Italy is home to some of the most spectacular, art-filled cities out there, but the country’s true charm lies in the countryside, where life revolves around the piazza and the sweetness of doing nothing reigns supreme. Overflowing with old-world romance and handsome medieval architecture, these delightful little towns seem made for meandering along time-worn cobbled lanes framed by blushing bougainvillea, feasting on sublime pasta and local wine in tiny, unpretentious informal Italian restaurants, and watching the world go by in picturesque pergola-shaded squares.
Alberobello, Puglia
Alberobello, Puglia’s picture-postcard town famous for its conical-roofed houses, known as trulli ! It’s not just a pretty picture, though, but also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, thanks to its “exceptional example of a form of building construction deriving from prehistoric construction techniques that have survived intact and functioning into the modern world.”
With its narrow pedestrianised streets, little shops selling local produce and a few nice cafes and trattorie offering al fresco dining, Alberobello is a great day out for couples or families with young children who would remember the truli buildings as one of the highlights of their holiday!
Sovana, Tuscany
Impossibly picturesque and perfectly preserved, it’s easy to fall for the quaint charms of Sovana. Though consisting of little more than a single street, this off-the-radar Tuscan village in Maremma is a showcase of period sandy stone architecture and remarkable historical monuments, with everything from art-filled Romanesque churches to fabulous Etruscan tombs.
Montefollonico, Siena
On the opposite of the valley from the more famous Montepulciano, in the province of Siena, Montefollonico is delightfully serene, authentic, and off the beaten tourist village. Enclosed by 13th-century walls, this is the quintessential Tuscan hilltop village, with enchanting twisting narrow alleys winding around ancient cappuccino-dipped houses decorated with potted colourful geraniums.
Located atop a steep hill 5,000 feet above sea level, Castellucio is the highest village in the Appenine Mountain Range—and arguably the most beautiful. On one side, the village is backed by snow-capped mountains, and on the other, lush, fertile plains that blossom with red poppies, violets, and rapeseed in the spring (time your visit to the “Flowering,” from late May to early June).
Santa Maddalena
Santa Maddalena is a small village located in the Dolomites of Italy. It’s both a village and a church. The valley — the Val di Funes — is beautiful. In summer it’s very green and dotted with colorful flowers. And in winter it’s covered with snow. It’s simply gorgeous !
Portofino, Liguria
This seaside town is postcard perfect & is ridiculously pretty. Ochre-hued houses, cafés and restaurants enclose the deep slash of a natural harbour like a stage set; Wooded hills hide the villas of the Agnellis and Dolce & Gabbana. In summer, the mega-yachts drop anchor, tenders whisking their cashmere-and-loafer-clad owners to feast at chic little Chuflay with its grandstand views of the piazzetta.
Spello, Umbria
Spello, nestled on the southern flank of Mount Subasio between Assisi and Foligno, is part of the club of “The Most Beautiful villages of Italy” due to its significant environmental, cultural and artistic heritage.
The ancient town centre was an important Roman town given the title “Splendidissima Colonia Julia” of which an impressive evidence of the Roman period which coexists beautifully with today’s medieval urban appearance.
Matera, Basilicata
Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the honeycomb of ancient troglodyte dwellings (sassi) that lies below the honey-hued medieval town is now largely restored and occupied by galleries, restaurants and hotels. But to get an idea of what cave living must have been like, you can visit the fascinating Casa Grotta di vico Solitario, or even sleep in one.
Savoca, Sicily
Used as a backdrop for some evocative scenes in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, Savoca remains blissfully unspoiled. The Sicilian hill village is filled with beautiful ancient churches and crisscrossed by panoramic cobblestone lanes overlooking fertile valleys and the Ionian Sea beyond.
Savoca, Sicily
Used as a backdrop for some evocative scenes in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, Savoca remains blissfully unspoiled. The Sicilian hill village is filled with beautiful ancient churches and crisscrossed by panoramic cobblestone lanes overlooking fertile valleys and the Ionian Sea beyond.