The best time to book summer in Italy? Right now.
Last year, it was all about Lake Como. This year, southeastern Sicily is poised to draw all the crowds. Amalfi will always be popular, and so, too, now Puglia. Here at PRIOR, we are looking at those other summer destinations across Italy, places we have either discovered recently or are seeing anew in our eternal search for less scene and more sea.
But considering this summer looks every bit as busy as last, which was the busiest ever, that dream may become a nightmare soon if us vacationers don’t get to planning. The reality is that the best-known Mediterranean spots are nearly booked — and definitely busy. See: Positano, where there are three tourists for every one resident during peak travel season. Eek!
Looking a bit further afield, why not plan a trip to another Italy? The more under-the-radar the region, it turns out, the more it tends to be welcomingly free of international crowds and have something different to offer — all while still delivering the essence of Italian summer: sun, swimming, strolls and spritz.
Mi raccomando: Plan now.
-David Prior
Need more advice? Contact the travel team at PRIOR to plan your summer travel.
In Sicily, Go West
Tourists tend to flock to Sicily’s picturesque eastern and southeastern cities. And crowds in Noto, Syracuse and Taormina are only likely to swell come the warmer months. Google searches for “Sicily” have doubled in the United States alone, the writer Ella Quittner points out in The Sicilian Revolution Will Not be Televised, her recent piece for PRIOR about how the Italian Island is (and is not) reckoning with all the newfound American attention.
