5 Secret Italian Islands That Are Stunning Hidden Gems

Italy is known for its vibrant cities and famous coastal spots. But tucked away in the Italian seas are stunning islands that few travelers have discovered. These 5 secret Italian islands are hidden gems, offering unspoiled beauty, charming villages, and the allure of a true getaway.

In this blog post, I will cover the following Italian Islands, which might sound totally new to the majority of travelers.

Pantelleria
Capraia
San Pietro Island
Filicudi
Salina

5 Secret Italian Islands That Are Stunning Hidden Gems

Well, tell me, have you ever heard about them before?

Pantelleria Island

This island’s geography is very interesting and also, I think it is very rare. Pantelleria is sitting at 2743 feet height from sea level.

Moreover, it is volcanic in nature. The island was subjected to several eruptions in the past.

The island is made of a caldera, and a lava dome.

The water that surrounds the island wears a beautiful blue drape and the island’s volcanic geography, and its elevation offer fantastic vistas.

The island is lying south of Sicily, surrounded by the Malta Channel and the Strait of Sicily.

From Sicily, it is located 95 km west.

When is the best time to visit Pantelleria?

If you don’t mind high temperatures, I think the island is good to visit, right through the year.

How to reach Pantelleria?

If you consider yourself a traveler in the true sense, you would take a ferry from Trapani, the main port city in Sicily. The voyage takes two hours, and thirty minutes.

If you love the breakneck speed of water transportation, get on board the hydrofoil. This time, the journey time is less than 30 minutes.

Alternatively, fly from Palermo and Trapani. You might touch the airstrip in Pantelleria in about 30 minutes or less.

Top sights in Pantelleria Island:

Being the land of two volcanoes, you can take a dip in a couple of natural hot springs. You can even get pampered by a spa professional on the spot, right in the open air.

The names of the two natural geysers are:

Bagno Asciutto
Logo di Venere

There is also a fumarole to see. They are unique geological features.

The name in English is the Venus’ Mirror.

Climb the volcanic Montagna Grande.

The island is famous for producing excellent wines that are known very well, all over Italy. This means you can visit the vineyards, and expect a short tour of wine tasting.

Get around the island on a rented scooter. Cars are also available for hire.

Alternatively, join a guided boat excursion of the island, exposing you to some fantastic views and giant cliffs.

I think I painted a fairly precise picture of Pantelleria.

Hotels to stay in Pantelleria

About half a dozen options are there for you to stay on the island. In fact, it is prudent to stay in Pantelleria and visit Sicily daily as lodging and food are expensive in Palermo or Catania, two major cities in Sicily.

All the hotels on Pantelleria Island are by the seafront.

Capraia

Seven islands that are floating in the Tyrrhenian Sea, on the west coast of Italy, are classified under “Tuscan Archipelago”. Capraia is one of the seven islands, and it is the second-largest island. Elba, the more popular island in the Tuscan Archipelago is the largest of its siblings. Since these 7 islands are close to the Tuscan region of Italy, they are put under Tuscan group of islands.

How to reach Capraia Island?

Port of Livorno is your gateway point. The port city is located in the northwestern part of Tuscany, Italy. The port is facing the Ligurian Sea.

Ferry rides to Capraia last two hours only, as the distance is only 64 km between the two points.

What to do in Capraia?

The island is volcanic and beaches

The beaches are rocky. In such a geography, the waves crashing against the rocks are the most satisfying sight. Both the roar of the waves and the water particles that get splashed around is a beautiful sight.

You can climb on high cliffs to enjoy an aerial view of the sea, and the coastline of the island.

Boat tour of the island

This is the best way to sea around the island. Boat stops at certain beaches and coves. In addition, you can ask the boat to be anchored at places that attract you.

In addition, you get into the water just like that, to have a swim or wear snorkeling mask to spot the marine creatures.

Go to Elba

Elba is located only 32 km south of Capraoa. You can make a day trip to Elba, visit the island’s historic sites, and return to your hotel in Capraia in the evening.

Marine National Park

In order to preserve and protect the precious marine life in all these 7 islands and their surrounding islets, a national park was carved out and named it “Archipelago Tuscano National Park”.

This means, there are scuba diving spots where you can expect to see a diverse range of fish species.

In addition, if you buy a complete island hopping tour package, you can set afoot on all the other 6 islands in the archipelago.

Fortress of St. George

This is a historic site that you can admire only from the outside. What a strategic location of the immaculate-looking fortress!

Churches

Like any other Italian city, town, or island, here also, you can see several churches that dot the steep landscape. It seems the five churches are a bit more, for only about 500 permanent residents of the Capraia island.

Beaches and water sports

Cala dello Zurletto is the most picturesque beach on the island.

Lo Groyya Beach is known for indulging in a few water sports. Please don’t expect anything very adventurous, such as kite surfing or jet skiing.

This Italian island is not known to many travelers and therefore, it has unspoiled beauty and retains its originality.

Places to stay on the island

Two hotels beckon you with fantastic views of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Choose either La Mondla or Residence la Vela.

What to eat?

You can find a couple of restaurants that serve fresh seafood, cooked in Italian style. Both are bar attached.

However, don’t expect anything fancy with a great ambiance. However, the taste of the food is highly rated.

For adventurous eaters, the Tomato and Mozzarella salad is known as Insalata Caprese. The dish is liberally sprinkled with chopped basil leaves.

