Calabria is a narrow peninsula that stretches for 154 mi (248 km) from north to south. It borders the region of Basilicata to the north. It is surrounded by the Ionian Sea to the east and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west.

To the south-west the Strait of Messina separates Calabria from the island of Sicily, which at its narrowest point is only about 2mi (3.2 km).

Where Is Calabria, Italy Located on the Map?

What is the Capital of Calabria, Italy?

The capital of Calabria, Italy, is Catanzaro. With about 91.000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest town in the region by population.

The capital of Calabria, Catanzaro, used to be known as the City of the three V because of three distinctive features.

1. Vitaliano: Its patron saint, San Vitaliano, Saint Vitalian in English.
2. Vento: The constant and strong wind, vento in Italian, from the Ionian Sea and the mountainous plateau of La Sila.
3. Velluto: Catanzaro was an important silk center since Byzantine times. VVV was the symbol that identified the fine silks, velvets, damasks, and brocades made in Catanzaro.

Map of Calabria Region, Italy

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about Calabria, Italy

What is the population of Calabria, Italy?

The population of Calabria, Italy, is approximately 1,900,000 inhabitants

How Many Provinces Are In Calabria, Italy?

Calabria is divided into four provinces, and one metropolitan city.

What Are The Provinces Of Calabria Italy?

The four provinces are Cosenza, Catanzaro, Crotone, and Vibo Valentia, and the metropolitan city, Reggio Calabria.

Where Is Reggio Calabria In Italy?

Reggio Calabria is located on the toe of the Italian Peninsula, on the slopes of the rugged Aspromonte mountain range. It is separated from the island of Sicily by the Strait of Messina.

With approximately 180,000 inhabitants, Reggio di Calabria is the largest and most populous city in Calabria. It is the capital of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria which replaced the province of Reggio Calabria in 2017.

How Do You Pronounce Calabria, Italy?

kah-LAH-bree-ah.

How Big Is Calabria, Italy?

Calabria covers 5,877 sq mi (15,221 km²).

To put it into perspective, it is about the same size as the state of Connecticut, USA, which is 5,543 sq mi (14,357 km²).

How Old Is Calabria, Italy?

Calabria has one of the oldest records of human presence in Italy. The first traces date back to the Old Stone Age.

How Far Is Calabria, Italy, from Rome?

The road distance between Rome and Reggio di Calabria is 437 mi (703.8 km). The distance (in a straight line) is 310 mi (500 km). The train from Roma Termini to Reggio Calabria Centrale takes almost 5 hours.

What is the Calabria, Italy, Flag?

The flag of Calabria contains four symbols representing Calabria: the black pine, the Doric capital, the Byzantine cross and the cross potent.

• The black pine represents the natural beauty of Calabria.
• The Doric capital is a symbol of the splendid age of Magna Graecia and its legacy.
• To the left, the Byzantine cross recalls the time in which Calabria was part of the Byzantine empire and represented, together with Puglia, a bridge between the West and the East.
• To the right, the cross potent recalls the bravery of the Calabrian crusaders that fought during the First Crusade.

What is the Nearest Airport to Calabria, Italy?

Calabria is served by three airports.

• Lamezia Terme International Airport, located in Lamezia Terme, is the main airport in Calabria regarding the number of passengers per year.
• A second airport, Reggio Calabria Airport, also known as Aeroporto dello Stretto, is located in Reggio, about 3 miles (5 km) south from the city center. It can be accessed by car or public transport.
• The third is the small Aeroporto di Crotone that is only used during the summer season. It is also accessible by car or the local bus service.

What Is The Weather In Calabria Italy?

The coastal areas of Calabria feature a typical Mediterranean climate.

The east coast of Calabria is warmer than the west coast. It also rains more on the west coast than on the east coast.

What Is The Temperature In Calabria Italy?

During the summer months coastal areas have an average high of 86 °F (30 °C ) and during the winter months an average low of 46.5 °F (8 °C ).

Does It Snow In Calabria Italy?

In the coastal areas of Calabria, it does not snow, but mountain areas like Sila or Pollino have frequent snow during winter.

Snow in Calabria, Italy

Interesting, Fun Facts About Calabria, Italy

• Natives of Calabria are called Calabrian in English and calabrese in Italian.
• Calabria is mostly mountainous (42%) or hilly (49%). Plains occupy only 9% of the peninsula’s territory.
• Calabria has three impressive mountain ranges: Pollino, La Sila and Aspromonte.
• The massif of Pollino is a part of the Pollino National Park, the largest national park in Italy.
• The Pollino mountains are home to the rare Bosnian Pine.
• The plateau of La Sila is said to have the purest air in Europe. It houses the spectacular Sila National Park with very rich biodiversity and stunning natural wonders. It features the Giants of the Sila, the tallest trees in Italy that can reach up to 130 ft (40 m) in height.
• The Corsican Pine or Black Pine is native to Sila. The Ancient Roman poet Virgil already discussed the vast areas of Sila covered with pines.
• Calabria is home to the Griko people also known as Grecanici. They are an ethnic Greek community in Southern Italy and have been able to preserve to some extent their original Greek language, identity, and distinct heritage.
• Greek people arrived in Southern Italy in different waves of migrations, from the ancient Greek colonization of Southern Italy and Sicily in the 8th century BC through to the Byzantine Greek migrations of the 15th century.
• Although its name changed with major historical phases, Reggio Calabria is the oldest city in Calabria. It has a 3,500-year history. The Greek City of Rhegion was a thriving colony of Magna Graecia from the 8th to the 3rd centuries BC.
• During the 1908 Messina and Reggio earthquake the city of Reggio was almost totally destroyed and many people died. It is for this reason that it features a modern urban system.
• Reggio Calabria is home to one of the most important archeological museums in Italy, the National Museum of Magna Graecia. It houses two of the few surviving full-size ancient Greek bronzes, the Riace Warriors, that were found in the sea near Riace in 1972.

However, even if you never read a Brunetti novel before, any of the books in the series can be a straightforward entry into the intriguing world of Commissario Guido Brunetti.

Have you ever wondered why Donna Leon books have become so wildly popular worldwide?

1. One of the reasons could be that the Brunetti series is set in such a magical Italian city as Venice.
2. Also, the fact that the Venetian social scene functions as one of the heroes of the novels next to Commissario Brunetti, which makes them much more interesting and captivating.

Donna Leon Brunetti Novels In Chronological Order

Italy has a unique, almost magical attraction, and Venice even more so. In Donna Leon Brunetti novels you deeply experience, even breathe Venice and Italy and the political and moral dilemmas of the country. Donna Leon doesn’t shy away from today’s difficult subjects.

