Where To Stay: Favorites in Italy
An epic list of small hotels, standout Airbnbs and family-run properties in the land of unrivaled hospitality and real-deal heart
Over the course of a decades-long love affair with Italy—the piazzas and the palazzos; the food, the beautiful food; the ancient Roman ruins and Old World architecture; the rocky, let-it-all-hang-out beaches; the nonnas waving from second-story windows; bocce ball at dusk; the beauty of it all—we've amassed a list of soulful independent/family-owned places to stay, many of them worth the trip alone.
And that’s what the newsletter is this week: a list. From a collection of once-in-a-lifetime villas for gathering family and friends down to the best small hotels (preserving traditional craft/architecture/frescoes), these places to stay are off-radar, full of character and authenticity, and won't show up on every magazine list of over-priced, over-hyped hotels. They deserve to be discovered, although not too discovered, and their stories passed along. We’ve stayed at many of these places ourselves; others have been recommended by friends who share our fiercely independent travel ethos; or in some cases, they’ve been earmarked in our inner Italian rolodex for so long, it feels as though we’ve been there. Either way, welcome to the land of unrivaled hospitality and real-deal heart. There is simply nowhere else like it.
THE SPECIAL OCCASION ITALIAN VILLA //
Grab your friends and family, and go big. These Italian villas are for gathering those you love (and sharing the cost). This is where you go to dream in Italian, and let the slow, meandering way of life dictate your days. With inflated hotel prices on the run, these vast beauties are the way to go. Split between a couple families or a group of friends, the initial price-per-night sticker shock starts to look far more reasonable. (Tip: to skip right to our favorite budget options, scroll directly to the bottom)