Destinations like Cinque Terre, in the northwestern Riviera, and the southern Amalfi Coast tend to hog all the attention, and for good reason: their colourful houses, precipitous cliffs and turquoise waters are what many associate with the Mediterranean. But travellers who venture further afield are justly rewarded. From north to south, we pick six lesser-known coastal towns with just as much character, but a fraction of the crowds.  

1. Scilla, Calabria
Pale houses spilling down a hillside to the sea, parasols and gelati vendors set up on an arc of fine-shingle beach, and a nuggety castle on a bluff. This isn’t, in fact, the Amalfi Coast’s Positano, but the quieter town of Scilla on the Violet Coast, in the southern region of Calabria. The fishing district of Chianalea is particularly attractive.