Italian lakeside and river towns off the beaten path.
Less-touristed lakeside and river towns in Italy, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
Brienno
This tiny hamlet sits directly on the western shore of Lake Como in Lombardy, with a concentration of churches and a handful of cafés and restaurants that ou…
Clusone
Particularly photogenic small town in Lombardy's Val Seriana, Clusone sits along the River Serio in mountain country with scenic viewpoints and a compact his…
Arona
Photogenic small town on the shore of Lake Maggiore in northern Italy, Arona has a café and restaurant scene that punches well above its size, along with an…
Bevagna
A flat Umbrian town in the Topino river plain — unusual among the hill towns of the region — Bevagna is listed among Italy's most beautiful borghi and carrie…
Cannero Riviera
A particularly photogenic village on the western shore of Lago Maggiore in Piedmont, with an unusual concentration of cafés, restaurants, and churches for it…
Lovere
At the northwest tip of Lake Iseo in Lombardy, Lovere is a particularly photogenic small town whose streetscape blends overhanging wooden roofs with heavy st…
Domodossola
A walkable town in Piedmont's Ossola valley with a centre full of cafés and historic churches, Domodossola is the main hub of the Val d'Ossola, sitting at th…
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…
Cannobio
This photogenic small town on the north-western shore of Lake Maggiore in Piedmont, Cannobio sits where the Cannobina Valley meets the lake and has repeatedl…
Vinadio
This photogenic village in Piedmont's Cuneo province, sitting on the Stura di Demonte river near the French border, with a handful of cafés, restaurants, and…
Valsolda
This photogenic cluster of villages on the shores of Lake Lugano in Lombardy, Valsolda sits on the Swiss border with mountain terrain rising behind it.
Gurro
This tiny Piedmontese hamlet in the mountains above Lake Maggiore claims a remarkable origin story: according to local legend, Scottish soldiers fleeing the…
Nesso
A particularly photogenic village on the eastern shore of Lake Como, roughly halfway between the towns of Como and Bellagio, with a little but real café and…
Omegna
At the northernmost tip of Lago d'Orta in Piedmont, Omegna sits directly on the water with a lakeside boulevard where a street market runs every Thursday mor…
Foligno
This walkable Umbrian town on the Topino river where it meets the plain of the Clitunno, Foligno has a food-and-drink scene and a concentration of medieval c…
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…
Arrone
Small Umbrian village on the Nera river in the Valnerina, Arrone holds several historic churches and scenic viewpoints for its size, along with a handful of…
Varenna
Sitting directly on the eastern shore of Lake Como in Lombardy, Varenna is a modest lakeside village with a heritage-dense centre of medieval churches, histo…
Sansepolcro
Birthplace of the Renaissance painter Piero della Francesca and the mathematician Luca Pacioli, Sansepolcro is a compact Tuscan town on the upper Tiber, near…
Pinerolo
A walkable town in Piedmont, southwest of Turin on the river Chisone, with a centre full of cafés, restaurants, and historic churches.
Bosa
Sitting on the north bank of the Temo River — the only river-built town on Sardinia — Bosa is a little Sardinian settlement with a strong café and restaurant…
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…
Verucchio
Sitting on a spur above the Marecchia river valley, this compact Emilia-Romagna village has earned a place in Italy's official register of its most beautiful…
Castel di Sangro
This compact town in Abruzzo's L'Aquila province, Castel di Sangro sits along the Sangro river with a central core of cafés and restaurants and a photogenic…
Moltrasio
Pocket-sized village on the western shore of Lake Como, Moltrasio draws on a heritage-dense streetscape, scenic lake views, and a concentration of churches a…
Pella
Sitting on the western shore of Lake Orta in Piedmont, this compact village in the Province of Novara offers waterfront views, mountain country close by, and…
Leggiuno
The Eremo di Santa Caterina del Sasso, a hermitage built into a rocky cliff face on the shore of Lake Maggiore, is the landmark that defines this modest Lomb…
Brunate
Known as the "Balcony on the Alps," this compact village above Lake Como offers panoramic views stretching across the western Alpine arc, the Po Plain, and t…
Castiglione di Garfagnana
This medieval walled village in Tuscany's Garfagnana valley, Castiglione di Garfagnana sits above the river Esarulo and holds an unusual number of churches f…
Argegno
This tiny Lake Como village on the western shore sits where the River Telo meets the lake, and the waters just offshore mark the deepest point of any lake in…
Dronero
A compact Piedmontese town at the entrance to the Valle Maira, Dronero sits on a rocky spur at the confluence of two waterways, with panoramic views stretchi…
Ormea
Little village in the Ligurian Alps near the Piedmont-Liguria border, Ormea sits on the Tanaro river with mountain terrain close on all sides and a concentra…
Pontremoli
A heritage-dense tiny town in Tuscany's northernmost corner, Pontremoli sits on the Magra river — its name meaning "Trembling Bridge," after a prominent cros…
Tenno
A small Trentino village a few kilometres from Riva del Garda, Tenno sits on the slopes above Lake Garda and is home to Lake Tenno, known for its vivid blue-…
Villadossola
This compact town in Piedmont's Val d'Ossola, Villadossola sits at the mouth of the Valle Antrona and alongside the Toce river, with mountains close on sever…
Castelsantangelo sul Nera
This pocket-sized mountain hamlet in the Marche region of Italy sits at the headwaters of the Nera River, where the Valnerina valley begins.
