Abstracta B S T R a C T Recent Tectonic Stress Field State

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Abstracta B S T R a C T Recent Tectonic Stress Field State IstitutoIstituto NazionaleNazionale Helmholtz-ZentrumHelmholtz-Zentrum PPotsdamotsdam- didi GeofisicaGeofisica e VulcanologiaVulcanologia DDeutscheseutsches GGeoForschungsZentrumeoForschungsZentrum RECENTRECENT TTECTONICECTONIC SSTRESSTRESS FFIELDIELD SSTATETATE IINN IITALYTALY FFROMROM NNUMERICALUMERICAL MMODELLINGODELLING AANALYSISNALYSIS (Italy)(Italy) (Germany)(Germany) T21B-2156T21B-2156 SimonaSimona PierdominiciPierdominici1 aandnd OOliverliver HHeidbacheidbach2 1.1. SismologiaSismologia e Tettonofisica,Tettonofisica, INGV,INGV, Rome,Rome, ItalyItaly 2.2. SeismicSeismic HazardHazard andand StressStress Field,Field, GFZGFZ GermanGerman ResearchResearch CentreCentre forfor GeosciencGeosciencees,s, PPotsdam,otsdam, GGermanyermany [email protected];[email protected]; [email protected]@gfz-potsdam.de ABSTRACTABSTRACT THETHE IITALIANTALIAN SSTRESSTRESS DDATABASEATABASE SMOOTHINGSMOOTHING MMAPSAPS DISCUSSIONDISCUSSION We examine the contemporary stress in Italy studying the present-day The tectonic stress of Italy is inferred and well defined by borehole breakouts, earthquake focal The result of the smoothing analysis (black bars) is shown in the figurefigure 3a.3a. The SH orientations and color-code rmax values are displayed. The blue and The smoothed SH orientation shows a trend that reflects the structural setting in the study area (Fig.(Fig. 6)6). The mean SH mechanisms, overcoring and recent slip of faults (Fig.(Fig. 2a)2a). In addition to the dataset published by yellow colors indicate that the area is characterized by a stress pattern from regional to local wave-lenght (rmax<400km) while the orange-brown colors orientation is well constrained along the Apenninic belt (NW-SE) and its orientation corresponds with one of the normal maximum horizontal stress orientation to characterize the relationship active faults. The eastern part of the Alpine arc with a NNW-SSE-orientation of SH due to the active thrusts in this area. Heidbach et al., 2010, more than 100 stress data records have been added (Barba et al., 2010, Mari- indicate a regional stress pattern (rmax>400km). The figurefigure 3b3b represents the variance of the single SH orientations. The area with lowest variance The compression has moved from Dinarides to the Friuli and Southalpine, as deduced from focal mechanism of the major between active stress, past tectonic setting and the seismicity. The ucci et al., 2010 and http://www.bo.ingv.it/RCMT/searchRCMT.html). The data density is high for all (green color) is located along the Apennines belt while the high values (red color) are present in four zones. The high variance is probably due to the Italy, except for Sardinia island and southern Apulia region where little data are present . events (Slejko et al., 1999; Bressan et al., 2003; Perniola et al., 2004; Viganò et al., 2008). The western part of the Alps geodynamic setting of Italy is particularly complex. Italy is involved in (Fig.(Fig. 2a)2a) complex tectonic setting of these areas (Fig.(Fig. 4a,b,c,d)4a,b,c,d). The FiguresFigures 4a-d4a-d show the correlation among the smoothing value of SHmax orientation, shows a less defined distribution of the SH orientation with rotations, probably related to the bent of the thrusts (active in The earthquake mechanism solutions are most concentrated along the Apenninic belt and active tec- contemporary stress data records and tectonics. the N-S convergence of Africa and Eurasian plates and currently un- tonic regions (the far western and eastern part of the Alpine chain and along the subduction zone) the outboard of the thrusts) and to the coexistence of a widespread extension in the core of the western Alps revealed by 5° 7.5° 10° 12.5° 15° 17.5° 20° 5° 7.5° 10° 