The Dolomites: Italy's rugged slow living region~Conde Nast

1 ~~~ The Dolomites: Italy's rugged, slow living region ~ Conde Nast Traveller ~~~

In Rome I caught a train north. I was going to another Italy. One by one, all the familiar bits of the country fell away – Rome’s old Justinian walls, an Umbrian campanile above tiled roofs, Tuscan farmhouses adrift in olive groves. In Florence, Brunelleschi’s dome sailed past. Somewhere near Bologna a man waited at a crossing with boxes of grapes piled on his tiny van.

Perhaps I dozed as we crossed the flatlands of the Po, with that hot slab of sun at the window. Because when I looked again, somewhere beyond Trentino, there were suddenly mountains, sheer precipices, the colour of ash, a strange new vertiginous world. I sat up.

www.cntraveller.com/article/the-dolomites-italy

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104 sensationally beautiful pictures of Italy
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Italy - the best country in the entire world, according to our Readers' Travel Awards 2017. So much beauty! Romance, art and history is everywhere - even the most humble hilltop village reveals the most picturesque treasures; its iconic cities leave you breathless at every turn: Rome's crumbling, ancient remains; Palermo's pink Baroque faded grandeur; Florence's honey-hued splendor; heart-stopping Venice, dancing with light reflections. Then there are Italy's natural wonders - the rolling hills of Tuscany; the elegance of the Italian Lakes; the sensational coastlines of the Sorrentine Peninsula, Amalfi Coast, Cinque Terre. Italy has been capturing hearts and inspiring artists and writers for centuries. And yet still it turns up undiscovered delights like under-the-radar Ponza or raw and gritty Calabria with its wild beaches.

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Here are our favourite pictures of Italy - the most stunning images we've seen of its rich and glorious tapestry:

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www.cntraveller.com/gallery/beautiful-pictures-of-italy

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The best beaches in Italy to visit this summer
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taly's seaside helped define the jet-set lifestyle of the 1950s and 1960s, with lidos and gelato-cool beach clubs setting the scene along with people-watching destinations such as Portofino and Positano. But which sands stand out from the crowd now? We pick our favourites, from the Italian mainland to the islands.

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www.cntraveller.com/gallery/best-beaches-in-italy