Hi, I’m Peter, and you’re reading Anywhere Italy. Our mission is to cover the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip, in person, one at a time. Come along for free, or pay to keep us on the road.
This article is part of a series that helps those who are considering moving to Italy for the longer term, but are not quite sure where. For more information about the series, my POV, and to read the overall intro (it is important!), start from the first part.
For tracking, here are the other parts (will be links once all of them are written):
Part 3 - The city
Part 4 - The postcard
Part 5 - The other half
Part 6 - The Best Towns
The Best Towns
By now, you’ve read through all types of living experiences. You want the fun stuff, the list, the names, the points on the map. Yeah… so… I’m not saying you won’t get them. But what you will get will be fundamentally different from any other lists you’ve read online around “the best places to live in Italy, the definitive guide” and so on. Why? Because those are written for everyone and they are repeating mostly the same towns over and over.
Instead of that, I’m going to do something different.
I’ll point you to towns, villages, cities, and even areas or regions that I think are amazing. I lived or visited all of them, personally, so all of this is from first-hand experience. It won’t be a ranked list and I am not even saying that my list is the best. Well, technically, that is the title of the article, but you get it. It would be more accurate to say: my towns. One last thing: I am sure there are alternatives to these places. Versilia as an area will be listed, obviously, but I am sure someone would say that Marche’s seaside is better, becausse XYZ. Cool. Comment it. Tell me. Share it why. Again and lastly: this is my list, entirely based on my personal experiences.
With all that said, let’s have fun.
The best port town
I mentioned this many times, but I have some sort of weird love (or fetish?) towards port towns. The smell of freshly caught fish. The workers who do the worst type of work. The simple menus in places. The coffee that is served in these bars that if you drink a double it stops your heart for seconds. The casual amaro drinking during early mornings with coffee. The rough edges and the merchant palaces. The proximity of insane wealth and poverty.
I know it is not for everyone, but I know some people just get hooked to these cities. So I thought, why not start with something controversial here. The two best port cities, in my opinion:
Livorno, in Tuscany.
The best seafood I had, ever. The best bar culture. The most charming people. And it is “only” a provincial capital, so you don’t have a super big city where you get lost. The canals are not equal to Venice’s but they are certainly one of the bests in Italy. Also, ladies, Italian marines in uniforms.
Genova, in Liguria.
It is the regional capital and part of the industrial triangle of Italy (Milan, Turin, Genova). The largest port in Italy and one of the largest in the European Mediterranean. It also has thousands of years of history, hundreds of years old palaces, extreme wealth mixed with poverty, and an amazing seaside vacation suburb.
The best city without sea access
Another controversial tip, I guess, because most people’s dream is living by the sea in Italy, which is obviously not that hard due to the huge coast. But living by the sea is not everyone’s cup of tea (humidity and most towns are also vacation spots), so why not go with a city that’s out on the fields. Also, we are talking about cities, so provincial capitals and larger population, not the small towns. It’s kinda hard to pick one, so I picked four.
Lucca, in Tuscany.
Even if you live in the historic center, Lucca is not that popular with tourists. It has many, don’t get me wrong, but nowhere near as Pisa or Siena or Florence. Which makes it an amazingly convenient place to live in. It was never sacked or in war with other cities, so the medieval walls are still intact, the center is like a fairy tale, and it is a provincial capital, so you have the best services. The Lucca Summer Festival had Jennifer Lopez last summer, and the Lucca Comic Con is the second largest comic festival in the world after the one in Tokyo.
Verona, in Veneto.
Yes, I know, many people go there to see the best scam ever, the balcony of Juliet, but if you know your way around, you can avoid the selfie tourists. Verona’s San Zeno, Veronetta, and Borgo Trento areas are less touristy, super local, and perfect to live in. The city is close to the Garda lake and the hills of Valpolicella and it’s wine, and it is just conveniently places Milan and Venice.
Padua, in Veneto.
I will write my own article on this town because I think it is one of the most underrated cities in all of Italy. It’s literally next to Venice, it has the largest market in all of Europe, everywhere you walk you see the Venetian lions, wonderful architecture, insane food, and it has it’s own thermal + wine resort area with the Euganean hills. I honestly don’t understand why it is not constantly flooded with people.
