Rome's forgotten river is actually home to some of its greatest sights
Atop the Aventine Hill, one of Rome's magnificent seven mounts and the site of the gorgeous Giardino degli Aranci (Orange Garden) overlooking the Tiber, is this Roman novelty. You'll probably have to queue for a glimpse, but it's worth it for the perfectly framed, almost-too-good-to-be-true view of St Peter's Basilica, flanked by poplar-like trees, that can all be enjoyed through the bronze keyhole in the huge priory door.
5 Relive the classic scene from Roman Holiday
Resist, if you can, the urge to queue before Bocca della Verita, or the 'Mouth of Truth' for an obligatory photo (and definitely don't place your hand in the mouth). But do pause to admire this slightly scary-looking medieval carving as you enter the Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin, distinguished by its elegant Romanesque bell tower. Film buffs will recall that Bocca della Verita features in Roman Holiday, the delightful 1953 Hollywood romantic comedy. In it Gregory Peck plays a hilarious practical joke – relating to the legend that claims that if you place your hand in the carving's mouth and tell a lie its jaws will snap shut – on his co-star, Audrey Hepburn.
6 Stroll along the quiet banks of the Tiber
A great way to escape the Rome ruckus is to take a walk along the Tiber's serene banks, something few Romans do. The river's 13-metre embankments – built in the 19th century to contain the river and prevent flooding – were scrubbed of graffiti in time for this year's Papal Jubilee though doubtless it's returned. While the embankments do spare Rome from periodic flooding they also deny the city a relationship with the river akin to that of Paris and its Seine.
7 Capture the classic Tiber River scene at dusk
One of the eternal images of the Eternal City is the photo opportunity that presents at dusk from Roman Emperor Hadrian's 134 AD Ponte Sant'Angelo. In the right conditions, as night begins to wrap itself around Rome like a papal cloak, feathery pink clouds can form around the orb-like dome of St Peter's Basilica, with even the capital's much maligned, all aglow, waterway picture-perfect in the rapidly fading light.
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Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Beyond Rome and Venice: 15 of Italy's most underrated destinations
Where Italy's second-smallest region (after Valle d'Aosta), located between Rome and Naples (although to the east), with a mountainous interior and short coastline on the Adriatic Sea. It has no major towns or cities. With fewer than 500,000 visitors a year, it's the least-visited Italian region. Why we love it Seemingly always hunkered beyond outside influence and history, Molise won't wow you with big sights, but feels like an Italy of times gone by, and has haunting landscapes. The region produces good seafood and fish, wine, olive oil and cheese, lamb, cured meats and sausages. Don't miss Termoli is a dishevelled but attractive fishing town with a walled medieval core on the Adriatic coast. Inland, the ruins of a small Roman trading town at Saepinum are well-preserved and yet virtually unvisited. Guglionesi has a historic centre cluttered with churches. Essentials Spring and autumn are best; avoid winter, which can be rainy. Bellavista B&B di Charme in Macchiagodena has a country setting with mountain views, restaurant and infinity pool, and makes a good exploration base. See NORTHWEST SICILY Where Sicily is far from unknown, but most visitors stick to the eastern half. The island's north-west runs from Trapani southwards to coastal cities Marsala and Mazara, and includes rugged inland hill towns and the Egadi Islands. Why we love it Greeks, Romans, Normans and Spaniards have influenced Sicilian culture, but in the north-west its medieval Islamic heritage is best felt: flat-roofed, whitewashed towns, old forts and use of eggplant, lemons, rice, almonds and raisins in the cuisine. Don't miss Trapani has a fortified peninsula setting and baroque old town. Fishing port Mazara and wine-producer Marsala have a distinctly North African feel. Inland, Caltagirone is famed for the quality of its ceramics, while hilltop Erice has a brooding medieval atmosphere and Sicily's best marzipan. The Egadi islands offer archaeological sites, whitewashed villages fronting pretty harbours, sea caves and diving on a Roman shipwreck. VENETO Where This north-east region that includes Venice shouldn't make this list, except that Venice's visitor millions largely ignore the Veneto's lovely countryside and high mountains, whose snow you can spot from atop Venice's campaniles. Why we love it There's so much landscape and cultural variety condensed into this small region that you could spend weeks exploring it. Historic towns, although well visited, retain a local atmosphere and have plenty of good museums, cathedrals and other sights. Don't miss Barge down Brenta Canal