Romantic getaways in Italy off the beaten path.
Less-touristed romantic getaways in Italy, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
Castelmezzano
Above the jagged rock formations of the Dolomiti Lucane, Castelmezzano is a particularly photogenic village in Basilicata's Potenza province, recognised in I…
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…
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…
Pacentro
This particularly photogenic medieval village in Abruzzo's Maiella National Park, Pacentro sits a short distance from Sulmona and holds a concentration of hi…
Saint-Pierre
A medieval castle rises dramatically above this compact Alpine valley village in Italy's Aosta Valley, where snow-dusted terraced hillsides, a lively café sc…
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…
Bagnara Calabra
This small Tyrrhenian coast town in Calabria's southernmost stretch, Bagnara Calabra sits directly on the water with vineyards in the surrounding hills and v…
Anghiari
A particularly photogenic hill village in Tuscany's Arezzo province, Anghiari has an unusual concentration of churches and cafés for its size, along with sce…
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…
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…
Città della Pieve
This photogenic hilltop town in Umbria, Città della Pieve sits on a ridge overlooking the Val di Chiana near the Umbria-Tuscany border, built largely from ex…
Montefalco
Wine country defines this small Umbrian hill town, which anchors the production zone for Sagrantino di Montefalco and Montefalco Rosso — both built around th…
Vietri sul Mare
Polychrome ceramics have been made in Vietri sul Mare since at least the 15th century, and the tradition remains central to this little Campanian town at the…
Bertinoro
A hilltop wine-country village in Emilia-Romagna with an unusually lively café and restaurant scene for its size, Bertinoro sits atop Monte Cesubeo with view…
Trevi
Commanding views across the Umbrian plain — said to extend over much of the valley in westerly directions — this medieval hill town on the lower flank of Mou…
Cortona
A photogenic hilltop town in Tuscany's Val di Chiana, Cortona sits high enough to offer panoramic views in every direction and holds an unusual concentration…
Maratea
Basilicata's only town on the Tyrrhenian coast, Maratea is a particularly photogenic pocket-sized town with an unusual concentration of churches and chapels…
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…
Pergola
This small town in the Marche region of Italy, Pergola holds a museum displaying the Gilt Bronzes of Cartoceto di Pergola, a set of ancient gilded bronze fig…
Pitigliano
Known as "the little Jerusalem" for its historic Jewish community and working synagogue, Pitigliano is a small Tuscan hill town in the province of Grosseto s…
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…
Massa Marittima
Small Tuscan hill town in the Metalliferous Hills of Grosseto, Massa Marittima sits at the centre of a mining region historically rich in iron, mercury, copp…
Fénis
Fénis Castle, a well-preserved medieval fortress in the Aosta Valley of north-western Italy, is the main draw to this small village, which also sits in wine…
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…
Pieve Tesino
Birthplace of Alcide De Gasperi — Italy's first post-war prime minister, born here on 3 April 1881 — this small mountain village in Trentino sits at the geog…
Alassio
A sandy-beached resort town on the Italian Riviera in Liguria, Alassio draws visitors year-round — as a bathing destination in summer and a health resort in…
Susa
This little town in the Susa Valley west of Turin, at the foot of the Cottian Alps, with a concentration of Roman and medieval monuments that reflects its an…
Barga
A medieval hill town in the Serchio valley of Tuscany, Barga holds an unusual concentration of historic churches for its size, a small central core with café…
Sutri
Sutri's ancient remains — a Roman amphitheatre carved directly into tuff rock, an Etruscan necropolis of rock-cut tombs, and a Mithraeum embedded in the cryp…
Santa Lucia del Mela
This densely built hilltop town in Sicily's Messina province, its stone houses climbing toward a medieval fortress above tree-covered slopes, with surroundin…
Orvinio
This small hilltop village in the Rieti province of Lazio, northeast of Rome, is listed among I Borghi più belli d'Italia — Italy's register of its most beau…
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-…
Militello in Val di Catania
One of eight Sicilian towns granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 2002 for their late Baroque architecture, Militello in Val di Catania sits on the lower s…
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…
Castiglion Fiorentino
A walled Tuscan hill town in the province of Arezzo, Castiglion Fiorentino sits between Arezzo and Cortona in wine-growing country, with an Etruscan archaeol…
Castel San Pietro Romano
Small hilltop village east of Rome recognised among Italy's most beautiful villages and, since 2019, named the most beautiful village in the Mediterranean —…
Sperlonga
This photogenic coastal town on the Tyrrhenian Sea, roughly midway between Rome and Naples, Sperlonga is best known for the ancient Roman sea grotto found wi…
Apricale
A small hilltop village in Liguria's Imperia province, Apricale sits in mountain country with scenic viewpoints, surrounding vineyards, and a striking number…
Numana
This compact Adriatic village on the Conero Riviera in the Marche region, Numana sits directly on the water with vineyards nearby and scenic viewpoints along…
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…
Scalea
A tiny coastal town on Calabria's Tyrrhenian shore, Scalea pairs a modern beach resort strip — developed since the 1960s along the Riviera dei Cedri — with a…
Caprarola
Villa Farnese dominates this compact Lazio town in the Cimini volcanic hills, a large Renaissance mansion begun in 1530 as a fortress for Cardinal Alessandro…
Castelsardo
A photogenic coastal town on Sardinia's northwest shore, at the eastern end of the Gulf of Asinara, Castelsardo sits right on the water with scenic viewpoint…
Spello
This small walled hill town on the southern flank of Monte Subasio in Umbria, Spello has an unusually dense concentration of historic churches and a café and…
Tricarico
This modest Basilicata town in the province of Matera holds one of the best-preserved medieval historic centres in Lucania, shaped by an Arab-Norman past and…
Norcia
Norcia, a small Umbrian town on the edge of the Monti Sibillini mountains, is widely known across Italy for its cured meats and sausages — so much so that th…
Conca dei Marini
A compact village on the Amalfi Coast between Amalfi and Furore, sitting directly on the water with scenic viewpoints nearby and an unusually dense cluster o…
Amelia
A compact Umbrian hill town crowned by domed churches and stone buildings that cascade down a wooded hillside, Amelia rewards visitors with multiple religiou…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Camerino
A little Apennine hill town in the Marche region of central-eastern Italy, Camerino is home to a medieval university and has a café and restaurant scene that…
Varzi
This certified member of Italy's "Most Beautiful Villages" circuit, Varzi sits in the Oltrepò Pavese wine country of Lombardy's Pavia province, along the Sta…
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…
Sennori
A small wine-country town in northern Sardinia, Sennori has been a member of Italy's national association of wine towns since the association's founding in 1…
Itri
Sitting in a valley between the Monti Aurunci and the Gulf of Gaeta, Itri is a tiny agricultural town in Lazio's Latina province with a photogenic medieval c…
Marostica
Every two years, on the second weekend of September in even-numbered years, Marostica's central square fills with costumed performers re-enacting a live ches…
Barolo
Barolo, a little Piedmontese village in the Province of Cuneo, lends its name to one of Italy's most celebrated red wines, and the surrounding Langhe vineyar…