If you’re thinking of visiting Italy and want to make sure that you see the best it has to offer and avoid the hype, look no further. Here are Italy’s Most Underrated and Overrated Destinations.
First up are the most underrated.
1. Castelli Romani.
Castelli Romani is a series of 14 small towns southeast of Rome in the Alban Hills. Each little town has its own distinct beauty and strong points, be it the Volcanic Lake of Nemi, or the Lake Di Albano, the bread from Genzano, the roast pig from Ariccia, or the beautiful park in Frascati, its easy to see why the Pope’s have their summer home here and also why it’s one of Rome’s best-kept secrets.
2. Urbino.
Urbino is a walled city in the Marche region of Italy, Urbino is similar to Tuscany but cheaper and with about a quarter of the tourists. Rich in history and art, walking through its streets will take you back 600 years to the Renaissance then you can sit at one of its many restaurants to try its trademark pasta and wine, Strozzapreti, and Verdicchio white wine.
3. Procida.
Procida is a little island off the coast of Naples. If you are looking for the old romantic Italy, white sand beaches, colorful fishing boats in a quaint harbor, and a rainbow of houses lining the streets, then Procida is the place to go, Procida is like Capri but without the Jet-set, no designer shops or fancy spas, just traditional Italian beauty without the glitter on top.
4. Arcipelago Di La Maddalena.
The Maddalena archipelago is a group of seven islands in the Strait of Bonifacio, only three of them are inhabited, Caprera, Santo Stefano, and Maddalena, Maddalena is also a national park, its beautiful coastline, hospitable people, and ancient fortifications are just some of the reasons its a popular holiday destination for the Italians, especially among boaters.
5. Turin.
Turin is a different side of Italy, unlike the romantic towns that represent the simple slower lifestyle of fishermen and farmers, Turin is the industrial side of Italy, where the rich built their palaces, the religious built their cathedrals, and the studious built their museums. Turin has so much to offer that you’ll need at least 2 to 3 days there just to begin to appreciate it.
Now The Most Overrated!
1. Milan.
Milan may be famous for fashion but the city itself is rather depressing, most of its architecture was destroyed during WWII, and of what is left, only The Milan Cathedral is really worth a visit but even that feels a little too modern. In Milan, it seems that the weather, the architecture, and the cuisine strive to be noticed by differing from the Italian norm but end up being a little too dull to really stand out.
2. Capri.
Capri is beautiful but its popularity with the rich and famous has damaged it greatly, It gives the feeling of an exclusive club with a dress code to get in. If you aren’t rich, you probably won’t feel comfortable and if you are rich, seeing so many cookie-cutter versions of yourself will probably make you feel uncomfortable too! especially when you can visit Procida and get the Caprician experience without having to deal with Capricious people.
3. Trieste.
Trieste is one e short of triste which means sad in Italian and this is, in fact, a rather good description of the city. Trieste has a high living standard, it’s popular with students and researchers, it’s plagued by the Bora, a cold wind coming from the north that can reach speeds of up to 80mph (129kph) and can last for days, its architecture is large and yet oddly unimpressive, and it is also one of the safest cities in the world. If you are thinking of living here then it is probably the ideal location, but for a vacation, Trieste is a little too, Triste.
4. Costa Smeralda.
The Emerald Coast is another one of those locations that became popular with the extremely rich and famous and has now become the go-to place for the “not-so” rich and famous and the “We’d like people to think we’re” rich and famous. Prices are high all year round but in August they become abusive. This gives you the feeling of a place that isn’t really Italian but has been made to look Italian, like little Italy in New York or Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, what the Emerald Coast has gained in notoriety it has lost in authenticity, and what once was a Gem is now nothing more than cut glass!
5. Cortona.
Cortona became famous because of the book Under The Tuscan Sun. It is now visited by thousands of people trying to relive the story and search out the locations mentioned within the book’s pages, this may all seem very romantic, but the truth is that quaint towns like Cortona are dotted all over Italy and when compared to them, Cortona doesn’t really have anything special to offer, unless of course, you enjoy walking down old stones streets with hundreds of other tourists.
Have you been to any of these places? Comment Below!
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