The 18 Unusual and Weird Places To See in Italy

Finding some unusual places to visit in Italy for your trip can be the perfect solution to avoid the mass tourism that characterizes the famous locations of the peninsula. Cities like Rome, Florence, or Venice are beautiful, but it’s often very difficult to visit them properly. Fortunately, Italy has a lot of amazing spots outside the common touristic routes, some of them are really gorgeous and literally unknown. We have found almost the most unusual places in Italy that we recommend for an alternative Italian vacation. 

Weird and Unusual Places to See in Italy

1. Treviso

Many unusual places to visit in Italy are often nearby the most famous Italian cities. For example, just 20 miles away from Venice a real treasure lives under the shadow of the most visited city in Italy. With medieval gates, narrow, cobbled streets of arcaded rose-red brick and stone, the center of Treviso is a little walled city, is a twist and turn like dried-out watercourses. Just like Venice many canals run past small gardens, glide beneath houses, appear at street corners. Some points of the city are marked by some mills with black water-wheels that once had a commercial purpose, that today playing a purely decorative role.

Address: Treviso, 31100 Province of Treviso, Italy

2. Taormina 

On the eastern coast of Sicily, Taormina is a picturesque small town perched on a slope high above the Ionian Sea. The symbol of this fantastic city is the old Greek theatre. From here in this unusual place to visit in northern Italy, you can enjoy an amazing panorama. The old town is about 200 meters above sea level. Twisting medieval streets and add to its romantic air, which inspired the writings of D.H. Lawrence and Truman Capote.

Address: Taormina, 98039 Province of Messina, Italy
Read More: Beaches Near Florence

3. Ischia

Capri has long been the preferred beach destination for international jet-setters. However, Ischia is just as beautiful but unusual place to visit in Italy and evokes a truly Mediterranean atmosphere. Ischia is a perfect alternative for travelers who still want the idyllic beach setting but also want an authentic experience. The natural spas near Maronti Beach are not to be missed. There are a number of these weird places on the island where travelers can take advantage of this natural phenomenon, including the natural hot springs of Sorgeto and the thermal parks and gardens.

Address: Ischia Island, Italy.

4. Santa Margherita Ligure

The Italian Riveria is known for its colorful seaside towns, panoramic views of the Mediterranean Sea, and stunning beaches. Instead of heading through Cinque Terre, check out hidden gems nearby this unusual place in Italy, such as Rapallo, Santa Margherita, Portofino, and Sestri Levante. Don’t leave without tasting the delicious Focaccia col Formaggio (also known as Focaccia di Recco). It’s made by spreading mild creamy cheese (usually crescenza) between two thin slices of yeast-free bread.

Address: Santa Margherita Ligure, 16038 Metropolitan City of Genoa, Italy

5. Bergamo

The fifth of our list of unusual places is in the north of Italy. Largely ignored by travelers in favor of the nearby Milan or Verona, Bergamo is one of Lombardy’s finest towns. Divided into two parts, the “Alta” on top of the hill and the “Bassa” at the foot of the hill, Bergamo is a charming walled city with lovely little winding streets where you can pick up gelato and eat it in Piazza Vecchia, one of the loveliest square in Italy. Bergamo and its surrounding area are very romantic and are perfect for a short break, which is also the perfect base from which to explore the Lombardy countryside and the Italian lakes.

Address: Bergamo, Province of Bergamo, Italy

Also Read: Famous Castles of Tuscany

6. Porto Venere

The five Cinque Terre coastal villages to the north are better known but are also increasingly overrun, making Portovenere a pretty, and far more peaceful, unusual place in Italy. In 1998 it obtained for its architectural heritage and natural entry in the list of protected World Heritage Site. Very famous are the beaches of the area, thanks to crystal clear water. Among the natural places of the Porto, Venere area are the Byron caves (cave of the Arpaia), the Azzurra (semi-submersible), and the Tinetto.

Address: Porto Venere, Province of La Spezia, Italy.

7. Maddalena Archipelago (Sardinia)

The Maddalena Archipelago is a group of islands located in Sardinia. This unusual place to see in Italy is a true paradise in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea. It’s hard to describe the beauty of this place, its amazing beaches, and its crystal clear sea. To protect the fragile environment, the archipelago has been designated a national park. The archipelago of La Maddalena offers unique and dreamy sceneries.

Address: Maddalena Archipelago, Italy

8. Courmayeur (Aosta Valley)

Courmayeur is a town and comune in northern Italy, located at the foot of the Southern side of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain of Italy. This strange place to visit in Italy is a charming 17th-century spa town at the top of the Aosta valley. Courmayeur is a popular weekend destination for a chic Northern Italian skier. The ski area offers scenic views and good snow cover.

