Forget Amalfi! Here’s 4 Of The Most Epic Italy Destinations Actually Worth The Splurge
Looking for that elevated, authentic Italian experience but you don’t exactly feel like the overly-commercial, overcrowded Amalfi Coast will cut it?
With its pastel-colored towns clinging vertiginously to cliffsides and iconic coastal drives, not to mention the Capri flex only a short ferry hop away, the Amalfi Coast is the most obvious pick for travelers hoping to experience the Italy of the old Hollywood era and glossy fashion magazines.
That’s where your average traveler who’s saved up years to splurge on a once-in-a-lifetime Italian getaway will typically head to.
Ever wondered where the Italian elites go, though? Where it’s all about low-key, barefoot luxury, long lunches with sweeping coastal views, and not a single cruise ship to taint the shoreline, with beaches that still feel exclusive?
Here are 4 of the most epic Amalfi dupes if you’re keen on splurging on your little dolce vita getaway:
Ischia
Campania
While Capri can feel a little overwhelming at times, what with the Amalfi day-trippers and the crazy crowds at the port, there’s a quieter, more offbeat island in Campania with the kind of effortless charm and understated luxury that you don’t come across as easily.
Ischia is known for its abundance of natural hot springs, with over 100 such thermal springs found across a compact, 18 square-mile landmass, the monumental Aragonese Castle, built by the Spanish upon their conquest of the island, and picturesque sandy beaches like Maronti.
If you’re looking at Ischia through a luxury lens, it’s less about designer shopping, like Capri, and more about slow, wellness-focused luxury, the kind that quietly creeps up on you and lingers long after you’ve left.
The iconic Mezzatorre Hotel & Thermal Spa is consistently ranked among Italy’s finest wellness resorts, offering a cliffside infinity pool, world-class spa treatments, and naturally-heated thermal baths, whereas Ristorante Indaco is a Michelin-starred eatery in Forio, famous for combining contemporary Campanian cuisine with hyper-local island ingredients.
One thing you should know about Ischia is that it is Italy’s hidden gem for wine tastings.
Visit Cenatiempo Vini d’Ischia for a private tasting of elegant volcanic wines that rarely make it beyond the island itself, such as Biancolella and Forastera, or enjoy an aperitivo at La Lampara, a stylish rooftop commanding breathtaking views over the port.
Average Prices In Ischia
- 3-course dinner for 2 at a good mid-range restaurant + wine: $100–180
- Fine dining dinner for 2 with wine: $200–400
- Michelin-level / luxury hotel restaurant dinner for 2: $250–500
- 4-star hotel: $150–350/night
- 5-star hotel / luxury thermal spa hotel: $350–800/night
- Ultra-luxury hotel (sea-view suite, private terrace, plunge pool): $800–2,000+/night
- Private thermal spa experience / premium spa treatments: $150–400/person
- Luxury thermal park day pass (pools, gardens, wellness): $80–150/person
- Private boat charter around Ischia + Procida (half day, skipper): $500–900
- Private boat charter (full day Amalfi Coast/Capri): $1,000–2,500
- Private guided island tour (driver + guide): $300–600/day
- Private wine tasting at an Ischia vineyard: $75–200/person
- Sunset aperitivo at a luxury hotel terrace: $25–60/person
- Private airport transfer (Naples airport + ferry/boat connection): $150–350
Heading to Europe this summer? The Old Continent has changed its entry rules and Americans are impacted directly.
As a U.S. passport holder, you may now be required to undergo mandatory fingerprinting upon arrival, and soon enough, you may be expected to apply for a travel permit prior to flying. See if your destination is affected on the Entry Requirement Checker.
Brixen/Bressanone
South Tyrol
Everyone’s raving on about the Dolomites lately, and with good reason, but I can’t help but feel one of the region’s top hidden gems still doesn’t get half the praise it deserves. Tucked away in the heart of Italy’s Alpine region, Brixen is a fairytale medieval town where time seems to have stood perfectly still.
It has the cobbled pathways, elegant arcades running along narrow alleys, the soaring Baroque duomo towering over a postcard-worthy main piazza, and a surprisingly elevated, curated set of experiences to top it all off.
This is where the Milanese elite come to unwind at the weekend, rather than the louder, jam-packed Bolzano.
Stay at Hotel Krone, a refined, rustic-chic property in the heart of town, boasting a sweeping panorama of the Old Town’s roofs and the surrounding peaks, and make sure you book a table at Vinothek Vitis, arguably the best wine bar in Brixen.
Their dry-aged meat cuts and exceptional South Tyrolean wines will leave you licking the plate.
Of course, it’s not a Tyrolean getaway until you’ve spent some time in nature. Brixen’s Plose cable car offers easy access to first-class skiing in winter and spectacular hiking in summer. Hit the slopes with views of the iconic, rugged limestone peaks of the Dolomites in the distance, or enjoy a cozy mountain dinner at La Finestra, paired with silky Alto Adige wines.
