Italy's Islands

By: Jennifer Milano, written August 2015

If you are looking for a summer island getaway, why not one of Italy's spectacular islands?  My passion for Italian islands began when I was a teenager, when I was lucky enough to be invited to spend a week in Sardinia with a friend and her family.  The emerald and turquoise waters of the Mediterranean combined with fresh seafood and pasta made for a perfect week's vacation.  And from the north of Sardinia, a ferry took us to visit Corsica for a day, in less than an hour's trip each way.  We had a delicious French lunch at an outdoor cafe in Bonifacio, and wandered around the picturesque town that sits on top of seaside cliffs.

On a high school trip to Italy, our group joined thousands of others on a boat to Capri for the day.  Famous for its Blue Grotto and stunning, clifftop views, Capri is a little gem, but not the hidden kind.  Hoping to escape the tourists and discover the real Capri, my parents stayed for a few nights at the gorgeous JK Place, just above the harbor. Next time I visit Capri, I plan to spend two or three nights in Anacapri, at the top of the island.  After the day trippers leave, I'll sit outside at a trattoria and dive into a bowl of fresh pasta.  Then I'll stroll to a gelateria, order un cono due Euro con pesca e fragola, and enjoy my ice cream in the piazza. 

When I was living in Rome after college, my friend, Susan, and I took a weekend trip to Elba.  We took the train from Rome to Piombino Marittima (via Campiglia Marittima), where we took a one-hour ferry ride to Elba.  Before traveling to Elba, all I knew about the island was from a college history course:  Napoleon was banished to Elba after losing his megalomaniac campaign to take over Europe.  As our ferry approached Elba's rocky cliffs and white sand beaches, I thought Napoleon's punishment didn't look so bad. 

On our first evening in Elba's main town, Portoferraio, we were sitting outside at a trattoria enjoying our pasta when a group of a dozen young Italians sitting next to us struck up a conversation.  Delighted that we could speak Italian (Susan speaking much better than I), this friendly dozen adopted us for the weekend.  Over the next two days, the Italians took us around the island on the backs of their motorcycles, showing us beautiful beaches in off-the-beaten-path places we never would have found on our own.  Absent a dozen Italians to show you the island, click here for a Condé Nast Traveler article on the best of Elba. 

That same summer, my backpacking college friends visited me in Rome, and we went to Ischia for the weekend.  Ischia is near Capri, and much less crowded.  Ischia has pretty beaches, and it is in Italy, so that makes it wonderful.  But as an island, Ischia didn't draw me in like Sardinia, Capri or Elba, so I wouldn't rush back. 

I would, though, return to Sicily in a hearbeat!

My friend, Jenn, and I visited Sicily for a week and loved virtually every minute of it.  After flying to Palermo, we immediately took a train about an hour east to Cefalú, a beautiful town on the sea.  We climbed up the mountain behind the town, stopping to check out ruins on the way, and took in this most gorgeous view of stone, terra cotta rooftops, and turquoise sea. 

From Cefalú, we went to Taormina, the most well-known resort town on Sicily.  Taormina is touristy, but for a good reason - it is a gorgeous town with beautiful beaches.  We wanted to see Sircusa, but opted to spend an extra day on the beach in Taormina. 

Next, we were off to Agrigento.  We were not fond of the town, but were amazed by the ruins.  We were the only visitors.  In fact, we were the only sign of life at the ruins - there was no ticket collector, no guards ensuring we kept our Sisley sneakers off the ancient stone structures, no tourists.  We loved our peaceful visit to this historic site.  I wonder if the ruins are still empty today?  

From Agrigento, I wanted to go to Corleone.  I know it is cheesy, but I watched The Godfather movies dozens of times with my father, and thought it would be fun to stop in Corleone.  Jenn makes a good traveling companion because she is totally up for senseless stops like this one.  Sadly, there was no train to Corleone, we had no car, and the bus service was spotty.  We abandoned my silly little dream, briefly considered a detour to coastal Trapani, but ended up just taking the train to Palermo.  My self-guided Godfather tour would have to be limited to a visit to the steps of the opera house, featured in The Godfather III.  I took a photo of the steps for my dad.  Palermo is gritty, but interesting.  There was a religious shrine around virtually every corner, which looked as though they were placed by residents, and varying from simple to opulent.  There was the impressive opera house.  And, Palermo has a pretty seafront.  Out of all of our stops in Sicily, though, it is Cefalú to which I long to return.  And maybe, a brief stop in Corleone.

Next time I visit Sicily, I will take a boat from Italy's coast, stopping in the Aeolian Islands on my way, where I have never been but have been wanting to visit for years.  Click here for the New York Times article about the Aeolian Islands that has been sitting on my desk since 1998.  For a more recent New York Times article, click here.

Click for more Italian destinations!