San Pietro Island

Its Italian name is Isla San Pietro, and it is how it is addressed by the majority of the locals.

This small island is a popular day trip location for the people living and touring Sardinia, one of the highly visited islands in Italy and in the world.

Oh, however, our destination San Pietro Island is only 7 km away from Sardinia. The island is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea.

How do you go to the island of San Pietro?

Sea passage is the only way. However, you can fly to Sardinia from several parts of Europe.

Since the island is a stone’s throw away distance from Sardinia, ferrying is the only option from Portoscuso, the port town in southwest Sardinia.

Another small island near Sardinia called Sant’ Antioco also operates a passenger boat to our destination.

What to do on this island?

As you saw in the photo above, the island’s rock formations are the delight of the tourists.

As the island is volcanic in nature, the beaches are littered with small and big boulders.

Grottos are present on the island’s northern coast and western coast.

Many sailboats are seen in the sea for most of the year. The wind is ideal for unfurling the sail and enjoying the move on the water.

Hotels to stay

Though there are places to stay, it is better to stay in Sardinia and come here to see the rock formations and a boat tour around the island.

Fruits on the island

The island is known to produce, large, juicy oranges, and lemons. In addition, you can taste succulent peaches, and pears.

Strawberries are available seasonally. Figs, one of the healthiest fruits are also cultivated along with olives, which are considered a delicacy here.

Filicudi

Filicudi is a small island that is surrounded by the Tyrrhenian Sea, south of Italy and just north of Sicily.

This is part of the Aeolian Islands chain in which, only 7 islands are considered as main islands, and five islands that are smaller than their sisters.

Aeolian Islands

I think this is the first time I am writing about the Aeolian archipelago.

The 7 main islands are:

Alicudi
Filicudi
Lipari
Panarea
Salina
Stromboli
Vulcano

Interestingly, though Filicudi and Lipari are two independent islands, Filicudi is administered by Lipari.

How one gets to Filicudi

Flying is possible only up to Sicily from wherever you are in Europe.

Therefore, the only means of transportation is by sea passage. Ferries and hydrofoils are two dependable modes of reaching Filicudi either from the ports in Sicily or from the other main islands of Aeolian chain of islands.

Depending upon which part of Sicily you are staying, you can catch a ferry or hydrofoil either from the port town of Milazzo or from Palermo, the capital of Sicily.

For your information, Milazzo is part of Messina, an important historic city in Sicily.

The voyage from either one of the ports takes 4 hours, and 30 minutes.

Staying options in Filicudi

There is no dearth of hotels to stay in Filicudi. The rates are much lower than the hotels in Lipari.

The Seven Sisters Resort in Filicudi boasts of high occupancy level.

Casa Monti de Luca offers a bed and breakfast. This means you have to eat your lunch and dinner, in other stand-alone cafés.

Things to do on this Italian island

Snorkeling and diving are the two most important things to do, as the underwater creatures in this region of Tyrrhenian Sea are said to strike wonders.

The beaches are uncluttered. Since the holidaymakers are much less, you can have the beaches to yourself for most part of the evening.

Visiting the village of Zucco Grande is one of the things to do in Filicudi. The location of the place is terrific with a mountainous backdrop.

As a matter of fact, Zucco Grande is perched on a promontory. Walking around the village, and hiking the trails with a panoramic view of the sea, goad the tourists to come here.

Three more scenic places to visit on the island include:

Valdichiesa
Pecorini Mare
Capo Graziano ( exisiting since the 2^nd millennium BC)

Sadly, the village is abandoned by the locals, but I suppose that is why it has become a tourist attraction now.

Trekking up to Monte Fossa Felci

This is the summit of the mountain on the island. The altitude of the peak is 2500 feet.

Two more mountain tops at lower heights also have trails. If you lack time, you can try anyone of the two.

La Canna single rock (the best attraction on the island of Filicudi)

This is the top attraction in Filicudi. It is a volcanic rock that stands 243 feet tall, in the middle of the sea.

This rock is the outcome of a volcanic eruption that occurred from under the water. The age of the La Canna is 40,000 years!

You can take a close-up look at this solitary beauty by undertaking a boat tour. I am sure, the lonely spire will relish some company once in a way.

Wow! Isn’t it terrific?

Salina

You can reach Salina Island from Milazzo, Sicily in about three hours.

Salina Island from the Aeolian archipelago is the closest island to Lipari

It is bewildering to read that UNESCO awarded the island of Salina, a World Heritage status, mainly due to the island’s volcanic geography.

Geography of the island.

As many as 6 volcanoes are on this island. They are the main crowd pullers in spite of the fact the volcanic mountains are not clearly distinguishable from the mountainous geography of the island.

These volcanoes are nearly dead because, the last time, one of them breathed fire was 13,000 years ago.

Volcanic ‘gurgling’

At the village of Rinella, a mild gurgling sound is heard occasionally.

In spite of such volcanic nature, the mountains sport green drapes.

Things to do on this Italian islands

Visiting beaches and having a fun-filled morning is one of the must-do activities on Salina Island.
Like other Italian islands, Salina also produces wine. If you have never visited a vineyard, grab this opportunity. You can also go to the local brewery to enjoy a bit of wine tasting. Even if you have very little knowledge of wines, you can sample a few and just nod your approval.
Go on a cruise and see some extraordinary-looking coves and bays
Visit Spiaggia dello Scario beach

The lovely cobalt color of the water is irresistible to take a swim.