubert. Antipasti such as puff pastry filled with Valdostan fondue, cured ham and regional salami are followed by dishes such as roe venison with polenta, and beef braised in Morgex et de La Salle white wine.

Ad Forum MODERN ITALIAN €€

Offline map

( 0165 4 00 11; Via Mons de Sales 11; meals €22-30; Tue-Sun; )Another fantastic Aosta restaurant setting, this time in a stylish garden (and interior rooms) built on part of the remains of the Roman forum. Conceptual dishes such as risotto with strawberries and Spumante, or lasagnettawith pear and blue cheese, come in generous portions, and you get an equally tasty complimentary aperitif while you wait. The attached enoteca has an excellent line-up of wines.

Ristorante-Pizzeria Ulisse PIZZERIA €

Offline map

(Via E Aubert 58; meals €15-18; lunch Mon-Sun, dinner Thu-Mon) Ulisse is the sort of place where the food is brought to your table personally by the chef and the cooked-to-perfection €5 pizza margherita is, well, perfection.

Vecchia Aosta TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

Offline map

( 0165 36 11 86; Piazza Porte Pretoriane 4; set menus €30-35; lunch Tue-Sun, dinner Tue-Sat; ) Maybe it’s the French influence, but Aosta restaurants such as the Vecchia score consistently highly when it comes to culinary creativity. Grafted onto a section of the old Roman wall, the setting is sublime and the waiters highly knowledgeable. Take their advice and go for the lamb – it’s a real holiday highlight.

Osteria del Calvino PIZZERIA €

Offline map

(Via Croix de Ville 24; meals $18-25; Tue-Sun) This brand-new three-floor wine bar, restaurant and pizzeria delivers the goods on all fronts thanks to congenial service and good, simple food.

Shopping

Craft shops in town sell traditional Valdostan objects made by certified local artisans. Unique items to look out for include a grolla,a large wooden goblet whose name is derived from the word ‘grail’ in reference to the Holy Grail, which is said to have passed through the village and been copied by local craftsmen. Another Valdostan tradition is the coppa dell’amicizia (friendship cup), a wooden bowl filled with coffee laced with citrus rind and strong grappa and set alight. The ‘cup’ has anything from two to 15 mouthpieces, out of which friends take turns drinking as it’s passed around.

Information

Banks abound on and around the Piazza Chanoux.

Aosta tourist office (www.regione.vda.it/turismo; Piazza Chanoux 2; 9am-6.30pm) Region-wide information including accommodation lists.

Farmacia Centrale ( 0165 26 22 05; Piazza Chanoux 35) Pharmacy.

Hospital ( 0165 30 41; Viale Ginevra 3)

Multimedi@ Service (XXVI Febbraio 15; per 15min €1; 9am-8pm) Internet access.

Police station ( 0165 26 21 69; Corso Battaglione Aosta 169) West of the town centre.

Post office (Piazza Narbonne; 8.15am-6pm Mon-Fri, to 1pm Sat)

Getting There & Away

Buses operated by Savda (www.savda.it)run to Milan (1½ to 3½ hours, two daily), Turin (two hours, up to 10 daily) and Courmayeur (€3.20, one hour, up to eight daily), as well as French destinations including Chamonix. Services leave from Aosta’s bus station (Via Giorgio Carrel), virtually opposite the train station. To get to Breuil-Cervinia, take a Turin-bound bus to Châtillon (30 minutes, eight daily), then a connecting bus (one hour, seven daily) to the resort.

Aosta’s train station, on Piazza Manzetti, is served by trains from most parts of Italy via Turin (€7.55, two to 2½ hours, more than 10 daily).

Aosta is on the A5, which connects Turin with the Mont Blanc tunnel and France. Another exit road north of the city leads to the Great St Bernard tunnel and on to Switzerland.

CASTELLO DI FÉNIS

Gothic castles are to the Valle d’Aosta what wizards are to Harry Potter. There are over 150 of them and each castle is within view of the next – back in the day, messages were transferred along the valley by flag signals.

If you only have time for one visit, you can’t go wrong at the magnificently restored Castello di Fénis (adult/reduced €5/3.50; 9am-7pm Mar-Sep, 10am-12.30pm & 1.30-5pm Oct-Feb) . Owned by the powerful Challant clan from 1242 onwards, it features rich frescoes including an impressive etching of St George slaying a fiery dragon. The castle is laid out in a pentagonal shape with an unusual amalgam of both square and cylindrical towers. It was never really used as a defensive post but served as a plush residence for the Challant family until 1716. The on-site museum allows access to a weaponry display, the kitchens, the battlements, the former residential quarters, and the chapel with its frescoes.

Courmayeur

POP 2923/ ELEV 1224M

Flush up against France and linked by a dramatic cable-car ride to its cross-border cousin in Chamonix, Courmayeur is an activity-oriented Aosta village that has grafted upmarket ski facilities onto an ancient Roman base. Its pièce de résistance is lofty Mont Blanc, Western Europe’s highest mountain – 4807m of solid rock and ice that rises like an impregnable wall above the narrow valleys of northwestern Italy, igniting awe in all who pass.

In winter Courmayeur is a fashion parade of skiers bound for the high slopes above town that glisten with plenty of late-season snow. In summer it wears a distinctly different hat: the Società delle Guide Alpine di Courmayeur is bivouacked here and the town is an important staging post on three iconic long-distance hiking trails: the Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB), Alta Via 1 and Alta Via 2.

Sights

Funivie Monte Bianco CABLE CAR

(www.montebianco.com; return €38; 8.30am-12.40pm & 2-4.30pm) Ears pop, eyes widen, mouths gasp. Technically the Mont Blanc cable car might not be the world’s highest, but it’s surely the most spectacular. You have to admire the ambition of the people who decided to build this astounding piece of human engineering three-quarters of the way up western Europe’s highest mountain before heading (over multiple glaciers) into France. The cable car departs every 20 minutes in each direction from the village of La Palud, 15 minutes from Courmayeur’s main square by a free bus service.

First stop is the 2173m-high midstation Pavillon du Mt Fréty (return €16),where there’s a restaurant and the Mt Frèty Nature Oasis. At the top of the ridge is Punta Helbronner(3462m). Take heavy winter clothes and sunglasses for the blinding snow, and head up early in the morning to avoid the heavy weather that often descends here in the early afternoon. At Punta Helbronner a small, free museum displays crystals found in the mountains.

From Punta Helbronner another cable car (from late May to late September, depending on the weather conditions) takes you on a breathtaking 5km transglacial ride across the Italian border deeper into France to the Aiguille du Midi (3842m), from where the world’s highest cable car transports you down to Chamonix. The total journey from Courmayeur to Chamonix costs €50, and includes a bus back through the Mont Blanc tunnel. It’s worth every penny.

Pavillon du Mt FrétyNature Oasis NATURE RESERVE

A protected zone of 1200 hectares tucked between glaciers, this nature oasis is accessible from the Pavillon du Mt Fréty at the mid-station of the Funivie Monte Bianco. You can take a walk through the flower-filled Alpine garden, Giardino Botanico Alpino Saussurea (admission €2; 9.30am-6pm Jul-Sep)in summer (it’s blanketed by snow in winter) and enjoy numerous other trails including the Sentiero Francesco e Giuditta Gatti, where you have a good chance of spotting ibexes, marmots and deer.

Museo Alpino Duca degli Abruzzi MUSEUM

(Piazza Henry 2; admission €3; 9am-noon & 3.30-6.30pm Thu-Tue, 3.30-6.30pm Wed) Courmayeur guiding association’s dramatic history unfolds in this small but inspiring museum that tracks the heroic deeds of erstwhile alpinists.

Activities

Courmayeur is an outdoor-activity heaven. Few come here to idle.

Società delle Guide Alpine di Courmayeur GUIDED

(www.guidecourmayeur.com; Strada del Villair) Founded in 1859, this is Italy’s oldest guiding association. In winter its guides lead adventure seekers off-piste, up frozen waterfalls and on heli-skiing expeditions. In summer, rock climbing, canyoning, canoeing, kayaking and hiking are among its many outdoor activities.

Terme di Pré-Saint-Didier SPA

( 0165 86 72 72; www.termedipre.it; Allée des Thermes; admission €42-48; 9.30am-9pm Sun-Thu, 8.30am-11pm Fri & Sat) Bubbling a natural 37°C from the mountains’ depths, the thermal water at Pré-Saint-Didier has been a source of therapeutic treatments since the bath-loving Romans stopped past. A spa opened in 1838, though the present renovated building dates from the 1920s. Admission includes use of a bathrobe, towel and slippers, plus freshly squeezed juices, fruit and herbal teas. In addition to saunas, whirlpools and toning waterfalls, there’s an indoor-outdoor thermal pool. It’s lit by candles and torches on Saturday nights, when it is spectacular amid the snow and stars.

Before leaving the spa, head 50-odd metres beyond the car park in the opposite direction to the village, where a little Roman bridge arcs over the trout-filled river.

Skiing

Courmayeur offers some extraordinary skiing in the spectacular shadow of Mont Blanc. The two main ski areas – the Plan Checrouit and Pre de Pascal – are interlinked by various runs (100km worth) and a network of chairlifts. Three lifts leave from the valley floor, one from Courmayeur itself, one from the village of Dolonne and one from nearby Val Veny. They are run by Funivie Courmayeur Mont Blanc (www.courmayeur-montblanc.com; Strada Regionale 47). Queues are rarely an issue.

Skiing lessons starting at around €38 an hour are available from the Scuola di Sci Monte Bianco (www.scuolascimontebianco.com; Strada Regionale 51), founded in 1922. It also offers cross-country and telemark lessons for similar rates.

Vallee Blanche SKI DESCENT

This is an exhilarating off-piste descent from Punta Helbronner across the Mer de Glace glacier into Chamonix, France. The route itself is not difficult (anyone of intermediate ability can do it), but an experienced guide is essential to steer you safely round the hidden crevasses. All up, the 24km Vallee Blanche takes around four to five hours, allowing time to stop and take in the view.

Toula Glacier SKI DESCENT

Only highly experienced, hard-core skiers need apply for this terrifying descent, which also takes off from Punta Helbronner and drops for six sheer kilometres to La Palud. A guide is essential. It’s usually easy to join in with a guide-led group.

Walking

In July and August Courmayeur’s cable cars whisk walkers and mountain bikers up into the mountains; transporting a bike is free.

Tour du Mont Blanc WALKING TRAIL

For many walkers (some 30,000 each summer), Courmayeur’s trophy hike is the Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB). This 169km trek cuts across Italy, France and Switzerland, stopping at nine villages en route. Snow makes it impassable for much of the year. The average duration is anything from one week to 12 days; smaller sections are also possible. It’s possible to undertake the hike without a guide, but if you’re unfamiliar with the area, hooking up with a local guide is a good idea as the route traverses glacial landscapes.

Easy day hikes will take you along the TMB as far as the Rifugio Maison Vieille (one hour, 50 minutes) and Rifugio Bertone (two hours). Follow the yellow signposts from the Piazzale Monte Bianco in the centre of Courmayeur.

Mountain Biking

Mountain bikes can be hired for around €15 per day at Noleggio Courmayeur ( 0165 84 22 55), in front of the Courmayeur chairlift.

Sleeping

Ask the tourist office for a list of rifugi, usually open from late June to mid-September.

Hotel Bouton d’Or HOTEL €€

( 0165 84 67 29; www.hotelboutondor.com; Strada Statale 26/10; s €80-95, d €120-160; ) Is it a dream? You open your eyes and there before you is the imposing hulk of Mont Blanc. There can’t be many hotels where the view is this good, the rooms this clean, or the service this attentive. To top it all, Bouton d’Or is situated in the centre of Courmayeur and sports a sauna, a decent breakfast, a shuttle to the cable car, and a lounge full of interesting Alpine paraphernalia.

Mont Blanc Hotel Village LUXURY HOTEL €€€

( 0165 86 41 11; www.hotelmontblanc.it; La Croisette 36; s €173-240, d €198-265; ) On the hillside of La Salle, 10km east of Courmayeur, this haven of luxury has beautiful stone-and-wood rooms, many with enormous balconies with views across the valley. A series of cave-like nooks conceals spa treatment rooms and steaming saunas. Half-board is available at the hotel’s standard restaurant. To truly dine in style, guests and nonguests can head to the hotel’s second, gastronomic restaurant.

Hotel Triolet HOTEL €€

( 0165 84 68 22; www.hoteltriolet.com; Strada Regionale 63; s €80-100, d €150-190; ) Triolet is a tad more elegant than your average ski digs. It’s smaller, too, with only 20 rooms, allowing service to remain personal as well as affable. Aside from the usual tick-list, there’s a pleasant spa (jacuzzi, steam room, sauna), ski lockers and a vista-laden breakfast room.

Eating

Quality food shops and restaurants line Via Roma.

La Terraza INTERNATIONAL €€€

(Via Circonvalazione 73; meals €35-45; lunch & dinner)This lively, central bar/restaurant/pizzeria has the full gamut of pizzas, steaks and après-ski nosh. True to the local spirit there are also plenty of Valdostan dishes, including polenta, spicy sausage, fondue and pasta with the celebrated fontina cheese.

Petit Bistrot INTERNATIONAL €

(Via Marconi 6) A crêpe window lures you at this cafe-cum-restaurant where Valdostan classics (eg talgiere di lardo) mingle with more cross-over snacks (hamburgers with rocket and Parmesan).

Pan Per Focaccia SNACKS €

(Via dei Giardini 2a) Tucked down a side street is this cosy mountain nook offering cheap crêpes and fresh-from-the-oven focaccia, which you can enjoy perched on a wooden stool inside.

Information

Ambulance ( 0165 84 46 84)

Centro Traumatologico ( 0165 84 46 84; Strada dell Volpi 3) Medical clinic. The nearest hospital is in Aosta.

Tourist office (www.courmayeur.net, in Italian; Piazzale Monte Bianco 13; 9am-12.30pm & 3-6.30pm)

Getting There & Away

Three trains a day from Aosta terminate at Pré-St-Didier, with bus connections (20 to 30 minutes, eight to 10 daily) to Courmayeur bus station (Piazzale Monte Bianco) outside the tourist office. There are up to eight direct Aosta–Courmayeur buses daily (€3.20, one hour) and long-haul buses serve Milan (€15.50, 4½ hours, three to five daily) and Turin (€9, 3½ to 4½ hours, two to four daily).

Immediately north of Courmayeur, the 11.6km Mont Blanc tunnel leads to Chamonix (France). At the Italian entrance, a plaque commemorates Pierlucio Tinazzi, a security employee who died while saving at least a dozen lives during the 1999 disaster when a freight truck caught fire in the tunnel.

Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso

Italy’s oldest national park is also one of its most diverse – and aptly named. Gran Paradiso, formed in 1922 after Vittorio Emanuele II gave his hunting reserve to the state (ostensibly to protect the endangered ibex), is a veritable ‘grand paradise’. What makes it special is a tangible wilderness feel (rare in Italy). The park’s early establishment preceded the rise of the modern ski resort; as a result, the area has (so far) resisted the lucrative lure of the tourist trade with all its chairlifts, dodgy architecture and après-ski clubs.

Gran Paradiso incorporates the valleys around the eponymous 4061m peak (Italy’s 7th highest), three of which are in the Valle d’Aosta: the Valsavarenche, Val di Rhêmes and the beautiful Valle di Cogne. On the Piedmont side of the mountain, the park includes the valleys of Soana and Orco.

The main stepping stone into the park is tranquil Cogne (population 1481, elevation 1534m), a refreshing antidote to overdeveloped Breuil-Cervinia on the opposite side of the Val d’Aosta. Aside from its plethora of outdoor opportunities, Cogne is known for its lace-making; you can buy the local fabrics at a charming craft and antique shop, Le Marché Aux Puces (Rue Grand Paradis 4; closed Wed).

Sights

Giardino AlpinoParadisia BOTANICAL GARDEN

(adult/child €3/1.50; 10am-5.30pm Jun–mid-Sep, to 6.30pm Jul & Aug)The park’s amazing biodiversity, including butterflies and Alpine flora, can be seen in summer at this fascinating Alpine botanical garden in the tiny hamlet of Valnontey (1700m), 3km south of Cogne. Guided nature walks from July to September are organised by the Associazione Guide della Nature (Piazza Chanoux 36, Cogne; 9am-noon Mon, Wed & Sat).

Activities

Gran Paradiso is one of Italy’s best walking areas, with over 700km of trails linked by a recuperative network of rifugi. The tourist office has free winter and summer trail maps for walker/skiers.

Skiing

Despite a (welcome) dearth of downhill-ski facilities, 80km of well-marked cross-country skiing trails (admission per day €5)line the unspoilt Valle di Cogne. Try trail 23 up to Valnontey and Vermiana, or head east to Lillza. Alas, there is still 9km of downhill slopes. A one-day ski pass covering the use of Cogne’s single cable car, chairlift and drag lift costs €23. Skiing lessons are offered by the Scuola Italian Sci Gran Paradiso ski (Piazza Chanoux 38, Cogne). For something more esoteric, try an ice-climbingexpedition on the Lillaz waterfall with Società Guide Alpine di Cogne (www.guidealpinecogne.it; Piazza Chanoux 1, Cogne).

Walking

Easy walks around Cogne include the 3km stroll (wheelchair accessible) to the village of Lillaz on trail 23, where there is a geological park and a waterfall that drops 150m in three stages. Trails 22 and 23 will also get you to the village of Valnontey where you can continue up the valley to the hamlet of Vermiana (1½ hours one way). Trail 8 from Cogne leads to another waterfall (Pila) via the village of Gimillian.

A classic, moderately strenuous hike from Valnontey is to the Rifugio Sella ( 0165 7 43 10; www.rifugiosella.com; dm €17), a former hunting lodge of King Vittorio Emanuele II. From the town bridge follow the Alta Via 2 uphill for two to 2½ hours. More-adventurous hikers can continue along the exhilarating Sella–Herbetet Traverse (15km), a seven-hour loop that will drop you back in Valnontey. You’ll need a head for heights, and a good map.

Climbing

The main point of departure for the Gran Paradiso peak is Pont in the Valsavarenche. Technically it’s no Mont Blanc and can be completed in a day, but you’ll need a guide (a two-day ascent for two people starts at €500). Contact the Società Guide Alpine di Cogne (www.guidealpinecogne.it; Piazza Chanoux 1, Cogne).

Horse Riding

Horse riding (per hr €25)and 45-minute horse-and-carriage rides (per carriage of up to 4 people €40)through the mountain meadows are run by Pianta Cavalli ( 333 3147248) in Valnontey.

Sleeping & Eating

Wilderness camping is forbidden in the park, but there are 11 rifugi. The tourist office has a list.

Hotel Bellevue LUXURY HOTEL €€€

( 0165 7 48 25; www.hotelbellevue.it; Rue Grand Paradis 22, Cogne; d €170-240, 2-person chalets €250-320; mid-Dec–mid-Oct; ) Overlooking meadows, this green-shuttered mountain hideaway evokes its 1920s origins with romantic canopied timber ‘cabin beds’, weighty cowbells strung from old beams and claw-foot baths. There are open fireplaces in some rooms. Afternoon tea is included in the price, as is use of the health spa, and you can also rent mountain bikes and snowshoes. Its four restaurants include a Michelin-starred gourmet affair (closed Wednesday), a cheese restaurant (closed Tuesday) with cheese from the family’s own cellar, a lunchtime terrace restaurant and a brasserie (closed Monday) on the village’s main square a few moments’ stroll away.

Hotel Sant’Orso HOTEL €

( 0165 7 48 21; Via Bourgeois 2, Cogne; s/d €46/92, half-board €71/142; spring & autumn closures vary; ) Cogne personified (ie tranquil, courteous and understated), the Sant’Orso is nonetheless equipped with plenty of hidden extras. Check out the restaurant, small cinema, sauna, kids room and terrace. Further kudos is gained by the fact that you can start your cross-country skiing pretty much from the front door. The owners also run the Hotel du Gran Paradis nearby.

Camping Lo Stambecco CAMPGROUND €

( 0165 7 41 52; www.campinglostambecco.com; Valnontey; camping per person/tent/car €7/3/6; May-Sep; ) Pitch up under the pine trees in the heart of the park at this well-run and friendly site. Its sister hotel, La Barme, rents bikes to explore the mountains.

Hotel RistorantePetit Dahu TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 0165 7 41 46; www.hotelpetitdahu.com; Valnontey; menus €35, s €36-50, d €72-100; closed May & Oct; ) Straddling two traditional stone-and-wood buildings, this friendly, family-run spot has a wonderful restaurant (also open to nonguests; advance bookings essential) preparing rustic mountain cooking using wild Alpine herbs. It also has rooms to stay in (singles €36 to €50, doubles €72 to €100).

Information

Consorzio Gran Paradiso Natura (www.granparadisonatura.it; Loc Trépont 91, Villeneuve) Also has tourist information.

Tourist office (www.cogne.org; Piazza Chanoux 36; 9am-12.30pm & 2.30-5.30pm Mon-Sat) Has stacks of information on the park and a list of emergency contact numbers.

Getting There & Around

There are up to seven buses daily to/from Cogne and Aosta (50 minutes). Cogne can also be reached by cable car from Pila.

Valley buses (up to 10 daily) link Cogne with Valnontey (€0.90, five minutes) and Lillaz (€0.90, five minutes).

Valtournenche

One of Europe’s most dramatic – and deadly – mountains, the Matterhorn (4478m) frames the head of Valtournenche. Byron once stood here and marvelled at ‘Europe’s noble rock’. Today he’d also get an eyeful of one of the Alps’ most architecturally incongruous ski resorts, Breuil-Cervinia. But, ugly or not, Cervinia’s ski facilities are second to none; you can hit the snow year-round up here and even zoom across into Zermatt, Switzerland.

Activities

Plateau Rosa (3480m) and the Little Matterhorn (3883m) in the Breuil-Cervinia ski area offer some of Europe’s highest skiing, while the Campetto area has introduced the Valle d’Aosta to night skiing. A couple of dozen cable cars, four of which originate in Breuil-Cervinia, serve 200km of downhill pistes. A one-day ski pass covering Breuil-Cervinia and Valtournenche costs €36.

Contact Breuil-Cervinia’s Scuola di Sci del Breuil Cervinia (www.scuolascibreuil.com) or Scuola Sci del Cervino (www.scuolacervino.com) for skiing and snowboarding lessons, and its mountain-guide association Società Guide del Cervino (www.guidedelcervino.com; Via J Antoine Carrel 20) to make the most of the Matterhorn’s wild off-piste opportunities.

Between July and September several cableways and lifts to Plateau Rosa continue to operate, allowing year-round skiing on the Swiss side of the mountain. A one-day international ski pass costs €50.

INTO THE VALLEYS

While the rest of the Valle d’Aosta leans culturally towards France, the three valleys of Ayas, Gressoney and Sesia (the latter is in Piedmont) hide an 800-year-old Walser tradition. The German-descended Walsers migrated from Switzerland’s Valais region in the 13th century, and their community has survived intact; many of the people who live in this rugged region still speak German (and Tich dialect) as a mother tongue and inhabit traditional Walser wood-slatted houses built on short stilts.

The main nexus in the Valsesia is Alagna Valsesia (1191m), a small ski resort at the valley head. To reach it you’ll need to get a bus from Turin to Varallo (2¼ hours, two daily), where you can connect with buses to Alagna Valsesia.

To the west the Valle d’Ayas harbours its own ski resort, Champoluc (population 500, elevation 1560m), a storybook spot saved from tourism overload by the difficult road twisting from the A5 exit at Verrès around some tortuous hairpin bends. Verrès is on the main Turin–Aosta train line and is the dropping-off point for the Ayas. From here regular buses ply the road to Champoluc (€3, one hour, nine daily).

The main villages in the Val di Gressoney are pretty lakeside Gressoney-St-Jean (population 816, elevation 1385m), and Gressoney-La-Trinité (population 306, elevation 1637m), a few kilometres north – both Walser strongholds.

Getting There & Away

Savda ( 0165 36 12 44) operates buses from Breuil-Cervinia to Châtillon (one hour, seven daily), from where there are connecting buses to/from Aosta.

Top of section

Milan & the Lakes

POP 9.83 MILLION / AREA 23,835 SQ KM

Includes »

Milan

The Lakes

Lago Maggiore

Lago d’Orta

Lago di Como

Lago d’Iseo

Lago di Garda

The Po Plain

Bergamo

Brescia

Mantua

Cremona

Why Go?

Sprawling between the Alps and the Po valley, Lombardy (Lombardia) has a varied landscape: industrious cities, medieval hill towns and lakeside resorts are interspersed with powdered slopes, lemon groves, vineyards and rice paddies.

Dominating it all is Lombardy’s capital and Italy’s economic powerhouse, Milan. Home to the nation’s prime stock exchange, one of Europe’s biggest trade-fair grounds and an international fashion hub, it is Italy’s second-largest metropolis.

Sparkling, glacial lakes are strung along the north of the region like a glittering necklace. Wedding-cake villas set in tiered gardens adorn elegant towns and coquettish villages along the shores. Further north still, the Valtellina and the Orobie Alps stretch into dramatic national parks, which hide sharp-sided valleys and wildly wooded mountain slopes.

South of the main chain of lakes, cities steeped in history include medieval Bergamo, the age-old violin-making centre of Cremona and the Renaissance city of Mantua.

When to Go

May & Jun Spring flowers, mild weather and concerts in Cremona herald the start of summer.

Sep As many as 350 vessels turn out for the Centomiglia, Lago di Garda’s prestigious regatta.

Dec Winter warmers include the Feast of St Ambrogio and opera at La Scala.

Best Places to Eat

» Trattoria Abele la Temperanza ( Click here )

» Al Sorriso ( Click here )

» Al Veluu ( Click here )

» Altavilla ( Click here )

» Il Cigno ( Click here )

Best Places to Stay

» Antica Locanda Solferino ( Click here )

» Hotel Pironi ( Click here )

» Albergo Silvio ( Click here )

» Restel de Fer ( Click here )

» C’A delle Erbe ( Click here )

Milan & the Lakes Highlights

Make a tour of Lago di Como James Bond–style in your very own cigarette boat (Click here )

Admire Milanese artistry and inventiveness in the haute couture of the Quadrilatero d’Oro ( Click here ) and Leonardo da Vinci’s ground-breaking mural, The Last Supper ( Click here )

Marvel at one of Italy’s finest and least known art collections at Bergamo’s Accademia Carrara (Click here )

Stroll among the peacocks in Lago Maggiore’s prettiest island garden, Isola Madre (Click here )

Dine on delicately steamed risotto and spicy mostardo (mustards) in the gastronomic town of Mantua ( Click here )

Take a tutored tasting of Bardolino’s best vintages in the kitchen garden of Guerrieri Rizzardi (Click here )

Get right off the beaten path in the Alpine forests and valleys of Lake Ledro (Click here )

MILAN

POP 1.3 MILLION

Milan is Italy’s city of the future, a fast-paced metropolis with New World qualities: ambition, aspiration and a highly individualistic, creative culture. In Milan appearances really do matter and materialism requires no apology. The Milanese love beautiful things, luxurious things, and it is for that reason perhaps that Italian fashion and design maintain their global position.

But like the models that stalk the catwalks, many consider Milan to be vain, distant and dull. And it is true the city makes little effort to seduce visitors. But this superficial lack of charm disguises a city of ancient roots and many treasures, that, unlike in the rest of Italy, you’ll quite often get to experience without the queues or expectations. A warren of cobbled streets fans out from the Duomo while historic neighbourhoods like Brera and Navigli have character worthy of any tourist brochure. And, although many visitors to the city are likely to know its golden shopping triangle, few realise the varied ways that Milanese buyers select goods in colours, styles and materials seldom seen at outposts any place else.

So while the Milanese may not have time to always play nice, jump in and join them in their intoxicating round of pursuits, be that precision shopping, browsing edgy contemporary galleries or loading up a plate with local delicacies while downing an expertly mixed Negroni at aperitivo hour. Cin-cin!

History

Celtic tribes settled along the Po river in the 7th century BC, and the area encompassing modern-day Milan has remained inhabited since. In AD 313, Emperor Constantine made his momentous edict granting Christians freedom of worship here. The city had already replaced Rome as the capital of the empire in 286, a role it kept until 402.

A comune (town council) was formed by all social classes in the 11th century, and, from the mid-13th century, government passed to a succession of dynasties – the Torrianis, Viscontis and, finally, the Sforzas. It fell under Spanish rule in 1525 and Austrian in 1713. Milan became part of the nascent Kingdom of Italy in 1860.

Benito Mussolini, one-time editor of the socialist newspaper Avanti!, founded the Fascist Party in Milan in 1919. He was eventually strung up here by partisans after he sought to escape to Switzerland in 1945. Mussolini had dragged Italy into WWII on Hitler’s side in 1940. By early 1945, Allied bombings during WWII had destroyed much of central Milan.

At the vanguard of two 20th-century economic booms, Milan’s postwar architect-designers sought to rebuild society, ‘from the spoon to the city’, as Ernesto Rogers famously put it. As Milan cemented its role as Italy’s financial and industrial capital, immigrants poured in from the south and were later joined by others from China, Africa, Latin America, India and Eastern Europe, making for one of the least homogenous cities in Italy. Culturally, the city was the centre of early Italian film production, and in the 1980s and ’90s it ruled the world as the capital of design innovation and production. Milan’s self-made big shot and media mogul, Silvio Berlusconi, made the move into politics in the 1990s and has since been elected prime minister three times, most recently in 2008.

The city’s next big date with destiny is Expo2015, a world exhibition.

MILAN IN …

Two Days

Start your day with an early-morning cappuccino and custard-filled brioche at Marchesi before climbing the stairs to the roof of the Duomo for a rare bird’s-eye view of the city. Have lunch at Giacomo Arengario, the top-floor restaurant of the Museo del Novecento , and enjoy eye-popping views of the Duomo’s external sculpture, then take a leisurely tour of the exhibits and acquaint yourself with Milan’s modernist stars. In the late afternoon join the throngs in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II before jumping on the metro and heading to Navigli for early-evening aperitivo and dinner at Grand Hotel Osteria. The next day head to Corso Magenta to see Leonardo da Vinci’s Il Cenacolo (The Last Supper). Grab lunch at Latteria di San Marco and then spend the afternoon wandering the high fashion alleys of the Quadrilatero d’Oro . End with suitably high-glamour aperitivo at the Bulgari Hotel.

Four Days

With two extra days, you can get to know the city a little better. For art, choose the Pinacoteca di Brera or the Museo Poldi-Pezzoli . Have a light lunch at Obikà and then book a spa treatment at Angelo Caroli Day Spa. The next day, ride tram 1 for a cheap tour of the city, pack a bag full of goodies from Peck and then chill out in Parco Sempione . If you can muster up the energy, finish with a visit to the Triennale di Milano design museum and aperitivo at Living.

Sights

Milan’s runway-flat terrain and monumental buildings are defined by concentric ring roads that trace the path of the city’s original defensive walls. Although very little remains of the walls, ancient gates – porta – act as clear compass points. Almost everything you want to see, do or buy is contained within these city gates.

Milan

Top Sights

Il Cenacolo Vinciano B5

Mercatore Antiquario di Navigli B8

Sights

1  Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Grazie B5

2  Naviglio Grande B8

3  Torre Branca B4

4  Triennale di Milano B4

5  Villa Necchi CampiglioF5

Sleeping

3Rooms (see 24)

6  Antica Locanda Leonardo B5

7  Antica Locanda SolferinoD3

8  Foresteria Monforte G5

9  Hotel Casa Mia F3

10  La Cordata D7

Eating

11  Al Bacco G6

12  Da Giacomo G5

13  Dongiò F8

14  El Brellin B8

15  Osteria della Lanterna D7

Drinking

10 Corso Como (see 24)

16  Diana Garden G4

17  Lacerba F7

18  Living B3

20  Torrefazione Caffè Ambrosiano G6

19  Torrefazione Caffè Ambrosiano G3

Entertainment

21  Blue Note D1

22  Il Gattopardo Café A2

23  Le Trottoir C8

Shopping

24  10 Corso Como D2

Art Book Triennale (see 4)

25  Mercato Comunale C8

26  Monica Castiglioni D1

27  Spazio Rossana OrlandiA6

28  Viale Papiniano MarketA6

Duomo CATHEDRAL

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(www.duomomilano.it; Piazza del Duomo) A vision in pink Candoglia marble, Milan’s cathedral aptly reflects the city’s creative brio and ambition. Begun by Giangaleazzo Visconti in 1387, its design was originally considered unfeasible. Canals had to be dug to transport the vast quantities of marble to the centre of the city and new technologies were invented to cater for the never-before-attempted scale. There was also that small matter of style. The Gothic lines went out of fashion – c’e brutta! (how hideous!)– and were considered ‘too French’, so it took on several looks as the years, then centuries, dragged on. Its slow construction became the byword for an impossible task ( fabrica del Dom in the Milanese dialect). Indeed, much of its ornament is 19th-century neo-Gothic, with the final touches only applied in the 1960s.

But now its pearly-white facade, rising like the filigree of a fairy-tale tiara, wows the crowds with extravagant detail. A veritable outdoor sculpture museum, its 135 spires showcase 3200 statues. The vast, echoing interior is no less impressive, with 146 stained- glass windows and intricately carved pillars and chapels. Although the ceiling also appears carved, it’s a trompe l’œil. High above the altar is a nail said to have been the one that impaled Christ’s right hand on the cross. Pre-dating the cathedral is the early-Christian baptistry, the Battistero di San Giovanni Offline map Google map (admission €4; 9.30am-5.15pm Tue-Sun) , accessed via a stairwell next to the main entrance. The crypt (admission free) displays the remains of saintly San Carlo Borromeo, who died in 1584, in a glass casket.

By far the most interesting sight, though, is the view from the roof (stairs/lift €5/8; 9am-5.30pm) , from where you can gaze out over the city towards the Alps through a forest of spires and marble pinnacles. Crowning it all is a gilded copper statue of the Madonnina (Little Madonna), the city’s traditional protector.

Museo del Novecento ART GALLERY

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( 02 79 48 89; www.museodelnovecento.org; Piazza Duomo 12; adult/reduced €5/3; 9.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sun, 2.30-7.30pm Mon) Overlooking the Piazza del Duomo, with fabulous views of the cathedral from its floor-to-ceiling windows, is Mussolini’s Arengario , from where he would harangue huge crowds in the glory days of his regime. Now it houses Milan’s museum of 20th-century art, surprisingly the city’s first modern art museum.

Built around a futuristic spiral ramp (an ode to the Guggenheim), the lower floors of the museum are cramped, but the heady collection, which includes the likes of Boccioni, Campigli, De Chirico, Fontana and Marinetti, is enough to distract. And the space does open up as you progress to the upper floors. The museum also houses some fantastic pieces by Arturo Martini, Italy’s most important 20th-century sculptor and author of the carved reliefs on the exterior of the Arengario.

Time your visit before lunch or dinner and end with a meal at the top-floor restaurant, Giacomo Arengario , which is run by the reputable folk from cross-town Da Giacomo.

A smaller portion of the museum’s collection is displayed at the Casa Museo Boschi di Stefano ( Offline map 02 2024 0568; www.fondazioneboschidistefano.it; Via Jan 15; admission free; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun) .

Il Cenacolo Vinciano MURAL

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( 02 9280 0360; www.cenacolovinciano.net; adult/reduced €6.50/3.25, plus booking fee €1.50; 8.15am-7pm Tue-Sun) Leonardo da Vinci’s depiction of Christ and his dinner companions in The Last Supper is one of the world’s most iconic images.

The restored mural is hidden away on one wall of the Cenacolo Vinciano, the refectory adjoining the Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Grazie Offline map Google map ( Corso Magenta; 8.15am-7pm Tue-Sun) . The mural’s restoration, completed in 1999, took more than 22 years. However, despite the painstaking effort, nearly 80% of the original colour has been lost. Da Vinci himself is partly to blame: his experimental mix of oil and tempera was applied on a dry wall between 1495 and 1498, rather than on wet plaster over a week, as is typical of fresco techniques.

Reservations must be booked by phone or online anything from a couple of weeks to two months in advance. Or you can take a city tour that includes a visit. Once booked, you’ll be allotted a visiting time and reservation number, which you present 30 minutes before your visit at the refectory ticket desk. If you turn up late, your ticket will be resold. English-language guided tours (€3.25) take place at 9.30am and 3.30pm Tuesday to Sunday – again, you’ll need to reserve ahead.

Pinacoteca di Brera ART GALLERY

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( 02 9280 0361; www.brera.beniculturali.it; Via Brera 28; adult/reduced €9/6.50; 8.30am-7.15pm Tue-Sun) Located upstairs from the centuries-old Brera Academy (still one of Italy’s most prestigious art schools) this gallery houses Milan’s most impressive collection of old masters, much of the bounty ‘lifted’ from Venice by Napoleon. Rembrandt, Goya and van Dyck all have a place in the collection, but you’re here to see the Italians: Titian, Tintoretto, glorious Veronese, a Caravaggio and the Bellini brothers. Much of the work has tremendous emotional clout, most notably Mantegna’s brutal and unsentimental Cristo morto nel Sepolcro e tre Dolenti (Lamentation over the Dead Christ).

The number of treasures can be overwhelming, so take a break and join the students downstairs for a post-class Peroni. The surrounding neighbourhood of Brera , with its tight cobbled streets and ancient buildings, is a study of boho raffishness dotted with small galleries and artisans’ workshops.

Castello Sforzesco CASTLE, MUSEUM

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( 02 8846 3700; www.milanocastello.it; Piazza Castello; adult/reduced €7/3.50; 9am-5.30pm Tue-Sun) Originally a Visconti fortress, this immense red-brick castle was later home to the mighty Sforza dynasty that ruled Renaissance Milan. The castle’s defences were designed by Leonardo da Vinci; Napoleon later drained the moat and removed the drawbridges. Today, it shelters a series of specialised museums, accessible on the same ticket.

Among the standouts are the Museo d’Arte Antica , containing Michelangelo’s last, unfinished work, Pietà Rondanini; the Pinacoteca e Raccolte d’Arte , which holds paintings by Bellini, Tiepolo, Mantegna, Titian and van Dyck; the Museo della Preistoria for local archaeological finds; and the Museo degli Strumenti Musicali , which has priceless early musical instruments.

Parco Sempione PARK

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Sprawling over 47 hectares, Parco Sempione has everything you’d expect from a Milanese park: chic bars, a lovely, Liberty-style aquarium, Acquario Civico Offline map Google map , and the Gió Ponti–designed steel tower, Torre Branca Offline map Google map ( 02 331 41 20; lift €3; 9.30am-midnight Tue-Fri, 10.30am-2pm, 2.30-7.30pm Sat & Sun May–mid-Oct, shorter hr in winter) , from the top of which you have a bird’s-eye view of the city. Also here is the Triennale di Milano Offline map Google map ( 02 72 43 41; www.triennaledesignmuseum.it; Viale Emilio Alemanga 6; adult/reduced €8/6.50; 10.30am-8.30pm Tue-Sun), a permanent museum dedicated to Italian design.

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II SHOPPING ARCADE

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Directly across from the Duomo sits a precocious feat of engineering framed by an immense archway. So much more than a shopping arcade, the neoclassical Galleria Vittorio Emanuele is a soaring iron-and-glass structure known locally as il salotto bueno, the city’s fine drawing room. Shaped like a crucifix, it also marks the passeggiata (evening stroll) route from Piazza di Duomo to Piazza di Marino and the doors of La Scala.

Giuseppe Mengoni designed the Galleria as a showplace for modern Milan. Tragically, he plummeted to his death from scaffolding just weeks before his 14-year tour de force was completed in 1877. Long-standing Milanese tradition claims you can avoid Mengoni’s bad luck by grinding your heel into the testicles of the mosaic bull on the floor.

Teatro alla Scala OPERA HOUSE

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(La Scala; Click here ; www.teatroallascala.org; Via Filodrammatici) Despite technological renovations behind the scenes (superior acoustics and bilingual libretto screens on the backs of seats), the charm of the world’s best-known opera house, Teatro alla Scala, remains resolutely of the 18th century.

Six storeys of boxes and galleries are bedecked in gilt and lined in crimson, and, for evening performances at least, audiences are similarly turned out. If you miss out on a show, visit the Museo Teatrale alla Scala Offline map Google map (La Scala Museum; Click here 02 4335 3521; Piazza della Scala; adult/child €5/4; 9am-12.30pm & 1.30-5.30pm) . Your visit can include a glimpse of the theatre’s interior from a box and a backstage tour if you don’t clash with rehearsal time.

Museo Poldi-Pezzoli MUSEUM

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( 02 79 48 89; www.museopoldipezzoli.it; Via Alessandro Manzoni 12; adult/reduced €9/6; 10am-6pm Wed-Mon) Botticelli’s Madonna and Child is the star attraction at the Poldi-Pezzoli museum, once home to one of Milan’s wealthiest aristocratic families and now the city’s most important private collection.

Inheriting his vast fortune at the age of 24, Gian Giacomo also inherited his mother’s love of art and during extensive European travels he became inspired by the latest art-collecting trends and the ‘house museum’ that was later to become London’s V&A.

As his collection grew, Pezzoli had the idea of transforming his apartments into a series of historically themed rooms. The staircase and the bedroom were baroque in style, the Black Room was inspired by the early Renaissance and the Dante study by the early 14th century. Today the rooms, many of them works of art in themselves, remain much as they were during Pezzoli’s lifetime and offer a unique preserved-in-amber insight into the heyday of 19th-century patronage.

Navigli NEIGHBOURHOOD

South of the city centre, the Navigli neighbourhood is named after the canals from which it got its name. The Naviglio Grande Offline map Google map (Big Canal; Click here ) grew from an irrigation ditch to one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares, lined with docks, laundries and warehouses, in the 1200s. Canals were the motorways of medieval Milan, transporting salt, oil, cheese, wine and marble for the building of the cathedral to the centre of the city. Later, with the advent of trains and cars, many of them were filled in, leaving the industrial warehouses to form new art studios and galleries.

Nowadays, the area is home to some of Milan’s most lively bars. On the last Sunday of every month more than 400 antique and secondhand traders set-up along a 2km stretch of the Naviglio Grande for the Mercatore Antiquario di Navigli Offline map Google map (www.naviglilive.it) , the city’s largest antique and flea market.

Villa Necchi Campiglio VILLA

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( 02 763 40 121; Via Mozart 14; adult/child €8/4; 10am-6pm Wed-Sun) On the outside, Milan’s urban landscape may seem rigorous and austere, but behind the high walls hide some surprising homes and enchanted gardens. None more so than the restored 1930s Villa Necchi Campiglio designed by Piero Portaluppi for Pavian heiresses Nedda and Gigina Necchi, and Gigina’s husband Angelo Campiglio.

Portaluppi’s combining of rationalist and art deco styles perfectly symbolises the modernist imaginings of the era – the house had one of the only swimming pools in Milan, as well as revolutionary electronic shuttering. Aside from the gorgeous architectural details, engaging quotidian details include a kitchen cupboard full of pressed linens, monogrammed hairbrushes and silk evening frocks hanging ready for evenings at La Scala.

DIY TRAM TOURS

Enjoy your own city tour by hopping on Tram No 1. This retro orange beauty, complete with wooden seats and original fittings, runs along Via Settembrini before cutting through the historic centre along Via Manzoni, through Piazza Cordusio and back up towards Piazza Cairoli and the Castello Sforzesco. A 75-minute ticket (€1.50), which is also valid for the bus and metro, should be purchased from any tobacconist before boarding and stamped in the original obliteratrice on the tram.

For something a bit more involved, Tram ATMosfera Offline map Google map ( 800 808 181; www.atm-mi.it; departs Piazza Castello; meal €65; 1pm & 8pm Tue-Sun) has been renovated to incorporate a restaurant where you can eat your way through a five-course menu as you tour the city. The food isn’t stunning but the varnished teak walls, glass lanterns and upholstered benches are a treat. Reserve a table at least a day in advance.

Pinacoteca Ambrosiana LIBRARY, ART GALLERY

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( 02 80 69 21; www.ambrosiana.it; Piazza Pio XI 2; adult/reduced €10/6.50; 9am-7pm Tue-Sun) The Biblioteca Ambrosiana , built in 1609 by the dynamic Cardinal Borromeo, was Europe’s first public library and now houses over 75,000 volumes and 35,000 manuscripts that include priceless texts such as Leonardo da Vinci’s Atlantic Codex . Later an art gallery, the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana was added and holds its fair share of Italian heavyweight paintings from the 14th to the 20th century, most famously Caravaggio’s Canestra di frutta (Basket of Fruit), which launched his career and Italy’s ultrarealist traditions.

Central Milan

Top Sights

Duomo D5

Museo del NovocentoD5

Museo Poldi-Pezzoli D3

Parco Sempione A2

Pinacoteca di Brera D2

Quadrilatero d'Oro E3

Sights

1  Acquario Civico B2

2  Battistero di San Giovanni D5

3  Castello Sforzesco A3

4  Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II D4

Museo d'Arte Antica (see 3)

Museo degli Strumenti Musicali (see 3)

Museo della Preistoria (see 3)

Museo Teatrale alla Scala (see 23)

5  Pinacoteca Ambrosiana C5

Pinacoteca e Raccolte d'Arte (see 3)

Teatro alla Scala (see 23)

Activities, Courses & Tours

6  Bulgari spa D3

7  Spiga 8 Spa at Hotel Baglioni F3

8  Tram ATMosfera A4

Sleeping

9  Alle Meraviglie B4

10  Hotel Spadari Duomo C5

Eating

11  Bianco Latte E1

12  Cracco-Peck C5

13  Grom D4

14  Latteria San MarcoD1

15  Obikà C2

16  Peck C5

17  Princi C5

18  Trattoria da Pino F5

19  Trussardi alla Scala D4

Drinking

20  Botega Caffé Cacao B2

21  Marchesi B4

Entertainment

22 La Scala Box OfficeD5

23  Teatro alla Scala D4

Shopping

24  Alessi D3

25  Borsalino D4

26  G Lorenzi E4

27  La Rinascente D5

28  Piazza Diaz Book MarketD6

29  Sermoneta E2

30  Via Fiori Chiari MarketC2

31  Vintage Delirium C3

Activities

As you might expect in a town that regularly plays host to some of the world’s most beautiful people, Milan has some luxurious spas.

Bulgari spa SPA

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( 02 805 80 51; www.bulgarihotel.com; Via Privata Fratelli Gabba 7/b) Milan’s most luxurious spa, with its gold-mosaic-lined pool, is located in Antonio Cittero’s lavishly designed Bulgari Hotel. Treatments from €65.

Spiga 8 Spa at Hotel Baglioni SPA

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( 02 4547 3111; www.baglionihotels.com; Via della Spiga 8) Spiga 8 Spa has a minimalist all-white aesthetic and a menu of treatments that seem good enough to eat, such as the chocolate facial. Treatments from €65.

Courses

Teatro 7 COOKING

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( 02 8907 3719; www.teatro7.com; Via Thaon di Revel 7) A cutting-edge lab kitchen located in up-and-coming Isola, Teatro 7 hosts culinary events, private dinners and classes for both adults and children. Classes from €65.

La Cucina Italiana COOKING

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( 02 7064 2242; www.scuolacucinaitaliana.com; Piazza Aspromonte 15) Cucina Italiana is not just a gourmet magazine, but also a cookery school. Courses include kitchen adventures for children. Lessons from €80.

Tours

The tourist office sells tickets for Autostradale’s (www.autostradale.it; tickets €55) three-hour city bus tours including admission to The Last Supper, Castello Sforzesco and La Scala’s museum. Although they whizz you through the city’s main sights, your entry tickets to the Castello and La Scala are good for the rest of the day, allowing you to go back at your leisure. Tours depart from the taxi rank on the western side of Piazza del Duomo at 9.30am Tuesday to Sunday (except for a couple of weeks during August).

Festivals & Events

Milan has two linked trade-fair grounds, collectively known as Fiera Milano (www.fieramilano.it) . The older of the two, Offline map Fieramilanocity , is close to the centre (metro line 2, Lotto Fieramilanocity stop), while the main grounds, Fieramilano , are west of town in the satellite town of Rho (metro line 2, Rho Fiera stop). The furniture fair, fashion shows and most large trade fairs take place here.

Other festivals to look out for include the following:

Carnevale Ambrosiano CULTURAL

The world’s longest carnival, this event culminates with a procession to the Duomo; held in February.

Cortili Aperti CULTURAL

(www.italiamultimedia.com/cortiliaperti) For one May Sunday, the gates to some of the city’s most beautiful private courtyards are opened. Print out a map and make your own itinerary.

Festa del Naviglio CULTURAL

Parades, music and performances take place during the first 10 days of June.

La Bella Estate MUSIC

(www.comune.milano.it) Concerts in and beyond town from June to August. Check the town hall’s website.

Festa di Sant’Ambrogio RELIGIOUS

The feast day of Milan’s patron saint is celebrated on 7 December with a large Christmas fair, going by the name Obej! Obej! Stalls sell sweets, panettone (a yeast-risen sweet bread) and handcrafts. The opening night of La Scala’s opera and ballet season is held on the same night.

Sleeping

Great-value accommodation is hard to come by in Milan and downright impossible during the Salone del Mobile furniture fair, the fashion shows and other large fairs. That said, booking ahead and shopping around on comparison websites can yield some surprisingly good results. The tourist office distributes Milano Hotels, which lists over 350 options.

Antica Locanda Solferino GUESTHOUSE €€€

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( 02 657 01 29; www.anticalocandasolferino.it; Via Castelfidardo 2; s €140-270, d €180-400; ) This understated Brera beauty is a genuinely charming hideaway, with 11 romantically retro rooms. Decorated with early-20th-century prints, broderie anglais curtains and antique furniture, it attracts a bohemian crowd of artists, writers and musicians. It also lets a two-person apartment kitted out in full 1960s style.

Hotel Spadari Duomo DESIGN HOTEL €€€

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( 02 7200 2371; www.spadarihotel.com; Via Spadari 11; d €185-345; ) Milan’s original design hotel, the rooms at the Spadari are miniature galleries showcasing the work of emerging artists. The hotel itself is the creation of respected architect-engineers Urbano Pierini and Ugo La Pietra, who designed every inch of the ‘look’ down to the sinuous pale-wood furniture.

Foresteria Monforte B&B €€

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( 02 7631 8516; www.foresteriamonforte.it; Piazza del Tricolore 2; d €150-250) With Philippe Starck chairs, flat-screen TVs and a communal kitchen, the three classy rooms in this upmarket B&B are a short walk from the Duomo. Breakfast is served in your room.

3Rooms B&B €€€

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( 02 62 61 63; www.10corsocomo.com; Corso Como 10; d €270-340; ) If you can’t drag yourself away from concept store Corso Como, avail yourself of one of the three keys to its luxurious palazzo (mansion) suites. Here you can sleep under Eames bedspreads, sit in Arne Jacobsen chairs and make tea with your Porsche kettle, all of which are for sale on checkout.

Antica Locanda Leonardo GUESTHOUSE €€

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( 02 4801 4197; www.anticalocandaleonardo.com; Corso Magenta 78; s €120, d €165-245; ) Rooms here exude homey comfort, from the period furniture and parquet floors to the plush drapes. Take breakfast in the quiet, scented interior garden of this 19th-century residence.

Vietnamonamour B&B €€

( 02 7063 4614; www.vietnamonamour.com; Via Alessandro Pestalozza 7; s €80-100, d €100-120; ) Beautiful timber floors and Vietnamese furnishings set the tone in this 1903 residence-turned-B&B, with four romantic rooms. Downstairs, the Paris-born Vietnamese owner runs a welcoming Vietnamese restaurant.

Hotel Casa Mia HOTEL €

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( 02 657 52 49; www.hotelcasamiamilano.it; Viale Vittorio Veneto 30; s/d €62/85; ) Cosying up to Piazza della Repubblica, ‘My House’ offers straightforward digs handily placed about halfway between Stazione Centrale and the Duomo, just over the road from the Giardini Pubblici. It’s recently been renovated, so the rooms currently have an extra gloss to them.

Also recommended:

La Cordata HOSTEL €

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( 02 5831 4675; www.ostellolacordata.com; Via Burigozzo 11; dm/s/d €23/60/80; ) Spartan but spotless hostel rooms decked out with a dash of design brio.

Tara Verde B&B €€

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( 02 3653 4959; www.taraverde.it; Via Delleani 22; s €100-110, d €129; ) Three exotically colourful rooms in a 19th-century palazzo .

Alle Meraviglie HOTEL €€€

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( 02 805 10 23; www.allemeraviglie.it; Via San Tomaso 8; d €180-247; ) A boutique hotel with rooms decorated with Milanese fabrics and fresh flowers.

Eating

Milan’s dining scene is much like its fashion scene, with new restaurant openings hotly debated and seats at Michelin-starred tables hard to come by. Whether it’s dyed-in-tradition or fusion cuisine, you’ll eat some of Italy’s most innovative and sophisticated food here.

Milan’s provincial specialities include polenta and the first course of choice, risotto alla milanese (saffron-infused risotto made with bone-marrow stock). Milanese mains include fritto misto alla milanese (fried slices of bone marrow, liver and lung), busecca (sliced tripe boiled with beans) and costoletta alla milanese (breaded veal). Milan is also the home of panettone (a yeast-risen sweet bread) and colomba (a dry dove-shaped cake, first baked in the 6th century and traditionally accompanied by sweet dessert wine).

Reservations are required for most reputable restaurants and essential for popular and top-end establishments.

PECK EMPORIUM

Forget Leonardo’s Last Supper: gourmands head to the food and wine emporium Peck Offline map Google map ( 02 802 31 61; www.peck.it; Via Spadari 7-9; 3-7.30pm Mon, 8.45am-7.30pm Tue-Sat) . This Milanese institution first opened its doors as a deli in 1883. Since then, it’s expanded to a dining room–bar upstairs and an enoteca (wine bar). The Aladdin’s cave–like food hall is the best in Milan, stocked with some 3200 variations of parmigiano reggiano (Parmesan) at its cheese counter, just for starters. Other treats include an exquisite array of chocolates, pralines and pastries; freshly made gelato; seafood; caviar; pâtés; meats; fruit and vegetables; truffle products; olive oils; and balsamic vinegar.

Da Giacomo SEAFOOD €€

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( 02 760 23 313; Via Pasquale Sottocorno 6; meals €30) This sunny Tuscan restaurant with its custard-coloured walls and mint-green panelling serves an unpretentious menu featuring mainly fish and shellfish. Start with a slice of sardine and caper pizza and follow with the fresh linguine with scampi and zucchini flowers.

Trattoria Abele la Temperanza TRATTORIA €

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( 02 261 3855; Via Temperanza 5; risotto €9; 8pm-1am Tue-Sun; ) This traditional trattoria with its spartan decor, paper table mats and black-and-white photographs has dedicated itself to the pursuit of the perfect risotto. Here you can try over 100 different kinds of risotto alongside other traditional dishes such as brasato (braised stew). Go for the ‘three rices’, a selection of three different risottos, which change daily. Book ahead, don’t be late and be prepared to wait 30 minutes for your meal, but rest assured, it’s worth it.

Osteria della Lanterna OSTERIA €€

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( 02 5830 9604; Via Giuseppe Mercalli 14; meals €25-35; Mon-Fri, dinner only Sat) This is one of the few genuine osterie (casual taverns or eateries presided over by a host) left in Milan, hosted by the owner-cook, who speaks to customers in Milanese dialect. Despite its unprepossessing appearance, reservations are essential if you want to try the homemade pastas and gnocchi with walnuts and gorgonzola.

Dongiò CALABRESE €€

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( 02 551 1372; Via Bernardino Corio 3; meals €30-40; Mon-Fri, dinner only Sat; ) One of the best value-for-money restaurants in Milan, this big-hearted Calabrese trattoria serves the spicy flavours of the south on delicious homemade pasta. Starters include bountiful platters of southern salami and piquant cheeses. Reservations recommended.

Grand Hotel Osteria OSTERIA €€

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( 02 8951 1586; www.osteriagrandhotel.it; Via Cardinale Ascanio Sforza 75; meals €35-40; dinner Mon-Fri, lunch & dinner Sat & Sun) In summer, dine beneath the flower-laden pergola at this traditional tavern overlooking the Naviglio Pavese. The owner is a wine expert (and an opera enthusiast) and the wine selection is exceptional. He sometimes runs wine, cheese and oil tastings.

Al Bacco MILANESE €€

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( 02 5412 1637; Via Marcona 1; meals €25-30; dinner Mon-Sat) One-time pupil to the famous chef Claudio Sadler, Andrea now has his own Slow Food–recommended restaurant where he prepares Milanese classics with love. It’s an excellent place to sample saffron risotto or veal cutlet. Otherwise, try the homemade pasta with fava beans, pancetta and pecorino or the rabbit with Taggiasche olives.

Trattoria da Pino MILANESE €€

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( 02 7600 0532; meals €20-25; Via Cerva 14; lunch Mon-Sat) In a city full of models in Michelin-starred restaurants, working-class da Pino’s offers the perfect antidote. Sit elbow-to-elbow at long cafeteria-style tables in the rust-red dining room and order up bowls of bollito misto (mixed boiled meats), handmade pasta and curried veal nuggets. By 1pm the place is buzzing like a well-oiled machine so arrive early to join the fray.

Latteria di San Marco TRATTORIA €

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( 02 659 76 53; Via San Marco 24; meals €18-25; Mon-Fri) If you can snare a seat in this tiny and ever-popular restaurant (originally a dairy shop), you’ll find old favourites like spaghetti alla carbonara mixed in with chef Arturo’s own creations, such as polpettine al limone (little meatballs with lemon) or riso al salto (risotto fritters) on the ever-changing, mostly organic menu.

El Brellin ITALIAN, BRUNCH €€€

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( 02 5810 1351; www.brellin.com; cnr Vicolo dei Lavandai 14 & Alzaia Naviglio Grande 14; meals €40-45; Mon-Sat) Housed in a 1700s laundry, El Brellin’s candlelit garden is a romantic spot for homemade pasta and specialities like cazzoeula (pork rib chops, skin and sausage stew). The Sunday brunch buffet is laden with cured meats, scrambled eggs and whole smoked salmon.

Also recommended:

Bianco Latte CAFE €

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( 02 5208 6177; www.biancolattemilano.it; Via Filippo Turati 30; gelati €2.50-12) Come here for artisanal ice cream, salads and homemade cakes .

Grom GELATERIA €

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( 02 8058 1041; www.grom.it; Via Santa Margherita 16; gelati €2-3; ) The pistachio is made from nuts sourced in Sicily and the gianduja mixes Piemontese hazelnuts with Venezuelan chocolate. Love it or hate it, Grom is good .

Obikà CHEESE BAR €€

( 02 8645 0568; www.obika.it; cnr Via Mercato & Via Fiori Chiari; meals €15-25) Choose from sweet to smoked mozzarella balls with an accompaniment of salad or prosciutto. The €8 aperitivo is great value.

Princi BAKERY, PASTRIES

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( 02 87 47 97; www.princi.it; Via Speronari 6; Mon-Sat) Artisanal pastries, bread and pizza.

MILAN’S BRIGHTEST MICHELIN STARS

Milan’s most important contemporary Italian restaurants are equally fashion- and food-oriented:

» Trussardi alla Scala Offline map Google map ( 02 8068 8201; www.trussardiallascala.com; Piazza della Scala 5; meals €120; Mon-Fri, dinner Sat) Gualtiero Marchesi alumni Andrea Berton runs the kitchen of this subdued sexy dining room overlooking La Scala. The menu has a pleasing directness, with seasonal dishes such as roast spring lamb with potato, avocado and lime.

» Cracco-Peck Offline map Google map ( 02 87 67 74; www.ristorantecracco.it; Via Victor Hugo 4; meals €140; Tue-Fri, dinner Mon, lunch Sat) The gastronomic showcase for Milan’s premier delicatessen, Peck. Carlo Cracco conjures up exemplary deconstructive alta cucina (haute cusine) in a formal contemporary environment.

» Sadler Offline map ( 02 87 67 30; www.sadler.it; Via Ascanio Sforza 77; meals €120; Mon-Sat) On the Milanese scene since 1995, Claudio Sadler’s culinary wisdom remains undisputed. The trick is to keep flavours simple. Try the pigeon ragout or the black cod with turnip greens, yoghurt and wasabi.

Drinking

Milanese bars are generally open until 2am or 3am, and virtually all serve aperitivi .

The Navigli canal district, the cobbled backstreets of Brera, and swish Corso Como and its surrounds are all great areas for a drink, Milan-style.

Diana Garden BAR

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( 02 2058 2081; Viale Piave 42; 10pm-1am) Secreted behind a vast leather curtain at the back of the Sheraton, the aperitivo at the Diana is one of Milan’s most varied. Grab a freshly crushed peach Bellini and lounge around the low-lit garden.

Lacerba BAR

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( 02 545 54 75; www.lacerba.it; Via Orti 4; noon-3pm & 6.30pm-midnight Mon-Fri, 6.30pm-midnight Sat) An homage to futurism, Lacerba combines dishes from futurist Marinetti’s kooky culinary manifesto with innovative cocktail mixes such as basil and honey. Furnished with lipstick-red leather sofas and print wallpapers, it has a sexy low-key ambience.

10 Corso Como BAR

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( 02 2901 3581; www.10corsocomo.com; Corso Como 10; 12.30pm-midnight Mon-Fri, 11.30am-1.30am Sat & Sun) A picture-perfect courtyard, world-class people-watching and an elegant aperitivo scene lit at night by a twinkling canopy of fairy lights make Corso Como the best lifestyle concept bar in Milan.

Living BAR

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( 02 331 00 84; www.livingmilano.com; Piazza Sempione 2; 8am-2am Mon-Fri, 9am-2am Sat & Sun) Living has one of the city’s prettiest settings, with a corner position and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Arco della Pace. The bounteous aperitivo spread and expertly mixed cocktails draw crowds of smart-casual 20- and 30-somethings.

Also recommended:

Botega Caffè Cacao CAFE

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( 02 8050 6589; www.cafebotegacacao.it; Corso Garibaldi 12; 7am-8pm daily) Coffee and pastries in a retro, ’50s-style Brera cafe.

Torrefazione Caffè Ambrosiano CAFE

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( 02 2952 5069; www.torrefazioneambrosiano.it; Corso Buenos Aires 20) No seating, just the best coffee in Milan. There’s also a branch on Corso XXII Marzo 18 Offline map.

Marchesi PASTRIES & CAKES

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( 02 876 730; www.pasticerriamarchesi.it; Via Santa Maria all Porta 11a; Mon-Sat) Perfect-every-shot coffee since 1824.

APERITIVO

Happy hour elsewhere in the world might mean downing cut-price pints, but not in oh-so-stylish Milan. Its nightly aperitivo is a two- or three-hour ritual, starting around 6pm, where for €6 to €15, a cocktail, glass of wine, or beer comes with an unlimited buffet of antipasti, bruschetta, cured meats, salads, and even seafood and pasta. (Occasionally you’ll pay a cover charge up front that includes a drink and buffet fare, which generally works out the same.) Take a plate and help yourself; snacks are also sometimes brought to your table. Most of the city’s bars offer aperitivi, including those listed here.

Entertainment

Milan has some of Italy’s top clubs and a lavish cultural calendar capped off by La Scala’s opera season. The main theatre and concert season opens in October.

Most big names that play Milan do so at major venues outside the city centre, which run shuttle buses for concerts. They include Mediolanum Forum ( 199 128800; www.forumnet.it) and the San Siro Stadium (www.sansiro.net) .

Live Music

Le Trottoir LIVE MUSIC

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( 02 837 81 66; www.letrottoir.it; Piazza XXIV Maggio 1; admission €10; 11pm-2am daily) Legendary Le Trottoir is housed in an ex-customs toll gate on the Darsena docks and is a good place to move on to after drinks in Navigli. Drink upstairs in the psychedelic yellow, blue and red Andrea Pinketts lounge or roll out onto the pavement with hundreds of other revellers in summer.

Blue Note JAZZ CLUB

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( 02 6901 6888; www.bluenotemilano.com; Via Borsieri 37; tickets €25-30; Tue-Sun Sep-Jul) Top-class jazz acts perform here from around the world; get tickets by phone, online or at the door from 7.30pm. It also does a popular easy-listening Sunday brunch (€35 or €55 for two adults and two children).

WHAT’S ON

The tourist office stocks several entertainment guides in English: Milano Mese, Hello Milano (www.hellomilano.it) and Easy Milano (www.easymilano.it). The free Italian newspapers distributed on the metro are also handy for what’s-on listings.

For club listings, check out ViviMilano (http://milano.corriere.it, in Italian), which comes out with the Corriere della Sera newspaper on Wednesday; La Repubblica (www.repubblica.it, in Italian) is also good on Thursday. Another source of inspiration is Milano2night (http://milano.2night.it).

Tickets for concerts, sporting events and the theatre can be booked online through Ticket One ( 892101; www.ticketone.it) or Ticket Web ( 199 158158; www.ticketweb.it) . Milano Concerti ( 02 4870 2726; www.milanoconcerti.it) only handles ticketing for international rock concerts.

Nightclubs

Clubs generally stay open until 3am or 4am Tuesday to Sunday; cover charges vary from €10 to upwards of €20. Door policies can be formidable as the night wears on.

Plastic Night CLUB

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( 02 733 996; www.thisisplastic.com; Viale Umbria 120; Fri & Sat mid-Sep–Jun) Friday’s London Loves takes no prisoners with an edgy, transgressive indie mix and Milan’s coolest kids. If you’re looking fab, club art director Nicola Guiducci’s private Match à Paris on Sunday mashes French pop, indie and avant-garde sounds.

Il Gattopardo Café NIGHTCLUB

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( 02 3453 7699; www.ilgattopardocafe.it; Via Piero della Francesca 47; Tue-Sat Sep-Jun) This gorgeous champagne-coloured space in a deconsecrated church is filled with flickering candles and baroque-style furniture. Gattopardo’s clientele is equally aesthetically blessed. The only way in is with advance booking.

Magazzini Generali NIGHTCLUB

( 02 539 3948; www.magazzinigenerali.it; Via Pietrasanta 14; Wed-Sat Oct-May) When this former warehouse is full of people working up a sweat to an international indie act, there’s no better place to be in Milan. Most gigs are under €20, and there’s free entry on other nights when DJs get the party started.

Opera & Theatre

The opera season runs from November through July, but you can see theatre, ballet and concerts at Teatro alla Scala year-round, with the exception of August.

Teatro alla Scala OPERA HOUSE

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( box office 02 86 07 75; www.teatroallascala.org; Via Filodramatici 2) You’ll need perseverance and luck to secure opera tickets at La Scala (€10 to €180; up to €2000 for opening night). About two months before the first performance, tickets can be bought by telephone and online. One month before the first performance, remaining tickets are sold at the box office Offline map ( Galleria del Sagrato, Piazza del Duomo; noon-6pm) . On performance days, 140 tickets for the gallery are sold two hours before the show (one ticket per customer). Queue early.

Sport

The city’s two clubs are the 1899-established AC Milan, owned and presided over by Silvio Berlusconi for the last 25 year,s and the 1908-established FC Internazionale Milano (aka ‘Inter’). They play on alternate Sundays during the season at the San Siro stadium (Stadio Giuseppe Meazza; 02 404 24 32; www.sansirotour.com; Via Piccolomini 5, museum & tours Gate 14; museum adult/reduced €7/5, incl guided tour €12.50/10; non-match days 10am-6pm) . Guided tours of the stadium, built in the 1920s, take you behind the scenes to the players’ locker rooms and include a visit to the Museo Inter e Milan museum , a shrine of memorabilia, papier-mâché caricatures of players, and film footage.

Take tram 24, bus 95, 49 or 72, or the metro to the Lotto stop, from where a free bus shuttles to the stadium.

Shopping

Beyond the hallowed streets of the Golden Quad , designer outlets and chains can be found along Corso Buenos Aires ( Corsa Venezia) and Corso Vercelli ( Conciliazione) ; younger, hipper labels along Via Brera ( Montenapoleone) and Corso Magenta ( Cadorna) ; while Corso di Porta Ticinese and Navigli ( Porta Genova) are home of the Milan street scene and subculture shops. For cutting-edge talent and great bargains venture down the up-and-coming Via Tortona ( Porta Genova) .

TO MARKET

Markets fill the canalside Viale Papiniano Offline map Google map in the southwest of the city on Tuesday ( 7.30am-1pm) and Saturday ( 7.30am-5pm). There is an antique market in Brera on Via Fiori Chiari ( Offline map Google map ) and nearby streets every third Sunday of the month. On the second Sunday of every month, an old and antique book fair is held on Piazza Diaz ( Offline map Google map ) .

For fresh fruit, vegetables and fish, Milan’s main covered market, the Mercato Comunale Offline map Google map ( Piazza XXIV Maggio) is open Monday to Saturday. But without a doubt the city’s largest market is the antique and collectables market, the Offline map Mercatore Antiquario di Navigli , held on the last Sunday of each month on the Naviglio Grande and Ripa di Porta Ticinese.

Spazio Rossana Orlandi HOME & GARDEN, DESIGN

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( 02 467 44 71; www.rossanorlandi.com; Via Matteo Bandello 14; Tue-Sat) Installed in a former tie factory in the Magenta district, finding this iconic interior design studio is a challenge in itself. Once inside though, you’ll find it hard to leave this dream-like treasure trove stacked with vintage and contemporary limited-edition pieces from young and upcoming artists.

Monica Castiglioni JEWELLERY

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( 02 8723 7979; www.monicacastiglioni.com; Via Pastrengo 4; 11am-8pm Thu-Sat) Located in the up-and-coming neighbourhood of Isola, Monica’s studio turns out organic and industrial-style jewellery in bronze, silver and gold. Deeply rooted in Milan’s modernist traditions, these are statement pieces and well priced for the workmanship.

Il Salvagente FASHION

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( 02 7611 0328; www.salvagentemilano.it; Via Fratelli Bronzetti 16; Tue-Sat, 3-7pm Mon) The grim basement courtyard of Il Salvagente gives scant indication of the big brand names inside. Discounted Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Versace and Ferretti are just a few of the names on the tightly packed racks. Payment is in cash only.

Borsalino ACCESSORIES

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( 02 8901 5436; www.borsalino.com; Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II 92; Tue-Sat) The iconic Alessandrian milliner has worked with design greats like Achille Castiglioni, who once designed a pudding-bowl bowler hat. This outlet in the galleria stocks seasonal favourites. The main showroom is at Corso Venezia 21a.

G Lorenzi KITCHENWARE, DESIGN

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( 02 7602 2848; www.lorenzi.it; Via Monte Napoleone 9; Mon-Sat) One of Milan’s extant early-20th-century gems, G Lorenzi specialises in the finest-quality grooming and kitchen paraphernalia. There are things here – handcrafted pocket knives set into stag antlers, say – so fine and functional they stand as classic examples of utilitarian design.

Vintage Delirium VINTAGE

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( 02 8646 2076; www.vintagedeliriumfj.com; Via Sacchi 3; Mon-Fri) Franco Jacassi’s multi-level store stocks pristine vintage woollens, 1930s evening wear from Chanel, Dior, Balenciaga and Vionnet, belts, buckles, bags and Neapolitan silk ties from the 1960s.

QUADRILATERO D’ORO

For anyone interested in the fall of a frock or the cut of a jacket, a stroll around the Quadrilatero d’Oro Offline map Google map (Golden Quad; Click here ) , the world’s most fabled shopping district, is a must. This quaintly cobbled quadrangle of streets may have always been synonymous with elegance and money (Via Monte Napoleone was where Napoleon’s government managed loans), but the Quad’s legendary fashion status belongs firmly to Milan’s postwar reinvention. During the boom years of the 1950s the city’s fashion houses established ateliers in the area bounded by Via Monte Napoleone, Via Sant’Andrea, Via della Spiga and Via Alessandro Manzoni and by the 1960s Milan had outflanked Florence and Rome to become the country’s haute couture capital. Nowadays, the world’s top designers unveil their women’s collections in February/March and September/October, while men’s fashion hits the runways in January and June/July.

Sermoneta ACCESSORIES

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( 02 7631 7961; www.sermonetagloves.com; Via della Spiga 46) A hole in the wall on chic Via della Spiga, Sermoneta’s boutique store sells standards like hand-stitched calfskin gloves alongside more unique styles made of pony skin or peccary hide.

Also recommended:

10 Corso Como FASHION

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( 02 2900 2674; www.10corsocomo.com; Corso Como 10; 10.30am-7.30pm Tue, Fri-Sun, to 9pm Wed & Thu, 3.30-7.30pm Mon) Possibly the world’s most hyped ‘concept shop’, with a desirable selection of lifestyle items.

La Rinascente DEPARTMENT STORE

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( 02 8 85 21; www.rinascente.it; Piazza Duomo; 10am-midnight) Italy’s most prestigious department store doesn’t let the fashion capital down.

Art Book Triennale BOOKSTORE

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( 02 8901 3403; Viale Emilio Alemagna 6; 10.30am-8.30pm Tue-Sun) This bookshop, located inside the Triennale di Milano, stocks beautifully produced editions as enthralling as the exhibitions themselves.

Alessi KITCHENWARE

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( 02 79 57 26; www.alessi.com; Via Manzoni 14-16; Tue-Sun) Alessi’s colourful new flagship store, designed by Martí Guixé.

DESIGNER OUTLETS

To bag real designer discounts, plan a trip to the huge designer outlet malls, which stock most of the global labels at a fraction of the price.

» Fox Town (www.foxtown.ch; Via A Maspoli 18, Mendrisio, Switzerland; 11am-7pm) Fifty kilometres north of Milan, this outlet is one of the area’s best-kept secrets with over 160 shops running the gamut of brands from Ferragamo to Nike. There’s a coach service for shoppers (check the website for details), or catch a train to Chiasso, then Swiss Postbus to the mall.

» Serravalle Scrivia (www.mcarthurglen.it/serravalle; Via della Moda 1, Serravalle Scrivia; 10am-8pm) Eighty kilometres south of Milan on the way to Genoa, this Ligurian SoCal-style mall has two-storied streets and over 180 shops, including Frette, Dolce & Gabbana and Petit Bateau. The same coach company that services Fox Town also does Serravalle (www.zaniviaggi.it), or catch a Milan–Genoa train to Arquata Scrivia.

Information

Dangers & Annoyances

Petty theft (pickpocketing for the most part) can be a problem on public transport, around the main train station (Stazione Centrale), as well as in Piazza del Duomo.

Emergency

Foreigners police office ( 02 6 22 61; Via Montebello 26) For immigration matters.

Police station ( 02 6 22 61; Via Fatebenefratelli 11)

Internet Access

Wi-fi is widely available at midrange and top-end hotels (often free, but sometimes for an additional €5) and occasionally in public spaces such as train stations.

Underscore Internetpoint ( 02 7203 5780; Cairoli metro; per hr €2; 10am-9pm) Located inside the Via Dante entrance of the metro.

Medical Services

Milan Clinic ( 02 7601 6047; www.milanclinic.com; Via Cerva 25) English-speaking doctors.

Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico ( 02 5503 3137; www.policlinico.mi.it; Via Francesco Sforza 35)

Money

There are currency-exchange offices at all the airports and a couple on the western side of Piazza del Duomo.

Banca Cesare Ponti (Piazza del Duomo 19) Good rates and a 24-hour automatic banknote exchange machine.

Banca Intesa San Paolo (Piazza della Scala) A 24-hour booth with currency-exchange machine and ATMs.

Post

Central post office Offline map ( Piazza Cordusio 1)

Tourist Information

Central tourist office Offline map ( 02 7740 4343; www.provincia.milano.it/turismo; Piazza Castello 1; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1.30pm & 2-6pm Sat, 9am-1pm & 2-5pm Sun)

Welcome Desk Meeting Milano

Linate airport ( 02 7020 0443; 7.30am-11.30pm)

Malpensa airport ( 02 5858 0080; Terminal 1; 8am-8pm)

Getting There & Away

Air

Aeroporto Malpensa (MXP; 02 7485 2200; www.sea-aeroportimilano.it) The hub for European and international flights, 50km northwest of the city.

Aeroporto Linate (Offline map LIN; 02 7485 2200; www.sea-aeroportimilano.it) Seven kilometres east of the city centre, Linate handles some European flights and the majority of domestic flights.

Aeroporto Internazionale di Orio al Serio (BG; 035 32 63 23; www.sacbo.it) An increasing number of budget airlines use Bergamo’s airport, 55km northeast of Milan.

Bus

Eurolines ( 0861 1991900; www.eurolines.it) Reservations and tickets for international buses to Western and central Europe, Scandinavia and Morocco. Buses depart from the Lampugnano Bus Station.

Lampugnano Bus Station ( Offline map Via Giulia Natta; Lampugnano metro) Milan’s main bus station is west of the city centre next to the Lampugnano metro station. The bulk of national services are run by Autostradale ( 02 7200 1304; www.autostradale.it) , which has a ticket office at the main tourist office.

Train

Milan has three major train stations. For mainline train information refer to Trenitalia ( 199 892021; www.trenitalia.it).

Stazione Centrale Offline map ( Piazza Duca d’Aosta) Milan’s Central Station is a masterpiece of rationalist architecture. International high-speed trains serve Switzerland and France, while national and regional trains serve Mantua, Venice, Turin, Rome and Naples.

Stazione Cadorna Offline map (Stazione Nord; Click here Piazza Luigi Cadorna; www.ferrovienord.it) The private train line Ferrovie Nord Milano connects Milan with northern towns including Como.

Stazione Porta Garibaldi Offline map ( Piazza Sigmund Freud) Operates the bulk of regional services to towns northwest of Milan.

Getting Around

To/From the Airport

Getting into town on public transport is straightforward and inexpensive. A taxi from Milan to Malpensa airport costs a fixed fee of €85. A taxi to Linate costs between €15 and €20.

Malpensa Express ( 800 500005; www.malpensaexpress.it) This train service departs every 30 minutes to Terminal 1 from Stazione Centrale (adult/child €7/5.50; 45 minutes) and Stazione Nord (adult/child €11/5.50, 40 minutes). This is the best way to Malpensa, given traffic. However, if you need Terminal 2 the bus or a taxi is preferable due to poor services between the two terminals.

Malpensa & Linate Shuttle ( 02 5858 3185; www.malpensa-shuttle.com; Piazza Luigi di Savoia; ticket office 6am-8.30pm Thu-Tue, to 2pm Wed) Departs every 20 minutes, between 5am and 10.30pm, from outside Stazione Centrale (adult/child €7.50/3.75) and Linate (adult/child €13/6.50). Tickets are sold from the office inside Stazione Centrale or on the bus.

Bus 73 (www.atm-mi.it; Piazza San Babila) Departs every 10 to 15 minutes (€1.50; 20 minutes) between 5.30am and 12.30am. Use regular bus tickets.

Orio Shuttle ( 035 330706; www.orioshuttle.com; Piazza Luigi di Savoia) Every 30 minutes from outside Stazione Centrale (adult/child €7/5; one hour) between 4am and 11.15pm.

Starfly ( 02 5858 7237; www.starfly.net; Piazza Luigi di Savoia) Linate (adult/child €4.50/2.50; 25 minutes) Departs every half-hour between 5.40am and 9.35pm. Tickets are sold on board.

Bicycle

BikeMi (www.bikemi.it) is Milan’s public bike network. Daily, weekly or annual passes are available, and you can pick up and drop off at different stations. Get passes online, by phone (ATM; 800 808181) or at the ATM info points.

Car & Motorcycle

Street parking costs €1.50 per hour in the city centre (€2 per five hours after 7pm). To pay, buy a SostaMilano card from a tobacconist, scratch off the date and hour, and display it on your dashboard. Underground car parks charge €2.50 for the first half-hour and between €1 and €3 per hour after that, depending on length of stay. Entry to the historic centre is restricted to those who acquire an Ecopass ( 02 02 02; www.comune.milano.it/ecopass) in advance. You are better off parking outside the centre and using public transport.

Rental-car companies have offices at Stazione Centrale and both airports.

Public Transport

ATM ( 800 808181; www.atm-mi.it) Runs the metro, buses and trams. The metro is the most convenient way to get around and consists of four underground lines (red MM1, green MM2, yellow MM3 and blue Passante Ferroviario), which run from 6am to midnight.

A ticket costs €1.50 and is valid for one metro ride or up to 90 minutes’ travel on ATM buses and trams. You can buy a 10-ride pass for €13.80 or unlimited one-/two-day tickets for bus, tram and metro for €4.50/8.25. Tickets are sold at metro stations, tobacconists and newspaper stands around town. Tickets must be validated on trams and buses.

Taxi

Taxis are only available at designated taxi ranks; you cannot flag them down. Alternatively, call 02 40 40, 02 69 69 or 02 85 85. The average short city ride costs €10.

Around Milan

PAVIA

POP 71,200

First impressions of Pavia are deceptive, as its pretty old town is encircled by an ugly industrial-agricultural belt. However, once you’re inside the historic centre, the cobbled streets and piazzas buzz with students attending the ancient university. Half a day is ample time to wander around the grounds and courtyards of the 14th-century university (when it is in term) and visit the extraordinary Carthusian monastery, the Certosa di Pavia.

Plenty of direct trains from Stazione Centrale link Pavia with Milan (€3.40, 25 to 40 minutes).

Certosa di Pavia (Pavia Charterhouse; 03 8292 5613; www.certosadipavia.com; Viale Monumento; admission by donation; 9-11.30am & 2.30-5.30pm Tue-Sun) is one of the Italian Renaissance’s most notable buildings. Giangaleazzo Visconti of Milan founded the monastery, 10km north of Pavia, in 1396 as a private chapel and mausoleum for the Visconti family. Construction proceeded in a stop-start fashion until well into the 16th century, making this a prime example of the transition from Gothic to Renaissance.

While the interior is predominantly Gothic, the exterior is Renaissance. The church is fronted by a spacious courtyard and flanked by a small cloister, which itself leads on to a much grander second cloister, under whose arches are 24 cells, each a self-contained living area for one monk. Several cells are open to the public. In the chapels you’ll find frescoes by, among others, Bernardino Luini and the Umbrian master, Il Perugino.

Sila ( 199 153155; www.sila.it) bus 175 (Pavia–Binasco–Milano) runs services from the Pavia bus station (Via Trieste) to the Certosa di Pavia (15 minutes, at least seven daily).

THE LAKES

Writers from Goethe and Stendhal to DH Lawrence and Hemingway have all lavished praise on the Italian lakes, which are dramatically ringed by snow-powdered mountains.

The westernmost of the main lakes, Lago d’Orta, is entirely within Piedmont. The three big ones are, west to east, Lago Maggiore, with its spectacular Borromean Islands; Lago di Como, closed in by densely wooded mountains and sprinkled with opulent villas and exotic gardens; and Lago di Garda, the biggest and the busiest. Its southeast corner (in the Veneto region) has Disney-style family amusement parks, including Italy’s largest, Gardaland. The northern reaches of Lago di Garda extend into the Alpine region of Trentino–Alto Adige.

Trains serve many of the lakes’ main towns, while passenger and car ferries ply the waters. If you’re travelling by car, there are some stunning (but winding) lakeside drives. Heavy traffic and narrow roads make cycling along many stretches of the lakes less than ideal.

Lago Maggiore

By train or by road, travellers traversing the Alps from Switzerland at the Simplon Pass wind down from the mountains and sidle up to the western shore of Lake Maggiore. The star attractions are the Borromean Islands, which, like a fleet of fine vessels, lie at anchor in the Borromean Gulf, an incursion of water between the lake’s two main towns, Stresa and Verbania.

More than Como and Garda, Lake Maggiore has retained the belle époque air of its early tourist heyday, when Napoleon first came to town and ordered the building of the Simplon Pass. Attracted by the mild climate and the easy access that the new 1855 railway provided, the European haute bourgeoisie flocked to buy and build grand lakeside villas and establish a series of extraordinarily rich gardens.

The northern end of the lake where it narrows between the mountains and enters Switzerland is the prettier, more secluded end. And it’s well worth taking the delightful shoreline drive south along the SS34 and SS33.

Getting There & Around

Boat

Navigazione Lago Maggiore ( 800 551801; www.navigazionelaghi.it) Operates ferries and hydrofoils around the lake. There are ticket booths in each town next to the embarkation quay; the main office is in Arona. Boats connect Stresa with Arona (40 minutes), Angera (35 minutes) and Verbania Pallanza (35 minutes). Day passes are also available: departing from Stresa, a ticket covering Isola Superiore, Isola Bella and Isola Madre costs €13. Services are drastically reduced in autumn and winter.

The only car ferry connecting the western and eastern shores for motorists sails between Verbania Intra and Laveno. Ferries run every 20 minutes; one-way transport costs between €7 and €11.60 for a car and driver or €4.40 for a bicycle and cyclist.

Bus

Buses leave from the waterfront at Stresa for destinations around the lake and elsewhere, including Milan and Lago d’Orta.

SAF ( 0323 55 21 72; www.safduemila.com, in Italian) This daily Verbania Intra-Milan service links Stresa with Arona (20 minutes), Verbania Pallanza (20 minutes), Verbania Intra (25 minutes) and Milan (1½ hours).

Train

Stresa is on the Domodossola–Milan train line. Domodossola, 30 minutes northwest, is on the Swiss border, from where the train line leads to Brig and on to Geneva.

LAGO MAGGIORE EXPRESS

The Lago Maggiore Express (www.lagomaggioreexpress.com; adult/child €32/16) is a picturesque day trip you can do under your own steam. It includes train travel from Arona or Stresa to Domodossola, from where you get the charming Centovalli (Hundred Valleys) train to Locarno in Switzerland and a ferry back to Stresa. The two-day version is better value if you have the time, costing €40/20. Tickets are available from the Navigazione Lago Maggiore ticket booths at each port.

STRESA

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Facing due east across the lake, Stresa has a ringside view of the fiery orange sun rising up over the water. Since the 18th century, the town’s easy accessibility from Milan has made it a favourite for artists and writers seeking inspiration. Hemingway was one of many; he arrived in Stresa in 1918 to convalesce from a war wound. A couple of pivotal scenes towards the end of his novel A Farewell to Arms are set at the Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees, the most palatial of the hotels garlanding the lake.

Sights & Activities

People stream into Stresa to meander along its promenade, explore the hive of cobbled streets in its old centre and visit the Borromean Islands. The pebble beach just west of the main ferry dock is good for a sunbathe.

Funivia Stresa-Mottarone CABLE CAR

( 0323 3 02 95; www.stresa-mottarone.it; Piazzale della Funivia; adult/child return €17.50/11; 9.30am-5.30pm) Captivating views of the lake unfold during a 20-minute cable-car journey to the top of 1491m-high Monte Mottarone. Cars depart every 20 minutes in summer. On a clear day you can see Lago Maggiore, Lago d’Orta and Monte Rosa, on the Alpine border with Switzerland.

At the Alpino midstation (803m), more than 1000 Alpine and sub-Alpine species flourish in the Giardino Botanico Alpinia ( 0323 3 02 95; www.giardinoalpinia.it; adult/child €3/2.50; 9.30am-6pm Apr-Oct) , a botanical garden dating from 1934.

The mountain itself offers good biking trails as well as walking opportunities. Bicicò ( 0323 3 03 99; www.bicico.it) rents out mountain bikes at the Stresa cable-car station. Rates include a helmet and road book detailing a 25km panoramic descent (about three hours, and accessible to pretty much anyone who can ride a bike) from the top of Mottarone back to Stresa. A one-way trip with a bike on the cable car to Alpino/Mottarone costs €9/12.

Parco della Villa Pallavicino ANIMAL PARK

( 0323 3 15 33; www.parcozoopallavicino.it; adult/child €9/6; 9am-6pm Mar-Oct) Barely 1km southeast of Stresa along the SS33, exotic birds and animals roam relatively freely at the child-friendly Villa Pallavicino. It is home to some 40 species of llama, Sardinian donkeys, flamingos and toucans.

Sleeping & Eating

There are some 40 campgrounds up and down the lake’s western shore; the tourist office has a list. Seasonal closings (including hotels) are generally November to February, but this can vary, so it’s always best to check ahead.

Villa Aminta HOTEL €€€

( 0323 93 38 18; www.villa-aminta.it; Via Sempione Nord 123; d €295-440; ) Stay in turn-of-the-century style at fairy-tale Villa Aminta, which offers picture-perfect views of Isola Bella. Rooms decked out with Murano chandeliers, silk curtains, and acres of gilt and velvet resemble the baroque opulence of the Borromeo Palace. The hotel also has its own private beach, heated pool, fitness centre and a regular shuttle service into Stresa.

Casa Kinka B&B €

( 0323 3 24 43; www.casakinka.it; Strada Comunale Lombartino 21, Magognino; s/d €80/100) A lovely B&B set on the hillside above Stresa, about 6km out of town. The friendly owners have two rooms furnished with period pieces, pictures and comfortable beds. The view from the sunloungers over the lake can’t be beaten. To get here follow the road to Mottarone and turn off towards Vedasco.

Hotel Elena HOTEL €

( 0323 3 10 43; www.hotelelena.com; Piazza Cadorna 15; s/d €55/80; ) Adjoining a cafe, the old-fashioned Elena is situated slap-bang on Stresa’s pedestrian central square. All of the comfortable rooms, with parquet floors, have a balcony, many overlooking the square. Wheelchair access is also possible.

La Piemontese PIEMONTESE €€

( 0323 3 03 99; Via Mazzini 25; meals €30; Wed-Mon) This elegant wood-panelled dining room with its wisteria-covered internal courtyard serves Piemontese cuisine, including specialities such as fried snails, duck confit and lake carp with a sweet-and-sour sauce. There’s also an excellent cheeseboard serving top-quality gorgonzola, Robiola and Taleggio.

Information

Tourist office ( 0323 3 13 08; www.stresaturismo.it; Piazza Marconi 16; 10am-12.30pm & 3-6.30pm mid-Mar–mid-Oct, shorter weekend hr in winter).

BORROMEAN ISLANDS

The Borromean Gulf forms Lago Maggiore’s most beautiful corner, and the Borromean Islands can be reached from various points around the lake, although Stresa and Baveno offer the best access.

ISOLA BELLA

Isola Bella took the name of Carlo III’s wife, the bella Isabella, in the 17th century, when its centrepiece, Palazzo Borromeo ( 0323 3 05 56; www.borromeoturismo.it; adult/child €12.50/5.50; 9am-5.30pm Apr–mid-Oct) , was built for the Borromeo family. Construction of the villa and gardens was thought out in such a way that the island would have the appearance of a ship, with the villa at the prow and the gardens dripping down 10 tiered terraces at the rear. Well-known guests have included Napoleon and Josephine in 1797 (you can see the bed they slept in), and Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1985. A separate €4 ticket gives you access to the Galleria dei Quadri (Picture Gallery), a series of halls covered from top to bottom with the Borromeo art collection It includes several old masters including Rubens, Titian, Paolo Veronese and Andrea Mantegna. Elsewhere in the villa are other opulent works of art, such as priceless Flemish tapestries and sculptures by Antonio Canova.

Below ground a 3000-year-old fossilised boat is displayed in the palace grottoes , which themselves are studded with pink marble, lava stone and pebbles from the lake bed. Outside, white peacocks strut the gardens, considered one of the finest examples of baroque Italian garden design.

A combined ticket covering admission to the Borromeo and Madre palaces costs €16.50/7.50 per adult/child.

Elvezia ( 0323 3 00 43; Isola Bella; meals €30-35; Tue-Sun Mar-Oct, Fri-Sun Nov-Feb) is the place for authentic family cooking. Booking ahead is essential for dinner in winter.

ISOLA MADRE

All of Isola Madre is taken up by the fabulous 16th- to 18th-century Palazzo Madre ( 0323 3 05 56; adult/child €10.50/5.50; 9am-5.30pm Mar-Oct) and its gardens. The latter are more romantic and intimate than those of Palazzo Borromeo, brimming with azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias and hibiscus and home to white peacocks and vibrant-coloured Chinese pheasants. Palace highlights include a neoclassical puppet theatre designed by a scenographer from Milan’s La Scala, and a ‘horror’ theatre with a cast of devilish marionettes.

ISOLA SUPERIORE (PESCATORI)

Lacking any real sights, tiny ‘Fishermen’s Island’ retains much of its original village atmosphere. Apart from an 11th-century apse and a 16th-century fresco in the Chiesa di San Vittore , there isn’t anything to see; hence many visitors make it their port of call for lunch. Restaurants cluster around the boat landing, all serving grilled fish fresh from the lake from around €15.

If you want to stay on the island, the Albergo Verbano ( 0323 3 04 08; www.hotelverbano.it; s €100-120, d €150-185; Mar-Dec) has rooms with wrought-iron bedsteads. The hotel will send its own boat out free for guests once the ferries have stopped running.

VERBANIA

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North of Stresa, Verbania is the biggest town on the lake and is split into three districts. Verbania Pallanza is the most interesting, with a tight web of lanes in its old centre, while Verbania Intra has a pleasant waterfront and handy car ferries to Laveno on the eastern shore.

The city’s highlight is the spectacular grounds of the late-19th-century Villa Taranto ( 0323 40 45 55; www.villataranto.it; Via Vittorio Veneto; adult/child €9.50/5.50; 8.30am-6pm Mar-Sep, to 5pm Oct) . In 1931, royal archer and Scottish captain Neil McEacharn bought the villa from the Savoy family and started to plant some 20,000 species over a 30-year period. With its rolling hillsides of purple rhododendrons and camellias, acres of tulip flowers and hothouses full of equatorial lilies, it is considered one of Europe’s finest botanical gardens. During the last week in April, Settimana del Tulipano , tens of thousands of tulips erupt in magnificent multicoloured bloom. You can walk to the gardens along the lakeside from Pallanza (15 minutes) or take the boat to the Villa Taranto landing stage in front of the villa.

Overlooking Pallanza’s cute port and the Isolino San Giovanni, the neo-Gothic Ristorante Milano ( 0323 55 68 15; Corso Zanitelli 2; meals €50-60; Wed-Sun, lunch Mon) sits lakeside amid a shady gravel-and-lawn garden. It serves a contemporary menu including lake perch and char with seasonal vegetables. Caffè Bolongaro ( 0323 50 32 54; Piazza Garibaldi 9; pizzas €4.50-8) , on the waterfront in Pallanza, serves good pizza.

Verbania’s tourist office ( 0323 50 32 49; www.verbania-turismo.it; Corso Zanitello 6-8; 9am-1pm & 3-6pm Mon-Fri) is on the waterfront in Verbania Pallanza and has accommodation details. Backpackers will want to make a beeline for the lake’s only hostel, Ostello Verbania ( 0323 50 16 48; www.ostelloverbania.com; Via alle Rose 7; dm incl breakfast €21, s €25-28, d €40-56; reception 9am-1pm & 3-7pm; ) , which is located in a Liberty-style villa high up behind Verbania Pallanza.

CANNOBIO

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Sheltered by a high mountain and sitting at the foot of the Cannobino valley, the medieval hamlet of Cannobio, located 5km from the Swiss border, is the prettiest Italian town on the lake. It is a dreamy place; the elongated Piazza di Vittorio Emanuele III (closed off at the north end by the Bramante-style Santuario della Pietà) has pastel-hued houses that overlook the pedestrianised flagstone square. Although there are no specific sites in the town, its restaurants and hotels are some of the best on the lake. And on Sunday its lakeside market attracts visitors from Switzerland.

The tourist office ( 0323 7 12 12; www.procannobio.it; Via Giovanola 25; 9am-noon & 4-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am-noon Sun & holidays) is just inland off the main lakeside road.

Activities

Cannobio has an active sailing and windsurfing school, Tomaso Surf & Sail ( 0323 7 22 14; www.tomaso.com; Via Nazionale 7) , next to a gritty beach at the village’s northern end. You can also hire small sailing boats here (€120 per day) and make a nice excursion to the ruined Castelli della Malpaga , located on two rocky islets to the south of Cannobio, just offshore from Cannero Riviera. In summer, it is a favourite picnic spot.

Alternatively, you can stay landbound and explore the wild beauty of the Val Cannobino on a bike. The route meanders along the scenic SP75, winding its way 28km, following the surging Torrente Cannobino stream, into the heavily wooded hills west of Cannobio to reach Malesco in Valle Vigezzo. Just 2.5km along the valley from Cannobio, in Sant’Anna, the Torrente Cannobino powerfully forces its way through a narrow gorge known as the Orrido di Sant’Anna , crossed at its narrowest part by a Romanesque bridge. A further 7km further up the valley, a steep 3km side road consisting of hairpin bends leads up to the central valley’s main town, Falmenta . Hire mountain bikes in Cannobio from Cicli Prezan ( 0323 7 12 30; www.cicliprezan.it; Viale Vittorio Veneto 9; per hr/day €4/14).

Sleeping & Eating

Hotel Pironi HOTEL €€

( 0323 7 06 24; www.pironihotel.it; Via Marconi 35; s €100-120, d €130-180; ) Located in a 15th-century monastery, later the home of the Pironi family, this hotel sits at the heart of the historic centre. Behind its thickset walls are beautifully restored rooms filled with antiques, frescoed vaults, exposed-timber beams and an assortment of tastefully decorated bedrooms, some with lake views.

Lo Scalo MODERN ITALIAN €€€

( 0323 7 14 80; www.loscalo.com; Piazza Vittorio Emanuele III 32; meals €60; Wed-Sun, dinner Tue) For an elegant and romantic dinner, it is hard to beat this lakefront high-flyer. The setting is perfect and the cooking is sophisticated and clean, featuring dishes such as ribbon-thin tagliolini pasta with cuttlefish, zucchini and tomato and roast guinea fowl from the mountain valleys.

Grotto Sant’Anna TICINESE €€

( 0323 7 06 82; Via Sant’Anna 28; meals €30; Tue-Sun Apr-Jun & Sep-Oct, daily Jul-Aug) Granite tables and benches furnish this Ticino-style grotto overlooking the Orrido di Sant’Anna. Dishes feature mountain specialities such as oven-roasted lamb.

ARONA

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It was in Arona, 20km south of Stresa, that the son of the Count of Arona and Margherita de’ Medici, who would go on to be canonised San Carlo Borromeo (1538–84), was born. His birthplace, the Rocca Borromea castle, was later destroyed in 1801; on Napoleon’s orders, its stone was reclaimed and used to pave the Via del Sempione. In 1610 San Carlo was declared a saint and his cousin, Federico, ordered the creation of a sacro monte (sacred mountain), with 15 chapels lining a path uphill to a church dedicated to the saint. The church and three of the chapels were built, along with a special extra atop the Sacro Monte di San Carlo (admission €4; 9am-12.30pm & 2-6.15pm Apr-Sep, Sat & Sun only Oct, to 4.30pm Sat & Sun Mar & Nov-Dec) : a hollow 35m bronze-and-copper statue of the saint, commonly known as the Sancarlone (Big St Charles). It can be climbed, affording a spectacular view from the top (children under six years old are not permitted).

To reach the hill, walk or drive 2km west from Piazza del Popolo, Arona’s most charming piazza.

SANTA CATERINA DEL SASSO

The monastery of Santa Caterina del Sasso (www.santacaterinadelsasso.com; admission free; 8.30am-noon & 2.30-6pm Apr-Oct, closed weekdays Nov-Feb, to 5pm Mar) is spectacularly located at Leggiuno, clinging to the high rocky face of the southeast shore of Lago Maggiore. It is reached by a spiralling staircase, 267 steps from the road above and 80 steps from the lake below (there is also a lift). Father Roberto Comolli, the only Carmelite monk who still lives here, is the spiritual guide of the seven lay oblates of St Benedict who have made it their home.

The complex comprises three separate sections, connected by a stone pathway, which is protected by a parapet from the sheer drop. Enter via a portico to the southern monastery (originally pilgrim accommodation) with its delightful vegetable garden and then on to the small Gothic monastery, which retains a Dance of Death fresco on its upper level. Finally you reach the church of St Catherine, which incorporates a series of 13th- and 14th-century chapels decorated with frescoes, among them Christ Pantocrator in the Cappella di San Nicola. A few ferries from Stresa dock here between March and October (return €6). Otherwise, by car or bus it’s 5.6km south of Laveno (watch for the signs for Leggiuno and then a sign for the convent, 1km in off the main road).

Lago d’Orta

Shrouded by thick, dark-green woodlands, little Lago d’Orta measures 13.4km long and just 2.5km wide. It’s separated from its bigger and better-known eastern neighbour, Lago Maggiore, by Monte Mottarone.

Sights

The focal point of the lake is the medieval village of Orta San Giulio (population 1170), often referred to simply as Orta. Its cream coloured houses are roofed with thick slate tiles, and the central square, Piazza Motta, is overlooked by the Palazotto, a frescoed 16th-century building borne up on stilts above a small loggia. Just across the water sits Isola San Giulio . The island is dominated at its south end by the 12th-century Basilica di San Giulio ( 9.30am-6.45pm Tue-Sun, 2-5pm Mon Apr-Sep, to 5pm Oct-Mar) , full of frescoes that alone make a trip to the island worthwhile. The church, island and mainland town are named after a Greek evangelist, Giulio, who’s said to have rid the island of snakes, dragons and assorted monsters in the late 4th century. The footpath encircling the island makes for a peaceful stroll, hence its popular name of Via del Silenzio. You may find the island’s only snack restaurant open on busy weekends. Regular ferries (€2.50 return) and private boats (€4 return) make the five-minute crossing.

For more serenity, head up to Sacro Monte , a hillside dotted with some 20 small chapels dedicated to St Francis of Assisi. The parklands here are a great spot for a picnic: pick up picnic fare at Orta San Giulio’s Wednesday market.

Sleeping & Eating

La Contrada dei Monti BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

( 0322 90 51 14; www.orta.net/lacontradadei monti; Orta San Giulio; s €90, d €110-160; ) Hidden down a medieval lane, this 18th-century palazzo has been brought back to life as a boutique hotel. All the rooms are different, some with exposed-stone walls and timber ceilings, others with a more classical style. In summer, breakfast is served in the peaceful rear courtyard.

Piccolo Hotel Olina HOTEL €

( 0322 90 56 56; www.ortainfo.com; Via Olina 40, Orta San Giulio; s/d €75/100; ) Artistically decorated with contemporary prints, bright colours and light-wood furniture, this friendly hotel right in Orta San Giulio’s medieval heart is a gem. It serves home-baked breakfasts and its excellent avant-garde restaurant, Ristoro Olina (meals €30-35; Thu-Tue) , is open to nonguests.

Caffè Jazz BAR, RESTAURANT €€

( 333 923 25 22; Via Olina 13; meals €30-35; Tue-Sun) Located in a medieval building with a pretty flower-filled central courtyard, Caffè Jazz serves simple but well-executed seasonal dishes and salads. A favourite of weekending urbanites from Milan, the food is contemporary in style and the bar serves a good selection of regional wine by the glass.

Agriturismo Il Cucchiaio di Legno AGRITURISMO €

( 0322 90 52 80; Via Prisciola 10, Località Legro; set menus €25; dinner Thu-Fri, lunch & dinner Sat & Sun) An honest-to-goodness agriturismo (farm stay accomodation), just 500 metres beyond the train station.

Getting There & Around

Orta Miasino train station is 3km from the centre of Orta San Giulio. From Milan there are trains from Stazione Centrale (change at Novara; €5.40, two hours).

Navigazione Lago d’Orta ( 0322 84 48 62) Operates ferry boats to numerous lakeside spots from its landing stage on Piazza Motta, including Isola San Giulio (oneway/return €1.80/2.50), Omegna, Pella and Ronco. A day ticket for unlimited travel anywhere on the lake costs €7.30.

Orta San Giulio’s tourist office ( 0322 90 51 63; www.comune.ortasangiulio.no.it; Via Panoramica; 9am-1pm & 2-6pm Wed-Sun Apr-Oct, 8.30am-1.30pm & 2.30-5.30pm Sat & Sun Nov-Mar) has information on the lake. The more convenient Pro Loco ( 0322 9 01 55; Via Bossi 10; 11am-1pm & 2-6pm Mon & Wed-Fri, 10am-1pm & 2-6pm Sat & Sun) is in the centre of town.

AL SORRISO

Located in the tiny village of Soriso, 8km south from Orta San Giulio on the road to Gozzano, the unassuming-looking Al Sorriso ( 0322 98 32 28; www.alsorriso.com; Via Roma 18, Soriso; tasting menus €140-160; Wed-Sun, closed 2 weeks Jan & 3 weeks Aug) , spelt with a double ‘r’ because sorriso means smile, is one of the few restaurants in Italy with three Michelin stars (awarded in 1982, 1989 and 1998).

Head chef Luisa Marelli has created a stellar reputation for herself even though she is entirely self-taught. She describes her culinary style as Piemontese with Mediterranean and international influences, and given Piedmont’s geographic proximity to France, dishes are a delectable fusion of the simple and sophisticated. Take the foie gras, for example, balanced with the sweetest red mountain currants, or the reddish-purple prawns sourced in San Remo, which burst with such flavour that they are served simply crudo (raw) with an artichoke salad. Mountain mushrooms also feature prominently on the menu, as do Piemontese cheeses. Top-drawer specialities include Piedmont’s rare Fassone beef, the equal of any Kobe cut, and the white Alba truffle.

The wine menu is similarly accomplished, featuring vintages and crus spanning 800 labels. Husband and manager, Angelo Valazza, is happy to fine-tune recommendations and quickly puts diners at ease switching effortlessly between five languages.

For those rendered completely inert after their meal, there are a few rooms above the restaurant (doubles from €200).

Lago di Como

Set in the shadow of the snow-covered Rhaetian Alps and hemmed in on both sides by steep, wooded hills, Lake Como (also known as Lake Lario) is the most spectacular and least visited of the three major lakes. Shaped like an upside-down letter Y, its winding shoreline is scattered with villages, including delightful Bellagio, which sits at the centre of the two southern branches on a small promontory. Where the southern and western shores converge is the lake’s main town, Como.

Getting There & Around

Boat

Navigazione Lago di Como ( 800 551801; www.navigazionelaghi.it) ferries and hydrofoils criss-cross the lake, departing year-round from the jetty at the northern end of Piazza Cavour. One-way fares range from €2 (Como–Cernobbio) to €10.10 (Como–Colico). For sightseeing, consider the one-day central lake ticket, which covers Bellagio, Varenna, Tremezzo and Cadenabbia (€12).

Car ferries link Cadenabbia on the west shore with Varenna on the eastern shore and Bellagio.

Bus

ASF Autolinee ( 031 247247; www.sptlinea.it) operates regular buses around the lake, which depart from the bus station on Piazza Giacomo Matteotti. Key routes include Como–Colico (€5.20, 1½ hours, three to five daily), via all the villages on the western shore, and Como–Bellagio (€2.80, one hour 10 minutes, hourly).

Car

From Milan, take the A9 motorway and turn off at Monte Olimpino for Como. The SP342 leads east to Lecco and west to Varese. The roads around the lake are terribly scenic, but also windy, narrow and busy in summer.

Train

Trains from Milan’s Stazione Centrale and Porta Garibaldi station (40 minutes to one hour) operate hourly services to the main Como San Giovanni station; some continue on to Switzerland. Trains from Milan’s Stazione Nord use Como’s lakeside Stazione FNM (listed on timetables as Como Nord Lago). Trains from Milan to Lecco continue north along the eastern shore. If you’re going to Bellagio, it is better to continue on the train to Varenna and make the short ferry crossing from there.

COMO

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With its charming historic centre, 12th-century city walls and self-confident air, Como is an elegant and prosperous town. Built on the wealth of the silk industry, it remains Europe’s most important producer of silk products; you can buy scarves and ties here for a fraction of the cost elsewhere.

Sights & Activities

Como’s lakeside location is stunning and flower-laden; lakeside promenades make for pleasant walks to the various sights. The tourist office has walking and cycling information.

Como

Sights

1  Basilica di San FedeleD4

Broletto (see 2)

2  Duomo C3

Sleeping

3  Albergo Terminus C2

4  Le Stanze del Lago C3

Eating

5  Food Market D6

6  Ristorante Sociale C3

7  Trattoria dei Combattenti D5

Shopping

8  A. PicciC4

9 Craft & Antiques MarketC4

Villa Olmo VILLA, MUSEUM

( 031 576 169; www.grandimostrecomo.it; Via Cantoni 1; adult/reduced €10/8; 9am-8pm Tue-Thu, 9am-10pm Fri-Sun during exhibitions) Set grandly facing the lake, the creamy facade of neoclassical Villa Olmo is one of Como’s landmarks. The extravagant structure was built in 1728 by the Odescalchi family, related to Pope Innocent XI. If there is an art exhibition inside, you’ll get to admire the sumptuous Liberty-style interiors. Otherwise, you can enjoy the Italianate and English gardens, which are open all day.

Almost as nice as the gardens is the lakeside stroll from Piazza Cavour. Follow Passeggiata Lino Gelpi along the water and you’ll pass a series of mansions and villas, including Villa Saporiti and the adjacent Villa Gallia, both now owned by the provincial government.

During summer the Lido di Villa Olmo (www.lidovillaolmo.it; Via Cernobbio 2; adult/reduced full day €6/4, half-day €4.50/2.50; 9am-7pm mid-May–Sep) , an open-air swimming pool and lakeside bar, is open to the public.

Museo della Seta SILK MUSEUM

Offline map Google map

(Silk Museum; 031 30 31 80; www.museosetacomo.com; Via Castelnuovo 9; adult/reduced €10/7; 9am-noon & 3-6pm Tue-Fri) Housed in the ugly 1970s buildings of the Istituto Tecnico Industriale di Setificio textile school, Como’s Silk Museum unravels the town’s history, with early dyeing and printing equipment on display.

COMO SILK

The art of silk weaving, long a guarded secret in China, only reached Italy in the 13th century. By the 14th century a handful of silk weavers had established themselves on the shores of Lake Como, and the Duchy of Milan promoted the planting of mulberry trees throughout the Po Valley and in the Brianza region. The industry was seasonal and involved the use of farm labour. Women and children would look after the worms day and night, feeding them mulberry leaves from April to October.

When Pietro Boldoni set up the first silk-spinning mills in the early 1500s, Como already had a name for itself as a centre of wool production. When Como was eclipsed by the Maggiore wool mills in the 16th century, Como weavers turned their hand more seriously to silk production. But it wasn’t until 1751, when Empress Maria Theresa (1717–80) declared all textiles produced on the lake tax free that the industry really took off.

In 1856 a disease called pebrina struck. The disaster virtually wiped out the Italian moth species and raw silk had to be imported from Japan. The subsequent development of synthetic materials in the 1940s coupled with postwar depression (which wiped out key European competitors in Lyon and Krefeld) and the arrival of cheap Chinese imports in world markets put an end to serious silk production in Como.

What remained was Como’s skill at refining raw silk, along with artisanal design and printing skills. By the 1950s, Como silk had become the silk of choice for international fashion designers, and today the industry remains dedicated to producing top-quality silk on a small scale.

Out of literally hundreds of silk houses only three big firms remain in Como: Seteria Ratti, Mantero and Canepa. They still employ one-third of the Como population and nowhere in the world is there such a concentration of textile design studios. Italy’s only technical textile institute, Como’s Istituto Tecnico Industriale di Setificio, founded in 1869, continues to turn out designers, printers and chemical-dyeing experts.

Despite the intense international pressure that the Italian silk industry faces, Moritz Mantero, president of Mantero, is guardedly optimistic about the future: ‘The Chinese character for crisis has two meanings: risk and opportunity. Manufacturing in the West will increasingly be in high-performance sectors. Companies able to renew themselves constantly in order to be able to meet changes in the market will do well. Como will keep the flag flying through innovation and flexibility’.

Funicolare Como-Brunate CABLE CAR

( 031 30 36 08; www.funicolarecomo.it; Piazza de Gasperi 4; oneway/return €2.80/5.10; 6am-midnight mid-Apr–mid-Sep, to 10.30pm mid-Sep–mid-Apr) Northeast along the waterfront, past Piazza Matteotti and the train station, is the Como–Brunate cable car, which was built in 1894. It takes seven minutes to reach hilltop Brunate (720m), a quiet village offering splendid views. In San Maurizio , a 30-minute, steep walk (mostly along a stony former mule path) from Brunate’s funicular stop, scales 143 steps to the top of the lighthouse, built in 1927 to mark the centenary of Alessandro Volta’s death. The Como tourist office can provide a map with various suggested walks around Brunate.

Aero Club Como SEAPLANE TOURS

( 031 574 495; www.aeroclubcomo.com; Via Masia 44) For a touch of Hollywood glamour, take one of the seaplane tours from the Aero Club and buzz Bellagio. The 30-minute flight to Bellagio costs €140 for two people. Longer excursions over Lago Maggiore and Lago Lugano are also possible. During summer you’ll need to reserve at least three or four days in advance.

Duomo CATHEDRAL

(Piazza del Duomo; 8am-noon & 3-7pm) Although largely Gothic, elements of baroque, Romanesque and Renaissance styles can be seen in Como’s fancy, marble-clad cathedral. Built between the 14th and 18th centuries, it is crowned by a high octagonal dome. Next door is the polychromatic Broletto Offline map Google map , or medieval town hall.

Basilica di Sant’Abbondio BASILICA

(Via Regina; 8am-6pm Apr-Sep, to 4pm Oct-Mar) About 500m south of the city walls and just beyond Viale Innocenzo XI is this remarkable 11th-century Romanesque basilica. Aside from its proud, high structure and impressive apse with beautiful geometric relief decoration around the exterior windows, the highlight is the fresco series inside the apse. Depicting scenes from the life of Christ, from the Annunciation to his burial, they were restored to their former glory in the 1990s. A university occupies what was once the cloister.

Basilica di San Fedele BASILICA

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(Piazza San Fedele; 8am-noon & 3.30-7pm) This 6th-century basilica has been likened to a clover leaf with its three naves and three apses. Its 16th-century rose window and precious 16th- and 17th-century frescoes add to its charm. The facade is a 1914 remake, but the apses are original, featuring some eye-catching sculpture on the east side.

Sleeping

Albergo Terminus HOTEL €€€

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( 031 32 91 11; www.hotelterminus-como.it; Lungo Lario Trieste 14; s €145-195, d €150-240; ) Converted from a 19th-century palazzo , the Hotel Terminus retains its turn-of-the-century glamour with art nouveau architectural details, damask upholstery and grand tapestries and swagged curtains. Rooms continue the Liberty theme with soft-hued colours and Como fabrics.

Le Stanze del Lago APARTMENT €

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( 339 5446515; www.lestanzedellago.com; Via Rodari 6; 2-/4-person apt €80/100; ) Five cosy apartments, nicely decked out in a contemporary style with bright colour schemes, make for a good-value deal in the heart of Como. For stays of five days or longer you can use the kitchen too. They all feature double bed, sofa bed, timber ceilings and tiled floor.

Ostello Villa Olmo HOSTEL €

( 031 57 38 00; ostellocomo@tin.it; Via di Bellinzona 6; dm incl breakfast €20; reception 7-10am & 4pm-midnight, closed Dec-Feb; ) In a rambling garden near the lake, Como’s HI hostel is two doors up from the heritage-listed villa of the same name. There’s a night-time bar (service ceases at 10pm) and meals cost €10. The hostel is 1km from the main train station. Take bus 1, 6 or 11.

Eating

Self-caterers can stock up on fresh fruit and vegetables at Como’s food market 4-sicily ( 8.30am-1pm Tue & Thu, to 7pm Sat) outside Porta Torre.

Trattoria dei Combattenti TRATTORIA €

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( 031 27 05 74; Via Balestra 5/9; meals €20; Wed-Mon; ) Housed in the building of the Italian Retired Servicemen’s association, this popular trattoria offers indoor seating at communal tables or outdoor seating in a sunny gravel yard. The cooking is simple and tasty, including grilled meats, salad and chunky seafood pasta. The €14 set lunch is good value.

Ristorante Sociale TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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( 031 26 40 42; www.ristorantesociale.it; Via Rodari 6; meals €25-30; Wed-Mon) Once attached to the nearby theatre, the Sociale is a local institution. Dine either downstairs in a brick-lined room or upstairs in the dining room with its outsized baroque fireplace and elaborate frescoes. In addition to the menu, which features favourites such as risotto with chicory, there are seasonal dishes of the day.

Crotto del Sergente TRATTORIA €€

( 031 28 39 11; www.crottodelsergente.it; Via Crotto del Sergente 13; meals €35; Thu-Tue, closed Sat lunch) Slow Food–recommended restaurant serving typical Larian dishes in a barrel-vaulted brick dining room not far from the Silk Museum.

Shopping

A craft and antiques market fills the piazza in front of the Basilica di San Fedele from 9am to 7pm every Saturday.

A Picci SILK SHOP

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( 031 26 13 69; Via Vittorio Emanuele II 54; 3-7.30pm Mon, 9am-12.30pm & 3-7.30pm Tue-Sat) Open since 1919, this is the last remaining silk shop in town dedicated to selling Como-designed-and-made silk products such as ties, scarves, throws and sarongs. Products are grouped in price category (starting at €15 for a tie) reflecting the skill and workmanship involved in each piece. Sales assistants are happy to advise on colours and styles. If it’s a gift, they’ll also wrap it for you.

Information

Ospedale Sant’Anna ( 031 58 51; Via Napoleona 60) Hospital.

Police station ( 031 31 71; Viale Roosevelt 7)

Post office (Via T Gallio 6; 8.30am-7pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-12.30pm Sat)

Tourist office ( 031 26 97 12; www.lakecomo.org; Piazza Cavour 17; 9am-1pm & 2.30-6pm Mon-Sat, 9.30am-1pm Sun Jun-Sep)

BELLAGIO

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It’s impossible not to be charmed by Bellagio’s waterfront of bobbing boats, its maze of steep stone staircases, red-roofed and green-shuttered buildings, dark cypress groves and showy rhododendron-filled gardens. Although summers and weekends teem with visitors, if you turn up on a weekday outside high season, you’ll have the little village almost to yourself.

The lavish gardens of Villa Serbelloni ( 031 95 15 55; Via Garibaldi 8; adult/child €8.50/4.50; tours 11.30am & 3.30pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct) , which extend over 20 hectares, cover much of the promontory on which Bellagio sits. Garden visits are by guided tour only; tickets are sold 10 minutes in advance at PromoBellagio.

Garden enthusiasts can also stroll the grounds of neoclassical Villa Melzi D’Eril ( 339 4573838; www.giardinidivillamelzi.it; Lungo Lario Manzoni; adult/child €6/4; 9.30am-6.30pm Mar-Nov) , built in 1808 for one of Napoleon’s associates and coloured by flowering azaleas and rhododendrons in spring. The gardens, which run right down to the lakeside and are adorned with classical statues, were the first English-style park on Lake Como.

For a touch of George Clooney glamour, consider taking a tour in one of Barindelli’s ( 338 2110337; www.barindellitaxiboats.com; Piazza Mazzini) slick, mahogany cigarette boats. They offer hour-long sunset tours around the Bellagio headland, which are well worth the €130 for groups of up to 12 people. If you have your own ideas they can also tailor make outings around the lake, or consider making a night of it and using it as a taxi service for a top-class dinner date (€70).

Bellagio’s tourist office ( 031 95 02 04; Piazza Mazzini; 9am-12.30pm & 1.30-6pm Mon-Sat, 10am-2pm Sun, shorter afternoon hr in winter) , next to the boat landing stage, has information on water sports, mountain biking and other lake activities. Otherwise, PromoBellagio ( 031 95 15 55; www.bellagiolakecomo.com; Piazza della Chiesa 14; 9.30am-1pm Mon, 9.30am-12.30pm & 1.30-4pm Wed-Fri) , in the basement of an 11th-century watchtower, also has information.

Sleeping & Eating

For such a prime spot, there are a surprising number of affordable places to sleep and eat.

Albergo Silvio HOTEL, RESTAURANT €€

( 031 95 03 22; www.bellagiosilvio.com; Via Carcano 12; d €80-160; Mar–mid-Nov & Christmas week; ) Located above the small fishing hamlet of Loppia, a short walk from the centre of Bellagio through the gorgeous Villa Melzi gardens, this family-run hotel is Bellagio’s best-value accommodation. From the contemporary lakefront rooms you look out over the 10th-century church of Santa Maria, the gardens of Villa Melzi and across to Villa Carlotta on the western shore. The hotel restaurant with its outdoor terrace is also wellregarded locally (meals €25 to €40). The hotel has also recently obtained the lease for Bellagio’s public lido (beach) so hotel guests have free use of the pool, complete with diving board over the lake.

Residence La Limonera APARTMENT €

( 031 95 21 24; www.residencelalimonera.com; Via Bellosio 2; studios €70-100, 4-person apt €85-130; ) Located in the upper part of town, this elegant villa in an old lemon grove has been divided into 11 spacious self-catering apartments. Apartments range from studios to larger four-person apartments and all are furnished with tiled floors and wrought-iron beds.

Ittiturismo Da Abate FISH €€

( 338 584 3814; www.ittiturismodaabate.it; Frazione Villa 4, Lezzeno; meals €25-35; dinner Tue-Sun, lunch Sun; ) Da Abate is located just 8km south of Bellagio in the hamlet of Lezzeno. Run by Claudio and Giuseppe, it is one of the few fish farms left on the lake and is Slow Food recommended. Sample traditional fish specialities such as lavarello in balsamic vinegar, linguine with perch and black olives and the robust-flavoured missoltino (fish dried in salt and bay leaves).

Also recommended:

Hotel Florence HOTEL €€

( 031 95 03 42; www.hotelflorencebellagio.it; Piazza Mazzini 46; s €120, d €140-200; Apr-Oct; ) A luxurious Liberty-style hotel in the centre of the village.

Bar Rossi CAFE, BAR €

(Piazza Mazzini 22-24; snacks €2-5) Have at least one coffee in art nouveau Bar Rossi.

AROUND BELLAGIO

The mountainous territory between Como and Lecco in the south and Bellagio in the north is called the Triangolo Lariano, or the Lake Lario Triangle. Lakeside villages Torno , Careno and Lezzeno line the Como–Bellagio road and hiking trails abound.

The classic trail is known as the Dorsale (Ridge) and zigzags for 31km across the interior of the ‘triangle’ from the Brunate funicular station in Como to Bellagio. The standard trail, which follows old mule tracks, takes about 12 hours and is usually done in two stages. It passes along rivers and around mountain peaks, skirting towns until you reach San Giovanni, a fraction southwest of Bellagio. A more challenging route is the Dorsale Creste trail, which follows a series of mountain crests. Several rifugi (mountain huts) are dotted along the way and you’ll find a couple of accommodation options at Pian del Tivano , roughly halfway along the trail.

Another option is to walk the 32km Strada Regia (Royal Way), a partly stone-paved path that links Como to Bellagio by way of several villages such as Torno and Lezzeno. The easiest stretch connects Torno and Pognana Lario (about five hours), while the stage from Pognana to Lezzeno via Nesso branches into mountainous backcountry. Ask at the Como tourist office for the fine Carta dei Sentieri (Trail Map, 1:25,000).

WESTERN SHORE

The western shore gets the most sunshine on the lake. For this reason it’s lined with lavish villas, where high-fliers from football players to Arab sheiks and film stars reside. The shore stretches 75km from Como north to Sorico; from here you can continue north into Switzerland or east into Trentino–Alto Adige.

CERNOBBIO TO LENNO

Ocean’s 11 may have been shot at Bellagio’s Vegas namesake, but scenes from Ocean’s 12 were filmed in the Lago di Como village of Cernobbio, at the 19th-century Villa Erba (Largo Luchino Visconti; closed to the public). Cernobbio is also home to the lake’s most magnificent hotel, Villa d’Este (www.villadeste.it) . But if you don’t have a cool €800 to €950 to spend a night you won’t get a glimpse of its palatial interiors.

If you’re driving, follow the lower lakeside road (Via Regina Vecchia) north from Cernobbio, which skirts the lake shore past a fabulous row of 19th-century villas (all private) around Moltrasio . A few kilometres north is the villa-lined hamlet of Laglio , home to Ocean’s star George Clooney (he owns Villa Oleandra). In both places you can stop and wander down the cobbled lanes to the lake.

Finally, in Lenno, Villa Balbianello ( 0344 5 61 10; www.fondoambiente.it; Via Comoedia 5, Località Balbianello; villa & gardens adult/child €12/7, gardens only adult/child €6/3; 10am-6pm Tue & Thu-Sun mid-Mar–mid-Nov) takes the prize for the lake’s most dramatically situated gardens, dripping down the sides of the high promontory like sauce off a melting ice cream. Scenes from Star Wars: Episode II and 2006’s James Bond remake, Casino Royale, were shot here. The villa itself was built by Cardinal Angelo Durini in 1787. Now it houses a curious collector’s museum of all sorts. If you want to see inside, you must join a guided tour (generally in Italian) by 4.15pm. Visitors are only allowed to walk the 1km from the Lenno landing stage to the estate on Tuesday and at weekends; other days, you have to take a taxi boat ( 333 4103854; return €6) from Lenno.

TREMEZZO

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Tremezzo is high on everyone’s list for a visit to the 17th-century Villa Carlotta ( 0344 4 04 05; www.villacarlotta.it; Riva Garibaldi; adult/reduced €8.50/4.50; 9am-6pm Easter-Sep, 10am-4pm mid-Mar–Easter & Oct–mid-Nov) , whose botanic gardens are filled with orange trees knitted into pergolas, and some of Europe’s finest rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias. The villa, which is strung with paintings and fine alabaster-white sculptures (especially those by Antonio Canova) and tapestries, takes its name from the Prussian princess who was given the palace in 1847 as a wedding present from her mother.

Tremezzo’s tourist office ( 0344 4 04 93; Via Statale Regina; 9am-noon & 3.30-6.30pm Wed-Mon Apr-Oct) adjoins the boat jetty.

Al Veluu RESTAURANT, HOTEL €€€

( 0344 4 05 10; alveluu.com; Via Rogaro 11; meals €50-70; Wed-Mon; ) The other highlight of Tremezzo is this excellent restaurant, situated on the steep hillside above the lake with panoramic views from its terrace. The home-cooked dishes are prepared with great pride and reflect the seasonal produce of both the mountains and the lake. Expect butter-soft, milk-fed kid with rosemary at Easter or wild asparagus and polenta. The terrace is a great place to view the Ferragosto fireworks on 15 August and in winter the log fire is lit in the dining room. Upstairs there are two equally comfortable suites (€130 to €200) each sleeping up to four people. The hotel offers a pick-up from the dock.

CADENABBIA & MENAGGIO

North of Tremezzo, Cadenabbia is a key transport hub and car ferries depart from here for the eastern shore. Given its lack of sights it offers some good-value accommodation, such as the unpretentious Alberghetto della Marianna ( 0344 4 30 95; www.la-marianna.com; Via Regina 57, Cadenabbia di Griante; s €65, €80-95; Wed-Mon; ) , which has homely rooms with brass beds, parquet floors and small balconies. The attached restaurant, La Cucina di Marianna ( 0344 4 31 11; menus €30-45; Wed-Sun) , is also a good place to eat.

A further 3km north, Menaggio (population 3260) has a cute cobbled centre and a central square lined with cafes, which is perfect for lake-gazing. Menaggio is the jumping-off point for Lago di Piano in the Val Menaggio, a remote valley connecting Lago di Como with Lago di Lugano, which straddles the Italian–Swiss border to the west.

Just 100m uphill from Menaggio’s ferry wharf, its hostel, Ostello La Primula ( 0344 3 23 56; www.lakecomohostel.com; Via IV Novembre 106; dm incl breakfast €17; reception 8-10am & 4pm-midnight mid-Mar–early Nov; ) , has lake views and a restaurant (mains €14). You can also rent bikes and kayaks (€14.50 per day).

Menaggio’s tourist office ( 0344 3 29 24; www.menaggio.com; Piazza Garibaldi 3; 9am-12.30pm & 2.30-6pm Apr-Oct, closed Wed & Sun Nov-Mar) has brochures on walking and biking.

ALTO LARIO

Beyond Menaggio, the northern stretch of the lake is known as the Alto Lario (Upper Lario). It is far less touristed than the southern shores of the lake and is wonderfully scenic. At Rezzonico , an extension of Santa Maria, is a quiet pebble beach lined with wooden fishingfolk’s seats.

The last significant town on the western shore of the Alto Lario is Gravedona (population 2750). Along with Domaso and Dongo further north, it is popular with water sports enthusiasts. Comolakeboats ( 333 4014995; www.comolakeboats.it; Via Antica Regina 26, Domaso) hires out zodiacs (€80 for two hours) and organises waterskiing and wakeboarding.

EASTERN SHORE

Lake Como’s eastern shore has a wilder feel to it, but being the less sunny side of the lake it is little touristed. The main town is Lecco (pop 47,800), with a shady, winding waterfront, but little of specific interest; otherwise the key attraction is pretty Varenna situated a short hop across the water from Bellagio. If driving, skip the motorway and meander along the SS36 from Colico south to Lecco.

ABBAZIA DI PIONA

At the northern end of the lake, 3km south of Colico, a side road leads 2km from the SP72 to the Cistercian abbey of Piona ( 0341 94 03 31; www.cistercensi.info/piona; 7am-7pm) , set scenically on a promontory stretching out into the lake. The present church is Romanesque, but the highlight (apart from the setting) is the 13th-century cloister.

VARENNA

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Villa-studded Varenna sits across the lake from Bellagio and vies with its better-known neighbour for the title of prettiest village on the lake. Its pastel-coloured houses rise steeply up the hillside and its gardens and walkways burst with flowers and birdsong. A series of lanes-cum-stairways slither down the hill to the water’s edge. About halfway down is Varenna’s main street, the pedesterianised Via XX Settembre. Higher up, the SP72 passes the town’s two most luxurious villas and the cobbled main square, Piazza San Giorgio, before skooting on north.

Those arriving by ferry land at Piazzale Martiri della Libertà. From here, a 15- to 20-minute stroll follows a flower-laden shoreline pathway up to Piazza San Giovanni and the town’s two main attractions, the gardens of Villa Cipressi ( 0341 83 01 13; www.hotelvillacipressi.it; Via IV Novembre 22; adult/child €3/1.50; 9am-7pm Mar-Oct) , surrounding a luxury hotel (singles €110 to €140, doubles €140 to €190), and, 100m further south, Villa Monastero ( 0341 29 54 50; www.villamonastero.eu; Via IV Novembre; adult/reduced €4/2; gardens 9am-7pm Mon-Thu, 9am-2pm Fri, house & gardens 2-7pm Fri, 9am-7pm Sat & Sun) , a former convent turned into a vast residence by the Mornico family in the 17th century. In both cases, you can stroll through the verdant gardens admiring magnolias, camellias and exotic yuccas. At Villa Monastero you can also wander around the palatial rooms.

From the north end of Varenna (Olivedo), you can make a steep half-hour hike up an old mule path (or drive 3km on the SP65) to the hillside hamlet of Vezio . It is dominated by the 13th-century Castello di Vezio (www.castellodivezio.it; admission €4; 10am-6pm) , once part of a chain of early-warning medieval watchtowers. From here you can gaze down on the terracotta rooftops of Varenna and at 4.30pm they host a falconry display.

The top sleeping option in Varenna is Albergo del Sole ( 0341 81 52 18; www.albergodelsole.lc.it; Piazza San Giorgio 21; s €70-85, d €105-120, tr €124-40; ) , a blue-shuttered guesthouse offering half-a-dozen whitewashed rooms with polished wooden floors inspired by the lake’s steamboats. There’s also a good on-site restaurant.

Other eating choices include Cavallino ( 0341 81 52 19; www.cavallino-varenna.it; Piazza Martiri della Libertà; meals €25-35; Thu-Tue) , where you can sit on Varenna’s attractive quayside watching the ferries dock while enjoying fresh seafood dishes, caught by fisherman-owner Giordano Valentini. Primi (first courses) consist of succulent lake perch, lavarello pâté and homemade missoltini . Also homemade is the creamy risotto mantecato (mixed with cheese to create the ‘creamy’ effect). With advance booking you can take a short fishing trip with the owner before coming back to eat your catch.

Also recommended is Vecchia Varenna ( 0341 83 07 93; www.vecchiavarenna.it; Contrada Scoscesa 10; meals €40-45; Tue-Sun Feb-Dec) , which serves faintly nouvelle cuisine on a lakeside terrace.

Varenna’s tourist office ( 0341 814 009; www.varennaitaly.com; Via per Esino 3; 10am-12.30pm & 3-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 10am-12.30pm Sat), managed by I Viaggi del Tivano, offers information on the lake’s entire eastern shore.

VALTELLINA

From the north end of Lake Como, the Valtellina region cuts a broad swath along the course of the Adda river, between the Swiss mountain frontier to the north and the Alps Orobie to the south. Much of the steep, northern flank is carpeted with vineyards, mostly of the Nebbiolo grape variety, that produce such coveted wines as Sforzato (Sfurzat). Two points of reference are Ponte in Valtellina , 8km east of Sondrio, and Teglio , 8km further east.

The prettiest town along the valley floor is Tirano , terminus for trains arriving from Milan (two hours) via Lake Como and others arriving from Switzerland. At its east end is the quiet old town, with winding lanes next to the gushing Adda.

Located in the heart of the Valtellina’s finest vineyards in Bianzone, just north of Teglio, is Altavilla ( 0342 72 03 55; www.altavilla.info; Via ai Monti 46, Bianzone; meals €30; Tue-Sun, daily Aug; ) , Anna Bertola’s charming Alpine chalet and restaurant, one of the gastronomic treats of the region. Expect expert wine recommendations to accompany traditional mountain dishes such as sciàtt (buckwheat pancakes stuffed with Bitto cheese) and pizzocheri buckwheat pasta. The artisanal salami, mountain venison and aged Bitto cheese are particular highlights, as is the 500-label wine list. Reserve a room (singles €25 to €42, doubles €42 to €68) for the night so you can sleep it off afterwards.

Another highly recommended eatery is Osteria del Crotto ( 0342 61 48 00; www.osteriadelcrotto.it; Via Pedemontana 22, Morbegno; meals €25-35) , which serves a whole slew of Slow Food–authenticated products such as violino di capra della Valchiavenna (literally ‘violin goat of the Valchiavenna’), a traditional salami made from the shank, which is sliced by resting it on the shoulder and shaving it as a violin player moves his bow.

If you’re lucky enough to be here on the last weekend in May, you can tour the major wine producers who open their doors for the Cantine Aperte (Open House). The main tourist office ( 0342 21 59 21; www.valtellina.it; Corso Vittorio Veneto 28, Sondrio; 9am-12.30 & 2.30-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-12.30pm Sat) in the transport hub of Sondrio has details of participants.

Lago d’Iseo

Cradled in a deep glacial valley, less than 50km from both Bergamo and Brescia, Lake Iseo (aka Sebino) is one of the least known of the Lombard lakes. Shut in by soaring mountains, it is a magnificent sight. To the lake’s north stretches the Valle Camonica , renown for its Stone Age rock carvings. To the south stretches the rolling Franciacorta wine country, and to the west the picture-book-pretty Lake Endine .

With the exception of the south shore, the road closely hugs the water on its circuit around the lake and is especially dramatic south of Lovere.

Sights & Activities

At the lake’s southwest edge, the sun sets directly in front of the lakefront promenade in Iseo (population 9200). It’s a pleasant spot with a string of squares just behind the waterfront and a public beach where you can hire canoes and pedalo. Iseobike ( 340 3962095; www.iseobike.com; Via Colombera 2; 9.30am-12.15pm & 2.30-7pm May-Aug, Fri-Sun Sep-Apr) can put together tailor-made cycling tours.

Directly west of Iseo is Sarnico (pop 6540), with its lovely Liberty villas, many of which were designed by Giuseppe Sommaruga. Among them, his lakeside Villa Faccanoni (Via Veneto) is the most outstanding. The heart of the old town, known as La Contrada, straggles back from the Oglio river. It is perfect for a wander along the riverside after a morning coffee.

North of Iseo, rising out of the lake, Monte Isola (population 1800), Europe’s largest lake island at 4.28 sq km, is easily the lake’s most striking feature. Francesco Sforza granted the islanders special fishing rights in the 15th century and the island is still dotted with fishing villages. From Carzano, in the northeast (where boats land; €4 from Sale Marasino), you can climb rough stairs to the summit (599m). A 15km trail allows you to walk or cycle around the island (no cars are permitted).

On the northwest tip of the lake, the port town of Lovere (population 5470) is a working harbour with a higgledy-piggledy old centre and a wealth of walking trails in the hills behind it. At the waterfront you’ll find the Accadamia Tadini ( 035 96 27 80; www.accademiatadini.it; Via Tadini 40; adult/reduced €7/5; 3-7pm Tue-Sat, 10am-noon & 3-7pm Sun & holidays) , home to a considerable art collection with works by Jacopo Bellini, Giambattista Tiepolo and Antonio Canova. Short drives out of Lovere to nearby villages like Bossico and Esmate bring you to marvellous lookout points high above the lake.

Sleeping

Hotel Milano HOTEL €

( 030 98 04 49; www.hotelmilano.info; Lungolargo Marconi 4, Iseo; s €44-50, d €70-90; ) This sunny yellow waterfront hotel is one of only two hotels in the centre of Iseo. Make sure to reserve a lake-view room, giving yourself a front-row seat for sunset behind the mountains.

Ostello del Porto HOSTEL €

( 035 98 35 29; http://digilander.libero.it/ostello delporto/; Via Paglia 70; dm/s/d €18/35/50; mid-Mar–Oct; ) Lovere’s hostel.

Campeggio Monte Isola CAMPGROUND €

( 030 982 52 21; Via Croce 144; camping per person & tent €10) Monte Isola’s campground is open year-round.

Information

Iseo Tourist Office ( 030 98 02 09; www.agenzialagoiseofranciacorta.it; Lungolago Marconi 2; 10am-12.30pm & 3.30-6.30pm Easter-Sep, 10am-12.30pm & 3-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-12.30pm Sat Oct-Easter) Has information on hiking and a list of campgrounds.

Sarnico Pro Loco ( 035 4 20 80; www.prolocosarnico.it; Via Lantieri 6; 9.30am-12.30pm & 3-6.30pm Tue-Sat, 9.30am-12.30pm Sun)

Monte Isola (www.monteisola.com)

Getting There & Around

SAB ( 035 28 90 00; www.sab-autoservizi.it, in Italian) Runs buses between Sarnico and Bergamo (€2.90, 50 minutes).

Iseo Train Station Links Iseo with Brescia (€2.80, 30 minutes, hourly), where you can connect to Bergamo.

Navigazione sul Lago d’Iseo ( 035 97 14 83; www.navigazionelagoiseo.it) Operates up to eight ferries daily between Sarnico, Iseo, Monte Isola, Lovere and Pisogne. Single fares range from €2 to €5.80. In winter there are reduced services.

WINE ROADS

South of Lago d’Iseo and stretching towards Brescia are the flourishing vineyards of the Franciacorta wine region (www.stradadelfranciacorta.it) . It is perfect cycling country, with no high-rises and plenty of villages to explore. In the Middle Ages, monks living in the area were granted privileges to work the land. These ‘franchises’, or franchae curtes, were exempt from taxes, from whence originated the name. The Iseo and Brescia tourist offices can provide brochures and help book visits to wineries (essential on weekdays).

You can pick up the wine route at Paràtico , which lies at the region’s northwestern tip. The quaint villages of Nigoline Bonomelli , Colombaro , Timoline and Borgonato form the heart of the comune of Corte Franca and are home to most of the prestigious winemakers in the area. Just to the north of them is Provaglio d’Iseo , the location of the 11th-century Monastero San Pietro in Lamosa (www.sanpietroinlamosa.org), which was founded by the Cluniac monks who first started to cultivate the region.

If you’re driving through the region, book yourself in to the Ristorante Gualtiero Marchesi (www.marchesi.it; meals €150-200; Tue-Sat, lunch Sun), set in the luxurious country estate of the L’Albereta Hotel in Erbusco, and presided over by Gualtiero Marchesi, one of the best-known names in contemporary Italian dining.

The route ends at Rodengo-Saiano where you’ll find another impressive monastic complex, the Abbazia di San Nicola (www.benedettiniabbaziaolivetana.org) .

Lago di Garda

Poets and politicians, divas and dictators, they’ve all been drawn to Lake Garda. At 370 sq km it is the largest of the Italian lakes, straddling the border between Lombardy and the Veneto, with soaring mountains to the north and softer hills to the south. Vineyards, olive groves and citrus orchards range up the slopes, while villages sit around a string of natural harbours. In the southwest corner, Desenzano del Garda is known as the porta del lago (gateway to the lake), with good transport connections.

Garda is the most developed of the lakes and, despite a plethora of accommodation, booking ahead is advised.

Getting There & Around

Boat

Navigazione sul Lago di Garda ( 800 551801; www.navigazionelaghi.it, in Italian; Piazza Matteotti 2, Desenzano del Garda) Operates passenger ferries year-round. A one-day ticket allowing unlimited travel costs €26.40/13.50 (adult/child).

Motorists can cross the lake using the car ferry between Toscolano-Maderno and Torri del Benaco, or seasonally between Limone and Malcesine.

Bus

APTV ( 045 805 78 11; www.aptv.it) Connects Desenzano del Garda train station with Riva del Garda (two hours, up to six daily). Peschiera del Garda train station is on the Riva del Garda–Malcesine–Garda–Verona APTV bus route, with hourly buses to both Riva (€3.90, one hour 40 minutes) and Verona (€2.90, 30 minutes).

Società Italiana Autoservizi (SIA; 030 377 42 37; www.sia-autoservizi.it) Connects Riva del Garda with Brescia (€5.50, two hours) and Milan (3¾ hours, three daily).

Trentino Trasporti ( 0461 821 000; www.ttesercizio.it) Connects Riva del Garda with Trento (€4, 1¾ hours).

Car

Lake Garda’s ferry network and region-wide rail links mean you can go car-free, only getting behind the wheel for forays into the hills. In summer the lake’s perimeter road is best avoided due to heavy traffic.

Train

The two train stations serving the lake, Desenzano del Garda and Peschiera del Garda, are on the Milan–Venice train line.

SIRMIONE

POP 8050

Sitting on an impossibly narrow peninsula on the southern shore, Sirmione is Garda’s most picturesque village. Over the centuries it has attracted the likes of Roman poet Catullus and Maria Callas, and today thousands follow in their footsteps.

The tourist office ( 030 91 61 14; Viale Marconi 6; 9am-8pm Easter-Oct, 9am-12.30pm & 3-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-12.30pm Sat Nov-Easter) adjoins the bus station. Motorised vehicles are banned beyond this point, except for those with a hotel booking.

LAKE GARDA’S AMUSEMENT PARKS

The lake’s lower eastern shore is home to larger-than-life dinosaurs, pirate ships, roller coasters and a dolphinarium at the kid-oriented Gardaland ( 045 644 97 77; www.gardaland.it; adult/child €36/29; 9am-11pm mid-Jun–mid-Sep, 10am-6pm Apr–mid-Jun & last 2 weeks Sep, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun Oct, late Dec & early Jan) .

To the north, CanevaWorld ( 045 696 99 00; www.canevaworld.it; Via Fossalta 1) has two theme parks. Aquaparadise (adult/child €24/19; 10am-7pm Jul & Aug, 10am-6pm mid-May–Jun & Sep) has lots of exhilarating water slides, while Movieland (adult/child €24/19; 10am-6pm Easter-Jun, Sep & weekends Oct, 10am-7pm Jul & Aug) has stunt-packed action shows. Exact opening times may vary slightly throughout the year, so check the website for details.

Free buses shuttle visitors the 2km to both parks to/from the Peschiera del Garda train station.

Sights & Activities

From the jetty near the castle, all sorts of vessels will make any manner of trip around the lake – at a price – and an array of water activities can be arranged.

Grotte di Catullo ROMAN VILLA

( 030 91 61 57; adult/reduced €4/2; 8.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sat, 9am-2pm Sun Mar-Oct, 8.30am-2pm Tue-Sun Nov-Mar, museum open to 7.30pm Tue-Sat) Occupying a 2-hectare chunk of Sirmione’s northern tip, this ruined Roman villa is a picturesque complex of teetering stone arches and tumbledown walls. It’s the largest domestic villa unearthed in northern Italy and wandering the olive groves on its terraced hillside opens up appealing views. The villa dates from the Augustan era (late 1st century BC) and despite the name there is no evidence that Catullus actually lived here.

Terme di Sirmione THERMAL SPA

( 030 916 09 44; www.termedisirmione.com; Piazza Don Angelo Piatti; pools €19-49, treatments from €30; 2-10pm Mon, 10am-10pm Tue-Sun Mar-Dec) Sirmione is blessed with a series of offshore thermal springs that pump out water at a natural 37°C. They were discovered in the late 1800s. At the Aquaria spa you can indulge in an array of treatments, from remineralising mud sessions (€50) to ayurvedic massages (€80). Or opt for five hours wallowing in the two thermal pools – the outdoor one is set right beside the lake. Treatments have to be booked in advance but for the pools just turn up with your swimsuit (towels provided).

Sleeping & Eating

An inordinate number of hotels are crammed into Sirmione, many of which close from the end of October to March. Four campgrounds lie near the town and the tourist office can advise on others around the lake.

Hotel Pace HOTEL €€

( 030 990 58 77; www.pacesirmione.it; Piazza Porto Valentino 5; d €100-125; ) Located lakeside, the baby-pink Hotel Pace has been run by the Barelli family for the last 25 years. James Joyce and Ezra Pound stayed here during the ’30s and the hotel retains its English-country style with buff leather armchairs, art nouveau decor and country garden. The restaurant is Slow Food recommended and features a deck that juts out over the water.

Hotel Marconi HOTEL €€

( 030 91 60 07; www.hotelmarconi.net; Via Vittorio Emanuele II 51; s €45-75, d €75-125; ) Even if you’re someone who takes nothing more than coffee for breakfast, the incredible spread of homemade cakes, tarts and pies at this elegant family-run hotel is a feast for the eyes. The restrained rooms are all subtle peach shades and crisp fabrics and there’s a lakeside deck complete with blue-and-white-striped umbrellas.

Ristorante La Rucola TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€€

( 030 91 63 26; www.ristorantelarucola.it; Vicolo Strentelle 7; meals €60-75; Fri-Wed) Sirmione’s most elegant restaurant combines a 1970s nightclub vibe (upholstered, low-backed lounge chairs) with farmhouse chic. The food, however, is classic lake cooking featuring sea bass, prawns and numerous seasonal risottos.

Also recommended:

Camping Sirmione CAMPGROUND €

( 030 91 90 45; www.camping-sirmione.com; Via Sirmioncino 9, Colombane; camping 2 people, car & tent €36; Mar-Oct; ) A well-kept campground at the base of the peninsula.

La Fiasca TRATTORIA €€

( 030 990 61 11; Via Santa Maria Maggiore; meals €30; Thu-Tue) An authentic trattoria serving dishes with gutsy flavours such as pappardelle with boar ragù (meat and tomato sauce).

DESENZANO DEL GARDA

POP 26,900

An easygoing commuter town 9km southwest of Sirmione, Desenzano del Garda is known as the ‘gateway to the lake’. It’s not as pretty as some of its counterparts, but its ancient harbour, broad promenades and vibrant Piazza Matteotti make for pleasant wanderings. It is also a hub for nightlife in the high summer.

Desenzano’s best-known site is its remarkably well-preserved Roman mosaics at the Roman Villa ( 030 914 3547; Via Crocifisso 2; adult/reduced €2/1; 8.30am-7pm Mar-Oct, to 5pm Oct-Feb) . Built 2000 years ago, the villa was remodelled in the 2nd century, with most of the mosaics being added in the 4th century. Wooden walkways lead directly over vivid scenes of chariot-riding, grape-gathering cherubs. Stroll through the remains of the luxurious triclinium (dining room), past semicircular baths to a cubiculum (bedroom), before ending at a vestibule that opened towards the lake.

For more information on the town, consult the main tourist office ( 030 914 15 10; Via Porto Vecchio 34; 9am-12pm & 3-6pm Mon-Sat) .

TASTING OLIVE OIL

Lake Garda’s microclimate resembles the Mediterranean’s, ensuring ideal olive-growing conditions. The lake’s banks produce a tiny 1% of Italy’s olive oil, but the product is renowned for being light, soft and sweet. Some 15 varieties of olive are grown here; the local black fruit produces subtler tasting oil, while the green olives are spicier.

Frantoio Montecroce ( 030 991 15 04; www.frantoiomontecroce.it; Viale Ettore Andreis 84; admission free; 8am-noon & 3-7pm Mon-Sat), set in the hills above Desenzano, is the perfect place for a tutored tasting in the lake’s oil. The same family has been harvesting olives for four generations and their oils have won numerous prestigious prices. The mill’s granite wheels, gleaming machines and stainless steel vats give a real insight into the modern production process, while family members provide tasting tips.

SALÒ

POP 10,700

Wedged between the lake and precipitous mountains, Salò exudes an air of grandeur. Its long waterfront promenade is lined with ornate buildings and palm trees, while the graceful bell tower of its 15th-century cathedral overlooks atmospheric lanes.

In 1943 Salò was named the capital of the Social Republic of Italy as part of Mussolini and Hitler’s last-ditch efforts to organise Italian Fascism in the face of advancing allied forces. This episode, known as the Republic of Salò, saw more than 16 public and private buildings in the town commandeered and turned into Mussolini’s ministeries and offices. Strolling between the sites is a surreal tour of the dictator’s doomed ministate. The tourist office has an English-language map and booklet featuring significant locations.

It’s not often that you get to explore a private island in the company of its aristocratic owners, but you can at the tiny, comma-shaped Isola del Garda ( 328 384 92 26; www.isoladelgarda.com; tour incl boat ride €24-30; Apr-Oct) just off Salò. The sumptuous neo-Gothic Venetian villa is owned by Contessa Cavazza, and your visit is likely to be guided by a member of her family. The two-hour tour takes in a clutch of opulent rooms, some with a disarming real-life family feel. At the end of the trip you can sample oil, wine and cheese from the family estates.

Boats depart from Salò, Gardone Riviera, Garda and Sirmione, but they only leave each location once or twice a week.

GARDONE RIVIERA

POP 2725

Gardone’s glory days were in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and today the resort’s opulent villas and ornate architecture make it one of the lake’s most elegant holiday spots. About 12km north of Gardone is Gargnano (population 3050), a tiny harbour that fills with million-dollar yachts come September when sailing fans gather for the Centomiglia , the lake’s most prestigious sailing regatta.

The tourist office ( 0365 374 87 36; Corso della Repubblica 8; 9am-12.30pm & 2.30-6pm Mon-Sat) stocks information on activities.

Sights

Il Vittoriale degli Italiani MUSEUM

( 0365 29 65 11; www.vittoriale.it; Piazza Vittoriale; gardens & museums adult/reduced €16/12; grounds 8.30am-8pm Apr-Sep, to 5pm Oct-Mar, museums to 7pm Apr-Sep, 9am-1pm & 2-5pm Oct-Mar) Poet, soldier, hypochondriac and proto-Fascist, Gabriele d’Annunzio (1863–1938) defies easy definition, as does his estate, Il Vittoriale. Bombastic, extravagant and unsettling, it’s home to every architectural and decorative excess and the decor certainly sheds light on the man.

He retreated to Gardone in 1922, claiming that he wanted to escape the world that made him sick. In his main house, the Prioria , black velvet drapes line cluttered, gloomy rooms (he was allergic to sunlight) crammed with classical figurines, leopard skins, leather-bound books and masses of cushions and china. Highlights include the bronze tortoise (cast from one that died from overeating) and d’Annunzio’s study with its very low lintel – designed so visitors would have to bow as they entered. Visits are by guided tour only (in Italian).

Giardino Botanico Fondazione André Heller SCULPTURE PARK

( 336 410877; www.hellergarden.com; Via Roma 2; adult/child €9/5; 9am-7pm Mar-Oct) This compact flower-filled oasis is a delight for plant lovers and art enthusiasts alike. Laid out in 1900, the gardens were redesigned in the late 1990s by multimedia artist André Heller. Tiny paths wind through different climate zones, from central American plains to African savannah. Hidden among the greenery are 30 pieces of contemporary sculpture.

Sleeping & Eating

Locanda Agli Angeli HOTEL €€

( 0365 2 09 91; www.agliangeli.com; Via Dosso 7; s €45-70, d €80-180; ) A delightful renovation has produced an 18th-century locanda (inn) of old polished wood, gauzy curtain fabrics and bursts of lime, orange and aquamarine. The terrace has a compact pool and views across rooftops and the lake beyond. The restaurant is also good, serving classic Lake Garda cooking.

LAKE GARDA’S BEST BEACHES

Lake Garda is not blessed with many good beaches. If you’re looking for a nice spot to plunge in, here are some of the best:

» Rocca di Manerba This craggy promontory 10km south of Salò has a ruined castle and is designated a nature reserve.

» Parco la Fontanella A gleaming white pebble beach 300m north of Gargnano, backed by olive groves and Monte Baldo.

» Campione del Garda A ciff-backed beach north of Gargnano where fleets of windsurfers skim across the lake.

» Riva del Garda Encircled by towering rock faces on three sides, it’s like swimming in a fjord.

» Punta San Vigilio A bewitching cypress-lined headland that curls out into the lake 3km north of Garda.

RIVA DEL GARDA

POP 15,990

Even on a lake blessed with dramatic scenery, Riva del Garda still comes out on top. Encircled by towering rock faces and a looping strip of beach, its appealing centre is a medley of grand architecture, maze-like streets and wide squares. Riva lies across the border from Lombardy in the Alpine region of Trentino–Alto Adige; for centuries the town’s strategic position saw it fought over by the competing powers of the bishops of Trento, the republic of Venice, Milan’s Viscontis and Verona’s Della Scala families. It remained part of Austria until 1919, subsequently saw fierce fighting in the Italian wars of independence, and was home to anti-Nazi resistance groups in WWII.

The tourist office ( 0464 55 44 44; www.gardatrentino.it; Largo Medaglie d’Oro; 9am-7pm May-Sep, to 6pm Oct-Apr) advises on everything from climbing and paragliding to wine tasting and markets.

Sights & Activities

Riva makes a natural starting point for walks and bike rides, including trails around Monte Rocchetta (1575m), which looms over the northern end of the lake. Immediately south of the town is the shingle beach. Like its neighbours Malcesine and Torbole, Riva is well known for windsurfing and has several schools, such as Surfsegnana (Click here ) on Porfina Beach, that hire out equipment.

Cascata del Varone WATERFALL

(www.cascata-varone.com; admission €5.50; 9am-7pm May-Aug, to 6pm Apr & Sep, to 5pm Mar & Oct) This 100m waterfall thunders down sheer limestone cliffs to an immense, dripping cave-like gorge. Walkways snake 50m into the mountain beside the torrent. You’ll find it 3km northwest of Riva’s centre.

Museo Civico MUSEUM

( 0464 57 38 69; Piazza Cesare Battisti 3; admission €2; 10.30am-12.30pm & 1.30-6pm Tue-Sun Apr-Nov) Riva’s city museum reflects its turbulent past, both in terms of the exhibits and the 12th-century castle they are housed in. The most revealing exhibits are the antique maps dating from the 1579, 1667 and 1774 Atlas Tyrolensis, which show the area’s shifting boundaries.

You can scale the adjoining 34m-tall Torre Apponale (adult/child €1/free) for a panorama of the lake and mountains.

Sleeping & Eating

Restel de Fer INN €

( 0464 55 34 81; www.resteldefer.com; Via Restel de Fer 10; s/d €68/90; ) The Meneghelli family’s been running this charming locanda (inn) since 1400 and its rustic rooms are full of old oak dressers and brass bedsteads. The multi-course dinner at its downstairs restaurant, which includes specialities such as lake char with crayfish, Monte Baldo truffles and the best Trentino cheeses, is truly memorable (four-/six-courses €35/50).

Campeggio Bavaria CAMPGROUND €

( 0464 55 25 24; www.bavarianet.it; Viale Rovereto 100; camping 2 people, car & tent €36; ) Part of the Marco Segnana Surf Centre in Nago-Torbole.

LAKE LEDRO

From Riva, first the SP37 and then the SS240 wind their way west up the mountains, past olive groves and vine-lined terraces. Around 11km from Riva the road flattens and Lake Ledro (www.vallediledro.com) comes into view. Only 2.5km long and 2km wide, this diminutive lake sits at an altitude of 650m, set in a gorgeous valley beneath tree-covered mountains. Molina di Ledro is at the lake’s eastern end, where tiny thatched huts line up beside a string of beaches and boat-hire pontoons.

Stay at the glass-and-timber ecolodge Hotel Elda ( 0464 59 10 40; www.hotelelda.com; Via 3 Giugno 3, Lenzumo; d €100-160; ) set among apple trees in the Concei valley. Once a traditional inn, it has been converted by the family’s prodigal son, who invited a team of architect-designers to reinvent the old building with five-star eco-credentials. The result is a happy combination of thermo-insulation and solar energy with space-age bathrooms and Philippe Starck chairs. Do the eco-thing and immerse yourself in the landscape. You’ll find bikes at reception and a full-fledged bio spa, which comes in handy after mountain walks.

NAGO-TORBOLE

POP 2740

Lake Garda has an unusual meteorological quirk – the winds that blow over its surface are almost as regular as clockwork. The Pelèr gust from the north lasts 12 hours and is normally done by 10am, while the Ora blows from the south between noon and sunset. The predictability has ensured that the little fishing harbour of Torbole (along with Riva del Garda and Malcesine) is a magnet for windsurfers and sailors.

Fleets of operators provide tuition. Surfsegnana ( 0464 50 59 63; www.surfsegnana.it; Foci del Sarca) operates out of the Lido di Torbole.

Torbole’s tourist office ( 0464 50 51 77; www.gardatrentino.it; Via Lungolago Verona 19; 9am-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm & 3-7pm Sun May-Sep, 10am-1pm & 2-5.30pm Mon & Wed-Sat Apr, Oct & Nov) has a list of windsurfing schools and various windsurfing and sailing competitions. It also distributes free mountain-bike and walking maps.

MALCESINE

POP 3710

With the lake lapping right up to the tables of its harbourside restaurants and the vast ridge of Monte Baldo looming behind, Malcesine is another Garda hot spot. Like Riva del Garda and Torbole it is a windsurfing centre and its streets are cobbled with thousands of lake pebbles. The whole affair is crowned by the chalky-white Castello Scaligero , where Goethe was temporarily imprisoned after being mistaken for a spy.

Malcesine’s cable car, Funivia Malcesine-Monte Baldo ( 045 740 02 06; www.funiviedelbaldo.it; adult/reduced return €18/14.50; 8am-7pm Apr-Sep, to 5pm Oct-Mar), whisks you 1760m above the lake in rotating, glass cabins. The mountain is actually part of a 40km-long chain, and the ridges are the starting point for mountain-biking tours and paragliding, as well as skiing in winter. Getting off the cable car at the intermediate station of San Michele (€5) is the starting point for some excellent hikes. The hour-long walk back to Malcesine along quiet roads and rocky mountain paths reveals a rural world far from the throngs at the lake. Hire bikes at Bikextreme ( 045 740 0105; Via Navene Vecchia 10; bikes €20 per day).

Olives harvested around Malcesine are milled into extra-virgin olive oil by Consorzio Olivicoltori di Malcesine ( 045 740 12 86; www.oliomalcesine.com; Via Navene; 9am-1pm & 4.30-7pm) . The 550 members all come from Malcesine’s hills and produce 75,000L of oil annually – only half of that goes on sale. The oil is renowned for its light, fruity taste with traces of almonds. Prices of the cold-pressed extra virgin DOP oil range start at €11 for 0.5L.

The tourist office ( 045 740 00 44; www.malcesinepiu.it; Via Capitanato 6; 9.30am-12.30pm & 3-6pm Mon-Sat 9.30am-12.30pm Sun) has information on windsurfing, sailing, walking and winter skiing.

BARDOLINO

More than 70 vineyards and wine cellars (many within DOC and even DOCG boundaries) grace the gentle hills that roll east from Bardolino on the east shore of Garda. They produce an impressive array of pink Chiaretto, ruby Classico, dry Superiore and young Novello.

One of the most atmospheric ways to savour their flavours is a tutored tasting at Guerrieri Rizzardi ( 045 721 00 28; www.guerrieri-rizzardi.com; Via Verdi 4; tastings €15; 5pm Wed May-Oct). After a tour of wine cellars full of cobweb-laced bottles, relaxed tastings take place in the walled kitchen garden, with tables laid out beside salad crops, an orangery and a vineyard labyrinth. You get to sample local olive oil, cheeses and ham, too. Booking is required.

Bardolino is at its most Bacchic during the Festa dell’Uva e del Vino in early October, when the town’s waterfront fills with food and wine stands.

THE PO PLAIN

The Lombard Plains, otherwise known as the Po or Padan Plain, spread out east and west of Milan, extending some 650km from Turin and Cuneo in the west to Mantua and Modena in the east. To the north the western Alps and the great lakes drain into the valley via the Ticino, Adda, Oglio and Mincio rivers.

Sitting on the Milan–Aquileia trade route, between the western Alps and the Gulf of Trieste, the region has been politically and economically significant since the Roman era, when Julius Caesar granted citizenship to the people of the valley and recruited many of his most loyal troops from the area. When Napoleon conquered northern Italy in the late 18th century he found the valley dotted with prosperous towns such as Bergamo, Brescia and Mantua, which continue to power a great deal of Italy’s agriculture and light industry.

This is also where Lombardy’s risotto rice comes from. The most well-known variety grown on the plain is arborio, although other high-quality risotto rices include Carnaroli, Baldo and Vialone Nano. In late May and early June many towns around Mantua hold risotto festivals.

Bergamo

POP 118,000

Split into a more modern lower town ( città bassa ) and a captivating hill town ( città alta ) that incorporates an attractive ensemble of medieval, Renaissance and baroque architecture, Bergamo is one of northern Italy’s most attractive and interesting cities. With its privileged position at the foot of the pre-Alps between the Brembo and Serio river valleys, Bergamo has long been appreciated not only as a key trade centre (textiles and metals in particular) but a handy lookout over the Lombard plains.

Although Milan’s skyscrapers to the southwest are visible on a clear day, historically Bergamo was more closely associated with Venice, which controlled the city for 350 years (1428–1797) until Napoleon arrived.

Sights

The ancient città alta is a tangle of medieval streets, protected by 5km of Venetian walls. The main street is full of well-stocked wine bars and delicatessens. A funicular carries you from the western edge of the upper town up to the quaint quarter of San Vigilio, which offers some stunning views. On the plains below sprawls the modern città bassa, where you’ll find the better dining options.

Bergamo

Top Sights

Accademia Carrara G3

Cappella Colleoni B3

La Rocca D3

Sights

1  Baptistry B3

2  Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore B3

3  Duomo C3

4  Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea G3

5  Palazzo della Ragione C3

6  Palazzo Nuovo C3

7  Torre del Campanone C3

Sleeping

8  Agnello d'Oro C3

9  Hotel Piazza Vecchia B2

Eating

10  Al Donizetti C3

11  Il Fornaio C2

Piazza Vecchia PIAZZA

The upper town’s beating heart is this cafe-clad piazza, lined by elegant architecture that is a testament in stone to Bergamo’s history. Le Corbusier apparently found it ‘the most beautiful square in Europe’.

The white porticoed building on Via Bartolomeo Colleoni, which forms the northern side of the piazza, is the 17th-century Palazzo Nuovo Offline map Google map , now a library. Turn south and you face the imposing arches and columns of the Palazzo della Ragione Offline map Google map , built in the 12th century, and the seat of medieval city governance. The lion of St Mark is a reminder of Venice’s long reign here. At the time of writing the palace was hosting a temporary exhibition of art work from the Accademia Carrara in its Sala delle Capriate. Works will be rotated every three months until the academy is reopened (same hours as the academy).

Across the square from the palace, the 52m-high Torre del Campanone Offline map Google map (adult/child €5/free; 9.30am-7pm Tue-Fri, 9.30am-9.30pm Sat & Sun Mar-Oct, 9.30am-5.30pm Tue-Sun Nov-Feb) tolls the old 10pm curfew when the gates of the city were closed. There’s a wheelchair-accessible lift.

Piazza del Duomo PIAZZA

Tucked in behind these secular buildings is the core of Bergamo’s spiritual life, the Piazza del Duomo. Roman remains were discovered here during renovations of the modest baroque Duomo ( 7.30-11.45am & 3-6.30pm) , a rather squat maroon building with a brilliant-white facade.

A great deal more interesting is the Romanesque Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore Offline map Google map ( 9am-12.30pm & 2.30-6pm Apr-Oct, shorter hr Nov-Mar) next door. To its whirl of frescoed, Romanesque apses, begun in 1137, Gothic additions were added. Influences come from afar, with dual-colour banding typical of Tuscany and an interesting trompe l’œil pattern on part of the facade. What stands out most strikingly, however, is the Renaissance Cappella Colleoni Offline map Google map ( 9am-12.30pm & 2-6.30pm Mar-Oct, 9am-12.30pm & 2-4.30pm Tue-Sun Nov-Feb) , the mausoleum-cum-chapel of the famous mercenary commander Bartolomeo Colleoni (1696–1770). Demolishing an entire apse of the basilica, he commissioned Giovanni Antonio Amadeo to create a tomb that is now considered a masterpiece of Lombard art and architecture with its exuberant polychromatic marble exterior and Venetian rococo frescoes by Giambattista Tiepolo.

Detached from the church is the octagonal baptistry Offline map Google map , built in 1340 but moved to its present spot in 1898.

Accademia Carrara ART GALLERY

( 035 39 96 40; www.accademiacarrara.bergamo.it; Piazza Carrara 82a; adult/reduced €5/3; 10am-9pm Tue-Sun Jun-Sep, 9.30am-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun Oct-Apr) Just east of the old city walls is the enormous neoclassical edifice of the Accademia Carrara, one of Italy’s great art repositories. Established in 1796 following the legacy of Count Giacomo Carrara, a wealthy collector and patron of the arts, its collection amounts to nearly 2000 paintings dating from the 15th to the 19th century, including a roster of star-studded names such as Botticelli, Bellini, Pisanello, Mantegna, Raphael, Moroni, Tiepolo and Canaletto. The most famous piece in the collection is Raphael’s serene San Sebastiano, but there are many stunning works of art here.

To get here on foot from the città alta , pass through Porta di Sant’Agostino and down Via della Noca.

At the time of writing the Academy was closed for restoration work (until 2013), but a selection of its masterpieces was on show in the Palazzo della Ragione.

Galleria d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea ART GALLERY

Offline map Google map

(GAMeC; 035 27 02 72; www.gamec.it; Via San Tomaso 53; adult/reduced €4/2.50; 3-8pm Tue-Wed & Fri, to 10pm Thu, 10am-8pm Sat & Sun) On the opposite side of the square from the Accademia is Bergamo’s modern art gallery, which displays a small collection of modern works by Italian artists such as Giacomo Balla, Giorgio Morandi, Giorgio de Chirico and Filippo de Pisis.

La Rocca FORTRESS

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The defensive hulk of Bergamo’s citadel, in the western corner of the città alta on Piazza Cittadella, is balanced by La Rocca, at the eastern corner. Located on the hill of Santa Eufemia, it was the Roman capital and was subsequently fortified and strengthened by the Viscontis and the Venetians. Now it houses a museum (adult/child €5/free; 9.30am-1pm & 2-5.30pm) of minor interest detailing Bergamo’s history during the 19th century. More interesting are the gardens , which have been transformed into a garden of rememberance commemorating the two world wars. From the battlements you can enjoy views over the medieval towers of the città alta .

Sleeping

Bergamo’s proximity to the airport means hotels tend to fill up quickly – advance bookings are recommended, especially on weekends. The most charming accommodation is in the città alta .

Agnello d’Oro INN €

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( 035 24 98 83; www.agnellodoro.it; Via Gombito 22; s/d €63/100; ) Located on the corner of Piazza St Pancrazio, the Agnello d’Oro has 20 retro rooms and a heart-warming restaurant hung with copper pots. The building dates back to the 17th century and some of the rooms have small balconies overlooking Via Gombito. In summer, dinner is served outside around the piazza fountain.

Da Vittorio RURAL INN €€€

( 035 68 10 24; www.davittorio.com; Via Cantalupa 17; s €200-250, d €300-350; Sep-Jul; ) Not only is Da Vittorio a noteworthy gourmet destination, it also offers 10 luxurious suites in its low-slung country estate. Each of the generous rooms enjoys its own sumptuous decor, with beautifully woven fabrics and marble bathrooms. The villa looks over a park and vineyard.

Hotel Piazza Vecchia HOTEL €€

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( 035 428 42 11; www.hotelpiazzavecchia.it; Via Colleoni 3; s €140-180, d €160-200; ) Carved out of a 13th-century building a few steps off Piazza Vecchia, this hotel’s 13 rooms are all quite different: some have exposed beams while others have a balcony or a king-sized bed. The owners’ art works, amusing takes on the works of great artists, are hung throughout the hotel.

Nuovo Ostello di Bergamo HOSTEL €

( 035 369 23 76; www.ostellodibergamo.it; Via Galileo Ferraris 1, Monterosso; dm/s/d €18/35/50; ) Bergamo’s HI hostel is 4km north of the train station. Take bus 6 from Largo Porta Nuova near the train station.

Eating

The Bergamaschi like their polenta and even named a classic sweet after it: polenta e osei are pudding-shaped cakes filled with jam and cream, topped with icing and chocolate birds. The final product looks like, but isn’t, polenta. Bergamo’s other famous dish is casonsèi, aka casoncelli (a kind of ravioli stuffed with spicy sausage meat), and the area is noted for its fine red wines, including Valcalepio.

Ristorante Roof Garden MODERN ITALIAN €€€

( 035 36 61 59; www.roofgardenrestaurant.it; Piazza della Repubblica 6, Città Bassa; meals €45-80) The fabulous new rooftop restaurant of the Hotel San Marco is both sexy and accomplished. Chef Fabrizio Ferrari has already garnered a Michelin star for his cooking, which he describes as cucina metropolitana (urban cooking). Dine on creamed beans and sausage, aged beef wrapped in mountain herbs or delicate veal with cardoncelli mushrooms and try not to be distracted by the wrap-around views of the città alta .

Enoteca Zanini WINE BAR, RESTAURANT €€

( 035 22 50 49; www.aisantibergamo.com; Via Santa Caterina 90a, Città Bassa; meals €30-35; Mon-Fri, dinner Sat) Run by two accredited wine sommeliers who have worked for Gualtiero Marchesi in Erbusco, this is a great place to sample regional wine by the glass. The red-brick interior makes for a cosy atmosphere and the menu features original dishes such as ravioli stuffed with Taleggio and creamed rocket with toasted pine nuts.

Da Vittorio GASTRONOMIC €€€

( 035 68 10 24; Via Cantalupa 17, Brusaporto; set menus €70-140; Thu-Tue Sep-Jul) Bergamo’s acclaimed Vittorio, 9km east of town, is up there with the best restaurants in Italy, not the least on account of its truffle dishes (a special truffle menu can cost €280). Why not succumb to a maialata (literally a ‘pig out’), with six courses of porcine-inspired pleasure. The estate also runs an expert cookery school (lessons €80).

Al Donizetti RESTAURANT, WINE BAR €€

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( 035 24 26 61; www.donizetti.it; Via Gombito 17a, Città Alta; meals €20-35) Enjoy a late-morning coffee with pear and muscat cake under the Renaissance loggia of Donizetti, then come back for an evening aperitivo .

Il Fornaio BAKERY €

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(Via Bartolomeo Colleoni 1, Città Alta; pizza slices €1.50; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat; ) Bergamo’s best coffee and steaming-hot pizza slices.

Information

OspedaliRiuniti ( 035 26 91 11; www.ospedaliriuniti.bergamo.it; Largo Barozzi 1) Hospital.

Police station ( 035 27 61 11; Via Alessandro Noli 26)

Tourist office, upper town ( 035 24 22 26; Via Gombito 13; 9am-12.30pm & 2-5.30pm)

Tourist office, lower town ( 035 21 02 04; www.turismo.bergamo.it; Piazza Gugliemo Marconi; 9am-12.30pm & 2-5.30pm Mon-Fri) Province-wide information, including Alpine activities. Check out www.apt.bergamo.it too.

Getting There & Away

Air

Orio al Serio ( 035 32 63 23; www.sacbo.it) Bergamo’s airport is 5km southeast of the train station.

Bus

Bus station ( 800 139392, 035 28 90 00; www.bergamotrasporti.it) Located just off Piazza Gugliemo Marconi. SAB ( 035 28 90 00; www.sab-autoservizi.it, in Italian) operates services to Brescia, Mantua and the lakes.

Train

Train station ( 035 24 79 50; Piazza Guglielmo Marconi) Services to Milan (€4.70, one hour), Lecco (€3.10, 40 minutes) and Brescia (€4.05, one hour, with connections for Lake Garda and Venice).

Getting Around

To/From the Airport

ATB ( 035 23 60 26; www.atb.bergamo.it) Every 20 minutes from Bergamo bus and train stations (€2 to €4.50, 15 minutes). Direct buses also connect the airport with Milan (adult/child €7/5, one hour).

Bicycle

ATB Infopoint ( 800 910658; Porta Nuova 16; www.bicincitta.com) For information on Bergamo’s bike-sharing scheme.

Ciclostazione 42 ( 389 513 73 13; www.pedalopolis.org; Piazza Gugliemo Marconi; bikes per day €10; 7.30-11.30am & 4-7.30pm Mon-Fri) Bike rental.

Public Transport

ATB bus 1 connects the train station with the funicular to the upper town. From Colle Aperto, bus 21 or a funicular continues uphill to San Vigilio. Buy tickets (€1), valid for 75 minutes’ travel, from machines at the train and funicular stations or at newspaper stands. Funicular tickets cost €1.50.

Brescia

POP 191,600

Urban sprawl, a seedy bus and train station, and the odd 1960s skyscraper don’t hint at Brescia’s fascinating old town, which serves as a reminder of its substantial history. Its narrow streets are home to some of the most important Roman ruins in Lombardy and an extraordinary circular Romanesque church.

Sights

Monastero di Santa Giulia CONVENT, MUSEUM

( 030 297 78 34; www.bresciamusei.com; Via dei Musei 81b; adult/reduced €8/6, temporary exhibitions extra; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun May-Sep, to 5.30pm Oct-Apr) The rambling Monastero di Santa Giulia and Basilica di San Salvatore is Brescia’s single-most interesting sight. It houses the Museo della Città , the city museum, with collections that run the gamut from prehistory to the age of Venetian dominance.

The building of the monastery, which was begun as early as the 8th century, absorbed two domus (villas), which were left standing in what would become the monk’s garden (Ortaglia) near the north cloister. The remains are known as the Domus dell’Ortaglia and have been protected by the monastery walls through the centuries. Their beautiful floor mosaics and colourful frescoes are the highlight of the museum.

The other star piece is the 8th-century Croce di Desiderio, a Lombard cross encrusted with hundreds of jewels.

Piazza Paolo VI PIAZZA

The most compelling of Brescia’s religious monuments is the 11th-century Duomo Vecchio (Old Cathedral; Piazza Paolo VI; 9am-noon & 3-7pm Tue-Sun) , a rare example of a circular-plan Romanesque basilica, built over a 6th-century church. Interesting features include fragmentary floor mosaics and the elaborate 14th-century sarcophagus of Bishop Berado Maggi.

Next door, the Duomo Nuovo (New Cathedral; Piazza Paolo VI; 7.30am-noon & 4-7pm Mon-Sat, 8am-1pm & 4-7pm Sun) , dating from 1604, dwarfs its ancient neighbour but is of less interest.

Museo Mille Miglia MUSEUM

( 030 33 65 31; www.museomillemiglia.it; Viale della Rimembranza 3; adult/reduced €10/8; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun) The Mille Miglia was a classic 1000-mile (1600km) Italian car race that ran between 1927 and 1957. It started and ended in Brescia and was finally cancelled in 1957 after 11 spectators died. Nowadays a nostalgia race featuring vintage cars is held annually in May (www.1000miglia.eu).

The colourful museum, loaded with some great cars to cross the finish line, is housed outside central Brescia in the 11th-century Monastero di Sant’Eufemia della Fonte. As well as admiring the selection of racing cars, old-style petrol pumps and other paraphernalia, you can listen to audio material and watch race films.

Sleeping & Eating

Albergo Orologio BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

( 030 375 54 11; www.albergoorologio.it; Via Beccaria 17; s €90-115, d €125-130; ) Fine art and art works alongside soft-hued gold and olive-green furnishings and terracotta floors make this boutique hotel a gem. It’s right by its namesake clock tower in the pedestrianised old town.

Osteria al Bianchi OSTERIA €€

( 030 29 23 28; www.osteriaalbianchi.it; Via Gasparo da Salò 32; meals €20; Thu-Mon) Crowd inside this classic old bar – in business since 1880 – and try for a seat at one of a handful of marble tables. Or head out back for a plate of pappardelle al Taleggio e zucca (broad ribbon pasta with Taleggio cheese and pumpkin), followed by house specialities such as pestöm (minced pork meat served with polenta).

Information

Info Point ( 030 240 03 57; www.bresciatourism.it; Largo Formentone; 9.30am-6.30pm Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm Sun)

Getting There & Around

Bus station ( 030 4 49 15; Via Solferino) Buses operated by SAIA Trasporti ( 800 88 39 99; www.saiatrasporti.it, in Italian) serve destinations throughout the province including Desenzano del Garda and Mantua. Some leave from another station off Via della Stazione.

Train station ( 030 4 41 08; Viale della Stazione 7) Situated on the Milan–Venice line, with regular services to Milan (€6.25 to €18, 45 minutes to 1¼ hours) and Verona (€4.85, 40 minutes). There are also secondary lines to Cremona, Bergamo and Parma.

Mantua

POP 48,325

As serene as the three lakes it sits beside, Mantua (Mantova) is home to sumptuous ducal palaces and a string of atmospheric, cobbled squares. Settled by the Etruscans in the 10th century, Mantua and its surrounding farmland has long been prosperous. The Latin poet Virgil was born just outside the modern town in 70 BC, and the city preserves its long and illustrious antique timeline in its art and architecture, from austere medieval frescoes and soaring Gothic facades to Renaissance paintings and ornate baroque interiors. In 1328 the city fell to the Gonzaga dynasty, under whose rule it flourished until the Austrians seized control in 1708.

But despite its Unesco World Heritage credentials, Mantua is also a city in which to experience an unchanging slice of Lombard life. Relaxed, cultured and charming, its vibrant streets are home to daily markets and some of the region’s best restaurants.

Sights

Palazzo Ducale PALAZZO

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( 0376 224 832; www.mantovaducale.benicultura.it; Piazza Sordello 40; adult/reduced €6.50/3.25; 8.15am-7.15pm Tue-Sun) The 32,000-sq-metre ducal palace of the Gonzaga family has over 500 rooms, three squares and 15 courtyards occupying a huge area of the city’s northeastern corner. In an orgy of self-aggrandisement, the Gonzagas commissioned the cream of the era’s artists to decorate the palace – the result is some 40 display rooms featuring works by Pisanello, Giulio Romano, Andrea Mantegna and Giulio Rubens. During busy periods you may have to book to see the biggest draw – the wonderful mid-15th-century frescoes by Mantegna in the Camera degli Sposi (Bridal Chamber). Other rooms worth pausing over include the Sala del Pisanello , decorated with unfinished 15th-century frescoes of Arthurian legends by Pisanello, and the Camera dello Zodiaco , with its magnificent deep-blue ceiling festooned with figures from the zodiac. Equally bizarre is the 18th-century Sala dei Fiumi , a Habsburg-era folly with artificial grottoes covered in shells and mosaic. No photography is allowed.

Mantua

Top Sights

Palazzo Ducale F3

Sights

1  Basilica di Sant'Andrea D4

2  Teatro Bibiena F4

Activities, Courses & Tours

3  Motonavi Andes F2

Sleeping

4  C'A Delle Erbe E4

5  Hotel Broletto E3

Eating

6  Caravatti E4

7  Fragoletta Antica F4

8  II CignoC3

9  La Ducale D4

10  L'Ochina Bianca D2

11  Pavesi E3

Palazzo Te PALAZZO

( 0376 32 32 66; www.palazzote.it; Viale Te; adult/reduced €8/5; 1-6pm Mon, 9am-6pm Tue-Sun) Hardly more modest in scale, the Gonzagas’ suburban villa where Duke Federico II could meet his mistress, Isabella Boschetti, is decorated in playboy style with stunning frescoes, playful motifs and encoded symbols. Look out for Federico’s device, a salamander, in the Camera delle Imprese . It bears the inscription quod hic deest, me torquet (‘what you lack, torments me’), playing on the conceit of Federico’s notoriously passionate nature compared with the cold-blooded salamander.

Some of the best frescoes can be found in the Camera di Amore e Psiche (Chamber of Cupid and Psyche), where the palace’s amorous theme is far from subtle. The most impressive room, though, is the overwhelming Camera dei Giganti (Chamber of the Giants). Here the towering figures of the rebel Titans cover every inch of wall, collapsing under the weight of huge celestial pillars in punishment for their assault against Mount Olympus.

Teatro Bibiena THEATRE

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( 0376 32 76 53; www.societadellamusica.it; Via dell’Accademia 47; adult/child €2/1.20; 9.30am-12.30pm & 3-6pm Tue-Sun) If ever a theatre was set to upstage the actors, it’s the 18th-century Teatro Bibiena. Its design is highly unusual: a bell-shaped four storeys of intimate, gilded balconies interspersed with tiny candelabra-lined curving walls. The theatre’s shape was intended to allow its patrons to be seen – balconies even fill the wall behind the stage. Just a few weeks after it opened in 1769, the theatre hosted a concert by the 14-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It’s undoubtedly one of Mantua’s hidden gems.

Basilica di Sant’Andrea BASILICA

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( 0376 32 85 04; Piazza Andrea Mantegna; admission free; 8am-noon & 3-7pm Mon-Fri, 10.30am-noon & 3-6pm Sat, 11.45am-12.15pm & 3-6pm Sun) The elaborate baroque cupola of Basilica di Sant’Andrea lords it over the city. Designed by Leon Battista Alberti in 1472, it safeguards golden vessels said to hold earth soaked by the blood of Christ. Longinus, the Roman soldier who speared Christ on the cross, is said to have scooped up the earth and buried it in Mantua after leaving Palestine. Today, these containers rest beneath a marble octagon in front of the altar and are paraded around the town in a grand procession on Good Friday.

The first chapel on the left as you enter contains the tomb of the celebrated fresco artist Andrea Mantegna.

Activities

On a sunny day the people of Mantua head for the waterfront. The compact shore of Lago Mezzo , complete with the child-friendly Parco della Scienza (outdoor science park), is the most crowded; the quieter path beside Lago Superiore meanders amid reed beds and wading birds before petering out, while the shore of Lago Inferiore brings broad views. At all three you’ll find waterside snack bars.

Boat Tours

Motonavi Andes Offline map Google map ( 0376 36 08 70; www.motonaviandes.it; Via San Giorgio 2) organises a variety of boat tours of the lakes (from €8 for 1½ hours), including a five-hour excursion to the Benedictine abbey of San Benedetto Po (€14-16 one way) and day trips to Venice (€77-84). Boats arrive/depart from the Imbarco Motonavi Andes, behind Castello di San Giorgio on Lago di Mezzo’s shore.

Cycling

The tourist office stocks a booklet in English detailing cycling itineraries along the Po river in the Parco del Mincio ( 0376 22 83 20; www.parcodelmincio.it; Piazza Porta Giulia 10, Cittadella) and around the lakes. Rent bikes from La Rigola ( 0376 36 66 77; Via Trieste 7; per day from €10) .

Festivals & Events

Festivaletteratura CULTURAL

(www.festivaletteratura.it) For five days each September Mantua is taken over by this literature festival, featuring bookstalls and readings.

Mantova Jazz MUSIC

(www.mantovajazz.it) This annual jazz fest runs from late March to early May with performances at a variety of venues

Sleeping

C’A Delle Erbe B&B €€

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( 0376 22 61 61; www.cadelleerbe.it; Via Broletto 24; r €60-180; ) With an unbeatable location in the heart of old Mantua, this 16th-century town house offers fantastic value accommodation. The sensitive conversion teams ancient, exposed-brick walls and beams with modern art and frosted-glass bathroom cubicles fitted with huge rain showers. Ask for the room with the balcony overlooking Piazza delle Erbe.

Casa Poli BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€€

( 0376 288 170; www.hotelcasapoli.it; Corso Garibaldi 32; d €170-240; ) Housed in an elegant town house on Corso Garibaldi, Casa Poli is a boutique hotel with a modern bent. Rooms and public areas are styled in a soothing colour scheme of dove-grey, cream and beige with the occasional splash of colour. Imaginative touches are everywhere, from tucked-away TVs to room numbers projected onto the floor.

Hotel Broletto HOTEL €€

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( 0376 22 36 78; www.hotelbroletto.com; Via dell’Accademia 1; s €60-90, d €95-130, tr €130-190; ) A comfortable, well-priced hotel just off Piazza Broletto, 100m from the lake.

Eating

Mantua and the surrounding region is a gastronomic destination. Mantua’s most famous dish is tortelli di zucca (melt-in-your-mouth pumpkin-stuffed cushions of pasta). Pork also features heavily on the menu; look out for salumi (salt port), prosciutto crudo (salt-cured ham) and risotto alla pilota (risotto with minced pork). Many dishes are accompanied by a sweet mustard, mostarda di mele or mantovana (made with apples or pears). Sweet specialities include torta di tagliatelle (crunchy tagliatelle baked with sugar and almonds) and torta sbrisolona (a hard biscuit with almonds).

Pick up sweet local treats from Caravatti Offline map Google map (Piazza delle Erbe 18) or La Ducale Offline map Google map (Via Pier Fortunato Calvi 25) , both dating from 1865, or the friendly Pavesi Offline map Google map (cnr Via dell’Accademia & Via Broletto) .

Il Cigno MANTUAN €€€

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( 0376 32 71 01; Piazza d’Arco 1; meals €55-65; Wed-Sun) The building is as beautiful as the food is elegant: a lemon-yellow facade with shutters, and dining rooms adorned with antiques and Venetian glassware. Order the delicately steamed risotto with spring greens, the poached cod with polenta or the gamey guinea fowl with spicy Mantuan mustard. The extensive wine list includes fine Bardolino vintages.

Fragoletta Antica TRATTORIA €€

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( 0376 32 33 00; www.fragoletta.it; Piazza Arche 5; meals €35; Tue-Sun; ) Wooden chairs scrape against the tiled floor as diners eagerly tuck into Slow Food–accredited culatello di zibello (prosciutto) at this friendly trattoria. Other Mantuan specials such as risotto alla pilota and perfectly seasoned steaks feature on the menu. Dine in the back room with its bright homemade art amid stacks of wine cases.

Antica Osteria ai Ranari OSTERIA €€

( 0376 32 84 31; www.ranari.it; Via Trieste 11; meals €30-35; Tue-Sun) Situated on the river at the mouth of Lago Superiore, Ranari used to be a local laundry. The menu is strictly seasonal and local, featuring dishes such as duck ravioli, donkey stew, steamed snails and risotto alla pilota . Wash it all down with a cheerful Lambrusco or a more sophisticated Soave.

L’Ochina Bianca OSTERIA €€

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( 0376 323 700; www.ochinabianca.it; Via Finzi 2; meals €35-40; Tue-Sat, lunch Sun) Stone floors scattered with rugs and walls hung with antique plates give an indication of the warm atmosphere inside. Quality ingredients help create memorable dishes, with an emphasis on seafood. Try the scallops on spinach with butter and cinnamon or the tuna with peppers and tomatoes.

Information

Ospedale Carlo Pola ( 0376 20 11; Via Albertoni 1) Hospital.

Police station ( 0376 32 70 22; Piazza Sordello 46)

Tourist office ( 0376 43 24 32; www.turismo.mantova.it; Piazza Mantegna 6; 9am-6pm)

Getting There & Around

Bus station ( 0376 23 03 46; www.apam.it; Piazza Don Leoni) Buses to Sabbioneta, San Benedetto Po and Brescia are run by APAM . Most leave from Piazza Don Leoni, but some leave from Viale Risorgimento.

Train station (Piazza Don Leoni) Regular services to Cremona (€5.20, 40 to 60 minutes), Milan (€9.85, two hours) and Verona (€2.60, 50 minutes).

Cremona

POP 72,250

A wealthy, independent city-state for centuries, Cremona boasts some fine architecture. The city is best known around the world, however, for its violin-making traditions.

Sights

Piazza del Comune PIAZZA

This beautiful pedestrianised square is considered one of the best-preserved medieval squares in Italy. To maintain the difference between the secular and spiritual, buildings connected with the Church were erected on the eastern side of the Piazza del Comune, and those concerned with secular affairs were constructed on the opposite side. On Sundays, the piazza is filled with antique stalls.

The business of city government was and still is carried out in the Palazzo Comunale . Begun in the 13th century, the arcaded walkways and courtyards were gradually extended. On the central pillar of the main facade, a marble Arengario (balcony from which decrees were issued and speeches given) was added in 1507. South across the lane, the Loggia di Militi is a Gothic gem built in 1292, where the captains of the citizen militia would meet.

Cattedrale CATHEDRAL

( 0372 2 73 86; www.cattedraledicremona.it, in Italian; Piazza del Comune; 7.30am-noon & 3.30-7pm) Cremona’s stately cathedral started out as a Romanesque basilica, but by the time it was finished in 1190 it was heavily overtaken by Gothic modishness. The interior is adorned with rich frescoes and paintings. The central nave and apse, in particular, flaunt a series of scenes dedicated to the lives of the Virgin Mary and Christ. The local Ferrara-born Renaissance master Boccaccio Boccaccino carried out many of them. Elegant though his compositions are, it is the Storie di Cristo (Stories of Christ) by Pordenone that stand out.

The cathedral’s most prized possession is the ‘Holy Thorn’, allegedly from the Crown of Thorns worn by Jesus Christ, which was donated to the church by Cremona-born Pope Gregory XIV in 1591. It’s kept behind bars in the Capella delle Reliquie . In the crypt , the robed and masked body of Cremona’s 12th-century patron saint, Sant’Omobono Tucenghi, is on show in a glass casket.

CREMONA’S VIOLINS

It was in Cremona that master craftsman Antonio Stradivari lovingly put together his first Stradivarius violins, helping establish a tradition that continues today. The Stradivarius violin is typically made from spruce (the top), willow (the internal blocks and linings) and maple (the back, ribs and neck) and is prized the world over for its unique sound quality, attributed to the peculiar density of the wood used and possibly the unique treatment and varnish Stradivari applied.

The 500 instruments that still survive command staggering prices, running from the hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars. Following the devastating Japanese earthquake and tsunami in 2011 the Nippon Music Foundation sold the 1721 ‘Lady Blunt’ violin (so called as it was owned by Byron’s granddaughter Lady Anne Blunt) at a fundraising auction for $15.9 million.

But Stradivari was by no means the only master craftsman in Cremona. Other great violin-making dynasties that started here include the Amati and Guarneri families, and even today some 100 violin-making workshops cluster in the streets around the Piazza del Comune. Stop by the tourist office or check out www.cremonaliuteria.it for more information and a list of addresses.

Various events dedicated to violin-making take place each year, while the Triennale Internazionale degli Strumenti ad Arco (International Stringed Instrument Expo; www.entetriennale.com) is held in Cremona every third year in September or October; the next will be in 2012.

Year-round you can visit the Collezione gli Archi di Palazzo Comunale ( 0372 40 70 33; http://musei.comune.cremona.it; Piazza del Comune 8; adult/reduced €6/4; 9am-6pm Tue-Sat, 10am-6pm Sun) , featuring instruments from the Stradivari workshop. The Museo Civico ( 0372 3 12 22; Via Ugolani Dati 4; adult/reduced €7/5; 9am-6pm Tue-Sat, 10am-6pm Sun) displays drawings and tools as well as instruments by Amati and Guarneri.

To hear Cremona’s violins in action, head to the 19th-century Teatro Amilcare Ponchielli ( 0372 02 20 01; www.teatroponchielli.it; Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 52) , whose season runs from October to June.

Festivals & Events

Festival di Cremona Claudio Monteverdi MUSIC

(www.teatroponchielli.it) A month-long series of concerts centred on Claudio Monteverdi and other baroque-era composers held in early May.

Festa del Torrone FOOD

(www.festadeltorronecremona.it) In late November the city centre is given over to various exhibitions and tastings of Cremona’s torrone (nougat).

Sleeping & Eating

Dellearti Design Hotel DESIGN HOTEL €€

( 0372 2 31 31; www.dellearti.com; Via Bonomelli 8; s/d €119/169; ) This rather self-consciously hi-tech vision of glass, concrete and steel has rotating displays of contemporary paintings and photographs, a Turkish bath, gym and suitably chic rooms with clean lines, bold colours and artistic lighting. For those who want to feel like they never left the fashion crowd in Milan, this could be the place.

Hosteria 700 TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 0372 3 61 75; www.hosteria700.it; Piazza Gallina 1; meals €25-30; Wed-Sun, lunch Mon) Behind the dilapidated facade lurks a series of vaulted rooms, some with ceiling frescoes. It sets a romantic scene for hearty Lombard cooking. Try the marubini al brodo o al burro fuso (meat- and cheese-stuffed discs of pasta in broth or melted butter), a Cremona speciality.

La Sosta OSTERIA €€

( 0372 45 66 56; Via Vescovo Sicardo 9; meals €30-35; Tue-Sat, lunch Sun Sep-Jun) Surrounded by violin-makers’ workshops, this is a beautiful place to feast on regional delicacies, such as bollito (boiled meats) and cotechino (boiled pork sausage) with polenta and Cremona’s sweet mustard. Snail lovers might also be tempted by a plate prepared with spinach.

Information

Tourist office ( 0372 2 32 33; http://turismo.comune.cremona.it; Piazza del Comune 5; 9am-noon & 3-6pm)

Getting There & Away

Train station (Via Dante) Cremona is connected to Pavia, Mantua, Brescia and Piacenza. Trains to Milan (€7.80, one hour 10 minutes) and Mantua (€5.20, 40 to 60 minutes) run regularly.

Top of section

Trento & the Dolomites

POP: 1.03 MILLION / AREA 13,613 SQ KM

Includes »

Trento

Rovereto

Brenta Dolomites

Val di Non, Val di Sole & Val di Rabbi

Bolzano (Bozen)

Merano (Meran)

Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio

Val Gardena (Gröden/Gherdëina)

Alpe di Siusi Naturale Sciliar-Catinaccio

Val Badia & Alpe di Fanes

Val Pusteria (Pustertal)

Why Go?

While they’re not Italy’s tallest mountains, the Dolomites’ red-hued pinnacles are the country’s most spectacular, drawing a faithful fan club of hikers, skiers, poets and fresh-air fanciers for at least the last few centuries. Protected by seven natural parks, the two semi-autonomous provinces of Trentino and Alto Adige offer up a number of stunning wilderness areas, where adventure and comfort can be found in equal measure. Wooden farmhouses dot vine- and orchard-covered valleys and the region’s cities – the southerly Italian enclave of Trento, the Austro-Italian Bolzano and the very Viennese Merano – are easy to navigate, cultured and fun.

From five-star spa resorts to the humblest mountain hut, multi-generational hoteliers combine genuine warmth with extreme professionalism. Nowhere are the oft-muddled borders of Italy’s extreme north reflected more strongly than on the plate: don’t miss out on tasting one of Europe’s most fascinating cultural juxtapositions.

When to Go

Jan Grab a bargain on the slopes in early winter.

Jul Hit the high-altitude trails and mountain huts of the Alta Vie.

Dec Get festive at Tyrolean Christmas markets in Bolzano, Merano and Bressanone.

Best Places to Eat

» Kallmünz ( Click here )

» Scrigno del Duomo ( Click here )

» Stüa de Michil ( Click here )

» El Molin ( Click here )

» Acherer Patisserie & Blumen (Click here )

Best Places to Stay

» Lagacio Mountain Residence (Click here )

» Hotel Terme Merano ( Click here )

» Hotel Greif ( Click here )

» Park Hotel Azalea ( Click here )

Planning Your Trip

The ski season runs from early December to early April, with the high season taking in mid-December to early January and the last two weeks of February (then count on a gobsmackingly ultrahigh season between Christmas and New Year). Summer rates fall considerably, with the exception of August. Most Alpine resorts shut up shop in April/May and October/November, though making a base in the town during these times can mean some splendidly uncrowded trails or touring. Rifugi (mountain huts) open from the end of June to September, offering meals and accommodation for walkers and mountain bikers.

WINTER WONDERLAND, SUMMER LOVE

The jagged peaks of the Dolomites, or Dolomiti, span the provinces of Trentino and Alto Adige, jutting into neighbouring Veneto. Europeans flock here for highly hospitable resorts that can’t be beaten for their sublime natural settings and for their extensive, well-coordinated ski networks. Come for downhill, cross-country and snowboarding or get ready for sci alpinismo, an adrenalin-spiking mix of skiing and mountaineering, freeride and a range of other winter adventure sports. You’ll also never be far from a bolstering plate of dumplings, gulasch or pasta and a glass of excellent local wine (you are in Italy after all).

The region’s two flexible passes are Dolomiti Superski (www.dolomitisuperski.com; 1-/3-/6-day pass €42/116/205) , covering the east, with access to 450 lifts and some 1200km of ski runs spread over 12 resorts, and Superskirama (www.skirama.it; 3-/6-day pass €106/192) , covering the western Brenta Dolomites, with 150 lifts, 380km of slopes and eight resorts.

In summer, come for rafting, mountain biking, Nordic walking and rock climbing (and look forward to pit stops at the region’s famously hospitable rifugi – mountain huts). Road cycling is also big: Trentino has 400km of paved cycling paths and Bolzano is not far behind.

Sella’s Circle

The Sella Ronda, a 40km circumnavigation of the Gruppo di Sella range (3151m, at Piz Boé) – linked by various cable cars and chairlifts – is one of the Alps’ iconic ski routes. The tour takes in four passes and the four surrounding valleys – the Val Gardena, Val Badia, Arabba (in the Veneto) and Val di Fassa – all of them definitely, delightfully, Ladin. Kicking off from Selva (1565m), experienced skiers can complete the clockwise (orange) or anticlockwise (green) route in a day. In summer, the same trails are utilised by mountain bikers and there’s a hop-on, hop-off bus for walkers.

KNOW YOUR LADIN

» Bun dé Good morning

» Prëibel Please

» Dilan Thank you

» Bëgnodüs! You ’ re welcome

Fluent & Fluid

Trentino’s first language is Italian but head north to Alto Adige (Südtirol) and you’ll find 75% of the population are German speakers, a legacy of the region’s Austro-Hungarian past. The Ladin language is spoken in both provinces, across five eastern Dolomiti valleys; it’s a direct descendant of provincial Latin.

Hiking Highs

» Alpe di Siusi, Sciliar and Catinaccio group

» Brenta Dolomites

» Gruppo del Sella

» Pale di San Martino

» Sesto Dolomites

» Val di Genova/Adamello group

Resources

» Find a mountain guide at www.bergfuehrer-suedtirol.it.

» Lonely Planet’s Hiking in Italy details five classic Dolomites hikes.

» Cicerone (www.cicerone.co.uk) publishes specialist guides.

Trento & the Dolomites Highlights

Work up a high-altitude appetite on the slopes, then hit the fine-dining hot spot of Alta Badia (Click here )

Be enchanted by the endless green pastures of the Alpe di Siusi (Click here )

Test your mettle on a vertiginous via ferrata (Click here ) in the Brenta Dolomites

Sip a Veneziana spritzer on a frescoed piazza in Trento (Click here )

Float away beneath palm trees and snowy peaks at Terme Merano (Click here )

Uncover excellent contemporary art collections in Rovereto (Click here ), Bolzano (Click here ) and Merano (Click here )

Discover Italy’s most elegant white wines along the Weinstrasse (Click here )

Get high above Bolzano’s pretty streets on one of its three cable cars (Click here )

Feast your way through schnitzel and spätzle , strudel and knödel in the Val Pusteria ( Click here )

Mountain bike the apple-clad hills of the Val di Sole ( Click here )

TRENTINO

Trento

POP 115,511 / ELEV 194M

Trento rarely makes the news these days, but that wasn’t the case in the mid-16th century. During the tumultuous years of the Counter-Reformation, the Council of Trent convened here, dishing out far-reaching condemnations to uppity Protestants. Modern Trento is less preachy: quietly confident, liberal and easy to like. Bicycles glide along spotless streets fanning out from the atmospheric, intimate Piazza del Duomo, sporty students clink spritzers by Renaissance fountains and a dozen historical eras intermingle seamlessly amid stone castles, shady porticoes and the city’s signature medieval frescoes. While not as Teutonic as Bolzano or Merano, Trentino has its share of Austrian influence: apple strudel is ubiquitous and beer halls not uncommon. Set in a wide glacial valley guarded by the crenulated peaks of the Brenta Dolomites, amid a patchwork of vineyards and apple orchards, it’s a perfect jumping-off point for hiking, biking, skiing or wine tasting.

Sights

Look out for helpful plaques that indicate the historical era that various buildings belong to (often several at once in this many-layered city).

Trento

Top Sights

Casa Cazuffi-Rella C3

Castello del Buonconsiglio D2

Duomo C4

Funivia Trento-Sardagna A2

Sights

1  Badia di San Lorenzo B2

2  Fontana di Nettuno C3

3 Magno PalazzoD2

4  Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea Trento A5

5  Museo Diocesano Tridentino C3

6  Palazzo Trentini C2

7 Tridentum La Città SotterraneaC2

Activities, Courses & Tours

8  Società degli Alpinisti Tridentini C2

Sleeping

9  Albergo Accademia B3

10  Hotel Venezia C3

11  Ostello Giovane Europa B2

Eating

12  Ai Tre Garofani C4

13  Al Tino C4

14  Pedavena C4

15  Scrigno del Duomo C3

16  Uva et Mente D4

Drinking

17  Casa del Caffe C3

Funivia Trento-Sardagna CABLE CAR

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( 0461 23 21 54; Via Montegrappa 1; one way €1; 7am-10pm, 15min/half-hourly) A brief but spectacular cable-car ride from Trento’s valley floor delivers you to a pretty village – admire the vista over a grappa or two.

TRENTO CARD

Available from the tourist office and museums, this card (adult plus one child 24/48 hours €10/15) gets you free entry to city museums and the Botanical Alpine Gardens, free public transport – including the Trento –Sardagna cable car – wine tastings and cellar tours, bike hire and a raft of discounts. The 48-hour card also includes free entrance to MART Rovereto, Castel Thun and other regional museums.

Castello del Buonconsiglio MUSEUM

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( 0461 23 37 70; www.buonconsiglio.it; Via Clesio 5; adult/reduced €8/5; 10am-5pm Wed-Mon) Guarded by hulking fortifications, Trento’s bishop-princes holed up here until Napoleon’s arrival in 1801. Behind the walls are the original 13th-century castle, the Castelvecchio, and the Renaissance residence Magno Palazzo, which provides an atmospheric backdrop for a varied collection of artefacts and hosts temporary exhibitions.

Duomo CATHEDRAL

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( 6.30am-noon & 2-8pm) Once host to the Council of Trent, this dimly lit Romanesque cathedral displays fragments of medieval frescoes inside its transepts. Two colonnaded stairways flank its nave, leading, it seems, to heaven. Built over a 6th-century temple devoted to San Vigilio, patron saint of Trento, the foundations form part of a palaeo-Christian archaeological area (admission €1.50).

Museo Diocesano Tridentino MUSEUM

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( 0461 23 44 19; Piazza del Duomo 18; incl Duomo’s archaeological area adult/reduced €4/2.50; 9.30am-12.30pm & 2.30-6pm Wed-Mon) Sitting across the square from the duomo is Palazzo Pretorio, the former bishop’s residence, dating from the 11th century. It now houses one of Italy’s most important ecclesiastical collections, with enormous documentary paintings of the Council of Trent, along with Flemish tapestries, illustrated manuscripts, vestments and some particularly opulent reliquaries.

Piazza del Duomo PIAZZA

Trento’s heart is this busy yet intimate piazza, dominated, of course, by the duomo , but also host to the Fontana di Nettuno Offline map Google map , a flashy late-baroque fountain rather whimsically dedicated to Neptune. Don’t miss the intricate, allegorical frescoes that fill the 16th-century facades of the Casa Cazuffi-Rella Offline map Google map , on the piazza’s northern side.

Tridentum La Città Sotterranea ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

( 0461 23 01 71; Piazza Battisti; adult/reduced €2/1; 9am-noon & 2-5.30pm Oct-May, 9.30am-1pm & 2-6pm Jun-Sep, Tue-Sun) Explore Roman Tridentum’s city walls, paved streets, a tower, domestic mosaics, and a workshop. The site was discovered less than two decades ago, during restoration works on the nearby theatre.

Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea Trento ART GALLERY

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(MART; 0424 60 04 35; Via Sanseverino 45; adult/reduced €6/4; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun) MART’s Trento outpost in the Palazzo delle Albere – due to reopen in late 2012 after extensive refurbishment – specialises in 19th- and early 20th-century Impressionist and symbolist paintings by Trentino artists. Look out for the colourful fragmentary frescoes on the walls.

Badia di San Lorenzo CHURCH

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(Via Andrea Pozzo 2; 6.30am-noon & 3-7pm) This 12th-century church epitomises the calm simplicity and harmonious proportions of its Bergameschi Benedictine builders. Look up to the cross-vaulting, touchingly festooned with rust-red stars.

Palazzo Trentini ART GALLERY

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(0461 49 51 11; via Manci 27; 10am-6pm Mon-Sat) This recently renovated palazzo (mansion) houses the city council’s gallery and stages excellent, often internationally significant shows.

Activities

The small ski station of Vaneze di Monte (1350m) is a 17km winding drive from Trento and is connected by cable car to its higher counterpart, Vasòn , and the gentle slopes of Monte Bondone (1537m; www.montebondone.it) . Criss-crossed by 37km of cross-country ski trails and nine downhill runs in winter, Monte Bondone’s pristine slopes are also home to the Giardino Alpine Botanico (Botanical Alpine Gardens; 0461 94 80 50; Viote de Monte Bondone; adult/reduced €3.50/2.50; 9am-noon & 2-5pm Jun & Sep, 9am-noon & 2-6pm Jul-Aug) , with a collection of Alpine plants from across Europe, as well as an indigenous nature trail. On weekends between December and March, Skibus Monte Bondone, run by Trentino Trasporti, wends its way from Trento to Vaneze (€1.50 one way).

For walking information, including suggested itineraries, vie ferrate (trails with permanent cables and ladders) and rifugi (mountain huts) in Trentino, visit the local Società degli Alpinisti Tridentini Offline map (SAT; 0461 98 18 71; www.sat.tn.it; Via Manci 57; 9am-noon & 3-10pm Mon-Fri) , staffed by friendly mountaineers.

Tours

The tourist office runs two-hour guided walking tours of the city centre and Castello del Buonconsiglio (€4) every Saturday morning and on Thursdays in July and August.

Sleeping

Elisa B&B B&B €

( 0461 92 21 33; www.bbelisa.com; Viale Rovereto 17; s/d €60/90; ) This is a true B&B in an architect’s family home, with three private and stylish rooms and a charming host who dispenses organic breakfasts (home-baked cakes, freshly squeezed juice, artisanal cheese), along with invaluable local tips. There’s a mini-kitchen for guests’ use and the bathrooms are large. It’s located in a quiet residential neighbourhood, a pleasant stroll from the city centre, with lots of eating, shopping and drinking options along the way.

HINTERLAND SLEEPS

Central hotels book out in early June, when the Festival Economia (2012.festivaleconomia.eu) comes to town, and for other occasional conferences. Trentino Agritur ( 0461 23 53 23; www.agriturismotrentino.com, in Italian; Via Aconcio 13, Trento; 9am-noon Mon-Fri) can put you in touch with rural B&Bs and agriturismi (farm stay accommodation), often only a short drive from the city.

Albergo Accademia HOTEL €€

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( 0461 23 36 00; www.accademiahotel.it; Vicolo Colico 4/6; s €82-105, d €145-165; ) Elegant small hotel in a historic medieval house with rooms that are modern and airy (if a little on the staid side). Suites are luxuriously spacious and there’s a great roof terrace that can be booked for private dinner parties.

Hotel Venezia HOTEL €

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( 0461 23 41 14; www.hotelveneziatn.it; Piazza del Duomo 45; s €55, d with/without bathroom €76/59) Friendly Venezia’s rooms overlook either the Piazza del Duomo or pretty Via Belanzani. It’s basic, but parquetry floors and dark- timber furniture lend it a cosy, atmospheric feel.

Ostello Giovane Europa HOSTEL €

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( 0461 26 34 84; www.gayaproject.org; Via Torre Vanga 9; dm/s/d €16/26/43; reception 5am-10pm) This squeaky-clean place is bang in the middle of town and just a few minutes’ walk from the main train station (convenient, yes, but also noisy). Rooms are comfortable and some have balconies and mountain views.

Eating & Drinking

Trento’s table is a hearty one and draws many of its ingredients – beef, game, fresh cheeses, mushrooms – from its fertile hinterland. There’s a lot of cross-cultural traffic too: cotoletta (schnitzel) and canederli (dumplings) are decidedly northern, while polenta and asparagus speak of the Veneto and Garda’s olive oil of the Mediterranean. Bakeries brim with apple strudel, but don’t overlook the local carrot cake – sans the cinnamon of its Anglo-American cousin. Wines to look out for include Trento DOC, a sparkling wine made from chardonnay grapes, the white Nosiola and the extremely drinkable red, Teroldego Rotaliano DOC. Trentino’s smartly bottled Surgiva mineral water is considered one of Italy’s best, for taste and purity.

There are plenty of supermarkets and delis in the centre and along Corso III Novembre for self-catering.

Ai Tre Garofani MODERN TRENTINI €€

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( 0461 23 75 43; Via Mazzini 33; meals €35-50; Tue-Sat) While the dining room vibes are traditional – a low-beamed ceiling and deep drapery – the staff here are far from it. Young, creative and unpretentious, they deliver a dining experience full of life and local colour. Diners are welcomed with a glass of prosecco (a type of sparkling wine), an amuse-bouche (perhaps a little cup of potato cream with Garda olive oil) and house-made breads – local milk, potato, and dark grained. Alpine mugo pine scents a tagliatelle (ribbon pasta), rabbit is served with chestnut honey and an impossibly tender venison fillet sits on celeriac mash. Wines are well chosen and, of course, local.

Scrigno del Duomo GASTRONOMIC €€€

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( 0461 22 00 30; www.scrignodelduomo.com; Piazza del Duomo 29; meals €35, degustations from €50; upstairs lunch & dinner daily, downstairs lunch Tue-Fri & Sun, dinner Tue-Sun) Trento’s culinary epicentre is discreetly housed behind a solid wall in a building dating back to the 1200s. Take the stairs down to the formal diner, with its glassed-in Roman-era cellar. Or stay upstairs underneath the beautiful painted wooden ceiling. Here it’s a stylish turn on local specialities – organic beef carpaccio, lake fish, asparagus lasagne with puzzone cheese from Moena, thyme-scented crème brûlée – many made with ‘0km’-sourced produce. A wine at the bar, with Scrigno’s baton-like grissini (Turin-style breadstick) for amusement, is always an option too, and staff wine recommendations are spot on.

Uva et Mente PIZZERIA €

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( 0461 190 31 62; Via Dietro le Mura A 35; pizzas €7, meals €15-30; to midnight Tue-Sun) A bustling basement with fresh, interesting mains, pastas and risottos, good pizzas and a dedicated beer menu. Pizzas can be ordered wholemeal or gluten-free (try to book ahead for these), and there’s an €8 lunch deal.

Pedavena BREWERY €

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( 0461 98 62 55; Piazza di Fiera 13; meals €18-30; Wed-Mon) Proudly crowd-pleasing and perennially popular, this sprawling 1920s beer hall (complete with fermenting brew in the corner) serves up the comfort food you’d expect: bratwurst, schnitzel and steaming plates of polenta with mushroom stew and slabs of melty white tosella cheese.

Al Tino TRENTINI €

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( 0461 98 41 09; Via San Trinita 10; meals €18-25) Al Tino has a sweet old-fashioned dining room and service to match, with a menu dedicated to traditional dishes such as barley soup, canederli in brodo (dumplings in broth) and pork chops. Opens early – 6.45pm – for dinner.

Casa del Caffe CAFE

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(Via San Pietro 38; Mon-Sat) Follow your nose to this wonderful coffee bar and provedore for Trento’s best espresso. Beans are roasted on the premises and the crowded shelves feature some of the country’s best boutique chocolate.

Osteria della Mal’Ombra BAR

(www.osteriadellamalombra.com; Corso III Novembre 43; 8am-1am Mon-Sat) Join the locals for good wines and grappas, possibly some spirited political debate and, on Tuesdays, music.

Information

Hospital ( 0461 90 31 11; Largo Medaglie d’Oro 9)

Police station ( 0461 89 95 11; Piazza della Mostra 3)

Tourist office ( 0461 21 60 00; www.apt.trento.it; Via Manci 2; 9am-7pm)

Getting There & Away

Trento is well connected. Regular trains leave the main train station (Piazza Dante) for the following destinations:

Bologna (€11.30, 3¼ hours, every two hours)

Bolzano (€3.35, 30 minutes, four per hour)

Venice (€8.40, 2½ hours, hourly)

Verona (€5.40, one hour, every 30 minutes)

Next door to the main station, the Trento–Malè train line connects the city with Cles in the Val di Non.

From the InterCity bus station (Via Andrea Pozzo), local bus company Trentino Trasporti ( 0461 82 10 00; www.ttspa.it, in Italian) runs buses to and from Madonna di Campiglio, San Martino di Castrozza, Molveno, Canazei and Rovereto.

Rovereto

POP 37,566

In the winter of 1769, Leopold Mozart and his soon-to-be-famous musical son visited Rovereto and found it to be ‘rich in diligent people engaged in viticulture and the weaving of silk’. The area is no longer known for silk, but still produces some outstanding wines, including the inky, cherry-scented Marzemino (the wine’s scene-stealing appearance in Don Giovanni suggests it may have been a Mozart family favourite). Those on a musical pilgrimage come to visit the Church of San Marco (Piazza San Marco; 8.30am-noon & 2-7pm) , where the 13-year-old Wolfgang wowed the Roveretini, and for the annual Mozart Festival (www.festivalmozartrovereto.com) in August. The town that Mozart knew still has its haunting, tightly coiled streets, but it’s the shock of the new that lures most – one of Italy’s best contemporary and 20th-century art museums.

Sights

Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea

Rovereto ART GALLERY

(MART; 0464 43 88 87; english.mart.trento.it; Corso Bettini 43; adult/reduced €10/7, incl Casa del Depero €12/9; 10am-6pm Tue-Thu, Sat & Sun, 10am-9pm Fri) A four-floor, 12,000-sq-m steel, glass and marble behemoth, care of the Ticinese architect Mario Botta, is both imposing but human, with mountain light gently filling a central atrium via a soaring cupola. It’s home to some huge 20th-century works, including Warhol’s Four Marilyns (1962), several Picassos and a clutch of contemporary art stars, including Bill Viola, Kara Walker, Arnuf Rainer and a whopping-great Anslem Keifer. Italian work is, naturally, well represented, with excellent pieces from Balla, Morandi, De Chirico, Fontana and Manzoni. Temporary exhibitions cast a broad net, from easygoing shows of Monet or Modigliani to cutting-edge contemporary surveys.

Casa del Depero MUSEUM

( 0424 60 04 35; Via Portici 38; adult/reduced €6/4, incl MART admission €13; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun) The futurists were never afraid of a spot of self-aggrandisement and local lad Fortunato Depero was no exception. This self-designed museum was launched shortly before his death in 1960. After recent restoration work by MART, it’s again open to the public. The obsessions of early-20th-century Italy mix nostalgically, somewhat unnervingly, with a historic past – bold tapestries and machine-age-meets-troubadour-era furniture decorate a made-over medieval town house. Fascinating toys, books and ephemera also line three floors.

Eating & Drinking

Osteria del Pettirosso WINE BAR

(www.osteriadelpettirosso.com; Corso Bettini 24; Mon-Sat) There’s a moody downstairs dining room but most people come here for the blackboard menu of wines by the glass, many from small producers, a plate of cheese (€7) or a couple of crostone all lardo (toasts with cured pork fat; €2.50).

Stappomatto WINE BAR

(www.stappomatto.com; Corso Bettini 56; 7.30am-8.30pm Tue-Sat, 10.30am-4.30pm Sun) Cute wood-clad wine bar with an attached dining room serving hearty homestyle cooking.

Information

The tourist office ( 0464 43 03 63; www.apt.rovereto.tn.it; Corso Rosmini 6; 9am-1pm & 2-6pm Mon-Sat) has town maps, details of cycling trails and can help you out with free bike hire from C’entro in bici .

Rovereto is around 15 minutes by train from Trento on the Bologna–Brennero line.

Brenta Dolomites

The Brenta group lies like a rocky island to the west of the main Dolomite range. Protected by the Parco Naturale Adamello-Brenta, these sharp, majestic peaks are well known among mountaineers for their sheer cliffs and tricky ascents and are home to some of the world’s most famous vie ferrate routes. Harnesses and ropes are essential for most of these high-altitude trails, including one of the group’s most famous, the Via Ferrata delle Bocchette pioneered by British climber trailblazer Francis Fox Tuckett in the 1860s.

On the eastern side of the Brenta group is the Altipiano della Paganella, a high plateau offering some skiing and a range of outdoors adventures. On the densely forested western side is the glitzy resort of Madonna di Campiglio. The wiggly S421, S237 and S239 linking the two make a scenic, if perilous, drive. Regular bus connections with Trento are plentiful in the high seasons.

While the Superskirama pass covers all of the Brenta, separate passes are available. The 1-/3-/6-day passes for Madonna di Campiglio are €35/101/178, while those for Altipiano della Paganella cost €36/101/179.

CLOUD BURSTING

During WWI, while the British, French and Germans were drowning in the mud of Flanders, their Italian allies were engaged in an equally terrifying conflict against their Austrian foes on a battlefront that sliced across the Dolomites.

The scars of this brutal and lengthy WWI campaign are etched indelibly over the Alpine landscape. While scores of sculpted tunnels, trenches and emplacements remain, it’s the high-altitude trails that have left the most lasting legacy.

In order to maximise ease of movement up in the rugged, perilous peaks, the two armies attached ropes and ladders across seemingly impregnable crags in a series of fixed-protection climbing paths known as vie ferrate (iron ways). Renovated with steel rungs, bridges and heavy-duty wires after the war, the vie ferrate evolved into a cross between standard hiking and full-blown rock climbing, allowing non-mountaineers access to what would normally be too challenging a terrain.

Vie ferrate exist all over the Dolomites and routes are graded one to five according to difficulty. You do need to don basic climbing gear (helmet, pads and gloves) and carry some special equipment, including a Y-shaped harness fitted with two karabiners to lock onto metal supports.

Madonna di Campiglio and Cortina d’Ampezzo are the gateways to the most spectacular routes.

ALTIPIANO DELLA PAGANELLA

POP 5000 / ELEV 2098M

Less than an hour’s drive northwest of Trento, this dress-circle plateau looks out onto the towering Brenta Dolomites. The Altipiano incorporates five small villages: ski resort Fai della Paganella , touristy Andalo , lakeside Molveno and little Cavedago and Spormaggiore .

Activities

Alpine guide Dolomiti di Brenta-Paganella ( 329 5824146; guidealpine@esperienzatrentino.it) organises rock climbing and guided walks in summer and ski-mountaineering, ice climbing and snowshoeing excursions in the Parco Naturale Adamello-Brenta in winter. You can also organise private expeditions with the association’s guides.

The Paganella ski area is accessible from Andalo by cable car and Fai della Paganella by chairlift. It has two cross-country skiing trails and 50km of downhill ski slopes, ranging from beginner-friendly green runs to the heart-lurching black.

From the top of Molveno village, a two-seater cable car ( 0461 58 69 81; one way/return €6/9.50) transports you in two stages up to Pradel (1400m) from where trail No 340, a pleasant and easy one-hour walk, leads to the Rifugio Croz dell’Altissimo ( 0461 58 61 95; Jun-Sep) at 1430m. Several other trails, of varying difficulty, start from there.

Sleeping & Eating

The plateau’s five villages have over 100 hotels; alternatively, check with the tourist offices for details of the numerous agriturismo (farm stay accommodation) and self-catering apartments.

Camping Spiaggia CAMPGROUND €

( 0461 58 69 78; www.campingmolveno.it; Via Lungolago 25; camping 2 people, car & tent €20-46; reception 9am-noon & 2-7pm year-round; ) These pleasant sites on the shores of Lago di Molveno come with free use of the neighbouring outdoor pool, tennis court and table tennis. It’s an easy stroll into Molveno’s bustling little village centre, and entertainment and water sports are on tap in high summer.

Alp & Wellness Sport Hotel Panorama HOTEL €€

( 0461 58 31 34; www.sporthotelpanorama.it; Via Carletti 6, Fai della Paganella; d €120-200; ) With namesake panoramic views, rooms in this multicoloured modern edifice have clean lines and pared-down furnishings, and some have lofts. Wellness facilities are numerous, including indoor and outdoor pools.

Al Penny TRENTINI €

( 0461 58 52 51; Viale Trento 23, Andalo; meals €22-25; 11am-3pm & 5pm-2am) First impressions may clock the decor as a little too out of the box, but in fact it’s a genuinely cosy spot. A glass of warming Marzemino sets the scene, then out come authentic and tasty Trentino specialities – venison ragù (meat and tomato sauce) with pine nuts, taiadele smalzade (pan-fried fat noodles) or mushroom canederli , served with homemade bread.

Information

All tourist offices share a website (www.visitdolomitipaganella.it).

Andalo Tourist Office ( 0461 58 58 36; Piazza Dolomiti 1; 9am-12.30pm & 3-6.30pm Mon-Sat, 9.30am-12.30pm Sun) The main office, with good information for both winter and summer activities.

Fai della Paganella Tourist Office ( 0461 58 31 30; Via Villa; 9am-12.30pm & 3-6.30pm Mon-Sat, 9.30am-12.30pm Sun)

Guardia Medica ( 0461 58 56 37; 8pm-8am) After-hours medical call-out service.

Molveno Tourist Office ( 0461 58 69 24; Piazza Marconi 5; 9am-12.30pm & 3-6.30pm Mon, Wed, Fri & Sat, 9am-12.30pm Tue, Thu & Sun)

Tourist medical service ( 0461 58 60 45) Daytime medical aid.

Getting There & Around

Trentino Trasporti ( 0461 82 10 00; www.ttspa.it, in Italian) runs buses between all five villages and Trento (€2.90 to €3.30, 3½ hours, up to nine daily) and services to Madonna di Campiglio (€8.60) and Riva del Garda (€5.60) on Lago di Garda; tourist offices have timetables. Free ski buses serve the area in winter.

BEAR MOUNTAIN

Parco Naturale Adamello Brenta – a wild and beautiful park encompassing more than 80 lakes and the vast Adamello glacier – was once home to the Alps’ only brown bears. Although it became a protected area in 1967, bear numbers at one point dwindled to just three.

Beginning in 1999, park authorities set about reintroducing the bears, bringing in 10 Alpine brown bears from Slovenia. The first cubs were born in the park in 2002 and there have been cubs born every winter since, with a total of 20 bears inhabiting the park at the time of writing.

The brown bears measure 1.2m high when on all four paws and over 2m when standing; they weigh anywhere from 100kg to 250kg, depending on the season. They’re closely monitored by park authorities via radio collars, and some can be viewed at the Casa dell’orso Spormaggiore ( 0461 65 36 22; Via Alt Spaur 6; adult/reduced €6/5, incl park admission; 10am-1pm & 2-6.30pm Tue-Sun Jun-Sep, book for other periods) in Spormaggiore, 15km northeast of Molveno. The centre has excellent exhibits about the bears’ reintroduction, including some cute displays for kids, and you can book to see the bears in winter dormancy via infrared camera. It’s hoped that in 50 to 100 years there will once again be bears all over the Alps. Of course, happy bears often mean unhappy farmers, but Trentino’s provincial government pays for farmers to install electric fences and for any damage the bears cause.

Bears aside, the 620-sq-km park – Trentino’s largest protected area – is home to ibexes, red deer, marmots, chamois and 82 bird species, along with 1200 different mountain flowers, including two ( Nigritella luschmannie and Eryshimum auranthiacum ) that are unique to the area.

Wildlife thrives around the banks of Lago di Tovel , set deep in a forest some 30km north of Spormaggiore in the park’s heart. An easy one-hour walking trail encircles the once red lake. The lakeside visitors centre ( 0463 45 10 33; 10am-1pm & 2-6pm summer) has extensive information on other walks in the park.

For information on mountain huts, alpine guides, maps and itineraries, as well as eco-friendly accommodation, contact the park headquarters ( 0465 80 66 66; www.pnab.it, in Italian; Via Nazionale 12, Strembo; 10am-1pm & 2-6pm summer) a few kilometres south.

MADONNA DI CAMPIGLIO & PINZOLO

Oh, Madonna (population 700, elevation 1522m). Let there be no doubt, this is the Dolomites’ glamour destination, where ankle-length furs are standard après-ski wear and the formidable downhill runs often a secondary concern. Austrian royalty, in particular Franz Joseph and wife Elisabeth, aka Sissi, set the tone in the 19th century; this early celeb patronage is commemorated in late February, when fireworks blaze and costumed pageants waltz through town for the annual Habsburg Carnival . Despite the traffic jams and mall-like hotel complexes, the central village square has retained something of its essence, overlooked by a pretty stone church and the jutting battlements of the Brenta Dolomites beyond. In summer this is an ideal base for hikers and vie ferrate enthusiasts.

Pinzolo (population 2000, elevation 800m), in a lovely valley 16km south, has a lively historic centre and quite a few less tickets on itself.

Sights & Activities

A network of chairlifts and several cable cars ( 0465 44 77 44) take skiers and boarders from Madonna to its numerous ski runs and a snowboarding park (with half-pipe, slide park and boarder cross) in winter and to walking and mountain-biking trails in summer. In Pinzolo there is just one cable car ( 0465 50 12 56; www.funiviepinzolo.it, in Italian; Via Nepomuceno Bolognini 84; 8.30am-12.30pm & 2-6pm mid-Dec–Apr & Jun–mid-Sep) , which climbs the mountain to 2100m-high Doss del Sabion (one way/return €5/8, 20min) , stopping at mid-station Pra Rodont (1530m; one way/return €5/6, 10min) en route. Mountain bikes can be hired at this cable-car station in summer.

Madonna’s tourist office teams up with the Parco Naturale Adamello-Brenta to run particularly scenic guided walks to a traditional Alpine pasture hut in the national park from mid-July to September, as well as others that focus on the area’s unique geology.

In Campo Carlo Magno, 2km north of Madonna, the Cabinovia Grostè cable car (one way/return €11/16; 8.30am-12.30pm & 2-5pm mid-Dec–Apr & Jun–mid-Sep) takes walkers to the Passo Grostè (2440m). The Via Bocchetta di Tuckett (trail No 305) – the via ferrata for which the Brenta group is most famous – also leaves from the cable-car station. Only the experienced should attempt it. Otherwise, check with the tourist office for details of a number of pre-glacial trails and mountain huts.

Pinzolo’s beautifully sited 16th-century Chiesa di San Vigilio merits a visit for its danza macabra (dance of death) decor. North of Pinzolo is the entrance to the Val di Genova , often described as one of the Alps’ most beautiful valleys. It’s lined with a series of spectacular waterfalls: great walking country. Four mountain huts strung out along the valley floor make overnight stays an option – Pinzolo’s tourist office has details.

Sleeping & Eating

Budget beds in Madonna are non-existent in winter, and most midrange hotels insist on full- or half-board and minimum stays during peak times. Commuting to the ski fields from the Val di Sole is a doable option.

Camping Parco Adamello CAMPGROUND €

( 0465 50 17 93; www.campingparcoadamello.it; Carisolo; camping 2 people, car & tent €28-36; year-round; ) Beautifully situated within the national park 1km north of Pinzolo, this camp ground is a natural starting point for outdoor adventures such as skiing, snowshoeing, walking and biking. There’s also weekly apartment rentals.

Hermitage Biohotel HOTEL €€€

( 0465 44 15 58; www.biohotelhermitage.it; half-board d €170-350; ) Traditional European family-run hotel, with streamlined modern rooms and eco-principles. The low-key (though Michelin-starred) restaurant is gorgeous and there are fairy-tale views from the lounge bar and pool.

Chalet La Dolce Vita DESIGN HOTEL €€

( 0465 44 31 91; www.chaletdolcevita.it; d €130-250; ) This is the latest entry in the Madonna ultraluxe hotel stakes, with friendly staff and a quiet wooded setting. The bar keeps the Milanese fashion set happy come aperitivo hour, and upstairs guests are cocooned in beautiful, earthy rooms.

Hotel Bellavista HOTEL €

( 0465 50 11 64; www.bellavistanet.com, in Italian; Pinzolo; half-board per person per week €300-500; year-round; ) About as no-frills as this region gets: a traditional, family-run place, mid-sized with 57 comfortable modern rooms and hearty Alpine food.

Information

Guardia Medica ( 0465 44 05 38, 0465 80 16 00) Emergency doctor.

Madonna Tourist Office ( 0465 44 75 01; www.campiglio.to; Via Pradalago 4; 9am-12.30pm & 3-7pm Mon-Sat, 10am-1pm Sun)

Pinzolo Tourist Office ( 0465 50 10 07; www.pinzolo.to; Piazzale Ciciamimo; 9am-12.30pm & 3-6.30pm Mon-Sat, 9am-12.30pm Sun)

Tourist medical service ( 0465 44 30 73; early Dec–Easter & mid-Jun–mid-Sep)

Getting There & Away

Madonna di Campiglio and Pinzolo are accessible year-round by bus from Trento (€9, 1½ hours, five daily) and Milan (€27, 3¾ hours, one daily).

From mid-December to mid-April ski-shuttle buses run to and from Madonna and Pinzolo once a week from Milan’s Malpensa and Linate airports via Bergamo’s airport (one way €36), and Verona’s Villafranca airport via Brescia’s airport (one way €30).

Val di Non, Val di Sole & Val di Rabbi

Sandwiched between the Brenta group and Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio, these Italian-speaking farming valleys are an easy train ride from Trento.

VAL DI NON

The first thing you notice about Val di Non is the apple trees – their gnarly, tressellated branches stretch for miles (and are at their fragrant best in spring). Craggy castles dot the surrounding rises, including the stunning Castel Thun ( 0461 49 28 29; Vigo di Ton; adult/reduced €6/4; 10am-5pm Tue-Sun) . The valley is centred on its main settlement, Cles , whose tourist office ( 0463 422 88 83; Corso Dante 30; 9am-12.30pm & 3-6pm Mon-Sat, 9am-noon Sun Jul & Aug) is just off the main road through town.

Italy’s apple giant Melinda is a valley girl. Melinda Mondo ( 0463 46 92 99; www.melinda.it; Via della Cooperazione 21, Segno; tours by appointment 8.30am-12.30pm & 3-7pm Mon-Sat Oct-Jul, 9am-noon Sun Jul) , near Mollaro, a couple of villages on from Cles, conducts tours of the orchards and processing plants and has a cheery shop selling apples and all sorts of apple-related products. Look out for the big cheese next door, the home of Trentingrana , Trentino’s sweet, subtle ‘Parmesan-style’ Grana.

VAL DI SOLE

Leaving Cles in the rear-view mirror, the apple orchards draw you west into the aptly named Val di Sole (Valley of the Sun) tracing the course of the foaming river Noce , with its main town of Malè .

This valley is renowned for outdoor pursuits aside from the usual skiing and hiking, and is popular with young Trentini. The Noce makes for great rafting. Centro Rafting Val di Sole ( 0463 97 32 78; www.raftingcenter.it; Via Gole 105, Dimaro; Jun-Sep) runs rafting trips (from €67), as well as kayaking, canyoning and Nordic walking. Sole also guards a flattish 35km section of the Brenta Dolomite Bike Loop and runs a special bike train from June to September, allowing cyclists to catch a ride when they get tired.

Kaiserkrone ( 0463 97 33 26; www.kaiserkrone.it; Piazza Serra 3, Dimaro; d €64-96; ) has large comfortable blond-wood rooms in the centre of workaday but charming Dimaro; it’s a great location for Sole pursuits and an easy, economical base for the Brenta ski fields. Dolomiti Camping Village ( 0463 97 43 32; www.campingdolomiti.com; Via Gole 105, Comezzadure; camping 2 people, car & tent €26-34, d bungalow €49-75; mid-May–mid-Oct & Dec-Easter; ) , riverside and adjacent to the rafting centre, has well-kept campsites and bungalows with access to a wellness centre, indoor and outdoor pools, volleyball courts and trampolines.

Cicli Andreis (www.cicliandreis.it; Via Conci 19/27, Malè) is handily located just off Malè’s main street. Daily rental costs from €18 (less for kids’ bikes).

The helpful Malè tourist office ( 0463 90 12 80; www.valdisole.net; Piazza Regina Elena 19, Malè; 9am-noon & 2.30-6.30pm Mon-Sat, 10am-noon Sun) has good information on the entire valley and can advise you on ski facilities and walking trails in nearby Stelvio.

VAL DI RABBI

Val di Rabbi is a refreshingly tranquil Alpine valley that provides the best southern entry into Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio. It is also known for its supposedly curative Antica Fonte spring waters. The Terme di Rabbi ( 8am-noon & 4.30-8.30pm Mon-Fri, to 7pm Sat May-Sep) in the eponymous village offers a wide range of recuperative treatments and is administered by the businesslike Grand Hotel Rabbi ( 0463 98 30 50; www.grandhotelrabbi.it; Fonti di Rabbi 153; half-board d €90-140; May-Sep; ) . Next door is a small visitors centre ( 0463 98 51 90; 8am-1pm & 3-7pm Jun-Sep, 8am-noon & 2-6pm Oct-May) and the starting point for a network of paths into Stelvio, some of which connect to Val Martello in Alto Adige. Regular buses head up the valley from outside Malè train station.

Getting There & Around

Ferrovia Trento-Malè ( 0463 90 11 50) buses connect Rabbi, Madonna di Campiglio and Malè. Cles (€2.90, 45 minutes) and Malè (€5, 1½ hours, eight daily) are on the Trento– Comezzadure train line. A cable car (one way €5) ferries skiers and walkers up the mountainside from the train station.

Free ski buses loop around the area in winter; tourist offices have schedules.

Val di Fiemme

In a region where few valleys speak the same dialect (let alone agree on the same cheese recipe), the Val di Fiemme stands out. In the 12th century, independently minded local noblemen set up their own quasi-republic here, the Magnificent Community of Fiemme, and the ethos and spirit of the founders lives on.

Today the slightly less bolshie ‘Community’ is headquartered in the wonderfully frescoed Palazzo Vescovile (Piazza Battisti) in the valley’s main town of Cavalese (population 3600, elevation 1000m). A few doors down and a few centuries on is the Centro Arte Contemporanea Cavalese ( 0462 23 54 16; www.artecavalese.it; Palazzo Firmian, Piazzetta Rizzoli 1; admission free; 3.30-7.30pm Fri-Sun) .

From Cavalese, skiers can take a cable car up to the Cermis ski area (2229m), part of the extensive Superski Dolomiti region. Cavalese’s tourist office ( 0462 24 11 11; www.visitfiemme.it; Via Bronzetti 60; 9am-noon & 3.30-7pm Mon-Sat) acts as a contact point for local Alpine guide groups who organise, among other things, mountaineering ascents on Pale di San Martino, Cima della Madonna and Sass Maor, a 120km-long high-altitude skiing excursion.

Sleeping & Eating

Park Hotel Azalea HOTEL €€

( 0462 34 01 09; www.parkhotelazalea.it; Via delle Cesure 1, Cavalese; half-board d €90-180; ) This forward-thinking hotel has a variety of light, relaxing rooms. Some have mountain views, others look out over the village’s pretty vegetable garden, and all make use of ecologically sourced woods and natural fibres. Food, including a groaning afternoon tea spread, is organic, and there are beautiful children’s facilities.

Hotel Garni Laurino HOTEL €€

( 0462 34 01 51; www.hotelgarnilaurino.it; Via Antoniazzi 14, Cavalese; d €80-130; ) A tumble of floral fabrics and timber furniture in a 17th-century building right in the centre of town. Large rooms are even sweeter with a garden and mountain bikes thrown in.

El Molin GASTRONOMIC €€€

( 0462 34 00 74; Piazza Battisti 11, Cavalese; upstairs meals €15-25, downstairs degustations €65-90; lunch & dinner Wed-Mon) A legend in the valley, and Michelin starred, this old mill sits at the historic heart of Cavalese. Downstairs, next to the old waterwheels, Alessandro Gilmozzi does playful gastronomic dishes featuring local, seasonal ingredients. Streetside, the casual (though rather stuffy) wine bar does baked-to-order eggs with Trentingrana or truffles, burgers, hearty mains and creative desserts. Excelsior ( 7am-11pm Wed-Mon) , a cosy nook on the same site, turns out excellent pizzas – don’t pass up the one with local puzzone cheese. Attention to detail at all price points is high.

Val di Fassa

Val di Fassa is Trentino’s only Ladin-speaking valley (there are four more in Alto Adige), framed by the stirring peaks of the Gruppo del Sella to the north, the Catinaccio to the west and the Marmolada (3342m) to the southeast. The valley spins on two hubs: Canazei (population 1866, elevation 1465m), beautifully sited but verging on overdevelopment, and the pretty riverside village of Moena (population 2690, elevation 1114m), more down to earth and increasingly environmentally conscious. Fassa is the nexus of Italy’s cross-country skiing scene. Italian cross-country champ Christian Zorzi hails from Moena and the town also plays host to the sport’s most illustrious mass-participation race, the annual Marcialonga (www.marcialonga.it), a 70km march through the snow.

Dolomiti Superski passes are valid here; alternatively there are three-/six-day passes for the Val di Fassa (€92/161) or the Tre Valli (€88/157) covering the Fassa, Biois and San Pellegrino valleys.

PALE DI SAN MARTINO

Pink blends seamlessly with green in the Pale di San Martino (elevation 1467m), where the luminous Dolomite mountains rise like ghosts above the ancient forest of Paneveggio, whose wood is made into prized violins. The mountains are embraced by the Parco Naturale Paneveggio-Pale di San Martino , home to roe deer, chamois, marmots, wild fowl and birds of prey such as the golden eagle. At the park’s impressive headquarters in the 1853-built Villa Welsperg ( 0439 6 48 54; www.parcopan.org; Via Castelpietra 2, Val Canali; 9.30am-12.30pm, 3-6pm summer, 2-5pm winter) , suspended aquariums illustrate the park’s water life and its flora and fauna are also explored. The park website has detailed driving directions.

At the park’s feet huddles San Martino di Castrozza , a small but popular ski resort and walking spot, accessible via bus from Trento. In summer, a chairlift and cable car whisk walkers to the Rifugio Rosetta (2600m) and a number of trails (some easy, some requiring mountaineering skills).

The San Martino tourist office ( 0439 76 88 67; www.sanmartino.com; Via Passo Rolle 165; 9am-noon & 3-6pm Mon-Sat, 9.30am-12.30pm Sun) has more information.

Sights & Activities

Variety is the spice of life for skiers here, with 120km of downhill and cross-country runs, as well as challenging Alpine tours and the Sella Ronda ski circuit. In summer, you can ski down the Marmolada glacier.

The Gruppo del Sella is approached from Passo Pordoi , where a cable car travels to almost 3000m. The best approach to the Catinaccio group is from Vigo di Fassa , 11km southwest of Canazei near Pozza di Fassa; a cable car climbs to an elevation of 2000m, dropping you off near the cheerful mountain hut Baita Checco ( 0462 76 35 81; www.baitachecco.com; Vigo di Fassa; mains €7-12; 8am-4.30pm Dec-Mar & Jul–mid-Sep) .

For gentler summertime rambles, ask at the tourist office for a Low-level Walks in the Fassa Valley brochure, which outlines 29 walks (1.5km to 8km long), including visits to historic Ladin landmarks.

Sleeping, Eating & Drinking

Villa Kofler DESIGN HOTEL €€

( 0462 75 04 44; www.villakofler.it; Via Dolomiti 63, Campitello; d €145-180; ) An intimate hotel in a valley of giants; choose from rooms that range across various current design trends and tastes. There’s a little gym, a library and, bliss, in-room infrared saunas.

Garni Stella Alpina B&B €

( 0462 60 11 27; www.stella-alpina.net; Via Antermont 6, Canazei; d €68-128; ) Like nowhere else you’ll ever stay (unless you happen to have a Ladin aunt), with cosy rooms, a sauna-jacuzzi and a downstairs shop and wine cellar.

SAUSAGES!

In Canazei, look out for the fork-wielding Ladin sausage cook; his roadside stall, just off Piazza Marconi, draws queues of ravenous skiers for beer and wurst all winter long.

Central Hotel HOTEL €€

( 0462 57 32 28; www.centralhotel.it; Strada Heilmann 4, Moena; s €75-100, d €110-160; ) Rooms are small but have nice touches, like window seats, and the elegant, rambling building has lots of comfortable public areas.

El Paél TRENTINI €€

( 0462 60 14 33; www.elpael.com; Via Roma 58, Canazei; meals €25-35; Tue-Sun) This osteria tipica trentina has a traditional Ladin kitchen cooking up specialities of the valley – nettle dumplings, asparagus with liquorice sauce, and venison with steamed pumpkin.

Malga Panna GASTRONOMIC €€€

( 0462 57 34 89; www.malgapanna.it; Via Costalunga 29, Moena; degustations from €65) Fine-dining interpretations of mountain food stay true to their culinary roots and are served in an evocatively simple setting. Expect to encounter the flavours of Alpine herbs and flowers, and lots of game.

Kusk La Locanda BAR

(Via dei Colli 7; dishes from €7; 8am-2am Wed-Mon) Legendary throughout the Val di Fassa for après-ski. This four-way split between a pizzeria, American bar, trash disco and Italian restaurant still manages to maintain a Ladin cosiness.

Information

Val di Fassa’s tourist offices have a coordinated website (www.fassa.com) and share opening hours (8.30am to 5pm Mondya to Saturday, 10am to 12.30pm Sunday, with rotating lunch hours and late openings).

Canazei Tourist Office ( 0462 60 11 13; Piazza Marconi 5)

Moena Tourist Office ( 0462 60 97 70; Piazza del Navalge 4)

Getting There & Away

The Val di Fassa can be reached by Trentino Trasporti buses from Trento year-round (€5.25, 1½ to 2½ hours), and by local SAD (www.sad.it) bus from Bolzano and the Val Gardena from June to mid-September, with free ski buses also serving the region in winter.

ALTO ADIGE (SÜDTIROL)

Bolzano (Bozen)

POP 97,300 / ELEV 265M

The provincial capital of Alto Adige (Südtirol, or South Tyrol) is anything but provincial. Once a stop on the coach route between Italy and the flourishing Austro-Hungarian Empire, this small city is worldly and engaged, a long-time conduit between cultures. Its quality of life – one of the highest in Italy – is reflected in its openness and youthful energy and an all-pervading greenness. A stage-set-pretty backdrop of rotund green hills sets off rows of pastel-painted town houses. Bicycles ply riverside paths and the aroma of Middle Europe lingers around the wooden market stalls laid out with cheese and speck (cured ham). German may be the first language of 95% of the rest of the region, but Bolzano is an anomaly. Its Italian-speaking majority – a legacy of Mussolini’s Italianisation program of the 1920s and a more recent siren call of education and employment opportunities – embraces a history linked intrinsically with the Austrian Tyrol and today looks both north and south for inspiration.

Sights

Messner Mountain Museum MUSEUM

(MMM; 0471 63 31 45; www.messner-mountain-museum.it, in Italian; Via Castel Firmiano 53; adult/reduced €9/7; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun Mar-Nov) The imposing Castel Firmiano, dating back to AD 945, is home to the centrepiece of mountaineer Reinhold Messner’s five museums. Based around humankind’s relationship with the mountains across all cultures, it’s inspiringly designed so visitors climb literally hundreds of stairs, suggesting the experience of shifting altitudes. Wear sturdy shoes to best traverse the uneven terrain and mesh walkways.

The tourist office has details of summer shuttle services to the castles, otherwise catch a regional train to Ponte Adige (Sigmundskron) and be prepared for a long uphill and treacherous (for the wrong reasons) walk along a busy road. Messner’s other museums are scattered across Alto Adige, including Ortles.

Bolzano

Top Sights

Museion A3

Museo Archeologico dell'Alto Adige A2

Sights

1  Cathedral B3

2  Chiesa dei Domenicani B3

3 Chiesa di FrancescaniB1

Activities, Courses & Tours

4  Alpine Information Office C1

5  Club Alpino Italiano B2

Sleeping

6  Hotel Feichter C2

7  Hotel Figl C2

8  Hotel Greif C3

9  Parkhotel Laurin C3

10  Youth Hostel Bolzano D3

Eating

11  Gasthaus Fink B2

12  Hopfen & Co B2

13  Market B2

14  Vögele B2

15  Walthers' C2

Drinking

16  Enovit B2

17  Exil Café C2

18  Fischbänke C2

19  Il Baccaro B2

20  Loacker Moccaria C3

21  Nadamas B2

THE ICEMAN COMETH

When Austrian hikers stumbled upon a human corpse wedged into a melting glacier on Hauslabjoch Pass in 1991, they assumed they’d found the remains of an unfortunate mountaineer caught in a winter storm. But when the mummified body was removed and taken to a morgue, it was discovered to be over 5300 years old. The male corpse – subsequently nicknamed Ötzi, or the Iceman – is the oldest mummified remains ever found in Europe, dating from an ancient Copper Age civilisation that lived in the Dolomites around the same time as ancient Egypt’s founding.

Though initially claimed by the Austrian government, it was later ascertained that Ötzi had been unearthed 100m inside the Italian border on the Schnalstal glacier. After a brief diplomatic impasse and stabilisation work in Innsbruck, the mummy was returned to Italy, where it has been on display in Bolzano since 1998.

What Ötzi was actually doing 3200m up a glaciated mountainside, 52 centuries before alpinism became a serious sport, is still a matter of some debate. The museum explores the many mooted scenarios, as well as the events leading to his lonely death.

His clothing – a wonderful get-up of patchwork leggings, rush-matting cloak and fur cap – and other belongings are on display, while his still-frozen body, touchingly marked with faintly visible tattoos, is kept in a temperature-controlled ‘igloo’ room and can be viewed through a tiny window.

Visit Ötzi at the Museo Archeologico dell’Alto Adige Offline map Google map ( 0471 32 01 00; www.iceman.it; Via Museo 43; adult/reduced €9/7; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun) ; the museum has an important collection of other archaeological finds too.

Museion ART GALLERY

Offline map

( 0471 22 34 13; www.museion.it; Via Dante 2; adult/reduced €6/3.50, Thu evening free; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun, to 10pm Thu) The city’s contemporary art space is housed in a huge multifaceted glass cube, a surprising architectural assertion that beautifully vignettes the old-town rooftops and surrounding mountains from within. There’s an impressive permanent collection of international art work; temporary shows are a testament to the local art scene’s vibrancy, often highlighting an ongoing dialogue with Austria and Germany. The cafe faces the river and has a terrace perfect for a post-gallery spritzer.

Castel Roncolo CASTLE

(Schloss Runkelstein; 0471 32 98 08; roncolo@comune.bolzano.it; Via Castel Ried; adult/child €8/5.50; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun) This stunningly located castle was built in 1237 and is renowned for its rare 14th-century frescoes depicting scenes from secular literature, including the tale of Tristan and Isolde. The tourist office runs shuttles in summer; otherwise, catch suburban bus 12 or 14 from outside the regional bus terminal.

Chiesa dei Domenicani CHURCH

Offline map Google map

(Piazza Domenicani; 9.30am-6pm Mon-Sat) The cloisters and chapel here feature light and lovely 14th-century frescoes by the Giotto school.

Cathedral CATHEDRAL

Offline map

(Piazza Parrocchia; 9.30am-5.30pm Mon-Sat) This splendid Gothic cathedral is Bolzano’s most emblematic building, its imposing spires backed by the equally Gothic peaks of the not-so-distant Dolomites.

BOLZANO BOZEN CARD

This card (adult/child €28/16) grants you entry to most city museums and a number throughout the region as well. Transport on local buses, regional trains, bike hire and Bolzano’s three cable cars is also thrown in. It’s available from the tourist office.

Activities

Bolzano’s three cable cars include the world’s longest running along one track – the Funivia del Renon (Via Renon; one way/return €2.50/3.50), which stretches for 4556m – and the world’s oldest, the 1908-built Funivia del Colle (Via Campiglio; one way/return €3/4) . The third is Funivia San Genesio (Via Sarentino; one way/return €2/3.20). A narrow-gauge railroad runs from the upper station of the Renon cable car in Oberbozen to Klobenstein (Soprabolzano-Collalbo; departures half-hourly to hourly; one way/return €2.50/3.50) , a 15-minute trip that is awe-inspiringly scenic today but revolutionised life here in 1907; two of the original tram cars are still in use, joined by ‘modern’ cars from 1958 and 1977.

Bolzano is up there with Amsterdam in terms of bike love. You can exit the city without touching a road on countless willow-lined paths, which parallel the Adige river on its course west and south. They offer tantalising gateways into the surrounding mountains and a stunning 20km-long stretch connects Bolzano’s castles. Grab a bicycle at the open-air bike-rental stall ( 0471 99 75 78; Via della Stazione 2; 7.30am-7.45pm Easter-Oct) . Bikes cost €1 for six hours; a deposit and ID are required. The tourist office also rents bikes for €10 per day (supplies are limited, so get in early) and has a list of recommended rental shops.

Tours

The tourist office organises seasonal guided walks and gentle treks (in Italian and German). For information on more-serious hikes in the surrounding area, contact local walking association Club Alpino Italiano Offline map Google map ( 0471 97 81 72; Piazza delle Erbe 46; 11am-1pm & 5-7pm Wed, 1-5pm Tue, Thu & Fri) or contact the Alpine Information Office Offline map (Alpenverein Südtirol; www.alpenverein.it; Galleria Vintler 16; 0471 81 41 55) .

Sleeping

Alto Adige’s wealth of appealing agriturismi (as well as farm restaurants) can be found on www.redrooster.it.

Hotel Greif DESIGN HOTEL €€

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( 0471 31 80 00; www.greif.it; Piazza Walther; s €106-118, d €173-270; ) Tumbling golden text courtesy of the troubled poet Ezra Pound greets you in the stairwell (this was, it seems, an ‘art hotel’ long before the modern makeover). Rooms here, even the singles, are generously proportioned, full of light and richly draped; all include a bath. Guests can use the garden at parent hotel Laurin, just down the lane, for cocktails or a swim.

Parkhotel Laurin HOTEL €€€

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( 0471 31 10 00; www.laurin.it; Via Laurin 4; s €95-125, d €130-250; ) Set in its own lush gardens in the centre of town, this five-star hotel has large rooms endowed with a weighty, old-fashioned opulence. There’s a distinct individual style throughout though, with an idiosyncratic mix of original art works, Tyrolean antiques and 1980s Memphis pieces. The splendid ground floor is home to what’s considered one of Bolzano’s best restaurants and a bar that bustles from early morning to late at night.

Youth Hostel Bolzano HOSTEL €

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( 0471 30 08 65 www.youthhostel.bz; Via Renon 23; dm/s €20.50/24; ) Close to the train station, the three- and four-bed dorms in this airy, comfortable and friendly hostel are configured for privacy. Rooms at the back have balconies and views, and they’ll squeeze a foldout into the singles if needed. And, best of all, there’s no daytime lockout.

Hotel Feichter HOTEL €

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( 0471 97 87 68; www.hotelfeichter.it; Via Grappoli 15; s/d €60/90) A central, friendly family-run (and totally Tyrolean) hotel. Many of the cosy rooms have balconies or little breakfast nooks, bathrooms are renovated and some have baths.

Hotel Figl HOTEL €€

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( 0471 97 84 12; www.figl.net; Piazza del Grano 9; s €87-92, d €120-125; ) Mod-Euro rooms with geometric furniture, glass and wood are comfortable and look out over a pretty square.

REINHOLD MESSNER

While Germans make up the lion’s share of hikers in the Dolomites, the man invariably venerated as the greatest hiker of them all, Reinhold Messner, was actually an Italian (albeit a German-speaking one) from the Alto Adige town of Bressanone (Brixen).

Messner grew up surrounded by the sharp, seductive peaks of the Dolomites. Scaling his first Alpine summit at the age of five, by his early 20s he was recognised as a rising star in the tough world of mountaineering. Derisive of the siege tactics employed by traditional Himalayan expeditions in the 1960s, Messner advocated a simpler Alpine-style approach to climbing that emphasised fast ascents with minimal equipment. By the ’70s he had set his sights on Everest, confidently announcing his ambition to climb the mountain ‘by fair means’, without the use of supplementary oxygen.

The prophecy was heroically fulfilled in 1978 when Messner and Austrian Peter Habeler became the first men to summit the world’s tallest peak without oxygen – a feat that was considered physically impossible, if not suicidal, at the time. Unsatisfied with his team effort, Messner returned two years later and hacked his way up the mountain’s north face to the summit, alone – a superhuman achievement.

Messner’s abilities have long intrigued his fellow climbers. Not only is his aerobic capacity relatively average for a man of his age, but he also spent the bulk of his climbing career hampered by the loss of three fingers and seven toes following an ill-fated Himalayan expedition in 1970 (one that also tragically claimed the life of his younger brother, Günter).

Undaunted by the ageing process, the iron-willed Messner logged another record in 1986 when, at 42, he became the first person to scale all eight-thousanders (the 14 mountains in the world over 8000m). Shunning a well-earned retirement, he also partook in the first unassisted crossing of Antarctica.

These days Messner treks at a gentler pace, mainly in the Dolomites. A retired Euro MP for the Italian Green Party, he now tends to his quintet of museums that explore mountain life across the world.

Eating

Redolent of rural mountain life one minute, Habsburg splendour the next, Bolzano’s restaurants are a profound reminder of how far north you’ve come. Goat or rabbit are roasted, bone-warming soups hide canederli , venison finds its way into gulasch, and speck (the region’s IGP cured ham, cold-smoked and juniper- and pepper-scented) turns up in everything bar dessert. Window displays in the city’s many konditorei (pastry shops) brim with Sachertorte, cheese strudels, krapfen (doughnuts) and earthy buckwheat-and-berry cakes. Bakers turn out dark, dense seed-studded breads, including schüttelbrot, a crispy spiced rye and wheat flat bread.

Gasthaus Fink SÜDTIROLEAN €€

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( 0471 97 50 47; Via della Mostra 9; meals €25-30; lunch & dinner Thu-Mon, lunch only Wed) Fink’s dining room is a calm, contemporary take on stube style, with elegant box lights and fresh wildflowers on the tables. Young staff are relaxed and attentive and dishes – say, trout and almonds, buckwheat dumplings with cumin-scented butter or gröstel (a bubble-and-squeak type fry) – are as tasty as they are unfussy. A great lunch choice, with pastas well under €10.

Walthers’ MODERN ITALIAN €€

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( 0471 98 25 48; www.walthers.it; Piazza Walther 6; meals €20-25; 8am-1am Mon-Sat, to 7pm Sun) Take your spritzer out onto the piazza terrace, then head inside to the low-lit back room to dine on bold-flavoured, appetite-appeasing dishes that roam from Sicily to Bolzano’s backyard. Great service, a lively crowd and the management’s penchant for Prince and Blondie can see a quick dinner become a big night out.

Hopfen & Co SÜDTIROLEAN, PUB €

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( 0471 30 07 88; Piazza delle Erbe 17; meals €15-20; 9.30am-1am Mon-Sat) A venerable 800-year-old inn that serves up hearty portions of traditional dishes, including sauerkraut and sausages cooked in ale. The dark bar is perfect for sampling the cloudy, unfiltered beer that’s brewed on the premises.

Vögele SÜDTIROLEAN €

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( 0471 97 39 38; Via Goethe 3; meals €19-24; 9am-1am) Dating back to 1277 and owned by the same family since 1840, this multi-level antique-stuffed restaurant is well loved for its schnitzels, steaks and suckling pig. The attached bar is pleasantly rowdy and a surprise favourite of the town’s cool kids.

Market MARKET

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(Piazza delle Erbe; Mon-Sat) Pick up fruit, vegetables, bread, cheese and meats from this gorgeous street market.

Drinking

Bolzano after dark will come as a surprise after sophisticated but snoozy Trento. The pristine city centre may be hushed at 8pm, but it’s a different story around midnight. Follow the locals heading for Piazza delle Erbe or the beer halls – including local Forst and the Bavarian Paulaner – along Via Argentieri and Via Goethe.

Enovit WINE BAR

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(Via Dott Streiter 30; to late Mon-Fri, 10am-1.30pm Sat) An older, well-dressed crowd frequents this warm, woody corner bar for expertly recommended, generously poured local wine by the glass. Many often stay for a few more rounds in the moody side room.

Il Baccaro WINE BAR

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(Via Argentieri 17; 9am-9pm Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm Sat) Scurry down the cobbled passageway and poke your nose into this wonderful burrow of a wine bar, with a good blackboard selection of regional or Friulian wines and delightful hosts. Stuzzichini (snacks) are a euro or two and made to order.

Fischbänke WINE BAR

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(Via Dott Streiter 26; 9am-7pm Mon-Fri, 9am-12.30pm Sat) Local wines and bruschetta (€6 to €13) care of artist bon vivant Cobo at the old fish market; pull up a streetside stool at one of the original marble-slab counters.

Loacker Moccaria CAFE

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(Piazza Walther 11) Global biscuit king Loacker is the local kid made good (it’s based in Renon); come for espresso and Tyrolean cake in the signature red cafe or pick up tins of the cream-filled wafers.

Nadamas BAR

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(Piazza delle Erbe 43; Tue-Sun) Bolzano’s party reputation got started at this Piazza delle Erbe veteran. If you can make it through the animated front-bar crowd, there’s tables and a tapas menu (€3 to €6) out back.

Exil Café CAFE, BAR

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(Piazza del Grano 2; Tue-Sat) Everything in good time at this student favourite: smoothies and juice first thing, coffee all day, aperitivo come the afternoon, then late-night beers and grappa.

TASTING TRAIL

Follow Alto Adige’s Weinstrasse – wine road – far enough south from Bolzano and you’ll hit Paradeis ( 0471 809 580; www.aloislageder.eu; Piazza Geltrude 5, Magrè; 10am-8pm, dining room noon-4pm Mon-Sat, to 11pm Thu) . Take a seat at the long communal table, crafted from the wood of a 250-year-old oak tree, at fourth-generation winemaker Alois Lageder’s biodynamic weinschenke/vineria (winery) for lunch or tasting. Whites – highly finessed, almost German in style, but shot through with the warmth and verve of an Italian summer – are the money here; over 70% of production is devoted to Pinot Grigio, chardonnay and Gewürztraminer. Even so, Lageder’s Pinot noir and local Lagrein are also highly regarded.

If you’re up for more tasting, or just a pleasant day’s cycling, the Weinstrasse begins (or ends) north of Bolzano in Nals, meanders past Terlano (Terlan) through Upper Adige (Überetsch) and Lower Adige (Unterland) until it reaches Salorno (Salurn). Native grape varieties line the route: Lagrein, Vernatsch and Gewürztraminer, along with well-adapted imports Pinot blanc, sauvignon, merlot and cabernet. For cellar doors, accommodation and bike trails see www.weinstrasse.com.

Information

Hospital ( 0471 90 81 11; Via Böhler)

Police station ( 0471 94 76 11/80; Via Marconi 33)

Tourist office ( 0471 30 70 00; www.bolzano-bozen.it; Piazza Walther 8; 9am-7pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-6pm Sat)

Getting There & Around

Bolzano’s airport (Aeroporto di Bolzano; 0471 25 52 55; www.abd-airport.it) is served by flights from Rome, Olbia and Cagliari.

Local buses run by SAD (www.sad.it) leave from the bus station ( 840 00 04 71; Via Perathoner) for destinations throughout the province, including Val Gardena (up to 12 daily), Brunico (up to 20 connections daily) and Merano (every 55 minutes, hourly). SAD buses also head for resorts outside the province, including Cortina d’Ampezzo. Updated timetables are on the SAD website.

Bolzano train station (Piazza Stazione) is connected by hourly trains with Merano (€2.40, 40 minutes), Trento (€3.35, 30 minutes) and Verona (€8, 2½ hours), with less-frequent connections to Brunico (1½ hours, six daily) in the Val Pusteria. Trains also run to Innsbruck and Munich via Brennero.

Merano (Meran)

POP 37,673 / ELEV 325M

With its leafy boulevards, birdsong, oleander and cactus, Merano feels like you’ve stumbled into a valley Shangri La. Long lauded for its sunny microclimate, this poignantly pretty town (and one-time Tyrolean capital) is where 19th-century Mitteleuropeans came to soothe their weary bones, do a ‘grape’ cure, and, perhaps, embark on a dalliance or two. The Habsburg-era spa was the hot destination of its day, favoured by the Austrian royals, Freud, Kafka and Pound. The Jugendstil (art nouveau) villas, recuperative walks and the grand riverside Kurhaus of this era fan out from its beautifully intact medieval core. The city’s therapeutic traditions have served it well in the new millennium, with spa hotels drawing a new generation of health-conscious visitors and a booming organics movement in the surrounding valleys.

German is widely used here, sausage and beer stalls dot the streets and an annual open-air play celebrates Napoleonic-era Tyrolean freedom fighter Andreas Hofer; despite the palm trees, you’re closer to Vienna than Rome.

Sights

Castel Trauttmansdorff BOTANICAL GARDEN MUSEUM

(www.trauttmansdorff.it; Via San Valentino 51a; garden & museum adult/child €10.80/7.90; 9am-6pm Apr-Nov, to 11pm Fri summer) You could give over an entire day to these beautiful botanical gardens a little outside Merano. Exotic cacti and palms, fruit trees and vines, beds of lilies, iris and tulips all cascade down the hillside surrounding a mid-19th-century castle where Sissi – Empress Elisabeth – spent the odd summer. Inside, Touriseum (Tourism Museum; 0473 27 01 72; www.touriseum.it) charts two centuries of travel in the region, exploring the changing nature of our yearning for the mountains. There’s a restaurant and a cafe by the lily pond.

Kunst Meran ART GALLERY

( 0473 21 26 43; www.kunstmeranoarte.org; Via Portici 16; adult/reduced €5/4; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun, 11am-7pm summer) Shows of high-profile international and regional artists are installed in this contemporary gallery, a thoughtful refiguring of a skinny medieval town house. Look out for monthly talks over aperitivo .

Castel Tirolo MUSEUM

(Schlosstirol; 0473 22 02 21; www.schlosstirol.it; admission €6; 10am-5pm Tue-Sun mid-Mar–Dec, to 6pm Aug) The ancestral seat of the counts of Tyrol is home to a dynamically curated museum of Tyrolean history, including, in the keep, the turbulent years of the 20th century. The castle can be reached by taking the chairlift from Merano to Tirolo (Dorf Tirol). Book ahead for tours in English.

Museo Ebraico MUSEUM

( 0473 23 61 27; Via Schiller 14; 3-6pm Tue & Wed, 9am-noon Thu, 3-5pm Fri) Housed in Merano’s synagogue, built in 1901, this small but intriguing museum recounts the history of the town’s Jewish community from the early 19th century through to WWII.

Activities

Some 6km east of town, the Funivia Naif (adult/child one way €12/6.50, return €17/10; 8.30am-5pm, to 7pm summer) cable car carries winter-sports enthusiasts up to Piffling in Merano 2000 (www.meran2000.com; adult half-/full-day ski pass €25/34) , with 30km of (mostly beginner) slopes. Bus 1B links Merano train station with the cable car. A chairlift (Via Galilei; one way/return €2.70/4; 9am-6pm Apr-Nov, to 7pm summer) runs to the village of Tirolo (Dorf Tirol). The tourist office has details of the many other cable cars and lifts that ring the town.

The promenade or passeggiata (evening stroll) has long been a Merano institution. Fin-de-siècle-era walks trace the river, traverse pretty parks and skirt Monte Benedetto (514m). A winter and summer pair follow opposing sides of the river, one shady, one sunny. The Gilfpromenade follows 24 poems carved on wooden benches (also handy for a breather). The Tappeiner meanders above the town for 4km. The tourist office has guides in summer, or can give you a detailed map; all routes have helpful signage.

Terme Merano THERMAL BATHS

(Therme Meran; 0473 25 20 00; www.thermemeran.it; Piazza Terme 1; bathing pass 2hr adult/child €12/8, all day €18/11; 9am-10pm) Bolzano-born Matteo Thun’s dream commission – a modern redevelopment of the town’s thermal baths – was reopened in 2005. It houses 13 indoor pools and various saunas within a massive glass cube; there’s another 12 outdoor pools open in summer. Swim through the sluice and be met by a vision of palm-studded gardens and snow-topped mountains beyond. First-timers might want to get the helpful front desk to give them a rundown on the potentially baffling change-room routine; on weekends get there early, or late, to avoid the crowds. See Hotel Terme Merano for details of spa facilities.

Sleeping

Hotel Aurora HOTEL €€

( 0473 21 18 00; www.hotelaurora.bz; Passeggiata lungo Passirio 38; s €85-110, d €136-190; ) This traditional family hotel is working some fresh ideas. ‘New’ rooms are Italian designed, bright and slick, but the parquetry-floored ’60s originals do have their own charm (and balconies). The corridors are littered with mid-century pieces that would do a Williamsburg loft proud. A splendid breakfast spread includes prosecco and kuglehof; luckily, Terme Merano is just across the bridge (fluffy towels and robes are available for loan).

Imperial Art Hotel HOTEL €€€

( 0473 23 71 72; www.imperialart.it; Corso della Libertà 110; d €200-350; ) Upstairs in what was once a belle époque coffee palace, this inconspicuous hotel has 11 distinct artist-designed rooms – Tyrolean furniture morphs into neo-geo abstraction; velvet covers and dark-hued walls pay homage to the former Hotel Bristol; an armoire and walls emit an aluminium sheen. Comfort isn’t sacrificed for quirk, however: huge bathrooms and/or monster free-standing baths are just the start.

Youth Hostel Merano HOSTEL €

( 0473 20 14 75; meran.jugendherberge.it; Via Carducci 77; dm/s €21/24; ) An easy stroll from the train station and the riverside promenade, this hostel is a find: bright and modern, with a sunny terrace and other down-time extras. There’s 59 beds, either singles or en suite dorms for four.

MOUNTAIN MAGIC

The culture of the ‘cure’ is no passing fad in Alto Adige. Spas have done a roaring trade here for over two hundred years and wellness continues to be been taken very seriously. Therapists often possess paramedical qualifications and many Europeans can claim spa visits on national health insurance. Massage and skincare aren’t seen as ‘pampering’, but as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Local spa treatments use ingredients from field and forest – pine, honey, apples, grapes and whey – stirred, pounded or powered into packs, scrubs, massage oils or topping up soaking tubs. The most curious, and intrinsically Tyrolean, is the hay bath. Inspired by farm labourers’ penchant for restorative naps on mounds of freshly threshed hay, today spa-goers are cocooned in aromatic Alpine grasses, flowers and herbs. The mulch slowly heats the body while releasing a potent mix of medicinal oils. Curative? Hmm… Relaxing? Absolutely.

Boutique manufacturers of body-care products and herbal tisanes, based around folk traditions and incorporating Alpine botanicals, are also a booming local industry – try natural pharmacies throughout the region if you don’t make it to a spa.

Most mountain hotels will have a sauna and offer spa treatments of some kind. Some super-luxurious options in and around Merano:

Hotel Terme Merano ( 0473 25 90 00; www.hoteltermemerano.it; Viale delle Terme 1, Merano; s €117-137, d €160-320; ) A private tunnel leads to the Terme complex from the serene, refreshingly simple rooms. Baths, packs and scrubs are as delicious as they sound, with chestnut, apples and red wine all making an appearance. An ornate brass tub is employed for the ‘Sissi’ – a milk bath.

Vigilius ( 0473 55 66 00; www.vigilius.it; Lana; s €190-225, d €310-360; ) If splendid isolation appeals – access is by cable car only – come for pine-cone reflexology, polenta peels, a glassed-in jacuzzi overlooking the peaks, yoga and Nordic walking.

Arosea ( 0473 78 50 51; www.arosea.it; Santa Valburga, Val d’Ultimo; half-board per person €129-168; ) Alternate lakeside horse riding and hikes with yoga and serious spa time; treatments include mineral-water therapy, scrubs or sand from mountain streams, and lambswool wraps.

Bad Schörgau ( 0471 62 30 48; www.bad-schoergau.com; Sarentino; d €185; ) A cosy, modern bolt-hole on the edge of woodland, the spa here specialises in baths, using its own mineral-rich waters, along with Sarner pine, hay, honey and local raw milk.

Eating & Drinking

As befits a town now dedicated to bodily pleasure, Merano has an excellent fine- dining scene, including the Michelin-starred Sissi and Castel Fragsburg . Via Portici brims with speck-dealing delis, konditorei line Corso della Libertà, and there’s more late-night imbibing options, often squirreled down lanes, than you’d imagine.

Pur Südtirol ARTISAN, WINE BAR €

(www.pursuedtirol.com; Corso della Libertà 35; plates from €7; ) This stylish regional showcase has an amazing selection of farm produce: wine, cider, cheese (some 80 varieties), speck and sausage, pastries and breads, tisanes and body care. Everything is hyper-local: Anton Oberhöller’s chocolate is flavoured with apple, lemon balm or dark bread crisps. Specially commissioned wood, glass and textiles fill one corner of the shop. Stay for a coffee, glass of wine or the bretteljause – a plate of cured meat – at one of the communal tables.

Kallmünz GASTRONOMIC €€

( 0473 21 29 17; www.kallmuenz.it; Piazza della Rena 12; degustations €40-50; Tue-Sun) With rough rendered walls and a dark-beamed ceiling, the dining room here is theatrically simple, and the food too strikes a balance between flirtatious experimentation and letting great ingredients shine. A venison tartare comes with baby herbs, pine nuts and a spritz of beet juice, there’s fettucine, but it’s made with rye, and a pea-and-lettuce risotto is as fresh and vibrantly green as the valley itself. Wine is from surrounding vineyards and very reasonably priced. Follow the recommendations of the quad- and quin-lingual black-clad staff; they don’t disappoint.

Forsterbräu BREWERY €

( 0473 23 65 35; Corso della Libertà 90; meals €25; Wed-Mon) This brewery restaurant has a huge beer garden and a number of cosy, atmospheric dining rooms. Come for a pint or heaped plates of gulaschsuppe (gulasch soup), trout and roast boar.

Café Kunsthaus BAR, CAFE

(Via Portici 16, evening access from the back lane on Via Risparmio; 9am-midnight Tue-Sat, 9am-7pm Sun) You can while away the hours in this relaxed gallery cafe, then find yourself still here when the DJs begin and the beer and pizzas are doing the rounds.

Information

Ospedale Civile Tappeiner ( 0473 26 33 33; Via Rossini 5) For medical emergencies.

Post office (Via Roma 2) On the other side of the Passirio river from the old town.

Tourist office ( 0473 23 52 23; www.meraninfo.it; Corso Libertà 35; 9am-12.30pm & 2-6pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-12.30pm Sat)

Getting There & Around

SAD buses connect Merano bus station (Piazza Stazione) with Monte Santa Caterina and other villages that give access to the Gruppo del Tessa, as well as to Silandro and the valleys leading into the Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio and the Ortles range.

Bolzano (€2.40, almost hourly) is an easy 40-minute ride from Merano train station (Piazza Stazione) . Next door to the train station , hire a bike and helmet; the bikemobil card ( 0473 20 15 00; adult/child €24/12; 8am-8pm Apr-Nov) also gives you unlimited local train travel. Bike trails track the 65km route between Bolzano, Merano and Malles.

Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio

It’s not quite Yellowstone, but 1346-sq-km Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio ( 0469 0 30 46; www.parks.it/parco.nazionale.stelvio) is northern Italy’s (and the Alps’) largest national park, spilling into the next-door region of Lombardy and bordering with Switzerland’s Parco Nazionale Svizzero.

It’s primarily the preserve of walkers who come for the extensive network of well-organised mountain huts and marked trails which, while often challenging, don’t require the mountaineering know-how necessary elsewhere in the Dolomites. Stelvio’s central massif is guarded over by Monte Cevedale (3769m) and Ortles (3905m), protecting glaciers, forests and numerous wildlife species, not to mention many mountain traditions and histories.

Ski facilities are rare, but Stelvio has a couple of well-serviced runs at Solda and the Passo dello Stelvio (2757m), both of which offer the novelty of year-round skiing. The latter is the second-highest pass in the Alps and is approached from the north from the hamlet of Trafoi (1543m) on one of Europe’s most spectacular roads, a series of tight switchbacks covering 15km, with some very steep gradients. The road is also famous among cyclists, who train all winter to prepare for its gut-wrenching ascent (it has often featured in the Giro d’Italia). This high and hair-raising pass is only open from June to September, and always subject to closures dependent on early or late snowfalls.

Lying immediately south of Passo dello Stelvio, Bormio (1125m) is actually in Lombardy, but acts as an unofficial HQ for the park. It’s a popular ski resort due to its proximity to some of Italy’s highest runs. From October through May, Bormio is best approached from Sondalo in Lombardy, or via Tubre into Switzerland to take the Munt la Schera tunnel to Livigno. Cima Bianca rises just above the town, while nearby the year-round Pista Stelvio drops 1800m over 8km. The town’s thermal springs have been famous since Roman times (Leonardo da Vinci liked a soak). The luxurious Bagni di Bormio Spa Resort ( 0342 91 01 31; www.bagnidibormio.it; Via Statale Stelvio) , sits on the original Roman site, with 30 hot springs, 11 outdoor pools and a host of Euro-style treatments, and night bathing on Fridays and Saturdays. Hotel stays include unlimited spa access, but day passes are also available (passes €41-45; 10am-8pm, Bagni Nuovi to 11pm Fri & Sat) . Bormio Terme ( 0342 90 13 25; www.bormioterme.it; Via Stelvio 10; admission half-day €10-14; seasonal) also does treatments. Visit Bormio tourist office ( 0342 90 22 22; www.bormioonline.com; Via Roma 131b, Bormio; seasonal) or the park headquarters ( 0342 90 16 54; Via Roma 24, Bormio) for maps, weather forecasts and trekking advice.

VAL DI SOLDA

The village of Solda (Sulden; 1906m), at the head of the Val di Solda, is a low-key ski resort that acts as a base for walkers and climbers in summer. Challenging trails lead quickly to high altitudes, including trail No 28, which crosses the Passo di Madriccio (3123m) into the Val Martello.

Located – literally – inside a hill, the Messner Mountain Museum – Ortles ( 0473 61 32 66; adult/reduced €6/5; 2-6pm Wed-Mon, 1-7pm summer, closed May & Nov) articulates the theme of ‘ice’. Messner’s Yak & Yeti (Località Solda 55) restaurant, in a 17th-century farmhouse, is nearby.

The family-run Hotel Post ( 0473 61 30 24; www.hotelpost.it; Via Principale 24; d €160-190; ) , friendly if far from glam, has big, comfy rooms and a full quota of wellness facilities.

Solda’s tourist office ( 0473 61 30 15; Solda; seasonal) has information on activities.

SAD buses connect Solda with Merano (via Spondigna), summer weekdays only.

VAL MARTELLO

Every Alto Adige valley has its speciality: here it’s strawberries. Berries aside, Martello is a convenient gateway to Stelvio, with both gentle rambles and hard-core hiking adventures available. Trail No 20 up into the Val di Peder is an easy walk, with picnic spots along the way where chamois and deer might say hello.

Unspoiled by ski lifts and downhill runs, Martello specialises in cross-country skiing in the winter. Ice climbers attempt the valley’s frozen waterfalls from January to March.

Edelweiss ( 0473 74 45 26; www.gasthof-edelweiss.net; Dorf 98; s/d €35/70) has simple rooms and a sunny terrace bar. Or ask about hiring a small house (d €60) at Hotel Martell ( 0473 74 45 28; www.martellerhof.com; Gand 39) .

The road into the valley is open year-round and SAD bus 107 runs to Martello village from Silandro.

