ISLANDS
Digital travel magazine about villages and slow tourism
Issue 07 2019 Free edition
PELAGIE ISLANDS,
TIBER ISLAND,
TREMITI ISLANDS,
CALABRIA,
the elixir of Sicily
the Legendary Sea
BORROMEAN ISLANDS,
the freshwater jewels
the Capital serenity
in the name of sun
CROSSBORDER:
the astonishing Canary Islands
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Tremiti Islands vaklav /Shutterstock.com
® e-borghi travel 07 www.e-borghitravel.com Publisher Giusi Spina direzione@3scomunicazione.com Publishing coordinator Luciana Francesca Rebonato coordinamento@e-borghi.com Art director Ivan Pisoni grafica@e-borghi.com Editorial office Simona Poerio segreteria@e-borghi.com With the collaboration of Antonella Andretta, Alessandra Boiardi, Grazia Gioè, Cinzia Meoni, Marino Pagano, Luca Sartori, Nicoletta Toffano, Carola Traverso Saibante Translation Beatrice Lavezzari Draft revision Joni Scarpolini Promotion and Advertising 3S Comunicazione – Milano Cosimo Pareschi pareschi@e-borghi.com Editing 3S Comunicazione Corso Buenos Aires, 92, 20124 Milano info@3scomunicazione.com tel. 0287071950 – fax 0287071968 The use of our website and our on-line magazine is subject to the following terms: all rights reserved. Any section of www.e-borghi.com can’t be reproduced, recorded or broadcasted in any form or by any means, be it electronic or mechanical or through photocopies, recording or other systems without a previous written authorization by 3S Comunicazione. Although a careful check of the information that are contained in this issue has been carried out, 3S Comunicazione won’t be considered responsible for any mistakes or omissions. The opinions being given by contributors are necessarily the same as the ones given by 3S Comunicazione. Unless different directions, the individual copyrights belong to the contributors. All efforts have been made to track down the owners of the photos’ copyright in case they were not taken by our photographers. We’re apologizing in advance for possible omissions and we’re available to enter further clarifications in the next issues. © 2019 e-borghi
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Marchio di qualità turistico ambientale per l’entroterra del Touring Club Italiano
Finanza agevolata Sai come sfruttarla per promuovere la tua attivitĂ o il tuo territorio? Scoprilo ora
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eLuciana Francesca Rebonato facebook.com/lfrancesca.rebonato
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he islands, some are fearless, crossed by the winds, punctuated by desert inlets, sandy beaches or granitic coves, featured by a nature that sometimes doesn’t have half-measures or they are sometimes caressed by the sea. The other ones are sometimes set in the lakes’ stretches of water or in the slow running of streams and rivers. They are real places but they are also the projection of our dreams, the islands are magical microcosms surrounded by tiny villages that are suspended between the history and the legends and they are paced by the art and the old traditions. The islands are enchanting places, they are always a step ahead in their amazing charm: at first you may be happy with listening about them then the need to experience them becomes urgent. This is the feeling that pushed us to write this issue of e-borghi travel that is entirely dedicated to the islands. So let’s start our journey in Puglia heading towards the Tremiti islands, a protected Marine Area featured by a mosaic of transparent water and seabed to be explored, a network of caves, cliffs and coastlines set in the Mediterranean vegetation. Then the Pelagian islands in Sicily, suspended between the sky and the sea with tropical colours where you can discover the villages that are ruffled by the wind where different cultures and traditions come together to offer incomparable feelings. Let’s slowly go up our Peninsula and reach Calabria at the discovery of the island of Cirella, surrounded by forests of euphorbia and lemon scents so here is the nearby island of Dino, a jewel of the Mediterranean Sea featured by its thousand years old caves and the deep blue sea. And water again, from the lake: it’s lake Maggiore that surrounds the Borromean Islands, an elixir of elegance and harmony. From the monumental Isola Bella to the precious Isola Madre going through the picturesque Isola dei Pescatori with its narrow streets filled with the voices and the scents. Then we move to the capital city of Italy and we find the Tiberina island which is connected to the heart of the city and the district of Trastevere by means of the Fabricio and Cestio bridges: the eternal city sounds still here, it sounds it’s pausing and telling about its most secret soul. Two facets, the scenographic one and the more intimate one, the islands can keep these two aspects together like Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, beyond the border and the Canary islands too or the Fiemme Valley, the green island in the heart of the Dolomites of Trento, the woodland alter ego of the salty attractions. Different landscapes around the islands, echoes of freedom and apparent unreality. Since Ernest Hemingway was right: „you can find a feeling of definitive fullfilment on the islands”. Luciana Francesca Rebonato publishing coordinator
Summary Pelagie Islands
Tremiti Islands
Borromee Islands
Tiber Island
Islands of tastes
Calabria
Crossborder: Spain
Out of place holidays
Legends
Curiosities
Review
Cofete coastline on Fuerteventura RossHelen/Shutterstock.com
In arrivo
LA MONTAGNA DA AMARE E DA SCOPRIRE
Tariffe agevolate presso impianti di risalita e strutture ricettive nelle migliori localitĂ di montagna.
www.ConvenzionIstituzioni.it PIU’ VALORE AL TUO LAVORO
Cinzia Meoni
facebook.com/cinzia.meoni
Cinzia Meoni
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Pelagie Islands, the “open sea” gems
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Rabbits Beach VanSky/Shutterstock.com
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ampedusa, Linosa, Lampione, Isola dei Conigli and Scoglio del Sacramento: a heavenly archipelago that was defined by the Greek Herodotus “open sea islands”. Africa and Europe meet on these islands that are suspended between the sea and the sky and are featured by their tropical blue water, they are the melting pot of different cultures and traditions that make them unique.
Lampedusa and Lampione belong to the continental African side while Linosa belongs to the European side with its species of animals and plants. It’s the only transcontinental archipelago together with Indonesia. That’s why they deserve a travel at any seasons of the year at the discovery of a border world spotted with tiny fishers’ villages and thousand years old traditions.
Tabaccara bepsy/Shutterstock.com
From the sea to the mainland
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eep blue and yellow ochre. These are the colours of the archipelago of the Pelagie islands featured by a dry stony mainland and by the deep clear blue sea where the colours change from the turquoise blue to the emerald green and the deep blue. In such a scenery it’s really difficult not to join an organized tour by boat or hire a skipper to discover this bright deep universe. You just have to reach the harbour and set sail. How can you explore the “Pela-
Linosa jackbolla/Shutterstock.com
gie” islands if you don’t set sail in the open sea”? You can see the most characteristic formations only in the open sea like the huge cliff of Sacramento near the bay of Madonna di Lampedusa: it’s very exciting to cross the narrow channel that separates the stack from the island and you can reach the Tabaccara in Lampedusa only by boat, it’s an inlet surrounded by the clear water or you can also reach the “Fili” in Linosa, a reef where a natural pool is set.
Scoglio del Sacramento simona pavan/Shutterstock.com
Rabbits Beach Natursport/Shutterstock.com
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Balata Bianca Charming Rooms, a short walk from the blue
Antonella Andretta
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ne of the most beautiful beaches of Italy is here in Lampedusa: it’s Spiaggia dei Conigli (the Rabbits‘ beach), a bay where the water is incredibly blue and the turtles lay their eggs. In the historical centre of the village of Lampedusa near the old harbour and the beach of Cala delle Palme you can find Calata Bianca Charming Rooms, a stylish welcoming facility where you can
enjoy your holiday in this amazing place. Balata Bianca has been recently inaugurated, it’s equipped with five design rooms for its guests. The rooms are all different and they are furnished in a contemporary trendy style that is even more peculiar thanks to the contribution given by some artists that designed the decorative motif of the oak beds’ headboard, the beds are equipped with an extra comfort mattress and Simmons pillows,
another of those nice touches that make the difference. Taking care of details to enhance beauty is a strong point of this facility. The bedrooms are all soundproof, there is the Wi-Fi network, the bathrooms have got design coatings by Patricia Urquiola, oak furnishings, shower cabins equipped with the chromotherapy system and32-inch smart TVs. Two rooms have got a little balcony with a view on the Old Harbour.
