The major towns and cities are the locations with the most attractions and these are where most tourists choose for their vacations. However, some of the most interesting and unusual locations and sights are well away from the hustle and bustle of the cities. If you want different experiences in your vacation than the usual cultural highlights and the attractions created purely for tourists, then you should consider visiting some of the following places in Italy.
1. Fiordo di Furore
Located in Salerno in southern Italy, Furore is a small town that is famous for its Fjord. This is an ancient gorge that was used to smuggle and hide bandits in bygone times. The gorge is home to several small houses and a tiny beach.
2. Grotta Mangiapane
Also known as the Mangiapane Cave, this landmark contains a secret that you will not instantly see on your approach. Located close to Trapani on the west coast of Sicily, there is a whole village within this cave. Although nobody has lived there for over seventy years, the dwellings were occupied since the Palaeolithic era. This is now an open-air museum for people to visit and look at what life in such a village was like in times gone by.
3. The Appennine Colossus
Located at the Villa Medici at Pratolina, the Appennine Colossus measures a humungous 35 feet. This eye-catching structure is more than just a statue as it contains a network of grottoes inside. The walls of these are lined with shells, pearls, crystals, and corals. There are also frescoes painted with images of men mining ores.
4. Colors of the Amalfi Coast
The brightly colored houses along the Amalfi Coast are a spectacular sight. This picturesque area lies between Salerno and Positano. In addition to the multicolored towns, there are beaches, rocky cliff faces, and lush forest. The site is included in the list of UNESCO world heritage sites.
5. The Fairytale Village: Alberobello
In Puglia, a southern region in Italy lies the Valle d’Itria. Many are the buildings in this area have cone roofs and are called ‘trulli’. The best examples of these are in a town called Alberello. People who visit this town say it is like being in a fantasy film or the land of the pixies.
6. Favignana
This is one of the Egadi Islands, just off Sicily, and it is one of the strangest places you will ever see. The site was used for a quarry and there are now houses and sections of road on the top of towers of stone. All the surrounding ground was chipped away and there now remain strange rock structures, stone staircases, sections converted to gardens in an unusual cave system that you can explore.
Sources
- Images 1, 2, 3, 4: Comune di Furore, Grotta Mangia, Appennino, Isole Egadi Sicily [Wikimedia Commons]
- Images 4, 5: Costa D’Amalfi, Italia Puglia [Pixabay]
