My 3 Travel Secrets... shhhhhh!

Katie over at Tripbase recently emailed me asking if I would share 3 of my travel secrets for their Best Kept Travel Secrets Project . Of course I agreed. I mean what good's a secret unless you can share it? So without further ado, my 3 Travel Secrets:

Travel Secret# 1
1) Go South (Oh come on, you had to know that was coming!)
Seriously, one of the best kept travel secrets in Italy is southern Italy! Sure there are the famous spots like Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast but push yourself down the boot even further and you'll be richly rewarded.

3 Towns to Visit in Southern Italy:

1) The Sassi of Matera- Collectively Matera's city of cave dwellings, churches, shops and restaurants are known as sassi, the plural form of sasso. The uniqueness of this town carved from rock in southern Basilicata has not been lost on the UNESCO people either as they have deemed the sassi worthy of World Heritage status. The sassi originate from a prehistoric (troglodyte) settlement and are thought to be some of the first human settlements in Italy. The town which once bore the stigma of poverty now hosts a number of hotels and private apartments with modern-day sometimes down right luxurious- amenities.

(Read Matera Trip post here.)

2) Lecce- The “Florence of the South,” is the boast most often attributed to Lecce but it really is its own city. The warm, creamy local stone has been whipped and carved into a beautiful frothy sea of baroque wonder. Lecce is like a fairytale land put in the hands of a master baker who creates nothing but the most romantic creations for brides on their wedding day. It is so delicious you'll want to take a slice home with you and slip it under your pillow.

(Read Lecce Trip Report here.)

3) Alberobello- The weird and wonderful trulli are what visitors come to Alberobello for. These odd, conical, limestone and mortarless structures have been renovated into agriturismos, restaurants, and shops to the delight of the modern traveler. The trulli of Alberobello were made an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.

(Read related blog posts for interesting southern Italian Towns here.)

Travel Secret# 2
Go To Sicily. There is a reason they say you haven't seen Italy until you've been to Sicily.

3 Reasons to Visit:

1) Mt Etna- When was the last time you were on an active volcano? How about hiking, biking, skiing, snowboarding, or sledding on an active volcano? Mt Etna remains not only Europe's tallest volcano but one of the world's most active. After conquering the volcano take it easy riding the rails on the Ferrovia Circumetnea from Catania and around the volcano to Riposo.

2) Teatro Greco Siracusa- Why not watch a Greek tragedy written in the year 416 B.C. by Euripides in an original Greek theater carved from stone during the 5th century B.C. (Did you catch all those B.C.s???!) Now that's living history.

(Read related blog post here.)

3) The Salt Road from Trapani to Marsala- It is just so unexpected (or it was to me) to discover windmills in Sicily. Their presence is due to the salt industry which historically utilized them for pumping water and grinding the salt. Along the road from Trapani to Marsala you will encounter dazzling mounds of white sea salt and large areas of shallow waters where the sun and wind act to evaporate the water creating salt flats ranging in color from off-green to pink.

Travel Secret# 3

Slow Down

I have a good Sicilian friend who shakes his head at the tourists, "You've been everywhere but you've seen nothing!" he scorns. It's true. You cannot know a place unless you slow down.

3 Ways to Slow Down:

1) Stay at an Agriturismo- Agriturismi (plural of agriturismo), or farm stays have become quite popular in Italy. From rustic to luxurious there is an accommodation to suite just about everyone. Many offer meals featuring ingredients from their own gardens with a focus on regional cuisine. Some agriturismi welcome guests to participate in harvesting olives or grapes depending on the time of year, or take part in cooking classes.

2) Rent an Apartment- Renting an apartment for a week or even a few nights means you get to live like a local, at least for a short while. A good site to start your search from is HomeAway.com.

3) Book a meal with Home Food- If nothing else, try to schedule a dinner through Home Food. Sponsored, supported, and partnered by and with the Italian government and the University of Bologna, the organization aims to spread the culture of traditional food. They achieve this end by inviting guests in to homes of Italian families “to taste foods cooked by the lady of the house, the repository of the old culinary ways and methods.”

(Read related Home Food blog post here.)

To be honest, it was very hard to limit myself. There are so many fantastic places to discover in southern Italy and Sicily. But for now, I need someone to share their 3 secrets for dealing with winter storms. DC is headed into yet another blizzard with 16-24 inches being predicted. Oh Mammia, take me back to sunny Sicily!