Elba may seem familiar at first, until you come across corners that change the picture entirely: a green lagoon where swimming is forbidden, a black beach reached only by taking the walk slowly, and a fortress that never fell under siege. These are six unusual, lesser-visited places on Elba, giving a different perspective on Tuscany’s best-known island in the archipelago.

When They Call Me Trinity was released in Italian cinemas in 1970, audiences were glued to the screen, and not only for Bud Spencer and Terence Hill’s comic moments. There was something familiar about its scenery: open grasslands, wide skies and rugged rock faces.

Almost three thousand years of history have not settled one of literature’s most absorbing questions: where are the places of Odysseus and the Odyssey really located? Over the centuries, Homer’s poem has served as a compass for geographers, philologists and sailors trying to overlay its map onto the Mediterranean, gathering evidence, clues and theories that can sometimes fit together surprisingly well. The result is an itinerary touching Sicily, Lazio, Campania, Tunisia, Greece and the waters around Malta.

Southern Italy also tells its story through its sweets. Each region preserves recipes born in convents, peasant kitchens, or pastry shops, often passed down for centuries and linked to religious festivals, weddings, and calendar events. The typical sweets of Southern Italy perfectly reflect the regions that created them, from Sicily to Sardinia, passing through Campania, Puglia, Abruzzo, Calabria, Molise, and Basilicata.

The Ferragosto fireworks display is the modern legacy of a celebration that originated in ancient Rome and has reinvented itself over the centuries, combining religious devotion with seaside relaxation. From Lake Garda to Lake Como, from Marina di Ravenna to Marina di Ragusa, from Castellammare di Stabia to Ostia and Versilia, every corner of Italy offers its own version of the spectacle.

As cities turn into ovens and tropical nights become the norm, more and more Italians are looking uphill.

In the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines lies a village that draws thousands of visitors each summer in search of something increasingly hard to find: cooler weather. It sits 1,020 metres above sea level in the province of Modena and is known as the “Pearl of the Apennines”. The title is not simply a local nickname. The Touring Club Italiano has awarded it the prestigious Bandiera Arancione (Orange Flag), recognising the quality of its natural surroundings and visitor services.

Walking among stone walls, towers rising above the hills, and cobbled lanes that seem frozen in time is an experience Italy does particularly well. The most beautiful medieval villages in Italy tell the story of an era shaped by castles, Romanesque churches and communities perched high up for protection, places that have since become popular travel destinations.

Finding a quiet beach in Italy in July or August seems almost impossible. Yet the peninsula still hides dozens of coves accessible only on foot, bays protected by nature reserves, and inlets where the only sound is the crashing waves. Many of these uncrowded beaches owe their tranquility to their difficult access: forest trails, boat arrivals, or limited-access reservation systems that limit daily admissions.

Lampedusa is famous for its transparent waters, deep turquoise seabeds and still largely unspoilt scenery. If you don’t want to give up an umbrella, a sunbed, a shower and a proper lunch with a sea view, choosing the right lido (beach club) can really shape your holiday. The equipped beaches in Lampedusa strike that balance between wild nature and comfort. Here’s a complete overview of the main beaches with facilities, including where most of the lidos are concentrated, which areas are easiest for families and which are better suited to snorkelling and proper relaxation.