Non Fiction Books and Standalone Novels by Donna Leon

If you would like to keep a diary while in Venice, Italy…

Or read Donna Leon Brunetti Novels In Order.

1. A travel journal can be a tool for self-growth – Traveling is already a life school in itself. Keeping a travel notebook during your trip will make you more alert and even more focused. You will probably learn more about yourself, your capabilities and limits in two weeks in Italy than in a whole year at home.
2. Immortalizing your personal records – You don’t want to rely exclusively on your memory because even if you think you will remember, you will not. If you use your travel diary to write down your unique Italian experiences, the amazing works of art you saw, the places you visit, the friends you make and the food you ate you will not allow your experiences to vanish.
3. A handy time-killer – A travel journal helps you fight boredom or restlessness during long waits for a bus or train, in airports, or when you are eating alone if you are a solo traveler. Besides, jotting down a few words on your diary is more creative and expressive (and probably healthier) than staring at your smartphone all the time.
4. A patient, understanding friend – If you had a not-so-perfect day or perhaps one of those unfortunate travel incidents that go with the territory, you can vent and rant as much as you like, your Italy travel journal will not complain as a travel partner would after a while.
5. Your doodles are valuable – Adding sketches and little drawings to your diary will make your Italy trip more vivid —now and later on.
6. It helps you to show off – When you get home all the details you have nurtured in your secret Italian diary will make your accounts of your Italy trip much more intriguing, interesting and even more seductive for your friends and the family members that didn’t travel with you.
7. Great for family gatherings – If you are young, when you have kids and tell them about your Italy journeys (that you will remember perfectly thanks to your travel journal) you will share golden moments together, and if you are not so young, you will have the happiest of times with your grandchildren.

Remember that your Italy travel journal can be as serious or as playful as you want it to be. It’s up to you!

How to Write a Travel Journal

• Don’t be self-conscious. Go ahead and write! You simply write down whatever you feel like writing, as short or as long as you want it to be without passing judgment. If it’s a list of things, it’s fine, if it’s two words as a reminder, it`s also fine. Just jot something down!
• A journal is not a book and nobody is going to read it unless you want to. You are not competing for a Pulitzer Price. The grammar doesn’t have to be absolutely perfect and you aren’t writing a novel where everything has to be coherent and be there for a reason.
• Do not be afraid to add drawings too, they don’t have to be museum-grade works of art, they are for your private enjoyment only. You will remember more about the place and how you felt with your humble doodles than with fifty smartphone pictures of the same place taken absentmindedly.
• If you are not used to writing and blank pages intimidate you, start by jotting down notes about the places and the attractions you saw and the people you met, write whatever springs to mind this very instant.
• Italy, Rome, Venice, Lake Garda, Lake Como, Tuscany, Sicily or Naples feature so many wonders, such delicious food… that it is almost impossible that you don’t come up with something to write in your Italy travel notebook.
• Start with brief comments and in time your notes and reflections will get longer and deeper without you even trying. Perhaps keeping a travel journal will be the first step to a regular daily journal. Keeping a diary can help a lot to cope with life and to be mindful.

Your Italy travel journal will survive you. Isn’t this a cool legacy for the younger generations of your family?

Guido Brunetti is a Venetian through and through and the Commissario Brunetti books are all set in Venice, Italy with a few developments in places such as the Dolomite mountains or inland Mestre, but they are the exceptions.

The detailed portrait of Venice and Venetian society makes this wildly popular crime series unique and charming. Not for nothing did Donna Leon live thirty years in Venice, she speaks fluent Italian and understands the Venetian language.

Our hero, Inspector Brunetti, is principled, honest, and shrewd. He is also well-read and like her creator Donna Leon, he likes to read the ancient Romans and Greeks in his spare time. He is happily married to aristocratic Paola and has two children. Sometimes Italian bureaucracy discourages him but his sense of duty always prevails and he continues chasing criminals all over Venice, Italy.

Where to Start Reading Inspector Brunetti Books?

Some readers unfamiliar with the Donna Leon Guido Brunetti series ask if you have to read the novels in chronological order. You may if you like, but it’s not absolutely necessary.

Although the hero and the main characters are the same in all Inspector Brunetti books, the plot of each novel is independent of each other and you don’t need to have read the previous book to understand the next one.

Donna Leon Brunetti Novels in Order

29. Trace Elements by Donna Leon “I told him no” are the last words of Benedetta Toso about her deceased husband. Commissario Brunetti promises the dying woman to investigate a tragedy that appears to be personal. Brunetti finds out that her husband, Vittorio Fadalto, died in a suspicious motorcycle accident. He worked for a company that measures the pollution of Venice’s water supply. Venice’s health could be at stake.

28. Unto Us a Son Is Given by Donna Leon All of a sudden, an elderly friend of Brunetti’s father-in-law drops dead in a Venice street. He wanted to adopt a young man that would inherit all his fortune, something his friends find sheer madness. The tragedy doesn’t stop with this suspicious death. There is a terrible murder, an strangulation in a hotel room. Commissario Brunetti digs deep into the life of the first dead, Gonzalo Rodríguez de Tejada and he untangles a long-buried mystery that may have brought about the murder.

27. The Temptation of Forgiveness by Donna Leon Commissario Guido Brunetti is shocked by the sensitive information leaking from the Venetian Questura and he is the one entrusted with the job of discovering which one of his colleagues is to blame. But before he can even start inquiring a friend of his wife surprises him with a visit. She is terribly fearful her son is taking drugs and urges Inspector Brunetti to intervene. Weeks later, the woman’s husband is found unconscious at the foot of a Venetian bridge with a severe brain injury. Brunetti can’t help but follow some leads through Venice’s underworld that might connect the accident to the boy’s ways.

26. Earthly Remains by Donna Leon Commissario Guido Brunetti is so stressed that he really needs a break. He goes to a villa from a wealthy relative on the island of Sant’Erasmo. Everything seems perfect and peaceful and he spends the days rowing with Davide Casati, the villa caretaker, and the evenings reading Pliny’s Natural History. Casati is worried about the bee colonies, he feels something is wrong but he doesn’t know exactly what. After an unexpected storm, he vanishes and nobody knows where he is, not even the woman he had been secretly seeing. Now Brunetti feels he must investigate the disappearance of his new friend and in the process, he unmasks secret cover-ups and obscure memories.

