TheLionVoyager

Lipari is the largest and most populated of the Aeolian Islands (Isole Eolie in Italian), a volcanic archipelago off the coast of Sicily. There are seven gorgeous islands that you can visit: Lipari, Vulcano, Salina, Stromboli, Filicudi, Alicudi and Panarea.The easiest way to get to Lipari or any other island is to take a ferry/ hydrofoils from Milazzo on the north coast of Sicily.We landed in Catania airport with a flight from London, for then drove to Milazzo with a friend’s car. It’s not the best or quick journey go to the Aeolian island, as once you are in Catania airport you still have to drive 2 hours by car and then take the boat for another 2-2 hour and half, but once you get there is very easy and quick to move from one island to another.The ferry will drop you off on the edge of Lipari town, at the Marina Lunga harbour and it is a short walk through the colourful streets to get to the historic harbour area of Marina Corta. Around the harbour area there are lots of restaurants and cafes (my favourite one is ‘La terrazza sul mare’ where you can get the best granita and brioche or ice cream of the island), and is the perfect spot for lunch or a romantic dinner in the evening. Lipari is the most practical base for visiting the Aeolian Islands.Outside the main Italian tourist season (late July – August) Lipari town is large enough not to feel overwhelmed by tourism. It also has a good choice of accommodation for different budgets.

We stayed in Lipari island for seven nights and each day we were exploring different beaches and islands, to reach the most beautiful hidden gems of each island you will need to rent a boat, as most of them are not accessible by foot/car.

The island of Lipari has the biggest town of the archipelago, also called Lipari, a lovely busy place with picturesque streets, an attractive harbour and a historic castle-citadel. All seven Aeolian islands have volcanic origins, but only in Vulcano and Stromboli island there are still activities today, while we were in Lipari, Vulcano island was making so much noise:).The last eruption on the island of Lipari took place around 1,400 years ago, and there are currently no signs of volcanic activity other than thermal springs and fumaroles, but the island offer some fantastic scenery like the “I Faraglioni di Lipari”, gorgeous beaches, and the liveliest town of the islands – Lipari is active late into the night (in the summer) and has a very wide selection of bars and restaurants.

Excursions and boat trips

There are many organize boat trips departing from Lipari, that will allow you to visit the other Aeolian Islands. During the summer you’re spoiled with choices, outside the peak season you may still find some excursions running. Walking around Lipari town and the harbour, you will see many shops and salespeople that organize boat trips, they are all very similar and have good price. All of the islands are worth visiting, but the most popular excursion is to Stromboli. To visit the active volcano, you can take an early-morning trip to climb the volcano, or a later trip so you will be able also to visit Panarea, and leaves Stromboli after dark, in order to watch the eruptions from the sea. This is a long but exciting excursion, and I would recommend it.

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How to get there?

The Gulf of Orosei is one of the most beautiful and fascinating areas to discover in Sardinia. Situated one hour and twenty minutes south of Olbia and around three hours from Cagliari, this area is a fantastic mix of sea and mountains, a paradise for nature lovers, in the central-eastern part of Sardinia, there is a vast and unspoilt natural complex ready to be explored.We explored this area in the summer of 2017, the best town where to stay is Cala Gonone, we were in “I Ginepri Hotel”, a beautiful structure overlooking the sea. The island of Sardinia in my opinion has some of the most beautiful beaches in Europe, and beaches such as Cala Goloritzè, Cala Luna and Cala Mariolu need to be in the top 20 of the World.The Gulf of Orosei stretches for 30 kilometres on the east coast and here you can find wild and rocky beaches, nearly all of them are only accessible by walking, climbing or by boat, and this is why the bay of Orosei is particularly popular with outdoor lovers and hikers. In the beaches of this National Park there aren’t umbrellas or beach bars, so try to equip your backpack with food and drinks for the day.

