Rome, Venice and Florence are world-famous - but Italy's little ones are also sought-after. Statista has published a ranking of the ten most popular villages in Italy. The monthly internet requests for municipalities with less than 20,000 inhabitants were evaluated.

By the way, in places like Positano, the population increases tenfold in the summer - that's how big the love (and the rush) is.

Rank 10: Volterra, Tuscany

• Size: 9,980 people
• Location: 50 kilometres south of Pisa, 30 kilometres from the Mediterranean Sea.
• Highlights: The village centre is 550 metres above the Val di Cecina. The spectacular agricultural surroundings are considered the most beautiful in Tuscany. The village dates back to the 4th century BC.

Here lies Volterra

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Rank 9: Urbino, Marche

• Size: 14,106 people
• Location36 kilometres southwest of Pesaro
• HighlightsUrbino is a World Heritage Site because of its architecture, such as the Palazzo Ducale of the Dukes of Urbino, and its cultural history. The special earth made the ceramic manufactories (botteghe) and their glazes known worldwide as "majolica".

Here lies Volterra

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Place 8: Polignano a Mare, Puglia

• Size: 17,861 people
• LocationOn the Adriatic Sea, about 33 kilometres southeast of Bari. 
• Highlights: The village was already settled in early times. In the hamlet of San Vito there is a large Benedictine monastery. The position of the beach is spectacular, between high rock faces at the foot of the small town. The cave restaurant "Grotta Palazzese" is known worldwide for its location.

Here lies Polignano a Mare

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Place 7: San Gimignano, Tuscany

• Size: 7,717 people
• Location40 kilometres southwest of Florence
• Highlights: the medieval towers of the hill town, considered the "Manhattan of Tuscany" or "City of Towers". The historic centre is a Unesco World Heritage Site. The small town is one of the most visited destinations in Tuscany.

Here lies San Gimignano

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Place 6: Tropea, Calabria

• Size: 6,221 people
• Location: on the east coast of Calabria, on the instep of the boot
• Highlights: The town is spectacularly situated on a cliff about forty metres high, directly on the sea above a white beach. Near the centre is the sanctuary of Santa Maria dell'Isola, perched on a rock. According to legend, Hercules recovered here from his adventures.

Here lies Tropea

Place 5: Vieste, Apulia

• Size: 14,000 people
• Location: on the spur of the Italian boot.
• Highlights: the limestone coast with many rugged rock formations and grottos, medieval town centre. Popular with surfers and sailors because of the wind conditions.

Here lies Vieste

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Place 4: Positano, Campania

• Size: 3,854 people
• Location: Amalfi Coast, Southern Italy.
• HighlightsA dreamy cliff village with a pebble beach and steep, narrow steps and alleys with shops and eateries. The "Path of the Gods" hiking trail connects the village with other coastal resorts. Extremely crowded in summer.

Here lies Positano

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3rd place: Sirmione, Lombardy

• Size: 8,336 people
• Location: on the southern shore of Lake Garda, about 30 km northwest of Verona. 
• HighlightsSirmione is situated on a peninsula with three hills that rise about four kilometres into the lake. A must-see: the Scaliger Castle with its large harbour basin and circular wall. The thermal water of Sirmione is rich in sulphur, bromine and iodine. At the spring, the water has a temperature of 69 degrees. Even the Romans used to take cures here.

Here lies Sirmione

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2nd place: Taormina, Sicily

• Size: 10,844 people
• Location: on the east coast of Sicily, about 40 kilometres northeast of Mount Etna, between Messina and Catania.
• Highlights: The village is situated on the terrace of Monte Tauro about 200 metres above sea level. A tourist magnet since the 19th century because of the mild climate and the beautiful landscape. Particularly famous: the ancient theatre with a view of Mount Etna and the Gulf of Giardini-Naxos, and the small island of Isola Bella off the coast.

Here lies Taormina

Rank 1: Sorrento, Campania

• Size: 16,183 people
• Location: on the Gulf of Naples, 50 kilometres south of Naples.
• Highlights: the location above black cliffs of dark volcanic rock on a tufa terrace above the sea. The place is surrounded by imposing limestone mountains. Writers and artists have immortalised the place of longing for centuries. The area is famous for its lemons.

Sorrento

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written by Annie Kayser, first published on 26.11.21

Cover collage: Hin-anh cua vectors (woman); Liana M/Getty Images via canva.com (background)

Source: Statista2021: Top 10 Italian small towns most searched for online last year, in 2021; info on the municipalities via various travel portals.