Seeking ideas for another adventure in Italy

[FedericoBoston]

I'm a reader and occasional contributor to these valuable forums, and would like to solicit opinions.

My wife and I have been fortunate to make a 5 trips to Italy in the last 15 years and are starting to plan another. I hope that with some context from me, members will offer some ideas about destinations.

We are late in life but active. We have visited a majority of Italy's 20 regions with the exception of:

Valle d'Aosta
Piemonte
Lombardia
Le Marche
Abruzzo
Molise
Calabria
Sardegna

We, like many of you, think of ourselves as travelers, not tourists. Keeping a distance from mass tourism hotspots is priority #1. There are countless special places and unique experiences away from crowds.

Our interests include art and archeology museums, architecture, music, and exploring by foot in towns and mild to moderate hikes in the countryside or hills. We aren't interested in beaches, adventure parks, skiing or water sports, or in self-drive.

No surprise is our love of local cuisine and the km-zero movement. I'm moderately fluent in the language so that doesn't present any obstacle. Train and bus travel are more an adventure than a burden.

Grazie mille, many thanks, for your advice.

 

[Penn251]

How long will you be traveling and what time of year?

 

[Ian Sutton]

Plenty of good options in your remaining regions.

Given we have a similar outlook to travel and Piemonte has captivated us over multiple visits, that feels like the easiest recommendation. Torino can cover pretty much every base, and whilst there is now tourism, it's a minor aspect of the city. Galleria Sabauda and Museo Egizio are next to each other, but Torino also has quirky museums such as Museo Pietra Micca and Museo della Montagna. There's an opera house, but also a vibrant cutting edge music scene. Some decent parks, but also the basilica di Superga that could include a solid walk (or scenic & steep rack railway).

We tend to join up Torino with another location, and there are plenty of good ones available including Vallee d'Aosta region. We've loved utterly humdrum Ghemme, plain to the eye, but really felt at ease there. Cuneo quirky for sure, but we found it charming. Bubbio quiet and with little to shout about in the guide books, but we loved it. Alba and surrounds vibrant in truffle season, but also very much a hub for the Langhe wine region that's an utter joy to walk even if wine doesn't interest. Free access to walk the vineyards a wonderful legacy of inheritance laws. Novara a lovely barely mentioned city, classy and relaxed. Plenty more besides.

Lombardia can offer something similar, with the contrast of Milano with it's focus on style (albeit we bounced off it a little), to the mountains of Valtellina.

 

[Penn251]

Without a car, you choices are more limited but eminently doable to places you haven't yet been. Consider Abbruzzo and Le Marche. If you fly into Rome, there is an easy train to Sulmona in Abbruzzo - a quaint town in the middle of the Apenines and great views. There are a couple of historic train rides from there from which you can see the countryside and other towns. https://www.fondazionefs.it/en/itineraries.html?region=abruzzo&train-type=&month=april. When we were in Sulmona we stayed here https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/18123962?source_impression_id=p3_1769697207_P3ZN1I5BU2MSavp0 . We really enjoyed the apartment. We did a bunch of reasonable hikes in Abruzzo, but I don;t now how accessible those are by public transport. If you can get there, I would definitely recommend the hike from Santo Stefano di Sessanio to Rocco Calascio - nice hike and breathtaking views from the castle.

From Sulmona there is a direct train to Pescara, from which you can train up the coast to various points in Le Marche. We had a car and rented a house, which we also loved, near Tolentino. https://casapaceegioia.com/ But there are many nice places that are accessable by public transport, From Le Marche, you can train to Ravenna to see the fabulous Byzantine mosaics, and then to Bologna from which you can get anywhere that you will depart from.

If you have more specific questions, just ask.

 

[www.hidden-italy.com]

I would recommend Le Marche if you're looking for something off the beaten track - start south at Ascoli Piceno and work northwards. Ascoli has a regular train service and you can also opt to head into Abruzzo (I recommend Sulmona as another less-tourist area, and investigate the FS "Ferrovia dei Parchi" specials service into the Appenines:
https://www.fondazionefs.it/en/itineraries.html
You're also welcome to read my blogs and reviews of Le Marche (check "Regions").

 

[FedericoBoston]

How long will you be traveling and what time of year?

When: probably Fall '26
How long: about 3 weeks

 

[jan]

Fall in Piemonte! Truffles, harvest, colorful vineyards.
Maybe some days in Torino for the museums and some days in a Langhe town.

 

[FedericoBoston]

Thanks to everyone who has contributed so far. I have "railfan" tendencies (fortunately not severe enough for a clinical diagnosis) so the historic trains are a great idea.

As for getting around without a car, I'm reminded that Italy, as well as elsewhere in Europe, has a substantial regional (extraurbano) bus network. We've taken buses from Amalfi Town to Ravello (and Taormina to Castelmola but that's really municipal service).

In Le Marche it appears that Adriabus (Home - Adriabus) will for example get you from Pesaro to Urbino in an hour. I expect to find similar networks in other regions.

Finally, we have friends also of the not self-driving type whose travel agent connected them with a car and driver (NCC - Noleggio con Conducente) for the majority of their trip in Toscana. Dunno the cost but if you really want to experience somewhere outside public transport I guess it's an option.

 

[Ian Sutton]

For that interest in trains... The wonder train from Cuneo to (IIRC) Ventimiglia. We've not yet been on it, but it sounds great, skirting briefly into France, and performing a loop to gain/lose height en-route through the mountains.

 

[www.hidden-italy.com]

Although you're planning to visit in the Fall, I would warmly recommend the FS Fondazione rail trips and we did the excursion from Ancona to Pergola in late June. I think in 2025 they ran into September. If you're in Abruzzo as I mentioned above in the Fall, the Sulmona "Ferrovia dei Parchi" excursions will most probably run again this Fall. I think last Fall they had snow in the Appenines in late October! As well as the official FS link, the tour organisers operate a good facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/ferroviadeiparchi
All the best!