2024 is set to be the year of travel, thanks to numerous long weekends, allowing us the possibility to organize weekend trips and excursions to explore the beauty of Italy.
We have compiled a list of suggestions to get back on track towards unusual destinations, must-see places, fun experiences, and locations where we can reconnect with nature that Italy continues to offer us.
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A spectacular and little-known way to discover Mount Etna is to board the train of the Circumetnea.
This is a private railway that runs for 110 km around the base of the volcano, through fertile lands and lava formations for a unique and scenic journey.
You depart from the town of Giarre, stop at Taormina, and head towards the medieval village of Randazzo. The journey can last up to 5 hours, riding in the characteristic locomotive car that passes through unique scenery, lunar landscapes, pistachio plantations, citrus groves, cacti, and old abandoned stations along a trail of petrified lava.
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In the enchanting mountain setting of Trentino, along the forest path on the southern slope of Monte Armentera (in the municipality of Borgo Valsugana), there is an open-air museum where the works of local artists merge with the beauty of the natural landscape.
Everything is made with natural materials from the area, such as trunks, twigs, and stones, and some works are even grafted with live plants and trees to blend art and nature together.
The small island of the Pontine archipelago is a place of rocks, beaches, and nature where you can relax and enjoy the Tyrrhenian Sea without the stress of a crowded tourist spot.
Once home to a detention house, it is now a colorful and exclusive location for a relaxing beach vacation.
Here, in addition to secluded bays kissed by a blue sea, you can also visit various archaeological sites that testify to the ancient Roman civilization, such as the Historical Archaeological Museum, the Bourbon Tower, Villa Giulia, and Santo Stefano.
One of the treasures kept in Basilicata and along the entire Tyrrhenian coast is called Maratea.
Nestled in the Gulf of Policastro and overlooking the sea, this small Lucanian town is rich in beaches and rocky landscapes colored by the blue waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea and the green Mediterranean scrub.
The beautiful beaches and the ancient village that rises above a rocky spur with its portals, alleys, and ancient buildings create unique and characteristic atmospheres. Vigil over all is the iconic "Cristo di Maratea", the Statue of the Redeemer that dominates the landscape from the top of Mount San Biagio.
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Gran Paradiso National Park is one of the places that best summarizes the beauty of the Italian mountains.
Located partly in Aosta Valley and partly in Piedmont, covering over 70,000 hectares, it incorporates alpine landscapes of rare beauty, majestic mountains, lakes, and rich alpine flora and fauna, like the magnificent ibex, true masters of the area.
Gran Paradiso National Park is also an ideal destination for hikers with hundreds of trails crossing the park's valleys, to be traversed on foot in summer or with snowshoes in winter when the paths are covered in snow.
If the sweet Tuscan countryside ranks on every travel bucket list, traversing it along the Chianti wine route doubles the joy of the visit.
The Chianti area is famous all over the world for its exquisite red wine, which has become a hallmark of Italian excellence.
To discover it best, you can travel the road that connects Siena to Florence in the area known as Chiantigiana, a stretch of 40 kilometers dotted with medieval villages like Greve in Chianti, Pranzano, Pieve di San Leolino, Castellina, small churches, panoramic landscapes, hills, olive groves, and vineyards, and stop at wineries and taverns, restaurants, and farms to sample the best of local culinary specialties.
To look at 2024 from above, there's nothing better than the panoramic terrace at 3,466 meters above sea level on Monte Bianco, composed of a huge panoramic glass and an incredible circular terrace of 360°, with a diameter of 14 meters and a unique view in the world.
To get there, simply board the Skyway Monte Bianco, a modern cable car that departs from Courmayeur, stops at Pavillon du Mont Fréty where you can visit a mountain botanical garden, dine in two restaurants, shop, and then depart toward the final station of Pointe Helbronner in the heart of the Mont Blanc massif.
Carloforte is a small corner of Liguria on the southwestern coast of Sardinia, the only inhabited center on the beautiful Island of San Pietro, an ancient Genoese colony since the 18th century.
