The Atlas — Landscape
Nature & Outdoors
The physical Italy — coastlines, mountains, lakes, parks, trails, and the roads that connect them. Filter by what you're chasing and where you're going.
53 entries
Coastline · Sardegna
Costa Smeralda
The emerald coast of NE Sardinia — granite coves, white sand, turquoise water, and the Porto Cervo glamour. Worth a few days for the beaches; skip the crowds in August.
Coastline · Campania
Amalfi Coast
The UNESCO cliffside coast — Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello, with the lemon groves and the blue sea. Worth a few days; avoid July-August (the crowds and the SS163 traffic are punishing).
Coastline · Toscana
Costa degli Etruschi
The Etruscan coast of Tuscany — white beaches, the Bolgheri wine, and the Etruscan sites. Worth a day or two for the wine and the beach; the less-crowded Tuscan coast.
Coastline · Liguria
Riviera del Levante
The eastern Ligurian coast — Portofino, Cinque Terre, Portovenere, and the Gulf of Poets. Worth a few days; the pastel villages on the cliffs are among the most iconic of Italy. Avoid August.
Coastline · Puglia
Salento Coast
The heel of Italy — white limestone cliffs, turquoise water on two seas, the baroque Lecce inland. Worth a week; the Salento is the southern coast that rivals anywhere in Italy.
National Park · Puglia
Gargano National Park
The 'spur' of Italy's boot — a limestone promontory with the Umbra Forest, the white cliffs, the sea caves, and the pilgrim Monte Sant'Angelo. Worth a few days; the wildest of Puglia.
National Park · Campania
Cilento National Park
The UNESCO park south of the Amalfi — the Greek ruins of Paestum, the wild coast, and the Mediterranean diet heartland. Worth a few days; the wilder, quieter south of Campania.
National Park · Calabria
Sila National Park
The great forested plateau of Calabria — the 'giant trees', the lakes, and the cool air. Worth a day or two to escape the Calabrian coast; the green heart of Calabria.
National Park · Emilia-Romagna
Foreste Casentinesi National Park
The ancient forests on the Tuscany-Romagna border — the Sasso Fratino reserve (UNESCO), the Camaldoli monastery, and the wolves. Worth a day or two for the wild; the wildest of the northern Apennines.
Hiking Trail · Campania
Sentiero degli Dei
The 'Path of the Gods' — the cliffside trail above the Amalfi Coast, with the view of Positano and the sea. Worth the 3 hours; the most famous hike in southern Italy, for a reason. Avoid the August heat and crowds.
Hiking Trail · Lombardia
Via Francigena
The medieval pilgrim road from Canterbury to Rome — the Italian Camino, through the Alps, the Apennines, and Tuscany to Rome. Worth a section (or the whole); the walking is the reason.
Scenic Drive · Lombardia
Strada della Forra
The 'road of the gorge', a cliffside road above Lake Garda — a spectacular cut into the rock, the gorge, and the view. Worth the detour for drivers; the 20-min thrill, on the way to the lake.
Scenic Drive · Trentino-Alto Adige
Sella Ronda
The 40km circuit around the Sella massif in the Dolomites — by ski, bike, or car, through four valleys. Worth the day (or the ski week); the most famous tour of the Alps.
Mountain · Sicilia
Mount Etna
Europe's largest active volcano and a UNESCO site — a smoking summit, the lava flows, the cable car, and the vineyards on its slopes. Worth a day for the cable car and the lunar landscape; skip if it's erupting dangerously.
Mountain · Campania
Mount Vesuvius
The volcano that buried Pompeii — still active, with a trail to the smoking crater and the view over the Bay of Naples. Worth a half-day with Pompeii; the easiest live crater to reach in Italy.
Mountain · Abruzzo
Gran Sasso
The highest and wildest of the Apennines — the Corno Grande (2,912m), the Campo Imperatore plateau, and the chamois. Worth a day or two for the plateau and the hikes; the alpine Abruzzo.
Mountain · Trentino-Alto Adige
The Dolomites
The most beautiful mountains in the Alps — pale limestone spires, the 'Enrosadira' (the pink at sunset), the Sella Ronda ski circuit, and the rifugi. Worth a week for skiing or hiking; worth a few days for anyone.
