Autumn

There are certain sacred places that touch the soul, taking you away from the mundane and the worldly into a state of blissful contemplation. This is particularly true of Assisi. Here, St Francis was born, lived, was baptised, walked through the lush green valleys, found refuge, heard the voice of God while meditating in silence, met St Clare, died and left his aura. Perched on the hill, with the plains below and Mount Subasio climbing steeply above it, the mere sight of Assisi in the pink light of sunset is enough to send the souls of pilgrims to Heaven. It is in this mystical hour, when the sound of visitors' footsteps fades away and the city is shrouded in sacred silence, that the true spirit of St Francis of Assisi can be felt most intimately. A city of peace; an eternal city. In Assisi, St Francis left a human and artistic legacy of inestimable value. His life has inspired an entire culture, and works of art which are admired all over the world. The Basilica was built in his honour, and along with the church and Convent of St Clare, it has significantly altered the urban layout. The Church of St Damian, the Porziuncola and the Carceri hermitage are other places associated with St Francis, inside and outside the city walls. However, the city's origins date back to the Roman era, when it was a flourishing municipality. To describe them, we need to go to the heart of the town, and appreciate the harmonious beauty of its hidden corners, the silence of its alleyways and the precious intimacy of its less famous churches. In the central Piazza del Comune you find the Palazzo dei Priori, thirteenth-century Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo with the Civic Tower and the so-called Temple of Minerva, which bear witness to the early centuries of the empire. From here, you can easily climb up towards the Cathedral following the grid plan of the ancient Roman city, which once had a theatre and a small amphitheatre. Again from the square, you go down to visit the Church of St Clare, which houses St Clare's body under the main altar. From the nearby Santa Maria Maggiore, an ancient Romanesque cathedral, walking along Via San Francesco, you come to the marvellous Basilica. In the lower church, the starry blue vaults, brightened by frescoes by Cimabue, Giotto, Martini and Lorenzetti, convey a mystical atmosphere. The upper church is a sudden explosion of light and colour, from the wonderful Giotto cycle depicting the life of Francis. Assisi is the destination of an endless pilgrimage that brings millions of faithful to its streets. But this does not detract from the charm of its locations.

Orange Flag of the Italian Touring Club The village of San Leo has maintained its 'status' as an inaccessible place, high above a huge limestone boulder, with a perfect balance between nature and the human footprint, which has been transformed into the village and the fortress. The latter looks like a vessel stranded on a cliff and stands on an overhang: it is an absolute must-see, including the dungeon and the well where the Count of Cagliostro was held until his death. The historic centre of the village is developed around the square with the civic tower, some noble palaces, the parish church of San Leo built on the site where the saint lived his last years as a hermit, and with a splendid marble ciborium on the presbytery, and the Cathedral, made of sandstone and built between the 12th and 13th centuries, near the cliff's overhang and, curiously enough, without a proper façade. Also worth a visit is the Pinocoteca, with works by Guercino and Caravaggio. Also linked to the figure of Cagliostro is an excellent digestif (the liqueur of Cagliostro) made from liquorice roots, created, according to legend, by the Count himself.

Perched on a rocky spur of Mount Putano, straddling the Marsican, Peligno and Aquilano territories, rises Castelvecchio Subequo, a tiny village but one of great artistic, historical and cultural wealth. Strolling through the village and its surroundings, in fact, it is easy to come across buildings of architectural and cultural value, and important archaeological sites: Castelvecchio, for example, preserves the archaeological heritage of ancient Superaequum, one of the three most important cities of the Pelignians. History, therefore, but also hospitality and savoir-faire: here the traveller is welcome and will be welcomed into the beauty of a village that is reborn and that is focusing everything on the recovery of ancient trades, returning to be the jewel it has always been in past centuries.

