Italy's Most Beautiful Villages: The 5 You Must See

Enchanting, sometimes with a very long history and well-established local traditions. We're talking about those small towns you absolutely must see to reconnect with the history of our country.

While there are many splendid villages, some are "more beautiful" than others. For this reason, here you will find a list of some villages you absolutely must see throughout Italy to best understand its more “intimate” history, the local one. So here are the 5 most beautiful villages in Italy, to visit either over several days or in a day trip.

Civita di Bagnoregio, Why It's Called "The Dying Town"

Among the most beautiful and absolutely unmissable places in Italy is the so-called "dying town," as Bonaventura Tecchi once wrote about it. It is called Civita di Bagnoregio (province of Viterbo ), and every year 700,000 people visit it.

A village that rises on a tuff spur, its charm comes both from the uniqueness of its location and the impression it gives of being a floating city whenever there is morning mist. Moreover, this place – now inhabited by very few people – is inevitably subject to erosion of the tuff cone on which it stands, and it must be said that many visit because there is still time to do so.

For those who love narrow alleys, Civita is the ideal place. Like other among Italy's most beautiful villages, its houses are made with local materials, perfectly blending into the wonderful landscape of the Tuscia.

Orta San Giulio, "The Painted Village" With Its Own Story

In Piedmont, there is a place that combines the charm of Lake Orta with the uniqueness of its frescoes. Orta San Giulio, in fact, has been decorated by dozens of international artists with paintings depicting its history, visible directly on its already colorful buildings.

Centered entirely on the lake it is named after, this village is home to only 1,200 inhabitants. To its visitors, beyond the beauty of its streets and buildings, it also offers the allure of theIsland of San Giulio, a jewel just 400 meters from its shore..

Finally, it is worth noting that one of the reasons Orta San Giulio is so famous is that one of its hotels houses the restaurant of the renowned chef Antonio Cannavacciuolo. So those interested in both the village's hospitality and culinary aspect can choose to have an even fuller experience by visiting.

The Fortified Village of Dozza: More Than Just Castle Visits

But Italy's most beautiful villages don't end here. Another extremely charming example is Dozza, a fortified village in Emilia-Romagna. Right there, just a stone's throw from Bologna, you can find not only a magnificently beautiful castle but an entire village of growing charm.

Growing because, just like its Piedmontese twin, the village of Dozza is painted. In this case, however, these are not frescoes dedicated to local history but true artistic murals painted during each Biennial of the Painted Wall, an event ongoing since the 1960s.

But not only art: Dozza is also an excellent museum of local wine. In its Rocca Sforzesca, tourists can find the Emilia-Romagna Regional Wine Cellar, from which the Dozza Wine Trail starts, to visit the area's wineries.

Among Italy's Most Beautiful Villages: Cisternino, Peace for the Senses and... Meat Sandwiches!

If, then, you seek a moment of peace and tranquility, Cisternino is definitely for you. Enclosed within its streets and silence, it is a surprising village also because – just like those already mentioned – it has undergone very interesting redevelopment interventions.

It lies in the Itria Valley, in Puglia, and spreads out like a ball of white stairs and winding alleys. Cisternino tells a story of people, of tables set in the middle of the street, of white stones, houses joined by arches. For this and more, today it is one of Italy's most beautiful villages.

Its tradition is enjoyed not only with the eyes but also with its flavors. After all, Cisternino's butchers stay open late precisely to allow this. Many come to the area just to savor the meat sandwiches as they make them, roasting on the spot the cut you choose.

But not just food and landscapes. Cisternino is a village that “swings,” because visitors can follow a multi-stop route characterized by a series of swings located in different parts of the town. Because beauty is also in the eyes of childhood.

Petralia Soprana: Between Traditional Songs and Enchanting Nature

"In the village of Petralia there was an old man with a blue beard": so goes the translation of one of the songs from the Sicilian musical tradition, “Barbablu.” A sad story, that of this man, but both melodically and thematically it perfectly tells the story and environment of what today is considered one of Italy's most beautiful villages.

Completely immersed in the Madonie Park, among cultivated fields, wooded areas, and pastures, the village of Petralia Soprana is the highest among those in the area. For this reason, from this village you can see a landscape stretching from the peaks of Etna to Enna, then passing through the Palermo mountains and valleys.

Urbanistically, Petralia Soprana retains its medieval appearance, with narrow stone streets and its inward closure. Only by visiting can one understand how life is in these parts of Italy, where the most classic rural trades coexist with one of the richest salt deposits in Europe.

Visiting Italy's Most Beautiful Villages With Friends: Some Ideas

In short, if the calm and intimacy of certain places attract you, you definitely cannot miss visiting Italy's most beautiful villages (which certainly are not limited to this short list).

However, if you want to travel with someone else and, above all, with a guide who can best tell you the history of certain places, know that on Meeters there are dozens of opportunities for this kind of visit. So not only can you have a new experience and, why not, relax, but also meet new people to expand your circle of friends who love to travel.