Terme Luigiane: The Free Pools of Acquappesa Between Citrus Groves and Sulfur

Tyrrhenian coast of the Cosenza province, Calabria

September in the South — When the Mediterranean Belongs to You Alone

In September southern Italy offers warm sea, silent villages and lower prices. From Calabria to Puglia, here's where to live out a crowd-free summer's end.

Almost deserted

The Way of San Francesco di Paola, from the coast to the sanctuary

On the Tyrrhenian coast of the Cosenza province, in Calabria, a devotional route that climbs from the sea to the hills up to the sanctuary of the patron saint of Calabria. It is walked almost only by local pilgrims and is nearly unknown to international tourism.

Sila

Upper Tyrrhenian coast of the Cosenza province, Calabria

Calabria Railway: The Little Train That Climbs to the Sila Through Forests of Black Pine

From Cosenza to San Giovanni in Fiore on narrow-gauge rails: a forgotten journey across the greenest, most solitary plateau of southern Italy.

Almost deserted

The Riviera dei Cedri at a slow pace, between Diamante and Aieta

On the upper Tyrrhenian coast of the Cosenza province, in Calabria, a coastline of villages between murals and citron groves. It stays out of the way compared to the noisier destinations of the South because many people cross it only in a rush on the way to somewhere else.

Sila Plateau, Calabria

The Sila Parks Cycle Route among the lakes

On the Sila plateau, in Calabria, you pedal among giant pines and high-altitude mountain lakes. A cool, wooded Calabria almost no one imagines, far from the crowded beaches and travelled by very few cyclists.

Sila plateau, Calabria

The little train of the Sila: narrow gauge from Camigliatello to San Nicola

On the Sila plateau, in Calabria, a vintage tourist railway crosses pine forests and highland lakes. It stays off the radar because it runs only on certain days and periods, far from the mass routes of the coast.

Sila National Park, Cosenza

More destinations to discover

Haute-Savoie, Lac d'Annecy

The Sentiero Italia Across the Sila Grande

In the Sila National Park, in the province of Cosenza, the Sentiero Italia crosses pine forests, lakes and the monumental Giants of the Sila. A Calabrian plateau with a Nordic air, far from the seaside routes and almost always deserted.

Jun 30, 2026

Talloires, the Lake Annecy village that won over Cézanne and Mark Twain

An 11th-century abbey, the birth of colour photography, and a visit from Mark Twain: Talloires has long cultivated a quieter kind of tourism than the opposite shore of the lake.

Marina di Alberese, Maremma Park, Tuscany

Marina di Alberese: the only beach in the Maremma Park, without a single building in sight

Inside the Maremma Regional Park, Alberese beach is one of the most unspoiled stretches of sandy coast left in Tuscany, protected precisely because it's so rare.

Follonica, Maremma, Tuscany

Follonica: from grand-ducal ironworks to pine forests on the gulf, gateway to the Colline Metallifere

Built up around one of Europe's largest 19th-century ironworks, Follonica today is beaches and pine forests on its namesake gulf, with the Colline Metallifere hills rising behind it.

Punta Ala, Maremma, Tuscany

Punta Ala: the planned Maremma pine forest, between golf, sailing and the Sparviero islet

Once called Punta Troia, renamed in the 1930s and developed as a resort mostly from the 1970s onward: Punta Ala is the Maremma's most organised stretch, with pine forests and a modern marina.

Campese, Isle of Giglio, Tuscany

Campese: the longest beach on the Isle of Giglio, watched over by a 16th-century tower

On the north-western coast of Giglio, the bay of Campese is framed by a coastal tower built for Cosimo I against Saracen raids: today just sunsets and water that keeps changing colour.

Lesser-known, from our blog

Altre guide poco linkate dal nostro blog, per continuare a esplorare.

Viterbo

Bullicame di Viterbo: Where Dante Found the Boiling Water of Hell

Dante cited it in the Inferno, the Romans came here for cures: Viterbo's Bullicame is a bubbling spring surrounded by white limestone deposits, free and ancestral.

Very quiet Jul 9, 2026

Saturnia, Tuscany

Bagni di Lucca, Garfagnana, Tuscany, Italy

Cascate del Mulino at Saturnia: the Maremma's Free Thermal Pools

Cascate del Mulino at Saturnia: travertine pools at 37°C with free access in the Maremma. A complete guide with timing tips, what to bring, and nearby sights.

Very quiet Jul 5, 2026

Almost deserted Jul 5, 2026

Bagni di Lucca: Where the Romantics Came to Heal in the River

Thermal springs on the Lima river in the Garfagnana, once frequented by Byron and Shelley: the grand spa is shuttered, but the wild pools in the woods remain free.

Lipari, Sicily