National Park · Lombardia
Stelvio National Park
Italy's largest national park, in the Ortler Alps — glaciers, marmots, ibex, and the Stelvio Pass (2,757m). Worth a few days for the hikes and the pass; the alpine wilderness.
National Park · Valle d'Aosta
Gran Paradiso National Park
Italy's first national park, saved for the ibex — alpine meadows, the only 4,000m peak entirely in Italy, and the marmots. Worth a couple of days for the hikes and the wildlife; the alpine-park classic.
Mountain · Abruzzo
Maiella
The 'mother mountain' of Abruzzo — the second great massif (Monte Amaro, 2,793m), the rock hermitages, and the wildest of the Abruzzo parks. Worth a day from Sulmona for the mountain and the hermitages.
National Park · Calabria
Pollino National Park
Italy's largest national park, in the deep south — the 'pino loricato' (the twisted-bark Bosnian pine), the Ragola gorge, and the wildest of the southern mountains. Worth a couple of days for the wilderness and the off-the-beaten-path.
Mountain · Calabria
Aspromonte
The southernmost massif of the Apennines, above Reggio Calabria — the wildest of the south, with the pines, the gorges, and Garibaldi's last stand. Worth a day for the wilderness and the off-the-beaten-path.
Mountain · Marche
Monti Sibillini
The 'blue mountains' of the Marche-Umbria border — the Sibilla (the sibyl's cave, the legend), the Castelluccio plain, and the wildflower bloom. Worth a day or two for the plateau and the legend.
Mountain · Toscana
Alpi Apuane
The marble mountains of Tuscany — the white Carrara quarries (the Michelangelo marble), the peaks, and the wildest side of the region. Worth a day for the quarries and the hikes; the surprise of Tuscany.
Lake · Veneto
Lago di Garda
Lake Garda is worth two or three nights, especially for families or travelers who want swimming and beaches alongside the mountain scenery. The south shore is warmer and flatter; the north is dramatic and alpine.
Lake · Lombardia
Lago di Como
The most glamorous of the Italian lakes — deep blue water, alpine backdrop, villas with gardens, and Bellagio at the junction. Worth a few days; longer for the villas. The classic for a reason.
Lake · Piemonte
Lago Maggiore
The aristocratic of the Italian lakes — the Borromean Islands (palaces and terraced gardens), the alpine north (the Val Grande wilderness), and the mild climate. Worth a couple of days for the islands.
Lake · Umbria
Lago di Trasimeno
The gentle, historic lake of Umbria — the site of Hannibal's ambush (217 BC), with islands and medieval villages, and the Trasimeno wine. Worth a day or two as the base for the Castiglione-Cortona-Panicale arc.
Lake · Lazio
Lago di Bolsena
The clean, volcanic lake of northern Lazio — medieval villages on the crater rim, two islands, and the water so clean it's the drinking-water source for the region. Worth a day or two on the Rome-Tuscany drive.
Lake · Lombardia
Lago di Iseo
The quiet alternative to Como and Garda — the largest lake island in Europe (Monte Isola), the Franciacorta vineyards, and fewer crowds. Worth a couple of days for the island and the bubbles.
Lake · Lazio
Lago di Bracciano
The volcanic lake just north of Rome — a medieval castle (the Orsini-Odescalchi, where Tom Cruise married), the Etruscan sites, and the swimming. Worth a day trip from Rome.
Lake · Trentino-Alto Adige
Lago di Ledro
The small, wild alpine lake above Garda — a pile-dwelling village (UNESCO, 4000 years old), the mountains, and no crowds. Worth a night on the way to the alpine lakes.
Lake · Lazio
Lago Albano
The volcanic lake of the Castelli Romani, below the papal palace of Castel Gandolfo — the Pope's summer lake, the swimming, and the wine. Worth a day from Rome, for the palace and the porchetta.
Lake · Trentino-Alto Adige
Lago di Carezza
The most photogenic of the alpine lakes — a small turquoise pool in the Dolomites, with the Latemar and the Catinaccio (Rosengarten) behind, and the Ondina (water nymph) legend. Worth a stop on any Dolomites drive.
