Italy: Outdoor Activities to get your heart pumping

It may not be known for its bungy jumping but if you’re looking to travel to Italy for some outdoor activity, why not try hiking, swimming, horse riding, cycling or a range of extreme sports?

Hiking in Lake Garda, Veneto

If you’re travelling to Italy on the cheap and fancy communing with nature, then head to scenic Lake Garda Trentino in Veneto. This picturesque region has lots of great walks ranging from 30 minute strolls to 7 hour mountainous treks. Most of the walks are on average two hours long and many take in archaeological sites, medieval villages and castle ruins.

Read more about outdoor activities you can try when you travel to Italy

Renting accommodation in Italy for any length of time is different than booking into an hotel. For a start there's a whole new set of rules and cultural differences to get used to.

Travel tips on renting a vacation house in Italy

Find a website which offers a good selection of rental accommodation - I used the Summer in Italy website (www.summerinitaly) which covers the Amalfi Coast. Make sure the property checks all your boxes e.g. location, price, size. Read the reviews about it, if there are any.

Read more about renting an apartment in Italyting an apag an apartment in Italy

A holiday in Italy isn't complete without a trip to Positano on the Amalfi Coast. This small, affluent town may be over-run with designer labels but even the budget traveller can enjoy everything it has to offer.

Positano Accommodation: Hotels and Villa Rentals

Situated on the Amalfi Coast between the towns of Sorrento and Amalfi, Positano is renowned for its large number of luxury hotels; it has four 5 star hotels, and fourteen 4 star hotels. But prices do drop considerably in the low season, so check the websites and book well in advance.

Read more about travelling to Positano

Signa, Italy: Learning to cook Tuscan style on a one day course

Signa is a small picturesque village 15 minutes drive from Florence and the setting for the Cooking in Tuscany course we're about to undertake. While a 13th century mansion is the base, the actual cooking is done across the road in a converted farmhouse.

How to create a Tuscan Feast

Apart from my sister and I, eight other people are here, including two Donna's, a Diane, a Deborah and a David, all related and all from Florida. There's also a Danita, but she is unrelated.

Over the next four hours we'll be creating a Tuscan feast that includes handmade ravioli, risotto with asparagus and 'spezzatino', an aromatic beef stew.

Read more about cooking Tuscan stylestyle

Ravello's Villa Cimbrone: Luxury Hotel with a Scandalous Past

For superior accommodation on the Amalfi Coast in Italy you can't surpass Ravello's Villa Cimbrone, a 19 roomed villa set on the edge of a sheer cliff.

Villa Cimbrone, Ravello's Most Lavish Hotel

Lord Grimthorpe (aka Ernest Beckett, designer of Big Ben) purchased the 18th century property in 1905 and set about turning the grounds into a flamboyant medieval style residence, with the help of his Italian valet, Nicolo Mansi. Villa Cimbrone is now a lavish hotel and room charges range from 300-700 euro a night depending on the season.

Read more about Ravello's Villa Cimbrone

In peak season (July) waiting times to enter the Uffizi Gallery can be as long as five hours and, according to many guidebooks, a good six hours spread over a few days is the recommended viewing time. That's a lot of queuing!

But if you have limited time, a quick visit is better than no visit at all. Pre-purchasing your ticket in person at one of the other museums or online from the Uffizi website is the way to go.  Even though there will still be a queue for pre-purchased tickets it will be markedly shorter than the one for no tickets at all.

Chianti: Wild boar on the menu?

The Chianti region is renowned for its wines and extra virgin olive oil, while restaurant menus commonly feature wild boar.

Read my guest blog post about Chianti on Travel Tips Plus.

Liguria: The Cinque Terre

The Cinque Terre is a walkway that winds round the rocky coast and up into grapevine laden hills of Liguria.

Read my guest blog post about the Cinque Terre on OneTravel.com - #1 for Cheap Flights

Travel o World - for hotel reservations, deals and room rates. Check out their mini guide to Italy.

Villas Italy - Find your italian holiday villa for your next stay in Italy.

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