Viterbo, in Lazio.
So this is an odd choice, but I explain. If you want to live in the central, but not in Rome, Viterbo would be my choice. Rome is an hour, Florence is around 2, the forests of Umbria is 1, the sea is about half, and you have the lakes (Bolsena and Vico). It lies in the ancient Tuscia area (read my article, Who the hell are the etruscans?!) and since half of the city got bombed during the war, many newly built condos are available in the central, which is unique in Italy.
Lastly, my runner-up tips:
Treviso, because it is a small Venice without mass-tourism, and it is just a neat and tidy town with direct access to Prosecco hills and duh, Venice.
Ferrara, because the old town is super unique and it has amazing food since it is close to Bologna.
and Arezzo, because if I have to pick a city in mainland Tuscany where everyone is doing Chianti-tours and flooding Florence, this would be the city where you can actually live in peace
The best seaside towns
Yeah, so here I don’t think you can make a call that satisfies everyone, so I am going to just tell you where I loved to spend my time most. These are all smaller towns, which means they are around 5-20,000 people. As with any seaside town in Italy, especially in frequented regions like in the North, expect tourists. But, the ones I am listing here are less touristy. July and August will be absolute mental in these places, yes, as with anywhere, I don’t know, close the door or take a vacation in England (like we did), but aside from those months, it is pretty chill here.
Lerici, in Liguria.
The Gulf of poets. The ferry-proximity to the Cinque Terre. Next to La Spezia if you need any services. The promenade that you can walk every day between Lerici and San Terenzo, and though you will do it 100X, you will never get bored by it. The amazing Magra-delta above Lerici, with Tellaro and Montemarcello, towns which are minutes away from Riomaggiore but sell zero pesto cooking classes for influencers. And of course, Portovenere. We’ve lived there for a month, and visited it later million times. Forever love.
Versilia, in Tuscany.
This not a town but an area that has many towns. Pietrasanta, Forte dei Marmi, Viareggio, Camaiore, Seravezza & Stazzema, and some other smaller villages. It is 30 km uninterrupted sandy stretch of beach. Look behind and you will see the marble mines of Carrara and the Apuan Alps. Perfect location, Pisa is 30 minutes drive, almost idillic. It is where the Italian disco was born and died. And it is where we have lived for 3+ years. Absolute Paradise.
Chioggia, in Veneto.
We lived there for weeks and it is the most underrated place for those who are super into Venice. It is literally underneath the Venetian Lagoon, Grand Canal is about 30 minutes by boat. It’s a workers & fishing town, so less grandiouse than Venice itself, but I’m sure you get better seafood here. It’s fishmarket is famous country-wide. Also, you get literally the same canals as you get in Venice, but without the endless flood of Disneyland-tourists.
Tigullio, in Liguria.
Also not a town but a region. Lerici is the Gulf of Spezia & Gulf of poets, you go upwards, pass the Cinque Terre, and you end up with another gulf, that’s Tigullio. It is fundamentally different from the Cinque Terre theme park and the Tuscan-proximity Magra delta. In other words: it is very Ligurian. Wonderful small towns from Rapallo, Portofino, Sestri Levante, Chiavari, and more. Some are very touristy (Portofino & Rapallo), so you should probably avoid them, but others like Sestri Levante & Chiavari are relaxed. If you are looking for the most laid-back seaside experience, I think this is the place.
Runner-ups:
Scilla, in Calabria. In the South, fundamentally different from anything, exciting, super friendly people, and dramatic cliffs with a small stretch of beach. A bit busy during the summer, but mostly local tourists.
Muggia, in Friuli-Venezia-Guila. Basically a suburb of Trieste, one of the best port cities which I haven’t recommended only because it is more like Vienna, than Italy, but Muggia sits at the edge of Italy, close to Slovenia. Sleepy, local, and the main city is minutes away. If you are into the Balkans, this is the best gate to have to it.
