Hi there!
I’m a woman in my fifties, living in Italy partly by choice… and partly by accident.
After years spent in Poland, Greece, Cyprus and Scotland, I ended up in Apulia with Mauro — my Italian partner.
I love off-the-beaten-path places, mountains, nature, good food (not so much cooking it), and discovering the real Italy — beautiful, chaotic, sometimes absurd, always fascinating.
I only write about places I’ve actually visited. No sugarcoating, no pretending.
If you enjoy Italy Off Path, you’re in the right place.
Latest posts
Monte Calvo Gargano: How to Hike the Highest Peak
Monte Calvo, or Bald Mountain, is the highest peak in Gargano. Just 1056 m tall, it has a rounded shape—something like an inverted bowl, so for me it looks like a hill. This karst mountain has no steep slopes (except the forest path), and its summit is a bit rounded, at least it seems so.
The €35 Palermo Secret: Where Locals Eat in Palermo near Teatro Massimo
It’s hard to believe, but you can have an inexpensive full lunch with wine in a place, where locals eat in Palermo – right in the cente of the city.
I wouldn’t even try to eat in the centre, unless I was told by a local friend that, just a one-minute walk from Teatro Massimo, I could enjoy a self-service lunch in Palermo.
How to See a Bear in Abruzzo (Without Being Eaten)
This is one of my main dilemmas while trekking in the Italian Apennines, especially in Abruzzo, where there’s a chance to see a Marsican Brown Bear: I’d like to encounter one, but I wouldn’t like being eaten by it. To be more precise, I wouldn’t like to meet it—but I would like to see it. Probably the majority of hikers in the Majella National Park (Parco Nazionale della Majella) feel the same, i.e., excitement mixed with anxiety.
Gravina di Puglia: The Raw, More Authentic Alternative to Matera
Just 30 km from the famous Matera lies its “uglier sister” Gravina di Puglia. Even if it’s so close, tourists generally skip it; many don’t even know Gravina exists, and it’s Matera that they have to tick on their “must-see” lists. Why sisters? Because, like Matera, part of the city was carved into the rock, so it’s somewhat similar to Matera.
Monte Sacro Abbey in Gargano – A Hike to an Abandoned Monastery in Puglia
Monte Sacro, an old abbey on the hill, is an interesting spot to visit. After a short hike in Gargano National Park, you can get to a little-known place, even by many locals. The Abbey of Monte Sacro (Abbazia di Monte Sacro) stands on a hill about 847 meters high; as everywhere in Europe, at the beginning there was originally a pagan temple there.
Free Thermal Baths in Tuscany: The Reality of Bagno Vignoni and San Filippo
Can you imagine spending a lazy, relaxing day covered in clay and soaking in warm mineral water? It’s absolutely possible- for example, in Tuscany. The region is rich in hot springs, and using some of them is free of charge. Others might cost quite a lot.
Visiting Chioggia, Which is Not Little Venice
I really don’t like comparing lesser-known places to well-known ones and giving them the “little brother/sister” label. To me, it suggests that the latter is simply a poorer/worse version of the famous one. Chioggia, located just 40 km from Italy’s most popular city, has earned the nickname Little Venice (by the way, there are plenty of so-called Little Venices around the world).
Udine and Cividale del Friuli: A Realistic One-Day Trip in Friuli
Ever since Mauro first mentioned the name ‘Udine’, I started thinking it must be a beautiful town, something like those tiny places in Slovenia. Why? No reason, I guess the name itself struck me as that. Therefore, I was happy to confront my imagination with reality. It turned out that it’s better not to visualize places you want to visit.
I want to read
Get inspired
Italy
