Asked to compile a list of Italy’s most notable historical locations, many of us would include Rome, Florence, Pisa, Siena and Venice. While these cities can certainly help to bring history to life when you visit, there’s a multitude of smaller towns and villages across Italy that are also worth seeing.

For example, in Tuscany alone, Arezzo has an impressive Duomo and a tradition of gold-smithery that makes it one of the richest towns in the region. Also set within the beautiful Tuscan landscape, the hill-topping Cortona dates back to Etruscan times and was chosen by St Francis of Assisi as the site of his first monastery.