Italy Beyond the Obvious

Hiking trails with bridges, ladders and ropes: the Via Ferrata of the Dolomites

 

 

The Dolomites are one of my favorite places to hike, because of the scenery, the many mountain-top refugi that serve lunch, and the fact that the ski lifts take hikers up the mountain throughout summertime; but add to that some very unique trails equipped with ladders, bridges, and iron ropes called the Via Ferrata (translated as iron way, road with irons, or iron trail). The routes were designed during WWI so that the Italian mountain infantry could navigate mountain trails more efficiently, which means that you can, too.

Here's what you need to know if you want to hike a Via Ferrata trail:

There are trails for every level of hiker. There are over 80 Via Ferrata trails in the Dolomites, with difficulty levels of 1 - 5, Level One being an easy walk and Level Five requiring climbing skills. There are actually a couple different rating systems, and here's a great explanation of the Via Ferrata trails rating systems.

There are trails all over the Dolomites. Use this very handy map of the Dolomites' Via Ferrata trails to identify a trail of the right hiking level and in a convenient location for your trip. Click on a trail icon to get details and often photos of the hike. Ivano Dibona is probably the most famous trail, and takes about 8 hours to hike, while the Lagazuoi Tunnels hike is one of the easiest and most unique - I've sent clients there with kids.

You still need to do your research. Most of the hikes will require helmets (which you can rent) and headlamps (easy to tuck into your suitcase). Here's a great overview of how to prepare yourself for a Via Ferrata hike . Make sure you know what you're getting in to before you start off - it may help to look at the photos below.

 

Trails with ladders, bridges and ropes?

By bridges, I mean:

 

And: 

 

Here is a photo of a Via Ferrata ladder:

Or below (though I think there may be a more technical name for this type of ladder): 

Ropes are usually for the more experienced hiker or climber:

 Here you can see the rope along the trail.

And if all this sounds fantastic but you haven't the slightest idea which hotels to book, how to get to the Dolomites or how to get around, let Italy Beyond the Obvious plan your trip for you or help you along as a travel consultant. If you like what you read, subscribe to this blog for free.

 

Photo credits: Hikers walking, vertical ladder, and sign by Giustino; Photo of bridge with hikers from Wikimedia Commons; Pinut photo by beety; Photo of ladder over Lake Garda by Jon Shave; photo of mountain ropes by Dimitris Iliopoulos.

Five Reasons to Visit Trieste

 

Gorgeous seaside scenery, castles, caves, and of course the city itself: Trieste, nestled in Italy's northeast corner, might be a little out of your way, but here are a few reasons it's worth a visit. 

The Passeggiata Rilke is arguably one of Italy's prettiest walks, a cliffside path with incredible views over the Sistiana bay. At just over a mile (or 1.7 km) long, the path starts in front of the tourist office in the town of Sistiana (just north of Trieste) and ends at the Duino castle, famous for its legend about an evil husband who threw his wife over the cliff. Before she hit the water, the gods turned her to stone, reminicent of a veiled lady who can be seen today.

 

 

The Castle of Miramare and its huge gardens were built for the Austrian Habsburgs a mere 150 years ago, making this a pretty new castle by Italian standards. Visit the inside of the castle or just wander through its English gardens, full of exotic plants.

 

 

The Roman Theater is one of Trieste's main attractions, so spend half a day on foot in this nice-sized city. Walk along the water's edge and down the big pier. Spend some time in the majestic Piazza Unita' d'Italia, and shop in the Borgo Teresiano or Chinatown area. Here's a good audioguide of Trieste.

 

The Gigantic Grotto (Grotta Gigante) is the world's largest tourist cave, big enough to house St. Peter's Basilica. Allow about an hour for a visit, and if you're really into caves (so to speak, hee hee) visit the Museum of Speleology, nearby.

