This year’s holiday destination is Puglia. It will be a continuous discovery since I’ve never been there.
Given the distances, we decide to break both the outward and return journeys by stopping in Assisi for the outward journey and in Recanati for the return journey. The first stop to visit the places of S. Francesco, the second to visit the Leopardi’s house (at the request of my daughter ...).
At the end of the second day we arrive in Monopoli and take possession of a beautiful apartment in the city center.
Apart from a few days of sea only near the old walls of Monopoli, for the rest we shot in the neighboring villages.
Locorotondo with a beautiful market and a beautiful historic center, then Ostuni, another beautiful village on top of a hill with mighty all-white walls and an equally considerable historic center. The first wonder, however, is Alberobello; much mentioned by those who frequent Puglia, now I understand why. The monumental area, which houses an infinite number of trulli, occupies a large part of the country, the only flaw is the amount of tourists given the period.
Another picnic and this time we also book a guide, to visit Matera. One thing only ... WONDERFUL !!! go there .. deserves ..
The next day we take the train and in five minutes we are in Polignano a mare. The historic center is gorgeous and the cliff overlooking the sea is remarkable .... the next day he plans to reach it by sea.
In fact, the next day, we leave from the port of Monopoli with a 13-meter sailboat in the company of 5 other people to reach Polignano a mare. In addition to enjoying the wonderful day, my daughter and I, fully equipped, we swam the Palazzese cave, visited its interior and returned to the boat. Beautiful !!
Another day and we go to visit Castel del Monte, in the Foggiano hinterland.
A visit to an oil mill could not be missed, with oil tasting + purchase and walk among the olive trees; a landscape certainly different from those we are used to.
There is still a lot to say, from the procession of the Madonna della Madia in Monopoli, to the incredible fireworks, from the beaches to the cliffs ... in short .. I would say that it is better if we are directly in Puglia for next year ... .

Special notices:
Watch out for spritzes, in clubs along the beaches or in the centers they reach figures that make no sense ... 10 euros for a spritz seems too much to me.
The sea is certainly beautiful, but it certainly does not stand up to the comparison with the sea of Sardinia for example. Maybe we were in the central part of Puglia and that is why, they tell me that in Salento, in particular the Ionian one, the sea is much closer to the Sardinian one.

This year there are three of us leaving for the holidays, and the destination is not the sea but the mountains.
The Aosta Valley. A region never visited that aroused my curiosity.
Curiosity born watching the Rocco Schiavone TV series, shot in Aosta and in the neighboring towns.
This region is very small, as can be seen from the map, there is a valley that crosses it all from Ivrea to Courmayeur, after which there are side valleys that enter parks, lakes and majestic mountains.
I’m used to the Dolomites, seeing the mountains of the western Alps is a decisive leap upwards.
We stayed in the regional capital, right in Aosta.
City of Roman origin that preserves many monuments of the time.
The historic center deserves to be visited, in one day you can see it all. Always starting from Aosta there are beautiful cycle paths that follow the main river of the region, the Dora Baltea.

From Aosta then we moved to see incredible landscapes:
-Locality La Pila, just above Aosta, in summer is the kingdom of hikers and mountain bikers, in winter instead of skiers. The hut we found that sold Fontina at KM 0
was beautiful -The San Bernardo pass on the border with Switzerland. I went there twice by racing bike and once with the family. It deserves!
-A little more distant, Cervinia. Hiking area at the foot of the Matterhorn on the Italian side.
-Cogne, a beautiful village with meadows, waterfalls, inside the Gran Paradiso park.
-SkyWay cable car that starting shortly after Courmayeur 1300, with two sections takes you first to Pavillon 2170 and then to Punta Helbronner 3466, above the Mont Blanc glacier

Concluding this brief overview of our trip to Aosta, I can only say, nice! I know so much that with the hospitality we have found, the food and the landscapes seen, I can only go back at the first opportunity.

I have no particular reports, except those related to the period we are experiencing.
this summer the green pass went into effect, just two weeks before our departure. In short, we could not enter castles, museums or indoor sports centers such as the ice rink. We hope the situation improves for the next year.

Also this year sea ....
Tuscan archipelago, Elba Island.
Travel at night to reach Piombino from where we take the ferry to CAVO (points to the extreme east of the island).
During the night we stop first in Florence and then in Siena ... It deserves to see these places at night when the squares are deserted .... it is a particular way to experience these wonderful cities.
Once we get off at CAVO, we cross almost the entire island to reach La Pila, halfway between the two shores of the island, between Procchio and Marina di Campo. It’s hot .... very ... luckily there is always wind coming from the sea.
We take possession of the apartment in a beautiful place from a naturalistic point of view and begin our adventure.
There is no particular beach ... every day it changes. Some days we also visit the villages perched on the most inaccessible points of the island. Yes, because Elba is all mountains ... the roads ... either you go up or down ...
We also visit the highest point of the island at over 1000 meters, Monte Capanne, from where you can enjoy a incredible panorama.
The sea is wonderful, there are cliffs with very fine sand on the seabed, very beautiful.
Elba also has history, so we do not fail to visit the house of Napoleon who hosted it during his first exile.
Now look at the photos that surely explain more than many words ...

