Are crowds really necessary to feel as though you are on holiday?

One of Salento’s most recognisable scenes has changed pace. Entry to Grotta della Poesia and the archaeological area of Roca Vecchia now requires a ticket.

How relevant can the art of getting lost still be? In Italy, more than you might think. Across lagoon islands, historic parks and Alpine settings, mazes are once again becoming places to experience, photograph and talk about. The following selection, covering Venice, Parma and Verona, brings together five mazes recognised for their appeal, history and originality, already popular with families and enthusiasts.

A car-free village reached only by cable car, a queen’s castle overlooking glaciers, a village reshaped around esoteric symbols, and crotti where cold air blows out from deep inside the rock. The Italian Alps hold small worlds with strong identities, where the setting is not merely a backdrop: it finds its way into homes, food and daily habits.

A village of stone houses, a bell tower rising from the sumac bushes, and the sound of water still flowing along the valley floor. It looks like a movie set from another era, but it's real: Cunziria, an ancient 19th-century tannery village near Vizzini, in the province of Catania.

Can people still live in a village with no roads, where the sea is the only way in and night is properly dark?On the south-western side of Stromboli, that is everyday life. One village is cut off by steep slopes and volcanic rock, so no cars, no scooters, no constant background noise.

In Taormina, a terrace overlooking Mount Etna and the Ionian Sea leads to a house where art has coexisted with daily life for over a century. Here, the brushes, notebooks, and gazes of giants like Pablo Picasso and Ernest Hemingway have intersected, in a creative laboratory that has shaped the Sicilian imagination. Today, that house, Casa Cuseni, is a living museum that can be visited only by reservation and in small groups, allowing visitors to truly enter the rooms and avoid being left behind a red rope.

Summer 2026 could be the perfect opportunity to choose Italian islands where mass tourism doesn't dictate the agenda. These are destinations that still thrive on authenticity, offering essential services but memorable experiences. Here, then, are five "off-the-beaten-path" destinations for those seeking a truly carefree vacation, with helpful tips for arriving prepared and enjoying every day without the crowds.

The prospect of a second home, a property investment, a move away from the city or a fresh start can feel a little closer with €1 homes near the sea in 2026. The scheme to sell homes at a symbolic price began in the early 2000s. It was a bold challenge taken up by local authorities to give historic centres a new lease of life, encourage the renovation of abandoned homes, attract new residents and support local businesses.

On Lake Como, there is a place where the sound of motorboats fades away, and only the water remains. The steep slopes shape the scene: houses clinging to the rock, narrow lanes, old mule tracks and a gorge where two streams meet before plunging towards the lake. The result is a striking orrido – a steep, narrow ravine – with a waterfall dropping for more than 200 metres and a stone bridge reached via a long staircase. It is a break along the road between Como and Bellagio, with a lesser-known extra just above the village: Onzanigo and the Val de Tuf.