6Pelagie islands

Derived from the Greek and meaning “open sea,” the Pelagie islands are adrift from the rest of Italy close to Tunisia and Malta. Given their distance away from Sicily or the mainland, they continue to be off the radar of most visitors to Italy.

That being said, they boast some of the best beaches in the country. Lampedusa’s Isola dei Conigli, or Rabbit Island, was recently voted one of the world’s most beautiful beaches. The islands’ beaches are also home to the endangered loggerhead turtle.