Italian hiking towns off the beaten path.
What are some less-touristed hiking towns in Italy, for travelers seeking beautiful places with fewer crowds? Answer
Options include Gurro, a mountain hamlet tied by legend to Scottish soldiers; Belluno, a walkable town where the Ardo stream meets the Piave; and Macugnaga, a tiny village below the east face of Monte Rosa. This page includes more than 30 options. Click here to see which are close enough to be day trips from major cities like Milan, Rome or Naples.
Vogogna
This photogenic village in the Val d'Ossola, Piedmont, sits at the water's edge with mountain terrain rising behind it, partly within the Val Grande National…
Kastelruth
Photogenic village in the South Tyrolean Dolomites, Kastelruth sits at around 1,000 metres elevation near the Seiser Alm alpine meadow and is a recognised me…
Belluno
A walkable town in the Veneto where the Ardo stream meets the Piave river, Belluno sits at the gateway to the Eastern Dolomites — a UNESCO-listed landscape s…
Gurro
This tiny Piedmontese hamlet in the mountains above Lake Maggiore claims a remarkable origin story: according to local legend, Scottish soldiers fleeing the…
Sant'Agnello
A pocket-sized town on the Sorrentine Coast between Piano di Sorrento and Sorrento, Sant'Agnello sits right at the water with scenic viewpoints nearby and a…
Macugnaga
High in the Italian Alps at the foot of Monte Rosa's dramatic east face, Macugnaga is a tiny mountain village in Piedmont offering skiing in winter and hikin…
Bettona
This little Umbrian village in the province of Perugia sits at the northern edge of the Colli Martani range and holds a place on the official list of Italy's…
Sala Comacina
Colorful ochre and terracotta houses rise directly from Lake Como's waterfront here, climbing wooded terraced hillsides past a bell tower, with a small but w…
Mergozzo
This small Piedmontese village sits directly on its own lake, with scenic viewpoints in the surrounding hills and a striking number of churches for a settlem…
Muro Lucano
A pocket-sized Basilicata hill town in southern Italy's Potenza province, Muro Lucano rises dramatically on a rocky spur, its pale stone buildings climbing t…
Cossogno
This modest Piedmontese hamlet sits within reach of Val Grande National Park, with scenic viewpoints in the surrounding terrain and an unusually high number…
Carovilli
A snow-dusted Molise village in the upland hills of Isernia, Carovilli clusters stone buildings and a medieval church tower against forested slopes, offering…
Cantalice
This dramatically stacked stone village in Lazio's upland country, its medieval houses and churches climbing a forested hillside above the Rieti valley, with…
Morano Calabro
A particularly photogenic hill town in Calabria's Pollino National Park, Morano Calabro is listed among I Borghi più belli d'Italia — Italy's most beautiful…
Opi
This tiny hamlet in the Abruzzo region of central Italy sits within the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise, offering mountain scenery and multiple scen…
Civitanova del Sannio
This compact hillside village in Molise's upland interior, its terracotta-roofed stone houses climbing toward a central church tower, backed by forested lime…
Santa Maria Maggiore
This modest mountain village in Valle Vigezzo, Piedmont, Santa Maria Maggiore sits on the narrow-gauge Vigezzina railway that runs through the Italian Alps b…
Leonessa
Founded in 1278 at the foot of Monte Terminillo in the northeastern corner of Lazio's Rieti province, Leonessa is a little town with an outsized number of hi…
Scanno
A modest Abruzzo village with a strong photographic reputation, Scanno sits beside a lake in the mountains of the L'Aquila province, partly within the bounda…
Arcidosso
This small Tuscan village on the slopes of Monte Amiata, Arcidosso draws visitors year-round with access to skiing in winter and mountain trails in summer, a…
Civita
Founded in the 15th century by Albanian refugees fleeing the Ottoman invasion, Civita is a hill village in Calabria's Pollino National Park whose Albanian-or…
Pontelandolfo
A compact hilltop village in Campania's Sannio Hills, Pontelandolfo offers cobbled streets climbing toward a medieval round tower, colorful stone-built house…
Pescasseroli
Mountain village in Abruzzo and the main base for the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park, Pescasseroli draws visitors year-round as both a summer and wi…
Bolsena
On the eastern shore of Lake Bolsena in northern Lazio, this compact town is known across the Catholic world as the site of the Eucharistic miracle that led…
Avezzano
A compact town in Abruzzo's Marsica area with a café-filled centre and vineyards nearby, Avezzano carries a layered history: first documented in the 9th cent…
Gerace
This compact Calabrian hill village sits atop a vertical rock formation in the Aspromonte National Park, with views stretching to the coast and the town of L…
Cuveglio
A compact Lombardy valley town spread across a green basin beneath densely forested mountains, Cuveglio offers a relaxed base for exploring the Varese upland…
Villetta Barrea
A small mountain village in Abruzzo's province of L'Aquila, Villetta Barrea sits on Lake Barrea within the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park, with the…
Poppi
Poppi Castle, dating to the 12th century, anchors this small Tuscan hill town in the Province of Arezzo, listed among Italy's most beautiful villages.
Garessio
This pocket-sized Piedmontese village in the Ligurian Alps known for its mineral water, Aqua San Bernardo, which drew spa visitors at the turn of the twentie…
San Paolo Cervo
Tiny Piedmontese hamlet of stone buildings and a tall arched villa rising through dense forested hillsides, San Paolo Cervo rewards visitors seeking mountain…
Visso
This small village in the Marche region of central Italy serves as the seat of Monti Sibillini National Park, placing it at the edge of mountain terrain with…
Italian hiking towns: quick answers
Which Italian hiking towns can you visit on a day trip from Milan, Rome or Naples?
Santa Maria Maggiore, Mergozzo and Cossogno are among 7 hiking towns on our day trips from Milan. Bolsena, Avezzano and Cantalice are among 5 hiking towns on our day trips from Rome. And Carovilli, Pontelandolfo and Civitanova del Sannio are among 4 hiking towns on our day trips from Naples.
Where are Italy's less-touristed hiking towns?
Wandering Well lists 32 hiking towns across Italy. The most are in Verbano-Cusio-Ossola (6), L’Aquila (5), Isernia (2), Rieti (2) and Cosenza (2).
Which are the highest-rated?
9 are rated gold, including Gerace, Santa Maria Maggiore, Morano Calabro and Arcidosso.
Which can you reach by train?
7 of the 32 have a railway station within a 10-minute drive, including Santa Maria Maggiore, Avezzano, Mergozzo and Belluno.