Italy: Hotels and Accommodations

Winter and Mountains

Dolomiti Superski comprises the largest ski area in Italy. The Dolomites are a mountain range in the northern Italian Alps with 18 peaks over 3,000 meters and an area of 141,903 hectares. As a World Heritage Site, they are a serial site consisting of nine areas with glacial landforms and karst systems.

Mount Etna is the highest island mountain in the Mediterranean and the world's most active stratovolcano. It supports terrestrial ecosystems with endemic flora and fauna.

Frecciarossa provides a direct connection between major cities: the trains connect Milan and Venice, stopping in Brescia, Verona, Vicenza, and Padua.

Trails and Landscapes

The Ligurian coast between Cinque Terre and Portovenere is a cultural landscape that reflects the continuous human settlement of this region over the past millennium. Cinque Terre National Park has a network of trails more than 120 kilometers long, with various types of paths that make it possible to explore the entire area. Its event calendar includes nature trekking, cycling tours, snorkeling, and cellar visits with experienced guides.

The Ciclovia dei Parchi della Calabria is a 545-kilometer cycling route through Aspromonte, Sila, Pollino, and the Serre. Tuscan Archipelago National Park manages a well-developed network of hiking trails, with routes for families, easy tours, and challenging tours. The Grand Trail of Elba connects most of Elba's trails and offers views of the island's geological, vegetation-related, and morphological diversity.

The Sentiero Italia CAI is an almost 8,000-kilometer hiking trail that crosses all regions of Italy, including the two largest islands, and can also be experienced in shorter sections. The Via Francigena can be traversed on foot as well as by hybrid or mountain bike.

Culture and History

Italy has 62 sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The World Heritage Site Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata comprises three archaeological areas with ancient cities, villas, and other associated sites. The sites of Pompei, Herculaneum, and Torre Annunziata have been gradually excavated and opened to the public since the mid-18th century. The excavated area of Pompeii, covering 44 hectares, provides a complete picture of an ancient Roman city.

Islands and Museums

The Aeolian Islands are an archipelago consisting of seven volcanic islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea. The Archaeological Park of the Aeolian Islands extends across Lipari, Panarea, Filicudi, and Salina and includes prehistoric villages, Greek and Roman necropolises, and Roman thermal baths.

The museum complex Luigi Bernabò Brea is located on the volcanic rock of Lipari's Castello. The museum has six pavilions documenting human settlements and successive civilizations in the Aeolian Archipelago from prehistory to the threshold of the modern era. For a quick visit, it offers labels in Italian and English as well as more detailed explanatory texts in Italian.

Regional Cuisine

Italian cuisine varies depending on the region, city, and family, creating a diverse gastronomic mosaic. The honey Dolomiti Bellunesi DOP is produced by Apis mellifera from the nectar of local flowers.

For more information about the individual regions, the following pages are available: Trentino-South Tyrol, Veneto, Sicily, Tuscany, Umbria, Sardinia, Marche, Molise, Piedmont, Basilicata, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Calabria, Campania, Lazio, Lombardy, Abruzzo, Aosta Valley.