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Hiking the Alta Via: Cinque Terre’s Wild Side

Hiking the Alta Via: Cinque Terre’s Wild Side

Spanning 440 km (270 miles), the Alta Via of the Ligurian Mountains is one of the longest trails in Italy. It starts from the western edge of Liguria, near the border with France, and finishes in the southeast corner at the border with Tuscany. […]

Vernazza, Cinque Terre: A Thousand Years of Beauty

Vernazza, Cinque Terre: A Thousand Years of Beauty

When in 2013 the New York Times included Vernazza, Cinque Terre (lit. “Five Lands”), in its list of the top 20 destinations to visit in the world, the village was still recovering from the flood and mudslide that had hit it two years before. The […]

The Unique and Majestic Duomo of Amalfi

The Unique and Majestic Duomo of Amalfi

On the second day of our self-guided walking holiday on the Amalfi Coast, you descend on foot from the heights of Ravello into the town of Amalfi and soon find yourself in the central piazza, dominated by the world-renowned Cathedral of Saint Andrea, otherwise […]

Tuscan Specialties of Montalcino:  Pastries, Honey and More

Tuscan Specialties of Montalcino: Pastries, Honey and More

If you’re seeking to sample Tuscan specialties, you’d do well to start in Montalcino. While other towns and villages in the Val d’Orcia boast their own specialities, you’ll find in Montalcino, aside from the ever present Brunello wine, the following delights. All Things Bread […]

Positano, Italy:  Where the Path of the Gods Ends

Positano, Italy: Where the Path of the Gods Ends

Positano, Italy immediately exerts its fascination the first time you see from afar its colorful cascade of houses and villas perched above the crystal blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea.  And the fascination only deepens as you arrive in the town and begin to […]

Ravello, Italy: Loft of the Literati

Ravello, Italy: Loft of the Literati

Dominating the Amalfi Coast from an altitude of 350m, Ravello sits atop a rocky spur dividing two deep valleys. Situated thus, the town serves as a terrace perched high over the sea, from which you can enjoy a stupendous panorama of the entire coastline as far as Calabria in the south and Capri to the north. From early in its history, Ravello became a symbol of the ideal place to live, work, and play, with famous artists, writers, musicians, and the idle rich choosing it as their preferred haunts.

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