Beautiful small towns in Italy and small cities in Italy you will love

Orvieto is one of the most beautiful small towns in Italy and one of the most peculiar too. Perched on top of a tufa hill, the town offers expansive views over the surrounding countryside and hides in its center two treasures: a stunning gothic duomo and an impressive medieval well!

The Duomo of Orvieto is one of the most beautiful churches in Italy and one of the most important and recongnisable Italian landmarks. It sits imposingly in the main square in Orvieto and stunnes its visitors with a beautiful facade with elaborate carvings and beautiful mosaics.

The other main attraction in Orvieto is St Patrick's Well (Pozzo di San Patrizio). The well was built in the XV century and it is an engeneering marvels that attracts visitors from all over the world.

These two main attractions aside, there is plenty Orvieto can offer its visitors. This small Italian town has gorgeous small streets, delicious food and a long tradition of ceramics that makes it a lovely place to scout for authentic Italian souvenirs.

Burano is an adorable small town and island in the Venice lagoon, famous for delightful, colorful houses overlooking pretty canals.

The town is a popular day trip fro Venice and it is a real treat for visitors of all ages. Burano is, like Venice, built on canals so even just taking a stroll around its compact city center is a guarantees of finding pretty corners and photo opportunities. The best way to visit is to spend the day and and wait for the sun to start setting: dusk is spectacular here!

As well as strolling around Burano pretty streets, a fun thing to do in Burano is to explore its many lace shops.

Burano has a long history of lace making and the craftmanship of the locals is wonderful. If you want to learn about the craft, the town has a pretty lace museum however, many shops offer demonstration that are a fun and interesting way to experience with beautiful small town.

Taormina is one of the most beautiful small towns in Italy and one of the most famous. Perched on top of a hill on the Eastern shore of Sicily, Taormina has origins that date back to Greek and Roman times and still maintain vestiges of that time: in Taormina, you can see one of the most beauitul ancient theaters in the world!

As well as the Greek theater, there are several other things that make Taormina special. First and foremost, its position: this small town is on a hilltop and from it, you get stunning views over the sea and Mount Etna.

Taormina is also the place where you find the aptly names 'Isola Bella', a beautiful small island often immortalized by phtographers or its great beauty.

Last but not least, Taormina has been for over a century an elegant destination for wealthy tourists and it is still nowadays a great place for glamour and beautiful shopping

If your idea of a beautiful small town in Italy is a hilltop village surrounded by walls and developing around a beautiful piazza, the n the best small town for you to visit in Italy is pretty Monteriggioni.

Monteriggioni is a hilltop village in Tuscany that embodies all the beautiful elements you expect from a walled town in Italy. At its heart, Monteriggioni has a pretty square, which every year still hosts Medieval inspired tournaments and festivities.

The main town area is entirely surrouded by medieval walls you can walk on and the views from it are expansive and lead your eyes over rolling hills and olive trees!

This is a delightful hilltop village and one of the most iconic Tuscany towns if you are looking for the quintessential Tuscan countryside experience.

Bagno Vignoni is a small town in Italy with a central square with a large pool of thermal water!

If the description catches you by surprise, wait until you see the real thing: Bagno Vignoni is one of those places that needs to be seen to be believed.

The town has ancient origins and since Roman times has been known for its thermal waters, that run freely donw the hill Bagno Vignoni lies upon and it is a small, delightful littel village.

The town develops around one main square that has a large pool of water / fountain in its center.

The pool is closed to swimmers but is a delight to see: in summer, it reflects the bright Tuscan sky but in winter, when the temperature drops, becomes a wonderful sight of misty vapor raising towards the night sky, agains the medieval backdrop of this pretty square.

Syracuse/Siracusa is a beautiful small city in Sicily and one of the most beautiful cities in Italy.

The city was founded by Greek colonies in the VII century BC and grew to great power and wealth in Greek times, when it became one of the dominant powers in the Mediterranean.

This important past has left Siracusa with some stunning ruins and vestiges that make this small city such a wonderful destination.

The first main attraction in Siracusa I recommend you to see is Ortygia, the historical Siracusa city center. Ortigia is a small island, easiy accessible on foot, and has pretty, small streets, a stunning piazza and Duomo, which is a marvel of both ancient and Baroque architecture, and the Arethusa Fountain, spring already known by the Greeks.

The second unmissable Siracusa attraction is the archaeological park. This is outside of the center, yet very easy to reach, and it has a stunning Greek theater, beautiful Roman ruins and something special: the Latomie, ancient qiarry caves that Siracusa used as prisons and that are a natrual and historical marvel now open to visitors.

Sperlonga is a delightful small town in Italy perched on the coastline between Rome and Naples. Sperlonga develops over two different areas, one on top of a rocky promontory and another one, more modern, along the coast.

