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With its Tuscan sunsets, UNESCO World Heritage Renaissance cities, turquoise coast and award-winning cuisine, currently ranked number one in the world, Italy is the ultimate Southern European experience and every American’s dream destination.
Interestingly, while we tend to flock to Rome, Florence, Venice and the like, attracted by their historic centers full of monuments and their priceless cultural heritage, and understandably so, so do the Italians themselves other destinations in mind.
Based on a new study published by Vamonos Vacanze, a tour operator based in Rome, in partnership with Icrm, a lesser-known region on the sunny Adriatic side of Italy is set to become the top tourist hotspot for domestic tourists in 2024, followed by two islands in the Mediterranean.
So why are these local favorites missing, and what are Americans who haven’t yet explored Italy beyond the Venetian canals or overtoured Amalfi missing?
As the famous travel saying goes: ‘go where the locals go‘:
Sardinia
The third most popular destination for Italians is Sardinia, where 10% of all domestic tourism is concentrated.
It is a large island in the Mediterranean Sea and has almost 2,000 kilometers of unspoilt coastline and a sparsely populated hinterland crisscrossed by mountain ranges.
Italians love Sardinia because it feels so different from the mainland: it has its own ‘Sardo’ language, a unique cultureand a rich cuisine, best represented by signature dishes such as fregula cun cociula (a type of pasta found only on the island, served with mussels) and su verandaddu (roasted suckling pig).
Sardinia’s autonomy stems from the fact that it was geographically isolated, as it was historically disconnected from the mainland. it almost feels like a separate countryalthough everything tourists expect from a holiday on an Italian island can be found here:
Sandy beaches surrounded by a teal-colored sea, rugged hiking trails, ancient towns perched on limestone hills, and even a culturally charged regional capital in Cagliari, a bustling port city built on seven hills, as Roman city planning dictated.
The top attractions on the island include the nuraghia series of Bronze Age stone ruins that resemble beehives dating back thousands of years, the pale sandy beach of ‘White Queen’, the colorful riverside town of Bosa, where building facades are painted in bright colours, and walled Alghero.
Sicily
Italy’s second most loved destination, attracts 11% of ItaliansSicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean, resembles Sardinia in many ways and has developed a distinct dialect, gastronomy and culture distinctly different from that of mainland Italy.
It has been heavily influenced by foreign powers over the centuries and has experienced successive periods of Greek, Roman, Arab and even Spanish rule.
Besides being packed with heritage sites, its asset is its breathtaking nature.
It is home to Mount Etna, Europe’s highest volcano, and an active one at that, whose occasional spewing of ash provides an unlikely backdrop to the vast urban chaos that is Catania, a major city where part of the The most exuberant Baroque art in Italy.
We could write a whole feature article about Sicily and all its architectural gems and natural wonders, but you’ll want to scroll to the bottom of this page to find out which is number one, our top four Sicilian spots are:
Palermo, a vibrant capital full of busy street markets, Taormina, the white Lotus-featured, iconic hilltop local authority best known for its Greco-Roman theatre, the Valley of the Temples, a Hellenic complex rivaling the Parthenon in beauty, and the whitewashed Cefalù with terracotta roofs.
Puglia
With 13% of Italians claiming this is their favorite holiday destination, Apulia (usually known by its Italian name Puglia) is officially Italy’s darlingeven though it is largely overlooked by foreign visitors, who flock instead to the Amalfi Coast on the other side of the peninsula.
Puglia is what we would call the heel of Italy, referring to the boot-like shape of the country, and is characterized by its whitewashed towns, surrounded by a rugged Adriatic coastline, and an impressive wealth of Baroque monuments.
Lecce, one of the gems of Puglia that Italians love most, is not without reason called the ‘Florence of the South’, with its graceful duomo and winding Roman-era streets; Alberobello, on the other hand, stands out for its distinctive character trulliHouses from Puglia with cone-shaped roofs.
In Polignano a Mare, a white pebble beach Flanked by low cliffs awaits holidaymakers, while in Bari, the metropolitan capital and cultural heart of Puglia, the ocher winding alleys of the old town and picture-perfect hidden courtyards make the trip worth it.
According to the survey 13% of Italians choose Puglia over any other Italian destinationand it’s not like it doesn’t face stiff competition from other regions: I mean, this is probably Europe’s most historically charged country, literally littered with both man-made and natural wonders.
Normally we are suspicious of unofficial surveys ourselves, but…
Based on the fact that it comes from a sample of 4,000 individuals, equally divided between men and women, aged 18 to 65 and spread across Italy, and how Italian families have always preferred the Adriatic side to the American-ravaged Amalfi, we are I’m inclined to say it paints a pretty accurate picture.
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author, and not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included in the post.
