The best secret Italian islands to visit without the crowds this summer

MILLIONS of Brits love a summer holiday in Italy, with many heading to the country’s islands.

While the A-listers head to swanky Capri, there are alternative, secret, and cheaper paradises.

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Silvia Marchetti reveals four islands off Sicily that may not have fancy hotels and buzzing nightlife, but promise blissful tranquillity instead.

You can fly to Palermo in Sicily from £58 return in October with Ryanair. For cheapest fares, compare on skyscanner.net.

There are regular ferries from Palermo and Trapani.

Rooms at hotels on Marettimo from £70 per night in September.

See hotels-sicily.net.

Filicudi

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ON this former active volcano isle, part of Sicily’s Aeolian archipelago, you’ll revel in unspoilt nature.

Winding stone paths connect white-washed houses covered in bright floral vines, where locals dine on rooftops with panoramic views.

Trekking paths lead to sleeping craters, while sea stacks such as La Canna are top diving sites.

The best way to tour the rocky inlets is by dinghy.

Just one road leads to the fishermen’s village of Pecorini a Mare, which boasts pastel-coloured huts.

Stay at the seafront hotel restaurant La Sirena. In the 1970s, Italian police used it to house 18 alleged mafiosi awaiting trial.

Now it is very much a holiday destination.

Take the ferry from Palermo or nearby Alicudi isle.

See lasirenafilicudi.com.

Levanzo

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THE smallest of the Egadi islands, Levanzo lures fans of Homer’s epic The Odyssey.

Myth says it is where Odysseus blinded the Cyclops who threw rocks at the Greek hero’s fleeing ship.

These rocks were said to have fallen into the sea and turned into massive sea stacks, where locals now swim amid some quite dangerous currents.

The Cyclops’ lair is said to have been in a huge sea cave – Grotta del Genovese – which is covered in prehistoric cave paintings and worth visiting by boat.

The isle is a foodie heaven. The only hotel (Albergo Paradiso) serves delicious fish omelettes.

At night there’s a surreal vibe at the harbour as fishermen prepare their nets for the morning.

Take the ferry from Trapani port or Marettimo isle.

Marettimo

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SILENCE rules on this sleepy isle, the wildest and farthest of the Egadi archipelago off Sicily’s western coast.

Seafront graveyards and old mysterious Byzantine chapels and altars built by monks dot the coast.

There are tall, pinkish cliffs made of the same granite rock of the Alps and animal-shaped grottos where seals hide.

The former fishermen’s village and harbour has dazzling white-and-blue dwellings covered in written prayers and flower offerings to the sea gods.

Enjoy suntanning and skinny-dipping in solitary inlets.

Marettimo Residence, the only hotel, rents cottages in a forest of deers.

Sunset dinners come with views of a crumbling pirate fortress.

Take the ferry from Trapani port on Sicily.

For stays, see marettimo-residence.marettimo.hotels-sicily.net.

Alicudi

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LOOKING for a hermit-like stay and deep soul- searching?

Take the ferry from Palermo, Sicily, to Alicudi, the most remote and quirky of the Aeolian islands.

Formed by a long-extinct volcano, the island seems frozen in time.

Donkeys are the sole means of transport.

Prepare to stretch muscles up 10,000 stone steps connecting island settlements, with miles of dusty mule paths bordered by heather, prickly pear, flowering caper plants and red bougainvillea.

There’s just one hotel but villagers rent out apartments by the sea.

Locals have plenty of tales of witches and sorcerers, potions and even evil ghost donkeys, down to bread that featured a natural fungus that was hallucinogenic.

Bring cash as there are no ATMs nor electricity.

For stays, see alicudi.me.it/index.php