Since ancient times, people have been drawn to the Italian peninsula, and they return again and again for the natural and artistic masterpieces, cuisine, climate, history, and culture. Even if you’ve been on vacation in Italy a dozen times, think you’ve seen it all, and know what to expect from this beautiful country, we guarantee there is more for you to explore with delightful surprises at every turn. Here are a few unexpected things to see and do in Italy.
PUGLIA
Surreal geology: Le Grotte di Castellana in Puglia is an otherworldly cave system with an enormous cavern and natural occulus. The incredible stalagmites and stalactites are breathtaking. These formations (and the fossils that can be seen in them) are millions of years old! The almost 2-mile guided tour that about 200 feet underground will have you marveling at this amazing natural wonder that started to form 90 million years ago. Explore this fascinating cavern and more on our Discovering Puglia adventure tour.
SICILY
Transportation with a View: You’ve heard of Italian hilltop towns. Stone villages were built thusly to protect—villagers could see incoming visitors or invaders. Nowadays, they are quaint relics of a bygone era. But more dramatic is Erice, located on the summit of a mountain—elevation 2,464′. A cable car whisks visitors into town with panoramic coast views along the way.
Surprising History: If you want to see the largest Greek city during the Classical Period, don’t go to Greece. Syracuse, located in what is now Sicily, was a powerful city-state and the birthplace of mathematician Archimedes. While the city has been built upon for centuries and is now a thriving, modern town. A large section of the ancient metropolis has been excavated and preserved in an extensive archaeological park.
Volcanoes! While pasta, wine, Romans, and the Renaissance might be the first things to spring to mind when you think of Italy, it is a literal hot bed for volcanic activity. Everyone knows Mt. Etna and Mt. Vesuvius, but the little-know Aeolian Islands offer a volcanic scenery unlike that in all of Italy. Watching lava spew from Stromboli or hiking to the crater of the island of Vulcano, you won’t believe you’re in the same country of Alpine peaks and rolling Tuscany hills. See all of these incredible sites and experience the less traveled on our Spendors of Sicily walking tour.