12 lesser-known Italian towns worth visiting
Italy has for countless centuries been a magnet for travellers, drawn by its rich artistic heritage, dramatic landscapes and generous food culture. But while cities like Rome, Florence, Venice and Naples still take much of the spotlight, many smaller towns can be a great alternative for those looking for a slower and more concentrated experience, not to mention the chance to avoid crowds and over-priced hotels. Some are set along rivers or clustered on hilltops, others unfold across coastlines or look onto narrow valleys — what they share is a distinct character shaped by natural setting, architecture and time. From Veneto in the north to Campania in the south, these places are less-often talked about but they remain some of the country’s most rewarding places to visit.
MAY WE SUGGEST: Our pick of the best summer holiday destinations to have on your radar this year
MAY WE SUGGEST: How to spend a perfect weekend on the Amalfi coast
© Franco Cogoli/4Corners Images1/12Cividale del Friuli, Friuli-Venezia Giulia
At the edge of the Julian Alps and close to the Slovenian border, Cividale del Friuli won’t disappoint those looking for art and nature. A medieval stone bridge spans the narrow Natisone gorge, linking the modern town to the historic centre — a compact tangle of narrow lanes, courtyards and religious buildings that reflect its layered history.
Founded by Julius Caesar and later chosen as the seat of the first Lombard duchy in Italy, Cividale holds some remarkable monuments for its diminutive size. Chief among them is the Tempietto Longobardo, a rare 8th-century chapel with delicate stonework and early medieval frescoes. But part of Cividale’s charm lies in its picturesque location, surrounded by wooded hills and not far from the celebrated Collio wine region.
© Reinhard Schmid/4Corners Images2/12Bressanone, South Tyrol
Located at the foot of the Alps, Bressanone is one of the oldest towns in South Tyrol. Its pastel façades, vaulted arcades and tiled roofs reflect the mix of Italian and Germanic traditions that still shape the culture and daily life here.
The old town is anchored by the Duomo, with its twin towers and Baroque interior, while the adjoining cloister — decorated with a centuries-spanning sequence of frescoes — remains one of the most atmospheric spaces of its kind in northern Italy. Vineyards and orchards rise into the surrounding hills, framing the town like a carefully tended garden.
© Guido Baviera/4Corners Images3/12Asolo, Veneto
Asolo rises gently along a wooded hill in the Veneto, with views that stretch for miles across vineyards, villas and orchards. Long associated with poets, exiles and travellers — from Robert Browning to Freya Stark — the town has a cultivated, slightly melancholic atmosphere that pairs well with its stone arcades and shaded gardens.
The central piazza opens onto arcades that curve with the slope of the land, and a short climb takes you to the Rocca, a ruined fortress with panoramic views.
© Franco Cogoli/4Corners Images4/12Sabbioneta, Lombardy
Sabbioneta is one of the few towns — not only in Italy — that can truly claim to be a Renaissance invention. Founded in the second half of the 16th century by Vespasiano Gonzaga, it was designed from scratch as a model city with straight streets and symmetrical squares that follow a logic based on humanist ideals.
The town is remarkably close to its original design. The Teatro all’Antica — the first purpose-built theatre in Europe not adapted from classical ruins — is still used for performances. Palazzi, churches and public spaces unfold with an almost lyrical order that contrasts with the layered townscape typical of most Italian centres.
- Wolfgang Kaehler/Getty Images5/12
Bagno Vignoni, Tuscany
In place of a central piazza, Bagno Vignoni has a large thermal pool fed by natural hot springs that have been in use since Roman times. Steam rises year-round, blurring the outlines of the surrounding stone buildings.
Set in the Val d’Orcia, the town is decidedly small, with only a handful of houses and lodgings around the square. A short walk takes you down to the ruins of medieval mills and along pathways with sweeping views across cypress-lined hills.
© Luigi Vaccarella/4Corners Images6/12Gubbio, Umbria
Built almost entirely in grey limestone, Gubbio climbs the lower slopes of Mount Ingino in a sequence of steps, arches and towers. From a distance it looks severe, but inside the town embraces you with its charming vaulted passageways, small squares, and Gothic windows that open onto the valley below.
Gubbio is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Italy, and its cohesive architecture could easily be mistaken for a stage set. The Palazzo dei Consoli, overlooking the sloping Piazza Grande, is among the most impressive civic buildings of its time. The town also has its share of eccentricities — including a funicular to a mountaintop church and the raucous Corsa dei Ceri every May.
© Maurizio Rellini/4Corners Images7/12Civita di Bagnoregio, Lazio
Seen from across the Valle dei Calanchi, Civita di Bagnoregio appears suspended in air — a cluster of ochre buildings perched on a narrow plateau of soft volcanic rock. The only access is a footbridge that stretches over the eroded landscape below, giving the approach a cinematic quality.
Inside, the town is surprisingly intact. Narrow streets, shaded archways and weathered stone houses open onto a central piazza where nothing much happens — and that’s part of the appeal. Though now largely uninhabited, Civita feels like a place where time has slowed because the land itself has made the hectic rhythm of modern life impossible.
© Massimo Ripani/4Corners Images8/12Cetona, Tuscany
Set at the foot of its namesake mountain, Cetona has long attracted writers, architects and artists looking for space, light and calm. Old houses rise in gentle spirals around a fortified core, with the steepest lanes leading to the old Rocca, now privately owned and still commanding the view.
The town is small, with a graceful 16th-century piazza at its centre, surrounded by ochre buildings, low arcades and the occasional climbing rose. A short walk takes you into the countryside almost immediately, with its cypress-lined roads and olive groves.
© Dionisio Iemma/4Corners Images9/12Recanati, Marche
Recanati sits on a ridge above the Marche countryside, facing the sea on one side and the Apennines on the other. It’s a town of long panoramic views and literary associations, best known as the birthplace of the Italian poet Giacomo Leopardi, whose family home can still be visited.
The evocative townscape is defined by tall churches, shuttered palazzi, and stone streets that follow the natural line of the hill. The atmosphere is sleepy and relaxed even during the peak season, as the town is just far enough from the coast to feel slightly apart.
- Daniela Nobili10/12
Procida, Campania
Procida is the smallest and least polished of the islands in the Bay of Naples — and perhaps the most characterful. Its houses are painted in faded pinks, blues and yellows, arranged in dense clusters around the old fishing harbour of Marina di Corricella. Boats rock in the water, cats sleep in the doorways, and life spills naturally from indoors to out.
Though small, the island is highly atmospheric, with narrow alleys that wind steeply up to convents and old lookouts, and views that shift constantly between town, sea and sky. Despite its jet-setty neighbours, the rhythms here have managed to remain local and unpretentiously authentic.
© Alessandro Saffo/4Corners Images11/12Marsala, Sicily
The name Marsala immediately brings to mind its world-famous fortified wine, but the town itself has a lot to offer beyond that. The historic centre is utterly charming, with honey-coloured stone buildings lining wide streets.
A short drive away are the salt pans of the Stagnone Lagoon, where shallow pools and old windmills shape a landscape that feels almost abstract. At sunset, the water turns to silver and deep red, and the whole area takes on a dramatic glow.
© Alessandro Saffo/4Corners Images12/12Marzamemi, Sicily
This former tuna fishing village should be on your list of places to visit in Italy. Low, square-cut stone buildings surround a wide central piazza, which opens directly onto the sea.
On summer evenings, tables are set out across the square and lights strung between buildings, but even at its busiest the sea is always audible, and the open sky plays a central role.
