Little-known destinations, forgotten villages and whole regions to discover before everyone else does. The antidote to overtourism, one guide at a time.
On the Reggio Apennines, the Pietra di Bismantova is an isolated monolith surrounded by woods and badlands. Though cited by Dante, it remains an off-the-beaten-track destination: reached from the villages of the Emilian hinterland, far from the tourist flows of the coast and the art cities.
Jun 30, 2026
On the roof of the Bolognese Apennines, above Lizzano in Belvedere, Corno alle Scale offers glacial lakes, bilberry heaths and rugged ridges. Outside the ski season it is a silent mountain, far from the great tourist flows.
Jun 30, 2026
In the province of Sondrio, Val Malenco offers the glaciers of the Bernina, green serpentine rock and historic huts along the Val Malenco High Route. A valley that has stayed off to the side compared to the Engadine and the Stelvio, where you can still walk in peace.
Jun 30, 2026
In the Aosta Valley, above Nus, the Saint-Barthélemy valley stays ignored by those racing toward the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc. Yet it holds alpine lakes and the Cuney sanctuary, among the highest in Europe, reachable only on foot in silence.
Jun 30, 2026
In south-eastern Trentino, the Cima d'Asta chain is the southernmost granite massif in the Alps: lakes, mountain huts and stern ridges at the heart of the Lagorai, the range that stayed wild while everyone heads for the nearby Dolomites.
Jun 30, 2026
In Upper Molise, between Pescolanciano and Vastogirardi, the Collemeluccio-Montedimezzo UNESCO MAB Reserve safeguards ancient silver fir woods crossed by the drovers' tracks of the transhumance. One of the least visited areas in Italy, where the silence of the forest is still the norm.
Jun 30, 2026
On the Matese massif, straddling Molise and Campania, Monte Miletto looms over karst lakes, high pastures and woods where roe deer have been thriving again since their reintroduction in 2008. A borderland mountain, rich in nature and well off every tourist trail.
Jun 30, 2026
In the Monti Ernici, in the province of Frosinone, Pizzo Deta offers solitary crests on the border between Lazio and Abruzzo. A wild, little-visited chain that lives in the shadow of its more famous neighbouring parks.
Jun 30, 2026
In the Alta Murgia National Park, between the provinces of Bari and Barletta, you walk through a silent Mediterranean steppe, among isolated farmsteads and the unmistakable silhouette of Castel del Monte. A harsh landscape that stays off every tourist circuit.
Jun 30, 2026