This city in the Apulia region lies at the base of the Salentine Peninsula on the northern inlet of the Gulf of Taranto. Here numerous Greek tombs have yielded a rich collection of imported Greek and local vases, and a deposit of hundreds of statuettes of Apollo, presumably from the temple of that god, was […]

Taormina is a hilly town on the east coast of Sicily. It is located near Mount Etna, an active volcano with paths that reach the summit. The city is known for the Ancient Theatre of Taormina, an ancient Greco-Roman theatre still in operation today. Near the theater, the cliffs that descend to the sea form […]

This little town on the Amalfi Coast’s history is related to the myth of mermaids, known in Italy as “sirene”. Apparently, Ulysses heard the Sirens’ song as he was sailing past Sorrento. It became a popular coastal resort for wealthy patricians and many grand villas were built in the area. Even more recently, the city […]

Sirmione is a castle town on a skinny peninsula that lies on the southern end of Lake Garda. The storybook castle is the centerpiece and defining landmark of Sirmione, with its moat and drawbridge and fortified presence that make it the symbol of the town. Beyond are intriguing cobbled lanes lined with stone and stuccoed […]

Siena, considered one of the most ancient cities in Italy, lies in the heart of Tuscany’s Val D’Orcia. The city was important in history as a commercial and banking city until surpassed by Florence in the 13th–14th century. The city suffered from wars and famines and from the general economic decline that afflicted Italy in […]

Sicily , Italian Sicilia, Island, Italy. Sicily is separated from the mainland by the Strait of Messina. The largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, it is also the site of Europe’s highest active volcano, Mount Etna. The capital is Palermo. Sicily’s strategic location at the centre of the Mediterranean has made the island a crossroads of history. […]

Situated in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, Sardinia enchants with its natural contrasts, the lights and colors of a region that boasts old traditions and a wild and pure nature. Sardinia is a mainly mountainous region where the presence of men does not seem to affect the territory: there are still luxuriant woods with […]

San Gimignano is a small village in Tuscany, originally called “City of Silva”: it later took its name from the Bishop of Modena, who liberated the town from a barbarian invasion. An independent republic in the Middle Ages, San Gimignano was dominated by two powerful, continually feuding families and in 1352 the city was under […]

Salento is a cultural, historical and geographic region located at the southern end of the Apulia region, sometimes described ad the “heel” of the Italian “boot”. It comprehends the entire province of Lecce and a large part of that of Brindisi and Taranto. The climate is typically Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and mild, rainy […]

Italy’s capital city, Rome, is full of stories and history. For thousands of years it has stood as a symbol of culture, excess, art, and creativity. From the heady days of the Roman Empire, to the refined European city it is today, there’s much to tell about the story of Rome. Many historians track the […]