Val Gardena (Gröden/Gherdëina)

Despite its proximity to Bolzano, Val Gardena’s historical isolation amid the turrets of Gruppo del Sella and Sassolungo has ensured the survival of many pre-mass-tourism traditions. This is one of only five valleys in the Dolomites where Ladin is a majority tongue and this linguistic heritage is carefully maintained. The pretty and bustling villages are full of reminders of this distinct culture too, with folksy vernacular architecture and a profusion of woodcarving shops (Ortisei’s Museum de Gherdëina has a particularly exquisite collection of wooden toys and sculptures).

In recent times, the valley has become an ‘everyman’ ski area, with the emphasis firmly on classic runs and fine powder. The valley’s main trilingual towns, Ortisei (St Ulrich; population 5700, elevation 1236m), Santa Cristina (population 1840, elevation 1428m) and Selva (Wolkenstein; population 2580, elevation 1563m) all have good facilities.

Activities

In addition to its own good runs, the valley forms part of the Sella Ronda and the Dolomiti Superski area. Passes for Val Gardena and Alpe di Siusi alone cost €38/108/190 for one/three/six days.

Vallunga , near Selva, is one of the region’s best spots for cross-country skiing. There are stunning trails around Forcella Pordoi and Val Lasties in the Gruppo del Sella, and on the Sassolungo.

This is also a walkers’ paradise with endless possibilities, from the challenging Alte Vie of the Gruppo del Sella and the magnificent Parco Naturale Puez-Odle , to picturesque strolls including the Naturonda , a signposted nature-and-geology trail beginning at Passo di Sella (2244m).

In summer cable cars operate from all three towns. From Ortisei you can ascend to Seceda , which, at 2518m, offers an unforgettable view of the Gruppo di Odle, a cathedral-like series of mountain spires. From Seceda, trail No 2A passes through a typical Alpine environment – impossibly green, sloping pastures dotted with wooden malghe (shepherds’ huts).

Both the Sella and Sassolungo walking trails can be reached from Val Gardena resorts (or Canazei) by bus to Passo di Sella or Passo di Pordoi (steel yourself for some hairpin bends). From Passo di Pordoi (2239m), a cable car takes you to Sasso Pordoi (2950m).

HIT THE HIGHWAYS

The Dolomite’s Alta Vie – literally high ways – are high-altitude paths, designed for experienced walkers, but most not requiring true mountaineering skills or equipment. During mid-June to mid-September, a network of mountain huts offering food and accommodation line the route. The various tourist offices can provide maps and details of skill level required, Tourism Südtirol (www.trekking.suedtirol.info) maintains a comprehensive list of mountain huts. Descriptions of each route can be found at www.dolomiti-altevie.it.

» Alta Via No1 Lago di Braies to Belluno, north to south

» Alta Via No2 Bressanone to Feltre, passing through Odle, the mythical Ladin kingdom

» Alta Via No3 Villabassa to Longarone

» Alta Via No4 San Candido to Pieve di Cadore

Sleeping & Eating

If you’re looking to spend a week in the mountains, the Val Gardena’s hotels offer great half-board deals and are often more affordable than those in Alta Badia or Val di Fassa.

Chalet Gerard HOTEL €€€

( 0471 79 52 74; www.chalet-gerard.com; Plan de Gralba, Selva Val Gardena; half-board s €105-145, d €180-240; ) Stunning and remote modern chalet with panoramic views, lots of cosy lolling by the (architect-designed) fire spots, a steam room and the option to ski in. The restaurant is both romantic – all pine, felt and candlelight – and highly regarded by local chefs.

Charme Hotel Uridl HOTEL €€

( 0471 79 32 15; www.uridl.it; Via Chemun 43, Santa Cristina; half-board s €65-100, d €110-190; ) Nestled behind the church in the original ‘high’ village, this is a friendly character-filled hotel with bright, simple rooms, a heritage stube , and beautiful views back over the valley from its sunny garden.

Hotel am Stetteneck HOTEL €€

( 0471 79 65 63; www.stetteneck.com; Via Rezia 14, Ortisei; d €88-190, weekly stays only in winter; ) This elegant, warm hotel dates from 1913 (during WWI Italian troops were bivouacked here) and is right in the middle of town. Come for graceful service, and lovely village and mountain views from big bay windows.

Saslong Smart Hotel HOTEL €

( 0471 77 44 44; www.saslong.eu; Strada Palua, Santa Cristina; d €58-90) Rooms are small but slick (Antonio Citterio had a hand in the design) and comfortable; the ‘smart’ concept keeps rates low by making room cleaning, wi-fi and breakfast optional, though far from exorbitant, extras.

Ristorante Concordia SÜDTIROLEAN €€

( 0471 79 62 76; Via Roma 41, Ortisei; meals €20-30) Pasta here is made by hand, as are the breads. The ham, too, is smoked on the premises.

Information

The valley’s tourist offices are online at www.valgardena.it.

Ortisei tourist office ( 0471 77 76 00; Via Rezia 1; 8.30am-12.30pm & 2.30-6.30pm Mon-Sat, 9am-noon & 5-6.30pm Sun)

Santa Cristina tourist office ( 0471 77 78 00; Via Chemun 9; 8am-noon & 2.30-6.30pm Mon-Sat, 9am-noon Sun)

Scuola di Alpinismo Catores ( 0471 79 82 23; www.catores.com; Piazza Stettenect 1, Ortisei; 5.30-7pm) Offers botanical walks, climbing courses, glacier excursions and treks.

Selva tourist office ( 0471 77 79 00; Via Mëisules 213; 8am-noon & 3-6.30pm Mon-Sat, 9am-noon & 5-6.30pm Sun)

Tourist medical (Ortisei 0471 79 77 85; Selva 0471 79 42 66)

Getting There & Around

The Val Gardena is accessible from Bolzano and Bressonone by SAD buses year-round, and the neighbouring valleys in summer.

In summer the hop-on, hop-off Sella Ronda bus (€11/6 per adult/child) travels the circuit; the Val Gardena card gets you a week’s unlimited transport (3/6 days €59/76). Regular buses connect the towns along the valley and you can reach the Alpe di Siusi by either bus or cable car. Timetables are available at tourist offices.

In winter the Val Gardena Ski Express shuttle bus service links the various villages and lifts in the valley; a €5 ticket covers a week’s unlimited travel.

Alpe di Siusi & Parco Naturale Sciliar-Catinaccio

There are few more jarring or beautiful juxtapositions than the undulating green pastures of the Alpe di Siusi – Europe’s largest plateau – ending dramatically at the base of the towering Sciliar Mountains. To the southeast lies the jagged Catinaccio range, its German name ‘Rosengarten’ an apt description of the eerie pink hue given off by the mountains’ dolomite rock at sunset. The two areas are protected in the Parco Naturale Sciliar-Catinaccio. Signposted by their onion-domed churches, the villages that dot the gentle valleys – including Castelrotto (Kastelruth), Fiè allo Sciliar (Völs am Schlern) and Siusi – are lovingly maintained and unexpectedly sophisticated.

Activities

The region is part of the Dolomiti Superski network, with downhill skiing, ski-mountaineering, cross-country skiing and snowshoe trails all possible.

The gentle slopes of the Alpe di Siusi are perfect hiking terrain for families with kids; average stamina will get you to the Rifugio Bolzano ( 0471 61 20 24; www.schlernhaus.it; Jun-Oct) , one of the Alps’ oldest mountain huts, which rests at 2457m, just under Monte Pez (2564m), the Sciliar’s summit. Take the Panorama chairlift (one way/return €3.50/5) from Compaccio to the Alpenhotel, followed by paths S, No 5 and No 1 to the rifugio; from here it’s an easy walk to Monte Pez (three hours total). The more jagged peaks of the Catinaccio group and the Sassolungo are nearby. These mountains are revered among climbers worldwide, and harbour several vie ferrate and loads of good bike trails. They’re usually accessed from Vigo in Val di Fiemme.

Horses are a big part of local life and culture and there’s nothing more picturesque than a local chestnut Haflinger pony galloping across these endless pastures. Riding stables can be found throughout the area; Gstatschhof Ponyhof ( 0471 727814; www.gstatschhof.com; Via Alpe di Siusi 39) offers accommodation and summer programs.

The Seiser Alm cableway (www.seiseralmbahn.it; one way/return €9/13.50; 8am-6pm mid-Dec–Mar & mid-May–Oct) is a dizzying 15-minute, 4300m trip (800m ascent) from Siusi to Compaccio. The road linking the two is closed to normal traffic when the cableway is open. Regular buses operated by Silbernagl ( 0471 70 74 00; www.silbernagl.it) serve the area from Castelrotto and Siusi.

Sleeping & Eating

Hotel Heubad HOTEL €€

( 0471 72 50 20; www.hotelheubad.com, in Italian; Via Sciliar 12, Fiè allo Sciliar; half-board d €132-198; ) As if the pretty garden and spacious lounge areas here weren’t relaxing enough, the spa is known for its typically Tyrolean hay baths, which have been on offer since 1903 and give the hotel its name. Delightful service is courtesy of the founder’s great- and great-great-grandchildren. The upstairs rooms are modern, light and spacious, with balconies for taking in the Alpe di Siusi.

Schagaguler HOTEL €€€

( 0471 71 21 00; www.schgaguler.com; Via Dolomiti 2, Castelrotto; half-board per person €99-170; ) Streamlined blond-wood rooms offer views from the bathroom, the bedroom, the living room…Downstairs Vinbar Rubin is an urbane spot with rustic views.

Gasthof Zum Turm HOTEL €€

( 0471 70 63 49; www.zumturm.com; Kofelgasse 8, Castelrotto; d €94-158; ) Nestled by Castelrotto’s onion-domed church, with neat rooms and a strudel-scoffing-friendly garden.

Information

All tourist offices have coordinated hours (8am to noon and 2pm to 6pm Monday to Friday, 8am to noon Saturday) and a common website (www.alpedisiusi.info).

Castelrotto tourist office ( 0471 70 63 33; Piazza Kraus 1)

Fiè allo Sciliar tourist office ( 0471 72 50 27; Via Bolzano 4)

Siusi tourist office ( 0471 70 70 24; Via Sciliar 16)

The Alpe di Siusi is accessible by SAD bus from Bolzano, the Val Gardena and Bressanone.

Val Badia & Alpe di Fanes

For centuries potent Ladin legends have resonated across this mystical landscape, which inspired the latterly fantasies of JRR Tolkien. Not surprisingly, the valley and the adjoining high plains of Fanes are often touted as one of the most evocative places in the Dolomites. Since 1980 they have been protected as part of the Parco Naturale di Fanes-Sennes-Braies. Villages in the valley – Colfosco (1645m), Pedraces (1324m), La Villa (1433m), San Cassiano (St Kassian; 1537m) and Corvara (1568m) – form the Alta Badia ski area. While undoubtedly upmarket, they remain calm and filled with character.

Activities

The Alta Badia is located on the Sella Ronda, with the best access from Corvara, and forms part of the Dolomiti Superski network. Alta Badia passes for 1/3/6 days cost from €37/107/188. Of the Alta Badia’s 130km of slopes, the Gran Risa , 4.5km north of Corvara in La Villa, is undoubtedly the most legendary.

In summer a cable car ascends into the Parco Naturale di Fanes-Sennes-Braies from the Passo Falzarego (2105m). Alternatively, pick up trail No 12, near La Villa, or trail No 11, which joins Alta Via No 1 at the Capanna Alpina, a few kilometres off the main road between Passo Valparola and San Cassiano. Either trail takes you up to the Alpe di Fanes and the two rifugi, Lavarella and Fanes.

Horse riding, mountain biking and hang-gliding are other popular valley activities. Tourist offices have a list of places where you can hire mountain bikes and hotels often have bikes for guests’ use.

Sleeping & Eating

These resorts are known for their discreet, luxurious hotels. Budget options are scarce; residence apartments and mountain huts can be a good deal, but need to be booked well in advance.

Lagacio Mountain Residence APARTMENT €€

( 0471 84 95 03; www.lagacio.com; Strada Micurá de Rü 48; apt €146-290; ) A residence hotel with young friendly staff and contemporary, casual vibe. Stylishly pared-back apartments have heated floors, big baths and balconies. Attention to detail is keen: kitchens come with WMF gear, espresso machines and filtered mountain water. The breakfast buffet includes local meats and cheeses, Tyrolean and Italian cakes, DIY vegetable juices and local herb tisanes, or they’ll do you a fry-up.

Hotel La Villa HOTEL €

( 0471 84 70 35; www.hotel-lavilla.it; Boscdaplan 176, La Villa; d €70-130, half-board d €86-152; ) La Villa is in a lovely quiet village cul-de-sac and filled with larch-wood furniture and cosy Ladin ambience. There’s a wellness centre and traditional restaurant.

Boconara 1927 RESTAURANT

(www.boconara.com; Strada Arlara, Corvara; ) Most ski-in here but you can make it up on foot with a bit of boot traction. Beers and Italian-style snacks come with complimentary views and a petting farm for the kids.

GOURMET HEIGHTS

While lashings of speck, schnitzel and dumplings do make perfect post-piste dinners, Alta Badia ups the Alpine ante with a disproportionate number of fine-dining (and often Michelin-starred) restaurants. This gastronomic hot spot also hosts the Chef’s Cup food festival (www.chefscup.it) in January and from July to September organic farmers markets take over village squares. Current Michelin darlings include St Hubertus (Rosa Alpina Hotel; 0471 84 95 00; www.rosalpina.it; Strada Micurá de Rü 20, San Cassiano; meals €90-120; dinner Wed-Mon) , part of the luxurious Rosa Alpina Hotel & Spa. This two-Michelin-starred restaurant is cosy and quietly elegant; the mountain beef cooked in salt and hay is a menu stalwart, as is suckling pig, though dishes also take a creative, delicate turn. Strewn with Alpine antiques and built entirely from wood, Stüa de Michil (Hotel La Perla; 0471 83 10 00; www.hotel-laperla.it; Col Alt 105, Corvara; meals €100; 7-9.30pm Mon-Sat) is intimate and ridiculously atmospheric. Beautifully presented dishes rework Ladin or Tyrolean traditions and use biodynamic ingredients. Rare wines are also a speciality.

Winebar & Grill MODERN ITALIAN, SÜDTIROLEAN €€€

(Rosa Alpina Hotel; 0471 84 95 00; www.rosalpina.it; Strada Micurá de Rü 20, San Cassiano; meals €55; 11am-11pm) This village hub is a lot more easygoing than its decor and old-style service (and prices) suggest; hoodie-clad teenagers slop in, and tables of littlies merrily munch on pizza. Ultra-local dishes are the business (hand-cut pasta with venison ragù , gelato of caramelised pumpkin seeds, pumpkin oil and cinnamon), though looking south is also tempting (creamy burrata with pesto and gazpacho, vitello tonnato ).

Rifugio Scotoni SÜDTIROLEAN €

( 0471 84 73 30; www.scotoni.it; Alpe Lagazuoi 2, La Villa; meals €20-30; year-round) At 1985m there’s stunning views, and the traditional food and mountain hospitality make this a quintessential Badia experience. The cosy, blond-wood bunkrooms are also worth considering for an overnight stay but need to be booked well ahead.

Delizius DELI

(www.delizius.it; San Cassiano; daily) Specialist cheese and speck counters, well-priced local wine and grappa, plus an excellent selection of prepared meals – canederli , gulasch, lasagne – perfect for self-catering dinners.

LADIN LANDS

Ladin is definitely not a dying language. According to one Val Gardena local in her 20s, to be Ladin is ‘just a way of feeling…I’ve grown up speaking the language; I don’t feel Italian, or South Tyrolean, I feel Ladin.’ She is but one of 20,000 first-language Ladin speakers, with almost half from the Val Gardena, the others are spread across valleys in the neighbouring Val Badia and Val di Fassa, and the Arabba and Ampezzo near Cortina in the Veneto. Children in these valleys are taught in Ladin, alongside German and Italian, and the Ladin cultural and linguistic identity is enshrined in EU law. Contemporary media includes the newspaper La Usc di Ladins (The Voice; www.lauscdiladins.com, in Ladin and Italian) and the radio station Radio Gherdëina (94.2 FM), broadcast from the Val Gardena.

The culture is underpinned by vibrant poetry and legends peopled by the good-natured salvan and a host of fairies, giants and heroes. Encounter these and Ladin crafts and artefacts at the following places:

Museo Ladin ( 0474 52 40 20; www.museumladin.it; Tor 65, San Martino, Val Badia; adult/reduced €6/4.50; 10am-6pm Tue-Sat, 2-6pm Sun mid-Mar–Oct, 2-6pm Wed-Fri winter)

Museo Ladin de Fascia ( 0462 76 01 82; www.istladin.net; Via Milano 5, San Giovanni, Val di Fassa; adult/reduced €5-3; 10am-noon & 3-7pm daily Jun–mid-Sep, 3-7pm Tue-Sat mid-Sep–May)

Museum de Gherdëina ( 0471 79 75 54; www.museumgherdeina.it; Via Rezia 83, Ortisei, Val Gardena; adult/reduced €6/4; 10am-noon & 2-6pm Tue-Fri, Mon in summer)

Information

Full ski-pass prices, lift information and the location of ski-pass sales points can be found online (www.altabadia.org) or at tourist offices.

Associazione Guide Alpine Val Badia ( 0471 83 68 98; guide.valbadia@rolmail.net; Via Burje, Corvara) Advice on skiing, heli-skiing, ice climbing and advanced walking trails. Phone lines are only staffed between 6pm and 7pm.

Corvara tourist office ( 0471 83 61 76; Via Col Alt 36; 8am-noon & 2-6pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-noon & 3-6pm Sat, 10am-noon & 4-6pm Sun)

Helicopter mountain rescue ( 0471 79 71 71)

La Villa tourist office ( 0471 84 70 37; Via Colz 75; 8.30am-noon & 3-7pm Mon-Sat, 10am-noon & 4-6pm Sun)

San Cassiano tourist office ( 0471 84 94 22; Strada Micurá de Rü 24; 8.30am-noon & 3-7pm Mon-Sat, 10am-noon & 4-6pm Sun)

Getting There & Away

Hourly SAD ( 800 84 60 47; www.sad.it) busses link Alta Badia’s villages with Bolzano (2½ hours) and Brunico (1¼ hours) in winter and summer, with fewer in spring and autumn. Less-frequent services link Corvara with the Val Gardena, Passo di Sella and Passo di Pordoi, Canazei and the Passo Falzarego. Buses re-route in winter to avoid crossing the higher mountain passes.

Val Pusteria (Pustertal)

The narrow, verdant Val Pusteria appears more pastoral and less crowded than its southern counterparts. Running from Bressanone (Brixen) to San Candido (Innichen) in the east, the region is profoundly Tyrolean and almost entirely German-speaking.

Bressanone is a picture-postcard historic town, known for its gardens and wonderful culinary heritage. Dobbiaco (Toblach) is the gateway to the ethereal Parco Naturale delle Dolomiti di Sesto , home of the much-photographed Tre Cime di Lavaredo , and has a beautifully located and well-tended Youth Hostel Dobbiaco (Via Dolomiten 29; toblach.jugendherberge.it; per person €22-24, with bathroom €30-34; ) .

Easy to reach from the Val Pusteria, Lago di Braies is a peaceful spot for a lakeside stroll. More-serious walkers might like to tackle part of the Alta Via No 1, which starts here. The Plan de Corones (Kronplaz) ski area – covered by Dolomiti Superski – is 4km to the south of Brunico and can be reached by cable car. Ample green and blue runs are a treat for beginners.

Brunico’s tourist office ( 0474 55 57 22; www.bruneck.com; Piazza Municipio 7; 9am-12.30pm & 3-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon Sat) is helpful for resort information, as is the Val Pusteria website (www.kronplatz.com).

Regional Val Pusteria trains connect with the main Bolzano–Innsbruck line at Fortezza (Franzensfeste), and run down the valley as far as San Candido. SAD buses travel to Brunico (45 minutes, hourly) and Cortina (one hour, four daily) from San Candido. From either town sporadic buses and trains go to Dobbiaco, from where buses run to Lago di Braies.

BRUNICO (BRUNECK)

Val Pusteria’s big smoke, Brunico (population 13,700; elevation 835m) gets a bad wrap by those who’ve only driven through its unremarkable main drag. The quintessentially Tyrolean historic centre is, however, a delightful detour.

Right by the town gate, head to Acherer Patisserie & Blumen ( 0474 41 00 30; www.acherer.com; Via Centrale; 8am-7pm Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm Sat & Sun) , for apple strudel, cheesecakes and Sachertorte that may just be the region’s best; the young owner reopened his grandfather’s former bakery after apprenticing in Vienna. His inventive chocolates and seasonal preserves now grace many of the region’s five-starred pillows and breakfast buffets. If you’d like your cake with coffee, they’ll happily plate it and you can waltz next door to Wörtz Bäck (Via Centrale 12; 8am-late Wed-Fri, 8am-7pm Mon, Tue & Sat) , a friendly bar where locals gather for jugs of beer and great wine by the glass.

Enoteque Bernardi (www.bernardi-karl.it, Via Stuck 6; closed Sun) has bar stools looking over the river to the old town walls. It’s the very picture of a smart Italian wine bar, but shelves are stacked with local specialities: speck, smoked salami and cans of venison gulasch. On the town’s outskirts, visit local wool manufacturer Moessmer (Via Vogelweide) for cashmere and Tyrolean tweeds from its outlet shop, or just for an interesting slice of early-20th-century industrial architecture.

Hotel Blitzburg ( 0474 55 57 23; www.blitzburg.it; Via Europa 10; half-board d €90-148; ) , in the new town, is a rambling old place with big, bright rooms and a nice mountain orientation.

SESTO DOLOMITES

At the far end of the Val Pusteria are the Dolomites’ Austrian and Veneto borders; the Sesto Dolomites are a vast, mostly wild, territory. The Valle Campo di Dentro, near San Candido, and the Val Fiscalina, near Sesto, are criss-crossed with spectacular walking and cross-country skiing trails; most trails around the Tre Cime are suitable for inexperienced walkers and families. From the Val Fiscalina it’s a long but easy walk along trail No 102 to Rifugio Locatelli (2405m), from where you can see the Tre Cime di Lavaredo in all its glory.

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Venice & the Veneto

Includes »

Venice

Around the Veneto

Brenta Riviera

Padua

Vicenza

Verona

Verona’s Wine Country

Dolomites

Why Go?

Pinch yourself, and you might expect to awaken from this dreamscape of pink palaces, teal waters and golden domes. Instead you’re in Venice, and all five senses never felt so alert. Gondoliers call ‘Ooooooeeee!’ round canal bends, nostrils flare at fresh espresso wafting from 250-year-old cafes, mouths water at cascades of purple artichokes on Rialto market stalls, and everywhere – constantly – water gently laps at your feet.

Scan the Veneto coastline, and you might spot signs of modern life: beach resorts, malls and traffic. But look closer and you’ll discover Brenta Riviera villas opening to the public, and newly restored masterpieces being unveiled: Titians and Veroneses in Venice, Palladios and Tiepolos in Vicenza, and Giottos in Padua.

This calls for a toast with bubbly local prosecco (type of sparkling wine) or cult wines from Valpolicella and Soave. Elsewhere in Italy, cin-cin (cheers) will do – but in Veneto, raise your glass to la bea vita (the good life).

When to Go

Jan & Feb Snow-covered gondolas, skiers on the Dolomites slopes and Carnevale partiers in Venice.

Apr–Jun Canalside dining, Vin-Italy toasts and Biennale openings (skip pricey Easter holidays).

Sep–Nov Venice Film Festival red carpets, wild duck pasta specials and palatial accommodation for less.

Best Places to Eat

» Venissa ( Click here )

» All’Arco ( Click here )

» Corte Sconta ( Click here )

» Anice Stellato ( Click here )

» Locanda Lo Scudo ( Click here )

Best Places to Stay

» Novecento ( Click here )

» Oltre Il Giardino ( Click here )

» Palazzo Abadessa ( Click here )

» Relais Ca’ Muse ( Click here )

» Bauer Palladio & Spa ( Click here )

Navigating Venice

Although you can take a train or bus to the western edge of Venice, the only ways to navigate this city are on foot or by boat. Since 1171, the 117 islands that make up Venice have been loosely organised into six sestieri (districts): Cannaregio, Castello, San Marco, San Polo, Dorsoduro and Santa Croce. As you cross canals by footbridge, you may notice white signs informing you which sestiere you’re entering. Directions to Piazza San Marco, the Rialto and Accademia are found on yellow signs – but the best adventures begin by ignoring those signs and wandering Venice’s calli lanes.

VENETO MYTHS…& REALITIES

Verona is the home of Romeo and Juliet …never mind that they’re fictional characters. Lovelorn visitors still leave notes to Juliet on the door of a Renaissance house with a balcony.

There’s nothing to see in Padua …except pivotal Giotto frescoes that are the missing link between medieval and Renaissance art, rare botanical gardens planted in 1545 where the Italian Resistance was plotted in WWII, and Galileo’s anatomy theatre that revolutionised scientific methods.

Everyone drinks prosecco in the Veneto …when they’re not wine tasting in Valpollicella or Soave, or sampling rarely exported IGT blends at Venetian enoteche (wine bars) or Verona’s annual VinItaly expo.

See one Palladian building and you’ve seen them all …other than Palladio’s 24 Unesco-protected, soaring Veneto villas that raise spirits to the skies, three blinding-white Istrian stone churches with double the dazzle along Venice’s Giudecca Canal, and the entire Greek metropolis inside Vicenza’s Teatro Olimpico.

There’s nowhere to stay the night in Venice …except for all those palaces converted to B&Bs and apartments that have become available in the decade since Venice loosened laws allowing families to open their homes to visitors.

Veneto’s Best Freebies

» Basilica di San Marco (Click here ) Where East meets West under shimmering gold mosaic domes.

» Verona’s wine country (Click here ) Free and fabulous tastings by appointment at area wineries.

» Burano (Click here ) Surely the most colourful fishing village in the Mediterranean.

» Historical Vicenza (Click here ) A Unesco-protected urban centre with Palladios at every turn.

» Venice’s Ghetto (Click here ) The world’s original ghetto – a centre of refuge, commerce and culture.

DON’T MISS

Winter sports and summer fun are within easy reach of Venice. Skiers head for the Dolomites as soon as the snow sticks – but once it thaws, everyone hits Lido beaches.

Fast Facts

» Population: 4.91 million

» Area: 18,378 sq km

» Unesco World Heritage Sites: 30, including three cities (Vicenza, Venice and Verona), Venice’s lagoon and the Dolomites

» Number of union-certified artisans in Venice alone: 2000

High-Season Hints

Don’t miss Venice’s Biennale and Verona’s open-air opera – if only to dodge summer crowds. Broaden your accommodation and restaurant options by visiting cities on weekdays and Veneto countryside on weekends.

Resources

» Veneto Regional Tourism (www.veneto.to) has information on what’s happening around the Veneto, from dancing on the beaches to biking through the Dolomites.

Venice & the Veneto Highlights

Join the collective gasp at the golden mosaic domes of Venice’s Basilica di San Marco (Click here )

Compare Titian’s radiant reds and Tintoretto’s lightning-strike brushstrokes at Venice’s I Frari (Click here ) and Scuola Grande di San Rocco (Click here )

Shout ‘Brava!’ for opera diva encores at Verona’s outdoor Roman Arena (Click here )

Let the spirits move you from classic whites to cult reds to grappa in Verona’s wine country (Click here )

Villa-hop like a 1600s Venetian socialite along the Brenta Riviera (Click here )

See the Renaissance coming through the tears in Giotto’s moving frescoes for Scrovegni Chapel (Click here )

Bike through Alpine wildflower meadows and ski craggy peaks in the Dolomites, using Belluno ( Click here ) as a base

VENICE

POP 61,500 (CITY), 270,800 (TOTAL INCLUDING MAINLAND)

Imagine the audacity of people deciding to build a city of marble palaces on a lagoon. Instead of surrendering to acque alte (high tide) like reasonable folk might do, Venetians flooded the world with vivid painting, baroque music, modern opera, spice-route cuisine, bohemian-chic fashions and a Grand Canal’s worth of Spritz: the signature prosecco /Aperol cocktail. Today cutting-edge architects and billionaire benefactors are spicing up the art scene, musicians are rocking out 18th-century instruments and backstreet osterie (casual taverns or eateries presided over by a host) are winning a Slow Food following. Your timing couldn’t be better: the people who made walking on water look easy are well into their next act.

History

A malarial swamp seems like a strange place to found an empire, unless you consider the circumstances: from the 5th to 8th century AD, Huns, Goths and sundry barbarians repeatedly sacked Roman towns along the Veneto’s Adriatic coast. In AD 726 the people of Venice elected their first doge , whose successors would lead the city for more than 1000 years.

Next Venice shored up its business interests. The city accepted a Frankish commission of 84,000 silver marks to join the Crusades, even as it continued trading with Muslim leaders from Syria to Spain. When the balance wasn’t forthcoming from the Franks, Venice claimed Constantinople ‘for Christendom’ – but sent ships loaded with booty home, instead of onward to Jerusalem. After Venice was decimated by plague, Genoa tried to take over the city in 1380. But Venice prevailed, controlling the Adriatic and a backyard that stretched from Dalmatia to Bergamo.

Like its signature landmark, the Basilica di San Marco, the Venetian empire was dazzlingly cosmopolitan. Armenians, Turks, Greeks and Germans were neighbours along the Grand Canal, and Jewish communities persecuted elsewhere in Europe founded publishing houses, banks and medical practices in Venice. By the mid-15th century, Venice was swathed in golden mosaics, imported silks and clouds of incense.

As the Age of Exploration began, Venice lost its monopoly over seafaring trade routes. The fall of Constantinople in 1453 and the Venetian territory of Morea (in Greece) in 1499 gave the Turks control over Adriatic Sea access. The Genovese opened transatlantic trade routes following Columbus’ 1492 discovery of the Americas, and Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama rounded Africa’s Cape of Good Hope in 1498.

Once it could no longer rule the seas, Venice changed tack and began conquering Europe by charm. Venetian art was incredibly daring, bringing sensuous colour and sly social commentary even to religious subjects. Venetian nobles’ illegitimate daughters were trained as musicians in ospedaletti (orphanages) by the likes of Vivaldi, and Venetian courtesans started trends for platform shoes and poetry. By the end of the 16th century, Venice was known across Europe for its painting, catchy music and 12,000 registered prostitutes.

Venetian reputations did nothing to prevent Napoleon from claiming the city in 1797 and looting it of its art. By 1817 one-quarter of Venice’s population was destitute. When Venice rallied to resist the Austrian occupation in 1848–49, a blockade left it wracked by cholera and short on food. Venetian rebels lost the fight but not the war: they became early martyrs to the cause of Italian independence, and in 1866 Venice joined the independent kingdom of Italy.

The once-glamorous empire gradually took on an industrious workaday aspect, with factories springing up on Giudecca and a roadway from the mainland built by Mussolini. Italian partisans joined Allied troops to wrest Veneto from Fascist control, but the tragedy of war and mass deportation of Venice’s historical Jewish population in 1942–44 shook Venice to its moorings. Postwar, many Venetians left for Milan and other centres of industry.

On 4 November 1966, disaster struck: record floods poured into 16,000 Venetian homes, stranding residents in the wreckage of 1200 years of civilisation. But Venice’s cosmopolitan charm was a saving grace: assistance from admirers poured in (from Mexico to Australia, millionaires to pensioners) and Unesco coordinated some 27 international charities to redress the ravages of the flood.

Defying centuries of dire predictions, Venice has not yet become a Carnevale-masked parody of itself or a lost Atlantis. The city remains relevant and realistic, a global launch pad for daring art and film, ingenious craftsmanship, opera premieres and music revivals, even as it seeks sustainable solutions to rising water levels.

VENICE IN…

Two Days

Take detours from our ‘Venice Labyrinth’ walking tour’ to check out cicheti (Venetian tapas), artisans’ studios and Gothic architectural details. Museum-hop from the Gallerie dell’Accademia to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection and Punta della Dogana , then hop onto the vaporetto (small passenger ferry) to Giudecca for Palladio churches and a romantic dinner at I Figli delle Stelle . On day two, follow espresso in Campo Santa Margherita with glimpses of heaven in the Tiepolo ceilings at Ca’ Rezzonico , Titian and Tintoretto masterpieces at I Frari and Scuola Grande di San Rocco Offline map Google map , and shopping across Ponte di Rialto to happy hour at I Rusteghi .

Four Days

Devote a day to divine Cannaregio and Castello , beginning with Museo Ebraico di Roma ’s Ghetto synagogue tour, Tintoretto’s home church of Madonna dell’Orto and heavenly seafood at Anice Stellato . Cross canals to Castello’s many-splendoured Zanipolo , serene Chiesa di San Francesco della Vigna and sunset cocktails at Terrazza Danieli – but don’t miss your concert at La Pietà , Teatro La Fenice or Interpreti Veneziani . Island-hop your fourth day away, with blown-glass shopping in Murano , lunch in Burano and mosaics in Torcello .

A Week

Become a regular at your favourite restaurants , recognise local specialities at the Rialto Market and strike up conversations in sociable cafes. Sign up for a class, plan your days around themes – Venetian fashion, Lido beaches or Veronese paintings with dogs – or follow your instincts and camera lens through Venice’s calli (lanes).

Sights

PIAZZA SAN MARCO & AROUND

Basilica di San Marco CHURCH

(St Mark’s Basilica; Click here ; 041 241 38 17; www.basilicasanmarco.it; Piazza San Marco; basilica entry free; 9.45am-5pm Mon-Sat, 2-4pm Sun & holidays) Creating Venice’s signature architectural wonder took nearly 800 years of painstaking labour and one saintly barrel of lard. Legend has it that in AD 828, wily Venetian merchants smuggled St Mark’s corpse out of Egypt in a barrel of pork fat to avoid inspection by Muslim customs authorities. Church authorities in Rome took a dim view of Venice’s tendency to glorify itself and God in the same breath, but Venice defiantly created the basilica in its own cosmopolitan image, with Byzantine onion-bulb domes, a Greek cross layout, a Gothic rosette window and Egyptian marble walls. The roped-off circuit of the church is free and takes about 15 minutes. For entry, dress modestly (ie knees and shoulders covered) and leave large bags round the corner at Ateneo di San Basso’s free one-hour baggage storage ( 9.30am-5.30pm) .

Venice

Top Sights

I Frari C4

Sights

1  Arsenale G5

2 Associazione Canottieri GiudeccaC7

3  Chiesa di San Francesco della Vigna F4

4  Chiesa di San Giorgio Maggiore E6

5  Chiesa di San Michele in Isola F1

6  Fondazione Giorgio Cini E6

7  Fortuny Tessuti Artistici B6

8  Gesuati C6

9  Giardini Pubblici H6

10  Il Redentore C7

11  Magazzini del SaleD6

12  Museo Storico Navale F5

13  Ponte dei ScalziB3

14 Ponte di CalatravaA3

15 Prigioni Nuove (New Prisons) or Palazzo delle PrigioniE5

16  San Sebastiano B5

17  Scuola Grande di San RoccoB4

Sleeping

18  Bauer Palladio & Spa E6

19  Domina Home Ca' Zusto C3

20  La Calcina C6

21  Ostello Venezia D7

22  Palazzo Zenobio B5

Eating

23  Alaska B3

24  Coop A3

25  Dalla MarisaB2

26  I Figli delle Stelle D6

27  Impronta Café B4

28  La Palanca B6

29  Le SpigheH5

30  Tearoom Caffé Orientale B3

Exterior

In the left-most portal, lunette mosaics dating from 1270 show St Mark’s stolen body arriving at the basilica – a story repeated in 1660 lunette mosaics on the second portal from the right. Grand entrances through the central portal pass under an ornate triple arch with 13th- to 14th-century reliefs of vines, virtues and astrological signs.

SPEEDY ENTRY TO THE BASILICA DI SAN MARCO

The grandest entrances to the Basilica di San Marco are with a crowd, its whispered, polyglot expressions of wonder creating a hive-like hum under the honey-gold domes. Luckily, the queue moves quickly – waits to enter are rarely over 15 minutes, even when the queue extends past the door to Palazzo Ducale. But to abbreviate your wait, consider these tips:

» Booking your visit online (www.venetoinside.com; €1 booking fee) allows you to skip the queues and head directly into the central portal.

» Tour groups tend to arrive on the hour or half-hour, so arrivals at odd times usually mean shorter waits.

» The diocese offers free guided tours ( 11am Mon-Sat Apr-Oct by reservation) explaining the theological messages in the mosaics, with expedited entry through the central portal.

Dome Mosaics

Inside the basilica are 8500 sq metres of mosaics, many made with 24-carat gold to represent divine light. In niches flanking the main door as you enter the narthex (vestibule) glitters Apostles with the Madonna , who looks stunning for her age: at more than 950 years old, this is the oldest mosaic in the basilica. The atrium’s Dome of Genesis depicts the separation of sky and water with surprisingly abstract motifs, anticipating modern art by 650 years. Last Judgment mosaics cover the atrium vault and the Apocalypse looms large in vault mosaics over the gallery.

Mystical transfusions occur in the Dome of the Holy Spirit , where a dove’s blood streams onto the heads of saints. In the central 13th-century Cupola of the Ascension , angels swirl overhead while dreamy-eyed St Mark rests on the pendentive. Scenes from St Mark’s life story unfold in vaults flanking the Dome of the Prophets over the main altar.

Pala d’Oro

Tucked behind the main altar containing St Mark’s sarcophagus is the Pala d’Oro (admission €2; 9.45am-4pm Mon-Sat, 2-4pm Sun) , studded with 2000 emeralds, amethysts, sapphires, rubies, pearls and other gemstones. Even more precious are biblical figures in vibrant cloisonné, begun in Constantinople in 976 and elaborated by Venetian goldsmiths in 1209. The enamelled saints have wild, unkempt beards and wide eyes fixed on Jesus, who glances sideways at studious St Mark as Mary throws her hands up in wonder.

Sestieri di San Marco (Venice)

Top Sights

Basilica di San Marco H2

Ca' Rezzonico A2

Gallerie dell'Accademia B4

Palazzo DucaleH2

Peggy Guggenheim Collection C4

Sights

1  Campanile G2

2  Chiesa di Santa Maria del Giglio D3

3  Chiesa di Santa Maria della SaluteE5

4  Chiesa di Santo Stefano C2

5  Museo Correr F2

6  Museo Fortuny D1

7  Negozio Olivetti G2

8  Palazzo Contarini del BovoloE1

9  Palazzo Grassi B2

10  Palazzo Venier dei Leoni C4

11 Piazza San MarcoG2

12 Piazzetta di San MarcoH3

13 Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs)H2

14 Ponte dell'AccademiaB4

15  Punta della Dogana F5

Teatro La Fenice (see 39)

16  Torre dell'Orologio G2

Sleeping

17  AD Place Venice D3

18  Al Campaniel A1

19  Charming House DD.724 C5

20  Gio' & Gio' D3

21  Hotel Ai Do Mori G1

22  Hotel Flora E3

23  Hotel Galleria B4

24  La Chicca C5

25  Locanda Art Deco C2

26 NovecentoC3

Eating

27  Caffé Mandola D2

28  Cavatappi G1

29  Enoteca aI VoltoE1

30  Osteria da Carla F2

31  Osteria San Marco F2

Drinking

32  Caffè Florian G2

33  Caffé Lavena G2

34  Cantinone 'Già Schiavi' A5

35  Harry's Bar F3

36  Torino@Night E1

Entertainment

37  Interpreti Veneziani B3

38  Musica a Palazzo D4

39  Teatro La Fenice E2

Shopping

40  Marina e Susanna Sent C5

41  Studium H1

Museum

San Marco remained the doge’s chapel until 1807, and the ducal treasures upstairs in the Museo (adult €4; 9.45am-4pm Mon-Sat, 2-4pm Sun) puts a king’s ransom to shame. Gilt bronze horses taken by Venice from Constantinople were stolen in turn by Napoleon, but eventually returned to the basilica and installed in the 1st-floor gallery. Portals lead from the gallery onto the giddiness-inducing Loggia dei Cavalli , where reproductions of the horses gallop off the balcony over Piazza San Marco. On an interior balcony, Salviati’s restored 1542–52 mosaic of the Virgin’s family tree shows Mary’s ancestors perched on branches, alternately chatting and ignoring one another, as families often do. Hidden over the altar is the banquet hall , where doges wined and dined among lithe stucco figures of Music, Poetry and Peace.

Treasury

Crusades loot fills the Tesoro (Treasury; admission €3; 9.45am-4pm Mon-Sat, 2-4pm Sun) , including a 10th-century rock-crystal ewer with gazelle-shaped handle and winged feet made for Fatimid Caliph al-‘Aziz-bi-llah. Velvet-padded boxes preserve doges’ remains alongside alleged saints’ relics, including St Roch’s femur, St Mark’s thumb, the arm St George used to slay the dragon and even a lock of the Madonna’s hair.

Palazzo Ducale PALAZZO

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(Ducal Palace; Click here ; 041 271 59 11; www.museiciviciveneziani.it; Piazzetta San Marco 52; adult/reduced incl Museo Correr €14/8 or Museum Pass; 8.30am-7pm Apr-Oct, to 5.30pm Nov-Mar) Don’t be fooled by its genteel Gothic elegance: underneath all that lacy pink cladding, the doges’ palace flexes serious muscle. The seat of Venice’s government for nearly seven centuries, this powerhouse survived wars, conspiracies and economic crashes, and was cleverly restored by Antonio da Ponte (who also designed Ponte di Rialto) after a 1577 fire.

Exterior

Outside, the palazzo (mansion) mixes business with pleasure, capping a graceful colonnade with medieval capitals depicting key Venetian guilds. Facing the piazza, Zane and Bartolomeo Bon’s 1443 Porta della Carta (Paper Door) served as a bulletin board for government decrees.

Courtyard

Sansovino’s brawny statues of Apollo and Neptune flank Antonio Rizzo’s recently restored Scala dei Giganti (Giants’ Staircase). Under the eastern arcade were the dread Poggi (wells), where prisoners shivered below water level – now a baggage deposit is installed here.

1st Floor

Climb the Scala dei Censori (Stairs of the Censors) to the Doges’ Apartments , where the doge lived under 24-hour guard with a short commute to work up a secret staircase capped with Titian’s St Christopher . Sala del Scudo (Shield Room) is covered with world maps that reveal the extents of Venetian power (and the limits of its cartographers) c 1483 and 1762. The upside-down New World map places Canada above Virginia and Florida near Asia, while the British Isles are essentially Scotland plus Newcastle.

2nd Floor

Head up Sansovino’s 24-carat gilt stuccowork Scala d’Oro (Golden Staircase), and emerge into rooms covered with gorgeous propaganda. In Sala delle Quattro Porte (Hall of the Four Doors), ambassadors arrived under a Palladio-designed ceiling fresco by Tintoretto showing Justice presenting sword and scales to Doge Girolamo Priuli, near Titian’s 1576 Doge Antonio Grimani Kneeling before Faith amid a bevy of approving putti (cherubs).

Delegations waited in the Anticollegio (College Antechamber), where Tintoretto drew parallels between Roman gods and Venetian government: Mercury and the Three Graces reward Venice’s industriousness with beauty, and Minerva Dismissing Mars is a Venetian triumph of savvy over brute force. The recently restored ceiling is Veronese’s 1577 Venice Distributing Honours, while on the walls is a vivid reminder of diplomatic behaviour to avoid: Veronese’s Rape of Europe .

Few were granted audience in the Palladio-designed Collegio (Council Room), where Veronese’s 1578–82 Virtues of the Republic ceiling shows Venice as a bewitching blonde waving her sceptre like a wand. Father–son team Jacopo and Domenico Tintoretto attempt similar flattery, showing Venice keeping company with Apollo, Mars and Mercury in their Triumph of Venice ceiling for Sala del Senato (Senate Hall), but frolicking lagoon sea monsters steal the scene.

Government cover-ups were never so appealing as in Sala Consiglio dei Dieci (Trial Chambers of the Council of 10; room 20), where Venice’s star chamber plotted against political opponents under Veronese’s Juno Bestowing her Gifts on Venice, a glowing goddess strewing gold ducats. Over the slot where anonymous accusations of treason were slipped in Sala della Bussola (Compass Room; room 21) is Veronese’s St Mark in Glory ceiling.

Behind the doge’s throne in cavernous 1419 Sala del Maggior Consiglio (Grand Council Hall) is the 22m-by-7m Paradise by Domenico Tintoretto that’s more politically correct than pretty: heaven is crammed with 500 prominent Venetians, including several Tintoretto patrons. Veronese’s political posturing is more elegant in the oval The Apotheosis of Venice ceiling, where gods marvel at Venice’s coronation by angels. In the frieze depicting the first 76 doges of Venice, note the black space: Doge Marin Falier would have appeared there, had he not lost his head for treason in 1355.

STATE SECRETS REVEALED: ITINERARI SEGRETI

Discover state secrets in the Palazzo Ducale attic on a fascinating 75-minute guided tour: Itinerari Segreti (Secret Passages; 041 4273 0892; adult/reduced €18/12; tours in English 9.55am, 10.45am & 11.35am, in Italian 9.30am & 11.10am, in French 10.20am & noon) . Head through a hidden passageway disguised as a filing cabinet in Sala del Consiglio dei Dieci (Chamber of the Council of 10), festooned with happy cherubim and Veronese’s optimistic Triumph of Virtue over Vice . Suddenly you’re in the cramped, unadorned Council of 10 Secret Headquarters , adjoining a Trial Chamber lined with top-secret file drawers.

Follow the path of the accused into the windowless Interrogation Room with a single rope, used in perversely imaginative ways to extract information until the 17th century. Next are the studded cells of the Piombi , Venice’s notorious attic prison. In 1756, Casanova was condemned to five years’ confinement here for corrupting nuns and spreading Freemasonry, but he escaped through the roof.

Prisons

Only visitors on the Itinerari Segreti tour (see the boxed text,Click here ) can access the Council of 10 headquarters and Piombi attic prison. For a shorter prison experience, pass through a chamber featuring apocalyptic visions by Hieronymus Bosch, then follow the footsteps of condemned prisoners across covered Ponte dei Sospiri Offline map Google map (Bridge of Sighs) to Venice’s 16th-century Priggione Nove (New Prisons). The dank cells are covered with graffitied protestations of innocence, and paved with marble stolen in a state-sanctioned heist: the sacking of Constantinople.

Museo Correr MUSEUM

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( 041 240 52 11; www.museiciviciveneziani.it; Piazza San Marco 52; adult/reduced incl Palazzo Ducale €14/8 or Museum Pass; 10am-7pm Apr-Oct, to 5pm Nov-Mar) Napoleon filled his royal digs over Piazza San Marco with the riches of the doges, and took some of Venice’s finest heirlooms to France as trophies. But the biggest treasure here couldn’t be lifted: Jacopo Sansovino’s 16th-century Libreria Nazionale Marciana , covered with larger-than-life philosophers by Veronese, Titian and Tintoretto and miniature back-flipping sea creatures.

Venice successfully reclaimed many ancient maps, statues, cameos and weapons, plus four centuries of artistic masterpieces in the Pinacoteca . Not to be missed are Paolo Veneziano’s 14th-century sad-eyed saints (room 25); Lo Schiavone’s Madonna with a bouncing baby Jesus, wearing a coral good-luck charm (room 31); Jacopo di Barbari’s minutely detailed woodblock perspective view of Venice (room 32); an entire room of bright-eyed, peach-cheeked Bellini saints (room 36); and a wonderful anonymous 1784 portrait of champion rower Maria Boscola, five-time regatta winner (room 47). Temporary shows in the neoclassical ballroom are hit-and-miss, but Antonio Canova’s 1777 statues of star-crossed lovers Orpheus and Eurydice are permanent scene-stealers.

Torre dell’Orologio LANDMARK

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(Clock Tower; Click here ; 041 4273 0892; www.museiciviciveneziani.it; Piazza San Marco; adult/reduced €12/7 or Museum Pass; tours in English 10am & 11am Mon-Wed, 2pm & 3pm Thu-Sat, in Italian noon & 4pm daily, in French 2pm & 3pm Mon-Wed, 10am & 11am Thu-Sun) Legend has it that the inventors of this gold-leafed timepiece (which tracks lunar phases) were assassinated so that no other city could boast a comparable engineering marvel. But the sinister plan backfired: the 1497 mechanism malfunctioned and bells rang randomly, because no one knew how to fix them.

A recent renovation has restored the clock to working order. Moving barrels indicate minutes and hour on the clock face; 132-stroke chimes keep the time; Do Mori (Two Moors) bronze statues strike the hour on a bell atop the tower; and wooden statues of Three Kings and the Angel emerge to wild cheers on Epiphany and the Feast of the Ascension. Tours climb the steep, claustrophobia-triggering spiral staircase behind the clock to the terrace for giddy, close-up views of the Moors in action.

Note that the only way to visit is on a tour, and that children must be at least six years old to enter.

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR EURO

These passes can help you save admission costs on Venetian sights.

» Museum Pass (Musei Civici Pass; www.museiciviciveneziani.it; adult/child €18/12) is valid for single entry to 10 civic museums for six months, or just the five museums around Piazza San Marco (adult/child €14/8). Purchase online or at participating museums, including Palazzo Ducale, Museo Correr, Museo Fortuny and Ca’ Rezzonico.

» Chorus Pass (www.chorusvenezia.org; adult/reduced €10/7; visits Mon-Fri 10am-5pm) offers single entry to 16 Venice churches at any time within one year; on sale online or at church ticket booths.

» Venice Card ( 041 2424; www.hellovenezia.com; adult/reduced €40/30; call centre 8am-7.30pm) combines the Museum Pass and Chorus Pass and reduced entry to the Biennale, two public bathroom entries and discounts on concerts, temporary exhibits and parking. Purchase at tourist offices and at HelloVenezia booths at vaporetto (small passenger ferry) stops.

» Rolling Venice (14-29 yr €4) entitles young visitors to discounted access to monuments and cultural events, plus eligibility for a 72-hour public transport pass for just €18 rather than the regular price of €33. Identification is required for purchase at tourism offices or HelloVenezia booths (found near key vaporetto stops).

Negozio Olivetti NOTABLE BUILDING

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(Olivetti Store; Click here ; 041 522 83 87; www.fondoambiente.it; Piazza San Marco 101, Procuratie Vecchie; audioguide adult/reduced €5/3; 10am-7pm Apr-Oct, to 5pm Nov-Mar) Like a revolver pulled from a petticoat, starkly modern Negozio Olivetti was an outright provocation when it first appeared under the frilly arcades of Piazza San Marco in 1957. Hi-tech pioneer Olivetti commissioned Venetian architect Carlo Scarpa to transform a narrow, dim souvenir shop into a showcase for its sleek typewriters and ‘computing machines’ (several 1948–54 models are displayed).

Instead of fighting the elements, Scarpa slyly invited them indoors, slicing away walls to let light flood in, installing a huge planter, and adding a Belgian marble slab fountain as a wink at acque alte . Visitors cross floors of Murano glass tiles in appealing primary colours, scale a floating white marble stairway, pass satiny Venetian plaster walls, and stroll an indoor balcony sheathed in warm teak wood. Semicircular porthole windows resemble eyes that are opened wide to the piazza, but also to possibilities on more-distant horizons.

Campanile LANDMARK

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(Bell Tower; Click here ; Piazza San Marco; www.basilicasanmarco.it; admission €8; 9am-9pm Jul-Sep, to 7pm Apr-Jun & Oct, 9.30am-3.45pm Nov-Mar) The basilica’s 99m-tall bell tower has been rebuilt twice since its initial construction in 888. Critics called Bartolomeo Bon’s 16th-century redesign ungainly, but when his version suddenly collapsed in 1902, Venetians rebuilt the tower as it had been, brick by brick.

Visits head to the top of the tower for 360-degree lagoon views and close encounters with the Marangona, a bronze bell echoing to Arsenale shipyards (bring earplugs). Due to ongoing stabilisation efforts and drainage works, the Sansovino-designed marble loggia is partially enclosed behind a safety barrier.

Teatro La Fenice OPERA HOUSE

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( 041 78 65 11, reservations 041 24 24; www.teatrolafenice.it; Campo San Fantin 1965; audioguide adult/reduced €7/5; vary) Once its dominion over the high seas ended, Venice discovered the power of high Cs, hiring as San Marco choirmaster Claudio Monteverdi, the father of modern opera, and opening La Fenice (‘The Phoenix’) in 1792. Rossini and Bellini staged operas here, making La Fenice the envy of Europe – until it went up in flames in 1836.

Venice without opera was unthinkable, and within a year the opera house was rebuilt. Verdi premiered Rigoletto and La Traviata at La Fenice, and international greats Stravinsky, Prokofiev and Britten composed for the house. But La Fenice was again reduced to ashes in 1996; two electricians found guilty of arson were apparently behind on repairs. A €90-million replica of the 19th-century opera house reopened in late 2003, and though some critics had lobbied for Gae Aulenti’s avant-garde design, the reprise performance of La Traviata was a sensation.

Museo Fortuny MUSEUM

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( 041 4273 0892; www.museiciviciveneziani.it; Campo San Beneto 3758; adult/reduced €9/6 or Museum Pass; 10am-6pm Wed-Mon) Find design inspiration at the home studio of Venetian-Spanish designer Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo, whose shockingly uncorsetted Delphi goddess frocks for Isadora Duncan set global bohemian-chic standards. First-floor salon walls are vast moodboards, swagged with Fortuny art nouveau textiles and hung Fortunato Depero posters, Persian chain mail helmets and paintings of scantily clad muses.

The salons showcase original Fortuny dresses alongside more-recent avant-garde fashion, such as Roberta di Camerino’s trompe l’œil maxidresses. Large-scale art installations in the attic warehouse are often overshadowed by the striking architecture, but the downstairs gallery hosts fascinating rotating shows on Venetian themes, such as Paolo Venturi’s moving photos of hand-built dioramas representing the Venice Ghetto c 1942.

Palazzo Grassi ART GALLERY

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( 044 535 70 99; www.palazzograssi.it; Campo San Samuele 3231; adult/reduced €15/10, incl Punta della Dogana €20/15; 10am-7pm Wed-Mon) Rounding a Grand Canal bend, gondola riders gasp with the shock of the new: installations by contemporary artists like Richard Prince and Jeff Koons docked at Giorgio Masari’s 1749 neoclassical palace. French billionaire François Pinault installed his provocative contemporary art collection at the Palazzo Grassi in 2005, providing Venice with sensation and scandal between Biennales. Postmodern architect Gae Aulenti peeled back twee rococo decor to reveal Masari’s muscular classicism in 1985–86, and minimalist Tadao Ando heightened the palace’s stage-set drama with backlit scrims and spotlighting in 2003–05. Don’t miss the cafe overlooking the Grand Canal, with interiors redesigned by artists for each show.

Chiesa di Santo Stefano CHURCH

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( www.chorusvenezia.org; Campo Santo Stefano; admission €3 or Chorus Pass; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat) The free-standing bell tower behind it leans disconcertingly, but this soaring brick Gothic church has stayed shipshape since 1325, even though a subterranean canal runs under the wood choir stalls. Credit is shared by architect Bartolomeo Bon for marble entry portals and Venetian shipbuilders, who constructed the vast wooden carena di nave (ship’s keel) ceiling that looks like an upturned Noah’s Ark.

Enter the cloisters museum to see Canova’s 1808 funerary stelae featuring gorgeous women dabbing their eyes with cloaks, Tullio Lombardo’s wide-eyed 1505 saint (which Titian is said to have referenced for his Madonna at I Frari) and three brooding Tintoretto canvases: Last Supper, with a ghostly dog begging for bread; the gathering gloom of Agony in the Garden; and the abstract, mostly black Washing of the Feet .

Chiesa di Santa Maria del Giglio CHURCH

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( www.chorusvenezia.org; Campo di Santa Maria del Giglio; admission €3 or Chorus Pass; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat) Experience awe through the ages in this compact church with a 10th-century Byzantine layout, baroque facade featuring charmingly mistaken maps of European cities c 1678 and three masterpieces. Veronese’s Madonna with Child hides behind the altar, Tintoretto’s four evangelists flank the organ, and Northern Renaissance painter Peter Paul Rubens makes a cameo appearance in the Molin Chapel with Mary, St John and a Rubenesque baby Jesus.

Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo NOTABLE BUILDING

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( 041 532 29 20; Calle Contarini del Bovolo 4299; entry to open courtyard free; 10am-6pm) There’s no need to wait for San Marco sunsets to inspire a snog: this romantic Renaissance 15th-century palazzo with an external spiral bovolo (snail-shell) stairwell is closed for restoration, but its shady courtyard offers stirring staircase views and privacy for smooches.

DORSODURO

Gallerie dell’Accademia ART GALLERY

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( 041 520 03 45; www.gallerieaccademia.org; Campo della Carità 1050; adult/reduced €6.50/3.25; 8.15am-2pm Mon, to 7.15pm Tue-Sun, last admission 1hr before close) Don’t be fooled by Palladio’s serene expansions for the former Santa Maria della Carità convent: these galleries contain more murderous intrigue, forbidden romance, shameless politicking and near-riots than the most outrageous Venetian parties. To guide you through the ocular onslaught, visits are loosely organised by style, theme and painter from the 14th to the 18th centuries, though recent restorations have temporarily shuffled round some of the masterpieces.

Dorsoduro (Venice)

Sights

1  Scuola Grande dei Carmini A2

Eating

2  Enoteca ai Artisti B3

3  Grom B3

4  Pizza al Volo A2

5  Ristoteca Oniga B2

6  Trattoria La Bitta A3

Drinking

7  Il Caffè Rosso A1

8  Osteria alla Bifora A1

Entertainment

9  Venice Jazz Club B2

Shopping

10  Lauretta Vistosi B2

Rooms 1–5

Early collection highlights include Paolo Veneziano’s c 1350 Coronation of Mary (room 1), which shows Jesus bestowing the crown on his mother with a gentle pat on the head. For sheer, shimmering gore, there’s no topping Carpaccio’s Crucifixion and Glorification of the Ten Thousand Martyrs of Mount Ararat (room 2) – Harry’s Bar was correct naming its raw-beef dish after this painter. In rooms 3 to 5, Andrea Mantegna’s 1466 haughtily handsome St George and Giovanni Bellini’s Madonna and Child amid neon-red cherubs highlight Venice’s twin artistic tendencies: high drama and glowing colour.

Rooms 6–10

Visits advance rapidly through the Renaissance, including Tintoretto’s Creation of the Animals, a fantastical bestiary that suggests that God put forth his best efforts inventing Venetian seafood (no arguments here). Recent restoration brings new light to one of Titian’s last efforts, possibly finished posthumously by Palma il Giovane: a 1576 Pietà with smears of paint Titian applied with bare hands.

Artistic triumph over censorship dominates room 10. Paolo Veronese’s controversial Feast in the House of Levi was originally called Last Supper until church Inquisition leaders condemned Veronese for showing dogs, drunkards, dwarfs and even Reformation-minded Germans cavorting amid the apostles. Veronese refused to change a thing about his painting besides the title, and Venice stood by this act of artistic defiance against Rome.

OUTSMARTING ACCADEMIA QUEUES

To skip ahead of Accademia ticket-booth queues, book ahead online or by phone (booking fee €1). Otherwise, queues tend to be shorter in the afternoon. But don’t wait too long: the last entry to the Accademia is one hour before closing. Leave any large items behind, or you’ll have to drop them off at the baggage depot (€0.50). Also available at the baggage depot is an audioguide (€5) that is mostly descriptive and largely unnecessary – it’s better to avoid the wait and just follow your nose and the explanatory wall tags.

Rooms 11–19

Baroque portrait galleries scarcely contain larger-than-life Venetian personalities: Giorgione’s decidedly un-Botoxed Old Woman , Lorenzo Lotto’s 1525 soul-searching Portrait of a Young Scholar; Rosalba Carriera’s brutally honest self-portrait (c 1730); Pietro Longhi’s stern chaperone in The Dance Lesson; and Giambattista Piazzetta’s saucy socialite in his 1740 Fortune-Teller .

Rooms 20–24

Gentile Bellini and Vittore Carpaccio pack room 20 with multicultural crowds of Venetian merchants embedded in their versions of Miracles of the True Cross. The newly restored Sala dell’Albergo is fronted by Antonio Vivarini’s giant 1446 triptych and Titian’s 1534–39 Presentation of the Virgin, with the young Madonna trudging up an intimidating staircase as onlookers point to her example.

Peggy Guggenheim Collection ART GALLERY

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( 041 240 54 11; www.guggenheimvenice.it; Palazzo Venier dei Leoni 704; adult/reduced €12/7; 10am-6pm Wed-Mon) After tragically losing her father on the Titanic, heiress Peggy Guggenheim befriended Dadaists, dodged Nazis and amassed avant-garde works by 200 modern artists at her palatial home on the Grand Canal. Peggy’s Palazzo Venier dei Leoni Offline map Google map became a modernist shrine, chronicling surrealism, Italian futurism and abstract expressionism, with a subtext of Peggy’s romantic pursuits – the collection includes key works by Peggy’s ex-husband Max Ernst as well as Jackson Pollock, who was among Peggy’s many rumoured lovers. Peggy collected according to her own convictions rather than for prestige or style, so her collection includes folk art and lesser-known artists alongside Kandinsky, Picasso, Man Ray, Calder, Joseph Cornell and Dalí.

Garden & Pavilion

Wander past bronzes by Moore, Giacometti and Brancusci, Yoko Ono’s Wish Tree and a shiny black granite lump by Anish Kapoor in the sculpture garden, where the city of Venice granted Peggy honorary dispensation to be buried alongside her pet dogs in 1979. Through the gardens is a pavilion housing a sunny cafe, bookshop, toilets and temporary exhibits highlighting underappreciated modernist rebels.

Ca’ Rezzonico MUSEUM

(Museum of the 18th Century; Click here ; 041 241 01 00; www.museiciviciveneziani.it; Fondamenta Rezzonico 3136; adult/reduced €8/5.50 or Museum Pass; 10am-6pm Wed-Mon Apr-Oct, to 5pm Nov-Mar) Baldassare Longhena’s luminous baroque palace on the Grand Canal celebrates 18th-century decadence in lavish music salons, sumptuous boudoirs and even an attic pharmacy with medicinal scorpions. Giambattista Tiepolo’s Throne Room ceiling is a masterpiece of elegant social climbing, showing gorgeous Merit ascending to the Temple of Glory clutching the Golden Book of Venetian nobles’ names – including Tiepolo’s patrons, the Rezzonico family.

Collection highlights include the Pietro Longhi Salon of socialite satires, Rosalba Carriera’s wry society portraits, Giandomenico Tiepolo’s swinging court jesters in reassembled Zianigo Villa bedroom frescoes, and Emma Ciardi’s moody Venice views on the top floor. Last entry is an hour before closing; check the schedule downstairs for concerts in the trompe l’œil frescoed ballroom.

SAN SEBASTIANO

Over three decades, the modest parish church of San Sebastiano Offline map Google map ( www.chorusvenezia.org; Campo San Sebastiano 1687; admission €3 or Chorus Pass; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat) was covered by Paolo Veronese with floor-to-ceiling masterpieces. Veronese’s horses rear over the frames of the coffered ceiling; the organ doors are covered with vivid Veronese masterworks; and in Veronese’s Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian near the altar, the bound saint defiantly stares down his tormentors amid a Venetian crowd of socialites, turbaned traders and Veronese’s signature frisky spaniel. Pay respects to Veronese, who chose to be buried here among his masterpieces, but don’t miss Titian’s San Niccolo and the Tintorettos in the sacristy. Ongoing restoration may limit access to art works, but even so, San Sebastiano offers glimpses of greatness .

Punta della Dogana MUSEUM

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( 199 13 91 39; www.palazzograssi.it; adult/reduced 15/10, incl Palazzo Grassi €20/15; 10am-7pm Wed-Mon) Fortuna, the weathervane atop Punta della Dogana, swung Venice’s way in 2005, when bureaucratic hassles in Paris convinced billionaire art collector François Pinault to showcase his art works at Palazzo Grassi and create an installation art gallery in long-abandoned customs warehouses at Punta della Dogana. Architect Tadao Ando opened interiors to the elements outside, flooding exposed-brick galleries with light through windows in water gates and polished-concrete channels – astute homages to Carlo Scarpa’s designs for Negozio Olivetti.

Rotating installations here invade personal space and address personal fixations: Chen Zhen’s landscape made from pure crystal versions of his own diseased internal organs, Edward Keinholz’s full-scale recreation of a Vegas brothel parlour, and Abdel Abdessemed’s drawings of Molotov cocktail throwers propped up on concert stands to create orchestrated violence. Not all works are intended for younger viewers, while other pieces (ie Jeff Koons’ steel pool toys) may speak to them exclusively.

Chiesa di Santa Maria della Salute CHURCH

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( www.seminariovenezia.it, in Italian; Campo della Salute 1b; 9am-noon & 3-5.30pm) The equivalent of a monumental sigh of relief, this church was built in 1631 by survivors of Venice’s 1630 plague as thanks for their salvation. Baldassare Longhena’s unusual octagonal church is an inspired design that architectural scholars have compared to Graeco-Roman temples and Jewish Cabbala diagrams, and it remains the site of Festa della Madonna della Salute (Venetians’ annual pilgrimage to pray for health; Click here ). Extensive interior restorations may limit access to Tintoretto’s surprisingly upbeat The Wedding Feast of Cana and 12 key works by Titian in the sacristy (admission €2) , including a vivid self-portrait in the guise of St Matthew and his earliest known work , Saint Mark on the Throne from 1510.

Gesuati CHURCH

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(Church of Santa Maria del Rosario; Click here ; www.chorusvenezia.org; Fondamenta delle Zattere 918; admission €3 or Chorus Pass; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat) No matter the weather outside, the outlook is decidedly sunny inside this high-baroque church designed by Giorgio Massari. Luminous late-afternoon skies surrounding St Dominic in Tiepolo’s 1737–39 ceiling frescoes are so convincing that you’ll wonder whether you’re wearing enough sunscreen. Striking a sombre note on the left side of the nave, Tintoretto’s 1565 Crucifixion shows Mary fainting with grief, but in the 1730–33 Saints Peter and Thomas with Pope Pius V, Sebastiano Ricci’s chubby cherubs provide heavenly comic relief with celestial tumbling routines.

Scuola Grande dei Carmini NOTABLE BUILDING

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( 041 528 94 20; www.scuolagrandecarmini.it; Campo Santa Margherita 2617; adult/reduced €5/4; 11am-5pm) If a time machine could return you to Venice 300 years ago, you could stay in this refuge run by Carmelite nuns and lavishly appointed by Giambattista Tiepolo and Baldessare Longhena. Longhena designed the stucco-frosted and gold-leafed stairway to heaven, which is glimpsed upstairs in in Tiepolo’s nine-panel ceiling of a resplendent Virgin in Glory . Ask downstairs about occasional concerts by Musica in Maschera (Musical Masquerade; www.musicainmaschera.it) , performed here in 1700s costume.

Magazzini del Sale ART GALLERY

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( www.fondazionevedova.org; Zattere 266; donation suggested; 10.30am-6pm Wed-Mon during shows) A recent retrofit designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Renzo Piano has transformed Venice’s historical salt warehouses into city art galleries. Alongside a public art gallery and performance space is Fondazione Vedova (www.fondazionevedova.org) , dedicated to pioneering Venetian abstract painter Emilio Vedova. At the Fondazione, shows are often literally moving and rotating: powered by renewable energy sources, 10 robotic arms designed by Vedova and Piano move art works in and out of storage slots.

GIANANTONIO DE VINCENZO: MUSICIAN

Surround Sound

To enjoy concerts, first you have to find them, but our idea with Venezia Suona is to have wonderful concerts find people wherever they are. We’ve invited international musicians to play inside boats, at deserted island army barracks, even on top of the Tronchetto parking garage. That’s the ugliest place in Venice, but for one afternoon it was glorious.

Beyond Baroque

Vivaldi is like masquerade masks in Venice: it’s everywhere, you can’t miss it. When you encounter different music, stop and listen: this is how culture evolves, by paying attention to unexpected sensations. Otherwise we’re stuck with whatever’s on TV.

Dinner & a Show

Restaurants close early, but you can find cicheti (Venetian tapas) before and after concerts. I’ll grab panini and natural-process prosecco (type of sparkling wine) at Al Mercà before shows, or hit the cicheti bar at Al Pesador afterwards.

Venetian Jazz

The creak of a gondola oar in the oarlock, followed by the rush of swirling water: those are the quiet, rhythmic sounds you can actually hear in Venice, because there is no aggressive traffic noise. Saturdays at Rialto Market, you’ll hear an improvised call-and-response between vendors and shoppers – it’s Venice’s own jazz.

SAN POLO & SANTA CROCE

I Frari CHURCH

(Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari; Click here ; www.chorusvenezia.org; Campo dei Frari 3004; admission €3 or Chorus Pass; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat, 1-6pm Sun) This soaring Italian-brick Gothic church features marquetry choir stalls, Canova’s pyramid mausoleum, Bellini’s achingly sweet Madonna with Child triptych in the sacristy, and Longhena’s creepy Doge Pesaro funereal monument hoisted by burly slaves bursting from ragged clothes like Invisible Hulks – yet visitors are inevitably drawn to the small altarpiece.

This is Titian’s 1518 Assumption, in which a radiant Madonna in a Titian-red cloak reaches heavenward, steps onto a cloud and escapes this mortal coil. Both inside and outside the painting, onlookers gasp and point out at the sight; Titian outdid himself here, upstaging his own 1526 Pesaro Altarpiece near the entry. Titian was lost to the plague in 1576, but legend has it that strict rules of quarantine were bent to allow his burial near his masterpiece.

Sestieri di San Polo (Venice)

Sights

1  Ca' d'Oro D2

2  Ca' Pesaro C2

3  Chiesa di San Giacomo dell'Orio A2

4  Chiesa di San Polo B5

5  Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli G3

Gallerie d'Arte Moderna(see 2)

Museo d'Arte Orientale(see 2)

6  Museo della Fondazione Querini Stampalia H5

7  Palazzo Grimani H5

8  Palazzo Mocenigo B2

Palazzo Querini Stampalia (see 6)

9  Ponte di Rialto E4

10  Scuola Grande di San Marco H3

11  Zanipolo H3

Sleeping

12  Alla Vite Dorata F1

13  Ca' Angeli C5

14  Foresteria Valdese H4

15  Oltre il GiardinoA4

16  Palazzo AbadessaE1

17  Pensione Guerrato D3

Eating

18 Al PesadorE3

19  Aliani D4

20 All'ArcoD3

21  Antica Birreria della Corte B4

22  Billa Supermarket G5

23  Coop G5

24  Coop A2

25  Dai Zemei D4

26  Drogheria Mascari D3

27 Enoteca aI VoltoD5

28  Gelateria Suso F4

29  La Cantina C1

30  Osteria La Zucca A2

31  Pescaria D3

32  Pronto Pesce Pronto D3

33  Rialto Biocenter B3

34  Rialto Market D3

35 ZenzeroG4

Drinking

36  Al Mercà D3

37  Al Prosecco A2

38  Cantina Do Spade D3

39  Enoteca MascaretaH4

40  I Rusteghi F4

41  Osteria all'Alba E4

42  Pasticceria Rizzardini C5

Entertainment

43  Arena di Campo San Polo B4

44  Casa del Cinema B2

Shopping

45  Cartè C3

46  Giovanna Zanella F4

Scuola Grande di San Rocco MUSEUM

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( 041 523 48 64; www.scuolagrandesanrocco.it; Campo San Rocco 3052; adult/reduced €7/5; 9.30am-5.30pm) Everyone wanted the commission to paint this building dedicated to the patron saint of the plague-stricken, so Tintoretto cheated: instead of producing sketches like rival Veronese, he gifted a splendid ceiling panel of patron St Roch, knowing it couldn’t be refused or matched by other artists.

Upstairs

Old Testament scenes Tintoretto painted from 1575 to 1587 for the Sala Grande Superiore ceiling upstairs read like a modern graphic novel: you can almost hear the swoop! overhead as an angel dives down to feed ailing Elijah. Against the shadowy backdrop of the Black Death, eerie lightning-bolt illumination strikes Tintoretto’s subjects in New Testament wall scenes.

Downstairs

In the assembly hall, Tintoretto tells Mary’s life story, starting on the left wall with Annunciation and ending with dark and cataclysmic Ascension opposite. Gregorian chant concerts are occasionally performed here (ask at the counter), and you can practically hear their echoes in Tintoretto’s haunting paintings.

Ca’ Pesaro ART GALLERY

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( 041 72 11 27; www.museiciviciveneziani.it; Fondamenta de Ca’ Pesaro 2070; adult/reduced €8/5 or Museum Pass; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct, to 5pm Nov-Mar) Like a couple of Venetian eccentrics in Carnevale costume, the stately exterior of this Longhena-designed 1710 palazzo hides two quirky museums: the Galleria d’Arte Moderna and Museo d’Arte Orientale.

Galleria d’Arte Moderna

Three storeys of Venetian modern art history begin with flag-waving early Biennales, showcasing Venetian landscapes and Venetian socialites by Venetian painters (notably Giacomo Favretto and Guglielmo Ciardi). The savvy Biennale organisers soon diversified, showcasing Gustav Klimt’s 1909 Judith II (Salome) and Marc Chagall’s Rabbi of Vitebsk (1914–22). The 1st-floor 1961 De Lisi Bequest added Kandinskys and Morandis to the modernist mix of De Chiricos, Mirós and Moores, plus radical abstracts by postwar Venetian artists Santomaso and Vedova.

Museo d’Arte Orientale

Climb the creaky attic stairs past a phalanx of samurai warriors, girded for battle: this marks the beginning of an epic 1887–89 souvenir-shopping spree across Asia that Prince Enrico di Borbone preserved for posterity. Edo-era netsukes, screens and a lacquerware palanquin are standouts in his collection of 30,000 objets d’art .

Palazzo Mocenigo MUSEUM

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( 041 72 17 98; www.museiciviciveneziani.it; Salizada di San Stae 1992; adult/reduced €5/3.30 or Museum Pass; 10am-5pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct, to 4pm Nov-Mar) Costume dramas unfold in this costume museum inside a baroque Grand Canal palace. Necklines plunge in the Red Living Room, lethal corsets come undone in the Contessa’s Bedroom and men’s paisley silk knee-breeches show some leg in the Dining Room. Even at the most risqué parties in the Green Living Room under Jacopo Guarana’s 1787 Allegory of Nuptial Bliss ceiling , guests had to mind their tongues: the Mocenigo family once reported philosopher and sometime house guest Giordano Bruno to the Inquisition for heresy.

Chiesa di San Giacomo dell’Orio CHURCH

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( Campo San Giacomo dell’Orio 1457; admission €3 or Chorus Pass; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat) Early Venetian maritime conquests explain the hotchpotch, multiculti decor in this chilly yet charming medieval church, with its Latin cross layout, Lombard pulpit perched atop a 6th-century Byzantine column, and recently restored 14th-century carena di nave ceiling. Standout art works include luminous sacristy paintings by Palma Il Giovane, a rare Lorenzo Lotto Madonna with Child and Saints and an exceptional Veronese wooden crucifix (currently undergoing restoration).

Chiesa di San Polo CHURCH

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( Campo San Polo 2118; admission €3 or Chorus Pass; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat) Travellers often speed past this modest 9th-century Byzantine brick church between I Frari and the Rialto without suspecting that major dramas are unfolding behind these modest portals. Under the medieval wooden carena di nave ceiling, Tintoretto’s Last Supper shows apostles alarmed and outraged by Jesus’ announcement that one of them will betray him. Giandominico Tiepolo’s disturbing Stations of the Cross sacristy cycle shows Jesus tormented by jeering onlookers, only to leap triumphantly from his tomb in a ceiling panel.

THE ORIGINAL GHETTO

In medieval times, this Cannaregio outpost housed a getto (foundry). But it was as the designated Jewish quarter from the 16th to 18th centuries that this area gave the word a whole new meaning. In accordance with the Venetian Republic’s 1516 decree, Jewish lenders, doctors and clothing merchants were allowed to attend to Venice’s commercial interests by day, while at night and on Christian holidays most were restricted to the gated island of Ghetto Nuovo. Unlike most European cities at the time, pragmatic Venice granted Jewish doctors dispensation for consultations. In fact, Venice’s Jewish and Muslim physicians are credited with helping establish the quarantine on incoming ships that spared Venice the worst ravages of plague.

When Jewish merchants fled the Spanish Inquisition for Venice in 1541, there was no place to go in the Ghetto but up. Around Campo del Ghetto Nuovo, upper storeys housed new arrivals, synagogues and publishing houses. Despite a 10-year censorship order issued by the church in Rome in 1553, Jewish Venetian publishers contributed hundreds of titles popularising new Renaissance ideas on religion, humanist philosophy and medicine. By the 17th century, Ghetto literary salons organised by philosopher Sara Copio Sullam, Rabbi Leon da Modena and others brought leading thinkers of all faiths to the Ghetto.

After Napoleon lifted restrictions in 1797, some 1626 Ghetto residents gained standing as Venetian citizens. However, Mussolini’s 1938 race laws were throwbacks to the 16th century, and in 1943 most Jewish Venetians were rounded up and sent to concentration camps; only 37 returned. Today few of Venice’s 400-strong Jewish community actually live in the Ghetto, but their children come to Campo del Ghetto Nuovo to play, surrounded by the Ghetto’s living legacy of bookshops, art galleries and religious institutions.

CANNAREGIO

Chiesa della Madonna dell’Orto CHURCH

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( Campo della Madonna dell’Orto 3520; admission €3 or Chorus Pass; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat) This elegantly spare 1365 brick Gothic cathedral dedicated to the patron saint of travellers remains one of Venice’s best-kept secrets. This was the parish church of Venetian Renaissance master Tintoretto, who is buried here in the corner chapel and saved two of his finest works for the apse: Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple, with throngs of starstruck angels and mortals vying for a glimpse of Mary, and his 1546 Last Judgment, where lost souls attempt to hold back a teal tidal wave while an angel rescues one last person from the ultimate acque alte .

Cannaregio (Venice)

Sights

1 Chiesa della Madonna dell'OrtoD1

2  Museo Ebraico B2

3  Schola Canton B2

4  Schola Italiana B2

5  Schola Spagnola B2

Schola Tedesca(see 2)

Sleeping

6  Ca' Pozzo B2

7  Domus Orsoni A2

8  Hotel Villa Rosa A3

Eating

9  Anice Stellato C1

10  Billa Supermarket D3

11  Osteria L'Orto dei Mori D2

Drinking

12  Agli Ormesini C2

13  Al Timon B1

Entertainment

14  Casinò di Venezia C3

Shopping

15  MalefatteD3

16  Old World Books B2

Museo Ebraico MUSEUM

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( 041 71 53 59; www.museoebraico.it; Campo del Ghetto Nuovo 2902b; adult/reduced €3/2; 10am-7pm Sun-Fri except Jewish holidays Jun-Sep, to 6pm Oct-May) At the heart of the Ghetto, this museum explores the history of Venice’s Jewish community and its pivotal contributions to the worlds of science, literature, fashion, religion, philosophy and commerce.

Synagogue Tour

(tours incl admission adult/reduced €8.50/7; 4 tours daily from 10.30am) Hour-long English-language tours leave from the museum, and lead inside three of the Ghetto’s seven tiny synagogues: the 1528 Schola Tedescha (German Synagogue), with a gilded, elliptical women’s gallery modelled after an opera balcony; the 1531 Schola Canton Offline map Google map (French Synagogue), with eight charming landscapes taken from biblical parables; and either the simple, dark-wood Schola Italiana Offline map Google map (Italian Synagogue) or the still-active Schola Spagnola Offline map Google map (Spanish Synagogue), with interiors attributed to Baldassare Longhena.

Ca’ d’Oro MUSEUM

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(House of Gold; Click here ; 041 520 03 45; www.cadoro.org; Calle di Ca’ d’Oro 3932; adult/reduced €6/3; 8.15am-2pm Mon, to 7.15pm Tue-Sun) Even without original gold-leaf details that gave the palace its name, this splendid 15th-century Gothic palace is rivalled only by its own shimmering reflection in the Grand Canal. The lacy Gothic arcade framing the two-tier balcony makes for Venice’s most irresistible photo-ops, and the intricate semi-precious stone mosaics paving the water door entry make a grander entrance than any red carpet.

Collection

Ca’ d’Oro was donated to the city to house Galleria Franchetti, Baron Franchetti’s art collection, plus a jackpot of bronzes, tapestries and paintings plundered from Veneto churches by Napoleon and reclaimed by Venice. Collection highlights include Andrea Mantegna’s teeth-baring, arrow-riddled Saint Sebastian, Pietro Lombardo’s tender Madonna and Child in glistening Carrara marble, and Titian fresco fragments rescued after Venice’s 1966 flood.

CHIESA DI SANTA MARIA DEI MIRACOLI

A minor miracolo (miracle) of early-Renaissance architecture, Pietro Lombardo’s little marble chapel, Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli Offline map Google map ( Campo dei Miracoli 6074; admission €3 or Chorus Pass; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat) , was ahead of its time, dropping Gothic grandiosity for human-scale classical architecture. By pooling resources and scavenging multicoloured marble from San Marco slag heaps, the neighbourhood commissioned this church to house Niccolò di Pietro’s Madonna icon when it miraculously started weeping in c 1480. Completing this monument to community spirit, Pier Maria Pennacchi filled 50 ceiling panels with portraits of prophets dressed as Venetians.

CASTELLO

Zanipolo CHURCH

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(Chiesa dei SS Giovanni e Paolo; Click here ; 041 523 59 13; Campo SS Giovanni e Paolo; admission €2.50; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat, noon-6pm Sun) Built by Dominicans to rival the Franciscans’ I Frari, this 14th-century church lacks I Frari’s soaring grace but makes up the difference with the sheer scale and variety of its masterpieces. In the Cappella del Rosario, Paolo Veronese’s ceiling depicts a rosy Virgin ascending a staggering staircase. The chapel dome on the southwest end of the nave boasts Giambattista Lorenzetti’s Jesus the Navigator, with Jesus scanning the heavens like a Venetian sea captain. The church is also a kind of pantheon, with 25 doges’ tombs by such notable sculptors as Nicola Pisano and Tullio Lombardo. A 15th-century Murano stained-glass window in the south transept has been gorgeously restored.

Zanipolo’s austere facade is nearly overwhelmed by the lavish Renaissance polychrome trompe l’œil facade by Pietro Lombardo for the adjacent Scuola Grande di San Marco Offline map Google map , now Venice’s main hospital (patient visits only).

Castello (Venice)

Sights

1  Chiesa di San Giorgio dei Greci B1

2  Chiesa di San Zaccaria A2

3  La Pietà B2

4  Museo delle Icone B1

5  Scuola di San Giorgio degli SchiavoniB1

Sleeping

6  Ca' Dei Dogi B2

7  Palazzo Soderini C2

Eating

8  Al Covo C3

9  Corte ScontaD2

10  Met B3

Entertainment

La Pietà (see 3)

Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni CHURCH

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( 041 522 88 28; Calle dei Furlani 3259a; adult/reduced €4/2; 2.45-6pm Mon, 9.15am-1pm & 2.45-6pm Tue-Sat, 9.15am-1pm Sun) Venice’s cosmopolitan nature is evident in Castello, where Turkish merchants, Armenian clerics and Balkan and Slavic labourers were considered essential to Venetian commerce and society. This 15th-century religious confraternity headquarters is dedicated to favourite Slavic saints George, Tryphone and Jerome of Dalmatia, whose lives are captured with precision and glowing, early-Renaissance grace by 15th-century master Vittore Carpaccio.

Palazzo Grimani MUSEUM

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( 041 520 03 45; www.palazzogrimani.org; Ramo Grimani 4858; adult/reduced €9/7; 9am-7pm) Just south of Campo Santa Maria Formosa, this light-filled palazzo has finally reopened to the public after nearly three decades. Built in the 1500s by Doge Antonio Grimani to house his remarkable collection of Graeco-Roman antiquities (most of which are now in Museo Correr), the lovingly restored palazzo houses high-calibre temporary exhibitions.

Palazzo Querini Stampalia MUSEUM

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( 041 271 14 11; www.querinistampalia.it, in Italian; Campiello Querini Stampalia 5252) Hidden behind the rambling facade of this 16th-century palazzo lies a series of unexpected attractions. Savvy tipplers take their aperitivi with a twist of high modernism in the Carlo Scarpa–designed garden ( 10am-9.30pm Tue-Sat, to 7pm Sun) . The more sober of mind can wind their way through the Mario Botta–designed bookshop for a ticket to the upstairs Museo della Fondazione Querini Stampalia Offline map Google map (adult/reduced €8/6; 10am-8pm Tue-Thu, to 10pm Fri & Sat, to 7pm Sun) . The museum’s temporary contemporary shows add an element of the unexpected to silk-draped salons preserved in period splendour since 1868.

Chiesa di San Francesco della Vigna CHURCH

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( 041 520 61 02; Campo San Francesco della Vigna 2786; 9.30am-12.30pm & 3-6pm Mon-Sat, 3-6pm Sun) East of Campo SS Giovanni e Paolo you’ll spot the bell tower of this enchanting church. Designed and built by Jacopo Sansovino with a facade by Palladio, it is one of Venice’s most underrated attractions. The Madonna positively glows in Bellini’s 1507 Madonna and Saints in the Capella Santa off the cloisters; swimming angels and strutting birds steal the scene in Antonio da Negroponte’s c 1460–70 Virgin Enthroned; and Pietro Lombardo’s lifelike lions seem ready to pounce right out of the 15th-century marble reliefs in the Capella Giustiniani, to the left of the altar.

Chiesa di San Giorgio dei Greci CHURCH

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( 041 522 65 81; Campiello dei Greci 3412; admission free; 9am-12.30pm & 2.30-4.30pm Mon & Wed-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun) Greek Orthodox refugees fleeing conquering Turks built this church in 1536, with the aid of a special dispensation from Venice to collect taxes on Greek ships. Its distinctive bell tower, completed in 1603, has leaned precariously since shortly after its completion.

Just next to the church is the extraordinary Museo delle Icone Offline map Google map (www.istitutoellenico.org; adult/student €4/2; 10am-5pm) , a treasure box of some 80 Greek icons from the 14th to the 17th century.

Arsenale HISTORICAL BUILDING

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Founded in 1104, the Arsenale soon became the greatest medieval shipyard in Europe, home to 300 shipping companies employing up to 16,000 people. Capable of turning out a new galley in a day, it is considered a forerunner of mass industrial production. Though it’s closed to the public most of the year, arty types invade the shipyard during Venice’s art and architecture Biennales, when it hosts exhibitions and special events.

Chiesa di San Zaccaria CHURCH

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( 041 522 12 57; Campo San Zaccaria 4693; 10am-noon & 4-6pm Mon-Sat, 4-6pm Sun) When 15th-century Venetian girls preferred sailors to saints, they often had to do a penitential stint at the convent adjoining this remarkable church. A hotchpotch of Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and baroque, it represents centuries of the wealth of disgruntled parents. Don’t miss Bellini’s melancholy Virgin or Tiepolo’s version of the flight into Egypt via Venetian-style boat. For €1, you can also visit hidden chapels and the waterlogged, 10th-century foundations.

Giardini Pubblici PARK

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Begun under Napoleon as the city’s first green space, a large portion of these leafy public gardens serve as the main home of the Biennale, with curators and curiosity-seekers swarming the pavilions, from Carlo Scarpa’s daring 1954 raw-concrete-and-glass Venezuelan Pavilion to Peter Cox’s awkward 1988 Australian Pavilion, which is frequently mistaken for a shed. Part of the gardens is open to the public all year round; sometimes during off years you can wander among the pavilions and admire the facades.

La Pietà CHURCH

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( 041 522 21 71; Riva degli Schiavoni; admission €3; 10am-5pm Thu-Sun, also for concerts) This light-filled, harmonious church designed by Giorgio Massari is famous for its association with the composer Vivaldi, who was concertmaster here in the early 18th century. Built shortly after Vivaldi’s death, the acoustic-friendly oval shape honours his memory and is still regularly used as a concert hall. Note the ceiling that seems to float off its hinges, thanks to Giambattista Tiepolo’s gravity-defying Coronation of the Virgin .

Museo Storico Navale MUSEUM

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( 041 244 13 99; Riva San Biagio 2148; adult/reduced €1.55/0.77; 8.45am-1.30pm Mon-Fri, to 1pm Sat) This 42-room monument to Venice’s maritime history is mostly of interest to specialists, with its miniature versions of ocean liners, seaside fortifications and WWII battleships. However, landlubbers will gawk at the sumptuous model of the bucintoro – the doge’s gilded ceremonial barge, destroyed by Napoleonic troops – as well as Peggy Guggenheim’s lavish gondola.

GIUDECCA

Originally known as the spina longa (long fishbone) because of its shape, Giudecca has survived many trials without losing its spirit. Venice’s Jewish community lived here prior to the creation of the Ghetto, but Giudecca isn’t related to the word ‘Jewish’ ( ebraico in Italian). Giudecca is probably derived from zudega (from giudicato, or ‘the judged’), the name given to rebellious Venetian nobles banished to Giudecca. The banishments backfired: Giudecca became fashionable and Venetians built weekend garden villas on the island. However, many were abandoned during times of plague and war, and were eventually displaced by 19th-century industry.

Today Giudecca is entering its third act, with brick factories converted into artists’ lofts, galleries taking over the Fondamenta San Biagio, and some of Venice’s most reasonably priced restaurants. Vaporetti 41, 42, 82 and N (night) make Giudecca an easy stop between San Marco and Dorsoduro.

Il Redentore CHURCH

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(Chiesa del SS Redentore; Click here ; Campo del SS Redentore 194; admission €3 or Chorus Pass; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat) You can’t miss Palladio’s 1577 Il Redentore church, a triumph of white marble along the Grand Canal celebrating the city’s deliverance from the Black Death. Inside above the portal, Paolo Piazza’s strikingly modern 1619 Gratitude of Venice for Liberation from the Plague shows the city held aloft by angels in sobering shades of grey. Survival is never taken for granted by Venetians, who walk across the Giudecca Canal on a shaky pontoon bridge from the Zattere during Festa del Redentore.

Fortuny Tessuti Artistici LANDMARK

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( 041 522 40 78; www.fortuny.com; Fondamenta San Biagio 805; 9am-noon & 2-5pm Mon-Fri) Marcel Proust waxed poetic over the creations of Spanish-born textile master Mariano Fortuny, who relocated permanently to Venice in 1889. Visitors can still browse Fortuny creations in the showroom, though fabrication methods remain a jealously guarded secret.

ISOLA DI SAN GIORGIO MAGGIORE

Chiesa di San Giorgio Maggiore CHURCH

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( 041 522 78 27; Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore; 9.30am-12.30pm & 2.30-6.30pm Mon-Sat May-Sep, 9.30am-12.30pm & 2.30-4.30pm Oct-Apr) Solar eclipses are only marginally more dazzling than Palladio’s white Istrian marble facade. Begun in the 1560s, it owes more to ancient Roman temples than the bombastic baroque of Palladio’s day. Inside, ceilings billow over a generous nave, with high windows distributing filtered sunshine and easy grace. Two of Tintoretto’s masterworks flank the altar, and a lift whisks visitors up the 60m-high bell tower (€3) for stirring Ventian panoramas – a great alternative to long lines at San Marco’s campanile .

Behind the church, a defunct naval academy has been converted into a shipshape gallery by the Fondazione Giorgio Cini Offline map Google map ( 041 220 12 15; www.cini.it; Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore; adult/reduced €12/10; guided tours in English & French 11am, 1pm, 3pm & 5pm Sat & Sun, in Italian 10am, noon, 2pm & 4pm Sat & Sun) . After escaping the Dachau internment camp with his son Giorgio, Vittorio Cini returned to Venice on a mission to save San Giorgio Maggiore, which was a ramshackle mess in 1949. Cini’s foundation restored the island into a cultural centre. In addition to its permanent collection of Old Masters and modern art, the gallery hosts important contemporary works, from Peter Greenaway to Anish Kapoor.

THE LIDO

When Karl Lagerfeld was looking for an appropriate location for Chanel’s 2009 resort couture collection, the choice was obvious: the Lido Offline map. Only 15 minutes by vaporetti 1, 51, 52, 61, 62, 82 and N from San Marco, this barrier island has brought glamour to beach-going since the late 19th century, when Venetians began to flee muggy Venetian summers for the Lido’s breezy, Liberty-style villas. Thomas Mann’s novel Death in Venice was set here, and you’ll spot wrought-iron balconies and seaside hotels that date from those elegantly decadent days. However, the most famous of all – Hotel des Bains – was closed for major restoration at the time of writing.

Lido beaches (deposit/chair/hut €5/6/11, umbrella & chair €17; 9.30am-7pm May-Sep) remain a major draw. But to avoid the crowds, rent a bicycle by the vaporetto stop at Lido on Bike ( 041 526 80 19; www.lidoonbike.it; Gran Viale 21b; bikes per 90min/day €5/9; 9am-7pm Apr-Sep) and head south to Alberoni and other pristine, windswept beaches.

The biggest event on the Lido social calendar is September’s Venice Film Festival, when starlets and socialites attempt to blind paparazzi with Italian couture. Major events are held at the 1930s Palazzo del Cinema , which looks like a Fascist airport when stripped of its red carpet.

ISOLA DI SAN MICHELE

Shuttling between Murano from the Fondamente Nuove, vaporetti 41 and 42 stop at Venice’s city cemetery , established on Isola di San Michele under Napoleon. Until then, Venetians were buried in parish plots across town – not the most salubrious solution, as Napoleon’s inspectors soon realised. Today, goths, incorrigible romantics and music lovers pause here to pay respects to Ezra Pound, Sergei Diaghilev and Igor Stravinsky. Architecture aficionados stop here to see Renaissance Chiesa di San Michele in Isola Offline map Google map , begun by Codussi in 1469, as well as the ongoing cemetery extension scheduled for 2013 completion by David Chipperfield Architects. It includes the Courtyard of the Four Evangelists , a rather gloomy bunker with a concrete colonnade and basalt-clad walls engraved with the Gospels.

MURANO

Venetians have been working in crystal and glass since the 10th century, but due to fire hazards all glass-blowing was moved to the island of Murano Offline map in the 13th century. Woe betide the glass-blower with wanderlust: trade secrets were so jealously guarded that any glass-worker who left the city was accused of treason and subject to assassination. Today glass artisans ply their trade at workshops along Murano’s Fondamenta dei Vetrai marked by ‘Fornace’ (Furnace) signs. To ensure glass you buy is handmade in Murano and not factory-fabricated elsewhere, look for the heart-shaped seal guarantee.

Museum of Glass MUSEUM

(Museo del Vetro; 041 73 95 86; www.museiciviciveneziani.it; Fondamenta Giustinian 8; adult/reduced €8/5.50 or Museum Pass; 10am-6pm Thu-Tue Apr-Oct, to 5pm Nov-Mar) Since 1861, this palace has showcased Murano’s glass-making prowess. Downstairs displays exhibit surprisingly intact 1500-year-old iridescent Roman glass, but upstairs Murano shows off with displays ranging from 17th-century winged aventurine goblets to a whimsical 1930s glass cactus. Geek out in the gallery explaining glass-making techniques innovated on Murano, from mosaic miniatures to Venetian trade beads.

Chiesa dei SS Maria e Donato CHURCH

( 041 73 90 56; Campo San Donato; 9am-noon & 3.30-7pm Mon-Sat, 3.30-7pm Sun) Fire-breathing is the unifying theme of Murano’s medieval church, with its 12-century gilded glass Madonna apse mosaic made in Murano’s red-hot fornace (furnaces) and the legendary bones of a dragon hanging behind the altar. According to local lore, this beast was slain by San Donato, whose mortal remains were also brought here from Cephalonia as relics.

BURANO

If Venice’s Gothic architecture is making you feel slightly loopy, Burano Offline map will bring you down to earth and back to your senses with a reviving shock of colour. The 50-minute Laguna Nord (LN) ferry ride from the Fondamente Nuove is packed with photographers vying for the best shot of pea-green stockings hung to dry between hot-pink and royal-blue houses.

Besides its colourful character, Burano is famed for lemon-scented, S-shaped buranelli biscuits and handmade lace. At the time of writing, Museo del Merletto (Lace Museum; www.museiciviciveneziani.it) remained closed for expansion, and much of the lace for sale in Burano boutiques was imported – be sure to ask for a guarantee of authenticity.

TORCELLO

On the pastoral island of Torcello Offline map, a three-minute T-line ferry-hop from Burano, sheep outnumber the 14 or so human residents. This bucolic backwater was once a Byzantine metropolis of 20,000, but of its original nine churches and two abbeys, only the striking brick Chiesa di Santa Fosca and splendid mosaic-filled Santa Maria Assunta remain.

On leisurely walks around the island, you’ll spot a few relics, including a worn stone throne Attila the Hun is said to have occupied in the 5th century where lagoon birds now perch – it’s been a while since Ernest Hemingway’s hunting parties gave them cause for fear. Time permitting before the last ferry departure, peek at early mosaics painstakingly assembled from half-centimetre tesserae and miniature bronzes collected from Torcello’s Byzantine heyday inside the small Torcello museum (Piazza Torcello; admission incl cathedral €8; 10.30am-5pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct).

Santa Maria Assunta CATHEDRAL

(Piazza Torcello; admission & audioguide cathedral €6, incl museum €8; 10.30am-6pm Mar-Oct, 10am-5pm Nov-Feb) Don’t let its restrained exteriors and advanced age fool you: this Byzantine cathedral built in 639 and rebuilt around 1008 is bursting with colourful stories in interior mosaics. The soaring bell tower offers commanding lagoon views, but is currently undergoing restoration. Last entry is half an hour before closing.

Mosaics

A beatific Madonna rises above corn poppies in the golden eastern apse mosaic, while on the western wall a mosaic Last Judgment shows the Adriatic as a sea nymph ushering souls lost at sea towards St Peter, who’s jangling the keys to Paradise like God’s own bouncer. A sneaky devil tips the scales of justice, while his minions drag sinners into a hell populated with bloated gluttons, greedy bejewelled merchants, and envious cadavers with snakes coming out of their eyes. In the centre, Jesus offers reassuring words: ‘I am God and Man; I am not far from the guilty, but close to the repentant.’

Activities

A gondola ride is anything but pedestrian, with glimpses into palazzi courtyards and hidden canals otherwise invisible by foot. Official daytime rates are €80 for 40 minutes (six passengers maximum) or €100 from 7pm to 8am, not including songs (negotiated separately) or tips. Additional time is charged in 20-minute increments (day/night €40/50). You may negotiate a price break in low season, overcast weather or around midday, when other travellers get hot and hungry. Agree on a price, time limit and singing in advance to avoid surcharges. Gondole cluster at stazi (stops) along the Grand Canal, at the train station ( 041 71 85 43), the Rialto ( 041 522 49 04) and near major monuments (eg I Frari, Ponte Sospiri and Accademia), but you can also book a pick-up at a canal near you ( 041 528 50 75).

START PIAZZA SAN MARCO FINISH CAMPO SAN GIACOMO DELL’ORIO DISTANCE 6KM DURATION 2 HOURS, EXCLUDING LUNCH AND DRINKS

Walking Tour: Venice Labyrinth

This adventure, which explores Venice’s crooked calli (lanes) and charming hidden campi (squares), begins with the obligatory salute to Basilica di San Marco . Duck under the Torre dell’Orlogio and follow the calle veering right into narrow Campo della Guerra , where you’ll hear Venetian gossip whispered over Spritz and gondoliers singing. Pass over the bridge along Calle Casselleria into sunny Campo Santa Maria Formosa . Straight ahead is Calle Santa Maria della Formosa; follow it to the left across two bridges to Salizada Santi Giovanni e Paolo, which leads left to the massive Gothic cathedral, Zanipolo .

Calle Larga Gallina leads over a bridge, and before you cross a second bridge turn left for a glimpse of heaven at Venice’s small wonder, the marble-clad Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli . Backtrack to the bridge, and cross it to browse through Campo Santa Maria Nova to Salizada San Canciano, which you’ll follow down to skinny Campo San Bartolomeo , lined with designer showrooms and souvenir stalls. To the right is Ponte di Rialto ; stay on the right as you cross and duck away from the crowds towards happy-hour central, Campo Cesare Battisti , and continue along the Grand Canal to Venice’s tastiest campi: produce-piled Campo Rialto Mercato and the covered seafood market, Pescaria .

Turning left along Calle dei Botteri and another on boutique-lined Calle di Cristi, you’ll come to oddly shaped Campo San Cassian , the site of the world’s first public opera house. Cross the bridge to Calle della Regina, then head right to cross another bridge to sociable Campo Santa Maria Mater Domini , with its cafes and ancient neighbourhood well. Turn left down Calle Lunga and over a bridge until it dead-ends, then jog left to Rio Tera Seconda and right again onto Calle del Tentor. Straight ahead, you’ll see its namesake medieval church, San Giacomo dell’Orio , and your pick of Italy’s best natural-process wines at Al Prosecco . Cin-cin!

Tours

From April to October, APT tourist offices (Click here ) offer guided tours ranging from the classic gondola circuit (€40 per person) to a penetrating look at Basilica di San Marco (€18 per person).

Laguna Eco Adventures BOAT

( 329 722 62 89; www.lagunaecoadventures.com; 2½-8hr trips per person €40-150) Explore the far reaches of the lagoon by day or hidden Venetian canals by night in a traditional sampierota, a narrow twin-sailed boat. Reserve ahead and note that trips are subject to weather conditions.

Row Venice BOAT

( 345 241 52 66; www.rowvenice.com; 2hr lessons from €40) The next best thing to walking on water: rowing a sandolo (Venetian boat) standing up like gondoliers do, with Australian-Venetian rowing coach Jane Caporal.

Terra e Acqua BOAT

( 347 420 50 04; www.terraeacqua.com; day trips per person incl lunch from €70) Spot rare lagoon wildlife, admire architectural gems of Burano and Torcello, and moor for a tasty fish-stew lunch, all via bragosso (Venetian barge).

Venicescapes WALKING

(www.venicescapes.org; 4-6hr tours incl book 2 adults US$150-275, additional adult/under 18yr US$50/25) Run by a nonprofit historical society, these intriguing walking tours explore themes like Venice’s multi-ethnic roots or the Venetian art of espionage.

Festivals & Events

Carnevale CULTURAL

(www.carnevale.venezia.it) Masquerade madness stretches over two weeks in February before Lent. Tickets to La Fenice’s masked balls start at €200, but there’s a free-flowing wine fountain to commence Carnevale, public costume parties in every campo (square), and a Grand Canal flotilla marking the end of festivities.

Festa di San Marco RELIGIOUS

(www.comune.venezia.it) Join the celebration of Venice’s patron saint on 25 April, when Venetian men carry roses in processions through Piazza San Marco, then bestow them on women they love.

Vogalonga CULTURAL

(www.vogalonga.it) A show of endurance each May or June, this 32km ‘long row’ starts with 1000 boats launching outside the Palazzo Ducale, loops past Burano and Murano, and ends with cheers, sweat and enough prosecco to numb blisters at Punta della Dogana.

La Biennale di Venezia CULTURAL

(www.labiennale.org) In odd years the Art Biennale runs from June to October, while in even years the Architecture Biennale runs from September to November. The main venues are Giardini Pubblici pavilions and the Arsenale. Every summer, the Biennale hosts avant-garde dance, theatre, cinema and music programs throughout the city.

Festa del Redentore CULTURAL

(www.turismovenezia.it) Walk on water across the Giudecca Canal to Il Redentore via a wobbly pontoon bridge on the third Saturday and Sunday in July, then watch the fireworks from the Zattere.

Venice Film Festival FILM

(www.labiennale.org/en/cinema) The only thing hotter than a Lido beach in August is the Film Festival’s star-studded red carpet, usually rolled out from the last weekend in August through the first week of September.

Regata Storica CULTURAL

(www.comune.venezia.it) Never mind who’s winning, just check out all the cool gear: 16th-century costumes, eight-oared gondolas and ceremonial barques feature in a historical procession (usually held in September), which re-enacts the arrival of the Queen of Cyprus.

Venezia Suona MUSIC

(www.veneziasuona.it) Hear medieval campi and baroque palaces echo with music from around the world over a glorious September weekend.

Festa della Madonna della Salute CULTURAL

(www.turismovenezia.it) If you’d survived plague, floods and Austrian invasion, you’d throw a party too. Every year since the 17th century, on 21 November Venetians cross a pontoon bridge across the Grand Canal to give thanks at Chiesa di Santa Maria della Salute and splurge on sweets.

Sleeping

Many Venetians open their historical homes as B&Bs; APT tourist board (www.turismovenezia.it) lists 270 B&Bs, 288 affittacamere (rooms for rent) and 944 apartments to rent in Venice proper. More can be found at Craigslist Venice (http://venice.it.craigslist.it) , www.guestinitaly.com and www.veniceapartment.com; see also Click here .

The best hotel rates are in Venice’s low season, typically November, early December, January and the period between Carnevale and Easter, but you might swing deals in July and August. For 400 options, see www.lonelyplanet.com, and for still more choices, try A Guest in Venice (www.unospitedivenezia.it) or Venice Hoteliers Association (www.veneziasi.it) .

PIAZZA SAN MARCO & AROUND

Novecento BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

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( 041 241 37 65; www.novecento.biz; Calle del Dose 2683/84; d €130-260; ) World travellers put down roots in nine bohemian-chic rooms with Turkish kilim pillows, Fortuny draperies and 19th-century scallop-shell carved bedsteads. Linger over breakfast in the garden under an Indian sun parasol, meet the artists at hotel-organised art exhibitions, go for a massage at sister property Hotel Flora or mingle around the honesty bar.

Gio’ & Gio’ B&B €€

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( 347 366 50 16; www.giogiovenice.com; Calle delle Ostreghe 2439; d €90-150; ) Restrained baroque sounds like an oxymoron, but here you have it: polished wood floors, pearl-grey walls, bronze silk curtains, burl-wood dressers and spotlit art. It’s ideally located near Piazza San Marco along a side canal; angle for rooms overlooking the gondola stop, and wake to choruses of Volare, oh-oh-oooooh!

Hotel Flora HOTEL €€€

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( 041 520 58 44; www.hotelflora.it; Calle Bergamaschi 2283a; d €150-290; ) Down a lane from glitzy Calle Larga XXII Marzo, this ivy-covered garden retreat quietly outclasses brash top-end neighbours with its plush rooms, delightful tearoom and gym offering shiatsu massage. Guestrooms feature antique carved beds piled with soft mattresses and fluffy duvets; ask for opulent gilded No 3 or No 32, which opens onto the garden.

AD Place Venice DESIGN HOTEL €€€

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( 041 241 23 24; www.adplacevenice.com; Fondamenta della Fenice 2557a; d incl breakfast €125-290; ) Taking its cue from Teatro La Fenice across the canal, AD Place goes for romantic high drama, from the lobby’s patchwork curtains and candlelit lanterns to patent leather bedsteads and gilded mirrors upstairs. Let savvy staff arrange gondola pick-ups and custom art tours, and don’t skip the buffet breakfasts on the cushion-strewn terrace.

Hotel Ai Do Mori HOTEL €

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( 041 520 48 17; www.hotelaidomori.com; Calle Larga San Marco 658; d €50-110; ) These are cosy artists’ garrets just off Piazza San Marco; book ahead to score an upper-floor room with wood-beamed ceilings, parquet floors and views over the basilica. Ask for No 11, with a private terrace (pack light as there is no lift here).

Locanda Art Deco B&B €€

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( 041 277 05 58; www.locandaartdeco.com; Calle delle Botteghe 2966; d incl breakfast €80-170; ) Rakishly handsome, cream-coloured guestrooms have parquet floors and comfy beds in custom wrought-iron bedsteads. Helpful hotel staff arrange in-room massages and boat tours with Venice’s pioneering woman gondolier.

DORSODURO

Charming House DD.724 B&B €€€

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( 041 277 02 62; www.thecharminghouse.com; Ramo de Mula 724; d incl breakfast €99-400; ) Hole up in your own modern art–filled Venetian bolthole, with lavish breakfast buffets in the library and a multimedia room. Guestrooms are designer-sleek yet cosy, and the superior double has a bathtub and balcony overlooking Peggy Guggenheim’s garden. Babysitting, massages and guided tours available on request.

La Calcina INN €€

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( 041 520 64 66; www.lacalcina.com; Fondamenta Zattere ai Gesuati 780; s €80-150, d €110-310; ) An idyllic seaside getaway, it has breakfasts on the roof terrace, an elegant canalside restaurant and 29 airy, parquet-floored guestrooms, several facing the Giudecca Canal and Palladio’s Redentore church. Book ahead for rooms with en suite bathrooms and/or views, especially No 2, where John Ruskin stayed while he wrote his classic (if inexplicably Palladio-bashing) 1876 The Stones of Venice .

La Chicca B&B €€

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( 041 552 55 35; www.lachicca-venezia.com; Calle Franchi 644; d incl breakfast €50-200; ) It’s neatly wedged among Dorsoduro’s trifecta of museums – Accademia, Peggy Guggenheim, Punta della Dogana – yet all you’ll hear at night in this new family-run B&B is the lapping of the canal at the end of the calle . Venetian damask-clad guestrooms are spacious and blessedly uncluttered; book ahead to nab one with a tub.

Hotel Galleria INN €€

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( 041 523 24 89; www.hotelgalleria.it; Campo della Carità 878a; s incl breakfast €70-120, d incl breakfast €100-200) Smack on the Grand Canal at the Ponte dell’Accademia, this converted 17th-century mansion offers small doubles overlooking the Grand Canal (Nos 7, 8 and 9). Most rooms share updated bathrooms; two rooms accommodate larger families.

Palazzo Zenobio HOSTEL €

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( 041 522 87 70; www.collegioarmeno.com; Palazzo Zenobio; s €30-65, d €56-100, s/d/tr/q without bathroom €30/56/80/100) Formerly a school for Venice’s Armenian community, this gilded 1690 palace recently opened its doors to guests. Accommodation is monastic and chilly, lower-priced rooms have shared bathrooms, and there’s a 1.30am curfew. The overgrown formal garden is among Venice’s largest and loveliest, and guests are invited to on-site art events.

SAN POLO & SANTA CROCE

Oltre il Giardino B&B €€€

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( 041 275 00 15; www.oltreilgiardino-venezia.com; Fondamenta Contarini 2542; d €150-350; ) Live the designer dream in six guestrooms brimming with historical charm and modern comforts: marquetry composer’s desks, flat-screen TVs, candelabra, Bulgari bath products, 19th-century poker chairs and babysitting services. Though ‘Turquoise’ is sprawling and ‘Green’ occupies a private corner of the walled garden, ‘Grey’ has a sexy wrought-iron bed frame under a cathedral ceiling.

Pensione Guerrato PENSIONE €€

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( 041 528 59 27; www.pensioneguerrato.it; Ruga due Mori 240a; d incl breakfast €95-140; ) In a 1227 landmark that once sheltered knights heading off on the Third Crusade, updated guestrooms haven’t lost their sense of history – ask for one with frescoes or glimpses of the Grand Canal, or the newly restored apartment. Its prime Rialto Market location and reliable dining recommendations make Pensione Guerrato the Holy Grail for visiting foodies.

Ca’ Angeli B&B €€

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( 041 523 24 80; www.caangeli.it; Calle del Traghetto della Madonnetta 1434; d €80-250; ) Brothers Giorgio and Matteo inherited this Grand Canal mansion and converted it into an antique showplace, with original Murano glass chandeliers, namesake angels from the 16th century and a restored Louis XIV sofa in the canalside reading room. Organic breakfasts are served on antique plates in the dining room, overlooking the Grand Canal.

Domina Home Ca’ Zusto BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

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( www.dominavacanze.it; Campo Rielo 1358; d incl breakfast €118-225; ) With a wink at the nearby Fondaco dei Turchi, the historical Turkish trading house, strikingly modern guestrooms are named after Turkish women and decked out in harem stripes and silk brocade, with plush beds fit for pashas.

Al Campaniel B&B €

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( 041 275 07 49; www.alcampaniel.com; Calle del Campaniel 2889; d incl breakfast €55-105; ) A real find off quiet Campo San Tomá, it’s steps from the vaporetto stop and I Frari, handy to action-packed Campo Santa Margherita and overlooks a chocolate shop. In tasteful shades of cream and crimson, rooms are surprisingly spacious and inviting; standard doubles have en suite toilets but shared showers.

CANNAREGIO

Palazzo Abadessa BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€€

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( 041 241 37 84; www.abadessa.com; Calle Priuli 4011; d €125-345; ) Evenings seem enchanted in this opulent 1540 Venetian palazzo, with staff fluffing pillows, plying guests with prosecco, arranging water taxis to the opera and plotting romantic wedding proposals. Sumptuous guestrooms feature plush beds, silk-damask walls and 18th-century vanities; go baroque and request a larger room with ceiling frescoes, Murano chandeliers and canal or garden views.

Domus Orsoni B&B €€

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( 041 275 95 38; www.domusorsoni.it; Corte Vedei 1045; s incl breakfast €80-150, d €100-250; ) Surprise: along a tranquil back lane near the Ghetto are five of Venice’s most stylish guestrooms. In summer breakfast is served in the garden by Orsoni mosaic works, located here since 1885 – hence the mosaic fantasias glittering across walls, headboards and bathrooms.

Ca’ Pozzo INN €€

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( 041 524 05 04; www.capozzovenice.com; Sotoportego Ca’ Pozzo 1279; d €80-170; ) Biennale-bound travellers find a home away from home in this minimalist-chic hotel near the Ghetto. Several guestrooms have balconies, two accommodate guests with disabilities and spacious No 208 could house a Damien Hirst entourage.

Alla Vite Dorata B&B €€

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( 041 241 30 18; www.allavitedorata.com; Rio Terà Barba Frutariol 4690b; d incl breakfast €90-150; ) Venexiarse (become Venetian) at this family home recently converted to a B&B in a quiet, untouristed neighbourhood. Romantics can upgrade to rooms with brocade-curtained beds overlooking a canal, but all rooms have high wood-beamed ceilings, wrought-iron furnishings and colourful drapery.

Hotel Villa Rosa INN €€

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( 041 716 569; www.villarosahotel.com; Calle della Misericordia 389; d incl breakfast €70-140; ) Blooming window boxes and cheery staff make arrivals feel at home round the corner from the train station. Guestrooms are compact but high ceilinged, with damask wallpaper, tapestry bedspreads and modern bathrooms.

CASTELLO

Ca’ Dei Dogi BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

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( 041 241 37 51; www.cadeidogi.it; Corte Santa Scolastica 4242; d €100-140; ) Even the neighbouring Bridge of Sighs can’t dampen the spirits of the sunny yellow Ca’ Dei Dogi. Streamlined modern rooms look like ships’ cabins, with wood-beamed ceilings, dressers resembling steamer trunks, and compact mosaic-covered bathrooms.

Foresteria Valdese RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION €

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( 041 528 67 97; http://foresteriavenezia.it; Palazzo Cavagnis, Castello 5170; dm €25-30, d from €82) Holy hostel, Batman: many of the digs in this rambling palace retreat, owned by the Waldensian church, boast 18th-century frescoes and canal views. Dorm beds are available only for families or groups; book well ahead.

Palazzo Soderini B&B €€

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( 041 296 08 23; www.palazzosoderini.it; Campo di Bandiera e Mori 3611; d €150-200; ) This tranquil, all-white retreat with a lily pond in the garden offers a welcome reprieve from Venice’s visual onslaught. Minimalist decor emphasises spare shapes and clean lines. There are only three rooms; book ahead.

GIUDECCA

Bauer Palladio & Spa LUXURY HOTEL €€€

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( 041 520 70 22; www.palladiohotelspa.com; Fondamenta della Croce 33; d from €590; ) Splash out in a serene, Palladio-designed former cloister with San Marco views, private solar-powered boat service and a superb spa. Once home to nuns and orphans, this converted monastery now offers heavenly comfort in rosy, serenely demure guestrooms, many with garden terraces or water views.

Ostello Venezia HOSTEL €

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( 041 523 82 11; www.ostellovenezia.it; Fondamenta delle Zitelli 86; dm €22-27; check-in 1.30-11.30pm, check-out 9.30am) Serene canal views make hostel bunks seem miles away from the madding crowds of San Marco, yet they’re just a vaporetto ride away. Arrive promptly after 1.30pm opening time to claim a bunk by the window; reserve ahead for one of two viewless private rooms.

Eating

For basic grocery needs, Billa Supermarket Offline map Google map ( Strada Nova 3660; 8.30am-9pm Mon-Sat, 9am-9pm Sun) fits the bill, but the deli selection is better at the regional agricultural cooperative retailer Coop Offline map Google map ( 9am-1pm & 4-7.30pm Mon-Sat) San Lio 5989 Offline map ; Campo San Giacomo dell’Orio 1492 Offline map ; Piazzale Roma Offline map .

PIAZZA SAN MARCO & AROUND

Enoteca al Volto VENETIAN €

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( 041 522 89 45; Calle Cavalli 4081; cicheti €2-4, mains €7-18; 9.30am-3pm & 5.30-10pm Mon-Sat) Join the bar crowd working its way through the vast selection of wine and cicheti (Venetian tapas), or come early for a table outdoors (in summer) or inside the snug back room and seaworthy bowls of pasta with bottarga (dried fish roe) or house-made ravioli. Cash only.

Osteria San Marco MODERN ITALIAN €€

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( 041 528 52 42; www.osteriasanmarco.it; Frezzeria 1610; mains €20-30; 12.30-11pm Mon-Sat) Romance is in the air here – but the top-notch wines lining the exposed-brick walls surely help. Under strategic spotlights, dishes seem to arrive with a halo, especially heavenly lagoon clams with squid-ink linguine. Wine selections by the glass are limited and meat dishes are modestly sized, but all is forgiven over passito (dessert) wine with artisan cheeses.

Osteria da Carla OSTERIA €

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( 041 523 78 55; Frezzeria 1535; mains €8-13; 10am-9pm Mon-Sat) For the price of a Piazza San Marco hot chocolate, diners in the know duck into this hidden courtyard to feast on ravioli with poppy seed, pear and sheep’s-milk cheese. Expect to wait at lunch and happy hour, when gondoliers abandon ship for DOC Soave and sopressa crostini (soft salami on toast).

Cavatappi OSTERIA €

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( 041 296 02 52; Campo della Guerra 525/526; cicheti €2-4, mains €8-13; 10am-9pm Tue-Thu & Sun, 10am-11pm Fri & Sat) This casual charmer offers cicheti, DOC bubbly by the glass and that rarest of San Marco finds: a tasty sit-down meal under €20. Get the risotto of the day and sheep’s-milk cheese drizzled with wildflower honey for dessert.

Caffé Mandola SANDWICH SHOP €

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( 041 523 76 24; Calle della Mandola 3630; panini €3-7; 9am-7pm Mon-Sat) Carb-load before the opera or between museums with fresh focaccia loaded with tangy tuna and capers or lean bresaola (air-cured beef), rocket and seasoned Grana Padano cheese.

VENICE’S TOP GELATERIE

» Alaska Offline map Google map ( 041 71 52 11; Calle Larga dei Bari 1159; gelati €1.50-2; noon-8pm) Outlandish organic gelato: enjoy a Slow Food scoop of house-roasted local pistachio, or two of tangy Sicilian lemon with vaguely minty carciofi (artichoke).

» Gelateria Suso Offline map Google map ( Calle della Bissa 5453; gelati €2-3; 10am-10pm) Indulge in Suso’s ostentatiously rich ‘Doge’ gelato: fig sauce and walnuts swirled into mascarpone cream. All Suso’s gelati are locally made and extra-creamy, but a waffle cone with hazelnut and extra-dark chocolate passes as dinner.

» Grom Offline map Google map ( 041 099 17 51; www.grom.it; Campo San Barnaba 2461; gelati €2.50-4; noon-11pm) Lick the landscape at Grom, which features Slow Food ingredients from across Italy (lemon from the Amalfi Coast, strawberries from Sicily and hazelnuts from Piedmont), plus Fair Trade–certified chocolate and coffee.

DORSODURO

Trattoria La Bitta TRATTORIA €€

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( 041 523 05 31; Calle Lunga San Barnaba 2753a; meals €35-40; 7-10pm Mon-Sat) The daily menu is presented on a miniature artists’ easel, while the rustic fare looks like a still life and tastes like a dream: gnocchi is graced with pumpkin and herbs, and roast rabbit arrives on a bed of marinated rocket. Non-pescatarians pack this meat-focused restaurant; book ahead.

Enoteca ai Artisti TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €

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( 041 523 89 44; www.enotecaartisti.com; Fondamenta della Toletta 1169a; mains €9-23; noon-4pm & 6.30-10pm Mon-Sat) Heart-warming pasta and inspired cheeses are paired with exceptional wines (by the glass) by your oenophile hosts. Pavement tables for two make for great people-watching, but book indoor tables for groups.

Ristoteca Oniga VENETIAN €€

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( 041 522 44 10; www.oniga.it; Campo San Barnaba 2852; meals €18-30; noon-3pm & 7-10pm Wed-Mon) Purists come for chef Annika’s Venetian seafood platter with exemplary sarde in soar (sardines in a sweet and sour sauce), vegetarians are spoiled for choice with seasonal pasta – try broccoli rabe, pecorino (sheep’s-milk cheese) and breadcrumbs – and everyone appreciates the selection of 150 wines and fixed-price menus starting at €17.

Avogaria MODERN ITALIAN €

( 041 296 04 91; Calle dell’Avogaria 1629; cicheti €1.5-4, mains €10-22; noon-3pm & 6-11pm Wed-Sun) Dates begin casually enough in this exposed-brick, wood-beamed restaurant, with happy-hour cicheti and Spritz at the sleek glass bar, but a few bites of Venetian crudi (sushi) laced with fresh herbs leads to seafood risotto for two – and once the tiramisu arrives, you’ll be swooning.

Impronta Café TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €

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( 041 275 03 86; Calle Crosera 3815; meals €8-15; 11am-1am Mon-Sat) Join Venice’s value-minded jet set for prosecco and bargain polenta–salami combos, surrounded by witty architectural diagrams of cooking pots. Arrive by 6.30pm to take advantage of Milan-style aperitivi, where access to an appetiser buffet is free with drink purchases.

Pizza al Volo PIZZERIA €

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( 041 522 54 30; Campo Santa Margherita 2944; pizza slices €2-4; noon-1am) Peckish night owls run out of options fast in Venice once restaurants start to close at 1 0pm – but slices here are cheap and tasty, with a thin yet sturdy crust that won’t collapse on your bar-hopping outfit.

CICHETI: VENICE’S BEST MEAL DEALS

Even in unpretentious Venetian osterie (casual taverns of eateries), most dishes cost a couple of euros more than elsewhere in Italy – not a bad mark-up, given fresh seafood and local produce brought in by boat. But cicheti, Venetian bar snacks, are some of the best foodie finds in the country, served at the bar in Venetian osterie at lunch and about 6pm to 8pm. Cicheti range from basic €1 to €2 bar snacks (spicy meatballs, fresh tomato bruschetta) to wildly inventive small plates for €2 to €5: think white Bassano asparagus and plump lagoon shrimp wrapped with pancetta at All’Arco (Click here ), Bronte pistachio spread and mortadella stuffed into fresh-baked sesame croissants at Zenzero ( Click here ) or crostini piled with sopressata (soft local salami) and truffled pecorino at I Rusteghi (Click here ).

SAN POLO & SANTA CROCE

All’Arco VENETIAN €

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( 041 520 56 66; Calle dell’Arco 436; cicheti €1.50-4; noon-8.30pm Mon-Sat Apr-Jun & Sep, to 3.30pm Oct-Mar, closed Jul & Aug) Maestro Francesco and his son Matteo invent Venice’s best cicheti daily with Rialto Market finds, and if you ask nicely and wait patiently, they’ll invent a seasonal speciality for you. On Mondays when the Pescaria is closed, Francesco might wrap wild asparagus in rare roast beef with grainy mustard; when Saturday’s seafood haul arrives, Matteo might create Sicilian tuna tartare with mint, Dolomite strawberries and aged balsamic. Even with copious prosecco, hardly any meal here tops €20 or falls short of five stars.

Al Pesador MODERN ITALIAN €€

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( 041 523 94 92; www.alpesador.it; Campo San Giacometo; mains €15-30; noon-3pm & 7-11pm Mon-Sat) Watch the world drift down the Grand Canal outside, or canoodle in the vaulted dining room – but once the food comes, you’ll sit up and pay attention. Just when you thought you knew Venetian cuisine, Pesador reinvents it with culinary finesse: cicheti feature a terrine of tiny lagoon clams topped with lemon gelée, while primi (first courses) include red-footed scallops kicking wild herbs across squid-ink gnocchi.

Pronto Pesce Pronto SEAFOOD €

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( 041 822 02 98; Rialto Pescheria 319; cicheti €3-8; noon-2.45pm Tue-Sat) Alongside Venice’s fish market, this designer deli specialises in artfully composed crudi and seafood salads. Grab a stool and a (unfortunately) plastic glass of DOC Soave with folpetti (baby octopus) salad and plump prawn crudi, or enjoy yours dockside along the Grand Canal.

Dai Zemei VENETIAN €

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( 041 520 8546; www.osteriadaizemei.it; Ruga Vecchia San Giovanni 1045; cicheti €2-5; 9am-8pm Wed-Mon) Small meals with outsized imagination: octopus salad with marinated rocket, duck breast drizzled with truffle oil, or crostini loaded with velvety tuna mousse. Arrive early and consult twin gourmet masterminds Giovanni and Franco ( zamei is Venetian for twins, hence the photos above the bar) for ideal DOC/IGT wine pairings.

Tearoom Caffé Orientale VEGETARIAN €

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( 041 520 17 89; Rio Marin 888; meals €6-12; noon-9pm Fri-Wed) Detour from tourist-trail espresso bars and seafood restaurants to this art-filled canalside tearoom; it offers vegetarian delights from asparagus-studded quiches to hearty bean soups. Baked goods are made in-house with extra-fluffy, high-protein Italian ‘00’ flour – so after that whisper-light apple crumble, you’ll be raring to tackle museums.

Osteria La Zucca MODERN ITALIAN €

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( 041 524 15 70; www.lazucca.it; Calle del Tentor 1762; small plates €5-12; 12.30-2.30pm & 7-10.30pm Mon-Sat) Vego-centric seasonal small plates bring spice-trade influences to local produce: zucchini with ginger zing, cinnamon-tinged pumpkin flan and raspberry spice cake. Herbed roast lamb is respectable here too, but the vegies have star quality. The snug wood-panelled interior gets toasty, so reserve canalside seats in summer.

Antica Birreria della Corte PIZZERIA €

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( 041 275 05 70; Campo San Polo 2168; pizzas €8-13; noon-11pm Mon-Fri) An outpost of pizza and beer in a city of wine and fish seems like a deliberate provocation, but it’s hard to protest with your mouth full. Standouts include wood-fired bresaola , and rocket and buffalo mozzarella, washed down with beer – German on tap, Italian artisan in bottles.

GOURMET CENTRAL: THE RIALTO DISTRICT

Rialto Market Offline map Google map offers superb local produce next to the legendary Pescaria Offline map Google map , Venice’s 600-year-old fish market. Nearby backstreets are lined with bakeries, bacari (bars) and two notable gourmet shops: Aliani Offline map Google map ( 041 522 49 13; Ruga Vecchia di San Giovanni 654) , with cheeses, cured meats and gourmet specialities from balsamic vinegar aged 40 years to bottarga (dried fish-roe paste); and Drogheria Mascari Offline map Google map ( 041 522 97 62; Ruga degli Spezieri 381; 8am-1pm & 4-7.30pm Mon-Tue & Thu-Sat, 8am-1pm Wed) , an emporium lined with copper-topped jars, spices and truffles galore, plus an entire back room of speciality Italian wines. For organic edibles and sustainably produced wines, visit Rialto Biocenter Offline map Google map ( 041 523 95 15; www.rialtobiocenter.it; Calle della Regina 2264; 8.30am-1pm & 4.30-8pm Mon-Thu, 8.30am-8pm Fri & Sat) .

CANNAREGIO

Anice Stellato VENETIAN €€

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( 041 72 07 44; Fondamenta della Sensa 3272; meals €25-40; noon-2pm & 7.30-11pm Wed-Sun) If finding this obscure corner of Cannaregio seems like an adventure, wait until dinner arrives: herb-encrusted lamb chops, house-made ravioli and lightly fried moeche (soft-shelled crab) gobbled whole. Tin lamps and recycled paper place-mats on communal tables keep the focus on local food and local company – all memorable. Book ahead.

Dalla Marisa VENETIAN €€

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( 041 720 211; Fondamenta San Giobbe 652b; set menus €30-35; 11am-3pm & 7-11pm Tue & Thu-Sat) Like a friend of the family, you’ll be seated where there’s room and get no menu. You’ll have whatever Marisa’s cooking, but you will be informed that the menu is meat- or fish-based when you book, and house wine is included in the price. Venetian regulars confess Marisa’s fegato alla veneziana (Venetian calf’s liver) is better than their grandmothers’, while fish nights bring hauls of lagoon seafood grilled, fried and perched atop pasta and rocket.

Osteria L’Orto dei Mori MODERN ITALIAN €€

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( 041 524 36 77; Campo dei Mori 3386; meals €20-40; 12.30-3.30pm & 7.30-midnight Wed-Mon) Not since Tintoretto lived next door has this sleepy neighbourhood stayed up so late, thanks to this smart new osteria . Sicilian chef Lorenzo makes fresh pasta daily, including squid atop spinach tagliolini and bow-tie pasta with sausage and raddichio di Treviso (red, bitter chicory). Upbeat staff and fish-shaped lamps add a playful air to evenings here, and you’ll be handed prosecco to endure the wait for tables (book ahead).

La Cantina VENETIAN €€

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( 041 522 82 58; Campo San Felice 3689; cicheti €3-6, mains €15-30; 11am-11pm Mon-Sat) Talk about Slow Food: grab a stool and local Morgana beer while you await seasonal bruschetta made to order and hearty bean soups. Seafood platters require larger appetites and deeper pockets – market price varies, so ask today’s rate – but mullet with roast potatoes and scampi crudi (sweet prawn sushi) are worthy investments.

CASTELLO

Corte Sconta MODERN ITALIAN €€€

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( 041 522 70 24; Calle del Pestrin 3886; meals €45-65; 12.30-2.30pm & 7-9.30pm Tue-Sat, closed Jan & Aug) Seek out this vine-covered corte sconta (hidden courtyard) for imaginative house-made pasta and ultrafresh, visually striking seafood: imagine crustaceans arranged on a platter like paint on an artist’s palette, or black squid-ink pasta topped with bright-orange squash and tender scallops. Reservations essential.

Zenzero SANDWICH SHOP €

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( 041 241 28 28; Campo Santa Marina 5902; panini €2-4.50; 9am-8pm Mon-Sat) Two panini on house-baked croissants make a feast that deserves a DOCG prosecco toast. Seasonal speciality combos include truffle-topped prosciutto, mortadella with pistachio purée, or organic buffalo mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes.

Met GASTRONOMIC €€€

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( 041 520 50 44; www.hotelmetropole.com; Hotel Metropole, Riva degli Schiavoni 4149; meals from €100; dinner Tue-Sun) Chef Corrado Fasolato earns his two Michelin stars with wildly inventive takes on local game and seafood, including savoury pheasant cannelloni and eel-stuffed pasta. Expect the unexpected, like red wine and horseradish transformed into savoury sorbets.

Al Covo OSTERIA €€€

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( 041 522 38 12; www.ristorantealcovo.com; Campiello della Pescaria 3968; meals €55-75; lunch & dinner Fri-Sun, lunch Mon-Tue) This place has all the markings of a classic Venetian trattoria – low-beamed ceilings, regulars installed in the corners – but adds sophisticated twists to typical dishes. Trademark dishes include Caprese salad served with a cherry tomato gelée , squid-ink pasta with clams and squash blossoms, and Adriatic tuna with five sauces. Prices are understandable given lagoon-fresh ingredients, and offset by reasonably priced wine.

Le Spighe VEGETARIAN €

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( 041 523 81 73; Via Garibaldi 1341; meals €10-15; 9.30am-2pm & 5.30-7.30pm Mon-Sat) All vegetarian, all organic and vegan-friendly, this little spot offers quick, delicious eats based on seasonal produce, from crunchy fennel salads to delicious potato-and-squash pies.

GIUDECCA

I Figli delle Stelle MODERN ITALIAN €€

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( 041 523 00 04; www.ifiglidellestelle.it; Zitelle 70; meals €25-40; 12.30-2.30pm & 7-10pm Tue-Sun, closed mid-Nov–mid-Mar) A creamy fava bean soup with chicory and fresh tomatoes coats the tongue in a naughty way, and the mixed grill for two with langoustine, sole and fresh sardines is a commitment – though given the cuisine and waterfront views of San Marco, this is a surprisingly cheap date.

La Palanca VENETIAN €

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( 041 528 77 19; Fondamenta al Ponte Piccolo 448; meals €20-30; 8am-8.30pm Mon-Sat) Lunchtime competition for canalside tables is stiff, but views make tagliolini ai calamaretti (narrow ribbon pasta with tiny calamari) and tuna steak with sesame taste even better. A bargain at €7 to €9 for full plates of pasta, and the bar is open for cicheti all day.

THE LIDO

Trattoria La Favorita SEAFOOD €€€

( 041 526 16 26; Via Francesco Duodo 33; meals €35-50; noon-3.30pm & 7.30-11pm Wed-Sun, 6-10pm Tue, closed Jan–mid-Feb) Spider crab gnochetti, fish risotto and crudi at noncelebrity prices make La Favorita earn its name. Book ahead for the wisteria-filled garden.

Pizzeria alla Botte PIZZERIA €

( 041 526 06 81; Gran Viale 57/A; pizzas €6-10; 11.30am-3.30pm & 6-10.30pm, closed Nov-Jan) With one of the only wood-burning ovens in Venice, this touristy-looking place offers quality pizza with a thickish crust and just the right amount of chewiness.

Drinking

In prime tourist zones, the price of coffee at a table seems more like rent, so take your coffee standing or splash out for architecturally splendid cafes in the Museo Correr, Palazzo Querini Stampalia or Piazza San Marco. An orchestra surcharge is often added to bills in Piazza San Marco – you might as well get your money’s worth and do the tango.

PIAZZA SAN MARCO & AROUND

Caffè Florian CAFE

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( 041 520 56 41; www.caffeflorian.com; Piazza San Marco 56/59; drinks €8-12; 10am-midnight Thu-Tue) Florian adheres to rituals established c 1720: uniformed waiters serve hot chocolate on silver trays, lovers canoodle in plush banquettes indoors, and the orchestra strikes up a tango as fading sunlight illuminates San Marco’s portal mosaics. Ever forward-thinking, this cafe was among the first to admit women, served as a clubhouse for Italy’s independence movement, and still hosts contemporary art and design events.

Caffè Lavena CAFE

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( 041 522 40 70; www.lavena.it; Piazza San Marco 133/4; drinks €1-12; 9.30am-11pm) Opera composer Richard Wagner had the right idea: when Venice leaves you weak in the knees, get a pick-me-up at Lavena. The €1 espresso at this mirrored 18th-century bar is the sweetest deal in Piazza San Marco, but get a table for caffè corretto (coffee ‘corrected’ with liquor) and live music. Florian’s orchestra provides friendly competition across the square, but Lavena’s lightning-speed tarantella usually wins by crowd roars.

Harry’s Bar BAR

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( 041 528 57 77; www.cipriano.com; Calle Vallaresso 1323; 10.30am-11pm) Aspiring auteurs throng the bar frequented by Ernest Hemingway, Charlie Chaplin, Truman Capote, Orson Welles and others, enjoying a signature €15 Bellini (fresh peach juice and prosecco ) with a side of reflected glory. Despite the basic bistro decor and minuscule tables, this is one of Italy’s most expensive restaurants – stick to top-shelf cocktails.

Torino@Night PUB

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( 041 522 39 14; Campo San Luca 4592; 7pm-1am Tue-Sat) Eclectic, loud, funky Torino livens up staid San Marco with €2 to €5 drinks and live jazz most Saturdays, plus occasional marathon DJ sessions of vintage reggae on vinyl.

DORSODURO

Cantinone ‘Già Schiavi’ BAR

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( 041 523 00 34; Fondamenta Nani 992; 8.30am-8.30pm Mon-Sat) Good lungs and steady hands are instrumental to make your order heard and transport cicheti (try creamy tuna with leeks), ombre (wine by the glass) and pallottoline (small bottles of beer) outside to the canal without spilling on architecture students and gondola builders.

Osteria alla Bifora WINE BAR

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( 041 523 61 19; Campo Santa Margherita 2930; noon-3pm & 6pm-midnight) Other bars around this campo cater to Spritz-pounding students, but this converted medieval wine cellar caters to dreamers who flirt over glasses of big-hearted Veneto merlot and shareable plates of cold cuts in the flattering glow of five chandeliers.

Il Caffè Rosso BAR

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( 041 528 79 98; Campo Santa Margherita 2963; 7am-1am Mon-Sat) Sunny piazza seating is the place to recover from last night’s revelry and today’s newspaper headlines, until the cycle begins again at 6pm with Spritz cocktails and standing-room-only student crowds.

SAN POLO & SANTA CROCE

Al Prosecco WINE BAR

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( 041 524 02 22; Campo San Giacomo da l’Orio 1503; www.alprosecco.com; 9am-9pm Mon-Sat) The urge to toast sunsets in Venice’s loveliest campo is only natural – and so is the wine at Al Prosecco. This forward-thinking bar specialises in vini naturi (natural-process wines) – organic, biodynamic and wild-yeast-fermented – and memorable ombre, from signature €3.50 unfiltered ‘cloudy’ prosecco to silky, €5 Veneto Venegazzú that trails across the tongue and lingers in the imagination.

Al Mercà WINE BAR

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( 393 992 47 81; Campo Bella Vienna 213; 9-3pm & 4-9pm Mon-Sat) Discerning drinkers throng this cupboard-sized bar crammed with cicheti and 60 different wines, including top-notch prosecco and DOC wines by the glass (€2 to €3.50). Arrive early for meatballs and mini- panini (€1 to €2) and easy bar access, or mingle with crowds stretching to Grand Canal docks.

Cantina Do Spade BAR

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( 041 521 05 83; www.cantinadospade.it; Calle delle Do Spade 860; 10am-3pm & 6-10pm Mon-Sat) Since 1488 this bar has kept Venice in good spirits, and friendly young management extends warm welcomes to Spritz-sipping Venetian regulars and visiting connoisseurs here for double-malt Dolomite beer and bargain Venetian DOC Cab Franc. Come early for market-fresh fritture (batter-fried seafood; €2 to €6) and stick around for local gossip (free).

VENISSA

A scallop daintily dips its red foot into a black espresso reduction: starting with her highly amusing amuse bouche, chef Paola Budel treats local ingredients with the evident delight of an Italian chef returned home from restaurants abroad. The stars (including the Michelin variety) are aligning over Venissa ( 041 527 22 81; www.venissa.it; Fondamenta Santa Caterina 3; noon-3pm & 7-9.30pm Tue-Sun) in Mazzorbo, the garden island over the bridge from Burano where anything grows. You can practically eat the island landscape in Budel’s breadcrumb gnocchi that bob in a fragrant broth of wild fennel, asparagus shoots, young mint and basil. A dish of 63 minuscule lagoon octopi served on a barene (shoal) of garlicky fava bean purée gives an inkling what it’s like to be a ravenous Venetian sea monster that’s satisfied at last. Book ahead, budget at least €60 per person, and bring sunblock to enjoy the outdoor patio alongside Venissa’s vineyard.

Pasticceria Rizzardini CAFE

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( 041 522 38 35; Campiello dei Meloni 1415; 7.30am-8pm Wed-Mon) ‘From 1742’ reads the shopfront sign of this standing-room-only cafe-bakery serving historical Venetian specialities: killer krapfen (doughnuts), wagging lingue di suocere (mother-in-law’s tongues) and sugar-sprinkled pallone di Casanova (Casanova’s balls).

CASTELLO

I Rusteghi WINE BAR

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( 041 523 22 05; Corte del Tentor 5513; mini-panini €2-5; 10.30am-3pm & 6-9pm Mon-Sat) Honouring centuries of Venetian enoteca (wine bar) tradition, 4th-generation sommelier Giovanni will open any wine bottles on his shelves just to pour you an ombra (half-glass of wine) – including near-mythic collector’s wines like 1996 Quintarelli Amarone. Request ‘qualcosa di particolare’ and Giovanni will reward you with a sensual Tocai or heady Refosco you won’t find elsewhere. Pair yours with 30 types of cicheti, including rolls packed with boar salami and truffle.

Enoteca Mascareta WINE BAR

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( 041 523 07 44; Calle Lunga Santa Maria Formosa 5138; meals €30-45; 7pm-2am Fri-Tue) Oenophiles keep this atmospheric place packed year-round, thanks to brilliantly curated local meats, cheeses and above all wines – including cloudily organic prosecco .

Osteria All’Alba WINE BAR

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( 340 124 56 34; Ramo del Fontego dei Tedeschi 5370; 7-1pm) That roar behind the Rialto means the DJ’s funk set is kicking in at All’Alba. Squeeze inside to order salami sandwiches (€1 to €2.50) and DOC Veneto wines (€5 to €6), and check out walls festooned with vintage LPs and thanks scrawled in 12 languages.

CANNAREGIO

Al Timon WINE BAR

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( 041 524 60 66; Fondamenta degli Ormesini 2754; 11am-1am Thu-Tue & 6pm-1am Wed) Pull up your director’s chair along the canal and watch the motley parade of drinkers and dreamers arrive for crostini (open-faced sandwiches) and quality wines by the ombra or carafe. Folk singers sometimes play sets, which turn to singalongs as the evening unfolds.

Agli Ormesini PUB

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(Da Aldo; Click here ; 041 71 58 34; Fondamenta degli Ormesini 2710; 8pm-1am Mon-Sat) While the rest of Venice is awash in wine, Ormesini offers 120 brews, including local Birra Venezia. The cheery, beery scene often spills into the street – but keep it down, or the neighbours get testy.

TOP FIVE VENETIAN HAPPY HOUR ORDERS

» Prosecco Veneto’s signature sparkling wine is enjoyed by dandies and fishermen alike, from €1.50 nonvintage to €3.50 DOCG Conegliano Prosecco Superiore.

» Spritz This prosecco cocktail made with Campari bitters or bittersweet Aperol is a stiff drink at an easy price (€1 to €2.50). It’s a cross-generational hit with students and pensioners at bars and cafes across Venice, except for speciality enoteche (wine bars).

» Amarone The deep red wine blended from Valpollicella Corvina grapes is a stormy love affair in a bottle – complex and costly (€6 to €18 per glass), but utterly captivating while it lasts.

» Soave This white wine made with Veneto garganega grapes is ideal with seafood in refreshing young versions (€2 to €5) or as a conversation piece in complex Classico versions (€2.50 to €6).

» ‘Qualcosa di particolare’ ‘Something interesting’ is a challenge to Venetian sommeliers to reach behind the bar for one of Veneto’s obscure varietals or innovative winemakers. Ask for an ombra (taste) or you might end up with a very interesting bill.

Entertainment

To find out what’s on the calendar in Venice during your visit, drop by the APT tourist office (Click here ), click on the Calendar button at www.comune.venezia or visit these sites:

A Guest in Venice (www.aguestinvenice.com) Hotelier association that provides information on upcoming exhibits, events and lectures.

Venezia da Vivere (www.veneziadavivere.com) The creative guide to Venice, featuring music performances, art openings, nightlife and design events.

Venezia Si (www.veneziasi.it) Online booking service with calendar listings for Venice venues and festivals.

PURCHASING EVENT TICKETS

For blockbuster events like the Biennale or La Fenice operas, you’ll need to book ahead online at the appropriate website or www.veniceconnected.com. However, you might luck into last-minute discounts at Weekend a Venezia (http://en.venezia.waf.it) . Otherwise, event tickets are sold at HelloVenezia ticket outlets ( 041 24 24; www.hellovenezia.com) , located near key vaporetto (small passenger ferry) stops.

Casinos

Casinò di Venezia CASINO

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( 041 529 71 11; www.casinovenezia.it; Palazzo Vendramin 2040; admission €5 or free with €10 gaming token purchase; 11am-2.30am Sun-Thu, to 3am Fri & Sat) No opera can match the dramas at Venice’s palatial gambling house since the 16th century: Richard Wagner survived the 20-year effort of composing his stormy Ring cycle only to expire here in 1883. Slots open at 11am; to take on the gaming tables, arrive after 3.30pm wearing your best jacket and poker face.

Cinemas

Arena di Campo San Polo CINEMA

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( www.comune.venezia.it, in Italian; Campo San Polo; Jul & Aug) Where bullfights were once held by rowdy Austrians, the city now hosts free open-air films, and concerts and theatre performances in July and September – but watch this space year-round for kiddie carousels, political rallies and street musicians.

Casa del Cinema CINEMA

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( 041 524 13 20; Salizada San Stae 1990; adult/reduced €6/5; shows Mon-Sat afternoon) Venice’s public film archive shows art films in a new 50-seat, wood-beamed screening room inside Palazzo Mocenigo. Original-language classics are shown Mondays and first-run independent films on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons; check online for screenings with introductions by directors, actors and scholars.

Opera & Classical Music

Teatro La Fenice OPERA HOUSE

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( 041 78 66 11; www.teatrolafenice.it; Campo San Fantin 1965; tickets €40-120) Tours are possible with advance booking ( 041 24 24), but the best way to see La Fenice is with the loggione – opera buffs who pass judgment from the top-tier cheap seats. When the opera is in recess, look for symphonies and chamber music concerts.

Interpreti Veneziani LIVE MUSIC

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( 041 277 05 61; www.interpretiveneziani.com; Chiesa San Vidal 2862; adult/reduced €25/20; doors open 8.30pm) Everything you knew of Vivaldi from lift music and mobile -phone ringtones is proved fantastically wrong by Interpreti Veneziani, who play Vivaldi on 18th-century instruments as a dramatic soundtrack for Venice – you’ll never listen to The Four Seasons again without hearing summer storms erupting over the lagoon, or muffled footsteps hurrying across footbridges in winter night’s intrigue.

La Pietà LIVE MUSIC

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( 041 522 21 71; Riva degli Schiavoni) With fine acoustics, soaring Tiepolo ceilings and a long association with Vivaldi, this church makes an ideal venue for live baroque music.

Musica a Palazzo LIVE MUSIC

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( 340 971 72 72; www.musicapalazzo.com; Palazzo Barbarigo-Minotto, Fondamenta Barbarigo o Duodo 2504; tickets €50; doors open 8pm) In salons overlooking the Grand Canal with splendid Tiepolo ceilings, the soprano’s high notes might make you fear for your wine glass. During 1½ to two hours of selected arias, 70 guests trail singers in modern dress from receiving-room overtures to heartbreaking finales in the bedroom.

Jazz

Venice Jazz Club LIVE MUSIC

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( 041 523 20 56; www.venicejazzclub.com; Ponte dei Pugni 3102; tickets incl drink €20; doors open 7pm) Resident Venice Jazz Club Quartet swings to Miles Davis and Charles Mingus and grooves on Italian jazz standards. Drink prices are steep, so starving musicians booze beforehand and arrive early for cold-cut platters before the 9pm show.

Nightclubs

B.each NIGHTCLUB

( 041 526 80 13; Lungomare D’Annunzio 20x; 9am-2am May-Sep) Days flow into nights at this Lido beach venue with four-poster sunbeds, sports and chill-out zones for daytime use, plus cocktails, occasional live music and DJs after dark.

Shopping

Retail therapy approaches delirium in Venice, but the city’s ultimate shopping triumphs are unique finds at surprisingly reasonable prices, handmade by artisans in Murano and backstreet studios. By bringing home avant-garde originals, you will fa la bella figura (cut a fine figure) while showing your support for Venice’s cutting-edge craftsmanship.

Cartè ARTISANAL, GIFTS

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( 320 024 87 76; www.cartevenezia.it; Calle di Cristi 1731; 10am-6.30pm Mon-Sat) This is the cupboard-sized studio of Rosanna Corró, a former book restorer who learned the ancient art of carta marmorizzata (marbled paper) and began creating bookish beauties: marbled cocktail rings, mesmerising statement necklaces and surreal book-bound handbags in woodgrain patterns.

Marina e Susanna Sent ARTISANAL, GLASS

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( 041 520 81 36; www.marinaesusannasent.com; Campo San Vio 669; 10am-1pm & 3-6.30pm Tue-Sat, 3-6.30pm Mon) Having trained as an architect and a jeweller, respectively, these sisters from Murano were told that women couldn’t handle working in molten glass. They have gone on to create Murano’s best-selling line of colourfully minimalist, hand-blown glass jewellery.

Malefatte ARTISANAL, GIFTS

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( 041 521 02 72; www.rioteradeipensieri.org; Calle Zancani 2433; 10am-1pm & 3-6pm Tue-Sat) Make up for any past gift-giving malefatte (misdeeds) while giving a second chance to Giudecca prison inmates, who run this nonprofit vocational training project and craft one-of-a-kind wallets and man-bags from recycled Venice museum vinyl banners. Also organic botanical skincare products.

Giovanna Zanella ARTISANAL, SHOES

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( 041 523 55 00; Calle Carminati 5641; 9.30am-1pm & 3-7pm) Don extraordinary custom-designed sculpted heels, high-button boots and spats in punk-rock colours to treat your feet kindly as you storm the red carpets of the Venice Film Festival.

Lauretta Vistosi ARTISANAL, ACCESSORIES

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( 041 528 65 30; www.laurettavistosi.org; Calle Lunga San Barnaba 2866b; 10am-1pm & 3-7pm Tue-Sat) A Murano-born Renaissance artisan, Lauretta Vistosi hand-crafted shoes, stationery and dresses before inventing an entirely new craft: ultramodern hand-stitched handbags, totes and journals, emblazoned with Murano-glass bullseye buttons .

Old World Books BOOKSTORE

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( 041 275 94 56; Punto del Ghetto Vecchio 282; 10am-1pm & 4-7pm Mon Fri) Rare books, local histories, poetry chapbooks and speciality titles (such as Chimney Pots of Venice ) for Venice obsessives.

Studium BOOKSTORE

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( 041 522 23 82; Calle della Canonica 337a; 9am-7.30pm Mon-Sat, 9.30am-1.30pm Sun) Consult bibliophile staff for worthy holiday reads, page-turning history, guidebooks and phrasebooks in English, Italian and French.

Information

Emergency

Ambulance ( 118)

Police station ( 112/113) Castello (Fondamenta di San Lorenzo 5053); Piazza San Marco (Piazza San Marco 67)

Internet Access

Wi-fi access is widely available and internet cafes are dispersed throughout the city. There is also a city-wide wi-fi service (www.veniceconnected.com; 1hr/72hr/week €5/8/15) .

World House ( 041 528 48 71; Calle della Chiesa 4502; per hr €8; 10am-11pm)

Medical Services

Information on rotating late-night pharmacies is posted in pharmacy windows and listed in the free magazine Un Ospite di Venezia, available at the tourist office.

Ospedale Civile ( 041 529 41 11; Campo SS Giovanni e Paolo 6777) Venice’s main hospital; for emergency care and dental treatment, ask for pronto soccorso (casualty).

Money

There are ATMs spread throughout the city, with clusters near the Rialto and Piazza San Marco.

Travelex Piazza San Marco ( 041 528 73 58; Piazza San Marco 142; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat, 9.30am-5pm Sun); Rialto ( 041 528 73 58; Riva del Ferro 5126; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat, 9.30am-5pm Sun); Marco Polo airport ( 041 269 8107; 6am-8.30pm).

Post

There are post offices in every sestiere , with addresses and hours searchable at www.poste.it (in Italian).

Post office Rialto Offline map (Calle San Salvador 5106; 8.30am-6.30pm Mon-Fri, to 1pm Sat); Stazione di Santa Lucia Offline map ( Lista di Spagna 233, Cannaregio; 8.30am-2pm Mon-Fri, to 1pm Sat) .

Tourist Information

Azienda di Promozione Turistica (APT; info line 041 529 87 11; www.turismovenezia.it) Marco Polo airport (arrivals hall; 9.30am-7.30pm); Piazzale Roma Offline map ( 9.30am-4.30pm); Piazza San Marco Offline map ( Piazza San Marco 71f; 9am-3.30pm Mon-Sat); Stazione di Santa Lucia Offline map ( 8am-6.30pm)

Getting There & Away

Air

Most flights arrive and depart from Marco Polo airport ( 041 260 92 60; www.veniceairport.it) , 12km outside Venice, east of Mestre. Ryanair also uses San Giuseppe airport ( 0422 31 51 11; www.trevisoairport.it) , about 5km southwest of Treviso and a 30km, one-hour drive from Venice.

Boat

Minoan Lines (www.minoan.gr) and Anek (www.anekitalia.com) run regular ferries between Venice and Greece. Venezia Lines (www.venezialines.com) runs high-speed boats to and from Croatia and Slovenia in summer. However, consider big-ship transport carefully – long-haul ferries and cruise ships have an outsized environmental impact on tiny Venice and its fragile lagoon aquaculture. Take the lower-impact train instead, and Venice will be most grateful. Boats leave from the ferry terminal, near Piazzale Roma.

Bus

All buses leave from the bus station Offline map on Piazzale Roma.

ACTV (Azienda del Consorzio Trasporti Veneziano; 041 24 24; www.actv.it) Has buses to Mestre and surrounding areas.

ATVO (Azienda Trasporti Veneto Orientale; 041 520 55 30) Has services to destinations all over the eastern Veneto, including airport connections.

Eurolines (www.eurolines.com; 041 538 2118) Operates a wide range of international routes.

Car & Motorcycle

The congested Trieste–Turin A4 passes through Mestre. From Mestre, take the Venezia exit. From the south, take the A13 from Bologna, which connects with the A4 at Padua.

Once over the Ponte della Libertà bridge from Mestre, cars must be left at the car park at Piazzale Roma or Tronchetto; expect to pay €20 or more for every 24 hours. Parking stations in Mestre are cheaper. Car ferry 17 transports vehicles from Tronchetto to the Lido.

The car-rental companies listed here all have offices on Piazzale Roma and at Marco Polo airport. Several companies operate in or near Mestre train station, too.

Avis ( 041 523 73 77)

Europcar ( 041 523 86 16)

Hertz ( 041 528 40 91)

Train

Prompt, affordable, scenic and environmentally savvy, trains are the preferred transport option to and from Venice. Trains run frequently to Venice’s Stazione Santa Lucia (signed as Ferrovia within Venice).

Local trains that link Venice to the Veneto are frequent, reliable and remarkably inexpensive (faster trains also serve Veneto destinations, but the time saved may not be worth the 200% surcharge). In addition, there are direct InterCity services to most major Italian cities, plus major points in France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Slovenia and Croatia.

TO

FARE (€)

DURATION (HR)

FREQUENCY

Florence

24-43

2-3

1-2 per hour

Milan

15-32

2½-3½

2-3 per hour

Naples

49-121

5½-9

1 per hour

Padua

3

½-1

3-4 per hour

Rome

45-75

3½-6

1-2 per hour

Verona

6.35

1¾

3-4 per hour

Getting Around

To/From the Airport

Boat Alilaguna ( 041 240 17 01; www.alilaguna.com) operates several lines that link the airport with various parts of Venice, including the Linea Blu (Blue Line, with stops at Lido, San Marco, Stazione Marittima and points in between), the Linea Rossa (Red Line, with stops at Murano and Lido) and Linea Arancio (Orange Line, with stops at Stazione Santa Lucia, Rialto and San Marco via the Canal Grande). Boats to Venice cost €13 and leave from the airport ferry dock (an eight-minute walk from the terminal).

Bus ATVO ( 041 520 55 30; www.atvo.it) buses run to the airport from Piazzale Roma (€5, one hour, every 30 minutes 8am to midnight).

VAPORETTO ROUTES

Here are key vaporetto (small passenger ferry) lines and major stops, subject to seasonal change:

1 Piazzale Roma–Ferrovia–Grand Canal (all stops)–Lido and return

2 San Zaccaria–Redentore–Zattere–Tronchetto–Ferrovia–Rialto–Accademia– San Marco

5 San Zaccaria–Murano and return

13 Fondamente Nuove–Murano–Vignole–Sant’Erasmo–Treporti and return

20 San Zaccaria–San Servolo–San Lazzaro and return

41 Murano–Fondamente Nuove–Ferrovia–Piazzale Roma–Redentore–San Zaccaria–Fondamente Nuove–San Michele–Murano

42 Reverse direction to line 41

51 Lido–Fondamente Nuove–Ferrovia–Piazzale Roma–Zattere–San Zaccaria–Giardini–Lido

52 Reverse direction to line 51

N (all-stops night circuit, 11.30pm to 5am) Lido–Giardini–San Zaccaria–Grand Canal (all stops)–Ferrovia–Piazzale Roma–Tronchetto–Zattere–Redentore–San Giorgio–San Zaccaria

DM (Diretto Murano) Tronchetto–Piazzale Roma–Ferrovia–Murano and return

T Torcello–Burano (half-hourly service) and return (7am to 8.30pm)

Vaporetto

The city’s main mode of public transport is vaporetto – Venice’s distinctive water buses. Tickets can be purchased from the HelloVenezia ticket booths (www.hellovenezia.com) at most landing stations. You can also buy tickets when boarding; you may be charged double with luggage, though this is not always enforced.

Instead of spending €6.50 for a one-way ticket, consider a Venice Card (see the boxed text, Click here ), which is a timed pass for unlimited travel within a set period (beginning at first validation). Passes for 12/24/36/48/72 hours cost €16/18/23/28/33. A week pass costs €50. Swipe your card every time you board the train, even if you have already validated it upon initial boarding.

Vaporetto stops can be confusing, so check the signs at the landing dock to make sure you’re at the right stop for the vaporetto line and direction you want. At major stops like Ferrovia and around San Marco, there are often two separate docks for the same vaporetto line, headed in opposite directions. Some lines make only limited stops, so check boat signage. Note that San Zaccaria is the main stop for Piazza San Marco.

CHEAP THRILLS ON THE GRAND CANAL: TRAGHETTI

A traghetto is the gondola service locals use to cross the Grand Canal between its widely spaced bridges. Traghetti rides cost just €0.50 and typically operate from 9am to 6pm, although some routes finish by noon; for major traghetto crossings, consult maps on Click here and Click here , though note that service can be spotty at times for all crossings.

Water Taxis

The standard water taxi ( 041 522 23 03, 041 240 67 11; www.venicewatertaxi.com) between Marco Polo airport and Venice costs €90 to €100 for up to four people. Official rates start at €8.90 plus €1.80 per minute, plus €6 if they’re called to your hotel and more for night trips, luggage and large groups. Prices can be metered or negotiated in advance.

AROUND THE VENETO

Most visitors to the Veneto devote all their precious time to Venice itself, which is perfectly understandable – until you discover the rich variety of sensations that await just an hour or two away.

First, there are the city-states Venice annexed in the 15th century: Padua (Padova) with its animated university crowds and pre-Renaissance fresco cycles; Vicenza with its lion’s share of Palladio’s peerless architecture; and Verona with its sophisticated bustle atop ancient Roman foundations. All are easily reached by train from Venice; the hardy could see two in a single day.

Then there are the wines. Near Verona, Valpolicella was long known for quaffable reds and Soave for inoffensive whites. Now, both regions are undergoing a renaissance. In particular, Valpolicella’s bold Amarones are wooing experts and amateurs alike. In a party mood? The hills around Conegliano produce Italy’s finest bubbly: Prosecco Superiore. For harder stuff, charming Bassano del Grappa obliges with its own eponymous firewater.

For sober minds, nothing can rival the humane order of Palladio’s country villas, which set the pattern for European architecture for centuries. Scattered across the region and with odd hours set by private owners, they require patience and a set of wheels, but that’s part of the adventure. In the meantime, you get to see the Veneto’s rich alluvial plains as they give way to the first hints of the Alps.

On the rare day when the Adriatic wipes Venice clean of its mists, you can catch glimpses of the snowcapped Dolomites from the lagoon itself. It’s hard to believe, but in less than two hours you can go from murky canals to the crisp Alpine clarity of Belluno and Cortina d’Ampezzo – land of idyllic hikes, razor-sharp peaks and the world’s most fashion-conscious skiing.

Brenta Riviera

Every 13 June for 300 years, summer officially kicked off with a traffic jam along the Grand Canal, as a flotilla of fashionable Venetians headed to their villas along the banks of the Brenta. Every last ball gown and poker chair was loaded onto barges for dalliances that stretched until November. The party ended when Napoleon arrived in 1797, but 80 villas still strike elegant poses along the Brenta. Private ownership and privacy hedges leave much to the imagination, but four historical villas are now open as museums.

Sights

Villa Foscari HISTORICAL BUILDING

( 041 520 39 66; www.lamalcontenta.com; Via dei Turisti 9, Malcontenta; adult/reduced €10/8; 9am-noon Tue & Sat, closed Nov-Apr) The most romantic Brenta Riviera villa is the Palladio-designed 1555–60 villa known as ‘La Malcontenta’ after a grand dame of the Foscari clan was allegedly exiled here for adultery. But these effortlessly light, sociable salons hardly constituted a punishment. The villa was abandoned for years, but Giovanni Zelotti’s frescoes have recently been restored to daydream-inducing splendour.

Villa Widmann Rezzonico Foscari HISTORICAL BUILDING

( 041 560 06 90; www.riviera-brenta.it; Via Nazionale 420, Mira; adult/reduced €5.50/4.50; 10am-5pm Tue-Sun Mar-Oct, 10am-5pm Sat & Sun Nov-Feb) Originally owned by Persian-Venetian nobility, this 18th-century villa captures the Brenta’s last days of rococo decadence, with Murano sea-monster chandeliers, a frescoed grand salon and an upstairs ladies’ gambling parlour.

Villa Pisani Nazionale MUSEUM

( 049 50 22 70; www.villapisani.beniculturali.it; Via Doge Pisani 7, Stra; adult/reduced €10/7.50, grounds only €7.50/5; 9am-5pm Tue-Sun, to 8pm Apr-Sep, last admission 1hr before close) Doge Alvise Pisani provided a Versailles-like reminder of who was in charge with this 1770s villa and vast gardens, complete with labyrinthine hedge-maze and reflecting pools. The villa’s 114 rooms have seen their share of history: the grand bathroom with a tiny wooden throne used by Napoleon; a sagging bed where Vittorio Emanuele II apparently tossed and turned as the new head of independent Italy; and the reception hall where Mussolini and Hitler met for the first time in 1934, ironically under Tiepolo’s ceiling masterpiece depicting the Geniuses of Peace .

Villa Foscarini Rossi MUSEUM

( 049 980 03 35; www.villafoscarini.it; Via Doge Pisani 1/2, Stra; admission €7; 9am-1pm & 2.30-6pm Mon-Fri, 2.30-6pm Sat & Sun Apr-Oct, 9am-1pm Mon-Fri Nov-Mar) Back in the day, well-heeled Venetians wouldn’t dream of decamping to the Brenta without their favourite cobblers, sparking an enduring tradition of high-end shoemaking. Today 950 companies in the region produce 20 million pairs of shoes annually. The art of Brenta cobblers is commemorated with a Shoemakers’ Museum in this 18th-century villa, with a dream collection that ranges from 18th-century slippers to contemporary works by Yves Saint Laurent, Pucci and more.

Tours

Seeing the Brenta by boat reveals an engineering marvel: the ingenious hydraulic locks system developed in the 15th century to prevent river silt from dumping into the lagoon.

Il Burchiello BOAT

( 049 820 69 10; www.ilburchiello.it; day cruise adult €71-84, reduced €56, half-day €51/40) This modern luxury barge lets you watch 50 villas drift by from cushy velvet couches with a glass of prosecco in hand. Day cruises stop at Malcontenta, Widmann and Pisani villas; half-day tours (about €50) cover two villas. Full-day cruises leave from Venice’s ferry terminal (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) or Padua (Wednesday, Friday and Sunday), with bus transfers to train stations included in both half- and full-day trips.

I Batelli del Brenta BOAT

( 049 876 02 33; www.battellidelbrenta.it; full-day tours adult €85-89, reduced €40-56, half-day tours adult €47-51, reduced €39-41; by reservation Tue-Sun Mar-Nov) Offers a range of half-day and full-day excursions, with departures from both Venice and Padua.

Rental Bike Venice BICYCLE

( 346 847114; www.rentalbikevenice.blogspot.com; Via Gramsci 85, Mira; bicycle per day €10, foldable €14; 8am-8pm) Speed past tour boats on 150km of cycling routes along the Brenta plains. This operator is accessible by bus from Venice, Mestre or Padua (see website for directions) and offers city bikes with baskets, mountain bikes and handy foldable bikes to take on buses, plus roadside assistance, itinerary advice in English and pick-up/drop-off of bikes at Mestre train station.

Festivals & Events

Dolo Mercatino dell’Antiquariato MARKET

(Antiques Market; Isola Bassa, Dolo) The region’s largest antiques market is held (weather permitting) on the 4th Sunday of the month from April to October.

StraOrganic FOOD, ARTS

(www.comune.stra.ve.it) Held on the last weekend in April and first weekend in May, the Brenta claims bragging rights to local, organic foods and handicrafts in Stra.

Riviera Fiorita CULTURAL

(www.rivierafiorita.it) Party like it’s 1527 with baroque costume parties at the Villa Pisani and Villa Widmann, historically correct country fairs and even gelati in baroque-era flavours. Held on the 1st or 2nd weekend in September.

Venice Marathon SPORT

(www.venicemarathon.it) Run like Casanova caught in the act from Villa Pisani along the Brenta to Venice, with the final legs crossing pontoon bridges. Usually held in October, with proceeds funding clean-water projects in Africa.

Sleeping & Eating

Villa Tron Mioni INN €€

( 041 41 01 77; www.villatron.it; Via Ca’ Tron 23, Dolo; d €92-140; ) Surrounded by gardens, this 19th-century villa provides aristocratic flourishes at middle-class prices. Rooms in the main villa are done up in simple good taste, and a few new apartments are handsomely decorated in rustic-chic style. However, the ramblingly romantic gardens are the real draw. Best to have your own car.

Da Conte MODERN ITALIAN €

( 041 47 95 71; Via Caltana 133, Mira; meals €10-15; dinner Tue-Sat) An unlikely bastion of sophistication lodged practically underneath an overpass, Da Conte has one of the best wine lists in the region and creative takes on classic lagoon cuisine, from roasted quail to ginger-infused langoustines.

Getting There & Around

ACTV ’s Venezia–Padova Extraurbane bus 53 leaves from Venice’s Piazzale Roma about every half-hour, stopping at key Brenta villages en route to Padua. Local Venice–Padua train services stop at Dolo (€2.40, 25 minutes, one or two hour) en route to Padua. By car, take SS11 from Mestre-Venezia towards Padua and take the Autostrada A4 towards Dolo/Padua.

Padua

POP 213,000

Though just 37km west of Venice, Padua looks more like Milan, with oddly shaped medieval piazzas, a vibrant student population and broad boulevards that lump together elegant Liberty edifices, sinister Fascist facades and postwar cereal-box architecture.

Padua has certainly been through the wringer since its founding in the late 12th century BC, and restless reinvention has long been its trademark. Romans took over the town from Veneti tribes and renamed it Patavium, but Goths and Lombards had wiped it out by AD 602. A fire destroyed a growing medieval core in 1164, but the city-stat e soon made a comeback to conquer Vicenza and surrounding territories. Padua established Italy’s third university in 1222, becoming the magnet for thinkers and artists. For the next few centuries Padua and Verona challenged each other for dominance over the Veneto plains. But Venice finally settled the matter by occupying Padua permanently in 1405.

As a strategic military-industrial centre, Padua became a parade ground for Mussolini speeches, an Allied bombing target and a secret Italian Resistance hub based at the university. Once Padua was wrested from Fascist control in 1945, there was a new industrial zone east of the city within a year, the university was back in session and the puzzlework that is Padua began anew.

Sights

CAPPELLA DEGLI SCROVEGNI & AROUND

Cappella degli Scrovegni CHURCH

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( 049 201 00 20; www.cappelladegliscrovegni.it; Giardini dell’Arena; adult/reduced €13/8 or PadovaCard; 9am-7pm by reservation, call centre 9am-7pm Mon-Fri & 9am-6pm Sat) Almost 200 years before Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel came Padua’s Renaissance breakthrough: Giotto’s moving, modern 1304–06 frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel. Medieval churchgoers were accustomed to blank stares from two-dimensional saints, but Giotto depicted biblical figures as human beings in recognisable settings caught up in extraordinary circumstances. Onlookers gossip as middle-aged Anne tenderly kisses Joachim; exhausted new dad Joseph falls asleep in the manger as sheep and angels watch over baby Jesus; and Jesus stares down Judas as the traitor puckers up for the kiss that sealed his master’s fate.

Booking is required online or by phone, possibly weeks ahead between April and October. Chapel visits last 15 minutes, preceded by a mandatory, 15-minute video about the frescoes’ history and renovation. During summer, hours are extended with night sessions from 7pm to 10pm, with visits lasting 20 minutes.

Padua

Sights

1  Basilica del Duomo B3

2  Basilica di Sant'Antonio D5

3  Cappella degli ScrovegniC1

4  Chiesa degli Eremitani C2

5 Gattamelata StatueD5

6  Musei Civici agli Eremitani C1

Oratorio di San Giorgio(see 10)

7  Orto Botanico D5

8  Palazzo del Bò C3

9  Palazzo della Ragione B3

10 Scoletta del SantoD5

Sleeping

11  Belludi37C5

12  Hotel Sant'Antonio B1

13  Ostello Città di Padova B5

Eating

14  Caffè Cavour C2

15  GodendaB3

16  Osteria Dal Capo B3

17  Piadineria Italiana C3

Drinking

18  Caffè Pedrocchi C2

19  Enoteca Santa Lucia C2

Musei Civici agli Eremitani MUSEUM

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( 049 820 45 51; Piazza Eremitani 8; adult/reduced €10/8 or PadovaCard, free with Capella degli Scrovegni; 9am-7pm Tue-Sun) This converted monastery houses artefacts dating from Padua’s pre-Roman history on the ground floor, plus notable 14th- to 18th-century works from Veneto artists, from Bellini to Canova, upstairs. The show-stopper is a crucifix by Giotto, showing a heartbroken Mary wringing her hands as Jesus’ blood drips onto the rocky earth.

Chiesa degli Eremitani CHURCH

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( 049 875 64 10; Piazza Eremitani; 7.30am-12.30pm & 3.30-7pm Mon-Fri, 9am-12.30pm & 4-8pm Sat & Sun) In 1944 a bombing raid demolished the extraordinary 1448–57 frescoes by Andrea Mantegna in the Capella Overtari of this church. After a half-century of painstaking reconstruction, the shattered, humidity-damaged stories of SS James and Christopher have been puzzled together, revealing extreme perspectives that make Mantegna’s saints look like superheroes.

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR EURO

A PadovaCard (per 48/72hr €16/21) gives one adult and one child under 14 free use of city public transport and access to almost all of Padua’s major attractions, including the Cappella degli Scrovegni (plus €1 booking fee; reservations essential). PadovaCards are available at Padua tourist offices and monuments covered by the pass.

HISTORICAL CENTRE

Ancient Padua can be glimpsed in twin squares framed by arcades, the Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza della Frutta , which are separated by the triple-decker Gothic tribunal known as the Palazzo della Ragione. The palazzo’s arcades still serve as a food market, where you can stock up on horse meat – a local speciality since before Roman times.

Palazzo del Bó HISTORICAL BUILDING

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( 049 827 30 47; Via VIII Febbraio; adult/reduced €5/3.50; tours 9.15am, 10.15am & 11.15pm Tue, Thu & Sat, 3.15pm, 4.15pm & 5.15pm Mon, Wed & Fri) This 16th-century palace is the seat of Padua’s illustrious university, which was founded by renegade Bolognese scholars in the 1220s. Some of Italy’s greatest and most controversial thinkers taught here, including Copernicus, Galileo, Casanova and the world’s first woman doctor of philosophy, Elena Cornaro Piscopia. Guided tours cover Galileo’s lecture hall and the world’s first anatomy theatre. Note there are fewer tours November to March.

Basilica del Duomo CHURCH

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( 049 66 28 14; Piazza del Duomo; 7.30am-noon & 4-7.30pm Mon-Sat, 8am-1pm & 4-8.45pm Sun & holidays) South of the palazzo is the city’s cathedral, built from a much-altered design by Michelangelo. Its luminous restraint is upstaged by the adjoining 13th-century baptistry (adult/reduced €2.80/1.80 or PadovaCard; 10am-6pm) , a Romanesque gem completely covered in Giusto de’ Menabuoi’s luminous frescoes, including a cupola depicting hundreds of saints posed as though for a school graduation photo.

Palazzo della Ragione HISTORICAL BUILDING

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( 049 820 50 06; Piazza delle Erbe; adult/reduced €4/2; 9am-7pm Tue-Sun, to 6pm Nov-Jan) The city’s Gothic tribunal dates from the 13th century, and its vast main hall is awash in frescoes by Giotto acolytes Giusto de’ Menabuoi and Nicolò Mireto. Much restored in wake of flood and fire, they depict the medieval astrological theories of Pietro d’Abano.

PIAZZA DEL SANTO & AROUND

Basilica di Sant’Antonio CHURCH

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(www.basilicadelsanto.org; Piazza del Santo; 6.30am-7.45pm Apr-Oct, to 6.45pm Nov-Mar) The soul of the city, this vast basilica serves as the final resting place of the town’s patron saint, St Anthony of Padua (1193–1231). Along the left transept, the saint’s tomb is covered with requests and thanks for miracle cures and the recovery of lost objects. Under vaulted Gothic ceilings you’ll find notable works like the lifelike 1360s crucifix by Veronese master Altichiero da Zevio, a 1528 sacristy fresco of St Anthony preaching to spellbound fish, and 1444–50 high altar reliefs by Florentine Renaissance master Donatello (ask guards for access).

Outside, Donatello’s 1453 equestrian statue, which commemorates 15th-century Venetian mercenary leader Gattamelata (‘Honeyed Cat’), is considered the first great Italian Renaissance bronze.

Oratorio di San Giorgio & Scoletta del Santo CHURCH

(Piazza del Santo; admission €4; 9am-12.30pm & 2.30-5pm Oct-Mar, to 7pm Apr-Sep) Two of Padua’s greatest treasures hide in plain sight across the square from Saint Anthony’s basilica. The Oratorio di San Giorgio is awash in jewel-like frescoes by Altichiero da Zevio and Jacopo Avanzi in 1378. Upstairs, the Scoletta del Santo proffers Titian paintings that include a 1511 portrait of St Anthony calmly reattaching his own foot.

Orto Botanico HISTORIC PARK

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( 049 827 21 19; www.ortobotanico.unipd.it; Via dell’Orto Botanico; adult/reduced €4/1; 9am-1pm & 3-7pm Apr-Oct, 9am-1pm Mon-Sat Nov-Mar) South of Piazza del Santo, a Unesco World Heritage Site is growing. Padua’s botanical gardens were planted in 1545 by Padua University’s medical faculty in order to study the medicinal properties of rare plants. It also served as a clandestine Resistance meeting headquarters in WWII.

COLLI EUGANEI (EUGANEAN HILLS)

Southwest of Padua, the Colli Euganei (Euganean Hills) feel a world away from the urban sophistication of Venice and the surrounding plains. To explore the walled hilltop towns, misty vineyards and bubbling hot springs, the Padua tourist office offers area maps, accommodation, hiking and transport information online (www.turismotermeeuganee.it). Trains serve all towns except Arquà Petrarca.

Just south of Padua lie the natural hot spring resorts of Abano Terme and Montegrotto Terme . The towns are uninspired, but the waters do cure aches and pains.

In the medieval village of Arquà Petrarca , look for the elegant little house ( 0429 71 82 94; Via Valleselle 4; adult/reduced €4/2; 9am-12.30pm & 3-7pm Tue-Sun Mar-Oct, 9am-12.30pm & 2.30-5.30pm Tue-Sun Nov-Feb) where great Italian poet Petrarch spent his final years in the 1370s.

At the southern reaches of the Euganei, you’ll find three walled medieval towns: Monselice , with its remarkable medieval castle (www.castellodimonselice.it; adult/reduced €5.50/4.50; 1hr guided tours 9am, 10am, 11am, 3pm & 4pm Tue-Sun Apr-Nov); Este , whose archaeological museum (Via Guido Negri 9c; adult/reduced €3/1.50; 8.30am-7.30pm) has an important collection of artefacts from the pre-Roman Veneti tribes; and Montagnana , with its magnificent 2km defensive perimeter. Just outside Montagnana’s east gate, look for Palladio’s small but important Villa Pisani, still a private residence.

Sleeping

The tourist office publishes accommodation brochures and lists dozens of B&Bs and hotels online.

Belludi37 BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

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( 049 66 56 33; www.belludi37.it; Via Luca Belludi 37; s €80, d €120-150; ) A sleek boutique hotel with soul: expect generous beds, modern yet serene rooms, and a helpful staff quick with savvy advice for making the best of Padua.

Hotel Sant’Antonio GUESTHOUSE €

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( 049 875 13 93; www.hotelsantantonio.it; Via San Fermo 118; s €63-69, d €82-94; ) This is a calm, canalside hotel with unfussy, airy rooms, most with new bathrooms and a few with canal views. There are also some cheaper singles with a shared bathroom (€39 to €42).

Ostello Città di Padova HOSTEL €

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( 049 875 22 19; www.ostellopadova.it; Via dei A Aleardi 30; dm €19; reception 7-9.30am & 3.30-11.30pm) This central hostel on a quiet side street has decent dorm rooms with four to six beds. Sheets and wi-fi are free, but there’s no kitchen. Take bus 3, 8 or 12 or the city’s new tram from the train station.

Eating

Godenda MODERN ITALIAN €€

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( 049 877 41 92; www.godenda.it; Via Squarcione 4/6; meals €30-50; 10am-3pm & 7pm-1am Mon-Sat, closed Aug) Though hidden under an ancient portico, this foodie favourite manages to be airy and modern. The menu changes with the seasons, with creative takes on old Venetian classics like a sublime monkfish with fava beans and house made pasta sprinkled with jerked horse meat. The wine list is long and excellent. Reservations recommended.

Caffè Cavour CAFE €

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( 049 875 12 24; www.caffecavour.com; Piazza Cavour 10; pastries €1.50-4; 7.30am-8pm Wed-Sun, to midnight May-Sep) Pistachio macaroons, wild-berry tarts and other two-bite indulgences sweeten the expressions of traffic cops bolting espresso at the curved granite bar.

Osteria Dal Capo OSTERIA €€

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( 049 66 31 05; Via degli Obizzi 2; meals €25-35; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat) Rub elbows with locals – literally – at tiny tables precariously piled with traditional Venetian seafood and a few inspired novelties, such as caviale di melanzane con bufala (eggplant caviar with buffalo mozzarella atop crispy wafer bread). Reservations and a sociable nature advised.

Piadineria Italiana SANDWICH SHOP €

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( 340 294 64 80; Via del Santo 7; meals €5-10; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat) Students from the nearby university head hear for a cheap and delicious variation on pizza known as the piadina, a classic quick eat from the region around Ravenna.

Drinking & Entertainment

Sundown isn’t official until you’ve joined the crowds for a Spritz in Piazza delle Erbe or Piazza dei Signori. Also note that Padua is the region’s unofficial capital of gay and lesbian life.

Enoteca Santa Lucia WINE BAR

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( 049 8759483; Piazza Cavour 15; 7pm-midnight Mon-Sat) Santa Lucia offers upmarket wines by the glass for €5 to €10 with a free buffet of local specialities and cheeses from 7pm to 10pm nightly. Occupy your battle station at the glassed-in bar for buffet forays, or head inside for serious boozing.

Caffetteria Manin CAFE

( 049 876 16 09; Via Manin 56; 7am-7pm Mon-Fri, 7am-12.30pm Sat) Top-flight coffee is still toasted on the premises at this old-fashioned cafe, where locals pop in all day for a frothy jolt at the bar – there are no tables.

Caffè Pedrocchi CAFE

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( 049 878 12 31; www.caffepedrocchi.it, in Italian; Via VIII Febbraio 15; 9am-10pm Sun-Wed, to 1am Thu-Sat) Since 1831, this neoclassical landmark has been a favourite of Stendhal and other pillars of cafe society for heart-poundingly powerful coffee and elaborate caffè correto (coffee cocktails).

Flexoclub NIGHTCLUB

( 049 807 47 07; www.flexoclub.it, in Italian; Via Turazza 19; from 10pm Wed-Sun) This sprawling gay venue about 2km east of the train station features a bar/disco, with occasional live music and drag shows, plus an adjacent sauna.

Information

Hospital ( 049 821 11 11; Via Giustiniani 1) Main public hospital.

Police station ( 049 83 31 11; Piazzetta Palatucci 5)

Tourist Office (www.turismopadova.it) train station ( 049 875 20 77; 9am-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am-12.30pm Sun); Galleria Pedrocchi ( 049 876 79 27; 9am-1.30pm & 3-7pm Mon-Sat); Piazza del Santo ( 049 875 30 87; 9am-1.30pm & 3-6pm Mon-Sat, 10am-1pm & 3-6pm Sun Apr-Oct).

Getting There & Around

Bus SITA buses ( 049 820 68 34; www.sitabus.it, in Italian) from Venice’s Piazzale Roma (€3.70, 45 to 60 minutes, hourly) arrive at Piazzale Boschetti, 500m southeast of the train station. Check online for buses to Colli Euganei towns ( Click here ).

Train The easiest way to reach Padua from Venice (€3 to €15, 25 to 50 minutes, three or four per hour), Verona (€5.10 to €16, 40 to 90 minutes, two or three per hour), Vicenza (€3 to €13, 15 to 30 minutes, two or three per hour) and most other Italian destinations; the station is about 500m north of Cappella degli Scrovegni.

Tram It is easy to get to all the sites by foot from the train and bus stations, but a new single-branch tram runs from the train station passes within 100m of all the main sites. Tickets (€1.20) are available at tobacconists and newsstands.

Vicenza

POP 115,500

When Palladio escaped an oppressive employer in his native Padua, few would have guessed the humble stonecutter would, within a few decades, transform not only his adoptive city but also the history of European architecture. By luck, a local count recognised his talents in the 1520s and sent him to study the ruins in Rome. When he returned to Vicenza, the autodidact began producing his extraordinary buildings that marry sophistication and rustic simplicity, reverent classicism and bold innovation. It’s no wonder Vicenza and surrounding villas have been declared one grand Unesco World Heritage Site.

Despite its outsized heritage, this charming town remains quietly unpretentious – a fine place to join locals lingering over simple lunches of local salumi (cured meats), game and handmade pasta. Centrally located and with good-value accommodation, Vicenza makes an ideal base for the rest of the Veneto.

Sights

Teatro Olimpico THEATRE

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( 0444 22 28 00; www.olimpico.vicenza.it; Palazzo Matteotti 11; incl Museo Civico adult/reduced €8/6; 9am-5pm Tue-Sun) Behind a charming walled garden lies a Renaissance marvel – a theatre that Palladio began in 1580 with inspiration from Roman amphitheatres. Vincenzo Scamozzi finished the elliptical theatre after Palladio’s death, adding a stage set modelled on the ancient Greek city of Thebes. Since its restoration in 1934, Italian performers have vied to make an entrance on this stage; check online for opera, jazz and classical performances.

Vicenza

Sights

1  Basilica Palladiana C2

2  Chiesa di Santa Corona C1

3 Gallerie di Palazzo Leoni MontanariC1

4  Loggia del Capitaniato B2

5  Museo Civico D1

6  Teatro Olimpico D1

Sleeping

7  Albergo Due Mori B2

8  Hotel Palladio C2

9  Ostello Olimpico D2

10  Relais Santa Corona C1

Eating

11  Antico Guelfo A1

12 Antico Ristorante agli SchioppiA3

13  Dai Nodari B2

14  Gastronomia Il Ceppo C2

Drinking

15  Antica Casa della Malvasia C2

16  Sorarù B2

Piazza dei Signori & Around HISTORICAL BUILDING

The heart of historical Vicenza is Piazza dei Signori, where Palladio lightens the mood of government buildings with his trademark play of light and shadow. Dazzling white Piovene stone arches frame shady double arcades in the Basilica Palladiana Offline map . Across the piazza, white stone and stucco grace the exposed red-brick colonnade of the 1571- designed Loggia del Capitaniato Offline map . Palladio fans will find more of his palazzi north of the piazza along Contrà Porti. You cannot visit any of the interiors of these buildings, but the facades are a feast to behold.

Museo Civico MUSEUM

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( 0444 22 28 11; www.museicivicivicenza.it; Palazzo Chiericati, Piazza Matteotti 37/39; incl Teatro Olimpico adult/reduced €8/6; 9am-5pm Tue-Sun) Vicenza’s Museo Civico occupies the 1550 Palazzo Chiericati, one of Palladio’s finest buildings. The lavishly frescoed ground floor includes the Sala dal Firmamento (Salon of the Skies), with Domenico Brusasorci’s ceiling fresco of Diana galloping across the sky to meet the sun. Upstairs galleries present works by Vicenza masters in the context of major works by Venetian masters (Veronese, Tiepolo and Tintoretto), plus works by Hans Memling, Jacopo Bassano, Elisabetta Marchioni and Giambattista Piazzetta.

Gallerie di Palazzo Leoni Montanari MUSEUM

( 800 57 88 75; www.palazzomontanari.com; Contrà di Santa Corona 25; adult/reduced €5/4; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun) Outside it looks like a bank, but a treasure beyond accountants’ imagining awaits inside. Grand salons are adorned with Canaletto’s lagoon landscapes and Pietro Longhi 18th-century society satires. Up another flight hides a superb collection of 400 Russian icons, gorgeously spotlit in darkened galleries with Gregorian chants setting the scene.

Chiesa di Santa Corona CHURCH

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( 0444 22 28 11; Contrá Santa Corona) Built by the Dominicans in 1261 to house a supposed relic from Christ’s crown of thorns, this Romanesque brick church also houses three light-filled masterpieces: Palladio’s 1576 Valmarana Chapel in the crypt, Paolo Veronese’s Adoration of the Magi (much praised by Goethe) and Giovanni Bellini’s radiant Baptism of Christ . At the time of writing, the church was closed for major restoration, with no fixed date for reopening.

VICENZA SOUTH

Two of Palladio’s most extraordinary villas lie a 20-minute walk south of the train station, or you can catch local bus 8 (€1.50) in front of the station. A charming footpath connects the two villas.

Villa Valmarana ‘ai Nani’ HISTORICAL BUILDING

( 0444 32 18 03; www.villavalmarana.com; Stradella dei Nani 8; admission €8; 10am-noon & 3-6pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct, 10am-noon & 2-.30-5pm Sat & Sun Nov-Mar) Nicknamed ‘ai Nani’ (dwarfs) for the 17 garden-gnome statues around the garden walls, this 18th-century neoclassical villa has charming grounds, but the real draw is the sublime 1757 frescoes by Giambattista Tiepolo and his son Giandomenico. Giambattista painted the Palazzina wing with his signature mythological epics, while Giandomenico painted the Foresteria with fanciful rural, carnival and Chinese themes.

La Rotonda HISTORICAL BUILDING

( 049 879 13 80; www.villalarotonda.it; Via della Rotonda 45; admission villa/gardens €10/5; gardens 10am-noon & 3-6pm Tue-Sun, villa Wed & Sat only, closed mid-Nov–mid-Mar) La Rotonda is a showstopper no matter how you look at it, with its namesake dome and identical colonnaded facades on all four sides. It has inspired imitators across Europe and the USA, including Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello (the late owner, Mario di Valmarana, was coincidentally a retired University of Virginia architecture professor). Inside, the central hall soars up into a cupola with trompe l’œil frescoes.

Sleeping

Dozens of hotels in greater Vicenza are listed on the tourism board website (www.vicenzae.org) and a dozen or so B&Bs can be found at www.vitourism.it (in Italian).

Relais Ca’ Muse DESIGN HOTEL €€

( 0444 37 64 43; www.camuse.it; Via Valle 62, Sovizzo; d from €140; ) Impossible to categorise, this gallery/hotel/social experiment in an old stone farmhouse is well worth the 15-minute drive from Vicenza for its serene rooms, remarkable and racy collection of contemporary art, well-tended grounds, and breakfasts of the freshest, best local ingredients.

Hotel Palladio BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

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( 0444 32 53 47; www.hotel-palladio.it; Contrà Oratorio Servi 25; s/d €110/170; ) The top choice in central Vicenza, this four-star hotel boasts well-appointed rooms done up with minimalist good taste, while preserving key details of the Renaissance palazzo it occupies.

Albergo Due Mori INN €

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( 0444 32 18 86; www.hotelduemori.com; Contrà do Rode 26; s/d without bathroom €40/60, d/tr with bathroom €85/100; ) This central, historical 1854 hotel has been restored to its period charm, with Liberty-style bedsteads and antique armoires. Rooms don’t have TV or air-con, but nods to modernity include disabled access and wi-fi. No breakfast.

Relais Santa Corona BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

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( 0444 32 46 78; www.relaissantacorona.it; Contrà di Santa Corona 19; s/d €100-150; ) This boutique bargain offers soothingly stylish, soundproofed rooms in an 18th-century palace.

Ostello Olimpico HOSTEL €

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( 0444 54 02 22; www.ostellovicenza.com; Via Antonio Giuriolo 9; dm/s/d €20/28/48; reception 7.30-9.30am & 3.30-11.30pm) A good HI youth hostel near the Teatro Olimpico, with free internet access, shared kitchen facilities and laundry.

Eating

Antico Ristorante agli Schioppi OSTERIA €€

( 0444 54 37 01; www.ristoranteaglischioppi.com; Contrà Piazza del Castello 26; meals €30-40; lunch Tue-Sat, dinner Mon-Sat) Tucked discreetly under an ancient arcade is one of the city’s simplest and best restaurants. The owners are devotees of locally sourced products, from wild forest greens to baby river trout. The menu changes with the season, but think quail stuffed with dandelion greens in spring and pasta with musky mushrooms in the fall.

Antico Guelfo OSTERIA €€

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( 0444 54 78 97; www.anticoguelfo.it; Contrà Pedemuro San Biagio 90; meals €30-40; dinner Mon-Sat) This culinary hideaway is a hit with Slow Foodies for its inventive daily market menu, making the most of local specialities in such dishes as Amarone risotto or buckwheat crêpes with Bastardo di Grappa cheese.

Ristorante Il Castello TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 0444 37 90 32; www.ristoranteilcastellosovizzo.it; Via Castello 2, Montemezzo di Sovizzo; meals €35-45; lunch Sat & Sun, dinner Tue-Sun) You won’t regret the 20-minute drive to this extraordinary hilltop restaurant, which occupies a 15th-century villa of thick stone walls and nobly proportioned rooms. The menu, too, is both noble and rustic, based on local ingredients like perfectly grilled meats and homemade pasta confected with seasonal vegetables.

Dai Nodari MODERN ITALIAN €

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( 0444 54 40 85; Contrà do Rode 20; meals €20-30; noon-3.30pm & 7-11pm) Rustic fare gets hip in the heart of historical Vicenza, attracting both young and old with hearty yet reasonably priced dishes like duck in beer sauce or a thick soup of orzo, beans and radicchio.

Gastronomia Il Ceppo DELI €

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( 0444 54 44 14; www.gastronomiailceppo.com; 196 Corso Palladio; prepared dishes per 100g €3-5; 8am-1pm & 3.30-7.45pm Mon-Tue & Thu-Sat, 8am-1pm Wed) San Daniele hams dangle over a 9m shop counter filled with fresh seafood salads, house-made pasta and speciality cheese – perfect picnic provisions.

Drinking

Sorarù CAFE

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( 0444 32 09 15; Piazzetta Palladio; 7.30am-12.30pm & 3.30pm-7.30pm Thu-Tue) Drink in history at this marble-topped bar serving bracing espresso and homemade pastries, with jars of sweets stashed on carved and gilded shelving.

Antica Casa della Malvasia WINE BAR

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( 0444 54 37 04; Contrà delle Morette 5; meals from €35; 11am-12.30pm Mon-Thu & Sat, 5.30pm-2am Fri) Purveyor of wines since 1200, when Malvasia wine was imported from Greece by Venetian merchants, this enoteca offers full meals as well as 80-plus wines and hundreds of grappas from nearby Bassano del Grappa. Next door, the wine bar offers quick bites and quality pours by the glass.

Information

Ospedale Civile ( 0444 75 31 11; Viale F Rodolfi 37) Hospital.

Police station ( 0444 33 75 11; Viale G Mazzini 213)

Post office (Contrà Garibaldi 1; 8.30am-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-1pm Sat)

Tourist office ( 0444 32 08 54; www. vicenzae .org; Piazza Matteotti 12; 9am-1pm & 2-6pm) Especially knowledgeable and helpful.

Getting There & Away

Large car parks are located near Piazza Castello and the train station.

Bus FTV ( 0444 22 31 15; www.ftv.vi.it) buses leave for outlying areas from the bus station, located next to the train station.

Train Three to four trains arrive hourly from Venice (€4.40 to €14, 30 minutes to 1¼ hours), Padua (€3 to €18, 15 to 40 minutes) and Verona (€4 to €14, 30 minutes to 60 minutes), and twice-hourly from Milan (€11 to €24, 1½ to two hours).

BASSANO DEL GRAPPA, ASOLO & PALLADIO’S VILLA MASER

A road trip north from Vicenza takes you through one of Italy’s most sophisticated stretches of countryside. You can visit all the key sites, even with a latish start and leisurely lunch.

Head first to Bassano del Grappa , which sits with charming simplicity on the banks of the Brenta river as it winds its way free from Alpine foothills. Located 35km northeast of Vicenza, the town is famous above all for its namesake spirit, a fiery distillation of leftovers from winemaking: skins, pulp, seeds and stems. The town’s most important structure is the Ponte degli Alpini (aka Ponte Vecchio), the covered bridge designed by Palladio. At the Poli Museo della Grappa ( 0424 52 44 26; www.poligrappa.com; Via Gamba 6; admission free; 9am-7.30pm) , you can drink in four centuries’ history of Bassano’s signature grappa (including a free tasting). Before heading out of time, have lunch at the brightly contemporary Ristorante Al Ponte ( 0424 21 92 74; www.alpontedibassano.com; Via Volpato 60; meals €35-50; lunch Wed-Sun, dinner Tue-Sun) , with its seasonal menu, long wine list, garden seating and perfect river views.

About 17km east of Bassano rises Asolo , known as the ‘town of 100 vistas’ for its panoramic hillside location, once the haunt of Romans and Veneti and a personal gift from Venice to Caterina, 15th-century queen of Cyprus, in exchange for her abdication. An historical hit with writers, including Pietro Bembo, Gabriele d’Annunzio and Robert Browning, its highbrow heritage outstrips its small size.

Another 5km east lies Villa Villa Maser ( 423 92 30 04; www.villadimaser.it; adult/reduced €6/5; 10am-6pm Tue-Sat, 11am-6pm Sun Apr-Jun & Sep-Oct, 10.30am-6pm Tue, Thu & Sat, 11am-6pm Sun Mar & Jul-Aug, 11am-5pm Sat-Sun Nov-Feb) , where Palladio and Paolo Veronese conspired to create the Veneto countryside’s finest monument to la bella vita . Palladio set the arcaded yellow villa into a verdant hillside with a fanciful grotto out the back. Inside Paolo Veronese nearly upstages his collaborator with wildly imaginative trompe l’œil architecture of his own. Vines climb the walls of the Stanza di Baccho; an alert watchdog keeps one eye on the painted door of the Stanza di Canuccio (Little Dog Room); and in a corner of the frescoed grand salon, the painter has apparently forgotten his spattered shoes and broom.

Verona

POP 264,500

Shakespeare placed star-crossed Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet in Verona for good reason: romance, drama and fatal family feuds have been the city’s hallmark for centuries.

From the third century BC, Verona was a Roman trade centre, with ancient gates and a grand amphitheatre to prove it – but Shakespearean tragedy came with the territory. Lombard king Alboin, who conquered Verona in AD 569, was murdered by his wife three years later. After Mastino della Scala (aka Scaligeri) lost re-election to Verona’s commune in 1262, he claimed absolute control, until murdered by his rivals. Mastino’s son Cangrande I (1308–28) went on to conquer Padua and Vicenza, with Dante, Petrarch and Giotto benefitting from the city’s patronage. But the fratricidal rage of Cangrande II (1351–59) complicated matters, and the Scaligeri were run out of town in 1387. Venice took definitive control in 1404, ruling until Napoleon’s arrival in 1797.

The city became a Fascist control centre from 1938 to 1945, a key location for Resistance interrogation and transit point for Italian Jews sent to Nazi concentration camps. Today, as the city grapples with its changing identity as an Italian, European and international commercial centre, it has become a Lega Nord (Northern League) stronghold. Yet the city is a Unesco World Heritage Site and a cosmopolitan crossroads, especially in summer when the 2000-year-old arena hosts opera’s biggest names.

Sights

Roman Arena HISTORICAL BUILDING

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( 045 800 32 04; www.arena.it; Piazza Brà; adult/reduced €6/4.50 or Verona Card; 8.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sun, 1.30-7.30pm Mon, last admission 6.30pm) Symbol of Verona, this pink marble amphitheatre was built by Romans in the 1st century AD and survived a 12th-century earthquake to become Verona’s legendary open-air opera house, with seating for 30,000 people. It’s still at its most spectacular during live performances (Click here ).

Verona

Sights

1  Arche Scaligere C1

2  Arco della Costa C2

3  Casa di Giulietta C2

4  Loggia del Consiglio C1

5  Palazzo Maffei C1

6  Roman Arena B4

7  Scavi Scaligeri C2

8  Synagogue C2

9  Torre dei Lamberti C2

Sleeping

10  Albergo Aurora C2

11  Anfitheatro B&B B3

12  Hotel Gabbia d'Oro B1

Eating

13  Café Noir B2

14  Pintxos Bistrot D2

15  Pizzeria Du de Cope B2

Drinking

16  Antica Bottega del Vino C3

17  Caffè Filippini C1

18  Osteria del Bugiardo B2

Entertainment

Ente Lirico Arena di Verona (see 19)

Roman Arena (see 6)

19 Roman Arena Ticket OfficeB4

Castelvecchio MUSEUM

( 045 806 26 11; Corso Castelvecchio 2; adult/reduced €6/4.50 or Verona Card; 8.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sun, 1.30-7.30pm Mon) Built by tyrannical Cangrande II to guard the Adige river, this 1350s fortress was severely damaged by Napoleon’s troops and WWII bombings. Architect Carlo Scarpa reinvented the building in the 1960s, placing bridges over exposed foundations, covering bomb blasts with glass panels, and balancing a statue of Cangrande I above the courtyard on a concrete gangplank. Now Verona’s main museum, it houses a collection ranging from medieval artefacts to works by Giovanni Bellini, Tiepolo, Carpaccio and Veronese, plus often-excellent temporary shows.

Basilica di San Zeno Maggiore CHURCH

(www.chieseverona.it; Piazza San Zeno; admission €2.50, combined Verona church ticket €6 or Verona Card; 8.30am-6pm Tue-Sat, 12.30-6pm Sun Mar-Oct, 10am-1pm & 1.30-5pm Tue-Sat, 12.30-5pm Sun Nov-Feb) This masterpiece of Romanesque architecture was begun in the 12th century to honour the city’s patron saint. Its vast nave is lined with 12th- to 15th-century frescoes, including Mary Magdalene modestly covered in a curtain of her own hair and St George casually slaying a dragon atop a startled horse. Mantegna’s 1457–59 altarpiece proffers such convincing perspective and textures that you’d swear there were real garlands behind the Virgin’s throne. And don’t miss the 12-century bronze doors depicting the Wheel of Fortune in meticulous detail. Below the altar, St Zeno’s corpse is harboured in a crypt with eerily carved medieval capitals.

Duomo CHURCH

(www.chieseverona.it; Piazza del Duomo; admission €2.50, combined Verona church ticket €6 or Verona Card; 10am-5.30pm Mon-Sat, 1.30-5.30pm Sun Mar-Oct, 10am-1pm & 1.30-5pm Tue-Sat, 1.30-5pm Sun Nov-Feb) Verona’s 12th-century cathedral is a strikingly striped Romanesque building, with polychrome reliefs and bug-eyed statues of Charlemagne’s paladins Roland and Oliver by medieval master Nicoló on the west porch. The extravagant interior was frescoed during the 16th to 17th centuries. Near the front door, a chapel by Jacopo Sansovino boasts a vibrant Titian Ascension.

Casa di Giulietta MUSEUM

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(Juliet’s House; 045 803 43 03; Via Cappello 23; adult/reduced €6/4.50 or Verona Card; 8.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sun, 1.30-7.30pm Mon) Never mind that Romeo and Juliet were completely fictional characters, and that there’s hardly room for two on the narrow stone balcony: romantics flock to this 14th-century house to add their lovelorn pleas to the graffiti on the courtyard causeway.

Piazza delle Erbe & Piazza dei Signori HISTORICAL BUILDING

Originally a Roman forum, Piazza delle Erbe is ringed with buzzing cafes and some of Verona’s most sumptuous buildings, including the baroque Palazzo Maffei Offline map Google map (now a corporate headquarters) at the north end.

Separating Piazza delle Erbe from Piazza dei Signori is the monumental gate known as Arco della Costa Offline map Google map , hung with a whale’s rib that, according to legend, will fall on the first just person to walk beneath it. So far, it remains intact, despite visits by popes and kings. On the north side of Piazza dei Signori stands Verona’s early-Renaissance Loggia del Consiglio Offline map Google map , the 15th-century city council building (not open to visitors). Through the archway at the far end of the piazza are the open-air Arche Scaligere Offline map Google map – elaborate Gothic tombs of the Scaligeri family where murderers are interred next to the relatives they killed.

Between the two piazzas, the striped Torre dei Lamberti Offline map Google map ( 045 927 30 27; adult/reduced €6/4.50 or Verona Card; 8.30am-7.30pm Oct-May, to 8.30pm Jun-Sep) rises a neck-craning 85m. Begun in the 12th century and finished in 1463 – too late to notice Venetians invading – this watchtower still offers panoramic views.

Scavi Scaligeri MUSEUM

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( 045 800 74 90; Cortile del Tribunale; adult/reduced €6/4.50 or Verona Card; vary) Below the Piazza dei Signori lies these labyrinthine Roman ruins excavated in the 1980s. They now house well-curated contemporary photography exhibitions. Galleries close between exhibitions, and opening times vary.

Jewish Ghetto LANDMARK

Southwest of Piazza delle Erbe lies Verona’s historical Jewish district. On the southeast side of Via Rosani is Verona’s newly restored synagogue Offline map Google map , where you might find the doors open to Jewish visitors and others who express a sincere interest.

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR EURO

VeronaCard (2/5 days €15/20) , available at tourist sights as well as tobacconists, grants access to most major monuments and churches (including all listed in this book), plus unlimited use of town buses.

Festivals & Events

VinItaly WINE

(www.vinitaly.com) Held in March, the country’s largest wine expo is open only to food and wine professionals. The event includes tastings, presentations about winemaking and unmatched insight into the breadth and depth of Italian wines.

Sleeping

Cooperativa Albergatori Veronesi ( 045 800 98 44; www.veronapass.com) offers a no-fee booking service for two-star hotels. For homestyle stays outside the city centre, check Verona Bed & Breakfast (www.bedandbreakfastverona.com) .

Anfitheatro B&B B&B €€

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( 347 248 84 62; www.anfiteatro-bedandbreakfast.com; Via Alberto Mario 5; s €60-90, d €80-130, tr €100-150) This recently restored 19th-century town house offers spacious guestrooms with high wood-beamed ceilings, antique armoires and divans for swooning after shows at the nearby Roman Arena.

Albergo Aurora B&B €€

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( 045 59 47 17; www.hotelaurora.biz; Piazza XIV Novembre 2; s €90-135, d €100-160; ) Right off bustling Piazza Erbe, this hotel has spacious, unfussy doubles, some with city views. There are cheaper single rooms without bathroom (€58 to €80).

Hotel Gabbia d’Oro HOTEL €€€

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( 045 59 02 93; www.hotelgabbiadoro.it; Corso Porta Borsari 4a; d from €220; ) One of the city’s top addresses and one of its most romantic, the Gabbia d’Oro features luxe rooms inside an 18th-century palazzo that manages to be both elegant and cosy. The rooftop terrace and central location are icing on this wedding cake.

Villa Francescati HOSTEL €

( 045 59 03 60; www.ostelloverona.it; Salita Fontana del Ferro 15; dm €18-20; 7am-midnight) This HI youth hostel is housed in a 16th-century villa on a garden estate a 20-minute walk from central Verona. Catch bus 73 (weekdays) or bus 90 (Sunday and holidays) from the train station. Rooms must be vacated between 9am and 5pm. Reserve ahead during summer opera season.

Camping Castel San Pietro CAMPGROUND €

( 045 59 20 37; www.campingcastelsanpietro.com; Via Castel San Pietro 2; camping adult/reduced/tent €7/4.50/7; May-Sep) This leafy campground is a stone’s throw from town, with a minimarket, washing machines and other mod cons. Catch bus H or 95 from the train station.

Eating

Gelateria Ponte Pietra GELATERIA €

( 340 471 72 94; Via Ponte Pietra 23; 2.30-7.30pm, to 10pm Jun-Aug, closed Nov-Feb) Impeccable gelato made on premises includes bacio bianco (white chocolate and hazelnut) and mille fiori (cream with honey and bits of pollen gathered from local hillsides).

Pintxos Bistrot GASTRONOMIC €€€

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( 045 59 42 87; www.ristorantealcristo.it; Piazzetta Pescheria 6; meals €40-60; lunch & dinner Tue-Sun) Inspired by Catalan tapas, this airy bistro offers an excitingly eclectic menu mixing Italian pasta, Catalan cheeses and hams, and small-plate dishes perfumed with exotic ingredients like lemon grass and tamarind. A local foodie favourite, it gets packed during the summer opera season. Look for the sign for Ristorante al Cristo, which shares the premises.

Pizzeria Du de Cope PIZZERIA €

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( 045 59 55 62; www.pizzeriadudecope.it; Galleria Pellicciai 10; pizzas €6-12; noon-2pm & 7-11pm) This fashion-forward pizzeria manages to blend refinement with a relaxed ease in its airy and vividly coloured dining space. Wood-fired pizzas from the wood-burning oven are excellent.

Café Noir CAFE €

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( 045 803 05 00; Via Pellicciai 12; meals €10-15; 7.30am-7.30pm Mon-Sat) In addition to excellent coffee, teas and wickedly thick hot chocolate, this trim little cafe serves up economical two-course lunches for under €12. No dinner.

Drinking

Antica Bottega del Vino WINE BAR

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( 045 800 45 35; www.bottegavini.it; Vicolo Scudo di Francia 3; lunch & dinner Wed-Mon) Wine is the primary consideration at this historical enoteca with beautiful wood panelling, backlit bottles of Valpolicella and fine spirits.

Osteria del Bugiardo WINE BAR

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( 045 59 18 69; Corso Portoni Borsari 17a; 11am-11pm, to midnight Fri & Sat) On busy Corso Portoni Borsari, traffic converges at Bugiardo for glasses of upstanding Valpolicella bottled specifically for the osteria . Polenta and sopressa make worthy bar snacks for the powerhouse Amarone.

Caffè Filippini BAR

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( 045 800 45 49; Piazza delle Erbe 26; 4pm-2am Thu-Tue) On the town’s most bustling square, the hippest joint in town has been here since 1901, perfecting the house speciality Filippini, a killer cocktail of vermouth, gin, lemon and ice. Open daily June to August.

Entertainment

Roman Arena ( 045 800 51 51; www.arena.it; Piazza Brà, ticket office Ente Lirico Arena di Verona, Via Dietro Anfiteatro 6b; tickets €15-150; opera season Jun-Aug) This is where Placido Domingo made his debut, and the annual June–August opera season includes 50 performances by the world’s top names. In winter months, classical concerts are held across the way at the 18th-century Ente Lirico Arena di Verona Offline map Google map .

Information

Ospedale Borgo Trento ( 045 807 11 11; Piazza A Stefani) Hospital northwest of Ponte Vittoria.

Police ( 113; Lungadige Galtarossa 11) Near Ponte Navi.

Tourist office (www.tourism.verona.it) Verona-Villafranca airport ( 045 861 91 63; 10am-3pm Mon-Sat); Via degli Alpini ( 045 806 86 80; Via degli Alpini 9; 10am-1pm & 2-6pm Mon-Tue, 9am-6pm Wed-Sat, 10am-4pm Sun, shorter hr Jan & Feb)

Getting There & Around

Air Verona-Villafranca airport ( 045 809 56 66; www.aeroportoverona.it) is 12km outside town and accessible by ATV Aerobus to/from the train station (€5, 15 minutes, every 20 minutes 6.30am to 11.30pm). Flights arrive from all over Italy and some European cities, including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Dusseldorf, London and Paris.

Bus The main intercity bus station is in front of the train station in the Porta Nuova area. Buses run to Padua, Vicenza and Venice.

AVT (www.atv.verona.it) city buses 11, 12, 13 and 14 (bus 91 or 92 on Sunday and holidays) connect the train station with Piazza Brà. Buy tickets from newsagents and tobacconists before you board the bus (tickets one hour/day €1.20/3.50).

Train There are at least three trains hourly to Venice (€6.35 to €20, 1¼ to 2½ hours), Padua (€5.10 to €16, 40 to 90 minutes) and Vicenza (€4 to €14, 30 minutes to one hour). There are also services at least hourly to Milan (€9.50 to €19, 1½ to two hours), and regular services to Florence (€21 to €35, 1½ to three hours) and points south, as well as direct international services to Austria, Switzerland and Germany.

Verona’s Wine Country

A drive through Verona’s hinterland is a lesson in fine wine. To the north and northwest are Valpolicella vineyards, which pre-date the arrival of the Romans, and east on the road to Vicenza lie the white-winemakers of Soave.

SOAVE

Southeast of Verona, Soave serves its namesake DOC white in a storybook setting. The town may be entirely encircled by medieval fortifications, including 24 bristling watchtowers, but these days strangers are more than welcome to taste the good stuff. To get here, hop onto the Milan–Venice train to San Bonifacio (€2.35 to €3.55, 20 minutes) and catch the local ATV bus 30 (€1.50, 10 minutes, about two hourly), or exit the A4 autostrada at San Bonifacio and follow the Viale della Vittoria 2km north into town.

Sights

Castello di Soave HISTORICAL BUILDING

( 045 768 00 36; www.castellodisoave.it; admission €6; 9am-noon & 3-6pm Tue-Sun Apr–mid-Oct, to 5pm mid-Oct–Mar) Built on a medieval base by Verona’s fratricidal Scaligeri family, the castello complex encompasses an early-Renaissance villa, grassy courtyards, the remnants of a Romanesque church and the Mastio – a defensive tower apparently used as a dungeon (during restoration, a mound of human bones was unearthed here).

Azienda Agricola Coffele WINERY

( 045 768 00 07; www.coffele.it; Via Roma 5; 9am-12.30pm & 2-7pm Mon-Sat & by appointment) Across from the church in the old town, this family-run winery offers tastings of lemon-zesty DOC Soave Classico and nutty, faintly sweet bubbly DOCG (guaranteed-quality) Recioto di Soave. The family also rent rooms among vineyards a few kilometres from town.

Suavia WINERY

( 045 767 50 89; www.suavia.it; Via Centro 14, Fitta; 9am-1pm & 2.30-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat & by appointment) Soave is not known as a complex white wine, but this trailblazing winery, 8km outside Soave via SP39, is changing the equation. Don’t miss DOC Monte Carbonare Soave Classico, with its mineral, ocean-breeze finish.

Sleeping & Eating

Locanda Lo Scudo MODERN ITALIAN €€

( 045 768 07 66; www.loscudo.vr.it; Via Covergnino 9; meals €35-45; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat) Just outside the medieval walls, Lo Scudo is half country inn and half high-powered gastronomy. Arrive early and order quickly – or miss out on daily fish specials or risotto made with Verona’s zesty Monte Veronese cheese. Above the restaurant, the owners rent out four bright, lovely rooms (singles/doubles €75/110) that continue the theme of countrified sophistication. Both restaurant and hotel close in August.

Trattoria Dal Moro TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €

( 045 768 0204; Viale della Vittoria 3; meals €12-25; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat, closed Aug) Head here for honest home cooking just outside the city’s main gates. The lunchtime menu nets you an honest plate of pasta, a meat course and a drink for just €12.

Caffé Cremeria Mattielli GELATERIA €

( 340 1449038; http://cremeriamattielli.com; Via Roma 16; 7.30am-12.30pm & 2.30-7.30pm Thu-Tue, to 11pm Jun-Aug) Top-notch gelati, including ambitious daily specials like celery and goat cheese.

VALPOLICELLA

Just a dozen kilometres northwest of Verona, you’ll find some of Italy’s most celebrated vineyards just as the Veneto plains give way to the foothills of the Alps. Most famous for Amarone – an intense red made from partially dried grapes – the best of Valpolicella’s terroirs in 2009 won DOCG status, Italy’s highest mark of oenological distinction. Note that many wineries are open only by appointment, and most close on Sunday. Points of interest are spread out, so it’s best to visit with wheels, whether car or bike.

By car, follow the SS12 highway northwest out of Verona, veer north onto SP4 and follow the route west towards San Pietro in Cariano , the region’s main hub. Alternatively, APT bus 3 departs Verona’s Porta Nuova for San Pietro about every half-hour (www.apt.verona.it, in Italian; €2.40, 40 minutes). For tourist information, visit the Pro Loco Valpolicella tourist office ( 045 770 19 20; www.valpolicellaweb.it; Via Ingelheim 7; 9am-1pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon Sat) for information about visiting wineries, as well as information about biking and hiking.

In San Pietro in Cariano, you can swing by Montecariano Cellars ( 045 683 83 35; www.montecariano.it; Via Valena 3; by appointment Mon-Sat) off central Piazza San Giuseppe to sample award-winning Amarone.

Foodies head north to the little town of Fumane , where Enoteca della Valpolicella ( 045 683 91 46; Via Osan 47; meals €25-35; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat, lunch Sun) keeps flavours pure (eg risotto with wild herbs, and game with polenta) so as not to compete with 700 Italian wines on the menu. If Bacchus leaves you wobbly, it’s a short crawl to the delightful La Meridiana B&B ( 045 683 91 46; www.lameridiana-valpolicella.it, in Italian; Via Osan 16c; s/d €70/90) , a 1600s stable converted into simple but elegant guestrooms by the owners of the enoteca . Bonuses include tasty breakfasts and a swimming pool 1km away.

A few kilometres west of San Pietro, Gargagnago is known for Amarone, and if you call ahead, you can taste excellent DOC Amarone and lighter DOC Valpolicella reds outside Gargagnano at Corte Leardi Winery ( 045 770 13 79; www.cortealeardi.com; Via Giare 15; by appointment) .

A short ride (or well-marked 5km, two-hour hike) west takes you through the hillside town of Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella and onward to the picturesque, hilltop village of San Giorgio , with its fresco-filled, cloistered 8th-century Romanesque Pieve di San Giorgio ( 7am-6pm) , on a little square littered with remnants of a Roman settlement.

Dolomites

Whether you get high on skiing, Alpine hiking or premium prosecco , head for Veneto’s mountain border with Trentino-Alto Adige.

CONEGLIANO

POP 35,700

At the foothills of the Alps, Conegliano is the toast of the Veneto. Its hillsides produce prosecco, a dry, crisp white wine made from prosecco grapes in spumante (bubbly), frizzante (sparkling) or still varieties. Conegliano’s prosecco was promoted to DOCG status in 2009, Italy’s highest oenological distinction. Plot a tasting detour along the Strada di Prosecco (Prosecco Rd) from Conegliano to the Valdobbiadene at www.coneglianovaldobbiadene.it, or head to Conegliano’s APT tourist office ( 0438 212 30; Via XX Settembre 61; 9am-12.30pm Tue-Sun, 3-6pm Thu-Sun) .

Along Via XX Settembre in the centre of town, you can’t miss the eye-catching Scuola dei Battuti , covered inside and out with 16th-century frescoes by Ludovico Pozzoserrato. This building was once home to a religious lay group known as battuti (beaters) for their enthusiastic self-flagellation. Enter the Duomo through the Scuola to discover early works by Veneto artists, notably a 1492–93 altarpiece by local master Cima da Conegliano.

If you decide to spend the night, Hotel Canon d’Oro ( 0438 342 46; www.hotelcanondoro.it; Via XX Settembre 131; d from €130; 7am-midnight) provides classic elegance and modern comforts in a 15th-century palazzo. La Tartare dell’Hotel Cristallo ( 0438 354 45; www.hotelcristallo.tv.it; Corso Mazzini 45; meals around €50; lunch & dinner Tue-Sun) is beloved by locals for its rustic elegance in both menu and decor, with a fusion of ingredients from the rich Veneto plains and the nearby Alps.

BELLUNO

POP 36,600 / ELEV 390M

Perched on high bluffs above the Piave river and backed majestically by snowcapped Dolomites, Belluno makes a scenic and strategic base to explore the surrounding mountains. The historical old town is its own attraction, with easy walks past Renaissance-era buildings in the long shadow of the Dolomites. And you’ll be happy to fuel up for tramps in the nearby mountains with the city’s mountain-based cuisine (think hearty polenta, wild game and mushrooms), and some of Italy’s most remarkable cheeses, including Schiz (semi-soft cow’s milk cheese, usually fried in butter) and the flaky, butter-yellow Malga Bellunense.

Sights & Activities

Belluno’s main pedestrian square is the Piazza dei Martiri (Martyrs’ Square), named after the four partisans hanged here in WWII. Nearby, the Piazza del Duomo is framed by the early-16th-century Renaissance Cattedrale di San Martino , the 16th-century Palazzo Rosso and the Palazzo dei Vescovi , with a striking 12th-century tower.

Parco Nazionale delle Dolomiti Bellunesi NATIONAL PARK

(www.dolomitipark.it) Northwest of Belluno, this is a splendid national park that offers trails, wildflowers and crisp mountain air. As a result of the beauty of the region and the uniqueness of its ecosystem, vast swaths of it have been granted Unesco World Heritage status. Between late June and early September, hikers test their strength on the six different alte vie delle Dolomiti (high-altitude walking trails).

Sleeping & Eating

To explore hotel, B&B, camping and agriturismo (farm stay accommodation) options in Belluno, the Parco Nazionale and beyond, check www.infodolomiti.it.

Azienda Agrituristica Sant’Anna AGRITURISMO €

( 0437 274 91; www.aziendasantanna.it; Via Pedecastello 27, Castion; d per night €50-80, per week €330-460) This idyllic stone farmhouse 4km outside Belluno proffers mod cons without losing rustic charms: think iron bedsteads, timber floors and beamed ceilings, all with shared or private kitchens. Enthusiastic, English-speaking hosts happily point visitors towards hiking and eating options, and also offer hands-on classes in agricultural practices on the adjacent farm. No breakfast.

Ostello Imperina HOSTEL €

( 0437 624 51; www.parks.it/ost/imperina; Località Le Miniere; dm/half-/full board €20/37/50; 7.20am-10pm Apr-Oct) The area’s only youth hostel lies inside the Parco Nazionale delle Dolomiti Bellunesi, 35km northwest of Belluno at Rivamonte Agordino. Book ahead in summer. To get there, take the Agordo bus (50 minutes) from Belluno.

Albergo Cappello e Cadore HOTEL €

( 0437 94 02 46; www.albergocappello.com; Via Ricci 8; s €45-75, d €90-103; ) At this rose-coloured, 19th-century inn just off Piazza dei Martiri, guestrooms are small and monastery-modest, with plain pine bedsteads. A few top-floor rooms have views. Reserve ahead, as this is the only affordable option in town.

Al Borgo TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 0437 92 67 55; www.alborgo.to; Via Anconetta 8; meals around €35; lunch Wed-Mon, dinner Wed-Sun) If you have wheels or strong legs, seek out this delightful restaurant in an 18th-century villa in the hills about 3km south of Belluno. Considered Belluno’s best, the kitchen produces everything from homemade salamis and roast lamb to artisanal gelato.

La Taverna ITALIAN €€

( 0437 251 92; Via Cipro 7; meals €25-30; lunch & dinner Mon-Sat) Taverna’s bar serves top-notch seasonal bruschetta with prosecco or other local wines. In the dining room, carb-load for your hike with fresh porcini tagliolini, or try Taverna’s seasonal specialities like wintertime eel with snails or springtime rabbit with zucchini flowers.

Information

Tourist office ( 0437 94 00 83; www.infodolomiti.it; Piazza del Duomo 2; 9am-12.30pm & 3.30-6.30pm Mon-Sat) Information on skiing, hiking and other sporting activities, plus weather conditions and advisories.

Getting There & Away

By car, take the A27 from Venice (Mestre) – it’s not the most scenic route, but avoids traffic around Treviso.

Bus In front of the train station, Dolomiti Bus ( 0437 21 71 11; www.dolomitibus.it) offers regular service to Cortina d’Ampezzo, Conegliano and smaller mountain towns.

Train Services from Venice (€6, two to 2½ hours, five to 10 daily) run here via Treviso and/or Conegliano. Some require a change, which can add another hour.

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO

POP 6100 / ELEV 1224M

The Italian supermodel of ski resorts, Cortina d’Ampezzo is fashionable, pricey, icy and undeniably beautiful. The town’s stone church spires and pleasant piazzas are framed by magnificent Alps. It doubles as a slightly less glamorous but still stunning summertime base for hiking, biking and rock-climbing.

Activities

Winter crowds arrive in December for top-notch downhill and cross-country skiing facilities and stay until late March or April. Summertime adventurers hit Cortina for climbing and hiking from June until October. Two cable cars whisk skiers and walkers from Cortina’s town centre to a central departure point for chairlifts, cable cars and trails. Lifts usually run from 9am to 5pm daily mid-December to April and resume June to September or October.

Ski and snowboard runs range from bunny slopes to the legendary Staunies black mogul run, which starts at 3000m. The Dolomiti Superski pass (see the boxed text,Click here ) provides access to 12 runs in the area, and are sold at Cortina’s ski pass office ( 0436 86 21 71; Via G Marconi 15; 1-/2-/3-day €46/91/132, week pass €247; vary) . Passes with more limited access starting at €28 per day.

Other winter adventures in Cortina include dogsledding, ice-climbing and skating at the Olympic Ice Stadium ( 0436 88 18 11; Via dello Stadio 1; adult/child incl skate rental €10/9; vary) , built for the 1956 Winter Olympics.

Gruppo Guide Alpine Cortina ( 0436 86 85 05; www.guidecortina.com; Corso Italia 69a) runs rock-climbing courses (three-day climbing course including gear rental €260), mountain-climbing and guided nature hikes (prices vary). In winter it also offers courses in off-trail skiing, snowshoeing and more.

Sleeping & Eating

Cortina’s pedestrian centre is ringed with pizzerias and cafes, which are your best bets for reasonable eats. For additional sleep options, consult www.infodolomiti.it. Note that prices vary widely with the seasons, and spike wildly at the Christmas holidays. Many places close in April, May and/or November.

Baita Fraina INN €€

( 0436 36 34; www.baitafraina.it; d summer/winter €50/65, Jan-Nov €60-100, Dec €100-140; ) Reserve ahead in high season at this beloved, Swiss-style inn with simple but spotless rooms of knotty pine. The fine restaurant has a menu inspired by local ingredients, from mountain herbs to wild game.

Hotel Montana HOTEL €

( 0436 86 21 26; www.cortina-hotel.com; s €52-65, d €88-97; ) Right in the heart of Cortina, this friendly, vintage 1920s Alpine hotel offers simple but well-maintained rooms. In winter, there’s a seven-night minimum (€310 to €580 per person), but call for last-minute cancellations. Reception areas double as gallery space for local artists.

International Camping Olympia CAMPGROUND €

( 0436 50 57; www.campingolympiacortina.it; camping adult €6-10, tent & car €9-10; ) Sleep beneath towering pines 4km north of Cortina in Fiames, with free shuttles to town and on-site pizzeria, market, laundry and sauna.

Il Meloncino TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 0436 44 32; www.ilmeloncino.it; Locale Rumerlo 1; meals €50-60; lunch & dinner Wed-Mon) With a rustically elegant dining room and spectacular terrace seating when weather permits, Il Meloncino proffers local specialities that are as jaw-dropping as the Alpine views, including roasted boar and venison-stuffed ravioli in a hazelnut sauce. Note that it is a short ride or 15-minute hike uphill from central Cortina.

Information

Tourist office ( 0436 32 31; www.infodolomiti.it; Piazzetta San Francesco 8; 9am-12.30pm & 3.30-6.30pm Mon-Sat)

Getting There & Away

The following companies operate out of Cortina’s bus station (Via G Marconi) .

Cortina Express ( 0437 86 73 50; www.cortinaexpress.it) Daily direct services to Mestre train station (2¼ hours) and Venice airport (two hours).

Dolomiti Bus ( 0437 21 71 11; www.dolomitibus.it) For smaller mountain towns, Belluno and other Veneto locales.

SAD buses ( 0471 45 01 11; www.sad.it) Services to nearby towns, Bolzano and other Alto Adige destinations.

Top of section

Friuli Venezia Giulia

POP 1.23 MILLION / AREA 7845 SQ KM

Includes »

Trieste

Gorizia

Palmanova

Aquileia

Grado

Laguna di Marano

Lignano

Pordenone & Around

Udine

Cividale del Friuli

San Daniele del Friuli

North of Udine

Tolmezzo & Carnia

Tarvisio & the Giulie Alps

Why Go?

With its triple-barrelled moniker, Friuli Venezia Giulia’s multifaceted nature should come as no surprise. Cultural complexity is cherished in this small, little-visited region, tucked away on Italy’s far northeastern borders with Austria and Slovenia. Friuli Venezia Giulia’s landscapes offer profound contrasts too, with the foreboding, perpetually snowy Giulie and Carnic Alps in the north, idyllic grapevine-filled plains in the centre, the south’s Venetian-like lagoons and beaches and the curious, craggy karst encircling Trieste.

While there’s an amazing reserve of often uncrowded historical sights, from Roman ruins to Austro-Hungarian palaces, this is also a fine destination for simply kicking back with the locals, tasting the region’s world-famous wines and discovering a culinary heritage that will broaden your notions of Italian cuisine. Serene, intriguing Trieste and friendly, feisty Udine make for great city time – they’re so easy and welcoming you’ll feel as if you’re Friulian, Venezian or Giulian too.

When to Go

Feb Discover the uncrowded slopes and low-key ski resorts of the Giulie Alps.

Jun Fill up on prosciutto at San Daniele’s Aria di Festa.

Oct Watch sails fill the horizon at Trieste’s Barcolana Regatta.

Best Places to Eat

» La Frasca Click here )

» Pirona ( Click here )

» Salumare ( Click here )

Best Places to Stay

» L’Albero Nascosto ( Click here )

» Palazzo Lantieri ( Click here )

» Hotel Clocchiatti Next ( Click here )

Friuli Venezia Giulia Highlights

Commune with the literary ghosts in Trieste’s grand cafes (boxed text, Click here )

Spot lynx and marmot in the wilds of the Carnic Alps (Click here )

Picture a 4th-century-AD Roman port as you wander Aquileia’s ruins (Click here )

Sip Friulano and scoff a frico (thick cheese-and-potato omelette) in one of Udine’s friendly wine bars (Click here )

Marvel at an 8th-century Lombard chapel in Cividale del Friuli (Click here )

Stroll the lively old town of sun-drenched beach resort Grado (Click here )

Straddle the cold war border and discover a glorious (and sometimes gory) past in Gorizia (Click here )

Ski across borders at Sella Nevea (Click here )

History

The semi-autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia came into being as recently as 1954; its new capital, Trieste, had already traded national allegiances five times since the beginning of the century. Such is the region’s history, a rollicking, often blood-stained one of boom, bust and conquest that began with the Romans in Aquileia, saw Cividale rise to prominence under the Lombards, and witnessed the Venetians do their splendid thing in Pordenone and Udine. It was Austria, however, that established the most lasting foothold, with Trieste as its main seaport. While the region today is a picture of quiet prosperity, much of the 20th century was another story. War, poverty and political uncertainty saw Friulians become the north’s largest migrant population, most bound for Australia and Argentina.

Getting There & Around

Most of the region’s major destinations can be reached by train or road from Venice in around two hours. Friuli Venezia Giulia airport (www.aeroporto.fvg.it; Via Aquileia 46) , aka Ronchi dei Legionari or Trieste Regional Airport, is 33km northwest of Trieste, near Monfalcone, with daily flights from Rome, London, Munich and Frankfurt, and less-frequent services to and from Belgrade and Tirana. The Austrian cities of Salzburg and Graz are around four hours’ drive from Udine.

FVG CARD

This discount card (48hr/72hr/7 days €15/20/29) gives free admission to all civic museums; free transport in Udine, Lignano and on the Udine–Cividale del Friuli train; free audio tours; and numerous discounts in the region’s shops, spas, beaches and parks. The cards are available from all FVG tourist offices, online and at many hotels (see the website for the full list).

Trieste

POP 205,523

Trieste, as travel writer Jan Morris once opined, ‘offers no unforgettable landmark, no universally familiar melody, no unmistakable cuisine’, yet it’s a city that enchants many, its ‘prickly grace’ inspiring a cult-like roll-call of writers, travellers, exiles and misfits. Devotees come to think of its glistening belle époque cafes, dark congenial bars and even its maddening bora wind as their own; its lack of intensive tourism can make this often feel like it’s true.

Tumbling down to the Adriatic from a karstic plateau and almost entirely surrounded by Slovenia, the city is physically isolated from the rest of the Italian peninsula. Its historical singularity is also no accident. From as long ago as the 1300s, Trieste has faced east, becoming a free port under Austrian rule. The city blossomed under the 18th- and 19th-century Habsburgs; Vienna’s seaside salon was also a fluid borderland where Italian, Slavic, Jewish, Germanic and even Greek culture intermingled.

Sights

Most of Trieste’s sights are within walking distance of the city’s centre, the vast Piazza dell’Unità d’Italia, or can be accessed by Trieste’s efficient bus network.

Trieste

Top Sights

Castello di San Giusto E4

Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia D2

Statue of James JoyceE2

Synagogue G1

Sights

1  Arco di Riccardo D3

2  Basilica di San Giusto E4

3  Chiesa di Sant'Antonio Taumaturgo F2

4  Chiesa di Santo Spiridione E2

5 Civico Museo di Storia ed Arte ed Orto LapidarioE4

6  Civico Museo Sartorio C4

7 Civico Museo Teatrale Carlo SchmidlE1

8 Museo della Communità Ebraica Carlo e Vera WagnerF3

9 Museo Joyce & SvevoD4

10  Museo Revoltella C4

11  Roman theatre E3

12 Statue of Italo SvevoC4

Sleeping

13 Grand Hotel Duchi d'AostaD3

14 Hotel Savoia Excelsior PalaceC3

15  Hotel Victoria G3

16 L'Albero NascostoD3

17  Residence Sara D3

Eating

18  Al Bagotto C3

19  Buffet Da Pepi E2

20  Buffet da Siora Rosa C4

21  Buffet Rudy F1

22  Caffè San Marco G1

23  Caffè Tommaseo D2

24  La Bomboniera F2

25  Pirona G3

26 SalumareC3

Drinking

27  Buffet Al Spaceto B4

28  Caffè Torinese E2

29  Chocolat C3

30  Grip Wunderbar E4

31  Osteria da Marino D3

Entertainment

32 Teatro VerdiD2

Piazza dell’Unità d’Italia PIAZZA

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This vast public domain – said to be the biggest square opening onto a waterfront in Italy – is an elegant triumph of Austro-Hungarian town planning and contemporary civil pride. Pristine but perpetually peopled, it’s not only a place for a drink or a chat, but also for a quiet moment staring out at ships on the horizon.

Borgo Teresiano NEIGHBOURHOOD

Much of the graceful city-centre area north of Corso Italia dates to the 18th-century reign of Empress Maria Theresa, including the photogenic Canal Grande . Reflecting centuries of religious tolerance, it’s here you’ll also find the mosaic-laden Serbian Orthodox Chiesa di Santo Spiridione Offline map Google map (1868) juxtaposed with the neoclassical Catholic Chiesa di Sant’Antonio Taumaturgo Offline map Google map (1842). On the Via Roma bridge stands a life-sized statue of James Joyce Offline map (Piazza Hortis is home to a similar bronze of Offline map Italo Svevo ).

Castello di San Giusto MUSEUM

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( 040 30 93 62; Piazza della Cattedrale 3; adult/reduced €4/3; summer 9am-7pm, winter to 1pm) Once a Roman fort, this sturdy 15th-century castle was begun by Frederick of Habsburg and finished off by blow-in Venetians. The city museum is housed here, with temporary exhibitions and a well-stocked armoury. Wander around the walls for magnificent views.

Basilica di San Giusto CHURCH

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( 8am-5pm) Completed in 1400, this Ravennan-Byzantine hybrid is the synthesis of two earlier palaeo-Christian basilicas. The interior contains 13th-century frescoes and wonderfully preserved 12th- and 13th-century mosaics, including one of St Justus, the town’s patron saint.

Synagogue SYNAGOGUE

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( 040 672 67 36; www.triestebraica.it; Via San Francesco d’Assisi 19; admission €3.50; guided tours 10am, 11am & noon Sun) Testament to the strength of Trieste’s Jewish community is this imposing and richly decorated neo-classical synagogue, built in 1912. Heavily damaged during WWII, it has been meticulously restored and remains one of the most important synagogues in Italy.

Roman Trieste HISTORICAL SITE

Behind Piazza dell’Unità d’Italia rise remains of the Roman theatre Offline map (Via del Teatro Romano) , built between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, but only uncovered in 1938. The Arco di Riccardo Offline map Google map (Via del Trionfo) is an earlier Roman remnant, one of the old town gateways, dating from 33 BC; it’s named for the English King Richard, who was supposed to have passed through en route from the Crusades.

Museo Revoltella MUSEUM

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( 040 675 43 50; www.museorevoltella.it; Via Diaz 27; adult/reduced €6.50/4.50; 10am-7pm Wed-Mon) This city museum was founded in 1872 and now spills into two neighbouring buildings. Baron Revoltella’s original mid-19th-century house throbs with conspicuous consumption; his cup runneth over with chandeliers, ornate gilded plasterwork and flamboyant silk wallpaper. The modern Palazzo Brunner has an interesting collection of 19th- and 20th-century works by Triestine artists, including some arresting early-20th-century portraiture and busts. There’s also a pretty rooftop cafe and good bookshop.

Civico Museo Sartorio MUSEUM

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( 040 30 14 79; Largo Papa Giovanni XXIII 1; adult/child €5/3; 9am-1pm Tue-Sun) Another significant city villa, stuffed with art, applied arts and jewellery, and featuring beautiful ceiling frescoes, some dating to the late 18th century, and a basement Roman mosaic. Don’t miss the room of superb Tiepolo drawings , virtuosic and intimate in turns.

Civico Museo di Storia ed Arte ed Orto Lapidario MUSEUM

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(History & Art Museum & Stone Garden; 040 31 05 00; Piazza della Cattedrale 1; adult/reduced €4/3; 9am-1pm Tue-Sun) This creaky old museum houses Roman antiquities unearthed in and around Trieste and Aquileia, including the impressive iron horde of the Necropolis of Reka from the Slovenian border. The Orto Lapidario (Stone Garden) has a potluck assembly of weather-resistant stone finds scattered among flowers and fruit trees.

THE DUBLINER

‘Think you’re escaping and run into yourself. Longest way round is the shortest way home.’

James Joyce , Ulysses

Stifled by the gloom and obligations of Dublin, James Joyce escaped to Trieste in 1905 with a contract to teach English at the local Berlitz language school. Along with lover (and soon wife) Nora Barnacle, the precocious but still unpublished 22-year-old arrived in a city that epitomised the twilight years of the Austro-Hungarian empire.

Trieste was a booming, brilliantly cosmopolitan place, with a polyglot creative class and no shortage of dissolute aristocrats. The gregarious Irishman wasted no time getting involved in this fertile scene and quickly picked up the floral Triestini dialect. In between his teaching commitments, various failed business ventures, family life and all-night benders, he slowly set about drafting the text of his first two ground-breaking novels, Dubliners and Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man . Perennially poor, he spent the bulk of his writing hours in the city’s fin de siècle cafes, Trieste life all about him.

The Joyces remained in the city until 1915, when the outbreak of WWI forced them to relocate to neutral Zurich. Joyce returned after the war, but he was unimpressed by the brash new order and quickly made tracks for Paris. Ulysses may have been given form in the City of Light, but its genesis was undoubtedly in the multilingual melting pot that was pre-WWI Trieste.

Museo Joyce & Svevo MUSEUM

( 040 359 36 06; 2nd fl, Via Madonna del Mare 13; admission free; 9am-1pm Mon-Sat, also 3-7pm Thu) Joyce would enjoy the irony: his museum really belongs to friend and fellow literary great, Italo Svevo, housing a significant collection of the Triestini’s documents, photos and other memorabilia. Joyce is dealt with ephemerally, with a wall map of his haunts and homes, an English-language film and a Bloomsday bash in June (Svevo’s birthday is also celebrated, on December 19).

No 2 Tram TRAM

(departs from Piazza Oberdan; hourly/daily €1.10/3.60 Trieste Trasporti tickets are valid; departures half-hourly 7am-8pm) For wonderful sea and city views, jump on the vintage Villa Opicina tram. It’s a regular tram for most of the 5km journey, but a funicular section tackles the steep gradient as it heads up into the Carso. It’s a short but significant trip; Villa Opicina was once almost entirely Slovenian-speaking and today retains a decidedly un-Italian feel. Before you descend, visit Saint Honore (Via di Prosecco 2) for its carsolina, a walnut-and-almond cake, or a stash of little chocolate trams.

Museo della Comunità Ebraica Carlo e Vera Wagner MUSEUM

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( 040 63 38 19; Via del Monte 5; adult/reduced €5/3; 4-7pm Tue, 10am-1pm & 4-7pm Wed, Thu & Sun) Small, highly prized collection of liturgical items, textiles, documents and photographs, including a touching number of personal items stolen by Nazi troops in 1945.

Civico Museo Teatrale Carlo Schmidl MUSEUM

Offline map ( 040 675 40 72; Via Rossini 4; adult/child €3.50/2.50; 9am-7pm Tue-Sun) Trieste’s long-standing cultural cred is documented in the grand Palazzo Gopcevich, with a collection that traces the city’s rich musical and theatrical heritage from the 18th century onwards.

RISIERA DI SAN SABBA

This former rice-husking plant became Italy’s only extermination camp in 1943 and has been a national monument and museum ( 040 82 62 02; Via Palatucci 5; admission free; 9am-7pm) since the 1960s.

The site commemorates the 5000 people who perished here and the many thousands more that passed through on the way to Nazi forced labour and death camps. These included a great many of the city’s Jewish population along with Triestine and Slovenian Resistance fighters.

Although the death cells remain, most of the camp’s horrific wartime structures were destroyed by the retreating German forces in 1945. The monument solemnly traces their outlines in metal and stone, their absence creating areas of reflection. A collection of prisoners’ photographs, letters and other artefacts are deeply personal and vividly alive.

Take bus 8 from the train station, or bus 10 from stops along the Riva; from the last bus stop walk past the stadium, turning left into Via Palatucci.

Activities

Any hint of sun will see the Triestini flock to the concrete platforms along the waterfront Viale Miramare (a lot more pleasant than it sounds). For sun-worshipping closer to town, and a dip, head to Bagno Marino Lanterna ( 040 30 59 22; Molo Fratelli Bandiera 3; adult €1; 7.30am-7.30pm May-Sep) , tucked away behind the city’s disused 19th-century lighthouse. It’s a living piece of Austro-Hungarian history, its pebbly beach still genteelly gender-segregated.

Sleeping

Trieste’s mid- to high-end places often slash rates on weekends and can be astonishingly good value, especially compared with other Italian cities.

L’Albero Nascosto HOTEL €€

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( 040 30 01 88; www.alberonascosto.it; Via Felice Venezian 18; s €70, d €100-125; ) A friendly little hotel hidden smack in the middle of the old town, Nascosto exemplifies Trieste’s discreet, no-fuss style. Rooms are generously sized and decorated with a vintage piece or two; all except the single have a small kitchen. Breakfasts are similarly simple but thoughtful, with local cheese, top-quality preserves and Illy coffee on tap.

Hotel Savoia Excelsior Palace LUXURY HOTEL €€

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( 040 7 79 41; savoiaexcelsiorpalace.starhotels.com; Riva del Mandracchio 4; d €130-200; ) This glamorous ‘newcomer’ to Trieste’s hotel scene, a classic but contemporary (and ever so slightly camp) refit of the great-boned Habsburg-era Grand Hotel, is giving the Duchi a run for its money. Grand it still is, with over 100 light-filled luxurious rooms, first-rate public areas, superb service, sea views and (for the moment at least) unbeatable prices.

Hotel Victoria HOTEL €€

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( 040 36 24 15; www.hotelvictoriatrieste.com; Via Oriani 2; d €100-150; ) This is a far-from-bland business-oriented place: there’s a crisp Upper East Side aesthetic in the rooms, a guest-only sauna and Turkish bath, and a reading room. James Joyce was once a resident and there are small homages to him throughout the hotel, including a dedicated suite and contemporary art works.

Residence Sara APARTMENT €

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( 327 4475405; www.residencesara.it; Via dei Capitelli 4; s/d/tr/q €50/70/90/100; ) Spread over two quiet but super-central old-town buildings, these apartments are comfortable and great value, with new, if basic, furniture, as well as washing machines, dishwashers and full-sized fridges in the larger ones.

Hotel Miramare HOTEL €€

( 040 224 70 85; www.hotelmiramaretrieste.it; Viale Miramare 325/1; d €120-140; ) sea views from all rooms, simple beachy design and a well-priced but stylish – love the Cassina leather chairs – restaurant and summery bar.

Grand Hotel Duchi d’Aosta LUXURY HOTEL €€€

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( 040 760 00 11; www.grandhotelduchidaosta.com; Piazza dell’Unità d’Italia 2; €140-259; ) There’s been a hotel of sorts on this prime site since Roman times and the ‘Duchi’ remains Trieste’s grand dame. Public spaces are hushed and intimate, and the rooms are opulently traditional – the way repeat visitors like them. The bathrooms might be a tad frumpy for some five-star tastes, but the moody basement swimming pool is a good trade-off (the modern Vis a Vis wing is also worth considering).

Ostello Tergeste HOSTEL €

( 040 22 41 02; www.ostello-trieste.191.it; Viale Miramare 331; dm/d €16/22; reception 7am-noon & 3.30-11.30pm; ) This HI hostel is 7km northwest of town along the waterfront from Castello di Miramare. The views from the dorm rooms and the terrace bar are fabulous (and almost make up for the care-worn fittings and noncommittal staff). There’s doubles and quads with ensuites as well. From town take bus 36, or, at night, bus 6.

Eating

Trieste’s long years as one of Europe’s busiest ports, along with its Austrian and Slavic ties, are nowhere clearer than in the kitchen. Seafood is fantastic, with dishes often reminiscent of those in Venice, but the real Trieste memories will come from the jota (bean-and-cabbage soup) and boiled meat and kren (horseradish), the putizza (a nut-filled brioche) and excellently made Illy coffee.

BUFFET BOUNTY

While you’ll be sure to eat well, perhaps extremely well, at a Triestine buffet, banish any thought of all-you-can-eat meal deals. These rowdy bar-restaurants are yet another legacy of the city’s Austro-Hungarian past; if Trieste’s bakeries conjure up Vienna, its buffets are Budapest all over. Usually all-day, and night, affairs, small snacks – cod or zucchini fritters, topped toasts and panini – are available from early morning and gobbled over lunch or at aperitivo time. But no one comes just for zucchini. While beef brisket is a standard, pork – baked, boiled, cured, stuffed into a sausage or fried – is the star attraction. Fresh grated kren (horseradish), capuzi (sauerkraut) and patate in tecia (mashed potatoes) are traditional accompaniments.

Salumare SEAFOOD €

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(www.salumare.it; Via Cavana 13a; meals €18-22; 10.30am-2pm & 5.30-9pm Tue-Sat) This is a bright, buzzing reinvention of the Triestine buffet, featuring fish and seafood. Order at the bar from a menu of small dishes: white polenta and baccalá mantecato (salt-cod purée), prawn ceviche, smoked eel and green apple tartines. Wash it down with a Friulian or Veneto wine, or the signature Bellini, made with white peach purée. There’s plenty of reasons to linger, starting with the huge library of cookbooks and restaurant guides, and a daily delivery of international newspapers.

Al Bagotto SEAFOOD €€€

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( 040 30 17 71; www.albagatto.it: Via Cadorna 7; degustations from €50; dinner Mon-Sat) This old-timer, with its dark, brooding dining room, could be stuffy, but it’s far from it, with young, engaging staff and fresh bold flavours on the plate. The seafood degustazione – fritto misto (fried seafood) and something involving squid ink will invariably play a part – is daunting but delicious, or order like the suited regulars: the freshest of fish by the etto (100g), weighed and filleted at the table.

Buffet da Siora Rosa BUFFET €€

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( 040 30 14 60; Piazza Hortis 3; meals €25-28; Mon-Fri) Opened before WWII by Mrs Rosa Caltaruzza – a portrait of whom still graces the wall – the family-run Siora Rosa is still one of the most traditional of Trieste’s buffets, set in a wonderfully retro room. Sample sausages, sauerkraut and other Germanic and Hungarian offerings, or go for the ravioli or dumplings.

Buffet Da Pepi BUFFET €

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(Via Cassa di Risparmio 3; meals €15-20; Mon-Sat) Da Pepi has been concocting traditional boiled meats, cold cuts and beer since – oh – 1897. Come for the pork joints, served up with the house sauerkraut.

Buffet Rudy BUFFET €

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(Via Valdirivo 32; meals €18-22; 10am-midnight Mon-Sat) The counter here is a site of porcine carnage: legs, necks, bellies, tongues and testicles, all awaiting a slap of relish from the huge ceramic jars of mustard, or a grate of kren .

Pirona PASTRIES & CAKES €

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(Largo Barriera Vecchia 12; Tue-Sat) This jewel-box pastry shop and cafe was once one of Joyce’s favourites. Its nutty, spicy, boozy Triestine speciality cakes putizza and presnitz are particularly good.

La Bomboniera PASTRIES & CAKES €

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(Via XXX Ottobre 3a; closed Sun afternoon & Mon) Viennese-style macaroons and Sachertorte share historic counter space here with the famed fave dei morti sweets – broadbean-shaped marzipan.

Gelateria Zampolli GELATERIA €

(Via Carlo Ghega 10; 9.30am-midnight Thu-Tue) Be prepared for the crowds if you want to sample the city’s best gelati: the Sachertorte flavour is a must, and its mousse-style range can’t be beaten.

BITTER SWEET

Trieste’s cafes have never been gulp-and-run affairs. While these grand palaces evoke times past, they’re still a thriving, and deeply satisfying, part of daily city life.

Caffè Tommaseo Offline map ( 040 36 26 66; www.caffetommaseo.com; Riva III Novembre; meals €22; 8am-12.30am) Virtually unchanged since its 1830 opening, the richly moulded ceilings, primrose-yellow wall and Viennese mirrors here couldn’t be any more evocative. Take coffee at the bar, but return for a schnitzel and a chance to linger among the ghosts.

Caffè Torinese Offline map (Largo della Barriera Vecchia 12; Tue-Sun) The most central and, dare we say, friendliest of the historic bunch, this is an exquisite little room that’s just as nice for wine as a morning capo un’ b (macchiato in a glass).

Caffè San Marco Offline map Google map (Via Battisti 18; Tue-Sun) Opening just before WWI, this melancholy giant is spectacularly decorated with odd mask paintings, dark chocolate-coloured walls and miles of marble tables.

Drinking

Cafes, bars and buffets blur in Trieste, as does what constitutes aperitivo . Evenings out are a refined, relaxed mix of young and old, though early-evening drinks often stretch well into the night with the help of hearty buffet snacks. Via San Nicolo’s bars cater to a smart after-work set, while the old town’s cluster of bars are of a more boho bent. In summer, there’s come-and-go outdoor places along the Viale Miramare.

COFFEE, TRIESTE-STYLE

This capital has its own, often confounding, naming conventions. For an espresso ask for un nero, for a cappuccino, order a caffe latte, for a macchiato order a capo – a cappuccino – and, for either in a glass, specify ‘ un b ’ – the ‘b’ short for bicchiere, a glass.

Chocolat CAFE

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(Via Cavana 15b; Tue-Sat) This lovely cafe and chocolate shop makes everything in-house, including the hot chocolate slowly simmering in a great pot behind the counter and, in summer, gelato. Bonus: there’s no surcharge for sitting at the big communal table on the square.

Osteria da Marino WINE BAR

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(Via della Ponte 5; from 12.30pm Mon-Fri, from 6pm Sat & Sun) They know their wine at this bottle- and barrel-lined place. If you can’t make it to the Carso, get the owner to ply you with indigenous grape varieties (its Vitovska selection is encyclopedic). Or just settle in with a Franciacorte sparkling or a Tuscan red and wait for the little meatballs or tomato and pecorino (sheep’s-milk cheese) toasts to appear.

Grip Wunderbar BAR

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(Via San Giusto 22; 7pm-2am Wed-Thu, 7pm-3am Fri & Sat) Booths, beer on tap and vinyl! Yes, Trieste goes indie at this great little corner bar beneath Castello di San Giusto.

Buffet Al Spaceto BUFFET

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(Via Belpoggio 3a; snacks €1.80-3; 8am-8.30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-2pm Sat) An eccentric and convivial grab bag of locals gathers here for glasses of local wine and a few rounds of what’s on offer in the snack counter.

Entertainment

Teatro Verdi OPERA HOUSE

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( 040 672 21 11; www.teatroverdi-trieste.com; Riva III Novembre 1) Trieste’s opera house is a little bit Scala and a little bit Fenice (thanks to a pair of duelling architects), but wears the mix well. Don’t miss a chance to see a performance here; the Triestini are passionate opera lovers and make a great audience.

Etnoblog LIVE MUSIC

(www.etnoblog.org; Riva Traiana 1) Check the website for this portside warehouse’s calendar of upcoming bands, sometimes international, and not-to-be-sniffed-at DJ sets.

Tours

The tourist office offers two-hour walking tours ( 10.30am daily Apr-Oct, 10.30am Sat Nov-Mar; €5/free with FVG card; bookings advised) of the city, themed seasonally.

Information

Hospital ( 040 399 11 11; Piazza dell’Ospedale 2)

Police station ( 040 379 01 11; Via Tor Bandena 6)

Tourist office ( 040 347 83 12; Via dell’Orologio 1; 9.30am-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun)

Getting There & Away

Air

Friuli Venezia Giulia airport (www.aeroporto.fvg.it; Via Aquileia 46) , aka Ronchi dei Legionari or Trieste Regional Airport, is 33km northwest of Trieste, near Monfalcone. There are direct daily flights to and from Rome, London, Munich and Frankfurt, and less-frequent services for Belgrade and Tirana. Venice’s Marco Polo airport is around two hours away.

Boat

Ferries use the Stazione Marittima (ferry terminal; Molo dei Bersaglieri 3) in town. Agemar ( 040 36 37 37; Nuova Stazione Marittima – Molo IV) sells tickets for the twice-weekly car ferry to and from Durres in Albania (deck seat one way low/high season €65/80).

From mid-June to late September there are motor-boat services to and from Grado, Lignano and points along the Istrian coast in Slovenia and Croatia; check with the tourist office for the most current seasonal operator.

Bus

National and international services operate from the bus station ( 040 42 50 20; Via Fabio Severo 24) . Runs include to Udine (€5.70, 1¼ hours, at least hourly) and destinations in Slovenia and Croatia such as Ljubljana (€10, 2¾ hours, once daily Monday to Saturday), Zagreb (€15, five hours, once daily Monday to Saturday) and Dubrovnik (€61.50, 15 hours, once daily). Bus services to Belgrade in Serbia (€55, 10 hours, two days a week) and Sofia in Bulgaria (€54, 16½ hours, daily) are operated by Florentia Bus ( 040 42 50 20; www.florentiabus.it) .

Train

The train station (Piazza della Libertà 8) serves Gorizia (€3.90, 50 minutes, hourly), Udine (€7.25, one to 1½ hours, at least hourly), Venice (€9.40 to €14.85, two hours, at least hourly) and Rome (€85.70, 6½ to 7½ hours; most require a change at Mestre).

Getting Around

Boat

Shuttle boats operated by Trieste Trasporti ( 800 016675; www.triestetrasporti.it, in Italian) link the Stazione Marittima with Muggia year-round (one way/return €3.50/6.50, 30 minutes, six to 10 times daily). Check for other seasonal services with the tourist office.

Bus

Bus 30 connects the train station with Via Roma and the waterfront; bus 24 runs from the station to Castello di San Giusto; bus 36 links Trieste bus station with Miramare. A one-hour ticket costs €1.10, an all-day ticket €3.60.

Bus 51 runs to the airport approximately every 30 minutes between 4.30am and 10.35pm from Trieste bus station (€5, one hour). Buses are operated by the Gorizia-based APT (Azienda Provinciale Trasporti Gorizia; 800 955957; www.aptgorizia.it, in Italian) .

Taxi

040 30 77 30; www.radiotaxitrieste.it;€3 flag fall, €2 surcharge between 10pm and 6am.

Around Trieste

MUGGIA

POP 13,410

The fishing village of Muggia, five kilometres south of Trieste, is the only Italian settlement on the historic Istrian peninsula. Slovenia is just 4km south and Croatia (the peninsula’s main occupant) a score more. With its 14th-century castle and semi-ruined walls, the port has a Venetian feel and its steep hills make for lovely views back towards Trieste.

Locals gather over jugs of wine and groaning platters of deer or boar salami at Pane, Vine e San Daniele (Piazza Marconi 5; 8am-2pm & 8pm-2am Mon-Sat) on the main square behind the port, or there are a number of seafood restaurants along the waterfront. Boats sail between Muggia and Trieste.

CASTELLO DI MIRAMARE

Sitting on a rocky outcrop 7km from the city, Castello di Miramare ( 040 22 41 43; www.castello-miramare.it; adult/reduced €6/4; 9am-6:30pm) is Trieste’s elegiac bookend, the fanciful neo-Gothic home of the hapless Archduke Maximilian of Austria.

Maximilian came to Trieste in the 1850s as the commander-in-chief of Austria’s imperial navy, an ambitious young aristocrat known for his liberal ideas. After chancing upon Miramare’s site while sailing, he decided to build a home there. In 1864, while work was still in progress, Maximilian was talked into taking up the obsolete crown of Mexico, a reactionary folly that was to end badly. When Benito Juárez re-established republican rule in 1867, Maximilian was shot by a firing squad. His wife, Princess Charlotte of Belgium, was so stricken with grief that she spent the rest of her life believing Maximilian was still alive, and only briefly returned to Miramare.

The house has remained essentially as the couple left it, a reflection of Maximilian’s eccentric wanderlust along with the obsessions of the imperial age. A bedroom is modelled to look like a frigate’s cabin, there’s ornate orientalist salons and a red-lined throne room.

Upstairs, a suite of rooms used by the Anglophile military hero Duke Amadeo of Aosta in the 1930s is also intact; it’s interestingly furnished in the Italian rationalist style. Amadeo was to be as ill-fated as Maximilian: appointed viceroy of Ethiopia in 1937, he died five years later in a British POW camp in Kenya.

Maximilian was a keen botanist and the castle is set in 22 hectares of gardens ( 8am-7pm Apr-Sep, shorter hr rest of year) , which burst with the colour and scent of rare and exotic trees.

IL CARSO

If Trieste is known for its cultural idiosyncrasy, its hinterland is also fittingly distinct. Dramatically shoehorned between Slovenia and the Adriatic, the Carso ( Karst in German, kras in Slovenian) is a windswept calcareous tableland riddled with caves and sinkholes. This wild landscape has long inspired myths, legends and those of a romantic inclination, while its geology has lent its name – karst – to terrain around the world characterised by soluble limestone or dolomite rock. It’s a compelling place to visit in any season but is particularly pretty in spring, when the grey-green hills are speckled with blossom, or in autumn, when the vines and ruje – smoke trees – turn crimson and rust, and rural villages sell their wares at osmize (roadside shacks) .

Sights

Grotta Gigante CAVE

( 040 32 73 12; www.grottagigante.it; adult/reduced/child €11/9/8; 50min guided tours half-hourly 10am-6pm daily summer, 10-6pm Tue-Sat Apr & Sep, hourly 10am-4pm Oct-Mar) The area’s big-ticket attraction is the near Villa Opicina, 5km northeast of Trieste. At 120m high, 280m long and 65m wide, it’s one of the largest and most spectacular caves that’s accessible on the continent. It’s easily reached from Trieste by tram 2 or bus 42.

Casa Carsica MUSEUM

( 040 32 71 24; Rupingrande 31; 10-11.30am & 3-7pm Sun Apr-Nov) This house museum in Rupingrande recreates a pre-modern Slovenian-speaking Carso. It also organises the plateau’s most important folk festival, Nozze Carsiche ( Kraška ohcet; Karstic Wedding), held every two years for four days at the end of August in a 16th-century fortress in Monrupino.

Castello di Duino CASTLE

( 040 20 81 20; www.castellodiduino.it; adult/reduced €7/5; 9.30am-5.30pm Wed-Mon Apr-Sep, reduced hours Mar & Oct-Nov) Fourteen kilometres northwest along the coast from Miramare stands this 14th- and 15th-century bastion tumbling picturesquely down the cliff and surrounded by a verdant garden. The Czech poet Rainer Maria Rilke was a guest here from 1911, a melancholy windswept, winter stay which produced the Duino Elegies . To get here, take bus 41 from Piazza Oberdan (in Trieste).

POP-UP WINE SHOPS

Osmize pre-date the trendy retail pop-up phenomena by a few centuries, care of an 18th-century Austrian law that gave Carso farmers the right to sell surplus from their barns or cellars once a year (the term osmiza comes from the Slovenian word for eight, the number of days of the original licence). It’s mainly vineyards who hold osmiza today, though farm cheeses and cured meats are always on offer too. While the Carso is known for its gutsy, innovative winemakers, osmize traditions still hold sway. Don’t try asking for a list: finding an osmiza is part of the fun. Look first, along Carso roads, for the red arrows. Then look up, to gates or lintels bearing a frasca – a leafy branch hung ceremoniously upside down announcing that the osmiza is open for business. Don’t forgo the chance to try the Carso’s native wines, the complex, often cloudy, sometimes fierce, white Vitovska and Terrano, or Teran, a berry-scented red. Zidarich wines ( 040 20 12 23; www.zidarich.it; Prepotto 23, Duino Aurisina) does, in fact, announce its osmiza dates, usually November and April, on its website, and cellar visits can be arranged at other times.

Gorizia

POP 35,980 / ELEV 86M

To view its serene modern incarnation, you’d never guess the turmoil of Gorizia’s past. An often contested border zone throughout much of its history and the scene of some of the most bitter fighting of WWI’s eastern front, it was, most recently, an Iron Curtain checkpoint. The town’s name is unmistakably Slovenian in origin and before the outbreak of WWI it was not uncommon to hear conversations in several different languages – German, Slovenian, Friulian, Italian and Venetian – in the main square.

Gorizia’s appeal today lies in its aristocratic ambience, its unique Friulian-Slovenian cooking and its easy access to surrounding countryside, famed for its winemakers and country restaurants.

Sights

Borgo Castello MUSEUM

( 0481 53 51 46; Borgo Castello 36; adult/child €3/free, exhibitions €4-9/free; 9.30am-1pm & 3-7.30pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct, 9.30am-6pm Tue-Sun Nov-Mar) Gorizia’s main sight is its castello (castle) perched atop a knoll-like hill. It has some convincing recreations and a fine wood-panelled great hall. Beneath the main fortress huddle two oddly paired museums. The tragic and often gory history of the WWI Italian-Austrian front is explored at the Museo della Grande Guerra ( 0481 53 39 26; Borgo Castello 13-15; adult/child €3.50/free; 9am-7pm Tue-Sun) including a to-scale recreation of a local trench. Then there’s fashion: 19th-and early-20th-century finery at the Museo della Moda e delle Arti Applicate ( 0481 53 39 26; Borgo Castello 13-15; admission with Museo della Grande Guerra ticket; 9am-7pm Tue-Sun) .

Piazza Transalpina HISTORICAL SITE

One for cold war kids. The Slovenian border – a mere formality since December 2007 – bisects the edge of Gorizia, and you can celebrate Schengen with a bit of border hopscotch at this piazza’s centre, while pondering the now crumbling fences, border posts and watchtowers.

Palazzo Coronini Cronberg PALAZZO

( 0481 53 34 85; www.coronini.it; Viale XX Settembre 14; adult/reduced €5/3; 10am-1pm & 2-7pm Tue-Sun) This 16th-century residence is jammed with antiquities and is surrounded by lush gardens, which are free to visit on their own.

Chiesa di Sant’Ignazio CHURCH

(Piazza della Vittoria; 8am-noon & 3-7pm) Constructed from 1654 to 1724, the onion-shaped domes of this high-baroque church watch over Gorizia’s old town square.

Sleeping & Eating

Cafes and bars can be found on Corso Italia and Via Terza Armata, while the old-town streets below the castle and around the covered food market (Via Verdi 30) are the best places to find casual restaurants.

Palazzo Lantieri B&B €€

( 0481 53 32 84; www.palazzo-lantieri.com; Piazza Sant’Antonio 6; s/d €80/140, apt €200-220; ) This palazzo stay offers light, spacious antiques-strewn rooms in the main house or self-catering apartments in former farm buildings, all overlooking a glorious Persian-styled garden. Goethe, Kant and Empress Maria Theresa were repeat guests back in the day, but the charming Lantieri family are far from stuck in the past. Their contemporary art commissions mean there’s a Michelangelo Pistoletto on the ceiling and a Jannis Kounellis in the attic. Nonguests can arrange guided tours.

Grand Hotel Entourage HOTEL €€€

( 0481 55 02 35; www.entouragegorizia.com; Piazza Sant’Antonio 2; s/d €105/200; ) Well-mannered traditional hotel that’s every inch the Mitteleuropean, with sunny yellow walls, Biedermeier-style furniture and oak floors. The hotel’s Michelin-starred Avenanti (dinner Tue-Sat, lunch Sun) is the town’s best restaurant.

Flumen B&B B&B €

( 0481 39 18 77; www.bbflumen.it; Via Brigata Cuneo 20; s €35-50, d €60-95; ) Solid, simple and cosy, this quintessentially Friulian riverside house has three pleasant, spacious rooms with modern bathrooms. It’s a little out of the centre but makes a good base if you’re driving.

Majda GORIZIAN €€

( 0481 3 08 71; Via Duca D’Aosta 71; meals €20-30; Mon-Sat) With a courtyard bar, friendly staff and enthusiastic decor, Majda is a happy place to sample local specialities such as ravioli with beetroot and local herbs or Slovenian-style with potato; wild boar on polenta; and interesting sides like steamed wild dandelion.

Pasticeria Centrale PASTRIES & CAKES

(Via Garibaldi 4a; 7.30am-7.30pm Mon-Sun) No visit to Gorizia would be complete without tasting the town’s signature pastry, gubana, a fat snail of shortcrust filled with nuts, sultanas and spices.

RUSTIC TABLES

Friulian food is essentially rural food. Its bold flavours and earthy ingredients make the most of the seasons and of traditional miseria (poverty) techniques, even when it’s taken way upmarket.

La Frasca ( 0432 67 51 50; Viale Grado, Lauzacco, Pavia di Udine; meals €24-40; closed Wed) The frasca tradition is similar to that of the osmize, a rustic place serving salumi (cured meats), prosciutto and wine. Scarbolo vineyard’s smart dining room has retained the frasca experience with its own artisan cured meats and, naturally, wines at the heart of the menu.

La Subida ( 0481 6 05 31; www.lasubida.it; Località Monte, Cormons; meals €30-50; lunch & dinner Sat & Sun, dinner Mon, Thu, Fri) A famous family-run inn, with border-crossing dishes and ingredients – rabbit, boar, flowers and berries – that bring the landscape to the plate.

Terre e Vini ( 0481 6 00 28; www.terraevini.it; meals €28-55; Via XXIV Maggio, Brazzano di Cormons; dinner Tue-Sat, lunch Tue-Sun) The Felluga family are Friulian wine royalty (their wines are often the first Friulians that non-Italians discover) and their 19th-century osteria looks out over the plantings. Feast on tripe on Thursdays, salt cod on Fridays and Gorizia asparagus, goose stew or herbed frittata any day of the week.

Information

Tourist office ( 0481 53 57 64; Corso Italia 9; 9.30am-6.30pm)

Getting There & Away

The train station (Piazzale Martiri Libertà d’Italia) , 2km southwest of the centre, has regular connections to and from Udine (€3.30, 25 to 40 minutes, at least hourly) and Trieste (€3.90, 50 minutes, hourly). APT ( 800 955957; www.aptgorizia.it, in Italian) runs buses from the train station across to Slovenia’s Nova Gorica bus station (€1, 25 minutes).

Palmanova

POP 5340

Shaped like a nine-pointed star – although you’d need an aeroplane to check – Palmanova is a defensively designed town-within-a-fortress built by the Venetians in 1593. Once common throughout Europe, these urban monoliths were known as ‘star forts’ or trace italienne . So impregnable were the town’s defences that Napoleon used and extended them in the late 1700s, as did the Austrians during WWI. To this day the Italian army maintains a garrison here.

From hexagonal Piazza Grande, at the star’s centre, six roads radiate through the old town to the defensive walls. An inviting grassy path connects the bastions and three main porte (gates): Udine, Cividale and Aquileia. Weaponry from the Venetian and Napoleonic eras stars at the Civico Museo Storico ( 0432 92 91 06; Borgo Udine 4; adult/reduced €3/2; 9.30am-12.30pm Thu-Tue) , inside Palazzo Trevisan . The museum also acts as a tourist office ( 0432 92 48 15) ; ask for information on secret-tunnel tours.

The Museo Storico Militare ( 0432 92 35 35; Borgo Cividale Dongione di Porta Cividale; admission free; 9am-noon & 2-4pm Mon-Thu, 9am-noon Fri & Sat) is inside hulking Porta Cividale. The military museum traces the history of troops stationed in Palmanova from 1593 to WWII.

Cafes stud central Piazza Grande , or head to Le Zagare (Borgo Udine 21; Mon-Sat) for blackboard wines, great stuzzichini (snacks), salads and a spot of postprandial Friulian song.

Regular buses link Palmanova with Udine (€2.20, 25 to 30 minutes) and Aquileia (€2.20, 30 to 40 minutes), leaving from Via Rota, just inside the walls.

Aquileia

POP 3519

Friuli, peripheral? Not 2000 years ago. Colonised in 181 BC, Aquileia was once one of the largest and richest cities of the Roman Empire, at times second only to Rome, with a population of at least 100,000 at its peak. After the city was levelled by Attila’s Huns in AD 452, its inhabitants fled south and west where they founded Grado and then Venice. A smaller town rose in Aquileia’s place in the early Middle Ages with the construction of the present basilica, though it still went on to become the largest Christian diocese in Europe. Conferred with a Unesco World Heritage listing in 1998, this charmingly rural town/living museum still guards one of the most complete, unexcavated Roman sites in Europe.

Sights

Basilica CHURCH

(Piazza Capitolo; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat, 10-11.15am Sun) The entire floor of the Latin cross-shaped basilica, rebuilt after an earthquake in 1348, is covered with one of the largest and most spectacular Roman-era mosaics in the world. The 760-sq-metre floor of the basilica’s 4th-century predecessor is protected by glass walkways, allowing visitors to wander above the long-hidden tile work, which includes astonishingly vivid episodes from the story of Jonah and the whale, the Good Shepherd, exacting depictions of various lagoon wildlife, and portraits of, presumably, the wealthy Roman patrons and their quotidian business interests.

Treasures also fill the basilica’s two crypts (adult/reduced €3/2.50) . The 9th-century Cripta degli Affreschi (Crypt of Frescoes) is adorned with faded 12th-century frescoes depicting the trials and tribulations of saints, while the Cripta degli Scavi (Excavations Crypt) reveals more mosaic floors in varying states of preservation. Some images were destroyed or badly damaged by the erection of the basilica’s 73m-high bell tower (adult €1.20; 9.30am-1.30pm & 3.30-6.30pm) , built in 1030 with stones from the Roman amphitheatre.

Roman Ruins RUINS

Scattered remnants of the Roman town include extensive ruins of the Porto Fluviale (River Port; Via Sacra; 8.30am-1hr before sunset) , the old port, which once linked the settlement to the sea. It’s also possible to wander among the partially restored remains of houses, roads and the standing columns of the ancient Forum on Via Giulia Augusta.

Guided tours of the extraordinary Roman sights are organised by the tourist office ( 0431 91 94 91; 9am-1pm & 2-6pm, 9am-7pm summer) ; otherwise, wander at will.

Museo Archeologico Nazionale MUSEUM

( 0431 910 16; Via Roma 1; adult/reduced €4/2; 8.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sun) Locally excavated statues, pottery, glassware and jewellery are displayed in this museum, representing one of northern Italy’s most important collections of Roman-era treasures.

Museo Paleocristiano MUSEUM

( 0431 9 11 31; Piazza Pirano; 8.30am-1.45pm Tue-Sun) Part of the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, this muesum houses early- Christian-era mosaics and funerary monuments gathered from the surrounding ruins.

Sleeping & Eating

Ostello Domus Augusta HOSTEL €

( 0431 9 10 24; www.ostelloaquileia.it; Via Roma 25; €20 per person; ) Spotless if rather institutional hostel with two- to six-bed rooms and private bathrooms down the hall. Friendly, relaxed staff are helpful and happy to dole out maps and timetables.

Hotel Restaurant Patriarchi HOTEL €

( 0431 91 95 95; www.hotelpatriarchi.it; Via Giulia Augusta 12; s €44, d €88; ) On the town’s main road and a stone’s throw from the main sights, this is a sizeable place with a well-regarded restaurant and busy bar. Folksy rooms are spacious and some have views of the basilica.

Taberna Marciani Aquileia WINE BAR

(www.tabernamarciani.com; Via Roma 10; daily) The bearded and slightly dishevelled crew holding up the bar at this gently 2nd- century-AD themed place might look, and act, like they are in an a touring band, but they’re more likely to be Austrian archaeologists on a dig. Popular for plates of local meats and cheese (€3 to €4), and good wines by the glass, not to mention late opening hours.

Grado

POP 8614

Another Friulian surprise is the tasteful beach resort of Grado, 14km south of Aquileia, spread along a narrow island backed by lagoons and linked to the mainland by a causeway. Behind the less-than-spectacular beaches you’ll find a maze-like medieval centre, criss-crossed by narrow calli (lanes) and dominated by the Romanesque Basilica di Sant’Eufemia (Campo dei Parriarchi) and the nearby remains of a 4th- to 5th-century church mosaic (Piazza Biagio Marin) . Belle époque mansions, beach huts and thermal baths line the cheerful seafront (the greyish local sand is used in treatments). Grado comes alive from May to September, but is also prime passeggiata (evening stroll) territory on any sunny Sunday.

Small casoni (reed huts) used by fishermen dot the tiny lagoon islands. In summer some can be visited by boat; many of the islands are, however, protected nature reserves and off limits. The tourist office ( 0431 87 71 11; Viale Dante Alighieri 72; 9am-10pm summer) has details.

On the first Sunday in July, a votive procession sails to the Santuario di Barbana , an 8th-century church on a lagoon island. Fishermen have done this since 1237 when the Madonna of Barbana was claimed to have miraculously saved the town from the plague. Boats link the sanctuary with Grado; contact Motoscafisti Gradesi ( 0431 8 01 15; Riva Scaramuzza; daily Apr-Oct, Sun only winter) for specific departures and prices.

Sleeping & Eating

The town has a huge number of hotels and vacation rentals, but rooms are still scarce in summer. The old town’s streets are known for their boisterous wine bars, casual fritterias and seafood restaurants.

Albergo Alla Spiaggia HOTEL €€

( 0431 8 48 41; www.albergoallaspiaggia.it; Via Mazzini 2; s €62-80, d €108/144; Apr-Oct; ) The Spiaggia sports a South Beach meets Santa Monica look, with an original pre-war modernist building and beachy ’60s extension. The fitout is fresh and it’s in a great position wedged between the pedestrian zone, old town and the beach.

Stralonga SEAFOOD €

(Piazza Duca d’Aosta 55; meals €15-18; Thu-Tue) Pizza and seafood shack, Grado-style (yes, you can order polenta by the slice to go with your fish). Plates of crumbed sardines, grilled octopus and excellent pizzas can be eaten inside or out on cheerful wooden benches.

L’Osteria da Sandra WINE BAR

(Camp San Niceta 16; Tue-Sun) Cute hole-in-the-wall bar that attracts a local crew for early-evening spritzers on an old-town corner. Has an excellent chilled white selection for taking away too.

Getting There & Away

Buses run between Grado and Udine (€3.55, 1¼ hours, 12 daily) via Aquileia. Regular SAF buses link Aquileia with Grado (€1.60, 15 minutes), Palmanova (€2.20, 30 minutes, up to eight daily) and Udine (€3, 1¼ hours). There are trains to Venice.

Around Grado

Riserva Naturale Regionale della Valle

Cavanata NATURE RESERVE

( 0431 8 82 72; www.vallecavanata.it, in Italian; 9am-12.30pm Mon, Wed & Fri, 2-6pm Sat, 10am-6pm Sun Apr-Sep, 9am-12.30pm Tue & Thu, 10am-4pm Sun winter) This reserve protects a 1920s fish-farming area and extraordinary birdlife in the east of the lagoon. More than 230 bird species have been observed, including the greylag goose and many wading birds.

Riserva Naturale Regionale Foce

dell’Isonzo NATURE RESERVE

( 0432 99 81 33; www.riservanaturalefoceisonzo.it; Isola della Cona; adult/child €2/1; 9am-5pm Fri-Wed) Further east, the final 15km stretch of the Isonzo river’s journey into the Adriatic flows through the Riserva Naturale Regionale Foce dell’Isonzo, a 23.5-sq-km nature reserve where visitors can birdwatch, horse ride, cycle or walk around salt marshes and mudflats.

Laguna di Marano

At the head of the Adriatic, sandwiched between the beach resorts of Grado and Lignano, Italy succumbs to nature – in particular birdlife – in the Laguna di Marano.

Marano Lagunare , a Roman fishing port that was later fortified, is the only settlement on the lagoon shore. Beyond the workaday docks, peace and quiet is ensured by two nature reserves – the 13.77-sq-km Riserva Naturale della Foci dello Stella , protecting the marshy mouth of the Stella river and reached by boat, and the Riserva Naturale della Valle Canal Novo , a 121-hectare reserve in a former fishing valley. The visitor centre ( 0431 6 75 51; Via delle Valli 2; park admission adult/reduced €3.50/2.50; 9am-5pm Tue-Sun) , in a characteristic reed hut, is shared by the two reserves.

Lignano

Modern Lignano is one of northern Italy’s premier beach destinations, with sweeping stretches of sand set against a backdrop of dark pines in Lignano Pineta and Lignano Riviera , and theme parks and multi-story car parks in brash, but never boring, Lignano Sabbiadoro .

Three camping grounds, including Pino Mare ( 0431 42 44 24; www.campingpinomare.it; Lungomare Riva 15; camping 2 people, car & tent €60) , a tree-shaded cabin village at the mouth of the Tagliamento river, supplement the 100-plus hotels. At the other end of the scale, Mitteleuropean luxe is heaped on at Hotel Greif ( 0431 42 22 61; www.greifhotel.it; Arco del Grecale 25; d €160, full board only from May-Sep d from €300) , with wood-floored rooms, big bathrooms, views, and jaunty guest bicycles.

