A secret hiding in plain sight

You're thinking about going to Italy, but you've got that voice in your head: Ok, Rome, too many people, Venice, all the cruise ships, the Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre, that sea of tour buses and selfie sticks... You want something real, something beautiful, something that feels like a discovery. So where should you go?

Here's a tip that will never fail you: Look up the Italian Capital of Culture.

Every year, Italy designates one smaller city as its cultural capital, and pours energy, events, exhibitions, and investment into it. The goal is to draw curious visitors toward places that don't usually make the cover of travel magazines.

In 2026, that city is L'Aquila.

A medieval mountain city in Abruzzo, still heavily marked by the 2009 earthquake, the city vibrates with concerts, exhibitions, and a cultural energy that is almost electric. Visiting L'Aquila today is to catch a city in one of its most alive and meaningful moments, layered with history, marked by resilience, and genuinely off the radar of mass tourism.

So go before everyone else figures it out! And make sure not to miss tomorrow's piece to hear more about the day time stopped in L'Aquila.