Poppies bloom in mid-May near the hill town of Trevi, in Umbria.
Photo by Sterling Lanier/Unsplash
This article was originally published in 2024 and most recently updated on August 17, 2026, with current information.
Italy is one of the world’s most visited countries, drawing an estimated 185 million travelers in 2025. It can feel impossible to escape the crowds, but if you’re a bit strategic you can find less busy places in Italy no matter the month. Take it from me: I’ve been living in Rome for more than seven years and have traveled all over the country, from the Dolomites in the north to Sicily in the south. Here are six ways to avoid the crowds in Italy, with tips from Italy travel and tourism experts.
Explore under-the-radar destinations
Italy is made up of 20 regions, some of which have remained blissfully less popular. There are ways to avoid crowds even in ultra-popular Tuscany, but consider as well Umbria, Abruzzo, or Le Marche. And besides having fewer crowds, these places tend to be less expensive than more touristy destinations.
Umbria
Umbria is considered Italy’s green heart. Here, you’ll find charming hill towns like Orvieto, Perugia, and Assisi and rural landscapes where olive trees and fields of sunflowers or poppies blanket the hills and valleys.
Abruzzo
Abruzzo stretches from the Apennine Mountains to the Adriatic Coast and a third of it consists of national parks, including Gran Sasso and Parco Nazionale della Maiella, so it’s an attractive place for hikers, cyclists, and nature lovers, who can hike up to the atmospheric Abbey of Santo Spirito, established in the 13th century by Benedictine monks, cycle the Via Verde bike path along the Trabocchi Coast, and spend a night in a little wooden cabin at Dimore Montane inside the Parco Nazionale della Maiella.
In Orvieto, you’ll find small shops selling hand-crafted pitchers and can visit an impressive cathedral, Duomo di Orvieto.
Photos by Laura Itzkowitz
Le Marche
East of Umbria and north of Abruzzo is the region of Le Marche. Here you’ll find the commune of Urbino, a UNESCO World Heritage site, birthplace of the Renaissance master Raphael, and home to a thriving art school that gives the small city a youthful vitality.
Lazio and Campania regions
Even within more famous regions like Lazio (the region surrounding Rome) and Campania—home to the Amalfi Coast, Capri, and Ischia—“you can still find really original restaurants, bars, and shops, and they’re not gentrified,” says Marie-Louise Sciò, the CEO of Pellicano Hotels. She recommends L’Isola del Pescatore, a little beachfront restaurant in the town of Santa Severa, about an hour by train from Rome, that she says serves the best fish soup.
The island of Ischia, where Pellicano Hotels runs the 57-room Mezzatorre, is an excellent alternative to Capri, with wonderful beaches, thermal hot springs, vineyards such as Casa d’Ambra, and family-run restaurants like Umberto a Mare, which Sciò recommends for romantic seaside dining.
Go beyond the big cities
The hilltop village of Civita di Bagnoregio in central Italy has been voted one of the country’s most beautiful.
Photos by Laura Itzkowitz
Travel writer and tour company owner Elizabeth Heath has lived in an Umbrian village called Allerona for more than 15 years, and she says visiting small towns in Italy is the best way to see a more genuine side of the country. “If people want to get a clearer look at how everyday Italians in these small towns live, how they’re connected to the land and harvest, that’s the kind of experience they can have here that even a medium-sized town like Orvieto can’t offer because it’s got 10,000 people instead of 200,” Heath tells Afar.
Because Italians are passionate advocates of their heritage, there’s an association in charge of protecting and promoting Italy’s small towns and their artistic and cultural heritage. It’s called Borghi più belli d’Italia (the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy) and it has, as of 2026, recognized over 360 villages with the official distinction of being named Italy’s most beautiful villages. A favorite of Heath and Marie-Louise Sciò is Civita di Bagnoregio, known as the “Dying Town” because the tuff hill (a type of volcanic ash rock) on which it stands is slowly eroding, making it look like an island rising out of the valley.
On my side, I love Tropea, an enchanting clifftop village on the Coast of the Gods in the southwestern region of Calabria, said to have been founded by Hercules. And Maratea, named one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, has a charming historic center full of cafés and shops, plus a statue of Christ the Redeemer inspired by the one in Rio de Janeiro. If you’re looking for ideas, spend some time browsing Borghi più belli d’Italia’s site. There’s probably a small town worth visiting near the city you’re flying into.
Seek alternatives to famous attractions
The Hall of Mirrors in the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj dates back to the early 18th century. The palace also contains an impressive collection of Renaissance art.
Photo by Laura Itzkowitz
No one is saying to skip the Coloseum, but if you break free of the bucket-list mentality, you’ll find that there are incredible sights all over Italy that barely get any visitors.
Rome
“I went to Ostia Antica the other day, which is one of the most incredible Roman sights still standing. It was empty,” says Sciò, who’s based in Rome. About 40 minutes outside of Rome, Ostia Antica was a thriving port city during the Roman Empire, and Scio says that the ruins you can see there are just as incredible, if not more so, than what you see at the Roman Forum. Note especially the black-and-white mosaics, some of which depict gods and sea creatures, while others were installed by shop owners to advertise their goods and services.