from Venice and admire the summer palazzi of the Venetian aristocracy before arriving in culture-dense university and pilgrimage town Padua. Vincenza and Verona are two other worthy historical towns. Further north are the vineyards where prosecco is produced, and further north still the superb Dolomites and chic ski resort Cortina d'Ampezzo. Essentials Summer is hot, rainy and crowded, and winter chilly, though great if you ski. Al Fagiano Art Hotel in Padua is modestly priced but offers decorative, colourful and slightly risque flair, and has a little courtyard garden. See BASILICATA Where A rugged, remote region in the arch of Italy's boot between Calabria (the toe) and Apulia (the heel), notable for short coastlines on both the Tyrrhenian and Ionian seas. It has a population of just 530,000 and ranks 19th out of 20 Italian regions for visitor numbers. Why we love it This is another, almost otherworldly Italy imprinted with ancient cultures but seemingly bypassed by the Renaissance. Depopulated villages slumber amid ragged but gorgeous landscapes and coastlines. Don't miss Matera, World Heritage-listed for its cave houses and baroque topping, has recently become tourist-famous, but few visitors stray beyond it. Craco is an eerily abandoned town, medieval Melfi has a fine hilltop setting topped by a ruined castle, Metaponto sits on a lovely coastline and has Greek ruins. Pollino National Park has lush forest and ancient villages. Essentials April-June is the best option, since it combines warm weather with wildflowers. For something unusual, check into a cave hotel in Matera, whether at top-end Aquatio Cave Luxury Hotel & Spa or mid-range Caveoso Hotel. See CALABRIA Where In Italy's toe, with long coasts on the nation's east and west sides. Historically one of Italy's poorest regions, Calabria has none of the key towns or big sights that draw international tourists, giving it modest tourist numbers. Loading Why we love it This isn't the elegant, sophisticated Italy of movies and romantic novels. Calabria is rough at the edges, provincial and poor, and yet offers the real deal: lovely towns not yet turned to kitsch, friendly locals not yet jaded by tourists, and a culture not homogenised by Italy, let alone Europe. Don't miss Two coastlines, three national parks, medieval villages, Greek ruins, festival outbursts, endless street life: Calabria is the appealing sum of many small parts. Coastal Tropea is the loveliest city. Badolato, Civita, Gerace and Scilla are striking villages. Essentials April and October are sweet spots weather wise, and you can also take in many festivals related to Easter or food harvests. Piccolo Grand Hotel in Pizzo is a simple, unpretentious hotel from yesteryear with cheerful colourful rooms overlooking the sea. See VALLE D'AOSTA Where This north-west region sits in the Alps, with better-known destinations Chamonix (France) and Zermatt (Switzerland) just over the border. It's the country's smallest and least-populated region but has outsized scenery. Why we love it Superb alpine landscapes, castles clinging to crags, cheerful villages, great hiking trails, interesting French influences. Most visitors come in winter for guaranteed great snow, with resorts that connect across the border offering extravagant – but more modestly priced – skiing. Don't miss Aosta has Roman and medieval remains and a snow-capped setting. Rock-perched Forte di Bard combines fortifications, an alpine museum and terrific panoramas. Get into Gran Paradiso National Park for scenic hiking and ibex-spotting. The ski season is busy, with Cervinia offering the most ski runs, but Courmayeur the most upmarket. Essentials Because of the high altitudes and glaciers, the ski season runs from late November to early May. Cervinia has no shortage of luxury and family-run boutique hotels and ski chalets, among them the cool and contemporary Principe delle Nevi, which is ski-in ski-out. See FIVE OVERLOOKED CITIES IN ITALY Turin The former capital of Savoy in the north-west is one of Italy's most attractive big cities, with French-influenced architecture, fine piazzas and boulevards, great cafes and Alps on the horizon. The home of Fiat and other industries also has the wealth for good museums and restaurants, a lively classical music scene, and sophisticated shopping. Don't miss one of the world's best ancient Egyptian collections, a whopping baroque royal palace, and the National Automobile Museum. See Loading Mantua Ruled for four centuries by the influential Gonzaga family, Mantova in north-central Italy, just south of Verona, is UNESCO-listed for its Renaissance old town, arcaded streets, several fine piazzas and sumptuous palaces, set on the shores of an artificial lake. The massive Palazzo Ducale is draped in luscious frescoes, tapestries and first-class artworks, while Palazzo Te has more magnificent frescoes. Anywhere else and queues would be out the door. See Cremona If Cremona is known at all