Not just Halloween, trick or treat. Our Peninsula is dotted with romantic hamlets in which drunkenness rhymes with tenderness: to spend a day, a weekend or a long bridge in evocative atmospheres.
1. Monte Isola (Lombardia)
Lake Iseo: refined, intimate and “vintage”, with its pastel colored villas overlooking the water and, around, a crown of parish churches and monasteries. With a primadonna, Monte Isola, which stands out in the middle of the lake and seduces by its enchanted atmosphere: on its coastal edge the fishing nets are unrolled, on its peak stands the white sanctuary of the Madonna della Ceriola. The cars are banned in this romantic village: once reached by ferry, Monte Isola is a frame of suggestions and must be experienced walking, observing, appreciating the delicious local cuisine and the superb wines of Franciacorta.
2. Orta San Giulio (Piedmont)
In the enchantment of Lake Orta, here is his romantic paradise: Orta San Giulio. A village overlooking the water and the eastern shore, full of quiet streets and corners of baroque choreography with loggias, wrought iron balconies, courtyards and arcades. From Orta San Giulio you can reach the elliptical island of San Giulio in ten minutes by boat on which stands one of the most important Romanesque monuments of the area, the Basilica of San Giulio, while Unesco heritage is the Sacro Monte di Orta, in position panoramic view on Orta, a devotional complex with twenty frescoed chapels completed by natural-sized statues in terracotta.
3. Castelsardo (Sardinia)
It is romantically perched on a promontory overlooking the legendary Sardinian sea, with breathtaking views of the Gulf of Asinara and even Corsica. It is also one of the few Sardinian examples of medieval village and the entrance in the village arouses amazement and wonder: left the strip of white sand of Lu Bagnu, you can see the port and Saracen tower of Frigiano, dominated by the promontory that houses the castle . The scenery is very suggestive, with the ancient village animated by artisan shops, a veritable realm of woven baskets: this museum is dedicated to the Museum of Mediterranean interweaving. A village to live in an enchanted atmosphere while the waves of the sea chase each other.
4. Montefiore Conca (Emilia Romagna)
It is set in the Valle del Conca, a valley of sweet and wild hills that approach the Apennines without ever assuming a harsh tone, in which the wheat fields alternate with the vines, the sea is always present and the mountains, even the most distant, they are part of the horizon. Montefiore Conca, romantic and fortified, is one of the best preserved medieval villages in the area, has medieval origins and consists of a walled center of an almost circular shape, whose streets all meet towards the castle. The manor, splendid and with a geometric volume design, stands in a dominant position and on sunny days, the view is spectacular: it reaches the Marches and also San Marino, which seems a stone’s throw away.
5. Monteriggioni (Tuscany)
Little jewel of the Tuscan hills, Monteriggioni is almost a must in the circuit of romantic villages. Postcard village, it seems to wrap in the sweetness of its Tuscan countryside and it is exciting even to get there, when you walk the slopes of the hills. When you reach Monteriggioni, you will discover it by walking slowly, following the streets of the history of this Italian jewel harvest. And admiring the famous and imposing “crown-shaped” city walls – quoted by Dante Alighieri in the Divine Comedy – which offers, today as in the past, wonderful views across the valley. A place with high emotional power, to spend a few days in the enchantment of a place that seems suspended in time.
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