Another pick? Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, which Sciò says has “one of the most beautiful private collections of Renaissance and Roman art.” Right on Rome’s bustling Via del Corso, this palace owned by the noble Pamphilj family contains works by Raphael and Caravaggio, plus a hall of mirrors inspired by the one at Versailles. And that’s only one example of an ornate palazzo filled with art.
Related: Make the Most of Rome’s Many Charms—Without the Crowds
Amalfi Coast
All over Italy, there are lavish villas and private palaces that have been opened up to the public and they give you a glimpse into many different historical periods. Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone on the Amalfi Coast, for example, date back to the 13th and the 11th century, respectively, but were later renovated.
Milan
In Milan, the Villa Necchi Campiglio is one of the country’s greatest examples of 1930s art deco architecture. Many of these places are preserved and managed by the Fondo Ambiente Italiano (FAI), a nonprofit organization modeled on the National Trust in the United Kingdom.
Book an experience with a local tour company
To gain insight into Italy’s most compelling destinations, book with a local tour company. You’ll see more and be introduced to insiders who make the destinations come to life.
Villaggio Tours
Heath and her husband, Paolo Marchetti, launched Villaggio Tours in 2023 to give travelers an immersive experience in their village of Allerona—designated one of the Borghi più belli d’Italia—and give the town a bit of an economic boost, too. Over the course of a week, a small group of travelers might forage for mushrooms or partake in the olive harvest, learn to make pottery in Orvieto, take a cooking class with Marchetti’s mother, and go on a day trip to Civita di Bagnoregio, the aforementioned Dying Town.
They’re slowly expanding their tour offerings to include visits to other small towns they’ve fallen in love with, such as Giglio, a small island off the coast of Tuscany, and Bolzano and Ortisei in the Dolomites. The pair also renovated a six-room guesthouse in Allerona, which you can stay at even if you’re not participating in one of their tours.
Stellavision Travel
Stellavision Travel, meanwhile, was founded by Rome-based Canadian Zoe Shapiro with a mission of showing travelers the real Italy beyond the stereotypes. Stellavision’s small group trips focus on places like Puglia (the “heel” of Italy’s boot) and the Aeolian Islands off the coast of Sicily. The boutique feminist travel company also centers the voices of marginalized groups by organizing size-inclusive trips to southern Italy and offering experiences such as a walking tour that focuses on women in ancient Rome.
Imago Artis Travel
Another top operator to know is Imago Artis Travel, founded by art historians Fulvio De Bonis, his wife Alessia Tortora, and their friend Chiara Di Muoio. On a recent trip to Sardinia, my husband and I joined one of their guides for a fascinating tour of Nora, a Roman archaeological site near Cagliari, and on past trips they’ve organized tours for me of the Sassi di Matera ancient cave dwellings and the baroque city of Lecce. They also excel in gaining access to exclusive places, like the historic headquarters of the Knights of Malta in Rome or the home of a noblewoman for a watercolor class or an aperitivo on her rooftop terrace overlooking the city.
The same family has run the opulent Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria in Sorrento for almost 200 years.
Photos by Laura Itzkowitz
Look for boutique accommodations
Italy has plenty of luxurious hotels by big-name brands, but there are also lots of incredible family-run boutique hotels all over the country. At these smaller places, you’re likely to meet the owners and get their personal recommendations and insider tips.
The Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria in Sorrento is a good example. Opened in 1834, it’s been continuously run by the Fiorentino family for more than 190 years. On a recent trip there, I took the recommendation of fifth-generation owner Guido Fiorentino and bought a beautiful inlaid wood box from his favorite artisan.
Sciò has two picks: Hotel La Perla in the Dolomites, an intimate mountain chalet founded by Annie and Ernesto Costa in the 1950s that’s now run by their sons, and Corte della Maestà in Civita di Bagnoregio. “There’s so much personality,” she says, referring to La Perla. “There’s a vision, there’s a point of view, and the location is absolutely amazing.”
I love the hotels by Collezione Em, a small family-run hospitality company with four- and five-star hotels in Florence, Venice, and Forte dei Marmi on the Tuscan coast. Violino d’Oro in Venice and Pensione America in Forte dei Marmi are small and intimate, which allows the staff to give guests lots of personal attention, but I’m also a fan of the 97-room Grand Hotel Minerva in Florence, which was renovated by midcentury master Carlo Scarpa in the 1950s and has a fabulous rooftop pool bar.
Related: Do You Tip in Italy? Sometimes—Here’s When and How Much to Give
Go in the off season
If you don’t mind the cold, the best time to visit Italy to avoid the crowds is November, especially in cities like Rome, Florence, and Venice, where the low season seems to be getting ever shorter. From November through March—and especially January and February—you’ll find fewer tourists, lower hotel rates, and more available last-minute restaurant reservations, too. I love January in Rome, when there are lots of crisp, clear days and fewer crowds. Heath concurs: “I was in Venice in January and it was wonderful.”
Shoulder season (that is, spring and fall) is a good compromise if you want nice, sunny weather and relatively fewer crowds than in the summer. “Personally, I love September, October, and May to travel in Italy,” says Sciò. Those months are especially good times to visit coastal destinations like the Amalfi Coast, the Italian Riviera, Puglia, and Sicily, since Italians flock to seaside destinations in July and August. And the water temperatures in Southern Italy remain warm long after the crowds have gone; you can swim happily until mid-October.
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