Cannoli overlooking the sea
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et’s take a look at the common areas: breakfast is served on the terrace overlooking the little town, the old harbour and the blue horizon of Cala Maluk. The cannoli and other Sicilian specialties are the protagonist of the first meal of the day. Everything is aimed at offering the guests the best relaxing time thanks to the different services that are offered among which a corner
where they can sip the herbal teas or coffee, the free transfer from the airport, the cool water is always available in the rooms’ mini bar and the customized beach towels too. The reception is
always available for all needs to provide help, give tips to the guests who are staying in this facility a short walk from the deepest blue Mediterranean Sea.
Cala Pulcino bepsy/Shutterstock.com
The under-water world
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he Pelagie islands is an area where you must be equipped with your flippers and goggles to dive into this particular Mediterranean universe set between Italy, Malta and Tunisia that has become a “marine reserve”. If you swim around the rocky coast you can discover the ornate wrasses, the starfish, the octopuses, the sea cucumbers and the sponges while the seabed is sometimes covered in the sea grass, a water plant that releases the oxygen into the water and produces real grasslands on the seabed. If you like diving you’ll discover the coral, the parrotfish and
the lobsters near Capo Grecale. Back on the mainland there’s nothing better than waiting for the sunset in Lampedusa, the village that shares the sea with the biggest island where you can have a good time in one of the locals that are spread along via Roma. If you are not tired you can climb up the Sun Tree (Albero del Sole) or “U Signuruzzu” for one hundred metres, it’s the highest point in Lampedusa from where you can enjoy an amazing view of the cliffs overlooking the sea mainly the “Scoglio a Vela” (sail rock) and the archipelago.
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Alessandra Boiardi
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he inhabitants of Lampedusa when they say hello to each-other they use thier local dialect and they use a particular expression, “O’Scia” whose meaning is “my breath”. It’s more than a greeting, it’s their attitude towards life and hu-
man relationships that immediately captures your attention if you chose this island for your holidays in touch with the nature, the cultural heritage and its amazing sea. Lampedusa is waiting to be discovered and the same attitude featu-
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Puesta de Sol Residence Club
res Puesta de Sol Residence Club, an ideal place to experience your relaxing holiday with all the comforts at your disposal. It’s located in an area that is called Cala Palme, it’s very near the centre of Lampedusa and it’s perfect to go to the disco-
very of the island’s most beautiful beaches and it’s also convenient if you want to reach the shopping area from the airport or from the harbour. Puesta de Sol Residence Club is a brand new construction, you’ll be plunged into a familiar envi-
ronment furnished according to the typical local style and you won’t have to give up the comforts that this modern facility offers to its guests. The apartments protect your privacy and they have been designed for all sorts of tourists. The five studio-flats are perfect for couples or for a family of three people and you can chose the ones with a sea view to wake up facing the old harbour of Lampedusa or according to your needs you can chose the two-bedrooms flats or even the three bedrooms-flats or the four-bedrooms ones with a balcony with a view which is perfect for bigger families or groups. All the flats are furnished in perfect harmony with the local cultural heritage and they are all equipped with a safety-box. To best
experience the residence the 140 square meters wide terrace is at your disposal too. Having your holidays at Puesta de Sol Residence Club mainly means choosing its services like the free wi-fi
connection and the free transfer to and from the airport and last but not least there’s a rich buffet breakfast to start your stay in the best possible way.
Cala Pisana EnricoAliberti/Shutterstock.com
A beach in Linosa SaraBabusci/Shutterstock.com
Rabbits Beach bepsy/Shutterstock.com
Black and white beaches
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he beaches of the Pelagie are an incredible mix of colours. Starting with the iconic beach of the rabbits island (Isola dei conigli), a little island near the South-West coast of Lampedusa. It looks like a Caribbean place, it was chosen as the “most beautiful beach in the world” by Tripadvisor Travelers Choice Beaches in 2013 thanks to its white sand that enters into the turquoise blue and emerald green sea. The rabbits island (Isola dei Conigli) and the surrounding bay are a paradise for the birdwatching lovers since it
is a very important stop for the migrating birds. There’s more than that, twenty miles Northern of Lampedusa the scenery is totally different: Linosa is an island shaped by three extinct volcanos, Monte Ponente, Monte Rosso and Monte Vulcano where the black sand and the dark rocks counteract the clear blue water of Western Pozzolana. Here you can visit the sea turtles recovery centre called “Hydorsphera” and the Caretta Caretta turtles lay their eggs on these beaches in Summer.
Rabbits Beach Guido Nicora/Shutterstock.com
Lampedusa bepsy/Shutterstock.com
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Lampedusa bepsy/Shutterstock.com
A celebrating archipelago
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t’s always worth sailing from Porto Empedocle or flying to Lampedusa from the main Italian airports to explore the archipelago. At the end of Summer it’s even better: the sea is warm, the temperature is cooler and there are less tourists so you can enjoy the amazing landscapes that are offered by these islands. On the 24th August you can admire fantastic fireworks by the docks that are organized to celebrate the patron saint of Lampedusa, San Bartolomeo. On the 22nd of September
they celebrate the Madonna di Porto Salvo, a little statue which is laid on the seabed near Cala Galera, it’s the protector of fishermen. They are great opportunities to taste the typical dishes like the cous-cous with squids, the goatfish sauce, the “paghiata di pisci” (sort of paella), the “lava spaghetti” with the squid ink sauce and the grouper in the Lampedusa way. And the final sweet touch is the minnulata, a jubilation of almonds cookies to be tasted with a dry Moscato wine.
Luca Sartori
twitter.com/LucaSartoriIT
Tremiti Islands, the lonely heaven
Dmitrii Postnov /Shutterstock.com
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hey are the last border of the Adriatic Sea. Five little heavenly areas that were already known in the Roman time with the name of Diomede, the Greek Hero who, according to the legend, shaped the Gargano and the Sub-Appenine from the lava stones taken from the Pergamo’s rock then he created the islands with the remaining stones, he threw them into the deep blue sea and the five islands arose little by little. It’s an archipelago full of little inlets overlooking a breathless sea and it’s heaven for divers. The
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Tremiti islands are divided into the main San Domino and San Nicola, the two main islands that are both inhabited and the three smaller ones, Capraia, Pianosa and Cretaccio that are all uninhabited. The Archipelago was already inhabited in the ancient times and it is a popular tourist destination nowadays especially for the ones who seek the great exhibition of the sea and a tourism that is far from the big tourist waves. It’s heaven 22 kilometres form the Gargano’s coastline in the amazing Puglia.
iuri/Shutterstock.com
Santa Maria a Mare Buffy1982/Shutterstock.com
The art by the Adriatic Sea
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he island of San Nicola is the historical, administrative and cultural core of the archipelago and it’s the most important one. It’s overlooked by the fortified abbey of Santa Maria a Mare that features three naves and a beautiful mosaic floor, a peculiar Byzantine shaped wooden cross with a statue of Madonna and child; it was once called “the Montecassino in the middle of the sea” and it was built by the Benedictine monks in 1045. This island represents a rich cultural heritage surrounded by an amazing landscape. Besides the Abbey there are other important architectural emergen-
cies like Torre dei Cavalieri del Crocifisso (tower of the knights of the Crucifix), Torre del Pennello (the tower of the brush), once a watching tower over the bay, the Angioina Tower also called Torre del Ponte (tower of the bridge) which is located where the draw-bridge wanted and built by Charles II of Anjou was once set and the Torrione dei Cavalieri of San Nicolò (tower of the San Nicolo’s Knights). San Nicola also means nature to be enjoyed on board of a sailboat or a raft to circumnavigate the island and discover the inlets and the caves among which the Ferraio and the Madonna ones.