The tourist office ( 0431 42 21 69; Via dei Pini 53, Lignano Pineta; May-Sep) can help with holiday rentals. Lignano Sabbiadoro is linked by bus to Udine (€5.10, 1½ hours, many daily).

Pordenone & Around

PORDENONE

POP 51,404

Pordenone may not be on anyone’s travel hot list this year, but it’s the kind of place you wouldn’t mind calling home. Pedestrianised Corso Vittorio Emanuele II draws in an elegant curve between Piazza Cavour and the duomo (cathedral). Lined with an almost unbroken chain of covered portici (porches), the historic streetscape buzzes with smart shops and busy cafes – this is a young and social town.

The bare Romanesque-Gothic facade of the Duomo di San Marco (Piazza San Marco; 7.30am-noon & 3-7pm) betrays signs of frequent alteration down the centuries. Inside, among the frescoes and other art works, is the Madonna della misericordia, by the Renaissance master Il Pordenone (1484–1539). In defiance of the other-worldly, the Palazzo del Comune (Town Hall) stands facing away from the duomo . The 13th-century brick structure has three Gothic arches and some extravagant Renaissance additions. Opposite the Palazzo del Comune is the medieval Palazzo Ricchieri , in whose richly decorated upper rooms is the city’s fascinating Museo d’Arte ( 0434 39 23 11; Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 51; adult/child €3/2; 3-7pm Tue-Sat, 10am-1pm & 3-7pm Sun) . Its collection of Friulian and Veneto artists ranges from the 15th to the 18th centuries. The building is in itself a treasure, with timber ceilings and remains of 14th-century frescoes suddenly appearing throughout.

The streetside barrels at Enoteca al Campanile (Vicolo del Campanile; Mon-Sat) make an atmospheric spot for a glass or two, or head to La Vecia Osteria del Moro ( 0431 2 86 58; Via Castello 2; meals €30-40; Mon-Sat) , just off the Corso, a vaulted den offering snacks, grills and Venetian-style baccalá (cod).

Grab detailed maps from the tourist office ( 0434 52 03 81; Piazza XX Settembre 11; 9am-1pm & 2.30-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat) on the way from the train station.

Pordenone is on the Venice–Udine train line. Frequent services run to and from Udine (€3.80, 30 to 40 minutes). From Venice (Mestre) trains run every half-hour (€4.95, 1¼ to 1½ hours). ATAP ( 800 101040; www.atap.pn.it) runs buses to the surrounding towns.

SACILE

POP 20,302

The so-named Giardino della Serenissima (Garden of Serenity) is formed by two islands standing amid the willow-lined Livenza river and a network of canals. Sacile indeed took much of its early architectural inspiration from the Most Serene Republic of Venice, which is reflected in the typically Venetian town houses and palaces that, despite various earthquakes and WWII bombings, still line the tranquil little waterways. Of the many, the impressively frescoed Palazzo Ragazzoni-Flangini-Billia is worth a peek.

Friendly La Piola ( 0434 78 18 93; www.lapiolasacile.it; meals €25-30; Piazza del Popolo 9; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat, lunch only Sun) has windows and a terrace backing on to the canal. Its menu of traditional dishes – lots of Serenissima-style seafood – are delivered with a fresh eye, and the wine selection is impressive. If a riverside stroll calls for gelato, Il Gelatone (Viale Pietro Zancanaro 1; Tue-Sun) will help you out.

The annual August Sagra dei Osei (bird festival) has been held since 1274 and is one of the oldest festivals in Italy. Look out for exhibitions, a market and a (bird) song contest.

Sacile is on the main train line between Venice (€4.60, one hour) and Udine (€5.50, 45 minutes).

Udine

POP 99,439 / ELEV 114M

While reluctantly ceding its premier status to Trieste in the 1950s, this confident, wealthy provincial city remains the spiritual and gastronomic capital of Friuli. Udine gives little away in its sprawling semi-rural suburbs, but encased inside the peripheral ring road lies an infinitely grander medieval centre: a dramatic melange of Venetian arches, Grecian statues and Roman columns. The old town is pristine, but also lively; bars here are not just for posing – kicking on is the norm.

FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA TOURISM ONLINE

Tourist offices throughout the region fall under the regional FVG tourism organisation and share the same website (www.turismofvg.it). The offices are helpful and stock excellent maps and information for the whole region.

Sights

Piazza della Libertà PIAZZA

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A shimmering Renaissance epiphany materialising from the surrounding maze of medieval streets, Piazza della Libertà is dubbed the most beautiful Venetian square on the mainland. The graciously arched Offline map Google map Palazzo del Comune (Town Hall), also known as the Loggia del Lionello after its goldsmithing architect, Nicolò Lionello, is another clear Venetian keepsake, as is the Loggia di San Giovanni Offline map Google map opposite (its clock tower modelled on the one gracing Venice’s Piazza San Marco). The Arco Bollani Offline map Google map (Bollani Arch), next to the Loggia di San Giovanni, an Andrea Palladio work from 1556, leads up to the castle used by the Venetian governors.

Udine

Top Sights

Cathedral B2

Museo Etnografico del Friuli A3

Piazza della Libertà B2

Sights

1  Arco Bollani B2

Cappella di San Nicolò (see 5)

2  Castello B2

3  Chiesa di San Francesco B3

Galleria d'Arte Antica (see 2)

4  Loggia di San Giovanni B2

5  Museo del Duomo B2

6  Oratorio della Purità B2

7 Palazzo del Comune (Loggia del Lionello)B2

Sleeping

8 Hotel AllegriaA3

Eating

9  Jolanda de Colo A1

10  Matteotti B2

11  Pizzeria Concordia B1

12  Trattoria ai Frati B1

Drinking

13  Al Cappello B2

14  Caffe Caucigh B1

15  Caffè Contarena B2

16  I Piombi B2

17  Osteria delle Mortadele B1

Cathedral CATHEDRAL

(Piazza Duomo) A couple of chapels of Udine’s 13th-century Romanesque-Gothic cathedral house the Museo del Duomo Offline map Google map ( 0432 50 68 30; admission free; 9am-noon & 4-6pm Tue-Sat, 4 6pm Sun) , among whose most interesting elements are the 13th- to 17th-century frescoes in the Cappella di San Nicolò Offline map Google map . Across the street, the cathedral’s 17th-century Oratorio della Purità Offline map Google map (Piazza del Duomo; guided tours only) was originally a theatre; its beautiful ceiling painting of the Assumption by Giambattista Tiepolo and eight biblical scenes in chiaroscuro by Giandomenico Tiepolo on the walls are exquisite.

Castello MUSEUM

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The castle, rebuilt in the mid-16th century after an earthquake in 1511, affords rare views of the city and the Alps beyond. It houses the Galleria d’Arte Antica Offline map Google map ( 0432 27 15 91; adult/child €3/1.50, Sun morning free; 9.30am-12.30pm & 3-6pm Tue-Sun) , with a handful of works by Caravaggio (a portrait of St Francis in room 7) and Tiepolo (several works in room 10). The bulk of the collection is dedicated to lesser-known Friulian painters and religious sculpture.

Museo Etnografico del Friuli MUSEUM

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( 0432 27 19 20; Via Grazzano 1; adult/reduced €5/2.50; 10.30am-5pm Tue-Sun, to 7pm summer) A small but engaging museum of daily life, with various exhibitions devoted to the Friulian hearth, spiritual practices, folk medicine and dress. The building itself features intricate 19th-century woodwork, with carved Friulian forest scenes, and its own little canal gurgling by the entrance.

Galleria d’Arte Moderna art GALLERY

( 0432 29 58 91; Via Ampezzo 2; adult/reduced €3/2; 10.30am-5pm Wed-Mon, to 7pm summer) Formed from a number of bequests, this gallery has a number of works by well-known 20th-century Italian artists, such as De Chirico, Morandi, Campigli and Severini.

Chiesa di San Francesco CHURCH

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(Largo Ospedale Vecchio; adult/reduced €5/3.50; exhibitions 9am-noon & 3.30-7pm Tue-Sun) This striking 13th-century church now hosts an interesting rota of cultural events and high-profile art shows.

Sleeping

Central Udine has a number of small, smart midrange hotels, but a dearth of budget places. If you’re driving, consider a B&B or agriturismo (farm stay accommodation) in the surrounding suburbs or countryside (the tourist office has online listings).

Hotel Clocchiatti Next DESIGN HOTEL €€

( 0432 50 50 47; www.hotelclocchiatti.it; Via Cividale 29; s €99-150, d €150-190; ) Two properties, one location: older-style (cheaper) rooms are in the original villa, while the contemporary steel-and-glass Next annex lines up around a pool and outdoor bar in the garden. Rooms are calmly streamlined with big windows and lots of work and lounging spaces. Fresh cakes, Mariage Frères teas and attentive service make breakfast special. It’s a pleasant walk from the centre, with easy access out of the city if you’re driving.

Hotel Allegria BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

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( 0432 20 11 16; www.hotelallegria.it; Via Grazzano 18; s €77-95, d €105-140; ) This hotel occupies an historic town house opposite one of Udine’s loveliest little churches. The rooms are large and what might be described as Udinese-organic in style, with lightwood beams, parquetry floors and shuttered windows. Most charmingly of all, the hotel has a bocciofila – bowling area – on-site.

Casa Stucky B&B €

( 0432 52 16 49; www.casastucky.it; Via Calatafimi 9; s €30-42, d €60-70; ) This lovely Liberty-style villa has bright, modern rooms and a pretty garden. It’s in a peaceful (if less-than-inspiring) residential street and is super-convenient if you’re arriving by train.

Eating

Udine’s flavours are as intriguing as the city itself. Look out for country-style cheeses – smoked ricotta, Montasio – game, San Daniele prosciutto (ham) and delicious gnocchi and dumplings. Open-air cafes and restaurants are dotted around Piazza Matteotti and the surrounding pedestrian streets. Via Paolo Sarpi and its surrounding streets are lined with lively restaurants and bars.

Trattoria ai Frati FRIULIAN €€

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( 0432 50 69 26; Piazzetta Antonini 5; meals €25-30; Mon-Sat) A popular old-style eatery on a cobbled cul-de-sac where you can expect such local specialities as frico (thick cheese-and-potato omelette), pumpkin gnocchi with smoked ricotta, or, in season, white asparagus and fish stew. It’s loved by locals for its whopper steaks and its raucous front bar.

Jolanda de Colo WINE BAR €

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( 0432 51 09 38; www.jolandadecolo.it; Via Paolo Sarpi 18a; meals from €15; closed Mon & lunch Tue, shop from 10.30am) This well-stocked produce store morphs into a wine bar/restaurant at night, attracting a dressed-up (for Udine) crowd who open a bottle or two over platters of house-cured duck, goose or prosciutto. There’s also a range of smoked, cured and raw fish, big salads and a nice selection of local and Alto Adige wines.

Matteotti MODERN ITALIAN €€

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( 0432 174 41 50; Piazza Matteoti 17; meals €30; daily; ) A slick little place among the cafes on the square, with attentive service and generous serves. Opt for rare roast beef or the interesting plays on regional dishes, say rabbit in mustard or mushroom ragù on polenta; desserts are creative too. Pleasant outside tables and excellent lunch deals for under €10 make it a good daytime option.

Pizzeria Concordia PIZZERIA €

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( 0432 50 58 13; Via Porta Nuova 21; pizzas €5-7; 9am-4pm, 6pm-12.30am Tue-Sun) Join huge happy tables here for pizza and pasta. It’s close to the park and there are indoor/outdoor tables in summer.

WAYNE YOUNG: COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING (& FORMER CELLAR-HAND), BASTIANICH WINES

Friulians are proud, hard-working, tight-knit people – they often describe themselves as cold but I disagree. They love to socialise, especially with visitors. Friuli isn’t touristy, so getting attention from the outside world is a pleasure. Prepare to stop and chat and have a glass of wine or an espresso.

World-Class Whites

There’s no other place in the world where the combination of soil, climate and the interplay between sea and mountain comes together to create whites like these. Local grape Friulano is fresh and aromatic. The sauvignon blancs are special too, and don’t overlook the outstanding white blends ( uvaggi ). Reds to try: Refosco, merlot and the interesting Schioppettino.

Tasting Tips

Look out for wines from Ronchi di Cialla, Moschioni, Venica & Venica and Vie di Romans. And Bastianich, of course!

Stomach Liners

Frico ! It’s a melted Montasio cheese pancake made with potatoes and, sometimes, bacon and onions… awesome .

Night Out

Udine is a great little city and deserves respect. There’s a fantastic old bar called Caffè Caucigh ( Click here ): go for wine, coffee or live jazz. Or head to the countryside, to upscale La Frasca (boxed text, Click here ) for salumi and prosciutto.

Drinking

The Udinese have a reputation for being fond of a drink or three, and with such stellar wines produced in their backyard, who can blame them? Wine bars here are unpretentious but serious about their wares, with blackboards full of local drops to help you familiarise yourself. Stuzzichini (snacks, usually in the form of toasts with various toppings) are plentiful at most bars and, if not complimentary, can be had for pocket change.

Osteria delle Mortadele WINE BAR

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(Riva Bartolini 8; Mon-Sat) Yes, there’s a popular restaurant out back, but it’s the spill-onto-the-road front bar that will hold your interest. A real rock-and-roll soundtrack, excellent wine by the glass and a great company make this a one-drink-or-many destination.

Caffè Caucigh BAR

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(www.caucigh.com; Via Gemona 36) This ornate dark-wooded bar is a perfect Udinese compass point – it feels far more like Prague than Rome. Regulars take glasses of red to the pavement for a chat with passing strangers. A calendar of jazz acts – Friuli’s finest and some international surprises – play from 10pm on Friday nights.

Al Cappello WINE BAR

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(Via Paolo Sarpi 5; closed Sun night) If you’re overwhelmed by the hundreds of wines scribbled on the giant blackboard at this bustling bar, just follow the locals’ lead and order what may be Italy’s most reasonably priced spritzer (€1) through the window. Stuzzichini here are generous enough to constitute dinner, but there’s also a restaurant within.

Caffè Contarena CAFE

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(Via Cavour 11; closed Sun) Beneath the arcades of Palazzo d’Aronco, Contarena’s soaring domed ceilings glitter with gold leaf and other Liberty fancy. Designed by a master of the genre and one-time local, Raimondo d’Aronco, it’s a glamorous espresso stop; come late for cocktails.

I Piombi PUB

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(Via Manin 12) Head downstairs into a labyrinth of vaulted brick rooms with long timber benches (no mere styling, this was the city’s prison). It’s open late for jugs of beer and suitably hearty pub food.

Information

Hospital ( 0432 55 21; Piazza Santa Maria della Misericordia 15) About 2km north of the centre.

Tourist office ( 0432 29 59 72; Piazza I Maggio 7; 9am-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun)

Getting There & Away

From the bus station ( 0432 50 69 41; Viale Europa Unita 31) , services operated by SAF ( 800 915303, 0432 60 81 11; www.saf.ud.it) go to and from Trieste (€5.10, 1¼ hours, hourly), Aquileia (€3, one to 1¼ hours, up to eight daily), Lignano Sabbiadoro (€5.10, 1½ hours, eight to 11 daily) and Grado (€3.55, 1¼ hours, 12 daily). Buses also link Udine and Friuli Venezia Giulia airport (€3.55, one hour, hourly).

From Udine’s train station (Viale Europa Unita) services run to Trieste (€6 to €7, one to 1½ hours), Venice (€8, 1¾ to 2½ hours, several daily) and Gorizia (€3.25, 25 to 40 minutes, hourly).

VILLA MANIN

Home to the noble Venetian Manin family from the 1600s until the last century (including the last of Venice’s doges), Villa Manin ( 0422 42 99 99; www.villamanin-eventi.it; Piazza Manin 10, Passariano; adult/reduced €10/8; 9am-6pm during exhibition periods) is 30km southwest of Udine. The mansion is itself a treat – gobsmackingly grand and set in 19 hectares of manicured garden – but it’s the villa’s art blockbusters that draw the crowds. Shows are themed to illuminate the relationship between modernism and European geography and identity; both Courbet and Munch have recently featured.

Regional trains between Venice and Udine stop at Codroipo; from there, take a taxi (or, if you have the patience, an often elusive SAF bus) for the 3km ride.

Cividale del Friuli

POP 11,600 / ELEV 138M

Cividale del Friuli (15km east of Udine) is a small town these days but it’s hugely significant in terms of Friulian history and identity. Founded by Julius Caesar in 50 BC as Forum de Lulii (ultimately condensed into ‘Friuli’), the settlement reached its apex under the Lombards who first arrived in AD 568 and by the 8th century had usurped Roman Aquileia. Though it has long since passed the big-town baton onto Udine, Cividale is hauntingly picturesque and well worth a morning’s quiet contemplation as you ramble around its dark stone streets.

Sights

Ponte del Diavolo BRIDGE

Splitting the town in two is the symbolic Devil’s Bridge that crosses the emerald-green Natisone river. Rebuilt post-WWI after being blown up by retreating Italian troops, the 22m-high bridge was first constructed in the 15th century with its central arch supported by a huge rock said to have been thrown into the river by the devil.

Tempietto Longobardo CHAPEL

( 0432 70 08 67; Borgo Brossano; combined ticket incl Museo Cristiano adult/reduced €6/4; 9.30am-12.30pm & 3-5pm, to 6.30pm summer) Cividale’s most important sight is this chapel, also known as the Oratorio di Santa Maria in Valle. The stunning complex houses the only surviving example of Lombard architecture and art work in Europe. Dating from the 8th century AD, its frescoes and ancient woodwork are both unusual and extremely moving.

Cathedral CATHEDRAL

(Piazza del Duomo) This 16th-century cathedral houses the Museo Cristiano ( 0432 73 04 03; adult €4; 10am-1pm & 3-6pm Wed-Sun) . Its 8th-century stone Altar of Ratchis is a stunning early-Christian relic. Sharp-etched carvings, including a be-quiffed Jesus with one piercing stare, dramatically pop against the smooth white background.

Eating & Drinking

Al Monastero FRIULIAN €€

( 0432 70 08 08; www.almonastero.com; Via Ristori 9; meals €25-30; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat, lunch Sun) Feast on cjalcions (dumplings), duck with carrot pudding and gubana with plum brandy at this posh, undeniably touristy but well-regarded restaurant.

Central Caffè del Corso CAFE

(Corso Mazzini 38) The place for a spritzer or coffee (lovingly made with Verona’s Giamaica beans).

Al Campanile FRIULIAN

( 0432 73 24 67; Via Candotti 4; plates from €6; 9am-3pm & 6pm-11pm Tue-Sun) For beers, herbed frittata, frico or cured meats at its pavement wooden benches.

CIVIDALE CERAMICS

Working with ancient Roman and Middle Eastern techniques, local ceramic artist Stefania Zurchi creates sculptures, reliefs and beautifully decorated utilitarian objects that are both vividly contemporary and totally timeless. Her palette evokes the Friulian landscape, an evocative mix of moody deep blues and olives with flashes of bright oxide yellow and dusty pink. Her girl figures representing the seasons are highly sought after, as are her touching Madonna-and-child reliefs. The work can be found at her central Cividale del Friuli shop, Tirare (Via Ristori 12; Tue-Sat) .

Information

The tourist office ( 0432 71 04 60; Piazza Paolo Diacono 10; 9.30am-noon & 3.30-6pm) has information on walks around the medieval core. Look to the ‘lodging and eating’ section of the city’s website (www.cividale.com) for a comprehensive listing of agriturismo and farm restaurants.

Getting There & Away

Private (and cute) trains run by Ferrovie Udine Cividale ( 0432 58 18 44; www.ferrovieudinecividale.it) connect Cividale with Udine (€2.30, 20 minutes), at least hourly.

San Daniele del Friuli

POP 8222

Hilltop San Daniele sits in an undulating landscape that comes as a relief after the Venetian plains, with the Carnic Alps jutting up suddenly on the horizon. While ham is undoubtedly the town’s raison d’être, it also has a general gastronomic bent, with excellent local trout – farmed sustainably and available hot or smoked – and many good alimentari (grocery stores) dotted throughout the town. Buy all the ham your heart and stomach desire at Bottega di Prosciutto (Via Umberto I; closed Mon & Wed afternoon) then visit Adelia di Fant (Via Garibaldi 26; Tue-Sun) for chocolates, syrups, jellies and biscuits.

Frescoes are another of San Daniele’s fortes and you’ll find some colourful examples etched by Pellegrino da San Daniele, aka Martino da Urbino (1467–1547), in the small Romanesque Chiesa di San Antonio Abate (Via Garibaldi). Next to the church, the Biblioteca Guarneriana ( 0432 95 79 30; www.guarneriana.it, in Italian; Via Roma 1; guided tours €3; Wed-Sat, by appointment only) is one of Italy’s oldest and most venerated libraries. Founded in 1466, it contains 12,000 antique books, including a priceless manuscript of Dante’s Inferno .

Osteria Tancredi ( 0432 94 15 94; Via Sabotino 10; plates €8, meals €25-30; lunch & dinner Thu-Tue) serves up crowd-pleasing platters of prosciutto and the Friulian classics: cjalcions , frico and apple gnocchi.

If you want to get out into the countryside, three cycling itineraries , each 22km, take you past pristine lakes and through the castle-dotted hills around the village; ask at the tourist office.

Regular buses run to San Daniele from Udine (€4, 40 to 60 minutes), 25km to the southeast.

HAMMING IT UP

There are two world-revered prosciuttos manufactured in Italy: the lean, deliciously nutty (and more famous) ham from Parma, and the dark, exquisitely sweet Prosciutto di San Daniele. It might come as a surprise to find that the latter – Friuli Venezia Giulia’s greatest culinary gift to the world – comes from a village of only 8000 people, where it is salted and cured in 27 prosciuttifici (ham-curing plants) safeguarded by EU regulations.

Standards are strict. San Daniele’s prosciutto is made only from the thighs of pigs who were raised in a small number of northern Italian regions. Salt is the only method of preservation allowed – no freezing, chemicals or other preservatives can be used. The X factor is, of course, terroir, the land itself. Some prosciuttifici claim it’s the cool, resinous Alpine air meeting the Adriatic’s humid, brackish breezes that define their product, others argue that it’s about San Daniele’s fast-draining soil: such effective ventilation makes for perfect curing conditions.

In August the town holds the Aria di Festa, a four-day annual ham festival when prosciuttifici do mass open house tours and tastings, musicians entertain and everyone tucks in. San Daniele’s friendly tourist office ( 0432 94 07 65; Piazza Pellegrino 4; 9am-1pm & 2-6pm Mon-Fri, 11am-1pm & 4.30-6.30pm Sat & Sun) has a list of prosciuttifici that welcome visitors year-round; call ahead to book.

North of Udine

Hit the hard north of Italy’s most northeasterly region and you’ll find yourself surrounded by the Carnic and Giulie Alps. Of the two, the former is the less foreboding, with hills that stretch as far west as the Dolomites and as far north as the border with Austria. The loftier Giulie, named after Julius Caesar, meanwhile, are rugged, frigid peaks shared with Slovenia – the Triglavski Narodni Park lies just across the border. Both areas are excellent hiking terrain and deliver some of the loneliest, most scenic trails in Italy. Standing at the meeting point of three different cultures, multilingual skills can come in handy in these parts. Hikers should be ready to swap their congenial salve (Italian) for a grüss gott (German) or dober dan (Slovenian).

Tolmezzo & Carnia

The region known as Carnia is intrinsically Friulian (the language is widely spoken here) and named after its original Celtic inhabitants – the Carnics. Geographically, it contains the western and central parts of the Carnic Alps and presents wild and beautiful walking country flecked with curious villages.

Stunningly sited Tolmezzo (population 10,725; elevation 323m) is the region’s capital and gateway. The Museo Carnico delle Arti e Tradizioni Popolari ( 0433 4 32 33; www.carniamusei.org, in Italian; Via della Vittoria 2; adult/reduced €5/3; 9am-1pm & 3-6pm Tue-Sun) has a rich display on mountain life and folklore. Pleasant rooms at Albergo Roma ( 0433 46 80 31; www.albergoromatolmezzo.it; Piazza XX Settembre 14; s/d €50/100; ) overlook the main piazza or one of the town’s many hills. An interesting detour, 6km northeast of the town, is the hill village of Illegio , with buildings dating back to the 4th century and a still-operating 16th-century mill and dairy. Tolmezzo’s tourist office ( 0433 4 48 98; Piazza XX Settembre 9; 9am-1pm daily & 2-6pm Mon-Sat) is helpful for information on surrounding hiking trails and agriturismi .

SAF buses run to Udine approximately every hour (€3.90, 50 minutes) from Via Carnia Libera.

To the northwest, a minor road passes the plunging Lumiei Gorge to emerge at the cobalt-blue Lago di Sauris , an artificial lake about 4km east of Sauris di Sotto . Another 4km on (up eight switchbacks) is the prettier Sauris di Sopra . This twin hamlet is an island of timber houses and German-speakers. The area (in German, Zahre) is known for its fine hams, sausages and locally brewed beer. There are lots of good walking trails. The Albergo Ristorante Riglarhaus ( 0433 8 60 13; alberghi.carnia.org/riglar; Fraz Lateis 3; s €44, d €74; ) brims with rustic charm; if a mountain immersion experience is what you’re after, look to the region’s alberghi diffusi – literally ‘scattered’ hotels – small village B&Bs or farm stays in remote villages (details can be found at www.albergodiffusosauris.com).

Close to the border with Veneto, Forni di Sopra is a popular ski resort that receives a heavy dump of winter snow and offers sledging, skating and ice-climbing as well as downhill skiing. Forni is equally revered for its carpet of summer wildflowers and herbs; the latter are utilised in the local cuisine and are the central theme of the annual spring Festa delle Erbe di Primavera . There are numerous hotels in the town, including Hotel Edelweiss ( 0433 8 80 16; www.edelweiss-forni.it; Via Nazionale 19; s/d €65/105; ) , a family-friendly vista-laden place with gratis mountain bikes. The tourist office ( 0433 88 66 86; Via Cadore 1) has information on activities, lifts and the like.

Regular SAF buses from Tolmezzo service this region and stop in Ampezzo (€2.75, 35 minutes) and Forni de Sopra (€3.90, one hour and 20 minutes).

Tarvisio & the Giulie Alps

POP 8222 / ELEVATION 754M

The Giulie Alps are dramatic limestone monoliths that bear more than a passing resemblance to their more famous Dolomites cousins. Though undergoing some recent development, including a cross-border ski lift, the area is still relatively pristine and retains a wildness often lacking further west.

Tarvisio is 7km short of the Austrian border and 11km from Slovenia. Down to earth and prettily wedged into the Val Canale between the Giulie and eastern Carnic Alps, it’s a good base for both winter and summer activities.

The area is increasingly touted for its uncrowded skiing; despite its relatively modest elevations, this is the snowiest (and coldest) pocket in the whole Alpine region, with heavy snowfalls not uncommon into May. The main ski centres are at Tarvisio – with a good open 4km run that promises breathtaking views and 60km of cross-country tracks – and at Sella Nevea. The Sella Nevea (www.sellanevea.net) resort is linked to Bovec in Slovenia, making for around 30km of slopes, with a number of satisfying red runs and good freeride and backcountry skiing. In summer the hiking, caving, canoeing and windsurfing are all good.

CROSS-BORDER SKIING

Multi-day passes (2/4/6 days from €44/80/114) enable you to ski Italy, Slovenia and Austria on the slopes of Sella Nevea, Tarvisio, Zoncolan, Bovec, Kranjska Gora and Arnoldstein. Both day and multi-day passes can also be used at the Friulian resorts of Piancavallo and Forni di Sopra. The Monte Canin ski lift is free to FVG Card holders, and they receive discounts on multi-day passes and equipment hire. Promotur ( 0428 65 39 15; www.promotur.org; Camporosso, Tarvisio) sell passes at each of the resorts.

The Laghi di Fusine (Fusine Lakes) lie within mirror-signalling distance of the Slovenian border and are perennially popular with hikers (in summer) and cross-country skiers and snowshoers (in winter). The two lakes – Lago Superiore and Lago Inferiore – are ringed by paths and encased in the Parco Naturale di Fusine . For more-adventurous walkers, there’s a moderately challenging 11km hike up to Rifugio Zacchi ( 0419 63 79 33; dm €10-20; mid-Jun–mid-Sep) and across the face of Monte Mangart. In summer, buses run up to four times daily from Tarvisio (€1.50, 15 minutes).

Tarvisio has a number of well-priced hotels, including Hotel Edelhof ( 0428 4 00 81; www.hoteledelhof.com; Via Armando Diaz 13; s €45-55, d €90-100; ), situated right by the lifts with large, airy folk-art furnished rooms and a basement spa. Ristorante Adriatico ( 0428 26 37; Via Roma 59; meals €15-20) , typical of Tarvisio’s economical eating joints, has set two-course meat or fish menus. The town is also famous for its historic Saturday market; it’s long attracted day trippers from Austria and Slovenia and has a definite border-town buzz, though these days it’s mostly dubious-looking leather jackets for sale.

The helpful tourist office ( 0428 21 35; Via Roma 14; 9am-1pm & 3-7pm) has trekking maps and details on Alpine conditions.

Trains connect Tarvisio with Udine (€7.60, 1½ hours, up to seven daily).

Top of section

Emilia-Romagna & San Marino

POP 4.43 MILLION

Includes »

Emilia-Romagna

Bologna

West of Bologna

East of Bologna

San Marino

Why Go?

The secret’s in the mud. The roots of Emilia-Romagna’s supersonic economy lie not in the mechanics of its famous Ferraris, but in its exceptionally fertile soil. Since antiquity, the verdant plains of the region’s Po river valley have sown enough agricultural riches to feed a nation and finance an unending production line of lavish products: luxury cars, regal palazzi (mansions), fine Romanesque churches, prosperous towns, a sturdy industrial infrastructure, a gigantic operatic legacy (Verdi and Pavarotti, no less), and food. Ah yes, did anyone mention the food?

You can eat like a Roman emperor here, and, if you have any appetite left, dip your toe tentatively into the places that time-poor Rome-o-philes serially miss. There’s Bolshie Bologna with its ragù (meat and tomato sauce) and porticoes, posh Parma with its opera and cheese, Modena and its balsamic vinegar, the wealthy micro-nation of San Marino, and Ravenna with its mosaics. Come to Emilia-Romagna ragazzi (guys). Just don’t forget the mud that made it.

When to Go

Mar-Apr Avoid the heat on the Po plains and the crowds on Rimini’s beaches.

Jun-Aug Summer festivals galore in Bologna, Modena, Ravenna and Rimini.

Sep Ideal hiking conditions in Parco Nazionale dell’Appennino Tosco-Emiliano.

Best Places to Eat

» Hosteria Giusti ( Click here )

» La Greppia ( Click here )

» Drogheria della Rosa ( Click here )

» Osteria La Mariola ( Click here )

Best Places to Stay

» Prendiparte B&B ( Click here )

» Hotel Centrale Byron ( Click here )

» Century Hotel ( Click here )

» Grand Hotel ( Click here )

Don’t Leave Without Trying

» Ferrara Cappellacci di zucca (hat-shaped pasta stuffed with squash, herbs and nutmeg, sautéed with butter and sage)

» Bologna Tagliatelle al ragù (pasta served with a dry meat-based sauce)

» Parma Pesto di cavallo (raw minced horsemeat seasoned with herbs, olive oil and Parmesan)

» Modena Cotechino Modena (fresh stuffed pork sausage served with lentils)

» Rimini Piadina (flat bread wrap with various fillings)

VIA EMILIA

Built by the Romans between their axis cities of Placentia (Piacenza) and Ariminum (Rimini), the ruler-straight Via Emilia quickly came to define the character of the Emilia-Romagna region, and led to the birth of its four most significant towns: Bononia (Bologna), Regium (Reggio Emilia), Mutina (Modena) and Parma. The road was completed in 187 BC following the subjugation of hostile Celtic tribes by the Romans, and ran for 260km through the Po river valley. Within decades it had opened up Italy’s fertile northern hinterland to colonisation and economic expansion, and had converted the rich river plain into the empire’s proverbial breadbasket – a position it still enjoys today.

The remarkable Ponte Tiberio on the Marecchia river in Rimini is one of the few original features of the Via Emilia still intact.

Know Your Romanesque

Like all Italian regions, Emilia-Romagna exhibits a wide range of architectural genres; yet it is the early-medieval style of Romanesque that defines it the best. Romanesque emerged in the late 10th century and was in vogue for about 200 years until usurped by the appearance of ‘Gothic’ in the early 1200s. Its defining feature was the rounded ‘Roman’ arch (as opposed to the pointed Gothic arch that followed), but it had a number of other recognisable trademarks, including thick walls, dramatic scale, decorative ‘blind’ arcades, and simple, yet symmetrical sculpture and ornamentation. Another adaptation in Italy was a free-standing ecclesial bell tower that stood apart from the main body of the church.

Pure Romanesque isn’t always visible today in its original incarnation due to later additions by overzealous Gothic and Renaissance architects, but it can be thrillingly glimpsed in a trio of magnificent Emilia-Romagna cathedrals: Parma, Piacenza and Unesco-listed Modena.

EMILIA-ROMAGNA EXPANDS

In August 2009 Emilia-Romagna was officially expanded when, following a popular referendum, seven communes formerly part of Le Marche region were transferred across and merged with the province of Rimini.

Internationally Acclaimed Natives

» Giuseppe Verdi (composer) – born Le Roncole 1813

» Arturo Toscanini (conductor) – born Parma 1867

» Enzo Ferrari (car manufacturer) – born Modena 1898

» Federico Fellini (film director) – born Rimini 1920

» Luciano Pavarotti (opera singer) – born Modena 1935

Resources

» Official tourist site (www.emiliaromagnaturismo.it)

» Visit Emilia-Romagna (www.visitemiliaromagna.com)

» San Marino tourist site (www.visitsanmarino.com)

Emilia-Romagna & San Marino Highlights

Take a very long, very slow, and very delicious lunch in that well-known bastion of good taste, Parma (Click here )

Reawaken your enthusiasm for dark Italian churches amid the lucid mosaics of the Basilica di San Vitale in Ravenna (Click here )

Interpret the intricacies of Lombard-Romanesque in all its medieval purity inside Modena’s cathedral ( Click here )

Hire a bike and circumnavigate the muscular medieval walls of Renaissance Ferrara ( Click here )

Leave the flatlands behind and take a bus out to the Pietra di Bismantova (boxed text, Click here ) for a day of hiking

Follow the undergraduates and discover cheap bars and restaurants in Bologna’s university quarter ( Click here )

Swap high culture for high decibels in Rimini’s famous clubbing scene (Click here )

EMILIA-ROMAGNA

Bologna

POP 372,000

If you’ve ever puzzled over how to combine haughty elegance with down-to-earth urban grit, come to Emilia-Romagna’s fat, red, learned city where suave opera-goers waltz out of regal theatres into graffiti-embellished piazzas full of boozing students. Sometimes stylish, often scruffy, Bologna is a place of many monikers. Its nickname La Grassa (the fat one) celebrates a rich food legacy ( ragù or bolognese sauce was first concocted here). La Dotta (the learned one) doffs a cap to the city university; the world’s oldest, founded in 1088. La Rossa (the red one) alludes to the ubiquity of terracotta medieval buildings as well as the city’s longstanding penchant for left-wing politics. All three names still ring true. Bologna is the kind of city where you can be conversing with a Bolshie student one minute, and be eating like a king the next. Sure, there are plenty of zealous churches and musty museums to contemplate, but save some time to uncover the real highlight – the city’s intriguing split personality.

Sights

PIAZZA MAGGIORE & AROUND

Flanked by the world’s fifth-largest basilica and a series of impressive Renaissance palazzi (mansions), all roads lead to pivotal Piazza Maggiore.

Bologna

Top Sights

Abbazia di Santo Stefano E5

Basilica di San Domenico C7

Torre Garisenda D4

Sights

1  Basilica di San Petronio B4

Biblioteca Comunale (see 10)

2  Cappella di San Domenico C7

3  Chiesa della Trinità E5

Collezioni Comunali d'Arte (see 7)

4  Fontana del Nettuno B4

5 Museo Civico ArcheologicoC5

Museo Morandi (see 7)

6  Oratorio di Santa Cecilia F2

7  Palazzo Comunale B4

8  Palazzo del Podestà B3

9  Palazzo del Re Enzo B3

10 Palazzo dell'ArchiginnasioC5

11  Palazzo Poggi G2

12  Pinacoteca Nazionale G1

Teatro Anatomico (see 10)

13  Torre degli Asinelli D4

14  Whispering Gallery B4

Activities, Courses & Tours

15  Hammam Bleu B6

Sleeping

16  Albergo Centrale A3

17  Albergo delle Drapperie C4

18  Albergo Garisenda D4

19  Albergo Rossini F3

20  Hotel Orologio B4

21  Hotel University Bologna D1

22 Prendiparte B&BC3

Eating

23 Drogheria della RosaE7

24  Gelateria Gianni D3

25  Godot Wine Bar E7

26 La Sorbetteria CastiglioneE8

27  Marco Fadiga Bistrot E8

28  Osteria de' Poeti D6

29  P122@s C4

30  Produce Market C4

31  Tamburini C4

32  Trattoria Belle Arti E1

Drinking

33  Bravo Caffè E1

34  English Empire E2

35  Itit E2

36  La Scuderia F2

37 Le StanzeE1

38  Marsalino C1

39  Nu-Lounge Bar C5

Entertainment

40  Cantina Bentivoglio E1

41  Kinki D3

42  Teatro Comunale F2

Shopping

43  La Baita C4

44 Librerie CoopC4

45  Paolo Atti C4

Tamburini (see 31)

Fontana del Nettuno FOUNTAIN

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(Neptune’s Fountain; Piazza del Nettuno) Adjacent to Piazza Maggiore, Piazza del Nettuno owes its name to this explicit bronze statue sculpted by Giambologna in 1566. Beneath the muscled sea god, four cherubs represent the winds, and four buxom sirens, water spouting from every nipple, symbolise the four known continents of the pre-Oceania world.

Palazzo Comunale ART GALLERY

(Piazza Maggiore) The palace that forms the western flank of Piazza Maggiore (known also as Palazzo D’Accursio after its original resident, Francesco D’Accursio) has been home to Bologna city council since 1336. A salad of architectural styles, it owes much of its current look to makeovers in the 15th and 16th centuries. The statue of Pope Gregory XIII, the Bolognese prelate responsible for the Gregorian calendar, was placed above the main portal in 1580, while inside, Donato Bramante’s 16th-century staircase was designed to allow horse-drawn carriages to ride directly up to the 1st floor.

On the 2nd floor you’ll find the palazzo ’ s two art galleries ( 9am-6.30pm Tue-Fri, 10am-6.30pm Sat & Sun) : the Collezioni Comunali d’Arte Offline map Google map with its interesting collection of 13th- to 19th-century paintings, sculpture and furniture, and the Museo Morandi Offline map Google map , dedicated to the trademark still-life paintings of Bolognese artist Giorgio Morandi.

Outside the palazzo, three large panels bear photos of hundreds of partisans killed in the resistance to German occupation, many on this very spot.

Palazzo del Re Enzo PALAZZO

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(Piazza del Nettuno) This 13th-century palace is named after King Enzo, the illegitimate son of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, who was held here by papal forces between 1249 and 1272. Dating to the same period, the neighbouring Palazzo del Podestà Offline map Google map was the original residence of Bologna’s chief magistrate. Beneath the palazzo, there’s a whispering gallery Offline map Google map where two perpendicular passages intersect. Stand diagonally opposite someone and whisper: the acoustics are amazing. Both palazzi are off limits to the public unless there’s a temporary exhibition on (check with the tourist office found in the same square).

Basilica di San Petronio CHURCH

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(Piazza Maggiore; 7.45am-12.30pm & 3.30-6pm) The world’s fifth-largest church, measuring 132m by 66m by 47m, hides some interesting oddities. 1) Though construction started in 1390, the church wasn’t consecrated (officially blessed) until 1954. 2) It has been the target of two thwarted terrorist attacks, in 2002 and 2006. 3) The church exhibits an unusual scientific intrusion into a religious setting; inside, a huge sundial stretches 67.7m down the eastern aisle. Designed in 1656 by Gian Cassini and Domenico Guglielmi, it was instrumental in discovering the anomalies of the Julian calendar and led to the creation of the leap year. 4) One look at the incomplete front facade and you’ll quickly deduce that the church was never finished. Originally it was intended to be larger than St Peter’s in Rome, but in 1561, some 169 years after building had started, Pope Pius IV blocked construction by commissioning a new university on the basilica’s eastern flank. If you walk along Via dell’Archiginnasio you can see semi-constructed apses poking out oddly.

Quadrilatero HISTORICAL CENTRE

To the east of Piazza Maggiore, the grid of streets around Via Clavature (Street of Locksmiths) sits on what was once Roman Bologna. Known as the Quadrilatero, this compact district is less shabby than the adjoining university quarter, with the emphasis on old-style delis selling the region’s world-famous produce.

SOUTH & WEST OF PIAZZA MAGGIORE

Museo Civico Archeologico MUSEUM

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(Via dell’Archiginnasio 2; 9am-3pm Tue-Fri, 10am-6.30pm Sat & Sun) Free and impressive in its breadth of historical eras, this museum displays well-documented Egyptian and Roman artefacts along with one of Italy’s best Etruscan collections.

Palazzo dell’Archiginnasio PALAZZO, MUSEUM

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(Piazza Galvani 1) The result of Pope Pius IV’s project to curtail the Basilica di San Petronio, this palace was the seat of the city university from 1563 to 1805. Today it houses Bologna’s 700,000-volume Biblioteca Comunale Offline map Google map (Municipal Library) and the fascinating 17th-century Teatro Anatomico Offline map Google map ( 9am-6.45pm Mon-Fri, to 1.45pm Sat), where public body dissections were held under the sinister gaze of an Inquisition priest, ready to intervene if proceedings became too spiritually compromising. Cedar-wood tiered seats surround a central marble-topped table while a sculptured Apollo looks down from the ceiling. The canopy above the lecturer’s chair is supported by two skinless figures carved into the wood.

Basilica di San Domenico CHURCH

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(Piazza San Domenico 13; 9.30am-12.30pm & 3.30-6.30pm Mon-Fri, to 5.30pm Sat & Sun) Part of Italy’s attraction and myth is its hallowed ground. Every chapel in every church tells a slightly different story. Luring you towards this basilica built in 1238 is the legend of San Domenico, founder of the Dominican order, who died in 1221. His remains lie in an elaborate sarcophagus in the Cappella di San Domenico Offline map Google map , which was designed by Nicola Pisano and later added to by a host of artists. Other famous ghosts present in the church include Michelangelo, who carved the angel on the right of the altar when he was only 19, and Mozart, who spent a month at the city’s music academy and occasionally played the church’s organ.

Chiesa di San Francesco CHURCH

(Piazza San Francesco; 6.30am-noon & 3-7pm) Think Gothic. This dark mysterious church was one of the first in Italy to be built in the French Gothic style. Inside check out the tomb of Pope Alexander V and the remarkable 14th-century marble altarpiece depicting sundry saints and scenes from the life of St Francis.

THE CHURCH ON THE HILL

About 3.5km southwest of the city centre, the hilltop Basilica Santuario della Madonna di San Luca (Via di San Luca 36; 7am-12.30pm & 2.30-7pm Apr-Sep, to 5pm Oct-Feb, to 6pm Mar) prompts memories of Turin’s ‘Superga’. The church houses a representation of the Virgin Mary, supposedly painted by St Luke and transported from the Middle East to Bologna in the 12th century. The 18th-century sanctuary is connected to the city walls by the world’s longest portico, held aloft by 666 arches, beginning at Piazza di Porta Saragozza. Take bus 20 from the city centre to Villa Spada, from where you can continue by minibus to the sanctuary. Alternatively, continue one more stop on bus 20 to the Meloncello arch and walk the remaining 2km under the arches.

UNIVERSITY QUARTER

Bolshie graffiti, communist newspaper-sellers, and the whiff of last night’s beer (and urine) characterise the scruffy but strangely contagious streets of the university quarter, the site of Bologna’s former Jewish ghetto.

Le Due Torri TOWER

Standing sentinel over Piazza di Porta Ravegnana, Bologna’s two leaning towers are the city’s main symbol. The taller of the two, the 97.6m-high Torre degli Asinelli Offline map Google map (admission €3; 9am-6pm, to 5pm Oct-May) is open to the public, although it’s not advisable for vertigo-sufferers or owners of arthritic knees (there are 498 steps up a semi-exposed wooden staircase). Superstitious students also boycott it: local lore says if you climb the tower you’ll never graduate. Built by the Asinelli family between 1109 and 1119, today the tower leans 1.3m off vertical. The neighbouring 48m Torre Garisenda Offline map Google map is sensibly out of bounds given its drunken 3.2m tilt.

Abbazia di Santo Stefano CHURCH

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(Via Santo Stefano 24; 9am-12.30pm & 3.30-6.30pm) Not just another church, the Santo Stefano is a rather unique (and atmospheric) medieval religious complex. Originally there were seven churches – hence the basilica’s nickname Sette Chiese – but only four remain. Entry is via the 11th-century Chiesa del Crocefisso , which houses the bones of San Petronio and leads through to the Chiesa del Santo Sepolcro . This austere octagonal structure probably started life as a baptistry. Next door, the Cortile di Pilato is named after the central basin in which Pontius Pilate is said to have washed his hands after condemning Christ to death. In fact, it’s an 8th-century Lombard artefact. Beyond the courtyard, the Chiesa della Trinità connects to a modest cloister and a small museum . The fourth church, the Santi Vitale e Agricola , is the city’s oldest. Incorporating recycled Roman masonry and carvings, the bulk of the building dates from the 11th century. The considerably older tombs of two saints in the side aisles once served as altars.

Oratorio di Santa Cecilia CHURCH

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(Via Zamboni 15; 10am-1pm & 2-6pm) This is one of Bologna’s unsung gems. Inside, the magnificent 16th-century frescoes by Lorenzo Costa depicting the life and Technicolor death of St Cecilia and her husband Valeriano are in remarkably good nick, their colours vibrant and their imagery bold and unabashed. The Oratorio hosts regular free chamber music recitals. Check the board outside for upcoming details.

University Museums MUSEUM

The world’s oldest university has a slew of free museums that make a break from the ecclesiastical art/dark church alternation. Most are in the Palazzo Poggi Offline map Google map (www.museopalazzopoggi.unibo.it; Via Zamboni 33; 10am-1pm & 2-4pm Tue-Fri, 10.30am-1.30pm & 2.30-5.30pm Sat & Sun) , where you can peruse waxwork uteri in the Obstetrics Museum and giant tortoise shells in the Museum of Natural Sciences . There are further surprises (and stuffed exhibits) over at the Museo di Zoologia and the Museo di Antropologia on nearby Via Selma 3.

Pinacoteca Nazionale ART GALLERY

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(Via delle Belle Arti 56; admission €4; 9am-7pm Tue-Sun) The city’s main art gallery has a powerful collection of works by Bolognese artists from the 14th century onwards, including a number of important canvases by the late-16th-century Carracci cousins Ludovico, Agostino and Annibale. Among the founding fathers of Italian baroque art, the Carraccis were deeply influenced by the Counter-Reformation sweeping through Italy in the latter half of the 16th century. Much of their work is religious and their imagery is often highly charged and emotional, designed to appeal to the piety of the viewing public. Works to look out for include Ludovico’s Madonna Bargellini, the Comunione di San Girolamo (Communion of St Jerome) by Agostino and the Madonna di San Ludovico by Annibale. Elsewhere in the gallery you’ll find several works by Giotto, as well as Raphael’s Estasi di Santa Cecilia (Ecstasy of St Cecilia). El Greco and Titian are also represented, but by comparatively little-known works.

NORTH OF PIAZZA MAGGIORE

MAMbo ART GALLERY

(Museo d’Arte Moderna di Bologna; Via Don Minzoni 14; adult/reduced €6/4; noon-6pm Tue, Wed & Fri, to 10pm Thu, to 8pm Sat & Sun) Avant-gardes, atheists, and people who’ve had their fill of dark religious art can seek solace in Bologna’s newest museum (opened 2007) housed in a cavernous former municipal bakery. Its permanent and rotating exhibits showcase the work of up-and-coming Italian artists. Entrance to the permanent collection is free on Wednesday.

Activities

Hammam Bleu SPA

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( 051 58 01 62; www.hammam.it; Vicolo Barbazzi 4; noon-10pm Mon-Fri, 11am-7pm Sat & Sun) If the tranquillity of all those churches hasn’t calmed you down, try this Turkish bath in the historic centre. Prices start at €50 for a half-hour rub-down or €40 for just the spa facilities (steam room, sauna, jacuzzi).

Courses

La Vecchia Scuola Bolognese COOKING

(www.lavecchiascuola.com; Via Malvasia 49) It stands to reason; Bologna is also a good place to learn to cook and this is one of several schools that offer courses for English speakers. Prices range from €80 for a single four-hour course to €210 for three days.

Tours

Various outfits offer guided, two-hour walking tours in English (€13). Groups assemble outside the main tourist office on Piazza Maggiore (no booking required).

La Chiocciola WALKING

( 051 22 09 64; www.lachiocciolasnc.com) Meets 10.15am Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.

Trambus Open BUS

(www.trambusopen.com) Runs an hour-long, hop-on, hop-off bus tour of the city departing from the train station several times daily. Tickets (€10) can be bought on board.

Festivals & Events

Bologna has an eclectic events calendar, mainly centred on music. Performances – or in rock-and-roll parlance, ‘gigs’ – range from street raves to jazz concerts, ballet performances and religious processions. Summer is generally the best time. Big events include the following.

Bologna Estate ARTS

A three-month (mid-June to mid-September) program of concerts, film projections, dance performances and much more. Held in open-air venues throughout the city, many events are free. Tourist offices carry details.

Salotto del Jazz MUSIC

(July to August) A small-scale jazz fest organised by four venues in and around Via Mascarella in the university quarter northwest of Via Zamboni.

Sleeping

Accommodation in Bologna is geared to the business market, with a glut of midrange to top-end hotels and precious few budget options. If possible, avoid the busy spring and autumn trade-fair seasons, when prices skyrocket, hotels get heavily booked and advance reservations are essential. Outside of fair season, some hotels offer discounts of up to 50% and attractive weekend rates.

Prendiparte B&B B&B €€€

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( 051 58 90 23; www.prendiparte.it; Via Sant’Alò 7; r €250-300) You will never – repeat, never – stay anywhere else like this. Forget the B&B tag: you don’t just get a room here, you get an entire 900-year-old tower (Bologna’s second tallest). The living area (bedroom, kitchen and lounge) is spread over three floors and there are nine more levels to explore, with a 17th-century prison halfway up and outstanding views from the terrace up top. Find a millionaire to shack up with and pretend you’re an errant medieval prince(ss) for the night.

II Convento dei Fiori di Seta BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€€

( 051 27 20 39; www.silkflowersnunnery.com; Via Orfeo 34; r €130-270, ste €280-440; ) Before you get to Bologna’s budget options, you have to gawp at all the pricey places, including this chic boutique hotel housed in a 14th-century convent. Religious-inspired frescoes sit alongside Mapplethorpe-style flower photos and snazzy modern light fixtures; beds come with linen sheets and bathrooms feature cool mosaic tiles.

Hotel University Bologna HOTEL €€

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( 051 22 97 13; www.hoteluniversitybologna.com; Via Mentana 7; d €70-95, tr €90-110; ) Remember student digs? Well, heave a sigh of relief, they were nothing like this. It’s good to see that the world’s oldest university town can still muster up a hotel that’s not a million miles beyond the price range of its large undergraduate population. The HU Bologna is billed as a three-star, but it’s recently renovated and punches well above its weight.

Albergo Rossini HOTEL €

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( 051 23 77 16; www.albergorossini.com; Via dei Bibiena 11; s €40-75, d €70-100; closed mid-Jul–mid-Aug; ) The approach isn’t promising; a short walk off Piazza Verdi along an alley that tipsy drinkers use as an alfresco pee-spot. But, once inside, the journeyman Rossini is warm, friendly and eager to please. Try to bag a room on the top floor, where strategically placed skylights let the sun pour in.

Hotel Orologio DESIGN HOTEL €€€

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( 051 745 74 11; www.bolognarthotels.it; Via IV Novembre 10; s €100-325, d €170-350; ) One of four upmarket hotels run by Bologna Arts Hotels, this refined pile just off Piazza Maggiore seduces guests with its slick service, smart rooms furnished in elegant gold, blue and burgundy, swirling grey and white marble bathrooms, complimentary chocs and an unbeatable downtown location.

Albergo Garisenda HOTEL €

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( 051 22 43 69; www.albergogarisenda.com; 3rd fl, Galleria del Leone, Via Rizzoli 9; d without bathroom €65-85, d with bathroom €85-110; ) In the shadow of Bologna’s leaning towers, the Garisenda has seven no-nonsense rooms with comfy beds and modest furniture. The entrance is in a covered shopping gallery off Via Rizzoli. Parking is €7, breakfast €5.

Albergo delle Drapperie HOTEL €

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( 051 22 39 55; www.albergodrapperie.com; Via delle Drapperie 5; s €60-70, d €75-85; ) Right in the heart of the atmospheric Quadrilatero district, the Drapperie is one of those ‘hidden’ hotels encased in the upper floors of a larger building. Buzz in at ground level and climb the stairs to discover 21 attractive rooms with wood-beamed ceilings, the occasional brick arch and colourful ceiling frescoes. Breakfast is €5 extra.

Ostello Due Torri-San Sisto HOSTEL €

( 051 50 18 10; bologna@aighostels.com; Via Viadagola 5 & 14; dm/s/d €16/25/42; ) Some 6km north of the centre, Bologna’s two HI hostels, barely 100m apart, are modern, functional and cheap. Take bus 93 (Monday to Saturday, until 8.20pm) from Via Irnerio, bus 301 (Sunday) from the bus station or bus 21B (evenings, hourly from 8.40pm to 12.40am) opposite the train station.

Albergo Centrale HOTEL €€

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( 051 22 51 14; www.albergocentralebologna.it; Via della Zecca 2; s €45-60, d €75-120 incl breakfast; ) Offering comfort and a central location, the large old-fashioned rooms at Albergo Centrale come with parquet floors, modern furniture and an ample buffet breakfast.

Centro Turistico Città di Bologna CAMPGROUND €

( 051 32 50 16; www.hotelcamping.com; Via Romita 12; camping per adult/child €8.50/5 & tent €13, 2-person bungalows €49-90; ) A large, well-equipped campground 6km from the train station. On-site facilities include a bar, minimarket and newsagent. Take bus 68 from the main bus station.

Eating

Gastronomic tip No 1: learn the local lingo and ask for tagliatelle al ragù . Calling the city’s signature meat sauce ‘spag bol’ is like calling champagne ‘fizzy wine’. Two meals into your Bologna stay and you’ll start to understand why the city’s known as La Grassa . Food is second only to Catholicism here. Mortadella is baloney or Bologna sausage. Tortellini is another speciality, often served stuffed with pumpkin and herbs and cooked with butter and sage. The hills nearby produce the light, fizzy Lambrusco red and a full, dry sauvignon blanc.

The university district northeast of Via Rizzoli harbours hundreds of restaurants, trattorias, takeaways and cafes catering to hard-up students and gourmet diners alike. If you’re cooking your own, head to the historic delis in the Quadrilatero.

Drogheria della Rosa TRATTORIA €€

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( 051 22 25 29; www.drogheriadellarosa.it; Via Cartoleria 10; meals €35-40; lunch & dinner) With its wooden shelves, apothecaries’ jars and bottles, it’s not difficult to picture this place as the pharmacy that it once was. Nowadays it’s a charming, high-end trattoria, run by a congenial owner who seems to find time to get round every table and explain the day’s short, sweet menu. Expect superbly prepared versions of Bolognese classics such as tortellini or steak with balsamic vinegar.

Trattoria del Rosso TRATTORIA €

(www.trattoriadelrosso.com; Via A Righi 30; meals €16-18; lunch & dinner) You don’t have to pay big euros to eat well in Bologna. Doubters should step inside the Rosso, where unfancy decor and quick service attract plenty of hard-up single diners enjoying pop-by lunches. They say that the trattoria is the oldest in the city, further proof that ancient formulas work best.

Tamburini BUFFET €

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(www.tamburini.com; Via Caprarie 1; meals €10-20; lunch Mon-Sat) Fast food done fresh and imaginatively is no oxymoron in Tamburini, a traditional delicatessen full of swinging hams and pungent cheeses that also runs a popular grab-a-tray buffet. Fill up on alluringly decorated cheese and meat boards, colourful salad bowls, and a choice of three to four daily pasta dishes. Prepare for queues.

Osteria de’ Poeti OSTERIA €€

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(www.osteriadepoeti.com; Via de’ Poeti 1b; meals €30-40; closed Mon Oct-May, Sun Jun-Aug) In the wine cellar of a 14th-century palazzo, this historic eatery is an atmospheric place to enjoy hearty local fare. Take a table by the impressive stone fireplace and order from a selection of staples such as taglioline con fiori di zucca, zucchini e prosciutto di Parma (pasta with pumpkin flowers, zucchini and Parma ham). Evenings feature frequent live music.

Marco Fadiga Bistrot SEAFOOD €€

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( 051 22 01 18; www.marcofadigabistrot.com; Via Rialto 23; meals €35-40; dinner Tue-Sat) Specialising in fine wine and seafood, from its oyster bar to its let-out-all-the-stops Grand Plateau Royal (an extravagant combo platter that includes just about every sea creature imaginable), this elegant yet relaxed eatery is ideal for a romantic dinner.

Godot Wine Bar MODERN ITALIAN €€€

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( 051 22 63 15; Via Cartoleria 12; meals €40-50; Mon-Sat) Don’t let the name fool you! Yes, there’s a great wine selection, with daily specials chalked up on the board and an emphasis on Italian vintages, but Godot has also emerged as one of Bologna’s premier restaurants, whipping up some truly extravagant concoctions.

La Sorbetteria Castiglione GELATERIA €

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(Via Castiglione 44; 8.30am-11pm) Everyone has a wondrous Italian ice-cream story and more than a few (including one of a recent New York Times reviewer) were made here in this temple to gelati. It’s a bit peripheral to the centre but worthy of the walk.

Gelateria Gianni GELATERIA €

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(www.gelateriagianni.com; Via San Vitale 2; noon-10pm) Edging Torinese import ‘Grom’ into third place is this new contender where generous dollops of flavours such as white chocolate and cherry have brought a sweet ending to many an undergraduate date night. There are two other branches.

Trattoria Fantoni TRATTORIA €

(Via del Pratello 11a; meals €15; closed Sun & dinner Mon) A much-loved eatery dishing up classic Italian food at welcome prices. The atmosphere’s jovial and the decor is an agreeable clash of clutter and modern art.

P122@s PIZZERIA €

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(Via dei Musei 2-4; pizzas €6-9) This trendy spot attracts a fashionable local crowd with its wood-fired pizzas. Set under the porticoes near Piazza Maggiore.

Trattoria Belle Arti TRATTORIA €

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(Via Belle Arti 14; meals €20) Kiss goodbye to touchy-feely table service. Belle Arti is noisy, crowded and sometimes chaotic; but it knocks out ‘real’ food starring numerous undone Bolognese classics.

Self-Catering

Stock up on victuals at the Mercato delle Erbe (Via U Bassi 27; 7am-1.15pm Mon-Sat, 5-7.30pm Mon-Wed & Fri) , Bologna’s main covered market. Alternatively, the Quadrilatero area east of Piazza Maggiore harbours a daily produce market Offline map Google map (Via Clavature; 7am-1pm Mon-Sat, 4.15-7.30pm Mon-Wed, Fri & Sat) and some of the city’s best-known delis.

Drinking

Hit the graffiti-strewn streets of the university district after sunset and the electrifying energy is enough to make a jaded 40-year-old feel 20 again. Clamorous bars spill out into the street, groups of earnest drinkers sit down in circles on the hard pavement, and talented musicians jam old Thelonius Monk numbers. Piazza Verdi is the nexus for thirsty students; for a more upmarket, dressier scene head to the Quadrilatero.

Le Stanze WINE BAR

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(www.lestanzecafe.com; Via Borgo San Pietro 1; 11am-3am Mon-Sat) If La Scuderia reeks of undergraduate days you’d rather forget, hit the more chic Le Stanze, a former chapel where each of the four interior rooms has its own design concept. The aperitivo buffet is top-notch here, with paellas, pastas and chicken drumsticks to accompany your wine/cocktail.

La Scuderia BAR, CAFE

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(www.lascuderia.bo.it; Piazza Verdi 2; 8am-1am Mon-Sat; ) On Piazza Verdi, the shabby-chic Scuderia envelops the whole square on a good night. This being Bologna, the clientele is made up of a socialist republic of pavement loungers, hairy Goths, down-but-not-quite-out students, and the odd stray opera-goer swept up in the nostalgia of their undergraduate days. The bar occupies the Bentivoglio family’s former stables and features towering columns, vaulted ceilings, and arty photos.

English Empire BAR

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(Via Zamboni 24a; 7pm-3am) Despite the fact that Bologna never was part of any English Empire, this pungent pub does a roaring trade in both Guinness and Bass (on tap), spilling its patrons halfway up the colonnaded sidewalks. Early-morning joggers glide past the remnants.

ITIT CAFE

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(Largo dei Respighi 2; ) A new trend in coffee consumption? This new student-quarter cafe is a haven of wi-fi geeks, hung-over revellers and lunch-breakers choosing pre-packed sandwiches. It offers coffee in takeaway cups, double shots, low-fat, and numerous other ‘Americanisms’.

Nu-Lounge Bar BAR

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(Via de’ Musei 6f) A swish bar in the Quadrilatero quarter, Nu-Lounge’s well-groomed Italian crowd quaffs pre-dinner aperitivi while checking their reflections in the large glass windows of the porticoed terrace.

Bravo Caffè BAR

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(Via Mascarella 1; 8pm-late) Across from Cantina Bentivoglio, Bravo is a sexy wine bar with red walls, black furniture and soft, subtle lighting. It also features regular live jazz and a full food menu.

Marsalino CAFE, BAR

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(Via Marsala 13d; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat, dinner Sun, lunch Mon) Tiny, arty and chameleonic, Marsalino is a laid-back watering hole that opens as a tearoom at 4pm, morphs into a wine bar at 6pm, and becomes a restaurant at 8pm.

Entertainment

Bologna, courtesy of its large student population, knows how to rock; but it also knows how to clap politely at the opera. The most comprehensive listings guide is Bologna Spettacolo (€1.50, in Italian), available at newsstands.

Cantina Bentivoglio LIVE MUSIC

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(www.cantinabentivoglio.it; Via Mascarella 4b; 8pm-2am) Bologna’s top jazz joint, the Bentivoglio is a jack of all trades. Part wine bar (choose from over 500 labels), part restaurant (the daily prix-fixe menu costs €28) and part jazz club (there’s live music nightly), this much-loved institution oozes cosy charm with its ancient brick floors, arched ceilings and shelves full of wine bottles.

Kinki NIGHTCLUB

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(www.kinkidisco.com; Via Zamboni 1a; 11pm-late Sep-May) Forget the medieval palazzi . Kinki is over 50 years old, ancient history by nightclub standards. It took on its current moniker in 1975 and remains a crucial fount for Bologna’s club scene, with art exhibitions, video projections, house music and a Sunday gay night.

Cassero NIGHTCLUB

(www.cassero.it; Via Don Minzoni 18; 9.30pm-5am Sat, to 2am Wed-Fri, to midnight Sun-Tue) Saturday and Wednesday are the big nights at this legendary gay and lesbian (but not exclusively) club, home of Italy’s Arcigay organisation.

Villa Serena LIVE MUSIC

(Via della Barca 1; 9.30pm-3am Fri & Sat) Three floors of film screenings and music, live and canned, plus a garden for outdoor chilling.

Cinema Chaplin CINEMA

(www.cinemachaplin.it; Piazza di Porta Saragozza 5; admission €5) Screens films in English every Monday from September through May.

Teatro Comunale THEATRE

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(www.tcbo.it; Largo Respighi 1) Wagner’s works were heard for the first time in Italy in Bologna’s main opera and classical music venue.

Shopping

If you came for the food, head for the Quadrilatero, a haven of family-run delis and speciality food shops. Leaders in the field are Paolo Atti Offline map Google map (Via Drapperie 6; 7.30am-1.30pm & 4-7.15pm Mon-Sat) and La Baita Offline map Google map (Via Pescheria Vecchie 3; 8am-8pm, closed Sun Jun-Aug)

Librerie Coop BOOKSTORE

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(Via Orefici 19; 9am-midnight Mon-Sat, to 8pm Sun) A dream for hungry bookworms (or erudite gourmands), this three-level bookshop coop is a joint project with ethical Turin supermarket chain, Eataly. There are two eating options and thousands of books inside.

Information

Internet Access

Iperbole (www.comune.bologna.it/wireless; Palazzo D’Accursio, Piazza Maggiore 6; internet & wi-fi free; 9.30am-6.30pm Mon-Sat) The municipal government’s free internet service, allowing one hour daily on six public computers, or three hours of wi-fi access. Register at the Iperbole desk inside Palazzo D’Accursio.

Medical Services

Ospedale Maggiore ( 051 647 81 11; Largo Nigrisoli 2) West of the city centre; take bus 19 from Via Bassi.

Post

Post office (Piazza Minghetti 4)

Tourist Information

Tourist office (www.bolognaturismo.info; Piazza Maggiore 1e; 9am-7pm) Also offices in the airport and train station.

Getting There & Away

Air

Bologna’s Guglielmo Marconi airport (www.bologna-airport.it) is 8km northwest of the city. It’s served by over two dozen airlines including British Airways (daily flights to Gatwick) and Ryanair (one daily flight to Stansted).

Bus

Intercity buses leave from the main bus station (www.autostazionebo.it) off Piazza XX Settembre, just southeast of the train station. However, for nearly all destinations, the train’s a better option.

Car & Motorcycle

Bologna is linked to Milan, Florence and Rome by the A1 Autostrada del Sole. The A13 heads directly to Ferrara, Padua and Venice, and the A14 to Rimini and Ravenna. Bologna is also on the SS9 (Via Emilia), which connects Milan to the Adriatic coast. The SS64 goes to Ferrara.

Major car-hire companies are represented at Guglielmo Marconi airport and outside the train station. City offices include Budget (Via G Amendola 12f) and Hertz (Via G Amendola 16a) .

Train

Bologna is a major transport junction for northern Italy. The new high-speed train to Florence (€25) opened in December 2009 and takes only 37 minutes. Rome (regional €25.50, five hours; Eurostar €59, two hours 20 minutes) and Milan (regional €13.60, 2¼ hours; Eurostar €42, one hour) also offer quick links.

Frequent trains from Bologna serve cities throughout Emilia-Romagna; for details, see Getting There & Away listings under individual cities in this chapter.

Getting Around

To/From the Airport

Aerobus shuttles (www.atc.bo.it) depart from the main train station for Guglielmo Marconi airport every 15 to 30 minutes between 5.30am and 11.10pm. The 20-minute journey costs €5 (tickets can be bought on board).

Car & Motorcycle

Much of the city centre is off limits to vehicles. If you’re staying downtown, your hotel can provide a ticket (€7 per day) that entitles you to enter the ZTL (Zona a Traffico Limitato), park in designated spaces and make unlimited trips on city buses for 24 hours.

You can hire a bike at Autorimessa Pincio (Via dell’Indipendenza 71z; per 12/24hr €13/18; 7am-midnight Mon-Sat) , located near the bus station.

Public Transport

Bologna has an efficient bus system, run by ATC (www.atc.bo.it) . It has information booths at the main train station, the bus station and on Via Marconi. Buses 25 and 30 are among several that connect the train station with the city centre.

West of Bologna

MODENA

POP 179,900

If Italy were a meal, Modena would be on the main course. Here, on the flat plains of the slow-flowing Po, lies one of the nation’s great gastronomic centres, the creative force behind real balsamic vinegar, giant tortellini stuffed with tantalising fillings, sparkling Lambrusco wine, and backstreets crammed with some of the best restaurants no one’s ever heard of. For those with bleached taste buds, the city has another equally lauded legacy: cars. The famous Ferrari museum is situated in the nearby village of Maranello. Modena is also notable for its haunting Romanesque cathedral, and as the birthplace of the late Italian opera singer, Pavarotti.

Sights

Cathedral CATHEDRAL

(Corso Duomo; 7am-12.30pm & 3.30-7pm) Modena’s celebrated cathedral combines the austerity of the Dark Ages with throwback traditions from the Romans in a style known in Europe as Romanesque. The church stands out among Emilia-Romagna’s many other ecclesial relics for its remarkable architectural purity. It is, by popular consensus, the finest Romanesque church in Italy, and in 1997 was listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site. While not as large or spectacular as other Italian churches, the cathedral – dedicated to the city’s patron saint, St Geminianus – has a number of striking features. The dark interior is dominated by the huge Gothic ‘rose window’ (actually a 13th-century addition) that shoots rays of light down the grand central apse. To the sides, a series of vivid bas-reliefs depicting scenes from Genesis are the work of the 12th-century sculptor Wiligelmo. Interior highlights include an elaborate rood screen decorated by Anselmo da Campione and, in the crypt, Guido Mazzoni’s Madonna della pappa, a group of five painted terracotta figures.

Opposite the entrance to the cathedral, the Musei del DuomoOffline map Google map (Via Lanfranco 6; adult/child €3/2; 9.30am-12.30pm & 3.30-6.30pm Tue-Sun) holds yet more of Wiligelmo’s signature stonework.

Inseparable from the cathedral is the early-13th-century Torre GhirlandinaOffline map Google map (closed for renovation at the time of research), an 87m tower topped with a Gothic spire that was named after Seville’s famous ‘Giralda’ in the early 16th century by exiled Spanish Jews. Facing it across Piazza Grande is the elegant facade of the Palazzo ComunaleOffline map Google map .

Modena

Top Sights

Cathedral B3

Sights

1  Musei del Duomo B3

2 Palazzo Ducale C1

3  Torre Ghirlandina B3

Sleeping

4  Canalgrande Hotel B4

5  Hotel Cervetta 5 A3

Eating

6 Hosteria GiustiB2

7  Market B4

8  Ristorante da Danilo B2

9  Ristorante da Enzo B2

10  Trattoria Aldina A4

11  Trattoria Ermes B1

12 Trattoria II FantinoC3

Drinking

13  Cafe-Ristorante Concerto B3

14  Compagnia del Taglio B2

Entertainment

15 Teatro Comunale Luciano PavarottiC2

Shopping

16  Enoteca Ducale C1

Palazzo dei Musei MUSEUM

(Piazzale Sant’Agostino 337) Modena’s main museums and galleries are all conveniently housed in the Palazzo dei Musei on the western fringes of the historic centre.

The most interesting, the Galleria Estense (admission €4; 8.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sun) features the Este family’s collection of northern Italian paintings from late medieval times to the 18th century. There are also some fine Flemish works and a canvas or two by Velázquez, Correggio and El Greco. Downstairs, the Biblioteca Estense (admission free; 9am-1pm Mon-Sat) holds one of Italy’s most valuable collections of books, letters and manuscripts, including the celebrated Bibbia di Borso d’Este, a masterpiece of medieval illustration.

A combined ticket (€4) gives entry to the Museo Archeologico Etnologico ( 9am-noon Tue-Fri, 10am-7pm Sat & Sun) and the Museo Civico d’Arte ( 9am-noon Tue-Fri, 10am-1pm & 3-6pm Sat & Sun) . The former has some well-displayed local finds from Palaeolithic to medieval eras, as well as exhibits from Africa, Asia, Peru and New Guinea. Most interesting among the Museo Civico d’Arte’s eclectic collection are the sections devoted to traditional paper-making, textiles and musical instruments.

Palazzo Ducale LANDMARK

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Dominating Piazza Roma, this heavy baroque edifice is home to one of Italy’s top military academies. It was started in 1634 and was the Este family residence for two centuries. Admission is only by guided tour (tour €6; tours Sun) . Contact ModenaTur ( Click here ) to book.

Festivals & Events

Modena Terra di Motori CAR

(www.modenaterradimotori.com, in Italian) Between late March and early May, vintage cars and snazzy Ferraris take to Modena’s historic streets in this annual car fest.

Serate Estensi MEDIEVAL

(www.comune.modena.it/seratestensi, in Italian) In late June and early July, this festival is a celebration of all things medieval, involving banquets, jousts and plenty of dressing up.

Sleeping

Hotel Cervetta 5 HOTEL €€

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( 059 23 84 47; www.hotelcervetta5.com; Via Cervetta 5; s/d/tr €80/120/155; ) Cervetta is about as posh as Modena gets without pampering to the convention crowd. A location adjacent to intimate Piazza Grande is complemented by quasi-boutique facilities, clean, modern bathrooms and the latest in TV technology. Fruity breakfasts and wi-fi are included; garage parking (€12) isn’t.

Canalgrande Hotel HOTEL €€

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( 059 21 71 60; www.canalgrandehotel.it; Corso Canalgrande 6; s €114-132, d €154-180; ) A venerable Modenese institution, the Canalgrande exudes old-school elegance with its acres of marble, gilt-framed paintings, sparkling chandeliers and a spacious terrace overlooking the garden out back. Parking costs €12.

Ostello San Filippo Neri HOSTEL €

( 059 23 45 98; modena@aighostels.com; Via Santa Orsola 48-52; dm/s/d €16/20/35; ) Modena’s businesslike HI hostel has 80 beds in single-sex dorms and family units. Pluses include disabled access, capacious lockers, uncrowded rooms (maximum three beds per dorm) and a bike-storage area. Drawbacks are the 10am to 2pm lockout and the lack of breakfast (though you can bring takeaway food into the hostel’s dining area).

Hotel San Geminiano HOTEL €

( 059 21 03 03; www.hotelsangeminiano.it; Viale Moreali 41; s/d €60/80; ) Geminiano’s slightly off-centre location and dark, unspectacular rooms are saved by down-to-earth service and the salt-of-the-earth restaurant next door, which serves shockingly economical pizzas (€4.50), and pesto sauce that tastes like it’s been dug straight out of the Emiliano soil.

Eating

Modena would easily make a top-10 list of best Italian culinary towns. The beauty lies not just in the food, but in the way in which it is unpretentiously presented in unfancy, nondescript restaurants shoehorned up blind alleys or hidden inside faceless office blocks, often without signage. Its most famous product is aceto balsamico di Modena, aged between four and 12 years depending on whether you’re having it with cheese or on your ice cream. The city also produces excellent prosciutto crudo (cured ham, aka Parma ham) and zampone (stuffed pig’s trotters), along with Lambrusco wine, a lively, sparkling red, drunk chilled and paired with everything.

Hosteria Giusti GASTRONOMIC €€€

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( 059 22 25 33; www.hosteriagiusti.it; Vicolo Squallore 46; meals €70; 12.30-2pm Tue-Sat) With only four tables, a narrow back-alley location, no real signage and a 90-minute daily opening window, this perplexingly unassuming osteria isn’t really setting itself up for legendary status. But tentative whispers turn to exuberant shouts when regional specialities like cotechino fritto con zabaglione al lambrusco (fried Modena sausage with wine-flavoured egg custard) arrive at your table. The plaudits are growing, including from hard-to-impress Italian-American Iron Chef Mario Batelli, who lists it as one of his favourite hang-outs in Italy.

Trattoria Aldina TRATTORIA €

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(Via Albinelli 40; meals €17; lunch Mon-Sat) Upstairs in a utilitarian apartment block, Aldina feels like a precious secret guarded loyally by local shoppers, who roll in from the adjacent produce market. The lunch-only menu is spearheaded by the kind of no-nonsense homemade food that only a 50-plus Italian mamma raised on handmade pasta is capable of concocting. There’s no written menu; take what’s in the pot and revel in the people-watching potential.

Ristorante da Danilo TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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(Via Coltellini 29-31; meals €25-30; Mon-Sat) Speedy waiters glide around balancing bread baskets, wine bottles and pasta dishes in this deliciously traditional dining room where first dates mingle with animated families and office groups on a birthday jaunt. What would pass as outstanding in any other country passes as normal in Danilo: antipastos of salami, pecorino (sheep’s-milk cheese) and fig marmalade; secondos of bollito misto (mixed boiled meats), and a vegetarian risotto al radicchio trevigiano (with red chicory).

Ristorante da Enzo TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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( 059 22 51 77; Via Coltellini 17; meals €25-30; closed Sun dinner & Mon) Get in early! This restaurant is highly regarded for its classic, regional cooking, not least its signature scaloppina all’aceto balsamico (cutlets in balsamic vinegar). You enter innocuously through the kitchen prep area where charismatic chefs are up to their elbows in floury pasta dough. The decor is no frills – the star treatment is reserved entirely (and rightly) for the food.

Trattoria Ermes TRATTORIA €

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(Via Ganaceto 89; meals €20; lunch Mon-Sat) Here’s yet another fabulous, affordable little lunch spot, tucked into a single wood-panelled room at the northern edge of downtown Modena. An older couple runs the place – she cooks, he juggles plates and orders while keeping up a nonstop stream of banter with the customers. The menu changes daily depending on what’s fresh at the market.

Trattoria II Fantino TRATTORIA €€

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( 059 22 36 46; www.gustamodena.it/ilfan tino; Via Donzi 7; meals €15; closed Mon) More homemade Modenese miracles forged in a hole-in-the-wall-sized dining room that can’t have changed much since the Risorgimento (reunification period). Arrive early and squeeze into one of 45 narrow pews.

SELF-CATERING

Modena’s fresh-produce market Offline map Google map ( 6.30am-2.30pm Mon-Sat year-round, 4.30-7pm Sat Oct-May) has its main entrance on Via Albinelli.

Drinking

A youthful bar-hopping crowd congregates along Via dei Gallucci. There’s also a cluster of bars along Via Emilia near the cathedral. Another stand out place is Compagnia del Taglio Offline map (Via Taglio 12) .

Cafe-Ristorante Concerto CAFE, BAR

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(www.cafeconcertomodena.com; Piazza Grande 26; 8am-3am) This Piazza Grande establishment manages a delicate juxtaposition between trendy (ubercontemporary decor) and old (cobbled central-square location) without appearing out of place. Inside any 19-hour window it wears three hats: all-day cafe, (pricey) restaurant, and evening bar/club. The latter is its best incarnation, primarily because of the free bar snacks (minimum consumption €5), chilled Lambrusco and footloose party atmosphere so often lacking in Italy’s Renaissance cities.

Entertainment

During July and August, outdoor concerts and ballet are staged on Piazza Grande.

Teatro Comunale Luciano Pavarotti THEATRE

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(www.teatrocomunalemodena.it; Corso Canalgrande 85) It will come as no surprise that the birthplace of Pavarotti has a decent opera house. The Comunale opened in 1841 and has 900 seats and 112 boxes. Following the death of its exalted native son in September 2007, it was renamed in his honour.

Shopping

Enoteca Ducale FOOD, WINE

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(Corso Vittorio Emanuele 15; 9am-7pm Tue-Sun) Do your friends back home a favour by loading up on balsamic vinegar presents here – aged anywhere from three to 100 years (tasting is allowed). They’ll never buy the supermarket stuff again!

Information

ModenaTur (www.modenatur.it, in Italian; Via Scudari 8; 2.30-6.30pm Mon, 9am-1pm & 2.30-6.30pm Tue-Sat) A private agency that organises tours to balsamic-vinegar producers and parmigiano reggiano (Parmesan) dairies.

Post office (Via Emilia 86)

Tourist office (http://turismo.comune.modena.it; Piazza Grande 14; 3-6pm Mon, 9am-1pm & 3-6pm Tue-Sat, 9.30am-12.30pm Sun) Provides city maps and the useful Welcome to Modena brochure.

Ufficio Relazioni con il Pubblico (Piazza Grande 17; per hr €2.50; 9am-1pm & 3-6pm Mon, Tue & Thu, 9am-1pm Wed & Fri) Municipal internet service with initial €2 registration fee, plus hourly rate thereafter.

Getting There & Around

The bus station is on Via Molza, northwest of the centre. ATCM (www.atcm.mo.it, in Italian) buses connect Modena with most towns in the region.

By car, take the A1 Autostrada del Sole if coming from Rome or Milan, or the A22 from Mantua and Verona.

The train station is north of the historic centre, fronting Piazza Dante. Destinations include Bologna (€3.30, 30 minutes, half-hourly), Parma (€4.60, 30 minutes, half-hourly) and Milan (regional/express train €12.50/26.50, two hours, hourly).

ATCM’s bus 7 links the train station with the bus station and city centre.

FERRARI FANTASY

It’s not every day that you get to tune out of Top Gear and tune in (briefly) to the motoring fantasy that is Maranello. The metaphoric haj for all petrolheads is the Galleria Ferrari (www.galleria.ferrari.com; Via Ferrari 43; adult/reduced €13/9; 9.30am-7pm May-Sep, to 6pm Oct-Apr); they come here to obsess over the world’s largest collection of Ferraris, including Formula 1 exhibits, a trajectory of the cars’ mechanical evolution, and a revolving feature of 40 of the landmark models. Just down the road, the company factory is off limits to the 99.99% of the world’s population who don’t own a Ferrari.

The town of Maranello is 17km south of Modena. From Modena’s bus station take bus 800 (€2.30, 30 minutes).

CARPI

POP 65,800

A small town with a giant square, Carpi is defined by humungous Piazza del Martini, fringed by 50 porticoes and big enough to mark out an aeroplane landing strip. It’s only 15 minutes on the train from Modena and well worth an afternoon’s detour.

Sights

Piazza dei Martiri PIAZZA

Measuring 270m by 60m, the Piazza dei Martiri is Italy’s third largest after Piazza San Pietro in Rome and Venice’s Piazza San Marco. Over 50 columns holding up an equitable number of porticoes run down the western side.

Palazzo Pio MUSEUM

( 10am-1pm & 3-7pm Fri-Sun) Flanking the east side of the square, this muscular palace houses two museums. The Museo Civico (adult/reduced €5/3) has archaeological exhibits and a recently opened art gallery with paintings from the 15th to 20th centuries. More poignant is the Museo Monumento al Deportato Politico e Razziale (adult/reduced €3/2), which documents the experience of prisoners in the nearby Fossoli Concentration Camp in 13 simple but haunting rooms. Ask at the entrance for translated versions (in English, French and German) of the profoundly moving quotes that cover the museum’s walls, extracted from letters written home by prisoners.

Cattedrale Dell’Assunta CATHEDRAL

(Piazza dei Martiri) Begun in 1515 and finished in the 19th century, the cathedral is an architectural cocktail of styles, sporting a baroque facade and a neoclassical interior. The initial plan was based, rather ambitiously, on St Peter’s in Rome.

Eating

Caffè-Ristorante del Teatro CAFE €

(Piazza dei Martiri 72; snacks €6-13; closed Tue) Square-gazers hog the tables outside the bright-orange neoclassical facade of the Municipal Theatre, where a small cafe has been grafted into the right-hand wing. The fish-themed antipasto plate is a great accompaniment to the unfolding theatre below.

Information

Tourist office (www.turismo.carpidiem.it; Via Berengario 2; 9.30am-1pm & 3-6pm Tue-Sat, 9.30am-12.30pm Sun, 2.30-6pm Mon) Just off the vast main square.

Getting There & Away

Trains run between Carpi and Modena (€1.80, 15 minutes) every 30 to 60 minutes.

REGGIO EMILIA

POP 162,300

Often written off as an emergency pit stop on the Via Emilia, Reggio Emilia states its case as birthplace of the Italian flag – the famous red, white and green tricolour – and a convenient base for sorties south into the region’s best natural attraction – the Parco Nazionale dell’Appennino Tosco-Emiliano. Those savvy enough to get out of their train/car/bus will find a city of attractive squares, grand public buildings and a leafy park. In 2010, Reggio Emilia was named Italy’s most cycle-friendly city.

Known also as Reggio nell’Emilia, the town started life in the 2nd century BC as a Roman colony along the Via Emilia. Much of Reggio was built by the Este family during the 400 years it controlled the town, beginning in 1406.

Sights

Reggio’s pedestrianised city centre is an agreeable place to wander or cycle. The main sights are centred on Piazza Prampolini and adjacent Piazza San Prospero.

Duomo DUOMO

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(Piazza Prampolini; 8am-noon & 4-7pm) Reggio’s 13th-century cathedral was first built in the Romanesque style but was given a comprehensive makeover 300 years later. Nowadays, virtually all that remains of the original is the upper half of the facade and, inside, the crypt.

Museo del Tricolore MUSEUM

(Piazza Prampolini; 9am-noon Tue-Fri, 10am-1pm & 3-7pm Sat-Sun) A small exhibition that attempts to cover a large subject, this proud memorial to the Italian tricolour flag is in the main square. Next door in the 14th-century Palazzo del Comune is where the flag was actually conceived. At a meeting in the multi-tiered Sala del Tricolore in 1797, Napoleon’s short-lived Cispadane Republic was proclaimed and the green, white and red tricolour was adopted for the first time.

Basilica della Beata Vergine della Ghiara CHURCH

(Corso Garibaldi) Reggio’s most important church is associated with a miracle involving a deaf and dumb boy called Marchino, who found his voice (and ears) after an apparition of the virgin in front of a painting of the Blessed Virgin of Ghiara (by G Bianchi) in 1569. The church was built in 1597 as a sanctuary to honour this miracle and the virgin has been faithfully reproduced in a chapel inside. Architecturally the church is classic baroque with notable painting and frescoes by the top Emiliano artists of the period.

Musei Civici MUSEUM

(www.musei.re.it; 9am-noon Tue-Fri, 10am-1pm & 4-7pm Sat & Sun) Reggio Emilia has five city museum sites, but the best artefacts are located inside the Palazzo San Francesco (Via Spallanzani) . Thematic collections here include Roman archaeological finds (look out for the mosaics), 18th-century art, natural history exhibits and a precis of the town’s history.

Galleria Parmeggiani ART GALLERY

(Corso Cairoli 1; 9am-noon Tue-Fri, 10am-1pm & 4-7pm Sat & Sun) The town’s main art gallery hails some worthwhile Italian, Flemish and Spanish paintings, as well as a heterogeneous collection of costumes, arms, jewellery and cutlery.

Sleeping

Ostello Basilica della Ghiara HOSTEL €

( 0522 45 23 23; Via Guasco 6; dm/s/d €15/20/36) There’s no shortage of space at Reggio’s memorable HI hostel, housed in a former convent. The two to six-bed guestrooms line vast, echoing corridors, and in summer breakfast is served under the porticoes in the internal garden. The hostel was temporary closed at the time of writing and was scheduled to open under new management in summer 2011. Check ahead.

Albergo Morandi HOTEL €

( 0522 45 43 97; www.albergomorandi.com; Via Emilia San Pietro 64; s €60-65, d €85-105; ) Halfway between the train station and historic centre, the Morandi features spruce rooms with big beds, gleaming bathrooms and satellite TV. There’s free parking, and the service is unfailingly courteous.

Hotel Posta HOTEL €€

( 0522 43 29 44; www.hotelposta.re.it; Piazza del Monte 2; s/d/ste €140/190/280; ) Elegant inside and out, the grand four-star Posta is housed in the 13th-century Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo, one-time residence of Reggio’s governor. Rooms are individually decorated, with plenty of heavy floral fabrics, gilt-framed mirrors and antique furniture. Parking costs €12. Just around the corner, you’ll find the hotel’s less expensive, 16-room annexe, Albergo Reggio ( 0522 45 15 33; www.albergoreggio.it; Via San Giuseppe 7; s/d €75/105) .

Eating

Reggio’s central squares host a produce market ( 7am-1pm Tue & Fri) . Typical local snacks include erbazzone (herb pie with cheese or bacon) and gnocco fritto (fried salted dough). Parmesan is also produced locally.

La Taverna dell’Aquila TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €

(Via dell’Aquila 6a; meals €20-25; Tue-Sat) With its colourful, funky decor, jazzy soundtrack and tasty, homemade food, this bright eatery is a bit different from your classic wood-and-wine-bottle trattoria. The fixed-price lunch menus (€6 to €12) are exceptionally good value.

La Bottega dei Briganti OSTERIA €€

(www.bottegadeibriganti.it; Via San Carlo 14b; meals €25-35; dinner Mon-Sat) Duck under the porticoes to this cosy osteria (wine bar serving food) with its conspiratorial atmosphere and small leafy courtyard. The food is excellent, particularly the pasta and risottos.

Entertainment

Teatro Municipale Valli THEATRE

(www.iteatri.re.it, in Italian; Piazza Martiri VII Luglio) Reggio’s splendid neoclassical theatre with 12 Tuscan columns stages a full season of dance, opera and theatre. It’s named after local-born actor Romolo Valli, who starred alongside Burt Lancaster in The Leopard (1963).

Information

Tourist office (www.municipio.re.it/turismo; Via Farini 1a; 8.30am-1pm & 2.30-6pm Mon-Sat, 9am-noon Sun)

Getting There & Around

Bus operator ACT (www.actre.it) serves the city and region from its brand-new bus station, just behind Reggio’s train station. Destinations include Carpi (€3.50, one hour, 10 daily) and Castelnovo ne’ Monti (€4.30, 1¼ hours, seven to 14 daily).

Reggio is on the Via Emilia (SS9) and A1 autostrada. The SS63 is a tortuous but scenic route that takes you southwest across the Parma Apennines to La Spezia on the Ligurian coast.

The train station is east of the town centre. Frequent trains serve all stops on the Milan–Bologna line including Milan (regional/express €10.30/23.50, 1½ to 2½ hours, hourly), Parma (€2.50, 15 minutes, half-hourly), Modena (€2.50, 15 minutes, half-hourly) and Bologna (€5.10, 45 minutes, half-hourly).

PARCO NAZIONALE DELL’APPENNINO TOSCO-EMILIANO

In the late 1980s Italy had half a dozen national parks. Today it has 24. One of the newest additions is Parco Nazionale dell’Appennino Tosco-Emiliano (www.appenninoreggiano.it), a 260-sq-km hectare parcel of land that straddles the border between Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna. Running along the spine of the Apennines mountains, the park is notable for its hiking potential, extensive beech forests, and small population of wolves. Of its many majestic peaks, the highest is 2121m Monte Cusna, easily scale-able from the village of Civago near the Tuscan border on a path (sentiero No 605) that passes the region’s best mountain hut, the Rifugio Cesare Battisti ( 0522 89 74 97; www.rifugio-battisti.it). The rifugio sits aside one of Italy’s great long-distance walking trails, the three-week, 375km-long Grande Escursione Appennenica (GEA) , which bisects the park in five stages from Passo della Forbici near the Rifugio Cesare Battisti up to its termination point just outside the park’s northwest corner in Montelungo. Sections of the GEA can be done as day walks. Trekking in the Apennines by Gillian Price (published by Cicerone) provides an excellent detailed guide of the whole route.

One of the best gateways to the park is the village of Castelnovo ne’ Monti about 40km south of Reggio Emilia, along the winding SS63 on a delightfully scenic ACT bus route. The large village has an ultra-helpful tourist office (www.reappennino.com, in Italian; Via Roma 15b; 9am-1pm & 3-6pm Mon-Sat) that stocks bags of free information and sells cheap maps of the region for hikers, cyclists and equestrians.

If you’ve arrived by bus, you can walk 3km from the village centre up to one of the national park’s defining landmarks, the surreal Pietra di Bismantova (1047m), a stark limestone outcrop visible for miles around that’s popular with climbers and weekend walkers. In its shadow lies the Rifugio della Pietra , open for food and drinks in summer, and the tiny Eremo di Bismantova monastery, which dates from 1400. From here various paths fan out to the rock’s summit (25 minutes). You can also circumnavigate the rock on the lovely 5km Anella delle Pietra or even tackle it on a difficult via ferrata (trail with permanent cables and ladders) with the proper equipment.

Castelnovo ne’ Monti offers a variety of overnight accommodation, including Albergo Bismantova ( 0522 81 22 18; www.albergobismantova.com; Via Roma 73; s/d €47/75) , which has an attached restaurant, Le Mormoraie (meals from €25) .

Getting to the park on public transport is possible by bus with ACT (www.actre.it) from Reggio Emilia or TEP (www.tep.pr.it) from Parma. Several buses run every day.

PARMA

POP 178,700

If reincarnation ever becomes an option, pray you come back as a Parmesan. Where else do you get to cycle to work through traffic-light cobbled streets in uncrinkled Prada, lunch on fresh-from-the-attic prosciutto and aged parmigiano reggiano cheese, quaff full-bodied Sangiovese wine in regal art nouveau cafes, and spend sultry summer evenings listening to classical music in architecturally dramatic opera houses? Smarting from its position as one of Italy’s most prosperous cities, Parma has every right to feel smug. More metropolitan than Modena, yet less clamorous than Bologna, this is the city that gave the world Lamborghinis, a composer called Verdi, and enough ham and cheese to start a deli-chain. Stopping here isn’t an option, it’s a duty.

Sights

Duomo DUOMO

(Piazza del Duomo; 9am-12.30pm & 3-7pm) Another daring Romanesque beauty? Well, yes and no. Consecrated in 1106, Parma cathedral’s facade is classic Lombard-Romanesque, but inside, the gilded pulpit and ornate lamp-holders scream baroque. Take note, there are some genuine treasures here: up in the dome, Antonio Correggio’s Assunzione della Vergine (Assumption of the Virgin) is a kaleidoscopic swirl of cherubims and whirling angels, while down in the southern transept, Benedetto Antelami’s Deposizione (Descent from the Cross; 1178) relief is considered a masterpiece of its type.

Parma

Top Sights

Battistero C4

Galleria Nazionale B3

Sights

1  Casa Natale di Toscanini A4

2 Chiesa di San Giovanni EvangelistaD4

3  Chiesa di Santa Maria della Steccata C4

4 Duomo D4

5  La Casa del Suono D4

Monastery (see 2)

Museo Archeologico Nazionale (see 8)

6  Museo Diocesano C4

7  Palazzo del Governatore C4

8  Palazzo della Pilotta B3

9  Palazzo Ducale A2

10  Parco Ducale A2

Teatro Farnese (see 8)

Sleeping

11 Century HotelB1

12  Hotel Button C5

13  Hotel Torino C4

Eating

14  Dal Teo A4

15  Gallo d'Oro C5

16 La GreppiaC3

17  Osteria dei Mascalzoni B5

18  Trattoria Corrieri B5

19  Trattoria del Tribunale B5

Drinking

20  Cavour Gran Caffè C4

Entertainment

21  Teatro Regio B4

Shopping

22  Libreria Fiaccadori C4

23  Salumeria Garibaldi C2

Battistero BAPTISTERY

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(Piazza del Duomo; adult/reduced €5/3; 9am-12.30pm & 3-6.45pm) Overshadowing even the cathedral, the octagonal pink-marble baptistry on the south side of the piazza is one of the most important such structures in Italy. Its architecture is a hybrid of Romanesque and Gothic and its construction started in 1196 on the cusp of the two great architectural eras. Architect and sculptor Benedetto Antelami oversaw the project and it contains his best work, including a celebrated set of figures representing the months, seasons and signs of the zodiac. The baptistry wasn’t completed until 1307 thanks to several interruptions, most notably when the supply of pink Verona marble ran out.

Museo Diocesano MUSEUM

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(Vicolo del Vescovado 3a; admission €4; 9am-12.30pm & 3-6.30pm) On the other side of the square, in the cellars of the former bishop’s palace, this museum displays yet more statuary. Highlights include a finely sculpted Solomon and Sheba and a 5th-century -Christian mosaic, which was discovered under Piazza del Duomo.

A combined ticket (€6) allows entry into the baptistry and Museo Diocesano.

Chiesa di San Giovanni Evangelista CHURCH

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(Piazzale San Giovanni; 8-11.45am & 3-7.45pm) This abbey church rises directly behind the Duomo and is attached to a monastery. Its 16th-century facade is mannerist (the less harmonious, rational style that followed the high Renaissance) and is noted for its magnificent frescoed dome, the work of Correggio which was highly influential for its time (and inspired many later works). The adjoining monastery Offline map Google map ( 8.30am-noon & 3-6pm) is known as much for the oils and unguents that its monks produce as for its Renaissance cloisters. Upstairs, a library is adorned with huge old maps that hang from the walls of a musty reading room.

Palazzo della Pilotta MUSEUM

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Looming over Piazza della Pace’s manicured lawns and modern fountains, this monumental palace is hard to miss. Supposedly named after the Spanish ball game of pelota that was once played within its walls, it was originally built for the Farnese family between 1583 and 1622. Heavily bombed in WWII, it has since been largely rebuilt and today houses several museums.

The most important of these, the Galleria Nazionale Offline map Google map (adult/child incl Teatro Farnese €6/free; 8.30am-1.30pm Tue-Sun) , displays Parma’s main art collection. Alongside works by local artists Correggio and Parmigianino, you’ll find paintings by Fra Angelico, El Greco and a piece attributed to da Vinci. Before you get to the gallery, you’ll pass through the Teatro Farnese Offline map Google map , a copy of Andrea Palladio’s Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza. Constructed entirely out of wood, it was almost completely rebuilt after being bombed in WWII.

For a change of period, the Museo Archeologico Nazionale Offline map Google map ( 0521 23 37 18; admission €2; 9am-2pm Tue-Sun) exhibits Roman artefacts discovered around Parma and Etruscan finds from the Po valley.

Piazza Garibaldi PIAZZA

On the site of the ancient Roman forum, Piazza Garibaldi is Parma’s cobbled hub bisected by the city’s main east–west artery, Via Mazzini, and its continuation, Strada della Repubblica. On the square’s north side, the facade of the 17th-century Palazzo del Governatore Offline map Google map , these days municipal offices, sports a giant sundial, added in 1829. Behind the palace in the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Steccata Offline map Google map (Piazza Steccata 9; 9am-noon & 3-6pm) , you’ll find some of Parmigianino’s most extraordinary work, notably the stunning, if rather faded, frescoes on the arches above the altar. Many members of the ruling Farnese and Bourbon families lie buried here.

Parco Ducale PARK

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( 6am-midnight Apr-Oct, 7am-8pm Nov-Mar) Stretching along the west bank of the Parma river, these formal gardens seem like Parma personified – refined, peaceful and with barely a blade of grass out of place. They were laid out in 1560 around the Farnese family’s Palazzo Ducale , which now serves as headquarters of the provincial carabinieri (military police).

Casa Natale di Toscanini MUSEUM

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(www.museotoscanini.it, in Italian; Borgo R Tanzi 13; admission €2; 9am-1pm & 2-6pm Tue-Sat, 2-6pm Sun) At the park’s southeast corner the birthplace of Italy’s greatest modern conductor, Arturo Toscanini (1867–1957), retraces his life and travels through relics and records. Of interest is his collaborations with acclaimed Italian tenor Aureliano Pertile.

La Casa del Suono MUSEUM

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(Piazzale Salvo D’Acquisto; admission €2; 9am-6pm Thu-Sat, 2-6pm Sun) Oh no, not another church, you groan, until you realise that this one (the 17th-century Chiesa di Santa Elisabetta) has been converted into a funky modern museum that focuses on the history of music technology. Review the ‘ancient’ 1970s tape recorders, ponder over jazz age gramophones and stop to listen under a hi-tech ‘sonic chandelier’.

Sleeping

Century Hotel HOTEL $$

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( 0521 03 98 00; www.centuryhotel.it; Piazzale dalla Chiesa 5a; s/d/ste €80/120/200; ) Hotels next to train stations are often scruffy little abodes designed for economically minded fly-by-nighters, but the trussed-up Century, still smarting from a modern makeover, offers slick four-star fixtures and amenities at three-star prices.

Hotel Button HOTEL €€

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( 0521 20 80 39; www.hotelbutton.it; Borgo Salina 7; s €70-84, d €90-118; ) The spare, hospital-green decor leaves a lot to be desired, but it’s hard to argue with Hotel Button’s spacious rooms and bathrooms, free wi-fi and convenient location in the heart of historic Parma. Parking costs €10.

Hotel Torino HOTEL €€

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( 0521 28 10 46; www.hotel-torino.it; Via Mazza 7; s/d €90/130; ) Despite its popularity with performers from the nearby Teatro Regio, there’s nothing particularly theatrical about the Torino’s rooms; still, it’s a reliable, centrally located midrange choice that periodically offers online discounts. Parking costs €12.

Ostello di Parma HOSTEL €

( 0521 191 75 47; www.ostelloparma.it; Via San Leonardo 86; dm/d €18.50/41; ) Near the autostrada on Parma’s northern outskirts, this modern hostel has free wi-fi, inexpensive laundry facilities and a dining area (but no guest kitchen). Breakfast costs €2.50 extra. There’s good bike-path access; otherwise take bus 13 or 2N (€1, five minutes) from the train station and get off at the Centro Torri stop.

Eating

Parma specialities need no introduction to anyone familiar with the food of Planet Earth. Both prosciutto di Parma (Parma ham) and parmigiano reggiano (Parmesan) make excellent antipasto plates accompanied by a good Sangiovese red. Nab one of the following perches and dig in.

La Greppia GASTRONOMIC €€€

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( 0521 23 36 86; Via Garibaldi 39a; meals from €45) A legend in its own lunchtime (and dinnertime, come to that), La Greppia is hallowed ground for the kind of Emilia-Romagna gourmands who know their ra g ù from their bolognese. Sticking tradition and modernity in the same blender, it comes up with Parmesan mousse, pear poached in wine, and plenty more surprises. Service is impeccable.

Trattoria del Tribunale TRATTORIA €

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(www.trattoriadeltribunale.it; Vicolo Politti 5; meals €22) Walk through a gauntlet of ham slicers and waiters gouging lumps out of giant parmigiano reggiano cheeses in a pungent entrance vestibule, and you’ve arrived at one of about 25 contenders for Parma’s best restaurant. Start with an elaborate plate of Parma ham, proceed to the tortelli di Erbette (pasta stuffed with spinach in butter and Parmesan), and finish, if you dare, with trippa alla parmigiana (tripe in Parmesan and breadcrumbs). Pure Parma!

Trattoria Corrieri TRATTORIA €€

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( 0521 23 44 26; Via Conservatorio 1; meals €25) Eat on the patio under a leafy trellis, or in the labyrinth of rustically decorated interior rooms at this convivial trattoria, under the same ownership as Gallo d’Oro. Everything’s top quality and homemade – from the torta fritta (warm fried bread) to the Parmesan risotto to the torta di cioccolato e pere (pear-and-chocolate cake) for dessert.

Gallo d’Oro TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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( 0521 20 88 46; www.gallodororistorante.it; Borgo Salina 3; meals €25; closed dinner Sun) Vintage magazine covers and artfully placed wine bottles lend the Gallo d’Oro a very agreeable bistro feel. But it’s not all image: this is one of Parma’s best trattorias, serving consistently good Emilian cuisine. For proof, try the cheese plates, rabbit, or – if you’re brave – local favourite, pesto di cavallo (raw minced horse meat with herbs and Parmesan). Booking is recommended.

Dal Teo PIZZERIA €

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( 0521 23 54 00; Piazzale Corridoni 15e; pizzas €5-9, meals €15-25; closed Sat lunch & Sun) Bored with his day job, the enterprising Teo convinced his mum to help him open a pizzeria, using the same recipe he adored as a child. Mum is up at 4am making dough, and Teo takes care of the rest. Just across the bridge from Parma’s historic centre, it’s a popular hang-out for evening beers and conversation, as well as for its incomparably delicious pizza crust – thick, light and crunchy all at once.

Osteria dei Mascalzoni OSTERIA €€

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(www.osteriadeimascalzoniparma.it; Vicolo delle Cinque Piaghe 1; meals €25-35; closed Sat lunch & Sun) Cosy inside and out, this restaurant features a beamed dining room and outdoor tables that take over the adjacent alleyway on warm summer evenings. The menu emphasises grilled meat, plus an excellent selection of Parma’s famous cheeses and pork products, including culatello, fiocchetto and of course prosciutto .

Drinking

Tabarro BAR

(Strada Farini 5b; Tue-Sun) Most of the city’s animated drinking scene is centred on Strada Farini, home to numerous wine bars, including this one where aficionados sip fine vintages at tables made from barrels.

Cavour Gran Caffè CAFE

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(Strada Cavour 30b; 7am-8pm) Echoes of Turin are evident in the finely frescoed interior of this classic Parmesan cafe. You’ll pay extra for that cappuccino, of course.

Entertainment

There are few better places in Italy to see live opera, concerts and theatre. The season runs from October to April and in summer there are outdoor-music programs.

Teatro Regio THEATRE

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(www.teatroregioparma.org, in Italian; Via Garibaldi 16a) Offers a particularly rich program of music and opera, even by exacting Italian standards.

Teatro Due THEATRE

(www.teatrodue.org, in Italian; Via Salnitrara 10) Presents the city’s top drama.

Shopping

Libreria Fiaccadori BOOKSTORE

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(Strada Duomo 8a; 9am-7.30pm Mon-Sat, 10am-1pm & 3.30-7.30pm Sun) Good old-fashioned bookshop with ladders to reach the high shelves and plenty of titles in English.

Salumeria Garibaldi FOOD

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(Via Garibaldi 42; 8am-8pm Mon-Sat) Stock up on the fat of the land at this bountiful delicatessen with dangling sausages, shelves of Lambrusco wines, slabs of Parma ham and wheel upon wheel of parmigiano reggiano .

Information

Police station ( 0521 21 94; Borgo della Posta 16a)

Post office (Via Melloni)

Tourist office (http://turismo.comune.parma.it/turismo; Via Melloni 1a; 9am-1pm & 3-7pm Mon, 9am-7pm Tue-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun)

Getting There & Away

From Piazzale dalla Chiesa in front of Parma’s train station, TEP (www.tep.pr.it, in Italian) operates buses throughout the region, including six daily (one on Sunday) to Busseto (€3.40, one hour) via Soragna (€2.85, 45 minutes).

Parma is on the A1 connecting Bologna and Milan and just east of the A15, which runs to La Spezia. Via Emilia (SS9) passes right through town.

There are frequent trains to Milan (regional/express €8.70/21, 1¼ to 1¾ hours, hourly), Bologna (€6.20, one hour, half-hourly), Modena (€4.60, 30 minutes, half-hourly) and Piacenza (€4.60, 40 minutes, half-hourly).

Getting Around

Traffic is banned from the historic centre, so leave your car at the underground car park on Viale Toschi and grab a bike, available for hire next door at Parma Punto Bici (www.parmapuntobici.pr.it, in Italian; Viale Toschi 2a; per hr/day bicycles €0.70/10, electric bikes €0.90/20; 9am-1pm & 3-7pm Mon-Sat, 10am-1pm & 2.30-7.30pm Sun) .

FOOD APPRECIATION

Understanding Emilia-Romagna means understanding its traditional food culture. Here are four essential pit stops where you can get all the info you need straight from the horse’s mouth.

» Museo del Balsamico Tradizionale (www.museodelbalsamicotradizionale.org; Via Roncati 28; adult/reduced €2/1; 9.30am-1pm & 3-7pm Tue-Sun) In the town of Spilamberto 17km southwest of Modena, is this temple to balsamic vinegar offering movie exhibits and guided tours.

» Museo del Parmigiano Reggiano (www.museidelcibo.it; Via Volta 5; admission & tasting €5; 10am-1pm & 3-6pm Sat & Sun Mar-Dec) A walk-through history lesson of one of the world’s most famous cheeses, this pungent museum is in Soragna, 30km northwest of Parma.

» Museo del Prosciutto di Parma (www.museidelcibo.it; Via Bocchialini 7; adult/reduced €3/2; 10am-6pm Sat & Sun Mar-Dec) Ponder swine breeds and the art of ham preservation in the town of Langhirano, 20km south of Parma. There’s a tasting room, of course.

» Museo del Pomodoro (www.museidelcibo.it; Strada Giarola 11; adult/reduced €4/3; 10am-6pm Sat & Sun Mar-Oct) This museum in Collecchio just south of Parma concentrates on the botany, cultivation and sub-products of that omnipresent Italian cooking ingredient, the good ole’ tomato.

VERDI COUNTRY

During the ‘golden age of opera’ in the second half of the 19th century, only Wagner came close to emulating Giuseppe Verdi, Italy’s operatic genius who was born in the tiny village of Le Roncole in 1813. You can tour his gigantic legacy starting in the town of Busseto, 35km northwest of Parma.

Sights

Museo Nazionale Giuseppe Verdi MUSEUM

(www.museogiuseppeverdi.it; Via Provesi 35, Bussetto; adult/reduced €9/7; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun) The latest and best dedication to the great composer is a 21-room museum – set in the lavish 16th-century Villa Pallavicino on the periphery of Busseto – that tracks his life and 27 operas in rich atmospheric detail. There are also gardens, a bookshop, a cafe and regular musical events.

Teatro Verdi THEATRE

(Piazza Verdi; adult/reduced €4/3; 9.30am-1pm & 3-6.30pm Tue-Sun) A stately theatre on Busseto’s aptly named Piazza Verdi was built in 1868, although Verdi himself initially pooh-poohed the idea. It opened with a performance of his masterpiece Rigoletto .

Casa Natale di Giuseppe Verdi MUSEUM

(Roncole Verdi; adult/child €4/3; 9.30am-12.30pm & 2.30-6.30pm Tue-Sun) The humble cottage where Giuseppe Verdi was born in 1813 is now a small museum. It’s in the hamlet of Roncole Verdi, 5km beyond Soragna.

Casa Barezzi MUSEUM

(Via Roma 119; adult/child €4/3; 10am-12.30pm & 3-6.30pm Tue-Sun) Another museum in the centre of Busseto is encased in the home of the composer’s patron and the site of Verdi’s first concert. It’s lovingly curated and filled with Verdi memorabilia including papers, furnishings and valuable recordings.

Villa Verdi MUSEUM

(www.villaverdi.org; Via Verdi 22; adult/reduced €8/6.50; 9-11.45am & 2.30-6.45pm Tue-Sun, closed Dec & Jan) Verdi’s villa, where he composed many of his major works, is in Sant’Agata di Villanova sull’Arda, 5km northwest of Busseto. Verdi lived and worked here from 1851 onwards. Guided visits through the furnishings and musical instruments should be booked in advance online.

Information

A combined ticket for the latter three Verdi venues costs €8.50. For more information, contact Busseto’s tourist office (www.bussetolive.com, in Italian; Piazza Verdi 10; 9.30am-1pm & 3-6.30pm Tue-Sun) .

Getting There & Away

TEP (www.tep.pr.it) buses from Parma run along this route six times daily or you can catch a train from Parma to Busseto (€3.30, 45 minutes).

PIACENZA

POP 100,300

Named ‘pleasant place’ (Placentia) by the Romans, Piacenza soon proved itself to be an important strategic location as well. Just short of the regional border with Lombardy, the contemporary city is day-trip fodder, though there are some decent hotels if you’ve been priced out of Parma. Its picturesque centre reveals a beautiful Gothic town hall and a couple of august churches.

Sights

Piazza dei Cavalli PIAZZA

Dominated by Palazzo Gotico , the impressive 13th-century town hall, Piacenza’s main square is named after its two martial bronze horses. The two baroque statues, cast by the Tuscan sculptor Francesco Mochi between 1612 and 1625, depict the Farnese dukes Alessandro and Ranuccio.

Duomo DUOMO

(Piazza del Duomo 33; 7am-noon & 4-7pm) A close runner-up to Modena’s immense Romanesque cathedral, Piacenza’s 12th-century Lombard-Romanesque duomo (cathedral) harmoniously blends white and pink marble, mellow sandstone and red brick. Inside, there are some magnificent 17th-century dome frescoes by Morazzone and Guercino.

Palazzo Farnese MUSEUM

(www.musei.piacenza.it; Piazza Citadella; combined admission €6; 9am-1pm Tue-Thu, 9am-1pm & 3-6pm Fri-Sun) On the northern edge of the centro storico (historic centre), this vast palace was started in 1558 but never fully completed. It now houses the Pinacoteca, an art gallery, along with minor museums of archaeology, carriages, Italian unification and ceramics.

Sleeping & Eating

Ostello Don Zermani HOSTEL €

( 0523 71 23 19; www.ostellodipiacenza.it; Via Zoni 38-40; dm/s/d €18/25/46; ) In a quiet residential area 20 minutes’ walk southwest of the city centre, this well-run private hostel offers bright, spotless rooms. Laundry facilities are available, and the building has access for guests with disabilities. Take bus 1, 16 or 17 from the train station.

Hotel Astor HOTEL €

( 0523 32 92 96; www.hotelastorpc.eu; Via Tibini 29-31; d €68-98; ) This rather worn three-star hotel near the train station offers modest accommodation at reasonable rates. The rooms make no great impression, but they’re clean and comfortable enough.

Antica Trattoria Dell’Angelo TRATTORIA €

(Via Tibini 14; meals €20-25; Thu-Tue) With its beamed ceiling, wood-fired heater and red-checked tablecloths, this laid-back trattoria is as traditional as they come. The food is hearty, homemade fare – think spinach-and-ricotta tortelloni, roast meat and fizzy local red wine. Weekday lunch specials are a steal, with pasta/main courses costing €4/5.

Information

You’ll find the tourist office (www.comune.piacenza.it/english; Piazza dei Cavalli 7; 9am-1pm & 3-6pm Tue-Sat, 9.30am-12.30pm Sun & Mon) handily placed in central Piazza dei Cavalli.

Getting There & Around

Piacenza’s bus station is located on Piazza Citadella; however, the train is a more convenient way to reach most destinations. There are frequent trains to/from Milan (regular/Eurostar €5.75/13, one hour, hourly), Parma (€4.60, 40 minutes, half-hourly) and Bologna (regular/Eurostar €9.50/20.50, 1½ hours, hourly).

Piacenza is just off the A1 linking Milan and Bologna and the A21 joining Brescia and Turin. Via Emilia (SS9) also runs past on its way to Rimini and the Adriatic Sea.

Bus 2 (€1) runs between the train station and Piazza dei Cavalli.

East of Bologna

FERRARA

POP 133,600

Ferrara is a city for lingerers, treasure-seekers, or the overtly curious. Well off the tick list of a tourist demographic made up primarily of Rome-lovers and Venice-o-philes, it remains unexplored and deliciously tranquil. Considered one of Italy’s great Renaissance cityscapes, the settlement is renowned for its walls (the longest complete defensive ring in Italy), its bicycle-friendliness, and its weighty stash of early-Renaissance palaces. Historically it was once the domain of the powerful Este clan, rivals to Florence’s Medici in power and prestige, who endowed the city with its signature building – a huge castle complete with moat positioned slap-bang in the city centre. Ferrara suffered damage from bombing raids during WWII, but its historical core remains intact. Of particular interest is the former Jewish ghetto, the region’s largest and oldest, which prevailed from 1627 until 1859.

Sights

Renaissance palaces reborn as museums are Ferrara’s tour de force. Also check out the intricate old town with its one-time Jewish ghetto. An entry card valid for all of Ferrara’s museums costs €17/10 adult/reduced. Most museums are closed on Monday.

Ferrara

Top Sights

Castello Estense B2

Palazzo MassariC1

Sights

1  Casa Romei C4

2  Duomo B3

Museo d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea Filippo de Pisis (see 5)

3 Museo del Risorgimento e della ResistenzaB1

4  Museo della Cattedrale B3

Museo dell'Ottocento (see 5)

5  Museo Giovanni Boldini C1

6 Museo LapidarioD5

7  Palazzo dei Diamanti B1

8  Palazzo Municipale B3

9  Palazzo Schifanoia D4

Pinacoteca Nazionale (see 7)

Sleeping

10 Albergo AnnunziataB3

11  Hotel Astra A2

12  Hotel de Prati B2

13  Hotel Ferrara B2

14  Student's Hostel Estense B1

Eating

15  Al Brindisi B3

16  Covered Market A3

17 II Don GiovanniB2

18  II Sorpasso C4

19 Osteria del GhettoB4

20  Osteria Quattro Angeli B3

21  Trattoria de Noemi B4

Castello Estense CASTLE

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(Viale Cavour; adult/reduced €8/6.50, tower extra €1; 9.30am-5.30pm) Complete with moat and drawbridge, Ferrara’s towering castle was commissioned by Nicolò II d’Este in 1385. Initially it was intended to protect him and his family from the town’s irate citizenry, who were up in arms over tax increases, but in the late 15th century it became the family’s permanent residence.

Although sections are now used as government offices, a few rooms, including the royal suites, are open for viewing. Highlights are the Sala dei Giganti (Giants’ Room) and Salone dei Giochi (Games Salon), the Cappella di Renée de France and the claustrophobic dungeon . It was here in 1425 that Duke Nicolò III d’Este had his young second wife, Parisina Malatesta, and his son, Ugo, beheaded after discovering they were lovers, providing the inspiration for Robert Browning’s My Last Duchess . Linked to the castle by an elevated passageway, the 13th-century crenellated Palazzo MunicipaleOffline map Google map was the Este family home until they moved next door to the castle in the late 15th century. Nowadays, it’s largely occupied by administrative offices but you can wander around its twin courtyards.

Duomo DUOMO

(Piazza Cattedrale; 7.30am-noon & 3-6.30pm Mon-Sat, 7.30am-12.30pm & 3.30-7.30pm Sun) The outstanding feature of the pink-and-white 12th-century cathedral is its three-tiered marble facade, combining Romanesque and Gothic styles on the lower and upper tiers respectively. Much of the upper level is a graphic representation of the Last Judgment and heaven and hell (notice the four figures clambering out of their coffins). Astride a pair of handsome lions at the base squats an oddly secular duo, mouths agape at the effort of holding it all up.

On the other side of Piazza Trento Trieste, the Museo della CattedraleOffline map Google map (Via San Romano; adult/reduced €6/3; 9am-1pm & 3-6pm Tue-Sun) houses various artefacts from the cathedral, including a serene Madonna by Jacopo della Quercia, a couple of vigorous Cosimo Tura canvases, and some witty bas-reliefs illustrating the months of the year.

Palazzo dei Diamanti PALAZZO, MUSEUM

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(Corso Ercole I d’Este 21) Named after the spiky diamond-shaped ashlar stones on its facade, the ‘diamond palace’ was built for Sigismondo d’Este late in the 15th century.

Pinacoteca Nazionale

(adult/reduced €4/2; 9am-2pm Tue, Wed, Fri & Sat, to 7pm Thu, to 1pm Sun) Regarded as the Este family’s grandest palazzo, Diamanti now hosts the Pinacoteca Nazionale; its interesting collection of paintings are from the Ferrarese and Bolognese schools.

Museo del Risorgimento e della Resistenza

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(Corso Ercole I d’Este 19; adult/reduced €4/2; 9am-1pm & 3-6pm Tue-Sun) Next door to Pinacoteca Nazionale, this small museum exhibits documents, proclamations and posters from the Italian unification movement and WWII, as well as numerous uniforms, guns and hand grenades.

Casa Romei PALAZZO, MUSEUM

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(Via Savonarola 30; adult/reduced €3/1.50; 8.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sun) This palace was once owned by Giovanni Romei, a top administrator to the Este clan – and his importance shows in the architecture. The austere brick exterior hides a peaceful inner patio (once part of an adjacent monastery). On the 1st floor is a 16th-century apartment preserved in its original state. There’s plenty more art and frescoes dotted around.

Palazzo Schifanoia PALAZZO, MUSEUM

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(Via Scandiana 23; adult/reduced €6/3; 9am-6pm Tue-Sun) Ferrara’s most famous frescoes are in the Este’s 14th-century pleasure palace built in 1385. The museum is bitingly ordinary at first, but hold out until the Salone dei Mesi ( Room of the Months), where frescoes executed by Francesco del Cossa in 1470 depict the months, seasons and signs of the zodiac. Some are badly faded, but they are unusually un-religious in tone and the only ones of their type in Italy.

Museo Lapidario

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(Via Camposabbionario; 9am-6pm Tue-Sun) Your ticket to Schifanoia also gives entry to this nearby museum, which has a small, undocumented collection of Roman and Etruscan stele, tombs and inscriptions.

Palazzo Massari PALAZZO, MUSEUM

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(Corso Porta Mare 9) Another early-Renaissance palace, but this time the art inside is punchier and more modern. The best of the building’s museums is the Museo Giovanni Boldini Offline map Google map (adult/reduced €6/3; 9am-1pm & 3-6pm Tue-Sun), dedicated solely to the works of Ferrara-born Giovanni Boldini, the so-called Master of Swish (check out the brush technique). His portraits of women from Victorian rigidity to 1920s chic are amazing. The entrance fee also gets you into the Museo dell’Ottocento Offline map Google map with its 19th-century art and a pleasant sculpture garden. You must pay extra for the Museo d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea Filippo de Pisis Offline map Google map (adult/reduced €4/2) , half of which is devoted to the said modern Ferraranese painter famous for his cityscapes and still life.

City Walls CITY WALLS

Only Lucca in Tuscany can claim a more complete set of walls than Ferrara, though with a total circumference of 9km, Ferrara’s are longer. Adorned with a well-marked set of paths, unbroken on the northern and eastern sections, the walls make an idyllic walking or cycling loop.

Festivals & Events

II Palio HORSE RACING

(www.paliodiferrara.it) On the last Sunday of May each year, the eight contrade (districts) of Ferrara compete in a horse race that momentarily turns Piazza Ariostea into medieval bedlam. Claimed to be the oldest race of its kind in Italy, the first official competition was held in 1279.

Buskers ’ Festival MUSIC

(www.ferrarabuskers.com) Ferrara’s streets are filled with musicians in late August during this music festival.

Ferrara Balloons Festival HOT-AIR BALLOONS

(www.ferraraballoonsfestival.it) Italy’s largest hot-air balloon gathering, in late September.

Sleeping

Albergo Annunziata HOTEL €€

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( 0532 20 11 11; www.annunziata.it; Piazza della Repubblica 5; s €94-120, d €105-240; ) When Casanova spent the night here, the Annunziata was little more than a simple locanda (inn). Today it’s a refined top-end hotel with minimalist rooms and abundant creature comforts. There are also six modern apartments (€125 to €300) 150m from the main hotel. Parking costs €3.

Hotel Ferrara HOTEL €€

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( 0532 20 50 48; www.hotelferrara.com; Largo Castello 36; s/d/apt €85/125/160; ) Slick modern furnishings in the ancient centre a mere arrow-shot from the castle, the Ferrara is what design gurus would call ‘contemporary’ – ie accented colours, minimalist lines, up-to-the-minute electronics, and lots of glass and shiny surfaces. But any pretensions are cancelled out by genuine good service and value-for-money rates. The hotel also has 10 apartment suites from €160.

Hotel Astra HOTEL €

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( 0532 20 60 88; www.astrahotel.info; Viale Cavour 55; s/d €65/89; ) An old dame in need of a bit of Botox, Astra can still cut it with the budget-minded thanks to spacious rooms, equally ample bathrooms, voluminous (for Italy) breakfasts, and plenty of downstairs seating space where the antediluvian furniture is doing its best to look antique-like. The centro storico is within strolling distance and the station is close enough to drag your suitcase.

Hotel de Prati HOTEL €€

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( 0532 24 19 05; www.hoteldeprati.com; Via Padiglioni 5; s €49-85, d €75-120, ste €110-150; ) Smarter than the average three-star, de Prati charms with its central location, antique furniture and friendly owner. Wrought-iron bedsteads reign upstairs while downstairs public rooms are enlivened by contemporary art.

Student’s Hostel Estense HOSTEL €

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( 0532 20 11 58; www.ostelloferrara.it; Corso Biagio Rossetti 24; dm/s/d/tr incl breakfast €16/35/40/48; ) Ferrara’s hostel has classic hostel rooms plus extras like geothermal hot water, bar, back patio, and fantastic amenities for cyclists (bike pumps, a maintenance area and a bike storage zone).

Eating

Like all Emiliano cities Ferrara has its gastronomic nuances. Don’t leave town without trying cappellacci di zucca, a hat-shaped pasta pouch filled with pumpkin and herbs, and brushed with sage and butter. Delicious! Salama da sugo is a stewed pork sausage, while pasticcio di maccheroni is an oven-baked macaroni pie topped with Parmesan. Even Ferrarese bread is distinctive, shaped into a crunchy twisted knot.

Self-caterers can fill up at the covered market Offline map Google map (Via Vegri; 7am-1.30pm Mon-Sat) .

Osteria del Ghetto OSTERIA €€

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( 0532 76 49 36; www.osteriadelghetto.it; Via Vittoria 26; meals €25-30; Wed-Mon) Yet another understated jewel amid the winding streets of Ferrara’s old Jewish ghetto, this osteria leads you through a nondescript downstairs bar up to a bright upstairs dining room embellished with striking modern murals. The excellent menu mixes Ferrara staples like cappellacci di zucca with a less predictable fish menu.

Al Brindisi OSTERIA €€

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(www.albrindisi.net; Via Adelardi 11; meals €25-30) The oldest osteria in the world (according to Guinness), this scruffy-meets-stylish wine bar was already an established drinking den in 1435. Titian drank here, while the soon-to-be Pope John Paul II dropped by 550 years later. Succinct pasta dishes are well supplemented by a wine drawn from racks that are thick with a healthy coating of Ferrara dust.

Trattoria de Noemi TRATTORIA €€

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( 0532 76 90 70; www.trattoriadanoemi.it; Via Ragno 31; meals €25-35) All of Ferrara’s classic dishes are delivered con molto amore (with much love) here. Arrive early (yes, it’s busy) to get the city’s best cappellacci di zucca , grilled meats and macaroni pie. Enough said!

II Sorpasso TRATTORIA €

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(www.trattoriailsorpasso.it; Via Sarceno 120; meals €20-25) Funky yellow signage beckons you into this laid-back trattoria, which tries out creative interpretations of traditional Emiliano dishes. Pride of place is the lasagne: al dente layers of red, green and black pasta under-laid with moist chunks of pork. Assorted cookbooks and kids games shorten the wait.

II Don Giovanni GASTRONOMIC €€€

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( 0532 24 33 63; www.ildongiovanni.com; Corso Ercole I d’Este 1; meals €45-75; dinner Mon-Sat) Open only for dinner, this highly acclaimed eatery specialises in fresh-caught fish from the Adriatic, vegetables harvested from the restaurant’s own garden, eight varieties of bread baked daily and a wine list featuring over 600 Italian and international labels. The menu is an imaginative feast of unconventional concoctions; guinea-fowl-stuffed pasta and roast eel stand out.

Osteria Quattro Angeli TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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(www.osteriaquattroangeli.it; Piazza della Repubblica; meals €25; Tue-Sun) Relax beneath fat sausage-shaped salamis opposite the castle and demolish enormous portions of Ferranese classics supplemented by some complementary cuts of the local cured meat. Come 6pm, the tented section out front becomes a busy street bar, upping the noise levels and heightening the atmosphere.

Entertainment

Jazz Club NIGHTCLUB, LIVE MUSIC

(www.jazzclubferrara.com; Via Rampari di Belfiore 167; admission €5-15; 7.30pm) Enjoy the sounds of bebop and jazz-funk in a tower built into Ferrara’s old city walls. Concerts start at 9.30pm and Monday nights are free.

Information

Police station ( 0532 29 43 11; Corso Ercole I d’Este 26)

Post office (Viale Cavour 27)

Tourist office ( 0532 20 93 70; www.ferrarainfo.com; 9am-1pm & 2-6pm Mon-Sat, 9.30am-1pm & 2-5pm Sun) In Castello Estense’s courtyard.

URP Informacittà (Via Spadari 2/2; 8.30am-1pm & 2-5.30pm Mon-Thu, 8.30am-1pm Fri, 9am-noon Sat) Free wi-fi and one public computer provided by the municipal government.

Getting There & Around

ACFT (www.acft.it, in Italian) buses operate within the city and to surrounding towns such as Comacchio (€4.10, one hour, 11 daily), as well as to the Adriatic beaches. Long-distance buses originate at the bus station on Via Rampari San Paolo, then swing by the train station on their way out of town. The train is the better option for Bologna (€4, 30 to 50 minutes, half-hourly) and Ravenna (€5.70, 1¼ hours, 14 daily).

Most traffic is banned from the city centre. Overnight parking (€3 per 24 hours) is available at a large car park off Via Darsena (just outside the centro storico ).

Get in the saddle and join the hundreds of other pedallers in one of Italy’s most cycle-friendly city. Many places rent bikes (per day €7 to €10) including Romanelli (Via Aldighieri 28a; 9.30am-12.30pm & 3.15-7pm).

PO DELTA

Italy’s greatest river dissolves into the Adriatic Sea in the Po Delta (Foci del Po), an area of dense pine forests and extensive wetlands often doused in an eerie fog, especially in winter.

The wetlands, protected in the Parco del Delta del Po (www.parcodeltapo.it) , are one of Europe’s largest and are notable for their birdlife – 300 species have been registered here.

The delta’s main centre, Comacchio, a picturesque fishing village of canals and brick bridges, harbours a good tourist office (www.turismocomacchio.it; Corso Mazzini 4; 9.30am-12.30pm & 3.30-6.30pm) offering reams of information about hiking, cycling, birdwatching, horse riding and boat excursions.

Due to the flat terrain, cycling is particularly popular here and a network of paths, many of them on raised dykes, offer day and long-distance excursions. Of note is the 46km route linking the freshwater lagoons of Argenta to their saltwater equivalents in Comacchio. You can lengthen this excursion at both ends heading west from Argenta to Ferrara (41km), or north from Comacchio aside the Adriatic and the bird-filled Valle Bertazzi to Mesola. The Panoramic Wheels booklet in Ferrara’s tourist office has more details.

From Ferrara, buses run 11 times daily to Comacchio (€4.10, one hour).

RAVENNA

POP 153,400

Stray a few blocks from its diminutive train station and Ravenna feels immediately different, even by multi-layered Italian standards. Historically it fills a little-known void between the fall of the Roman Empire and the advent of the High Middle Ages, an era when the Ravennese were enjoying a protracted golden age while the rest of the Italian peninsula flailed in the wake of Barbarian invasions. Between 402 and 476 Ravenna was briefly capital of the Western Roman Empire and a fertile art studio for skilled Byzantine craftsmen, who left their blindingly colourful mosaics all over the terracotta-bricked Christian churches.

No matter how impervious you might have become to zealous religious art, Ravenna’s brilliant 4th- to 6th-century gold, emerald and sapphire masterpieces will leave you struggling for adjectives. A suitably impressed Dante once described them as a ‘symphony of colour’ and spent the last few years of his life admiring them. Romantic toff Lord Byron added further weight to Ravenna’s literary credentials when he spent a couple of years here before decamping to Greece. In 1996 the mosaics were listed as Unesco World Heritage Sites.

Sights

Ravenna’s essential business is its eight Unesco World Heritage Sites, most of which lie scattered around the town (with one situated 5km outside). Five of them must be visited on the same ticket (€8.50). One is free. The other two can be paid for separately. The website www.ravennamosaici.it gives more information.

Ravenna

Top Sights

Basilica di San VitaleA2

Basilica di Sant'Apollinare NuovoC3

Sights

1 Battistero degli ArianiC3

2  Battistero Neoniano A4

3  Domus dei Tappeti di Pietra A3

4 Mausoleo di Galla PlacidiaA2

5  Mausoleo di Teodorico D1

6  Museo Arcivescovile A4

7  Museo Nazionale A2

8 Tomba di DanteB4

Activities, Courses & Tours

9  Mosaic Art School C3

Sleeping

10  Albergo Cappello B3

11 Hotel Centrale ByronB3

12  Hotel Ravenna D2

Eating

13  Babaleus B2

14  Covered Market B3

15  La Gardela B2

16 Osteria La MariolaB3

Ristorante Cappello (see 10)

Drinking

17 Ca' de VènB3

18  Cabiria A3

Basilica di San Vitale CHURCH

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(Via Fiandrini, entrance on Via San Vitale; 9am-7pm Apr-Sep, to 5.30pm Mar & Oct, 9.30am-5pm Nov-Feb) Sometimes, after weeks of trolling around dark Italian churches you can lose your sense of wonder. Not here! The lucid mosaics that adorn the altar of this ancient church consecrated in 547 by Archbishop Massimiano invoke a sharp intake of breath in most visitors. Gaze in wonder at the rich greens, brilliant golds and deep blues bathed in shafts of soft yellow sunlight. The mosaics on the side and end walls represent scenes from the Old Testament: to the left, Abraham prepares to sacrifice Isaac in the presence of three angels, while the one on the right portrays the death of Abel and the offering of Melchizedek. Inside the chancel, two magnificent mosaics depict the Byzantine emperor Justinian with San Massimiano and a particularly solemn and expressive Empress Theodora, who was his consort.

Mausoleo di Galla Placidia

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(Via Fiandrini; 9am-7pm Apr-Sep, to 5.30pm Mar & Oct, 9.30am-5pm Nov-Feb) In the same complex as Basilica di San Vitale, the small but equally candescent Mausoleo di Galla Placidia was constructed for Galla Placidia, the half-sister of Emperor Honorius, who initiated construction of many of Ravenna’s grandest buildings. The mosaics here are the oldest in Ravenna, probably dating from around AD 430.

Museo Arcivescovile MUSEUM

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(Piazza Arcivescovado; 9am-7pm Apr-Sep, 9am-5.30pm Oct-Mar) A museum with a difference, this recently renovated religious gem on the 2nd floor of the Archiepiscopal Palace hides two not-to-be-missed exhibits: an exquisite ivory throne carved for Emperor Maximilian by Byzantium craftsmen in the 6th century (the surviving detail is astounding); and Ravenna’s most improbable mosaics displayed in the 5th-century chapel of San Andrea that has been cleverly incorporated into the museum’s plush modern interior.

Battistero Neoniano BAPTISTERY

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(Piazza del Duomo; 9am-7pm Apr-Sep, 9.30am-5.30pm Mar & Oct, 10am-5pm Nov-Feb) Roman ruins aside, this is Ravenna’s oldest intact building, constructed over the site of a former Roman baths in the late 4th century. Built in an octagonal shape as was the custom with all Christian baptistries of this period, it was originally attached to a church (since destroyed). The mosaics, which thematically depict Christ being baptised by St John the Baptist in the River Jordan, were added at the end of the 5th century.

Basilica di Sant’Apollinare Nuovo CHURCH

(Via di Roma; 9am-7pm Apr-Sep, 9.30am-5.30pm Mar & Oct, 10am-5pm Nov-Feb) An old legend states that Pope Gregory the Great once ordered the Apollinare’s mosaics to be blackened as they were distracting worshippers from prayer. A millennium-and-a-half later and the dazzling Christian handiwork is still having the same effect. It’s almost impossible to take your eyes off the 26 white-robed martyrs heading towards Christ with his apostles on the right (south) wall. On the opposite side, an equally expressive procession of virgins bear similar offerings for the Madonna. The basilica dates originally from the 560s and its architectural fusion of Christian east and west can be seen in its marble porticoes and distinctive conical bell tower.

Tomba di Dante MAUSOLEUM

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(Via D Alighieri 9; 9.30am-6.30pm) A son of Florence, Italy’s Sommo Poeta (supreme poet), Dante Alighieri, was expelled from the city of his birth in 1302 for political reasons and spent many years ‘on the run’. He finally sought refuge in Ravenna, where he died in 1321. As a perpetual act of penance, Florence still supplies the oil for the lamp that burns continually in his tomb.

Mausoleo di Teodorico MAUSOLEUM

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(Via delle Industrie 14; admission €3; 8.30am-7pm) Historically and architecturally separate from the other Unesco sites (there are no mosaics here), this two-storey mausoleum was built in 520 for Gothic king Teodorico, who ruled Italy as a viceroy for the Byzantines. It is notable for its Gothic design features (rare for the time) and throwback Roman construction techniques: the huge blocks of stone were not cemented by any mortar. At the heart of the mausoleum is a Roman basin of porphyry that was recycled as a sarcophagus. It’s 2km from the city centre. Take bus 2 or 5.

Basilica di Sant’Apollinare in Classe CHURCH

(Via Romea Sud, Classe; admission €3; 8.30am-7.30pm Mon-Sat, 1-7.30pm Sun) More magnificent mosaics this time in a signature early-Christian Ravennese church situated 5km to the southeast of town in the small village of Classe. Fear not; the (small) effort to get here is worth it. Lighter than other Ravenna churches, the brilliant star-spangled triumphal arch mosaic displays symbols of the four evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Other mosaics in the apse depict Byzantium Emperor Constantine IV (652–685) and biblical figures such as Abel and Abraham. The basilica – architecturally the city’s most ‘perfect’ – was built in the early 6th century on the burial site of Ravenna’s patron saint, who converted the city to Christianity in the 2nd century. To get there take bus 4 to Classe or take the train one stop in the direction of Rimini.

Museo Nazionale MUSEUM

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(Via Fiandrini; adult/reduced €4/2; 8.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sun) Next door to the Basilica di San Vitale, housed in the cloisters of a former Benedictine monastery, this museum has pottery, bronzes and more Madonna-and-child portraits than you can shake a halo at. Strangely it’s not included in the Vitale joint ticket.

Battistero degli Ariani BAPTISTERY

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(Via degli Ariani; 8.30am-4.30pm Oct-Mar, to 7.30pm Apr-Sep) Aside from its breath-taking dome mosaic depicting the baptism of Christ, the Ariani’s main quirk is that it’s the only Unesco site you can enter for free. But the gratis entry is no reflection on the quality of the artistry inside, a vivid display of Christ being baptised encircled by the 12 apostles. The Ariani’s mosaics were completed over a period of years beginning in the 5th century. You can clearly detect slight variations in colour on some of the green stones.

Domus dei Tappeti di Pietra MUSEUM

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(Via B Gianbattista; adult/reduced €4/3; 10am-5pm Tue-Fri, to 6pm Sat & Sun) More mosaics, but noticeably different ones, these 6th-century floor mosaics from a 14-room late- Roman palace were only unearthed in 1993/94. Now fully restored, they show considerable artistic merit, and are decorated with geometric and floral designs.

Courses

The following outfits run mosaic courses catering to everyone from beginners to artists.

Gruppo Mosaicisti MOSAICS

(www.gruppomosaicisti.com; Via Fiandrini; beginners course €550)

Mosaic Art School MOSAICS

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(www.mosaicschool.com; Via Francesco Negri 14; 1-week course €660-760)

Festivals & Events

Ravenna hosts one of Italy’s top classical music events and jazz fans are well served.

Ravenna Festival MUSIC

(www.ravennafestival.org) Renowned Italian conductor Riccardo Muti has close ties with Ravenna and is intimately involved each year with this festival. Concerts are staged from June to late July at venues all over town, including the Teatro Alighieri (www.teatroalighieri.org; Via Mariani 2) . Ticket prices start at around €15.

Ravenna Jazz MUSIC

In late October, stars of the jazz firmament descend on town.

Sleeping

Hotel Centrale Byron HOTEL €

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( 0544 21 22 25; www.hotelbyron.com; Via IV Novembre 14; s €45-55, d €70-90; ) Locations don’t get much better than this, especially in the car-free, wonderfully ingratiating streets of central Ravenna. It’s no lie to say you could lob a football from the window of your clean modern Centrale Byron window into pivotal (and beautiful) Piazza del Popolo. Regularly updated and improved, Byron keeps ahead of the game. So what if the great poet never stayed here.

Albergo Cappello BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€€

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( 0544 21 98 13; www.albergocappello.it; Via IV Novembre 41; s €150-180, d €180-260; ) Colour-themed rooms are called ‘suites’ at this finely coiffed hotel where Murano glass chandeliers, original 15th-century frescoes and coffered ceilings are set against modern fixtures and flat-screen TVs. The ample breakfast features pastries from Ravenna’s finest pasticceria (pastry shop) . There’s also an excellent restaurant and wine bar attached.

Ostello Dante HOSTEL €

( 0544 42 11 64; www.hostelravenna.com; Via Nicolodi 12; dm/s/d €16/25/44; ) Ravenna’s handy HI hostel is in a modern building 1km east of the train station. There’s a noon to 2.30pm lock-up but for €1 you can hire a ‘night key’, allowing you to come and go freely. Take bus 80 or the red ‘Metrobus’ from the train station.

Hotel Ravenna HOTEL €

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( 0544 21 22 04; www.hotelravenna.ra.it; Via Maroncelli 12; s €45-55, d €60-90; ) A stone’s throw from the train station, Hotel Ravenna is a safe bet. The bland rooms feature fading beige and gold decor and unexceptional furniture, but they’re large and comfortable enough. Parking is free; wi-fi costs €4 per hour.

Eating

Self-caterers and sandwich-fillers should load up at the city’s covered market (Piazza Andrea Costa) .

Osteria La Mariola MODERN ITALIAN €€

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( 0544 20 14 45; Via P Costa 1; meals €35-40) Trying to fancy up Italian food is a precarious profession in a country where tradition and simplicity rule. All the more reason to offer kudos to new kid on the block La Mariola, which opened in February 2011 in the 16th century Palazzo Grossi. Three trendy purple-accented rooms divide into wine bar/restaurant/ enoteca (wine bar). Food is a shade more artistic than the usual homespun fare and wine can be ordered by the quartino (quarter-litre measure).

La Gardela TRATTORIA €

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( 0544 21 71 47; Via Ponte Marino 3; meals €20; Thu-Tue) Economical prices and formidable home cooking mean La Gardela can be crowded, but in a pleasant gregarious way. Professional waiters glide by with plates full of the Italian classics: thin-crust pizza, ragù , fried fish. Lap it up.

Babaleus PIZZERIA €

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(www.ristorantebabaleus.com; V Gabbiani 7; pizzas from €4, meals €20-25; dinner Thu-Tue, lunch Mon, Tue, Thu & Fri) Remember the days before TV chefs went viral, when hard-working cooks in white hats used to sit down with their diners and sip glasses of wine between courses? True to the tradition, cheap and cheerful Babaleus still ensures its fresh-from-the-oven pizza is brought to your table by congenial kitchen helpers in well-used pinnies armed with plenty of early-evening banter.

Ristorante Cappello GASTRONOMIC €€€

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( 0544 21 98 76; Via IV Novembre 41; meals €40-50; closed Sun dinner & Mon) Under the hotel of the same name, this refined restaurant takes its food very seriously. The menu changes weekly, but seafood always figures prominently, in dishes such as strozzapreti con calamaretti, zucchine, fiori di zucca e zafferano (pasta with cuttlefish, zucchini, pumpkin flowers and saffron).

Drinking

Ca’ de Vèn BAR

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(www.cadeven.it; Via Corrado Ricci 24; Tue-Sun) Old men with canine companions mix with wine snobs swapping oenological tips in this atmospheric wine bar-cum-restaurant ( meals €25 to €35) beautified with floor-to-ceiling shelves stuffed with bottles, books and other curiosities. Use it for its excellent aperitivi and, when the frescoed ceiling starts to spin, make tracks for your main course elsewhere.

Cabiria PUB

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(Via Mordani 8; 6pm-3am Mon-Sat) A wine bar that hums like a Friday-night pub, Cabiria is a local favourite, popular with the 30-something crowd.

Information

Multimediateca (Via Guido da Polenta 4; per hr €2; 3-7pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm & 3-6pm Sat) Internet access on the 1st floor of Palazzo Farini.

Police station ( 0544 48 29 99; Piazza Mameli)

Post office (Piazza Garibaldi 1)

Tourist offices (www.turismo.ravenna.it) Via delle Industrie (Via delle Industrie 14; 9.30am-12.30pm & 3-6pm) ; Via Salara (Via Salara 8-12; 8.30am-6pm Mon-Sat, 10am-4pm Sun Oct-Mar, 8.30am-7pm Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm Sun Apr-Sep) The main office is in the centre, on Via Salara.

Getting There & Around

ATM (www.atm.ra.it, in Italian) local buses depart from Piazza Farini. Intercity buses for Ferrara and towns along the coast leave from the bus station on the east side of the railroad tracks (reached by a pedestrian underpass). Punto Bus ( 6.30am-7.30pm Mon-Sat, from 7.30am Sun) , on the piazza, is ATM’s information and ticketing office.

Ravenna is on a branch (A14 dir) of the main east-coast A14 autostrada. The SS16 (Via Adriatica) heads south to Rimini and on down the coast. The main car parks are east of the train station and north of the Basilica di San Vitale.

Trains connect with Bologna (€6.20, 1¼ hours, hourly), Ferrara (€5.70, 1¼ hours, 14 daily), Rimini (€4, one hour, hourly) and the south coast.

In town, cycling is popular. The main (Via Salara) branch of the tourist office offers a free bike-hire service for visitors. Register by presenting a photo ID, then simply grab a yellow bike from one of the cycle stalls outside and return it to the same rack within normal business hours.

Just outside Ravenna’s train station, Cooperativa Sociale la Formica (Piazza Farini; bikes per hr/day €1.10/8.50; 7am-7pm Mon-Fri) also rents out bikes.

RIMINI

POP 138,500

Fellini followers trip over lounging sunbathers in Italy’s largest and most hedonistic beach resort, a city immortalised in its native son’s movies ( Amacord , if you’re an aficionado) and – more recently – internationally renowned nightclubs. Although there’s been a settlement here for over 2000 years, Rimini’s coast was just sand dunes until 1843 when the first bathing establishments took root next to the ebbing Adriatic. The beach huts quickly morphed into a mega-resort that was sequestered by a huge nightclub scene in the 1990s. It hasn’t looked back since.

One wonders if the Romans would have approved. Once a thriving Latin colony known as Ariminum, Rimini changed hands like a well-worn library book in the Middle Ages when periods of Byzantine, Lombard and Papal rule culminated in the roguish reign of Sigismondo Malatesta in the 15th century. But the worst was to come. Rimini got whacked more than any other Italian city during WWII when bombing raids were followed by the brutal ‘Battle of Rimini’, during which an estimated 1.5 million rounds of allied ammunition were fired on the German-occupied city.

Sights

Piazza Cavour is Rimini’s main square, containing the city’s finest palazzi including the 16th-century Palazzo del MunicipioOffline map Google map , reconstructed after being razed during WWII, and the 14th-century Gothic Palazzo del Podestà .

Rimini

Top Sights

Ponte di Tiberio A2

Tempio Malatestiano B3

Sights

1  Arco di Augusto B3

2  Castel Sismondo A3

3  Cinema Fulgor A2

4  Domus del Chirurgo A2

Fondazione Fellini (see 3)

5  Museo della Città A2

6  Palazzo del Municipio A2

7  Palazzo del Podestà A2

Sleeping

8  Hotel Aurora Centro D2

9  Hotel Villa Lalla C1

Eating

10  Brodo di Giuggiole A3

11  Gelateria Pellicano A2

12 Osteria dë BörgA1

13  Picnic A2

14 Tonino II LuridoA1

Drinking

15  Caffè Cavour A2

16  Taverna della Vecchia Pescheria A3

Tempio Malatestiano CHURCH

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(Via IV Novembre 35; 8.30am-12.30pm & 3.30-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm & 3.30-7pm Sun) Rimini’s cathedral is the result of a medieval love story with a rather ambiguous ending. Built originally in Gothic style in the 1200s and dedicated to St Francis, it was transformed in the 15th century into a kind of Renaissance ‘Taj Mahal’ for the tomb of Isotta degli Atti, the beloved mistress of roguish ruling clansman Sigismondo Malatesta. Sigismondo, known disparagingly as the ‘Wolf of Rimini’, gave Leon Battista Alberti, a Florentine architect with grandiose Roman ideas, the job of redesigning the church in 1450, but it was a task he never finished. Sigismondo, thanks to his aggressive military campaigns, had fallen out with the pope, Pius II (himself no angel), who burned his effigy in Rome and condemned him to hell for a litany of sins that included rape, murder, incest, adultery and severe oppression of the people. With his credibility dented, Sigismondo’s popularity waned, though some people still superstitiously think he defaced the cathedral with pagan undertones. Judge for yourself. Sigismondo and Isotta’s sarcophagi reside inside.

Castel Sismondo MUSEUM

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(Piazza Malatesta; admission €2; 8.30am-1.30pm) Also known as the Rocca Malatestiana, Rimini’s classic Renaissance castle was designed by the great military leader himself, Sigismondo Malatesta. One small subterranean room displays information on the region’s castles and natural parks.

Museo della Città MUSEUM

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(Via Tonini 1; adult/child incl Domus del Chirurgo €5/3, admission free Sun; 10am-12.30pm & 4.30-7.30pm Tue-Sat, 4.30-7.30pm Sun) The town’s main museum displays paintings upstairs, including a haunting Pietà by Giovanni Bellini and an altarpiece by Domenico Ghirlandaio. However, the museum’s centrepiece is the archaeological section on the ground floor. Spread over several rooms with excellent bilingual (Italian/English) signage are finds from two nearby Roman villas, including splendid mosaics, a rare and exquisite representation of fish rendered in coloured glass, and the world’s largest collection of Roman surgical instruments. You can walk through a life-sized reconstruction of the surgeon’s offices, then visit the original excavation site across the street at the glass-floored Domus del Chirurgo Offline map Google map , with some fine floor mosaics still intact.

THE PEARL & THE OYSTER

Federico Fellini

If Fellini was a pearl, Rimini would be his oyster. Few film directors have crammed more autobiographical material into their work than Italy’s greatest movie maestro, born in the ancient Roman city-turned-beach resort in January 1920.

Fragments of Rimini, both dreamt and real, crop up in much of Fellini’s early work including La Strada , I Vitelloni and his Magnus opus, 8½ , but his greatest film memoir appeared in 1973 with the movie Amacord (the title is a corruption of a m’acord meaning ‘I believe’ in Romagnolo), a bawdy, comic, at times convoluted tale of a group of boys growing up in a typical 1930s Italian town known as ‘Borgo’ – a thinly disguised version of pre-war Rimini. In the movie, many of the city’s famous sights such as the Grand Hotel and the Cinema Fulgor make cameo appearances.

Fellini’s legacy is preserved by the Rimini-based Fondazione Fellini Offline map Google map (Fellini Foundation; www.federicofellini.it, in Italian), which was in the process of opening a new museum dedicated to the director at the time of writing. The museum will be encased in the Cinema Fulgor Offline map Google map (Corso d’Augusto 162), where Fellini used to watch films as a boy. It was due to open in late 2011 and will display artefacts from the foundation’s extensive archive.

The Foundation also organises regular expositions, talks and events; check its website for details.

Ponte di Tiberio LANDMARK

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The start of the arterial Roman road, the Via Emilia, no less, the majestic five-arched Tiberius’ Bridge dates from AD 21. It still links the city centre to the old fishing quarter of Borgo San Giuliano and rests on its original foundations consisting of an ingenious construction of wooden stilts.

Arco di Augusto LANDMARK

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Rimini’s other great Roman ruin was commissioned by Emperor Augustus in 27 BC and stands 17m high on modern-day Corso d’Augusto. It was once the end point of the ancient Via Flaminia that linked Rimini with Rome. Buildings that had grown up around the arch were demolished in 1935 to improve its stature.

Borgo San Giuliano NEIGHBOURHOOD

Just over the Ponte di Tiberio, Rimini’s old fishing quarter has been freshened up and is now a colourful patchwork of cobbled lanes, trendy trattorias, wine bars and trim terraced houses (read: prime real estate). Look out for the numerous murals.

Activities

Beaches BEACH

Rimini beaches are Italy’s proverbial California. Spend 10 minutes on the promenade in August and you’ll realise that all kinds of new trends kick off here – wacky or otherwise. Earnest Nordic beach-walkers, office girls getting a reiki massage, gym meatheads pumping iron, clubbers in search of a hangover cure, computer geeks surfing on their sunloungers, and more.

In peak season, it’s hard to see the sand through all the assembled umbrellas, sun loungers, amusement parks and crowded beach bars. Suffice to say there’s 40km of it mostly backed by clamorous hotel development.

Theme Parks AMUSEMENT PARK

In a beach resort, garish theme parks are an inevitable by-product and Rimini has its fair share. The truly committed can buy a Fantasticket (see www.larivieradeiparchi.it/fantasticket.php) granting reduced-price admission to multiple parks. The tourist office can provide a full list. Major ones include Fiabilandia (www.fiabilandia.it; Via Cardano 15, Rivazzurra; adult/child €22/15; ), which focuses on fun for kids, and Aquafàn (www.aquafan.it; Via Ascoli Piceno 6, Riccione; adult/child €24/18; 10am-6.30pm Jun–mid-Sep) , a huge water-park in Riccione; take bus 42 or 45 from Riccione station.

Festivals & Events

Gradisca CARNIVAL

On 21 June Rimini celebrates with dancing, fireworks and eating – it’s estimated that revellers consume some two tonnes of grilled sardines and 12,000L of Sangiovese wine in one night.

Rimini Jazz Festival MUSIC

(www.riminijazz.it, in Italian) In summer this is held beside the main Marina Centro beach area.

Sleeping

Ironically for a city with more than 1200 hotels, accommodation can be tricky. In July and August places can be booked solid and prices are sky-high, especially as many proprietors insist on full board; in winter a lot of places simply shut up shop.

Grand Hotel LUXURY HOTEL €€€

( 0541 5 60 00; www.grandhotelrimini.com; Parco Federico Fellini; s €120-255, d €160-330; ) Rimini’s only five-star hotel is as much a monument as a place to stay. Despite a 1920 fire and serious damage incurred during WWII, it has remained true to its 1908 roots with rooms clad in authentic 18th- century Venetian antiques. Beloved by Fellini, the hotel has lured many other celebs with its pool, private beach and elegant communal areas.

Hotel Villa Lalla HOTEL €

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( 0541 5 51 55; www.villalalla.com; Viale V Veneto 22; d €56-98; ) One of the better hotels in the leafy residential district between the beach and the train station. Its smart white rooms are fresh and cool and, in winter, its rates are a snip. From mid-June to mid-September when the restaurant’s open, it’s a good idea to invest in half-board or full board (a mere €8 extra per meal). Bikes are free for guests.

Camping Italia Rimini CAMPGROUND €

( 0541 73 28 82; www.campingitaliarimini.it; Via Toscanelli 112, Viserba; camping per adult/child/tent/car €10/5.50/11/5; Jun-Sep) One of numerous campgrounds along the coast, this tree-shaded place 2km northwest of the city centre has all the requisite facilities. Take bus 4 from the train station and get off at stop 14.

Sunflower City Backpacker Hostel HOSTEL €

( 0541 2 51 80; www.sunflowerhostel.com; Via Dardanelli 102; dm €18-27, s €26-49, d €46-79; ) Run by three ex-backpackers, the chilled-out Sunflower welcomes travellers with laundry and cooking facilities, spacious lockers, retro Austin Powers–style wallpaper, pool tables, a bar and free bike hire. There’s another one on Viale Siracusa 25 near the beach.

Hotel Aurora Centro HOTEL €

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( 0541 39 10 02; Via Tobruk 6; s/d €35/60; ) A homely pensione with threadbare carpets and children’s toys cheerfully littered around the breakfast room. You get no airs and graces here, just clean, simple rooms and but kindly welcome. The beach is a quick hop away.

Eating

Rimini’s cuisine is anchored by the piadina (a form of wrap) and pesce azzurro (oily fish), especially sardines and anchovies. The favourite tipple is Sangiovese wine

Osteria Dë Börg OSTERIA €€

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(www.osteriadeborg.it; Via Forzieri 12; meals €25-35; lunch & dinner) A homey osteria in the old fishing quarter, this place is what eating in Italy is all about: simple, honest food made with local ingredients and served in unpretentious surroundings. Second courses revolve around meat, from stuffed rabbit to steaks grilled on an open fire and seasoned with rosemary and sea salt.

Casina del Bosco SNACKS €

(Via Beccadelli 15; piadine €4-7; noon-late) It’s very simple (isn’t all good food?). It’s called a piadina – a toasted half-moon of unleavened bread with a savoury filling – and it’s Romagna’s retort to the wrap. You can get them in many places, but they’re rarely as consistent or wide-ranging as they are at this fast and efficient alfresco joint overlooking Parco Federico Fellini near the beach.

Tonino II Lurido SEAFOOD €€€

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(www.ristoranteillurido.com; Via Ortaggi 7; meals €45) When Fellini said it was ‘easier to be faithful to a restaurant than a woman’, he might have been talking about this place. The great film director’s (allegedly) favourite eating establishment in Rimini has been in operation since 1949. Can it still cut it? Sample the small, tasty portions of fresh fish and decide.

Picnic TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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(Via Tempio Malatestiano 30; meals €30; closed Mon Sep-May) In business for nearly half a century, Picnic has a wide-ranging menu of traditional favourites like salsiccia fagioli con polenta (sausage with beans and polenta), supplemented with whatever’s freshest from the market – grilled fish of the day, for example, or local strawberries with whipped cream.

Brodo di Giuggiole TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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(www.brododigiuggiole.info; Via Soardi 11; meals €35; dinner Tue-Sun; ) Tucked down an alley off Piazza Tre Martiri, this intimate spot is great for an elegant night out, with its wood-panelled dining room, lantern-lit plank terrace and an ever-changing menu featuring some of the freshest, best-prepared fish in town. Reservations are recommended, especially on live-jazz Tuesdays.

Gelateria Pellicano GELATERIA €

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(www.gelateriapellicano.com; Via S Mentana 10; 7.30am-7.30pm Mon-Sat) This Rimini-based, five-store chain makes some seriously good ice cream. Try the pinoli (pine nut), with toasted whole nuts on top.

Drinking

Most Italian drinking trends begin life in Rimini – or so the locals claim – from street bars to free aperitifs. The action spins on two hubs: the old pescheria (fish market) through the brick triple archway off Piazza Cavour, and the seafront around Marino Centro.

Caffè Cavour CAFE

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(Piazza Cavour 12; 7am-midnight) Early risers bump into the remnants of last night’s dance marathons in this swish cafe on Rimini’s main square. Mornings are for cappuccinos, evenings for aperitivi , the plush leather seats inside for anytime.

Rock Island BAR

(www.rockislandrimini.net; Piazzale Boscovich) Perched on stilts over the Adriatic on the pier next to the marina, Rock Island is the place for beer, sunset cocktails, live rock music and bikers with beards.

Barge BAR

(Lungomare C Tintori 13; closed Mon winter) A magnet for modish 20-somethings, this seafront pub offers an irresistible combo: draught Guinness, regular DJs and frequent live music.

Taverna della Vecchia Pescheria BAR

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(Via Pisacane 10; 6pm-2am) In the historic fish market, this rustic pub with little wooden tables and chairs is elbow-to-elbow with locals enjoying draught beer and free snacks at aperitivo time.

Entertainment

Rimini’s club scene is legendary. Bank on paying €15 to €30 for entrance to the bigger clubs.

Discoteca Baia Imperiale NIGHTCLUB

(www.baiaimperiale.net; Via Panoramica 195, Gabicce Mare; 10pm-4am) A Rimini legend overlooking the Adriatic, the Baia likes to brag that it is one of the 10 most beautiful discos in the world. Get an eyeful of the marble staircase, pool, and assorted obelisks and statues of Roman emperors, and even the stone-cold sober might be inclined to agree. Forty-somethings won’t feel out of place here.

Cocoricò NIGHTCLUB

(www.cocorico.it; Viale Chieti 44, Riccione; 11pm-5.30am) Dance under a glass pyramid with 2000 clammy strangers who’ll quickly become your friends at this fount of techno, house and underground 12km south of town in Riccione. Look out for Fatboy Slim behind the sound system.

Paradiso NIGHTCLUB

(Viale Covignano 260; 9pm-5am) Words like ‘hip’, ‘chic’ and ‘trendy’ are bandied around liberally when discussing Paradiso, one of Italy’s most famous clubs with cocktails, celeb sightings and de rigueur dancing.

Velvet Club NIGHTCLUB, LIVE MUSIC

(www.velvet.it; Via Sant’Aquilina 21; 9pm-late) The Velvet, located 8km southwest of the centre, features DJs, big-name rock acts and dancing till dawn. The adjacent Velvet Factory is a live-work space for international visual and performing artists.

Disco Bar Coconuts BAR, LIVE MUSIC

(www.coconuts.it; Lungomare C Tintori 5; 11.30pm-4am) Flaunting its prime waterfront location, Rimini’s most centrally located disco exudes a summer-beach-party atmosphere, with palm trees sprouting from the wooden deck and a ‘flower power’ VW convertible parked out the front.

FROM ROMANS TO RAVES

Early-morning insomniacs and late-night clubbers mention Rimini in the same breath as London, Berlin and Ibiza, and even the leery acknowledge that the city is far more than a here-today-gone-tomorrow stag weekend. Grabbing at the coat-tails of rave, acid house and the Second Summer of Love, Rimini first established itself as a club city in the early 1990s. Fortunes have fluctuated in the years since but, with a far classier reputation than other Mediterranean megaresorts, the nightlife here has created a definitive niche, with the clubs now seemingly as entrenched as the Roman relics that preceded them.

Classic Rimini evenings start early and end late. Warm-ups can kick off any time after 6pm in the vicinity of the Marino Centro and the Parco Federico Fellini. Another popular meeting place is in the old fish market just off Piazza Cavour for an aperitif, free snacks and maybe a live band.

Most of Rimini’s famous clubs are in the hills of Misano Monte and Riccone several kilometres to the south of the city centre, and a proverbial Beverley Hills for the fashionista set. You’ll find none of the disused aircraft hangars or muddy cow fields of rave-scene yore here. Instead, the Italians have designed their clubs rather like they make their cars – with effortless panache. Dance in a mansion with slick stylish furnishings, or recline in a regal garden next to a swimming pool where the only thing brighter than the stars is the bling.

Part of the fabric (and fun) of Rimini’s club scene is the Blue Line (www.bluelinebus.com; tickets €4; 10pm-6am) , a fleet of multicoloured disco buses that ferry clubbers from Piazzale Kennedy in the city centre to and from the various nightclubs to the south. Blue Line buses don’t just serve as safe, secure public transport tools; they also carry DJs, coffee shops and music systems, and deposit clubbers in town for that other classic Rimini innovation, the dawn breakfast.

Information

Hospital ( 0541 70 51 11; Viale L Settembrini 2) Located 1.2km southeast of the centre.

Police station ( 0541 35 31 11; Corso d’Augusto 192)

Post office (Via Gambalunga 40)

Tourist offices (www.riminiturismo.it) Parco Federico Fellini (Parco Federico Fellini 3; 8.30am-7pm Mon-Sat, to 2pm Sun) ; train station (Piazzale Cesare Battisti; 8.30am-7pm Mon-Sat, to 1.30pm Sun)

Ufficio Relazioni con il Pubblico ( 0541 70 47 04; Corso d’Augusto 158; 9am-1pm & 2.30-6pm Mon-Wed & Fri, 9am-6pm Thu, to 1pm Sat) Free internet provided by Rimini’s town government.

Getting There & Away

Ryanair offers thrice-weekly direct flights from London Stansted to Rimini’s Federico Fellini airport, 8km south of the city centre. Alitalia also flies nonstop to/from Rome.

There are regular buses from Rimini’s train station to San Marino (return €7.40, 45 minutes, 11 daily).

By car, you have a choice of the A14 (south into Le Marche or northwest towards Bologna and Milan) or the toll-free but very busy SS16.

Hourly trains run down the coast to the ferry ports of Ancona (regional/Eurostar €5.15/14, one to 1¼ hours) and Bari (€31/58, five to six hours). Up the line, they serve Ravenna (€4, one hour, hourly) and Bologna (regional/Eurostar €8.40/13, one to 1½ hours, half-hourly).

Getting Around

TRAMServizi (www.tramservizi.it, in Italian) buses operate throughout the city. Local bus 9 runs between Rimini’s train station and the airport (€1, 25 minutes). For Riccione (€1.50, 30 minutes), catch local bus 11 from the train station or along the lungomare (seafront promenade); it leaves every eight to 15 minutes between 6am and 2am.

You can hire bikes and scooters from various kiosks on Piazzale Kennedy. Free bikes are also available from Rimini’s municipal offices (Corso d’Augusto 158).

SAN MARINO

Of the world’s 193 independent countries, San Marino is the fifth smallest and – arguably – the most curious. How it exists at all is something of an enigma. A sole survivor of Italy’s once powerful city-state network, this landlocked micro-nation clung on long after the more powerful kingdoms of Genoa and Venice folded. And still it clings, secure in its status as the world’s oldest surviving sovereign state and its oldest republic (since AD 301). San Marino also enjoys the lowest unemployment rate in Europe and one of the planet’s highest GDPs.

Measuring 61 sq km, the country is larger than many outsiders imagine, being made up of nine municipalities each hosting its own settlement. The largest ‘town’ is Dogana (on the bus route from Italy), a place 99.9% of the two million annual visitors skip on their way through to the Città di San Marino, the medieval settlement on the slopes of 749m Monte Titano that was added to the Unesco World Heritage list in 2008.

Though San Marino is old and commands some astounding views, it retains a curious lack of intimacy and (for want of a better word) soul.

Sights & Activities

San Marino’s highlights are its spectacular views, its Unesco-listed streets, and a stash of rather bizarre museums dedicated to vampires, torture, wax dummies and strange facts. Ever popular is the half-hourly changing of the guard ( May-Sep) in Piazza della Libertà.

Castello della Cesta CASTLE

(admission €4.50; 8am-8pm mid-Jun–mid-Sep, 9am-5pm mid-Sep–mid-Jun) Dominating the skyline and offering superb views towards Rimini and the coast, the Cesta dates from the 13th century and sits atop 750m Monte Titano. Today you can walk its ramparts and peep into a small museum devoted to medieval armaments. The admission price also includes entry to the Castello della Guaita , the older of San Marino’s castles, dating from the 11th century; it was still being used as a prison until as recently as 1975.

Museo delle Curiosità MUSEUM

(www.museodellecuriosita.sm; Salità alla Rocca 26; adult/reduced €7/4; 10am-6pm) If you’re overtly curious or just a little bored, you can brush up on your Trivial Pursuit skills at this shrine to throwaway facts.

Museo di Stato MUSEUM

(www.museidistato.sm; Piazza Titano 1; 8am-8pm mid-Jun–mid-Sep, 9am-5pm mid-Sep–mid-Jun) San Marino’s best museum by far is the well-laid-out if disjointed state museum displaying art, history, furniture and culture.

Azienda Filatelica-Numismatica STORE

(www.aasfn.sm; Piazza Garibaldi 5; 8.15am-6pm Mon & Thu, to 2.15pm Tue, Wed & Fri) Collectors can pick up rare San Marino stamps and coins at this small shop.

Sleeping & Eating

Albergo Diamond PENSIONE €

( 0549 99 10 03; Contrada del Collegio 50; r €50) Few of the two million annual visitors stay overnight in San Marino, but if they checked out the Diamond’s giveaway prices they might be tempted. Cute, modest rooms look like something your grandma put together and there’s a large, busy restaurant below.

Hotel Titano HOTEL €€

( 0549 99 10 07; www.hoteltitano.com; Contrada del Collegio 31; r with/without view €115/88; ) The Titano is San Marino’s best all-rounder, with a tearoom, fine view restaurant (La Terraza), and enough mod cons to justify a three-star rating.

Caffè Titano INTERNATIONAL €

In the eponymous square and not directly connected to its namesake hotel, the Titano appears to be San Marino’s sleekest inexpensive option. Seating is in cool booths, there’s a bit of local action and the plates of sliced beef, rocket and parmigiano are delicious.

Information

Post office (Viale A Onofri 87) Vital for sending those ‘proved-you’ve-been-there’ postcards.

Tourist office (www.visitsanmarino.com; Contrada del Collegio 40; 10am-5pm) You can get your passport stamped with a San Marino visa for a rip-off €5 here.

Getting There & Away

Buses run to/from Rimini (return €7.40, 45 minutes, 11 daily), arriving at Piazzale Calcigni. The SS72 leads up from Rimini.

Leave your car at one of the numerous car parks and walk up to the centro storico . If necessary, park at car park 11 and take the funivia (cable car; return €4.50; 7.50am-sunset Sep-Jun, to 1am Jul & Aug) .

Top of section

Florence & Tuscany

POP 1.03 MILLION

Includes »

Florence

Pisa

Lucca

Livorno

Isola d’Elba

Siena

Chianti

Val d’Elsa

Val d’Orcia & Val di Chiana

Massa Marittima

Parco Regionale della Maremma

Arezzo

Sansepolcro

Cortona

Why Go?

Laden with grand-slam sights and experiences, Tuscany (Toscana in Italian) offers the perfect introduction to Italy’s famed dolce vita . Despite incessant praise, its beauty and charm defy description. It has extraordinary art and architecture; vibrant festivals; a seasonal cuisine emulated the world over; and never-ending, picture-perfect landscapes of olive groves, vineyards and poplars. There are few places in the world where food, fashion, art and nature intermingle so effortlessly and to such magnificent effect.

Then there is that over-abundance of things to do and see: visit a World Heritage Site in the morning, drive through a national park in the afternoon and bunk down in stylish vineyard accommodation at night. Medieval sculptures, Renaissance paintings and Gothic cathedrals? Check. Spectacular trekking and sensational Slow Food? Yep. Hills laden with vines, ancient olive groves…what more could one possibly desire?

When to Go

May-Jun Spring, strewn with wildflowers, begs outdoor action be it walking, cycling or horse riding.

Jul It’s not as mad-busy as August (avoid) and its music festivals are magnificent.

Sep & Oct Grapes and olives are harvested, porcini mushrooms and chestnuts fill forests.

Best Places to Eat

» II Santo Bevitore ( Click here )

» L’Osteria di Giovanni ( Click here )

» Filippo ( Click here )

» Osteria di Passignano ( Click here )

» Enoteca I Terzi ( Click here )

Best Places to Stay

» Hotel L’Orologio ( Click here )

» Barbialla Nuova ( Click here )

» Tenuta La Chiusa ( Click here )

» Campo Regio Relais ( Click here )

The Tuscan Table

‘To cook like your mother is good; to cook like your grandmother is better’, says the Tuscan proverb. And indeed, it is age-old recipes passed between generations that form the backbone of Tuscan cuisine today. Originally cooked up over an open wood fire in la cucina contadina (the farmer’s kitchen), it is essentially a peasant fare built around beans, bread and other cheap, abundant essentials. The basic premise of Tuscany’s so-called mangiafagioli (bean eaters): don’t waste a crumb. Fresh local seasonal produce is key, fussy execution eschewed, and the result – a stunning feast of gastronomic experiences. Be it by sinking your teeth into a brilliantly blue bistecca alla fiorentina (T-bone steak), sampling wafer-thin pig fat marinated in marble vats near Carrara, savouring flavoursome fish stew in Livorno or hunting white truffles in San Miniato, Tuscany is foodie paradise.

LESS-TRODDEN ROADS

Few regions in Italy have so many big hitters as Tuscany – which means crowds. Yet even in top-drawer destinations like Florence, Pisa and Siena, with savvy planning it is still possible to get away from it all along a less-trodden road. In Florence enjoy extraordinary art in lesser-known museums like Museo del Bargello (early Michelangelos), Museo di San Marco (superb frescoes) and Chiesa di Orsanmichele (medieval statuary) or hidden treasures such as Michelangelo’s curvaceous staircase and vestibule in the Biblioteca Laurenziana Medicea . In Pisa save the Leaning Tower for sunset when the coach loads have gone for the day and indulge in peaceful meanderings along the Arno river, over its bridges and through Pisa’s medieval heart – or trade the over-touristed town for unknown Pietrasanta with its outstanding contemporary art and dining. Wedged between Siena and the coast, hilltop town Massa Marittima is a particular less-tourist-trodden fave, while in busy San Gimignano, a guided nature walk in the hills is just the ticket – or what about a peaceful walk to Abbazia di Sant’Antimo near Montalcino?

Top Five Wine Tastings

» Vernaccia in San Gimignano ( Click here )

» Brunello in Montalcino ( Click here )

» Chianti in guess where ( Click here )

» Vino Nobile in Montepulciano ( Click here )

» Vin Santo in the company of cantuccini (crunchy, almond-studded biscuits), anywhere in the region

CYCLING TUSCANY

Italy‘s most eminently cycle-able region is not only for pros. Guided tours in Florence ( Click here ) are big, or consider a two-wheeler foray fuelled only by wine around Chianti ( Click here ).

Blogs to Excite

» Emiko Davies: www.emikodavies.com

» Tuscan Traveler: http://tuscantraveler.com

Advance Planning

» Book tickets/accommodation for Siena’s Palio ( Click here ) one year in advance!

» Buy tickets for the Uffizi and Leaning Tower 15 days in advance and earlier for the Vasari Corridor ( Click here ).

» Tuscany’s key music festivals – Maggio Musicale Fiorentino ( Click here ) and Settimana Musicale Senese and Estate Musicale Chigiana ( Click here ) – need advance planning; snag tickets early or miss out.

» Work out which Florence museum pass suits you best ( Click here ) and purchase online.

Resources

» Regione Toscana (www.turismo.intoscana.it)

» The Florentine (www.theflorentine.com)

» Florence Museums (www.firenzemusei.it)

Florence & Tuscany Highlights

Discover Renaissance treasures in Florence’s Uffizi Gallery (Click here )

Follow in the footsteps of the Medicis along Florence’s mysterious Vasari Corridor (Click here )

Pedal and picnic atop Lucca’s lovely Renaissance city walls (Click here )

Fall in love with medieval Pisa; scale its iconic Leaning Tower ( Click here ) at sunset

Flee the crowds: watch spaghetti being handmade, cook Tuscan and hunt white truffles ( Click here )

Sleep between groves and seashore on the island of Elba’s oldest wine estate (Click here )

Explore the world-famous wine region of Chianti (Click here )

Gorge on Gothic architecture in Siena (Click here )

Hear Gregorian chants in Abbazia di Sant’Antimo (Click here )

Play cowboy for the day in the Parco Regionale della Maremma (Click here )

FLORENCE

POP 368,900

Return time and again and you still won’t see it all. Stand on a bridge over the Arno several times in a day and the light, mood and view will always vary. Surprisingly small as it is, this city is like no other. Cradle of the Renaissance and home of Machiavelli, Michelangelo and the Medici, Florence (Firenze) is magnetic, romantic, unrivalled and – above all – busy. Its historic streets teem with tourists, who flock year-round to feast on the city’s world-class art and extraordinary architecture.

Yet there’s more to this intensely absorbing place than priceless masterpieces. Towers and palaces evoke a thousand tales of its medieval past; designer boutiques and artisan workshops stud its streets; there’s a buzzing cafe and bar scene; and – when the summer heat simply gets too stifling – vine-laden hills and terrace restaurants are only a short drive away.

History

Controversy continues over who founded Florence. The most commonly accepted story tells us that Emperor Julius Caesar founded Florentia around 59 BC. Archaeological evidence suggests the presence of an earlier village founded by the Etruscans of Fiesole around 200 BC.

In the 12th century Florence became a free comune (town council), ruled by 12 priori (consuls) assisted by the Consiglio di Cento (CouncII of One Hundred), drawn mainly from the merchant class. Agitation among differing factions led to the appointment of a foreign governing podestà (magistrate) in 1207.

The first conflicts between two of the factions, the pro-papal Guelphs (Guelfi) and the pro-imperial Ghibellines (Ghibellini), started in the mid-13th century, with power passing between the two groups for almost a century.

In the 1290s the Guelphs split into two: the Neri (Blacks) and Bianchi (Whites). When the Bianchi were defeated, Dante was among those driven into exile in 1302. As the nobility lost ground the Guelph merchant class took control, but trouble was never far away. The plague of 1348 halved the city’s population and the government was rocked by agitation from the lower classes.

In the 14th century Florence was ruled by a caucus of Guelphs under the leadership of the Albizi family. Among the families opposing them were the Medici, who substantially increased their clout when they became the papal bankers.

Cosimo II Vecchio (the Elder, also known simply as Cosimo de’ Medici) emerged as head of the opposition to the Albizi in the 15th century and became Florence’s ruler. His eye for talent saw a constellation of artists such as Alberti, Brunelleschi, Lorenzo Ghiberti, Donatello, Fra’ Angelico and Fra’ Filippo Lippi flourish.

The rule of Lorenzo II Magnifico (1469–92), Cosimo’s grandson, ushered in the most glorious period of Florentine civilisation and of the Italian Renaissance. His court fostered a flowering of art, music and poetry, turning Florence into Italy’s cultural capital. Not long before Lorenzo’s death, the Medici bank failed and the family was driven out of Florence. The city fell under the control of Savonarola, a Dominican monk who led a puritanical republic, burning the city’s wealth on his ‘bonfire of vanities’. But his lure was short-lived and after falling from favour he was tried as a heretic and executed in 1498.

After the Spanish defeated Florence in 1512, Emperor Charles V married his daughter to Lorenzo’s great-grandson Alessandro de’ Medici, whom he made duke of Florence in 1530. Seven years later Cosimo I, one of the last truly capable Medici rulers, took charge, becoming grand duke of Tuscany after Siena fell to Florence in 1569 and ushering in more than 150 years of Medici domination of Tuscany.

In 1737 the grand duchy of Tuscany passed to the French House of Lorraine, which retained control, apart from a brief interruption under Napoleon, untII it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Italy in 1860. Florence briefly became the national capital but Rome assumed the mantle permanently in 1870.

The city was severely damaged during WWII, ravaged by floods in 1966, and in 1993 the Mafia exploded a massive car bomb, destroying a part of the Uffizi Gallery. The current renovation and expansion of the gallery, official end date not yet known, is the biggest (and longest) ever.

FLORENCE IN…

Two Days

Start with a coffee on Piazza della Repubblica before hitting the Uffizi Gallery . After lunch, head to Piazza del Duomo to visit the cathedral , baptistry and Museo dell’Opera del Duomo . After this, you’ll deserve an aperitivo and dinner. Next morning, follow the walk outlined in the Duomo to Palazzo Strozzi section, then head to San Marco to visit the Galleria dell’Accademia and Museo di San Marco . For aperitivo and dinner, venture across the Arno to the Oltrarno, stopping en route to admire the sunset from the Ponte Vecchio , and later Piazzale Michelangelo .

Four Days

On day three, explore Palazzo Pitti , the Giardino di Boboli and the Giardino di Bardini . Alternatively, visit the city’s major basilicas – San Lorenzo , Santa Croce and Santa Maria Novella . For dinner, enjoy good food and entertainment at Teatro del Sale . On day four, take a guided tour of Palazzo Vecchio in the morning and explore the city’s specialist shops in the afternoon.

One Week

With three extra days, you’ll be able to fit in gems such as Cappella Brancacci , Cappella di Benozzo at Palazzo Medici-Riccardi and the Museo del Bargello . Or take a day trip to Fiesole .

Sights

Florence’s big-hit sights lie in the geographic, historic and cultural heart of the city – the tight grid of streets between Piazza del Duomo and cafe-strung Piazza della Signoria.

PIAZZA DEL DUOMO

Duomo CATHEDRAL

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( Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore or St Mary of the Flower; www.duomofirenze.it; 10am-5pm Mon-Wed & Fri, to 3.30pm Thu, to 4.45pm Sat, to 3.30pm 1st Sat of month, 1.30-4.45pm Sun, mass in English 5pm Sat) The city’s most iconic landmark with its famous red-tiled dome, graceful bell tower and breathtaking pink, white and green marble facade has wow factor in spades. Begun in 1296 by Sienese architect Arnolfo di Cambio, the cathedral took almost 150 years to complete. Its neo-Gothic facade was designed in the 19th century by architect Emilio de Fabris to replace the uncompleted original, torn down in the 16th century.

After the visually tumultuous facade, the sparse decoration of the cathedral’s vast interior, 155m long and 90m wide, is surprising. Scaling the 463 steep stone steps up to the dome (admission €8; 8.30am-7pm Mon-Fri, to 5.40pm Sat) is a must. No supporting frame was used in its construction – it’s actually two concentric domes built from red brick to designs by Filippo Brunelleschi. The climb rewards you with an unforgettable 360-degree panorama of one of Europe’s most beautiful cities.

Equally physical is the 414-step climb up the neighbouring 82m-high campanile Offline map Google map (adult/child €6/free; 8.30am-7.30pm daily) .

Around the Duomo (Florence)

Top Sights

Duomo F3

Palazzo Vecchio F6

Ponte Vecchio D7

Uffizi Gallery (Galleria degli Uffizi)E7

Sights

1  Basilica di San Lorenzo D1

2  Basilica di Santa Maria Novella A1

3  Battistero E3

4  Biblioteca Laurenziana Medicea D1

5  Campanile E3

6  Cappelle Medicee D1

7  Chiesa della Santa Trìnita B5

8 Chiesa e Museo di OrsanmicheleE5

9  Fontana di Nettuno E6

II Porcellino (see 11)

10 Loggia dei LanziE6

11  Mercato Nuovo D5

12  Museo del Bargello G5

13 Museo dell'Opera di Santa Maria del FioreF2

14 Museo di Palazzo DavanzatiD5

15  Museo di Santa Maria Novella A2

16  Palazzo Medici-Riccardi E1

17  Palazzo Strozzi C4

18 Reproduction of DavidE6

19 Statue of Cosimo IE6

20 Uffizi & Firenze Musei Ticket OfficeE7

Activities, Courses & Tours

21 500 Touring ClubF6

22  ArtViva C5

23  CAF Tours B1

24  Florence Town E5

Food & Wine Academy (see 24)

I Bike Florence (see 24)

25  La Cucina del Garga A4

Sleeping

26 Academy HostelF2

27  Hotel Cestelli C6

28  Hotel Dalí H3

Hotel Davanzati (see 14)

29 Hotel L'OrologioB2

30  Hotel Orchidea H4

31  Hotel Perseo D2

32  Hotel Rosso 23 B2

33 Hotel ScotiB5

34  Hotel Torre Guelfa C6

35  Palazzo Vecchietti C4

Eating

36  Caffè Italiano Sud H5

37 Cantinetta dei VerrazzanoE5

38  Coquinarius F3

39  Da Vinattieri F4

40  Francesco Vini H6

41  Gelateria dei Neri G7

42  Grom E3

43  I Due Fratellini E5

44  II Latini A4

45 InoE7

46  L’Antico Trippaio F4

47  La Canova di Gustavino F5

48 L'Osteria di GiovanniA4

49 MarianoB5

50 Mercato Nuovo Tripe CartD5

51 ObikàC4

52  OII Shoppe H3

53 Osteria del Caffè ItalianoH5

Pizzeria del’ Osteria del Caffè Italiano (see 53)

54  Vivoli H5

Drinking

55  Caffè Giacosa B4

56  Caffè Gilli D4

57  Caffè Rivoire E6

58  Colle Bereto C4

59  Fiaschetteria Nuvoli D3

60  Lochness Lounge H7

Moyo (see 60)

61 Old StoveE3

62 Sky Lounge ContinentaleD6

63  Slowly C5

Entertainment

64  Be Bop Music Club G1

65  Full Up G5

66  YAB C5

Shopping

67  Mercato de San Lorenzo D1

Mercato Nuovo (see 11)

68 Pitti VintageH4

Battistero BAPTISTERY

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( Piazza di San Giovanni; admission €4; 12.15-7pm Mon-Sat, 8.30am-2pm 1st Sat of month & Sun) Lorenzo Ghiberti designed the famous gilded bronze bas-reliefs adorning the eastern doors of Florence’s 11th-century Romanesque baptistry, an octagonal striped structure of white and green marble. Dante counts among the famous dunked in its baptismal font.

The baptistry has three sets of doors, conceived as a series of panels in which the story of humanity and the Redemption would be told. Andrea Pisano executed the southern doors (1330) illustrating the life of St John the Baptist, and Ghiberti won a public competition in 1401 to design the northern doors, but it is his gilded bronze doors at the eastern entrance, known as the Gate of Paradise (Porta del Paradiso), that are the most celebrated. What you see today are copies of the panels.

Museo dell’Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore MUSEUM

(Cathedral Museum; Click here ; www.operaduomo.firenze.it; Piazza del Duomo 9; admission €6; 9am-6.50pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun) Surprisingly overlooked by the crowds, the Cathedral Museum safeguards treasures that once adorned the Duomo, Baptistry and campanile. Make a beeline for the glass-topped courtyard with its awe-inspiring display of seven of the original 10 panels from Ghiberti’s glorious masterpiece the Porta del Paradiso (Gate of Paradise), designed for the Baptistry. Afterwards search out Michelangelo’s Pietà, intended for his own tomb.

PIAZZA DELLA SIGNORIA

The hub of the city’s political life and surrounded by some of its most celebrated buildings, this lovely cafe-lined piazza is a favourite passeggiata (evening stroll) choice for Florentines who saunter around it in the early evening and all day on weekends.

It was on this crowd-packed square, pierced at its centre by an equestrian statue of Cosimo I by Giambologna, that preacher-leader Savonarola set light to the city’s art – books, paintings, musical instruments, mirrors, fine clothes and so on – on his famous bonfire of vanities in 1497. A year later the Dominican monk was burnt as a heretic on the same spot, marked by a bronze plaque in front of Ammannati’s monumental but ugly Fontana di Nettuno Offline map Google map (Neptune Fountain).

Palazzo Vecchio PALAZZO

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( www.palazzovecchio-museoragazzi.it; Piazza della Signoria; adult/reduced €6/4.50; 9am-7pm Mon-Wed & Fri-Sun, 9am-2pm Thu) As much a symbol of the city as the Duomo is the striking 94m-tall Torre d’Arnolfo that crowns the ‘Old Palace’, the traditional seat of Florentine government. Built by Arnolfo di Cambio between 1298 and 1314 for the Signoria, the highest level of Florentine republican government, the palace became the residence of Cosimo I in the 16th century. It remains the mayor’s office today, guarded at its western entrance by a much-photographed copy of Michelangelo’s David (the original, now in the Galleria dell’Accademia, stood here untII 1873).

The series of lavish apartments created for the Medici is well worth seeing, as is the Salone dei Cinquecento (16th-Century Room), created within the original building in the 1490s to accommodate the Consiglio dei Cinquecento (CouncII of Five Hundred) that ruled Florence at the end of the 15th century, and expanded and decorated in the mid-1500s. Sheer size aside, what impresses most are the swirling, floor-to-ceiling battle scenes by Vasari glorifying Florentine victories by Cosimo I over arch rivals Pisa and Siena: unlike the Sienese, the Pisans are depicted bare of armour (play ‘Spot the Leaning Tower’). To top off this unabashed celebration of his own power, Cosimo had himself portrayed as a god in the centre of the exquisite panelled ceiling – but not before commissioning Vasari to raise the original ceiling 7m in height. Also in this room is Michelangelo’s sculpture Genius of Victory, destined for Rome and Pope Julius II’s tomb, but left unfinished when he died.

The best way to see this building is by guided tour (obligatory reservations 055 276 82 24; info.museoragazzi@comune.fi.it). Around one hour long, these are conducted by English-speaking guides and take you into parts of the building that are not otherwise accessible. Its themed tours for children are particularly appealing.

MUSEUM PASSES

The all-new Firenze Card (www.firenzecard.it; €50) is valid for 72 hours and covers admission to 33 museums (it covers all the biggies), villas and gardens in Florence as well as unlimited use of public transport. Buy it online (and collect upon arrival in Florence) or in Florence at tourist offices or ticketing desks of the Uffizi (Entrance 2), Palazzo Pitti, Palazzo Vecchio, Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Cappella Brancacci, Museo di Santa Maria Novella and Giardini Bardini. If you’re an EU citizen your card also covers under-18s travelling with you.

The big downside of the Firenze Card is it only allows one admission per museum. So, for example, if you want to split your Uffizi forays into a couple of visits and/or you’re not from the EU and are travelling with kids, the annual Friends of the Uffizi Card (www.amicidegliuffizi.it; adult/under 26yr/family of 4 €60/40/100) is a better deal. Valid for a calendar year (expires 31 December), it covers admission to 22 Florence museums (including Galleria dell’Accademia, Museo Nazionale del Bargello and Palazzo Pitti) and allows as many return visits as you fancy (have your passport on you as proof of ID to show at each museum with your card). Buy online or from the Amici degli Uffizi Welcome Desk ( 055 21 35 60; 10am-5pm Tue-Sat) next to Entrance 2 at the Uffizi.

Loggia dei Lanzi MUSEUM

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What makes this gorgeous square so agreeable is, in part, its wealth of fountains and statues, climaxing with this 14th-century loggia where works such as Giambologna’s Rape of the Sabine Women (c 1583), Benvenuto Cellini’s bronze Perseus (1554) and Agnolo Gaddi’s Seven Virtues (1384–89) are displayed. The loggia owes its name to the Lanzichenecchi (Swiss bodyguards) of Cosimo I, who were stationed here, and the present-day guards live up to this heritage, sternly monitoring crowd behaviour and promptly banishing anyone carrying food or drink.

Galleria degli Uffizi; Uffizi Gallery ART GALLERY

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(www.uffizi.firenze.it; Piazza degli Uffizi 6; adult/reduced €6.50/3.25, incl temporary exhibition €11/5.50; 8.15am-6.50pm Tue-Sun) Housed inside Palazzo degli Uffizi, built between 1560 and 1580 as a government office building, this world-class art museum safeguards the Medici family’s private art collection. It was bequeathed to the city in 1743 on the condition that it never leaves Florence.

An ongoing and vastly overdue €65 million refurbishment and redevelopment project will see the addition of a new exit loggia designed by Japanese architect Arato Isozaki and the doubling of exhibition space. In true Italian fashion no one, including architect Antonio Godoli, will commit to a final completion date (originally 2013), but untII the so-called Nuovi Uffizi (www.nuoviuffizi.it) project is finished you can expect some rooms to be temporarily closed and the contents of others changed.

The world-famous collection spans the gamut of art history from ancient Greek sculpture to 18th-century Venetian paintings, arranged in chronological order by school. But its core is the masterpiece-rich Renaissance collection.

Visits are best kept to three or four hours max. When it all gets too much, head to the rooftop cafe (aka the terraced hanging garden where the Medici clan listened to music performances on the square below) for fresh air and fabulous views.

CUT THE QUEUE: PRE-BOOKED TICKETS

In July, August and other busy periods such as Easter, unbelievably long queues are a fact of life at Florence’s key museums – if you haven’t pre-booked your ticket in advance you could well end up standing in line queuing for four hours or so.

For a fee of €3 per ticket (€4 for the Uffizi and Galleria dell’Accademia), tickets to all 13 musei statali (state museums) can be reserved, including the Uffizi, Galleria dell’Accademia (where David lives), Palazzo Pitti, Museo del Bargello and the Medicean chapels (Cappelle Medicee). In reality, the only museums where pre-booking is vital are the Uffizi and Accademia – to organise your ticket, go to www.firenzemusei.it or call Firenze Musei (Florence Museums; 055 29 48 83; telephone booking line 8.30am-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-12.30pm Sat) , with ticketing desks ( 8.30am-7pm Tue-Sun) at the Uffizi and Palazzo Pitti.

At the Uffizi, signs point pre-booked-ticket holders to the building opposite the gallery where pre-booked tickets can be collected; once you’ve got the ticket you go to Door One of the museum (for pre-booked tickets only) and queue again to enter the gallery. It’s annoying, but you’ll still save hours of queuing time overall.

Many hotels in Florence also pre-book museum tickets for guests.

Tuscan Masters: 12th to 14th Centuries

The first room to the left of the staircase (Room 2) highlights 13th-century Sienese art and is designed like a medieval chapel (look up to admire those great wooden ceiling trusses) to reflect its fabulous contents: three large altarpieces from Florentine churches by Tuscan masters Duccio di Buoninsegna, Cimabue and Giotto. These clearly reflect the transition from the Gothic to the nascent Renaissance style. Note the overtly naturalistic realism overtones in Giotto’s portrayal of the Madonna and child among angels and saints.

The next room stays in Siena but moves into the 14th century. The highlight is Simone Martini’s shimmering Annunciation (1333), painted with Lippo Memmi and setting the Madonna in a sea of gold. Also of note is the Madonna with Child and Saints triptych (1340) by Pietro Lorenzetti, which demonstrates a realism similar to Giotto’s; unfortunately both Pietro and his artistic brother Ambrogio died from the plague in Siena in 1348.

Masters in 14th-century Florence paid as much attention to detaII as their Sienese counterparts, as works in the next room demonstrate: savour the realism of San Reminio Pietà (1360–65) by gifted Giotto pupil, Giottino.

Renaissance Pioneers

A concern for perspective was a hallmark of the early-15th-century Florentine school (room 7) that pioneered the Renaissance. One panel (the other two are in the Louvre and London’s National Gallery) from Paolo Uccello’s striking Battle of San Romano shows the artist’s efforts to create perspective with amusing effect as he directs the lances, horses and soldiers to a central disappearing point. The painting celebrates Florence’s victory over Siena.

In room 8, the highlights are Piero della Francesca’s famous profile portraits of the crooked-nosed, red-robed Duke and Duchess of Urbino (1465–72) – the former always painted left-side after losing his right eye in a jousting accident and the latter painted a deathly white, reflecting the fact that the portrait was painted posthumously.

Carmelite monk Fra’ Filippo Lippi had an unfortunate soft spot for earthly pleasures, scandalously marrying a nun from Prato. Search out his self-portrait as a podgy friar in Coronation of the Virgin (1439–47) and don’t miss his later Madonna and Child with Two Angels (1460–65), an exquisite work that clearly influenced his pupil, Sandro Botticelli.

Another related pair, brothers Antonio and Piero del Pollaiolo, fill room 9, where their seven cardinal and theological values of 15th-century Florence – commissioned for the merchant’s tribunal in Piazza della Signoria – ooze energy.

Botticelli Room

The spectacular Sala del Botticelli, numbered 10 to 14 but in fact one large hall, is one of the Uffizi’s most popular rooms and is always packed. Of the 15 works by the Renaissance master, Birth of Venus (c 1485), Primavera (Spring; c 1482), the deeply spiritual Cestello Annunciation (1489–90), the Adoration of the Magi (1475) featuring the artist’s self-portrait (look for the blonde-haired guy, extreme right, dressed in yellow) and The Madonna of the Magnificat (1483) are the best known, but true aficionados rate his twin set of miniatures depicting a sword-bearing Judith returning from the camp of Holofernes and the discovery of the decapitated Holofernes in his tent (1495–1500) as being among his finest works.

Leonardo Room

Room 15 displays two early Florentine works by Leonardo da Vinci: the incomplete Adoration of the Magi (1481–82), drawn in red earth pigment, and his Annunciation (c 1475–80).

High Renaissance to Mannerism

In the third corridor, Michelangelo dazzles with the Doni Tondo, a depiction of the Holy Family that steals the High Renaissance show in room 25. The composition is unusual – Joseph holding an exuberant Jesus on his muscled mother’s shoulder as she twists round to gaze at him, the colours as vibrant as when they were first applied in 1506–08.

Raphael (1483–1520) and Andrea del Sarto (1486–1530) rub shoulders in room 26, where Raphael’s charming Madonna of the Goldfinch (1505–06) holds centre stage.

Previous works by Tuscan masters can be compared with the greater naturalism inherent in the work of their Venetian counterparts in room 28, where 11 Titians are displayed. Masterpieces include the sensual nude Venus of Urbino (1538), the seductive Flora (1515) and the striking portrait of Eleonora Gonzaga, Duchess of Urbino (1536–37).

AROUND PIAZZA DELLA REPUBBLICA

Piazza della Repubblica CITY SQUARE

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Originally the site of a Roman forum and the heart of medieval Florence, this busy civic space was created in the late 1880s as part of a controversial plan of ‘civic improvements’ involving the demolition of the old market, Jewish ghetto and surrounding slums, and the relocation of nearly 6000 residents. Fortunately, Vasari’s lovely Loggia del Pesce (Fish Market) was saved and re-erected on Via Pietrapiana. Today, the piazza is known for its concentration of historic cafes.

Chiesa e Museo di Orsanmichele CHURCH, MUSEUM

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( Via dell’Arte della Lana; admission free; church 10am-5pm daily, museum 10am-5pm Mon) This unique church was created when the arcades of an old grain market (1290) were walled in and two storeys added during the 14th century . A real must-see, its exterior is exquisitely decorated with niches and tabernacles bearing statues. Representing the patron saints of Florence’s many guilds, they were commissioned in the 15th and 16th centuries after the signoria (city government) ordered the city’s guilds to finance the church’s decoration.

These statues represent the work of some of the greatest Renaissance artists. Only copies adorn the building’s exterior today but all the originals except one are beautifully displayed in the church’s impressive, little-known and thoroughly inspirational museum , open just one day a week in two floors above the church.

Museo di Palazzo Davanzati HISTORICAL RESIDENCE

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( Via Porta Rossa 13; adult/reduced €2/1; 8.15am-1.50pm, closed 1st, 3rd & 5th Mon, 2nd & 4th Sun of month) Tucked inside a 14th-century warehouse and home of the wealthy Davanzati merchant family from 1578, this palace-museum is a less-visited gem. Peep at the carved faces of the original owners on the pillars in the inner courtyard and don’t miss the 1st-floor reception room with its painted wooden ceiling or the exquisitely decorated Sala dei Pappagalli (Parrot Room) and Camera dei Pavoni (Peacock Bedroom).

Palazzo Strozzi PALAZZO, MUSEUM

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( Via de’ Tornabuoni; admission prices & opening hr vary) Aplomb on Florence’s most legendary fashion street, Via de’ Tornabuoni , often called the ‘Salotto di Firenze’ (Florence’s Drawing Room), sits this magnificent 15th-century palace with wonderful interior courtyard where seemingly half of Florence meets and mingles. The palace was built for wealthy merchant Filippo Strozzi and hosts blockbuster exhibitions. There’s always a buzz around this place, with young Florentines congregating in the courtyard cafe.

Museo del Bargello ART GALLERY

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( Via del Proconsolo 4; adult/reduced €7/3.50; 8.15am-5pm Tue-Sun & 1st & 3rd Mon of month) It was behind the stark exterior of Palazzo del Bargello, Florence’s earliest public building, that the podestà meted out justice from the late 13th century untII 1502. Today the building is home to Italy’s most comprehensive collection of Tuscan Renaissance sculpture.

Crowds clamour to see David in the Galleria dell’Accademia but few rush to see his creator’s early works, many of which are on display in the Bargello’s downstairs Sala di Michelangelo . The artist was just 21 when a cardinal commissioned him to create the drunken, grape-adorned Bacchus (1496–97) displayed here. Other Michelangelo works to look out for include the marble bust of Brutus (c 1539–40), the David/Apollo from 1530–32 and the large, uncompleted roundel of the Madonna and Child with the Infant St John (1503–05, aka the Tondo Pitti) .

On the 1st floor, to the right of the staircase, is the Sala di Donatello where Donatello’s two versions of David fascinate: Donatello fashioned his slender, youthful, dressed image in marble in 1408 and his fabled bronze between 1440 and 1450. The latter is extraordinary – the more so when you consider it was the first free-standing naked statue to be sculpted since classical times.

GUARANTEED RETURN

To ensure a return trip to Florence local legend says you must rub the bronze snout of II Porcellino Offline map Google map (The Piglet), aka the bronze statue of a wild boar on the southern side of Florence’s 16th-century marketplace, Mercato Nuovo Offline map Google map ( Piazza di Mercato Nuovo) .

SANTA MARIA NOVELLA AREA

Basilica di Santa Maria Novella CHURCH

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( Piazza di Santa Maria Novella; admission €3.50; 9am-5.50pm Mon-Thu, 11am-5.30pm Fri, 9am-5pm Sat, 1-5pm Sun) Just south of the central train station, this church was begun in the mid-13th century as the Dominican order’s Florentine base. The lower section of the marble facade is transitional from Romanesque to Gothic, while the upper section (1470) and main doorway were designed by Alberti. The highlight of the Gothic interior, halfway along the north aisle, is Masaccio’s superb fresco Trinity (1424–25), one of the first art works to use the then newly discovered techniques of perspective and proportion. Close by, hanging in the nave, is a luminous painted Crucifix by Giotto (c 1290).

Museo di Santa Maria Novella MUSEUM

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( Piazza di Santa Maria Novella; adult/reduced €2.70/2; 9am-5pm Mon-Thu & Sat) The indisputable highlight of this museum – arranged around the monastery’s tranquII Chiostro Verde (Green Cloister; 1332–62) which takes its name from the green earth base used for the frescoes on three of the cloister’s four walls – is the spectacular Cappellone degli Spagnoli (Spanish Chapel). The chapel is covered in extraordinary frescoes (c 1365–67) by Andrea di Bonaiuto. The vault features depictions of the Resurrection, Ascension and Pentecost and on the altar wall are scenes of the Via Dolorosa, Crucifixion and Descent into Limbo. On the right wall is a huge fresco of The Militant and Triumphant Church – look in the foreground for a portrait of Cimabue, Giotto, Boccaccio, Petrarch and Dante. Other frescoes in the chapels depict the Triumph of Christian Doctrine, 14 figures symbolising the Arts and Sciences and the Life of St Peter.

On the west side of the cloister, a passage leads to the 14th-century Cappella degli Ubriachi and a large refectory featuring ecclesiastical relics and a 1583 Last Supper by Alessandro Allori.

Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella PHARMACY

(www.santamarianovella.com.br; Via della Scala 16; 9.30am-7.30pm Mon-Sat, 10.30am-8.30pm Sun, museum 10am-5.30pm Mon-Fri) In business since 1612, this perfumery-pharmacy is famed for the remedies and sweet-smelling unguents it concocts using medicinal herbs cultivated in the monastery garden. The shop has changed little over the centuries and is an absolute treasure. After a day battling crowds at the Uffizi or Accademia, you may want to come here to source some Acqua di Santa Maria Novella, said to cure hysterics.

Chiesa della Santa Trìnita CHURCH

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( Piazza Santa Trìnita; admission free; 8am-noon & 4-6pm Mon-Sat, 4-6pm Sun) This 14th-century church was rebuilt in Gothic style and later graced with a mannerist facade. Eye-catching frescoes by Domenico Ghirlandaio depict the life of St Francis of Assisi in the south transept’s Cappella Sassetti. Lorenzo Monaco, Fra’ Angelico’s master, painted the altarpiece in the fourth chapel on the south aisle and the frescoes on the chapel walls.

SAN LORENZO AREA

Basilica di San Lorenzo CHURCH

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( Piazza San Lorenzo; admission €3.50, incl biblioteca €6; 10am-5.30pm Mon-Sat year-round, 1.30-5.30pm Sun Mar-Oct) In 1425 the Medici commissioned Brunelleschi to rebuild what would become the family’s parish church and funeral chapter: 50-odd Medici are buried inside this church, one of the most harmonious examples of Renaissance architecture. However, it looks nothing from the outside: Michelangelo was commissioned to design the facade in 1518 but his design in white Carrara marble was never executed, hence its rough unfinished appearance.

Inside, columns of pietra serena (soft grey stone) crowned with Corinthian capitals separate the nave from the two aisles. Donatello, who was still sculpting the two bronze pulpits adorned with panels of the Crucifixion when he died, is buried in the chapel featuring Fra’ Filippo Lippi’s Annunciation (c 1450). Left of the altar is the Sagrestia Vecchia (Old Sacristy), designed by Brunelleschi and decorated in the main by Donatello.

Biblioteca Laurenziana Medicea LIBRARY

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( www.bml.firenze.sbn.it; Piazza San Lorenzo 9; admission €3, incl basilica €6; 9.30am-1.30pm Mon-Fri) To the left of the basilica’s entrance are peaceful cloisters, off which an extraordinary staircase designed by Michelangelo leads to the Biblioteca Laurenziana Medicea, commissioned by Giulio de’ Medici (Pope Clement VII) in 1524 to house the extensive Medici library that had been started by Cosimo the Elder and greatly added to by Lorenzo II Magnifico.

Cappelle Medicee MAUSOLEUM

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( Piazza Madonna degli Aldobrandini; adult/reduced €6/3; 8.15am-4.50pm Tue-Sat & 1st, 3rd Sun & 2nd, 4th Mon of month) Nowhere is Medici conceit expressed so explicitly as in this mausoleum. Principal burial place of the Medici rulers, it’s sumptuously adorned with granite, the most precious marble, semiprecious stones and some of Michelangelo’s most beautiful sculptures. Francesco I lies in the Cappella dei Principi (Princes’ Chapel) alongside Ferdinando I and II and Cosimo I, II and III. From here, a corridor leads to the stark but graceful Sagrestia Nuova (New Sacristy), Michelangelo’s first architectural work and showcase for three of his most haunting sculptures: Dawn and Dusk, Night and Day and Madonna and Child .

Palazzo Medici-Riccardi PALAZZO, CHAPEL

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( www.palazzo-medici.it; Via Cavour 3; adult/reduced €7/4; 9am-7pm Thu-Tue) Just off Piazza San Lorenzo is this lovely palace, the principal Medici residence untII 1540 and the prototype for other palazzi (mansions)in the city. Inside, the Capella di Benozzo (Chapel of the Magi) houses one of the supreme achievements of Renaissance painting and is an absolute must-see for art lovers. The tiny space is covered in a series of wonderfully detailed and recently restored frescoes (c 1459–63) by Benozzo Gozzoli, a pupII of Fra’ Angelico. His ostensible theme of Procession of the Magi to Bethlehem is but a slender pretext for portraying members of the Medici clan in their best light; try to spy Lorenzo II Magnifico and Cosimo the Elder in the crowd. Only 10 visitors are allowed into the chapel at a time, for a maximum of just five minutes; reserve your slot in advance at the palace ticket desk.

Central Market MARKET

(Piazza del Mercato Centrale; 7am-2pm Mon-Fri, to 5pm Sat) Housed in a 19th-century iron-and-glass structure, Florence’s oldest and largest food market is noisy, smelly and full of wonderful fresh produce to cook and eat.

SAN MARCO AREA

This part of the city boasts far more than the city’s most famous resident, one Sig David.

Galleria dell’Accademia ART GALLERY

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( 055 294 883; Via Ricasoli 60; adult/reduced €6.50/3.25; 8.15am-6.50pm Tue-Sun) A lengthy queue marks the door to this gallery where Michelangelo’s David is displayed. Fortunately, the most famous statue in the world is worth the long wait. Carved from a single block of marble, the statue of the nude warrior assumed its pedestal in front of Palazzo Vecchio on Piazza della Signoria in 1504, providing Florentines with a powerful emblem of power, liberty and civic pride.

Adjacent rooms contain paintings by Andrea Orcagna, Taddeo Gaddi, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Filippino Lippi and Sandro Botticelli.

San Marco (Florence)

Top Sights

Galleria dell'Accademia C2

Sights

1  Chiesa della Santissima Annunziata D2

2  Chiesa di San Marco C1

3  Museo Archeologico D2

4  Museo dello Spedale degli Innocenti D2

5  Museo di San Marco C1

Activities, Courses & Tours

6  City Sightseeing Firenze A2

Sleeping

7  Hotel Morandi alla Crocetta D2

8  Ostello Archi Rossi A1

9  Sette Angeli Rooms B2

Eating

10  Carabé C2

11  La Mescita C2

12 Mercato Centrale (Central Market)B2

Nerbone (see 12)

13 Trattoria MarioB2

Drinking

14  Kitsch C1

15 The ClubhouseB2

Museo di San Marco MUSEUM

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( Piazza San Marco 1; adult/reduced €4/2; 8.15am-1.50pm Mon-Fri, 8.15am-4.50pm Sat & Sun, closed 1st, 3rd, 5th Sun & 2nd, 4th Mon of month) At the heart of Florence’s university area sits the Chiesa di San Marco Offline map Google map and adjoining 15th-century Dominican monastery where gifted painter Fra’ Angelico (c 1395–1455) and sharp-tongued Savonarola piously served God. Today, the monastery showcases the work of Fra’ Angelico. It is one of Florence’s most spiritually uplifting museums.

Enter via Michelozzo’s Cloister of Saint Antoninus (1440). Turn immediately right to enter the Sala dell’Ospizio (Pilgrims’ Hospital), where Fra’ Angelico’s attention to perspective and the realistic portrayal of nature comes to life in a number of major paintings, including the Deposition of Christ (1432). On the 1st floor, Fra’ Angelico’s most famous work, Annunciation (c 1450), commands all eyes, and a stroll around the monks’ living quarters reveals snippets of many more fine religious reliefs by the Tuscan-born friar, who decorated the cells between 1440 and 1441 with deeply devotional frescoes to guide the meditation of his fellow friars. Among several masterpieces is the magnificent Adoration of the Magi in the cell used by Cosimo the Elder as a meditation retreat (No 38 & 39). Quite a few frescoes are extremely gruesome – check out the cell of San Antonino Arcivescovo, which features a depiction of Jesus pushing open the door of his sepulchre, squashing a nasty-looking devII in the process.

Piazza della Santissima Annunziata CITY SQUARE

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Giambologna’s equestrian statue of Grand Duke Ferdinando I de’ Medici commands the scene from the centre of this square, which teems with students. Across the street Chiesa della Santissima Annunziata Offline map Google map was established in 1250 by the founders of the Servite order, and rebuilt by Michelozzo and others in the mid-15th century.

The Spedale degli Innocenti (Hospital of the Innocents) was founded on the southeastern side of the piazza in 1421 as Europe’s first orphanage. Brunelleschi designed the classically influenced portico, which Andrea della Robbia (1435–1525) famously decorated with terracotta medallions of babies in swaddling clothes. At the north end of the portico, the false door surrounded by railings was once a revolving door where unwanted children were left.

Inside, the Museo dello Spedale degli Innocenti Offline map Google map ( www.istitutodeglinnocenti.it; Piazza della Santissima Annunziata 12; adult/reduced €5/4; 10am-7pm) displays works by Florentine artists, including Domenico Ghirlandaio’s striking Adoration of the Magi (1488), two wonderfully serene wooden sculptures of the Madonna and St Joseph by Marco della Robbia (c 1505) and a Madonna with Holy Child and Angel (1465–66) by Botticelli. Less valuable, but even more moving, is the display case of 19th-century markers left on the clothing of abandoned babies to allow for eventual reunification with their mothers.

Museo Archeologico

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( Via della Colonna 38; adult/reduced €4/2; 8.30am-7pm Tue-Fri) About 200m southeast of the piazza is this museum, whose rich collection of finds, including most of the Medici hoard of antiquities, plunges you deep into the past and offers an alternative to Renaissance splendour.

SANTA CROCE

Presided over by the massive Franciscan basilica of the same name on the neighbourhood’s main square, this area has a slightly rough veneer to it.

Basilica di Santa Croce CHURCH

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( Piazza di Santa Croce; adult/reduced incl Museo dell’Opera di Santa Croce €5/3, audioguide 1/2 people €5/7; 9.30am-5.30pm Mon-Sat, 1-5.30pm Sun) When Lucy Honeychurch, the heroine of EM Forster’s A Room With a View, is stranded in Santa Croce without a Baedeker, she panics and then, looking around, wonders why the basilica is thought to be such an important building. After all, doesn’t it look just like a barn (‘a black and white facade of surprising ugliness’)? On entering, many visitors to this massive Franciscan church share the same sentiment. The austere interior is a shock after the magnificent neo-Gothic facade.

Though most visitors come to see the tombs of famous Florentines buried inside this church – including Michelangelo, Galileo, Ghiberti and Machiavelli – it’s the frescoes by Giotto and his school in the chapels to the right of the altar that are the real highlight. Some of these are substantially better preserved than others.

From the transept chapels a doorway designed by Michelozzo leads into a corridor, off which is the Sagrestia , an enchanting 14th-century room dominated on the left by Taddeo Gaddi’s fresco of the Crucifixion. There are also a few relics of St Francis on show, including his cowl and belt. Through the next room, the church bookshop, you can access the Scuola del Cuoio , a leather school and shop.

The second of Santa Croce’s two serene cloisters was designed by Brunelleschi just before his death in 1446. His unfinished Cappella de’ Pazzi at the end of the first cloister is notable for its harmonious lines and restrained terracotta medallions of the Apostles by Luca della Robbia, and is a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture.

Located off the first cloister, the Museo dell’Opera di Santa Croce Offline map Google map features a Crucifixion by Cimabue; a wonderful terracotta bust of St Francis receiving the stigmata by the della Robbia workshop; and frescoes by Taddeo Gaddi, including The Last Supper (1333).

Santa Croce (Florence)

Top Sights

Basilica di Santa Croce A4

Sights

1  Museo dell'Opera di Santa Croce A4

2  Scuola del Cuoio B4

Activities, Courses & Tours

3  Florence for Fun A2

Eating

4  Antico Noé A2

5 II Pizzaiuolo B3

6  Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio C3

7  Pin Gusto C3

8  Pizzaman A3

Pollini (see 10)

9  Teatro del Sale B3

10 Trattoria CibrèoC3

Drinking

11  Eby’s Bar A2

12  Kitsch D2

13  Lion's Fountain A2

14  Rex Caffè A2

Entertainment

15  Jazz Club A1

Shopping

16 Mrs MacisA2

17  Société Anonyme C2

THE OLTRARNO

Literally ‘Beyond the Arno’, the atmospheric Oltrarno takes in all of Florence south of the river.

Ponte Vecchio LANDMARK

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Florence’s iconic bridge has twinkled with the glittering wares of jewellers since the 16th century when Ferdinando I de’ Medici ordered them here to replace the often malodorous presence of the town butchers, who were wont to toss unwanted leftovers into the river.

The bridge as it stands was built in 1345 and was the only one in Florence saved from destruction by the retreating Germans in 1944. At the southern end of the bridge is the medieval Torre dei Mannelli Offline map Google map , which looks rather odd, as the Corridoio Vasariano was built around it – not simply straight through it as the Medici would have preferred.

Oltrarno & Boboli (Florence)

Top Sights

Giardino di Boboli E4

Palazzo Pitti D4

Sights

Appartamenti Reali (see 7)

1  Basilica di Santo Spirito C2

2  Cappella Brancacci A2

3  Chiesa di Santa Felicità E2

Galleria d'Arte Moderna (see 7)

Galleria del Costume (see 7)

Galleria Palatina (see 7)

4  Giardino di Bardini G4

5  Grotta del Buontalenti E3

6  Museo Bardini G4

7  Museo degli Argenti D4

8 Palazzo Pitti Ticket Office & Firenze MuseiC4

9  Torre dei Mannelli E2

Activities, Courses & Tours

10  In Tavola C2

Sleeping

11  Ostello Santa Monaca B2

12  Palazzo Guadagni Hotel C3

13  Palazzo Magnani Feroni B1

Eating

14  Gustapizza C3

15 GustpaninoC3

16 II MagazzinoD2

17 II RistoroE2

18 II Santo BevitoreB1

19  La Carraia B1

20  Olio & Convivium D1

21  Trattoria 4 Leoni D2

22  Trattoria Bordino E2

23 Trattoria La CasalinguaC3

Drinking

24  Dolce Vita A1

25  Golden View Open Bar E2

26 II SantinoB1

27 Le Volpi e l'UvaE2

Entertainment

28  Cavalli Club A2

29  La Cité B1

30  Montecarla Club G4

Shopping

31 Guilo Giannini & FiglioD3

32  Madova E2

33 SlowC3

Palazzo Pitti PALAZZO, MUSEUM

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( Piazza de’ Pitti 1; adult €7-12, 3-day ticket valid when no temporary exhibition €11.50) This vast palace was begun in 1458 for the Pitti family, rivals of the Medici. Cosimo I and Eleonora di Toledo acquired it in 1549 and it remained the official residence of Florence’s rulers untII 1919 when the Savoys gave it to the state.

The ground-floor Museo degli Argenti Offline map Google map (Silver Museum; 8.15am-7.30pm Jun-Aug, shorter hr rest of year, closed 1st & last Mon of month) hosts temporary exhibitions in its elaborately frescoed audience chambers.

Raphaels and Rubens vie for centre stage in the enviable collection of 16th- to 18th-century art amassed by the Medici and Lorraine dukes in the 1st-floor Galleria Palatina Offline map Google map ( 8.15am-6.50pm Tue-Sun) . Highlights include Filippo Lippi’s Madonna and Child with Stories from the Life of St Anne (aka the Tondo Bartolini; 1452–53) and Botticelli’s Madonna with Child and a Young Saint John the Baptist (c 1490–95) in the Sala di Prometeo; Raphael’s Madonna of the Window (1513–14) in the Sala di Ulisse; and Caravaggio’s Sleeping Cupid (1608) in the Sala dell’Educazione di Giove. Don’t miss the Sala di Saturno, full of magnificent works by Raphael. The sentimental favourite, Tiberio Titi’s charming portrait of the young Prince Leopoldo de’ Medici, hangs in the Sala di Apollo and the Sala di Venere shines with Titian’s Portrait of a Lady (c 1536).

Past the Sala di Venere are the Appartamenti Reali Offline map Google map (Royal Apartments; 8.15am-6.50pm Tue-Sun Feb-Dec) , a series of rooms presented as they were c 1880–91, when they were occupied by members of the House of Savoy. The style and division of tasks assigned to each room is reminiscent of Spanish royal palaces, all heavily bedecked with drapes, silk and chandeliers.

Forget about Marini, Mertz or Clemente – the collection of the 2nd-floor Galleria d’Arte Moderna Offline map Google map (Gallery of Modern Art; 8.15am-6.50pm Tue-Sun) is dominated by late-19th-century works by artists of the Florentine Macchiaioli school (the local equivalent of Impressionism).

Few visitors visit the Galleria del Costume Offline map Google map (Costume Gallery; 8.15am-7.30pm Jun-Aug, shorter hr rest of year, closed 1st & last Mon of month) , thus missing its fascinating, if somewhat macabre, display of the semi-decomposed burial clothes of Cosimo I, his wife Eleonora di Toledo and their son Don Garzia.

THE EXTRAORDINARY VASARI CORRIDOR

Look above the jewellery shops on the eastern side of Ponte Vecchio and what you see, most dramatically at sunset, is the infamous and enigmatic Corridoio Vasariano (Vasari Corridor; Click here ), an extraordinary elevated covered passageway joining the Palazzo Vecchio on Piazza della Signoria with the Uffizi and Palazzo Pitti on the other side of the river. Around 1km long, it was designed by Vasari for Cosimo I in 1565 to allow the Medicis and court’s high dignitaries to wander between the two palaces in privacy and comfort. From the 17th century, the Medicis strung it wiith self-portraits – a collection of 700-odd art works today that includes self-portraits of Andrea del Sarto (the oldest), Rubens, Rembrandt, Canova and others.

The original promenade incorporated tiny windows (facing the river) and circular apertures (facing the street) to ensure the safety of those who used it. But when Hitler visited Florence in 1941, his mate and fellow dictator Benito Mussolini had big new windows punched into the corridor walls on Ponte Vecchio so that his guest could enjoy an expansive view down the Arno from the famous Florentine bridge.

On the Oltrarno the corridor passed by Chiesa di Santa Felicità Offline map Google map ( Click here ; Piazza di Santa Felicità; admission free; 9.30am-noon & 1.30-5.30pm Mon-Sat), thereby providing the Medici with a private balcony in the church where they could likewise attend Mass without mingling with the minions.

The Vasari Corridor is open to just a privileged few – 464 for spots in the Uffizi and elsewhere where you can get a sneak peek at it. To visit it, either join a guided tour of just five people (in Italian only) sporadically organised by Firenze Musei ( Click here ; €15 incl Uffizi admission & booking fee) – tours are advertised in advance on the Uffizi website (www.uffizi.firenze.it); or pay the price for an English-language tour in a group of 15 organised by Florence Town Offline map Google map ( 055 012 39 94; www.florencetown.com; Via de’ Lamberti 1; adult/6-12yr incl Uffizi admission €89/45; two to three times weekly). Whichever option you plump for, reserve well in advance.

Giardino di Boboli PALAZZO, GARDEN

(Piazza Pitti; 8.15am-sunset) The palace’s expansive gardens were laid out in the mid-16th century according to a design by architect Niccolò Pericoli, aka II Tribolo.

Boboli is a prime example of a formal Tuscan garden and is fun to explore: skip along Cypress Alley ; let the imagination rip with a gallant frolic in the walled Giardino del Cavaliere (Knights’ Garden); dance around 170-odd statues; meditate next to the Isoletto , a gorgeous ornamental pond; discover species and birdsong in the garden along the signposted nature trail ; or watch a fleshy Venere (Venus) by Giambologna rise from the waves in the Grotta del Buontalenti Offline map Google map (guided visits hourly).

At the upper, southern limit of the gardens, fantastic views over the palace complex and Florentine countryside fan out beyond the box-hedged rose garden , overlooked by the Museo delle Porcellane , home to Sèvres, Vincennes, Meissen, Wedgwood and other porcelain pieces collected by Palazzo Pitti’s wealthy tenants.

Giardino di Bardini GARDEN

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( www.bardinipeyron.it; entrances at Via de’ Bardi 1r & Costa San Giorgio 2; adult/reduced incl Museo delle Porcellane €10/5; 8.15am-sunset) Florence’s little-known Giardino Bardini was named after art collector Stefano Bardini (1836–1922), who bought the villa in 1913. Smaller and more manicured than the Boboli, it has all the features of a quintessential Tuscan garden – artificial grottos, orangery, marble statues, fountains, loggia, amphitheatre and a monumental baroque stone staircase staggering up the beautiful tiered gardens – but not the crowds. A springtime stroll is an extra-special joy when its azaleas, peonies, wisteria (AprII and May) and irises (June) are all in bloom. Its somewhat idyllic, summer cafe terrace , set in a stone loggia overlooking the Florentine skyline, is a wonderful spot for a panino lunch, ice cream or afternoon tea.

Inside the villa the Museo Bardini Offline map Google map (www.bardinipeyron.it, in Italian; adult/reduced €6/4; 10am-6pm Wed-Sun Apr-Sep, to 4pm Wed-Fri, to 6pm Sat & Sun Oct-Mar) hosts a collection of Roberto Capucci–designed haute couture and temporary exhibitions.

Piazzale Michelangelo VIEWPOINT

Turn your back on the bevy of ticky-tacky souvenir stalls flogging David boxer shorts and take in the soaring city panorama from this vast square, pierced by one of Florence’s two David copies. Sunset here is dramatic. It’s a 10-minute uphill walk along the serpentine road, paths and steps that scale the hillside from the river and Piazza Giuseppe Poggi; from Piazza San Nicolò walk uphill and bear left up the long flight of steps signposted Viale Michelangelo; by bus, take No 13 from Stazione di Santa Maria Novella.

Chiesa di San Miniato al Monte CHURCH, VIEWPOINT

(Via Monte alle Croce; 8am-7pm May-Oct, 8am-noon & 3-6pm Nov-Apr) The real point of your exertions up to Piazzale Michelangelo is five minutes further uphill to this wonderful Romanesque church. It is dedicated to St Minius, an early-Christian martyr in Florence who is said to have flown to this spot after his death down in the town (or, if you want to believe an alternative version, walked up the hill head tucked underneath his arm).

The church dates to the early 11th century, although its typical Tuscan multicoloured marble facade was tacked on a couple of centuries later. Inside, 13th- to 15th-century frescoes adorn the south wall and intricate inlaid marble designs line the nave, leading to a fine Romanesque crypt. The sacristy in the southeast corner features frescoes by Spinello Arentino depicting the life of St Benedict. Slap-bang in the middle of the nave is the bijou Capella del Crocefisso , to which Michelozzo, Agnolo Gaddi and Luca della Robbia all contributed.

Cappella Brancacci CHURCH

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( Piazza del Carmine; advance reservations 055 276 82 24; admission €4; 10am-5pm Wed-Fri & Sat, 1-5pm Sun) The 13th-century Basilica di Santa Maria del Carmine might have been all but destroyed by fire in the late 18th century, but the magnificent frescoes in its chapel were not. Entered next to the basilica on the square, the vibrantly coloured frescoes by Masaccio are considered the painter’s finest work and had an enormous influence on 15th-century Florentine art. Masaccio painted them in his early 20s but interrupted the task to go to Rome, where he died aged only 28. Filippino Lippi completed the cycle some 60 years later. Masaccio’s contribution includes the Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise and The Tribute Money on the chapel’s upper left wall.

Visits to the chapel are strictly by guided tour, which must be booked in advance.

Basilica di Santo Spirito CHURCH

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( Piazza Santo Spirito; 9.30am-12.30pm & 4-5.30pm Thu-Tue) One of Brunelleschi’s last commissions, this church is beautifully planned with a colonnade of 35 columns and a series of semicircular chapels. The chapels’ works of art include a poorly lit Madonna and Saints (1493–94) by Filippo Lippi in the Cappella Nerli in the right transept. Ask an attendant to show you the sacristy , where you’ll find a poignant wooden crucifix attributed by some critics to Michelangelo.

Courses

Florence has zillions of schools running courses in Italian language, culture and cuisine.

Scuola del Cuoio LEATHER-WORKING

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( 055 24 45 34; www.scuoladelcuoio.com; Via San Giuseppe 5r) Held here are leather-working courses in a leather school created by Franciscan friars after WWII.

In Tavola COOKING

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( 055 21 76 72; www.intavola.org; Via deiVelluti 18r) Take your pick from dozens of carefully crafted courses for beginners and professionals: pizza and gelato, pasta-making, easy Tuscan dinners etc.

Food & Wine Academy COOKING

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( 055 012 39 94; www.florencecookingclasses.com; Via de’ Lamberti 1; 1-day classes incl lunch €79) Shop at the market with charismatic chef Giovanni, learn how to cook what you’ve bought, then eat it.

La Cucina del Garga COOKING

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( 055 21 13 96; www.divinacucina.com; Via del Moro 48r; 1-day classes incl lunch €155) Delve into the secrets of Florentine trattoria cuisine with American-born Sharon Oddson.

Florence for Fun COOKING

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( 055 247 66 05; www.florenceforfun.org; Via della Pergola 10Ar) Mainstream cookery classes and pizza-, gelato- and sorbet-making workshops are run here.

Tours

Bus

CAF Tours COACH

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( 055 21 06 12; www.caftours.com; Via Sant’Antonino 6r) Half- and full-day city coach tours (€45 to €190), including designer-outlet shopping tours (€35, six hours).

City Sightseeing Firenze BUS

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( 055 29 04 51; www.firenze.city-sightseeing.it; Piazza Stazione 1; tickets incl audioguide adult/5-15yr €22/11) Explore Florence by red open-top bus, hopping on and off at 15 bus stops around the city. Tickets, sold by the driver, are valid for 24 hours.

Car

500 Touring Club VINTAGE CAR

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( 334 996 5836; www.500touringclub.com; Via Vinegia 23r) Hook up with Florence’s 500 Touring Club for a guided tour in a vintage motor – with you behind the wheel! Every car has a name in this outfit’s fleet of gorgeous vintage Fiat 500s from the 1960s (Giacomo is the playboy, Sergio the speed-fiend king, Anna the girl with style and so on). Motoring tours are guided – hop in your car and follow the leader – and themed; families love the picnic trip, couples wine tasting. March to November tours need to be booked well in advance.

Cycling

I Bike Florence BIKE

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( 055 012 39 94; www.ibikeflorence.com; Via de’ Lamberti 1) Guided history tours of Florence by bike (€29, two hours) and guided day trips to Chianti (€80 including lunch and wine tasting).

Tuscany Bike Tours BIKE

( 055 386 04 95; www.tuscany-biketours.com; Via Ghibellina 34r) One-day, 23km-long bike tours in Chianti with lunch, castle tour, wine and oII tasting (€75); transfer to Chianti by minibus.

Walking

ArtViva WALKING

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( 055 264 50 33, 329 6132730; www.italy.artviva.com; Via de’ Sassetti 1) Marketed as the ‘Original & Best’, these excellent one- to three-hour city walks (€25 to €39) are led by historians or art history graduates; tours include the Uffizi, the Original David tour and an Evening Walk/Murder Mystery Tour. ArtViva also runs trips further afield to Chianti (wine tasting) and a Renaissance villa outside Florence (villa lunch and swim).

Faith Willinger – Lessons & Tours WALKING

(www.faithwillinger.com) Food lovers’ walking tour, a market stroll, gelato crawl and much more by American-born, Florence-based food writer Faith Willinger who runs cooking courses, hands-on ‘market to table’ sessions, tastings, demonstrations and culinary visits including meaty field trips to Panzano in Chianti.

Accidental Tourist WALKING

( 055 69 93 76; www.accidentaltourist.com) Become an Accidental Tourist (membership €10) then sign up for a wine tour (€50), cooking class (€60), picnic (€70) and so on; tours happen in and around Florence.

Freya’s Florence WALKING

( 349 0748907; www.freyasflorence.com; €60/hr) A recommended Australian-born, Florence-based private tour guide; pay admission fees on top of guiding fee.

Festivals & Events

Festa di Anna Maria Medici HISTORICAL EVENT

(18 February) Florence’s Feast of Anna Maria Medici marks the death in 1743 of the last Medici, Anna Maria, with a costumed parade from Palazzo Vecchio to her tomb in the Cappelle Medicee.

Scoppio del Carro EASTER

A cart of fireworks is exploded in front of the cathedral at 11am on Easter Sunday – get there at least two hours early to grab a good position.

Maggio Musicale Fiorentino ARTS

(www.maggiofiorentino.com) This month-long arts festival – Italy’s oldest – held in Florence’s Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino ( Click here ) stages world-class performances of theatre, classical music, jazz and dance; AprII to June.

Festa di San Giovanni RELIGIOUS

Florence celebrates its patron saint, John, with a calcio storico match on Piazza di Santa Croce and fireworks over Piazzale Michelangelo; 24 June.

Sant’Ambrogio Summer Festival ARTS

(www.firenzejazz.it) The streets between Borgo La Croce and Piazza Beccaria become an evening stage for art, dance, jazz and theatre; June to July.

Jazz & Co MUSIC

(www.santissima.it) On summer nights, Piazza della Santissima Annunziata is filled with tables of people enjoying an aperitivo or dinner catered by Slow Food International while listening to jazz musicians from Italy and overseas perform; late June to Septemer.

Festival Firenze Classica MUSIC

(www.orcafi.it) July sees Florence’s highly regarded Orchestra da Camera Toscana performing classical music in the atmospheric settings of the Oratorio di San Michele a Castello and Palazzo Strozzi.

Festa delle Rificolone RELIGIOUS

During the Festival of the Paper Lanterns children carrying lanterns, accompanied by drummers, sbandieratori (flag throwers), musicians and others in medieval dress, process through the streets from Piazza di Santa Croce to Piazza della Santissima Annunziata to celebrate the Virgin Mary’s birthday; 7 September.

Sleeping

The city has hundreds of hotels, some excellent hostels and a burgeoning B&B scene. Places in this section have been selected for their good value for money.

Too many hotels and boutique B&Bs competing for too little business means great deals for the traveller, especially in winter when there are bargains to be had in all price ranges – a midrange double in a gorgeous 16th-century palazzo can cost as little as €45.

Tourist offices don’t recommend or reserve places, but carry lists of what is available.

PIAZZA DEL DUOMO & PIAZZA DELLA SIGNORIA

Incredibly, for such a dead-central part of Florence, this area has some excellent budget addresses. And if your hotel lacks an internet connection, free wi-fi hot spot Palazzo Strozzi, with its wonderfully airy and very hip courtyard, is just a minute’s walk away.

Hotel Scoti HOTEL €

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( 055 29 21 28; www.hotelscoti.com; Via de’ Tornabuoni 7; s €29-75, d €45-125, tr €75-150, q €85-175; ) Wedged between Prada and McQueen, this pensione is a splendid mix of old-fashioned charm and value for money. Run with smiling aplomb by Australian Doreen and Italian Carmello, the hotel is enthroned in a 16th-century palazzo on Florence’s smartest shopping strip. Its 16 rooms are clean and comfortable, but the star of the show is the frescoed living room (1780). Breakfast costs €5.

Hotel Cestelli BOUTIQUE HOTEL €

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( 055 21 42 13; www.hotelcestelli.com; Borgo SS Apostoli 25; s without bathroom €40-60, d €50-100; closed 4 weeks Jan-Feb, 3 weeks Aug) Located a stiletto-hop and a skip from the Arno and fashionable Via de’ Tornabuoni, this eight-room hotel is a gem. Its large, quiet rooms ooze understated style – think washbasin with silk screen, vintage art and original wood-slat shutters. Before stepping out quiz Italian photographer Alessio and Japanese wife Asumi on the latest best addresses to drink, dine and shop. No breakfast.

Hotel Torre Guelfa HOTEL €€

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( 055 239 63 38; www.hoteltorreguelfa.com; Borgo SS Apostoli 8; d €70-170, tr €130-210; ) If you want to kip in a Real McCoy Florentine palazzo without breaking the bank, this 31-room hotel with fortress-style facade is the address. Scale its 13th-century, 50m-tall tower – Florence’s tallest privately owned torre – for a sundowner overlooking Florence and you’ll be blown away. A couple of its spacious rooms, all with high ceilings and faded period furnishings, share the same staggering panorama.

Hotel Dalí HOTEL €

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( 055 234 07 06; www.hoteldali.com; Via dell’Oriuolo 17; s/d €40/85, d without bathroom €70, apt 2/4/6 guests €90/140/200; ) This overwhelmingly friendly hotel with 10 spacious rooms goes from strength to strength. Run with unrelenting dynamism by world travellers-turned-parents Marco and Samanta (‘running the hotel is like travelling without moving’), Dalí now has a kettle in every room, new bathrooms, microwave for shared use and three gorgeous self-catering apartments – one with Duomo view – sleeping two, four and six. No breakfast, but free parking in the leafy inner courtyard. Low-season rates 20% less.

Hotel Orchidea HOTEL €

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( 055 248 03 46; www.hotelorchideaflorence.it; Borgo degli Albizi 11; s €30-55, d €50-75, tr €65-90, q €75-110, all without bathroom) This old-fashioned pensione in the mansion where the Donati family roosted in the 13th century (Dante’s wife, Gemma, was allegedly born in the tower) is charm itself. Its seven rooms with sink and shared bathroom are simple but their outlook over a gorgeous garden or old stone terrace is five-star. Many guests return to enjoy the 100-year-old wisteria in bloom (May to June). No breakfast, but free tea- and coffee-making facilities.

Hotel Davanzati HOTEL €€

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( 055 286 666; www.hoteldavanzati.it; Via Porta Rossa 5; s €72-122, d €122-189, q €222-342; ) Don’t be put off by the 26 steps leading up to this 1st-floor hotel snug against Palazzo Davanzati. It is a beguiling labyrinth of enchanting rooms, unexpected frescoes and up-to-the-minute comforts run by irresistibly charismatic Florentine debonair Tommaso and father Fabrizio.

Palazzo Vecchietti HISTORIC RESIDENCE €€€

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( 055 230 28 02; www.palazzovecchietti.com; Via degli Strozzi 4; d €284-734; ) Wow, and wow again! This residenza d’epoca with 14 hopelessly romantic rooms and loggia in a 15th-century palazzo is a buzzword for hotel chic. Every room has coffee machine and kitchenette, and three have a terrace between rooftops. No surprise: this is the handiwork of Florentine interior designer Michele Bönan.

Hotel Perseo HOTEL €

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( 055 21 25 04; www.hotelperseo.it; Via de’ Cerretani 1; s €50-125, d €80-165, tr €80-185, q €90-220; ) Twenty-room Perseo is a great family choice with its large rooms and unpretentious decor. Family rooms have bunk beds and those on the top floor smooch with the rooftops and gorgeous views of the Duomo. Should you have tracking down (black) No 1 on the street, look for red No 23.

SANTA MARIA NOVELLA AREA

Hotel L’Orologio DESIGN HOTEL €€€

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( 055 27 73 80; www.hotelorologioflorence.com; Piazza di Santa Maria Novella 24; d €178-450; ) The type of seductive, superstylish address James Bond would feel right at home in, this elegant new hotel oozes panache. Designed to be something of a showcase for the (very wealthy) owner’s (exceedingly expensive) luxury wristwatch collection, the hotel has four stars, five floors, 54 rooms named after watches, and clocks pretty much everywhere you look. Room 501 has a perfect balcony view of the Duomo.

Ostello Archi Rossi HOSTEL €

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( 055 29 08 04; www.hostelarchirossi.com; Via Faenza 94r; s €40-60, d €60-90, tr €75-105, dm €21-27, all incl breakfast & sheets; closed 2 weeks Dec; ) Guests’ paintings and graffiti pattern the walls at this ever-busy private hostel near Stazione di Santa Maria Novella. Bright white dorms have three to 12 beds (those across the garden are quieter); there are washing machines, frozen meal dispensers and microwaves for guests to use. No curfew (knock to get in after 2am).

Hotel Rosso 23 BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

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( 055 27 73 00; www.hotelrosso23.com; Piazza di Santa Maria Novella 23; s €79-100, d €85-195; ) The entrance is so discreet you might well walk straight pass this stylish town house with a beautiful facade and smart, oyster-grey and red interior colour scheme. Rooms, all 42 of them, are thoroughly modern, and breakfast is served in a bijou interior courtyard.

Ostello Gallo d’Oro HOSTEL €

( 055 552 29 64; www.ostellogallodoro.com; 1st fl, Via Cavour 104; dm €28-32, s/d/tr €40/70/96; ) Silvia and Max are the energy behind this popular, curfew-free hostel. Rooms max at five beds, all have private bathroom and TV, and three have a balcony. Breakfast is buffet-style and the bubbly Silvia cooks up dinner twice a week.

SAN LORENZO AREA

Academy Hostel HOSTEL €

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( 055 239 86 65; www.academyhostel.eu; Via Ricasoli 9; s & d incl breakfast per person €35-42, dm €34-40; ) Cheap accommodation shouldn’t compromise on comfort is the much-appreciated philosophy of this small modern hostel, snug on the 1st floor of a 17th-century palazzo . Dorms with four beds are crisp white with brightly coloured lockers and chic flower-adorned screens. Rates include breakfast. No credit cards for payments under €150.

Sette Angeli Rooms B&B, SELF-CATERING €

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( 393 939490810; www.setteangelirooms.com; Via Nazionale 31; s €45-60; d €85-110, tr €95-135; ) Tucked behind the central market on a mainstream shopping street, Seven Angels is a tantalising mix of great value and recent renovation. Its rooms are perfectly comfortable and guests can pay an extra €10 to use the self-catering kitchen corner.

Johanna & Johlea B&B €€

( 055 463 32 92/48 18 96; www.johanna.it; s €50-90, d €70-170; ) One of the most established B&Bs in town, J&J has more than a dozen tasteful, impeccable, individually decorated rooms split between five historic residences, some with wi-fi connections. Those desiring total luxury can ask about the suite apartments.

SAN MARCO AREA

Hotel Morandi alla Crocetta HOTEL €€

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( 055 234 47 47; www.hotelmorandi.it; Via Laura 50; s €70-140, d €110-220, tr €130-195; q €150-370; ) This medieval convent-turned-hotel away from the madding crowd is a stunner. A couple of rooms have handkerchief-sized gardens to laze in, but the pièce de résistance is frescoed No 29, the former chapel.

THE OLTRARNO

Palazzo Magnani Feroni HOTEL €€€

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( 055 239 95 44; www.florencepalace.com; Borgo San Frediano 5; d €310-720; ) This old palace is the stuff of dreams. Its 12 suites are vast, ooze elegance and the 360-degree city view from the rooftop is magnificent and unforgettable.

Ostello Santa Monaca HOSTEL €

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( 055 26 83 38; www.ostello.it; Via Santa Monaca 6; d/q per person €24.50/20.50, dm €17.50-19.50; ) Once a convent, this large hostel comes warmly recommended. There is a bright kitchen with washing machine for guests’ use, free safe deposits and two computers to surf. Single-sex dorms sleep four to 22 (closed for cleaning 10am to 2pm). Curfew 2am. Low-season rates €1 less. Breakfast/dinner is €3.50/12.

Palazzo Guadagni Hotel HOTEL €

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( 055 265 83 76; www.palazzoguadagni.com; Piazza Santo Spirito 9; d €100-150, f per person €35; ) Plump above Florence’s most buzzing summertime square, this hotel, with impossibly romantic loggia, is legendary – Zefferelli shot several scenes of Tea with Mussolini here. Known for years as the shabby, over-priced but wholly irresistible Pensione Bandini (since shut), the Renaissance 16th-century palace has been brought back to life – in the most fabulous of manners – by local Florentines Laura and Ferdinando. Spacious rooms tastefully mix old and new, and that loggia terrace with wicker garden furniture is, well, dreamy…

Campeggio Michelangelo CAMPGROUND €

( 055 681 19 77; www.ecvacanze.it; Viale Michelangelo 80; camping adult €9.50-11.40, car & tent €11.40-13.80; ) Just off Piazzale Michelangelo, this large and comparatively leafy site has lovely city views. Take bus 13 from Stazione di Santa Maria Novella or walk – steeply uphill!

OUT OF TOWN

Should you want to flee the Florentine crowd and stay out of town, two remarkable ‘prince and pauper’ addresses leap out.

In a 17th-century villa framed by extensive grounds, HI-affiliated Villa Camerata ( 055 60 14 51; www.ostellofirenze.it; Viale Augusto Righi 2-4; dm €20, d/tr/q with bathroom €65/75/88; ) is among Italy’s most beautiful hostels (and oh so typically Tuscan!). Bus 17 from Stazione di Santa Maria Novella stops 400m from the hostel; count on 30 minutes’ travel time.

Then there’s five-star Grand Hotel Villa Cora ( 055 22 87 90; www.villacora.it; Viale Machiavelli 18; d from €310; ), a glorious 19th-century mansion guaranteed to make your head spin with its sumptuous frescoes, fabrics, chandeliers and art works just steps from Boboli Gardens.

Eating

Quality ingredients and simple execution are the hallmarks of Florentine cuisine, climaxing with the fabulous bistecca alla fiorentina, a huge slab of prime T-bone steak rubbed with olive oil, seared on the char grill, garnished with salt and pepper and served beautifully al sangue (bloody).

Other typical dishes include crostini (toasts topped with chicken-liver pâté or other topping), ribollita (a thick vegetable, bread and bean soup), pappa al pomodoro (bread and tomato soup) and trippa alla fiorentina (tripe cooked in a rich tomato sauce).

PIAZZA DEL DUOMO & PIAZZA DELLA SIGNORIA

Obikà CHEESE BAR €€

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( 055 277 35 26; www.obika.it; Via de’ Tornabuoni 16; 3/5 mozzarellas €19.50/30, pizzas €9-14.50; lunch & dinner Mon-Sat, 10am-11pm Sun) Given its exclusive location in Palazzo Tornabuoni, this designer address is naturally ubertrendy. Taste different mozzarella cheeses with basil, organic veg or sun-dried tomatoes in the cathedral-like interior or snuggle beneath heaters in the star-topped courtyard. The mozzarella pizzas are particularly creative – as is the copious aperitivi salad buffet (€9 including one drink) and cheesy Sunday brunch.

Cantinetta dei Verrazzano WINE CELLAR, BAKERY €

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( Via dei Tavolini 18-20; platters €4.50-12, focaccias €3-3.50, panini €2.50-4; noon-9pm Mon-Sat) Together, a forno (baker’s oven) and cantinetta (small cellar) equal a match made in heaven. Sit down at one of just five marble-topped tables, admire prized vintages displayed behind glass in wall-to-ceiling wooden cabinets and sip a glass of wine (€3.50 to €8) produced on the Verrazzano estate in Chianti. The focaccia, perhaps topped with caramelised radicchio or porcini mushrooms, is a must – as is a mixed cold-meat platter (try to ignore the bristly boar legs strung in the small open kitchen).

Mariano SANDWICH SHOP €

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( Via del Parione 19r; 8am-3pm & 5-7.30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-3pm Sat) Our favourite for its simplicity, around since 1973. Sunrise to sunset this brick-vaulted, 13th-century cellar gently buzzes with Florentines propped at the counter sipping coffee, wine or eating salads and panini . Come here for a coffee-and-pastry breakfast, light lunch, aperitivo or panino to eat on the move.

‘Ino SANDWICH SHOP €

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( Via dei Georgofili 3r-7r; 11am-8pm Mon-Sat, noon-5pm Sun) Artisan ingredients are sourced locally and creatively mixed at this stylish address near the Uffizi. Create your own combination or pick a house special and scoff on the spot with a glass of wine (included in the sandwich price).

I Due Fratellini SANDWICH SHOP €

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( www.iduefratellini.com; Via dei Cimatori 38r; 9am-8pm Mon-Sat, closed Fri & Sat 2nd half of Jun & all Aug) This hole in the wall has been in business since 1875. Wash panini down with a beaker of wine and leave the empty on the wooden shelf outside.

OII Shoppe SANDWICH SHOP €

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( www.oleum.it; Via Sant’Egidio 22r) Queue at the back of the shop for hot subs, at the front for cold, at this busy student favourite. Choose your own or let chef Alberto Scorzon take the lead with his 10-filling wonder.

Coquinarius WINE BAR €

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( 055 230 21 53; www.coquinarius.com; Via delle Oche 15r; meals €35; noon-10.30pm daily) Nestled within the shadow of the Duomo, this enoteca (wine bar) is extremely popular with tourists – try the justly famous ravioli with cheese and pear. Bookings essential.

La Canova di Gustavino WINE BAR €

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( 055 239 98 06; Via della Condotta 29r; meals €35; noon-midnight daily) The emphasis at this atmospheric enoteca is on Tuscan classics, but it’s perfectly fine to plump for a lighter cheese/salami platter or bruschetta too.

TOP FIVE GELATERIE

Florentines take gelato seriously and there’s healthy rivalry among local gelaterie artigianale (makers of handmade gelato) who strive to create the city’s creamiest, most flavourful and freshest ice cream. Flavours are seasonal and a cone or tub costs €2/3/4/5 per small/medium/large/maxi.

» Vivoli Offline map Google map ( Via dell’Isola delle Stinche 7; 7.30am-midnight Mon-Sat, 9am-midnight Sun Apr-Oct, to 9pm Nov-Mar) Inside seating tea-salon style alongside coffee, tea and cakes make this ice-cream shop stand out. Pay at the cash desk then trade receipt for ice. No cones, only tubs.

» Grom Offline map Google map ( www.grom.it; cnr Via del Campanile & Via delle Oche; 10.30am-midnight Apr-Sep, to 11pm Oct-Mar) Rain, haII or shine, queues halfway down the street are a constant at this sweet address; flavours are all delectable and many ingredients organic. Rather tasty hot chocolate and milkshakes too.

» La Carraia Offline map Google map ( Piazza N Sauro 25r; 11am-11pm) Take one look at the constant queue out the door of this bright green-and-citrus shop with its exciting flavours and you know you’re at a real Florentine favourite. Ricotta and pear anyone?

» Gelateria dei Neri Offline map Google map ( Via de’ Neri 22r; 9am-midnight) Semifreddo-style gelato that is cheaper than its competitors; known for its coconut, gorgonzola and ricotta and fig flavours.

» Carabé Offline map Google map ( www.gelatocarabe.com; Via Ricasoli 60r; 10am-midnight, closed mid-Dec–mid-Jan) Sicilian gelato, granita (sorbet) and brioche (ice-cream sandwich); handy while waiting in line to see David.

SANTA MARIA NOVELLA AREA

L’Osteria di Giovanni TUSCAN €€

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( 055 28 48 97; www.osteriadigiovanni.it; Via del Moro 22; meals €45; lunch & dinner Fri-Mon, dinner Tue-Thu) It’s not the decor or eclectic choice of wall art that stands out at this wonderfully friendly neighbourhood eatery. It’s the cuisine, staunchly Tuscan and stunningly creative. Think chickpea soup with octopus or pear- and ricotta-stuffed tortelli (ravioli) bathed in a leek-and-almond cream. Throw in the complimentary glass of sparkling prosecco as aperitif and subsequent Vin Santo (with homemade cantuccini – crunchy, almond-studded biscuits – to dunk in) at the end of the meal and you’ll return time and again.

TIP-TOP PIZZERIAS

Expect to pay around €8 for a pizza at these Florentine-recommended addresses:

» Gustapizza Offline map Google map(Via Maggio 46r; h11.30am-3pm & 7-11pm Tue-Sun) Wow! This unpretentious pizzeria by Piazza Santa Spirito gives a new meaning to the word ‘packed’. Arrive early to grab a bar stool at a wooden-barrel table and pick from eight pizza types.

» Pizzeria del’ Osteria del Caffè Italiano (Via dell'Isola delle Stinche 11-13r; h7.30- 11.30pm Tue-Sun) Simplicity is the buzzword at this pocket-sized pizzeria that makes just three pizza types: Margherita, Napoli and Marinara. No credit cards.

»PizzaMan Offline map Google map(Via dell'Agnolo 79; hnoon-2.30pm & 6.30pm-midnight Mon-Fri, 6.30pm-midnight Sat & Sun) This cheap and cheerful pizzeria with booth-style seating gets rave reviews for its Naples-style pizza (baked in a wood-burning oven) and bargain-basement prices. To lunch cheap, go for the PizzaMan's €6 pizza-and-fries deal or €8 menu.

» II Pizzaiuolo Offline map Google map(Via dei Macci 113r; pizzas €5-10, pastas €6.50-12; hlunch & dinner Mon-Sat, closed Aug) Young Florentines flock to the Pizza Maker to nosh Neapolitan thick-crust pizzas hot from the wood-fired oven. Bookings are essential for dinner.

Osteria dei Centopoveri TRATTORIA €€

( 055 21 88 46; Via Palazzuolo 31r; meals €30; lunch & dinner daily) The ‘hostel of the hundred poor people’ is no soup kitchen, rather a modern dining option recommended in practically every guidebook. Creative Tuscan is its culinary spin.

II Latini TRATTORIA €€

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( 055 21 09 16; www.illatini.com; Via dei Palchetti 6r; meals €40; lunch & dinner Tue-Sun) Another guidebook favourite built around melt-in-your-mouth crostini, Tuscan meats, fine pasta and roasted meats served at shared tables. There are two dinner seatings (7.30pm and 9pm), bookings mandatory.

SAN LORENZO & SAN MARCO AREAS

Trattoria Mario TRATTORIA €

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( www.trattoriamario.com; Via Rosina 2; meals €15-25; noon-3.30pm Mon-Sat, closed 3 weeks Aug) Arrive at noon to ensure a stool around a shared table at this noisy, busy trattoria – a Florentine legend. The charming Fabio, whose grandfather Mario opened the place in 1953, is front of house and big brother Romeo and nephew Francesco cook with speed and skill in the kitchen. Monday and Thursday is tripe, Friday fish and Saturday the day locals flock here for a brilliantly blue bistecca alla fiorentina (€35/kg). No advance reservations, no credit cards.

Nerbone MARKET STALL €

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( Mercato Centrale, Piazza del Mercato Centrale; primi €4, secondi €5-9; 7am-2pm Mon-Sat) Forge your way past cheese, meat and sausage stalls in Florence’s central market to join the lunchtime queue at Nerbone, in the biz since 1872. Go local and order trippa alla fiorentina or panini con bollito (boiled-beef bun, dunked in the meat’s juices before serving). Eat standing up or fight for a table.

La Mescita WINE BAR €

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( Via degli Alfani 70r; mains €5-10; 10.30am-4pm Mon-Sat, closed Aug) Conveniently close to David and the Galleria dell’Accademia, this part enoteca part fiaschetteria (wine seller) is an unapologetically old-fashioned place from 1927. It serves Tuscan specialities such as maccheroni with sausage and insalata di farro (spelt salad), and has a great marble-topped bar propped up by noontime tipplers.

Il Vegetariano VEGETARIAN €

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( www.il-vegetariano.it; Via delle Ruote 30r; meals €15-20; lunch & dinner Tue-Fri, dinner Sat & Sun) This self-service veggie restaurant cooks up a great selection of Tuscan vegetable dishes, build-your-own salads and mains eaten around shared wooden tables.

PIAZZA DELLA PASSERA

This bijou square with no passing traffic is a gourmet gem. Pick from cheap wholesome tripe in various guises at II Magazzino Offline map Google map ( 055 21 59 69; www.tripperiailmagazzino.com; Piazza della Passera 2/3; meals €25; lunch & dinner daily) or pricier Tuscan classics at Trattoria 4 Leoni Offline map Google map ( 055 21 85 62; www.4leoni.com; Piazza della Passera 2/3; meals from €35; lunch & dinner daily), known for its bistecca all fiorentina (T-bone steak) that it’s cooked up since 1550; reservations essential.

SANTA CROCE

Teatro del Sale TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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( 055 200 14 92; www.teatrodelsale.com; Via dei Macci 111r; breakfasts/lunches/dinners €7/20/30; 9-11am, 12.30-2.30pm & 7-11pm Tue-Sat Sep-Jul) Aptly set in an old Florentine theatre, this members-only club is the brainchild of larger-than-life Florentine chef Fabio Picchi. Teatro del Sale serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, culminating at 9.30pm in a live performance of drama, music or comedy arranged by artistic director and famous comic actress (and Picchi’s wife) Maria Cassi. Dinners are hectic affairs and advance reservations are essential: grab a chair, serve yourself water, wine and antipasti and wait for Picchi to yell out what’s just about to be served before queuing at the glass hatch for your primo (first course) and secondo (second course). Dessert and coffee are laid out buffet-style just prior to the performance.

Trattoria Cibrèo TRATTORIA €€

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( Via dei Macci 122r; meals €35; 12.50-2.30pm & 6.50-11.15pm Tue-Sat Sep-Jul) Dine here and you’ll instantly understand why a queue gathers outside before it opens. Once in, revel in top-notch Tuscan cuisine: perhaps ricotta and potato flan with a rich meat sauce, puddle of olive oII and grated Parmesan (divine!) or a simple plate of polenta, followed by homemade sausages, beans in a spicy tomato sauce and braised celery. No advance reservations, no credit cards, no coffee and arrive early to snag a table.

Pin Gusto ASIAN FUSION €

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( 055 23 44 397; www.pingusto.com; Via della Mattonaia 2-18; lunches/dinners €10/20; lunch & dinner daily) A great cheap-eat recommended by several savvy Florentines, this modern dining address behind Sant’ Ambrogio market cooks up a bottomless lunch buffet (€10) built around hot and cold sushi, wok and fusion dishes. Dinner – a busy affair hence best to reserve one of two sittings (7.30pm and 9.30pm) – sees grilled meats added to the excellent-value, eat-as-much-as-you-can equation.

Francesco Vini TUSCAN €€

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( 055 21 87 37; www.francescovini.com; Piazza de’ Peruzzi 8r; meals €40, pizzas €6-10; lunch & dinner daily) Built on top of Roman ruins, this surprise address with striking glass facade sits on one of Florence’s quintessentially quiet, stumble-upon-by-accident squares. Winter dining is between bottle-lined wall and red brick and in summer everything spills outside. But it is the wine list, packed with all the Tuscan greats, that is Francesco’s real pride and joy.

Antico Noè OSTERIA €

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( Volta di San Piero 6r; meals €25; noon-midnight Mon-Sat) Don’t be put off by the dank alley in which this old butcher’s shop with white marble-clad walls and wrought-iron meat hooks is found. The drunks loitering outside are generally harmless and the down-to-the-earth Tuscan fodder served is a real joy. For a quick bite, go for a panini from the adjoining fiaschetteria. No credit cards.

Osteria del Caffè Italiano TRADITIONAL TUSCAN €€

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( 055 28 90 20; www.caffeitaliano.it; Via dell’Isola delle Stinche 11-13r; meals €40; lunch & dinner Tue-Sun) The menu at this cosy osteria (casual tavern or eatery presided over by a host) – a veteran in the Florence dining scene – is packed with simple classics such as mozzarella di bufala (buffalo mozzarella) with Parma ham, ravioli stuffed with ricotta and cavolo nero (black cabbage), and the city’s famous bistecca alla fiorentina (per kg €50). Find it on the ground floor of 14th-century Palazzo Salviati.

Caffè Italiano Sud ITALIAN €€

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( 055 28 93 68; Via della Vigna Vecchia; meals €25; 7.30-11pm Tue-Sun) Fronted by two potted olive trees, chef Umberto Montano’s ode to southern Italy is a change from the Tuscan norm. Loads of homemade pasta, including unusual dishes from his native Puglia, stars on the menu and house wine comes in pitchers drawn from traditional 58L straw-cushioned glass flasks.

THE OLTRARNO

II Santo Bevitore MODERN TUSCAN €€

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( 055 21 12 64; www.ilsantobevitore.com; Via di Santo Spirito 64-66r; meals €35; lunch & dinner daily Sep-Jul) Reserve in advance or arrive at 7.30pm to snag the last of the remaining tables at this raved-about address, an understated ode to stylish dining where gastronomes dine by candlelight in a cavernous whitewashed, wood- and bottle-lined interior. The menu is a creative reinvention of seasonal classics, and different for lunch and dinner: hand-chopped beef tartare, chestnut millefeuille and lentils, puréed purple cabbage soup with mozzarella cream and anchovy syrup, acacia honey bavarese (type of firm, creamy mousse) with Vin Santo–marinated dried fruits…

II Ristoro TUSCAN €

Offline map Google map ( 055 26 45 569; Borgo San Jacopo 48r; meals €20; noon-4pm Mon, noon-10pm Tue-Sun) A disarmingly simple address not to be missed, this two-room restaurant with deli counter is a great budget choice. Pick from classics like pappa al pomodoro (tomato and bread soup) or a plate of cold cuts and swoon at views of the Arno swirling beneath your feet.

Gustpanino SANDWICH SHOP €

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( Piazza Santa Spirito; 11am-8pm Mon-Sat, noon-5pm Sun) It’s dead simple to spot what many Florentines rate as the city’s best enopaninoteca (hip wine and sandwich stop), with no seating but bags of square space and church steps outside – just look for the long line in front.

Trattoria La Casalinga TRATTORIA €

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( 055 21 86 24; Via de’ Michelozzi 9r; meals €25; lunch & dinner Mon-Sat) Family run and locally loved, this busy unpretentious place is one of Florence’s cheapest trattorias. You’ll be relegated behind locals in the queue – it’s a fact of life and not worth protesting – with the eventual reward being hearty peasant dishes such as bollito misto con salsa verde (mixed boiled meats with green sauce).

Trattoria Bordino TRATTORIA €

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( 055 21 30 48; www.trattoriabordino.it; Via Stracciatella 9r; meals €25; lunch & dinner Mon-Sat) If eat cheap is your mantra, Bordino is your address. Hidden behind Chiesa di Santa Felicità, not far from Ponte Vecchio, this pocket-sized trattoria cooks up all the classics and a great-value €7 lunch.

Olio & Convivium TUSCAN €€

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( 055 265 81 98; Via di Santo Spirito 4; meals €40; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat, lunch Mon) A key address on any gastronomy agenda: your taste buds will tingle at the sight of the legs of ham, conserved truffles, wheels of cheese, artisan-made bread and other delectable delicatessen products sold in its shop. Dine out back.

II Guscio TUSCAN €€

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( 055 22 44 21; www.ristoranteilgusciofirenze.com; Via dell’Orto 49; meals €40; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat) Exceptional dishes come out of the kitchen of this family-run gem in San Frediano. Meat and fish are given joint billing, with triumphs such as white-bean soup with prawns and fish joining superbly executed mains, including guinea fowl breast in balsamic vinegar, on the sophisticated menu.

TRIPE: FAST-FOOD FAVOURITE

When Florentines fancy a fast munch on the move, they flit by a trippaio – a cart on wheels or mobile stand – for a tripe panini . Think cow’s stomach chopped up, boiled, sliced, seasoned and bunged between bread.

One of those great bastions of good old-fashioned Florentine tradition, trippai still going strong include the cart on the southwest corner of Mercato Nuovo Offline map Google map L’Antico Trippaio Offline map Google map (Piazza dei Cimatori); Pollini Offline map Google map (Piazza Sant’ Ambrogio) ; and hole-in-the-wall Da Vinattieri Offline map Google map ( Via Santa Margherita 4) . Pay €3.50 for a panini with tripe doused in salsa verde (pea-green sauce of smashed parsley, garlic, capers and anchovies) or garnished with salt, pepper and ground chilli. Alternatively, opt for a bowl of lampredotto (cow’s fourth stomach chopped and simmered for hours).

SELF-CATERING

Mercato Centrale MARKET €

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( Piazza del Mercato Centrale; 7am-2pm Mon-Fri, to 5pm Sat) Central food market inside an iron-and-glass structure dating to 1874.

Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio MARKET €

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( Piazza Ghiberti; 7am-2pm Mon-Sat) Outdoor food market with intimate, local flavour.

Drinking

Florence’s drinking scene is split between enoteche (increasingly hip wine bars that invariably make great eating addresses too), trendy bars with lavish aperitivo buffets, and traditional cafes that double as lovely lunch venues.

Nothing whets one’s appetite for Florentine lifestyle better than hanging out in an enoteca , glass of Chianti in hand.

The other bars listed have that all-essential aperitivo (predinner drinks from around 7pm to 10pm) and/or late-night cocktails (around midnight before clubbing), two trends embraced with gusto by Florentines. Live music is the common denominator.

If you visit one of the historic cafes, remember, a coffee taken sitting down at a table is three to four times more expensive than one standing up at the bar: a cappuccino costs around €1.40/5.50 standing up/sitting down and a hot chocolate €2.50/6.

Le Volpi e l’Uva WINE BAR

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( www.levolpieluva.com; Piazza dei Rossi 1; 11am-9pm Mon-Sat) The city’s best enoteca con degustazione (wine bar with tasting) bar none: this intimate address chalks up an impressive list of wines by the glass (€3.50 to €8). To attain true bliss indulge in crostini (toasted breads; €6.50) topped with honeyed speck or lardo (pork fat), or a platter of boutique Tuscan cheeses (cheese or meat platters €8 to €12).

II Santino WINE BAR

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( Via Santo Spirito 34; daily) Just a few doors down from one of Florence’s best gourmet addresses is this pocket-sized wine bar, run by the same gastronomic folk and packed every evening. Inside, squat modern stools contrast with old brick walls but the real action is outside, from around 9pm, when the buoyant wine-loving crowd spills onto the street.

Clubhouse BAR

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( 055 21 14 27; www.theclubhouse.it; Via de’ Ginori 6r; noon-midnight daily) Rave reviews from Florentines as well as resident and visting Anglophones is all this thoroughly modern American bar, pizzeria and restaurant in San Marco gets. Handily close to David, it is the perfect drinking-dining hybrid any time of day, and that includes Sunday brunch. Design buffs will love its faintly industrial, cavernous vibe.

APERI-CENA

Aperi-cena , a brilliant cent-saving trick and trend among students and 20-somethings in Florence, translates as an aperitif buffet so copious it as cena (dinner). Firm Florentine favourites are Kitsch (Click here ), Slowly ( Click here ) and Obikà ( Click here ).

Sky Lounge Continentale BAR

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( www.continentale.it; Vicolo dell Oro 6r; 2.30-11.30pm daily Apr-Sep) This rooftop bar with wooden decking terrace accessible from the 5th floor of the Ferragamo-owned Hotel Continentale is as chic as one would expect of a fashion-house hotel. Its evening aperitivo buffet might be a modest affair, but who cares with that fabulous, drop-dead-gorgeous panorama of one of Europe’s most beautiful cities. Dress the part or feel out of place.

Caffè Giacosa CAFE

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( www.caffegiacosa.com; Via della Spada 10r) This small cafe is as famous for what it was – an 1815 child, Negroni inventor and hub of Anglo-Florentine sophistication during the interwar years – as what it is today (hip cafe of local hotshot designer Roberto Cavalli, whose flagship boutique is next door). Giacosa is known for its reasonable prices and also runs the equally hip cafe across the street in the courtyard of Palazzo Strozzi .

Caffè Rivoire CAFE

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( Piazza della Signoria 4) The golden oldie in which to refuel after an Uffizi or Palazzo Vecchio visit, this pricey little number with unbeatable people-watching terrace has produced the city’s most exquisite chocolate since 1872. Black-jacketed barmen with ties set the formal tone.

Golden View Open Bar BAR

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( www.goldenviewopenbar.com; Via de’ Bardi 58; 7.30am-1.30am) Of course it is touristy given its prime location near Ponte Vecchio, but it is worth a pit stop – preferably at aperitivo hour when chic Florentines sip cocktails (€10/12 at bar/table), slurp oysters (€15) and watch the Arno swirling below their feet. Art exhibitions and live jazz from 8.30pm.

Eby’s Bar BAR

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( Via dell’ Oriuolo 5r; 10am-3am Mon-Sat) A lively student crowd packs out this young, fun address with wooden bench tucked outside in an alleyway. The kitchen is Mexican – think great-value lunch platters and all-day salads, crêpes, burritos and so on – and the drinks menu laden with fruity cocktails.

Slowly BAR

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( www.slowlycafe.com; Via Porta Rossa 63r; 9pm-3am Mon-Sat, closed Aug) Sleek and sometimes snooty, Slowly is known for its glam interior, Florentine Lotharios and lavish fruit-garnished cocktails – €10 including buffet during aperitivo hour, which lasts untII 10.30pm. Ibiza-style lounge tracks dominate the turntable.

Kitsch BAR

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( & Click here ; www.kitsch-bar.com; Piazza Beccaria & Via San Gallo 22r; 6.30pm-2.30am; ) Known among every cent-conscious Florentine for its lavish aperitivi spread (€8.50 including a drink, 6.30pm to 10pm), this hipster American-styled bar lures a 20s- to early-30s crowd out for a good time. The second Kitsch on Via San Gallo has a lovely, chandelier-lit shabby-chic exterior and animal-print seating. Live bands.

Lochness Lounge BAR

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( www.lochnessfirenze.com; Via de’ Benci 19r; 7pm-2am) Lochness is a sassy, vintage-cool music-and-cocktaII venue with an Andy Warhol twist to its bold interior. Dane-turned-native Trine West is the creative force behind the place and DJs spin alternative sounds most nights. Drinks cost €5 during the daily 7pm to 10pm ‘happy hour’; check Facebook for the week’s line-up.

Moyo BAR

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( www.moyo.it; Via de’ Benci 23r; 8am-2am Mon-Sat, 9am-3am Sun; ) Free wi-fi untII 7.30pm pulls in the crowds at this trendy all-rounder, popular for breakfast (€7 to €10), lunch (€8), aperitivi or late-night drinks. Cocktails (€7) are big – cranberry martini with lemon juice and triple sec is the house speciality – and DJs spin tip-top tunes Thursday to Saturday. And the decor? Think chandelier and bamboo!

Caffè Gilli CAFE

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( Piazza della Repubblica 3r) The most famous of a trio of historic cafes atop the city’s old Roman forum, Gilli has been serving utterly delectable cakes, chocolates, fruit tartlets and millefoglie (sheets of puff pastry filled with rich vanilla or chocolate chantilly cream) since 1733. It moved here in 1910 and has a beautifully preserved art nouveau interior.

Sei Divino WINE BAR

(Borgo Ognissanti 42r; daily) This stylish ‘wine gallery’ hosts one of Florence’s most happening aperitivo scenes, complete with music, the odd exhibition and plenty of pavement action.

Fiaschetteria Nuvoli WINE BAR

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( Piazza dell’Olio 15r; 7am-9pm Mon-Sat) Pull up a stool on the street and chat with a regular over a glass of vino della casa (house wine) at this old-fashioned fiaschetteria , a street away from the Duomo.

ZEB WINE BAR

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( www.zebgastronomia.com; Via San Miniato 2r; 9.30am-8pm Thu, Mon & Tue, to 10.30pm Fri & Sat) This modern, minimalist enoteca with a lovely choice of cold cuts at the deli-style counter sits afoot the hill leading up to Piazzale Michelangelo – enter the perfect pit stop post-panorama.

Dolce Vita BAR

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( www.dolcevitaflorence.com; Piazza del Carmine 6r; 5pm-2am Tue-Sun, closed 2 weeks Aug) For the city’s hip set the other side of the river, this 1980s favourite remains the address.

Lion’s Fountain IRISH PUB

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( www.thelionsfountain.com; Borgo degli Albizi 34r; 10am-2am) If you have the urge to hear more English than Italian – or local bands play – come here. In summer the beer-loving crowd spills across most of the square.

Colle Bereto BAR

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( www.collebereto.com; Piazza Strozzi 5; 8am-2am Tue-Sun; ) The local fashion scene’s bar of choice, uberstylish Colle Bereto is where the bold and the beautiful come to see or be seen.

The Old Stove IRISH PUB

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( Piazza di San Giovanni 3; 11am-2am) A firm favourite among expats and foreign students, this tiny packed space has a wooden terrace facing the baptistry and a sought-after terrace for two up top.

Rex Caffé BAR

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( Via Fiesolana 25r; 6pm-3am Sep-May) Another firm long-term favourite, down-to-earth Rex sports great drinks and an artsy Gaudi-inspired interior.

Entertainment

Hanging out on warm summer nights on cafe and bar terraces aside, Florence enjoys a vibrant entertainment scene thanks in part to its substantial foreign-student population. The city has highly regarded theatres, a bounty of festivals (Click here ) and – from around midnight once aperitivi and dinner are done – a fairly low-key but varied dance scene.

Nightclubs

To savour the best of Florentine clubs, don’t arrive before midnight – dance floors generally fill by 2am. June to September everything grinds to a halt when most clubs – bar Central Park and Meccanò Club, which have outdoor dance floors – shut. Admission, variable depending on the night, is usually more expensive for males than females and is sometimes free if you arrive early (between 9.30pm and 11pm).

YAB DISCO

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( www.yab.it; Via Sassetti 5r; 9pm-4am Oct-May) It’s crucial to pick your night according to your age and tastes at Florence’s busiest disco club, around since the 1970s behind Palazzo Strozzi. Thursdays is the evening the over-30s hit the dance floor – otherwise, the set is predominantly student.

Central Park NIGHTCLUB

(Via Fosso Macinante 1; 11pm-4am Wed-Sat) Flit between a handful of different dance floors at this mainstream club in city park Parco delle Cascine where everything from Latin to pop, house to drum and bass plays. From May the dance floor moves outside beneath the stars.

Cavalli Club NIGHTCLUB

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( www.cavalliclub.com; Piazza del Carmine 8r; 7.30pm-2.30am Tue-Sun) Incongruously wedged beside 13th-century Basilica di Santa Maria del Carmine, designer Robert Cavalli’s club – in a deconsecrated church, look for the shiny red door – is glitzy, glam, wildly theatrical and over the top. Love it or hate it. Dine upstairs or sip cocktails with seafood antipastissimo (€38) downstairs. Dinner is €50.

Montecarla Club NIGHTCLUB

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( Via de’ Bardi 2; 10pm-6am) With its fearsome bouncers, boudoir furnishings and multi-level leopard-skin mosh pits, this small hip club exudes Late Empire decadence – and clubbing elitism. Dress to kill.

Cargo Club NIGHTCLUB

(http://cargoclub.wordpress.com; Via dell’Erta Canina 12r; 11pm-4am Wed-Sat) Ex-Jaragua, this club prides itself on being a tad underground; DJs spin all sounds.

Full Up DISCO

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( Via della Vigna Vecchia 21r; 11pm-4am Mon-Sat Sep-Jun) A variety of sounds energise the crowd at this popular Florentine nightclub where 20-somethings dance untII dawn.

Meccanò DISCO

(Viale degli Olmi 10; 11pm-5am Tue-Sat) Big-crowd disco in the city park with three dance floors spinning house, funk and standard commercial music to a mainstream youthful set.

Live Music

Most venues are outside town and closed in July and/or August.

La Cité LIVE MUSIC

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( www.lacitelibreria.info; Borgo San Frediano 20r; 10am-1am Mon-Sat, 4pm-1am Sun; ) By day this cafe-bookshop is a hip cappuccino stop with an eclectic choice of vintage seating to flop down on and surf. By night, the intimate bookshelf-lined space morphs into a vibrant live-music space: think swing, fusion, jam-session jazz…the staircase next to the bar hooks up with mezzanine seating up top.

Jazz Club JAZZ CLUB

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( www.jazzclubfirenze.com; Via Nuovo de’ Caccini 3; 9pm-2am Tue-Sat, closed Jul & Aug) Catch salsa, blues, Dixieland and world music as well as jazz at Florence’s top jazz venue.

Be Bop Music Club LIVE MUSIC

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( Via dei Servi 76r; admission free; 8pm-2am) Inspired by the Swinging Sixties, this beloved retro venue features everything from Led Zeppelin and Beatles cover bands to swing jazz and 1970s funk.

Theatre, Classical Music & Ballet

Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino THEATRE

( 055 287 222; www.maggiofiorentino.com; Corso Italia 16) The curtain rises on opera, classical concerts and ballet at this lovely theatre, host to the summertime Maggio Musicale Fiorentina (Click here ).

Teatro della Pergola THEATRE

( 055 2 26 41; www.teatrodellapergola.com; Via della Pergola 18) Beautiful city theatre with stunning entrance; host to classical concerts October to April.

Shopping

Tacky mass-produced souvenirs (boxer shorts emblazoned with David ’s packet) are everywhere, not least at the city’s two main markets: Mercato de San Lorenzo Offline map Google map ( Piazza San Lorenzo; 9am-7pm Mon-Sat) ; and Mercato Nuovo Offline map Google map ( Loggia Mercato Nuovo; 8.30am-7pm Mon-Sat) , awash with cheap imported handbags and other leather goods.

But for serious shoppers keen to delve into a city synonymous with craftsmanship since medieval times, there are ateliers and studios to visit. Leather goods, jewellery, hand-embroidered linens, designer fashion, perfume, marbled paper, wine and gourmet foods are among the distinctively Florentine treats to take home.

In addition to the places listed below, try recommended address Scuola del Cuoio behind Basilica di Santa Croce ( Click here ) for leather and Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella (Click here ) for perfume.

FLORENCE FASHION

Florence is the birthplace of Gucci, Emilio Pucci, Roberto Cavalli and Ermanno Scervino alongside a bevy of lesser-known designers who beaver away to ensure Florence’s continuing reputation as a city synonymous with beauty, creativity and skilled craftsmanship.

Which is precisely what Florence’s Department of Tourism and Fashion strives to promote with its outstanding website www.florenceartfashion.com, an authoritative guide to the city’s fashion studios and workshops. Themed itineraries walk you through small ateliers and boutiques that design and craft footwear, women’s fashion, jewellery, and so on; and you can also sign up for an on-the-ground guided fashion tour .

To DIY shop, legendary Via de’ Tornabuoni – a fashionably quaint street with a pharmacy, bookshop, several cafes and so on untII Florence Fashion dug in her manicured claws and turned it into the glittering catwalk of designer boutiques it is today – is the place to start. Via della Vigna Nuova , the street where icon of Florence fashion Gucci started out as a tiny saddlery shop in 1921, is Florence’s other fashion-hot street.

Mrs Macis FASHION

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( Borgo Pinti 38r; 3-7.30pm Mon-Sat) Workshop and showroom of the talented Carla Macis, this eye-catching boutique – dollhouse-like in design – specialises in very feminine 1950s, ’60s and ’70s clothes and jewellery made from new and recycled fabrics. Every piece is unique and fabulous.

Pitti Vintage FASHION

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( Borgo degli Albizi 72r; 10am-1.30pm & 3-7.30pm Tue-Sat 4-7.30pm Mon & Sun) One of the city’s most stylish vintage choices, this creative boutique is a Pandora’s box of carefully selected couture pieces and one-off collectables.

Antico Setifico Fiorentino ARTISANAL

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( www.anticosetificiofiorentino.com; Via Bartoini 4; 9am-1pm & 2-5pm Mon-Fri) Precious silks, velvets and other luxurious fabrics are woven on 18th- and 19th-century looms at this world-famous fabric house where opulent damasks and brocades in Renaissance styles have been made since 1786.

Guilo Giannini e Figlio ARTISANAL

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( www.guilogiannini.it; Piazza Pitti) Easy to miss, this quaint old shopfront has watched Palazzo Pitti turn pink with the evening sun since 1856. One of Florence’s oldest artisan families, the Gianninis – bookbinders by trade – make and sell marbled paper, beautifully bound books, stationery and so on. Don’t miss the workshop upstairs.

Société Anonyme FASHION

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( www.societeanonyme.it; Via Niccolini 3f) Near Sant’Ambrogio food market, this urban concept store turns to London’s Brick Lane, Berlin’s Mitte and other hip neighbourhoods for inspiration. Look for its list of brands chalked on the board outside (and the Shared Platform design gallery next door).

Dolce Forte FOOD

(www.dolceforte.it; Via della Scala 21; 3.30-7.45pm Tue, 10am-1pm & 3.30-7.45pm Wed-Sat & Mon) Elena is the passion and knowledge behind this astonishing chocolate shop, which sells only the best. Think black-truffle chocolate, a cherry soaked in grappa and wrapped in white chocolate or – for the ultimate taste sensation – formaggio di fossa (a cheese from central Italy) soaked in sweet wine and enrobed in dark chocolate.

Slow ECO DESIGN

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( www.slow-design.it; Sdruccioli dei Pitti 13r) Beautiful objects for the home, all crafted from natural or recycled materials by local designers.

