Do you prefer large cities or small villages when traveling in Italy? While I enjoy both, I must confess that I prefer the small villages. I love to discover the magic in off-the-beaten path type of travel, because it allows me to explore residential neighborhoods where real people live and work. I’m able to glean a feel for the folks who live here, away from the tourists. To experience the local flavor of an area is a treat. Without crowds, I’m provided a chance to see how the people live and listen to the stories they are willing to share. A side perk, of course, are the incredible photo opportunities.
While visiting the small Italian village of Colle d’Anchise, a small town of 900 in the hills of Molise, I felt like I was stepping back in time.
Not scenes one would see in a large city, this one captured my attention. A man was making a broom by hand outside of Positano.
For me, these types of travel experiences have no price tag, as I am able to see firsthand how real people live today in a place without all the modern conveniences.
In the small village of Longano, the people shared stories of their lives, mostly in Italian and sometimes a little English. In fact I was surprised to learn that some of them actually knew any English. They were especially determined to tell me about any relatives in America, or about any of their own travels to other countries.
This woman in Colle d’Anchise was happy to meet us and we spent time talking, even though she only spoke Italian.
To outsiders, life may seem harder, despite being simple, yet the people I met seemed happy, and none of them were complaining about how hard their lives were. The value of these interactions is priceless, and I always wish I could stay longer. The more we talked the more they seemed to want me to stay. One man invited me and my family to return and stay for a month, promising a home cooked meal of pigeon.
Visiting a small non-touristy village guarantees no crowds, and the photo opportunities are endless. Around every corner there was another scene more interesting than the last.
The men sitting on the church steps were pleased when I asked to photograph them. When I asked an older woman for permission to photograph her, she seemed surprised and asked “perche,” why, then smiled and allowed me to capture the magic of the moment.
A visit to a little-known place is full of surprises and never disappointing. The memories of the experiences with the people I met will remain with me for a lifetime.
What are your experiences with visiting small villages in Italy? I love feedback and would like to hear your stories, so please consider leaving a comment.
Grazie and Ciao
If you like this post you may be interested to read more about the many small towns and villages I visited during my 3-month solo travel adventure in Italy. Memoirs of a Solo Traveler – My Love Affair with Italy is available on Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle editions, and also Amazon.UK.
Un po' di pepe
I spend most of every summer in a small village in northern Puglia. It is very laid back, and you see the real Italia. Ciao, Cristina
Anonymous
Life in these small towns goes on even as we as visitors go by, yes very interesting to see..!
margieinitaly
Yes for sure. Thank you so much for taking time to leave a comment. I appreciate it.