25. The Waters of Eternal Youth by Donna Leon Fifteen years ago an alcoholic saved a young girl from drowning in a Venetian canal. Unfortunately, it was too late as the girl had already suffered irreversible brain damage. The man claimed he saw someone throwing her into the canal, but the next day he didn’t remember anything at all. Commissario Brunetti meets the girl’s grandmother, Contessa Lando-Continui, at a charity dinner. The Contessa never believed it was an accident and implores Brunetti to find the perpetrator that so cruelly ruined Manuela’s life. He doubts he can do something about it but he agrees to reopen the case partly out of pity and as a favor to the long-suffering grandmother. Soon he is deeply involved in the investigation and uncovers a clouded story and a gloomy past that doesn’t allow him to let the case rest… if there is a case!

24. Falling in Love by Donna Leon Flavia Petrelli, the glamorous soprano that appeared in Donna Leon’s first novel as a murder suspect returns to Venice to sing Tosca in La Fenice and Inspector Brunetti has tickets to attend her performance with his wife Paola. One evening Flavia and Brunetti meet at the palazzo of his in-laws and she admits her apprehension at the multitude of flowers she receives from an anonymous fan. Wherever she sings in the world, her dressing room is inundated with yellow roses. Commissario Brunetti promises to make inquiries and after a brutal attack against a young Venetian singer he has no doubt that Flavia is in real danger, perhaps from an obsessive fan…

23. By its Cover by Donna Leon Inspired by the devastating, real-life looting of the Neapolitan Girolamini Library in southern Italy, in this Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery the central theme is rare books. One day Brunetti gets a desperate call from the director of a celebrated Venetian library to report that someone has been cutting out pages of priceless books. Inspector Brunetti suspects a mysterious American Professor that has already run away and it soon becomes clear that his identity was false. The suspects proliferate and when an apparently harmless ex-priest that was a regular of the library is found murdered Brunetti immerses himself into the dark black market of rare books.

22. The Golden Egg by Donna Leon Good-hearted Paola Brunetti finds out that a disabled man with the mental age of a kid that helped out at their dry cleaners had died of an apparently accidental overdose of sleeping pills. Paola is very upset by the news and urges her husband to get to the bottom of the man’s death. Commissario Brunetti is astonished to find absolutely nothing whatsoever about the man. No birth certificate, nothing at all. It is as if he never existed. When questioned, the man’s mother is angry but inconsistent and Inspector Brunetti feels there is a lot she is not telling. Why would anyone want to kill such a harmless man? An aristocratic family might have something to do with the case and the past is ghastly…

21. Beastly Things by Donna Leon Commissario Guido Brunetti finally discovers that the man whose body appeared floating in a Venetian canal with three knife wounds in his back and no identification whatsoever moonlighted as the inspector for a local slaughterhouse. He was a veterinarian, very kind with animals, so what was he doing in a slaughterhouse? The man suffered from a rare, disfiguring condition says the coroner. Inspector Brunetti finds out that the dead man wasn’t from Venice but from a nearby inland town outside Brunetti’s regular area of activity. The slaughterhouse and the wicked things going on there are the key to solving this murder that shouts corruption.

20. Drawing Conclusions by Donna Leon In this commissario Brunetti novel, the Venetian detective investigates the death of a woman that apparently died of a heart attack in her modest apartment. But there are traces of bruises around the neck and Inspector Brunetti can’t help feeling that something must have triggered the fulminating attack. The widow volunteered in a nursing home and provided shelter to victims of abuse. What’s suspicious about that? As he starts making inquiries Brunetti discovers a secret society that helps battered women. He also uncovers deceptions, lies, and a huge case of fraud…

The Italian flag, il Tricolore (tricolor) as it is often referred to in Italian, is the national flag of the Italian Republic in use since 1946 and officially since December 1947. In 1997, on the second centenary of the Italian tricolor, the 7th of January was declared the National Day of the Flag —Festa del Tricolore.

The Italian Flag Day shouldn’t be mistaken for the Festa della Repubblica, the Italian National Day celebrated each 2nd of June.

What Color Is The Italian Flag?

The colors of the flag of Italy are green, white, and red.

The Italian flag is a tricolor flag featuring three vertical bands of equal size in green, white and red, with the green at the hoist side.

Fluttering Flag of Italy

Italian Flag Meaning

Like other national flags across the world such as Mexico’s, the Italian flag is rooted in the French flag used by French revolutionaries from 1790.

In Italy the blue of the French flag was replaced with green, a color used in the first Italian tricolor cockades (rosettes and ribbons) that symbolized the natural rights, the ideals of equality and freedom.

In the 19th-century the meaning of the three colors of the Italian Tricolor became more idealistic. Writers, poets, and scholars saw the meaning of the colors of the Italian flag in a poetic light. The green stood for hope, the hope for a free and united Italy, the white for faith and the red for charity and love.

In the speech “Il Tricolore” made on January 7, 1897, to commemorate the first centenary of the formal adoption of the tricolor Italian flag, the national poet Giosuè Carducci passionately talked about the meaning of the Italian flag colors:

For Carducci white was the faith in the ideas that animate the sages; green, the hope that regenerates in nature; red, the passion and the blood of the martyrs and heroes who gave their lives for the country.

“[…] Not rampant eagles and lions, not overpowering wild beasts in the holy banner; but the colors of our spring and our land, from Cenisio to Etna; the snows of the Alps, April in the valleys, the flames of the volcanoes. […]”
Giosuè Carducci

Italian National Day Celebrations in Rome

Origins of the Italian Flag

Shortly after the French revolutionary events, the ideals of social innovation began to spread widely in Italy, thus the blue, white and red colors of the French flag became the first reference of the Italian Jacobins and later a source of inspiration for the creation of an Italian identity banner.

The Italian papers of the time wrongly reported that the French tricolor was green, white and red, and for a while Italians believed that those were the colors of the French flag and used them as a way to show their support of the revolutionary ideals.

The very first use of the Italian tricolor cockade is dated 21 August 1789. As documented in the historical archives of the Republic of Genoa, some eyewitness reported that protesters were wandering around the city with a tricolor cockade pinned on their clothing.

Although not all historians agree, the green, white and red on a tricolor cockade reappeared on November 1794 during the failed uprising in Bologna against the Papal State led by Luigi Zamboni and Giovanni Battista De Rolandis.

However, scholars do agree that the circular Italian cockade with the national colors of Italy —green, white and red— first appeared in Milan in 1796.

The Tortuous Italian Flag History

The first official documents trace the use of the green, white and red flag to the first Italian campaign of Napoleon, (1796-1797) fought with the contribution of numerous Italian Jacobins.

