Winning tip: Val Trebbia, Italy
Val Trebbia is a quiet nook of Italy that Ernest Hemingway called “the most beautiful valley within the international.” Crossed via the Trebbia river’s stunning green waters, it’s far dotted with castles, hamlets, and minor Roman ruins (Hannibal confronted the Romans here together with his elephants). The monastery of Bobbio, based with the aid of the Irish monk Columbanus, an outstanding medieval cultural hot spots, is the crown jewel. You can swim, kayak, hike, and cycle, then stop for lovable Gutturnio wine, fresh porcini mushrooms, Ligurian focaccia, and culatello (like prosciutto, however, better). The Trebbia river meets the Po close to Piacenza, a superb base from which to explore the location.
Lara Fiorani
Sperlonga, Italy
Last year I changed into touring through teaching from Rome to Naples while a strike left me stuck at the little station of Formia. The platform’s panini vendor drove me to his brother’s little pensione in Sperlonga 20 minutes away, and I stayed there for every week. It’s a lovable town of winding, hilly streets with white stone homes, largely free of global travelers, complete with gelato bars and pizzerias. Its gentle sandy seashore has excellent sunsets with 541-metre Monte Circeo views with its caves, such as Grotta delle Capre, where goats have sheltered seeing that antiquity. I changed into instructed Roman emperors used to come back right here for their summer season breaks – because then it appears to have long gone undetected.
Alex Hughes
Berat is known as the city of 1000 home windows for its beautiful hillside packed with pretty Ottoman cottages. There’s additionally a citadel to explore with views over the entire valley. After dark, cozy tavernas welcome purchasers with hearty Balkan fare and strong grappa. Living is cheap, with masses of lower-priced places to consume and drink, and you could get a double room inside the adorable Hostel Maya Berat for only €24. Either fly to Corfu, get the ferry over and integrate it with some seaside time, or head to Tirana and make your manner down from the capital, a 90-minute power away.
Tim Alderson
Ohrid, North Macedonia
Ohrid is a city that clings on to the threshold of the lovely Lake Ohrid. We traveled there via automobile from Albania, so it definitely felt like a journey into the unknown. The city is bustling – but not with tourists – lake hotel; I don’t assume we ran into each person from western Europe, not to mention the UK. It gives amazing value and beautiful surroundings, particularly for walking or biking, but the jewel is the crystal-clear lake. There are awesome swimming, fishing, and water sports activities, and also you never sense crammed in. Surprisingly the nightlife has something for all people, from incredible eating places to bars and an alternative-dated funfair.
Darryl
Laroles, Alpujarra mountains, Spain
An hour and a half’s power from both the historical city of Granada and the unspoiled seashores of Cabo de Gata in Almeria, and nestled excessive inside the lovely Alpujarras, the white-washed village of Paroles, and the cluster of villages around it, offer a rare glimpse of lifestyles in a rural Spanish network. Step back in time among olive groves and almond trees and experience the local wine and honey. This is vintage men on donkeys territory. Paroles are also domestic to the vibrant and award-triumphing Me Vuelves Lorca theatre festival (this 12 months 2-eleven August), held every summer in a lovely, Greek-fashion open-air theatre that was hand made by way of the area people in 2013. Concerts under the stars … Without a doubt magical!
Helen Rogers
Lapa dos Dinheiros, Portugal
In the Serra da Estrela, we stayed in the tiny village of Valezim. We walked through pine forests and clouds of butterflies to Lapa dos Dinheiros. There is a river seaside above a dam with massive boulders – and, crucially, a completely quiet bar selling eye-wateringly strong caipirinhas.
Felix Macpherson
Arcadia, Greece
In the heart of Greece’s jellyfish-fashioned south-west lies the lovely region of Arcadia. It is tremendously lush and green for an area up to now south, with clean mountain rivers slicing via steep gorges. After multiple hours’ riding thru twisty mountain roads, pausing simplest to let tortoises cross the road, we arrived in quite Stemnitsa village. A 20-minute stroll down a stony direction led us to the Monastery of Prodromou. Cut into the edges of the Loussios gorge and domestic to seven priests who welcomed us in for bitter Greek coffee, its small rock chapel, and meditative views left us inspired. Such a unique, untouched place.
Susie Lee-Kilgariff
Zeeland, The Netherlands
