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Weekly roundup
Ciao, here’s what we’re exploring this week!
Ever think of western Sicily as more than beaches and baroque streets? In Palermo, a long-closed convent is being restored into a new museum. Meanwhile, Farm Cultural Park in Favara and the newly crowned Capital of Contemporary Art in Gibellina are turning abandoned spaces into studios, cafés, and walkable public art.
Take a moment to see why this creative approach can make a trip feel fresh without feeling forced.
Hidden Italy
Western Sicily’s Art Renaissance Is Turning Ghost Towns Into Must-Visit Creative Stops
This Guardian travel feature tracks how contemporary art is quietly reshaping western Sicily, not as a glossy “art district” story, but as a real attempt to revive places hollowed out by depopulation and disuse. In Palermo, a long-abandoned convent is being reborn as the Museum of World Cities, a new arts venue set to open in late February. Nearby churches and warehouses are also being repurposed into exhibition spaces.
The big idea: art isn’t a cure-all, but it can pull people back in. The piece spotlights Farm Cultural Park in Favara, where crumbling palazzos have been transformed into a colorful maze of studios, galleries, and cafés, helping turn a former mining town into a destination again.
Further inland, Gibellina offers a different kind of wow: a town rebuilt after the 1968 earthquake, designed with artists and architects invited to weave ambitious public artworks into daily life, and now newly named Italy’s first “Capital of Contemporary Art.” It’s part open-air museum, part living experiment in what happens when culture becomes civic infrastructure.
The takeaway is that western Sicily is no longer just beaches and baroque. It’s a compelling, off-the-radar arts route where abandoned spaces are getting a second act, and the past isn’t erased so much as put in conversation with the present.
Beyond the hotspots
Rome Beyond the Postcards: 8 Tour-Guide Secrets for a Quieter Eternal City
The easiest way to do this without zig-zagging is to pair nearby gems. Start around the Colosseum with the Basilica of San Clemente, then wander into Monti for aperitivo vibes. Head to Aventine Hill near sunset for the Orange Garden and views. Time Janiculum Hill for the noon cannon, and save Borghetto di Ostia plus Ostia Antica for a half-day escape that feels like “Pompeii, but calmer.”
One more thing the article makes clear: these aren’t “hidden” because they’re hard to reach. They’re hidden because most visitors don’t slow down enough to notice them. The guide’s picks are easy add-ons to classic Rome days, giving you that rare combo of wow factor and breathing room, more long looks, fewer shoulder-to-shoulder moments, and a city that feels lived-in rather than rushed.
Rome hits different when you chase the city between the headline sights. A longtime local guide shares eight underrated stops, from a church that literally layers Rome’s history underground to hilltop gardens, panoramic viewpoints, and ruins that feel wildly uncrowded for how epic they are.
City spotlight
Rick Steves’ Cinque Terre Secret: The Pirate-Watch Castle With the Best View
Rick Steves says Vernazza might be the Cinque Terre village that wins travelers over fastest, and the hilltop “castle” above it is a big reason why. Perched above the pastel waterfront, this ancient fortress site once helped spot threats along the Ligurian coast, and today it’s basically a front-row seat to the region’s most iconic scenery.
This isn’t a sprawling, storybook palace. It’s more of a rugged defensive complex centered around a tower, built for lookout duty when pirates and invaders were a real concern. The climb is short but steep, and that’s exactly what makes the payoff feel earned.
Once you’re up there, you get the full Cinque Terre effect: terraced hills, cliffside homes stacked like colorful blocks, and that endless ribbon of blue stretching out behind the harbor. It’s the kind of viewpoint that makes even a quick stop in Vernazza feel like the highlight of the whole coast.
If you’re building a Cinque Terre day, this is the move: wander Vernazza’s lanes, grab something simple to eat, then finish with the castle walk when the light turns golden and the village looks almost unreal from above.
Do This, Not That
Siena 🏰
Siena feels like someone froze a medieval city on top of a hill and forgot to restart the clock. The whole place orbits around one of the most beautiful squares in Europe.
Do this: Plan at least one slow afternoon in Piazza del Campo. Grab a table, order something simple, and just watch the city swirl around you before climbing the Torre del Mangia for a rooftop view of the Tuscan hills. Siena rewards people who sit still.
Not that: Do not treat Siena as a 45-minute “photo stop” between wineries. If you sprint through, it becomes just another pretty piazza instead of one of the most atmospheric towns in Italy.
Itinerary of the week
Three Days in Lecce 🌞
Day 1: Ease into Lecce’s golden Baroque core by wandering Piazza Sant’Oronzo and the Roman Amphitheatre, then loop up to the Basilica di Santa Croce for its famously ornate facade. End like a local with an evening passeggiata through the lantern-lit lanes, pausing for a casual aperitivo in a small piazza.
Day 2: Make Piazza del Duomo your anchor, then take your time ducking into a few richly decorated churches and courtyards as the city wakes up. For a local-feeling moment, book ahead for a cartapesta (papier-mâché) workshop to see one of Lecce’s most distinctive traditions up close.
Day 3: Start at Porta Napoli for a grand old-city entrance, then stroll toward the Castle of Charles V area and linger wherever the stonework catches the light. Keep the afternoon simple with a long, unhurried coffee and people-watching on a shaded street, then finish with a relaxed dinner that leans seasonal and Salento-classic.
What to expect: Lecce is compact and easy to explore on foot, with a rhythm that encourages slow wandering and frequent stops. Expect bright limestone, dramatic Baroque details, and a lively evening scene that feels local rather than touristy. Book ahead for any hands-on experiences, and leave a little slack for spontaneous discoveries.
Italian Dish of the Week
Parmigiana di Melanzane (Southern Italy)
What It Is: Parmigiana di melanzane is a baked eggplant dish you’ll find all over the south, especially in Campania and Sicily. Thin slices of eggplant are lightly fried, then layered with tomato sauce, mozzarella (or fior di latte), basil, and Parmigiano, and baked until everything melts together into one rich, bubbling tray of goodness.
Why You Should Try It: If you think “vegetarian” means boring, this dish will change your mind in two bites. The eggplant turns soft and silky, the tomato sauce is sweet and a little tangy, and the cheese brings that stretchy, comforting richness. It eats like lasagna but feels lighter, so you can still walk around after lunch without regretting your life choices.
What Makes It Special: Every nonna has her own rules. Some salt and drain the eggplant for an hour, some flour it, some don’t. Some fry in olive oil, some in sunflower oil. But the idea is the same: no shortcuts, just time and good ingredients. When it’s done right, you don’t taste “fried”; you taste layers—eggplant, tomato, basil, cheese—all in one forkful, with the top just slightly crisp from the baked Parmigiano.
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This-or-that: which “quieter Rome” anchor would you plug into a classic day?
Why it matters
When towns hollow out over time, cultural projects can be a practical way to bring energy back without pretending art solves everything. Adaptive reuse gives travelers new reasons to linger, and it helps local communities turn empty buildings into places that create work, pride, and momentum.
It’s Sicily letting the past stay visible, while making room for what comes next.
Alla prossima,
Francesca Vitali
Editor-in-Chief
Italy Dream Life
PS: Love Italy as much as we do? Follow us on Instagram @ItalyDreamLife for daily inspiration, hidden spots, and real moments from il bel paese. Because Italy isn’t just a destination—it’s a lifestyle. 🇮🇹✨
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