For the occasion of the Jubilee in 2000, the province of Arezzo highlighted six itineraries of faith inside the National Park of Casentino Forest in Tuscany close to the Emilia Romagna border. Of course, they can still be walked today and below we highlight two we would like to try.  For the record the others are the Camadolesi route, the Pieve route, the St. Francis route and the Via Romea route To know more about them, head to www.turismo.provincia.arezzo.it

The Virgin Mary itinerary

Visit the churches dedicated to Maria which are located along ancient pilgrim paths.

You could probably say 'pasta alla gricia' is like the famous 'matriciana' without the tomato sauce. However if you try it, you'll find it a very difficult pasta recipe to get right. The fact that the ingredients are very few, easy to source and the dish is from the home cooking traditions of Lazio, does not mean this is the beans on toast of Roman cuisine. The mix between strong opposing tastes is a real alchimia and very few can say they know how to do it just right.

ingredients

fresh homemade pasta (or spaghetti), guanciale (cured jowl of the pig), black pepper, pecorino cheese, parmesan cheese, olive oil

The Way of St. Augustine is a pilgrimage route in Northern Italy in the area of Brianza, near Milan, Lombardy which connects 25 Marian sanctuaries and St. Augustin places. The faith route in fact highlights mainly St. Augustin sights such as his home in Cassago together with a great number of Marian icons, shrines and sanctuaries.

The beauty of the route however is also that the only way to can do it is by foot or bike and passes along some beautiful relaxing and peaceful places you wouldn't guess to find only a few miles distant from big towns.

The route is divided into three itineraries: from Brianza to Milan, from Milan to Pavia and then towards Genoa.

All the itinerary composes a rose shade with a stem which arrives at the town of Genoa reachable following the ancient salt Road linking the north with Liguria.

Sant'Angelo in Vado is one of most fascianting places to visit in the province of Pesaro e Urbino in Le Marche. Of Roman origin, the town is located in the high valley of Metauro River and sourronded by some of the most the picturesque countryside of the region.

The original Tifernum Mataurense can still be seen from the spectacular ruins of the ancient Roman Villa of Domus del Mito with its magnificent mosaics which date from the I century BC. Do drop by the the Archaeological Museum of Antiquarium for some more precious remains and ornaments.

The Longobards renamed the place St.Angelo in honour of St. Michael Arcangelo. 'In Vado' was added after, but it is still not clear if it refers to the ford of the river or  'guado', or  'vado', a kind of plant which grows by the same river and was used as a dye to give textiles a blue colour.

We found a great map made by the Consorzio Turistico Auronzo-Misurina together with the Comune di Auronzo di Cadore and Regione Veneto featuring 16 mountain paths for serious bikers through the Dolomites. The map guide also gives a Biker's 10 Rules which we liked and wanted to share here.

Autumn is the perfect time to discard your summer weight watching diet and return to food for grown-ups.

We are talking 'pappardelle pasta in hare sauce', 'liver bruschetta', 'game' and so on, all prepared with genuine ingredients such salami, cheese and vegetables in season.

With this in mind, October and November means mushrooms,, one of the mostly popular ingredients in the Umbria cuisine.

Below is a typical savory recipe from Spoleto which also features eggs, tomatoes and pecorino cheese.

It is a very rich dish and could also be considered a main course.

ingredients

800 gr. mushrooms, olive oil, clove of garlic, red tomatoes, 3 eggs, 100 gr. of pecorino cheese, broth, salt and red chilli pepper.

This pasta recipe is only for people who enjoy spicy food and chilli peppers. In fact, the pasta sauce is made with tomatoes and the calabrese 'nduja salami. It is a winter dish, very savory. rustic and perfect for a quick lunch accompanied with good Cirò red wine.

ingredients

maccheroni pasta, 'nduja salami (a spoon or two), bacon, onion, 1 tinned tomatoes, parmesan cheese or pecorino cheese, olive oil, salt

Traditionally, each day of Holy Easter week in Naples means a different dish or meal.

Lets take them one by one.

NEAPOLITAN EASTER THURSDAY MENU

The Thursday before Easter usually means the preparation of boiled artichokes with olive oil accompanied with salty ricotta cheese and salami.

It is also a tradition to make the pastiera cake (above) on this day, although it shouldn't really be tasted until Sunday.

GOOD FRIDAY DISH

On Good Friday the good folk of the city prepare light fish dishes with lemon and olive oil. The day is also dedicated to fasting, so the meals stop here.

From North to South there are over 20 National Parks in Italy which cover about 10% of the land surface, about 140 regional parks and the many marine protected areas, nature reserves and several other protected areas.

Below is a list of some of the most popular Italian National Parks from where you can enjoy an eco-friendly stay combining active sports activities and relaxation.  A full index and description of each such park in Italy can be found in the site of the Federation of Italian National Parks.

We start in Abruzzo and heighboring Le Marche.

Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo

The Abruzzo National Park is probably the biggest park in central Italy and it is famous for his 'guests' such the wolf, the bear (l'orso marsicano), the royal eagle, the chamois and the lynxs

www.parcoabruzzo.it/

Parco Nazionale della Majella, Abruzzo

The park is rich of findings of Paleolithic age.

www.parcomajella.it/

Parco Nazionale dei Monti Sibillini, Le Marche

The Mount Sibillini Park of 70 thousand hectars cover part of the Umbria and Le Marche regions. Interesting hamlets and abbey to visit such Farfa, Norcia, Visso, Amendola and Amandola

Fine seasonal menus from hotel restaurants, restaurants and trattoria from across the Italian regions.