Italy, a country renowned for its rich history, stunning architecture, and delectable cuisine, has long been a favorite destination for travelers. However, many tourists tend to flock to the same popular spots, leaving hidden gems waiting to be discovered by the more adventurous souls. In this article, we will delve into the lesser-known treasures of Italy. Get ready to uncover the best-kept secrets that Italy has to offer. Go beyond the crowds, uncovering Italy’s hidden gems.
Embracing Nature: Majestic Waterfalls & Adventurous Hikes
Italy is home to many beautiful things. Most people focus on the art and architecture in Florence, the engineering marvels of Rome, Milan’s style, and/or Naples’s history. But after experiencing the crowds in these places, it’s a good idea to build some time into your schedule to see some of the places beyond the crowds.
Marmore (Cascata delle Marmore) in Terni – Beyond the Crowds: Uncovering Italy’s Hidden Gems
Marmore is a waterfall that was created when the ancient Romans diverted the Velino River in 271 BC because its flow was believed to have caused illness in the nearby city of Rieti. Because the river’s outflow drained into marshlands in the neighboring city, they were probably right in this thinking. It’s possible the marshlands were a breeding ground for malaria-carrying mosquitos.
Since the diversion, the flow has been modified and used for both flood control and hydroelectric power generation. The engineers can control the flow of the water that goes into the waterfall. To prevent flooding and increase hydroelectric power, they maintain a schedule of when the water is released at the highest levels.
Marmore – Planning Your Visit
The Marmore website has the schedule and it’s important to note the hours for the releases so you can plan your visit. The schedule can change for weekends, holidays, and times of the year.
You can also use that link to buy tickets. However, although the Marmore website allows you to buy parking tickets in combination with entrance tickets, apparently their staff is unaware of this. You will not be able to park without buying a separate parking pass. So don’t get the combined ticket if you’re driving there. Another option for getting there is to take the train from Rome and get a discount on your entrance tickets for riding Trenitalia.
Once you arrive and get your parking pass from one of the machines, you can head down to the park entrance if you’ve purchased your tickets online. If not, you’ll need to stand in line to purchase tickets. At the first viewing area you encounter, you’ll see the full falls. If a release is not in progress, it will be a very photographable waterfall. Before the release starts, you’ll hear a siren every 15 minutes before the release occurs. Once the release is at full blast, it’s very hard to get photos because of the mist blowing off the waterfall. You will get wet!
Here are some photos that show low flow, mid flow, and then higher flow. But these don’t include the heaviest flow because there was no way to hang my camera out there and not get it drenched.
Some trails lead all the way around the park, and many areas are very beautiful. Here are some photos of the other areas of the park.
Cascate del Dardagna – Beyond the Crowds: Uncovering Italy’s Hidden Gems
Cascate del Dardagna is a fantastic place to go beyond the crowds and uncover hidden gems in the form of waterfalls. This series of waterfalls seemingly goes on forever. It’s located within the Corno alle Scale Regional Park. The trailhead starts across the street from the parking lot of a bike shop, which wasn’t open when we went. The Corno alle Scale Ski lift is just up the main road, so if you get to that, you’ve gone too far. Here’s our Alltrails hike recording, but you will see a fair amount of backtracking and that’s because I forgot my tripod in the car until we were a mile into the hike. So, Rick graciously went back to retrieve it for me.
While we were there, we encountered one person who was taking a bike ride on the main road. We ran into no one else until the end of the waterfalls which was way down below. There we found five people who were staring up at the trail trying to figure out if they wanted to actually do that much hiking. We had the waterfall photography all to ourselves. Here are the waterfall images I got.
You’ll want to wear your hiking boots and maybe take some walking poles. In early May, we needed jackets. The trail is steep in many places. Here are some pics I got with my phone while we were hiking the trail, although we also went off-trail too to get better waterfall shots. The trail is marked, but not well-marked. Some of it has railing, but much of it doesn’t.
Amalfi – Beyond the Crowds: Uncovering Italy’s Hidden Gems
It seems as though everyone goes to Amalfi. The marina area where boats drop their passengers is inundated with tourists. It is not pleasant unless you like shopping in a crowd. We took a boat to the Amalfi coast, and it stopped in Amalfi and Positano. We had several hours in Amalfi; So, instead of lingering in the town, we started walking. As we were walking out of the town, we noticed there were random waterfalls along the road.
