Rome is iconic, Florence is beautiful, and Venice is one of the most unique cities on the planet… but Italy is far more than its most famous locations, and these underrated cities in Italy can show you a whole different side of the country!
If you’re dreaming of a trip to Italy where you can enjoy unique attractions, stunning art, hyper-local cuisine, and even some UNESCO sites without having to fight for elbow room, then these offbeat Italian cities just may be right for you.
We’ve been visiting Italy for a decade, criss-crossing the country over the course of many long-term trips that add up to over a year in the country. And while we adore its icons, we find ourselves gravitating more and more these days to Italy’s quieter cities.
Over the years, we’ve been lucky enough to spend a month or more “living” in Rome, Florence, and Bologna–but the next time we spend a month straight in a single Italian city, it will probably be in one of these places.
We curated this list based on our own travel experiences, and specifically kept it focused on cities with more than 50,000 residents (Italy’s underrated small towns and nature areas could easily each be their own blog post).
To give you some ideas on what to expect, we’ve listed a comparison destination for each–just don’t take them too seriously! Each of these places is beautifully unique.
And, by keeping this guide focused on cities, we’ve also kept these picks easy to access. With limited exception, they can all be easily reached by train.
Here are 13 excellent cities where you can escape the crowds in Italy!
Table of Contents
Cool Cities Off the Beaten Path in Northern Italy
Parma
When it comes to the cities of Emilia-Romagna, Bologna was our first love (and we’re far from alone there!), but Parma is our deepest love.
A university city with an infinitely livable historic center, excellent museums, an incredibly beautiful cathedral and baptistery, and one of the best food scenes in Italy, Parma is a captivating place to visit.
Add in the fact that it’s the origin of two of Italy’s most famous food products–parmigiano-reggiano and prosciutto di Parma–and it’s safe to say that Parma is a wonderful place to spend time.
To this day, we consider learning about Parmigiano-Reggiano and Parma ham at the source to be one of our most memorable foodie travel experiences in Italy, and it helped us fall even more in love with Emilia-Romagna.
And, beyond visiting Parma itself, Parma makes an excellent base to explore Emilia-Romagna (particularly its western side).
Here are the best day trips from Parma, including some even more offbeat places like the microscopic town of Castell’Arquato!
Consider visiting Parma if you also like…
Foodie cities like Florence or Bologna.
Bolzano
Situated at one end of the Great Dolomites Road, Bolzano is one of those cities that plenty of people see on the map when planning their trip to the Italian Alps… but far fewer stop to appreciate, as most visitors are (understandably) feeling the call of the mountains!
Bolzano itself, though, is a fantastic city to spend a few days–or more–in.
Surrounded by small mountain villages, seemingly endless vineyards, several castles, and, of course, the ever-impressive Dolomites, Bolzano is an Italian city like no other.
As the capital of South Tyrol, Bolzano (or in German, Bozen) was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until 1918, when WWI ended and shook up the boundaries of Europe.
And, from the food to the architecture to the language, you can absolutely tell!
One of the most unique things to do in Bolzano itself is visit Ötzi, a 5,000-year-old man found in the Alps a few decades back and now housed in an incredible museum.
Other top things to see include touring Castel Roncolo, stepping inside the Duomo, shopping at the daily market at Piazza delle Erbe, and taking the funiculars spread around town up to mountain villages like Soprabolzano (and using them as launchpads for hiking).
Don’t miss the view from Santa Maria Maddalena Church, either–it’s one of my favorite views in the world.
Consider visiting Bolzano if you also like…
Midsize Alpine cities like nearby Innsbruck.
Bergamo
If you recognize the name Bergamo, it’s quite possibly because this gorgeous city acts as a (primarily budget) airline hub outside of Milan… but Bergamo is so much more than that.
Divided into the Città Alta (Upper Town, where you’ll want to focus your time) and Città Bassa (Lower Town, where you can find all the practicalities of modern life, like the train station), Bergamo is home to stunning views and incredible architecture.