Anzio, in Lazio. Popular with Romans mostly, but no one else goes there for tourism. Rome is an hour drive. A good stretch of beach and very lively local life, but the best thing is the proximity of Rome. And it is not Ostia, which is always super crowded by Roman weekenders.
Best towns without sea access
The drill is the same: small town (5-20K people or so), and no sea access. Here, it is a bit easier but also more complex to pick. Easy, because once you avoid the obvious places that are overrun by tourists (San Gimignano, Montepulciano, mostly small towns in Tuscany and in Puglia and maybe some in Sicily), you end up with thousands of candidates. That is why it is complex, it’s just simply hard to pick or recommend one. I’ll try. Before we go to the names, may I recommend some reading on the hilltop town as a topic:
Ronciglione, in Lazio.
It was where I clicked, literally: a small town is 10x more interesting than most tourist spots. It was the most sit back cinema experience we had, probably because it was so new to us. The town is an old hill town, about an hour ride from Rome, next to the Vico lake. I recommend to check out Caprarola and Capranica as well, they are the towns-next-door.
Todi, in Umbria.
A guide is coming up on this town as we have visited so many-many times. So, I could name almost any Umbrian town, really, except Assisi and Orvieto. But yes for Terni, Spoleto, Gubbio, and even the regional capital, Perugia is amazing. All of Umbria is amazing for two reasons: unknown by mass tourism, and it is like Tuscany but with more mountains and forests. Super underrated. Todi itself is a one-piazza town with a small but very alive center.
Barga, in Tuscany.
If you are Scotsman, you’ll love this, because this is a Scottish town in Tuscany. Nah, not really, but many Italians who moved to Scotland hundred years ago, returned as Scotsmen here, bought up houses. It is up in the Apuan Alps, so a very different experience of living as you might imagine in Tuscany, fully mountain living, mama nature is everywhere. But, the town has Scottish bagpipes, beer, and Scottish festival.
Bra, in Piedmont.
This is where I can imagine Western European & American pensioners mostly, but I only see locals and French mostly there, so it is truly unknown, despite how amazing this place is. Sits inside Cuneo province, pretty much the food epicenter of Northern Italy, Barolo wine, truffles, cheese, sausage, all local. It’s also the best of North, sea is close, Turin is close, France is close, everything works, and the historic center is baroque. It’s from the slow food movement started. It is the realist move for most people, who want Italy without the drama.
The best big cities
Ok, so last part, this will be a short list. Most big cities are either super industrial, so not worth to move in as an expat unless you work there, or they are postcards, which we have discussed in this series. Also, on this list, only regional capitals play.
Turin, in Piedmont.
The very obvious one, sure, this is where I live now. But, hear me out. The city has no internationally recognizable landmark, aside the Mole, the Shred, the Egyptian Museum, and the Savoy palaces. But frankly, they are mostly popular among Italians, not with global tourism. It is skipped by people going to Milan, Como, and the Ligurian sea instead. Plus, people remember it as an industrial town (FIAT).
Today it is The Most Underrated Big City in Italy with international communities (UN, the Politecnico, etc.), huge avenues, Savoy palaces everywhere, old money vibes, and a perfect setting between Switzerland, France, and Italy. I see the Alps from my window, amazing. Food is half-French, half-Italian, or if you ask Italians, it’s the best version of French, because it is Italian. If you ask me, its the perfect marriage you can have.
Plus, it’s the North, and one of the Northest North of Italy, so everything not just works smoothly, but, I’m afraid to say this, it reminds me a bit of German perfection. Which, I have to admit, I kinda like. It’s the best of both worlds, full-on Italian experience, but without zero drama. And, real estate is much affordable than in other big cities in Italy.
Where to live in Turin:
Crocetta, for upscale city life in the central, upper-middle-class, wide tree-line avenues, liberty and early 1900s palaces. Basically where well-off intellectual Turinese people live.
Borgo Po, the hills on the other side of the river, very oldschool, old money vibes, mostly palaces and old family homes. But you will need a car here. Perfect for families.
Centro, the actual area around the Savoy main palace and the historic district. I guess this is the only city on the entire list where I am recommending the very epicenter of the city, because it is just not that touristy, still OK to live there.
