Ancient sites in Italy off the beaten path.
Less-touristed ancient sites in Italy, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
Enna province alone accounts for six of the picks here, a concentration that hints at how densely the ancient world persists across this list. Sutri offers a Roman amphitheatre carved into tuff rock alongside an Etruscan necropolis and a Mithraeum embedded in a church crypt, while Alatri's pre-Roman cyclopean walls still define its skyline and Palmi's Archaeological Park of Tauriani preserves what is considered the oldest Catholic place of worship in Calabria. Nicosia, Castiglion Fiorentino, and Arona each add another layer.
Arona
Photogenic small town on the shore of Lake Maggiore in northern Italy, Arona has a café and restaurant scene that punches well above its size, along with an…
Nicosia
This small Sicilian hill town in the province of Enna rises across four rocky hills, with the ruins of a medieval castle visible from below and an unusual co…
Brisighella
Three rocky spurs rise above this little Emilia-Romagna town, each topped by a landmark: the 14th-century Rocca Manfrediana fortress, an 18th-century sanctua…
Alatri
Pre-Roman megalithic acropolis sets Alatri apart from other towns in Lazio's Frosinone province, its ancient cyclopean walls rising above a compact centre wi…
Palmi
Palmi looks out over the Strait of Messina from the Tyrrhenian coast of Calabria, with beaches at Marina di Palmi and Lido di Palmi drawing visitors to what…
Sutri
Sutri's ancient remains — a Roman amphitheatre carved directly into tuff rock, an Etruscan necropolis of rock-cut tombs, and a Mithraeum embedded in the cryp…
Orvinio
This small hilltop village in the Rieti province of Lazio, northeast of Rome, is listed among I Borghi più belli d'Italia — Italy's register of its most beau…
Castiglion Fiorentino
A walled Tuscan hill town in the province of Arezzo, Castiglion Fiorentino sits between Arezzo and Cortona in wine-growing country, with an Etruscan archaeol…
Fivizzano
A little Tuscan comune in Massa-Carrara with an unusually dense cluster of churches and cafés for its size, Fivizzano sits within territory shared between tw…
Civita Castellana
Built on the ruins of Falerii Veteres, an ancient Faliscan city, Civita Castellana is a small town in northern Lazio with a real café and restaurant scene fo…
Genoni
This tiny Sardinian village in the Sarcidano subregion, dominated by the plateau hill of Santu Antine, with natural, landscape, and archaeological points of…
Patti
This small Sicilian town on the western shore of the Gulf of Patti, known for the remains of a Roman villa within its limits and the ruins of the ancient cit…
Enna
Italy's highest provincial capital, Enna sits atop a ridge at the centre of Sicily, earning it the nickname "Belvedere of Sicily" for its sweeping views acro…
Sovana
This tiny hamlet in southern Tuscany's wine country carries a history well beyond its size: an Etruscan centre, a medieval and Renaissance settlement, and a…
Castelmola
Tiny hilltop village above Taormina on Sicily's east coast, Castelmola occupies the site of ancient Taormina's acropolis and is listed among Italy's most bea…
Aidone
The ancient Greek and Hellenistic site of Morgantina, one of Sicily's most significant archaeological sites, sits on a ridge just outside this pocket-sized h…
Torre Annunziata
Torre Annunziata sits directly above the buried Roman settlement of Oplontis, whose archaeological area has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997, lis…
Chieti
This ancient Abruzzo town sits between the Pescara and Alento rivers, within sight of the Gran Sasso and Majella mountains and a short distance from the Adri…
Fasano
A walkable Apulian town with a café-filled centre and a notable concentration of historic churches, Fasano sits at the boundary between the Salento and the T…
Termini Imerese
This Sicilian coastal town on the Gulf of Termini Imerese, with a compact historic centre dense with churches, Roman ruins, and thermal baths fed by volcanic…
Ozieri
Ozieri, in Sardinia's Logudoro region, is the centre of the earliest known archaeological culture on the island — the Ozieri culture — giving it a deep prehi…
Poggiardo
Small town in the Salento area of Apulia, Puglia, with a café and restaurant scene in its compact centre.
