Where to go in September for a beach holiday without the crowds: the south when the tourists leave

If you're wondering where to go in September for a beach holiday without the crowds, the simplest answer is to look south. Between the last week of August and the first days of September, something happens that changes everything: schools reopen, holidays end, the beach umbrellas thin out. But the sea doesn't know it. Sicily, Sardinia, Calabria and Apulia have been storing up heat for three months, and in September the water stays between 23 and 26 degrees, peaking at 28-29 early in the month on the Ionian coasts, where the shallow seabeds hold on to the summer warmth. In practice: the same swim as August, half the people, prices 30-40% lower.

When to go

The first half of the month is the best window. The second stays glorious but more variable, and on coasts exposed to the mistral the sea can turn choppy: it's worth keeping an eye on the forecast and choosing the right coast day by day. The beauty is that in September you can finally combine beach and culture without the stifling heat that in August makes it impossible to walk among the ruins at midday.

Region by region

**Sicily.** In August Cefalù is a bottleneck; in September it becomes breathable again and you can climb the Rocca for the megalithic walls and the pre-Hellenic little temple of Diana, then go down for a swim below the Norman cathedral in the low afternoon light. On the western side, the lagoon of the Stagnone offers one of the finest sunsets in the Mediterranean: take an hour for the salt pans of Marsala and the Phoenician island of Mozia, when the pink salt and the windmills glow orange. Further south, just a stone's throw from the beaches of Selinunte and the mouth of the Belice, the Cave di Cusa quarries tell of where the Greek temples came from: column drums left half-cut, perfect to visit in the cool of the morning before the sea.

**Sardinia.** The Sinis peninsula is the realm of quartz beaches, and in September Is Arutas and Mari Ermi lose the crush without losing their colour. A few minutes from the sand, Tharros overlooking the sea of Cabras lets you walk among Roman hinges and baths with the wind and few other visitors: archaeology with your feet almost in the water is exactly what September makes possible.

**Calabria.** It's the region that most rewards those who arrive late. On the Ionian coast, at Crotone, the surviving column of Capo Colonna keeps watch over a headland with coves and seabeds still warm at the end of the month. A little further down, near the beaches of Riace and Monasterace, the Cattolica di Stilo is a Byzantine gem with five domes, well worth the detour from inland to coast. On the Tyrrhenian side, a quarter of an hour from the sea of Tropea and Capo Vaticano, the Grotte di Zungri carved into the sandstone form a cool, shady cave settlement, ideal in the hottest hours. In the far south, above the marinas of the Locride, Gerace dominates the coast from its crag, while in the Greek-speaking area Bova, where the Greek of Calabria is still spoken, looks out over the Ionian from a balcony of stone.

**Apulia.** On the coast of Fasano, Egnazia, with its Messapian and Roman ruins on the sea, is visited in the open air, walking between the Adriatic and the paving stones: in September the site is almost empty and beside it you'll find the coves of Savelletri. In the Salento, the mosaic of the Tree of Life in Otranto can be enjoyed without a queue, and the town becomes a real seaside town again as soon as the tour groups thin out. Further south, near the marinas of the Salento's Ionian coast, the Crypt of the Crucifix at Ugento is a frescoed cave sanctuary a few kilometres from beaches that become breathable again in September.

Practical tips

One practical tip to close on: book only a little in advance, choose accommodation in the villages just behind the coast (they cost less and in September you can park anywhere), and keep two beach options, one Ionian and one Tyrrhenian, so you can follow the wind. September in the south is the month when the sea is still summer and everything else is already autumn: the perfect combination for anyone chasing warm water without the crush.

Practical guides for Roma

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• What to see in Roma in 2 days
• Where to eat in Roma
• How to get to Roma