Italy is an incredibly popular tourist destination that enchants people with its picturesque views, scrumptious cuisine and rich cultural heritage. However, many people limit themselves to visiting tourist hub spots like Rome, Milan and Venice, while missing out on smaller cities that are no less worthy of visiting. Here you can find a list of six smaller and less well-known Italian towns you should add to your itinerary.
Desenzano del Garda
Desenzano is a small town located on Lake Garda in Northern Italy. This lovely town offers some beautiful scenic views to its visitors. In the evening, you can contemplate the sun set over the lake while having a delicious Italian dinner at an outdoor restaurant, whereas during the day the best thing to do is to lie on the beach and bask in the sun.
On Tuesday mornings, there is an outdoor market right at the heart of the town. Visiting this market is your chance to get a very authentic Italian experience while choosing from a wide range of freshest produce, including all kinds of cheese, fruit and vegetables from the local merchants. Plus, this “Mercato”, or market, will be filled with the local citizens rather than tourists, which is a nice feature that bigger Italian cities normally cannot offer. Finally, if you get tired of the hedonic way of spending time, you can hop onto the ferry and explore plenty of nearby towns in one day or visit Gardaland – Italy’s №1 amusement resort.
Sirmione, Brescia
Only 9 kilometres away from Desenzano, there is a lakeside resort called Sirmione. This place has a charm of a medieval Italian town with its many churches, Scaligero castle – one of the best-preserved fortresses in Italy, and the ruins of an ancient Roman Villa named Grotte di Catullo.
However, not only those interested in history and culture would have a great time in Sirmione. It is also an excellent place for wellness tourism thanks to a Thermal SPA located right in the city centre. There you could experience a wide range of spa treatments and even take a swim in an outdoor pool with a breathtaking mountain view.
If you are not yet tempted to visit Sirmione, watch this video to visualize how pleasant your experience at the Thermal SPA could be
Chioggia, Veneto
Located in the Veneto region, this charming port town looks very much like Venice but without its tourist crowds. If you are only visiting Chioggia for a day, you might want to simply wander through its colourful streets and eat some fresh seafood sitting at an outside table of one of the numerous restaurants.
However, if you could spare more time for visiting this town, you should also include visiting its museums and churches in your to-do list. Duomo, or cathedral in Italian, is quite inconspicuous from the outside, but as soon as you enter it, you will be stunned by the beauty of its interior. Chioggia’s Duomo is also rich with fascinating paintings and sculptures created by skillful Italian artists. In case if you are interested in history and ethnography, visit The Museum of the South Lagoon. This three-story museum contains numerous archaeological artifacts belonging to this area, such as models of boats, ceramics, agricultural and fishing equipment, photos and costumes. This museum might help you learn more about Chioggia and its past.
Alberobello, Puglia
Photo 4. Alberobello
Alberobello is a very distinctive unusual town located in Southern Italy. Its uniqueness lies in the so-called Trulli – white conical-roofed houses located all over the town.
These roofs are so unique that they are now named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At first, this place might make you feel like you are in some resort town in Greece. By the way, the word “Trulli” comes from a Greek word meaning cupola.
Alberobello is a perfect place for long walks with picturesque views all around. So buy some gelato, get ready to take thousands of pictures and have a wonderful promenade across this extraordinary town.
Stresa, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola
Situated on Lake Maggiore, this town is the definition of romance and elegance. Many writers and artists have visited Stresa for inspiration since the late 19th century. One of its most famous visitors is Ernest Hemingway who came to Stresa in 1948.
In the light of day, Stresa is full of vibrant colours – blue skies, a turquoise lake and green trees. But early in the morning or late at night the town takes on delicate colours. It is a perfect time to watch the sun rise or set over the lake. And the mountains in the background make the view even more splendid.
For a small town, Stresa offers quite a lot to explore. You could navigate the official website of Stresa to learn more about the town with its attractions and activities as well as find the right accommodation for your trip there.
There are three islands nearby – Isola Madre, Isola Bella and Isola dei Pescatori. It takes a very short ferry ride with a great view to get to each of them. All three of them have a distinctive charm, so you should not miss out on them when you are in Stresa. However, the most unique and exotic is certainly Isola Bella. This island looks like it was painted by some Italian artist – bright green Gardens of Love with a diversity of flowers and plants, fountains and statues all emphasize the beauty of the main monument of the Island – Teatro Massimo. What makes this dazzling island even more surreal is its beautiful citizen – an elegant white peacock walks freely around the gardens and proudly shows off its beauty to the visitors.
Photo 5. Isola Bella
Watch this awe-inspiring video and you will crave to spend your next vacation in Stresa.
Now you know that there is a lot more to see in Italy than its well-known big touristy cities. Hopefully, you feel inspired to visit one or even all the five enchanting Italian towns on this list and see how amazing they are for yourself!
Sources
Photo 1 – Z S (2018) Retrieved from https://unsplash.com/photos/oXyyk_zFKiw
Photo 2 – Julia Solonina (2019). Retrieved from https://unsplash.com/photos/2PWiM7LaMJA
Photo 3 – Stacy Ropati (2020). Retrieved from https://unsplash.com/photos/SIHfkqWotTQ
Photo 4 – Victor Malyushev (2019). Retrieved from https://unsplash.com/photos/NS_Ia0AYA88
Photo 5 – n.d Retrieved from https://www.isoleborromee.it/en/isola-bella/
