Foligno, in Umbria, is celebrating Italy’s cultural and natural heritage with a photographic exhibition dedicated to the Italian sites included on the UNESCO world heritage list. With some photos dating back prior to 1854, the exhibition celebrates 150 years of the 44 Italian UNESCO sites.

The photographs show all kinds of aspects of the UNESCO Italian heritage sites, which range from man-made, cultural icons to natural wonders like the Dolomites. Some historic photos show the evolution of how our treatment and use of naturally and culturally significant symbols has changed over the years. It’s quite a journey from prehistoric and archaeological finds, to the culture of the medieval, renaissance and baroque periods, up to the growth of industry in the early 1900’s.

The exhibition can be viewed at the Palazzo Trinci in Foligno until May 8th.

Continue reading: Italian UNESCO world heritage sites in Umbria photographic exhibition

The beautiful Villa d’Este in Tivoli is hosting a photographic exhibition celebrating Italy’s treasures included on the UNESCO world heritage list. It makes a fantastic day trip from Rome to escape the city and see both a wonderful photo exhibition and the Villa d’Este itself.

There are 44 Italian sites on the world heritage list, and all are presented in a kind of grand tour of photographs, called: “Il paesaggio descritto”, or the “the landscape described”. Luca Capuano is the photographer in question, and he travelled Italy for nine months to collect 450 photos for the exhibition.

From the Dolomites to Sicily, you can see them all in the rooms of the Villa d’Este, Tivoli, from March 13 to April 18, from Tuesdays to Sundays. It costs euros 6.50 for admission. For more information, see the Beni culturali site.

Continue reading: Italy's biggest photographic exhibition: Italian world heritage sites on show

After Cortina, more Dolomites ski resorts are opening in November, with the Dolomites Superski area opening on the 28th. It includes 12 skiing areas over 1,200 metres of slopes, and the Valle Isarco will also open, on December 5th (seen here is this beautiful photo from Dolomiti SuperSki).

This area of the Dolomites, including Plan de Corones, Alta Badia, Val di Fiemme, S Martino di Castrozza, Moena and Civetta, is now on the UNESCO list, and in the words of Reinhold Messner “The Dolomites might not be the highest mountains in the world, but they are certainly the most beautiful”.

New things for the 2009-2010 ski season include the Dolomites Super Freestyle Day from mid-January, free ski passes for children up to eight years old and 30 percent discount for teenagers up to 16. A world premier is the “Marchner” chair lift at Plan de Corones, with heated seats (this one is definitely for me!) and the “Bullaccia” Telemix lift now accommodates families and skiers who don’t want to take their skis off.

The Cianross lift at San Vigilio di Marebbe, out of service since 2007, will be open again with eight-seater cabins to access the Corn and Cianross slopes. There is a new ski slope at Val Di Fiemme which includes a slope covering about 460 metres of different altitude and a maximum slope of 59 percent, and to top it all off there is the Christmas market at Santa Cristina from December 1st.

Continue reading: Skiing in Italy: Superski Dolomites open from November for 1,200 km of skiing heaven

Located atop the Della Guardia hill, the Sanctuary of the the Madonna of San Luca has always been one of Bologna’s most recognizable landmarks; the big news is that the place will soon be turned into a nature park under the Unesco protection. Many nearby towns such as Casalecchio di Reno will take part in the initiative and give their own contribution to this new challenge. New paths will be built around the whole area, linking the heart of the city to the old church which can now be reached on foot through the old arcade which covers almost 4 kilometres.

Source | corrieredibologna

Photo | Flickr

Continue reading: Bologna: Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca to be turned into nature park

This beautiful photo is of one of Italy’s UNESCO destinations, known as the “Grand Canyon of the Alto Adige” or Gola del Rio delle Foglie-Bletterbach. It is the largest canyon in Alto Adige and can be found at the base of the Corno Bianco. It runs for about eight kilometres, and is 400 metres deep, where its formation reflects the environment that was around in this area about 250 million years ago.

A canyoning escursion here is truly a spectacle not to be missed. A tour would start at the GeoParc visitor centre, following a path through the forest to the start of the Rio delle Foglie, and from there to the Butterloch canyon. Continuing along the path, you come to a waterfall and the path from here will either take you to the “Gorz” basin of the Corno Bianco, or the Lahner summit from where you return to the visitor centre.

Various signs and information boards are posted along the path, including some guide as to the various rock layers and fossils of plants, timbers, crustacea etc. Go prepared because this trek in the Italian mountains is of medium difficulty and will take about three hours.

Photo | Flickr

Continue reading: Trekking in Italy: Alto Adige canyon

There are many options for a day trip from Milan, and today we take you to the town of Sabbioneta in the province of Mantua. Sabbioneta is considered to be an example of a kind of urban utopia, in a project that dates back to the 1500’s, although it is a town originally designed for defence purposes. It is one of Italy’s many UNESCO protected locations.

Sabbioneta is located between the two rivers of the Po and the Oglio, and has a long history in which it was even the capital of a small state. Although it’s a very small town, with only 4,000 inhabitants, many historic monuments can be found there, including the spectacular cinta muraria, or surrounding walls, the Palazzo Giardino (Garden Palace), and the Palazzo Ducale (Ducal Palace).

For more gallery pics of the town, have a look at the Sabbioneta photo gallery. In 1970 the town was a location for the Bernardo Bertolucci film “The Spider’s Stratagem”, taking on the imaginary name of “Tara”.

Continue reading: Day trips from Milan: Sabbioneta, Italy's perfect town

The Cinque Terre in Liguria are the towns of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso, some of which you can see in the photos here.

They are one of the most beautiful areas in the mediterranean, uncontaminated for the inaccessibility, despite the tourism. Building projects have been limited, given the lack of space between the sea and the mountains, meaning that the area is now a unique landscape in Italy, of panoramic sea views, terraced gardens and vineyards.

Perhaps the most famous wine from the Cinque Terre is the sweet wine Sciacchetrà. While the Cinque Terre are famous in Italy as a national park, they are also on the UNESCO heritage list.

If you’re looking for accommodation in the are, try the bed & breakfast Baranin at Manarola. Offers valid from March 7 to 27 include double room with breakfast at 70 euros a night, or apartments with kitchen at 70 euros a night, or 85 euros for the weekend.

Continue reading: Bed and breakfast in the Cinque Terre

The Langhe area of Italy, in Cuneo, Piedmont, has advanced in its request to Unesco for partimony. The Langhe region is famous for its wines and its white truffles: in fact the Unesco request started in 2007 at the Fiera Internazionale del Tartufo Bianco di Alba (the International White Truffle Fair).

After Biteg 2008 - the international fund for enogastronic tourism - we should know more about the proceedings of the request. It would be a coup for this area of Italy, long famed for its wines from Monferrato, Langhe, Astigiano and Roero, and for its beautiful hillside scenery.

I once went on a vineyard and cellar trip to the Monferrato area and I can attest to the region’s beauty and the gems it holds for whoever has the time and energy to explore - you can’t go anywhere without finding local wine or local sweets, although I haven’t had the chance to taste a white truffle. It won’t be the first case of Unesco patrimony for a wine making region (Tokaij in Hungary, the Alta Valle in Douro Portugal and the terraced vineyards of Lavaux in Switzerland are already included), but wish the Langhe luck!

Continue reading: Langhe region Piedmont, looks to Unesco