The ancient town on the top of the hill is a delight. Sperlonga town center is whitwashed and, as you stroll around the village, you find many hidden courtyards, pretty corners and beautiful views over the sea and the coast below.

The more modern part of the town is less charming but has a stunning beach that makes up for its modern feel.

Just outside the town, you find a beautiful ancient villa that bleonged to Roman Emperor Tiberius, a beautiful archaeological museum and you can also get ferries to go to nearby islands.

Because of all these attractions, Sperlona is one of the best small towns in Italy you can visit if you want a pretty town, a beautiful beach and sightseeing opportunities!

Matera may well be the most beautiful small town in Italy you will ever see or, at least, the most unique.

Matera is a town in Basilicata, a region of Italy otherwise overlooked by tourists, and has the peculiarity of being a city carved into rocks. The town is literally carved into two rock faces, one in front of the other, and has a mix of normal looking houses and cave dwellings that have been in use as family homes since neolithical times!

Matera is wonderful to visit. The main part of the carved town hs been entirely cleaned and modernized howeve, still retains that unique charme of a place that is shaped by its terrain and long history.

The other part of town is less unique maybe but equally interesting as it has beautiful chuches, piazzas, streets and museums.

Matera is an Italian small town so unique, it needs to be seen to be believed!

Locorotondo is a pretty, small town in Italy's heel, the region of Puglia. It is a tiny town most visitors ignore in favour of nearby Alberobello but it is one of the prettiest places in Italy you can ever see.

The town is perched on a hilltop in val D'Itria, a part of Italy famous for olvie trees and the unique trulli houses, and it is characterized by a town center that is entirely white!

Locorotondo is one of the white towns of Italy and has whitewashed houses and clean, beauriful cream stone streets and pavements that make the town shine in the sun.

Visiting Lcorotondo is a dleight: the best thing to do here is to allow yourself to get lost into the tiny town center and let the town suprise you with its pretty squares, courtyard and beautiful churches.

Martina Franca is a wondeful small town in Puglia and one of the fmaous white cities of Italy.

A little bit like Locorotondo mentioned above, Martina Franca is characterised by a wonderful city center that is entirely whitewashed however, it also has something special that makes it one of my recommended small towns in Italy: wondeful baroque architecture!

Maybe unexpectedly for a town this small, Martina Fransca has several beautiful churches decorated with a type of baroque style that is so unique to the city it takes the name of 'Barocco Martinese'

Visiting Martina Franca is a guaranteed pleasure and something I highly recommend you do when you find yourself in this part of Italy.

San Quirico d'Orcia is a beautiful small town in Italy's most famous region: Tuscany.

The town is a medieval village perched on top of a hill in Val D'orcia, a area with beautifl rolling hills recognised as Unesco World Heritage site, and is a delight of small streets and Romanesque architecture.

The town has medieval origins and it is a lovely place to spend a day learning about the history of the area and tasting the local food.

The main things not to be missed here are the Romanesque churches that dot the city, and that you can find at the two ends of the main street and on the main square, the beautiful town gate and the pleasant Horti Leonini, a beautiful garden dating back to Renaissance times.

Trani is a wonderful small town in Puglia, the region forming the heel of the Italian boot.

Trani is a small center along a beautiful stretch of coastline with something special: a wonderful Romanesque Duomo that overlooks the sea!

Trani's Duomo is wonderful: the church has a plain looking facade made in crream colored local stone and it is in a peculiar location, overlooking the town harbour.

The color of the duomo and is positon on the water makes it look like a vision between the sea and the sky and it is one of the most peculiar churches you can ever see in Italy.

As well as the duomo, Trani has a pleasant marina, a beautiful prk and a stunning castle: this is the perfect Italian small town for relaxing on the coast without remouncing sightseeing.

If you are looking for the perfect small town in Italy then I would argue you have to visit Pienza, a small tuscan town built to be just that: an idea city!

The town has ancient origins but during the Renaissance wne throught a big tranformation by order of Pope Enea Silvio Piccolomini, who wanted to trasform his place of birth into a beacon of Humanistic perfection.

Indeed, Pienza is lovely. The town is a picture perfect delight: the city center is make of adorable pretty streets with flowers on the windows and pretty corners and the main piazza is a marvel of Renaissance architecture.

Pienza's Duomo is a wonder and the town has beautiful bastions that overlook the beutiful countryside around the town. If you are looking for a beautiful town in Italy, look no farther than Pienza, Tuscany!

Monticchiello is a pretty, medieval village perched in the middle of the Tuscan contryside, in an area of outstandign natural beauty.

The town has beautiful, medieval walls and a pretty city center with small squares, ancient churches and pretty corners, kept immaculately by th einhabitants who decorate the town vwith plants and vases.

