Exploring the Beautiful Small Towns of Tuscany

When it comes to destinations for an idyllic Italian holiday, Tuscany is near the top of most holidaymakers’ lists. Offering a breathtaking combination of stunning landscapes, good beaches, interesting customs and just enough civilization to not leave visitors entirely alienated, this region of Italy has no difficulty demonstrating why so many European globetrotters end up renting Tuscany villas year in and year out.

Among the many attraction factors for this region of Italy, some of which are already detailed above, is also its profusion of small villages, which tourists with a knack for exploration and an interest in the ‘true’ Tuscan lifestyle will certainly not pass up the opportunity to visit. In these tiny hamlets - some of which offer only the most perfunctory attempts at appealing to tourists - the old stereotype of elderly men and women sunbathing on their doorstep still holds true. Any foreigner passing by may garner a good understanding of what this authentic region really consists of.

Small And Smaller

While they are all invariably diminutive in area, some of these villages still make an attempt to ‘act’ bigger than they are. Visitors travelling off the beaten path may just stumble across a couple of Tuscany villas for rent in some of these locations, or they may offer just one hotel, which the manager hopes will be large enough to accommodate whatever small amount of curious souls trickles down from the region’s main tourist centres! In other places, however, not even this much of a concession is made to visitors; most of these hamlets are barely large enough to justify a hotel, meaning holidaymakers will need to secure one of the Tuscany villas in a neighbouring location in order to explore the area.

A Small Sample

These villages and hamlets can be found all across the region, and are far too numerous to name. However, for those planning to travel around the area that really want to experience the authentic face of the landscape, here are just a few places that could serve as a starting point.

For those wanting to go somewhere really small, San Sano is what Americans would call in the old days a ‘one-horse town’. Taking about ten minutes overall to explore, and offering nothing tremendously exciting by way of attractions or events, this hamlet is nonetheless a perfect location from which to soak in the true lifestyle and customs of rural Tuscany, and can serve as a starting point for discovering other towns of the same size around the area.

If a small and sleepy town is not your cup of tea, but you still do not want to limit yourself to large, touristy towns in Tuscany, villas situated around locations such as Pienza, San Gimignano, Volpaia and Montereggioni can make a great base for your further explorations. Should you wish for a little more sightseeing to go with your trip across rural Italy, Trequanda offers a visually interesting church, and Serre di Rapolano has a medieval fair, which may interest enthusiasts of that time period.

In the end, however, these tiny towns and hamlets are likely to appeal, first and foremost, to those visitors wanting to do something other than sightsee. For them, rural Tuscany and its hamlets will undoubtedly prove to be an open, and extremely interesting, book.

Jonathan Magoni is Senior Manager of Cottages to Castles, a family owned company specialising in high quality holiday villas, apartments and cottages in Italy. For spectacular Tuscany villas or accommodation in the Italian lakes, ski resorts or city centres, we offer only the very best. Discover Italy at your own pace and without time restrictions in our hand picked villas and cottages.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.