Top 10 outdoor activities and adventure trips in Italy

Here a list of suggestions to travel in Italy and find your outdoor adventure tour

Liguria is a coastal region of north-western Italy, the third smallest of the Italian regions. Its capital is Genoa.

The main attractions are:

• La Riviera di Ponente, the coast that stretches from France to Genoa, and La Riviera di Levante, the coast on the Italian peninsula itself - these are the main reasons people visit Liguria
• The Cinque Terre (literally "five lands"), five tiny, picturesque fishing villages - Corniglia, Manarola, Monterosso al Mare, Riomaggiore and Vernazza - perched precariously on the rugged, rocky hills that tumble into the Mediterranean

Lombardy is one of the 20 Regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fourth of Italy's GDP is produced in this Region. The language is Italian, the spoken dialects are sub-divided in Western Lombard and Eastern Lombard. The religion is Catholic, of Ambrosian rite or Roman rite.

The main detinations are:

• The magnificent lakes of Lake Como - take boat trips in the shadow of the Alps to the picturesque villages of Bellagio, Varenna and Tremezzo - Lake Maggiore, Lake Garda and Lake Lugano.
• The tiny village of Erbusco, home of the award-winning wines of Franciacorta and L'Albereta, the country inn of Gualtiero Marchesi, one of Italy's premier chefs
• The peninsula of Sirmione, on the south shore of Lake Garda
• The Caves of Catullo, an archaeological site of a former Roman villa situated on the tip of the Sirmione peninsula
• The Sirmione Spa, the largest privately owned thermal treatment centre in Italy
• San Donato Milanese

Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol is an autonomous region in Northern Italy. It consists of two provinces: Trento and Bolzano-Bozen, where in the latter the majority of the population speak German as their first language.

The region was part of Austria-Hungary (and its predecessor, the Austrian Empire) from 1815 until its annexation by Italy in 1919. It was officially referred to as Venezia Tridentina between 1919 and 1947 and Trentino-Alto Adige/Tiroler Etschland between 1947 and 1972.

The main attractions are:

• Überetsch/South Tyrol: there you can find large producing areas for wine and apples
• Meran/Merano: health resort with great tradition, i.e. empress Sissi of Austria stayed there
• The Dolomites, the best places where hiking in the Italian Alps

Veneto is a region in north-eastern Italy, with its capital in Venice. It was an independent republic until the invasion of Napoleon in 1797. There's so much to see ...

The walking spots are:

• Bibione - seaside town
• Eraclea - seaside town close to Jesolo
• Jesolo - large seaside town near to Venice
• Quarto D'altino - situated about 15 minutes, by train, from Venice's main island

Emilia-Romagna. The capital is Bologna. It has an area of 20,124 km² and about 4.2 million inhabitants. It is the second richest region of Italy, and its cuisine one of the most characteristic.

To See:

• Along the Tuscan border are the Casentinesi Forests, the most important woodlands in the Appennines
• The miniscule independent republic of San Marino
• The beautifully preserved castle of "Torrechiara" near Parma.
• Bologna's lesser known leaning tower
• Riviera Adriatica - One of the principle coastlines with beach towns catering mainly to the younger visitor.

Tuscany. The capital is Florence, and it has an area of 22,990 km² and about 3.6 million inhabitants. Walking in Tuscany landscapes and its artistic legacy is worth an experience.

Six Tuscan localities have been made UNESCO protected sites:

1. The historical center of Florence (1982)
2. The historical center of Siena (1995)
3. The square of the Cathedral of Pisa (1987)
4. The historical center of San Gimignano (1990)
5. The historical center of Pienza (1996)
6. The Val d'Orcia (2004)

Campania is a region of Southern Italy, bordering on Latium to the north-west, Abruzzo and Molise to the north, Apulia to the north-east, Basilicata to the east, and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west.

Tourist attractions include the Sibyl's cave at Cumae, the Greek temples at Paestum, the Roman ruins at Pompeii and Herculaneum, the volcanoes of Vesuvius, Campi Flegrei, the Amalfi Coast (Costiera Amalfitana) , the Sorrento Peninsula (Penisola Sorrentina) and the islands of Capri, Ischia and Procida.

Umbria. The capital is Perugia. Major cities are:

• Perugia - the capital
• Assisi
• Spoleto
• Terni

Latium is a region of central Italy, bordered by Tuscany, Umbria, Abruzzi, Marche, Molise, Campania and the Tyrrhenian Sea. Lazio is notable for its history, art, architecture, archaeology, religion and culture.

Apulia is a region in southeastern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its southern portion known as Salento, a peninsula, forms the heel of the Italian "boot".

There are a lot of things to see in Puglia: Trulli in Alberobello, Old town in Bari, Trani, beaches in Monopoli.

Bicycling in Sicily, an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.

Worth a visit:

• Acitrezza
• Cefalù - Sicily's main beach resort, with an attractive old town
• Gole dell'Alcantara - a deep impressive gorge carved by the Alcantara river on the edge of Etna
• Mazara del Vallo - Arab influences including a Couscous festival
• Monreale - impressive cathedral above Palermo
• Mount Etna - the impressive 3323m high active
• Piazza Armerina - home of impressive Roman mosaics
• Segesta - another greek temple and ruins
• Selinunte - another group of impressive greek temples

Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily). The area of Sardinia is 24 090 square kilometers.

The island lies surrounded (clockwise from north) by the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands. Sardinia is a constitutive part of Italy, with a special statute of autonomous region under the Italian Constitution.

Abruzzo is a region in central Italy lying just 70 miles east of Rome.

One third of the region is designated as national or regional park.

• Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga (Gran Sasso National Park )
• Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise (Abruzzo National Park)
• Parco Nazionale della Majella (National Park of the Majella)
• Parco Naturale Regionale Sirente-Velino (Sirente Velino Regional Park)
• Lago di Barrea (Barrea Lake Wetlands)