San Nicola Castle Giovanni Di Lorenzo/Shutterstock.com
San Nicola Islands Barelli Paolo/Shutterstock.com
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Alidaunia
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Luca Sartori
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he archipelago of Tremiti islands has been much closer to the continent for more than thirty years. The daily connection between Foggia and the islands of the Southern Adriatic Sea has been guaranteed since 1985 thanks to the ministerial authorization and the cooperation with the Councillorship of Transports of Puglia and the Alidaunia Air Navigation Company. It’s an integrated service that includes the helicopter
emergency service that is guaranteed to the people who live on the islands also at night: the inhabited ones are San Domino and San Nicola as well as Capraia, Pianosa and Cretaccio. Alidaunia is an outstanding company of Puglia. It was set up on March the first 1976, it obtained the “Licence for flying works” in 1978 and it started its activity with some photographic and cinema shootings on behalf of a number of public bodies,
the state TV and some private channels. It obtained the “licence for the public transport of passengers“ (TPP) in 1984 from the Ministry of Transport mainly from the General Direction of the Civil Aviation and it also started its activity in the field of aero-taxi transport by providing a service of social utility to and from the islands in 1985. Between 1992 and 1993 it provided the transport between Foggia-Milano Malpensa and from Foggia to Parma in 1995. In 1995 Alidaunia obtained the “ RAI Certification of Technical suitability” as provider of transport services for the passengers, the public transport of goods, the work, the planes, the school and it had already obtained the RAI approval according to the JAR 145 regulations (Part 145 nowa-
days) as the maintenance firm in charge with its own airplanes, a service that was also provided to other companies and it became the Agusta Service Centre in 2002. Alidaunia was the first non-Leonardo Service Centre to obtain the certificate of excellence. Out of 89 Service Centres in the world only three are certified as Excellent. In 2011 Alidaunia became the Authorized Service Centre for the Robinson R22 and R44 helicopters, in 2012 it became the Tronair Authorized Centre, in 2014 it became a Dealer and the Laversab Authorized Service Center and it has been the Pratt&Whitney Canada Premium Service Centre in the last six months as Maintenance Repair Team and Post Rental Inspection for the PW200 a PT6 series engines.
Angelo Giampiccolo/Shutterstock.com
Simone Angelo Ferri/Shutterstock.com
Inlets and Aleppo trees
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he island of San Domina is covered in a forest of Aleppo pine trees that reaches the rocks overlooking the sea, it’s the biggest island of the Archipelago and the most varied too. Its tourist offer is varied as well and it’s the widest in the Tremiti islands since there are several resorts and hotels. Circumnavigating it is an incredible experience especially if you follow the shape of the island clockwise, you can leave from the harbour of San Domino and reach the only sandy beach of the Archipealgo, Cala delle Arene then you can reach wonderful spots like the most Eastern edge of the island, Punta dello Spido, Cala Matana to which
Barelli Paolo/Shutterstock.com
Lucio Dalla dedicated his long-playing “Luna Matana”. Then there is also Punta dal Pigno, Cala dell’Elefante that reminds the shape of an elephant, Grotta del Sale (cave of salt), Grotta delle Viole (Cave of Violets), Cala dei Benedettini (the Benedictines inlet), Punta del Vuccolo, the most Western area of the island, Punta del Diamante (the diamond edge) and the Pagliai, four big rocks. The sea, the inlets, the caves, the rocks as well as a lush vegetation together with the Aleppo pine trees forest are matched with the typical Mediterranean vegetation featured by the myrtle, the rosemary, the juniper and the lentisk.
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Hotel Gabbiano Luca Sartori
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he hotel Gabbiano is located in the heart of the archipelago of the Tremiti islands in the natural reserve that has the same name. It has been welcoming its guests on the island of San Domino since the 1970s in a facility that has always been run by a family. The hotel belongs to the Napolitano family and it’s set in an environment which is suspended between dreams and reality, where the true tastes of its restaurant, the relax area and the well-being of its SPA as well as the elegance of the spaces make it a wonderful postcard. A unique location that overlooks the island of San Nicola where the histori-
crouton with seafood, the “troccoli gabbiano di mare”, the typical pasta from the area of Foggia, the spaghetti with the sea urchin, the fresh daily fish like the breams, the orata and the redfish. In 2013 the hotel Gabbiano introduced a relax area, the Mama spa, equipped with spa baths, the sauna, the Turkish bath and the massage cabins. The enthusiasm is the main feature of this jewel of the Tremiti islands which is almost 50 years old, being enthusiastic is what Marco and Luana learned from their parents and it’s what they are now passing on to their children and grandchildren. The bed & breakfast “La casa di Gino” (Gino’s house) was added in 2010, it was their father’s house on the island of San Nicola that was restyled. It’s a tiny comfortable facility with seven rooms with attention to every detail and a careful research of the materials.
cal centre of the archipelago is set. Gennaro and his grand-children, Oriana, Stefania and Guido work together with Marco and Luana. The hotel is provided with 19 rooms that are located in the main building and 18 in the guest house, a construction made of a group of little houses while the restaurant which is the flagship of the island offers dishes made of high quality raw materials and fresh fish among which you can taste the
High-sea rocks
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he three smaller islands are little uninhabited heavens. They are as big as a rock, the Cretaccio takes its name from the yellow clay it is made of that is constantly eroded by the sea water. Capperaia is the other name of the island of Capraia since it is covered in wide areas full of capers; you can’t land on the island but backpackers generally approach the shore near an underwater statue of Padre Pio.
Pianosa is around twenty kilometres far from the core of the Archipelago while Pianosa is a rocky 15 metres high stretch of land that is usually totally covered when sea storms occur. It is part of the Protected Marine Reserve, it features an amazing seabed full of plants and fish. It’s a wonder of the Adriatic deep blue sea that can be explored only by the skilled divers and expert authorized guides.