12.5° 15°17.5° 20° earthquake analysis (Sue et al., 1999). while the borehole breakout records are located on correspondence with gas and/or oil reservoirs Germany Germany Method: dergoing NE-SW extension perpendicular to the Apenninic fold and Austria Austria focal mechanism (particularly in the Po Plain, Adriatic and Sicilian off-shore areas, southern Apenninic foredeep and 47.5° Slovakia 47.5° Slovakia breakouts drill. induced frac. within of some intramountain basins). The active faults (Late Quaternary-Holocene) are located along overcoring thrust belt and with the opening of the Tyrrhenian basin (Late Torto- Switzerland Switzerland hydro. fractures 5˚ 10˚15˚ 20˚ geol. indicators the Apenninic belt and the overcoring data are mainly distributed on the Alpine belt, some in Sicily and Regime: nian). This process happens in the presence of still active subduction NF SS TF U Slovenia Slovenia in offshore Sicily. Quality: N Germany Thrust faults Milano Milano A From regions aforementioned, three regimes are still active. The normal faulting regime is inferred Croazia Venezia Croazia Normal faults system extending from Sicily to northern Apennines, as confirmed by B Austria France France C 45° 45° D S Strike-slip faults from focal mechanism solutions ( ) and it is prevalent along the Apenninic belt and in the west- 3 Fig.Fig. 2b2b E Switzerland l recently seismicity. 1 (2008) World Stress Map o Volcanoes 3 ern part of Alps (Fig.(Fig. 2a)2a). On the contrary, the eastern part of the Alpine chain, the foredeep and fore- Bosnia Bosnia v Intrusiv bodies and and a Ancona Herzigovina Ancona Herzigovina This tectonic setting with highly variable plate boundary events and land Apenninic belt and the northern part of Sicily are characterized by thrust faulting particularly from e Serbia k Base of Pliocene-Quaternary 2 Serbia i a isobaths focal mechanism solutions but not only . In , only 92 data show a strike-slip r Elba island body forces induced by topography results in an inhomogeneous (Fig.(Fig. 2a2a andand bb)) figurefigure 2b2b Montenegro Montenegro Smoothing ADR Tus ADR cani 42.5° 42.5° an a IAT rchipe IAT regime located close to Ancona town and to south-eastern part of Italy (Molise-Apulia area; ). IC SEA lag IC S Direction of maximum Fig.Fig. 2a2a Corsica Corsica o u Tremiti islands EA stress pattern. Here we quantify the spatial changes of the wave- Rome Rome Slovenia extension along the Maddalena Milano Siculo-Calabria rift zone archipelago g Albania Albania Asinara 5˚ 10˚ 15˚ 20˚ island Pon length of the stress pattern by a statistical analysis. As input data we tin Vesuvio Direction of maximum o archi Croazia pel volcano Venezia ago France Brindisi Ischia Brindisi i extension along the 483 island 100% Sardinia Sardinia Capri Germany N Focal mechanism island Pantelleria-Linosa-Malta rift use 600 data of SH records from the World Stress Map database re- solutions 45˚ Austria 450 40° TYRRHENIAN SEA 40° TYRRHENIAN SEA a)a) Figure 3F b)b) Faults Direction of Nubia-Eurasia O vercorings IONEAN SEA IONEAN SEA lease 2008 and about 100 new data records. The result of this statisti- Switzerland S. Pietro convergence 400 island 4 Slovakia Cagliari Cagliari 80% S. Antioco island Eolie islands cal analysis is a mean orientation of the maximum horizontal compres- 350 Palermo Palermo Slovenia RSM Bosnia MEDITERRANEAN SEA MEDITERRANEAN SEA Egadi islands Serbia Milano Etna volcano Number ofdata and sional stress SH on a 0.1° grid and the maximum smoothing radius for 300 37.5° 37.5° Ancona France Venezia Croazia 60% Herzigovina 45˚ 250 Pantelleria island which the standard deviation of the mean SH orientation is less than Bosnia and Tunisia Tunisia Algeria Algeria 6 Elba island Herzigovina 200 Malta island Montenegro 25°. This latter is the wave-length of the stress pattern and reveals for RSM 40% Serbia Cumulative data a)a) b)b) Ancona Tus 35° 