Flag of the Cispadane Republic (1797)

Cispadane Republic (1797) – Although the Italian tricolor had been previously used as a military banner and a civic symbol of local authorities, the history of the flag of Italy officially begins on the 7th of January, 1797 when an Italian sovereign state, the Cispadane Republic, adopted it as a national flag for the first time.

This significant event was held in the Palazzo del Comune of Reggio nell’Emilia, in the hall of the ducal archives, known today as Sala del Tricolore.

Next to the Tricolor Hall there is the Museum of the Tricolor, opened in January 2004. It displays documents and relics related to the Italian flag and a large number of tricolor flags of the Italian pre-unification states

Flag of the Cisalpine Republic (1798-1802)

Cisalpine Republic (1798-1802) – Soon later the Cispadane Republic merged into the Cisalpine Republic, a sister Republic of France in Northern Italy.

Originally the colors of the flag of the Cisalpine Republic were arranged horizontally, with the green placed at the top, but on May 11, 1798, the Republican Council made official the square-shaped vertical tricolor.

Gradually the Italian flag grew in popularity until it became one of the most important symbols of the Risorgimento. It was during this time that the Italian flag began to enter the collective imagination as a symbol of Italy

Flag of the Italian Republic (1802-1805)

Italian Republic (1802 – 1805) – In 1802 the Cisalpine Republic became the Napoleonic Italian Republic. The flag maintained the same colors but with a different, less revolutionary, arrangement —a red background carrying a green square within a white rhombus.

Flag of the Kingdom of Italy (1805-1814)

Kingdom of Italy (1805 – 1814) – On March 1805 the Italian Republic became the Kingdom of Italy ruled by Napoleon I as King of Italy. The flag of the Regno Italico was the same as the former Italian Republic’s but in a rectangular shape and with Napoleon’s eagle on the green rectangle.

Il Tricolore Becomes Subversive

With the fall of Napoleon and the Restoration of absolutist monarchical regimes, the Italian tricolor went underground, becoming a symbol of patriotism that united the struggle of Italians fighting for freedom and independence.

During the revolts of Milan of 1848, the tricolor flag of Italy clearly consolidated itself as a patriotic symbol that united all Italians fighting against foreign domination.

The Risorgimento and the Tricolore

The Risorgimento was the political and social movement that began in 1815 and culminated in the 17th of March, 1861 with the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy that unified the different states of Italy (except for Venetia, Rome, Trento and Trieste) and adopted the tricolor as the national banner.

Flag of the Kingdom of Sardinia (1848-1851)

Kingdom of Sardinia (1848-1851) – On May 8, 1848, the tricolor flag became the official national flag of the Kingdom of Sardinia when it was put up for the first time on Palazzo Madama in Turin.

In a speech delivered before the Parliament of the Kingdom of Sardinia on 9 June 1848, King Charles Albert declared that “The tricolor flag was and will be blessed by God […]”

Flag of the Kingdom of Sardinia (1851-1861)

Kingdom of Sardinia (1851-1861) – This flag of the Kingdom of Sardinia with the royal crown above the shield of the House of Savoy later became the banner of the Kingdom of Italy.

Flag of the Kingdom of Italy (1861-1946)

Kingdom of Italy (1861-1946) – The tricolor continued to be the national flag of the Kingdom of Italy proclaimed on March 17, 1861.

The new Kingdom of Italy was ruled by Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of a united Italy since the 6th century. The Altar of the Fatherland in Rome, also known as Il Vittoriano, was built in his honor.

Flag of the Italian Republic (1956 – today)

Italian Repubblic (from 1946) – With the birth of the Italian Republic in June 1946 the Savoy coat of arms disappeared from the Italian flag.

Article 12 of the Constitution of the Italian Republic reads: The flag of the Republic is the Italian tricolor: green, white and red, with three vertical bands of equal size.”

Charming harbor towns embellish the shores of Lake Garda, Italy, the largest Italian lake that has welcomed famous people over the centuries, people like the Roman poet Catullus, the writer of the Divine Comedy Dante Alighieri or St Francis of Assisi, who founded a monastery in Isola del Garda in 1220.

Benàco, as the lake is also called, is on the edge of the Brenta Dolomites, spreading across three distinct regions, Lombardy, Veneto, and Trentino-Alto Adige.

Lake Garda is not far away from Venice, Milan, and Verona, which makes it easy to combine your stay in Lake Garda with visits or day trips to these attractive Italian cities. And a drive a little over two hours eastwards takes you to elegant Lake Como

The northern part of the lake is narrow and encircled by imposing mountains while in the south it widens considerably and is surrounded by hills and vineyards that make the landscape sweeter.

What to Do in Lake Garda, Italy

Covering an area of about 140 sq miles / 370 sq km, Lake Garda’s shores are dotted with picturesque, interesting towns and villages full of history and traditions that will give you lots of things to do or see, probably more than you can handle in a single vacation.

If you are the adventurous type, you may want to combine lakeside town visits and relaxing lake swimming with sailing, windsurfing, climbing, sailing, hiking or mountain walking among other sports activities.

On the southern shore, Desenzano del Garda is a good base to explore the towns. Besides the railway station that connects to Milan and Venice, several ferries connect it to other lakeside towns. Desenzano itself has grand views of the Alps, four beaches, and several hotels. It has a lively nightlife, open-air cafes, good restaurants and a 12th-century castle towering above the port.

Sirmione and The Castle Of Lake Garda

On the southern shore of Lake Garda, Sirmione is renowned for the healing properties of its thermal waters, the Roman Grotta di Catullo and the 13th century Scaliger Castle.

The Lake Garda Castle of Sirmione is a fortress from the Scaligeri era, a dynasty that ruled the city of Verona from 1262 to 1387. The castle is bathed on all sides by the waters of Lago di Garda and its construction began around the middle of the 13th century, probably on the remains of a Roman fortification, as protection against enemies and the locals.

The castle of Lake Garda stands at the entrance to the Sirmio peninsula where the historical center of Sirmione is located. It is surrounded by an intact moat and two drawbridges, which still are the only way to enter the fortress. It houses a small museum with local finds from the Roman era and a few medieval artifacts as well as a panel exhibition with fundamental information about the castle.

This fortress nicknamed the Sinking Castle is a point of access to the historic center of Sirmione and it is one of the best-preserved castles of Italy and a rare example of lake fortification.

Visitors to the castle can roam the grounds of the fortress on their own and if you walk the one hundred and fifty steps to the main tower you will be rewarded with a splendid view of Lake Garda and the city of Sirmione.