Beach · Sardegna
Spiaggia della Pelosa
One of the most beautiful beaches in Italy — white sand, turquoise water, and a medieval tower. But famous, and now ticketed to protect it. Worth it if you book early; skip in August.
Beach · Sardegna
Cala Goloritzé
One of the most dramatic beaches in Italy — a white-pebble cove below the 143m Punta Caroddi spire, reached only by hike or boat. Worth the effort; skip if you want sand.
Beach · Puglia
Baia dei Turchi
One of the most beautiful beaches of the Salento — pine-backed dunes, white sand, clear water, and the legend of the Turkish landing. Worth a day if you're on the Adriatic side of Puglia.
Beach · Sicilia
Mondello
Palermo's beach — a sandy crescent with art-nouveau villas and the Monte Pellegrino backdrop. Worth a day if you're in Palermo in summer; skip in August when it's wall-to-wall umbrellas.
Island · Campania
Procida
The colorful, un-touristy sister of Capri — a small island of pastel houses, fishing harbors, and lemon groves, without the day-trip crowds. Worth a night for the slow island.
Island · Sicilia
Lampedusa
The far south of Italy — an African-island outpost in the Mediterranean, with the Conigli beach (the best in the world, per many), the tuna, and the sea turtles. Worth a flight for the beach and the elsewhere.
Island · Sicilia
Stromboli
The most dramatic of the Aeolian Islands — a volcano that erupts every 20 minutes, with a guided hike to the summit at dusk. Worth a night for the eruptions, if you're not afraid of the climb.
Island · Sicilia
Panarea
The fashionable little Aeolian island — white houses, a prehistoric village, and the August scene. Worth a night for the chic and the quiet (in June or September, not August).
Island · Sicilia
Lipari
The base for the Aeolian Islands — a citadel above the sea, a great archaeological museum, and the pumice beaches. Worth a couple of nights as the hub for Stromboli, Panarea, and Salina.
Island · Toscana
Elba
The most accessible Italian island — sandy beaches, Napoleon's exile (Villa San Martino), the iron-mining history, and the mountain. Worth a few days for the beach-and-history mix, and it's an easy ferry from Piombino.
Island · Sardegna
La Maddalena
The archipelago off the Costa Smeralda — pink granite rocks, turquoise water, and the national park. Worth a day or two for the boat and the Caprera (Garibaldi's island).
Island · Sicilia
Pantelleria
The elsewhere island — a volcanic rock between Sicily and Tunisia, with stone houses (dammusi), capers, a volcanic lake, and the wind. Worth a few days for the wild and the capers.
Mountain · Sicilia
Mount Etna
Mount Etna is worth a half-day excursion from Taormina or Catania. The cable car and 4x4 take you to 2,500 meters. Go in the morning; weather closes the upper zone in the afternoon.
Coastline · Liguria
Cinque Terre
Cinque Terre is worth one or two nights if you go in shoulder season. In July and August it is a crowd-management exercise. Hike the trails, take the train between villages, and don't try to drive.
Coastline · Campania
Amalfi Coast
The Amalfi Coast is worth two or three nights if you base in one town and ferry to the others. Driving the coast road in season is miserable — use the ferries. Positano is the photograph; Amalfi is the town; Ravello is the view.
Lake · Lombardia
Lake Como
Lake Como is worth two nights. Base in Bellagio, Varenna, or Menaggio and ferry between villages. You do not need a car — the ferry is the transport. Go in shoulder season; July is crowded and expensive.
Island · Campania
Capri
Capri is worth a day trip or one night. It is extraordinarily crowded in season — the day-tripper crush from 11am to 4pm is intense. Stay overnight to see it empty, or ferry in early and leave by late afternoon.
Island · Campania
Ischia
Ischia is worth two or three nights if you want thermal spas, beaches, and a slower island pace. It is the better alternative to Capri for travelers who want to stay, not day-trip.
Mountain · Trentino-Alto Adige
Dolomites
The Dolomites are worth three to five nights if you hike. Base in Ortisei or Cortina. A car is essential. Go in summer for hiking or winter for skiing; the shoulder seasons are quiet but lifts may be closed.