As I resume writing about dive travel to Europe, I want to remind everybody that my aim is to enlighten those American colleagues who have little or no idea about Europe and diving here. I do appreciate that some of you are already familiar with it. I’d like to turn your attention once again to Italy, which TRAVEL Dive Into Europe: Dive Tuscany, Italy? – by Peter Symes, Publisher, X-Ray Magazine
also offers excellent diving. It’s in this region where scuba diving was founded, and many leading brands, such as Mares, Cressi, and Seac Sub, are based here. The coastline is stunning, and while I won’t single out specific locations, a couple of suggestions come to mind. From the US, you can fly to Milan or Rome, rent a car, and book a vacation home in Tuscany, through a reputable agency. The region is famous for its beautiful landscapes, for being the birth- place of the Renaissance, wines, food, and historic sites.
offers incredible diversity and is a great example of the cultural differ- ences you’ll find across Europe. I’ve often struggled to convey the extent of these differences, but think of the 41 European countries as sim- ilar to America, just with some vast regional differences. Several Euro- pean countries, including Germany, are indeed federations of states, much like the US. Historically, these states have been feuding and fighting for dominance until the national states we now know were formed. It certainly was the case with Italy.
Florence, Pisa, San Gimignano, and Siena are all easily reachable, along with many dive sites along the Lig- urian coast. You can also visit the is- land of Elba off Liguria, home to several good dive centres. For a unique experience, try diving at Grotta Giusti, a thermal spa in an old mansion near Florence, where you can dive in an underwater grotto with hot water. It’s a spectacular dive. The spa and restaurant are fab too. Consult with a travel agency if that
provides you with some peace of mind, less bother or bet- ter rates or guarantees. Otherwise, you should be good. Just test operators on Trustpilot and the like. Europe is generally quite safe and violent crime is not a concern. In many European countries the police don’t even carry firearms. That should tell you something. It is mostly pick-
I tend to emphasize culture and topside attractions over diving, as most of the diversity is found on land. However, historical events have also left their mark on the seabed, such as shipwrecks from all eras since ancient times, inter- esting diving options are generally also available. Visit in- teresting places, and in most cases you will also find great dive options nearby. This time, I’d like to highlight Liguria and Tuscany in northwest Italy. Liguria borders Provence in France, which
pockets, petty theft and scams around major tourist attractions one need to be mindful of. Next month I will continue my series traveling around the Mediterranean.
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