Obsequium WINE

(www.obsequium.it; Borgo San Jacopo 17-39r) Fine Tuscan wines, wine accessories and gourmet foods, including truffles.

Madova FASHION

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( www.madova.com; Via Guicciardini 1r; Mon-Sat) Cashmere-lined, silk-lined, lambswool-lined, unlined – gloves in whatever size, shape, colour and type of leather you fancy by Florentine glovemakers in the biz since 1919.

Barberino Designer Outlet FASHION

(www.mcarthurglen.it; Via Meucci, Barberino di Mugello; 10am-8pm Tue-Fri, to 9pm Sat & Sun, 2-8pm Mon Jan, Jun-Sep & Dec) Previous season’s collections at discounted prices, 40km north. A shuttle bus (return €12, 35 minutes) departs from Piazza Stazione at 10am or 2.30pm, returning at 1.30pm or 6pm.

Mall FASHION

(www.themall.it; Via Europa 8, Leccio; 10am-7pm or 8pm daily) Find this busy designer outlet 35km from Florence; buses (€3.30, up to four daily) from the SITA bus station.

Information

Emergency

Police station (Questura; 055 4 97 71; http://questure.poliziadistato.it; Via Zara 2; 24hr)

Tourist Police (Polizia Assistenza Turistica; 055 20 39 11; Via Pietrapiana 50r; 8.30am-6.30pm Mon-Fri, to 1pm Sat) English-speaking service for filing reports of thefts etc.

Medical Services

24-hour pharmacy (Stazione di Santa Maria Novella) In the main train station.

Dr Stephen Kerr: Medical Service ( 055 28 80 55, 335 8361682; www.dr-kerr.com; Piazza Mercato Nuovo 1; 3-5pm Mon-Fri, or by appointment) Resident British doctor.

Tourist Information

Amerigo Vespucci airport ( 055 31 58 74; 8.30am-8.30pm)

Train station Offline map ( 055 21 22 45; Piazza della Stazione 4; 8.30am-7pm Mon-Sat, 8.30am-2pm Sun) Baby changing facilities.

Santa Croce Offline map ( 055 234 04 44; www.comune.fi.it, in Italian; Borgo Santa Croce 29r; 9am-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am-2pm Sun)

San Lorenzo Offline map ( 055 29 08 32; www.firenzeturismo.it; Via Cavour 1r; 8.30am-6.30pm Mon-Sat)

Websites

Firenze Spettacolo (www.firenzespettacolo.it)

The Florentine (www.theflorentine.net)

Notte Fiorentina (www.nottefiorentina.it)

Viva Notte Firenze (www.vivanotte.it)

ViviFirenze (www.vivifirenze.it)

Getting There & Away

Air

Florence airport (www.aeroporto.firenze.it) Also known as Amerigo Vespucci or Peretola airport, 5km northwest of the city centre; domestic and a handful of European flights.

Pisa airport (www.pisa-airport.com) Tuscany’s main international airport named after Galileo Galilei is nearer Pisa, but well linked with Florence by public transport.

Bus

Services from the SITA bus station (www.sitabus.it; Via Santa Caterina da Siena 17r; information office 8.30am-12.30pm & 3-6pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-12.30pm Sat), just west of Piazza della Stazione, go to the following towns.

Siena (€7.10, 1¼ hours, at least hourly)

San Gimignano via Poggibonsi (€6.25, 50 minutes, at least hourly).

Greve in Chianti (€3.30, one hour, hourly)

Car & Motorcycle

Florence is connected by the A1 northward to Bologna and Milan, and southward to Rome and Naples. The Autostrada del Mare (A11) links Florence with Pistoia, Lucca, Pisa and the coast, but most locals use the FI-PI-LI – a superstrada (dual carriageway, hence no tolls); look for blue signs saying FI-PI-LI (as in Firenze-Pisa-Livorno). Another dual carriageway, the S2, links Florence with Siena.

Train

Florence’s central train station is Stazione di Santa Maria Novella Offline map ( Piazza della Stazione). The train information counter ( 7am-7pm) faces the tracks in the main foyer. The left-luggage counter (Deposito Bagagliamano; first 5hr €4, then €0.60 per hr; 6am-11.50pm) is located on platform 16 and the Assistenza Disabili (Disabled Assistance) office is on platform 5. International train tickets are sold in the ticketing hall ( 6am-9pm) . For domestic tickets, skip the queue and buy your tickets from the touch-screen automatic ticket-vending machines; machines have an English option and accept cash and credit cards.

Florence is on the Rome–Milan line. Services include the following:

Lucca (€5.10, 1½ hours to 1¾ hours, half-hourly)

Pisa (€5.80, 45 minutes to one hour, half-hourly)

Pistoia (€3.10, 45 minutes to one hour, half-hourly)

Rome (€17.25, 1¾ hours to 4¼ hours)

Bologna (€10.50 to €25, one hour to 1¾ hours)

Milan (€29.50 to €53, 2¼ hours to 3½ hours)

Venice (€24 to €43, 2¾ hours to 4½ hours)

Getting Around

To/From the Airport

Bus A shuttle (single/return €5/8, 25 minutes) travels between Florence airport and Florence’s Stazione di Santa Maria Novella train station every 30 minutes between 6am and 11.30pm. Terravision (www.terravision.eu) runs daily services (single/return €10/16, 1¼ hours, 13 daily) between the bus stop outside Florence’s Stazione di Santa Maria Novella on Via Alamanni and Pisa’s Galileo Galilei airport – buy tickets online, on board or from the Terravision desk (Via Alamanni 9r; 6am-7pm) inside the Deanna Bar; at Galileo Galilei airport, the Terravision ticket desk dominates the arrival hall.

Taxi A taxi between Florence airport and town costs a flat rate of €20, plus surcharges of €2 on Sunday and holidays, €3 between 10pm and 6am and €1 per bag. Exit the terminal building, bear right and you’ll come to the taxi rank.

Train Regular trains link Florence’s Stazione di Santa Maria Novella with Pisa’s Galileo Galilei airport (€5.80, 1½ hours, at least hourly from 4.30am to 10.25pm).

Bicycle & Scooter

Biciclette a Noleggio (Piazza della Stazione; per hr/day €1.50/8; 7.30am-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am-7pm Sun, to 6pm Nov-Jan) Royal-blue bikes to rent in front of the train station.

Rental Point Ghiberti (Piazza Sant’Ambrogio; per hr/day €1.50/8; 8.30am-7pm Mon-Sat May-Sep, shorter hr Oct-Apr) Open-air stand behind Sant’Ambrogio market.

Florence by Bike (www.florencebybike.com; Via San Zanobi 120r; city bike/scooter €14.50/68 per day; 9am-1pm & 3.30-7.30pm Mon-Sat) Top-notch bike shop, itinerary suggestions, bike routes and rental outlet .

Car & Motorcycle

Most traffic is banned from the historic centre and motorists risk a hefty fine if they breach the rules.

There is free street parking around Piazzale Michelangelo (park within blue lines; white lines are for residents only). Pricey underground parking can be found in the area around the Fortezza da Basso and in the Oltrarno beneath Piazzale di Porta Romana. Otherwise, many hotels arrange parking for guests.

Public Transport

Buses and electric bussini (minibuses) run by ATAF ( 800 424500; from mobiles 199 104245; www.ataf.net, in Italian) serve the city. Most start/terminate at the ATAF bus stops opposite the southeastern exit of Stazione di Santa Maria Novella.

Tickets valid for 90 minutes (no return journeys) cost €1.20 (€2 on board) and are sold at kiosks, tobacconists and the ATAF ticket & information office ( 7.30am-7.30pm) adjoining the train station.

A carnet of 10 tickets costs €10, a handy biglietto multiplo (four-journey ticket) is €4.70 and a travel pass valid for 1/3/7 days is €5/12/18. Passengers caught travelling without a time-stamped ticket (punch it on board) are fined.

If you prefer the speed and convenience of an SMS bus ticket, you’ll need to first register your credit card (Visa or MasterCard) with Bemoov (www.bemoov.com). After that it’s plain sailing: before hopping aboard send a text with the message ‘ataf’ to 339 9941264 and receive within seconds a reply containing an alphanumeric code that will keep any ticket controller happy. SMS tickets cost the same as paper tickets.

Taxi

Hailing a taxi in the street is not easy given stands are not always marked. Pick one up at the train station or ring for one by telephone:

055 42 42

055 43 90

FIESOLE DAY TRIPPER

One of the joys of Florence is leaving it behind and Fiesole provides the perfect excuse. This hilltop village, 9km northeast of the city, has seduced for centuries with its cooler air, olive groves, scattering of Renaissance-styled villas and spectacular views of the plain. Boccaccio, Marcel Proust, Gertrude Stein and Frank Lloyd Wright, among others, all raved about it.

10am

Hop aboard ATAF bus 7 (€1.20) from Florence’s Piazza San Marco and alight 30 minutes later on Fiesole’s central square, Piazza Mino di Fiesole. Founded in the 7th century BC by the Etruscans, Fiesole was the most important city in northern Etruria and its Area Archeologica (www.fiesolemusei.it; Via Portigiani 1; adult/reduced €12/8; 10am-7pm Apr-Sep, to 6pm Mar & Oct, 10am-2pm Wed-Mon Nov-Feb), a couple of doors down from the tourist office ( 055 596 13 23; www.comune.fiesole.fi.it; Via Portigiani 3; 10.30am-1pm & 1.30-4pm Mar-Oct, shorter hr rest of year) , provides the perfect flashback to its fabulous past. Meander around the ruins of a small Etruscan temple, Roman baths and an archaeological museum with exhibits from the Bronze Age to the Roman period. Later, take a break alfresco on one of the stone steps of the 1st-century-BC Roman amphitheatre where musicians, actors and artists take to the stage in summer during Italy’s oldest open-air festival, Estate Fiesolana (www.estatefiesolana.it). July’s Vivere Jazz Festival (www.viverejazz.it) is the other hot date at this atmospheric theatre.

Afterwards, pop into the neighbouring Museo Bandini (Via Dupré; adult/reduced €5/3 or free with Area Archeologica ticket; 9.30am-7pm Apr-Sep, 9.30am-6pm Oct & Mar, 10am-5pm Wed-Mon Nov-Dec, 11am-5pm Thu-Mon Jan & Feb) to view early Tuscan Renaissance art, including fine medallions (c 1505–20) by Giovanni della Robbia and Taddeo Gaddi’s luminous Annunciation (1340–45).

Noon

From the museum, a 300m walk along Via Giovanni Dupré brings you to the lavish villa of Museo Primo Conti (www.fondazioneprimoconti.org; Via Dupré 18; admission €3; 9am-1pm Mon-Fri) where the eponymous avant-garde 20th-century artist lived and worked. Inside hang over 60 of his paintings and the views from the garden are inspiring. Ring to enter.

1pm

Meander back to main square, Piazza MinoFiesole , host to an antiques market the first Sunday of each month, where cafe and restaurant terraces tempt on all sides. The pagoda-covered terrace of four-star hotel-restaurant Villa Aurora ( 055 5 93 63; www.villaurora.net; Piazza Mino Fiesole 39; meals €50; lunch & dinner, closed Mon winter), around since 1860, is the classic choice, not so much for the gourmet cuisine but rather for the spectacular panoramic view of Florence it cooks up. For a wholly rustic and typical Tuscan lunch built around locally produced salami and cheese, homemade pasta and Chianina T-bones eaten at a shared table, enoteca -cum-bistro Vinandro ( 055 5 91 21; www.vinandrofiesole.com; Piazza Mino Fiesole 33; meals €25; lunch & dinner Tue-Sun) is the hot spot on the square to grab a table.

3pm

Stagger around Cattedrale di San Romolo (Piazza Mino Fiesole; 7.30am-noon & 3-5pm), the central square’s centrepiece, begun in the 11th century but renovated in the 19th. A terracotta statue of San Romolo by Giovanni della Robbia guards the entrance inside.

Afterwards, from the far end of the square, make your way up steep walled Via San Francesco and be blown away by the beautiful panorama of Florence that unfolds from the terrace adjoining 15th-century Basilica di Sant’Alessandro . (If you’re lucky, the church might be open and have a temporary exhibition inside.) Grassy-green afternoon-nap spots abound and the tourist office has brochures outlining several short trails (1km to 3.5km) fanning out from here, should you prefer to carry on walking.

NORTHERN & WESTERN TUSCANY

Travel through this part of Tuscany and you will be left with a true understanding of what the term ‘slow travel’ really means. Lingering over lunches of rustic regional specialities swiftly becomes the norm, as do activities such as meandering through medieval hilltop villages, taking leisurely bike rides along coastal wine trails with spectacular scenery or hiking on an island where Napoleon was once exiled. Even the larger towns here – including the university hub of Pisa and ‘love at first sight’ Lucca – have an air of tranquillity and tradition about them that positively begs the traveller to stay for a few days of cultural R&R.

Pisa

POP 87,440

Once a maritime power to rival Genoa and Venice, Pisa now draws its fame from an architectural project gone terribly wrong. But the world-famous Leaning Tower is just one of many noteworthy sights in this compact and compelling city. Education has fuelled the local economy since the 1400s, and students from across Italy still compete for places in its elite university and research schools. This endows the centre of town with a vibrant and affordable cafe and bar scene, and balances what is an enviable portfolio of well-maintained Romanesque buildings, Gothic churches and Renaissance piazzas with a lively street life dominated by locals rather than tourists.

Sure, the iconic Leaning Tower is Pisa’s raison d’être and the reason everyone wants to go to Pisa. But once you’ve put yourself through the whole Piazza del Miracoli madness (overzealous souvenir sellers, boisterous school groups, photo-posing pandemonium, you get the picture…) most people simply want to get out of town.

To avoid leaving Pisa feeling oddly deflated by one of Europe’s great landmarks, save the Leaning Tower and its miraculous square for the latter part of the day – or, better still, an enchanting visit after dark (mid-June to August), when the night casts a certain magic on the glistening white monuments and the tour buses have long gone.

Upon arrival, indulge instead in peaceful meanderings along the Arno river, over its bridges and through Pisa’s medieval heart. Enjoy low-key architectural and art genius at the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Spina and Palazzo Blu, and lunch with locals at Sottobosco.

And only then, once you’ve fallen in love with the other Pisa, should you head for its tower.

History

Possibly of Greek origin, Pisa became an important naval base under Rome and remained a significant port for many centuries. The city’s so-called golden days began late in the 9th century when it became an independent maritime republic and a rival of Genoa and Venice. The good times rolled on into the 12th and 13th centuries, by which time Pisa controlled Corsica, Sardinia and most of the mainland coast as far south as Civitavecchia. Most of the city’s finest buildings date from this period, when the distinctive Pisan-Romanesque architectural style flourished.

Pisa’s support for the Ghibellines during the tussles between the Holy Roman Emperor and the pope brought the city into conflict with its mostly Guelph Tuscan neighbours, including Siena, Lucca and Florence. The real blow came when Genoa’s fleet defeated Pisa in devastating fashion at the Battle of Meloria in 1284. After the city fell to Florence in 1406, the Medici encouraged great artistic, literary and scientific endeavours and re-established Pisa’s university. Galileo Galilei, the city’s most famous son, later taught at the university.

Sights

ALONG THE ARNO

Away from the crowded heavyweights of Piazza dei Miracoli, along the Arno river banks, Pisa comes into its own. Splendid palazzo, painted a multitude of hues, line the southern lungarno (riverside embankment) from where Pisa’s main shopping boulevard, Corso Italia , legs it south to the train station.

Pisa’s medieval heart lies north of the water. From riverside Piazza Cairoli with its evening bevy of bars and gelaterie, meander along Via Cavour and get lost in the surrounding narrow lanes and alleys. A daily fresh-produce market fills Piazza delle Vettovaglie , ringed with 15th-century porticoes and popular aperitivo bar and cafe terraces. And marvel at graffiti on the facade of Chiesa di San Michele in Borgo (Borgo Stretto) that dates all the way back to a 15th-century election for the rector of a local school.

Chiesa di Santa Maria della Spina CHURCH

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(Lungarno Gambacorti; adult/reduced €2/1.50; 11am-12.45pm & 3-5.45pm Tue-Fri, 11am-12.45pm & 3-6.45pm Sat & Sun) A Pisan architectural gem, this exquisite church plump on the Arno’s southern bank, is a fine example of Pisan-Gothic style. The now-deconsecrated church, built between 1230 and 1223 to house a reliquary of a spina (thorn) from Christ’s crown, is refreshingly intimate. Its ornate, triple-spired exterior is encrusted with tabernacles and statues. The focal point inside is Andrea and Nino Pisano’s Madonna and Child (aka Madonna of the Rose; 1345–48), a masterpiece of Gothic sculpture that still bears traces of its original colours and gilding.

Pisa

Top Sights

Baptistry B1

Camposanto B1

Leaning Tower C1

Museo dell'Opera del Duomo C2

Sights

1  Chiesa di Santa Maria della Spina C5

2  Duomo C1

3  Museo delle Sinòpie B2

4 Museo Nazionale di San MatteoG6

5 Ticket OfficeC1

Ticket Office(see 3)

Sleeping

6  Hotel Bologna D6

7 Hotel Relais dell'OrlogioD2

8 Royal Victoria HotelE5

Eating

9  Bar Pasticceria Salza E4

10 biOsteria 050F4

11  II Colonnino F4

12  II Crudo F5

13 II MontinoE4

14  Osteria del Porton Rosso D4

15 SottoboscoF4

Drinking

16  Bazeel E5

Palazzo Blu ART GALLERY

(www.palazzoblu.it; Lungarno Gambacorti 9; 10am-7pm Tue-Fri, 10am-8pm Sat & Sun) Facing the river is this magnificently restored, 14th-century building with striking dusty-blue facade. Inside, its over-the-top 19th-century interior decoration is the perfect backdrop for the Foundation CariPisa’s art collection – Pisan works from the 14th to the 20th century, plus various temporary exhibitions.

Museo Nazionale di San Matteo ART GALLERY

(Piazza San Matteo in Soarta, Lungarno Mediceo; adult/reduced €5/2; 8.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sat, 8.30am-1.30pm Sun) This repository of medieval masterpieces sits in a 13th-century Benedictine convent on the Arno’s northern waterfront boulevard . The gallery’s collection of 14th- and 15th-century Pisan sculptures, including pieces by Nicola and Giovanni Pisano, Andrea and Nino Pisano, Francesco di Valdambrino, Donatello, Michelozzo and Andrea della Robbia, is notable. But even better is its collection of paintings from the Tuscan school (c 12th to 14th centuries).

PIAZZA DEI MIRACOLI

No Tuscan sight is more immortalised in kitsch souvenirs than the iconic tower teetering on the edge of this gargantuan piazza, also known as the Campo dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles) or Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Sq). The piazza’s expansive green lawns provide an urban carpet on which Europe’s most extraordinary concentration of Romanesque buildings – in the form of cathedral, baptistry and tower – are arranged. With two million visitors every year, crowds are the norm, many arriving by tour bus from Florence for a whirlwind visit.

TOWER & COMBO TICKETS

Reserve and buy tickets for the Leaning Tower from one of two well-signposted ticket offices (www.opapisa.it; Piazza dei Miracoli; 8am-7.30pm Apr-Sep, 8.30am-7pm Oct, 9am-5pm Nov & Feb, 9.30am-4.30pm Dec-Jan, 8.30am-6pm Mar) : the main ticket office behind the tower or the smaller office inside Museo delle Sinópie. To guarantee your visit to the Tower, book tickets via the website at least 15 days in advance.

The ticket offices also sell combination tickets covering admission to the Baptistry, Camposanto, Museo dell’Opera del Duomo and Museo delle Sinópie: buy a ticket covering one/two/five admissions costing €5/6/10 (reduced €2/3/5, under 10 years free) and pick which sights to visit.

Leaning Tower LANDMARK

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(Torre Pendente; www.opapisa.it; admission ticket office/online €15/17; 8.30am-8.30pm Apr–mid-Jun & Sep, 8.30am-11pm mid-Jun–Aug, 9am-7.30pm Oct, 9.30am-6pm Nov & Feb-Mar, 10am-5pm Dec-Jan) Yes, it’s true: the Leaning Tower really does lean. Construction work started in 1173 but ground to a halt a decade later when the structure’s first three tiers started tilting. In 1272 work started again, with artisans and masons attempting to bolster the foundations but failing miserably. Despite this, they kept going, compensating for the lean by gradually building straight up from the lower storeys and creating a subtle banana curve.

Over the centuries, the tower has tilted an extra 1mm each year. By 1993 it was 4.47m out of plumb, more than five degrees from the vertical. The most recent solution saw steel braces slung around the third storey that were then joined to steel cables attached to neighbouring buildings. This held the tower in place as engineers began gingerly removing soII from below the northern foundations. After some 70 tonnes of earth had been extracted from the northern side, the tower sank to its 18th-century level and, in the process, rectified the lean by 43.8cm. Experts believe that this will guarantee the tower’s future (and a fat tourist income) for the next three centuries.

Access to the Leaning Tower is limited to 40 people at one time – children under eight are not admitted. To avoid disappointment, book in advance online or go straight to a ticket office when you arrive in Pisa to book a slot for later in the day. Visits last 30 minutes and involve a steep climb up 294 occasionally slippy steps. All bags, handbags included, must be deposited at the free left-luggage desk next to the central ticket office – cameras are about the only thing you can take up.

TOP FIVE FACTS YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT THE TOWER

» In 1160 Pisa boasted 10,000-odd towers – but no bell tower for its cathedral. Loyal Pisan Berta di Bernardo righted this in 1172 when she died, leaving a legacy of 60 soldi in her will to the city to get cracking on a campanile (bell tower).

» The Leaning Tower – a whimsical folly of its inventors – was built to lean: hotly debated in the early 19th century, this theory was blown to shreds in 1838 when a clean-up job to remove muck oozing from its base revealed the true nature of its precarious foundations.

» It is not the only tower in Pisa to lean: the neighbouring Duomo tilts 25cm to the north and the Baptistry, 51cm north. Away from the square, the octagonal bell tower of Chiesa di San Nicola (Via Santa Maria) by Nicola Pisano and that of Chiesa di San Michele degli Scalzi (Via San Michele degli Scalzi), a wonky red-brick square tower north of the centre, both lean too.

» Moscow will help restore the city of Pisa, shipping in construction workers by train from Odessa, Tashkent and Dushanbe to build skyscrapers around the cathedral and a vast car park beneath the Leaning Tower to resolve traffic congestion around one of Italy’s most visited sights – the AprII Fools run by the Moscow Times on 1 AprII 2004.

» Seven bells, each sounding a different musical note and rung from the ground by 14 men, were added to the completed tower in 1370 but silenced in the 1950s for fear of a catastrophic collapse.

Duomo DUOMO

(Piazza dei Miracoli; adult/reduced €2/1, admission free Nov-Mar & Sun year-round; 10am-8pm mid-Mar–Sep, 10am-7pm Oct, 10am-1pm & 2-5pm Nov-Feb, 10am-6 or 7pm early–mid-Mar) Pisa’s cathedral was paid for with spoils brought home after Pisans attacked an Arab fleet entering Palermo in 1063. Begun a year later, the cathedral, with its striking cladding of alternating bands of green and cream marble, became the blueprint floor for Romanesque churches throughout Tuscany. The elliptical dome, the first of its kind in Europe at the time, was added in 1380.

The cathedral was Europe’s largest when it was constructed; its breathtaking proportions were designed to demonstrate Pisa’s domination of the Mediterranean. Its main facade – not completed untII the 13th century – has four exquisite tiers of columns diminishing skywards, while the vast interior is propped up by 68 hefty granite columns in classical style. The wooden ceiling decorated with 24-carat gold is a legacy from the period of Medici rule.

Inside, don’t miss the extraordinary early-14th-century octagonal pulpit in the north aisle. Sculpted from Carrara marble by Giovanni Pisano and featuring nude and heroic figures, its depth of detaII and heightening of feeling brought a new pictorial expressionism and life to Gothic sculpture. Pisano’s work forms a striking contrast to the modern pulpit and altar by Italian sculptor Giuliano Vangi, which were controversially installed in 2001.

Baptistry BAPTISTERY

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(Piazza dei Miracoli; adult/reduced €5/2; 8am-8pm Apr-Sep, 9am-7pm Oct, 10am-5pm Nov-Feb, 9am-6pm Mar) The unusual round Baptistry has one dome piled on top of another. Construction began in 1152, but it was notably remodelled and continued by Nicola and Giovanni Pisano more than a century later and was finally completed in the 14th century – hence its hybrid architectural style: the lower level of arcades is Pisan-Romanesque; the pinnacled upper section and dome are Gothic.

Inside, the beautiful hexagonal marble pulpit carved by Nicola Pisano between 1259 and 1260 is the undisputed highlight. Inspired by the Roman sarcophagi in the Camposanto, Pisano used powerful classical models to enact scenes from biblical legend. His figure of Daniel, who supports one of the corners of the pulpit on his shoulders, is one of the earliest heroic nude figures in Italian art, often cited as the inauguration of a tradition that would reach perfection with Michelangelo’s David.

Pisan scientist Galileo Galilei (who, so the story goes, came up with the laws of the pendulum by watching a lamp in Pisa’s cathedral swing) was baptised in the octagonal font (1246).

Don’t leave the baptistry without (a) admiring the Islamic floor, (b) climbing up to the gallery for a stunning overview, (c) risking a whisper and listening to it resound; otherwise, the custodian demonstrates the double dome’s remarkable acoustics and echo effects every half-hour.

Camposanto CEMETERY

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(Piazza dei Miracoli; adult/reduced €5/2; 8.30am-8pm Apr–mid-Jun & Sep, to 11pm mid-Jun–Aug, 9am-7pm Oct, 10am-5pm Nov-Feb, 9am-6pm Mar) SoII shipped from Calvary during the Crusades is said to lie within the white walls of this hauntingly beautiful cemetery, a beautiful final resting place for many prominent Pisans, arranged around a garden in a cloistered quadrangle.

During WWII, Allied artillery destroyed many of the cloisters’ precious frescoes. Those that survived are the focus of the Museo delle Sinópie.

Museo delle Sinópie MUSEUM

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(Piazza dei Miracoli; adult/reduced €5/2; 8am-8pm Apr-Sep, 9am-7pm Oct, 10am-5pm Nov-Feb, 9am-6pm Mar) Home to some wonderful pieces of wall art, this museum safeguards those precious few 14th- and 15th-century frescoes not destroyed by Allied artillery during WWII. Most notable is the Triumph of Death, a remarkable illustration of Hell attributed to 14th-century painter Buonamico Buffalmacco.

Museo dell’Opera del Duomo MUSEUM

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(Piazza dei Miracoli; adult/reduced €5/2; 8am-8pm Apr-Sep, 9am-7pm Oct, 10am-5pm Nov-Feb, 9am-6pm Mar) No museum provides a better round-up of Piazza dei Miracoli’s trio of architectural masterpieces than this museum inside the cathedral’s former chapter house. Highlights include Giovanni Pisano’s ivory carving of the Madonna and Child (1299), made for the cathedral’s high altar, and his mid-13th-century Madonna del colloquio, originally from a gate of the Duomo. Legendary booty includes various pieces of Islamic art including the griffin that once topped the cathedral and a 10th-century Moorish hippogriff.

Festivals & Events

Luminaria FIREWORKS

The night before Pisa’s patron saint’s day is magical: thousands upon thousands of candles and blazing torches light up the river and riverbanks while fireworks bedazzle the night sky; 16 June.

Regata Storica di San Ranieri SPORT

The Arno comes to life with a rowing regatta to commemorate the city’s patron saint; 17 June.

Gioco del Ponte MEDIEVAL

(Game of the Bridge) Two teams in medieval costume battle it out over the Ponte di Mezzo; last Sunday in June.

Palio delle Quattro Antiche Repubbliche Marinare SPORT

(Regatta of the Four Ancient Maritime Republics) The four historical maritime rivals – Pisa, Venice, Amalfi and Genoa – meet each year in June for a procession of boats and dramatic race; the next to be held in Pisa will be in 2014.

Sleeping

Royal Victoria Hotel HOTEL €

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( 050 94 01 11; www.royalvictoria.it; Lungarno Pacinotti 12; s without bathroom €30-45, d without bathroom €40-55, d €65-80, tr €80-120, q €120-175; ) This doyen of Pisan hotels has been run with pride by the Piegaja family since 1837. The word on the street says rooms vary, but those we saw were the perfect shabby-chic mix of Grand Tour antique and modern-day comfort. The unquestionable highlight is an aperitif flopped on a sofa on the flowery 4th-floor terrace.

Hotel Bologna HOTEL €€

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( 050 50 21 20; www.hotelbologna.pisa.it; Via Mazzini 57; s €59-99, d €79-179, tr €99-199, q €119-259; ) A pleasant 1km walk or bike ride from the Piazza dei Miracoli mayhem, this four-star choice is a 68-room oasis of peace and tranquillity. Rooms for four make it a practical, if pricey, family choice. Kudos to the small terrace garden out back – perfect for a summer breakfast!

Hotel Relais dell’Orologio HOTEL €€€

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( 050 83 03 61; www.hotelrelaisorologio.com; Via della Faggiola 12-14; d €200-800; ) Something of a honeymoon venue, Pisa’s dreamy five-star hotel occupies a tastefully restored 14th-century fortified tower house in a quiet street.

Dei Cavalieri B&B €

( 050 99 10 597, 291 22 880; www.deicavalieri.pisa.it; Piazza Sant’Antonio 4; s/d/tr/q €45/65/89/99; ) Hidden in a 4th-floor apartment, views of the Pisan rooftops are lovely here. Count €10 less a night for rooms with shared bathroom.

Eating

Being a university town, Pisa has a good range of eating places, especially around Borgo Stretto and south of the river in the trendy San Martino quarter.

Sottobosco CAFE €

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(www.sottoboscocafe.it; Piazza San Paolo all’Orto; lunches €15; 10am-midnight Tue-Fri, noon-1am Sat, 7pm-midnight Sun) What a tourist-free breath of fresh air this creative cafe with a few books for sale is! Tuck into a sugary ring doughnut and cappuccino at a glass-topped table filled with artists’ crayons perhaps, or a collection of buttons. Lunch dishes (salads, pies and pasta) are simple and homemade and come dusk, jazz bands play or DJs spin tunes.

II Crudo SANDWICH SHOP €

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(Piazza Cairoli 7; panini €4.50-6; 11am-3.30pm & 6pm-1am Mon-Thu, to 2pm Fri, 11am-2am Sat, 11am-1am Sun) Grab a well-filled panini to munch on the move or enjoy one alfresco with a glass of wine at this pocket-sized panineria and vineria strung with ham legs. Find it by the river on one of Pisa’s prettiest squares.

II Montino PIZZERIA

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(Vicolo del Monte 1; pizzas €4.20-7.50; 10.30am-3pm & 5-10pm Mon-Sat) There is nothing flash or fancy about this place, a brilliantly down-to-earth pizzeria with iconic status among Pisans, student or sophisticate. Order pizza to take away or grab one of a handful of tightly packed tables, inside or out, and munch on house specialities like cecina (chickpea pizza), castagnacci (chestnut cake) and spuma (sweet, nonalcoholic drink). Or go for a foccacine (flat roll) filled with salami, pancetta or porchetta (suckling pig). Hidden in a back alley, the quickest way to find II Montino is to head west along Via Ulisse Dini from the northern end of Borgo Stretto (opposite the Lo Sfizio cafe at Borgo Stretto 54) to Piazza San Felice, where it is easy to spot, on your left, a telling blue neon ‘Pizzeria’ sign.

II Colonnino OSTERIA €€

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( 050 313 84 30; Via Sant’Andrea 37-41; meals €30; lunch & dinner Tue-Sun) Hidden in the warren of medieval streets between Piazza San Francesco and the river, II Colonnino is the sort of lunch, aperitivo or dinner spot that locals like. Modern-accented Italian is the cuisine. Go for spaghetti-like tagliolini sprinkled with San Miniato truffles, pork fillet in a balsamic and pink peppercorn sauce or – for the springtime vegetarian in you – white asparagus with boiled-egg sauce. The fixed €25 menu is excellent value.

biOsteria 050 ORGANIC, TUSCAN €

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( 050 54 31 06; www.zerocinquanta.com; Via San Francesco 36; meals €25; 12.30-2.30pm & 7.45-10.30pm Mon & Wed-Sat, 7.45-10.30pm Sun) What a clever concept Zero Cinquante (Zero Fifty) is. ‘Tradition and fantasy’ is its strapline and the produce it uses to cook up its seasonal Tuscan dishes is strictly local and organic. There is ample choice for vegetarians and coeliac-sufferers too. Try black cabbage, nut and gorgonzola risotto, rabbit with sweet mustard perhaps, or one of the excellent-value daily lunch specials chalked on the board outside.

Osteria del Porton Rosso OSTERIA €€

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( 050 58 05 66; Vicolo del Porton Rosso 11; meals €35; lunch & dinner Mon-Sat) Two menus – one from the land and one from the sea – tempt at this old-fashioned but excellent osteria at the end of an alley; from riverside Lungarno Pacinotti look for the incongruous neon-sign-lit doorway with red fly curtain. Pisan specialities such as fresh ravioli with salted cod and chickpeas happily coexist with Tuscan classics such as grilled fillet steak.

Bar Pasticceria Salza PASTRIES & CAKES €

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(Borgo Stretto 44; 8am-8.30pm Apr-Oct, shorter hr Tue-Sun Nov-Mar) This old-fashioned cake shop has been tempting Pisans off Borgo Stretto and into sugar-induced wickedness since the 1920s.

Drinking

Most of the student drinking action is in and around Piazza delle Vettovaglie and the university on cafe-ringed Piazza Dante Alighieri – always packed with students.

Bazeel BAR

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(www.bazeel.it, in Italian; Lungarno Pacinotti 1; 5pm-2am) This bar draws a mixed clientele and is famous for its aperitivo spread. After 9pm there’s usually live music or a DJ. Check its Twitter feed for what’s on.

Information

Tourist office (www.pisaunicaterra.it) airport ( 050 50 25 18; 9.30am-11.30pm); train station ( 050 4 22 91; Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 13; 9am-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am-4pm Sun); town centre ( 050 91 03 50; tourist-point@comune.pisa.it; Piazza XX Settembre; 8.30am-12.30pm)

Getting There & Away

Air Galileo Galilei airport (www.pisa-airport.com) Tuscany’s main international airport, 2km south of town; flights to most major European cities.

Bus From its hub on Piazza Sant’Antonio, Pisan bus company CPT (www.cpt.pisa.it, in Italian) runs buses to/from Volterra (€6.10, two hours, up to 10 daily) and Livorno (€2.75, 55 minutes, half-hourly to hourly).

Car Pisa is close to the A11 and A12. The SCG FI-PI-LI (SS67) is a toll-free alternative for Florence and Livorno, while the north–south SS1, the Via Aurelia, connects the city with La Spezia and Rome.

Train

Florence (€5.80, 1¼ hours, frequent)

Livorno (€1.90, 15 minutes, frequent)

Lucca (€2.40, 30 minutes, every 30 minutes)

Viareggio (€2.40, 15 minutes, every 20 minutes)

Rome (€16.85, 2½ to four hours, 16 daily)

Getting Around

To/From the Airport

Bus The LAM Rossa (red) bus line (€1.10, 10 minutes, every 10 to 20 minutes) passes through the city centre and the train station en route to/from the airport.

Taxi A taxi between the airport and city centre costs around €10. To book, call Radio Taxi Pisa ( 050 54 16 00; www.cotapi.it).

Train Services run to/from Stazione Pisa Centrale (€1.10, five minutes, 33 per day); be sure to purchase and validate your ticket before you get on the train.

Bicycle

Most hotels rent bikes. Otherwise, stands at the northern end of Via Santa Maria and other streets off Piazza dei Miracoli rent four-wheel bikes (€5 per 40 minutes), quad bikes seating up to 3/6 people (€10/15 per hour) and regular bicycles (€2/3 per 30/60 minutes).

Car & Motorcycle

Parking costs up to €2 per hour, but be careful the car park you choose is not in the city’s exclusion zone. There’s a free car park outside the zone on Lungarno Guadalongo near the Fortezza di San Gallo on the south side of the Arno.

VESPA TOUR

There’s a certain romance to touring Tuscany on the back of a Vespa, Italy’s iconic scooter that revolutionised travel when Piaggio launched it from its factory in Pontedera , 25km southeast of Pisa, in 1946. The ‘wasp’ as the two-wheeled utility vehicle was affectionately known, has been restyled 120 times since, culminating most recently in Piaggio’s vintage-inspired GTV and LXV models. Yet the essential design remains timeless.

The complete Vespa story, from the Genovese company’s arrival in Tuscany in 1921 to its manufacturing of four-engine aircraft and hydroplanes, WWII destruction and rebirth as Europe’s exclusive Vespa producer, is grippingly told in Pontedera’s Museo Piaggio (www.museopiaggio.it; Viale Rinaldo Piagio 7; admission free; 10am-6pm Tue-Sat), in a former factory building.

Should Vespa’s free-wheeling, carefree spirit take hold, hook up with Florence-based Tuscany by Vespa ( 055 0123 994; www.tuscanybyvespa.com; Via de’ Lamberti 1; 1-day tour incl lunch & winery €120) for your very own Hepburn-style one-day tour of Chianti on the back of a Vespa.

Lucca

POP 84,640

This beautiful old city elicits love at first sight with its rich history, handsome churches and excellent restaurants. Hidden behind imposing Renaissance walls, it is an essential stopover on any Tuscan tour and a perfect base for exploring the Apuane Alps and the Garfagnana.

Founded by the Etruscans, Lucca became a Roman colony in 180 BC and a free comune (self-governing city) during the 12th century, when it enjoyed a period of prosperity based on the silk trade. In 1314 it briefly fell under the control of Pisa but under the leadership of local adventurer Castruccio Castracani degli Antelminelli, the city regained its freedom and remained an independent republic for almost 500 years.

Napoleon ended all this in 1805, when he created the principality of Lucca and placed his sister Elisa in control. Twelve years later the city became a Bourbon duchy, before being incorporated into the Kingdom of Italy. It miraculously escaped being bombed during WWII, so the fabric of the historic centre has remained unchanged for centuries.

Sights

Threading its way through the medieval heart of the old city, cobbled Via Fillungo is full of sleek, modern boutiques housed in great old buildings – cast your eyes above the street-level bustle to appreciate ancient awnings and architectural details.

East of Via Fillungo is one of Tuscany’s loveliest piazzas, oval cafe-studded Piazza Anfiteatro , so called after the amphitheatre that was located here in Roman times. Look closely to spot remnants of the amphitheatre’s brick arches and masonry on the exterior walls of the medieval houses ringing the piazza.

Lucca

Top Sights

Cattedrale di San Martino D4

Museo della Cattedrale D4

Sights

1  Chiesa dei SS Giovanni e Reparata D4

2  Chiesa di San Michele in Foro C3

3 Lucca Center of Contemporary ArtE2

4  Palazzo Pfanner C1

Sleeping

5  2Italia D2

6  Alla Corte degli Angeli C2

7  La Boheme C2

8  Ostello San Frediano D1

9  Palazzo Alexander B2

10  Piccolo Hotel Puccini C3

Eating

11  Antica Bodega di Prospero C3

12 Da FeliceC3

13  Forno Amedeo Giusti C3

14  Gli Orti di Via Elisa F3

15  Osteria Baralla D1

16  Osteria del Manzo C2

17 Percora NeraF2

18  Taddeucci C3

19  Trattoria Canuleia E2

20  Trattoria da Leo C2

Drinking

21  Caffè Di Simo D2

22  Enoteca Calasto D4

City Walls CITY WALLS

Lucca’s monumental mura (walls), built around the old city in the 16th and 17th centuries and defended by 126 cannons, remain in almost perfect condition. Twelve metres high and 4km in length, the ramparts are crowned with a tree-lined footpath that looks down on the old town and out towards the Apuane Alps – the perfect spot to stroll, cycle, run and inhale shot after shot of local Lucchesi life. Children’s playgrounds, swings and picnic tables beneath shady plane trees add a buzz of activity to three of the 11 bastions studding the way.

Cattedrale di San Martino CATHEDRAL

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(Piazza San Martino; 9.30am-5.45pm Mon-Fri, to 6.45pm Sat, 9.30-10.45am & noon-6pm Sun) Lucca’s predominantly Romanesque cathedral dates to the start of the 11th century. Its stunning facade was constructed in the prevailing Lucca-Pisan style and designed to accommodate the pre-existing campanile. The reliefs over the left doorway of the portico are believed to be by Nicola Pisano.

The interior was rebuilt in the 14th and 15th centuries with a Gothic flourish. The Volto Santo (literally, Holy Countenance) is not to be missed. Legend has it that this simply fashioned image of a dark-skinned, life-sized Christ on a wooden crucifix was carved by Nicodemus, who witnessed the Crucifixion. In fact, the Volto Santo has recently been dated to the 13th century. A major object of pilgrimage, the sculpture is carried in procession through the streets on 13 September each year at dusk during the Luminaria di Santa Croce, a solemn torchlit procession marking its miraculous arrival in Lucca.

The cathedral’s many other works of art include a magnificent Last Supper by Tintoretto above the third altar of the south aisle and Domenico Ghirlandaio’s 1479 Madonna Enthroned with Saints in the sacristy (adult/reduced €2/1.50). Opposite lies the exquisite, gleaming marble memorial to Ilaria del Carretto carved by Jacopo della Quercia in 1407. The young second wife of the 15th-century lord of Lucca, Paolo Guinigi, Ilaria died in childbirth aged only 24. At her feet lies her faithful dog.

Museo della Cattedrale MUSEUM

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(www.museocattedralelucca.it; Piazza San Martino; adult/reduced €4/2.50; 10am-6pm daily) Next door to the cathedral, this museum safeguards elaborate gold and silver decorations made for the Volto Santo, including a 17th-century crown and a 19th-century sceptre. A combined ticket covering museum and cathedral sacristy costs €6/4.

Chiesa dei SS Giovanni e Reparata CHURCH

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(Piazza San Giovanni; adult/reduced €2.50/1.50; 10am-6pm mid-Mar–Oct, 10am-5pm Sat & Sun Nov–mid-Mar) The 12th-century interior of this deconsecrated church is a hauntingly atmospheric setting for summertime opera recitals staged by Puccini e la sua Lucca ( 340 8106042; www.puccinielasualucca.com; adult/reduced €17/13; 7pm daily mid-Mar–Oct, 7pm Fri-Wed Nov–mid-Mar). Professional singers present a one-hour program of arias and duets dominated by the music of Puccini but also featuring works by Verdi, Mozart, Mascagni and Cilea. Tickets are sold inside the church.

In the north transept of the church is a baptistry crowning an archaeological area comprising five building levels going back to the Roman period.

Chiesa di San Michele in Foro CHURCH

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(Piazza San Michele; 7.40am-noon & 3-6pm daily Apr-Oct, 9am-noon & 3-5pm Nov-Mar) This dazzling Romanesque church marks the spot where the city’s Roman forum was. The present building with exquisite wedding-cake facade was constructed on the site of its 8th-century precursor over a period of nearly 300 years. Crowning the structure is a figure of the archangel Michael slaying a dragon. Inside, don’t miss Filippino Lippi’s 1479 painting of Sts Helen, Jerome, Sebastian and Roch (complete with plague sore) in the south transept.

Lucca Center of Contemporary Art ART GALLERY

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( 0583 57 17 12; www.luccamuseum.com; Via della Fratta 36; adult/reduced €7/5; 10am-7pm Tue-Sun) A refreshing change from the historic Tuscan norm, Lucca’s contemporary art museum hosts some riveting temporary exhibitions.

Palazzo Pfanner PALAZZO

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(www.palazzopfanner.it; Via degli Asili 33; palace or garden adult/reduced €4/3.50, both €5.50/4.50; 10am-6pm Apr-Oct) Fire the romantic in you with a stroll around this privately owned 17th-century palace where parts of Portrait of a Lady (1996) starring Nicole Kidman and John Malkovich were shot. Take the outdoor staircase to the frescoed and furnished piano nobile (main Floor), then visit the ornate, statue-studded 18th-century garden – the only one of substance within the city walls. (Felix Pfanner, may God rest his soul, was an Austrian émigré who first brought beer to Italy – and brewed it in the mansion’s cellars.) From August to October, watch out for the lovely chamber music concerts Palazzo Pfanner hosts.

Festivals & Events

Puccini Festival MUSIC

(www.puccinifestival.it) Hosted by the nearby village of Torre del Lago in July and August, this festival has been going for more than 50 years.

Summer Festival MUSIC

(www.summer-festival.com) Top international artists perform in a variety of musical genres at this July fest.

Sleeping

Tourist offices have accommodation lists and, if you visit in person, can make reservations for you (free of charge); pay 10% of the room price as on-the-spot deposit and the remainder at the hotel.

Ostello San Frediano HOSTEL €

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( 0583 46 99 57; www.ostellolucca.it; Via della Cavallerizza 12; dm with/without bathroom €21/19, d/tr/q €60/78/100; ; reception 7am-midnight) In a staggeringly historic building, hostellers won’t get closer to the action than this. Top notch in comfort and service, this Hostelling International–affiliated hostel with 141 beds in voluminous rooms is serviced with a bar and grandiose dining room (breakfast €3, lunch or dinner €11). Non-HI members can buy a €3 one-night stamp.

Piccolo Hotel Puccini HOTEL €

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( 0583 55 42 1; www.hotelpuccini.com; Via di Poggio 9; d €75-95, tr €95-120, q €120-140; ) Snug around the corner from the great man himself (or at least a bronze copy of him) and the house where he was born, this elegant address is an ode to Puccini. Decor is an unobtrusive mix of period furnishings and historic collectables. From AprII to October, breakfast costs €3.50.

La Boheme B&B €€

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( 0583 46 24 04; www.boheme.it; Via del Moro 2; d €90-140; ) A hefty dark-wood door located on a peaceful backstreet heralds the entrance to this five-room B&B, which is run with charm and style by former architect Ranieri. Rooms are furnished in antique Tuscan style; some have breathtaking high ceilings and all have decent-sized bathrooms. Breakfast is generous.

Alla Corte degli Angeli BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

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( 0583 46 92 04; www.allacortedegliangeli.com; Via degli Angeli 23; s €80-110, d €110-160; ) Occupying three floors of a 15th-century town house, this four-star boutique hotel with 10 rooms and an old-fashioned rocking horse in its wood-beamed lounge oozes charm. Beautifully frescoed rooms are named after flowers: lovers in the hugely romantic Rosa room can lie beneath a pergola and swallow-filled sky.

2italia APARTMENT €€

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( 3355 208251; www.2italia.com; Via della Anfiteatro74; apt for 2 adults & up to 4 kids €150-170; ) Not a hotel but a clutch of family-friendly self-catering apartments overlooking Piazza Anfiteatro. Available on a nightly basis (minimum two nights), the project is the brainchild of well-travelled parents of three Kristin (English) and Kaare (Norwegian). Spacious apartments sleep up to six, have fully equipped kitchen and washing machine, and come with sheets and towels. Kristin and Kaare also organise cycling tours, cooking courses, wine tastings and olive pickings.

Palazzo Alexander BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

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( 0583 58 35 71; www.hotelpalazzoalexander.it; Via Santa Giustina 48; s €80-120, d €90-150; ) This exuberant palace hotel has plenty of oversized mirrors, ornate gold-gilt bedheads and floor-to-ceiling drapes to woo history aficionados. Each of its 14 rooms is named after a Puccini or Verdi opera and the pièce de résistance is Bohème with frescoed ceiling and Tosca with rooftop balcony. Parking costs €14 per night.

Eating

Da Felice PIZZERIA €

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(www.pizzeriadafelice.com; Via Buia 12; focaccias €1-3.50, pizza slices €1.30; 10am-8.30pm Mon-Sat) This buzzing local favourite behind Piazza San Michele is easy to spot – come noon look for the crowd packed around two tiny tables inside, spilling out the door or squatting on one of two streetside benches. Cecina, a salted chickpea pizza served piping-hot from the oven, and castagnacci (chestnut cakes) are Felice’s raison d’être.

Pecora Nera TRATTORIA €

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( 0583 46 97 38; www.lapecoraneralucca.it; Piazza San Francesco 4; pizzas €5-9, meals €20; Wed-Sat, lunch Sun) Plump on a big empty piazza, well away from the madding crowds, the Black Sheep – the only Lucca restaurant recommended by the Slow Food Movement – scores extra brownie points for social responsibility (its profits fund workshops for young people with Down syndrome). Thirty-odd different pizza types and a handful of Tuscan classics are what’s cooking in the kitchen.

Gli Orti di Via Elisa TUSCAN €€

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( 0583 49 12 41; Via Elisa 17; meals €20; lunch & dinner Mon, Tue & Thu-Sat, lunch Wed; ) Don’t be surprised to see ‘Siamo Completo’ (fully booked) chalked on the board outside this eating address, well away from the tourist action and busy! Gorge on gnocchi in zucchini-flower sauce or bean soup with salt cod followed by grilled meat while the kids radiate happiness with pre-meal drawings to colour in, games and so on.

Taddeucci PASTRIES & CAKES

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(www.taddeucci.com; Piazza San Michele 34; 8.30am-7.45pm, closed Thu winter) The perfect accompaniment to a mid-morning or -afternoon espresso and gift to take home, buccellato is a traditional sweet bread loaf with sultanas and aniseed seeds, baked in Lucca since 1881. Taddeucci is the pasticceria (pastry shop) to ogle at and shop for this traditional Lucchesi sweet treat. Pay €4/8/12 for a 300/600/900g loaf.

Osteria del Manzo TUSCAN €€

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( 0583 49 06 49; Via Battisti 28; meals €30; lunch & dinner Mon-Sat) Quite often the local favourites are strictly inside, and this – simplicity in the making – is one of them. Enjoy typical local dishes beneath a beamed ceiling, watched on, oddly enough, by a collection of garden gnomes. Someone clearly collects bottle miniatures too.

Trattoria Canuleia TUSCAN €€

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( 0583 46 74 70; Via Canuleia 14; meals €40; lunch & dinner Mon-Sat) What makes this dining address stand out from the crowd is its secret walled garden out back – the perfect spot to escape the tourist hordes and listen to birds tweet over partridge risotto, artichoke and shrimp spaghetti or a traditional peposa (beef and pepper stew).

A WALLTOP PICNIC

Picnicking atop Lucca’s city walls, on grass or at a wooden picnic table, is as lovely and typical a Lucchesi lunch as any.

Buy fresh-from-the-oven pizza and focaccia with choice of fillings and toppings from fabulous and famed bakery Forno Amedeo Giusti Offline map Google map (Via Santa Lucia 20; pizzas & filled focaccias €8-16 per kg; 7am-7.30pm Mon, Tue & Thu-Sat, 7am-1.30pm Wed, 4-7.30pm Sun), then nip across the street for a bottle of Lucchesi wine and Garfagnese biscotti al farro (spelt biscuits) at Antica Bodega di Prospero Offline map Google map (Via Santa Lucia 13; 9am-1pm & 4-7.30pm) ; look for the old-fashioned shop window fabulously stuffed with sacks of beans, lentils and other local pulses.

Osteria Baralla OSTERIA €€

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( 0583 44 02 40; www.osteriabaralla.it; Via Anfiteatro 5; meals €32; lunch & dinner Mon-Sat) Feast on local specialities beneath huge red-brick vaults at this busy osteria from 1860. Thursday is bollito misto (mixed boiled meats) day, Saturday roast pork.

Trattoria da Leo TRATTORIA €

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( 0583 49 22 36; Via Tegrimi 1; meals €25; lunch & dinner Mon-Sat) Another address everyone knows and goes to, Leo is famed Lucca-wide for its friendly ambience and cheap food – which ranges from acceptable to delicious. No credit cards.

Drinking

At almost every turn within the walls there is a pavement terrace to sit down at and savour a coffee or aperitivo – those on Piazza San Frediano are a favourite and not as tourist-packed as the cafe- and wine-bar terraces of Piazza Anfiteatro.

Caffè di Simo CAFE

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(Via Fillungo 58; 9am-8pm & 8.30pm-1am) For a respite from the sun’s glare, immerse yourself in the chic Liberty (art nouveau) interior of Lucca’s famous coffee shop. Its cakes are masterpieces.

Enoteca Calasto WINE BAR

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(www.lucca-wine-treasures.com; Piazza San Giovanni 5; 11am-11pm) A Brit and a Dane are the creative duo behind this enoteca with terracotta-pot terrace overlooking the baptistry. Its wine list only features local Lucchesi production and Thursday evening ushers in wine tasting (€5) with a local producer.

Information

Tourist office (www.luccatourist.it) Piazza Santa Maria 35 ( 0583 91 99 31; 9am-7pm daily); Piazzale Verdi ( 0583 58 31 50; 9am-7pm daily Apr-Sep, to 5pm Oct-Mar); Via Elisa67 ( 9am-1pm & 2-6pm Wed-Mon Apr-Sep)

Getting There & Away

Bus From the bus stops around Piazzale Verdi, Vaibus (www.vaibus.it) runs services throughout the region.

Pisa airport (€3.20, 45 minutes to one hour, 30 daily).

Castelnuovo di Garfagnana ( €4.20, 1½ hours, eight daily)

Bagni di Lucca (€3.40, one hour, eight daily).

Car & Motorcycle The A11 runs westward to Pisa and Viareggio and eastward to Florence. To access the Garfagnana, take the SS12 and continue on the SS445.

Train The station is south of the city walls: take the path across the moat and through the tunnel under Baluardo San Colombano.

Florence (€5.30, 1¼ to 1¾ hours, hourly)

Pisa (€2.40, 30 minutes, every 30 minutes)

Viareggio (€2.40, 25 minutes, hourly).

Getting Around

Bicycle Rent regular wheels (€2.50/12 per hour/day; ID required) from the Piazzale Verdi tourist office or a city/mountain bike (€3/4 per hour), racer (€5 per hour) or tandem (€6.50 per hour).

Cicli Bizzarri ( 0583 49 66 82; www.ciclibizzarri.net, in Italian; Piazza Santa Maria 32; 9am-7pm)

Biciclette Poli ( 0583 49 37 87; www.biciclettepoli.com, in Italian; Piazza Santa Maria 42; 9am-7pm)

Scooter & Vespa Scooter Tuscany Rentals ( 0583 95 41 39; www.scootertuscany.com; Via della Cavallerizza 23; 9am-7pm daily) Rent two motorised wheels from €55/210 per day/week; opposite Lucca’s hostel.

TOP THREE FOODIE DETOURS

Flee the crowd from Florence, Pisa or Lucca with these insider day trips built around a quintessentially Tuscan, food-driven experience:

» Watch spaghetti being made at Tuscany’s oldest pasta-making factory, Martelli ( 0587 68 42 38; www.famigliamartelli.it; Lari; admission free; 10am-noon & 3-4pm Mon-Sat), run by the same family in the village of Lari since 1926 and famed for its gourmet spaghetti, spaghettini, penne and macaroni packaged in canary-yellow paper bags. Simply knock on the door and ask to be shown around.

» Learn how to cook Tuscan at San Miniato’s much-lauded restaurant, Pepenero ( 0571 41 95 23; www.pepenerocucina.it; Via IV Novembre 13, San Miniato; incl lunch & wine €60; Wed). New breed of innovative chef and TV star Gilberto Rossi uses traditional products to create modern, seasonally driven dishes.

» Hunt white truffles at Barbialla Nuova ( 0571 67 70 04; www.barbiallanuova.it; Via Casastada 49, Montaione; per person for groups of 6 to 8 €60, per group of 5 or less €300), a heavily wooded, 500-hectare organic farm where creamy Chianina cows, reared for their beef, graze on the hillside. The hunting season runs mid-October to mid-December and, should you fall in love with the place (highly probable), Barbialla has a clutch of stylish self-catering apartments and houses to rent (minimum three nights; from €270/420 for two/four people). Guests pay 50% less for truffle hunts. There’s parking, a swimming pool and it’s kid friendly.

Versilian Riviera

Italy’s beach-loving hoi polloi pack out this coastal strip that legs it north from Viareggio to the regional border with Liguria. Grand Duke Giancarlo Leopold I was the first in Italy to decriminalise homosexuality here in 1863, and roads from the coastal towns snake their way deep into the Apuane Alps.

Frolicking on the long sandy beach and lapping up the seafront’s gorgeous line-up of 1920s art nouveau facades aside, the main reason to visit Viareggio is for its flamboyant, four-week Mardi Gras Carnevale (www.viareggio.ilcarnevale.com) in February. Second only to Venice for party spirit, it lasts four weeks and sees the city go wild with a festival of floats.

PIETRASANTA

Often overlooked by Tuscan travellers, this refined art town – an easy day trip by train from Pisa (€3.10, 25 minutes) – is a real unexpected surprise. Its bijou historic heart, originally walled, is car-free and loaded with tiny art galleries, workshops and fashion boutiques – perfect for a day’s amble broken only by lunch.

Founded by Guiscardo da Pietrasanta, podestà (governing magistrate) of Lucca in 1255, Pietrasanta was seen as a prize by Genoa, Lucca, Pisa and Florence, all of whom jostled for possession of its marble quarries and bronze foundries. Florence predictably won and Leo X (Giovanni de’ Medici) took control in 1513, putting the town’s famous quarries at the disposal of Michelangelo, who came here in 1518 to source marble for the facade of Florence’s San Lorenzo. The artistic inclination of Pietrasanta dates from this time, and today it is the home of many artists, including internationally lauded Colombian-born sculptor Fernando Botero, whose work can be seen here.

Sights

From Pietrasantra train station (Piazza della Stazione) head straight across Piazza Carducci to the old city gate and onto central square Piazza del Duomo , where the attractive Duomo di San Martino (1256) with red-brick, 36m-tall bell tower and neighbouring 13th-century Chiesa di Sant’Agostino ( 4-7pm Tue-Sun) – deconsecrated and a wonderfully evocative venue for art exhibitions – awaits. Next, dip into Pietrasanta’s art heritage with dozens of moulds of famous sculptures cast or carved in Pietrasanta, at the Museo dei Bozzetti (www.museodeibozzetti.it; Via S Agostino 1; admission free; 2-7pm Tue-Sat, 4-7pm Sun) , inside the convent adjoining the church.

Cross to the other side of the square and meander along Via Giuseppe Mazzini , the town’s main shopping strip bookended by contemporary street sculptures. Tucked between boutiques at No 103 is the superb Chiesa della Misericordia , frescoed with the Gate of Paradise and Gate of Hell by Botero (the artist portrays himself in Hell).

Sleeping

Should you find yourself totally smitten with Pietrasanta and unable to leave, art-filled Albergo Pietrasanta ( 0584 79 37 26; www.albergopietrasanta.com; Via Garibaldi 35; d €203-264; ) is one of Tuscany’s loveliest boutique town hotels. Otherwise Filippo has fantastic, design-driven rooms.

Eating

The historic heart spoils for choice with its many artsy addresses spilling onto flower-pot-adorned summer terraces. Pedestrian Via Stagio Stagi, parallel to Via Giuseppe Mazzini, has several particularly appealing restaurants, including thoroughly modern Filippo ( 0584 70 00 10; http://ristorantefilippo.com; Via Stagio Stagi 22; meals €30; lunch & dinner daily, closed Mon winter) , flowery Quarantuno ( 0584 77 25 07; www.quarantunopietrasanta.com; Via Stagio Stagi 41; lunch & dinner Thu-Sun) and contemporary fish restaurant Pinocchio ( 0584 70 510; Vicolo San Biagio 5; meals €50; lunch & dinner Tue-Sun) .

Piazza del Duomo is the alfresco spot for an atmospheric coffee or sundowner; Caffè del Teatro on the corner of Via dei Piastroni apparently being Botero’s favourite hang-out. Or try Enoteca Marcucci (www.enotecamarcucci.it; Via Garibaldi 40; 10am-1pm & 5pm-1am Tue-Sun) , a fabulous enoteca with great wine and a wonderfully contemporary decor.

Apuane Alps & Garfagnana

Rearing up from the Versilian Riviera are the Apuane Alps, a relatively undiscovered mountain range and area of raw beauty protected by the Parco Regionale delle Alpi Apuane (www.parcapuane.it) . Head east and a trio of stunning valleys formed by the Serchio river and its tributaries – the low-lying Lima and Serchio valleys and the higher Garfagnana valley – kick in. Collectively known as the Garfagnana , this vast inland valley, easy to reach from Lucca, is known for its invigorating outdoor activities and rustic cuisine sourced from local fruits of the forest: chestnuts (often ground into flour), porcini mushrooms and honey.

In Castelnuovo di Garfagnana (population 6109), the main town in the valley, the Centro Visite Parco Alpi Apuane ( 0583 6 51 69; www.turismo.garfagnana.eu; Piazza delle Erbe 1; 9.30am-1pm & 3-7pm Jun-Sep, to 5.30pm Oct-May) and the tourist office ( 0583 64 10 07; www.castelnuovagarfagnana.org; Piazza delle Erbe; 9.30am-1pm & 3.30-6.30pm Mon-Sat), on the same square opposite, have bags of information on walking, mountain biking and horse riding in the park. The visitor centre also sells hiking maps and has lists of local guides, agriturismi and rifugi off any beaten track.

If photogenic hilltop villages are more your thing, drive 12km south to Barga (population 10,307), an apologetically lovely, go-slow patchwork of narrow streets, archways, ancient walls and crumbling piazzas staggering steeply uphill to the forbidding village church and prison-turned-museum.

A TRUE TASTE OF GARFAGNANA

If there is one address that stands out in this gastronomic valley for its staunchly local cuisine, top-quality products and unwavering commitment to culinary tradition, it is Castelnuovo di Garfagnana’s 160-year-old Osteria Vecchio Mulino ( 0583 6 21 92; www.vecchiomulino.info; Via Vittorio Emanuele 12; tasting menus incl wine €25; lunch Tue-Sun, evening with advance reservation) , run with passion and humour by the fun-loving, gregarious Andrea Bertucci. There is no menu, rather a symphony of cold dishes crafted strictly from local products and brought out to shared tables one at a time.

Then there is Castelnuovo di Garfagnana’s bright, modern ice-cream shop, Fuori dal Centro (Piazza Dini 1f; 1/2/3/4/5 balls €1/1.70/2.20/2.70/3.20), with regional-inspired flavours such as chestnut, fig, honey, pine kernel and – to die for – meringue or gusto italiano. Look for the amber-coloured canopied entrance just near Castelnuovo’s main city gate.

Feasting over for the day, the tastiest place to stay in the Garfagnana thanks to superb dinners of farm-grown farro (spelt) salad, homemade pasta and handsome meats cooked to perfection by Rosa is Pradaccio di Sopra ( 0583 66 69 66; www.agriturismopradaccio.it; Pieve Fosciana; d €50-70, q €100; ) , a family farm ensnared by chestnut woods and spelt fields a five-minute drive from Castelnuovo di Garfagnana in Pieve Fosciana.

CARRARA

POP 65,588

Many first-time visitors assume the snowy-white mountain peaks forming Carrara’s backdrop are capped with snow. In fact, the vista provides a breathtaking illusion – the white is 2000 hectares of marble gouged out of the foothills of the Apuane Alps in vast quarries that have been worked since Roman times.

The texture and purity of Carrara’s white marble (derived from the Greek marmaros, meaning shining stone) is unrivalled and it was here that Michelangelo selected marble for masterpieces including David (actually sculpted from a dud veined block). These days it’s a multi-billion-euro industry.

The quarries, 5km north of Carrara in Colonnata and Fantiscritti, have long been the area’s biggest employers. It’s hard, dangerous work and on Carrara’s central Piazza XXVII Aprile a monument remembers workers who lost their lives up on the hills. Discover the full story of marble at the Museo del Marmo (Marble Museum; Viale XX Settembre; adult/child €4/free; 9am-12.30pm & 2.30-5pm Mon-Sat) , opposite the tourist office ( 0585 84 41 36; Viale XX Settembre; 8.30am-5.30pm Jun-Aug, 9am-4pm Sep-May) , then make your way up the mountain to visit Cave di Fantiscritti . Pick from a 30-minute guided tour (www.marmotour.com; adult/child €8/4; 11am-6pm daily Apr-Oct, 10.30am-5.30pmJun-Aug, 9am-4pm Sep-May) by minibus/on foot of the marble quarry inside the mountain; or a 4WD tour (www.carraramarbletour.it; adult/child €8/4; 11am-6pm daily Apr-Oct 10.30am-5.30pm Jun-Aug, 9am-4pm Sep-May) of the open-cast quarry. Both are dramatic.

Livorno

POP 160,742

Tuscany’s second-largest city is a quintessential port town. Though first impressions are rarely kind, this is a ‘real’ city that really does grow on you. Its seafood is the best on the Tyrrhenian coast, its shabby historic quarter threaded with Venetian-style canals is ubercool, and pebbly beaches stretch south from the town’s belle époque seafront. Be it a short stay between ferries or a day trip from Florence or Pisa, Livorno (Leghorn in English) is understated and agreeable.

From the main train station bus 1 heads along the coast road, stopping en route in front of the cathedral on Piazza Grande.

If tasting wine on the seashore or pedalling between olive groves is your cup of tea, then consider a trip along the Costa degli Etruschi (Etrsucan Coast) – the chunk of coast stretching south from Livorno to just beyond Piombino and onwards by ferry to the gorgeous island of Elba. Its entire length is covered by the Strada del Vino e dell’Olio (Wine & OII Rd; www.lastradadelvino.com) , a 150km itinerary that maps out cellars, wine estates and farms where you can taste and buy local wine and olive oil; and recommends places to stay and eat en route.

Sights & Activities

Piccola Venezia HISTORICAL CENTRE

‘Little Venice’ is crossed with small canals built during the 17th century. Canals link Fortezza Nuova Offline map Google map (New Fort; admission free), built for the Medici court in the 16th century, with the crumbling Fortezza Vecchia Offline map Google map (Old Fort; admission free) . What the area lacks in gondolas and tourists, it makes up for with tow paths intersected with hip waterside cafes and wine bars. Buy tickets for a 45-minute boat tour (adult/child €10/5; 11am, noon & 4pm daily Apr-Sep) from the tourist office.

Livorno

Top Sights

Fortezza Nuova C1

Fortezza Vecchia A2

Sights

1  Cathedral C3

2  Chiesa di Santa Catarina B1

Sleeping

3 Hotel al TeatroD4

Eating

4  Cantina Senese B4

5  La Barrocciaia C2

6 L'AncoraB2

Drinking

7  La Bodeguita C1

Entertainment

8  Teatrofficina Refugio B1

Terrazza Mascagni PROMENADE

(Viale Italia) No trip to Livorno is complete without a stroll along (and photo shoot of) this dazzling art work – an elegant 1920s terrace that sweeps gracefully along the seafront in a chessboard flurry of black-and-white checks.

Nearby, Bagni Pancaldi (www.pancaldiacquaviva.it; Viale Italia 56; adult/child €5/4; 8.30am-noon & 3-6pm Sat & Sun Apr-Sep) are old-fashioned baths – the height of sophistication in 1846 – where you can swim and hang out in coloured canvas cabins.

The thoroughly modern Acqvario Livorno ( 0586 26 91 11; www.acquariodilivorno.it; Piazzale Mascagni 1; adult/child €15/8; 11am-10pm Tue-Sun, daily Jul & Aug, to 7pm Tue-Sun Jun & Sep, shorter hr rest of year) , overlooking the terrace’s northern end, swims with Etruscan and Mediterranean marine life.

PIAZZA DEI DOMENICANI

End ‘Little Venice’ explorations on this gorgeous piazza, across the bridge at the northern end of Via Borra. Chiesa di Santa Catarina Offline map Google map , with its thick stone walls, stands sentry on the western side of the square as it did for the Medicis four centuries ago. Follow its walls along canalside Scala del Refugio to Teatrofficina Refugio Offline map Google map (http://teatrofficinarefugio.blogsome.com), a crumbling stone building with gargantuan wooden doors and a fabulous calendar of theatre, music and cultural events.

Or stroll down the causeway by the bridge to La Bodeguita Offline map Google map (Scala Rosciano 9), an equally hip address with red-brick cellar and sun-drenched wooden decking terrace afloat the canal. Lunch on pasta (€10), salads (€7) and generously topped bruschetta (€7) while members of the local rowing club ply the water with oars in front of you or, come dark, enjoy live music from 10pm.

Museo Civico Giovanni Fattori ART GALLERY

(Via San Jacopo in Acquaviva 65; admission €4; 10am-1pm & 4-7pm Tue-Sun) This art museum, in a pretty park, features works by the 19th-century Macchiaioli (Italian Impressionist) school.

Museo di Storia Naturale del Mediterraneo MUSEUM

(Via Roma 234; adult/child €10/5; 9am-1pm Wed & Fri, 9am-1pm & 3-7pm Tue, Thu & Sat, 3-7pm Sun) Livorno’s friendly and hands-on Natural History Museum is an exhaustive, first-rate museum experience for the natural sciences. Highlight of the permanent collection: Anne, the 20m-long common whale skeleton.

Sleeping

Hotel al Teatro BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

Offline map Google map

( 0586 89 87 05; www.hotelalteatro.it; Via Mayer 42; s €80, d €95-145; ) One of Tuscany’s loveliest urban hotels, this bijou eight-room address is irresistible. Lounge on green wicker furniture beneath a breathtakingly beautiful, 350-year-old magnolia tree in the gravel garden out back and enjoy!

Camping Miramare CAMPGROUND €

( 0586 58 04 02; www.campingmiramare.it; Via del Littorale 220; camping 2 people, car & tent €26-88; ) Be it tent pitch beneath trees or deluxe version with wooden terrace and sun-loungers on sandy beach, this site – open all year thanks to its village of mobile homes, maxi caravans and bungalows – has it all. Find it 8km south of town in Antignano.

Hotel Gran Duca HOTEL €

( 0586 89 10 24; www.granduca.it; Piazza Micheli 16; s/d €90/110; ) Embedded in the little that survives of Livorno’s 16th-century city walls, this hotel across from the fishing docks is unique. Its 62 rooms are classic; those on the 2nd floor with private terrace aplomb in the red-brick ramparts of the Medici wall are straight out a film.

Eating

Sampling traditional cacciucco, a remarkable mixed seafood stew, is reason enough to visit Livorno.

L’Ancora SEAFOOD €€

Offline map Google map

( 0586 88 14 01; Scali delle Ancore 10; meals €25-35; Wed-Mon) This canalside terrace is the white-hot ticket in good weather, though settling for a table in the Medici-built, barrel-ceilinged, brick boat house is hardly a hardship. The carbonara di mare (seafood and pasta in white sauce) is the family’s pride and joy.

La Barrocciaia OSTERIA €

Offline map Google map

( 0586 88 26 37; Piazza Cavallotti 13; meals €20; 11am-2.30pm & 6-11pm Tue-Sat, 6-11pm Sun) Locating Barrocciaia takes a careful eye given its inconspicuous facade swamped by market stalls. With luck and timing, score a table to discover why every local speaks of La Barrocciaia with such reverence.

Cantina Senese OSTERIA €

Offline map Google map

( 0586 89 02 39; Borgo dei Cappuccini 95; meals €20; Mon-Sat) Food- and value-conscious harbour workers are the first to fill the long wooden tables at this unpretentious eatery. The mussels are exceptional, as is the cacciucco di pesce, both served with piquant garlic bread.

Information

Tourist office ( 0586 20 46 11; www.costadeglietruschi.it; Piazza del Municipio; 7.30am-6.30pm daily Jun-Nov, shorter hr rest of yr)

Getting There & Away

Boat

Regular ferries for Sardinia and Corsica depart from Calata Carrara, beside the Stazione Marittima ; and ferries to Capraia and Gorgona use the smaller Porto Mediceo near Piazza dell’Arsenale. Boats to Spain and Sicliy, plus some Sardinia services, use Porto Nuovo , 3km north along Via Salvatore Orlando.

Ferry companies running these services include the following:

Toremar ( 199 117733; www.toremar.it, in Italian) Daily services to Capraia (€14.70, 2½ hours).

Corsica Ferries/Sardinia Ferries ( 199 400500; www.corsicaferries.com, www.sardiniaferries.com) Two or three services per week (daily in summer) to Bastia, Corsica (deck class €28 to €36, four hours), and four services per week (daily in summer) to Golfo Aranci, Sardinia (deck class €32 to €40, six hours express, nine hours regular).

Moby ( 199 303040; www.moby.it) Boats to/from Bastia, Corsica (€32 to €46, four hours) and Olbia, Sardinia (€44 to €67, six to 10½ hours).

Grand Navi Veloci ( 010 2094591; www.gnv.it) Sailings three times weekly to/from Palermo, Sicily (€92, 19 hours).

Grimaldi Lines ( 0586 42 66 82; www.grimaldi-ferries.com) Sailings three times weekly to/from Barcelona (€235, 21 hours) and every four days to/from Valencia, Spain (32 hours).

Train

From the central train station (Piazza Dante) walk westward along Viale Carducci, Via de Larderel, then Via Grande into central Piazza Grande, Livorno’s main square. Trains are less frequent to Stazione Marittima , the station for the ports.

Florence (€6.70, 1½ hours, 16 daily)

Pisa (€1.90, 15 minutes, frequent)

Rome (€17.05 to €43, three to four hours, 12 daily)

Getting Around

ATL (www.atl.livorno.it; Largo Duomo 2) Bus 1 runs from central train station to Porto Mediceo (€1.20, on board €1.70), via Piazza Grande. To reach Stazione Marittima, take bus 1 to Piazza Grande then bus 5 from Via Cogorano, just off Piazza Grande.

Isola d’Elba

POP 31,000

Napoleon would think twice about fleeing from the island of Elba were he exiled here today. Substantially more congested now than when he arrived in 1814 (he engineered an escape in less than a year), the island is nonetheless an ever-glorious setting of rocky beach-laced coves, vineyards, blue waters, thoroughly fabulous hairpin-bend motoring and mind-bending views crowned by the highest peak of Monte Capanne (1019m). Predictably, given the rugged terrain, hiking and biking are big here.

Elba is the largest and most heavily populated island in the Parco Nazionale Arcipelago Toscano (www.islepark.it) , Europe’s largest marine protected area. Over a million visitors a year take the one-hour ferry cruise here, and in the island’s main town and port Portoferraio in August it feels decidedly like everyone’s turned up the same weekend. Avoid coming then!

But come in springtime and early summer, or autumn for grape and olive harvests, and you’ll find plenty of tranquII nooks on this stunningly picturesque, 28km-long, 19km-wide island that beg the question: why on earth did Napoleon ever want to leave?

Activities

A dizzying network of walking and mountain-biking trails blanket Elba. Though some start right at Portoferraio, walkers can easily get to/from better, far-flung trailheads using the island’s robust bus network. Buy traII maps and guides in Portoferraio from II Libraio (Calata Mazzini 10) or, should you rather not DIY, hook up with a guide through the national park office in Portoferraio. The following are recommended walks.

San Lucia to San Martino A low-impact, 90-minute walk, starting just outside Portoferraio at the church of San Lucia, traversing meadows and former farmland being repossessed by nature for about 2.2km and terminating at Napoleon’s villa in San Martino.

Marciana to Chiessi A 12km trek starting high in Marciana, dribbling downhill, past ancient churches, sea vistas and granite boulders for about six hours to the seaside in Chiessi.

The Great Elba Crossing A three-to-four day, 60km east–west island crossing, including Monte Capanne, Elba’s highest point (1019m), overnighting down on the coast as camping is not allowed on the paths. The highlight is the final 19km leg from Poggio to Pomonte, passing the Sanctuary of Madonna del Monte and the Masso dell’Aquila rock formation.

Getting There & Away

Regular car and foot passenger ferries (every half-hour) saII from Piombino to Elba operated by Moby (www.mobylines.com) and Toremar (www.toremar.it) – most dock at Portoferraio but a handful in high season call at smaller ports on the island.

Unless it is a summer weekend or August, when queues can form, there is no need to buy a ticket in advance. Simply buy a ticket at the port. Fares (from €15/45 one way per person/car) vary according to the season. Sailing time is one hour.

Getting Around

Don’t bother with a vehicle in high season – the island’s few roads are far too clogged with cars. Opt for a mountain bike, scooter or bike instead, available for rent in Portoferraio from Two Wheels Network ( 0565 91 46 66; www.twn-rent.it; Viale Elba 32, Portoferraio) , or take an ATL bus from Portoferraio bus station (Viale Elba 20, Portoferraio) , almost opposite the Toremar jetty.

PORTOFERRAIO

POP 12,182

Known to the Romans as Fabricia and later Ferraia (since it was a port for iron exports), this small harbour was acquired by Cosimo I de’ Medici in the mid-16th century, when the fortifications took shape.

It can be a hectic place in high season, but wandering the streets and steps of the historic centre, indulging in the exceptional eating options and bargaining for sardines with fishermen at the old port more than makes up for the squeeze.

Sights & Activities

Old Town HISTORICAL CENTRE

From the ferry terminal, it’s a bit less than a kilometre along the foreshore to the old town, a spiderweb of narrow streets and alleys held firmly in place by the town’s defining twinset of forts, Forte Falcone (closed) and the salmon-pink Forte Stella (Via della Stella; adult/child €2/1.50; 9am-7pm Easter-Sep) with deserted 16th-century ramparts to wander and scores of freewheeling seagulls.

Back by the water, Napoleon was ‘imprisoned’ in 1814 at the start of his fleeting exile on Elba in the 15th-century Torre del Martello by the port entrance – contemporary guide to the modest Museo Archeologica della Linguelle (Archaeological Museum; admission €3; 10am-1pm & 3.30-7.10pm Fri-Wed Apr-Oct) .

Museo Nazionale della Residenza

Napoleoniche HISTORICAL RESIDENCE

(Piazzale Napoleone; adult/child €3/1.50; 9am-7pm Mon & Wed-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun) Up on the bastions, between the two forts, is Villa dei Mulini or Palazzo dei Mulini, home to Napoleon during his stint as emperor of this small isle. With its splendid library, Italianate gardens and sea view, the emperor certainly didn’t want for creature comforts during his brief Elban exile – contrast his Elba lifestyle with the simplicity of his camp bed and travelling trunk when he was on the campaign trail.

Museo Villa Napoleonica di

San Martino HISTORICAL RESIDENCE

(San Martino; adult/parking €3/3; 9am-7pm Wed-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun) Set in hills about 5km southwest of town in San Martino, this villa – a remodelled farmhouse topped by a roof terrace with Napoleonic stone eagles – was where Napoleon occasionally dropped in to escape the city heat. After his death in 1851 a Russian nobleman had the rather overbearing gallery built at its base, now host to temporary Napoleon-related exhibitions.

A combined ticket covering both villas costs €5 and is valid for three days.

SCALINATA MEDICI

From Portoferraio’s central square, Piazza Cavour, head uphill along Via Giuseppe Garibaldi to the foot of this monumental staircase, a fabulous mirage of 140 wonky stone steps cascading up through every sunlit hue of amber to the dark, dimly lit church of 17th-century Chiesa della Misericordia (Via della Misericordia) guardian to Napoleon’s death mask. Continue to the top to reach the forts and Napoleonic villa.

Sleeping

Half-board is usually the only option in August and many hotels only open AprII to October. The best places to stay are a short drive from the town centre.

Rosselba Le Palme CAMPGROUND €

( 0565 93 31 01; www.rosselbalepalme.it; camping adult/tent/car €10.40/12.10/3.80; Apr–mid-Oct; ) Set around a botanical garden and considered one of Europe’s best campgrounds, this ‘camping village’ 9km east of Portoferraio town centre along the SP26 and SP28 is a green oasis of tropical palms. Among its many activities is diving taught by Jean-Jacques Mayol, son of legendary free diver Jacques Mayol of Big Blue fame.

Villa Ombrosa HOTEL €€

( 0565 91 43 63; www.villaombrosa.it; Via de Gasperi 3; d from €95; ) One of the very few Portoferraio hotels open year-round, Ombrosa has a great location overlooking the sea (ask for a sea-facing room; those overlooking the back garden aren’t half as nice) and Spiaggia delle Ghiaie (Ghiaie Beach).

Eating

Osteria Libertaria OSTERIA €€

( 0565 91 49 78; Calata Matteotti 12; meals €30; Apr-Oct) Plump on the waterfront across from the fishing boats, this stylish dining address cooks up an outstanding fish-driven cuisine. Dishes are simple – think a simple mixed platter of marinated fish, fried calamari or tonno in crosta di pistacchi (pistachio-encrusted tuna fillet) – but fresher than fresh and cooked to perfection every time. Dine at one of two tile-topped tables on the traffic-noisy street outside or on the back-alley terrace. No coffee.

II Castagnacciao PIZZERIA €

(Via del Mercato Vecchio 5; pizzas €4.50-8; 9am-2.30pm & 4.40-11pm Thu-Tue) Hidden in an alley near central square Piazza Cavour, this iconic address with bench seating at wooden tables centre is tantamount to no-frills pizza bliss. Watch your thin-crust, rectangular-shaped pizza go in and out the wood-fired oven and make sure you save space for dessert – castagnacci baked in the same oven. Big appetites can kick off the lip-smacking feast with torta di ceci (chickpea ‘cake’).

Information

Info Park Are@ ( 0565 91 94 14; www.islepark.it; cnr Viale Elba & Calata Italia; 9.30am-1.30pm & 3.30-7.30pm, closed Sun winter) Parco Nazionale Arcipelago Toscano information centre.

Tourist office ( 0565 91 46 71; www.isoleditoscana.it; Calata Italia 43; 9am-7pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat & Sun, shorter hr winter) Near the ferry port.

AROUND PORTOFERRAIO

Now this is what you call style: a walled estate on the seashore with a 17th-century farmhouse, an 18th-century villa, almost eight hectares of vineyards tumbling towards the sea, olive groves, palm trees and 10 self-catering apartments – some on the beach in former peasant-worker cottages. Upon landing on the island of Elba in 1814 it was at Tenuta La Chiusa ( 0565 93 30 46; www.tenutalachiusa.it; Magazzini 93, Portoferraio; d €65-120, up to 5 people €110-185, d per week €450-850, up to 5 people €750-1300; ) that Napoleon stayed the night before heading into Portoferraio to be received by the crowd.

Elba’s oldest winemaking estate, La Chuisa, 8km east of Portoferraio along the SP26 and SP28, really is unique. It arranges winetasting ( 8.30am-12.30pm & 4-8pm, shorter hr low season) and accommodation (minimum two/five nights September to July/August) and has a simple charm: guests can buy olive oII and wine direct from reception; and, should you not fancy cooking, beachside Ristorante Mare , open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, is a wonderful two-minute stroll away along the pebbly seashore.

MARCIANA

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From Portoferraio cruise 20km west along the coast to Marciana Marina , from where it’s another 9km inland to the island’s highest (375m) and oldest village. Park at the entrance to Marciana and follow Via delle Fonti and its continuation, Via delle Coste, out of the village to the Santuario della Madonna del Monte (627m) – a 40-minute uphill hike through scented parasol pine and chestnut forest. Fourteen Stations of the Cross pave the old mule track up to the pilgrimage site and the coastal panorama that unfolds as you get higher is remarkable. Play I Spy Corsica.

Back down in Marciana village, lunch à la Slow Food at Osteria del Noce ( 0565 90 12 85; Via della Madonna 27; meals €30; lunch & dinner daily) , a simple family-run place that cooks up a mean spaghetti laced with Granseolo Elbano (a large crab typical to Elba) and fritto del pescatore (local deep-fried fish served in brown paper). End the typical Elban feast with a wander around the village, past arches, flowerboxes and petite balconies to drop-offs revealing views of Marciana Marina and neighbouring Poggio below.

MONTE CAPANNE

If you only have time for just one road trip from Portoferraio, it has to be this: Some 750m south of Marciana on the road to Poggio, the Cabinovia Monte Capanne (Cableway; 0565 90 10 20; single/return €12/18; 10am-12.50pm & 2.20-5pm Easter-Nov) whisks walkers in open, barred cabins – akin to canary-yellow parrot cages – up the mountain to the summit of Elba’s highest point, Monte Capanne (1019m). Alight 20 minutes later at the top and hike a little further around the peak to savour an astonishing 360-degree panorama of the entire island, surrounding Tuscan archipelago, Etruscan Coast and Corsica.

TOP FIVE BEACH SPOTS

It pays to know your spiaggia (beach) given that the beaches along Elba’s 147km of coastline embrace every shade of sand, pebble and rock. The quietest, most select beaches are tucked in bijou rocky coves and involve a steep clamber down from the street. Predictably, parking is invariably roadside and scant. Surf Info Elba (www.infoelba.com) for a complete lowdown.

Enfola

Just 6km west of Portoferraio, it’s not so much the grey pebbles as the outdoor action that lures the crowds here in the shape of pedalos to rent, beachside Enfola Diving Center (www.enfoladivingcenter.it), and a family-friendly 2.5km-long circular hiking trail around the green cape. The Parco Nazionale Arcipelago Toscano ( 0565 91 94 11; 9am-1pm Mon & Fri, 2.30-4pm Tue & Thu) also has an information centre here.

Procchio

This small bustling beach town, 10km west of Portoferraio, has one of Elba’s longest stretches of golden sand and the island’s best gelato and Sicilian granita at Scalo 70 (Via del Mare 10; cones €2-4); try the rice ice cream or nut, fig and caramel .

Sansone & Sorgenta

This twinset of cliff-ensnared, white-shingle and pebble beaches stands out for its turquoise, crystal-clear waters just made for snorkelling and the naturally pretty campground, Camping La Sorgenta ( 0565 91 71 39; www.campinglasorgente.it; camping adult/tent/car €14/3/14, 4-person bungalows €60-150; reception 9am-9pm Apr–mid-Sep) , which staggers up the terraced hillside from the shore of Sorgenta. By car from Portoferraio, follow the SP27 to Enfola.

Morcone, Pareti & Innamorata

Find this trio of charming sandy-pebble coves framed by sweet-smelling pine and eucalyptus trees some 3km south of Capoliveri, on the southeastern part of the island. Rent a kayak and paddle out to sea on Innamorata, the wildest of the three; or dine fine and overnight on Pereti beach at Hotel Stella Maris ( 0565 96 84 25; www.albergostellamaris.com; half-board d €68-120 per person; ) , one of the few island hotels to be found plump on the sand.

Colle d’Orano & Fetovaia

Standout highlight of these two gorgeous swaths of golden sand on Elba’s western coast is the dramatic drive – not to be missed – along the SP25 that links the two. Legend has it that Napoleon frequented Colle d’Orano to sit and swoon over his native Corsica visible across the water. A heavenly scented, maquis-covered promontory protects sandy Fetovaia, where nudists flop on nearby granite rocks dubbed ‘le piscine’.

CENTRAL TUSCANY

When people imagine classic Tuscan countryside, they usually conjure up images of central Tuscany. However, there’s more to this popular region than gently rolling hills, sun-kissed vineyards and artistically planted avenues of cypress trees. Truth be told, the real gems here are the medieval towns and cities, most of which are Gothic and Renaissance time capsules magically transported to the modern day.

Siena

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The rivalry between historic adversaries Siena and Florence continues to this day, and participation isn’t limited to the locals – most travellers tend to develop a strong preference for one over the other. These allegiances often boII down to aesthetic preference: while Florence saw its greatest flourishing during the Renaissance, Siena’s enduring artistic glories are largely Gothic.

History

Legend tells us that Siena was founded by the son of Remus, and the symbol of the wolf feeding the twins Romulus and Remus is as ubiquitous in Siena as it is in Rome. In reality the city was probably of Etruscan origin, although it didn’t begin to grow into a proper town untII the 1st century BC, when the Romans established a military colony here called Sena Julia.

In the 12th century, Siena’s wealth, size and power grew along with its involvement in commerce and trade. Its rivalry with neighbouring Florence grew proportionately, leading to numerous wars during the first half of the 13th century between Guelph Florence and Ghibelline Siena. Eventually, Siena was forced to ally with its rival in 1270.

In the ensuing century the city was ruled by the CouncII of Nine (a bourgeois group constantly bickering with the aristocracy) and enjoyed its greatest prosperity.

A plague outbreak in 1348 killed two-thirds of Siena’s 100,000 inhabitants and led to a period of decline that culminated in the city being handed over to Cosimo I de’ Medici, who barred the inhabitants from operating banks and thus severely curtailed its power.

This centuries-long economic downturn in the wake of the Medici takeover was a blessing in disguise, as lack of funds meant that its city centre was subject to very little redevelopment or new construction. This has led to the historic centre’s listing on Unesco’s World Heritage list as the living embodiment of a medieval city.

Sights

Piazza del Campo PIAZZA

This sloping piazza, popularly known as II Campo, has been Siena’s civic and social centre for nearly 600 years. In the upper part of the square is the Fonte Gaia Offline map Google map (Happy Fountain), now clad in reproductions of the original white marble figures (1419) by Sienese sculptor Jacopo della Quercia. The recently restored originals are on show in the Complesso Museale Santa Maria della Scala.

The Campo is the undoubted heart of the city. Its magnificent pavement acts as an urban carpet on which students and tourists picnic and relax, and the cafes around the perimeter are the most popular aperitivo spots in town.

Siena

Top Sights

Complesso Museale Santa Maria della ScalaB4

Duomo B4

Palazzo Comunale C4

Pinacoteca Nazionale C5

Sights

1 Battistero di San Giovanni & CriptaB4

2  Casa Santuario di Santa Caterina B3

3  Chiesa di San Domenico A3

4  Fonte Gaia C3

5  Museo Civico C4

6  Museo dell'Opera B4

7  Oratorio di San Bernardino D1

Torre del Mangia (see 5)

Activities, Courses & Tours

8  Accademia Musicale Chigiana C4

9 Scuola Leonarda da VinciB2

10  Tuscan Wine School B5

Sleeping

11  Albergo Bernini B2

12  Antica Residenza Cicogna B2

13 Campo Regio RelaisB2

14  Hotel Alma Domus B3

Eating

15 Enoteca I TerziC3

16  Grom C3

17 Kopa Kabana 1C2

18 Kopa Kabana 2B5

19  Morbidi C2

20  Osteria Le Logge D3

21  Pasticceria Nannini C3

22  Pizzicheria de Miccoli C4

23  Tre Cristi C2

Drinking

24  Caffé Fiorella C3

Palazzo Comunale TOWN HALL

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This restrained early-14th century building is also known as the Palazzo Pubblico. Entry to the ground-floor central courtyard is free. From the palazzo soars its graceful bell tower, the Torre del Mangia Offline map Google map (admission €8; 10am-7pm Mar–mid-Oct, to 4pm mid-Oct–Feb) , 102m high and with 500-odd steps. The views from the top are magnificent.

Museo Civico MUSEUM

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(Palazzo Comunale; adult/reduced €8/4.50; 10am-7pm mid-Mar–Oct, to 6pm Nov–mid-Mar) Many visitors enter the courtyard of the Palazzo Comunale and climb the Torre del Mangia, but end up bypassing this museum on the 1st floor. Make sure you don’t do the same.

The collection includes Simone Martini’s famous Maestà (Virgin Mary in Majesty; 1315–16), the artist’s first known canvas. Opposite it is another work attributed to Martini, his oft-reproduced fresco (1328–30) of Guidoriccio da Fogliano, a captain of the Sienese army.

Next door, in the Sala della Pace where the CouncII of Nine was based, is the most important secular painting of the Renaissance, Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s fresco cycle known as the Allegories of Good and Bad Government (c 1337–40). In it, Lorenzetti contrasts the harmony and prosperity that arises from good government with an – alas, much deteriorated – depiction of the privations and trials of those subject to bad rule.

Opera della Metropolitana di Siena DUOMO

Siena’s duomo is one of one of Italy’s greatest Gothic churches, and is the focal point of this important group of ecclesiastical buildings (www.operaduomo.siena.it; Piazza del Duomo).

Construction of the duomo (admission €3, audioguide adult/child €5/3; 10.30am-8pm Mon-Sat, 1.30-6pm Sun Jun-Aug, shorter hr rest of year) started in 1215 and work continued well into the 14th century. The magnificent facade of white, green and red polychrome marble was designed by Giovanni Pisano (the statues of philosophers and prophets are copies; you’ll find Pisano’s originals in the Museo dell’Opera Metropolitana).

The interior features a magnificent inlaid marble floor decorated with 56 panels depicting historical and biblical subjects. The most valuable are kept covered and are revealed only from late August to late October each year (admission is €6 during this period).

Other drawcards include the exquisitely crafted marble and porphyry pulpit by Nicola Pisano, assisted by Arnolfo di Cambio, who later designed the duomo in Florence.

Through a door from the north aisle is the enchanting Libreria Piccolomini , built to house the books of Enea Silvio Piccolomini, better known as Pius II. The walls of the small hall are decorated with vividly coloured narrative frescoes (1502–07) painted by Bernardino Pinturicchio.

On the right-hand (eastern) side of the duomo is the Museo dell’Opera Offline map Google map (admission €6; 9.30am-7pm Mar-May & Sep-Oct, to 8pm Jun-Aug, 10am-7pm Nov-Feb) . Its highlight is Duccio di Buoninsegna’s striking Maestà ( 1311), which was painted on both sides as a screen for the duomo ’s high altar. The main painting portrays the Virgin surrounded by angels, saints and prominent Sienese citizens of the period; the rear panels (sadly incomplete) portray scenes from the Passion of Christ.

Behind the duomo and down a steep flight of steps is the Offline map Google map Battistero di San Giovanni (Baptistry; Piazza San Giovanni; admission €3; 9.30am-7pm Mar-May, to 8pm Jun-Aug, to 7pm Sep-Oct) , richly decorated with frescoes and featuring a hexagonal marble font by Jacopo della Quercia. The font is decorated with bronze panels depicting the life of St John the Baptist by artists including Lorenzo Ghiberti and Donatello.

Accessed through the baptistry is the Cripta (Crypt; admission incl audioguide €6; 9.30am-7pm Mar-May, to 8pm Jun-Aug, to 7pm Sep-Oct) , a room below the cathedral’s pulpit that was discovered in 1999. Its walls are completely covered with pintura a secco (‘dry painting’) dating back to the 1200s.

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR EURO

If you are planning on visiting Siena’s major monuments, be sure to purchase a money-saving combined pass:

» SIA Summer (Museo Civico, Santa Maria della Scala, Museo dell’Opera, Battistero di San Giovanni, Oratorio di San Bernadino and Chiesa di San Agostino; €17, valid for seven days during period 15 March to 31 October)

» OPA SI Pass (Duomo, Museo dell’Opera, Battistero di San Giovanni, Cripta and Oratorio di San Bernardino; €10, valid for three days)

» SIA Winter (Museo Civico, Santa Maria della Scala, Duomo, Museo dell’Opera and Battistero di San Giovanni; €14, valid for seven days during period 1 November to 14 March)

» Museo Civico and Torre del Mangia (€13)

» Musei Comunali (Museo Civico and Santa Maria della Scala; €11, valid for two days)

The OPA SI Pass can be booked in advance at www.operaduomo.siena.it; all other passes are purchased directly from the museums.

Complesso Museale Santa Maria

della Scala CULTURAL CENTRE

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(www.santamariadellascala.com; Piazza del Duomo 1; adult/reduced €6/3.50; 10.30am-6.30pm) This former hospital, parts of which date to the 13th century, was built as a hospice for pilgrims travelling the Via Francigena but soon expanded its remit to shelter abandoned children and care for the poor. Located directly opposite the duomo, it now functions as a cultural centre and houses three museums – the Archaeological Museum, Art Museum for Children and Center of Contemporary Art (SMS Contemporanea) – as well as a variety of historic halls, chapels and temporary exhibition spaces. Though the atmospheric Archaeological Museum housed in the basement tunnels is impressive, the complex’s undoubted highlight is the upstairs Pellegrinaio (Pilgrim’s Hall), with vivid 15th-century frescoes by Lorenzo Vecchietta, Priamo della Quercia and Domenico di Bartolo lauding the good works of the hospital and its patrons. The building’s medieval fienile (hayloft) on level three houses Jacopo della Quercia’s original Fonte Gaia sculptures.

Pinacoteca Nazionale ART GALLERY

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(Via San Pietro 29; adult/reduced €4/2; 8.15am-7.15pm Tue-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun & Mon) Occupying the once grand but now sadly dishevelled 14th-century Palazzo Buonsignori, this labyrinthine gallery showcases what is probably the world’s most impressive collection of Sienese art work. The highlights are all on the 2nd floor: oom 3 has Duccio’s polyptych Madonna col Bambino e I Santi (Madonna with Child and Saints, 1305) and Simone Martini’s Madonna col Bambino (Madonna with Child, c1321); Room 5 has Martini’s II Beato Agostino altarpiece (The Blessed Agostino, 1324); Room 7 houses Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s luminous Annunciazione (Annunciation, 1343–44); and Room 11 has Taddeo di Bartolo’s Annunciazione di Maria Vergine (The Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, 1409).

Chiesa di San Domenico CHURCH

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(Piazza San Domenico; 9am-12.30pm & 3-7pm) The city’s patron saint was welcomed into the Dominican fold within this imposing church, and its Cappella di Santa Caterina is adorned with frescoes by Sodoma depicting events in her life. Catherine died in Rome, where most of her body is preserved, but her head was returned to Siena (it’s in a 15th-century tabernacle above the altar in the cappella ), as was her desiccated thumb (in a small window box to the right of the chapel).

For more of Santa Caterina – figuratively speaking – visit the Casa Santuario di Santa Caterina Offline map Google map (Costa di Sant’Antonio 6; admission free; 9am-6.30pm Mar-Nov, 10am-6pm Dec-Feb) , where the saint was born and where she lived with her parents and, according to legend, 24 siblings. As the locals say, her mother must have been a saint, too!

For information about guided and self-guided walking tours of St Catherine’s Siena, go to www.viaesiena.it

Oratorio di San Bernardino ART GALLERY

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(www.operaduomo.siena.it; Piazza San Francesco 9; admission €3; 1pm-7pm mid-Mar-Oct) Nestled in the shadow of the huge Gothic church of San Francesco is this 15th-century oratory, which is dedicated to another Sienese saint and decorated with mannerist frescoes by Sodoma, Beccafumi and Pacchia. Upstairs, the small Museo Diocesano di Arte Sacra has some lovely paintings, including a Madonna del Latte (Nursing Madonna, c 1340) by Ambrogio Lorenzetti. Note that admission to the oratory is included in the OPA SI Pass.

Courses

Accademia Musicale Chigiana MUSIC

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( 0577 2 20 91; www.chigiana.it; Via di Città 89) Offers competitive-entry classical music masterclasses and workshops every summer.

Fondazione Siena Jazz MUSIC

( 0577 27 14 01; www.sienajazz.it; Fortezza Medicea 1) One of Europe’s foremost institutions of its type offering courses and workshops for experienced jazz musicians.

Scuola Leonardo da Vinci LANGUAGE

( 057 724 90 97; www.scuolaleonardo.com; Via del Paradiso 16) Italian-language school with supplementary cultural programs.

Società Dante Alighieri LANGUAGE

( 057 74 95 33; www.dantealighieri.com; Via Tommaso Pendola 37) Language and cultural courses southwest of the city centre.

Tuscan Wine School WINE

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( 333 7229716; www.tuscanwineschool.com; Via Stalloreggi 26) Two-hour wine-tasting classes introducing Italian and Tuscan wines (€40).

Università per Stranieri LANGUAGE

(University for Foreigners; 0577 24 03 02; www.unistrasi.it; Piazza Carlo Rosselli 27/28) Offers various courses in Italian language and culture. You’ll find it near the train station.

Tours

Ninety-minute walking tours in English and Spanish leave from Piazza Gramsci at 1pm daily (€15 per person). From Easter through to October there are also extra two-hour tours in English and Italian (€20 including entry ticket to the duomo ) departing from outside the tourist office in the Campo. Advance bookings aren’t necessary. For details contact the tourist office.

Festivals & Events

The Accademia Musicale Chigiana presents three highly regarded series of concerts featuring classical musicians from around the world: Micat in Vertice from AprII to May, Settimana Musicale Senese in July and Estate Musicale Chigiana between July and September.

The Associazione Musicale Quattro Quarti (www.quattroquarti.org) stages the Musica Senese – La Primavera Senese chamber music festival in AprII and May.

For more information about events, go to www.informacitta.net and download the Siena-specific PDF on the home page.

II PALIO

Dating from the Middle Ages, this spectacular annual event stages a series of colourful pageants and a wild horse race on 2 July and 16 August. Ten of Siena’s 17 contrade (town districts) compete for the coveted palio (silk banner). Each contrada has its own traditions, symbol and colours plus its own church and palio museum.

From about 5pm, representatives from each contrada parade around the Campo in historical costume, all bearing their individual banners.

The race is held at 7.45pm in July and 7pm in August. For scarcely one exhilarating minute, the 10 horses and their bareback riders tear three times around a temporary dirt racetrack with a speed and violence that makes spectators’ hair stand on end.

Join the crowds in the centre of the Campo at least four hours before the start if you want a place on the rails, but be aware that once there you won’t be able to leave untII the race has finished. Alternatively, the cafes in the Campo sell places on their terraces; these cost between €350 and €400 per ticket, and can be booked through the tourist office up to one year in advance.

Note that during the Palio, hotels raise their rates between 10% and 50% and enforce a minimum-stay requirement.

Sleeping

Campo Regio Relais BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€€

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( 0577 22 20 73; www.camporegio.com; Via della Sapienza 25; s €150-220, d €190-250, ste €250-450; ) Siena’s most charming hotel has only six rooms, all of which are individually decorated and luxuriously equipped. Breakfast is served in the sumptuously decorated lounge or on the terrace, which has a sensational view of the duomo and Torre del Mangia.

Palazzo Ravizza HOTEL €€

( 0577 28 04 62; www.palazzoravizza.com; Pian dei Mantellini 34; r €75-230, ste €150-320; ) Occupying a Renaissance-era palazzo located in a quiet but convenient corner of the city, this impressive hotel offers rooms with frescoed ceilings, huge beds and small but well-equipped bathrooms. Suites are even more impressive, with views over the delightful rear garden. The three cheapest rooms are in the attic, with small windows and even smaller bathrooms.

Hotel Alma Domus HOTEL €

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( 0577 4 41 77; www.hotelalmadomus.it; Via Camporegio 37; s €40-45, d €65-75; ) Owned by the Catholic diocese and still home to eight Dominican nuns who act as guardians at the Casa Santuario di Santa Caterina (located in the same complex), this convent is now privately operated as a budget hotel. Most of the simple but spotlessly clean rooms have views over the narrow green Fontebranda valley across to the duomo . There’s a 1am curfew.

Hotel Villa Liberty HOTEL €€

( 0577 4 49 66; www.villaliberty.it; Viale Vittorio Veneto 11; s €55-85, d €89-159; ) Located in a tree-lined boulevard opposite the Fortezza Medicea, this Liberty-style villa has been converted into a 17-room hotel and is one of the city’s best midrange choices. Though the Campo is only a 15-minute walk away, the area is less touristy than the historic centre and there is free (but highly contested) parking right outside the hotel. Rooms are light and modern.

Antica Residenza Cicogna B&B €€

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( 0577 28 56 13; www.anticaresidenzacicogna.it; Via dei Termini 67; s €70-75, d €85-100, ste €120-130; ) Charming host Elisa supervised the recent restoration of this 13th-century building and will happily recount its history (it’s been owned by her family for generations). The seven rooms are clean and well maintained, with comfortable beds, painted ceilings and tiled floors.

Albergo Bernini PENSIONE €

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( 0577 28 90 47; www.albergobernini.com; Via della Sapienza 15; s €78, d without bathroom €75, d €85, f without bathroom €115; ) A welcoming, family-run hotel with clean and neat rooms and a gorgeous terrace sporting views across to the duomo and Chiesa di San Domenico. The downsides are uncomfortable beds and the fact that only two rooms – the single and triple – have air-con. Rates are negotiable in winter and payment is cash only; breakfast costs €3 to €7.50.

Palazzo Bruchi B&B €€

( 0577 28 73 42; www.palazzobruchi.it; Via di Pantaneto 105; s €80-90, d €90-150; ) Host Camilla Masignani goes out of her way to make guests feel at home at her six-roomed B&B in a 17th-century palazzo close to the Campo. It’s one of the few places in Siena where one wakes up to church bells and chirping birds rather than street noise (rooms overlook the Fontebranda valley).

Camping Colleverde Siena CAMPGROUND €

( 0577 33 25 45; www.campingcolleverde.com; Strada di Scacciapensieri 47; camping 2 people, tent & car €33.70, tw mobile home €45-65; Mar–early Jan; ) Three kilometres north of the historical centre, this popular place rents standard campsites as well as mobile homes, some with full kitchens. Buses 3 and 8 travel between the campground, the train station and the city centre. Wi-fi is €4 per day.

Eating & Drinking

Enoteca I Terzi MODERN ITALIAN €€

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( 0577 4 43 29; www.enotecaiterzi.it; Via dei Termini 7; meals €39; 11am-1am Mon-Sat) Close to the Campo but off the well-beaten tourist trail, this classy modern enoteca is a favourite with bankers from the nearby headquarters of the Monte dei Paschi di Siena bank, who love to linger over their working lunches of light-as-air fried baccalá (cod), handmade pasta, flavoursome risotto and succulent grilled meats.

Tre Cristi SEAFOOD €€

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( 0577 28 06 08; www.trecristi.com; Vicola di Provenzano 1-7; 4-course tasting menus €35-40, 6-course menus €60; closed Sun) Seafood restaurants are thin on the ground in this meat-obsessed region, so the long existence of Tre Cristi (it’s been around since 1830) should be heartily celebrated. The menu here is as elegant as the decor, and added touches such as a complimentary glass of prosecco (dry sparkling wine) at the start of the meal add to the experience. Dishes are delicate and delicious, and the tasting menus offer excellent value.

Morbidi DELI €

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(Via Banchi di Sopra 75; 9am-8pm Mon-Sat) Local gastronomes shop here, as the range of cheese, cured meats and imported delicacies is the best in Siena. If you are self-catering you can join them, but make sure you also investigate the downstairs lunch buffet (€12; 12.30-2.30pm) , which offers fantastic value. Choose from platters of antipasti, salads, pastas and a dessert of the day – it’s perfectly acceptable to return for second helpings.

Osteria Le Logge MODERN ITALIAN €€€

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( 0577 4 80 13; www.osterialelogge.it; Via del Porrione 33; meals €55; closed Sun) This place changes its menu of creative Tuscan cuisine almost daily. The best tables are in the downstairs dining room – once a pharmacy and still retaining its handsome display cabinets – or on the streetside terrace. The antipasti and primi are consistently delicious, but mains can be disappointing. There’s a wonderful wine list.

Enoteca Italiana WINE BAR €€

(www.enoteca-italiana.it; Fortezza Medicea; noon-1am Mon-Sat Apr-Sep, to midnight Oct-Mar) The former munitions cellar and dungeon of this Medici fortress has been artfully transformed into a classy enoteca that carries over 1500 Italian labels. You can take a bottle with you, ship a case home or enjoy a glass or two in the attractive courtyard or atmospheric vaulted interior.

Grom GELATERIA €

(www.grom.it; Via Banchi di Sopra 11-13; gelati €2.50-5; 11am-midnight Sun-Thu, to 1am Fri & Sat summer, 11am-11pm Sun-Thu, to midnight Fri & Sat winter) Delectable gelato with flavours that change with the season; many of the ingredients are organic or Slow Food– accredited. Also serves milkshakes.

Kopa Kabana GELATERIA €

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(www.gelateriakopakabana.it; Via dei Rossi 52-55; gelati €1.70-2.30; 11am-midnight mid-Feb–mid-Nov) Come here for fresh gelato made by self-proclaimed ice-cream master, Fabio (we’re pleased to concur). There’s a second location at Via San Pietro 20, close to the Pinacoteca Nazionale.

Pizzicheria de Miccoli DELI €

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(Via di Città 93-95; 8am-8pm) Richly scented, de Miccoli has windows festooned with sausages, stacks of cheese and porcini mushrooms by the sackful. It also sells filled panini to go.

Pasticceria Nannini CAFE €

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(24 Via Banchi di Sopra; 7.30am-11pm) Come here for the finest cenci (fried sweet pastry), panforte (a rich cake of almonds, honey and candied fruit) and ricciarelli (almond biscuits) in town, enjoyed with a coffee.

Caffè Fiorella CAFE €

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(www.torrefazionefiorella.it; Via di Città 13; 7am-8pm Mon-Sat) Squeeze into this tiny space behind the Campo to enjoy Siena’s best coffee. In summer, the coffee granita with a dollop of cream is a wonderful indulgence.

Shopping

Wednesday market MARKET

( 7.30am-1pm) Spreading around Fortezza Medicea and towards the Stadio Comunale, this is one of Tuscany’s largest markets and is great for foodstuffs and cheap clothing.

Information

Hospital ( 0577 58 51 11; Viale Bracci) Just north of Siena at Le Scotte.

Police station ( 0577 20 11 11; Via del Castoro 6)

Tourist office ( 0577 28 05 51; www.terresiena.it; Piazza del Campo 56; 9am-7pm) Reserves accommodation, sells a map of Siena (€0.50), organises car and scooter hire, and sells train tickets.

Getting There & Away

Bus

Siena Mobilità ( 800 570530; www.sienamobilita.it), part of the Tiemme ( 0577 20 42 46; www.tiemmespa.it) network, runs services between Siena and other parts of Tuscany. It has a ticket office ( 6.30am-7.30pm Mon-Fri, 7am-7.30pm Sat & Sun) underneath the main bus station in Piazza Gramsci; there’s also a left-luggage office here (per 24 hours €5.50).

Frequent ‘Corse Rapide’ (Express) buses race up to Florence (€7.10, 1¼ hours); they are a better option than the ‘Corse Ordinarie’ services, which stop in Poggibonsi and Colle di Val d’Elsa en route. Other regional destinations include the following.

San Gimignano (€5.50, one to 1½ hours, 10 daily either direct or changing in Poggibonsi)

Montalcino (€3.65, 1½ hours, six daily)

Poggibonsi (€3.95, 50 minutes, every 40 minutes)

Montepulciano (€5.15, 1¾ hours)

Arezzo (€5.40, 1½ hours, eight daily)

Colle di Val d’Elsa (€2.70, 30 minutes, hourly) Connections for Volterra (€2.75)

Sena ( 861 1991900; www.sena.it) buses run to/from Rome (€21, 3½ hours, eight daily), Milan (€35, 4¼ hours, four daily), Venice (€28, 5¼ hours, two daily) and Perugia (€12, 90 minutes, one daily). Its ticket office ( 8.30am-7.45pm Mon-Sat) is also underneath the bus station.

Car & Motorcycle

For Florence, take the RA3 (Siena–Florence superstrada ) or the more attractive SR222.

Train

Siena isn’t on a major train line so buses are generally a better alternative. You’ll need to change at Chiusi for Rome and at Empoli for Florence.

Getting Around

To/From the Airport A Siena Mobilità bus travels between Pisa airport and Siena (one way/return, €14/26, two hours), leaving Siena at 7.10am and Pisa at 1pm. Tickets should be purchased at least one day in advance from the bus station or online.

My Tour ( 0577 23 63 30; www.mytours.it) operates a shuttle service between Florence airport and Siena twice daily (one way/return, €30/50, two hours). Tickets can be booked through the tourist office.

Bus Siena Mobilità operates city bus services (€1 per 90 minutes). Buses 9 and 10 run between the train station and Piazza Gramsci.

Car & Motorcycle There’s a ZTL (Zona a Traffico Limitato) in the historic centre, although visitors can drop off luggage at their hotel, then get out (don’t forget to have reception report your licence number or risk receiving a hefty fine).

There are large, conveniently located car parks at the Stadio Comunale and around the Fortezza Medicea, both just north of Piazza San Domenico. Some free street parking (look for white lines) is available in Viale Vittorio Veneto, on the southern edge of the Fortezza Medicea, but it is hotly contested. The paid car parks at San Francesco and Santa Caterina (aka Fontebranda) each have a scala mobile (escalator) to take you up into the centre.

All paid car parks charge €1.60 per hour. For more information on parking, go to www.sienaparcheggi.com (in Italian).

Chianti

The ancient vineyards in this postcard-perfect part of Tuscany produce the grapes used in Chianti Classico, a Sangiovese-dominated drop sold under the Gallo Nero (Black Cockerel/Rooster) trademark.

Split between the provinces of Florence (Chianti Fiorentino) and Siena (Chianti Sienese), Chianti is usually accessed via the SR222 (Via Chiantigiana) and is criss-crossed by a picturesque network of strade provinciale (provincial roads) and strade secondaria (secondary roads), some of which are unsealed. You’ll pass immaculately maintained vineyards and olive groves, honey-coloured stone farmhouses, graceful Romanesque pieve (rural churches), handsome Renaissance villas and imposing castles built by Florentine and Sienese warlords during the Middle Ages.

For information about the Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico (the high-profile consortium of local producers), go to www.chiantclassico.com. For a handy guide to events in the region, go to www.classico-e.it.

GREVE IN CHIANTI

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Located 26km south of Florence, Greve is the main town in the Chianti Fiorentino. As well as being the hub of the local wine industry, it is home to the enthusiastic and entrepreneurial Falorni family, who operate the town’s three main tourist attractions.

Greve’s annual wine fair is held in the first or second week of September – make sure that you book accommodation well in advance if you plan to visit at this time.

Sights & Activities

Museo del Vino MUSEUM

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(www.museovino.it; Piazza Nino Tirinnanzi 10; adult/reduced €5/4; 11am-6pm Mon-Sat mid-Mar–mid-Oct) Opened in 2010, this privately established and operated museum is a labour of love by Lorenzo and Stefano Falorni, who have spent over 40 years documenting the history of the local wine industry and adding to their father’s collection of artefacts and materials associated with it. The audioguide (included in entry fee) provides a fascinating narrative, as does an interview-based audiovisual presentation.

Le Cantine di Greve in Chianti WINE BAR

(www.lecantine.it; Piazza delle Cantine 2; 10am-7pm) Another Falorni family enterprise, this vast commercial enoteca stocks more than 1200 varieties of wine. To indulge in some of the 140 different wines available for tasting here (including Super Tuscans, top DOCs and DOCGs, Vin Santo and grappa), buy a prepaid wine card costing €10 to €25 from the central bar, stick it into one of the many taps and out trickles your tipple of choice. Any unused credit will be refunded when you return the card. It’s fabulous fun, though somewhat distressing for designated drivers. To find the cantine, look for the supermarket on the main road – it’s down a staircase opposite the supermarket entrance.

Antica Macellerìa Falorni FOOD

(www.falorni.it; Piazza Matteotti 71; 8am-1pm & 3.30-7.30pm Mon-Sat, 10am-1pm & 3.30-7pm Sun) This atmospheric macellerìa (butcher shop) in the main square was established by the Fallornis way back in 1729. Known for its finocchiona briciolona (pork salami made with fennel seeds and Chianti), it’s the perfect pit stop if you’re after picnic provisions.

Information

Tourist office ( 055 854 62 99; www.comune.greve-in-chianti.fi.it/ps/s/info-turismo; Piazza Matteotti 11; 10am-1pm & 2-7pm Mon-Fri, & Sat May-Sep) Reasonably helpful but only open over summer.

Getting There & Around

Bus SITA buses travel between Greve and Florence (€3.30, one hour, hourly).

Car & Motorcycle Be sure to purchase a copy of Le strade del Gallo Nero (€2), a useful map of the wine-producing zone that’s sold by local tourist offices.

There is free parking in the two-level open-air car park on Piazza della Resistenza, on the opposite side of the main road to Piazza Matteotti.

AROUND GREVE IN CHIANTI

A narrow and very steep road leads from Greve up to the medieval village of Montefioralle , the ancestral home of Amerigo Vespucci (1415–1512). An explorer, navigator and cartographer who made two early voyages to America following the route charted by Columbus, Vespucci wrote excitedly about the New World on his return to Europe, inspiring cartographer Martin Waldseemüller (creator of the 1507 Universalis Cosmographia ) to name the new continent in his honour.

The 11th-century Badia di Passignano located 6km west of Montefioralle is owned by the Antinoris, one of Tuscany’s oldest and most prestigious winemaking families, and is surrounded by vines and olive trees. At the time of research, the main building was undergoing a major restoration; its refectory (home to a 15th-century fresco of The Last Supper by Domenico and Davide Ghirlandaio) and cloisters will be open to the public when the restoration is complete.

There are a number of options if you are keen to take a guided wine tour ( 055 807 12 78; www.osteriadipassignano.com), including the ‘Antinori and Badia a Passignano’ tour (€150; Monday to Wednesday and Friday to Saturday at 11.15am), which includes a tasting of four estate wines followed by a three-course lunch in the estate’s restaurant; and the ‘Antinori and the Osteria’ tour (€200; Monday to Wednesday and Friday to Saturday at 5.45pm), which includes a tasting of four estate wines plus a five-course dinner. Alternatively, you can enjoy a tour of the cellars and a paid tasting of four wines (€80; Monday to Saturday at 4pm). Bookings for all of these tours are essential. It’s also possible to taste and purchase Antinori wines and olive oII at La Bottega ( 10am-6.30pm Mon-Sat) , the estate’s wine shop. You don’t need to make a reservation for this.

The castle at Castello di Verrazzano ( 055 85 42 43; www.verrazzano.com) wine estate 3km north of Greve was once home to Giovanni da Verrazzano (1485–1528), who explored the North American coast and is commemorated in New York by the Verrazano Narrows bridge (the good captain lost a ‘z’ from his name somewhere in the mid-Atlantic). Today, the castle presides over a 220-hectare historic estate where Chianti Classico, Vin Santo, grappa, honey, olive oII and balsamic vinegar are produced. There are four guided tours on offer (€14 to €110), including one that transports you to and from Florence and includes a private guide and lunch with estate wines. Details are on the website.

CYCLING CHIANTI

Exploring Chianti by bicycle is a highlight for many travellers. You can rent bicycles from Ramuzzi ( 055 85 30 37; www.ramuzzi.com; Via Italo Stecchi 23; touring bike/125cc scooter per day €20/55; 9am-1pm & 3-7pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat) in Greve in Chianti.

A number of companies offer guided cycling tours leaving from Florence.

» Florence by Bike ( 055 48 89 92; www.florencebybike.it; Via San Zanobi 120r) Day tour of northern Chianti including lunch and wine tasting (March to October, €74).

» I Bike Florence ( 055 012 39 94; www.ibikeflorence.com; Via de’ Lamberti 1) Two-day guided tour from Florence to Siena (including one night’s accommodation, two lunches and one dinner, €329) every Monday and Thursday between AprII and October.

» I Bike Italy ( 055 012 39 94; www.ibikeflorence.com; Via de’ Lamberti 1) Jointly runs the two-day tour with I Bike Florence, but also offers a day tour including lunch at a winery (March to October, €80). Students receive a 10% discount.

» I Bike Tuscany ( 335 8120769; www.ibiketuscany.com) Year-round one-day tours (€110 to €140) for riders at every skill level. The company transports you from your Florence hotel to Chianti by minibus, where you join the tour. Both hybrid and electric bikes are available, as is a support vehicle.

CASTELLINA IN CHIANTI

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Though it is now the major town in the Chianti Senese, Castellina was once one of the three towns in the Lega del Chianti, a military and administrative alliance within the city-state of Florence (the others members were Gaiole and Radda). Established by the Etruscans and fortified by the Florentines in the 15th century as a defensive outpost against the Sienese, it is now a major centre of the wine industry, as the huge cylindrical silos brimming with Chianti Classico attest. There’s not much to do here other than walk through the compact centre of town, pop into the small museum and visit Antica Fattoria la Castellina (Via Ferruccio 26) , the town’s best-known wine shop.

From the southern car park, follow Via Ferruccio or the panoramic path under the town’s eastern defensive walls to access the atmospheric Via delle Volte , an arched passageway that was originally used for ancient sacred rites and later enclosed with a roof and incorporated into the Florentine defensive structure.

Sights

Museo Archeologico del Chianti Sienese MUSEUM

(www.museoarcheologicochianti.it; Piazza del Comune 18; adult/reduced €5/3; 11am-7pm daily Apr-Oct, 11am-5pm Sat & Sun Nov-Mar) Etruscan archaeological finds from the local area are on display at this museum located in the town’s medieval roccca (fortress). Room 4 showcases artefacts found in the Etruscan tombs of Montecalvario (Ipogeo Etrusco di Monte Calvario; admission free; always open) , which are located on the northern edge of town off the SR222.

Information

The helpful InCHIANTI tourist office ( 0577 74 13 92; www.essenceoftuscany.it; Via Ferruccio 40; 9am-1pm Mon-Sat, 2-6pm Mon-Tue & Thu-Sat mid-Mar–Oct, closed Nov–mid-Mar) can book visits to wineries and cellars. It also provides maps, accommodation suggestions and other information.

Getting There & Around

Bus Siena Mobilità (www.sienamobilita.it) buses travel between Castellina and Siena (€2.55, 35 minutes, 10 daily).

Car & Motorcycle The most convenient car park is at the southern edge of town off Via IV Novembre (€1/5 per hour/day).

Train It’s possible to access Castellina from Florence by train (€5.80, 90 minutes, hourly), but you’ll need to change trains in Empoli.

Sleeping

Fattoria di Rignana AGRITURISMO €€

( 055 85 20 65; www.rignana.it; Val di Rignana 15, Rignana; s/d in fattoria €100/110, s/d in villa €120/140; ) This old farmstead and noble villa 3.8km from Badia di Passignano has everything you’ll need for the perfect Chianti experience – an historic setting, glorious views, a large swimming pool and walking access to a decent local cantina . Two accommodation options are on offer: elegant rooms in the 17th-century villa and more rustic rooms in the adjoining fattoria (farmhouse).

Villa I Barronci HOTEL €€

( 055 82 05 98; www.villaibarronci.com; Via Sorripa 10, San Casciano in Val di Pesa; s €85-150, d €115-230; ) Located on the northwestern edge of Chianti between Florence and Pisa, this extremely comfortable modern country hotel offers exemplary service and amenities. You can relax in the bar and restaurant, rejuvenate in the spa, laze by the pool or head off for easy day trips to Volterra, San Gimignano and Siena.

Agrifuturismo AGRITURISMO €

( 339 501 9849; www.agrifuturismo.com; Strada San Silvestro 11, Barberino Val d’Elsa; 2-/4-/6-person apt €70/120/140; ) Woods filled with oak, juniper, cypress and pine trees sit next to ancient terraces of olive trees on this farm estate 13km southwest of Greve. The apartments are charming, with a strong and attractive design ethos, and sustainable features such as solar panels, rain collection and recycling are utilised. No credit cards; and minimum three-night stay.

Ostello del Chianti HOSTEL €

( 055 805 02 65; www.ostellodelchianti.it; Via Roma 137, Tavernelle Val Di Pesa; dm €16.50, d without bathroom €39, d €50; reception 8.30-11am & 4pm-midnight, hostel closed mid-Mar–Oct; ) This is one of Italy’s oldest hostels (it’s been going strong since the 1950s). Staff members are extremely friendly, dorms max out at six beds and bike hire can be arranged for €10 per day. Breakfast costs €2. Florence is easily accessed by SITA bus (one hour; €3.30).

Eating & Drinking

Osteria di Passignano GASTRONOMIC €€€

( 055 807 12 78; www.osteriadipassignano.com; Via di Passignano 33; meals €70, tasting menus €65; closed Sun) This elegant dining room on the Antinori Estate at Badia di Passignano is one of Tuscany’s most impressive restaurants. The delectable food utilises local produce and is decidedly Tuscan in inspiration, but its execution is refined rather than rustic.

L’Antica Macelleria Cecchini TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

(www.dariocecchini.com, Via XX Luglio 11, Panzano in Chianti; 9am-2pm Mon-Thu & Sun, to 6pm Fri & Sat) The small town of Panzano southwest of Greve is known throughout Italy for this macellerìa , which is owned and run by extrovert butcher Dario Cecchini. This Tuscan celebrity has carved out a niche for himself as a poetry-spouting guardian of the bistecca (steak) and other Tuscan meaty treats, and he operates three eateries here as well as the macellerìa Officina della Bistecca ( 055 85 21 76; set menus €50; dinner 8pm Tue, Fri & Sat, lunch 1pm Sun) , with a simple set menu built around the famous bistecca ; Solociccia ( 055 85 27 27; set menus €30; dinner Thu, Fri & Sat 7pm & 9pm, lunch 1pm Sun) , where guests share a communal table to sample meat dishes other than bistecca ; and Dario + (burger with vegetables & potatoes €10, light menus €20; lunch Mon-Sat) , his casual lunchtime-only eatery. Book ahead for the Officina and Solociccia.

La Locanda di Pietracupa GASTRONOMIC €€

( 055 807 24 00; www.locandapietracupa.com; Via Madonna di Pietracupa 31, San Donato in Poggio; meals €40; closed Tue) The prices at this restaurant near the late-Renaissance sanctuary of the Madonna di Pietracupa are remarkably reasonable considering the quality of the modern Tuscan cuisine on offer. You can enjoy a long lunch on the pretty outdoor terrace, or book one of the four B&B rooms (s/d €70/80; ) in advance and settle in for an indulgent dinner in the elegant dining room.

La Cantinetta di Passignano WINE BAR €€

( 055 807 19 75; www.lacantinettadipassignano.com; Via di Greve 1a, Badia di Passignano; meals €30; closed Wed) Lolling on a designer couch in the garden of this recently opened wine bar/restaurant is a perfect way to while away an hour or two in the late afternoon. The vineyard views are gorgeous, and the antipasto platters are a perfect accompaniment to the wines and designer beers on offer.

II Giglio GELATERIA €

(Via del Giglio 13, San Donato in Poggio; gelati €1.50-4; 3pm-midnight Mon-Fri, 11.30am-midnight Sat & Sun) The fortified medieval village of San Donato is on the RA3 (Siena–Florence superstrada ), close to Tavarnelle in Val di Pesa and a short drive from Badia di Passignano. It has three claims to fame: a charming main street with a Renaissance palace; a beautiful 12th-century pieve; and this gelateria (try the fig and ricotta flavour).

Val d’Elsa

A convenient base for visiting the rest of Tuscany, this valley stretching from Chianti to the Maremma can be relied upon to tick many of the boxes on your Tuscan ‘must-do’ list, with plenty of opportunities to enjoy food, wine, museums and scenery.

SAN GIMIGNANO

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As you crest the hill coming from the east, the 15 towers of this walled hill town look like a medieval Manhattan. Originally an Etruscan village, the town was named after the bishop of Modena, San Gimignano, who is said to have saved the city from Attila the Hun. It became a comune in 1199 and was very prosperous due in part to its location on the Via Francigena – building a tower taller than those built by one’s neighbour (there were originally 72) became a popular way for the town’s prominent families to flaunt their power and wealth. In 1348 plague wiped out much of the population and weakened the local economy, leading to the town’s submission to Florence in 1353. Today, not even the plague would deter the swarms of summer day trippers, who are lured by the town’s palpable sense of history, intact medieval streetscapes and enchanting rural setting.

Sights & Activities

The two most important sights in town are the Collegiata and the Palazzo Comunale. You can purchase individual entry tickets for both, or choose to take advantage of two money-saving combined entry tickets. The first (adult/child six to 18 years €7.50/5.50) gives admission to the Palazzo Comunale and two other museums in town (the Archaeological Museum complex and the Ornithological museum). The second (adult/child six to 18 years €5.50/2.50) gets you into the Collegiata and the Museo d’Arte Sacra.

San Gimignano

Top Sights

Collegiata B3

Palazzo Comunale B3

Sights

1  Museo Archeologico B1

2  Museo d'Arte Sacra B3

3  Museo del Vino A3

4  San Gimignano del 1300 B4

Speziera di Santa Fina(see 1)

Sleeping

5 Foresteria Monastero di San GirolamoC1

6 Hotel La CisternaC3

7  Hotel L'Antico Pozzo B2

Eating

8 Dal BertelliB2

9  Gelateria di Piazza B3

10  Perucà B2

Drinking

11  DiVinorum C3

Collegiata CHURCH

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(Piazza del Duomo; adult/child €3.50/1.50; 10am-7.10pm Mon-Fri, to 5.10pm Sat, 12.30-7.10pm Sun Apr-Oct, shorter hr rest of year, closed second half of Nov & Jan) San Gimignano’s Romanesque cathedral, officially titled the Duomo Collegiata o Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta but commonly known as the Collegiata (referring to the college of priests who originally managed it), has a bare facade that belies the remarkably vivid frescoes inside.

Parts of the building date back to the second half of the 11th century, but the frescoes, which resemble a vast medieval comic strip, are later (14th century). Entry is via the side stairs and through a loggia that was originally covered and functioned as the baptistry. Inside, along the northern aisle, are frescoes of key moments from the Old Testament by Bartolo di Fredi. Opposite, covering the walls of the south aisle, are illustrated New Testament scenes by artists from the workshop of Simone Martini (probably led by Lippo Memmi, Martini’s brother-in-law). On the inside wall of the facade, extending onto adjoining walls, is Taddeo di Bartolo’s gruesome Last Judgment (c1410).

Off the south aisle, near the main altar, is the Cappella di Santa Fina , a Renaissance chapel adorned with naive and touching frescoes by Domenico Ghirlandaio depicting events in the life of one of the town’s patron saints. The chapel featured in Franco Zeffirelli’s 1999 film Tea with Mussolini .

Palazzo Comunale ART GALLERY

(Piazza del Duomo; art gallery & tower admission €5; 9.30am-7pm Apr-Sep, 10am-5.30pm Oct-Mar) This 12th-century palazzo has always been the centre of local government; its Sala del Consiglio , which contains an early-14th-century fresco of the Maestà by Lippo Memmi, is where the great poet Dante addressed the town’s councII in 1299, urging it to support the Guelph cause.

Above the Sala del Consiglio is the small but charming Pinacoteca , which features paintings from the Sienese and Florentine schools of the 12th to 15th centuries. Highlights of its collection are Angel Annunciate (1482) by Filippino Lippi, Madonna and Child with Saints (1466) by Benozzo Gozzoli and an altarpiece by Taddeo di Bartolo (1401) illustrating the life of Saint Gimignano.

In the Camera del Podestà , at the top of the stairs, is a recently restored cycle of frescoes by Memmo di Filippuccio illustrating a moral history (check out the somewhat saucy scenes of the rewards of marriage!).

After visiting the Pinacoteca, be sure to climb up the palazzo’s Torre Grossa for a spectacular view of the town and surrounding countryside.

Museo del Vino WINE BAR

(Wine Museum; Parco della Rocca; admission free; 11.30am-6.30pm) More a wine bar than a museum, this operation is housed in an unmarked gallery next to the rocca and exists to celebrate San Gimignano’s famous white wine, Vernaccia. There’s a small exhibition on the history of the varietal (Italian language only) and an enoteca where you can enjoy a paid tasting (four/six wines €6/10) or purchase a glass (€3 to €5) to enjoy on the terrace, which has a panoramic view.

San Gimignano del 1300 MUSEUM

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(www.sangimignano1300.com; Via Berignano 23; adult/child €5/3; 9am-7pm) San Gimignano’s newest tourist attraction is particularly popular with young children, A handmade ceramic recreation of the medieval city, it shows houses, streets, towers and people as they would have looked in 1300. It’s bound to inspire junior visitors to attempt bigger and better LEGO projects on their return home.

Museo Archeologico & Speziera di Santa Fina MUSEUM

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(Via Folgore da San Gimignano 11; both museums adult/reduced €3.50/2.50; 11am-5.45pm mid-Mar–Dec) There are actually two museums and a gallery in this complex. The Speziera section includes ceramic and glass storage vessels from the 16th-century Speziera di Santa Fina, a reconstructed 16th-century pharmacy and herb garden. Many are beautifully painted and still contain curative concoctions. Follow your nose to the side room in Gallery 7, called ‘the kitchen’, which is filled with herbs and spices used for elixirs. Beyond here is a small archaeological museum divided into Etruscan/Roman and medieval sections with exhibits found locally. Upstairs is the Galleria d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, a modern art gallery that in itself merits a visit. Permanent works include Renato Guttuso’s impressive Marina (1970).

Museo d’Arte Sacra MUSEUM

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(Piazza Pecori 1; adult/under 6 yr €3.50/1.50; 10am-7.10pm Mon-Fri, to 5.10pm Sat, 12.30-7.10pm Sun Apr-Oct, shorter hr rest of year, closed 2nd half of Nov & Jan) Works of religious art from the Collegiata and other churches in the town are on display in this modest museum. Those who are interested in medieval religious objects will appreciate the items made from precious metals, including beautifully crafted chalices and thuribles (censers), as well as some exquisitely embroidered textiles.

Tours

The tourist office offers a range of tours: from mid-AprII to October it conducts a guided walking tour (adult/under 12 yr incl entrance to Palazzo Comunale €20/free) of the town on Saturday and Sunday at 11am. Advance bookings aren’t necessary. Other activities include a Vernaccia di San Gimignano Vineyard Visit (adult €20; Tue & Thu Apr-Oct) that involves tastings of local foods and wines; and nature walks (€20) through the hills surrounding San Gimignano on Wednesday at 3pm and through Riserva Naturale di Castelvecchio, southwest of town, on Friday at 3pm. Advance bookings are essential for these.

Festivals & Events

San Gimignano Estate CULTURAL

(www.terresiena.it) Includes performances of opera in Piazza Duomo, films in the rocca , concerts, theatre and dance. Held between June and September.

Ferie delle Messi CULTURAL

Held in June (usually the third weekend), this pageant evokes the town’s medieval past through re-enacted battles, archery contests and plays.

Festival Barocco di San Gimignano MUSIC

A season of baroque music concerts in September and early October.

Sleeping

Hotel L’Antico Pozzo BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

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( 0577 94 20 14; www.anticopozzo.com; Via San Matteo 87; s €85-100, d €110-180; closed first 2 weeks Nov & Jan; ) The town’s best hotel is named after the old, softly illuminated pozzo (well) just off the lobby. Each room in the 15th-century building features high ceilings, simple but elegant decor and good-sized bathrooms; the superior rooms are particularly attractive. There’s a handsome breakfast room, but in summer most guests choose to enjoy the first meal of the day in the charming rear courtyard.

Foresteria Monastero di San Girolamo HOSTEL €

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( 0577 94 05 73; www.monasterosangirolamo.it; Via Folgore da San Gimignano 26-32; per person €27) This is an excellent budget choice. Run by friendly nuns, it has basic but comfortable rooms with attached bathrooms, sleeping two to five people. If you don’t have a reservation, arrive between 9am and 12.30pm or between 3.30pm and 5.45pm and ring the monastery bell (not the Foresteria one, which is never answered). Kitchen use €3 per day, breakfast €3 and parking €2 per day.

La Cisterna HOTEL €€

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( 0577 94 03 28; www.hotelcisterna.it; Piazza della Cisterna 24; s €64-78, d €85-160; ) Although it is in sore need of a renovation, the Cisterna is worth considering due to its setting (a splendid 14th-century building on the piazza of the same name) and its rooftop breakfast room/restaurant, which has panoramic views. The cheaper rooms have cramped bathrooms and can be dark – opt for a superior or deluxe version if possible. Internet €1 per 24 hours but wi-fi is free.

Eating & Drinking

San Gimignano is known for its zafferano (saffron), which features on many restaurant menus. You can purchase fresh produce at the Thursday morning market (Piazza della Erbe) .

Dal Bertelli SANDWICH SHOP €

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(Via Capassi 30; panini €3-5, glasses of wine €1.50; 1-7pm Mar–early Jan) The Bertelli family has lived in San Gimignano since 1779, and its current patriarch is fiercely proud of both his heritage and his sandwiches. Sig Brunello Bertelli sources his salami, cheese, bread and wine from local artisan producers and sells his generously sized offerings from an atmospheric space as far away from what he calls the town’s ‘tourist grand bazaar’ as possible. Fabulous.

Gelateria di Piazza GELATERIA €

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(www.gelateriadipiazza.com; Piazza della Cisterna 4; gelati €1.80-2.50; 8.30am-11pm Mar–mid-Nov) Master gelato-maker Sergio Dondoli uses only the choicest ingredients to create his creamy and icy delights. Get into the local swing of things with a Crema di Santa Fina (saffron cream) gelato or a Vernaccia sorbet.

Perucà TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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( 0577 94 31 36; www.peruca.eu; Via Capassi 16; meals €34; Mar–mid-Jan) The lady owner here is as knowledgeable about regional food and wine as she is enthusiastic, and the food is excellent. Try the house speciality of fagottini del contadino (ravioli with pecorino, pears and saffron cream) with a glass of Fattoria San Donato’s Vernaccia – it’s a match made in heaven.

Da Nisio MODERN ITALIAN €€

( 0577 94 10 29; www.danisio.com; Località Sovestro 32; meals €41; dinner Wed-Mon) The location’s not the best (it’s on the road to Poggibonsi, 1.5km before town, and is attached to the unattractive Le Colline hotel), but the chef/owner grows all of the vegetables he uses in his imaginative dishes, and results are both light and full of flavour. The antipasti ‘specialità’ changes according to what is in season, all pasta and bread is homemade, and meats are cooked on a wood grill, imparting excellent flavour.

DiVinorum WINE BAR €

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(Piazza della Cisterna 30; 11am-8pm Mar-Oct, to 4pm Nov-Dec) As cool as San Gimignano comes, this wine bar is housed in cavernous former stables and has a few outdoor tables with views over the historic town walls. There’s a decent array of antipasti (cheese, meats, bruschettas, salads) on offer, and an excellent selection of wine by the glass.

Information

The extremely helpful tourist office ( 0577 94 00 08; www.sangimignano.com; Piazza Duomo 1; 9am-1pm & 3-7pm Mar-Oct, 9am-1pm & 2-6pm Nov-Feb) organises tours, supplies maps and can book accommodation. It also has a wealth of material on the Strada del Vino Vernaccia di San Gimignano (Vernaccia Wine Rd of San Gimignano).

Getting There & Away

Bus The bus station is beside Porta San Giovanni, the main entrance to town. Buy tickets at the tourist office.

Buses run to/from Florence (€6.50, 1¼ hours, 14 daily) but almost always require a change at Poggibonsi. Buses also run to/from Siena (€5.50, one to 1½ hours, 10 daily Monday to Saturday).

For Volterra you need to go to Colle di Val d’Elsa (€2.40, 35 minutes, four daily) and then buy a ticket for Volterra (€2.75, 50 minutes, four daily).

Car & Motorcycle From Florence or Siena, take the SP1 to Poggibonsi, then the SR2 and finally the RA3 (Siena–Florence superstrada ). From Volterra, take the SR68 east and follow the turn-off signs north to San Gimignano on the SP47.

Parking is expensive here. The cheapest option (per hour/24 hours €1.50/6) is at Parcheggio Giubileo (P1) on the southern edge of town; the most convenient is at Parcheggio Montemaggio (P2) next to Porta San Giovanni (per hour/24 hours €2/20).

Train Poggibonsi (by bus €1.95, about 30 minutes, frequent) is the closest train station.

VOLTERRA

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Volterra’s well-preserved medieval ramparts give the windswept town a proud, forbidding air that author Stephanie Meyer deemed ideal for the discriminating tastes of the planet’s principal vampire coven in her wildly popular book series Twilight . Fortunately, the reality is considerably more welcoming, as any wander through the winding cobbled streets attests.

Sights

Though it’s a relatively small town, Volterra has a lavish array of museums, churches and archaeological sites to visit. If you plan on visiting a number of these, it’s worth purchasing the discount tickets on offer. One of these gives admission to the Museo Etrusco Guarnacci, the Pinacoteca Comunale and the Museo Diocesano d’Arte Sacra (adult/reduced/family €10/6/20) and another (€3.50) gives entry to both the Roman Theatre and the acropolis at the Parco Archeologico. Truth be told, the second ticket isn’t really necessary as there is a great view over the theatre from Via Lungo Le Mura del Mandorlo and the acropolis isn’t a compelling attraction.

Volterra

Top Sights

Museo Etrusco GuarnacciD3

Pinacoteca Comunale B1

Sights

1  Baptistry A2

2  Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta A2

3  Museo Diocesano d'Arte Sacra A2

Eating

4 La CarabacciaD2

5  L'Incontro B2

6 Ristorante-Enoteca Del DucaB2

Drinking

7  Caffè dei Fornelli A2

Shopping

8  alab'Arte D2

9  Alessandro Marzetti A2

10  Fabula Etrusca B1

11  Opus Artis A1

12  Paolo Sabatini C2

Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta CHURCH

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(Piazza San Giovanni; 8am-12.30pm & 3-6pm) Built in the 12th and 13th centuries, the duomo ’s interior was remodelled in the 16th century and features a handsome coffered ceiling. The Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows on the left as you enter from Piazza San Giovanni has two sculptures by Andrea della Robbia and a small fresco of the Procession of the Magi by Benozzo Gozzoli – please don’t damage it by throwing a coin behind the glass, as some visitors do.

In front of the cathedral, a 13th-century baptistry features a small marble font (1502) by Andrea Sansovino.

Museo Diocesano d’Arte Sacra MUSEUM

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(Via Roma 1; admission by cumulative ticket; 9am-1pm & 3-6pm mid-Mar–Oct, 9am-1pm Nov–mid-Mar) Close to the duomo, this tiny museum merits a peek for its collection of illuminated manuscripts, ecclesiastical vestments, gold reliquaries and art works by Andrea della Robbia, Taddeo di Bartolo and Rosso Fiorentino. Don’t miss the exquisite marble tomb carving of Cavaliere Michele Pigi dei Bonaguidi in the first room.

Pinacoteca Comunale ART GALLERY

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(Via dei Sarti 1; adult/student €6/4.50; 9am-7pm mid-Mar–Oct, 8.30am-1.45pm Nov–mid-Mar) The highlights here are Taddeo di Bartolo’s lovely Madonna Enthroned with Child (1411) and Rosso Fiorentino’s strikingly modern representation of the Deposition from the Cross (1521).

Museo Etrusco Guarnacci MUSEUM

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(Via Don Minzoni 15; adult/student €8/6; 9am-7pm mid-Mar–Oct, 8.30am-1.45pm Nov–mid-Mar) One of Italy’s most impressive collections of Etruscan artefacts is exhibited in this museum. Labelling is in Italian only, so the multilingual audioguide (€3) is worth the investment.

All exhibits were unearthed locally. They include a vast collection of some 600 funerary urns carved mainly from alabaster and tufa and displayed according to subject and period. The best examples (those dating from later periods) are on the 2nd and 3rd floors; don’t miss the Urn of the Sposi, a strikingly realistic terracotta rendering of an elderly couple.

Other exhibits to search out include a crested helmet excavated from the Tomba del Guernero at nearby Poggio alle Croci; and the L’Ombra della Sera (Shadow of the Evening), an elongated bronze nude figurine that bears a striking resemblance to the work of the Italian sculptor Alberto Giacometti.

Tours

Volterra Walking Tour WALKING

( 0588 08 62 01; www.volterrawalkingtour.com) A one-hour English-language tour of the city by foot costs only €5 per person (minimum four participants or €20 for tour to operate). It leaves from Piazza Martiri della Libertà at 6pm daily from AprII to July and September to October. Bookings aren’t necessary and payment is cash only.

Festivals & Events

Volterra AD 1398 CULTURAL

(www.volterra1398.it, in Italian; day pass €9) Medieval festival held on the third and fourth Sundays of August.

Volterragusto FOOD

(www.volterragusto.com) A market in the city centre showcases local produce in late October to early November.

Sleeping

Podere San Lorenzo AGRITURISMO €€

( 0588 3 90 80; www.agriturismosanlorenzo.it; B&B d €90, 2-/3-/4-bed apt without breakfast €98/118/138; ) This model of ‘slow’ tourism is located 3.4km outside Volterra off the road from Siena, Florence and San Gimignano. The two rooms and eight self-catering apartments are relatively basic, but the surrounds are bucolic and the alluring mountain-spring-fed biological swimming pool comes complete with frogs and salamanders. Best of all are the gourmet dinners created by chef Marianna (per person €28), which are served in a 12th-century Franciscan chapel. Walking, biking, horse riding and hands-on, seasonal olive-oII production (October to November) are available, as are cooking classes (per person €90).

Chiosco delle Monache HOSTEL €

( 0588 8 66 13; www.ostellovolterra.it; Via delle Teatro 4; dm €16-18, B&B s €42-53, d €53-69; Apr-Sep; ) Opened in 2009 after a major renovation, this excellent private hostel occupies a 13th-century monastery complete with a frescoed refectory where breakfast is served. It’s outside town, near the hospital, but the historic centre is only a 30-minute (albeit steep) walk away and local buses from Piazza Martiri della Libertà stop right outside the entrance (€1). Airy rooms overlook the cloisters and have good beds and bathrooms; dorms sleep up to six. Reception is open 8am to noon and 5pm to 11pm, but often stays open for the full day in high summer. Wi-fi is €1 per hour; breakfast (for those in dorms) €6.

Affittacamere La Primavera B&B €

( 0588 8 72 95; www.affittacamere-laprimavera.com; Via Porta Diana 15; d €70; ) Just outside the walls (near the Roman Theatre), this family-run place offers four pleasantly decorated rooms and a generous breakfast. An additional bed costs only €10.

Eating & Drinking

La Carabaccia TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €

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( 0588 8 62 39; Piazza XX Settembre 4-5; meals €20; closed Mon) A trio of local women – Sara, Lala and Patrizia – have put their heart and soul into this fantastic trattoria, which is the city’s best lunch option. Named after a humble Tuscan vegetable soup, it has a small menu that changes daily according to what local producers are offering and always has vegetarian options. Sit on the front terrace or head indoors to enjoy the Italian folk music played on the sound system.

Emporio del Gusto DELI €

(Via San Lino 2; 9.30am-1pm & 4.30-8pm Mon-Fri) This food co-op is sponsored by the comune and sells produce from around the region. It stocks olive oII products (including toiletries), fresh milk and yoghurt, cheese, vegetables, locally grown saffron, truffles, pasta, bread and wine.

L’Incontro CAFE €

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(Via Matteotti 18; sandwiches €2.50-3.50; 6.30am-1am Thu-Tue) Come here for excellent coffee, delectable home-baked biscuits and great savoury snacks. The rear salone is a great spot to grab a quick antipasto plate or panino for lunch, and the long front bar is always crowded with locals enjoying a coffee or aperitivo .

Ristorante-Enoteca Del Duca TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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( 0588 8 15 10; www.enoteca-delduca-ristorante.it; Via di Castello 2; 5-course tasting menus €42; closed Tue) Volterra’s best restaurant serves traditional Tuscan dishes in its vaulted dining areas and lovely rear courtyard. It has an excellent wine list – not surprising considering the owner has his own vineyard (try his Giusto Alle Balze Merlot).

Caffè dei Fornelli CAFE €

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(Piazza dei Fornelli; 9am-11pm Tue-Sat, 9am-6pm Sun) The city’s bohemian set congregates here. Poetry readings and exhibitions are regular occurrences, and the streetside terrace is the only place in town where you can enjoy a coffee or glass of wine while enjoying a view over the surrounding countryside.

Shopping

For information about artisans in Volterra, see www.arteinbottegavolterra.it.

Fabula Etrusca JEWELLERY

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(www.fabulaetrusca.it; Via Lungo Le Mura del Mandorlo 10; 10am-7pm daily Easter-Christmas) Distinctive pieces in 18-carat gold – many based on Etruscan designs – are handmade in this workshop on the city’s northern walls.

Alabaster Workshops ARTISANAL

Volterra is known as the city of alabaster, and has a number of shops specialising in hand-carved alabaster items; many of these double as ateliers where the artisans work. Among the best are Opus Artis Offline map Google map (www.opusartis.com; Piazza Minucci 1) ; Paolo Sabatini Offline map Google map (www.paolosabatini.com; Via Matteotti 56) ; and the atelier of sculptor Alessandro Marzetti Offline map Google map (www.alessandromarzetti.it; Via dei Labirinti) . To watch alabaster being carved, head to alab’Arte Offline map Google map (Via Orti San Agostino 28) .

Information

The efficient tourist office ( 0588 8 72 57; www.volterratur.it; Piazza dei Priori 19-20; 10am-1pm & 2-6pm) provides free maps, offers a free hotel-booking service, runs a guided New Moon –themed walking tour and rents out an audioguide tour of the town (€5).

Getting There & Around

Bus The bus station is in Piazza Martiri della Libertà. CPT ( 800 570530; www.cpt.pisa.it) buses connect the town with Saline (€2, 20 minutes, frequent) and its train station.

You’ll need to go to Colle di Val d’Elsa (€2.75, 50 minutes, four daily) to catch connecting services to San Gimignano (€2.40, 35 minutes, four daily) and Siena (€2.70, two hours). For Florence, you’ll need only one ticket (€7.85, two hours, three to four daily), but you’ll usually need to change buses at Colle di Val d’Elsa.

Car & Motorcycle Volterra is accessed via the SR68, which runs between Cecina on the coast and Colle di Val d’Elsa, just off the RA3 (Siena–Florence superstrada ).

A ZTL applies in the historic centre. The most convenient car park is beneath Piazza Martiri della Libertà (P1; per hour/day €1.50/11), but there are other car parks around the circumference – P2, P3, P6 and P8 are free.

Val d’Orcia & Val di Chiana

These two valleys offer a feast of classic Tuscan images, including ridgelines adorned with cypress trees and hills silhouetted one against another as they fade into the misty distance. In fact, the landscape of the Val d’Orcia is so magnificent that it is protected as a Unesco World Heritage Site. An added extra is that the local food and wine scenes in both valleys are among the best in Italy.

MONTALCINO

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This placid medieval hill town is known throughout the world for its coveted wine, Brunello. In February each year, the new vintage is celebrated at Benvenuto Brunello , a weekend of tastings and award presentations organised by the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino (www.consorziobrunellodimontalcino.it), the association of local producers.

Sights

The main activity in town is visiting enoteche . For non-alcoholic diversion, consider popping into the modest Musei di Montalcino (Via Ricasoli 31; adult/under 12 yr €4.50/3; 10am-1pm & 2-5.50pm Tue-Sun) , just off Piazza Sant’Agostino. It has a fine collection of painted wooden sculptures by the Sienese school.

Within the 14th-century fortezza (courtyard free, ramparts adult/under 12 yr €4/2; 9am-8pm Apr-Oct, 9am-6pm Nov-Mar) is an enoteca where you can sample and buy local wines. The view is almost as magnificent from the courtyard as it is from the ramparts.

A combined ticket giving full access to the museum and fortress costs €6.

Festivals & Events

Montalcino stages the following annual music festivals: Festa della Musica (www.montalcinofestadellamusica.com) , held in mid-June; the International Chamber Music Festival (www.musica-reale.com) , staged in July; and the Jazz & Wine Festival (www.montalcinojazzandwine.com) , also in July.

Sleeping

Hotel Vecchia Oliviera HOTEL €€

( 0577 84 60 28; www.vecchiaoliviera.com; Via Landi 1; s €70-85, d €120-190; closed Dec–mid-Feb; ) Just beside the Porta Cerbaia, this former olive mill has been tastefully restored and converted into a stylish hotel with 11 individually decorated rooms. The garden terrace has a spectacular view.

Hotel II Giglio HOTEL €€

( 0577 84 81 67; www.gigliohotel.com; Via Soccorso Saloni 5; s €88, d €130-140, annexe s/d €60/95, apt €100-140; ) The comfortable wrought-iron beds here are each gilded with a painted giglio (lily), and all doubles have panoramic views. Room 1 has a private terrace with a fantastic view, and the small single is very attractive.

Eating & Drinking

For a quick and delicious snack, head to Pizzeria La Torre (€1 per slice; 11am-9pm Tue-Sun) on Piazza del Popolo. The best cafe in town, Alle Logge di Piazza ( 7am-1am Thu-Tue; ) , is on the opposite side of the piazza.

The Friday market on and around Via della Libertà sells fresh local produce.

Osticcio OSTERIA €€

(www.osticcio.it; Via Matteoti 23; antipasto plates €10, meals €36; 11am-11pm Fri-Wed) A huge selection of Brunello and its more modest – but still very palatable – sibling Rosso di Montalcino joins dozens of bottles of wine from around the world at this excellent enoteca / osteria . After browsing the selection downstairs, claim a table in the upstairs dining room for a glass of wine accompanied by an antipasto plate or a full meal. You can also enjoy a tasting session here (three Brunello €14.50, one Rosso and one Brunello €8).

Ristorante di Poggio Antico MODERN ITALIAN €€

( 0577 84 92 00; www.poggioantico.com; meals €48, 6-/7-course tasting menus €50/70; lunch & dinner Tue-Sun Apr-Oct, lunch Tue-Sun Nov-Mar) It’s obligatory to visit at least one vineyard when in this world-famous wine region, and combining an excellent meal with a tasting is the way to do this in style. Located 4.5km outside town on the road to Grosseto, Poggio Antico makes award-winning wines (try its Brunello or Madre IGT), conducts tours of the winery (free), offers paid tastings (€22 for five wines) and has one of the area’s best restaurants.

Information

The tourist office ( 0577 84 93 31; www.prolocomontalcino.it, in Italian; Costa del Municipio 1; 10am-1pm & 2-5.50pm daily Apr-Oct, closed Mon Nov-Mar) is just off the main square. It can supply information about vineyard visits and book accommodation.

Getting There & Away

Bus Regular Siena Mobilità buses (€3.65, 1½ hours, six daily) run to/from Siena.

Car & Motorcycle From Siena, take the SR2 (Via Cassia) and exit onto the SP14 at Lama. There’s free parking next to the fortezza .

ABBAZIA DI SANT’ANTIMO

The beautiful Abbazia di Sant’Antimo (www.antimo.it; Castelnuovo dell’Abate; admission free; 10.30am-12.30pm & 3-6.30pm Mon-Sat, 9.15-10.45am & 3-6pm Sun) lies in an isolated valley just below the village of Castelnuovo dell’Abate, 10.5km from Montalcino. Its Romanesque exterior, built in pale travertine stone, features stone carvings set in the bell tower and apsidal chapels. Monks perform Gregorian chants in the abbey during daily services – check times on the website.

Three to four daily buses (€1.35, 15 minutes, Monday to Saturday only) connect Montalcino with the village of Castelnuovo dell’Abate.

It’s a two-hour walk from Montalcino to the abbey. The route starts next to the police station near the main roundabout in town; many visitors choose to walk there and return by bus – check the timetable with the tourist office.

The abbey has a guesthouse (foresterie@antimo.it) offering simple accommodation for pilgrims.

MONTEPULCIANO

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You’ll acquire a newfound appreciation for the term ‘hotel restaurant’ after a day of climbing Montepulciano’s steep streets. When your quadriceps reach their failure point, self-medicate with a generous pour of the highly reputed Vino Nobile while drinking in the views over the Val di Chiana and Val d’Orcia.

Sights

Montepulciano’s streets harbour a wealth of palazzi, fine buildings and churches.

The main street, called in stages Via di Gracciano nel Corso, Via di Voltaia del Corso and Via dell’Opio nel Corso (‘the Corso’), climbs uphill from Porta dal Prato, near the car park on Piazza Don Minzoni. Halfway along its length are Michelozzo’s Chiesa di Sant’Agostino (Piazza Michelozzo; 9am-noon & 3-6pm) and the Torre di Pulcinella , a medieval tower house topped by the hunched figure of Pulcinella (Punch of Punch and Judy fame), who strikes the hours on the town clock.

After passing historic Caffè Poliziano , which has been operating since 1868, the Corso eventually does a dog-leg at Via del Teatro, continuing uphill (ouch!) past Cantine Contucci (www.contucci.it; Via del Teatro 1; admission free, paid tastings; 8.30am-12.30pm & 2.30-6pm Mon-Fri, from 9.30am Sat & Sun) , housed underneath the handsome palazzo of the same name. You can visit the historic cellars and taste local tipples here. Palazzo Contucci fronts onto Piazza Grande , the town’s highest point and the location for the main crowd scene in New Moon . Also here are the 14th-century Palazzo Comunale (€2 to access panoramic terrace; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat) and the late-16th-century duomo ( 9am-noon & 4-7pm) , with its unfinished facade. Behind the high altar is Taddeo di Bartolo’s lovely Assumption triptych (1401).

From Piazza Grande, Via Ricci runs downhill (phew!) past Palazzo Ricci (www.palazzoricci.com; Via Ricci 9-11) ; a festival of classical music is held here in June and the lovely main salon hosts occasional concerts during the year; see the website for details. From the palazzo ’s courtyard, stairs lead down to another historic wine cellar, Cantina del Redi (www.vecchiacantinadimontepulciano.com; admission free, paid tastings; 10.30am-1.30pm & 3-7.30pm mid-Mar–early Jan, Sat & Sun only early Jan–mid-Mar) . Via Ricci continues past the Museo Civico (admission €5; 10am-1pm & 3-6pm Tue-Sun) , home to an eclectic collection of art works and artefacts, and terminates in Piazza San Francesco, where you can admire a panoramic view of the Val di Chiana.

Tours & Courses

The office of the Strada del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (www.stradavinonobile.it) organises a range of tours and courses, including cooking courses (€60 to €180), vineyard tours (€18 to €48), Slow Food tours (€100 to €155), wine-tasting lessons (€37) and walking tours in the vineyards culminating in a wine tasting (€45 to €60). You can make bookings at its information office in Piazza Grande.

Sleeping

Locanda San Francesco B&B €€€

( 349 6721302; www.locandasanfrancesco.it; Piazza San Francesco 5; r €195-215, ste €235; closed mid-Jan–mid-Feb; ) Four handsome rooms (two with magnificent views) and an elegantly furnished lounge/breakfast room await at this luxury B&B. Host Cinzia Caporali runs both it and E Lucevan Le Stelle (antipasto plates €4.50-8, piadinas €6, pastas €6.50-9; 11.30am-11pm Easter–mid-Nov; ) , the on-site bistro/wine bar, with friendly efficiency.

Camere Bellavista HOTEL €

( 347 8232314; www.camerebellavista.it; Via Ricci 25; s €65-70, d €75; ) Nearly all of the 10 high-ceilinged double rooms at this excellent budget hotel have fantastic views; room 6 also has a private terrace (€100). No one lives here, so phone ahead in order to be met and given a key (if you’ve omitted this stage, there’s a phone in the lobby from where you can call). No breakfast.

Eating & Drinking

La Grotta TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 0578 75 74 79; www.lagrottamontepulciano.it; Via San Biagio 15; 6-course set menus €48; closed Wed) Facing the High Renaissance Tempio di San Biago on the road to Chiusi, La Grotta has elegant dining rooms and a gorgeous courtyard garden that’s perfect for summer dinners. The food is simple but delicious, and service is exemplary. A hint: don’t skip dessert.

Osteria Acquacheta OSTERIA €

( 0578 71 70 86; www.acquacheta.eu; Via del Teatro 22; meals €19; closed Tue) Hugely popular with locals and tourists alike, this bustling place specialises in bistecca alla fiorentina, which comes to the table in huge, lightly seared and exceptionally flavoursome slabs (don’t even think of asking for it to be served otherwise). Lunch sittings are at 12.15pm and 2.15pm; dinner at 7.30pm and 9.15pm – book ahead.

Enoteca a Gambe di Gatto TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 0578 75 74 31; Via dell Opio nel Corso 34; meals €34; closed Jan-Easter & Wed) Renowned throughout the region, the exacting team of Emanuel (front of house) and Laura (kitchen) travels the country each winter to acquire the best products from organic producers. The daily menu fluctuates wildly, depending on market offerings, and meals start with a complimentary tasting of wine and olive oil. Unfortunately, service here gives a whole new meaning to the term ‘Slow Food’.

Information

Strada del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Information Office ( 0578 71 74 84; www.stradavinonobile.it; Piazza Grande 7; 10am-1pm & 3-6pm Mon-Fri) Books accommodation and arranges courses and tours.

Tourist office ( 0578 75 73 41; www.prolocomontepulciano.it; Piazza Don Minzoni; 9.30am-12.30pm & 3-8pm Mon-Sat, 9.30am-12.30pm Sun) Reserves accommodation, offers internet access (€3.50 per hour), sells a map of the town (€0.50), rents bikes and scooters and sells bus and train tickets.

Getting There & Around

Bus The bus station is next to Car Park No 5, outside the Porta al Prato. Siena Mobilità runs four buses daily between Siena and Montepulciano (€5.15, 1½ hours) stopping at Pienza en route. To get here from Florence, you need to catch a Tiemme service to Bettolle (€7.90, 90 minutes, three daily) and connect with a Siena Mobilità bus (€1.95, 40 minutes, one daily).

Regular buses connect with Chiusi-Chianciano Terme (€2.55, 40 minutes), from where you can catch a train to Florence (€9.30, two hours, frequent) via Arezzo (€4.70, 50 minutes).

Car & Motorcycle Coming from Florence, take the Valdichiana exit off the A1 (direction Bettolle-Sinalunga) and then follow the signs; from Siena, take the Siena–Bettolle–Perugia autostrada.

A 24-hour ZTL applies in the historic centre between June and September; between October and May it applies from 7am to 5pm. Your hotel can usually supply a permit. The most convenient car park is at Piazza Minzoni (P1, €1.20 per hour), from where minibuses (€1) weave their way up the hill to Piazza Grande.

SOUTHERN TUSCANY

With its landscape of lush rumpled hills, dramatic coastlines, mysterious Etruscan sites and medieval hilltop villages, this little-visited pocket of the region offers contrasts galore.

Massa Marittima

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This medieval hill town is set in the Colline Metallifere (metal-producing hills) located between Siena and the coast. Its lack of tourists is puzzling, as there’s an eccentric yet endearing array of museums here and the central piazza is one of the most magnificent in Tuscany.

Briefly under Pisan domination, Massa became an independent comune in 1225 but was swallowed up by Siena a century later. The 1348 plague, followed by the decline of its lucrative mining industry 50 years later, reduced the town to the brink of extinction. It was brought back to life by the draining of surrounding marshes (formerly a malarial risk) and the re-establishment of mining in the 18th century.

Massa’s big event of the year is the Ballestro del Girifalco , a medieval crossbow competition held twice yearly, in May and either July or August.

Sights

The città vecchia (old town) is dominated by the impressive bulk of the duomo ( 8am-noon & 3-5pm) , which presides over photogenic Piazza Garibaldi (aka Piazza Duomo). Cleverly set asymmetrical to the square to better show off its splendour, it dates from 1260 and is dedicated to St Cerbonius, Massa’s patron saint, who is always depicted surrounded with a flock of geese; carved panels on the facade depict scenes from his life. Inside, beware the self-appointed custodian (an elderly lady), who firmly believes that the cathedral is for worship rather than sightseeing.

The duomo was once home to a splendid Maestà by Ambrogio Lorenzetti, now the central exhibit in the diminutive Museo di Arte Sacra (Corso Diaz 36; adult/child €5/3; 10am-1pm & 3-6pm Apr-Sep, 11am-1pm & 3-5pm Oct-Mar) in the città nuova (new town).

Next to the duomo, the Palazzo del Podestà houses Massa’s musty Museo Archeologico Offline map Google map (Piazza Garibaldi 1; adult/child €3/2; 10am-12.30pm & 3.30-7pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct, 10am-12.30pm & 3-5pm Tue-Sun Nov-Mar) , whose only truly noteworthy exhibit is La Stele del Vado all’Arancio, a simple but compelling stone stela (funeral or commemorative marker) dating from the 3rd millennium BC.

Downhill from Piazza Garibaldi, opposite the main car park, is a 13th-century building that was once used to store wheat. Under its loggia is a disused public drinking fountain topped by an extraordinary fresco of the Albero della Fecondità (Fertility Tree). Look closely to see what type of fruit the tree bears!

A cumulative ticket (adult/six to 16 years €15/10) gives access to all of Massa’s museums (www.massamarittimamusei.it).

Sleeping

Massa’s hotels leave a lot to be desired, but there are fabulous villas and agriturismi dotted around the surrounding area.

Pieve di Caminino AGRITURISMO €€

( 0564 56 97 37; www.caminino.com; Via Provinciale di Peruzzo, Roccatederighi; ste/apt from €110/90; ) Be prepared for an atmosphere overload at this magical 11th-century monastery 30km southeast of Massa. Set on a 200-hectare estate planted with olive trees and vines, it offers charmingly decorated suites and apartments sleeping up to five people. All have sitting rooms and basic kitchenettes, two have air-con.

Montebelli Agriturismo & Country Hotel AGRITURISMO €€

( 0566 88 71 00; www.montebelli.com; Località Molinetto Caldana; s €62-190, d €180-240, ste €180-270; closed Jan–end Mar; ) A country-club feel prevails on this sprawling wine and olive-oII estate 28km south of Massa. The facilities are sensational – tennis court, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, horse-riding lessons, restaurant (five-course dinner adult/child €30/15) and sleek health centre. Rooms are extremely comfortable, but air-con is only available in the newly constructed country house. Wi-fi is €4 per hour.

Eating & Drinking

L’Osteria da Tronca TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 0566 90 19 91; Vicolo Porte 5; meals €26; closed Wed & mid-Dec–Feb) Squeezed into a side street behind Hotel II Sole, this stonewalled restaurant serves the rustic dishes of the Maremma. Specialities include acquacotta (a hearty vegetable soup with bread and egg) and tortelli alla maremma (pasta parcels filled with ricotta and a type of spinach).

II Bacchino WINE BAR €

(Via Moncini 8; daily Mar-Jan, Tue-Sun Feb) Owner Magdy Lamei may not be a local (in fact, he’s from Cairo), but it would be hard to find anyone else as knowledgeable and passionate about local artisanal produce. Come here to stock up on wine, honey, jams, cheese and meats, and while you’re here settle in for a tasting in the upstairs wine bar (€12 for three glasses of wine and a tasting plate).

Information

The tourist office ( 0566 90 47 56; www.turismoinmaremma.it; Via Todini 5-7; 9.30am-1pm & 2-6.30pm Tue-Sun) is down a side street beneath the Museo Archeologico.

Getting There & Away

Bus The bus station is at Piazza del Risorgimento, 800m down the hill from Piazza Garibaldi. There is one bus daily to Grosseto (€3.30, one hour), two to Siena (€4.70, two hours) at 7.05am and 4.40pm, and around four to Volterra (changing at Monterotondo).

Car & Motorcycle From Siena, take the SP73bis and the SP441. From Volterra, take the SR151 and SR439. There’s a car park (€1 per hour) at Piazza Mazzini, close to the duomo .

Train The nearest train station is Massa-Follonica in Follonica, 22km southwest of Massa, served by a regular shuttle bus (€2.30, 25 minutes, 10 daily).

Parco Regionale della Maremma

This spectacular nature park (www.parco-maremma.it; adult €6-15, student €4-12) includes the Monti dell’Uccellina, which drops to a magnificent stretch of unspoiled coastline. The main visitor centre ( 0564 40 70 98; 8.30am-5.30pm) is in Alberese, on the park’s northern edge.

Park access is limited to 11 signed walking trails, varying in length from 2.5km to 13km; the most popular is A2 (‘Le Torri’), a 5.8km trek to the beach. The entry fee (paid at the visitor centre) varies according to whether a park-operated bus transports you from the visitor centre to your chosen route.

Bicycles (per half-/full day €7/11 can be hired from the main visitor centre, and there are free tastings of local food and wine four times daily (June to September) in the upstairs degustazione (tasting) room.

Parts of the park are farmed as they have been for centuries (mainly to graze the famous Maremma breed of cattle). Agienza Regionale Agricola di Alberese ( 0564 40 71 80; www.alberese.com; Via della Spergolaia) produces beef, wine, olive oII and its own organic pasta and is a regional headquarters for the Slow Food organisation. It offers a Farm Experience (€25-40; 10am-1pm Thu summer) including an introduction to the work of the Maremma’s famed butteri (traditional cowboys) and tastings of farm produce. Experienced horse riders can also sign up for a full day’s work experience with a buttero (€50; daily 7am-7pm). The farm’s fattoria ( 8.30am-12.30pm & 4.30-7.30pm Tue, Thu & Fri-Sun) , located near the park visitor centre in Alberese, sells its own products and those of other Slow Food–accredited producers. It’s a great place to stock up on supplies if you’re self-catering (its Morellino di Scansano – a robust red wine – costs a mere €1.55 per litre, so bring a couple of bottles to fill!).

The agienza offers accommodation at the Fattoria Granducale (www.alberese.com/ita/villa; B&B d per weekend €180, self-catering apt €255-310) , a 15th-century villa once owned by Grand Duke Leopoldo II of Lorraine. It also has simple apartments (d/t/q €150/200/250) in surrounding farm buildings.

EASTERN TUSCANY

There are two good reasons why so many local and international directors have chosen this part of Tuscany as a film location: its scenery offers oh-wow moments galore, and the excellent food, wine and accommodation on offer is the perfect bribe to ensure happy cooperation on a shoot.

Up untII now, visitor numbers have been limited to domestic tourists and these film crews. We highly recommend that you buck this trend.

Arezzo

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Arezzo may not be a Tuscan centrefold, but those parts of its historic centre that survived merciless WWII bombings are as compelling as any destination in the region. The setting for much of Roberto Benigni’s Oscar-winning film La vita è bella (Life is Beautiful), it’s well worth a visit.

Once an important Etruscan town, Arezzo was later absorbed into the Roman Empire. A free republic as early as the 10th century, it supported the Ghibelline cause in the violent battles between pope and emperor and was eventually subjugated by Florence in 1384.

Today, the city is known for its churches, museums and shopping – Arentini (residents of Arezzo) flock to the huge antiques fair held in Piazza Grande on the first weekend of every month, and love nothing more than combining the passeggiata with a spot of upmarket retaII therapy on Corso Italia.

Fans of the work of Renaissance painter Piero della Francesca can follow a traII of his paintings through the city and to the towns of Sansepolcro and Monterchi. Check http://turismo.provincia.arezzo.it for details or pick up the Piero della Francesca: In and Around Arezzo brochure from museums and tourist offices in the city.

Sights

A combined ticket (€10) gives entry to the Cappella Bacci, Museo Archeologico and two other museums.

Cappella Bacci CHURCH

Offline map Google map

(www.pierodellafrancesca.it; Piazza San Francesco; adult/reduced €6/4. 9am-6.30pm Mon-Fri, to 5.30pm Sat & 1-5.30pm Sun Apr-Oct, 9am-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm Sat & 1-5pm Sun Nov-Mar) Gracing the apse of the 14th-century Chiesa di San Francesco Offline map Google map is one of the greatest works of Italian art, Piero della Francesca’s fresco cycle of the Legend of the True Cross (1452–66).

Only 25 people are allowed into the chapel every half-hour (maximum 30-minute visit). At the time of research the ticket office was at Piazza San Francesco 4, to the right of the church’s main entrance, but there was talk of this changing.

After your visit, consider stopping for a coffee or aperitivo at historic Caffè dei Costanti Offline map Google map (www.caffedeicostanti.it; Piazza San Francesco 19-20; 8.30am-9.30pm Wed-Sun) , opposite.

Arezzo

Top Sights

Cappella Bacci B3

Duomo C2

Museo Archeologico Nazionale B4

Santa Maria della Pieve C2

Sights

1  Chiesa di San Francesco B3

2  Roman Amphitheatre B4

Sleeping

3  Graziella Patio Hotel C3

4  Palazzo dei Bostoli C3

Eating

5  La Bottega di Gnicche C3

6  La Torre di Gnicche D3

Drinking

7  Caffè dei Costanti B2

Santa Maria della Pieve CHURCH

Offline map Google map

(Corso Italia 7; 8.30am-12.30pm & 3-7pm May-Sep, to noon & 3-6pm Oct-Apr) As you enter Arezzo’s oldest church (usually called the Pieve), don’t miss the Cyclo dei Mesi, lively carved reliefs over the central doorway that represent the months of the year. Inside, the monochrome of the interior’s warm, grey stone is relieved by Pietro Lorenzetti’s fine polyptych, Madonna and Saints (1320–24).

Duomo DUOMO

(Piazza del Duomo; 7am-12.30pm & 3-6.30pm) Though started in the 13th century, Arezzo’s duomo wasn’t completed untII well into the 15th century. In the northeast corner, left of the main altar, an exquisite fresco of Mary Magdalene (c1460) by Piero della Francesca is dwarfed in size – but not beauty – by the rich marble reliefs of the tomb of Bishop Guido Tarlati.

Museo Archeologico Nazionale MUSEUM

Offline map Google map

(Via Margaritone 10; adult/reduced €4/2; 8.30am-7.30pm) Overlooking the remains of a Roman amphitheatre Offline map Google map (admission free; 8.30am-7pm Apr-Oct, to 6pm Nov-Mar) , this museum in a 14th-century convent has a sizeable collection of Etruscan and Roman artefacts, the highlight of which is an extraordinary Roman miniature on glass in a gallery on the upper floor.

Tours

Two-hour guided English-language walking tours ( 0575 2 66 77; www.coloritoscani.com; adult/under 12 yr €10/free) are held every Thursday from 3pm between May and September. Bookings are essential.

Festivals & Events

Giostra del Saracino MEDIEVAL

(www.giostradelsaracino.arezzo.it, in Italian) This medieval jousting competition is held in Piazza Grande on the third Saturday of June and first Sunday of September each year.

Sleeping

Villa Fontelunga BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

( 0575 66 04 10; www.fontelunga.com; Via Cunicchio 5, Foiano della Chiana; r €179-265, ste €210-280; closed mid-Nov–late Mar; ) Gorgeous is the only word to use when describing this 19th-century villa 30 minutes southwest of Arezzo. Restored, decorated and run by three charming friends (one an architect, one a landscape designer and one a former international banker), it perfectly balances traditional Tuscan elegance with jet-set pizzazz. Two-night minimum stay.

Graziella Patio Hotel BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

Offline map Google map

( 0575 40 19 62; www.hotelpatio.it; Via Cavour 23; s €100-180, d €150-250, ste €250-320; ) Each of the 10 themed rooms in Arezzo’s most characterful hotel is dedicated to one of Bruce Chatwin’s travel books and decorated accordingly. Parking is €22 per day.

Palazzo dei Bostoli B&B €

Offline map Google map

( 334 1490558; www.palazzobostoli.it, in Italian; 2nd fl, Via Mazzini 1; s/d €60/80; ) In a 13th-century palazzo close to Piazza Grande, this old-fashioned place offers five but comfortable simple rooms. The breakfast (a coffee and cornetto ) is served at Bar Stefano in nearby Corso Italia.

Eating & Drinking

La Bottega di Gnicche SANDWICH SHOP €

Offline map Google map

(www.bottegadignicche.com; Piazza Grande 4; panini €3-5; 11am-8pm Thu-Tue) There’s a delectable array of artisan meats and cheeses to choose from when you order a panini imbottiti (roll filled with meat and cheese) at this wonderful alimentari (grocery store) on Arezzo’s main piazza. Eat on the tiny front terrace, or on a stool inside.

La Torre di Gnicche TRATTORIA €€

Offline map Google map

( 0575 35 20 35; Piaggia San Martino 8; meals €28; closed Wed) Just off Piazza Grande, this is a fine traditional restaurant offering a rich variety of antipasti. Choose from the ample range of local pecorino cheeses, accompanied by a choice red from the extensive wine list.

Information

Centro di Accoglienza Turistica Benvenuti ad Arezzo ( 0575 40 19 45; www.turismo.provincia.arezzo.it; Palazzo Comunale, Via Ricasoli; 10am-7pm) , the region’s main tourist office is opposite the duomo . Na Vetrina per Arezzo e Le Sue Vallate ( 0575 1822770; 9.30am-7pm) is a private office located on the scala mobile leading up to Piazza del Duomo.

Getting There & Away

Bus Tiemme/Siena Mobilità buses depart Piazza della Repubblica for Siena (€5.40, 1½ hours, eight daily) and Cortona (€3.10, one hour, more than 10 weekdays).

Car & Motorcycle To drive here from Florence, take the A1. The SS73 heads west to Siena.

There is free car parking at Via Pietri, from where a scala mobile takes you up to Piazza del Duomo. Parking at the train station costs €1.50 per hour.

Train Arezzo is on the Florence–Rome train line with frequent services to Rome (€23, 2½ hours) and Florence (€5.80, 1½ hours). Trains also call by Cortona (€2.40, 20 minutes, hourly).

Sansepolcro

Sansepolcro was the birthplace of the 15th-century artist Piero della Francesca, and its Museo Civico (www.museocivicosansepolcro.it; Via Aggiunti 65; adult/reduced €6/4.50; 9.30am-1.30pm & 2.30-7pm mid-Jun–mid-Sep, 9.30am-1pm & 2.30-6pm mid-Sep–mid-Jun) is home to four of his masterpieces, including the Resurrection and the Madonna della Misericordia (Madonna of Mercy).

Art isn’t the only reason to come here, though. The historical centre (‘II Borgo’) is full of handsome Renaissance churches and palazzi . In the second Sunday of September, the town hosts the Palio della Ballestra , a crossbow tournament between local archers and rivals from the nearby Umbrian town of Gubbio. Contestants and the crowd dress in medieval costumes, and a great time is had by all.

There are a number of excellent restaurants too, including Ristorante Fiorentino ( 0575 74 20 33; www.ristorantefiorentino.it; meals €35; closed Wed & 1 week Nov, Jul & Feb) and Ristorante Da Ventura ( 0575 74 25 60; albergodaventura; Via Pacioli 60; meals €23; closed Mon & dinner Sun) . Both also offer B&B rooms.

The tourist office ( 0575 74 05 36; infosansepolcro@apt.arezzo.it; Via Matteotti 8; 9.30am-1pm & 3.30-7pm) is packed with multilingual information.

SITA/Baschetti buses link Sansepolcro with Arezzo (€3.50, one hour, frequent). You’ll find free parking outside the historic walls. A ZTL applies inside the walls.

Cortona

POP 23,083

Rooms with a view are the rule rather than the exception in this spectacularly sited hilltop town. In the late 14th century Fra’ Angelico lived and worked here, and fellow artists Luca Signorelli and Pietro da Cortona were both born within the walls – all are represented in the Museo Diocesano’s collection. More recently, large chunks of Under the Tuscan Sun, the soap-in-the-sun film of the book by Frances Mayes, were shot here.

A produce market is held on Saturday mornings and an antique and collectable fair on the fourth Sunday of the month.

Sights

Brooding over lopsided Piazza della Repubblica is the Palazzo Comunale , built in the 13th century. To the north is attractive Piazza Signorelli and, on its north side, the 13th-century Palazzo Casali , whose rather plain facade was added in the 17th century. Inside is the Museo dell’Accademia Etrusca e della Città di Cortona (MAEC; www.cortonamaec.org; Piazza Signorelli 9; adult/6-12 yr €8/4; 10am-7pm daily Apr-Oct, to 5pm Tue-Sun Nov-Mar) , which displays substantial local Etruscan and Roman finds, Renaissance globes, 18th-century decorative arts and contemporary paintings. The well-presented Etruscan collection is the highlight, particularly those objects excavated from the tombs at Sodo, just outside town.

For the most effective cardiovascular workout in Tuscany, head up through the sleepy warren of steep cobbled lanes in the eastern part of town to the largely 19th-century Chiesa di Santa Margherita (Piazza Santa Margherita; 8am-noon & 3-7pm Apr-Oct, 9am-noon & 3-6pm Nov-Mar). The remains of St Margaret, the patron saint of Cortona, are on display in an ornate, 14th-century, glass-sided tomb above the main altar.

Climb further still and you’ll reach the forbidding Fortezza Medicea (adult/child €3/1.50; 10am-1.30pm & 2.30-6pm May, Jun & Sep, to 7pm Jul & Aug) , Cortona’s highest point, from where there’s a stupendous view over the surrounding countryside to Lake Trasimeno in Umbria.

MUSEO DIOCESANO

Little is left of the Romanesque character of Cortona’s duomo , northwest of Piazza Signorelli, as it was completely rebuilt late in the Renaissance and again, indifferently, in the 18th century. Its true wealth lies in the Museo Diocesano (Piazza del Duomo 1; adult/child €5/3, audioguide €3; 10am-7pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct, to 5pm Tue-Sun Nov-Mar) located in the former church of Gesù opposite, which has a small but particularly fine collection including Crucifixion (1320) by Pietro Lorenzetti and two beautiful works by Fra’ Angelico: Annunciation (1436) and Madonna with Child and Saints (1436–37).

A combined ticket (adult/child €10/6) gives entry to the Museo Diocesano and the Museo dell’Accademia Etrusca e della Città di Cortona (MAEC).

Tours

Two-hour, guided English-language walking tours ( 0575 2 66 77; www.coloritoscani.com; adult/under 12 yr €10/free) are held every Monday from 11am between AprII and October. The ticket includes entrance to MAEC. Bookings are essential.

Festivals & Events

Giostra dell’Archidado CULTURAL

A full week of medieval merriment in May or June (the date varies to coincide with Ascension Day) culminates in a crossbow competition.

Festival of Sacred Music MUSIC

(www.cortonacristiana.it) This festival is held in early July each year.

Tuscan Sun Festival CULTURAL

(www.tuscansunfestival.com) Annual music and art festival held in late July/early August each year.

Sleeping

Casa Chilenne B&B €

( 0575 60 33 20; www.casachilenne.com; Via Nazionale 65; s €80-85, d €88-110; ) Run by American-born Jeanette and her Cortonese husband Luciano, this wonderfully welcoming B&B has it all – great hosts, a central location, comfortable rooms, a lavish breakfast spread and keen prices. There’s also a communal lounge with a cooking corner (great for families).

Hotel San Michele HOTEL €€

( 0575 60 43 48; www.hotelsanmichele.net; Via Guelfa 15; d €99-250; closed Jan–mid-Mar; ) This is Cortona’s finest hotel. Primarily Renaissance, but with elements dating from the 12th century and modifications over subsequent centuries, it’s like a little history of Cortona in stone. Rooms are airy and comfortable, if a little faded. Parking is €20 per night and wi-fi is only in the foyer.

Eating & Drinking

Taverna Pane e Vino WINE BAR €

(www.pane-vino.it; Via Dardano 24; bruschetta €3.50, meat & cheese platters €6-10, pastas €7.50-10; closed Mon) Serving over 900 wines, this casual place is a perfect spot for a light lunch, afternoon drink or rustic dinner. Claim a table in the front courtyard or vaulted interior, settle back over a glass or two of wine and relax with the local bon vivants.

La Bucaccia TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 0575 60 60 39; www.labucaccia.it; Via Ghibellina 17; meals €35) Set in a medieval stable that was incorporated into a Renaissance palazzo, this family-run place is an atmospheric and enjoyable dinner venue, but is a bit dark at lunchtime. The set menu (€29) of four courses, one glass of wine and water offers good value.

Information

The tourist office ( 0575 63 72 23; infocortona@apt.arezzo.it; Palazzo Comunale; 9am-1pm & 3-6pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun May-Sep, 9am-1pm & 3-6pm Mon-Fri, to 1pm Sat Oct-Apr) stocks maps and brochures and can book accommodation.

Getting There & Around

Bus From Piazza Garibaldi, Tiemme buses connect the town with Arezzo (€3.10, one hour, frequent).

Car & Motorcycle The city is on the north–south SR71 that runs to Arezzo. It’s also close to the Siena–Bettolle–Perugia autostrada, which connects to the A1.

There are free car parks around the circumference of the city walls; the most convenient is at Porta San Agostino. A ZTL applies inside the walls.

Train The nearest train station is located about 6km away at Camucia, and can be accessed via a local bus (€1.20, 15 minutes, hourly). Destinations include Arezzo (€2.40, 20 minutes, hourly), Florence (€7.30, 1½ hours, hourly), Rome (€10.25, 2½ hours, eight daily) and Perugia (€3.85, 50 minutes, six daily).

Note that Camucia station has no ticket office, only machines. If you need assistance purchasing or booking tickets, you’ll need to go to the station at Terontola, south of Camucia, instead.

Top of section

Umbria & Le Marche

Includes »

Perugia

Lago Trasimeno

Todi

Assisi

Spello

Gubbio

Spoleto

Norcia & The Valnerina

Orvieto

Ancona

Urbino

Pesaro

Macerata

Ascoli Piceno

Monti Sibillini

Sarnano

Why Go?

If you’ve fallen for Tuscany’s charms, then Umbria and Le Marche will also entice, offering a similar landscape and attractions but in a less hectic form. The soft olive- and vine-clad hills, jagged mountains and ancient towns are all there, but without the incessant crowds. Both regions are proud of their agricultural traditions and have transitioned easily into Slow Food destinations.

Not everything is sleepy and bucolic, however. The Umbrian capital, Perugia, has a surprisingly vibrant student-fuelled nightlife, while Spoleto’s annual festival brings together some of the finest dance and music performances. In summer, myriad sun seekers flock to Le Marche’s coast. The mystical peaks of the Monti Sibillini offer all the hiking you could ever want, while labyrinthine medieval villages such as Todi, Gubbio and the religious centre of Assisi inspire visitors to put on their stoutest walking shoes and explore.

When to Go

February Celebrate all things truffle at Norcia’s Mostra Mercato del Tartufo Nero

May Head to Le Marche’s beaches, as wild- flowers bloom on the Piano Grande

June & July Indulge music passions at the Spoleto Festival and Perugia’s Umbria Jazz

Best Places to Eat

» Ristorante Vespasia ( Click here )

» L’Antico Forziere ( Click here )

» Ristorante I Sette Consoli ( Click here )

Best Places to Stay

» Hotel Fortino Napoleonico ( Click here )

» Palazzo Seneca ( Click here )

» Palazzo Guiderocchi ( Click here )

Umbria & Le Marche Highlights

See where the best 13th-century art, religion and history intersect at the Basilica di San Francesco (Click here ) in Assisi

Meander through fields of wildflowers or trek up the snow-capped peaks of Monti Sibillini (Click here )

Spelunk your way through a glistening forest of stalactites at Grotte di Frasassi (Click here ), Europe’s largest cave

Dine off the beaten path in one of any number of excellent fish restaurants in the stunning Parco del Conero (Click here )

Enjoy some of Umbria’s most towering views on a rickety ride up Monte Ingino aboard Gubbio’s Funivia Colle Eletto (Click here )

Cash in your golden ticket for a tour of the Perugina Chocolate Factory ( Click here )

Hike, cycle, swim or just do nothing (apart from a bit of fine eating and drinking, of course) at Lago Trasimeno (Click here )

UMBRIA

Known as ‘the green heart of Italy’, Umbria is a land unto itself, the only Italian region that borders neither the sea nor another country. Removed from outside influences, it has kept alive many of Italy’s old-world traditions. You’ll see grandmothers in aprons making pasta by hand and front doors that haven’t been locked in a century. It’s a beautiful place (in spring the countryside is splashed with colourful wild- flowers) but also a richly entertaining one. An Umbrian adventure can span everything from dancing the night away at a Perugian nightclub to making a solemn pilgrimage to Assisi, home town of St Francis. Holidaying foodies will delight in the region’s food and wine. The earthy, addictive tartufo (truffle) finds its way onto every menu, while pork from the Norcia area is so well respected that quality pork butchers throughout Italy are known as norcineria .

History

Umbria is named in honour of its first inhabitants, the Umbri tribe who settled the land east of the Tiber around 1000 BC, establishing the towns of Spoleto, Gubbio and Assisi. They jockeyed for regional supremacy with the Etruscans to the west of the river – the founders of Perugia and Orvieto – until the 3rd century BC when the Romans came marching through, conquering them both.

Following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, the region spent much of the Middle Ages being fought over by supporters of the Holy Roman Empire (known as Ghibellines) and supporters of the Pope (known as Guelphs). Intriguingly, it was during this most troubled of periods that Umbria’s most famous – and most peaceful – son, St Francis, came to prominence in Assisi.

Eventually the region became one of the Papal States, though this was not to its long-term benefit. Indeed, historians like to say that time stopped in Umbria in 1540 when the pope imposed a salt tax. The resulting war brought Umbrian culture to a standstill. The Renaissance didn’t flourish here like it did in neighbouring Tuscany, which is partly why the medieval hearts of many Umbrian towns are so well preserved.

USEFUL WEBSITES ON UMBRIA

Bella Umbria (www.bellaumbria.net, in Italian, English, German, French & Spanish) A comprehensive site that lists almost all accommodation in Umbria, while the ‘Events and Traditions’ page allows you to search for festivals by both town or date.

Regione Umbria (www.regioneumbria.eu, in Italian, English & German) The official Umbrian tourist website.

Sistema Museo (www.sistemamuseo.it, in Italian) Detailed information about Umbria’s museums with constantly updated lists of upcoming events.

Umbria Online (www.umbriaonline.com, in Italian & English) A privately run website with information on accommodation, events and itineraries for all major and minor tourist towns in Umbria.

Getting Around

Getting around Umbria on public transport requires some forethought. Conversely having a car is a hindrance in the narrow streets of the congested hill towns. The best way to see Umbria is to take the train or bus to towns such as Assisi, Spoleto, Perugia, Orvieto, Spello and Gubbio and then rent a car for a week and wander through the countryside.

Buses head from Perugia to every town in this chapter; check at the tourist office or the bus station for exact details. The state train system (Ferrovie dello Stato; 892021; www.fsitaliane.it) sparsely criss-crosses Umbria, but the private Ferrovia Centrale Umbra (FCU; 075 57 54 01; www.fcu.it, in Italian) and several bus companies fill in the blanks.

TOP FIVE UMBRIAN DELICACIES

While considered a backwater region for years, much of the world is now striving to catch up with Umbria’s natural culinary commitment to Slow Food. For hundreds of years, three-hour dinners, organic ingredients and locally grown peasant cuisine have remained Umbria’s culinary claim to fame. Here are a few of our favourite ingredients you might want to try while you’re here:

Cinghiale Wild boar is ubiquitous on Umbrian menus, and rightfully so. Richly gamey but tender, the flavoursome meat often comes served over pasta or stewed in sauce.

Tartufi Umbrian black truffles (preferably the stronger nero variety) are a menu mainstay, especially in the autumn harvest months. The earthy fungus is especially delicious sliced over long, thick pasta like Umbrian strangozzi .

Lenticchie These small, thin lentils from Castelluccio (or Colfiorito) are partially responsible for the Piano Grande’s floral explosion each spring and summer, and are at their best in a thick soup topped with bruschetta and virgin olive oil.

Piccione English uses the euphemistic ‘squab’, but Umbrians readily order pigeon, often from the highest-end restaurants. The delicate poultry was a mainstay for townsfolk under siege in the Middle Ages when hunting and farming were too dangerous.

Farro Spelt was the daily staple in ancient times, and still graces many Umbrian menus. Classic zuppa di farro is a rich, nutty, distinctly Umbrian experience, perfect for a warm lunch on a cold, misty day in the hills.

Perugia

POP 166,667

Perugia is as close as Umbria gets to a heaving metropolis – which is not all that close. A large well-preserved hill town replete with museums and churches, Perugia’s two universities give it a vibrancy lacking in many of its more sleepy neighbours. The presence of a large student population ensures a thriving arts scene and plenty of nightlife. However, for all its cultural modernism, little has changed here architecturally for over 400 years.

History

Although the Umbri tribe once inhabited the surrounding area and controlled land stretching from present-day Tuscany into Le Marche, it was the Etruscans who founded the city, which reached its zenith in the 6th century BC. It fell to the Romans in 310 BC and was given the name Perusia.

During the Middle Ages the city was racked by the feuding of noble families, and 1538 was incorporated into the Papal States where it remained for almost three centuries.

Perugia has a strong artistic tradition. In the 15th century it was home to fresco painters Bernardino Pinturicchio and his master Pietro Vannucci (known as Perugino), who would later teach Raphael. Its cultural tradition continues to this day in the form of the University of Perugia and several other institutions of learning, including the famous Università per Stranieri (University for Foreigners), which teaches Italian, art and culture to thousands of students from around the world.

Sights

The centre of Perugia is Piazza IV Novembre Offline map Google map . For thousands of years, it was the meeting point for the ancient Etruscan and Roman civilisations. In the medieval period, it was the political centre of Perugia. Now both students and tourists gather here to eat gelato. As long as you’re planning on visiting a number of sights, savings can be made on most of the attractions listed below by purchasing a Perugia Città Museo Card (€10), which provides admission to five museums of your choice. It’s available at all the participating sights and the tourist office. For more information, see www.perugiacittamuseo.it.

Perugia

Top Sights

Museo Archeologico Nazionale dell'Umbria D5

Palazzo dei Priori C3

Sights

1  Arco Etrusco C2

2  Cappella di San SeveroD2

3  Casa Museo di Palazzo Sorbello D3

4  Cattedrale di San Lorenzo C3

5  Chiesa di San Domenico D6

6  Chiesa di Sant'Agostino C1

7  Fontana Maggiore C3

8  Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria C3

9  Giardini Carducci C5

Nobile Collegio del Cambio(see 8)

Nobile Collegio della Mercanzia (see 8)

10  Piazza IV Novembre C3

11  Pozzo Etrusco C3

Rocca Paolina(see 9)

Sala dei Notari (see 8)

12  Università per Stranieri C1

Sleeping

13  Albergo Anna B3

14  Hotel Brufani Palace B5

15  Hotel San Sebastiano B1

16  Ostello di Perugia D3

17  Primavera Minihotel B2

Eating

18  Al Mangiar Bene B3

19  Bangladeshi Alimentari B3

20  Caffè di Perugia C3

21  Coop C3

22  Covered Market C3

23  Il Gufo D3

24  Pizzeria Mediterranea C3

25  Ristorante dal Mi'CoccoC1

26  Ristorante Il Sole C4

27  SandriC3

28  Tuttotesto C1

29  Wine Bartolo Hosteria C2

Drinking

30  Bottega del Vino C2

31  Caffè Morlacchi B2

32  Gold C3

33  Lunabar Ferrari C3

Entertainment

34  Cinema Teatro del Pavone C4

35  Velvet Fashioncafè C5

Shopping

36  Augusta Perusia Cioccolato e GelateriaD2

37  Umbria Terraviva D2

38 Via Oberdan - Shopping StreetC4

Palazzo dei Priori PALAZZO

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The palace, constructed between the 13th and 14th centuries and formerly the headquarters of the city’s magistrature, now houses some of the best museums in Perugia, including Umbria’s foremost art gallery, the stunning Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria Offline map Google map ( 800 69 76 16; Palazzo dei Priori, Corso Vannucci 19; adult/reduced €6.50/3.25; 8.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sun) Entered via Corso Vannucci, it’s an art historian’s dream, with 30 rooms of works featuring everything from Byzantine art from the 13th century to the 16th-century creations of home town heroes Pinturicchio and Perugino.

The same building also holds what some consider the most beautiful bank in the world, the Nobile Collegio del Cambio Offline map Google map (Exchange Hall; 075 572 85 99; Corso Vannucci 25; adult/reduced €4.50/2.60; 9am-12.30pm & 2.30-5.30pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun, closed Mon afternoon winter) , whose rooms have 17th-century wooden stalls carved by Giampiero Zuccari and frescoes by Perugino. Also there is the Nobile Collegio della Mercanzia Offline map Google map (Merchant’s Hall; 075 573 03 66; Corso Vannucci 15; admission €3.10; 9am-1pm & 2.30-5.30pm Tue-Sun summer, often closed afternoon winter) , which showcases an audience chamber from the 13th century, with wood panelling carved by northern craftsmen.

The Sala dei Notari Offline map Google map (Notaries’ Hall; 075 577 23 39; Piazza IV Novembre, Palazzo dei Priori; admission free; 9am-1pm & 3-7pm Tue-Sun) was built from 1293 to 1297 and is where the nobility met. The arches supporting the vaults are Romanesque, covered with frescoes depicting biblical scenes and Aesop’s fables. To reach the hall, walk up the steps from Piazza IV Novembre.

Museo Archeologico Nazionale dell’Umbria MUSEUM

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( 075 572 71 41; Piazza Giordano Bruno 10; adult/reduced €4/2; 8.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sun, 10am-7.30pm Mon) The convent adjoining the Chiesa di San Domenico is home to a superior collection of Etruscan and prehistoric artefacts – carved funerary urns, coins and Bronze Age statuary – dating as far back as the 16th century BC. The Cippo Perugino (Perugian Memorial Stone) has the longest Etruscan-language engraving ever found, offering a rare window into this obscure culture.

Perugina Chocolate Factory MUSEUM

( 075 527 67 96; www.perugina.it; Van San Sisto; 9am-1pm & 2-5.30pm Mon-Fri year-round, also 9am-1pm Sat Oct-Jan & Mar-May; ) The trick for independent travellers visiting this Wonka- esque experience is to either call ahead to arrange a guided tour, or simply latch on to a tour group (conducted in either Italian or English). After visiting the simple museum, you’ll wend your way through an enclosed sky bridge, watching as the white-outfitted Oompa, er, factory workers go about their chocolate-creating business. Drive through the gates of the humorously nondescript factory entrance marked Nestlé, or take the bus to San Sisto.

Cattedrale di San Lorenzo CHURCH

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( 075 572 38 32; Piazza IV Novembre; 10am-12.30pm & 3-5.30pm Tue-Sun) Although a church has been on this land since the 900s, the version you see at the northern end of Piazza IV Novembre was begun in 1345 from designs created by Fra Bevignate. Building of the cathedral continued until 1587, although the main facade was never completed. Inside you’ll find dramatic Gothic architecture, an altarpiece by Signorelli and sculptures by Duccio. The steps in front of the pink facade are where seemingly all of Perugia congregates.

Just outside the cathedral, at the very centre of the piazza, stands the Fontana Maggiore Offline map Google map (Great Fountain). It was also designed by Fra Bevignate, and built between 1275 and 1278. Along the edge are bas-relief statues representing scenes from the Old Testament, the founding of Rome, the ‘liberal arts’, and a griffin and lion. Look for the griffin all over Perugia – it’s the city’s symbol. The lion is the symbol for the Guelphs, the Middle Ages faction that favoured rule by the papacy over rule by the Holy Roman Empire.

Chiesa di San Pietro CHURCH

( 075 3 47 70; Borgo XX Giugno; 8am-noon & 4pm-sunset) South of the town centre, past the Porta di San Pietro, this 10th-century church’s interior is an incredible mix of gilt and marble, and contains a pietà (a painting of the dead Christ supported by the Madonna) by Perugino. For a glimpse into gardens past, take a stroll or picnic at the Medieval Gardens ( 075 585 64 32; Borgo XX Giugno 74; 8am-6.30pm Mon-Fri) , behind the church. During the medieval period, monasteries often created gardens reminiscent of the Garden of Eden and biblical stories, with plants that symbolised myths and sacred stories. Numbered locations through this garden include the Cosmic Tree, symbolising the forefather of all trees; the Tree of Light and Knowledge; and the Tree of Good and Evil.

Rocca Paolina HISTORICAL BUILDING

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(main entrance Piazza Italia, entrances on Via Marzia, Via Masi & Viale Indipendenza; 8am-7pm) At the southern end of Corso Vannucci is the tiny Giardini Carducci Offline map Google map , which has towering views of the countryside. The gardens stand atop a once-massive 16th-century fortress (Palazzo della Provincia), now known as the Rocca Paolina. Pope Paolo III Farnese built the monstrosity in the 1540s, wiping out entire sections of what had been a wealthy neighbourhood. Now used as the throughway for the scale mobili, its nooks and crannies are now venues for art exhibits and the last weekend of the month sees Perugia’s antiques market held here.

Casa Museo di Palazzo Sorbello MUSEUM

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( 075 573 27 75; Piazza Piccinino 9; adult €5; noon-1.30pm Mon, 11am-1.30pm Tue-Sun) Perugia’s latest attraction lies a few steps from the Piazza IV Novembre. This grand city-centre mansion, once owned by the noble Sorbello family, has recently been restored to its frescoed, gilt-clad 18th- century prime. Guided tours (in Italian) let you admire the family’s almost ludicrously opulent collection of art, porcelain and manuscripts.

Capella di San Severo CHURCH

( 075 573 38 64; Piazza Raffaello, Porta Sole; adult/reduced €3/2; 10am-1.30pm & 2.30-6pm Tue-Sun May-Jul & Sep-Oct, 10.30am-1.30pm & 2.30-5pm Tue-Sun Nov-Mar, 10am-1.30pm & 2.30-6pm daily Apr & Aug) Walking for a couple of minutes northeast from Piazza IV Novembre brings you to this rather bland, boxy-looking church. Your efforts will be rewarded, however, once you step inside and find the chapel decorated with Raphael’s lush Trinity with Saints (thought by many to be his first fresco), painted during the artist’s residence in Perugia (1505–08).

Ipogeo dei Volumni HISTORICAL SITE

( 075 39 33 29; Via Assisana 53; adult/reduced €3/1.50; 9am-1pm & 3.30-6.30pm Sep-Jun, 9am-12.30pm & 4.30-7pm Jul & Aug) About 5km southeast of the city, the Ipogeo dei Volumni is a 2nd-century-BC underground Etruscan burial site, holding the funerary urns of the Volumni, a local noble family. The surrounding grounds are a massive expanse of partially unearthed burial chambers, with several buildings housing the artefacts that haven’t been stolen over the years. Take a train or APM bus 3 from Piazza Italia to Ponte San Giovanni and walk west from there. By car, take the Bonanzano exit heading south on the E45.

Pozzo Etrusco HISTORICAL SITE

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(Etruscan Well; 075 573 36 69; Piazza Danti 18; adult/reduced €3/2; 10am-1.30pm & 2.30-6pm Wed-Mon May-Jul & Sep-Oct, 10.30am-1.30pm & 2.30-5pm Wed-Mon Nov-Mar, 10am-1.30pm & 2.30-6pm daily Apr & Aug) Just north of Piazza IV Novembre, you can venture down into a 36m-deep well. Dating from the 3rd century BC, it was the main water reservoir of the Etruscan town, and, more recently, a source of water during WWII bombing raids.

Chiesa di San Domenico CHURCH

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( 075 573 15 68; Piazza Giordano Bruno; 8am-noon & 4pm-sunset) Erected in the early 14th century, the city’s largest church has a Romanesque interior lit by immense stained-glass windows. Pope Benedict XI, who died after eating poisoned figs in 1325, lies buried here.

Arco Etrusco HISTORICAL SITE

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(Etruscan Arch) At the end of Ulisse Rocchi, facing Piazza Fortebraccio and the Università per Stranieri, are the ancient city’s Etruscan gates dating from the 3rd century BC. The upper part is Roman and bears the inscription ‘Augusta Perusia’.

Chiesa di Sant’Agostino CHURCH

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(Piazza Lupattelli; 8am-noon & 4pm-sunset) North of the Università per Stranieri, along Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi, this formerly magnificent church still boasts a beautiful 16th-century choir by sculptor Baccio d’Agnolo. However, small signs forlornly mark the places where art works once hung before they were carried off to France by Napoleon’s troops.

Chiesa di Sant’Angelo CHURCH

( 075 57 22 64; Via Sant’Angelo; 10am-noon & 4-6pm) Further north along Corso Garibaldi, Via del Tempio branches off to one of Italy’s oldest churches, the Romanesque Chiesa di Sant’Angelo, parts of which date back to the 5th century. It stands on the foundations of an even older Roman temple.

Museo delle Porte e delle Mura Urbiche MUSEUM

(Museum of the City Walls and Gates; 075 4 16 70; Porta Sant’Angelo, Corso Garibaldi; 10.30am-1.30pm & 3-6pm Tue-Sun May-Jul & Sep-Oct, 11am-1pm & 3-5pm Tue-Sun Nov-Mar, 10.30am-1.30pm & 3-6pm daily Apr & Aug) Next door to the Chiesa di Sant’Angelo, in the 14th-century Porta Sant’Angelo (the city’s largest medieval gateway), the museum describes the history of the city’s defences, although the panoramic view facing back onto Perugia is the main reason to come out here.

Courses

Check with the tourist office for lists of all current classes in and around Perugia.

Università per Stranieri LANGUAGE

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( 075 5 74 61; www.unistrapg.it; Palazzo Gallenga, Piazza Fortebraccio 4) This is Italy’s foremost academic institution for foreigners, offering courses in language, literature, history, art, music, opera and architecture. One-, three- and six-month intensive language courses start at €400 a month.

Festivals & Events

Perugia – and Umbria in general – has gazillions of events, festivals, concerts, summer outdoor films and sagre (traditional festivals). Check www.bellaumbria.net or www.regioneumbria.eu for details.

Umbria Jazz MUSIC

( 800 462311, 075 500 11 07; www.umbriajazz.com) This attracts top-notch international performers for 10 days each July, usually around the middle of the month. The main venue is the Arena Santa Giuliana, outside the centre, where tickets start at €18 (and rapidly rise), but events take place across the city, including the Teatro del Pavone (tickets from €10). There are also free performances at Piazza IV Novembre and Giardini Carducci.

Eurochocolate FOOD

( 075 502 58 80; www.eurochocolate.com) Perugia hosts a slightly overwhelming celebration of the cocoa bean over nine days in mid-October. More than a million chocolate lovers arrive to visit chocolate-themed exhibitions, take part in chocolate cookery classes, admire giant chocolate sculptures and (the real reason everyone is here) hoover up the free samples. The local Perugina chocolate factory always has a big presence. Plan your hotel stay months in advance and don’t even think of driving.

Sleeping

Perugia has a good number of hotels and pensioni, but few stand out. However, Perugia is a transport hub and is a good place to lay your head if you’d like to do day trips around the region.

Torre Colombaia AGRITURISMO €

( 075 878 73 41; www.torrecolombaia.it; San Biagio delle Valle; per person incl breakfast €40, apt €85-135, dinner €23; dinner Fri-Sun; ) The iron staircase curling around the tree-draped fairy-tale cottage will make any urban dweller’s heart instantly melt. Just 15 minutes from downtown Perugia, the former hunting farm now offers well-equipped antique-strewn rooms, an organic restaurant (supplied by the first organic farm in Umbria), a meditation room and plentiful wildlife-spotting opportunities in the surrounding woodland.

Primavera Minihotel HOTEL €

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( 075 572 16 57; www.primaveraminihotel.it; Via Vincioli 8; s €45-55, d €65-90; ) Though not quite the bargain it once was, this central hotel run by a dedicated English- and French-speaking mother-daughter team is still a great find, tucked in a quiet corner. The magnificent views complement the bright and airy rooms. Breakfast costs €3 to €6.

Hotel Brufani Palace LUXURY HOTEL €€€

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( 075 573 25 41; www.sinahotels.com; Piazza Italia 12; s/d €99/205, ste €105-260; ) One of Umbria’s few five-star hotels and a truly spectacular experience, the palace’s special touches include frescoed public rooms, impeccably decorated bedrooms, a garden terrace for summer dining, and helpful trilingual staff. Swim over Etruscan ruins in the subterranean fitness centre. Access for disabled guests.

Albergo Anna HOTEL €

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( /fax 075 573 63 04; www.albergoanna.it; Via dei Priori 48; s €30-50, d €50-80, all incl breakfast) If you want central and quiet, aren’t too fussed about the up-to-dateness of your facilities and don’t mind carrying your luggage up four floors, this option is a fabulous bet. You’ll feel like you’re staying in the private apartment of your great aunt (assuming she’s a quirky Italian ceramics teacher with a penchant for knick-knacks and whipping up a mean espresso for breakfast).

Ostello di Perugia HOSTEL €

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( 075 572 28 80; www.ostello.perugia.it; Via Bontempi 13; dm €15, sheets €2; mid-Jan–mid-Dec; ) Having mellowed slightly in its old age, the hostel now only locks its guests out from 11am to 3.30pm (as opposed to 10am to 4pm), making it practically welcoming. It’s actually rather charming inside, with 16th-century frescoed ceilings, tidy four- to six-person dorms and sweeping countryside views from the terrace. No credit cards.

Camping Il Rocolo CAMPGROUND €

( /fax 075 518 16 35; www.ilrocolo.it; Str Fontana 1/n, Loc Colle della Trinità; per person €6.50-8, per car €3-4, per tent €5.50-6.50; Easter-Sep & during Eurochocolate; ) International newspapers, Skype telephone connection, 24-hour hot showers and 100 shaded sites make this a good choice, and there’s also an on-site restaurant, friendly multilingual staff and plenty of extras (barbecue pit, TV area, market and proximity to a bus into Perugia).

Etruscan Chocohotel HOTEL €€

( 075 583 73 14; www.chocohotel.it; Via Campo di Marte 134; s €54-73, d €88-140; ) It’s hard to believe, but this is the world’s only chocolate-themed hotel. Once you’ve unpacked in your (brown, obviously) room, you can gorge on items from the restaurant’s ‘chocomenu’, shop at the ‘chocostore’ or swim in the rooftop pool (sadly, filled with water). Access for disabled guests. It’s located around a 20-minute walk due south of the old town.

Hotel San Sebastiano HOTEL €€

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( 075 573 78 65; www.hotelsansebastiano.it; Via San Sebastiano 4; s €40-50, d €50-70, s without bathroom €25-40) Near Perugia’s university is an old-school family-style pensione . Its side-street location guarantees a good night’s sleep in its sparse rooms.

Eating

Because of the great number of students and tourists, the amount of places to eat in Perugia is staggering. The first days the mercury rises above 15°C or so (usually in March), dozens of open-air locales spring up along and around Corso Vannucci.

Sandri PASTRIES & CAKES €

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( 075 572 41 12; Corso Vannucci 32; 10am-8pm Tue-Sun) When you enter into your third century of business, you must be doing something right. This place is known for delectable chocolate cakes, candied fruit, espresso and pastries. Staff wrap all take-home purchases, no matter how small, in beautiful red paper with a ribbon bow.

Ristorante Nanà TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €

( 075 573 35 71; Corso Cavour 206; mains €15-18; Mon-Sat) It’s a good sign when approximately 47 members of the same family run a 15-table restaurant (it’s actually only four, but it seems like more). Simply furnished with a small menu, the food is rustic – try the pigeon with capers (€16) – but done in a refined nuovo style.

Caffè di Perugia CAFE €

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( 075 573 18 63; Via Mazzini 10; mains €14-20; noon-3pm & 7pm-midnight Wed-Mon) The fanciest sit-down cafe in town, its desserts are worth the high prices. It also serves a fine choice of basic pasta and meat dishes and offers outdoor seating in summer.

Pizzeria Mediterranea PIZZERIA €

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( 075 572 13 22; Piazza Piccinino 11/12; pizzas €4-8; Wed-Mon) Perugians know to come here for the best pizza in town. A spaceship-sized wood-fired brick oven heats up pizzas from the simplest margherita to the 12-topping ‘his and hers’. It gets busy enough to queue, especially Thursday and Saturday nights.

Al Mangiar Bene PIZZERIA €

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( 075 573 10 47; Via della Luna 21; pizzas €5-8) Proudly flying the organic flag in Perugia, this subterranean restaurant at the end of a narrow alley sources nearly all its ingredients locally from organic suppliers. Pizzas and calzones are baked in a hearth-like brick oven. Even the beer and wines are organic.

Il Gufo TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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( 075 573 41 26; Via della Viola 18; meals €29; 8pm-1am Tue-Sat) The owner-chef gathers ingredients from local markets and cooks up whatever is fresh and in season. Try dishes such as wild boar with fennel (€12.50) or pappardelle with rabbit ragù (€9). A two-course set menu is €15. No credit cards.

Wine Bartolo Hosteria OSTERIA €€

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( 075 571 60 27; Via Bartolo 30; meals €32; Thu-Tue) Descend a staircase into a hobbit- like burrow where walls of wine bottles surround a handful of cosy tables underneath a low brick ceiling. Staff do beautiful things with Chianina beef stewed with Sangiovese.

Ristorante dal Mi’Cocco TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €

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( 075 573 25 11; Corso Garibaldi 12; set meals €13; Tue-Sun) Don’t ask for a menu because there isn’t one at this most traditional Perugian restaurant. Diners get a set menu of a starter, main course, side dish and dessert. You may receive asparagus risotto in May or tagliatelle with peas and ham in November. Extremely popular with students, it’s best to call ahead.

Tuttotesto TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €

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( 075 573 66 66; Corso Garibaldi 15; crêpes €3.90-5.50; Tue-Sun) A change from Perugia’s usual pasta-and-meat combos, this casual university spot sees professors and students debate Nietzsche over sweet and savoury crêpes and torta al testo (Umbrian flatbread sandwiches). Gluten-free options available.

Ristorante Il Sole TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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( 075 573 50 31; Via delle Rupe 1; meals €32; Tue-Sun) Even if the food here was world-class, it would still play second fiddle to the views of the countryside from the terrace, which are simply stupendous. As it is, the food is pretty decent with a few inventive choices, such as smoked duck carpaccio with truffles, in among the usual fare.

Covered Market MARKET

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(Piazza Matteotti; 7am-1.30pm Mon-Sat) Found below a rather desultory craft and tourist-tat market, you can buy fresh produce, bread, cheese and meat here. Head through the arched doorway labelled 18A to the immediate right of the tourist office.

Coop SUPERMARKET

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(Piazza Matteotti; 9am-8pm Mon-Sat) The largest grocery store in the historical centre sells all the staples, fruits and vegetables, and also has a deli counter with fresh pasta and cheeses.

Bangladeshi Alimentari SUPERMARKET

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(Via dei Priori 71; 11am-10pm daily) This grocery just sells the basics, but check out those opening hours.

Drinking

Caffè Morlacchi CAFE

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( 075 572 17 60; Piazza Morlacchi 6/8; 8am-1am Mon-Sat) Bring your bongo drums and leftist rhetoric to this most hip of establishments. Students, professors and expats nosh on international fare, sipping tea or hot chocolate during the day and cocktails at night.

Lunabar Ferrari BAR

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(Via Scura 1/6; 8am-2am Tue-Sun) Atmospherically equidistant between New York and Umbria, the city-centre lounge off Corso Vannucci spins together frescoed plaster walls and luxuriant rugs with modern art, crazy chandeliers and space-age restrooms. The hungry will appreciate the good snack selection.

Bottega del Vino WINE BAR

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(Via del Sole 1; 7pm-1am Mon-Sat) A fire or candles burn romantically on the terrace, while inside live jazz and hundreds of bottles of wine lining the walls add to the romance of the setting. You can taste dozens of Umbrian wines, which you can purchase with the help of sommelier-like experts.

Gold WINE BAR

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(Via dei Priori 7; 6pm-1am) This lounge bar-cum-restaurant is maybe trying a bit too hard to be classy with its endless ‘gold’ and ‘luxury’ theming. Still, it attracts a fun crowd, has plenty of wine choices and sells torta al testo for €2.50. Happy hour from 6pm.

Entertainment

Much of Perugia’s nightlife parades outside the cathedral and around Fontana Maggiore. Hundreds of local and foreign students congregate here practically every night, playing guitars and drums and chatting with friends. Tourists mix in easily, slurping gelati and enjoying this fascinating version of outdoor theatre. When the student population grows, some of the clubs on the outskirts of town run a bus to Palazzo Gallenga, starting around 11pm. Students get paid to hand out flyers on Corso Vannucci, so check with them or ask at the steps. Most clubs get going around midnight, so be warned on your way back into town: the scale mobili stop running at about 1am.

Cinema Teatro del Pavone CINEMA

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( 075 572 49 11; www.teatrodelpavone.it; Corso Vannucci 67) Dating back to 1717, the grand theatre plays host to not only films but also musical performances and special events.

Velvet Fashioncafè NIGHTCLUB

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( 075 572 06 07; www.velvetfashioncafe.com; Viale Roma 20; Tue-Sun) Come to the club where the beautiful people play. It opens around 10pm, but the well-dressed party here until the wee hours.

AC Perugia SPORTS

( 075 500 66 41; www.perugiacalcio.it; Renato Curi Stadium, Via Piccolpasso 48; tickets €2-40) Having been a mainstay of Serie A (Italy’s top- flight football competition) for decades, Perugia Calcio has fallen on hard times of late, having been disbanded after filing for bankruptcy in 2010. The team has since been refounded and, as of 2011, was playing in lowly Lega Pro Seconda Divisione (formerly Serie C). Take bus 9, 11 or 13 to the stadium.

Shopping

Look for the banner reading ‘Via Oberdan – Shopping Street’. It’s the place for boutiques, jewellery, shoes and music shops.

If you’re lucky enough to be in Perugia on the fourth weekend of the month, spend a few hours in the Mercato Mensile Antiquariato (Antiques Market; 9am-6pm or 7pm) around Piazza Italia and in Giardini Carducci. It’s a great place to pick up old prints, frames, furniture, jewellery, postcards and stamps.

Umbria Terraviva MARKET

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( 075 835 50 62; Piazza Piccinino) On the first Sunday of the month, check out this organic market along the side of the Duomo heading towards Via Bonanzi. You’ll find all sorts of organic fruits and vegetables, and fabulous canned or packaged items to take home as gifts.

Augusta Perusia Cioccolato e Gelateria CHOCOLATE

Offline map Google map

(www.cioccolatoaugustaperusia.it, in Italian; Via Pinturicchio 2; 10.30am-11pm Mon-Sat, 10.30am-1pm & 4-8pm Sun) Giordano worked for Perugina for 25 years. In 2000, he opened his own shop, creating delectable morsels from the old tradition, including baci (hazelnut ‘kisses’ covered in chocolate) from the original Perugian recipe.

Information

Little Blue What-to-Do is a free English-language booklet that’s a must-have for anyone staying longer than a few hours. Known as the ‘little blue book’, it lists restaurants, housing suggestions, side trips and a description of local characters. It’s available at Cinema Teatro del Pavone, the tourist office and news stands.

Banks line Corso Vannucci. All have ATMs.

Emergency doctor ( 075 3 65 84; weekends & nights)

InfoUmbria ( 075 57 57; www.infoumbria.com, in Italian; Piazza Partigiani Intercity bus station, Largo Cacciatori delle Alpi 3; 9am-1pm & 2.30-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat) Also known as InfoTourist, it offers information on all of Umbria, and is a fantastic resource for agriturismi .

Ospedale Silvestrini ( 075 57 81; S Andrea delle Frate) Hospital.

Post office (Piazza Matteotti; 8am-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-noon Sat)

Tempo Reale (Via del Forno 17; per hr €1.80; 10am-11.30pm Mon-Sat, 10am-10pm Sun) On a small easy-to-miss alley, this offers internet access, plus phone, fax and photocopying services.

Tourist office ( 075 573 64 58; info@iat.perugia.it; Piazza Matteotti 18; 8.30am-6.30pm) Plenty of maps and tourist pamphlets for hotels, activities, events etc. Also has the most up-to-date bus and train timetables.

Getting There & Away

Air

Aeroporto Sant’Egidio (PEG; 075 59 21 41; www.airport.umbria.it) , 13km east of the city, offers at least three daily Alitalia (www.alitalia.it) flights to Milan, plus a Ryanair (www.ryanair.co.uk) service to London Stansted thrice weekly.

Bus

Intercity buses leave from Piazza Partigiani in the city’s south (take the scale mobili through the Rocca Paolina from Piazza Italia). Services go to the following destinations.

TO

FARE (€)

DURATION

FREQUENCY

Assisi

3.20

45min

9 daily

Castiglione del Lago

5.10

1hr

9 daily

Deruta

2.80

30min

13 daily

Florence

10.50

2½hr

2 daily

Gubbio

4.60

1¼hr

10 daily

Todi

5.50

1¼hr

9 daily

Torgiano

1.90

30min

9 daily

Most routes within Umbria are operated by APM ( 800 512141; www.apmperugia.it) in the north and SSIT ( 0743 21 22 11; www.spoletina.com) or ATC Terni ( 0744 40 94 57; www.atcterni.it) in the south. For the latest details pick up the monthly Viva Perugia (€1) from the tourist office.

Car & Motorcycle

From Rome, leave the A1 at the Orte exit and follow the signs for Terni. Once there, take the SS3bis/E45 for Perugia. From the north, exit the A1 at Valdichiana and take dual-carriageway SS75 for Perugia. The SS75 to the east connects the city with Assisi.

Rental companies have offices at the airport and train station.

Train

In the southwest of town, Perugia’s main train station (Piazza Vittorio Veneto) is officially named ‘Stazione Fontivegge’, though the sign simply reads ‘Perugia’. Trains run to the following destinations.

TO

FARE (€)

DURATION

FREQUENCY

Arezzo

6-9

1hr

every 2 hours

Assisi

2.50

30min

hourly

Florence

11-16

2hr

8 daily

Gubbio

5.50

1½hr

7 daily

Orvieto

7

1¼hr

every 2 hours

Rome

11-35

2¼-3hr

15 daily

Spello

3

30min

hourly

The adorably graffitied ‘Thomas the Tank Engine’ trains of the Ferrovia Central Umbra (FCU; 075 57 54 01; www.fcu.it, in Italian; Stazione Sant’Anna, Piazzale Bellucci) head to Rome (change in Terni, €5.30, 1¼ hours, 10 daily), Deruta (€1.25, 25 minutes, 11 daily), Todi (€2.55, 50 minutes, 17 daily) and Terni (€4.40, 1½ hours, 17 daily). Validate your ticket on board.

ARRIVING FROM ROME?

It’s quite easy to take a direct bus from Rome’s Fiumicino (FCO) airport to Perugia. Pick up a blue Sulga ( 800 099661; www.sulga.it) bus across the street from international terminal C. From Monday to Saturday there are four or five daily buses to Perugia (€21, 3½ to four hours), and two daily on Sunday and holidays. Several buses stop in Assisi. Check the website for details.

Getting Around

If you’re not carrying too much luggage, the simplest way of getting from Perugia’s intercity bus station to the centre of town is by hopping aboard the series of escalators (known as scale mobili ) linking Piazza Pargigiani with Piazza Italia. There are also scale mobili taking arrivals from the car park at the Piazzale della Cuppa outside the city walls up to the Via dei Priori.

To/From the Airport

A white shuttle bus (€3.50) leaves from Piazza Italia for the airport about two hours before each flight, stopping at the train station. From the airport, buses leave once everyone is on board.

A taxi costs approximately €30.

Bus

It’s a steep 1.5km climb from Perugia’s train station, so a bus is highly recommended (and essential for those with luggage). The bus takes you to Piazza Italia. Tickets cost €1.50 from the train-station kiosk or €2 on board. Validate your ticket on board to avoid a fine. A 10-ticket pass costs €12.90.

Car & Motorcycle

Perugia is humorously difficult to navigate and most of the city centre is only open to residential or commercial traffic (although tourists may drive to their hotels to drop off luggage).

Perugia has several fee-charging car parks (€0.80 to €1.60 per hour, 24 hours a day). Piazza Partigiani and the Mercato Coperto are the most central and convenient. There’s also a free car park at Piazza Cupa.

Call the information line ( 075 577 53 75) if your car has been towed or for general parking information.

Minimetrò

These single-car people-movers traverse between the train station and Pincetto (just off Piazza Matteotti) every minute. The same €1.50 tickets work for the bus and Minimetrò. From the train station facing the tracks, head right up a long platform.

Taxi

Taxi services are available from 6am to 2am (24 hours a day in July and August); call 075 500 48 88 to arrange pick-up. A ride from the city centre to the main train station, Stazione Fontivegge, will cost about €10 to €15. Tack on €1 for each suitcase.

Torgiano

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In little Torgiano, a 25-minute bus ride from Perugia, olive oil is treated with a reverence usually reserved for wine, and wine with a devotion bordering on the sacred. It’s home to the most important wine museum in Europe, the Museo del Vino ( 075 988 02 00; Corso Vittorio Emanuele 31; adult/reduced €4.50/2.50, incl Museo dell’Olivo e dell’Olio €7, audioguide €2; 10am-1pm & 3-7pm summer, to 6pm winter) , housed in a 20-room former palace, which traces the history of the region’s wine production through displays of utensils, graphic art, wine containers and production techniques.

You’ll also find the Museo dell’Olivo e dell’Olio ( 075 988 03 00; Via Garibaldi 10; adult/reduced €4.50/2.50; 10am-1pm & 3-7pm summer, to 6pm winter) , which documents the use of olives and how they relate to the economy, the landscape and the general culture of the region.

Despite its small size, there’s a distinct air of sleepy self-importance about Torgiano, born in part of its status as a ‘company’ town. The Lungarottis, who operate most of the wineries around here, are the closest thing Umbria has to a ruling noble family these days.

Sleeping & Eating

Al Grappolo d’Oro HOTEL €€

( 075 98 22 53; www.algrappolodoro.net; Via Principe Umberto 24; s €50, d €90-105, all incl breakfast; ) One of the best hotel deals in Umbria, it is worth a stay just for the vineyard view from the pool. Smartly furnished 19th-century rooms have been upgraded with DSL, satellite TV, DVD players, hairdryers and towel warmers.

Ristorante Siro TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 075 98 20 10; Via Giordano Bruno 16; meals €26) This old-school eatery is one of those spots where waiters and customers all know each other by name. The antipastone al tagliere (large plate of mixed antipasti; €15 for two) starter would feed a hungry family.

Getting There & Away

APM Perugia ( 800 512141; www.apmperugia.it) extraurbano buses head to Perugia (€1.90, 25 minutes, nine daily).

POT LUCK IN DERUTA

If Torgiano is a two-note town, then Deruta (a few kilometres to the south) has just the one – majolica ceramics – but it doesn’t half blast it out loudly. The blue and yellow metallic-oxide glazing technique was imported here from Majorca in the 15th century and has been the mainstay of the local industry ever since. Giant pots and plates advertising Deruta’s many factories and workshops proudly line the approach roads, while the centre of town is packed with so many businesses as to seem almost like one giant shop with many entrances.

For the best-quality stuff, head to the smaller places that follow centuries-old traditions. The pieces in the larger operations are mass-produced in a factory. The prices will be lower, but so will the quality.

Maioliche Nulli ( /fax 075 97 23 84; Via Tiberina 142; daily) is one of the better operations, specialising in intricate medieval designs, and you can explore the history of the town’s business in depth at the Museo Regionale della Ceramica ( /fax 075 971 10 00; www.museoceramicaderuta.it; Largo San Francesco; adult/reduced €7/5; 10.30am-1pm & 3-6pm or 7pm daily, closed Tue afternoon Oct-Mar) .

Just south of Deruta, in the village of Casalina , foodies come from far and wide to sample the tasty creations at L’Antico Forziere ( 075 972 43 14; www.anticoforziere.it; Via della Rocca 2, Loc Casalina di Deruta; r €65-150, meals €32; ) . Twin-brother chefs, who also have a sideline as TV personalities (imagine two identical, slightly less sweary Gordon Ramsays), present beautifully prepared dishes (lots of towers, drizzling and artful arrangements). Inventive mains include turnip pasta with leeks and poppy seeds, and there’s also a huge wine list. The highlight, however, is the dessert sampler, comprising 10 elegantly crafted sweet creations. Yet another brother works front of house at the fine adjoining hotel.

APM buses connect the town with Perugia (€2.80, 25 minutes, 13 daily).

Lago Trasimeno

It would have been easy for drop-dead gorgeous Lago Trasimeno to become a holiday haven for busloads of northern European sun seekers, à la the coast of Le Marche. Thankfully the majority of the area – outside Passignano and a strip leaving San Feliciano – has eschewed the Stalinist high-rise mono-architecture of such Adriatic holiday villages. Agriturismi cover the hills like the omnipresent sunflower, historic Castiglione del Lago folds travellers in gently to allow room for all, and everyone respects the delicate ecology of the precious lake.

Sights & Activities

Popular activities at the lake include trekking, wine tasting, camping, water sports and dolce far niente (the sweet enjoyment of doing nothing). Many also go for the culinary delights. The locals are very proud of their excellent produce, most notably their high-quality DOC wines and DOP olive oils. If you are interested in following the Strade del Vino (Wine Route) of the Colli del Trasimeno (Trasimeno Hill district), the Associazione Strada del Vino Colli del Trasimeno (www.stradadelvinotrasimeno.it/en) produces a brochure with suggested itineraries, which you can also pick up at the tourist office in Castiglione del Lago, the area’s main town.

Castiglione del Lago’s attractions include the Palazzo della Corgna ( 075 965 82 10; Piazza Gramsci; admission incl Rocca del Leone adult/reduced €3/2; 10am-1pm & 4-7.30pm summer, 9.30am-4.30pm Sat & Sun winter) , an ancient ducal palace. A covered passageway connects the palace with the 13th-century Rocca del Leone , an excellent example of medieval military architecture.

The lake’s main inhabited island – Isola Maggiore , near Passignano – was reputedly a favourite with St Francis. The hilltop Chiesa di San Michele Arcangelo contains a crucifixion painted by Bartolomeo Caporali dating from around 1460. You can also visit the mostly uninhabited island and environmental lab at Isola Polvese on a day trip with Fattoria Il Poggio (see below).

Ask at any of the tourist offices around the lake or in Perugia for a booklet of walking and horse-riding tracks. Horse-riding centres include La Rosa Canina ( 075 835 06 60; www.larosacanina.com; Via dei Mandorli 23, Casalini) , to the south of the lake.

Sleeping

For a full list of hundreds of places to stay, check out www.regioneumbria.eu, www.bellaumbria.net or any of the tourist offices around the lake or in Perugia.

Fattoria Il Poggio HOSTEL €

( 075 965 95 50; www.fattoriaisolapolvese.com; Isola Polvese; s €15-18, dm €22-28, d apt €70-110, meals from €12; Mar-Oct, reception closed 3-7pm; ) You would hardly know you’re in an HI youth hostel. Dorm, doubles and family rooms all have views of the surrounding lake. Those who don’t mind catching a ferry back by 7pm will be rewarded handsomely with a family-style meal (full meals €10) in a former barn outfitted with many eco-friendly additions on its own private island. Kayaks, private beaches, games, DVDs, laundry room, 14th-century ruins and a nearby environmental lab are just some of the offerings.

La Casa sul Lago HOSTEL €

( 075 840 00 42; www.lacasasullago.com; Via del Lavoro 25, Torricella di Magione; dm €18, r per person €25-30, all incl breakfast; ) This is one of the top-rated hostels in central Italy, and for a very good reason. The private rooms could be in a three-star hotel, and guests have access to every amenity known to hostelkind: laundry, bicycles and wi-fi (both free!), home-cooked group meals, bar, football pitch, foosball table, pedal boat and private garden…all within 50m of the lake. It’s a short walk from the Torricella train station, but use the bicycles to get around the lake.

Il Torrione B&B €

( 075 95 32 36; www.iltorrionetrasimeno.com; Via delle Mura 4, Castiglione del Lago; s €50, d €60-70, all incl breakfast; 1 Mar-10 Nov) Romance abounds at this artistically minded tranquil retreat. Each room is decorated with art work painted by the owner, and a private flower-filled garden overlooks the lake, complete with chaises longues from which to watch the sunset and a 16th-century tower. Rent the tower room (up a flight of pirate-ship stairs) for a romantic private apartment.

Camping Badiaccia CAMPGROUND €

( 075 965 90 97; www.badiaccia.com; Via Trasimeno I 91, Bivia Borghetto; per person €5.50-7.50, tent €4.50-5.50, car €2-2.50, dog €2, 2- to 6-person bungalow €38-110; ) Practise your Dutch while playing tennis, table tennis or bocce, eating at the surprisingly good ristorante, or swimming in one of three pools. The campsite is paradise for families, but the childless will equally enjoy renting a kayak, bicycle or paddleboat and the beachfront location.

La Torre HOTEL €

( 075 95 16 66; www.trasinet.com/latorre; Via Vittoria Emanuele 50, Castiglione del Lago; r €45-90; ) The price is right at this central three-star hotel, a renovated palace. The rooms are a tad sterile but fully outfitted with TV, minibar and telephone, and the owners run the yummy bakery below (breakfast is delicious but costs €6 extra).

Eating

Specialities of the Trasimeno area include fagiolina (little white beans), carp in porchetta (cooked in a wood oven with garlic, fennel and herbs) and tegamaccio, a kind of soupy stew of the best varieties of local fish, cooked in olive oil, white wine and herbs.

La Cantina TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 075 965 24 32; Via Vittoria Emanuele, Castiglione del Lago; meals €27; Tue-Sun) Not only is the well-priced restaurant fabulous – a stately interior with a lovely outdoor terrace for summer dining – but there’s also an adjacent magazzino (shop) where you can buy the area’s best wine and olive oil. Try the delicious trout with local fagiolina (€9).

Il Lido Solitario TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 075 95 18 91; Via Lungolago 16, Castiglione del Lago; meals €28) It isn’t often we recommend a heavily trafficked waterfront restaurant, but it isn’t often you get to try a delicate fish cake topped with sweet Castelluccian lentils or a tender Chianina beef infused with Sagrantino wine. Grab a front porch table overlooking the nearby lake for a true summer experience.

Ristorante L’Acquario TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 075 965 24 32; Corso Vittorio Emanuele 69, Castiglione del Lago; meals €27; Fri-Wed Jan-Oct; ) L’Acquario has been open more than 20 years, and is still serving much the same menu. But if it ain’t broke… The restaurant relies on time-honoured methods of good ingredients (many of them fished out of the lake), good cooking and reasonable prices rather than fancy flavour combinations. It’s a great place to take your time over a meal. Try the eel tegamaccio .

Entertainment

Hotel Faliero (Da Maria) FOLK DANCING

( 075 847 63 41; www.hotelfaliero.it; Loc Montebuono di Magione; s €35-38, d €60-65; to midnight daily in season) Dine, dance and sleep it off at Lago Trasimeno’s most famous institution. For Umbrians, a trip to the lake simply isn’t complete without a visit to this temple of folk dancing. Il Faliero is hopping with dancers on most summer weekends, but the casual, counter-service restaurant has garnered just as much fame. In a pinch, 13 business-casual hotel rooms are far enough from the noise for a good night’s sleep.

Information

Tourist office ( 075 965 24 84; info@iat.castiglione-del-lago-pg.it; Piazza Mazzini 10, Castiglione del Lago; 8.30am-1pm & 3.30-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun) Advises on agriturismi and activities like cycling and water sports, and has an impressive collection of maps.

Getting There & Around

Bicycle You can hire bikes at most campsites or at Cicli Valentini ( /fax 075 95 16 63; www.ciclivalentini.it; Via Firenze 68b, Castiglione del Lago; per hr/day €2/14).

Bus APM ( 800 512141; www.apmperugia.it) connects Perugia with Passignano (€3.20, 70 minutes, 10 daily) and Castiglione del Lago (€5.10, one hour, nine daily).

Car & Motorcycle Two major highways skirt the lake: the SS71, which heads from Chiusi to Arezzo on the west side (in Tuscany); and SS75bis, which crosses the north end of the lake, heading from the A1 in Tuscany to Perugia.

Ferry APM services run from Easter to the end of September. Hourly ferries head from San Feliciano to Isola Polvese (€6.90 return, 20 minutes), Tuoro to Isola Maggiore (€6.90 return, 20 minutes) and Castiglione del Lago or Passignano to Isola Maggiore (€6.90 return, 30 minutes). Ferries stop running at 7pm.

Train Services run about hourly from Perugia to Torricella (€2.40 to €4.80, 25 minutes), Passignano (€3, 35 minutes) and Castiglione del Lago (€4.40 to €8.90, 50 minutes).

Todi

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Todi embodies all that is good about a central Italian hill town. Ancient structures line even more ancient roads, and the pace of life inches along, keeping time with the fields of wildflowers that languidly grow with the seasons. Foreign artists share Todi’s cobblestone streets with families who have lived here for generations.

Like rings around a tree, Todi’s history can be read in layers: the interior walls show Todi’s Etruscan and even Umbrian influence, the middle walls are an enduring example of Roman know-how, and the ‘new’ medieval walls boast of Todi’s economic stability and prominence during the Middle Ages.

Sights

Just try to walk through the Piazza del Popolo (Piazza of the People) without feeling compelled to sit on the medieval building steps and write a postcard home. The 13th-century Palazzo del Capitano links to the Palazzo del Popolo to create what is now the Museo Pinacoteca e Museo della Città di Todi ( 075 895 62 16; Piazza del Popolo; admission €3.10; 10am-1.30pm & 3-6pm Mar-Oct, 10.30am-1pm & 2.30-5pm Tue-Sun Nov-Feb), holding a fine (if hardly overwhelming) collection of paintings, and a rather more successful archaeological section – lots of old coins and ceramics.

The cathedral Offline map ( 075 894 30 41; Piazza del Popolo; 8.30am-1pm & 3.30-6.30pm) , at the northwestern end of the square, has a magnificent rose window. You can skip it, however, to visit two of Umbria’s most impressive churches. The lofty Tempio di San Fortunato (Piazza Umberto 1; 10am-1pm & 2.30-7pm Mar-Oct, 10am-1pm & 2.30-5pm Wed-Mon Nov-Feb) has frescoes by Masolino da Panicale and holds the tomb of Beato Jacopone, Todi’s beloved patron saint. Inside, make it a point to climb the Campanile di San Fortunato (adult/reduced €1.50/1; 10am-1pm & 3-6.30pm Apr-Oct, 10.30am-1pm & 2.30-5pm Nov-Mar, closed Mon) , where views of the hills and castles surrounding Todi awaits.

The postcard you’ve just written from the Piazza del Popolo? Most likely it’s of Todi’s famed church, the late-Renaissance masterpiece Chiesa di Santa Maria della Consolazione (Via della Consolazione; 9.30am-12.30pm & 2.30-6.30pm Mar-Oct, 9.30am-12.30pm & 2.30-5pm Wed-Mon Nov-Feb) . Inside, architecture fans can admire its geometrically perfect Greek cross design.

Festivals & Events

Todi Arte Festival CULTURAL

(www.todiartefestival.com, in Italian) Held for 10 days each September, this is a mixture of classical and jazz concerts, theatre, ballet and cinema. Ask at the tourist office for details.

Sleeping

San Lorenzo Tre B&B €

( 075 894 45 55; www.sanlorenzo3.it; Via San Lorenzo 3; s/d €75/95, s/d without bathroom €55/75, all incl breakfast; Mar-Dec) Five generations of the same family have lived at this historical residence. Awaiting guests are home-cooked breakfasts, a stunning rooftop view and atmospheric, romantic rooms.

Todi Castle HOTEL €€

( 0744 95 20 04; www.todicastle.com; Vocabolo Capecchio, Morre; villa r €70-120, castle r incl breakfast €100-200, weekly rates available; ) Here’s your chance to live in an honest-to-goodness castle, or in one of three equally perfect (and more affordable) private villas. With on-site private pools, medieval ruins, a deer park and the most attentive staff in Umbria, you’ll feel positively royal.

Fonte Cesia BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

( 075 894 46 77; www.fontecesia.it; Via Lorenzo Leonj 3; s €80-120, d €90-219, all incl breakfast; ) Just south of the main square, this renovated 17th-century palazzo has great old-world charm. The rooms are a bit small, but come with elegant antique touches, and some have views of the surrounding hills. There’s also a very good restaurant, Le Palme.

Eating

Antica Hosteria de la Valle OSTERIA €

( 075 894 48 48; Via Ciuffelli; mains €12-20; Tue-Sun) Art vies with food for top billing at this most creative of restaurants. Every few months, local artists not only display their work, but also illustrate the seasonal menus. Truffles find their way onto plenty of dishes: you can try them with tagliolini (€14) or filetto di manzo (€20).

Pizzeria Ristorante Cavour PIZZERIA €€

( 075 894 37 30; Coro Cavour 21; meals €30; Tue-Sun) Even by Umbrian hill-town standards, Todi is pretty steep. The upside to all that lactic acid build-up is the many towering views – with none better than here. It’s a huge place with several rooms, but if it’s a fine day, ignore them all and head straight outside to the terrace, order a plate of fettuccine with goose ragù (€8) and take it all in.

Bar Pianegiani ICE CREAM €

( 075 894 23 76; Corso Cavour 40; 6am- midnight Tue-Sun) Just like Clark Kent, this nondescript neighbourhood bar puts on an innocent front to conceal its superpowers, but 50 years of tradition has created the world’s most perfect gelato. Try the black cherry (spagnola) or hazelnut (nocciola) .

Information

Biblioteca Comunale Lorenzo Leonj ( 075 895 67 10; 8.30am-2pm Mon-Fri, 3-6pm Tue & Thu) Free high-speed internet (take your passport to register).

Post office ( 075 894 24 26; Piazza Garibaldi; 8am-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-12.30pm Sat)

Tourist office ( 075 894 54 18; Piazza del Popolo 37; 9.30am-1pm & 3.30-6.30pm Mon-Sat, 10am-1.30pm Sun & holidays summer, reduced hours winter)

Getting There & Away

APM ( 800 512141; www.apmperugia.it) buses head from Perugia’s Piazza Partigiani (€5.50, 1½ hours) every hour or so to either Piazza Jacapone or Piazza Consolazione. There is one daily service to Spoleto (€5.50, 1½ hours, 6.50am).

By car, Todi is easily reached on the SS3bis-E45, which runs between Perugia and Terni, or take the Orvieto turn-off from A1 (the Milan–Rome–Naples route).

FCU ( 075 57 54 01; www.fcu.it in Italian) trains run to Perugia (€2.55, 50 minutes, 18 daily). Although the train station is 3km away, city bus C (€0.90, eight minutes) coincides with arriving trains, and every other hour on Sunday.

NARNI – THE MAGICAL HEART OF ITALY

Like Greenwich or the North Pole, Narni is a place best known for where it is rather than what it is, lying as it does almost slap-bang at the geographical centre of Italy. You can walk to a stone marking the exact spot just outside the town. But Narni has a lot more going for it than merely being the answer to a trivia question. It boasts one of the finest medieval town centres in Umbria (and that’s against some pretty stiff competition) with a collection of churches, piazzas, palazzos and fortresses that are quite magical – and fittingly so given that CS Lewis used the Roman name for the town (plucked at random from an ancient atlas) for his own fictional magical kingdom: Narnia.

The town lies 21km south of Todi, just east of the A1 autostrada (from the south take the Magliano Sabina exit; from the north the Orte exit) and is well served by buses from Terni and Orvieto; contact ATC Terni ( 0744 71 52 07; www.atcterni.it) .

Assisi

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The spiritual capital of Umbria is Assisi, a town tied to its most famous son – St Francis of Assisi was born here in 1181 and preached his message throughout Umbria until his death in 1226.

To visit Assisi now is to see it almost as Francis himself saw it. Except, of course, for the millions of pilgrims and tourists now attempting to share in the same tranquillity as you.

Sights

Basilica Di San Francesco CHURCH

Offline map Google map

( 075 81 90 01; Piazza di San Francesco) St Francis asked his followers to bury him here on a hill known as Colle d’Inferno (Hell Hill), where people were executed at the gallows until the 13th century, so as to be in keeping with Jesus, who had died on the cross among criminals and outcasts. He also asked that his followers refrain from all forms of ostentation in their places of worship. Well, one out of two ain’t bad.

The upper church ( 8.30am-6.45pm Easter-Oct, to 6pm Oct-Easter) was built just after the lower church, between 1230 and 1253, and is a terribly grand place. Circling the inner walls is one of the most famous pieces of art in the world, a giant multipart fresco usually attributed to Giotto (though there is some debate within the art- historian community) depicting 28 scenes from St Francis’s life below corresponding images from the Old and New Testaments. It revolutionised art in the Western world, with the standard gold-leaf and flat iconic images of the Byzantine and Romanesque periods eschewed for natural backgrounds and a human, suffering Jesus. These fresco painters were the storytellers of their day, turning biblical passages into Bibliae Pauperum: open public Bibles for the poor, who were mostly illiterate.

The lower church ( 6am-6.45pm Easter-Oct, to 6pm Oct-Easter) was built between 1228 and 1230. In the centre above the main altar are four frescoes attributed to Maestro delle Vele, a pupil of Giotto, that represent what St Francis called ‘the four greatest allegories’. The first is the victory of Francis over evil, and the other depict the precepts his order was based on: poverty, obedience and chastity. Lorenzetti’s triptych in the left transept ends with his famous and controversial Madonna Who Celebrates Francis . Mary is seen holding the baby Jesus and indicating with her thumb towards St Francis. On the other side of Mary is the Apostle John, whom we assume is being unfavourably compared with Francis. In 1234 Pope Gregory IX decided that the image was not heretical because John had written the gospel, but Francis had lived it. Cimabue was the most historically important painter who worked in this church because he was the only artist to get a first-hand account from St Francis’ two nephews, who had personally known the saint. In the Madonna in Majesty, in the right transept, Cimabue’s depiction of St Francis is considered the most accurate.

Downstairs from the lower church is the Tomb of St Francis Offline map Google map , where the saint’s body has been laid to rest, and the Reliquary Chapel Offline map Google map ( 9am-6pm daily, 1-4.30pm holidays) , which contains items from St Francis’ life, including his simple, much-patched tunic and fragments of his celebrated Canticle of the Creatures .

The basilica has its own information office ( 075 819 00 84; www.sanfrancescoassisi.org; 9am-noon & 2-5pm Mon-Sat) , which can be found opposite the entrance to the lower church. Here you can schedule a tour in English or Italian, led by a resident Franciscan friar.

Assisi

Top Sights

Basilica di San Francesco A1

Rocca Maggiore E2

Sights

1  Basilica di Santa Chiara E4

2  Chiesa Nuova D3

3  Duomo di San Rufino F3

4  Foro Romano D3

Reliquary Chapel (see 6)

5  Tempio di Minerva D3

6  Tomb of St Francis A1

Sleeping

7  Albergo Il Duomo E3

8  Hotel Alexander E3

9  Hotel San Rufino E3

10  Nun Assisi G4

11  Residenza D'Epoca San CrispinoD4

12  St Anthony's Guesthouse F4

Eating

13  Gran Caffè E4

14  Medio Evo D3

15  Pozzo della Mensa E3

16  Trattoria Pallotta D3

Rocca Maggiore HISTORICAL BUILDING

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( 075 81 52 92; Via della Rocca; adult/reduced €5/3.50; 10am-sunset) Dominating the city is the massive 14th-century Rocca Maggiore, an oft-expanded, pillaged and rebuilt hill-fortress offering 360-degree views of Perugia to the north and the surrounding valleys below. Walk up winding staircases and claustrophobic passageways to reach the archer slots that served Assisians as they went medieval on Perugia.

Basilica di Santa Chiara CHURCH

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( 075 81 22 82; Piazza Santa Chiara; 6.30am-noon & 2-7pm summer, to 6pm winter) Built in the 13th century in a Romanesque style, with steep ramparts and a striking white and pink facade, the basilica was raised in honour of St Clare, a spiritual contemporary of St Francis and founder of the Sorelle Povere di Santa Chiara (Order of the Poor Ladies), now known as the Poor Clares. She is buried in the church’s crypt. The Byzantine cross that is said to have spoken to St Francis is also housed here.

Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli CHURCH

( 075 8 05 11; Santa Maria degli Angeli; 6.15am-12.50pm & 2.30-7.30pm) That enormous domed church you can see as you approach Assisi along the Tiber Valley is the 16th-century Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli, the centrepiece of the new town, some 4km west and several hundred metres further down the hill from old Assisi. Built between 1565 and 1685, its vast ornate confines house the tiny, humble Porziuncola Chapel, where St Francis first took refuge having found his vocation and given up his worldly goods, and which is generally regarded as the place where the Franciscan movement started. St Francis died at the site of the Cappella del Transito on 3 October 1226.

Eremo delle Carceri HISTORICAL SITE

( 075 81 23 01; 6.30am-7pm Easter-Oct, to sunset Oct-Easter) In around 1205 St Francis chose this set of caves above Assisi as his hermitage where he could retire to contemplate spiritual matters. The carceri (isolated places, or ‘prisons’) along the forest slopes of Monte Subasio are as peaceful today as in St Francis’ time, albeit now surrounded by various religious buildings. Many visitors use the locale as a jumping-off point for contemplative walks or picnics under the oaks. It’s a 4km drive (or walk) east, and a dozen nearby hiking trails are well signposted.

Santuario di San Damiano CHURCH

( 075 81 22 73; 10am-noon & 2-6pm summer, 10am-noon & 2-4.30pm winter, vespers 7pm summer, 5pm winter) It’s a 1.5km olive tree–lined stroll to the church where St Francis first heard the voice of God and where he wrote his Canticle of the Creatures . The serene surroundings are popular with pilgrims.

Foro Romano HISTORICAL SITE

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(Roman Forum; 075 81 30 53; Via Portica; adult/reduced incl Pinacoteca €4/2.50, with Rocca Maggiore €8/5; 10am-1pm & 2.30-6pm summer, to 5pm winter) On Piazza del Comune, just round the corner from the tourist office, is the entrance to the town’s partially excavated Roman Forum, while on the piazza’s northern side is the well-preserved facade of a 1st-century Roman temple, the Tempio di Minerva Offline map Google map (Temple of Minerva; Piazza del Comune; admission free; 7.30am-noon & 2-7pm Mon-Sat, 8.30am-noon & 2-7pm Sun) , hiding a rather uninspiring 17th-century church.

Duomo di San Rufino CHURCH

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( 075 81 60 16; Piazza San Rufino; 7.30am-12.30pm & 2.30-7pm, to 6pm in winter) The 13th-century Romanesque church, remodelled by Galeazzo Alessi in the 16th century, contains the fountain where St Francis and St Clare were baptised. The facade is festooned with grotesque figures and fantastic animals.

Chiesa Nuova CHURCH

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( 075 81 23 39; Piazza Chiesa Nuova; 6.30am-noon & 2.30-6pm summer, 6.30am-noon & 2-5pm winter) Just southeast of the Piazza del Comune, the ‘New Church’ was built by King Philip III of Spain in the 1600s on the spot reputed to be the house of St Francis’ family.

Activities

St Francis devotees and nature buffs will appreciate the plethora of strolls, day hikes and overnight pilgrimage walks leading into and out of Assisi. Many make the trek to Eremo delle Carceri or Santuario di San Damiano on foot. The tourist office has several maps, including a route that follows in St Francis’ footsteps to Gubbio (18km). A popular spot for hikers is nearby Monte Subasio . Local bookshops sell all sorts of walking and mountain-biking guidebooks and maps for the area. The tourist office can help with brochures and maps as well.

Bicycle rentals are available at Angelucci Andrea Cicli Riparazione Noleggio ( 075 804 25 50; www.angeluccicicli.it; Via Risorgimento 54a) in Santa Maria degli Angeli.

Festivals & Events

The Festa di San Francesco falls on 3 and 4 October and is the main religious event in the city. Settimana Santa (Easter Week) is celebrated with processions and performances.

Festa di Calendimaggio CULTURAL

This colourful festival celebrates spring in medieval fashion and starts the first Thursday after 1 May.

Marcia della Pace CULTURAL

Europe’s largest peace march began in 1961 and attracts more than 150,000 pilgrims the first week in October, who walk the 24km route between Perugia and Assisi.

Sleeping

Assisi has a phenomenal amount of rooms, which ensures good prices. Keep in mind that in peak periods such as Easter, August and September, and during the Festa di San Francesco, you will need to book accommodation well in advance.

The tourist office has a complete list of private rooms, religious institutions (of which there are 17), flats and agriturismi options in and around Assisi.

Nun Assisi LUXURY HOTEL €€€

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( 075 815 51 50; www.nunassisi.com; Via Eremo delle Carceri 1a; s €180-325, d €220-480, all incl breakfast; ) The latest addition to the Assisi hotel scene is also its fanciest. An elegant restored former convent, this has just enough of the original features to be charming, and just the right level of mod-cons to be luxurious. The rooms are beautiful, the restaurant a cut above and the spa is set within 1st-century Roman ruins (and it’s not every spa that can say that).

Alla Madonna del Piatto AGRITURISMO €€

( 075 819 90 50; www.incampagna.com; Via Petrata 37, Pieve San Nicolo; d incl breakfast €85-105; Mar–mid-Nov; ) As beautiful as it is seemingly isolated, this agriturismo is less than 15 minutes from the basilica. Each of the six Moroccan- or Indian-themed guest chambers is truly a room with a view. But the real reason to stay here is the intimate cooking classes Letizia runs (in Italian or English). Start the day in local markets and finish it off with a feast of your own creation. Two-night minimum.

Ostello della Pace HOSTEL €

( 075 81 67 67; www.assisihostel.com; Via Valecchie 177; dm incl breakfast €15-18, r from €20; 1 Mar-8 Nov & 27 Dec-6 Jan; ) Student groups, couples appreciating the handful of private rooms, backpackers and pilgrims all can find their bliss at Assisi’s HI hostel. Beautiful and quiet, it’s just off the road coming in from Santa Maria degli Angeli. Thrifty travellers will appreciate the dinners (€10.50), hikers will appreciate the boxed lunches (€7) and everyone will appreciate the idyllic setting.

St Anthony’s Guesthouse B&B €

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( 075 81 25 42; atoneassisi@tiscali.it; Via Galeazzo Alessi 10; s/d/tr incl breakfast €40/60/80; ) Look for the iron statue of St Francis feeding the birds and you’ve found your Assisian oasis. Rooms are austere but welcoming and six have balconies with breathtaking views. Gardens, ample parking and an 800-year-old breakfast salon make this a heavenly choice. Like most religious accommodation, it has a two-night minimum stay and an 11pm curfew.

Residenza D’Epoca San Crispino HOTEL €€€

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( 075 815 51 24; www.assisibenessere.it; Via Sant’Agnese 11; ste incl breakfast €170-340; ) Rooms are medieval old but have been upgraded with armoire kitchenettes to become blissful apartment suites named after St Francis’ Canticle of the Creatures – Brother Fire, Sister Water etc. It’s a short stroll to the Basilica di Santa Chiara.

Hotel Alexander B&B €€

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( 075 81 61 90; http://hotelalexanderassisi.it; Piazza Chiesa Nuova 6; s €60-80, d €78-140, all incl breakfast; ) Right by the Chiesa Nuova, this has just a few rooms and they do vary in size. Try to get the one on the top floor, which is huge and has great countryside views. It can get a bit noisy at times owing both to the location and the sparse, modern decor (wooden floors, no rugs), which provides a nice contrast to all the carefully preserved antiquity all around.

Hotel San Rufino HOTEL €

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( 075 81 28 03; www.hotelsanrufino.it; Via Porta Perlici 7; s €42-50, d €52-65, breakfast €4-5; ) With rooms in two locations (those at the Albergo Il Duomo Offline map Google map round the corner are slightly smaller), this hotel is as quiet as it is comfortable. Stairs to the hotel can be tricky, but once you arrive at the San Rufino, a lift comes in handy. Sweetly decorated rooms all come with private bathrooms and TVs.

Eating

Trattoria Pallotta TRATTORIA €

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( 075 81 26 49; Vicolo della Volta Pinta; mains €9-16; Wed-Mon) Head through the Volta Pinta (Painted Vault) off Piazza del Comune – being careful not to bump into someone as you gaze at the 16th-century frescoes above you – into this gorgeous setting of vaulted brick walls and wood-beamed ceilings. They cook all the Umbrian classics here: rabbit, homemade strangozzi and pigeon. Slightly less traditionally, they also offer a three-course vegetarian menu for €25.

Medio Evo TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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( 075 81 30 68; Via Arco dei Priori 4; meals €33; Thu-Tue) Traditional Umbrian dishes are served in fabulous vaulted 13th-century surroundings, including lamb stew with artichokes (€13.50) and truffle omelettes (€11). The early 6.45pm opening time is geared for, and highly appreciated by, non-Italian tourists.

Gran Caffè PASTRIES & CAKES €

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( 075 815 51 44; Corso Mazzini 16; 8am-midnight) This elegant place has the most fabulous gelati, mouth-watering pastries and cakes, and a great selection of drinks. Try the tè freddo alla pesca (iced tea with peach) on a hot day, or choose from a selection of delicious hot chocolates and coffee when the weather is cool. Remember it costs much more to sit.

Pozzo della Mensa OSTERIA €€

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( 075 815 52 36; Via del Pozzo della Mensa; meals €30; Fri-Wed) Just far enough off the main sightseeing routes to be more of a local than a tourist restaurant, this is presided over by two friends who serve up a small menu of regional favourites, such as torta al testa (try the sausage and wild greens), crostini misti and ravioli with white truffle sauce. A roof terrace opens in summer.

Shopping

Open-air markets take place in Piazza Matteotti on Saturday and Santa Maria degli Angeli on Monday.

Information

Bar Sabatini Sandro ( 075 81 62 46; Via Portica 29b; per 30min €3; 8am-8pm) Internet access.

Ospedale di Assisi ( 075 8 13 91; Via Fuori Porta Nuova) Hospital about 1km southeast of Porta Nuova.

Police station ( 075 81 28 20; Piazza del Comune)

Post office Porta Nuova ( 8am-1.30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-12.30pm Sat); Porta San Pietro ( 8.10am-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-1pm Sat & Sun)

Tourist office ( 075 813 86 80; www.assisi.regioneumbria.eu; Piazza del Comune 22; 8am-2pm & 3-6pm Mon-Sat, 10am-1pm & 2-5pm Sun summer, 9am-1pm Sun winter) Also has a branch outside Porta Nuova open Easter to October.

Getting There & Around

Bus APM ( 800 512141; www.apmperugia.it) buses run to Perugia (€3.20, 45 minutes, nine daily) and Gubbio (€5.50, 70 minutes, 11 daily) from Piazza Matteotti. Sulga ( 800 099661; www.sulga.it) buses leave from Porta San Pietro for Florence (€11, 2½ hours, one daily at 7am) and Rome’s Stazione Tiburtina (€16.50, 3¼ hours, three daily).

Car & Motorcycle From Perugia take the SS75, exit at Ospedalicchio and follow the signs. In town, daytime parking is all but banned. Six car parks dot the city walls, where you can leave your car for €1.60/12 per hour/day; they are connected to the centre by orange shuttle buses.

Taxi For a cab, call 075 81 31 00.

Train Assisi is on the Foligno–Terontola train line with regular services to Perugia (€2.50, 30 minutes, hourly). You can change at Terontola for Florence (€11.75 to €19, 1¾ to 2¾ hours, 10 daily) and at Foligno for Rome (€9.40 to €14.30, two to 2½ hours, hourly). Assisi train station is 4km west in Santa Maria degli Angeli; shuttle bus C (€1) runs between the train station and Piazza Matteotti every 30 minutes. Buy tickets from the station tabacchi or in town.

Spello

POP 8673

Sometimes it seems like it’s just not possible for the next Umbrian town to be any prettier than the last. And then you visit Spello. It’s often passed by as tourists head to nearby Assisi or Perugia, but the proliferation of arched stone walkways and hanging flowerpots make it well worth a visit, especially in spring when the whole bloomin’ town smells of flowers.

Sights

Spello isn’t known for any one sight; a leisurely stroll is the best way to see the town. Begin at Porta Consolare , which dates from Roman times, then head towards Piazza Matteotti, the heart of Spello, where the impressive 12th-century Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore (Piazza Matteotti; 8.30am-12.30pm & 3-7pm Mar-Oct, to 6pm Nov-Feb) houses the town’s real treat. In its Cappella Baglioni , Pinturicchio’s beautiful frescoes of the life of Christ are in the right-hand corner as you enter. Even the floor, dating from 1566, is a masterpiece. Stay in the same piazza for the gloomier Chiesa di Sant’Andrea (Piazza Matteotti; 8am-7pm) , where you can admire Pinturicchio’s Madonna with Child and Saints .

To see the view of all views, head up past the Arco Romano to the Chiesa di San Severino . The active Capuchin monastery is closed to the public but its exterior Romanesque facade is so stunning you’ll have trouble deciding whether you’d like to gaze at its architecture or the bucolic countryside view below.

Festivals & Events

Corpus Domini RELIGIOUS

The people of Spello celebrate this feast in June (the Sunday 60 days after Easter) by skilfully decorating stretches of the main street with fresh flowers in colourful designs. Come on the Saturday evening before the Sunday procession to see the floral fantasies being laid out (from about 8.30pm). The Corpus procession begins at 11am on Sunday.

Sleeping

Hotel Ristorante La Bastiglia HOTEL €€

( 0742 65 12 77; www.labastiglia.com; Via Salnitraria 15; s €80-105, d €80-155, all incl breakfast; ) Welcoming well-heeled pilgrims, bicyclists and tour participants for decades, it has three classes of rooms that open the stunning grounds to the travelling public, all of whom enjoy seasonal breakfast (Italian style) on the terrace. The restaurant is one of Umbria’s best.

Del Prato Paolucci B&B €

( 0742 30 10 18; www.hoteldelpratopaolucci.it; Via Brodolini 4; s/d/tr incl breakfast €40/60/80; ) This modest family-run spot just outside the centre offers a reasonable level of comfort and a swimming pool in summer. Plus, you’ll have a perfectly acceptable bathroom, TV and phone, and a few rooms have views.

Residence San Jacopo APARTMENT €

( 0742 30 12 60, 333 2232899; www.residencesanjacopo.com, in Italian; Via Borgo di Via Giulia 1; apt for 2/3 people €75/105) This holiday house saw its first incarnation in 1296 as the hospice of San Jacopo, a way station for pilgrims heading to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. Ten mini-apartments feature a kitchenette, bathroom and TV, and are furnished with rustic antiques.

Eating & Drinking

Osteria del Buchetto OSTERIA €€

( 0742 30 30 52; Via Cappuccini 19; meals €25; Tue-Sun) Right at the top of town near the Roman arch – only the hardiest travellers make it up here – you eat at a raised platform while enjoying romantic views of the valley towards Assisi. The food is proudly local, and you’re encouraged to take your time. Perhaps start with the bruschetta and move on to the strangozzi with truffles (or, if in season, asparagus), but be sure to make room for the speciality – grilled steaks.

Enoteca Properzio WINE BAR

( 0742 30 45 11; www.enoteche.it; Palazzo dei Canonici, Piazza Matteotti 8/10; 9am-11pm Apr-Oct, 9am-8pm Nov-Mar) Umbrian wineries aren’t usually open to the public, so one of the only chances visitors have of tasting several wines at once without breaking the bank is to stop off at an enoteca in town. And there’s no better place in Umbria to do so than here, where for €30 you can try a half-dozen Umbrian wines while snacking on cheese, prosciutto and bruschetta.

Information

Tourist office (Pro Loco; 0742 30 10 09; www.prospello.it; Piazza Matteotti 3; 9.30am-12.30pm & 3.30-5.30pm) Has town maps, a list of accommodation options and walking maps, including an 8km walk across the hills to Assisi.

Getting There & Away

Car & Motorcycle Spello is on the SS75 between Perugia and Foligno.

Train There are services at least hourly to Perugia (€3, 30 minutes) and Assisi (€1.70, 10 minutes). The station is often unstaffed, so buy your tickets at either the self-service ticket machine or at the news stand Rivendita Giornali (Piazza della Pace 1) . It’s a 10-minute walk into town.

Gubbio

POP 32,985

While most of Umbria feels soft and rounded by the millennia, Gubbio is angular, sober and imposing. Perched on the steep slopes of Monte Ingino, the Gothic buildings wend their way up the hill towards Umbria’s closest thing to an amusement park ride, its open-air funivia . During the holidays, the side of the mountain becomes the world’s largest Christmas tree.

The small town is easy to reach by bus or car, easy to explore on foot and has plenty of good low-cost accommodation. Gothic architecture buffs shouldn’t miss it.

Sights

Funivia Colle Eletto LOOKOUT

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Although the Basilica di Sant’Ubaldo , perched high up on Monte Ingino, is a perfectly lovely church, the adventure is reaching it. Take the Funivia ( 075 922 11 99; adult/reduced €5/4; 9am-7pm daily summer, 10am-5pm Thu-Tue winter; ) , surely the most fun you can have getting to church. While the word ‘ funivia ’ (and indeed the signs to it) suggests an enclosed cable car, the reality is a contraption like a ski lift that whisks visitors up the mountain in precarious-looking metal baskets. The funivia never stops during its operating hours (it’s best to call ahead in poor weather, as hours can change), so in order to board you have to stand on a red dot and then get sort of thrown into a basket by the operator as it whizzes past – it’s not recommended for the old, the very young or the infirm. Once the initial disorientation has worn off, you can watch Gubbio – which moments before had seemed so impossibly hilly – gradually transform into a flat little toy town far below. The views from the top are simply stupendous.

The basilica, which can’t help but come as a bit of an anti-climax after the approach, displays the body of St Ubaldo, the 12th-century bishop of Gubbio, in a glass coffin above the altar. It also has a small museum dedicated to the Corsa dei Ceri where you can see the massive statues carried through the streets during the town’s most popular festival, the Corsa dei Ceri. There’s a cafe on top of the hill by the funivia entrance, but the nicest way to spend the day is to bring a picnic and have a wander.

Gubbio

Top Sights

Funivia Colle Eletto D3

Palazzo dei Consoli B1

Sights

1  Cathedral B1

Fontana dei Pazzi (see 4)

2  Museo Civico B1

3  Museo della Mailoca a Lustro e Torre Medioevale di Porta Romana D3

Museo Diocesano (see 1)

4  Palazzo del Bargello A1

5  Palazzo del Podestà B1

6  Palazzo Ducale B1

7  Piazza Grande B1

Sleeping

8  Bosone Palace C2

9  Relais Ducale B1

10  Residenza di Via Piccardi A2

11  Ristorante Hotel Grotta dell'AngeloB3

Eating

12  Ristorante Fabiani A1

13  Ristorante Ulisse e LetiziaC2

14  Taverna del Lupo B2

Shopping

15  Leo Grilli Arte A1

Piazza Grande PIAZZA

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Gubbio’s most impressive buildings look out over Piazza Grande, where the heart of the Corsa dei Ceri event takes place. The piazza is dominated by the 14th-century Palazzo dei Consoli Offline map Google map , attributed to Gattapone – its crenulated facade and tower can be seen from all over the town. The building houses the Museo Civico Offline map Google map ( 075 927 42 98; Piazza Grande; adult/reduced incl gallery €4/2.50; 10am-1pm & 3-6pm Apr-Oct, 10am-1pm & 2-5pm Nov-Mar) , which displays the famous Eugubian Tablets, discovered in 1444. Dating from between 300 and 100 BC, these seven bronze tablets are the best existing example of the ancient Umbrian script. Upstairs is a picture gallery featuring works from the Gubbian school, while downstairs – and accessed round the back – is a small archaeological museum. Across the square is the Palazzo del Podestà Offline map Google map , built along similar lines to its grander counterpart, and now the active town hall.

Via Federico da Montefeltro STREET

Walk up Via Ducale to the Via Federico da Montefeltro where you’ll encounter a triumvirate of ancientness, beginning at the 13th-century pink cathedral (donations welcome; 10am-5pm) , with a fine 12th-century stained-glass window and a fresco attributed to Bernardino Pinturicchio. Opposite, the 15th-century Palazzo Ducale ( 075 927 58 72; adult/reduced €2/1; 9am-7.30pm Tue-Fri & Sun, 9am-10.30pm Sat) was built by the Duke of Montefeltro’s family as a scaled-down version of their grand palazzo in Urbino. Next door is the Museo Diocesano Offline map Google map ( 075 922 09 04; 10am-7pm summer, 10am-6pm Mon-Sat winter, 10am-6pm Sun & holidays year-round) , a homage to Gubbio’s medieval history.

Museo della Mailoca a Lustro e Torre Medioevale di Porta Romana MUSEUM

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(Ceramic Museum and Medieval Tower; 075 922 11 99; Via Dante 24; admission €2.50; 10.30am-1pm & 3.30-7pm) Just below the Funivia Colle Eletto, this museum is dedicated to the a lustro ceramic style, which has its origins in 11th-century Muslim Spain. Up in the tower, on the 2nd floor, ceramics from prehistoric times share space with medieval and Renaissance pieces.

Fontana dei Pazzi MONUMENT

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In the western end of Gubbio’s medieval section is the 13th-century Palazzo del Bargello Offline map Google map , the city’s medieval police station and prison. In front is the Fontana dei Pazzi (Fountain of Lunatics), so-named because of a belief that if you walk around it three times, you will go mad. On summer weekends the number of tourists actually carrying out this bizarre ritual is indeed cause for concern about their collective sanity.

Teatro Romano HISTORICAL SITE

(Roman Theatre; 075 922 09 22; 8.30am-7.30pm Apr-Sep, 8am-1.30pm Oct-Mar) Southwest of Piazza Quaranta Martiri, off Viale del Teatro Romano, are the overgrown remains of a 1st-century Roman theatre. In the summer, check with the tourist office about outdoor concerts held here.

Festivals & Events

Corsa dei Ceri CULTURAL

The ‘Candles Race’ is a centuries-old event held each year on 15 May to commemorate the city’s patron saint, Sant’Ubaldo. It starts at 5.30am and involves three teams, each carrying a cero (massive wooden pillars weighing about 400kg, each bearing a statue of a ‘rival’ saint) and racing through the city’s streets. This is one of Italy’s liveliest festivals and has put Gubbio on the map.

Palio della Balestra CULTURAL

On the last Sunday in May, Gubbio gets out its medieval crossbows for its annual archery competition with regional rival Sansepolcro. The festival carries over all year in tourist shops alive with rather scary looking crossbow paraphernalia.

Sleeping

Residenza di Via Piccardi HOTEL €

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( 075 927 61 08; www.agriturismocolledelsole.it; Via Piccardi 12; s/d/apt incl breakfast €30/55/60; closed Jan & Feb) Step through the arched gate into the romantic garden of this period residence. Share an amorous breakfast for two in the garden or cook up a simple dinner in the mini-apartment’s kitchenette. Family-owned, the medieval stone building has cosy rooms decorated in cheery florals with all the basic comforts.

Bosone Palace HOTEL €€

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( 075 922 06 88; www.hotelbosone.com; Via XX Settembre 22; s €56-74, d €80-130, all incl breakfast; ) Fancy looking at a fresco during breakfast? How about staying in a room once frequented by Dante Alighieri? All rooms have minibars, satellite TV and phones in the bathroom, and many have gorgeous views of the surrounding valley.

Relais Ducale HOTEL €€

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( 075 922 01 57; www.relaisducale.com; Via Galleoti 7; s €80-116, d €90-150) You’ll need to be in shape, as this hotel is a stiff walk up the hill (and, as it doesn’t have a restaurant, a stiff walk down again every night), but the accommodation is worth it. Set in a converted annex of the Ducale Palace, it boasts antique-strewn rooms and a terrace overlooking the Piazza della Signoria – perfect for relaxing after all that luggage hauling.

Città di Gubbio & Villa Ortoguidone CAMPGROUND €

( 075 927 20 37; www.gubbiocamping.com; Loc Ortoguidone 49; per person €6.50-9.50, tent €7-9.50, car €2.50, 2- to 4-person apt €36-100; Easter- Sep; ) Just a few minutes from Gubbio’s centre, this full-service, four-star campsite has a tennis court, Jacuzzi, pool and snack bar. Stunning apartments in an old stone manor house offer TVs, beautiful wooden furnishings and private bathrooms. July and August visits require a one-week stay. From the SS298, follow the signs for 3km to ‘Agriclub Villa Ortoguidone’.

Ristorante Hotel Grotta dell’Angelo HOTEL €

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( 075 927 17 47; www.grottadellangelo.it; Via Gioia 47; s €38-42, d €55-60; closed 2-3 weeks Jan) While it is mostly a popular restaurant with all sorts of truffle dishes and a beautiful garden, the Grotta dell’Angelo also serves up a few basic rooms for rent.

Eating

Ristorante Ulisse e Letizia TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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( 075 922 19 70; Via Mastro Giorgio 2; meals €32; Wed-Mon) Taking over one of the town’s most respected restaurants is never easy, but this place has done a fine job. In the stylish setting provided by a restored ceramics workshop, most of the food (including the olive oil and pasta) is either made in-house or (in the case of the mushrooms and truffles) sourced locally. It’s a place to take your time and explore the menu (including the 500-item wine list).

Taverna del Lupo TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€€

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( 075 927 43 68; Via Ansidei 21; meals €45; Tue-Sun) Il Lupo was the wolf that St Francis domesticated, and which supposedly came back to this restaurant to dine. He made an excellent choice. The atmosphere is sophisticated, if a bit stiff, and diners will feel more comfortable smartly dressed. Most ingredients are locally produced, including cheese, truffles and olive oil. The à la carte prices are steep, but it does set menus for €23.50, €27.50 and €29.50.

Ristorante Fabiani PIZZERIA €€

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( 075 927 46 39; Piazza Quaranta Martiri 26; meals €28; Wed-Mon) This is a fabulous spot to sit on a back patio and enjoy the garden for a few hours. The selection here is vast, including more than 30 pizzas, and there is a rotating €16 tourist menu. Stop in on Thursday or Friday for the fish specials.

Shopping

A weekly market selling all kinds of everything – including fresh produce, clothes and flowers – takes place every Tuesday morning on the Piazza Quaranta Martiri.

Leo Grilli Arte ARTISANAL

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(Via dei Consoli 78) In the Middle Ages, ceramics were one of Gubbio’s main industries and there are some fabulous contemporary samples on sale in this crumbly 15th-century mansion.

THE MARKET WEEK

Weekly morning markets selling everything (fresh local produce, hot food, clothes, shoes, flowers, household goods, antiques – you name it) take place at towns across Umbria, usually in the main square. They can be intense, densely packed affairs swarming with locals on the hunt for bargains, but are a great way to immerse yourself in the life and culture of the region. They take place between 8.30am and 1pm at the following locations: Assisi (Monday), Gubbio (Tuesday), Castiglione del Lago (Wednesday), Città di Castello (Thursday), Bastia Umbria (Friday), Todi (Saturday), Passignano (Sunday) and Spoleto (second Sunday of the month). Plan your trip carefully and you could visit a market every day of the week. These are complemented by a number of monthly antique markets, such as the one held in Perugia on the last weekend of the month. If driving, be sure to set off early as parking – though often free on market morning – can be difficult to track down once the commerce is in full swing.

Information

Hospital ( 075 927 08 01; Località Branca) About 2km from the city centre.

Police station ( 075 927 37 70; Via Mazzatinti)

Post office ( 075 927 39 25; Via Cairoli 11; 8am-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-12.30pm Sat)

Tourist office ( 075 922 06 93; www.gubbio-altochiascio.regioneumbria.eu; Via della Reppublica 15; 8.30am-1.45pm & 3-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm & 3-6pm Sat, Sun & holidays)

Getting There & Around

Gubbio has no train station but APM ( 800 51 21 41; www.apmperugia.it) buses run to Perugia (€4.60, one hour and 10 minutes, 10 daily) from Piazza Quaranta Martiri.

By car, take the SS298 from Perugia or the SS76 from Ancona, and follow the signs.

Walking is the best way to get around, but APM buses connect Piazza Quaranta Martiri with the funicular station and most main sights.

Spoleto

POP 39,339

Spoleto was once a typically sleepy Umbrian hill town until, in 1958, Italian-American composer Gian Carlo Menotti founded the Festival dei Due Mondi, now known around the world as simply the Spoleto Festival. Combining theatre, dance, music, spoken word and other art forms, the festival has gained a reputation as one of the best of its kind in the world and has put this town – historically important since Roman times and once the capital of the Lombardy Duchy and part of the Holy Roman Empire – firmly back on the map. However, even outside of festival season, Spoleto has more than enough museums, Roman ruins, restaurants and wanderable streets to keep you busy for a good day or two.

Sights

Rocca Albornoziana HISTORICAL BUILDING

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( /fax 0743 22 30 55; Piazza Campello; adult/reduced €7.50/6.50; 8.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sun) Previously a long and rather arduous walk up the hill from the centre of town, the Rocca, a glowering 14th-century former papal fortress, can now be reached via a series of escalators and elevators from the Via della Ponzianina. The fortress also contains the Museo Nazionale del Ducato Offline map , which traces the history of the Spoleto Duchy through a series of Roman, Byzantine, Carolingian and Lombard artefacts. The pleasant walkway skirting the Rocca’s lower reaches has also been reopened.

Spoleto

Top Sights

Museo Archeologico A5

Rocca Albornoziana D4

Sights

1  Arco di Druso e Germanico B5

2  Casa Romana B4

3  Cattedrale di Spoleto C4

4  Museo Carandente A4

5  Museo del Tessile e del Costume A4

6  Museo Nazionale del Ducato D5

7  Teatro Romano A5

Sleeping

8  Hotel Aurora A5

9  Hotel Charleston A4

10  Hotel dei Duchi A5

Eating

11  La Locanda del Passero A6

12  Osteria del Trivio B2

13  Ristorante ApollinareA5

14  Taverna la Lanterna B5

Museo Archeologico MUSEUM

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( 0743 22 32 77; Via S Agata; adult/reduced €4/2; 8.30am-7.30pm) Down in the centre of town, the prime draw is the town’s archaeological museum, located on the western edge of Piazza della Libertà. It holds a well-displayed collection of Roman and Etruscan bits and bobs from the area spread over four floors. You can step outside to view the mostly intact 1st-century Teatro Romano Offline map (Roman theatre), which often hosts live performances during the summer; check with the museum or the tourist office.

