The best alternatives to 8 Italian hot spots

Italy’s heavyweight cultural heritage, staggering natural beauty, historic city centers, jewellike islands and unbeatable cuisine make it a magnet for tourists the world over. Which also means that its most popular areas, such as Venice, the Amalfi Coast and Florence, can become overwhelmed with masses of people during the high season, causing headaches for residents and visitors alike.

While we shouldn’t avoid those spots because of the crowds – they’re popular for a reason, and there are ways to visit them conscientiously – another option is simply to go somewhere else.

Beyond the famed cities and sights, you can explore the history, flavors and communities that continue to draw eager visitors to Italy. You’ll never replicate a place – there’s only one Colosseum after all – but when you focus on the particular attractions of a famous locale, you can often discover a comparable town with its own twist. Check out these suggestions and cruise canals in Treviso, linger on beaches in Lerici and find other alter egos for Italy's top destinations.

1. Instead of Venice, try Treviso

Best for canals, museums and cicchetti

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Treviso’s walkable centro storico (historic center) is woven with cobbled lanes and crossed by canals, which date back to the 15th century and give the city its Little Venice moniker. You won’t be getting a gondola or vaporetto in this inland city, but you can get a taste of the food, culture and history of the Veneto.

Beautiful churches await, both the Chiesa di San Nicolò, a frescoed and bomb-scarred Gothic church first built in the 13th century, and the imposing Duomo. Cultural highlights include 20th-century art at the Museo Luigi Bailo and the fascinating collection of advertising materials in the Museo Collezione Salce, housed in the deconsecrated church of Santa Margherita. 

While meandering through an alley or across the dramatic Piazza dei Signori, stop for a drink – prosecco, produced nearby, is the tipple of choice, or a spritz – and some cicchetti (Venetian tapas). And don’t leave without gobbling a tiramisu; the world-famous dessert was invented right here.

Planning tip: Treviso is well placed for day trips to Padua, prosecco country, or Venice itself, just 40km (25 miles) away.

2. Instead of Florence, try Lucca

Best for city walls, Renaissance architecture and Tuscan cuisine

To step inside Lucca’s Renaissance-era walls is to be thrust almost immediately back in time. Built as the fortified capital of the medieval Republic of Lucca, the city makes for perfect strolling territory today.

Take in all 360 degrees of the Piazza dell’Anfiteatro; the Roman amphitheater after which it’s named is no more, but the piazza has retained its elliptical shape. After a coffee at one of the bars here, head to the Cattedrale di San Martino. Lucca’s cathedral was built between the 13th and 15th centuries, and is home to the Volto Santo di Lucca (Holy Face of Lucca). This wooden carving of Christ has been dated to the 8th or 9th century, making it the oldest wooden sculpture in the Western world.

For your fill of local cuisine, look for tordelli lucchese: this extra meaty pasta is filled with beef or pork, soaked bread, pine nuts, raisins and spices, and is typically served in a meat ragù.

Planning tip: If you have a car, make sure to park outside the city walls to avoid hefty fines – and consider a trip to the hills around Lucca, quilted with olive groves and vineyards. Book ahead for tastings at the many wineries.

3. Instead of Lago di Garda, try Lago d’Iseo

Best for boating, sparkling wine and outdoor adventure

Roughly halfway between its cousins Garda and Como, Lago d’Iseo snakes north from Sarnico and Iseo (the lake’s capital and largest town) to picturesque Lovere. The Alps serve as the backdrop, while Monte Isola – literally "Mount Island" – rises out of the lake’s center. The island and verdant hills fringing Lago d’Iseo are rich in opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, traversing via ferrata (mountain trails with cables and ladders) and hang gliding, while the waters themselves allow for swimming, water sports and boat tours.

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The southern end of the lake backs into the Franciacorta wine region, which produces some of Italy’s most prestigious sparkling wine. Unlike prosecco, Franciacorta uses the same traditional bottle-fermentation method as champagne, resulting in a crisp, dry flavor.

Planning tip: You’ll need to narrow down your accommodation and activity options – head to visitlakeiseo.info to get your bearings.

4. Instead of Cinque Terre, try Lerici

Best for beaches, pastel houses and boat trips

Lerici is on the so-called Golfo dei Poeti (Gulf of the Poets), a horseshoe running from here to Porto Venere near the southern tip of the Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre. Take in the views as you walk along the waterfront from San Terenzo, a village at Lerici’s northern end. On one side, you have the lush Ligurian hills behind the town; on the other, the shimmering Mediterranean; and up ahead, Lerici’s San Giorgio castle looks down on its main piazza and out to sea.