Bobbio
Founded around the Abbey of San Colombano in 614, Bobbio is a medieval village in the Trebbia River valley in Piacenza province, with a historic centre that…
Montemezzo
A tiny lakeside hamlet in Lombardy's Province of Como, Montemezzo sits at the northern end of Lake Como with mountain terrain close by and vineyards in the s…
Borgosesia
A small town on the Sesia River in Piedmont's alpine Valsesia valley, Borgosesia has a café and restaurant scene and a concentration of churches that both ex…
Canelli
Canelli, on a bend of the river Belbo in Piedmont's Alto Monferrato, is widely regarded as the birthplace of Italian sparkling wine: the Moscato grape used t…
Pignola
Known locally as "il paese dei portali" — the town of doorways — Pignola is a small mountain town in Basilicata's Potenza province, where the historic centre…
Oulx
This pocket-sized village in the upper Susa Valley near the French border, Oulx sits at the confluence of the Dora di Riparia and the Dora di Bardonecchia ri…
Garzeno
A pocket-sized Lake Como-area village in Lombardy with a striking number of churches for its size, vineyards in the immediate surroundings, and scenic viewpo…
Latera
A small hill village in Viterbo's province, Latera sits on volcanic terrain near both Lake Bolsena and Lake Mezzano, close to the Tuscan border.
Luino
Modest town on the eastern shore of Lake Maggiore, Luino is best known for its Wednesday market, said to be among the largest of its kind in Europe, drawing…
Brentonico
A snow-dusted Trentino village in the uplands above Lake Garda, where a tall stone bell tower rises above compact Alpine houses backed by forested slopes, wi…
Castelnuovo Don Bosco
This small Piedmontese hill village near the confluence of the Nevissano and Bardella rivers, Castelnuovo Don Bosco sits in deep wine country east of Turin w…
Anversa degli Abruzzi
This little Abruzzo village in the province of L'Aquila sits alongside the Sagittario Gorges nature reserve, a dramatic river canyon that gives the surroundi…
Fossombrone
Compact Marche town where a river curves through a red-tile historic centre, backed by vineyard-covered hills, with a good café and restaurant scene and a no…
Aulla
Pocket-sized Tuscan town on the River Magra in the historic Lunigiana region, Aulla has a café and restaurant scene that holds a surprising number of options…
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…
Cagli
Small town in the Marche region of central Italy, Cagli sits alongside the Burano river with an unusually dense concentration of churches for its size and a…
Avigliana
Two volcanic maar lakes — Lago Grande and Lago Piccolo — sit at the edge of this modest Piedmontese town in the Susa valley, west of Turin, with the medieval…
Pisano
This tiny Piedmont village on the shore of Lake Maggiore sits in mountain country with scenic viewpoints and a striking number of churches for its size, alon…
Cividale del Friuli
Founded by Julius Caesar as Forum Iulii — the name that eventually gave the entire Friuli region its identity — Cividale del Friuli later became the capital…
Scheggino
A tiny Umbrian hamlet on the Nera river, southeast of Perugia, with a photogenic waterside setting and a handful of cafés and restaurants that punch above it…
Dervio
This modest Lake Como village on Lombardy's eastern shore sits where the Varrone river valley meets the water, with several historic churches, a café and res…
Pallanza
This lakeside district of Verbania, on the western shore of Lake Maggiore in northern Italy, offers a well-stocked café and restaurant scene alongside a conc…
San Severino Marche
This little town in the Marche region of central Italy carries an unusual concentration of historic churches for its size, set within a heritage-dense street…
Bagni di Lucca
This compact Tuscan river town where tall pale buildings line a fast-flowing mountain stream, an old stone bridge spans the current, and forested Apennine sl…