Old and beautiful
Towns that were assessed, not just admired
Every town in Italy is somebody's favourite and almost every one of them is old, so being pretty is not on its own a fact you can sort by. What you can sort by is whether an outside body looked at a place, applied a published standard and wrote its name down. That is what everything in this section has in common. It is a narrower claim than beauty and it is a checkable one.
Pick a shelf
The prettiest villagesAssessed and admitted by the national association of Italy's most beautiful villages.87 pieces
Towns with a World Heritage siteHolding, or sitting inside, a UNESCO World Heritage site.27 pieces
Towns with a medieval festivalA recurring historical re-enactment, in costume, on a fixed date.5 pieces
Towns that live slowlySigned up to the international slow-living charter, which sets real standards.4 pieces
Everything in this room
Alternatives to Alberobello: every small town in Puglia, trulli or notAll the small towns of Puglia in our catalogue as alternatives to Alberobello, Ostuni and Polignano: the Itria valley, the Murge, the Gargano and the Salento inland.
Alternatives to Matera: every small town in Basilicata, in one listAll the small towns of Basilicata in our catalogue as an alternative to Matera: Castelmezzano and Pietrapertosa on the Dolomiti Lucane, the Pollino, Maratea's coast, the empty middle.
The best towns with a World Heritage site within 90 minutes of VeronaWithin an easy drive or train ride of Verona, the Veneto and Lombard plain holds UNESCO-listed towns of brick and Istrian stone: Renaissance grid plans, Palladian villas, Venetian fortress walls and frescoed chapels, best walked in the cool light of autumn.
The best towns with a World Heritage site within two hours of TrentoWithin a couple of hours of Trento the map runs from Dolomite valleys down to the Po plain, taking in Palladian villas, prosecco hillsides, fortified lakeside walls and Renaissance courts, all of them carrying UNESCO listing. Vineyard lunches in autumn, arcaded streets and frescoed chapels in winter.
The best towns with a World Heritage site within two hours of TriesteRoman floor mosaics, a Lombard temple, a star-shaped fortress town and the prosecco hills all sit within a couple of hours of Trieste, on the plain and in the low hills where Friuli meets the Veneto. Towns with UNESCO listings that most travellers pass on the motorway.
The best towns with a World Heritage site within two hours of UdineBetween the Friulian plain and the Prosecco hills, UNESCO listings sit in unlikely places: a Roman basilica floor under a country church, a star-shaped fortress town, a Lombard temple, terraced vineyards on steep glacial ridges. All are within a couple of hours of Udine, most of them reachable by regional train.
The best towns with a World Heritage site within 90 minutes of BresciaWithin an easy drive or train ride of Brescia sit Lombard and Veneto towns holding sites UNESCO has listed: Renaissance grid plans, Venetian defensive walls, a model industrial village on the Adda, Palladian facades and Gonzaga courtyards. Landscape of rice plains, lake shore and low Alpine foothills, best in autumn.
The best towns with a World Heritage site within two hours of ParmaWithin a couple of hours of Parma, the Po plain and the Ligurian coast hold UNESCO-listed towns of brick and marble: painted domes, Renaissance grid plans, Venetian walls and industrial villages built for workers. Culatello, tortelli and lambrusco travel with you.
The best towns with a World Heritage site within 90 minutes of PisaWithin an easy drive or train ride of Pisa sit Medici villas, a walled hill town of towers, marble quarries above Versilia and a belle époque spa quarter, all of them on UNESCO's list. Tuscan and Ligurian towns where the heritage plaque is real and the queue is short.
The best towns with a World Heritage site within two hours of PerugiaWithin a couple of hours of Perugia, the road climbs from Umbrian olive terraces into the Val d'Orcia and over the Apennines to the Marche, passing travertine churches, ducal palaces and hill towns built of pale tufa, each holding a site UNESCO has listed.
The best towns with a World Heritage site within 45 minutes of SalernoBetween the volcanic plain below Vesuvius and the terraced lemon groves of the Amalfi coast, the country within easy reach of Salerno holds excavated Roman streets, cliffside majolica towns and mountain hamlets that all sit inside UNESCO-listed territory. Ceramics, colatura, sfusato lemons and stone stairs cut into the rock.
The best towns with a World Heritage site within 75 minutes of PaduaWithin an easy drive or train ride of Padua lie UNESCO-listed Palladian villas, frescoed chapels, Renaissance city plans and the vine-terraced Prosecco hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene. A run of Veneto and Emilian towns where the world-heritage listing sits in the middle of ordinary daily life.
