Italy is home to some spellbinding villages, from fishermen's towns clinging onto coastal rocks to sleepy medieval hilltop hamlets. We take a tour through the most beautiful places this stunning European country has to offer – which include a tiny commune where half the population has the same name.
Occupying a dreamy spot on the eastern shore of the picturesque Lake Como in northern Italy, Varenna is perfectly formed from whichever angle you look. This comune (a type of small township) was founded by local fishermen in AD 769 and today the overlapping terraced gardens and pastel-coloured houses provide a scenic backdrop to the café-lined waterfront. For those keen on historical sights, there's Villa Monastero, an 18th-century mansion with opulent décor and waterfront gardens.
Built on a hill with a castle and the church of San Pietro sitting prominently at the top, Loreto Aprutino is a real storybook town. It's one of three towns forming the so-called 'golden triangle of olive oil' – one of the most prestigious olive oil production areas in the country. There's an olive oil museum in the town, where visitors can usually learn all about the history and how it's produced. Climbing to the top of the hill is rewarded with views over the golden-hued stone houses and the ancient olive tree-clad countryside unrolling beyond.
Just south of Bari on Italy's Adriatic coast, Polignano a Mare is sat dramatically right on the edge of a steep cliff. Its small pebble beach, edged by those limestone cliffs, is one of the main draws in this white-washed Puglian town. But there's plenty of history here too, as it's thought to be one of the most important ancient settlements in the region. The tiny centro storico (old town) packs in charming churches, winding streets and panoramic terraces looking over the aquamarine waters. Those in the know can be found queuing at one of the cornetterias (Italian bakeries) for an Italian croissant called a cornetto.
Tucked away in South Tyrol, Vipiteno certainly looks and feels more Austrian than Italian. Backed by the jaw-dropping scenery of the Dolomites, the town is steeped in culture and history. Its main street, adorned with Renaissance homes and brightly-painted townhouses, leads to its best-known landmark Torre delle Dodici (or Zwölferturm in German). Erected around 1470, the tower divides the Old Town from the New Town, and today can usually be visited on certain dates.
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The most famous of Piedmont's winemaking towns, Barolo is known for its distinctive wine. Located in a picturesque valley, surrounded by vineyards and rolling hills, Barolo's medieval honey-hued houses stand out against the green landscape. The town's central square is dominated by countless enotecas offering samples of the local libation while the majestic Castello Falletti is now home to WiMu, the most innovative wine museum in Italy. The valley surrounding the town is also a top spot to hunt for white truffles so prevalent in Piedmontese dishes.
Dramatically perched on the cliffs of the Amalfi Coast, there's no doubting Positano is a postcard-perfect town. In addition to the dramatic cliffside location and stunning architecture, its stony streets are lined with flowering lemon, orange and olive trees as they wind down to the dazzling Mediterranean Sea. In idyllic Italian fashion, these streets are also littered with alluring restaurants, boutiques and chic hotels.
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Terracotta-roofed Cortona might seem sleepy at first glance, but it hides a surprising secret. The Tuscan hilltop town is home to one of the best Etruscan museums in Italy, the MAEC, where the prize exhibit is a bronze chandelier from the 5th century BC. For those less interested in ancient artefacts, the town's super-steep and narrow lanes are packed with colourful housefronts, decorative fountains and bright pottery. Cortona's beating heart, the Piazza della Republica, is home to a smattering of restaurants and bars with alfresco tables perfect for people-watching.
Usually a regular holiday haunt of the rich and famous (and their superyachts), Portofino has turned from a traditional fishermen's village to a super-fashionable spot on the Italian Riviera. Dripping in old Italian glamour, the candy-coloured houses along the harbour have been turned into boutique hotels while the cobbled main square, the Piazzetta, is dotted with cafés and restaurants. Backed by steep, verdant hills, Portofino is surrounded by many picturesque walking trails, snaking their way along the Ligurian coast.