it is for its violin making, with many luthiers still carrying on the tradition that reached its height under Antonio Stradivari. The Museo del Violino has its interest, but you'll be delighted by the charming town, which has one of Italy's loveliest central piazzas, its tallest campanile, and a pink 12th-century cathedral. The city 80 kilometres southeast of Milan is also noted for nougat and mustard production. See Trento This north-east city and former independent bishopric is well-kept, cobbled, castle-dominated, and sits on a river surrounded by the Alps. It also has historical chops, an Italian-Germanic fusion culture and a busy summer festival season. Highlights are the Castello del Buonconsiglio and Muse, an interactive science museum that highlights the alpine environment inside a jagged, eye-catching Renzo Piano-designed building. Ride the cable car to Sardagna above the valley to appreciate Trento's glorious location. See
The Age
2 days ago
- The Age
Beyond Rome and Venice: 15 of Italy's most underrated destinations
Where Italy's second-smallest region (after Valle d'Aosta), located between Rome and Naples (although to the east), with a mountainous interior and short coastline on the Adriatic Sea. It has no major towns or cities. With fewer than 500,000 visitors a year, it's the least-visited Italian region. Why we love it Seemingly always hunkered beyond outside influence and history, Molise won't wow you with big sights, but feels like an Italy of times gone by, and has haunting landscapes. The region produces good seafood and fish, wine, olive oil and cheese, lamb, cured meats and sausages. Don't miss Termoli is a dishevelled but attractive fishing town with a walled medieval core on the Adriatic coast. Inland, the ruins of a small Roman trading town at Saepinum are well-preserved and yet virtually unvisited. Guglionesi has a historic centre cluttered with churches. Essentials Spring and autumn are best; avoid winter, which can be rainy. Bellavista B&B di Charme in Macchiagodena has a country setting with mountain views, restaurant and infinity pool, and makes a good exploration base. See NORTHWEST SICILY Where Sicily is far from unknown, but most visitors stick to the eastern half. The island's north-west runs from Trapani southwards to coastal cities Marsala and Mazara, and includes rugged inland hill towns and the Egadi Islands. Why we love it Greeks, Romans, Normans and Spaniards have influenced Sicilian culture, but in the north-west its medieval Islamic heritage is best felt: flat-roofed, whitewashed towns, old forts and use of eggplant, lemons, rice, almonds and raisins in the cuisine. Don't miss Trapani has a fortified peninsula setting and baroque old town. Fishing port Mazara and wine-producer Marsala have a distinctly North African feel. Inland, Caltagirone is famed for the quality of its ceramics, while hilltop Erice has a brooding medieval atmosphere and Sicily's best marzipan. The Egadi islands offer archaeological sites, whitewashed villages fronting pretty harbours, sea caves and diving on a Roman shipwreck. VENETO Where This north-east region that includes Venice shouldn't make this list, except that Venice's visitor millions largely ignore the Veneto's lovely countryside and high mountains, whose snow you can spot from atop Venice's campaniles. Why we love it There's so much landscape and cultural variety condensed into this small region that you could spend weeks exploring it. Historic towns, although well visited, retain a local atmosphere and have plenty of good museums, cathedrals and other sights. Don't miss Barge down Brenta Canal from Venice and admire the summer palazzi of the Venetian aristocracy before arriving in culture-dense university and pilgrimage town Padua. Vincenza and Verona are two other worthy historical towns. Further north are the vineyards where prosecco is produced, and further north still the superb Dolomites and chic ski resort Cortina d'Ampezzo. Essentials Summer is hot, rainy and crowded, and winter chilly, though great if you ski. Al Fagiano Art Hotel in Padua is modestly priced but offers decorative, colourful and slightly risque flair, and has a little courtyard garden. See BASILICATA Where A rugged, remote region in the arch of Italy's boot between Calabria (the toe) and Apulia (the heel), notable for short coastlines on both the Tyrrhenian and Ionian seas. It has a population of just 530,000 and ranks 19th out of 20 Italian regions for visitor numbers. Why we love it This is another, almost otherworldly Italy imprinted with ancient cultures but seemingly bypassed by the Renaissance. Depopulated villages slumber amid ragged but gorgeous landscapes and coastlines. Don't miss Matera, World Heritage-listed for its cave houses and baroque topping, has recently become tourist-famous, but few visitors stray beyond it. Craco is an eerily abandoned town, medieval Melfi has a fine hilltop setting topped by a ruined castle, Metaponto