Italy has many great places to visit, among them fabulous, unheralded locales. If you want the inside scoop on some less predictable choices for a memorable holiday, ask the pros. Here Domenic Petrino, the director of business development for Select Italy, a boutique travel company specializing in custom itineraries, talks about three under-the-radar destinations that offer the kind of attractions travelers seek out in other (often more crowded) parts of Italy, like a gorgeous and rustic seaside locale (Ponza); an exuberant and richly historic city (Naples); and a little-traveled-to region with untouched rural splendors (Abruzzo).

PONZA

“All the Romans go to Ponza,” says Petrino about the idyllic island located between Rome and Naples in the Tyrrhenian Sea. And while not exactly a secret—Fellini filmed his Satyricon and celebs from Sophia Loren to Rihanna have vacationed here—Ponza doesn’t have the high-wattage profile of other Italian islands like Capri and Sardinia (although it can get crowded during peak summer months). “It’s smaller scale than Ischia and relatively free of foreign tourists,” says Petrino, who recommends the island for travelers who like to be adventuresome and have time to explore less traditional Italian destinations. Among Ponza’s many attractions are its crystalline waters, beaches and “a pristine environment, which makes the island good for hiking and trekking,” he says.