Green Italy: all kinds of covid free holiday in the Italian nature

We all know that there is still no such thing as a genuinely covid-free holiday as we have not yet wholly defeated the virus. Although a 100% covid free holiday will be a difficult (but not impossible) task, Visit Italy wants to help you to collect ideas: after it, you can decide where to go on holiday and discover our beautiful Italy "differently". Let's brainstorm! 
Indeed, there are types of holiday in Italy during which it is much more difficult to contract the virus, both because of environments and contact with possible people. From this point of view, Italy is a country that offers heterogeneous holidays precisely because of its rich landscape, culture and architecture. For this reason, in Italy, it is possible to live different types of green experiences: trekking, cycling holidays, religious and non-religious paths, urban trekking, rural holidays, seaside holidays on wild beaches, visits to parks in large cities, active holidays practising different sports, and finally boating holidays. 

So if your choice is an outdoor holiday and away from the crowds, Visit Italy wants to offer you a glimpse of the infinite possibilities that Italy has to offer.

In Italy, it is possible to go trekking in the regions of Northern Italy, such as Trentino Alto Adige, Lombardy, Piedmont, and Val d'Aosta. In these regions, you can combine with visits to lakes and rivers and small mountain villages. 

It is possible for those travelling by car to arrive in these regions of Northern Italy straightforwardly and stop in small towns. For example, an excellent itinerary in South Tyrol (Alto Adige) includes visiting Sterzing, Brixen, Bruneck, Meran and Bozen in one week.

Forty minutes far from Bolzano, there is one of the most famous trekking itinerary in the world: the Latemarium, hundreds of itineraries around the peak Latemar. This area belongs to Unesco World Heritage of Dolomiti. 

Moreover, we can combine an itinerary in this area with an excursion around Lake Braies.

Mountain and urban trekking are a must in these locations, with breathtaking views everywhere. 

You could be surprised by knowing that in many Italian destinations it is possible to combine sea and trekking, for example on the islands of the Southern Italy: the Aeolian Islands, Ischia e Capri are certain islands where, in addition to the beautiful sea, it is also possible to choose trekking excursions in the mountains or hills or long walking. In the morning you can choose a trekking excursion and in the afternoon you can relax on the beach. 
The Aeolian Islands are one of the most amazing examples of trekking by the sea: breathtaking views, stories of volcanoes and many wonders to tell. 

On the island of Ischia, where there are thermal parks and many beautiful beaches, you will be amazed to learn that there is also Mount Epomeo and many promontories where you can enjoy trekking experiences that have been very popular for decades, especially with the German market. In addition to the mountain paths where you can see stone houses and goats grazing, there are very special, even slightly adventurous paths leading from the mountain to the sea, such as the Pizzi Bianchi, that you can see in one of the photos in the article. 

In central Italy, particularly in Tuscany, Umbria, in the Marche and in part of Lazio, and in the Southern Part of Italy in Basilicata and Apulia, there is the possibility of the country or rural holidays in agritourism or in hotels small villages. The Tuscan or Umbrian countryside offers lovely landscapes and the chance to walk, eating genuine food and sunbathing in nature far from the crowds and confusion. You can also choose high standard hotels, although the ideal home for a rural holiday is a farmhouse or agritourism or, for those who feel a little more demanding, a romantic castle. 
In Tuscany, one of the most famous accommodation is the "casale" or the "tenuta", where you can rent out a single holiday home, studio or apartment or the whole property. 
In Apulia, agritourism-type accommodation is called masseria or it is also possible to stay in characteristic trulli (see next paragraph) not only in Alberobello. 

By choosing a rural or a farm holiday, you can build an itinerary with a visit to many well-known and lesser-known Italian villages where you can shop for typical handmade products, made in Italy.
All of these types of accommodation offer endless experiences to be had on-site: cooking lessons, pastry making, olive picking, grape harvesting, jam making, visiting fields. We could give countless examples that vary according to region. For instance, in Campania, in agritourism, you can even see how to make mozzarella.

There is an original solution for people who don't want the normal hotel. For the more adventurous, we recommend the "albergo diffuso" (scattered hotel): this type of accommodation is typically Italian. It normally involves a reception and a reception building and several lodgings scattered around the town or village.

The "albergo diffuso" is a way of experiencing Italian territories authentically: the accommodation is always in the locals' residences and is, therefore, the best way to discover the region in the historic centres. In Matera you can sleep in the sassi, dwellings carved out of the stone. In Alberobello, you can sleep in the trulli, the typical circular dwellings in the historic centre of this small town in Puglia. Not far from Alberobello, there is also Locorotondo, where you can sleep in the "cummerse", typical houses with sloping roofs, again in typical Apulian village style.

The scattered hotels tell the story of Italian places, and if you live this experience, you will know Italy better. 

Another green holiday away from the crowds is a boat holiday either around the islands or following central or southern Italy routes. You can choose different types of boats such as sailing boats, caique or yachts: you can book this type of holiday for a weekend or a week. There is also another type of holiday to consider: you can sleep on a boat in the harbour with the possibility of dining in the best restaurants of the destinations you visit. During the day, you can wander around the destination's surroundings among breathtaking bays and coves. This kind of vacation is called "Bed and Boat".

In Italy, particularly in regions such as Emilia Romagna, Tuscany and Trentino Alto Adige, many people prefer cycling holidays to admire the landscapes, to move in the open air and also to create a relationship with the people of the area and to stop in small shops, in accordance with the philosophy of slow tourism.

The possible cycling itineraries all over Italy are truly endless.

If you want to go to Tuscany, Visit Italy recommends you this interesting article with 5 different itineraries.

To end this roundup of slightly atypical holidays in contact with nature, let's talk about beaches. In Italy there are not only crowded and noisy beaches: particularly in Sardinia and Calabria. 

One of the most incredible wild beaches in Sardinia is Piscinas: 20 square kilometres of golden dunes so spectacular that National Geographic has named them among the 21 most beautiful beaches in the world.