Italy has plenty of gorgeous villages with beautiful vistas and food good enough to write home about - and no shortage of visitors flocking to them. The Mediterranean hotspot is a dream holiday destination for many Brits and other tourists from around the world. So if you want to escape the crowds, you'll need to be strategic.
The travel experts Florence Tickets and Tours have conducted a study to find the most picturesque hidden gems. The village of Boccadasse in Genova, a port city in the northwest region of Liguria came out on top, according to their study. READ MORE: The beautiful little English town frozen in time and surrounded by beautiful countryside Boccadasse is a former mariners' village found in the east end of the city.
Its most famous view are the pastel-coloured homes that line its cobblestone beach where sunworshippers gather to enjoy lovely late summer days. The village has been preserved and left unchanged, making it a sought-after location. The firm analysed Tripadvisor's "hidden gems" category for over 100 of Italy's most populous and frequently visited cities, then counted the Instagram posts using each location's name as a hashtag to determine which hidden gem is the most Instagrammable in the country.
"Amazing small beach with clear water," one reviewer on Tripadvisor wrote. "Better get there earlier so it is empty. After 12.
00 it was very full and no places to sit anymore. We had a local espresso and fresh pizza from a small place at the beach.There are some restaurants around, ice cream shop and a beautiful church.
All worth a visit!" Another said: "Although a lot smaller than we were expecting, we were delighted by the colours of the houses, and a beautiful swim in the crystal clear waters (take reef shoes if you can as the beach is rocky)." A third said it looked just like the pictures: "It is a lovely postcard picturesque village! Beautiful sunny and cool day made it a pleasant visit. You can also stroll along the Anita Garibaldi promenade just next to the church.
Plenty of photo opportunities here, as what you see on the web and postcards. Worth the trip! Easy to get there..
.its a short trip by bus 42 from Dante 2, near Ferraria fountain." Stella del Diavolo comes in second place Located in Cagliari, Sardinia, its profile is one of the most characteristic features of the location because of its shape and dominant position on the Poetto beach.
For decades, the cape has been one of the favourite destinations for excursions a few steps from the city centre. In third place is Procida Island, situated off the coast of Naples. The island is one of the two that comprise the comune of Procida, together with Vivara, and is known for its colourful shoreline.
Further down the list, the Cimitero Monumentale (Monumental Cemetery) of Milan ranks fourth. One of the two largest cemeteries in the city, it is famous for the abundance of artistic tombs and monuments. The island of Palmarola rounds up the top five with 78,124 posts.
Mostly uninhabited, it is located in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the coast of Latina and Rome. Its extremely rocky coast is dotted with natural grottos, bays, cliffs, and crags. Top 10 most Instagrammable hidden gems in Italy Rank Name City Hashtag Post count 1 Boccadasse Genova boccadasse 137,595 2 Sella del Diavolo Cagliari selladeldiavolo 102,170 3 Procida Island Napoli procidaisland 97,932 4 Cimitero Monumentale Milano cimiteromonumentale 79,657 5 Palmarola Latina palmarola 78,124 6 Dorsoduro Venezia dorsoduro 73,778 7 Casertavecchia Caserta casertavecchia 55,715 8 Cannaregio Venezia cannaregio 43,171 9 Napoli Sotterranea Napoli napolisotterranea 42,733 10 Terme di Caracalla Roma termedicaracalla 38,867 Magdalena Petrusic, Travel Expert from Florence Tickets and Tours commented on the findings:"“When traveling to Italy, one knows what to expect: breathtaking views, priceless work of art, and man-made constructions of exceptional workmanship.
However, many will focus on the same few cities and spots, forgetting that there’s an entire country of wonders outside of the capital and the main metropolis. "The data provides a look into some locations and landmarks that not many might know but that are worth organising a visit to, from more conventional ones such a cliffs and picturesque villages to more unusual landscapes, such as the Monumental Cemetery of Milan.".