Useful tips:
trips to the islands close to the archipelago leave from Elba ... we wanted to visit Pianosa but if you don’t book early (a few weeks before) it is impossible to find a place.
In August, the big problem is parking ... to see some beaches you have to wake up at dawn.

For many years I have been hearing about the wonders of the Sardinian sea. This year I decided that I want to see it for myself. On 5 August we leave for Sardinia.
At 8.00 in the morning we leave Livorno, destination Golfo Aranci in the north-eastern part of Sardinia. After 6 hours of crossing, in the early afternoon we reach the island and we immediately realize that it will be a different holiday from all those made up to now.
In half an hour by car we cross Olbia and reach Porto Istana where we have rented an apartment.
The following days will all be dedicated to the discovery, the search for the more or less known corners of this part of Sardinia. Among the most significant places we have visited I want to point out:
The village of San Pantaleo, on Thursdays, market day.
Olbia and its historic center in the evening, ideal for a walk, for the markets and shops.
Golfo Aranci, points of arrival and departure of our journey.
Palau, a town from where ferries leave for La Maddalena but also a beautiful town to visit.
The archipelago of La Maddalena deserves no introduction, full stop.
In Caprera it is definitely worth visiting the monumental museum in Garibaldi and his house (the Sardinian guides we have found are incredible).
The farthest point reached is Castelsardo, a beautiful town with a lot of medieval history.
Many were the days spent at the seaside in Porto Istana, a marine reserve area; incredible the schools of fish found in these waters snorkeling (absolutely buy fins and goggles if you have to go to Sardinia).
On balance Sardinia deserves ...

Some tips that I feel like giving you:

August is certainly not the best time to visit these places ... both for crowds and costs.

The ring road that crosses Olbia can become a nightmare for those like us who had to cross it to reach Palau.

If you take the ferries to La Maddalena, pay attention to the departure times, the time to reach the embarkation point and the car parks in the area.

Many beaches can be reached by car, and parking is very expensive.

To visit La Maddalena and its islands (Budelli, Spargi, Razzoli and Santa Maria) you definitely need an organized trip, while Caprera can be reached by car once you disembark from the ferry at La Maddalena.

What I will tell you about today is not just a trip ....
Yet this winter I came to know of the possibility to voluntarily pay a week’s work at a high mountain Maso.
I must say that I thought twice, I no writing and at a time of July I received the possible destinations ....
My choice fell on an area that I know little in Val Senales at 1600 meters at the farm Wald .
Starting August 6 at 5:30 da Conegliano, arriving at the farm at 9.15.
From this point on, I was thrust into an incredible world, that world that as a child I saw in the cartoons Haidi, with time no longer dictated by the frenzy of the modern world but only by nature ... rain or shine, light or dark ... gorgeous.
I met an incredible family, the sacrifices which we do not imagine them even ... I’ve shared it with them only for 6 days. Wake up at 6:30 in the morning. Hearty breakfast with bread, butter, jam, honey and milk from the farm. At 7:00 everyone in the barn to feed the cows, milk them, clean , give milk to a calf ..... up to 8.30. After a 30 minute break, it goes up the mountain on a Vespa to begin to cut grass or pick up the hay until noon.
At 12:15 pronzo-based pasta, soup, porridge, dumplings, cooked vegetables ... not all at once of course ... at 13.15 detour in the barn to feed the beasts ... the other afternoon sfaticata to cut grass or collect hay on the slopes that I think touch the 45% slope ... at first I did not believe that they cut the grass in those places but I had to reverse ...
 To 18.00 snack (they do not have the concept of dinner we we) with cheese, bacon, butter, jam.
 At 19.00 all in the barn until 20.30. Another snack, shower and in bed 21:30 .... so ... in bed, and believe me that after a day so I could not wait to sleep ...
 This is their pace of life ... then if it rains outside work does not make you help at home, you cut the wood ... in short, everything is dictated by the rhythms of nature, by the passing of the seasons.
In that area, the prevailing language is German but with some member of the family spoke good Italian, with others in some way, in the end there is always understood.
The area where is this Maso by the way is along the high street of Merano. There are many tourists that pass through it, so the owners have decided to start a farm business to try to tourists their typical products (milk, honey, jams, cakes, dumplings ... but also a good German beer ... .).
So many other things I want to tell but maybe the pictures you will find below and the detail that you will find on the web site are worth a thousand words ......

If you want you also engage yourself in an adventure like this, please contact the ’ Association Volunteer in Mountain (AVM) . Here you will find all the necessary information.