While there is a long stretch of public and fee-paying beaches along Lerici’s main frontage, its most enchanting are beyond the castle. Sneak through the pedestrian tunnel underneath to arrive at La Caletta, a small cove fringed by a string of pretty sands.

Planning tip: From the jetty at the piazza, you can take boat trips around the gulf, across to Porto Venere and Palmaria, or around the promontory to Cinque Terre.

5. Instead of Taormina, try Scicli

Best for historic architecture, caves and beaches

Scicli was largely destroyed by an earthquake in 1693 and, like its neighbours Ragusa, Noto and Modica, was rebuilt in the Sicilian baroque style. Particularly interesting examples include the Palazzo Beneventano, whose grotesque stone carvings leer from balconies and niches, and the later Chiesa di San Bartolomeo, which fuses late baroque and neoclassical styles.

Beyond the church lies the cave-dwelling complex of Chiafura, occupied until the 1950s, when the residents were relocated due to the miserable living conditions in the caves. While their former homes can be seen from various vantage points around town, the cave system forms an archaeological site not usually open to the public. However, those interested can visit A Rutta ri Ron Carmelo, a former cave dwelling turned museum.

While Scicli is not on the coast, a short drive brings you to beaches at Donnalucata or Sampieri. The latter, just 10 minutes away, is a glorious 2km (1.25-mile) sweep of golden sand. If you have a spare day, visit nearby Modica and try cioccolato di Modica, an unusual chocolate made using a traditional method that renders the sweet grainy rather than smooth.

6. Instead of San Gimignano, try Urbino

Best for medieval streets, Renaissance art and hilltop views

Urbino’s UNESCO World Heritage–listed historic center is dominated by the 15th-century Palazzo Ducale, commissioned by Duke Federico da Montefeltro. Aside from its astounding Renaissance architecture, the palace is also home to the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche and its collection of art from the period. Look for the likes of Piero della Francesca, Titian and – in particular – Raphael: the Renaissance master was born in Urbino, and his Portrait of a Young Woman hangs here. (For more Raphael, you can also visit his birthplace, now a museum.)

Away from the gallery, wander the evocative cobbled streets of the pedestrianized center, explore the frescoed churches and climb to the Fortezza Albornoz for views over the city and the landscape beyond. When you get hungry, try a crescia sfogliata, the crumbly filled flatbread typical of Urbino.

Planning tip: Time your trip for the first weekend of September to witness the intriguing Festa dell’Aquilone (Kite Festival). The team kite-flying contest is held in a park outside of town, but it’s accompanied by parades and events in the city center.

7. Instead of Alberobello, try Locorotondo

Best for whitewashed homes, views and wine

Puglia’s Valle d’Itria wins admirers for its bucolic landscape, trulli (cone-shaped dwellings) and captivating towns such as Ostuni and Alberobello. Less famed but well worth a visit is Locorotondo, listed as one of the Borghi piu Belli d’Italia (Italy’s Most Beautiful Villages).

Its tiny circular centro storico ("Locorotondo" means "round place") stands guard over the surrounding plains, the cupola and bell tower of its Chiesa Madre di San Giorgio Martire unmistakable against the sky. And the center feels every bit as compact as it looks from the outside, narrow alleyways forming capillaries between the whitewashed townhouses.

Locorotondo is distinguished by its denominazione di origine controllata (controlled denomination of origin, or DOC) white wine. It pairs wonderfully with a Puglian classic like orecchiette con cime di rapa (ear-shaped pasta with turnip tops), to be enjoyed at the leisurely pace befitting southern Italy.

Planning tip: While Locorotondo’s town doesn’t offer the jumbled trulli zone that has made Alberobello Insta-famous, you can still stay in any number of trullo accommodations around the outskirts. Pick one and use it as a base to explore the region.

8. Instead of Positano, try Cetara

Best for seafood, hiking and sunbathing

The village of Cetara manages to retain its fishing-town feel even as the world is ever more magnetized by the beauty of the Amalfi Coast. It’s less lively than Positano or Amalfi, but still offers the quintessential amalfitana experience.

Cetara is best known across Italy for its food, particularly its anchovies and red tuna. Perhaps the most curious innovation with these ingredients is colatura di alici (anchovy drippings), a sauce whose name pretty much explains the production process. The salty-sweet, whiskey-colored liquid is commonly used as an umami dressing for spaghetti.

For active days, hit the hiking routes that snake up into the hills and along the coast. For lazing, head to the town’s beaches. Much of the main beach is occupied by lidi (beach resorts) that charge for entry and an umbrella; if you don’t want to pay, get to the free areas early in the day.

Planning tip: As the beaches are pebbled rather than sandy, a pair of swim shoes is a good idea – especially for children – to prevent slips and bruises.