Santa Rita, residential but not a sleeping suburb and also not that working class like the other areas around the factories. Best bang for the money, affordable, quiet, but also excellently serviced. The center is minutes away. I live here.
Turin has one metro line so far (second is underway), but trams and buses work really well. Unlike Rome, see later, in Turin when you check the Google Maps for travel distances, the reality is usually a similar number you see on your phone. Which is rare in Italy, I can tell you.
Rome, in Lazio.
Well, yeah, so hear me out. I know I can’t talk most people off from Rome. If you want to move there, fine, but you have to accept two very important things.
One, you should know where mass tourism goes and how to avoid it. It’s OK, the city is large enough for the locals and the Trevi-flood as well. You just have to know where.
Two, you have be ready to accept that aside from the tourism part and the churches, Rome as a city that provides services to its citizens, is… how should I put it politely? It’s borderline disfunctional. I haven’t lived in Naples, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Naples would be better at services for its people. Rome, seems like they just don’t give a damn about it. So you have to be able to pay-up and solve your own problems. I warned you.
But aside these two, Rome IS the city to live in, yes. It is as you have imagined, and even more. It also has many expats, different communities, and the places where only locals live are truly one-of-a-kind experiences. I recommend these areas:
Prati, the city experience without too many tourists, especially North of Prati
Testaccio, for the real Roman local vibe, and of course, the market & the food
Monteverde, if you have kids or want green spaces, very relaxed, chill, and beautiful area
Parioli, Trieste, Salario, basically North of Rome around the Borghese Gardens, if you have money, want elegance, and international communities
And for the brave ones, San Lorenzo, university district, nightlife, I lived here, Pigneto, hipster, bit scruffy, Garbatella, unique, garden-city, extremely Roman, cheap.
And remember, public services, including public transportation are laughable (except the subway/metro, it surprisingly works most of the time). So don’t live too far away from the center, or, stay very near to the main metro lines. So the “cheap and close” to the center is usually a 1-hour bus ride, if the bus works at all. To tie back to Turin, yes, buses in Turin not just work, but they are mostly on time. Welcome to the North.
Naples, in Campania.
Ok, so this is where I say, it’s for those with acquired taste. I personally in love with the city, but I know many people who when they land in Naples airport, literally run screaming towards to Amalfi coast and only visit the city when they need to fly out. It’s gritty, it’s intense, it’s everything all at once, everywhere. It’s the most alive city in Italy, it is the most life-loving city in Italy, and it is the most honest city in Italy. It has a bay, the islands, and of course, Amalfi (but you will probably avoid it if you live there). It is also the cheapest big city, so as an expat, your money will give you the most runway here.
I recommend Posilipio (by the bay, upscale), or Vomero (up on the hill) areas, and again, buy/rent something gated and nice. Yes, Naples is gritty in the downtown, which can be too much for some, until you wander up to the hills or the nicer bay area, and you see where the money went in the Southern Kingdoms. But everything I have talked about services, unpredictable lifestlye, paperwork, noise, and petty crime, is on 10X terms in Naples. But, again, money can buy you out from most of it.
Runner-up: Milan. So this is tricky, because, coming out, I don’t really like Milan. It is the only truly international city in Italy. The very reason I moved to Italy is to live in Italy, not in London with Italian restaurants. But, that said, I am not working here and I have zero professional network here.
If you have, or you want to have, or want to keep some work relationships, or even better, have to explain to your current employers why you need to live in Italy, you might be able to justify opening office in Milan for them. It is a working city, it is a smart city, it is international, and it is rich, which means, it costs the most to live there. For that particular person, I would recommend Milan. For 99% of the others? Probably not a good pick.
So that was it, this is my list. Super personal.
On the main site of Anywhere Italy, I collected the 1,000 hidden towns of Italy. I track a multitude of data points for most of them, from schools, trains, landmarks, festivals, restaurants, hotels, and many more. If you are searching for The Location, Your Point On The Map, all of the site is free to browse.
On top of that, I filtered them into an all-time best-of-the-best list. The 100. Have a look. They are the best ones based on my absolutely personal selection.