I was trying to work out the other day when my fondness for off-season holidays first began. And I traced it right back to my first visit to Venice nearly 25 years ago. It was the dead of winter, and Venice itself seemed deathly calm, with nary a tourist in sight. I wandered through a deserted San Marco Square, I visited the Doge’s Palace in near-solitary splendour, I sat in empty cafés, sipping on steaming cappuccinos, and I wandered through the streets without being jostled by a million other people who had had the same idea.
It was always freezing, sometimes very wet, but with an overcoat, boots and hat, I was well-equipped to deal with the extreme weather while revelling in the extraordinary beauty of Venice, which shone through even more intensely in the absence of crowds who would otherwise obscure it. I have been back to Venice many times since during peak seasons, but I have never managed to recapture the magic of that first visit in the bitter Venetian winter.
Ever since then, I have been a fan of visiting prime locations at non-prime times, so that I can make the most of them. In the old days, for instance, you could visit Goa or Kerala during the monsoon and feast your eyes on the verdant green, without the usual tourist hordes who otherwise ruin the experience. But, alas, those days are long gone. Now every hotel and resort in this region has special monsoon offers, which attract just as many (if not more) people to the area during this season. So, all the off-season monsoon bliss I remember is now a distant memory.
More recently, though, my husband and I decided to give Puglia (in southern Italy) a try before the season truly opened. We were a bit apprehensive, because the weather forecast threatened thunderstorms for some of the time we were there. But we bit the bullet and headed out there anyway, with waterproof trench coats and umbrellas at the ready.
As it turned out, we needn’t have worried. Even though some of the attractions hadn’t opened, and the sea waters were too cold to venture in, these deprivations were nothing compared to the absolute bliss of wandering through the many quaint towns and villages of the regions without being crowded by thousands of other tourists. So, we walked through the stunning streets of Lecce (known as the Florence of the South), stopping to admire the many astonishing buildings the city houses. We visited the magnificent cathedral in Monopoli. We feasted our eyes on the amazing sea views from the terraces of Polignano a Mare. And wherever we went, we rejoiced in the complete absence of crowds.
We were so happy with the experience, that we made a resolution right there and then that from now on we would only holiday during the off season. Not only does it make financial sense (both flights and hotels are so much cheaper at this time) it also makes for a stress-free holiday experience, when you are not competing with thousands of others to enjoy the same destinations.
So, next stop is Sicily, just when winter is on the wane and spring is about to dawn. Palermo, here we come!
From HT Brunch, August 23, 2025
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