The best things to do in Bergamo include walking the Venetian Walls (which are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and admiring the San Giacomo Gate, visiting Palazzo Moroni, touring the city’s beautiful churches (especially the Basilica of di Santa Maria Maggiore and the Bergamo Cathedral).
Be sure to also visit Castel di San Vigilio and enjoy its wonderful views!
Don’t miss the chance to climb the Civic Tower for great views over Piazza Vecchia (and its many churches), either!
Bergamo is a land of funiculars, and you’ll likely get to enjoy at least one ride when visiting (to reach Città Alta from Città Bassa, and vice versa).
Consider visiting Bergamo if you also like…
Verona, and other cities with an emphasis on beautiful, hilly views.
Ravenna
If you’re looking for stunning art, lots of history, and a beautiful town away from the crowds, consider heading east to Ravenna.
Built primarily in the 5th and 6th centuries, the brilliant mosaics of Ravenna, formally recognized as the “Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna”, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
They’re also stunningly beautiful, and make up essentially all of the top things to do in Ravenna.
Spread across 8 buildings that include churches, chapels, and mausoleums, seeing the Ravenna mosaics in person is one of the most memorable experiences we’ve had with art in Italy.
We signed up for this excellent tour to get a solid introduction to the beauty and history of the mosaics (it’s remarkable how many more details you can spot with the help of a guide!), and then continued to sights like the Arian Baptistery independently.
If you’re very short on time, the Basilica of San Vitale and the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia should be your top priorities.
Away from the mosaics, other cool things to experience in Ravenna include seeing Dante’s tomb, stepping inside the National Museum of Ravenna, and savoring Emilia-Romagna’s cuisine (we enjoyed Osteria dei Battibecchi).
If you’re traveling with kids, it’s worth noting that one of Italy’s top amusement parks, Mirabilandia, is nearby too!
Consider visiting Ravenna if you also like…
Byzantine art and mosaics (think St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, or the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul).
(Side note: if you do like this style of art and are also going to Rome, don’t miss the Basilica of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere. I think it’s one of the best hidden gems in Rome!).
Turin
As the capital of the Piedmont (Piemonte) region and the first capital city of a unified Italy, Turin (Torino) is a devastatingly underrated Italian city.
Turin, and the Piedmont region in general, is known for being one of the absolute best foodie regions in Italy, which is extremely high praise!
Every meal we have eaten in the region has been a delight, and being so close to France means that the cuisine can be a bit different than what foreigners typically think of as Italian (still plenty of pasta on the table, of course).
While in Turin, be sure to visit the Baroque Palazzo Reale, tour the Egyptian Museum (it’s said to be the second-most important Egyptian museum in the world, after Cairo), and explore the National Museum of Cinema (which is housed in Mole Antonelliana, Turin’s most iconic building).
Be sure to pay a visit to Monte dei Cappuccini for an incredible view of Turin, too–and a view that will remind you why this region is named “foot of the mountains”.
For travelers with a sweet tooth, you’ll be happy to know that the Piedmont region is the origin of hazelnut chocolate and the resulting Nutella brand.
Like with so many foods, artisan versions produced in the original location blow mass-produced versions out of the water!
Still have a sweet tooth after indulging? Try a Bicerin, Turin’s famous drink that involves espresso, hot chocolate, and cream!
Consider visiting Turin if you also like…
Mountain-adjacent cities with refined style and excellent cuisine, like nearby Lyon.
Turin is nicknamed the “Paris of Italy”, though we maintain nowhere feels quite like Paris (just like nowhere feels quite like Venice, no matter how many places nickname themselves after it!).
Underrated Cities in Italy’s Central Regions
Arezzo
Despite boasting all the typical beauty and intrigue of Tuscan cities (great food, great views, beautiful churches, involved history) and a population of around 100,000, Arezzo flies well under the radar when compared to cities like Siena!
If you have a trip to Tuscany on your mind but are wary of crowds, consider booking a train directly to Arezzo.
