By Karen Quinn-Panzer
Travel Matters
Karen Quinn-Panzer
To some, the hidden gems of Italy may not be “hidden,” but to most travelers, they are definitely off the beaten path that usually starts with Rome, Florence and Venice.
We just returned from a culinary adventure in Umbria, where we stayed in a former abbey – now a four-star resort and spa in the hills of Colazzone. What is so much fun about a trip like this is using one location as a hub and spoke for exploring many different hill towns, each with their own unique character and specialties.
Todi is known for its beautiful medieval plaza and well-preserved underground cisterns. It offers beautiful views of the Tiber Valley in the region of Perugia.
Assisi is the birthplace of St. Francis and a UNESCO World Heritage Site filled with art, history and culture. It’s about a two-hour drive from Rome or Florence.
Montefalco is known as the “Balcony of Umbria” with a beautiful panoramic view over the Spoleto Valley. It’s known for its red wine, Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG, one of Italy’s most prestigious red wines. We visited Cantina Baldassarri, a great winery nearby.
Spello is remarkable for its flowered streets and home of the annual Inflorate di Spello, where residents create flower-petal carpets in the street for Corpus Christi. It is considered one of Italy’s most beautiful villages – for good reason.
Finally, there’s Perugia. Dating back to the Etruscan period, Perugia is the capital of Umbria, a university town and home to an annual jazz festival. It is also known for chocolate – we visited a local factory nearby where we made our own chocolates.
The next leg of our trip was to Alghero, Sardinia, an hour’s flight from Rome. I have wanted to visit this island for years, and it did not disappoint. The old town of Alghero is situated on the Mediterranean with a charm all its own. Known as the Coral Riviera, it’s a great place to stroll through town, stop at cafes and beach hop.
The highlight is definitely Neptune’s Grotto, offering the most impressive cave I’ve ever experienced. It can only be accessed by boat, which drops you of just inside the opening of the cave. There you walk up and down stairs through a wonderland of stalagmites and stalactites with emerald green water. It was an unforgettable experience.
Last but not least, we visited Lake Garda. This lake may not be as well-known as Como, but it’s the largest lake in all of Italy and offers great water taxi and ferry service from Riva
up to Desenzano. We stayed almost halfway up the lake in Gardone at a grand resort built in 1904 right on the lakefront with direct access to the town promenade. One day we took the taxi to Bardalino, which was offering a wine festival featuring all the best vineyards in the region. The next day we went in the other direction and were awed by the mountains surrounding Lake Garda. This is a great getaway – I highly recommend it.
Karen Quinn-Panzer is the owner and vacation specialist at Dream Vacations Quinn Panzer Travel in Milford.