Italian countryside

A mountain bivouac is a small shelter, usually unmanned, intended to provide a safe roof for hikers and mountaineers at high altitude. Unlike a staffed mountain hut, there is no host to welcome visitors and no hot menu. A bivouac is basic and spartan and, for many people, one of the most authentic experiences the mountains can provide. Here is what a bivouac is and what to expect.

Italy has more than 7,400 kilometres of coastline, yet every summer millions of people end up on the same beaches, at the same stabilimenti — beach clubs — and in the same resorts. A short distance from the best-trodden routes, there are lesser-known seaside towns where beaches can still be qui

Nature lovers looking for a summer outing that is a bit different may find these hidden spots a pleasant surprise. Often little-known but full of character, they suit anyone keen to explore somewhere more authentic.

August is holiday time for many people, but for others it is also a chance to view a few properties and gather information ahead of a future purchase. According to data from the REMAX Italia Research Centre, property sales in mountain locations reach their peak in the months between December an

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

More than 14,000 hectares of public land are returning to the agricultural market, with a formula aimed at changing the balance of power in the Italian countryside. ISMEA has launched the ninth edition of the Banca Nazionale delle Terre Agricole (BTA) for 2026, auctioning arable land throughout Italy and offering subsidized financing for those under 41. The most concrete innovation is the combination of repayment terms of up to 30 years and interest discounts linked to an insurance policy, designed to encourage generational turnover.

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.

Can a small cup of coffee change the fate of a borgo, a historic village? In Sardinia, three young women have turned an everyday gesture into a collective invitation to put down roots again in places many had stopped believing in.

There is only one place in the country that can claim the title of Italy’s only car-free town. No traffic lights, no engines idling, no delivery vans edging through narrow lanes.

Italy isn't just about great art cities and famous villages: there's another geography made up of tiny towns where the houses can be counted on one hand and life flows very quietly. These are the smallest villages in Italy, places where it only takes a few minutes to walk through the entire town. In these tiny villages with very few inhabitants, every house has a story, every alley holds a memory, and every elder is a sort of living archive of traditions, dialects, and legends.

Milan and the big lakes tend to steal the spotlight. But Lombardy has far more up its sleeve. Beyond the headline names, there’s a patchwork of villages with castles rising straight out of the water, footpaths clinging to cliffs between mountains and lakes, grand villas with vast gardens, and old-school spa towns where slowing down feels natural. Explore lesser-known yet unmissable villages in Lombardy that deserve a spot on your holiday wish list.

The editors of the German outdoor Trekking magazine asked readers to vote for their favourite hiking trails and regions across Europe. Around 35,000 votes were cast, and the top destinations can now display the coveted Trekking Award 2026 title.

Those arriving in Orbetello find a lagoon town with the open sea only a few steps away. This corner of Tuscany pairs long sandy beaches with rocky coves, backed by shady pine forests and lapped by remarkably clear water.

It looks like Mars, but it's Italy. In a country known for its hills, villages, and picture-perfect beaches, there are places that astound: monumental dunes, clay hills carved by water, barren expanses where the wind dictates its rules. In Italy, there are deserts, not in the climatic sense, but desert landscapes shaped by time, erosion, and history.

€1 homes in Guardia Sanframondi, how the scheme works, who can apply, buyer requirements, renovation deadlines, and how to submit an application.

On 5 April, during the prime-time broadcast of Il Kilimangiaro, the winner of Borgo dei Borghi 2026 was officially announced.

Italy isn’t only about Renaissance cities and lazy, sun-soaked lunches.

In global prime real estate, visibility often commands attention — Monaco’s waterfront, the villas of Saint‑Tropez, the penthouses of Manhattan. Yet among ultra-high-net-worth families, a quieter pattern has emerged.

Italy’s northern edge tapers off in a small Alpine settlement at the head of a narrow valley on the Austrian border.

Northern Italy is a different creature from Rome and the south.

Italy’s trend of offering financial incentives to revive depopulated areas continues in 2026, and the Autonomous Province of Trento has confirmed that its popular €100,000 grant scheme will continue with new funding allocated for this year.Here’s what you need to know about the scheme in 2026.Up to

Italy’s cities get most of the attention, but it’s the smaller villages that really show how layered the country is.

When people talk about Italy’s most beautiful mountain towns, they’re usually picturing snow-capped peaks, stone houses and those emerald-green valleys.

Italy isn’t just frescoed ceilings and sunbaked piazzas — slip beyond the olde worlde city walls and an entirely different world opens up. Snow-dusted peaks, emerald-green forests and cliffside paths unfurl across a country that feels, at times, wonderfully untamed.

When people search for Italy's most beautiful towns, they’re often talking about I Borghi più belli d’Italia — an official association that recognises small historic villages across the country. This isn’t a glossy travel ranking or a social media trend.