You've sofa-surfed your way through blockbuster cities and our five favorite Italian regions. Just one thing: There are 15 more regions in this relentlessly beautiful country. And every one of them has a different look, feel, culinary tradition and even dialect. If you're ready to start dreaming of more Italian trips, here's a rundown of the regions we weren't able to cover in-depth. But before you take this grand tour of the rest of Italy, how about letting Stanley Tucci show you how to make Italy's most famous cocktail -- a Negroni -- in his inimitable way? Drink in hand? Let's toast the rest of the country. We've divided these regions into northern, central and southern Italy, as they all have distinct area characteristics. Plus Sardinia, which is a world of its own. Salute! |
| | Unfurling below the Alps and Dolomites, and bordering the French and Slovenian coasts, it's little wonder this is the most cosmopolitan part of Italy. While it's big on the great outdoors, its major cities are unmissable. Once you've seen Lombardy, it's time to explore some more. | Veneto: Beyond Venice, this is one of Italy's most elegant regions, with stately Palladian villas sprawled across the countryside, and graceful towns like Vicenza, Verona and Padova. It shares Lake Garda with Lombardy, and has some of the best-known areas of the Dolomites, including Cortina d'Ampezzo. Tucci visited for an episode of "Searching for Italy" to learn how to make the perfect tiramisu. Here's his recipe from "The Tucci Cookbook." Trentino Alto-Adige: Part of Austria until 1918, this autonomous mountain region still feels more "Sound of Music" than "Dolce Vita." This, too, is Dolomites territory, with elegant Austrian-looking towns huddled in glacial valleys, and German spoken more than Italian. Historic Bolzano and modern Trento should bookend your visit -- make sure you try canederli, traditional Tyrolean dumplings. Friuli Venezia Giulia: Woefully overshadowed by its neighbor Veneto, with which it's easily paired, Italy's northeasternmost region is a delight: ancient towns, many of them Venetian-influenced, plus world-famous wine routes, and the less-visited Friuli Dolomites. Don't miss Trieste, one of Europe's most gorgeous waterfront cities. Liguria: Most people rush to the impossibly pretty villages of the Cinque Terre, then leave, but Liguria -- the westernmost coast, bordering France -- is perhaps Italy's most quintessentially Mediterranean region. Enjoy the slow life in riviera towns like Camogli and Sestri Levante, and don't miss Genoa, home to Europe's largest medieval center. Piedmont: Across the mountains from Liguria and the home of the Slow Food movement, Piedmont is known for truffles, fassona steak and Barolo wine. But its gourmet reputation overshadows its landscapes (wild, forested hills and vine-speckled valleys), as well as its towns. Alessandria is a fascinating, 20th century counterweight to Italy's typical ancient towns, while Turin has spectacularly reworked its industrial past into a truly modern city. Valle d'Aosta: The mountainous Aosta Valley, above Piedmont, is heaven for snow bunnies -- it shares Mont Blanc with France and Switzerland, is home to the Gran Paradiso national park and ski area, and its resorts of Courmayeur and Cervinia are some of the best known in the Alps. Its mountains are speckled with castles built by the royal Savoy dynasty. Emilia-Romagna: Foodies, this one's for you. Parmesan, prosciutto, tortellini and ragù (what you might know as Bolognese sauce) are from Italy's gastro region par excellence. Bologna, Parma and Modena are your essential restaurant stops, but there's plenty more here, from ethereal, mist-swirled Ferrara to Ravenna, known for its Byzantine churches. | |
| If you're after classic Italy, this is where to come for Renaissance towns balancing on lush green hilltops, and truly epic landscapes. As well as Tuscany and Marche, these two central regions should be on your radar. | Umbria: Dubbed "the green heart of Italy," this mountainous region wedged between Tuscany and Marche is known for its unspoiled landscapes, superb food (don't miss Norcia), and spiritual heritage -- hermits from St. Rita of Cascia to St. Francis of Assisi chose Umbria for a life of meditation. Lazio: Nothing compares to Rome, of course, but the surrounding region of Lazio is also a must-visit. South of Tuscany, this is a region of billowing landscapes, volcanic lakes, elegant towns (try Viterbo) and fairy-tale villages like Civita di Bagnoregio. | |
| Are you Italian American? Chances are your family came from Southern Italy, where the dolce vita was long blighted by poverty. There's a Mediterranean feel to the whitewashed towns and centuries-old olive groves, while staggeringly beautiful coastline contrasts with the dramatic mountains inland. We focused on Puglia in the previous newsletter, but pair it with some of these for an epic road trip. | Abruzzo: Geographically, Abruzzo, tucked beneath Marche, is central Italy; but spiritually it's southern. A varied region, from the pristine Gran Sasso national park (home to Italy's last wild bears) to the Costa dei Trabocchi, a coastline studded with beautifully ramshackle fishing piers. Molise: Paired with Abruzzo until 1963, this mountainous region is sprinkled with villages teetering on crags, castles wrapped around mountaintops, and ruins of the ancient Samnite tribe, including the dramatic hilltop sanctuary of Pietrabbondante. Basilicata: The "cave houses" of Matera, stacked along canyon edges, are the main draws to this, the instep of Italy's boot. There are national parks, and a short but very sweet Tyrrhenian coastline around Maratea, whose massive statue of Christ on a mountain echoes Rio de Janeiro's. Easily paired with Calabria or Puglia, with which it shares its borders. Calabria: Amalfi Coast too busy for you? Try the roller-coaster drive from the Capo Vaticano peninsula down to Reggio Calabria. The toe of Italy's boot, this wondrous region has everything: Andean-style plains in the Sila national park, ancient ruins, and some of the country's finest coastline, with pristine beaches overlooking volcano island Stromboli and Sicily (take the ferry from Reggio to Messina for a twin-center break). Campania: "See Naples and die," they say, and not without reason -- this truly is a bucket list city. Nearby lie swaggering Vesuvius, the ruins of Pompeii, and the Amalfi Coast. Most visitors to Campania leave it at that. But the region has less-visited treasures -- starting with the unspoiled Cilento coastline, the Reggia di Caserta (a showstopper Baroque palace), and the ancient Greek temples at Paestum. A week or two threading down through Basilica to Calabria is the best way to see the coast. | |
| The Mediterranean's second-biggest island is famous for its Maldives-worthy beaches, but there's far more to Sardinia -- starting with coastal towns like Alghero, centuries-old mountain culture in the Barbagia area, and mysterious nuraghi (prehistoric settlements) dotted across the island. Pair it with Liguria, Lazio or Tuscany -- all three are ferry ports for Sardinia. |
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