These Italian Secret Islands Should Be Your Next Vacation

Sometimes it's better to leave exotic holidays for another time. There are times when Italians just want to holiday at home, in remote hotels, managed with care and with an emphasis on relaxation. Here is where to find some of them, in the lovely setting of the Italian islands.

PONZA: THE ISLAND OF THE SORCERESS CIRCE

Homer says that Ponza was the home of Circe, the sorceress who seduced Ulysses and his soldiers. But the Romans also loved the island, a miniature Capri where otium (leisure time) was a way of life.  After years of high society and luxury yachts, it has return to simpler style. It's made up of beaches accessible only on foot, restaurants where reservations aren't necessary, fishing boats with sailors who take you north to discover caves and rock pools, or further afield to the islands Palmarola and Zannone. There are few hotels, but you can stay in ancient villas like Villa Laetitia with its white facade and pastel friezes and amazing view (tel. 06.3226776, villalaetitia.com). Transformed by Anna Fendi into a boutique B&B, it is furnished with eclectic luxury pieces reminiscent of a family mansion and has beautiful terraces overlooking the bay. The villa’s driver waits for guests at the port. And makes them immediately feel as if they are at home on Circe’s island.

SALINA: THE COUNTRYSIDE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEA

The hydrofoil from Milazzo heads straight to the Aeolian Islands. Salina is the largest but also the most timid of the archipelago -- perhaps because olive groves and rows of Malvasia vines dominate its seafaring side. The vineyards are part of the landscape and at Capofaro become the very theme of the holiday. The rooms in this resort – simple, elegant, in the Aeolian style – are immersed in six hectares of vineyards, tended by the Tasca d’Almerita family (tel. 090.9844330-1, capofaro.it). There is a restaurant and a pool with superb views and a green oasis that is the starting point for a swim at the beach of Pollara, a walk to Monte Fossa, and a mulberry granita at the little port of Santa Maria.

SAN PANTALEO: THE TRUE HEART OF GALLURA

From the village of St. Therese we take a dirt road that leads to the top of Monte Moro. It is just 400 meters high but has a fantastic view of the park of La Maddalena, Capo Figari, the island of Tavolara, and demonstrates that inland the Emerald Coast has remained deeply Sardinian. It is an authenticity that can be lived in San Pantaleo, a village in the Gallura region that is almost unique in the area, with single-story houses with double-pitched roofs, like the architecture of the stazzi, the traditional shepherd homes. On Thursdays there are market stalls and in summer there are country festivals dedicated to patron saints. The walks on Sunday will make you forget that the sea is close by. A feeling of discreet isolation emanates from Petra Segreta, a resort protected by oaks and junipers: it has a lovely spa (outdoor heated pool with a waterfall) and a restaurant with views as far as Corsica, run by a chef skilled in bringing out the best in the local flavors (tel. 0789.1876441, petrasegretaresort. com).