Capri Online

Summer has finally arrived and to celebrate, ItalyTraveller has sourced a suitcase load of new travel experiences to make sure your holiday in Italy is one you’ll never forget! Starting in Liguria, and the Cinque Terre, ItalyTraveller follows the old mule tracks linking 5 ancient coastal sanctuaries, before heading to the Riviera dei Fiori, to take a peep inside Royal Hotel Sanremo’s exclusive wellness center, where luxurious treatments using spa products made with the grapes from the hotel’s vineyard are performed. Staying with the grape theme, this month’s visit to the Cantina Terre Bianche provides the perfect introduction to Imperia’s world famous wines.

As the outside temperatures soar, why not seek refuge in one of Italy’s super cool museums, such as Sorrento’s fascinating Museo Correale? Heat is ,of course, no problem for the Calabrians who, despite living in one of Italy’s hottest regions, can’t resist adding generous doses of fiery chili pepper to their food – whether it be sausage or ice cream! Like his Calabrian colleagues, Ischia’s well-traveled chef, Nino di Costanzo, knows all about tantalizing the taste buds, something he does exceptionally well at the Hotel Terme Manzi’s award winning Mosiaco Restaurant. For those who don’t just want to taste it but make it too, Sicily’s Egata Cooking School is the ideal place where to discover the secrets of Mediterranean cuisine.

ItalyTraveller’s latest selection of experiences take lovers of all things Italian to the country’s legendary Amalfi Coast, where to discover the A to Z of the area’s great gastronomic tradition, and the highly prized ingredients you might easily find in the kitchens of Grand Hotel Angiolieri’s award-winning L’Accardo restaurant. From the Sorrentine Peninsula, we take a hydrofoil to the island of Capri to see the 14th century Charterhouse of San Giacomo and Karl Diefenbach’s artworks, before indulging in a few hours pampering at the Quisi Beauty, the historic Grand Hotel Quisisana’s luxury spa.

Southern Italy’s Campania region is the protagonist of the another of June’s experiences, that dedicated to wine and, more precisely, to the fabulous vintages produced by Irpinia’s Feudi di San Gregorio winery. Professional and amateur cooks eager to improve their skills this summer, should head to the capital city and Rome’s multilingual A Tavola con lo Chef” cooking school.

Designed for those who dream of leaving the routine of everyday life behind them, of packing a bag and heading off to unknown climes, ItalyTraveller’s Experiences for the month of May will take you throughout Italy, discovering the art and cuisine which, in the 18th century, made the country the principal destination of the Grand Tour.

The journey commences amidst the mountains of Valle d’Aosta, with a trip to Cogne and Hotel Bellevue’s three award-winning restaurants, before heading south, to Tuscany and the province of Siena, where to reap the benefits of Borgo la Bagnaia’s thermal waters and visit Abbadia Ardenga’s cellar museum devoted to the region’s world famous Brunello wine.

Hopping across the border, into Umbria, travelers will want to spend time savoring the small, landlocked region’s rich and varied cuisine, and make a trip to the ancient city of Spoleto, home to the prestigious International Culinary Academy. This month’s Grand Tour of Italy comes to a spectacular conclusion in the vibrant city of Naples, with a visit to the Museum of the Treasures of San Gennaro.

Ravenna Art Museum’s exhibition dedicated to Britain’s Pre-Raphaelite painters and Centrale Montemartini’s incredible display of Ancient Roman and industrial archeology: the two unmissable art escapes which head ItalyTraveller’s new series of Italian experiences. This month, those planning a regenerating spring break in Naples, will want to pop in to Grand Hotel Parker’s “Daylight Spa” (open to both hotel residents and non), where to enjoy one of the fabulous treatments performed using red coral.

All those who have ever dreamed of becoming Chef for the night, in one of Milan’s most highly rated restaurants, should sign up for Teatro 7’s unforgettable cooking courses. For those not yet ready to step into the culinary spotlight, the Crete Senese food and wine itinerary will provide the perfect introduction to some of Tuscany’s finest gastronomic fare whilst, at Villa Crespi’s gourmet restaurant, on the shores of Lake Orta, Antonino Cannavacciulo’s fusion of Southern and Northern flavors is guaranteed to delight the palate.