 

You may notice foreign influences in Trieste that you haven't seen in the rest of Italy, and that's because of its proximity to Austria, Slovenia, and Croatia. From a base in Trieste you can easily take a day trip to another country. The impressive Predjamski castle, built into a rock in Slovenia, is under an hour away.

 Did I miss any of your favorite spots in or around Trieste?

 

Photo of Rilke walk with Duino castle by Mexx 6oo, Photo of Miramare from istockphoto.com, Photo of Roman theater by Chiara Marra, other photos from Wikimedia Commons.

 

 

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Five favorite hikes in Italy - guest post at Italylogue

It was a challenge to narrow down my list of favorite hikes in Italy to just five for Jessica at Italylogue (but I did it!) The hikes I ended up picking include the Dolomites, Lake Como, Liguria, the Amalfi Coast, and Sicily. Notably missing from the list is the Cinque Terre - don't worry, I explain why.

So head on over to Italylogue and read about all the details!

That's me hiking in Ortisei. Photo by Sanjay.   

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A hike, a walk and a soak: Three underground favorites in Italy

Want to explore Italy where a flashlight or even hard hat is required? There are lots of options to go underground. Tuscany alone has 1,500 grottoes and 270 km of underground tunnels. Here are three of my favorite underground spots (only one requires a hard hat!), places I recommend often to clients, in no particular order....

 
 

1) Hike the Lagazuoi Tunnels in the Dolomite mountains (Northeastern Italy)

These tunnels were dug through the mountain by both Austrians and Italians during WWI and now provide an easy 1-2 hour hike in gorgeous scenery (photo above) near Cortina. Choose whether to walk through the tunnels going up or down, then take the cable car the other way. I recommend walking down unless it bothers your knees. Before starting the hike, rent helmets and flashlights next to the cable car station. Note: the restaurant at the top is excellent. Here's a great detailed account of the Lagazuoi hike.

 

2) Walk the Etruscan pathways of Pitigliano (Southern Tuscany)

For some reason I get along really well with Jewish people (though I don't usually find out they're Jewish until we've already gotten to know each other pretty well) which includes many of my clients. This means that I've spent quite a bit of time researching Jewish Italy (there's a lot there!), and I often end up recommending a visit to the Tuscan town of Pitigliano, also known as Little Jerusalem. 

Not only is this gorgeous town historically significant in more ways than one, it has some very interesting walkable Etruscan pathways. Some of the tunnels are completely covered, and are underneath the city. They're accessible on walking tours - ask the tourist office. Other pathways, the Via Cave, are in the area around Pitigliano. Also carved by the ancient Etruscans and up to a mile long, they're narrow with tall vertical walls, open at the top. They don't go anywhere in particular but are fun to walk through. This article lists the Etruscan pathways around Pitigliano and provides a good description from the traveler's perspective. Here's an interesting article speculating on why the Pitigliano pathways were built.

 

3) Soak (or dive!) in the thermal waters, or just inhale the therapeutic steam of Grotta Giusti (Northern Tuscany)

There are many natural thermal waters in Tuscany, but Grotta Giusti is at the top of my list. It's an actual cave and natural sauna, even equipped with lounge chairs, as you can see from the photo above. Kids under age 12 can't go into the grotto but can visit the swimming pool, which is also filled with the natural thermal waters and is at ground-level (as opposed to cave-level). SCUBA divers can even explore the cave underwater.

Do you have any favorite underground spots in Italy?

Photo of Lagazuoi by Marco Bellucci, Photo of Pitigliano by Arielarts used with permission, Photo of Grotta Giusti from Grotta Giusti Spa

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Interview on the Eye on Italy Podcast

I was a guest on the Eye on Italy podcast (a podcast I love - subscribe!) this week, talking with the hosts, 3 fabulous Italy bloggers, about the different jobs I've had in Italy and how I found each one. I went into more detail about my corporate expatriate assignment in Milan, and talked about a few of my top picks for where to hike and bike in Italy. 

