The Most Stunning Places To Experience In Italy

Italy, widely recognized as one of the most beautiful countries on the planet, is overflowing with stunning places to visit. A visit to Il Bel Paese will reveal much about its rich cultural heritage, various landscapes, and long-standing traditions.

Italy’s ongoing popularity means that many sections of the country are overcrowded. We’ve done our best to cover the most gorgeous areas in Italy while also showcasing some of the unique attractions inside them that can help you avoid (some of) the crowds. Don’t miss out on these one-of-a-kind attractions that highlight the best of Italy’s landscape, culture, and history.

1. Val d’Orcia

Tuscany need little introduction. A region renowned for its stunning scenery, enormous vineyards, and twisting roads lined with cypress trees, it is a spot that everyone want to visit once in their lives.

The Val d’Orcia, south of Siena, is one of our favorite sections of Tuscany to visit, with its picturesque hilltop towns and countless wine farms. Don’t miss the thermal village of Bagno Vignoni, which has a big pool in its central plaza, the wineries near Montalcino that create the region’s famed Brunello red wine, and La Foce, a 15th-century house with one of Italy’s most gorgeous, maintained gardens.

2. Burano

Venice is more than just Saint Mark’s Square. This gorgeous floating metropolis is made up of 118 islands distributed throughout the Venetian Lagoon. Board a vaporetto and travel north through the lagoon to Burano, a little fisherman’s island with candy-colored cottages, lace workshops, and narrow lanes.

Don’t miss visiting the leaning tower in the center piazza and having lunch at one of Burano’s trattorias, which serve local specialties like sardines, fish risotto, and bussolai (traditional pastries). Mazzorbo, a tranquil agricultural island with a tiny vineyard growing artichokes and grapes, is also accessible via footbridge.

3. Tuscia

The majesty of Rome often overshadows the Lazio region, which is full of fascinating attractions worth a day trip. Tuscia, a historic Etruscan stronghold located a couple of hours north, is an ideal destination for those looking to avoid the crowds while still enjoying cultural and natural sites.

palace Farnese a Caprarola, a pentagonal 16th-century palace, is home to spectacular Renaissance frescoes, while the nearby Villa Lante in Bagnaia boasts exquisite gardens with water elements. The area has a lot to offer, from Viterbo’s hot baths to the lakeside towns of Lago di Bolsena. Don’t miss Civita di Bagnoregio, a storybook settlement perched atop a tufa rock foundation that appears hanging over a large valley.

4. Costa degli Dei

If you want to avoid the congested streets of Positano, drive south to Calabria’s Costa degli Dei, or Coast of the Gods. As the name implies, this pristine coastline is an otherworldly marvel, complete with crystal-clear turquoise sea and soft, sandy beaches. Tropea, a hilltop hamlet overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, is the undisputed ‘jewel’ of the shoreline, with stunning vistas reminiscent of Slim Aarons.

Adventurers will like Marina di Zambrone (which involves a trek to access the beach), while Capo Vaticano features beach clubs with loungers available for hire.

5. Alta Murgia

Matera’s lunar landscapes were once considered the’shame of Italy’ because to its troglodyte caves and inadequate infrastructure, but they are gradually becoming one of southern Italy’s top attractions. Spend a couple of nights in the city before heading over the enormous Murgia park to smaller villages like Altamura, known for its local bread manufacture, and Gravina in Puglia, with its lush valleys.

Nature lovers will enjoy hiking, cycling, and birdwatching on the park’s limestone plateaus, while history buffs will want to visit Castel del Monte, a 13th-century octagonal fortress with soaring views of the surrounding environment.

6. Sorrentine Peninsula

The Sorrentine Peninsula, one of the world’s most popular honeymoon locations, is without a doubt one of Italy’s, if not the world’s, most beautiful places. This gorgeous length of coastline, which encompasses the Amalfi Coast and the Sorrento Coast, is home to dozens of well-known beach towns, cliffside villages, rocky bays, and sandy coves that embody the essence of la dolce vita. It’s difficult to avoid the throng, but you’ll find more space – and people – in villages like Cetara, known for its anchovy production, and Vietri sul Mare, famous for its pottery.

7. Villa Romana del Casale

Sicily, the Mediterranean’s largest island, is a genuine microcosm of Italy, with civilizations rising and falling over millennia. As a result, it is brimming with ancient Greek and Roman artifacts, ranging from temples and theaters to ornamental estates.

Villa Romana del Casale, located in Piazza Armerina (a tiny village in central Sicily), is one of them. This enormous, 4th-century palace is well renowned for its well-preserved mosaics, the ‘Bikini Girl’, which represent young women playing sports and exercising—an exceptionally uncommon depiction that challenges gender roles and preconceptions of the time.

8. La Strada del Sagrantino

Italy, as one of the world’s largest wine producers and consumers, has vineyards all across the country. Instead of visiting more famous places, why not discover Umbria’s rich wine tradition on your next trip? Sagrantino, a full-bodied red wine produced near Montefalco, complements the region’s flavorful food, which includes wild boar, black truffles, and gingerbread with candied fruits. The Sagrantino Wine Trail, with its undulating hills and autumn colors, is every bit as picturesque as Chianti or Le Langhe. Todi, Spoleto, and Assisi are all nearby wonderful medieval towns to visit.

9. Riviera del Conero

Le Marche, located on Italy’s eastern coast, boasts a long and gorgeous shoreline along the Adriatic Sea, as well as fewer tourists. Its centerpiece is the Conero National Park, a nature reserve with 18 kilometers of trails and cliffs overlooking isolated beaches where you may swim in crystal clear water. La Spiaggia delle Due Sorelle (‘Beach of the Two Sisters’) is the park’s most picturesque bay, named after two enormous rock formations that emerge from the sea. Ferries depart from Numana’s port to transport you there via sea.

10. Residences of the Royal House of Savoy

The House of Savoy in Piedmont erected a collection of 22 palaces and castles, including some of the most opulent homes ever built on Italian territory. The House of Savoy was a European royal dynasty that governed from the 11th century until 1946, when the monarchy was dissolved.

The Savoys, an extraordinarily wealthy and important family, erected multiple estates to accommodate their members, enjoy leisure pursuits, and hold political gatherings. The most well-known venue is the 17th-century Venaria Reale, sometimes known as the ‘Versailles of Italy’, due to its great hall with exquisite stucco decorations and checkered floors.