What to discover in 6 of the most beautiful villages in Italy

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Venice has trialled an entry fee, Florence has banned new Airbnbs and Rome’s public transport is unbearably crowded. 

Overtourism is hitting Italy’s cities hard and the result is a stressful experience for those who holiday there. 

The good news is, for masterful artworks, excellent food and a dynamic cultural scene, you don’t have to stick to the cities. 

Italy has a non-profit association called ‘I Borghi più belli d’Italia’ (‘The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy’) which safeguards and preserves the heritage of the country’s hamlets. 

Visitors can use the list of these most beautiful villages to create an itinerary away from the crowds – a type of slow travel which also supports struggling rural communities. 

Here are some of the top villages to visit in Italy. 

Dozza for its vibrant street art

Close to the city of Bologna (which a resident recently described as ‘tourist hell’), Dozza is a town of around 6,000 inhabitants surrounded by hills. 

It is famous for its festival of murals, which takes place every two years in September. Renowned national and international artists decorate the walls of the town’s houses with permanent artworks, so the streets are now a kaleidoscopic outdoor gallery. 

The monumental, red brick Dozza Castle from the 13th century also houses the Enoteca Regionale Emilia Romagna in its cellars. This wine shop and bar promotes wines from across the region. 

Monte Isola for a sanctuary with a view

Lake Iseo lies between Como and Garda, two lakes that have become notoriously overcrowded in recent years.

In the middle of the waterbody is Monte Isola, an island that rises up steeply, its slopes thick with vegetation. 

Around the island along the water’s edge are several small hamlets and you can spend a pleasant day riding from one to another on hired bikes. 

For more strenuous exercise, hikers can climb some 400 metres to the lofty shrine of Madonna della Ceriola, a small whitewashed church with mesmerising views. 

Castelmezzano for staggering scenery

One of the least-touristed regions of Italy is Basilicata, lying between Puglia and Campania. In its forested, mountainous centre, the village of Castelmezzano clings to giant shards of grey rock rising above the treeline. 

As you wind through its narrow, steep streets (not wide enough for cars), you get sudden glimpses between houses out to the verdant valley. 

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If you want a more exhilarating view, you can take the Volo dell’Angelo (‘Flight of the Angel’) high-speed zip line crossing the valley to neighbouring Pietrapertosa, which is also a ‘most beautiful village’. 

Flying at speeds of 120 km/h, you get an adrenaline-pumping view from around 400 metres above the ground.

Atrani for a quieter experience of the Amalfi Coast

Squeezed in beside the summer hotspot Amalfi, Atrani is a tiny village often completely overlooked by tourists to the Amalfi Coast. 

With a surface area of 0.12 km2, it can boast the title of the smallest municipality in Italy. 

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The hamlet retains the historic urban architecture of the Amalfi Coast with maze-like streets that duck under passageways and emerge out into small, mise-en-scène squares. 

As the heavily trafficked coastal road does not pass directly through the centre of the town, which is a little set back, it is a particularly quiet and pleasant place to stay on the busy coastline. 

Deruta for eye-popping ceramics

Deruta in the region of Umbria is renowned as a centre of maiolica production. These bright ceramics have been hand-produced in the village since the early Middle Ages and are now exported around the world. 

Particularly recognisable are the 16th-century ‘Raffaellesque’ designs with portraits of Renaissance nobility, swirling vegetation, floral decorations and mythological motifs in blue, yellow and turquoise. 

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If you can drag yourself away from the workshops crammed with flamboyant products, head to the town hall for the Museum of Ceramics and an art gallery housing a fresco by Umbrian master Perugino.

Barga for a slice of Scotland in Italy

Barga might be located in the Italian region of Tuscany but don’t be surprised if you hear some Scottish accents or see a resident donning a kilt. 

Known as the most Scottish town in Italy, a history of residents’ emigration to Scotland and then a reverse migration of descendants back to the town of their ancestors has given Barga its multinational culture. 

There are shops selling the fizzy drink Irn Bru while in August there is a festival dedicated to fish and chips. 

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There is also an opera festival and a long-running jazz festival and the town is crowned by the Romanesque church of San Cristoforo with a grand limestone facade.