This episode also covers the Italian team in the World cup, each person discusses their Italian "pick of the week", and they talk about a couple Italian idiomatic expressions. 

So go listen, and enjoy!

http://www.eyeonitaly.com/podcast/episode-8-world-cup-fever/

Seven weeks of travel in Italy

How would you spend your time if you had seven weeks to travel in Italy? My husband and I had that opportunity before we moved from Milan to the USA, and because I get the "what should I see in Italy" question so often, I thought I'd share what we decided to see on that particular trip, and why we chose each place.

If it had been our first trip to Italy, I would have started with something along the lines of Jessica's (aka Italylogue's) fabulous two week detailed Italy itinerary (which as she explains you can easily stretch out to 3 weeks or more). But after 5 years in Italy I'd done all that, so our itinerary became a mix of places neither of us had been (Dolomites, Isola della Maddalena, and Ischia), and places I'd been but my husband hadn't.  

 

 

The Dolomites  We started at the end of June, and spent a week hiking in the Val Gardena in the Dolomite mountains. Why we chose it: We both love hiking, and July is the perfect month to visit the Dolomites, because it's warm and not as crowded as August. Some of the most incredible hikes I've ever done were on this trip - and I grew up hiking in the Rocky Mountains.

Tuscany  We rented a car and spent 10 days in Tuscany exploring the countryside. We also hit Siena, San Gimignano, Monteriggioni, Montepulciano and Pienza. Why we chose it: It was partly a wandering-the-hills-of-Tuscany trip for photography (which meant early mornings), looking for fields of sunflowers and just waking up in the morning and doing what we felt like that day.

 

Naples, Pompeii, and Ischia  We spent 5 days in Naples, then hit the archaeological ruins of Pompeii and spent 4 days on the island of Ischia. Since it was high season, we chose Ischia over the island of Capri because there were fewer crowds. We rented motorinos on Ischia to get around, and loved Ischia's natural hot springs. Why we chose it: I like the balance of putting Naples, Pompeii and Ischia together, because you start with a big vibrant city, then visit an incredible must-see attraction (but with lots of tourists), and then end with off-the-beaten-track island beach time. 

The Amalfi Coast  We spent 4 days on the Amalfi Coast after driving on impossibly narrow and twisting roads over the mountain from Naples -- which I would not recommend for any couple ;) Why we chose it: I had been, and wanted to go back with my husband because it's such a romantic spot (or became romantic after we made up post mountain-crossing!)

 
 
 

Isola Maddalena, Sardinia  We flew to Sardinia and then took a boat to Isola Maddalena and spent a week exploring the island, lying on the beach, going for bike rides, and SCUBA  diving (I got my certification there). Why we chose it: With only a week, we didn't have nearly enough time to visit the huge island of Sardinia, so we chose 1 spot, saw it well, and relaxed.

Sicily  We spent 2 weeks on the island of Sicily, which I've written about before. Why we chose it: I had been to Sicily before and wanted to go back. Sicily is another great place for a balanced vacation. We climbed a volcano, lay on the beach, walked through Greek ruins, spent time in large bustling cities, saw incredible art, and ate and drank well. 

So that adds up to a little more than 7 weeks believe it or not! (We actually had more time off, and also took a week to go up to Switzerland and see the Montreux Jazz Festival, on at the end of July every year.) And after all that, am I satisfied? Well, yes. But my still-to-visit list in Italy is long, because when you go to Italy with a list of things to see, you don't come home with everything checked off. You come home with a longer list.

Photos: me hiking in the Dolomites, detail from the Nile Scene mosaic at the archaeological museum in Naples, view from Isola Maddalena of the bridge to Caprera. All photos by Sanjay.

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Five spectacular hikes on the island of Capri

Capri is a walker's paradise, full of incredible views and scenery, so here are five walks to experience it firsthand. Wear proper shoes, long socks or long pants so your legs don't get scratched, and don't forget a hat, sunscreen, water, and - in June through August - bug repellent.

