By Maren, Lead Online Marketing at Princess Goes Hollywood
Italy has a problem. More precisely: Italy has too many beautiful places – and most people only know a handful of them. Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan. Beautiful, no doubt. But also overcrowded, overpriced, and sometimes hard to enjoy when you're standing among a thousand tour groups and fighting for a free table.
The real Italy begins when you leave the beaten path. In the snow-white alleys of Ostuni, winding like a labyrinth up the hill. On the island of Procida, which hasn't yet discovered it could be famous. In Monopoli, where the old town juts into the sea and locals stroll in the evenings.
Here are my favorite places. Well-known ones that deserve it, and unknown ones that need it.
Positano – The Queen of the Amalfi Coast
Let's start with the obvious, because it deserves its reputation. Positano is touristy, yes. Expensive, yes. Overcrowded in high season, also yes. And yet: there is no place in Italy that evokes this particular feeling so strongly. The pastel-colored houses stacked one on top of the other up the cliff. The blue of the sea in a shade for which there is no real name. The narrow streets where boutiques, restaurants, and lemon trees alternate.
When to go? May or September. In July and August, it's overwhelmingly crowded, beautiful, but exhausting.
What to do? Walk up the stairs to the Santa Maria Assunta church and be there alone early in the morning. Take a boat to Li Galli, the small islands where Rudolf Nureyev lived. Eat at Buca di Bacco, open since 1916.
What I avoid: The main beach at midday. Moped rental. Hasty day trips.
Procida – The Italian Island Still Dreaming
This small island in the Gulf of Naples is one of those rare destinations you don't just check off a list. It stays with you. Because of the pastel-colored houses in Marina Corricella, because of the narrow streets, the quiet coves, and because of that very unique Italian rhythm that lies somewhere between espresso and the sound of the sea.
In 2022, Procida was Italy's Capital of Culture. Since then, the island has become better known. Yet it has retained its quiet, quirky charm. Perhaps because it is smaller and less glamorous than Capri or Ischia. Perhaps also because you have to consciously choose Procida.
The easiest way to get there is from Naples by ferry or hydrofoil, depending on the connection, 40 to 60 minutes. There are also connections from Pozzuoli, around 35 minutes. You can safely leave your car on the mainland. Procida is explored by bus, bicycle, or on foot.
When to go? April to June or September to October. The light is better, the temperatures more pleasant, the island more relaxed. I avoid August.
What to do? Marina Corricella at sunset is an image that stays with you: fishing boats, pastel-colored houses like a backdrop on the hillside, and then that warm light that makes everything a little more beautiful. Explore Terra Murata through its narrow alleys and let your gaze wander over the Gulf. Go for a bike ride, not necessarily with a fixed destination. Eat fresh fish at La Conchiglia.
My tip: Don't just come for a day trip. Stay a night. When the last ferries have departed and the day-trippers are gone, the island changes. It becomes quieter. The alleys empty. In Marina Corricella, the lights reflect in the water. And suddenly you understand why Procida has remained a hidden gem for so long.
Cefalù – Sicily's Most Beautiful Fishing Village
Sicily is a continent unto itself. Cefalù is the best introduction. This medieval fishing village on the north coast has it all: a 12th-century Norman cathedral with Byzantine mosaics, one of the island's most beautiful beaches right in front of the old town, narrow streets with laundry hanging out to dry, and restaurants where the owner cooks herself.
When to go? June or September. In July and August, the beach is crowded, but even then the old town is wonderfully quiet in the mornings and evenings.
My insider tips: Firstly, a self-drive boat tour along the coast, no license required. The coves you reach this way are not visible from the road, and the water is another world. Secondly, the climb to Rocca, the rock above the town. 45 minutes, a bit of sweat, and then that view of the old town, the sea, and the coast that justifies every step. Thirdly: pistachio granita at the Duomo. In the morning, before the sun gets too strong, sitting on the steps of the cathedral. Not lemon, not almond – pistachio. You can find the recipe to cook it yourself in my Mangiare-bene-Post.
What I avoid: The day tour from Palermo. Cefalù needs at least two nights.
