August is the month of great travels: it has taken us around the world, through dream beaches, car-free islands where time seems to have stood still, and fairy-tale villages, but it has also led us to discoveries destined to change the way we travel. And then there are those special stories that go beyond the simple destination: messages entrusted to the sea and resurfacing after decades, bringing to light memories and fragments of life that seemed lost forever.
Here are the articles that most captured the SiViaggia readers in August, amid bold confirmations, surprising places, and stories impossible to forget.
La Pelosa Is Among the World’s Most Beautiful Beaches
Clear waters, shallow seabeds, and dazzling white sand: La Pelosa, in Stintino, needs little introduction. It is one of those places that looks as if it hopped straight from a tropical postcard, yet it sits in the heart of Sardinia. This Italian wonder has been included in the new rankings of the 50 most beautiful beaches in the world for 2026. A result that confirms how the Sardinian coastline continues to astonish travelers.
Its fame, however, carries a challenge: protecting such a fragile environment from excessive tourist pressure. For this reason La Pelosa is today one of the Italian beaches where access management has become an integral part of its protection.
Here our article: La Pelosa enchants the world: it’s among the 50 most beautiful beaches of 2026
The Best Country in the World to Travel After 60
Leading August was also a curious ranking that proved popular with those who are already retired (or about to retire). What is the best country in the world to travel after 60? According to a Firebird Tours study, the answer is Japan, ahead of Germany and Spain.
The study considered 100 countries and several factors designed for senior travelers, from safety to healthcare quality, including the ease of getting around on foot, discounts on transport, and cultural offerings. What’s surprising are the European destinations: Slovenia ranks fourth, ahead of Switzerland, Austria, and Denmark. Italy, however, is outside the top 10, despite holding the lead in UNESCO sites and offering one of the richest gastronomic scenes in the world.
Here our article: The best country in the world for retirees isn’t the one you imagine: the ranking
Herm, the Car-Free Island Where Only 60 People Live
Just 1.3 square kilometers, about 60 inhabitants and no automobiles: Herm, in the Channel Islands, is a small oasis of tranquility where you move only on foot, among white beaches, turquoise waters, and coastal trails. Among the most evocative spots are Shell Beach, famous for the tiny shells washed ashore by the Gulf Stream, and Belvoir Bay, a sheltered cove perfect for a swim. You can also explore the coast by kayak and SUP, snorkel, or join excursions to spot seals and puffins.
A place to truly slow down, so much so that it ranked 14th among the calmest islands in the world in 2026.
Here our article: Herm, the car-free island among white beaches and silence
Kaysersberg, the French Village That Looks Like It Came Out of a Fairy Tale
They call it the “Emperor’s Mountain,” and it is truly a fairy-tale village: among half-timbered houses, flowering balconies, and ancient fortifications, Kaysersberg is intensely scenic. In the heart of Alsace, along the Route des Vins, the village wins you over with the fortified bridge over the Weiss, the narrow streets of the old town, and the ruins of the castle that dominate the valley. A place to discover slowly, between architecture, vineyards, and atmospheres from another era.
Here our article: Walking Through a Fairy Tale: Kaysersberg, the Imperial Village of Alsace
The Sea Returns Letters and Postcards After Decades: Incredible Stories
Sometimes the sea guards precious messages that we thought were lost, bringing to light moving stories that circulate across the web. It happened with a postcard mailed by a couple to Copenhagen and arriving for their son in Long Beach after a full 26 years, by which time the parents were no longer alive. And even more incredibly, with two letters written in 1916 by Australian soldiers, found in a bottle on Wharton Beach after a staggering 109 years.
That is the魅 of these tales: those words, written for someone who awaited them many years ago, kept traveling even as time seemed to erase them. But the sea kept them safe, to be returned years later, turning them into tiny time capsules capable of reviving people, feelings, and fragments of life thought lost forever.
Here our most loved articles: Find two letters in a bottle on one of the world’s most beautiful beaches: after 109 years they reach their destination and The parents’ postcard arrives 26 years later: “It’s like receiving it from paradise.”
The New Low-Cost Airline Flying from Italy
In August we also covered a development likely to appeal to those who enjoy discovering less-traveled destinations: Europe will soon have a new low-cost airline. It’s called Fly2Galicia and it will connect Santiago de Compostela Airport with several European cities, including Milan and Venice.
The first flight is scheduled for December with introductory fares starting from just 19 euros. But the real attraction is the destination: Galicia, in the far northwest of Spain, remains away from the major streams that draw travelers to Barcelona, Madrid, or the Mediterranean coast. A new route could thus become an opportunity to discover a different Spain, made up of wild coasts, small villages, cuisine, and landscapes that dive into the Atlantic.
Here our article: Debuts a new low-cost airline connecting the most authentic Spain to Milan and Venice