 

 

1. The famous Via Krupp (photo above), considered to be one of the prettiest roads in the world, reopened in June 2008 after a 30 year restoration. To get there, start at the Piazzetta Umberto I in Capri, and follow Via Vittorio Emanuele to Via Matteoti, which then hits Via Krupp. Before heading down the path, consider visiting the beautiful Gardens of Augustus or the Carthusian Monastery, both right at the top of the trail. At the bottom, you'll be at Marina Piccola (small marina), where you can have a drink or go for a swim.

 

2. From the Piazzetta in the town of Capri head down Via Vittorio Emanuele to Via Camerelle, then follow Via Tragara towards the Arco Naturale (Natural Arch, photo above). Follow the signs, stopping at Le Grotelle restaurant for a drink or lunch, and then head down a steep hill to the gorgeous Cave of Matermania. From there, the path takes you down to the Punta Tragara, with incredible views of the famous Faraglioni rocks. This trail has lots of steps, both up and down, but the end part from Punta Tragara back to the town of Capri is an easy wander.

 

3. Hike to the top of Monte Solaro, Capri's highest point (photo above). Allow about 1 - 1.5 hours for the hike, or take the chairlift, which is just a 12 minute ride and which you can take up or down. There are a few trails up, but the easiest is from the main square in Anacapri: head towards the Villa San Michele, but before reaching the villa, take a narrow road to your right signposted "Monte Solaro", and follow it to the top (which is visible the entire time anyway). Once up there, don't rush down: you'll have a 360 degree view of the island, so buy a drink or lunch at the top and enjoy.

 

4. There is a relatively new walking path along the coast between the Blue Grotto (Grotta Azzurra, photo below) to the Lighthouse, called the Path of the Little Forts, or The Old Walk of the Forts (photo above). Both ends of this 6 km trail can be reached by bus, but the path is easier if you start at the lighthouse and walk to the Blue Grotto rather than the reverse. If you can, time it to watch the sunset. Allow about 3 hours for the hike and note that while tour boats are going in and out of the Grotto you can not swim - but wait until 5 pm and you'll likely be allowed in the water. Here's a good detailed description of this walk.

 

5. It's a somewhat strenuous 45-minute walk, but worth it: head to the Roman ruins of Villa Jovis from the town of Capri. You'll see incredible views and can visit the archaeological ruin, which was built 2,000 years ago by the Emperor Tiberius. 

More details on the hikes: If you prefer to hike any of these with a guide, I highly recommend Giovanni Visetti. Use the detailed route instructions and elevation maps on his website, or hire him as a private guide. Or, buy the Sunflower Guide, which has excellent instructions and maps of hikes on Capri and all over the Amalfi Coast.

The challenge with Capri is that it can be difficult to get away from the tourists. Walking is a great way to do it (and so is spending time in the town of Anacapri). But if the island in high season isn't your thing, consider visiting the nearby island of Ponza instead. Or, if it's off season and you're not sure about the weather, spend time on Ischia, which has lots of natural hot springs and spas.

Photo of Via Krupp from www.istockphoto.com Photos of natural arch and of view from Monte Solaro by dr_tr; Photo of Sentiero dei Fortini by Fiore S. Barbato; Photo of the Blue Grotto by A Journey Round my Skull 

 

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Where to run, bike, or roller blade in Milan

Business travelers ask me all the time where they can run in Milan. I'm not a runner (though I wish I were - it's so convenient for travel!) but I do pack my roller blades in my suitcase sometimes. 

 

For short distances, the Parco Sempione (marked on the map below) in Milan's historic center is probably just fine. Runners can certainly also just jog through the city center, though don't plan on seeing any Italians doing the same. And please be careful of the traffic, or try to stay mainly on pedestrian streets. I've seen many a tourist jog through Piazza Duomo (usually marked by fluorescent white running shoes), but there's a better and much bigger park just 20 minutes away.

