From nature-rich hikes to foodie havens, Italy's seaside in the off-season is full of unexpected joys.
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Italy's coastline is synonymous with summer: a vision of Aperol Spritzes sipped under blue parasols before a glass-clear sea.
As an Italian who grew up in England, every summer brought the much-anticipated, post-exam ritual of spending the August holiday (calledFerragosto) at my grandparents' seaside village. I would spend long, lazy days in and out of the waterin what seemed like unbeatable bliss.
But since moving back to my homelandin 2021 to pursue a PhD, I've had the chance to explore the peninsula's coastline in other months of the year. I discovered something I never expected to say - the Italian seaside is best enjoyed cold(er).
Some of the perks of visiting the coast in the off-season (November-April) are fairly self-evident: the absence of crowds, low - yet still comfortable -temperatures and even lower prices.
And as the country struggles with overtourismandits increasingly privatised beaches turning into a battleground between the multi-billion lido lobby and environmentalists, enjoying the Italian seaside in the cooler months can prove to be a slower, more eco-friendly experience.
To help you decide which destination to pick, here are five villages peppered along the Bel Paese's coastline that make for a dreamy off-season getaway.
A view of Varigotti’s Saracens' Bay and promontory, Punta Crena, from the Pilgrim’s Trail. 2020Andrea Carlo Martinez
1. Varigotti: Picture-perfect views, pasta and hiking paths
Driving down a sweeping coastal road towards Varigotti, you see a lion-shaped rock, behind which lies a promontory jutting out between two bays. It is a familiar welcome to what has long been called the perla del ponente, or "pearl" of the Italian Riviera.
The small village of Varigotti, lying roughly halfway between Portofino and the French border, is a pocket-sized beauty enclosed by steep cliffs. Its bougainvillea-filled, Moorish-style old town (a legacy of Middle-Age Saracen incursions) makes it seem like the cover of a One Thousand and One Nights picture book.
Varigotti's idiosyncratic charm even caught Disney-Pixar's eye, which used the village as inspiration for their 2021 animated film, Luca.
As a relatively secluded spot, it remains uncrowded even in the height of summer, and its residents have rejected too much commercialisation. It has become a retreat for the more hermitic among Italy's glitterati, who prefer Varigotti's laid-back demeanour to the gaudier luxury of Portofino or Porto Cervo.
The off-season brings with it the added benefit of being able to explore the village and its surroundings without the muggy climate and mosquitoes of summer.
A small square in the heart of Varigotti’s old town. 2021.Andrea Carlo Martinez
Hikers have a myriad of paths at their disposal. For the less adventurous, an olive grove-lined walk up to the 12th-century church of San Lorenzo is an undemanding trek which offers striking views of the Sarcacens' Bay (Baia dei Saraceni).
For the more intrepid, there's the Pilgrim's Trail (Sentiero del Pellegrino), a 6.3 km-long hike to the top of a tall ridge, from which you can see much of the Riviera (and even Corsica on the clearest of days), and visit a rumoured smugglers' cove: the Grotta dei Falsari.
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And as a reward for the calories burnt, Varigotti's culinary offerings don't disappoint.
The Italian Riviera in...
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