Italian coast and islands off the beaten path.
Less-touristed coastal towns and islands in Italy, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
Scilla
A particularly photogenic pocket-sized town on a promontory at the northern entrance to the Strait of Messina, Scilla has a café and restaurant scene that pu…
Viareggio
Viareggio's Carnival, running since 1873, is one of Italy's most celebrated, with papier-mâché floats parading along the seafront promenade — the Passeggiata…
Narni
An ancient hill town in Umbria that claims to sit at the geographical centre of Italy — a spot marked by a stone — Narni overhangs a narrow gorge of the Rive…
Bagnara Calabra
This small Tyrrhenian coast town in Calabria's southernmost stretch, Bagnara Calabra sits directly on the water with vineyards in the surrounding hills and v…
Cannobio
This photogenic small town on the north-western shore of Lake Maggiore in Piedmont, Cannobio sits where the Cannobina Valley meets the lake and has repeatedl…
Vietri sul Mare
Polychrome ceramics have been made in Vietri sul Mare since at least the 15th century, and the tradition remains central to this little Campanian town at the…
Noto
Rebuilt in the early 18th century after a devastating earthquake, Noto is one of eight Late Baroque towns in Sicily's Val di Noto declared a UNESCO World Her…
Carrara
Marble has defined Carrara since ancient times — the white and blue-grey stone quarried from the Apuan Alps above this Tuscan town has supplied sculptors and…
Sant'Agnello
A pocket-sized town on the Sorrentine Coast between Piano di Sorrento and Sorrento, Sant'Agnello sits right at the water with scenic viewpoints nearby and a…
Cetara
Colatura di alici — a pungent, amber fish sauce pressed from anchovies — has been produced in this little Amalfi Coast village in Campania for centuries, and…
Palmi
Palmi looks out over the Strait of Messina from the Tyrrhenian coast of Calabria, with beaches at Marina di Palmi and Lido di Palmi drawing visitors to what…
Bosa
Sitting on the north bank of the Temo River — the only river-built town on Sardinia — Bosa is a little Sardinian settlement with a strong café and restaurant…
Santa Lucia del Mela
This densely built hilltop town in Sicily's Messina province, its stone houses climbing toward a medieval fortress above tree-covered slopes, with surroundin…
Varazze
Small Ligurian town on the Riviera di Ponente with a seafront position, a strong café and restaurant scene, and an unusual concentration of churches for its…
Gallipoli
A historic town on the western coast of Salento in Apulia, Gallipoli is built around a limestone island connected to the newer mainland district by a 17th-ce…
Tursi
Tursi is a little city in Basilicata's Matera province with scenic views over the surrounding landscape and a strong visual character that rewards photography.
Castel San Pietro Romano
Small hilltop village east of Rome recognised among Italy's most beautiful villages and, since 2019, named the most beautiful village in the Mediterranean —…
Nardò
A Baroque town on the Ionian coast of Salento, Nardò has a walkable historic centre dense with palaces, churches, and chapels built in the ornate local style…
Sperlonga
This photogenic coastal town on the Tyrrhenian Sea, roughly midway between Rome and Naples, Sperlonga is best known for the ancient Roman sea grotto found wi…
Aieta
A village in Calabria's Pollino National Park whose historic centre is dominated by a baronial palace considered a rare example of Renaissance architecture i…
Giarre
A walkable Sicilian town on the Ionian coast with a centre full of cafés, restaurants, and historic churches, Giarre sits midway between Catania and Taormina…
Castellammare del Golfo
A seafront town in Sicily's Trapani province, Castellammare del Golfo takes its name from the medieval fortress in its harbour — "Sea Fortress on the Gulf" —…
Lavagna
This compact Ligurian seafront town of terracotta rooftops and domed churches, Lavagna sits between the Ligurian Sea and a backdrop of green hills, with a li…
Numana
This compact Adriatic village on the Conero Riviera in the Marche region, Numana sits directly on the water with vineyards nearby and scenic viewpoints along…
Scalea
A tiny coastal town on Calabria's Tyrrhenian shore, Scalea pairs a modern beach resort strip — developed since the 1960s along the Riviera dei Cedri — with a…
Sciacca
This coastal Sicilian town on the south-western shore of the island, Sciacca is known for its historic carnival, its ceramics tradition, and a walkable centr…
Atrani
Tiny village on the Amalfi Coast, Atrani sits right at the water's edge just a short walk from Amalfi itself, with a heritage-dense streetscape, a striking n…
Castelsardo
A photogenic coastal town on Sardinia's northwest shore, at the eastern end of the Gulf of Asinara, Castelsardo sits right on the water with scenic viewpoint…
Grottammare
A walkable Adriatic beach town in the Marche region, Grottammare pairs a seafront café and restaurant scene with a medieval hilltop quarter that belongs to t…
Conca dei Marini
A compact village on the Amalfi Coast between Amalfi and Furore, sitting directly on the water with scenic viewpoints nearby and an unusually dense cluster o…
Porto Cesareo
This modest Apulian town on the Ionian coast of the Salento peninsula with a café and restaurant scene that punches well above its size, Porto Cesareo is bes…
Iglesias
A walkable town in southwestern Sardinia with a centre dense with historic churches, cafés, and restaurants, Iglesias was one of the most important royal cit…
Lamezia Terme
This coastal Calabrian town with a walkable centre full of cafés and churches, set between the sea and mountain views, with vineyards in the surrounding coun…
Salemi
A medieval hill town in western Sicily's Trapani province, Salemi clusters around a castle whose battlemented tower offers wide views across the landscape to…
Camaiore
A Tuscan town in the Versilia region whose compact centre holds a concentration of historic churches and a real café and restaurant scene, Camaiore stretches…
Civita
Founded in the 15th century by Albanian refugees fleeing the Ottoman invasion, Civita is a hill village in Calabria's Pollino National Park whose Albanian-or…
Termoli
This coastal town on the Adriatic in Molise, Termoli holds a medieval walled quarter alongside a lively seafront promenade lined with restaurants.