The best medieval festivals in UmbriaUmbria stages some of the most committed historical re-enactments in Italy, in towns that spend the rest of the year quiet. These are the ones where the whole comune takes part, and where the setting is the original.
The prettiest villages in the province of TrentoVillages across the province of Trento that have passed the assessment of the national association of Italy's most beautiful villages, from the Val di Non and the Valsugana to the Cimbrian plateau above Lake Garda.
The best hidden towns with a medieval festival in the province of SienaTowns across the province of Siena stage recurring costumed re-enactments, from crossbow contests inside travertine walls to summer flag-throwing in Val d'Orcia squares. Where to go for medieval pageantry without the crush of the Palio.
The best towns that live slowly in AbruzzoSix Abruzzo towns signed up to the international slow-living charter, which sets standards for noise, traffic and local food. Hill towns of pale stone above the Adriatic, plus olive oil, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and quiet piazzas.
The best towns with a World Heritage site in LombardiaLombardia's World Heritage sites run from Renaissance ducal capitals on the Po plain to prehistoric rock carvings in the Camonica valley, a model workers' village on the Adda and a railway line that climbs to Switzerland. These are the towns that hold them.
The 7 best hidden towns with a World Heritage site in VenetoSeven smaller Veneto towns that hold or sit inside a UNESCO World Heritage site, from the steep Prosecco hills above the Piave to the walled harbour at the southern tip of Lake Garda.
The best hidden towns with a World Heritage site in PiemontePiemonte's World Heritage listings run well past the wine hills: royal residences on the Turin plain, sacred mountains above the lakes, and a small island town on Lake Orta. These are the smaller places that hold them.
The prettiest villages in the province of RomaStone villages in the hills, craters and monasteries around Rome, from the Castelli Romani to the Monti Lucretili, all recognised by the national association of Italy's most beautiful villages.
The prettiest small villages in the province of ImperiaStone villages in the hills behind the western Ligurian coast, in the province of Imperia, where olive groves, Taggiasca oil and slate-roofed lanes matter more than the beach. Each of these small places has passed the assessment of the national association of Italy's most beautiful villages.
The 10 prettiest small villages in the province of L'AquilaStone villages high in the province of L'Aquila, from the limestone lanes of Santo Stefano di Sessanio to the wool towns of the Peligna valley, each recognised by the national association of Italy's most beautiful villages.
The prettiest villages in SardegnaEight Sardinian villages certified by the national association of Italy's most beautiful villages, from painted river houses on the Temo to granite towns in the Gallura interior and a Ligurian-speaking island in the south-west.
The 10 prettiest hidden villages in VenetoTen Veneto villages assessed by the national association of Italy's most beautiful villages, from the Prosecco hills and the Euganean volcanic cones to walled towns on the plain and stone hamlets under the Dolomites.
The prettiest small villages in Emilia-RomagnaSmall villages across Emilia-Romagna, from the Apennine ridges above Modena to the brick keeps of the Romagna hills, each one assessed and admitted by the national association of Italy's most beautiful villages.
The 8 prettiest small villages in BasilicataBasilicata's smallest villages sit on sandstone crags, limestone ridges and Tyrrhenian cliffs, built from the stone they stand on. These are the ones vetted by the national association of Italy's most beautiful villages.
The best towns with a World Heritage site in the province of SienaThe Val d'Orcia and the hill country around Siena hold UNESCO-listed landscapes and townscapes: travertine facades, Brunello vineyards, pecorino aged in cellars, and roads lined with cypress that were laid out to be looked at.
The best towns that live slowly in the province of PerugiaIn the hills of the province of Perugia, towns built from pink Assisi stone and tufa keep to a slower clock, with olive groves on the terraces, Sagrantino in the cellars and pork butchers who still cure by hand. These are the places that signed up to the international slow-living charter and its rules on noise, traffic and local food.
The prettiest villages in the province of UdineIn the province of Udine, Friulian stone villages sit between the Julian Alps and the flat plain, with frico and montasio cheese on the table and Ramandolo wine in the glass. These are the ones the national village association has assessed and admitted.
The best towns with a World Heritage site in the province of TrevisoThe Prosecco hills north of Treviso are a UNESCO World Heritage landscape of steep vine terraces, hogback ridges and abbey cloisters, best walked between the September harvest and the first frosts. These are the towns inside that protected area, where the wine road runs past Romanesque churches and grappa distilleries rather than tasting-room car parks.
