What is your favorite town/village in Italy?

[Mom83]

It is like choosing your favorite child! I agree with Sharon on Pienza - we visit almost every time we go to Tuscany and are planning another visit this Fall. I love the "vibe" of the town - just strolling the streets and looking in the shops makes me happy. I enjoy lunch at Latte di Luna - sitting outside. The flatness of the town also adds to my enjoyment the older I get.
Orvieto is our choice for a lunch stop on our way to and from Tuscany and Rome. I love the Duomo there - I find it stunning! We always drive up to the top to the parking lot right behind the Duomo - just a short walk up a flight of steps and you are right by the Duomo. We usually eat at I Sette Consoli, probably because our last name is Consolo.
Another favorite is Montefollonico - simply because two of my favorite restaurants are there - Ristorante 13 Gobbi and Osteria La Botte Piena.
Positano is another favorite, but only in the off-season. The last time we were there was the end of March and the traffic along the coast road was manageable. I enjoy the drives to Ravello, Amalfi, Priano, and Sorrento.
I could go on and on...Greve, Radda, Castellina in Chianti, Siena. There are few places I have visited that I did not like.
I have not visited so many of the places mentioned above by other posters - I am putting them on my list for future trips!

 

[Cameron]

Too many from which to choose!

Varenna on Lake Como for the views and quiet.
Florence for romance and art.
Rome for archaeology.
Pienza for small village with lovely countryside drives and wines.
Sorrento as a base for the Amalfi Coast, using trains, ferries, buses to visit the other villages and Pompeii and Paestum.

Food -- great everywhere!

 

[Matt D]

I'd be hard-pressed to pick a single favorite, but Barb and I have often said we might choose Spoleto in Umbria if we were looking for a place to settle down. It's not dependent on tourism (except during the Festival) and is an almost perfect blend of city and small town life. A great transportation hub as well.

 

[PokeyMindy]

Sharon, I'm really looking forward to visiting Pienza in Sept. I was there in 2007 with my sister and we wandered around and loved the town. I was not a seasoned traveler back then so didn't know to go into a bar, buy a coffee or water...and use the bathroom. Instead we found a public toilet where .....it was a squatter....fortunately I always travel with "WetOnes"
I will be based in Siena for 1 week. Can't wait!

Mindy

 

[Pauline]

Spoleto is my current favourite too. Busy and fun without being crowded with tourists. Close to good hiking. Large enough to spend days exploring it. Good Roman ruins.

 

[Mom83]

I know have Spoleto on my wish list of places to visit!

 

[Anne]

Now I need to add Maratea, Basilicata....very charming hill town, plus lower town with a beach. It's a great base to explore this area's stunning coast and also roam around the mountains above. We rented a villa on a road above the town, and had a wonderfully peaceful stay. We were there in shoulder season (June) and almost had the place to ourselves. There's also a huge "Christ Redeemer" statue, that was modelled after the statue in Rio, Brazil....the views of the coast from the path around the statue are to die for!

 

[Valerie]

Maratea is beautiful! Sort of what the Amalfi Coast was like before the road brought masses of tourists. What villa did you rent? I'd like to have a list for future vacations! Last time I did a great half-day kayak trip with a small group that took us to what has now been named The Most Beautiful Beach in Italy. It was fun (and thankfully the sea was placid).

 

[Tery]

Sharon, I'm really looking forward to visiting Pienza in Sept. I was there in 2007 with my sister and we wandered around and loved the town. I was not a seasoned traveler back then so didn't know to go into a bar, buy a coffee or water...and use the bathroom. Instead we found a public toilet where .....it was a squatter....fortunately I always travel with "WetOnes"
I will be based in Siena for 1 week. Can't wait!

Mindy

Mindy, I've used that public "toilette" in Pienza, more than once . Pienza is only about a 10 minute drive from the house we always rent outside Sinalunga, so we've been there many times. Pienza used to be one of my very favorite villages in Italy, but the last few times we've been there it was SO crowded with tourists that it lost its charm for us. There were busloads of tourists roaming the town on our last 2 visits, and it is usually difficult to find a place to park now.