35° canian ADR 150 archip Italy that the entire region has wave-length less than 200 km for Italy. variance elag IATI search radius r [km] e Corsica o max < 25 25-40 > 40 C SEA Data Quality Elba island Montenegro 20% 100 Tremiti islands 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650 r Rome A BCDE Tus ADR can ian A ar chi IATIC S pel Overcoring Corsica ago 50 l Tremiti islands EA Maddalena Rome N u archipelago Breakout A 0 50 km b Maddalena l archipelago 0% 0 Asinara a TECTONICSTECTONICS OOFF IITALYTALY Earthquake b 4 a)a) b)b) NF TF SS U g island Asinara a Vesuvio n island Fault Vesuvio n Pontino Pont volcano The geological and structural setting of Italy is complex The area is in- ino volcano Kind of regime arch archip ipe i (Fig.(Fig. 1).1). TYRRHENIAN SEA elago i TYRRHENIAN SEA lago Ischia Brindisi i island Ischia Brindisi Stress regime Capri a RSM island island Capri a island volved in the N-S convergence of the Africa and Eurasia plates, which was es- extensional e compressive N strike-slip 40˚ Figure 6F RSM tablished in Late Creataceous and is still ongoing even if more slowly (Dewey et unknown r 0 50 km 40˚ S. Pietro IONEAN SEA al., 1973 and 1989; DeMets et al., 1994; Calais et al., 2003; Devoti et al., 2008). island Cagliari u S. Antioco Eolie The present-day stress in Italy is characterized by a NE-SW extension perpen- island islands N MEDITERRANEAN SEA S. Pietro 50 km IONEAN SEA Palermo g 0 island dicular to the Apenninic fold and thrust belt (Anderson and Jackson, 1987; West- Egadi islands Cagliari Mt. Etna N i S. Antioco NF SS TF U Thrust faults Direction of maximum Eolie away, 1992; Pondrelli et al., 1995; Amato and Montone, 1997), coeval with the extension along the island islands Normal faults FigureFigure 2 focal mechanism Quality: Strike-slip faults Siculo-Calabria rift zone 0 50 km breakouts Direction of maximum Pantelleria island A Volcanoes opening of the Tyrrhenian basin (Late Tortonian; Patacca and Scandone, 1989). Figure 4F drill. induced frac. extension along the d)d) B Intrusiv bodies Pantelleria-Linosa-Malta rift overcoring C Base of Pliocene-Quaternary Direction of Nubia-Eurasia Palermo hydro. fractures D isobaths convergence Egadi islands Tunisia geol.
Recommended publications
  • Feral Breeds in Italy
    Feral breeds in Italy Daniele Bigi RARE Association University of Bologna 6 feral populations in Italy • Giara Horse • Asinara Donkeys • Asinara Horses • Asinara Goat SARDINIA • Tavolara Goat • Caprera Goat • Molara Goat • Montecristo Goat TUSCANY • Tremiti Goat PUGLIA ? Feral and wild populations on the Asinara Island • Donkeys: – White donkey (Asino dell’Asinara) (150 amimals) – Grey donkey (250 animals) • Goats > 1000 (6000 have been already removed from the Island). • Horses 100 • Mouflons (number unknown) Asinara Island – The Island is 52 km 2 in area. – The name is Italian for "donkey-inhabited“. – The island is located off the north-western tip of Sardinia. – The Island is mountainous in geography with steep, rocky coast. Trees are sparse and low scrub is the predominant vegetation. – It’s part of the national parks system of Italy, in 2002 the island was converted to a wildlife and marine preserve. – In 1885 the island became a Lazaretto and an agricultural penal colony (till 1998). About 100 families of Sardinian farmers and Genoese fishermen who lived on Asinara were obliged to move to Sardinia, where they founded the village of Stintino. Asino dell’Asinara (Asinara Donkey) Origins: - Uncertain but oral records report the presence of white donkeys on the island since the end of XIX century. - the appearance of the white coat in more recent times is probably due to a random mutation that spread to all the population. Morphology: it is small and the size is similar to the Sardinian donkey; the most important difference is the white coat, that probably belongs to a form of incomplete albinism .
