Little-known destinations, forgotten villages and whole regions to discover before everyone else does. The antidote to overtourism, one guide at a time.
Fagagna, on Friuli's moraine hills, is home to one of Italy's few white stork reintroduction stations and a bewitching ancient borgo wrapped in rural silence.
Jul 5, 2026
Palmanova, Friuli's nine-pointed star fortress, is a masterpiece of Renaissance military urbanism still perfectly intact and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Jul 5, 2026
Venzone, a medieval Friuli borgo rebuilt stone by stone after the 1976 earthquake, keeps naturally preserved mummies and a singular, resilient charm.
Jul 5, 2026
Chiavenna in the Valchiavenna: rock-carved crotti, pizzoccheri, the Giants' Cauldrons park and the mountain atmosphere of the road to the Spluga pass.
Jul 5, 2026
Crespi d'Adda, a UNESCO workers' village in Lombardy: a 19th-century social experiment crystallised in time, from workers' cottages to factory chimneys.
Jul 5, 2026
Cassinetta di Lugagnano on the Naviglio Grande: 18th-century noble villas, shaded towpaths and unspoilt rural countryside half an hour from Milan.
Jul 5, 2026
Varzi in the Oltrepò Pavese: a medieval borgo famous for its DOP salami, stone towers, arcaded streets and timeless hills of vineyards and woodland.
Jul 5, 2026
Cornello dei Tasso in Val Brembana: an intact medieval borgo where Europe's first postal service was born. Porticoes, frescoes and timeless silence.
Jul 5, 2026
Gromo in Val Seriana: a medieval borgo known as the little Toledo for its swords and armour. Cobbled streets, towers and alpine nature await.
Jul 5, 2026