Cretaccio vaklav/Shutterstock.com
Capraia Barelli Paolo/Shutterstock.com
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Micro Hotel Rossana
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he Micro Hotel Rossana is set in the enchanting landscape of the Tremiti islands, it’s plunged into an explosion of colours and scents. It’s a little facility located on the wonderful island of San Domino. Benito and Pasqualina, two young people from the island started the business in 1964, it’s still a family-run charming facility where the hospitability and the care for details and the guests’
needs match the good mood and the friendliness that are typical from this archipelago in the heart of the Adriatic Sea. It was originally a guest-house, in 1972 the Micro Hotel Rossana was enlarged and restyled more than once along the years and it became a little hotel. The restoration works go back to 2011, they were started by the owner’s son, Francesco and they continued until 2015 when the
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hotel became a particularly charming facility in a contemporary marine style. Time goes by peacefully here, far from the vibrant night life of the centre,
the discos and the locals. Plunged into the nature, it’s 50 metres from the pier where the ships and the boats dock, it’s a short walk from one of the most
beautiful areas of San Domino, Cala delle Arene, the only sandy beach of the island. Among the several rooms of the hotel there’s the “Favola di Venezia” (the Fable of Venice), a double room overlooking a green pine forest, the ”Appuntamento a Bahia” (appointment at Bahia), a triple room overlooking the island of San Nicola, “Per colpa di un gabbiano” (because of a seagull), a double room overlooking the blue sea and the majestic abbey above San Nicola, the ”Laguna dei bei sogni” (the Lagoon
of good dreams), a reserved double room and the “Sogno di un mattino di mezzo inverno” (Mid-Winter morning dream), a bright double room with a relax area. During the day the hotel is also a restaurant-bar , a nice refreshment point overlooking the sea where you can take your time and taste some good local specialties facing the natural wander of the island’s colours from the green of nature to the blue of the sea that connects San Domino to the close island of San Nicola
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Enchanted sea-beds
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rey mullets, sea breams, lobsters, octopus, groupers and squids. This is just a part of the species that inhabit the Marine Reserve of the Tremiti Archipelago that was born on the 14th July 1989. This reserve is one of the most beautiful natural habitats of the Mediterranean Sea and it includes the coastlines of the islands rich of algae like the Mediterranean Acetabularia and the Mediterranean Corallina. The wide variety of fish
as well as the lush vegetation and the particular type of seabed make the underwater view an unmissable wonder of the Adriatic Sea and the ideal area for divers. The great shearwater that reaches the Archipelago’s cliffs to nest in Spring and the royal seagull are the main sea birds of this area as well as the reptiles like the country lizard, the snake, the gecko while among the mammals there are the little mice and the rat.
BACK TO THE SUMMRY
San Dominio Island sbellott/Shutterstock.com
Borromean Islands, colours on the water
Luca Sartori
twitter.com/LucaSartoriIT
Lamax/Shutterstock.com
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t had been the favourite holiday destination for the noble Lombard families since the 18th century among which the Borromeo family, the prestigious family with Florentine origins as well as the Visconti family. Lake Maggiore is among the most appreciated Italian lakes, it has become an attraction for the Italian and the foreign artists too. It borders on Piedmont, Lombardy and Switzerland, it’s surrounded and protected by the cold Northern wind and by the hills and the mountains. The Borromean Islands are
the heart of this lake, it’s a little heaven of art and nature that was deeply loved by Ernest Hemingway and by the English Royal Family and it is the destination of big tourists waves from Central Europe nowadays. The monumental Isola Bella overlooked by the grand Borromean Palace and its amazing gardens is sided by the Isola Madre which features a botanic garden full of rare species of plants and by the Isola dei Pescatori and the islet of San Giovanni, set by Pallanza and the rock of Marghera.
elesi/Shutterstock.com
Stresa Andrew Mayovskyy/Shutterstock.com
elitravo/Shutterstock.com
Exotic elegance
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ou can almost touch it from Stresa. It was once an area of fishermen then it was completely changed by Carlo III Borromeo in 1630 and it has then become an amazing jewel in the next forty years. Isola Bella is the perfect match of the tiny village, the gardens and the Baroque palace that features its Northern area. It’s a piece of land in the heart of lake Maggiore which is featured by narrow streets, staircases, porches, tiny shops and the stalls overlooking the lake that are
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surrounded by the restaurants’ smells. The Borromen Palace overlooks the island, it’s a treasure chest of the Baroque art that features beautiful marble rooms that are embellished with precious plasters, decorations, tapestries, crystal chandeliers, paintings and precious furniture. Obelisks, bushes, banisters and statues feature the ten terraces that make the Italian garden which is covered in exotic plants and thousands of flowers for an explosion of colours and scents.
Borromeo Palace Cezary Wojtkowski/Shutterstock.com
Nick Brundle/Shutterstock.com
Isola Bella elesi/Shutterstock.com
Hotel Belvedere
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Luca Sartori
in a style that matches the traditions to the contemporary trends. Among the different comforts provided by the hotel you can choose the rooms overlooking the narrow streets of the historical centre or the ones overlooking the lake to sip your relaxing moments. The hotel has been owned by the Alberti family for five generations and the real treat is the Suite Executive designed by the archi-
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he Hotel Belvedere is set in the heart of Lake Maggiore in the lovely scenery of Isola dei Pescatori (The fishermen’s island). It’s a piece of heaven in this tiny village laid on the water where after the colourful bright days the night comes when the coming and going of ferries stop and everything is magically silent. The Hotel Belvedere is a beautiful place, you can enjoy one of its 19 rooms furnished
tect Mauro Bissantini from Verbania where your stay will become a fulfilled dream. It is furnished in a modern style and soft colours, it’s elegant and stylish and it gives its guests an amazing view on the mountains, on the characteristic roofs and on the lake, you’ll be overwhelmed by the emotions. A lot of comfort and beauty in a place where the dinner can also be served in the master bedroom on the wonderful terrace overlooking the lake. he junior suite is a good alternative too for the families or for the guests who need a wider space then there is the romantic double room with a little terrace, there is also the Deluxe room overlooking the lake or the internal narrow streets and
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the standard rooms furnished in the typical traditional style. The hotel Belvedere is magic, comfort and relax and the very good quality of its cuisine is not to be outdone as well. The fish dishes are the main ones, they are all made according to the traditional recipes that combine the tastes from the lake with the tastes from the surrounding valleys. A stay at the Hotel Belvedere is with no doubt an unforgettable experience since in this area of lake Maggiore surrounded by the magic scenery of the Fishermen’s island you can just feel your dreams and the poetry that is all around.
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Baroque glows
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he Borromean Palace on the Bella combines the elegance and the harmony, it’s featured by big rooms and beautiful furniture. The gallery of tapestries deserves to be seen, there are precious Flemish tapestries, the Music room where some precious instruments are exhibits, the Medals Room where ten wooden gold medals represent the main events in the life of San Carlo Borromeo and the Throne room which is a tiny museum of the Baroque from Lombardy. An helicoidal staircase reaches the caves that are six rooms with decorations that remind the seabed, this is a very cool
room where guests could relax and it’s all covered in black and white stones. The Italian Garden frames the wonderful Baroque palace, it is displayed on ten terraces and it’s 37 metres high. It’s spread with flowers and rare exotic plants and in the middle of the park there is the Teatro Massimo where the statue of the wild ox stands out. It was the family sign of Borromeo, both sides are decorated with the statues of the nature and of the art and they are surrounded by the obelisks, niches, fountains and meadows where the white peacocks exhibit their beauty.
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Zick Svift/Shutterstock.com
DI
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SCOV
Narrow streets and boats
t’s handful of minutes by ferry from Isola Bella the picturesque village of fishermen. During the short trip that connects the two islands you pass by the islet of Malghera which is featured by a tiny beach where the gulls find their quiet shelter far from the noise of ferries. The island of Fishermen is also called Superiore, it’s entirely occupied by the village surrounded by water where the boats and the ferried stop thus offering poetic and inspiring sceneries. It has been inhabited by the fishermen for
many centuries, it is a network of narrow streets full of tiny shops and restaurants that spread the smell of the fried fish and give beautiful water views. The church of San Vittore’s clock- tower overlooks the inhabited centre, it features an apsis that dates back to the 11th century and it keeps precious paintings dating back to the 17th century as well as the wooden statues of the fishermen’s patron saints Andrea and Pietro and a fresco dating back to the16th century that portrays Sant’Agata.
