seaside

Italy Limits Tourists: Find Quieter Seaside Towns

It feels like only yesterday the Cinque Terre were a well-kept secret, a string of five pastel-painted villages clinging to the Ligurian coast. Now, from April through October, they are an overwhelming experience. You can see them beautifully from a distance on the ferries, a prospect of colorful houses against rugged cliffs. But up close, the handful of narrow streets in each village, too small for most cars, teem with people. Every café is packed, every restaurant overflowing, making a

Lecce’s Baroque Beauty and Seaside Charm

Lecce, the heart of the Salento peninsula in Puglia, offers a unique blend of Baroque artistry and coastal beauty that feels distinct from other southern Italian destinations. Its historic center, a pedestrian-only zone, invites you to wander through streets paved in polished local stone, often referred to as “the Florence of the South.” You’ll find that most people here prefer to be called “salentini” rather than “pugliesi,” highlighting the region’s individuality. Baroque Artistry Unveiled Lecce is renowned for its exuberant

Italy’s Seaside Is Best Enjoyed Off-Season

Italy’s coastline is often pictured during the peak of summer, a scene of vibrant beach umbrellas and crystal-clear waters. While that image holds undeniable charm, my exploration of the Italian coast in recent years has revealed a secret: the seaside truly shines during the cooler, quieter months. This shift in perspective has opened up a world of more relaxed, authentic, and often more budget-friendly travel experiences. For those seeking to escape the crowds and discover the soul of Italy’s coastal

Emily
in Italy

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The Lemon Groves Above Minori Are Open to Anyone Willing to Climb

The Sentiero dei Limoni connects Maiori and Minori with roughly 400–800 stone steps, climbing through terraces where the sfusato amalfitano lemon has been grown for centuries. – Amalfi Outdoor Experience I was standing in the main piazza of Minori, coffee in hand, staring up at the hillside behind the Basilica di Santa Trofimena. Terraced rows of green and yellow climbed the slope in tight lines, held up by dry-stone walls that looked older than the church itself. A few minutes earlier I had asked a local shopkeeper about the lemon groves visible from town. She pointed to a narrow

Marina del Cantone Still Feels Like Sorrento Before It Got Famous

I first heard about Marina del Cantone from a friend who grew up going to the Sorrento coast long before the influencers arrived. She described it as the place her family went when they wanted to escape the crowds, a little fishing village with a pebbled beach and a pasta dish so good it has its own name. I’d been to Sorrento, Positano, and Amalfi, and loved them, but I also felt the strain of the crowds. So when I finally made it to Marina del Cantone, I understood exactly what she meant. Marina del Cantone is a refuge

Nerano’s Water Turns a Blue That Doesn’t Photograph Correctly

I stood on the pebble beach at Marina del Cantone, squinting at the water. It was a shade of blue so deep and vivid that I thought my eyes were playing tricks. I pulled out my phone, lined up the shot, and watched the screen turn the color into something flat and ordinary. The water in Nerano simply does not photograph correctly. That’s not a complaint — it’s a challenge. Nerano is a tiny fishing village in the municipality of Massa Lubrense, about 70 km from Naples, tucked between the Amalfi Coast and the Sorrento Peninsula. Nerano is a

Cava de’ Tirreni Trades Sea Views for Cloisters and Cool Mountain Air

Cava de’ Tirreni has reinvented itself. It is no longer just a beach destination. It is a place where people come for the art, the history and the peace.” – Pasquale Schiattarella, local tour guide, via The New York Times I stepped out of the car in Cava de’ Tirreni and the first thing I noticed was the air. Cool, clean, carrying pine instead of salt. After days on the Amalfi Coast, where heat bounces off limestone and the sea breeze is a constant companion, the shift felt immediate. This town sits on the steep slopes of the Lattari

Furore’s Vineyard Terraces Grow Grapes on Slopes That Shouldn’t Work

I stood on a terrace carved into rock so steep I had to brace myself with one hand. Below me, the Mediterranean glittered. Beside me, vines twisted out of soil that barely looked deep enough for a houseplant. In August 2025, the Food and Agriculture Organization added Amalfi’s terraced farming system to its Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems list — recognizing that these stone-walled plots let people grow food on terrain most would call impossible. – lavocedinewyork.com Emily’s Take Yes, the vineyard terraces of Furore are worth a detour — but only if you’re okay with steep roads, manual

The Real Path of the Gods Runs Bomerano to Nocelle, Not the Postcard Version

I stood at the edge of the path in Bomerano, looking down at the terraced lemon groves and the sea stretching toward Capri, and I finally understood why they call it the Path of the Gods. The Sentiero degli Dei runs 7.8 km from Bomerano (in the municipality of Agerola) to Nocelle, a hamlet above Positano, and it’s the kind of walk that shifts something in you. Most people start from the other end, but the real magic happens when you go this way. The trail runs 7.8 km from Bomerano (Agerola) to Nocelle, mostly downhill, with views of