Lacco Ameno
Rebuilt after a devastating 1883 earthquake that destroyed most of its buildings, Lacco Ameno transformed from a fishing village into a thermal-spa resort on…
Itri
Sitting in a valley between the Monti Aurunci and the Gulf of Gaeta, Itri is a tiny agricultural town in Lazio's Latina province with a photogenic medieval c…
Rossano
The Codex Purpureus — one of the oldest illuminated Gospel books in the world and a UNESCO Memory of the World document — is held in Rossano's Diocesan Museu…
Patti
This small Sicilian town on the western shore of the Gulf of Patti, known for the remains of a Roman villa within its limits and the ruins of the ancient cit…
Diamante
This pocket-sized coastal town on Calabria's Tyrrhenian shore, Diamante lends its name to the Diamante citron, a variety still grown in the region.
Enna
Italy's highest provincial capital, Enna sits atop a ridge at the centre of Sicily, earning it the nickname "Belvedere of Sicily" for its sweeping views acro…
Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto
A coastal Sicilian town west of Messina with a compact centre dense with historic churches, cafés, and restaurants, set against a backdrop of mountains visib…
Albenga
This heritage-dense coastal town on the Gulf of Genoa, Albenga is known as the city of a hundred spires and holds a well-preserved historic centre within eas…
Collesano
The Targa Florio Museum sits in Collesano, a small Sicilian town in the Madonie Park with a long ceramic-making tradition.
Pizzo
This modest seaport town on Calabria's Costa degli Dei, Pizzo sits on a steep cliff above the Gulf of Saint Euphemia and is locally known for its gelato trad…
Cariati
Cariati, on Calabria's Ionian coast, is a pocket-sized southern Italian town divided between a hilltop historic centre and a marina district along the shore.
Montignoso
A tiny Tuscan town positioned between the Apuan Riviera and the Versilia coast, Montignoso sits where the mountains of Massa-Carrara meet the sea, with Forte…
Mamoiada
Mamoiada, a small village in Sardinia's mountainous Barbagia region, is known across the island for its traditional carnival, in which participants wear the…
Lanciano
Lanciano, a town in Abruzzo's province of Chieti, is known as the site of the first recorded Catholic Eucharistic Miracle, drawing pilgrims to its historic c…
Castelmola
Tiny hilltop village above Taormina on Sicily's east coast, Castelmola occupies the site of ancient Taormina's acropolis and is listed among Italy's most bea…
Sessa Aurunca
This town in Campania's Caserta province built on volcanic tuff from the extinct Roccamonfina volcano, Sessa Aurunca occupies the site of ancient Suessa Auru…
Massa
Once the capital of the Duchy of Massa and Carrara during its medieval peak, this Tuscan town sits between the Apuan Alps and the Tyrrhenian Sea, with a heri…
Peschici
This small coastal town on the Gargano promontory in Puglia, Peschici sits within the Gargano National Park and has built a reputation as a seaside resort si…
Castroreale
This compact Sicilian village holds an extraordinary number of churches — over 80 — for a settlement of its size, alongside houses dating to the 13th century…
Procida
This little island off the Naples coast, between Cape Miseno and Ischia, has a café and restaurant scene, a concentration of historic churches, and vineyards…
Santa Severina
This hilltop village in Calabria's Crotone province, Santa Severina rises on a steep rocky outcrop with wide views stretching from the Neto river valley to t…
Tertenia
This modest Sardinian town in the Ogliastra province sits where a highland valley meets the eastern coast, with mountain views inland and water access close by.
San Marco d'Alunzio
A small Sicilian hill village on the north coast of Sicily, San Marco d'Alunzio holds a striking number of churches for its size and is listed among I Borghi…