Rocchette and Rocchettine in Sabina: the story of twin castles having opposing fates In Sabina, perched above the gorges of the Aia torrent, stand Rocchette and Rocchettine. They are twin 13th-century fortresses with differing destinies. The first is a living, inhabited village, while the second is a fascinating ghost town frozen in the 1950s. A unique place, where two parallel stories look across at each other from opposite banks of the stream. In the ghost village Rocchettine, once known as Rocca Guidonesca, is today a labyrinth of silence. Abandoned after the war, its medieval structure has remained intact. Among the ruins of houses and ancient workshops, the only building restored in the 18th century is the Church of San Lorenzo (St Lawrence). It comes to life just once a year. On the tenth of August, for the feast of the saint, the inhabitants of Rocchette arrive in procession from the neighbouring village. The twin that lives on On the opposite bank, life continues. Rocchette, the ancient Rocca Bertalda, welcomes visitors with a gate dating from 1601 and a small inhabited nucleus. Here, the houses lean directly against the medieval walls, creating a powerful atmosphere. The feel is different, but the stones tell the same origin — a time when the two fortresses controlled the trade route between Rieti and the Tiber valley. Rocchettine is freely accessible, but caution is advised among the ruins. Rocchette is an inhabited village, and can be visited all year round.

Rocca di Mezzo: the hamlet between Rocca Canterano and Mount Costasole Situated 845 metres above sea level, Rocca di Mezzo is the only hamlet of Rocca Canterano. Its name says it all: the settlement is located right between the main town and Rocca Martino. Its origins date back to the Middle Ages, with traces indicating even earlier settlements. Stone houses, terraces, and trails The narrow lanes, stone houses, and terraces overlooking the valleys of the Ruffi Mountains make a tour of the village a short yet immersive walk. The Church of St Mary of the Assumption remains one of its most recognisable landmarks. From here, trails start off across the Monti Simbruini Regional Natural Park: the connection to Rocca Canterano and the routes leading to Mount Costasole can easily be explored on foot. August in Rocca di Mezzo Every August, the village hosts the Sagra degli gnucchitti a coda de soreca (Handmade mouse-tail pasta festival), featuring outdoor communal dining and traditional costumes. During the same summer month, the patronal feast of St Roch (San Rocco) is celebrated, highlighted by the traditional ballo delle pupazze (dance of the giant papier-mâché puppets).

Poggio Catino in the Sabina Reatina: a village with two centres, and a tower from which you can see St Peter's Poggio Catino is a village in the Sabina area, 80 km from Rome, with a feature that immediately sets it apart: it is divided into two urban centres — Poggio Catino and Catino —which are about 1 km apart. Poggio Catino The historic centre winds around the Lombard Tower, a pentagonal structure 33 m tall, from which, on clear days, you can see the dome of St Peter's Basilica in Rome. Palazzo Olgiati — now the seat of the municipal administration — stands on top of Colle Moricone, next to the ancient medieval fortress, and transformed at the beginning of the 17th century by the Olgiati family into a noble residence with an arcaded loggia, frescoes, marble and stucco work. It changed hands several times until 1980, when it was purchased by the Municipality. The Church of San Rocco (St Roch) overlooks the village square, while just off the square is the Church of San Silvestro (St Sylvester), dating from 1343. Catino and surrounding area In Catino you can find the ruins of the Rocca, or Castle of Catino, and the parish Church of Sant'Eustachio (St Eustace). The Terme di Silla — Republican-era baths near the cemetery — are also worth a visit. For those who enjoy walking, the Hermitage of San Michele (St Michael)— a rock-cut sanctuary carved into a cave on Monte Tancia — can be reached with a hike of about two hours. Flavours and events The signature product of the area is Sabina DOP extra-virgin olive oil, one of the most highly regarded in Lazio. Since 2024 the village has hosted the Iris Film Festival, dedicated to independent cinema.

The South Tyrolean territory is rich in natural areas, precious landscapes whose delicate environmental balance must be preserved. Therefore, the region has established numerous parks. There are seven in all, in addition to the Stelvio National Park. The task of each of them is to protect the invaluable ecosystem and make it accessible to all.

If you are looking for an eco-friendly experience and all-round immersion in nature, you are in the right place. In fact, 25% of the Campania region is occupied by protected areas, which go well with environmental and sustainable tourism. We propose a tour of the four Parks of Campania. An evocative route that will know how to enchant you, giving you landscapes that are always different and full of charm.

The territory defined in December 1922 as the Gran Paradiso National Park extends around the homonymous massif (whose peak exceeds 4000 meters) and in the past was a densely populated area. The architecture of the villages is based on the idea of the alpine house, on the Piedmontese side with constructions entirely made of wood, while on the Aosta Valley side wood is flanked by stone. The maximum splendor of this area was reached in the middle of the 1800s, when members of the House of Savoy came up to these parts to reach the hunting posts. The decision to prohibit hunting when the Park first opened was fundamental to saving the ibexes - which are its symbol - from extinction. Today, this mountain Eden, divided into five valleys where rocky environments, prairies, woods and their borders alternate, is truly within everyone's reach: thanks to the project “an Accessible Paradise”, the tourist offering of the entire protected area is able to satisfy the needs, interests and expectations of a wider range of users.