Address: Courmayeur, 11013 Aosta Valley, Italy

9. Cinque Terre

The “Cinque Terre” is a coast in Liguria, where many ancient villages stand along the coast. During the centuries people have built houses, of many different colors, on the cliffs overlooking the sea. Named for the five towns of  Manarola, Riomaggiore, Monterosso, Vernazza, and Corniglia, these unusual places to visit in north Italy are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Address: Cinque Terre, Province of La Spezia, Italy.

10. Ischia Island

Ischia is a volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian sea located in the Gulf of Naples. This island is famous for its thermal waters and its Aragonese Castle that was built on the rocks near the island in 474 BC, and of course for its fantastic views too.  The castle is the most visited monument of the island, today. It is accessed through a tunnel with large openings that let the light enter.

Address: Ischia Island, Italy

Visit: Best Water Parks in Venice

11. Matera

Among the best unusual places to visit in Italy, Matera is maybe the more unique. With some 20,000 people crammed into the Sassi, Matera was one of the poorest towns in western Europe fifty years ago. Sassi is kind of a honeycomb of ancient cave dwellings exposed on the ravine below the town. Matera was cleared in the Sixties but now some 2,000 people have returned, along with cafés, hotels, galleries, and restaurants, sparking a renaissance of the city.

Address: Matera, 75100 Province of Matera, Italy

12. Urbino

Urbino is a walled city in the Marche region of Italy, is one of Italy’s finer cultural destinations. This weird place in Italy earned its place on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998 for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture. Urbino is protected inside the ancient city walls there are plenty of artistic and historical treasures. Many famous artists, like Raffaello and Bramante, went to Urbino during the Renaissance.

Address: Urbino, 61029 Province of Pesaro and Urbino, Italy

13. Gargano

The spur on the heel of Italy, this most unusual place in Italy called Gargano is a national park with long, sandy beaches, great forests of pine, and a geographical location that tempers the summer heat with breezes blowing in from the sea on three sides. The region is still barely known outside of Italy but it’s definitely worth a visit. The coast of this places offers numerous beaches and tourist facilities. Mount Gargano is the site of the oldest shrine in Western Europe dedicated to the archangel Michael, Monte Sant’Angelo Sul Gargano.

14. Bologna 

Bologna is the main city of Emilia Romagna, famous for the typical food, its university, one of the world’s oldest, and its handsome arcaded historic streets. You can’t miss Piazza Maggiore, the main square, where you can have a walk through the typical porches. This Italian city and one of the weird places in Italy to visit contributed dozens of classic recipes and foods to the repertory of Italian cooking, including tortellini, lasagne, and mortadella, for this reason, it is called “The kitchen of Italy”.

Read About: Foods to Eat in Rome

15. Verona 

Verona is situated in Northern Italy, is famed for its historical center and a myriad of stunning buildings and architecture. Verona is the setting for the world’s most popular love story, Romeo and Juliet. Undoubtedly the first destination of this weirdest place to visit in Italy is the house of Juliet, visited by thousands of tourists every year. The city also has been awarded World Heritage Site status by UNESCO. The Verona Arena was built in the first century, is now a Roman amphitheater that is internationally famous for the large-scale opera performances given there and is still in use today.

Address: Verona, Province of Verona, Italy

16. Island of Burano

Burano is a little island in the Venetian lagoon but is less know and visited than Venice, you can recognize it from its colored houses and its typical canals. Families used to paint their homes in bright colors to designate where their family’s quarters ended and neighbors began. 

Address: Island of Burano, Italy.

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17. Castello di Sammezzano

This one of the unusual places to go in Italy is a truly hidden beauty located in Regello, near Florence. The Castle of Sammezzano was built in 1605 by Ximenes of Aragon, an Italian politician. This castle reflects Arab architecture and is just one out of three buildings in Italy. In just a few words we can describe it as a taste of the Orient in the heart of Tuscany.

Address: Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, 6, 50066 Leccio FI, Italy.

18. Lecce (The Florence of South Italy)

Lecce is one of the famous holiday destinations in the south of Italy. A baroque city, it has a historic center full of extravagant architecture. Lecce is famously known as “the Florence of South Italy” because of its baroque monuments. Lecce is the main city of the Salentine Peninsula, the heel of Italy, is nestled in the clear waters of the Adriatic and Ionian coasts, where you would love to see the tall cliffs sculpted by the sea alternate with sandy beaches, green stretches of maquis, and a small “Eden”.

We hope this list of unusual places to visit in Italy has inspired you. Enjoy Italy and Buon Viaggio! You might have loved reading this article and if you love to know more about Italy kindly head to our other articles as well which will help you to get knowledge about.

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