sits on a lovely coastline and has Greek ruins. Pollino National Park has lush forest and ancient villages. Essentials April-June is the best option, since it combines warm weather with wildflowers. For something unusual, check into a cave hotel in Matera, whether at top-end Aquatio Cave Luxury Hotel & Spa or mid-range Caveoso Hotel. See CALABRIA Where In Italy's toe, with long coasts on the nation's east and west sides. Historically one of Italy's poorest regions, Calabria has none of the key towns or big sights that draw international tourists, giving it modest tourist numbers. Loading Why we love it This isn't the elegant, sophisticated Italy of movies and romantic novels. Calabria is rough at the edges, provincial and poor, and yet offers the real deal: lovely towns not yet turned to kitsch, friendly locals not yet jaded by tourists, and a culture not homogenised by Italy, let alone Europe. Don't miss Two coastlines, three national parks, medieval villages, Greek ruins, festival outbursts, endless street life: Calabria is the appealing sum of many small parts. Coastal Tropea is the loveliest city. Badolato, Civita, Gerace and Scilla are striking villages. Essentials April and October are sweet spots weather wise, and you can also take in many festivals related to Easter or food harvests. Piccolo Grand Hotel in Pizzo is a simple, unpretentious hotel from yesteryear with cheerful colourful rooms overlooking the sea. See VALLE D'AOSTA Where This north-west region sits in the Alps, with better-known destinations Chamonix (France) and Zermatt (Switzerland) just over the border. It's the country's smallest and least-populated region but has outsized scenery. Why we love it Superb alpine landscapes, castles clinging to crags, cheerful villages, great hiking trails, interesting French influences. Most visitors come in winter for guaranteed great snow, with resorts that connect across the border offering extravagant – but more modestly priced – skiing. Don't miss Aosta has Roman and medieval remains and a snow-capped setting. Rock-perched Forte di Bard combines fortifications, an alpine museum and terrific panoramas. Get into Gran Paradiso National Park for scenic hiking and ibex-spotting. The ski season is busy, with Cervinia offering the most ski runs, but Courmayeur the most upmarket. Essentials Because of the high altitudes and glaciers, the ski season runs from late November to early May. Cervinia has no shortage of luxury and family-run boutique hotels and ski chalets, among them the cool and contemporary Principe delle Nevi, which is ski-in ski-out. See FIVE OVERLOOKED CITIES IN ITALY Turin The former capital of Savoy in the north-west is one of Italy's most attractive big cities, with French-influenced architecture, fine piazzas and boulevards, great cafes and Alps on the horizon. The home of Fiat and other industries also has the wealth for good museums and restaurants, a lively classical music scene, and sophisticated shopping. Don't miss one of the world's best ancient Egyptian collections, a whopping baroque royal palace, and the National Automobile Museum. See Loading Mantua Ruled for four centuries by the influential Gonzaga family, Mantova in north-central Italy, just south of Verona, is UNESCO-listed for its Renaissance old town, arcaded streets, several fine piazzas and sumptuous palaces, set on the shores of an artificial lake. The massive Palazzo Ducale is draped in luscious frescoes, tapestries and first-class artworks, while Palazzo Te has more magnificent frescoes. Anywhere else and queues would be out the door. See Cremona If Cremona is known at all it is for its violin making, with many luthiers still carrying on the tradition that reached its height under Antonio Stradivari. The Museo del Violino has its interest, but you'll be delighted by the charming town, which has one of Italy's loveliest central piazzas, its tallest campanile, and a pink 12th-century cathedral. The city 80 kilometres southeast of Milan is also noted for nougat and mustard production. See Trento This north-east city and former independent bishopric is well-kept, cobbled, castle-dominated, and sits on a river surrounded by the Alps. It also has historical chops, an Italian-Germanic fusion culture and a busy summer festival season. Highlights are the Castello del Buonconsiglio and Muse, an interactive science museum that highlights the alpine environment inside a jagged, eye-catching Renzo Piano-designed building. Ride the cable car to Sardagna above the valley to appreciate Trento's glorious location. See
West Australian
2 days ago
- West Australian
Five showstoppers in France's lovely Languedoc