Charming Malcesine on Lake Garda, Italy

Againts the impressive Monte Baldo, Malcesine on Lake Garda is mainly renowned for the Palazzo dei Capitani and the 13th-century Castello Scaligero. It was here that a local magistrate questioned the great German writer JW Goethe on suspicion of being an Austrian spy because he was seen drawing sketches of the Scaligero castle.

Whether you visit Malcesine in winter or summer, if you want to have impressive views and provided you are not afraid of heights, we advise you to take the cable car Malcesine – Monte Baldo that will take you to about 5,500 ft / 1,700 m above sea level. This cable car is one of the most modern in the world. It has rotating cabins that will allow you to fully enjoy the majestic panorama of Monte Baldo and Lake Garda, Italy.

More Attractions and Lakeside Towns

In Riva del Garda on the northern tip of Benaco you can admire the Cascate del Varone, a deafening waterfall almost 330 ft / 100 m high, at 1.8 mi / 3 km from Riva. Worth visiting are also the Tenno Lake and the Ledro Lake regarded as one of the cleanest in the Trentino region. It features four beaches and quite a warm water temperature for a mountain lake.

Also in Trentino, Nago-Torbole are two lovely villages in one, so to say. On the slopes of Monte Altissimo, Nago offers stunning views and lakeside Torbole rises as an amphitheater surrounded by the mountains of the Monte Baldo range.

There is a 2.5-mi / 4-km long panoramic walking trail of recent construction with a balcony that overlooks Lake Garda and connects Torbole to Tempesta, the ancient border between Austria and Italy. It has fabulous views and it only takes a little over one hour.

In Gardone Riviera, on the western shore, you’ll want to visit the Vittoriale degli Italiani, the former residence of the controversial poet-soldier Gabriele D’Annunzio and the botanical garden maintained by the André Heller Foundation.

Known for its lemon groves, excellent olive oil and the longevity of some of the locals, picturesque Limone sul Garda is also worth a visit. When you see so many people flocking to this small town of a little over 1,000 permanent residents it is hard to grasp that until the 1940s there was no road and it was reachable only by boat or through the mountains.

Stunning Isola del Garda

Although privately owned by the noble Cavazza family, Isola del Garda has been open to guided tours since 2002. It is a rare opportunity to be able to visit a private island. Don’t miss it if you can.

Boats depart from San Felice del Benaco, Salò, Gardone Riviera and Sirmione but not every day, so it’s advisable to plan ahead.

The largest of the five small islands in the lake is covered by a luxuriant park and the Venetian neo-Gothic Villa Borghese Cavazza stands in the place of the former Franciscan friary I mentioned above.

A short distance away is the second largest island, the island of San Biagio, also known as Rabbit Island because in the 16th century there were numerous hares and rabbits. The island is a short distance from the coast and in dry periods can be reached on foot.

Discover Amazing Pictures of Lake Garda

Uncover the calming waters of Lake Garda, the towns and main landmarks with our photo gallery. Click the button below to enter the magnificent region of Lake Garda, Italy.

Bathed by a fiery summer sun, Calabria, Italy is located in the South, in the toe of the Italian boot, almost touching the tip of Sicily. This southern Italian region is as off the beaten track as you can get in Italy and boasts amazing beaches with turquoise waters.

While the Calabrian peninsula is still one of Italy’s least visited regions by non-Italians, many Italian families like to spend the summers enjoying the Tyrrhenian sea to the west and the Ionian coast to the east.

Avoid August if you can and visit Calabria in September. At this time of the year the temperature of the blue sea water is virtually perfect —still very warm but not as bath-hot as sometimes in August.

Calabria may be one of the poorest regions in Italy, but it is blessed with a superb nature, a rich history and a cultural heritage as diverse as its landscape. Apart from the hundreds of miles (km) of coast and the quaint towns in Calabria, Italy, 90% of this southern region is covered by mountains and hills.

Thanks to the mountainous nature of the territory, the low industrial development and the abundance of protected natural habitats, Calabria has preserved its splendid nature extremely well. Indeed, it has three national parks, a regional park and protected marine areas.

What to Do in Calabria, Italy

If you like outdoor activities like hiking, trekking, mountaineering, paragliding, horse riding, mountain biking, rafting or scuba diving Calabria can feel like a paradise with the added bonus of its unique charm, authenticity, and unspoiled nature. The Sila and Aspromonte National Parks offer skiing facilities in the winter as well.

Want to swim in the summer? Calabria has a plethora of beaches on the Ionian Sea on the east coast and on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the west coast. Apart from lying on the sand, you will be able to explore exquisite coves, gorgeous seascapes, dramatic cliffs and extraordinary rock formations.

Visit Six of the Most Beautiful Villages In Calabria, Italy

Sometimes eating your way through a region is the perfect excuse to explore towns and villages. If you aren’t into food, don’t worry! Just walking around and roaming the streets of these lovely villages with such a remarkable cultural heritage is a pleasant and relaxing activity that can fill an afternoon with joy and peace.

Here is our choice of six Calabrian villages that rightly belong to the club of I Borghi più belli d’Italia, Italian for The Most Beautiful Villages in Itay.

GERACE – Perched on a cliff on the Ionian coast, Gerace is a charming, impressively preserved medieval village inside the imposing Aspromonte National Park. Don’t miss the magnificent Norman Cathedral, the largest religious building in Calabria and the remains of the 10th century Norman Castle at the top of a cliff. Gerace used to be famous for its 128 churches, but only a few remain. The Church of San Giovannello in Piazza delle Tre Chiese is the oldest one standing.

STILO – At the foot of Monte Consolino, Stilo used to be the core of the Byzantine culture in Calabria and you can still sense the oriental atmosphere. Today, Stilo is one of the most important cultural destinations in the region due to the Cattolica di Stilo, an amazingly undamaged Byzantine church built in the 9th century. Not far from Stilo, in Bivongi, the Orthodox Christian San Giovanni Theristis is a rare example of an Italo-Greek monastery.

If you happen to be in Stillo during the first week of August, the Palio di Ribusa is one of the most followed summer events in Calabria. You will be able to witness medieval re-enactments, shows, music and the distinctive Calabria Italy food in the streets of the town.

ALTOMONTE – An almost intact medieval town that offers an awesome panoramic view, Altomonte rises on a promontory about 455 meters above sea level and it is surrounded by a lovely natural scenery that encompasses the peaks of Pollino and Orsomarso, the Ionian sea, the plain of Sibari and the valley of the Esaro.

Not to be missed are the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Consolazione in the upper part of the town and the Chiesa di San Giacomo Apostolo, one of the oldest religious buildings in Altomonte.