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Jacqueline F Cooper/Shutterstock.com
Christian memories
I
t’s an oasis of peace and history, the Tiber island has always been a place related to health and the ancient sanctuary that stood where the church of S. Bartolomeo is set nowadays shows this peculiar characteristic of the island. The Sanctuary was an hospital and some inscriptions still tell about miraculous healings, vows and dedications. The church of San Bartolomeo all’Isola was an important worship place of the capital city, it was built by
the emperor Ott III of Saxony and it contributed to the change of the island and the whole city after the spreading of Christianity. The crosses and the Christian memories enrich the six lateral chapels of what is considered one of the most important monuments of the Roman history set in the middle of the Tiber island between Trastevere, the district of the first Christian preaching and the old Jewish district.
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Lungotevere with a view
Y
ou can almost touch it from Lungotevere. When you reach the Synagogue which is one of the biggest of Europe built between 1901 and 1904 on one of the most crumbling areas of the Jewish Ghetto the line of the Tiber island appears among the trees. If you stroll around Lungotevere dè Cenci towards the Garibaldi Bridge you’ll see the Fabricio Bridge and the tower that dominates the island’s Northern entrance above the Castle
Caetani and Fatebenefratelli hospital. If you cross the Garibaldi bridge you’ll reach Trastevere, the southern bank of the river from where you can enjoy the view of Cestio bridge, the heart of the island and the church overlooking it together with Pio IX column in the middle. If you walk along Lungotevere Anguillara and Lungotevere Alberteschi you’ll reach the Palatino Bridge on the other side near Circo Massimo.
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Michail Theofanis/Shutterstock.com
Rotto Bridge mirtya/Shutterstock.com
Zampa e Monicelli
T
he great Italian movie industry went through here and it’s still present. Many famous movies set in the capital city were shot on the Tiber island with its beautiful views in the background and its historical buildings overlooking the river. This secluded quiet part of Rome has often been the perfect stage for great movies that represent the best production of the 20th century together with many famous actors. From “Nettezza Urbana” by Michelangelo Antonioni to “L’onorevole Angelina” by Luigi Zampa starring
the great Anna Magnani, “Racconti romani” by Gianni Franciolini starring Franco Fabrizi, “Donatella” by Mario Monicelli starring Elsa Martinelli, “Arrivederci Roma” by Roy Rowland starring Mario Lanza and Raffaella Marini, “L’avventura” by Antonioni starring Lea Massari and Monica Vitti and “Tassisti di notte” by Jim Jarmush, a serial movie dating back to 1991 starring Roberto Benigni. No doubt about it: the Tiber island is one of the most appreciated areas of Rome and it’s one of the best shown and best told areas of the city.
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Carola Traverso Saibante
Islands of tastes
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Islands of tastes
T
he manna exists and by coincidence it gushes from an island. Providential islands, the islands of abundance starting with their scents and tastes. Little spots of beauty on the mainland or big bodies that touch the sea, they all offer their unique cuisine and products. Sicily, the micro-climate of Madonie, the lymph of the local ashes: the manna. What’s it taste like? “This is the problem: you can’t describe it! Maestro Nicola, the pastry chef of the family business Fiasconaro that has been making delicious sweets for sixty
Castelbuono fotomanza/Shutterstock.com
years in Castelbuono, the village where the production is based says. «It’s a bit of dripstone, a bit of honey, a bit of sugar, it has a unique taste: if you don’t taste it you won’t be able to give your opinion. It doesn’t fall down from the sky but it’s a gift from the sky!” Once it was an important economic resource but a few peasants can still carve the trees in the Summer heat. We invite the young people to “re-evaluate this old technique”. You can eat it “row” or you can work it and make tasty creams for ice-creams’ toppings.
Madonie National Park Davide D’Amico/Shutterstock.com
Islands of tastes
Islands of tastes Ventotene Stefano Batistini/Shutterstock.com
Schiaccia Briaca Digital signal/Shutterstock.com
A stock for the galley S
the Aleatico wine and the alchermes in the 19th century. Let’s set course for Lazio and land in Ventotene. Little lentils grow in its fertile volcanic soil, they are brown with light pink grains: they are the lentils from Ventotene. You can taste them in the soup or with little octopuses seasoned with the escarole or as a cream with mussels. Ask for Mattia, the young peasant who produces the biological ones… ok then but since we are talking about the islands where is the caught fish?
Islands of tastes
peaking of sweets, let’s taste the Schiaccia Briaca from Elba, the most famous sweet of the island and a traditional product. It was given as a gift to the ones who went to sea since it gave them energy and it could be kept for long periods in the galleys. It’s a focaccia (flat bread) of flour, olive oil, honey and dried fruit that used to be “imbriacata” with
Islands of tastes tianalima/Shutterstock.com
Non just the fish comes from the sea T
he fishy lagoon of Venice is spread with islands and typical products that represent its main landmarks. There is the ‘schia’, a little shrimp which is protected by the Slow Food Organization that has become a high quality product, it can be fried and eaten with the polenta. The sea buss is a traditional product too and it has become a gourmet product that can be tasted as a carpaccio. Then there is the white squid which is a typical product from Chioggia whose historical centre has the
shape of a fishbone, it’s washed and worked by using the marshy water from the lagoon after it has been purified. We aren’t leaving the Adriatic Sea but we’re just moving towards the South since we want to reach the Tremiti islands that never fail to surprise because of their true cuisine. Yes, this is the only place where you can taste the meatballs of jellyfish. They are big jellyfish and their meat is very soft, they can be boiled or they can be eaten with a tempura of capers, oil and cherry tomatoes.
Islands of tastes
Isole Tremiti Barelli Paolo/Shutterstock.com
Islands of tastes Ischia Rabbit robypangy/Shutterstock.com
Sea borders, products from the land Y
ou know, our islands’ traditional cuisine is quite often based on the products of the land. Sardinia is the leading example, not for nothing it is generally reminded for its sheep rather than for the “mussels or the sea basses”: you can’t miss the ham made of the sheep’s thigh or the “resuttu ‘and the brebei” that remind the pecorino cheese and are savoury and sweet at the same time. On Ischia island in Campania there is the hole rabbit that lives into deep holes in the soil instead of the cages. It’s an al-
most lost tradition. Filippone Floria breed them, he explains that “they live in these holes that can be 200 metres deep, they dig the soil and grow by eating the fennel, the rosemary, the elm and the willow trees. It’s not easy to catch them! Definitely they aren’t stressed…» Which is the best recipe? The grandma’s one, in the earthenware pot in the wood oven, the cooking is slow, you must add a little lard or fat, you must brown them a little bit with the garlic, some wine, some tomato sauce, some pepper and herbs.
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Islands of tastes
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Grazia Gioè
linkedin.com/in/grazia-gioè
Calabria, The third Italian Island
Dino Island Naeblys/Shutterstock.com
Citrella Island Alfred V/Shutterstock.com
Le Castella leoks/Shutterstock.com
A
nd this is exactly how Calabria was called more than 50 years ago until, the Autostrada del Sole connected it first with Salerno and later with the rest of the Country. We, however, like to think that this definition was related to the fact that it was firmly attached to the rest of Italy and Europe by that thin isthmus of land just at the Pollino’s height. Actually there are two islands in Calabria that
are completely surrounded by the sea: the Island of Cirella and the Island of Dino; but also the wonderful “Le Castella” is practically considered an island because of the invisible “stretch” of land that joins it to the mainland, right in the middle of the “Marine Reserve of Isola Capo Rizzuto”. There are also several rocks and islets that embellish the coast of Calabria with their characteristic shapes.
