Where to go in September without the crowds

September has quietly become the traveller's favourite month. The summer crowds retreat, the light softens into that low, golden slant photographers chase, and the Mediterranean holds on to its August warmth for weeks. Across Southern Europe, prices ease, restaurants slow down, and the villages that felt overrun in July regain their rhythm.

For culture, this is the ideal moment to walk the historic centres of Bologna, Palermo or Matera without queueing, or to explore lesser-known Italian art cities like Ascoli Piceno and Ravenna at a civilised pace. Nature lovers will find the Dolomites and the Apennines at their most photogenic, with the first hints of autumn colour along the trails and vineyards heavy with fruit. For a final swim, Puglia's Salento coast, Sardinia's Costa Verde or the smaller Aeolian Islands still deliver warm water and empty coves.

Under-tourism is a matter of geography: shift ten kilometres inland from the postcard spots and you often find the same landscape, without the queue.

Tip of the month

Aim for the second half of September. Once European schools reopen mid-month, availability opens up dramatically at boutique hotels and agriturismi, and ferry crossings to the smaller islands are noticeably calmer.