A Journey Through the Hidden Corners Beyond the Tourist Trail
Italians start their day with an espresso – so let’s begin our journey at the Lavazza Coffee Museum in Turin, the capital of the northern Piedmont region. Out front stands a towering three-meter-tall coffee maker. Inside, you’ll find interactive exhibits like virtual coffee plantations, the espresso machine that flew into space with Italy’s first female astronaut, Samantha Cristoforetti, and even St. Peter’s favourite brew – according to the ad, at least.
Want to stargaze? Head to the Astronomical Observatory in Italy’s smallest region, the Aosta Valley, where a humanoid robot serves as your guide. Then journey on to Val Camonica in Lombardy – home to one of the world’s largest collections of prehistoric rock carvings. With over 140,000 engraved figures, symbols, and scenes of agriculture, warfare, and worship, it’s a UNESCO-listed site that remains surprisingly unknown to Polish tourists.
Northern Surprises
Italy’s northern regions are full of hidden gems. In Trentino-Alto Adige’s Val di Cembra, jagged earth and stone spires known as the Segonzano Pyramids rise up to 20 meters from the valley floor, resembling giant, porous mushrooms or hatted figures, framed by forest-covered alpine peaks.
In Veneto, everyone visits Verona, but few venture to Montecchio Maggiore, where two castles – once home to the powerful Scaliger family – are said to have inspired Luigi da Porto’s early version of Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare later drew from this tale for his legendary tragedy.
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