Italy's Uncharted Islands

"The Sulcis Archipelago is located off the south-western coast of Sardinia and is part of the province of of southern Sardinia. The islands of San Pietro, Sant'Antioco and Isola Piana form the archipelago, together with several uninhabited islets and rocks form the archipelago. It belongs to the less known areas in Italy and is little developed for tourism. Nevertheless stars like Tom Cruise and Roberto Cavalli come here to enjoy the peace, seclusion and good food. The islanders are only moderately interested in these visitors, and their down-to-earth attitude has never lost."

"Lake Iseo is located on the southern foothills of the Alps. It extends over the provinces of Brescia and Bergamo in the northern mainland of Italy. In the middle of Lake Iseo lies the largest island of the southern European inland waters. Monte Isola, as the island is called after its central mountain lies close to its two neighboring islands, Isola di San Paolo and Isola di Loreto. As early as the 11th century, a monastic association of Benedictines settled here. For many Italians, Lake Iseo is the most beautiful spot in their homeland. It is all the more astonishing how little the influence of tourism is here. Driving is strictly forbidden on the three islands, and only on Monte Isola. Only on Monte Isola there is a regular bus service in the summertime. Thus, the three islands are an oasis of an oasis of tranquility most of the year. The historical buildings and the nature remind of the long tradition in which the Italians have cultivated this retreat. Only every five years in the autumn a big celebration takes place. Then over 200,000 paper flowers decorate the island. The flowers are reminiscent of the time in the Middle Ages when a Roma woman brought her son to the island to be cured from the from the rampant plague. In gratitude, she donated a sea of flowers. The Festa di Santa Croce has been one of the main attractions in northern Italy ever since. The days are radiant with color, it is the only time when it gets crowded in the small streets of the island villages. The next festival was celebrated in September 2021."

The Tuscan Archipelago is a group of islands at the height of Florence. The archipelago stretches from the Ligurian Sea to the Tyrrhenian Sea, north-east of Corsica. The archipelago consists of seven main islands - Giglio, Elba, Gianutri, Capraia, Pianisoa, Gorgona and Montecristo - and other smaller islands and rocks. Not all of them are inhabited. We look at the three most extraordinary islands of the archipelago: Elba, Capraia and the island of Montecristo. The Tuscan Archipelago is one of the most important natural wonders of the world and is protected as Parco Nazionale dell'Arcipelago Toscano. With its 61.474 hectares of protected and 17,694 hectares of protected land area, it is the largest marine protected area in in Europe. Capraia is the third largest island of the archipelago and is located with its small harbor in the channel in front of Corsica. The island is an autonomous municipality with about 300 inhabitants. It is also considered the most maritime island of the archipelago. At the end of the eighties, the penal colony on Capraia was closed was closed and the island opened to tourism.

"Far from the glamour and spotlight of Lampedusa, Pantelleria is one of the best kept secrets among the Italian islands. Located closer to Tunisia than to the Italian mainland, Pantelleria closer to Tunisia than to the Italian mainland, Pantelleria has been nicknamed ""The Last Island,"" a title also given by Giosuè Calaciura gave to his 2016 historical novel set on Pantelleria. Pantelleria, that is the island of lava, capers and of the liqueur wine that comes here Zibibbo. An island with an ancient history, where for centuries farmers and fishermen have pursued their craft. their craft. The famous Zibibbo grapes are cultivated here - among other things also on the vineyard that Gerard Depardieu and his wife Carole Bouquet bought to produce traditional liqueur and nutmeg wine themselves and distribute it worldwide. The cuisine of the island is as much Arabic as Italian, couscous with fish is a typical island dish."