Museo Carandente MUSEUM

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( 0743 4 64 34; Piazza Collicola; adult/reduced €4/3; 10.30am-1pm & 3.30-7pm Wed-Sun) Formerly the Galleria D’Arte Moderna, the town’s premier collection of modern art has been renamed after its late former director and noted art critic, Giovanni Carandente, and significantly revamped. The collection is dominated by works of late-20th-century Italian artists, including the sculptor Leonardo Leoncillo.

Casa Romana HISTORICAL BUILDING

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(Roman House; /fax 0743 23 42 50; Via di Visiale; adult/reduced €2.50/2; 10.30am-5.30pm) This excavated Roman house isn’t exactly Pompeii, but it gives visitors a peek into what a typical home of the area would have looked like in the 1st century BC. Just to the south, near the Piazza Fontana, stands the remains of the Arco di Druso e Germanico Offline map (Arch of Drusus and Germanicus, named for the sons of Emperor Tiberius), which once marked the entrance to the Roman forum.

Cattedrale di Spoleto CHURCH

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( 0743 4 43 07; Piazza Duomo; 8.30am-12.30pm & 3.30-7pm summer, 8.30am-12.30pm & 3.30-5.30pm winter) The town’s cathedral was initially constructed in the 11th century, utilising huge blocks of salvaged stones from Roman buildings for its rather sombre belltower. A 17th-century remodelling saw a striking Renaissance porch added. Mosaic frescoes in the domed apse were executed by Filippo Lippi and his assistants. Lippi died before completing the work and Lorenzo de Medici travelled to Spoleto from Florence and ordered Lippi’s son, Filippino, to build a mausoleum for the artist. This now stands in the right transept of the cathedral.

Museo del Tessile e del Costume MUSEUM

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(Museum of Textiles and Costumes; 0743 4 64 34; Palazzo Rosari-Spadi; adult/reduced €3/2; 3-6pm Wed-Sun) Housed in the Palazzo Rosari-Spada, just round the corner from the revamped modern art museum, the museum holds a collection of antique noble finery from the 15th to the 20th century donated from the wardrobes of the some of the area’s leading families.

Chiesa di San Pietro CHURCH

( 0743 4 48 82; Loc San Pietro; 9am-6.30pm summer, 9am-noon & 3.30-5pm winter) An hour-long stroll can be made along the Via del Ponte to the Ponte delle Torri , which was erected in the 14th century on the foundations of a Roman aqueduct. Cross the bridge and follow the lower path, Strada di Monteluco, to reach the church where the 13th-century facade is liberally bedecked with sculpted animals.

Festivals & Events

Spoleto Festival ARTS

The Italian-American composer Gian Carlo Menotti conceived the Festival dei Due Mondi (Festival of Two Worlds) in 1958. Now simply known as the Spoleto Festival, it has given the town a worldwide reputation.

Events at the festival, held over three weeks from late June to mid-July, range from opera and theatre performances to ballet and art exhibitions, which take place in the Rocca Albornoziana, the Teatro Romano at the archaeological museum and the cathedral, among other places. Tickets cost €5 to €200, but most are in the €20 to €30 range. There are also usually several free concerts in various churches.

For details and tickets, contact the Spoleto Festival Box Office ( 800 565600; Piazza della Libertà; 10.30am-1.30pm & 4-7pm Fri & Sat 1 May-24 June, 10.30am-12.30pm & 4-7pm daily 25 June-12 July) next to the tourist office or book online at www.festivaldispoleto.it.

Sleeping

The city is well served by cheap hotels, affittacamere (rooms for rent), hostels and campsites. Expect significantly higher prices during the festival.

Hotel Aurora B&B €

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( 0743 22 03 15; www.hotelauroraspoleto.it; Via Apollinare 3; s/d incl breakfast from €55/80; ) Just off Piazza della Libertà, the bright yellow Aurora is very central and fabulous value. Staff are friendly and will help you plan your Spoleto itinerary. From a few rooms, you can enjoy a private balcony view over the Roman amphitheatre below.

Hotel Charleston HOTEL €

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( 0743 22 00 52; www.hotelcharleston.it; Piazza Collicola 10; s/d incl breakfast from €59/79; ) With a sauna, fireplace and an outdoor terrace, the Charleston is an enticing location in both winter and summer. The 17th-century building has been thoroughly renovated with double-paned windows, parquet floors and handsome modern furniture. It’s named after Charleston, South Carolina, the home of a sister Spoleto Festival. Parking costs €10.

Hotel dei Duchi HOTEL €€

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( /fax 0743 44 54 1; www.hoteldeiduchi.com; Viale Giacomo Matteotti; s €75, d €100-175; ) Next to a tidy park just outside the old town, this is a purpose build rather than a renovation. So although the rooms are a good size (and some of the bathrooms have bathtubs), it’s not exactly reeking of old-world charm – think clean, well-equipped and professionally run. Its slightly elevated position gives it good views of the countryside and, slightly closer to home, the Roman theatre.

Ostello Villa Redenta HOSTEL €

( 0743 22 49 36; www.villaredenta.com; Via di Villa Redenta 1; dm €20-24, s €28-35, d €52-75, all incl breakfast; ) Pope Leone XII slept here. Literally. The 17th-century hostel is set within a quiet park just outside the historic centre and comes complete with a bar, breakfast and private bathroom in each room. Reception is open 8am to 1pm and 3.30pm to 8pm.

Hotel San Carlo Borromeo HOTEL €

( 0743 22 53 20; www.hotelsancarloborromeo.it; Via San Carlo 13; s €30-45, d €60-90, all incl breakfast; ) It’s not hugely atmospheric, but the convenience, price and free car park make it a safe bet. The back rooms are quieter and have a view of the countryside around Monteluco, but all are clean, functional and spacious.

Eating

Taverna la Lanterna TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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( 0743 4 98 15; Via della Trattoria 6; meals €29; Thu-Tue) Popular with the locals – always a good sign – this informal little place is hidden away on a gloomy backstreet. The mains consist mainly of various varieties of grilled meat (steak, pork chops, spicy sausages) and omelettes (with black truffles for €10). Watch the old ladies cooking up a storm in the kitchen.

Osteria del Trivio OSTERIA €€

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( 0743 4 43 49; Via del Trivio 16; meals €28; Wed-Mon, closed Jan) Strings of garlic and dried peppers grace the walls of this most homey of home-style restaurants run by a husband-and-wife team. This is a great place to try the strangozzi alla spoletina (local pasta in a tangy tomato sauce), and the stuffed artichokes are legendary.

Ristorante Apollinaire TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

Offline map ( 0743 22 32 56; Via S Agata 14; tasting menus incl veg €30-50; Wed-Sun) California cuisine meets Umbrian tradition: somehow this restaurant manages to figure out that squid-ink pasta does go with pesto and crayfish, and rabbit feels quite at home in a black olive sauce. No matter what, save room for dessert. The menu changes seasonally but you are constantly enveloped in low wood-beamed ceilings and candlelight flickering against brick.

La Locanda del Passero TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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( 0743 67 06 51; Via Benedetto Egio 3/5; meals €40; Wed-Mon) A recent addition to the restaurant scene, having replaced a much-loved stalwart, this clean, bright dining room does a mean line in fish, including scampi risotto, tuna carpaccio and a seafood frittura mista . There’s a good selection of wine and it offers a set three-course menu for €30.

Information

Ospedale San Mateo ( 0743 21 01; Via Madonna di Loreto) Hospital.

Pizzeria Zeppelin ( 0743 4 77 67; Corso Giuseppe Mazzini 81; per hr €3; 10.30am-9.30pm) Internet access.

Police station ( 0743 2 32 41; 191 Via Marconi)

Post office ( 0743 20 15 20; Piazza della Libertà 12; 8am-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-12.30pm Sat)

Tourist office ( 0743 23 89 20/1; www.visitspoleto.it; Piazza della Libertà 7; 8.30am-1.30pm & 4-7pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-12.30pm & 4-7pm Sat & Sun Apr-Oct, 8.30am-1.30pm & 3.30-6.30pm Mon-Sat, 9.30am-12.30pm Sun Nov-Mar)

Getting There & Around

SSIT ( 0743 21 22 09; www.spoletina.com) buses run to Norcia (€4.80, one hour, six daily).

Trains from the main station connect with Rome (€8 to €12.30, 1½ hours, hourly), Perugia (€4.80, one hour, nine daily) and Assisi (€3.24, 40 minutes, hourly). From the train station, about 1km from the centre, take city bus A, B or C for €1 to the Piazza dell Libertà (make sure the bus reads ‘Centro’).

By car, the city lies on the E45 and an easy connection via the SS209 to the Valnerina.

Norcia & the Valnerina

After all the thigh-challenging hill towns of western and northern Umbria, the flatter, less elevated prospects of Norcia, right on Umbria’s eastern boundaries, can come as a bit of a relief. You’ll still need to do something to work up an appetite, however, as there are probably more things to eat in Norcia than anywhere else in the region. Norcia is the cured-meat capital of Italy and its streets, particularly the main Piazza San Benedetto, are filled with shops selling all manner of acorn-fed pig products. Giant hams, salamis, strings of sausages and (as a marketing ploy rather than to eat) stuffed boars’ heads are everywhere you look. In fact, the word ‘Norcineria’ has become synonymous with ‘butcher’ throughout Italy. The surrounding area is also one of the region’s largest producers of the elusive black truffle. Suitably fortified, you can then tackle the town’s other great draw – its proximity to the glorious Monti Sibillini, which many consider the most beautiful area in the region. We heartily agree. Although near impossible to reach by public transport (the nearest train station is in Spoleto), those with a car could easily fill an entire week here. Almost as scenic is Norcia’s own valley, the Valnerina, which is best explored on a meandering drive along the SS209.

Festivals & Events

Mostra Mercato del Tartufo Nero FOOD

(www.neronorcia.it) Truffle lovers, foodies and mooches should head to Norcia on the last weekend in February and the first weekend in March to join thousands of visitors from all over the world as they sift through dozens of booths, tasting, of course, all things truffle from Norcia, but also candies from Sicily, cheese from Tuscany and other goodies. The entrance and most tastings are free and any gifts will be well loved.

Sleeping & Eating

Palazzo Seneca HOTEL €€

( 0743 81 74 34; www.palazzoseneca.com; Via Cesare Battisti 12; s €100-120, d €150-199; ) Sometimes you truly feel like you live in a palace, even just for a night or two. Perhaps it’s as you play chess in an overstuffed leather chair in front of the fireplace or maybe it’s while you’re enjoying your Thai massage in the subterranean spa. Four-poster beds and marble bathrooms meld seamlessly with ancient stone walls, and the accompanying practically perfect Ristorante Vespasia means you never have to leave.

Hotel Grotta Azzura HOTEL €

( 0743 81 65 13; www.bianconi.com; Via Alfieri 12; s €39-86, d €59-113, all incl breakfast; ) This 18th-century palazzo with suits of armour in the reception offers fabulous deals during the week and in low season. Cross-vaulted rooms are stately if a bit dark, complete with carved ceilings and recently upgraded bathrooms. Its restaurant has been open daily for 150 years. It is a tad touristy, but the food is still excellent and comes in great piles of porcini mushrooms, sausages and prosciutto.

Residenza San Pietro in Valle HOTEL €€

( 0744 78 01 29; www.sanpietroinvalle.com; SS209 Valnerina km20; s €98-109, d €129-139, all incl breakfast; Easter-Oct; ) Around 30km southwest of Norcia, this medieval convent beckons travellers with its historical charm and delicious cuisine. The rooms have been upgraded quite a bit since their days as medieval nunnery cells, but the stone fireplaces and breathtaking view over the cloisters are the same. Ask for hiking maps and activity suggestions, or start a leisurely morning with freshly baked bread and homemade preserves on the abbey’s outdoor patio.

Ristorante Vespasia TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€€

( 0743 81 65 13; Via Cesare Battisti 10; restaurant/lounge meals €55/32; lunch & dinner) Set in a 16th-century palazzo, the elegantly simple furnishings complement the understated gourmet cuisine. A simple organically grown egg is topped with a generous helping of Norcia black truffles, or locally grown saffron accompanies risotto and local pork. Herbs come from their own garden. In warmer months, dine in the garden to jazz or blues.

Trattoria dal Francese TRATTORIA €€

( 0743 81 62 90; Via Riguardati 16; meals €32; Sat-Thu) Perhaps it’s its presence in many of the Italian ‘best restaurant’ guides that keeps this trattoria permanently packed (and often turning away custom when other places are struggling for trade) or perhaps it’s the quality of the food, which is a cut above even for this renowned foodie town. It’s in Norcia, so expect a menu packed with piggy products (salami, ham, sausages), truffles and cheese.

Information

Casa del Parco ( 344 222 76 98; www.sibillini.net; Piazza San Benedetto, Norcia; 9.30am-12.30pm & 3.30-6.30pm) Has tourist information about the area, including Monti Sibillini.

Getting There & Around

SSIT ( 0743 21 22 09; www.spoletina.com) buses run to and from Spoleto (€4.60, one hour, five daily) and Perugia (€6.90, two hours, one daily).

By car, from Spoleto, take the SS209 to the SS396. The closest train station is in Spoleto.

Orvieto

POP 21,053

Orvieto is placed precariously on a cliff made of tufaceous stone, a craggy porous limestone that seems imminently ready to crumble under the weight of the magnificent Gothic cathedral (or at least under all the people who come to see it). Just off a main autostrada, Orvieto can get a bit crowded with summer bus tours, but they’re all here for good reason.

Sights

Cattedrale di Orvieto CHURCH

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( 0763 34 11 67; www.opsm.it; Piazza Duomo; admission €2, incl Cappella di San Brizio €3; 9.30am-7.30pm Apr-Oct, 9.30am-1pm & 2.30-5pm Nov-Mar) Little can prepare you for the visual feast that is the Orvieto’s cathedral. Started in 1290, this remarkable edifice was originally planned in the Romanesque style, but as work proceeded and architectural styles changed, Gothic features were incorporated into the structure. The black-and-white marble banding of the main body of the church is overshadowed by the rich rainbow colours of the facade. A harmonious blend of mosaic and sculpture, plain stone and dazzling colour, it has been likened to a giant outdoor altar screen.

The building took 30 years to plan and three centuries to complete. It was probably started by Fra Bevignate and later additions were made by Lorenzo Maitani (responsible for Florence’s cathedral), Andrea Pisano and his son Nino Pisano, Andrea Orcagna and Michele Sanicheli.

Inside, Luca Signorelli’s fresco cycle The Last Judgement shimmers with life. Look for it to the right of the altar in the Cappella di San Brizio Offline map Google map ( closed during Mass) . Signorelli began work on the series in 1499, and Michelangelo is said to have taken inspiration from it. Indeed, to some, Michelangelo’s masterpiece runs a close second to Signorelli’s work. The Cappella del Corporale houses a 13th-century altar cloth stained with blood that miraculously poured from the communion bread of a priest who doubted the transubstantiation.

Next to the cathedral is the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo Offline map ( 0763 34 24 77; Palazzo Soliano, Piazza Duomo; admission €4, with cathedral €5; 9.30am-7pm Apr-Oct, 9.30am-1pm & 3-5pm Nov-Mar, closed Tue in winter) , which houses a clutter of religious relics from the cathedral, as well as Etruscan antiquities and works by artists such as Simone Martini and the three Pisanos: Andrea, Nino and Giovanni.

Orvieto

Top Sights

Cattedrale di Orvieto D3

Museo Claudio Faina e Civico D3

Orvieto Underground D4

Sights

1  Chiesa di San Giovenale A2

2  Chiesa di Sant'Andrea C3

3  Museo Archeologico Nazionale D3

4  Museo dell'Opera del Duomo D4

5  Palazzo del Popolo C2

6  Torre del Moro C3

Sleeping

7  B&B La Magnolia D3

8  Hotel Corso E2

9  Hotel Maitani D4

10  Hotel Posta C3

11  Villa Mercede D4

Eating

12  Cantina Foresi D3

13  Le Grotte del Funaro B3

14  Pasqualetti D3

15  Ristorante I Sette ConsoliE3

16  Ristorante Zeppelin B3

17  Sosta D3

18  Trattoria dell'Orso C2

Drinking

19  Enoteca Regionale dell'Umbria B3

20  Vinosus D3

Entertainment

21  Teatro Mancinelli D3

Orvieto Underground HISTORICAL SITE

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( 0763 34 48 91; www.orvietounderground.it; Parco delle Grotte; adult/reduced €5.50/4.50; tours 11am, 12.15pm, 4pm & 5.15pm daily Mar-Jan, Sat & Sun Feb) The coolest place in Orvieto – literally – this series of 440 caves has been used for millennia by locals for various purposes, including as WWII bomb shelters, refrigerators, wells and, during many a pesky Roman or barbarian siege, as dovecotes to trap the usual one-course dinner: pigeon (still seen on local restaurant menus as palombo ). Tours (with English-speaking guides) leave from in front of the tourist office.

Museo Claudio Faina e Civico MUSEUM

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( 0763 34 15 11; www.museofaina.it; Piazza Duomo 29; adult/reduced €8/5; 9.30am-6pm Apr-Sep, 10am-5pm Tue-Sun Oct-Mar) This fantastic museum opposite the cathedral houses one of Italy’s most important collection of Etruscan archaeological artefacts – including plenty of stone sarcophagi and terracotta pieces – as well as some significant Greek ceramic works.

Torre del Moro HISTORICAL BUILDING

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(Moor’s Tower; 0763 34 45 67; Corso Cavour 87; adult/reduced €2.80/2; 10am-8pm May-Aug, 10am-7pm Mar, Apr, Sep & Oct, 10.30am-1pm & 2.30-5pm Nov-Feb) From the Piazza Duomo, head northwest along Via del Duomo to Corso Cavour and the 13th-century Torre del Moro. Climb all 250 steps for sweeping views of the city.

Chiesa di San Giovenale CHURCH

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(Piazza San Giovenale; 8am-12.30pm & 3.30-6pm) North of Corso Cavour, the 12th-century Romanesque-Gothic Palazzo del Popolo Offline map presides over the piazza of the same name. At the western end of town is this stout little church, constructed in the year 1000. Its Romanesque-Gothic art and frescoes from the later medieval Orvieto school are an astounding contrast. Just to the north, you can enjoy towering views of the countryside from the town walls.

Museo Archeologico Nazionale MUSEUM

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( /fax 0763 34 10 39; Palazzo Papale, Piazza Duomo; adult/reduced €3/1.50; 8.30am-7.30pm) Though not quite in the same league as the other attractions on the Piazza Duomo, the archaeological museum nonetheless holds plenty of interesting artefacts, some over 2500 years old, even if the displays are a little bit jumbled and unfocused.

Chiesa di Sant’Andrea CHURCH

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(Piazza della Repubblica; 8.30am-12.30pm & 3.30-7.30pm) This 12th-century church, with its curious decagonal bell tower, presides over the Piazza della Repubblica, once Orvieto’s Roman Forum and now lined with cafes. It lies at the heart of what remains of the medieval city.

Festivals & Events

Palombella RELIGIOUS

Orvieto’s most famous festival is held every year on Pentecost Sunday. For traditionalists, this sacred rite has been celebrating the Holy Spirit and good luck since 1404. For animal rights activists, the main event celebrates nothing more than scaring the living crap out of a bewildered dove.

For six centuries, the ritual has gone like this: take one dove, cage it, surround the cage with a wheel of exploding fireworks, and hurtle the cage 300m down a wire towards the cathedral steps. If the dove lives (which it usually does), the couple most recently married in the cathedral becomes its caretakers (and, presumably, the ones who pay for post-traumatic stress disorder counselling for the dove).

Umbria Jazz Winter MUSIC

Appropriately enough, this celebration of the coolest of musical styles takes place at the coldest time of year, from the end of December to early January, with a great feast and party on New Year’s Eve to warm things up. Ask at the tourist office for a program of events. See Click here for details of the summer jazz festival in Perugia.

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR EURO

The Orvieto Unica Card (adult/reduced valid 1 year €18/15) permits entry to the town’s nine main attractions (including the Cappella di San Brizio in the cathedral, Museo Claudio Faina e Civico, Orvieto Underground, Torre del Moro and Museo dell’Opera del Duomo) and a round trip on the funicular and city buses. It can be purchased at many of the attractions, the tourist office, the Piazza Cahen tourist office and the railway station.

Sleeping

Orvieto does not lack for hotels, and visitors will benefit from the highly competitive pricing. It’s always a good idea to book ahead in summer, on weekends or if you’re planning to come over New Year when the Umbria Jazz Winter festival is in full swing.

Hotel Maitani HOTEL €€

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( 0763 34 20 11; www.hotelmaitani.com; Via Lorenzo Maitani 5; s/d €77/126, breakfast €10; ) Every detail is covered, from a travel-sized toothbrush and toothpaste in each room to chocolates (Perugino, of course) on your pillow. Several rooms have cathedral or countryside views. Rooms are pin-drop quiet, as they come with not one but two double-glazed windows.

Hotel Corso HOTEL €€

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( /fax 0763 34 20 20; www.hotelcorso.net; Corso Cavour 343; s €60-72, d €80-108; ) Set a bit further away from the cathedral than most other hotels, this is nevertheless an excellent choice. Several rooms boast wood-beamed ceilings, terracotta bricks and antique cherry furniture, allowing one to describe them as snug rather than tiny. The breakfast buffet is an extra €6.50 but it’s worth it to sit on the outdoor terrace.

B&B La Magnolia B&B €

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( 0763 34 28 08, 338 9027400; www.bblamagnolia.it; Via del Duomo 29; r €65-75, apt for 2 people €75) In the centre of Orvieto, next to a small cafe north of the Duomo (the sign is small and easy to miss), this light-filled historic residence has six delightful rooms, an English-speaking owner and a large shared kitchen.

Villa Mercede B&B €

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( 0763 34 17 66; www.argoweb.it/casareligiosa_vil lamercede; Via Soliana 2; s/d incl breakfast €50/70; ) Heavenly close to the Duomo, with 23 rooms there’s space for a gaggle of pilgrims. The building dates back to the 1500s, so the requisite frescoes adorn several rooms. High ceilings, a quiet garden and free parking seal the deal. Vacate rooms each morning by 9.30am or you’ll earn the housekeepers’ wrath.

Hotel Posta B&B €

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( 0763 34 19 09; www.orvietohotels.it; Via Luca Signorelli 18; d with/without bathroom €56/43; ) A restored 16th-century palace it may be, but ‘palatial’ it is not. However, after a full renovation, the mustiness is (mostly) gone but the historical touches remain. Quiet garden-view guest rooms, breakfast on the centuries-old patio and a convenient lift bump up the quality. Its sibling, the Hotel Reale on Piazza del Popolo, is a bit grander (and a bit more expensive).

Eating

Ristorante I Sette Consoli MODERN ITALIAN €€€

( 0763 34 39 11; Piazza Sant’Angelo 1/a; meals €45; Thu-Tue) With its inventive, artfully presented dishes, such as guinea fowl stuffed with chestnuts, this get foodies flocking in all the way from Rome and Milan. In good weather, try to get a seat in the garden. Reservations highly recommended for dinner.

Trattoria dell’Orso TRATTORIA €€

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( 0763 34 16 42; Via della Misericordia 18; meals €32; Wed-Sun) As the owner of Orvieto’s oldest restaurant, Gabriele sees no need for such modern fancies as written menus, instead reeling off the day’s dishes at you as you walk in the door (in either Italian or English, depending on how bemused you look). Go with his recommendations – perhaps the zuppa di farro followed by fettuccine with porcini – as he knows what he’s talking about. And be prepared to take your time.

Ristorante Zeppelin TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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( 0763 34 14 47; Via Garibaldi 28; meals €36; Mon-Sat, lunch Sun) This natty place has a cool 1920s atmosphere, jazz on the stereo and a long wooden bar where Ingrid Bergman would have felt right at home. It serves creative Umbrian food, including well-priced tasting menus for vegetarians (€25) and children (€18), as well as a set Etruscan menu (€32). Ask about its day-long cooking courses.

Le Grotte del Funaro TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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( 0763 34 32 76; Via Ripa Serancia 41; meals €35; Tue-Sun) Orvieto’s numerous cellars cut out of the soft tufa have played a variety of roles over the years – as wartime hideouts, wine stores and even pigeon coops. Today they are being put to new uses, and none better than here where a wide range of pizzas (€6 to €8.50) and traditional Umbrian dishes, such as Chianina beef with balsamic vinegar, are served in a cool, elegant space.

Cantina Foresi WINE BAR €

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( /fax 0763 34 16 11; Piazza Duomo 2; snacks from €4.50; 9.30am-7.30pm) This family-run enoteca and cafe serves up panini and sausages, washed down with dozens of local wines from the ancient cellar.

Sosta TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €

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( 0763 34 30 25; Corso Cavour 100a; pizzas €4.50-7) This extremely simple self-service (tavola calda) restaurant rustles up decent pizza, pasta and panini, with dishes changing throughout the week according to a set schedule. Two mains and a side dish go for €9.50 (or €8.50 if you’re a student).

Pasqualetti GELATERIA €

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( 0763 34 10 34; Piazza Duomo 14) This gelateria serves mouth-watering gelato , plus there are plenty of tables on the piazza for you to gaze at the magnificence of the cathedral while you gobble.

Drinking

Vinosus WINE BAR

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(Piazza Duomo 15; meals €35; Tue-Sun) In photo- op range of the cathedral’s northwest wall is this wine bar and eatery. Try the cheese platter with local honey and pears (€8) for an elegant addition to wine. Open until the wee hours.

ORVIETO’S WINE COUNTRY

Now famed for its white DOC vintages, the Orvieto region’s wine-growing potential was first spotted by the Etruscans more than 2000 years ago. They were attracted not just by the ideal soil and climate, but also by the soft tufa rock that underpins much of the landscape from which deep cool cellars could be (and indeed still are) cut to allow the grapes to ferment. From the Middle Ages onwards, Orvieto became known across Italy and beyond for its super-sweet gold-coloured wines. Today these have largely given way to drier vintages, such as Orvieto and Orvieto Classico.

If you want to see (and more importantly taste) what the fuss is about, head to Orvieto’s Enoteca Regionale dell’Umbria Offline map ( 0763 34 18 18; www.ilpalazzodelgusto.it; Via Ripa Serancia I 16; 11am-1pm & 5-7pm Mon-Fri summer, 11am-1pm & 3-5pm winter) in the Palazzo del Gusto where you can sample a huge range of wines for between €8 and €30.

If you really want to immerse yourself in the world of viticulture, you could spend a night or two at the Locanda Palazzone ( 0763 39 36 18; www.locandapalazzone.com; Loc Rocca Ripesena; d €45-105; ) , a highly respected winery a few kilometres outside Orvieto that also rents out rather good rooms in a restored medieval farmhouse.

Entertainment

Teatro Mancinelli THEATRE

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( 0763 34 04 22; Corso Cavour 122; adult/reduced €2/1, tickets €15-60; 10am-1pm & 4-7pm Mon-Sat, 4-8pm Sun) The theatre plays host to Umbria Jazz in winter but offers everything from ballet and opera to folk music and Pink Floyd tributes throughout the year. If you’re not able to catch a performance, it’s worth a visit to see the allegorical frescoes and tufa walls.

Information

Farmacia del Moro ( 0763 34 41 00; Corso Cavour 89; 9am-1pm & 4.30-7.30pm Mon-Sat) Posts 24-hour pharmacy information.

Ospedale ( 0763 30 71) Hospital in the Ciconia area, east of the train station.

Police station ( 0763 3 92 11; Piazza Cahen)

Post office ( 0763 3 98 31; Via Largo M Ravelli; 8.10am-6pm Mon-Fri, 8.10am-12.30pm Sat)

Tourist office Piazza Duomo ( 0763 34 17 72; info@iat.orvieto.tr.it; Piazza Duomo 24; 8.15am-1.50pm & 4-7pm Mon-Fri, 10am-1pm & 3-6pm Sat, Sun & holidays); Piazza Cahen ( 0763 34 01 68; 9am-4pm summer) In summer, you can buy funicular, bus and Carta Unica tickets here.

Getting There & Away

Bus Bargagli ( 057 778 62 23) runs a daily bus service to Rome’s Tiburtina station (€8, one hour and 20 minutes, 8.10am and 7.10pm on Sunday). Buses depart from the station on Piazza Cahen, stopping at the train station.

Train Connections include Rome (€7.10 to €14.50, 1¼ hours, hourly), Florence (€11.20 to €19, 1½ to 2½ hours, hourly) and Perugia (€7, 1¼ hours, every two hours).

Car & Motorcycle Orvieto is on the Rome–Florence A1, while the SS71 heads north to Lago Trasimeno. There’s plenty of metered parking on Piazza Cahen and in designated areas outside the city walls, including Campo della Fiera.

Getting Around

A century-old cable car (€1.80; every 10min 7.05am-8.25pm Mon-Fri, every 15min 8.15am-8pm Sat & Sun) connects Piazza Cahen with the train station west of the centre. The fare includes a bus ride from Piazza Cahen to Piazza Duomo.

Bus 1 runs up to the old town from the train station (€1), ATC bus A connects Piazza Cahen with Piazza Duomo and bus B runs to Piazza della Repubblica.

For a taxi, dial 0763 30 19 03 for the train station or 0763 34 26 13 for Piazza della Repubblica.

LE MARCHE

Le Marche is Italy in microcosm: from the beachside resorts along the Adriatic through sloped hill towns in the centre and the jagged mountain range of Monti Sibillini. You’ll want to pick and choose carefully, however. While Monte Conero offers an unhurried coastal holiday and Pesaro teems with history (and, from June to September, holidaymakers), much of Le Marche’s coast is lined with rows of rather depressing high-rise hotels and apartment buildings, which in turn give way to the industrial functionalism of Ancona, the region’s major ferry port.

It’s further inland where Le Marche really shines. Urbino, perhaps Le Marche’s most famous town to outsiders, boasts an impressive display of Renaissance art and history up and down its vertical streets. Ascoli Piceno is filled with a history rivalling any Italian city but remains relatively undiscovered. Equally walkable is the quaint Macerata, with a famous open-air opera theatre and festival. Covering its western reaches, and bleeding over into neighbouring Umbria, is the region’s greatest natural wonder: the stunning peaks of the Parco Nazionale dei Monti Sibillini.

History

The first settlers of Le Marche we know much about were the Piceni tribe, whose 3000-year-old artefacts can be seen in the Museo Archeologico in Ascoli Piceno. The Romans invaded the region early in the 3rd century BC, and dominated it for almost 700 years. After they fell, Le Marche was sacked by the Goths, Vandals, Ostrogoths and, finally, the Lombards.

In the middle of the 8th century AD, Pope Stephen II decided to call upon foreigners to oust the ungodly Lombards. The first to lead the charge of the Frankish army was Pepin the Short, but it was his rather tall son Charlemagne who finally took back control from the Lombards for good. On Christmas Day AD 800, Pope Leo III crowned him Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. However, he was never recognised as such by the Eastern Byzantine church, which had control of much of Le Marche’s Adriatic coast at the time.

After Charlemagne’s death, Le Marche entered into centuries of war, anarchy and general Dark Ages mayhem. In central Italy, two factions developed: the Guelphs (who backed papal rule) and the Ghibellines (who supported the emperor). The Guelph faction eventually won out and Le Marche became part of the Papal States. It stayed that way until Italian unification in 1861.

Getting There & Around

Drivers have two options on the coastline: the A14 autostrada (main highway) or the SS16 strada statale (state highway). Inland roads are either secondary or tertiary and much slower. Regular trains ply the coast on the Bologna– Lecce line and spurs head to Macerata and Ascoli Piceno, but it requires some forethought and help from the tourist board to travel between inland towns.

Ancona

POP 102,521

A port town through and through, the main tourist draw of Ancona is leaving Ancona. Embarrassingly lacking in good accommodation, Italy’s largest mid-Adriatic ferry port is trying to develop a tourist infrastructure. Although fairly grimy and tattered around the port and train station, the town does have a fascinating history, and a handful of sights to warrant an extra day or two.

Indeed, there are two distinct parts to Ancona: the front where you’ll find the ugly, modern sprawl of the city’s travel infrastructure; and the much more pleasant old town, just back from the water and rising up the hill. The part-pedestrianised and rather elegant corsos of Garibaldi and Mazzini are the main shopping and eating streets, and are where you should head if you’ve just got an hour or so to kill before your ferry. East of Piazza Cavour, the Corso Garibaldi turns into the Viale della Vittoria, which you can follow all the way to Ancona’s artificial concrete beach, the Passetto, about a 20-minute walk away.

Sights

Chiesa di San Domenico CHURCH

( 071 20 67 04; Piazza del Plebiscito; 10am-noon & 4-8pm) Flanked by cafes, the elegant Piazza del Plebiscito has been Ancona’s meeting spot since medieval times. It’s dominated by this baroque church, containing the superb Crucifixion by Titian and Annunciation by Guercino. That gigantic statue in front is Pope Clement XII, who was honoured by the town for giving it free port status. The nearby fountain is from the 19th century, but head instead along Corso Mazzini, where you will see the 16th-century Fontana del Calamo Offline map Google map , 13 masked spouts of satyrs and fauns designed in 1560 by architect Pellegrino Tibaldi.

Ancona

Sights

1  Arco Clementino A1

2  Arco di Traiano A1

3  Cattedrale di San Ciriaco C1

4  Chiesa di San Domenico C3

5  Fontana del Calamo C4

6  Museo Archeologico Nazionale delle MarcheC2

7  Teatro delle Muse B3

Sleeping

8  Grand Hotel Palace C3

9  Residence Vanvitelli C3

Eating

10  Cremeria Rosa D4

11  Enopolis C3

12  Mercato delle Erbe D4

13  Osteria del Pozzo C3

Drinking

14  Liberty Cocktail Lounge C4

Cattedrale di San Ciriaco CHURCH

Offline map Google map

( 071 5 26 88; Piazzale del Duomo; 8am-noon & 3-7pm summer, to 6pm winter) A hefty climb from Via Giovanni XXIII up Monte Guasco – or, if you don’t fancy the exercise, a short hop on Bus 11 – takes you to Piazzale del Duomo, from where there are sweeping views of the city and the port. From up here, the ferry port looks almost picturesque. The cathedral sits grandly atop the site of an ancient pagan temple, with Byzantine, Romanesque and Gothic features.

Museo Archeologico Nazionale delle Marche MUSEUM

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( 071 20 26 02; Via Ferretti 6; adult/reduced €4/2; 8.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sun, closed Mon except holidays) Up the hill above the port, the museum is housed in the 16th-century Palazzo Ferretti, where the ceilings are covered with original frescoes and bas-reliefs. Although not the most thoughtfully laid-out display, artefacts range from Greek and Etruscan back to the Bronze and Neolithic Ages.

Ancona’s Arches MONUMENT

North of Piazza Dante Alighieri, at the far end of the port, is the Arco di Traiano Offline map Google map (Trajan’s Arch), erected in 115 BC by Apollodorus of Damascus in honour of the Roman Emperor Trajan. Luigi Vanvitelli’s grand Arco Clementino Offline map Google map (Clementine’s Arch), inspired by Apollodorus’ arch and dedicated to Pope Clement XII, is further on, near Molo Rizzo. Head south along the coastal road and, after about 750m, you’ll come across the enormous Mole Vanvitelliana , designed by Luigi Vanvitelli in 1732 for Pope Clementine. Just past the pentagonal building, on Via XXIX Settembre, is the baroque Porta Pia , built as a monumental entrance to the town in the late 18th century at the request of Pope Pius VI.

Teatro delle Muse THEATRE

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( 071 5 25 25; www.teatrodellemuse.org; Via della Loggia) On Piazza della Republica, this ornate theatre was built in 1826 and has a neoclassical facade that melds with Greek friezes portraying Apollo and the Muses.

Sleeping

There are several cheap, bare-bones hotels near the station; it’s a grimy area but busy enough to be safe during the day. If you want something a little fancier, you’ll have to head into town.

Grand Hotel Passetto HOTEL €€

( 071 3 13 07; www.hotelpassetto.it; Via Thaon de Revel 1; s/d incl breakfast €120/195; ) Near Ancona’s concrete beach, a 20-minute walk from the centre, the rooms all come with a combination of sea view, terrace, Jacuzzi or four-poster iron bed. Stroll to the ascensore to get to the beach or cross the road to the restaurant, one of the best in town. Substantial discounts can be had on weekends and around holidays.

Residence Vanvitelli APARTMENT €€

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( 071 20 60 23; www.residencevanvitelli.it; Piazza Saffi; studio per night/week €65/375, 1-room apt €80/475, 2-room apt €95/575; ) Tucked away in a tiny piazza a few minutes’ walk from most of Ancona’s sights is this comfortable, quiet and modern rental. All flats include kitchenettes, Sky TV (€5/10/16 per day/three days/week) and high-speed internet (€2/10 per day/week). The flat is cleaned twice a week and the bed linen is changed weekly.

Grand Hotel Palace HOTEL €€

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( 071 20 18 13; www.hotelancona.it; Lungomare Vanvitelli 24; s €88-98, d €90-110, all incl breakfast; ) ‘Grand’ is a bit of an overstatement: ‘convenient’ or ‘adequate’ would probably be more fitting. The rooms are a little small and the decor and fittings have seen better days, but everything is clean and orderly, and it’s well placed for the ferries (which you can watch come and go from the top-floor breakfast room) and exploring the old town.

Ostello della Gioventù HOSTEL €

( 071 4 22 57; www.ostelloancona.it; Via Lamaticci 7; dm €17) Ancona’s HI youth hostel is divided into male and female floors with spotless four- to six-bed dorms with separate bathrooms. What they lack in character they make up for in proximity to the train station and…well, that’s it, actually. Open 24 hours a day.

Eating

Ancona is no Slow Food destination. The numerous eateries on and around Corso Garibaldi and Corso Mazzini are used to serving people hurrying either to get somewhere else or back to work. Restaurants can be fiercely packed at lunchtime (aim to arrive early) and queues at the various pizza-by-the-slice places can be long. ‘Prossima, prossima!’ comes the hectoring cry of the harassed waiting staff trying to process the great wedge of hungry humanity.

Enopolis TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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( 071 207 15 05; Corso Mazzini 7; meals €40; Wed-Mon) A visit to this restaurant and international wine establishment is worth it simply for the tour of the labyrinthine cellars of the 18th-century Palazzo Jona. With fresh fish as the main event (besides, of course, the wine), you can sit among contemporary art or next to an ancient well as you sample the fixed-price menus (€25 to €45) along with recommended wines for each course.

Osteria del Pozzo OSTERIA €€

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( 071 207 39 96; Via Bonda 2; meals €36; Mon-Sat) The sea bass ravioli with zucchini and clam sauce (€10) alone deserves a trip to this Ancona favourite. Most locals go for the fixed-price multicourse offers, which range from €23 to €130.

Cremeria Rosa ICE CREAM €

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( 071 20 34 08; Corso Mazzini 61) A cafeteria, bar and gelateria all in one, it’s also on the main drag – perfect for people-watching while eating an ice cream (€2 gets you a cornet with three scoops). The adjoining place serves up pizza for €4.50 to €8.

Mercato delle Erbe MARKET €

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(Corso Mazzini 130; 7.30am-12.45pm & 5-8pm summer, 4.30-7.30pm Mon-Sat winter) A picnickers’ mecca, dozens of booths line this green metal-and-glass-enclosed bazaar. Freshly baked pastries and bread, locally produced cheese and meat, and everything else you would need for a picnic (including plastic cups) are sold here.

Drinking

Liberty Cocktail Lounge BAR

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(Via Traffico 7-10; 11.30am-2am Thu-Tue, 5pm-2am holidays) Hidden on a back alley and identified only by a discreet sign (you get the feeling the owners don’t want too many people discovering it), this art deco–inspired cafe would have made Picasso feel right at home. Asian-influenced art work, Tiffany glass lamps and a bohemian crowd will make you want to paint the scene and sell it as a framed poster.

Information

Farmacia Centrale ( 071 20 27 46; Corso Mazzini 1)

InfoPoint ( 320 0196321; Via Gramsci; 10am-1pm & 4-8pm May-Oct) Tourist office for the city of Ancona.

Internet Point/Phone Centre ( 071 5 42 33; Piazza Roma 26-27; per 15min/hr €1/2; 9.30am-9.30pm)

Marche Info ( 071 35 89 91; www.comune.ancona.it; Via della Loggia 50; 9am-2pm & 3-7pm Mon-Sat) Within the ferry terminal; the tourist office for Le Marche province.

Ospedale Umberto I ( 071 59 61; Piazza Capelli 1) Hospital.

Police station ( 071 2 28 81; Via Giovanni Gervasoni 19) South of the city centre.

Post office (Largo XXIV Maggio; 8am-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-12.30pm Sat)

Getting There & Away

Air

At Falconara airport (Raffaello Sanzio Airport; AOI; 071 2 82 71; www.ancona-airport.com) flights arrive from Dusseldorf, London, Rome, Madrid, Paris and Brussels. Major airlines include Lufthansa, Alitalia and Ryanair.

Bus

Most buses leave from Piazza Cavour, inland from the port (it’s a five-minute walk east of the seafront along Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi), except for a few going to Falconara and Portonovo, which originate at the train station.

TO

FARE (€)

DURATION

FREQUENCY

Falconara airport

1.80

45min

every 45min

Jesi

2.60

45min

hourly

Macerata

3.75

1½hr

12 daily

Numana

2.10

45min

hourly

Portonovo

1.50

30min

9 daily Jun-Aug

Recanati

2.85

1¼hr

hourly

Senigallia

2.40

1hr

hourly

Car & Motorcycle

Ancona is on the A14, which links Bologna with Bari. The SS16 coastal road runs parallel to the autostrada and is pleasant, toll-free alternative if you’re not looking to get anywhere fast. The SS76 connects Ancona with Perugia and Rome.

There’s plenty of parking, which gets steadily more expensive the closer to the centre you get (€1.20 to €2.70 per hour). At the multistorey Parcheggio Degli Archi near the train station it’s just €2 to park all day.

You’ll find Europcar ( 071 20 31 00) across from the train station and Maggiore ( 071 4 26 24) 40m to the left as you walk out. At the airport, there are Avis ( 071 5 22 22; www.avis.com) and Hertz ( 071 207 37 98; www.hertz.com) desks.

Ferry

Ferry operators have booths at the ferry terminal or check with any of a dozen agencies in town. Ferries operate to Greece, Croatia, Albania and Turkey.

Train

Ancona is on the Bologna–Lecce line. Check whether you’re taking a Eurostar service, as there can be a substantial supplement.

TO

FARE (€)

DURATION

FREQUENCY

Bari

37.50-51

4hr

8 daily

Bologna

13

2-3hr

hourly

Florence

16-34.50

3½hr

every 2hr

Milan

25-71.50

3-4hr

hourly

Pesaro

3.50

30-45min

hourly

Rome

15-33

3-4hr

every 2hr

Getting Around

To/From the Airport Conero bus J runs roughly hourly from the train station to the airport (6.05am to 8.15pm Monday to Saturday); bus S runs five times a day on Sunday and public holidays. The trip costs €1.80 and takes 25 to 45 minutes. From the airport to Ancona, line J runs until 11.30pm. The airport taxi consortium ( 334 154 88 99) can take you to central Ancona (€34 to €38) and Portonovo (€52 to €57).

Bus About six Conero Bus (www.conerobus.it) services, including bus 1/3, 1/4 and 1/5, connect the main train station with the centre (Piazza Cavour), while bus 12 connects the main station with the ferry port (€1.20); look for the bus stop with the big signpost displaying Centro and Porto.

Taxi Call 071 4 33 21 at the train station or 071 20 28 95 in the town centre.

Parco del Conero

Only minutes from Ancona but a world unto itself, Monte Conero is tiny but visually stunning. One of the only sections of unspoilt Adriatic coastline in Le Marche, this park encompasses 58 sq km, taking in Portonovo (9.5km south of Ancona), Sirolo (22km from Ancona) and Numana (a further 2km southeast).

Tiny Portonovo is its own mini-retreat, with a smattering of fancy restaurants and hotels. Sirolo is even more upmarket, surrounded by town walls with gorgeous ocean views, though it’s not directly on the water. Numana starts off well at its northern end, but slips into the tacky waterfront that the rest of Le Marche seems to favour.

Sleeping

Hotel Fortino Napoleonico LUXURY HOTEL €€€

( 071 80 14 50; www.hotelfortino.it; Via Poggio 166, Portonovo; s €130-150, d €180-250, all incl breakfast; ) One of Le Marche’s most stunning beachfront hotels, this former Napoleonic fort practically begs for a romantic tryst. Its stone-built walls, antique furnishings and plush sitting rooms might be enough to bring you inside from the ocean-fronted terrace, and the gilded restaurant (open lunch and dinner daily; meals €50) specialising in fresh fish might make you linger even longer.

Rocco Locanda & Ristorante BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

( 071 933 05 58; www.locandarocco.it; Via Torrione 1, Sirolo; d incl breakfast €125-210; ) In town rather than on the beach, the elegant seven-room hotel above the eponymous restaurant feels more intimate than stuffy. Feather-soft sheets and period details like wrought-iron beds and stone walls make this a romantic town hideaway.

Camping Internazionale CAMPGROUND €

( 071 933 08 84; www.campinginternazionale.com; Via San Michele 10, Sirolo; per person €5-11, tent €10-16, car €2-6, chalets & mobile homes €50-150; Easter-Sep; ) Shaded in the trees just a few metres from the scenic beaches below Sirolo, this full-service campsite is replete with hot showers, caravan hook-ups and a children’s playground. Free walking tours of the park are offered in summer.

Eating

Some of Le Marche’s best restaurants are in Parco Naturale del Monte Conero.

Susci Bar al Clandestino SEAFOOD €€

( 071 80 14 22; Via Portonovo, Loc Poggio, Portonovo; meals €38; May–mid-Sep) Beyond cool, the Caribbean blue-coloured Susci Bar al Clandestino serves food that is highly recommended by Italy’s food critics. There’s no formality here and, after a swim in the beautiful Baia di Portonove, you can drop in for a taste of its Mediterranean sushi or some tapas.

La Torre SEAFOOD €€

( 071 933 07 47; Via la Torre 1, Numana; meals €40) Leave behind quaint stone walls and wood-beamed ceilings for open ducts and metal furnishings. Fight for a seat by the giant oceanfront window and enjoy freshly caught fish served according to your preference: fried, grilled or in a casserole. It also does a mean tiramisu. It’s hugely popular with the locals.

Rocco SEAFOOD €€

( 071 933 05 58; Via Torrione 1, Sirolo; meals €35; Wed-Mon Easter–mid-Oct) This Slow Food restaurant is run by passionate young cooks who base their excellent dishes on the freshest ingredients. With a leafy outdoor veranda, it serves up, not surprisingly, many fish and shellfish meals.

Ristorante Acquamarina SEAFOOD €€€

( 071 739 08 70; Via Litoranea 209, Numana; meals €55; Tue-Sun Mar–mid-Dec) Even with all the stiff local competition, this beachfront establishment is generally regarded as one of the area’s top seafood choices. Diners come from far and wide to sample its elegantly presented dishes. The mixed-fish antipasti provides a perfect introduction.

Il Molo SEAFOOD €€

( 071 80 10 40; Spaggia di Portonovo, Portonovo; meals €30; Apr-Oct) If you can find it in the ocean within a few kilometres of Monte Conero, it’s on the menu at Il Molo, where most items are courtesy of the fishermen who show up here each morning with their fresh catches. Expect various inventive combinations of pasta and shellfish.

Information

Tourist office ( 071 933 11 61; www.parcodelconero.com; Via Peschiera 30, Sirolo; 9am-1pm & 4-7pm mid-Jun–mid-Sep, 9am-1pm Mon-Sat mid-Sep–mid-Jun) For information on the park or to arrange guided tours.

Getting There & Away

Buses from Ancona run sporadically throughout the year, peaking in July and August ( Click here ).

THE FLYING HOUSE OF LORETO

Thousands upon thousands of Catholic pilgrims travel to Loreto every year, possibly because of the belief that angels transferred the house of the Virgin Mary from Palestine to this spot towards the end of the 13th century, and possibly because they can’t find glow-in-the-dark Jesus statues anywhere else.

The humble little house now sits within the gloriously OTT Basilica della Santa Casa ( 071 97 01 04; Piazza della Madonna; 6.15am-8pm Apr-Sep, 6.45am-12.30pm & 2.30-7pm Oct-Mar) , a riot of religious frescoes and gilt.

Loreto can be easily reached by train from Ancona (€2.05, 15 minutes, seven daily).

Urbino

POP 15,627

Urbino is most people’s first stop on a trip to Le Marche, and it’s not hard to understand why. The patriarch of the Montefeltro family, Duca Federico da Montefeltro, created the hippest art scene of the 15th century. The famed art patron gathered together all the great artists, architects and scholars of his day to create a sort of Renaissance think tank. The university here still dominates any social scene. The town’s splendour was made official by Unesco, which deemed the entire city centre a World Heritage Site.

Sights

Palazzo Ducale PALAZZO

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( 0722 2 76 01; Piazza Duca Federico; adult/reduced €5/2.50; 8.30am-7.15pm Tue-Sun, 8.30am-2pm Mon) A microcosm of Renaissance architecture, art and history, the Palazzo Ducale houses the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche Offline map Google map , Museo Archeologico and Museo della CeramicaOffline map Google map . The museum triptych is housed within Federico da Montefeltro’s Renaissance palace, which is a work of art in itself, as the duke employed some of the greatest artists and architects of the Renaissance to create what was then a modern masterpiece.

A monumental staircase, one of Italy’s first, leads to the piano nobile (literally ‘noble floor’) and the Ducal Apartments. Piero della Francesca was one of the artists employed by the duke, and his work, The Flagellation, adorns the duke’s library. The collection also includes a large number of drawings by Federico Barocci, as well as works by Raphael, Titian and Signorelli.

From Corso Garibaldi you get the best view of the complex, with its unusual Facciata dei Torricini, a three-storey loggia in the form of a triumphal arch, flanked by circular towers.

Urbino

Top Sights

Palazzo Ducale B3

Sights

1  Casa Natale di RaffaelloA2

2  Cattedrale di Urbino B3

Galleria Nazionale delle Marche (see 3)

Museo Albani (see 2)

Museo Archeologico (see 3)

3  Museo della Ceramica B3

4  Museo della CittàB2

5  Oratorio di San Giovanni A2

6 Università di UrbinoB3

Sleeping

7  Albergo Italia A2

8  Albergo San Giovanni A2

9  Hotel Raffaello A2

Eating

10  Antica Osteria de la Stella A2

11  Caffè Centrale B2

12  La Balestra B3

13  La Trattoria del Leone B2

14  Osteria L'Angolo Divino B1

Entertainment

15  Teatro Sanzio A3

Cattedrale di Urbino CHURCH

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(Piazza Duca Federico; 7.30am-1pm & 2-7pm) Rebuilt in the early 19th century in neoclassical style, the interior of Urbino’s Duomo commands much greater interest than its austere facade. Particularly memorable is Federico Barocci’s Last Supper . The basilica’s Museo Albani Offline map Google map ( 0722 65 00 24; admission €3; 9.30am-1pm & 2.30-6.30pm Wed-Mon) contains religious artefacts, vestments and more paintings, including Andrea da Bologna’s Madonna del Latte (Madonna Breastfeeding).

Casa Natale di Raffaello HISTORICAL BUILDING

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( 0722 32 01 05; Via Raffaello 57; adult/reduced €2/1; 9am-1pm & 3-7pm Mar-Oct, 9am-2pm Nov-Feb) North of the Piazza della Repubblica you’ll find the 15th-century house where Raphael spent his first 16 years. On the 1st floor is possibly one of Raphael’s first frescoes, a Madonna with child.

Museo della Città MUSEUM

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( 0722 30 92 70; Via Valerio 1; 9.30am-1.30pm Mon & Wed-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun) South of the piazza, the museum in the Renaissance Palazzo Odasi has displays on Urbino’s history, including a scale model of the city (useful for finding your bearings) and various archaic signs.

Oratorio di San Giovanni CHURCH

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( 347 6711181; Via Barocci; admission €2.50; 10am-12.30pm & 3-5.30pm Mon-Sat, 10am-12.30pm Sun) The 14th-century oratorio features brightly coloured frescoes by Lorenzo and Giacomo Salimbeni.

Festivals & Events

Urbino has a full calendar of festivals.

In May, Urbino decks itself out in blooms for its annual flower festival, Urbino Città Fiorita . In June, Urbino Jazz Festival sees performances taking place all over town, followed by the International Festival of Ancient Music in July and the Festa dell’Aquilone , a kite festival, on the first Sunday in September.

Festa dell’Duca CULTURAL

The city goes all medieval on the second Sunday in August, when the town’s streets become the setting for a costume procession and the re-enactment of a tournament on horseback.

Sleeping

Locanda della Valle Nuova AGRITURISMO €€

( /fax 0722 33 03 03; www.vallenuova.it; La Cappella 14, Sagrata di Fermignano; per person incl breakfast €56; Jun-Nov; ) Ecology and comfort coexist in perfect balance at this working agriturismo . There are six rooms plus a couple of self-catering apartments, if you can resist the temptation of the cooked meals. Enjoy a horse ride or a home-grown truffle. It is about 20 minutes from Urbino, but the English-speaking owners will assist you with transport and visiting the local towns. Minimum stay is three nights.

Albergo Italia HOTEL €€

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( 0722 27 01; www.albergo-italia-urbino.it; Corso Garibaldi 32; s €50-70, d €80-120, all incl breakfast; ) Set behind the Palazzo Ducale, the Italia could not be better positioned. Modern but well designed, the multistorey building is restfully quiet while offering all the amenities of a business hotel. In warmer months, take breakfast on the balcony.

Hotel Raffaello HOTEL €€

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( 0722 47 84; www.albergoraffaello.com; Via Santa Margherita 40; s €50-70, d €70-120, all incl breakfast; ) The imposing marbled entrance of this former seminary makes way for plain but comfortable rooms outfitted with TVs, minibars and radios. Some rooms have fantastic views of the palace.

Albergo San Giovanni HOTEL €

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( 0722 28 72; www.albergosangiovanniurbino.it; Via Barocci 13; s/d €39/60, without bathroom €29/46; closed 10-30 Jul & 20 Dec-10 Jan) Fittingly for a university town, these dormitory- looking rooms are good value for the price. Despite the slightly musty smell, beds are comfy enough and the shared bathrooms are clean. There’s a decent restaurant next door.

Campeggio Pineta CAMPGROUND €

( 0722 47 10; www.camping-pineta-urbino.it; Via Ca’ Mignone 5, San Donato; per person €10-12, per tent €12-14; Easter-Sep) Only 2km from the city centre, this campsite is located amid luscious treed surrounds. Hot showers, a bar and market await campers. Take the shuttle bus into town.

Eating & Drinking

Don’t miss Italy’s only homicidal pasta – strozzapreti (priest stranglers) – available in most restaurants. One legend has it that the shredded pasta was designed to choke priests who would eat for nothing at local restaurants, so if you happen to wear the collar – be careful.

La Trattoria del Leone TRATTORIA €

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( 0722 32 98 94; Via Cesare Battisti 5; meals €24; dinner nightly, lunch Sat & Sun) This city- centre trattoria specialises in inventive Marchigiani cuisine such as ravioli with the local Casciotta d’Urbino cheese (€8) or baked rabbit with olives, bacon and sausages (€10). It offers a set menu for €20.

La Balestra OSTERIA €

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( 0722 29 42; Via Valerio 16; meals €24; dinner till midnight) Urbino’s literati and university students congregate below a historical vaulted brick ceiling or outside at the convivial decking area. The food goes back in time as well, with medieval recipes a big hit. Try the speciality, pappardelle del duca , or the famous strozzapreti .

Antica Osteria de la Stella OSTERIA €€

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( 0722 32 02 28; Via Santa Margherita 1; meals €26) A modern update of a 15th-century inn once patronised by the likes of Piero de la Francesca, the de la Stella serves some unusual takes on traditional cuisine (such as lasagne with asparagus) and a delicious range of homemade breads in a simple, elegant dining space.

Osteria L’Angolo Divino OSTERIA €€

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( 0722 32 75 59; Via Sant’Andrea 14; meals €32; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat year-round & lunch Sun Jun–mid-Dec) This subterranean osteria just oozes atmosphere. Arched brick alcoves overflow with wine bottles, which are available for tastings. Even teetotallers will enjoy this place as the menu boasts simple but perfectly flavoured pasta specialities, including the much-better-tasting-than-it-sounds pasta nel sacco (pasta in a sack), which is fresh pasta coated with eggs and breadcrumbs.

Caffè Centrale CAFE €

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( 0722 24 48; Piazza della Repubblica; 6.30am-2am) Popular with Urbino’s students, this is the best of the piazza cafes. Its outdoor tables get a relaxing dose of afternoon sun. Pastries, sandwiches and gelato are served any time of day, and aperitivi accompany late-afternoon drinks.

Entertainment

Teatro Sanzio THEATRE

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( 0722 22 81; Corso Garibaldi) This grand old 19th-century theatre hosts plays and concerts, particularly from July to September. Pick up a brochure at the tourist office.

Information

Ospedale Civile ( 0722 30 11; Via Bonconte da Montefeltro) Hospital 1.5km north of the city centre.

Police station ( 0722 3 51 81; Piazza Mercatale)

Post office ( 0722 3 77 91; Via Bramante 28; 8.30am-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-12.30pm Sat)

Tourist information point (Piazza Mercatale; 6.30am-8.30pm) At the entrance of the lift into town.

Tourist office ( 0722 26 13; fax 0722 24 41; Via Puccinotti 3; 9am-1pm Mon-Sat, 3-6pm Tue-Fri) Pick up a free map and the miniguide Urbino City of Art for €5.

Getting There & Around

Bus Adriabus ( 0800 66 43 32, 0722 37 67 38; www.adriabus.eu, in Italian) runs up to 15 services daily between Urbino and Pesaro (€2.80, 55 minutes) where you can pick up a train for Bologna.

Car & Motorcycle Most vehicles are banned from the walled city. There are car parks outside the city gates, including the main one at Borgo del Mercatale.

Taxis Call 0722 25 50 ; shuttle buses operate from Piazza della Repubblica and Piazza Mercatale.

Train There is no train service to Urbino (pick up trains in Pesaro, about 35km away). Locally, a land train service, Tren Urbino (€1.05) , trundles its way round the main sights (pay on board). It’s a bit cheesy, but worth it if you’re beginning to get hilltop-town fatigue.

Pesaro

POP 94,799

Geographically the town of Pesaro is practically perfect. Its beachfront locale adds to the beauty of its winding, ancient pedestrian zone and backdrop of undulating hills. It’s too bad that tens of thousands of Speedo-clad northern Europeans come here for five months out of the year to do a sardine impression on the beach, and that this beach is backed by a Soviet-looking strip of high-rise concrete hotels. However, the charming historical centre deserves an entire day to wander, and the composer Gioachino Rossini loved his home town so much he willed Pesaro all of his possessions when he died (be sure to check out Casa Rossini while you’re here).

Sights & Activities

In 1792 famed composer Rossini was born in a typical Pesaro house that is now known as the Casa Rossini ( 0721 38 73 57; Via Rossini 34; adult/reduced €4/3, incl entry to Musei Civici €7/4; 9.30am-12.30pm Tue-Sun, 4-7pm Thu-Sun Sep-Jun, to 10.30pm Tue & Thu Jul-Aug) . Follow the history of Rossini and opera through the early 19th century via a series of prints, personal effects and portraits.

Opened in 1860 just after Italian reunification, the town’s original art gallery is now the Musei Civici ( 0721 38 75 41; www.museicivicipesaro.it; Piazza Toschi Mosca 29; adult/reduced €4/2, incl entry to Casa Rossini €7/4; 10am-1pm Tue-Sun, 4-7pm Tue & Thu-Sun) , which also showcases Pesaro’s 700-year-old pottery tradition with one of Italy’s best collections of majolica ceramics.

Pesaro has four major beach areas – Levante , Ponente , Baia Flaminia and the free beach . Levante and Ponente are the jam-packed hotel-fronted beaches on either side of the tourist office, so for more elbow room head to the free (open) beach to the south of the city, under Monte Ardizio.

Festivals & Events

Rossini Opera Festival MUSIC

( 0721 380 02 94; www.rossinioperafestival.it; Via Rossini 24; box office 10am-1pm & 3-6pm Mon-Fri) In honour of its most famous son, Pesaro hosts this festival round town each summer. Tickets cost anywhere from €10 to €125, with substantial student and last-minute discounts.

Sleeping & Eating

The majority of hotels close down from October until around Easter. Most places are square concrete blocks from the 1960s, uninspiring but close to or on the beach. For a room, contact the Associazione Pesarese di Albergatori ( 0721 6 79 59; www.apahotel.it, in Italian and English; Viale Marconi 57) or try the tourist office.

Marinella CAMPGROUND €

( 0721 5 57 95; www.campingmarinella.it; SS Adriatica Nord km244; per person €6.50-9.50, per tent €5-7, per car €3-5, d bungalow €55-75; Easter- Sep; ) Drift off to the sound of waves breaking on the beach in your seaside tent. A casual restaurant is on site, as well as a market, beach volleyball, washing machines, showers and lots of child-friendly activities.

Felici e Contenti SEAFOOD €€

( 0721 3 20 60; Via Cattaneo 37; meals €26; Tue-Sat, dinner Sun) When a restaurant names itself ‘Happily Ever After’, you can bet you’ll retire for the evening both happy and content. Its speciality is fish, but pasta also makes a memorable entrance on the menu. The atmosphere is more sophisticatedly urban than many other Pesaro restaurants and it’s located on a quiet side street in the medieval centre.

Entertainment

Teatro Rossini THEATRE

( 0721 3 24 82; www.enteconcerti.it; Via Rossini) This theatre was renamed in the composer’s honour, and its grand ceiling and ornate box seats make it a breathtaking spot to catch a concert, especially during the Rossini Opera Festival.

Information

Pesaro Urbino Tourism (www.turismo.pesarourbino.it) Has excellent information in English, with maps, hotels and sights.

Tourist office ( 0721 6 93 41; www.comune.pesaro.ps.it, in Italian; Piazzale della Libertà 11; 9am-1pm & 3-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun summer, 9am-1pm Mon, Wed, Fri & Sat, 3-6pm Tue & Thu winter)

Getting There & Around

Bus The main bus station is on Piazza Matteotti. Bucci ( 0721 3 24 01) has buses to Ancona (€3.10, 1¼ hours, four daily) and Rome (€20, 4¾ hours). Adriabus ( 0800 664332, 0722 37 67 38; www.adriabus.eu, in Italian) runs up to 15 buses daily to Urbino (€2.80, 55 minutes).

Train Pesaro is on the Bologna–Lecce train line and you can reach Rome (€17.05 to €43, four hours, nine daily) by changing trains at Falconara Marittima, just before Ancona. There are hourly services to Ancona (€3.40, 30 to 50 minutes), Rimini (€3.30, 20 to 40 minutes) and Bologna (€9.50 to €12, two hours). The train station is on the western edge of town, about 2km from the beach.

Grotte di Frasassi

In September 1971 a team of climbers stumbled across a hole in the hill country around Genga, which upon further exploration turned out to be nothing less than the biggest known cave in Europe.

The grotte ( 0732 9 00 80; www.frasassi.com; adult/reduced €15.50/13.50; 10am-6pm Mar-Oct, 11am & 4pm Mon-Fri, 11am-6pm weekends & holidays Nov-Feb, closed 10-30 Jan) now has a 1.5km trail through five chambers where professional guides take you on a 70-minute tour.

Ancona Abyss , the first chamber, is almost 200m high, 180m wide and 120m long, which (as your guide will point out) would allow it to comfortably accommodate Milan Cathedral. However, the wonder of the caves is not so much their size, impressive as it is, but their contents – an undulating mass of glistening stalactites and stalagmites, some 1.4 million years in the making, which have an almost flesh-like quality to them, like giant candles of melting fat. The tour can be a little slow (sadly you’re not allowed to wander off on your own), but the lighting is very well done. The whole area deserves an entire day, as you can also check out a Romanesque temple and enjoy one of many beautiful hiking trails.

To reach the caves from Ancona, take the SS76 off the A14 and look for the signs to the dedicated car park, 1.5km east of the cave entrance at San Vittore Terme. The car park is where you buy your tickets and catch the shuttle bus to the caves. The closest train station, Genga San Vittore Terme, is also next to the official car park and ticket office.

EXTREME CAVING

If the basic 70-minute tour through the dripping forest of stalactites and stalagmites at the Grotte di Frasassi leaves you hungering for something a little more challenging, you could sign up for a Speleo Avventura . This will up the adventure level considerably as you pass across 30m chasms and crawl on your hands and knees along narrow passages and tunnels. There are two versions: blue (easy-ish), which lasts two hours and costs €35 and red (hard, as you’ll be going right into the cave’s bowels), which lasts three to four hours and costs €45. Book in advance and happy spelunking.

Macerata

POP 43,002

Macerata is well off the tourist radar, but offers charming hill-town scenery, great accommodation, one of Italy’s most famous opera festivals and several days’ worth of sights.

Sights & Activities

One of Europe’s most stunning outdoor theatres is the Arena Sferisterio ( 0733 23 07 35; www.sferisterio.it; Piazza Mazzini 10; adult/reduced €3/2, shows €15-150; tours noon & 5pm summer, noon & 4pm Mon-Sat winter) , which resembles an ancient Roman arena but was built in the early 19th century. Between 15 July and 15 August every year it’s a venue for the Stagione Lirica, one of Italy’s most prestigious musical events, which attracts big operatic names.

The city centre starts at the Loggia dei Mercanti, next to the tourist office in the Piazza della Libertà. Built in the 16th century, the open-air building housed travelling merchants selling their wares to the area’s villagers. Across the square is the Teatro Lauro Rossi ( 0733 23 35 08; www.sferisterio.it; Piazza della Libertà 21; admission from €10; tours 9am-1pm & 5-8pm Mon-Fri) , an elegant theatre built in 1774 for the musical enjoyment of the nobility, which now allows well-dressed riff-raff to attend. It’s operated by the same management as the Sferisterio.

Macerata’s main museums have recently moved home from the Palazzo Ricci to the Palazzo Buonaccorsi just down the road and have been renamed the Musei Civici di Palazzo Buonaccorsi ( 0733 25 63 61; www.maceratamusei.it; Via Don Minzoni 24; admission free; 9am-1pm & 4-7.30pm Tue-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun). The collections are now spread over three floors. On the ground floor is the Museo delle Carozza (carriage museum) housing an extensive collection of 18th- to 20th-century coaches. Above this, on the 1st floor, is the city’s Arte Antica collection, with works dating from the 13th to the 19th centuries, while the 2nd floor is dedicated to Arte Moderna, with several rooms given over to the painter Ivo Pannaggi as well as Macerata’s ‘Secondo Futurismo’ movement of the 1930s.

Sleeping

Albergo Arena HOTEL €

( 0733 23 09 31; www.albergoarena.com; Vicolo Sferisterio 16; s €45-65, d €65-95, all incl breakfast; ) Serving one of the best breakfasts of any three-star hotel around, Arena has a beautiful display of fresh fruit, juice and pastries. Comfortable rooms include spotless bathrooms with hairdryer and towel warmer.

Hotel Arcadia HOTEL €

( 0733 23 59 61; www.harcadia.it; Via Matteo Ricci 134; s €40-65, d €65-95, all incl breakfast; ) Owned by the Albergo Arena folks but a step up in comfort, this business-bland hotel on a quiet street not far from the cathedral gives three-star comfort at very reasonable prices. All come with ‘frigobar’, and a few have minibalconies over the cobblestone streets below.

Hotel Claudiani HOTEL €€

( 0733 26 14 00; www.hotelclaudiani.it; Via Ulissi 8; s/d incl breakfast €70/105; ) Macerata’s only four-star hotel is tucked into a quiet side street, just a stone’s throw from the heartbeat of the historical centre. Although laid out for efficient business travellers, the building is a recently restored palazzo of the noble Claudiani family.

Eating & Drinking

Da Secondo TRATTORIA €€

( 0733 26 09 12; Via Pescheria Vecchia 26/28; meals €36; Tue-Sun) At the place in Macerata to try the local cuisine, you can follow the town’s history through both photos covering the walls and the regional ingredients in your meal: pecorino (sheep’s-milk cheese), tartufo (truffles) and osso buco with porcini mushrooms. In summer dine on the romantic outdoor terrace. Its famed warm chocolate torte caps off a perfect meal.

Osteria dei Fiori OSTERIA €

( 0733 26 01 42; Via Lauro Rossi 61; meals €23; Mon-Sat) For an atmosphere that is subdued, warm and homey, this is the place. Try the typical maceratese cuisine and, in the warmer months, sit outside on the welcoming patio.

Caffè Venanzetti CAFE €

( 0733 23 60 55; Galleria Scipione, Via Gramsci 21/23) Locals have assured us this is the best coffee shop in town. High ceilings and an old-style wood and mirror decor is a visual treat to go along with a delectable pastry case and one of the best cappuccinos in Le Marche.

Information

Internet centre ( 0733 26 44 04; Piazza Mazzini 52; per hr €4; 10am-1pm & 5-8pm Mon-Sat)

Macerata Incoming ( 0733 23 43 33; www.macerataincoming.it; Porta Picena 1; 10am-1pm & 3-6pm winter, 3-7pm Tue-Sun summer) Private tourist information centre that opens on Sundays.

Post office ( 0733 27 30 53; Via Gramsci 44; 8am-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-1pm Sat)

Tourist office ( 0733 23 48 07; iat.macerata@regione.marche.it; Piazza della Libertà 12; 9am-1pm & 3-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat Sep-Jun, 9am-6pm Mon-Sat Jul & Aug)

Getting There & Around

Bus Services head to Rome (€21, four hours, three daily) and Civitanova Marche (€2.25, one hour, hourly). Timetables are available at the bus terminal behind Giardini Diaz ( 0733 26 15 94) .

Car & Motorcycle The SS77 connects the city with the A14 to the east and roads for Rome in the west. There is paid parking (8am to 8pm) skirting the city walls and free parking at the Giardini Diaz where the buses arrive.

Taxi You’ll find taxis ( 0733 23 35 70) for hire at Piazza della Libertà, the train station ( 0733 24 03 53) and Giardini Diaz ( 0733 23 13 39) .

Train From the train station ( 0733 24 03 54; Piazza XXV Aprile 8/10) there are good connections to Ancona (€4.35, 1¼ hours, hourly) and Rome (€14.50 to €30, four to 5½ hours, eight daily). To reach Ascoli Piceno (€5.85, two hours, 10 daily) change trains in San Benedetto del Tronto and Civitanova Marche. Bus 6 links the station with the Piazza della Libertà in the city centre.

Ascoli Piceno

POP 51,203

With a continuous history dating from the Sabine tribe in the 9th century, Ascoli (as it’s known locally) is like the love child of ancient Rome and a small Marchigiani village, heavy on the history and food. Weary legs will appreciate its lack of hills and all travellers will appreciate its historical riches, excellent pinacoteca, one of Italy’s unsung perfect piazzas and a veal-stuffed fried olive treat (olive all’ascolana) good enough to plan a heart attack around.

Sights

Chiesa di San Francesco CHURCH

( 0736 25 94 46; Piazza del Popolo; 7am-12.30pm & 3.30-8pm) This beautiful church was started back in 1262 as homage to a visit from St Francis himself. In the left nave is a 15th-century wooden cross that miraculously made it through a 1535 fire at the Palazzo dei Capitani, and has since reputedly spilled blood twice. Virtually annexed to the church is Loggia dei Mercanti , built in the 16th century by the powerful guild of wool merchants to hide their rough-and-tumble artisan shops.

The church stands on the imposing Piazza del Popolo, which since Roman times has been Ascoli’s salotto (sitting room). The square, which is rectangular, is flanked on the west by the 13th-century Palazzo dei Capitani del Popolo . Built in the same famed travertine stone used throughout the region for centuries, the ‘Captain’s Palace’ was the headquarters for the leaders of Ascoli. The statue of Pope Paul III above the main entrance was erected in recognition of his efforts to bring peace to the town.

Pinacoteca MUSEUM

( 0736 29 82 13; www.ascolimusei.it; Piazza Arringo; adult/reduced €8/5; 10am-7pm Tue-Sun Mar-Sep, 10.30am-5pm Oct-Feb) The second-largest art gallery in Le Marche is inside the 17th-century Palazzo Comunale . It boasts an outstanding display of art, sculpture and religious artefacts; there’s 400 works in total, including paintings by Van Dyck, Titian and Rembrandt, and a stunning embroidered 13th-century papal cape worn by Ascoli-born Pope Nicholas IV. Your ticket also gives you entry to two small collections in Ascoli’s old quarter: the Galleria d’Arte Contemporanea ( 0736 25 07 60; Corso Mazzini; 10am-7pm Tue-Sun Mar-Sep, 10am-7pm Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm Sat & Sun Oct-Feb) and the Museo dell’Arte Ceramica ( 0736 29 82 13; Piazza San Tommaso; 10am-7pm Tue-Sun Mar-Sep, 10am-7pm Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm Sat & Sun Oct-Feb) , which has displays on the major Italian pottery towns, including Deruta, Faenza and Genoa.

Duomo della Città di Ascoli Piceno CHURCH

( 0736 25 97 74; Piazza Arringo; 7am-6pm) On the eastern flank of Piazza Arringo, Ascoli’s Duomo was built in the 15th century over a medieval building and dedicated to St Emidio, patron saint of the city. In the Cappella del Sacramento is the Polittico, a polyptych executed in 1473 by Carlo Crivelli and considered by critics to be his best work. The crypt of Sant Emidio has a set of mosaics any ceramicist will appreciate.

Next to the cathedral and something of a traffic barrier today, the battistero (baptistry) has remained unchanged since it was constructed in the 11th century.

Vecchio Quartiere NEIGHBOURHOOD

The town’s Vecchio Quartiere (Old Quarter) stretches from Corso Mazzini (the main thoroughfare of the Roman-era settlement) to Castellano river. Its main street is the picturesque Via delle Torri, which eventually becomes Via Solestà; it’s a perfect spot to wander round. On Via delle Donne (Street of Women) is the 14th-century Chiesa di San Pietro Martire ( 0736 25 52 14; Piazza Ventidio Basso; 7.30am-12.30pm & 3.30-7pm) , dedicated to the saint who founded the Dominican community at Ascoli. The chunky Gothic structure houses the Reliquario della Santa Spina , containing what is claimed to be a thorn from Christ’s crown.

Museo Archeologico MUSEUM

( 0736 25 35 62; Piazza Arringo; adult/reduced €2/1; 8.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sun) Ascoli’s archaeological museum holds a small collection of tribal artefacts from Piceni and other European people dating back to the first centuries AD.

Torre degli Ercolani HISTORICAL BUILDING

The 40m-high tower located on Via dei Soderini, west of the Chiesa di San Pietro Martire, is the tallest of the town’s medieval towers. Palazzetto Longobardo , a 12th-century Lombard-Romanesque defensive position and now the Ostello dei Longobardi youth hostel abuts the tower. Just to the north is the well-preserved Ponte Romano , a single-arched Roman bridge.

Festivals & Events

Fritto Misto all’Italiana FOOD

This four-day festival of fried food held in late April aims is to ‘de-bunk the prejudice that fried food is unhealthy’. However, after a few hours spent grazing stalls packed with heavy-duty treats – cannoli from Sicily, panzerotti from Puglia and, of course, fried stuffed Ascoli olives – your body may not agree, but your taste buds will have had a nice time.

Quintana CULTURAL

With all the medieval festivals in Italy, when one of them receives an accolade for best historical re-enactment, there’s probably a pretty good reason. Held the second Saturday in July and the first Sunday in August, Quintana brings out thousands of locals dressed in the typical costume of the 12th and 13th centuries: knights in suits of armour and ladies in velvet and lace. Processions and flag-waving contests take place throughout July and August, but the big draw is the Quintana joust, when the town’s six sestier s (quarters) face off.

Sleeping

For a town with not many hotels, Ascoli has a good range of accommodation. The tourist office has lists of other accommodation options, including rooms and apartments, agriturismi and B&B options in outlying districts.

Palazzo Guiderocchi BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

( 0736 25 97 10; www.palazzoguiderocchi.com; Via Cesare Battisti 3; r incl breakfast €69-199; ) Not many places offer the history, atmosphere and comfort of this 16th-century palace. Fully restored, it maintains the romance of 6m vaulted ceilings on the 1st floor, low wood-beamed ceilings on the 2nd, and frescoes and several original doors throughout. During slow months, palatial rooms can be an absolute steal.

Albergo Piceno BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

( 0736 25 30 17; www.albergopiceno.it; Via Minucia 10; s € 59-95, d €74-110; ) Just round the corner from the Duomo on a narrow street, this is a great boutique place in a converted 17th-century palazzo with large rooms decorated in a bright modern style (but with the odd bit of rustic stone poking out here and there to give it character). It offers a generous breakfast plus a gym to help you work it off.

Ostello dei Longobardi HOSTEL €

( 0736 26 18 62; longoboardoascoli@libero.it; Via dei Soderini 26; dm €18) Atmosphere aside, remember that comfort and warmth were invented after the Middle Ages, so when staying at an 11th-century stone palace-turned-youth hostel, don’t expect much from the plumbing, and ask for an extra blanket in the winter. Two single-sex rooms sleep just eight each.

Eating

Rua dei Notari TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 0736 26 36 30; Via Cesare Battisti 3; meals €30) Perfect for a special meal, this elegant restaurant possesses old-world charm in a modern setting. Dishes, which include plenty of fried goods, are presented as artfully as the contemporary paintings covering the walls.

Cafe Lorenz SNACKS €

( 0736 25 99 59; Piazza del Popolo 5; snacks & gelati €2-7; 7am-2pm) Head upstairs for a convivial drink (drinks and wine €2 to €5) or a light dinner. But the main reason to come here is the takeaway olive all’ascolana (olives from Ascoli) for €3.

Gallo D’Oro TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 0736 25 35 20; Corso Vittorio Emanuele 54; meals €26; Mon-Sat) A bit outside the tourist area and popular with long-time Ascoli residents, this business-casual restaurant has been serving up local fare for decades. Try the appetiser selection of fried goodies.

Drinking

Caffè Meletti CAFE

(Piazza del Popolo 20; 8am-7pm) From the shade of the ancient portico you can sip a coffee or the famous anisette (made on site) as you gaze onto the perfect Italian piazza. The cafe, founded in 1907 and once a popular haunt for the likes of Ernest Hemingway and Jean-Paul Sartre, fell into disrepair for a time but has since been restored to its former glory.

Information

Hospital ( 0736 35 81; Monticelli) Located 4km east of town.

Internet point ( /fax 0736 25 23 70; Piazza Bonfine 6; per hr €2; 9am-12.45pm & 4-9pm Mon-Sat, 2-9pm Sun, closed Tue morning)

Police station ( 0736 35 51 11; Viale della Repubblica 8)

Post office ( 0736 24 22 85; Via Crispi; 8am-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-12.30pm Sat)

Tourist office ( 0736 25 23 91; iat. ascolipiceno@regione.marche.it; Palazzo del Popolo, Piazza del Popolo; 9am-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-6.30pm Sat & Sun)

Getting There & Away

Bus Services leave from Piazzale della Stazione, in front of the train station in the new part of town, east of the Castellano river. Start ( 800 218692; www.startspa.it) runs buses to Rome (€14.50, three hours, four daily) and Civitanova Marche (€4.95, two hours, 12 daily). At 6.30am daily, Amadio ( 0736 34 23 40) runs a service to Perugia (€17) and on to Siena (€25) from in front of the train station.

Train There are connections to Ancona (€6.45, 70 minutes), but Macerata requires one or two changes (€5.85, two hours, 10 daily). The station is a 15-minute walk east of the centre.

Monti Sibillini

Straddling the Le Marche–Umbria border, the beautiful Parco Nazionale dei Monti Sibillini covers some of the most scenic mountains in central Italy. The area is filled with mystical valleys, ancient hamlets, infinite expanses of wildflowers and soaring peaks (10 are more than 2000m high).

The area is a paradise for anyone interested in outdoor activities and wildlife. Walking trails criss cross the area. Rifugi (mountain huts) welcome hikers every few kilometres with a restaurant and a warm bed (most open summer only; maps with phone numbers and opening details are available at all local tourist offices).

There’s a good driving loop around the mountains, which visitors can easily reach from Norcia (in Umbria) or Ascoli Piceno, Macerata or Ancona. From the southwest, start in Norcia, heading to Castelluccio. Follow signs to Montemonaco, Montefortino and Amandola. Just past Montefortino , take the road marked for Madonna dell’Ambro, which will take you to the Gola dell’Infernaccio , Monti Sibillini’s waterfall masterpiece. Backtrack to Montefortino and continue on the circle.

Although not technically in the Monti Sibillini national park, the largest and prettiest town is Sarnano , on the SS78, which leads to Sasso Tetto , the main ski area in Monti Sibillini. From the main ski area, the road drops down to Lago Fiastra. To continue on an equally stunning drive, circle around to the SS209 through the Valnerina in Umbria.

Activities

The tiny hilltop village of Castelluccio , which is technically in Umbria (although only just) is perhaps the best base from which to explore the park. It’s famous for its lenticchie, and pecorino and ricotta cheeses, but it’s the location that brings in visitors. The town is surrounded by the Piano Grande , a wide open expanse that blooms with gazillions of wildflowers every spring and fills with snow each winter. The Casa del Parco in Norcia has information on walking and other activities in the surrounding area.

To learn hang-gliding or paragliding, contact Pro Delta ( 0743 82 11 56; www.prodelta.it; Via delle Fate 3) in Castelluccio; it opens in summer only. Readers have heartily recommended the courses. A beginner’s course of five days will cost about €400.

Sleeping & Eating

La Quercia della Memoria AGRITURISMO €

( 0733 69 44 31; www.querciadellamemoria.it; Contrada Vellato, San Ginesio; per person €30-40, meals €25; ) Follow the pandas to this one-in-a-million find. It’s about 15 minutes off the Monti Sibillini route, but is so worth the drive. On the weekends, dine in the biologico (organic) restaurant on home-grown and home-ground wheat bread or stay in the refurbished stone houses, where dozens of sustainable building touches include radiant floor heating made from wine bottles, a grey-water system and solar power.

Casa Sibillini B&B €

( 0736 85 90 44; www.casasibillini.com; Via dei Tiratori 11, Montefortino; s/d/apt incl breakfast €40/60/80; ) This English-owned B&B is a gracious home appointed with appreciated touches: an indoor brick oven, a comfortable living-room area filled with books, and a home-cooked breakfast each morning. Fountains of information about the area, the owners can help you plan your day or trip around the mountain.

Hotel Paradiso HOTEL €

( 0737 84 74 68; www.sibillinihotels.it; Piazza Umberto I, Amandola; s €40, d €62-100; ) It’s not easy to find or to reach, but this private retreat hamlet is worth the slog for the view alone. With 40 comfortable rooms (most with balconies), an impressive restaurant (breakfast €5, lunch and dinner €20), tennis courts and romantic arched walkway, the unassuming-looking hotel offers everything you need in a mountain holiday.

La Citadella AGRITURISMO €

( 0736 84 42 62; www.cittadelladeisibillini.it; Loc Citadella, Montemonaco; r €40, meals €15) The 18 rooms at this friendly agriturismo just north of the village of Montemonaco are pretty simple, but with a great restaurant serving local dishes (many made with home-grown ingredients), a swimming pool and easy access to the walks of the Monti Sibillini, you probably won’t be spending too much time in them. Minimum stay two nights.

Albergo Sibilla HOTEL €

( /fax 0743 82 11 13; www.sibillacastelluccio.com; Via Pian Grande 2, Castelluccio; s €50, d € 65-70; Apr-Oct; ) The Albergo Sibilla is the sole hotel in Castelluccio and has 11 rooms, some views to die for, and a good restaurant downstairs. Since the nightlife consists mostly of chasing goats around dilapidated stone buildings, a good night’s sleep is practically guaranteed.

Information

The official park website (www.sibillini.net) has a wealth of information on where to say, what to do and how to get around. There are also 15 ‘Casa del Parco’ visitor information centres, including at Norcia (Click here) and Amandola ( /fax 0736 84 85 98; Via Indipendenza 73; 9.30am-12.30pm & 4-6pm Easter-Sep) .

Getting There & Away

Monti Sibillini is best reached by bus from Ascoli Piceno or Macerata. The services are busiest when school is in session, so can be spotty for tourists. Check with tourist offices in Ascoli or Macerata, or with the bus companies: Contram ( 800 443040) in Macerata and Start ( 800 037737) in Ascoli Piceno.

The nearest train stations are in Ascoli Piceno to the south and Tolentino to the north.

Sarnano

Though not technically in Monti Sibillini, Sarnano is the largest town near the range, and the most hospitable. Its red-brick facades charm all who visit.

The bench in the flower-filled garden at Albergo La Villa ( 0733 65 72 18; www.hrlavilla.com; Viale della Rimembranza 46; s €35, d €52-55; ) is reason enough to stay, but the dead silence, five-minute walk into town, price (rooms with shared bathroom are less expensive), adjoining restaurant with local treats (rabbit, truffles, lamb etc) and children’s play space make this an excellent choice for families or couples.

On the Sassotetto road lies the sparklingly modern Novidra ( 0733 65 71 97; www.novidra.com; Via DeGasperi 26; s €50-65, d €90-120, all incl breakfast; ) serving weary skiers, view seekers and spa aficionados. Although the long corridors feel a bit spooky, rooms are comfortably designed for those visiting the next-door spa, with soft sheets, plush bathrobes and a full complement of toiletries.

The stone staircase leading to the cavernous interior of Ristorante Il Vicolo ( 0733 65 85 65; Vicolo Brunforte 191a; meals €23; Thu-Tue) is a hint as to the history found in the restaurant’s dishes – hare, wild boar and grilled pork. The house antipasto della nonna is a mix of Marchigiani specialities and international flavours, such as chickpeas with curry.

The Sarnano tourist office ( 0733 65 71 44; iat.sarnano@regione.marche.it; Largo Ricciardi 1; 9am-1pm Mon-Sat, plus 3-6pm Tue-Fri) has walking and climbing information and details of accommodation in the park.

Top of section

Abruzzo & Molise

Includes »

Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga

Sulmona

Parco Nazionale della Majella

Scanno

Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise

Pescara

Chieti

Vasto

Campobasso

Isernia

Termoli

Albanian Towns

Why Go?

A stunning mountain region little known to foreign visitors, Abruzzo is an area of unspoiled natural beauty and rural, back-country charm. Only an hour from Rome, it feels like a world apart with its great Apennines peaks, still, silent valleys and pretty hilltop towns. To the south, Molise offers more of the same, albeit on a smaller, less dramatic scale.

The landscape is extraordinary. In the region’s three national parks, thick forests and flowering meadows give way to high barren plains and snowcapped granite peaks, and wolves and bears roam free in the vast beech woods. A mecca for outdoor enthusiasts, it offers wonderful hiking, skiing and mountain biking, while the coast boasts some beautiful sandy beaches.

Nestled in this verdant land, cultural gems await discovery. Pescocostanzo’s baroque centre and Sulmona’s historic palazzi (mansions) testify to past glories, while isolation has ensured the survival of age-old customs such as Cocullo’s bizarre snake charmers’ procession.

When to Go

May Cocullo’s bizarre snake festival involves a statue, procession and writhing nest of snakes.

Jul Sulmona’s square fills with prancing horses and jousting during this medieval tournament.

Jun–Sep Spring wildflowers, summer sun and autumn leaves – perfect conditions for hiking.

Best Places to Eat

» Locanda Sotto gli Archi ( Click here )

» Hosteria dell’Arco ( Click here )

» Il Panzotto ( Click here )

» Ristorante Clemente ( Click here )

Best Places to Stay

» Sextantio ( Click here )

» Locanda Alfieri ( Click here )

» Le Torri Hotel ( Click here )

» B&B Villa del Pavone ( Click here )

» Residenza Sveva ( Click here )

Abruzzo & Molise Highlights

Breathe in the pure mountain air of Pescocostanzo (Click here ), one of Abruzzo’s hidden jewels

Drive or hike the high windswept plateau of Campo Imperatore (Click here ), Italy’s ‘Little Tibet’

Feel the call of the wild as you climb the Corno Grande (Click here ), summit of the Gran Sasso and the Apennine’s highest peak

Travel back in time as you walk the ancient Roman town of Saepinum (Click here )

Drive through the breathtaking Gole di Sagittario ( Click here ) between Sulmona and Scanno

Laze on the beaches at Termoli ( Click here ), a cheerful and unpretentious Adriatic resort

Marvel at the many imposing hilltop castles, such as Rocca Calascio (Click here )

ABRUZZO

Best known for its dramatic mountain scenery, Abruzzo’s landscape is surprisingly diverse. A vast plain extends east of Avezzano, the coastline is flat and sandy, and there are ancient forests in the Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise.

Many towns retain a medieval look, while the numerous hilltop castles and isolated, sometimes abandoned, borghi (medieval towns) exude a sinister charm, lending credence to Abruzzo’s fame as an ancient centre of magic, and the land of a thousand castles.

L’AQUILA: AFTER THE SHOCK WAVE

Destruction from the devastating earthquake that struck northern Abruzzo in 2009 – 10km from the regional capital L’Aquila – is still very much in evidence. After three years, much of L’Aquila’s centro storico (historic center) is still off limits to visitors: rubble surrounds buildings damaged beyond repair, scaffolding fronts those slowly undergoing restoration, and the military patrols cordoned-off streets. Many of the 65,000 made homeless by the earthquake remain in housing estates built to accommodate them on the edge of the city.

Abruzzo and neighbouring Molise are particularly vulnerable to earthquakes as they sit on a major fault line that follows the Apennines from Sicily up to Genoa.

At the time of research there was no indication as to when restorations to L’Aquila’s historic centre would be complete.

Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga

About 20km northeast of L’Aquila, the Gran Sasso massif is the centrepiece of the Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga, one of Italy’s largest national parks. The park’s predominant feature is its jagged rocky landscape through which Europe’s southernmost glacier, the Calderone, cuts its course. It’s also a haven for wildlife, home to an estimated 40 wolves, 350 chamois and six pairs of royal eagles. Hiking trails criss-cross the park and atmospheric castles and medieval hill towns crown the foot hills.

Rocca Calascio , six kilometres west of Santo Stefano di Sessanio, is one such imposing castle dominating the skyline above the Navelli Plain. There’s not much to see inside, but the views are stupendous, and from a distance the castle makes an impressive photograph.

Fonte Cerreto is the main gateway to the Gran Sasso and Campo Imperatore (2117m), a high windswept plateau 27km long and known as ‘Italy’s Little Tibet’. A funivia (cable car; 0862 60 61 43; €14 Mon-Fri, €16 Sat & Sun; 8am-5pm Mon-Sat, to 6pm Sun, closed May) runs up to the Campo from Fonte Cerreto. Up top, there’s hiking in summer and skiing in winter (see the boxed text, Click here ).

For more information contact the park office ( 0862 6 05 21; www.gransassolagapark.it, in Italian; Via del Convento 1; 10.30am-1pm Mon-Fri & 4-6pm Tue & Thu) in Assergi .

One of the most popular trekking routes is the surprisingly straightforward climb up Corno Grande (at 2912m, it’s the Apennines’ highest peak). The 9km via normale (normal route) starts in the main parking area at Campo Imperatore and heads to the summit. The trail should be clear of snow from early June to late September/early October. If attempting the ascent, or any other serious route, be sure to arm yourself with the CAI 1:25,000 map Gran Sasso d’Italia (€10).

The park has a network of rifugi (mountain huts) for walkers. Otherwise, you can bed down at Camping Funivia del Gran Sasso ( 0862 60 61 63; Fonte Cerreto; camping per person/tent/car €7/8/1.50; mid-May–mid-Sep) , a modest camp ground in Fonte Cerreto. At the top of the cable-car lift, the Hotel Campo Imperatore ( 0862 40 00 00; Campo Imperatore; half-board from €70) , where Mussolini was briefly imprisoned in 1943, also has a hostel (dm per person €30, incl dinner €45) that offers basic year-round digs.

Fonte Cerreto is just off the A24 motorway (clearly signposted). It’s best to have your own transport to navigate the park.

SANTO STEFANO DI SESSANIO

Known as Sextantio in Roman times, this atmospheric hilltop village has a commanding position overlooking two valleys. Although the 2009 earthquake that struck L’Aquila damaged a number of buildings in Santo Stefano, including the iconic 18m-high watchtower (which now lies in ruins), a stroll through the centro storico (historic centre) reveals why the village is regarded as one of Gran Sasso’s most picturesque, and why it made the list as a borghi piu belli d’Italia (one of the most beautiful towns in Italy).

The town flourished in the 16th century under the rule of the Medici family, and the Medici coat of arms can still be seen on the entrance portal to the main piazza. The collapsed tower, although constructed in the 13th century, became known as the Medici Tower as it, too, bore the family’s coat of arms. Renovations to the tower last century – when reinforced concrete replaced the wooden observation platform (making the tower top-heavy) – may have rendered it vulnerable to collapse.

Sextantio ( 0862 89 91 12; www.sextantio.it; Via Principe Umberto; r €150-450; ) is an enchanting albergo diffuso (diffused hotel), which has a number of rooms and apartments scattered throughout the centro storico . Rooms capture the authenticity of the past with handmade blankets and rustic furniture made in the village, yet remain refined thanks to modern conveniences such as underfloor heating, mood lighting and divinely deep bathtubs.

In Sextantio’s restaurant, Locanda Sotto gli Archi (meals €50; dinner daily, lunch Sat & Sun) , tables adorned with soft candlelight evoke a medieval mood for a fixed menu of traditional Abruzzese dishes.

Taking the SS 17, Santo Stefano di Sessanio is 27km from L’Aquila, but a more scenic route takes you through Fonte Cerreto on the 17bis and across the grand plateau of Campo Imperatore before turning south to Santo Stefano (about 50km).

Sulmona

POP 25,220

Sulmona lies in a picturesque location, nestled in a valley with the Morrone massif as a backdrop. A lively and prosperous provincial town with an atmospheric medieval core, it makes a convenient base from which to explore southern Abruzzo.

Despite its medieval appearance, Sulmona’s origins pre-date the Romans (the poet Ovid was born here in 43 BC). In the Middle Ages it became an important commercial centre, but much of Sulmona’s modern wealth is based on the production of confetti – the sugar almonds presented to guests at Italian weddings – and jewellery.

Sights

Most sights are on or near the main street, Corso Ovidio, which runs southeast from the Villa Comunale park to Piazza Garibaldi, Sulmona’s main square. It’s a five-minute stroll and the corso is closed to traffic outside business hours. About halfway down is Piazza XX Settembre, with its statue of Ovid – a popular meeting point.

Piazza Garibaldi PIAZZA

The large town square is home to Sulmona’s Wednesday and Saturday market. Along Corso Ovidio is a striking series of arches, all that remains of a 13th-century aqueduct . In the centre of the piazza, the Renaissance Fontana del Vecchio (Fountain of the Old One) is said by some to depict Solimo, the founder of Sulmona. To the northeast, the 14th-century Chiesa di San Filippo Neri boasts an impressive Gothic portal.

Also on the square is the Polo Museale Santa Chiara ( 0864 21 29 62; admission €3; 9am-1pm & 3.30-7.30pm) , a small museum with an eclectic collection of religious and contemporary art including a fascinating presepe (nativity scene) depicting 19th- century Sulmona.

Palazzo dell’Annunziata PALAZZO

(Corso Ovidio) The most impressive of the palazzi, founded in 1320 but rebuilt many times over, sits above a 1st-century-BC Roman domus (villa). The building has a harmonious blend of Gothic and Renaissance architecture. Inside, the Museo Archeologico in situ (admission free; 9am-1pm Wed, Fri & Sat, 3.30-7.30pm Tue & Thu) showcases relics and remains of the Roman domus . Also here, the Museo Civico ( 0864 21 02 16) has a small collection of Roman mosaics and Renaissance sculpture. At the time of research, it was closed on account of damage sustained in the 2009 earthquake.

Porta Napoli TOWN GATE

(Piazza Vittorio Veneto) This monumental 14th-century town gate has an unusual rusticated masonry finish.

Museo dell’Arte Confettiera MUSEUM

( 0864 21 00 47; www.pelino.it; Via Stazione Introdacqua 55; admission free; 9am-12.30pm & 3.30-6.30pm Mon-Sat) The museum is housed in the Fabbrica Confetti Pelino , Sulmona’s most famous manufacturer of confetti . The reconstructed 16th-century laboratory looks more like an old-time science lab than a sweet-making plant. It’s about 1km from Porta Napoli, at the southern end of Corso Ovidio.

Festivals & Events

Madonna che Scappa in Piazza RELIGIOUS

In this unique Easter Sunday ritual, a mourning, black-clad Virgin Mary races across the square when she sees her newly resurrected son – well, the statue bearers do the running – while the Madonna’s mourning cloak disappears and a flock of white doves fly into the air.

Giostra Cavalleresca di Sulmona CULTURAL

(www.giostrasulmona.it) On the last weekend in July, local horse riders gallop around Piazza Garibaldi in this medieval tournament. A week later, the competition is opened up to riders from across Europe in the Giostra Cavalleresca d’Europa .

Sleeping

B&B Case Bonomini B&B €

( 0864 5 23 08; www.bedandbreakfastcasebonomini.com; Via Quatrario 71; s/d/tr €40/60/75) Hidden away on a backstreet in the historic centre, this pleasant B&B has five self- contained apartments on the same street. Some are small but all have homey decor, and it’s close to everything.

Albergo Ristorante Stella HOTEL €

( 0864 5 26 53; www.hasr.it; Via Panfilo Mazara 18; s €40-50, d €70-80; ) A bright little three-star place in the centro storico, the Stella offers 10 airy, modern rooms and a smart, ground-floor restaurant–wine bar (€15 to €25). Discounts of around 20% are available for stays of more than one night.

Eating & Drinking

Hosteria dell’Arco TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €

( 0864 21 05 53; Via M D’Eramo 20; meals €20-25; closed Mon evening & Sun) Superb food, lovely, rustic surroundings, laid-back atmosphere and friendly service – what more could you ask for? First up is the fabulous antipasto buffet, prepared from scratch every night, followed by delicious grilled lamb and scrumptious homemade desserts.

Ristorante Clemente TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 0864 21 06 79; Vico Quercia 5; meals €25; Fri-Wed) Photos of family members on the wall remind you this is a proud, family-run restaurant – and it feels it. The menu is based on the cornerstones of Abruzzese cooking using seasonal products to produce delicious meals.

La Cantina di Biffi TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 0864 3 20 25; www.cantinadibiffi.it; Via Barbato 1; meals €25; closed Sun evening & Mon) Just off Corso Ovidio, this is a charming and atmospheric bistro–wine bar. Exposed-stone walls and the arched, vaulted ceiling set the stage for excellent homemade food and local wine (served by the glass from €4).

Gran Caffè dell’Annunziata CAFE €

( 0864 21 11 21; Piazza SS Annunziata 2; 9am-1pm daily, 4-8pm Mon-Sat) Grab an outdoor table and sip something cool as you watch the evening parade on Corso Ovidio.

Information

Tourist office ( 0864 5 32 76; www.abruzzoturismo.it; Corso Ovidio 208; 9am-1pm & 4-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun mid-May–mid-Sep, 9am-1pm Mon-Sat, 3-6pm Mon, Wed & Fri mid-Sep–mid-May)

Getting There & Away

Bus ARPA ( 800 762 622; www.arpaonline.it) buses go to/from L’Aquila (€5.50, 1½ hours, nine daily), Pescara (€5.50, one hour, 11 daily), Scanno (€2.90, one hour, 12 daily) and other nearby towns. SATAM ( 0871 34 49 69) runs three daily services to Naples (€15, 2½ hours). Buses leave from a confusing array of points, including Villa Comunale, the hospital, train station and beneath Ponte Capograssi. Find out which stop you need when you get your ticket from Agenzia Fai ( 0864 3 33 49; Via Circonvallazione Orientale 3; 9am-1pm & 4-7.30pm Mon-Sat) near Porta Napoli.

Train Trains link with L’Aquila (€3.90, one hour, 10 daily), Pescara (€3.90, 1¼ hours, 16 daily) and Rome (€8.80, 2½ to three hours, seven daily). The train station is 2km northwest of the historic centre; the half-hourly bus A runs between the two.

SNAKES IN COCULLO

A one-horse hamlet in the hills west of Sulmona, Cocullo is the unlikely setting for one of Italy’s weirdest festivals. The Processione dei Serpari (Snake Charmers’ Procession) is the highlight of celebrations to honour San Domenico, Cocullo’s patron saint and protector against snake bites. Events kick off at noon on the first Thursday of May when villagers gather in the main square to adorn a statue of St Dominic with jewellery, banknotes and dozens of writhing snakes. Once dressed, the saint is paraded through the streets by a team of fearless serpari . Local lore holds that if the snakes twist around the saint’s head it’s good news for the year ahead; if they crawl up the arms, the omens are bad.

Despite the religious element of the festivities, its origins are said to be pagan. Before the arrival of Christianity, locals worshipped a goddess called Angizia, who supposedly had powers to cure snake bites. As Christianity spread, the ancient deities were substituted by Christian saints and San Domenico inherited Angizia’s mantle.

The serpents used for the festival are harmless cervoni and saettoni . They are caught in the surrounding countryside in late March and released back into the hills once the festivities are over.

Cocullo is accessible by a daily bus from Sulmona (€1.40, 30 minutes), although on festival day extra services are laid on – ask at Sulmona tourist office ( Click here ) for details.

Parco Nazionale della Majella

Monte Amaro (2793m), the Apennines’ second-highest peak, lies in a dramatic landscape of ominous mountains and empty valleys. Over half of Parco Nazionale della Majella’s 750 sq km is at an altitude of over 2000m. Wolves roam in the woods and over 500km of paths and cycling trails criss-cross the area.

From Sulmona the two easiest access points are Campo di Giove (elevation 1064m), a small skiing village 18 tortuous kilometres to the southeast, and the lovely town of Pescocostanzo, 33km south of Sulmona along the SS17.

Sights & Activities

Set amid verdant highland plains, Pescocostanzo (elevation 1400m) is a real gem, a hilltop town whose historical core has changed little in over 500 years. Much of the cobbled centre dates from the 16th and 17th centuries when it was an important town on the ‘Via degli Abruzzi’, the main road linking Naples and Florence. Of particular note is the Collegiata di Santa Maria del Colle , an atmospheric church that combines a superb Romanesque portal with a lavish baroque interior. Nearby, Piazza del Municipio is flanked by a number of impressive palazzi, including Palazzo Comunale with its distinctive clock tower and Palazzo Fanzago , designed by the great baroque architect Cosimo Fanzago in 1624.

History apart, Pescocostanzo also offers skiing on Monte Calvario and summer hiking in the Bosco di Sant’Antonio .

Sleeping & Eating

Le Torri Hotel HOTEL €€

( 0864 64 20 40; www.letorrihotel.it; Via Roma 21; d €100-160; ) This stylish hotel, in a palazzo once owned by a baron, has large, comfortable rooms with wooden floors, antique furnishings and inviting white bedspreads.

Albergo La Rua HOTEL €

( 0864 64 00 83; www.larua.it; Via Rua Mozza 1; d €70-100; ) Hikers should head straight for this charming little hotel in the historic centre. The look is country cosy with low wood-beamed ceilings and a stone fireplace, and the superfriendly owners are a mine of local knowledge.

Il Gallo di Pietra TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 0864 64 20 40; www.ilgallodipietra.it; Via del Vallone 4; meals €35; lunch & dinner) Attached to Le Torri Hotel, you can dine alfresco in the garden or beside the fire in the cosy indoor restaurant. The menu features the enticing flavours of Abruzzese and Neapolitan cuisine.

Information

Tourist office ( 0864 64 14 40; Vico delle Carceri; 9am-1pm & 3-6pm Mon-Fri Sep-Jun, 9am-1pm & 4-7pm daily Jul & Aug) In Pescocostanzo, off the central Piazza del Municipio. Also see the park’s comprehensive website (www.parcomajella.it).

Getting There & Away

Buses run from Sulmona to Pescocostanzo (€3.60, one hour, three daily) via Castel di Sangro, and to Campo di Giove (€1.90, 45 minutes, three daily).

TAKE TO THE PISTES

Abruzzo and Molise might lack the glamour of the northern Alps, but skiing is enthusiastically followed and there are resorts across the regions (bank on about €35 for a daily ski pass).

» Campitello Matese In Molise’s Monti del Matese, Campitello offers 40km of pistes, including 15km for cross-country skiers.

» Campo di Giove At the foot of the Parco Nazionale della Majella, this resort offers Abruzzo’s highest skiing, at 2350m.

» Campo Felice A small resort 40km south of L’Aquila with 40km of pistes (30km downhill, 10km cross-country).

» Campo Imperatore Twenty-two kilometres of mainly downhill pistes, and over 60km of cross-country trails in the Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga.

» Ovindoli Abruzzo’s biggest ski resort, with 30km of downhill pistes and 50km of cross-country trails.

» Pescasseroli A popular outpost deep in the Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo with 30km of downhill slopes.

» Pescocostanzo Good for ski hiking as well as downhill, it’s celebrated for its medieval architecture.

» Rivisondoli-Roccaraso Near Pescocostanzo, this is one of the best equipped, with 28 ski lifts, two cable cars and over 100km of ski slopes.

Scanno

POP 1990

A tangle of steep alleyways and sturdy, grey-stone houses, picture-pretty Scanno is an atmospheric medieval borgo, and is known for its finely worked filigree gold jewellery. For centuries a centre of wool production, it is one of the few places in Italy where you can still see women wearing traditional dress – especially during the week-long costume festival (www.costumediscanno.org) held at the end of April.

Be sure to take the exhilarating drive up from Sulmona through the rocky Gole di Sagittario (Sagittarius Gorge) and past tranquil Lago di Scanno.

Sleeping & Eating

Il Palazzo B&B €

( 0864 74 78 60; www.ilpalazzo.it; Via Ciorla 25; r €60-80; ) This elegant B&B spans seven rooms on the 2nd floor of an old palazzo in the centro storico . The rooms are stylishly decorated with antique furnishings.

Hotel Belvedere HOTEL €

( 0864 7 43 14; www.belvederescanno.it; Piazza Santa Maria della Valle 3; r per person incl breakfast €35-50) In a good location on Scanno’s main piazza, this cracking hotel offers spick-and-span modern rooms decked out with parquet and polished wood trimmings. Also offers half and full board.

Pizzeria Trattoria Vecchio Mulino TRATTORIA €

( 0864 74 72 19; Via Silla 50; pizzas/meals €7/25; closed Wed winter) This old-school eatery is a good bet for a classic wood-fired pizza, cheesy antipasti and char-grilled hunks of pork and lamb. In summer the pretty streetside terrace provides a good perch to people-watch.

Ristorante Gli Archetti TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 0864 7 46 45; www.gliarchetti.it; Via Silla 8; meals €35-40; closed Wed) Housed in the cellar of a Renaissance palazzo, this smart restaurant is highly rated. The menu is seasonal; in winter try the spaghetti alla pastora (pasta with chopped pig’s cheeks, pepper and ripe pecorino – sheep’s milk cheese).

Information

Tourist office ( 0864 7 43 17; Piazza Santa Maria della Valle 12; 9am-1pm & 4-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun Jun-Sep, 9am-1pm & 3-6pm Mon-Sat Oct–mid-May) In the village centre.

Getting There & Away

ARPA ( 800 762 622; www.arpaonline.it) buses run to/from Sulmona (€2.90, one hour, 12 daily).

Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise

Encompassing 1100 sq km of spectacular mountain scenery, the Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise is the oldest and most popular of Abruzzo’s national parks. It is also an important natural habitat and home to the native Marsican brown bear and Apennine wolf. If you’re very lucky you might also spot one of the very few lynx still in the wild.

The park offers superb hiking as well as skiing, mountain biking and other outdoor pursuits.

Sights & Activities

The park’s main centre is lively Pescasseroli , an attractive village about 80km southwest of Sulmona. Situated on a hilltop six kilometres from Pescasseroli is Opi , a borghi più belli d’Italia (one of the most beautiful towns in Italy). It’s one of the highest settlements in the park and worth a stroll through its pretty centre.

On the park’s eastern edge and about 17km from Opi is the picturesque Lago di Barrea with the ancient town of Barrea positioned on a rocky spur above the lake.

At nearby Civitella Alfedena you can study the local flora and fauna at the Centro Lupo (Wolf Centre; 0864 89 01 41; admission €3; 10am-2pm & 2.30-5.30pm) and spy on a couple of wolves at the free Area Faunistica del Lupo . To see a rare lynx follow the signs to the Area Faunistica delle Lince .

Hiking opportunities abound, whether you want to go it alone or with an organised group. There are numerous outfits offering guided excursions, including Ecotur ( 0863 91 27 60; www.ecotur.org; Via Piave 9, Pescasseroli) , which organises treks, bike rides and various other excursions.

Between May and October, the Centro Ippico Vallecupa ( 0863 91 04 44; www.agriturismomaneggiovallecupa.it; Via della Difesa; rides 1hr/full day €20/80) offers guided horse rides in the park.

For skiing information see the boxed text,Click here .

STRETCH YOUR LEGS

With about 150 well-marked routes, the Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise is a mecca for hikers. Trails range from easy family jaunts to multiday hikes over rocky peaks and exposed highlands. The best time to go is between June and September, although access to some of the busier routes around Pescasseroli is often limited in July and August. To book entry to trails contact the Centro di Visita in Pescasseroli or the Centro Lupo in Civitella Alfedena.

Two of the area’s most popular hikes are the climbs up Monte Amaro (2793m; Route F1) and Monte Tranquillo (1841m; Route C3). The Monte Amaro route , a 2¼-hour hike, starts from a car park 7km southeast of Pescasseroli (follow the SS83 for about 2km beyond Opi) and rises steeply up to the peaks where you’re rewarded with stupendous views over the Valle del Sangro. There’s quite a good chance of spotting a chamois on this walk.

The Monte Tranquillo route takes about 2½ hours from a starting point about 1km south of Pescasseroli (follow signs for the Hotel Iris and Centro Ippico Vallecupa). If you still have your breath at the top, you can continue northwards along the Rocca Ridge before descending down to Pescasseroli from the north. This beautiful but challenging 19.5km circuit takes six or seven hours.

Sleeping

B&B La Sosta B&B €

( 0863 91 60 57; Via Marsicana 17, Opi; r per person €25; ) This delightful B&B in Opi is run with passionate care by a hospitable elderly couple. There are six very clean, smart rooms, a sunny terrace, and excellent access to the nearby mountains. The breakfasts are quite special too, with cakes and lashings of homemade jam. Excellent value.

Hotel La Conca HOTEL €

( 0863 91 05 62; Via Vicenne, Pescasseroli; d incl breakfast €65-100; ) In a quiet location but still close to the action, this three-star hotel has spacious, comfortable rooms and solid wooden doors. It’s a good-value, no-frills affair.

Albergo Antico Borga La Torre HOTEL €

( 0864 89 01 21; www.albergolatorre.com; Via Castello 3, Civitella Alfedena; s €30-40, d €45-60; ) Housed in an atmospheric 18th-century palazzo in Civitella Alfedena’s medieval centre, this basic hotel is popular with hikers. There’s also a small restaurant serving hot, fortifying food.

Campeggio Wolf CAMPGROUND €

( 0864 89 03 60; Via Sotto i Cerri, Civitella Alfedena; camping per person €5-6.50, tent €5-6, car €3-4; May-Sep) This camp ground is a fairly simple affair but has free hot showers.

Eating

Trattoria da Armando TRATTORIA €

( 0863 91 23 86; Piazza Vittorio Veneto 11, Pescasseroli; meals €18-20; Fri-Wed) This no-fuss trattoria has simple yet delicious meals with a range of panini as well as the usual pasta and meat dishes.

Pizzeria Trattoria da Laura PIZZERIA €

( 334 5252587; Via Pave 8, Pescasseroli; pizzas €6; dinner) For a quick pizza, head to this laid-back pizzeria just off the main square. It’s cosy and the pizza smell is delicious.

Information

Centro di Visita ( 0863 911 32 21; Viale Colli d’Oro, Pescasseroli; 9am-7.30pm Apr-Aug, 10am-5.30pm Sep-Mar)

Tourist office ( 0863 91 04 61; Via Principe di Napoli, Pescasseroli; 9am-1pm & 3-6pm Mon-Sat Sep-Jun, 9am-1pm & 4-7pm daily Jul & Aug)

Getting There & Away

Pescasseroli, Civitella Alfedena and other villages in the national park are linked by daily buses to Avezzano (€4.70, 1½ hours), from where you can change for L’Aquila, Pescara and Rome; and to Castel di Sangro (€3.60, 1¼ hours) for connections to Sulmona and Naples.

START SULMONA

END RISERVA NATURALE DI PUNTA ADERCI

DISTANCE 245KM TO 310KM

DURATION ONE WEEK

Driving Tour: Cut to the Heart

An oasis in the mountainous terrain of southern Abruzzo, Sulmona is the place to start. With its attractive historic centre, welcoming vibe and great trattorias, it’s the archetypal Italian town. Check out the market stalls on Piazza Garibaldi and join the locals on their passeggiata (evening stroll) along Corso Ovidio. After a night in Sulmona, push on southward to hilltop Scanno . It’s a slow, scenic ride that takes you through the breathtaking Gole di Sagittario , a rocky gorge that squeezes the road like a natural vice, and up past the beautiful Lago di Scanno. Scanno’s biscuit-tin beauty has made it something of a tourist attraction, but visit out of high summer and you’ll find it a tranquil spot.

From Scanno, the next leg takes you into the national parks. From Lago di Barrea either head deep into the magnificent Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise, the most popular of Abruzzo’s three national parks and set up camp in Pescasseroli , or head north and take the long way round to pretty Pescocostanzo in the Parco Nazionale della Majella. Either way, spend a couple of days exploring the surrounding mountains. Once you’ve recharged your batteries, continue on past Isernia to the well-preserved Roman ruins at Saepinum .

After the mountains, it’s time to hit the coast and top up your tan at Termoli , or further up the road at Vasto , both popular Adriatic resorts. From Termoli, the Isole Tremiti are just a day trip away. But if the crowds get too much (and they might well in summer), go north to the Spiaggia di Punta Penna, a lovely beach in the Riserva Naturale di Punta Aderci .

Pescara

POP 123,100

Abruzzo’s largest city is a heavily developed seaside resort with one of the largest marinas on the Adriatic. The city was heavily bombed during WWII and much of the city centre was reduced to rubble. However, it’s a lively place with an animated seafront, especially in summer, but unless you’re coming for the 16km of sandy beaches there’s really no great reason to hang around.

Sights

Pescara’s main attraction is its long stretch of beachfront, and the shopping precinct around pedestrianised Corso Umberto. From Piazzale della Repubblica, the beach is a short walk down Corso Umberto. There’s also a few sights worth a quick look.

Museo delle Genti d’Abruzzo MUSEUM

( 085 451 00 26; www.gentidabruzzo.it; Via delle Caserme 24; adult/reduced €6/3; 9am-1.30pm Mon-Sat, 5-8pm Sun Sep-Jun, to midnight Fri & Sat Jul & Aug) Illustrates local peasant culture.

Museo Casa Natale Gabriele D’Annunzio MUSEUM

( 0865 6 03 91; Corso Manthonè 116; admission €2; 9am-1.30pm) Birthplace of controversial fascist poet Gabriele D’Annunzio.

Museo d’Arte Moderna Vittoria Colonna ART GALLERY

( 085 428 37 59; Via Gramsci 26; adult/reduced €6/4; 9.30am-1.30pm & 4-8pm) Near the seafront, it boasts a Picasso and Miró among its small collection of modern art.

Tours

Absolutely Abruzzo Tours CULTURAL

( 0699 197460; www.absolutelyabruzzo.com; day tours from €250; May-Oct) Australian-Italian Luciana Masci leads private small-group tours from one day to a week (including cooking courses and cultural and hiking tours) and offers specialised heritage services to retrace one’s ancestral family village. Bookings essential.

Festivals

Pescara Jazz MUSIC

(www.pescarajazz.com) This international jazz festival is held in mid-July at the Teatro D’Annunzio.

Sleeping & Eating

B&B Villa del Pavone B&B €

( 085 421 17 70; www.villadelpavone.it; Via Pizzoferrato 30; d €70-80; ) Over the tracks on a quiet residential street about 300m behind the train station, this gorgeous B&B is a home away from home. A model of old-fashioned pride, it’s laden with gleaming antiques and chichi knick-knacks. Outside, the lush garden is presided over by a resident peacock.

Hotel Alba HOTEL €

( 085 38 91 45; www.hotelalba.pescara.it; Via Michelangelo Forti 14; s €50-80, d €75-120; ) A businesslike three-star place, the Alba provides anonymous comfort and a central location. Rooms vary but the best sport polished wood, firm beds and plenty of sunlight. Note that rates are lowest at weekends and that garage parking costs €10.

Osteria La Lumaca OSTERIA €€

( 085 451 08 80; www.osterialalumaca.com; Via delle Caserme 51; lunch menus €8-15, meals €35; closed Sat lunch & Sun) They take their food seriously at this warm wood-panelled restaurant. Particularly outstanding are the cured meats and ricotta, and the Abruzzo lamb. The fixed-price lunch menus are good value.

Ristorante Marechiaro da Bruno SEAFOOD €€

( 085 421 38 49; www.ristorantemarechiaro.eu; Lungomare Matteotti 70; pizzas €6.50-9, meals €30; Thu-Tue) With a prime position on the seafront, the speciality is bound to be seafood – in all shapes and sizes. It’s a lively place and there’s an impressive array of pizzas at night.

Caffè Letterario CAFE €

( 085 6 42 43; Via delle Caserme 22; lunch menus €7-12; 9am-6pm Sun-Wed, 9am-3am Thu-Sat) With its huge floor-to-ceiling windows and exposed-brick walls, this is a popular lunchtime spot. The menu is chalked up on a daily board, but typically comprises a few mains and several vegetable side dishes. There’s live music Thursday to Saturday nights.

Information

Tourist office Piazzale della Repubblica ( 085 422 54 62; www.proloco.pescara.it; 9am-1pm & 3-6pm Oct-May, 9am-1pm & 4-7pm Jun-Sep); airport ( 085 432 21 20; with flight arrivals) .

Getting There & Away

Air Pescara airport ( 899 130 310; www.abruzzo-airport.it) is 3km out of town and easily reached by bus 38 (€1, 20 minutes, every 15 minutes) from in front of the train station. Ryanair and Alitalia are the main airlines flying to Pescara.

Boat Throughout August, a daily SNAV ( 071 207 61 16; www.snav.it) jetfoil runs to the Croatian island of Hvar and on to Split (Spalato in Italian). One-way tickets for the 5¾-hour journey cost €120 per person and per car. See Agenzia Sanmar ( 0854 451 08 73; www.sanmar.it; Stazione Marittima Banchina Sud) at the port.

Bus ARPA ( 800 762 622; www.arpaonline.it) buses leave from Piazzale della Repubblica for L’Aquila (€7.80, two hours, 10 daily), Sulmona (€5.50, one hour, 11 daily), Naples (€24, 4½ hours, four daily), Rome (€15, 2¾ hours, 11 daily) and towns throughout Abruzzo and Molise.

Train Direct trains run to Ancona (€7.50 to €20, 1¼ to two hours, 20 daily), Bari (€27 to €37, three hours, 16 daily), Rome (€11.70, four hours, six daily) and Sulmona (€3.90, 1¼ hours, 16 daily).

Chieti

POP 54,300

Overlooking the Aterno valley, Chieti is a hilltop town with roots dating back to pre-Roman times when, as capital of the Marrucini tribe, it was known as Teate Marrucinorum. Later, in the 4th century BC, it was conquered by the Romans and incorporated into the Roman Republic. These days the main reason to stop by is to the visit the town’s two fascinating archaeology museums.

Museo Archeologico Nazionale dell’Abruzzo ( 0871 40 43 92; www.archeoabruzzo.beniculturali.it; Villa Frigerj; adult/reduced €4/2; 9am-7.30pm Tue-Sun) is housed in a neoclassical villa in the Villa Comunale park. Displays include a comprehensive collection of local finds, with the star event the 6th-century-BC Warrior of Capestrano, considered the most important pre-Roman find in central Italy. Mystery surrounds the identity of the warrior, but there are some who reckon it to be Numa Pompilo, the second king of Rome and successor to Romulus. The museum also showcases 5th-century-BC funerary steles, an impressive coin collection, and some colossal statues – including that of a seated Hercules – dating from the 1st century BC.

Nearby is the Complesso Archeologico la Civitella ( 0871 6 31 37; www.lacivitella.it; Via Pianell; adult/reduced €4/2; 9am-7.30pm Tue-Sun) , a modern museum built round a Roman amphitheatre. Exhibits chart the history of Chieti and include weapons and pottery dating back to the Iron Age.

About 3km downhill from the historic centre, Agriturismo Il Quadrifoglio ( 0871 63 4 00; www.agriturismoilquadrifoglio.com; Strada Licini 22, Località Colle Marcone; s/d €40/50; ) is a picturesque farmhouse with rustic rooms, panoramic views and a lovely, overflowing garden. Meals are €15 to €20. To get here follow signs to Colle Marcone.

Chieti’s helpful tourist office ( 0871 6 36 40; Via Spaventa 47; 8am-1pm & 4-7pm Mon-Sat Jul-Sep, 8am-1pm Mon-Sat & 3-6pm Tue, Thu & Fri Oct-Jun) can provide information and accommodation lists for the town and surrounding area.

Regular buses (€2, 20 minutes) link Chieti with Pescara.

TOP FIVE HILLTOP TOWNS IN ABRUZZO

In Abruzzo’s mountainous terrain, the hills are crowned with ruined castles and medieval villages. Wander through these pretty and atmospheric hilltop towns:

» Pescocostanzo (Click here )

» Scanno (Click here )

» Vasto (Click here )

» Chieti (Click here )

» Sulmona (Click here ) OK, it’s not exactly hilltop, but Ovid’s birthplace makes an attractive base for exploring the Parco Nazionale della Majella.

Vasto

POP 39,820

On Abruzzo’s southern coast, the hilltop town of Vasto has an atmospheric medieval quarter and superb sea views. Much of the centro storico dates from the 15th century, a golden period in which the city was known as ‘the Athens of the Abruzzi’.

Two kilometres downhill is the blowsy resort of Vasto Marina , a strip of hotels, restaurants and camp grounds fronting a long sandy beach. About 5km further north along the coast is the beautiful Spiaggia di Punta Penna and the Riserva Naturale di Punta Aderci (www.puntaderci.it) , a 285-hectare area of uncontaminated rocky coastline, ideal for long beach walks, swimming and diving.

Sights & Activities

In summer, the action is on the beach at Vasto Marina. Up in the old town, interest centres on the small historic centre.

From the landmark Castello Caldoresco on Piazza Rossetti, Corso de Parma leads down to the 13th-century Cattedrale di San Giuseppe ( 0873 36 71 93; Piazza Pudente; 8.30am-noon & 4.30-7pm) , a lovely low-key example of Romanesque architecture. Nearby, the Renaissance Palazzo d’Avalos houses the Museo Civico Archaeologica ( 0873 36 77 73; Piazza Pudente; admission €1.50; 9.30am-12.30pm & 4.30-7.30pm Tue-Sun) with its eclectic collection of ancient bronzes, glasswork and paintings, as well as three other museums – the Pinacoteca Comunale (admission €3.50) , the Galleria d’Arte Moderna (admission free) and the Museo del Costume (admission €1.50) . A combined ticket to see all museums costs €4.50.

Sleeping & Eating

Hotel San Marco HOTEL €

( 0873 6 05 37; www.hotelsanmarcovasto.com; Via Madonna dell’Asilo 4; s €42-52, d €66-86; ) Just off Corso Garibaldi in the upper town, this cracking little three-star place is excellent value for money, offering slick modern rooms at far from designer prices.

Il Panzotto PIZZERIA €

( 0873 6 93 41; Loggia Amblingh 51; pizzas €6.50-9; Wed-Mon) If the panoramic views of the sea weren’t enough, the excellent pizza (with over 40 choices) will win you over. Also has a selection of pasta and meat dishes.

Information

Tourist office ( 0873 36 73 12; Piazza del Popolo 18; 9am-1pm daily & 4-7pm Mon-Sat Jul–mid-Sep, 9am-1pm Mon-Fri & 3-6pm Tue, Thu & Fri mid-Sep–Jun) In the centro storico.

Getting There & Away

The train station (Vasto-San Salvo) is about 2km south of Vasto Marina. Trains run frequently to Pescara (€4.30, one hour) and Termoli (from €2.30, 15 minutes). From the station take bus 1 or 4 for Vasto Marina and the town centre (€1).

MOLISE

One of Italy’s forgotten regions, Molise is one of the few parts of the country where you can still get off the beaten track. And while it lacks the grandeur of its northern neighbour, the lack of a slick tourist infrastructure and the raw, unspoiled countryside ensure a gritty authenticity that’s so often missing in more-celebrated areas.

To get the best out of Molise, you really need your own transport.

Campobasso

POP 51,000

Molise’s regional capital and main transport hub is a sprawling, uninspiring city with little to recommend it. However, if you do find yourself passing through, the pocket-sized centro storico is worth a quick look.

Although rarely open, the Romanesque churches of San Bartolomeo (Salita San Bartolomeo) and San Giorgio (Viale della Rimembranza) are fine examples of their genre. Further up the hill, at the top of a steep tree-lined avenue, sits Castello Monforte ( 0874 6 32 99; admission free; 9am-1pm & 3.30-6.30pm Tue-Sun) . Ceramics found in the castle are now on show at the small Museo Samnitico (Samnite Museum; 0874 41 22 65; Via Chiarizia 12; admission free; 9am-5.30pm) , along with artefacts from local archaeological sites.

For a spot of lunch, Trattoria La Grotta di Zi Concetta ( 0874 31 13 78; Via Larino 9; meals €25; lunch & dinner Mon-Fri) is an old-school trattoria serving delicious homemade pasta and superb meat dishes.

The tourist office ( 0874 41 56 62; Piazza della Vittoria 14; 8.30am-1.30pm Mon-Fri, 3-5.30pm Mon & Wed) can provide further information on the city and surrounding province.

Unless you’re coming from Isernia, Campobasso is best reached by bus. Services link with Termoli (€3.30, 1¼ hours, 10 daily), Naples (€9.60, 2¾ hours, four daily weekdays), and Rome (€11.90, three hours, five daily). Up to 14 daily trains run to/from Isernia (€2.80, one hour).

Around Campobasso

One of Molise’s hidden treasures, the Roman ruins of Saepinum (admission free) are among the best preserved and least visited in the country. Unlike Pompeii and Ostia Antica, which were both major ports, Saepinum was a small provincial town of no great importance. It was originally established by the Samnites but the Romans conquered it in 293 BC, paving the way for an economic boom in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. Some 700 years later, it was sacked by Arab invaders. The walled town retains three of its four original gates and its two main roads, the cardus maximus and the decamanus . Highlights include the forum, basilica and theatre, near to which the Museo Archeologico Vittoriano (admission €2; 9.30am-1pm & 3-6.30pm Tue-Sun) displays artefacts unearthed on the site.

It’s not easy to reach Saepinum by public transport, but the Larivera ( 0874 6 47 44; www.lariverabus.it) bus from Campobasso to Sepinio (€1.20, six daily weekdays) generally stops near the site at Altilia, although it’s best to ask the driver.

Looming over the ruins are the Monti del Matese (Matese Mountains). Campitello Matese (elevation 1430m) is a popular ski resort with facilities for winter and summer sports. Outside of the ski season and summer holiday period, the resort pretty much shuts up shop.

Between December and March, Autolinee Micone ( 0874 78 01 20) runs three daily buses from Campobasso up to Campitello Matese (one hour).

Isernia

POP 22,000

Surrounded by remote, scarcely populated hills, Isernia doesn’t make a huge impression. Earthquakes and a massive WWII bombing raid spared little of its original centro storico and the modern centre is a drab, workaday place. The one reason to stop over is to visit the site of one of Europe’s oldest human settlements, a 700,000-year-old village unearthed by road workers in 1978. Excavations are ongoing, although you can visit by calling the site office ( 0865 41 35 26; Contrada Ramiera Vecchia 1, Localita La Pineta).

If you don’t make it to the site, the dusty Museo Santa Maria delle Monache ( 0865 41 05 00; Corso Marcelli 48; admission €2; 8.30am-7pm) houses many of its finds, including piles of elephant and rhino bones, fossils and stone tools.

If you want to stay the night, Hotel Sayonara ( 0865 5 09 92; www.sayonara.is.it; Via G Berta 131; s/d €55/85; ) is the most centrally located hotel. It’s an anonymous business-style set-up, but rooms are comfortable and there’s a convenient restaurant.

Isernia’s tourist office ( 0865 39 92; 6th fl, Palazzo della Regione, Via Farinacci 9; 8am-2pm Mon-Sat) can provide accommodation lists but little more in the way of practical help.

From the bus terminus next to the train station on Piazza della Repubblica, Trasporti Molise ( 0874 49 30 80; www.molisetrasporti.it) runs buses to Campobasso (€2.80, 50 minutes, five daily) and Termoli (€7, 1¾ hours, three daily). Get tickets from Bar Ragno d’Oro on the square.

Trains connect Isernia with Sulmona (€7.10, three to four hours, two daily), Campobasso (€2.80, one hour, 14 daily), Naples (€6, two hours, five daily) and Rome (€10.50, two hours, six daily).

Around Isernia

The hills around Isernia are peppered with places of interest. About 30km northeast of town, outside Pietrabbondante , the remains of a 2nd-century-BC Samnite theatre-temple complex ( 0865 7 61 29; adult/reduced €2/1; 10am-6pm) reward a visit, as much for its panoramic setting high above the rolling green countryside than anything else.

En route, the 350-hectare Riserva Collemeluccio ( 9.30am-7pm Jun-Sep, to 5.30pm Apr-May, to 4.30pm Oct-Mar) is a prime picnic venue. It also offers good walking, with several trails leading off from the roadside visitors centre.

Further north, Agnone is an ancient hilltop town famous for its bell making. For more than 1000 years, local artisans have been producing church bells for some of Italy’s most famous churches, including St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Learn all about it at the Marinelli Pontificia Fonderia di Campane ( 0865 7 82 35; www.campanemarinelli.com; Via D’Onofrio 14; adult/reduced €5/3.50; guided tours 11am, noon, 4pm & 6pm Mon-Sat & 11am Sun Aug, noon & 4pm Mon-Sat & noon Sun Sep-Jul) . For further information and details of accommodation in the area, ask at the helpful tourist office ( 0865 7 72 49; www.prolocoagnone.com; Corso Vittorio Emanuele 78; 9.30am-12.30pm & 3.30-6pm) .

A 30km drive northwest of Isernia, near Castel San Vincenzo, the Abbazia di San Vincenzo al Volturno ( 0865 95 52 46; by appointment) is famous for its cycle of 9th-century frescoes by Epifanio (824–42). The abbey, one of the foremost monastic and cultural centres in 9th-century Europe, is now home to a community of Benedictine nuns.

From Isernia, SATI ( 0874 60 52 20) buses serve Pietrabbondante (€1.50, 35 minutes, two daily) and Agnone (€2.05, one hour, nine daily). Buy tickets on the bus. Larivera ( 0874 6 47 44; www.lariverabus.it) buses run between Isernia and Castel San Vincenzo (€1.20, 45 minutes, two daily), a 1km walk from the abbey.

Termoli

POP 32,600

Despite its touristy trattorias and brassy bars, Molise’s top beach resort retains a winning, low-key charm. At the eastern end of the seafront, the pretty borgo antico (old town) juts out to sea atop a natural pier, dividing the sandy beach from Termoli’s small harbour. From the port, year-round ferries sail for the Isole Tremiti.

The town’s most famous landmark, Frederick II’s 13th-century Castello Svevo ( 0875 71 23 54; on request) guards entry to the tiny borgo – a tangle of narrow streets, pastel-coloured houses and souvenir shops. From the castle, follow the road up and you come to Piazza Duomo and Termoli’s majestic 12th-century cathedral ( 0875 70 80 25) . A masterpiece of Puglian-Romanesque architecture, the cream-coloured facade features a striking round-arched central portal.

Sleeping

Locanda Alfieri ALBERGO DIFFUSO €€

( 0875 70 81 13; www.locandalfieri.com; Via Duomo 39; s incl breakfast €40-55, d incl breakfast €75-110; ) A ‘diffused hotel’ with rooms scattered throughout the centro storico, this is a great base from which to explore Termoli, the Isole Tremiti and Molise. Room styles vary from ‘creative’ traditional to modern-chic (some with ubercool chromatherapy showers).

Residenza Sveva ALBERGO DIFFUSO €€

( 0875 70 68 03; www.residenzasveva.com; Piazza Duomo 11; s €50-80, d €89-180; ) This elegant centro storico ‘diffused hotel’ has its reception on Piazza Duomo, near the cathedral, but the 21 rooms are squeezed into several palazzi in the borgo . The style is summery with plenty of gleaming blue tiles and traditional embroidery. There’s also an elegant seafood restaurant (open Wednesday to Sunday) on site.

Coppola Villaggio Camping Azzurra CAMPGROUND €

( 0875 5 24 04; www.camping.it/molise/azzurra; SS16 km538; camping per person €5-9, tent €9-15, car €3, 4-person bungalow €60-120; mid-May-Sep; ) Termoli’s only camp ground is a modern, beachfront affair 2km outside town on the SS16 coastal road. As well as shady tent pitches and bungalows, on-site facilities include a minimarket and restaurant.

Eating

La Sacrestia TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €

( 0875 70 56 03; Via Ruffini 48-50; meals €25, pizzas €7-8; daily summer, Wed-Mon winter) This is one of the better restaurants in the lively area between Corso Nazionale and Via Fratelli Brigida. Sit streetside or in the brick vaulted interior and chow down on knockout pizza or fresh-off-the-boat seafood.

Ristorante Da Nicolino SEAFOOD €€

( 0875 70 68 04; Via Roma 3; meals €35; Fri-Wed) Well regarded by locals, this discreet restaurant serves the best seafood in town. Highly recommended is the brodetto di pesce (fish soup).

Sognadoro PIZZERIA €

( 0875 70 64 42; Via F Mugnano Rocca 3; pizzas €7-8; Wed-Mon) The extensive range of delicious pizza warrants a return visit at this friendly and homey pizzeria in the old town.

Information

Tourist office ( 0875 70 39 13; www.termoli.net; 1st fl, Piazza Bega 42; 8am-2pm Mon-Fri & 3-6pm Mon & Wed-Fri) Helpful but hard to find, it’s tucked away in a dodgy-looking car park behind a small shopping gallery, 100m east of the train station.

Getting There & Away

Boat Termoli is the only port with year-round ferries to the Isole Tremiti. Tirrenia Navigazione ( 0875 70 53 43; www.tirrenia.it; tickets €15.80-17.70) runs a year-round ferry and Navigazione Libera del Golfo ( 0875 70 48 59; www.navlib.it; tickets €15-19; Apr-Sep) operates a quicker hydrofoil. Buy tickets at the port.

Bus Termoli’s bus station is beside Via Martiri della Resistenza. Various companies have services to/from Campobasso (€3.30, 1¼ hours, 10 daily), Isernia (€7, 1¾ hours, three daily), Pescara (€6.20, 1¼ hours, four daily), Naples (€14, 3½ hours, four daily) and Rome (€15, four hours, frequent).

Train Direct trains serve Bologna (from €36.50, four to 5½ hours, 10 daily), Lecce (from €23.10, 3½ to 4½ hours, 10 daily) and stations along the Adriatic coast.

Albanian Towns

Several villages to the south of Termoli form an Albanian enclave that dates back to the 15th century. These include Campomarino , Portocannone , San Martino in Pensilis and Ururi . Although the inhabitants shrugged off their Orthodox religion in the 18th century, they still use a version of Albanian that’s incomprehensible to outsiders. However, it’s for their carressi (chariot races) that the villages are best known. Each year Ururi (3 May), Portocannone (the Monday after Whit Sunday) and San Martino in Pensilis (30 April) stage a no-holds-barred chariot race. The chariots (more like carts) are pulled by bulls and hurtle round a traditional course, urged on by villagers on horseback.

Getting to these villages is quite a trial without your own transport, but Larivera runs daily buses to all four from Termoli.

Top of section

Naples & Campania

POPULATION: 5.8 MILLION

Includes »

Naples

Capri

Ischia

Procida

Ercolano & Herculaneum

Pompeii

Sorrento

West of Sorrento

Positano

Amalfi

Ravello

South of Amalfi

Agropoli

Parco Nazionale del Cilento e Vallo di Diano

Why Go?

Campania could be a multi–Academy Award winner, swooping everything from Best Cinematography to Best Original Screenplay. Strewn with three millennia worth of temples, castles and palaces, it heaves with legend – Icarus plunged to his death in the Campi Flegrei, sirens lured sailors off Sorrento, and Wagner put quill to paper in lofty Ravello. Campania’s cast includes some of Europe’s most fabled destinations, from haunting Pompeii to Med-chic Capri. At its heart thumps bad-boy Naples, a love-it-or-loathe-it sprawl of operatic palazzi , mouth-watering markets, and art-crammed museums. Home to Italy’s top coffee and pizza, it’s also one of the country’s gastronomic superstars. Beyond its pounding streets lies a wonderland of lush bay islands, faded fishing villages and wild mountains. Welcome to Italy at its nail-biting best.

When to Go

Easter Follow the faithful at Sorrento and Procida’s mystical Easter processions.

May Naples celebrates culture with its event-packed Maggio dei Monumenti festival.

September Hit the coast for warm, languid days without the August crowds.

Best Places to Eat

» Ristorante II Buco ( Click here )

» Lo Scoglio ( Click here )

» Ristorante Radici ( Click here )

Best Places to Stay

» Hotel San Francesco al Monte ( Click here )

» Hotel Piazza Bellini ( Click here )

» Hotel Luna Convento ( Click here )

» Casale Giancesare ( Click here )

The Subterranean City

Mysterious shrines, secret passageways, forgotten burial crypts: it might sound like the set of an Indiana Jones film, but it’s actually what lurks beneath Naples’ loud and greasy streets. Subterranean Naples is one of the world’s most thrilling urban wonderlands; a silent, mostly undiscovered sprawl of cathedral-like cisterns, pin-sized conduits, catacombs and ancient ruins.

Speleologists (cave specialists) estimate that about 60% of Neapolitans live and work above this network, known in Italian as the sottosuolo (underground). Since the end of WWII, some 700 cavities have been discovered, from original Greek-era grottoes, to palaeo-Christian burial chambers and royal Bourbon escape routes. According to the experts, this is simply a prelude, with another 2 million sq metres of troglodytic treats to unfurl.

Naples’ dedicated caving geeks are quick to tell you that their underworld is one of the largest and oldest on earth. Sure, Paris might claim a catacomb or two, but its subterranean offerings don’t come close to this giant’s 2500-year history.

And what a history it is. Naples’ most famous saint, San Gennaro, was interred in the Catacombe di San Gennaro in the 5th century. A century later, in 536, Belisario and his troops caught Naples by surprise by storming the city through the city’s ancient tunnels. According to legend, Alfonso of Aragon used the same trick in 1442, undermining the city walls by using an underground passageway leading into a tailor’s shop and straight into town. Even the city’s dreaded Camorra has got in on the act. In 1992, the notorious Stolder clan was busted for running a subterranean drug lab, with escape routes heading straight to the clan boss’ pad.

CAMPANIA’S NATURAL WONDERS

» Grotta Azzurra ( Click here ) Nature outdazzles Disney in this magical coastal cave

» Sentiero degli Dei ( Click here ) Experience the Amalfi Coast from a heavenly elevation

» Parco Nazionale del Cilento e Vallo di Diano ( Click here ) A wild and rugged playground begging to be hiked

» Mt Vesuvius ( Click here ) Peer into the crater of this panoramic time bomb

» Solfatara crater ( Click here ) Feel the earth’s wrath at this geological freak show

Don’t Miss

Naples’ Cappella Sansevero is home to the astounding Cristo Velato (Veiled Christ), its marble veil so translucent it baffles to this day.

BEST PLACES TO WHISPER ‘TI AMO’

» Villa Cimbrone ( Click here )

» Palazzo Petrucci ( Click here )

» Monte Solaro ( Click here )

» Teatro San Carlo ( Click here )

» La Conchiglia ( Click here )

Hold the Prawns

Order a pizza marinara in Naples and you’ll get a simple affair of tomato, garlic and olive oil. And the seafood? There is none. The pizza was named after fishermen who took it out to sea for lunch.

Resources

» Turismo Regione Campania (www.incampania.it) Up-to-date events, as well as articles and itineraries.

» Italy Traveller (www.italytraveller.com) Luxe and boutique hotel listings, themed itineraries and travel ideas.

Naples’ Top Museums

» Museo Archeologico Nazionale ( Click here ) A veritable treasure chest of ancient art, propaganada and erotica

» Museo di Capodimonte ( Click here ) From Caravaggio to Warhol.

» Museo del Novecento, Castel San’t Elmo ( Click here ) A stylish ode to Naples’ 20th-century art scene

Naples & Campania Highlights

Explore Naples’ labyrinthine underworld on a Napoli Sotterranea ( Click here ) tour

Channel the ancients on the ill-fated streets of Pompeii (Click here )

Be bewitched by Capri’s ethereal Grotta Azzurra (Click here )

Lunch by the waves on pastel-hued Procida (Click here )

Treat your senses to a concert at Ravello’s dreamy Villa Rufolo ( Click here )

Pretend you’re royalty at Palazzo Reale ( Click here )

Whet your appetite at Naples’ produce-packed Mercato di Porta Nolana (Click here )

Indulge in a little thermal therapy on Ischia (Click here )

Walk with the gods on the Amalfi Coast (Click here )

Admire Hellenic ingenuity at the World Heritage–listed temples of Paestum (Click here )

NAPLES

POP 3,079,000

Italy’s most misunderstood city is also one of its finest – an exhilarating mess of bombastic baroque churches, bellowing baristas and electrifying street life. Contradiction is the catchphrase here; a place where anarchy, pollution and crime sidle up to lavish palaces, mighty museums and aristocratic tailors.

First stop for many is the Unesco World Heritage–listed centro storico (historic city centre). It’s here, under the washing lines, that you’ll find Naples’ arabesque street life – cocky kids playing football in noisy piazzas, overloaded Vespas hurtling through cobbled alleyways and clued-up casalinghe (homemakers) bullying market vendors. Once the heart of Roman Neapolis, this intoxicating warren of Dickensian streets groans with ancient churches, citrus-filled cloisters, and rough’n’tumble pizzerias.

By the sea the cityscape opens up. Imperious palaces flank show-off squares as Gucci-clad shoppers strut their stuff and lunch in chandeliered cafes. This is Royal Naples, the Naples of the Bourbons that so impressed the 18th-century grand tourists.

History

According to legend, traders from Rhodes established the city on the island of Megaris (where Castel dell’Ovo now stands) in about 680 BC. Originally called Parthenope in honour of the siren whose body had earlier washed up there (she drowned herself after failing to seduce Ulysses), it was eventually incorporated into a new city, Neapolis, founded by Greeks from Cumae (Cuma) in 474 BC. However, within 150 years it was in Roman hands, becoming something of a VIP resort favoured by emperors Pompey, Caesar and Tiberius.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, Naples became a duchy, originally under the Byzantines and later as an independent dukedom, until it was captured in 1139 by the Normans and absorbed into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. The Normans, in turn, were replaced by the German Swabians, whose charismatic leader Frederick II injected the city with new institutions, including its university.

The Swabian period came to a violent end with the victory of Charles I of Anjou at the 1266 battle of Benevento. The Angevins did much for Naples, promoting art and culture, building Castel Nuovo and enlarging the port, but they were unable to stop the Spanish Aragons taking the city in 1442. Naples continued to prosper, though. Alfonso I of Aragon, in particular, introduced new laws and encouraged the arts and sciences.

In 1503 Naples was absorbed by Spain, which sent viceroys to rule as virtual dictators. Despite Spain’s heavy-handed rule, Naples flourished artistically and acquired much of its splendour. Indeed, it continued to bloom when the Spanish Bourbons re- established Naples as the capital of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in 1734. Aside from a Napoleonic interlude under Joachim Murat (1806–15), the Bourbons remained until unseated by Garibaldi and the Kingdom of Italy in 1860.

THE DARK PRINCE OF NAPLES

While Naples’ history bubbles with tales of miraculous and magical characters, few rev up the rumour mill like Raimondo di Sangro (1710–71). Inventor, scientist, soldier and alchemist, the so-called Prince of Sansevero reputedly imported freemasonry into the Kingdom of Naples, resulting in a temporary excommunication from the Catholic Church.

Yet even a papal rethink couldn’t quell the salacious stories surrounding Raimondo, which spanned everything from castrating promising young sopranos to knocking off seven cardinals and making furniture with their skin and bones. According to Italian philosopher Benedetto Croce (1866–1952), who wrote about Di Sangro in his book Storie e Leggende Napoletane (Neapolitan Stories and Legends), the alchemist held a Faustian fascination for the centro storico’s masses. To them, his supposed knack for the dark arts saw him master everything from replicating the miracle of San Gennaro’s blood to reducing marble to dust with a simple touch.

To this day, rumours surround the two perfect anatomical models in the crypt of the Di Sangro funerary chapel, the Cappella Sansevero. Believed to be the preserved bodies of his defunct domestics, some believe that they were far from dead when the prince got started on the embalming. Tall tale or not, the exact method of preservation still confounds scientists today.

MODERN STRUGGLES & HOPES

Naples was heavily bombed in WWII, and the effects can still be seen on many monuments around the city. Since the war, Campania’s capital has continued to suffer. Endemic corruption and the re-emergence of the Camorra have plagued much of the city’s postwar resurrection, reaching a nadir in the 1980s after a severe earthquake in 1980.

In 2011, the city’s sporadic garbage- disposal crisis flared up again, leading frustrated residents to set fire to uncollected rubbish in the streets.

More encouraging has been the recent inauguration of the poptastic Università metro station (designed by Karim Rashid and the first of four new stations on the nearly completed extension of Linea 1) and the city’s upcoming role as host of the Universal Forum of Cultures in 2013.

NAPLES IN…

Two Days

Kick-start with espresso at Caffè Mexico before taking in the frescoes inside Chiesa del Gesù Nuovo , the majolica-tiled cloisters of Basilica di Santa Chiara and the sculptures inside Cappella Sansevero . Lunch at Pizzeria Gino Sorbillo before taking the funicular up to Vomero and the Certosa di San Martino . When the sun sets, nibble on aperitivo at Nàis and dine at Ristorante Radici . Start day two with a sfogliatella from Pintauro before tackling the Museo Archeologico Nazionale . Refuel with cheese and wine at La Stanza del Gusto then go underground on a Napoli Sotterranea tour. Catch an evening sea breeze at Castel dell’Ovo before drinks and a bite with the culture crowd at Penguin Cafè .

Four Days

Spend day three among the ruins at Pompeii or Herculaneum , dining at President before heading back to town for a nightcap at elegant, piazza-side Intra Moenia . On day four, grab some picnic provisions at La Pignasecca and devour them in leafy Capodimonte . Fed, catch Caravaggio’s moving Flagellazione at the art-crammed Museo di Capodimonte , then cap off your stay with a night of encores at the luscious Teatro San Carlo .

Sights

CENTRO STORICO

The three east-west decumani (main streets) of Naples’ historic centre follow the original street plan of ancient Neapolis. Most of the major sights are grouped around the busiest two of these classical thoroughfares: ‘Spaccanapoli’ (consisting of Via Benedetto Croce, Via San Biagio dei Librai and Via Vicaria Vecchia) and Via dei Tribunali. North of Via dei Tribunali, Via della Sapienza, Via Anticaglia and Via Santissimi Apostoli make up the quieter third decumanus .

Central Naples

Top Sights

Cappella Sansevero C3

Chiesa e Scavi di San Lorenzo MaggioreC2

Museo Archeologico Nazionale A1

Sights

Archaeological Zone (see 7)

1  Basilica di San Paolo Maggiore C2

2  Basilica di Santa Chiara B3

Cappella Carafa (see 7)

Cappella di San Gennaro (see 7)

3  Chiesa del Gesù Nuovo B3

4 Chiesa di San Domenico MaggioreB3

5  Chiesa di Sant'Angelo a Nilo C3

6  Chiesa e Chiostro di San Gregorio Armeno C2

7  Duomo D1

8  Guglia dell'Immacolata B3

9  Mercato di Porta Nolana F2

10  Museo Diocesano di Napoli D1

Nuns' Cloisters (see 2)

11 Pio Monte della MisericordiaD2

12  Porta Nolana F2

Activities, Courses & Tours

13  Napoli Sotterranea C2

Sleeping

14  B&B DiLetto a Napoli D1

15  Costantinopoli 104 B2

16 Decumani Hotel de CharmeB4

Hotel Piazza Bellini (see 20)

Eating

17  Attanasio F1

18  Da Michele E2

19  II Garum A4

20  La Stanza del Gusto B2

21  Palazzo Petrucci B3

22  Pizzeria Gino Sorbillo C2

23  Trattoria Mangia e Bevi C4

Drinking

24  Caffè Mexico A3

25  Intra Moenia B2

Entertainment

26  Galleria 19 B3

27  Kinky Klub A3

Shopping

28  Kiphy B3

29  La Pignasecca A4

30  La Scarabattola C2

Limonè (see 13)

Duomo DUOMO, MUSEUM

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( 081 44 90 97; Via Duomo; 8.30am-1.30pm & 2.30-8pm Mon-Sat, 8.30am-1.30pm & 4.30-8pm Sun) This is Naples’ spiritual centrepiece, sitting on the site of earlier churches, themselves preceded by a temple to the god Neptune. Begun by Charles I of Anjou in 1272 and consecrated in 1315, it was largely destroyed by an earthquake in 1456. Copious nips and tucks over the centuries, including the addition of a late-19th-century neo-Gothic facade, have created a melange of styles and influences.

Topping the huge central nave is a gilded coffered ceiling studded with late mannerist art. The high sections of the nave and the transept were decorated by Luca Giordano.

The 17th-century baroque Cappella di San Gennaro Offline map Google map (Chapel of St Januarius; also known as the Chapel of the Treasury; 8.30am-12.30pm & 4.30-6.30pm Mon-Sat, 8.30am-1pm & 5-7pm Sun) features a fiery painting by Giuseppe Ribera and a bevy of silver busts and bronze statues. Above them, a heavenly dome glows with frescoes by Giovanni Lanfranco. Hidden away behind the altar is a 14th-century silver bust containing the skull of St Januarius and the two phials that hold his miraculous blood. Naples’ patron saint was martyred at Pozzuoli in AD 305, and according to legend, his blood liquefied in these phials when his body was transferred back to Naples. For information on the mysterious San Gennaro festival, Click here .

The next chapel eastwards contains an urn with the saint’s bones, cupboards full of femurs, tibias and fibulas, and a stash of other grisly relics. Below the high altar is the Renaissance Cappella Carafa , also known as the Crypt of San Gennaro.

Halfway down the north aisle and beyond the 17th-century Basilica di Santa Restituta is the fascinating archaeological zone Offline map Google map ( morning hours vary & 4.30-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am-noon Sun) , where tunnels burrow into the remains of the site’s original Greek and Roman buildings. At the time of research, the archaeological zone was closed for restoration, although the baptistry (admission €1.50; 8.30am-12.30pm & 4.30-7pm Mon-Sat, 8.30am-1.30pm Sun) , the oldest in western Europe, with remarkably fresh 4th-century mosaics, remained open.

At the duomo’s southern end, the Museo del Tesoro di San Gennaro ( 081 29 49 80; Via Duomo 149; admission €6; 10am-5pm Thu-Tue) glimmers with gifts made to St Januarius over the centuries, from bronze busts and sumptuous paintings to silver ampullas and a gilded 18th-century sedan chair.

Cappella Sansevero CHURCH

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( 081 551 84 70; www.museosansevero.it; Via de Sanctis 19; admission €7; 10am-5.40pm Mon & Wed-Sat, 10am-1.10pm Sun) Don’t be fooled by the Plain Jane exterior: awaiting inside is some of the city’s most sumptuous sculpture, including Corradini’s erotically charged, ironically named Pudicizia (Modesty). The centrepiece, however, is Cristo Velato (Veiled Christ), Giuseppe Sanmartino’s jaw-dropping depiction of Jesus covered by a veil so realistic that it’s tempting to try and lift it. The air of mystery continues downstairs, where two meticulously preserved human arterial systems are a testament to the bizarre obsession of alchemist Prince Raimondo di Sangro, the man who financed the chapel’s 18th-century makeover.

Basilica di Santa Chiara CHURCH, MUSEUM

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( 081 551 66 73; www.monasterodisantachiara.eu; Via Benedetto Croce; 7.30am-1pm & 4.30-8pm) What you see today is not the original 14th-century Angevin church but a brilliant re-creation – the original was all but destroyed by Allied bombing in August 1943. The real attraction, however, is the adjacent nuns’ cloisters Offline map Google map (adult/concession €5/3.50; 9.30am-5.30pm Mon-Sat, 10am-2.30pm Sun, last entry 30min before closing) , a long parapet lavished with decorative ceramic tiles depicting scenes of rural life, from hunting to posing peasants. The four internal walls are covered with softly coloured 17th-century frescoes of Franciscan tales. Adjacent to the cloisters, an elegant museum of mostly ecclesiastical props also features the excavated ruins of a 1st-century spa complex.

Chiesa del Gesù Nuovo CHURCH

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( 081 557 81 11; Piazza del Gesù Nuovo; 7am-1pm & 4.15-7.30pm Mon-Sat, 7am-1.45pm Sun) One of Naples’ finest Renaissance buildings, this 16th-century church actually sports the 15th-century, pyramid-shaped facade of Palazzo Sanseverino, converted to create the church. Awaiting inside is a lavish 17th-century makeover, with works by a trio of Naples’ mightiest baroque artists – Cosimo Fanzago, Luca Giordano and Francesco Solimena.

Puncturing the Piazza del Gesù outside is the soaring Guglia dell’Immacolata Offline map Google map , an 18th-century obelisk.

Chiesa e Scavi di San Lorenzo Maggiore CHURCH, HISTORICAL SITE

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( 081 211 08 60; Via dei Tribunali 316; church admission free, excavations & museum adult/child €9/6; 9.30am-5.30pm Mon-Sat, to 1.30pm Sun) A masterpiece of French Gothic architecture, this late 13th-century church features the 14th-century mosaic-covered tomb of Catherine of Austria. You can also pass through to the cloisters of the neighbouring convent, where the poet Petrarch stayed in 1345.

Beneath the complex are some remarkable scavi (excavations) of the original Graeco-Roman city. Stretching the length of the underground area is a road lined with ancient bakeries, wineries and communal laundries.

Basilica di San Paolo Maggiore CHURCH

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( 081 45 40 48; Piazza San Gaetano 76; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat, 10am-12.30pm Sun) Across the street on Via dei Tribunali, a grand double staircase leads up to this basilica, whose huge gold-stuccoed interior features paintings by Massimo Stanzione, as well as frescoes by Francesco Solimena in the exquisite sacristy.

Pio Monte della Misericordia CHURCH, ART GALLERY

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( 081 44 69 44; Via dei Tribunali 253; admission €5; 9am-2pm Thu-Tue) Caravaggio’s masterpiece Le sette opere di Misericordia (The Seven Acts of Mercy) is considered by many to be the single most important painting in Naples. And it’s here that you’ll see it, hung above the main altar of this small octagonal church. The small 1st-floor art gallery boasts a fine collection of Renaissance and baroque paintings.

MADRE MUSEUM

Offline map ( Museo d’Arte Contemporanea Donnaregina; 081 1931 3016; www.museomadre.it; Via Settembrini 79; admission €7, Mon free; 10.30am-2.30pm Wed-Mon) In a city overwhelmed by the classical, Naples’ top contemporary museum makes for a refreshing change. Permanent collection highlights include Jeff Koons’ uberkitsch Wild Boy and Puppy, Rebecca Horn’s eerie Spirits, and a perspective-warping installation by Anish Kapoor.

Mercato di Porta Nolana MARKET

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( 8am-6pm Mon-Sat, to 2pm Sun) A heady spectacle of sing-song fishmongers, fragrant bakeries, industrious Chinese traders and contraband cigarette stalls, this street market is Naples at its vociferous, gut-rumbling best. Dive in for anything from buxom tomatoes and mozzarella to golden-fried street snacks, cheap luggage and bootleg CDs. The market’s namesake, Porta Nolana Offline map Google map , is one of Naples’ medieval city gates. Standing at the head of Via Sopramuro, its arch features a bas-relief of Ferdinand I of Aragon on horseback.

Museo Diocesano di Napoli MUSEUM

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( 081 557 13 65; www.museodiocesanonapoli.it; Chiesa di Santa Maria Donnaregina Nuova, Largo Donnaregina; admission €6; 9.30am-4.30pm Mon & Wed-Sat, 9.30am-2pm Sun) Once a baroque church, the Chiesa di Donnaregina Nuova has reinvented itself as a superb repository of religiously themed art, from Renaissance triptychs and 19th-century wooden sculptures to works from baroque greats like Fabrizio Santafede, Andrea Vaccaro and Luca Giordano.

Chiesa di San Domenico Maggiore CHURCH

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( 081 557 32 04; Piazza San Domenico Maggiore 8a; 8.30am-noon & 4-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm & 4.30-7.15pm Sun) Backing on to lively Piazza San Domenico Maggiore, this Gothic beauty was completed in 1324 and much favoured by the Angevin nobility. The interior, a cross between baroque and 19th-century neo-Gothic, features some fine 14th-century frescoes by Pietro Cavallini and, in the sacristy, 45 coffins of Aragon princes and other nobles.

Chiesa di Sant’Angelo a Nilo CHURCH

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( 081 420 12 22; Vico Donnaromita 15; 9am-1pm daily plus 4-6pm Mon-Sat) Nudging at the southeastcorner of Piazza San Domenico Maggiore is the 14th-century Chiesa di Sant’Angelo a Nilo, home to Cardinal Brancaccio’s monumental Renaissance tomb, created by Donatello and others.

Via San Gregorio Armeno STREET, CHURCH

Connecting Spaccanapoli with Via dei Tribunali, the decumanus maior (main road) of ancient Neapolis, this narrow street is the heart of the city’s presepe (nativity scene) obsession, its clutter of shops selling everything from doting donkeys to tongue-in-cheek caricatures of Silvio Berlusconi.

Amidst the kitsch sits the 16th-century Chiesa e Chiostro di San Gregorio Armeno Offline map Google map ( 081 420 63 85; Via San Gregorio Armeno 44; 9.30am-noon Mon-Sat, to 1pm Sun) , a blast of bombastic baroque. Highlights include lavish frescoes by Paolo de Matteis and Luca Giordano.

TOLEDO & QUARTIERI SPAGNOLI

Museo Archeologico Nazionale MUSEUM

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( 081 44 01 66; Piazza Museo Nazionale 19; admission €6.50; 9am-7.30pm Wed-Mon) Head here for one of the world’s finest collections of Graeco-Roman artefacts. Originally a cavalry barracks and later the seat of the city’s university, the museum was established by the Bourbon king Charles VII in the late 18th century to house the rich collection of antiquities he had inherited from his mother, Elisabetta Farnese, as well as treasures that had been looted from Pompeii and Herculaneum. The museum also contains the Borgia collection of Etruscan and Egyptian relics.

To avoid getting lost in its rambling galleries (numbered in Roman numerals), invest €7.50 in the green quick-guide National Archaeological Museum of Naples or, to concentrate on the highlights, €5 for an audioguide in English. It’s also worth calling ahead to ensure the galleries you want to see are open, as staff shortages often mean that sections of the museum close for part of the day.

While the basement houses the Borgia collection of Egyptian relics and epigraphs, the ground floor is given over to the Farnese collection of Greek and Roman sculpture. The two highlights are the colossal Toro Farnese (Farnese Bull) in Room XVI and gigantic Ercole (Hercules) in Room XIII. Sculpted in the early 3rd century AD, the Toro Farnese, probably a Roman copy of a Greek original, depicts the death of Dirce, Queen of Thebes, who was tied to a bull and torn apart over rocks. The sculpture, carved from a single block, was discovered in Rome in 1545 and restored by Michelangelo before being shipped to Naples in 1787. Ercole was discovered in the same Roman excavations. It was found legless, but the Bourbons had his original pins, which turned up at a later dig, fitted.

On the mezzanine floor is a small but stunning collection of mosaics , mostly from Pompeii. Of the series taken from the Casa del Fauno at Pompeii, it’s the awe-inspiring La Battaglia di Alessandro Contro Dario (The Battle of Alexander against Darius) that stands out. Measuring 20 sq metres, it’s the best-known depiction of Alexander the Great in existence.

Beyond the mosaics is the Gabinetto Segreto (Secret Room), home to the museum’s ancient porn. The climax, so to speak, is an intriguing statue of Pan servicing a nanny goat, originally found in Herculaneum. The erotic paintings depicting sexual positions once served as a menu for brothel clients.

On the 1st floor, the vast Sala Meridiana contains the Farnese Atlante , a statue of Atlas carrying a globe on his shoulders. The rest of the floor is largely devoted to discoveries from Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabiae and Cuma. Items range from huge murals and frescoes to a pair of gladiator helmets, household items, ceramics and glassware.

Quartieri Spagnoli & Pizzofalcone

Top Sights

Castel Nuovo F3

Certosa di San Martino C1

Palazzo Reale E4

Teatro San Carlo E3

Sights

1  Biblioteca Nazionale E4

2  Castel dell'Ovo E7

3  Castel Sant'Elmo C1

4 Chiesa di San Francesco di PaolaE4

5  Fontana dell'Immacolatella E6

6  Galleria Umberto I E3

7  ISI Arti Associate B3

8  Museo Civico F3

9  Museo del Palazzo Reale E4

10 Museo Nazionale di San MartinoC1

11  Museo Pignatelli A5

Activities, Courses & Tours

12  City Sightseeing Napoli F3

Sleeping

13 B&B Cappella Vecchia 11D4

14  B&B Sui Tetti di Napoli E2

15  Chiaja Hotel de Charme D4

16  Grand Hotel Vesuvio E6

17  Hostel of the Sun G2

18  Hotel II Convento E2

19 Hotel San Francesco al MonteD1

20  Parteno C5

21  Romeo Hotel G2

Eating

22  Friggitoria Vomero A1

23  La Focaccia C4

24  La Trattoria dell'Oca A4

25  Pintauro E3

26  Ristorante Radici C5

27  Trattoria San Ferdinando E3

Drinking

28  Penguin Café E5

29  Caffè Gambrinus E4

30  Nàis C4

Entertainment

Box Office (see 6)

31  Teatro San Carlo E3

Shopping

32  Mariano Rubinacci C4

33  Marinella C5

La Pignasecca MARKET

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( Via Pignasecca; 8am-1pm) Slap bang in the lively Quartieri Spagnoli, Naples’ oldest street market offers a multisensory escapade into a world of wriggling seafood, drool-inducing delis and clued-up casalinghe . It’s a great place to soak up the city’s trademark street life and pick up a few bargains.

VOMERO

Visible from all over Naples, the stunning Certosa di San Martino is the one compelling reason to take the funicular (Click here ) up to Vomero ( vom -e-ro), an area of spectacular views, Liberty mansions, and middle-class manners.

Museo Nazionale di San Martino MONASTERY, MUSEUM

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( 848 80 02 88; Largo San Martino 5; admission €6; 8.30am-7.30pm Thu-Tue, last entry 6.30pm) The high point (quite literally) of Neapolitan baroque, this charterhouse-turned-museum was founded as a Carthusian monastery in the 14th century. The Certosa owes most of its present look to facelifts in the 16th and 17th centuries, the latter by baroque maestro Cosimo Fanzago. The church contains a feast of frescoes and paintings by Naples’ greatest 17th-century artists – Francesco Solimena, Massimo Stanzione, Giuseppe de Ribera and Battista Caracciolo.

Adjacent to the church, the elegant Chiostro dei Procuratori is the smaller of the monastery’s two cloisters. A grand corridor on the left leads to the larger Chiostro Grande , considered one of Italy’s finest. Originally designed by Giovanni Antonio Dosio in the late 16th century and added to by Fanzago, it’s a sublime composition of white Tuscan-Doric porticoes, camelias and marble statues. The skulls mounted on the balustrade were a light-hearted reminder to the monks of their own mortality.

Just off the Chiostro dei Procuratori, the Sezione Navale focuses on the history of the Bourbon navy from 1734 to 1860, and features a small collection of beautiful royal barges.

To the north of the Chiostro Grande, the Sezione Presepiale houses a whimsical collection of rare Neapolitan presepi (nativity scenes) carved in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Quarto del Priore (Prior’s Quarter) in the southern wing houses the bulk of the picture collection, as well as one of the museum’s most famous pieces, Pietro Bernini’s tender La Vergine col Bambino e San Giovannino (Madonna and Child with the Infant John the Baptist).

Castel Sant’Elmo CASTLE, MUSEUM

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( 081 229 44 01; Via Tito Angelini 22; admission €5; 8.30am-7.30pm Wed-Mon, last entry 6.30pm) Commanding spectacular city views, this star-shaped castle was built by the Spanish in 1538. Impressive though it is, the austere castle has seen little real military action. It has, however, seen plenty of prisoners: a long-time jail, its dungeons were used as a military prison until the 1970s.

Museo del Novecento Napoli

( 081 558 77 08; 9am-6pm Wed-Mon, entry on the hr, every hr) The newest resident of Castel Sant’Elmo is this impressive museum, its collection of paintings and sculpture focussing on 20th-century southern Italian art.

SANTA LUCIA & CHIAIA

Castel Nuovo CASTLE, MUSEUM

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( 081 795 58 77; admission €5; 9am-7pm Mon-Sat) Known locally as the Maschio Angioino (Angevin Keep), this crenellated 13th-century castle is a strapping Neapolitan landmark. Built as part of the city makeover that Charles I of Anjou launched in the late 13th century, it was erected in three years from 1279 and christened the Castrum Novum (New Castle) to distinguish it from the Castel dell’Ovo.

Of the original structure only the Cappella Palatina remains; the rest is the result of renovations by the Aragonese two centuries later, as well as a meticulous restoration effort prior to WWII. The two-storey Renaissance triumphal arch at the entrance, the Torre della Guardia, commemorates the triumphal entry of Alfonso I of Aragon into Naples in 1443.

The walls of the Cappella Palatina were once graced by Giotto frescoes, of which only fragments remain on the splays of the Gothic windows. To the left of the cappella, the glass-floored Sala dell’Armeria (Armoury Hall) showcases Roman ruins discovered during restoration works on the Sala dei Baroni (Hall of the Barons) above.

Nowadays, they all form part of the Museo Civico spread across several halls on three floors. The 14th- and 15th-century frescoes and sculptures on the ground floor are of the most interest. The other two floors mostly display paintings, either by Neapolitan artists, or with Naples or Campania as subjects, covering the 17th to the early 20th centuries. Worth looking out for is Guglielmo Monaco’s 15th-century bronze door, complete with a cannonball embedded in it.

Teatro San Carlo THEATRE

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( box office 081 797 23 31, guided tours 081 553 45 65; www.teatrosancarlo.it; Via San Carlo 98; tours €5; 10am-5.30pm Mon-Sat, call ahead to book) . Famed for its perfect acoustics, Italy’s largest opera house was built in 1737, predating its northern rival, Milan’s La Scala, by 41 years. Severely damaged by a fire in 1816 it was rebuilt by Antonio Niccolini, the same architect who a few years before had added the facade.

Across Via San Carlo is one of the four entrances to the palatial glass atrium of the Galleria Umberto I Offline map Google map shopping centre. Opened in 1900 as a twin arcade to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II (Click here ) in Milan, it’s worth a quick look for its beautiful marble floor and elegant engineering.

Palazzo Reale PALAZZO, MUSEUM

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( Royal Palace; 081 40 05 47; Piazza Trieste e Trento; admission €4; 9am-7pm Thu-Tue) Flanking Piazza del Plebiscito, this former royal residence traces its birthdate to around 1600. Revamped in 1841 and extensively damaged during WWII, its monumental double staircase leads to the royal apartments, now home to the Museo del Palazzo Reale and its rich collection of baroque and neoclassical furnishings, porcelain, tapestries, statues and paintings. There’s also a lavish private theatre, the Teatrino di Corte (1768), and a colossal 18th-century presepe in the Cappella Reale (Royal Chapel).

The palace also houses the Biblioteca Nazionale Offline map Google map (National Library; Click here ; 081 781 91 11; 8.30am-7.30pm Mon-Fri, to 1.30pm Sat) , which includes at least 2000 papyruses discovered at Herculaneum and fragments of a 5th-century Coptic Bible. Bring photo ID.

Chiesa di San Francesco di Paola CHURCH

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( 081 74 51 33; Piazza del Plebiscito; 8.30am-noon & 4-7pm) This church is a neoclassical copy of Rome’s Pantheon. A later addition to the colonnade that formed the highlight of Joachim Murat’s original piazza (1809), the church was commissioned by Ferdinand I in 1817 to celebrate the restoration of his kingdom after the Napoleonic interlude.

Castel dell’Ovo CASTLE

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( 081 240 00 55; Borgo Marinaro; admission free; 8.30am-7.30pm Mon-Sat, to 1.45pm Sun) Marking the eastern end of the 2.5km lungomare (seafront promenade), Naples’ oldest castle sits atop the rocky Borgo Marinaro. Built by the Normans in the 12th century, it became a key fortress in the defence of Campania. According to myth, the castle owes its improbable name (Castle of the Egg) to Virgil, who was said to have buried an egg on the site where the castle now stands, warning that when the egg breaks, the castle (and Naples) will fall.

Nearby, the Fontana dell’Immacolatella Offline map Google map dates from the 17th century and features statues by Bernini and Naccherini.

ISI Arti Associate ART GALLERY

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( 081 658 63 81; www.isiartiassociate.net; Vico del Vasto a Chiaia 47; during exhibitions, check website) This hip art space exhibits anything from contemporary painting and photography, to sculpture and multimedia installations from Italy and abroad. From September to May, special Friday night events might include DJ sessions, live music or performance art. There’s even an intimate bistro (meals €15, open for lunch Tuesday to Saturday, September to May), serving honest, well-executed dishes at bohemian prices. Check the website for upcoming exhibitions, performances and themed culinary tastings.

Museo Pignatelli MUSEUM

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( 081 761 23 56; Riviera di Chiaia 200; admission €2; 8.30am-1.30pm Wed-Mon) Housed in a neoclassical villa once belonging to the Rothschilds, this chichi museum contains mostly 19th-century furnishings, china and other mildly interesting knick-knacks. A pavilion set in the villa’s handsome gardens houses a coach museum, currently closed.

CAPODIMONTE

Palazzo Reale di Capodimonte PALAZZO, MUSEUM, PARK

On the northern edge of the city, this colossal palace took more than a century to build. It was originally intended as a hunting lodge for Charles VII of Bourbon, but as construction got under way in 1738, the plans got grander and grander. The result was the monumental palazzo that since 1759 has housed the art collection that Charles inherited from his mother Elisabetta Farnese.

Museo di Capodimonte

( 081 749 91 11; www.museo-capodimonte.it; Parco di Capodimonte; admission €7.50; 8.30am-7.30pm Thu-Tue, last entry 90min before closing) This museum is spread over three floors and 160 rooms. You’ll never see the whole place in one day, but a morning should be enough for an abridged best-of tour.

On the 1st floor you’ll find works by Bellini, Botticelli, Caravaggio, Masaccio and Titian. Highlights are numerous, but look out for Masaccio’s Crocifissione (Crucifixion), Bellini’s Trasfigurazione (Transfiguration) and Parmigianino’s Antea .

Also on the 1st floor, the royal apartments are a study in regal excess. The Salottino di Porcellana (Room 51) is an outrageous example of 18th-century Chinoiserie, its walls and ceiling crawling with whimsically themed porcelain ‘stucco’. Originally created between 1757 and 1759 for the Palazzo Reale in Portici, it was transferred to Capodimonte in 1867.

Upstairs, the 2nd-floor galleries display work by Neapolitan artists from the 13th to the 19th centuries, plus some spectacular 16th-century Belgian tapestries. The piece that many come to Capodimonte to see, Caravaggio’s Flagellazione (Flagellation; 1607–10), hangs in reverential solitude in Room 78, at the end of a long corridor.

If you have any energy left, the small gallery of modern art on the 3rd floor is worth a quick look, if for nothing else than Andy Warhol’s poptastic Mt Vesuvius .

Parco di Capodimonte

(admission free; 9am to 1hr before sunset) Once you’re finished in the museum, this adjoining 130-hectare park provides a much- needed breath of fresh air.

Catacombe di San Gennaro CATACOMB

( 081 744 37 14; www.catacombedinapoli.it; Via di Capodimonte 13; admission €8; 1hr tours every hr 10am-5pm Mon-Sat, to 1pm Sun) The oldest and most famous of Naples’ ancient catacombs date to the 2nd century. Spread over two levels and decorated with early Christian frescoes, they contain a mix of tombs, corridors and broad vestibules held up by columns and arches. They were an important pilgrimage site in the 5th century, when St Januarius’ body was brought here.

Tours

Napoli Sotterranea WALKING

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(Underground Naples; Click here ; 081 29 69 44; www.napolisotterranea.org; Piazza San Gaetano 68; tours €9; tours noon, 2pm & 4pm Mon-Fri, extra tours Thu, Sat & Sun) This outfit runs 1½-hour guided tours of the city’s underworld. Visits take you 40m below the city to explore a network of creepy passages and caves. The passages were originally hewn by the Greeks to extract tufa stone used in construction and to channel water from Mt Vesuvius. Extended by the Romans, the network of conduits and cisterns was more recently used as air-raid shelters in WWII. Part of the tour takes place by candlelight via extremely narrow passages – not suitable for expanded girths!

City Sightseeing Napoli BUS

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( 081 551 72 79; www.napoli.city-sightseeing.it; adult/child €22/11) A hop-on, hop-off bus service with four routes across the city. All depart from Piazza del Municipio Parco Castello, and tickets, available on board, are valid for 24 hours for each of the routes. Tour commentaries are provided in English.

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR EURO

If you’re planning to blitz the sights, the Campania artecard ( 800 600601; www.campaniartecard.it) is an excellent investment. A cumulative ticket that covers museum admission and transport, it comes in various forms. The Naples and Campi Flegrei three-day ticket (adult/EU citizens 18-25 yrs €16/10) gives free admission to three participating sites, a 50% discount on others and free transport in Naples and the Campi Flegrei. Other options range from €12 to €30 and cover sites as far afield as Pompeii and Paestum. The tickets can be bought at the Stazione Centrale (Central Station) infopoint, participating museums and archaeological sites, online, or through the call centre.

Festivals & Events

Festa di San Gennaro RELIGIOUS

Naples’ main festival honours St Januarius. On the first Sunday in May and then on 19 September and 16 December, thousands of people gather in the duomo to witness the saint’s blood liquefy – a miracle believed to save the city from potential disasters. In 1944 the miracle failed and Mt Vesuvius erupted; in 1980 it failed again and the city was struck by an earthquake.

Maggio dei Monumenti CULTURAL

In May, Naples premier cultural event ensures a month-long menu of exhibitions, concerts, dance performances, guided tours and more.

Napoli Teatro Festival Italia THEATRE

(www.teatrofestivalitalia.it) Usually in June and July, the Napoli Teatro Festival Italia serves up over three weeks of local and international theatre in venues across the city.

Madonna del Carmine RELIGIOUS

Held on 16 July, Madonna del Carmine culminates in a fabulous fireworks display on Piazza del Carmine.

Neapolis Rock Festival MUSIC

(www.neapolis.it) Southern Italy’s top rock fest, it attracts top international acts in July/August.

Festa di Piedigrotta CULTURAL

(www.festadipiedigrotta.it) In early to mid- September, Naples’ Piedigrotta combines folk tunes with floats and fireworks around the Chiesa di Piedigrotta in Mergellina.

Sleeping

Spanning funky B&Bs and cheery hostels, to luxe seafront piles, slumber options in Naples are varied, plentiful and relatively cheap.

For maximum atmosphere, consider the centro storico, where you’ll have many of the city’s sights on your doorstep.

Seaside Santa Lucia is home to some of the city’s most prestigious hotels, and Chiaia is cool and chic. For lofty views and a chilled-out vibe, hit Vomero.

CENTRO STORICO & PORT AREA

Hotel Piazza Bellini BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

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( 081 45 17 32; www.hotelpiazzabellini.com; Via Costantinopoli 101; s €70-125, d €80-150, tr €100-170; ) Naples’ newest art hotel inhabits a 16th-century palazzo , its cool white spaces spiked with original majolica tiles and the work of emerging artists. Rooms offer pared-back cool, with designer fittings, chic bathrooms and mirror frames drawn straight on the wall. Rooms on the 5th and 6th floor feature panoramic balconies.

Romeo Hotel DESIGN HOTEL €€€

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( 081 017 50 01; www.romeohotel.it; Via Cristoforo Colombo 45; r €165-330; ) Naples’ top design hotel combines Artesia stone with A-list art and furniture, a fabulous rooftop restaurant, and a super-sleek spa centre. ‘Classic’ category rooms are small but luxe, with DeLonghi espresso machines and sleek bathrooms. Up a notch, ‘Deluxe’ rooms (€225 to €450) offer the same perks but with added space and bay views.

B&B Cerasiello B&B €

( 081 033 09 77, 338 9264453; www.cerasiello.it; Via Supportico Lopez 20; s €40-60, d €55-80, tr €70-95; ) Technically in the Sanità district but a short walk north of the centro storico, this gorgeous B&B has four rooms, an enchanting communal terrace, stylish kitchen and an ethno-chic look. Bring €0.10 for the lift.

Costantinopoli 104 BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€€

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( 081 557 10 35; www.costantinopoli104.it; Via Santa Maria di Costantinopoli 104; s/d/ste €170/220/250; ) Sprinkled with books and antiques, Costantinopoli 104 is set in a chic neoclassical villa in the city’s bohemian heartland. Although showing a bit of wear in places, rooms remain elegant and clean – those on the 1st floor open on to a sun terrace, while ground-floor rooms face the small, palm-fringed pool. The suites are simply gorgeous.

Hostel of the Sun HOSTEL €

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( 081 420 63 93; www.hostelnapoli.com; Via Melisurgo 15; dm €16-18, s with bathroom €30-35, d with bathroom €60-70; ) Recently renovated and constantly winning accolades, HOTS is an ultrafriendly hostel near the port. Located on the 7th floor (have €0.05 handy for the lift), it’s a bright, sociable place with multicoloured dorms, a cute in-house bar, and, a few floors down, a series of hotel-standard private rooms, two with private bathroom.

Decumani Hotel de Charme BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

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( 081 551 81 88; www.decumani.it; Via San Giovanni Maggiore Pignatelli 15; s €90-105, d €105-130, deluxe d €130-150; ) Don’t be fooled by the scruffy staircase; this boutique hotel is fresh, elegant and located in the former palazzo of Cardinal Sisto Riario Sforza, the last bishop of the Bourbon Kingdom. The simple yet stylish rooms have high ceilings, 19th-century furniture and modern bathrooms. Deluxe rooms have a Jacuzzi, and the restored baroque hall hosts cultural soirées.

B&B DiLetto a Napoli B&B €

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( 081 033 09 77, 338 9264453; www.dilettoanapoli.it; Vicolo Sedil Capuano 16; s €35-55, d €50-75, tr €65-90; ) Four rooms with vintage cotto (fired clay) floor tiles, organza curtains and artisan decor set a stylish scene at this B&B set in a 15th-century palazzo . The urbane communal lounge comes with a kitchenette and dining table for convivial noshing and lounging.

TOLEDO & VOMERO

Hotel San Francesco al Monte LUXURY HOTEL €€€

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( 081 423 91 11; www.hotelsanfrancesco.it; Corso Vittorio Emanuele I 328; s €160-190, d €170-225; ) The monks in this 16th-century monastery never had it as good as the hotel’s pampered guests. The cells have been converted into stylish rooms, the ancient cloisters house an open-air bar and the barrel-vaulted corridors are cool and atmospheric. Topping it all off is the 7th-floor swimming pool.

B&B Sui Tetti di Napoli B&B €

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( 081 033 09 77, 338 9264453; www.suitettidinapoli.net; Vico Figuerelle a Montecalvario 6; s €35-60, d €45-80, tr €60-95; ) A block away from Via Toledo, this B&B is more like four apartments atop a thigh-toning stairwell. While two apartments share a terrace, the rooftop option has its own, complete with mesmerising views. All apartments include a kitchenette (the cheapest two share a kitchen), bright, simple furnishings and a homey vibe.

Hotel II Convento HOTEL €€

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( 081 40 39 77; www.hotelilconvento.com; Via Speranzella 137a; s €55-90, d €65-160; ) Taking its name from the neighbouring convent, this lovely hotel blends antique Tuscan furniture, erudite book collections and candlelit stairs. Rooms are cosy and elegant, with creamy tones, dark woods and patches of 16th-century brickwork. For €80 to €180 you get a room with a private roof garden.

SANTA LUCIA & CHIAIA

Chiaja Hotel de Charme BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

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( 081 41 55 55; www.hotelchiaia.it; Via Chiaia 216; s €95-105, d €99-145, superior d €140-165; ) Encompassing a former brothel and an aristocratic town house, this refined, peaceful hotel lives up to its name. The look is effortlessly noble – think gilt-framed portraits on pale lemon walls, opulent table lamps and heavy fabrics. Rooms facing pedestrianised shopping strip Via Chiaia come with a Jacuzzi.

B&B Cappella Vecchia B&B €

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( 081 240 51 17; www.cappellavecchia11.it; Vico Santa Maria a Cappella Vecchia 11; s €50-70, d €75-100; ) Run by a super helpful young couple, this B&B has six simple, witty rooms with funky bathrooms and different Neapolitan themes, from mal’occhio (evil eye) to peperoncino (chilli). There’s a spacious communal area for breakfast, and free internet available 24/7.

Parteno B&B €€

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( 081 245 20 95; www.parteno.it; Via Partenope 1; s €80-99, d €100-125; ) Six chic rooms are exquisitely decorated with period furniture, vintage Neapolitan prints and silk bedding. The azalea room ( €130 to € 165 ) steals the show with its seamless view of sea, sky and Capri. Hi-tech touches include satellite TV and free calls to Italian mobile numbers and to landlines in Europe, USA and Canada.

Grand Hotel Vesuvio LUXURY HOTEL €€€

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( 081 764 00 44; www.vesuvio.it; Via Partenope 45; s €230-370, d €290-450; ) Known for bedding legends – past guests include Rita Hayworth and Humphrey Bogart – this five-star heavyweight is a wonderland of dripping chandeliers, period antiques and opulent rooms. Count your lucky stars while drinking a martini at the rooftop restaurant.

Eating

Pizza and pasta are the staples of Neapolitan cuisine. Pizza was created here and nowhere will you eat it better. Seafood is another local speciality and you’ll find mussels and clams served in many dishes.

Neapolitan street food is equally brilliant. Misto di frittura – zucchini flowers, deep-fried potato and eggplant – makes for a great snack, especially if eaten from paper outside a tiny streetside stall.

Many eateries close for two to four weeks in August.

AROUND STAZIONE CENTRALE & MERCATO

Attanasio STREET FOOD €

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( Vico Ferrovia 1-4; snacks from €1.10; 6.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sun) This retro pastry peddler makes one mighty sfogliatella (sweetened ricotta pastry), not to mention creamy cannolli siciliani (pastry shells with a sweet filling of ricotta) and runny, rummy babà (rum-soaked yeast cake). Savoury fiends shouldn’t miss the hearty pasticcino rustico (savoury bread), stuffed with provola (provolone), ricotta and salami.

Da Michele PIZZERIA €

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( Via Cesare Sersale 1; pizzas from €4; Mon-Sat) As hard core as it gets, Naples’ most famous pizzeria takes the no-frills ethos to its extremes. It’s dingy and old-fashioned and serves only two types of pizza: margherita (tomato, basil and mozzarella) and marinara (tomatoes, garlic and oregano). Grab a ticket and join the queue.

CENTRO STORICO

Pizzeria Gino Sorbillo PIZZERIA €

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( Via dei Tribunali 32; pizzas from €2.30; Mon-Sat) The clamouring crowds say it all: Gino Sorbillo is king of the pizza pack. Head in for gigantic, wood-fired perfection, best followed by a velvety semifreddo; the chocolate and torroncino (almond nougat) combo is divine.

Palazzo Petrucci MODERN ITALIAN €€€

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( 081 552 40 68; www.palazzopetrucci.it, in Italian; Piazza San Domenico Maggiore 4; 5-course degustation menu €50; Mon-Sat) Progressive Petrucci is a breath of fresh air, exciting palates with mostly successful new-school creations like raw prawn and mozzarella ‘lasagne’ or poached egg onion soup. Balancing fine-dining elegance and a relaxed air, it’s a fine choice if you plan on celebrating something special.

La Stanza del Gusto CHEESE BAR, MODERN ITALIAN €€

Offline map

( 081 40 15 78; www.lastanzadelgusto.com, in Italian; Via Costantinopoli 100; lunch special €13, 5-/7- course tasting menu €45/65; cheese bar 3.30pm-midnight Mon, 11am-midnight Tue-Sat; restaurant dinner Mon-Sat) Creative and eclectic, the ‘Taste Room’ is divided into a casual ground-floor ‘cheese bar’ and a more formal upstairs dining room. Kick back with fabulous wine and rare formaggi (cheeses), or taste-test the mod-twist fare (think almond and saffron soup). Servings are small but the food is fab.

Trattoria Mangia e Bevi TRATTORIA €

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( Via Sedile di Porto 92; meals €10; lunch Mon-Fri) Everyone from pierced students to bespectacled professori squeeze around the lively, communal tables for brilliant home cooking at rock-bottom prices. Scan the daily-changing menu, jot down your choices and brace for gems like juicy salsiccia di maiale (pork sausage) and peperoncino -spiked friarielli (local broccoli).

TOLEDO & VOMERO

Trattoria San Ferdinando TRATTORIA €€

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( Via Nardones 117; meals €30; lunch Mon-Sat, dinner Wed-Fri) Hung with theatre posters and playbills, saffron-hued San Ferdinando pulls in well-spoken theatre types and intellectuals. For a Neapolitan taste trip, ask for a rundown of the day’s antipasti and choose your favourites for an antipasto misto . Seafood standouts include a delicate seppia ripieno (stuffed squid), while the homemade desserts make for a satisfying dénouement.

II Garum TRADITONAL ITALIAN €€

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( Piazza Monteoliveto 2A; meals €39) In the soft glow of wrought-iron lanterns, regulars tuck into made-with-love gems like rigatoni with shredded zucchini and mussels, and an exquisite grilled calamari stuffed with vegetables, cherry tomatoes and Parmesan. All the desserts are made on-site.

Friggitoria Vomero STREET FOOD €

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( Via Cimarosa 44; snacks from €1; 9.30am-2.30pm & 5-9.30pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-2.30pm & 5-11pm Sat) The Brits don’t have a monopoly on fried food served in paper. Here you’ll find piles of crunchy deep-fried eggplants and artichokes, croquets filled with prosciutto and mozzarella, and a whole lot more.

Pintauro PASTRIES & CAKES €

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( Via Toledo 275; sfogliatelle €2; 8am-2pm & 2.30-8pm Mon-Sat, 9am-2pm Sun Sep-May) Another local institution, the cinnamon-scented Pintauro peddles perfect sfogliatelle to shopped-out locals.

SANTA LUCIA & CHIAIA

Ristorante Radici MODERN ITALIAN €€€

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( 081 248 11 00; www.ristoranteradici.it, in Italian; Via Riviera di Chiaia 268; meals €50; dinner Mon-Sat) Elegant yet warm, Radici offers respite from the tried-and-tested standards on most local menus. Here, prime local produce is revamped in dishes like melt-in-your-mouth spigola (European sea bass) patties topped with tomatoes and served in a delicate broth. Book ahead.

La Trattoria dell’Oca TRATTORIA €€

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( Via Santa Teresa a Chiaia 11; meals €35; closed dinner Sun Oct-May, closed all day Sun Jun-Sep) Refined yet relaxed, this softly lit trattoria celebrates beautifully cooked classics, which may include gnocchi al ragù or a superb baccalà (salted cod) cooked with succulent cherry tomatoes, capers and olives.

La Focaccia PIZZA BY SLICE €

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( Vico Belledonne a Chiaia 31; focaccia from €1.50; 11am-late Mon-Sat, 5pm-late Sun) Head to this funky, no-fuss bolt-hole for fat focaccia squares stacked with combos like artichokes and provola, or eggplant with pecorino cheese and smoked ham. Best of all, there isn’t a microwave oven in sight.

Drinking

The city’s student and alternative drinking scene is around the piazzas and alleyways of the centro storico . For a chicer vibe, hit the cobbled lanes of upmarket Chiaia. While some bars operate from 8am, most open from around 6.30pm and close around 2am.

Penguin Café WINE BAR

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( Via Santa Lucia 88; 7.30pm-late) Not just a snug wine bar, Penguin sells cinema-themed books, hosts literary events, and offers live music Thursday to Saturday. The 100-plus wine list includes six fine drops by the glass, perfectly paired with quality cheeses, salumi (charcuterie), salads and a handful of heartier, seasonal dishes.

Caffè Mexico CAFE

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( Piazza Dante 86; 7am-8.30pm Mon-Sat) Make a beeline for Naples’ best-loved espresso bar, where old-school baristas serve up the city’s mightiest espresso. Don’t forget to ask for un bicchiere di acqua, per favore (a glass of water, please), which you should drink before your coffee.

Intra Moenia CAFE

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( Piazza Bellini 70) Of the squareside hang-outs on bohemian Piazza Bellini, this cafe-cum-bookshop remains our top choice. Favoured by local writers, artists and people who prefer an erudite air with their Negroni, it’s the perfect spot to wile away a lazy afternoon.

Nàis BAR

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( Via Ferrigni 29) Slap bang on aperitivo strip Via Ferrigni, Nàis oozes a warm, convivial air with friendly bartenders, comfy suede banquettes and a book-lined shelf. Order a glass of vino, pick at the aperitivo , and eye-up the candy crowd.

Caffè Gambrinus CAFE

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( Via Chiaia 12) Tourists and overdressed visitors self-consciously sip coffee and overpriced cocktails at Naples’ most venerable cafe. Oscar Wilde and Bill Clinton count among the celebs who have graced its lavish art nouveau interior.

Entertainment

Options run the gamut from world-class opera and jazz to rock festivals and cavernous clubbing. For cultural listings check www.ncampania.it; for the latest club news check out the free minimag Zero (www.zero.eu, in Italian), available from many bars.

You can buy tickets for most cultural events at the box office inside Feltrinelli ( 081 764 21 11; Piazza dei Martiri; 4.30-8pm Mon-Sat) .

The month-long Maggio dei Monumenti festival in May offers concerts and cultural activities in various museums and monuments around town, most of which are free. From May until September, al fresco concerts are common throughout the city. Tourist offices have details.

Football

Naples’ football team, Napoli, is the third-most supported in the country after Juventus and Milan, and watching it play at the Stadio San Paolo (Piazzale Vincenzo Tecchio) is a highly charged rush. The season runs from September to May and you can expect to pay between €20 to €100 for a seat. Tickets can be purchased from Azzurro Service ( 081 593 40 01; www.azzurroservice.net, in Italian; Via Francesco Galeota 19; 9am-1pm & 3.30-7.30pm Mon-Fri, also Sat & Sun on match days) ; and Box Office Offline map Google map ( 081 551 91 88; www.boxofficenapoli.it, in Italian; Galleria Umberto I 17; 9.30am-8.30pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-1.30pm & 4.30-8pm Sat) , as well as from some tobacconists. Tickets are best booked two weeks in advance and don’t forget to take photo ID.

Nightclubs & Live Music

Clubs usually open at 10.30pm or 11pm but don’t fill up until after midnight. Many close in summer (July to September), some transferring to out-of-town beach locations. Admission charges vary, but expect to pay between €5 and €30, which may or may not include a drink.

Galleria 19 NIGHTCLUB

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( www.galleria19.it; Via San Sebastiano 19; Tue-Sat) Set in a long, cavernous cellar scattered with chesterfields and industrial lamps, this cool and edgy club draws a uni crowd early in the week and 20/30- somethings with its Friday electronica sessions and Saturday live music gigs. Resident mixologist Gianluca Morziello is one of the city’s best (order his Cucumber Slumber to understand why).

Kinky Klub LIVE MUSIC, NIGHTCLUB

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( www.kinkyjam.com; Vicolo della Quercia 26; Tue-Sun mid-Sep–mid-Jun) Don’t come here expecting latex and leather. Despite the name, Kinky’s speciality is both live and DJ-spun reggae, rocksteady ska and dancehall tunes. Acts span local to global names. Check the website for upcoming gigs.

Arenile Reload LIVE MUSIC/CLUB

(www.arenilereload.com, in Italian; Via Coroglio 14, Bagnoli) The biggest of Naples’ beachside clubs, head in for poolside cocktails, see-and-be-seen aperitivo sessions, live bands and dancing under the stars. The club is a short walk south of Bagnoli station on the Cumana rail line.

Around Midnight LIVE MUSIC

( 081 742 32 78; www.aroundmidnight.it, in Italian; Via Bonito 32A; Tue-Sun Sep-Jun) One of Naples’ oldest and most famous jazz clubs, this tiny swinging bolt-hole features mostly home-grown live gigs, with the occasional blues band putting in a performance. Check the website for the week’s line-up.

Theatre

Teatro San Carlo THEATER

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( 081 797 23 31; www.teatrosancarlo.it; Via San Carlo 98; box office 10am-7pm Tue-Sat, 10am-3.30pm Sun) One of Italy’s premier opera venues, the theatre stages a year-round programme of opera, ballet and concerts, though tickets can be fiendishly difficult to get. For opera, count on at least €50 for a place in the sixth tier and around €140 for a seat in the stalls.

Shopping

Colourful markets, artisan studios, and heirloom tailors – shopping in Naples is highly idiosyncratic.

For a gastronomic souvenir, head to Limonè Offline map Google map ( Piazza San Gaetano 72) , where you’ll be able to try the organic limoncello (lemon liqueur) before buying a bottle. If it goes to your head, grab some lemon pasta as well.

For organic, handmade soaps and beauty products, try Kiphy Offline map Google map ( www.kiphy.it, in Italian; Vico San Domenico Maggiore 3) , while those after quality, handcrafted nativity- scene figurines shouldn’t miss La Scarabattola Offline map Google map ( www.lascarabattola.it; Via dei Tribunali 50) .

Elegant Chiaia is home to several legendary Neapolitan tailors, including Mariano Rubinacci Offline map Google map ( www.marianorubinacci.net; Via Filangieri 26) and Marinella Offline map Google map ( www.marinellanapoli.it; Via Riviera di Chiaia 287) ; the latter’s made-to-measure ties were once worn by Aristotle Onassis.

Information

Dangers & Annoyances

Petty crime can be a problem in Naples but with a little common sense you shouldn’t have a problem. Leave valuables in your hotel room and never leave bags unattended. Be vigilant for pickpockets in crowded areas and carry bags across your body. Car and motorcycle theft is rife, so think twice before bringing a vehicle into town and never leave anything in your car. Use only marked, registered taxis and ensure the meter is running. Be careful if walking alone late at night, particularly near Stazione Centrale.

Emergency

Police station ( 081 794 11 11; Via Medina 75) To report a stolen car, call 113.

Internet Access

Navig@ndo (Via Santa Anna di Lombardi 28; per hr €2; 10am-7.30pm Mon-Fri, 10am-1.30pm Sat)

Internet Resources

I Naples (www.inaples.it) The city’s official tourist board site.

Napoli Unplugged (www.napoliunplugged.com) Attractions, up-to-date listings, news, articles and blog entries.

Turismo Regione Campania (www.turismoregionecampania.it) Up-to-date events listings, as well as audio clips and itineraries.

Medical Services

Ospedale Loreto-Mare ( 081 20 10 33; Via Amerigo Vespucci 26)

Pharmacy (Stazione Centrale; 7am-10pm)

Post

Post office (Piazza Matteotti; 8am-6.30pm Mon-Sat)

Tourist Information

Head to the following tourist bureaus for information and a map of the city.

Tourist Information Office Piazza del Gesù Nuovo 7 Offline map ( 9am-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am-2pm Sun); Stazione Centrale Offline map ( 9am-8pm Mon-Sat, to 6pm Sun); Via San Carlo 9 Offline map ( 9.30am-1.30pm & 2.30-6.30pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1.30pm Sun)

Travel Agencies

CTS ( 081 033 19 48; Via Luigi Settembrini 86) Student travel centre.

Getting There & Away

Air

Capodichino airport (NAP; 081 751 54 71; www.gesac.it) , 7km northeast of the city centre, is southern Italy’s main airport, linking Naples with most Italian and several major European cities, as well as New York. Airlines include Alitalia and British Airways, and budget carrier easyJet, the latter’s connections including London, Paris (Orly) and Berlin.

Boat

Naples, the bay islands and the Amalfi Coast are served by a comprehensive ferry network. Catch fast ferries and hydrofoils for Capri, Sorrento, Ischia (both Ischia Porto and Forio) and Procida from Molo Beverello in front of Castel Nuovo; hydrofoils for Capri, Ischia and Procida also sail from Mergellina.

Ferries for Sicily, the Aeolian Islands and Sardinia sail from Molo Angioino (right beside Molo Beverello) and neighbouring Calata Porta di Massa. Slow ferries to Ischia and Procida also depart from Calata Porta di Massa.

Ferry services are pared back considerably in the winter, and adverse sea conditions may affect sailing schedules.

The tables list hydrofoil and ferry destinations from Naples. The fares, unless otherwise stated, are for a one-way, high-season, deck-class single.

HYDROFOILS & HIGH-SPEED FERRIES

DESTINATION (FROM NAPLES – MOLO BEVERELLO)

FERRY COMPANY

PRICE (€)

DURATION (MINS)

DAILY FREQUENCY (HIGH SEASON)

Capri

Caremar

16

50

18

Gescab-Navigazione Libera del Golfo

17

40

8-12

Gescab-SNAV

17

45

12

Ischia (Casamicciola Terme & Forio)

Caremar

16

50

5

Gescab-Alilauro

17

50-65

10

Gescab-SNAV

16

55

4

Procida

Caremar

13

40

5

Gescab-SNAV

13

35

4

Sorrento

Gescab-Alilauro

11

35

5

SNAV

11

35

7

Tickets for shorter journeys can be bought at the ticket booths on Molo Beverello and at Mergellina. For longer journeys try the offices of the ferry companies or a travel agent.

The following is a list of hydrofoil and ferry companies:

Caremar ( 081 551 38 82; www.caremar.it, in Italian)

Gescab-Alilauro ( 081 497 22 22; www.alilauro.it)

Gescab-Navigazione Libera del Golfo (NLG; 081 552 07 63; www.navlib.it, in Italian)

Gescab-SNAV ( 081 428 55 55; www.snav.it)

Medmar ( 081 333 44 11; www.medmargroup.it)

Siremar ( 199 118866; www.siremar.it, in Italian)

Tirrenia ( 081 720 11 11; www.tirrenia.it)

Suspended indefinitely in 2011, Metrò del Mare ( 199 600700; www.metrodelmare.net, in Italian) normally runs summer-only ferry services between Naples and Ercolano, Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and Salerno, as well as between the main Amalfi Coast towns. It also sails from Naples to Pozzuoli and Baia/Bacoli in the Campi Flegrei. Check the website for updates.

FERRIES

DESTINATION (FROM NAPLES – CALATA PORTA DI MASSA & MOLO ANGIOINO)

COMPANY

PRICE (€)

DURATION

FREQUENCY (HIGH SEASON)

Capri

Caremar

9.60

80mins

3 daily

Ischia

Caremar

11

80mins

7 daily

Medmar

11

75mins

6 daily

Procida

Caremar

9.60

45mins

7 daily

Aeolian Islands

Siremar

from 50

13½ hrs

2 weekly

Gescab-SNAV (summer only)

from 65

4½-6hrs

1 daily

Milazzo (Sicily)

Siremar

from 50

16 hrs

2 weekly

Palermo (Sicily)

Gescab-SNAV

from 35

10¼-11¾ hrs

1 to 2 daily

Tirrenia

from 45

1 daily

Cagliari (Sardinia)

Tirrenia

from 45

16¼ hrs

2 weekly

Bus

Most national and international buses leave from Piazza Garibaldi.

Regional bus services are operated by numerous companies, the most useful of which is SITA ( 089 405 145; www.sitabus.it, in Italian) .

Connections from Naples include the following.

Amalfi (€4, two hours, five daily Monday to Saturday)

Pompeii (€2.80, 30 minutes, half-hourly)

Positano (€4, two hours, one daily Monday to Saturday)

Salerno (€4, one hour 10 minutes, every 25 minutes).

You can buy SITA tickets and catch buses either from Porto Immacolatella, near Molo Angioino, or from Via Galileo Ferraris, near Stazione Centrale.

Miccolis ( 081 20 03 80; www.miccolis-spa.it, in Italian) connects Naples to the following destinations.

Taranto (€19, four hours, three daily)

Brindisi (€26.60, five hours)

Lecce (€29, 5½ hours)

Marino ( 080 311 23 35; www.marinobus.it) runs to the following.

Bari (€19, three hours, three to six daily)

Matera (€19, 4½ hours, two to three daily)

Car & Motorcycle

Naples is on the Autostrada del Sole, the A1 (north to Rome and Milan) and the A3 (south to Salerno and Reggio di Calabria). The A30 skirts Naples to the northeast, while the A16 heads across the Apennines to Bari.

On approaching the city, the motorways meet the Tangenziale di Napoli , a major ring road around the city. The ring road hugs the city’s northern fringe, meeting the A1 for Rome in the east, and continuing westwards towards the Campi Flegrei and Pozzuoli.

Train

Naples is southern Italy’s main rail hub. Most national trains arrive at or depart from Stazione Centrale or underneath the main station, Stazione Garibaldi. Some services also stop at Mergellina station. There are up to 42 trains daily to Rome. Travel times and prices vary. Options to/from Rome are as follows.

Frecciarossa (High Velocity; 2nd class one-way €45; 70 minutes)

ES (Eurostar; 2nd class one-way €36; 1¾ hours)

IC (InterCity; 2nd class one-way €22; two hours)

Regionale (Regional; one-way €10.50; 2¾ to 3½ hours)

Stazione Circumvesuviana ( 081 772 24 44; www.vesuviana.it; Corso Garibaldi) , southwest of Stazione Centrale (follow the signs from the main concourse), connects Naples to Sorrento (€4, 65 minutes, around 40 trains daily). Stops along the way include: Ercolano (€2.10, 15 minutes) and Pompeii (€2.80, 35 minutes).

Ferrovia Cumana and Circumflegrea ( 800 053939; www.sepsa.it, in Italian) , based at Stazione Cumana di Montesanto on Piazza Montesanto, 500m southwest of Piazza Dante, operate services to Pozzuoli (€1.20, 20 minutes, every 25 minutes).

Getting Around

To/From the Airport

By public transport you can take either the regular ANM ( 800 639525; www.unicocampania.it) bus 3S (€1.20, 45 minutes, every 20 minutes) from Piazza Garibaldi or the Alibus ( 800 639525) airport shuttle (€3, 45 minutes, every 20 minutes) from Piazza del Municipio or Piazza Garibaldi.

Official taxi fares to the airport are as follows: €23 from a seafront hotel or from the Mergellina hydrofoil terminal; €19 from Piazza del Municipio; and €15.50 from Stazione Centrale.

Bus

In Naples, buses are operated by the city transport company ANM ( 800 639525; www.unicocampania.it) . There’s no central bus station, but most buses pass through Piazza Garibaldi, the city’s chaotic transport hub. To locate your bus stop you’ll probably need to ask at the information kiosk in the centre of the square.

Useful bus services:

140 Santa Lucia to Posillipo via Mergellina.

152 From Piazza Garibaldi to Fuorigrotta via Molo Beverello, Piazza Vittoria and Mergellina.

N3 A night bus operating from midnight to 4.50am (hourly departures) from Via Brin to Stazione Centrale, Piazza del Municipio, Piazza Dante and Vomero, and then back down to Stazione Centrale and Via Brin.

C28 From Piazza Vittoria to Piazza Vanvitelli in Vomero via Via dei Mille.

E1 From Piazza del Gesù, along Via Costantinopoli, to Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Via Tribunali, Via Duomo, Piazza Nicola Amore, along Corso Umberto I and Via Mezzocannone.

R1 From Piazza Medaglie D’Oro to Piazza Carità, Piazza Dante and Piazza Bovio.

R2 From Stazione Centrale, along Corso Umberto I, to Piazza Bovio, Piazza del Municipio and Piazza Trieste e Trento.

R4 From Capodimonte down past Via Dante to Piazza Municipio and back again.

Car & Motorcycle

Vehicle theft and anarchic traffic make driving in Naples a bad option.

Officially much of the city centre is closed to nonresident traffic for much of the day. Daily restrictions are in place in the centro storico, in the area around Piazza del Municipio and Via Toledo, and in the Chiaia district around Piazza dei Martiri. Hours vary but are typically from 8am to 6.30pm, possibly later.

East of the city centre, there’s a 24-hour car park at Via Brin (€1.30 for the first four hours, €7.20 for 24 hours).

If renting a car, expect to pay around €60 per day for an economy car or a scooter. The major car-hire firms are all represented in Naples.

Avis ( 081 28 40 41; www.avisautonoleggio.it; Corso Novara 5) Also at Capodichino airport.

Hertz ( 081 20 62 28; www.hertz.it; Via Giuseppe Ricciardi 5) Also at Capodichino airport and Mergellina.

Maggiore ( 081 28 78 58; www.maggiore.it; Stazione Centrale) Also at Capodichino airport.

Rent Sprint ( 081 764 13 33; Via Santa Lucia 36) Scooter hire only.

Funicular

Unico Napoli tickets (see boxed text, Click here ) are valid on the funiculars. Three of Naples’ four funicular railways connect the centre with Vomero (the fourth, Funicolare di Mergellina, connects the waterfront at Via Mergellina with Via Manzoni).

Funicolare Centrale Ascends from Via Toledo to Piazza Fuga.

Funicolare di Chiaia From Via del Parco Margherita to Via Domenico Cimarosa.

Funicolare di Montesanto From Piazza Montesanto to Via Raffaele Morghen.

Metro

Naples’ Metropolitana ( 800 568866; www.metro.na.it) metro system is covered by Unico Napoli tickets (see boxed text, Click here ).

Line 1 Runs north from Università (Piazza Bovio), stopping at Toledo (projected station opening 2012), Piazza Dante, Museo (for Piazza Cavour and Line 2), Materdei, Salvator Rosa, Cilea, Piazza Vanvitelli, Piazza Medaglie D’Oro and seven stops beyond. In 2012, the line is also expected to connect Università to Garibaldi (Stazione Centrale).

Line 2 Runs from Gianturco, just east of Stazione Centrale, with stops at Piazza Garibaldi (for Stazione Centrale), Piazza Cavour, Montesanto, Piazza Amedeo, Mergellina, Piazza Leopardi, Campi Flegrei, Cavaleggeri d’Aosta, Bagnoli and Pozzuoli.

Taxi

Official taxis are white and have meters. There are taxi stands at most of the city’s main piazzas or you can call one of the five taxi cooperatives: Napoli ( 081 556 44 44) , Consortaxi ( 081 22 22) , Cotana ( 081 570 70 70) , Free ( 081 551 51 51) or Partenope ( 081 556 02 02) .

The minimum taxi fare is €4.50, of which €3 is the starting fare. There’s also a baffling range of additional charges: €1 for a radio taxi call, €2.50 extra between 10pm and 7am and all day on Sundays, €2.60 to €4 for an airport run and €0.50 per piece of luggage in the boot. Guide dogs for the blind and wheelchairs are carried free of charge.

Always ensure the meter is running.

AROUND NAPLES

CAMPI FLEGREI

Stretching west from Posillipo to the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Campi Flegrei (Phlegraean – or ‘Fiery’ – Fields) is a pockmarked area of craters, lakes and fumaroles, one of the world’s most geologically unstable. Here, archaeological ruins stand in the midst of modern eyesores, and history merges with myth. This is where Greek colonists first settled in Italy – Cuma dates to the 8th century BC.

Before exploring the area it’s worth stopping at Pozzuoli’s tourist office for updated information on the area’s sights and opening times. Also a good idea is the two-day €4 cumulative ticket that covers the archaeological sites of Baia and Cuma.

Pozzuoli

The first town that emerges beyond Naples’ dreary western suburbs is Pozzuoli, a workaday place whose attractions are not immediately apparent. However, nose around and you’ll find some impressive Roman ruins and a steaming volcanic crater. The town was established by the Greeks around 530 BC and later renamed Puteoli (Little Wells) by the Romans, who turned it into a major port. It was here that St Paul is said to have landed in AD 61 and that screen goddess Sophia Loren spent her childhood.

The tourist office ( 081 526 66 39; Piazza G Matteotti 1a; 9am-3.30pm Mon-Fri) is beside the Porta Napoli gate, around 700m downhill from the metro station.

SIGHTS

Anfiteatro Flavio AMPHITHEATRE

( 081 526 60 07; Via Terracciano 75; admission €4; 9am to 1hr before sunset Wed-Mon) Head northeast along Via Rosini to the ruins of this 1st-century-BC amphitheatre. Italy’s third-largest, it could hold over 20,000 spectators and was occasionally flooded for mock naval battles. Head under the main arena and get your head around the complex mechanics involved in hoisting the caged wild beasts up to their waiting victims. In AD 305 seven Christian martyrs, including St Januarius, were thrown to the animals here. They survived only to be beheaded later.

Solfatara Crater NATURE RESERVE

( 081 526 23 41; www.solfatara.it; Via Solfatara 161; admission €6; 8.30am to 1hr before sunset) Some 2km up Via Rosini, which becomes Via Solfatara, this was known to the Romans as the Forum Vulcani (home of the god of fire). At the far end of the steaming, malodorous crater are the Stufe , in which two ancient grottoes were excavated at the end of the 19th century to create two brick sudatoria (sweat rooms). Christened Purgatory and Hell, they both reach temperatures of up to 90°C. To get to the crater, catch any city bus heading uphill from the metro station and ask the driver to let you off at Solfatara.

Tempio di Serapide HISTORICAL SITE

Despite its name, the Temple of Serapis wasn’t a temple at all, but an ancient macellum (town market). Named after a statue of the Egyptian god Serapis found here in 1750, its toilets (at either side of the eastern apse) are considered works of ancient ingenuity. Badly damaged over the centuries by bradyseism (the slow upward and downward movement of the earth’s crust), the temple is occasionally flooded by sea water. You’ll find it just east of the port in a leafy piazza.

Baia

About 7km southwest of Pozzuoli, Baia was an upmarket Roman holiday resort with a reputation as a sordid centre of sex and sin. Today much of the ancient town is underwater, and modern development has left what is effectively a built-up, ugly and uninspiring coastal road.

Between April and October, CYMBA runs glass-bottom-boat tours of the underwater ruins of ancient Baia Sommersa ( 349 4974183; www.baiasommersa.it; tours €12; 10am, noon & 3pm Sat & Sun) . All year round, however, you can admire the elaborate nymphaeum (shrine to the water nymph), complete with statues, jewels, coins and decorative pillars dredged up and reassembled in the little-known but worthy Museo Archeologico dei Campi Flegrei ( 081 523 37 97; Via Castello; admission €4; varies, usually 9am to 1hr before sunset Tue-Sun). The 15th-century castle that houses the museum was built by Naples’ Aragon rulers as a defence against possible French invasion.

Cuma & Lucrino

Located 3km northwest of Baia, the quaint town of Cuma was the earliest Greek colony on the Italian mainland. Just to the east, Lucrino is where you’ll find a peaceful lake with a sinister mythical past.

The highlight of ancient Cumae’s Acropoli di Cuma ( 081 854 30 60; Via Montecuma; admission €4; 9am to 1hr before sunset) is the haunting Antro della Sibilla Cumana (Cave of the Cuman Sybil). Hollowed out of the tufa bank, its eerie 130m-long trapezoidal tunnel leads to the vaulted chamber where the Sybil was said to pass on messages from Apollo. The poet Virgil writes of Aeneas coming here to seek the oracle, who directs him to Hades (the underworld), entered from nearby Lago d’Averno (Lake Avernus).

Getting There & Away

Boat There are frequent car and passenger ferries from Pozzuoli to Ischia and Procida, run by a variety of companies. Typical prices are €6.60 to Procida and €7.60 to Ischia – more if you take a hydrofoil.

Bus AMN bus 152 links Naples to Pozzuoli.

Car Take the Tangenziale ring road from Naples and swing off at the Pozzuoli exit. Less swift but more scenic is taking Via Francesco Caracciolo along the Naples waterfront to Posillipo, then on to Pozzuoli.

Train Both the Ferrovia Cumana ( 800 001616; www.sepsa.it) and the Naples metro (line 2) serve Pozzuoli. To reach Cuma, take the Ferrovia Cumana train to Fusaro station, walk 150m north to Via Fusaro and jump on a Cuma-bound EAV bus (www.eavbus.it, in Italian) , which runs roughly every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday and every hour on Sunday. For Baia, jump on a Miseno-bound EAV bus from the opposite side of the street.

TICKETS PLEASE

Tickets for public transport in Naples and the surrounding Campania region are managed by Unico Campania (www.unicocampania.it) and sold at stations, ANM booths and tobacconists. There are various tickets, depending on where you plan to travel. The following is a rundown of the various tickets on offer:

» Unico Napoli (90 minutes €1.20; 24 hours €3.60 weekdays, €3 weekends) Unlimited travel by bus, tram, funicular, metro, Ferrovia Cumana or Circumflegrea.

» Unico 3T (72 hours €20) Unlimited travel throughout Campania, including the Alibus, EAV buses to Mt Vesuvius and transport on the islands of Ischia and Procida.

» Unico Ischia (90 minutes €1.40; 24 hours €5.40) Unlimited bus travel on Ischia.

» Unico Capri (60 minutes €2.40; 24 hours €8.40) Unlimited bus travel on Capri. The 60-minute ticket also allows a single trip on the funicular connecting Marina Grande to Capri Town; the daily ticket allows for two funicular trips.

» Unico Costiera (45 minutes €2.40; 90 minutes €3.60; 24 hours €7.20; 72 hours €18) A money-saver if you plan on much travelling by SITA or EAV bus and/or Circumvesuviana train in the Bay of Naples and Amalfi Coast area. The 24- and 72-hour tickets also cover the City Sightseeing tourist bus between Amalfi and Ravello, and Amalfi and Maiori, which runs from April to October.

CASERTA

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The one compelling reason to stop at this otherwise nondescript town, 22km north of Naples, is to visit the colossal Palazzo Reale. One of the greatest – and last – achievements of Italian baroque architecture, its film credits include Mission Impossible III and the interior shots of Queen Amidala’s royal residence in Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace and Star Wars: Episode 2 – Attack of the Clones .

Caserta was founded in the 8th century by the Lombards on the site of a Roman emplacement atop Monte Tifata, expanding onto the plains below from the 12th century onwards.

Caserta’s tourist office ( 0823 32 11 37; www.eptcaserta.it; Corso Trieste; 9am-1pm Mon-Fri) is 600m east of the palace.

Sights

Palazzo Reale PALAZZO & GARDENS

( 0823 44 80 84; Viale Douhet 22; admission €12; 8.30am-7pm Wed-Mon) Known to Italians as the Reggia di Caserta, this Unesco-listed palace began life in 1752 after King Charles VII of Bourbon ordered a palace to rival Versailles. Neapolitan Luigi Vanvitelli was commissioned for the job and built a palace bigger than its French rival. With its 1200 rooms, 1790 windows, 34 staircases and a 250m-long facade, it was reputedly the largest building in 18th-century Europe.

You enter by Vanvitelli’s immense staircase, a masterpiece of vainglorious baroque, and follow a route through the royal apartments, richly decorated with tapestries, furniture and crystal. Beyond the library is a room containing a vast collection of presepi composed of hundreds of hand-carved nativity pieces.

To clear your head afterwards, explore the elegant landscaped park ( 8.30am-6pm Jun-Aug, to 5.30pm May & Sep, to 5pm Apr, to 4.30pm Oct, to 4pm Mar, to 2.30pm Nov-Feb) . It stretches for some 3km to a waterfall and fountain of Diana and the famous Giardino Inglese (English Garden; Wed-Mon) with its intricate pathways, exotic plants, pools and cascades.

The weary can cover the same ground in a pony and trap (from €5), or for €1 you can bring a bike into the park. A picnic is another good idea. Within the palace there’s also the Mostra Terrea Motus (admission free with palace ticket; 9am-6pm Wed-Mon) , illustrating the 1980 earthquake that devastated the region.

Getting There & Away

Bus CTP buses connect Caserta with Naples’ Piazza Garibaldi (€2.90) about every 20 to 60 minutes between 4.30am and 11.30pm. Some Benevento services also stop in Caserta.

Train The town is on the main train line between Rome (IC €21, around 2½ hours) and Naples (€3.40, 40 minutes). Both bus and train stations are near the Palazzo Reale entrance. If you’re driving, follow signs for the Reggia.

BAY OF NAPLES

Capri

POP 14,050

A stark mass of limestone rock that rises sheerly through impossibly blue water, Capri (pronounced ca -pri) is the perfect microcosm of Mediterranean appeal – a smooth cocktail of chichi piazzas and cool cafes, Roman ruins and rugged seascapes. It’s also a hugely popular day-trip destination and a summer favourite of holidaying VIPs. Inevitably, the two main centres, Capri Town and its uphill rival, Anacapri, are almost entirely given over to tourism and high prices. But explore beyond the designer boutiques and pointedly traditional trattorias and you’ll find that Capri’s hinterland retains an unspoiled rural charm with grand villas, overgrown vegetable plots, sun-bleached peeling stucco and banks of brilliantly coloured bougainvillea.

Sights

Grotta Azzurra GROTTO

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(Blue Grotto; Click here ; admission €11.50; 9am to 1hr before sunset) Long known to local fishermen, this stunning sea cave was rediscovered by two Germans, Augustus Kopisch and Ernst Fries, in 1826. Subsequent research, however, revealed that Emperor Tiberius had built a quay in the cave around AD 30, complete with a nymphaeum . You can still see the carved Roman landing stage towards the rear of the cave.

Far from being an overblown tourist attraction, the grotto’s iridescent blue light is pure magic. It’s caused by the refraction of sunlight off the sides of the 1.3m-high entrance, coupled with the reflection off the white sandy bottom.

The easiest way to visit is to take a boat tour from Marina Grande. A return trip will cost €23.50, comprising a return motorboat to the cave, a rowing boat into the cave and admission fee; allow a good hour. The singing ‘captains’ are included in the price, so don’t feel any obligation if they push for a tip.

The grotto is closed if the sea is too choppy, so before embarking check that it’s open at the Marina Grande tourist office.

Capri

Top Sights

Grotta Azzurra B1

Villa Jovis G1

Villa San Michele di Axel MuntheC1

Sights

1  Arco Naturale F2

Activities, Courses & Tours

2  Banana Sport E1

3  Sercomar E2

Sleeping

4  Belvedere e Tre Re D1

5 Casa MariantoniaC2

6  Hotel Bussola B2

7  Hotel Villa Sarah F2

8  Pensione Guarracino E2

9  Relais Maresca E2

Eating

10  Le Arcate C2

11  Pizzeria Aumm Aumm C2

Salumeria da Aldo(see 3)

Drinking

12  Caffè Michelangelo C2

Shopping

13  Limoncello Capri C1

Capri Town TOWN

With its whitewashed stone buildings and tiny car-free streets, Capri Town evokes a film set. In summer its toy-town streets swell with camera-wielding day trippers and the glossy rich. Central to the action is Piazza Umberto I (aka the Piazzetta), the showy, open-air salon where tanned tourists pay eye-watering prices to sip at one of four squareside cafes. Nearby, the 17th-century Chiesa di Santo Stefano Offline map Google map ( Piazza Umberto I; 8am-8pm) has a well-preserved marble floor (taken from Villa Jovis) and a statue of San Costanzo, Capri’s patron saint. Beside the northern chapel is a reliquary with a saintly bone that reputedly saved Capri from the plague in the 19th century.

Across the road, Museo Cerio Offline map ( 081 837 66 81; Piazzetta Cerio 5; adult/concession €2.50/1; 10am-1pm Tue-Sat) harbours a library of books and journals about the island (mostly in Italian) and a collection of locally found fossils.

To the east of the Piazzetta, Via Vittorio Emanuele and its continuation, Via Serena, lead down to the picturesque Certosa di San Giacomo Offline map Google map (Charterhouse of San Giacomo; Click here ; 081 837 62 18; Viale Certosa 40; admission free; 9am-2pm Tue-Sun) , a 14th- century monastery with two cloisters and some fine 17th-century frescoes in the chapel.

From the certosa (charterhouse), Via Matteotti leads down to the colourful Giardini di Augusto Offline map Google map (Gardens of Augustus; Click here ; dawn-dusk) , founded by the Emperor Augustus. The view from the gardens is breathtaking, looking over to the Isole Faraglioni Offline map , three limestone pinnacles that rise vertically out of the sea.

Capri Town

Sights

1 Centro Caprense Ignazio CerioC1

2  Certosa di San Giacomo D5

3  Chiesa di Santo Stefano C1

4  Giardini di Augusto C5

Sleeping

5  Hotel La Tosca C4

Eating

6  Buca di Bacco C1

7  Capri Pasta C1

8 PulalliC1

Entertainment

9  Anema e Core D2

10  Number One C2

11  O Guarracino A2

Shopping

12  Carthusia I Profumi di Capri D4

Villa Jovis VILLA

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(Jupiter’s Villa; Click here ; 081 837 06 34; Via Tiberio; admission €2; 9am to 1hr before sunset) East of Capri Town, a comfortable 2km walk along Via Tiberio, is Villa Jovis (aka Palazzo di Tiberio). Standing 354m above sea level, this was the largest and most sumptuous of the island’s 12 Roman villas and Tiberius’ main Capri residence. It’s not in great nick today, but the size of the ruins gives an idea of the scale at which Tiberius liked to live. His private rooms, with superb views over to the Punta Campanella, were on the northern and eastern sides of the complex.

The stairway behind the villa leads to the 330m-high Salto di Tiberio (Tiberius’ Leap), a sheer cliff from where Tiberius had out-of-favour subjects hurled into the sea.

A 1.5km walk from the villa, down Via Tiberio and Via Matermània, is the Arco Naturale Offline map Google map, a huge rock arch formed by the pounding sea.

Villa San Michele di Axel Munthe MUSEUM, GARDEN

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( 081 837 14 01; www.villasanmichele.eu; Via Axel Munthe; admission €6; 9am-6pm May-Sep, 9am-3.30pm Nov-Feb, 9am-4.30pm Mar, 9am-5pm Apr & Oct) A short walk from Anacapri’s Piazza Vittoria awaits the former home of self-aggrandising Swedish doctor Axel Munthe. The story behind the villa, built on the ruined site of a Roman villa, is told by Munthe himself in his autobiography The Story of San Michele (1929). Other than the collection of Roman sculpture, the villa’s best feature is the beautifully preserved gardens and their superb views. If you are here in July or August, you may be able to catch one of the classical concerts that take place in the gardens. Check the website for programme and reservation information.

Beyond the villa, Via Axel Munthe continues to the 800-step stairway leading down to Capri Town. Built in the early 19th century, this was the only link between Anacapri and the rest of the island until the present mountain road was constructed in the 1950s. Traditionally, the people of Capri and Anacapri have been at loggerheads, and they are always ready to trot out their respective patron saints to ward off the malocchio (evil eye) of their rivals.

Seggiovia VIEWPOINT

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( 081 837 14 28; Piazza Vittoria; single/return €7.50/10; 9.30am-4.30pm Apr-Oct, 9.30am-3.30pm Nov-Mar) Hop onto this chairlift and head up to the summit of Monte Solaro (589m), Capri’s highest point. The views from the top are utterly unforgettable – on a clear day you can see the entire Bay of Naples and the islands of Ischia and Procida.

Faro LIGHTHOUSE

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Rising above Punta Carena, Capri’s rugged southwesterly point, is Italy’s second-tallest and most powerful lighthouse. From Anacapri a bus runs to the Faro every 20 minutes from April to October and every 30 to 40 minutes from November to March.

Activities

Top swimming spots include La Fontelina Offline map, reached along Via Tragara. Access to the private beach will set you back €19 but it’s right beside Capri’s craggy Faraglioni stacks and is one of the few beaches exposed to the sun until late in the day. On the west coast, Lido del Faro Offline map at Punta Carena is another good option; €20 will get you access to the private beach, complete with swimming pool and a pricey but fabulous restaurant. Otherwise, opt for the neighbouring public beach, and grab a decent bite at snack bar Da Antonio. To get here, catch the bus to Faro and follow the steps down to the beach.

Capri also offers some memorable hiking. Favourite routes link the Arco Naturale with Punta di Tragara, and Monte Solaro with Anacapri. Running along the island’s oft-overlooked western coast, the Sentiero dei Fortini (Path of the Small Forts) leads from Punta Carena up to the Grotta Azzurra.

Marina Grande is the hub of Capri’s thriving water-sports business.

Sercomar DIVE CENTRE

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( 081 837 87 81; www.caprisub.com, in Italian; Via Colombo 64; closed Nov) Offers various diving packages, costing from €100 for a single dive to €350 for a four-session beginners’ course.

Bagni di Gioia CANOEING

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( 081 837 77 02) You can hire single/double canoes here for €8/14 per hour.

Banana Sport BOATING

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( 081 837 51 88, 330 227064; mid-May–Oct) Operating out of a kiosk to the west of the port, Banana Sport hires out five-person motorised dinghies for €70 to €90 for two hours or €150 to €190 for the day.

Sleeping

Capri’s accommodation is top-heavy, with plenty of four- and five-star hotels but few budget options. Cheaper pensioni do exist, but they tend to be at the top of their price bracket. Although there are a growing number of B&Bs, they’re rarely much of a saving. As a general rule, the further you go from Capri Town, the less you’ll pay. Camping is forbidden.

Always book ahead. Hotel space is at a premium during the summer, and many places close in winter, typically between November and March.

Casa Mariantonia BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

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( 081 837 29 23; www.casamariantonia.com; Via G Orlandi 80, Anacapri; r €100-260, ste €180-400; ) With past guests including Jean-Paul Sartre and Alberto Moravia, you might just find your own muse by the pool at this gorgeous boutique retreat. Rooms deliver restrained elegance in soothing hues, as well as a private terrace with garden views.

Relais Maresca HOTEL €€

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( 081 837 96 19; www.relaismaresca.it; Via Marina Grande 284, Marina Grande; r incl breakfast €130-250; Apr-Oct; ) A delightful four-star, this is the top choice in Marina Grande, with acres of gleaming ceramic in turquoise, blue and yellow. There’s a range of rooms (and corresponding prices); the best have balconies and sea views. There’s also a lovely flower-filled 4th-floor terrace. Minimum two-day stay on weekends in July and August.

Hotel Villa Sarah HOTEL €€

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( 081 837 78 17; www.villasarahcapri.com; Via Tiberio 3a, Capri Town; s €95-155, d €145-225; Easter-Oct; ) Villa Sarah retains a rustic appeal that so many of the island’s hotels have long lost. Surrounded by its own fruit-producing gardens, it has 20 airy rooms, all decorated in classical local style with ceramic tiles and old-fashioned furniture. Best of all, though, is the small swimming pool.

Hotel Bussola HOTEL €€

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( 081 838 20 10; www.caprihotelbussola.com; Traversa La Vigna 14, Anacapri; s €50-120, d €70-140; ) This hotel has moved up several elegant notches from its days as a hostel-cum-hotel. The sun-filled rooms have luxurious drapes and a blue-and-white colour scheme, while the public spaces are a Pompeii-esque combo of columns, statues and vaulted ceilings. To get here take the bus up to Piazza Vittoria and call for the hotel shuttle service.

Hotel La Tosca HOTEL €€

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( 081 837 09 89; www.latoscahotel.com; Via Birago 5, Capri Town; s €50-100, d €75-160; Apr-Oct; ) This charming one-star pensione is hidden away down a quiet back lane overlooking the Certosa di San Giacomo and the surrounding mountains. The rooms are plain but comfortable, with cool whitewashed walls and large bathrooms; several have private terraces. The genial owner extends a warm welcome. It’s popular, so book ahead!

Belvedere e Tre Re HOTEL €€

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( 081 837 03 45; www.belvedere-tre-re.com; Via Marina Grande 264, Marina Grande; s €80-120, d €100-140; Apr-Oct; ) Five minutes’ walk from the port with superb boat views, this fairly modest two-star offers comfortable rooms, complete with private covered balconies. There’s a sun-bronzing terrace on the top floor. Breakfast is an extra €5 per person.

Pensione Guarracino PENSIONE €€

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( /fax 081 837 71 40; guarracino@capri.it; Via Mulo 13; s €70-85, d €90-130; ) A short walk from the centre of Capri Town and within easy striking distance of Marina Piccola, this small, family-run pensione has 13 modest rooms, each decked out with a comfy bed, decent shower and independent air-con.

Eating

Traditional food in traditional trattorias is what you’ll find on Capri. The island’s culinary gift to the world is insalata caprese, a salad of fresh tomato, basil and mozzarella bathed in olive oil. Also look out for caprese cheese, a cross between mozzarella and ricotta, and ravioli caprese, ravioli stuffed with ricotta and herbs.

Many restaurants, like the hotels, close over winter.

Pulalli WINE BAR €€

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( Piazza Umberto I 4, Capri Town; meals €40; Wed-Mon Easter-Oct) Climb the clock-tower steps to the right of Capri Town’s tourist office and your reward is a laid-back local hang-out, where fabulous vino meets a discerning selection of cheeses, salumi (charcuterie) and more substantial fare like spaghetti with zucchini flowers. Try for a seat on the terrace or, if you’re feeling lucky, the coveted table on its own petite balcony.

Buca di Bacco TRATTORIA, PIZZERIA €€

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( Via Longano 35, Capri Town; pizzas €6-15, meals €40; Thu-Tue Mar-Oct) A famous hang-out for artists early last century, this hidden Capri Town treasure is now better known for its solid local cooking, bubbling pizzas and amiable staff. The seafood is especially good, as is the window table with dreamy sea views.

Le Arcate TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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( Via de Tommaso 24, Anacapri; meals €40) This is the restaurant that the locals recommend – and frequent. An unpretentious place with hanging baskets of ivy and well-aged terracotta tiles, it specialises in delicious primi (first courses) and pizzas. A real show-stopper is the risotto con polpa di granchio, rughetta e scaglie di parmigiano (risotto with crab meat, rocket and shavings of Parmesan).

Capri Pasta TAKE AWAY €

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( Via Parrocco R. Canale 12, Capri Town; meals €8; closed Mon) In-the-know locals come here for a cheap, tasty takeaway lunch. The just-cooked soul food might include parmigiana di melanzana (eggplant parmigiana) and friarelle (local broccoli). The house ravioli is legendary and offered fresh or ready-to-eat in dishes like ravioli fritti (fried ravioli) stuffed with Caciotta cheese and marjoram.

Salemeria da Aldo DELI €

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( Via Cristoforo Colombo 26, Marina Grande; sandwiches from €3.50) Ignore the restaurant touts and head straight to this honest portside deli, where bespectacled Aldo will make you his legendary panino alla Caprese (crusty bread stuffed with silky mozzarella and tomatoes from his own garden). Grab a bottle of Falanghina and you’re set for a day at the beach.

Pizzeria Aumm Aumm PIZZERIA €

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( Via Caprile 18, Anacapri; pizzas €5-9; dinner Tue-Sun) Usually open until 1am, this is the locals’ late-night option, complete with TV screen to capture any soccer goals. The wood-fired pizzas are seriously good, made with only fresh produce.

Drinking & Entertainment

The main evening activity is styling up and hanging out, ideally on Capri Town’s Piazzetta. There are few nightclubs to speak of and just a few upmarket taverns. Most places open around 10pm (don’t expect a crowd until midnight), charging anywhere between €30 and €40 for admission. Many close between November and Easter.

Anema e Core LIVE MUSIC, NIGHTCLUB

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( Via Sella Orta 39e) In Capri Town, celebs head for this self-styled tavern, the island’s most famous nightspot.

O Guarracino LIVE MUSIC

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( 081 837 05 14; Via Castello 7, Capri Town) Somewhat more casual.

Number One LIVE MUSIC, NIGHTCLUB

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( Via Vittorio Emanuele III 55, Capri Town) The latest hot spot , it offers live music and a small dance floor.

Caffè Michelangelo CAFE

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( Via Orlandi 138) Up in Anacapri, Michelangelo is a laid-back cafe good for people-watching.

Shopping

If you’re not in the market for a new Rolex or Prada bag, look out for ceramic work, lemon-scented perfume and limoncello (lemon liqueur). For perfume don’t miss Carthusia I Profumi di Capri Offline map Google map ( Via F Serena 28) in Capri Town; for limoncello head up to Anacapri and Limoncello Capri Offline map Google map ( Via Capodimonte 27) .

If you are in the market for a new Rolex or Prada bag, head to Via Vittorio Emanuele and Via Camerelle.

Information

Emergency

Police station ( 081 837 42 11; Via Roma 70, Capri Town)

Internet Access

Capri Internet Point ( 081 837 32 83; Piazzetta Cimitero, Anacapri; per hr €2; 9am-9pm Mon-Sat, to 2.30pm Sun May-Oct, shorter hrs Nov-Apr) Also sells international newspapers.

Internet Resources

Capri Island (www.capri.net) Excellent website with listings, itineraries and ferry schedules.

Capri Tourism (www.capritourism.com) Official website of Capri’s tourist office.

Medical Services

Farmacia Internazionale (Via Roma 45, Capri Town)

Hospital ( 081 838 12 05; Via Provinciale Anacapri 5)

Post

Post office Capri Town Offline map ( Via Roma 50); Anacapri (Via de Tommaso 8)

Tourist information

Tourist office Marina Grande Offline map ( 9.15am-1pm & 3-6.15pm Mon-Sat, 9am-3pm Sun Apr-Sep) ; Capri Town Offline map ( Piazza Umberto I; 9am-1pm & 4-7.15pm Mon-Sat, to 3pm Sun Apr-Sep, 9.15am-1.15pm & 3-6.15pm Mon-Sat Oct-Mar) ; Anacapri (Via Orlandi 59; 9am-3pm Mon-Sat Apr-Sep) Each tourist office can provide a free map of the island with town plans of Capri and Anacapri, and a more detailed one for €1. For hotel listings and other useful information, ask for a free copy of Capri è .

Getting There & Away

See Naples ( Click here ) and Sorrento ( Click here ) for details of ferries and hydrofoils to the island.

In summer hydrofoils connect with Positano (€17, 30 to 40 minutes) and Ischia (€16.50, one hour).

Note that some companies require you to pay a small supplement for luggage, typically around €2.

Getting Around

The best way to get around Capri is by bus. There’s no car-hire service on the island, and between Easter and October you can bring a vehicle to the island only if it’s registered outside Italy.

Sippic ( 081 837 04 20) runs regular buses between Capri Town and Marina Grande, Anacapri and Marina Piccola. It also operates buses from Marina Grande to Anacapri and from Marina Piccola to Anacapri.

From Anacapri bus terminal, Staiano Autotrasporti (www.staiano-capri.com, in Italian) buses serve the Grotta Azzurra and Faro.

Single tickets cost €1.60 on all routes, as does the funicular that links Marina Grande with Capri Town.

You can hire a scooter from Ciro dei Motorini ( 081 837 80 18; Via Marina Grande 55) at Marina Grande. Rates are about €30 per two hours or €65 per 24 hours.

From Marina Grande, a taxi ( in Capri Town 081 837 05 43, in Anacapri 081 837 11 75) costs around €20 to Capri and €25 to Anacapri; from Capri to Anacapri costs about €15.

Ischia

POP 62,030

Sprawling over 46 sq km, Ischia is the biggest and busiest island in the bay. It’s a lush concoction of sprawling spa towns, mud-wrapped Germans and ancient booty. Also famous for its thermal waters, it has some fine beaches and spectacular scenery.

Most visitors stay on the touristy north coast, but go inland and you’ll find a rural landscape of chestnut forests, dusty farms and earthy hillside towns. On the tranquil south coast, Sant’Angelo is a blissful blend of twisting laneways, cosy harbour and bubbling beaches.

Sights

Castello Aragonese CASTLE, MUSEUM

( 081 99 28 34; Rocca del Castello; admission €10; 9am-1 hr before sunset) Ischia’s imposing, iconic castle sits on a rocky islet just off Ischia Ponte. A sprawling complex comprising a 14th-century cathedral and several smaller churches, it largely dates to the 1400s, when King Alfonso of Aragon gave an older Angevin fortress a makeover. Inside, the Museo delle Armi (Weaponry Museum) has a curious collection of torture tools, kinky illustrations and medieval armoury.

La Mortella GARDEN

( 081 98 62 20; www.lamortella.it; Via F Calese 39, Forio; admission €12; 9am-7pm Tue, Thu, Sat & Sun Apr-Oct) More than 1000 rare and exotic plants flourish in this veritable Garden of Eden on Ischia’s west coast. Designed by Russell Page and inspired by the Moorish gardens of Granada’s Alhambra in Spain, they were established by Sir William Walton, the late British composer, and his wife, who made La Mortella their home in 1949. Classical music concerts are staged on the premises; check the website.

Activities

Unlike Capri, Ischia has some great beaches. From chic Sant’Angelo on the south coast, water taxis reach the sandy Spiaggia dei Maronti (€5 one way; Apr-Oct) and the intimate cove of II Sorgeto (€7 one way; Apr-Oct) , with its steamy thermal spring. Sorgeto can also be reached on foot down a poorly signposted path from the village of Panza.

Negombo HOT SPRING, BEACH

( 081 98 61 52; www.negombo.it; Baia di San Montano, Lacco Ameno; admission all-day €25; 8.30am-7pm Apr-Oct) Part spa resort, part botanical wonderland, Negombo’s Zen-like thermal pools, hammam, contemporary sculpture and private beach make for a serious day of R&R. There’s a decent tavola calda (snack bar) and a full range of pampering treatments and massages. Admission charges get cheaper the later in the day you arrive.

Monte Epomeo WALK

A strenuous uphill walk from the village of Fontana brings you to Ischia’s highest point (788m), with superb views of the Bay of Naples. The little church near the summit is the 15th-century Cappella di San Nicola di Bari , which features a pretty majolica floor.

Ischia Diving Center DIVE CENTRE

081 98 18 52; www.ischiadiving.net; Via Iasolino 106, Ischia Porto) Offers diving equipment and courses. A single dive will typically cost from €38.

Sleeping

Most hotels close in winter, and prices normally drop considerably among those that stay open.

Albergo II Monastero BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

( 081 99 24 35; www.albergoilmonastero.it; Castello Aragonese, Ischia Ponte; s €75-90, d €100-170, ste €250-300; Easter-Oct; ) For sheer location, it’s hard to beat this lofty ex-convent inside the Castello Aragonese. Rooms are small but comfortable, some with vaulted ceilings and all with heavenly views. The spacious two-bedroom suite has been recently renovated, while the terrace restaurant serves tasty Ischian fare with produce from the garden.

Hotel Semiramis HOTEL €€

( 081 90 75 11; www.hotelsemiramisischia.it; Spiaggia di Citara, Forio; r €94-142; Apr-Sep; ) This bright, friendly hotel has a tropical-oasis feel, with its central pool surrounded by palms. Rooms, the best of which have distant sea views, are large and beautifully tiled in the traditional yellow-and-turquoise pattern.

Hotel Casa Celestino HOTEL €€

( 081 99 92 13; www.casacelestino.it; Via Chiaia di Rose 20, Sant’Angelo; s €70-145, d €100-230; Jan-Oct; ) This chic little number is a soothing blend of vibrant furnishings, whitewashed walls and contemporary art. Bedrooms have majolica-tiled floors, modern bathrooms and balconies overlooking the sea. There’s a good restaurant across the way.

Camping Mirage CAMPGROUND €

( 081 99 05 51; www.campingmirage.it; Via Maronti 37, Spiaggia dei Maronti, Barano d’Ischia; camping 2 people & tent €29.50-36.50; ) On Spiaggia dei Maronti is this shady campsite with pitches under a panoply of eucalyptus trees. On-site facilities include showers, a laundry, a bar and a restaurant serving great seafood pasta.

Albergo Macrì HOTEL €

( /fax 081 99 26 03; Via Iasolino 78a, Ischia Porto; s €38-46, d €65-78; ) Down a blind alley near the main port, this place oozes a friendly vibe. While the pine and bamboo furnishings won’t snag any design awards, rooms are clean, bright and comfy. All first-floor rooms have terraces, and the small downstairs bar serves a mean espresso.

Eating

Seafood aside, Ischia is famed for its rabbit, which is bred on inland farms. Another local speciality is rucolino – a green liquorice-flavoured liqueur made from rucola (rocket) leaves.

II Focolare TRATTORIA €€

( 081 90 29 44; Via Cretaio 36, Casamicciola Terme; meals €40; lunch Fri-Sun, dinner Mon-Sun, closed Wed Nov-May) Turf upstages surf at this rustic Slow Food favourite, tucked away in the hills above Casamicciola Terme. Complete with crackling fire, it’s one of the best spots to sample the island’s legendary coniglio all’ischitana (claypot-cooked local rabbit with garlic, onion, tomatoes, wild thyme and white wine).

Lo Scoglio TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 081 99 95 29; Via Cava Ruffano 58, Sant’Angelo; meals €32; Apr-Oct) Jutting out over the sea beside a gorgeous beach cove, Lo Scoglio dishes up brilliant seafood. The ingredients are as fresh as the day’s catch, appearing in dishes like mussel soup and grilled sea bass. Sunday lunchtime is a popular weekly event.

Pantera Rosa TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€€

(Via Porto 53, Ischia Porto; meals €50) Of Ischia Porto’s string of harbourside restaurants, the ‘Pink Panther’ is our choice for good food and genuine, honest service. Tuck into gems like papparedelle pasta with seafood, followed by one of the homemade desserts and a frosty fix of the house limoncello .

Information

Ischia Online (www.ischiaonline.it) Website with hotels, sights, activities and events.

Tourist office (www.infoischiaprocida.it; Via Sogliuzzo 72, Ischia Porto; 9am-2pm & 3-8pm Mon-Sat)

Getting There & Away

See Click here for details of hydrofoils and ferries to/from Naples. You can also catch hydrofoils direct to Capri (€15) and Procida (€9).

Getting Around

There are two principal bus lines: the CS (Circo Sinistra; Left Circle) and CD (Circo Destra; Right Circle), which circle the island in opposite directions, passing through each town and leaving every 30 minutes. Buses pass near all hotels and campsites. A single ticket, valid for 90 minutes, costs €1.40, while a 24-hour, multi-use ticket is €4.50. Taxis and microtaxis (scooter-engined three-wheelers) are also available.

Help the island avoid congestion and pollution by not bringing your car. If you want to hire one (or a scooter), there are plenty of rental firms, including Fratelli del Franco ( 081 99 13 34; Via A De Luca 127, Ischia Ponte) , which hires out cars (from €30 per day), scooters (€25 to €35) and mountain bikes (around €10 per day). You can’t take a rented vehicle off the island.

Procida

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Dig out your paintbox: the Bay of Naples’ smallest island (and its best-kept secret) is a soulful blend of hidden lemon groves, weathered fishers and pastel-hued houses.

August aside – when beach-bound mainlanders flock to its shores – its narrow sun-bleached streets are the domain of the locals: wiry young boys clutch fishing rods, weary mothers clutch wiry young boys and wizened old seafarers swap tales of malaise.

Sights & Activities

The best way to explore the island – a mere 4 sq km – is on foot or by bike. However, the island’s narrow roads can be clogged with cars – one of its few drawbacks.

From panoramic Piazza dei Martiri, the village of Corricella tumbles down to its marina in a riot of pinks, yellows and whites. Further south, a steep flight of steps leads down to Chiaia beach, one of the island’s most beautiful.

All pink, white and blue, little Marina di Chiaiolella has a yacht-stocked marina, old-school eateries and a languid disposition. Nearby the Lido is a popular beach.

Castello d’Avalos HISTORICAL BUILDING

Clinging on to Procida’s highest point is the crumbling 16th-century former Bourbon hunting lodge and ex-prison.

Abbazia di San Michele Arcangelo MUSEUM

( 081 896 76 12; Via Terra Murata 89; admission €3; 9.45am-12.45pm Mon-Sat year-round, plus 3.30-6pm May-Oct) Next door to Castello d’Avalos, this one-time Benedictine abbey contains a church, a small museum with some arresting paintings, and a honeycomb of catacombs.

Procida Diving Centre DIVE CENTRE

( 081 896 83 85; www.vacanzeaprocida.it/frame diving01-uk.htm; Via Cristoforo Colombo 6, Marina di Chiaiolella) This outfit runs diving courses and hires out equipment. The price ranges from €45 for a single dive to €130 for a snorkelling course and €350 for more advanced open-water diving.

Blue Dream BOATING

( 081 896 05 79, 339 572 08 74; www.bluedreamcharter.com; Via Ottimo 3) You can charter a yacht from Blue Dream, from €70 per person per day (minimum of six people).

Festivals & Events

Procession of the Misteri RELIGIOUS

Good Friday sees a colourful procession of the Misteri. A wooden statue of Christ and the Madonna Addolorata, along with life-sized tableaux of plaster and papier-mâché illustrating events leading to Christ’s crucifixion, is carted across the island. Men dress in blue tunics with white hoods, while many of the young girls dress as the Madonna.

Sleeping

Campsites are dotted around the island and open from April/May to September/October. Typical prices are €10 per site plus €10 per person. Reliable places include La Caravella ( 081 810 18 38; Via IV Novembre) .

Hotel La Vigna BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

( 081 896 04 69; www.albergolavigna.it; Via Principessa Margherita 46; s €75-150, d €90-180, ste €140-230; ) A cliff-side, vine-fringed garden and an in-house spa make this 18th-century villa a top choice. Five of the spacious, simply furnished standard rooms offer direct access to the garden. Superior rooms (€110 to €200) feature family- friendly mezzanines, while the suite comes with a bedside Jacuzzi.

Casa Giovanni da Procida B&B €

( 081 896 03 58; www.casagiovannidaprocida.it; Via Giovanni da Procida 3; d €65-110, tr €90-130; closed Feb; ) This chic farmhouse B&B basks in the shade of a centuries-old magnolia tree and has split-level rooms with low-rise beds and contemporary furniture. Bathrooms are small but slick, with funky mosaic tiling and cube basins.

Hotel La Corricella HOTEL €€

( 081 896 75 75; www.hotelcorricella.it; Via Marina Corricella 88; s €60-110, d €80-140; mid-Mar–mid-Nov) One bookend to Marina Corricella, La Corricella offers comfy, low-fuss rooms with fans (air-con rooms cost an extra €10 to €20). The terrace offers gorgeous harbour views, the restaurant serves local specialities, and there’s a boat service to the nearby beach.

Eating

Ristorante Scarabeo TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 081 896 99 18; Via Salette 10; meals €35; daily Jun-Oct, weekends only Dec-Feb & Mar-May, closed Nov) Behind a veritable jungle of lemon trees, Signor Francesco whips up classics like fritelle di basilico (fried patties of bread, egg, Parmesan and basil) and ravioli di provola e melanzana (ravioli stuffed with provola cheese and eggplant). Best of all, it’s all yours to devour under a pergola of bulbous lemons.

La Conchiglia TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 081 896 76 02; Via Pizzaco 10; meals €30; lunch Mar-Oct, dinner May–mid-Sep) Topaz waves at your feet, pastel Corricella in the distance – this is what you come to Procida for. Up against the views, the food holds its own with dishes such as spaghetti alla povera (spaghetti with peperoncino, green peppers, cherry tomatoes and anchovies). To get here, take the steep steps down from Via Pizzaco or book a boat from Corricella.

Gorgonia TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €

(Via Marina Corricella; meals €24; Mar-Oct) Along unpretentious Marina Corricella, with its old fishing boats, piles of fishing nets and sleek, lazy cats, any restaurant will provide you with a memorable experience. That said, this place peddles particularly fine smoked-seafood dishes, including swordfish and tuna steaks.

Information

Procida Holidays ( 081 896 95 94; www.isoladiprocida.it; Via Roma 117; 9am-1pm & 4-8pm Mon-Sat Apr-Oct, closed Sat afternoon Nov-Mar) can organise accommodation (single/double from €40/50) and boat trips (about €15 for a two-hour tour), and also has a free map of the island.

Getting There & Around

Procida is linked by boat and hydrofoil to Ischia (€9), Pozzuoli (€9) and Naples ( Click here ).

There is a limited bus service (€1), with four lines radiating out from Marina Grande. Bus L1 connects the port and Marina di Chiaiolella.

Microtaxis can be hired for two to three hours for about €35, depending on your bargaining prowess. Contact Sport & Company (Via Roma 137; closed Sun) for bike hire (per day €18).

SOUTH OF NAPLES

Ercolano & Herculaneum

Ercolano is an uninspiring Neapolitan suburb that’s home to one of Italy’s best-preserved ancient sites – Herculaneum. A superbly conserved Roman fishing town, Herculaneum is smaller and less daunting than Pompeii, allowing you to visit without that nagging itch that you’re bound to miss something.

History

In contrast to modern Ercolano, classical Herculaneum was a peaceful fishing and port town of about 4000 inhabitants, and something of a resort for wealthy Romans and Campanians.

Herculaneum’s fate paralleled that of nearby Pompeii. Destroyed by an earthquake in AD 63, it was completely submerged in the AD 79 eruption of Mt Vesuvius. However, as it was much closer to the volcano than Pompeii, it drowned in a 16m-thick sea of mud rather than in the lapilli (burning pumice stone) and ash that rained down on Pompeii. This essentially fossilised the town, ensuring that even delicate items, like furniture and clothing, were discovered remarkably well preserved.

The town was rediscovered in 1709, and amateur excavations were carried out intermittently until 1874, with many finds being carted off to Naples to decorate the houses of the well-to-do or to end up in museums. Serious archaeological work began again in 1927 and continues to this day, although with much of the ancient site buried beneath modern Ercolano, it’s slow going.

Sights

Ruins of Herculaneum RUINS

( 081 732 43 38; Corso Resina 6; adult/EU national 18-25yr/EU national under 18yr & over 65yr €11/5.50/free; 8.30am-7.30pm Apr-Oct, to 5pm Nov-Mar) Pompeii may be much larger, but the ruins of Herculaneum are better preserved, offering an unrivalled insight into ancient Roman life.

From the site’s main gateway on Corso Resina, head down the wide boulevard, where you’ll find the ticket office on the left. Pick up a free map and guide booklet here, and then follow the boulevard right to the actual entrance into the ruins themselves. Here you can hire the useful audioguide (€6.50).

To enter the ruins you pass through what appears to be a moat around the town but is in fact the ancient shoreline. It was here in 1980 that archaeologists discovered some 300 skeletons, the remains of a crowd that had fled to the beach only to be overcome by boiling surge clouds sweeping down from Vesuvius.

As you begin your exploration northeast along Cardo III you’ll stumble across Casa d’Argo (Argus House), a well-preserved example of a Roman noble family’s house, complete with porticoed garden and triclinium (dining area).

Across the street sits the Casa dello Scheletro (House of the Skeleton), a modest- size house with five styles of mosaic flooring and the remnants of an ancient security grill protecting the original skylight.

Across the Decumano Inferiore (one of ancient Herculaneum’s main streets), the Terme Maschili was the men’s section of the Terme del Foro (Forum Baths). Note the ancient latrine to the left of the entrance before stepping into the apodyterium (changing room). To the left is the frigidarium (cold bath), to the right the tepadarium (tepid bath), caldarium (hot bath) and an exercise area.

At the end of Cardo III, Decumano Massimo (Herculaneum’s main thoroughfare) is lined with ancient shops and advertising, such as that adorning the wall to the right of the Casa del Salone Nero .

Further east along Decumano Massimo, a crucifix found in an upstairs room of the Casa del Bicentenario (Bicentenary House) provides possible evidence of a Christian presence in pre-Vesuvius Herculaneum.

Turn into Cardo IV from Decumano Massimo and you’ll find the Casa del Bel Cortile (House of the Beautiful Courtyard), which houses three of the 300 skeletons discovered on the ancient shore in 1980.

Next door, the Casa di Nettuno e Anfitrite (House of Neptune and Amphitrite) is named after the extraordinary mosaic in the nymphaeum .

Over the road, the Terme Femminili was the women’s section of the Terme del Foro ; note the finely executed floor mosaic of a naked Triton in the apodyterium .

Further southwest on Cardo IV, the Casa dell’Atrio a Mosaico (House of the Mosaic Atrium; closed for restoration) is an impressive mansion with extensive floor mosaics, including a black-and-white chessboard design in the atrium.

Backtrack up Cardo IV and turn right at Decumano Inferiore. Here you’ll find the Casa del Gran Portale (House of the Large Portal), whose main entrance is flanked by elegant brick Corinthian columns. Inside are some well-preserved wall paintings.

Accessible from Cardo V, Casa dei Cervi (House of the Deer) is an imposing example of a Roman noble family’s house. The two-storey villa, around a central courtyard, contains murals and still-life paintings. In the courtyard is a diminutive pair of marble deer assailed by dogs and an engaging statue of a peeing Hercules.

Marking the site’s southernmost tip, the 1st-century-AD Terme Suburbane Offline map (Suburban Baths; closed for restoration) is one of the best-preserved bath complexes in existence, with deep pools, stucco friezes and bas-reliefs looking down upon marble seats and floors.

Northwest of the ruins, Villa dei Papiri was a vast four-storey, 245m-long complex owned by Julius Caesar’s father-in-law. At the time of research, the villa was closed for restoration. For updates, contact www.arethusa.net.

MAV

(Museo Archeologico Virtuale; 081 1980 6511; www.museomav.com; Via IV Novembre; admission €7.50; 9am-5.30pm Tue-Sun) On the main street linking the ruins and the train station, child-friendly MAV is a virtual-reality archaeology museum bringing the region’s ruins back to life through holograms and computer-generated video.

Information

En route, you’ll pass the tourist office (Via IV Novembre 82; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat) on your right.

Getting There & Away

The best way to get to Ercolano is by Circumvesuviana train (get off at Ercolano-Scavi). Trains run regularly to/from Naples (€2.10), Pompeii (€1.50) and Sorrento (€2.10).

By car take the A3 from Naples, exit at Ercolano Portico and follow the signs to car parks near the site’s entrance.

Mt Vesuvius

Towering darkly over Naples and its environs, Mt Vesuvius (Vesuvio; 1281m) is the only active volcano on the European mainland. Since it exploded into history in AD 79, burying Pompeii and Herculaneum and pushing the coastline out several kilometres, it has erupted more than 30 times. The most devastating of these was in 1631, the most recent in 1944. And while there’s little evidence to suggest any imminent activity, observers worry that the current lull is the longest in the past 500 years.

A full-scale eruption would be catastrophic. Some 600,000 people live within 7km of the crater and, despite incentives to relocate, few are willing to go.

Established in 1995, Parco Nazionale del Vesuvio (Vesuvius National Park; www.parconazionaledelvesuvio.it) attracts some 400,000 visitors annually. From a car park at the summit, an 860m path leads up to the volcano’s crater (admission incl tour €8; 9am-6pm Jul & Aug, to 5pm Apr-Jun & Sep, to 4pm Mar & Oct, to 3pm Nov-Feb) . It’s not a strenuous walk, but it’s more comfortable in trainers than in sandals or flip-flops.

You’d also do well to take sunglasses – useful against swirling ash – and a sweater, as it can be chilly up top, even in summer.

About halfway up the hill, the Museo dell’Osservatorio Vesuviano (Museum of the Vesuvian Observatory; 081 610 84 83; www.ov.ingv.it; admission free; 10am-2pm Sat & Sun) tells the history of 2000 years of Vesuvius-watching.

EAV Bus ( 800 053 939; www.eavbus.it) runs two daily services from Naples to Vesuvius (€14.60 return, 90 minutes), stopping at Piazza Garibaldi at 9.25am and 10.40am. Two return services depart Vesuvius at 12.30pm and 2pm. It also runs eight to 10 daily buses to Vesuvius from Piazza Anfiteatro in Pompeii (€10, one hour). Buses terminate in the crater car park.

By car, exit the A3 at Ercolano Portico and follow signs for the Parco Nazionale del Vesuvio.

Note that when weather conditions are bad the summit path is shut and bus departures are suspended.

Pompeii

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A stark reminder of the malign forces that lie deep inside Vesuvius, Pompeii (Pompei in Italian) is Europe’s most compelling archaeological site. Each year about 2.5 million people pour in to wander the ghostly shell of what was once a thriving commercial centre.

Its appeal goes beyond tourism, though. From an archaeological point of view, it’s priceless. Much of the value lies in the fact that it wasn’t simply blown away by Vesuvius: rather it was buried under a layer of lapilli (burning pumice stone), as Pliny the Younger describes in his celebrated account of the eruption.

History

The eruption of Vesuvius wasn’t the first disaster to strike the Roman port of Pompeii. In AD 63, a massive earthquake hit the city, causing widespread damage and the evacuation of much of the 20,000-strong population. Many had not returned when Vesuvius blew its top on 24 August AD 79, burying the city under a layer of lapilli and killing some 2000 men, women and children.

The origins of Pompeii are uncertain, but it seems likely that it was founded in the 7th century BC by the Campanian Oscans. Over the next seven centuries the city fell to the ancient Greeks and the Samnites before becoming a Roman colony in 80 BC.

After its catastrophic demise, Pompeii receded from the public eye until 1594, when the architect Domenico Fontana stumbled across the ruins while digging a canal. However, short of recording the find, he took no further action.

Exploration proper began in 1748 under the Bourbon king Charles VII and continued into the 19th century. In the early days, many of the more spectacular mosaics were siphoned off to decorate Charles’ palace in Portici; thankfully, though, most were subsequently moved up to Naples, where they now sit in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale (Click here ).

Work continues today and although new discoveries are being made, the emphasis is now on restoring what has already been unearthed rather than raking for new finds. Given the spate of recent government funding cuts, this has been a challenging task, the shock collapse of the Casa dei Gladiatori (House of the Gladiators) in November 2010 bringing to light the challenges faced in protecting this fragile site.

Sights

Ruins of Pompeii RUINS

( 081 861 90 03; entrances at Porta Marina & Piazza Anfiteatro; adult/EU national 18yr-25yr/EU national under 18yr & over 65yr €11/5.50/free; 8.30am-7.30pm Apr-Oct, 8.30am-5pm Nov-Mar) Of Pompeii’s original 66 hectares, 44 have now been excavated. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you’ll have unhindered access to every inch of the Unesco World Heritage–listed site: you’ll come across areas cordoned off for no apparent reason, the odd stray dog and a noticeable lack of clear signs. Audioguides (€6.50) are a sensible investment, and a good guidebook will help – try the €10 Pompeii published by Electa Napoli.

If visiting in summer, note that there’s not much shade on-site, so bring a hat and sunscreen. To do justice to the site, allow at least three or four hours, longer if you want to go into detail.

The site’s main entrance is at Porta Marina Offline map Google map , the most impressive of the seven gates that punctuated the ancient town walls. A busy passageway, now as then, it originally connected the town with the nearby harbour. Just outside the wall is the impressive Terme Suburbane . Accessible subject to prior booking at www.arethusa.net (click on ‘Prenotazioni e Prevendite’), these baths are famed for the risqué frescoes in the apodyterium (changing room), which include a rare homoerotic scene involving two women.

Immediately on the right as you enter Porta Marina is the 1st-century-BC Tempio di Venere Offline map Google map (Temple of Venus), formerly one of the town’s most opulent temples.

Continuing down Via Marina you come to the basilica , the 2nd-century-BC seat of the city’s law courts and exchange. Opposite, the Tempio di Apollo Offline map Google map (Temple of Apollo) is the oldest and most important of Pompeii’s religious buildings, dating to the 2nd century BC. The grassy foro Offline map Google map (forum) adjacent to the temple was the city’s main piazza – a huge traffic-free rectangle flanked by limestone columns.

North of the forum stands the Tempio di Giove Offline map Google map (Temple of Jupiter), one of whose two flanking triumphal arches remains, and the Granai del Foro Offline map Google map (Forum Granary), now used to store hundreds of amphorae and a number of body casts. These casts were made in the late 19th century by pouring plaster into the hollows left by disintegrated bodies. Nearby, the macellum Offline map Google map was the city’s main meat and fish market.

From the market follow Via degli Augustali until Vicolo del Lupanare. Halfway down this narrow alley is the Lupanare Offline map Google map , an ancient brothel. A tiny two-storey building with five rooms on each floor, it’s lined with some of Pompeii’s raunchiest frescoes.

At the end of Via dei Teatri, the green Foro Triangolare Offline map Google map would originally have overlooked the sea. The main attraction here was, and still is, the 2nd-century-BC Teatro Grande Offline map Google map , a huge 5000-seat theatre. Behind the stage, the porticoed Quadriportico dei Teatri Offline map Google map was initially used for the audience to stroll between acts and later as a barracks for gladiators. Next door, the Teatro Piccolo Offline map Google map , also known as the Odeion, was once an indoor theatre, while the pre-Roman Tempio di Iside Offline map Google map (Temple of Isis) was a popular place of cult worship.

Just to the east, Via dell’Anfiteatro (which becomes Vico Meridionale) is where you’ll find Casa del Menandro Offline map . One of Pompeii’s grander private homes, its highlights include an elegant peristyle (colonnaded garden) and a striking mosaic floor in the caldarium (hot room).

Back on Via dell’Abbondanza, the Terme Stabiane Offline map Google map is a typical 2nd-century-BC bath complex. Entering from the vestibule, bathers would stop off in the vaulted apodyterium (changing room) before passing through to the tepidarium and caldarium . Further northeast along Via dell’Abbondanza, the Thermopolium di Vetutius Placidus Offline map is a fine example of a Roman snack bar, while the Casa della Venere in Conchiglia Offline map Google map (House of the Venus Marina) harbours a lovely peristyle looking on to a small, manicured garden. It’s here that you’ll find the striking Venus fresco after which the house is named.

Nearby, the grassy anfiteatro Offline map Google map is the oldest-known Roman amphitheatre in existence. Built in 70 BC, it was at one time capable of holding up to 20,000 bloodthirsty spectators. Over the way, the Grande Palestra Offline map Google map is an athletics field with an impressive portico and, at its centre, the remains of a swimming pool.

From here, double back along Via dell’Abbondanza and turn right into Via Stabiana to see some of Pompeii’s grandest houses. Turn left into Via della Fortuna for the Casa del Fauno Offline map Google map (House of the Faun), Pompeii’s largest private house. Named after the small bronze statue in the impluvium (rain tank), it was here that early excavators found Pompeii’s greatest mosaics, most of which are now in Naples’ Museo Archeologico Nazionale. A couple of blocks away, the Casa del Poeta Tragico Offline map Google map (House of the Tragic Poet) features the world’s first ‘beware of the dog’ – cave canem – warnings. To the north, on Vicolo di Mercurio, the Casa dei Vettii Offline map is home to a famous depiction of Priapus with his gigantic phallus balanced on a pair of scales.

From here follow the road west and turn right into Via Consolare, which takes you out of the town through Porta Ercolano Offline map . Continue past Villa di Diomede , turn right, and you’ll come to the Villa dei Misteri , one of the most complete structures left standing in Pompeii. The Dionysiac Frieze, the most important fresco still on-site, spans the walls of the large dining room. One of the world’s largest ancient paintings, it depicts the initiation of a bride-to-be into the cult of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine.

The Museo Vesuviano ( 081 850 72 55; Via Bartolomeo 12; admission free; 9am-1pm Mon-Fri) , southeast of the excavations, contains an interesting array of artefacts.

Old Pompeii

Top Sights

Casa del Menandro C2

Lupanare B2

Teatro Grande B2

Terme Suburbane A2

Sights

1  Anfiteatro D1

2  Basilica B2

3  Casa dei Vettii B1

4  Casa del Fauno B1

5  Casa del Poeta Tragico A2

6  Casa della Venere in Conchiglia D1

7  Foro B2

8  Foro Triangolare B2

9  Granai del Foro A2

10  Grande Palestra D2

11  Macellum B2

12 Piazza Anfiteatro Entrance & Ticket OfficeD2

13  Porta Ercolano A1

14  Porta Marina A2

15 Porta Marina Entrance & Ticket OfficeA3

16  Quadriportico dei Teatri C2

17  Teatro Piccolo C2

18  Tempio di Apollo B2

19  Tempio di Giove B2

20  Tempio di Iside C2

21  Tempio di Venere A2

22  Terme Stabiane B2

23  Thermopolium di Vetutius Placidus C2

Activities, Courses & Tours

24  Torres Travel C3

Eating

25  Cafeteria B2

26  Plinio Hostaria C3

Tours

You’ll almost certainly be approached by a guide outside the scavi ticket office. Authorised guides wear identification tags and you can expect to pay between €100 and €120 for a two-hour tour, whether you’re alone or in a group. Reputable tour operators include Yellow Sudmarine ( 329 1010 328; www.yellowsudmarine.com) , Torres Travel Offline map ( 081 856 78 02; www.torrestravel.it) and Pompeii Cast ( 081 850 49 12; www.pompeiicast.it) , all of whom offer tours of the ruins, as well as excursions to other regional highlights, including Naples, Capri and the Amalfi Coast.

Sleeping & Eating

There’s really no need to stay overnight in Pompeii. The ruins are best visited on a day trip from Naples, Sorrento or Salerno, and once the excavations close for the day, the area around the site becomes decidedly seedy. Most of the restaurants near the ruins are characterless affairs set up for feeding busloads of tourists. Wander down to the modern town and it’s a little better, with a few decent restaurants serving excellent local food.

If you’d rather stay at the ruins, the on-site cafeteria Offline map Google map (Via di Mercurio) peddles the standard choice of panini, pizza slices, salads, hot meals and gelato. You’ll find it near the Tempio di Giove.

President MODERN ITALIAN €€

( 081 850 72 45; Piazza Schettini 12; meals €40; closed Mon & dinner Sun Nov-Mar, closed 2 weeks Jan) Under dripping chandeliers, regional produce is celebrated in brilliant creations like eggplant millefoglie (flaky puff pastry) with Cetara anchovies, mozzarella filante (melted mozzarella) and grated tarallo (savoury almond biscuit). The degustation menus (€40 to €70) are a gourmand’s delight.

Plinio Hostaria OSTERIA, PIZZERIA €€

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(Via Plinio 12; pizza €4-12, meals €30) Located 450m west of Piazza Anfiteatro, this homely osteria is one of the better eateries near the ruins. Tuck into decent pizzas, warming lasagne, or fresh salads. If the weather is warm, nosh al fresco in the leafy courtyard.

Information

First-aid post ( 081 535 91 11; Via Colle San Bartolomeo 50)

Police station ( 081 856 35 11; Piazza Porta Marina Inferiore)

Pompeii Sites (www.pompeiisites.org) A comprehensive website covering Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Post office (Piazza Esedra)

Tourist office Porta Marina ( 081 536 32 93; www.pompeiturismo.it; Piazza Porta Marina Inferiore 12; 8am-3.45pm Mon-Sat); Pompeii town ( 081 850 72 55; Via Sacra 1; 8am-3.30pm Mon-Fri, to 1.30pm Sat)

Getting There & Away

Frequent Circumvesuviana trains run from Pompeii-Scavi-Villa dei Misteri station to Naples (€2.80, 35 minutes) and Sorrento (€2.10, 30 minutes).

Otherwise, SITA ( 089 405 145; www.sitabus.it, in Italian) operates buses half-hourly to/from Naples (€2.80, 30 minutes); and CSTP ( 800 016 659; www.cstp.it, in Italian) bus 4 runs to/from Salerno (€2.10, one hour).

For Rome, Marozzi ( 080 579 01 11; www.marozzivt.it) has one to two daily buses (€16.50, three hours), departing from Piazza Esedra.

For information on getting to/from Vesuvius Click here . Buses to Vesuvius depart from Piazza Anfiteatro.

To get here by car, take the A3 from Naples. Use the Pompeii exit and follow signs to Pompeii Scavi. Car parks (approximately €5 per hour) are clearly marked and vigorously touted.

Sorrento

POP 16,610

On paper, cliff-straddling Sorrento is a place to avoid – a package-holiday centre with few must-see sights, no beach to speak of and a glut of brassy English-style pubs. In reality, it’s a strangely appealing place, its laid-back southern Italian charm resisting all attempts to swamp it in souvenir tat and graceless development.

Dating to Greek times and known to Romans as Surrentum, it’s ideally situated for exploring the surrounding area: to the west, the best of the peninsula’s unspoiled countryside and, beyond that, the Amalfi Coast; to the north, Pompeii and the archaeological sites; offshore, the fabled island of Capri.

According to Greek legend, it was in Sorrento’s waters that the mythical sirens once lived. Sailors of antiquity were powerless to resist the beautiful song of these charming maidens-cum-monsters, who would lure them and their ships to their doom. Homer’s Ulysses escaped by having his oarsmen plug their ears with wax and by strapping himself to his ship’s mast as he sailed past.

Sights

Spearing off from Piazza Tasso, Corso Italia (closed to traffic from 7pm to 1am daily during the summer, as well as from 10am to 1pm on Sundays and public holidays) cuts through the centro storico, whose narrow streets throng with tourists on summer evenings. An attractive area, it’s thick with loud souvenir stores, cafes, churches and restaurants.

Sorrento

Top Sights

Chiesa di San Francesco A2

Museo Bottega della Tarsia Lignea A3

Museo Correale D1

Sights

1  Duomo A3

2  Villa Comunale Park A2

Activities, Courses & Tours

3  Sic Sic B1

Sleeping

4  Casa Astarita A3

Eating

5  Inn BufalitoA3

6  La Basilica B2

7  Mondo Bio D2

8  Ristorante II Buco B2

Drinking

9  Bollicine A2

10  Café Latino A3

11  Fauno Bar B3

Entertainment

Fauno Notte Club (see 11)

12  Teatro Tasso B2

Chiesa di San Francesco CHURCH

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( 081 878 12 69; Via San Francesco; 8am-1pm & 2-8pm) The real attraction here is not the church but its beautiful medieval cloisters. A harmonious marriage of architectural styles – two sides are lined with 14th-century crossed arches, the other two with round arches supported by octagonal pillars – they are often used to host exhibitions and summer concerts.

Next door, the Villa Comunale park Offline map Google map ( 8am-8pm mid-Oct–mid-Apr, 8am-midnight mid-Apr–mid-Oct) commands grand views over the water to Mt Vesuvius.

Museo Correale MUSEUM

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( 081 878 18 46; www.museocorreale.com; Via Correale 50; admission €7; 9.30am-1.30pm Wed-Mon) Sorrento’s main museum, it houses a rich collection of 17th- and 19th-century Neapolitan art, Japanese, Chinese and European ceramics, clocks and furniture, as well as Greek and Roman artefacts. The museum’s gardens are equally impressive, with heavenly bay views.

Museo Bottega della Tarsia Lignea MUSEUM

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( 081 877 19 42; Via San Nicola 28; admission €8; 10am-1pm & 3-6.30pm) Further west, the palatial Bottega della Tarsia Lignea showcases some fabulous examples of intarsio (marquetry) furniture – a craft Sorrento has been famous for since the 18th century.

Duomo DUOMO

( 081 878 22 48; Corso Italia; 8am-noon & 6-8pm) The gleaming white exterior of Sorrento’s spiritual centrepiece gives no hint of its inner exuberance. Of particular note are the marble bishop’s throne and the beautiful wooden choir stalls. Outside, the triple-tiered bell tower rests on an archway into which three classical columns have been set.

Activities

The bad news: Sorrento does not have great beaches. In town the two main swimming spots are Marina Piccola and, to the east, Marina Grande , although neither is especially appealing. The good news: Bagni Regina Giovanna , a rocky beach set among the ruins of the Roman Villa Pollio Felix, is much nicer. It’s possible to walk there (follow Via Capo west for about 2km), but it’s quicker to get the SITA bus or the EAV bus (Linea A) for Massalubrense.

To find the best swimming spots, you’ll really need a boat. Sic Sic Offline map Google map ( 081 807 22 83; www.nauticasicsic.com; Via Marina Piccola 43; May-Oct) rents out a variety of boats, starting at around €50 per hour or €150 a day (excluding petrol).

Tours

City Sightseeing Sorrento BUS

( 081 877 47 07; www.sorrento.city-sightseeing.it; adult/6-15yr €12/6) This hop-on, hop-off bus tour covers Sorrento and the surrounding area. Daily departures are at 9.30am, 11.30am, 1.30pm and 3.30pm from Piazza De Curtis (Circumvesuviana station). English-language commentaries are provided, and tickets, available on board, are valid for six hours.

Festivals & Events

The city’s patron saint, Sant’Antonino, is remembered on 14 February each year with processions and huge markets. The saint is credited with having saved Sorrento during WWII, when Salerno and Naples were heavily bombed.

Sorrento’s Settimana Santa Easter processions are famous throughout Italy. There are two main processions: one at midnight on the Thursday preceding Good Friday, the second on Good Friday.

Sleeping

Most accommodation is in the town centre or clustered along Via Capo, the coastal road west of the centre. Be sure to book early for the summer season.

La Tonnarella HOTEL €€€

( 081 878 11 53; www.latonnarella.it; Via Capo 31; d €112-225, ste €300-400; Apr-Oct; ) A dazzling combo of blue-and-yellow majolica tiles, antiques, chandeliers and statues. Most of the classically themed rooms have their own balcony or small terrace, and the hotel has its own private beach (accessible by lift). There’s an excellent terrace restaurant to boot. The hotel is located just west of central Sorrento, on Via Capo (the continuation of Via degli Aranci).

Hotel Cristina HOTEL €€

( 081 878 35 62; www.hotelcristinasorrento.it; Via Privata Rubinacci 6, Sant’Agnello; s €90-135, d €90-200; Apr-Oct; ) Perched above Sant’Agnello, Hotel Cristina boasts unrivalled views, best enjoyed from the swimming pool. Elegant rooms fuse inlaid wooden furniture and vintage prints with contemporary touches like Philippe Starck chairs. There’s an in-house restaurant and a free shuttle bus to/from Sorrento’s Circumvesuviana station, 1.5 kilometres to the west.

Casa Astarita B&B €

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( 081 877 49 06; www.casastarita.com; Corso Italia 67, Sorrento; s €55-100, d €70-115; ) This gem of a B&B is housed in a central, 16th-century building. All six rooms combine original structural elements with flat-screen TVs, fridges and excellent water pressure. Tasteful art work and antiques complete the eclectic look. Rooms surround a central parlour where breakfast is served on a large rustic table.

Seven Hostel HOSTEL €

( 081 878 67 58; www.sevenhostel.com; Via Iommella Grande 99, Sant’Agnello; dm €20-32, s €50-80, d €60-100; ) Seven sexes up ‘budget’ with its sleek spaces, chic rooftop terraces, and weekend live-music gigs. Dorms are spacious and contemporary (some with en suite bathroom), private rooms small but smart, and the on-site laundry is a welcome bonus. It’s 800m north of the Sant’Agnello Circumvesuviana train station, one stop from Sorrento.

Nube d’Argento CAMPGROUND €

( 081 878 13 44; www.nubedargento.com; Via Capo 21; camping 2 people, tent & car €25-37, 2- person bungalows €50-85; Mar-Dec; ) This inviting campsite is an easy 1km drive west of the Sorrento town centre. Pitches and wooden chalet-style bungalows are spread out beneath a canopy of olive trees, and the facilities, including an open-air swimming pool, are excellent.

Eating

A local speciality to look out for is gnocchi alla sorrentina (gnocchi baked in tomato sauce with mozzarella).

