Italy is comprised of 20 different regions, each with its own identity and heritage yet all combined to form the Bel Paese (Beautiful Country) we know and love! Let us guide you through six beautiful regions of Italy to inspire your next trip with Long Travel.
Lombardy: Chic Milan & the Italian Lakes
Lombardy, in the far north of the country, is a small region known for its capital city of Milan and some of Italy's most beautiful northern lakes. Milan is all about fashion, shopping and high-end restaurants. Although there is plenty of culture to explore, the Gothic Duomo di Milano cathedral and the Santa Maria delle Grazie convent, housing Leonardo da Vinci’s mural “The Last Supper,” testify to centuries of art and culture.
Travel north of Milan and you'll be treated to some of Italy's most gorgeous lakes. Lake Como is surrounded in by mountains, and attracts its share of celebrities and tourists, although its lakefront villages still manage to retain a traditional feel. Its shores are lined with grand Neo-classical villas backed by impressive gardens, a number of which are open to the public. There are other smaller and serene lakes to explore such as Lake Maggiore and Lake Iseo, all great for messing around on the water.
Veneto: Romance in Venice & Verona
This small region is one of Italy's most famous—it's home to Venice, without doubt one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Venice is built on more than 100 small islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. It has no roads, just canals – including the Grand Canal thoroughfare – lined with Renaissance and Gothic palaces. The central square, Piazza San Marco, contains St. Mark’s Basilica, which is tiled with Byzantine mosaics, and the Campanile bell tower offering views of the city’s red roofs. With over 20 million visitors a year it’s easy to see why people flock here, museums, art galleries, cathedrals, all make up this incredibly romantic city.
Veneto is also home to the well-preserved medieval city of Verona, a medieval old town built between the meandering Adige River. It’s famous for being the setting of Shakespeare’s "Romeo and Juliet." A 14th-century residence with a tiny balcony overlooking a courtyard is said to be “Juliet’s House." The Verona Arena is a huge 1st-century Roman amphitheatre, where you can enjoy which currently hosts concerts and large-scale opera performances.
Liguria: Rugged Charm of Cinque Terre
Liguria is a boomerang-shaped strip of land in northwest Italy and its capital is the port city of Genoa. However, when you talk about Liguria people tend to think of Portofino, the small laid-back fishing village, where you can run shoulders with the rich and famous, or the beautiful Cinque Terre, which is like a northern version of the Amalfi Coast. This is a section of rugged coastline that comprises five colourful and historic villages: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.
However there are some other amazing places to stay and Sestri Levante (a fairy-tale setting, between the Baia di Silenzio (Bay of Silence) and the Baia delle Favole (Bay of Fables), so-named as a tribute to Hans Christian Anderson, who once lived here) is a great base to explore both the above or if Portofino may be a little pricy you can try Rapallo, where brightly painted houses and a 16th-century castle overlook a tranquil harbour or Santa Margherita Ligure, a resort town that has crescent-shaped pebble beach’s perfect for sunbathing.
Puglia: Trulli Houses, Olive Oil Production & Beautiful Coastline
Puglia is a region located on the heal of Italy’s boot and definitely the region for those who love trying local cuisine. Our guests are often amazed at how good the food and wine is at incredible value for money. From the Orecchiette pasta to panzerotti, to freshly caught seafood from the harbour, there is plenty to try and something for everyone!
Puglia is also known for its beautiful countryside and it’s a major Olive Oil producing region. Dotted with some incredible hilltop towns such as Ostuni or historical Lecce. Alberobello, the latter being famous for its cone-shaped trulli homes and if it’s a unique experience your area after, so ask out experts about staying in your own Trullo villa. The capital, Bari, is a raucous university city and Lecce, further south, is a handsome town filled with baroque buildings
Puglia is a region located on the heel of Italy's boot, here you'll find premium beaches on two different coastlines: one fronting the Adriatic and the other the Ionian Sea, with places such as Gallipoli, Monopoli and Polignano a Mare, you will be spoilt for choice!
Sardinia: Central Italian Island with Glittering Yachts & Beaches
If it’s beautiful scenery, idyllic white sand beaches and a touch of sophistication you want, then Sardinia is for you! Take a trip to the vibrant town of Alghero or stroll along the harbour front of Cagliari. Dine at an exquisite seafood restaurant by the coast or venture further inland to an Agriturismo property to immerse yourself in an authentic, Sardinian experience.
This island off the west coast of central Italy is hugely popular with vacationing Italians as well as the international jet-set crowd (it's impossible to miss all the mega-yachts offshore and private jets at Olbia airport). The most iconic locale is Costa Smeralda, a 34-mile/55-km stretch of coast on the northeast side of Sardinia. This is a prime resort area where sky blue waters kiss white-sand beaches.
Sardinia not only boasts nearly 2,000km of coastline but you can enjoy them thanks to the beautifully warm Mediterranean climate with long, hot summers and coastal temperatures averaging 28.5°C in July and August. The island is renowned for its 'six-month summer', and the sea can be warm enough for swimming from May until October.
Its rugged landscape is dotted with thousands of nuraghi – mysterious Bronze Age stone ruins shaped like beehive.
Sicily: Iconic Culture, Food & Ancient Ruins
Sicily, the largest Mediterranean island, is just off the "toe" of Italy's "boot and with sunshine and beaches, architecture and history, plenty of towns to explore and even those infamous Sicilian lemons, Sicily has so much to offer. Food is at the heart of the island from quintessential Italian cuisine to Greek and Arabian influences with more to offer here than you'll find anywhere else, you'll never want to leave this beautiful island! From coastal cities with thriving street-food scenes like the family favourite of Taormina, the Italy you see on postcards where at its centre, an ancient Greek amphitheatre overlooks the beach, Cefalú with its a maze of backstreets and a collection of crumbling Greek ruins, and like the Temple of Diana to fabulous coastline such as the coves, grottos and beaches of Lo Zingaro, Sicily really has it all.
Over 2,500 years at the strategic crossroads of the western world have left Sicily with an unparalleled historical legacy going back to when it was first settled by the ancient Greeks. In the list of the Unesco's World Heritage sites there are seven Sicilian places: in addition to the Baroque cities Noto, Modica and Ragusa, the Aeolian Islands, the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento and Syracuse with the rock-cut Necropolis of Pantalica, this prestigious award was obtained also by Mount Etna – the tallest in Europe and, at 10,890 feet one of the most symbolic and active volcanos in the world. You can also visit the Aeolian Islands: seven islands, one different from another, with dreamy beaches and coves and two active volcanoes where to go trekking Sicily continues travellers with its dazzling diversity of landscapes and cultural treasures.
