Italian spa and wellness towns off the beaten path.
Less-touristed spa towns in Italy, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
Segestane thermal baths, volcanic waters at Termini Imerese, and Roman-era springs at Porretta Terme trace a lineage of Italian wellness that long predates the modern spa industry. These nine destinations range from the mountain village of Premia in the Valle Antigorio to Lacco Ameno on the island of Ischia, where publisher Angelo Rizzoli built five-star hotels that drew Elizabeth Taylor and Clark Gable to its thermal shores.
Alassio
A sandy-beached resort town on the Italian Riviera in Liguria, Alassio draws visitors year-round — as a bathing destination in summer and a health resort in…
Porretta Terme
Historic spa town in the upper Reno valley of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, Porretta Terme has been known for its thermal springs since Roman times and devel…
Castellammare del Golfo
A seafront town in Sicily's Trapani province, Castellammare del Golfo takes its name from the medieval fortress in its harbour — "Sea Fortress on the Gulf" —…
Lacco Ameno
Rebuilt after a devastating 1883 earthquake that destroyed most of its buildings, Lacco Ameno transformed from a fishing village into a thermal-spa resort on…
Premia
This tiny thermal spa village in the mountains of Piedmont's Verbano-Cusio-Ossola province, Premia sits in the Valle Antigorio, a branch of the Val d'Ossola,…
Garessio
This pocket-sized Piedmontese village in the Ligurian Alps known for its mineral water, Aqua San Bernardo, which drew spa visitors at the turn of the twentie…
Graglia
This tiny Piedmontese village whose communal territory takes in the Mombarone peak and Lake Ingagna, Graglia is best known for the Sacro Monte di Graglia, a…
Termini Imerese
This Sicilian coastal town on the Gulf of Termini Imerese, with a compact historic centre dense with churches, Roman ruins, and thermal baths fed by volcanic…
Sardara
A tiny agricultural and spa town in Sardinia's Campidano plain, Sardara has held the Touring Club Italiano's "Bandiera Arancione" quality mark since 2005 and…