The Island of Cirella, among the groves of euphorbius and the lemons
O
n the Tyrrhenian North-Western coast, facing the ancient medieval Village of Cirella (Diamante) and the remains of the ancient “Cerillae”, the Island of Cirella stands out at 40 metres above the sea level and it’s featured by the typical flora of the Mediterranean vegetation. The seabed of the Island is also rich in marine vegetation (Posidonea oceanica) and rare specimens of Pinna Nobilis, the largest bivalve in the Mediterranean. The island which is
Lucamato/Shutterstock.com
only 0.12 km² wide also houses the ruins of an ancient military fort, called Torre dell’Isola, built as early as 1562 to prevent the assault of the Turkish pirates. The Village of Cirella still preserves the ruins of the old medieval city, rebuilt later by the Normans and the amphitheatre is the stage of “Cirella Antica Festival” that together with the local cuisine based on fish and the home-made fusilli (a type pf pasta) attracts thousands of tourists every year.
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Dino Island, a jewel in the Tyrrhenian Sea
F
acing the ancient Plaga Sclavorum, now Praia a Mare, there is a very wild island. A rugged 100 metres high rock mountain with numerous caves of rare and suggestive charm and an exciting tourist route. The name of the Island comes from the Greek “dina� which means storm but there are also those who think that the origin of its name is instead due to the presence of a Greek temple (Aedina) built in honour of Venus. Moreover, the Island of Dino has been the scene of numerous
and ancient battles, from the top of the Norman tower that dominates the area you could see the ships of the Turkish pirates. In more recent times, however, the Island has also been the object of a luxury dream; the Agnelli family, in fact, for only 50 million old lire, tried to purchase it to make a luxurious resort, only a few trulli (typical limestone constructions), a restaurant and a 1.700 metres long road can still be seen there between the pier and the upper part of the Island.
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The magical Caves of Dino Island
T
he 50 hectares of vegetation, the cliffs, the many thousand-year-old-caves and the crags are the major natural attractions of the Island of Dino, but also the heart of the “oriented walks”, organized by the Municipality of Praia a Mare to make better known the rich natural landscape heritage of the Island: from the Tower to the Stele to the Madonna della Grotta; from the Belvedere to the Marine Caves. They can all be visited by boat trips and they all deserve to be mentioned: the
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Blue Cave which takes its name from the colour of its water, the Waterfalls Cave, full of stalactites, stalagmites and pink rocks, the Monk’s Cave with its emerald green walls, the Cave of Sardines, because of the many shoals of fish, the Cave of the Frontone and that of the Lion, so called because of its shape similar to a lying lion. Finally, at 18 meters below the sea, there is the most mysterious Cave of the Island, that of the Gargiulo which is accessible only for skilled divers.
Jean (Hans) Arp, Overturned Blue Shoe with Two Heels under a Black Vault, 1925 c. Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice. Jean Arp Š by SIAE 2019.
13.04 / 02.09.2019 The exhibition is organized by the Nasher Sculpture Center
With the support of Institutional Patrons EFG Lavazza
Generous support for The Nature of Arp is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia
The exhibition is made possible by
With the support of
Public Programs are made possible by Fondazione Araldi Guinetti, Vaduz
Dorsoduro 701, 30123 Venezia
guggenheim-venice.it
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Nicoletta Toffano
facebook.com/nicoletta.toffano
Corralejo Beach, Fuerteventura Juergen_Wallstabe/Shutterstock.com
Crossborder: Oltreconfine: Spain, CanaryFrancia Islands
Fuerteventura and Lanzarote:
so beautiful, so different
N
o island is more charming than Atlantis for everyone’s imagination, set beyond the Pillars of Hercules and plunged into the ocean. According to the legends the Canary Islands stretching between Africa and Spain are the emerged remains of the ancient mythical reign: seven islands gifted with a mild climate all year through and many different landscapes. Our journey takes place along the most extreme Eastern edges of this archipelago, from the lighhouse of Punta de Janda of Fuerteventura, the wild desert island, to the Mirador del Rio of Lanzarote,
the island with a moon landscape. It’s a route to be covered by car following an advice: if you intend to rent a car you’d better enlarge the insurance for the dirt roads since they are the ones that lead you to the most incredible places to see. Fuerteventura is one of these places in the most Southern part, the pensinsula of Jandia, famous for its white beaches, its dunes and its dry plains up to the lonely lighthouse. You must go through Puerto de la Cruz, a tiny settlement where you can stop to eat the fresh fish which is served at the chirringuitos on the beach.
Crossborder: Spain, Canary Islands
Jandia Beach, Fuerteventura lunamarina/Shutterstock.com
Mirador del Rio, Lanzarote leoks/Shutterstock.com
Stories of pirates in Betancuria
F
rom the South towards the North the route along the Western coastline of Fuerteventura is featured by amazing rocky cliffs where the big waves of the Atlantic Ocean crash and by little beaches of black pebbles and fishers’ villages where the time seems still like in Ajuy and Puerto de la Peña. The hinterland is one of the most varied territories you may find on this desert island: the huge central mountains are interfaced by an oasis spotted with palm trees, the Vega del Rio de Palmas. Betancuria is not far from there, it’s hidden behind the basaltic hills: it was founded in the
Ajuy, Fuerteventura csh3d/Shutterstock.com
15th century and it has been the pirates’ prey for centuries and it was often plundered. It has been the capital city of the island until 1834, nowadays it is a mosaic of stone walls, palm trees, blossomed bouganvilles and simple rural constructions, it is overlooked by the fantastic Iglesia de Santa Maria dating back to the 18th century where you can see a wonderful cloister. The right address for the gourmet people is the restaurant Valtarajal where you can taste the local dishes based on the goat meat, the berries cake and the typical rhum chupito with honey.
Crossborder: Spain, Canary Islands
Fuerteventura Elena Krivorotova/Shutterstock.com
Betacuria, Fuerteventura RossHelen/Shutterstock.com
Betacuria, Fuerteventura DiegoMariottini/Shutterstock.com
Crossborder: Spain, Canary Islands
El Cotillo, Fuerteventura natalishvets/Shutterstock.com
Corralejo Beach, Fuerteventura Juergen_Wallstabe/Shutterstock.com
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The deserts of Corralejo
F
rom the hinterland you can go towards the North-Western coastline and reach El Cotillo to enjoy the sunset from the terrace of the Marisma restaurant while sipping a glass of wine and eating the papas arrugadas with the green mojo sauce and picón. This is a charming village mainly at night when the artists, the writers, the jazz singers gather around the several “bar a tapas” on the beach. The Castillo del Tostón is a reman of its history where you can see shows of lights and sounds. The landscapes, the wild waterfronts, the huge waves and the land art pieces you can see
Old Corralejo, Fuerteventura Traveller70/Shutterstock.com
along the dirt road that connects the village with Corralejo are amazing. Corralejo is the biggest village in the Northern part of the island, the ferries to reach the wild Isla de Lobos and Lanzrote leave from there. The most beautiful area is near the old harbour where the tables of many locals are located on the beach at the sound of the music sessions and they are surrounded by the artistic installations. But the most unmissable thing is the natural park that features high dunes of golden sand: a piece of African desert that was brought here by the wind!
Corralejo, Fuerteventura simone tognon/Shutterstock.com
Crossborder: Spain, Canary Islands
Timanfaya, Lanzarote Pavel Szabo/Shutterstock.com
Lanzarote, the island of the art
“S
pectacular” is the first word that comes to your mind when you see Lanzarote, a feature that was given by two “lucky” events. The first one was the volcanic eruption that occured between the 18th and the 19th century that created the national Park of Timanfaya: a stretch of volcanic cones in the middle of a lava desert where the magma caught the shells and the fossils, designed the hills and created the valleys. The second event is related to the birth of the architect César Manrique (1919-1992)
who left many creations in Lanzarote that has become an island protected by Unesco as a Reserve of the Biosphere: the garden of cactus of Guatiza, the auditorium created in the under-water lagoon of Jameo del Agua, his museum-house of Harìa, the foundation dedicated to him in the tiny village of Tahíche as well as many houses, wine cellars, gardens, restaurants, mirador, monuments and museums. The artist marked his own personality in many tiny villages of his beloved island.
