I’ve Lived in Italy for 15 Years — and These Are My Favorite Lesser-known Destinations

If I start to wax on about how much Italy has changed in the 15 years I’ve lived here, and how crowded it’s become, someone please stop me. Yes, it’s true the crowds have increased, overwhelmingly so in some places. And yes, globalism and the global pandemic have ruthlessly affected small-scale retailers and artisanal producers of every type. Much of the Italy that confronts visitors seems a bit too polished, like a cleaned-up, curated version of the real thing. After all these years, it sometimes feels like there’s nothing new under the Italian sun.

But just when I start to think I’ve seen all there is to see in Italy, I visit another great, new-to-me corner of the country that’s relatively free of crowds and serves as a reminder that there’s much more than the well-worn circuit so many pursue. There are lived-in mountain villages, traditional seaside towns that have remained unchanged in the last 50 years, and thriving cities where Italians of all ages live, work, study, and meet for a coffee or an aperitivo. Here are five of my recent favorites.