Thanks to its 70,000 hectares, the Sibillini Mountains National Park (between Umbria and the Marche regions) is a true treasure trove of biodiversity due to the alternating presence of wetlands in the valleys, and thick forests and wonderful plateaus such as that of Castelluccio di Norcia, famous for the flowering of lentils. There are many charming villages nestled in a unique landscape that changes according to the seasons at the various altitudes. In fact, there are many peaks in this area that are beyond 2000 meters of altitude above sea level and among them there are Mount Sibilla Mountain, Mount Bove Mountain and the Redentore Peak.

Bathed by two seas, the Tyrrhenian to the west and the Ionian to the east, very different in terms of landscape, beaches and coastal colours, Basilicata enchants with its small, picturesque villages over 1,000 metres above sea level, woods and forests covering the mountains, a landscape characterised by unspoilt nature that goes hand in hand with a prestigious history: all in one, small region with attractions for all tastes.

In the midst of a great geological and landscape range, between desert areas with volcanic rocks and dense, green forests, stands His Highness Mount Etna, or Muncibbeddu in Sicilian, Mongibello. A symbol of Sicily across the world, it is the largest active volcano in Europe, as well as one of the highest in the world, and has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2013.

Matera, a rare jewel of Basilicata, is an enchanting miracle of time. Visiting this Lucanian city is like reliving a glorious past. It resembles a small and delightful nativity scene, which is why it is known as 'the second Bethlehem', providing a backdrop for films such as Pier Paolo Pasolini's The Gospel according to St. Matthew and Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ.

The history of the city of Cosenza is linked by a double thread with the ancient people of the Bruzi, a lineage known for its belligerent spirit but also for its excellent skills in agriculture and in the cultivation of the land. The fruits? Excellent products, primarily oil and wine. It is therefore not surprising why the Wine and Flavors Route is dedicated to this town, a 52-kilometre itinerary, suitable for everyone and accessible in every season of the year. The route crosses Calabria, from the Crati Valley to that of Savuto, in 4 stages of great suggestion.

.Immersed in scenery that is beautiful in all seasons, allow yourself to be transported to an experience with an emphasis on taste and health. The cuisine on offer is more than just zero km: in true agritourisms, more than 60 per cent of the produce must in fact be home-grown, or come from farms and agri-food companies in the same Territorial Development System. So here are 7 green agritourisms in Campania where you can partake in a simple, yet surprising, delicacy.

An ideal territory for cyclists, who between one ride and another can refresh themselves between crescentines with the "cunza", borlengo and a glass of Lambrusco.

Ancona is made up of sea and hills. It seems that in ancient Greek "ankón" meant "elbow", and here the landscape of the coast is really like an elbow drawn from the hill of the Cathedral and the hilly parks of Cardeto and Passetto. In the middle is the city, with the sea horizon facing Dalmatia, ships and cranes along the docks, grandiose historical buildings, mysterious sculptural reliefs, imposing signs of the ancient Roman civilization, and beaches on the slopes of the parks. Spending a day of leisure in the large port city of the central Adriatic means making discoveries. Choosing two wheels is advisable, but not with a push bike: we are in a city of unevenness, not all of us have the strength of a cycling champion in our legs. There is no shortage of places to rent a scooter. You can get to Ancona by motorway, by the very long Adriatic road 16 or by rail. If you want, there is also an airport. The ideal thing would be to arrive in the most natural way: by ship, because you would get the taste of the place in the most panoramic and naturally slow way. Follow the manoeuvres, watch the tyres throw, get in line to disembark and finally begin to discover.

There, everyone can make a tailor-made bike experience, either following the wake of the great champions, or choosing a not too testing ride, even with the whole family. The grand finale of Tirreno-Adriatico, the cycling race that runs across the Italian peninsula from sea to sea, unfolds in a scenery imbued with blooming and salty scents. The itinerary begins on the hills overlooking the sea and ends along the coast. A slower-running course in the first half, owning to the ups and downs that can test your quadriceps and lungs a faster-running route in the second half along the straight stretches that favour an upping pace. Here is a short guide to pick the fittest one for you.