Another picturesque hilltop town, Sorano is a maze of narrow alleys, pretty courts, external staircases and cellars carved into the rock. Extremely well-preserved, the medieval town is built almost entirely from brown stones, appearing to blend in with the landscape. The imposing 14th-century Orsini Fortress looms large over the sleepy town, where it's easy to imagine what life would have been like centuries ago.
Set amid rocky coastal cliffs, Manarola is one of the five fishing villages that make up the breathtaking Cinque Terre in northwestern Italy. It's probably the most recognisable of all five thanks to the houses which are painted in shades of pastel blue, pink, yellow and orange. Legend has it that they were painted in bright colours so returning fishermen could spot their homes more easily. The village is at its best during sunset, when the low evening sun casts a honey hue over the pretty buildings.
Founded in the 7th century by the Etruscans, this hilltop stone village looks plucked straight out of an ancient myth. The fortified hamlet sits on volcanic tufa (a variety of limestone) and can only be accessed via a steep footbridge. Quaint lanes and cobbled streets meander their way through the town, often leading to the central square, but those pathways that venture to the edge of the town lead to jaw-dropping views. The aptly-named Giardino del Poeta (Garden of the Poet), in the east of the town, is a stunning look-out point over the surrounding landscape.
Offering a taste of what the Amalfi Coast would be like without the crowds, pretty Cetara and its pastel-coloured houses clinging on to the cliffside look straight out of a postcard. The weathered fishing village is known for its salted anchovies and colatura di alici – a fish sauce made from anchovies. Its main street, sloping down to a small sandy beach, is the best place to sample local dishes featuring these salty ingredients.
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Those familiar with their wines will know Montefalco is synonymous with sagrantino, a grape variety native to this region which produces full-bodied and highly-prized reds. The walled town has five medieval entrance gates, all of which lead to the central piazza, and several viewpoints offer near-360-degree panoramas of the surrounding landscape. It's no wonder the town's nickname is 'the balcony of Umbria'. One of the best times to visit is late September, when the surrounding hills are cowered in deep russet-red grapes, ready for harvest.
It might look at lot like Venice but this charming town actually lies at the southern end of the Venetian lagoon. A miniature version of the famous city, the town is also criss-crossed by canals and old buildings, but its claim to fame lies in its famous industry – fishing. One of the oldest and biggest fishing ports in Italy, Chioggia is alive early in the morning with trawlers returning with the night's catch. The market is filled with sea creatures in every shape and form, and by lunchtime the town is enveloped in the smell of frying fish ready to be served at local trattorias.
Castelmezzano looks like it's been carved out of the rock face, with the jagged Dolomiti Lucane peaks surrounding the town. Located almost 3,000 feet (900m) above sea level in a range of eroded karst peaks, the town's origins lie as far back as the 6th century BC. Today, it's a brilliant base for hiking with some trails continuing on into the Basento Valley and further into the Gallipoli-Cognato National Park, as well as connecting it with the neighbouring and equally beautiful Pietrapertosa.
Another picture-perfect lakeside town, Limone sul Garda occupies a scenic spot on Lake Garda's northwestern shore. With gorgeous architecture, tranquil lemon and olive groves, pretty waterfront promenade and a small pebble beach, it really is the ultimate holiday town. But it's still managed to hold on to an old village charm where life moves at a different pace.
It might be hard to believe Bard is a real place and not a film set. Wedged between two mountains in the narrowest part of Aosta Valley, the town lies at the centre of a deep gorge. The scenery here is dominated by the imposing Fort Bard, built in the 19th century by the House of Savoy (although various forms of fortification existed here as early as the 6th century). Today, it houses the Museum of the Alps, but it's not all about the fort – the town at its base is a charming collection of higgledy-piggledy lanes and cosy restaurants.
A well-preserved medieval comune, Pacentro is set within the Majella National Park, renowned for its natural springs and abundance of fresh mountain water. Nestled on a plateau on a hill in the Apennine Mountains in central Italy, it's an incredibly atmospheric place to visit. Narrow lanes zigzag past old stone buildings to evocative piazzas wrapping around Baroque churches. Both the town and the region have a rich craft heritage, so there's plenty of terracotta pottery and crochet work to marvel at and buy.