Crossborder: Spain, Canary Islands
Jameos del Agua, Lanzarote NICOLA MESSANA PHOTOS/Shutterstock.com
Tahiche, Lanzarote travelview/Shutterstock.com
Cactus Garden, Lanzarote leoks/Shutterstock.com
Crossborder: Spain, Canary Islands
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Mirador del Rio, Lanzarote Marc Lechanteur/Shutterstock.com
Crossborder: Spain, Canary Islands
Yaiza, Lanzarote Sergio Monti Photography/Shutterstock.com
The Geria, the region of wine
T
he most beautiful beaches of Lanzarote are set in the South-Eastern part but a great alternative to the white sand and the blue sea is an excursion in the heart of the island in the region of Geria. The route crosses Yaiza with its nice white lime houses and some round constructions made of lavic stones: they are the famous vineyards of Lanzarote. They produce some very good malvasia and you can find many bodegas (shops) along the road among which El Grifo where you can also see the museum that collects the old equipment for the production of
the wine and you can also taste a selection of wines and the typical goat cheese. If you continue along your route you’ll each Teguise, the ancient capital city which is a combination of the Spanish pueblo and a North African village where you can stop to buy the typical products at the local market on Sunday morning or have lunch at Acatife, the traditional local restaurant. From there you can reach the Northern edge up to Mirador del Rio, another amazing work by Manrique where you can enjoy a breathless view of the solidified lava fall plunging into the ocean.
Teguise, Lanzarote Mor65_Mauro Piccardi/Shutterstock.com
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Crossborder: Spain, Canary Islands
Antonella Andretta
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e c a l p out of
S Y A D I HOL Peninsulae of the heart
«O
h Sirmione, jem of all the islands and the peninsulae that are protected by the double Neptune, I’m so happy and so glad when I see You!». A tour of the most beautiful peninsulae and cliffs of Italy could not start without Catullo’s lines who chose Sirmione as the place of his heart.
Sirmione Daniel Jedzura/Shutterstock.com
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Peninsulae of the heart
Grotte di Catullo Andrea Berg/Shutterstock.com
T
hese stretches of land, suspended between the mainland and the water aren’t neither islands nor the mainland, they are really magic and charming: let’s visit a few of them together starting with Sirmione (Brescia), one of the most famous villages of Italy. To get there you must go through a gate dating back to the 14th century and a draw bridge that leads to the impressive Scaligera Fortress. It dates back to the 13th century, it can be visited and from the top of the main tower you can enjoy an amazing view. After the visit you can
stroll around the narow streets spread with tourists, bars and tiny shops before heading to the main destination: the Catullo’s caves. It’s an archaeological area that keeps the findings of an ancient Roman villa set on the peninsula’s edge: it’s a wonderful place that deserves a visit even if you aren’t fond of archaeological excavations. By the way: this villa didn’t belong to the poet but to some rich Imperial families and the caves are the ancient collapsed rooms covered in vegetation that looked like natural caves. Let’s move to Liguria now where on the
Peninsulae of the heart
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Sirmione Rene Hartmann/Shutterstock.com
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Peninsulae of the heart
edge of a narrow stretch of land that enters the sea you can see the lighthouse of Portofino (Genoa). This is a really charming place: if you want to get there you must leave the trendy little square of the famous village and follow the dirctions to the Brown castle (dating back to the 16th century, you can visit it), pass by it and continue along a path for around ten minutes. When you arrive at your destination you can stop at the bar on the lighthouse’s terrace (the lighthouse isn’t working anymore) to enjoy a breathless view from the Tigullio Gulf to Genoa and beyond. If you are very lucky you can also see the dolphins: a show within the
show. Let’s head towards Tuscany now where the Argentario is waiting for us, it was an island in the ancient time then it was united with the mainland through long stretches of sand called “tomboli” that include the Orbetello’s lagoon. The whole promontory deserves to be explored through its tracks that lead to beautiful coves and natural reserves like the dune of Feniglia which is almost seven kilometres long. Along the pine trees tracks that runs parallel to the beach you’ll find a pillar in memory of Caravaggio who was found injured along this track while he ws escaping from Malta and he died afterwards in the hospital
Peninsulae of the heart
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Portofino Alexander Chaikin/Shutterstock.com
Ortobello Lagoon Cristina Annibali/Shutterstock.com
Porto Ercole Vladimir Sazonov/Shutterstock.com
Peninsulae of the heart
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Peninsulae of the heart
Porto Santo Stefano poludziber/Shutterstock.com
Sorrento and the gulf of Naples IgorZh/Shutterstock.com
of Porto Ercole, an old fishermen’s village and a tourist attrraction nowadays. If you decide to move towards Porto Santo Stefano, we suggest you a turnoff towards the cove of Mar Morto (the Dead Sea) since it’s a really charming area: be careful since the road is partially dirt. If you continue to get around this area you’ll reach Porto Santo Stefano, a former fishermen’s village too and a popular tourist destination nowadays: enjoy the view from one of the terraces of the Spanish Fortress dating back to the 18th century and visit the museum dedicated to the sea culture. Your next stop is Southern between the provinces of Naples and Salerno in the peninsula of Sorrento: these beautiful places are so famous that it sounds unecessary to
describe them. Sorrento is the most famous place along the coastline of Sorrento while Positano, Amalfi, Ravello and Vietri are set along the coastline of Amalfi: they are such amazing villages and landscapes to belong to the Unesco heritage. We would like to dedicate the last lines of our roundup to a less famous place: the peninsula of Maddalena in Syracuse. It’s the area around the lighhouse of Capo Murro di Porco, a protected marine area since 2004: it’s covered in the Mediterranean vegetation, it’s surrounded by dark jagged cliffs that welcome the seagulls and are a shelter for many species of fish. It’s a perfect place to enjoy a little silence and hear the sound of the sea and all its heartbreaking charm.
Peninsulae of the heart
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Peninsulae of the heart
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Peninsulae of the heart
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Mind’s Eye predazzoblog-076
Fiemme Valley, the island of the Dolomites of Trento Luca Sartori
T
he Fiemme Valley is like an island in the heart of the Dolomites of Trento. It’s a stretch of the Alpes surrounded by peaks, valleys, forests and pastures in an unspoilt nature where the cultural offer is great. The expression of this uniqueness is RespirArt, one of the highest art parks in the world that goes higher than 2thousand metres above Pampeago of Tesero. It was born in 2011 from a project of the artist Marco Nones (Prize Expo 2015 Fondazione
Simulacro by Federico Seppi Eugenio Del Pero
Triulza) and the journalist Beatrice Calamari, the visitors can discover art installations that match the pastures and the peaks of Latemar, an incomparable area that was entered into the Unesco World Heritage. In the 3 kilometres ring between Monte Agnello alpine hut and the Chalet Caserina some environmental works of art by famous International artists stand out among which “The garden of Danae” by the Japanese performer Hidetoshi Nagasawa. “Mind’s eye” by Olga Ziemska from Ohio that shows that human beings are the nature and “We are all interconnected” by Gordon Dick, an artist from an Indian reserve of Canada that exhorts everyone not to plunder the planet’s resources. In August and in September 2019 the visitors will be allowed to walk around the 27 installations. The park is steadily developing. New installations are added each year while the older ones are shaped by the weather or they are covered in the heavy snowfalls. Some installations can also be seen from the Agnello ski-track belonging to the Latemar Ski
Mediterraneo Elio Vanzo, photo by Pietro Delladio.