The 7 best towns with a medieval festival in MarcheMarche keeps its medieval calendar alive with quintains, crossbow tournaments and flag-throwing in travertine squares, most of it between late spring and high summer. These are the towns where the costumes come out of the chest and the whole commune turns up.
The prettiest villages in the province of BresciaFrom the lemon terraces above Lake Garda to the iron-working valleys of the Valle Camonica, the province of Brescia holds villages of stone houses, painted facades and steep lanes that have passed the assessment of the national association of Italy's most beautiful villages. Olive oil, lake fish, spit-roast meats and casoncelli pasta come with them.
The prettiest villages in the province of PordenoneIn western Friuli, between the Tagliamento gravel beds and the first slopes of the Carnic prealps, the villages of the province of Pordenone are built of river stone, brick and Venetian plaster, with mosaic workshops, spring water and San Daniele ham on the table.
The prettiest villages in the province of AvellinoIrpinia is Campania's mountain interior, a province of chestnut woods, Aglianico vineyards and stone villages built along ridges above the Ofanto and Calore valleys. These are the Avellino villages judged among the most beautiful in Italy, each with a castle, a belltower or a walled centre worth the climb.
The prettiest villages in the province of GrossetoThe Maremma end of Tuscany builds its villages out of volcanic tuff and dark stone, hangs them over gorges and holm-oak woods, and feeds them wild boar, pecorino and Morellino. These are the Grosseto villages that have passed the assessment of the national association of Italy's most beautiful villages.
The prettiest villages in the province of MessinaStone villages above the Ionian and Tyrrhenian coasts of north-eastern Sicily, where Norman churches, Arab-Norman street plans and Nebrodi pasture cheese sit within an hour of the sea, and each village has passed the assessment of the national association of Italy's most beautiful villages.
The prettiest villages in the province of MacerataBrick and travertine hill towns between the Sibillini mountains and the Adriatic, where Macerata's villages keep their walls, their loggias and their vincisgrassi. Slow roads, wide views and villages assessed among Italy's most beautiful.
The prettiest villages in the province of La SpeziaLigurian villages between the Val di Vara chestnut woods and the Gulf of Poets, where the houses are painted plaster over stone and the kitchen runs on basil, chestnut flour and anchovies. The province of La Spezia beyond its most photographed stretch of coast.
The prettiest villages in the province of CuneoStone and brick villages in the vineyards of the Langhe and the valleys under Monviso, in a province that eats hazelnuts, tajarin and Castelmagno cheese and drinks Nebbiolo. Autumn brings truffles, fog and the last harvest.
The 8 prettiest villages in the province of Pesaro e UrbinoInland from the Adriatic, the province of Pesaro e Urbino runs up into the Montefeltro in ridges of pale limestone, walled villages, brick towers and hill roads that smell of wild fennel. These are the villages judged among the most beautiful in Italy by the national association that assesses them, with castles, truffle woods and Metauro valley pasta to go with the view.
The 6 prettiest villages in the province of MantovaThe flat rice and pumpkin country south of Lake Garda, where brick villages sit behind Renaissance walls, Po embankments run straight to the horizon and winter fog settles over porticoed squares. Villages in the province of Mantova that have passed the assessment of the national association of Italy's most beautiful villages.
The prettiest villages in the province of CosenzaStone villages stacked on the ridges between the Pollino massif and the Tyrrhenian, where Cosenza's inland Calabria keeps its Norman keeps, its lemon terraces and its bread baked in wood ovens. A guide to the province's most beautiful hill towns, from the Sila foothills to the Ionian coast.
The prettiest villages in the province of SavonaInland from the Riviera delle Palme, the province of Savona stacks slate roofs and ochre plaster up limestone ridges, with vaulted alleyways, chestnut woods and Ligurian kitchens turning out farinata and trofie al pesto. These villages have all passed the assessment of the national association of Italy's most beautiful villages.
The prettiest small villages in VenetoVeneto beyond the lagoon is a region of walled villages in warm Euganean trachyte, Prosecco hills sloping up to Cansiglio, and Dolomite valleys where the houses are stone below and timber above. These small villages have all passed the assessment of the national association of Italy's most beautiful villages.
The 7 prettiest villages in the province of PotenzaStone villages balanced on sandstone spires in the Lucanian Dolomites, Norman cathedrals on wheat-coloured ridges, and peperoni cruschi fried until they shatter: the province of Potenza rewards drivers willing to keep climbing. These are the Basilicata villages assessed as among Italy's most beautiful.
