Quirky Traveller's Tales

Italy has its iconic, must-see sites that are sure to feature on many peoples’ bucket lists. St Mark’s Square and the canals of Venice, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Rome’s Trevi Fountain and the Vatican, the rolling hills of Tuscany… I could go on.

However, all these breathtaking icons of Italian tourism have literally hundreds of books, thousands of web pages and millions of photographs dedicated to them. More importantly, they are places that many people have already visited. So in this article we give you five quirky things to do in Italy for an Italian holiday with a difference.  Here’s an unusual, eccentric Italy; a little bit weird but all the more wonderful for it.

Join in an Orange Fight

Many people have heard of La Tomatina that takes place in Bunol, Spain. But real tough guys don’t mess about with soft tomatoes. Oh no, real tough guys come to Italy for the Battle of the Oranges! This peculiar and slightly dangerous festival takes place in Ivrea, about 70 miles West of Milan and what makes a huge fight with oranges even weirder and at least twice as wonderful, is that the fruit doesn’t even grow locally and the oranges (about 250,000kg) are brought from the South!

Stay in a Shepherd’s Hut

The Vatican is a great place to visit if you don’t mind hours of queuing and jostling for position amongst the fervent crowds of tourists in the vain hope of getting a glimpse of the latest elderly man in white robes giving a little wave. If you prefer your holiday to be a touch more tranquil, how about getting out into the wilderness of Sardinia?

The Fiummendosa Valley is stunning, a cornucopia of colour and scents created by swathes of wild flowers, trees and herbs. After a little too much Italian wine I somehow ended up bedding down with a friend of a friend of a friend in his shepherd’s hut. I can’t recommend it enough, although neither the sensational feeling of freedom it brings nor the lungful after lungful of fresh country air made me immune to hangovers.

The hardy amongst you could attempt to scale Sardinia’s highest peak, Punta la Mamora, which has an elevation of almost 2,000m. We decided against it, choosing instead a gentle stroll in the foothills where we found an amazing restaurant which served up a fine, stodgy but very tasty wild boar stew.

Go “fishing” for sea urchins

In many of Italy’s coastal towns sea urchins are a hugely popular delicacy. We tried them in Sardinia and with a squeeze of lemon they are an unusual, refreshing delight. We even tried to catch our own haul but after a few abortive attempts that resulted in perforated fingertips we decided eating was more fun that fishing!

When we ate the yellowy, gooey sludge that was served as “sea urchin roe”, we were a little unsure. But following the “when in Rome…” adage we tucked in. It was only later when I researched how a spiny spherical creature could be turned into said splodge that I found out we had been eating sea urchin gonads. Oh well, they  very were tasty.

Take a walk along World War I trails

For those who prefer a good walk over prickly aquatic gustatory pleasures, the Italian Dolomites near the Austrian border are a superb option. You’ll more than likely have the magnificent Alpine views, fields of wild flowers and clear blue lakes to yourself, or at least only have to share them with the local birdlife.

Many of the trails through the pastures, woods and forests were created by soldiers during the First World War and there are tunnels built into the hills, as well as an informative open air museum.

Visit Umbria’s dying town

Umbria has so much to offer, from historic Assisi, the stunning Subasio Natural Park and culinary delights such as black truffles and arguably the country’s finest olive oils. But that’s all a bit passé for us. We prefer Civita di Bagnoregio, the Etruscan town that pre-dates Christ and today has a population barely in double figures. Perched precariously atop a small rock formation, erosion means it may not be around too much longer, so visit this strange, beautiful town now, before it crumbles completely …

As you can see, there are plenty of quirky things to do in Italy with plenty of hidden delights magnificently complementing the more popular tourist spots. So, for an Italian trip with a difference, get off the beaten track and, if you fancy it, try some of those sea urchin gonads!

This article is brought to you by Headwater Holidays, creators of a global range of tailor-made soft-adventure holiday experiences, specialising in self-guided walking and cycling holidays, luxury accommodation and good food .

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In the third of our series of interviews with Holiday Homeowners from around the world, globetrotting Italian traveller and entrepreneur, Antonio Bortolotti and his wife share with you their reasons for loving where their holiday home is situated,  best-kept quirky travel secrets and top tips for making the most of your stay. 

After 15 years working as an air steward for Alitalia, Antonio decided to draw on his extensive world knowledge and, together with his wife Cristina, set out on a mission to create their perfect holiday home and fulfil a lifelong dream. In just three years, they bought and renovated, with amazing creative zeal and flair, ‘Casa Teulada’, an idyllic stone farmhouse on the island of Sardinia.

Casa Teulada, Sardinia

Featured in some of the most prominent national papers, including The Sunday Times, The Guardian and The Observer, Casa Teulada has been successful beyond Antonio and Cristina’s wildest dreams.  Today they delight in welcoming guests from around the world to enjoy their beautiful home. As well as running Casa Teulada, Antonio has also written three books, including an iPhone guide, and runs the HolidayHomesRoundTheWorld.com blog, where he and wife Cristina share their experiences of other great holiday rentals around the world.

What first made you fall in love with Sardinia and why should people come here?  We live quite a hectic life and dreamt about the perfect place to indulge our senses for years. After venturing around the world, we found the ideal place not far from home! A traveller’s paradise and undoubtedly the top Italian holiday destination among our fellow countrymen, Sardinia ranks top for idyllic beaches, crystal clear waters, great scenery and warm people hands down. Northern Sardinia is where the rich and famous gather to enjoy the vibrant lifestyle and glittering nightlife, southern Sardinia – especially the southwest – is still authentic, pristine and laid back.

Teulada Beach – Sardinia

It is here that we chose to fulfil our dream, as we love the quality of life, which for us translates into peace and tranquillity surrounded by genuinely warm locals living at a very slow pace. Sardinia has it all in terms of unique history and lots of opportunities for every budget, so it was a natural place to go to live out our dream.

