A journalist who travelled to every region of Italyhas said there is one part of the country they’ll always choose to return to.

Author Kaitlyn Rosati toured around Italy, sampling each of the country’s regions, completing her mission by setting foot in Molise,one of the smallest regions in the country.

However, out of all the twenty regions, one stood out in the shape of Basilicata. Located in Southern Italy, it lies in the instep of Italy’s shoe-like shape.

The capital of the region is the city of Potenza, located nearly 1,000m above sea level in the Apennines near the upper Basento River, east of Salerno.

Speaking with fondness about the region to Business Insider, Kaitlyn said: “Nowhere has quite stolen my heart like Basilicata — a region I’ve visited six times since 2021, and come to think of as the country’s best-kept secret.

“I’ll admit that I have an emotional connection to the area, too: My great-grandmother hails from a small town called Pignola, right in the heart of the region near its capital, Potenza.

“Though I can’t guarantee I’ll return to every region, I know I will be back to Basilicata over and over again — because, at the end of the day, there’s simply no place like home.”

What’s more, also nestled within Basilicata is the town of Castelmezzano, characterised by chalky red rooftops that stand against the lush green hills. Kaitlyn isn’t the only journalist to highlight the Basilicata region as a top place for people to visit both on long and short trips.

Fellow writer Liam Hess told Vogue in January that the region was a must-see for tourists planning a trip to Italy, particularly if they want to avoid fellow tourists.

Liam explained: “It feels like the kind of Italy you can’t quite believe still exists — which explains why it’s swiftly becoming a hotspot for intrepid travellers keen to avoid the country’s more tourist-clogged corners.”

It is these “tourist-clogged corners” that have become hotspots of activity in 2025, as the anti-tourism protests have continued across Europe during the summer months. One measure being proposed in tourism hotspots such as Venice has been a tourism tax — a levy placed on visitors to the city.

One of the area’s most prominent business leaders, Setrak Tokatzian, has suggested to The Telegraphthis should be set at €100 (£86.24) because tourists don’t buy as much from local shops as they used to.

He said: “We’re in a state of emergency — tourists no longer buy anything. I’d make them pay €100 a head. Every day I see rivers of people who arrive in the city but have no real goal.

“They drift from one part of the city to another, led by tour guides; they go on gondolas, they take water taxis, they rush here and there, but no one buys anything.

“They arrive in the morning on coaches and they leave in the afternoon without having spent a euro. I hate to say it, but this kind of tourism is dreadful.”