While perhaps not as globally well known as neighbouring Provence, the historic Languedoc region of France — since 2016, swallowed into the new, larger Occitanie region — is packed with breathtaking sights. Exploring here on our Albatross tour of France, we're especially beguiled by this quintet. As the inspiration for bestselling board games and mystery novels — have you read Kate Mosse's Languedoc trilogy, beginning with Labyrinth? — Carcassonne seems familiar even before you've first clasped eyes on the fairytale turrets of its imposing citadel. While the tight winding lanes of its historic core can feel like a tourist theme park — visitors heavily outnumber local residents and there are countless tourist-orientated gift stores, bars and eateries — there's more room and thrills on the ramparts. Running around the citadel for 1.6km, and punctuated with watch-towers, the walls offer fabulous vantage points over this hilltop old town and its brooding castle. You also overlook Carcassonne's sweeping, vineyard-blessed countryside and the bastide Saint-Louis, a lower-lying city district wedged between the River Aude and the Canal du Midi. Most of Carcassonne's present-day population reside, shop, eat and drink there and it's worth the walk down from the citadel. As well as French, you may hear Occitan, an endangered language spoken in chunks of southern France, northern Spain and Italy. There are bigger ancient amphitheatres on the planet, but none are as well preserved and beautifully restored as the corker gracing the centre of Nimes (formerly the Roman colony of Nemausus). A guided tour here showcases the heritage, including tales of gladiators battling wild animals before 24,000-strong crowds. Not just an incredible piece of architecture — with its symmetrical arches curving over two levels — the amphitheatre plays a key role in Nimes' cultural calendar, staging everything from live music concerts to sporting events. Other Roman relics dot the streets and squares of Nimes, which also has fetching medieval landmarks, contemporary museums and galleries, pretty parks with canals and fountains, and picturesque side streets and squares teeming with bistros, boulangeries and boutiques. Constructed to bring water to Nimes in the first century AD, the Pont du Gard is another magnificent remnant from the Romans' time in ancient Gaul (as France was known back in the day). You can admire this three-storey stone jewel from several perspectives, including on the footpath-laced cliffs above and down by the pebbly banks of the Gardon River, which the bridge spans. You can walk across it, too, peering up at the arches of a structure that formed part of an aqueduct stretching 50km. A modern visitor centre here has films and immersive exhibits detailing the construction of Pont du Gard, which, at 49m, was the highest Roman aqueduct in the world and ensured the people of Nimes had fresh water to drink and bathe in. This extraordinary viaduct was completed in 2004 and holds the title of the world's tallest bridge (for now at least; it will soon be usurped by China's Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge). Rising 343m above the Tarn Valley, taller than the Eiffel Tower, this cable-stayed stunner stretches nearly 2.5km, devised with steel and concrete by British architect Sir Norman Foster and French structural engineer Michel Virlogeux. Several lookouts offer breathtaking views of the viaduct, including an elevated platform accessible by a snaking, ascending path from the exhibition centre. Inside that you'll discover the technical aspects of the bridge and exactly why it was built here. Comprising four lanes, it gives drivers a much quicker route across the Tarn, which divides central France and the Mediterranean region. Previously, motorists would have found themselves gridlocked around the old stone bridge in the nearby town of Millau. Enclosed by over 1.5km of fortifications, this is one of France's best-preserved walled medieval port towns, perched at the cusp of the Camargue coastal region where Languedoc meets Provence. Its grid-like, mostly pedestrianised streets are a pleasure to stroll around, many lined with craft stores, cafes, restaurants and pretty houses with colourfully painted doors and window shutters. But it's also worth exiting one of the town's many gateways for a stroll on the boardwalks that thread towards the network of lagoons, canals and salt marshes that fringe Aigues-Mortes (which translates to 'dead waters' in English). Keep your eyes peeled for birds, including flamingos, flying above, and you may spot wild horses grazing or galloping in the nearby fields. Steve McKenna was a guest of Albatross Tours. They have not influenced this story or read it before publication. + Everywhere mentioned here is on the itinerary for Albatross' La Grande France tour, which begins in Paris and ends in Nice. The 2025 tour lasts 16 days and is priced at $10,987 per person (based on two sharing) or $14,087 (solo). There are departures on August 17 and August 31, 2025. For the 2026 itinerary, which has three extra nights and starts on May 17, June 7, August 23 and September 13, the tour costs $15,887 per person (twin) and $20,887 (solo). See + To help plan a trip to France, see
