From the Dolomites to Sicily: readers’ favourite unsung places in Italy

With the Etruscans in Lazio

The Tuscia area of northern Lazio, within easy reach of Rome, is a quiet oasis of history and geography: from the papal palace in Viterbo, follow winding roads through rolling green hills of oak forests and hazelnut orchards to the stone monsters of Bomarzo park, prehistoric cave homes in the nearby gorges and the high art of Caprarola town. But my favourite place is Civita di Bagnoregio, a fortress town on a volcanic plug, with views to distant crater lakes.
Lucy

The power of art, Rome

One of Rome’s most interesting, but low profile, art galleries is the Centrale Montemartini. This former power station now houses Roman and Greek statues and mosaics, nestled among the industrial equipment. It’s easy to get to, just a few minutes’ walk from the Garbatella metro. When we visited, in high season, there were only half a dozen other visitors in the whole museum, so it felt like we had the place to ourselves. It was so relaxing after the bustle of the city centre.
Michelle Elsden

Fresh food and air in Sicily

Novara di Sicilia in north-east Sicily is a picturesque mountain village rich in history. Its position commands fantastic views, its inhabitants are extraordinarily friendly, the mountain air is fresh and the cobbled alleys tell of centuries of conquerors past. Local restaurants serve traditional cuisine such as arancini, pasta alla Norma (with tomato and aubgergine) and cannoli. We particularly enjoyed the restaurant in the Norman castle ruins, which had breathtaking views to the sea. There’s a baker, a biscotti maker, a delicatessen, cafes, bars, a post office, a theatre, a festival almost every weekend during the summer and – we found – no crowds.
Neil Masey

Peninsula of plenty, Puglia

We tagged a three-day visit to the Gargano peninsula on to a tour of Puglia, and it turned out to be the highlight of the holiday. The peninsula is largely untouched by tourism. It has impressive geology, fine beaches and stunning towns, including fascinating Monte Sant’Angelo and San Giovanni Rotondo, which were filled with pilgrims on the Sunday we visited. Between Vieste and Peschici, on the Adriatic coast, we saw the trabucchi – intriguing fishing platforms on stilts with ancient origins, some of which have restaurants attached. We ate a wonderful evening meal with the waves gently lapping around us at Al Trabucco da Mimi outside Peschici (book ahead).
Derek

Battlefield paths of the ‘little’ Dolomites

Many will be familiar with the Dolomite mountains, but fewer will have heard of their little sisters, the Piccole Dolomiti, further south. The area is steeped in history, representing the frontline between Austria and Italy during the first world war, with a huge number of paths established by armies. This makes for an incredible range of hiking opportunities, including the historic Strada delle 52 Gallerie (Path of the 52 tunnels), with breathtaking views. The Ossario del Pasubio is a poignant mountaintop monument containing the bones of many fallen soldiers.
Rachel

Spa town and super cheese, near Bergamo

The Val Brembana, north of Bergamo, in the Orobic Alps is a brilliant place to visit. In San Pellegrino Terme you can enjoy the art nouveau architecture or soak in its renowned thermal bath. Carona offers a picturesque setting and a great base for hikes in the mountains. In Branzi you can enjoy the eponymous cheese and a great selection of mountain game. Come winter you can enjoy a more affordable Italian ski resort experience at Foppolo. Whatever time of year it is, it’s lovely to stroll along the streets of San Giovanni Bianco and Piazza Brembana watching the River Brembo flowing by. All this only a short train journey from Bergamo itself.
Roberto Biondo

Sunflowers and salumi near Parma

Castell’Arquato is a beautiful medieval town in the Val d’Arda foothills, about 20 miles from Parma, dominated by its majestic Rocca Viscontea fortress and surrouonded by sunflowers on the plain in summer. At the foot of the town are two car parks, from where you can walk up through the archway and along cobbled streets and alleyways to enjoy the panorama and visit the fortress, the neighbouring Romanesque church and opposite, the Palazzo del Podestà, where art exhibitions are held. On the way, you will pass the Luigi Illica (librettist) museum, the Museo Geologico with its prehistoric whales and dolphins remains, and a wealth of restaurants and enoteche – wine bars – where you can sample salumi and the local red wine, gutturnio or white ortrugo.
Patricia

Spontaneous guided walks, Aeolian islands

Salina is one of the volcanic Aeolian islands – its craters are no longer active, but it has great views of Stromboli, which erupts constantly. A few years ago property developers attempted to buy a mountainside outside the village of Leni, but a group of islanders pooled their savings and persuaded the landowner to let them buy the land instead – there is nothing there now but a bothy and a few olive trees. They run guided walks (along paths they maintain themselves) to watch the sunset over the nearby islands of Filicudi and Alicudi, followed by a barbecue, wine and singing at the bothy. Then they dish out head torches and lead everyone back to the village. It’s all absolutely authentic – the islanders enjoy themselves as much as the guests – and remains my best memory of the island. No website: ask about the walks at the bakery in Leni (or the beach bar down at the port, Rinella).
Ros

Butterflies and a beautiful bay, Calabria

San Nicola Arcella is a small town on the cliffs overlooking Dino island in a beautiful bay on the Calabrian coast, about a two-hour drive south of Naples. It’s a wonderful Calabrian town with live music every weekend, black sand beaches and great swimming in the clear waters. There’s a lovely old villa (Palazzo dei Principi Lanza di Trabia), a Saracen fort (now named Torre Crawford after US-Italian writer Frances Marion Crawford, who used to stay there) and hills with glorious views and, on some days in spring and summer, myriad butterflies. We counted 30 different kinds on one walk in a lovely valley. The local food is delicious too, especially the ricotta. A glorious place in summer.
Peter Kent

Winning tip: villages and hills near Padua

An hour from Venice, and just south of Padua, is the beautiful Euganean hills regional park, a natural paradise of lush forests, cute hill villages, thermal springs and vineyards. From Monselice train station, a tranquil three-mile walk takes you to the village of Arquà Petrarca, home of the 14th-century poet Francesco Petrarca. The southern park boundary is the fort town of Este, while for vistas I went to Teolo in the north and 603-metre Monte Venda – the highest of these volcanic hills – in the west. Buses from Padua traverse the more remote areas, while frequent trains serve Monselice and the spa town of Abano Terme. We followed the Strada del Vino, which helped us really soak up the food, drink and atmosphere of this wonderful area.
Matt Lunt

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