    [Show full text]
  • The Mediterranean | Sardinia
    EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO ENJOY YOUR NEXT DREAM DESTINATION! THE MEDITERRANEAN | SARDINIA BASE ADDRESS Olbia DYC Marina Viale Isola Bianca, Olbia O7026 Sardinia *If you are using Google Maps or Sat Nav, please enter No 5 to find the address GPS POSITION: 40°55'31.60"N - 9°30'33.70"E OPENING HOURS: 8:30am – 5:30pm BASE MAP BASE CONTACTS BASE MANAGER & CUSTOMER SERVICE: Base manager: Manfredi Miceli Phone: +39 340 71 51 820 Email: [email protected] Customer service manager: Alessandra Soggiu Phone: +39 345 7767583 Email: [email protected] BASE FACILITIES ☒ Electricity ☒ Luggage storage (in garden) ☒ Water ☒ Restaurant ☒ Toilets ☒ Bar ☒ Showers ☐ Supermarket / Grocery store ☐ Laundry ☐ ATM ☐ Swimming pool ☐ Post Office ☐ Wi-Fi BASE INFORMATION LICENSE Sailing licence required: ☒ Yes ☐ No PAYMENT The base can accept: ☒ Visa ☒ MasterCard ☐ Amex ☐ Cash EMBARKATION TIME Embarkation is at 5pm local time. Due to insurance restrictions, sailing is forbidden before this time. YACHT BRIEFING All briefings are conducted on the chartered yacht and will take 40-60 minutes, depending on yacht size and crew experience. The team will give a detailed walk-through of your yacht’s technical equipment, information about safe and accurate navigation, including the yacht’s navigational instruments, as well as mooring, anchorage and itinerary help. The safety briefing introduces the safety equipment and your yacht’s general inventory. STOP OVERS For all our charters starting and/or ending in Olbia, the first and last night at the marina are free of charge. DISEMBARKATION TIME All boats have to return to base on no later than 5pm on the last evening of charter and disembarkation is at 9am the following morning.
    [Show full text]
  • IUCN Evaluation of Nominations of Natural and Mixed Properties to the World Heritage List
    WHC-02/CONF.201/INF.3 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage IUCN Evaluation of Nominations of Natural and Mixed Properties to the World Heritage List Report to the Bureau of the World Heritage Committee Twenty-sixth session 8-13 April 2002 - Paris, France Prepared by IUCN – The World Conservation Union 22 February 2002 Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................................iii 2. IUCN TECHNICAL EVALUATION REPORTS..........................................................................................1 A. Nominations of natural properties to the World Heritage List ...........................................................1 Pendjari and W National Parks (Benin) ...............................................................................................3 Rift Valley Lakes Reserve (Kenya)......................................................................................................5 Uvs Nuur Basin (Mongolia/Russian Federation)..................................................................................7 B. Nominations of mixed properties to the World Heritage List..............................................................9 Archipelago of La Maddalena (Italy) .................................................................................................11 i THE WORLD HERITAGE CONVENTION IUCN TECHNICAL EVALUATION REPORTS 22 February 2002 1. INTRODUCTION This technical
    [Show full text]
  • MEDCRUISE Newsletter Issue 38 Dec 12 10/12/2012 10:21 Page 1 Medcruise News
    MEDCRUISE Newsletter Issue 38 Dec 12 10/12/2012 10:21 Page 1 MedCruise News Bringing the Med together A message from MedCruise December 2012 | Issue 38 President Stavros Hatzakos IN THIS ISSUE MedCruise continues to expand Association News/People 1-3 It has been a very busy and fruitful year common policies on various matters and share A Message from MEdCruise PResident 1 since I was elected President, together with best practices. The coalition was finalised 3rd Black Sea Cruise Conference 2-3 ‘a new Board of Directors, at the 39th during Cruise Shipping Miami in March this MedCruise General Assembly in Sète, France year and a follow-up meeting takes place at Port facilities & Infrastructure 2-16 in October 2011. Seatrade Med in Marseille in November to take Today the Association has grown to 72 the initiative forward. members representing more than 100 ports Another important step taken this summer Odessa 2 around the Mediterranean region, including the saw the Secretariat of MedCruise move from Rijeka 4 Black Sea, the Red Sea Barcelona to Piraeus. Dubrovnik 4 and the Near Atlantic, This involved the Zadar 4 French Riviera 5 plus 28 associate physical move of our Toulon Var Provence 5 members, representing office and Secretary Sete 5 other associations, General, Maria de Kavala 6 Larratea, to Greece to tourist boards and Corfu 6 establish a new ship/port agents. Igoumenitsa 6 MedCruise MedCruise continues Thessaloniki 7 headquarters in the to search for new ports Patras 7 and destinations to Port of Piraeus Souda/Chania 7 welcome into our Authority’s office.
