The green countryside, the flowering meadows, the lovely provincial towns kissed by the first sun. Sometimes, traveling in spring, the risk is to reduce everything to a postcard or a photo to post on social media, and to accept that we end up reproducing the same places, following the same circuits, tracing the path laid out by the crowd. Fortunately, though, our country offers an enormous variety of discovery possibilities: just a few kilometers off the most frequented routes to find ourselves in territories that seem to reserve their best beauty for those who have the nose, the guidance, and the cleverness to seek it.
It is a premise that holds true for every season, but spring is all the more so. If on one hand there are highly popular areas in certain regions that awaken the tourist season all at once, immediately alongside them there are other places just as beautiful, but much less frequented. The blooming orchards on the hills of the Roero in Piedmont are on par with the almond groves of the Langhe. In Friuli, spring means wild orchids in the alpine meadows of the Valle del Natisone. In Tuscany, the Val d’Orcia and the Maremma offer postcard-perfect scenery, but the Lunigiana, north of the region, has nothing to envy. In Apulia and Sicily, instead, nature blossoms with color in the Murgia and on the elevations of the Iblean mountains.
Tuscany: Spring in Lunigiana
Lunigiana is a hidden gem between northern Tuscany and the Ligurian Sea, a historic territory that derives its name from the ancient powerful Roman city of Luni, of which today only some archaeological remains survive.
Today, however, when we talk about Lunigiana we are mainly referring to the areas that surround the basin of the Magra River, primarily in the province of Massa-Cerrato in Tuscany. Equipped with less appeal than the better-known Val d’Orcia or the many villages that dot the southern part of the region, Lunigiana combines the scenic impact of the Apennine arc and the peaks of the Apuan Alps—greens on one side, harsher on the other—with large, small, and very small stone villages where, as the saying that has now become a cliché puts it, time seems to have stood still.
The spring is the ideal moment to explore it because the woods that cloak its hills return to a lush green. It ranges from trekking to cultural visits, from walks through the alleys of tiny towns to explorations of the castles’ towers that punctuate the varied landscape.
From Pontremoli, the main gateway of the area, one makes for Bagnone, considered one of the most picturesque villages of Lunigiana, characterized by a fourteenth-century portico and the castle that overlooks the town. The town is crossed by the same-named stream, capable of creating suggestive viewpoints.
At Montereggio, a small hamlet of Mulazzo, one discovers the story of the so-called town of the booksellers, a centuries-old tradition of the village, which in its surroundings also offers easy yet spectacular treks through chestnut woods, in search of ancient, abandoned mill ruins.
The elegance of Fivizzano, the imposing Verrucola Fortress, and the austere Romanesque church of Sorano in Filattiera are among the attractions favored by lovers of architecture.
Friuli: Spring in the Natisone Valleys
In the little-known Valle del Natisone, in eastern Friuli that borders Slovenia, there lies a corner of nature that in spring becomes simply extraordinary.
The botanical path Prati di Tribil is in fact a loop to be walked, developed in the municipality of Stregna, with fewer than 400 inhabitants on the border with Slovenia. Just over eight kilometers, with a vertical drop of about 300 meters, crossing a montane environment where, behind the thick and imposing woods, wide meadows open up that preserve natural values of great interest and numerous protected species.
What makes this place special is the biodiversity of these expansive meadow areas: in just a few square meters the area can host 70 plant species, including rare flowers such as the Narcissus radiiflorus, a narcissus species included in the Bern Convention’s list of protected species. Wild orchids grow freely here, with more than fifteen different species along the botanical path, along with colorful blooms that make the scenery truly memorable.
The hike to the Prati di Tribil is the crown jewel of a little-known territory that has a lot to offer, starting with Cividale del Friuli, a sort of capital of the Valleys and at the same time the gateway to them. A border territory with low population density, but with small villages scattered here and there. Numerous excursions lead to peaks such as Monte Kolovrat, where lasting testimonies of World War I battles remain, while downstream you can pedal along the Natisone river.
Don’t miss a visit to the cave of San Giovanni d’Antro, a dramatic underground complex with a church built inside the rock.