Even with the fullest of stomachs, visitors to the gardens of Piedmont’s Pralormo Castle will still be able to feast their eyes on the magnificent display of the 50,000 or so tulips in flower during the annual Mister Tulip Festival. Further food for thought awaits in the towns where literary greats such as Francesco Petrarca and Giacomo Leopardi were born, and to which April’s ‘Top of the Month’ experience pays homage.

The legends of Italy’s Castles and the inspiring images within the National Museum of Photography in Florence head the list of new experiences designed to delight lovers of all things Italian.

Other experiences spotlighted by ItalyTraveller for the month of March include an unforgettable meal at the Certosa di Maggiano’s award winning “Il Canto”, cooking with spring flowers in Trentino’s “Centottantagradi” gastronomic laboratory and spa luxurious treatments at the environmentally friendly Lefay Resort & SPA, on lake Garda.

March is the month which marks the much-awaited arrival of spring, and the perfect time of year to visit the bio-energetic gardens at the Marche’s Borgo Storico Seghetti Panichi or take a trip to Umbria and the wineries where the region’s ancient Sagrantino di Montefalco is produced.

Italy’s historic carnivals and ideas for a Valentine’s day to remember: for February 2010 ItalyTraveller showcases not one but two Top of the Month experiences. Other “experiences” include a trip to Collio, where Friuli’s superb white wines are produced, and dinner at Locanda Don Serafino, award winning restaurant in Sicily’s baroque city of Ragusa Ibla. Aspiring chefs will want to enroll for cooking classes at Puglia’s Anice Verde, an innovative culinary center where the lessons are taught by celebrity chefs.

February is a great time to visit Naples, even more so this year when visitors have the opportunity to see the city’s long-awaited “Back to Baroque” exhibition. Walkers will love the scenic footpath through the Val di Cembra, the corner of Trentino Alto Adige immortalized in the watercolors of the great Albrecht Dürer. Tuscany’s legendary hot springs make a winter spa escape in the region a particularly enticing option, especially when taken at Val d’Orcia’s Fonteverde Natural Spa Resort.

The first month of the year is going to be an exciting one in Italy, if the new Experiences chosen by ItalyTraveller are anything to go by. The baroque masterpieces in Rome’s Spada Gallery, Abruzzo’s delectable peasant cuisine, and the D.O.C. Lison Pramaggiore wine road: these are just some of  the not-to-be-missed experiences showcased this January.

If winter sports fans are going to love snowshoeing across the white slopes of the Val di Non this January, wellness devotees will no doubt be booking a stay at the Alpenpalace Deluxe Hotel & Spa, ideal place for some serious winter pampering – all this after (and not before!) having paid a visit to Perugia’s School of Chocolate.

The Adler Balance Health Resort, Achille Maramotti’s collection of contemporary art, the giant trees in Calabria’s Sila National Park, Hotel Orso Grigio’s delicious South Tyrolean cuisine, Carmela Caputo’s Neapolitan cooking school, the wine cellars of Conero, and Italy’s stunning living nativity scenes: for December 2009 ItalyTraveller has selected another 7, unforgettable experiences for lovers of all things Italian.

A whirlwind tour of Italy’s historic coffee houses tops the list of Italy Traveller’s November Experiences. After a last “tazzulella di café” in Naples, we travel to Rome to admire the paintings of two “accursed” artists, Caravaggio and Francis Bacon, in the Galleria Borghese, and to learn the secrets of Valeria Vocaturo’s home cooking. In Venice we discover the hidden gardens of the lagoon city. In Marsala we enjoy a glass (or two) of the city’s most famous wine in the historic Cantine Florio. In Milan we indulge in moments of luxurious relaxation at the Bulgari Hotel’s urban spa. Last, but not least, we take a trip to Florence to taste the innovative Tuscan cuisine served at the Ristorante Onice.