    [Show full text]
  • DOLPHINS WITHOUT BORDERS Final Report
    DOLPHINS WITHOUT BORDERS Final report Tethys Research Institute, 30 April 2019 Contents 1. Executive Summary ........................................................................................................ 3 2. Administrative details .................................................................................................... 4 3. Specific Goal 1: Supporting the conservation of common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus in the Pelagos Sanctuary ..................................................................................... 5 3.1. Activity A1. Field campaigns .......................................................................................... 5 3.2. Activity A2. Genetic analyses of biological samples. .............................................. 29 3.3. Activity A3. Survey of existing knowledge ................................................................ 36 3.4. Activity A4. Publications in the scientific literature ................................................. 36 3.5. Activity A5. Suggestions for the establishment of Natura2000 sites .................... 37 4. Specific Goal 2: Strengthening the links among Pelagos and MPAs and National Parks existing within the Sanctuary boundaries ......................................................................... 39 4.1. Activity A6. Training programmes ............................................................................... 39 4.2. Activity A7. Contacts established with selected Italian municipalities ................. 43 4.3. Activity A8. Awareness
    [Show full text]
  • Notarbartolo Di Sciara G., Bearzi G
    Notarbartolo di Sciara G., Bearzi G. 2005. Research on cetaceans in Italy. In B. Cozzi, ed. Marine mammals of the Mediterranean Sea: natural history, biology, anatomy, pathology, parasitology. Massimo Valdina Editore, Milano (in Italian). RESEARCH ON CETACEANS IN ITALY Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara and Giovanni Bearzi Tethys Research Institute, viale G.B. Gadio 2, 20121 Milano, Italy 1. Introduction Zoology, like other branches of the natural sciences, has expanded greatly from the time of Aristotle, who may be regarded as its founder, to the present day. Zoology started from simple descriptions of animals, based in part on facts and in part on fantasy. Century after century, accounts became increasingly detailed, extending from representations of external features to anatomical descriptions of internal organs, while zoological collections were established to buttress such descriptions with reference material. Increasingly detailed knowledge of the different animal species afforded in the XVIII cent. the adoption of the Linnaean cataloguing system, still valid to this date. Two thousand years of zoological work also set the stage for Darwin’s unifying theory of evolution, which provided an explanation for the mechanisms responsible for the diversity of all existing animal species, of the relationships among species, and between species and their environment. Cetology (cetacean zoology) followed a similar development, although at a slower pace with respect to most branches of zoology. This was because cetaceans have never been easy to study. Compared to most species, and even to most mammals, cetaceans are relatively rare, and the body size of even the smallest species (let alone the largest) made it often problematic to bring specimens to a laboratory or to a collection for detailed investigation.