Piedmont: Spring in the Roero
Roero is the other side of the Langhe: separated from them by the Tanaro River, less famous yet just as fascinating, it welcomes visitors with its gentle hills, lush forests, but also historic vineyards and authentic villages. A territory that is gradually emerging from the shadow of the far more renowned neighbor, with which it shares the UNESCO designation as a World Heritage Site.
Spring over the Roero hills offers a sight that is hard to match: this is the season of blooming fruit trees, which color the landscape in white and pink. The views embrace the inevitable vineyards, whose rows mark the scenery, the woods, and the small villages.
The central part of the Roero is defined by the Rocche, a geological erosion phenomenon that in the Middle Ages was exploited as a defensive obstacle to protect the villages perched on the ridge of the elevations. Essentially, a succession of cliffs and rock faces that emerge from the vegetation, where towers and castles rise unperturbed above the abyss.
Today the hilltop villages have joined forces to give life to the Ecomuseo delle Rocche, an open-air museum characterized by a dense network of thematic trails to discover this unique environment. In spring, peaches, cherries, and apricots blossom in sequence along the itineraries of the Ecomuseum’s network of trails.
Of course, gastronomic tourism is one of the main reasons for attraction: the Roero wines suitably accompany every pause between a trek and a visit to a historic village.
Sicily: Spring on the Iblean Mountains
Anyone who knows the southeastern corner of Sicily will remember its beautiful sea, its many beaches, and the elegant Baroque architecture of Noto and Ragusa. Yet there is more to discover, such as the Iblean Mountains high plateau, a mountain range that characterizes the area and whose highest peak, Monte Lauro, reaches 986 meters above sea level.
At the foot of Monte Lauro lies Buccheri, a village recognized among the most beautiful in Italy. From the town you get a fine view of Etna, but even the sight of the village itself does not disappoint: the small skyline is dominated by the bell tower of the baroque church of Sant’Antonio Abate.
A short distance away lie the remains of the castle that gave rise to the settlement, as well as natural areas ideal for excursions to discover the territory, such as the Gole della Stretta, a small canyon carved by water, and the Bosco della Contessa, a hiking park that in spring shows its best, with wildflowers in bloom and panoramas across the plateau.
In Cavagrande del Cassibile, a vast gorge cut by the river, one plunges into a wild paradise: steep paths lead from the plateau down to the river, through wild nature brightened by the pink and white flowers of oleander, reaching hidden waterfalls and natural pools.
Similarly, the exploration of the monumental necropolis of Pantalica, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the Anapo Valley, a river that has carved the Iblean territory for millennia and which from the prehistoric to the Byzantine period was used for ceremonial burial. A labyrinth of trails suspended between history and nature, with caves carved into rock and breathtaking views over the gorge, allows you to explore this unique territory, which in spring is characterized by lush nature and a mild climate, ideal for hikes.
Puglia: Spring in the Terra delle Gravine Park
Carved into the limestone, eroded by the waters over millennia, ready to reveal itself only to those who approach: it is the different Apulia, the land of gravine.
By gravina we mean a group of crevasses dug by water and eroded by the wind in the area of the Murgia, a fascinating plateau that runs along the border between Basilicata and Apulia. The rock of a gravina is limestone, soft, easily modified over the centuries by both weather and human hands.
The Terra delle Gravine Regional Natural Park extends over more than 28,000 hectares in the heart of the Murgia plateau. Spring is the moment when the Mediterranean scrub that covers the gravina slopes is at its best, between carobs and myrtle trees. In the gravine, rainwater accumulated during winter allows a real explosion of shapes and colors thanks to the spontaneous blooming of wild orchids, cyclamen, and wild roses.
Among the most spectacular destinations in the area is the Gravina of Laterza, extending for 12 kilometers and up to 500 meters wide at its broadest point, covered by lush vegetation.
Not far away, the Gravina di Petruscio, in the municipality of Mottola, runs for about four kilometers and houses a cave village made up of around two hundred artificial caves carved into the friable rock, which served as dwellings or shelters for animals and shepherds. It is a landscape unlike any other in Italy and worth exploring through the many panoramic trails that wind their way among green woods, gentle hills, and streams.