The village however has more that some pretty corners and is known for a very peculiar tradition, that of 'poor theater'. Poor theater is a type of community theater that sees the community of Monticchiello come together to stage theatrical pieces that use the town as backdrop and scene.

The performances happen every summer and have gained much praise from theater lovers around the world.

if you are in Monticchiello in summer, it is worth getting tickets for this special festival however, the town is worth visiting any time of the year.

The town center and the views make it one of the mosy beautiful viullages in Italy.

Siena is one of the most beautiful towns in Tuscany and one of the most beautiful small cities in Italy or, dare I say, the world.

Perched on a hilltop in Tuscany, Siena was an important power during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and its historical center has stayed pretty much intact from those times.

The jewel in the crown here is Piazza del Campo, the main square in Siena, dominated by the beutiful Palazzo Pubblico and developing along a shell-like shape. Visiting the Piazza is one of the highihts of any day in Siena and makes you feel like you stepped into the past.

Only a few minutes from Piazza del Campo you find another Siena marvel, Siena's Duomo. The cathedral is a marvel of Gothic architecture and one of the most beautiful gothic churches in Italy, one rivalled possibly only the the above mentioned Duomo of Orvieto and the duomo of Milan.

Siena has been recongised Unesco World Heritage and it maybe the most beautiful small town in Italy of all.

Minori is a lovely small town on Italy's Amalfi Coast, the stretch of coastline in the South of Italy famous for its coastal views, colorful towns and a breathtaking drive.

Minori is a town not many visit however, it is a small gem. its origin date back to Roman time, and the presence of an ancient Roman villa bears withness to this ancient origin, and nowadays is a adleight of small alleys, sea view and delicious food.

Monori is the perfect place to call home if you are looking for a beautiful and lesser known small town in Italy and has something special: from here, you can easily walk the 'path of lemons' a histotical and scenic path that connects the town to the one nearby: Maiori!

Lucca is a wondeful small town in Tuscany, a gem of a places that manages to steal the heart of anyone traveling here!

The town has Roman origns and has been inhabited ever since the first dwellers made themselves at home here, and this means that nowadays you have in town several attractions from different historical times worht seeing.

The first thing many notice about Lucca are its walls: Lucca is still entirely surrounded by its walls and theyt are so beautiful and large, you can cycle on them!

Cycing Lucca's walls is one of the best things to do in this beautiful small town and a great way to get a sense of what Lucca is all about.

Aside from the walls, Lucca has a stunning main square that has been built of the ruins of a Roman amphiteater, of which you can stil guess the shape, and it also has many churches, so many, you may not believe they all fit in such as small city!

Licca is a delight to visit and is even special for music lovers since it was the proud birthplace of composer Puccini.

Amalfi is the beautiful, historical town that gives the name to the Amalfi Coast, one of Italy's most beautiful areas.

Amalfi has ancient origins and arose to great power during teh Middle Ages, when it became one of the most important maritime powers in the Mediterranean.

The town today is a delight to visit. Amalfi develops between the sea and the mountains and has a lot to offer to its visitors.

If you like sightseeing, you must not miss Amalfi's duomo and especially its stuning cloister, which is an architectural gem, which overlooks Amalfi's main square, itself worth seeing.

If you enjoy strolling around small streets and shopping, you will love the many pretty alleys of Amalfi town center and if you just want to relax and enjoy the food, Amalfi has plenty of wonderful sea view terraces for you to relax and watch life go by!

Despite the corwds who come to visit its pretty center, there is no doubt that Amalfi is one of the most beautiful small towns in Italy and one very much worth visiting.

Cortona is a beautiful hilltop town in Tuscany known to many as the backdrop of Under the Tuscany sun, an international success which catapulted this small village onto the workd stage.

Indeed, Cortona is so pretty it deserves its notoriety but has much more to offer than beautiful views and pretty streets: Cortona has Etruscan origins and also has stunning museums and churches, all worth a visit!

Cortona is a walled town and develops around two main squares, PIazza della repubblica and Piazza Singorelli.

These are two beautiful historical piazzas and they are the perfect place to visit if you want to immerse yourself in the atmospheres of an ancient town while watching life go by.

They are also a lvoely place to taste local food: Cortona's food offering is out of this word tasty! Cortona is in an area of great natural beauty and, from the city, you can enjoy wonderful views over the rolling hills of this area.

For views, foor and charm, Cortona is one of the most beautiful towns in Italy and one you should not skip!

Scopello is a delightful small village in Sicily, perched on top of a hill at the edges of the Zingaro reserve, an protected area of natural coastal beauty with stunning beaches and waters.

Scopello develops aorund an ancient Baglio, the name historically given to Sicilian estates, and as well as being a very pretty village, it hides a beautiful secret: here, you can visit and ancient 'tonnara' (a tuna fishing station), a wonderful sea access point so beautiful and evocative, it starred in the Hollywood movie Oceans 12!