Boat Excursion day trip to discover the Gulf of Orosei

One of the main activities to do in the area is a full day excursion by boat exploring the Gulf of Orosei, that will allow you to reach wonderful bays that can’t be accessed by foot. The main departure harbour is from Cala Gonone, you can find many small boats companies that organize boat trips of the bay from around 40€, our boat was hosting 7 people, kind of “private tour”. The itinerary of the boat companies are all the same, they will stop in some of the best beaches in Sardinia. The first stop will be Cala Luna, with its impressive seaside caves (remember to take pictures from inside the caves, they will look unreal), next stops will be Cala Sisine and Cala Biriola.Further ahead you will arrive at the beaches of Cala Mariolu and Cala Gabbiani, here the colour of the sea is unbelievably beautiful. Afterwards, you will head to the famous beach of Cala Goloritzè, probably one of the most beautiful bays in Europe, Cala Goloritzè is a wild bay with white sand and crystal-clear water, with its rocky arch on the sea and the majestic Punta Caroddi, is the most scenic destination in Sardinia for free climbers. We visited this beach twice, the first time we hiked through the park for over an hour, the path is not so easy but it is really worth it, the view that you have from the top of the beach is fantastic. You can park the car in Su Porteddu bar, where we stopped on our way back for a nice and refreshing beer, the local Ichnusa beer. The second time we visited was with the boat excursion, but the boat has to stay 300 meters offshore (A sea protection zone prevents Cala Goloritzè from being packed with boats), meaning anyone who wants to reach the beach from a private boat needs to swim.Even if the hike is long especially on the way back, I highly suggest to visit Cala Goloritzè by foot, the reward at the end is priceless, overlooking the bay from above it’s an amazing experience, unbelievably beautiful. Be sure to allow enough time for the hike back to your car before dark, and allow your self a refreshing Ichnusa.

Cala Goloritzé,Baunei

Cala Luna,Baunei

Cala Mariolu,Baunei

Cala Goloritzé Path,Baunei

Exploring the sibillini national park

The Monti Sibillini National Park, dominated by Mount Vettore (2,476 mt), has been established in 1993, it extends for about 70.000 hectares between Umbria and Marche, it’s the paradise for hikers and climbers, the perfect destination for adventures into the wilderness.There are plenty of places to see and visit in this area, the Park is home of some outstanding natural sights, and beautiful towns such as Visso, Ussita, Norcia and Castelluccio.Among the many things to do and see, I recommend you my favourite three places that I think you should not miss:Mount Vettore and Lake Pilato: the highest mountain of the Park, here you can find fantastic paths and the glacial Pilato Lake, the water is really limpid and clear, but is strictly forbidden to touch the water and have a bath. The reason is that if you get too much close to the water you could squash the eggs of a rare creature: the Chirocefalo dei Marchesoni (a red little shrimp that lives only in this lake).Castelluccio di Norcia: Very famous for their flowering, if you are in this area between mid-May and mid-July, you can admire the fields of lentils and poppies bloom, the views from the top of the hill are fantastic. The Gorges of Infernaccio: offer the hiker a breath-taking landscape, they are natural gorges formed by the river Tenna. These are located in the municipality of Montefortino in the province of Fermo, and are among the most picturesque gorges in the Umbria-Marche Apennines.The Infernaccio Gorge is a popular place for walking, especially for the refreshment offered by it during the summer months. From here you can visit the hidden waterfall, the source of the River Tenna and the Hermitage of San Leonardo. In order to arrive at the starting point of the Infernaccio gorge path, you’ll need to take the location of Rubbiano as a reference, near Montefortino town.

Lake Fiastra & Lame Rosse

Lake Fiastra is definitely a place to discover if you are spending time in Le Marche, located about 70 kilometres southwest of Ancona. It’s an artificial lake with clear blue waters that reflect the surrounding mountains located inland the Monti Sibillini. It’s a beautiful place to spend some time in relaxation, but is also the base to explore the neighbours towns.After a few days of exploring Le Marche, hiking in the Sibillini Mountains or shopping at local outlet stores it’s time to take a break, switch off and relax. With a wonderful drive through the mountains to get to this lake, where you can swim, take boat rides and enjoy the peace that this valley has to offer you. If you’re visiting in the summer, when the temperature can reach over 30 degrees, then nothing can beat a dip in this refreshing lake.Lake Fiastra is only a short drive from the beautiful, medieval villages of San Ginesio, Caldarola and the town of Sarnano. If you have some time to spare they are great places to stop and explore.The best and must view to see of the lake, is the panoramic view from above, from the village of Ruffella, there is an amazing terrace overlooking the lake, it’s the best spot.Just next to the lake, you can find one of the most famous and fascinating places in the Sibillini Mountains, the Lame Rosse. Their unusual and unique shape, is due to the long and slow wind erosion over a period of millions of years, they are the Grand Canyon of the Marche, a truly unique place of this region. The round trip path is around 8km and will take you around 3 hours of hike from Lake Fiastra to arrive to the rock formations. They are really beautiful and look like something you would see in Utah or Arizona in the western United States. The trail leading up to the formations is not too difficult, just remember to bring some water and a snacks as there are no bars or shops around.

