Top Travel Destinations in Italy For 2009

Which are the most interesting places to visit in Italy in 2009? Lets step aside from the already famous tourist attractions like Florence, Rome or Venice and discover some new places.


Furore - Amalfi Coast

An astonishing pearl high up over the Amalfi Coast. The name of this unique place comes from Terra Furoris. In stormy nights the noise of the raging sea pounding against the rocks was so loud the people living there thought well about finding an appropriated name, already in ancient times. Today it is well known as Furore, an ancient fishermen village, situated in the fiord of Furore, well hidden - it can not be seen from the road to Amalfi Coast.
Because of its perfect natural shape it was a secure fortress when Saracen ruled. Nowadays it is a very romantic place, with a breathtaking view over the famous landscape of the Amalfi Coast: olive trees, lemon gardens, colourful plants along the entire coast and of course the deep blue of the sea.
Being Furore located at only a few minutes from places like Amalfi, Positano and Ravello, it is just perfect for who want to be near the jet set if in the right mood but not being forced to living the chaos all the time. The Amalfi Coast is a stretch of coastline on the southern side of the Sorrentine Peninsula, extending from Positano in the west to Vietri sul Mare in the east. The towns lying on the Amalfi Coast are Vietri sul Mare, Cetara, Maiori, Minori, Ravello, Scala, Atrani, Amalfi, Conca dei Marini, Praiano and Positano.
The Amalfi Coast is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, and is well known for its rugged terrain, its breathtaking scenic beauty, picturesque towns and the jet set visiting every year. Every town has its own character and interesting sites.


Portovenere - Liguria

Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, Portovenere situated in Liguria, Italy was first recorded in history in the 2nd century by Roman mariners travelling in triremes. Portovenere, a small romantic town, can be found at the entrance to the famous Cinque Terre, near to the most suggestive Tuscan cities and to the Gulf of the Poets. It got its name from a temple erected in Roman times in honour of Venere Ericina.
From this lovely place you can face the archipelago of the three little islands Tino, Tinetto and Palmaria which are part of the Regional Natural Park of Portovenere. At only a few minutes ride by car interesting archaeological sites can be visited.


Aeolian Islands - Sicily

Located in the Tyrrhenian Sea in Sicily, the Aeolian Islands are a group of small and very beautiful islands: Lipari, Vulcano, Salina, Panarea, Stromboli, Filicudi and Alicudi.
Due to a volcanic activity for more than 260.000 years, the Aeolian Islands got their present and very charming shape. Today there are registered volcanic activities only on Stromboli - if the spectacle takes place, it offers a high coloured performance on certain nights.
Becoming a more important holiday destination from year to year, during the period starting in the middle of June to the middle of September they can be very busy.


Cortona - Tuscany

This charming Etruscan town, an important strategic point during Roman times was founded in the 10th century. Situated near Lake Trasimeno, on a hillside, the ancient town offers a great view over the entire Valdichiana. Piazza Garibaldi, the main square of Cortona, is still today the meeting point for locals and tourists.
Cortona traces back to Etruscan, Roman and Egyptian civilizations boasting a wide range of Medieval and Renaissance artefacts. Being situated in the heart of Tuscany, in the province of Arezzo, it is the perfect starting point for a cultural, gastronomic and wine tour around Tuscany.
The film "Under the Tuscan Sun" with Diane Lane was shot there.


Lake Como - Lombardy

A lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Lake Como is very well known for its "Y" shape and for the attractive lake side villas. Hollywood stars like George Clooney have been so fond of this picturesque place they decided to buy their own villa here.
Besides its romantic and charming scenery, it is a perfect tourist destination offering sports possibilities like surfing, sailing and kite surfing.
Famous little towns like Bellagio, which was copied by the hotel magnate MGM in Las Vegas, Lecco, Menagio and Cernobbio are certainly worth a visit.

Italy – the perfect country for vegetarian tourists

Figuring out where to go on vacation, for vegetarian tourists quite often turns out as a “little problem”. Being vegetarians a significant minority of the population, most of the countries do not really focus on them. Nevertheless there is Japan, India, Thailand and most of the Asian destinations which really do offer quite a wide variety of vegetarian cuisine. But what about Europe?

Europe surely is not very famous for its meatless dishes. Italy, however, is a real rock concerning this matter. With its Mediterranean diet, famous all over the world for loosing weight and not having to hunger, it offers a huge amount of receipts based on vegetarian ingredients. Italian cuisine also puts its focus on genuine ingredients.

Having Italy this mild climate which is perfect for the agriculture, a lot of fresh products and ingredients are available all over the year. Besides the very famous Extra Vergine Olive Oil, the Minestrone and the Caprese (tomatoes, mozzarella and basil), Italy really takes care about its vegetarian gourmets. Even if there are not that many explicit vegetarian restaurants, serving only vegetarian dishes, it is no problem at all! Any restaurant, osteria or trattoria has plenty of meatless dishes in its menu: a wide variety of starters, pasta and grilled vegetables just to mention some.

Not only you can consume delicious dishes, but you even can learn how to prepare them: many of the Italian hotels and country inns above all, include in their packages cooking courses. So people can stay an entire week or as long as they like and participate in cooking classes. There tourists can learn how to make bread, olive oil, the so very prestigious Italian wines, but also entire menus. Many country inns in Tuscany made a real cult of these cooking classes, as well as in the Amalfi Coast where in Furore, the Furore Inn Resort, a 5 star hotel based on wellness with a 600 m² wide wellness area includes in its offers cooking courses in a beautiful kitchen with an amazing view overlooking the sea.

Obviously, this new trend has made its way throughout the country. Cooking classes are held in accommodations all over Italy, where, between sightseeing tours in medieval towns and hours of relax on the beautiful beaches it is also possible to take home some culinary Italian experience.

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