Some of my favorite villages/towns in Italy are:
San Quirico d'Orcia and Lucca (Toscana)
Orvieto and Spello (Umbria)
Morro d'Alba, San Marcello, Cagli, and Treia (Le Marche)
Neive and Sinio (Piemonte)
Varenna and Bellagio (Lombardia)

Hoping to add one or two towns from Puglia to my list after our stay there the first week of June!

 

[Kathy (Trekcapri)]

I haven't traveled a lot in Italy so my list of favorite small towns/villages in quite limited. But from the ones that I have been to, I loved my stay in Praiano (to explore around the Amalfi Coast). The owner of the apartment that I rented from told me that it is a very "tranquil" place. The sunsets views are beautiful and there was a wonderful restaurant/bar within steps that cooked some delicious fresh seafood dishes. I also enjoyed Siena and Vernazza. (it was crowded during the day with tourists, but at night it was quiet and peaceful). I agree with Gina, at night (especially when the day crowds are gone), Venice is very beautiful.

I love this thread. Lots of wonderful possibilities. I think I would like to visit Varenna next and also maybe somewhere in Umbria.

 

[Anne]

What villa did you rent?

@Valerie - here's the link on Tripadvisor: apartment Emanuela. (The review from "Anne1742" is mine.) As I recall, we paid 100 euro/night. The villa has two levels, we just rented the lower half. But there was no one in the upper half, so we had the property to ourselves - bonus! It's set back a long driveway through olive and cherry trees, and looks out over the sea. Really quite heavenly!

 

[Anne]

Mindy, I've used that public "toilette" in Pienza, more than once

Hahahaa....pretty sure my mom and I are members of this Pienza "toilette" club as well, too funny!

 

[Mom83]

I can add my name to that "club", too!☺
The only one I can remember encountering during our last trip to Italy.

 

[Sam]

Varenna; all of Lago di Como.

 

[Jim Zurer]

I hate this question.... If someone held a gun to my head and forced me to pick two of the smaller towns/villages as favorites, I guess I would have to say San Quirico d'Orcia in southern Tuscany (I hate to say it out loud because I want to keep it to myself) and Lerici in Liguria......

 

[Marlene]

Siena has my heart, but Lucca has my knees.

 

[Jim Zurer]

I should elaborate on my choices...San Quirico d'Orcia, a small, relatively untouristed, level village with stunning views over the ravishingly beautiful Val d'Orcia and Lerici--a lively seaside town set on the Gulf of Poets with easy access to Tuscan hill towns in the Lunigiana area and the Cinque Terre.

 

[Tery]

If someone held a gun to my head and forced me to pick two of the smaller towns/villages as favorites, I guess I would have to say San Quirico d'Orcia in southern Tuscany (I hate to say it out loud because I want to keep it to myself) ......

I totally agree, Jim. San Quirico is probably my favorite town in Tuscany.

In 2003 and 2004, we rented a farmhouse just west of town (the past 10 years though, we've stayed in a much bigger house about 5 km west of Sinalunga because we always travel with a big group of friends and family). One of my most favorite things in the world is having dinner in the early evening in the walled outdoor garden at Al Vecchio Forno in San Quirico. The food may be a little better at other restaurants in town, but the garden ambience at Al Vecchio Forno can't be beat, IMHO .

 

[Pauline]

We had a SlowTrav GTG lunch at that restaurant in Sept 2004. There were turtles in the garden!

 

[Tery]

We had a SlowTrav GTG lunch at that restaurant in Sept 2004. There were turtles in the garden!

Pauline, I think they are tortoises. And, they were still there the last time we ate at Al Vecchio Forno in 2013. Our waiter told me that one of the females had been there for over 50 years! The tortoises in the garden are one of the cool things about that restaurant.

We'll definitely be eating there again when we are back in the area at the end of May. I'll try to get some photos of the tortoises, if they are still there now, and post the photos here.