Monte Bove

Chamois,Monte Bove

Lake Pilato 1,941 meter,Monte Vettore

Castelluccio di Norcia annual flowering

Monte Bove path

Lake Fiastra terrace

TheLionVoyager

I created this fantastic 3 days itinerary in the heart of Italy between Umbria, Lazio and Tuscany based on a weekend that I’ve done while a was home in August 2020. The best starting point if you are flying into Italy is Perugia airport, and from there you can start exploring.

Day 1: Land at Perugia Airport and hire a car (will be quite hard to go around without one). Just 1 hour drive from the airport your first stop will be Civita di Bagnoregio – “The Dying Town”, very beautiful town to visit. The second stop of the day will be Bolsena, a fantastic city by the lake – (sleep in Bolsena).

Day 2: If you didn’t have time to visit the city the day before, you can start the day with a nice walk exploring this gorgeous medieval town by the lake with a fantastic view from the Castle.  Next destination will be the Cascate del Mulino in Saturnia, where you can spend few hours relaxing in the sulphurous spring water, and all this is for free. In Saturnia you can visit as well the thermal bath.In the afternoon you can start to visit the fantastic landscape and villages of the region of Val d’Orcia such as the Chapel Vitaleta, Bagno Vignoni, Pienza, Bagni San Filippo, San Quirico d’Orcia, Montalcino and the most beautiful and most photographed streets with cypress trees are those of Monticchiello and La Foce  – (sleep around Val d’Orcia).

Day 3: Visit of Val d’Orcia region and Montepulciano town then start the way back to Perugia Airport (around 1 hour drive).

Cascate del Mulino in Saturnia

This is a fantastic place to visit but if you can try to avoid the Peak Season or Saturdays and Sundays, when it gets very busy

Val d’Orcia region, the paradise for photographer

While you are exploring this part of Tuscany, try to discover every part of it. The best way to travel around the valley is by car, so that you can be flexible especially during the very early morning or sunset hours, which is often the best time to enjoy the views of the valley.

Enjoy the view of Bolsena lake

While in Bolsena, a walk on top of the hill is a must, you can enjoy the view of the lake at sunset time with a glass of wine.

Cascate del Mulino,Saturnia

Civita di Bagnoregio view

Rocca Monaldeschi,Bolsena

San Salvatore church,Bolsena

Civita di Bagnoregio town

Piazza Grande,Montepulciano

Val d’Orcia region

Bolsena town

How to get here?

The Conero peninsula is on the coast in the south east of Ancona, in Le Marche region of Italy, and consists of a rocky coast and a number of fantastic small beaches on the Adriatic Sea, set around the Natural Park of Mount Conero. The closest airport is Ancona, around 30minutes away. The best way to explore this area is by car, it will give you the chance to explore every corner of the peninsula. There are several popular beach towns on the Conero Riviera, the most popular ones are Portonovo (fantastic beach and seafood restaurants), Sirolo, Numana, and Marcelli (with a very long beach that stretches over several kilometres). Sirolo also has a medieval borgo standing on a hill, with a beautiful panoramic view of the coast.A popular way to explore and enjoy the coast around Monte Conero is by following the coastal road by car, with many highlights and scenic viewpoints. Boat trip also is one of the most popular ways to discover and see the Riviera from a different perspective, there are several rental boat companies in the area or the hotel can arrange it for you as well. You can also rent a kayak from any beach, and weather permitting explore the smaller beaches that are not accessible by foot.

Exploring the Conero Riviera

There are several scenic hiking trails in this park, and all of them have beautiful views from the forest to the coast. The most popular one is “Passo del Lupo” (you can leave the car in the Bar Belvedere and start walking from there, on your way back, you can stop for a snack or dinner in this Bar, the view of the bay is simply stunning). At the end of this path you will enjoy spectacular views of the famous “Due Sorelle”, the 2 rocks that have become the symbol of the Conero Riviera and it can be visited only by boat or kayak.Sirolo’s main beach is San Michele, it’s reachable through a 15-minute walk from the town center. Next to it is the Spiaggia dei Sassi Neri, and Spiaggia Urbani, all three of them are really beautiful beaches.The most beautiful in my opinion and more hard to reach, as the path to go down the beach is quite hard, is Mezzavalle beach, the deep path starts from the main road.The scenery along this part of the coastline is different from the landscapes that you will find elsewhere in this region, with steep white cliffs descending into the sea, rocks and beautiful coves, it’s the most interesting stretch of the Adriatic coast in Italy until the region of Puglia.

Scoglio della vela – Portonovo

Scoglio della Vela, Portonovo

Mezzavalle beach Path, Portonovo

Monte Conero view

Grotta Azzurra, Ancona

Passetto beach, Ancona

Seggiola del Papa, Ancona