The best things to do in Arezzo include touring the Palazzo dell Fraternita dei Laici and climbing its clock tower for amazing views of Piazza Grande, visiting the archaeological museum, marveling at the frescoes in the Basilica of San Francesco, stepping inside the house of Giorgio Vasari, visiting the Medici Fortress, and, of course, seeing the Duomo.
Arezzo is also rightfully famous for its antiquing, especially the Arezzo Antiques Fair that takes over Piazza Grande on the first Sunday of every month, as well as the Saturday before it. You can find excellent antique shops in Arezzo year-round, though!
Planning a winter trip to Italy?
While the best Christmas markets in Italy are found in South Tyrol (Bolzano and the surrounding villages, especially), Arezzo imports a Tyrolean village for their market, which gives it the most traditional Christmas market atmosphere in Tuscany!
Consider visiting Arezzo if you also like…
All the usual reasons to enjoy non-Florentine Tuscan cities (food, art, architecture, views), without being as crowded as Siena.
Perugia
If you’re looking for beautiful views, a city that feels like a medieval maze in all the best ways, and a distinct lack of crowds, make your way to Perugia.
As the capital of the region of Umbria, a popular study-abroad destination, and a city with lots of memorable things to see and do, Perugia is an unlikely contender for a place that feels a bit off the tourist trail–but that’s another reason to love it.
This is a place where restaurants are tucked out of sight down stone alleyways, arches and staircases abound, shortcuts feel like secret passageways, and you can–in a delightful mix of modern and historic–ride an escalator down into a 16th-century fortress.
If I had to sum up sightseeing in Perugia in a sentence, I’d put it like this: the best things to do in Perugia involve seeking views from above, details from underground, and browsing churches inside and out.
Don’t miss the Cathedral of San Lorenzo or the Basilica of San Domenico!
Perugia’s incredible medieval aqueduct is a must-see and home to some of the best views in the city, but be sure to also stop by Porta Sole, the Giardini Cartucci, and just about any other corner that looks intriguing.
Under the earth, the Rocca Paolina Fortress is a delight to explore, the Etruscan Well is memorable, and exploring the Perugia Underground is an opportunity to walk through time.
Here’s our detailed guide to visiting Perugia!
Consider visiting Perugia if you also like…
Beautiful university cities with excellent views, like Bologna.
Lucca
While it may not be quite as underrated as, say, Arezzo, Lucca still gets a fraction of the (particularly overnight) visitors that we think it deserves!
Situated in northwestern Tuscany, Lucca is known as the City of 100 Churches. Not only are they beautiful, but more than one of them plays host to a mummy!
Lucca also boasts a historic center that is fully enclosed in its town walls, which you can walk or bike on top of, and its Piazza dell’Anfiteatro is famously in the shape of an oval!
And, for yet another distinct feature, the city is also home to a garden in the sky at Torre Guinigi, which you can climb up to and visit for yourself.
If you’re looking for a place to base yourself in Tuscany that is more lively than a hilltop town but more low-key than Florence, Lucca is a fantastic option.
The city is popularly visited for half a day on a combination Pisa/Lucca day trip, but having based ourselves there 3 times and counting, we think it’s worth much more time if you have it to spare.
(And while Pisa absolutely has its charms, as an overall city to base yourself in, we’d pick Lucca over Pisa any day of the week.)
Consider visiting Lucca if you also like…
Small, walkable cities with enough to do to keep you busy for a few days while also acting as a base for day trips.
For example, Cinque Terre is a much easier day trip from Lucca than Florence.
Tivoli
If you’re looking for Roman history, multiple UNESCO sites, a walkable center, and hilltop views in a picture-perfect setting in central Italy, make your way to Tivoli!
Despite being popularly recommended as a day trip from Rome (including by us), Tivoli sees only a fraction of the visitors as the nearby capital city, and only a fraction of that fraction spend the night.
For those who do, though, Tivoli has something special to offer: a chance to experience a series of incredible villas. Despite being called villas, though, each one is extremely different from the next!
