While Italy’s best-known destinations remain perennial draws for millions of travelers, there are many stunning places for those keen on exploring the country’s less-trodden paths. Here are five areas to consider for vacations this year.
Experience the Basilicata Rivieras
The Maratea coast.
Maratea’s port.
When it comes to the coast in Basilicata, the mountainous region in southern Italy located in the “arch”of the country’s geographical boot, you get a twofer —Rivieras on both the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas. If heading down from Rome, the Maratea shoreline is the first of the region’s beach areas you’ll happen upon, some 30 kilometers of beautiful seascape bound by Campania in the north and Calabria in the south. Chiseled with idyllic coves and splashed with pale-to-deep turquoise waters, this coast offers plenty of beach options and lido clubs. Close by is the town of Maratea (not to be confused with Matera, famous for its Sassi, or stone cave dwellings), with an historic center and 44 (!) churches. The five-star Hotel Santavenere offers an unbeatable view of the sea.
A beach in Metaponto.
A few hours by car to the east, you’ll come to Basilicata’s Ionian Coast—with gentler terrain and spacious, light sand beaches. The town of Metaponto is well positioned, near Greek ruins and the water. Francis Ford Coppola’s beautifully restored Palazzo Margherita in Bernalda is a short drive away.
Explore a unique side of Sardinia
The shoreline near Carloforte.
The town of Carloforte on San Pietro Island off the coast of Sardinia.
Sardinia’s seductive, rugged beauty extends beyond its shoreline to neighboring islands—the Maddalena archipelago with its transparent emerald and sapphire seas has long been a jet-set favorite and yachters’ haven. Also to consider is a lesser-known group of camera-ready islands in the Sulcis archipelago off Sardinia’s southwest coast. Here you’ll come across beguiling beaches and dramatic rocky seascapes, with the added bonus of a unique food culture, thanks to the Genoa-by-way-of-Tunisia settlers who came to live here in the 18th century. The cooking they developed, called Tabarchine cuisine, blends Ligurian, North African and Sardinian influences, and offers a distinct, seafood-centric version of Italian regional fare. In Carloforte on the archipelago’s San Pietro Island, you can also hear the old Tabarchine dialect spoken.
Travel to a scenic, lesser-known wine territory
Lugana vineyards near Lake Garda.
Peschiera del Garda.
The stunning Lake Garda region has long been known for its robust red wines, like Amarone and Bardolino, but the area also produces some of Italy’s most coveted, under-the-radar whites for Lugana DOC. (There are five varieties, aged typically from one to two years, along with a Spumante.) Get to know about this crisp, fruity wine made from Turbiana grapes since Roman times by visiting one of the producers or following the route (bike tour #1) mapped out by the Strada dei Vini e dei Sapori del Garda in the countryside south of Lake Garda. Not to miss are towns in the zone including Peschiera del Garda with its UNESCO-designated Venetian fortress, and Sirmione, perched at the tip of the slender peninsula of the same name, with an impressive castle and ancient ruins. In summer head to waterside restaurants for the views while enjoying some grilled lake fish or a local zuppa di pesce accompanied by a chilled Lugana Riserva. For a luxury stay, the five-star Villa Cortine Palace Hotel in Sirmione overlooks Lake Garda.
Head to this Sicilian island before the crowds do
The port of Ustica. an Island in the Tyrrhenian Sea.
The coastline in Ustica.
As with Sardinia, Sicily’s natural splendors spill onto a handful of satellite islands. Among the best known are Panarea and Pantelleria, which in recent decades have become sought-after resort destinations in their own right. A lower-profile island to consider is Ustica, roughly an hour by hydrofoil from Palermo. It’s a diver’s paradise—about 15000 hectares of surrounding waters were classified as a Marine Park in the 1980s, the first designation of its kind in Italy. On land there’s a nature reserve with many walking paths (you can hoof it around the island in less than a day), a coastline cut with coves and caves that are ideal to explore by boat. Ustica has a series of grottoes—like Capri there’s a Grotta Azzurra (Blue Grotto), as well as a Grotto Verde (Green Grotto), named for its dazzling viridescent waters. As a number of ancient civilizations left their mark here, it’s not surprising there are archaeological sites to visit, like the Faraglioni village dating from the Bronze Age and the Falconiera Roman ruins, highlighting the island’s millennia-spanning history.
Visit Italy’s “newest” beautiful villages
Malcesine (above), like the villages of Celle Ligure and Guarene (below) were recently added to the … [+]
Celle Ligure.
Guarene.
I Borghi più belli d’Italia, an association dedicated to preserving and highlighting Italy’s cultural heritage in the country’s smaller locales, adds new members to its list of most exquisite villages each year (if they meet certain architectural, historic, aesthetic and environmental criteria). This month it was announced that 14 new places made the cut, joining a list of now 348 borghi; among the newcomers are Malcesine on Lake Garda; Celle Ligure on the Western Italian Riviera; and Guarene in Piedmont.
Malcesine enjoys a handsome location on Garda’s’s northeastern shore, where you’ll also find a medieval castle, the famous Fraglia Vela sailing school, and Vecchia Malcesine, the Michelin-star restaurant helmed by the innovative chef Leandro Luppi.
Celle Ligure, about 45 kilometers west of Genoa, is a seaside resort with roots in the Middle Ages offering some interesting twists—in addition to an ample (Blue Flag) beach and streets lined with pastel-tone palazzi, there’s a Roman-era walkway overlooking the water, good for an early morning or evening passeggiata, and a bounty of artisanal ceramics. Walk the village’s“pottery/ceramics path” to discover the exquisite works produced here today and over the centuries.
Guarene, in Piedmont, lies in one of the Italy’s prime wine areas, the Roero. (The vineyard terrain of Langhe-Roero and Monferrato is a UNESCO World Heritage site.) There are hiking and biking trails through the nearby countryside, a Pinacoteca with contemporary Piedmont works and various churches for art lovers to see in the village. Live like a Piedmontese noble when you stay at Castello di Guarene, a luxe estate hotel and Relais & Chateaux property.