At the discovery of the best adventure travel spots of Italy

Italy is not only culture and artistic, it's also a big country rich of natural parks, mountains and hills where practice Hiking tours, Cycling holidays and much more...

There are a lot of regions where practice outdoor adventure travels. It's not easy to post them all but by reading this guide you'll have a clear view.

Italy's Top 10 hotspots:

1° Sicily: The Pearl of the Mediterranean

Sicily, is an autonomous region in the south of Italy.

The main destinations are:

• Acitrezza, near Catania
• Cefalù - Sicily's main beach resort, with an attractive old town
• The "Gole dell'Alcantara" - a deep impressive gorge carved by the Alcantara river on the edge of Etna
• Marsala - Interesting museum
• Mazara del Vallo - Arab influences including a Couscous festival
• Monreale - impressive cathedral above Palermo
• Mount Etna - the impressive 3323m high active
• Piazza Armerina - home of impressive Roman mosaics
• Segesta - another greek temple and ruins
• Selinunte - another group of impressive greek temples

2° Tuscany: A paradise for bikers

Tuscany, is one of the twenty Regions of Italy. The capital is Florence, and it has an area of 22,990 km² and about 3.6 million inhabitants. Tuscany is known for its landscapes and its artistic legacy.

Six Tuscan localities have been made UNESCO protected sites: the historical center of Florence (1982), the historical center of Siena (1995), the square of the Cathedral of Pisa (1987), the historical center of San Gimignano (1990), the historical center of Pienza (1996) and the Val d'Orcia (2004).

3° Liguria: Ideals for hikers

Liguria is a coastal region of north-western Italy, the third smallest of the Italian regions. Its capital is Genoa.

The main attractions are:

• La Riviera di Ponente, the coast that stretches from France to Genoa, and La Riviera di Levante, the coast on the Italian peninsula itself - these are the main reasons people visit Liguria
• The Cinque Terre (literally "five lands"), five tiny, picturesque fishing villages - Corniglia, Manarola, Monterosso al Mare, Riomaggiore and Vernazza - perched precariously on the rugged, rocky hills that tumble into the Mediterranean

Walking is very popular, especially on the main coastal paths, which are subject to park entrance fees.

4° Sardinia: The gran canyon of Europe

Sardinia, is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily). The island lies surrounded (clockwise from north) by the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.

The best spots are:

• Alghero - medieval town (L'Alguer in the local Catalan language)
• Wild areas of Barbagia and Ogliastra
• Isola dei Gabbiani - a haven for windsurfers and kitesurfers
• Costa Smeralda - Glamorous beaches
• Stintino small fisherman village in the North-Western tip of Sardinia, its beach La Pelosa is among the very finest of the entire island
• Iglesias and the Sulcis are undiscovered treasures of art and sea. Near Iglesias, you should visit some mines, listen at the history of the sardinian miners, and go to see the marvellous Santa Barbara cove

5° Apulia: Biking in the Gargano Park

Apulia, is a region in southeastern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south.

Its southern portion known as Salento, a peninsula, forms the heel of the Italian "boot".

There are a lot of things to see in Puglia: Trulli in Alberobello, Old town in Bari, Trani, beaches in Monopoli.

You can also see the Castellana Grotte, Castel del Monte, the castle of Federick II, Polignano, Conversano, Martina Franca and Ostuni, the "white city".

6° Trentino and the Dolomites

Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, is an autonomous region in Northern Italy. It consists of two provinces: Trento and Bolzano-Bozen, where in the latter the majority of the population speak German as their first language.

The main attractions are:

• South Tyrol: there you can find large producing areas for wine and apples
• Meran/Merano: health resort with great tradition, i.e. empress Sissi of Austria stayed there
• The Dolomites, the best to see in the Alps
• The Garda Lake, the 2° biggest lake in Italy

7° Abruzzi and the National Park of Italy

Abruzzi is a region in central Italy lying just 70 miles east of Rome and bordering Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east and the Adriatic Sea to the east.

1/3 of the region is designated as national park.

• Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga (Gran Sasso National Park )
• Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise (Abruzzo National Park)
• Parco Nazionale della Majella (National Park of the Majella)
• Parco Naturale Regionale Sirente-Velino (Sirente Velino Regional Park)
• Lago di Barrea (Barrea Lake Wetlands)

8° Lazio and Rome

Lazio is a region of central Italy, bordered by Tuscany, Umbria, Abruzzi, Marche, Molise, Campania and the Tyrrhenian Sea.

It's notable for its history, art, architecture, archaeology, religion and culture.

The best destinations are:

• Frosinone
• Gaeta
• Rieti
• Rome
• Ostia Antica
• Viterbo
• Civitavecchia

9° Veneto and Venice

Veneto is a region in north-eastern Italy, with its capital in Venice. It was an independent republic until the invasion of Napoleon in 1797. There's so much to see ...

The walking spots are:

• Bibione - seaside town
• Eraclea - seaside town close to Jesolo
• Jesolo - large seaside town near to Venice
• Quarto D'altino - situated about 15 minutes, by train, from Venice's main island