If you are here, then you are probably looking for the Top 5 Hidden Gems in Italy. While this land provides so many amazing places, these are MY top 5 favorite spots in Italy that are a little off the beaten path of mass-tourism. I gotta say, it is not easy boiling down this beautiful country into 5 spots, because honestly, no matter where you decide to visit in Italy, you honestly cannot go wrong.
When my wife and I first got married and took our honeymoon to St Thomas, we definitely did not have enough money to visit a schmancy all-inclusive, so we rented a car and visited local grocery stores, traveled the whole island, got out and met locals, etc – for us, we felt it was a nice way to experience the place we were visiting. Don’t get me wrong though, not knocking all-inclusives at all, I LOVE going to an all-inclusive, but I do sometimes have that shallow feeling like I’m just visiting a place that is built to cater to Americans, and not stretching myself as much as I could be culturally speaking (If you’ve ever felt this way, let me know in the comments!). So when we visited Italy, we took that mindset of not wanting to be in just the tourist areas, but also visit places where locals visit and hang out at.
So without further to do, here are my top 5 Hidden Gems in Italy!
Top 5 Hidden Gems in Italy: Saturnia Springs
Okay I must admit, this was a place we did find on Instagram. We were getting Italy related content fed to us via the all-targeting Insta-algorithm (you look at one ASMR video of someone cutting soap and it becomes your entire feed LOL) and this place happened to pop up. We were blown away by the beauty of this location as we were scrolling through other people’s tagged photos. Up to that point, neither Tali nor I had heard of this place though on any Italy travel guide or Top 10 list, so we thought we would add it to one of our travel stops while we were on holiday, and I am so glad we did!
We were pleasantly surprised to find out that this place was entirely FREE! Yes, free hot springs do exist in this world! Upon arriving, we noticed that there were some tourists there, sure, but we also noticed a good amount of Italians and their families there as well relaxing. A place where Italians also went with their families? We knew we were in the right place to get that mix of true Italian living that we were searching for.
Once you dip into the water, its extremely warm and comforting. As with most natural hot springs, you are going to get a smell of sulfur in the air and on your clothes/skin, but to us it wasn’t anything too noticeable or unbearable, and again, it was totally free.
Depending on how much time you want to spend there, there is a little cafe where you can order drinks and food at, vending machines (including a pizza vending machine, which we were totally jazzed about, but it ended up eating our $10 euros and we got nothing in return, thankfully the cafe reimbursed our money).
Parking here is a breeze as they have a pretty sizeable lot, and we went during May. All in all, Saturnia Springs is an absolute must if you’re looking for a free activity that yields a couple hours of down time and relaxation.
Montepulciano
While a famous place, it is by no means as widely recognized as other Tuscan cities like Florence. Montepulciano is a medieval town settled upon a hilltop and known for its world famous nobile red wines, which are incredibly fantastic. If you’re on a wine tour throughout Italy, you must put Montepulciano on your list and explore their underground wine cellars and tours!
While we visited this town for it’s wine culture, we were also very surprised to learn that they are famous for another reason as well: their Piazza Grande was featured in Twilight’s New Moon! While not a Twilight fan myself, my wife and our good friend Michael couldn’t help but reenact a couple scenes from the movie while we were there. Montepulciano has delicious food options and terrific shopping. Ceramics, leather goods, colognes and perfumes, and more are available for pretty decent prices (cheaper than larger, more tourist areas).
Praiano
Praiano is where I will be spending half a month during October and I cannot wait. While yes Praiano is a part of the Amalfi Coast, which is a highly populated tourism spot, Praiano is one of the smaller cities along the coast and therefore isn’t as much filled with tourists like Positano is.
A fisherman’s village, Praiano is home to fresh food and spectacular views. While it isn’t the liveliest city in Amalfi, it does have a lot to do, from cooking and wine classes to boat tours exploring the coast to even catching a ferry to Capri. If you’re also more of an adventurer, you may enjoy the Sentiero degli Dei, or the Pathway of the Gods, which is a 5km hike that can take you from Praiano to Positano, all while giving you breathtaking views along the way.
San Gimignano
So when we were doing our cooking class at Tenuta Torciano Winery (which I cannot say enough good things about, I may end up doing a blog just on them, thats how fantastic they were!) Anyways, i digress, while we were at the winery, I had mentioned to the staff that I would love to find a good gelato place in Italy and they could not rave enough about San Gimignano and their world famous gelatier, Sergio, who owns Gelateria Dondeli.
Once you taste one of his homemade creations, its easy to understand why at almost 3,000 reviews on Google they have almost a perfect 5-star rating. The line is out the door once you arrive, but Sergio himself walks up and down the line talking with all his customers, while a fleet of employees are inside serving up gelato. This place is a must if you visit this beautiful medieval city. In addition to world famous gelato, there is also their amazing city center, which houses The Doumo, which is truly a fixture of the center. There is also museums, walking tours, a palace, and so much more to do here. Although we didnt get to do everything in this city like we wanted (I mean we were just coming back from a wine tasting, so we were a little out of sorts), we did have a memorable time to say the least.
Matera
Finally, consider visiting the town of Matera in Basilicata. This ancient town is known for its unique sassi, or cave dwellings, which have been inhabited for over 9,000 years. Matera is a great place to learn about the region’s history and culture, and its beautiful landscapes and charming streets make it a perfect spot for photography. Matera is cool and unique in the fact that it’s a truly ancient city and even doubles as a filming spot to film movies like Passion of the Christ, because of how old and intact it still is. Antonio Nicoletti, an urban planner for the city stated to Smithsonian Magazine, “Matera is one of the oldest living cities in the world in terms of continuity, you can find older cities in Mesopotamia, but they have not been occupied in modern times. Where else can you now sleep in a room that was first occupied 9,000 years ago?”. I think thats a pretty unique experience that not many would get to say they have done!
Top 5 Hidden Gems in Italy: Conclusion
Overall, these off-the-beaten-path destinations in Italy offer a unique and authentic experience for travelers looking to explore the country beyond the typical tourist spots. From the natural beauty of Saturnia Springs to the charming towns of Montepulciano and Matera, there are plenty of hidden gems waiting to be discovered in Italy. Did I miss any? Let me know!