Inn Bufalito CHEESE BAR €€

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(Via Fuoro 21; meals €30; Apr-Oct) A brilliant Slow Food mozzarella bar-restaurant. Head here for sterling local produce – think Sorrento-style cheese fondue, buffalo meat carpaccio and salsiccia (local sausage) with broccoli. There’s regular cheese tastings, as well as the odd art exhibitions or live-music act.

Ristorante II Buco GASTRONOMIC €€€

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( 081 878 23 54; Rampa Marina Piccola 5; meals €70, 6-course degustation menu €75-85; Thu-Tue Feb-Dec) Hardly the hole its name suggests, this Michelin-starred restaurant is housed in a former monks’ wine cellar. The emphasis is on innovative regional cooking, so expect revived classics such as cheese tartlet with tomato tartare and rucola pesto. Reservations recommended.

La Basilica MODERN ITALIAN, PIZZERIA €€

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(Via S Antonino 12; pizzas €6-11, meals €50; noon-midnight) Elegant without the attitude, barrel-vaulted Basilica serves regional nosh with subtle yet confident twists (think house-made black scialatielli pasta with calamari and pomodorini or a decadent dark chocolate and whiskey tart). For a cheaper feed, dig into the excellent wood-fired pizzas.

Mondo Bio VEGETARIAN €

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(Via degli Aranci 146; snacks €3, pasta from €6.50; 8.30am-8.30pm Mon-Sat) Flying the banner for organic vegetarian food, this bright shop-cum-restaurant serves a limited range of meat-free antipasti, mains and sweets. The menu, chalked up outside, changes daily but might include zuppa di soia verde (soybean soup) and polpette di tofu (tofu balls).

Drinking

From wood-panelled wine bars to cocktail-centric cafes, you’ll find no shortage of drinking dens in Sorrento.

Café Latino CAFE, BAR

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(Vico I Fuoro 4a) A romantic choice, this is the place to sit among orange and lemon trees and gaze into your lover’s eyes over a chilled cocktail. If you can’t drag yourselves away, you can also eat here (meals around €30).

Fauno Bar CAFE, BAR

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(Piazza Tasso) This elegant cafe covers half of Piazza Tasso and offers the best people-watching in town. Expect stiff drinks at stiff prices – cocktails start at around €8.50. Snacks and sandwiches are also available (from €7).

Bollicine WINE BAR

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(Via dell’Accademia 9; closed Tue) An unpretentious wine bar with a dark wooden interior and boxes of bottles littered around the place. The wine list includes all the big Italian names and a selection of local labels – the amiable bartender will happily advise you. There’s also a menu of rustic dishes, including pizza and homemade salami.

Entertainment

In the summer, concerts are held in the cloisters of Chiesa di San Francesco.

Teatro Tasso LIVE MUSIC, THEATRE

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( 081 807 55 25; www.teatrotasso.com; Piazza Sant’Antonino) Head here for a good old sing-along. The southern Italian equivalent of a cockney music hall, it’s home to the Sorrento Musical (€25), a sentimental revue of Neapolitan classics such as ‘O Sole Mio’. The 75-minute performances start at 9.30pm every evening from Monday to Saturday from Easter to October.

Fauno Notte Club LIVE MUSIC, THEATRE

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( 081 878 10 21; www.faunonotte.it; Piazza Tasso 1) Teatro Tasso’s direct competitor offers ‘a fantastic journey through history, legends and folklore’. In other words, 500 years of Neapolitan history set to music.

Information

Hospital ( 081 533 11 11; Corso Italia 1)

Police station ( 081 807 53 11; Via Capasso 11)

Post office (Corso Italia 210)

Sorrento Tour (www.sorrentotour.it) Extensive website with tourist and transport information on Sorrento and environs.

Tourist office (Via Luigi De Maio 35; 8.30am-4.15pm Mon-Fri) In the Circolo dei Forestieri (Foreigners’ Club). Has printed material and can offer accommodation advice. From May to September, you’ll also find information kiosks (open 10am to 1pm and 4pm to 9pm) at the train station, ferry terminal and in the centre of town.

Getting There & Away

Boat

Sorrento is the main jumping-off point for Capri and also has excellent ferry connections to Naples, Ischia and Amalfi coastal resorts. Alilauro ( 081 878 14 30; www.alilauro.it) runs up to five daily hydrofoils between Naples and Sorrento (€11, 35 minutes). The slower Metrò del Mare ( 199 600700; www.metrodelmare.net) covers the same route but was suspended indefinitely in 2011. Gescab-Linee Marittime Partenopee ( 081 704 19 11; www.consorziolmp.it) runs hydrofoils from Sorrento to Capri from April to November (€15, 20 minutes, 15 daily).

All ferries and hydrofoils depart from the port at Marina Piccola, where you buy your tickets.

Bus

Curreri ( 081 801 54 20; www.curreriviaggi.it) runs six daily services to Sorrento from Naples’ Capodichino airport, departing from outside the arrivals hall and arriving in Piazza Tasso. Buy tickets (€10) for the 75-minute journey on the bus.

SITA ( 089 405 145; www.sitabus.it, in Italian) buses serve the Amalfi Coast and Sant’Agata sui due Golfi, leaving from outside the Circumvesuviana train station. Buy tickets at the station bar or from shops bearing the blue SITA sign. Around 30 buses run daily between Sorrento and Amalfi (€2.80, 1¾ hours), looping around Positano (€1.50, one hour). Change at Amalfi for Ravello.

Marozzi ( 080 579 01 11; www.marozzivt.it) operates one to two daily buses to/from Rome (€17.50).

Train

Circumvesuviana ( 081 772 24 44; www.vesuviana.it) trains run every half-hour between Sorrento and Naples (€4), via Pompeii (€2.10) and Ercolano (€2.10).

Getting Around

Local bus Line B runs from Piazza Sant’Antonino to the port at Marina Piccola (€1).

Jolly Service & Rent ( 081 877 34 50; www.jollyrent.eu; Via degli Aranci 180) has Smart cars from €53 a day and 50cc scooters from €27.

For a taxi, call 081 878 22 04.

West of Sorrento

The countryside west of Sorrento is the very essence of southern Italy. Tortuous roads wind their way through hills covered in olive trees and lemon groves, passing through sleepy villages and tiny fishing ports. There are magnificent views at every turn, the best from Sant’Agata sui due Golfi and the high points overlooking Punta Campanella, the westernmost point of the Sorrentine Peninsula.

SANT’AGATA SUI DUE GOLFI

Perched high in the hills above Sorrento, sleepy Sant’Agata sui due Golfi commands spectacular views of the Bay of Naples on one side and the Bay of Salerno on the other (hence its name, Saint Agatha on the two Gulfs). The best viewpoint is the Deserto ( 081 878 01 99; Via Deserto; gardens 7am-7pm, panoramic lookout 5-8pm Apr-Sep, 3-4pm Oct-Mar) , a Carmelite convent 1.5km uphill from the village centre. The convent (s incl breakfast, lunch & dinner €45) also offers simple, peaceful accommodation for those who find the peace and panorama too hard to leave.

Agriturismo Le Tore ( 081 808 06 37; www.letore.com; Via Pontone 43; s €50-80, d €90-110, dinner €25-30; Easter–mid-Nov; ) is a working organic farm with eight barnlike rooms and an apartment that sleeps six (€600 to €1000 per week). A short drive, or a long walk, from the village, the setting is lovely, a rustic farmhouse hidden among fruit trees and olive groves.

From Sorrento, there’s a pretty 3km (approximately one hour) trail up to Sant’Agata. Otherwise, hourly SITA buses leave from the Circumvesuviana train station.

MARINA DEL CANTONE

From Sorrento, follow the coastal road round to Termini . Stop a moment to admire the views before continuing on to Nerano , from where a beautiful hiking trail leads down to the stunning Bay of Ieranto , one of the coast’s top swimming spots, and Marina del Cantone . This unassuming village with its small pebble beach is a lovely, tranquil place to stay and a popular diving destination.

Nettuno Diving ( 081 808 10 51; www.sorrentodiving.com; Via Vespucci 39) Padi Dive Resort leads underwater activities, including snorkelling excursions, beginner courses and cave dives. Adult rates start at €25 for a day-long outing to the Bay of Leranto.

Set among olive groves by the village entrance, Villaggio Residence Nettuno ( 081 808 10 51; www.villaggionettuno.it, www.torreturbolo.com; Via Vespucci 39; camping 2 people, tent & car €15-31, bungalow €35-80, apt €60-250; Mar-early Nov; ) offers tent pitches, bungalows for two to eight people, mobile homes for two to four people, and apartments in a 16th-century tower for two to five people.

The village has a reputation as a gastronomic hot spot and VIPs regularly boat over from Capri to dine here. A favourite is Lo Scoglio ( 081 808 10 26; Marina del Cantone; meals €55) , which serves superlative seafood tempters like a €30 antipasto of raw seafood and a celestial spaghetti al riccio (spaghetti with sea urchins).

SITA runs regular bus services between Sorrento and Marina del Cantone (on timetables as Nerano Cantone; €2.10, one hour).

AMALFI COAST

Stretching about 50km along the southern side of the Sorrentine Peninsula, the Amalfi Coast (Costiera Amalfitana) is one of Europe’s most breathtaking. Cliffs terraced with scented lemon groves sheer down into sparkling seas; sherbet-hued villas cling precariously to unforgiving slopes while sea and sky merge in one vast blue horizon.

Yet its stunning topography has not always been a blessing. For centuries after the passing of Amalfi’s glory days as a maritime superpower (from the 9th to the 12th centuries), the area was poor and its isolated villages regular victims of foreign incursions, earthquakes and landslides. But it was this very isolation that first drew visitors in the early 1900s, paving the way for the advent of tourism in the latter half of the century. Today the Amalfi Coast is one of Italy’s premier tourist destinations, a favourite of cashed-up jet-setters and love-struck couples.

The best time to visit is in spring or early autumn. In summer the coast’s single road (SS163) gets very busy and prices are inflated; in winter much of the coast simply shuts down.

Getting There & Away

Boat

Boat services to the Amalfi Coast towns are generally limited to the period between April and October.

Gescab-Alicost ( 089 87 14 83; www.alicost.it, in Italian) operates one daily ferry and one daily hydrofoil from Salerno to Amalfi (€7/9), Positano (€11/13) and Capri (€18.50/20) from mid-April to October. Services from Amalfi and Positano to Capri run twice daily. It also runs two daily ferries from Sorrento to Positano (€13) and Amalfi (€14).

TraVelMar ( 089 87 29 50; www.travelmar.it, in Italian) connects Salerno with Amalfi (€7, six daily) and Positano (€11, six daily) from April to October.

Metrò del Mare ( 199 600700; www.metrodelmare.net, in Italian) was suspended indefinitely in 2011 but normally runs summer-only services to various Amalfi Coast destinations, including Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and Salerno.

Bus

SITA ( 089 405 145; www.sitabus.it, in Italian) operates a frequent, year-round service along the SS163 between Sorrento and Salerno (€3.30), via Amalfi.

Car & Motorcycle

If driving from the north, exit the A3 autostrada at Vietri sul Mare and follow the SS163 along the coast. From the south leave the A3 at Salerno and head for Vietri sul Mare and the SS163.

Train

From Naples you can take either the Circumvesuviana to Sorrento or a Trenitalia train to Salerno, then continue along the Amalfi Coast, eastwards or westwards, by SITA bus.

Positano

POP 3985

The pearl in the pack, Positano is the coast’s most photogenic and expensive town. Its steeply stacked houses are a medley of peaches, pinks and terracottas, and its near-vertical streets (many of which are, in fact, staircases) are lined with voguish shop displays, jewellery stalls, elegant hotels and smart restaurants. Look closely, though, and you’ll find reassuring signs of everyday reality – crumbling stucco, streaked paintwork and even, on occasion, a faint whiff of drains.

An early visitor, John Steinbeck, wrote: ‘Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone’ ( Harper’s Bazaar , May 1953). More than 50 years on, his words still ring true.

Sights

Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta CHURCH

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(Piazza Flavio Gioia; 8am-noon & 4-9pm) The lofty, ceramic-tiled dome of this church is the town’s most famous, and pretty much only, major sight. Inside the building, classical lines are broken by pillars topped with gilded Ionic capitals, while winged cherubs peek from above every arch. Above the main altar is a 13th-century Byzantine Black Madonna and Child .

Positano

Sights

1  Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta D2

Activities, Courses & Tours

2  Blue Star D2

3  L'Uomo e il Mare C3

Sleeping

4  Hostel Brikette A1

5  Hotel Palazzo Murat C2

6  Hotel Ristorante Pupetto B3

7 Pensione Maria LuisaB3

8  Villa Nettuno B2

Eating

9 Da VincenzoB2

10 II Saraceno d'OroA2

11  Ristorante Bruno D2

12  Ristorante Max C2

Entertainment

13  Music on the Rocks D2

Activities

Spiaggia Grande BEACH

Although it’s no one’s dream beach, with greyish sand covered by legions of brightly coloured umbrellas, the water’s clean and the setting is memorable. Hiring a chair and umbrella in the fenced-off areas costs around €20 per person per day, but the crowded public areas are free.

Blue Star BOATING, TOURS

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( 329 622 44 04; www.bluestarpositano.it; Spiaggia Grande; 9am-9pm Apr-Nov) Operating out of a kiosk on Spiaggia Grande, Blue Star hires out small motorboats for around €55 per hour and also organises excursions to Capri, the Grotta dello Smeraldo and all along the Amalfi Coast.

L’Uomo e il Mare BOATING, TOURS

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( 089 81 16 13; www.gennaroesalvatore.it; 8am-8pm Easter-Nov) A similar company to Blue Star, this outfit operates from a kiosk near the ferry terminal and offers a range of tours, including day trips to Capri (€50, including prosecco and cakes) and along the Amalfi Coast (€80, including lunch), and a romantic sunset cruise to the Li Galli islands (€30).

Sleeping

Most hotels are three-star and above and prices are universally high. Cheaper accommodation is more limited and must usually be booked well in advance for summer. Ask at the tourist office about rooms or apartments in private houses.

Pensione Maria Luisa PENSIONE €

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( 089 87 50 23; www.pensionemarialuisa.com; Via Fornillo 42; s €50, d €70-85; ) The best budget choice in town, Maria Luisa’s rooms and bathrooms have recently been updated with shiny new blue tiles and fittings; those with private terraces are well worth the extra €10 to €15 for the bay view. Other perks include a sunny communal area and a jovial, helpful owner. Payment is by cash only.

Hotel Palazzo Murat LUXURY HOTEL €€€

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( 089 87 51 77; www.palazzomurat.it; Via dei Mulini 23; s €130-315, d €150-370; late Mar-Oct; ) This upmarket treat is housed in the palazzo that Gioacchino Murat, Napoleon’s brother-in-law and one-time king of Naples, used as his summer residence. Beyond the lush gardens, rooms are traditional, with antiques, original oil paintings and plenty of lavish marble.

Hotel Ristorante Pupetto HOTEL €€

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( 089 87 50 87; www.hotelpupetto.it; Via Fornillo 37; s €90-100, d €130-170; Apr-Oct; ) Overlooking Spiaggia del Fornillo, this is as close to the beach as you can get without sleeping on a sun-lounge. A bustling, cheerful place, the hotel forms part of a rambling beach complex with a popular terraced restaurant (meals €25), a nautical-theme bar and sunny, renovated guest rooms with sea views.

Villa Nettuno PENSIONE €

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( 089 87 54 01; www.villanettunopositano.it; Viale Pasitea 208; s €70, d €80-95; ) Hidden behind a barrage of foliage, Villa Nettuno oozes charm. Rooms in the 300-year-old part of the building have heavy rustic decor, frescoed wardrobes and a communal terrace; those in the renovated part are still good value but less interesting. That said, you probably won’t be thinking of the furniture as you lie in bed gazing out to sea.

Hostel Brikette HOSTEL €

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( 089 87 58 57; www.brikette.com; Via Marconi 358; dm €23-25, d €65-85, apt €115-180; late Mar-Nov; ) Not far from the Bar Internazionale bus stop on the coastal road is this bright and cheerful hostel offering the cheapest accommodation in town. There are various options: six- to eight-person dorms (single-sex and mixed), double rooms, and apartments for two to five people. There are also laundry and left-luggage facilities.

Eating

Most restaurants, bars and trattorias, many of which are unashamedly touristy, close over winter, making a brief reappearance for Christmas and New Year.

Da Vincenzo TRATTORIA €€

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( 089 87 51 28; Viale Pasitea 172-178; meals €40; dinner daily, lunch Wed-Mon Apr-Nov) The best of the town’s trattorias, Da Vincenzo has been serving cucina di territorio (cuisine of the territory) since 1958. Simple dishes sing with flavour, from fresh fish to a triumphant starter of grilled octopus skewers with fried artichokes.

Ristorante Bruno TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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(Via Colombo 157; meals €40; closed Nov-Jan) Don’t let the underwhelming decor fool you: this unassuming restaurant serves superb seafood. Bag a table across the street and enjoy the view of Positano while swooning over house specialities like the antipasto of marinated fish with vegetables, orange and Parmesan; for a main course try the grilled fish with a wedge of local lemon.

Ristorante Max TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€€

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( 089 87 50 56; Via dei Mulini 22; meals €45; Mar-Nov) Peruse the art work while choosing your dish at this perennial favourite of ‘ladies who lunch’. Eavesdrop over dishes like ravioli with clams and asparagus, and buttery eggplant melanzana . Cooking courses are offered in the summer months.

II Saraceno d’Oro TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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(Viale Pasitea 254; pizzas from €7, meals €35; Mar-Oct) A busy, bustling place, the Saracen’s blend of cheery service, uncomplicated food and reasonable prices continues to please the punters. The pizzas are good, the pasta’s tasty and the desserts are sticky and sweet. The complimentary end-of-meal glass of limoncello makes for a pleasing epilogue.

Entertainment

Generally speaking, Positano’s nightlife is genteel, sophisticated and safe.

Music on the Rocks BAR/CLUB

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(www.musicontherocks.it; Via Grotte dell’Incanto 51; Easter-Oct) Carved into the tower at the eastern end of Spiaggia Grande, this uberchic nightclub attracts a good-looking crowd and some of the region’s best DJs. Sounds are mainstream house and disco.

Information

La Brezza ( 089 87 58 11; Via del Brigantino 1; per 15min €3; 10am-10pm Mar-Nov) Small ceramics shop with internet access.

Police station ( 089 87 50 11; cnr Via Marconi & Viale Pasitea)

Positano (www.positano.com) A slick website with hotel and restaurant listings, itineraries and transport information.

Post office (Via Marconi 318)

Tourist office (www.aziendaturismopositano.it; Via del Saracino 4; 8.30am-7.30pm Mon-Sat Apr-Oct, 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri Nov-Mar)

Getting There & Away

Boat

Between April and October, ferries link Positano with Amalfi (€7, seven daily), Sorrento (€9 to €13, six daily), Salerno (€7 to €11, seven daily), and Capri (€15.50, 45 minutes, four daily).

Bus

SITA runs frequent buses to/from Amalfi (€1.50, 40 to 50 minutes) and Sorrento (€1.50, one hour). Buses drop you off at one of two main bus stops: coming from Sorrento and the west, opposite Bar Internazionale; arriving from Amalfi and the east, at the top of Via Colombo. When departing, buy bus tickets at Bar Internazionale or, if headed eastwards, from the tobacconist at the bottom of Via Colombo.

Getting Around

Getting around Positano is largely a matter of walking. If your knees can handle them, there are dozens of narrow alleys and stairways that make walking relatively easy and joyously traffic-free. Otherwise, an orange bus follows the lower ring road every half-hour, passing along Viale Pasitea, Via Colombo and Via Marconi. Buy your ticket (€1.60) on board or at a tabaccaio (tobacconist’s shop). It passes by both SITA bus stops.

NOCELLE

A tiny, still-isolated mountain village, Nocelle (450m) affords some of the most spectacular views on the entire coast. A world apart from touristy Positano, it’s a sleepy, silent place where not much ever happens and none of the few residents would ever want it to.

The easiest way to get here is by local bus from Positano (€1.10, 30 minutes, 17 daily). Hikers tackling the Sentieri degli Dei ( Click here ) might fancy lunch at the Ristorante Santa Croce (Via Nocelle 19; meals €25; summer) as they pass through.

Praiano & Furore

An ancient fishing village, Praiano has one of the coast’s most popular beaches, Marina di Praia. From the SS163 (next to the Hotel Continental), take the steep path that leads down the side of the cliffs to a tiny inlet with a small stretch of coarse sand and deep-blue water.

The Centro Sub Costiera Amalfitana ( 089 81 21 48; www.centrosub.it; Via Marina di Praia) runs beginner to expert dives (€80 to €130) exploring the area’s coral, marine life and grottoes.

On the coastal road east of Praiano, Hotel Pensione Continental ( 089 87 40 84; www.continental.praiano.it; Via Roma 21; camping 2 people, tent & car €35-40, s €45-65, d €70-90, apt per week €500-1500; camping Easter-Oct, r & apt year-round) offers the full gamut of accommodation: cool, white rooms with sea views, apartments sleeping up to six people, and 12 tent sites on a series of grassy terraces. From the lowest of these a private staircase leads down to a rocky platform on the sea. Transport is no problem, either, as there’s a bus stop just outside the hotel.

A few kilometres further on, Marina di Furore sits at the bottom of what’s known as the fjord of Furore, a giant cleft that cuts through the Lattari mountains. The main village, however, stands 300m above, in the upper Vallone del Furore. A one-horse place that sees few tourists, it breathes a distinctly rural air despite the colourful murals and unlikely modern sculpture.

To get to upper Furore by car follow the SS163 and then the SS366 signposted to Agerola; from Positano, it’s 15km. Otherwise, regular SITA buses depart from the bus terminus in Amalfi (€1.20, 30 minutes, five times daily).

WALK THE COAST

Rising steeply from the coast, the densely wooded Lattari mountains provide some stunning walking opportunities. An extraordinary network of paths traverses the craggy precipitous peaks, climbing to remote farmhouses through wild and beautiful valleys. It’s tough going, though – long ascents up seemingly endless flights of steps are almost unavoidable.

Probably the best-known walk, the 12km Sentiero degli Dei (Path of the Gods; 5½ to six hours) follows the steep, often rocky paths linking Positano to Praiano. It’s a spectacular trail passing through some of the area’s least developed countryside. The route is marked by red-and-white stripes daubed on rocks and trees, although some of these have become worn in places and might be difficult to make out. Pick up a map of the walk at local tourist offices, included in a series of three excellent booklets containing the area’s most popular hikes, including the equally famed, and lyrically named, Via degli Incanti (Trail of Charms) from Amalfi to Positano.

To the west, the tip of the Sorrentine Peninsula is another hiking hot spot. Some 110km of paths criss-cross the area, linking the spectacular coastline with the rural hinterland. These range from tough all-day treks – such as the 14.1km Alta Via dei Monti Lattari from the Fontanelle hills near Positano down to the Punta Campanella – to shorter walks suitable for the family. Tourist offices throughout the area can provide maps detailing the colour-coded routes. With the exception of the Alta Via dei Monti Lattari (marked in red and white), long routes are shown in red on the map; coast-to-coast trails in blue; paths connecting villages in green; and circular routes in yellow.

If you’re intent on trying one of the more demanding routes in the region, invest in a detailed map such as the CAI’s (Club Alpino Italiano) Monti Lattari, Peninsola Sorrentina, Costiera Amalfitana: Carta dei Sentieri (€8) at 1:30,000 scale.

Amalfi

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It is hard to grasp that pretty little Amalfi, with its sun-filled piazzas and small beach, was once a maritime superpower with a population of more than 70,000. For one thing, it’s not a big place – you can easily walk from one end to the other in about 20 minutes. For another, there are very few historical buildings of note. The explanation is chilling – most of the old city, and its populace, simply slid into the sea during an earthquake in 1343.

Today, although the resident population is fairly modest, the numbers swell significantly during summer, when day trippers pour in by the coachload.

Just around the headland, neighbouring Atrani is a picturesque tangle of whitewashed alleys and arches centred on a lively, lived-in piazza and popular beach.

Sights

Cattedrale di Sant’Andrea DUOMO, MUSEUM

( 089 87 10 59; Piazza del Duomo; 9am-6.45pm Apr-Jun, 9am-7.45pm Jul-Sep, reduced hrs off season) Dominating Piazza del Duomo, Amalfi’s iconic cathedral makes an imposing sight at the top of its sweeping flight of stairs. The cathedral dates in part from the early 10th century, although its distinctive striped facade has been rebuilt twice, most recently at the end of the 19th century. It’s a melange of architectural styles: the two-toned masonry is largely Sicilian Arabic-Norman while the interior is pure baroque. The exquisite crypt is home to the reliquary of St Andrew the Apostle. The fresco facing the crypt’s altar is by Neapolitan baroque maestro Aniello Falcone. Between 10am and 5pm, entrance to the cathedral is through the adjacent Chiostro del Paradiso.

To the left of the cathedral’s porch, the pint-sized Chiostro del Paradiso ( 089 87 13 24; adult/11-17yrs €3/1; 9am-6.45pm Apr-Jun, 9am-7.45pm Jul-Sep, reduced hrs off season) was built in 1266 to house the tombs of Amalfi’s prominent citizens. From here you enter the Basilica del Crucifisso , Amalfi’s original 9th-century cathedral, itself built on the remains of an earlier palaeo-Christian temple. It’s home to a small, yet fascinating collection of ecclesial treasures, including a jewel-studded, 13th-century Angevin mitre.

Museo della Carta MUSEUM

(Paper Museum; 089 830 45 61; www.museodellacarta.it; Via delle Cartiere; admission €4; 10am-6.30pm Apr–mid-Nov, 10am-3pm Tue, Wed & Fri-Sun mid-Nov–Mar) . Housed in a 13th-century paper mill (the oldest in Europe), this fascinating museum lovingly preserves the original paper presses, which are still in full working order, as you’ll see during the 15-minute guided tour (in English).

Museo Arsenale Amalfi MUSEUM

( 089 87 11 70; Largo Cesareo Console 3; admission €2; 10am-2pm & 4.30-8.30pm) Amalfi’s other museum of note is home to the Tavole Amalfitane, an ancient manuscript draft of Amalfi’s maritime code, and other historical documents. Harking back to Amalfi’s days as a great maritime republic, the museum is housed in the cavernous Arsenale , once the town’s main shipbuilding depot.

Activities

For all its seafaring history, Amalfi’s main beach is not a particularly appealing swimming spot. If you’re intent on a dip, think about hiring a boat. You’ll find a number of operators along Lungomare dei Cavalieri, charging about €50 for a couple of hours.

Grotta dello Smeraldo GROTTO

(admission €5; 9am-4pm Mar-Oct, 9am-3pm Nov-Feb) Four kilometres west of Amalfi, Conca dei Marini is home to this haunting cave, named after the eerie emerald colour that emanates from the seawater. SITA buses regularly pass the car park above the cave entrance (from where you take a lift or stairs down to the rowing boats). Alternatively, Coop Sant’Andrea ( 089 87 31 90; www.coopsantandrea.it; Lungomare dei Cavalieri 1) runs hourly boats from Amalfi (€14 return) between 9am and 3pm daily from May to October. Allow around one hour for the round trip.

Festivals & Events

Every 24 December and 6 January, divers from all over Italy make a pilgrimage to the ceramic presepe (nativity scene) submerged in the Grotta dello Smeraldo.

The Regatta of the Four Ancient Maritime Republics , which rotates between Amalfi, Venice, Pisa and Genoa, is held on the first Sunday in June. Amalfi’s turn comes round again in 2013.

Sleeping

Hotel Luna Convento HOTEL €€€

( 089 87 10 02; www.lunahotel.it; Via Pantaleone Comite 33; s €220-280, d €240-300; ) This former convent was founded by St Francis in 1222. Rooms in the original building are in the former nuns’ cells, but there’s nothing pokey about the bright tiles, balconies and sea views. The newer wing is equally beguiling, with religious frescoes over the bed (to stop any misbehaving). The cloistered courtyard is magnificent.

Hotel Lidomare HOTEL €€

( 089 87 13 32; www.lidomare.it; Largo Duchi Piccolomini 9; s/d €50/120; ) This old-fashioned, family-run hotel has real character. The spacious rooms have an air of gentility, with their appealingly haphazard decor, old-fashioned tiles and fine old antiques. Some rooms have Jacuzzi bathtubs, others boast sea views.

Hotel Centrale HOTEL €€

( 089 87 26 08; www.amalfihotelcentrale.it; Largo Duchi Piccolomini 1; s €60-120, d €70-140; ) This is one of the best-value hotels in Amalfi. The entrance is on a tiny piazza in the centro storico, but many rooms actually overlook Piazza del Duomo (No 24 is a good choice). The bright green and blue tile work gives the place a vibrant, fresh look, and the views from the rooftop terrace are magnificent.

A’Scalinatella Hostel HOSTEL €

( 089 87 14 92; www.hostelscalinatella.com; Piazza Umberto I, Atrani; dm €20-25, s €35-50, d €70-90) This bare-bones operation, just round the headland in Atrani, has dorms, rooms and apartments scattered across the village. Breakfast is included in the price, and there’s a laundry to boot.

Eating

Ristorante La Caravella TRADITIONAL, MODERN ITALIAN €€€

( 089 87 10 29; www.ristorantelacaravella.it; Via Matteo Camera 12; meals €65, tasting menu €75; Wed-Mon, closed Nov & early Jan-early Feb) One of the few places in Amalfi where you pay for the food rather than the location, this celebrated dining den serves a mix of simple, soulful classics and regional grub with a nouvelle twist – think lemon risotto with cooked and raw prawns and Grey mullet roe. The 1750-plus wines are an aficionado’s dream.

Trattoria II Mulino TRATTORIA €€

(Via delle Cartiere 36; pizzas €6, meals €29) A TV-in-the-corner, kids-running-between-the- tables sort of place, this is about as authentic a trattoria as you’ll find in Amalfi. The menu features the usual pizzas, pasta and seafood, but the food is tasty and the prices honest. The scialatiella alla pescatore (pasta ribbons with prawns, mussels, tomato and parsley) is fabulous.

Pasticceria Pansa PASTRIES & CAKES €

(Piazza Duomo 40; pastries from €1.50) Compromising waistlines since 1830, this vintage pastry peddler is a must for gluttons. Must-trys include chocolate-dipped candied citrus peels (the fruit is grown at the family’s own estate), torta setteveli (a multi-layered chocolate and hazelnut cake) and the limoncello -laced local delizia al limone .

Le Arcate TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

(Largo Orlando Buonocore Atrani; pizzas from €6, meals €40; closed early Jan–mid-Feb & Mon Sep-Jun) On a sunny day it’s hard to beat the dreamy harbourside location. Beyond the sprawl of al fresco tables is a cavernous, stone-lined interior. Pizzas are served at night, while daytime fare includes the house speciality, scialatielli pasta with shrimp and zucchini.

Supermercato Decò SUPERMARKET €

(Salita dei Curiali 6) Self-caterers and picnickers can stock up here.

Information

Amalfi Servizi Express (Piazza dei Dogi 8; internet per 15min €3; 9.30am-1.30pm & 4.30-8pm Mon-Sat, closed Thu evening)

Post office (Corso delle Repubbliche Marinare 31) Next door to the tourist office.

Tourist office (www.amalfitouristoffice.it; Corso delle Repubbliche Marinare 27; 9am-1pm & 2-6pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun, closed Sun Apr, May & Sep, closed Sat & Sun Oct-Mar) Good for bus and ferry timetables.

Getting There & Away

Boat

Between April and October there are daily ferry sailings to Salerno (€7, seven daily), Positano (€7, seven daily) and Capri (€17, one daily). There is also a hydrofoil service to Capri (€19, one daily).

Bus

SITA buses run from Piazza Flavio Gioia to Sorrento (€2.80, 1½ hours, around 30 daily) via Positano (€1.50, 40 minutes), and also to Ravello (€1.20, 25 minutes, every 30 minutes), and Salerno (€2.10, 1¼ hours, hourly). There are only two daily connections to Naples (€4, two to three hours depending on the route), so you’re better off catching a bus to Sorrento and then the Circumvesuviana train to Naples. Buy tickets and check schedules at Bar II Giardino delle Palme (Piazza Flavio Gioia) , opposite the bus stop.

Ravello

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Sitting high in the hills above Amalfi, refined Ravello is a polished town almost entirely dedicated to tourism. Boasting impeccable bohemian credentials – Wagner, DH Lawrence and Virginia Woolf all lounged here – it’s today known for its ravishing gardens and stupendous views, the best in the world according to former resident Gore Vidal.

Most people visit on a day trip from Amalfi – a nerve-tingling 7km drive up the Valle del Dragone – although to best enjoy Ravello’s romantic otherworldly atmosphere you’ll need to stay overnight.

The tourist office (www.ravellotime.it; Via Roma 18bis; 9.30am-7pm Apr-Oct, to 5pm Nov-Mar) has some general information on the town, plus a handy map with walking trails.

Sights & Activities

Cathedral DUOMO, MUSEUM

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( 8am-noon & 5.30-8.30pm) Forming the eastern flank of Piazza del Duomo, Ravello’s cathedral was originally built in 1086 but has since undergone various facelifts. The facade is 16th century, even if the central bronze door is an 1179 original; the interior is a late-20th-century interpretation of what the original must once have looked like. The pulpit is particularly striking, supported by six twisting columns set on marble lions and decorated with flamboyant mosaics of peacocks, birds and dancing lions. Note also how the floor is tilted towards the square – a deliberate measure to enhance the perspective effect. To the right of the central nave, stairs lead down to the cathedral museum (admission €2; 9am-7pm) and its modest collection of religious artefacts.

Villa Rufolo GARDEN

( 089 85 76 21; admission €5; 9am-sunset) To the south of the cathedral, Villa Rufolo is famous for its romantic 19th-century gardens. Commanding mesmerising views, they are packed with exotic colours, artistically crumbling towers and luxurious blooms. On seeing them in 1880, Wagner wrote that he had found the garden of Klingsor (setting for the second act of his opera Parsifal ). Today the gardens are used to stage concerts during the town’s celebrated festival.

Villa Cimbrone GARDEN

( 089 85 74 59; adult/under 12yr & over 65yr €6/4; 9am-sunset) If Villa Rufolo’s gardens leave you longing for more, seek out the 20th-century Villa Cimbrone for the vast views from the delightfully ramshackle gardens. The best viewpoint is the Belvedere of Infinity, an awe-inspiring terrace lined with fake classical busts. The villa is some 600m south of Piazza del Duomo.

Festivals & Events

Ravello Festival CULTURAL

( 089 85 83 60; www.ravellofestival.com) Between June and mid-September the Ravello Festival turns much of the town centre into a stage. Events ranging from orchestral concerts and chamber music to ballet performances, film screenings and exhibitions are held in various locations.

Ravello Concert Society MUSIC

( 089 85 81 49; www.ravelloarts.org) Ravello’s program of classical music actually begins in April and continues until late October. Performances are world class, and the two venues of Villa Rufolo and the Convento di Santa Rosa in Conca dei Marini (the latter was closed for restoration at the time of research) are unforgettable. Tickets are bookable by fax ( 089 85 82 49) or online on the website.

Sleeping

Agriturismo Monte Brusara AGRITURISMO €

( 089 85 74 67; www.montebrusara.com; Via Monte Brusara 32; s €42-45, d €84-90) It’s a tough half-hour walk from Ravello’s centre, but this authentic mountainside agriturismo (farm-stay accommodation) is the real McCoy. It’s an ideal spot to escape the crowds and offers three comfortable but basic rooms, fabulous food and some big views. Half-board is also available.

Hotel Villa Amore PENSIONE €

( /fax 089 85 71 35; www.villaamore.it; Via dei Fusco 5; s €50-60, d €75-100; ) This welcoming pensione is the best budget choice in town. Tucked away down a quiet lane, it has modest, homey rooms and sparkling bathrooms. All rooms have their own balcony and some have bathtubs. The garden restaurant (meals about €25) is a further plus.

Hotel Toro HOTEL €€

( 089 85 72 11; www.hoteltoro.it; Via Roma 16; s/d €85/118; mid-Apr–Nov; ) A hotel since the late 19th century, the Toro is just off Piazza del Duomo, within easy range of the clanging cathedral bells. The not-huge rooms are decked out in traditional style with terracotta or light-marble tiles and soothing cream furnishings. Outside, the walled garden is the perfect place for a sundowner.

Eating

Cumpà Cosimo TRADITIONAL ITALIAN, PIZZERIA €€

( 089 85 71 56; Via Roma 44-46; pizzas €6-12, meals €45) Netta Bottone’s rustic cooking is so good that even US celebrity Rosie O’Donnell tried to get her on her show. Netta didn’t make it to Hollywood but she still rules the roost at this historic trattoria. Order the piatto misto (mixed plate), which may include Ravello’s trademark crespolini (cheese and prosciutto-stuffed crepes). Evening options include pizza.

Da Salvatore TRADITIONAL & MODERN ITALIAN €€

(www.salvatoreravello.com; Via della Republicca 2; meals €35; restaurant lunch & dinner Tue-Sun, pizzeria dinner Thu-Tue, both open daily Aug) Located just before the bus stop and the Garden Hotel, this average-looking nosh spot has an exceptional view, not to mention creative dishes like mixed Gragnano pasta with potato and calamari. In the evening, head in for some of the best wood-fired pizza this side of Naples.

Take Away da Nino STREET FOOD €

(Viale Parco della Rimembranza 41) Fast food Ravello-style – come here for takeaway pizza and crunchy fried nibbles.

Getting There & Away

SITA operates hourly buses from the eastern side of Piazza Flavio Gioia in Amalfi (€1.20, 25 minutes). By car, turn north about 2km east of Amalfi. Vehicles are not permitted in Ravello’s town centre, but there’s plenty of space in supervised car parks on the perimeter.

South of Amalfi

FROM AMALFI TO SALERNO

The 26km drive to Salerno, though less exciting than the 16km stretch westwards to Positano, is exhilarating and dotted with a series of small towns, each with their own character and each worth a brief look.

Three and a half kilometres east of Amalfi, or a steep 1km-long walk down from Ravello, Minori is a small, workaday town, popular with holidaying Italians. Further along, Maiori is the coast’s biggest resort, a brassy place full of large seafront hotels, restaurants and beach clubs.

Just beyond Erchie and its beautiful beach, Cetara is a picturesque tumbledown fishing village with a reputation as a gastronomic highlight. Tuna and anchovies are the local specialities, appearing in various guises at Al Convento ( 089 26 10 39; Piazza San Francesco 16; meals €25; closed Wed Oct–mid-May) , a sterling seafood restaurant near the small harbour. For your money, you’ll probably not eat better anywhere else on the coast; the puttanesca con alici fresche (pasta with fresh anchovies, chilli and garlic) sings with flavour.

Shortly before Salerno, the road passes through Vietri sul Mare , the ceramics capital of Campania. Its not-unattractive historic centre is packed to the gills with ceramics shops, the most famous of which is Ceramica Artistica Solimene (www.solimene.com; Via Madonna degli Angeli 7; 8am-7pm Mon-Fri, 8am-1.30pm & 4-7pm Sat) , a vast factory outlet with an extraordinary glass-and-ceramic facade.

SALERNO

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Upstaged by the glut of postcard-pretty towns along the Amalfi Coast, Campania’s second- largest city is actually a pleasant surprise. A decade of civic determination has turned this major port and transport hub into one of southern Italy’s most liveable cities, and its small but buzzing centro storico is a vibrant mix of medieval churches, tasty trattorias and good-spirited, bar-hopping locals.

Originally an Etruscan and later a Roman colony, Salerno flourished with the arrival of the Normans in the 11th century. Robert Guiscard made it the capital of his dukedom in 1076 and, under his patronage, the Scuola Medica Salernitana was renowned as one of medieval Europe’s greatest medical institutes. More recently, it was left in tatters by the heavy fighting that followed the 1943 landings of the American 5th Army, just south of the city.

Sights

Cathedral DUOMO

( 089 23 13 87; Piazza Alfano; 9.30am-6pm Mon-Sat, 1-6pm Sun) Salerno’s cathedral is the highlight of the centro storico . Built by the Normans under Robert Guiscard in the 11th century and remodelled in the 18th century, it sustained severe damage in the 1980 earthquake. It’s dedicated to San Matteo (St Matthew), whose remains were reputedly brought to the city in 954 and now lie beneath the main altar in the exquisite vaulted crypt. In the right-hand apse, the Cappella delle Crociate (Chapel of the Crusades) was so named because crusaders’ weapons were blessed here. Under the altar stands the tomb of the 11th-century pope Gregory VII.

Salerno

Top Sights

Cathedral C1

Museo Pinacoteca Provinciale C1

Sights

1  Cappella delle Crociate C1

2  Scuola Medica Salernitana Museo Virtuale C1

Sleeping

3  Hotel Plaza F3

4  Ostello Ave Gratia Plena B1

Eating

5  La Cucina di Edoardo B1

6  Pasticceria Pantaleone C1

7  Ristorante Lazzarella D3

Scuola Medica Salernitana Museo Virtuale MUSEUM

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( 089 257 32 13; www.museovirtualescuolamedicasalernitana.it; Via Mercanti 74; donation €1) Slap bang in Salerno’s historic centre, this engaging museum deploys 3D and touch-screen technology to explore the teachings and wince-inducing procedures of Salerno’s once-famous, now-defunct medical institute. Established in the 9th century and surviving 10 centuries, the school was Europe’s first and most prestigious centre of medicine.

Castello di Arechi CASTLE, MUSEUM

( 089 285 45 33; Via Benedetto Croce; admission €3; 9am-7pm Tue-Sun May-Sep, to 5pm Oct-Apr) Salerno’s lofty castello is spectacularly positioned 263m above the city. Originally a Byzantine fort, it was built by the Lombard duke of Benevento, Arechi II, in the 8th century and subsequently modified by the Normans and Aragonese. Today it houses a permanent collection of ceramics, arms and coins. To get there take bus 19 from Piazza XXIV Maggio in the city centre.

Museo Pinacoteca Provinciale MUSEUM

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( 089 258 30 73; Via Mercanti 63; admission free; 9am-7.45pm Tue-Sun) Facing the Scuola Medica Salernitana Museo Virtuale, this small but interesting art collection dates from the Renaissance right up to the first half of the 19th century.

Sleeping

Ostello Ave Gratia Plena HOSTEL €

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( 089 23 47 76; www.ostellodisalerno.it; Via dei Canali; dm/s/d €15/33/47; ) Housed in a 16th-century convent, Salerno’s HI hostel is right in the heart of the centro storico . Inside there’s a charming central courtyard and a range of bright rooms, from dorms to doubles with private bathroom. The 2am curfew is for dorms only.

Hotel Plaza HOTEL €

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( 089 22 44 77; www.plazasalerno.it; Piazza Vittorio Veneto 42; s/d €65/100; ) The Plaza is convenient and comfortable, a stone’s throw from the train station. It’s a friendly place and the decent-size rooms, complete with gleaming bathrooms, are pretty good value for money. Those facing the station have terraces overlooking the city and, beyond, the mountains.

Eating

Head to Via Roma and Via Mercanti in the lively medieval centre, where you’ll find everything from traditional, family-run trattorias and gelaterie to wine bars, pubs and restaurants.

La Cucina di Edoardo TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €

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( 089 296 26 67; Vico della Neve 14; meals €25; closed Mon & dinner Sun) Snugly tucked away in a centro storico side street, Edoardo’s Kitchen is one of those cheap, scrumptious finds any local buongustaio (foodie) will direct you to. The focus is on tasty, regional grub, with standout dishes including the antipasto misto and zuppa di cipolle (onion soup). Leave room for the flan al cioccolato (chocolate flan) and don’t forget to book ahead on weekends.

Ristorante Lazzarella TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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(Lungomare Trieste 92; meals €28; closed Mon Sep-Jul, dinner Sun Oct-Easter & lunch Mon-Sun Aug) Bright, intimate and youthful, head here for top-tasting local dishes like lagane e ceci (pasta with chickpeas). Particularly fabulous is the Lazzarella di mare, a tasting plate of seafood specialities like calamaro imbottito (stuffed calamari) and seppia in agrodolce (cuttlefish with sautéed onion). The dish can be upsized from three to five assaggi (tastings) on request.

Pasticceria Pantaleone PASTRIES & CAKES €

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(Via Mercanti 75; pastries from €1.50; closed Tue) Where better to commit dietary sins than in a deconsecrated church? It’s now home to Salerno’s finest pastry shop, best known for inventing the scazzetta, a pastry of pan di spagna sponge, fresh berries and Chantilly cream, soaked in Strega liqueur and finished with a strawberry glacé. Wash away the guilt with a glass of the house liqueur, Elisir, made with aromatic herbs and orange.

Information

Ospedale Ruggi D’Aragona ( 089 67 11 11; Via San Leonardo)

Post office (Corso Garibaldi 203)

Tourist infopoint (Corso Vittorio Emanuele 193; 9.30am-1.30pm & 4.30-8.30pm Mon-Sat) Inside the Galleria Capitol Cinema shopping centre, has brochures, bus and ferry timetables and accommodation information.

Tourist office (Piazza Vittorio Veneto 1; 9am-1pm & 3.15-7.15pm Mon-Sat)

Getting There & Away

BOAT

Gescab-Alicost ( 089 87 14 83; www.alicost.it, in Italian) operates one daily ferry and one daily hydrofoil from Salerno to Amalfi (€7/9, two daily), Positano (€11/13) and Capri (€18.50/20) from mid-April to October.

Gescab-Linee Marittime Partenopee ( 081 704 19 11; www.consorziolmp.it, in Italian) runs hydrofoils and fast ferries from Salerno to Capri (€20/18.50, one each daily) from April to October.

TraVelMar ( 089 87 29 50; www.travelmar.it, in Italian) runs ferries from Salerno to Amalfi (€7, six daily) and Positano (€11, six daily) from April to October.

Metrò del Mare ( 199 600700; www.metrodelmare.net, in Italian) operates regular ferries to/from Naples and Sorrento. The service was suspended temporarily in 2011, so check the website for updates.

Departures are from the Porto Turistico, 200m down the pier from Piazza della Concordia. You can buy tickets from the booths by the embarkation point.

Departures for Capri leave from Molo Manfredi at the Porto Commerciale.

BUS

SITA buses for Amalfi (€2.10, 1¼ hours, at least hourly) depart from Piazza Vittorio Veneto, beside the train station, stopping en route at Vietri sul Mare, Cetara, Maiori and Minori. The Naples service, however, departs from Piazza G Mazzini, 50m east of Bar Cioffi (Corso Garibaldi 134) , where you buy your €4 ticket. Tickets are also available inside the train station.

CSTP ( 800 016 659; www.cstp.it, in Italian) bus 4 runs from Piazza Vittorio Veneto to Pompeii (€2.10, one hour, 17 daily) from Monday to Saturday. On Sunday, bus 4 will get you there in 90 minutes. For Paestum (€3.30, one hour, hourly) take bus 34 from Piazza della Concordia.

Buonotourist ( 089 79 50 68; www.buonotourist.it) runs daily services (excluding Sunday and public holidays) to Naples’ Capodichino airport, departing from the train station. Tickets (€7) can be bought on board; journey time is one hour.

CAR & MOTORCYCLE

Salerno is on the A3 between Naples and Reggio di Calabria, which is toll-free from Salerno southwards.

TRAIN

Salerno is a major stop on southbound routes to Calabria and the Ionian and Adriatic coasts. From the station in Piazza Vittorio Veneto there are regular trains to Naples (IC €7.50, 40 minutes, 44 services daily), Rome (Eurostar €39, 2½ hours, hourly), and Reggio di Calabria (IC €36.50, 4½ hours, nine daily).

Getting Around

Walking is the most sensible option; from the train station it’s a 1.2km walk along Corso Vittorio Emanuele II to the historic centre.

If you want to hire a car there’s a Europcar ( 089 258 07 75; www.europcar.com; Via Clemente Mauro 18) agency not far from the train station.

PAESTUM

Paestum’s Unesco-listed temples are among the best-preserved monuments of Magna Graecia, the Greek colony that once covered much of southern Italy. An easy day trip from Salerno or Agropoli, they are one of the region’s most iconic sights and absolutely unmissable.

Paestum, or Poseidonia as the city was originally called (in honour of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea), was founded in the 6th century BC by Greek settlers and fell under Roman control in 273 BC. It became an important trading port and remained so until the fall of the Roman Empire, when periodic outbreaks of malaria and savage Saracen raids led its weakened citizens to abandon the town.

Its temples were rediscovered in the late 18th century by road builders – who proceeded to plough their way right through the ruins. However, the road did little to alter the state of the surrounding area, which remained full of malarial swamps, teeming with snakes and scorpions, until well into the 20th century.

The tourist office (www.infopaestum.it; Via Magna Grecia 887; 9am-1pm & 2-4pm) has practical information on Paestum and the Costiera Cilentana.

Sights

Ruins of Paestum RUINS

( 0828 81 10 23; admission €4, incl museum €6.50; 8.45am-2hrs before sunset) Tickets to the ruins are sold at the main entry point, near the tourist office, or, in winter, from the museum, where you can also hire an audioguide (€5).

The first temple you encounter on entering from the main entrance is the 6th-century-BC Tempio di Cerere (Temple of Ceres). The smallest of the three temples, it served for a time as a Christian church.

Heading south, you pass the agorà (piazza), which contained the city’s most important monument, a shrine to Poseidon known as the heroon . Nearby, a sunken area marks where once a public swimming pool stood, part of a larger sports campus.

The grassy rectangular area south of the pool is the foro (forum), the heart of the Roman city. Among the partially standing buildings are a vast domestic housing area, an Italic temple, the Bouleuterion (where the Roman Senate used to meet) and, further south, the amphitheatre.

The Tempio di Nettuno (Temple of Neptune), dating from about 450 BC, is the largest and best preserved of the three temples; only parts of its inside walls and roof are missing. Although originally attributed to Neptune, recent studies have claimed that it was, in fact, dedicated to Apollo.

Next door, the basilica Offline map Google map (in reality, a temple to the goddess Hera) is Paestum’s oldest surviving monument. Dating to the middle of the 6th century BC, and with nine columns across and 18 along the sides, it’s a majestic building. Just to its east you can, with a touch of imagination, make out remains of the temple’s sacrificial altar.

In its time the city was ringed by an impressive 4.7km of walls, subsequently built and rebuilt by both Lucanians and Romans. The most intact section is south of the ruins themselves.

Just east of the ruins, the museum ( 0828 81 10 23; admission €4, incl ruins €6.50; 8.30am-7.30pm, last entry 6.45pm, closed 1st & 3rd Mon of month) houses a collection of much-weathered metopes (bas-relief friezes), including 33 of the original 36 from the Tempio di Argiva Hera (Temple of Argive Hera), 9km north of Paestum, of which virtually nothing else remains. The star exhibit is the 5th-century-BC Tomba del Truffatore (Tomb of the Diver), whose depiction of a diver in mid-air reputedly represents the passage of life to death.

Sleeping & Eating

Casale Giancesare B&B €

( 0828 72 80 61, 333 189 77 37; www.casale-giancesare.it; Via Giancesare 8; s €45-75, d €65-120, apt per wk €600-1300; ) A converted 19th-century farmhouse, this charming stone-clad B&B is 2.5km from Paestum. Surrounded by vineyards and olive and mulberry trees, the views are stunning, particularly from the swimming pool. Delightful owners Anna, Enzo and son Antonino are passionate about food, producing (and selling) their own olives, jams, limoncello and wine. Beware of road signs advertising another bed and breakfast, called Residence Giancesere.

Nonna Sceppa TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

(Via Laura 53, località Laura; meals €39; lunch & dinner Easter-Sep, lunch Fri-Wed & dinner Sat rest of yr) Worth seeking out as an alternative to the mediocre, overpriced on-site restaurants. Dishes are robust, strictly seasonal and, during the summer, concentrate on fresh seafood like the refreshingly simple grilled fish with lemon. The risotto with zucchini and artichokes is equally inspired.

Getting There & Away

The best way to get to Paestum by public transport is to take CSTP ( 800 016 659; www.cstp.it, in Italian) bus 34 from Piazza della Concordia in Salerno (€3.30, one hour 20 minutes, 12 daily) or, if approaching from the south, the same bus from Agropoli (€1.20, 15 minutes, 12 daily).

If you’re driving you could take the A3 from Salerno and exit for the SS18 at Battipaglia. Better, and altogether more pleasant, is the Litoranea, the minor road that hugs the coast. From the A3 take the earlier exit for Pontecagnano and follow the signs for Agropoli and Paestum.

COSTIERA CILENTANA

Southeast of the Gulf of Salerno, the coastal plains begin to give way to wilder, jagged cliffs and unspoilt scenery, a taste of what lies further on in the stark hills of Basilicata and the wooded peaks of Calabria. Inland, dark mountains loom over the remote highlands of the Parco Nazionale del Cilento e Vallo di Diano, one of Campania’s best-kept secrets.

On the coast 75km south of Salerno, the Greek settlement of Elea (now Velia) was founded in the 6th century BC and later became a popular resort for wealthy Romans. The ruins ( 0974 97 23 96; Contrada Piana di Velia; admission €2; 9am to 1hr before sunset) , topped by a tower visible for miles around, are not in great nick but merit a quick look if you’re passing through.

Several destinations on the Cilento coast are served by the main rail route from Naples to Reggio di Calabria. Check Trenitalia (www.trenitalia.it) for fares and information.

By car take the SS18, which connects Agropoli with Velia via the inland route, or the SS267, which hugs the coast.

Agropoli

POP 21,035

The main town on the southern stretch of the coast, Agropoli makes a good base for Paestum and the beaches to the northwest. Popular with holidaying Italians, it’s an otherwise tranquil place with a ramshackle medieval core on a promontory overlooking the sea.

The tourist office ( 0974 82 74 19; Piazza della Repubblica 3; 9am-1pm Mon-Fri, also 3-6pm Tue & Thu) can provide you with a city map.

Sleeping & Eating

Anna B&B €

( 0974 82 37 63; www.bbanna.it; Via S Marco 28-32; s €35-50, d €50-70; ) Across from Agropoli’s sweeping sandy beach, Anna has bright, cheerful rooms with white walls, smart striped fabrics, and balconies; request a sea view. Sunbeds and bicycles are available for a minimal price, and the popular downstairs restaurant (pizzas from € 3, meals €18) serves gluten-free meals.

Ostello La Lanterna HOSTEL €

( /fax 0974 83 83 64; lanterna@cilento.it; Via Lanterna 8; dm €18-19, d with bathroom €40-50, tr €58-65, q €80-85; mid-Mar–Oct) Agropoli’s friendly hostel offers dorms, doubles and four-bed family rooms, as well as a garden and optional evening meals (€10). The beach is a two-minute walk away.

U’Sghiz TRADITIONAL ITALIAN, PIZZERIA €

(Piazza Umberto I; pizzas from €3, meals €22; closed Tue Oct-May) In a 17th-century building on the headland, U’Sghiz specialises in seafood dishes like spaghetti a vongole (with mussels), and also has an extensive pizza menu. We suggest you ditch the quarter carafe of house red wine (€2) for one of the marginally more expensive drops.

Parco Nazionale del Cilento e Vallo di Diano

Stretching from the coast up to Campania’s highest peak, Monte Cervati (1900m), and beyond to the regional border with Basilicata, the Parco Nazionale del Cilento e Vallo di Diano is Italy’s second-largest national park. A little-explored area of barren heights and empty valleys, it’s the perfect antidote to the holiday mayhem on the coast. To get the best out of it, you will, however, need a car – either that or unlimited patience and a masterful grasp of local bus timetables.

For further information stop by the tourist office in Paestum (Click here). For guided hiking opportunities, contact Gruppo Escursionistico Trekking ( 0975 725 86; www.getvallodidiano.it; Via Provinciale 29, Sassano) or Associazione Trekking Cilento ( 0974 84 33 45; www.trekkingcilento.it, in Italian; Via Cannetiello 6, Agropoli) .

About 25km northeast of Paestum, the Oasi Naturalistica di Persano ( 0828 97 46 84; persano@wwf.it; 9am-5pm Wed, Sat & Sun Jun-Sep, 10am-3pm Wed, Sat & Sun Oct-May) covers 110 hectares of wetlands on the river Sele. A favourite of ornithologists, it’s home to a wide variety of birds, both resident and seasonal. Signs direct you there from the SS18. Visits should be booked a day in advance. Guided tours should be booked two days ahead.

There are also two cave systems worth exploring. Located about 20km northeast of Paestum, the Grotte di Castelcivita ( 0828 77 23 97; www.grottedicastelcivita.com; Castelcivita; admission €10; six daily tours mid-Mar–Sep, four daily Oct–mid-Mar) complex is where Spartacus is said to have taken refuge following his slave rebellion in 71 BC. There are longer 3½-hour tours (€25) between June and September, when the water deep within the cave complex has dried up. Hard hats and a certain level of fitness and mobility are required. Visits should be booked a day in advance.

There is a De Rosa ( 0828 94 10 65) bus that departs from Capaccio (6km east of Paestum) at 9.20am and a return service departing Castelcivita at 3.20pm, Monday to Saturday. A one-way ticket costs €2.50. By car take the SS18 from Paestum towards Salerno and follow the signs.

On the eastern edge of the park, the Grotte dell’Angelo Pertosa ( 0975 39 70 37; www.grottedipertosa.it; Pertosa; tours €10; 9am-7pm Mar-Oct, 10am-4pm Nov-Feb) is a 2.5km-long system bristling with stalactites and stalagmites. Although SITA buses from Salerno to Pertosa (€5) run Monday to Saturday, their inconvenient running times make the possibility of a day trip redundant. By car take the A3 southbound from Salerno, exit at Petina and follow the SS19 for 9km.

Continuing south on the A3 autostrada, Padula harbours one of the region’s hidden jewels, the magnificent Certosa di San Lorenzo ( 0975 777 45; Viale Certosa, Padula; admission €4; 9am-7pm Wed-Mon) . Also known as the Certosa di Padula, this is one of Europe’s biggest monasteries, with a huge central courtyard, wood-panelled library and sumptuously frescoed chapels. Begun in the 14th century and modified over time, it was abandoned in the 19th century, then suffered further degradation as a children’s holiday home and later a concentration camp.

Lamanna ( 0975 52 04 26) buses run four to six times daily from Salerno to Padula.

Top of section

Puglia, Basilicata & Calabria

Includes »

Bari

Promontorio Del Gargano

Valle d’Itria

Lecce & Salento

Matera

Appennino Lucano

Tyrrhenian Coast

Northern Tyrrhenian Coast

Cosenza

Parco Nazionale della Sila

Reggio di Calabria

Southern Tyrrhenian Coast

Why Go?

Southern Italy is the land of the mezzogiorno – the midday sun – which sums up the Mediterranean climate and the languid pace of life. From the heel to the toe of Italy’s boot, the landscape reflects the individuality of its people. Basilicata is a crush of mountains and rolling hills with a dazzling stretch of coastline. Calabria is Italy’s wildest area with fine beaches and a mountainous landscape with peaks frequently crowned by ruined castles. Puglia is the sophisticate of the south with charming seaside villages along its 800km of coastline, lush flat farmlands, thick forests and olive groves.

The south’s violent history of successive invasions and economic hardship has forged a fiercely proud people and influenced its distinctive culture and cuisine. A hotter, edgier place than the urbane north of Italy, this is an area that still feels like it has secret places to explore, although you will need your own wheels (and some Italian) if you plan to seriously sidestep from the beaten track.

When to Go

April-June Spring wildflowers are blooming: the perfect time for hiking in the mountains.

July & August Summer is beach weather and the best party time for festivals and events.

September & October No crowds, mild weather and wild mushrooms galore.

Best Places to Eat

» Cucina Casareccia ( Click here )

» La Locanda di Federico ( Click here )

» II Frantoio ( Click here )

» Taverna Al Cantinone ( Click here )

Best Places to Stay

» Sotto Le Cummerse ( Click here )

» Palazzo Rollo ( Click here )

» Locanda delle Donne Monache ( Click here )

Puglia, Basilicata & Calabria Highlights

Marvel at the otherworldly sassi of Matera (Click here )

Dip into the Disney-style scenario of the gnome-size trulli dwellings in Alberobello (Click here )

Hike in shady forests and swim in aqua-blue seas in the Promontorio del Gargano (Click here )

Stroll through the old centre of Locorotondo (Click here ), one of Puglia’s prettiest towns

Wonder at ornate baroque facades in Lecce (Click here )

Discover Calabria’s picturesque seaside villages of Tropea (Click here ) and Scilla (Click here )

Vanish into the vast hills of the Parco Nazionale della Sila (Click here ) or the Parco Nazionale del Pollino ( Click here )

Drive or trek into the wilds of the mysterious Parco Nazionale dell’Aspromonte ( Click here )

PUGLIA

Puglia is sun-bleached landscapes, silver olive groves, seascapes, and hilltop and coastal towns. It is a lush, largely flat farming region, skirted by a long coast that alternates between glittering limestone precipices and long sandy beaches. The heel of Italy juts into the Adriatic and Ionian Seas and the waters of both are stunningly beautiful, veering between translucent emerald-green and dusky powder blue. Its extensive coastline bears the marks of many conquering invaders: the Normans, the Spanish, the Turks, the Swabians and the Greeks. Yet, despite its diverse influences, Puglia is authentic.

In a land where the cuisine is all- important , Puglia’s cucina povera is legendary. Olive oil, grapes, tomatoes, eggplants, artichokes, peppers, salami, mushrooms, olives and fresh seafood strain its table. Although boasting some of Italy’s best food and wines, in some places it’s rare to hear a foreign voice. But in July and August Puglia becomes a huge party, with sagre (festivals, usually involving food), concerts and events, and thousands of Italian tourists heading down here for their annual break.

History

At times Puglia feels Greek – and for good reason. This tangible legacy dates from when the Greeks founded a string of settlements along the Ionian coast in the 8th century BC. A form of Greek dialect (Griko) is still spoken in some towns southeast of Lecce. Historically, their major city was Taras (Taranto), settled by Spartan exiles who dominated until they were defeated by the Romans in 272 BC.

The long coastline made the region vulnerable to conquest. The Normans left their fine Romanesque churches, the Swabians their fortifications and the Spanish their flamboyant baroque buildings. No one, however, knows exactly the origins of the extraordinary 16th-century, conical-roofed stone houses, the trulli, unique to Puglia.

Apart from invaders and pirates, malaria was long the greatest scourge of the south, forcing many towns to build away from the coast and into the hills. After Mussolini’s seizure of power in 1922, the south became the frontline in his ‘Battle for Wheat’. This initiative was aimed at making Italy self-sufficient when it came to food, following the sanctions imposed on the country after its conquest of Ethiopia. Puglia is now covered in wheat fields, olive groves and fruit arbours.

PUGLIA ON YOUR PLATE

Puglia is home to Italy’s most uncorrupted, brawniest, least known vernacular cuisine. It has evolved from cucina povera – literally ‘cooking of the poor’ or peasant cooking: think of pasta made without eggs and dishes prepared with wild greens gathered from the fields.

Most of Italy’s fish is caught off the Puglian coast, 80% of Europe’s pasta is produced here and 80% of Italy’s olive oil originates in Puglia and Calabria. Tomatoes, broccoli, chicory, fennel, figs, melons, cherries and grapes are all plentiful in season and taste better than anywhere else. Almonds, grown near Ruvo di Puglia, are packed into many traditional cakes and pastries, which used to be eaten only by the privileged.

Like their Greek forbears, the Pugliese eat agnello (lamb) and capretto (kid). Cavallo (horse) has only recently galloped to the table while trippa (tripe) is another mainstay. Meat is usually roasted or grilled with aromatic herbs or served in tomato-based sauces.

Raw fish (such as anchovies or baby squid) are marinated in olive oil and lemon juice. Cozze (mussels) are prepared in multitudinous ways, with garlic and breadcrumbs, or as riso cozze patata, baked with rice and potatoes – every area has its variations on this dish.

Bread and pasta are close to the Pugliese heart, with per capita consumption at least double that of the USA. You’ll find orecchiette (small ear-shaped pasta, often accompanied by a small rod-shaped variety, called strascinati or cavatelli ), served with broccoli or ragù (meat sauce) , generally topped by the pungent local cheese ricotta forte .

Previously known for quantity rather than quality, Pugliese wines are now developing apace. The best are produced in Salento (the Salice Salentino is one of the finest reds), in the trulli (conical houses) area around Locorotondo (famous for its white wine), around Cisternino (home of the fashionable heavy red Primitivo) and in the plains around Foggia and Lucera.

Bari

POP 320,150

Once regarded as the Bronx of southern Italy, Bari’s reputation has gradually improved and the city, Puglia’s capital and one of the south’s most prosperous, deserves more than a cursory glance. Spruced up and rejuvenated, Bari Vecchia, the historic old town, is an interesting and atmospheric warren of streets. In the evenings, the piazzas buzz with trendy restaurants and bars, but there are still parts of the old town that carry a gritty undertone.

Dangers & Annoyances

Petty crime can be a problem, so take all the usual precautions: don’t leave anything in your car; don’t display money or valuables; and watch out for bag-snatchers on scooters. Be careful in Bari Vecchia’s dark streets at night.

Sights

Most sights are in or near the atmospheric old town, Bari Vecchia, a medieval labyrinth of tight alleyways and graceful piazzas, which fills a small peninsula between the new port to the west and the old port to the southeast; it crams in 40 churches and more than 120 shrines.

Bari

Sights

1  Castello Svevo A1

2  Cathedral B1

3  Colonna della Giustizia C1

4  Sedile C1

Sleeping

5  Hotel Adria D7

6  Palace Hotel A2

Eating

7  Alberosole C2

8 Caffè BorgheseA3

9 La Locanda di FedericoD1

10  Vini e Cucina C2

Drinking

11  Barcollo D1

12  Ferrarese C2

Shopping

13  Enoteca de Pasquale A4

14  II Salumaio A3

Castello Svevo CASTLE

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(Swabian Castle; 083 184 00 09; Piazza Federico II di Svevia; admission adult/reduced €2/1; 8.30am-7.30pm Thu-Tue) The Normans originally built over the ruins of a Roman fort, then Frederick II built over the Norman castle, incorporating it into his design – the two towers of the Norman structure still stand. The bastions, with corner towers overhanging the moat, were added in the 16th century during Spanish rule, when the castle was a magnificent residence.

Basilica di San Nicola BASILICA

(Piazza San Nicola; www.basilicasannicola.it; 7am-1pm & 4-7pm Mon-Sat, 7am-1pm & 4-9pm Sun) One of the south’s first Norman churches, the basilica is a splendid example of Puglian -Romanesque style, built to house the relics of St Nicholas (better known as Father Christmas), which were stolen from Turkey in 1087 by local fishermen. His remains are said to emanate a miraculous manna liquid with special powers. For this reason – and because he is also the patron saint of prisoners and children – the basilica remains an important place of pilgrimage. The interior is huge and simple with a decorative 17th-century wooden ceiling. The magnificent 13th-century ciborium over the altar is Puglia’s oldest. The shrine in the crypt, lit by hanging lamps, is beautiful.

Cathedral CATHEDRAL

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(Piazza Odegitria; 8am-12.30pm & 4-7.30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-12.30pm & 5-8.30pm Sat & Sun) Built over the original Byzantine church, the 11th-century Romanesque cathedral retains its basilica plan and Eastern-style cupola. The plain walls are punctuated with deep arcades and the eastern window is a tangle of plant and animal motifs.

Piazza Mercantile PIAZZA

This beautiful piazza is fronted by the Sedile Offline map Google map , the headquarters of Bari’s Council of Nobles. In the square’s northeast corner is the Colonna della Giustizia Offline map Google map (Column of Justice), where debtors were once tied and whipped.

Festivals

Festa di San Nicola RELIGIOUS

The Festival of St Nicholas, held around 7 to 9 May, is Bari’s biggest annual shindig, celebrating the 11th-century arrival of St Nicholas’ relics from Turkey. On the first evening a procession leaves Castello Svevo for the Basilica di San Nicola. The next day a fleet of boats carries the statue of St Nicholas along the coast and the evening ends with a massive fireworks competition.

Sleeping

Accommodation here tends to be bland and overpriced, aimed at business clientele.

B&B Casa Pimpolini B&B €

( 080 521 99 38; www.casapimpolini.com; Via Calefati 249; s/d €60/80; ) This lovely B&B in the new town is within easy walking distance to shops, restaurants and Bari Vecchia. The rooms are warm and welcoming, and the homemade breakfast a treat. Great value.

Hotel Adria HOTEL €€

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( 080 524 66 99; www.adriahotelbari.com; Via Zuppetta 10; s/d €70/110; ) A dusky-pink building fronted by wrought-iron balconies, this is a good choice near the train station. Rooms are comfortable, bright and modern.

Palace Hotel HOTEL €€€

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( 080 521 65 51; www.dominahotels.com; Via Lombardi 13; s/d €195/260; ) A large impersonal hotel, the Palace has classical rooms and a renowned rooftop restaurant, the Murat.

Eating

La Locanda di Federico TRATTORIA €€

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( 080 522 77 05; www.lalocandadifederico.com; Piazza Mercantile 63-64; meals €30; lunch & dinner) With domed ceilings, archways and medieval-style art work on the walls, this restaurant oozes atmosphere. The menu is typical Pugliese, the food delicious and the price reasonable. Orecchiette con le cime di rape (‘little ears’ pasta with turnip greens) is highly recommended.

Vini e Cucina OSTERIA €

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( 338 212 03 91; Strada Vallisa 23; meals €10; lunch & dinner) Run by the same family for more than a century, this boisterous osteria chalks up its daily specials of well-prepared and filling Pugliese dishes. Grab a seat in the brick-flanked tunnel of a dining room and wait (and wait) to be served by the one impressively indefatigable waiter.

Caffè Borghese CAFE €

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( 080 524 21 56; Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 22; dishes €6-10; 8am-2am Tue-Sun) You’ll experience genuine hospitality and friendly service in this small cafe. Its understated charm and simple dishes will have you returning for breakfast, lunch and aperitivi .

Alberosole TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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( 080 523 54 46; www.alberosole.com; Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 13; meals €40; Tue-Sun) Dine alongside bankers in Brioni suits at this elegant restaurant. The contemporary menu is complemented by a traditional dining room, complete with an old stone floor and cathedral ceiling. Highly recommended by locals.

Drinking

Barcollo BAR

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( 080 521 38 89; Piazza Mercantile 69/70; cocktails €7; 8am-3am) Lounge on brilliant-red banquettes or sit outside on the twinkling square supping a cocktail and nibbling work-of-art hors d’oeuvres.

Ferrarese BAR

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( 392 074 44 74; Piazza Ferrarese 1) Overlooking the harbour on Piazza Ferrarese, this is a popular hang-out for university students.

Shopping

Designer shops and the main Italian chains line Via Sparano da Bari, while delis and gourmet food shops are located throughout the city.

II Salumaio FOOD

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( 080 521 93 45; www.ilsalumaio.it; Via Piccinni 168; 8.30am-2pm & 5.30-9.30pm Mon-Sat) Breathe in the delicious scents of fine regional produce at this venerable delicatessen.

Enoteca de Pasquale WINE

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( 080 521 31 92; Via Marchese di Montrone 87; 8am-2pm & 4-8.30pm Mon-Sat) Stock up on Puglian wines.

Information

From Piazza Aldo Moro, in front of the main train station, streets heading north will take you to Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, which separates the old and new parts of the city.

CTS ( 080 521 88 73; Via Garriba 65-67) Good for student travel and discount flights.

Hospital ( 080 559 11 11; Piazza Cesare)

Morfimare Travel Agency ( 080 578 98 26; www.morfimare.it; Corso de Tullio 36-40) Ferry bookings.

Police station ( 080 529 11 11; Via Murat 4)

Post office (Piazza Umberto 33/8)

Tourist office ( 080 990 93 41; www.viaggiareinpuglia.it; 1st fl, Piazza Moro 33a; 8.30am-1pm & 3-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-1pm Sat); information kiosk ( 9am-7pm May-Sep) in front of the train station in Piazza Aldo Moro.

START VIESTE

END MARATEA

DISTANCE 650KM TO 700KM

DURATION ONE WEEK

Driving Tour: Italy’s Authentic South

Consider a gentle start in lovely, laid-back Vieste with its white sandy beaches and medieval backstreets, but set aside half a day to hike or bike in the lush green forests of the Parco Nazionale del Gargano . Follow the coast road past dramatic cliffs, salt lakes and flat farming land to Trani with its impressive seafront cathedral and picturesque port. The next day, dip into pretty Polignano a Mare with its dramatic location above the pounding surf before heading to Alberobello, home to a dense neighbourhood of extraordinary cone-shaped stone homes called trulli . Shake your head in wonder and consider an overnight trulli stay.

Stroll around one of the most picturesque centro storico’s in southern Italy at Locorotondo . Hit the road and cruise on to a delightful gem of a city: Lecce , where you can easily chalk up a full day exploring the sights, the shops and the flamboyantly fronted palazzi and churches, including the Basilica di Santa Croce .

Day five will be one to remember. Nothing can prepare you for Basilicata’s Matera where the sassi (former cave dwellings) are a dramatic, albeit harrowing, reminder of the town’s poverty-stricken past. After days of pasta, fave beans and cornetti (Italian croissants), it’s high time you laced up those hiking boots and checked out the trails and activities on offer in the spectacular Parco Nazionale del Pollino . Finally, wind up the trip and soothe those aching muscles with a dip in the sea at postcard-pretty Maratea with its surrounding seaside resorts, medieval village and cosmopolitan harbour offset by a thickly forested and mountainous interior.

Getting There & Away

Air

Bari’s Palese airport ( 080 580 03 58; www.aeroportidipuglia.it) is served by a host of international and budget airlines, including British Airways, Alitalia and Ryanair.

Pugliairbus ( 080 580 03 58; http://pugliairbus.aeroportidipuglia.it) connects the airports of Bari, Brindisi, Taranto and Foggia. It also has a service from Bari airport to Matera (€5, 1 ¼ hours, four daily), and to Vieste (€20, 3 ½ hours, four daily May to September).

Boat

Ferries run from Bari to Albania, Croatia, Greece and Montenegro. All boat companies have offices at the ferry terminal, accessible on bus 20 from the main train station. Fares vary considerably between companies and it’s easier to book with a travel agent such as Morfimare ( 080 578 98 26; booking office 080 578 98 11; www.morfimare.it; Corso de Tullio 36-40).

The main companies and their routes are as follows:

Agoudimos Lines (www.agoudimos-lines.com) To Cephalonia, Corfu, Igoumenista in Greece.

Jardolinija (www.jardolinija.hr) To Dubrovnik in Croatia.

Montenegro Lines ( 382 30 311 164; www.montenegrolines.net) To Bar in Montenegro; Cephalonia, Corfu, Igoumenista in Greece; and Durrës in Albania.

Superfast ( 080 528 28 28; www.superfast.com) To Corfu, Igoumenitsa, Patras in Greece. Departures at 7pm or 8pm depending on the route.

Ventouris Ferries ( for Greece 080 521 76 99, for Albania 521 27 56; www.ventouris.gr) Regular ferries to Corfu and Igoumenitsa (Greece) and daily ferries to Durrës (Albania).

Bus

Intercity buses leave from three main locations. From Via Capruzzi, south of the main train station, SITA ( 080 579 01 11; www.sitabus.it, in Italian) covers local destinations. Ferrovie Appulo-Lucane ( 080 572 52 29; www.fal-srl.it, in Italian) buses serving Matera also depart from here, plus Marozzi ( 080 556 24 46; www.marozzivt.it) buses for Rome (€35, eight hours, eight daily – note that the overnight bus departs from Piazza Moro) and other long-distance destinations.

Piazza Eroi del Mare is the terminal for STP ( 080 505 82 80; www.stpspa.it) buses serving Trani (€2.95, 45 minutes, frequent). Ferrotramviaria ( 080 529 93 52; www.ferrovienordbarese.it) runs frequent buses to Andria (€3.90, one hour) and Ruvo di Puglia (€2.60, 40 minutes).

Buses operated by Ferrovie del Sud-Est (FSE; 080 546 21 11; www.fseonline.it, in Italian) leave from Largo Ciaia, south of Piazza Aldo Moro.

Alberobello €3.90, 1¼ hours; continues to Locorotondo and Martina Franca

Brindisi €7.70, 23 to 24 hours, four daily Monday to Saturday

Grotte di Castellana €2.90, one hour, five daily

Ostuni €5.20, two hours, four daily

Taranto €5.80, 1¾ to 2¼ hours, frequent

Train

A web of train lines spreads out from Bari. Note that there are fewer services on the weekend.

From the main train station ( 080 524 43 86) trains go to Puglia and beyond:

Brindisi from €15, one hour

Foggia from €18, one hour

Milan from €85, about eight hours

Rome from €51, four hours

Ferrovie Appulo-Lucane ( 080 572 52 29; www.fal-srl.it) serves two main destinations:

Matera €4.50, 1½ hours, 12 daily

Potenza €9.70, four hours, four daily

FSE ( 080 546 21 11; www.fseonline.it, in Italian) trains leave from the station in Via Oberdan – cross under the train tracks south of Piazza Luigi di Savoia and head east along Via Capruzzi for about 500m. They serve the following towns:

Alberobello €4.50, 1½ hours, hourly

Martina Franca €5.20, two hours, hourly

Taranto from €7.70, 2½ hours, nine daily

TRAVELLING EAST

Puglia is the main jumping-off point for onward travel to Greece, Croatia and Albania. The two main ports are Bari and Brindisi, from where you catch ferries to Vlore in Albania, Bar in Montenegro, and Cephalonia, Corfu, Igoumenista and Patras in Greece. Fares from Bari to Greece are generally more expensive than those from Brindisi. Taxes are usually from €9 to €12 per person and car. High season is generally the months of July and August, with reduced services in low season. Tariffs can be up to one-third cheaper in low season.

Getting Around

Central Bari is compact – a 15-minute walk will take you from Piazza Aldo Moro to the old town. For the ferry terminal take bus 20 from Piazza Moro (€1.50).

Street parking is migraine-inducing. There’s a large parking area (€1) south of the main port entrance; otherwise, there’s a large multistorey car park between the main train station and the Ferrovie del Sud-Est (FSE) station. Another car park is on Via Zuppetta opposite Hotel Adria.

To/From the Airport

For the airport, take the Tempesta shuttle bus (€4.14, 30 minutes, hourly) from the main train station, with pick-ups at Piazza Garibaldi and the corner of Via Andrea da Bari and Via Calefati. A taxi trip from the airport to town costs around €24.

Ferrovia Bari-Nord ( 080 529 93 52; www.ferrovianordbarese.it) has frequent train services to the airport (€1.10, 10 minutes).

Around Bari

The Terra di Bari, or ‘land of Bari’, surrounding the capital is rich in olive groves and orchards, and the region has an impressive architectural history with some magnificent cathedrals, an extensive network of castles along its coastline, charming seaside towns like Trani and Polignano a Mare, and the mysterious inland Castel del Monte.

TRANI

POP 53,860

Known as the ‘Pearl of Puglia’, beautiful Trani has a sophisticated feel, particularly in summer when well-heeled visitors pack the diminutive array of marina-side bars. The marina is the place to promenade and watch the white yachts and fishing boats in the harbour, while the historic centre, with its medieval churches, glossy limestone streets and faded yet charming palazzi is an enchanting area to explore. But it’s the cathedral, white against the deep-blue sea, that is the town’s most arresting sight.

Sights

Cathedral CATHEDRAL

(Piazza del Duomo; 9am-12.30pm & 3-6.30pm) The dramatic seafront cathedral is dedicated to St Nicholas the Pilgrim, famous for being foolish. The Greek Christian wandered through Puglia, crying ‘ Kyrie eleison ’ (Greek for ‘Lord, have mercy’). First thought to be a simpleton, he was revered after his death (aged 19) after several miracles attributed to him occurred. The cathedral was started in 1097 on the site of a Byzantine church and completed in the 13th century. The magnificent original bronze doors (now displayed inside) were cast by Barisano da Trani, an accomplished 12th-century artisan.

The interior of the cathedral reflects typical Norman simplicity and is lined by colonnades. Near the main altar are the remains of a 12th-century floor mosaic, stylistically similar to that in Otranto. Below the church is the crypt, a forest of ancient columns where the bones of St Nicholas are kept beneath the altar. You can also visit the campanile (admission €3) .

Castle CASTLE

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( 0883 50 66 03; www.castelloditrani.beniculturali.it; Piazza Manfredi 16; admission €2; 8.30am-7.30pm) Two hundred metres north of the cathedral is Trani’s other major landmark, the vast, almost modernist Swabian castle built by Frederick II in 1233. Charles V later strengthened the fortifications; it was used as a prison from 1844 to 1974.

Ognissanti Church CHURCH

(Via Ognissanti; hours vary) Built by the Knights Templar in the 12th century, Norman knights swore allegiance here to Bohemond I of Antioch, their leader, before setting off on the First Crusade.

Scolanova Church CHURCH

( 0883 48 17 99; Via Scolanova 23; hours vary) This church was one of four former synagogues in the ancient Jewish quarter, all of which were converted to churches in the 14th century. Inside is a beautiful Byzantine painting of Madonna dei Martiri.

Sleeping

Albergo Lucy HOTEL €

( 0883 48 10 22; www.albergolucy.com; Piazza Plebiscito 11; d/tr/q €65/85/105; ) In a restored 17th-century palazzo overlooking a leafy square and close to the shimmering port, this family-run place oozes charm. Bike hire and guided tours available. Great value.

B&B Centro Storico Trani B&B €

( 0883 50 61 76; www.bbtrani.it; Via Leopardi 28; s €35-50, d €50-70) This simple, old-fashioned B&B inhabits an old backstreet monastery and is run by an elderly couple. It’s basic, but the rooms are large and ‘Mama’ makes a mean crostata (jam tart).

Hotel Regia HOTEL €€

( 0883 58 44 44; www.hotelregia.it; Piazza del Duomo 2; s €120-130, d €130-150; ) A lone building facing the cathedral, the understated grandeur of 18th-century Palazzo Filisio houses a charming hotel. Rooms are sober and stylish.

Eating

U’Vrascir TRATTORIA €

( 0883 49 18 40; www.uvrascir.it; Piazza Cesare Battisti 9; meals €25; Wed-Mon) With a cosy atmosphere, friendly service, and a menu written in dialect, this inviting trattoria and pizzeria is sure to satisfy. Good value.

Corteinfiore SEAFOOD €€

( 0883 50 84 02; www.corteinfiore.it; Via Ognissanti 18; meals €30; Tue-Sun) Romantic, urbane, refined. The wooden decking, buttercup -yellow tablecloths and marquee-conservatory setting is refreshing. The wines are excellent and the cooking delicious.

La Darsena SEAFOOD €€

( 0883 48 73 33; Via Statuti Marittimi 98; meals €30; Tue-Sun) Renowned for its seafood, La Darsena is housed in a waterfront palazzo . Outside tables overlook the port while inside photos of old Puglia cover the walls beneath a huge wrought-iron dragon chandelier.

Information

From the train station, Via Cavour leads through Piazza della Repubblica to Piazza Plebiscito and the public gardens. Turn left for the harbour and cathedral.

The tourist office ( 0883 58 88 30; www.traniweb.it; 1st fl, Palazzo Palmieri, Piazza Trieste 10; 8.30am-1.30pm Mon-Fri, plus 3.30-5.30pm Tue & Thu) is 200m south of the cathedral.

Getting There & Away

STP ( 0883 49 18 00; www.stpspa.it) has frequent services to Bari (€2.95, 45 minutes). Services depart from Bar Stazione (Piazza XX Settembre 23) , which also has timetables and tickets.

Trani is on the main train line between Bari (€4.40, 40 to 60 minutes, frequent) and Foggia (€9.50, one hour, frequent).

CASTEL DEL MONTE

You’ll see Castel del Monte ( 0883 56 99 97; www.casteldelmonte.beniculturali.it; admission adult/reduced €5/2.50; 9am-6pm Oct-Feb, 10.15am-7.45pm Mar-Sep) , an unearthly geometric shape on a hilltop, from miles away. Mysterious and perfectly octagonal, it’s one of southern Italy’s most talked-about landmarks and a Unesco World Heritage Site.

No one knows why Frederick II built it. Nobody has ever lived here – note the lack of kitchens – and there’s no nearby town or strategic crossroads. It was not built to defend anything, as it has no moat or drawbridge, no arrow slits, and no trapdoors for pouring boiling oil on invaders.

Some theories claim that, according to mid-13th-century beliefs in geometric symbolism, the octagon represented the union of the circle and square, of God-perfection (the infinite) and human-perfection (the finite). The castle was therefore nothing less than a celebration of the relationship between humanity and God.

The castle has eight octagonal towers. Its interconnecting rooms have decorative marble columns and fireplaces, and the doorways and windows are framed in corallite stone. Many of the towers have washing rooms – Frederick II, like the Arab world he admired, set great store by cleanliness.

It’s difficult to reach here by public transport. By car, it’s about 35km from Trani.

POLIGNANO A MARE

Dip into this spectacularly positioned small town if you can. Located around 34km south of Bari on the S16 coastal road, Polignano a Mare is built on the edge of a craggy ravine pockmarked with caves.

On Sunday the logge (balconies) are crowded with day trippers from Bari who come here to view the crashing waves, visit the caves and crowd out the cornetterias (shops specialising in Italian croissants) in the atmospheric centro storico . The town is thought to be one of the most important ancient settlements in Puglia and was later inhabited by successive invaders ranging from the Huns to the Normans. There are several baroque churches, an imposing Norman monastery and the medieval Porta Grande , the only access to the historic centre until the 18th century. You can still see the holes that activated the heavy drawbridge and the openings from where boiling oil was poured onto any unwelcome visitors to town.

La Balconata ( 080 424 17 12; Vico Lapergola 10; meals €16; lunch & dinner) has the best position on a balcony overlooking the sea. It’s a restaurant, pizzeria, sandwich bar and gelateria all in one.

Several operators organise boat trips to the grottoes, including Dorino ( 329 646 59 04) , costing around €20 per person.

Although there is a twice-daily bus service from Bari, your own car is the best way to reach Polignano.

LUCERA

Lovely Lucera has one of Puglia’s most impressive castles and a handsome old town centre with mellow sand-coloured brick and stone work, and chic shops lining wide, shiny stone streets. Founded by the Romans in the 4th century BC, it was abandoned by the 13th century. Following excommunication by Pope Gregory IX, Frederick II decided to bolster his support base in Puglia by importing 20,000 Sicilian Arabs, simultaneously diminishing the headache Arab bandits were causing him in Sicily. It was an extraordinary move by the Christian monarch, even more so because Frederick allowed Lucera’s new Muslim inhabitants the freedom to build mosques and practise their religion a mere 290km from Rome. History, however, was less kind; when the town was taken by the rabidly Christian Angevins in 1269, every Muslim who failed to convert was slaughtered.

Frederick II’s enormous castle (admission free; 9am-2pm year-round & 3-7pm Apr-Sep) , shows just what a big fish Lucera once was in the Puglian pond. Built in 1233, it’s 14km northwest of the town on a rocky hillock surrounded by a perfect 1km pentagonal wall, guarded by 24 towers.

On the site of Lucera’s Great Mosque, Puglia’s only Gothic cathedral ( 8am-noon & 4-7pm May-Sep, 5-8pm Oct-Apr) was built in 1301 by Charles II of Anjou. The altar was once the castle banqueting table.

Dominated by a huge rose window, the contemporaneous Gothic Chiesa di San Francesco ( 8am-noon & 4-7pm) incorporates recycled materials from Lucera’s 1st-century-BC Roman amphitheatre (admission free; 9am-2pm & 3.15-6.45pm Tue-Sun Apr-Sep) . The amphitheatre was built for gladiatorial combat and accommodated up to 18,000 people.

The tourist office ( 0881 52 27 62; 9am-2pm & 3-8pm Tue-Sun Apr-Sep, 9am-2pm Oct-Mar) is near the cathedral.

Ferrovie del Gargano trains run to Lucera from Foggia (€1.30, 20 minutes, three daily) which is on the east coast train line between Bari and Pescara.

Promontorio del Gargano

The coast surrounding the promontory seems permanently bathed in a pink-hued, pearly light, providing a painterly contrast to the sea, which softens from intense to powder blue as the evening draws in. It’s one of Italy’s most beautiful areas, encompassing white limestone cliffs, fairy-tale grottoes, sparkling sea, ancient forests, and tangled, fragrant maquis. Once connected to what is now Dalmatia (in Croatia), the ‘spur’ of the Italian boot has more in common with the land mass across the sea than with the rest of Italy. Creeping urbanisation was halted in 1991 by the creation of the Parco Nazionale del Gargano . Aside from its magnificent national park, the Gargano is home to pilgrimage sites and the lovely seaside towns of Vieste and Peschici.

Along the coast you’ll spot strange cat’s-cradle wood-and-rope arrangements, unique to the area. These are trabucchi, ancient fishing traps (possibly Phoenician in origin) from which fishermen cast their nets, ‘walk the plank’, and haul in their catch.

VIESTE

POP 13,890

Vieste is an attractive whitewashed town jutting off the Gargano’s easternmost promontory into the Adriatic Sea. It’s the Gargano capital and sits above the area’s most spectacular beach, a gleaming wide strip backed by sheer white cliffs and overshadowed by the towering rock monolith, Scoglio di Pizzomunno. It’s packed in summer and ghostly quiet in winter.

Sights

Vieste is primarily a beach resort. The castle built by Frederick II is occupied by the military and closed to the public.

Chianca Amara HISTORICAL SITE

(Bitter Stone; Via Cimaglia) Vieste’s most gruesome sight is this stone where thousands were beheaded when Turks sacked Vieste in the 16th century.

Museo Malacologico MUSEUM

( 0884 70 76 88; Via Pola 8; 9.30am-12.30pm & 4.30-9pm) This impressive shell museum has four rooms of fossils and molluscs, some enormous and all beautifully patterned and coloured.

Cathedral CATHEDRAL

(Via Duomo) Built by the Normans on the ruins of a Vesta temple, the cathedral is in Puglian-Romanesque style with a fanciful tower that resembles a cardinal’s hat. It was rebuilt in 1800.

La Salata HISTORICAL SITE

(admission adult/child €4/free; 5.30-6.15pm Jun-Aug, 4-4.45pm Sep, Oct-May on request) This palaeo -Christian graveyard dating from the 4th to 6th centuries AD is 9km out of town. Inside the cave, tier upon tier of narrow tombs are cut into the rock wall; others form shallow niches in the cave floor. Guided tours are essential. Book with Agenzia Sinergie ( 338 840 62 15; www.agenziasinergie.it), which can also arrange customised tours of the Gargano.

Activities

Superb sandy beaches surround the town: in the south are Spiagga del Castello, Cala San Felice and Cala Sanguinaria; due north, head for the area known as La Salata. Diving is popular around the promontory’s rocky coastline, filled with marine grottoes.

From May to September fast boats zoom to the Isole Tremiti.

Boat hire and tours can be arranged at the port:

Centro Ormeggi e Sub BOAT HIRE

( 0884 70 79 83) Offers diving courses and rents out sailing boats and motorboats.

Leonarda Motobarche BOAT TOUR

( 0884 70 13 17; www.motobarcheleonarda.it; per person €15; Apr-Sep) Boat tours of marine caves.

Tours

Agenzia Sol ( 0884 70 15 58; www.solvieste.it; Via Trepiccioni 5; 9.20am-1.15pm & 5-9pm winter, to midnight in summer) organises hiking, cycling and 4WD tours in the Foresta Umbra; boat tours around the Gargano; and gastronomic tours and small group tours into Puglia. It also sells bus tickets and ferry tickets for the Isole Tremiti.

Sleeping

B&B Rocca sul Mare B&B €

( 0884 70 27 19; www.roccasulmare.it; Via Mafrolla 32; per person €25-70; ) In a former convent in the old quarter, this popular place has charm, with large, comfortable high- ceilinged rooms. There’s a vast rooftop terrace with panoramic views and a suite with a steam bath. Meals and bike hire available.

Hotel Seggio HOTEL €€

( 0884 70 81 23; www.hotelseggio.it; Via Veste 7; d €80-150; Apr-Oct; ) A butter-coloured palazzo in the town’s historic centre with steps that spiral down to a pool and sunbathing terrace with a backdrop of the sea. The rooms are modern and plain but it’s family run.

Campeggio Capo Vieste CAMPGROUND €

( 0884 70 63 26; www.capovieste.it; Litoranea Vieste–Peschici Km 8; camping 2 people, car & tent €33, 1-bedroom bungalow €77-164; Mar-Oct; ) This tree-shaded campground is right by a sandy beach at La Salata, around 8km from Vieste and accessible by bus. Activities include tennis and a sailing school.

Eating

Taverna Al Cantinone TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 0884 70 77 53; Via Mafrolla 26; meals €25-30; lunch & dinner Wed-Mon) Run by a charming Italian-Spanish couple who have a passion for cooking; the food is exceptional and exquisitely presented. The menu changes with the seasons.

Osteria Al Duomo OSTERIA €

( 0884 70 82 43; www.osterialduomo.it; Via Alessandro III 23; meals €25; lunch & dinner Mar-Nov) Tucked away in a narrow alley in the heart of the old town, this osteria has a cosy cave interior and outdoor seating under a shady arbour. Homemade pastas with seafood sauces feature prominently.

Enoteca Vesta TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 0884 70 64 11; Via Duomo 14; meals €30-35) Housed in a cool vaulted cave, you can savour a magnificent selection of Puglian wines here to accompany innovative seafood dishes.

Information

Post office (Via Vittorio Veneto)

Tourist office ( 0884 70 88 06; Piazza Kennedy; 8am-8pm Jun-Sep, 8am-1.30pm Mon-Fri & 4-7pm Tue-Thu Oct-May)

Getting There & Around

Boat

Vieste’s port is to the north, about a five-minute walk from the tourist office. In summer, several companies, including Navigazione Libera del Golfo ( 0884 70 74 89; www.navlib.it) , head to the Isole Tremiti. Tickets can be bought portside and there are several daily boats (€16.50 to €20, 1½ hours).

Several companies also offer tours of the caves which pock the Gargano coast – a three-hour tour costs around €13.

Bus

From Piazzale Manzoni, where intercity buses terminate, a 10-minute walk east along Viale XXIV Maggio, which becomes Corso Fazzini, brings you into the old town and the Marina Piccola’s attractive promenade. In summer, buses terminate at Via Verdi.

SITA ( 0881 35 20 11; www.sitabus.it) buses run between Vieste and Foggia (€6.50, 2¾ hours, four daily) via Manfredonia. There are also services to Monte Sant’Angelo (€4.90) via Manfredonia but Ferrovie del Gargano ( 0881 58 72 11; www.ferroviedelgargano.com) buses have a direct daily service to Monte Sant’Angelo (€5.80, two hours), and frequent services to Peschici (€1.60, 35 minutes).

From May to September, Pugliairbus ( 080 580 03 58; http://pugliairbus.aeroportidipuglia.it) runs a service to the Gargano, including Vieste, from Bari airport (€20, 3½ hours, four daily).

PADRE PIO: SAINT OF THE GARGANO

Pilgrims flock to San Giovanni Rotondo , home to Padre Pio, a humble and pious Capuchin priest ‘blessed’ with the stigmata and a legendary ability to heal the sick. Pio (1887–1968) was canonised in 2002 and immortalised in the vast numbers of prefabricated statues to be found throughout the Gargano. There’s even a statue of Pio beneath the waters off the Isole Tremiti.

The ailing Capuchin priest arrived in San Giovanni Rotondo, then a tiny isolated medieval village, in 1916. As Pio’s fame grew, the town too underwent a miraculous transformation. These days, it’s a mass of functional hotels and restaurants catering to eight million pilgrims a year. It’s all overlooked by the palatial Home for the Relief of Suffering, one of Italy’s premier hospitals (established by Pio in 1947).

The Convent of the Minor Capuchin Friars ( 0882 41 71; www.conventopadrepio.com; Piazza Santa Maria delle Grazie) includes Padre Pio’s cell ( 7am-7pm summer, 7.30am-6.30pm winter) , a simple room containing mementoes such as his blood-stained socks. The old church , where he used to say Mass, dates from the 16th century. The spectacular new church , designed by Genovese Renzo Piano (who also designed Paris’ Pompidou Centre), resembles a huge futuristic seashell, with an interior of bony vaulting. Padre Pio’s body now lies in the geometric perfection of the semicircular crypt.

SITA buses run daily to San Giovanni Rotondo from Monte Sant’Angelo (€1.90, 50 minutes) and Vieste (€5.80, 2½ hours).

MONTE SANT’ANGELO

POP 13,250 / ELEV 796M

One of Europe’s most important pilgrimage sites, this isolated mountaintop has an extraordinary atmosphere. Pilgrims have been coming here for centuries – and so have the hustlers, pushing everything from religious kitsch to parking spaces.

The object of devotion is the Santuario di San Michele. Here, in AD 490, St Michael the Archangel is said to have appeared in a grotto to the Bishop of Siponto. He left behind his scarlet cloak and instructions not to consecrate the site as he had already done so.

During the Middle Ages, the sanctuary marked the end of the Route of the Angel, which began in Mont St-Michel (in Normandy) and passed through Rome. In 999 the Holy Roman Emperor Otto III made a pilgrimage to the sanctuary to pray that prophecies about the end of the world in the year 1000 would not be fulfilled. His prayers were answered, the world staggered on and the sanctuary’s fame grew.

Sights

The town’s serpentine alleys and jumbled houses are perfect for a little aimless ambling. Look out for the different shaped cappelletti (chimney stacks) on top of the neat whitewashed houses.

Santuario di San Michele GROTTO

(Via Reale Basilica; 7.30am-7.30pm Jul-Sep, 7.30am-12.30pm & 2.30-7pm Apr-Jun & Oct, to 5pm Nov-Mar) Look for the 17th-century pilgrims’ graffiti as you descend the steps. St Michael is said to have left a footprint in stone inside the grotto, so it became customary for pilgrims to carve outlines of their feet and hands. Etched Byzantine bronze and silver doors, cast in Constantinople in 1076, open into the grotto itself. Inside, a 16th-century statue of the archangel covers the site of St Michael’s footprint.

Tomba di Rotari HISTORICAL SITE

(admission €0.60; 10am-1pm & 3-7pm Apr-Oct) A short flight of stairs opposite the sanctuary leads not to a tomb, but to a 12th-century baptistry with a deep sunken basin for total immersion. You enter the baptistry through the facade of the Chiesa di San Pietro with its intricate rose window squirming with serpents – all that remains of the church, destroyed in a 19th-century earthquake. The Romanesque portal of the adjacent 11th-century Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore has some fine bas-reliefs.

Castle HISTORICAL SITE

(Largo Roberto Giuscardo 2; admission €2; 9.30am-1pm & 2.30-7pm) At the highest point is this rugged bijou, a Norman castle with Swabian and Aragonese additions as well as panoramic views.

Sleeping & Eating

Hotel Michael HOTEL €

( 0884 56 55 19; www.hotelmichael.com; Via Basilica 86; s €50-60, d €70-80; ) A small hotel with shuttered windows on the main street, across from the sanctuary, this traditional place has spacious rooms with extremely pink bedspreads. Ask for a room with a view.

Casa li Jalantu ú mene TRATTORIA €€

( 0884 56 54 84; www.li-jalantuumene.it; Piazza de Galganis 5; meals €40; lunch Wed-Mon Feb-Dec) This renowned restaurant has an entertaining and eccentric chef, Gegè Mangano, and serves excellent fare. It’s intimate, there’s a select wine list and, in summer, tables spill into the piazza. Accommodation (d €80-110) , decorated in traditional Pugliese-style, should be available by 2012.

Getting There & Away

SITA ( 0881 35 20 11; www.sitabus.it, in Italian) buses run from Foggia (€4.50, 1¾ hours, four daily) and Vieste via Manfredonia; Ferrovie del Gargano has a direct service from Vieste (€5.80, two hours, five daily). Buy your tickets from Bar Esperia next to the sanctuary.

PESCHICI

POP 4400

Perched above a turquoise sea and tempting beach, Peschici clings to the hilly, wooded coastline. It’s a pretty resort area with a tight-knit old walled town of Arabesque whitewashed houses. The small town gets crammed in summer, so book in advance. Boats zip across to the Isole Tremiti in high season.

Sleeping & Eating

Locanda al Castello B&B €

( 0884 96 40 38; Via Castello 29; s €35-70, d €70-100; ) Staying here is like entering a large, welcoming family home. It’s by the cliffs with fantastic views. Enjoy hearty home cooking in the restaurant (meals €18).

Baia San Nicola CAMPGROUND €

( 0884 96 42 31; www.baiasannicola.it; camping €21.50-36.50, 2-person bungalow per week €320-360; mid-May–mid-Oct) The best campground in the area, 2km south of Peschici towards Vieste, Baia San Nicola is on a pine-shaded beach, offering camping, bungalows, apartments and myriad amenities.

Porto di Basso SEAFOOD €€

( 0884 91 53 64; www.portodibasso.it; Via Colombo 38; meals €30-40; Fri-Wed) Superb views of the ocean drop away from the floor-length windows beside the intimate alcove tables in this elegant clifftop restaurant. The menu of fresh local seafood changes daily. Close to the restaurant, two stylish suites with fantastic sea views were under construction at time of research. When ready they should be the pick of Peschici’s accommodation choices.

II Trabucco da Mimi SEAFOOD €€

(0884 96 25 56; Localita Punta San Nicola; meals €30-40; lunch & dinner Easter-Oct) For the ultimate in fresh fish you can’t beat eating in a trabucco, the traditional wooden fishing platforms lining the coast. Watch the process in operation and dine on the catch. The decor is simple and rustic and you’ll pay for the experience – but it’s worth it.

Information

Tourist office ( 0884 91 53 62; Via Magenta 3; 8am-2pm & 5-9pm Mon-Fri summer, 8am-2pm Mon-Fri & 9am-noon & 4-7pm Sat in winter) .

Getting There & Away

The bus terminal is beside the sportsground, uphill from the main street, Corso Garibaldi.

Ferrovie del Gargano ( 0881 58 72 11; www.ferroviedelgargano.com, in Italian) buses run frequent daily services between Peschici and Vieste (€1.60, 35 minutes).

From April to September, ferry companies including MS&G Societá di Navigazione ( 0884 96 27 32; www.msgnavigazioni.it; Corso Umberto I 20) and Navigare SRL ( 0884 96 42 34; Corso Garibaldi 30) serve the Isole Tremiti (adult €28 to €32, child €16 to €20, one to 1½ hours).

CAMPING IN STYLE

If your experience of camping is the Boy Scout version of flapping tents, freezing nights and eating cold baked beans out of a tin, you will be delighted at the five-star quality of the typical campsites in this southern region of Italy. They are also prolific, particularly in and around the national parks. In the Gargano region alone there are an astonishing 100 campsites, compared to the relatively modest number of pensioni and hotels. If you don’t fancy sleeping under canvas (or need a plug for those heated rollers) then consider a bungalow rental.

Virtually all these camping villaggios (villages) include well-furnished and equipped bungalows. This means you can really economise on eating out, as well as having the advantages of the campsite facilities, which often include tennis courts, a swimming pool, a children’s playground and small supermarket. Bungalows (normally only available for week-long rentals) start from around €200/500 (low/high season) for a two-person bungalow or mobile-home rental. Traditional under-canvas campers can expect to pay a daily rate of approximately (low/high season) €15/25, which includes camping for two people, tent and car parking space.

Check the following websites for more information and camping listings: www.camping.it; www.camping-italy.net and www.caravanandcampsites.eu.

FORESTA UMBRA

The ‘Forest of Shadows’ is the Gargano’s enchanted interior – thickets of tall, epic trees interspersed with picnic spots bathed in dappled light. It’s the last remnant of Puglia’s ancient forests: Aleppo pines, oaks, yews and beech trees shade the mountainous terrain. More than 65 different types of orchid have been discovered here; the wildlife includes roe deer, wild boar, foxes, badgers and the increasingly rare wild cat. Walkers and mountain bikers will find plenty of well-marked trails within the forest’s 5790 sq km.

The small visitors centre in the middle of the forest houses a museum and nature centre (www.ecogargano.it; €1.20; 9am-7pm mid-Apr–mid-Oct) with fossils, photographs and stuffed animals and birds. Half-day guided hikes (per person €10), bike hire (per hour/day €5/25), and walking maps (€2.50) are available.

Specialist tour operators organise hiking, biking and 4WD excursions in the park. These include Agenzia Sol ( 0884 70 15 58; www.solvieste.it; Via Trepiccioni 5) and Explora Gargano ( 0884 70 22 37; www.exploragargano.it) in Vieste, and Soc Cooperative Ecogargano ( 0884 56 54 44) in Monte Sant’Angelo.

La Chiusa delle More ( 330 54 37 66; www.lachiusadellemore.it; Vallo dello Schiaffo; B&B per person €80-100; May-Sep; ) offers an escape from the cramped coast. An attractive stone-built agriturismo (farm-stay) only 1.5km from Peschici, it’s set in a huge olive grove. You can dine on home-grown produce, borrow mountain bikes and enjoy panoramic views from your poolside lounger. Note there is a three-night minimum stay.

Isole Tremiti

POP 500

This beautiful archipelago of three islands, 36km offshore, is a picturesque sight of raggedy cliffs, sandy coves and thick pine woods, surrounded by the glittering dark-blue sea.

Unfortunately the islands are no secret, and in July and August some 100,000 holidaymakers descend on the archipelago. At this time it’s noisy, loud and hot. If you want to savour the islands’ tranquillity visit during the shoulder season. In the low season most tourist facilities close down and the few permanent residents resume their quiet and isolated lives.

The islands’ main facilities are on San Domino, the largest and lushest island, which was formerly used to grow crops. It’s ringed by alternating sandy beaches and limestone cliffs, while the inland is covered in thick maquis flecked with rosemary and foxglove. The centre harbours a nondescript small town with several hotels.

Easily defended, the small San Nicola island is the traditional administrative centre – a castle-like cluster of medieval buildings rises up from the rocks. The third island, Capraia, is uninhabited.

Most boats arrive at San Domino. Small boats regularly make the brief crossing to San Nicola (€6 return) in high season – from October to March a single boat makes the trip after meeting the boat from the mainland.

Sights & Activities

Head to San Domino for walks, grottoes and coves. It has a pristine, marvellous coastline and the islands’ only sandy beach, Cala delle Arene . Alongside the beach is the small cove Grotta dell’Arene , with calm clear waters for swimming. You can also take a boat trip (€12 to €15 from the port) around the island to explore the grottoes: the largest, Grotta del Bue Marino , is 70m long. A tour around all three islands costs €15 to €17. Diving in the translucent sea is another option with Tremiti Diving Center ( 337 64 89 17; www.tremitidivingcenter.com; Via Federico 2, San Domino) .

There’s an undemanding, but enchanting, walking track around the island, starting at the far end of the village. Alternatively, you could hire wheels from Jimmy Bike ( 338 897 09 09; www.jimmybike.com; bicycle/scooter per day €20/50) at Piazzetta San Domino.

Medieval buildings thrust out of San Nicola’s rocky shores, the same pale-sand colour as the barren cliffs. In 1010, Benedictine monks founded the Abbazia e Chiesa di Santa Maria here; for the next 700 years the islands were ruled by a series of abbots who accumulated great wealth. Although the church retains a weather-worn Renaissance portal and a fine 11th-century floor mosaic, its other treasures have been stolen or destroyed throughout its troubled history. The only exceptions are a painted wooden Byzantine crucifix brought to the island in AD 747 and a black Madonna, probably transported here from Constantinople in the Middle Ages.

The third of the Isole Tremiti, Capraia , (named after the wild caper plant) is uninhabited. Birdlife is plentiful, with impressive flocks of seagulls. There’s no organised transport, but trips can be negotiated with local fishermen.

Sleeping & Eating

In summer you’ll need to book well ahead and many hotels insist on full board. Camping is forbidden.

La Casa di Gino B&B €€

( 0882 46 34 10; www.hotel-gabbiano.com; San Nicola; r €100-180; ) A tranquil accommodation choice on San Nicola, away from the frenzy of San Domino, this newly opened B&B run by the Hotel Gabbiano has stylish white-on-white rooms.

Hotel Gabbiano HOTEL €€

( 0882 46 34 10; www.hotel-gabbiano.com; Piazza Belvedere, San Domino; s €45-105, d €90-210, incl breakfast; ) An established icon on the island and run for more than 30 years by a Neapolitan family, this smart hotel has pastel-coloured rooms with balconies overlooking San Nicola and the sea. It also has a seafood restaurant.

Architiello SEAFOOD €€

( 0882 46 30 54; San Nicola; meals €25; Apr-Oct) A class act with a seaview terrace, this specialises in – what else? – fresh fish.

Getting There & Away

Boats for the Isole Tremiti depart from several points on the Italian mainland: Manfredonia, Vieste and Peschici in summer, and Termoli in nearby Molise year-round ( Click here ).

Valle d’Itria

Between the Ionian and Adriatic coasts rises the great limestone plateau of the Murgia (473m). It has a strange karst geology; the landscape is riddled with holes and ravines through which small streams and rivers gurgle, creating what is, in effect, a giant sponge. At the heart of the Murgia lies the idyllic Valle d’Itria. Here you will begin to spot curious circular stone-built houses dotting the countryside, their roofs tapering up to a stubby and endearing point. These are trulli, Puglia’s unique rural architecture. It’s unclear why the architecture developed in this way; one popular story says that it was so the dry-stone constructions could be quickly dismantled, to avoid payment of building taxes.

The rolling green valley is criss-crossed by dry-stone walls, vineyards, almond and olive groves and winding country lanes. This is the part of Puglia most visited by foreign tourists and is the best served for hotels and luxury masserias or manor farms. Around here are also many of Puglia’s self-catering villas; to find them, try websites such as www.tuscanynow.com, www.ownersdirect.co.uk, www.holidayhomesinitaly.co.uk and www.trulliland.com.

GROTTE DI CASTELLANA

Don’t miss these spectacular limestone caves ( 800 23 19 76, 080 499 82 11; www.grottedicastellana.it; Piazzale Anelli; 9.30am-7pm Apr-Oct, 9.30am-12.30pm Nov-Mar) , 40km southeast of Bari and Italy’s longest natural subterranean network. The interlinked galleries, first discovered in 1938, contain an incredible range of underground landscapes, with extraordinary stalactite and stalagmite formations – look out for the jellyfish, the bacon and the stocking. The highlight is the Grotta Bianca (White Grotto), an eerie white alabaster cavern hung with stiletto-thin stalactites.

There are two tours in English: a 1km, 50-minute tour that doesn’t include the Grotta Bianca (€10, on the half-hour); and a 3km, two-hour tour (€15, on the hour) that does include it. The temperature inside the cave averages 18°C so take a light jacket. Visit, too, the Museo Speleologico Franco Anelli ( 080 499 82 30; admission free; 9.30am-1pm & 3.30-6.30pm mid-Mar–Oct, 10am-1pm Nov–mid-Mar) or the Osservatorio Astronomico Sirio ( 080 499 82 11; admission €3) , with its telescope and solar filters allowing for maximum solar-system visibility. Guided visits only with advance notification.

The grotto can be reached by rail from Bari on the FSE Bari-Taranto train line but not all trains stop at Grotte di Castellana. However, all services stop at Castellana Grotte (€2.90, 50 minutes, roughly hourly), 2km before the grotto, from where you can catch a local bus (€1) from the station to the caves.

ALBEROBELLO

POP 11,000

Unesco World Heritage Site Alberobello resembles a mini urban sprawl – for gnomes. The Zona dei Trulli on the western hill of town is a dense mass of 1500 beehive-shaped houses, white-tipped as if dusted by snow. These dry-stone buildings are made from local limestone; none are older than the 14th century. Inhabitants do not wear pointy hats, but they do sell anything a visitor might want, from miniature trulli to woollen shawls.

The town is named after the primitive oak forest Arboris Belli (beautiful trees) that once covered this area. It’s an amazing area, but is also something of a tourist trap – from May to October busloads of tourists pile into trullo homes, drink in trullo bars and shop in trullo shops.

If you park in Lago Martellotta, follow the steps up to the Piazza del Popolo where Belvedere Trulli offers fabulous views over the whole higgledy-piggledy picture.

Sights

Alberobello spreads across two hills. The new town is perched on the eastern hilltop; the Zona dei Trulli lies on the western hill and consists of two adjacent neighbourhoods, the Rione Monti and the Rione Aia Piccola.

Sightseeing in Alberobello mainly consists of wandering around admiring its eccentricity. Within the old town quarter of Rione Monti over 1000 trulli cascade down the hillside, most of which are now souvenir shops. To its east, on the other side of Via Indipendenza, is Rione Aia Piccola . This neighbourhood is much less commercialised, with 400 trulli, many still used as family dwellings. You can climb up for a rooftop view at many shops, although most do have a strategically located basket for a donation.

In the modern part of town, the 18th-century Trullo Sovrano ( 080 432 60 30; www.trullosovrano.it; Piazza Sacramento; admission €1.50; 10am-6pm) is the only two-floor trullo, built by a wealthy priest’s family. It’s a small museum giving something of the atmosphere of trullo life, with sweet, rounded rooms which include a re-created bakery, bedroom and kitchen. The souvenir shop here has a wealth of literature on the town and surrounding area.

Sleeping

It’s a unique experience to stay in your own trullo, though some people might find Alberobello too touristy to use as a base.

Trullidea APARTMENT €€

( 080 432 38 60; www.trullidea.it; Via Monte San Gabriele 1; 2-person trullo €63-149) A series of 15 renovated trulli in Alberobello’s Trulli Zone, these are quaint, cosy and atmospheric. They’re available on a self-catering, B&B, or half- or full-board basis.

Camping dei Trulli CAMPGROUND €

( 080 432 36 99; www.campingdeitrulli.com; Via Castellana Grotte, Km 1.5; camping 2 people, car & tent €26.50, bungalows per person €22-35, trulli €30-40; ) This campsite is 1.5km out of town and has some nice tent sites. It has a restaurant, market, two swimming pools, tennis courts and bicycle hire and you can also rent trulli off the grounds.

Eating

Trattoria Amatulli TRATTORIA €

( 080 432 29 79; Via Garibaldi 13; meals €16; Tue-Sun) Excellent trattoria with a cheerily cluttered interior papered with photos of smiley diners, plus superb down-to-earth dishes like orecchiette scure con cacioricotta pomodoro e rucola (‘little ears’ pasta with cheese, tomato and rucola). Wash it down with the surprisingly drinkable house wine, costing the lordly sum of €4 a litre.

La Cantina TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €

( 080 432 34 73; www.ilristorantelacantina.it; cnr Corso Vittorio Emanuele & Vico Lippolis; meals €25; Wed-Mon) Although tourists have discovered this place, it has maintained the high standards established back in 1958. There are just seven tables and one frenetic waiter serving delicious meals made with fresh seasonal produce.

II Poeta Contadino TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€€

( 080 432 19 17; www.ilpoetacontadino.it; Via Indipendenza 21; meals €65; Tue-Sun Feb-Dec) The dining room here has a medieval banqueting feel with its sumptuous decor and chandeliers. Dine on a poetic menu which includes the signature dish, fava bean purée with cavatelli and seafood.

Information

The tourist office ( 080 432 51 71; Via Garibaldi; 8am-1pm Mon-Fri, plus 3-6pm Tue & Thu) is just off the main square. In the Zona dei Trulli is another tourist information office ( 080 432 28 22; www.prolocoalberobello.it; Monte Nero 1; 9am-7.30pm) .

Getting There & Away

Alberobello is easily accessible from Bari (€4.10, 1½ hours, hourly) on the FSE Bari-Taranto train line. From the station, walk straight ahead along Via Mazzini, which becomes Via Garibaldi, to reach Piazza del Popolo.

LOCOROTONDO

POP 14,200

Locorotondo has an extraordinarily beautiful and whisper-quiet centro storico, where everything is shimmering white aside from the blood-red geraniums that tumble from the window boxes. Situated on a hilltop on the Murge Plateau, it’s a borghi più belli d’Italia (www.borghitalia.it) – that is, it’s rated as one of the most beautiful towns in Italy. The streets are paved with smooth ivory-coloured stones, with the church of Santa Maria della Graecia as their sunbaked centrepiece.

From Villa Comunale , a public garden, you can enjoy panoramic views of the surrounding valley. You enter the historic quarter directly across from here.

Not only is this deepest trulli country, but it’s also the liquid heart of the Puglian wine region. Sample some of the local spumante at Cantina del Locorotondo ( 080 431 16 44; www.locorotondodoc.com; Via Madonna della Catena 99; 9am-1pm & 3-7pm) .

Sleeping

Sotto le Cummerse APARTMENT €€

( 080 431 32 98; www.sottolecummerse.it; Via Vittorio Veneto 138; apt €82-230 incl breakfast; ) As an albergo diffuso (diffused hotel), you stay in tastefully furnished apartments scattered throughout the centro storico . The apartments are traditional buildings that have been beautifully restored and furnished. Excellent value and a great base for exploring the region.

Truddhi COTTAGE €€

( 080 443 13 26; www.trulliresidence.it; C da Trito 292; d €65-80, apt €100-150, per week €450-741; ) This charming cluster of 10 self-catering trulli in the hamlet of Trito near Locorotondo is surrounded by olive groves and vineyards. It’s a tranquil place and you can take cooking courses (per day €80) with Mino, a lecturer in gastronomy.

Eating

Quanto Basta PIZZERIA €

( 080 431 28 55; Via Morelli 12; pizza €6-7; dinner Tue-Sun) With its wooden tables, soft lighting and stone floors this pizzeria is cosy and welcoming. The pizzas are delicious and the beer list extensive.

La Taverna del Duca TRATTORIA €€

( 080 431 30 07; Via Papadotero 3; meals €35; lunch & dinner, closed Sun night in winter) , In a narrow side street next to an ancient tunnel, this well-regarded trattoria serves local classics such as orecchiette with various vegetable sidekicks.

Information

Tourist office ( 080 431 30 99; www.prolocolocorotondo.it; Piazza Vittorio Emanuele 27; 10am-1pm & 3-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-1pm Sat)

Getting There & Away

Locorotondo is easily accessible via frequent trains from Bari (€4.50, 1½ to two hours) on the FSE Bari-Taranto train line.

MASSERIAS: LUXURY ON THE FARM

Masserie (or masserias ) are unique to southern Italy. Modelled on the classical Roman villa, these fortified farmhouses – equipped with oil mills, cellars, chapels, storehouses and accommodation for workers and livestock – were built to function as self-sufficient communities. These days, they still produce the bulk of Italy’s olive oil, but many have been converted into luxurious hotels, agriturismi, holiday apartments or restaurants. Staying in a masseria is a unique experience, especially when you can dine on local home-grown produce.

The following masserias are recommended:

II Frantoio ( 0831 33 02 76; www.trecolline.it; SS16, Km 874; d €139-259, apt €319-350; ) Stay in a charming, whitewashed farmhouse, where the owners still live and work, producing high-quality organic olive oil. (Or else book yourself in for one of the marathon eight-course lunches; the food is superb.) Armando takes guests for a tour of the farm each evening in his 1949 Fiat. II Frantoio lies 5km outside Ostuni along the SS16 in the direction of Fasano. You’ll see the sign on your left-hand side when you reach the Km 874 sign.

Masseria Torre Coccaro ( 080 482 93 10; www.masseriatorrecoccaro.com; Contrada Coccaro 8, Savelletri di Fasano; d €278-1339; ) For pure luxury, stay in this super-chic yet countrified masseria . There’s a glorious spa set in a cave, a beach-style swimming pool, cooking courses on offer and a restaurant (meals €90) dishing up home-grown produce.

Masseria Maizza (www.masseriatorremaizza.com; €278-1493; ) Next door to Masseria Torre Coccaro and run by the same people, you know luxury is assured. The two masserias share a balmy beach club (about 4km away) and a neighbouring golf course.

Borgo San Marco ( 080 439 57 57; www.borgosanmarco.it; Contrada Sant’Angelo 33; s €130-140, d €180-230; ) Once a borgo (small village), this masseria has 16 rooms, a Jacuzzi in the orchard and is traditional with a bohemian edge. Nearby are some frescoed rock churches. It’s 8km from Ostuni; to get here take the SS379 in the direction of Bari, exiting at the sign that says SC San Marco–Zona Industriale Sud Fasano, then follow the signs. Note that there’s a one-week minimum stay in August.

CISTERNINO

POP 12,000

An appealing, whitewashed hilltop town, slow-paced Cisternino has a charming centro storico beyond its bland modern outskirts. Beside its 13th-century Chiesa Matrice and Torre Civica there’s a pretty communal garden with rural views. If you take Via Basilioni next to the tower you can amble along an elegant route right to the central piazza, Vittorio Emanuele.

Just outside the historic centre, the tourist office ( 080 444 66 61; www.prolococisternino.it; Via San Quirico 18 10.15am-12.15pm & 4.30-7.30pm Mon-Sat) can advise on B&Bs in the historic centre, but it’s not always open.

Cisternino has a grand tradition of fornello pronto (ready-to-go roast or grilled meat) and in numerous butchers’ shops and trattorias you can select a cut of meat, which is then promptly cooked on the spot. Try it under rustic whitewashed arches at Trattoria La Botte ( 080 444 78 50; Via Santa Lucia 47; meals €20; lunch & dinner, closed Thu in winter) , which also serves up Pugliese favourites such as fave e verdura (beans and greens).

Cisternino is accessible by regular trains from Bari (€4.50, 45 minutes).

MARTINA FRANCA

POP 49,800

The old quarter of this town is a picturesque scene of winding alleys, blinding white houses and blood-red geraniums. There are graceful baroque and rococo buildings here too, plus airy piazzas and curlicue iron-work balconies that almost touch above the narrow streets. This town is the highest in the Murgia, and was founded in the 10th century by refugees fleeing the Arab invasion of Taranto. It only started to flourish in the 14th century when Philip of Anjou granted tax exemptions ( franchigie, hence Franca); the town became so wealthy that a castle and defensive walls complete with 24 solid bastions were built.

Sights & Activities

The beauty of Martina Franca is to wander around the centro storico ’s narrow lanes and alleyways.

Passing under the baroque Arco di Sant’Antonio at the western end of pedestrianised Piazza XX Settembre, you emerge into Piazza Roma, dominated by the imposing, elegant 17th-century Palazzo Ducale , built over an ancient castle and now used as municipal offices.

From Piazza Roma, follow the fine Corso Vittorio Emanuele, with baroque town houses, to reach Piazza Plebiscito, the centre’s baroque heart. The piazza is overlooked by the 18th-century Basilica di San Martino , its centrepiece city patron, St Martin, swinging a sword and sharing his cloak with a beggar.

Walkers can ask for the Carta dei Sentieri del Bosco delle Pianelle (free) from the tourist office, which maps out 10 walks in the nearby Bosco delle Pianelle (around 10km west of town). This lush woodland is part of the larger 1206-hectare Riserva Naturale Regionale Orientata – populated with lofty trees, wild orchids and a rich and varied bird life with kestrels, owls, buzzards, hoopoe and sparrow hawks.

Festivals & Events

Festival della Valle d’Itria is an annual music festival (late July to early August) featuring international performances of opera, classical and jazz. For information, contact the Centro Artistico Musicale Paolo Grassi ( 080 480 51 00; www.festivaldellavalleditria.it; 10am-1pm Mon-Fri) in the Palazzo Ducale.

Sleeping

Villaggio In APARTMENT €€

( 080 480 59 11; www.villaggioin.it; Via Arco Grassi 8; apt per night €75-170, per week €335-1030) These charming arched apartments are located in original centro storico homes. The rooms are large, painted in pastel colours and decorated with antiques and country frills. A variety of apartments are on offer, sleeping from two to six people.

B&B San Martino B&B €

( 080 48 56 01; http://xoomer.virgilio.it/bed-and -breakfast-sanmartino; Via Abate Fighera 32; d €40-120; ) A stylish B&B in an historic palace with rooms overlooking gracious Piazza XX Settembre. The apartments have exposed stone walls, shiny parquet floors, wrought-iron beds and small kitchenettes.

Eating

II Ritrovo degli Amici TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 080 483 92 49; www.ilritrovodegliamici.it; Corso Messapia 8; meals €35; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat, lunch Sun Mar-Jan) This excellent restaurant, with stone walls and vaulting, has a convivial atmosphere oiled by the region’s spumante. Dishes are traditional, with salamis and sausages the specialities.

Ciacco TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 080 480 04 72; Via Conte Ugolino; meals €30; lunch & dinner Tue-Sun) Dive into the historic centre to find Ciacco, a traditional restaurant with white-clad tables and a cosy fireplace, serving up Puglian cuisine in a modern key. It’s tucked down a narrow pedestrian lane a couple of streets in from the Chiesa del Carmine.

La Piazzetta Garibaldi OSTERIA €€

( 080 430 49 00; Piazza Garibaldi; meals €20-30; lunch & dinner Thu-Tue) A highly recommended osteria in the centro storico . Delicious aromas entice you into the cavernous interior and the menu doesn’t disappoint. Worthy of a long lunch.

Information

The tourist office ( 080 480 57 02; Piazza Roma 37; 9am-1pm Mon-Sat, 4.30-7pm Tue & Thu, 9am-12.30pm Sat) is within Palazzo Ducale (part of the Bibliotece Comunal).

Getting There & Around

The FSE train station is downhill from the historic centre. Go right along Viale della Stazione, continuing along Via Alessandro Fighera to Corso Italia; continue to the left along Corso Italia to Piazza XX Settembre.

FSE ( 080 546 21 11) trains run to/from the following destinations:

Bari €5.20, two hours, hourly

Lecce €7.10, two hours, five daily

Taranto €2.40, 50 minutes, frequent

FSE buses run to Alberobello (€1.50, 30 minutes, five daily, Monday to Saturday).

OSTUNI

POP 32,500

Ostuni shines like a pearly white tiara, extending across three hills with the magnificent gem of a cathedral as its sparkling centrepiece. It’s the end of the trulli region and the beginning of the hot, dry Salento. Chic, with some excellent restaurants, stylish bars and swish yet intimate places to stay, it’s packed in summer.

Sights

Ostuni is surrounded by olive groves, so this is the place to buy some of the region’s DOC ‘Collina di Brindisi’ olive oil – either delicate, medium or strong – direct from producers.

Cathedral CATHEDRAL

(Via Cattedrale) Ostuni’s dramatic 15th- century cathedral has an unusual Gothic-Romanesque facade with a frilly rose window and an inverted gable.

Museo di Civit à Preclassiche della Murgia MUSEUM

( 0831 33 63 83; Via Cattedrale 15) Located in the Convento delle Monacelle, the museum’s most famous exhibit is the 25,000-year-old star of the show: Delia. She was pregnant at the time of her death and her well-preserved skeleton was found in a local cave. Many of the finds here come from the Palaeolithic burial ground, now the Parco Archeologico e Naturale di Arignano ( 0831 30 39 73), which can be visited by appointment. The museum was closed for restoration at time of research. Check with the tourist office for the opening hours.

Activities

The surrounding countryside is perfect for cycling. Ciclovagando ( 330 98 52 55; www.ciclovagando.com; Via di Savoia 19, Mesagne; half-day/full-day €30/40) organise guided tours. Each tour covers approximately 20km and departs daily from various towns in the district, including Ostuni and Brindisi. For an extra €15 you can sample typical Apulian foods on the tour.

Festivals & Events

La Cavalcata RELIGIOUS

Ostuni’s annual feast day is held on 26 August, when processions of horsemen dressed in glittering red-and-white uniforms (resembling Indian grooms on their way to be wed) follow the statue of Sant’Oronzo around town.

Sleeping

La Terra HOTEL €€

( 0831 33 66 51; www.laterrahotel.it; Via Petrarolo; d €130-170; ) This former 13th-century palace offers atmospheric and stylish accommodation with original niches, dark-wood beams and furniture, and contrasting light stonework and whitewash. The result is a cool contemporary look. The bar is as cavernous as they come – it’s tunnelled out of a cave.

Le Sole Blu B&B €

( 0831 30 38 56; www.webalice.it/solebluostuni; Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 16; s €30-40, s €50, d €60-80) Located in the 18th-century (rather than medieval) part of town, Le Sole Blu only has one room available: it’s large and has a separate entrance, but the bathroom is tiny. However, the two self-catering apartments (double €60 to €80) nearby are excellent value.

Eating

Osteria Piazzetta Cattedrale OSTERIA €€

( 0831 33 50 26; www.piazzettacattedrale.it; Via Arcidiacono Trinchera 7; meals €25-30; Wed-Mon) Just beyond the arch opposite Ostuni’s cathedral is this tiny little hostelry serving up magical food in an atmospheric setting. The menu includes plenty of vegetarian options.

Osteria del Tempo Perso OSTERIA €€

( 0831 30 33 20; www.osteriadeltempoperso.com; Gaetano Tanzarella Vitale 47; meals €30; Tue-Sun) A sophisticated rustic restaurant in a former bakery, this laid-back place serves great Pugliese food, specialising in roasted meats. To get here, face the cathedral’s south wall and turn right through two archways into Largo Giuseppe Spennati, then follow the signs to the restaurant.

Porta Nova TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 0831 33 89 83; www.ristoranteportanova.com; Via G Petrarolo 38; meals €45) This restaurant has a wonderful location on the old city wall. Revel in the rolling views from the terrace or relax in the elegant interior while you feast on top-notch local cuisine, with fish and seafood the speciality.

Information

Tourist office ( 0831 30 12 68; Corso Mazzini 8; 9am-1pm & 5-9pm Mon-Fri, 5.30-8.30pm Sat & Sun) Located off Piazza della Libertà; can organise guided visits of the town in summer and bike rental.

Getting There & Around

STP buses run to Brindisi (€2.90, 50 minutes, six daily) and to Martina Franca (€2, 45 minutes, three daily), leaving from Piazza Italia in the newer part of Ostuni.

Trains run frequently to Brindisi (€4, 25 minutes) and Bari (€9, 50 minutes). A half-hourly local bus covers the 2.5km between the station and town.

OUR TOP FIVE CENTRO STORICOS (HISTORIC CENTRES) IN PUGLIA

» Locorotondo ( Click here )

» Ostuni

» Vieste (Click here )

» Martina Franca (Click here )

» Lecce (Click here )

Lecce & Salento

The Penisola Salentina, better known simply as Salento, is hot, dry and remote, retaining a flavour of its Greek past. It stretches across Italy’s heel from Brindisi to Taranto and down to Santa Maria di Leuca. Here the lush greenery of Valle d’Itria gives way to flat, ochre-coloured fields, hazy with wildflowers in spring, and endless olive groves. Lecce is the cultural heart of the region and a great base from which to savour Salento’s endless sunshine, sandy beaches and some of Puglia’s (and perhaps, Italy’s) finest wines.

LECCE

POP 95,000

Historic Lecce is a beautiful baroque town; a glorious architectural confection of palaces and churches intricately sculpted from the soft local sandstone. It is a city full of surprises: one minute you are perusing sleek designer fashions from Milan, the next you are faced with a church, dizzyingly decorated with asparagus column tops, decorative dodos and cavorting gremlins. Swooning 18th-century traveller Thomas Ashe thought it ‘the most beautiful city in Italy’, but the less-impressed Marchese Grimaldi said the facade of Santa Croce made him think a lunatic was having a nightmare.

Either way, it’s a lively, graceful university town packed with upmarket boutiques, antique shops, restaurants and bars. Both the Adriatic and Ionian Seas are within easy access and it’s a great base from which to explore the Salento.

Sights

Lecce has more than 40 churches and at least as many palazzi, all built or renovated between the 17th and 18th centuries, giving the city an extraordinary cohesion. Two of the main proponents of barocco leccese (Lecce baroque – the craziest, most lavish decoration imaginable) were brothers Antonio and Giuseppe Zimbalo, who both had a hand in the fantastical Basilica di Santa Croce.

Lecce

Top Sights

Basilica di Santa Croce C2

Sights

1 Castello di Carlo VC3

2  Cathedral A3

3  Chiesa di San Matteo B4

4  Chiesa di Santa Chiara B3

5  Chiesa di Sant'Irene B3

6  Colonna di Sant'Oronzo B3

7  Museo Faggiano B4

8  Museo Teatro Romano B3

9  Palazzo del Governo C2

10  Palazzo Vescovile A3

11  Roman Amphitheatre B3

12  Seminario A3

Sleeping

13  Casa Elisabetta B3

14  Centro Storico B&B B3

15  Palazzo Rollo A3

16  Patria Palace Hotel B2

17  Risorgimento Resort B3

18  Suite 68 A2

Eating

19 Alle due CorteB2

20  Cucina Casareccia C1

21 Geletaria NataleC2

22  Mamma Lupa B3

23  Picton A1

24  Trattoria di Nonna Tetti B4

Drinking

25 All'Ombra dell'BaroccoB3

26  Caffè Alvino C2

27  II Caffè di Liberrima B3

28  Shui 13 Wine Bar C1

Basilica di Santa Croce CHURCH

( 0832 24 19 57; www.basilicasantacroce.eu; Via Umberto I; 9am-noon & 5-8pm) It seems that hallucinating stonemasons have been at work on the basilica. Sheep, dodos, cherubs and beasties writhe across the facade, a swirling magnificent allegorical feast. Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, a team of artists under Giuseppe Zimbalo laboured to work the building up to this pitch. Look for Zimbalo’s profile on the facade.

The interior is more conventionally Renaissance and deserves a look, once you’ve finished swooning outside. Zimbalo also left his mark in the former Convento dei Celestini, just north of the basilica, which is now the Palazzo del Governo Offline map Google map , the local government headquarters.

Piazza del Duomo PIAZZA

Piazza del Duomo is a baroque feast, the city’s focal point and a sudden open space amid the surrounding enclosed lanes. During times of invasion the inhabitants of Lecce would barricade themselves in the square, which has conveniently narrow entrances. The 12th-century cathedral ( 8.30am-noon & 4-6.30pm) is one of Giuseppe Zimbalo’s finest works – he was also responsible for the towering 68m-high bell tower. The cathedral is unusual in that it has two facades, one on the western end and the other, more ornate, facing the piazza. It’s framed by the 15th-century Palazzo Vescovile Offline map Google map (Episcopal Palace) and the 18th-century Seminario Offline map Google map ( exhibitions only) , designed by Giuseppe Cino.

Museo Faggiano MUSEUM

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( 360 72 24 48; www.museofaggiano.it; Via Grandi 56/58; admission €3; 9.30am-1pm & 4-8pm) Breaking the floor to replace sewer pipes led the owner of this private home to the chance discovery of an archaeological treasure trove. Layers of history are revealed beneath the floors and in the walls. Look out for what appears to be the Knights Templar symbol in the rooftop tower.

Museo Provinciale MUSEUM

( 0832 68 35 03; Via Gallipoli 28; 8.30am-7.30pm Mon-Sat, 8.30am-1.30pm Sun) The museum stylishly covers 10,000 years of history, from Palaeolithic and Neolithic bits and bobs to a handsome display of Greek and Roman jewels, weaponry and ornaments. The stars of the show are the Messapians, who were making jaunty jugs and bowls centuries before the Greeks arrived to give them any pottery lessons.

Roman Amphitheatre HISTORICAL SITE

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(Piazza Sant’Oronzo; admission adult/reduced €2/1; 10am-noon & 5-7pm May-Sep) Below the ground level of the piazza is this restored 2nd-century-AD amphitheatre, discovered in 1901 by construction workers. It was excavated in the 1930s to reveal a perfect horseshoe with seating for 15,000.

Colonna di Sant’Oronzo MONUMENT

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(Piazza Sant’Oronzo) A statue of Lecce’s patron saint perches precariously on a column in the piazza. The column, originally from Brindisi, marked the end of the Via Appia – the Roman road that stretched from Rome to Brindisi.

Museo Teatro Romano HISTORICAL SITE

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( 0832 27 91 96; Via Ammirati; admission adult/reduced €3/2; 9.30am-1.30pm Mon-Sat, 5-7.30pm Mon-Fri) Uncovered in the 1930s, this small Roman theatre has well-preserved russet-coloured Roman mosaics and frescoes.

Castello di Carlo V CASTLE

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( 0832 24 65 17; admission free; 9am-1pm & 5-9pm) This 16th-century castle was built around a 12th-century Norman tower to the orders of Charles V and consists of two concentric trapezoidal structures. It’s been used as a prison, a court and military headquarters; now you can wander around the baronial spaces and visit the occasional art exhibition.

OTHER CHURCHES

On Corso Vittorio Emanuele, the interior of 17th-century Chiesa di Sant’Irene Offline map Google map contains a magnificent pair of mirror-image baroque altarpieces, facing each other across the transept. Other notable baroque churches include Chiesa di Santa Chiara Offline map Google map (Piazza Vittorio Emanuele; 9.30-11.30am daily, 4.30-6.30pm Mon-Sat) , with every niche a swirl of twisting columns and ornate statuary; the Chiesa di San Matteo Offline map Google map (Via dei Perroni 29; 7.30-11am & 4-6pm) , 200m to its south; and the last work of Giuseppe Zimbalo, Chiesa del Rosario (Via Libertini) . Instead of the intended dome roof, it ended up with a quick-fix wooden one following Zimbalo’s death before the building was completed. The Chiesa dei SS Nicolò e Cataldo (Via San Nicola; 9am-noon Sep-Apr) , near Porta Napoli , was built by the Normans in 1180. It got caught up in the city’s baroque frenzy and was revamped in 1716 by the prolific Cino, who retained the Romanesque rose window and portal.

LECCE IN …

One Day

Start the day with a cappuccino and pasticciotto (custard-filled pastry) at Caffè Alvino on Piazza Sant’Oronzo. All that sugar and froth should be good preparation for the fanciful Basilica di Santa Croce , worth at least an hour of your time.

To get a sense of Lecce’s history visit the fascinating Museo Faggiano, then come back to the present with a spot of window-shopping and browsing through the entertaining mix of shops on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. Be sure to stop for a campari and soda at one of the many bars in town before lunching on typical Pugliese fare at firmly traditional Alle due Corti .

Walk off the pasta and beans by heading across town to the excellent Museo Provinciale . Or, for more fancy facades, Lecce’s baroque feast of palazzi -flanked streets (like Via Palmieri), churches and the cathedral will keep you simpering happily till dinner time. Crown your day with a meal at Cucina Casareccia , where you’ll feel like one of the family. Stroll back to your hotel via the Basilica, which is spectacularly lit up at night.

Courses

Awaiting Table COOKING

(www.awaitingtable.com; day/week-long course €300/1995) Silvestro Silvestori’s splendid culinary and wine school provides day or week-long courses with tours, tastings and noteworthy lecturers. Book well in advance as courses fill up rapidly.

Sleeping

Risorgimento Resort HOTEL €€

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( 0832 24 63 11; www.risorgimentoresort.it; Via Imperatore Augusto 19; d €145-165, ste €190-290; ) A warm welcome awaits at this stylish five-star hotel in the centre of Lecce. The rooms are spacious and refined with high ceilings, modern furniture and contemporary details reflecting the colours of the Salento. The bathrooms are enormous. There’s a restaurant, wine bar and rooftop garden.

Palazzo Rollo B&B €€

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( 0832 30 71 52; www.palazzorollo.it; Via Vittorio EmanueleII; 14; d €90-120, 4-person studio €100; ) Stay in a 17th-century palace – the family seat for over 200 years. The three grand B&B suites (with kitchenettes) have high curved ceilings and chandeliers. Downstairs, contemporary-chic studios open onto an ivy-hung courtyard. The rooftop garden has wonderful views.

Suite 68 BOUTIQUE HOTEL €

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( 0832 30 35 06; www.kalekora.it; Via Prato; s €60-80, d €80-120; ) Strong colours, abstract canvases and vividly patterned rugs in the large, bright rooms give this place a contemporary feel. It’s simple and stylish. Bikes available.

B&B Prestige B&B €

( 349 775 12 90; www.bbprestige-lecce.it; Giuseppe Libertini 7; s €60-70, d €70-90; ) On the corner of Via Santa Maria del Paradiso in the historic centre, the rooms in this lovely B&B are light, airy and beautifully finished. The communal sun-trap terrace has views over San Giovanni Battista church. There’s also an apartment downstairs.

Patria Palace Hotel HOTEL €€

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( 0832 24 51 11; www.patriapalacelecce.com; Piazzetta Riccardi 13; s €106-210, d €165-350; ) This sumptuous hotel is traditionally Italian with large mirrors, dark-wood furniture and wistful murals. The location is wonderful, the bar gloriously art deco with a magnificent carved ceiling, and the shady roof terrace has views over the Basilica di Santa Croce.

Casa Elisabetta B&B €

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( 0832 30 70 52; www.beb-lecce.com; Via Vignes 15; s €30-45, d €50-80; ) An elegant mansion that’s centred on a graceful courtyard close to Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, this has a warren of corridors and plain functional rooms.

Centro Storico B&B B&B €

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( 338 588 12 65; www.bedandbreakfast.lecce.it; Via Vignes 2b; s €35-40, d €70-100; ) Recently refurbished, this B&B has big rooms, double-glazed windows and coffee-and-tea-making facilities. The rooftop terrace has sunloungers and views.

Eating

Cucina Casareccia TRATTORIA €€

( 0832 24 51 78; Viale Costadura 19; meals €20-25; lunch Tue-Sun, dinner Tue-Sat) Ring the bell to gain entry into a place that feels like a private home, with its patterned cement floor tiles, desk piled high with papers, and charming owner Carmela Perrone. In fact, it’s known locally as le Zie (the aunts). Here you’ll taste the true cucina povera (cooking of the poor), including horsemeat done in a salsa piccante (spicy sauce). Booking is a must.

Trattoria di Nonna Tetti TRATTORIA €

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( 0832 24 60 36; Piazzetta Regina Maria 28; meals €15-20; lunch & dinner daily) A warmly inviting restaurant, popular with all ages and budgets, this trattoria serves a wide choice of traditional dishes. Try the most emblematic Pugliese dish here – braised wild chicory with a purée of boiled dried fava beans, along with contorni (side dishes) like patate casarecce (homemade thinly sliced fries).

Alle due Corti TRATTORIA €

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( 0832 24 22 23; www.alleduecorti.com; Via Prato 42; meals €22; lunch & dinner daily) For a taste of sunny Salento, check out this no-frills, fiercely traditional restaurant. The seasonal menu is classic Pugliese, written in a dialect that even some Italians struggle with. Go for the real deal with a dish of ciceri e tria (crisply fried pasta with chickpeas).

Picton TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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( 0832 33 23 83; www.acena.it/picton; Via Idomeneo 14; meals €35-40; Mon-Sat) This elegant backstreet restaurant is housed in an old palazzo with a cool barrel-vaulted interior and a refreshing internal garden. The cuisine is traditional with a twist.

Mamma Lupa OSTERIA €

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( 340 783 27 65; Via Acaja 12; meals €20-25; lunch Sun-Fri, dinner daily) Looking and tasting suitably rustic, this osteria serves proper peasant food – such as roast tomatoes, potatoes and artichokes, or horse meatballs – in snug surroundings with just a few tables surrounded by dark ochre walls.

Gelateria Natale GELATERIA €

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(Via Trinchese 7a) Lecce’s best ice-cream parlour also has an array of fabulous confectionery.

Drinking

Via Imperatore Augusto is full of bars, and on a summer’s night it feels like one long party. Wander along to find somewhere to settle.

All’Ombra del Barocco CAFE, WINE BAR

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(www.allombradelbarocco.it; Corte dei Cicala 9; 8am-1am) Next door to II Caffè di Liberrima, this cool restaurant/cafe/wine bar has a range of teas, cocktails and aperitivi. It’s open for breakfast and also hosts musical events.

Caffè Alvino CAFE

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(Piazza Sant’Oronzo; Wed-Mon) Treat yourself to good coffee and pasticciotto at this iconic cafe in Lecce’s main square.

II Caffè di Liberrima CAFE

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(Corte dei Cicala) Tables fill the little square next to the bookshop and enoteca (wine bar) on the central pedestrianised strip – an ideal place to watch the world amble past.

Shui 13 Wine Bar WINE BAR

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(Via Umberto I 21; 10am-late summer, 10am-3pm & 6pm-midnight winter) A popular and atmospheric wine bar with a range of Pugliese wines.

Information

The train station is 1km southwest of Lecce’s historic centre. The centre’s twin main squares are Piazza Sant’Oronzo and Piazza del Duomo, linked by pedestrianised Corso Vittorio Emanuele II.

CTS ( 0832 30 18 62; Via Palmieri 89; 9am-1pm daily & 4-7.30pm Sun-Mon) Good for student travel.

Hospital ( 0832 66 11 11; Via San Cesario) About 2km south of the centre on the Gallipoli road.

InfoLecce ( 0832 52 18 77; www.infolecce.it; Piazza Duomo 2; 9.30am-1.30pm & 3.30-7.30pm Mon-Sat, from 10am Sun) Independent and helpful tourist information office. Has guided tours and bike rental (per hour/day €3/15).

Police station ( 0832 69 11 11; Viale Otranto 1)

Post office (Piazza Libertini)

Salento Showroom ( 0832 17 90 357; www.salentotime.it; Via Revina Isabella 22; 9.30am-1.30pm & 3.30-7.30pm Mon-Sat, from 10am Sun) Independent tourist office which can provide help with accommodation and car hire. Has internet access (per hour €3).

Tourist office ( 0832 24 80 92; www.viaggiareinpuglia.it; Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 24; 9am-1pm Mon-Sat, 4-7pm Mon-Thu)

www.thepuglia.com Voted the most popular blog on Puglia in Italy, this informative site run by Fabio Ingrosso has articles on culture, history, food, wine, accommodation and travel in Puglia

Getting There & Away

BUS

STP ( 0832 35 91 42) runs buses to Brindisi (€6, 35 minutes, nine daily) and throughout Puglia from the STP bus station.

FSE ( 0832 66 81 11) runs buses to Gallipoli (€3.50, one hour, four daily), Otranto (€2.60, 1½ hours, two daily) and Brindisi (€3.30, 45 minutes, two daily), leaving from Largo Vittime del Terrorismo.

Pugliairbus (http://pugliairbus.aeroportidipuglia.it) runs to Brindisi airport (€7, 40 minutes, nine daily). SITA also has buses to Brindisi airport (€6, 45 minutes, nine daily), leaving from Viale Porte d’Europa.

TRAIN

The main train station runs frequent services to the following destinations:

Bari from €14.50, 1½ to two hours

Bologna from €75, 7½ to 9½ hours

Brindisi from €9.40, 30 minutes

Naples from €62, 5½ hours (transfer in Caserta)

Rome from €63, 5½ to nine hours

FSE trains head to Otranto and Martina Franca.

BRINDISI

POP 89,800

Like all ports, Brindisi has its seamy side, but it’s also surprisingly slow-paced and balmy, particularly the palm-lined Corso Garibaldi linking the port to the train station and the promenade stretching along the interesting seafront.

The town was the end of the ancient Roman road Via Appia, down whose weary length trudged legionnaires and pilgrims, crusaders and traders, all heading to Greece and the Near East. These days little has changed except that Brindisi’s pilgrims are sun-seekers rather than soul-seekers.

Sights & Activities

Museo Archeologico Provinciale Ribezzo MUSEUM

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( 0831 56 55 08; Piazza del Duomo 8; admission free; 9.30am-1.30pm Tue-Sat, 3.30-6.30pm Tue, Thu & Sat) This superb museum covers several floors with well-documented exhibits (in English) including some 3000 bronze sculptures and fragments in Hellenistic Greek style, terracotta figurines from the 7th century, underwater archeological finds, and Roman statues and heads (not always together).

Brindisi

Top Sights

Museo Archeologico Provinciale RibezzoB2

Sights

1  Cathedral B2

2  Porta dei Cavalieri Templari B2

3  Roman Column C1

4 Tempio di San Giovanni al SepolcroA3

Sleeping

5  Grande Albergo Internazionale B1

6  Hotel Orientale C4

Eating

7 II GiardinoA2

8  Trattoria Pantagruele C3

Chiesa di Santa Maria del Casale CHURCH

( 0831 41 85 45; Via Ruggero de Simone; 8am-8pm) Located 4km north of town towards the airport, this church was built by Prince Philip of Taranto around 1300. The church mixes up Puglian Romanesque, Gothic and Byzantine styles, with a Byzantine banquet of interior frescoes. The immense Last Judgement on the entrance wall, full of blood and thunder, is the work of Rinaldo di Taranto.

Roman Column MONUMENT

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(Via Colonne) The gleaming white column above a sweeping set of sun-whitened stairs leading to the waterfront promenade marks the imperial Via Appia terminus at Brindisi. Originally there were two, but one was presented to the town of Lecce back in 1666 as thanks to Sant’Oronzo for having relieved Brindisi of the plague.

Cathedral CATHEDRAL

(Piazza del Duomo; 8am-9pm Mon-Fri & Sun, 8am-noon Sat) This 11th-century cathedral was substantially remodelled about 700 years later. You can see how it may have looked from the nearby Porta dei Cavalieri Templari Offline map Google map , a fanciful portico with pointy arches – all that remains of the Knights Templar’s main church.

Tempio di San Giovanni al Sepolcro CHURCH

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(Via San Giovanni) The Knights Templar’s other church is a square brown bulk of Norman stone conforming to the circular plan the Templars so loved.

Monument to Italian Sailors MONUMENT

For a wonderful view of Brindisi’s waterfront, take one of the regular boats (return €1.80) on Viale Regina Margherita across the harbour to the monument erected by Mussolini in 1933.

Sleeping

Hotel Orientale HOTEL €€

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( 0831 56 84 51; www.hotelorientale.it; Corso Garibaldi 40; s/d €99/130; ) This sleek, modern hotel overlooks the long palm-lined corso . Rooms are pleasant, the location is good and it has a small fitness centre, private car park and (rare) cooked breakfast option.

Grande Albergo Internazionale HOTEL €€€

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( 0831 52 34 73; www.albergointernazionale.it; Viale Regina Margherita 23; s/d €100/250; ) Built in 1870 for English merchants en route to Bombay and the Raj, the hotel is proud of its grand past. It has great harbour views, large rooms with grandly draped curtains and an ideal location across the street from the waterfront promenade.

Eating

Trattoria Pantagruele TRATTORIA €€

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( 0831 56 06 05; Via Salita di Ripalta 1; meals €30; lunch & dinner Mon-Fri, dinner Sat) Named after French writer François Rabelais’ satirical character, this charming trattoria three blocks from the waterfront serves up excellent fish and grilled meats.

II Giardino TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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( 0831 56 40 26; Via Tarantini 14-18; meals €30; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat, lunch Sun) Established more than 40 years ago in a restored 15th-century palazzo, sophisticated II Giardino serves refined seafood and meat dishes in a delightful garden setting.

Information

The new port is east of town, across the Seno di Levante at Costa Morena, in a bleak industrial wilderness.

The old port is about 1km from the train station along Corso Umberto I, which leads into Corso Garibaldi where there are numerous cafes, shops, ferry companies and travel agencies.

Ferries (www.ferries.gr) Details of ferry fares and timetables to Greek destinations.

Hospital ( 0831 53 71 11; SS7 for Mesagne)

Police station ( 0831 54 31 11; Via Perrino 1)

Post office (Piazza Vittoria)

Tourist office ( 0831 52 30 72; www.viaggiareinpuglia.it; Viale Regina Margherita 44; 9am-1pm & 2-8pm Mon-Sat summer, 8.30am-2pm Mon-Sat & 3.30-7pm Mon-Fri winter)

Getting There & Away

AIR

From Papola Casale (BDS; www.aeroportidipuglia.it) , Brindisi’s small airport, there are domestic flights to Rome, Naples and Milan. Airlines include Alitalia, AirOne and easyJet. There are also direct flights from London Stansted with Ryanair.

Major and local car-rental firms are represented at the airport and there are regular SITA buses to Lecce (€6, 45 minutes, nine daily) and STP buses to central Brindisi (€1.50, 15 to 30 minutes, every 30 minutes).

Pugliairbus (http://pugliairbus.aeroportidipuglia.it) has services to Bari airport (€8, 1¾ hours) and Lecce (€7, 40 minutes).

BOAT

Ferries, all of which take vehicles, leave Brindisi for Greece and Albania. For more information see the Travelling East box ( Click here ).

Ferry companies have offices at Costa Morena (the newer port); the major ones also have offices in town.

Companies include:

Agoudimos Lines (www.agoudimos-lines.com) To Corfu, Igoumenista and Cephalonia in Greece; to Vlore in Albania.

Endeavour Lines ( 0831 52 85 31; www.hml.it; Corso Garibaldi 8) To Igoumenitsa, Patras, Corfu and Cephalonia in Greece.

Red Star Ferries ( 0831 57 52 89; www.redstarferries.com) To Vlore in Albania.

BUS

Buses operated by STP ( 0831 54 92 45) go to Ostuni (€2.90, 50 minutes, six daily) and Lecce (€3.30, 45 minutes, two daily), as well as towns throughout the Salento. Most leave from Via Bastioni Carlo V, in front of the train station. Ferrovie del Sud-Est buses serving local towns also leave from here.

Marozzi ( 0831 52 16 84) runs to Rome’s Stazione Tiburtina (€37.50 to €40, six to seven hours, four daily) from Viale Arno.

TRAIN

The train station has regular services to the following destinations:

Bari from €15, one hour

Lecce from €9.40, 30 minutes

Milan from €92, 8½ to 11 hours

Rome from €58, five to seven hours

Taranto from €5.10, 1¼ hours

Getting Around

A free minibus connects the train station and old ferry terminal with Costa Morena. It departs two hours before boat departures. You’ll need a valid ferry ticket.

To reach the airport take the STP-run Cotrap bus from Via Bastoni Carlo V.

ORIA

POP 15,400

The multicoloured dome of Oria’s cathedral can be seen for miles around, surrounded by the narrow streets of this appealing medieval town. An intriguing, if ghoulish, sight is the cathedral’s Cripta delle Mummie (Crypt of the Mummies), where 11 mummified corpses of former monks are still preserved. Surmounting the town, the Frederick II castle , built in a triangular shape, has been carefully restored. It is privately owned.

Borgo di Oria ( 329 2307506; www.borgodioria.it; ste €70-75; ) is a delightful albergo diffuso (scattered hotel) run by the charismatic and well-travelled Francesco Pipino. The self-catering apartments are large, comfortable and tastefully furnished. Reception is at Bar Kenya in Piazza Manfredi.

Waiters in medieval costume welcome you at Alle Corte di Hyria ( 329 662 45 07; www.allecortedihyria.com; Via Milizia 146; meals €20-25; Thu-Tue) , an atmospheric restaurant in a stone-walled cavern.

Dating back to Frederick II’s reign, II Torneo dei Rioni is the annual battle between the town’s quarters. It takes the form of a spectacular palio (horse race) and is held every mid-August.

Oria is on the main Trenitalia line and there are frequent services from both Brindisi and Taranto. You can also connect with Ostuni and change at Francavilla Fontana for Alberobello and Martina Franca.

GALATINA

POP 27,320

With a charming historic centre, Galatina – 18km south of Lecce – is at the core of the Salentine Peninsula’s Greek past. It is almost the only place where the ritual tarantismi (see the box ‘Spider Music’) is still practised. The tarantella folk dance evolved from this ritual, and each year on the feast day of St Peter and St Paul (29 June), it is performed at the (now deconsecrated) church.

However, most people come to Galatina to see the incredible 14th-century Basilica di Santa Caterina d’Alessandria ( 8am-12.30pm & 4.30-6.45pm Apr-Sep, 8am-12.30pm & 3.45-5.45pm Oct-Mar) , its interior a kaleidoscope of fresco. It was built by the Franciscans, whose patroness was the Frenchwoman Marie d’Enghien de Brienne. Married to Raimondello Orsini del Balzo, the Salentine’s wealthiest noble, she had plenty of cash to splash on interior decoration. The gruesome story goes that Raimondello (who is buried here) climbed Mt Sinai to visit relics of Santa Caterina (St Catherine). Kissing the dead saint’s hand, he bit off a finger and brought it back as a holy relic.

The church is absolutely beautiful, with a pure-white altarpiece set against the frenzy of frescoes. It is not clear who the artists Marie employed really were; they could have been itinerant painters down from Le Marche and Emilia, or southerners who’d absorbed the latest Renaissance innovations on trips north. Bring a torch.

Soothe the soul further with a stay at nearby Samadhi ( 0836 60 02 84; www.agricolasamadhi.com; Via Stazione 116; per person from €40, per week from €390-995; ) located around 7km east of here in tiny Zollino. It’s on a 10-hectare organic farm and the owners are multilingual. As well as ayurvedic treatments and yoga courses, there’s a vegan restaurant offering organic meals. Check the website for upcoming retreats and courses.

FSE runs frequent trains between Lecce and Galatina (€1.90, 30 minutes), and Zollino (€1.30, 20 minutes).

SPIDER MUSIC

In August, one of Salento’s biggest festivals is a frenzied night of pizzica dancing at La Notte della Taranta (www.lanottedellataranta.it) in Melpignano, about 30km south of Lecce. Pizzica developed from the ritual tarantismi, a dance meant to rid the body of tarantula-bite poison. It’s more likely the hysterical dancing was symbolic of a deeper societal psychosis and an outlet for individuals living in bleak, repressed conditions to express their pent-up desires, hopes and unresolved grief. Nowadays, pizzica (which can be quite a sensual dance) means party, with all-night dances held in various Salento towns throughout summer, leading up to Melpignano’s humdinger affair.

OTRANTO

POP 5540

Otranto overlooks a pretty harbour on the blue Adriatic coast. In the historic centre, looming golden walls guard narrow car-free lanes, protecting countless pretty little shops selling touristic odds and ends. In July and August it’s one of Puglia’s most vibrant towns.

Otranto was Italy’s main port to the East for 1000 years and suffered a brutal history. There are fanciful tales that King Minos was here and St Peter is supposed to have celebrated the first Western Mass here.

A more definite historical event is the Sack of Otranto in 1480, when 18,000 Turks led by Ahmet Pasha besieged the town. The townsfolk were able to hold the Turks at bay for 15 days before capitulating. Eight hundred survivors were subsequently led up the nearby Minerva hill and beheaded for refusing to convert.

Today the only fright you’ll get is the summer crush on Otranto’s scenic beaches and in its narrow streets.

Sights

Cathedral CATHEDRAL

( 0836 80 27 20; Piazza Basilica; 8am-noon daily, 3-6pm Apr-Sep, 3-5pm Oct-Mar) This cathedral was built by the Normans in the 11th century, though it’s been given a few facelifts since. On the floor is a vast 12th-century mosaic of a stupendous tree of life balanced on the back of two elephants. It was created by a young monk called Pantaleone (who had obviously never seen an elephant), whose vision of Heaven and Hell encompassed an amazing (con)fusion of the classics, religion and plain old superstition, including Adam and Eve, Diana the huntress, Hercules, King Arthur, Alexander the Great, and a menagerie of monkeys, snakes and sea monsters. Don’t forget to look up; the cathedral also boasts a beautiful wooden coffered ceiling.

It’s amazing that the cathedral survived at all, as the Turks stabled their horses here when they beheaded the martyrs of Otranto on a stone preserved in the altar of the chapel (to the right of the main altar). This Cappella Mortiri (Chapel of the Dead) is a ghoulishly fascinating sight, with the skulls and bones of the martyrs arranged in neat patterns in seven tall glass cases.

Castle CASTLE

(www.castelloaragoneseotranto.it; Piazza Castello; adult/child €2/free; 10am-1pm & 3-5pm Oct-Mar, 10am-1pm & 3-7pm Apr-May, 10am-1pm & 3-10pm Jun & Sep, 10am-midnight Aug) This squat thick-walled fort, with the Charles V coat of arms above the entrance, has great views from the ramparts. There are some faded original murals and original cannonballs on display.

Chiesa di San Pietro CHURCH

(Via San Pietro; 10am-noon & 3-6pm Apr-Sep, 10am-noon & 3-6pm Oct-Mar) Vivid Byzantine frescoes decorate the interior of this church. If it’s closed, ask for the key at the cathedral.

Activities

There are some great beaches north of Otranto, especially Baia dei Turchi , with its translucent blue water. South of Otranto a spectacular rocky coastline makes for an impressive drive down to Castro. To see what goes on underwater, Scuba Diving Otranto ( 0836 80 27 40; www.scubadiving.it; Via Francesco di Paola 43) offers day or night dives as well as introductory courses and diving courses.

Sleeping

Palazzo Papaleo HOTEL €€

( 0836 80 21 08; www.hotelpalazzopapaleo.com; Via Rondachi 1; r €119-490; ) Located next to the cathedral, this sumptuous hotel was the first to earn the EU Eco-label in Puglia. Aside from its ecological convictions, the hotel has magnificent rooms with original frescoes, exquisitely carved antique furniture and walls washed in soft greys, ochres and yellows. Soak in the panoramic views while enjoying the rooftop Jacuzzi. The staff are exceptionally friendly.

Balconcino d’Oriente B&B €

( 0836 80 15 29; www.balconcinodoriente.com; Via San Francesco da Paola 71; s €40-70, d €60-110; ) This B&B has an African-cum–Middle Eastern theme throughout with colourful bed linens, African prints, Moroccan lamps and orange colour washes on the walls. The downstairs restaurant serves traditional Italian meals.

Palazzo de Mori BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

( 0836 80 10 88; www.palazzodemori.it; Bastione dei Pelasgi; r €120-150; Apr-Oct; ) In Otranto’s historic centre, this charming B&B serves breakfast on the sun terrace overlooking the port. The rooms are decorated in soothing white-on-white.

Eating

La Bella Idrusa PIZZERIA €

( 0836 80 14 75; Via Lungomare degli Eroi; pizza €5; dinner Thu-Tue) You can’t miss this pizzeria right by the huge Porta Terra in the historic centre. Outdoor seating is great for people-watching while indoors is atmospheric and romantic. And it’s not just pizzas on offer.

Laltro Baffo SEAFOOD €€

( 0836 80 16 36; www.laltrobaffo.com; Cenobio Basiliano 23; meals €30-35; Tue-Sun) This elegant modern restaurant near the castle dishes up seafood with a contemporary twist. Try the polipo alla pignata (octopus stew).

Acmet Pasica TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 0836 80 12 82; Via Lungomare degli Eroi; meals €40; Tue-Sun) Trading on Otranto’s macabre history with the Turks, this restaurant is in a prime position overlooking the sea. As well as a large selection of seafood, there are other traditional meals on the menu.

Drinking

A number of bars along the city wall overlook the sea, including the popular II Covo dei Mori ( 0836 80 20 33; Via Leon Dari) .

Information

Tourist office ( 0836 80 14 36; Piazza Castello; 9am-1pm & 3-8pm Mon-Fri Jun-Sep, 9am-1pm Mon-Fri Oct-May) Faces the castle.

Getting There & Away

Otranto can be reached from Lecce by FSE train (€2.60, 1½ hours) or bus (€2.60, 1½ hours). Marozzi ( 0836 80 15 78) has daily bus services to Rome (€47, 10 hours, three daily).

For travel information and reservations, head to Ellade Viaggi ( 0836 80 15 78; www.elladeviaggi.it, in Italian; Via del Porto) at the port.

COASTAL HIGHLIGHT

For a scenic road trip, the drive south from Otranto to Castro takes you along a wild and beautiful coastline. The coast here is rocky and dramatic, with cliffs falling down into the sparkling, azure sea. When the wind is up you can see why it is largely treeless. Many of the towns here started life as Greek settlements, although there are few monuments to be seen. Further south, the resort town of Santa Maria di Leuca is the tip of Italy’s stiletto and the dividing line between the Adriatic and Ionian Seas.

GALLIPOLI

POP 21,040

The old medieval centre of Gallipoli (meaning ‘beautiful town’ in Greek) fills an island in the Ionian Sea and is connected by a bridge to the mainland and modern city. It’s a picturesque town surrounded by high walls which were built to protect it against attacks from the sea. An important fishing centre, it feels like a working Italian town, unlike more seasonal coastal places. In the summer, bars and restaurants make the most of the island’s ramparts, looking out to sea.

Sights & Activities

Gallipoli has some fine beaches, including the Baia Verde , just south of town while nature enthusiasts will want to take a day trip to Parco Regionale Porto Selvaggio , about 20km north – a protected area of wild coastline with walking trails amid the trees and diving off the rocky shore.

Cattedrale di Sant’Agata CATHEDRAL

(Via Antonietta de Pace; hours vary) In the centre, on the highest point of the island, is this 17th-century baroque cathedral, lined with paintings by local artists. Zimbalo, who imprinted Lecce with his crazy baroque styles, also worked on the facade.

Frantoio Ipogeo HISTORICAL SITE

( 338 136 30 63; Via Antonietta de Pace 87; 10am-12.30pm & 4-6.30pm Jun-Sep, to midnight Jun & Jul) This is only one of some 35 olive presses buried in the tufa rock below the town. It’s here that they pressed Gallipoli’s olive oil, which was then stored in one of the 2000 cisterns carved out beneath the old town.

Museo Civico MUSEUM

( 0833 26 42 24; Via Antonietta de Pace 108; adult €3; 9am-1pm & 4-9pm Mon-Fri, 10am-1pm Sat) Founded in 1878, the museum is a 19th-century time capsule featuring fish heads, ancient sculptures, a 3rd-century-BC sarcophagus and other weird stuff.

Farmacia Provenzana PHARMACY

(Via Antonietta de Pace; 8.30am-12.30pm & 4.30-8.30pm Sun-Fri) A beautifully decorated pharmacy dating from 1814.

Sleeping

La Casa del Mare B&B €

( 333 474 57 54; www.lacasadelmare.com; Piazza de Amicis 14; d €60-110; ) This butter-coloured 16th-century building on a little square in the town centre is a great choice. Helpful and friendly Federico has also restored a beautiful 18th-century palazzo nearby, Palazzo Flora (www.palazzoflora.com; Via d’Ospina 19; d €65-120, house €150-300) , which sleeps four to six and has fantastic views, especially from the rooftop terrace. During the summer Federico cooks a sumptuous buffet feast for his guests every Friday night (per person €35).

Insula B&B €

( 366 346 83 57; www.bbinsulagallipoli.it; Via de Pace 56; d €60-120; Apr-Oct; ) A magnificent 15th-century building houses this memorable B&B. The five rooms are all different but share the same princely atmosphere with exquisite antiques, vaulted high ceilings and cool pastel paintwork.

Relais Corte Palmieri HOTEL €€

( 0833 26 53 18; www.relaiscortepalmieri.it; Corte Palmieri 3; s €130-185, d €165-195; ) This cream-coloured, well-kept hotel in the historic centre has elegant rooms accentuated by traditional painted furniture, wrought-iron bedheads and crisp red-and-white linen.

Eating

La Puritate TRATTORIA €€

( 0833 26 42 05; Via S Elia 18; meals €40-45; Thu-Tue) A great place for fish in the old town with picture windows and sea views. Follow the excellent antipasti with delicious primi (first courses) such as seafood spaghetti, then see what’s been caught that day – the swordfish is usually a good bet.

Al Pescatore SEAFOOD €€

( 0833 26 36 56; Riviera Colombo 39; meals €25-30; Tue-Sun) In a hotel of the same name, this restaurant has no views but is recommended by locals for its good seafood dishes at reasonable prices.

Information

Tourist office ( 0833 26 25 29; Via Antonietta de Pace 86; 8am-9pm summer, 8am-1pm & 4-9pm Mon-Sat winter) Near the cathedral in the old town.

Getting There & Away

FSE buses and trains head to Lecce (€3.90, one hour, four daily).

TARANTO

POP 193,140

According to legend, the city was founded by Taras, son of Poseidon, who arrived on the back of a dolphin (as you do). Less romantically, the city was actually founded in the 7th century BC by exiles from Sparta to become one of the wealthiest and most important colonies of Magna Graecia. The fun finished, however, in the 3rd century BC when the Romans marched in, changed its name to Tarentum and set off a two- millennia decline in fortunes. Its cultural heyday may be over but Taranto still remains an important naval base, second only to La Spezia.

Once a Roman citadel, the collapsing historic medieval centre is gritty and dirty but has a lovely seaside promenade. However, the mainland industrial centre, with Italy’s largest steel plant, dominates the skyline.

Sights

Although Taranto’s medieval town centre is run-down and has a gritty undertone, it’s gradually being tastefully renovated. It is perched on the small island dividing the Mar Piccolo (Small Sea; an enclosed lagoon) and the Mar Grande (Big Sea). This peculiar geography means that blue sea and sky surround you wherever you go.

Taranto

Sights

1  Castello Aragonese C3

2  Cathedral B2

3  Museo Nazionale Archeologico D2

4  Temple of Poseidon C3

Sleeping

5  Europa Hotel C2

6  Hotel Akropolis B2

Eating

7  Balzi Blu C3

8  Trattoria da Ugo A1

Drinking

9 Caffè ItalianoD3

Museo Nazionale Archeologico MUSEUM

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( 099 453 21 12; www.museotaranto.it, in Italian; Via Cavour 10; adult/child €5/free; 8.30am-7.30pm) In the new town is one of Italy’s most important archaeological museums. It houses, among other ancient artefacts, the largest collection of Greek terracotta figures in the world. Also on exhibit are fine collections of 1st-century-BC glassware, classic black-and-red Attic vases and stunning jewellery such as a 4th-century-BC bronze and terracotta crown.

Cathedral CATHEDRAL

(Via del Duomo) The 11th-century cathedral is one of Puglia’s oldest Romanesque buildings and an extravagant treat. It’s dedicated to San Cataldo; the Capella di San Cataldo is a baroque riot of frescoes and polychrome marble inlay.

Castello Aragonese CASTLE

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(Piazza Castello; 099 775 34 38; by appointment 9am-noon Mon-Fri) Guarding the swing bridge that joins the old and new parts of town, this impressive 15th-century structure was once a prison and is currently occupied by the Italian navy . Opposite are the remaining columns of Taranto’s ancient Temple of Poseidon Offline map Google map .

Festivals & Events

Le Feste di Pasqua RELIGIOUS

Taranto is famous for its Holy Week celebrations – the biggest in the region – when bearers in Ku Klux Klan–style robes carry icons around the town. There are three processions: the Perdoni, celebrating pilgrims; the Addolorata (which lasts 12 hours but covers only 4km); and the Misteri (even slower at 14 hours to cover 2km).

Sleeping

Hotel Akropolis HOTEL €€

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( 099 470 41 10; www.hotelakropolis.it; Vico I Seminario 3; s/d €105/145; ) A converted medieval palazzo in the crumbling old town, this luxurious hotel sits grandly beside the cathedral. There are 13 stylish cream-and-white rooms, original majolica-tiled floors and tremendous views from the rooftop terrace. The downstairs bar and restaurant is enclosed in stone, wood and glass and has atmospheric curtained alcoves.

Europa Hotel HOTEL €€

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( 099 452 59 94; www.hoteleuropaonline.it; Via Roma 2; s €80-105, d €135-190; ) On the seafront next to the swing bridge, this hotel has comfortable rooms (some with kitchenettes) overlooking the old town. A good choice.

Eating & Drinking

Trattoria da Ugo TRATTORIA €€

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( 329 141 58 50; cnr Via Cataldo de Tulio & Via Fontana; meals €18-25; lunch & dinner Mon-Fri, lunch Sat) This deeply traditional Tarantine trattoria is known for its seafood, which includes grilled mussels, octopus with lemon and olive oil, and fried prawns and squid.

Balzi Blu PIZZERIA €

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( 347 465 32 11; Corso Due Mari 22; pizza from €6.50, meals €15; Wed-Mon) A local favourite on the corso, serving excellent pizza with an exceptional crust made from 13 different types of flour. There are great views of the old city from the summer terrace.

Caffè Italiano CAFE

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(Via D’Aquino 86a; 5am-2am) Swish as you might wish, this is a Taranto hot spot, with outside seating on the pedestrianised street. Great for an evening aperitif.

Information

Taranto splits neatly into three. The old town is on a tiny island, lodged between the northwest port and train station and the new city to the southeast. Italy’s largest steel plant occupies the city’s entire western half. The grid-patterned new city contains the banks, most hotels and restaurants and the tourist office ( 099 453 23 97; Corso Umberto I 113; 9am-1pm & 4.30-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon Sat) .

Getting There & Around

BUS

Buses heading north and west depart from Porto Mercantile. FSE buses go to Bari (€5.80, 1¾ to 2¼ hours, frequent). Infrequent SITA ( 899 32 52 04; www.sitabus.it) buses leave for Matera (€5.20, 1¾ hours, one daily). STP and FSE buses go to Lecce (€7.70, two hours, five daily).

Marozzi ( 080 579 90 111) has express services serving Rome’s Stazione Tiburtina (€41.50, six hours, three daily). Autolinee Miccolis ( 099 470 44 51) serves Naples (€19, four hours, three daily) via Potenza (€10.50, two hours).

The bus ticket office ( 6am-1pm & 2-7pm) is at Porto Mercantile.

TRAIN

Trenitalia and FSE trains go to the following destinations:

Bari €7.40, 2½ hours, frequent

Brindisi €5.10, 1¼ hours, frequent

Rome from €41, six to 7½ hours, five daily

AMAT ( 099 4 52 67 32) buses run between the train station and the new city.

BASILICATA

Basilicata has an otherworldly landscape of tremendous mountain ranges, dark forested valleys and villages so melded with the rockface that they seem to have grown there. Its isolated yet strategic location on routes linking ancient Rome to the eastern Byzantine empire has seen it successively invaded, pillaged, plundered, abandoned and neglected.

In the north the landscape is a fertile zone of gentle hills and deep valleys – once covered in thick forests, now cleared and cultivated with wheat, olives and grapes. The purple-hued mountains of the interior are impossibly grand and a wonderful destination for hikers and naturalists, particularly the soaring peaks of the Lucanian Apennines and the Parco Nazionale del Pollino.

On the coast, Maratea is one of Italy’s most chic seaside resorts. However, Matera is Basilicata’s star attraction, the famous sassi of the cave city presiding over a rugged landscape of ravines and caves. Its ancient cave dwellings tell a tale of poverty, hardship and struggle, its history best immortalized in writer Carlo Levi’s superb book Christ stopped at Eboli – a title suggesting Basilicata was beyond the hand of God, a place where pagan magic still existed and thrived.

Today, Basilicata is attracting a slow but steadily increasing trickle of tourists. For those wanting to experience a raw and unspoilt region of Italy, Basilicata’s remote atmosphere and wild landscape will appeal.

History

Basilicata spans Italy’s instep with slivers of coastline touching the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas. It was known to the Greeks and Romans as Lucania (a name still heard today) after the Lucani tribe who lived here as far back as the 5th century BC. The Greeks also prospered, settling along the coastline at Metapontum and Erakleia, but things started to go wrong under the Romans, when Hannibal, the ferocious Carthaginian general, rampaged through the region.

In the 10th century, the Byzantine Emperor Basilikòs (976–1025) renamed the area, overthrowing the Saracens in Sicily and the south and reintroducing Christianity. The pattern of war and overthrow continued throughout the Middle Ages as the Normans, Hohenstaufens, Angevins and the Bourbons constantly tussled over its strategic location, right up until the 19th century. As talk of the Italian unification began to gain ground, Bourbon-sponsored loyalists took to Basilicata’s mountains to oppose political change. Ultimately, they became the much-feared bandits of local lore who make scary appearances in writings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In the 1930s, Basilicata was used as a kind of open prison for political dissidents – most famously Carlo Levi – sent into exile to remote villages by the fascists.

Matera

POP 60,530 / ELEV 405M

Approach Matera from virtually any direction and your first glimpse of its famous sassi (stone houses carved out of the caves and cliffs) is sure to be etched in your memory forever. Haunting and beautiful, the sassi sprawl below the rim of a yawning ravine like a giant nativity scene. The old town is simply unique and warrants at least a day of exploration and aimless wandering. Although many buildings are crumbling and abandoned, many have been restored and transformed into cosy abodes, restaurants and swish cave-hotels. On the cliff top, the new town is a lively place, with its elegant churches, palazzi and especially the pedestrianised Piazza Vittorio Veneto.

History

Matera is said to be one of the world’s oldest towns, inhabited since the Palaeolithic Age. The simple natural grottoes that dotted the gorge were adapted to become homes, and an ingenious system of canals regulated the flow of water and sewage. The prosperous town became the capital of Basilicata in 1663, a position it held until 1806 when the power moved to Potenza. In the decades that followed, an unsustainable increase in population led to the habitation of unsuitable grottoes – originally intended as animal stalls – even lacking running water.

By the 1950s over half of Matera’s population lived in the sassi, a typical cave sheltering an average of six children. The infant mortality rate was 50%. In his book, Christ Stopped at Eboli, Carlo Levi describes how children would beg passers-by for quinine to stave off the deadly malaria. Such publicity finally galvanised the authorities into action and in the late 1950s about 15,000 inhabitants were forcibly relocated to new government housing schemes. In 1993 the sassi were declared a Unesco World Heritage Site. Ironically, the town’s history of outrageous misery has transformed it into Basilicata’s leading tourist attraction.

Sights & Activities

There are two sasso districts: the more restored, northwest-facing Sasso Barisano and the more impoverished, northeast-facing Sasso Caveoso . Both are extraordinary, riddled with serpentine alleyways and staircases, and dotted with frescoed chiese rupestri (cave churches) created between the 8th and 13th centuries. Matera contains some 3000 habitable caves.

The sassi are accessible from several points. There’s an entrance off Piazza Vittorio Veneto, or take Via delle Beccherie to Piazza del Duomo and follow the tourist itinerary signs to enter either Barisano or Caveoso. Sasso Caveoso is also accessible from Via Ridola.

For a great photograph, head out of town for about 3km on the Taranto-Laterza road and follow signs for the chiese rupestri . This takes you up on the Murgia Plateau to the Belvedere , the location of the crucifixion in Mel Gibson’s 2004 film, The Passion of the Christ, from where you have fantastic views of the plunging ravine and Matera.

Matera

Sights

1 Casa-Grotta di Vico SolitarioD3

2  Cathedral D2

Chiesa di San Nicola del Greci(see 6)

3  Chiesa di San Pietro Caveoso D3

4  Chiesa di Santa Lucia alle Malve B3

Chiesa di Santa Maria di Costantinopoli(see 2)

5 Chiesa di Santa Maria d'IdrisD3

6 Chiesa Madonna delle VirtùD1

7 Entrance to Sasso BarisanoC3

8 Entrance to Sasso CaveosoC3

9 Entrance to Sasso CaveosoD4

10  La Raccolta delle Acque D4

11  Museo della Scultura Contemporanea D2

12  Museo Nazionale d'Arte Medievale e Moderna della Basilicata D4

13  Museo Nazionale Ridola C3

Activities, Courses & Tours

14  Cooperativa Amici del Turista C2

Sleeping

15 Hotel in PietraC2

16  II Vicinato D3

17  La Dolce Vita B&B D4

18  Locanda di San Martino C2

19  Palazzo Viceconte D2

20  Sassi Hotel C2

Eating

21  Baccanti D3

22  La Talpa C2

23  Le Botteghe D2

24 Oi MarìD2

25  Ristorante II Cantuccio C3

Drinking

26  19a Buca Winery? B2

27  Caffe Tripoli B2

28  Morgan Pub D4

Sasso Barisano

Chiesa di Madonna delle Virtù & Chiesa di San Nicola del Greci CHURCH

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(Via Madonna delle Virtù; 10am-7pm Sat & Sun) This monastic complex is one of the most important monuments in Matera and is composed of dozens of caves spread over two floors. The church of the Chiesa Madonna delle Virtù was built in the 10th or 11th century and restored in the 17th century. Above it, the simple church of Chiesa di San Nicola del Greci is rich in frescoes. The complex was used in 1213 by Benedictine monks of Palestinian origin.

Sasso Caveoso

Chiesa di San Pietro Caveoso CHURCH

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(Piazza San Pietro Caveoso) The only church in the sassi not dug into the tufa rock, it was originally built in 1300 and has a 17th- century Romanesque-baroque facade.

Chiesa di Santa Maria d’Idris CHURCH

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(Piazza San Pietro Caveoso; admission adult/reduced €3/2; 10am-1pm & 2.30-7pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct, 10.30am-1.30pm Tue-Sun Nov-Mar) Dug into the Idris rock, this church has an unprepossessing facade, but the narrow corridor communicating with the recessed church of San Giovanni in Monterrone is richly decorated with 12th- to 17th-century frescoes. Purchase a joint ticket for this site and Chiesa di Santa Lucia alle Malve for €5/3.50.

Chiesa di Santa Lucia alle Malve CHURCH

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(Via la Vista; admission adult/reduced €3/2; 10am-1pm & 2.30-7pm Apr-Oct, 10.30am-1.30pm Tue-Sun Nov-Mar) Built in the 8th century to house a Benedictine convent, this church has an ornate entrance door and a number of 12th-century frescoes.

La Raccolta delle Acque HISTORICAL SITE

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( 340 665 91 07; www.laraccoltadelleacquematera.it; Via Bruno Buozzi 67; admission €2.50; 9.30am-1pm & 2-7pm Apr-Oct, 9.30am-1pm Nov-Mar) Matera’s fascinating water-storage system can be better understood when you visit this ancient complex of underground cisterns and canals which was used to collect rainwater from roofs, streets and houses in the vicinity. The largest cistern is nearly 15m deep and 5m long.

Casa-Grotta di Vico Solitario HISTORICAL SITE

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(admission €1.50) For a glimpse of life in old Matera visit this refurbished sasso off Via Bruno Buozzi. There’s a bed in the kitchen, a room for manure and a section for a pig and a donkey.

Museo della Scultura Contemporanea MUSEUM

(MUSMA, 366 935 77 68; www.musma.it; Via San Giacomo; adult/reduced €5/3.50; 10am-2pm Tue-Sun & 4-8pm Sat & Sun) Housed in Palazzo Pomarici, MUSMA is a fabulous contemporary sculpture museum. Some of the exhibits are artfully displayed in atmospherically lit caves. You can also book a tour to visit the Cripta del Peccato Originale (the Crypt of Original Sin), which has well-preserved frescoes from the late 8th century. It’s known as the Sistine Chapel of the cave churches and the frescoes depict dramatic Old Testament scenes.

The New Town

The focus of the town is Piazza Vittorio Veneto, an excellent, bustling meeting point for an evening passeggiata (stroll). It’s surrounded by elegant churches and richly adorned palazzi, with their backs to the sassi; an attempt by the bourgeois to block out the shameful poverty the sassi once represented. Further excavations here have yielded more ruins of Byzantine Matera, including a rock church, a castle, a large cistern and numerous houses. You can gaze down to the site from the piazza.

Museo Nazionale d’Arte Medievale e Moderna della Basilicata MUSEUM

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( 0835 31 42 35; Palazzo Lanfranchi; adult/reduced €2/1; 9am-8pm Thu-Tue) The stars of the show are Levi’s paintings, including the enormous mural Lucania ’61 depicting peasant life in biblical Technicolor.

Cathedral CATHEDRAL

(Piazza del Duomo; closed for renovation) Set high up in town, the subdued, graceful exterior of the 13th-century Puglian- Romanesque cathedral makes the neobaroque excess within all the more of a surprise: ornate capitals, sumptuous chapels and tons of gilding. Pediments mounted on its altars came from the temples at Metaponto. Matera’s patron saint, the Madonna della Bruna, is hidden within the older church, Santa Maria di Costantinopoli Offline map, which can be accessed from the cathedral if it’s open.

Museo Nazionale Ridola MUSEUM

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( 0835 31 00 58; Via Ridola 24; adult/concession €2.50/1.25; 9am-8pm Tue-Sun, 2-8pm Mon) The impressive collection includes some remarkable Greek pottery, such as the Craterea Mascheroni, a huge urn over 1m high.

MATERA IN…

One Day

Zip out to the Belvedere for a photo-snap of the sassi before any heat haze sets in. Back in the sassi, approach Sasso Barisano via Via Fiorentini and wind your way along to the monastic complex of Madonna delle Virtù and San Nicola del Greci with its original frescoes. Then head for more frescoes in Sasso Caveoso’s rock churches of San Pietro Caveoso, Santa Maria d’Idris and Santa Lucia alle Malve . Wander through the sassi, imagining life in a cave, stopping to learn about Matera’s fascinating system of underground cisterns at La Raccolta delle Acque . Early evening, enjoy a sassy cocktail in lively Piazza Vittorio Veneto at Caffe Tripoli followed by dinner at Ristorante II Cantuccio Offline map.

Two Days

On day two, allow a couple of hours to visit the Cripta del Peccato Originale , with its magnificent frescoes. Then either spend the rest of the day hiking in the gorge or squeeze in a few museums in town, including the Museo Nazionale d’Arte Moderna , which showcases Carlo Levi’s bold Lucania ’61 . In the heart of Sasso Caveoso the Casa-Grotte di Vico Solitario may sound a tad contrived but really does provide a vivid picture of former living conditions here. For contemporary sculptures, visit the Museo della Scultura Contemporanea Offline map Google map. Finish off with dinner in a cave at stylish Baccanti .

Tours

There are plenty of official guides for the sassi – try www.sassiweb.it. Alternatively, contact the Cooperativa Amici del Turista Offline map ( 0835 33 03 01; www.amicidelturista.it; Via Fiorentini 28-30) or English-speaking guide Amy Weideman ( 339 282 3618; half-day tour for 2 people €40) .

For excellent and informative guided visits, Ferula Viaggi (see Information) has tours of the sassi, classic tours, underground tours, tours that include tastings or cookery courses, longer trips to the Pollino or into Puglia, and also hiking and cycling tours. Hikes range from short walks to week-long trips. For a detailed list of walks see Ferula Viaggi’s Walk Basilicata (www.walkbasilicata.it) . Ferula Viaggi also runs Bike Basilicata (www.bikebasilicata.it) , which rents bikes and helmets and supplies a road book and map so you can head off on your own; guided bike tours include a seven-night 500km odyssey across Puglia and Basilicata.

Festivals & Events

Sagra della Madonna della Bruna RELIGIOUS

On 2 July the colourful Procession of Shepherds parades ornately decorated papier-mâché floats around town. The finale is the assalto al carro, when the crowd descends on the main cart and tears it to pieces.

Gezziamoci MUSIC

( 0835 33 02 00; www.gezziamociamatera.onyxjazzclub.it) This jazz festival in the sassi and surrounding Murgia park kicks off in the last week of August.

Sleeping

Hotel in Pietra BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

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( 0835 34 40 40; www.hotelinpietra.it; Via San Giovanni Vecchio 22, Barisano; s €70, d €110-150, ste €220; ) The lobby is set in a former 13th-century chapel complete with soaring arches, while the eight rooms combine soft golden stone with the natural cave interior. Furnishings are Zen-style with low beds, while the bathrooms are super stylish and include vast sunken tubs.

Locanda di San Martino HOTEL €€

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( 0835 25 66 00; www.locandadisanmartino.it; Via Fiorentini 71; d €89-200; ) A sumptuous hotel where you can swim in a cave – in a subterranean underground swimming pool. The cave accommodation, complete with niches and rustic brick floors, is set around a warren of cobbled paths and courtyards.

La Dolce Vita B&B B&B €

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( 0835 31 03 24; www.ladolcevitamatera.it; Rione Malve 51; s €40-60, d €60-80; ) This delightful eco-friendly B&B in Sasso Caveoso has self-contained apartments with solar panels and recycled rainwater for plumbing. They’re cool, comfortable and homey. Vincenzo is passionate about Matera and is a mine of information on the sassi .

Palazzo Viceconte HOTEL €€

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( 0835 33 06 99; www.palazzoviceconte.it; Via San Potito 7; d €95-140, ste €139-350; ) Rooms in this 15th-century palazzo near the cathedral have superb views of the sassi and gravina . The hotel is elegantly furnished and the rooftop terrace has panoramic views.

II Vicinato B&B €

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( 0835 31 26 72; www.ilvicinato.com; Piazzetta San Pietro Caveoso 7; s/d €60/70; ) This B&B enjoys a great, easy-to-find location. Rooms are decorated in clean modern lines, with views across to Idris rock and the Murgia Plateau. There’s a room with a balcony and a small apartment, each with independent entrances.

Sassi Hotel HOTEL €

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( 0835 33 10 09; www.hotelsassi.it; Via San Giovanni Vecchio 89; s/d incl breakfast €70/90; ) The first hotel in the sassi is set in an 18th-century rambling edifice in Sasso Barisano with some rooms in caves and some not. Singles are small but doubles are gracefully furnished. The balconies have superb views of the cathedral.

Eating

Ristorante II Cantuccio TRATTORIA €€

( 0835 33 20 90; Via delle Becchiere 33; meals €25; Tue-Sun) This quaint, homey trattoria near Piazza Vittorio Veneto is as welcoming as its chef and owner, Michael Lella. The menu is seasonal and the dishes traditional and delicious.

Baccanti TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€€

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( 0835 33 37 04; www.baccantiristorante.com; Via Sant’Angelo 58-61; meals €50; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat, lunch Sun) As classy as a cave can be. The design is simple glamour against the low arches of the cavern; the dishes are delicate and complex, using local ingredients. This is where stars go to twinkle when in town.

Oi Mar ì PIZZERIA €

( 0835 34 61 21; Via Fiorentini 66; pizzas from €6.50; dinner nightly, lunch Sat & Sun) In Sasso Barisano, this big convivial cavern is styled as a Neapolitan pizzeria – and has a great cheery atmosphere and excellent substantial pizzas to match.

La Talpa TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €

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( 0835 33 50 86; Via Fiorentini 167; meals €15-20; Wed-Mon) Down the road from Oi Marì, the cavernous dining rooms are moodily lit and atmospheric. A popular spot for romancing couples.

Le Botteghe TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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( 0835 34 40 72; Piazza San Pietro Barisano; meals €40; lunch & dinner Mon-Sat, lunch Sun) In Sasso Barisano, this is a classy but informal restaurant in arched whitewashed rooms. Try delicious local specialities like fusilli mollica e crusco (pasta and fried bread with local sweet peppers).

Drinking

Caffe Tripoli CAFE

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(Piazza Vittorio Veneto; Tue-Sun) This is a good people-watching spot for morning coffee or evening aperitifs.

19a Buca Winery? WINE BAR

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( 0835 33 35 92; www.diciannovesimabuca.com; Via Lombardi 3; 11am-midnight Tue-Sun) The question mark says it all – 13m below Piazza Vittorio Veneto the past takes a futuristic twist. This ultra-chic wine bar–restaurant-cafe-lounge has white space-pod chairs, a 19-hole indoor golf course surrounding an ancient cistern and an impressive wine cellar and degustation menu (meals €30).

Morgan Pub PUB

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(www.morganpub.com; Via Buozzi 2; Wed-Mon) A hip and cavernous cellar pub with outside tables in the summer.

EXPLORING THE GORGE

In the picturesque landscape of the Murgia Plateau, the Matera Gravina cuts a rough gouge in the Earth, a 200m-deep canyon pockmarked with abandoned caves and villages. You can hike from the sassi into the gorge and then up to the Belvedere in one to two hours, but a hike along the canyon rim gives you a better appreciation of the termite-like network of caves that gave birth to the sassi . Ferula Viaggi (www.ferulaviaggi.it) offers excellent guided hikes into the gorge, as well as a range of hiking and cycling tours throughout Basilicata and Puglia.

Information

The maps Carta Turistica di Matera and Matera: Percorsi Turistici (€1.50), available from various travel agencies, bookstores and hotels around town, describe a number of itineraries through the sassi and the gorge.

Basilicata Turistica (www.aptbasilicata.it) Official tourist website with useful information on history, culture, attractions and sights.

Ferula Viaggi ( 0835 33 65 72; www.materaturismo.it; Via Cappelluti 34; 9am-1.30pm & 3.30-7pm Mon-Sat) Excellent information centre and travel agency. Runs walking tours (www.walkbasilicata.it), cycling tours (www.bikebasilicata.it), cooking courses, and other great tours through Basilicata and Puglia.

Hospital ( 0835 25 31 11; Via Montescaglioso) About 1km southeast of the centre.

Internet point ( 0835 34 41 66; Via San Biagio 9; per hr €3; 10am-1pm & 3.30-8.30pm)

Maruel Viaggi ( 0835 33 31 35; www.maruelviaggi.com; Via Dante; 9am-1.30pm & 4-8pm) Private travel agency and information centre with good information on buses. Can organise tours.

Parco Archeologico Storico Naturale delle Chiese Rupestri del Materano ( 0835 33 61 66; www.parcomurgia.it; Via Sette Dolori) For info on the Murgia park.

Police station ( 0835 37 81; Via Gattini)

Post office (Via Passerelli; 8am-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-12.30pm Sat)

Sassiweb (www.sassiweb.it) Informative website on Matera.

Getting There & Away

Bus

The bus station is north of Piazza Matteotti, near the train station. SITA ( 0835 38 50 07; www.sitabus.it) goes to Taranto (€5.50, two hours, six daily) and Metaponto (€2.70, one hour, up to five daily) and many small towns in the province. Buy tickets from newspaper kiosks on Piazza Matteotti.

Grassani ( 0835 72 14 43) serves Potenza (€5.30, 1½ hours, four daily). Buy tickets on the bus.

Marozzi ( 06 225 21 47; www.marozzivt.it) runs three daily buses to Rome (€34, 6½ hours). A joint SITA and Marozzi service leaves daily for Siena, Florence and Pisa, via Potenza. Advance booking is essential.

Pugliairbus ( 080 580 03 58; http://pugliairbus.aeroportidipuglia.it) operates a service to Bari airport (€5, 1¼ hours, four daily).

Train

Ferrovie Appulo-Lucane (FAL; 0835 33 28 61; www.fal-srl.it) runs regular trains (€4.50, 1½ hours, 12 daily) and buses (€4.50, 1½ hours, six daily) to Bari. For Potenza, take a FAL bus to Ferrandina and connect with a Trenitalia train, or head to Altamura to link up with FAL’s Bari-Potenza run.

MAGNA GRAECIA MUSEUMS OF THE IONIAN COAST

In stark contrast to the dramatic Tyrrhenian coast, the Ionian coast is a listless, flat affair dotted with large tourist resorts. However, the Greek ruins at Metaponto and Policoro , with their accompanying museums, bring alive the enormous influence of Magna Graecia in southern Italy.

Metaponto’s Greek ruins are a rare site where archaeologists have managed to map the entire ancient urban plan. Settled by Greeks in the 8th and 7th centuries BC, Metapontum’s most famous resident was Pythagoras, who founded a school here after being banished from Crotone (in Calabria) in the 6th century BC. After Pythagoras died, his house and school were incorporated into the Temple of Hera. The remains of the temple – 15 columns and sections of pavement – are Metaponto’s most impressive sight. They’re known as the Tavole Palatine (Palatine Tables), since knights, or paladins, are said to have gathered here before heading to the Crusades. It’s 3km north of town, just off the highway – to find it follow the slip road for Taranto onto the SS106.

In town, the Museo Archeologico Nazionale ( 0835 74 53 27; Via Aristea 21; admission €2.50; 9am-8pm Tue-Sun, 2-8pm Mon) houses artefacts from Metapontum and other sites while in the Parco Archeologico (admission free), 2km northeast of the train station, are the remains of a Greek theatre and the Doric Tempio di Apollo Licio .

In Policoro, 21km southwest of Matera, the Museo della Siritide ( 0835 97 21 54; Via Colombo 8; admission €2.50; 9am-8pm Wed-Mon, 2-8pm Tue) has a fabulous display of artefacts from 7000 BC through to Lucanian ornaments, Greek mirrors and Roman spears and javelins.

SITA buses run from Matera to Metaponto (€2.70, one hour, up to five daily) and on to Policoro. Metaponto is on the Taranto-Reggio line; trains connect with Potenza, Salerno and occasionally Naples.

Potenza

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Basilicata’s regional capital, Potenza, has been ravaged by earthquakes (the last in 1980) and also has some brutal housing blocks. If that wasn’t enough, as the highest town in the land, it broils in summer and shivers in winter. You may find yourself here, however, as it’s a major transport hub.

The centre straddles east to west across a high ridge. To the south lie the main Trenitalia and Ferrovie Appulo-Lucane train stations, connected to the centre by buses 1 and 10.

Potenza’s few sights are in the old centre, at the top of the hill. To get there, take the elevators from Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II. The ecclesiastical highlight is the cathedral , erected in the 12th century and rebuilt in the 18th. The elegant Via Pretoria, flanked by a boutique or two, makes a pleasant traffic-free stroll, especially during the passeggiata .

In central Potenza, Al Convento ( 097 12 55 91; www.alconvento.eu; Largo San Michele Arcangelo 21; s €50-55, d €80-90; ) is a great accommodation choice housing a mix of polished antiques and design classics.

Grassani ( 0835 72 14 43) has buses to Matera (€5.30, 1½ hours, four daily). SITA ( 0971 50 68 11; www.sitabus.it) has daily buses to Melfi, Venosa and Maratea. Buses leave from Via Appia 185 and also stop near the Scalo Inferiore Trenitalia train station. Liscio ( 097 15 46 73) buses serve cities including Rome (€23, 4½ hours, three daily), Naples (€7.40, two hours, four daily) and Salerno (€5.30, 1½ hours, four daily).

There are regular train services from Potenza to Foggia (from €6, 2¼ hours), Salerno (from €6, two hours) and Taranto (from €8.50, two hours). For Bari (from €14, three to four hours, four daily), use the Ferrovie Appulo-Lucane ( 0971 41 15 61) at Potenza Superiore station.

POETIC VENOSA

About 70km north of Potenza, pretty Venosa used to be a thriving Roman colony, owing much of its prosperity to being a stop on the Appian Way. It was also the birthplace of the poet Horace in 65 BC. The main reason to come here is to see the remains of Basilicata’s largest monastic complex.

Venosa’s main square, Piazza Umberto I, is dominated by a 15th-century Aragonese castle with a small Museo Archeologico ( 0972 3 60 95; Piazza Umberto I; admission €2.50; 9am-8pm Wed-Mon, 2-8pm Tue) that houses finds from Roman Venusia and human bone fragments dating back 300,000 years.

Admission to the museum also gets you into the ruins of the Roman settlement ( 9am-1hr before dusk Wed-Mon, 2pm-1hr before dusk Tue) and the graceful later ruins of Abbazia della Santissima Trinità ( 0972 3 42 11) . At the northeastern end of town, the abbazia (abbey) was erected above the Roman temple around 1046 by the Benedictines and predates the Norman invasions. Within the complex is a pair of churches, one unfinished. The earlier church contains the tomb of Robert Guiscard, a Norman crusader, and his fearsome half-brother Drogo. The other unfinished church was begun in the 11th century using materials from the neighbouring Roman amphitheatre. A little way south are some Jewish and Christian catacombs.

Hotel Orazio ( 0972 3 11 35; www.hotelorazio.it; Vittorio Emanuele II 142; s/d €50/65) is a 17th-century palace complete with antique majolica tiles and marble floors, and is overseen by a pair of grandmotherly ladies.

Venosa can be reached by taking the S658 north from Potenza and exiting at Barile onto the S93. Buses run Monday to Saturday from Potenza (€3.10, two hours, two daily).

Appennino Lucano

The Appenino Lucano (Lucanian Apennines) bite Basilicata in half like a row of jagged teeth. Sharply rearing up south of Potenza, they protect the lush Tyrrhenian Coast and leave the Ionian shores gasping in the semi-arid heat. Careering along its hair-raising roads through the broken spine of mountains can be arduous, but if you’re looking for drama, the drive could be the highlight of your trip.

The fascists exiled writer and political activist Carlo Levi to this isolated region in 1935. He lived and is buried in the tiny hilltop town of Aliano , where remarkably little seems to have changed since he wrote his dazzling Christ Stopped at Eboli, which laid bare the boredom, poverty and hypocrisy of village life. The Pinacoteca Carlo Levi ( 0835 56 83 15; Piazza Garibaldi; admission €3; 10am-1pm & 4-7.30pm in summer, 10am-12.30pm & 3.30-6.30pm Thu-Tue in winter) also houses the Museo Storico di Carlo Levi , featuring his papers, documents and paintings. Admission to the pinacoteca (art gallery) includes a tour of Levi’s house and entry to the museum.

More spectacular than Aliano are the two mountaintop villages of Castelmezzano (elevation 985m) and Pietrapertosa (elevation 1088m), ringed by the Lucanian Dolomites. They are Basilicata’s highest villages and are often swathed in cloud, making you wonder why anyone would build here, in territory best suited to goats. Castelmezzano is surely one of Italy’s most dramatic villages; the houses huddle along an impossibly narrow ledge that falls away in gorges to the Caperrino river. Pietrapertosa is even more amazing: the Saracen fortress at its pinnacle is difficult to spot as it is carved out of the mountain.

You can spend an eerie night in Pietrapertosa at a delightful B&B, La Casa di Penelope e Cirene ( 0971 98 30 13; Via Garibaldi 32; d from €70). Dine at the authentic Lucano restaurant Al Becco della Civetta ( 0971 98 62 49; www.beccodellacivetta.it; Vicolo I Maglietta 7; meals €25; Wed-Mon) in Castelmezzano, which also offers traditionally furnished, simple whitewashed rooms (double €80).

Aliano is accessible by SITA bus (€5.40) from Potenza. You’ll need your own vehicle to visit Castelmezzano and Pietrapertosa.

Tyrrhenian Coast

Resembling a mini-Amalfi, Basilicata’s Tyrrhenian coast is short (about 20km) but sweet. Squeezed between Calabria and Campania’s Cilento peninsula, it shares the same beguiling characteristics: hidden coves and pewter sandy beaches backed by majestic coastal cliffs. The SS18 threads a spectacular route along the mountains to the coast’s star attraction, the charming seaside settlements of Maratea.

MARATEA

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Maratea is a charming, if confusing, place at first, being comprised of several distinct localities ranging from a medieval village to a stylish harbour. The setting is lush and dramatic, with a coastal road (narrower even than the infamous Amalfi Coast road!) that dips and winds past the cliffs and pocket-size beaches that line the sparkling Golfo di Policastro. Studded with elegant hotels, Maratea’s attraction is no secret and you can expect tailback traffic and fully booked hotels in July and August. Conversely, many hotels and restaurants close from October to March.

Sights & Activities

Your first port of call should be the pretty Porto di Maratea , a harbour where sleek yachts and bright-blue fishing boats bob in the water, overlooked by bars and restaurants. Then there’s the enchanting 13th-century medieval borgo (small town) of Maratea Inferiore , with pint-sized piazzas, wriggling alleys and interlocking houses, offering startling coastal views. It’s all overlooked by a 21m-high, gleaming white statue of Christ the Redeemer – if you have your own transport, don’t miss the roller-coaster road and stupendous views from the statue-mounted summit – below which lie the ruins of Maratea Superiore , all that remains of the original 8th-century-BC Greek colony.

The deep green hillsides that encircle this tumbling conurbation offer excellent walking trails and there are a number of easy day trips to the surrounding hamlets of Acquafredda di Maratea and Fiumicello , with its small sandy beach. The tourist office ( 0973 87 69 08; Piazza Gesù 40; 8am-2pm & 5-8pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm & 5-8pm Sat & Sun Jul & Aug, 8am-2pm Sep-Jun) is in Fiumicello.

Centro Sub Maratea ( 0973 87 00 13; www.web.tiscali.it/csmaratea; Via Santa Caterina 28, Maratea) offers diving courses and boat tours that include visits to surrounding grottoes and coves.

A worthwhile day trip via car is to pretty Rivello (elevation 479m). Perched on a ridge and framed by the southern Apennines, it is a centre for arts and crafts and has long been known for its exquisite working of gold and copper. Rivello’s interesting Byzantine history is evident in the tiny tiled cupolas and frescoes of its gorgeous churches.

Sleeping

Locanda delle Donne Monache HOTEL €€

( 0973 87 74 87; www.locandamonache.com; Via Mazzei 4; r €130-310; Apr-Oct; ) Overlooking the medieval borgo, this exclusive hotel is in a converted 18th-century convent with a suitably lofty setting. It’s a hotchpotch of vaulted corridors, terraces and gardens fringed with bougainvillea and lemon trees. The rooms are elegantly decorated in pastel shades, while the Sacello restaurant prepares delicate dishes drawing on the regional flavours of Lucania.

B&B Nefer B&B €

( 0973 87 18 28; www.bbnefer.it; Via Cersuta; r €60-90; ) This B&B set in a small hamlet 5km northwest of Maratea has four rooms decorated in sea greens, blues and pinks. Rooms open onto a lush green lawn complete with deckchairs for contemplating the distant sea view. There’s a simple outdoor kitchen area for guest use and a small beach a short walk away along narrow seaside paths.

Hotel Villa Cheta Elite HOTEL €€

( 0973 87 81 34; www.villacheta.it; Via Timpone 46; r €140-264; Apr-Oct; ) A charming art nouveau villa at the entrance to the hamlet of Acquafredda, this hotel has a broad terrace with spectacular views, a fabulous restaurant and large rooms decorated with antiques.

Eating

Taverna Rovita TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 0973 87 65 88; www.tavernarovitamaratea.it; Via Rovita 13; meals €35; Mar-Oct) This tavern is just off Maratea Inferiore’s main piazza. Rovita is excellent value and specialises in hearty local fare, with Lucanian specialities involving stuffed peppers, game birds, local salami and fine seafood.

Lanterna Rossa SEAFOOD €€

( 0973 87 63 52; Maratea Porto; meals €40; Wed-Mon Feb-Dec, daily Jul & Aug) Head for the terrace overlooking the port to dine on exquisite seafood. Highly recommended is the signature dish, zuppa di pesce – fish soup.

La Caffetteria CAFE €

(Piazza Buraglia, Maratea; panini from €3; 7.30am-2am summer, 7.30am-10pm winter) The outdoor seating at this delightful cafe in Maratea’s central piazza is ideal for dedicated people watching.

Getting There & Away

SITA ( 0971 50 68 11; www.sitabus.it) operates a comprehensive network of routes including up the coast to Sapri in Campania (€1.60, 50 minutes, six daily). Local buses (€1) connect the coastal towns and Maratea train station with Maratea Inferiore, running frequently in summer. InterCity and regional trains on the Rome-Reggio line stop at Maratea train station, below the town.

PARCO NAZIONALE DEL POLLINO

Italy’s largest national park, the Pollino National Park (www.parcopollino.it) , straddles Basilicata and Calabria and covers 1960 sq km. It acts like a rocky curtain separating the region from the rest of Italy and has the richest repository of flora and fauna in the south.

The park’s most spectacular areas are Monte Pollino (2248m), Monti di Orsomarso (1987m), and the canyon of the Gole del Raganello. The mountains, often snowbound, are blanketed by forests of oak, alder, maple, beech, pine and fir. The park is most famous, however, for its ancient pino loricato trees, which are only found here and in the Balkans. The oldest specimens reach 40m in height.

The park has a varied landscape, from deep river canyons to alpine meadows, and is home to rare stocks of roe deer, wild cats, wolves, birds of prey (including the golden eagle and Egyptian vulture) and the endangered otter, Lutra lutra .

In Basilicata, the park’s main centre is Rotonda (elevation 626m) and is home to the official park office, Ente Parco Nazionale del Pollino ( 0973 66 93 11; Via delle Frecce Tricolori 6; 8am-2pm Mon-Fri, 3-5.30pm Mon & Wed). Interesting villages to explore include the unique Albanian villages of San Paolo Albanese and San Costantino Albanese . These isolated and unspoilt communities fiercely maintain their mountain culture and the Greek liturgy is retained in the main churches. For local handicrafts visit Terranova di Pollino for wooden crafts, Latronico for alabaster, and Sant’Arcangelo for wrought iron.

In Calabria, Civita was founded by Albanian refugees in 1746. Other towns worth visiting are Castrovillari , with its well-preserved 15th-century Aragonese castle, and Morano Calabro – look up the beautiful MC Escher woodcut of this town. Naturalists should also check out the wildlife museum Centro II Nibbio ( 0981 3 07 45; Vico II Annunziata 11; admission €4; 10am-1pm & 3-6pm winter, 10am-1pm & 4-8pm summer) in Morano, which explains the Pollino ecosystem.

Good hiking maps are scarce. The Carta Excursionistica del Pollino Lucano (scale 1:50000), produced by the Basilicata tourist board, is a useful driving map. The large-scale Parco Nazionale del Pollino map shows all the main routes and includes some useful information on the park, its flora and fauna and the park communities. Both maps are free and can be found in local tourist offices.

For an English-speaking guide, contact Giuseppe Cosenza from Asklepios, who arranges trekking, mountain-biking and rafting trips in the Pollino and throughout Basilicata. Ferula Viaggi in Matera also runs mountain-bike excursions and treks into the Pollino. For guided trips in Calabria visit www.guidapollino.it.

White-water rafting down the spectacular Lao river is popular in the Calabrian Pollino. Centro Lao Action Raft ( 0985 2 14 76; www.laoraft.com; Via Lauro 8) in Scalea can arrange rafting trips as well as canyoning, trekking and mountain-biking trips.

The park has a number of agriturismi . Agriturismo Colloreto ( 347 323 69 14; www.colloreto.it; Fratelli Coscia; s/d €28/56) , near Morano Calabro, is in a remote rural setting, gorgeous amid rolling hills. Rooms are comfortable and old-fashioned with polished wood and flagstone floors. Also in Calabria, Locanda di Alia ( 0981 4 63 70; www.alia.it; Via Ietticelle 55; s/d €90/120; ), in Castrovillari, offers bungalow-style accommodation in a lush green garden.

In Basilicata, Asklepios ( 0973 66 92 90, 347 263 14 62; www.asklepios.it; Contrada Barone 9, Rotonda; s/d €30/50) has basic accommodation but is the place to stay for walkers as it’s run by hiking guide Giuseppe Cosenza. Otherwise, the chalet-style Picchio Nero ( 0973 9 31 70; www.picchionero.com; Via Mulino 1; s/d incl breakfast €60/73; ) in Terranova di Pollino, with its Austrian-style wooden balconies and recommended restaurant, is a popular hotel for hikers.

Two highly recommended restaurants include Luna Rossa ( 0973 9 32 54; Via Marconi 18; meals €35; Thu-Tue) in Terranova di Pollino, and Da Peppe ( 0973 66 12 51; Corso Garibaldi 13; meals €25-35; lunch & dinner Tue-Sun) i n Rotonda.

You’ll need your own vehicle to visit the Pollino.

CALABRIA

Tell a non-Calabrese Italian that you’re going to Calabria and you will probably elicit some surprise, inevitably followed by stories of the ’ndrangheta – the Calabrian Mafia – notorious for smuggling and kidnapping wealthy northerners and keeping them hidden in the mountains.

But Calabria contains startling natural beauty and spectacular towns that seem to grow out of the craggy mountaintops. It has three national parks: the Pollino in the north, the Sila in the centre and the Aspromonte in the south. It’s around 90% hills, but skirted by some 780km of Italy’s finest coast (ignore the bits devoured by unappealing holiday camps). Bergamot grows here, and it’s the only place in the world where the plants are of sufficient quality to produce the essential oil used in many perfumes and to flavour Earl Grey tea. As in Puglia, there are hundreds of music and food festivals here year-round, reaching a fever pitch in July and August.

Admittedly, you sometimes feel as if you have stepped into a 1970s postcard, as its towns, destroyed by repeated earthquakes, are often surrounded by brutal breeze-block suburbs. The region has suffered from the unhealthy miscegenation between European and government subsidies (aimed to develop the south) and dark Mafia opportunism. Half-finished houses often mask well-furnished flats where families live happily, untroubled by invasive house taxes.

This is where to head for an adventure into the unknown.

History

Traces of Neanderthal, Palaeolithic and Neolithic life have been found in Calabria, but the region only became internationally important with the arrival of the Greeks in the 8th century BC. They founded a colony at what is now Reggio di Calabria. Remnants of this colonisation, which spread along the Ionian coast with Sibari and Crotone as the star settlements, are still visible. However, the fun didn’t last for the Greeks and in 202 BC the cities of Magna Graecia all came under Roman control. Destroying the countryside’s handsome forests, the Romans did irreparable geological damage. Navigable rivers became fearsome fiumare (torrents) dwindling to wide, dry, drought-stricken riverbeds in high summer.

Calabria’s fortified hilltop communities weathered successive invasions by the Normans, Swabians, Aragonese and Bourbons, and remained largely undeveloped. Although the 18th-century Napoleonic incursion and the arrival of Garibaldi and Italian unification inspired hope for change, Calabria remained a disappointed, feudal region and, like the rest of the south, was racked by malaria.

A by-product of this tragic history was the growth of banditry and organised crime. Calabria’s Mafia, known as the ’ndrangheta (from the Greek for heroism/virtue), inspires fear in the local community, but tourists are rarely the target of its aggression. For many, the only answer has been to get out and, for at least a century, Calabria has seen its young people emigrate in search of work.

Northern Tyrrhenian Coast

The good, the bad and the ugly line the region’s western seashore.

The Autostrada del Sole (A3) is one of Italy’s great coastal drives. It twists and turns through mountains, past huge swathes of dark-green forest and flashes of cerulean-blue sea. But the Italian penchant for cheap summer resorts has taken its toll here and certain stretches are blighted by shoddy hotels and soulless stacks of flats.

In the low season most places close. In summer many hotels are full, but you should have an easier time with the camping sites.

PRAIA A MARE

POP 6820

Praia a Mare lies just short of Basilicata, the start of a stretch of wide, pebbly beach that continues south for about 30km to Cirella and Diamante. This flat, leafy grid of a town sits on a wide pale-grey beach, looking out to an intriguing rocky chunk off the coast: the Isola di Dino.

Just off the seafront is the tourist office ( 0985 7 25 85; Via Amerigo Vespucci 6; 8am-1pm) with information on the Isola di Dino , famed for its sea caves. To visit the caves expect to pay around €5 for a guided tour from the old boys who operate off the beach. Alternatively, ask at the tourist office.

Autolinee Preite ( 0984 41 30 01) operates buses to Cosenza (€5.20, two hours, 10 daily). SITA ( 0971 50 68 11; www.sitabus.it, in Italian) goes north to Maratea and Potenza. Regular trains also pass through for Paola and Reggio di Calabria.

AIETA & TORTORA

Precariously perched, otherworldly Aieta and Tortora must have been difficult to reach pre-asphalt. Rocco ( 0973 22 943; www.roccosrl.it) buses serve both villages, 6km and 12km from Praia respectively. Aieta is higher than Tortora and the journey constitutes much of the reward. When you arrive, walk up to the 16th-century Palazzo Spinello at the end of the road and take a look into the ravine behind it – it’s a stunning view.

DIAMANTE

POP 5400

This fashionable seaside town, with its long promenade, is central to Calabria’s famous peperoncino – the conversation-stalling spice that so characterises its cuisine. In early September a hugely popular chilli-eating competition takes place. Diamante is also famed for the bright murals that contemporary local and foreign artists have painted on the facades of the old buildings. For the best seafood restaurants head for the seafront at Spiaggia Piccola.

Autolinee Preite ( 0984 41 30 01) buses between Cosenza and Praia a Mare stop at Diamante.

PAOLA

POP 16,900

Paola is worth a stop to see its holy shrine. The large pilgrimage complex is above a sprawling small town where the dress of choice is a tracksuit and the main activity is hanging about on street corners. The 80km of coast south from here to Pizzo is mostly overdeveloped and ugly. Paola is the main train hub for Cosenza, about 25km inland.

Watched over by a crumbling castle, the Santuario di San Francesco di Paola ( 0982 58 25 18; admission free; 6am-1pm & 2-6pm) is a curious, empty cave with tremendous significance to the devout. The saint lived and died in Paola in the 15th century and the sanctuary that he and his followers carved out of the bare rock has attracted pilgrims for centuries. The cloister is surrounded by naïve wall paintings depicting the saint’s truly incredible miracles. The original church contains an ornate reliquary of the saint. Also within the complex is a modern basilica, built to mark the second millennium. Black-clad monks hurry about.

There are several hotels near the station, but you’ll be better off staying in towns further north along the coast.

Cosenza

POP 69,800 / ELEV 238M

Cosenza’s medieval core is Calabria’s best-preserved historic centre, the one piece of history that has managed to escape the constant earthquakes that have levelled almost everything else in the region. It rises above the confluence of the Crati and Busento rivers, its narrow lanes winding ever upwards to the hilltop castle. Legend states that Alaric, a Visigoth king, was killed and buried at the confluence of the two rivers.

In the past, Cosenza was a sophisticated and lively city but nowadays there’s a gritty feel to the old town with its dark streets and fading, once-elegant palazzi . It’s the gateway to La Sila’s mountains, home to Calabria’s most important university and a major transport hub – but there’s not much to see or do here.

Sights

In the new town, pedestrianised Corso Mazzini provides a pleasant respite from the chaotic traffic and incessant car honking. There are a number of sculptures lining the corso .

In the old town, head up the winding, charmingly dilapidated Corso Telesio which has a raw Neapolitan feel to it and is lined with ancient hung-with-washing tenements, antiquated shopfronts and a worrying number of funeral parlours. At the top, the 12th-century cathedral (Piazza del Duomo; 8am-noon & 3-7.30pm) has been rebuilt in restrained baroque style in the 18th century. In a chapel off the north aisle is a copy of an exquisite 13th-century Byzantine Madonna.

From the cathedral, you can walk up Via del Seggio through a little medieval quarter before turning right to reach the 13th- century Convento di San Francesco d’Assisi Offline map Google map . Otherwise head along the corso to Piazza XV Marzo, an appealing square fronted by the Palazzo del Governo and the handsome neoclassical Teatro Rendano Offline map Google map .

South of the piazza stretches the lovely Villa Vecchia park with lofty mature trees providing welcome shade.

From Piazza XV Marzo, follow Via Paradiso, then Via Antonio Siniscalchi for the route to the down-at-heel Norman castle (Piazza Frederico II) , left in disarray by several earthquakes. It’s closed for restoration, but the view merits the steep ascent.

Cosenza

Sights

1  Castle A4

2  Cathedral C2

3  Convento di San Francesco d'Assisi B2

4  Teatro Rendano C4

Sleeping

5  B&B Via dell'Astrologo D3

Eating

6  Gran Caffè Renzelli C3

7  Per… Bacco!! A1

8 Ristorante Calabria BellaB2

Sleeping

B&B Via dell’Astrologo B&B €

Offline map

( 338 920 53 94; www.viadellastrologo.com; Via Rutilio Benincasa 16; s €35-40, d €60-70, tr €90; ) A gem in the historical centre, this small B&B is tastefully decorated with polished wooden floors, white bedspreads, and good quality art work. Brothers Mario and Marco are a mine of information on Cosenza and Calabria in general.

Royal Hotel HOTEL €€

( 0984 41 21 65; www.hotelroyalsas.it; Via Molinella 24; €100; ) One of the few decent options in town, the Royal is a short stroll from Corso Mazzini. Rooms are impersonal but comfortable. Stay in the new section of the hotel, around the corner from its older sister.

Eating

Gran Caffè Renzelli CAFE €

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(Corso Telesio 46) This venerable cafe behind the duomo has been run by the same family since 1803 when the founder arrived from Naples and began baking gooey cakes and desserts (cakes start at around €1.20). Sink your teeth into torroncino torrefacto (a confection of sugar, spices and hazelnuts) or torta telesio (made from almonds, cherries, apricot jam and lupins).

Ristorante Calabria Bella TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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( 0984 79 35 31; www.ristorantecalabriabella.it; Piazza del Duomo; meals €25; noon-3pm & 7pm-midnight) Traditional Calabrian cuisine, such as grigliata mista di carne (mixed grilled meats), is regularly dished up in this cosy restaurant in the old town.

Per… Bacco!! TRATTORIA €€

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( 0984 79 55 69; www.perbaccowinebar.it; Piazza dei Valdesi; meals €25) This smart yet informal restaurant has windows onto the square. Inside are exposed stone walls, vines and heavy beams. The reassuringly brief menu includes a generous and tasty antipasto (€8).

Information

The main drag, Corso Mazzini, runs south from Piazza Bilotti (formerly known as Piazza Fera), near the bus station, and intersects Viale Trieste before meeting Piazza dei Bruzi. Head further south and cross the Busento river to reach the old town.

Getting There & Around

Air

Lamezia Terme airport (Sant’Eufemia Lamezia, SUF; 0968 41 43 33; www.sacal.it) , 63km south of Cosenza, at the junction of the A3 and SS280 motorways, links the region with major Italian cities. The airport is also served by Ryanair, easyJet and charters from northern Europe. A shuttle leaves the airport every 20 minutes for the airport train station where there are frequent trains to Cosenza (€4.60, one hour).

Bus

The main bus station ( 0984 41 31 24) is northeast of Piazza Bilotti. Services leave for Catanzaro (€4.60, 1¾ hours, eight daily) and towns throughout La Sila. Autolinee Preite ( 0984 41 30 01) has buses heading daily along the north Tyrrhenian coast; Autolinee Romano ( 0962 2 17 09) serves Crotone as well as Rome and Milan.

Train

Stazione Nuova ( 0984 2 70 59) is about 2km northeast of the centre. Regular trains go to Reggio di Calabria (from €11.60, three hours) and Rome (from €44, four to six hours), both usually with a change at Paola, and Naples (from €26.40, three to four hours), as well as most destinations around the Calabrian coast.

Amaco ( 0984 30 80 11) bus 27 links the centre and Stazione Nuova, the main train station.

Parco Nazionale della Sila

‘La Sila’ is a big landscape, where wooded hills create endless rolling views. It’s dotted with small villages and cut through with looping roads that make driving a test of your digestion.

It’s divided into three areas covering 130 sq km: the Sila Grande, with the highest mountains; the strongly Albanian Sila Greca (to the north); and the Sila Piccola (near Catanzaro), with vast forested hills.

The highest peaks, covered with tall Corsican pines, reach 2000m – high enough for thick snow in winter. This makes it a popular skiing destination. In summer the climate is coolly alpine with carpets of spring wildflowers and mushroom hunting in autumn. At its peak is the Bosco di Gallopani (Forest of Gallopani). There are several beautiful lakes, the largest of which is Lago di Cecita o Mucone near Camigliatello Silano. There is also plenty of wildlife here, including the light-grey Apennine wolf, a protected species.

Good-quality information in English is scarce. You can try the national park visitors centre ( 0984 53 71 09) at Cupone, 10km from Camigliatello, or the Pro Loco tourist office ( 0984 57 81 59; Via Roma; 9.30am-12.30pm & 3.30-6.30pm Wed-Mon) in Camigliatello. A useful internet resource is the official park website: www.parcosila.it. The people who run B&B Calabria in the park are extremely knowledgeable and helpful.

For maps, you can use Carta del Parco Nazionale della Sila (€8) which has walking trails (in Italian). The Sila for 4 is a miniguide in English which outlines a number of walking trails in the park. The booklet is available in tourist offices and from the privately run New Sila Tourist Service Agency ( 0984 57 81 25; Via Roma 16, Camigliatello) – a good source of information on the park.

Valli Cupe ( 333 698 88 35, 864 36 01; www.vallicupe.it) runs hiking trips in the area around Sersale (in the southeast), where there are myriad waterfalls and the dramatic Canyon Valli Cupe. Trips cost only €8 per person per day. Specialising in botany, the guides (who speak Italian and French) also visit remote monasteries and churches. Stay in their rustic accommodation in the town.

During August, Sila in Festa takes place, featuring traditional music. Autumn is mushroom season, when you’ll be able to frequent mushroom festivals, including the Sagra del Fungo in Camigliatello.

Sights

La Sila’s main town, San Giovanni in Fiore (1049m), is named after the founder of its beautiful medieval abbey . The town has an attractive old centre, once you’ve battled through the suffocating suburbs, and is famous for its Armenian-style handloomed carpets and tapestry. You can visit the studio and shop of Domenico Caruso ( 0984 99 27 24; www.scuolatappeti.it) , but ring ahead.

A popular ski-resort town, with 6km of slopes, Camigliatello Silano (1272m) looks much better under snow. A few lifts operate on Monte Curcio, about 3km to the south. Around 5.5km of slopes and a 1500m lift can be found near Lorica (1370m), on gloriously pretty Lago Arvo – the best place to camp in summer.

Scigliano (620m), in Sila Piccola, is a small hilltop town and has a superb B&B; from Sersale (739m), further south, you can go trekking with Valli Cupe guides.

Sleeping

B&B Calabria B&B €

( 349 878 18 94; www.bedandbreakfastcalabria.it; Via Roma 9, Frazione Diano, Scigliano; s/d €40/60; Apr-Nov) In the mountains, this B&B has five comfortable rooms, all with separate entrances. Raffaele is a great source of information on the region and can recommend places to eat, visit and go hiking. Rooms have character and clean modern lines and there’s a wonderful terrace overlooking endless forested vistas. Mountain bikes available.

Hotel Aquila & Edelweiss HOTEL €

( 0984 57 80 44; www.hotelaquilaedelweiss.com; Viale Stazione 15. Camigliatello; s €60-80, d €80-100; ) This three-star hotel in Camigliatello has a stark and anonymous exterior but it’s in a good location and the rooms are cosy and comfortable.

Valli Cupe B&B €

( 333 698 88 35; www.vallicupe.it; Sersale; per person €20) Valli Cupe can arrange a stay in a charming rustic cottage in Sersale, complete with an open fireplace (good for roasting chestnuts) and kitchen. All bookings via its website.

Park Hotel 108 HOTEL €€

( 0521 64 81 08; www.hotelpark108.it; Via Nazionale 86, Lorica; r €90-130; ) Situated on the hilly banks of Lago Arvo, surrounded by dark-green pines, the rooms here are decorated in classic bland-hotel style – but who cares about decor with views like this!

Camping del Lago Arvo CAMPGROUND €

( 0984 53 70 60; camping 2 people, tent & car €10-14, bungalow €40-60) Lorica’s lakeside is a particularly great place to camp. Try this large comfortable spot, near the Calabrian National Park office.

Shopping

La Sila’s forests yield wondrous wild mushrooms, both edible and poisonous. Sniff around the Antica Salumeria Campanaro (Piazza Misasi 5) in Camigliatello Silano; it’s a temple to all things fungoid, as well as an emporium of fine meats, cheeses, pickles and wines.

Getting There & Away

You can reach Camigliatello Silano and San Giovanni in Fiore via regular Ferrovie della Calabria buses along the SS107, which links Cosenza and Crotone.

Ionian Coast

With its flat coastline and wide sandy beaches, the Ionian coast has some fascinating stops from Sibari to Santa Severina, with some of the best beaches on the coast around Soverato. However, the coast has borne the brunt of some ugly development and is mainly a long, uninterrupted string of resorts, thronged in the summer months and shut down from October to May.

It’s worth taking a trip inland to visit Santa Severina , a spectacular mountaintop town, 26km northwest of Crotone. The town is dominated by a Norman castle and is home to a beautiful Byzantine church.

LE CASTELLA

The town is named for its impressive 16th-century Aragonese castle (admission €3; 9am-1pm & 3-6pm winter, 9am-midnight summer) , a vast edifice linked to the mainland by a short causeway. The philosopher Pliny said that Hannibal constructed the first tower. Evidence shows it was begun in the 4th century BC, designed to protect Crotone in the wars against Pyrrhus.

Le Castella is south of a rare protected area (Capo Rizzuto) along this coast, rich not only in nature but also in Greek history. For further information on the park try www.riservamarinacaporizzuto.it.

With around 15 camp sites near Isola di Capo Rizzuto to the north, this is the Ionian coast’s prime camping area. Try La Fattoria ( 0962 79 11 65; Via del Faro; camping 2 people, car & tent €23, bungalow €60; Jun-Sep) , 1.5km from the sea, with bungalows also available. Otherwise, Da Annibale ( 0962 79 50 04; Via Duomo 35; s/d €50/70; ) is a pleasant hotel in town with a splendid fish restaurant (meals €30; lunch & dinner) .

For expansive sea views dine at bright and airy Ristorante Micomare ( 0962 79 50 82; Via Vittoria 7; meals €20-25; lunch & dinner) .

GERACE

POP 2830

A spectacular medieval hill town, Gerace is worth a detour for the views alone – on one side the Ionian Sea, on the other dark, interior mountains. About 10km inland from Locri on the SS111, it has Calabria’s largest Romanesque cathedral . Dating from 1045, later alterations have robbed it of none of its majesty.

For a taste of traditional Calabrian cooking, the modest and welcoming Ristorante a Squella ( 0964 35 60 86; Viale della Resistenza 8; meals €20) makes for a great lunchtime stop serving reliably good dishes, specialising in seafood and pizzas. Afterwards you can wander down the road and admire the views.

Further inland is Canolo , a small village seemingly untouched by the 20th century. Buses connect Gerace with Locri and also Canolo with Siderno, both of which link to the main coastal railway line.

Parco Nazionale dell’Aspromonte

Most Italians think of the Parco Nazionale dell’Aspromonte (www.parcoaspromonte.it, in Italian) as a hiding place used by Calabrian kidnappers in the 1970s and ’80s. It’s still rumoured to contain ’ndrangheta strongholds, but as a tourist you’re unlikely to encounter any murky business. The national park, Calabria’s second-largest, is startlingly dramatic, rising sharply inland from Reggio. Its highest peak, Montalto (1955m), is dominated by a huge bronze statue of Christ and offers sweeping views across to Sicily.

Subject to frequent mudslides and carved up by torrential rivers, the mountains are nonetheless awesomely beautiful. Underwater rivers keep the peaks covered in coniferous forests and ablaze with flowers in spring. It’s wonderful walking country and the park has several colour-coded trails.

Extremes of weather and geography have resulted in some extraordinary villages, such as Pentidàttilo and Roghudi , clinging limpet-like to the craggy, rearing rocks and now all but deserted. It’s worth the drive to explore these eagle-nest villages. Another mountain eyrie with a photogenic ruined castle is Bova , perched at 900m above sea level. The drive up the steep, dizzying road to Bova is not for the faint hearted, but the views are stupendous.

Maps are scarce. Try the national park office ( 0965 74 30 60; www.parcoaspromonte.it; Via Aurora; 9am-1pm Mon-Fri, 3-5pm Tue & Thu) in Gambarie , the Aspromonte’s main town and the easiest approach to the park. The roads are good and many activities are organised from here – you can ski and it’s also the place to hire a 4WD; ask around in the town.

It’s also possible to approach from the south, but the roads aren’t as good. The co-operative Naturaliter ( 347 3046799; www.naturaliterweb.it) , based in Condofuri , is an excellent source of information, and can help arrange walking and donkey treks and place you in B&Bs throughout the region. Co-operativa San Leo ( 347 3046799), based in Bova, also provides guided tours and accommodation. In Reggio di Calabria, you can book treks and tours with Misafumera ( 0965 67 70 21; www.misafumera.it; Via Nazionale 306d) .

Stay on a bergamot farm at Azienda Agrituristica II Bergamotto ( 347 601 23 38; Via Amendolea, Condofuri; per person €25) where Ugo Sergi can also arrange excursions. Hiking trails pass nearby so it’s a good hiking base. The rooms are simple but it’s in a lovely rural location and the food is delicious.

To reach Gambarie, take ATAM city bus 127 from Reggio di Calabria (€1, 1½ hours, up to six daily). Most of the roads inland from Reggio eventually hit the SS183 road that runs north to the town.

Reggio di Calabria

POP 185,900

Reggio is the main launching point for ferries to Sicily, which sparkles temptingly across the Strait of Messina. It is also home to the spectacular Bronzi di Riace and has a long, impressive seafront promenade – packed during the evening passeggiata . Otherwise, the city’s grid system of dusty streets has the slightly dissolute feel shared by most ports.

Beyond the seafront, the centre gives way to urban sprawl. Ravaged by earthquakes, the most recent in 1908, this once-proud ancient Greek city has plenty of other woes. As a port and the largest town close to the ‘ndrangheta strongholds of Aspromonte, organised crime is a major problem, with the associated corrosive social effect.

On a lighter note, there are plenty of festivals in Reggio – early August sees the Festival dello Stretto (www.festivaldellostretto.it) , featuring the traditional music of the south.

Sights

Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia MUSEUM

Offline map Google map

( 0965 81 22 55; www.museonazionalerc.it; Piazza de Nava 26; adult/child €7/3; 9am-7.30pm Tue-Sun) The museum’s prides are the world’s finest examples of ancient Greek sculpture: the Bronzi di Riace , two exquisite bronze statues discovered on the seabed near Riace in 1972. Larger than life, they depict the Greek obsession with the body: inscrutable, determined and fierce, their perfect form more godlike than human. No one knows who they are – whether man or god – and even their provenance is a mystery. They date from around 450 BC; it’s believed they’re the work of two artists.

Aside from the bronzes, there are other magnificent ancient exhibits. Look for the 5th-century-BC bronze Philosopher’s Head, the oldest-known Greek portrait in existence.

Reggio di Calabria

Sights

1 Museo Nazionale della Magna GreciaC2

Sleeping

2  B&B Casa Blanca B4

3  Hotel Lungomare C2

Eating

4  Cèsare C2

5  La Cantina del Macellaio B4

6  Le Rose al Bicchiere B3

Drinking

7 Caffe MatteotiC2

Sleeping

Finding a room should be easy, even in summer, since most visitors pass straight through en route to Sicily.

B&B Casa Blanca B&B €

Offline map

( 347 9459210; www.bbcasablanca.it; Via Arcovito 24; s €40-50, d €65-80; ) A little gem in Reggio’s heart, this 19th-century palazzo has spacious rooms gracefully furnished with romantic white-on-white decor. There’s a self-serve breakfast nook, a small breakfast table in each room and two apartments available. Great choice.

Hotel Lungomare HOTEL €€

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( 0965 2 04 86; www.hotellungomare.rc.it; Viale Genoese Zerbi 13; s/d €85/130; ) The ornate wedding-cake exterior is a welcome reprise from Reggio’s faceless modern blocks. Rooms are plain and nothing special, but the staff are friendly and courteous. Ask for a room with a sea view.

Eating & Drinking

Le Rose al Bicchiere TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

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( 0965 2 29 56; Via Demetrio Tripepi 118; meals €30; lunch Mon-Fri, dinner Mon-Sat Oct-Jun) A wine bar with some delicious fresh local and organic produce on offer to accompany wines so inviting you’ll have to pour yourself onto the ferry. The local cheeses and desserts are particularly good.

La Cantina del Macellaio TRATTORIA €€

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( 0965 2 39 32; www.lacantinadelmacellaio.it; Via Arcovito 26; meals €25; dinner nightly, lunch Sun) This popular trattoria, recommended by locals, dishes up typical Calabrese cuisine with an emphasis on meat dishes. The wine cellar is extensive and impressive.

Caffe Matteotti CAFE €

Offline map

(www.caffematteotti.it; Corso Vittorio Emanuele 39; 7am-2am Tue-Sun) The tables along the corso offer sea views with your aperitivi and it’s a prime spot for people watching.

Cèsare GELATERIA €

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(Piazza Indipendenza; 6am-1am) The most popular gelateria in town is in a green kiosk at the end of the lungomare (seafront).

Information

Stazione Centrale, the main train station, is at the town’s southern edge. Walk northeast along Corso Garibaldi for the tourist office, shopping and other services. The corso has long been a de facto pedestrian zone during the ritual passeggiata .

Hospital ( 0965 39 71 11; Via Melacrino)

Police station ( 0965 41 11 11; Corso Garibaldi 442)

Post office (Via Miraglia 14)

Tourist information kiosk (Viale Genovese Zerbi; 9am-noon & 4-7pm); airport ( 0965 64 32 91); Stazione Centrale ( 0965 2 71 20)

Getting There & Away

Air

Reggio’s airport (REG; 0965 64 05 17; www.aeroportodellostretto.it) is at Ravagnese, about 5km south.

Boat

Boats for Messina (Sicily) leave from the port (just north of Stazione Lido), where there are three adjacent ferry terminals. In high season there are up to 20 hydrofoils daily; in low season there are as few as two. Some boats continue to the Aeolian Islands.

Services are run by various companies, including Meridiano ( 0965 81 04 14; www.meridianolines.it) . Prices for cars are €12 one way and for foot passengers €1.50 to €2.80. The crossing takes 20 minutes.

Bus

Most buses terminate at Piazza Garibaldi, in front of the Stazione Centrale. Several different companies operate to towns in Calabria and beyond. ATAM ( 800 43 33 10; www.atam-rc.it) serves the Aspromonte Massif, with bus 127 to Gambarie (€1, 1½ hours, six daily). Lirosi ( 0966 5 79 01) serves Rome (€46, eight hours, two daily). Regional trains are more convenient than bus services to Scilla and Tropea.

Car & Motorcycle

The A3 ends at Reggio. If you are continuing south, the SS106 hugs the coast round the ‘toe’, then heads north along the Ionian Sea. Reggio has a weirdly complex parking system – buy a parking permit (€0.50 per hour) from newspaper kiosks or from a parking representative, if you can find one.

Train

Trains stop at Stazione Centrale ( 0965 89 20 21) and less frequently at Stazione Lido, near the museum. There are frequent trains to Milan (from €140, 9½ to 11½ hours), Rome (from €69, 7½ hours) and Naples (from €56, 4½ to 5½ hours). Regional services run along the coast to Scilla and Tropea, and also to Catanzaro and less frequently to Cosenza and Bari.

Getting Around

Orange local buses run by ATAM ( 800 433310 ; www.atam-rc.it) cover most of the city. For the port, take bus 13 or 125 from Piazza Garibaldi outside Stazione Centrale. The Porto-Aeroporto bus (125) runs from the port via Piazza Garibaldi to the airport and vice versa (25 minutes, hourly). Buy your ticket at ATAM offices, tobacconists or news stands.

Southern Tyrrhenian Coast

North of Reggio, along the coast-hugging Autostrada del Sole (A3), the scenery rocks and rolls to become increasingly beautiful and dramatic, if you ignore the shoddy holiday camps and unattractive developments that sometimes scar the land. Like the northern part of the coast, it’s mostly closed in winter and packed in summer.

SCILLA

POP 5160

In Scilla, cream-, ochre- and earth-coloured houses cling on for dear life to the jagged promontory, ascending in jumbled ranks to the hill’s summit, which is crowned by a castle and, just below, the dazzling white confection of the Chiesa Arcipretale Maria Immacolata. Lively in summer and serene in low season, the town is split in two by the tiny port. The fishing district of Scilla Chianalea, to the north, harbours small hotels and restaurants off narrow lanes, lapped by the sea. It can only be visited on foot.

Scilla’s highpoint is a rock at the northern end, said to be the lair of Scylla, the mythical six-headed sea monster who drowned sailors as they tried to navigate the Strait of Messina. Swimming and fishing off the town’s glorious white sandy beach is somewhat safer today. Head for Lido Paradiso from where you can squint up at the castle while sunbathing on the sand.

Sights

Castello Ruffo CASTLE

( 0956 70 42 07; admission €1.50; 8.30am-7.30pm) An imposing hilltop fortress, the castle has at times been a lighthouse and a monastery. It houses a luntre, the original black boat used for swordfishing, and on which the modern-day passarelle is based.

Sleeping

Le Piccole Grotte B&B €

( 338 2096727; www.lepiccolegrotte.it; Via Grotte 10; d €90-120; ) In the picturesque Chianalea district, this B&B is housed in a 19th- century fishermen’s house beside steps leading to the crystal-clear sea. Rooms have small balconies facing the cobbled alleyway or the sea.

La Locandiera B&B €

( 0965 75 48 81; www.lalocandiera.org; Via Zagari 27; d €60-100; ) Run by the same people who own Le Piccole Grotte, this B&B is just as picturesque with large, comfortable rooms and views over the sea.

Eating & Drinking

Bleu de Toi SEAFOOD €€

( 0965 79 05 85; www.bleudetoi.it; Via Grotte 40; meals €30-35; Wed-Mon) Soak up the Chianalea atmosphere at this little restaurant. It has a terrace over the water and excellent seafood dishes, including Scilla’s renowned swordfish.

Dali City Pub BAR

(Via Porto) On the beach in Scilla town, this popular bar has a Beatles tribute corner (appropriately named The Cavern) and has been going since 1972.

CAPO VATICANO

There are spectacular views from this rocky cape, with its beaches, ravines and limestone sea cliffs. Birdwatchers’ spirits should soar. Around 7km south of Tropea, Capo Vaticano has a lighthouse, built in 1885, which is close to a short footpath from where you can see as far as the Aeolian Islands. Capo Vaticano beach is one of the balmiest along this coast.

TROPEA

POP 6780

Tropea, a puzzle of lanes and piazzas, is famed for its captivating prettiness, dramatic position and sunsets the colour of amethyst. It sits on the Promontorio di Tropea, which stretches from Nicotera in the south to Pizzo in the north. The coast alternates between dramatic cliffs and icing-sugar-soft sandy beaches, all edged by translucent sea. Unsurprisingly, hundreds of Italian holidaymakers descend here in summer. If you hear English being spoken it is probably from Americans visiting relatives: enormous numbers left the region for America in the early 20th century.

Despite the mooted theory that Hercules founded the town, it seems this area has been settled as far back as Neolithic times. Tropea has been occupied by the Arabs, Normans, Swabians, Anjous and Aragonese, as well as attacked by Turkish pirates. Perhaps they were after the town’s famous sweet red onions.

Sights

The town overlooks Santa Maria dell’Isola , a medieval church with a Renaissance makeover, which sits on its own island, although centuries of silt have joined it to the mainland.

The beautiful Norman cathedral ( 6.30-11.30am & 4-7pm) has two undetonated WWII bombs near the door: it’s believed they didn’t explode due to the protection of the town’s patron saint, Our Lady of Romania.

Sleeping

Donnaciccina B&B €€

( 0963 6 21 80; www.donnaciccina.com; Via Pelliccia 9; s €40-75, d €80-150; ) Overlooking the main corso, this delightful B&B has retained a tangible sense of history with its carefully selected antiques, canopy beds and exposed stone walls. There’s also a self-catering apartment perfectly positioned on the cliff overlooking the sea.

Residence il Barone B&B €€

( 0963 60 71 81; Largo Barone; www.residenceilbarone.com; r €70-180; ) This graceful palazzo has six suites decorated in masculine neutrals and tobacco-browns, with dramatic modern paintings by the owner’s brother adding pizazz to the walls. There’s a computer in each suite and you can breakfast on the small roof terrace with views over the old city and out to sea.

Eating

Al Pinturicchio TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €

( 0963 60 34 52; www.ristorantiitaliani.it/pinturicchio; Via Dardona, cnr Largo Duomo; meals €16-22) Recommended by the locals, this restaurant in the old town has a romantic ambience, candlelit tables and a menu of imaginative dishes.

Osteria del Pescatore SEAFOOD €

( 0963 60 30 18; Via del Monte 7; meals €20-25; dinner Thu-Tue) Swordfish rates highly on the menu at this simple seafood place tucked away in the backstreets.

Information

CST Tropea ( 0963 6 11 78; www.csttropea.it; Largo San Michele 7; 9am-1pm & 4-7.30pm, to 10pm Jul & Aug) Helpful tourist office at the entrance to the old town. Can organize trekking, mountain biking, diving and cultural tours.

Tourist office ( 0963 6 14 75; Piazza Ercole; 9am-1pm & 4-8pm) In the old town centre.

Getting There & Away

Trains run to Pizzo (30 minutes), Scilla (one hour 20 minutes) and Reggio (two hours). SAV ( 0963 611 29) buses connect with other towns on the coast.

PIZZO

POP 9240

Stacked high up on a sea cliff, pretty little Pizzo is the place to go for tartufo, a death-by-chocolate ice-cream ball, and to see an extraordinary rock-carved grotto church. It’s a popular tourist stop. Piazza della Repubblica is the epicentre, set high above the sea with great views. Settle here at one of the many gelateria terraces for an ice-cream fix.

A kilometre north, the Chiesa di Piedigrotta (admission €2.50; 9am-1pm & 3-7.30pm) is an underground cave full of carved stone statues. It was carved into the tufa rock by Neapolitan shipwreck survivors in the 17th century. Other sculptors added to it and it was eventually turned into a church. Later statues include the less-godly figures of Fidel Castro and JFK. It’s a bizarre, one-of-a-kind mixture of mysticism, mystery and kitsch.

In town, the 16th-century Chiesa Matrice di San Giorgio (Via Marconi) , with its dressed-up Madonnas, houses the tomb of Joachim Murat, brother-in-law of Napoleon and one-time king of Naples. Although he was the architect of enlightened reforms, the locals showed no great concern when Murat was imprisoned and executed here. At the neat little 15th-century Castello Murat ( 0963 53 25 23; adult/reduced admission €2.50/1.50; 9am-1pm & 3pm-midnight Jun-Sep, 9am-1pm & 3-7pm Oct-May) , south of Piazza della Repubblica, you can see Murat’s cell. His last days and death by firing squad are graphically illustrated by waxworks.

Good accommodation is hard to find. Armonia B&B ( 0963 53 33 37; www.casaarmonia.com; Via Armonia 9; d without bathroom €50-75; ), run by the charismatic Franco, has a number of rooms (with shared bathroom). Eat at Pizzeria Ruota ( 0963 53 24 27; Piazza della Republica 36; pizzas from €4-6; 11am-3.30pm & 7.30pm-midnight Thu-Tue) , which has splendid, big pizzas.

Top of section

Sicily

POPULATION: 5 MILLION

Includes »

Palermo

Around Palermo

Cefalù

Lipari

Salina

Stromboli

Taormina

Catania

Syracuse

Noto

Ragusa

Agrigento

Marsala

Trapani

Erice

Segesta

Why Go?

More of a sugar-spiked espresso than a milky cappuccino, Sicily rewards visitors with an intense bittersweet experience. Here it seems the sun shines brighter, the shadows are darker, and life is lived full-on and for the moment. Overloaded with art treasures and natural beauty, undersupplied with infrastructure and continuously struggling against Mafia-driven corruption, Sicily’s complexities sometimes seem unfathomable. To really appreciate this place, come with an open mind – and a healthy appetite. Despite the island’s perplexing contradictions one factor remains constant: the uncompromisingly high quality of the cuisine.

After 25 centuries of foreign domination, Sicilians are heirs to an impressive cultural legacy, from the refined architecture of Magna Graecia to the Byzantine splendour and Arab craftsmanship of the island’s Norman cathedrals and palaces. This cultural richness is matched by a startlingly diverse landscape that includes bucolic farmland, smouldering volcanoes and kilometres of island-studded aquamarine coastline.

When to Go

February Almond blossoms float over temples and orchard-covered hills during Sagra del Mandorlo.

Easter Impassioned religious processions and marzipan lambs in every bakery window.

May Spring weather, wildflowers and fewer crowds; a dreamy time for coastal walking.

Best Places to Eat

» Trattoria Ai Cascinari ( Click here )

» Quattro Gatti ( Click here )

» Il Liberty ( Click here )

» Il Gallo e l’Innamorata ( Click here )

Best Places to Stay

» Isoco Guest House ( Click here )

» Pensione Tranchina ( Click here )

» Villa Athena ( Click here )

Sicily Highlights

Join the ranks of impeccably dressed opera-goers at elegant Teatro Massimo in Palermo ( Click here )

Bargain with the fish vendors at dawn, climb Europe’s most active volcano in the afternoon and enjoy Sicily’s best nightlife in constantly buzzing Catania ( Click here )

Marvel at the majesty of Segesta ( Click here ), whose Greek temple and amphitheatre sit in splendid isolation on a windswept hillside

Shop till you drop in Taormina ( Click here ), or ply the turquoise waters in the sparkling coves below

Soak up the sun, watch Stromboli’s volcanic fireworks and hike to your heart’s content on the stunningly scenic Aeolian Islands ( Click here )

Wander aimlessly in Ortygia’s atmospheric alleys before settling in for an evening of classical drama at the fabled Greek theatre in Syracuse ( Click here )

Hike the rugged, undeveloped coastline and scan the sky for eagles at Riserva Naturale dello Zingaro (Click here )

History

Sicily’s most deeply ingrained cultural influences originate from its first inhabitants – the Sicani from North Africa, the Siculi from Latium (Italy) and the Elymni from Greece. The subsequent colonisation of the island by the Carthaginians (also from North Africa) and the Greeks, in the 8th and 6th centuries BC respectively, compounded this cultural divide through decades of war when powerful opposing cities, such as Palermo and Catania, struggled to dominate the island.

Although inevitably part of the Roman Empire, it was not until the Arab invasions of AD 831 that Sicily truly came into its own. Trade, farming and mining were all fostered under Arab influence and Sicily soon became an enviable prize for European opportunists. The Normans, desperate for a piece of the pie, invaded in 1061 and made Palermo the centre of their expanding empire and the finest city in the Mediterranean.

Impressed by the cultured Arab lifestyle, King Roger squandered vast sums on ostentatious palaces and churches and encouraged a hedonistic atmosphere in his court. But such prosperity – and decadence (Roger’s grandson, William II, even had a harem) – inevitably gave rise to envy and resentment and, after 400 years of pleasure and profit, the Norman line was extinguished and the kingdom passed to the austere German House of Hohenstaufen with little opposition from the seriously eroded and weakened Norman occupation. In the centuries that followed, Sicily passed to the Holy Roman Emperors, Angevins (French), Aragonese (Spanish) and Austrians in a turmoil of rebellion and revolution that continued until the Spanish Bourbons united Sicily with Naples in 1734 as the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Little more than a century later, on 11 May 1860, Giuseppe Garibaldi planned his daring and dramatic unification of Italy from Marsala.

Reeling from this catalogue of colonisers, Sicilians struggled in poverty-stricken conditions. Unified with Italy, but no better off, nearly one million men and women emigrated to the USA between 1871 and 1914 before the outbreak of WWI.

Ironically, the Allies (seeking Mafia help in America for the reinvasion of Italy) helped in establishing the Mafia’s stranglehold on Sicily. In the absence of suitable administrators, they invited the undesirable mafioso (Mafia boss) Don Calógero Vizzini to do the job. When Sicily became a semi-autonomous region in 1948, Mafia control extended right to the heart of politics and the region plunged into a 50-year silent civil war. It only started to emerge from this after the anti-Mafia maxi-trials of the 1980s, in which Sicily’s revered magistrates Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino hauled hundreds of Mafia members into court, leading to important prosecutions against members of the massive heroin and cocaine network between Palermo and New York, known as the ‘pizza connection’.

Today most Sicilians remain less than enthralled by an organisation that continues to grow rich on money from the illegal drugs trade, human trafficking and – that old, ubiquitous cash-flow booster – extortion and protection which, experts say, many businesses in Sicily still pay. At least the thuggery and violence of the 1980s has diminished and there have been some important arrests, serving as encouragement for those who would speak out against Mafia influence.

Getting There & Away

For additional transport details and local telephone contacts, see the Getting There & Away sections under individual cities.

AIR

An increasing number of airlines fly direct to Sicily’s three international airports – Palermo (PMO), Catania (CTA) and Trapani (TPS) – although many still require a transfer in Rome or Milan. Alitalia (www.alitalia.com) is the main Italian carrier, while Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) is the leading low-cost airline carrier serving Sicily.

BOAT

Regular car and passenger ferries cross the strait between Villa San Giovanni (Calabria) and Messina, while hydrofoils connect Messina with Reggio di Calabria.

Sicily is also accessible by ferry from Naples, Civitavecchia, Livorno, Genoa, Cagliari, Malta and Tunisia. Prices rise between June and September, when advanced bookings may also be required.

BUS

SAIS ( 091 617 11 41; www.saistrasporti.it) runs long-haul services to Sicily from Rome and Naples.

TRAIN

Direct trains run from Milan, Florence, Rome, Naples and Reggio di Calabria to Messina and on to Palermo, Catania and other provincial capitals – the trains are transported from the mainland by ferry from Villa San Giovanni.

For travellers originating in Rome and points south, InterCity trains cover the distance from mainland Italy to Sicily in the least possible time, without a change of train. If coming from Milan, Bologna or Florence, your fastest option is to take the ultra-high-speed Frecciarossa as far as Naples, then change to an InterCity train for the rest of the journey.

SICILY FERRY CROSSINGS

ROUTE

COST € (HIGH SEASON ADULT FARE)

DURATION (HOURS)

Genoa-Palermo

117

20

Malta-Catania

108

3

Naples-Catania

60

11

Naples-Palermo

55

11

Naples-Trapani

90

7

Reggio di Calabria-Messina

2

35min

Tunis-Palermo

69

10

If saving money is your top priority, Espresso or InterCity night trains will still get you to Sicily relatively fast, and won’t take such a big bite out of your budget.

Getting Around

AIR

Regular domestic flights serve the offshore islands of Pantelleria and Lampedusa. Local carriers include Alitalia, Meridiana and Air One.

BUS

Bus services within Sicily are provided by a variety of companies. Buses are usually faster if your destination involves travel through the island’s interior; trains tend to be cheaper (and sometimes faster) on the major coastal routes. In small towns and villages tickets are often sold in bars or on the bus.

CAR & MOTORCYCLE

Having your own vehicle is advantageous in the interior, where public transit is often slow and limited. Roads are generally good and autostradas connect most major cities. There’s a cheap and worthwhile toll road running along the Ionian coast. Drive defensively; the Sicilians are some of Italy’s most aggressive drivers, with a penchant for overtaking on blind corners, holding a mobile phone in one hand while gesticulating wildly with the other!

TRAIN

The coastal train service is very efficient. Services to towns in the interior tend be infrequent and slow, although if you have the time the routes can be very picturesque. IC trains are the fastest and most expensive, while the regionale is the slowest.

PALERMO

POP 656,000

Palermo is a city of decay and of splendour and – provided you can handle its raw energy, deranged driving and chaos – has plenty of appeal. Unlike Florence or Rome, many of the city’s treasures are hidden, rather than scrubbed up for endless streams of tourists. This giant treasure trove of palaces, castles and churches has a unique architectural fusion of Byzantine, Arab, Norman, Renaissance and baroque gems.

While some of the crumbling palazzi (mansions) bombed in WWII are being restored, others remain dilapidated; turned into shabby apartments, the faded glory of their ornate facades is just visible behind strings of brightly coloured washing. The evocative history of the city remains very much part of the daily life of its inhabitants, and the dusty web of backstreet markets in the old quarter has a Middle Eastern feel.

The flip side is the modern city, a mere 15-minute stroll away, parts of which could be neatly jigsawed and slotted into Paris with its grid system of wide avenues lined by seductive shops and handsome 19th-century apartments.

At one time an Arab emirate and seat of a Norman kingdom, Palermo became Europe’s grandest city in the 12th century, but in recent years its fame (or notoriety) has originated from the Mafia’s pervasive influence. Many judges require 24-hour police surveillance and, despite a growing campaign of public resistance, protection pay-offs remain commonplace.

Sights

Via Maqueda is the main street, running north from the train station, changing names to Via Ruggero Settimo as it passes the landmark Teatro Massimo, then finally widening into leafy Viale della Libertà north of Piazza Castelnuovo, the beginning of the city’s modern district.

AROUND THE QUATTRO CANTI

The busy intersection of Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Via Maqueda is known as the Quattro Canti . Forming the civic heart of Palermo, this crossroads neatly divides the historic nucleus into four traditional quarters – Albergheria, Capo, Vucciria and La Kalsa.

Palermo

Top Sights

Cappella PalatinaA7

Fontana Pretoria D5

Mercato di Ballarò C7

Palazzo dei Normanni A7

Teatro Massimo B4

Sights

1  Cattedrale B6

2  Chiesa Capitolare di San CataldoD6

3  Galleria d'Arte Moderna E6

4  Galleria Regionale della SiciliaF5

5  Hammam B2

6  La Martorana D6

7  Mercato del Capo B5

8  Mercato della Vucciria D5

9  Museo Archeologico Regionale C4

10  Museo Internazionale delle MarionetteF4

11  Oratorio del Rosario di San Domenico D4

12  Oratorio del Rosario di Santa Zita D4

13  Oratorio di San Lorenzo E5

Teatro Politeama Garibaldi (see 37)

Sleeping

14  A Casa di Amici B4

15  B&B 900 D6

16  B&B Amelie C2

17  B&B Maxim C3

18  Butera 28 F5

19  Grand Hotel et des Palmes C2

20  Grand Hotel Piazza Borsa D5

21  Hotel Orientale D7

22  San Francesco E5

Eating

23  Acanto B2

24  Antico Caffè Spinnato B2

25  Cappello A2

26  Ferro di Cavallo D5

27  Friggitoria Chiluzzo G5

28  Osteria dei Vespri E6

29  Piccolo Napoli C1

30  Pizzeria Biondo A2

31  Sant'Andrea D4

32  Trattoria Basile C4

Drinking

33  Kursaal KalhesaG5

34  Pizzo & Pizzo B2

Entertainment

35  Cuticchio Mimmo C4

36  Teatro Massimo B4

37  Teatro Politeama Garibaldi B2

Shopping

38  Antiques Market F5

39  Il Laboratorio Teatrale C4

40  Le Ceramiche di Caltagirone C3

41  Libera Terra B2

42  Mercurio D5

Fontana Pretoria FOUNTAIN

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This huge and ornate fountain, with tiered basins and sculptures rippling in concentric circles, forms the centrepiece of Piazza Pretoria , a spacious square just south of the Quattro Canti. The city bought the fountain in 1573; however, the flagrant nudity of the provocative nymphs proved too much for Sicilian church-goers attending Mass next door, and they prudishly dubbed it the Fountain of Shame.

La Martorana CHURCH

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(Chiesa di Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio; Piazza Bellini 3; 8.30am-1pm & 3.30-5.30pm Mon-Sat, 8.30am-1pm Sun) This lovely 12th-century church was originally planned as a mosque by King Roger’s Syrian Emir, George of Antioch. In 1433 the church was donated to an aesthetically challenged order of Benedictine nuns who demolished most of the stunning mosaics executed by Greek craftsmen and replaced them with gaudy baroque ornamentation. The few remaining original mosaics include two magnificent portraits of George of Antioch and Roger II that are well worth seeking out; unfortunately both were indefinitely off limits due to restoration at the time of research.

Chiesa Capitolare di San Cataldo CHURCH

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(Piazza Bellini 3; admission €2; 9.30am-1.30pm & 3.30-5.30pm Mon-Sat, 9.30am-1.30pm Sun) This 12th-century church in Arab-Norman style is one of Palermo’s most striking buildings, with its dusky-pink bijoux domes, solid square shape, blind arcading and delicate tracery. Disappointingly, it’s almost bare inside.

ALBERGHERIA

Southwest of the Quattro Canti is Albergheria, a rather shabby, run-down district once inhabited by Norman court officials, now home to a growing number of immigrants who are attempting to revitalise its dusty backstreets.

Palazzo dei Normanni PALAZZO, CHAPEL

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(Palazzo Reale; 091 626 28 33; www.federicosecondo.org; Piazza Indipendenza 1; Cappella Palatina only adult/reduced €7/5, combined ticket incl palace rooms & Cappella Palatina adult/reduced €8.50/6.50) This austere fortified palace was once the centre of a magnificent medieval court. Today it remains in regular use as the seat of the Sicilian parliament. Four days a week government officials vacate the building, allowing visitors access to the parliamentary chambers and royal apartments ( 8.15am-5pm Fri, Sat & Mon, 8.15am-12.15pm Sun) , including the sumptuous Sala di Ruggero II , the king’s former bedroom, which is decorated with stunning mosaics of Persian peacocks, palm trees and leopards.

Cappella Palatina

(Palatine Chapel; 8.15am-5pm Mon-Sat, 8.15-9.45am & 11.15am-12.15pm Sun) On the middle level of the palace’s three-tiered loggia is Palermo’s premier tourist attraction. This mosaic-clad jewel of a chapel, designed by Roger II in 1130, has been returned to its original splendour thanks to restoration work completed in 2008. Swarming with figures in glittering, dreamy gold, these exquisite mosaics recount tales of the Old and New Testaments, capturing expression, detail and movement with extraordinary grace. The harmony of the chapel’s decoration is further enhanced by the inlaid marble floors and the wooden muqarnas ceiling, a masterpiece of honeycomb carving in Arabic style that reflects the cultural complexity of Norman Sicily.

Mercato di Ballarò MARKET

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Snaking for several city blocks southeast of Palazzo dei Normanni is Palermo’s busiest street market, which throbs with activity well into the early evening. It’s a fascinating mix of noises, smells and street life, and the cheapest place for everything from Chinese padded bras to fresh produce, fish, meat, olives and cheese – smile nicely for a taste.

CAPO

Northwest of Quattro Canti is the Capo neighbourhood, another densely packed web of interconnected streets and blind alleys.

Cattedrale CATHEDRAL

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(www.cattedrale.palermo.it; Corso Vittorio Emanuele; 8am-5.30pm Mon-Sat, 7am-1pm & 4-7pm Sun) A feast of geometric patterns, ziggurat crenulations, majolica cupolas and blind arches, Palermo’s cathedral is a prime example of the extraordinary Arab-Norman style unique to Sicily. The interior, although impressive in scale, is a marble shell, a sadly un-exotic resting place for the royal Norman tombs. The crypt and treasury (adult/reduced €3/1.50; 9.30am-5.30pm Mon-Sat) contain various jewels belonging to Queen Costanza of Aragón, a bejewelled Norman crown and a tooth extracted from Santa Rosalia, Palermo’s patron saint.

Mercato del Capo MARKET

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Capo’s street market, running the length of Via Sant’Agostino, is a seething mass of colourful activity during the day, with vendors selling fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, cheese and household goods of every description.

VUCCIRIA

Museo Archeologico Regionale MUSEUM

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( 091 611 68 05; www.regione.sicilia.it/beniculturali/salinas; Piazza Olivella 24; adult/reduced €4/2; 8.30am-1.30pm & 3-6.30pm Tue-Fri, 8.30am-1.30pm Sat & Sun) In a Renaissance monastery surrounding a gracious courtyard, this wheelchair-accessible museum displays some of Sicily’s most valuable Greek and Roman artefacts. Chief among its treasures is the series of decorative friezes from the temples at Selinunte. At the time of research, the museum was closing indefinitely for renovations; check the website or Palermo’s tourist office for status updates.

Oratories ORATORIES

Vucciria’s most noteworthy architectural gems are its three baroque oratories: Oratorio di San Lorenzo Offline map Google map (Via dell’Immacolatella 5; adult/reduced €2.50/1.50; 10am-6pm) , Oratorio del Rosario di Santa Zita Offline map Google map (Via Valverde) and Oratorio del Rosario di San Domenico Offline map Google map (Via dei Bambinai 2) . The latter two are known collectively as the Tesori della Loggia (combined ticket €5; 9am-1pm Mon-Sat) and can be visited on a single ticket, together with a cluster of nearby churches: covered in ornate stuccowork, these former social clubs for the celebs of their time are ostentatious displays of 17th-century status and wealth.

Mercato della Vucciria MARKET

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(Piazza Caracciolo) The market here was once a notorious den of Mafia activity but is a muted affair today, compared to the spirited Ballarò and Capo markets.

LA KALSA

Due to its proximity to the port, La Kalsa was subjected to carpet bombing during WWII, leaving it derelict and run down. Mother Teresa considered it akin to the shanty towns of Calcutta and established a mission here. Thankfully, this galvanised embarrassed authorities into action and the quarter is now undergoing extensive restoration.

Galleria d’Arte Moderna ART GALLERY

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( 091 843 16 05; www.galleriadartemodernapalermo.it, in Italian; Via Sant’Anna 21; adult/reduced €7/5; 9.30am-6.30pm Tue-Sun, to 11pm Fri & Sat) This lovely museum is housed in a 15th- century palazzo , which metamorphosed into a convent in the 17th century. The wide-ranging collection of 19th- and 20th-century Sicilian art is beautifully displayed, and there’s a regular program of modern-art exhibitions here, as well as an excellent bookshop and gift shop.

Galleria Regionale della Sicilia ART GALLERY

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( 091 623 00 11; www.regione.sicilia.it/benicul turali/palazzoabatellis; Via Alloro 4; adult/reduced €8/4; 9am-5.30pm Tue-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat & Sun) Tucked down a side street in the stately 15th-century Palazzo Abatellis, this recently reopened museum has a wide-ranging collection featuring works by Sicilian artists from the Middle Ages to the 18th century.

Museo Internazionale delle Marionette MUSEUM

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( 091 32 80 60; www.museomarionettepalermo.it, in Italian; Piazzetta Antonio Pasqualino 5; adult/reduced €5/3; 9am-1pm & 2.30-6.30pm Mon-Sat, 10am-1pm Sun) Housing over 3500 puppets and marionettes from Italy, Japan, southeast Asia, Africa, China and India, this whimsical museum also stages delightful puppet shows most Tuesdays and Fridays at 5.30pm from October through June. For more on Sicily’s famous puppet tradition, see the boxed text, Click here .

19TH-CENTURY PALERMO

North of Piazza Giuseppe Verdi, Palermo elegantly slips into cosmopolitan mode. Here you’ll find fabulous neoclassical and art nouveau buildings hailing from the last golden age of Sicilian architecture, along with late-19th-century mansion blocks lining the broad boulevard of Viale della Libertà.

Teatro Massimo OPERA HOUSE

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( tour reservations 091 605 32 67; www.teatromassimo.it; Piazza Giuseppe Verdi; guided tours adult/reduced €7/5; 10am-2.30pm Tue-Sun) An iconic Palermo landmark, this grand neoclassical opera house took more than 20 years to complete and has become a symbol of the triumph and tragedy of the city. Appropriately, the closing scene of The Godfather: Part III, with its visually stunning juxtaposition of high culture, low crime, drama and death, was filmed here.

Teatro Politeama Garibaldi THEATRE

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(Piazza Ruggero Settimo) Designed by architect Giuseppe Damiani Almeyda between 1867 and 1874, Palermo’s second theatre has the same imposing circular layout as the Teatro Massimo and features a striking facade resembling a triumphal arch topped by a huge bronze chariot.

Hammam BATHHOUSE

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( 091 32 07 83; www.hammam.pa.it; Via Torrearsa 17d; admission €40; women only 2-9pm Mon & Wed, 11am-9pm Fri, men only 2-9pm Tue & Thu, 10am-8pm Sat) For a sybaritic experience, head to this luxurious marble-lined Moorish bathhouse, where you can indulge in a vigorous scrub-down, a steamy sauna and many different types of massages and therapies. There’s a one-off charge (€10) for slippers and a hand glove.

OUTSIDE CITY CENTRE

Catacombe dei Cappuccini CATACOMB

( 091 21 21 17; Piazza Cappuccini; admission €3; 9am-1pm & 3-6pm) These catacombs house the mummified bodies and skeletons of some 8000 Palermitans who died between the 17th and 19th centuries. Earthly power, gender, religion and professional status are still rigidly distinguished, with men and women occupying separate corridors, and a first-class section set aside for virgins. From Piazza Independenza, it’s a 15-minute walk.

Festivals & Events

Settimana Santa RELIGIOUS

Holy Week (the week leading up to Easter) is the year’s major religious festival, celebrated all over the island. In Palermo there are Greek Orthodox celebrations at La Martorana (Click here ).

U Fistinu RELIGIOUS

From 10 to 15 July, Palermo’s biggest annual festival celebrates the patron saint of the city, Santa Rosalia, with fireworks, parades and four days of partying.

Festa di Morgana PUPPET

(www.museomarionettepalermo.it, in Italian) In November, puppeteers from all over the world gather at Museo Internazionale delle Marionette.

Sleeping

Most budget options can be found around Via Maqueda and Via Roma in the vicinity of the train station. Midrange and top-end hotels are concentrated further north. Parking usually costs an extra €10 to €15 per day.

Butera 28 APARTMENT €

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( 333 3165432; www.butera28.it; Via Butera 28; 2-/4-/8-person apt per day from €50/100/150, per week €300/650/950; ) Delightful bilingual owner Nicoletta offers 11 well-equipped and comfortable apartments in her elegant old palazzo near Piazza della Kalsa. Units range in size from 30 to 180 sq metres, most sleeping a family of four or more. Four apartments face the sea (No 9 is especially nice), and all have CD and DVD players, plus kitchens stocked with basic essentials. Nicoletta also offers cooking classes in her gorgeous blue-and-white-tiled kitchen.

A Casa di Amici HOSTEL €

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( 091 58 48 84; www.acasadiamici.com; Via Volturno 6; dm €17-23, s €30-45, d €50-72, tr €60-96; ) In a renovated 19th-century palazzo with high ceilings and decorative tile floors, this artsy, hostel-type place behind Teatro Massimo has four colourful rooms sleeping two to four, with shared bathrooms and a guest kitchen. The annexe across the street, ideal for families or anyone seeking more peace and quiet, has four additional rooms, including one with private bath and terrace. Multilingual owner Claudia and her staff provide helpful maps and information displays, plus friendly advice to help newcomers navigate the city.

San Francesco B&B €

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( 091 888 83 91, 328 5516242; www.sanfrancescopalermo.it; Via Merlo 30; s €50-60, d €80-90; ) On a side street near Piazza Marina is this lovingly restored old house with stone walls, beamed ceilings and only three rooms, run by the friendly young couple Vanessa and Filippo. The quiet, central location and the breakfast win rave reviews from guests.

B&B Amélie B&B €

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( 091 33 59 20; www.bb-amelie.it; Via Prinicipe di Belmonte 94; s €40-60, d €60-80, tr €90-100; ) In an unbeatable new city location on a pedestrianised street a stone’s throw from Teatro Politeama, the affable, multilingual Angela has converted her grandmother’s spacious 6th floor flat into a cheery B&B. Rooms are colourfully decorated, and the corner triple has a sunny terrace. Angela, a native Palermitan, generously shares her wealth of local knowledge. People with allergies needn’t worry about the cat on the logo; the place is spotless, with no pets or fur in sight!

Hotel Orientale HOTEL €

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( 091 616 57 27; www.albergoorientale.191.it; Via Maqueda 26; s €30-50, d €45-70; ) This palazzo ’s grand marble stairway and arcaded courtyard, complete with rusty bicycles, stray cats and strung-up washing, is an evocative introduction to an atmospheric if faded hotel. Rooms have wrought-iron beds, tall windows and heavy wooden furniture; the cheapest come with shared bathrooms. Breakfast is served under the lovely frescoed ceiling in the library. Rooms 8 and 9 overlook the tail end of the Ballaró market, close enough to hear the vendors singing in the morning.

B&B Maxim B&B €€

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( 091 976 54 71; www.bbmaxim.it; Via Mariano Stabile 136a; s €80-90, d €110-130, ste €160-190; ) Owner Massimo has spared no expense in creating this little B&B with restrained tones of cream, beige and brown. Perks include ambient sound, chromotherapy lighting in the showers, and state-of-the-art designer fixtures throughout. It’s on the 6th floor, high above the surrounding urban bustle, yet only a five-minute walk from Teatro Massimo and Teatro Politeama.

Grand Hotel Piazza Borsa HOTEL €€

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( 091 32 00 75; www.piazzaborsa.com; Via dei Cartari 18; s €115-181, d €154-208, ste €340-569; ) This grand new four-star opened in 2010 in Palermo’s former stock exchange. Three separate buildings house the 127 rooms; the nicest ones are the high-ceilinged suites with Jaccuzi tubs and windows facing Piazza San Francesco. Internet access costs €10 extra.

Grand Hotel et des Palmes HOTEL €€€

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( 091 602 81 11; www.hotel-despalmes.it; Via Roma 398; r €230-265; ) Dating from 1874, this is one of Palermo’s most historically fascinating hotels. Like a royal court, it has been the scene of intrigue, liaisons and double- dealings. The grand salons still impress with their chandeliers and gigantic mirrors, while the rooms are regally luxurious. The official rates listed above are often slashed in half during slow periods; look online for special deals.

B&B 900 B&B €

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( 091 976 11 94; www.novecentopalermo.com; Via Roma 62; s €30-60, d €50-100; ) Convenient to the train station, this welcoming B&B on the 5th floor of a Via Roma palazzo wins guests over with owners Elisa and Dario’s warm hospitality and a breakfast emphasizing organic ingredients.

SICILIAN STREET FOOD

If you were taught that it was bad manners to eat in the street, you can break the rule in good company here. The mystery is simply how Palermo is not the obesity capital of Europe given just how much eating goes on! Palermitans are at it all the time: when they’re shopping, commuting, discussing business, romancing…basically at any time of the day. What they’re enjoying is the buffitieri – little hot snacks prepared at stalls and meant to be eaten on the spot, just as they were in the marketplaces of Sicily’s Greek-settled cities.

Kick off the morning with a pane e panelle, Palermo’s famous chickpea fritters – great for vegetarians and a welcome change from a sweet custard-filled croissant. Later in the day, you might want to go for the potato croquettes, the sfincione (a spongy, oily pizza topped with onions and caciocavallo cheese) or scaccie (discs of bread dough spread with a filling and rolled up into a pancake). In summer, locals enjoy a freshly baked brioche filled with a type of ice cream flavoured with fruits, coffee or nougat.

From 4pm onwards the snacks become decidedly more carnivorous and you may just wish you hadn’t read the following translations: how about some barbecued stigghiola (goat intestines filled with onions, cheese and parsley), for example? Or a couple of pani ca meusa (bread roll stuffed with sautéed beef spleen). You’ll be asked if you want it ‘ schietta o maritata’ (‘single or married’). If you choose schietta, the roll will only have ricotta in it before being dipped into boiling lard; choose maritata and you’ll get the beef spleen as well. Somewhat tamer, and a favourite in Catania, are all manner of impanata (bread-dough snacks) stuffed with meat, vegetables or cheese, and the unique arancino (a deep-fried rice ball stuffed with meat, tomato and vegetables).

Eating

Sicily’s ancient cuisine is a mixture of spicy and sweet flavours, epitomised in the ubiquitous eggplant-based caponata and the Palermitan classic bucatini con le sarde (hollow tube-shaped noodles with sardines, wild fennel, raisins, pine nuts and breadcrumbs). Cakes, marzipan confections and pastries are all works of art – try the cannoli (tubes of pastry filled with sweetened ricotta).

Restaurants rarely start to fill up until 9.30pm. For cheap eats, visit Palermo’s markets, wander the tangle of alleys east and south of Teatro Massimo, or spend a Saturday evening snacking with locals on grilled sausages, stigghiola , panelle and crocchè at the outdoor food carts in Piazza Caracciolo in the Vucciria district.

Trattoria Ai Cascinari SICILIAN €

( 091 651 98 04; Via d’Ossuna 43/45; meals €20-23; lunch Tue-Sun, dinner Wed-Sat) Friendly service, simple straw chairs and blue-and-white-checked tablecloths set the relaxed tone at this Slow Food–recommended neighbourhood trattoria, 1km north of the Cappella Palatina. Locals pack the labyrinth of back rooms, while waiters perambulate non-stop with plates of scrumptious seasonal antipasti and divine main dishes. Save room for homemade ice cream and outstanding desserts brought in from Palermo’s beloved Pasticceria Cappello.

Piccolo Napoli SEAFOOD €€

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( 091 32 04 31; Piazzetta Mulino a Vento 4; meals €25-35; lunch Mon-Sat, dinner Thu-Sat) Known throughout Palermo for its fresh seafood, this Slow Food–recommended eatery is another hot spot for serious foodies. Nibble on toothsome sesame bread and plump olives while perusing the menu for a pasta dish that takes your fancy, then head to the seafood display (often still wriggling) to choose a second course. The atmosphere is bustling and the genial owner greets his many regular customers by name.

Trattoria Basile TRATTORIA €

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( 091 33 56 28; Via Bara all’Olivella 76; meals €9-13; noon-3.30pm Mon-Sat) This unpretentious trattoria offers an unforgettable, authentic Palermitan eating experience. Pay first, take a number at the window for your pasta (€2.50 to €4) or main course (€3.50 to €5), then sidle over to the antipasti bar and choose three items for €2 or six items for €4. While enjoying your appetisers, listen for your number – they’ll bellow it out (in Italian) when the rest of your food is ready. Avoid the busy period between 1pm and 2pm when every workman in town is elbowing in for his plate of pasta.

Osteria dei Vespri GASTRONOMIC €€€

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( 091 617 16 31; www.osteriadeivespri.it; Piazza Croce dei Vespri 6; meals €55-70, tasting menu €80; lunch & dinner Mon-Sat) This sophisticated Michelin-star restaurant has a stone-vaulted ceiling and intimate dining space. In the summer, sit out under the shadow of the palazzo and tuck into dishes such as pasta with fennel and red prawns or spicy tuna with nutmeg-potato croquettes and mint-flavoured rice. Top it all off with a hazelnut waffle, lemon-scented ricotta and kiwis in red fruit-and-wine jam.

