Some of Italy’s most rewarding places are also its quietest. Brisighella in Emilia-Romagna welcomes visitors with a landscape that looks almost painted: rocky hills, isolated towers and lone trees create a dramatic entry into the town.
Inside, Brisighella reveals a network of medieval streets and a remarkable raised walkway that twists above the old centre. This path, along with the town’s compact scale, invites exploration at a gentle pace before or after walks in the nearby hills.
On Sicily’s Via dei Frati, the sense of space is even more pronounced. The 54-mile trail from Caltanissetta to Cefalù winds through the Madonie mountains, where days can pass without encountering another traveller. Each stage ends in villages like Gangi, where the welcome is genuine and unhurried.
Basilicata’s Venosa, once a major centre and birthplace of Horace, now offers Roman ruins, catacombs and a fortress to a modest stream of visitors. Nearby landmarks at Melfi, Lagopesole and Pietragalla show equally impressive architecture with almost no crowds, complemented by excellent regional food and wine.
Elsewhere, the country’s hidden side includes an eco-hotel at the end of a dirt track in the Apennines, where rivers double as swimming pools and the night sky becomes your entertainment; Cividale del Friuli, a UNESCO-listed gem with its Tempietto Longobardo and the Devil’s Bridge over the emerald Natisone; Chioggia, a smaller and more authentic canal city just south of Venice; Santo Stefano d’Aveto’s rugged Ligurian peaks; Loazzolo’s sweet wines and autumn vineyards; Campoli Appennino’s sinkhole setting, bear sanctuary and truffle dishes; and the Roman city of Urbs Salvia, where theatres and temples stand almost alone under the Marche sun. Together, they form a map of an Italy that feels both new and timeless.