Where the Italians staycation

Monte Argentario

Let’s be honest, Monte Argentario isn’t really off the beaten path. Chic Romans, Tuscans and Milanese have been coming to the enchanting peninsula on the Tuscan coast for centuries. It’s a firm favourite for Italians because of its location and accessibility. It’s also perfect for outdoor lovers.

What to Do and Where to Go

Practically an island in its own right, Monte Argentario has beautiful rocky beaches that are perfect for snorkelling. It’s mountainous peaks also means there are plenty of hikes and great lookouts waiting to be explored. Two protected reserves – Laguna di Orbetello (Italy’s oldest WWF oasis with nature walks) and Riserva Natural Duna Feniglia, a 7-km long straight perfect for a long walk or bike ride – border the narrow isthmus that links the island to the mainland.

If natural beauty lures us to Monte Argentario, it is accessibility to hidden escapes that make a staycation in Porto Ercole or Porto Santo Stefano (the town towns) so desirable. The close link to the mainland means easy country to off beat places like Il Giardino dei Tarocchi (artist Nikki de Saint Phalle’s technicolour sculpture garden), art retreat and winery Castello di Ama (or any winery, for that matter), and a visit to a butteri farm to see the butteri (historic Tuscan cowboys) are easy. Even better is the access to Giglio and Giannutri, two jewels of the Tuscan Archipelago, where you can escape to hidden beaches and hike across the tiny islands.

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Western Sicily

Sicily has been on the hot list for years for its incredible food, archaeology, architecture and culture, but the southeast still remains the road less travelled. By basing yourself on the Trapani coast, you’re in prime location for the variety that Sicily offers.

What To Do and Where to Go

Adventurers of all kinds love the west coast because it’s here where you can traverse the millennia of history and culture – from the Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans to the Saracens and Normans, Bourbons, Aragons – in a single town. A walk through a town like Marzara del Vallo showcases ancient Greece and Rome ruins, Moorish ornament and architecture, Baroque fantasy and all the way to straight lines of 1930s rationalism.

History aficionados can explore past civilizations through the monumental Greek temples of Selinunte, Segesta and Agrigento, whose striking cliffside location looks over to ancient Carthage (Tunisia). You can also hike up the hill towns like Erice, walk the Baroque city of Marsala and visit ancient tonnare, tuna fisheries that dot the coastline. That’s all just scratching the surface too, and we haven’t even mentioned the stunning beaches and nature reserves…

Caponato, cannoli, cassata – every small town has its own delicacy whether sweet or savory. You’ll find everything from cous cous from San Vito Lo Capo to red shrimp from Marzara del Vallo, the sweet wine of Marsala, the wines of nearby Menfi, and the pastries of Sambuca.

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Alto Adige/Südtirol

There are those who prefer the beach and those who like mountains, preferring brisk cool morning air as the ideal wake-me-up. If you’re the latter, then the destination to go to is the Alto Adige/Südtirol, Italy’s most north-eastern province and a beautiful escape any time of the year. In the winter, the Südtirol and its UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites are the scene for la settimana bianca (ski week). When the warm weather arrives, however, the Alto Adige dynamic changes completely. A little more quiet and a lot less busy with visitors, Südtirol seems reserved for those who prefer alpine breezes and uncrowded outdoors.

What to Do and Where to Go

Cycling, mountain biking, hiking, trekking, ziplining, think of any outdoor activity and you’ll find it. We’d recommend taking a drive to enjoy the scenery from Bolzano to Val Gardena’s Ortisei (where you’ll make home base) through to the Val Badia. Nature’s incredible landscape backdrop is mind blowing and will set the stage for whatever outdoor excursion you choose.

The Südtirol is a very different kind of Italy than what most are used to. It’s an overlap of cultures: Germanic, Ladin and Italian and intense history (the area only became part of Italy in 1918). To understand, start at the very beginning in Bolzano to Iceman, the Alto Adige’s most famous and oldest resident, a mummy from the Copper Age. Südtiroler Volkskundemuseum (Südtirol folklore museums focuses entirely on the province’s culture and tradition, and Ladin Museum concentrates the story on the Ladin population. Throughout the area are hidden castles and abbeys, such as Abbazia de Novacella, a 12th century abbey and winery. Alpinisti will want to make way to the gorgeous Zaha Hadid-designed museum at the peak of Plan de Corones, one of five Messner Mountain Museums and by far the most dramatic architecture and observation point.