Published By: Puja Sinha

Exploring offbeat Italy

A walk through the old and beaten path to tap into Italy’s hidden treasures 

A rendezvous with offbeat Italy to experience its beautiful ruins, art galleries, untainted and well-preserved stretches of scenic landscapes, alienated islands and locally prepared culinary delights!

Visit the Pastel Hued Cinque Terre 

Cinque Terre is flanked on both sides by pastel-coloured houses, trattorias, pop coloured fishing boats and pesto and lured with an enchanting appeal to travellers. The region, comprising of five villages, is somewhat closed off to the commercial and touristy part and is perfect to bask in melancholic isolation. Its alleys and bylanes are nestled between hills that often lead to sun-trapped piazzas. Visiting the lane is synonymous to plunge into a world of vintage artefacts since not much has changed in Cinque over the last couple of centuries.

If you are allured by the romance of a pastoral Italian summer experience, the medieval Cinque Terre with its serene, postcard-like beauty would quench your thirst.

Relax and Contemplate by the Lake Garda

Lake Garda is located in the prettiest and daintiest corner of Italy teeming with resorts, residential areas, gelaterias and cobbled lanes with the silhouette of Monte Baldo in the backdrop accentuating the quaintness of it. Plethora of activities are available at your disposal as you trail to this lake. Its crystal clear waters are ideal for swimming. Windsurfing, kayaking and driving a skippered motorboat are popular among travellers. Alternatively, you could sit by the beautiful CascatadelVarone waterfall, cool and tranquil bathing in the mist and vapour.

Rowing to the nearby Isola del Garda Island steeped in its antique charm and resplendence is also an option. The island offers guided tours to its neo-Gothic villas and Italianate gardens.

Shine Under the Tuscan Sun

Tuscany has an extensive centennial history besides cultural and artistic legacy reverberated so beautifully in its hamlets, cathedrals, architectural wonders, ruins, churches and folktales. As you trace its artistic legacy, you would stumble upon works of the maestros: Michelangelo, Puccini, Brunelleschi, Leonardo da Vinci and Galilei.

Tuscany is a paradise of sleepy, hill-top hamlets worthy of navigating on foot. On the northern part, the mighty Alps border the region casting an ephemeral glow on the villages below. When you are in Tuscany, do not hesitate to immerse into the gastronomical delights that date back centuries.

The other off the track destinations such as Lake Resia, Abruzzo, Dolceacqua and Earth Pyramids of Ritten are equally marvellous and remote. Frequent availability of lodges and travel guides has rendered these areas accessible to tourists.