It turns out Amalfi is famous for paper making. They used the waterfalls to power their paper-making mills. So as you hike higher and higher, you see more waterfalls along the way. I figured there had to be an enormous one at the top. We did find a waterfall toward the top. But it was a pain to get down to it and then to climb back up to the trail. Here’s our Alltrails recording, but it starts at the top of where we stopped and goes back to the ship and on toward Positano. Here are some of the waterfalls, trails, and town of Amalfi pictures I got. I’ve added a couple with the crowds so you can prepare yourself.
Path of the Gods
If I had researched hikes a little more, I would have built-in time to hike the Path of the Gods trail. But getting to and from the start and end points from Napoli seemed like an all-day adventure and we just didn’t have that much time. Now we have a reason to go back! Next time we’d stay in Sorrento instead of Napoli.
Coastal Charms: Beaches of the Italian Riviera
When I was investigating where to spend our time, one of the activities we thought about doing was scuba diving. So I looked for the best places in Italy to scuba. One of the places that looked intriguing was Portofino. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remembered something about Portofino being the playground of the stars. In any case, there were not many places to stay for a reasonable price in Portofino. At the point I planned to put this stop in our schedule, we would not have a car either. I had to find a place near the train station. The closest train station was in Santa Margherita Ligure.
Santa Margherita Ligure – Beyond the Crowds: Uncovering Italy’s Hidden Gems
This town is lovely: quaint but elegant, relaxed but busy, and yet, uncrowded. The people are friendly and helpful. We went in early May and the resorts, restaurants, and bars on the beach were just in the process of opening. It was perfect timing. There were few people on the beaches and few tourists.
We stayed at Villa 1900, which was not far from the train station, and we felt perfectly secure walking from the train station to the property in the middle of the night. Dante and Penny were charming and helpful. Penny advises to book directly with the property for the best deal. One caveat: it was warm when we were there and the Italian government does not allow property owners to turn on the air conditioning system before a certain date. So there was no air conditioning in our room. We persevered by opening the windows, but there are no screens on the windows so that allowed flies to enter. Regardless, the room was beautiful and contained everything we could possibly need. The breakfast in the gathering room was delicious and far more abundant than we needed.
Portofino – Beyond the Crowds: Uncovering Italy’s Hidden Gems
While the water was too cold for me to scuba, it was stellar weather to walk to Portofino from Santa Margherita Ligure. A pathway runs along the sea next to the highway. While there are a few moments of walking on the roadway, for the most part, you’re protected from traffic all the way from Rapallo to Portofino. There’s a section in between Santa Margherita Ligure and Portofino that takes you across the road and onto a wooded stone and brick trail where parts of it are closed due to downed trees. Otherwise, most of that trail gives you stunning views of the ocean, beaches, and structures built on the sides of the hills.
When you get to Portofino, you realize why it is a playground for the rich and famous. At Dante’s recommendation, we searched out the staircase to get to the Chiesa di San Giorgio. We ran into a field trip of middle schoolers, eating their lunch, here. Besides them, there were a few visitors; but it wasn’t crowded at all. The views are spectacular.
After Chiesa di San Giorgio, we went back to the top of the staircase and headed up the path to Castello Brown. The castle is now the property of the Municipality of Portofino. Some of the rooms contain pictures of famous people who have visited. But the real star of the property is its views. You can see the Harbour of Portofino from multiple places on the castle property. The pictures below show the pathways, views, and some of the castle.
Rapallo – Beyond the Crowds: Uncovering Italy’s Hidden Gems
Rapallo is another town situated on the Ligurian Sea coast, northeast of Santa Margherita Ligure. The views of the sea here are unmatched, and there are many places open to the public where you can just take the stairs down to the rocks or the concrete landings and enjoy the water close up. Here are some pictures I took while on the path from Santa Margherita Ligure to Rapallo. The area gets quite busy in the summer, but May was blissfully uncrowded.
Conclusion
Italy’s hidden gems await those who dare to venture beyond the well-trodden path. From its majestic waterfalls to its charming coastal beaches, there is something to captivate every adventurous traveler. So, pack your bags, embrace the unknown, and let Italy’s hidden gems unveil their secrets to you.
For more of our posts on Italy adventures go to the Destinations/Italy sub-category.