Chiaramonti
A compact Sardinian hill village of terracotta rooftops and pastel facades rising toward the ruins of a hilltop castle, with rolling upland country stretchin…
Ceglie Messapica
This walkable Apulian town in the Salento area of Brindisi province, Ceglie Messapica has a whitewashed historic centre of narrow stone-paved lanes, many chu…
Assoro
A tiny Sicilian hill town in the Province of Enna, Assoro sits on an ancient site — known in Greek as Assoros and in Latin as Assorus — with scenic views acr…
Venafro
Venafro is a small Molise town with ancient roots stretching back to the Samnite people, who fought Rome here during the Samnite Wars of the 3rd century BC.
Parabita
A pocket-sized town in the Salento interior of Apulia, Parabita has an unusual concentration of historic churches for its size and sits among vineyards with…
Centuripe
A hilltop town in eastern Sicily's Enna province, Centuripe sits high above the Simeto and Dittaino valleys with broad views toward the surrounding mountains.
Terracina
This coastal town on the Via Appia southeast of Rome, Terracina sits directly on the water with a walkable centre dense with food and drink options and sceni…
Barletta
The Colossus of Barletta — a bronze statue of a Roman emperor standing around four metres tall, the largest surviving statue from the late Roman Empire — anc…
Cassino
Cassino, a town in southern Lazio at the foot of Monte Cairo, is defined by two things: the Abbey of Montecassino, founded by St.
Ugento
Small town in the lower Salento area of Apulia, Ugento sits on the site of the ancient Messapian city of Uxentum and holds an unusually high concentration of…
Nocera Inferiore
This town in Campania's Salerno province with a walkable centre dense with historic churches and a lively food-and-drink scene, Nocera Inferiore sits at the…
Montella
Small mountain town in Campania's Avellino province, Montella sits within the Monti Picentini regional park and is known for its IGP-certified chestnuts and…
Formia
This walkable coastal town in Lazio, midway between Rome and Naples on the ancient Appian Way, with a centre full of cafés and restaurants and direct access…
Cargeghe
A pocket-sized Sardinian village a short distance from Sassari, Cargeghe holds more historic religious architecture than its size might suggest, including a…
Ruvo di Puglia
Ruvo di Puglia, a town on the Murge plateau in Apulia's Bari metropolitan area, holds the Jatta National Archaeological Museum, whose Hellenistic collection…
Oria
A little town in Apulia's Salento region with an unusually dense concentration of historic churches and a lively café and restaurant scene for its size, Oria…
Castiglione della Pescaia
A Tuscan seaside town in the Grossetan Maremma, Castiglione della Pescaia grew around a 12th-century medieval fortress and a large fishery — the latter givin…
Cassano allo Ionio
Coastal town in Calabria's province of Cosenza, Cassano allo Ionio sits within the Piana di Sibari plain and borders the ruins of ancient Sybaris, one of the…
Canosa di Puglia
One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Italy, Canosa di Puglia is considered the principal archaeological centre of Apulia, with a compact centre…
Perfugas
This tiny Sardinian village in the Anglona region holds several historic churches for its size, including the 16th-century Santa Maria degli Angeli — home to…
Agira
Small Sicilian hill town in the Province of Enna, Agira sits in the mid-valley of the River Salso on the site of the ancient Greek settlement of Agyrion, and…
Palazzolo Acreide
A UNESCO World Heritage baroque town in Sicily's Hyblean Mountains, Palazzolo Acreide has Greek roots stretching back to antiquity and a historic centre dens…
Bisceglie
A walkable Adriatic town in Puglia with a dense food-and-drink scene, a historic centre thick with churches, and easy access to the region's wine country.
Mesagne
A walkable town in Apulia's Salento region with a centre full of cafés, restaurants, and churches showing examples of Puglian Baroque — on private buildings…