Anywhere Italy: the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip
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Tuscany · 8 townsVersiliaTuscany's marble beach, from Viareggio to Carrara
Liguria · 19 townsRiviera di LevanteThe coast in the shadow of five villages
Tuscany · 15 townsTuscan MainlandThe postcard country, and what is under it
Lazio · 16 townsTusciaThe land Rome took twice
Tuscany · 8 townsArno CorridorThe working road from Florence to the sea
Tuscany · 8 townsApuan AlpsThe mountains behind Versilia
From the writing desk
Where to Move in Italy, Part 4: The Postcard
Where to Move in Italy, Part 3: The City
The letter · Town no. 65 of 1,000Where to Move in Italy, Part 5: The Other HalfThe guardrails that vanish south of Naples, and the long table on the piazza. A series on living in Italy, from someone who has lived in most of it.Latest from the catalogue
- Healthcare in Italy, Explained: What It Costs, Where to Go, and Who PaysHow Italian healthcare works if you are visiting or moving: the emergency room, the pharmacy that solves most problems, the 25 euro ticket, who gets billed, and why a doctor can prescribe you a spa.
- The prettiest villages that eat well in Friuli-Venezia GiuliaFriuli-Venezia Giulia eats between the Alps and the Adriatic, with prosciutto from San Daniele, frico crisped in the pan, and white wines from the Collio. These villages have passed the national assessment of Italy's most beautiful villages and each has a table named by a dining guide.
- The best olive oil towns you can reach by train within 90 minutes of PescaraOlive country in Abruzzo runs from the Adriatic sand inland to the terraces under the Maiella, and the towns that press their own oil sit close enough to Pescara's railway lines to reach in a morning. Frantoi, hill villages in pale stone, and new oil poured over bruschetta from November onwards.
- The best towns inside a national park that have a serious restaurant in AbruzzoAbruzzo puts its national parks and its best kitchens in the same place: stone hill towns of the Maiella and the high Altopiano delle Cinque Miglia, where saffron, mutton, mountain cheese and confetti sugar almonds sit on menus that guide inspectors take seriously.
- The best mountain towns you can reach by train in LombardiaLombardia's mountain valleys run north from the plain into stone villages, chestnut woods and thermal water, and the railway follows them most of the way. These are Alpine and pre-Alpine towns reachable without a car, from Valtellina pizzoccheri to Liberty spa architecture in the Brembana valley.
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The latest letters
Where to Move in Italy, Part 5: The Other Half17 October 2026Where to Move in Italy, Part 4: The Postcard16 October 2026Where to Move in Italy, Part 3: The City15 October 2026
Where to Move in Italy, Part 2: The Small Town14 October 2026
Where to Move in Italy, Part 1: The End of the Road13 October 2026What we write about
The reading
- Where you eat wellTowns where somebody put their name to a table246 pieces
- High groundInland towns built on ground too steep to spread184 pieces
- Old and beautifulTowns that were assessed, not just admired125 pieces
- On the waterThe coast and the lakes, minus the names everyone already has105 pieces
- Without a carTowns you can reach, and then leave, without driving90 pieces
- Out in the greenParks, paths, thermal water and snow78 pieces
This month
October in the towns
Caramanico TermeMercato Settimanale Di Caramanico TermeMarket · Pescara · October
AccetturaIl Borgo del GustoFood festival · Matera · October
PizzoRievocazione Storica dello sbarco, arresto e fucilazione di Re Gioacchino MuratHistorical re-enactment · Vibo Valentia · October
CamogliFesta di N.S. delle GraziePatron saint's feast · Genova · October
CastelcivitaFesta della Patata di MontagnaFood festival · Salerno · October into November
From the letter
How Italy works
Healthcare in Italy, Explained: What It Costs, Where to Go, and Who PaysHow Italian healthcare works if you are visiting or moving: the emergency room, the pharmacy that solves most problems, the 25 euro ticket, who gets billed, and why a doctor can prescribe you a spa.
When to Come to Italy: The Honest Guide, Month by MonthThe three questions that actually decide when to come to Italy, a month-by-month calendar, the regional split, and why August is the one month to avoid. From someone who lives here.
Driving in Italy: The Complete ManualAutostrada tolls, Telepass, the ZTL, parking colors, market-day towing, and how Italians actually drive. One manual from four years and every region on the road.
How to Find Free Beaches in ItalyEvery Italian beach has a free way in. How spiaggia libera works, your legal rights on the sand, and how locals use the coast without paying, from a writer who lives on it.
How to Order at a Restaurant in Italy Like an ItalianArrival times, the four-course architecture, house wine, the water rule, tipping, and the dishes that don't exist. Italian restaurant etiquette from someone who lives at the table.