How to escape the crowds on an Italy holiday
But with natural beauty and awe-inspiring architecture and comes flocks of tourists. In this week's episode of TravelSmart, the Independent 's Travel team shares their advice on the best spots off the tourist trail so you can plan an Italy holiday away from the crowds.
Assistant Travel Editor Emilee Tombs reveals underrated Tuscan gems like the coastal region of Maremma, as well as the charming hilltop towns of Pitigliano, Sovana and Sorano, while Global Travel Editor Annabel Grossman shares her favourite spots in the breathtaking Dolomites. And they delve into how you can find a slice of tranquility in popular tourist destinations like Florence and Sardinia – you just need to know where to look.
Watch TravelSmart on Independent TV.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
4 minutes ago
- The Independent
Where commuters can get train fares for just £1 this month
Transport for Wales is offering £1 fares for Pay As You Go rail travel across south east Wales. The promotional fares are available from 19 to 28 August at 95 PAYG-enabled stations, and will apply to all journeys, including rail replacement buses. Passengers can save a maximum of £3.20 on a single journey during this limited-time offer. The initiative aims to encourage more people to try rail travel and familiarise themselves with the PAYG system. This promotion coincides with discussions about potential regulated train fare increases in England, which could rise by up to 5.8 per cent next year.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Tourist in Cornwall fined for parking in former parking space
A man who was on holiday in Cornwall said it was a "sad day for tourism" after he was fined for parking somewhere which he later found out was no longer a parking Down, from Wiltshire, said there were no signs warning motorists a number of spaces in Cornwall Council-owned Cawsand car park were no longer in use despite lined boxes still council recently relined spaces in the 139-space car park on the Rame Peninsula but did not reinstate about seven spaces.A spokesperson for the local authority said: "Anyone in this position [of being fined] is encouraged to follow the representation process outlined on the back of their notice." Mr Down, who has been visiting Cawsand for more than 20 years, returned on holiday and parked in one of the redundant parking spaces on Sunday, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said he returned to find a £50 fixed penalty notice on his car, which would be reduced to £25 if he paid within 14 days. He said: "It's a sad day for tourism in Cawsand when council parking wardens hand out tickets for not parking in a parking space. "Clearly I was along with many others."There were six or seven other people who parked in similar spaces in the car park who all said if you turn up and see what looks like a parking space with white lines, it's a parking space."He said he had appealed the Ewert, Cornwall Council Labour councillor for the area, said she was aware the car park had been relined."It's causing some confusion," she said, adding she suspected those affected would have a good chance of having their fines overturned. A Cornwall Council spokesperson said: "Several parking bays were intentionally not reinstated to ensure that vehicles can move freely around the site. "We are aware that some of the older markings may still be visible - although they are faded compared to the new lines - and are taking steps to make it clear that these are no longer designated parking spaces."We will review any representation from motorists who believe they may have had a notice issued to them on this basis. "Anyone in this position is encouraged to follow the representation process outlined on the back of their notice."
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Inside the hidden side of the Algarve - with cheap five-star hotels and miles of unspoiled sandy beaches
You could imagine a poncho-clad Clint Eastwood perched atop the bell tower in The Village with No Name, coolly picking off the baddies with his jaws locked on a cheroot cigar. But instead of blood-spattered villains below, a mixologist is knocking up a tray of drinks for tourists lounging by the infinity pool. I am one of the first guests to walk through the streets of a new 'village' constructed on the side of a hill, its white walls eye-blinkingly bright. But the village is in fact a swish hotel and the properties which line the streets are suites and apartments commanding views of the rolling Barrocal countryside. Part of the Viceroy hotel group, the Ombria is a perfect place from which to discover the hinterland of the Algarve. The rolling hillside is rugged and sunshine beams down on a new golf course which snakes its way through the countryside like a gravity-defying green lake. This is inland Algarve - where Old Portugal still thrives just eight miles from the sand and sangria. Eager to explore the Parque Natural da Ria Formosa, I borrow one of the hotel's electric bikes. 'Don't stray far as the battery doesn't last long', I am warned. I know about electric bikes so ignore this and head for the town of Loule, six miles away. The streets are full of shops selling leather and pottery; the bar terraces are spilling over and the ancient heart of the citadel is abuzz. It is market day and a sort of giant souk sprawls through the warren of medieval alleyways - a riot of colour and smells. I take a circuitous route back through tiny hamlets, along country lanes that plunge and buck like a roller coaster and by seemingly untouched countryside. With some relief I spot in the far distance the Viceroy Ombria. When I get back the battery is still a third full and I've done at least 30 miles. I go for a quick dip in two of the four pools, check out the gym and have a pre-dinner snifter before taking the hotel's minibus to dinner at Al Sud - a swish artwork of glass and marble overlooking the Bay of Lagos. On another day, I visit Silves, the old capital of the Algarve, also inland from the usual seaboard haunts. A fortress was constructed here in the 9th century on the banks of the river Arade, from where ships set sail to trade with North Africa. The town is a fascinating patchwork of ancient and modern among the historic sites. South of Silves, we stop for lunch at Morgado do Quintao, a vineyard with rooms that has been in the same family for three centuries and offers a piece of living history. We sit under a 2,000-year-old olive tree and remind ourselves that if you wish to escape the Algarve's selfie crowds, you don't have to travel far.
