Italian islands

Between Burano and Sant’Erasmo sits a tiny island almost entirely occupied by a working Franciscan monastery.

Sicily remains one of Italy’s favourite summer destinations, thanks to its sweeping beaches, hilltop villages and dramatic scenery, but also because of its climate. Rising temperatures linked to climate change are reshaping Mediterranean summers, and each month now brings slightly different conditions.

Each year, the Blue Flag award becomes a valuable guide for those planning their vacation and wanting to know which beaches in Sicily have the Blue Flag. The criteria also evaluate purification, safety, accessibility, waste management, and environmental stewardship. Here is the list of all the 2026 Blue Flags in Sicily, including the awarded locations, what's new compared to last year, and the beaches to keep an eye on.

There are places in Sardinia where the sand seems to set the sea alight.

Sardinia is consistently among the top destinations for luxury vacations in Italy. In recent years, several locations in the northwest, southwest, and the Cagliari metropolitan area have seen significant increases in house prices per square meter.

You step off the boat and notice what isn’t there. No streetlights waiting for dusk, no glare once the sun drops. On this small Italian island, evenings still end with a torch in hand, and the darkness lifts the Milky Way into sharp focus. Away from the busier Aeolian routes, the island rewards those willing to explore on foot or by boat, through pebble coves, clear seabeds and conservation projects rooted in the Mediterranean itself.

A triangular island in the middle of Lake Bolsena, crowned by a white dome rising above holm oaks and hiding a subterranean chamber linked to Dante, has reopened to visitors. This privately owned island in Italy is not simply a scenic lake excursion. At its core lies an underground chamber once associated with eternal punishment and later used as a prison for clerics accused of heresy.

The "South Working Sicilia" plan represents an ambitious challenge to transform the region from a land of emigration to a land of attraction. With concrete financial support of €30,000 and clear rules, Sicily is ready to lead the smart working revolution in Italy. Let's discover the details of the IRFIS announcement, which allocates significant resources to encourage the return of talent and the attraction of smart workers to the island.

Venice’s controversial tourist entry fee is back for 2026, and this time it covers even more dates.

If there’s one place in Italy that consistently lives up to the hype when it comes to the sea, it’s Sardinia.

Italy’s islands have long drawn buyers looking for privacy, sea views and architectural character in one package.

When people search for the best places to visit in southern Italy, they’re usually picturing cliffside villages and turquoise water.

Are you considering retiring in Italy? Sicily is one of the most attractive destinations for UK pensioners in 2026. With its stunning landscapes, mild climate, rich culture, and lower cost of living, the island offers a high quality of life.

The Aeolian Islands sit off the northern coast of Sicily, scattered across the Tyrrhenian Sea like a chain of volcanic stepping stones.

Sicily sits at the centre of Italy’s 1‑euro house movement.

Private islands in Italy sound wildly extravagant, but a handful do quietly pop up on the market now and again. Most are steeped in history, come with planning strings attached, and are far more about stewardship than flashy luxury.

Interest in 1-euro houses in Sicily hasn’t faded in 2026.

If you’ve spent any time scrolling “1 euro house Italy” on YouTube, you’ve probably seen 1-euro house schemes in Sardinia pop up a lot.

If you’re curious about 1 euro houses in Sardinia in 2026, this map is the quickest way to see where the main opportunities are clustered. It highlights the Sardinian villages connected to the €1 house scheme based on information from the €1 house website.

If you’re dreaming of a fixer‑upper in the sun, looking at the 1 euro houses in Sicily in 2026 is a great place to start, as the island now has the highest concentration of €1 house schemes in Italy.

Italy has around 450 islands, but most travellers only ever set foot on a handful of them. Once you step away from the celebrity favourites, you find places that are still largely the domain of fishermen, hikers and those in the know.

Ischia is one of those places that quietly gets under your skin.

If you take a boat out into the Venice lagoon, there is a small, low island that slips by on the horizon, half‑hidden behind trees and crumbling brick.

Once you have done the classic Murano and Burano loop, the Venetian lagoon starts to open up in more interesting ways.

Venice looks like a single fairy‑tale city floating on the water, but it is really a whole cluster of little islands stitched together by bridges.