MORANO CALABRO – Morano Calabro is a stunning vertical town built over a hill, completely covering its slope. The town falls within the Pollino National Park, the largest national park in Italy with its rare Bosnian pine tree. On clear days you can see the three seas from Monte Pollino —the Adriatic, the Ionian and the Tyrrhenian.

BOVA – Bova is a small town with a population of around 500 that is regarded as the cultural capital of Bovesia, that is, of the Greek culture of Calabria, Italy. The majority of its territory is included in the Aspromonte National Park and it has an Information Center for visitors of this stunning protected area.

SCILLA – In Scilla, it is the coastal district of Chianalea that is included in the Borghi più belli d’Italia. It is also known as the Piccola Venezia del Sud, Little Venice of the South, because the small houses that rise directly from the rocks and very close to the sea are separated from each other by small alleys, similar to canals, which descend directly into the Tyrrhenian sea.

Don’t miss the Ruffo Castle that overlooks the beach and the Scilla Lighthouse located on a terrace of the castle of Scilla.

Explore Tropea and Other Seaside Towns in Calabria, Italy

Overlooking the edge of a promontory on the Tyrrhenian Sea, Tropea is a busy but lovely town divided into two parts: the upper part, where most of the population live, and the Marina, close to the sea and the port of Tropea.

Olive and citrus groves, vineyards, its fishermen and scenic beauty have made of Tropea the vivid pearl of Calabria. Maybe you want to stay in Tropea for its fantastic beaches but it can also be a very good base from where to explore the Calabria region of Italy.

The historic center of the town features many noble palaces of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Of particular interest is the Benedictine Sanctuary of Santa Maria dell’Isola, the Cathedral di Maria Santissima di Romania in Romanesque style and the ancient Convent of the Pietà.

As Tropea, nearby Capo Vaticano and Pizzo, famous for the delicious Tartufo ice cream, are all a part of the awesome Costa degli Dei, which literally translates as Coast of the Gods.

Amantea with its remarkable historic center, Soverato and Caminia (Staletti) on the east Ionian Coast are also totally fabulous places to take a swim and discover more unmissable tourist attractions in Calabria, Italy.

Calabrian Cuisine Is a Tempting Activity

But… Don’t expect anything fancy. The Calabrian cuisine is a poor man’s cuisine with numerous dishes linked to religious events. What makes it even more interesting is that you don’t find every dish across all Calabria or if you find it the differences in preparation are substantial. This is partly due to its history and the ethnic and linguistic diversity that makes Calabria so captivating.

If you are a gourmet that loves traditional cuisine, Calabria is the right place for you. Be aware though that Calabrian cuisine is the spiciest in all Italy due to the iconic peperoncino, the horn-shaped, red chili pepper that doubles as the unofficial symbol of Calabrian cuisine. It even has its own annual festival, the Peperoncino Festival in the town of Diamante.

If you haven’t been to Calabria, you probably never tasted the spreadable salami called Nduja or Nduja di Spilinga, for the Calabrian town where it originated. It is made with sweet peperoncino AND plenty of hot peperoncino. It can be spread on bread, eaten with cheese or added to pasta sauces.

Other valued Calabrian specialties are Caciocavallo, the Calabrian cheese par excellence, and the Red Onion of Tropea that is so sweet and juicy that you can make jam from it.

Discover More Images of Calabria, Italy

Jump to the photo gallery and enjoy awesome images of the towns in Calabria, Italy and its fabulous Mediterranean landscapes before you leave. Your wish to travel to this underrated Italian region as soon as possible will increase manifold. There are so many things to do in Calabria, Italy… Click the button below to start your visual tour.

Below we discuss 5 of the best places to visit in Puglia, Italy, the Italian region that right now seems to fascinate people all over the world. No wonder, as the Puglia region of Italy has it all: the laid-back Italian way of life, great food, amazing beaches, precious works of art and architecture, and a lovely countryside.

Perhaps the first time you heard about Puglia, Italy, was when someone told you about the remarkable trulli of the town of Alberobello, the unique Apulian architecture with the characteristic conical roof.

Located in Southern Italy, in the heel of Italy’s boot, Apulia has been discovered by non-Italians in the last decade or so. Apart from the characteristic trulli, Puglia has many more attractions that make it worth a long visit. The kilometers of sunny coast, the amazing baroque in Lecce and the white town of Ostuni are just a few examples of the Italian beauty that awaits you.

Here are five of the best places to visit in Puglia, Italy, and great suggestions for what to do in Puglia, Italy so that your Italy trip is a resounding success.

Visit the Trulli of Alberobello

Alberobello is in the Itria Valley, a valley with many olive trees, vineyards and the iconic circular houses with the domed roofs that dot the countryside.

The town of Alberobello is the only town in Italy, and the world for that matter, that boasts such a large amount of trulli —about 1500 of them. It was here that the trulli took an urban role. for the first time

Some people skip Alberobello altogether because it’s full of tourists that want to experience the trulli first-hand, but what can you do if everybody wants to see these unique dry-stone dwellings? A firm, positive attitude and avoiding the high season can help you a lot.

In the center of the town you’ll find a large complex of trulli and you can even visit fifteen of them. If you stroll away from the center you’ll see many trulli that are true houses where people actually live.

Bari, the Capital of Apulia on the Adriatic Sea

The historic city of Bari, the San Nicola district, is inserted within the ancient walls and it has the typical medieval urban layout —narrow streets that form an irregular radius. Barinese call it Bari Vecchia that translates as Old Bari, in opposition to the Città Nuova whose construction began in the early 19th century.

In Bari Vecchia people still live in the streets. In the evening, you’ll see entire families happily chatting while the kids are playing. And in the morning the women sit at tables outside their homes busy making, orecchiette, a type of pasta typical of the Puglia region, whose shape reminds that of small ears.

In the center of Bari Vecchia there is the Basilica of Saint Nicholas, an important pilgrimage destination both for Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians, and the Bari Cathedral, an important example of Apulian Romanesque. And on the edge of the old city you’ll be able to see the impressive Swabian Castle, a symbolic building that is now used for exhibitions.

Don’t Miss the Città Bianca of Ostuni

Ostuni is known as the White City because until not so long ago the old city was entirely painted with white lime. It is another maze-like town still fortified by the ancient walls.

The historic center of Ostuni rises on top of a hill about 5 miles/8 km from the Adriatic Sea that features several luxury resorts.

Worth visiting is also the Cocathedral of Santa Maria Assunta with a façade in late Gothic style.

