Hill Towns of Italy
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By Dion Protani
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Latest update: 27 January 2022
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The hill towns of Italy provide some of the most beguiling scenery in the country. Often perched in a seemingly precarious position on top of a rock, they were born as a means of defence against warring neighbours and in many cases grew to become self-sufficient city states, duchies or republics.
Italy's culture of campanilismo, a certain patriotism towards one's home town, can be viewed in a negative sense but there are a number of positive benefits to it, not least the preservation of the towns' culture, traditions, food and architecture. This sense of tradition is etched into the fabric of the hill towns and helped to maintain their medieval centres and historic architecture. |
Volterra, Tuscany
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Some of the most famous Italian hill towns can be found in the central regions of Tuscany and Umbria with the likes of San Gimignano, Volterra, Montepulciano, Pienza, Orvieto and Cortona immediately springing to mind. However, they can be found all across the country with three of the most outstanding examples being Taormina in Sicily, Ravello in Campania and Ostuni in Puglia. One location which might cause some debate for being on this list is San Marino; it's neither a town, nor even in Italy as it's an independent country in its own right but it's been included here as in many ways it's the very definition of the genre.
Assisi
Assisi, Umbria
San Gimignano
Piazza della Cisterna, San Gimignano
Ravello
Villa Rufolo, Ravello
Spoleto
Piazza del Duomo, Spoleto
Volterra
Baptistery and Torre Campanaria, Volterra
Gubbio
Piazza Grande, Gubbio
Montepulciano
Piazza Grande, Montepulciano
Orvieto
Orvieto Cathedral, Umbria
Ostuni
Ostuni, Puglia
Cortona
Piazza della Repubblica, Cortona
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