Top 5 Active travels and Trekking - Hiking spots of Italy

Italy is a great tourist country. It's not only famous for its cultural and artistic patrimony.

Most travellers don't know that there are thousand of spots where practice active travels in Italy and adventures.

Here the top 10

1) Liguria Liguria is a coastal region of north-western Italy, the third smallest of the Italian regions. Its capital is Genoa.

The main attractions are: * La Riviera di Ponente, the coast that stretches from France to Genoa, and La Riviera di Levante, the coast on the Italian peninsula itself - these are the main reasons people visit Liguria * The Cinque Terre (literally "five lands"), five tiny, picturesque fishing villages - Corniglia, Manarola, Monterosso al Mare, Riomaggiore and Vernazza - perched precariously on the rugged, rocky hills that tumble into the Mediterranean

Walking is very popular, especially on the main coastal paths, which are subject to park entrance fees. It's worth exploring some of the higher paths to Volastra (above Manarola), Monte Negro (above Riomaggiore) or paths that begin outside of the park such as the trail between Levanto and Monterosso.

2) Lombardy Lombardy (Latin: Langobardia, Italian: Lombardia, Western Lombard: Lumbardìa, Eastern Lombard: Lombardia) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fourth of Italy's GDP is produced in this Region. The language is Italian, the spoken dialects are sub-divided in Western Lombard and Eastern Lombard. The religion is Catholic, of Ambrosian rite or Roman rite.

The main detinations are: * The magnificent lakes of Lake Como - take boat trips in the shadow of the Alps to the picturesque villages of Bellagio, Varenna and Tremezzo - Lake Maggiore, Lake Garda and Lake Lugano. * The tiny village of Erbusco, home of the award-winning wines of Franciacorta and L'Albereta, the country inn of Gualtiero Marchesi, one of Italy's premier chefs * The peninsula of Sirmione, on the south shore of Lake Garda * The Caves of Catullo, an archaeological site of a former Roman villa situated on the tip of the Sirmione peninsula * The Sirmione Spa, the largest privately owned thermal treatment centre in Italy * San Donato Milanese

3) Trentino Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (Italian: Trentino-Alto Adige; German: Trentino-Südtirol; Ladin: Trentin-Adesc Aut [2][3], also Trentin-Sudtirol) is an autonomous region in Northern Italy. It consists of two provinces: Trento and Bolzano-Bozen, where in the latter the majority of the population speak German as their first language. The region was part of Austria-Hungary (and its predecessor, the Austrian Empire) from 1815 until its annexation by Italy in 1919. It was officially referred to as Venezia Tridentina between 1919 and 1947 and Trentino-Alto Adige/Tiroler Etschland between 1947 and 1972. In English, the commonly used term is Trentino-Alto Adige; Trentino-South Tyrol is also sometimes used. Together with the Austrian state of Tyrol it is represented by the Euroregion Tirol-Südtirol/Alto Adige-Trentino.

The main attractions are: * Überetsch/South Tyrol: there you can find large producing areas for wine and apples * Meran/Merano: health resort with great tradition, i.e. empress Sissi of Austria stayed there

4) Veneto Veneto is a region in north-eastern Italy, with its capital in Venice. It was an independent republic until the invasion of Napoleon in 1797. There's so much to see ...

The walking spots are: * Bibione - seaside town * Eraclea - seaside town close to Jesolo * Jesolo - large seaside town near to Venice * Quarto D'altino - situated about 15 minutes, by train, from Venice's main island

5) Emilia Romagna Emilia-Romagna is one of the 20 Regions of Italy. The capital is Bologna. It has an area of 20,124 km² and about 4.2 million inhabitants. It is the second richest region of Italy, and its cuisine one of the most characteristic.

To See: * Along the Tuscan border are the Casentinesi Forests, the most important woodlands in the Appennines * Bagnara di Romagna * The Consorzio di Prosciutto di Parma (tel. 521-243987) will organise you a free visit to a Parma ham factory; the Consorzio di Parmiggiano Reggiano (tel. tel. 521-292700) will do the same for Parmesan cheese; and the Consorzio Produttori di Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena (tel. 59-208298) is the place to contact for a tour of a Balsamic vinegar factory * The miniscule independent republic of San Marino * The beautifully preserved castle of "Torrechiara" near Parma. * Bologna's lesser known leaning tower * Riviera Adriatica - One of the principle coastlines with beach towns catering mainly to the younger visitor.

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