Another year has gone by, and Italy is yet to crack its unsustainable overtourism problem.
Whether you’re in Rome, Florence, or Venice, waking up at 5 am to get crowd-free pictures is no longer an option, and neither is wandering around without constantly bumping into other people.
It was about time the Italian Government Tourism Board, known by its Italian acronym ENIT, took matters into its own hands.
Next year, instead of coming up with more ingenious way to make the usual tourism hotspots pricier to visit, ENIT is launching the ‘Luminous Destinations 2026‘ project.
Long story short, they’re actively encouraging tourists to visit lesser-known parts of Italy that are yet to be touched by the masses, as in their own words, ‘99% of Italy is still undiscovered‘.
According to President Alessandra Priente, they are ‘grateful for Venice, Florence, Milan, Naples, and Capri’, but now the focus is on bringing attention to Italy’s overlooked regions and turning them into the next big thing.
Out of the areas handpicked for the ‘Luminous Destinations’ push, there are 5 in particular stand out, and that are practically begging for more tourists in 2026:
Puglia, Italy
Straddling the Adriatic Sea, with whitewashed houses clinging to steep cliffsides, and tranquil pebbly beaches hugged by turquoise seas, Puglia is one of Italy’s best-kept secrets that’s only just recently started gaining traction.
It has a vibrant capital in Bari, with a picture-perfect, maze of a medieval core peppered with family-owned trattorie and Romanesque churches, though it’s true charm lies in the smaller coastal towns that see only a small fraction of the Amalfi crowds.
Unsure where to go? Think Polignano a Mare, with the iconic white-pebble cove flanked by coastal cliffs, or Alberobello, home to the UNESCO-listed trulli houses, and then there’s Lecce, dubbed ‘Florence of the South’ due to its high concentration of Renaissance monuments.
Basilicata
Bordering Puglia, Basilicata is an equally-underrated Southern Italian region laying claim to a handful of the country’s most important cultural sites. Surprisingly, those are barely known in traveler circles, with the exception of Matera:
Considered the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world, Matera is famous for its rock-hewn townhouses and churches, and limestone-paved pathways dating back millennia, but it’s far from being Basilicata’s only attraction.
A short drive from Matera, Pollino is a national park featuring deep gorges, dramatic forested ridges, and wildlife reserves. Additionally, if you’re looking for a little taste of Rio in Italy, Maratea is Basilicata’s main beach town, set along the Tyrrhenian Sea, and watched over by a Christ the Redeemer statue.
Le Marche
An eastern Italian region wedged between the Apennine Mountains and the Adriatic, Le Marche ranks among Italy’s least-visited destinations, and we can’t quite fathom why given its fascinating history and wealth of both natural and cultural destinations.
Capital city Ancona is a busy port bordering the sandy coves and limestone cliffs of the Riviera del Conero, while the quaint Urbino is a UNESCO-protected, Renaissance hilltop town dominated by a Ducal Palace.
In Frasassi, you can visit one of Europe’s most impressive, and largets cave systems, and if you’re looking for that fairytale small town untouched by the TikTok hordes, Corinaldo is still surrounded by imposing medieval walls, and it has that dreamy storybook feel.
Abruzzo
With a capital that’s just been crowned Italy’s Top Cultural Destination For 2026, Abruzzo is a hidden treasure that’s yet to be unearthed. Oh, and trust us when we say the picturesque alleys and regal palaces of L’Aquila are only the tip of the iceberg.
Other than exploring this cultural juggernaut of a capital, you should make sure you head out into the Abruzzo countryside, where scenic lakes like Scanno, and unspoiled mountain villages like Santo Stefano di Sessanio await discovery.
We could go on and on, but our favorite destination in Abruzzo has to be Pacentro, an unheard-of village perched high on a hill, complete with soaring medieval towers, arched passageways, and crowd-free piazze.
Sardinia
The latest Italian island to host nonstop Transatlantic flights, Sardinia is set for a significant increase in demand in 2026, and if we were you, we wouldn’t sit around waiting until it is just as packed as post-White Lotus Sicily.
Whether it’s beach-hopping in the paradisaical North, ringed by the aptly-named Costa Smeralda‘s white-sand beaches and teal-colored seas, or exploring the fortified coastal towns to the South, such as island capital Cagliari, this is a Mediterranean haven meant to be enjoyed at an unhurried pace.
Not to be missed if you’re flying to Sardinia from New York in spring: the Maddalena archipelago, a string of smaller islets, lying just off the North Sardinian coast, known for their wild beaches, rich marine life, and colorful fishermen villages.
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