The Most Beautiful (and Under the Radar) Places to Visit In Italy

While the risk of tumbling rocks means you can no longer stroll the elegant switchback bends that make up Via Krupp, that doesn’t stop the view at the top from being any less spectacular. Head up to the Augustus Gardens and gaze out at the best of Capri laid before you.

Not only is San Cassiano the epitome of alpine charm (think wooden-clad chalets with castle-like turrets), but it’s also home to a rich Ladin culture and a consequently authentic South Tyrolean experience. Soak it all in from a rustic-luxe loft suite at Rosa Alpina.

Serving up some of the country’s best gelato (an accolade that isn’t given out freely), an afternoon in San Gimignano is always one well spent. The hilltop town provides a relaxed antidote to the bustle of Siena and with its enchanting views across the cypress-topped hillsides, it feels a million miles from city life.

Tucked away in a quiet cove and joined onto the mainland by just a narrow strip of land, Isola Bella is a pinprick of an island with more than its fair share of natural beauty. So-called ‘The Pearl of the Ionian Sea’, wait for low tide before heading across the island to discover hidden sea grottoes and pebbled beaches in a place that will feel all your own.

Delicately perched on the cliff face, equidistant from Amalfi and Positano and just a short drive from the effortless romance of Ravello, Praiano is my go-to whenever I visit this sun-drenched stretch of coastline. Not just for the saunters down to secluded coves or the glasses of prosecco at beachside bars in Vivaro and Fioriere, but for a stay at Casa Angelina where the crisp decor and serene views always leave you floating on cloud nine.

Bologna is one of those places that really comes into its own come sunrise and sunset. Clad in terracotta, the shifting sun adds a whole new dimension to the city as those red hues are lifted and bathed in a golden light, most befitting of the city nicknamed ‘La Rossa’.

Puglia has long been a favorite of mine and each time I visit, I love to get to know it better. A few years ago, my curiosity took me into the tiny village of Ostuni and what I found there has brought me back ever since. A white-washed hilltop town, it could be Greece on first glance but come around 8 or 9PM in the summer, when local families spill out onto the street to enjoy a meal al fresco in the balmy evening sun; you’re left in no doubt that this is Italy at its purest.

Tucked away behind the Chiesa Santa Maria della Salute, the cultural hub of Dorsoduro is a taste of the real Venice; that of the locals. The quiet streets lend themselves to an arty crowd, and bring a feeling of relaxed charm. Be sure to stop by the Gallerie dell’Accademia and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection before bedding down at Ca Maria Adele.

Everyone always talks about Bellagio when it comes to Como, but that’s only because they haven’t been to Varenna. Overlooking the Lake’s most famous town, this quiet neighbor has an unpretentious charm with its old fishermen’s houses and picturesque waterfront.

Rolling effortlessly off the tongue, you need only say ‘Locorotondo’ to feel the allure of this beautiful Apulian village. This is not a town of grand attractions or famous tales, but that’s what makes it so irresistible. Calm and quiet, lose yourself in the myriad of side streets of a town that time forgot.

A jumble of pastel buildings, set overlooking the azure hues of sky meets sea and framed by tumbling geraniums and bougainvillea, Santa Margherita is that scene straight out of a '50s postcard. Brightly painted fishing boats bob gently in the harbor to complete the scene.

In a city synonymous with slick design and effortless style, Brera typifies what it is to be Milano. A bohemian neighborhood of decades gone by, Brera now drips with sophistication. Pull up a chair at one of the al fresco spots on Piazza del Carmine and enjoy an aperitivo in what is easily one of Milan’s most attractive neighborhoods.

Camogli is the Riviera that the world forgot. You’ll find the same steep hillsides and pastel hued homes of the Cinque Terre, but what you won’t find are the crowds. Just sleepy enough to feel undiscovered but with enough local life and quaint trattorias to easily while away the days, this is a place to go before everyone else.

Limestone cliffs pockmarked as the surface of the moon, walking through the sassi neighborhoods of Matera has an almost otherworldly feel to it. Hewn out of the rock, the city is testament to regeneration with subterranean tunnels that once housed the poor and now takes the shape of UNESCO World Heritage sites, museums and luxury hotels. Stay for the night or just for an aperitivo; Materia is living history.

Set to a backdrop of verdant hillsides and conical volcanoes, the beauty of the bay of Rinella is that peculiar kind, born out of contrast. Volcanic sands the color of night, are lapped by those aquamarine Mediterranean waters and perfectly offset by the pastel pink, blue, and white hues of the seafront villages.

While many will stop at the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, continue uphill past the Piazzale di Michelangelo to the smaller, more intimate Basilica San Miniato. Clad in the same multi-colored marble of Santa Maria, the two may seem much the same at first but what sets San Miniato apart is the sweeping view that extends from the doorway over the city below.

Arriving at Villa Cimbrone feels a bit like arriving at a grand party hosted by the Montagues or the Capulets. Faced with a towering set of doors, step through into this tranquil estate and stroll through the manicured gardens before coming to rest at the aptly named Terrace of Infinity, overlooking the Amalfi Coast in all its glory.

This Renaissance hill town is pretty idyllic no matter where you are, but for some of the most picture-perfect views of the Tuscan countryside, head to the Church of San Biagio located just below the city walls. Come autumn, when the sun sets and reflects off the crisping leaves; the sight is pure magic.