Rising out of the gorgeous Piano Grande valley in the Apennines, Castelluccio's setting couldn't be any more scenic. Every May the surrounding landscape comes alive when la fioritura (the flowering) turns the valley floor into a carpet of red, yellow and blue. Although the town was badly damaged in a series of earthquakes in 2016 and 2017, to the point where the roads into town were blocked off, some residents and businesses have now returned.
A two-for-one of quaint destinations, Orta San Giulio is a stunning lakeside town in Lago d'Orta in northwestern Italy. And if its graceful, arcaded piazzas and sunny pastel-coloured façades were not enough, the town faces the magical Isola San Giulio – a tiny island in the middle of the lake with a remarkable medieval basilica, monastery and convent. Back in town there are lots of charming lakeside trattorias and a couple of small swimming spots to enjoy refreshing morning or evening dips.
Although the stunning Church of San Nicolò and Bar Vitelli, housed in the 18th-century Palazzo Trimarchi, were both prominent locations used in The Godfather, Savoca has retained its sleepy charm. The hilly Sicilian village, with the sparkling Ionian Sea in the background, is a maze of narrow and steep cobblestone lanes crawling up and down, past weathered brownstone houses. In addition to its Hollywood good looks, there is another nod to its silver screen appearance – a steel sculpture of Francis Ford Coppola is located at a scenic viewpoint looking out to the town.
Made up of candy-coloured houses and hugged by clear aquamarine waters, Bogliasco is a serious contender for the most beautiful comune on the Ligurian coast. Not just a pretty picture, Bogliasco is also steeped in culture once you peel back the layers. The Frugone Collections, housed in a pink villa surrounded by olive and lemon trees, feature renowned Italian art; the Wolfsoniana holds more than 18,000 artworks from the turn of the 20th century; and the Galleria d'Arte Moderna is great for Italian photography.
A charming Italian Alpine village, Molveno is backed by the craggy peaks of the Dolomites, with the picturesque shores of Lake Molveno in the foreground. In summer, the lush green valleys are excellent for long hikes and treks while in winter there are several ski resorts nearby to hit the slopes. The town itself has a couple of treasures as well, like the 13th-century San Vigilio church and a medieval sawmill still in use today.
The namesake of Italy's stunning Amalfi Coast, the vertiginous town of Amalfi is backed by dramatic mountain peaks with white houses clinging on to the cliffside and fragrant lemon trees dotted in between. Once the seat of a powerful maritime republic, it's now the largest resort along the picturesque coast. Visitors shouldn't miss a taste of the region's famous liqueur limoncello and the nearby Villa Cimbrone, commanding jaw-dropping views of the coast.
Another of the five famous fishing villages forming Cinque Terre on Italy's rugged Ligurian coast, Vernazza is characterised by small, colourful homes hugging the marina, usually filled with charming boats bobbing in the water. It's often considered the most beautiful of all five villages and it's hard to disagree, especially when sitting at one of the countless waterfront cafés, with an aperitivo or gelato in hand. The pedestrianised village can be reached by train or via a picturesque coastal hiking route that connects all five villages.
Dotting the coast right on Italy's toe in Calabria, the houses making up Scilla are squeezed into two thin slivers of land between the sea and steep hillsides. The two narrow strips that make up the town are separated by Castello Ruffo, an old fortification perched on a rocky spur jutting out of the land. When it comes to dining, swordfish is the catch of the day. Those in luck will see boats rushing out to sea once the prized fish have been spotted from distinctive vessels with tall watchtowers, called passarelle.
Also in the region of Calabria is this unusual village, which recently gained attention after featuring on Stanley Tucci's CNN docuseries Searching for Italy. The unassuming-looking hilltop commune of Marzi was the early home of actor Stanley Tucci, but not only that, over half the population here has the surname Tucci. In the show, the actor wanders the streets searching for his grandfather Stanislaw Tucci – a fairly difficult task, given so many people share the moniker.