Villa d’Este is a palace with intricate gardens that feature gorgeous frescoes and iconic fountains.
Villa Adriana, which is also called Hadrian’s Villa, is a nearly 300-acre Roman ruin complex that was once home to–surprise, surprise–Emperor Hadrian, along with thousands of other people working to support the emperor and his gigantic villa.
In modern terms, calling Villa Adriana a “villa” is like calling Manhattan a “small island”–technically correct, but not at all what you expect when you hear the term.
Villa d’Este and Villa Adriana are both UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Villa Gregoriana is a sprawling park complex in Tivoli’s city center that dates to the 1800s (though it is built over the ruins of a Roman villa), and visiting it involves hiking into a valley and then back out again, while admiring waterfalls, caves, and views of Roman ruins along the way.
Beyond the villas, Tivoli’s town center also boasts several other cool things to see, ranging from opulent churches to idyllic streets to Roman ruins.
Consider visiting Tivoli if you also like…
Sprawling Roman ruins like Pompeii or Ostia Antica, and/or picturesque palaces.
Underrated Italian Cities in the South
Palermo
Vibrant and laid-back, opulent and rough and around the edges, enjoying the capital of Sicily is to enjoy an exercise in contradictions.
We absolutely love Palermo, from its food to its sunshine to its architecture, but we’ll be the first to say that if a particularly clean and refined city is what you’re after, Palermo may not be the best hidden gem of an Italian city for you.
Graffiti and crumbling buildings aren’t hard to find, especially if you step outside the usual tourist trails. Take a wrong turn, and you might suddenly find yourself looking at a very different version of Palermo.
On the other hand, the highlights of Palermo are incredible. Be sure to tour the 12th-century cathedral, visit the Norman Palace, admire the picturesque (and bustling) Quattri Canti, and step inside the magnificent, mosaic-covered Church of Martorana.
If you’re interested in the spookier side of travel, the Capuchin Crypt of Palermo is one of the most unique places we’ve ever visited, and it is truly unforgettable (expect to see a lot of mummies).
Of course, no trip to Palermo is complete without exploring its food scene and incredible outdoor markets.
We took one of our favorite food tours of all time here, and highly recommend it (this is the exact tour we loved).
Whenever you’re ready to hit the beach, Mondello Beach is about a 25-minute drive (or longer bus ride) from the city center.
Consider visiting Palermo if you also like…
Diamond-in-the-rough cities like Naples or Athens.
Neither is a perfect comparison, as Palermo is smaller and more relaxed than both. If you enjoy either, though, you will probably like Palermo!
Matera
There’s nowhere in Italy quite like the city of Matera, and it’s almost as beautiful as it is fascinating!
Though climbing in the rankings of the tourism scene, Matera is simply far out of the way for most first-time Italy visitors to reach, leaving it underrated by default.
Matera is an endlessly interesting place, known for being populated since the prehistoric era, for its incredible views, and for its Sassi –the area of the city populated by cave dwellings dating back thousands of years.
In the 1950s, Matera gained international notoriety for the poor living conditions in the Sassi, and was nicknamed the “Shame of Italy”.
The population was forcibly removed the the “new” (still quite old) town surrounding the Sassi, and the historic cave dwellings were abandoned.
Fast forward several decades, though, and Matera has achieved new life as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a popular filming location (for films ranging wildly from “The Passion of the Christ” to “James Bond: No Time to Die”), and a European Capital of Culture.
Many of the formerly shameful Sassi have been converted into popular boutique cave hotels.
Matera is absolutely, without a doubt, worth visiting–but it is also incredibly hot during the summer months, even by the standards of southern Italy.
This is worth noting because while Matera is located in the offbeat region of Basilicata, it’s a popular addition to recommended Puglia itineraries like ours, which is clearly most popular in the summer!
Consider visiting Matera if you also like…
Arid destinations with deep history, like Cappadocia (which isn’t a city, of course, but the ancient nature of the sights combined with the topography means that they will appeal to similar travelers).
