5 Italian Small-Town Gems

Six years ago I came to Florence from my home in Boston for a short stay that turned permanent after I fell in love with my now-husband, a Florentine named Rami. I was in love with the country, too, and can say that after all this time, I still find it truly breathtaking.

Unfortunately the beauty isn't the only thing that makes me gasp here. Sometimes it's the physical effort needed to get around — while climbing up and down the steep streets in the hill towns of Tuscany, scaling palaces and towers without elevators, or navigating the throngs of tourists in ancient cities.

But if you explore beyond those crowded, difficult-to-navigate destinations, you'll find quiet villages with unique personalities. It feels like discovering the real Italy (especially in the off-season). These are five of my favorite easy getaways in central and northern Italy, places where just getting around doesn't wear me out.

Ian Dagnall / Alamy Stock Photo

Parma

Parma is a small town in the Po Valley, just two hours north of Florence (between Bologna and Milan), that in winter is often enveloped in a lovely velvet fog. It's famous for its cuisine: Having a plate of freshly sliced Parma ham and Parmesan cheese is a heavenly decadence that I haven't been able to replicate anywhere else. My favorite piazza, Piazza del Duomo, holds the cathedral of Parma, dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In addition to its lavish frescoes and Romanesque sculpture, the cathedral has a beautiful octagonal baptistry — a perfect example of medieval architecture, in stunning pink marble. The peaceful streets are easy to stroll; the city, set in the valley, is extremely flat and nicely paved.

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Greve in Chianti

Just under an hour's drive outside Florence, Greve in Chianti is in the heart of the land of wine. Set in a small Tuscan valley surrounded by vineyards, this tiny town thrives principally off of wine culture, and it's where you want to be if you're looking for hearty Tuscan cuisine topped off with a glass of Chianti. Then you can stroll uncrowded streets, peering into shops under the arches of Piazza Matteotti. If you come in early September you might catch the annual wine festival, an unforgettable experience.