Ferro di Cavallo TRATTORIA €

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( 091 33 18 35; Via Venezia 20; meals €18-20; lunch Mon-Sat, dinner Thu-Sat) Religious portraits beam down from bright-red walls upon the bustling mixed crowd of tourists and locals at this cheerful little trattoria near the Quattro Canti. Nothing costs more than €8 on the straightforward à la carte menu of Sicilian classics, but hungry diners can still ‘splurge’ on the fixed-price menu for €19, including drinks.

Sant’Andrea MODERN SICILIAN €€

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( 091 33 49 99; www.ristorantesantandrea.eu; Piazza Sant’Andrea 4; meals €30-35; dinner Mon-Sat) Tucked into the corner of a ruined church in a shabby piazza, Sant’Andrea’s location doesn’t inspire much confidence, but its superbly creative Sicilian dishes and congenial high-ceilinged dining room keep well-heeled customers picking their way across the broken flagstones nightly.

Cappello PASTRIES & CAKES €

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(Via Nicolò Garzilli 10; cake slices €2.50) Famous for the setteveli (seven-layer chocolate cake) that was invented here – and has long since been copied all over Palermo – this hole-in-the-wall creates splendid desserts of all kinds. Not to be missed is the dreamy delizia di pistacchio , a granular pistachio cake topped with creamy icing and a chocolate medallion.

Antico Caffè Spinnato CAFE €

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( 091 32 92 20; Via Principe di Belmonte 107-15; snacks €4-8) At this sophisticated cafe dating back to 1860, Palermitans throng the sidewalk tables daily to enjoy afternoon piano music, coffee, cocktails, ice cream, sumptuous cakes and snacks.

Friggitoria Chiluzzo SANDWICH SHOP €

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(Piazza della Kalsa; sandwiches €1.50; lunch Mon-Sat) This beloved street vendor makes some of Palermo’s best pane, panelle e crocchè (sesame bread with chickpea fritters and potato croquettes). Add fried eggplant and a squeeze of lemon and call it lunch!

Pizzeria Biondo PIZZERIA €

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( 091 58 36 62; Via Nicolò Garzilli 27; pizzas €5-14; dinner Thu-Tue) Made with super-fresh mozzarella di bufala (buffalo-milk mozzarella), Biondo’s pizza is often recognised as the best in Palermo. An animated crowd fills the sidewalk tables and inside rooms every night.

Acanto MODERN SICILIAN €€

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( 091 32 04 44; Via Torrearsa 10; meals €30-35; dinner Tue-Sun) New-town elegance together with inventive cooking make this one of the most fashionable restaurants among the designer-chic crowd. In the summer tables are set out on the romantic back patio.

Drinking

Palermo’s liveliest cluster of bars can be found in the Champagneria district east of Teatro Massimo, centred on Piazza Olivella, Via Spinuzza, and Via Patania. Other hot spots include Via Alessandro Paternostro in the Kalsa neighbourhood and Via dei Candelai, a short stagger of a street flanked by pubs, bars and discos catering to a younger, rowdier crowd. Higher-end bars and dance venues are concentrated in the newer part of Palermo. In summer, many Palermitans decamp to Mondello by the sea.

Kursaal Kalhesa BAR

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( 091 616 00 50; www.kursaalkalhesa.it, in Italian; Foro Umberto I 21; noon-3pm & 6pm-1am Tue-Sun) Recline on plump sofas with silk cushions and sip a cocktail beneath the high vaulted ceilings. There’s a roaring fire in winter, plus art exhibits and a bookstore with foreign newspapers. A lively unpretentious crowd is attracted by the good program of music and literary events. Meals (from €30) are served upstairs on the leafy patio flanked by 15th-century walls.

Pizzo & Pizzo WINE BAR

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( 091 601 45 44; www.pizzoepizzo.com; Via XII Gennaio 5; closed Sun) Sure, this sophisticated wine bar is a great place for aperitivi, but the buzzing atmosphere and the tempting array of cheeses, cured meats, and smoked fish may just convince you to stick around for dinner.

Entertainment

The daily paper Il Giornale di Sicilia has a listing of what’s on. The tourist office and information booths also have programs and listings.

Teatro Massimo OPERA HOUSE

( 091 605 35 80; www.teatromassimo.it; Piazza Verdi 9) Ernesto Basile’s art nouveau masterpiece stages opera, ballet and music concerts. The theatre’s program runs from October to May.

Teatro Politeama Garibaldi THEATRE

( 091 637 37 43; www.amicidellamusicapalermo.it; Piazza Ruggero Settimo) Another grandiose theatre for opera, ballet and classical music, staging afternoon and evening concerts from November through May.

Teatro della Verdura OPEN-AIR THEATRE

( 091 688 41 37; Viale del Fante) A summer-only program of ballet and music in the lovely gardens of the Villa Castelnuovo.

Cuticchio Mimmo PUPPET THEATRE

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( 091 32 34 00; www.figlidartecuticchio.com; Via Bara all’Olivella 95; 6.30pm Sat & Sun Sep-Jul) This theatre is a charming low-tech choice for children (and adults), staging traditional shows with fabulous handcrafted puppets.

IL TEATRO DEI PUPI

Since the 18th century the traditional Sicilian puppet theatre has been enthralling adults and children alike. The shows are a mini theatrical performance with some puppets standing 1.5m high – a completely different breed from the Pooh Bear–style of glove puppet popular in the West. These characters are intricately carved from beech, olive or lemon wood with realistic-looking glass eyes and distinct features. And, to make sure that they will have no problem swinging their swords or beheading dragons, their joints have flexible wire.

Effectively the soap operas of their day, Sicilian puppet shows expounded the deepest sentiments of life – unrequited love, treachery, thirst for justice and the anger and frustration of the oppressed. The swashbuckling tales centre on the legends of Charlemagne’s heroic knights, Orlando and Rinaldo, with an extended cast including the fair Angelica, the treacherous Gano di Magonza and forbidding Saracen warriors. Good puppeteers are judged on the dramatic effect they can create – lots of stamping feet and a gripping running commentary – and on their speed and skill in directing the battle scenes.

Shopping

Via Bara all’Olivella is good for arts and crafts. Check out the puppet workshop of the Cuticchio family, Il Laboratorio Teatrale Offline map Google map (Via Bara all’Olivella 48-50) .

For ceramics and pottery (albeit at higher prices than you’d find in Sicily’s hinterland) stop by Le Ceramiche di Caltagirone Offline map Google map (caltagironeceramiche@alice.it; Via Cavour 114) or Mercurio Offline map Google map (www.casamerlo.it; Corso Vittorio Emanuele 231) .

For edible souvenirs with a dollop of social consciousness, consider buying some wine, olive oil or pasta – all grown on land confiscated from the Mafia – at Libera Terra Offline map Google map (www.liberapalermo.org; Piazza Castelnuovo 13) , an organization actively working to resist the Mafia’s influence in Sicilian society.

On Sundays, there’s a good antiques market Offline map Google map on Piazza Marina south of the port.

Information

Emergency

Ambulance ( 118)

Police station ( 091 21 01 11; Piazza della Vittoria) For reporting theft and other petty crimes.

Internet Access

There are countless internet points in the old centre, particularly around Via Maqueda where they double as phone centres for the city’s immigrant population.

Aboriginal Café ( 091 662 22 29; www.aboriginalcafe.com; Via Spinuzza 51; per hr €3.50; 9am-3am) A lively Australian-style bar and internet cafe.

Medical Services

Farmacia Inglese ( 091 33 44 82; Via Mariano Stabile 177; 4.30-1pm Mon-Fri, 8pm-8.30am Sat & Sun) All-night pharmacy service, seven days a week.

Ospedale Civico ( 091 666 11 11; www.ospedalecivicopa.org; Via Carmelo Lazzaro) Emergency facilities.

Money

ATMs are plentiful. There are exchange offices open outside normal banking hours at the airport.

Post

Main post office (Via Roma 322) Smaller branch offices can be found at the train station and on Piazza Verdi.

Tourist Information

CIT tourist information booths ( 091 611 78 87; www.comune.palermo.it/comune/assessorato_turismo, in Italian; 9am-1pm & 3-7pm) At several locations throughout town, including Piazza Bellini, the port, Via Cavour and Piazza della Vittoria.

Tourist office (www.palermotourism.com) airport ( 091 59 16 98; 8.30am-7.30pm Mon-Sat); city centre ( 091 605 83 51; Piazza Castelnuovo 34; 8.30am-2pm & 2.30-6pm Mon-Fri) Has friendly, multilingual staff and abundant brochures.

Getting There & Away

Air

Falcone-Borsellino airport (PMO; 091 702 01 11; www.gesap.it) is at Punta Raisi, 31km west of Palermo.

Several no-frills airlines operate between major European cities and Palermo. Falcone-Borsellino is also the hub airport for regular domestic flights to the islands of Pantelleria and Lampedusa.

Boat

The ferry terminal is located off Via Francesco Crispi. Ferries depart regularly from Molo Vittorio Veneto for Cagliari and Naples. Ferries for Genoa leave from Molo S Lucia.

Grandi Navi Veloci ( 091 58 74 04; www.gnv.it; Calata Marinai d’Italia) Ferries from Palermo to Civitavecchia (€78 to €95, 12 hours, three weekly), Naples (€45 to €64, 12 hours, daily), Tunis (€37 to €42, 10 hours, weekly), Livorno (€72 to €92, 18 hours, three weekly), Malta (€62, 10 hours, weekly) and Genoa (€83 to €117, 20 hours, daily).

Grimaldi Ferries ( 091 611 36 91; www.grimaldi-lines.com; Via Emerico Amari 8) Ferries from Palermo to Tunis (€69, 10 hours, twice weekly).

Siremar ( 091 749 31 11; www.siremar.it, in Italian; Via Francesco Crispi 118) Ferries (€16.55, 2½ hours, one daily) and summer-only hydrofoils (€22.95, 1¼ hours, two daily) from Palermo to Ustica.

SNAV ( 091 601 42 11; www.snav.it; Calata Marinai d’Italia) Overnight service to Naples (€55, 10½ hours, one daily). The office is located at the port to the left of the main entrance.

Tirrenia ( 091 976 07 73; www.tirrenia.it; Calata Marinai d’Italia) Services from Palermo to Cagliari (€55, 13 hours, one weekly) and an overnight ferry to Naples (€50, 10 hours, one daily). The office is located at the port to the right of the main entrance.

Ustica Lines ( 0923 87 38 13; www.usticalines.it) Summer-only hydrofoil service to Lipari (€39.30, 4½ hours, two daily) and other points on the Aeolian Islands.

Bus

The main intercity bus station is on Via Paolo Balsamo, one block east of the train station. Several bus companies maintain independent offices here.

Azienda Siciliana Trasporti (AST; 091 680 00 32; www.aziendasicilianatrasporti.it; Via Rosario Gregorio 46) Services to southeastern destinations including Ragusa (€12.80, four hours, four daily Monday to Saturday, two on Sunday).

Cuffaro ( 091 616 15 10; www.cuffaro.info; Via Paolo Balsamo 13) Services to Agrigento (€8.10, two hours, three to nine daily).

SAIS ( 091 616 60 28, 091 617 11 41; www.saisautolinee.it, www.saistrasporti.it; Via Paolo Balsamo 16) Services to Catania (€14.20, 2¾ hours, at least nine daily), Messina (€15.10, 2¾ hours, three to seven daily), Naples (€37.50, 10 hours, one nightly) and Rome (€45.50, 10½ hours, one nightly).

Segesta ( 091 616 90 39; www.segesta.it; Via Paolo Balsamo 26) Services to Trapani (€8.60, two hours, at least 10 daily). Also sells Interbus tickets to Syracuse (€11, 3¼ hours, two to three daily).

Car & Motorcycle

Palermo is accessible on the A20-E90 toll road from Messina and the A19-E932 from Catania via Enna. Trapani and Marsala are also easily accessible from Palermo by motorway (A29), while Agrigento and Palermo are linked by the SS121, a good state road through the island’s interior.

Car hire is not cheap in Sicily. Renting on site will typically set you back €250 to €500 per week. It’s often more economical to book your rental online before leaving home. One dependable low-budget choice in downtown Palermo is Auto Europa ( 091 58 10 45; www.autoeuropa.it; Via Mariano Stabile 6a) . Avis (www.avis.com) airport ( 091 59 16 84); port ( 091 58 69 40; Via Francesco Crispi 250) also has a downtown branch and is among the many larger car-hire companies represented at the airport.

Train

From Palermo Centrale station, just south of the centre at the foot of Via Roma, regular trains leave for Messina (€11.60 to €27.50, three to 3½ hours, nine to 15 daily), Agrigento (€8.10, 2¼ hours, seven to 12 daily) and Cefalù (€5, one hour, 10 to 19 daily). There are also InterCity trains to Reggio di Calabria, Naples and Rome.

For Catania or Syracuse, you’re generally better off taking the bus. There’s only one direct train to Catania (€12.30, three hours, weekday mornings only); all the others require a time-consuming change at Messina.

Getting Around

To/From the Airport

Prestia e Comandè ( 091 58 63 51; www.prestiaecomande.it) runs a half-hourly bus service from the airport to the centre of town (€5.80), with stops outside Teatro Politeama Garibaldi (30 minutes) and Palermo Centrale train station (45 minutes). Buses are parked to the right as you exit the arrivals hall. Buy tickets on the bus. Return journeys to the airport run with similar frequency, picking up at the same points.

The Trinacria Express train (€5.80, one hour) from the airport (Punta Raisi station) to Palermo takes longer and runs less frequently than the bus. At the time of research, due to track work, trains were only running as far as Notarbartolo station 3km northwest of downtown Palermo, making this an even less appealing option.

A taxi from the airport to downtown Palermo costs €45.

Bus

Palermo’s orange, white and blue city buses (AMAT; 848 80 08 17; www.amat.pa.it, in Italian) are frequent but often crowded and slow. The free map handed out at Palermo tourist offices details all the major bus lines; most stop at the train station. Tickets (per 1½ hours €1.30, per day €3.50) must be purchased before you get on the bus, from tabacchi (tobacconists) or AMAT booths at major transfer points.

Three small buses – Linea Gialla, Linea Verde and Linea Rossa (€0.52 for 24-hour ticket) – operate in the narrow streets of the centro storico (historic centre) and can be useful if you’re moving between tourist sights.

Car & Motorcycle

Driving is frenetic in the city and best avoided, if possible. Theft of, and from, vehicles is also a problem; use one of the attended car parks around town (€12 to €20 per day) if your hotel lacks parking.

Around Palermo

Just outside Palermo’s city limits, the beach town of Mondello and the dazzling cathedral of Monreale are both worthwhile day trips. Just offshore, Ustica makes a great overnight or weekend getaway.

Mondello ’s long, sandy beach became fashionable in the 19th century, when people came to the seaside in their carriages, prompting the construction of the huge art nouveau pier that still graces the waterfront. Most of the beaches near the pier are private (two sun lounges and an umbrella cost €10 to €20); however, there’s a wide swath of public beach opposite the centre of town with all the prerequisite pedaloes and jet skis for hire. Given its easy-going seaside feel, Mondello is an excellent base for families. To get here, take bus 806 (€1.30, 30 minutes) from Piazza Sturzo in Palermo.

Cattedrale di Monreale ( 091 640 44 03; Piazza del Duomo; 8am-6pm) , 8km southwest of Palermo, is considered the finest example of Norman architecture in Sicily, incorporating Norman, Arab, Byzantine and classical elements. Inspired by a vision of the Virgin, it was built by William II in an effort to outdo his grandfather Roger II, who was responsible for the cathedral in Cefalù and the Cappella Palatina in Palermo. The interior, completed in 1184 and executed in shimmering mosaics, depicts 42 Old Testament stories. Outside the cathedral, the cloister (admission €6; 9am-7pm) is a tranquil courtyard with a tangible oriental feel. Surrounding the perimeter, elegant Romanesque arches are supported by an exquisite array of slender columns alternately decorated with mosaics. To reach Monreale take bus 389 (€1.30, 35 minutes, half-hourly) from Piazza Indipendenza in Palermo.

The 8.7-sq-km island of Ustica was declared Italy’s first marine reserve in 1986. The surrounding waters are a feast of fish and coral, ideal for snorkelling, diving and underwater photography. In July the island hosts the Rassegna Internazionale di Attività Subacquee (International Festival of Underwater Activities), drawing divers from around the world. To enjoy Ustica’s wild coastline and dazzling grottoes without the crowds try visiting in June or September. Profondo Blu ( 091 844 96 09; www.ustica-diving.it) is among the better-established dive centres on the island, and also offers accommodation.

To get here from Palermo, take the once-daily car ferry (€18.35, 2½ hours) operated by Siremar ( 091 844 90 02; www.siremar.it) ; or the faster hydrofoils (€23.55, 1½ hours) operated by both Siremar and Ustica Lines ( 091 844 90 02; www.usticalines.it) .

TYRRHENIAN COAST

The coast between Palermo and Milazzo is studded with popular tourist resorts attracting a steady stream of holidaymakers, particularly between June and September. The best of these include the two massive natural parks of the Madonie and Nebrodi mountains, the sweeping beaches around Capo d’Orlando and Capo Tindari, and Cefalù, a resort second only to Taormina in popularity.

Cefalù

POP 13,800

This popular holiday resort wedged between a dramatic mountain peak and a sweeping stretch of sand has the lot: a great beach; a truly lovely historic centre with a grandiose cathedral; and winding medieval streets lined with restaurants and boutiques. Avoid the height of summer when prices soar, beaches are jam-packed and the charm of the place is tainted by bad-tempered drivers trying to find parking.

From the train station, turn right into Via Moro to reach Via Matteotti and the old town. If heading for the beach, turn left and walk along Via Gramsci, which in turn becomes Via V Martoglio.

Sights

Duomo DUOMO

Offline map Google map

(Piazza del Duomo; 8am-5.30pm winter, to 7.30pm summer) Cefalù’s imposing cathedral is the final jewel in the Arab-Norman crown alongside the Cappella Palatina and Monreale. Inside, a towering figure of Christ Pantocrator is the focal point of the elaborate 12th-century Byzantine mosaics. Framed by the steep cliff, the twin pyramid towers of the cathedral stand out above the magnificent Piazza del Duomo , which swarms with camera-snapping tourists among the pavement cafes and restaurants.

La Rocca VIEWPOINT

Looming over the town, the craggy mass of La Rocca appears a suitable home for the race of giants that are said to have been Sicily’s first inhabitants. It was here that the Arabs built their citadel, occupying it until the Norman conquest in 1061 forced the locals down from the mountain to the port below. An enormous staircase, the Salita Saraceno , winds up through three tiers of city walls, a 30-minute climb nearly to the summit. There are stunning views of the town below and the ruined 4th-century Tempio di Diana provides a quiet and romantic getaway for young lovers.

Activities

Cefalù’s crescent-shaped beach, just west of the medieval centre, is lovely, but in the summer get here early to find a patch for your brolly and towel. You can escape with a boat tour along the coast or to the Aeolian Islands (from €60) during the summer months with several agencies located along Corso Ruggero.

Sicilia Divers DIVING

( 347 6853051; www.sicilia-divers.com; Hotel Kalura, Via Vincenzo Cavallaro 13; dives from €45, courses from €60) Organises dives and courses for all ages.

Scooter for Rent BIKE RENTAL

( 0921 42 04 96; www.scooterforrent.it; Via Vittorio Emanuele 57) Rents out bicycles (€10 per day) and scooters (from €35 per day).

Sleeping

Cheap accommodation is generally scarce year-round. Bookings are essential.

B&B Casanova B&B €

( 0921 92 30 65; www.casanovabb.it; Via Porpora 3; s €35-55, d €50-100, q €70-140; ) This B&B on the waterfront has rooms of varying size, from a cramped single with one minuscule window to the Ruggero room, a palatial space sleeping up to four, with a vaulted frescoed ceiling, decorative tile floors and French doors offering grand views of Cefalù’s medieval centre. All guests share access to a small terrace overlooking the sea.

Hotel Kalura HOTEL €€

( 0921 42 13 54; www.hotel-kalura.com; Via Vincenzo Cavallaro 13; d €89-159; ) East of town on a rocky outcrop, this German-run, family-oriented hotel has its own pebbly beach, restaurant and fabulous pool. Most rooms have sea views, and the hotel arranges loads of activities, including mountain biking, hiking, canoeing, pedaloes, diving and dance nights. It’s a 20-minute walk into town.

La Plumeria HOTEL €€

( 0921 92 58 97; www.laplumeriahotel.it; Corso Ruggero 185; s €70-180, d €90-220; ) Newly opened in 2010, this hotel’s big selling point is its perfect location between the duomo and the waterfront, with free parking a few minutes away. Rooms are unexceptional, but clean and well-appointed. The single on the top floor is the sweetest of the lot, a cosy eyrie with checkerboard tile floors and a small terrace looking up to the duomo .

B&B Dolce Vita B&B €

( 0921 92 31 51; www.dolcevitabb.it; Via Bordonaro 8; r €60-120; ) This popular B&B has a lovely terrace with deck chairs overlooking the sea and a barbecue for warm summer evenings. Rooms are airy and light, with comfy beds, but the staff’s lackadaisical attitude can detract from the charm. Breakfast is via a voucher system at a nearby cafe.

Eating & Drinking

There are dozens of restaurants, but the food can be surprisingly mundane and the ubiquitous tourist menus can quickly pall.

Al Porticciolo SEAFOOD, PIZZERIA €€

( 0921 92 19 81; Via Carlo Ortolani di Bordonaro 66/86/90; pizzas €5-12, meals €20-35; closed Wed Oct-Apr) Dine in a five-star setting without shifting your credit card into overdrive at this popular waterfront eatery; in summer everyone piles out onto the ample outdoor terrace. There’s pizza day and night, and fixed-price menus start at €20.

La Brace INTERNATIONAL €€

( 0921 42 35 70; Via XXV Novembre 10; meals €20-30; lunch Wed-Sun, dinner Tue-Sun) This Dutch-Indonesian-run eatery has won a following over the past several decades for its eclectic, reasonably priced menu, where Italian classics rub elbows with international favourites like chile con carne, shashlik (marinated skewers of chicken) and roast rabbit with chestnuts.

La Galleria BAR, FUSION €€

( 0921 42 02 11; www.lagalleriacefalu.it; Via Mandralisca 23; cocktails €5, meals €30-40; noon-3pm & 7pm-midnight Fri-Wed) Here you’ll find a literary cafe, sophisticated cocktail bar, and tasteful art gallery combined into a supercool, one-of-a-kind venue. Start or end your evening here, or stick around for dinner on its outdoor patio.

Information

ATMs are concentrated along Corso Ruggero.

Hospital ( 0921 92 01 11; Contrada Pietrapollastra) On the main road out of town in the direction of Palermo.

La Galleria ( 0921 42 02 11; Via Mandralisca 23; internet per hr €6; noon-3pm & 7pm-midnight Fri-Wed) Cocktail bar with two fast internet computers and free wi-fi.

Police station ( 0921 92 60 11; Via Roma 15)

Post office (Via Vazzana 2) Just in from the lungomare (seafront promenade).

Tourist office ( 0921 42 10 50; strcefalu@regione.sicilia.it; Corso Ruggero 77; 9am-1pm & 3-7.30pm Mon-Sat) English-speaking staff, lots of leaflets and good maps.

Getting There & Away

Boat From June to September, Ustica Lines (www.usticalines.it) runs daily hydrofoils at 8.15am from Cefalù to the Aeolian Islands; destinations include Alicudi (€20.25, 1¼ hours), Filicudi (€23.40, 1¾ hours), Salina (€25.70, 2¾ hours) and Lipari (€29.10, 3¼ hours).

Train The best way of getting to and from Cefalù is by rail. Hourly trains link Cefalù with Palermo (€5, one hour) and other towns along the Tyrrhenian coast.

CEFALÙ’S BACKYARD PLAYGROUND

Due south of Cefalù, the 40,000-hectare Parco Naturale Regionale delle Madonie incorporates some of Sicily’s highest peaks, including the imposing Pizzo Carbonara (1979m). The park’s wild, wooded slopes are home to wolves, wildcats, eagles and the near-extinct ancient Nebrodi fir trees that have survived since the last ice age. Ideal for hiking, cycling and horse trekking, the park is also home to several handsome mountain towns, including Castelbuono , Petralia Soprana and Petralia Sottana .

The region’s distinctive rural cuisine includes roasted lamb and goat, cheeses, grilled mushrooms and aromatic pasta with sugo (meat sauce). A great place to sample these specialities is Nangalarruni ( 0921 67 14 28; Via delle Confraternite 5/7, Castelbuono; meals €25-45) in Castelbuono.

For park information, contact the Ente Parco delle Madonie (www.parcodellemadonie.it, in Italian) in Cefalù ( 0921 92 33 27; Corso Ruggero 116; 8am-8pm) or Petralia Sottana ( 0921 68 40 11; Corso Paolo Agliata 16) .

Bus service to the park’s main towns is limited; to fully appreciate the Madonie, you’re better off hiring a car for a couple of days.

AEOLIAN ISLANDS

The Aeolian Islands are a little piece of paradise. Stunning cobalt sea, splendid beaches, some of Italy’s best hiking, and an awe- inspiring volcanic landscape are just part of the appeal. The islands also have a fascinating human and mythological history that goes back several millennia; the Aeolians figured prominently in Homer’s Odyssey, and evidence of the distant past can be seen everywhere, most notably in Lipari’s excellent archaeological museum.

The seven islands of Lipari, Vulcano, Salina, Panarea, Stromboli, Alicudi and Filicudi are part of a huge 200km volcanic ridge that runs between the smoking stack of Mt Etna and the threatening mass of Vesuvius above Naples. Collectively, the islands exhibit a unique range of volcanic characteristics, which earned them a place on Unesco’s World Heritage list in 2000. The islands are mobbed with visitors in July and August but out of season things remain remarkably tranquil.

Getting There & Away

In summer, ferries and hydrofoils leave regularly from Milazzo and Messina, the two mainland cities closest to the islands. Peak season is from June to September with winter services much reduced and sometimes cancelled due to heavy seas. All of the following prices are one-way high-season fares.

Ferry

Siremar (www.siremar.it) and NGI Traghetti ( 090 928 40 91; www.ngi-spa.it) both run car ferries from Milazzo to the islands; they’re slightly cheaper, but slower and less regular than the summer hydrofoils.

Hydrofoil

Both Ustica Lines (www.usticalines.it) and Siremar run hydrofoils from Milazzo to Lipari (€16.80, one hour), and then on to the other islands. From 1 June to 30 September hydrofoils depart every hour or two for Lipari, stopping en route at Vulcano (€16, 45 minutes) and continuing onward to Santa Marina or Rinella (€17.55, 1½ to two hours) on Salina island. Beyond Salina, boats either branch off east to Panarea (€18.80, 2¼ hours) and Stromboli (€21.95, three hours), or west to Filicudi (€23.25, 2½ hours) and Alicudi (€28.70, 3¼ hours).

Ustica Lines also operates year-round hydrofoils to Lipari from Messina (€23.90, 1½ to 3½ hours, one to five daily) and Reggio di Calabria (€24.90, 1½ to 3½ hours, one to four daily).

In summer, Ustica Lines adds service to Lipari from Cefalù (€29.10, 3¼ hours, one daily) and Palermo (€39.30, four hours, two daily).

Getting Around

Boat

Regular hydrofoil and ferry services operate between the islands. On Lipari all hydrofoil and ferry services arrive at and depart from Marina Lunga, where Siremar and Ustica Lines both have ticket offices. On the other islands, ticket offices are at or close to the docks. Timetables are posted at all offices.

FERRIES TO LIPARI

DESTINATION

COST (€) HYDROFOIL/FERRY

DURATION HYDROFOIL/FERRY

Alicudi

18.85/13.95

2/4hr

Filicudi

15.80/12.40

1¼/2¾hr

Panarea

10.40/7.50

1/2hr

Salina (Rinella)

9.60/7.30

40min/1½hr

Salina (Santa Marina)

8.80/6.70

25/45min

Stromboli

17.80/12.40

1¾/4hr

Vulcano

5.80/4.70

10/25min

Car & Scooter

You can take your car to Lipari, Vulcano or Salina by ferry, or garage it on the mainland from €12 per day. The islands are small, with narrow, winding roads. You’ll often save money (and headaches) by hiring a scooter on site, or better yet, exploring the islands on foot.

Lipari

POP 11,300 / ELEV 602M

Lipari is the Aeolians’ thriving hub, both geographically and functionally, with regular ferry and hydrofoil connections to all other islands. Lipari town, the largest urban centre in the archipelago, is home to the islands’ only tourist office and most dependable banking services, along with enough restaurants, bars and year-round residents to offer a bit of cosmopolitan buzz. Meanwhile, the island’s rugged shoreline offers excellent opportunities for hiking, boating and swimming.

Lipari has been inhabited for some 6000 years. The island was settled in the 4th millennium BC by Sicily’s first known inhabitants, the Stentillenians, who developed a flourishing economy based on obsidian, a glassy volcanic rock. Commerce subsequently attracted the Greeks, who used the islands as ports on the east-west trade route, and pirates such as Barbarossa (or Redbeard), who coveted Lipari’s lucrative obsidian and pumice mines.

Today trade is still flourishing. Lipari’s two harbours, Marina Lunga (where ferries and hydrofoils dock) and Marina Corta (700m south, used by smaller boats) are linked by a bustling main street, Corso Vittorio Emanuele, flanked by shops, restaurants and bars. Overlooking the colourful snake of day trippers is Lipari’s clifftop citadel, surrounded by 16th-century walls.

Sights

Museo Archeologico Eoliano MUSEUM

( 090 988 01 74; www.regione.sicilia.it/beniculturali/museolipari; Castello di Lipari; adult/reduced €6/3; 9am-1pm & 3-6pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun) Within the citadel’s fortifications is one of Sicily’s best museums, tracing the volcanic and human history of the islands. It is divided into three sections: an archaeological section devoted to artefacts from the Neolithic period and Bronze Age to the Roman era; a classical section with finds from Lipari’s necropolis (including the most complete collection of miniature Greek theatrical masks in the world); and a section on vulcanology and finds from the other islands.

Activities

Beaches BEACHES

On the island’s western side, Spiaggia Valle i Muria is a secluded rocky beach with gorgeous views south to Vulcano. Closed for a time following an August 2010 earthquake, it has since reopened. The most scenic way to get here is by boat, passing the dramatic faraglioni (rock towers) and stone arches along Lipari’s southwestern shore. Call Barni ( 349 1839555) to arrange boat transport (€5/10 one way/return). Alternatively, catch the bus from Marina Lunga towards Quattropani, get off at Quattrochi and walk 15 minutes steeply down towards the water.

On Lipari’s eastern shore, sunbathers and swimmers head for Canneto, a few kilometres north of Lipari town, to bask on the pebbly Spiaggia Bianca . Further north are the pumice mines of Pomiciazzo and Porticello, where there’s another beach, Spiaggia della Papesca , dusted white by the fine pumice that gives the sea its limpid turquoise colour.

Coastal Hikes WALKING

Lipari’s rugged northwestern coastline offers excellent walking opportunities. Most accessible is the pleasant hour-long stroll from Quattropani to Acquacalda along Lipari’s north shore, which affords spectacular views of Salina and a distant Stromboli. Take the bus to Quattropani (€1.90), then simply proceed downhill on the main road 5km to Acquacalda, where you can catch the bus (€1.55) back to Lipari.

More strenuous, but equally rewarding in terms of scenery, is the three- to four-hour hike descending steeply from Pianoconte, down past the old Roman baths of Terme di San Calogero to the western shoreline, then skirting the clifftops along a flat stretch before climbing steeply back to the town of Quattropani.

Diving Center La Gorgonia DIVING

( 090 981 26 16; www.lagorgoniadiving.it; Salita San Giuseppe, Marina Corta; dive/night dive/beginner course €30/40/55) Offers courses, boat transport and equipment hire for scuba diving and snorkelling in Lipari’s crystal-clear waters.

Tours

You can take boat tours to the surrounding islands (€15 to €45), or arrange a day trip to hike up Stromboli (€80) with agencies throughout town, including the following friendly, English-speaking organisations:

AvventurIsole BOAT

( 090 988 02 74; www.avventurisole.com, in Italian; Via Maurolico 10)

Da Massimo/Dolce Vita BOAT

( 090 981 30 86; www.damassimo.it; Via Maurolico 2)

Popolo Giallo BOAT

( 090 981 12 10; www.popologiallo.it; Salita San Giuseppe)

Sleeping

Lipari is the Aeolians’ best-equipped base for island-hopping, with plenty of places to stay, eat and drink. Touts besiege arriving passengers at the port, and the tourist office can sometimes help arrange accommodation in private homes. Note that prices soar in summer; avoid August if possible.

Diana Brown B&B €

( 090 981 25 84; www.dianabrown.it; Vico Himera 3; s €30-90, d €40-100; ) Tucked down a narrow alley, South African Diana has delightful rooms decorated in contemporary style with tile floors, abundant hot water, bright colours and welcome extras such as kettles, fridges, clothes-drying racks and satellite TV. Darker rooms downstairs are compensated for by built-in kitchenettes. There’s a sunny breakfast terrace and solarium with deck chairs, plus book exchange and laundry service. Optional breakfast per person is €5 extra.

Villa Diana HOTEL €€

( 090 981 14 03; www.villadiana.com; Via Tufo 1; s €43-80, d €76-145; ) Swiss artist Edwin Hunziker converted this Aeolian house into a bohemian-spirited hotel in the 1950s. It stands above Lipari town in a garden of citrus trees and olives and offers panoramic views from the terrace. Amenities include free wi-fi (in the reception area only) and use of the tennis court.

Hotel Oriente HOTEL €

( 090 981 14 93; www.hotelorientelipari.com; Via Marconi 35; s €40-60, d €60-95; ) You’ll either love this place for its quirkiness or hate it for its clutter. Just 100m west of the centre, its rooms are rather bland and faded, but the common spaces drip with character, from the spacious citrus-filled courtyard, to the eclectically decorated breakfast room and bar, to the in-house museum of Sicilian antique paraphernalia. Breakfast goes above and beyond the norm, with marinated veggies and cheese supplementing the usual bread and coffee.

Enzo Il Negro GUESTHOUSE €

( 090 981 31 63; www.enzoilnegro.com; Via Garibaldi 29; s €40-50, d €60-90; ) Run by an older couple, this simple guesthouse near Marina Corta sports spacious, tiled, pine-furnished rooms with fridges. Two panoramic terraces overlook the rooftops, the harbour and the castle walls.

Eating & Drinking

Fish abound in the waters of the archipelago and include tuna, mullet, cuttlefish and sole, all of which end up on local menus. Try pasta all’eoliana, a simple blend of the island’s excellent capers with olive oil, anchovies and basil.

Bars are concentrated along Corso Vittorio Emanuele and down by Marina Corta. In peak season everything stays open into the wee hours.

E Pulera MODERN SICILIAN €€

( 090 981 11 58; Via Isabella Vainicher Conti; meals €30-45; dinner May-Oct) With its serene garden setting, low lighting, artsy tile-topped tables and exquisite food, E Pulera makes an upscale but relaxed choice for a romantic dinner. Start with a carpaccio of tuna with blood oranges and capers, choose from a vast array of Aeolian and Sicilian meat and fish dishes, then finish it all off with cassata or biscotti and sweet Malvasia wine.

Kasbah MODERN SICILIAN €€

( 090 981 10 75; Via Maurolico 25; pizzas €6-9, meals €30-35; dinner, closed Wed Oct-Mar) Choose the environment that suits you best: the sleek, contemporary interior dining room or the vine-covered, candlelit garden out back. The food is superb, including delicious pizzas and seafood delicacies (order from the menu or select your fish from the display case).

Bar Pasticceria Subba PASTRIES & CAKES €

( 090 981 13 52; Corso Vittorio Emanuele 92; pastries from €1; 7am-10pm) Feed your sweet tooth with fabulous pastries at this long-established bakery (since 1930) on Lipari’s main drag.

La Piazzetta PIZZERIA €

( 090 981 25 22; pizzas €5.50-9.50; dinner, closed Thu Sep-Jun) A lively pizzeria with vine-draped outdoor seating that has served the likes of Audrey Hepburn. It’s off Corso Vittorio Emanuele, behind Pasticceria Subba.

Shopping

You simply can’t leave these islands without a small pot of capers and a bottle of sweet Malvasia wine. You can get both, along with tuna, meats, cheeses and other delicious goodies, at La Formagella (Corso Vittorio Emanuele 250) or Fratelli Laise (www.fratellilaise.com; Corso Vittorio Emanuele 118) .

Information

Corso Vittorio Emanuele is lined with ATMs. The other islands have few facilities, so sort out your finances here before moving on.

Internet Point (Corso Vittorio Emanuele 185; per hr €5; 9.30am-1pm & 5-8.30pm Mon-Sat winter, 9am-1pm & 5.30pm-midnight summer)

Ospedale Civile ( 090 988 51 11; Via Sant’Anna) Operates a first-aid service.

Police ( 090 981 13 33; Via Guglielmo Marconi)

Post office (Corso Vittorio Emanuele 207)

Tourist office ( 090 988 00 95; www.aasteolie.191.it, in Italian; Corso Vittorio Emanuele 202; 9am-1pm & 4.30-7pm Mon-Fri year-round, 9am-1pm Sat summer) Lipari’s office provides information covering all the islands.

Getting There & Around

Bus Autobus Guglielmo Urso ( 090 981 10 26; www.ursobus.com) runs frequent buses around the island from Marina Lunga (€1.55 to €1.90 depending on destination). One main route serves the island’s eastern shore, from Canneto to Acquacalda, while the other serves the western highland settlements of Quattrochi, Pianoconte and Quattropani. Multi-ride booklets (six/10/20 rides €7/10.50/20.50) will save you money if you’re here for several days.

Boat See Click here for ferry and hydrofoil details.

Car & Motorcycle Several places around town rent scooters (€15 to €30) and cars (€30 to €50), including Da Luigi ( 090 988 05 40; Marina Lunga) down at the ferry dock.

Vulcano

POP 720 / ELEV 500M

Vulcano is a memorable island, not least because of the vile smell of sulphurous gases. Once you escape the drab and dated tourist centre, Porto di Levante, there’s a delightfully tranquil, unspoilt quality to the landscape. Following the well-marked trail to the looming Fossa di Vulcano, the landscape gives way to rural simplicity with vineyards, birdsong and a surprising amount of greenery. The island is worshipped by Italians for its therapeutic mud baths and hot springs, and its black beaches and weird steaming landscape make for an interesting day trip.

Boats dock at Porto di Levante. To the right, as you face the island, are the mud baths and the small Vulcanello peninsula, to the left is the volcano. Straight ahead is Porto di Ponente, 700m west, where you will find the Spiaggia Sabbia Nera (Black Sand Beach).

Activities

Fossa di Vulcano WALKING

(admission €3) The island’s top attraction is the trek up its 391m volcano, easily manageable without a guide. Start early in the day if possible and don’t forget a hat, sunscreen and water. Follow the signs south along Strada Provinciale, then turn left onto the zigzag gravel track that leads to the summit. It’s about an hour’s scramble to the lowest point of the crater’s edge (290m). From here, the sight of the steaming crater encrusted with red and yellow crystals is reward enough, but it’s well worth lingering up top for a while. You can descend steeply to the crater floor, or better yet, continue climbing around the rim for stunning views of all the islands lined up to the north.

Laghetto di Fanghi BATHS

(admission €2) Vulcano’s large harbourside pit of thick, smelly, sulphurous gloop has long been considered an excellent treatment for arthritis, rheumatism and skin disorders. Don’t wear your designer swimsuit (you’ll never get the smell out), keep the mud away from your eyes (it burns!), and be sure to leave your gold chains behind (they will tarnish). Afterwards, you can hop into the water at the adjacent beach where acque calde (hot springs) create a natural Jacuzzi effect.

Beaches BEACHES

At Porto di Ponente, on the far side of the peninsula from Porto di Levante, the dramatic and only mildly commercialised black-sand beach of Spiaggia Sabbia Nera curves around a pretty bay. It is one of the few sandy beaches in the archipelago. A smaller, quieter black-sand beach, Spiaggia dell’Asina , can be found on the island’s southern side near Gelso.

Sleeping & Eating

Unless you’re here for the walking and the mud baths, Vulcano is not a great place for an extended stay; the town is pretty soulless, the hotels are expensive and the mud baths really do smell. If you do stay, the best hotels are situated around Spiaggia Sabbia Nera.

La Forgia Maurizio SICILIAN, INDIAN €€

( 339 137 91 07; Strada Provinciale 45; meals €25-30) The owner of this devilishly good restaurant spent 20 winters in Goa, India; Eastern influences sneak into a menu of Sicilian specialities, all prepared and presented with flair. Don’t miss the liquore di kumquat e cardamom, Maurizio’s home-made answer to limoncello . The tasting menu is an excellent deal at €25 including wine and dessert.

Trattoria Maniaci Pina SEAFOOD €€

Offline map Google map

( 368 66 85 55; Gelso; meals €25-35; May–mid-Oct) On the south side of the island, beside a black-sand beach, this atmospheric, down-to-earth trattoria serves hefty portions of fresh-caught fish at affordable prices. Two local men do the fishing, and their moms do the cooking.

Getting There & Around

Boat Vulcano is an intermediate stop between Milazzo and Lipari; both Siremar and Ustica Lines run multiple vessels in both directions throughout the day. See Click here for more details.

You can hire boats locally at Centro Nautico Baia di Levante ( 339 337 27 95; www.baialevante.it; Apr-Oct) , in a shed on the beach to the left of the hydrofoil dock.

Car & Motorcycle Scooters (per day €15 to €40), bicycles (€5 to €10) and small cars (€25 to €78) can be rented from Sprint ( 090 985 22 08) , well signposted near the hydrofoil dock. Friendly multilingual owners Luigi and Nidra also offer helpful tourist info and rent out an apartment in Vulcano’s tranquil interior.

Salina

POP 2300 / ELEV 962M

In stark contrast to Vulcano’s barren landscape, Salina’s twin craters of Monte dei Porri and Monte Fossa delle Felci are lushly wooded, a result of the numerous freshwater springs on the island. Wildflowers, thick yellow gorse bushes and serried ranks of grapevines carpet the hillsides in vibrant colours and cool greens, while its high coastal cliffs plunge dramatically towards beaches. The famous Aeolian capers grow plentifully here, as do the grapes used for making Malvasia wine.

Sights & Activities

Fossa delle Felci VIEWPOINT

For jaw-dropping views of Salina and the surrounding islands, climb to Salina’s highest point (962m). The trail starts at Valdichiesa, in the valley that separates Salina’s two volcanoes, at the Santuario della Madonna del Terzito , a popular pilgrimage site. From the church, follow the track (signposted) up through a nature reserve all the way to the peak (about two hours), where you’ll have unparalleled views of the entire archipelago. To get to the trailhead, take the bus from Santa Marina Salina to Malfa, then change for a Rinella-bound bus and ask the driver to let you off at Valdichiesa.

Pollara BEACH

Don’t miss a trip to Pollara, sandwiched dramatically between the sea and the steep slopes of an extinct volcanic crater on Salina’s western edge. The gorgeous beach here was used as a location in the 1994 film Il Postino . Although the land access route to the beach has since been closed due to landslide danger, you can still descend the steep stone steps at the northwest end of town and swim across, or simply admire the spectacular view, with its backdrop of volcanic cliffs.

Nautica Levante BOAT

( 090 984 30 83; www.nauticalevante.it, in Italian; Via Lungomare, Santa Marina Salina; Easter-Sep) Boat hire (from €65) .

Sleeping & Eating

The island remains relatively undisturbed by mass tourism, yet still offers some fine hotels and restaurants. Accommodation can be found in Salina’s three main towns: Santa Marina Salina on the east shore, Malfa on the north shore and Rinella on the south shore, as well as in Lingua, a village adjoining ancient salt ponds 2km south of Santa Marina.

Capo Faro BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€€

( 090 984 43 30; www.capofaro.it; Via Faro 3; d €150-380; Apr-Sep; ) Immerse yourself in luxury at this five-star boutique resort halfway between Santa Marina and Malfa, surrounded by well-tended Malvasia vineyards and a picturesque lighthouse. The 20 rooms all have sharp white decor and terraces looking straight out to smoking Stromboli. Tennis courts, poolside massages, wine tasting, vineyard visits and occasional cooking courses complete this perfect vision of island chic.

Signum BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€€

( 090 984 42 22; www.hotelsignum.it; Via Scalo 15, Malfa; d €130-280; mid-Mar–early Nov; ) Hidden in the hillside lanes of Malfa is this alluring labyrinth of antique-clad rooms, peach-coloured stucco walls, tall blue windows, and vine-covered terraces. There’s a lovely pool, a wellness centre complete with natural spa baths and one of the island’s best-regarded restaurants on site (meals €35 to €50). Check the website for offers.

Hotel Mamma Santina BOUTIQUE HOTEL €€

( 090 984 30 54; www.mammasantina.it; Via Sanità 40, Santa Marina Salina; d €110-190; Apr-Oct; ) A labour of love for its architect owner, this boutique hotel has inviting rooms decorated with pretty tiles in traditional Aeolian designs. Many of the sea-view terraces come equipped with hammocks, and on warm evenings the attached restaurant has outdoor seating overlooking the glowing blue pool and landscaped garden.

Campeggio Eolie CAMPGROUND €

( 090 980 90 52; www.campeggioeolie.it; Rinella; campsite per person €9-14; late Jun–mid-Sep) This campground has lovely terraced sites amid olive and eucalyptus trees overlooking the sea, plus a mini-market, bar and pizzeria. It’s a five-minute walk from Rinella’s hydrofoil dock.

Da Alfredo SANDWICH SHOP €

(Piazza Marina Garibaldi, Lingua; granite €2.50, sandwiches €7-10) The most atmospheric place on Salina for an affordable snack, Alfredo’s place is renowned all over Sicily for its granite: ices made with coffee, fresh fruit or locally grown pistachios and almonds. It’s also worth a visit for its pane cunzato – open-faced sandwiches piled high with tuna, ricotta, eggplant, tomatoes, capers and olives; split one with a friend – they’re huge!

Porto Bello SEAFOOD €€

( 090 984 31 25; Via Bianchi 1, Santa Marina Salina; meals €30-45; Tue-Sun) This award- winning seafood restaurant with a terrace overlooking the harbour dates back to 1978 with the same family at the helm. Aside from fish, it’s famous for its pasta al fuoco (fiery pasta with hot peppers).

Al Cappero SICILIAN €

( 090 984 41 33; www.alcappero.it; Pollara; meals €20-25; lunch May, lunch & dinner Jun–mid-Sep) This family-run place specialises in old-fashioned Sicilian home-cooking, including several vegetarian options. It also sells home-grown capers and rents out simple rooms down the street (€20 to €35 per person).

‘nni Lausta MODERN ITALIAN €€

( 090 984 34 86; Via Risorgimento, Santa Marina Salina; meals €35-40) This stylish modern eatery with its cute lobster logo serves superb food based on fresh local ingredients. The downstairs bar is popular for aperitivi and late-night drinking.

Information

Banco di Sicilia (Via Risorgimento, Santa Marina Salina) ATM on Santa Marina’s main pedestrian street.

Post office (Via Risorgimento, Santa Maria Salina)

Getting There & Around

Boat Hydrofoils and ferries service Santa Marina Salina and Rinella from Lipari. You’ll find ticket offices in both places.

Bus CITIS ( 090 984 41 50) buses run roughly half-hourly (every 90 minutes in low season) from Santa Marina Salina to Lingua, Malfa, Rinella, Pollara, Valdichiesa and Leni (€1.70 to €2.40 depending on destination). Timetables are posted at the ports and bus stops.

Car & Motorcycle Above Santa Marina Salina’s port, Antonio Bongiorno ( 090 984 34 09; Via Risorgimento 240) rents bikes (per day from €8), scooters (from €26) and cars (from €50). Several agencies in Rinella offer similar services – look for signs at the ferry dock.

Stromboli

POP 400 / ELEV 924M

Stromboli’s perfect triangle of a volcano juts dramatically out of the sea. It’s the only island whose smouldering cone is permanently active, thus attracting both experts and amateurs, like moths to a massive flame. Volcanic activity has scarred and blackened one side of the island, while the eastern side is untamed, ruggedly green and dotted with low-rise whitewashed houses. A youngster among the Aeolians, Stromboli was formed a mere 40,000 years ago and its gases continue to send up an almost constant spray of liquid magma. The most recent major eruptions took place in February 2007 when two new craters opened on the volcano’s summit, producing two scalding lava flows. Although seismic activity, including rock falls, continued for several days, fortunately no mass evacuation was deemed necessary.

Boats arrive at Porto Scari-San Vincenzo, downhill from the town. Most accommodation, as well as the meeting point for guided hikes up the volcano, is a short walk up the Scalo Scari to Via Roma.

Activities

Volcano WALKING

Note that you’re legally required to hire a guide to climb higher than 400m on the volcano.

The path to the summit (920m) is a demanding three-hour climb (rest stops every 40 minutes), but the atmosphere is charged and you will be rewarded with tremendous views of the Sciara del Fuoco (Trail of Fire) and the constantly smoking crater. Fiery explosions usually occur every 20 minutes or so and are preceded by a loud belly-roar as gases force the magma into the air. Departure times for organised treks vary from 3.30pm to 6pm, depending on the season; treks are always timed so you can observe sunset from the mountaintop, then ooh and aah over the crater’s fireworks for about 45 minutes as night falls.

To undertake the climb you’ll need heavy shoes; clothing for cold, wet weather; a torch (flashlight); a backpack that allows free movement of both arms; and a good supply of water. Totem Trekking ( 090 986 57 52; Piazza San Vincenzo 4) hires out all the necessary equipment, including headlamps (€3), trekking boots (€6) and windbreakers (€5).

Two other great ways to see the volcano, with less huffing and puffing, are the hike up to L’Osservatorio and the nightly boat tours to Sciara del Fuoco. To reach the pizzeria, follow the waterfront 2km west from the hydrofoil dock to the community of Piscità, then climb the gradual, winding path 1km further, following the signs.

Beaches BEACH

The most accessible swimming and sunbathing is at Ficogrande , a beach of rocks and black volcanic sand 10 minutes by foot from the hydrofoil dock. Further-flung beaches worth exploring are at Piscità to the west and Forgia Vecchia to the south.

La Sirenetta Diving Club DIVING

( 347 596 14 99; www.lasirenettadiving.it; Via Marina 33; Jun–mid-Sep) Offers diving courses and accompanied dives.

Tours

Magmatrek ( 090 986 57 68; www.magmatrek.it; Via Vittorio Emanuele) has experienced, multilingual vulcanological guides who lead regular treks (maximum group size 20) up to the crater every afternoon (per person €28). It can also put together tailor-made treks for individual groups. Other agencies charging identical prices include Il Vulcano a Piedi ( 090 98 61 44; www.stromboliguide.it; Via Roma) and Stromboli Adventures ( 090 98 62 64; www.stromboliadventures.it, in Italian; Via Vittorio Emanuele) .

Società Navigazione Pippo ( 090 98 61 35; pipponav.stromboli@libero.it) and Antonio Caccetta ( 090 98 60 23) are among the numerous boat companies at Porto Scari offering daytime circuits of the island and sunset excursions to watch the Sciara del Fuoco from the sea (each €20 per person).

Sleeping & Eating

Over a dozen places offer accommodation, including B&Bs, guesthouses and full-fledged hotels.

Casa del Sole GUESTHOUSE €

( 090 98 63 00; www.casadelsolestromboli.it; Via Domenico Cincotta; dm €25-30, s €30-50, d €60-100) This cheerful Aeolian-style guesthouse is only 100m from a sweet black-sand beach in Piscitá, the tranquil neighbourhood at the far end of town. Dorms, private doubles and a guest kitchen all surround a sunny patio, overhung with vines, fragrant with lemon blossoms, and decorated with the masks and stone carvings of sculptor-owner Tano Russo. Call for free pickup (low season only) or take a taxi (€10) from the port 2km away.

Il Giardino Segreto B&B €

( 090 98 62 11; www.giardinosegretobb.it; Via Francesco Natoli; d €60-120) In a ‘secret garden’ framed by picturesque rows of cypresses, this sweet little B&B offers stylishly decorated rooms and a rooftop terrace five minutes’ walk above the church on the way to the volcano.

L’Osservatorio PIZZERIA €

( 090 98 63 60; pizzas €6.50-10.50; lunch & dinner) Sure, you could eat a pizza in town, but come on – you’re on Stromboli! Make the 45-minute uphill trek to this pizzeria and you’ll be rewarded with exceptional volcano views, best after sundown.

La Bottega del Marano GROCERY €

(Via Vittorio Emanuele; snacks from €1.50; 8.30am-1pm & 4.30-7.30pm Mon-Sat) The perfect source for volcano-climbing provisions or a self-catering lunch, this reasonably priced neighbourhood grocery, five minutes west of the trekking-agency offices, has a well-stocked deli, shelves full of wine and awesomely tasty mini-focaccias (€1.50).

Locanda del Barbablù SICILIAN €€€

( 090 98 61 18; www.barbablu.it; Via Vittorio Emanuele 17; tasting menus excl drinks €40-56; dinner Apr-Oct) This dusky-pink Aeolian inn houses the island’s classiest restaurant, serving multicourse tasting menus of traditional Sicilian recipes, with a strong emphasis on fresh-caught seafood.

Information

Bring enough cash for your stay on Stromboli. Many businesses don’t accept credit cards, and the village’s lone ATM is often out of service. Internet access is virtually non-existent.

Police station ( 090 98 60 21; Via Picone) Just on the left as you walk up from the port.

Post office (Via Roma)

Getting There & Away

It takes four hours to reach the island from Lipari by ferry, or 1½ to two hours by hydrofoil. Ticket offices for Ustica Lines ( 090 98 60 03) and Siremar ( 090 98 60 16) are at the port.

OFFSHORE ISLANDS

Sicily is an island lover’s paradise, with more than a dozen offshore islands scattered in the seas surrounding the main island. Beyond the major islands of Lipari, Vulcano, Stromboli and Salina, covered in detail here, you can detour to the less visited Aeolian islands of Panarea , Filicudi and Alicudi . Off Sicily’s western coast are the slow-paced Egadi Islands (Click here ) and the remote, rugged volcanic island of Pantelleria (Click here ). South of Agrigento, the sand-sprinkled Pelagic Islands of Lampedusa, Linosa and Lampione offer some fantastic beaches but are temporarily off limits to tourists because of an influx of refugees fleeing the conflicts in North Africa – check locally to see if trips have resumed. Ustica Lines (www.usticalines.it) and Siremar (www.siremar.it) provide hydrofoil and/or ferry service to all of the islands listed above; see their websites for details.

IONIAN COAST

Magnificent, overdeveloped, crowded – and exquisitely beautiful – the Ionian coast is Sicily’s most popular tourist destination and home to 20% of the island’s population. Moneyed entrepreneurs have built their villas and hotels up and down the coastline, eager to bag a spot on Sicily’s version of the Amalfi Coast. Above it all towers the muscular peak of Mt Etna (3329m), puffs of smoke billowing from its snow-covered cone.

Taormina

POP 11,100 / ELEV 204M

Spectacularly situated on a terrace of Monte Tauro, with views westwards to Mt Etna, Taormina is a beautiful small town, reminiscent of Capri or an Amalfi coastal resort. Over the centuries, Taormina has seduced an exhaustive line of writers and artists, aristocrats and royalty, and these days it’s host to a summer arts festival that packs the town with international visitors.

Perched on its eyrie, Taormina is sophisticated, chic and comfortably cushioned by some serious wealth – very far removed from the banal economic realities of other Sicilian towns. But the charm is not manufactured. The capital of Byzantine Sicily in the 9th century, Taormina is an almost perfectly preserved medieval town, and if you can tear yourself away from the shopping and sunbathing, it has a wealth of small but perfect tourist sites. Taormina is also a popular resort with gay men.

Be warned that in July and August the town and its surrounding beaches are swarming with tourists.

Sights

A short walk uphill from the bus station brings you to Corso Umberto I (abbreviated below as Corso Umberto), a pedestrianised thoroughfare that traverses the length of the medieval town and connects its two historic town gates, Porta Messina and Porta Catania.

Teatro Greco AMPHITHEATRE

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( 0942 2 32 20; Via Teatro Greco; adult/reduced €8/4; 9am-1hr before sunset) Taormina’s premier attraction is this perfect horseshoe-shaped theatre, suspended between sea and sky, with Mt Etna looming on the southern horizon. Built in the 3rd century BC, it’s the most dramatically situated Greek theatre in the world and the second largest in Sicily (after Syracuse). In summer the theatre is used as the venue for international arts and film festivals. In peak season the site is best explored early in the morning to avoid the crowds.

Taormina

Top Sights

Teatro Greco G2

Sights

1  Cathedral A4

2  Chiesa San Giuseppe C3

3  Palazzo Ciampoli B3

4  Palazzo Corvaja E1

5  Palazzo Duca di Santo Stefano A4

6  Parco Duchi di Cesarò (Villa Comunale)F4

7  Torre dell'Orologio C3

Sleeping

8  B&B Le Sibille B3

9  Casa Turchetti C3

10  Hotel Metropole C3

11  Hotel Villa Schuler D3

12  Villa Belvedere G4

Eating

13  Al Duomo A4

14  Casa Grugno A4

15  Granduca C4

16  Licchio's E1

17  Tiramisù E1

18  Trattoria da Nino G1

Drinking

19  Shatulle B4

Shopping

20  Carlo Mirella Panarello D3

21  La Torinese D2

22  Managó & Figlie E2

Corso Umberto PROMENADE

One of the chief delights of Taormina is wandering along its pedestrian-friendly medieval main avenue, Corso Umberto I, lined with antique and jewellery shops, delis and designer boutiques. Midway down, pause to revel in the stunning panoramic views of Mt Etna and the seacoast from Piazza IX Aprile and pop your head into the charming rococo church, Chiesa San Giuseppe Offline map Google map (Piazza IX Aprile; 9am-7pm) . Continue west through the 12th-century clock tower, Torre dell’Orologio Offline map , into the Borgo Medievale, the oldest quarter of town. A few blocks further along is Piazza del Duomo , where teenagers congregate around the ornate baroque fountain (built 1635), which sports a two-legged centaur with the bust of an angel, the symbol of Taormina. On the eastern side of this piazza is the 13th-century cathedral Offline map (Piazza del Duomo; 9am-8pm) . It survived much of the Renaissance-style remodelling undertaken throughout the town by the Spanish aristocracy in the 15th century. The Renaissance influence is better illustrated in various palaces along the Corso , including Palazzo Duca di Santo Stefano Offline map with its Norman-Gothic windows, Palazzo Corvaja Offline map Google map (the tourist office) and Palazzo Ciampoli Offline map Google map (now the Hotel El Jebel).

Villa Comunale PARK

(Parco Duchi di Cesarò; Via Bagnoli Croce; 9am-midnight summer, 9am-10pm winter) To escape the crowds, wander down to these stunningly sited public gardens. Created by Englishwoman Florence Trevelyan, they’re a lush paradise of tropical plants and delicate flowers. There’s also a children’s play area.

Castelmola HILLTOP VILLAGE

For eye-popping views of the coastline, head 5km up Via Leonardo da Vinci to this hilltop village crowned by a ruined castle. The walk will take you around an hour along a well-paved route. Alternatively, Interbus runs an hourly service (one way/return €1.70/2.80) up the hill.

Activities

Lido Mazzarò BEACH

Many visitors to Taormina come only for the beach scene. To reach Lido Mazzarò, directly beneath Taormina, take the cable car (Via Luigi Pirandello; one way/return €2/3.50; 8.45am-1am, every 15min) . This beach is well serviced with bars and restaurants; private operators charge a fee for umbrellas and deck chairs (€10 per person per day, discountable at some hotels).

Isola Bella NATURE RESERVE

Southwest of the beach is the minuscule Isola Bella, set in a stunning cove with fishing boats. You can walk here in a few minutes but it’s more fun to rent a small boat from Mazzarò and paddle round Capo Sant’Andrea.

Nike Diving Centre DIVING

( 339 1961559; www.diveniketaormina.com; dive from €35) Opposite Isola Bella, this dive centre offers a wide range of courses for children and adults.

Gole dell’Alcàntara SWIMMING

Perfect for cooling off on a hot summer day, this series of vertiginous lava gorges with swirling rapids is 20km west of town; take Interbus from Taormina (€4.60 return, one hour).

Festivals & Events

Taormina FilmFest FILM

(www.taorminafilmfest.it) Hollywood big shots arrive in mid-June for a week of film screenings, premieres and press conferences at the Teatro Greco.

Taormina Arte ARTS

(www.taormina-arte.com) In July and August, this festival features opera, dance, theatre and music concerts from an impressive list of international names.

Giuseppe Sinopoli Festival MUSIC

(www.sinopolifestival.it) First held in 2005, this three-day classical music festival attracts important Italian orchestras and enthusiastic audiences in early October. Concerts are held in Palazzo Corvaja and the Teatro Greco.

Sleeping

Taormina has plenty of luxurious accommodation; the following represents a range of what’s available, including some less expensive places. Many hotels offer discounted pricing (from €10) at Taormina’s two public parking lots.

Isoco Guest House B&B €

( 0942 2 36 79; www.isoco.it; Via Salita Branco 2; s €65-120, d €85-120; Mar-Nov; ) Every room in this exceptionally welcoming, gay-friendly B&B is dedicated to an artist – from Botticelli to the sculpted buttocks and pant-popping thighs on the walls of the Herb Ritts room. The excellent breakfast, free internet access, sundecks and outdoor Jacuzzi are great as well. Multi-course dinners available on the terrace (€25 per person including drinks) in summer. German and English spoken.

B&B Le Sibille B&B €

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( 349 726 28 62; www.lesibille.net; Corso Umberto 187a; d €60-100, apt per week without breakfast €400-600; Apr-Oct; ) This B&B wins points for its prime location on Taormina’s pedestrian thoroughfare, its rooftop breakfast terrace and its cheerful, artistically tiled self-catering apartments, newly added in 2011. Light sleepers beware: Corso Umberto can get noisy with holidaymakers! English spoken.

Villa Belvedere HOTEL €€

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( 0942 2 37 91; www.villabelvedere.it; Via Bagnoli Croce 79; d with inland view €124-184, with sea view €144-236; Mar-Nov; ) Built in 1902, adjacent to the Villa Comunale, the jaw-droppingly pretty Villa Belvedere oozes class. Rooms are simple but refined with cream linens and terracotta floors, and the luxurious garden commands majestic sea views. There’s even a swimming pool with a 100-year-old palm tree rising from a small island in the middle. Wi-fi costs extra.

Casa Turchetti B&B €€€

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( 0942 62 50 13; www.casaturchetti.com; Salita dei Gracchi 18/20; d €200-250, jr ste €350; ) Every detail is perfect in this painstakingly restored former music school, recently converted to a luxurious B&B on a back alley just above Corso Umberto. Vintage furniture and fixtures, handcrafted woodwork, fine homespun sheets and modern bathrooms all contribute to the elegant feel; the spacious rooftop terrace is just icing on the cake.

Hotel Villa Schuler HOTEL €€

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( 0942 2 34 81; www.hotelvillaschuler.com; Via Roma, Piazzetta Bastione; s €128, d €142-202; ) Surrounded by shady terraced gardens and with views of Mt Etna, the rose-pink Villa Schuler has been run by the same family for over a century (longer than any other Taormina hotel) and preserves a homely atmosphere. A lovely breakfast is served on the panoramic terrace.

Hotel Metropole LUXURY HOTEL €€€

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( 0942 62 54 17; www.hotelmetropoletaormina.it; Corso Umberto 154; d/ste €374/770; ) In a lavishly renovated palazzo that incorporates ancient Roman columns and 14th-century monastery walls, Taormina’s newest hotel offers an unparalleled combination of amenities, including a pool, a spa, a prime location just off Piazza IX Aprile and a restaurant and bar with full-on views of Mt Etna and the sea. The eight rooms and 15 suites are filled with designer furniture and top-of-the-line amenities, as reflected in the prices.

Taormina’s Odyssey GUESTHOUSE €

( 0942 2 45 33, 349 8107733; www.taorminaodyssey.com; Via Paternò di Biscari 13; dm €20, d €50-70; ) This family-run hostel and guesthouse offers two small dorms and three doubles (one with private bath) five minutes uphill from Porta Catania. There’s a nice guest kitchen and internet area downstairs, and the dorm rate is as affordable a sleep as you’ll find anywhere in Taormina.

Eating

Eating out in Taormina goes hand in hand with posing. It’s essential to make a reservation at the more exclusive choices. Be aware that Taormina’s cafes charge extraordinarily high prices even for coffee.

Licchio’s SEAFOOD €€

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( 0942 62 53 27; Via Patricio 10; meals €30-40; lunch & dinner, closed Thu Nov-Mar) The seafood antipasti at this classy little eatery are delicious and varied enough to constitute a meal in themselves, but the menu’s full of other enticements: tempura-fried zucchini flowers, fabulously fresh spinach-ricotta gnocchi and divine desserts. Angelo also offers cooking classes (€80 including meal and drinks).

Trattoria Da Nino TRATTORIA €€

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( 0942 2 12 65; Via Luigi Pirandello 37; meals €27-34; lunch & dinner) Bright and bustling after a recent remodel, this place has been in business under the same family ownership for 50 years. Locals and tourists alike flock here for straightforward, reasonably priced Sicilian home cooking, including an excellent caponata plus fresh local fish served grilled, steamed, fried, stewed or rolled up in involtini (roulades).

Tiramisù MODERN ITALIAN €€

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( 0942 2 48 03; Via Cappuccini 1; pizzas €7-10, meals €30-45; closed Tue) This stylish place near Porta Messina makes fabulous meals, from linguine cozze, menta e zucchine (pasta with mussels, mint and zucchini) to old favourites like scaloppine al limone e panna (veal escalope in lemon cream sauce). When dessert rolls around, don’t miss its trademark tiramisu, a perfect ending to any meal here.

Al Duomo SICILIAN €€

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( 0942 62 56 56; Vico Ebrei 11; meals €40-45; lunch & dinner, closed Mon Nov-Mar) This highly acclaimed restaurant with a romantic terrace overlooking the cathedral puts a modern spin on Sicilian classics like pesce alla messinese (fish fillets with tomatoes, capers and olives) and agnello n’grassatu (lamb stew with potatoes). For a splurge, indulge in the chef’s six-course tasting menu (€60).

Casa Grugno GASTRONOMIC €€€

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( 0942 2 12 08; www.casagrugno.it; Via Santa Maria dei Greci; meals €70-80; dinner Mon-Sat) With a walled-in terrace surrounded by plants, Taormina’s most fashionable restaurant specialises in sublime modern Sicilian cuisine, under the direction of new chef David Tamburini. Multilingual waiters describe the origins of each ultra-fresh local ingredient as they serve up dishes such as red mullet fillets with grilled fennel, orange and saffron or risotto with green peas, candied ginger and marjoram.

Granduca PIZZERIA €

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( 0942 2 49 83; Corso Umberto 172; pizzas €7-11; dinner) Forget the staid, typically pricey Taormina restaurant upstairs; the best reason to visit Granduca is for pizza on a summer evening, served on a vast outdoor terrace overlooking Mt Etna and the sea – an unbeatable combination of view, quality and price!

Drinking

Shatulle BAR

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(Piazza Paladini 4; closed Mon) An intimate square just off Corso Umberto, Piazza Paladini is a perennial favourite with Taormina’s young, well-dressed night owls. One of the best, and most popular, of the square-side bars is this hip, gay-friendly spot with outdoor seating, an inviting vibe and a fine selection of cocktails (from €5.50).

Bar Turrisi BAR

(Castelmola; 9am-2am) A few kilometres outside Taormina, in the hilltop community of Castelmola, this whimsical bar is built on four levels overlooking the church square. Its decor is an eclectic tangle of Sicilian influences, with everything from painted carts to a giant stone minchia (you’ll need no translation once you see it). Sip a glass of almond wine, enjoy the view, and don’t forget to check out the bathrooms on the way out!

Shopping

Taormina is a shopper’s paradise. The quality in most places is high but don’t expect any bargains.

Carlo Mirella Panarello CERAMIC ART

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(Via Antonio Marziani)

Managò & Figlie CERAMIC ART

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(www.manago.it; Via Santa Domenica)

La Torinese FOOD, WINE

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(Corso Umberto 59) Olive oil, capers, jam and wine.

Information

There are plenty of banks with ATMs along Corso Umberto.

British Pharmacy (Corso Umberto 152; 8.30am-8pm) One of two pharmacies along Corso Umberto offering emergency night call-out service.

Gustosi Momenti (Salita Alexander Humboldt; internet per 20min €2; 10am-9pm Tue-Sun Nov-Mar, 10.30am-midnight Apr-Oct) A slick internet bar with several fast computers, wi-fi and a choice of cocktails.

Ospedale San Vincenzo ( 0942 57 92 97; Contrada Sirina) Downhill and 2km southwest of the centre. Call the same number for an ambulance.

Police station ( 0942 61 02 01; Corso Umberto 219)

Post office (Piazza Sant’Antonio Abate)

Tourist office ( 0942 2 32 43; www.gate2taormina.com; Palazzo Corvaja, Corso Umberto; 8.30am-2.15pm & 3.30-6.45pm Mon-Fri, 9am-12.45pm & 4-6.15pm Sat) Busy, well-staffed tourist office.

Getting There & Around

Bus

The bus is the easiest way to reach Taormina. Interbus ( 0942 62 53 01; Via Luigi Pirandello) services leave daily for Messina (€3.90, 55 minutes to 1¾ hours, 10 daily Monday to Saturday, two on Sunday) and Catania (€4.70, 1¼ hours, seven to 11 daily), the latter continuing to Catania’s Fontanarossa airport (€7, 1½ hours).

Car & Motorcycle

Taormina is on the A18 autostrada and the SS114 between Messina and Catania. Driving near the historic centre is a complete nightmare and Corso Umberto is closed to traffic. The most convenient place to leave your car is the Porta Catania car park (per 24hr €15) , at the western end of Corso Umberto. The Lumbi car park north of the centre charges the same rates, but from here you’ll have to walk five minutes or take the free yellow shuttle bus to get to Porta Messina (at the eastern end of Corso Umberto).

California ( 0942 2 37 69; Via Bagnoli Croce 86; Vespa per day/week €30/189, Fiat Panda €60/296) Rents out cars and scooters, just across from the Villa Comunale.

Train

There are regular trains to and from Messina (€3.80, 40 to 75 minutes, hourly) and Catania (€3.80, 40 to 50 minutes, hourly), but the awkward location of Taormina’s station (a steep 4km below town) is a strong disincentive. If you arrive this way, catch a taxi (€15) or an Interbus coach (€1.70) up to the town. Buses run roughly every 30 to 90 minutes (less frequently on Sunday).

Catania

POP 296,000

Catania is a true city of the volcano. Much of it is constructed from the lava that poured down the mountain and engulfed the city in the 1669 eruption in which nearly 12,000 people lost their lives. It is also lava-black in colour, as if a fine dusting of soot permanently covers its elegant buildings, most of which are the work of baroque master Giovanni Vaccarini. He almost single-handedly rebuilt the civic centre into an elegant, modern city of spacious boulevards and set-piece piazzas.

Catania is Sicily’s second commercial city – a thriving, entrepreneurial centre with a large university and a tough, resilient local population that adheres strongly to the motto of carpe diem (seize the day).

Sights

Catania’s sights are concentrated within a few blocks of Piazza del Duomo.

Piazza del Duomo CENTRAL SQUARE

A Unesco World Heritage Site, Catania’s central square is a set piece of sinuous buildings and a grand cathedral, all built in the unique local baroque style, with its contrasting lava and limestone. In the centre of the piazza is Catania’s most memorable monument, and a symbol of the city, the smiling Fontana dell’Elefante Offline map Google map (built in 1736). The statue is crowned by a naive black-lava elephant, dating from the Roman period, surmounted by an improbable Egyptian obelisk. Legend has it that it belonged to the 8th-century magician Eliodorus, who reputedly made his living by turning men into animals. The obelisk is believed to possess magical powers that help to calm Mt Etna’s restless activity. At the piazza’s southwest corner, the Fontana dell’Amenano Offline map Google map fountain marks the entrance to Catania’s fish market and commemorates the Amenano River, which once ran above ground and on whose banks the Greeks first founded the city of Katáne.

Catania

Top Sights

Fontana dell'Elefante C5

Graeco-Roman Theatre & Odeon A5

La Pescheria C5

Teatro Massimo Bellini D4

Sights

1 Castello UrsinoA7

2  Duomo (Cathedral)C5

3  Fontana dell'Amenano C5

4  Food Market B5

5  Museo Belliniano A5

6  Museo Civico B7

7  Roman Amphitheatre B2

Sleeping

8  Agorá Hostel B6

9  B&B Crociferi A3

10  B&B Faro C3

11  BAD C6

12  Il Principe B4

13  Palazzu Stidda B6

Eating

14  Al Cortile Alessi B4

15  Fiaschetteria Biscari D5

16  Grand Cafè Tabbacco C5

17  Osteria Antica Marina B5

18  Trattoria di De FioreD3

19  Trattoria La Paglia B5

Drinking

Agorá Bar (see 8)

20  Energie Cafe B2

21  Nievski Pub B4

22  Tertulia D4

23  Waxy O'Connor's C3

Entertainment

24  Teatro Massimo Bellini D4

Duomo CATHEDRAL

( 095 32 00 44; Piazza del Duomo; 8am-noon & 4-7pm) Catania’s other defence against Mt Etna is St Agata’s cathedral, with its impressive marble facade. Inside the cool, vaulted interior lie the remains of the city’s patron saint, the young virgin Agata, who resisted the advances of the nefarious Quintian (AD 250) and was horribly mutilated. The saint’s jewel-drenched effigy is ecstatically venerated on 5 February in one of Sicily’s largest feste (Click here ).

La Pescheria FISH MARKET

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(Via Pardo; 7am-2pm) The best show in Catania is this bustling fish market, where vendors raucously hawk their wares in Sicilian dialect, while decapitated swordfish cast sidelong glances at you across silvery heaps of sardines on ice. Equally colourful is the adjoining food market Offline map Google map (Via Naumachia; 7am-3pm) , with carcasses of meat, skinned sheep’s heads, strings of sausages, huge wheels of cheese and piles of luscious fruits and vegetables all rolled together in a few noisy, jam-packed alleyways.

Graeco-Roman Theatre & Odeon RUINS

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(Via Vittorio Emanuele II 262; adult/reduced €4/2; 9am-1pm & 2.30pm-1hr before sunset Tue-Sun) These twin theatres west of Piazza del Duomo are the most impressive Graeco-Roman remains in Catania. Both are picturesquely sited in the thick of a crumbling residential neighbourhood, with laundry flapping on the rooftops of vine-covered buildings that appear to have sprouted organically from the half-submerged stage. Adjacent to the main theatre is the Casa Liberti (same admission and opening hours as theatres), an elegantly restored 19th-century palazzo with tiled floors and red wallpaper that now houses two millennia worth of artefacts discovered during excavation of the theatres.

Teatro Massimo Bellini OPERA HOUSE

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( 095 730 61 11; www.teatromassimobellini.it; Via Perrotta 12; guided tours €2; tours 9.30am & 10.30am Tue, Thu & Sat) A few blocks northeast of the duomo , this gorgeous opera house forms the centrepiece of Piazza Bellini. Square and opera house alike were named after composer Vincenzo Bellini, the father of Catania’s vibrant modern musical scene.

Museo Belliniano MUSEUM

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( 095 715 05 35; Piazza San Francesco 3; 9am-1pm Mon-Sat) This small museum houses a collection of memorabilia from the composer’s life.

Museo Civico MUSEUM

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( 095 34 58 30; Piazza Federico II di Svevia; 9am-1pm & 3-7pm Mon-Sat, 8.30am-1.30pm Sun) Housed in the grim-looking 13th-century Castello Ursino, Catania’s civic museum holds the valuable Biscari archaeological collection, an extensive exhibition of paintings, vases and sculpture, and an impressive coin collection.

Villa Bellini PARK

( 8am-8pm) Escape the madding crowd and enjoy the fine views of Mt Etna from these lovely gardens along Via Etnea.

Roman amphitheatre AMPHITHEATRE

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The modest ruins of this Roman theatre, below street level in Piazza Stesicoro, are worth a quick look.

Festivals & Events

Festa di Sant’Agata RELIGIOUS

In Catania’s biggest religious festival (3 to 5 February), one million Catanians follow the Fercolo (a silver reliquary bust of Saint Agata) along the main street of the city accompanied by spectacular fireworks.

Carnevale di Acireale CARNIVAL

(www.carnevalediacireale.it) Nearby Acireale hosts Sicily’s most flamboyant carnival for two weeks every winter. Streets in this baroque coastal resort come alive with gargantuan papier mâché puppets, flowery allegorical floats, confetti and fireworks.

Etnafest ARTS

From July through December, this arts festival brings classical music, puppet shows and a varied program of rock, pop, blues, reggae and jazz concerts to Le Ciminiere.

Sleeping

Catania is served by a good range of reasonably priced accommodations, making it an excellent base for exploring the Ionian coast and Etna.

Palazzu Stidda APARTMENT €

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( 095 34 88 26; www.palazzo-stella.com; Vicolo della Lanterna 5; d €70-100, q €120-140; ) A great option for families, these three delightful apartments on a peaceful dead-end alley have all the comforts of home plus a host of whimsical touches. Apartments 2 and 3 each come with a washing machine, kitchen, high chair and stroller, and ample space for a family of four. Apartment 1 is smaller and costs €10 to €20 less. Each has a flowery mini-balcony, and all are decorated with the owners’ art work, handmade furniture, family heirlooms and vintage finds from local antiques markets. French and English spoken.

B&B Crociferi B&B €

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( 095 715 22 66; www.bbcrociferi.it; Via Crociferi 81; s/d/tr €65/85/110; ) Affording easy access to the animated nightlife of Catania’s historic centre, this B&B in a beautifully decorated family home is one of Catania’s most delightful places to stay. With only three rooms, it fills up fast, so book ahead. Rooms are spacious, with high ceilings, antique tiles, frescoes and artistic accoutrements from the owners’ travels in India. Each room has its own private bathroom across the hall. Mario (who speaks French) offers tours of the coastline in his private boat, while Teresa (who speaks German and English) makes a delicious, varied breakfast.

5 Balconi B&B B&B €

( 095 723 45 34; www.5balconi.it; Via Plebiscito 133; s €30-35, d €50-65, tr €70-75; ) You won’t find a nicer low-end option than this lovingly remodelled antique palazzo in a workaday neighbourhood just south of Castello Ursino. The friendly owners offer three high-ceilinged rooms with a pair of shared bathrooms down the hall, plus a breakfast featuring local organic bread and fresh fruit (delivered to your room upon request). The street out front gets a lot of traffic, but there are views of the castle and Etna in the distance.

BAD B&B €

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( 095 34 69 03; www.badcatania.com; Via C Colombo 24; s €40-55, d €60-80, apt €90-140; ) An uninhibitedly colourful, modern sense of style prevails at this trendy B&B. All rooms feature local art work and TVs with DVD players. The two-level upstairs apartment with full kitchen and private terrace is a fab option for self-caterers, especially since the fish and vegetable markets are right around the corner. Staff is great about suggesting cultural goings-on about town.

Il Principe HOTEL €€

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( 095 250 03 45; www.ilprincipehotel.com; Via Alessi 24; d €109-189, ste €129-209; ) This boutique-style hotel in an 18th-century building features luxurious rooms on one of the liveliest nightlife streets in town (thank goodness for double glazing!). Perks include international cable TV, free wi-fi and fluffy bathrobes to wear on your way to the Turkish steam bath. Check online for regularly updated special rates. More expensive suites have marble bathrooms with Jaccuzis and spiral staircases leading to a second level.

B&B Faro B&B €

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( 349 4578856; www.bebfaro.it; Via San Michele 26; s €50, d €70-80, tr €100; ) A stylish B&B with five upstairs rooms incorporating polished wood floors, double-glazed windows, modern bathroom fixtures, antique tiles and bold colours. The two suites are especially nice, and during slower periods can be booked for the price of a double. Additional perks include free cable internet and bikes for guests’ use. There’s also a studio downstairs where visiting artists are invited to come and paint.

Agorá Hostel HOSTEL €

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( 095 723 30 10; www.agorahostel.com; Piazza Curró 6; dm €18-21, s €25-30, d €50-55; ) The six- to 10-bed dorms can get loud, and the bathrooms are pretty scuzzy, but the free wi-fi, affordable laundry facilities (€3.50 per wash) and super-cool subterranean bar may still be enough to win over budget-minded solo travellers. Self-caterers will appreciate the location near La Pescheria and the larger guest kitchen under construction at research time.

Eating

Popular street snacks in Catania include arancini (fried rice balls filled with meat, cheese, tomatoes and/or peas) and seltz (fizzy water with fresh-squeezed lemon juice and natural fruit syrup). Don’t leave town without trying pasta alla Norma (pasta with basil, eggplant and ricotta), a dish that originated here.

The food market adjacent to La Pescheria is a fantastic place to shop for fruit, cheese, and sandwich fixings (don’t let those staring swordfish intimidate you!).

Trattoria di De Fiore TRATTORIA €

( 095 31 62 83; Via Coppola 24/26; meals €15-25; closed Mon) This neighbourhood trattoria is presided over by septuagenarian chef Mamma Rosanna, who uses organic flour and fresh, local ingredients to recreate her great-grandmother’s recipes, including the best pasta alla Norma you’ll taste anywhere in Sicily. (Rosanna says her grandmother called this dish Mungibeddu – Sicilian dialect for Mt Etna – in honour of Catania’s famous volcano: tomatoes were the red lava, eggplant the black cinders, ricotta the snow and basil leaves the mountain vegetation.) Service is slow and the door doesn’t always open promptly at 1pm, but food like this is well worth waiting for. Don’t miss the zeppoline di ricotta (sweet ricotta fritters dusted with powdered sugar), a dessert invented by Rosanna herself.

Fiaschetteria Biscari SICILIAN €€

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( 095 093 27 61; Via Museo Biscari 8; meals €35-45; closed 1 variable day per week) In the former stables of Palazzo Biscari, this wonderfully atmospheric wine bar and restaurant places a high value on quality; the menu is built around ultra-fresh ingredients from the nearby fish and produce markets.

Osteria Antica Marina SEAFOOD €€

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( 095 34 81 97; Via Pardo 29; meals €35-45; closed Wed) This rustic but classy trattoria behind the fish market is the place to come for seafood. A variety of tasting menus showcases everything from swordfish to scampi, cuttlefish to calamari. Decor-wise think solid wooden tables and rough stone walls. Reservations are essential.

Trattoria La Paglia TRATTORIA €

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( 095 34 68 38; Via Pardo 23; meals €15-25; closed Sun) Lacking the lustre and the higher prices of its next-door neighbour, this simple trattoria offers dependably fresh seafood and an in-your-face view of the action around La Pescheria market.

Al Cortile Alessi PIZZERIA €

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( 095 31 54 44; Via Alessi 28; pizzas €6-9; 8pm-1am Tue-Sun) Catanians of all ages – but especially students – flock here on weekend evenings, drawn by the excellent pizzas, draft beer, relaxed atmosphere and outdoor courtyard overhung with banana trees.

Grand Cafè Tabbacco PASTRIES & CAKES €

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(Via Etnea 28; 7am-midnight) Perfect for people-watching during the passeggiata (evening stroll), this old-style pasticceria (pastry shop) has sumptuous display cases and outdoor seating on lively Via Etnea, just north of Piazza del Duomo.

Drinking

Not surprisingly for a busy university town, Catania has a reputation for its effervescent nightlife. Fun streets for bar-hopping include (from west to east) Via Alessi, Via Collegiata, Via Vasta, Via Mancini, Via Montesano, Piazza Spirito Santo and Via Teatro Massimo.

Tertulia BOOKSHOP-CAFE

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( 095 715 26 03; Via Michele Rapisardi 1-3; 10am-1am Mon-Sat, 5pm-1am Sun) This bookshop-cafe with a stylish teahouse atmosphere hosts occasional live music, plus literary evenings and book presentations.

Agorá Bar BAR

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(www.agorahostel.com; Piazza Curró 6) This super-atmospheric bar occupies a neon-lit cave 18m below ground, complete with its own subterranean river. The Romans used it as a spa; nowadays a cosmopolitan crowd lingers over late-night drinks.

Nievski Pub PUB

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(Scalinata Alessi 15; 8pm-2am Tue-Sun) Popular with Catania’s alternative crowd, this place serves affordable food and alcohol with a slightly arch attitude. At night the beer flows freely as students gather on the steps outside.

Energie Cafe BAR-CAFE

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(Via Monte Sant’Agata 10) A slick urban cafe with kaleidoscopic ’70s-inspired decor, streetside seating and laid-back jazz-infused tunes.

Waxy O’Connor’s PUB

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(Piazza Spirito Santo 1) One of two Irish pubs on this street, where revellers down pints of Guinness on the sidewalk while listening to occasional live music.

Entertainment

Pick up a copy of Lapis, a free bi-weekly program of music, theatre and art available throughout the city.

Teatro Massimo Bellini OPERA HOUSE

( 095 730 61 11; www.teatromassimobellini.it; Via Perrotta 12; Oct-May) Ernesto Basile’s gorgeous art nouveau theatre stages opera, ballet and music concerts.

Zò CULTURAL CENTRE

( 095 53 38 71; www.zoculture.it; Piazzale Asia 6) Catania’s renovated former sulphur works, Le Ciminiere, now house this very cool cultural centre featuring films, live music, dancing, and a bar-cafe-restaurant serving good food.

Information

Banks with ATMs are concentrated around Piazza del Duomo and along Via Etnea.

Internetteria (Via Penninello 44; per hr €2; 9am-11pm Mon-Fri, 5-10pm Sat, 4-10pm Sun) Fast internet, wi-fi and a great little bar-cafe.

Municipal tourist office ( 095 742 55 73; bureau.turismo@comune.catania.it; Via Vittorio Emanuele 172; 8.15am-1pm & 2-7pm Mon-Sat)

Ospedale Vittorio Emanuele ( 091 743 54 52; Via Plebiscito 628) Has a 24-hour emergency doctor.

Police station ( 095 736 71 11; Piazza Santa Nicolella)

Post office (Via Etnea 215)

Getting There & Away

Air

Catania’s airport, Fontanarossa ( 095 723 91 11; www.aeroporto.catania.it) , is 7km southwest of the city centre. To get there, take the special Alibus 457 (€1, 30 minutes, every 20 minutes) from outside the train station. Etna Transporti/Interbus ( 095 53 03 96; www.interbus.it) also runs a regular shuttle from the airport to Taormina (€7, 1½ hours, six to 11 daily). All the main car-hire companies are represented here.

Boat

The ferry terminal is located southwest of the train station along Via VI Aprile.

Virtu Ferries ( 095 53 57 11; www.virtuferries.com) runs direct ferries from Catania to Malta (passenger €50 to €108, car €59 to €117, three hours) every Saturday from May through September, with more frequent service to Malta via the southern port of Pozzallo (four hours including connecting coach from Catania to Pozzallo). Fares quoted above are one-way; substantial discounts are offered for return travel.

TTT Lines ( 800 915365, 095 34 85 86; www.tttlines.it) runs nightly ferries from Catania to Naples (seat €38 to €60, cabin per person €52 to €165, car €75 to €115, 11 hours).

Bus

All intercity buses terminate in the area just north of Catania’s train station. AST buses leave from Piazza Giovanni XXIII; buy tickets at Bar Terminal on the west side of the square. Interbus/Etna and SAIS leave from a terminal one block further north, with their ticket offices diagonally across the street on Via d’Amico.

Interbus ( 095 53 03 96; www.interbus.it; Via d’Amico 187) runs bus services:

Taormina (€4.70, 1¼ to two hours, eight to 17 daily)

Syracuse (€5.70, 1½ hours, hourly Monday to Friday, fewer on weekends)

Ragusa (€7.50, two hours, five to 10 daily)

SAIS ( 095 53 61 68; www.saisautolinee.it, www.saistrasporti.it; Via d’Amico 181) also runs services:

Palermo (€14.20, 2¾ hours, hourly Monday to Saturday, nine on Sunday)

Agrigento (€12.40, three hours, nine to 15 daily)

Messina (€7.70, 1½ hours, hourly Monday to Saturday, nine on Sunday)

Rome (€47, 11 hours) Overnight service.

AST ( 095 723 05 35; www.aziendasicilianatrasporti.it; Via Luigi Sturzo 230) runs to many smaller towns around Catania.

Nicolosi (€2.20, 50 to 80 minutes, hourly) At the foot of Mt Etna.

Car & Motorcycle

Catania is easily reached from Messina on the A18 autostrada and from Palermo on the A19. From the autostrada, signs for the centre of Catania will bring you to Via Etnea.

Train

The private Ferrovia Circumetnea train circles Mt Etna, stopping at towns and villages on the volcano’s slopes.

From Catania Centrale station on Piazza Papa Giovanni XXIII there are frequent trains.

Messina (€6.80, 1¾ hours, hourly)

Syracuse (€6.20, 1¼ hours, nine daily)

Agrigento (€10.20, 3¾ hours) Two direct daily.

Palermo (€12.30, three hours) One direct daily.

Getting Around

Several useful AMT city buses ( 095 751 96 11; www.amt.ct.it, in Italian) terminate in front of the train station, including buses 1-4 and 4-7 (both running from the station to Via Etnea every half hour or so) and Alibus 457 (station to airport every 20 minutes). A 90-minute ticket costs €1. From mid-June to mid-September, a special service (bus D-Est) runs from Piazza Raffaello Sanzio to the local beaches.

For drivers, some words of warning: there are complicated one-way systems around the city and the centre has now been pedestrianised, which means parking is scarce.

Catania’s one-line metro currently has six stops, with more under construction. For tourists, it’s mainly useful as a way to get from the central train station to the Circumetnea train that goes around Mt Etna. Tickets cost €1.

For a taxi, call Radio Taxi Catania ( 095 33 09 66) .

Mt Etna

ELEV 3329M

Dominating the landscape of eastern Sicily and visible from the moon (if you happen to be there), Mt Etna is Europe’s largest volcano and one of the world’s most active. Eruptions occur frequently, both from the volcano’s four summit craters and from its slopes, which are littered with fissures and old craters. The volcano’s most devastating eruptions occurred in 1669 and lasted 122 days. Lava poured down Etna’s southern slope, engulfing much of Catania and dramatically altering the landscape. More recently, in 2002, lava flows from Mt Etna caused an explosion in Sapienza, destroying two buildings and temporarily halting cable- car service. Less destructive eruptions have continued to occur regularly over the past decade, with 2011 seeing several dramatic instances of lava fountaining – vertical jets of lava spewing from the mountain’s southeastern flank. Locals understandably keep a close eye on the smouldering peak.

The volcano is surrounded by the huge Parco dell’Etna, the largest unspoilt wilderness remaining in Sicily. The park encompasses a remarkable variety of environments, from the severe, almost surreal, summit to deserts of lava and alpine forests.

Sights & Activities

The southern approach to Mt Etna presents the easier ascent to the craters . The AST bus from Catania drops you off at Rifugio Sapienza (1923m) from where Funivia dell’Etna ( 095 91 41 41; www.funiviaetna.com; cable car one way/return €14.50/27, incl bus & guide €51; 9am-4.30pm) runs a cable car up the mountain to 2500m. From the upper cable car station it’s a 3½- to four-hour return trip up the winding track to the authorised crater zone (2920m). Make sure you leave yourself enough time to get up and down before the last cable car leaves at 4.45pm. Alternatively, you can pay the extra €24 for a guided 4WD tour to take you up from the cable car to the crater zone.

An alternative ascent is from Piano Provenzano (1800m) on Etna’s northern flank. This area was severely damaged during the 2002 eruptions, as still evidenced by the bleached skeletons of the surrounding pine trees. Regular 4WD excursions climb to the summit from here (around €40 per person). To reach Piano Provenzano you’ll need a car, as there’s no public transport beyond Linguaglossa, 16km away.

Tours

Several companies offer private excursions up the mountain.

Volcano Trek CLIMBING TOURS

( 333 2096604; www.volcanotrek.com) Run by expert geologists.

Siciltrek CLIMBING TOURS

( 095 96 88 82; www.siciltrek.it, in German) Run by multilingual Swiss guide Andrea Ercolani.

Gruppo Guide Alpine Etna Sud CLIMBING TOURS

( 095 791 47 55; www.etnaguide.com, in Italian) The official guide service on Etna’s southern flank, with an office just below Rifugio Sapienza.

Gruppo Guide Alpine Etna Nord CLIMBING TOURS

( 095 777 45 02; www.guidetnanord.com) Offers similar service from Linguaglossa on Etna’s northern flank.

Sleeping & Eating

There’s plenty of B&B accommodation around Mt Etna, particularly in the small, pretty town of Nicolosi. Contact Nicolosi’s tourist information office for a full list.

Rifugio Sapienza MOUNTAIN CHALET €€

( 095 91 53 21; www.rifugiosapienza.com; Piazzale Funivia; per person B&B/half-board/full board €55/75/90) As close to the summit as you can get, this place adjacent to the cable car offers comfortable accommodation with a good restaurant.

Information

Catania’s downtown tourist office provides information about Etna, as do several offices on the mountain itself.

Etna Sud tourist office ( 095 91 63 56; 9am- 4pm) Near the summit at Rifugio Sapienza.

Parco dell’Etna Offline map Google map ( 095 82 11 11; www.parcoetna.ct.it, in Italian; Via del Convento 45; 9am-2pm & 4-7.30pm) In Nicolosi, on Etna’s southern side.

Proloco Linguaglossa ( 095 64 30 94; www.prolocolinguaglossa.it, in Italian; Piazza Annunziata 5; 9am-1pm & 4-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am-noon Sun) In Linguaglossa, on Etna’s northern side.

Getting There & Away

Bus

AST ( 095 723 05 35) runs daily buses from Catania to Rifugio Sapienza (one way/return €3.40/5.60, one hour). Buses leave from the car park opposite Catania’s train station at 8.15am, travelling via Nicolosi, and return at 4.45pm.

Train

You can circle Etna on the private Ferrovia Circumetnea (FCE; 095 54 12 50; www.circumetnea.it; Via Caronda 352a) train line. Catch the metro from Catania’s main train station to the FCE station at Via Caronda (metro stop Borgo) or take bus 429 or 432 going up Via Etnea and ask to be let off at the Borgo metro stop.

The train follows a 114km trail around the base of the volcano, providing fabulous views. It also passes through many of Etna’s unique towns such as Adrano, Bronte and Randazzo (one way/return €4.85/7.80, two hours).

SYRACUSE & THE SOUTHEAST

This is a region of river valleys, fields of olive, almond and citrus trees and magnificent ruins. Within the evocative stone-walled checkerboard lies a series of handsome towns: Ragusa, Modica and Noto. Shattered by a devastating earthquake in 1693, they were rebuilt in the ornate and much-lauded Sicilian baroque style that lends the region a honey-coloured cohesion and collective beauty. Writer Gesualdo Bufalino described the southeast as an ‘island within an island’ and, certainly, this pocket of Sicily has a remote, genteel air – a legacy of its glorious Greek heritage.

Syracuse

POP 123,800

A dense tapestry of overlapping cultures and civilisations, Syracuse is one of Sicily’s most visited cities. Boosted by EU funding, derelict landmarks and ancient buildings lining the slender streets are being aesthetically restored. Settled by colonists from Corinth in 734 BC, Syracuse was considered to be the most beautiful city of the ancient world, rivalling Athens in power and prestige. Under the demagogue Dionysius the Elder, the city reached its zenith, attracting luminaries such as Livy, Plato, Aeschylus and Archimedes, and cultivating the sophisticated urban culture that was to see the birth of comic Greek theatre.

As the sun set on Ancient Greece, Syracuse became a Roman colony and was looted of its treasures. While modern-day Syracuse lacks the drama of Palermo and the energy of Catania, the ancient island neighbourhood of Ortygia continues to seduce visitors with its atmospheric squares, narrow alleyways and lovely waterfront, while the Parco Archaeologico della Neapolis, 2km across town, remains one of Sicily’s great classical treasures.

Syracuse’s train and bus stations are a block apart from each other, halfway between Ortygia and the archaeological park.

Sights

ORTYGIA

Duomo DUOMO

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( Piazza del Duomo; 8am-7pm) Despite its baroque veneer, the Greek essence of Syracuse is everywhere in evidence, from the formal civility of the people to disguised architectural relics. The most obvious of these is Syracuse’s cathedral, a Greek temple that was converted into a church when the island was evangelised by St Paul. The sumptuous baroque facade, designed by Andrea Palma, barely hides the Temple of Athena skeleton beneath, and the huge 5th-century-BC Doric columns are still visible both inside and out.

Syracuse

Top Sights

Museo Archeologico Paolo Orsi C1

Teatro Greco A1

Sights

1  Anfiteatro Romano A2

2  Ara di Gerone II A2

3  Catacombe di San Giovanni B1

4  Latomia del Paradiso A1

5  Museo del PapiroC1

6  Orecchio di Dionisio A1

7  Parco Archeologico della Neapolis (Ticket Office)B2

Sleeping

8  Lol Hostel B3

Eating

9  Jonico-a Rutta 'e Ciauli D1

10  Red Moon D3

Drinking

11  Bar Zen D1

Fontana Aretusa ANCIENT SPRING

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( Down the winding main street from the cathedral is this ancient spring, where fresh water still bubbles up just as it did in ancient times when it was the city’s main water supply. Legend has it that the goddess Artemis transformed her beautiful handmaiden Aretusa into the spring to protect her from the unwelcome attention of the river god Alpheus. Now populated by ducks, grey mullet and papyrus plants, the fountain is the place to hang out on summer evenings.

Galleria Regionale di Palazzo Bellomo ART GALLERY

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0931 6 95 11; www.regione.sicilia.it/beniculturali/palazzobellomo; Via Capodieci 16; adult/reduced €8/4; 9am-7pm Tue-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun) Just up Via Capodieci from the fountain is this art museum, housed in a 13th-century Catalan-Gothic palace. The eclectic collection ranges from early Byzantine and Norman stonework to 19th-century Caltagirone ceramics; in between, there’s a good range of medieval religious paintings and sculpture.

Castello Maniace CASTLE

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( 0931 46 44 20; adult/reduced €4/2; 9.30am-1pm Tue-Sun) Guarding the island’s southern tip, Ortygia’s 13th-century castle is a lovely place to wander, gaze out over the water and contemplate Syracuse’s past glories. It also hosts occasional rotating exhibitions.

Ortygia

Top Sights

Duomo (Cathedral)C4

Fontana Aretusa B5

Sights

1  Castello Maniace C6

2  Galleria Regionale di Palazzo BellomoC4

Sleeping

3  Alla Giudecca D4

4  B&B Aretusa C5

5  B&B dei Viaggiatori, Viandanti e Sognatori C4

6  Hotel Gutkowski C2

7  Hotel Roma C4

Eating

8  Le Vin de l'Assassin C4

9  Piano B A2

10  Sicilia in Tavola B3

11  Taberna Sveva C5

Drinking

12  Bar San Rocco C4

Entertainment

13  Piccolo Teatro dei Pupi C3

Shopping

14  Circo Fortuna D3

15  Galleria Bellomo B5

16  Massimo Izzo C3

La Giudecca NEIGHBOURHOOD

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Simply walking through Ortygia’s tangled maze of alleys is an atmospheric experience, especially down the narrow lanes of Via Maestranza , the heart of the old guild quarter, and the crumbling Jewish ghetto of Via della Giudecca . At the Alla Giudecca hotel you can visit an ancient Jewish miqwe (ritual bath; 0931 2 22 55; Via Alagona 52; hourly tours €5; 11am, noon, 4pm, 5pm & 6pm Mon-Sat, 11am & noon Sun) some 20m below ground level. Blocked up in 1492 when the Jewish community was expelled from Ortygia, the baths were rediscovered during renovation work at the hotel.

MAINLAND SYRACUSE

Parco Archaeologico della Neapolis ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

( 0931 6 50 68; Viale Paradis; adult/reduced €9/4.50; 9am-1hr before sunset, to 4.30pm during theatre festival) For the classicist, Syracuse’s real attraction is this archaeological park, with its pearly white, 5th-century-BC Teatro Greco , hewn out of the rock above the city. This theatre saw the last tragedies of Aeschylus (including The Persians ), which were first performed here in his presence. In summer it is brought to life again with an annual season of classical theatre ( Click here ).

Just beside the theatre is the mysterious Latomia del Paradiso Offline map Google map , deep, precipitous limestone quarries out of which the stone for the ancient city was extracted. These quarries, riddled with catacombs and filled with citrus and magnolia trees, are where the 7000 survivors of the war between Syracuse and Athens in 413 BC were imprisoned. The Orecchio di Dionisio (Ear of Dionysius), a grotto 23m by 3m deep, was named by Caravaggio after the tyrant, who is said to have used the almost perfect acoustics of the quarry to eavesdrop on his prisoners.

Back outside this area you’ll find the entrance to the 2nd-century AD Anfiteatro Romano Offline map Google map , originally used for gladiatorial combats and horse races. The Spaniards, little interested in archaeology, largely destroyed the site in the 16th century, using it as a quarry to build Ortygia’s city walls. West of the amphitheatre is the 3rd-century-BC Ara di Gerone II Offline map Google map , a monolithic sacrificial altar to Heron II where up to 450 oxen could be killed at one time.

To reach the park, take bus 1, 3 or 12 from Ortygia’s Piazza Pancali and get off at the corner of Corso Gelone and Viale Teocrito. Alternatively, the walk from Ortygia will take about 30 minutes. If driving, you can park along Viale Augusto (tickets available at the nearby souvenir kiosks).

Museo Archeologico Paolo Orsi MUSEUM

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( 0931 46 40 22; Viale Teocrito; adult/reduced €8/4; 9am-6pm Tue-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun) In the grounds of Villa Landolina, about 500m east of the archaeological park, the wheelchair-accessible museum contains one of Sicily’s largest, best organised and most interesting archaeological collections. Allow plenty of time to get through the museum’s four distinct sectors; serious archaeology buffs may even want to consider splitting their visit into two days.

Museo del Papiro MUSEUM

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( 0931 6 16 16; museodelpapiro.it; Viale Teocrito 66; 9am-1pm Tue-Sun) This small museum includes papyrus documents and products, boats and an English-language film about the history of papyrus. The plant grows in abundance around the Ciane River, near Syracuse, and was used to make paper in the 18th century.

Catacombe di San Giovanni CATACOMB

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( 0931 6 46 94; adult/reduced €6/4; half-hourly tours 9.30am-12.30pm & 2.30-5.30pm) A block north of the archaeological museum, this vast labyrinth of 10,000 underground tombs dates back to Roman times. A 30-minute guided tour ushers visitors through the catacombs as well as the atmospheric ruins of the Basilica di San Giovanni, Syracuse’s earliest cathedral.

Activities

Beaches BEACHES

In midsummer, when Ortygia steams like a cauldron, people flock to the beaches south of town at Arenella (take bus 23 from Piazza della Posta) and Fontane Bianche (bus 21 or 22); note that there are charges on certain sections. From mid-June to September, there’s also great sunbathing (for a fee) and diving off the rocks – but no sand to lay your towel on – adjacent to Bar Zen (Click here ), 2km north of Ortygia.

Festivals & Events

Ciclo di Rappresentazioni Classiche THEATRE FESTIVAL

(Festival of Greek Theatre; www.indafondazione.org) Syracuse boasts the only school of classical Greek drama outside Athens, and in May and June it hosts live performances of Greek plays (in Italian) at the Teatro Greco, attracting Italy’s finest performers. Tickets (€26 to €62) are available online, from the Via Cavour office in Ortygia or at the ticket booth outside the theatre.

Festa di Santa Lucia RELIGIOUS

On 13 December, the enormous silver statue of the city’s patron saint wends its way from the cathedral to Piazza Santa Lucia accompanied by fireworks.

Sleeping

Stay on Ortygia for atmosphere. Cheaper accommodations are located around the train station.

Villa dei Papiri AGRITURISMO €€

( 0931 72 13 21; www.villadeipapiri.it; Contrada Cozzo Pantano, Fonte Ciane; d €70-132, 2-person ste €105-154, 4-person ste €140-208; ) Immersed in an Eden of orange groves and papyrus reeds 8km outside Syracuse, this lovely agriturismo sits next to the Fonte Ciana spring immortalised in Ovid’s Metamorphosis . Eight family suites are housed in a beautifully converted 19th-century farmhouse, with double rooms dotted around the lush grounds. Breakfast is served in a baronial stone-walled hall, and there are plenty of other perks to keep guests in a holiday mood, including river excursions, bike rentals and an open-door policy towards pets.

B&B dei Viaggiatori, Viandanti e Sognatori B&B €

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( 0931 2 47 81; www.bedandbreakfastsicily.it; Via Roma 156; s €35-50, d €55-70; ) An old palazzo at the end of Via Roma cradles this lovely B&B. Rooms are colourfully and stylishly decorated, with super-comfy beds. The sunny roof terrace with sweeping sea views makes a perfect breakfast spot.

Alla Giudecca HOTEL €€

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( 0931 2 22 55; www.allagiudecca.it; Via Alagona 52; s €60-100, d €80-120; ) Located in the old Jewish quarter, this charming hotel boasts 23 suites with warm terracotta-tiled floors, exposed wood beams and lashings of heavy white linen. The communal areas are a warren of vaulted rooms full of museum-quality antiques and enormous tapestries, and feature cosy sofas gathered around huge fireplaces.

Hotel Gutkowski HOTEL €€

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( 0931 46 58 61; www.guthotel.it; Lungomare Vittorini 26; s €80-90, d €110; ) Book well in advance for one of the seven sea-view rooms at this charming and friendly hotel on the Ortygia waterfront. Rooms in the original hotel have pretty tiled floors, colourful walls, and retain the building’s historic character, while those in the annexe down the street have a more modern feel. There’s a nice rooftop sun terrace with sea views, and a cosy internet area with fireplace.

Lol Hostel HOSTEL €

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( 0931 46 50 88; www.lolhostel.com; Via Francesco Crispi 94; dm €20-26, d €60-75; ) Around the corner from the train station, this modern, well-kept hostel with its variable-sized dorms and two doubles is a good bet for solo travellers. The pleasant common spaces include an open, airy guest kitchen, an outdoor patio and a sprawling lounge and bar area with four guest computers. It’s 10 minutes on foot to Ortygia, or five minutes with one of the hostel’s rental bikes.

B&B Aretusa APARTMENTS €

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( 0931 48 34 84; www.aretusavacanze.com; Vicolo Zuccalà 1; d €67-86, tr €82-115, q €105-140; ) This great budget option, elbowed into a tiny pedestrian street, has large rooms and apartments with kitchenettes, computers, satellite TV and small balconies.

Hotel Roma HOTEL €€

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( 0931 46 56 26; www.hotelromasiracusa.it; Via Roma 66; s €75-105, d €105-149; ) Within steps of Piazza del Duomo, this restored palazzo has rooms with parquet floors, oriental rugs, wood-beam ceilings and tasteful art work, plus free bike use, a gym and a sauna.

Eating

Ortygia is teeming with atmospheric eateries, although many are touristy and overpriced; you’ll generally find better value on the mainland.

Le Vin de l’Assassin FRENCH €€

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( 0931 6 61 59; Via Roma 115; snacks €7-15, meals €25-35; dinner Tue-Sat, lunch & dinner Sun) This gay-friendly French-run bistrot provides a classy break from standard Sicilian fare. Offerings scrawled on the chalkboard include French classics like quiche lorraine and croque-monsieur , Breton oysters, salads with impeccable vinaigrette dressing, a host of meat and fish mains and a splendid millefoglie of eggplant and sweet red peppers. It’s also a perfect late-night stop for wine by the glass or one of its homemade, over-the-top creamy and chocolatey desserts.

Red Moon SEAFOOD €

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( 0931 6 03 56; Riva Porto Lachio 36; meals €25; lunch & dinner Thu-Tue) Serving some of the best seafood in Syracuse under its tented octagonal roof, this reasonably priced family-run place on the mainland makes a pleasant refuge from Ortygia’s well-worn tourist track. Start with spaghetti ai ricci (spaghetti with sea urchin roe), move on to fritto misto (fried shrimp and squid) or grilled fish from the case, then finish with a refreshing lemon sorbet.

Taberna Sveva SICILIAN €€

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( 0931 2 46 63; Piazza Federico di Svevia; meals €25-35; closed Wed) This charming tavern has a cosy terrace on a peaceful cobblestoned square, down near the castle at Ortygia’s southern tip. Food is top-notch, from primi like gnocchi al pistacchio (with olive oil, Parmesan, pepper, garlic and grated pistachios) to a delicious tiramisu to wrap things up.

Jonico-a Rutta ‘e Ciauli SICILIAN €€

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( 0931 6 55 40; Riviera Dionisio il Grande 194; pizzas €4-7, meals €25-35; closed Tue Oct-May) Inconveniently located but worth the trek or taxi ride on a sunny afternoon, Jonico’s open-air terrace has spectacular views of blue-green sea and sandstone cliffs, while the all-Sicilian menu features pizza at night plus seafood mains such as orata c’aranci (gilthead with orange juice, orange peel and black pepper).

Sicilia in Tavola SICILIAN €

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( 392 4610889; Via Cavour 28; pasta €7-12; closed Mon) This tiny place with a dozen tables specialises in seafood appetisers and fresh pasta dishes. For dessert, try its bicchierino (a sinfully delicious blend of ricotta, chocolate, pistachios and almonds).

Piano B PIZZERIA €

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( 0931 6 68 51; Via Cairoli 18; pizza €5-9.50, salads €5.50-15, grilled meat €15-22; closed Mon) Brisk, friendly service complements the trendy, casual atmosphere at this new eatery just west of Ortygia. It’s popular with young Syracusans for its pizzas, grilled meat and extensive salad menu.

Drinking & Entertainment

Syracuse is a vibrant university town, which means plenty of life on the streets after nightfall.

Bar San Rocco BAR

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( Piazzetta San Rocco) Heaving till the wee hours, this is the most popular of a cluster of bars with tables sprawled across bustling Piazzetta San Rocco, just south of Piazza del Duomo.

Bar Zen BAR

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( 9am-midnight mid-Jun–Sep ) At this seaside bar affiliated with Jonico restaurant, you can plunge off the rocks and sunbathe all day, then retire to the outdoor deck for evening drinks and live music.

Piccolo Teatro dei Pupi PUPPET THEATRE

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( 0931 46 55 40; www.pupari.com; Via della Giudecca 17) Syracuse’s thriving puppet theatre hosts regular performances; see its website for a calendar. You can also buy puppets at its workshop next door.

Shopping

Ortygia is full of quirky little shops.

Circo Fortuna CERAMICS

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( www.circofortuna.it; Via dei Tolomei 20) Produces whimsical ceramics.

Massimo Izzo JEWELLERY

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( www.massimoizzo.com; Piazza Archimede 25 ) Specialising in jewellery handcrafted from Sciacca coral and gold.

Galleria Bellomo CARDS

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( www.bellomogalleria.com; Via Capodieci 15) For a more affordable souvenir, check out the hand-painted cards made from local papyrus.

Information

There are numerous banks with ATMs throughout the city.

Biblios Café Offline map ( Via del Consiglio Reginale 11; internet per hr €3, unlimited wireless €2; 10am-1.30pm & 5-9pm, closed Wed & Sun mornings) One internet computer, plus wireless access at this comfortable bookstore-cafe.

Ospedale Umberto I ( 0931 72 40 33; Via Testaferrata 1)

Police station Offline map ( 0931 6 51 76; Piazza S Giuseppe)

Post office Offline map ( Via dei Santi Coronati 22)

Tourist office ( 0800 05 55 00; infoturismo@provsr.it; Via Roma 31, Ortygia; 9am-7pm) English-speaking staff, city maps and lots of good information.

Getting There & Away

Bus

Long-distance buses operate from the bus stop ( Offline map ) along Corso Umberto, just east of Syracuse’s train station. Interbus ( 0931 6 67 10; www.interbus.it) runs buses to Catania (€5.70, 1½ hours, 19 daily Monday to Saturday, eight on Sunday) and its airport, and Palermo (€11, 3¼ hours, two to three daily).

AST ( 0931 46 27 11; www.aziendasicilianatrasporti.it) offers services to Noto (€3.20, 55 minutes, 10 daily Monday to Saturday, two on Sunday) and Ragusa (€6.60, 2¾ hours, seven daily Monday to Saturday, one on Sunday).

Car & Motorcycle

The modern A18 and SS114 highways connect Syracuse with Catania and points north. Arriving by car, exit onto the eastbound SS124 and follow signs to Syracuse and Ortygia.

Traffic on Ortygia is restricted; you’re better off parking and walking once you arrive on the island. The large Talete parking garage on Ortygia’s north side is a bargain – free between 5am and 9pm, and only €1 for overnight parking.

Train

From Syracuse’s train station ( Offline map Via Francesco Crispi) , several trains depart daily for Messina (InterCity/regional train €16.50/9.50, 2½ to 3¼ hours) via Catania (€8.50/6.20, 1¼ hours). Some go on to Rome, Turin and Milan as well as other long-distance destinations. For Palermo, the bus is a better option. There are also local trains from Syracuse to Noto (€3.30, 30 minutes) and Ragusa (€7.50, 2¼ hours).

Getting Around

For travel between the bus and train stations and Ortygia, catch the free AST shuttle bus 20 (every 20 to 60 minutes). To reach Parco Archeologico della Neapolis from Ortygia, take AST city bus 1, 3 or 12 (two-hour ticket €1.10), departing from Ortygia’s Piazza Pancali.

Noto

POP 23,900 / ELEV 160M

Flattened in 1693 by an earthquake, Noto was grandly rebuilt by its nobles. The town’s complex of golden-hued sandstone buildings is now a Unesco World Heritage Site and the finest baroque town in Sicily, especially impressive at night when illuminations accentuate the beauty of its intricately carved facades. The baroque masterpiece is the work of Rosario Gagliardi and his assistant, Vincenzo Sinatra, local architects who also worked in Ragusa and Modica.

On 16 March 1996 the town was horrified when the roof and dome of the cathedral collapsed during a thunderstorm – luckily it was 10.30pm and the cathedral was empty. In 2007 the cathedral finally reopened after lengthy reconstruction.

Sights

San Nicoló Cathedral stands in the centre of Noto’s most graceful square, Piazza Municipio, surrounded by elegant town houses such as Palazzo Ducezio (Town Hall) and Palazzo Landolina, once home to Noto’s oldest noble family.

Recently restored to its former glory and open to visitors is the Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata ( 320 5568038; www.palazzonicolaci.it, in Italian; Via Nicolaci; adult/reduced €4/2; 10am-1pm & 3-7.30pm) , where wrought-iron balconies are supported by a swirling pantomime of grotesque figures. Although empty of furnishings, its richly brocaded walls and frescoed ceilings give an idea of the sumptuous lifestyle of Sicilian nobles.

Two other piazzas break up the long Corso Vittorio Emanuele: Piazza dell’Immacolata to the east and Piazza XVI Maggio to the west. The latter is overlooked by the beautiful Chiesa di San Domenico and the adjacent Dominican monastery, both designed by Rosario Gagliardi. On the same square, Noto’s elegant 19th-century Teatro Comunale is worth a look, as is the Sala degli Specchi (Hall of Mirrors), opposite the duomo in the Palazzo Ducezio (admission to either €2, combined ticket €3; 9.30am-1.30pm & 2.30-6.30pm) . For sweeping rooftop views of Noto’s baroque splendour, climb the campanile (bell tower) at Chiesa di San Carlo al Corso (admission €2; 9am-12.30pm & 4-7pm) or Chiesa di Santa Chiara (admission €1.50; 9.30am-1pm & 3-7pm) .

Festivals & Events

Noto’s colourful two-week-long flower festival, Infiorata , is celebrated in mid- to late May with parades, historical re-enactments and a public art project in which artists decorate the length of Via Corrada Nicolaci with designs made entirely of flower petals.

Sleeping

B&Bs are plentiful in Noto; the tourist office keeps a detailed list.

La Corte del Sole RURAL INN €€

( 320 820210; www.lacortedelsole.it; Contrada Bucachemi; d €84-206; ) A few kilometres downhill from Noto, overlooking the Vendicari bird sanctuary, is this lovely rural retreat set around a central courtyard. The best of the 34 ceramic-clad, wood-beamed rooms overlook the pool and cost only €8 extra. Other amenities include an in-house restaurant, a lovely breakfast area built around an ancient olive-oil press, bike hire, cooking courses and a shuttle bus to the nearby beach.

Hotel della Ferla HOTEL €€

( 0931 57 60 07; www.hoteldellaferla.it; Via A Gramsci; s €48-78, d €84-120; ) This friendly family-run hotel in a residential area near the train station offers large, bright rooms with pine furnishings and small balconies, plus free parking.

Ostello Il Castello HOSTEL €

( 320 8388869; www.ostellodinoto.it; Via Fratelli Bandiera 1; dm €16) Directly uphill from the centre, this old-school hostel with eight- to 16-bed dorms commands fabulous views over the duomo and offers great value for money, despite lacking a guest kitchen.

Eating

The people of Noto are serious about their food, so take time to enjoy a meal and follow it up with a visit to one of the town’s excellent ice-cream shops.

Il Liberty MODERN SICILIAN €€

( 0931 57 32 26; Via Cavour 40; meals €27-35 ; closed Mon) The vaulted dining room at this brand-new eatery makes an atmospheric place to sample Milan-trained chef Giuseppe Angelino’s contemporary spin on Sicilian cookery. An excellent local wine list supplements the inspired menu, which moves from superb appetisers like millefoglie – wafer-thin layers of crusty cheese and ground pistachios layered with minty sweet-and-sour vegetables – straight through to desserts like warm cinnamon-ricotta cake with homemade orange compote.

Caffè Sicilia GELATERIA €

( 0931 83 50 13; Corso Vittorio Emanuele 125; desserts from €2) Dating from 1892 and especially renowned for its granite, this beloved place vies with its next-door neighbour, Dolceria Corrado Costanzo, for the honours of Noto’s best dessert shop. Frozen desserts are made with the freshest seasonal ingredients (wild strawberries in springtime, for example) while the delicious torrone (nougat) bursts with the flavours of local honey and almonds.

Ristorante Il Cantuccio MODERN SICILIAN €€

( 0931 83 74 64; Via Cavour 12; meals €30-35; dinner Tue-Sun, lunch Sun) Chef Valentina presents a seasonally changing menu that combines familiar Sicilian ingredients in exciting new ways. Try her exquisite gnocchi al pesto del Cantuccio (ricotta-potato dumplings with basil, parsley, mint, capers, almonds and cherry tomatoes), then move on to memorable main courses such as lemon-stuffed bass with orange-fennel salad.

Trattoria del Crocifisso TRATTORIA €€

( 0931 57 11 51; Via Principe Umberto 48; meals €25-35) This Slow Food–acclaimed trattoria with an extensive wine list is another Noto favourite.

Dolceria Corrado Costanzo PASTRIES & CAKES €

( 0931 83 52 43; Via Silvio Spaventa 9) Just around the corner from Caffè Sicilia, Costanzo is famous for its gelati, torrone , dolci di mandorla (almond sweets) and cassata (with ricotta, chocolate and candied fruit).

Information

Tourist office ( 0931 57 37 79; www.comune.noto.sr.it; Piazza XVI Maggio; 9am-1pm & 3-8pm) An excellent and busy information office with multilingual staff and free maps.

Getting There & Around

Bus From the Giardini Pubblici just east of Noto’s historic centre, AST and Interbus serve Catania (€7.70, 1½ to 2½ hours, 11 to 17 Monday to Saturday, six on Sunday) and Syracuse (€3.20, one hour, 16 to 19 Monday to Saturday, four on Sunday).

Train There’s frequent service to Syracuse (€3.30, 30 minutes, 10 daily except Sunday), but Noto’s station is inconveniently located 1km downhill from the centre.

Modica

POP 55,000 / ELEV 296M

A powerhouse in Grecian times, Modica may have lost its pre-eminent position to Ragusa, but it remains a superbly atmospheric town with its ancient medieval buildings climbing steeply up either side of a deep gorge.

The multilayered town is divided into Modica Alta (Upper Modica) and Modica Bassa (Lower Modica). A devastating flood in 1902 resulted in the wide avenues of Corso Umberto and Via Giarrantana (the river was dammed and diverted), which remain the main axes of the town, lined by palazzi and tiled stone houses.

Sights

Aside from simply wandering the streets and absorbing the atmosphere, a visit to the extraordinary Chiesa di San Giorgio (Modica Alta; 9am-noon & 4-7pm) is a highlight. This church, Gagliardi’s masterpiece, is a vision of pure rococo splendour, a butter-coloured confection perched on a majestic 250-step staircase. Its counterpoint in Modica Bassa is the Cattedrale di San Pietro (Corso Umberto I) , another impressive church atop a rippling staircase lined with life-sized statues of the Apostles.

Sleeping & Eating

The quality-to-price ratio tends to be excellent, making Modica a top destination for discerning travellers.

Villa Quartarella AGRITURISMO €

( 360 654829; www.quartarella.com; Contrada Quartarella; s €40, d €70-80) Spacious rooms and welcoming hosts make this converted villa in the countryside south of Modica the obvious choice for anyone travelling by car. Owners Francesco and Francesca are generous in sharing their love and encyclopaedic knowledge of local history, flora and fauna and can suggest a multitude of driving itineraries in the surrounding area. The delicious, ample breakfasts include everything from home-raised eggs to intriguing Modican sweets.

B&B Il Cavaliere B&B €

( 0932 94 72 19; www.palazzoilcavaliere.it; Corso Umberto I 259; d €70-80, ste €100-120; ) Stay in aristocratic style at this classy B&B in a 19th-century palazzo , just down from the bus station on Modica’s main strip. Standard rooms have less character than the beautiful front suite and the large, high-ceilinged common rooms, which retain original tiled floors and frescoed ceilings. The elegant breakfast room has lovely views of San Giorgio church.

Albergo I Tetti di Siciliando GUESTHOUSE €

( 0932 94 28 43; www.siciliando.it; Via Cannata 24; s €35-40, d €50-70; ) A friendly guesthouse just uphill from Corso Umberto, with bright, artistically decorated rooms and balconies with views.

Taverna Nicastro SICILIAN €

( 0932 94 58 84; Via S Antonino 28, Modica Alta; meals €14-20; dinner Tue-Sat) With over 60 years of history and a Slow Food recommendation, this is one of the upper town’s most authentic and atmospheric restaurants, and a bargain to boot. The carnivore-friendly menu includes grilled meat, boiled veal, lamb stew and pasta specialities such as ricotta ravioli with pork ragù (meat sauce).

Dolceria Bonajuto CHOCOLATE €

( 0932 94 12 25; www.bonajuto.it; Corso Umberto I 159; 9am-1.30pm & 4.30-8.30pm Mon-Sat, 4.30-8.30pm Sun) Sicily’s oldest chocolate factory is the perfect place to taste Modica’s famous chocolate. Flavoured with cinnamon, vanilla, orange peel and even hot peppers, it’s a legacy of the town’s Spanish overlords who imported cocoa from their South American colonies.

Osteria dei Sapori Perduti SICILIAN €

( 0932 94 42 47; Corso Umberto I 228-230; meals €15-21; closed Tue) On Modica’s main drag, this attractive restaurant mixes rustic decor, elegantly dressed waiters, and very reasonable prices on Sicilian specialities like cunigghju â stimpirata (sweet and sour rabbit).

Getting There & Away

Bus Frequent buses run Monday through Saturday from Piazzale Falcone-Borsellino at the top of Corso Umberto I to Syracuse (€6, eight daily), Noto (€3.90, 10 daily) and Ragusa (€2.40, 16 daily); on Sunday, service is limited to two buses in each direction.

Train From Modica’s station, 600m southwest of the centre, there are three trains daily (one on Sunday) to Syracuse (€6.80, 1¾ hours) and six (one on Sunday) to Ragusa (€2.10, 25 minutes).

Ragusa

POP 73,300 / ELEV 502M

Like a grand old dame, Ragusa is a dignified and well-aged provincial town. Like every other town in the region, Ragusa collapsed after the 1693 earthquake; a new town called Ragusa Superiore was built on a high plateau above the original settlement. But the old aristocracy were loath to leave their tottering palazzi and rebuilt Ragusa Ibla on the original site. The two towns were only merged in 1927.

Ragusa Ibla remains the heart and soul of the town, and has all the best restaurants and the majority of sights. A sinuous bus ride or some very steep and scenic steps connect the lower town to its modern sister up the hill.

Sights

Grand churches and palazzi line the twisting, narrow streets of Ragusa Ibla, interspersed with gelaterie and delightful piazzas where the local youth stroll and the elderly gather on benches . Palm-planted Piazza del Duomo, the centre of town, is dominated by the 18th-century Cattedrale di San Giorgio ( 10am-12.30pm & 4-6.30pm) , with its magnificent neoclassical dome and stained-glass windows.

At the eastern end of the old town is the Giardino Ibleo ( 8am-8pm) , a pleasant public garden laid out in the 19th century that is perfect for a picnic lunch.

Sleeping

All places listed here are in Ragusa Ibla, the picturesque lower town.

Risveglio Ibleo GUESTHOUSE €

( 0932 24 78 11; www.risveglioibleo.com; Largo Camerina 3; r per person €35-45; ) Housed in an 18th-century Liberty-style villa, this welcoming place has spacious, high-ceilinged rooms, walls hung with family portraits and a flower-flanked terrace overlooking the rooftops. The older couple who run the place go out of their way to share local culture, including their own homemade culinary delights.

Locanda Don Serafino INN €€

( 0932 22 00 65; www.locandadonserafino.it; Via XI Febbraio 15; s €80-138, d €90-168; ) This historic inn near the duomo has beautiful rooms, some with original vaulted stone ceilings, plus a well-regarded restaurant nearby. For €9 extra, guests get access to the Lido Azzurro beach at Marina di Ragusa, 25km away.

L’Orto Sul Tetto B&B €

( 0932 24 77 85; www.lortosultetto.it; Via Tenente Distefano 56; s €45-59, d €70-100; ) This sweet little B&B behind Ragusa’s duomo offers an intimate experience, with just three rooms and a lovely roof terrace where breakfast is served.

Eating

Quattro Gatti SICILIAN €

( 0932 24 56 12; Via Valverde 95; meals €18; dinner, closed Mon Oct-May & Sun Jun-Sep) This fabulous Sicilian-Slovak-run eatery near the Giardini Iblei serves an amazing four-course fixed-price menu bursting with fresh, local flavours. The antipasti spread is especially memorable, as are the seasonally changing specials scribbled on the blackboard up front. Slovak-inspired offerings such as goulash and apple strudel round out a menu of Sicilian classics. The stone-vaulted rooms make a supremely cosy spot to pass away an evening.

Il Barocco TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €

( 0932 65 23 97; Via Orfanotrofio 29; meals €17-30) This beloved traditional restaurant has an evocative setting in an old stable block, the troughs now filled with wine bottles instead of water. At the enoteca (wine bar) next door, you can taste cheeses and olive oils and purchase other exquisite Sicilian edibles.

Gelati DiVini ICE CREAM €

( 0932 22 89 89; www.gelatidivini.it; Piazza Duomo 20; ice cream from €2; 10am-midnight) This exceptional gelateria makes wine-flavoured ice creams like marsala and muscat, plus unconventional offerings including rose, fennel, wild mint and the surprisingly tasty gocce verdi , made with local olive oil.

Ristorante Duomo GASTRONOMIC €€€

( 0932 65 12 65; Via Capitano Bocchieri 31; meals €90-100, tasting menus €135-140) Hailed by some as Sicily’s best restaurant, Duomo serves nouvelle Sicilian cusine in a quintet of small rooms outfitted like private parlours, ensuring a suitably romantic atmosphere.

Information

Tourist office ( 0932 68 47 80; Piazza della Repubblica; 10am-1pm & 3.30-6.30pm) At the western edge of the lower town.

Getting There & Around

Bus Long-distance and municipal buses share a terminal on Via Zama in the upper town. Buy tickets at the Interbus/Etna kiosk in the main lot or at cafes around the corner. Interbus (www.interbus.it) runs to Catania (€7.50, two hours, six to 10 daily). AST ( 0932 68 18 18; www.aziendasicilianatrasporti.it) serves Syracuse (€6.60, three hours, eight daily Monday to Saturday, two on Sunday) via Modica (€2.40, 30 minutes) and Noto (€4.80, 2¼ hours).

City bus 33 (€1.10) runs hourly between the bus terminal and the lower town of Ragusa Ibla. From the train station, bus 11 (bus 1 on Sundays) makes a similar circuit.

Train There are four daily trains to Syracuse (€7.50, two hours) via Noto (€5.60, 1½ hours).

CENTRAL SICILY & THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST

Central Sicily is a land of vast panoramas, undulating fields, severe mountain ridges and hilltop towns not yet sanitised for tourists. Moving towards the Mediterranean, the perspective changes, as ancient temples jostle for position with modern high-rise apartments outside Agrigento, Sicily’s most lauded classical site and also one of its busier modern cities.

SICILY’S BEST-PRESERVED ROMAN MOSAICS

Near the town of Piazza Armerina in central Sicily is the stunning 3rd-century Roman Villa Romana del Casale ( 0935 68 00 36; museo.villacasale@regione.sicilia.it; adult/reduced €10/5; 9am-6pm) , a Unesco World Heritage Site and one of the few remaining sites of Roman Sicily. This sumptuous hunting lodge is thought to have belonged to Diocletian’s co-emperor Marcus Aurelius Maximianus. Buried under mud in a 12th-century flood, it remained hidden for 700 years before its magnificent floor mosaics were discovered in the 1950s. Visit out of season or early in the day to avoid the hordes of motor-coach tourists.

The mosaics cover almost the entire floor (3500 sq metres) of the villa and are considered unique for their narrative style, the range of subject matter and variety of colour – many are clearly influenced by African themes. Along the eastern end of the internal courtyard is the wonderful Corridor of the Great Hunt , vividly depicting chariots, rhinos, cheetahs, lions and the voluptuously beautiful Queen of Sheba. Across the corridor is a series of apartments, where floor illustrations reproduce scenes from Homer. But perhaps the most captivating of the mosaics is the so-called Room of the Ten Girls in Bikinis , with depictions of sporty girls in scanty bikinis throwing a discus, using weights and throwing a ball; they would blend in well on a Malibu beach. These most famous of Piazza Armerina’s mosaics were off limits to the public due to restoration work as of late 2011, but were scheduled to reopen sometime in 2012.

Travelling by car from Piazza Armerina, follow signs south of town to the SP15, then continue 5km to reach the villa.

Getting here without a car is more challenging. Intercity buses run from Catania (Interbus, €8.30, 1¾ hours) and Enna (SAIS, €3.20, 40 minutes) to Piazza Armerina; from here catch a local bus (€0.70, 30 minutes, summer only) or a taxi (€20) the remaining 5km. For an overnight stay that’s convenient to public transit, Piazza Armerina’s Ostello del Borgo ( 0935 68 70 19; www.ostellodelborgo.it; Largo San Giovanni 6; dm/s/d €17/25/40; ) offers good-value accommodation in a converted monastery.

Agrigento

POP 59,200 / ELEV 230M

Agrigento does not make a good first impression. Seen from a distance, the modern city’s rows of unsightly apartment blocks loom incongruously on the hillside, distracting attention from the splendid Valley of the Temples below, where the ancient Greeks once built their great city of Akragas. Never fear: once you get down among the ruins, their monumentality becomes apparent, and it’s easy to understand how this remarkable complex of temples became Sicily’s pre-eminent travel destination, first put on the tourist map by Goethe in the 18th century.

Three kilometres uphill from the temples, Agrigento’s medieval core is a pleasant place to pass the evening after a day exploring the ruins. The intercity bus and train stations are both in the upper town, within a few blocks of Via Atenea, the main street of the medieval city.

Sights

VALLE DEI TEMPLI

Parco Archeologico ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

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( 0922 49 72 26; adult/reduced/child €8/4/free, incl archaeological museum €10/5/free; 9am-11.30pm Jul & Aug, 9am-7pm Tue-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun & Mon Sep-Jun) Agrigento’s Valley of the Temples is one of Sicily’s premier attractions. A Unesco World Heritage Site, it incorporates a complex of temples and old city walls from the ancient Greek city of Akragas. Despite the name, the five Doric temples stand along a ridge, designed as a beacon to homecoming sailors. The ruins are divided into two main sections, known as the eastern and western zones. Although in varying states of decay, the temples give a tantalising glimpse of what must truly have been one of the most luxurious cities in Magna Graecia. The most scenic time to come is from February to March when the valley is awash with almond blossom. The main entrance to the Valley of the Temples is at Piazzale dei Templi which also has a large car park. There’s a second entrance and ticket office, west of here, at the intersection of Viadotto Akragas and Via Panoramica dei Templi.

Agrigento

Top Sights

Museo Archeologico B3

Tempio della Concordia B4

Tempio di Giove A4

Tempio di Giunone C4

Sights

1  Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Greci A1

2  Giardino della Kolymbetra A4

3  Monastero del Santo Spirito C2

4  Tempio di Castore e Polluce A4

5  Tempio di Ercole B4

6 Valley of the Temples Main EntranceA4

Sleeping

7  Atenea 191 B&B B2

8  Camere a Sud C2

9  PortAtenea D2

10  Villa AthenaB4

Eating

11  Kalòs D3

12  L'Ambasciata di Sicilia B2

13  Ristorante Per Bacco C2

14  Trattoria Concordia C2

Drinking

15  Mojo Wine Bar C2

Entertainment

16  Teatro Pirandello A2

Eastern Zone

East of Via dei Templi are the most spectacular temples, the first of which is the Tempio di Ercole Offline map Google map (Temple of Hercules), built towards the end of the 6th century BC and believed to be the oldest of the temples. Eight of its 38 columns were raised in 1924 to reveal a structure that was roughly the same size as the Parthenon. The magnificent Tempio della Concordia Offline map Google map (Temple of Concord) is the only temple to survive relatively intact. Built around 440 BC, it was transformed into a Christian church in the 6th century. The Tempio di Giunone Offline map Google map (Temple of Juno) stands high on the edge of the ridge, a five-minute walk to the east. Part of its colonnade remains and there’s an impressive sacrificial altar.

Western Zone

Across Via dei Templi, to the west, is what remains of the massive Tempio di Giove Offline map Google map (Temple of Jupiter), never actually completed and now totally in ruins, allowing you to appreciate the sheer size of the rocks. It covered an area of 112m by 56m with columns 20m high. Between the columns stood telamoni (colossal statues), one of which was reconstructed and is now in the Museo Archeologico. A copy lies on the ground among the ruins and gives an idea of the immense size of the structure. Work began on the temple around 480 BC and it was probably destroyed during the Carthaginian invasion in 406 BC. The nearby Tempio di Castore e Polluce Offline map Google map (Temple of Castor and Pollux) was partly reconstructed in the 19th century, although probably using pieces from other constructions.

Tucked into a natural cleft at the far edge of the western zone is the Giardino della Kolymbetra Offline map Google map (adult/reduced €2/1; 10am-6pm Apr-Jun, 10am-7pm Jul-Sep) , a lush garden with more than 300 labelled species of plants and some welcome picnic tables. It’s a lovely spot for a break, but note that the climb back up is steep and tiring in hot weather.

All the temples are atmospherically lit up at night.

Museo Archeologico MUSEUM

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( 0922 4 01 11; Contrada San Nicola; adult/ reduced €6/3; 9am-7pm Tue-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun & Mon) North of the temples, this wheelchair-accessible museum is one of Sicily’s finest, with a huge collection of clearly labelled artefacts from the excavated site. Especially noteworthy are the dazzling displays of Greek painted ceramics and the awe- inspiring reconstructed telamone , a colossal statue recovered from the nearby Tempio di Giove.

MEDIEVAL AGRIGENTO

Roaming the town’s lively, winding streets is relaxing after a day among the temples.

Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Greci CHURCH

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(Salita Santa Maria dei Greci; 9am-12.30pm & 4-6pm Mon-Sat) Uphill from Via Atenea is this 11th-century Norman church built on the site of a 5th-century-BC temple to Athena. Glass floor panels reveal the temple’s foundations, while a narrow passageway left of the church allows you to see the ancient Greek columns.

Monastero del Santo Spirito CONVENT

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This hillside convent was founded by Cistercian nuns at the end of the 13th century. Ring the buzzer at the door marked No 8, and their modern-day counterparts will sell you a tray of delicious cakes and pastries (€11), including dolci di mandorla, cuscusu (couscous made of almonds and pistachio) and – at Christmas time – bucellati (rolled sweet dough with figs).

Tours

The tourist office maintains a list of multilingual guides. The official rate is €140 for a half-day tour, although discounts can be negotiated.

Michele Gallo ( 0922 40 22 57, 360 397930) is an excellent English-speaking guide offering individual and group itineraries, including a €90, two-hour tour of the temples and a €130, half-day tour of the temples and archaeological museum.

Festivals & Events

Sagra del Mandorlo in Fiore ALMOND

A huge folk festival held on the first Sunday in February, when the Valley of the Temples is cloaked in almond blossom.

Festa di San Calògero RELIGIOUS

During this week-long festival centred on the first Sunday in July, the statue of St Calògero (who saved Agrigento from the plague) is carried through the town while spectators throw spiced loaves at it.

Sleeping

The places listed below all offer good value for money.

Villa Athena LUXURY HOTEL €€€

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( 0922 59 62 88; www.hotelvillaathena.it; Via Passeggiata Archeologica 33; d €190-350, jr ste €260-370, ste €300-890; ) With the Tempio della Concordia lit up in the near distance and palm trees lending an exotic Arabian-nights feel, the views from this historic five-star are magnificent. Housed in an aristocratic 18th-century villa, the hotel’s interior, gleaming after a recent makeover, is a picture of white, ceramic cool. The Villa Suite, with two cavernous rooms floored in antique tiles, a freestanding Jaccuzi tub and a vast terrace looking straight at the temples, vies for the title of coolest hotel room in Sicily.

Camere a Sud B&B €

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( 349 6384424; www.camereasud.it; Via Ficani 6; r €60-70; ) Run by a friendly Agrigentan couple, this extremely cute, comfortable and well-signposted B&B has cheerful rooms and a tiny roof terrace.

Atenea 191 B&B B&B €

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( 349 595594; www.atenea191.com; Via Atenea 191; s €35-55, d €50-85) The gregarious, multilingual and well-travelled Sonia runs this B&B on Agrigento’s main shopping thoroughfare. The breakfast terrace has sweeping views over the valley, as do some rooms. Sonia is a great source of local travel tips and an entertaining storyteller.

PortAtenea B&B €

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( 349 0937492; www.portatenea.com; cnr Via Atenea & Via C Battisti; s €35-50, d €55-70; ) Five minutes from the train and bus stations at the entrance to Agrigento’s main pedestrian thoroughfare, this B&B wins points for its large roof terrace overlooking the Valley of the Temples. The three double rooms and two triples are spacious and well-appointed, with hairdryers and cheerful decor.

Eating

Kalòs MODERN SICILIAN €€

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( 0922 2 63 89; Piazzetta San Calogero; meals €25-40; closed Mon) This stylish eatery compensates for bland decor by focusing full attention on its well-prepared fish, meat and pasta dishes. The scrumptious offerings include fettucine with prawns and artichokes, grilled lamb chops, citrus shrimp and pear tart with chocolate and hazelnuts.

Kokalos PIZZERIA €

( 0922 60 64 27; Via Magazzeni 3; pizzas €5-11, meals €17-30; lunch & dinner) This eatery, resembling a Wild West ranch, is the perfect place to enjoy wood-fired pizza on the summer terrace while gazing out over the temples. You will need a car to get here – it’s up a dusty track a couple of kilometres southeast of town.

Trattoria Concordia TRATTORIA €

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( 0922 2 26 68; Via Porcello 8; meals €18-30; lunch & dinner) Tucked up a side alley, this rustic trattoria with exposed stone and stucco walls specialises in grilled fish along with traditional Sicilian primi like casarecce con pesce spada, melanzane e menta (pasta with swordfish, eggplant and mint).

Ristorante Per Bacco SICILIAN €

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( 0922 55 33 69; Vicolo Lo Presti 2; meals from €17; dinner Tue-Sun) The food may not quite live up to the charm of the setting – under stone and brick arches and beamed ceilings – but the service is friendly, and the set menus for under €20 are good value at this restaurant just above Via Atenea.

L’Ambasciata di Sicilia SICILIAN €€

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( 0922 2 05 26; Via Giambertoni 2; meals €22-33; Mon-Sat) At the ‘Sicilian Embassy’, they do everything they can to improve foreign relations, plying tourists with tasty plates of traditional Sicilian fare. Try to get a table on the small outdoor terrace, which has splendid views.

Drinking & Entertainment

Mojo Wine Bar WINE BAR

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( 0922 46 30 13; Piazza San Francesco 11-13; Mon-Sat) A trendy enoteca in a pretty piazza. Enjoy a cool white Inzolia, and munch on olives and spicy salami, as you listen to some laid-back jazz.

Teatro Pirandello THEATRE

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( 0922 2 50 19; www.teatroluigipirandello.it, in Italian; Piazza Pirandello; tickets €18-23) This city-run theatre is Sicily’s third largest, after Palermo’s Teatro Massimo and Catania’s Teatro Massimo Bellini. Works by local hero Luigi Pirandello figure prominently in the program, which runs from November to April.

Information

There are banks on Piazza Vittorio Emanuele I and Via Atenea.

Internet Point (Cortile Contarini 7; wi-fi/ computer access per hr €2/3.20; 9.15am-1.15pm & 3.30-9pm Mon-Sat) Internet and international phone service.

Ospedale San Giovanni di Dio ( 0922 44 21 11; Contrada da Consolida) North of the centre.

Police station ( 112; Piazzale Aldo Moro 2)

Post office (Piazza Vittorio Emanuele I)

Provincial tourist office ( 0922 593650, 800 23 68 37; www.provincia.agrigento.it) train station ( 9am-1pm Mon-Fri); Piazzale Aldo Moro ( 8am-2pm Mon-Sat, 2.30-7pm Mon-Fri) Provides both local and regional information.

Getting There & Away

Bus

The intercity bus station and ticket booths are located on Piazza Rosselli. Autoservizi Camilleri ( 0922 2 91 36; www.camilleriargentoelattuca.it) runs buses to Palermo (€8.10, two hours) five times Monday to Saturday and twice on Sunday; Cuffaro ( 091 616 15 10; www.cuffaro.info) offers more frequent Palermo service – nine departures Monday to Saturday, three on Sunday. Lumia ( 0922 2 91 36; www.autolineelumia.it) has departures to Trapani (€11.30, 3½ to four hours, three daily Monday to Saturday, one on Sunday); and SAIS ( 0922 2 93 24; www.saistrasporti.it) runs buses to Catania (€12.40, three hours, 10 to 15 daily).

Car & Motorcycle

The SS189 links Agrigento with Palermo, while the SS115 runs along the coast, northwest towards Trapani and southeast to Syracuse.

Driving in the medieval town is near impossible due to all the pedestrianised streets. There’s metered parking at the train station and free parking along Via Esseneto just below.

Train

From Agrigento Centrale station (Piazza Marconi), trains run regularly to Palermo (€8.10, 2¼ hours, eight to 11 daily) and three times daily to Catania (€10.20, 3¾ hours). For other destinations, you’re better off taking the bus.

Getting Around

TUA (Trasporti Urbani Agrigento; 0922 41 20 24; www.trasportiurbaniagrigento.it) buses run down to the Valley of the Temples from the Piazza Rosselli bus station, stopping in front of the train station en route. Take bus 1, 2 or 3 (€1.10) and get off at either the museum or the Piazzale dei Templi. Bus 1 continues to Porto Empedocle and bus 2 continues to San Leone. The Linea Verde (Green Line) bus runs hourly from the train station to the cathedral.

LOST AND FOUND: THE VENUS OF MORGANTINA

In May 2011, Sicilian art lovers were thrilled to welcome the long-lost Dea di Morgantina , an ancient statue of Venus, back to its rightful home in central Sicily. For over two decades, the statue had been on display at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California, but when authorities discovered that the Getty’s unscrupulous curator had actually smuggled it out of Italy with help from grave robbers, the Italian government initiated moves to repatriate it.

The statue is now proudly back on display in a special gallery at the Museo Archeologico di Aidone ( 0935 8 73 07; www.regione.sicilia.it/beniculturali/deadimorgantina, in Italian; adult/reduced €6/3; 9am-7pm) , in Aidone, just outside Piazza Armerina.

WESTERN SICILY

Directly across the water from North Africa and still retaining vestiges of the Arab, Phoenician, and Greek cultures that once prevailed here, western Sicily has a bit of the Wild West about it. There’s plenty to stir the senses, from Trapani’s savoury fish couscous, to the dazzling views from hilltop Erice, to the wild coastal beauty of Riserva Naturale dello Zingaro.

Marsala

POP 82,500

Best known for its sweet dessert wines, Marsala is an elegant town of stately baroque buildings within a perfect square of walls.

The city was originally founded by Phoenician escapees from the Roman onslaught at nearby Mozia. Not wanting to risk a second attack, they fortified their new home with 7m-thick walls, ensuring that it was the last Punic settlement to fall to the Romans. In AD 830 it was conquered by the Arabs, who gave it its current name, Marsa Allah (Port of God).

It was here in 1860 that Giuseppe Garibaldi, leader of the movement for Italian unification, landed in his rickety old boats with his 1000-strong army – a claim to fame that finds its way into every tourist brochure.

Sights & Activities

For a taste of local life, take a stroll at sunset around pretty Piazza della Repubblica , heart of the historic centre.

Cantine Florio WINERY

( 0923 78 11 11; www.cantineflorio.it; Lungomare Florio; tours €7; wine shop 9am-1pm & 3-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat, English-language tours 11am & 4.30pm Mon-Fri, 10.30am Sat) Tipplers shouldn’t miss these venerable wine cellars on the road to Mazara del Vallo (bus 16 from Piazza del Popolo). Florio opens its doors to visitors to explain the fascinating history of local viticulture, the process of making Marsala wine and to give you a taste of the goods. Pellegrino, Donnafugata, Rallo, Mavis and Intorcia are other producers in the same area. Booking is recommended.

Museo Archeologico Baglio Anselmi MUSEUM

( 0923 95 25 35; Lungomare Boeo; admission €4; 9am-7pm Tue-Sun, 9am-1.30pm Mon) Marsala’s finest treasure is the partially reconstructed remains of a Carthaginian liburna (warship) sunk off the Egadi Islands during the first of the Punic Wars nearly 3000 years ago. Displayed alongside other regional archaeological artefacts, the ship’s bare bones provide the only remaining physical evidence of the Phoenicians’ seafaring superiority in the 3rd century BC; and offer a glimpse of a civilisation that was extinguished by the Romans.

Whitaker Museum MUSEUM

( 0923 71 25 98; adult/reduced €9/5; 9.30am-1.30pm & 2.30-6.30pm Mar-Sep) On tiny San Pantaleo island, 5km north of Marsala and connected to the mainland by a submerged Phoenician road, this museum houses a unique collection of Phoenician artefacts assembled over decades by amateur archaeologist Joseph Whitaker. The museum’s greatest treasure is Il Giovinetto di Mozia, a marble statue of a young man in a pleated robe suggesting Carthaginian influences. The fields around the museum are strewn with ruins from the ancient Phoenician settlement of Mozia. Visitors can wander at will around the island to explore these, following a network of trails punctuated with helpful maps and informational displays. The island is accessible by private boat (€5 return, every 25 minutes) from a pier along the SS115 coast road. The surrounding landscape is quite lovely, with shallow saline (salty pools) and softly shimmering heaps of salt presided over by picturesque windmills. The salt from these pans is considered the best in Italy and has been big business since the 12th century.

Sleeping & Eating

Marsala has few hotels within the historic centre.

Hotel Carmine HOTEL €€

( 0923 71 19 07; www.hotelcarmine.it; Piazza Carmine 16; s €70-90, d €100-125; ) This lovely hotel in a 16th-century monastery has elegant rooms (especially numbers 7 and 30), with original blue-and-gold majolica tiles, stone walls, antique furniture and lofty beamed ceilings. Enjoy your cornflakes in the baronial-style breakfast room with its historic frescoes and over-the-top chandelier, or sip your drink by the roaring fireplace in winter. Modern perks include a rooftop solarium.

Il Gallo e l’Innamorata MODERN SICILIAN €

( 0923 195 44 46; Via Bilardello 18; meals €25; lunch & dinner) Warm orange walls and arched stone doorways lend an artsy, convivial atmosphere to this Slow Food–acclaimed eatery with its superb fixed-price menu (€25 including appetisers, pasta, main course, fruit, dessert, water and wine). The à la carte menu is short and sweet, featuring a few well-chosen dishes each day, including the classic scaloppine (veal cooked with marsala wine and lemon).

Information

Tourist office ( 0923 71 40 97; ufficio turistico.proloco@comune.marsala.tp.it; Via XI Maggio 100; 8.30am-1.30pm & 3-8pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun) A friendly tourist office with good maps and brochures.

Getting There & Away

From Marsala, bus operators include Lumia (www.autolineelumia.it) to Agrigento (€9.40, 2½ to three hours, one to three daily); and Salemi ( 0923 98 11 20; www.autoservizisalemi.it) to Palermo (€8.80, 2¼ hours, at least nine daily).

The train is the best way to get to Trapani (€3.30, 30 minutes, 14 daily, five on Sunday).

Selinunte

The ruins of Selinunte are the most impressively sited in Sicily. The huge city was built in 628 BC on a promontory overlooking the sea, and over two and a half centuries became one of the richest and most powerful in the world. It was destroyed by the Carthaginians in 409 BC and finally fell to the Romans in about 350 BC, at which time it went into rapid decline and disappeared from historical accounts.

The city’s past is so remote that the names of the various temples have been forgotten and they are now identified by the letters A to G, M and O. The most impressive, Temple E , has been partially rebuilt, its columns pieced together from their fragments with part of its tympanum. Many of the carvings, particularly from Temple C , are now in the archaeological museum in Palermo ( Click here ). Their quality is on a par with the Parthenon marbles and clearly demonstrates the high cultural levels reached by many Greek colonies in Sicily.

The ticket office ( 0924 4 65 40; adult/reduced €6/3; 9am-1hr before sunset) is located near the eastern temples. Try to visit in spring when the surroundings are ablaze with wildflowers.

Selinunte is midway between Agrigento and Trapani, about 10km south of the junction of the A29 and SS115 near Castelvetrano. Autoservizi Salemi ( 0924 8 18 26; www.autoservizisalemi.it) runs five buses daily from Selinunte to Castelvetrano (€2.55, 20 minutes), where you can make onward bus connections to Agrigento, or train connections to Trapani (€5.60, 1¼ hours) and Palermo (€7.50, 2½ hours).

Vittorio ( 0925 7 83 81; www.ristorantevittorio.it; meals €25-45), 15km east of Selinunte on the beach at Porto Palo, is a perfect place to end your day if travelling by car. In business for over 40 years, it’s earned a reputation as one of Sicily’s best seafood eateries, serving hefty portions of the freshest fish and shellfish around. Come here at sunset and dine to the sound of crashing breakers. Rooms (single/double €60/80) are available upstairs for anyone too stuffed to drive home.

Trapani

POP 70,700

The lively port city of Trapani makes a convenient base for exploring Sicily’s western tip. Its historic centre is filled with atmospheric pedestrian streets and some lovely churches and baroque buildings, although the heavily developed outskirts are rather bleak. The surrounding countryside is beautiful, ranging from the watery vastness of the coastal salt ponds to the rugged mountainous shoreline north of town.

Once situated at the heart of a powerful trading network that stretched from Carthage to Venice, Trapani’s sickle-shaped spit of land hugs the precious harbour, nowadays busy with a steady stream of tourists and traffic to and from Tunisia, Pantelleria and the Egadi Islands.

Sights

The narrow network of streets in Trapani’s historic centre remains a Moorish labyrinth, although it takes much of its character from the fabulous 18th-century baroque of the Spanish period – a catalogue of examples can be found down the pedestrianised Via Garibaldi . The best time to walk down here is in the early evening (around 7pm) when the passeggiata is in full swing.

Trapani’s other main street is Corso Vittorio Emanuele, punctuated by the huge Cattedrale di San Lorenzo Offline map Google map (Corso Vittorio Emanuele; 8am-4pm) , with its baroque facade and stuccoed interior. Facing off the east end of the corso is another baroque confection, the Palazzo Senatorio Offline map Google map .

Trapani

Sights

1  Cattedrale di San Lorenzo B2

2  Chiesa del Purgatorio A3

3  Palazzo Senatorio C3

Sleeping

4  Ai Lumi B&B A2

Eating

5  La Rinascente D2

6  Osteria La BettolacciaA3

7  Tentazioni di Gusto C2

Chiesa del Purgatorio CHURCH

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( 0923 56 28 82; Via San Francesco d’Assisi; 4-6.30pm) Just off the corso , south along Via Generale Dom Giglio, is the Chiesa del Purgatorio, which houses the impressive 18th-century Misteri, 20 life-sized wooden effigies depicting the story of Christ’s Passion (used in I Misteri).

Santuario dell’Annunziata CHURCH

(Via Conte Agostino Pepoli 179; 8am-noon & 4-7pm) Trapani’s major sight is the 14th- century Santuario dell’Annunziata, 4km east of the centre. The Cappella della Madonna, behind the high altar, contains the venerated Madonna di Trapani, thought to have been carved by Nino Pisano.

Museo Nazionale Pepoli MUSEUM

( 0923 55 32 69; Via Conte Pepoli 200; adult/reduced €6/3; 9am-1.30pm Mon-Sat, 9am-12.30pm Sun, 3-7pm Wed, Fri & Sat) Adjacent to the Santuario dell’Annunziata, in a former Carmelite monastery, the museum houses the collection of Conte Pepoli, who made it his business to salvage much of Trapani’s local arts and crafts, not least the garish coral carvings – once all the rage in Europe before the banks of coral off Trapani were decimated. The museum also has a good collection of Gagini sculptures, silverwork, archaeological artefacts and religious art work.

Egadi Islands ISLANDS

The islands of Levanzo, Favignana and Marettimo make a pleasant day trip from Trapani. For centuries the lucrative tuna industry formed the basis of the islands’ economy, but overfishing of the surrounding waters means that the Egadi survives primarily on income from tourists who come to cycle, dive or simply enjoy the relaxed pace of life. The best range of meals and accommodation can be found on Favignana, while the islands’ single greatest tourist attraction is Grotta del Genovese on Levanzo , a cave decorated with Mesolithic and Neolithic art work, including a famous image of a prehistoric tuna. Siremar and Ustica Lines ( Click here ) both run year-round hydrofoil service to the islands.

Festivals & Events

I Misteri RELIGIOUS

(www.processionemisteritp.it, in Italian, Spanish & French) Sicily’s most venerated Easter procession is a four-day festival of extraordinary religious fervour. Nightly processions, bearing life-sized wooden effigies, make their way through the old quarter to a specially erected chapel in Piazza Lucatelli. The high point is on Good Friday when the celebrations reach fever pitch.

Couscous Fest FOOD

(www.couscousfest.it, in Italian) In San Vito Lo Capo, 40km north of Trapani, this late September festival celebrates Sicilian multiculturalism with world music concerts and international couscous cook offs.

Sleeping

The most convenient – and nicest – place to stay, is in Trapani’s pedestrianised historic centre, just north of the port.

B&B Terrazza Sul Porto B&B €

( 0923 194 15 36; www.laterrazzasulporto.it; Via Camporeale 2; s €35-45, d €45-75; ) For a cheap sleep with friendly hosts, clean tiled rooms and a convenient location, this five-room B&B near the ferry docks is a great option. Breakfast is served on the upstairs terrace with views of the port. There’s a kitchen for guests’ use, plus laundry facilities if you’re staying for longer than four days.

Le Chiavi di San Francesco HOTEL €

( 0923 43 80 13; www.lechiavidisanfrancesco.com; Via Tartaglia 18; d €80-105; ) Opposite the Chiesa di San Francesco, this popular hotel has 16 rooms featuring cheerful colour schemes and small but clean bathrooms. Angle for one of the superior rooms up front, which offer more space, better light and optional kitchen facilities.

Ai Lumi B&B B&B €

Offline map Google map

( 0923 54 09 22; www.ailumi.it; Corso Vittorio Emanuele 71; s €40-70, d €70-100; ) Housed in an 18th-century palazzo, Ai Lumi’s greatest asset is its central location. Rooms vary in size and comfort; the best are the small apartments furnished with wrought-iron beds, kitchenettes and balconies overlooking Trapani’s most elegant pedestrian street. Guests get a 15% discount at the hotel’s atmospheric restaurant next door.

Eating

Sicily’s Arab heritage and Trapani’s unique position on the sea route to Tunisia have made couscous ( ‘cuscus’ or ‘kuscus’ as they spell it around here) a local speciality.

Osteria La Bettolaccia SICILIAN €€

Offline map Google map

( 0923 2 16 95; Via Generale Enrico Fardella 25; meals €30-40; closed Sat lunch & Sun) An unwaveringly authentic, Slow Food– recommended restaurant, this is the perfect place to try cous cous con zuppa di mare (couscous with mixed seafood in a spicy fish sauce, with tomatoes, garlic and parsley).

Tentazioni di Gusto MODERN SICILIAN €€

Offline map Google map

( 0923 54 81 65; www.tentazionidigusto.it; Via Badia Nuova 27/29; meals €25-35; closed Wed Nov-Mar) Young proprietors Piero and Vicenzo have created an instant sensation at this trendy new restaurant-bar, which features a mix of traditional and innovative cuisine, ample outdoor seating on the cobblestones and a newly expanded interior with stone arches and sleek wood floors.

Cantina Siciliana SICILIAN €€

( 347 690 10 10; Via Giudecca 32; meals €25-35; lunch & dinner) The reasonably priced regional specialities here are enticing, as are the pretty blue-tiled front rooms. Unfortunately service can range from lacklustre to borderline rude, as owner Pino tends to regale his Italian friends to the exclusion of other guests. Still, it’s one of Trapani’s better- regarded eateries and worth a visit if you’re willing to focus on the food.

La Rinascente PASTRIES & CAKES €

Offline map Google map

(Via Gatti 3; cannoli €1.60; 9am-1pm & 3-7pm, closed Sun afternoon & Wed) When you enter this bakery through the side door, you’ll feel like you’ve barged into someone’s kitchen – and you have! Thankfully, owner Signor Costadura’s broad smile will quickly put you at ease, coupled with some of the best cannoli on the planet, which you can watch being created on the spot.

Information

Trapani has dozens of banks with ATMs.

Ospedale Sant’Antonio Abate ( 0923 80 91 11; Via Cosenza 82)

Police station ( 0923 59 81 11; Piazza Vittoria Veneto)

Post office (Piazza Vittoria Veneto)

Torrepali web cafe (Via Ammiraglio Staiti 69; per hr €3; 8am-2am) Across from the port; six computers with comfortable upstairs seating and bar service.

Tourist office ( 0923 54 45 33; point@stradadelvinoericedoc.it; Piazzetta Saturno; 9am-1pm & 3-7pm Mon-Sat) For free maps and info about Trapani and local wine routes.

Getting There & Around

For bus, plane and ferry tickets, try Egatours ( 0923 2 17 54; www.egatourviaggi.it; Via Ammiraglio Staiti 13) , a travel agency located opposite the port.

Air

Trapani’s small Vincenzo Florio Airport (TPS; www.airgest.it) is 17km south of town at Birgi. Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) offers direct flights to London Luton and a dozen other European cities; Meridiana (www.meridiana.it) serves the Mediterranean island of Pantelleria. AST buses connect Trapani’s port and bus station with the airport (€4.50, 45 minutes, hourly).

Boat

Ferry ticket offices are inside Trapani’s ferry terminal, opposite Piazza Garibaldi.

For Ustica Lines and Siremar hydrofoils, the ticket office and embarkation point is 150m further east along Via Ammiraglio Staiti.

Grimaldi Lines (www.grimaldi-ferries.com) runs weekly services to Tunisia (€95, 7½ hours) and Civitavecchia (€120, 14½ hours).

Tirrenia ( 0923 52 18 96; www.tirrenia.it) runs a weekly service to Cagliari (€52, 10 hours).

Ustica Lines ( 0923 87 38 13; www.usticalines.it; Via Ammiraglio Staiti) and Siremar ( 0923 54 54 55; www.siremar.it; Via Ammiraglio Staiti) both operate hydrofoils year-round to the Egadi Islands. Ustica Lines also offers thrice-weekly summer-only services to Naples (€89.40, seven hours) and Ustica (€26.40, 2½ hours), while Siremar offers nightly ferry service to Pantelleria (€39.50, six hours).

Bus

Intercity buses arrive and depart from the new City Terminal 1km east of the centre (just southeast of the train station).

Segesta ( 0923 2 17 27; www.segesta.it) runs express buses to Palermo (€8.60, two hours, hourly). Board at the bus stop across the street from Egatours or at the bus station.

Lumia (www.autolineelumia.it) buses serve Agrigento (€11.30, three to four hours, one to three daily).

Two free city buses (No 1 and 2) operated by ATM ( 0923 55 95 75; www.atmtrapani.it) do circular trips through Trapani, connecting the bus station, the train station and the port.

Car & Motorcyle

To bypass Trapani’s vast suburbs and avoid the narrow streets of the city centre, follow signs from the A29 autostrada directly to the port, where you’ll find abundant paid parking along the broad waterside avenue Via Ammiraglio Staiti, within walking distance of most attractions.

Train

From Trapani’s station on Piazza Umberto I, there are rail links to Palermo (€7.50, 2¼ to 3½ hours, three to six daily) and Marsala (€3.30, 30 minutes, six to 12 daily). At the time of research Palermo-bound trains were only going as far as Notarbartolo station, 3km northwest of downtown Palermo, due to track work between Notarbartolo and Palermo Centrale. Until this work is finished, the bus is a better option.

PANTELLERIA

Halfway between Trapani and Tunisia, this volcanic outcrop is Sicily’s largest offshore island. Buffeted year-round by winds, Pantelleria is characterised by jagged lava stone, low-slung caper bushes, dwarf vines, steaming fumaroles and mudbaths. There are no true beaches, but Pantelleria’s gorgeous, secluded coves – including Cala Tramontana , Cala Levante and Balata dei Turchi – are perfect for snorkelling, diving and boat excursions.

The island has excellent hiking trails, along the coast and in the high vineyard country of Piana di Ghirlanda . Near Mursia on the west coast, there are signposted but poorly maintained remnants of sesi (Bronze Age funerary monuments). Throughout the island you’ll also find Pantelleria’s famous dammusi (houses with thick, whitewashed walls and shallow cupolas). The island’s exotic and remote atmosphere has long made it popular with celebrities, including Truman Capote, Sting, Madonna and Giorgio Armani.

Meridiana (www.meridiana.it) and Alitalia (www.alitalia.com) offer regular flights to Pantelleria from Palermo and Trapani. Siremar (www.siremar.it) runs one ferry daily between Trapani and Pantelleria (low/high season €31/35).

For further information about Pantelleria see www.pantelleria.com.

Erice

POP 28,500 / ELEV 751M

One of Italy’s most spectacular hill towns, Erice combines medieval charm with astounding 360-degree views. Erice sits on the legendary Mt Eryx (750m); on a clear day, you can see Cape Bon in Tunisia. Wander the medieval tangle of streets interspersed by churches, forts and tiny cobbled piazzas. The town has a seductive history as a centre for the cult of Venus. Settled by the mysterious Elymians, Erice was an obvious abode for the goddess of love, and the town followed the peculiar ritual of sacred prostitution, with the prostitutes themselves accommodated in the Temple of Venus. Despite countless invasions, the temple remained intact – no guesses why.

Erice’s tourist infrastructure is excellent. Posted throughout town, you’ll find bilingual (Italian-English) informational displays along with town maps displaying suggested walking routes.

Sights

The best views can be had from Giardino del Balio , which overlooks the rugged turrets and wooded hillsides down to the saltpans of Trapani and the sea. Adjacent to the gardens is the Norman Castello di Venere (Via Castello di Venere) , built in the 12th and 13th centuries over the Temple of Venus.

There are several churches and monuments in the small, quiet town and you can purchase a €5 ticket to visit the lot. Especially lovely are the 14th-century Chiesa Matrice (Via Vito Carvini; admission €2; 10am-8pm May-Sep, 10am-6pm Oct-Apr) , just inside Porta Trapani, and its adjacent bell tower, Torre di Re Federico (admission €2) , where climbing the 110 steps rewards you with fabulous views.

Sleeping & Eating

Hotels, many with their own restaurants, are scattered along Via Vittorio Emanuele, Erice’s main street. After the tourists have left, the town assumes a beguiling medieval air.

Hotel Elimo HOTEL €€

( 0923 86 93 77; www.hotelelimo.it; Via Vittorio Emanuele 23; s €80-110, d €90-130, ste €170; ) Communal spaces at this atmospheric historic house are filled with tiled beams, marble fireplaces, intriguing art, knick-knacks and antiques. The bedrooms are more mainstream, although many (along with the hotel terrace and restaurant) have breathtaking vistas.

Erice has a tradition of dolci ericini (Erice sweets) made by the local nuns. There are numerous pastry shops in town, the most famous being Maria Grammatico ( 0923 86 93 90; www.mariagrammatico.it; Via Vittorio Emanuele 14) , revered for its frutta martorana (marzipan fruit) and almond pastries.

Information

The tourist office ( 0923 86 93 88; strerice@regione.sicilia.it; Via Tommaso Guarrasi 1; 9am-2pm Mon-Fri) is in the centre of town.

Getting There & Away

Regular AST buses run to and from Trapani (one way/return €2.40/3.70, 45 minutes). A funicular ( 0923 56 93 06; www.funiviaerice.it; one way/return €3.80/6.50; 12.30-9pm Mon, 9.30am-9pm Tue-Sun, to midnight Sat) also connects Trapani with Erice. To reach Trapani’s funicular terminal, near the corner of Via Manzoni and Via Capua, take AST bus 21 or 23 (€1) eastbound from Trapani’s historic centre. The funicular climbs from here to Erice, dropping you opposite the car park at the foot of Erice’s Via Vittorio Emanuele.

Segesta

ELEV 304M

Set on the edge of a deep canyon in the midst of wild, desolate mountains, this huge 5th-century-BC temple is a magical site. On windy days its 36 giant columns are said to act like an organ, producing mysterious notes.

The city, founded by the ancient Elymians, was in constant conflict with Selinunte in the south, whose destruction it sought with dogged determination and singular success. Time, however, has done to Segesta what violence inflicted on Selinunte; little remains now, save the theatre and the never-completed Doric temple ( 0924 95 23 56; adult/reduced €6/3; 9am-1hr before sunset) , the latter dating from around 430 BC and remarkably well preserved. A shuttle bus (€1.50) runs every 30 minutes from the temple entrance 1.5km uphill to the theatre.

In July and August, performances of Greek plays are staged in the theatre during the Festival Calatafimi Segesta (www.festivalsegesta.com) .

SICILY’S OLDEST NATURE RESERVE

Saved from development and road projects by local protests, the tranquil Riserva Naturale dello Zingaro ( 0924 3 51 08; www.riservazingaro.it; adult/reduced €3/2; 7am-8pm Apr-Sep, 8am-4pm Oct-Mar) is the star attraction on the Golfo di Castellammare, halfway between Palermo and Trapani. Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2011, this was Sicily’s first nature reserve. Zingaro’s wild coastline is a haven for the rare Bonelli’s eagle along with 40 other species of bird. Mediterranean flora dusts the hillsides with wild carob and bright yellow euphorbia, and hidden coves, such as Capreria and Marinella Bays, provide tranquil swimming spots. The main entrance to the park is 2km north of the village of Scopello. Several walking trails are detailed on maps available free at the entrance or downloadable from the park website (in Italian only). The main 7km trail along the coast passes by the visitor centre and five museums documenting everything from local flora and fauna to traditional fishing methods.

Once home to tuna fishers, Scopello now mainly hosts tourists, although outside of peak summer season it retains some of its sleepy village atmosphere. Its port, 1km below town, has a picturesque rust-red tonnara (tuna processing plant) and dramatic faraglioni (rock towers) rising from the water.

Pensione Tranchina ( 0924 54 10 99; www.pensionetranchina.com; Via Diaz 7; B&B per person €36-46, half-board per person €55-72; ) is the nicest of several places to stay and eat clustered around the cobblestoned courtyard at Scopello’s village centre. Super-friendly hosts Marisin and Salvatore offer comfortable rooms, a roaring fire on chilly evenings and delicious home-cooked meals featuring local fish and home-grown fruit and olive oil. Next door, La Tavernetta ( 0924 54 11 29; www.albergolatavernetta.it; Via Diaz 3; s €55-70, d €70-96; ) is another good choice.

Tarantola ( 0924 3 10 20; www.tarantolabus.com, in Italian) runs three buses daily from Trapani (one way/return €3.60/6.10, 35 to 50 minutes), plus a single morning bus from Palermo’s train station (one way/return €6.40/10.20, 1½ hours); drivers stop just outside the archaeological site upon request. Alternatively, catch a train from Trapani (€3.30, 30 minutes, three daily) to Segesta Tempio station. Exiting the station, turn left under the double underpass, then climb 1.5km (20 minutes) to the site.

Top of section

Sardinia

Includes »

Cagliari

Iglesias & the Southwest

Oristano & the West

North Oristano Coast

Alghero & the Northwest

Sassari

Olbia, the Costa Smeralda & the Gallura

Palau & Arcipelago di La Maddalena

Nuoro & the East

Supramonte

Golfo di Orosei

Ogliastra

Why Go?

As DH Lawrence so succinctly put it: ‘Sardinia is different.’ Indeed, where else but on this 365-village, four-million-sheep island could you travel from shimmering bays to alpine forests, granite peaks to cathedral-like grottoes, rolling vineyards to one-time bandit towns – all in the space of a day? Sardinia baffles with prehistory at 7000 nuraghic sites, amazes with its weird and wonderful food (maggoty pecorino included), and dazzles with its kaleidoscopic blue waters.

Over millennia islanders have carved out a unique identity, cuisine, culture and language, leaving the forces of nature to work their magic on the landscape. And whether you’re swooning over the megayachts in the Costa Smeralda’s fjord-like bays or feasting on spit-roasted suckling pig at a rustic agriturismo (farm stay accommodation), you can’t help but appreciate this island’s love of the good life. Earthy and glamorous, adventurous and blissfully relaxed, Sardinia delights in being that little bit different.

When to Go

Feb Pre-Lenten shenanigans, from beastly mamuthones in Mamoiada to medieval jousting at Sa Sartiglia.

Mar–May Spring wildflowers, Easter parades, and hiking and climbing without the heat and crowds.

Jun–Aug Sun-kissed beaches, open-air festivals and reckless horse races at the S’Ardia.

Best Places to Eat

» Peschiera Pontis ( Click here )

» Ristorante Gallura ( Click here )

» Hotel Su Gologone ( Click here )

» La Botteghina ( Click here )

» Il Fantasma ( Click here )

Best Places to Stay

» B&B Lu Pastruccialeddu ( Click here )

» Agriturismo Guthiddai ( Click here )

» Il Cagliarese ( Click here )

Sardinia Highlights

Walk on the wild side in the grandiose Gola Su Gorropu (Click here ), Europe’s Grand Canyon

Feel the lure of the sea on the dune-backed, windswept beaches of the Costa Verde (Click here )

Wander the medieval backstreets of Il Castello (Click here ), Cagliari’s rocky citadel

Rub bronzed shoulders with the rich and super-famous on the Costa Smeralda (Click here )

Bone up on prehistory at Nuraghe Su Nuraxi (Click here ), Sardinia’s sole World Heritage Site

Drop anchor in the hidden coves of the Golfo di Orosei (Click here ), lapped by brilliant aquamarine waters

Soak up the Spanish vibe of Alghero (Click here ), roaming the cobbled alleyways of its medieval centre

Take a scenic drive along the serpentine SS125 (Click here ) for captivating views of the mountains and the Med

Marvel at the mysterious nuraghic ruins of Tiscali (Click here ), high in the limestone Supramonte

Explore a forest of stalactites and stalagmites at the fairy-tale Grotta di Nettuno ( Click here )

History

Little is known about Sardinia’s prehistory, but the first islanders probably arrived from mainland Italy around 350,000 BC. By the neolithic period (8000 BC to 3000 BC) tribal communities were thriving in north-central Sardinia. Their Bronze Age descendants, known as the nuraghic people, dominated the island until the Phoenicians arrived around 850 BC. The Carthaginians came next, followed by the Romans, who took over in the 3rd century BC.

In the Middle Ages, the island was divided into four independent giudicati (kingdoms), but by the 13th century the Pisans and Genoese were battling for control. They in turn were toppled by the Catalan-Aragonese from northern Spain, who also had to subdue bitter Sard resistance led by Eleonora d’Arborea (1340–1404), Sardinia’s very own Joan of Arc.

Sardinia became Spanish territory after the unification of the Spanish kingdoms in 1479 and today there remains a tangible Hispanic feel to towns such as Alghero and Iglesias. In the ensuing centuries, Sardinia suffered as Spain’s power crumbled; in 1720 the Italian Savoys took possession of the island. After Italian unity in 1861, Sardinia found itself under the uninterested boot of Rome.

In the aftermath of WWII, efforts were made to drag the island into the modern era. In 1946 a huge project was launched to rid the island of malaria and in 1948 Sardinia was granted its own autonomous regional parliament.

Coastal tourism arrived in the 1960s and has since become a mainstay of the Sardinian economy. Environmentalists breathed a sigh of relief in 2008 when NATO finally withdrew from the Maddalena islands after a controversial 35-year sojourn.

Getting There & Away

Air Flights from Italian and European cities serve Elmas ( 070 21 12 11; www.sogaer.it) airport in Cagliari; Alghero’s Fertilia ( 079 93 52 82; www.aeroportodialghero.it) ; and the Aeroporto Olbia Costa Smeralda ( 0789 56 34 00; www.geasar.it) in Olbia. As well as major international carriers, several no-frills airlines operate direct flights, including Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) , easyJet (www.easyjet.com) and TUIfly (www.tuifly.com) . Some routes are restricted to between April and October.

Boat Sardinia is accessible by ferry from Genoa, Livorno, Piombino, Civitavecchia and Naples, and from Palermo and Trapani in Sicily. Ferries also run from Bonifacio and Porto Vecchio in Corsica, and from Marseilles via the Corsican ports of Ajaccio and Propriano. The arrival points in Sardinia are Olbia, Golfo Aranci, Santa Teresa di Gallura and Porto Torres in the north; Arbatax on the east coast; and Cagliari in the south. Services are most frequent from mid-June to mid-September, when it is advisable to book well ahead. Useful online resources include www.traghettiweb.it and www.traghettionline.com (in Italian).

FERRY OPERATORS

CMN La Méridionale ( France 0810 20 13 20; www.cmn.fr) To Porto Torres from Marseille via Corsica.

Corsica Ferries, Sardinia Ferries ( 199 400 500; www.corsica-ferries.co.uk) To Golfo Aranci from Civitavecchia and Livorno. Also Sardinia to Corsica (April to September).

Grandi Navi Veloci ( 010 209 45 91; www.gnv.it) To Olbia and Porto Torres from Genoa.

Moby Lines ( 199 30 30 40; www.moby.it) To Olbia from Civitavecchia, Genoa, Livorno and Piombino; to Porto Torres from Genoa. Also has ferries between Sardinia and Corsica (April to September).

Saremar ( 892 123; www.saremar.it) To Santa Teresa di Gallura from Bonifacio (Corsica).

SNCM ( 079 51 44 77; www.sncm.fr) To Porto Torres from Marseille via Corsica. In July and August some services depart from Toulon.

Tirrenia ( 892 123; www.tirrenia.it) To Cagliari from Civitavecchia, Naples, Palermo and Trapani; to Olbia from Civitavecchia and Genoa; to Arbatax from Civitavecchia and Genoa; to Porto Torres from Genoa.

FERRIES TO SARDINIA

Prices quoted here are adult high-season fares for a 2nd-class poltrona (reclinable seat) and small car. Children aged four to 12 generally pay around half price; those under four go free. Most companies offer discounts for early booking and online deals – it’s always worth checking.

FROM

DESTINATION

FARE (€)

CAR (€)

DURATION (HR)

Bonifacio

Santa Teresa di Gallura

25

68

1

Civitavecchia

Arbatax

49

96

10½

Civitavecchia

Cagliari

58

104

14½

Civitavecchia

Olbia

43

102

4½-10

Civitavecchia

Golfo Aranci*

78

100

5½

Genoa

Arbatax

58

81

19

Genoa

Olbia

59

108

13¼

Genoa

Porto Torres*

107

182

10

Livorno

Golfo Aranci*

83-117

21-90

6

Livorno

Olbia

94

135

7-9

Marseille

Porto Torres

93

121

15-17

Naples

Cagliari

53

94

16¼

Palermo

Cagliari

52

92

14½

Piombino

Olbia

94

135

6½

Trapani

Cagliari

52

92

11

* indicates a high-speed service

Getting Around

Bus Sardinia’s main bus company, ARST (Azienda Regionale Sarda Trasporti; 800 865 042; www.arst.sardegna.it, in Italian) , runs most local and long-distance services.

Car & Motorcycle Sardinia is best explored by road. For details about rental agencies in Cagliari, Click here . There are also rental agencies at airports and in major towns.

Train Trenitalia ( 892 021; www.trenitalia.com) services link Cagliari with Oristano, Sassari, Porto Torres, Olbia and Golfo Aranci. Services are slow but generally reliable. Slow ARST ( 070 34 31 12; http://arst.sardegna.it, in Italian) trains serve Sassari, Alghero and Nuoro. Between mid-June and early September, ARST also operates a tourist train service known as the Trenino Verde (www.treninoverde.com) – Click here .

TOP FIVE OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

» Hiking Head to the magnificent Parco Nazionale del Golfo di Orosei e del Gennargentu (Click here ) for exhilarating coastal and mountain trekking.

» Climbing The Supramonte, Golfo di Orosei, Ogliastra (Click here ) and Domusnovas ( Click here ) are rock-climbing wonderlands. For the lowdown on routes, pick up Arrampicare a Cala Gonone (€18) by expert climber Corrado Conca in local bookshops, or visit www.sardegnaverticale.it (in Italian) for details of guided climbing excursions.

» Cycling Ogliastra offers highly scenic road cycling and jaw-dropping downhill routes on old mule trails. Peter gives invaluable tips at the Lemon House (Click here ) or visit www.mountainbikeogliastra.it (in Italian).

» Diving Sardinia’s gin-clear waters are a diver’s dream. Check out the Med’s largest underwater grotto, Nereo Cave (Click here ) near Alghero, or the depths of the Parco Nazionale dell’Arcipelago di La Maddalena ( Click here ).

» Windsurfing Winds course through the Bonifacio Strait between Sardinia and Corsica, making Porto Pollo (Click here ) a top venue. Chia ( Click here ) is another favourite spot.

CAGLIARI

POP 156,951

Forget flying: the best way to arrive in Cagliari is by sea to witness the city rising in a jumble of golden-hued palazzi (mansions), domes and facades up to the rocky centrepiece, Il Castello. Cultured and cosmopolitan, Cagliari is Sardinia’s most Italian-flavoured city. Vespas buzz down tree-fringed boulevards and locals relax at cafes tucked under the graceful arcades by the seafront. Swing east and you reach Poetto beach, the hub of summer life with its limpid waters and upbeat party scene.

At every turn, Cagliari’s gripping history is spelled out, especially through archaeological sites, museums and churches. The city was founded by the Phoenicians in the 8th century BC, but came of age as a Roman port. Later, the Pisans arrived and treated it to a major medieval facelift, the results of which impress to this day.

Sights

Cagliari’s trophy sights cluster in the Castello, Stampace, Marina and Villanova districts.

Il Castello NEIGHBOURHOOD

Precipitous stone walls enclose Cagliari’s medieval citadel, once the fortified home of the city’s aristocracy and religious authorities, known to locals as Su Casteddu. Inside the battlements, the old medieval city reveals itself like Pandora’s box. The university, cathedral, museums and Pisan palaces are wedged into a jigsaw of narrow high-walled alleys.

Cagliari

Top Sights

Anfiteatro Romano C1

Cattedrale di Santa Maria D3

Museo Archeologico NazionaleD1

Torre dell'Elefante C4

Sights

1  Bastione San Remy D4

2  Chiesa di San Michele B3

3  Chiesa di Sant'Eulalia C5

4 Citadella dei MuseiD1

Museo d'Arte Siamese (see 4)

Museo del Tesoro e Area Archeologica di Sant'Eulalia(see 3)

5  Orto Botanico A2

Pinacoteca Nazionale(see 4)

6  Torre di San Pancrazio D2

Sleeping

7  Hostel Marina C5

8  Il CagliareseC6

9  La Ghirlanda B5

10  Suite sul Corso B4

Eating

11  Dal Corsaro C6

12  Gocce di Gelato e Cioccolato A4

13  I Sapori dell'Isola B5

14  Isola del Gelato C4

15  Lapola C5

16  Le Patate & Co C5

17  Locanda Caddeo B4

18  Monica e Ahmed B4

19  Ristorante Ammentos B4

20  Trattoria Gennargentu C6

Drinking

21  Antico Caffè D5

22  Caffè degli Spiriti D4

23  Caffè Librarium Nostrum C3

24  II Merlo ParlanteA3

Shopping

25  DurkeC5

26  Loredana Mandas B5

27  Sapori di Sardegna C6

Museo Archeologico Nazionale MUSEUM

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( 070 68 40 00; Piazza dell’Arsenale; 9am-8pm Tue-Sun) The star of the Citadella dei Musei’s four museums, this archaeological museum showcases artefacts spanning millennia of ancient history, including pint-sized nuraghic bronzetti (bronze figurines). In the absence of any written records, these are a vital source of information on Sardinia’s mysterious nuraghic culture.

Cattedrale di Santa Maria DUOMO

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(Piazza Palazzo 4) Cagliari’s graceful cathedral stands proud on Piazza Palazzo. Apart from the square-based bell tower, little remains of the original 13th-century Gothic structure – the interior is 17th-century baroque and the Pisan-Romanesque facade is a 20th-century imitation. Inside are two intricate stone pulpits, sculpted by Guglielmo da Pisa and donated to the city in 1312.

Torre dell’Elefante LOOKOUT

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(Via Università; adult/reduced €4/2.50; 9am-1pm & 3.30-7.30pm Tue-Sun summer, to 4.30pm winter) One of only two Pisan towers still standing, the Torre dell’Elefante is named after the sculpted elephant by the vicious-looking portcullis. The 42m-high tower became something of a horror show, thanks to its foul decor. The Spaniards beheaded the Marchese di Cea here and left her severed head lying around for 17 years! Climb to the top for far-reaching city views.

SAND IN THE CITY

An easy ride on buses PF or PQ from Piazza Matteotti, Cagliari’s fabulous Poetto beach extends for 6km beyond the green Promontorio di Sant’Elia, nicknamed the Sella del Diavola (Devil’s Saddle). In summer much of the city’s youth decamps here to sunbathe and party in the restaurants, bars and discos that line the sand.

Water sports are big and you can hire canoes at the beach clubs. From its base at Marina Piccola, the Windsurfing Club Cagliari (www.windsurfingclubcagliari.org; Viale Marina Piccola) offers a range of courses. A course of six one-hour windsurfing lessons costs €150, while three hours of surfing instruction will set you back €120.

Anfiteatro Romano ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

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( 070 65 29 56; www.anfiteatroromano.it, in Italian; Viale Sant’Ignazio; adult/reduced €4.30/2.80; 9.30am-1.30pm Tue-Sat, 9.30am-1.30pm & 3.30-5.30pm Sun summer, closed Sun afternoon winter) This amphitheatre is Cagliari’s must-see Roman monument. Although much of the original 2nd-century theatre was cannibalised for building material, enough has survived to pique the imagination. In summer, the amphitheatre stages stand-up comedy, music and dance.

Torre di San Pancrazio LOOKOUT

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(Piazza Indipendenza; adult/reduced €4/2.50; 9am-1pm & 3.30-7.30pm Tue-Sun summer, to 4.30pm winter) Over by the citadel’s northeastern gate, this 36m-high tower is the Torre dell’Elefante’s twin. Completed in 1305, it is built on the city’s highest point and has grandstand views of the Golfo di Cagliari.

Bastione San Remy LOOKOUT

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The monumental stairway that ascends from busy Piazza Costituzione to Bastione San Remy is the most impressive way to reach Il Castello; save your legs by taking the panoramic elevator. A mix of neoclassical and Liberty styles, the lookout affords sweeping views over Cagliari’s higgledy-piggledy rooftops to the glittering Mediterranean.

Pinacoteca Nazionale ART GALLERY

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( 070 68 40 00; www.pinacoteca.cagliari.beniculturali.it, in Italian; Piazza dell’Arsenale; 9am-7.30pm Tue-Sun) Above and behind the archaeological museum, this gallery contains a prized collection of 15th- to 17th-century art, including four outstanding works by Pietro Cavaro, father of the so-called Stampace school and arguably Sardinia’s most important artist.

Orto Botanico BOTANICAL GARDEN

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( 070 65 29 56; Viale Sant’Ignazio; admission €3; 8.30am-6pm Mon-Sat, 8.30am-1.30pm Sun) Slightly downhill from the amphitheatre is one of Italy’s most famous botanical gardens, bristling with palm trees, cacti, ficus trees and local carobs and oaks. Ancient ruins tastefully litter the gardens.

Galleria Comunale d’Arte ART GALLERY

( 070 49 07 27; www.galleriacomunalecagliari.it, in Italian; Viale San Vincenzo; adult/reduced €6/2.60; 9am-1pm & 3.30-7.30pm Wed-Mon) Housed in a neoclassical villa north of Il Castello, this gallery zooms in on modern Sardinian art, including works by island artists such as Tarquinio Sinni (1891–1943).

There are terrific views of Cagliari’s skyline from the palm-dotted garden ( 6am-11pm summer, 7am-8pm winter) outside.

Chiesa di San Michele CHURCH

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(Via Ospedale 2) This 16th-century church is celebrated for its lavish 18th-century rococo decor. In the atrium, note the four-columned pulpit from which the Spanish emperor Carlos V is said to have delivered a stirring speech before setting off on a fruitless campaign against Arab corsairs in Tunisia.

Basilica di San Saturnino CHURCH

(Piazza San Cosimo) A five-minute walk east of Piazza Contituzione, this 5th-century basilica is one of Sardinia’s oldest churches and a striking example of palaeo-Christian architecture. It stands over a Roman necropolis where Saturninus, a much-revered local martyr, was buried in AD 304.

Santuario & Basilica di Nostra Signora di Bonaria CHURCH, LOOKOUT

(Piazza Bonaria 2; donations expected) Around 1km southeast of Via Roma, and crowning the Bonaria hill, is this hugely popular pilgrim site. Devotees come from all over the world to pray to Nostra Signora di Bonaria, a statue of the Virgin Mary that is said to have saved a 14th-century Spanish ship during a storm. To the right of the sanctuary, the much larger basilica still acts as a landmark for returning sailors.

Piazza Yenne PIAZZA

Crowned with a statue of King Carlo Felice, this square is a favourite local hang-out, especially on summer nights when its bars, gelaterie and pavement cafes buzz with young Cagliaritani.

Museo d’Arte Siamese ART GALLERY

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( 070 65 18 88; Piazza dell’Arsenale; adult/reduced €2/1; 9am-1pm & 3.30pm-7.30pm Tue-Sun) Showcases an eclectic collection of Asian art, crafts and weaponry.

Museo del Tesoro e Area Archeologica di Sant’Eulalia MUSEUM

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( 070 66 37 24; Vico del Collegio 2; adult/reduced €5/2.50; 10am-1pm & 4-7pm Tue-Sun) Contains a rich collection of religious art, as well as an archaeological area, which extends for up to 200 sq metres beneath the adjacent Chiesa di Sant’Eulalia Offline map Google map .

Exmà ART GALLERY

( 070 66 63 99; Via San Lucifero 71; exhibitions €3; 9am-1pm & 4-8pm Tue-Sun) Occupying Cagliari’s former abattoir, this cultural centre stages contemporary art exhibitions and summer concerts.

Tours

City Tour Cagliari BUS

( 070 66 94 09; adult/reduced €10/5; 9.30am-6.30pm Mon-Sun) This open-topped bus does an hour’s loop of the key landmarks and sights, with multilingual commentary available. Departures are hourly from Piazza Yenne.

Festivals & Events

Cagliari puts on a good show for Carnevale in February and Easter Holy Week , when a hooded procession climbs up to the cathedral in Il Castello.

Festa di Sant’Efisio RELIGIOUS

(www.festadisantefisio.it, in Italian) Held between 1 and 4 May, on the opening day the saint’s effigy is paraded around the city on a bul-lock-drawn carriage amid an extravagantly costumed procession.

Sleeping

Il Cagliarese B&B €

Offline map ( 070 81 03 46; www.ilcagliarese.com; Via Vittorio Porcile 19; s €40-70, d €60-90; ) This wonderfully snug and homey B&B sits in the heart of the Marina district. Mauro gives invaluable sightseeing tips and his sister, Titziana, whips up the delicious cakes and tiramisu served at breakfast.

Hostel Marina HOSTEL €

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( 070 67 08 18; Scalette S Sepolcro; dm/s/d €22/40/60; ) Housed in a beautifully converted 800-year-old former monastery, this hostel has oodles of historic charm. Many of the well-kept dorms have great city views, and rates include a substantial breakfast.

La Peonia B&B €

( 070 51 31 64; www.lapeonia.com; Via Riva Villasanta 77; s €50-60, d €72-88; ) Antonello and Vanna are your kindly hosts at this romantic neo-Gothic abode, 2.5km northeast of the centre. Turn-of-the-century interiors with polished wood furnishings are a striking contrast to the sleek monochrome bathrooms.

T Hotel HOTEL €€

( 070 4 74 00; www.thotel.it; Via dei Giudicati; s/d/ste/f €139/159/199/249; ) This hard-to-miss steel and glass tower adds a dash of contemporary design to the cityscape. The rooms reveal a linear, modish look, and the spa invites relaxation with its hydrotherapy pool, jets and treatments. It’s a 15-minute walk northeast of Il Castello.

La Ghirlanda B&B €

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( 070 20 40 610; www.laghirlandacagliari.it; Via Baylle 7; s €48-60, d €75-90, tr €100-120; ) Antiques, frescoes and high-ceilinged rooms whisk you back to the 18th century at this handsome town house in the Marina district.

Suite sul Corso B&B €€

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( 349 4469789; www.locandadelcorso.it; Corso Vittorio Emanuele 8; s €70-90, d €90-110, tr €130-160; ) Sleep in style at this boutique B&B just off Piazza Yenne. Exposed stone, floaty fabrics and glass mosaics lend warmth to the minimalist-chic rooms.

Eating

Dining hot spots include the Marina area, Via Sassari and Corso Vittorio Emanuele. From November to March (mollusc season), chioschi (kiosks) serve sea fresh sea urchins and mussels on Poetto beach.

Il Fantasma PIZZERIA €

( 070 65 67 49; Via San Domenico 94; pizzas €6.50-9; Mon-Sat) A five-minute walk east of Piazza Martiri d’Italia, this boisterous pizzeria does the best pizza in Cagliari. Friendly waiters adroitly navigate the crowded barrel-vaulted interior to deliver bubbling pizzas straight from the wood-fired oven. Book or expect to queue.

Ristorante Ammentos SARDINIAN €€

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( 070 65 10 75; Via Sassari 120; meals €15-30; Wed-Mon) Dine on authentic Sardinian fare in rustic surrounds at this popular trattoria. Culurgiones (ravioli) in herby tomato sauce are a delicious lead-in to succulent meat dishes like wild boar or goat stew.

Monica e Ahmed SARDINIAN €€

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( 070 640 20 45; Corso Vittorio Emanuele 119; meals around €30; closed dinner Sun) Monica welcomes you with a smile and then plies you with a tempting array of fishy delights, such as ricci (sea urchins) and seafood spaghetti at this boho-flavoured restaurant.

Lapola SARDINIAN €€

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( 070 65 06 04; Vico Barcellona 10; meals around €35; Tue-Sun) Seafood is the star of the menu at this bustling Marina choice, serving taste sensations like octopus carpaccio with rocket and chicory, and sautéed clams in orange juice with pane carasau . The €16 lunch including wine and coffee is a bargain.

Trattoria Gennargentu SARDINIAN €€

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( 070 65 82 47; Via Sardegna 60; meals €20-30; closed Sun winter) Tables fill quickly at this no-frills trattoria that dishes up excellent seafood. Try spaghetti with clams and bottarga (mullet roe) or tonno alla carlofortina (tuna chunks served cold in a sweet tomato and onion sauce).

Dal Corsaro SARDINIAN €€€

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( 070 66 43 18; www.dalcorsaro.com; Viale Regina Margherita 28; meals €50-55; daily) At Cagliari’s bastion of fine dining, Sardinian ingredients are highlighted in creative dishes such as raviola di cipolla e pecorino semi stagionato (onion ravioli with mature pecorino cheese) and roast octopus with lemongrass salsa.

FAVOURITE SNACK SPOTS

Le Patate & Co SNACKS €

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(Scalette Santo Sepulcro 1; fries €2.50; closed dinner Mon) Antonio knocks up the freshest fries in town – cooked in olive oil until crisp, and not overly salty.

Isola del Gelato ICE CREAM €

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(Piazza Yenne 35; ice creams €1.50-4; 9am-2am Tue-Sun) A hugely popular hang-out with ice-creamy treats including semifreddo and sorbet.

Gocce di Gelato e Cioccolato SWEETS €

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(Piazza del Carmine 21; noon-9pm winter, to 1am summer) Totally divine handmade gelati, desserts (try the mille feuille), spice-infused pralines and truffles.

Locanda Caddeo SNACKS €

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(Via Sassari 75; snacks €2.50-8; daily) A cool, gallery-style haunt for focaccia, pizza and freshly prepared salads.

I Sapori dell’Isola DELI €

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(Via Sardegna 50; daily) Friendly deli with top-notch Sardinian bread, pastries, salami, cheese, bottarga (mullet roe), olive oil, wine and more.

Drinking

Antico Caffè CAFE

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(www.anticocaffe1855.it; Piazza Costituzione 10; daily) DH Lawrence and Grazia Deledda once frequented this grand old cafe, which opened in 1855. Join locals to chat over leisurely coffees and frilly crêpes.

Caffè Librarium Nostrum BAR

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(Via Santa Croce 33; Tue-Sun) This modish Castello bar has panoramic seating on top of the city’s medieval ramparts and occasional live music in the brick-lined interior.

Caffè degli Spiriti BAR

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(Bastione San Remy; daily) Grab a hammock, lie back and enjoy the views and vibe at this stylish lounge bar on the Bastione San Remy. If you get the munchies, order pizza (€5 to €8).

Il Merlo Parlante PUB

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(Via Portoscalas 69; Tue-Sun) Shoehorned into a narrow alley off Corso Vittorio Emanuele, this popular student pub serves lager and rock to a young international crowd.

Entertainment

Cagliari’s nightlife revolves around the city’s bars and cafes, which in summer means the beach at Poetto. For the lowdown, ask at the tourist office or pick up a copy of the local newspaper L’Unione Sarda . Online, you’ll find listings at www.sardegnaconcerti.com (in Italian).

Emerson NIGHTCLUB

( 070 37 51 94; Viale Poetto 4) Near the fourth bus stop at Poetto beach, this swanky seafront place is part cocktail lounge, part restaurant and part beach club. It’s a chilled spot for a sundowner and occasionally hosts live music.

Teatro Lirico THEATRE

( 070 408 22 30; www.teatroliricodicagliari.it; Via Sant’Alenixedda) This is Cagliari’s premier venue for classical music, opera and ballet. It’s a 15-minute stroll east of Il Castello.

Shopping

For boutiques and designer labels, head to Via Roma and boutique-studded Via Giuseppe Garibaldi. The Marina district harbours some enticing craft and speciality shops.

Durke SWEETS, PASTRIES & CAKES

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(www.durke.com; Via Napoli 66) This is an Aladdin’s cave of Sardinian sweets and pastries, all prepared according to traditional recipes. Some of the best are made with nothing more than sugar, egg whites and almonds.

Sapori di Sardegna FOOD

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(Vico dei Mille 1) Browse this breezy Marina emporium for fine pecorino , salami, bottarga , bread, wine and pretty-packed dolci (sweets).

Loredana Mandas JEWELLERY

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(Via Sicilia 31) A jewellery workshop selling the fine gold filigree for which Sardinia is famous.

Mercato di San Benedetto MARKET

(Via San Francesco Cocco Ortu) Seafood, salami, pecorino the size of wagon wheels, horse steaks, you name it – it’s all at this morning food market in Villanova, a 10- to 15-minute walk east of Il Castello.

Information

Cagliari is dotted with free wi-fi zones, but annoyingly you can only log on if you have an Italian SIM card (the password is sent to your mobile phone).

Banks and ATMs are widely available, particularly around the port and station, and on Piazza del Carmine and Corso Vittorio Emanuele.

Guardia Medica ( 070 609 52 02; Via Talete) For an emergency call-out doctor.

Lamarù ( 070 66 84 07; Via Napoli 43; per hr €3; 9am-8pm Mon-Sat) Speedy internet and wi-fi.

Main post office (Piazza del Carmine 28)

Tourist office ( 070 66 92 55; www.comune.cagliari.it, in Italian; Piazza Matteotti; 8.30am-1.30pm & 2-8pm) This friendly tourist office should be your first port of call for city information and maps.

Getting There & Away

Air Cagliari’s Elmas airport ( 070 21 12 11; www.sogaer.it) is 6km northwest of the centre. Flights connect with mainland Italy and European destinations including Barcelona, London, Paris and Stuttgart. In summer, there are additional charter flights.

Boat Cagliari’s ferry port is just off Via Roma. Tirrenia ( 892123; www.tirrenia.it; Via dei Ponente 1) is the main operator, with year-round services to Civitavecchia, Naples, Palermo and Trapani. Book tickets at the port or at travel agencies.

Bus From the main bus station on Piazza Matteotti, Turmo Travel ( 0789 214 87; www.gruppoturmotravel.com) runs a twice-daily service to Olbia (€19, 4¼ hours) and a daily bus to Santa Teresa di Gallura (€21, 5½ hours). ARST ( 800 865042; www.arst.sardegna.it, in Italian) buses serve the following destinations.

DESTINATION

FARE (€)

DURATION (HR)

FREQUENCY

Chia

4

1¼

10 daily

Iglesias

4.50

1-1½

2 daily

Nuoro

15.50

2½-5

2 daily

Oristano

7

1½

2 daily

Pula

3

¾

hourly

Sassari

18.50

3¼

3 daily

Villasimius

4

1½

6-8 daily

Car & Motorcycle The island’s main dual-carriage road, the SS131 Carlo Felice Hwy, links the capital with Porto Torres via Oristano and Sassari, and Olbia via Nuoro. The SS130 leads west to Iglesias.

Train The main Trenitalia (www.trenitalia.it) station is on Piazza Matteotti. Trains serve the following destinations.

DESTINATION

FARE (€)

DURATION (HR)

FREQUENCY

Carbonia

4.50

1

7 daily

Golfo Aranci

18

5-7

5 daily

Iglesias

4

1

16 daily

Olbia

17

4

1 daily

Oristano

6

1-2

15 daily

Porto Torres

17

4¼

1 daily

Sassari

16

3¾

3 daily

Getting Around

To/From the Airport Buses run from Piazza Matteotti to Elmas airport (€4, 10 minutes, 32 daily) from 5.20am to 10.30pm. Between 9am and 10.30pm, departures are every hour and half past the hour. A taxi costs about €25.

Bus CTM ( 070 209 12 10; www.ctmcagliari.it, in Italian) bus routes cover the city and surrounding area. A standard ticket costs €1.20 and is valid for 90 minutes; a daily ticket is €3.

Car & Motorcycle On-street parking within the blue lines costs €1 per hour. Alternatively, there’s a useful car park next to the train station, which costs €10 for 24 hours. CIA Rent a Car ( 070 65 65 03; www.ciarent.it, in Italian; Via S Agostino 13) hires out bikes, cars and scooters from €10/29/30 daily.

Taxi There are taxi ranks at Piazza Matteotti, Piazza della Repubblica and on Largo Carlo Felice. Or call Quattro Mori ( 070 400 101) or Rossoblù ( 070 66 55) .

AROUND CAGLIARI

Stretching east and north of Cagliari, the lonely Sarrabus is one of Sardinia’s least developed areas. In its centre rise the bushy green peaks of the Monte dei Sette Fratelli, a miraculously wild hinterland.

East of Poetto the SP17 hugs the coast prettily (if precariously) all the way round to Villasimius and then north along the Costa Rei.

A few kilometres short of Villasimius, a road veers south to Capo Carbonara , Sardinia’s most southeasterly point. On the western side of the peninsula is a marina and what remains of a Spanish tower, the Fortezza Vecchia . To the south is lovely Spiaggia del Riso . The eastern side is dominated by the Stagno Notteri lagoon, often host to flamingos in winter. On its seaward side is the stunning Spiaggia del Simius beach with its Polynesian-blue waters.

Villasimius

A cheerful summertime resort, Villasimius is a launch pad for exploring the gorgeous sandy bays that necklace the coast. At the Porto Turistico, about 3km outside of town, you can arrange boat tours (about €65 per person) and dives (from €36) to nearby reefs and wrecks.

From May to September, campers converge on Spiaggia del Riso ( 070 79 10 52; www.villaggiospiaggiadelriso.it; Località Campulongu; camping 2 people, car & tent €21-40, 4-bed bungalows €80-160; ) near the Porto Turistico. It has excellent facilities but gets hellishly crowded in summer.

Set in pristine gardens, the attractive, low-slung Hotel Mariposas ( 070 79 00 84; Viale Matteotti; s €74-132, d €96-170, f €116-200; ) is just a five-minute stroll from the beach.

Dine alfresco on Sardinian classics like burrida (marinated dogfish) and spaghetti with ricci at Ristorante Le Anforè ( 070 79 20 32; Localitá Su Cordolinu; meals €30; Tue-Sun) .

ARST buses run to and from Cagliari (€4, 1½ hours, six to eight daily) throughout the year.

Costa Rei

From Villasimius, the SP17 skirts the coast north to the Costa Rei. About 25km out of Villasimius you hit Cala Sinzias , a pretty sandy strand with two campgrounds. Continue for a further 6km and you come to the Costa Rei resort, a holiday village full of villas, shops, bars, clubs and a few indifferent eateries. Spiaggia Costa Rei is a dazzling-white beach lapped by remarkably clear blue-green water.

By the resort’s southern entrance and open from May to October, pine-shaded Camping Capo Ferrato ( 070 99 10 12; www.campingcapoferrato.it; camping 2 people, car & tent €16-37.50) has direct access to the beach.

North of the resort, Spiaggia Piscina Rei continues the theme of blinding-white sand and turquoise water. A couple more beaches fill the remaining length of coast up to Capo Ferrato , beyond which drivable dirt trails lead north.

Nora & Around

About 30km southwest of Cagliari, the archaeological zone of Nora (adult/reduced incl Museo Archeologico in Pula €6.50/2.50; 9am-7.30pm) is what’s left of a once-powerful ancient city. Founded by Phoenicians in the 11th century BC, it passed into Carthaginian hands before being taken over by the Romans and becoming one of the most important cities on the island. Upon entry, you pass a single melancholy column from a former temple and then a small but beautifully preserved Roman theatre . To the west are the substantial remains of the Terme al Mare (Baths by the Sea). Four columns stand at the heart of what was a patrician villa; the surrounding rooms retain their mosaic floor decoration.

In nearby Pula , the one-room Museo Archeologico ( 070 920 96 10; Corso Vittorio Emanuele 67; admission €2.50, incl Nora €6.50; 9am-8pm Tue-Sun summer to 5.30pm winter) displays finds from Nora, including ceramics found in Punic and Roman tombs, some gold and bone jewellery, and Roman glassware.

For further information about Pula and the surrounding area, ask at the helpful tourist office ( 347 2377842; Piazza del Popolo; 9am-1pm & 3-7pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat) just off the town’s main hub, Piazza del Popolo.

From Pula, the SS195 follows the coast round to Chia and the stunning Costa del Sud. But unless you’re staying at one of the self-contained resort hotels that hog this stretch of coast, you’re unlikely to glimpse much sea.

Accommodation tends to be expensive in these parts, but you can still find some affordable, locally run places. Off the road to Santa Margherita di Pula is B&B S’Olivariu ( 339 3674088; SS195 km33, Santa Margherita di Pula; s €35-60, d €70-120; ) , a lovely, authentic farm B&B surrounded by fragrant fruit trees; and Camping Flumendosa ( 070 920 83 64; www.campingflumendosa.it; SS195 km33, Santa Margherita di Pula; camping 2 people, car & tent €33; ) , set in pine and eucalyptus trees near the beach. Camping in this area is blissful in low season, when the temperatures are cooler and the beaches quieter.

Regular buses connect Pula and Cagliari (€3.50, 45 minutes). From Pula there are frequent shuttle buses down to Nora (€1), 4km away.

TRENINO VERDE

If you’re not in a rush, take a slow, nostalgic ride through Sardinia’s rugged interior on the narrow-gauge Trenino Verde (www.treninoverde.com) . There are four routes: Mandas–Arbatax, Isili–Sorgono, Macomer–Bosa and Sassari–Palau. Of these, the twisting Mandas–Arbatax line is particularly spectacular, crossing the remote highlands of the Parco Nazionale del Golfo di Orosei e del Gennargentu.

From the metro station on Piazza Repubblica in Cagliari, a metro runs to Monserrato where you can connect with trains for Mandas. The Trenino Verde runs between mid-June and early September.

Costa del Sud & Around

One of the most beautiful stretches of coast in southern Sardinia, the Costa del Sud runs 25km from Chia to Porto Teulada . Popular with windsurfers and kitesurfers, Chia’s two ravishing beaches are golden strips of sand divided by a Pisan watchtower, while 3km away there’s a magnificent strip of sand at Tueredda . As you wind your way towards the high point of Capo Malfatano there are wonderful views around every corner.

Budget accommodation is available in two camp grounds at either end of the coastal run – this is a fantastic area for camping. At Chia, there’s Campeggio Torre Chia ( 070 923 00 54; www.campeggiotorrechia.it; camping 2 people, car & tent €36) , a busy spot a few hundred metres back from the beach, while 25km to the west, Portu Tramatzu Camping Comunale ( 070 928 30 27; Località Porto Tramatzu; camping 2 people, car & tent €35; summer) has modest facilities and an on-site diving centre near Porto Teulada.

Some 25km inland, Le Grotte Is Zuddas ( 0781 95 57 41; www.grotteiszuddas.com, in Italian; adult/reduced €9/6; 9.30am-noon & 2.30-6pm daily summer, noon-4pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-noon & 2.30-6pm Sat-Sun winter) is a spectacular cave system.

From Cagliari, there are buses to and from Chia (€4, 1¼ hours, 10 daily). Between mid-June and mid-September, two daily buses ply the Costa del Sud.

IGLESIAS & THE SOUTHWEST

Iglesias

POP 27,593

Surrounded by the skeletons of Sardinia’s once-thriving mining industry, Iglesias bubbles in the summer and slumbers in the colder months. Its historical centre, an appealing ensemble of lived-in piazzas, sun-bleached buildings and Aragonese-style wrought-iron balconies, creates an atmosphere that is as much Iberian as Sardinian – a vestige of its history as a Spanish colony. Visit at Easter to experience a quasi-Seville experience during the extraordinary drum-beating processions.

The Romans called the town Metalla after the precious metals mined here, especially lead and silver. Mining equipment dating back to the Carthaginian era was discovered in the 19th century.

Sights

Centro Storico HISTORICAL CENTRE

Iglesias’ central square, Piazza Quintino Sella was laid out in the 19th century in what was at the time a field outside the city walls. Just off the square, scruffy stairs leading up to a stout tower are all that remains of Castello Salvaterra , a Pisan fortress built in the 13th century. A stretch of the northwestern perimeter wall survives along Via Campidano.

Dominating the eastern flank of Piazza del Municipio in the heart of the centro storico (historic centre), the Duomo Offline map Google map (Piazza del Municipio) is still closed for renovation, but retains a lovely Pisan-flavoured facade, as does the bell tower, with its chequerboard stonework.

Museo dell’Arte Mineraria MUSEUM

( 0781 35 00 37; www.museoartemineraria.it; Via Roma 47; 7-9pm Sat-Sun summer, by appointment rest of year) Bone up on Iglesias’ mining history at this former mining school. You can experience the harsh conditions in which miners worked in a series of recreated mine shafts.

Sleeping & Eating

La Babbajola B&B B&B €

( 347 614 46 21; www.lababbajola.it; Via Giordano 13; r per person €25-30; ) This laid-back, homey B&B is in a gorgeous old mansion, inside the centro storico, run by the friendly Carla and her mother. Accommodation is in a mini-apartment or one of three big double rooms, each of which features patterned old floor tiles, bold colours and tasteful furniture. There’s a kitchen and TV room for guest use. Two of the three double rooms share a bathroom.

Eurohotel HOTEL €€

( 0781 226 43; www.eurohoteliglesias.it; Via Fratelli Bandieri 34; s €60-80, d €85-110; ) A five-minute walk from the centre, this welcoming hotel resembles a kitsch Pompeian villa, with its porticoed entrance and gleefully OTT decor. The restaurant is a good bet for a no-nonsense evening meal (€25 to €30).

Pintadera OSTERIA €€

( 0781 251 864; Viua Mannu 22-24; meals €35-40; daily; ) It’s a real treat to eat in Pintadera, a welcoming family-run osteria (casual tavern or eatery presided over by a host) in the centro storico . A mother-and-son outfit, it’s where you should focus on the excellent meat, from the sausage-soaked pasta to goat, mutton or beef.

Getting There & Away

Buses for Cagliari (€4.50, 1 to 1½ hours, two daily) arrive at and depart from Via XX Settembre. Get tickets from Bar Giardini (Via Oristano 8) across the park. From the train station on Via Garibaldi, a 15-minute walk from the town centre, there are up to 10 daily trains to Cagliari (€3.85, one hour, 16 daily).

Around Iglesias

A winding 15km drive north of Iglesias (follow signs for Fluminimaggiore) brings you to the sand-coloured Tempio di Antas ( 0781 58 09 90; adult/reduced €3/2; 9.30am-7.30pm summer, 9.30-4.30pm Tue-Sun winter) , an impressive Roman temple set in bucolic scenery. The 3rd-century temple was built by the Roman emperor Caracalla over a 6th-century-BC Punic sanctuary, which itself stood over an earlier nuraghic settlement. From near the ticket office a path marked Antica Strada Romana, Antas Su Mannau leads to what little remains of this settlement. About 1½ hours further on is the Grotta de Su Mannau ( 0781 58 04 11; www.sumannau.it; adult/reduced €6/3.10; 9.30am-6.30pm summer, to 5.30pm winter) , an 8km-long cave complex with incredible rock formations.

About 10km east of Iglesias, the unremarkable town of Domusnovas sits at the centre of one of Sardinia’s most exciting rock-climbing areas. The outlying countryside is peppered with limestone rocks, cliffs and caves, many of which are ideal for sports climbing. For technical information, check out www.climb-europe.com/sardinia and www.sardiniaclimb.com.

Four kilometres north of town, the 850m-long Grotta di San Giovanni is an impressive sight. Eight daily buses connect Iglesias and Domusnovas (€1, 15 minutes).

Iglesiente Coast

Iglesias’ local beach is at Funtanamare (also spelt Fontanamare), about 8km west of town. From Funtanamare, the SP83 coastal road affords spectacular views as it dips, bends and climbs its way northward. Dominating the seascape off Nebida , 5.5km to the north, is the 133m-high Scoglio Pan di Zucchero (Sugarloaf Rock), the largest of several faraglioni (sea stacks) that rise out of the glassy blue waters. A small and rather drab village, Nebida is a former mining settlement sprawled along the road high above the sea. Near its southern entrance, Pan di Zucchero ( 0781 4 71 14; www.hotelpandizucchero.it; Via Centrale 365; s/d €50/65, half-board per person €70) is a family-run pensione with neat, modestly furnished rooms and a panoramic restaurant (meals €30 to €35).

A few kilometres north, Masua is another former mining centre. Seen from above, it looks pretty ugly, but it’s not without interest. The main draw is the town’s unique mining port, Porto Flavia ( closed to public) . In 1924 two 600m tunnels were dug into the cliffs. In the lower of the two a conveyor belt received zinc and lead ore from the underground deposits and transported it via an ingenious mobile loading arm directly to the ships moored below.

Local buses run between Iglesias and Masua, stopping off at Nebida (€1.50, 30 minutes, 10 daily).

Beyond Masua, and signposted off the SP83, Cala Domestica is a cool sandy beach wedged into a natural inlet. Buggerru , the biggest village on this stretch of coastline and another former mining settlement, won’t delay you long, but it has a useful tourist office ( 0781 5 40 93; SP83; 7am-8.30pm) on the main road. If the office is shut, ask at the adjacent bar.

The road out of Buggerru climbs high along the cliffs for a couple of kilometres before descending down to Spiaggia Portixeddu , one of the area’s best beaches. At its southern tip, you can dine on pizza and fresh fish at Ristorante San Nicolò ( 0781 5 43 59; Località San Nicolò; pizzas/meals €7/30) .

Accommodation in the area is limited, but the Hotel Golfo del Leone ( 0781 549 52; www.golfodelleone.it; Località Caburu de Figu; s €50-110, d €63-180) boasts sunny sea-facing rooms about 1km back from the beach. Service is friendly and the helpful staff can organise horse-riding excursions. The adjacent restaurant serves up decent local food for about €25 to €30 per head.

Inland, there are several agriturismi, including Biologico Fighezia ( 348 0698303; www.agriturismofighezia.it; Località Fighezia, Fluminimaggiore; half-board per person €55-60, B&B in winter per person €35-40) . Set in tranquil countryside, it offers lush views and cabin-style rooms decorated with terracotta tiles, solid wooden fixtures and private terraces. Dinner is served on a large communal table on the terrace of the main house.

Carbonia & Around

POP 29,821

You won’t miss much if you bypass Carbonia , a drab town built by Mussolini to house workers from the nearby Sirai-Serbariu coalfield. However, in the vicinity there are a couple of sights worth a detour. The Museo del Carbone ( 0781 67 05 91; www.museodelcarbone.it; Località Grande Miniera di Serbariu; adult/reduced €6/4; 10.30am-7.30pm daily summer, 10am-6pm Tue-Sun winter) offers a chastening look into the life of Carbonia’s miners, with an interesting collection of machines, photos and equipment, and guided tours into the claustrophobic mine shafts.

Sant’Antioco & San Pietro

POP 18,330

These islands off Sardinia’s southwestern coast display very different characters. Both are popular summer destinations but Isola Sant’Antioco, the larger and more developed of the two, is less obviously picturesque, with a rocky Sardinian landscape and gritty working port. Barely half an hour across the water, the pastel houses and bobbing fishing boats of Isola di San Pietro are much more what you’d expect of a holiday island.

Sights & Activities

The main sights are in Sant’Antioco. Up in the high part of town, the Basilica di Sant’Antioco Martire (Piazza Parrocchia 22) is a sublimely simple 5th-century church set over an extensive system of creepy catacombs (guided tours €3) .

TOP FIVE BEACHES IN SARDINIA

» Spiaggia Piscinas (Click here )

» Chia (Click here )

» Spiaggia del Principe (Click here )

» Is Aruttas (Click here )

» Cala Mariolu (boxed text, Click here )

On the outskirts of town, the excellent Museo Archeologico ( 0781 821 05; www.archeotur.it, in Italian; admission €6/3.50; 9am-7pm) contains a fascinating collection of local archaeological finds.

For beaches head to Maladroixa and Spiaggia Coa Quaddus on the eastern coast.

Over on Isola San Pietro the main activity is wandering the streets of laid-back Carloforte , the main town. On the seafront, Cartur Dea ( 0781 85 43 31; Molo Tagliafico) is one of several outfits offering boat tours. Bank on about €30 per person. In late May or early June, Carloforte’s big annual event, the four-day Girotonno (www.girotonno.org) festival, is dedicated to the island’s traditional tuna kill, known locally as the mattanza .

Sleeping

Hotel California HOTEL €

( 0781 85 44 70; www.hotelcaliforniacarloforte.it; Via Cavallera 15, Carloforte; s €35-50, d €45-90) In Carloforte, this superfriendly family-run pensione is in a residential street a few blocks back from the lungomare (seafront promenade) . It’s a modest place, but the spacious, sun-filled rooms are more than adequate and its location ensures a good night’s sleep.

Hotel Moderno HOTEL €

( 0781 8 31 05; www.albergoristorantemoderno.com; Via Nazionale 82, Sant’Antioco; s €45-60, d €70-100; ) A bright, welcoming hotel on the main road into Sant’Antioco. Rooms are agreeable with a relaxing cream-and-salmon colour scheme and big, comfy beds. Downstairs, the airy restaurant (open April to October) serves a good line in local fish.

Eating

Tuna is king of San Pietro cuisine and features on almost all island menus (May to August only).

Ristorante 7 Nani TRATTORIA €€

( 0781 84 09 00; Via Garibaldi 139; pizzas/meals €7/30; Wed-Mon) This laid-back Sant’Antioco trattoria has simple wood tables, a garden dining area and pictures of Snow White’s seven dwarves. The wood-fired pizzas are superb, the seafood is fresh and the local mirto (a berry-based liqueur) a sweet way to finish off.

Osteria della Tonnara OSTERIA €€

( 078 185 57 34; Corso Battellieri 36; meals €35; Jun-Sep) Run by Isola San Pietro’s tuna cooperative, this is the place to try tonno alla carlofortina . Bookings are recommended and credit cards are not accepted.

Information

Tourist office San Pietro ( 0781 85 40 09; www.prolococarloforte.it, in Italian; Piazza Carlo Emanuele III 19; 10am-1pm & 5-8pm); Sant’Antioco ( 0781 8 20 31; Via Roma 43; 10.30am-1pm & 4.30-6.30pm Mon-Fri)

Getting There & Around

Sant’Antioco is connected to the mainland by a bridge and is accessible by bus from Iglesias (€3, 1¾ hours) and Carbonia (€1, 50 minutes). To get to Isola San Pietro (Carloforte), you’ll need to catch a ferry from Portovesme (€6/20 per person/car, 30 minutes, at least 15 daily) or from Calasetta on Isola Sant’Antioco (€1.70/15 per person/car, 13 daily).

Local buses run around Sant’Antioco, and limited summertime services operate on San Pietro. Tickets cost €1.

Costa Verde

One of Sardinia’s great untamed coastal stretches, the Costa Verde (Green Coast) extends northward from Capo Pecora to the small resort of Torre dei Corsari. This is an area of wild, exhilarating beauty and spectacular, unspoilt beaches.

To reach the area’s two best beaches, head inland from Portixeddu along the SS126 and follow signs for Arbus. Signs off to the left direct you to Gennamari, Bau and Spiaggia Scivu , a golden beach backed by 70m-high sand dunes. A further 4km beyond this turn-off is another for the ghost town of Ingurtosu and beyond that, the magnificent and untamed Spiaggia Piscinas , a broad swath of virgin sand wedged between a desert of imposing dunes and a wild, untamed sea. Note that the route down to the beach involves at least 10km of dirt-track driving.

If you want to stay in the area, there’s an excellent agriturismo off the SP65 between Montevecchio and Torre dei Corsari. Agriturismo L’Oasi del Cervo ( 347 301 13 18; www.oasidelcervo.com; Località Is Gennas Arbus; half-board per person €43-60) is as authentic as it gets, a working farm at the end of a 2.5km dirt track in the middle of silent green hills. Rooms are extremely simple, but the location and the superb homemade food more than compensate.

You’ll really need a car to explore the Costa Verde; however, during July and August, a bus runs daily from Oristano to Torre dei Corsari (€4, 1½ hours).

ORISTANO & THE WEST

Oristano

POP 32,156

With its elegant shopping streets, ornate piazzas and popular cafes, Oristano’s animated centre makes a great base for exploring this part of the island. The city was founded in the 11th century and became capital of the Giudicato d’Arborea, one of Sardinia’s four independent provinces. Eleonora d’Arborea, a heroine in the Joan of Arc mould, became head of the giudicato in 1383 and led the fierce resistance against the island’s Spanish invaders. But with her death, anti-Spanish opposition crumbled and Oristano was incorporated into the rest of Aragon-controlled Sardinia. Eleonora is also remembered for her celebrated Carta di Logu (Code of Laws), an extraordinary law code that tackled land and property legislation as well as introducing a raft of women’s rights.

Sights

Centro Storico HISTORICAL CENTRE

One of the few vestiges of Oristano’s medieval past, the 13th-century Torre di Mariano II Offline map Google map (Piazza Roma) was the town’s northern gate and an important part of the city defences. From here, pedestrianised Corso Umberto I leads to Piazza Eleonora d’Arborea, Oristano’s elegant outdoor salon. In the centre stands an ornate 19th-century statue of Eleonora Offline map Google map , raising a finger as if about to launch into a political discourse. Nearby, the neoclassical Chiesa di San Francesco Offline map Google map (Via Sant’Antonio) harbours a 14th-century wooden sculpture, the Crocifisso di Nicodemo, considered one of Sardinia’s most precious carvings. Follow Via Duomo to the Duomo (Piazza del Duomo) , built in the 13th century but remodelled 500 years later. Its free-standing campanile (bell tower), topped by a conspicuous majolica-tiled dome, adds an exotic Byzantine look to Oristano’s skyline.

Around 3km south of Oristano at Santa Giusta is the 12th-century Basilica di Santa Giusta , one of Sardinia’s finest Tuscan-style Romanesque churches.

Oristano

Sights

1  Chiesa di San Francesco A3

2  Duomo A4

3  Museo Antiquarium Arborense B3

4  Statue of Eleonora B3

5  Torre di Mariano II B2

Sleeping

6  B&B L'Arco C4

7  Eleonora B&BB4

Eating

8  Ristorante Craf A3

9  Trattoria GinoB1

Drinking

10  Lola Mundo B3

Museo Antiquarium Arborense MUSEUM

Offline map Google map

( 0783 79 12 62; www.antiquariumarborense.it, in Italian; Piazza Corrias; adult/reduced €3/1; 9am-2pm & 3-8pm) This museum contains one of the island’s major archaeological collections, with prehistoric artefacts from the Sinis Peninsula and finds from Carthaginian and Roman Tharros. There’s also a small collection of retablos (painted altarpieces), including the 16th-century Retablo del Santo Cristo, which depicts a decorative series of Franciscan saints.

Festivals & Events

Sa Sartiglia RELIGIOUS FESTIVAL

One of Sardinia’s top festivals, Oristano’s Sa Sartiglia is held over two days: Sunday and martedí grasso (Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras). It involves a costumed medieval joust and some amazing acrobatic horse riding.

Sleeping

Eleonora B&B B&B €

Offline map Google map

( 0783 7 04 35; www.eleonora-bed-and-breakfast.com; Piazza Eleonora d’Arborea 12; s €35-50, d €60-70, apt €80; ) Possibly one of the island’s most charming B&Bs, the Eleonora is housed in a medieval palazzo on Oristano’s central piazza. The rooms are tastefully decorated with antique furniture and the floors are covered in gorgeous old tiles. Wi-fi is available. There’s an elegant, two-bedroom loft apartment, ideal for longer stays.

B&B L’Arco B&B €

Offline map Google map

( 0783 7 28 49; www.arcobedandbreakfast.it; Vico Ammirato 12; s/d without bathroom €40/65) Set inside a couple’s home, L’Arco sits hidden away in a quiet cul-de-sac near Piazza Martini. There are only two guestrooms but they are spacious and tastefully decorated with exposed-wood beams, terracotta tiles and dark-wood furnishings. Breakfast is served in the family kitchen, and there’s a small terrace upstairs.

Eating & Drinking

Trattoria Gino TRATTORIA €€

Offline map Google map

( 0783 7 14 28; Via Tirso 13; meals €25-30; Mon-Sat) A wonderful, simple trattoria set in one neat room, the quality of the food in Gino’s explains its sustained popularity since the 1930s. Try the simple and fragrant sage and ricotta ravioli, and follow with a char-grilled seppia (cuttlefish) studded with fresh cherry tomatoes. Watch out for the lemon sorbetto – it’s laced with vodka!

Ristorante Craf OSTERIA €€

Offline map Google map

( 0783 7 06 69; Via de Castro 34; meals €35-40; Mon-Sat) This is a place with a huge reputation among the locals. Housed in a former 17th-century granary, the brick-vaulted dining rooms and folksy clutter can feel either claustrophobic or cosy. Hearty country fare dominates the menu – try the panne frattau (Sardinian bread soup), pasta with legumes, grilled meat including asinello (donkey), and homemade amaretti (almond biscuits).

Lola Mundo TRATTORIA €

Offline map Google map

(Piazzetta Corrias 14; Mon-Sat) With its piazza seating and relaxing music, Lola Mundo is a good spot to hang out over an aperitif. A favourite with the locals.

Information

Farmacia San Carlo ( 0783 7 11 23; Piazza Eleonora d’Arborea 10/11) For all your medical needs.

Genius Point (Via Pietro Riccio 4; per hr €4; 8.30am-1pm & 4-8pm Mon-Sat) Internet access.

Ospedale San Martino ( 0783 31 71; Piazza San Martino) Local hospital.

Post office (Via Mariano IV d’Arborea)

Tourist office ( 0783 368 32 10; turismo@provincia.or.it; Piazza Eleonora d’Arborea 19; 9am-1pm Mon-Fri & 4-6.30pm Mon-Thu) Friendly and English-speaking staff are eager to offer information on Oristano and the region.

Getting There & Around

From the bus station on Via Cagliari buses leave for the following destinations.

TO

FARE (€)

DURATION (HR)

FREQUENCY

Cagliari

7

1½

2 daily

Nuoro

7

2½

6 daily

Santa Giusta

1

¼

half-hourly

Sassari

8-10

2

3 daily

The main train station is in Piazza Ungheria, east of the town centre. Up to 15 daily trains run between Oristano and Cagliari (€6, one to two hours).

City buses on the azzurra (blue) line run from Via Cagliari to the beach at Marina di Torregrande (€1, or €1.20 if bought on bus, 20 minutes).

Barumini & Around

In the heart of voluptuous green countryside near Barumini, the Nuraghe Su Nuraxi (www.nuraghi.org; adult/reduced €7/5; 9am-7pm summer, to 6pm spring & autumn, to 4pm winter) is Sardinia’s sole World Heritage Site and the island’s most visited nuraghe (stone tower) . The focal point is the tower dating from 1500 BC, which originally stood on its own but was later incorporated into a fortified compound. The first village buildings were erected in the Iron Age, and it’s these that constitute the beehive of circular interlocking buildings that spread across the grass.

In Barumini, Albergo Sa Lolla ( 070 936 84 19; www.wels.it/salolla; Via Cavour 49; s/d €50/70; ) is a tastefully refurbished farmstead with seven airy rooms and an excellent restaurant (meals €30). Note that breakfast costs an extra €6.

Five kilometres west of Barumini, the village of Tuili is a gateway to La Giara di Gesturi , a high basalt plateau famous for its population of wild cavallini (literally ‘minihorses’), most likely seen by shallow pauli (seasonal lakes) at daybreak or dusk.

To the east, it’s a 25km drive to the village of Serri and the Santuario Santa Vittoria di Serri (adult/concession €4/2; 9am-7pm summer, to 5pm winter) , the most extensive nuraghic settlement unearthed in Sardinia.

Three weekday buses run from Cagliari to Barumini (€4.50, 1½ hours); otherwise, you’ll need your own transport.

PREHISTORIC WONDERS

To the untrained eye, the strange stone circles that litter Sardinia’s interior are mysterious and incomprehensible. But to archaeologists they provide one of the few windows into the dark world of the Bronze Age nuraghe people. There are said to be up to 7000 nuraghi (stone towers) across the island, most built between 1800 and 500 BC. No one is absolutely certain what they were used for, although most experts think they were defensive watchtowers.

Even before they started building nuraghi, the Sardinians were busy digging tombs into the rock, known as domus de janas (fairy houses). More elaborate were the common graves fronted by stele called tombe dei giganti (giants’ tombs).

Evidence of pagan religious practices is provided by pozzi sacri (well temples). Built from around 1000 BC, these were often constructed to capture light at the yearly equinoxes, hinting at a naturalistic religion as well as sophisticated building techniques. The well temple at Santa Cristina is a prime example.

Sinis Peninsula

West of Oristano, the Sinis Peninsula feels like a world apart with its glassy lagoons, low-lying countryside and snow-white beaches. The main sight is the ancient town of Tharros.

THARROS & AROUND

The blue choppy waters of the Golfo di Oristano form the ideal backdrop to the ruins of ancient Tharros ( 0783 39 73 06; admission incl Museo Civico in Cabras €7; 9am-8pm summer, to 5pm winter) . Founded by the Phoenicians in the 8th century BC, Tharros thrived as a Carthaginian naval base and was later taken over by the Romans. Much of what you see today dates from the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, when the basalt streets were laid and the aqueduct, baths and other major monuments were built.

On the side of the road just before Tharros, you’ll see the 6th-century Chiesa di San Giovanni di Sinis ( 9am-7pm summer, to 5pm winter) , one of oldest churches in Sardinia.

Some 4km north, the weird village of San Salvatore is worth a quick look. Used as a spaghetti-western film set during the 1960s, it is centred on a dusty town square surrounded by rows of tiny terraced houses, known as cumbessias . In the piazza, the 16th-century Chiesa di San Salvatore ( 9.30am-1pm year-round, 3.30-6pm Mon-Sat summer) is built over a pagan sanctuary dating from the nuraghic period.

A fantastic place to eat nearby is Peschiera Pontis ( 0783 39 17 74; Strada Provinciale 6; menus €25-30) a restaurant fronting the Pontis fishing cooperative, on the road between Cabras and Tharros. You’ll get abundant antipasti, primo (first course), secondo (second course), desserts and wine in the fixed-price menus, and the freshest fish you’re likely to taste on the island.

Just beyond the turn-off for the village, the excellent Agriturismo Su Pranu ( 0783 39 25 61; www.agriturismosupranu.com; Località San Salvatore; half-board per person €52-60; ) is a genuine working farm offering six bright guestrooms and superb home-grown food.

In July and August, there are five daily buses for San Giovanni in Sinis from Oristano (€1.50, 35 minutes).

CABRAS

POP 8700

This straggling lagoon town is really only worth stopping at for the Museo Civico ( 0783 29 06 36; www.penisoladelsinis.it, in Italian; Via Tharros 121; adult/reduced incl Tharros €7/3; 9am-1pm & 4-8pm summer, 9am-1pm & 3-7pm winter) at the southern end of the town. It houses finds from the prehistoric site of Cuccuru Is Arrius , 3km to the southwest, and Tharros. Buses run every 20 minutes or so from Oristano (€1, 15 minutes).

THE BEACHES OF THE SINIS PENINSULA

The Sinis Peninsula’s beaches are among the best on the island. One of the most famous is Is Aruttas , whose prized white quartz sand was for years carted off to be used in aquariums and on beaches on the Costa Smeralda. However, it’s now illegal to take any. The beach is signposted and is 5km west off the main road north from San Salvatore.

Within walking distance of the beach, Camping Is Aruttas ( 0783 39 11 08; www.campingisaruttas.it; Località Marina Aruttas; camping 2 people, car & tent €35; summer) has modest camping facilities set amid olive trees and Mediterranean shrubbery.

At the north of the peninsula, the popular surfing beach of Putzu Idu is backed by a motley set of holiday homes, beach bars and surfing outlets. One such, the Capo Mannu Kite School ( 347 0077035; www.capomannukiteschool.it) , runs kitesurfing lessons for all levels. For underwater thrills, 9511 Diving ( 349 291 37 65; www.9511.it) runs dives and snorkelling trips, as well as excursions to the eloquently named Isola di Mal di Ventre (Stomach-ache Island) , 10km off the coast. As a rough guide, reckon on €35 to €40+ for a standard dive and about €50 for an excursion over to Isola di Male di Ventre.

Two weekday buses run to Putzu Idu from Oristano (€2.50, 55 minutes). In July and August, there are four additional services.

RIOLA SARDO

POP 2140

The single main reason to stop off at this otherwise drab town is to stay at the wonderful Hotel Lucrezia ( 0783 41 20 78; www.hotellucrezia.it; Via Roma 14a; s €85-100, d €130-160; ). Housed in an ancient family cortile (courtyard house), the luxuriously rustic rooms surround an inner courtyard complete with a wisteria-draped pergola, and fig and citrus trees. Free bikes are provided, and the welcoming staff regularly organise cooking, painting and wine-tasting courses.

North Oristano Coast

North of the Sinis Peninsula, there are some superb beaches in and around the popular resort of Santa Caterina di Pittinuri . These include Spiaggia dell’Arco at S’Archittu , and further south, Is Arenas , one of the longest beaches in the area. Nearby, Camping Is Arenas ( 0783 5 21 03; www.campingisarenas.it; camping per person €4-6, per tent & car €5-9, 2-person bungalows €50-90) is one of three camping grounds in the vicinity. Large and well-equipped, it has tent sites and bungalows immersed in pine trees.

Inland, the Monti Ferru massif (105m) is a beautiful and largely uncontaminated area of ancient forests, natural springs and small market towns. There’s some great walking in the area and gourmets will enjoy the wonderful food.

From Oristano, five weekday buses run to Santa Caterina (€2, 40 minutes) and S’Archittu (€2, 40 minutes). Extra services are added in July and August.

LAGO OMEDEO CIRCUIT

Follow the SS131 north out of Oristano for the Nuraghe Santa Cristina ( 0785 5 54 38; admission incl Museo Archeologico-Etnografico in Paulilatino €7; 8.30am-sunset) , an important nuraghe whose extraordinary Bronze Age tempio a pozzo (well-temple) is one of the best preserved in Sardinia. Finds from the site can be viewed a few kilometres up the road at Paulilatino’s small Museo Archeologico-Etnografico ( 0785 5 54 38; Via Nazionale 127; admission incl Nuraghe Santa Cristina €7; 9.30am-1pm & 4-7pm Tue-Sun summer, 9am-1pm & 3-5.30pm Tue-Sun winter).

Just north of Paulilatino is another major nuraghe, the impressive Nuraghe Losa ( 0785 5 23 02; www.nuraghelosa.net; adult/reduced €3.50/2; 9am-1hr before sunset) dating from 1500 BC.

Your own transport is needed to get to most of these sights, although buses do run from Oristano to Abbasanta (€2.50, 55 minutes), via Paulilatino. These will drop you within walking distance of Nuraghe Losa.

BOSA

POP 8138

Bosa is one of Sardinia’s most attractive towns. Seen from a distance, its rainbow townscape resembles a vibrant Paul Klee canvas, with pastel houses stacked on a steep hillside, tapering up to a stark, grey castle. In front, moored fishing boats bob on the glassy Temo river and palm trees line an elegant riverfront. Three kilometres west, Bosa Marina, the town’s satellite beach resort, is less obviously attractive, with modern low-rise hotels, restaurants and holiday homes.

Sights & Activities

It’s quite a climb up to Bosa’s hilltop castle, Castello Malaspina ( 333 5445675; adult/reduced €2.50/1; 10am-12.30pm Sat & Sun or by reservation) , built in 1112 by a noble Tuscan family. Note that these opening times often change, and it might well be open for longer during summer.

Down below, the Museo Casa Deriu ( 0785 37 70 43; Corso Vittorio Emanuele 59; adult/reduced €4.50/3; 10am-1pm & 4-6pm Tue-Sun) illustrates the town’s history, including a section on Bosa’s old tanning industry. Also of interest is the Gothic-Romanesque Cattedrale di San Pietro Extramuros , 2km from the old bridge on the south bank of the Temo.

Bosa has much to offer outdoor enthusiasts. You can hire bikes and scooters at Cuccu ( 0785 37 54 16; Via Roma 5) , a mechanics’ on the southern side of the river, for €8/40 per day for a bike/scooter. At Bosa Marina, Bosa Diving ( 335 8189748; www.bosadiving.it, in Italian; Via Colombo 2) runs dives (from €40) and snorkelling excursions (€20), and rents out canoes (double canoe €10 per hour) and dinghies (from €25 per hour).

Sleeping & Eating

Corte Fiorita HOTEL €€

( 0785 37 70 58; www.albergo-diffuso.it; Via Lungo Temo de Gasperi 45; s €45-90, d €65-115; ) Corte Fiorita has beautiful, spacious rooms in four refurbished palazzi across town – one on the riverfront and three in the historic centre. No two rooms are exactly the same, but you’ll generally find plenty of exposed stonework, wooden beams and vaulted ceilings. Mini-apartments are also available for longer stays (€390 to €950 per week).

La Torre di Alice B&B €

( 0785 85 04 04; www.latorredialice.it; Via del Carmine 7; s €30-40, d €50-70; ) Set in a wonderful old house in Bosa’s medieval centre, you’ll notice La Torre di Alice by its bright colours and wacky signpost outside. The rooms are neat and comfortable, with wrought-iron beds and relaxing decor.

Bio Agriturismo Bainas AGRITURISMO €

( 339 2090967, 0785 37 31 29; www.agriturismobainasbosa.com; Via San Pietro; s €30-45, d €60-75, q €118-136) Surrounded by fields of artichokes, and olive and orange orchards, this modest agriturismo is about a kilometre outside of town. Meals €20.

Sa Pischedda SEAFOOD €€

( 0785 37 30 65; Via Roma 8; meals €30-35, pizzas €7; Wed-Mon, daily summer) At the hotel of the same name, this is one of Bosa’s best restaurants. Speciality of the house is stylishly presented fish, both seawater and freshwater, but it also does excellent pizza and pasta. Reservations in summer are a good idea.

La Pulce Rossa SARDINIAN €€

( 0785 37 56 57; Via Lungo Temo Amendola 1; pizzas/meals €6/25; Tue-Sun) A 20-minute walk from the centre, this friendly family-run restaurant serves filling working-man’s fare at decidedly untouristy prices. Try the house speciality, pennette ‘Pulce Rossa’, a rich concoction of pasta, giant prawns, cream and saffron.

Information

The tourist office ( 079 37 61 07; www.infobosa.com; Via Azuni 5; 10am-1pm Thu-Sat) provides maps and info on Bosa and its surroundings.

Getting There & Away

All buses terminate at Piazza Zanetti. There are services to and from Alghero (€4.50, 1½ hours, two daily), Sassari (€5.50, 2¼ hours, three daily) and Oristano (€5.50, two hours, six daily Monday to Saturday). Get tickets from the bus depot on Via Nazionale (opposite Sa Pischedda restaurant) or ask the driver.

ALGHERO & THE NORTHWEST

Alghero

POP 40,803

Pretty and petite, Alghero is one of Sardinia’s most beautiful towns, and even though it can be very touristy, the town hasn’t given up its unique character. The town’s charm is in the medieval centre, where cobbled caramel-coloured streets are shaded by Gothic palazzi and enlivened by busy squares bubbling with cafes and restaurants. The robust sea walls that enclose the old town are lined with restaurants and bars, and they overlook the harbour and the long sandy beaches to the north, and the rocky coves to the south.

Hanging over everything is a palpable Spanish atmosphere, a hangover from the 14th century when Sardinia’s Aragonese invaders tried to replace the local populace with Catalan colonists.

Sights

Centro Storico HISTORICAL CENTRE

A leisurely stroll round Alghero’s animated centro storico is a good way of getting into the holiday atmosphere. Overlooking Piazza Duomo, the oversized Cattedrale di Santa Maria (Piazza Duomo) is an odd mishmash of Moorish, baroque, Renaissance and other influences. Of greater interest is the campanile Offline map Google map (bell tower; admission €2; 7-9.30pm Tue, Thu & Sat summer, by request rest of year) round the back, which is a fine example of Catalan-Gothic architecture.

Alghero

Sights

1  Bastione della Maddalena B1

2  Bastioni Cristoforo ColomboB4

3  Bastioni di San Marco A2

4  Campanile B2

5  Cattedrale di Santa Maria A2

6  Chiesa di San Francesco B3

7  Stroll & Speak A2

8  Torre Porte a TerraC3

Sleeping

9  Hotel San Francesco B3

Eating

10  Angedras Restaurant A2

11  II GhiottoB2

12  La BotteghinaB3

13  Market C3

14  Spaghetteria Al Solito PostoB4

15  Supermarket D1

Drinking

16  Baraonda B4

17  Buena VistaA2

18 Caffè ConstantinoB2

On the old town’s main street, the Chiesa di San Francesco (Via Carlo Alberto) hides some beautiful 14th-century cloisters behind an austere stone facade.

Several 14th-century towers remain from the medieval city, including Torre Porta a Terra Offline map Google map ( 079 973 40 45; Piazza Porta Terra; adult/child €2.50/1.50; 9am-1pm & to 11pm Mon-Sat summer, 9.30am-1pm Mon-Sat & 5-7pm Wed & Fri winter) , which was once one of the city’s two main gates. It now houses a small multimedia museum dedicated to the city’s past, and a terrace with sweeping, 360-degree views.

To the north, the Bastione della Maddalena Offline map Google map , with its eponymous tower, is the only extant remnant of the city’s former land battlements. To the south and west, respectively, the Mediterranean crashes against the seaward walls of the Bastioni di San Marco Offline map Google map and Bastioni di Cristoforo Colombo Offline map Google map . Along these bulwarks are some inviting restaurants and bars where you can watch the sunset over a cocktail.

Activities

North of Alghero’s yacht-jammed port, Via Garibaldi sweeps up to the town’s beaches, Spiaggia di San Giovanni and the adjacent Spiaggia di Maria Pia . Nicer by far, though, are the beaches near Fertilia. From the port you can take boat trips along the impressive northern coast to Capo Caccia . Prices range from about €40 to €100 per person.

Courses

Stroll & Speak LANGUAGE

Offline map Google map

( 339 4899314; www.strollandspeak.com; Via Cavour 4; 20hr class per person €180) Brush up on your Italian with a course at an established language school in the historical centre. Maximum five students per class.

Festivals & Events

Estate Musicale Internazionale di Alghero MUSIC

Alghero’s ‘International Summer of Music’ is staged in July and August, and features classical music concerts in the evocative setting of the Chiesa di San Francesco cloister.

Sleeping

Booking ahead is essential in July and August, and a good idea during the rest of the year.

Angedras Hotel HOTEL €€

( 079 973 50 34; www.angedras.it; Via Frank 2; s €60-140, d €75-150; ) A model of whitewashed Mediterranean style, the Angedras has bright rooms with big French doors opening on to sunny patios. The airy terrace is good for iced drinks on hot summer evenings. Note that it’s a good 15-minute walk south from the centro storico .

Camping La Mariposa CAMPGROUND €

( 079 95 03 60; www.lamariposa.it; Via Lido 22; camping 2 people, car & tent €20-44, 4-person bungalows €50-80; Apr-Oct; ) About 2km north of the centre, this campground is on the beach, set amid pine and eucalyptus trees. This, and the excellent facilities (including a windsurfing school and diving centre), make it a popular choice.

Hotel San Francesco HOTEL €€

Offline map Google map

( 079 98 03 30; www.sanfrancescohotel.com; Via Ambrogio Machin 2; s €52-63, d €82-101; ) This is the only hotel in Alghero’s centro storico . Housed in an ex-convent – monks still live on the 3rd floor – it has plain, comfortable rooms set around an attractive 14th-century cloister. Wi-fi is available.

Eating

Self-caterers can stock up at Alghero’s weekday market Offline map Google map (Via Sassari 23) between Via Sassari and Via Cagliari. Otherwise, there’s a supermarket Offline map Google map (Via La Marmora 28) near the Giardini Pubblici.

La Botteghina SARDINIAN €€

( 079 97 38 375; www.labotteghina.biz; Via Principe Umberto 63; meals €25-30) A crisp new place in the centro storico, La Botteghina only deals in local food bought from small producers, which means the ingredients are simple and tastes intense. Try the fregola (small pasta made from semolina, similar to couscous) with seafood, or one of the pizzas.

Angedras Restaurant SARDINIAN €€

Offline map Google map

( 079 973 50 78; www.angedrasrestaurant.it; Bastioni Marco Polo 41; meals €35; Wed-Mon) Dining on Alghero’s honey-coloured stone ramparts is a memorable experience. This is one of the better restaurants on the walls, serving a largely traditional menu, including traditional roast suckling pig.

Spaghetteria Al Solito Posto TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €

Offline map Google map

( 328 9133745; Piazza della Misericordia; meals €15-20; Fri-Wed) This small barrel-vaulted place is one of the most popular eateries in town. The workaday atmosphere is TV-on-in-the-corner, but the food – pasta with a range of sauces – is good and the bustling vibe is fun. Bookings recommended.

Il Ghiotto FAST FOOD €

Offline map Google map

( 079 97 48 20; Piazza Civica 23; meals €10-15; Tue-Sun) Fill up for as little as €10 from the tantalising lunchtime spread of panini, pastas, salads and main courses. There’s seating in a dining area behind the main hall or outside on a busy wooden terrace.

Drinking & Entertainment

Buena Vista BAR

Offline map Google map

(Bastioni Marco Polo 47; cocktails €7) Fabulous mojitos, fresh fruit cocktails, golden views – what more could you want of a seafront bar? Upbeat tunes and a cavernous interior add to the vibe at this popular bar on the western walls.

Baraonda WINE BAR

Offline map Google map

(Piazza della Misericordia) Burgundy walls and black-and-white jazz photos set the tone at this moody wine bar. In summer, sit out on the piazza and watch the world parade by.

Caffè Costantino CAFE

(Piazza Civica 31) The most famous cafe in town attracts a constant stream of tourists to its piazza-side tables. There’s a full food menu, although if you just want to eat you’ll get better value almost everywhere else.

El Trò CLUB

(Via Lungomare Valencia 3) El Trò becomes a steamy mosh pit on hot summer weekends as hyped-up holidaymakers boogie until dawn on the seafront dance floor.

Information

Bar Miramare ( 079 973 10 27; Via Gramsci 2; per hr €5; 8.30am-1pm & 4.30pm-2am) Internet access.

Farmacia Bulla ( 079 95 21 15; Via Garibaldi 13)

Ospedale Civile ( 079 99 62 00; Via Don Minzoni) The main hospital.

Police station ( 079 972 00 00; Piazza della Mercede 4)

Post office (Via Carducci 35)

Tourist office ( 079 97 90 54; www.comune.alghero.ss.it; Piazza Porta Terra 9; 8am-8pm, closed Sun winter)

Getting There & Away

Air Fertilia airport ( 079 93 50 39) , 10km north of town, serves domestic flights to and from Italy, and Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) flights to and from London and Frankfurt.

Bus InterCity buses stop at and leave from Via Catalogna, by the Giardini Pubblici. Buy tickets at the ticket office in the gardens. Up to 11 daily buses run to and from Sassari (€2.50 to €3, one hour). There are also services to Porto Torres (€2.50, one hour, six daily) and Bosa (€4.50, 1½ hours, two daily).

Train The train station is 1.5km north of the old town on Via Don Minzoni. Up to 11 trains run to and from Sassari (€2.30, 35 minutes).

Getting Around

Hourly buses between 5am and 11pm travel between Via Cagliari and the airport (€1, 20 minutes). A taxi to/from the airport will cost between €20 and €25.

Bus line AO runs from Via Cagliari to the beaches. Tickets are available at newsagents and tabaccaio (tobacconists) across town.

Cicloexpress ( 079 98 69 50; www.cicloexpress.com; Via Garibaldi) hires out cars (from €55 per day), scooters (from €30) and bikes (from €8).

Around Alghero

RIVIERA DEL CORALLO

A few kilometres west of Alghero are two favourite beaches: Spiaggia delle Bombarde and Spiaggia del Lazzaretto . Both are signposted off the main road, but if you don’t have a car the Capo Caccia bus from Alghero passes nearby. Divers should continue westward to the Diving Centre Capo Galera ( 079 94 21 10; www.capogalera.com; Località Capo Galera; d €65-100, dives from €20) , which offers superlative diving in the Nereo Cave , the biggest underwater grotto in the Mediterranean, and cheerful accommodation in a big white villa.

Heading on to Porto Conte you’ll pass the impressive Nuraghe di Palmavera (adult/child €3/1.50; 9am-7pm summer, 10am-2pm winter) , a 3500-year-old nuraghic village. You’ll need your own transport to get there as the AF local bus from Alghero passes by but returns via an inland route, leaving you stranded.

Beyond the nuraghe, Porto Conte is on a lovely unspoilt bay, centred on Spiaggia Mugoni , a good spot for windsurfing, canoeing, kayaking and sailing. Regular buses run between Porto Conte and Alghero (€1, 30 minutes, six daily).

Just west of Porto Conte at the base of Monte Timidone, Le Prigionette Nature Reserve ( 079 94 90 60; admission free but ID required; 8am-4pm Mon-Sat, to 5pm Sun) is home to deer, albino donkeys, Giara horses and wild boar. It has well-marked forest paths and tracks suitable for walkers and cyclists.

At the end of the road, Capo Caccia is a dramatic cape jutting out high above the sea. From the car park, a vertiginous 654-step staircase descends 110m of sheer cliff to the Grotta di Nettuno ( 079 94 65 40; adult/child €10/5; 9am-7pm) , an underground fairyland of stalactites and stalagmites. If you don’t fancy the staircase, there are ferries from Alghero run by Traghetti Navisarda ( 079 95 06 03; adult/child return €14/7) , departing hourly between 9am and 5pm from June to September, and four times daily in the rest of the year. Otherwise, there’s a daily bus from Via Catalogna (€2, 50 minutes), which departs Alghero at 9.15am and returns at midday. From June to September, there are two extra runs at 3.10pm and 5.10pm, returning at 4.05pm and 6.05pm.

Those with transport should explore the flat, green land north of Capo Caccia. Hot spots include Torre del Porticciolo , a tiny natural harbour, backed by a small arc of beach, and 6km to the north, one of the island’s longest stretches of wild sandy beach, Porto Ferro .

INLAND

About 7km north of Alghero, just to the left (west) of the road to Porto Torres, lie the scattered ancient burial chambers of the Necropoli di Anghelu Ruiu (adult/child €3/1.50; 9am-7pm summer, 10am-2pm winter) . The 38 tombs carved into the rock, known as domus de janas, date from between 3300 and 2700 BC.

Further up the road is the 650-hectare estate of Sardinia’s top wine producer, Sella e Mosca ( 079 99 77 00; www.sellaemosca.com) . Here you can join a free guided tour of the estate’s museum ( 5.30pm Mon-Sat summer, by request rest of the year) and stock up at the enoteca (wine bar; 8.30am-1pm & 3-6.30pm Mon-Sat year-round, 8.30-8pm Sun summer) .

Porto Torres

POP 22,461

A busy working port surrounded by a fuming petrochemical plant, Porto Torres is no picture. But if you find yourself passing through – and you might, if heading to Corsica – take an hour or so to visit the impressive Basilica di San Gavino (crypt €1.50) , Sardinia’s largest Romanesque church. Built between 1030 and 1080 to honour three Roman-era Christian martyrs, it is notable for the apses on either end (there is no facade) and its two-dozen marble columns, pilfered by the Pisan builders from the nearby Roman site. Underneath, a crypt is lined with religious statuary and stone tombs.

Buses leave from Via Mare for Sassari (€1.50, 35 minutes, hourly), Alghero (€2.50, one hour, six daily) and Stintino (€2.50, 30 minutes, five daily). For information on ferries,Click here .

Stintino & Parco Nazionale dell’Asinara

Once a forgotten fishing village, Stintino is now a sunny little resort and a good base for exploring the surrounding area. There are some fine beaches in these parts, but the pick of the bunch is Spiaggia della Pelosa , a salt-white strip of sand fronted by shallow, turquoise waters and strange, low-lying licks of land. On the road to Pelosa beach, the Asinara Diving Center ( 079 52 70 00; www.asinaradivingcenter.it; Porto dell’Ancora) offers a range of dives starting at about €40. On the beach itself, the Windsurfing Center Stintino ( 079 52 70 06; www.windsurfingcenter.it) rents out windsurfers (€17 per hour) and canoes (from €10 per hour).

Over the water from Pelosa lies Isola Asinara, home to native asini bianchi (albino donkeys), and until recently off limits due to its maximum-security prison. The prison is now closed and the island has been designated a national park, Parco Nazionale dell’Asinara (www.parcoasinara.org) . From Stintino, Linea del Parco ( 079 52 31 18; Porto Mannu) offers a number of packages including bus/4WD tours (€36/55) and yacht/fishing boat excursions (€65/70 including lunch). If you want to visit on your own you’ll have to take a bike as there’s no public transport on the island and access is limited to certain restricted areas. Reckon on €25 for transport with bike and park admission.

Accommodation in the area is mainly in large, resort-style hotels, but there are some pleasant lower-key choices. In Stintino, Albergo Silvestrino ( 079 52 34 73; www.hotelsilvestrino.it, in Italian; Via XXI Aprile 4; d €25-67, half-board €70-113; ) is a summery three-star place with cool tiled rooms and an excellent seafood restaurant (meals €35).

At laid-back Lu Famili ( 079 52 30 54; Lungomare C Columbo 89; pizzas from €6, meals €30) you can watch boats bob by as you dig into reliably good pizza and seafood classics such as calamari e seppie grigliati (grilled calamari and cuttlefish).

There are five weekday buses to Stintino from Porto Torres (€2.50, 30 minutes) and Sassari (€4, 70 minutes). Services increase between June and September.

Sassari

POP 130,366

Sardinia’s second city is a proud and cultured university town with a medieval heart and a modern outlook. It’s not an immediately appealing place, but once you’ve broken through the drab outskirts you’ll discover a grand centre and an evocative, lived-in historical core.

The city’s golden age came in the 14th century, firstly as capital of the medieval Giudicato di Logudoro and then as an autonomous city-state. But decline followed and for centuries the city was ruled by Spanish colonialists.

Sights

Museo Nazionale Sanna MUSEUM

( 079 27 22 03; Via Roma 64; adult/reduced €4/2; 9am-8pm Tue-Sun) This is Sassari’s main attraction and the archaeological collection is quite comprehensive. The highlight is the nuraghic bronzeware, including weapons, bracelets, votive boats and figurines depicting humans and animals. It also has an interesting picture gallery and a small collection of Sardinian folk art.

Centro Storico HISTORICAL CENTRE

In the heart of the centro storico, Sassari’s Duomo (Piazza Duomo) dazzles with its 18th-century baroque facade: a giddy free-for-all of statues, reliefs, friezes and busts. Inside, the cathedral reverts to its original Gothic character.

Nearby, imposing 19th-century buildings flank Piazza Italia , one of Sardinia’s most impressive public spaces.

Sleeping

B&B Casachiara B&B €

( 079 200 50 52, 339 6957118; www.casachiara.net; Vicola Bertolinis 7; s/d €35/70; ) In the buzzing uni area, this is a laid-back B&B with a breezy, homey atmosphere. Resembling a well-kept student flat, it has three colourful bedrooms, a dining room and a cheerfully cluttered kitchen.

Hotel Vittorio Emanuele HOTEL €

( 079 23 55 38; www.hotelvittorioemanuele.ss.it, in Italian; Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 100-102; s €50-70, d €70-89; ) Housed in a medieval palazzo, this good-value three-star place is awash with antiques and colourful paintings. Rooms are spacious if sterile with their corporate white-grey decor. Weekend discounts are available.

Eating

Fainè alla Genovese Sassu FAST FOOD €

(Via Usai 17; fainè €5; 7-11pm Thu-Tue) This no-frills spot is the place to fill up on fainè, a cross between a pancake and pizza. There’s nothing else on the menu, but with a wide range of toppings, you should find something to suit your tastes.

Trattoria Da Antonio TRATTORIA €

( 079 23 42 97; Via Arborea 2b; meals €25; Tue-Sun) Affectionately known as Lu Panzone (the Big Belly), this boisterous, old-school trattoria does a great line in homespun, no-nonsense food. The focus is on meat (and lots of it) – start with pasta with sausage and then choose between a tender horse steak, lamb with olives and herbs, or pork with tomato and chickpeas, all the while sipping the local red wine.

Information

Nuovo Ospedale Civile ( 079 206 10 00; Via De Nicola)

Police station (Questura; 079 249 50 00; Via Ariosto 3)

Post office (Via Brigata di Sassari)

Tourist office ( 079 200 80 72; Via Sebastiano Satta 13; 9am-1pm & 4-6pm Mon-Fri)

Getting There & Away

Sassari’s main bus station is on Via XXV Aprile and services the following destinations.

DESTINATION

FARE (€)

DURATION (HR)

FREQUENCY

Alghero

2.50-3

1

11 daily

Cagliari

18.50

3¼

3 daily

Castelsardo

2.50

1

11 daily Mon-Sat

Nuoro

8-10

2

7 daily

Oristano

8-10

2

3 daily

Porto Torres

1.50

½

hourly

For Cagliari (€15, 3¾ hours, five daily) and Olbia (€7, two hours, four daily), you’re better off taking the train. The train station is just beyond the western end of the old town on Piazza Stazione.

AROUND SASSARI

The countryside south and east of Sassari is a patchwork of rugged slopes and golden wheat fields peppered by delightful Romanesque churches. The most impressive is the Basilica della Santissima Trinità di Saccargia (admission €1.50) about 18km southeast of Sassari on the SS597.

Some 25km south, near Torralba, the Nuraghe Santu Antine ( 079 84 72 96) is one of Sardinia’s most interesting nuraghic sites, dating from about 1600 BC. On weekdays, there are up to eight buses from Sassari to Torralba (€2.50, 1½ hours), although to get to the nuraghe from the village you’ll have to walk about 4km.

On the coast north of Sassari, there are popular beaches at Platamona and Marina di Sorso , both accessible by the summer Buddi Buddi bus (line MP) from Via Eugenio Tavolara.

From here, the SS200 hugs the coast up to Castelsardo , a picturesque town with a dramatic medieval centre rising out of a rocky seafront peak. Regular buses run from Sassari (€2.50, one hour, 11 daily Monday to Saturday).

OLBIA, THE COSTA SMERALDA & THE GALLURA

Costa Smeralda evokes Sardinia’s classic images: pearly-white beaches, wind-whipped licks of rock tapering into azure seas, and ageing oligarchs cavorting with bikini-clad beauties on zillion-dollar yachts. In inland Gallura, you could be on another island entirely, with vine-striped hills rolling to quaint villages, granite mountains and mysterious nuraghi . Gallura’s northern coast is wild, the preserve of the dolphins, divers and windsurfers that splash around in the crystal waters of La Maddalena marine reserve.

Olbia

POP 56,066

Often ignored in the mad summer dash to the Costa Smeralda, Olbia has more to offer than at first meets the eye. Look beyond its industrial outskirts and you’ll find a fetching city with a centro storico full of boutiques, wine bars and cafe-rimmed piazzas. Above all, Olbia is a refreshingly authentic and affordable alternative to the purpose-built resorts to the north and south.

Sights

Museo Archeologico MUSEUM

(Isolotto di Peddone; 10am-1pm Mon-Fri, 4-6pm Mon & Wed) Architect Vanni Macciocco designed Olbia’s striking new museum near the port. The museum spells out local history in artefacts, from Roman amulets to nuraghic finds. The highlight is the relic of a Roman vessel discovered in the old port.

Chiesa di San Simplicio CHURCH

(Via San Simplicio) Considered to be Gallura’s most important medieval monument, this Romanesque granite church was built in the late 11th century and is a curious mix of Tuscan and Lombard styles.

Sleeping

Hotel Panorama HOTEL €€

( 0789 2 66 56; www.hotelpanoramaolbia.it; Via Mazzini 7; s €65-119, d €79-159; ) The name says it all: the rooftop terrace has unbeatable views of the city, sea and Monte Limbara at this friendly, central hotel. Rooms are spacious and contemporary, with gleaming wood floors and marble bathrooms.

La Locanda del Conte Mameli B&B €€

( 0789 20 30 40; www.lalocandadelcontemameli.com; Via delle Terme 8; r €80-140, ste €100-180; ) Housed in an 18th-century locanda (inn) built for Count Mameli, this boutique hotel oozes style, grace and original features. An original Roman well is the centrepiece of the vaulted basement breakfast room.

Eating & Drinking

Ristorante Gallura SARDINIAN €€€

( 0789 2 46 48; Corso Umberto 145; meals €40-60; Tue-Sun) Rita runs a tight ship at the homely Gallura, one of northern Sardinia’s best restaurants. Fresh seasonal ingredients go into specialities like sea anemones fried in yoghurt and suckling pig perfumed with myrtle – all perfectly cooked and utterly delicious.

La Lanterna TRADITIONAL ITALIAN €€

( 0789 2 30 82; Via Olbia 13; pizzas €6-10, meals €30; daily summer, closed Wed winter) The Lanterna distinguishes itself with its cosy subterranean setting and beautifully fresh food. Start off with sweet-and-sour sardines and move on to almond-crusted bream served with handmade gnochetti .

Enoteca Cosimino WINE BAR

(Piazza Margherita 3; daily) This popular cafe serves coffee and cornetti (croissants) by day, morphing into an elegant wine bar with cocktails and vino on the menu in the evening.

Information

Inter Smeraldo ( 0789 2 53 66; Via Porto Romano 8b; per hr €5; 9.45am-1.15pm & 4-8.30pm Mon-Sat) An internet cafe with 10 terminals.

Tourist office ( 0789 55 77 32; www.olbiatempioturismo.it; Via Alessandro Nanni 39; 8am-8pm Mon-Sat, 8am-2pm Sun summer, 8am-6pm Mon-Fri, 8am-2pm Sat winter) This helpful tourist office has stacks of info and brochures on Olbia and the surrounding region.

Getting There & Around

Air Olbia’s Aeroporto Internazionale di Olbia Costa Smeralda ( 0789 56 34 44; www.geasar.it) is about 5km southeast of the centre and handles flights from mainland Italian and major European cities. Low-cost operators include Air Berlin, easyJet and Nikki.

Boat Regular ferries arrive in Olbia from Genoa, Civitavecchia and Livorno. Book tickets at travel agents in town, or directly at the port. For further route details Click here .

Bus Buses run from Olbia to the following destinations.

DESTINATION

FARE (€)

DURATION (HR)

FREQUENCY

Arzachena

2.50

¾

12 daily

Golfo Aranci

2

½

6 daily

Nuoro

9

2½

8 daily

Porto Cervo

3.50

1½

5 daily

Santa Teresa di Gallura

5

1½

7 daily

Sassari

7

1½

2 daily

Tempio Pausania

3.50

1½

2 daily

Get tickets from Café Adela (Corso Vittorio Veneto 2; 5am-10pm) , just over the road from the main bus stops. Local bus 2 (€1, or €1.50 if bought on bus) runs half-hourly between 6.15am and 11.40pm from the airport to Via Goffredo Mameli in the centre.

Train The train station is just off Corso Umberto. There are trains to Cagliari (€7, four hours, one daily), Sassari (€7, two hours, four daily) and Golfo Aranci (€2.35, 25 minutes, six daily).

Golfo Aranci

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Some 18km northeast of Olbia, Golfo Aranci is an important summer port, with services to Livorno and Civitavecchia (Click here ). Most people pass through without a second glance, but it is worth a stop for its three white sandy beaches, particularly if activities like diving and speargun fishing rock your boat.

For a truly memorable experience, join the Bottlenose Diving Research Institute ( 0789 183 11 97; www.thebdri.com; Via Diaz 4) on one of its half-day cruises (€70/50 per adult/child) to spot bottlenose dolphins. Sightings aren’t guaranteed but the odds are excellent.

Costa Smeralda & Around

Stretching 55km from Porto Rotondo to the Golfo di Arzachena, the Costa Smeralda (Emerald Coast) is Sardinia’s most feted summer destination: a gilded enclave of luxury hotels, secluded beaches and exclusive marinas. Ever since the Aga Khan bought the coast for a pittance in the 1960s, it has attracted A-listers and paparazzi hoping to snap celebs in compromising clinches. But despite all the superficial fluff, it remains stunning, with granite mountains plunging into emerald waters in a series of dramatic fjord-like inlets.

The Costa’s capital is Porto Cervo , a weird, artificial town whose pseudo-Moroccan architecture and perfectly manicured streets give it a strangely sterile atmosphere. It’s dead out of season, but between June and September this is party central, with tanned beauties posing on the Piazzetta and cashed-up shoppers perusing the designer boutiques.

To the west, Baia Sardinia faces onto a gorgeous strip of sand, while to the south, aficionados head for Capriccioli and Spiaggia Liscia Ruia , both near the exclusive Hotel Cala di Volpe. Near the signposted Hotel Romazzino, Spiaggia del Principe is a magnificent crescent of white sand bordered by Caribbean-blue waters – and the Aga Khan’s favourite.

Inland, the rustic village of San Pantaleo merits a quick look, particularly on summer evenings when its picturesque piazza hosts a bustling market. Further on, the workaday town of Arzachena offers a number of interesting archaeological sites, including the Nuraghe di Albucciu (admission €3; 9am-7pm) on the main Olbia road, and Coddu Ecchju (admission €3; 9am-7pm) , one of Sardinia’s most important tombe di giganti (giants’ tombs).

CANTINE SURRAU

Scenically surrounded by vineyards and mountains, the contemporary Cantine Surrau ( 0789 8 29 33; www.vignesurrau.it, in Italian; Località Chilvagghja; 9am-11pm summer, to 8.30pm winter) takes a holistic approach to winemaking. Take a spin of the cellar and admire Sardinian art in the gallery before sniffing and swirling some of the region’s crispest Vermentino white and beefiest Cannonau red wines; the standard tasting costs €8. You’ll find the winery on the Arzachena–Porto Cervo road.

Sleeping & Eating

B&B Lu Pastruccialeddu B&B €€

( 0789 8 17 77; www.pastruccialeddu.com; Località Lu Pastruccialeddu, Arzachena; s €50-100, d €75-120; ) This is the real McCoy – a smashing B&B housed in a typical stone farmstead. It’s run by the ultra-hospitable Caterina Ruzittu, who prepares the sumptuous breakfasts and keeps the rooms pristine. Outside, a swimming pool shimmers in the lush green garden.

La Villa Giulia B&B €

( 0789 9 86 29, 348 5111269; www.lavillagiulia.it; Monticanaglia; d €65-89) This B&B sits in glorious isolation at the top of a tough dirt track. With homey furnishings and jolly tiled bathrooms, the rooms are modest, but the wonderful natural surroundings make it a real winner.

Agriturismo Rena AGRITURISMO €€

( 0789 8 25 32; www.agriturismorena.it; Località Rena; half-board per person €40-60; ) It’s half-board only at this hilltop agriturismo, but that’s no great sacrifice as the farmhouse food is a delight – cheese, honey, meat and wine are all home produced. Rooms have a rural look, with heavy wooden furniture and beams holding up 100-year-old ceilings.

Villaggio Camping La Cugnana CAMPGROUND €

( 0789 3 31 84; www.campingcugnana.it; Località Cugnana; camping 2 people, car & tent €20.50-30; ) This slick, seaside camp ground is on the main road just north of Porto Rotondo. It has a supermarket, swimming pool and free beach shuttle bus.

La Vecchia Costa SARDINIAN €

( 0789 9 86 88; meals around €20; daily) Great-value home cooking means this rustic restaurant is always booked solid. Lorighittas (ring-shaped pasta) in a porcini and lamb sauce is a delicious lead-in to sea bass with rocket, fresh tomatoes and basil. La Vecchia Costa is on the Arzachena–Porto Cervo road.

Spinnaker MODERN ITALIAN €€

( 0789 9 12 26; www.ristorantespinnaker.com; Liscia di Vacca; meals around €40; closed Wed low season) Fashionable Spinnaker attracts a buzzy crowd of yachties and socialites with its stylish ambience and fabulous seafood. Choose a crisp Vermentino white to go with sautéed calamari with fresh artichokes or rock lobster.

Getting There & Away

Between June and September, Sun Lines ( 348 260 98 81) operates buses from Olbia airport to the Costa Smeralda, stopping at Porto Cervo and various other points along the coast. During the rest of the year, there’s one daily bus between Porto Cervo and Olbia (€3.50, 1½ hours).

For Arzachena there are regular year-round services to and from Olbia (€2.50, 45 minutes, eight daily).

Santa Teresa di Gallura

POP 5211

Bright, breezy and oh-so relaxed, Santa Teresa di Gallura bags a prime seafront position on Gallura’s north coast. The resort gets extremely busy in high season yet somehow retains a distinct local character. Nearby, Capo Testa is famous for its surreal wind-sculpted rocks, while Corsica is a short ferry-hop away.

Sights & Activities

When not on the beach, most people hang out at cafe-lined Piazza Vittorio Emanuele. Otherwise, you can wander up to the 16th-century Torre di Longonsardo near the entrance to the town’s idyllic (but crowded) Spiaggia Rena Bianca .

Four kilometres west of Santa Teresa, Capo Testa resembles a bizarre sculptural garden. Giant boulders lay strewn about the grassy slopes, their weird and wonderful forms the result of centuries of wind erosion.

Follow Via Capo Testa west of town and it’s around an hour’s hike to the cape. The walk itself is stunning, passing through boulder-strewn scrub and affording magnificent views of weird rock formations, rocky coves and the cobalt Mediterranean. You can stop en route for a swim and to admire the views of not-so-distant Corsica.

The Consorzio delle Bocche ( 0789 75 51 12; www.consorziobocche.com, in Italian; Piazza Vittorio Emanuele 16; 9am-1pm & 5pm-12.30am May-Sep) runs trips to the Maddalena islands and down the Costa Smeralda, which cost between €40 and €45 per person. Go diving with Centro Sub Marina di Longone ( 0789 74 10 59; www.marinadilongone.it, in Italian; Viale Tibula 11) , where prices start at about €35.

Sleeping & Eating

Most hotels only open from Easter to October. Head to Piazza Vittorio Emanuele for alfresco drinks and people-watching.

B&B Domus de Janas B&B €€

( 338 499 02 21; www.bbdomusdejanas.it; Via Carlo Felice 20a; d €60-120, tr €80-140; ) Daria and Simon are your affable hosts at this sweet B&B in the centre of town. There are cracking sea views from the terrace and the rooms are cheery, scattered with art and knick-knacks.

Hotel Moderno HOTEL €€

( 0789 75 42 33/51 08; www.modernohotel.eu; Via Umberto 39; s €50-80, d €65-140; ) This is a homey, family-run place near the piazza. Rooms are bright and airy with little overt decor but traditional blue-and-white Gallurese bedspreads and tiny balconies.

Camping La Liccia CAMPGROUND €

( 0789 75 51 90; www.campinglaliccia.com; SP for Castelsardo km59; camping 2 people, car & tent €18-35, 2-person bungalows €50-96; ) This eco-friendly campground, 5km west of town on the road towards Castelsardo, has fab facilities including a playground and sports area.

Agriturismo Saltara SARDINIAN €€

( 0789 75 55 97; Località Saltara; meals €35-40; dinner) Forget menus: just bring an open mind and a big appetite. Tables are positioned under the trees for course after delicious course of dishes like ricotta-filled culurgiones and porceddu (suckling pig). Saltara is 10km south of town off the SP90 (follow the signs up a dirt track).

Il Chiostro SEAFOOD €€

( 0789 74 10 56; www.ilchiostrodelporto.it, in Italian; Porto Turistico; meals €25-45; daily) Overlooking the marina, this inviting restaurant prides itself on the freshness of its fish. Try to snag a table on the terrace.

Information

Bar Sport (Via Mazzini 7; per hr €5; 6am-midnight) Internet access.

Tourist office ( 0789 75 41 27; www.comunesantateresagallura.it, in Italian; Piazza Vittorio Emanuele 24; 9am-1pm & 5-9pm summer, 9am-1pm & 4-6pm Mon-Fri winter) Very helpful with loads of information.

Getting There & Around

From the bus terminus on Via Eleonora d’Arborea, buses run to and from Olbia (€5, 1½ hours, seven daily) and Sassari (€7, 2½ hours, three daily).

For information on ferries to Bonifacio in Corsica, Click here .

Palau & Arcipelago di La Maddalena

On Sardinia’s northeastern tip, Palau is a well-to-do summer resort crowded with surf shops, boutiques, bars and restaurants. From here year-round ferries make the short crossing over to Isola della Maddalena , the biggest of the more than 60 islands and islets that comprise the Parco Nazionale dell’Arcipelago di La Maddalena (www.lamaddalenapark.it) . An area of spectacular, windswept seascapes, La Maddalena is best explored by boat, although the two main islands have plenty of charm with their sunbaked ochre buildings, cobbled piazzas and infectious holiday atmosphere.

Sights & Activities

The main activity in these parts is beach-bumming or boating around the islands. Down at the port in Palau, Petag ( 0789 70 86 81; www.petag.it) offers trips for about €35 per person, including lunch and swimming time on well-known beaches. On La Maddalena, operators congregate around Cala Mangiavolpe.

Windsurfers converge on Porto Pollo , about 7km west of Palau, for some of the best wind conditions on the island. You can also try kitesurfing, canoeing, diving and sailing, with kit and lessons available along the beachfront.

There’s also some excellent diving in the marine park. In Palau, Nautilus ( 0789 70 90 58; www.divesardegna.com; Piazza Fresi 8, Palau) runs dives from €50.

Linked to La Maddalena by a narrow causeway is Isola Caprera , a tiny island where Giuseppe Garibaldi once lived. His home, the Compendio Garibaldino ( 0789 72 71 62; adult/reduced €5/2.50; 9am-7.15pm Tue-Sun) , is visitable by guided tours (in Italian) only.

About 1.5km north of the Compendio, a walking trail drops down to the steep and secluded Cala Coticcio beach. Marginally easier to get to is Cala Brigantina (signposted), southeast of the complex.

MILITARY CHIC

When the US Navy withdrew from La Maddalena in 2008 after a controversial 35-year sojourn, the question on everyone’s lips was: ‘What now?’

It looked set to host the G8 summit in 2009, but the venue was switched to Abruzzo in the wake of the L’Aquila earthquake. By then preparations were already under way to totally revamp the former military bases. The result? The strikingly contemporary La Maddalena Hotel & Yacht Club ( 0789 79 42 73; www.lamaddalenahyc.com; d €200-500, ste €450-1100; ) . Where derelict garrisons once stood, today you can wander in vast, light-filled spaces, marvel at Zaha Hadid’s sci-fi chandelier illuminating the lobby, and gaze up at the geometric Murano glass conference centre designed by Stefano Boeri. Besides rooms that are the epitome of minimalist chic, the hotel boasts a rooftop pool with panoramic sea views, immaculately landscaped gardens, a top-notch restaurant and a spa. And yes, there is space to dock your megayacht or land your helicopter (just in case you were wondering).

If your budget doesn’t quite stretch to the five-star price tag, you can sneak a peek at the hotel by booking a treatment in the spa, enjoying a drink at the bar or booking a table in the restaurant.

Sleeping & Eating

It’s strictly summer only in Palau and La Maddalena, where nearly everything closes from mid-October to Easter.

B&B Petite Maison B&B €€

( 0789 73 84 32; www.lapetitmaison.net; Via Livenza 7, La Maddalena; d €70-110) Liberally sprinkled with paintings and art deco furnishings, this B&B is a five-minute amble from the main square. Miriam’s artistically presented breakfasts, with fresh, homemade goodies, are served in a bougainvillea-draped garden. Credit cards (and kids) are not accepted.

L’Orso e Il Mare B&B €

( 331 2222000; www.orsoeilmare.com; Vicolo Diaz 1, Palau; d €60-100, tr €70-120; ) Pietro gives a genuinely warm welcome at this B&B, just steps from Piazza Fresi. The spacious rooms sport breezy blue and white colour schemes. Breakfast is a fine spread of cakes, biscuits and fresh fruit salad.

Camping Baia Sardegna CAMPGROUND €

( 0789 70 94 03; www.baiasaraceno.com; Località Punta Nera; camping 2 people, car & tent €16-37, 2-person bungalows €90-174; ) Beautifully located on Palau’s beach and shaded by pine trees, this campground has an on-site pizzeria, playground and dive centre.