Lecce
Known for its gorgeous Baroque architecture carved from local Lecce stone, the lively city of Lecce is nestled in the “heel of the boot”, in Puglia’s Salento region–and in addition to being a captivating city, it’s only 20 minutes from the coast.
Top things to do in Lecce include visiting the Duomo and its piazza, climbing the Duomo’s bell tower for beautiful views, visiting the Roman amphitheater, stepping inside the Basilica of Santa Croce, and touring the Castello di Lecce.
To sample several of Lecce’s best churches (there are an overwhelming number to choose from) and its bell tower with one ticket, check out the Lecce Church Trail.
Looking for unique souvenirs from Italy?
Cartapesta, an Italian version of papier-mâché, is from Lecce, and if you’re lucky, you’ll even find some artisans at work as you browse.
When you’re ready to sit down, be sure to sample a caffè leccese (coffee with almond milk), which has a broader following these days but got its start right here in Lecce!
And, of course, this being Italy, you can’t skip the other hyper-local food options, from pasticciotto leccese to taralli and beyond.
Consider visiting Lecce if you also like…
Lecce’s nickname as “Florence of the South” should tip off art lovers that this is the place to be.
As for what it’s like to visit, though… think sunny, arid cities with palm trees and sandstone like Valletta (though Lecce isn’t on the coast, it’s close).
Naples
Given its incredible fame, Naples may feel like an odd pick for a blog post about underrated cities in Italy… but I did say underrated, not unknown, and Naples definitely doesn’t always get love on the tourism circuit!
Naples is bright, colorful, and chaotic, with wild traffic, graffiti, and yes, dirty streets, that stand in contrast to its stunning views, opulent architecture, long history, and status as the home of the best pizza on the planet.
Add in the fact that Naples is right next door to the Amalfi Coast, which often feels like the opposite sort of tourist destination (refined, elegant, upscale, versus Naples’ much more raw attitude and appearance), and it’s easy for the city to be overlooked.
In fact, many travelers do overlook it, stopping only long enough to get from the airport to their transport to the Amalfi Coast and/or Pompeii.
Slow down, though, and you’ll find that Naples is an incredibly rewarding Italian city to explore–and one that gets better the longer you spend peeling back its layers.
While there, be sure to explore Piazza del Plebiscito, stroll up Via Toledo, admire views of Castel dell’Ovo, visit one of Naples’ several underground attractions (the Naples Underground and San Gennaro Catacombs are most popular), get charmed by the street of Spaccanapoli, and visit the Naples Cathedral.
Be sure not to miss the National Archaeological Museum, which is where many of the treasures found in Pompeii are housed today.
And, of course, you can’t forget the pizza: a classic pizza margherita is a must-try in Napoli!
Consider visiting Naples if you also like…
Loud, bustling, somewhat chaotic cities packed with history, like Istanbul and Mexico City (though both of those are much bigger).
Just don’t expect perfectly clean streets!
Read More About Visiting Italy
If you found this guide to visiting underrated cities in Italy interesting, we’d love to continue to be part of your Italy trip planning process here on Our Escape Clause!
You can browse our nearly 150 Italy blog posts here, or if you want to narrow it down, you might like these guides:
- Here’s how we recommend getting off the beaten path in Florence, Venice, and Rome.
- This Puglia road trip itinerary is a fantastic option for travelers looking to enjoy coastal Italy away from the Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre (though they’re both stunning). It features Matera, as well as cool places like Otranto and the Cave of Poetry!
- Like the sound of Parma and Ravenna? Our detailed Emilia-Romagna road trip itinerary features both, plus even more hidden gems we didn’t have space to mention here.
- Want to mix some small-town vibes into your trip? These Italian villages are worth a detour.
Map of These Underrated Cities in Italy
Take This Map With You! Click each highlight to pull up the name of the destination. To save this map to “Your Places” on Google Maps, click the star to the right of the title. You’ll then be able to find it under the Maps tab of your Google Maps account! To open the map in a new window, click the button on the top right of the map.
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