The 8 prettiest villages you can reach by train in the province of PerugiaUmbrian hill villages built in pink limestone and travertine, ringed by olive terraces and reachable on the regional railways that thread the Tiber valley and the shore of Lake Trasimeno. Painted majolica, black truffle, new oil in November, and station platforms within walking distance of the old gates.
The best hill towns with a World Heritage site in SiciliaInland Sicilia builds in honey-coloured limestone and black lava stone, on ridges above the Val di Noto, where baroque churches went up after the earthquake and the cooking runs to chocolate, ricotta and almond. These are hill towns carrying World Heritage status, reached on winding roads from the coast.
The best hill towns that live slowly in UmbriaUmbrian hill towns built from grey travertine and pink Assisi stone, where the olive harvest runs into November, lentils and black truffle turn up on the same plate, and the towns themselves have signed an international charter promising to keep life at walking pace.
The prettiest villages that eat well in AbruzzoStone villages on the flanks of the Maiella and the Gran Sasso, where the kitchens still turn out maccheroni alla chitarra, mutton cooked slowly with peppers, and pecorino aged in the mountain air. Each of these Abruzzo villages has passed the national assessment of Italy's most beautiful borghi, and each has a table named by a dining guide.
The 7 prettiest villages with a food festival in ToscanaTuscan villages of stone and pale plaster that build an annual festival around one ingredient: chestnut flour, new oil, wild boar, truffle, the first wine of the year. All of them have passed the national assessment of Italy's most beautiful villages, and all of them cook in public at least once a year.
The prettiest villages on a walking route in LazioVolcanic lakes, tufa ridges and beech woods in the hills around Rome, where old pilgrim roads still run through stone villages that have passed Italy's national assessment of its most beautiful borghi. Walking country, best in late spring and October, with porchetta, lake coregone and Cesanese on the table at the end of a stage.
The prettiest villages with a serious restaurant in LiguriaLigurian villages of slate and painted stucco where the kitchen is as good as the view: trofie with pesto pounded in marble, anchovies from the boats below, Vermentino from terraces cut into the hillside. Each has passed the national assessment of Italy's most beautiful villages, and each holds a table the strictest guides bother to list.
The best hidden wine towns with a medieval festival in ToscanaTuscan wine towns that also keep a medieval calendar: crossbow contests, horse races between contrade, drummers in the piazza, and cellars of Sangiovese, Vernaccia and Morellino under the same stone streets. Best in late spring and early autumn, when the festivals fall and the vineyards are working.
The prettiest villages that eat well in CampaniaCampania's inland hills and Amalfi cliffsides hold small villages judged among Italy's most beautiful, and in each one a dining guide has singled out a table worth sitting down at, from Irpinian Aglianico country to the lemon terraces above the sea.
The prettiest hidden villages with a serious restaurant in ToscanaStone villages across Tuscany, from the Casentino to the tufa country of the Maremma, that combine a recognised architectural core with a kitchen serious enough to be listed by the strictest Italian guides. Pici, chestnut flour, wild boar, Vin Santo and hillside terraces well away from the main road.
The prettiest villages you can reach by train in SiciliaSicilian villages of tufa and lava stone, reachable by rail and bus rather than hire car, from the baroque terraces of the Val di Noto to the vine slopes under Etna and the salt-scented ridges above the Tyrrhenian coast.
The prettiest villages with a food festival in MarcheMarche villages of brick and travertine where the year turns on one ingredient: white truffle, wild fennel sausage, ciauscolo, the local red. Each of these hill towns has passed the national assessment of Italy's most beautiful villages and each keeps a food festival that comes back on the same weekend every year.
The best towns with a World Heritage site that eat well in VenetoVeneto's World Heritage landscape runs from the Palladian villas of the plain to the steep Prosecco hills above Valdobbiadene, and the towns holding that status also hold kitchens a dining guide thought worth naming. Radicchio, soppressa, sopa coada and mountain cheese, eaten where the vines climb.
The 7 prettiest villages you can reach by train in LombardiaLombardia's regional railways run past lake water, brick farmland and walled towns, reaching villages recognised nationally for their beauty. Stone lakeside terraces, Po plain abbeys and Franciacorta hills, all without hiring a car.
The best towns with a World Heritage site that eat well in PiemontePiemonte's World Heritage listings run from vineyard hills to sacred mountains and royal palaces, and the towns that hold them also hold kitchens worth booking. Raw veal, hazelnuts, Barolo and boiled meats, in places with a UNESCO plaque and a guide-named table.