 

The Parco Nord has a series of paved paths, perfect for running, roller blading, or going for a somewhat leisurely cycle. Take a taxi or, on public transportation, ride the yellow subway line to Zara and then get the tram up Viale Fulvio Testi. You'll also be surrounded by people playing soccer, frisbee, or just lying in the sun. Especially on weekends, it will be busy enough that you'll be safe going alone. Just don't go after dark, and if you don't have a good sense of direction, get a map before you go.

View Running in Milan in a larger map

Photo of cycling path by Conanil

 

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Scala dei Turchi, Sicily

Just 15 minutes from the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, the brilliant white and weather-formed Scala dei Turchi juts into the sea off Sicily's southern coast. The rock is a perfect diving board for beach-goers and irresistible for photographers. Accessible after a short walk along the beach (video), it's also an easy climb (video): flip flops and a bathing suit will do just fine.

The name translates as Turkish Steps, and indeed there is a striking resemblance to Pamukkale, Turkey. However the explanation on this website (in Italian) on the history of the name is that the Scala dei Turchi was the place Arab pirates, locally referred to as "turks", anchored their boats out of the wind while they pillaged the surrounding area.

 

Getting There

The Scala dei Turchi beach is in Realmonte, just an hour from Palermo,an hour from Piazza Armerina and 15 minutes from the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento. More specifically, it's at 37°17'31"N 13°28'13"E

Top photo by Myriapod; middle photo by Giuseppe Finocchiaro; bottom photo by Albyf1948;   

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The Top 3 Ski Resorts Near Rome

Um, wait - ski resorts near Rome? You knew you could ski in the Alps or the Dolomites.. But yes, there are actually 26 ski resorts in the Appennine mountains not far from Rome, and they get plenty of snow as you can see from the photos below. Open from December through April, the resorts cater to all levels of downhill skier, snowboarders and cross-country skiers. And in the off season, lifts are open for hikers.  All 3 of the resorts below are about 2 hours from Rome and 1 hour from the Pescara airport.

1) Campo Imperatore, on the Gran Sasso mountain

Take the cable car up Gran Sasso (photo above), the area's highest mountain, to reach the ski resort of Campo Imperatore at 2,130 m (7,000 ft). This resort has over 20 km of runs and is ideal for intermediate skiers. It also has a ski park for snowboarders. 

Cost of an adult day pass is just €24. Kids under 11 years of age ski free.

Also Great For cross-country skiing and summer hiking. Cross-country skiers have a choice of trails starting near the base of the Fontari chairlift. In the summertime, hikers can take the cable car up to Campo Imperatore and then hike up to Gran Sasso's highest point, the Corno Grande, at 2912 m (over 9,000 ft). It's a 4-6 hour round trip and a strenuous hike.

2) Prati di Tivo

On the other side of the Gran Sasso mountain from Campo Imperatore, Prati di Tivo is a smaller resort with 6 lifts at an altitude of 1,450 m (4,700 ft). Here's a map of the runs and lifts, and here's the official website (in Italian only).

Cost of an adult day pass is just €22, though passes are also sold in 1, 2, and 3-hour increments.

Also great for cross-country skiing and hiking. Cross-country ski trails zig zag at the base of the lifts, and in the summer, hikers can enjoy the flowers, mountain scenery and birds on many trails.

3) Roccaraso

This huge resort has 110 km of ski runs, newer lifts, snow making machines, and is probably a better fit than the other two for skiers who prefer difficult runs. Here's a map of the runs and lifts.  Also a great spot for cross-country skiers.

Cost of a day pass at Roccaraso is €33 for adults and €28 for kids, but there's a family deal where the second child under age 10 is free.

View Ski Resorts Near Rome in a larger map

Photo of Gran Sasso by Gigi 62; Photo of Roccaraso by Bartolomeo Perrotta

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