Average Prices In Brixen/Bressanone
- 3-course dinner for 2 at a good mid-range restaurant + wine: $100–180
- Fine dining dinner for 2 with wine pairing: $180–350
- 4-star hotel: $180–350/night
- 5-star hotel / luxury wellness hotel: $350–700/night
- Luxury suite / panoramic Dolomite suite: $700–1,500+/night
- Private spa experience / wellness day pass: $100–250/person
- Private wine tasting at a premium vineyard (Novacella, Pacherhof, Manni Nössing): $50–150/person
- Private guided Dolomites tour (driver + guide): $400–800/day
- Private hiking guide (half day): $200–400
- Private airport transfer (Bolzano/Verona/Innsbruck): $150–350
- Private chauffeur with car for a full day: $500–900
- Cable car + premium mountain lunch experience: $50–120/person
Pantelleria
Sicily
One of my new favorite finds in Italy, Pantelleria is this tiny remote island located some 62 miles south of Sicily, yet only 43 miles from the coast of Africa. Yep, it’s that remote.
In fact, it just happens to be Europe’s southernmost island.
Be that as it may, it’s a long-established, tried-and-true luxury hideaway for Italian blue bloods. We’re talking Giorgio Armani, who famously owns, or owned, a home in Pantelleria, as well as Dolce & Gabbana, Claudio Baglioni, and their friends Madonna and Naomi Campbell, who have all reportedly vacationed here at some point.
Pantelleria itself is unlike anything you’ve seen of Italy so far:
It has no pastel-colored fishing villages or sandy coves, but rather black lava cliffs and volcanic calas bathed by impossibly turquoise waters, white-domed dammusi, a local rural architecture evocative of the period of Arab rule, and landscapes that feel more…
Well, North African than European.
Stay at the Pantelleria Dream Resort, one of the top boutique stays on the island, and you’ll wake up to expansive views of terraced vineyards and the endless sapphire Mediterranean. Their own Acquamore Ristorante serves up a phenomenal coniglione pantesco, and eye-watering prices aside, I might never shut up about it.
Average Prices In Pantelleria
- 3-course dinner for 2 at a good mid-range restaurant + wine: $120–200
- Fine dining dinner for 2 with wine: $250–450
- Luxury hotel restaurant dinner for 2: $300–600
- 4-star boutique hotel / resort: $200–450/night
- 5-star luxury hotel / boutique resort: $500–1,000/night
- Ultra-luxury stay (private dammuso, sea-view villa, pool, private terrace): $1,000–3,000+/night
- Private villa rental (traditional dammuso with pool): $500–2,000+/night
- Private boat charter around Pantelleria (half day, skipper): $600–1,000
- Private boat charter (full day, snorkeling, hidden coves, lunch onboard): $1,200–2,500
- Private guided island tour (driver + guide): $300–600/day
- Private wine tasting at a premium vineyard (Donnafugata, Ben Ryé producers, boutique estates): $75–200/personn
- Private airport transfer (Pantelleria Airport to hotel): $50–150
Is Italy safe to visit this summer?
According to a majority of travelers, the answer is a resounding YES. The country scores 92 out of 100 on the Traveler Safety Index, based on reports from recent visitors:
La Maddalena
Sardinia
Americans can finally fly nonstop to Sardinia this summer thanks to Delta’s new seasonal Transatlantic route to Olbia, but instead of sticking to Costa Smeralda’s glamorous yet overcrowded spiagge and tourist-packed cale, here’s where you should go instead:
La Maddalena is a small island surrounded by a constellation of smaller islets, floating just off Sardinia’s northeastern coast. It has a lively harbor town lined with waterfront cafés and bobbing boats, and winding coastal roads that lead straight down to hidden coves and truly unspoiled white-sand beaches.
Porto Massimo, on the northern side of the island, is a superyacht magnet for billionaires and luxury travelers.
There’s truly no better, more luxurious way to experience it than ordering a whole lobster, caught earlier that day, and dining seaside at the legendary La Scogliera, one of Italy’s top-rated, and certainly most extravagant places to splurge on.
La Maddalena’s best-kept secret, however?
The tiny, ruggedly beautiful island of Caprera, connected to it via a short causeway. Garibaldi’s final home, it’s where you go for untouched nature, dramatic hiking trails, and paradisiacal beaches that almost look Caribbean and otherworldly.
Cala Coticcio, the crown jewel of them all, has seas so impossibly turquoise it’s earned the nickname the Tahiti of Italy.
Average Prices In La Maddalena
- 3-course dinner for 2 at a good mid-range restaurant + wine: $120–200
- Fine dining dinner for 2 with wine: $250–500
- Luxury waterfront dinner for 2 (lobster, seafood, premium wine): $350–700
- 4-star hotel / boutique hotel: $180–400/night
- 5-star hotel / luxury resort: $500–1,200/night
- Ultra-luxury stay (private villa, sea-view suite, private pool): $1,000–3,000+/night
- Private villa rental (sea-view home with pool): $700–3,000+/night
- Private boat charter (full day, skipper, Caprera, Spargi, Budelli, hidden coves): $1,200–2,500
- Luxury yacht charter (superyacht experience): $5,000–15,000+/day
- Private hiking/nature guide (Caprera, coastal trails): $200–400/half day
- Private airport transfer (Olbia Airport → Palau ferry): $150–300
