Cheshire Independent Issue 218

17 SEPTEMBER 2026 Visit our website: www.independentnewspapers.co.uk Independent TRAVEL ITALY is full of Leonardo da Vinci landscapes and Piero della Francesca views. Yet all too often it turns into a well-trod- den trail to arty Flor- ence and overly popular “Chiantishire.” The secret is to choose an off-the-beaten-track area with access to the backcoun- try and the beach. Lunigiana, the beguiling borderlands between Tuscany and Ligu- ria, is a land of castellated villages and craggy moun- tains, with enough authen- tic inns and wine estates to stop you pining for the manicured Chianti vine- yards or yet another Renais- sance masterpiece. Billed as the land of a thousand castles, untamed Lunigiana is a stepping stone to the Carrara marble quar- ries that dazzle like snow. This unsung area is also a gateway to the gorgeous Cinque Terre clifftop villages and to the mountain-framed Tuscan coast, centred on priv- ileged Forte dei Marmi. Borderlands Lunigiana became known as ‘the land of a thousand castles’ in medie- val times as its forts protected trade routes from the moun- tains to the sea. This rugged inland area has long been dis- puted territory, from Dante’s day to the Second World War, when the castle was on the Gothic Line, commanded THE Foreign Office has issued a warning for anyone visiting one of the UK’s favourite holi- day destinations this summer. However, a new alert has been put out by officials at the Foreign Office for anyone crossing the street. It said that people in the UK are used to being able to get across safely when lights are on red. But it explained that in Italy this could be dangerous as drivers are allowed to turn right when the green pedes- trial crossing sign is on. And the Foreign Office said people can also be fined for crossing the road. In the update it said: “Traffic can be busy, fast and chaotic , especially in the larger cities. Take carewhen crossing roads. Pedestrians should cross roads at a crossing. You can be fined for crossing the road if you are within 100 metres of a pedes- trian crossing but do not use it. Drivers do not always stop, even though they are required to. The green pedestrian cross- ing signal also allows cars to turn right on to the crossing, so crosswithcaution. “Exercise caution in poorly lit or unfamiliar areas, includ- ing in road underpasses. Emergency exits in vehicle tunnels are for emergency use only if you need to leave your vehicle and should not be used as pedestrian routes.” In terms of crime, the Foreign Office advice is that compared to the UK petty street crime is higher. It said :”Crime levels are generally low but there are higher lev- els of petty crime, particularly bag-snatching and pickpock- eting, in city centres and at major tourist attractions.“ WHEN aircraft manufac- turers like Boeing and Airbus build planes, they design the windows to line up perfectly with stand- ard, comfortable legroom (usually a 31-to-32-inch seat pitch). But most budget airlines make a change to their seat- ing set-up that some passen- gers might actually prefer. Because aircraft seats are mounted on floor tracks, air- lines can move them freely. Budget airlines like Ryanair, Jet2, TUI and Easyjet will often deliberately push the seat rows much closer together (down to a tight 28-to-29-inch pitch) to fit extra rows onto the plane. Although the seats move, the window cut-outs in the metal body of the plane stay. It’s this shrinking legroom that instantly forces the seats and windows out of sync. Most window seats that passengers pick will have a view out of the plane, but some are known to have restricted views. In some cases, there are seats that have no win- dow at all. These misaligned seats often run down the left-hand side of the plane. For people wanting to ben- efit from less of a view, check your plane’s seating chart before confirming your choice. You can often see how the window situation will work. The gorgeous Cinque Terre cli!top villages UNSUNG ITALY Tuscany’s beguiling borderlands Check your seat New Foreign Office alert as tourists could be fined for crossing road in major hotspot WATCH YOUR STEP by Germans and bombed by the Allies. The looming Apuan Alps are a foretaste of the mar- ble-studded quarries to come beyond Carrara. We clamber around Fantiscritti open-air marble museum to make sense of the glittering peaks, marble quarries and stat- uary that have made Carr- ara famous. Carrara is where Michel- angelo chose his marble from blinding white quarries that glitter against the greenery of the Apuan Alps. In Flor- ence, Michelangelo’s towering statue of David, chiselled out of a massive block of Carrara marble, is a masterpiece of anatomical precision, as is his poignant Pietà, which graces St. Peter’s in the Vatican. The prized marble is fea- tured in timeless architec- tural landmarks, such as the Pantheon in Rome, Pisa Cathedral, and the Leaning Tower. The United States Capitol, inspired by the Pan- theon, also pays homage to its marble heritage, as does Oslo Opera House and Marble Arch in London. After tasting the Lunigiana borderlands, which link Lig- uria and Tuscany, it’s time to hug the sandy Tuscan coast south to Forte dei Marmi and the summer beach scene. This being Italy, the beach is more about socialising and sardine-style sunbathing than swimming and reading. Framed by the Apuan Alps, Forte dei Marmi developed around a fort built in 1788 by Leopold I of Tuscany, a squat bastion which still dominates the main square. Apart from that, heritage plays second fiddle to flirting, feasting, socialising and shopping. When not feasting on seafood and gossip, gentle cycling fills the gap, even for global stars. The picturesque Lunigiani landscape The looming Apuan Alps are a foretaste of the marble-studded quarries