Ostuni – The White City of Puglia
Ostuni is called "la città bianca," the white city. And anyone who has strolled through its Centro Storico immediately understands why. The old town sits on a hill above the Apulian plain, and its alleys are so whitewashed that they almost seem to glow in the midday light.
When to go? May, June, or September. Puglia in midsummer is beautiful, but hot.
My insider tips: Just immerse yourself in the labyrinth of snow-white lime alleys, don't plan a route, don't open an app. You get lost, find an unexpected view, a tiny chapel, a cat on a staircase. That's the point. And then: the spectacle at the famous blue door. "La casa con la porta blu" in Borgo Antico. Reserve a table at Borgo Antico Bistro, order an Aperol Spritz, and just watch the whole world pass by and stop at that one blue door. One of Italy's most beautiful moments of doing nothing.
Experience the sunset from the city walls – the view over the olive groves to the sea is unforgettable. Eat at Osteria del Tempo Perso, one of the best restaurants in the region.
What I avoid: Leaving the rental car at home. Puglia is best explored on your own.
Monopoli – Puglia's Underrated Gem
Puglia has been discovered for a few years now: Alberobello with its trulli, Lecce with its Baroque, Polignano a Mare with its cliffs. Monopoli is still one step further away from the tourist crowd. The white old town juts directly into the sea. The small harbors where real fishermen still mend their nets. The long sandy beaches north of the city.
When to go? May, June, or September.
What to do? Take an old town stroll along the walls at sunset. Eat at Pescheria sotto casa – fresh fish, straight from the market. Explore the Grotte di Monopoli by boat.
Tropea – Calabria, as almost no one has on their radar
Calabria is the most underrated part of Italy. Tropea is proof of why that's a mistake. The small town clings to a cliff above the Tyrrhenian Sea, the old town sits on a rock plateau, and the water below has that turquoise blue color for which you'd otherwise fly to the Caribbean.
What Tropea also has: the Sanctuary of Santa Maria dell'Isola, which stands on a freestanding rock above the sea and at sunset looks like a backdrop no film director could have imagined. And the red onions. The "Cipolla Rossa di Tropea" is not a side note, it's a town identity: in pasta, in salad, as jam, on bread.
When to go? June or September. In July and August, the beach is crowded, but even then the old town is another world.
What to do? Start the morning with an espresso in Piazza Ercole, the heart of the old town. Visit Santa Maria dell'Isola early, the climb is short, the view unforgettable. And try the Tartufo di Pizzo: the legendary dessert from nearby Pizzo Calabro, served with pistachio ice cream and chocolate crumble. If you want to recreate it at home, you'll find the recipe in my Mangiare-bene-Post.
What I avoid: Treating Tropea as a day trip. Anyone who only has one day won't understand what this place truly is.
Ravello – Music, Gardens and Quiet Happiness
High above Amalfi and Positano, on a mountain spur overlooking the entire Gulf of Salerno, lies Ravello. Smaller than Positano, quieter than Amalfi, and with a silent elegance that immediately slows you down. Richard Wagner composed here, Gore Vidal lived here, and Villa Cimbrone has one of Italy's most beautiful gardens, with a terrace from which you feel like you're standing on the edge of the world.
When to go? In July, the famous Ravello Festival takes place: classical music on the terrace of Villa Rufolo, with the sea as a backdrop. Unforgettable.
What to do? Visit Villa Cimbrone early in the morning before the day visitors arrive. Eat at Cumpa' Cosimo, open since 1929. Simply sit and watch.
What I avoid: Driving up by car. The roads are narrow, your nerves will be shot afterwards. The bus from Amalfi is the better choice.
And now?
Seven places, seven good reasons to book your next flight to Italy. Or the one after that. Or simply mentally pack your bags and ask yourself: Which of these places is waiting for me?
More Dolce Vita: In my recipe guide, you'll find out what you absolutely must eat in Italy. My colleague Rahel tells you what to experience in Rome between aperitivo and the old town in her Girlfriends Guide Rome. And the matching drinks can be found in our Aperitivo Drinks Guide. What to wear is shown in our Dolce Vita Collection and the Bella Italia Collection.
A presto, Italia.