As the Italian journalist Ettore Della Giovanna so beautifully wrote:

“Ostuni is the panoramic city par excellence, every house is a belvedere, […] In Ostuni the houses are white, of milk and lime, they are white until they hurt the eyes, the walls, the windows, the doors, the stairs are white, everything is incredibly white. […] You go to Ostuni to understand what it means to be sheltered from the sun […] to stop thinking about distant journeys, here is the charm of all the towns of the seas of the South, here is the equator at hand.”

The surrounding Ostuni countryside is dotted with typical Pugliese large estate-farms called masserie. Some masserie owned by noble families were fortified and even equipped with defensive walls and towers.

Nowadays, some of them operate as agrotourism and offer accommodation such as the Masseria il Frantoio or the Masseria Ferri where you can experience sleeping in a trullo.

Locorotondo: One of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy

The name Locorotondo derives from Luogorotondo, Round Place, after the characteristic shape of the historic center, a group of small white houses arranged on concentric rings.

Also in the Valle d’Itria, In Locorotondo the whole town is the landmark, the maze of whitewashed houses, the geraniums in the balconies, the immaculate streets… A stroll around this enchanting town is a great way to spend a relaxed afternoon.

The Locorotondo countryside features an abundance of trulli and is part of the Terra dei Trulli. It grew an area of dispersed settlements that originated in the 19th century when many people emigrated from the town to the countryside attracted by landowners that encouraged the development of vineyards.

In 2011 Locorotondo was chosen as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy by the Italian association I borghi più belli d’Italia. As far as we know, it is the only town in the province of Bari that has been awarded such distinction.

Another area of interest is the excellent wine that Locorotondo produces. It produces an excellent white wine that is labeled with the Locorotondo DOC, Controlled Designation of Origin.

Lecce, the Florence of the South

Lecce is in the peninsula of Salento, at the southern tip of Puglia and it has wonderful beaches and a strong Greek heritage that includes the Griko language still spoken today.

Lecce is known for its rich Baroque architecture built in the malleable Lecce stone that reached its peak during the Kingdom of Naples and originated the concept of Lecce Baroque.

Apart from being known as the Florence of the south, it has earned other names like the Signora del Barocco, Lady of the Baroque in English. Lecce is definitely an art city.

Lecce is one of the largest cities in Puglia but even so, the number of churches is amazing. In addition to the Lecce Cathedral, there are forty churches scattered throughout the streets and squares of Lecce.

There is an almost overwhelming number of monuments, palaces, and points of interest. The Palazzo dei Celestini that now is the seat of the Province of Lecce, the Castle of Charles V, the Triumphal Arch or Porta Napoli, the medieval Torre di Belloluogo or the now half-buried Anfiteatro Romano di Lecce are just a few examples. If you like the Baroque the town of Lecce is a dream come true.

If you get tired of architecture you can always head to the Orto Botanico di Lecce or the protected natural areas like the Parco Naturale Regionale Bosco e Paludi di Rauccio or the Riserva Naturale San Cataldo, both in the province of Lecce.

View the Photo Gallery of the Best Places to Visit in Puglia, Italy

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Seasoned with tomato sauce, basil and salted ricotta, and covered with fried aubergines, this flavorful vegetable pasta recipe embraces the best aromas of the luminous island of Sicily.

Sicilians say that the Pasta alla Norma recipe embodies their amato Etna, their beloved Etna, with each ingredient being reminiscent of a different aspect of the volcano:

• The mountain of penne rigate symbolizes Mount Etna.
• The diced eggplants represent the volcanic rocks.
• The tomato sauce stands for the hot lava.
• The grated ricotta illustrates the snow on the top of Mount Etna.
• The fresh basil leaves stand for the vegetation.

Traditionally, Pasta alla Norma is served as a first course in the summer months. True to Italy’s cuisine practices, it is based on a few humble ingredients: eggplants, tomatoes, garlic, basil and ricotta cheese that are wisely combined to produce an incredibly delicious taste.

The Origins of Pasta Norma

It is said that the Catanian-Sicilian writer Nino Martoglio (1870-1921) found pasta Norma so mouthwatering that he called out “Chista è ‘na vera Norma!”, “This is the true Norma!”

Since Martoglio compared that pasta dish to the popular opera Norma composed by Vincenzo Bellini, born in Catania, Sicily, it is known as Pasta alla Norma.

From Catania, the Pasta alla Norma recipe became the most characteristic, iconic dish of the island of Sicily.

It couldn’t be otherwise, the debate about the origins and authenticity of the recipe never ceases. Mostly, Pasta alla Norma is cooked with short pasta, specifically penne rigate. Many Sicilians welcome spaghetti, macaroni, rigatoni or other kinds of short pasta as legitimate alternatives to penne rigate, but some don’t.

We have chosen the traditional Pasta alla Norma recipe as they cook it in coastal Catania. As it happens, even among Catania-born there are disagreements on the exact way to prepare and serve the Pasta Norma dish!

However, the differences are actually negligible and are mostly due to particular family traditions and customs.

Basil Leaves and Our Secret

In our home it has become a tradition to cook Pasta alla Norma every Friday, in the summer for sure and in the winter months, when there isn’t fresh basil available in our garden, we have a little secret that some Sicilians find reprehensible.

We replace the basil leaves with one or two drops of basil essential oil. Now if you aren’t familiar with essential oils don’t just start adding them to your Pasta Alla Norma. Essential oils are extremely concentrated and you should know what you are doing. We learnt a lot from the French, which are the pioneers in taking essential oils internally.

If however you choose to use our secret, please add one single drop of a good quality Basil essential oil (Ocimum Basilicum), at least until you get acquainted with how essential oils work.

Vegetarian or Vegan Pasta Recipe

This is both an exquisite and healthy vegetable pasta recipe that vegetarians will love. If you are vegan, just leave the cheese out and the Sicilian pasta dish will still be nourishing and a great treat.

Regarding the Ingredients

Except perhaps for the ricotta salata cheese, the ingredients are easy to find. If you can’t get ricotta salata where you live, replace it with another sheep’s cheese or Parmesan cheese Parmiggiano Reggiano.

It doesn’t matter that purists say you can’t call it Pasta alla Norma if you aren’t using salty ricotta, it will still be a delicious pasta dish.

Regarding the Sweating Technique

There is are sometimes heated discussions about the need to sweat the eggplants. Some argue that nowadays you don’t need to do it as the eggplants aren’t as bitter any more, some maintain the dish is much better if you do sweat the eggplants.

We belong to the second group and still religiously sweat the eggplants every single time; we find the dish tastes much better if you remove any liquid from the eggpants. It’s up to you and depends on your preferences and your experience with the type of eggplants you get at home.

