Hidden Italy

From towering limestone cliffs, to the rolling yellow and silver hills, encounter the spectacular Accona desert in the heart of the Tuscan countryside. Admire the artwork along the Via Francigena, in particular the frescoes in the Pellegrinaio of the hospital of Santa Maria della Scala, the Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore with frescoes by Luca Signorelli and Antonio Bazzi, also known as Il Sodoma.

The Terra Del Sole (The Town of the Sun) is situated in the province of Forlì, between Castrocaro Terme, San Casciano, the mountain pass of Muraglione. The nearby Montone River and the Aquacheta waterfalls were depicted by Italian author Dante in Inferno. Built in 1564 with a military purpose, Terra Del Sole is a fortified city. It is both defensively, and aesthetically, a renaissance utopia.

Connecting Padua and Venice, the Brenta Riviera boasts many Venetian Villas built between the 15th and 18th Century after the discovery of America began to render local maritime trade less important. Wealthy Venetian families built villas and gardens along the river Brenta to practice the art of 'otium' (Latin for leisure, rest, relaxation and academic endeavors) and earn money from agriculture.

Founded when the people of Amalfi freed themselves from the reigning Lombards in the Principality of Benevento. We travel back in time to the election of their first local aristocratic dukes via a visit to the church of Saint Salvatore de Birecto. We learn more about the history of the region in the Chronicon Salernitanum and take a look at Raphael's painting 'The Battle of Ostia'.

The State of the Presidi is a swampy, malarial land, which, thanks only to human resilience and intelligence, became a centre of wealth and culture. The journey starts from the Metalliferous Hills of Maremma, rich in raw metals and the historical capital of mining territory, and continues to the historical buildings and the ancient water springs of Massa Maratima with its famous Fertility Tree.

The history of the Duchy of Urbino is really the history of two families: the Montefeltros and the Della Roveres, nobles and patrons who bid for everlasting fame with architectural and artistic works. Their efforts resulted in the painting The Flagellation of Christ, the rooms of the Ducal Palace, the Guest apartment with the King Of England's Room, the Throne Room and the Chapel of Guidubaldo.