Center. Pampeago is a beautiful naturalistic area with many theme tracks that take inspiration from the Dolomites: The Latemarium RespirArt is set in the Latemar.Art area and it can be reached from Pampeago by means of the Agnello cableway, but also from Predazzo and Obereggen. Concerts, shows and theatre excursions are held in the park like the story called “Don’t call me… the Krampus”, on show every Tuesday morning or “Om’s Selvadec puppies grow at the rifugio dai venti” on show on Friday morning. Kids have fun with wooden toys that look like the art installations and a lab of meteorology along the Meteo.Lab. track is at their disposal too.
Info www.latemar.it - www.respirart.com Tel. 0462 813265
Symbiosis Licheni by Hannah Streefkerk
Ivan Pisoni
facebook.com/pisoni.ivan.7
Legends of islands, myths and loves
Rock cliffs, Capri ReidlShutterstock.com
Legends of islands, myths and loves San Nicola Island, Tremiti vololibero/Shutterstock.com
The legend of the seagulls of the island of San Nicola W
hen Troy was conquered, the hero Diomedes started his travel to go back to his land but Aphrodite, wrathful for the offense she had suffered during the war threw a curse on the family and on the people of that town. No-one remembered about the brave man. When he arrived, Diomedes realized he was a stranger so he decided to leave that
place and sail towards Italy. He landed at the Tremiti islands and he died on the island of San Nicola. Aphrodite, moved to pity by his death turned his fellow travellers into seagulls so they could watch over his grave. These seagulls called Diomedees often protected the place from the attacks of the barbarians and were welcoming with the Greek sailors.
The legend of love between Aci and Galatea G
alatea, one of the most beautiful Neptune’s daughters was madly in love with a shepherd called Aci. Although she was one of the Nereids, the fifty nymphs that protected the sailors, Galatea used to spend her days flirting with Aci on the beach. Polyphemus lived in that place and he was in love with the wonderful nymph so he couldn’t stand seeing the couple and one day he was
Legends of islands, myths and loves
Aci Trezza Edler von Rabenstein/Shutterstock.com
so furious that he threw a huge stone against Aci and he killed him. The huge stone rolled towards the sea and when it stopped it created the island of Lachea. Galatea was desperate for losing his beloved Aci, she cried until she caught the attention of the gods who turned Aci into a river and the beautiful girl into the sea foam so the two lovers could be together for the eternity.
Legends of islands, myths and loves Ponza Peck Photography/Shutterstock.com
The legend of Lucia Rosa’s cliffs W
e are in Ponza, the setting of an impossible love story between the beautiful Lucia Rosa and a poor boy from that place. She dreamt of a pure unconditional love and in Spring when the island is spread with scents and magic colours the fate wanted them to meet and they fell in love at first sight. But it was an impossible love. Her father was a
noble man while the boy was poor. Lucia wasn’t allowed to meet the boy and she was so desperate that she decided to throw herself over the cliff. The boy and his family relentlessly looked for the girl’s body. They finally find her in a place that was almost impossible to reach, only by sea. This place is still known as the Lucia Rosa’s cliffs.
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Legends of islands, myths and loves
Cliffs, Ponza Girodiboa/Shutterstock.com
Ivan Pisoni
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Did you know that...
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Did you know that... On the islands...
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here are two islands of Capraia and Pianosa. The two famous islands of the Tuscan archipelago have got two same-named “sisters”, they are much smaller and less famous and they belong to the archipelago of the Tremiti islands in Puglia.
Isola di Pianosa Elflaco1983/Shutterstock.com
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ttila never sat on the throne of the island of Torcello. On this island in the lagoon of Venice there is a stone throne dating back to the 5th century which is called the Attila’s throne but although the Huns and their fearsome chief crossed Veneto in the same period they never reached this island.
Trono di Attila keko64/Shutterstock.com
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Abandoned old people’s home James Kerwin/Shutterstock.com
et’s stay around the island of the Venetian lagoon, there’s an island that could make the bravest man’s hair curl. We’re talking about Poveglia, the island of dread. The spooky story of this fearful island started in the age of the plague when more than 150thousand ill people were buried there and it was turned into a leper colony. A home for the elderly was built there in the 1920s where these old people got crazy and they said they used to dream about screaming ghosts and the people who had died because of the plague. A wealthy family has recently bought a building on the island but they soon abandoned it after a mysterious sharp flying object has “attacked” their daughter and deformed her.
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he island of Ischia is the biggest thermal centre in Europe. Thanks to its volcanic nature, 29 basins and hundreds of natural sources this area was already liked by the Greek people and by the Roman people in the ancient ages so Ischia can really be defined as a place of pure relax.
esherez/Shutterstock.com
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Sergio Monti Photography/Shutterstock.com
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iving on an island is an experience “of all respect”. If you live in the continent” you can’t understand the difficulties of the inhabitants of the islands mainly the little ones that have few resources. Moving in the sea is sometimes difficult either for the people or for the goods. Then you live far from the main facilities, like the specialized centres and so on. So I deeply respect the ones who live on an island surrounded by many difficulties because they are equipped with a great strength of mind and they peacefully live their slow life. gallimaufri/Shutterstock.com
Did you know that... On the islands...
apri is also known as the island of sirens. It sounds the famous island is related to the myth of sirens not just for the rock that takes their name but also because of some legends among which a commentary written by Servio about the Vth canto of Aeneid where it is told about some strange creatures half bird and half woman that used to enchant the sailors and pushed them against the rocks.
Review The house of the burning island di Emma Piazza
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orsica, this wonderful island historically disputed between different countries, geographically “Italic” is the background of the novel “The house of the burning island” by Emma Piazza, a bright captivating writer born in 1988. Thérèse is the protagonist of this story, it’s a character who even curses the island because of the several family stories that take place there. You feel like a pawn so like a victim of the strange facts that happen; the absence, especially of fathers that isn’t less worrying and it’s more fearful. A recall, a return to the island that becomes inevitable in the name of the laws of blood that bring all their bitter burden of grief. It’s
an island where you want to go and run away at the same time in order to survive. The book was published by Rizzoli in 2018, it’s a thriller that focuses on the values of the origins, of the ties and the coming back. The anxiety of the young people is close too: the job insecurity, the unstable life, the absence of reference points, not just the economic problems. The protagonist goes back to Corsica when she thinks she has found a little certainty in her life. And while she’s there she’s overwhelmed by many doubts, whispers, torment but by a lot of beauty as well. It’s an island with stunning views. It’s the landscape of Cap Corse that perfectly matches the beauty to the mystery. Actually it’s an osmosis that is perfectly given by the writer who is personally related to Corsica thanks to her family (she lives in Barcelona and she works as a literary talent scout). The psychology is not missing too: when the very good writer makes Thérèse speak the atmo-
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Marino Pagano
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sphere becomes really intense with her doubts and her feelings. This passage is illustrative: «These last nights have been enlightening. They have shown me another world that is behind the world, they have taught me how to be part of it without being afraid. There’s always something we don’t know, some truths that someone has hidden behind thick walls of lies, a parallel uni-
verse where different ghosts and different truths live, things we totally ignore. They live their transparent life, we live ours. We sometimes meet and when it happens we must be ready to go deep into another world where we occupy a different place. We must be able to occupy that place. We must accept we have always been something we didn’t know we were».
Review
Nonza, Cap Corse, Corsica l i g h t p o e t/Shutterstock.com
