Levanzo
Dinky Levanzo, sitting in the Mediterranean just west of Sicily, is known for the Neolithic cave paintings at Grotta del Genovese, which can be visited on a guided tour. Whitewashed houses surround the port, from which divers head out to see the remains of a Roman shipwreck.
Where to stay: At sweet, affordable guest house Cala Dogana.
Getting there: Hydrofoils from Trapani in Sicily take 25 minutes.
The smallest of the Aeolian islands is also the most exclusive, where Milan’s smart set heads for the summer. It’s got a reputation as the party island, and in high season the harbour fills up with glitzy yachts. While the beaches aren’t as beautiful as on the other Aeolian islands, there are plenty of rocky inlets to use as jumping-off points for the inky ocean.
Where to stay: Hotel Raya has been the island’s sharpest hideout for more than half a century.
Getting here: Ferries from Milazzo leave at least twice daily and take about one hour 20 minutes.
Capri
Just off the coast of the Sorrentine Peninsula, Capri is one of Italy’s best-known islands. It has a reputation for splashy hotels and a sparkly jet-set history – Jackie Kennedy made the island famous by visiting in the 1960s – but there’s a wilder, remote side too. Go off-season (we particularly recommend visiting in autumn) and get stuck in exploring the old town on foot.
Where to stay: Smart JK Place Capri, which appears to dangle on the cliffside above the port, has soothing rooms away from the crowds and some of the best views on the island.
Getting here: Boats from Naples take about an hour.
Now read: our insider guide to Capri, Italy
Aeolian Islands
The Aeolian islands are dotted off the coast of Sicily, an archipelago made up of seven UNESCO-protected specks of land known for their raw beauty. Lipari is the biggest, and Salina has some of the smartest hotels – but it’s Alicudi and Filicudi that keep drawing curious travellers back. The least-visited, these two slips of land are the wildest and most off-the-beaten-track of them all.
Where to stay: Four-room guesthouse Pensione La Sirena, on Filicudi.
Getting here: 10 hydrofoils leave Milazzo, in Sicily, daily and take about one hour 30 minutes to get to Salina.
Now read: Italy’s Little Known Aeolian Islands
GETTY IMAGES
Sardinia
Sardinia is the foodie island. The culture here is Italian at its core, but more rustic and stripped back. On the north-east coast, Costa Smeralda is known for its crowd of billionaire jet-setters and Russian oligarchs. But the mountainous mainland disguises pretty villages, too.
Where to stay: Little B&B Domu Antiga in the centre of the island.
Getting here: You can fly direct to Sardinia from London, Manchester and Bristol.
Now read: why Sardinia has the best food in the Mediterranean
Capri’s quieter sister sits just off the Amalfi Coast. There’s a rooted earthiness here: beaches are uncrowded and there are vast landscapes to explore. Pastel houses tumble down to the pretty ports of fishing villages, and the serenity of the island inspired WH Auden to pen a poem singing its praises. Dozens of natural hot springs and thermal pools offer welcoming wallowing spots.
Where to stay: Mezzatorre, the third opening from the Il Pellicano group, which made our Hot List 2020.
Getting there: Hydrofoils from Naples take about one hour.
Now read: Ischia: Italy’s island with the best beaches
Further north in Tuscany, Elba is best known as the island on which Napoleon was first exiled. Today, it is quiet compared to many of Italy’s shores, with a string of coves and bays dotted along the coast. Pristine beaches include the often-empty Marina di Alberese.
Where to stay: Hotel Hermitage is set right on the white sands of Biodola beach.
Getting there: Ferries from Piombino, a port about 100 miles south of Florence, take 45 minutes.
Secluded Caprera, off the north coast of Sardinia, is part of La Maddalena Archipelago National Park. Visitors go hiking among the shady pine trees that cover the island, with trails leading to deserted coves and gin-clear sea.
Where to stay: There are no hotels on Caprera, so catch a boat back to Sardinia.
Getting there: Take a 20-minute ferry from Palau in Sardinia to La Maddalena, which is connected to Caprera by a land bridge.
Retro Ponza is where Romans go on holiday. It’s about halfway between the Eternal City and Naples, and the largest of the six Pontine Islands that make an appearance in Homer’s Odyssey. They’re just an hour from the mainland by boat, but few tourists make the journey over, leaving things quieter and more laid-back than at some of Italy’s bigger-hitting islands.
Where to stay: Grand Hotel Santa Domitilla has rooms from £90 and a grand spa.
Getting there: Ferries take one hour and depart from Terracina (about one hour 30 minutes by train and bus from Rome).
Now read: Ponza, Italy – the holiday island for in-the-know Romans
This a one-mile-long islet in La Maddalena Archipelago National Park is almost uninhabited. The island’s lone resident, caretaker Mauro Morandi, has lived here for more than 30 years, protecting its delicate ecosystem. It’s possible to visit by day on a boat trip – Budelli’s most famous beach, Spiaggia Rosa, is closed to visitors, but there are countless other coves to explore, and most boats will get close enough to Spiaggia Rosa for you to see its unusual pink sands.
Where to stay: You can’t stay on Budelli – your boat trip will take you back to Sardinia for the night.
Getting there: Boats leave from the port of Palau.
Wild swimmers and divers are drawn to Giglio, a dot 11 miles into the sea off the Tuscan coast. Most of the island is covered in wild plants and inhabited only by free-roaming wildlife. Candy-coloured fishing ports stud the many beautiful beaches, and inland Giglio Castello is an ancient village set within fortified walls.
Where to stay: At La Guardia, a pared-back hideout with beautiful views.
Getting there: Ferries from Porto Santo Stefano take about an hour and leave year-round – check ahead for timings, as they’re seasonal.
The three Pelagie Islands are closer to Tunisia than Sicily, cast away about 105 miles from their nearest Italian neighbour. The biggest of the three, Lampedusa is known for its pretty beaches (its southern shore is a protected marine reserve), which draw a swell of summer visitors.
Where to stay: La Calandra is a pretty hotel built into the cliffside.
Getting there: Ferries from Porto Empédocle in Sicily take four hours 15 minutes.
Burano
One of the best-known Italian islands, Burano is one of a handful in the Venetian lagoon. Its houses are a kaleidoscope of bright colours, and the shops stock exquisite linen and lace (which Burano is famous for).
Where to stay: Perfectly on-point (and affordable) Casa Burano.
Getting there: Take a ferry from San Zaccaria (near St Mark’s Square) to Burano; it takes about 45 minutes.
The vast Lake Maggiore straddles the Alps between Italy and Switzerland and is home to a cluster of pretty islands. The four Borromeans are some of the loveliest of them all – Bella, Madre and Superiore have been owned by an aristocratic Milanese family since the 1600s, but are all open to visitors.
Where to stay: Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees, with its medical spa and expansive terraces.
Getting there: Take the ferry from Stresa, a town on Lake Maggiore – the boats visit all three publicly accessible Borromean Islands.
Procida
Less visited than Capri or Ischia, tiny Procida is comparatively peaceful even in high season. It offers fewer places to stay than its neighbours and remains mostly inhabited by locals, which gives it an authentic, lived-in feel. The island’s technicolour fishing villages also had a starring role in The Talented Mr Ripley.
Where to stay: Hotel La Corricella is pared back but has brilliant views.
Getting there: Ferries from Naples take about 40 minutes.