    [Show full text]
  • S Italy Is a Contracting Party to All of the International Conventions a Threat to Some Wetland Ibas (Figure 3)
    Important Bird Areas in Europe – Italy ■ ITALY FABIO CASALE, UMBERTO GALLO-ORSI AND VINCENZO RIZZI Gargano National Park (IBA 129), a mountainous promontory along the Adriatic coast important for breeding raptors and some open- country species. (PHOTO: ALBERTO NARDI/NHPA) GENERAL INTRODUCTION abandonment in marginal areas in recent years (ISTAT 1991). In the lowlands, agriculture is very intensive and devoted mainly to Italy covers a land area of 301,302 km² (including the large islands arable monoculture (maize, wheat and rice being the three major of Sicily and Sardinia), and in 1991 had a population of 56.7 million, crops), while in the hills and mountains traditional, and less resulting in an average density of c.188 persons per km² (ISTAT intensive agriculture is still practised although land abandonment 1991). Plains cover 23% of the country and are mainly concentrated is spreading. in the north (Po valley), along the coasts, and in the Puglia region, A total of 192 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) are listed in the while mountains and hilly areas cover 35% and 41% of the land present inventory (Table 1, Map 1), covering a total area of respectively. 46,270 km², equivalent to c.15% of the national land area. This The climate varies considerably with latitude. In the south it is compares with 140 IBAs identified in Italy in the previous pan- warm temperate, with almost no rain in summer, but the north is European IBA inventory (Grimmett and Jones 1989; LIPU 1992), cool temperate, often experiencing snow and freezing temperatures covering some 35,100 km².
    [Show full text]
  • Pier Virgilio Arrigoni the Discovery of the Sardinian Flora
    Pier Virgilio Arrigoni The discovery of the Sardinian Flora (XVIII-XIX Centuries) Abstract Arrigoni, P. V.: The discovery of the Sardinian Flora (XVIII-XIX Centuries). — Bocconea 19: 7-31. 2006. — ISSN 1120-4060. The history of the floristic exploration of Sardinia mainly centres round the works of G.G. Moris, who in the first half of the XIX century described most of the floristic patrimony of the island. But it is important to know the steps he took in his census, the areas he explored, his publications, motivations and conditions under which he wrote the "Stirpium sardoarum elenchus" and the three volumes of "Flora sardoa", a work moreover which he left incomplete. Merit is due to Moris for bringing the attention of many collectors, florists and taxonomists to the Flora of the Island, individuals who in his foot-steps helped to complete and update the floristic inventory of the island. Research into the history of our knowledge of the Sardinian Flora relies heavily on the analysis of botanical publications, but many other sources (non- botanical texts, chronicles of the period, correspondence) also furnish important information. Finally, the names, dates and collection localities indicated on the specimens preserved in the most important herbaria were fundamental in reconstructing the itineraries of the sites Moris visited. All these sources allowed us to clarify several aspects of the expeditions, floristic col- lections and results of his studies. The "discovery phase" of Sardinian Flora can be considered over by the end of the XIX century with the publication of the "Compendium" by Barbey (1884-1885) and "Flora d'Italia" by Fiori & Paoletti (1896-1908).
    [Show full text]
  • Military Landscapes Military Landscapes
    a cura di l edited by Donatella Rita Fiorino ATTI DEL CONVEGNO INTERNAZIONALE Scenari per il futuro del patrimonio militare PROCEEDINGS OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE A future for military heritage MILITARY LANDSCAPES MILITARY LANDSCAPES ATTI DEL CONVEGNO INTERNAZIONALE Scenari per il futuro del patrimonio militare PROCEEDINGS OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE A future for military heritage a cura di | edited by Donatella Rita Fiorino Quest’opera è stata rilasciata con licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione - Non commerciale - Non opere derivate 3.0 Italia. Per leggere una copia della licenza visita il sito web http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-nc-nd/3.0/it/ o spedisci una lettera a Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA. CC 2017 MiBACT - Polo Museale della Sardegna CC 2017 DICAAR - Università degli Studi di Cagliari CC 2017 Skira editore, Milano Prima edizione digitale, dicembre 2017 First digital edition, December 2017 ISBN: 978-88-572-3732-9 www.skira.net MILITARY LANDSCAPES SCENARI PER IL FUTURO DEL PATRIMONIO MILITARE Un confronto internazionale in occasione del 150° anniversario della dismissione delle piazzeforti militari in Italia A FUTURE FOR MILITARY HERITAGE An international overview event celebrating the 150th anniversary
    [Show full text]