San Giorgio SARDINIAN €€

( 0789 70 80 07; Via La Maddalena 4, Palau; pizzas €6-9, meals €30; Wed-Mon) The open-plan kitchen tells you all you need to know about this pizzeria-cum-restaurant. The spaghetti allo scoglio (with mixed seafood) is an excellent bet, as is the grilled fish.

Information

Tourist offices Palau ( 0789 70 70 25; www.palauturismo.com; Palazzo Fresi; 9am-1pm & 4-8pm summer, 9am-1pm & 3-5.30pm Mon-Fri winter); La Maddalena ( 0789 73 63 21; www.comune.lamaddalena.ot.it, in Italian; Cala Gavetta; 8.30am-1pm & 3.30-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat summer, shorter hr winter)

Getting There & Around

Boat Frequent car ferries to Isola Maddalena are operated by Saremar ( 892123; www.saremar.it, in Italian) and Delcomar ( 781 85 71 23; www.delcomar.it, in Italian) . The 15-minute crossing costs €5 per passenger and €13 for a small car.

Bus Services connect Palau with Olbia (€3, 1¼ hours, 10 daily), Santa Teresa di Gallura (€2, 40 minutes, five daily) and Arzachena (€1.50, 20 minutes, eight daily). In summer, Nicos-Caramelli ( 0789 67 06 13) runs buses to Porto Pollo (€2, 35 minutes), Baia Sardinia (€4.50, 35 minutes) and Porto Cervo (€4.50, 50 minutes). All buses leave from the port.

NUORO & THE EAST

If the Sardinians were to nominate one place as their geographical, cultural and spiritual heartland, this would surely be it. Nowhere is the force of nature more overpowering than here, where the Supramonte’s limestone mountains give way to the Golfo di Orosei’s plunging cliffs, grottoes and startling aquamarine waters.

Although larger towns are accessible by bus, you’ll see more with your own set of wheels. A roller coaster of country roads leads to deep valleys concealing prehistoric nuraghe, the lonesome villages of the Barbagia steeped in bandit legends, and to holm oak forests where wild pigs roam.

Nuoro

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Once an isolated hilltop village and a byword for banditry, Nuoro had its cultural renaissance in the 19th and early 20th centuries when it became a hotbed of artistic talent. Today museums in the historic centre pay homage to local legends like Nobel Prize–winning author Grazia Deledda, acclaimed poet Sebastiano Satta, novelist Salvatore Satta and sculptor Francesco Ciusa.

The city’s spectacular backdrop is the granite peak of Monte Ortobene (955m), capped by a 7m-high bronze statue of the Redentore (Christ the Redeemer). The thickly wooded summit commands dress-circle views of the valley and the limestone mountains surrounding Oliena.

Sights

Museo della Vita e delle Tradizioni Sarde MUSEUM

( 0784 25 70 35; Via Antonio Mereu 56; adult/reduced €3/1; 9am-8pm daily summer, 9am-1pm & 3-6pm Tue-Sun winter) This museum provides a fascinating insight into Sardinian traditions, folklore, superstitions and celebrations. Its pride and joy is the display of colourful traditional costumes.

Museo d’Arte ART GALLERY

(MAN; 0784 25 21 10; www.museoman.it; Via S Satta 15; adult/reduced €3/2; 10am-1pm & 4.30-8.30pm Tue-Sun) Set in a restored 19th-century town house, MAN is Sardinia’s only serious modern art gallery. Its permanent collection boasts more than 400 works by the island’s top 20th-century painters.

Museo Deleddiano MUSEUM

( 0784 25 80 88; Via Grazia Deledda 53; adult/reduced €3/1; 9am-7pm daily summer, 10am-1pm & 3-5pm Tue-Sun winter) Up in the oldest part of town, the birthplace of Grazia Deledda has been converted into this lovely little museum. The rooms, full of Deledda memorabilia, have been carefully restored to show what a well-to-do 19th-century Nuorese house actually looked like.

Festivals & Events

Sagra del Redentore RELIGIOUS

In the last week of August, ‘Feast of Christ the Redeemer’ is the main event in Nuoro, and one of Sardinia’s most exuberant festivals, with parades, live music and a torchlit procession.

Sleeping & Eating

Silvia e Paolo B&B €

( 0784 3 12 80; www.silviaepaolo.it, Corso Garibaldi 58; s €30-35, d €50-60, tr €70; ) Silvia and Paolo run this sweet B&B. Family treasures from dolls to old leather trunks make you feel right at home in the bright, spacious rooms. There’s a roof terrace for observing the action on Corso Garibaldi by day and stargazing by night.

Casa Solotti B&B €

( 0784 3 39 54; www.casasolotti.it; per person €26-35; ) This welcoming B&B sits in a rambling garden near the top of Monte Ortobene. Surrounded by woods and walking trails, it’s a relaxed place with rustic rooms. Horse riding, packed lunches and guided hikes in the Supramonte can be arranged.

La Locanda SARDINIAN €

( 0784 3 10 32; Via Brofferio 31; meals around €15; Mon-Sat) The €9.20 lunch is a bargain at this cheery, down-to-earth trattoria. Bag a table and you’re in for a treat – think antipasti, fresh pasta and grilled steaks, washed down with highly quaffable house wine.

Information

Tourist office ( 0784 23 88 78; www.provincia.nuoro.it, in Italian; Piazza Italia 19; 8.30am-2pm & 3.30-7pm daily summer, same hr Mon-Fri winter) Has plenty of useful information on Nuoro and environs.

Getting There & Away

From the main bus station on Viale Sardegna there are services to the following destinations.

DESTINATION

FARE (€)

DURATION (HR)

FREQUENCY

Baunei

6

2

4 daily

Cagliari

15.50

2½-5

2 daily

Dorgali

3

¾

6 daily

Olbia

9

2½

8 daily

Oliena

1.50

½

frequent

Orgosolo

2

½

frequent

San Teodoro

7

1¾

8 daily

Santa Maria Navarrese

7

2½

5 daily

Tortolì

7

2¾

5 daily

Supramonte

Southeast of Nuoro rises the forbidding limestone massif of the Supramonte, its sheer walls like an iron curtain. This thrilling landscape forms the landward section of the Parco Nazionale del Golfo di Orosei e del Gennargentu (www.parcogennargentu.it, in Italian) , Sardinia’s largest national park.

GET A GUIDE

If you fancy striking out into the Supramonte, here’s our pick of the best guides:

Cooperativa Gorropu ( 0782 64 92 82, 333 8507157; www.gorropu.com; Via Sa Preda Lada 2, Urzulei) Sandra and Franco arrange all sorts of excursions, from trekking (€30 to €35) to canyoning and caving (€40 to €60).

Corrado Conca ( 347 2903101; corrado@segnavia.it) Sardinia’s hiking and climbing guru is a brilliant companion for the island’s extreme seven-day Selvaggio Blu (Savage Blue) trek. Bank on paying around €500 per person.

Atlantikà ( 328 9729719; www.atlantika.it, in Italian; Via Lamarmora 195, Dorgali) To explore the rocky hinterland and coast, check out this consortium of local guides for excursions to Gola Su Gorropu and Tiscali (both €35).

Cooperativa Ghivine ( 0784 9 67 21; www.ghivine.com; Via Lamarmora 69e, Dorgali) A one-stop action shop, arranging treks to places like Gola Su Gorropu and Tiscali (both €40).

Dolmen ( 0784 9 32 60; www.sardegnadascoprire.it; Via Vasco da Gama 18, Cala Gonone) A reliable operator running 4WD tours into the Supramonte and canyoning excursions to the Gorropu.

OLIENA

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From Nuoro you can see the multicoloured rooftops of Oliena cupped in the palm of Monte Corrasi (1463m). An atmospheric place with a grey-stone centre and a magnificent setting, it was founded in Roman times and is today famous for its blood-red Cannonau wine and traditional Easter celebrations .

Sights & Activities

Piazza Santa Maria is the site of the Saturday market and the 13th-century Chiesa di Santa Maria . There are several other wonderful old churches here, including the blessedly simple 14th-century Chiesa di San Lussorio (Via Cavour) .

The village’s usual sleepy torpor is shattered on Easter Sunday for S’Incontru (The Meeting), a boisterous procession in which bearers carry a statue of Christ to meet a statue of the Virgin Mary in Piazza Santa Maria.

The countryside surrounding Oliena provides awesome trekking. Sardegna Nascosta ( 0784 28 85 50; www.sardegnanascosta.it, in Italian) , Barbagia Insolita ( 0784 28 60 05; Corso Vittoria Emanuele 48) and Cooperativa Enis ( 0784 28 83 63; www.coopenis.it Località Monte Maccione) all organise a range of excursions, including trekking, canoeing, abseiling, climbing and riding.

Sleeping & Eating

Agriturismo Guthiddai AGRITURISMO €

( 0784 28 60 17; www.agriturismoguthiddai.com; Nuoro-Dorgali bivio Su Gologone; half-board per person €60-75; ) On the road to Su Gologone, this whitewashed farmstead sits at the foot of rugged mountains, surrounded by fig, olive and fruit trees. Olive oil, Cannonau wine and fruit and veggies are all home produced. The rooms are exquisitely tiled in pale greens and cobalt blues.

Hotel Su Gologone HOTEL €€

( 0784 28 75 12; www.hotelsugologone.com; s €105-160, d €140-240, ste €340-440; ) Treat yourself to a spot of rural luxury at Su Gologone, 7km east of Oliena. Rooms are decorated with original art works and handicrafts, and the facilities are top-notch – there’s a pool, a wine cellar and a restaurant (meals around €55), which is considered one of Sardinia’s best.

Hotel Cikappa HOTEL €

( 0784 28 80 24; www.cikappa.com; Corso Martin Luther King 2-4; s/d/tr €40/70/85; ) Good modest digs above a popular restaurant (meals €25 to €45) in central Oliena. The best rooms have balconies overlooking the surrounding mountains.

Hotel Monte Maccione HOTEL €

( 0784 28 83 63; www.coopenis.it; s €39-48.50, d €66-80; ) Run by the Cooperativa Enis, this place offers simple, rustic rooms and fine views from its hilltop location, 4km above Oliena.

Ristorante Masiloghi SARDINIAN €€

( 0784 28 56 96; Via Galiani 68; meals around €30; daily) A sunny Mediterranean villa on the main road into town. House specialities include homemade pasta, local lamb and boar stew.

Information

Tourpass ( 0784 28 60 78; Corso Deledda 32; 9am-1pm & 4-6.30pm) The best source of information in Oliena is this private agency that can advise on activities in the area.

Getting There & Away

ARST runs frequent buses from Via Roma to Nuoro (€1.50, 20 minutes, up to 12 Monday to Saturday, six Sunday).

ORGOSOLO & MAMOIADA

For centuries Orgosolo was feared as a centre of banditry and kidnapping. Nowadays, it’s better known for the vibrant graffiti-style murals that adorn its town centre. Like satirical caricatures, they depict all the big political events of the 20th century and are often very moving. An outstanding example is a series illustrating the death of 12-year-old Palestinian Mohammed el Dura as he hid behind his father during a Gaza shoot-out in 2000.

Ten kilometres to the west of Orgosolo, the undistinguished town of Mamoiada stages Sardinia’s most sinister Carnevale celebrations. These kick off with the Festa di Sant’Antonio on 17 January, and climax on Shrove Tuesday and the preceding Sunday. Stealing the limelight are the mamuthones, characters decked out in shaggy brown sheepskins and primitive wooden masks. Anthropologists believe that the mamuthones embodied all the untold horrors that primitive humans feared, and that the ritual parade is an attempt to exorcise these demons before the new spring.

Buses run to both Mamoiada (€2, 20 minutes) and Orgosolo (€2, 30 minutes) from Nuoro.

DORGALI

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Dorgali is a down-to-earth town with a grandiose backdrop, nestled at the foot of Monte Bardia and framed by vineyards and olive groves. Limestone peaks rear above the centre’s pastel-coloured houses and steep, narrow streets, luring hikers and climbers to their summits.

Other than perusing the local craftwork shops – Dorgali is famous for its leather goods, ceramics, carpets and filigree jewellery – the main attraction here is the great green wilderness, with the Golfo di Orosei and spectacularly rugged Supramonte in easy striking distance.

Sleeping & Eating

Sa Corte Antica B&B €

( 0784 9 43 17; www.sacorteantica.it; Via Mannu 17; d €50-60, tr €65-75; ) Gathered around an old stone courtyard, this B&B radiates old-world charm, with traditional reed ceilings and wrought-iron bedsteads. Homemade bread and biscotti (biscuits) are served at breakfast.

Ristorante Colibrì SARDINIAN €€

( 0784 9 60 54; Via Gramsci 14; meals €30; Mon-Sat) Tucked away in an incongruous residential area (follow the signs), this is the bee’s knees for meat eaters, with dishes like wild boar with rosemary and porceddu .

Information

Tourist office ( 0784 9 62 43; www.dorgali.it, in Italian; Via Lamarmora 108b; 10am-1pm & 4-8pm Mon-Fri, Sat Jul & Aug) Can provide information on Dorgali and Cala Gonone, including contact details for local trekking outfits and accommodation lists.

Getting There & Away

Buses serve Nuoro (€3, 45 minutes, six daily) and Olbia (€7.50, 2¾ hours, two daily). Up to six daily services shuttle back and forth between Dorgali and Cala Gonone (€1.50, 25 minutes).

ROAD TRIPPING

It’s well worth getting behind the wheel to drive the 60km stretch from Dorgali to Santa Maria Navarrese. Serpentine and at times hair-raising, the SS125 threads through the mountain tops where the scenery is distractingly lovely: to the right the ragged limestone peaks of the Supramonte rear above wooded valleys and deep gorges; to the left mountains tumble down to the bright-blue sea. The first 20km to the Genna ‘e Silana pass (1017m) are the most breathtaking. Aside from the odd hell-for-leather Fiat, traffic is sparse, but you should take care at dusk, when wild pigs, goats, sheep and cows rule the road and bring down rocks.

GROTTA DI ISPINIGOLI

A short drive north of Dorgali, the fairy-tale-like Grotta di Ispinigoli (adult/child €7.50/3.50; tours on the hour 9am-8pm summer, 9am-noon & 3-5pm winter) is a veritable forest of glittering stalagmites, including the world’s second-tallest (the highest is in Mexico and stands at 40m). Unlike most caves of this type, which you enter from the side, here you descend 60m inside a giant ‘well’, at whose centre stands the magnificent 38m-high stalagmite.

SERRA ORRIOS & THOMES

The nuraghic village of Serra Orrios (adult/child €5/2.50; hourly tours 9am-1pm & 3-6pm, shorter hr winter) was inhabited between 1500 and 250 BC. Hidden among olive groves, the remains comprise a cluster of 70 or so horseshoe-shaped huts grouped around two basalt-hewn temples. The site lies 11km northwest of Dorgali (3km north off the Dorgali–Oliena road).

From Serra Orrios you could continue north to see the Tomba dei Giganti S’Ena e Thomes (admission free; dawn-dusk) , a fine example of a tomba dei giganti . The stone monument is dominated by a central oval-shaped stele that once closed off an ancient burial chamber.

GOLA SU GORROPU

Dubbed the ‘Grand Canyon of Europe’, the Gola Su Gorropu ( 328 8976563; www.gorropu.info; adult/reduced €5/3; tours 10.30am-3.30pm) is a spectacular gorge flanked by vertical 400m rock walls. From the Rio Flumineddu riverbed you can wander about 1km into the boulder-strewn gorge without climbing gear. After 500m you reach the narrowest point, just 4m wide.

There are two main approach routes. The more dramatic begins from the car park opposite Hotel Silana at the Genna ‘e Silana pass on the SS125 at kilometre 183.

The second and slightly easier route to Gorropu is via the Sa Barva bridge , about 15km from Dorgali. To get to the bridge, take the SS125 and look for the sign on the right for the Gola Su Gorropu and Tiscali between kilometres 200 and 201. Take this and continue until the asphalt finishes after about 20 minutes. Park here and cross the Sa Barva bridge, after which you’ll see the trail for the Gola signposted off to the left. From here it’s a scenic two-hour hike along the Rio Flumineddu to the mouth of the gorge.

TOP FIVE CLIMBS & HIKES

» Gola Su Gorropu The 1¼-hour trail to Gorropu from Genna ‘e Silana pass is spectacular, taking in holm oak woods, boulder-strewn slopes and cave-riddled cliffs.

» Selvaggio Blu This is the big one: an epic seven-day, 45km trek along the Golfo di Orosei’s dramatic coastline, traversing wooded ravines, cliffs and caves. A guide is recommended as the trail is not well signposted and there’s no water en route. Visit the website, www.selvaggioblu.it (in Italian). See also Click here .

» Cala Luna There’s fabulous climbing above a beautiful bay, which is a scenic two-hour clifftop walk from Cala Fuili or a speedy boat ride from Cala Gonone. The 56 routes range from 5c to 8b+ and include some tricky single pitches in caves with overhangs.

» La Poltrona This massive limestone amphitheatre close to Cala Gonone has compact rock and 75 bolted routes from grades 4 to 8a. Mornings get too hot here in summer, so wait until late afternoon.

» Golgo–Cala Goloritzè It’s an easy half-day hike along old mule trails from the plateau of Golgo to Cala Goloritzè, a perfect half-moon of white sand pummelled by astonishingly blue waters. Climbers can tackle its bizarre granite pinnacles, including the Aguglia, a tough multipitch climb.

TISCALI

Hidden in a mountain-top cave deep in the Valle Lanaittu, the nuraghic village of Tiscali (adult/reduced €5/2; 9am-7pm summer, to 5pm winter) is one of Sardinia’s archaeological highlights. Dating from the 6th century BC and populated until Roman times, the village was discovered at the end of the 19th century. At the time it was relatively intact, but since then thieves have done a pretty good job of looting the place, stripping the conical stone-and-mud huts down to the skeletal remains that you see today.

Many local outfits offer guided tours (typically about €40), but if you want to go it alone the simplest route starts from the same point as for the Gola Su Gorropu. The trail is signposted and takes between 1½ and two hours; wear sturdy shoes and take ample water.

Golfo di Orosei

For sheer stop-dead-in-your-tracks beauty, there’s no place like this gulf, forming the seaward section of the Parco Nazionale del Golfo di Orosei e del Gennargentu. Here high mountains abruptly meet the sea, forming a crescent of dramatic cliffs riven by false inlets, scattered with horseshoe-shaped bays and lapped by exquisitely aquamarine waters.

CALA GONONE

Climbers, divers, sea kayakers, hikers and beach bums all rave about Cala Gonone. Backed by imperious tree-specked cliffs, the resort has kept the low-key, family-friendly vibe of the small fishing village it once was. With an appealing line-up of hotels, bars and restaurants on its pine-fringed lungomare, Gonone makes a great base for outdoor adventures along this magnificent stretch of coast.

Sights & Activities

Kids love coming face to face with bubbling marine life at the new Acquario di Cala Gonone ( 0784 9 30 47; www.acquariocalagonone.it; Via La Favorita; adult/reduced €10/6; 9.30am-7.30pm) . Or give them a lesson in prehistory at the romantic ruins of Nuraghe Mannu (adult/reduced €3/2; 9am-noon & 3-6pm winter, to 7pm summer) , off the Cala Gonone–Dorgali road, with an eagle’s-eye view over the whole coast.

For the climbing lowdown and guided excursions, stop by Prima Sardegna ( 0784 9 33 67; www.primasardegna.com; Via Lungomare Palmasera 32) . It also has bike/scooter/kayak rental for €24/48/30. Argonauta ( 0784 9 30 46, 349 4738652; www.argonauta.it; Via dei Lecci 10) offers a range of water-based activities, including snorkelling tours (€25), cavern and wreck dives (€45) and canyoning excursions (€40).

THE BLUE CRESCENT

If you do nothing else in Sardinia, take a boat trip along Cala Gonone’s southern coast. Some tasty beaches are accessible from town by car or on foot (eg Cala Cartoe to the north, and Cala Fuili and Cala Luna to the south), but the best can only be reached by sea.

From the port, boats head south to the Grotta del Bue Marino (adult/reduced €8/4; 9am-1pm & 3-5pm summer) , a haunting complex of stalactite- and stalagmite-filled caves where monk seals used to pup.

From there explore a string of coves and beaches, from the crescent-shaped Cala Luna and Cala Sisine , backed by a green valley, through to the dazzling-white pebbles and incredible cobalt-blue waters of Cala Mariolu .

The Nuovo Consorzio Trasporti Maritimi ( 0784 9 33 05; www.calagononecrociere.it, in Italian; Via Millelire 14) whisks you along the beautiful coastline from March to October. Its packages include return trips to Cala Luna (€12), Cala Sisine (€18) and Cala Mariolu (€26). A trip to the Grotta del Bue Marino costs €16.50, which covers entry to the cave.

Sleeping & Eating

The resort goes into hibernation from October until Easter; bookings are essential in summer.

Hotel L’Oasi B&B €€

( 0784 9 31 11; www.loasihotel.it; Via Garcia Lorca 13; s €53-79, d €68-136; ) Perched on the cliffs above Cala Gonone and nestling in flowery gardens, this B&B offers enticing sea views from many of its breezy rooms. It’s worth paying an extra €15 or so for half-board, as the three-course dinners are prepared with fresh local produce. L’Oasi is a 10-minute uphill walk from the harbour.

Agriturismo Nuraghe Mannu AGRITURISMO €

( 0784 9 32 64; www.agriturismonuraghemannu.com; d €54-68, half-board per person €43-48; ) Off the SP26 Dorgali–Cala Gonone road, and immersed in greenery, this cracking agriturismo has four simple rooms, plus space for five tents (€9 to €12 per person). The farmhouse restaurant rustles up a feast of home-produced cheese, pork, lamb and wine.

Hotel Costa Dorada HOTEL €€

( 0784 9 33 32; www.hotelcostadorada.it; Lungomare Palmasera 45; s €74-120, d €108-190; ) This vine-clad pad offers sea views and tasteful rooms decorated with pastel colours, painted wood furnishings and local handicrafts.

Camping Cala Gonone CAMPGROUND €

( 0784 9 31 65; www.campingcalagonone.it; camping 2 people, car & tent €26-39, 2-bed bungalows €48-105; ) By the entrance to town, this pine-shaded campground’s top-notch facilities include a tennis court, barbecue area and swimming pool.

Il Pescatore SEAFOOD €€

( 0784 9 31 74; Via Acqua Dolce 7; meals €25-35) Fresh seafood is what this place is about. Sit on the terrace for sea breezes and fishy delights like pasta with ricci and spaghetti with clams and bottarga .

Road House Blues ITALIAN €€

( 0784 9 31 87; Lungomare Palmasera 28; meals €20-30) This laid-back seafront haunt is great for a swift beer or a bite to eat. Dig into pizzas named after rock bands (think Parma ham, Pearl Jam) and Sardinian dishes like homemade pasta with chard and pecorino .

Information

Tourist office ( 0784 9 36 96; www.calagonone.com; Viale Bue Marino 1a; 9am-1pm & 3-7pm summer, 9.30-11.30am Fri-Wed winter) A very helpful office in the small park off to the right as you enter town.

Getting There & Away

Up to seven daily buses run to Cala Gonone from Dorgali (€1.50, 20 minutes, seven daily) and up to six to Nuoro (€3.50, 70 minutes).

Ogliastra

Wedged in between the provinces of Nuoro and Cagliari, Ogliastra is a dramatic, vertical land of vast, unspoiled valleys, silent woods and windswept rock faces. The coastal stretches become increasingly dramatic the nearer you get to the Golfo di Orosei.

BAUNEI & THE ALTOPIANO DEL GOLGO

Around 28km south of the Genna ‘e Silana pass, you come to the uninspiring shepherd’s town of Baunei. There’s little reason to stop off here, but what is seriously worth your while is the 10km detour up to the Altopiano del Golgo , a strange, other-worldly plateau where goats and donkeys graze in dusty shrubland. From the town a signpost sends you up a 2km climb of impossibly steep switchbacks to the plateau. Head north and after 8km follow the Su Sterru (Il Golgo) sign for less than 1km, leave your vehicle and make for this remarkable feat of nature – a 270m abyss just 40m wide at its base. Its funnel-like opening is now fenced off but, knowing the size of the drop, just peering down is enough to bring on the vertigo.

In the heart of the plateau, the Locanda Il Rifugio ( 0782 61 05 99, 368 7028980; www.coopgoloritze.com; half-board per person €100-110; Apr-Oct) has six basic rooms in a converted farmstead and facilities for campers (€5 per tent). Managed by the Cooperativa Goloritzè (www.coopgoloritze.com) , the refuge makes an excellent base for trekking and 4WD excursions. Many treks involve a descent from the plateau through dramatic codula (canyons) to the beautiful beaches of the Golfo di Orosei. Staff at the refuge also organise guides and logistical support for walkers attempting the once-in-a-lifetime Selvaggio Blu, Sardinia’s toughest multiday trek.

Just beyond the refuge is the late-16th-century Chiesa di San Pietro , a humble construction flanked to one side by some even humbler cumbessias – rough, largely open stone affairs that are not at all comfortable for the passing pilgrims who traditionally sleep there on the saint’s day.

SANTA MARIA NAVARRESE

At the southern end of the Golfo di Orosei sits the unpretentious and attractive beach resort of Santa Maria Navarrese. Shipwrecked Basque sailors built a small church here in 1052, dedicated to Santa Maria di Navarra on the orders of the Princess of Navarre, who happened to be one of the survivors. The church was set in the shade of a grand olive tree that is still standing – some say it’s nearly 2000 years old.

Lofty pines and eucalyptus trees back the beach lapped by transparent water. Offshore are several islets, including the Isolotto di Ogliastra , a giant hunk of pink porphyritic rock. The leafy northern end of the beach is topped by a watchtower built to look for raiding Saracens.

Down at the port, the Consorzio Marittimo Ogliastra ( 0782 61 51 73; www.mareogliastra.com) runs boat tours along the Golfo di Orosei for between €30 and €35 per person. Next door, Nautica Centro Sub ( 0782 61 55 22) organises dives (from €35) to some wonderful underwater spots.

The Ostello Bellavista ( 0782 61 40 39; www.ostelloinogliastra.com; Via Pedra Longa; s €35-65, d €50-100; ) has light rooms with dreamy sea views. For drinks by the seafront, try the charismatic Bar L’Olivastro ( 0782 61 55 13; Via Lungomare Montesanto 1; 8am-1am) below the branches of the town’s famous olive tree.

A handful of buses link Santa Maria Navarrese with Tortolì (€1.50, 15 minutes, 11 daily), Dorgali (€5, 1½ hours, two daily) and Nuoro (€7, 2½ hours, five daily).

TORTOLÌ & ARBATAX

POP 10,395

Tortolì , Ogliastra’s provincial capital, is unlikely to make a big impression with its large roadside hotels and uninspiring shops. About 4km away, Arbatax is little more than a port fronted by a few bars and restaurants. The only sight of any note is the rocce rosse (red rocks), a series of bizarre, weather-beaten rocks rising from the sea in Arbatax.

Near the port, you’ll find the terminus for the Trenino Verde , the summer tourist train to Mandas.

There’s no shortage of resort-style accommodation in these parts. Five minutes’ stroll from the beach is La Vecchia Marina ( 0782 66 70 20; www.hotellavecchiamarina.com; Via Praga 1, Localita Porto Frailis; d €70-140; ) , a whitewashed hotel with an almost colonial feel, fringed by palm-dotted gardens. For Med-fresh seafood head to Ittiturismo La Peschiera ( 0782 66 44 15; Spiaggia della Cartiera; meals around €30; daily) , run by Tortolì’s fishing cooperative.

For information on ferry connections,Click here .

THE LEMON HOUSE

A terrific base for outdoor escapades is the Lemon House ( 0782 66 95 07; www.peteranne.it; Via Dante 10, Lotzorai; per person €30-42; ) , run by Peter and Anne. Peter has bolted some of the 800 climbing routes in the area and is a co-founder of Mountain Bike Ogliastra (www.mountainbikeogliastra.it) . Their B&B is a relaxed base, with a roof terrace overlooking the mountains and sea, a bouldering wall, and homemade lemon marmalade served at breakfast. They can arrange bike hire and pick-ups, lend you a GPS and give you invaluable tips on hiking, climbing, mountain biking and kayaking.

Buses connect Tortolì with Santa Maria Navarrese (€1.50, 15 minutes, 11 daily), Dorgali (€5, one hour 50 minutes, one daily), and Nuoro (€7, 2¾ hours, five daily), as well as many inland villages.

Understand Italy

ITALY TODAY

HISTORY

ITALIAN ART & ARCHITECTURE

THE ITALIAN WAY OF LIFE

ITALY ON PAGE & SCREEN

THE ITALIAN TABLE

Top of section

Italy Today

Trials & Tribulations

It might be the home of la dolce vita, but Italy has one hell of a mal di testa (headache). Unemployment rose from 6.2% in 2007 to 8.4% in 2010, while Italy’s public debt remains above 115% of GDP. Unnerving memories of the social unrest that marked the 1970s came to the fore in late 2010, with nationwide rallies protesting about education reforms, and anarchist mail bombs at Rome’s Swiss and Chilean embassies.

On the political front, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s string of scandals has led a growing number of Italians to question his ability to tackle the country’s chronic problems. Among them is Naples’ on-again, off-again rubbish crisis: in May 2011, 170 troops were deployed to help clear 2000 tonnes of litter from the city’s streets, three years after Berlusconi’s promise to resolve the region’s waste-disposal woes.

Berlusconi may be wishing for a landfill site deep enough to bury his own woes. In early 2011 Italy’s Constitutional Court overturned a law granting legal immunity to the prime minister and senior ministers. As a result, four criminal cases against the centre-right leader have been reactivated, spanning everything from alleged tax evasion to the alleged bribing of British lawyer David Mills in two corruption trials in the 1990s.

» Population: 61 million (2011)

» Size: 301,230 sq km

» GDP: €1246 billion

» GDP per capita (2010): €21,483

» Annual inflation: 1.4%

The most sensational trial, however, is ‘Rubygate’. In it, Berlusconi is accused of paying for sex with Karima El Mahroug, a nightclub dancer nicknamed Ruby Rubacuori (Ruby Heartstealer), while she was still 17. The encounters reputedly took place at so-called bunga bunga sessions; sex parties held at several of Berlusconi’s villas. The scandal has embroiled a number of public figures, including Nicole Minetti: a showgirl-turned-regional councillor for Lombardy, the Anglo-Italian is accused of procuring young women for Berlusconi’s parties. Berlusconi is further accused of providing false information to a Milan police chief in order to release El Mahroug from detention on unrelated theft charges.

The former cruise-ship crooner insists that the claims are part of a plot orchestrated by the political left, but it seems that Italy’s tumultuous relationship with Il Cavaliere (The Cavalier, as Berlusconi is dubbed) is wearing thin. On 13 February 2011, close to one million Italians took part in rallies demanding his resignation. In May the same year, Berlusconi’s centre-right coalition lost control of both Milan and Naples in local elections. The defeat of Milan mayor Letizia Moratti to centre-left lawyer Giuliano Pisapia had been declared ‘unthinkable’ to Berlusconi, confident that his power base and home town would prove him to be the seasoned survivor once more.

Refugee Crisis

Already a hot potato in Italy, the immigration debate heated up in 2011 as tens of thousands of boat people swamped Lampedusa, a tiny Italian island and Europe’s southernmost point. More than 20,000 reached the island between January and March alone, mostly Tunisians escaping post-revolution uncertainty.

» Unemployment rate: 8.4%

» Highest point: Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) (4807m)

» Number of Unesco World Heritage Sites: 45

» Average cups of coffee per person per year: 600

Italy’s decision to grant temporary residency permits to 30,000 of the refugees caused consternation among several EU nations. Among the most vocal were France and Germany, who accused Italy of trying to fob off its illegal immigrants to other Schengen Treaty countries. On 17 April 2011 the issue escalated when France temporarily closed its border with Italy to prevent a trainload of immigrants from entering French territory. Far from impressed, the Italian government accused France of lacking solidarity over a problem it sees as European and not just Italian.

Dos & Don’ts

» Italians are generally chic and quick to judge on appearances. Make an effort with your presentation and never remove your shoes in public.

» Shorts and sleeveless tops are usually forbidden in religious buildings.

» Splitting the bill is oh-so incivile (uncivilised). The person who invites pays, although close friends often go Dutch.

» When invited to a home for a meal, always take flowers, pastries or a bottle of wine.

» Supermarkets provide disposable plastic gloves for handling fruit and vegetables: wear them.

Books

The Italians (Luigi Barzini) A revealing look at Italian culture beyond the well-worn clichés.

La Bella Figura: A Field Guide to the Italian Mind (Beppe Severgnini) Satirist Severgnini offers a crash course in what makes modern Italians tick.

Benevolence & Betrayal: Five Jewish Families Under Fascism (Alexander Stille) A moving oral history of the Italian-Jewish experience in the shadow of the Holocaust.

Italian Neighbors (Tim Parks) Life in Verona through the eyes of a witty British writer.

Top of section

History

A wide-ranging general site with potted Italian history is           www.arcaini.com. It covers everything from prehistory to the post war period, and includes a brief chronology.

Few countries have been on such a roller-coaster ride as Italy. The Italian peninsula lay at the core of the Roman Empire; one of the world’s great monotheistic religions, Catholicism, has its headquarters in Rome; and it was largely the dynamic city-states of Italy that set the modern era in motion with the Renaissance. But Italy has known chaos and deep suffering, too. The rise of Europe’s nation states from the 16th century left the divided Italian peninsula behind. Italian unity was won in blood, but many Italians have since lived in abject poverty, sparking great waves of migration. The economic miracle of the 1960s propelled Italy to the top league of wealthy Western countries but, since the mid-1990s, the country has wallowed in a mire of frustration. A sluggish economy (hit hard by the global slump that began in 2008), a seemingly ineffective and squabbling government, widespread corruption and the continuing open sore of the Mafia continue to overshadow the country’s otherwise sunny disposition.

ETRUSCANS, GREEKS & WOLF-RAISED TWINS

Of the many tribes that emerged from the millennia of the Stone Age in ancient Italy, the Etruscans dominated the peninsula by the 7th century BC. Etruria was based on city-states mostly concentrated between the Arno and Tiber rivers. Among them were Caere (modern-day Cerveteri), Tarquinii (Tarquinia), Veii (Veio), Perusia (Perugia), Volaterrae (Volterra) and Arretium (Arezzo). The name of their homeland is preserved in the name Tuscany, where the bulk of their settlements were (and still are) located.

Most of what we know of the Etruscan people has been deduced from artefacts and paintings unearthed at their burial sights, especially at Tarquinia, near Rome. Argument persists over whether the Etruscans had migrated from Asia Minor. They spoke a language that today has barely been deciphered. An energetic people, the Etruscans were redoubtable warriors and seamen, but lacked cohesion and discipline.

The Oxford History of the Roman World,       edited by John Boardman, Jasper Griffin and Oswyn Murray, is a succinct and clear introduction to the history of ancient Rome.

At home, the Etruscans farmed, and mined metals. Their gods were numerous and they were forever trying to second-guess them and predict future events through such rituals as examining the livers of sacrificed animals. They were also quick to learn from others. Much of their artistic tradition (which comes to us in the form of tomb frescoes, statuary and pottery) was influenced by the Greeks.

Indeed, while the Etruscans dominated the centre of the peninsula, Greek traders settled in the south in the 8th century BC, setting up a series of independent city-states along the coast and in Sicily that together were known as Magna Graecia. They flourished until the 3rd century BC and the ruins of magnificent Doric temples in Italy’s south (at Paestum) and on Sicily (at Agrigento, Selinunte and Segesta) stand as testimony to the splendour of Greek civilisation in Italy.

Attempts by the Etruscans to conquer the Greek settlements failed, and accelerated their decline. The death knell, however, would come from an unexpected source – the grubby but growing Latin town of Rome.

The origins of the town are shrouded in myth, which says it was founded by Romulus (who descended from Aeneas, a refugee from Troy whose mother was the goddess Venus) on 21 April 753 BC on the site where he and his brother, Remus, had been suckled by a she-wolf as orphan infants. Romulus later killed Remus and the settlement was named Rome after him. At some point, legend merges with history. Seven kings are said to have followed Romulus and at least three were historical Etruscan rulers. In 509 BC, disgruntled Latin nobles turfed the last of the Etruscan kings, Tarquinius Superbus, out of Rome after his predecessor, Servius Tullius, had stacked the Senate with his allies and introduced citizenship reforms that undermined the power of the aristocracy. Sick of monarchy, the nobles set up the Roman Republic. Over the following centuries, this piffling Latin town would grow to become Italy’s major power, gradually sweeping aside the Etruscans, whose language and culture had disappeared by the 2nd century AD.

THE ROMAN REPUBLIC

Under the Republic, imperium, or regal power, was placed in the hands of two consuls who acted as political and military leaders and were elected for non-renewable one-year terms by an assembly of the people. The Senate, whose members were appointed for life, advised the consuls.

Although from the beginning monuments were emblazoned with the initials SPQR (Senatus Populusque Romanus, or the Senate and People of Rome), the ‘people’ initially had precious little say in affairs. (The initials are still used and many Romans would argue that little has changed.) Known as plebeians (literally ‘the many’), the disenfranchised majority slowly wrested concessions from the patrician class in the more than two centuries that followed the founding of the Republic. Some plebeians were even appointed as consuls and indeed by about 280 BC most of the distinctions between patricians and plebeians had disappeared. That said, the apparently democratic system was largely oligarchic, with a fairly narrow political class (whether patrician or plebeian) vying for positions of power in government and the Senate.

The Romans were a rough-and-ready lot. Rome did not bother to mint coins until 269 BC, even though the neighbouring (and later conquered or allied) Etruscans and Greeks had long had their own currencies. The Etruscans and Greeks also brought writing to the attention of Romans, who found it useful for documents and technical affairs but hardly glowed in the literature department. Eventually the Greek pantheon of gods formed the bedrock of Roman worship. Society was patriarchal and its prime building block the household (familia) . The head of the family (pater familias) had direct control over his wife, children and extended family. He was responsible for his children’s education. Devotion to household gods was as strong as to the increasingly Greek-influenced pantheon of state gods, led at first by the triad of Jupiter (the sky god and chief protector of the state), Juno (the female equivalent of Jupiter and patron goddess of women) and Minerva (patron goddess of craftsmen). Mars, the god of war, had been replaced by Juno in the triad.

The Romans devised a type of odometer that engaged with a vehicle’s wheel to count every mile travelled.

Slowly at first, then with gathering pace, Roman armies conquered the Italian peninsula. Defeated city-states were not taken over directly; rather they were obliged to become allies. They retained their government and lands but had to provide troops on demand to serve in the Roman army. This relatively light-handed touch was a key to success. Increasingly, the protection offered by Roman hegemony induced many cities to become allies voluntarily. Wars with rivals like Carthage and in the East led Rome to take control of Sardinia, Sicily, Corsica, mainland Greece, Spain, most of North Africa and part of Asia Minor by 133 BC.

As the Empire grew, so did its ancient system of ‘motorways’. With the roads came other bright concepts – postal services and wayside inns. Messages could be shot around the Empire in a matter of days or weeks by sending despatch riders. At ancient ‘truck stops’, the riders would change mounts, have a bite and continue on their way (a more efficient system than many modern European postal systems).

By the second half of the 2nd century BC, Rome was the most important city in the Mediterranean, with a population of 300,000. Most were lower-class freedmen or slaves living in often precarious conditions. Tenement housing blocks (mostly of brick and wood) were raised alongside vast monuments. One of the latter was the Circus Flaminius, stage of some of the spectacular games held each year. These became increasingly important events for the people of Rome, who flocked to see gladiators and wild beasts in combat.

SEIZING THE DAY

Born in 100 BC, Gaius Julius Caesar would prove to be one of Rome’s most masterful generals, lenient conquerors and capable administrators. He was also avid for power and this was probably his undoing.

He was a supporter of the consul Pompey (later known as Pompey the Great), who since 78 BC had become a leading figure in Rome after putting down rebellions in Spain and eliminating piracy. Caesar himself had been in Spain for several years, dealing with border revolts, and on his return to Rome in 60 BC, formed an alliance with Pompey and another important commander and former consul, Crassus. They backed Caesar’s candidacy as consul.

BBC and HBO’s 22-episode blockbuster,       Rome,       combines rich historical content with gripping sex, blood and intrigue. The series covers the period from Caesar’s campaign in Gaul to Augustus’ victory over Cleopatra and Mark Antony in Egypt. Both the drama and attention to historical detail are utterly engrossing.

To consolidate his position in the Roman power game, Caesar needed a major military command. This he received with a mandate to govern the province of Gallia Narbonensis, a southern swath of modern France stretching from Italy to the Pyrenees, from 59 BC. Caesar raised troops and in the following year entered Gaul proper (modern France) to head off an invasion of Helvetic tribes from Switzerland and subsequently to bring other tribes to heel. What started as an essentially defensive effort soon became a full-blown campaign of conquest. In the next five years, he subdued Gaul and made forays into Britain and across the Rhine. In 52–51 BC he stamped out the last great revolt in Gaul, led by Vercingetorix. Caesar was generous to his defeated enemies and so won the Gauls over to him. Indeed, they became his staunchest supporters in coming years.

By now, Caesar also had a devoted veteran army behind him. Jealous of the growing power of his one-time protégé, Pompey severed his political alliance with him and joined like-minded factions in the Senate to outlaw Caesar in 49 BC. On 7 January, Caesar crossed the Rubicon river into Italy and civil war began. His three-year campaign in Italy, Spain and the eastern Mediterranean proved a crushing victory. Upon his return to Rome in 46 BC, he assumed dictatorial powers.

He launched a series of reforms, overhauled the Senate and embarked on a building program (of which the Curia and Basilica Giulia remain).

Roman Sex       by John Clarke is the result of decades of investigation into Roman eroticism, sexual mores and social attitudes. It is at once a serious anthropological retrospective and an amusing look at a society whose attitudes to sex were very different from our own.

By 44 BC it was clear Caesar had no plans to restore the Republic, and dissent grew in the Senate, even among former supporters like Marcus Junius Brutus, who thought he had gone too far. Unconcerned by rumours of a possible assassination attempt, Caesar had dismissed his bodyguard. A small band of conspirators led by Brutus finally stabbed him to death in a Senate meeting on the Ides of March (15 March) 44 BC, two years after he had been proclaimed dictator for life.

In the years following Caesar’s death, his lieutenant, Mark Antony (Marcus Antonius), and nominated heir, great-nephew Octavian, plunged into civil war against Caesar’s assassins. Things calmed down as Octavian took control of the western half of the empire and Antony headed to the east, but when Antony fell head over heels for Cleopatra VII in 31 BC, Octavian went to war and finally claimed victory over Antony and Cleopatra at Actium, in Greece. The next year, Octavian invaded Egypt, Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide and Egypt became a province of Rome.

AUGUSTUS & THE GLORIES OF EMPIRE

For Ancient Awe

» Pantheon, Rome

» Colosseum, Rome

» Pompeii, Campania

» Segesta, Sicily

» Cerveteri, Lazio

Octavian was left as sole ruler of the Roman world and by 27 BC had been acclaimed Augustus (Your Eminence) and conceded virtually unlimited power by the Senate. In effect, he had become emperor.

Under him, the arts flourished. Augustus was lucky in having as his contemporaries the poets Virgil, Horace and Ovid, as well as the historian Livy. He encouraged the visual arts, restored existing buildings and constructed many new ones. During his reign the Pantheon was raised and he boasted that he had ‘found Rome in brick and left it in marble’.

The long period of comparatively enlightened rule that he initiated brought unprecedented prosperity and security to the Mediterranean. The Empire was, in the main, wisely administered (although there were some kooky exceptions, such as the potty Caligula).

IMPERIAL INSANITY

Bribes? Booty jokes? Bunga bunga parties? Spare a thought for the ancient Romans, who suffered their fare share of eccentric leaders. We salute some of the Empire’s wackiest, weirdest and downright kinkiest rulers.

14–37 Tiberius – A steady governing hand but prone to depression, Tiberius had a difficult relationship with the Senate and withdrew in his later years to Capri, where, they say, he devoted himself to drinking, orgies and fits of paranoia.

37–41 Gaius (Caligula) – ‘Little Shoes’ made grand-uncle Tiberius look tame. Sex, including with his sisters, and gratuitous, cruel violence were high on his agenda. He emptied the state’s coffers and suggested making a horse consul, before being assassinated.

41–54 Claudius – Apparently timid as a child, he proved ruthless with his enemies (among them 35 senators), whose executions he greatly enjoyed watching. According to English historian Edward Gibbon, he was the only one of the first 15 emperors not to take male lovers (unusual at the time).

54–68 Nero – Augustus’ last descendant, Nero had his pushy stage mum murdered, his first wife’s veins slashed, his second wife kicked to death, and his third wife’s ex-husband killed. The people accused him of playing the fiddle while Rome burned to the ground in 64. He blamed the disaster on the Christians, executed the evangelists Peter and Paul and had others thrown to wild beasts in a grisly public spectacle.

By AD 100, the city of Rome is said to have had more than 1.5 million inhabitants and all the trappings of the imperial capital – its wealth and prosperity were obvious in the rich mosaics, marble temples, public baths, theatres, circuses and libraries. People of all races and conditions converged on the capital. Poverty was rife among an often disgruntled lower class. Augustus had created Rome’s first police force under a city prefect (praefectus urbi) to curb mob violence, which had long gone largely unchecked. He had also instituted a 7000-man fire brigade and night watchman service.

Augustus carried out other far-reaching reforms. He streamlined the army, which was kept at a standing total of around 300,000 men. Military service ranged from 16 to 25 years, but Augustus kept conscription to a minimum, making it a largely volunteer force. He consolidated Rome’s three-tier class society. The richest and most influential class remained the Senators. Below them, the so-called Equestrians filled posts in public administration and supplied officers to the army (control of which was essential to keeping Augustus’ position unchallenged). The bulk of the populace filled the ranks of the lower class. The system was by no means rigid and upward mobility was possible.

A century after Augustus’ death in AD 14 (at age 75), the Empire had reached its greatest extent. Under Hadrian (76–138), the Empire stretched from the Iberian peninsula, Gaul and Britain to a line that basically followed the Rhine and Danube rivers. All of the present-day Balkans and Greece, along with the areas known in those times as Dacia, Moesia and Thrace (considerable territories reaching to the Black Sea), were under Roman control. Most of modern-day Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Israel was occupied by Rome’s legions and linked up with Egypt. From there a deep strip of Roman territory stretched along the length of North Africa to the Atlantic coast of what is today northern Morocco. The Mediterranean was a Roman lake.

This situation lasted until the 3rd century. By the time Diocletian (245–305) became emperor, attacks on the Empire from without and revolts within had become part and parcel of imperial existence. A new religious force, Christianity, was gaining popularity and under Diocletian persecution of Christians became common, a policy reversed in 313 under Constantine I (c 272–337) in his Edict of Milan.

Inspired by a vision of the cross, Constantine defeated his own rival, Maxentius, on Rome’s Ponte Milvio (Milvian Bridge) in 312, becoming the Roman Empire’s first Christian leader and commissioning Rome’s first Christian basilica, San Giovanni in Laterano.

The Empire was later divided in two, with the second capital in Constantinople (founded by Constantine in 330), on the Bosporus in Byzantium. It was this, the eastern Empire, which survived as Italy and Rome were overrun. This rump empire stretched from parts of present-day Serbia and Montenegro across to Asia Minor, a coastal strip of what is now Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel down to Egypt and a sliver of North Africa as far west as modern Libya. Attempts by Justinian I (482–565) to recover Rome and the shattered western half of the Empire ultimately came to nothing.

PAPAL POWER & FAMILY FEUDS

For Anicent Booty

» Vatican Museums, Rome

» Capitoline Museums, Rome

» Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples

» Museo Archeologico Paolo Orsi, Syracuse

» Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia, Rome

In an odd twist, the minority religion that Emperor Diocletian had tried so hard to stamp out saved the glory of the city of Rome. Through the chaos of invasion and counter-invasion that saw Italy succumb to Germanic tribes, the Byzantine reconquest and the Lombard occupation in the north, the papacy established itself in Rome as a spiritual and secular force.

The popes were, even at this early stage, a canny crowd. The papacy invented the Donation of Constantine, a document in which Emperor Constantine I had supposedly granted the Church control of Rome and surrounding territory. What the popes needed was a guarantor with military clout. This they found in the Franks and a deal was done.

In return for formal recognition of the popes’ control of Rome and surrounding Byzantine-held territories henceforth to be known as the Papal States, the popes granted the Carolingian Franks a leading if ill-defined role in Italy and their king, Charlemagne, the title of Holy Roman Emperor. He was crowned by Leo III on Christmas Day 800. The bond between the papacy and the Byzantine Empire was thus broken and political power in what had been the Western Roman Empire shifted north of the Alps, where it would remain for more than 1000 years.

Europe’s first modern banks appeared in Genoa in the 12th century. The city claims the first recorded public bond (1150) and the earliest known exchange contract (1156). Italy’s Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena is the world’s oldest surviving bank, counting coins since 1472.

The stage was set for a future of seemingly endless struggles. Similarly, Rome’s aristocratic families engaged in battle for the papacy. For centuries, the imperial crown would be fought over ruthlessly and Italy would frequently be the prime battleground. Holy Roman Emperors would seek time and again to impose their control on increasingly independent-minded Italian cities, and even on Rome itself. In riposte, the popes continually sought to exploit their spiritual position to bring the emperors to heel and further their own secular ends.

The clash between Pope Gregory VII and Emperor Henry IV over who had the right to appoint bishops (who were powerful political players and hence important friends or dangerous foes) in the last quarter of the 11th century showed just how bitter these struggles could become. They became a focal point of Italian politics in the late Middle Ages and across the cities and regions of the peninsula two camps emerged: Guelphs (Guelfi, who backed the pope) and Ghibellines (Ghibellini, in support of the emperor).

THE WONDER OF THE WORLD

The Arabs introduced spaghetti to Sicily, where ‘strings of pasta’ were documented by the Arab geographer Al-Idrissi in Palermo in 1150.

The Holy Roman Empire had barely touched southern Italy until Henry, son of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I (Barbarossa), married Constance de Hauteville, heir to the Norman throne in Sicily. The Normans had arrived in southern Italy in the 10th century, initially as pilgrims en route from Jerusalem, later as mercenaries attracted by the money to be made fighting for rival principalities, and against the Arab Muslims in Sicily. Of Henry and Constance’s match was born one of the most colourful figures of medieval Europe, Frederick II (1194–1250).

Crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 1220, Frederick was a German with a difference. Having grown up in southern Italy, he considered Sicily his natural base and left the German states largely to their own devices. A warrior and scholar, Frederick was an enlightened ruler with an absolutist vocation. A man who allowed freedom of worship to Muslims and Jews, he was not to everyone’s liking, as his ambition was to finally bring all of Italy under the imperial yoke.

For Medieval Mystique

» Gubbio, Umbria

» Bologna, Emilia-Romagna

» Perugia, Umbria

» Assisi, Umbria

» Scanno, Abruzzo

A poet, linguist, mathematician, philosopher and all-round fine fellow, Frederick founded a university in Naples and encouraged the spread of learning and translation of Arab treatises. From his early days at the imperial helm, he was known as Stupor Mundi (the Wonder of the World) for his extraordinary talents, energy and military prowess.

Having reluctantly carried out a crusade (marked more by negotiation than the clash of arms) in the Holy Land in 1228 and 1229 on pain of excommunication, Frederick returned to Italy to find Papal troops invading Neapolitan territory. Frederick soon had them on the run and turned his attention to gaining control of the complex web of city-states in central and northern Italy, where he found allies and many enemies, in particular the Lombard league. Years of inconclusive battles ensued, which even Frederick’s death in 1250 did not end. Several times he had been on the verge of taking Rome and victory had seemed assured more than once. Campaigning continued until 1268 under Frederick’s successors, Manfredi (who fell in the bloody Battle of Benevento in 1266) and Corradino (captured and executed two years later by French noble Charles of Anjou, who had by then taken over Sicily and southern Italy).

RISE OF THE CITY-STATES

John Julius Norwich’s       A History of Venice is one of the all-time great works on the lagoon city in English and is highly readable. He has also published Venice: Paradise of Cities       .

While the south of Italy tended to centralised rule, the north was heading the opposite way. Port cities such as Genoa, Pisa and especially Venice, along with internal centres such as Florence, Milan, Parma, Bologna, Padua, Verona and Modena, became increasingly insolent towards attempts by the Holy Roman Emperors to meddle in their affairs.

For Renaissance Elegance

» Duomo, Florence

» Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

» Tempietto di Bramante, Rome

» La Rotonda, Vicenza

» Da Vinci’s       The Last Supper, Milan

The cities’ growing prosperity and independence also brought them into conflict with Rome, which found itself increasingly incapable of exercising influence over them. Indeed, at times Rome’s control over some of its own Papal States was challenged. Caught between the papacy and the emperors, it was not surprising that these city-states were forever switching allegiances in an attempt to best serve their own interests.

Between the 12th and 14th centuries, they developed new forms of government. Venice adopted an oligarchic, ‘parliamentary’ system in an attempt at limited democracy. More commonly, the city-state created a comune (town council), a form of republican government dominated at first by aristocrats but then increasingly by the wealthy middle classes. The well-heeled families soon turned their attentions from business rivalry to political struggles, in which each aimed to gain control of the signoria (government).

In some cities, great dynasties, such as the Medici in Florence and the Visconti and Sforza in Milan, came to dominate their respective stages.

War between the city-states was constant and eventually a few, notably Florence, Milan and Venice, emerged as regional powers and absorbed their neighbours. Their power was based on a mix of trade, industry and conquest. Constellations of power and alliances were in constant flux, making changes in the city-states’ fortunes the rule rather than the exception. Easily the most stable and long the most successful of them was Venice.

In Florence, prosperity was based on the wool trade, finance and general commerce. Abroad, its coinage, the firenze (florin), was king.

America was named after Amerigo Vespucci, a Florentine navigator who, from 1497 to 1504, made several voyages of discovery in what would one day be known as South America.

In Milan, the noble Visconti family destroyed its rivals and extended Milanese control over Pavia and Cremona, and later Genoa. Giangaleazzo Visconti (1351–1402) turned Milan from a city-state into a strong European power. The policies of the Visconti (up to 1450), followed by those of the Sforza family, allowed Milan to spread its power to the Ticino area of Switzerland and east to the Lago di Garda.

The Milanese sphere of influence butted up against that of Venice. By 1450 the lagoon city had reached the height of its territorial greatness. In addition to its possessions in Greece, Dalmatia and beyond, Venice had expanded inland. The banner of the Lion of St Mark flew across northeast Italy, from Gorizia to Bergamo.

These dynamic, independent-minded cities proved fertile ground for the intellectual and artistic explosion that would take place across northern Italy in the 14th and 15th centuries – an explosion that would come to be known as the Renaissance and the birth of the modern world. Of them all, Florence was the cradle and launch pad for this fevered activity, in no small measure due to the generous patronage of the long-ruling Medici family.

A WHIFF OF HELLFIRE

Politics in Italy’s mercurial city-states could take a radical turn. When Florence’s Medici clan rulers fell into disgrace (not for the last time) in 1494, the city’s fathers decided to restore an earlier republican model of government. This time there was a twist.

Since 1481, the fat-lipped Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola had been in Florence preaching repentance. His blood-curdling warnings of horrors to come if Florentines did not renounce their evil ways somehow captured everyone’s imagination and the city now submitted to a fiery theocracy. He called on the government to act on the basis of his divine inspiration. Drinking, whoring, partying, gambling, flashy fashion and other signs of wrongdoing were pushed well underground. Books, clothes, jewellery, fancy furnishings and art were burned on ‘bonfires of the vanities’. Bands of children marched around the city ferreting out adults still attached to their old habits and possessions.

Pleasure-loving Florentines soon began to tire of this fundamentalism, as did Pope Alexander VI (possibly the least religiously inclined pope of all time) and the rival Franciscan religious order. The local economy was stagnant and Savonarola seemed increasingly out to lunch with his claims of being God’s special emissary. Finally the city government, or signoria, had the fiery friar arrested. After weeks at the hands of the city rack-master, he was hanged and burned at the stake as a heretic, along with two supporters, on 22 May 1498.

A NATION IS BORN

The French Revolution at the end of the 18th century and the rise of Napoleon awakened hopes in Italy of independent nationhood. Since the glory days of the Renaissance, Italy’s divided mini-states had gradually lost power and status on the European stage. By the late 18th century, the peninsula was little more than a tired, backward playground for the big powers and a Grand Tour hot spot for the romantically inclined.

Napoleon marched into Italy on several occasions, finishing off the Venetian republic in 1797 (ending 1000 years of Venetian independence) and creating the so-called Kingdom of Italy in 1804. That kingdom was in no way independent but the Napoleonic earthquake spurred many Italians to believe that a single Italian state could be created after the emperor’s demise.

It was not to be so easy. The reactionary Congress of Vienna restored all the foreign rulers to their places in Italy.

Count Camillo Benso di Cavour (1810–61) of Turin, the prime minister of the Savoy monarchy, became the diplomatic brains behind the Italian unity movement. Through the pro-unity newspaper, Il Risorgimento (founded in 1847) and the publication of a parliamentary Statuto (Statute), Cavour and his colleagues laid the groundwork for unity.

Cavour conspired with the French and won British support for the creation of an independent Italian state. His 1858 treaty with France’s Napoleon III foresaw French aid in the event of a war with Austria and the creation of a northern Italian kingdom, in exchange for parts of Savoy and Nice.

Giuliano Procacci’s       History of the Italian People       is one of the best general histories of the country in any language. It covers the period from the early Middle Ages until 1948.

The bloody Franco-Austrian War (also known as the Second Italian War of Independence; 1859–61), unleashed in northern Italy, led to the occupation of Lombardy and the retreat of the Austrians to their eastern possessions in the Veneto. In the meantime, a wild card in the form of professional revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi had created the real chance of full Italian unity. Garibaldi took Sicily and southern Italy in a military blitz in the name of Savoy king Vittorio Emanuele II in 1860. Spotting the chance, Cavour and the king moved to take parts of central Italy (including Umbria and Le Marche) and so were able to proclaim the creation of a single Italian state in 1861.

In the following nine years, Tuscany, the Veneto and Rome were all incorporated into the fledgling kingdom. Unity was complete and parliament was established in Rome in 1871.

The turbulent new state saw violent swings between socialists and the right. Giovanni Giolitti, one of Italy’s longest-serving prime ministers (heading five governments between 1892 and 1921), managed to bridge the political extremes and institute male suffrage. Women were, however, denied the right to vote until after WWII.

FROM TRENCHES TO HUNG DICTATOR

When war broke out in Europe in July 1914, Italy chose to remain neutral despite being a member of the Triple Alliance with Austria and Germany. Italy had territorial claims on Austrian-controlled Trento (Trentino), southern Tyrol, Trieste and even in Dalmatia (some of which it had tried and failed to take during the Austro-Prussian War of 1866). Under the terms of the Triple Alliance, Austria was due to hand over much of this territory in the event of occupying other land in the Balkans, but Austria refused to contemplate fulfilling this part of the bargain.

The Italian government was divided between a non-interventionist and war party. The latter, in view of Austria’s intransigence, decided to deal with the Allies. In the London pact of April 1915, Italy was promised the territories it sought after victory. In May, Italy declared war on Austria and thus plunged into a 3½-year nightmare.

Italy and Austria engaged in a weary war of attrition. When the Austro-Hungarian forces collapsed in November 1918, the Italians marched into Trieste and Trento. The postwar Treaty of Versailles failed to award Rome the remaining territories it had sought.

Roberto Rossellini’s       Roma Città Aperta (Rome Open City), starring Anna Magnani, is a classic of Italian neo-realist cinema and a masterful look at wartime Rome. The film is the first in his Trilogy of War, followed by Paisà and Germania Anno Zero       (Germany Year Zero).

These were slim pickings after such a bloody and exhausting conflict. Italy lost 600,000 men and the war economy had produced a small concentration of powerful industrial barons while leaving the bulk of the civilian populace in penury. This cocktail was made all the more explosive as hundreds of thousands of demobbed servicemen returned home or shifted around the country in search of work. The atmosphere was perfect for a demagogue, who was not long in coming forth.

Benito Mussolini (1883–1945) was a young war enthusiast who had once been a socialist newspaper editor and one-time draft dodger. This time he volunteered for the front and only returned, wounded, in 1917.

The experience of war and the frustration shared with many at the disappointing outcome in Versailles led him to form a right-wing militant political group that by 1921 had become the Fascist Party, with its black-shirted street brawlers and Roman salute. These were to become symbols of violent oppression and aggressive nationalism for the next 23 years. After his march on Rome in 1922 and victory in the 1924 elections, Mussolini, who called himself Il Duce (the Leader), took full control of the country by 1926, banning other political parties, trade unions not affiliated to the party, and the free press.

By the 1930s, all aspects of Italian society were regulated by the party. The economy, banking, massive public works program, the conversion of coastal malarial swamps into arable land and an ambitious modernisation of the armed forces were all part of Mussolini’s grand plan.

For more on the history of Fascist Italy, see           www.thecorner.org/home.htm. Here you can trace Mussolini’s rise to power and the tumultuous years of his rule.

On the international front, Mussolini at first showed a cautious hand, signing international cooperation pacts (including the 1928 Kellogg Pact solemnly renouncing war) and until 1935 moving close to France and the UK to contain the growing menace of Adolf Hitler’s rapidly re-arming Germany.

That all changed when Mussolini decided to invade Abyssinia (Ethiopia) as the first big step to creating a ‘new Roman empire’. This aggressive side of Mussolini’s policy had already led to skirmishes with Greece over the island of Corfu and to military expeditions against nationalist forces in the Italian colony of Libya.

The League of Nations condemned the Abyssinian adventure (King Vittorio Emanuele III was declared Emperor of Abyssinia in 1936) and from then on Mussolini changed course, drawing closer to Nazi Germany. They backed the rebel General Franco in the three-year Spanish Civil War and in 1939 signed an alliance pact.

WWII broke out in September 1939 with Hitler’s invasion of Poland. Italy remained aloof until June 1940, by which time Germany had overrun Norway, Denmark, the Low Countries and much of France. It seemed too easy and so Mussolini entered on Germany’s side in 1940, a move Hitler must have regretted later. Germany found itself pulling Italy’s chestnuts out of the fire in campaigns in the Balkans and North Africa and could not prevent Allied landings in Sicily in 1943.

Claudia Cardinale starred in the 1984 Italian film       Claretta,       about the racy life and tragic end of Clara Petacci, Mussolini’s lover. Given the chance to flee when they were captured, she instead tried in vain to shield Il Duce from the partisan execution squad’s bullets.

By then, the Italians had had enough of Mussolini and his war and so the king had the dictator arrested. In September, Italy surrendered and the Germans, who had rescued Mussolini, occupied the northern two-thirds of the country and reinstalled the dictator.

The painfully slow Allied campaign up the peninsula and German repression led to the formation of the Resistance, which played a growing role in harassing German forces. Northern Italy was finally liberated in April 1945. Resistance fighters caught Mussolini as he fled north in the hope of reaching Switzerland. They shot him and his lover, Clara Petacci, before stringing up their corpses (along with others) in Milan’s Piazzale Lotto. This was a far cry from Il Duce’s hopes for a glorious burial alongside his ancient imperial idol, Augustus, in Rome.

GOING THE DISTANCE FOR THE RESISTANCE

In 1943–44, the Assisi Underground hid hundreds of Jewish Italians in Umbrian convents and monasteries, while the Tuscan Resistance forged travel documents for them – but the refugees needed those documents fast, before they were deported to concentration camps by Fascist officials. Enter the fastest man in Italy: Gino Bartali, world-famous Tuscan cyclist, Tour de France winner, and three-time champion of the Giro d’Italia. After his death in 2003, documents revealed that during his ‘training rides’ throughout the war years, Bartali had carried Resistance intelligence and falsified documents to transport Jewish refugees to safe locations. Bartali was interrogated at the dreaded Villa Triste in Florence, where suspected anti-Fascists were routinely tortured – but he revealed nothing. Until his death, the long-distance hero downplayed his efforts to rescue Jewish refugees even with his children, saying, ‘One does these things, and then that’s that.’

BEWARE THE REDS

In the aftermath of war, the left-wing Resistance was disarmed and Italy’s political forces scrambled to regroup. The USA, through the economic largesse of the Marshall Plan, wielded considerable political influence and used this to keep the left in check.

Immediately after the war, three coalition governments succeeded one another. The third, which came to power in December 1945, was dominated by the newly formed right-wing Democrazia Cristiana (DC; Christian Democrats), led by Alcide de Gasperi, who remained prime minister until 1953. Italy became a republic in 1946 and De Gasperi’s DC won the first elections under the new constitution in 1948.

Although much has happened since it was written, Paul Ginsborg’s       A History of Contemporary Italy: Society and Politics, 1943–1988       remains one of the single-most readable and insightful books on postwar Italy.

Until the 1980s, the Partito Comunista Italiano (PCI; Communist Party), at first under Palmiro Togliatti and later the charismatic Enrico Berlinguer, played a crucial role in Italy’s social and political development, in spite of being systematically kept out of government.

The very popularity of the party led to a grey period in the country’s history, the anni di piombo (years of lead) in the 1970s. Just as the Italian economy was booming, Europe-wide paranoia about the power of the Communists in Italy fuelled a secretive reaction that, it is said, was largely directed by the CIA and NATO. Even today, little is known about Operation Gladio, an underground paramilitary organisation supposedly behind various unexplained terror attacks in the country, apparently designed to create an atmosphere or fear in which, should the Communists come close to power, a right-wing coup could be quickly carried out.

The 1970s were thus dominated by the spectre of terrorism and considerable social unrest, especially in the universities. Neo-Fascist terrorists struck with a bomb blast in Milan in 1969. In 1978, the Brigate Rosse (Red Brigades, a group of young left-wing militants responsible for several bomb blasts and assassinations), claimed their most important victim – former DC prime minister Aldo Moro. His kidnap and (54 days later) murder (the subject of the 2004 film Buongiorno Notte ) shook the country.

Despite the disquiet, the 1970s was also a time of positive change. In 1970, regional governments with limited powers were formed in 15 of the country’s 20 regions (the other five, Sicily, Sardinia, Valle d’Aosta, Trentino-Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia, already had strong autonomy statutes). In the same year, divorce became legal and eight years later abortion was also legalised, following anti-sexist legislation that allowed women to keep their own names after marriage.

CLEAN HANDS & THE RISE OF BERLUSCONI

A growth spurt in the 1980s saw Italy become one of the world’s leading economies, but by the mid-1990s a new and prolonged period of crisis had set in. High unemployment and inflation, combined with a huge national debt and mercurial currency (the lira), led the government to introduce draconian measures to cut public spending, allowing Italy to join the single currency (euro) in 2001.

The old order seemed to crumble in the 1990s. The PCI split in two. The old guard minority, Partito della Rifondazione Comunista (PRC; Refounded Communist Party), was led by Fausto Bertinotti until its crushing election defeat in 2008 (when it failed to reach the minimum 5% of the vote cut-off mark for entry to parliament). The bigger and moderate breakaway wing reformed itself as Democratici di Sinistra (DS; Left Democrats) and, in 2007, merged with another centre-left group to create the Partito Democratico (PD).

The death of Pope John Paul II in April 2005 saw a gob-smacking four million mourners pour into Rome in just one single week.

The rest of the Italian political scene was rocked by the Tangentopoli (‘kickback city’) scandal, which broke in Milan in 1992. Led by a pool of Milanese magistrates, including the tough Antonio di Pietro, investigations known as Mani Pulite (Clean Hands) implicated thousands of politicians, public officials and businesspeople in scandals ranging from bribery and receiving kickbacks to blatant theft.

The old centre-right political parties collapsed in the wake of these trials and from the ashes rose what many Italians hoped might be a breath of fresh political air. Media magnate Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia (Go Italy) party swept to power in 2001 and, after an inconclusive two-year interlude of centre-left government under former European Commission head Romano Prodi from 2006, again in April 2008. Berlusconi’s carefully choreographed blend of charisma, confidence and irreverence appealed to many Italian voters. His transformation from cruise-ship crooner to populist media mogul (and football club owner) encapsulated the ultimate self-made success story, and his own corporate success was widely acknowledged as proof of an innate economic know-how. While his string of scandals often provoked incredulity abroad, in Italy they have caused little more than apathetic shrugs from a populace notoriously cynical about its politicians.

Together with the right-wing (one-time Fascist) Alleanza Nazionale (National Alliance) under Gianfranco Fini and the polemical, separatist Lega Nord (Northern League), Berlusconi sits at the head of a coalition known as Popolo della Libertà (People of Liberty) with an unassailable majority.

Led by the former mayor of Rome, Walter Veltroni, the PD was unable to recover after winning only 38% of the vote in the 2008 elections. In quick succession, the PD was worsted in municipal elections around the country and regional polls in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Abruzzo and Sardinia. This latter defeat, in February 2009, led Veltroni to quit, leaving the chronically divided left in chaos.

From 2001 to 2006, Berlusconi’s rule was marked by a series of laws that protected his extensive business interests (he controls as much as 90% of the country’s free TV channels). He also spent considerable time hitting out against what he claimed to be the country’s ‘politicised’ judges. The latter have been looking into his myriad business affairs since the beginning of the 1990s, but one trial after another has collapsed.

Tobias Jones’       The Dark Heart of Italy       is an engaging, personal look at contemporary Italy, plagued by (real or imagined) conspiracies, corruption and terrorism.

One of Berlusconi’s first acts in 2008 was to take action on the long-standing garbage crisis in Naples. A complex issue dating to the early 1990s, garbage-disposal bottlenecks have put Naples through several malodorous moments, with vast amounts of refuse piling up all over the city and its surrounding areas. Corruption, poor administration, overflowing rubbish dumps and controversy over where to locate incinerators have all contributed to the problem. No sooner in the chair as prime minister, Berlusconi made for Naples and later sent in the army to calm protests and get things moving again. By July, the PM had declared the crisis over, yet by early 2011 the streets of Naples were again soiled with uncollected refuse.

Alas, the stench of garbage has not been the only source of shame in 21st-century Naples. In recent years, more blood has flown on Neapolitan streets than anywhere else in Italy as a result of Mafia violence. The so-called ‘Scampia feud’ of late 2004 and early 2005 – a deadly turf battle fought out by rival Camorra clans – saw up to 47 people gunned down in only four months.

Memories of the feud were painfully relived in September 2008, when a Camorra death squad gunned down seven men in the town of Castel Volturno, northwest of Naples. That six of the dead were West African migrants was read as a warning to Nigerian criminal clans muscling in on the city’s lucrative drugs market.

TIMELINE

c 700,000 BC

As long ago as 700,000 BC, primitive tribes lived in caves and hunted elephants, rhinoceros, hippopotamuses and other hefty wild beasts on the Italian peninsula.

2000 BC

The Bronze Age reaches Italy. Hunter-gatherers have settled as farmers. The use of copper and bronze to fashion tools and arms marks a new sophistication.

474 BC

The power of the Etruscans in Italy is eclipsed after Greek forces from Syracuse and Cumae join to crush an Etruscan armada off the southern Italian coast in the naval Battle of Cumae.

396 BC

Romans conquer the key Etruscan town of Veio, north of Rome, after an 11-year siege. Celebrations are short-lived, as invading Celtic tribes sweep across Italy and sack Rome in 390 BC.

264–241 BC

War rages between Rome and the empire of Carthage, stretching across North Africa and into Spain, Sicily and Sardinia. By war’s end Rome is the western Mediterranean’s prime naval power.

218–202 BC

Carthage sends Hannibal to invade Italy overland from the north in the Second Punic War. Rome invades Spain, Hannibal fails, and Carthage is destroyed in a third war in 149–146 BC.

79

Mt Vesuvius showers molten rock and ash upon Pompeii and Herculaneum. Pliny the Younger later describes the eruption in letters and the towns are only rediscovered in the 18th century.

476

German tribal leader Odovacar proclaims himself king in Rome. The peninsula sinks into chaos and only the eastern half of the Empire survives intact.

568

Lombards invade and occupy northern Italy, leaving just Ravenna, Rome and southern Italy in the Empire’s hands. Other tribes invade Balkan territories and cut the eastern Empire off from Italy.

754–56

Frankish king Pepin the Short enters Italy at the request of Pope Stephen II, defeats the Lombards and declares the creation of the Papal States.

902

Muslims from North Africa complete the occupation of Sicily, encouraging learning of the Greek classics, mathematics and other sciences. Agriculture flourishes and Sicily is relatively peaceful for two centuries.

962

Otto I is crowned Holy Roman Emperor in Rome, the first in a long line of Germanic rulers. His meddling in Italian affairs leads to clashes between papacy and empire.

1130

Norman invader Roger II is crowned king of Sicily, a century after the Normans landed in southern Italy and so creating a united southern Italian kingdom.

1202–03

Venice leads the Fourth Crusade to the Holy Land on a detour to Constantinople in revenge for attacks on Venetian interests there. The Crusaders topple the Byzantine emperor, installing a puppet ruler.

1271

Venetian merchant Marco Polo embarks on a 24-year journey to Central Asia and China with his father and uncle. His written travel accounts help enlighten Europeans about Asia.

1282

Charles of Anjou creates enemies in Sicily with heavy taxes on landowners, who rise in the Sicilian Vespers revolt. They hand control of Sicily to Peter III, King of Aragón.

1309

Pope Clement V shifts the papacy to Avignon, France, for almost 70 years. Clement had been elected pope four years earlier but refused to rule in a hostile Rome.

1321

Dante Alighieri completes his epic poem La divina commedia (The Divine Comedy). The Florentine poet, considered Italy’s greatest literary figure, dies the same year.

1348

The Black Death (bubonic plague) wreaks havoc across Italy and much of the rest of western Europe. Florence is said to have lost three-quarters of its populace.

1506

Work starts on St Peter’s Basilica, to a design by Donato Bramante, over the site of an earlier basilica in Rome. Work would continue on Christendom’s showpiece church until 1626.

1508–12

Pope Julius II commissions Michelangelo to paint the ceiling frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo decides the context, and the central nine panels recount stories from Genesis.

1534

The accession of Pope Paul III marks the beginning of the Counter-Reformation. He establishes a militant Jesuit order in 1540 and the heretic-hunting Holy Office of the Inquisition in 1542.

1582

Pope Gregory XIII replaces the Julian calendar (introduced by Julius Caesar) with the modern-day Gregorian calendar. The new calendar adds the leap year to keep in line with the seasons.

1600

Dominican monk and proud philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at the stake in Rome for heresy after eight years of trial and torture at the hands of the Inquisition.

1714

The end of the War of the Spanish Succession forces the withdrawal of Spanish forces from Lombardy. The Spanish Bourbon family establishes an independent Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

1805

Napoleon is proclaimed king of the newly constituted Kingdom of Italy, comprising most of the northern half of the country. A year later he takes the Kingdom of Naples.

1810

Physicist Alessandro Volta invents the electric battery and gives his name to the measurement of electrical power. Volta’s lesser-known invention is the remotely operated pistol.

1814–15

After Napoleon’s fall, the Congress of Vienna is held to re-establish the balance of power in Europe. The result for Italy is largely a return of the old occupying powers.

1848

European revolts spark rebellion in Italy, especially in Austrian-occupied Milan and Venice. Piedmont’s King Carlo Alberto joins the fray against Austria, but within a year Austria recovers Lombardy and Veneto.

1860

In the name of Italian unity, Giuseppe Garibaldi lands with 1000 men, the Red Shirts, in Sicily. He takes the island and lands in southern Italy.

1861

By the end of the 1859–61 Franco-Austrian War, Vittorio Emanuele II controls Lombardy, Sardinia, Sicily, southern and parts of central Italy and is proclaimed king of a newly united Italy.

1889

Raffaele Esposito invents pizza margherita in honour of Queen Margherita, who takes her first bite of the Neapolitan staple on a royal visit to the city.

1908

On the morning of 28 December, Messina and Reggio di Calabria are struck by a 7.5-magnitude earthquake and a 13-metre-high tsunami. More than 80,000 lives are lost.

1915

Italy enters WWI on the side of the Allies to win Italian territories still in Austrian hands after Austria’s offer to cede some of the territories is deemed insufficient.

1919

Former socialist journalist Benito Mussolini forms a right-wing militant group, the Fasci Italiani di Combattimento (Italian Combat Fasces), precursor to his Fascist Party.

1922

Mussolini and his Fascists stage a march on Rome in October. Doubting the army’s loyalty, a fearful King Vittorio Emanuele III entrusts Mussolini with the formation of a government.

1929

Mussolini and Pope Pius XI sign the Lateran Pact, which declares Catholicism as Italy’s sole religion and the Vatican an independent state. Satisfied, the papacy acknowledges the Kingdom of Italy.

1935

Italy seeks a new colonial conquest through the invasion of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) from Eritrea. The League of Nations condemns the invasion and imposes limited sanctions on Italy.

1940

Italy enters WWII on Nazi Germany’s side and invades Greece, which quickly proves to be a mistake. Greek forces counter-attack and enter southern Albania. Germany saves Italy in 1941.

1943

Allies land in Sicily. King Vittorio Emanuele III sacks Mussolini. He is replaced by Marshall Badoglio, who surrenders after Allied landings in southern Italy. German forces free Mussolini.

1944

Mount Vesuvius explodes back into action on 18 March. The eruption is captured on film by USAAF (United States Army Air Forces) personnel stationed nearby.

1946

Italians vote in a national referendum to abolish the monarchy and create a republic. King Umberto II leaves Italy and refuses to recognise the result.

1957

Italy joins France, West Germany and the Benelux countries to sign the Treaty of Rome, which creates the European Economic Community (EEC). The treaty takes effect on 1 January 1958.

1957

Turin-based car manufacturer Fiat launches the Fiat 500 in July. Designed by Dante Giacosa, the compact vehicle would become an icon of Italian industrial design.

1960

Federico Fellini’s iconic film La Dolce Vita is released. Capturing life in a newly affluent postwar Rome, the film is nominated for four Academy Awards.

1960

Rome hosts the Games of the XVII Olympiad. A total of 83 nations take part, including Singapore, which competes under its own flag for the first time.

1966

A devastating flood inundates Florence in early November, leaving around 100 people dead, 5000 families homeless and 14,000 movable art works damaged. The flood is the city’s worst since 1557.

1970

Parliament approves the country’s first ever divorce legislation. Unwilling to accept this ‘defeat’, the Christian Democrats call a referendum to annul the law in 1974. Italians vote against the referendum.

1980

A bomb in Bologna kills 85 and injures hundreds more. The Red Brigades and a Fascist cell both claim responsibility. Analysis later points to possible para-state terrorism in Operation Gladio.

1980

At 7.34pm on 25 November, a 6.8–Richter scale earthquake strikes Campania. The quake kills almost 3000 people and causes widespread damage, including in the city of Naples.

1995

Maurizio Gucci, heir to the Gucci fashion empire, is gunned down outside his Milan offices. Three years later, his estranged wife Patrizia Reggiani is jailed for ordering his murder.

1999

Italy becomes a primary base in NATO’s air war on Yugoslavia. Air strikes are carried out from the Aviano airbase from 24 May until 8 June.

2001

Silvio Berlusconi’s right-wing Casa delle Libertà (Liberties House) coalition wins an absolute majority in national polls. The following five years are marked by economic stagnation.

2004–05

Tension between rival Camorra clans explodes on the streets of suburban Naples. In only four months, almost 50 people are gunned down in retribution attacks.

2005

Pope John Paul II dies aged 84, prompting a wave of sorrow and chants of santo subito (sainthood now). He is succeeded by Benedict XVI, the German Cardinal Ratzinger.

2006

Juventus, AC Milan and three other top Serie A football teams receive hefty fines in a match-rigging scandal that also sees Juventus stripped of its 2005 and 2006 championship titles.

2007

Former heir to the Italian throne, Vittorio Emanuele di Savoia, is cleared of corruption and fraud charges in connection with alleged illicit dealings, among others, involving a casino.

2008

Italy’s beleaguered national airline, Alitalia, files for bankruptcy. It is later resurrected, in reduced form with fewer routes, aircraft and staff, as a private airline.

2009

Italy’s Constitutional Court overturns a law giving Berlusconi immunity from prosecution while in office, opening the possibility that he could stand trial in several court cases.

2011

Berlusconi stands trial in Milan in April on charges of abuse of power and paying for sex with under-aged Moroccan prostitute Karima El Mahroug (aka ‘Ruby Heartstealer’).

2011

After a 13-year absence, Italy re-enters the Eurovision Song Contest with Raphael Gualazzi’s jazz-inspired Follia d’amore (Folly of Love). The song wins second place for Italy.

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Italian Art & Architecture

ART

The history of Italian art is in many ways also the history of Western art. From the classical, Renaissance and baroque, to the futurist and metaphysical, the art world’s seminal movements and periods have been forged by a pantheon of Italian artists including Giotto, da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Bernini, Botticelli and Caravaggio.

The Italian equivalent of Impressionism was the Macchiaioli movement based in Florence. Its major artists were Telemaco Signorini (1835–1901) and Giovanni Fattori (1825–1908). See their work in the Palazzo Pitti’s Galleria d’Arte Moderna in Florence.

The Ancient & the Classical

In art, as in so many other realms, the ancient Romans looked to the Greeks for examples of best practice. The Greeks had settled many parts of Sicily and southern Italy as early as the 8th century BC, naming it ‘Magna Graecia’ and building great cities such as Syracuse and Taranto. These cities were famous for their magnificent temples, many of which were decorated with sculptures modelled on, or inspired by, masterpieces by Praxiteles, Lysippus and Phidias.

The Italian countryside is home to a number of contemporary sculpture parks, including the Fattoria di Celle (     www.goricoll.it), ll Giardino dei Tarocchi (     www.nikidesaintphalle.com), the Castello di Rivoli and Villa Manin.

Sculpture flourished in southern Italy into the Hellenistic period. It also gained great popularity in central Italy, where the primitive art of the Etruscans (the people of ancient central Italy) was influenced and greatly refined by the contribution of Greek artisans, who came here through trade.

In Rome itself, sculpture, architecture and painting flourished under first the Republic and then the Empire. But the art that was produced in Rome during this period was different in many ways from the Greek art that influenced it. Essentially secular, it focused less on harmony and form and more on accurate representation, mainly in the form of sculptural portraits. Innumerable versions of Pompey, Titus and Augustus all show a similar visage, proving that the artists were seeking verisimilitude in their representations and not just glorification.

CRIMES OF CULTURE

In 2010, Italian tourist Michele Speranza became an unlikely hero after recognising a female torso in a New York art gallery window. Not just any torso, the piece was an ancient art work stolen from a Lazio museum in 1988. Such a well-trained eye is hardly surprising: Speranza is part of the Comando Carabinieri Tutela Patrimonio Culturale, a special police squad tackling the looting of Italy’s priceless heritage.

Looting is big business. Investigations suggest that more than 100,000 ancient tombs have been ransacked by tombaroli (tomb raiders) alone; the contents are often sold to private and public collectors. Squad officers frequently patrol archaeological sites, as well as check objects sold at auction against their own databases of stolen items.

Despite the magnitude of the problem, Italy’s ‘art police’ have an impressive track record. In 2010, more than €15 million worth of artefacts were seized in one operation in Geneva. In 2006, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art relinquished a number of treasures, including the prized Euphronios Krater; a 2500-year-old Etruscan vase now in Rome’s Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia. The following year, Los Angeles’ Getty Museum faced a similarly humiliating blow, its own returns including a 5th-century-BC statue of Aphrodite. Looted from an archaeological site in Sicily, the goddess of love was later sold to the museum for a badly invested US$18 million.

And while the Greeks saw art as being solely about harmony, beauty and drama, Roman emperors like Augustus were happy to utilise art as a political tool, using it to celebrate status, power and image. This form of narrative art often took the form of relief decoration recounting the story of great military victories – the Colonna di Traiano (Trajan’s Column) and the Ara Pacis Augustae (Altar of Peace) in Rome exemplify this tradition. Both are magnificent, monumental examples of art as propaganda, exalting the emperor and Rome in a form that no one, either then or today, can possibly ignore.

Italy’s major contemporary art event is the world-famous Venice Biennale (          www.labiennale.org), held every odd-numbered year. It’s the most important survey show on the international art circuit.

Wealthy Roman citizens also dabbled in the arts, building palatial villas and adorning them with statues looted from the Greek world or copied from Hellenic originals. Today, museums in Rome are bursting at the seams with such trophies, from the Capitoline Museums’ ‘Made in Italy’ Galata morente (Dying Gaul, c 240–200 BC) to the Vatican Museums’ original Greek Laocoön and His Sons (c 160–140 BC).

And while the Etruscans had used wall painting – most notably in their tombs at centres like Tarquinia and Cerveteri in modern-day Lazio, it was the Romans who refined the form, refocusing on landscape scenes to adorn the walls of the living. A visit to Rome’s Museo Nazionale Romano: Palazzo Massimo alle Terme offers sublime examples of the form.

We regularly consulted EH Gombrich’s seminal work       The Story of Art       when writing this chapter. First published in 1950, it gives a wonderful overview of the history of Italian art.

The Glitter of Byzantine

In 330, Emperor Constantine, a convert to Christianity, made the ancient city of Byzantium his capital and renamed it Constantinople. The city became the great cultural and artistic centre of Christianity and it remained so up to the time of the Renaissance, though its influence on the art of that period was never as fundamental as the art of ancient Rome.

The Byzantine period was notable for its sublime ecclesiastical and palace architecture, its extraordinary mosaic work and – to a lesser extent – its painting. Its art was influenced by the decoration of the Roman catacombs and the early Christian churches, as well as by the Oriental Greek style, with its love of rich decoration and luminous colour. Byzantine art works de-emphasised the naturalistic aspects of the classical tradition and exalted the spirit over the body, so glorifying God rather than humanity or the state.

In Italy, the Byzantine virtuosity with mosaics was showcased in Ravenna, the capital of the Byzantine Empire’s western regions in the 6th century. The city’s Basilica di Sant’Apollinare in Classe, Basilica di San Vitale and Basilica di Sant’Apollinare Nuovo house some of the world’s finest Byzantine art, their hand-cut glazed tiles ( tesserae ) balancing extraordinary naturalness with an epic sense of grandeur and mystery.

Yet, the Byzantine aesthetic was not limited to Ravenna. In Venice it would influence the exotic design of the Basilica di San Marco, while in Rome it would leave its mark in the technicolour interior of the Chiesa di San Prassede.

In Sicily, Byzantine, Norman and Arab influences fused to create a distinct regional style showcased in the mosaic-encrusted splendour of Palermo’s Cappella Palatina, as well as the cathedrals of Monreale and Cefalù.

The Not-so-Dark Ages

The Italian Middle Ages have often been dismissed as a ‘dark’ age between the Roman and Byzantine Empires and the Renaissance. However, to ignore this period would make it difficult to understand all subsequent Italian history. This is because Italy as we know it was born in the Middle Ages. The barbarian invasions of the 5th and 6th centuries began a process that turned a unified empire into a land of small independent city-states, and it was these states – or rather the merchants, princes, clergy, corporations and guilds who lived within them – that started the craze in artistic patronage that was to underpin the great innovations in art and architecture that would define the Renaissance.

Continuing the trend kick-started in the Byzantine period, ideas of clarity and simplicity of religious message began to outweigh ideals of faithful representation during the medieval period. This is why, at first glance, many pictures of the period look rather stiff.

Indeed, painting and sculpture of this period played second fiddle to its architecture, commonly known as ‘Romanesque’. Complementing this architectural style was the work of the Cosmati, a Roman guild of mosaic and marble workers who specialised in assembling fragments of coloured stones and glass mosaics and combining them with large stone disks and strips of white marble to create stunning intricate pavements, columns and church furnishings as seen in Rome’s Chiesa di Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore and Chiesa di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva.

Gothic Refinement

The Gothic style was much slower to take off in Italy than it had been in the rest of Europe. But it did, marking the transition from medieval restraint to the Renaissance, and seeing artists once again joyously drawing inspiration from life itself rather than solely religion. Occurring at the same time as the development of court society and the rise of civic culture in the city-states, its art was both sophisticated and elegant, highlighting attention to detail, a luminous palette and an increasingly refined technique. The first innovations were made in Pisa by sculptor Nicola Pisano (c 1220–84), who emulated the example of the French Gothic masters and studied classical sculpture in order to represent nature more convincingly, but the major strides forward occurred in Florence and Siena.

Italy has more World Heritage–listed sites than any other country in the world; many of its 45 listings are there in the guise of repositories of great art.

Giotto & the ‘Rebirth’ of Italian Art

The Byzantine painters in Italy knew how to make use of light and shade and had an understanding of the principles of foreshortening (how to convey an effect of perspective). It only required a genius to break the spell of their conservatism and to venture into a new world of naturalism. Enter Florentine painter Giotto di Bondone (c 1266–1337), whose brushstrokes focused on dramatic narrative and the accurate representation of figures and landscape. The Italian poet Giovanni Boccaccio wrote in his Decameron (1350–53) that Giotto was ‘a genius so sublime that there was nothing produced by nature…that he could not depict to the life; his depiction looked not like a copy, but the real thing.’

Boccaccio wasn’t the only prominent critic of the time to consider Giotto revolutionary – the first historian of Italian art, Giorgio Vasari, said in his Lives of the Artists (1550) that Giotto initiated the ‘rebirth’ (rinascità or renaissance) in art. Giotto’s most famous works are all in the medium of the fresco (where paint is applied on a wall while the plaster is still damp), and his supreme achievement is the cycle gracing the walls of Padua’s Cappella degli Scrovegni. It’s impossible to overestimate Giotto’s achievement with these frescoes, which illustrate the stories of the lives of the Virgin and Christ. Abandoning popular conventions such as the three-quarter view of head and body, he presented his figures from behind, from the side or turning around, just as the story demanded. Giotto had no need for lashings of gold paint and elaborate ornamentation either, opting to convey the scene’s dramatic tension through a naturalistic rendition of figures and a radical composition that created the illusion of depth.

LIVES OF THE ARTISTS

Painter, architect and writer Giorgio Vasari (1511–74) was one of those figures rightfully described as a ‘Renaissance Man’. Born in Arezzo, he trained as a painter in Florence, working with artists including Andrea del Sarto and Michelangelo (he idolised the latter). As a painter, he is best remembered for his floor-to-ceiling frescoes in the Salone dei Cinquecento in Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio. As an architect, his most accomplished work was the elegant loggia of the Uffizi (he also designed the enclosed, elevated corridor that connected the Palazzo Vecchio with the Uffizi and Palazzo Pitti and was dubbed the ‘Corridoio Vasariano’ in his honour). But posterity remembers him predominantly for his work as an art historian. His Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors and Architects, from Cimabue to Our Time, an encyclopedia of artistic biographies published in 1550 and dedicated to Cosimo I de’ Medici, is still in print (as The Lives of the Artists ) and is full of wonderful anecdotes and – dare we say it – gossip about his artistic contemporaries in 16th-century Florence. Memorable passages include his recollection of visiting Donatello’s studio one day only to find the great sculptor staring at his extremely lifelike statue of the Prophet Habakkuk and imploring it to talk (we can only assume that Donatello had been working too hard). Vasari also writes about a young Giotto (the painter whom he credits with ushering in the Renaissance) painting a fly on the surface of a work by Cimabue that the older master then tried to brush away. The book makes wonderful pre-departure reading for anyone planning to visit Florence and its museums.

Giotto’s oeuvre isn’t limited to the frescoes in the Cappella degli Scrovegni. His Life of St Francis cycle in the Upper Church of the Basilica di San Francesco in Assisi is almost as extraordinary and was to greatly influence his peers, many of whom worked in Assisi during the decoration of the church. One of the most prominent of these was the Dominican friar Fra’ Angelico (c 1395–1455), a Florentine painter who was famed for his mastery of colour and light. His Annunciation (c 1450) in the convent of the Museo di San Marco in Florence is arguably his most accomplished work.

Many Renaissance painters included self-portraits in their major works. Giotto didn’t, possibly due to the fact that friends such as Giovanni Boccaccio described him as the ugliest man in Florence. With friends like those…

The Sienese School

Giotto wasn’t the only painter of his time to experiment with form, colour and composition and create a radical new style. The great Sienese master Duccio di Buoninsegna (c 1255–1319) successfully breathed new life into the old Byzantine forms using light and shade. His preferred medium was panel painting and his major work is probably his Maestà (Virgin Mary in Majesty; 1311) in Siena’s Museo dell’Opera Metropolitana.

It was in Siena, too, that two new trends took off: the introduction of court painters and the advent of secular art.

The first of many painters to be given ongoing commissions by one major patron or court, Simone Martini (c 1284–1344) was almost as famous as Giotto in his day. His best-known painting is the stylized Maestà (1315–16) in Siena’s Museo Civico, in which he pioneered his famous iridescent palette (one colour transformed into another within the same plane).

Also working in Siena at this time were the Lorenzetti brothers, Pietro (c 1280–1348) and Ambrogio (c 1290–1348), who are considered the greatest exponents of what, for a better term, can be referred to as secular painting. Ambrogio’s magnificent Allegories of Good and Bad Government (1337–40) in the Museo Civico lauds the fruits of good government and the gruesome results of bad. In the frescoes, he applies the rules of perspective with an accuracy previously unseen, as well as significantly developing the Italian landscape tradition. In Life in the Country, one of the allegories, Ambrogio successfully depicts the time of day, the season, colour reflections and shadows – a naturalistic depiction of landscape that was quite unique at this time.

From Mannerism to Baroque

By 1520, artists such as Michelangelo and Raphael had pretty well achieved everything that former generations had tried to do and, alongside other artists, began distorting natural images in favour of heightened expression. This movement, skilfully illustrated in Titian’s Assunta (Assumption, 1516–18) – in Venice’s Chiesa di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari – and in Raphael’s La trasfigurazione (1517–20) – in the Vatican Museums’ Pinacoteca – was derided by later critics, who labelled it mannerism.

DAVID’S WOES

He might look good for 508, but Michelangelo’s David has had his fare share of close calls. In 1527, the lower part of his left arm was broken off in a riot. In 1843, a hydrochloric acid ‘spruce-up’ stripped away some of the original surface. Disaster struck again in 1991, when a disturbed gallery visitor smashed the statue’s second left toe with a hammer. Toe fixed, David’s latest source of stress is a proposed rail tunnel, expected to come within 600 metres of the statue. According to several experts, the expected vibrations from construction works would aggravate the cracks in David’s already-weak ankles, possibly turning the 17-foot hunk into a giant sorry heap.

By the end of the 16th century, two artists who had grown tired of mannerism took very different approaches to painting in an attempt to break the deadlock caused by their overachieving predecessors.

Milanese-born enfant terrible Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1573–1610) had no liking for classical models or respect for ‘ideal beauty’. He was condemned by some contemporaries for seeking truth rather than ideal beauty in his art and shocked them with his radical practice of copying nature faithfully, regardless of its aesthetic appeal. But even they were forced to admire his skill with the technique of chiaroscuro (the bold contrast of light and dark) and his employment of tenebrism, where dramatic chiaroscuro becomes a dominant and highly effective stylistic device. One look at his Conversion of St Paul and the Crucifixion of St Peter (both 1600–01), both in Rome’s Chiesa di Santa Maria del Popolo, or his Le sette opere di misericordia (The Seven Acts of Mercy) in Naples’ Pio Monte della Misericordia, and the raw emotional intensity of his work becomes clear.

WHO’S WHO IN RENAISSANCE & BAROQUE ART

Giotto di Bondone (c 1266–1337) Said to have ushered in the Renaissance; two masterworks: the Cappella degli Scrovegni (1304–06) in Padua (Click here ) and the upper church (1306–11) in Assisi ( Click here ).

Donatello (c 1382–1466) Florentine born and bred; his David (c 1440–50) in the collection of the Museo del Bargello in Florence (Click here ) was the first free-standing nude sculpture produced since the classical era.

Fra’ Angelico (1395–1455) Made a saint in 1982; his best-loved work is the Annunciation (c 1450) in the convent of the Museo di San Marco in Florence (Click here ).

Sandro Botticelli (c 1444–1510) Primavera (c 1482) and The Birth of Venus (c 1485) are among the best-loved of all Italian paintings; both in the Uffizi (Click here ).

Domenico Ghirlandaio (1449–94) A top Tuscan master; his frescoes include those in the Tornabuoni Chapel in Florence’s Basilica di Santa Maria Novella (Click here ).

Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) The term polymath (aka Renaissance Man) had to be coined to explain this genius; best known for his The Last Supper in Milan’s Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Grazie (Click here ).

Michelangelo Buonarotti (1475–1564) The big daddy of them all; everyone knows David (1504) in the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence (Click here ) and the Sistine Chapel ceiling (1508–12) in Rome’s Vatican Museums ( Click here ).

Raphael Santi (1483–1520) Originally from Urbino; painted luminous Madonnas and fell in love with a baker’s daughter, immortalised in his painting La Fornarina, in Rome’s Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica: Palazzo Barberini (Click here ).

Titian (c 1490–1576) Real name Tiziano Vecelli; seek out his Assumption (1516–18) in the Chiesa di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari (I Frari), Venice (Click here ).

Tintoretto (1518–1594) The last great painter of the Italian Renaissance, known as ‘Il Furioso’ for the energy he put into his work; look for his Last Supper in Venice’s Chiesa di Santo Stefano (Click here ).

Annibale Caracci (1560–1609) Bologna-born and best known for his baroque frescoes in Rome’s Palazzo Farnese (Click here ).

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1573–1610) Baroque’s bad boy; his most powerful work is the St Matthew Cycle in Rome’s Chiesa di San Luigi dei Francesi (Click here ).

Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680) The sculptor protégé of Cardinal Scipione Borghese; best known for his Rape of Persephone (1621–22) and Apollo and Daphne (1622–25) in Rome’s Museo e Galleria Borghese (Click here ).

This intensity reflected the artist’s own notorious temperament. Described by the writer Stendhal as a ‘great painter [and] a wicked man’, Caravaggio fled to Naples in 1606 after killing a man in a street fight in Rome. Although his sojourn in Naples lasted only a year, it had an electrifying effect on the city’s younger artists. Among them was Giuseppe (or Jusepe) de Ribera (1591–1652), an aggressive, bullying Spaniard whose capo lavoro (masterpiece), the Pietà, hangs in the Museo Nazionale di San Martino in Naples. Lo Spagnoletto (The Little Spaniard, as Ribera was known) reputedly won a commission for the Cappella del Tesoro in Naples’ Duomo by poisoning his rival Domenichino (1581–1641) and wounding the assistant of a second competitor, Guido Reni (1575–1642). Much to the relief of other nerve-racked artists, the cabal eventually broke up when Caracciolo died in 1642.

North of Rome, Annibale Caracci (1560–1609) was the major artist of the baroque Emilian, or Bolognese, school. With his painter brother Agostino he worked in Bologna, Parma and Venice before moving to Rome to work for Cardinal Odoardo Farnese. In works such as his magnificent frescoes of mythological subjects in Rome’s Palazzo Farnese, he employed innovative illusionistic elements that would prove inspirational to later baroque painters such as Cortona, Pozzo and Gaulli. However, Caracci never let the illusionism and energy of his works dominate the subject matter as these later painters did. Strongly influenced by the work of Michelangelo and Raphael, he continued the Renaissance penchant for idealising and ‘beautifying’ nature.

The roots of baroque art lay in religious spirituality and stringent aestheticism. Its artists and patrons used it to combat the rapidly spreading Protestant Reformation while simultaneously exalting Catholicism. Considering this, it’s somewhat ironic that its style displayed worldly joy, exuberant decoration and uninhibited sensuality. It seems that the baroque artists cottoned on to the modern mantra of advertising – sex sells.

ART, ANGER & ARTEMESIA

Sex, fame and notoriety: the life of Artemesia Gentileschi (1593–1652) could spawn a top-rating soap. One of the early baroque’s greatest artists (and one of the few females), Gentileschi was born in Rome to Tuscan painter Orazio Gentileschi. Orazio wasted little time introducing his young daughter to the city’s working artists. Among her mentors was Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, whose chiaroscuro technique would deeply influence her own style.

At the tender age of 17, Gentileschi produced her first masterpiece, Susanna and the Elders (1610), now in the Schönborn Collection in Pommersfelden, Germany. Her depiction of the sexually harassed Susanna proved eerily foreboding: two years later Artemesia would find herself at the centre of a seven-month trial, in which Florentine artist Agostino Tassi was charged with her rape.

Out of Gentileschi’s fury came the gripping, technically brilliant Judith Slaying Holofernes (1612–13). While the original hangs in Naples’ Museo di Capodimonte, you’ll find a larger, later version in Florence’s Uffizi. Vengeful Judith would make a further appearance in Judith and her Maidservant (c 1613–14), now in Florence’s Palazzo Pitti. While living in Florence, Gentileschi completed a string of commissions for Cosimo II of the Medici dynasty, as well as becoming the first female member of the prestigious Accademia delle Arti del Disegno (Academy of the Arts of Drawing).

After separating from her husband, Tuscan painter Pietro Antonio di Vincenzo Stiattesi, Gentileschi headed south to Naples sometime between 1626 and 1630. Here her creations would include The Annunciation (1630), also in Naples’ Museo di Capodimonte, and her Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting (1630), housed in London’s Kensington Palace. The latter work received praise for its simultaneous depiction of art, artist and muse; an innovation at the time. Gentileschi’s way with the brush was not lost on King Charles I of England, who honoured the Italian talent with a court residency from 1638 to 1641.

Despite her illustrious career, Gentileschi inhabited a man’s world. Nothing would prove this more than the surviving epitaphs commemorating her death, focused not on her creative brilliance, but on the gossip depicting her as a cheating nymphomaniac.

In       M: The Man Who Became Caravaggio,       Peter Robb gives a passionate personal assessment of the artist’s paintings and a colourful account of Caravaggio’s life, arguing he was murdered for having sex with the pageboy of a high-ranking Maltese aristocrat.

Arguably the best known of all baroque artists was the sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680), who used works of religious art such as his Ecstasy of Saint Theresa in Rome’s Chiesa di Santa Maria della Vittoria to arouse feelings of exaltation and mystic transport in the viewer. In this and many other works he achieved an extraordinary intensity of facial expression and a totally radical handling of draperies. Instead of letting these fall in dignified folds in the approved classical manner, he made them writhe and whirl to intensify the effect of excitement and energy. This trick was soon imitated all over Europe.

Not everyone was singing Bernini’s praise, especially the artist’s bitter rival, Francesco Borromini (1599–1667). Neurotic, reclusive and tortured, Borromini looked down on his ebullient contemporary’s lack of architectural training and formal stone-carving technique. No love was lost: Bernini believed Borromini ‘had been sent to destroy architecture’.

Centuries on, the rivalry lives on in the works they left behind, from Borromini’s Chiesa di San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane and Bernini’s neighbouring Chiesa di Sant’Andrea al Quirinale to their back-to-back creations in Piazza Navona.

For a readable, well-illustrated guide to Italian Renaissance art, have a look at Andrew Graham-Dixon’s       Renaissance,       the companion book to the BBC TV series.

The New Italy

By the 18th century, Italy was beginning to rebel against years of foreign rule – first under the French in Napoleon’s time and then under the Austrians. But although new ideas of political unity were forming, there was only one innovation in art – the painting and engraving of views, most notably in Venice, to meet the demand of European travellers wanting ‘Grand Tour’ souvenirs. The best-known painters of this school are Francesco Guardi (1712–93) and Giovanni Antonio Canaletto (1697–1768).

Despite the slow movement towards unity, the 19th-century Italian cities remained as they had been for centuries – highly individual centres of culture with sharply contrasting ways of life. Music was the supreme art of this period and the overwhelming theme in the visual arts was one of chaste refinement.

The major artistic movement of the day was neoclassicism and its greatest Italian exponent was the sculptor Antonio Canova (1757–1822). Canova renounced movement in favour of stillness, emotion in favour of restraint and illusion in favour of simplicity. His most famous work is a daring sculpture of Paolina Bonaparte Borghese as a reclining Venere vincitrice (Conquering Venus), in Rome’s Museo e Galleria Borghese.

Canova was the last Italian artist to win overwhelming international fame. Italian architecture, sculpture and painting had played a dominant role in the cultural life of Europe for some 400 years, but with Canova’s death in 1822, this supremacy came to an end.

Modern Movements

The two main developments in Italian art at the outbreak of WWI could not have been more different. Futurism, led by poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti (1876–1944) and painter Umberto Boccioni (1882–1916), sought new ways to express the dynamism of the machine age. Metaphysical painting (Pittura metafisica), in contrast, looked inwards and produced mysterious images from the subconscious world.

Futurism demanded a new art for a new world and denounced every attachment to the art of the past. It started with the publication of Marinetti’s Manifesto del futurismo (Manifesto of Futurism, 1909) and was reinforced by the publication of a 1910 futurist painting manifesto by Boccioni, Giacomo Balla (1871–1958), Luigi Russolo (1885–1947) and Gino Severini (1883–1966). The manifesto declared that ‘Everything is in movement, everything rushes forward, everything is in constant swift change.’ An excellent example of this theory put into practice is Boccioni’s Rissa in galleria (Brawl in the Arcade, 1910) in the collection of Milan’s Pinacoteca di Brera. This was painted shortly after the manifesto was published and clearly demonstrates the movement’s fascination with frantic movement and with modern technology and life. While the movement lost its own impetus with the outbreak of WWI, its legacy has been revived with the recent opening of Milan’s Museo del Novecento. Dedicated to 20th-century art, the museum houses what is arguably Italy’s finest collection of futurist works.

Like futurism, metaphysical painting also had a short life. Its most famous exponent, Giorgio de Chirico (1888–1978), lost interest in the style after the war, but his work held a powerful attraction for the surrealist movement that developed in France in the 1920s. Stillness and a sense of foreboding are the haunting qualities of many of De Chirico’s works of this period, which show disconnected images from the world of dreams in settings that usually embody memories of classical Italian architecture. A good example is The Red Tower (1913), now in the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice.

After the war, a number of the futurist painters began to flirt with Fascism, believing that the new state offered opportunities for patronage and public art and that Italy could once again lead the world in its arts practice. This period was known as ‘second futurism’ and its main exponents were Mario Sironi (1885–1961) and Carlo Carrà (1881–1966).

The local art scene became more interesting in the 1950s, when artists such as Alberto Burri (1915–95) and the Argentine-Italian Lucio Fontana (1899–1968) experimented with abstract art. Fontana’s punctured canvases were characterised by spazialismo (spatialism) and he also experimented with ‘slash paintings’, perforating his canvases with actual holes or slashes and dubbing them ‘art for the space age’.

Burri’s work was truly cutting-edge. His assemblages were made of burlap, wood, iron and plastic and were avowedly anti-traditional. Grande sacco (Large Sack) of 1952, housed in Rome’s Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, caused a major controversy when it was first exhibited.

Click onto           www.exibart.com (mostly in Italian) for up-to-date listings of art exhibitions throughout Italy, as well as exhibition reviews, articles and interviews.

In the 1960s, a radical new movement called Arte Povera (Poor Art) took off. Its followers used simple materials to trigger memories and associations. Major names include Mario Merz (1925–2003), Giovanni Anselmo (b 1934), Luciano Fabro (b 1936–2007), Giulio Paolini (b 1940) and Greek-born Jannis Kounellis (b 1936). All experimented with sculpture and installation work.

The 1980s saw a return to painting and sculpture in a traditional (primarily figurative) sense. Dubbed ‘Transavanguardia’, this movement broke with the prevailing international focus on conceptual art and was thought by some critics to signal the death of avant-garde. The artists who were part of this movement include Sandro Chia (b 1946), Mimmo Paladino (b 1948), Enzo Cucchi (b 1949) and Francesco Clemente (b 1952).

Contemporary artists of note currently working in Italy include Paolo Canevari, Angelo Filomeno, Rä di Martino, Adrian Paci, Paola Pivi, Pietro Roccasalva and Francesco Vezzoli.

Designed by US architect Richard Meier, Rome’s Museo dell’Ara Pacis is no stranger to controversy. Compared to everything from a coffin to a petrol station, it was damned by popular art critic Vittorio Sgarbi as an ‘indecent cesspit by a useless architect’. Ouch!

ARCHITECTURE

Architects working in Italy have always celebrated the classical. The Greeks, who established the classical style, employed it in the southern cities they colonised; the Romans refined and embellished it; Italian Renaissance architects rediscovered and altered it to the requirements of their day; and the Fascist architects of the 1930s referenced it in their powerful modernist buildings. Even today, architects such as Richard Meier are designing buildings in Italy that clearly reference classical prototypes. Why muck around with a formula that works, particularly when it can also please the eye and make the soul soar?

Classical

Only one word describes the buildings of ancient Italy: monumental. The Romans built an empire the size of which had never before been seen, and went on to adorn it with buildings cut from the same pattern. From Verona’s Roman Arena to Pozzuoli’s Anfiteatro Flavio, giant stadiums rose above skylines. Spa centres like Rome’s Terme di Caracalla were veritable cities of indulgence, boasting everything from giant marble-clad pools to gymnasiums and libraries. Aqueducts like those below Naples provided fresh water to thousands, while temples such as Pompeii’s Tempio di Apollo provided the faithful with awe-inspiring centres of worship.

Having learned a few valuable lessons from the Greeks, the Romans refined architecture to such a degree that their building techniques, designs and mastery of harmonious proportion underpin most of the world’s architecture and urban design to this day.

And though the Greeks invented the architectural orders (Doric, Ionic and Corinthian), it was the Romans who employed them in bravura performances. Consider Rome’s Colosseum, with its ground tier of Doric, middle tier of Ionic and penultimate tier of Corinthian columns. The Romans were dab hands at temple architecture, too. Just witness Rome’s exquisitely proportioned Pantheon, a temple whose huge but seemingly unsupported dome showcases the Roman invention of concrete, a material as essential to the modern construction industry as Ferrari is to the F1 circuit.

TOP FIVE ARCHITECTS

Filippo Brunelleschi (1377–1446) Brunelleschi blazed the neoclassical trail; his dome for Florence’s Duomo announced that the Renaissance had arrived.

Donato Bramante (1444–1514) After a stint as court architect in Milan, Bramante went on to design the tiny Tempietto and huge St Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Michelangelo (1475–1564) Architecture was but one of the many strings in this great man’s bow; his masterworks are the dome of St Peter’s Basilica and the Piazza del Campidoglio in Rome.

Andrea Palladio (1508–80) Western architecture’s single-most influential figure, Palladio turned classical Roman principles into elegant northern Italian villas.

Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680) The king of the Italian baroque is best known for his work in Rome, including the magnificent baldachin, piazza and colonnades at St Peter’s.

Byzantine

After Constantine became Christianity’s star convert, the empire’s architects and builders turned their considerable talents to the design and construction of churches. The emperor commissioned a number of such buildings in Rome, but he also expanded his sphere of influence east, to Constantinople in Byzantium. His successors in Constantinople, most notably Justinian and his wife Theodora, went on to build churches in the style that became known as Byzantine. Brick buildings built on the Roman basilican plan but with domes, they had sober exteriors that formed a stark contrast to their magnificent, mosaic-encrusted interiors. Finding its way back to Italy in the mid-6th century, the style expressed itself on a grand scale in Venice’s Basilica di San Marco as well as more modestly in buildings like the Chiesa di San Pietro in Otranto, Puglia. The true stars of Italy’s Byzantine scene, however, are Ravenna’s Basilica di San Vitale and Basilica di Sant’Apollinare in Classe, both built on a cruciform plan.

Marvellous Mosaics

» Basilica di Sant’Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna

» Basilica di San Vitale, Ravenna

» Basilica di San Marco, Venice

» Cattedrale di Monreale, Monreale

Romanesque

The next development in ecclesiastical architecture in Italy came from Europe. The European Romanesque style became momentarily popular in four regional forms – the Lombard, Pisan, Florentine and Sicilian Norman. All displayed an emphasis on width and the horizontal lines of a building rather than height, and featured church groups with campaniles (bell towers) and baptistries that were separate to the church.

The use of white and green marble alternatively defined the facades of the Florentine and Pisan styles, as seen in iconic buildings like Florence’s Basilica di Santa Maria Novella and Duomo baptistry, as well as in Pisa’s cathedral and baptistry.

The Lombard style featured elaborately carved facades and exterior decoration featuring bands and arches. Among its finest examples are the Lombard cathedral in Modena, Pavia’s Basilica di San Michele and Brescia’s unusually shaped Duomo Vecchio.

Down south, the Sicilian Norman style encompassed an exotic mix of Norman, Saracen and Byzantine influences, from marble columns to Islamic-inspired pointed arches to glass tesserae detailing. One of the greatest examples of the form is the Cattedrale di Monreale, located just outside Palermo.

Gothic

The Italians didn’t embrace the Gothic as enthusiastically as the French, Germans and Spanish did. Its flying buttresses, grotesque gargoyles and over-the-top decoration were just too far from the classical ideal that was (and still is) bred in the Italian bone. There were, of course, exceptions. The Venetians, never averse to a bit of frivolity, used the style in grand palazzi (mansions)such as the Ca’ d’Oro and on the facades of high-profile public buildings like the Palazzo Ducale. The fashion-obsessed Milanese employed it in Milan’s flamboyant Duomo, and the Sienese came up with an utterly gorgeous example in Siena’s cathedral.

Cutting-Edge Architecture

» MAXXI, Rome

» Auditorium Parco della Musica, Rome

» Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea Rovereto, Rovereto

Baroque

The Renaissance’s insistence on restraint and pure form was sure to lead to a backlash at some stage, so it’s no surprise that the next major architectural movement in Italy was noteworthy for its exuberant – some would say decadent – form. The baroque movement took its name from the Portuguese word barroco, used by fishermen to denote a misshapen pearl. Compared to the pure classical lines of Renaissance buildings, its output could indeed be described as ‘misshapen’ – Andrea Palma’s facade of Syracuse’s cathedral, Guarino Guarini’s Palazzo Carignano in Turin, and Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s baldachin in St Peter’s in Rome are dramatic, curvaceous and downright sexy structures that bear little similarity to the classical ideal.

For many of Naples’ baroque architects, the saying ‘It’s what’s inside that counts’ had a particularly strong resonance. Due in part to the city’s notorious high density and lack of showcasing piazzas, many invested less time on adorning hard-to-see facades and more on lavishing interiors. The exterior of churches like the Chiesa e Chiostro di San Gregorio Armeno gives little indication of the detailed opulence waiting inside, from cheeky cherubs and gilded ceilings to polychromatic marble walls and floors.

In fact, the indulgent deployment of coloured, inlaid marbles is one of the true highlights of Neapolitan baroque design. Used to adorn tombs in the second half of the 16th century, the inlaid look really took off at the beginning of the 17th century, with everything from altars and floors to entire chapels clad in mix-and-match marble concoctions. The undisputed meister of the form was Cosimo Fanzago, whose pièce de résistance is the church inside the Museo Nazionale di San Martino in Naples – a mesmerising kaleidoscope of colours and patterns, and the perfectly accompaniment to works of other artistic greats, among them painters Giuseppe Ribera, Massimo Stanzione and Francesco Solimena.

Considering the Neapolitans’ passion for all things baroque, it’s not surprising that the Italian baroque’s grand finale would come in the form of the Palazzo Reale in Caserta, a 1200-room royal palace designed by Neapolitan architect Luigi Vanvitelli to upstage France’s Versailles.

For a Blast of Baroque

» Lecce, Puglia

» Noto, Sicily

» Rome, Lazio

» Naples, Campania

» Catania, Sicily

Industrial Innovation & Modernism

Upstaged by political and social upheaval, architecture took a back seat in 19th-century Italy. One of the few movements of note stemmed directly from the Industrial Revolution, and saw the application of industrial innovations in glass and metal to building design. Two monumental examples of the form are Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan and its southern sibling Galleria Umberto I in Naples.

By century’s end, the art nouveau craze sweeping Europe injected the local scene with a new vibrancy. The Italian version, called ‘Io Stile Floreale’ or ‘Liberty’ in Italian, was notable for being more extravagant than most – just check out Giuseppe Sommaruga’s Casa Castiglione (1903), a large block of flats at Corso Venezia 47 in Milan, for proof.

When modernism entered the scene, it took two forms. The first was purely theoretical and was based on Marinetti’s influential Futurist manifesto (1909). The second form was rationalism, which was promoted in Italy by two groups. The first was known as the Gruppo Sette and consisted of seven architects inspired by the Bauhaus; its most significant player was Giuseppe Terragni, whose outstanding work is the 1936 Casa del Fascio (now called Casa del Popolo) in Como. The second, and rival, group was MIAR (Movimento Italiano per l’Architettura Razionale, the Italian Movement for Rational Architecture), led by Adalberto Libera. This influential architect is best known for his Palazzo dei Congressi in EUR, a 20th-century suburb of Rome that is home to a number of architecturally significant buildings. Like many Italian architects of their time, Libera and Terragni designed their uncompromisingly modernist buildings for the Fascist authorities, and their work is sometimes described as ‘Fascist Architecture’. EUR’s most iconic Fascist creation is the gleaming, arched Palazzo della Civiltà del Lavoro (Palace of the Workers). Designed by Giovanni Guerrini, Ernesto Bruno La Padula and Mario Romano, its arches and gleaming Travertine skin recall a pared-back, square Colosseum – an ode to the classical ideals of stoicism and glory that inspired the Fascist ideal.

Mid to Late 20th Century

Though Italy became famous for its cutting-edge international fashion and design industries in the second half of the 20th century, the same can’t be said for its architecture. One of the few high points came in 1956, when architect Giò Ponti and engineer Pier Luigi Nervi designed Milan’s slender, international Pirelli Tower. Ponti was the highly influential founding editor of the international architecture and design magazine Domus, which had begun publication in 1928; and Nervi was at the forefront of the development of reinforced concrete, an innovation that changed the face of modern architecture. Later in the century, architects such as Carlo Scarpa, Aldo Rossi and Paolo Portoghesi took Italian architecture in different directions. Veneto-based Scarpa was well known for his organic architecture, most particularly the Brion Tomb and Sanctuary at San Vito d’Altivole. Writer and architect Rossi was awarded the Pritzker Prize in 1990, and was known for both his writing (eg The Architecture of the City in 1966) and design work. Rome-based Paolo Portoghesi, who still practises architecture, is an academic and writer with a deep interest in classical architecture. His best-known Italian building is the Central Mosque (1974) in Rome, famed for its luminously beautiful interior.

Modern Art Musts

» Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Rome

» Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice

» Museo del Novecento, Milan

» MADRE, Naples

The Architectural Scene Today

After a long period of decline, Italian architecture is back on the world stage, with architects such as Massimiliano Fuksas; King, Roselli & Ricci; Cino Zucchi; Ian+; ABDR Architetti Associati; 5+1; Garofalo Miura; and Beniamino Servino designing innovative and important buildings.

The current king of Italian architecture is Renzo Piano, whose international projects include London’s striking new Shard skyscraper and the Centre Culturel Tjibaou in Nouméa, New Caldeonia. At home, his 2002 Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome is considered one of his greatest achievements yet. Piano’s heir apparent is Massimiliano Fuksas, whose projects are as whimsical as they are visually arresting. His most significant works to date are the futuristic Milan Trade Fair Building and the San Paolo Parish Church in Foligno. His Centro Congressi Nuvola (New Congress Center), on which construction recently commenced in the Roman suburb of EUR, looks like it’s topping both of them, though.

Most exciting – and unusual for Italy – are the many projects by high-profile foreign architects that are hotting up Italy’s architectural landscape. Richard Meier has two Roman buildings to his credit: the controversial Ara Pacis pavilion and the sculptural Chiesa Dives in Misericordia, a light-drenched church in suburban Rome commissioned by the Vatican to celebrate the 2000 Jubilee.

In 2010, Iraqi-British starchitect Zaha Hadid swooped the prestigious RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) Sterling prize for her striking, curvaceous MAXXI art gallery in Rome, while other projects of note include David Chipperfield’s cemetery extension on Isola di San Michele in Venice and Palace of Justice in Salerno; Arata Isozaki’s much-anticipated extensions to the Uffizi in Florence; and Tadao Ando’s acclaimed Punta della Dogana and Palazzo Grassi renovation in Venice.

Yet the most exciting building program since (arguably) the Renaissance is Milan’s ‘CityLife’ project. Involving the redevelopment of the city’s former trade fairground, the project will feature three geometrically experimental skyscrapers, one designed by Zaha Hadid, one by Arata Isozaki, and one by Daniel Liebeskind. City authorities hope that these head-turning additions will inject the city’s image with some much-needed edge.

ARCHITECTURE IN ITALY

8th–3rd Century BC Magna Graecia

Greek colonisers grace southern Italy with soaring temples, sweeping amphitheatres and elegant sculptures that later influence their Roman successors.

6th Century BC–4th Century AD Roman

Epic roads and aqueducts spread from Rome, alongside mighty basilicas, colonnaded markets, sprawling thermal baths and frescoed villas.

4th–6th Century Byzantine

Newly Christian and based in Constantinople, the Empire turns its attention to the construction of churches with exotic, Eastern mosaics and domes.

8th–12th Century Romanesque

Attention turns from height to the horizontal lines of a building. Churches are designed with stand-alone campaniles (bell towers) and baptistries.

13th & 14th Century Gothic

Northern European Gothic gets an Italian makeover, from the Arabesque spice of Venice’s Cá d’Oro to the Romanesque flavour of Siena’s cathedral.

Late 14th–15th Century Early Renaissance

Filippo Brunelleschi’s elegant dome graces the Duomo in Florence, heralding a return to classicism and a bold new era of humanist thinking and rational, elegant design.

15th & 16th Century High Renaissance

Rome ousts Florence from its status as the centre of the Renaissance, its newly created wonders including Il Tempietto and St Peter’s Basilica.

Late 16th–Early 18th Century Baroque

Renaissance restraint gives way to theatrical flourishes and sensual curves as the Catholic Church uses lavish detailing to upstage the Protestant movement.

Mid-18th–Late 19th Century Neoclassical

Archaeologists rediscover the glories of Pompeii and Herculaneum and architects pay tribute in creations like Vicenza’s La Rotonda and Naples’ Villa Pignatelli.

19th Century Industrial

A newly unified Italy fuses industrial technology, consumer culture and ecclesial traditions in Milans’ cathedral-like Galleria Vittorio Emanuele and Naples’ Galleria Umberto I.

Late 19th–Early 20th Century Liberty

Italy’s art nouveau ditches classical linearity for whimsical curves and organic motifs.

Early–Mid- 20th Century Modernism

Italian modernism takes the form of futurism (technology-obsessed and anti-historical) and rationalism (seeking a middle ground between a machine-driven utopia and Fascism’s fetish for classicism).

Mid–Late 20th Century Modern

Industrialised and economically booming, mid-century Italy shows off its wealth in commercial projects like Giò Ponti’s slim-lined Pirelli skyscraper.

21st Century Contemporary

Italian architecture gets its groove back with the international success of starchitects like Renzo Piano, Massimiliano Fuksis and Gae Aulenti.

Top of section

The Italian Way of Life

Imagine you wake up tomorrow and discover you’re Italian. How would life be different, and what could you discover about Italy in just one day as a local? Read on…

Today, people of Italian origin account for more than 40% of the population in Argentina and Uruguay, more than 10% in Brazil, more than 5% in Switzerland and the US, and more than 4% in Australia, Venezuela and Canada.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN ITALIAN

Sveglia! You’re woken not by an alarm but by the burble and clatter of the caffettiera, the ubiquitous stovetop espresso-maker. You’re running late, so you bolt down your coffee scalding hot (an acquired Italian talent) and pause briefly to ensure your socks match before dashing out the door. Yet still you walk blocks out of your way to buy your morning paper from Bucharest-born Nicolae, your favourite news vendor and (as a Romanian) part of Italy’s largest migrant community. You chat briefly about his new baby – you may be late, but at least you’re not rude.

On your way to work you scan the headlines: yet another adjournment of Berlusconi’s latest trial, today’s match-fixing scandal, and an announcement of new EU regulations on cheese. Outrageous! The cheese regulations, that is; the rest is to be expected. At work, you’re buried in paperwork until noon, when it’s a relief to join friends for lunch and a glass of wine. Afterwards you toss back another scorching espresso at your favourite bar, and find out how your barista’s latest audition went – turns out you went to school with the sister of the director of the play, so you promise to put in a good word.

On average, Italians get six weeks of holidays a year, but spend the equivalent of two weeks annually on bureaucratic procedures required of working Italian citizens.

Back at work by 2pm, you multitask Italian-style, chatting with co-workers as you dash off work emails, text your schoolmate about the barista on your telefonino (mobile phone) , and surreptitiously check l’Internet for employment listings – your work contract is due to expire soon. After a busy day like this, aperitivi are definitely in order, so at 6.30pm you head directly to the latest happy-hour hot spot. Your friends arrive, the decor is molto design, the vibe molto cool, and the DJ abbastanza hot, until suddenly it’s time for your English class – everyone’s learning it these days, if only for the slang.

By the time you finally get home, it’s already 9.30pm and dinner will have to be reheated. Peccato! (Shame!) You eat, absent-mindedly watching reality TV while recounting your day and complaining about cheese regulations to whoever’s home – no sense giving reheated pasta your undivided attention. While brushing your teeth, you discuss the future of Italian theatre and dream vacations in Anguilla, though without a raise, it’ll probably be Abruzzo again this year. Finally you make your way to bed and pull reading material at random out of your current bedside stack: art books, gialli (mysteries), a hard-hitting Mafia exposé or two, the odd classic, possibly a few fumetti (comics). You drift off wondering what tomorrow might hold… imagine if you woke up British or American. English would be easier, but how would you dress, and what would you be expected to eat? Terribile ! You shrug off that nightmare, and settle into sleep. Buona notte .

ITALIAN TELEVISION: THE SOUND & THE FURY

As heretical as it sounds to foreigners accustomed to worshipping Italian cuisine in the reverent hush of expensive restaurants, many Italians bolt dinner in front of blaring televisions. On average, Italians watch four hours of TV per day and the flickering parade of recycled reality stars, vacant-eyed valette (spokesmodels) and celebrity interviews induces what Italian sociologists have identified as a soporific state.

According to a 2008 poll, only 24% of Italians trust TV as a reliable source. Italians are more likely to trust online news sites such as Corriere della Sera (www.corriere.it/english), La Repubblica (www.repubblica.it), Il Manifesto (www.ilmanifesto.it) or L’Unitá (www.unita.it), perhaps with good reason: in 2010, Reporters Without Borders ranked Italy below Taiwan, Mali and Bosnia in freedom of the press, calling Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s TV empire a ‘conflict of interest’ that threatens democracy. Yet 80% of Italy’s population relies on TV news as its prime information source, including three main channels run by the Berlusconi-backed Mediaset company.

It’s Not What You Know…

From your day as an Italian, this much you know already: Italy is no place for an introvert. It’s not merely a matter of being polite – each social interaction adds meaning and genuine pleasure to daily routines. Conversation is far too important to be cut short by tardiness or a mouthful of toothpaste. All that chatter isn’t entirely idle, either: in Europe’s most ancient, entrenched bureaucracy, social networks are essential to get things done. Putting in a good word for your barista isn’t just a nice gesture, but an essential career boost. As a Ministry of Labour study recently revealed, most people in Italy still find employment through personal connections. For better or worse, c lientelismo (nepotism) is as much a part of the Italian lexicon as caffè (coffee) and tasse (taxes). Just ask Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who in 2009 chose a Grande Fratello (Big Brother) contestant, a soap-opera starlet, a TV costume-drama actress and a Miss Italy contestant to represent Italy as members of the European Union parliament. As the satirist Beppe Severgnini wryly comments in his book La Bella Figura: A Field Guide to the Italian Mind, ‘If you want to lose an Italian friend or kill off a conversation, all you have to say is “On the subject of conflicts of interest…” If your interlocutor hasn’t disappeared, he or she will smile condescendingly.’

Nice work, if you can get it: about 30% of Italians have landed a job through family connections, and in highly paid professions that number rises as high as 40% to 50%.

Hotel Mamma

If you’re between the ages of 18 and 34, there’s a 60% chance that’s not a roommate in the kitchen making your morning coffee: it’s mum or dad. This is not because Italy is a nation of pampered mammoni (mama’s boys) and spoilt figlie di papá (daddy’s girls) – at least, not entirely. One reason is tradition. According to the time-honoured Italian social contract, you’d probably live with your parents until you start a career and a family of your own. Then after a suitable grace period for success and romance – a couple of years should do the trick – your parents might move in with you to look after your kids, and be looked after in turn.

Born an Assisi heiress, introduced to the joys of poverty by St Francis himself, and co-founder of the first Franciscan abbey, St Clare gained another claim to fame in 1958 as the patron saint of TV.

Then there’s the finance factor. As desirable as living independently might be, it isn’t always an option in the midst of Italy’s current recession. While almost three-quarters of Italian students are the first in their families to have attended university, many of these graduates cannot find employment. Those who do must often settle for short-term internships or lower-skilled positions.

Considering the lacklustre job market, skyrocketing rents and temptations of home cooking, it’s no wonder the number of adult Italians living with their parents has grown in recent years – hence the mobile-phone chorus heard at evening rush hour in buses and trams across Italy: ‘ Mamma, butta la pasta! ’ (Mum, put the pasta in the water!).

THE LIGHTER SIDE OF MUSIC

Most of the music you’ll hear booming out of Italian taxis and cafes to inspire sidewalk singalongs is Italian musica leggera (popular music); a term covering home-grown rock, jazz, folk, hip hop and pop ballads. The scene’s annual highlight is the San Remo Music Festival (televised on RAI 1), a Eurovision-style song comp responsible for launching the careers of big-name contemporary acts like Eros Ramazzotti, Giorgia and Laura Pausini.

While Rome is a Bermuda Triangle for rockers with drug habits – Kurt Cobain and Mark Sandman (the latter of Morphine fame) overdosed there – Milan is out to prove punk’s not dead with the annual indie-fest Rock in Idro and the city’s crossover rap-punk sensation Articolo 31. Chart-topping rapper Fabri Fibra hails from Le Marche, while south side, Neapolitan hip hop acts like 99 Posse, La Famiglia and Bisca mix Italian sounds over heavy beats and Neapolitan dialect. Fusion is also the word in Puglia, where artists like Sud Sound System remix Jamaican dancehall and Italy’s hyperactive tarantella folk music into a new genre: ‘tarantamuffin’.

In the singer-songwriter category, scratchy-voiced troubadour Vinicio Capossela sounds like the long-lost Italian cousin of Tom Waits, Pino Daniele fuses Neapolitan music with blues and world music influences, while the late Fabrizio de André is Italy’s answer to Bob Dylan, with thoughtful lyrics in a musing monotone.

What it Feels Like for a Girl

On 13 February 2011, almost one million Italian women took to the streets in protest. Sparked by allegations that their prime minister had indulged in sex parties with an underage dancer, they not only demanded his dismissal but also an end to the Italian media’s representation of women as little more than doting mothers or vapid veline (showgirls).

Nicknamed Il Cavaliere (The Cavalier), Berlusconi has never been known for his feminist leanings. In 2008 he told a young female voter that the best way to overcome poverty was to marry a millionaire…like his son. The following year, he sarcastically accused opposition MP Rosy Bindi, a bespectacled middle-aged woman, of being ‘more beautiful than intelligent’. Within days, thousands of women were wearing T-shirts printed with Bindi’s quick-witted reply: ‘Mr Prime Minister, I am not a woman at your disposal’.

Despite the burning of bras in the 1960s and 1970s, sexism remains deeply entrenched in Italian society. On TV, women are often little more than scantily dressed props. On radio, female voiceovers range from quasi-hysterical to blushingly orgasmic. In a culture where machismo is far from dead, many men see Berlusconi not so much as a chauvinist but as a septuagenarian stud relishing la dolce vita to the last drop. Indeed, male politicians rumoured of dallying with mistresses have more often enjoyed a surge in public popularity than a slump on Italian soil.

Many Italian women must wish these men were half as passionate about pulling their weight at home. According to a recent report by the Uomini Casalinghi (The Italian Association of Househusbands), 70% of Italian men have never used a stove, while 95% have never turned on a washing machine. A survey released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2010 found that Italian men enjoy almost 80 more minutes of leisure time daily than their female counterparts.

No doubt RAI TV knew it had an audience when launching its reality show La sposa perfetta (The Perfect Bride) in 2007. In it, women contestants competed for an eligible bachelor’s attention by performing domestic duties, with his mother choosing the winner. Incensed Italian women threatened to withhold €200 of their taxes earmarked for public broadcasting if the show was renewed. It wasn’t.

Despite these demoralising figures, there are signs of hope. Official statistics reveal that most Italian women aged 29 to 34 now prefer careers and a home life without curfews or children. Italian women represent 65% of college graduates, are more likely than men to pursue higher education (53% to 45%) and twice as likely to land responsible positions in public service.

And the smuggest stat? While one in 10 Italian women still lives with her parents by age 35, twice as many men do.

BETTER LIVING BY DESIGN

The World Economic Forum’s 2010 Global Gender Gap Report ranked Italy 87th worldwide in terms of female labour participation, 121st in wage parity and 74th overall for its treatment of women. Italy and Greece have the lowest number of women in any EU national parliament.

As an Italian, you actually did your co-workers a favour by being late to the office to give yourself a final once-over in the mirror. Unless you want your fellow employees to avert their gaze in dumbstruck horror, your socks had better match. The tram can wait as you fa la bella figura (cut a fine figure).

Italians have strong opinions about aesthetics and aren’t afraid to share them. A common refrain is Che brutta! (How hideous!), which may strike visitors as tactless. But consider it from an Italian point of view – everyone is rooting for you to look good, so who are you to disappoint? The shop assistant who tells you with brutal honesty that yellow is not your colour is doing a public service, and will consider it a personal triumph to see you outfitted in orange instead.

If it’s a gift, though, you must allow 10 minutes for the sales clerk to fa un bel pacchetto, wrapping your purchase with string and an artfully placed sticker. This is the epitome of la bella figura – the sales clerk wants you to look good by giving a good gift. When you do, everyone basks in the glow of la bella figura: you as the gracious gift-giver and the sales clerk as savvy gift consultant, not to mention the flushed and duly honoured recipient.

John Turturro’s film       Passione (2010) is a Buena Vista Social Club       –style exploration of Naples’ rich and eclectic musical traditions. Spanning folk songs to contemporary tunes, it offers a fascinating insight into the city’s complex soul.

As a national obsession, la bella figura gives Italy its undeniable edge in design, cuisine, art and architecture. Though the country could get by on its striking good looks, Italy is ever mindful of delightful details. They are everywhere you look, and many places you don’t: the intricately carved cathedral spire only the bell-ringer could fully appreciate, the toy duck hidden inside your chocolate uova di pasqua (Easter egg), the absinthe-green silk lining inside a sober grey suit sleeve. Attention to such details earns you instant admiration in Italy – and an admission that, sometimes, non-Italians do have style.

The influx of American soldiers at the end of WWII left Italy with a lasting love of jazz. The country’s string of sax-obsessed festivals include Umbria Jazz (     www.umbriajazz.com), Siena Jazz (www.sienajazz.it) and Vicenza Jazz (     www.vicenzajazz.org).

THE PEOPLE

Who are the people you’d encounter every day as an Italian? On average, about half your co-workers will be women – quite a change from 10 years ago, when women represented just a quarter of the workforce. But a growing proportion of the people you’ll meet are already retired. One out of five Italians is over 65, which explains the septuagenarians you’ll notice on parade with dogs and grandchildren in parks, affably arguing about politics in cafes, and ruthlessly dominating bocce tournaments.

You might also notice a striking absence of children. Italy’s birth rate is the lowest in Europe, at just under one child per woman.

THE OLD PROVERBIAL

They might be old clichés, but proverbs can be quite the cultural revelation. Here are six of Italy’s well-worn best:

» Donne e motori, gioie e dolori . Women and motors, joy and pain.

» Chi trova un’amico trova un tesoro. He who finds a friend, finds a treasure.

» A ogni uccello il suo nido è bello. To every bird, his own nest is beautiful.

» Fidarsi va bene, non fidarsi va megio. To trust is good, not to trust is better.

» Meglio essere invidiati che compatiti . Better to be envied than pitied.

» Il diavolo fa le pentole ma non i coperchi. The devil makes the pots but not the lids (The truth always comes out in the end).

North versus South

In his film Ricomincio da tre (I’m Starting from Three; 1980), acting great Massimo Troisi comically tackles the problems faced by Neapolitans forced to head north for work. Laughter aside, the film reveals Italy’s very real north–south divide; a divide still present more than 30 years on. While the north is celebrated for its fashion empires and moneyed metropolises, Italy’s south (dubbed the ‘Mezzogiorno’) is a PR nightmare of high unemployment, crumbling infrastructure and Mafia arrests. At a deep semantic level, settentrionale (northern Italian) equals reservation, productivity and success, while meridionale (southern Italian) equates with conservatism, melodrama and laziness. From the Industrial Revolution to the 1960s, millions of southern Italians fled to the industrialised northern cities for factory jobs. Disparagingly nicknamed terroni (literally meaning ‘of the soil’), these in-house ‘immigrants’ were often exposed to racist attitudes from their northern cousins. Decades on, the overt racism may have dissipated but the prejudices remain. Many northerners resent their taxes being used to ‘subsidise’ the south – a sentiment well exploited by the right-wing, Veneto-based Lega Nord (Northern League) party.

From Emigrants to Immigrants

From 1876 to 1976, Italy was a country of net emigration. With some 30 million Italian emigrants dispersed throughout Europe, the Americas and Australia, remittances from Italians abroad helped keep Italy’s economy afloat during economic crises after Independence and WWII.

The tables have since turned. Political and economic upheavals in the 1980s brought new arrivals from Central Europe, Latin America and North Africa, including Italy’s former colonies in Tunisia, Somalia and Ethiopia. More recently, waves of Chinese and Filipino immigrants have given Italian streetscapes a Far Eastern twist.

While immigrants account for just 7.1% of Italy’s own population today, the number is growing. From a purely economic angle, these new arrivals are vital for the country’s economic health. While most Italians today choose to live and work within Italy, fewer are entering blue-collar agricultural and industrial fields. Without immigrant workers to fill the gaps, Italy would be sorely lacking in tomato sauce and shoes. From kitchen hands to hotel maids, it is often immigrants who take the low-paid service jobs that keep Italy’s tourism economy afloat.

Despite this, not all Italians are dusting down their welcome mats. In 2008, a young Jewish-Romanian immigrant was beaten to death by neo-Nazi groups in Verona, and two Roma camps in Naples were torched by neo-Nazi gangs allegedly tied to Naples’ Camorra crime syndicate. The same year, several rapes across Italy were swiftly (and mostly falsely) blamed on African immigrants. African frustration reached boiling point in 2010, when the shooting of an immigrant worker in the town of Rosarno, Calabria, sparked Italy’s worst race riots in years.

Yet not all Italians are willing to let extremists have the last word. In May 2009, a radical law to punish undocumented immigrants – including potential refugees – with summary deportation and fines was denounced by Italian human rights groups, the Vatican, the UN and mass protests in Rome. As writer Claudio Magris observed in The Times, recalling Italy’s recent past as a nation of emigrants, ‘We, above all, should know what it is like to be strangers in a strange land.’

BATTLE OF THE BINGE

Once a poster child for sensible sipping, Italy’s relationship with the bottle has taken a dangerous turn in the last decade. In 2011, the Italian Institute for Statistics (ISTAT) reported that over eight and a half million Italians consume dangerous levels of alcohol on a daily basis. Figures from the Italian Public Health Service (ISS) are equally sobering: 14.4% of hospital admissions for excessive alcohol consumption are under the age of 14, while 25.4% are between 15 and 35. Until recently a source of social stigma, drinking to excess has become a hit with many young Italians. Explanations for the rise are many, from lax retail practices to the influence of binge-drinking Anglo tourists. No doubt that many Italian parents are reconsidering that traditional nip of vino (wine) at family celebrations.

Religion, Loosely Speaking

Although you read about the church in the news headlines, you didn’t actually attend Mass on your day as an Italian. Neither did most of your neighbours. According to a 2007 church study, only 15% of Italy’s population regularly attends Sunday mass. That said, La Famiglia Cristiana (The Christian Family) remains Italy’s most popular weekly magazine and church doctrine is often the subject of popular debate. An Umbrian teacher’s suspension for removing the crucifix from his public classroom in 2009 sparked arguments over church symbols in public buildings, and fuelled ongoing debates over the appropriate division of church and state in Italy.

What the pope says matters. But in the land of the double park, even God’s rules are up for interpretation. Sure, there’s a crucifix above your bed and fish on your plate on Good Friday, but while you consult la Madonna for guidance, chances are you get a second opinion from the maga (fortune-teller) on channel 32. The European Consumer Association estimates that Italians spend a whopping €5 billion annually on fortune-tellers and astrologers. While the current climate of economic uncertainty has seen a rise in the use of esoteric services, the trend is not surprising. Italians are a highly superstitious bunch. From not toasting with water to not opening umbrellas inside the home, the country offers a long list of traditions to keep bad luck at bay.

Italians were the world’s fastest       telefonino (mobile phone) adopters in 2000 and, according to government estimates, within three years virtually every adult Italian had a telefonino      – not to mention obsessive text-messaging teens.

Superstitious beliefs are especially strong in Italy’s south. Here corni (horn-shaped charms) adorn everything from necklines to rear-view mirrors to ward off the malocchio (evil eye) and devotion to local saints takes on an almost cultish edge. Every year in Naples, thousands cram into the Duomo to witness the blood of San Gennaro miraculously liquefy in the phial that contains it. When the blood liquefies, the city breathes a sigh of relief – it symbolises another year safe from disaster. When it didn’t in 1944, Mt Vesuvius erupted, and when it failed again in 1980 an earthquake struck the city that year. Coincidence? Perhaps. But even the most cynical Neapolitan would rather San Gennaro perform his magic trick…just in case.

Italy was introduced to modern       calcio       in the late 19th century when the English factory barons of Turin, Genoa and Milan established teams to keep their workers fit.

ITALIAN PASSIONS

Co-ordinated wardrobes, strong espresso and general admiration are not the only things that make Italian hearts sing. And while Italian passions are wide and varied, few define Italy like the following two.

Calcio (Football): Italy’s Other Religion

Catholicism may be your official faith, but as an Italian your true religion is likely to be calcio (football). On any given weekend from September to May, chances are that you and your fellow tifosi (football fans) are at the stadio (stadium), glued to the TV, or checking the score on your mobile phone. Come Monday, you’ll be dissecting the match by the office water cooler.

Like politics and fashion, football is in the very DNA of Italian culture. Indeed, they sometimes even converge. Silvio Berlusconi first found fame as the owner of AC Milan and cleverly named his political party after a well-worn football chant. Fashion royalty Dolce & Gabbana declared football players ‘the new male icons’, using five of Italy’s hottest on-field stars to launch its 2010 underwear collection. Decades earlier, ’60s singer Rita Pavone topped the charts with La partita di pallone (The Football Match), in which the frustrated pop princess sings ‘ Perchè, perchè la domenica mi lasci sempre sola per andare a vedere la partita di pallone? ’ (Why, why do you always leave me alone on Sunday so you can go and watch the football match?). It’s no coincidence that in Italian tifoso means both ‘football fan’ and ‘typhus patient’. When the ball ricochets off the post and slips fatefully through the goalie’s hands, when half the stadium is swearing while the other half is euphorically shouting Gooooooooooooooool!, ‘fever pitch’ is the term that comes to mind.

Italy’s culture of corruption and       calcio (football) is captured in The Dark Heart of Italy,       in which English expat author Tobias Jones wryly observes, ‘Footballers or referees are forgiven nothing; politicians are forgiven everything.’

Nothing quite stirs Italian blood like a good (or a bad) game. Nine months after Italy’s 2006 World Cup victory against France, hospitals in northern Italy reported a baby boom. In February the following year, rioting at a Palermo-Catania match in Catania left one policeman dead and around 100 injured. Blamed on the Ultras – a minority group of hard-core football fans – the violence shocked both Italy and the world, leading to a temporary ban of all matches in Italy, and increased stadium security. A year earlier, the match-fixing ‘Calciopoli’ scandals resulted in revoked championship titles and temporary demotion of Serie A (top-tier national) teams, including the mighty Juventus.

Italian Style Icons

» Bialetti coffee-maker

» Cinzano vermouth

» Acqua di Parma cologne

» Piaggio Vespa

» Olivetti ‘Valentine’ typewriter

Yet, the same game that divides also unites. You might be a Lazio-loathing, AS Roma supporter on any given day, but when the national Azzurri (The Blues) swag the World Cup, you are nothing but a heart-on-your-sleeve italiano (Italian). In his book The 100 Things Everyone Needs to Know About Italy, Australian journalist David Dale writes that Italy’s 1982 World Cup win ‘finally united twenty regions which, until then, had barely acknowledged that they were part of the one country.’

Opera: Let the Fat Lady Sing

At the stadium, your beloved squadra (team) hits the field to the roar of Verdi. Okay, so you mightn’t be first in line to see Rigoletto at La Fenice, but Italy’s opera legacy remains a source of pride. After all, not only did you invent the art form, you gave the world some of its greatest composers and compositions. Gioachino Rossini (1792–1868) transformed Pierre Beaumarchais’ Le Barbier de Séville (The Barber of Seville) into one of the greatest comedic operas, Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901) produced the epic Aida, while Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924) delivered staples like Tosca, Madama Butterfly and Turandot .

OPTIMAL OPERA VENUES

» Milan’s Teatro alla Scala ( Click here ) Standards for modern opera were set by La Scala’s great iron-willed conductor Arturo Toscanini and are ruthlessly enforced by La Scala’s feared loggione, opera’s toughest and most vocal critics in the cheap seats upstairs.

» Venice’s La Fenice ( Click here ) Risen twice from the ashes of devastating fires, ‘The Phoenix’ features great talents on its small stage.

» Arena di Verona ( Click here ) Rising talents ring out here, thanks to forward-thinking organisers and the phenomenal acoustics of this Roman amphitheatre.

» Terme di Caracalla (Click here ) The dramatically decrepit summer venue for the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma was the site of the first concert by the Three Tenors (Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras), with a recording that sold an unprecedented 15 million copies.

» Teatro San Carlo in Naples (Click here ) Europe’s oldest opera house, a Unesco World Heritage Site and the former home of Italy’s most famous castrati – male sopranos traditionally with surgically enhanced upper ranges.

Lyrical, intense and dramatic – it’s only natural that opera bears the ‘Made in Italy’ label. Track pants might be traded in for tuxedos, but Italy’s opera crowds can be just as ruthless as their pitch-side counterparts. Centuries on, the dreaded fischi (mocking whistles) still possess a mysterious power to blast singers right off stage. In December 2006, a substitute in street clothes had to step in for Sicilian-French star tenor Roberto Alagna when his off-night aria met with vocal disapproval at Milan’s legendary La Scala. Best not to get them started about musicals and ‘rock opera’, eh?

Openings at La Scala regularly sell out faster than rock concerts – and when a Verdi opera’s on the bill, you’d think the Beatles were getting back together. Book your tickets online pronto at           www.teatroallascala.org.

The word diva was invented for legendary sopranos like Parma’s Renata Tebaldi and Italy’s adopted Greek icon Maria Callas, whose rivalry peaked when Time quoted Callas saying that comparing her voice to Tebaldi’s was like comparing ‘champagne and Coca-Cola’. Both were fixtures at La Scala, along with the wildly popular Italian tenor to which others are still compared, Enrico Caruso. Tenor Luciano Pavarotti (1935–2007) remains beloved for attracting broader public attention to opera, while best-selling blind tenor Andrea Bocelli became a controversial crossover sensation with what critics claim are overproduced arias sung with a strained upper register. A new generation of stars include tenor Salvatore Licitra, who stepped in for Pavarotti on his final show at New York’s Metropolitan Opera in 2002, and soprano Fiorenze Cedolins, who has performed a requiem for the late Pope John Paul II, recorded Tosca arias with Andrea Bocelli, and scored encores in Puccini’s iconic La Bohème at the Arena di Verona Festival.

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Italy on Page & Screen

From ancient Virgil to modern-day Eco, Italy’s literary canon is awash with world-renowned scribes. The nation’s film stock is equally rich, spiked with visionary directors, iconic stars and that trademark Italian pathos.

LITERATURE

Latin Classics

Roman epic poet Virgil (aka Vergilius) decided Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey deserved a sequel, and spent 11 years and 12 books tracking the outbound adventures and inner turmoil of Aeneas, from the fall of Troy to the founding of Rome – and died in 19 BC with just 60 lines to go in his Aeneid . As Virgil himself observed: ‘Time flies’.

Legend has it that fellow Roman Ovid (Ovidius) was a failed lawyer who married his daughter, but there’s no question he told a ripping good tale. His Metamorphose chronicled civilisation from murky mythological beginnings to Julius Caesar, and his how-to seduction manual Ars amatoria (The Art of Love) inspired countless Casanovas.

Cautionary Fables

The most universally beloved Italian fabulist is Italo Calvino, whose titular character in Il barone rampante (The Baron in the Trees; 1957) takes to the treetops in a seemingly capricious act of rebellion that makes others rethink their own earthbound conventions. In Dino Buzzati’s Il deserto dei Tartari (The Tartar Steppe; 1940) , an ambitious officer posted to a mythical Italian border is besieged by boredom, thwarted expectations and disappearing youth while waiting for enemy hordes to materialise – a parable drawn from Buzzati’s own dead-end newspaper job.

Over the centuries, Niccolo Machiavelli’s Il principe (The Prince; 1532) has been referenced as a handy manual for budding autocrats, but also as a cautionary tale against unchecked ‘Machiavellian’ authority.

For Dante with a pop-culture twist, check out Sandow Birk and Marcus Sanders’ satirical, slangy translation of       The Divine Comedy, which sets Inferno in hellish Los Angeles traffic, Purgatorio in foggy San Francisco and Paradiso       in New York.

Timeless Poets

Some literature scholars claim Shakespeare stole his best lines and plot points from earlier Italian playwrights and poets. Debatable though this may be, the Bard certainly has stiff competition from 13th-century Dante Alighieri as the world’s finest romancer. Dante broke with tradition in La Divina commedia (The Divine Comedy; c 1307–21) by using the familiar Italian, not the formal Latin, to describe travelling through the circles of hell in search of his beloved Beatrice. Petrarch (aka Francesco Petrarca) added wow to Italian woo with his eponymous sonnets, applying a strict structure of rhythm and rhyme to romance the idealised Laura. He might have tried chocolates instead: Laura never returned the sentiment.

If sonnets aren’t your shtick, try 1975 Nobel laureate Eugenio Montale, who wrings poetry out of the creeping damp of everyday life, or Ungaretti, whose WWI poems hit home with a few searing syllables. His two-word poem seems an apt epitaph: M’illumino d’immenso (I illuminate myself with immensity).

Crime Pays

Crime fiction and gialli (mysteries) dominate Italy’s best-seller list, and one of its finest writers is Gianrico Carofiglio. The former head of Bari’s anti-Mafia squad, Carofiglio’s novels include the award-winning Testimone inconsapevole (Involuntary Witness; 2002), which introduces defence lawyer Guido Guerrieri and the shady underworld of Bari’s hinterland.

Art also imitates life for judge-cum-novelist Giancarlo de Cataldo, whose best-selling novel Romanzo criminale (Criminal Romance; 2002) spawned both a TV series and film. Another crime writer with page-to-screen success is Andrea Camilleri, his cranky but savvy Sicilian inspector Montalbano starring in capers like Il ladro di merendine (The Snack Thief; 1996).

Umberto Eco gave the genre an intellectual edge with Il nome della rosa (The Name of the Rose; 1980) and Il pendolo di Foucault ( Foucault’s Pendulum; 1988) – not to mention sheer bulk, at 600-plus pages of arcane detail and plot twists.

Any self-respecting Italian bookshelf features one or more Roman rhetoricians. To       fare la bella figura       (cut a fine figure) among academics, trot out a phrase from Cicero or Horace (Horatio), such as ‘Where there is life there is hope’ or ‘Whatever advice you give, be brief.’

Historical Epics

Italian authors find illumination even in Italy’s darkest hours. Set during the Black Death in Florence, Boccaccio’s Decameron (c 1350–3) has a visceral gallows humour that foreshadows Chaucer and Shakespeare. Italy’s 19th-century struggle for unification parallels the story of star-crossed lovers in Alessandro Manzoni’s I promessi sposi (The Betrothed; 1827, definitive version released 1842), and causes an identity crisis among Sicilian nobility in Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s Il gattopardo (The Leopard; published posthumously in 1958).

Wartime survival strategies are chronicled in Elsa Morante’s La storia (History; 1974) and in Primo Levi’s harrowing autobiographical account of Auschwitz in Se questo è un uomo (If This Is a Man; 1947). WWII is the uninvited guest in Il giardino dei Finzi-Contini (The Garden of the Finzi-Continis; 1962), Giorgio Bassani’s heartbreaking tale of a crush on a girl whose aristocratic Jewish family attempts to disregard the rising tide of anti-Semitism.

Social Realism

Italy has always been its own sharpest critic and several 20th-century Italian authors captured their own troubling circumstances with unflinching accuracy. Grazia Deledda’s Cosima is her fictionalised memoir of coming of age and into her own as a writer in rural Sardinia, despite challenging family circumstances. Deledda became one of the first women to win the Nobel Prize for Literature (1926) and set the tone for such bittersweet recollections of rural life as Carlo Levi’s Cristo si è fermato a Eboli (Christ Stopped at Eboli).

Topics too excruciating to discuss or ignore – jealousy, divorce, parental failings – are addressed head-on by pseudonymous author Elena Ferrante in her brutally honest The Days of Abandonment . Brutal honesty also underlines Roberto Saviano’s Gomorra – a detailed exposé of Mafia machinations.

LOCATION! LOCATION!

Cinephiles can expect a sense of déjà vu in Italy, its cities, hills and coastlines setting the scene for countless celluloid classics. Top billing goes to Rome, where Bernaldo Bertolucci used the Terme di Caracalla in the oedipal La luna (1979), Gregory Peck gave Audrey Hepburn the fright of her life at the Bocca della Verità in William Wyler’s Roman Holiday (1953) and Anita Ekberg cooled off in the Trevi Fountain in Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita . Fellini’s love affair with the Eternal City culminated in his silver-screen tribute, Roma (1972).

While Florence’s Piazza della Signoria recalls James Ivory’s Room With a View (1985), don’t be surprised if Siena’s Piazza del Palio stirs fantasies of actor Daniel Craig – the square featured in the 22nd James Bond instalment, Quantum of Solace (2008).

Venice’s Grand Canal is like one wet red carpet: Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp sped down it in the thriller The Tourist (2010) and Woody Allen sang ‘I’m Through With Love’ beside it in Everyone Says I Love You (1996). The city enjoyed a cameo in The Talented Mr Ripley (1999), in which Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow also toasted and tanned on the Campanian islands of Procida and Ischia. Fans of Il Postino will recognise Procida’s pastel-hued Corricella, while those of Mel Gibson’s Passion of The Christ (2004) may feel a vague familiarity in Basilicata’s Matera, its cavernous landscape moonlighting as Palestine.

CINEMA

Neorealist Grit

Out of the smouldering ruins of WWII emerged unflinching tales of woe, including Roberto Rossellini’s classic Roma, città aperta (Rome, Open City; 1945), a story of love, betrayal, survival and resistance in Nazi-occupied Rome. In Vittorio de Sica’s Academy-awarded Ladri di biciclette (The Bicycle Thief; 1948), a doomed father attempts to provide for his son without resorting to crime in war-ravaged Rome, while Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Mamma Roma (1962) revolves around an ageing prostitute trying to make an honest living for herself and her deadbeat son. The neorealist tradition continues in Michelangelo Frammartino’s acclaimed Le quattro volte (2010), a documentary-style tale about life and death in rural Calabria.

A one-man ‘Abbott & Costello’, Antonio de Curtis (1898–1967), aka Totò, famously depicted the Neapolitan       furbizia (cunning). Appearing in over 100 films, including Miseria e nobilità       (Misery & Nobility; 1954), his roles as a hustler living on nothing but his quick wits would guarantee him cult status in Naples.

Crime & Punishment

Italy’s acclaimed new dramas combine the truthfulness of classic neorealism, the taut suspense of Italian thrillers and the psychological revelations of Fellini. Among the best is Matteo Garrone’s Gomorra (2008). Based on Roberto Saviano’s award-winning novel, the film’s honest portrayal of Camorra brutality earned the film a Grand Prix at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. Another Cannes success story is Paolo Sorrentino’s Il divo (2008), a film exploring the life of former prime minister Giulio Andreotti, from his migraines to his alleged Mafia ties. Equally gripping is Cristina Comencini’s La bestia nel cuore (Don’t Tell; 2005). In it, a woman uncovering repressed memories of sexual abuse seeks answers yet leaves an even longer trail of secrets behind her.

Romance all’italiana

It’s only natural that a nation of hopeless romantics should provide some of the world’s most tender celluloid moments. In Michael Radford’s Il postino (The Postman; 1994), exiled poet Pablo Neruda brings poetry and passion to a drowsy Italian isle and a misfit postman, played with heartbreaking subtlety by the late, great Massimo Troisi.

Another classic is Giuseppe Tornatore’s Oscar-winning Nuovo cinema paradiso (Cinema Paradiso; 1988) , a bittersweet tale about a director who returns to Sicily and rediscovers his true loves: the girl next door and the movies.

In Silvio Sordini’s Pane e tulipani (Bread and Tulips; 2000), a housewife left behind at a tour-bus pit stop runs away to Venice, where she befriends an anarchist florist, an eccentric masseuse and a suicidal Icelandic waiter – and gets pursued by an amateur detective.

Equally contemporary is Ferzan Özpetek’s Mine vaganti (Loose Cannons; 2010), a situation comedy about two gay brothers and their conservative Pugliese family.

THE CULT OF ZOMBIE

Out of the horror genre emerged one of Italian cinema’s lesser-known legacies: Italian zombie films. Crueller and bloodier than their American counterparts, one of the best is Zombi 2 (aka Zombie Flesh Eaters; 1979), directed by Lucio Fulci (1927–96). In it, a boatload of the walking-dead sail into New York, causing havoc and prompting Ian McCulloch and Tisa Farrow (sibling to Mia) to seek answers on a zombie-infested tropical island.

Nicknamed the ‘Godfather of Gore’, Rome-born Fulci went on to direct a string of zombie classics, including his ‘Gates of Hell’ trilogy. In City of the Living Dead (1980), a reporter and a psychic set out to close a portal to hell and save humanity from a zombie free-for-all. ‘Renovation hell’ takes on a whole new meaning in The Beyond (1981), while The House by the Cemetery (1981) proves that a doctor in the house is not always a blessing.

La vita è bella       (Life Is Beautiful) remains the most successful subtitled foreign-language film to date, winning two Academy Awards and raking in about US$280 million.

Spaghetti Westerns

Emerging in the mid-1960s, Italian-style Westerns saw southern Italy double as the Wild West in high-noon showdowns featuring flinty characters and Ennio Morricone’s terminally catchy whistled tunes (doodle-oodle-ooh, wah wah wah…). Top of the directorial heap was Sergio Leone, whose Western debut Per un pugno di dollari (A Fistful of Dollars; 1964) helped launch a young Clint Eastwood’s movie career. After Leone and Clintwood teamed up again in Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo (The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly; 1966), it was Henry Fonda’s turn in Leone’s C’era una volta il West (Once Upon a Time in the West; 1968), a story about a revenge-seeking widow.

Top Film Festivals

» Venice Film Festival (www.labiennale.org)

» Torino Film Festival (www.torinofilmfest.org)

» Milano Film Festival (www.milanofilmfestival.it)

» Cinema: International Rome Film Festival (www.romacinemafest.it)

»       Salento Film Festival (www.salentofilmfestival.com)

Tragicomedies

Italy’s best comedians pinpoint the exact spot where pathos intersects the funny bone – but without an appreciation for Italian slapstick and dialect, some hilarity can get lost in translation. A group of ageing pranksters turn on one another in Mario Monicelli’s Amici miei (My Friends; 1975), a satire reflecting Italy’s own postwar midlife crisis. In Caro diario (Dear Diary; 1994), Nanni Moretti (Italy’s Woody Allen) navigates a Vespa through Rome while obsessing over the meaning of life, insomnia and Jennifer Beals’ Flashdance performance. Topping the lot is La vita è bella (Life is Beautiful; 1997), in which a father tries to protect his son from the brutalities of a Jewish concentration camp by pretending it’s all a game – an Oscar Award–winning turn for actor-director Roberto Benigni.

Shock & Horror

Sunny Italy’s darkest dramas deliver more style, suspense and falling bodies than ultrahigh Prada platform heels on a slippery Milan runway. In Michelangelo Antonioni’s Blow-Up (1966) a swinging-’60s fashion photographer spies dark deeds unfolding in a photo of an elusive young Vanessa Redgrave. Gruesome deeds unfold at a ballet school in Dario Argento’s Suspiria (1977), while in Mario Monicelli’s Un borghese piccolo piccolo (An Average Little Man; 1977), an ordinary man goes to extraordinary lengths for revenge. The latter stars Roman acting great Alberto Soldi in a standout example of a comedian nailing a serious role.

Top of section

The Italian Table

Let’s be honest: you came for the food, right? Wise choice. Just don’t go expecting the stock-standards served at your local Italian restaurant back home. In reality, Italian cuisine is a handy umbrella term for the country’s diverse regional cuisines – flavours explored in more detail on Click here . Despite the diversity, there is almost always one constant – whether you’re tucking into a hearty farro (spelt) soup in some Tuscan osteria (casual tavern or eatery presided over by a host) or devouring a pizza margherita (tomato, basil and mozzarella pizza) in its home town, Naples, you’ll be struck with culinary amnesia. Has anything tasted this good, ever? Probably not.

Fifty years ago, Italy’s       Domus magazine dispatched journalists nationwide to collect Italy’s best regional recipes. The result is Italy’s food bible, The Silver Spoon,       now available in English from Phaidon (2005).

The secret is in the ingredients. Each is chosen with careful consideration to scent, texture, ripeness and the ability to play well with others. This means getting to the market early and often, and remaining open to seasonal inspiration. To balance these ingredients in exactly the right proportions, Italian cooks apply an intuitive Pythagorean theorem of flavours you won’t find spelled out in any recipe – but that is unmistakable with your first bite.

TUTTI A TAVOLA

‘Everyone to the table!’ Traffic lights are merely suggestions and queues fine ideas in theory, but this is one command every Italian heeds without question. To disobey would be unthinkable – what, you’re going to eat your pasta cold? And insult the cook? Even anarchists wouldn’t dream of it.

You never really know Italians until you’ve broken a crusty loaf of pagnotta (loaf of bread) with them – and once you’ve arrived in Italy, you’ll have several opportunities daily to do just that.

Morning Essentials

In Italy, colazione (breakfast) is a minimalist affair. Eggs, pancakes, ham, sausage, toast and orange juice are only likely to appear at weekend brrrunch (pronounced with the rolled Italian r ), an American import now appearing at trendy urban eateries. Expect to pay upwards of €20 to graze a buffet of hot dishes, cold cuts, pastries and fresh fruit, usually including your choice of coffee, juice or cocktail.

Italy’s breakfast staple is caffè (coffee). Scalding-hot espresso, cappuccino (espresso with a goodly dollop of foamed milk) or caffè latte – the hot, milky espresso beverage Starbucks mistakenly calls a latte, which will get you a glass of milk in Italy. An alternative beverage is orzo, a slightly nutty, noncaffeinated roasted-barley beverage that looks like cocoa.

With a tazza (cup) in one hand, use the other for that most Italian of breakfast foods – a pastry. Some especially promising options include the following:

Cornetto The Italian take on the French croissant is usually smaller, lighter, less buttery and slightly sweet, with an orange-rind glaze brushed on top. Fillings might include cioccolato (chocolate), cioccolato bianco (white chocolate), crema (custard) or varying flavours of marmelata (jam).

Crostata The Italian breakfast tart with a dense, buttery crust is filled with your choice of fruit jam, such as amarena (sour cherry), albicocca (apricot) or frutti di bosco (wild berry). You may have to buy an entire tart instead of a single slice, but you won’t be sorry.

Doughnuts Homer Simpson would approve of the ciambella ( also called by its German name, krapfen), the classic fried-dough treat rolled in granulated sugar and sometimes filled with jam or custard. Join the line at kiosks and street fairs for fritole, fried dough studded with golden raisins and sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar, and zeppole (also called bigné di San Giuseppe ), chewy doughnuts filled with ricotta or zucca (pumpkin), rolled in confectioners’ sugar, and handed over in a paper cone to be devoured dangerously hot.

Viennoiserie Italy’s colonisation by the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the 19th century had its upside: a vast selection of sweet buns and other rich baked goods. Standouts include cream-filled brioches and strudel di mele, an Italian adaptation of the traditional Viennese apfelstrudel .

Lunch & Dinner

Italian food culture directly contradicts what we think we know of Italy. A nation prone to perpetual motion with Vespas, Ferraris and Bianchis pauses for pranzo (lunch) – hence the term la pausa to describe the midday break. In the cities, power-lunchers settle in at their favourite ristoranti and trattorias, while in smaller towns and villages, workers often head home for a two- to three-hour midday break, devouring a hot lunch and resting up before returning to work wired on espresso.

The Accademia della Cucina Italiana (Italian Academy of Cuisine) announced in 2008 that an average of six out of 10 dishes served at Italian restaurants outside Italy aren’t prepared correctly. According to the organisation’s London representative, out of 320 Italian restaurants in the UK, 200 received failing marks.

Where la pausa has been scaled back to a scandalous hour and a half – barely enough time to get through the lines at the bank to pay bills and bolt some pizza al taglio (pizza by the slice) – rosticcerie (rotisseries) or tavole calde (literally ‘hot tables’) keep the harried warm with steamy, on-the-go options like roast chicken and supplì (fried risotto balls with a molten mozzarella centre). Bakeries and bars are also on hand with focaccia , panini and tramezzini (triangular, stacked sandwiches made with squishy white bread) providing a satisfying bite.

Traditionally, cena (dinner) is lunch’s lighter sibling and cries of ‘Oh, I can hardly eat anything tonight’ are still common after a marathon weekend lunch. ‘Maybe just a bowl of pasta, a salad, some cheese and fruit…’ Don’t be fooled: even if you’ve been invited to someone’s house for a ‘light dinner’, wine and elastic-waist pants are always advisable.

But while your Italian hosts may insist you devour one more cream-filled cannolo (surely you don’t have them back home… and even if you did, surely they’re not as good?!), your waiter will usually show more mercy. Despite the Italians’ ‘more is more’ attitude to food consumption, restaurant diners are rarely obliged to order both a primo and secondo, and antipasti and dessert are strictly optional.

That said, a lavish dinner at one of Italy’s fine-dining hot spots, such as Milan’s Cracco-Peck (see the boxed text, Click here ) or Rome’s Open Colonna ( Click here ) is a highlight few will want to skip.

Many top-ranked restaurants open only for dinner, with a set-price degustazione meal that leaves the major menu decisions to your chef and frees you up to concentrate on the noble quest to conquer four to six tasting courses. Forza e coraggio! (Strength and courage to you!)

ITALIAN MENU 101

The cameriere (waiter) leads you to your table and hands you the menu. The scent of slow-cooked ragù (meat and tomato sauce) lingers in the air and your stomach rumbles in anticipation. Where might this culinary encounter lead you? Unfurl that tovagliolo (napkin), lick those lips, and read on…

Antipasti (Appetiser)

Less is more: most of the recipes in Ada Boni’s classic       The Talisman Italian Cookbook       have fewer than 10 ingredients, yet the robust flavours of her osso bucco, polenta and wild duck with lentils are anything but simple.

The culinary equivalent of foreplay, antipasti are a good way to sample a number of different dishes. Tantalising offerings on the antipasti menu may include the house bruschetta (grilled bread with a variety of toppings, from chopped tomato and garlic to black-truffle spread) or regional treats like mozzarella di bufula (buffalo mozzarella) or salatini con burro d’acciughe (pastry sticks with anchovy butter). Even if it’s not on the menu, it’s always worth requesting an antipasto misto (mixed), a platter of morsels including anything from olive fritte (fried olives) and prosciutto e melone (cured ham and cantaloupe) to friarelle con peperoncino (Neapolitan broccoli with chilli). At this stage, bread (and sometimes grissini – Turin-style breadsticks) are also deposited on the table as part of your €1 to €3 pane e coperto (‘bread and cover’ or table service).

THE BIG FORK MANIFESTO

The year is 1987. McDonald’s has just begun expansion into Italy, and lunch outside the bun seems to be fading into fond memory. Enter Carlo Petrini and a handful of other journalists from small-town Bra, Piedmont. Determined to buck the trend, these neoforchettoni (‘big forks’, or foodies) created a manifesto. Published in the like-minded culinary magazine Gambero Rosso, they declared that a meal should be judged not by its speed, but by its pure pleasure.

The organisation they founded would soon become known worldwide as Slow Food (www.slowfood.com) , and its mission to reconnect artisanal producers with enthusiastic, educated consumers has taken root with more than 100,000 members in 150 countries – not to mention Slow Food agriturismi (farm stay accommodation), restaurants, farms, wineries, cheesemakers and revitalised farmers markets across Italy.

Held on even-numbered years in a former Fiat factory in Turin, Italy’s top Slow Food event is the biennial Salone del Gusto & Terre Madre (www.salonedelgusto.it, www.terramadre.info) . Slow Food’s global symposium, it features Slow Food producers, chefs, activists, restaurateurs, farmers, scholars, environmentalists and epicureans from around the world… not to mention the world’s best finger food. Thankfully, odd years don’t miss out on the epicurean enlightened either, with speciality events such as Slow Fish (www.slowfish.it) in Genoa, Cheese (www.cheese.slowfood.com) in Bra and the annual Slow Food on Film (www.slowfoodonfilm.it) in Bologna.

Primo (First Course)

Starch is the star in Italian first courses, from pasta and gnocchi, to risotto and polenta. You may be surprised how generous the portions are – a mezzo piatto (half-portion) might do the trick for kids.

Primi menus usually include ostensibly vegetarian or vegan options, such as pasta con pesto – the classic Ligurian basil paste with parmigiano reggiano (Parmesan) and pine nuts – or alla norma (with basil, eggplant, ricotta and tomato), risotto ai porcini (risotto with pungent, earthy porcini mushrooms) or the extravagant risotto al Barolo (risotto with high-end Barolo wine, though actually any good dry red will do). But even if a dish sounds vegetarian in theory, before you order you may want to ask about the stock used in that risotto or polenta, or the ingredients in that suspiciously rich tomato sauce – there may be beef, ham or ground anchovies involved.

Meat eaters will rejoice in such legendary dishes as pasta all’amatriciana (Roman pasta with a spicy tomato sauce, pecorino cheese and guanciale, or baconlike pigs’ cheeks), osso bucco con risotto alla milanese (Milanese veal shank and marrow melting into saffron risotto), Tuscan speciality pappardelle alle cinghiale (ribbon pasta with wild boar sauce) and northern favourite polenta col ragù (polenta with meat sauce). Near the coasts, look for seafood variations like risotto al nero (risotto cooked with black squid ink), spaghetti alle vongole (spaghetti with clam sauce) or pasta ai frutti di mare (pasta with seafood).

In March 2011, Italy broke a culinary world record when Alberto Della Pelle and nine colleagues created the planet’s longest sausage. Measuring 597.8 metres long, the pork-stuffed wonder was sliced to fill 6000       panini       for charity. Romania held the previous record, its monster stretching a more modest 392 metres.

Secondo (Second Course)

Light lunchers usually call it a day after the primo, but buongustai (foodies) pace themselves for meat, fish or contorni (side dishes, such as cooked vegetables) in the second course. These options may range from the outrageous bistecca alla fiorentina, a 3in-thick steak served on the bone in a puddle of juice, to more modest yet equally impressive fritto misto di mare (mixed fried seafood), carciofi alla romana (Roman artichokes stuffed with mint and garlic) or pollo in tegame con barbe (chicken casserole with salsify). A less inspiring option is insalata mista (mixed green salad), typically unadorned greens with vinegar and oil on the side – croutons, crumbled cheeses, nuts, dried fruit and other frou-frou ingredients have no business in a classic Italian salad.

Frutti e dolci

‘ Siamo arrivati alla frutta ’ (‘we’ve arrived at the fruit’) is an idiom roughly meaning ‘we’ve hit rock bottom’ – but hey, not until you’ve had one last tasty morsel. Imported pineapple has been a trendy choice of late, but your best bets on the fruit menu are local and seasonal. Formaggi (cheeses) are another option, but only diabetics or the French would go that route when there’s room for dolci (sweets). Think beyond dental-work-endangering biscotti (twice-baked biscuits) and consider zabaglione (egg and marsala custard), torta di ricotta e pera (pear and ricotta cake), cream-stuffed profiteroles or cannoli Siciliani, the ricotta-stuffedshell pastry immortalised thus in The Godfather: ‘Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.’

Caffè (Coffee)

Don’t believe the hype about espresso: one diminutive cup packs less of a caffeine wallop than a large cup of French-pressed or American-brewed coffee, and leaves drinkers less jittery.

No amount of willpower or cajoling is going to move your feet into a museum after a three-course Italian lunch, so you must administer espresso immediately. Sometimes your barista will take pity and deliver your cappuccino with a cioccolatino (a square of chocolate) or grant you a tiny stain of milk in a caffè macchiato . On the hottest days of summer, you may be allowed a granita di caffè (coffee with shaved ice and whipped cream). But usually you’ll be expected to take espresso as it comes, with scant sweetness and no apology, like a nasty breakup. The ‘what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger’ principle applies to Italian coffee breaks: if you survive the scalding liquid tossed down your throat, well then, you’re ready to get on with your day.

WINE & COOKERY COURSES

You can hardly throw a stone in Italy without hitting a culinary course in progress, but there are better ways of finding a cookery school. You’ll find some of the big hitters below, as well as more region-specific courses in the relevant destination chapters in this book.

Città del Gusto Rome ( 06 551 11 21; www.gamberorosso.it, in Italian; Via Fermi 161); Naples ( 081 19 80 89 00; Via Coroglio 57/104E, Bagnoli) Six floors of hot, nonstop gourmet-on-gourmet action, from live cooking demonstrations and TV-show tapings to wine courses in the ‘Theatre of Wine’. All workshops and demos are run by Gambero Rosso, Italy’s most esteemed food magazine. You’ll find a second branch in Naples.

Culinary Adventures (www.peggymarkel.com) Indulge in and learn about cooking Italian dishes with local, sustainably sourced ingredients at decadent week-long courses in Sicily, Elba, Amalfi and Tuscany.

Eataly (www.eatalytorino.it, in Italian) Turin’s mall-sized monument to artisanal food offers samples, wine tasting, and afternoon workshops on aphrodisiac dinners, becoming a chef and sommelier secrets. Tasting sessions start at €20, but some are offered in Italian only.

International Wine Academy of Roma ( 06 699 08 78; www.wineacademyroma.com; Vicolo del Bottino 8) Choices include individual wine-tasting events, a five-wine tasting followed by a four-course meal and a tour of Lazio wineries.

Italian Food Artisans (www.foodartisans.com/workshops) Slip behind the scenes in restaurant kitchens and private homes and discover Italy’s best-kept food secrets in Cinque Terre, Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, Campania and Sicily on one-day workshops or week-long adventures with cookbook author Pamela Sheldon Johns.

Tasting Places (www.tastingplaces.com) Recent offerings include excursions to regional Slow Food festivals, a ‘White Truffle and Wine’ weekend in Piedmont and gourmet getaways in the Veneto and Tuscany.

THE VINO LOWDOWN

A sit-down meal without vino (wine) in Italy is as unpalatable as pasta without sauce. Not ordering wine at a restaurant can cause consternation – are you pregnant or a recovering alcoholic, or was it something the waiter said? Italian wines are considered among the most versatile and ‘food-friendly’ in the world, specifically cultivated over the centuries to elevate regional cuisine.

Here, wine is a consideration as essential as your choice of dinner date. Indeed, while the country’s perfectly quaffable pilsner beers and occasional red ale pair well with roast meats, pizza and other quick eats, vino is considered appropriate for a proper meal – and since many wines cost less than a pint in Italy, this is not a question of price, but a matter of flavour.

Although some producers find these official Italian classifications unduly costly and creatively constraining, the DOCG (Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita) and DOC (Denominazione di origine controllata) designations are awarded to wines that meet regional quality-control standards.

Some Italian wines will be as familiar to you as old flames, including pizza-and-a-movie chianti or reliable summertime fling Pinot grigio. But you’ll also find some captivating Italian varietals and blends for which there is no translation (eg Brunello, Vermentino, Sciacchetrá), and intriguing Italian wines that have little in common with European and Australian cousins by the same name (eg merlot, Pinot Nero aka Pinot Noir, chardonnay).

Many visitors default to carafes of house reds or whites, which in Italy usually means young, fruit-forward reds to complement tomato sauces and chilled dry whites as seafood palate-cleansers. But with a little daring and the list below, you can pursue a wider range of options by the glass or half-bottle.

Sparkling wines : Franciacorta (Lombardy), prosecco (Veneto), Asti (aka Asti Spumante; Piedmont), Lambrusco (Emilia-Romagna)

Light, citrusy whites with grassy or floral notes : Vermentino (Sardinia), Orvieto (Umbria), Soave (Veneto), Tocai (Friuli)

Dry whites with aromatic herbal or mineral aspect : Cinque Terre (Liguria), Gavi (Piedmont), Falanghina (Campania), Est! Est!! Est!!! (Lazio)

Versatile, food-friendly reds with pleasant acidity : Barbera d’Alba (Piedmont), Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (Abruzzo), Valpolicella (Veneto), Chianti Classico (Tuscany), Bardolino (Lombardy)

Well-rounded reds, balancing fruit with earthy notes : Brunello di Montalcino (Tuscany), Refosco dal Pedulunco Rosso (Friuli), Dolcetto (Piedmont), Morellino di Scansano (Tuscany)

Italy’s oldest known wine is Chianti Classico, with favourable reviews dating from the 14th century and a growing region clearly defined by 1716.

Big, structured reds with velvety tannins : Amarone (Veneto), Barolo (Piedmont), Sagrantino di Montefalco secco (Umbria), Sassicaia and other ‘super-Tuscan’ blends (Tuscany)

Fortified and dessert wines : Sciacchetrá (Liguria), Colli Orientali del Friuli Picolit (Friuli), Vin Santo (Tuscany), Moscato d’Asti (Piedmont)

For a thirst-quenching adventure through Italy’s most celebrated wine region – Tuscany’s Il Chianti – turn to Click here .

LIQUORI (LIQUERS)

Failure to order a postprandial espresso may shock your server but you may yet save face by ordering a digestivo (digestive), such as a grappa (a potent grape-derived alcohol), amaro (a dark liqueur prepared from herbs) or limoncello (lemon liqueur). Fair warning though: Italian digestives can be an acquired taste, and they pack a punch that might leave you snoring before il conto (the bill) arrives.

APERITIVI: BUDGET FEASTING

The hottest recession trend in Italy is aperitivi, often described as a ‘before-meal drink and light snack’. Don’t be fooled. Italian ‘happy hour’ is dinner disguised as a casual drink, accompanied by a buffet of antipasti, pasta salads, cold cuts and some hot dishes (this may include your fellow diners: aperitivi is prime time for hungry singles). You can methodically pillage buffets in Milan, Turin, Rome and Naples from about 5pm to 8pm for the price of a single drink – which crafty diners nurse for the duration – while Venetians enjoy ombre (wine by the glass) and bargain seafood cicheti (Venetian tapas). Aperitivi is wildly popular among the many young Italians who can’t afford to eat dinner out, but still want a place to enjoy food with friends – leave it to Italy to find a way to put the glam into recession.

FESTIVE FAVOURITES

The average Italian adult consumes around 28 litres of wine per annum – a sobering figure compared with the 100 litres consumed on average back in the 1950s.

Perhaps you’ve heard of ancient Roman orgies with trips to the vomitorium to make room for the next course, or Medici family feasts with sugar sculptures worth their weight in gold? In Italy, culinary indulgence is the epicentre of any celebration and major holidays are defined by their specialities. Lent is heralded by Carnevale (Carnival), a time for migliaccio di polenta (polenta, sausage, pecorino and parmigiano reggiano casserole), sanguinaccio (‘blood pudding’ made with dark chocolate and cinnamon), chiacchiere (fried biscuits sprinkled with icing sugar) and Sicily’s mpagnuccata (deep-fried dough tossed in soft caramel).

If you’re here around 19 March (St Joseph’s Feast Day), expect to eat bignè di San Giuseppe (fried doughnuts filled with cream or chocolate)in Rome, zeppole (fritters topped with lemon-scented cream, sour cherry and dusting sugar) in Naples and Bari, and crispelle di riso (citrus-scented rice fritters dipped in honey) in Sicily.

Lent specialities like Sicilian quaresimali (hard, light almond biscuits) give way to Easter binging with the obligatory lamb, colomba (dove-shaped cake) and uove di pasqua (foil-wrapped chocolate eggs with toy surprises inside). The dominant ingredient at this time is egg, also used to make traditional regional specialities like Genoa’s torta pasqualina (pastry tart filled with ricotta, parmigiano , artichokes and hard-boiled eggs), Florence’s brodetto (egg, lemon and bread broth) and Naples’ legendary pastiera (shortcrust pastry tart filled with ricotta, cream, candied fruits and cereals flavoured with orange water).

Top Food & Wine Regions

» Emilia- Romagna

» Tuscany

» Piedmont

» Campania

» Sicily

At the other end of the calendar, Christmas means stuffed pasta, seafood dishes and one of Milan’s greatest inventions: panettone (yeasty, golden cake studded with raisins and dried fruit). Equally famous are Verona’s simpler, raisin-free pandoro (yeasty, star-shaped cake dusted with vanilla-flavoured icing sugar) and Siena’s panforte (chewy, flat cake made with candied fruits, nuts, chocolate, honey and spices). Further south, Neapolitans throw caution (and scales) to the wind with raffioli (sponge and marzipan biscuits), struffoli (tiny fried pastry balls dipped in honey and sprinkled with colourful candied sugar) and pasta di mandorla (marzipan), while their Sicilian cousins toast to the season with cucciddatu (ring-shaped cake made with dried figs, nuts, honey, vanilla, cloves, cinnamon and citrus fruits).

Of course, it’s not all about religion. Some Italian holidays dispense with the spiritual premise and are all about the food. During spring, summer and early autumn, towns across Italy celebrate sagre, the festivals of local foods in season. You’ll find a sagra del tartufo (truffles) in Umbria, del pomodoro (tomatoes) in Sicily and del cipolle (onions) in Puglia (wouldn’t want to be downwind of that one). For a list of sagre, check out www.prodottitipici.com/sagre (in Italian).

For information on eating price ranges in this book, Click here .

Survival Guide

DIRECTORY A–Z

Accommodation

Business Hours

Children

Customs Regulations

Discount Cards

Electricity

Embassies & Consulates

Food & Drink

Gay & Lesbian Travellers

Health

Insurance

Internet Access

Language Courses

Legal Matters

Maps

Money

Post

Public Holidays

Telephone

Time

Tourist Information

Travellers with Disabilities

Visas

Volunteering

Women Travellers

TRANSPORT

GETTING THERE & AWAY

Entering the Country

Air

Land

Sea

GETTING AROUND

Air

Bicycle

Boat

Bus

Car & Motorcycle

Local Transport

Train

LANGUAGE

Top of section

Directory

A–Z

Accommodation

Accommodation in Italy can range from the sublime to the ridiculous with prices to match. Hotels and pensioni make up the bulk of the offerings, covering a rainbow of options from cheap sleeps near the train station to luxury hotels considered among the best on the planet. Youth hostels and camp grounds are a boon for the budget-minded, while rifugi (mountain huts) welcome mountain walkers after a long day on the trail. Fancier options include charming B&B-style places that continue to proliferate, apartment rentals in the heart of Italy’s great cities, luxurious country villas and agriturismi (farm stays). Capturing the imagination still more are the options to stay in anything from castles to convents and monasteries.

Accommodation options in this book are listed according to three price categories, as follows:

CATEGORY

SYMBOL

PRICE RANGE

budget

€

under €100

midrange

€€

€100-200

top end

€€€

over €200

Where indicated in the text, half-board equals breakfast and either lunch or dinner; full board includes breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Prices can fluctuate enormously depending on the season, with Easter, summer and the Christmas/New Year period being the typical peak tourist times. Seasonality also varies according to location. Expect to pay top prices in the mountains during the ski season (December to March) or along the coast in summer (July and August). Conversely, summer in the parched cities can equal low season; in August especially, many city hotels charge as little as half price. It is always worth considering booking ahead in high season (although in the urban centres you can usually find something if you trust to luck).

Price also depends greatly on where you’re looking. A bottom-end budget choice in Venice or Milan will set you back the price of a decent midrange option in, say, rural Campania. Throughout this book we have presented maximum low- and high-season rates for each accommodation option listed; for example, d €80-130 means that a double costs €80 at most in low season and €130 at most in high season.

Some hotels, in particular the lower-end places, barely alter their prices throughout the year. In low season there’s no harm in bargaining for a discount, especially if you intend to stay for several days.

Hotels usually require that reservations be confirmed with a credit-card number. No-shows will be docked a night’s accommodation.

FARMHOUSE HOLIDAYS

Trade museums and Maseratis for barns and bunnies at an agriturismo (farm stay accommodation), the most peaceful of Italian lodging choices. Quickly gaining in popularity, agriturismi embody Italy’s agricultural roots. By definition they are required to grow at least one of their own products, but beyond this common thread they can run the gamut from a rustic country house with a handful of olive trees to a luxurious country estate with a sparkling pool to a fully functioning farm where guests can pitch in.

Agriturismo business has long boomed in Tuscany and Umbria, but is also steadily gaining ground in other regions. To find lists of agriturismi , ask at any tourist office or check online at one of the following sites:

» Agritour (www.agritour.net)

» Agriturist (www.agriturist.com, in Italian)

» Agriturismo.it (www.agriturismo.it)

» Agriturismo.net (www.agriturismo.net)

» Agriturismo.com (www.agriturismo.com)

» Agriturismo-Italia.net (www.agriturismo-italia.net)

» Agriturismo Vero (www.agriturismovero.com)

B&Bs

B&Bs are a burgeoning sector of the Italian accommodation market and can be found throughout the country in both urban and rural settings. Options include everything from restored farmhouses, city palazzi (mansions) and seaside bungalows to rooms in family houses. Tariffs per person cover a wide range, from around €25 to €75. For more information, contact Bed & Breakfast Italia (www.bbitalia.it) .

Camping

Most camp grounds in Italy are major complexes with swimming pools, restaurants and supermarkets. They are graded according to a star system. Charges usually vary according to the season, rising to a peak in July and August. Note that some places offer an all-inclusive price, while others charge separately for each person, tent, vehicle and/or campsite. Individual listings in this book reflect each campground’s pricing structure. Typical high-season prices range from €6 to €20 per adult, free to €12 for children under 12, and from €5 to €25 for a site.

Italian camp grounds are generally set up for people travelling with their own vehicle, although some are accessible by public transport as indicated in the text. In the major cities, grounds are often a long way from the historic centres. Most but not all have space for RVs. Tent campers are expected to bring their own equipment, although a few grounds offer tents for hire. Many also offer the alternative of bungalows or even simple, self-contained flats. In high season, some only offer deals for a week at a time.

Lists of camp grounds are available from local tourist offices or online at the following sites:

Campeggi.com (www.campeggi.com)

Camping.it (www.camping.it)

Italcamping.it (www.italcamping.it)

Canvas Holidays (www.canvasholidays.co.uk)

Eurocamp (www.eurocamp.co.uk)

Keycamp (www.keycamp.co.uk)

Select Sites (www.select-site.com)

Major bookshops also sell the annual Campeggi e villaggi turistici in Italia (Camping and Holiday Villages in Italy, €14.90), a list of all Italian camp grounds published by Touring Club Italiano (TCI).

Convents & Monasteries

Some Italian convents and monasteries let out cells or rooms as a modest revenue-making exercise and happily take in tourists, while others only take in pilgrims or people who are on a spiritual retreat. Many impose a fairly early curfew, but prices tend to be quite reasonable.

Several resources can assist you in your search.

MonasteryStays.com (www.monasterystays.com) A well-organised online booking centre for monastery and convent stays.

In Italy Online (www.initaly.com/agri/convents.htm) Another site well worth a look for monastery and convent accommodations in Abruzzo, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardy, Puglia, Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany, Umbria and the Veneto. You pay US$6 to access the online newsletter with addresses.

Chiesa di Santa Susana (www.santasusanna.org/comingToRome/convents.html) This American Catholic church in Rome has searched out convent and monastery accommodation options around the country and posted a list on its website. Note that some places are just residential accommodation run by religious orders and not necessarily big on monastic atmosphere. The church doesn’t handle bookings; to request a spot, you’ll need to contact each individual institution directly.

A useful if ageing publication is Eileen Barish’s The Guide to Lodging in Italy’s Monasteries . A more recent book on the same subject is Charles M Shelton’s Beds and Blessings in Italy: A Guide to Religious Hospitality.

Hostels

Ostelli per la Gioventù (youth hostels) are run by the Associazione Italiana Alberghi per la Gioventù (AIG; www.aighostels.com) , affiliated with Hostelling International (HI; www.hihostels.com) . A valid HI card is required in all associated youth hostels in Italy. You can get this in your home country or direct at many hostels.

A full list of Italian hostels, with details of prices, locations and so on, is available online or from hostels throughout the country. Nightly rates in basic dorms vary from around €16 to €20, which usually includes a buffet breakfast. You can often get lunch or dinner for an extra €10 or so. Many hostels also offer singles/doubles (for around €30/50) and family rooms.

A few AIG hostels still have a mid-day lockout period as well as a curfew of 11pm or midnight, although these restrictions are less common than in years past.

A growing contingent of independent hostels offers alternatives to HI hostels. Many are barely distinguishable from budget hotels. One of many hostel websites is www.hostelworld.com.

Hotels & Pensioni

There is often little difference between a pensione and an albergo (hotel). However, a pensione will generally be of one- to three-star quality and traditionally it has been a family-run operation, while an albergo can be awarded up to five stars. Locande (inns) long fell into much the same category as pensioni, but the term has become a trendy one in some parts and reveals little about the quality of a place. Affittacamere are rooms for rent in private houses. They are generally simple affairs.

Quality can vary enormously and the official star system gives only limited clues. One-star hotels/ pensioni tend to be basic and usually do not offer private bathrooms. Two-star places are similar but rooms will generally have a private bathroom. At three-star joints you can usually assume reasonable standards. Four- and five-star hotels offer facilities such as room service, laundry and dry-cleaning.

Prices are highest in major tourist destinations. They also tend to be higher in northern Italy. A camera singola (single room) costs from €30. A camera doppia (twin beds) or camera matrimoniale (double room with a double bed) will cost from around €50.

Tourist offices usually have booklets with local accommodation listings. Many hotels are also signing up with (steadily proliferating) online accommodation-booking services. You could start your search here:

Alberghi in Italia (www.alberghi-in-italia.it)

All Hotels in Italy (www.hotelsitalyonline.com)

Hotels web.it (www.hotelsweb.it)

In Italia (www.initalia.it)

Travel to Italy (www.travel-to-italy.com)

BOOK YOUR STAY ONLINE

For more accommodation reviews by Lonely Planet authors, check out hotels.lonelyplanet.com/Italy. You’ll find independent reviews, as well as recommendations on the best places to stay. Best of all, you can book online.

Mountain Huts

The network of rifugi in the Alps, Apennines and other mountains is usually only open from July to September. Accommodation is generally in dormitories but some of the larger refuges have doubles. The price per person (which typically includes breakfast) ranges from €20 to €30 depending on the quality of the rifugio (it’s more for a double room). A hearty post-walk single-dish dinner will set you back another €10 to €15.

Rifugi are marked on good walking maps. Some are close to chair lifts and cable-car stations, which means they are usually expensive and crowded. Others are at high altitude and involve hours of hard walking. It is important to book in advance. Additional information can be obtained from the local tourist offices.

The Club Alpino Italiano (CAI; www.cai.it) owns and runs many of the mountain huts. Members of organisations such as the Australian Alpine Club and British Mountaineering Council can enjoy discounted rates for accommodation and meals by obtaining a reciprocal rights card (for a fee).

Rental Accommodation

Finding rental accommodation in the major cities can be difficult and time-consuming; rental agencies (local and foreign) can assist, for a fee. Rental rates are higher for short-term leases. A small apartment or a studio anywhere near the centre of Rome will cost around €1000 per month and it is usually necessary to pay a deposit (generally one month in advance). Expect to spend similar amounts in cities such as Florence, Milan, Naples and Venice. Apartments and villas for rent are listed in local publications such as Rome’s weekly Porta Portese and the fortnightly Wanted in Rome . Another option is to share an apartment; check out university noticeboards for student flats with vacant rooms.

If you’re looking for an apartment or studio to rent for a short stay (such as a week or two) the easiest option is to check out the websites of agencies dealing in this kind of thing:

Guest in Italy (www.guestinitaly.com) An online agency focusing exclusively on Italy, with apartments (mostly for two to four people) ranging from about €120 to €450 a night.

Homelidays (www.homelidays.com) Over 16,000 rental accommodations of every description throughout Italy.

Holiday Lettings (www.holidaylettings.co.uk) Has nearly 4000 apartments and villas all over the country.

Interhome (www.interhome.co.uk) Here you book apartments for blocks of a week, starting at around UK£500 to £600 for two or three people in central Rome.

Tourist offices in resort areas (coastal towns in summer, ski towns in winter) also maintain lists of apartments and villas for rent.

Villas

Long the preserve of the Tuscan sun, the villa-rental scene in Italy has taken off in recent years, with agencies offering villa accommodation – often in splendid rural locations not far from enchanting medieval towns or Mediterranean beaches – up and down the country. There are dozens of operators.

For villas in the time-honoured and most popular central regions, particularly Tuscany and Umbria, check out the following:

Cuendet (www.cuendet.com) One of the old hands in this business; operates from Mestre, just outside of Venice.

Ilios Travel (www.iliostravel.com) UK-based company with villas, apartments and castles in Venice, Tuscany, Umbria, Lazio, Le Marche, Abruzzo and Campania.

Invitation to Tuscany (www.invitationtotuscany.com) Wide range of properties, with a strong focus on Tuscany.

Summer’s Leases (www.summerleases.com) Properties in Tuscany and Umbria.

Some agencies concentrate their energies on the south (especially Campania and Puglia) and the islands of Sicily and Sardinia, including the following:

Costa Smeralda Holidays (www.costasmeralda-holidays.com) Concentrates on Sardinia’s northeast.

Long Travel (www.long-travel.co.uk) Specialises in Puglia, Sicily, Sardinia and other regions from Rome south.

Think Sicily (www.thinksicily.com) Strictly Sicilian properties.

Operators offering villas and other short-term let properties across the country include the following:

Cottages & Castles (www.cottagesandcastles.com.au) An Australian-based specialist in self-catering accommodation throughout Italy.

Cottages to Castles (www.cottagestocastles.com) UK-based operator specialising in villas.

Parker Villas (www.parkervillas.co.uk) Despite the UK web address, this is a US-based agency with an Italian office, offering exclusive listings of villas all over Italy.

Veronica Tomasso Cotgrove (www.vtcitaly.com) This London-based company offers a small, hand-picked list of country properties in Tuscany and Umbria, along with apartments in Venice, Rome, Florence, Siena and Orvieto.

OFFBEAT ACCOMMODATION

Looking for something out of the ordinary? Italy offers a plethora of sleeping options that you won’t find anywhere else in the world.

» Down near Italy’s heel, rent a trullo , one of the characteristic whitewashed conical houses of southern Puglia.

» On the island of Pantelleria, halfway between Sicily and Africa, sleep in a dammuso (traditional house with thick, whitewashed walls and a shallow cupola).

» In Bologna, spend a regal night or two as king and queen of a 12-storey, 12th-century tower , now converted into the one-of-a-kind Prendiparte B&B.

» In Friuli Venezia Giulia, experience village life in an albergo diffuso , an award-winning concept in which various neighbouring apartments and houses in a historic village centre are rented to guests through a centralised hotel-style reception.

Business Hours

Opening times for individual businesses in this guide are only spelled out when they deviate from the standard hours outlined in the boxed text, Click here .

BUSINESS HOURS

BUSINESS TYPE

STANDARD HOURS

NOTES

Banks

8.30am-1.30pm & 3.30-4.30pm Mon-Fri

Exchange offices usually keep longer hours.

Central post offices

8am-7pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-noon Sat

Smaller branch post offices

8am-2pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-noon Sat

Restaurants

noon-2.30pm & 7.30-11pm or midnight

Sometimes even later in summer and in the south; kitchen often shuts an hour earlier than final closing time; most places close at least one day a week.

Cafes

7.30am-8pm

Bars, Pubs & Clubs

10pm-4am

May open earlier if they have eateries on the premises; things don’t get seriously shaking until after midnight

Shops

9am-1pm & 3.30-7.30pm (or 4-8pm) Mon-Sat

In larger cities, department stores and supermarkets may stay open at lunchtime or on Sundays

Children

Throughout this book we use the family-friendly icon to highlight places that are especially welcoming to families with children. The specific facilities will vary from listing to listing, but may include family rooms or interconnecting doubles, home-like venues with animals to keep kids entertained or a children’s activity room or garden play area.

Practicalities

Italians love children but there are few special amenities for them. Always make a point of asking staff members at tourist offices if they know of any special family activities or have suggestions on hotels that cater for kids.

Book accommodation in advance whenever possible to avoid inconvenience. In hotels, some double rooms can’t accommodate an extra bed for kids, so it’s best to check ahead. If your child is small enough to share your bed, some hoteliers will let you do this for free. The website www.booking.com is good because it tells you the ‘kid policy’ for every hotel it lists and what extra charges you will incur.

On public transport, discounts are available for children (usually aged under 12 but sometimes based on the child’s height), and admission to many sites is free for children under 18.

When travelling by train, reserve seats where possible to avoid finding yourselves standing. You can hire car seats for infants and children from most car-rental firms, but you should always book them in advance.

You can buy baby formula in powder or liquid form, as well as sterilising solutions such as Milton, at pharmacies. Disposable nappies (diapers) are available at supermarkets and pharmacies. Fresh cow’s milk is sold in cartons in supermarkets and in bars with a ‘Latteria’ sign. UHT milk is popular and in many out-of-the-way areas the only kind available.

Kids are welcome in most restaurants, but do not count on the availability of high chairs. Children’s menus are uncommon but you can generally ask for a mezzo piatto (half-portion) off the menu.

For more information and ideas, see Lonely Planet’s Travel with Children, the superb Italy-focused website www.italiakids.com , or the more general www.travelwithyourkids.com and www.familytravelnetwork.com .

KEEPING THE KIDS HAPPY IN ITALY

There are plenty of Italian sights and activities that kids will enjoy as much as grown-ups. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

» Running around the ruins at sprawling ancient Roman sites or prowling about mysterious underground Etruscan necropoli.

» Splashing in fountains at grand villas or touring Italy’s many offshore islands on a small boat, diving off the side and sunbaking on the prow with friends.

» Dropping in on spontaneous football kick-abouts with local kids in town squares.

» Staying at agriturismi (farm stay accomodation) , particularly those with animals.

» Climbing Sicily’s dramatic and surprisingly accessible volcanoes or cruising along the bike paths at the foot of the Dolomites.

» Eating gelato – it’s the perfect mood-enhancer for the whole family, not to mention a great way to bribe your kids into better behaviour!

Customs Regulations

Duty-free sales within the EU no longer exist (but goods are sold tax-free in European airports). Visitors coming into Italy from non-EU countries can import some items duty free, see the boxed text, Click here .

Anything over these limits must be declared on arrival and the appropriate duty paid. On leaving the EU, non-EU citizens can reclaim any value-added tax on expensive purchases ( Click here ).

DUTY FREE ALLOWANCES

Spirits

1L (or 2L wine)

Perfume

50g

Eau de toilette

250mL

Cigarettes

200

Other goods

up to a total value of €175

Discount Cards

Free admission to many galleries and cultural sites is available to youth under 18 and seniors over 65 years old; in addition, visitors aged between 18 and 25 often qualify for a 50% discount. In some cases, these discounts only apply to EU citizens.

Throughout this book you’ll find details of special discount cards issued by cities or regions, such as Roma Pass (www.romapass.it) , a three-day, €25 card that offers free use of public transport and free or reduced admission to Rome’s museums.

In many places around Italy, you can also save money by purchasing a biglietto cumulativo, a ticket that allows admission to a number of associated sights for less than the combined cost of separate admission fees.

Youth, Student & Teacher Cards

The European Youth Card offers thousands of discounts on Italian hotels, museums, restaurants, shops and clubs, while a student, teacher or youth travel card can save you money on flights to Italy. All cards listed above are available from the Centro Turistico Studentesco e Giovanile (CTS; www.cts.it) , a youth travel agency with branches throughout Italy. The latter three cards are available worldwide from student unions, hostelling organisations and youth travel agencies such as STA Travel (www.statravel.com) .

DISCOUNT CARDS

CARD

WEBSITE

COST

ELIGIBILITY

European Youth Card (Carta Giovani)

europeanyouthcard.org cartagiovani.it

€11

under 30yr

International Student Identity Card (ISIC)

www.isic.org

US$22, UK£9, €10

full-time student

International Teacher Identity Card (ITIC)

US$22, UK£9, €10

full-time teacher

International Youth Travel Card (IYTC)

US$22, UK£9, €10

under 26yr

Electricity

Electricity in Italy conforms to the European standard of 220V to 230V, with a frequency of 50Hz. Wall outlets typically accommodate plugs with two or three round pins (the latter grounded, the former not).

Embassies & Consulates

For foreign embassies and consulates in Italy not listed here, look under ‘Ambasciate’ or ‘Consolati’ in the telephone directory. In addition to the following, some countries run honorary consulates in other cities.

Australia Rome ( 06 85 27 21; www.italy.embassy.gov.au; Via Antonio Bosio 5) ; Milan ( 02 7767 4217; www.austrade.it; Via Borgogna 2)

Austria Rome ( 06 844 01 41; www.austria.it; Via Pergolesi 3) ; Milan ( 02 78 37 43; mailand-gk@bmeia.gv.at; Piazza del Liberty 8/4)

Canada ( 06 85 44 41; www.canadainternational.gc.ca/italy-italie; Via Zara 30, Rome)

France (www.ambafrance-it.org) Rome ( 06 68 60 11; Piazza Farnese 67) ; Milan ( 02 655 91 41; Via della Moscova 12) ; Naples ( 081 598 07 11; Via Francesco Crispi 86); Turin ( 011 573 23 11; Via Roma 366)

Germany Rome ( 06 49 21 31; www.rom.diplo.de; Via San Martino della Battaglia 4) ; Milan ( 02 623 11 01; www.mailand.diplo.de; Via Solferino 40) ; Naples ( 081 248 85 11; www.neapel.diplo.de; Via Francesco Crispi 69)

Ireland ( 06 697 91 21; www.ambasciata-irlanda.it; Piazza Campitelli 3, Rome)

Japan Rome ( 06 48 79 91; www.it.emb-japan.go.jp; Via Quintino Sella 60) ; Milan ( 02 624 11 41; www.milano.it.emb-japan.go.jp; Via Cesare Mangili 2/4)

Netherlands (www.olanda.it) Rome ( 06 3228 6001; Via Michele Mercati 8) ; Milan ( 02 485 58 41; Via Gaetano Donizetti 20)

New Zealand (www.nzembassy.com) Rome ( 06 853 75 01; Via Clitunno 44) ; Milan ( 02 7217 0001; Via Terraggio 17)

Slovenia Rome ( 06 8091 4310; vri@gov.si; Via Leonardo Pisano 10) ; Trieste ( 040 30 78 55; kts@gov.si; Via S Giorgio 1)

Switzerland Rome ( 06 80 95 71; www.eda.admin.ch/roma; Via Barnarba Oriani 61) ; Milan ( 02 777 91 61; www.eda.admin.ch/milano; Via Palestro 2)

UK (ukinitaly.fco.gov.uk) Rome ( 06 4220 0001; Via XX Settembre 80a) ; Florence ( 055 28 41 33; Lungarno Corsini 2) ; Milan ( 02 72 30 01; Via San Paolo 7) ; Naples ( 081 423 89 11; Via dei Mille 40)

USA Rome ( 06 4 67 41; italy.usembassy.gov; Via Vittorio Veneto 121) ; Florence ( 055 26 69 51; florence.usconsulate.gov; Lungarno Vespucci 38) ; Milan ( 02 29 03 51; milan.usconsulate.gov; Via Principe Amedeo 2/10) ; Naples ( 081 583 81 11; naples.usconsulate.gov; Piazza della Repubblica)

Food & Drink

Restaurant listings in this book are assigned a budget category (€, €€ or €€€) based on the cost of a full meal. A meal as defined here includes a primo (first course), secondo (second course), dolce (dessert) and house wine for one person. Budget categories are as follows:

CATEGORY

SYMBOL

PRICE RANGE

budget

€

under €25

midrange

€€

€25-45

top end

€€€

over €45

These figures represent a halfway point between the expensive cities such as Milan and Venice and the considerably cheaper towns across the south. Indeed, a restaurant rated as midrange in rural Sicily might be considered dirt cheap in Milan. Note that most eating establishments also have a cover charge ( coperto ) of around €1 to €2 and a service charge ( servizio ) of 10% to 15%.

For a thorough introduction to Italy’s famous cuisine and wines, Click here and Click here . For information on restaurant opening hours, see the Business Hours heading in this chapter.

Gay & Lesbian Travellers

Homosexuality is legal in Italy and well tolerated in the major cities. However, overt displays of affection by homosexual couples could attract a negative response in the more conservative south and in smaller towns.

There are gay clubs in Rome, Milan and Bologna, and a handful in places such as Florence. Some coastal towns and resorts (such as the Tuscan town of Viareggio or Taormina in Sicily) have much more action in summer.

In June 2011 Rome hosted the Euro Pride Festival (www.europrideroma.com) , Europe’s largest LGBT event, drawing over a million visitors for 12 days of festivities culminating in a concert headlined by Lady Gaga.

See the following resources for more information:

Arcigay & Arcilesbica (www.arcigay.it) Bologna-based national organisation for gays and lesbians.

AZ Gay (www.azgay.it) Rome-based organisation that publishes a free Gay Rome guide, available at tourist booths.

Circolo Mario Mieli (www.mariomieli.org) Rome-based cultural centre that publishes Aut, a free alternative monthly covering news, culture and politics.

Gay.it (www.gay.it, in Italian) Website listing gay bars and hotels across the country.

GayFriendlyItaly.com (www.gayfriendlyitaly.com) English-language site produced by Gay.it, featuring information on everything from hotels to homophobia issues and the law.

Pride (www.prideonline.it) National monthly magazine of art, music, politics and gay culture.

Health

Recommended Vaccinations

No jabs are required to travel to Italy. The World Health Organization (WHO), however, recommends that all travellers should be covered for diphtheria, tetanus, the measles, mumps, rubella and polio, as well as hepatitis B.

Health Insurance

If you’re an EU citizen (or from Switzerland, Norway or Iceland), a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) covers you for most medical care in public hospitals free of charge, but not for emergency repatriation home or non-emergencies. The card is available from health centres and (in the UK) from post offices. Citizens from other countries should find out if there is a reciprocal arrangement for free medical care between their country and Italy (Australia, for instance, has such an agreement; carry your Medicare card). If you do need health insurance, make sure you get a policy that covers you for the worst possible scenario, such as an accident requiring an emergency flight home. Find out in advance if your insurance plan will make payments directly to providers or reimburse you later for overseas health expenditures.

Availability of Health Care

Excellent health care is readily available throughout Italy, but standards can vary significantly. Public hospitals tend to be less impressive the further south you travel. Pharmacists can give you valuable advice and sell over-the-counter medication for minor illnesses. They can also advise you when more-specialised help is required and point you in the right direction. In major cities you are likely to find English-speaking doctors or a translator service available.

Pharmacies generally keep the same hours as other shops, closing at night and on Sundays. However, a handful remain open on a rotation basis (farmacie di turno) for emergency purposes. These are usually listed in newspapers, or online at www.miniportale.it (click on Farmacie di Turno and then the region you want). Closed pharmacies display a list of the nearest ones open.

If you need an ambulance anywhere in Italy, call 118. For emergency treatment, head straight to the pronto soccorso (casualty) section of a public hospital, where you can also get emergency dental treatment.

TRAVEL HEALTH WEBSITES

It’s a good idea to consult your government’s travel health website before departure.

Australia (www.smarttraveller.gov.au)

Canada (www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/travel-voyage/index-eng.php)

UK (www.nhs.uk/nhsengland/Healthcareabroad)

USA (www.cdc.gov/travel)

Insurance

A travel-insurance policy to cover theft, loss and medical problems is a good idea. It may also cover you for cancellation or delays to your travel arrangements. Paying for your ticket with a credit card can often provide limited travel accident insurance and you may be able to reclaim the payment if the operator doesn’t deliver. Ask your credit-card company what it will cover.

Worldwide travel insurance is available at www.lonelyplanet.com/bookings/index.do. You can buy, extend and claim online anytime – even if you’re already on the road.

Internet Access

Throughout this guide we use the icon to indicate venues that offer an internet terminal (physical computer) for guests’ use and the icon to designate places with a wi-fi network (free or paying).

Internet access in Italy has improved markedly in the past couple of years, with Rome, Bologna, Venice and other municipalities instituting city-wide hot spots, and an increasing number of hotels, B&Bs, hostels and even agriturismi now offering free wi-fi. On the downside, internet cafes remain thinner on the ground than elsewhere in Europe, signal strength is variable, and access is not yet as widespread in rural and southern Italy as in urban and northern areas. You’ll still have to pay for access at many top-end hotels (upwards of €10 per day) and at internet cafes (€2 to €6 per hour). Certain provisions of Italy’s anti-terrorism law, which required all internet users to present a photo ID and allowed the government to monitor internet usage, were rescinded in January 2011, but internet cafes will still sometimes request identification before allowing you to use their facilities.

Language Courses

Italian language courses are run by private schools and universities throughout Italy. Rome and Florence are teeming with Italian-language schools, while most other cities and major towns have at least one. For a web link listing language schools around the country, see Saena Iulia (www.saenaiulia.it) .

Università per Stranieri di Perugia (www.unistrapg.it) The well-established and reasonably priced programs here make this Italy’s most famous language school for foreigners. Language classes are supplemented with extracurricular or full-time courses in painting, art history, sculpture and architecture.

Università per Stranieri di Siena (www.unistrasi.it) A similarly well-regarded program in one of Italy’s most beautiful medieval cities.

Italian foreign ministry (www.esteri.it) Publishes a list on its website of the 90 worldwide branches of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura (IIC), a government-sponsored organisation promoting Italian culture and language. An excellent resource for studying Italian before you leave or finding out more about language learning opportunities in Italy. Locations include Australia (Melbourne and Sydney), the UK (London and Edinburgh), Ireland (Dublin), Canada (Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal), and the USA (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New York and Washington DC). Click on ‘Diplomatic Network’ and then on ‘Network of Italian Cultural Institutes’.

Legal Matters

The average tourist will only have a brush with the law if robbed by a bag-snatcher or pickpocket.

Police

Contact details for police stations, or questure, are given throughout this book. If you run into trouble in Italy, you’re likely to end up dealing with the polizia statale (state police) or the carabinieri (military police). The former wear powder blue trousers with a fuchsia stripe and a navy blue jacket, the latter wear black uniforms with a red stripe and drive dark-blue cars with a red stripe. The table above outlines Italian police organisations and their jurisdictions.

For national emergency numbers, Click here .

ITALIAN POLICE ORGANISATIONS

Polizia statale (state police)

Thefts, visa extensions and permits

Carabinieri (military police)

General crime, public order and drug enforcement (often overlapping with the polizia statale )

Vigili urbani (local traffic police)

Parking tickets, towed cars

Guardia di finanza

Tax evasion, drug smuggling

Guardia forestale (aka corpo forestale )

Environmental protection

Sex, Drugs & Alcohol

Italy’s age of consent for sexual activity is generally 14, although in certain circumstances it can be as low as 13 or as high as 16. Travellers should note that they can be prosecuted under the law of their home country regarding age of consent, even when abroad.

Under Italy’s tough drug laws, possession of any controlled substances, including cannabis or marijuana, can get you into hot water. Those caught in possession of 5g of cannabis can be considered traffickers and prosecuted as such. The same applies to tiny amounts of other drugs. Those caught with amounts below this threshold can be subject to minor penalties

The legal limit for blood-alcohol level is 0.05% and random breath tests do occur.

Your Rights

Italy still has antiterrorism laws on its books that could make life difficult if you are detained. You should be given verbal and written notice of the charges laid against you within 24 hours by arresting officers. You have no right to a phone call upon arrest. The prosecutor must apply to a magistrate for you to be held in preventive custody awaiting trial (depending on the seriousness of the offence) within 48 hours of arrest. You have the right not to respond to questions without the presence of a lawyer. If the magistrate orders preventive custody, you have the right to then contest this within the following 10 days.

Maps

The city maps in this book, combined with the good, free local maps available at most Italian tourist offices, will be sufficient for many travellers. For more-specialised maps, browse the good selection at national bookshop chain Feltrinelli, or consult the websites listed here.

Touring Club Italiano (TCI; www.touringclub.com, in Italian) Italy’s largest map publisher operates shops around Italy and publishes a decent 1:800,000 map of Italy, plus a series of 15 regional maps at 1:200,000 (€7.90 each) and an exhaustive series of walking guides with maps, co-published with the Club Alpino Italiano (CAI).

Tabacco (www.tabaccoeditrice.com) Publishes an excellent 1:25,000 scale series of walking maps, covering an area from Bormio in the west to the Slovenia border in the east.

Kompass (www.kompass-italia.it, in German & Italian) Publishes 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 scale hiking maps of various parts of Italy, plus a nice series of 1:70,000 cycling maps.

Edizioni Multigraphic Florence (www.edizionimultigraphic.it, in Italian) Produces a series of walking maps concentrating mainly on the Apennines.

Stanfords (www.stanfords.co.uk) Excellent UK-based shop that stocks many maps listed here.

Omni Resources (www.omnimap.com) US-based online retailer with an impressive selection of Italian maps.

Money

The euro is Italy’s currency. The seven euro notes come in denominations of €500, €200, €100, €50, €20, €10 and €5. The eight euro coins are in denominations of €2 and €1, and 50, 20, 10, five, two and one cents.

For the latest exchange rates, check out www.xe.com .

Credit & Debit Cards

ATMs are widely available throughout Italy and are the best way to obtain local currency. International credit and debit cards can be used in any ATM displaying the appropriate sign. Visa and MasterCard are among the most widely recognised, but others like Cirrus and Maestro are also well covered. Only some banks give cash advances over the counter, so you’re better off using ATMs. Cards are also good for payment in most hotels, restaurants, shops, supermarkets and tollbooths.

Check any charges with your bank. Most banks now build a fee of around 2.75% into every foreign transaction. In addition, ATM withdrawals can attract a further fee, usually around 1.5%.

If your card is lost, stolen or swallowed by an ATM, you can telephone toll-free to have an immediate stop put on its use:

Amex ( 06 7290 0347 or your national call number)

Diners Club ( 800 864064)

MasterCard ( 800 870866)

Visa ( 800 819014)

Moneychangers

You can change money in banks, at the post office or in a cambio (exchange office). Post offices and banks tend to offer the best rates; exchange offices keep longer hours, but watch for high commissions and inferior rates.

Taxes & Refunds

A value-added tax of around 20%, known as IVA (Imposta di Valore Aggiunto), is slapped onto just about everything in Italy. If you are a non-EU resident and spend more than €155 (€154.94 to be more precise!) on a purchase, you can claim a refund when you leave. The refund only applies to purchases from affiliated retail outlets that display a ‘tax free for tourists’ (or similar) sign. You have to complete a form at the point of sale, then have it stamped by Italian customs as you leave. At major airports you can then get an immediate cash refund; otherwise it will be refunded to your credit card. For information, visit Tax Refund for Tourists (www.taxrefund.it) or pick up a pamphlet on the scheme from participating stores.

Tipping

You are not expected to tip on top of restaurant service charges but you can leave a little extra if you feel service warrants it. If there is no service charge, the customer should consider leaving a 10% tip, but this is not obligatory. In bars, Italians often leave small change as a tip (as little as €0.10). Tipping taxi drivers is not common practice, but you are expected to tip the porter at top-end hotels.

Post

Le Poste (www.poste.it, in Italian) , Italy’s postal system, is reasonably reliable. For post office opening hours, see the Business Hours heading in this chapter.

Francobolli (stamps) are available at post offices and authorised tobacconists (look for the big white-on-black ‘T’ sign). Since letters often need to be weighed, what you get at the tobacconist for international airmail will occasionally be an approximation of the proper rate. Tobacconists keep regular shop hours.

Postal Rates & Services

The cost of sending a letter by via aerea (airmail) depends on its weight, size and where it is being sent. Most people use posta prioritaria (priority mail), Italy’s most efficient mail service , guaranteed to deliver letters sent to Europe within three days and to the rest of the world within four to eight days. Letters up to 20g cost €0.75 within Europe, €1.60 to Africa, Asia and North and South America and €2 to Australia and New Zealand. Letters weighing 21g to 50g cost €2.40 within Europe, €3.30 to Africa, Asia and the Americas, and €4 to Australia and New Zealand.

Public Holidays

Most Italians take their annual holiday in August, with the busiest period occurring around 15 August, known locally as Ferragosto. This means that many businesses and shops close for at least a part of that month. Settimana Santa (Easter Holy Week) is another busy holiday period for Italians.

Individual towns have public holidays to celebrate the feasts of their patron saints. National public holidays include the following:

New Year’s Day (Capodanno or Anno Nuovo) 1 January

Epiphany (Epifania or Befana) 6 January

Easter Monday (Pasquetta or Lunedì dell’Angelo) March/April

Liberation Day (Giorno della Liberazione) On 25 April – marks the Allied Victory in Italy, and the end of the German presence and Mussolini, in 1945.

Labour Day (Festa del Lavoro) 1 May

Republic Day (Festa della Repubblica) 2 June

Feast of the Assumption (Assunzione or Ferragosto) 15 August

All Saints’ Day (Ognissanti) 1 November

Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Immaculata Concezione) 8 December

Christmas Day (Natale) 25 December

Boxing Day (Festa di Santo Stefano) 26 December

Telephone

Domestic Calls

Italian telephone area codes all begin with 0 and consist of up to four digits. The area code is followed by a number of anything from four to eight digits. The area code is an integral part of the telephone number and must always be dialled, even when calling from next door. Mobile-phone numbers begin with a three-digit prefix such as 330. Toll-free (free-phone) numbers are known as numeri verdi and usually start with 800. Nongeographical numbers start with 840, 841, 848, 892, 899, 163, 166 or 199. Some six-digit national rate numbers are also in use (such as those for Alitalia, rail and postal information).

As elsewhere in Europe, Italians choose from a host of providers of phone plans and rates, making it difficult to make generalisations about costs.

International Calls

The cheapest options for calling internationally are free or low-cost computer programs such as Skype, cut-rate call centres or international calling cards, which are sold at newsstands and tobacconists. Cut-price call centres can be found in all of the main cities, and rates can be considerably lower than from Telecom payphones for international calls. You simply place your call from a private booth inside the centre and pay for it when you’ve finished. Direct international calls can also easily be made from public telephones with a phonecard. Dial 00 to get out of Italy, then the relevant country and area codes, followed by the telephone number.

To call Italy from abroad, call the international access number ( 011 in the United States, 00 from most other countries), Italy’s country code ( 39) and then the area code of the location you want, including the leading 0.

Directory Enquiries

National and international phone numbers can be requested at 1254 (or online at 1254.virgilio.it).

Mobile Phones

Italy uses GSM 900/1800, which is compatible with the rest of Europe and Australia but not with North American GSM 1900 or the totally different Japanese system. Most modern smart phones are multiband, meaning that they are compatible with a variety of international networks. However, before bringing your own phone to Italy, check with your service provider to make sure it is compatible, and beware of calls being routed internationally (very expensive for a ‘local’ call). In many cases you’ll be better off buying a cheap Italian phone or unlocking your phone for use with an Italian SIM card.

Italy has one of the highest levels of mobile-phone penetration in Europe, and you can get a temporary or prepaid account from several companies if you already own a GSM, multiband cellular phone. You will usually need your passport to open an account. Always check with your mobile-service provider in your home country to ascertain whether your handset allows use of another SIM card. If yours does, it can cost as little as €10 to activate a local prepaid SIM card (sometimes with €10 worth of calls on the card). Pay-as-you-go SIM cards are readily available at telephone and electronics stores throughout Italy. Once you’re set up with an Italian SIM card, you can easily purchase recharge cards (allowing you to top up your account with extra minutes) at many tobacconists and newsstands, as well as some bars, supermarkets and banks. Alternatively, you can buy or lease an inexpensive Italian phone for the duration of your trip.

Of the main mobile phone companies, TIM (Telecom Italia Mobile), Wind and Vodafone have the densest networks of outlets across the country.

Payphones & Phonecards

Partly privatised Telecom Italia is the largest telecommunications organisation in Italy. Where Telecom offices are staffed, it is possible to make international calls and pay at the desk afterwards. Alternatively, you’ll find Telecom payphones throughout the country, on the streets, in train stations and in Telecom offices. Most payphones accept only carte/schede telefoniche (phonecards), although some also accept credit cards. Telecom offers a wide range of prepaid cards for both domestic and international use; for a full list, see www.telecomitalia.it/telefono/carte-telefoniche . You can buy phonecards (most commonly €3, €5 or €10) at post offices, tobacconists and newsstands. You must break off the top left-hand corner of the card before you can use it. All phonecards have an expiry date, printed on the face of the card.

Time

Italy is one hour ahead of GMT. Daylight-saving time, when clocks are moved forward one hour, starts on the last Sunday in March. Clocks are put back an hour on the last Sunday in October. Italy operates on a 24-hour clock.

Tourist Information

Four tiers of tourist office exist: local, provincial, regional and national.

Local & Provincial Tourist Offices

Despite their different (and sometimes confusingly elaborate) names, provincial and local offices offer similar services and are collectively referenced with the generic term ‘tourist office’ throughout this book. All deal directly with the public and most will respond to written and telephone requests for information. Staff can usually provide a city map, lists of hotels and information on the major sights. In larger towns and major tourist areas, English is generally spoken, along with other languages depending on the region (for example, German in Alto Adige, French in Valle d’Aosta).

Main offices are generally open Monday to Friday; some also open on weekends, especially in urban areas or during peak summer season. Affiliated information booths (at train stations and airports, for example) may keep slightly different hours, as noted in the text.

The main local and provincial tourist office categories are summarised here.

TOURIST OFFICES

OFFICE NAME

DESCRIPTION

MAIN FOCUS

Azienda di Promozione Turistica (APT)

Main provincial tourist office

Information on the town and its surrounding province

Azienda Autonoma di Soggiorno e Turismo (AAST)

Local tourist office in larger towns and cities of the south

Town-specific information only (bus routes, museum opening times, etc)

Informazione e Assistenza ai Turisti (IAT)

Local tourist office, mostly in the northern half of Italy

Similar to AAST

Pro Loco

Local tourist office in smaller towns and villages

Similar to AAST

Regional Tourist Authorities

Regional offices are generally more concerned with planning, budgeting, marketing and promotion than with offering a public information service. However, they still maintain some useful websites, listed here. In some cases you’ll need to look for the Tourism or Turismo link within the regional site.

Abruzzo (www.abruzzoturismo.it)

Basilicata (www.aptbasilicata.it)

Calabria (www.turiscalabria.it, in Italian)

Campania (www.in-campania.com)

Emilia-Romagna (www.emiliaromagnaturismo.it)

Friuli Venezia Giulia (www.turismo.fvg.it)

Lazio (www.ilmiolazio.it, in Italian)

Le Marche (www.le-marche.com)

Liguria (www.turismoinliguria.it)

Lombardy (www.turismo.regione.lombardia.it)

Molise (www.regione.molise.it/turismo, in Italian)

Piedmont (www.regione.piemonte.it/turismo, in Italian)

Puglia (www.pugliaturismo.com)

Sardinia (www.sardegnaturismo.it)

Sicily (www.regione.sicilia.it/turismo)

Trentino-Alto Adige (www.visittrentino.it, www.suedtirol.info)

Tuscany (www.turismo.intoscana.it)

Umbria (www.regioneumbria.eu)

Valle d’Aosta (www.regione.vda.it/turismo)

Veneto (www.veneto.to)

Tourist Offices Abroad

The Italian National Tourist Office (ENIT; www.enit.it) maintains offices in over two dozen cities on five continents. Contact information for all offices can be found on its website.

Travellers with Disabilities

Italy is not an easy country for travellers with disabilities and getting around can be a problem for wheelchair users. Even a short journey in a city or town can become a major expedition if cobblestone streets have to be negotiated. Although many buildings have lifts, they are not always wide enough for wheelchairs. Not an awful lot has been done to make life for the deaf or blind any easier either.

The Italian National Tourist Office in your country may be able to provide advice on Italian associations for travellers with disabilities and information on what help is available.

Italy’s national rail company, Trenitalia (www.trenitalia.com) offers a national helpline for passengers with disabilities at 199 303060 (7am to 9pm daily).

A handful of cities also publish general guides on accessibility, among them Bologna, Milan, Padua, Reggio Emilia, Turin, Venice and Verona. In Milan, Milano per Tutti (www.milanopertutti.it) is a helpful resource.

Some organisations that may help include the following:

Accessible Italy (www.accessibleitaly.com) A San Marino–based company that specialises in holiday services for travellers with disabilities , ranging from tours to the hiring of adapted transport to romantic Italian weddings. This is the best first port of call.

Consorzio Cooperative Integrate (www.coinsociale.it) This Rome-based organisation provides information on the capital (including transport and access) and is happy to share its contacts throughout Italy. Its ‘Turismo per Tutti’ program seeks to improve infrastructure and access for tourists with disabilities.

Tourism for All (www.tourismforall.org.uk) This UK-based group has information on hotels with access for guests with disabilities, where to hire equipment and tour operators dealing with travellers with disabilities.

Visas

Italy is one of 25 member countries of the Schengen Convention, under which 22 EU countries (all but Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania and the UK) plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland have abolished permanent checks at common borders.

Legal residents of one Schengen country do not require a visa for another. Residents of 28 non-EU countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand and the USA, do not require visas for tourist visits of up to 90 days (this list varies for those wanting to travel to the UK and Ireland).

All non-EU and non-Schengen nationals entering Italy for more than 90 days or for any reason other than tourism (such as study or work) may need a specific visa. For details, visit www.esteri.it/visti/home_eng.asp or contact an Italian consulate. You should also have your passport stamped on entry as, without a stamp, you could encounter problems when trying to obtain a residence permit (permesso di soggiorno) . If you enter the EU via another member state, get your passport stamped there.

EU citizens do not require any permits to live or work in Italy but, after three months’ residence, are supposed to register themselves at the municipal registry office where they live and offer proof of work or sufficient funds to support themselves. Non-EU foreign citizens with five years’ continuous legal residence may apply for permanent residence.

Permesso di Soggiorno

Non-EU citizens planning to stay at the same address for more than one week are supposed to report to the police station to receive a permesso di soggiorno (a permit to remain in the country). Tourists staying in hotels are not required to do this.

A permesso di soggiorno only really becomes a necessity if you plan to study, work (legally) or live in Italy. Obtaining one is never a pleasant experience; it involves long queues and the frustration of arriving at the counter only to find you don’t have the necessary documents.

The exact requirements, like specific documents and marche da bollo (official stamps), can change. In general, you will need a valid passport (if possible containing a stamp with your date of entry into Italy), a special visa issued in your own country if you are planning to study (for non-EU citizens), four passport photos and proof of your ability to support yourself financially. You can apply at the ufficio stranieri (foreigners bureau) of the police station closest to where you’re staying.

EU citizens do not require a permesso di soggiorno .

Study Visas

Non-EU citizens who want to study at a university or language school in Italy must have a study visa. These can be obtained from your nearest Italian embassy or consulate. You will normally require confirmation of your enrolment, proof of payment of fees and adequate funds to support yourself. The visa covers only the period of the enrolment. This type of visa is renewable within Italy but, again, only with confirmation of ongoing enrolment and proof that you are able to support yourself (bank statements are preferred).

Volunteering

Concordia International Volunteer Projects (www.concordiavolunteers.org.uk) Short-term community-based projects covering the environment, archaeology and the arts. You might find yourself working as a volunteer on a restoration project or in a nature reserve.

European Youth Portal (europa.eu/youth) Has various links suggesting volunteering options across Europe. Navigate to the Volunteering/exchanges page and then narrow down the search to Italy, where you will find more specific links on volunteering.

AFSAI (www.afsai.org) Financed by the EU, this voluntary program runs projects of six to 12 months for those aged between 16 and 25 years. Knowledge of Italian is required.

World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (www.wwoof.it) For a membership fee of €25 this organisation provides a list of farms looking for volunteer workers.

PRACTICALITIES

» Use the metric system for weights and measures.

» Since early 2005, smoking in all closed public spaces (from bars to elevators, offices to trains) has been banned.

» If your Italian is up to it, try the following newspapers: Corriere della Sera, the country’s leading daily; Il Messaggero, a popular Rome-based broadsheet; or La Repubblica, a centre-left daily with a flow of Mafia conspiracies and Vatican scoops. For the Church’s view, try the Osservatore Romano .

» Tune into Vatican Radio (www.radiovaticana.org; 93.3 FM and 105 FM in the Rome area) for a rundown of what the pope is up to (in Italian, English and other languages); or state-owned Italian RAI-1, RAI-2 and RAI-3 (www.rai.it), which broadcast all over the country and abroad. Commercial stations such as Rome’s Radio Centro Suono (www.centrosuono.com) and Radio Città Futura (www.radiocittafutura.it), Naples’ Radio Kiss Kiss (www.kisskissnapoli.it) and Milan-based left-wing Radio Popolare (www.radiopopolare.it) are all good for contemporary music.

» Switch on the box to watch the state-run RAI-1, RAI-2 and RAI-3 (www.rai.it) and the main commercial stations (mostly run by Silvio Berlusconi’s Mediaset company): Canale 5 (www.canale5.mediaset.it), Italia 1 (www.italia1.mediaset.it) and Rete 4 (www.rete4.mediaset.it) and La 7 (www.la7.it).

Women Travellers

Italy is not a dangerous country for women to travel in. Clearly, as with anywhere in the world, women travelling alone need to take certain precautions and, in some parts of the country, be prepared for more than their fair share of unwanted attention. Eye-to-eye contact is the norm in Italy’s daily flirtatious interplay. Eye contact can become outright staring the further south you travel.

Lone women may find it difficult to remain alone. In many places, local Lotharios will try it on with exasperating insistence, which can be flattering or a pain. Foreign women are particular objects of male attention in tourist towns like Florence and more generally in the south. Usually the best response to undesired advances is to ignore them. If that doesn’t work, politely tell your interlocutors you’re waiting for your marito (husband) or fidanzato (boyfriend) and, if necessary, walk away. Avoid becoming aggressive as this may result in an unpleasant confrontation. If all else fails, approach the nearest member of the police.

Watch out for men with wandering hands on crowded buses. Either keep your back to the wall or make a loud fuss if someone starts fondling your behind. A loud ‘ Che schifo ! ’ (How disgusting!) will usually do the trick. If a more serious incident occurs, report it to the police, who are then required to press charges.

Women travelling alone should use their common sense. Avoid solo hitchhiking or walking alone in dark streets, and look for hotels that are central (unsafe areas are noted in this book).

Top of section

Transport

GETTING THERE & AWAY

A plethora of airlines link Italy with the rest of the world, and cut-rate carriers have significantly driven down the cost of flights from other European countries. Excellent rail and bus connections, especially with northern Italy, offer efficient overland transport, while car and passenger ferries operate to ports throughout the Mediterranean.

Flights, tours and rail tickets can be booked online at lonelyplanet.com/bookings.

Entering the Country

European Union and Swiss citizens can travel to Italy with their national identity card alone. All other nationalities must have a valid passport and may be required to fill out a landing card (at airports).

By law you are supposed to have your passport or ID card with you at all times. You’ll need one of these documents for police registration every time you check into a hotel.

In theory there are no passport checks at land crossings from neighbouring countries, but random customs controls do occasionally still take place between Italy and Switzerland.

Air

Airports & Airlines

Italy’s main intercontinental gateways are Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci airport (Fiumicino; www.adr.it) and Milan’s Malpensa airport (www.sea-aeroportimilano.it) . Both are served by non-stop flights from around the world.

From North America, nonstop flights to Rome originate in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Montreal and Toronto, while in South America, Buenos Aires and São Paulo both offer direct service. Regular direct flights link Rome (and often Milan) with Asian and Middle Eastern capitals including Bangkok, Dubai, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Tokyo. If you’re flying from Africa or the South Pacific, you’ll generally need to change planes at least once en route to Italy.

Intra-European flights serve plenty of other Italian cities; the leading mainstream carriers include Alitalia, Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa and KLM.

Cut-rate airlines, led by Ryanair and easyJet, fly from a growing number of European cities to over two dozen Italian destinations, typically landing in smaller airports such as Rome’s Ciampino (www.adr.it) .

Dozens of international airlines compete with the country’s national carrier, Alitalia. The most active are listed here.

Air Berlin/Niki (www.airberlin.com)

Air Canada (www.aircanada.com)

Air France (www.airfrance.com)

Air One (www.flyairone.it)

Air Transat (www.airtransat.it)

Alitalia (www.alitalia.com)

American Airlines (www.aa.com)

BMI Baby (www.bmibaby.com)

British Airways (www.britishairways.com)

Brussels Airlines (www.brusselsairlines.com)

Continental (www.continental.com)

Delta (www.delta.com)

easyJet (www.easyjet.com)

Jet2 (www.jet2.com)

KLM (www.klm.com)

Lufthansa (www.lufthansa.com)

Meridiana (www.meridiana.it)

Qantas (www.qantas.com.au)

Ryanair (www.ryanair.com)

Singapore Airlines (www.singaporeair.com)

Swiss (www.swiss.com)

TAM (www.tam.com.br)

Thai Airways (www.thaiairways.com)

United (www.united.com)

US Airways (www.usairways.com)

Vueling (www.vueling.com)

Windjet (www.volawindjet.it)

Tickets

The internet is the easiest way of locating and booking reasonably priced seats.

Full-time students and those under 26 may qualify for discounted fares at agencies such as STA Travel (statravel.com) . Many of these fares require a valid International Student Identity Card (ISIC).

CLIMATE CHANGE & TRAVEL

Every form of transport that relies on carbon-based fuel generates CO2, the main cause of human-induced climate change. Modern travel is dependent on aeroplanes, which might use less fuel per kilometre per person than most cars but travel much greater distances. The altitude at which aircraft emit gases (including CO2) and particles also contributes to their climate change impact. Many websites offer ‘carbon calculators’ that allow people to estimate the carbon emissions generated by their journey and, for those who wish to do so, to offset the impact of the greenhouse gases emitted with contributions to portfolios of climate-friendly initiatives throughout the world. Lonely Planet offsets the carbon footprint of all staff and author travel.

Land

There are plenty of options for entering Italy by train, bus or private vehicle.

Border Crossings

Aside from the coast roads linking Italy with France and Slovenia, border crossings into Italy mostly involve tunnels through the Alps (open year-round) or mountain passes (seasonally closed or requiring snow chains). The list below outlines the major points of entry.

Austria From Innsbruck to Bolzano via A22/E45 (Brenner Pass); Villach to Tarvisio via A23/E55

France From Nice to Ventimiglia via A10/E80 ; Modane to Turin via A32/E70 (Fréjus Tunnel); Chamonix to Courmayeur via A5/E25 (Mont Blanc Tunnel)

Slovenia From Sežana to Trieste via SS58/E70

Switzerland From Martigny to Aosta via SS27/E27 (Grand St Bernard Tunnel); Lugano to Como via A9/E35

Bus

Buses are the cheapest overland option to Italy, but services are less frequent, less comfortable and significantly slower than the train. Eurolines (www.eurolines.com) is a consortium of coach companies with offices throughout Europe. Italy-bound buses head to Milan, Rome, Florence, Siena, Venice and other Italian cities.

Eurolines offers a low-season bus pass (www.eurolines-pass.com) valid for 15/30 days that costs €205/310 (€175/240 for under-26s and senior citizens over 60). This pass allows unlimited travel between 40 European cities, including Milan, Venice, Florence, Siena and Rome. Fares increase to €345/455 (reduced €290/375) in midsummer.

Car & Motorcycle

CONTINENTAL EUROPE

When driving in Europe, always carry proof of vehicle ownership and evidence of third-party insurance. If driving an EU-registered vehicle, your home country insurance is sufficient. Ask your insurer for a European Accident Statement (EAS) form, which can simplify matters in the event of an accident. Every vehicle travelling across an international border should display a nationality plate of its country of registration.

A European breakdown assistance policy is a good investment and can be obtained through the Automobile Club d’Italia.

Italy’s scenic roads are tailor-made for motorcycle touring, and motorcyclists swarm into the country every summer. With a motorcycle you rarely have to book ahead for ferries and can enter restricted-traffic areas in cities. Crash helmets and a motorcycle licence are compulsory. The US-based Beach’s Motorcycle Adventures (www.beachs-mca.com) offers two-week tours through north-central Italy in May and October.

For longer-term auto leasing (14 days or more) or campervan and motorhome hire, check IdeaMerge (www.ideamerge.com) .

UK

You can take your car across to France by ferry or via the Channel Tunnel on Eurotunnel ( 0844 335 35 35; www.eurotunnel.com) . The latter runs four crossings (35 minutes) an hour between Folkestone and Calais in the high season.

For breakdown assistance, both the AA ( in UK 0800 072 3279; www.theaa.com/breakdown-cover) and the RAC ( in UK 0800 015 6000; www.rac.co.uk/euro-breakdown) offer comprehensive cover in Europe.

Train

Regular trains on two western lines connect Italy with France (one along the coast and the other from Turin into the French Alps). Trains from Milan head north into Switzerland and on towards the Benelux countries. Further east, two main lines head for the main cities in Central and Eastern Europe. Those crossing the Brenner Pass go to Innsbruck, Stuttgart and Munich. Those crossing at Tarvisio proceed to Vienna, Salzburg and Prague. The main international train line to Slovenia crosses near Trieste.

Depending on distances covered, rail can be highly competitive with air travel. Those travelling from neighbouring countries to northern Italy will find it is frequently more comfortable, less expensive and only marginally more time-consuming than flying.

Those travelling longer distances (say, from London, Spain, northern Germany or Eastern Europe) will doubtless find flying cheaper and quicker. Bear in mind, however, that the train is a much greener way to go – the same trip by rail can contribute up to 10 times less carbon dioxide emissions per person than by air.

EURAIL & INTERRAIL PASSES

Generally speaking, you’ll need to cover a lot of ground to make a rail pass worthwhile. Before buying, consider where you intend to travel and compare the price of a rail pass to the cost of individual tickets on the Trenitalia (www.trenitalia.com) website.

InterRail (www.interrailnet.com) passes, available online and at most major stations and student-travel outlets, are for people who have been a resident in Europe for more than six months. A Global Pass encompassing 30 countries comes in five versions, ranging from five days’ travel within a 10-day period to a full month’s unlimited travel. There are four age brackets: child (4 to 11), youth (12 to 25), adult (26 to 59) and senior (60+), with different prices for 1st and 2nd class. The InterRail one-country pass for Italy can be used for three, four, six or eight days in one month and does not offer senior discounts. See the website for full price details. Cardholders get discounts on travel in the country where they purchase the ticket.

Eurail (www.eurail.com) passes, available for non-European residents, are good for travel in 22 European countries (not including the UK). They can be purchased online or from travel agencies outside of Europe.

The original Eurail pass, now known as the Global Pass , is valid for a continuous period of 15 days, 21 days, one, two or three months. Youth under 26 are eligible for a 2nd-class pass; all others must buy the more expensive 1st-class pass (offered at half-price for children aged between four and 11).

Eurail offers several alternatives to the traditional Global Pass:

»Two or more people travelling together can save 15% by purchasing the 1st-Class Saver Pass.

»The Global Flexi Pass allows you to choose 10 or 15 days of travel within a two-month period in all 22 Eurail countries.

»The Select Pass allows five to 15 days of travel within a two-month period in three to five bordering countries of your choice.

»The two-country Regional Pass (France/Italy, Spain/Italy or Greece/Italy) allows four to 10 days of travel within a 2-month period in the country pair selected.

»The One Country Pass allows three to 10 days of travel in Italy within a two-month period.

CONTINENTAL EUROPE

The comprehensive European Rail Timetable (UK£13.99), updated monthly, is available from Thomas Cook Publishing (www.thomascookpublishing.com) .

Reservations on international trains to/from Italy are always advisable, and sometimes compulsory. Some international services include transport for private cars. Consider taking long journeys overnight, as the supplemental fare for a sleeper costs substantially less than Italian hotels.

EXPRESS TRAINS TO ITALY FROM CONTINENTAL EUROPE

FROM

TO

FREQUENCY

DURATION (HR)

COST (€)

Geneva

Milan

four daily

4

72

Geneva

Venice

one daily

7

99

Munich

Florence

one nightly

9¼

98

Munich

Rome

one nightly

12¼

132

Munich

Venice

one nightly

9½

94

Paris

Milan

three daily

7

98

Paris

Rome

one nightly

15¼

130

Paris

Venice

one nightly

13

130

Vienna

Milan

one nightly

13

89

Vienna

Rome

one nightly

14

99

Zurich

Milan

seven daily

3¾

65

UK

The passenger train Eurostar ( 08432 186 186; www.eurostar.com) travels between London and Paris, or London and Brussels. Alternatively, you can get a train ticket that includes crossing the Channel by ferry.

For the latest fare information on journeys to Italy, including the Eurostar, contact the Rail Europe Travel Centre ( in UK 08448 484 064; www.raileurope.co.uk) or Rail Choice ( 0871 231 0790; www.railchoice.com) .

Sea

Multiple ferry companies connect Italy with countries throughout the Mediterranean. Many routes only operate in summer, when ticket prices also rise. Prices for vehicles vary according to their size.

The helpful website www.traghettionline.com (in Italian) covers all the ferry companies in the Mediterranean. Another useful resource for ferries from Italy to Greece is www.ferries.gr .

International ferry companies that serve Italy:

Adria Ferries (www.adriaferries.com)

Agoudimos Lines (www.agoudimos.it)

Blue Star Ferries (www.bluestarferries.com)

GNV (Grandi Navi Veloci) ( www.gnv.it)

Grimaldi (www.grimaldi-ferries.com)

Jadrolinija ( www.jadrolinija.hr)

Marmara Lines ( marmara-lines@ferries.gr)

Minoan Lines ( www.minoan.gr)

Montenegro Lines ( www.montenegrolines.net)

Red Star Ferries ( www.redstarferries.com)

SNAV ( www.snav.it)

Superfast ( www.superfast.com)

Tirrenia ( www.tirrenia.it)

Venezia Lines (www.venezialines.com)

Ventouris ( www.ventouris.gr)

Virtu Ferries ( www.virtuferries.com)

See the table on Click here for their destinations.

INTERNATIONAL FERRY ROUTES FROM ITALY

DESTINATION COUNTRY

DESTINATION PORT(S)

ITALIAN PORT(S)

COMPANY

Albania

Durrës

Bari

Ventouris

Durrës

Bari, Ancona

Adria Ferries

Vlora

Brindisi

Red Star Ferries,

Agoudimos Lines

Croatia

Dubrovnik

Bari

Jadrolinija

Hvar, Split

Pescara

SNAV

Split

Ancona

SNAV

Split, Zadar

Ancona

Jadrolinija

Rovinj, Pula, Poreč, Rabac

Venice

Venezia Lines

Greece

Cephalonia, Corfu, Igoumenitsa, Zante

Brindisi

Agoudimos Lines

Corfu, Igoumenitsa, Patras

Bari

Blue Star Ferries, Superfast

Corfu, Igoumenitsa, Patras

Venice, Ancona

Minoan Lines

Corfu,

Igoumenitsa, Patras

Ancona

Blue Star

Igoumenitsa, Patras

Ancona

Superfast

Malta

Valletta

Genoa, Livorno, Palermo

GNV

Valletta

Catania, Civitavecchia

Grimaldi

Valletta

Pozzallo, Catania

Virtu Ferries

Montenegro

Bar

Bari, Ancona

Montenegro Lines

Morocco

Tangiers

Genoa

GNV

Tangiers

Livorno

Grimaldi

Slovenia

Piran

Venice

Venezia Lines

Spain

Barcelona

Genoa

GNV

Barcelona

Civitavecchia, Livorno, Porto Torres

Grimaldi

Tunisia

Tunis

Genoa, Civitavecchia, Palermo

GNV

Tunis

Genoa

Tirrenia

Tunis

Civitavecchia, Palermo, Salerno, Trapani

Grimaldi

Turkey

Çeşme

Ancona

Marmara Lines

GETTING AROUND

Italy’s network of train, bus, ferry and domestic air transport allows you to reach most destinations efficiently and relatively affordably.

With your own vehicle, you’ll enjoy greater freedom, but benzina (petrol) and autostrada (motorway) tolls are expensive and Italian drivers have a style all their own. For many, the stress of driving and parking in urban areas may outweigh the delights of puttering about the countryside. One solution is to take public transport between large cities and rent a car only to reach more-remote rural destinations.

Air

The privatised national airline, Alitalia, is the main domestic carrier. Its many cut-rate competitors within Italy include:

Meridiana (www.meridiana.it) ,

Air One (www.flyairone.it) ,

Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) ,
easyJet (www.easyjet.com) ,

Windjet (www.volawindjet.it)

and AirAlps (www.airalps.at) .

A useful search engine for comparing multiple carriers’ fares and purchasing low-cost domestic flights is AZfly (www.azfly.it) .

Airport taxes are factored into the price of your ticket.

Bicycle

Cycling is very popular in Italy. Bikes are prohibited on the autostrada, but there are few other special road rules.

If bringing your own bike, you’ll need to disassemble and pack it for the journey, and may need to pay an airline surcharge. Make sure to include tools, spare parts and for safety’s sake, a helmet, lights and a secure bike lock.

Bikes can be wheeled onto any domestic train displaying the bicycle logo. Simply purchase a separate bicycle ticket, valid for 24 hours (€3.50). Certain international trains, listed on Trenitalia’s ‘In treno con la bici’ page, also allow transport of assembled bicycles for €12. Bikes dismantled and stored in a bag can be taken for free, even on night trains. Most ferries also allow free bicycle passage.

In the UK, Cyclists’ Touring Club ( 0844 736 8450; www.ctc.org.uk) can help you plan your tour or organise a guided tour. Membership costs £37 for adults, £23 for seniors and £12 for under-18s.

Hire

Both city and mountain bikes are available for hire in most Italian towns. City bikes start at €10/50 per day/week; mountain bikes a bit more. Some municipalities, including Rimini and Ravenna, offer free bikes for visitors, as do a growing number of Italian hotels.

Boat

Navi (large ferries) service Sicily and Sardinia, while traghetti (smaller ferries) and aliscafi (hydrofoils) service the smaller islands. Most ferries carry vehicles; hydrofoils do not.

The main embarkation points for Sicily and Sardinia are Genoa, Livorno, Civitavecchia and Naples. Ferries for Sicily also leave from Villa San Giovanni and Reggio Calabria. The main points of arrival in Sardinia are Cagliari, Arbatax, Olbia and Porto Torres; in Sicily they’re Palermo, Catania, Trapani and Messina.

The comprehensive website TraghettiOnline (www.traghettionline.com, in Italian) includes links to multiple Italian ferry companies, allowing you to compare prices and buy tickets.

Detailed information on ferry prices and times for Sicily can be found on Click here , and for Sardinia on Click here . For other relevant destinations, see the Getting There & Away sections of individual chapters.

On overnight ferries, travellers can book a two- to four-person cabin or a poltrona, which is an airline-type armchair. Deck class (which allows you to sit/sleep in lounge areas or on deck) is available only on some ferries.

Bus

Numerous companies provide bus services in Italy, from meandering local routes to fast and reliable InterCity connections. Buses are usually priced competitively with the train and are often the only way to get to smaller towns.

It’s usually possible to get bus timetables from local tourist offices. In larger cities most of the InterCity bus companies have ticket offices or sell tickets through agencies. In villages and even some good-sized towns, tickets are sold in bars or on the bus.

Advance booking, while not generally required, is advisable for overnight or long-haul trips in high season.

Car & Motorcycle

Italy boasts an extensive privatised network of autostradas , represented on road signs by a white ‘A’ followed by a number on a green background. The main north–south link is the Autostrada del Sole (the ‘Motorway of the Sun’), which extends from Milan to Reggio di Calabria (called the A1 from Milan to Rome, the A2 from Rome to Naples, and the A3 from Naples to Reggio di Calabria).

There are tolls on most motorways, payable by cash or credit card as you exit. For information in English about distances, driving times and fuel costs, see en.mappy.com. Additional information in Italian, including traffic conditions and toll costs, is available at www.autostrade.it.

There are several additional road categories, listed here in descending order of importance.

Strade statali (state highways) Represented on maps by ‘S’ or ‘SS’. Vary from toll-free, four-lane highways to two-lane main roads. The latter can be extremely slow, especially in mountainous regions.

Strade regionali (regional highways connecting small villages) Coded ‘SR’ or ‘R’.

Strade provinciali (provincial highways) Coded ‘SP’ or ‘P’.

Strade locali Often not even paved or mapped.

Automobile Associations

The Automobile Club d’Italia (ACI; www.aci.it) is a driver’s best resource in Italy. For 24-hour roadside emergency service, dial 803116 from a landline or 800 116800 from a mobile phone. Foreigners do not have to join but instead pay a per-incident fee.

Driving Licences

All EU member states’ driving licences are fully recognised throughout Europe. In practice, many non-EU licences (such as Australian, Canadian, New Zealand and US licences) are accepted by car-hire outfits in Italy. Travellers from other countries should obtain an International Driving Permit (IDP) through their national automobile association.

Fuel & Spare Parts

Italy’s petrol prices are among the highest in Europe and vary from one service station (benzinaio, stazione di servizio) to another. As this book went to press, lead-free gasoline ( senza piombo; 95 octane) was averaging €1.57 per litre, with diesel (gasolio) costing €1.44 per litre.

Spare parts are available at many garages or via the 24-hour ACI motorist assistance number, 803116.

Hire

CARS

Pre-booking via the internet often costs less than hiring a car in Italy. Renters must generally be aged 25 or over, with a credit card and home country driving licence or IDP. Consider hiring a small car, which will reduce your fuel expense and help you negotiate narrow city lanes and tight parking spaces.

Check with your credit-card company to see if it offers a Collision Damage Waiver, which covers you for additional damage if you use that card to pay for the car.

Multinational car-rental agencies:

Auto Europe (www.autoeurope.com)

Autos Abroad (www.autosabroad.com)

Avis (www.avisautonoleggio.it)

Budget (www.budgetautonoleggio.it)

Europcar (www.europcar.com)

Hertz (www.hertz.it)

Holiday Cars (www.holidaycars.com)

Italy by Car (www.italybycar.it)

Maggiore (www.maggiore.it)

MOTORCYCLES

Agencies throughout Italy rent motorbikes, ranging from small Vespas to larger touring bikes. Prices start at around €20/140 per day/week for a 50cc scooter, or upwards of €80/400 per day/week for a 650cc motorcycle.

Road Rules

Cars drive on the right side of the road and overtake on the left. Unless otherwise indicated, you must always give way to cars entering an intersection from a road on your right. Seatbelt use (front and rear) is required by law; violators are subject to an on-the-spot fine.

In the event of a breakdown, a warning triangle is compulsory, as is use of an approved yellow or orange safety vest if you leave your vehicle. Recommended accessories include a first-aid kit, spare-bulb kit and fire extinguisher.

Italy’s blood-alcohol limit is 0.05%, and random breath tests take place. If you’re involved in an accident while under the influence, the penalties can be severe.

Speeding fines follow EU standards and are proportionate with the number of kilometres that you are caught driving over the speed limit, reaching up to €2000 with possible suspension of your driving licence. Speed limits are as follows:

Autostradas: 130km/h to 150km/h

Other main highways: 110km/h

Minor, non-urban roads: 90km/h

Built-up areas: 50km/h

On all two-wheeled transport, helmets are required. The speed limit for mopeds is 40km/h. You don’t need a licence to ride a scooter under 50cc but you should be aged 14 or over and you can’t carry passengers or ride on an autostrada. To ride a motorcycle or scooter up to 125cc, you must be aged 16 or over and have a licence (a car licence will do). For motorcycles over 125cc you need a motorcycle licence. Do not venture onto the autostrada with a bike of less than 150cc.

Motorbikes can enter most restricted traffic areas in Italian cities, and traffic police generally turn a blind eye to motorcycles or scooters parked on footpaths.

Headlights are compulsory day and night for all vehicles on the autostradas, and advisable for motorcycles even on smaller roads.

Local Transport

Major cities all have good transport systems, including bus and underground-train networks. In Venice, the main public transport is on vaporetti (small passenger ferries).

Bus & Underground Trains

Purchase bus and metro tickets before boarding and validate them once on board. Passengers with unvalidated tickets are subject to a fine (up to €50 in most cities).

There are extensive metropolitane (metros) in Rome, Milan, Naples and Turin, plus smaller metros in Genoa and Catania and the space-age Minimetrò in Perugia connecting the train station with the city centre. As this book went to press, Turin, Naples and Rome were all significantly expanding their metro systems.

Every city or town of any size has an efficient urbano (urban) and extraurbano (suburban) system of buses. Services are generally limited on Sundays and holidays.

Tickets can be bought from tabaccaio (tobacconist’s shops), newsstands, ticket booths or dispensing machines at bus stations and in metro stations, and usually cost around €1 to €1.30. Most cities offer good-value 24-hour or daily tourist tickets.

Taxi

You can catch a taxi at the ranks outside most train and bus stations, or simply telephone for a radio taxi. Note that radio taxi meters start running from when you’ve called rather than when you’re picked up.

Charges vary somewhat from one region to another. Most short city journeys cost between €10 and €15. Generally, no more than four people are allowed in one taxi.

Train

Trains in Italy are relatively cheap compared with other European countries, and the better train categories are fast and comfortable.

Trenitalia ( 892021 in Italian; www.trenitalia.com) is the partially privatised state train system that runs most services. Other private lines are noted throughout this book.

Countless foreign travellers to Italy learn the hard way that their train tickets must be stamped in the yellow machines (usually found at the head of rail platforms) just before boarding. Failure to do so usually results in fines, although the cry of ‘I didn’t know’ sometimes elicits an indulgent response from ticket controllers. So stamp that ticket!

There are several types of trains. Regionale or interregionale trains stop at all or most stations. InterCity (IC) trains, and their international counterparts known as Eurocity (EC), are faster services that operate between major cities. Even faster pendolini (tilting trains) capable of reaching speeds of 250km to 300km per hour are collectively known as Eurostar Italia (ES).

In late 2009, Italy’s newest, fastest trains – the Alta Velocità (High Speed) services variously known as Frecciarossa, Frecciargento, AV and ESAV – began operating on the Turin–Milan–Bologna–Florence–Rome–Naples–Salerno line, revolutionising train travel on that route. As shown in the table above, AV trains cost almost twice as much as traditional InterCity express trains, but get you to your destination nearly twice as fast.

EXPRESS TRAINS: TIMES & PRICES COMPARED

FROM

TO

FRECCIAROSSA/AV TRAIN

INTERCITY TRAIN

DURATION (HR)

PRICE (€)

DURATION (HR)

PRICE (€)

Turin

Naples

5½

111

9¾

63

Milan

Rome

3½

91

6¾

49.50

Venice

Florence

2

43

3¼

24

Rome

Naples

1½

45

2¼

22

Florence

Bologna

37min

25

1

10.50

Classes & Costs

Prices vary according to the class of service, time of travel and how far in advance you book. Most Italian trains have 1st- and 2nd-class seating; a 1st-class ticket typically costs from a third to half more than the 2nd-class ticket.

Travel on InterCity, Eurostar and Alta Velocità trains means paying a supplement, determined by the distance you are travelling and included in the ticket price. If you have a standard ticket for a slower train and end up hopping on an IC train, you’ll have to pay the difference on board. (You can only board a Eurostar or Alta Velocità train if you have a booking, so the problem does not arise in those cases.)

Reservations

Reservations are obligatory on Eurostar and AV trains. Otherwise they’re not and, outside of peak holiday periods, you should be fine without them. You can make reservations at railway station counters, travel agents and, when they haven’t broken down, at the automated machines sprinkled around most stations. Reservations carry a small extra fee.

Trenitalia offers a variety of advance purchase discounts. The Mini fare offers significant price reductions for express trains within Italy, while Smart Price, Smart and Moove fares offer similar discounts on international tickets. Seats are limited, refunds and changes are highly restricted, and tickets must be purchased anywhere from two to 30 days in advance. For full details see www.trenitalia.com (in Italian).

Train Passes

Trenitalia offers various discount passes, including the Carta Verde for youth and Carta d’Argento for seniors, but these are mainly useful for residents or long-term visitors, as they only pay for themselves with regular use over an extended period.

More interesting for short-term visitors are Eurail and InterRail passes.

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OUR READERS

Many thanks to the travellers who used the last edition and wrote to us with helpful hints, useful advice and interesting anecdotes: Carrie Aewsnan, Andrea, Patrik Åqvist, Paola Artuso, David Barkai, Nikki Buran, Mathilde Cambron, S Cenin, Martina Cerna, Anirvan Chatterjee, Anne Cholin, Francesco Cisternino, Colin and Laura, Jane Costelloe, Graham Courtenay, Peter Dean, Rachel Dechezeaux, Spiros Divaris, Matteo Donzelli, Claudia Duerrbeck, Mirco Dugaria, Jane Dyer, Eve Eichenberger, Idil Elveris, Tanja Gabler, Francesca Giorgi, Dan Giovannucci, John Glasgow, Lee Harrison, Tamara Herbert, Jos Hertecant, Ulrik Hoeg, Marcus How, Theodore Hudec, Kathy Hull, Dusica Ivetic, Bryony Kayes, Kair Keller, Dr Stephen Kerr, Unni Kjus Aahlin, Jeff Klein, Andrzej Kolbiarz, Gabriel Ledger, Giulia Luise, Petr Malcik, Martina and Ronen, Mike McCormack, Leone McDermott, Julia McGuigan, Jo Meredith, Carolina Morala Segret, Oren Moravchik, Alice Mozley, Becky Munday, Kimberly Murphy, Youry Na, Marzena Nycowie, Lorraine O’Keeffe, Maria Oliverio, Judy Packard, Marta Papini, Leo Paton, Sheila Paul, Anne Pincus, Sue Pon, Anne Rajamäki, Stephen Reeve, Fernanda Regaldo, Diana Renard, John Runeckles, Carmel Salvemini, Tobias Schmidt, Ben Sherreard, Agnes Soong, Giuliana and Luca Spiri, Robert Stofferson, Xin Sui, Gavin Tanguay, Amanda Thomas, Kristi Weaver, Virginia Wise, Susanne and Jan Wiznerowicz, Sekeun Yu.

AUTHOR THANKS

Paula Hardy

Creating this book was a huge team effort and I’d like to thank all my incredibly dedicated co-authors for their ability to find the very best that Italy has to offer. Doors opened in Milan and beyond because of the generosity of Claudio & Paola Bonacina, Paola Cairo, Angelo Proietti, Isabella Albertazzi, Dario Monti, Marco Roverso, Emanuele Ficchì, Deborah Favaron, Giovanni at Foresteria Monforte and Anatolij Miljanovic. Thanks also to @eraptopoulos and @margoveremeenko. Last, but never least, thank you to Rob, for being such a gallant gourmet. It was a blast.

Alison Bing

Mille grazie e tanti baci a le mie famiglie a Roma and stateside, the Bings, Ferrys and Marinuccis; Venezia intelligentsia Francesca Forni, Cristina Bottero, Rosanna Corró, Giovanni d’Este, Francesco and Matteo Pinto, and Gianantonio de Vincenzo; intrepid co-authors, especially Robert Landon and Paula Hardy; ma sopra tutto a Marco Flavio Marinucci.

Abigail Blasi

Molte grazie to Luca, Gabriel and Jack, to Anna and Marcello, and Carlotta and Alessandro for all their help in Rome, and thank you to Mum and Dad for all their help with the boys. A huge thank you to the unparalleled Barbara Lessona for all her kind assistance, and thanks to Paola Zagnarelli, Stéphanie Santini, Alessandro Sauda, Francesca Mazzà and Elizabeth Minchili for all their help with research.

Cristian Bonetto

A heartfelt grazie to my wonderful re e regina di Napoli, as well as to the incredibly generous Luca Coda, Valentina Vellusi, Carmine Romano, Marcantonio Colonna, Diego Nuzzo, Voza family, Domenico Rotella, Donatello Ciao, Luigi Mosca, Mirella Armiero, Francesco Calazzo, Carolyn Jackson, Peter Bardwell and Carlo Buono. A big thank you to Paula Hardy and my talented, ever-diligent cowriters.

Kerry Christiani

Mille grazie to the warm, hospitable locals I met on the road in Sardinia. Enormous thanks to Tonino Tosciri and his sister Maria Angela in Baunei for their friendship and insight. Many thanks to outdoor pros Peter and Anne at the Lemon House in Lotzorai, to climbing expert Corrado Conca for his arrampicata tips and to Maria Antonietta Goddi at Durke, Cagliari, for sweet inspiration. Finally, big thanks to my husband and brilliant travel companion, Andy Christiani.

Gregor Clark

Thanks to all the kind-hearted Italians who helped make this trip so memorable, especially Michele in Taormina, Angela in Palermo, Marisin and Salvatore in Scopello, Francesco in Modica, as well as fellow travellers Susan Morgan, France Soucy, Lucia Tancredi and Ross Parks. Thanks to Wes for joining me on the Aeolians and helping me renew my Stromboli obsession. Finally, warm hugs to Gaen, Meigan and Chloe, who always make returning home the happiest part of the trip.

Joe Fullman

Big thanks to my parents for putting me up, Marco for the car, Charlie and Emma for companionship, Carlo for his invaluable tips, Mike and Natasha for food, Charles and Cynthia for more food, and everyone in Italy (and beyond) who took the time to talk to me, write to me, answer my queries, recommend things to me, point me in the right direction and generally help me out as I made my convoluted way around the region.

Duncan Garwood

Grazie to everybody who helped me out on this job. A big thank you to Silvia Prosperi for her expert guidance and generous tip-sharing and to Barbara Nazzaro and Piero Meogrossi for their fascinating insights into the Colosseum. Thanks also to Al Rumjen for his company in Testaccio. I’d also like to thank fellow author Abi Blasi and coordinating maestro Paula Hardy. Finally, and as always, a huge hug to Lidia, Ben and Nick.

Robert Landon

Grazie mille for the on-the-road companionship of Caterina Enni, Marco Mazzoni, Neri Torrigiani and Fernanda Drummond; insights and hospitality of Stefano Piovesan, Donata Grimani, Pamela Berry, Stefano, and Filippo Barusco; long-distance connections made by Nancy Pietrafesa and Susan Filter; and the patient forbearance of Thiago Fico. Special thanks to Alison Bing for too many things. And Mom: Venice was our last international destination; I felt you with me this time, too, each step of the way.

Vesna Maric

My thanks go to Rafael and Frida, and a gracias to Susana. Velika hvala to my mother. Thanks very much to Kerry Christiani. In Sardinia, thank you to Francesca Vanoni Pugni and Carla Cani. Big grazie to Alessandra and Simone. In memory of baby Sveva.

Virginia Maxwell

Greatest thanks to my travelling partners on this job: Peter and Max Handsaker, Ryan Ver Berkmoes, and Giancarlo and Margie Paolucci. Thanks also to Ilaria Crescioli, Roberta Romoli, Chiara Olmastroni, Sara Caprarotta, Roberta Vichi, Chiara Ponzuoli, Luigina Benci, Cecilia Rosa and Caterina Bencistà Falorni. Author colleagues Nicola Williams and Paula Hardy were great to work with. Finally, thanks to Freya Middleton, Filippo Giabboni and Robert Landon for the great dinner in Florence!

Olivia Pozzan

Warmest thanks go to my parents, both of whom passed away during the production of this book. They came from Due Ville, near Vicenza in the Veneto, emigrating to Australia after their marriage. I thank them for many things – fostering my adventurous nature, the independence afforded by an Australian upbringing, pride in my Italian heritage and encouraging all my endeavours. Heartfelt thanks to Andrew who shared my joys and sorrows and whose patience and support carried me through difficult times.

Brendan Sainsbury

Many thanks to all the untold train guards, bus drivers, tourist info volunteers, restaurateurs and innocent bystanders who helped me during my research and to Paula Hardy for being a supportive coordinating author. Special thanks to Cristiana Grimaldi for her Barolo wisdom, and to my wife Liz and five-year-old son Kieran for their company all over Emilia-Romagna and the northwest.

Donna Wheeler

Warm welcomes and good advice were in abundance during my travels. Thanks to: Hans and the gang in Bolzano, Emanuela Grandi for excellent Trento tips, Linda Marcuzzi at Turismo FVG for many insights, Maurizio for Trieste recommendations (and haircare counsel), Carolina Lantieri in Gorizia, and kindred bianchista Wayne Young for his spirited input. Love and gratitude to Joe Guario (good job with the Fiat 500 on those hairy high-altitude passes), Biba for her back-seat beatitude, and to darling Rumer, so far away.

Nicola Williams

Heartfelt thanks to those who helped me delve into the Tuscan heart: in Florence, Doreen and daughter Francesca Privitera (Hotel Scoti), fashion stylist Jennifer Tattanelli, father Georgio and assistant Olga (Casini Firenze), Alessio (Hotel Cestelli), Vasaria Corridor guide Michele Colloca (Florencetown), Ilaria Crescioli (Toscana Promozione), Roberta Romoli (APT) and guide extraordinaire Freya Middleton. Elsewhere, Guido Manfredi (Barbialla Nuova), Fabrizio Quochi (Pisa), Francesca Geppetti (Livorno), Kristin Walton (Lucca), @allafiorentina, @emikodavies, @Morgannelefay13. And last but not least, my tireless, ever-fabulous travel companions Matthias, Niko, Mischa and Kaya Lüfkens.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Climate map data adapted from Peel MC, Finlayson BL & McMahon TA (2007) ‘Updated World Map of the Köppen-Geiger Climate Classification’, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 11, 163344.

Illustrations Click here, Click here, Click here and Click here by Javier Zarracina.

Cover photograph: Ponte di Rialto, Venice; Da Ros Luca/4Corners.

THIS BOOK

This 10th edition of Lonely Planet’s Italy guidebook was researched and written by Paula Hardy, Alison Bing, Abigail Blasi, Cristian Bonetto, Kerry Christiani, Gregor Clark, Joe Fullman, Duncan Garwood, Robert Landon, Vesna Maric, Virginia Maxwell, Olivia Pozzan, Brendan Sainsbury, Donna Wheeler and Nicola Williams. This guidebook was commissioned in Lonely Planet’s London office, and produced by the following:

Commissioning Editor Joe Bindloss

Coordinating Editor Sophie Splatt

Coordinating Cartographer Valentina Kremenchutskaya

Coordinating Layout Designer Lauren Egan

Managing Editors Imogen Bannister, Anna Metcalfe, Tasmin Waby McNaughtan

Managing Cartographer Amanda Sierp

Managing Layout Designers Chris Girdler, Jane Hart

Assisting Editors Andrew Bain, Peter Cruttenden, Kim Hutchins, Alan Murphy, Christopher Pitts

Assisting Cartographers Enes Basic, Karusha Ganga, Eve Kelly, James Leversha

Assisting Layout Designers Adrian Blackburn, Nicholas Colicchia, Jessica Rose, Kerrianne Southway

Cover Research Naomi Parker

Internal Image Research Aude Vauconsant

Illustrator Javier Zarracina

Language Content Annelies Mertens, Branislava Vladisavljevic

Thanks to Sasha Baskett, Glenn Beanland, Elin Berglund, Brendan Dempsey, Brigitte Ellemor, Bruce Evans, Justin Flynn, Briohny Hooper, Gabrielle Innes, Andi Jones, Trent Paton, Averil Robertson, Dianne Schallmeiner, Rebecca Skinner, Navin Sushil, John Taufa, Juan Winata

Many of the images in this guide are available for licensing from Lonely Planet Images: www.lonelyplanetimages.com.

Ebook thanks to

Ross Butler, John Carney, Hunor Csutoros, Samantha Curcio, Mark Germanchis, Liz Heynes, Matt Langley, Chris Lee Ack, Nic Lehman, Corine Liang, Ross Macaw, Douglas McClurg, Piers Pickard, Lachlan Ross, the team at Textech

OUR STORY

A beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies. Lonely Planet was born.

Today, Lonely Planet has offices in Melbourne, London and Oakland, with more than 600 staff and writers. We share Tony’s belief that ’a great guidebook should do three things: inform, educate and amuse’.

Our Writers

Paula Hardy

Coordinating Author, Plan Your Trip, Milan & the Lakes Paula has worked on Lonely Planet’s Italy guide for over 10 years, both as commissioning editor (2006–2010) and as a contributor. In that time she has heroically enjoyed thousands of dishes of pasta, scaled exploding volcanoes and trekked up and down the Apennines and the Alps, from Italy’s Puglian heel to Lombardy’s lofty lakes. When she’s not scooting around the bel paese, she writes on north and east Africa (where she grew up), contributes to Lonely Planet Magazine and writes for a variety of travel publications and websites. You can find her tweeting @paula6hardy.

Alison Bing

Venice & the Veneto When not scribbling notes in church pews and methodically eating her way across Venice, Alison contributes to Lonely Planet’s Venice & the Veneto , USA , San Francisco and Morocco guides from home bases in San Francisco and central Italy. Alison holds degrees in art history and international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, a joint program of Tufts and Harvard Universities – perfectly respectable credentials she regularly undermines with opinionated culture commentary for newspapers, magazines, TV and radio.

Abigail Blasi

Rome & Lazio Abigail moved to Rome in 2003 and lived there for three years; she got married alongside Lago di Bracciano and her first son was born there. Nowadays she divides her time between Rome, Puglia and London. She worked on three editions of Lonely Planet’s Italy and Rome guides, wrote the Best of Rome , and cowrote the first edition of Puglia & Basilicata . She also regularly writes about Italy for various publications, including Lonely Planet Magazine , Wanderlust and i-escape.com.

Cristian Bonetto

Naples & Campania, Eat & Drink Like a Local, Understand Italy As an ex-writer of farce and TV soap, it’s not surprising that Cristian clicks with Campania. The Italo-Australian writer has been hooked on the region for years, his musings on it appearing in print from Sydney to London. Cristian has contributed to a dozen Lonely Planet titles, including Naples & the Amalfi Coast, Rome Encounter and Copenhagen Encounter . When he’s not putting on weight in Italy, chances are you’ll find him guzzling coffee in New York, Scandinavia or his hometown, Melbourne.

Kerry Christiani

Sardinia Kerry’s relationship with Sardinia began one hazy summer when she embarked on a grand tour of Italy in a 1960s bubble caravan. She’s still taken with the island’s gorgeous beaches, high-altitude hiking, prehistoric sites and culinary oddities today. Born in the UK and based in Germany, Kerry’s itchy feet have taken her to six continents, inspiring articles for Lonely Planet and BBC Olive magazines, and some 20 guidebooks, including Lonely Planet Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France . You can see her latest work at www.kerrychristiani.com.

Gregor Clark

Sicily, Survival Guide Gregor caught the Italy bug at age 14 during a year in Florence in which his professor dad trundled the family off to see every fresco, mosaic and museum within a 1000km radius. He’s lived in Venice and Le Marche, led northern Italian bike tours, and huffed and puffed across the Dolomites while researching Lonley Planet’s Cycling Italy . Highlights of his latest Sicily trip include celebrating his birthday at Segesta and racing up Etna at sunset to see an unexpected eruption.

Joe Fullman

Umbria & Le Marche A Londoner by birth, Joe’s first experience of Italy was being dragged along on a family holiday to Tuscany. These days, Joe tends to be the one doing the dragging, trying to convince almost everyone he meets to visit northern Umbria, site of the new family home. A travel writer for the best part of a decade and a half now, Joe has written and contributed to numerous guidebooks, including Lonely Planet’s Turkey .

Duncan Garwood

Rome & Lazio After more than a decade living in Rome, Duncan is still fascinated by the city’s incomparable beauty and hidden depths. He has worked on the last four Rome city guides and contributed to a raft of Lonely Planet’s Italy titles, as well as newspapers and magazines. Each job throws up special memories and this time it was going behind the scenes at the Vatican Museums and visiting a chapel that’s usually closed to the public.

Robert Landon

Venice & the Veneto Since first crossing from congested Piazzale Roma into car-free Venice, Robert has been hooked on the watery city. He’s returned many times and in every season, from snowy February to sweltering August; its charms never diminish. However, it was albino asparagus and Valpolicella reds that had him writing home on his most recent trip. Currently based in Rio de Janeiro, he has also written for the London Daily Telegraph , the Los Angeles Times and Dwell magazine.

Vesna Maric

Sardinia Vesna’s love of Mediterranean islands was enhanced by the spring flowers and tranquil virgin beaches of Sardinia. She researched the island’s western half with her partner and one-year-old daughter, and can vouch for the incredible child-friendliness of the Sardinians.

Virginia Maxwell

Florence & Tuscany Based in Australia, Virginia spends part of every year in Italy indulging her passions for history, art, architecture, food and wine. She is the coordinating author of Lonely Planet’s Florence & Tuscany and Sicily guidebooks, and covers other parts of the country for the Western Europe guide. Though reticent to nominate a favourite Italian destination (arguing that they’re all wonderful), she’ll usually nominate Tuscany if pressed.

Olivia Pozzan

Abruzzo & Molise; Puglia, Basilicata & Calabria Although born and raised in Australia, Olivia’s Italian heritage continually draws her back to the ‘home country’. Having contributed to Lonely Planet’s Puglia & Basilicata guide, she was keen to revisit the region to face a delicious onslaught of pasta, pizza and red wine. As an adventurous outdoors enthusiast, she has hiked mountain ranges, led caving expeditions and worked for an Arabian prince. When not exploring the world’s most exotic places she lives the Aussie beach lifestyle, and is a practising veterinarian.

Brendan Sainsbury

Turin, Piedmont & the Italian Riviera; Emilia-Romagna & San Marino An expat Brit now living in Vancouver, Brendan first visited Italy in the 1980s; he ran out of soldi in Venice and had to navigate his way back to London on a budget of £5. In 1992, he returned slightly richer, with a bike, and sprinted to Sestriere just in time to see his Italian cycling hero, Claudio Chiappucci, nab a legendary Tour de France stage victory. As well contributing to two editions of this guidebook, Brendan is the sole author of Lonely Planet’s Hiking in Italy .

Donna Wheeler

Trento & the Dolomites, Friuli Venezia Giulia The northeastern border regions were Donna Wheeler’s dream assignment: all that complex history, mountains, the sea, plus Austro-Hungarian cake and spectacular white wine. Donna has travelled to Italy for two decades and has been based in the country’s north for the last year. She was author of the first Milan Encounter guide, as well as several other Lonely Planet titles. An erstwhile editor and producer, she now writes on food, art and architecture for several travel publications and at donnaelizabethwheeler.com.

Nicola Williams

Florence & Tuscany Nicola is a British writer. She lives on the shores of Lake Geneva, an easy getaway to Italy where she’s spent years eating her way around the country and revelling in its extraordinary art and landscape. This time around she travelled with camera in hand to catch it on film, too. Nicola has worked on numerous Lonely Planet titles, including Florence & Tuscany, Milan , Turin & Genoa and Piedmont . She blogs at tripalong.wordpress.com and tweets @Tripalong.

Published by Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

ABN 36 005 607 983

10th edition – December 2011

ISBN 978 1 74220 701 8

© Lonely Planet 2011 Photographs © as indicated 2011

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