Hidden Italy

From towering limestone cliffs, to the rolling yellow and silver hills, encounter the spectacular Accona desert in the heart of the Tuscan countryside. Admire the artwork along the Via Francigena, in particular the frescoes in the Pellegrinaio of the hospital of Santa Maria della Scala, the Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore with frescoes by Luca Signorelli and Antonio Bazzi, also known as Il Sodoma.

The Terra Del Sole (The Town of the Sun) is situated in the province of Forlì, between Castrocaro Terme, San Casciano, the mountain pass of Muraglione. The nearby Montone River and the Aquacheta waterfalls were depicted by Italian author Dante in Inferno. Built in 1564 with a military purpose, Terra Del Sole is a fortified city. It is both defensively, and aesthetically, a renaissance utopia.

Connecting Padua and Venice, the Brenta Riviera boasts many Venetian Villas built between the 15th and 18th Century after the discovery of America began to render local maritime trade less important. Wealthy Venetian families built villas and gardens along the river Brenta to practice the art of 'otium' (Latin for leisure, rest, relaxation and academic endeavors) and earn money from agriculture.

Founded when the people of Amalfi freed themselves from the reigning Lombards in the Principality of Benevento. We travel back in time to the election of their first local aristocratic dukes via a visit to the church of Saint Salvatore de Birecto. We learn more about the history of the region in the Chronicon Salernitanum and take a look at Raphael's painting 'The Battle of Ostia'.

The State of the Presidi is a swampy, malarial land, which, thanks only to human resilience and intelligence, became a centre of wealth and culture. The journey starts from the Metalliferous Hills of Maremma, rich in raw metals and the historical capital of mining territory, and continues to the historical buildings and the ancient water springs of Massa Maratima with its famous Fertility Tree.

The history of the Duchy of Urbino is really the history of two families: the Montefeltros and the Della Roveres, nobles and patrons who bid for everlasting fame with architectural and artistic works. Their efforts resulted in the painting The Flagellation of Christ, the rooms of the Ducal Palace, the Guest apartment with the King Of England's Room, the Throne Room and the Chapel of Guidubaldo.

Situated between the Alps in France and the duchy of Savoy, and influenced by both regions, the Marquisate was still able to maintain its core identity, and gave birth to a rich local culture. This spirit exists in the Rocca of Castellar; in the Castello of Manta, with the fresco cycle of the Nine Worthies in the Baronial Hall or the painting of the Madonna del Latte in the church of Santa Maria.

It took almost 400 years and the work of hundreds of highly qualified architects, engineers, plasterers, painters, and woodworkers who all contributed to the transformation of the Isola Bella. Up until 1630 the Isola Bella was only a rocky crag occupied by a few fishermen, two small churches and a few unassuming gardens. At the turn of the 17th century the House of Borromeo initiated change.

According to mythology, Anagni was established by Saturn himself in an area surrounded by huge calcareous walls. Historically, we know that the town was conquered by the Roman Empire at the beginning of the IV century B.C. Even though it was influenced by the Holy See, during the Middle Age Anagni was a free town where two families, the Caetanis and the Colonnas, fought hard for supremacy.

In 1693, an unprecedented earthquake hit the Valley of Noto destroying several small towns such as Modica, Ragusa and Scicli, which were all included in the Norman Kingdom of Sicili. More than 90,000 lives were lost. Giuseppe Lanza, the Spanish appointed viceroy, took charge of the reconstruction of the area. He called on Sicilian architects Giovanni Baptista, Vaccarini and Rosario Gagliardi.

The county of Soleto was founded in 1055: the Norman Robert Guiscard of Hauteville conquered the rusty lands of Southern Salento and entrusted Earl Orsini with them. Soleto can now boast the only remaining legacy of the region's Norman age: the 'Guglia di Raimondello' the striking bell tower which is considered one of the finest examples of Apulian gothic style.

The duchy of Castro was founded in 1537 by Pope Paul III, Alessandro Farnese, who wanted to donate the area to his son Pier Luigi. The dukedom includes not only Ischia di Castro, the capital city that was destroyed in 1649 by the Papal troops, but also Valentano and Capodimonte where you can still admire the amazing palaces of the Farnese family...

Before crossing the Alps and visiting the Ambras castle, the Imperial Palace, the cathedral and the Tyrolean State Museum, it is important to understand the origins of Tyrol. Beginning in the XII century, in the mountains of Alto Adige. We travel along the Inn and the Adige rivers to the entrance of the Vinschgau Valley, before visiting Tyrol Castle, and the city of Merano.

In 1545, Pope Paul III took Parma and Piacenza away from the papal territories to create a new duchy for his son Pier Luigi Farnese and free them from the influence of the Lombard Gonzaga family. The first duke and his heirs Alessandro and Ranuccio welcomed some Correggio's to work in the baptistery of the cathedral and some Parmigianino's paintings in the monastery of San Paolo.

Threatened by the pressing Venetian advance, in 1382 Trieste submitted to the Habsburgs and hosted the Imperial Captain in the Girolamo Decio-designed fortress. In 1719 it was granted the status of free port by Charles IV of Habsburg: not only the Austrian railway connected the city to Vienna, but it was also the first docking area and international trade hub of the Empire.

The republic of the Orta Riviera was a small independent state, which spread along Lake Orta during the XIII century. On the route to Switzerland coming from Novara, in 1219 the area fell under the sway of the bishops of Novara and maintained its independence until 1817 when the House of Savoy annexed it to its land.