  • Cruising Guide Cote D’Azur
    Cruising Guide Cote D’Azur With its nearly tropical climate, azure water and a cerulean sky that attracts yacht lovers all year round, the Côte d’Azur is a sumptuous destination. Notorious for its indulgence and hedonistic lifestyle, the Côte d’Azur has two sides to her glittering coin: an idyll of magnificent back-country to compete with the vivid pulse of chic seaside enclaves. Also known as the French Riviera, this strip of coastline is home to some of the world’s most spectacular destinations: Cannes, St.Tropez, Monaco and many more. Over the centuries, numerous artists have called the Côte d’Azur home: Picasso, Renoir, Matisse and Chagall. Its rocky hillsides are capped with medieval stone villages, all of them virtually untouched. Nestled between the majestic Alps and the deep blue of the Mediterranean, hillside villas combine with sun-soaked beaches to create a breath-taking fusion of ancient history and modern elegance. Corsica Nestled on the western side of the luminous Mediterranean, Corsica is ablaze with year-round sunshine, opulent silver-sand beaches and spectacular mountain scenery. A rugged mountain range spans almost two thirds of this majestic island, creating a backdrop of sheer natural beauty that is breathtaking to behold. Described by Balzac as ‘a French island basking in the Italian sun”, the vibrant allure of both French and Italian culture resonate throughout the island. The major areas of interest on Corsica are Ajaccio and the west coast, the peninsula of Cap Corse to the north, and the southern tip known as L’Extreme Sud. Each offers rare opportunities for the discerning traveller, from sporting events to cultural festivals, all in a relaxed and relaxing atmosphere.
    [Show full text]
  • Current Brochure
    ITALIAN The Art of Intelligent Travel Organising ITALIAN Borgo Santo Pietro, Tuscany THE ART OF INTELLIGENT TRAVEL ORGANISING AT EXPRESSIONS WE MARRY THE ART of intelligent travel organising and a passion, love and knowledge of Italy. The result is that we can bring you the true flavour of Italy and its captivating charm. Holidays and travel experiences to Italy are all about an appreciation of things Italian: the way of life, the culture, the art, the design, the landscape, the food and the wine. The Italian countryside exudes a classical harmony that is all but imprinted in the Western psyche and the charm and humour of the Italian people creates an endearing sense of well- being. As true Italian specialists we know how to share with you the passion that is Italy and its true flavour. Our clients have taken comfort in recent times in the fact that we have been in business for 28 years now and obviously have confidence in what we do. Over these years not only have we grown in experience but we have also developed excellent relationships with our suppliers. You gain from these relationships as they give us numerous benefits that we pass on to you such as early booking offers, free room upgrades etc. Sometimes we're not even aware of the small but important gestures they make to our clients behind the scenes but they do tell us quite readily that they enjoy having our clients as guests in their hotel. We are proud to be a specialist organiser of bespoke holidays and travel experiences to a destination as rich as Italy.
    [Show full text]
  • Beaches Right Here
    BEST OF THE ITALIAN 1 ISLANDS all it a cop-out, but the only category I can’t bring myself to cover in this chapter is “Best Island.” Wildly Cdiverse in landscape, size, and atmosphere, each of the Italian islands has its own superlative features, which I’ve culled and compiled into the categories listed below. If your vision of an Italian island vacation is playing on a sandy beach, you’ll find a carefully edited list of the best beaches right here. Perhaps nightlife is a priority, or art and history, or romance, or food and wine, or being one of the first to “discover” an island that’s still untouched by international tourism, or doing nothing at all. I’ve presented my favorites for all these themes and more in this section, so that you can head straight for the all-stars in each category without wasting precious vacation time on the also-rans. Here’s hoping you also find your own personal collection of “best” experiences while you’re at it. THE best BEACHES W Spiaggia dei Conigli (Lampedusa): Simply cresting the hill of the hik- ing path that leads to this beach and beholding Spiaggia dei Conigli—a glorious crescent of sugary white sand—and its wide bay of swimming pool–like water may be the highlight of a trip to far-flung Lampedusa. The water here is shallow and always warm, and you can swim or wade the short distance to Isola dei Conigli islet, in the middle of the bay. W Biodola (Elba): Sugary white sand that extends for 600m (1,969 ft.), a gentle offshore grade, and abundant services make this the best all- purpose sandy beach on Elba.
    [Show full text]