Right on the main piazza, five-star Albergo al Sole is a romantic base. And from here, you can easily factor in a day trip of fizz exploring the vineyards of Veneto's Prosecco region. On the second Sunday of the month, the town is given over to an antique market. Its backdrop is fabulous, with ramparts offering grandstand views of the surrounding wooded hills and mountains.Ĭapped by a medieval fortress, the hill town has lanes lined with fresco-colored houses and an 18th-century cathedral sheltering an altarpiece by Venetian Renaissance master Lorenzo Lotto. Oh, what views! In the foothills of the Dolomites and just 50 miles north of Venice, Asolo is both delightful and easy to reach. Asolo The backstreets of Asolo in Italy's Veneto region And to really feel the romance of this hill town, stay overnight at Agriturismo Il Bastione, a medieval farmstead surrounded by olive groves, or 17th-century Palazzo Bocci in the heart of the historic center. Its cobbled lanes, worn smooth with centuries of shoe leather, brim with flower boxes and hanging baskets in summer.ĭefinitely factor in a visit to the Baglioni Chapel at Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore to see the Pinturicchio frescoes, and walk up to the Roman arch at the top of the town for sublime views over the hills and plains and a panoramic lunch at Osteria del Buchetto. With towers and campaniles rising above higgledy-piggledy houses in honey-colored stone, this is the Italian dream. Spello, in the Perugia province of Umbria, is a classic hill town beauty that's rarely overrun, even in the peak season. Get Started Spello Flower pots bring a splash of color to the streets of Spello in Umbria And don't leave town without trying the season-driven home cooking at the inn where Raphael once lodged, Antica Osteria da la Stella. At the Casa Natale di Raffaello, where Raphael was born in 1483, you can see one of his first frescoes: Madonna and Child.Ī sweet, simple, central place to stay the night is Albergo Italia. ![]() Here masterpieces by Raphael, Piero della Francesca, and Titian hang in the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche. Its pride and joy is the 15th-century Palazzo Ducale, with an arcaded courtyard and a peerless collection of Renaissance art. If ever proof were needed that you can find world-class art in Italy outside of the big cities, Urbino is it. Cultured, erudite, and easy on the eye, the entire town is a UNESCO World Heritage site. No doubt he found inspiration in the travertine domes and towers of the walled historic center. This is where Renaissance superstar Raphael was born and raised. Often eclipsed by Tuscany, central Italy’s Le Marche region is blissfully underrated-but the university town of Urbino is a secret too good to keep. ![]() Urbino Sunrise over the Renaissance hill town of Urbino in Le Marche See this 12-day itinerary for trip ideas. To see Montalcino at its peaceful best, visit early in the morning or in the evening, or choose spring and autumn over summer when it's busy hosting its popular Jazz and Wine Festival. Atmospheric places to stay abound, including the luxurious Castello Banfi estate, spectacularly centered on a medieval castle overlooking vineyards. ![]() Hungry? Head over to rustic Locanda Demetra, just south of town, for a farm-to-plate lunch. Try full-bodied local wines in an enoteca, hang out at a cafe on Gothic Piazza del Popolo, or check out Sienese paintings and sculptures in the Museum of Sacred Art. The town looks out over the vines that produce its outstanding Brunello red wines, which can be sampled locally.įrom the ramparts of Montalcino's 14th-century fortress, or Rocca, some of the finest scenery in Tuscany spreads out before you: reaching over cornfields, olive groves and hills that dip and rise to the mountains of the Maremma. ![]() But look beyond well-visited Siena and San Gimignano to find the medieval walled hill town of Montalcino, perched high above the Val d'Orcia. Tuscan hill towns are much raved about, and deservedly so. Montalcino The walled hill town of Montalcino in Tuscany's Val d'Orcia
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