Italian villages

Italy is often associated with well-kept, lived-in villages, but there is another side to the country: places emptied of their residents and seemingly frozen on the day they were left behind. There are more than a thousand abandoned villages across Italy.

High above Amalfi and Atrani, one village offers a different view of the coast: chestnut woods, terraced lemon groves, stone stairways and medieval churches, rather than traffic-filled waterfronts.Set at around 400 to 450 metres in the Monti Lattari, it is described as the oldest settlement on the A

Without spending a cent, you can leave Rome and reach Tuscia or southern Lazio on selected days. The schedule includes 18 free tourist trains on the Rome-Viterbo and Rome-Cassino routes through December 10, 2026, with connections designed for major regional routes. The route to Viterbo also includes dedicated buses to Civita di Bagnoregio, Bolsena, and the Mandela area. Seats must be booked in advance through Trenitalia channels, and tickets with a reserved seat are issued for €0.

Tucked into the high mountains of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one small village has earned the nickname “the city of clocks”.

Few experiences offer the same thrill as finding a porcini mushroom hidden among the leaves of a forest. Boletus edulis and its "cousins" represent a coveted trophy for millions of enthusiasts who set out every year at dawn. But where can you pick porcini mushrooms in Italy? From north to south of the peninsula, here's the best time to find them and the rules to follow before entering the woods.

Biccari is a village in the Daunia Sub-Apennines of Puglia, in the province of Foggia. It has just over 2,500 inhabitants and a rich historical, natural, and gastronomic heritage. Among its main attractions are the Byzantine Tower, the Convent of Sant'Antonio, Lake Pescara, and Monte Cornacchia, the "roof of Puglia." The village is also known for its "1 Euro Homes" initiative, the outdoor offerings of the Daunia Adventure Park and its Bubble Rooms, and specialities such as the Scorzone truffle and the award-winning pasta of Terre di Biccari. The main events are held in August.

How many regions can fit into a single view? In Irpinia, the answer is a surprising five. In Frigento, a small hilltop town at 911 metres, a natural terrace makes it possible to see Campania, Puglia, Basilicata, Molise and Abruzzo at the same time. It is a particular distinction that makes this borgo an unusual case in Italy.

In Italy, "borgo" and "comune" are often used synonymously, yet they tell entirely different stories. The difference between "borgo" and "comune" isn't just a linguistic issue, but touches on historical, legal, and cultural aspects deeply rooted in the Italian fabric. In short, "borgo" is a concept tied to identity and landscape, while "comune" is an administrative entity recognized by law.

Stone walls, exposed beams, a private garden, and silence as a soundtrack. For many, it's a lifelong dream, often postponed for fear of overspending or requiring a complete renovation. Yet today, there are farmhouses and rustic properties for sale on the market starting from €43,000, in good condition, located in some of Italy's most beautiful areas. From Caltanissetta to Frosinone, from Calabria to inland Tuscany to the hills of Piedmont, the opportunities abound.

Perched on a hill in the province of Belluno, the walled town of Feltre has one of Italy’s best-preserved Renaissance historic centres. It is surrounded by the Belluno Dolomites and open countryside. The town also hosts events such as its well-established Palio, or historical pageant, and has a food tradition that can hold its own with the best of them.

Italy is home to small places with a special feel, where history, architecture and scenery come together in almost fairytale-like settings.

There is a point on the approach to Civita di Bagnoregio when the modern world rather abruptly falls away. A long pedestrian bridge crosses a deep valley towards a cluster of honey-coloured stone houses, seemingly detached from the rest of Lazio. At a distance it looks almost too neat to be real.

In one Italian village, houses, stairways and bell towers follow the mountain ridge as if they are trying to reach the sky.

Golden hills, thermal steam rising at sunset and vineyards turning ruby-red: autumn in Tuscany creates a natural setting that seems to have stepped out of a painting. At this time of year, villages and lesser-known small towns show a more authentic side, with museums, Renaissance squares and artisan workshops. Grape harvest and truffle season add solid reasons for a trip, bringing together food, scenery and history.

Italy is home to small and large seaside towns all along its coastline, each with its own character and attractions.

There is an Italy that sits outside the usual mass-tourism circuit: Apennine villages, quiet countryside, lesser-known lakes and stretches of coast where getting onto the beach does not mean joining a queue. This is also the Italy that a growing number of foreign buyers are choosing when it comes to purchasing a home. Data compiled by Gate-away.com for the first half of 2026 points to international demand following a different path from major tourist flows. It is more spread out, more curious and more deeply drawn to everyday Italy.

A tiny hilltop settlement in Lombardy has earned its identity through a free-roaming feline colony that has lived among its stone houses and lanes for generations.

Italy is one of the few countries where sunset can look completely different each evening, depending on where you are. A sunset in the Dolomites bears little resemblance to one in Positano, or to the late light over Sicily’s Scala dei Turchi. That remarkable variety of scenery makes Italy a sought-after place for anyone hoping to make the most of the day’s final light.

Zungoli is a small comune in the province of Avellino, with fewer than 1,000 residents. It has earned a place among I Borghi più Belli d’Italia — Italy’s association of its most beautiful villages — and holds the Touring Club Italiano’s Orange Flag award. It only takes a few hours on foot to understand what there is to see in Zungoli: the village has a Norman castle, historic churches and an underground network carved into tuff stone.

Italy has more than 7,400 kilometres of coastline, yet every summer millions of people end up on the same beaches, at the same stabilimenti — beach clubs — and in the same resorts. A short distance from the best-trodden routes, there are lesser-known seaside towns where beaches can still be qui

In a small village in Tuscany’s Valdarno Aretino, the sound of running water is part of daily life.

Dreaming of escaping the stifling heat? While the sea and crowded coastlines are the choice for many, there are surprising alternatives for those truly seeking relief: destinations immersed in nature where you can breathe in fresh, pure air!

Stone lanes, a lakeside castle and the steep slopes of Monte Baldo give Malcesine a distinctly cinematic setting on Lake Garda’s eastern shore.

A car-free village reached only by cable car, a queen’s castle overlooking glaciers, a village reshaped around esoteric symbols, and crotti where cold air blows out from deep inside the rock. The Italian Alps hold small worlds with strong identities, where the setting is not merely a backdrop: it finds its way into homes, food and daily habits.

A village of stone houses, a bell tower rising from the sumac bushes, and the sound of water still flowing along the valley floor. It looks like a movie set from another era, but it's real: Cunziria, an ancient 19th-century tannery village near Vizzini, in the province of Catania.