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Outdoors & Sports
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The Italian mountains are fascinating natural golf courses. Photo by Alto Adige Tourist Office
Active Life
Italy offers a myriad of fun bike trails both on and off road. Photo by APT Arcipelago Toscano
Italy offers astonishingly varied natural beauty — the coves, bays and cliffs of the Riviera, the lush orange groves of Sicily, the snowy peaks of the Alps and the green fields of Tuscany. This is a land that has been written about and preserved in history for over three thousand years; it is not there just for beautiful pictures, but also to be enjoyed at its fullest. Thus the pursuit for the great outdoors and activities for the fitness aficionados.
Golf This ancient sport, the Romans used to play a variation of it called paganica, has become accessible to all. It’s relaxing, healthy, it doesn’t require a specific training routine, just a bit of stretching before starting, although it requires concentration and a desire to have fun. It allows you to enjoy the surrounding nature and breathe in the fresh air. Italy boasts more than 300 golf courses set in unspoiled landscapes. Lakeside golfing – Lake Garda, Lake Maggiore, and Lake Como are three large environmental beauties that give Italian golfing a good reputation. They offer flat grounds, very gentle slopes, and small clearings surrounded by trees. One can walk 56
for hours, following the round of the game, in truly fascinating surroundings, so different from the traditional courses. But the lakes know how to enchant you too: a sailboat or motorboat ride along the coast, rod fishing, a lively evening in the nightclubs which abound on the shores, are all things to which the golf lover will willingly give in.
Golfing around the art cities – Golfing in places where culture and art have deep roots is to combine two rather irreconcilable requirements: the need to practice a sport, giving in to the sweet mania of the green, and at the same time the possibility of taking time to entertain one’s spirit.
Soccer Seaside golfing – A seaside golf course is always an immense green balcony reaching out toward splendid panoramas and enchanting beaches. Golf lovers may practice their favorite sport in international vacation spots where the ancient sea villages blend in perfectly with the new strategies of hospitality. Golfing in the mountains – The Italian mountains offer you fascinating natural oases. In the mountains, as on the golf courses, walking is part of the game, a sort of rule that cannot be contravened if one wishes to enjoy to the utmost a vacation made of open-air sport and excursions.
Soccer in Italy is more than just a game; it’s a passion, even a religion, to some. People are fiercely loyal to their local soccer club, and that loyalty is only put on hold when the Italian national team is playing. For sports fans, seeing a soccer game in Italy is an important part of getting to know the culture, and even for people who are only marginally interested in soccer, it can be a great experience. The soccer season runs roughly from August through May, so if your visit to Italy falls during this time you may want to look into the schedules of the teams in the towns you’ll be visiting.
The Official Guide to Italian Tourism