The municipality of Carloforte is an elegant and lovely place full of ancient buildings, cozy cafes, and cobblestone streets. On the island's picturesque terrain, there are kilometers of rocky coast washed by the crystal-clear sea of Sardinia, marine caves, hidden small bays, and natural pools ideal for scuba diving.
In Carloforte, you can also visit the ancient structures where tuna was processed following the traditional tuna fishing practices that took place in this area.
In Lombardy, there's a way to experience a slower, scenic journey through natural beauties and alpine villages: the Bernina Red Train.
Taking a seat on one of its red carriages, which in summer are also convertible to enjoy an open-air connection with nature, means being led through a journey between Italy and Switzerland to discover some of the most beautiful locations in the Alps such as the vineyards of Valtellina, the Bernina and Morteratsch glaciers, and charming mountain towns like Tirano, Campocologno, and Campascio.
Staying on the hidden tracks that cross the scenic landscapes of Italy, we arrive, between Spoleto and Norcia, along the path of a disused railway line.
This is a scenic route to be traveled on foot or by bicycle through the Valnerina between mountain gorges and tunnels with the Nera River flowing parallel to the tracks indicating the way through picturesque villages, ancient towns, and abbeys, and places like Spoleto, Ferentillo, Umbria, and the Monastery of San Pietro a Valle.
In the hinterland of Tigullio, in one of the most beautiful areas of the Ligurian Apennines, lies one of the most significant and lesser-known places in Liguria: the Aveto Natural Park and the three surrounding valleys: Val d'Aveto, Valle Sturla, and Val Graveglia.
3,000 hectares of protected land that contain alpine landscapes, pastures, chestnut, and beech forests, hazelnut groves, lovely lakes, gardens, and olive groves.
Here, nature lovers can admire the unspoiled landscapes and engage in various activities immersed in nature, such as: mushroom picking, biking along a 10 km trail that leads to the Faggio dei Tre Comuni Refuge at 1,400 m elevation, and definitely observing wild horses moving freely in their natural habitat.
No country in the world can blend ancient history and culinary tradition as well as Italy, and one of the most successful examples of this happy union can be found in the Friulian territory around Udine, with the small hilltown of San Daniele, the homeland of the renowned ham loved worldwide, in an area dotted with medieval castles.
Along a route of approximately 100 km, discovering taste and ancient atmospheres, one travels on a road that touches manors, hills, fortresses, and historical villages like Arcano Superiore, Cassacco, Ragogna, Susans, Villalta, and gourmet shops for memorable tastings.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the largest national parks in Italy, with around 181,000 hectares, the Cilento park is a triumph of natural landscapes, biodiversity, and ancient testimonials from Magna Graecia.
Situated in the southern part of Campania, between the Tyrrhenian coast and the Campanian-Lucanian Apennines, it offers exploration of historical artistic wonders like the remains of the Greek colonies of Paestum or the splendid Certosa di Padula, among a vast variety of protected animal and plant species, including the golden eagle and about three thousand botanical species like olive trees, forests of turkey oak, maple, and chestnut trees, beech trees, birches, and white firs.
55 km of coastline, golden, fine sand, bays and cliffs that plunge into a crystal-clear sea, lush vegetation, and many small villages overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea or perched on hills, this is the Coast of the Gods, the section of the coastline that defines the so-called horn of Calabria, in the southern part of the region.
Locations such as Pizzo Calabro, Briatico, Zambrone, Palmi, Vibo Marina, Joppolo, Nicotera, and in particular Tropea and Capo Vaticano offer impactful marine landscapes, villages to experience, and an inland area to rediscover.
Five small unspoiled islands, part of a protected marine reserve in the Adriatic Sea near the Gargano peninsula, make up the stunning archipelago of the Tremiti Islands: a natural paradise for diving.
The green island of San Domino, the largest in the archipelago, the uninhabited Caprara, and the island of San Nicola are washed by the protected waters of the Gargano National Park, with seabeds rich in marine vegetation and colorful fish species that make them ideal for spectacular scuba sessions.
Turquoise waters, rock formations, and marine caves, including the beautiful Grotta Viola, are the ideal destination for practicing sports "immersed" in an unspoiled and spectacular marine landscape.