Pasta Norma Ingredients

Serves 4

• 400 gr or about 1 pound penne rigate, macaroni or spaghetti
• 600 g or 1 1/3 pound ripe tomatoes, peeled and diced in small cubes
• 3 to 4 medium black or purple round eggplants with the skin
• 200 g or 7 ounces grated ricotta salata (salty sheep’s cheese)
• 16 leaves fresh basil
• 2 peeled garlic cloves
• Olive oil, extra-virgin if possible
• Salt
• Coarse salt
• 1 pinch pepper

How to Cook Pasta alla Norma

1. Wash the eggplants and cut the ends. Cut them lengthwise into slices of approx. half an inch or 1/6 of an inch, about 1 cm.
2. Sweat the eggplants. Put the unpeeled eggplants on a colander in alternate layers. Salt each layer to drain any liquid and remove any bitterness. Set aside for about an hour.
3. In the meantime, peel the tomatoes and dice them in small cubes.
4. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to a sauce pan or skillet and when it’s hot add the peeled garlic cloves whole or halved lengthwise. Sautee over low heat for a few minutes until the garlic turns golden.
5. Add the diced tomatoes to the same skillet with the garlic. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste but remember that you already sprinkled salt over the eggplants. Cook over medium low heat for about 30 minutes and add a pinch of pepper towards the end.
6. About 10 minutes into the tomato sauce cooking, remove the garlic so that the garlic taste isn’t too strong.
7. Remove the pan from heat and pass the tomato sauce through a vegetable mill or simply crush it with a fork if you don’t mind the tomato bits. Cook the tomato sauce five more minutes to thicken it a little bit more. The sauce should have a medium density, not too watery not too thick.
8. Remove the skillet from heat, coarsely cut half of the basil leaves with your hands or scissors, add the basil to the tomato sauce, stir, cover and set aside.
9. After letting the salted eggplants rest for about one hour, thoroughly rinse the aubergine slices you put in the colander under tap water and dry them with a cloth towel or a paper towel.
10. Keep 12 whole eggplant slices, three for each guest, to decorate the final pasta alla Norma dish and dice the remaining eggplant slices into medium cubes.
11. Fry the eggplants cubes in olive oil that’s not too hot until they are golden. If you use a non-stick skillet, 4 tablespoons of olive oil is enough and the taste will still be as if you fried them with lots of oil as it was customary in the past. Start with medium low heat and after ten minutes reduce heat to low. It will take you about half an hour to 45 minutes. Place the fried eggplant cubes on paper towels to drain the excess olive oil.
12. Fry the whole eggplant slices the same way as above but faster. This time keep the heat to medium or medium low but watch that the slices don’t burn. Set them aside for the final mounting of the Pasta alla Norma dish.
13. In the meantime, bring water to a boil and cook the penne rigate or the pasta of your choice al dente, that is pasta that is still firm when bitten.
14. Grate the ricotta, medium size, and set it apart.

Serving the Pasta alla Norma dish

It’s time to serve the Pasta alla Norma. Put pasta on each guest’s plate trying to imitate Mount Etna, the admired and feared active volcano of Sicily.

Add a short dash of olive oil. Top with the eggplant cubes. Pour tomato sauce. Top with grated ricotta salata. Put two basil leaves on Mount Etna’s top and finally, decorate each Pasta alla Norma dish with three whole eggplant slices.

Volterra, Italy, is among the most spectacular hill towns in Tuscany. Famous for the extraction and processing of alabaster, the beautiful, walled town was established around the 7th century BC by the Etruscans and it is said to have been continuously inhabited since that time.

If you are a serious Twilight Saga fan, the name Volterra probably sounds familiar to you, and you might want to take a Twilight tour of the city or buy a Twilight themed souvenir in the visitors center.

What you may not know is that the Volterra scenes from the New Moon movie weren’t shot in Volterra but in nearby Montepulciano!

Volterra is full of history and it retains many traces of its interesting Etruscan, Medieval and Renaissance past. However, the charm of Volterra doesn’t lie in its historical heritage only but in the serene olive tree orchards, the pleasing countryside that surrounds it, the laid-back lifestyle and the old tradition of alabaster carving.

Here are a few attractions that only Volterra can offer.

Discover the Age-Old Art Of Alabaster

In Volterra the craft of alabaster began when Etruscan craftsmen carved it to make urns for the ashes of their dead. The Guarnacci Etruscan Museum features an important collection of beautifully ornate funerary urns, terracotta statues, coins and many other artifacts unique to Volterra, Italy.

The craft of alabaster has been kept to this day and in the historic center of Volterra, Tuscany, you can still find traditional workshops covered in white dust that produce beautiful figurines, bowls, boxes and picture frames, all handcrafted and available in the numerous shops in Volterra.

The Ecomuseo dell’Alabastro, next to the Pinacoteca, displays the history and culture of this unique artistic craft.

The Evocative Architecture of Volterra

There are several buildings that showcase the town’s rich historical and spiritual past that you’ll want to experience first-hand.

The Roman Theater of Volterra is one of the best preserved Roman theaters in Italy. It dates back to the 1st century BC and it was discovered in the 1950s during some excavation works. In summer the Teatro Romano di Volterra houses the prestigious International Roman Theater Festival.

In Piazza dei Priori the Palazzo dei Priori that dominates the Medieval main square is now the Town Hall. It was built in the 13th century, but the tower was rebuilt in stone in the 19th century after an earthquake destroyed the previous wooden bell tower. If you are in Volterra during the winter months don’t miss the Saturday market in Piazza dei Priori.

Another artistic jewel is the Cathedral of Volterra —Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta— and the Baptistery of San Giovanni. And if you choose to walk alongside the ancient city wall, apart from enjoying the kind Tuscan landscape that surrounds Volterra, you’ll come across the amazingly well-preserved Porta dell’Arco of Etruscan origin that was built in the 4th century BC.

The Imposing Medici Fortress

The Fortezza Medicea rises on the highest point of the hill that overlooks Volterra and dominates the whole town.

Nowadays the fortress is a maximum security prison and visits are restricted to some buildings and a few days a week. There is an exception though, and this is a restaurant operated by the inmates. They are supervised by armed guards, and the cutlery is plastic but the prisoners manage everything.

In 2005 the prison started a rehabilitation project to prepare the inmates to reintegrate in society. If you want to brag about a truly different foodie experience, this is your chance. However, getting a reservation isn’t easy, you have to apply two months in advance for a background check.

Check out the Pictures of Volterra, Italy

If you want to have a preview of the attractions you are going to see during your visit, have a look at our gallery of photos by clicking the button below. The collection will surely convince you that Volterra, Italy, might be the perfect vacation destination for you.