What’s the ‘best kept secret’ you would tell any visitors not to miss?  The coastal drive from Chia to Teulada from September to June! This shows nature at its most spectacular best: secluded coves, endless beaches, unpaved treks in the “Mediterranean macchia (bush)”, ancient ruins of mysterious civilizations, colours and perfumes that shake even the coldest heart. You could get trapped meandering through this 25 km long stretch of coast forever and never get bored seeing something similar twice.

The “Girotonno” (the Tuna Tour) is a not to be missed event held each May in Carloforte on the tiny island of San Pietro.

Giant tuna during a tonnara in Carloforte

A food and wine competition celebrating the tradition of tuna fishing, the event evokes men, stories and flavours of the tuna on the routes of the old Tonnara of Carloforte, one of the most active of the Mediterranean Sea. This is unique opportunity to explore in detail the magic world of the tonnara traps and the fishermen, admiring the ancient rite of “Mattanza“.

Where’s the place to go to just hang out, people watch and generally soak up the atmosphere?  Only an hour’s drive from Teulada, is Poetto’s beach in Cagliari, Sardinia’s gateway.  Catch the sunset if you can – locals love it, so why shouldn’t you?

Poetto beach – Sardinia

What would you recommend visitors either treat themselves to while they’re there, or take home as a souvenir?  Sardinia is a world of its own, very different from the rest of Italy in many ways. A good way to sample its diversity is through food and local delicacies, which speak for the inhabitants of this unique island. “Eat Sardinian” and you will discover a pleasant, unexpected surprise that will make you bring home some fantastic, mouth-watering Pecorino cheese, Mirto liqueur, Grappa “Fileferru” – the typical Sardinian “outlawed” liqueur – and Bottarga, salted, pressed, dried, and ground grey mullet roe, which is excellent on spaghetti or sliced on salads!

Bottarga with spaghetti

Finally, what are the most ‘quirky’ things to do, see, eat, visit or experience in this place?  Again, food is definitely quirky in Sardinia and Sardinians have a concept of cuisine all of their own! Spaghetti with bottarga or sea urchins is an absolute joy for foodies!  Make friends with locals and do something extraordinary for them, and they will invite you home to sample “Porceddu”, a young pig slowly baked and cooked underground with an elaborate procedure) and a specialty consumed only among friends to celebrate special events.

Casa Teulada at night

Holiday Homeowner Q&A is brought to you by HomeAway, the UK’s leading holiday rentals website with over 320,000 properties worldwide. From cute studios and city apartments to rural cottages and country homes, large luxury villas, quirky conversions and more, there are thousands of unique places to enjoy a more authentic and unusual holiday.

You may have already heard quite a lot about Sardinia, that foot-shaped island surrounded by the wonderful Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Italy.  Now find out some very curious and charming facts from Giulia Garau, an Italian travel lover living in Sardinia. 

Sardinia – la Maddalena Archipelago

I love writing about my island and telling people, who have never been to Sardinia, how it is much more than one can read about on a regular travel guide.  is a ‘miniature-continent’ because of the huge variety of landscapes and the richness of customs and ancient traditions.  There is also another ‘miniature’ side of Sardinia: did you know that a distinctive feature of the Sardinian fauna is its smaller size, compared to the same species of the Italian mainland?  The main example is the Giara Pony (Cavallino della Giara), a breed of wild horses native to Sardinia, that live in the plateau of the Giara: their average size is 114cm to135 cm! (45 to53 inches). Another example the white donkey, living on AsinaraIsland, today a national park. Both Giara and Asinara are spots worth visiting because of their uniqueness!

Looking for the secret of Sardinian longevity:  the average height of Sardinian people has always been low, although in the last 60 yrs., new generations have shown the world’s highest increase in the average height of a person.  Sardinian people, and particularly the central eastern region, have been subject to studies about longevity, which have established that the world’s highest number of 100-year olds lives in the region of Ogliastra. Recently conducted studies in Sardinia seem to show that the longevity is linked to the person’s stature: short men live longer! Is this really the case? The legend doesn’t agree: it is said that there is a spot of unknown position in Ogliastra, and if you cross it you’ll live longer than one hundred years.  Believe it or not, it’s worth discovering this wonderful territory, considered the wildest area of Sardinia, and asking people directly what their secret is!

Quirky food: the rotten cheese.  You can also ask them, and they will certainly know it, the origin of the name “Filu ‘e ferru” (piece of iron wire), of the regional firewater. In the past, the Filu ‘e ferru was produced illegally and the containers hidden under the ground: in order to find them again, a piece of iron wire was rammed into the ground. Another local product you need to know about is the Casu Marzu (rotten cheese). It is considered one of the most dangerous cheeses in the world because it contains live insect larvae, but it actually is delicious and tasty, much appreciated not only by Sardinians. But don’t ask for it at the local market: it has been outlawed! Sardinia has been isolated for a long time and has preserved both its beauties and its quirkiness. Sometimes they even coincide. 

But from where all these peculiarities originate? We need to go back in time, maybe to the Nuragic civilization who built the biggest megalithic monuments of Europe, the Nuraghe (there are more then 7,000 spread all over Sardinia, about1 inevery 3 square Km), or we could perhaps investigate the legend of the mythical Atlantis. Yes, Atlantis: according to some scientists, Sardinia corresponds to the description of the legendary island of Atlantisdescribed by the Greek philosopher Plato. This theory is much disputed, although some researchers are convinced of it. What’s your opinion? You need to investigate in person …

Guest blogger Giulia Garau works in tourism and runs the blog CharmingItaly.com, where she can combine her passion for tourism with her love for writing. Check out her Free Travel Guides about Italy