Small Italian towns you must see

There are a ridiculous number of gorgeous small Italian towns that epitomise why we love Italy so much. Sometimes they are off the tourist radar; sometimes they are difficult to get to; sometimes there simply isn’t enough time when there are so many other more famous places to see and sometimes you have never heard of these hidden gems. This is why they are on a Ciao Italy itinerary!

The first three towns, Assisi, Spello and Spoleto are located in the region of Umbria. Often referred to as the “green heart of Italy”, Umbria is in the middle of Italy surrounded by Tuscany, Lazio and Le Marche. It is the only region in Italy that isn’t bordered by either a coastline or another country. Along with Tuscany, Umbria is famous for rolling hills and vineyards, medieval towns and fantastic food.

The next two towns, Mantua and Sirmione, are in the north in the region of Lombardia. It is a rich and populous region, well known for its capital Milan, Italy’s second largest city, and for the country’s three largest lakes, Garda, Maggiore and Como, but it is also a treasure trove of lesser known places to explore.

SPOLETO

There is a delightful slower pace of life in Spoleto, a town surrounded by hills, olive groves and vineyards with a reputation for good hearty cuisine, traditional handicrafts and long-standing viniculture. One event that has put Spoleto on the world map is the Festival dei Due Mondi. Since 1958 the medieval town has hosted the Festival of Two Worlds, the brainchild of composer Gian Carlo Menotti. It is held 24th June to 10th July and includes opera, classical and modern music, ballet and modern dance, visual arts and cinema.

The Rocca

High above town is a Papal fortress called The Rocca, which was used as a prison until the 1980s. It is well worth a tour for the incredible views, remarkable frescoes and historical exhibits. Directly across from the fortress is a deep wooded gorge spanned by a massive bridge called Ponte delle Torri. Built in the 14th century and defended by towers, it functioned as a bridge and aqueduct.

ASSISI

Pilgrims have been visiting Assisi since the 13th century to be close to St Francis, who was born and buried here, but you don’t have to be religious to love this picture perfect town. Sitting on the undulating hills of Umbria with a backdrop of the forests of Mount Subasio, Assisi is one of the best preserved medieval towns in the world and one of Italy’s most spell binding gems. The town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its art and historically significant buildings, with the Basilica di San Francesco being the most famous. It has an amazing collection of frescoes and paintings that rivals many art museums.

Basilica di San Francesco, Assisi

Saint Francis, born in Assisi in 1181, the son of a wealthy cloth merchant, became one of Catholicism’s most revered saints and one of the two patron saints of Italy. Expect to see monks in long brown robes and nuns walking the streets or groups of pilgrims roaming the country roads surrounding the town. Today Assisi is considered a global symbol of peace and that is the feeling that envelops you as you wander this beautiful town.

SPELLO

Only 13 kilometres from Assisi is an ancient, flower filled small town with stone houses and meandering streets that is, not surprisingly, a member of the prestigious “Most Beautiful Villages of Italy” Club. Apart from being so cute and colourful, once a year in June, Spello hosts a world famous event called the “Infiorata”. It is a celebration in honor of Corpus Domini held on the ninth Sunday after Easter. Several months of preparation precede the event with the collection and preparation of flowers to create a floral tapestry on the narrow streets.

Around 6:00pm the night before the big day people start placing the first petals on the streets. The work continues all night until dawn and is called la Notte dei Fiori - the Night of the Flowers. Residents also decorate their window sills, balconies and staircases in a blossoming botanic display.

Two years ago we arrived three days before the celebration, so could witness first hand the preparations well under way as well as plaques on many houses indicating past winners of awards given for the best floral displays.

MANTUA

Tucked in the bottom south-east corner of Lombardia and a thirty minute drive from Verona is a medieval town with an historic centre on the UNESCO World Heritage List and three artificial lakes surrounding it.

Mantua was ruled by the Gonzaga family for nearly four centuries. They were one of the most powerful families in Europe during the Middle Ages and attracted some of the best artists, musicians and writers of the time to come to the city. Their residence, the Palazzo Ducale in the city’s historic centre is as big as seven football fields with over 500 rooms, many of which are open to the public.

The Roman poet Virgil was born nearby. The town was used as a setting for Giuseppe Verdi’s opera, Rigoletto, and was also the place of Romeo’s exile in Romeo and Juliet. Antonio Vivaldi wrote many of his most famous operas and concerts while employed by Mantua.

In recent years, Mantua was declared the Italian Capital of Culture in 2016 and won the title of European Capital of Gastronomy for 2017. Mantua proudly hosts the Festivaletteratura, a five day annual international literature festival that usually takes place in September. It is a festival of “encounters, workshops, thermatic journeys, concerts and events with world renowned poets and authors, essayists, artists and scientists from all over the world”.

Historic centre of Mantua

Add to that beautiful piazzas; an astronomical clock tower built in 1473; The Bibiena Theatre built in 1767; lots of chapels and churches including the ancient Rotondo di San Lorenzo, built in 1082, and you can see why there are so many reasons to visit.

SIRMIONE

Again, only a thirty minute drive from Verona is the southern end of Lake Garda which is Italy’s biggest lake. Perched on the tip of a long narrow peninsula jutting into the lake is the medieval town of Sirmione surrounded by gardens, thermal spas, beaches and Lake Garda.

Scaligero Castle, Sirmione

To enter the town you walk across a bridge spanning a moat that surrounds Scaligero Castle. So cool. The fortress dates back to the 14th century and is one of Italy’s best preserved castles. Apart from its formidable castle, Sirmione is also known for its thermal baths. This is thanks to the efforts of a diver, who at the end of the 19th century, managed to insert a metal pipe into a rock near the hot water springs close to the northern end of the peninsula. In doing so, he was able to bring the water to the land for the first time since the Romans. The water, rich in minerals, has a temperature of 70 degrees celsius when it leaves the rock. It is used for health treatments in the two thermal baths and spas on the peninsula.

Sirmione has been settled since the Stone Age with early finds showing that it was probably a small village of fishermen living in houses on stilts on the banks of Lake Garda. Rich Romans built holiday villas on the end of the peninsula, one of which still exists today. Even if just for a day, it is a delight wandering this small lakeside town.

Ci vediamo la prossima settimana,

Deb