At last count, there were 65 places that we stay in or visit across the five Ciao Italy itineraries, all of them irresistible and special, whether it’s Rome (my favourite city in the world) or the tiny village of Civita di Bagnoregio with permanent residents hovering around 11 and twice as many cats.

Many years of research have revealed dozens of hidden gems off the tourist radar that I can’t wait to reintroduce or include on new itineraries that are pending. Just need more time in Italy! Here are four of my favourites:

In a country with twenty regions, there is only one that is not bordered by another country or sea, but landlocked by three other regions. Umbria, known as the ‘Green Heart’ has lush landscapes and charming hilltop medieval towns, one of which is Spoleto. Not as crowded as neighbouring Assisi or nearby Tuscan towns, this is an authentic slower-paced Italian town that has ancient history, world-class art and and breathtaking mountain scenery.

For history lovers, you can sit in a remarkably intact 1st century BC Roman Theatre, tour a Casa Romana (Roman House) with beautifully restored floor mosaics, and walk under the Arch of Drusus and Germanicus, built in 23 AD.

The Ponte delle Torri (Bridge of Towers) is a massive 13th century aqueduct spanning a deep, wooded gorge at a height of 80 metres. It connects the town to the sacred mountain forest of Monteluco and has stunning panoramic views of the valley.

While Spoleto feels ancient, it is internationally famous for the Festival dei Due Mondi (Festival of Two Worlds), inaugurated by composer Gian Carlo Menotti. It takes place every summer from 24th June to 10th July and includes opera, classical and modern music, ballet and modern dance, visual arts and cinema. Even if you miss the festival, the town has a unique creative pulse, dotted with modern art galleries and permanent outdoor sculptures.

Everywhere in Italy is a paradise for food lovers. Spoleto is famous for black truffles shaved over local handmade pasta; extra virgin olive oil produced in the surrounding hills and bold, rich Sagrantino di Montefalco wines from the nearby Montefalco wine region.

Still in the region of Umbria, only 13 kilometres from Assisi, is another ancient hill town filled with flowers, stone houses and meandering streets that is, not surprisingly, a member of the prestigious “Most Beautiful Villages of Italy” Club. Apart from being so cute and colourful, once a year in June, Spello hosts a world famous event called the “Infiorata”. Several months of preparation precede the event with the collection and preparation of flowers to create floral carpets made entirely out of fresh flowers on the narrow cobblestone streets.

Around 6:00pm the night before the big day people start placing the first petals on the streets. The work continues all night until dawn and is called La Notte dei Fiori - The Night of the Flowers. Residents also decorate their window sills, balconies and staircases in a blossoming botanic display.

The history of Spello is a fascinating journey that spans more than two millennia. Around 41 BC, Emperor Augustus gave the fertile plains below the hill to his retired army veterans who transformed the marshy valley into thriving agricultural land. Augustus built massive limestone walls around the town for defense purposes and to prevent landslides, as well as arches, an ampitheatre and thermal baths. Today, the ancient Roman gates, medieval layout and stone architecture remain perfectly preserved, paving the way for Spello to become the beloved cultural and floral destination that it is today.

Often outshone by its famous neighbours, Florence and Siena, Arezzo is one of Tuscany’s wealthiest and most historically significant treasures. There are so many reasons to visit this town known internationally as Italy’s gold capital. It has a thriving goldsmith and jewellery making industry that dates back to the ancient Etruscans. Today, over 1,000 jewellery companies are based here, exporting stunning gold craftmanship all over the world and hosting the massive OroArezzo international trade fair.

Arezzo is also a major pilgrimage site for art historians. It houses some of the most influential works of the pre-Renaissance and Renaissance periods.

The first half of the film, Life is Beautiful (1997) was shot entirely on location in Arezzo’s historic centre.

The heart of the city is the Piazza Grande, a steeply sloping medieval square framed by 16th century arched loggias. On the first Sunday of every month, the square and surrounding alleyways transform into Italy’s largest and oldest antiques market, attracting over 500 vendors and thousands of bargain hunters from across Europe.

Tucked into the bottom south-east corner of Lombardy and a thirty minute drive from Verona is the medieval town of Mantova which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008 because its architecture represents the ultimate peak of Renaissance urban design. The historic centre is almost entirely pedestrianized, filled with beautiful arcaded walkways, beautiful piazzas, an astronomical clock tower built in 1473, the Bibiena Theatre built in 1767 and the ancient Rotondo di San Lorenzo built in 1082.

The city is surrounded on three sides by artificial lakes - Lago Superiore, Lago di Mezzo and Lago Inferiore, all created in the 12th century as a defense mechanism.

Mantova was ruled by the Gonzaga family for nearly four centuries. They were one of the most powerful families in Europe during the Middle Ages and attracted some of the best artists, musicians and writers of the time to come to the city. Their residence, the Palazzo Ducale in the city’s historic centre, is as big as seven football fields with over 500 rooms, many of which are open to the public.

Festivaletteratura is a five day annual international literature festival that usually takes place in September. It is a festival of “encounters, workshops, thermatic journeys, concerts and events with world renowned poets and authors, essayists, artists and scientists from all over the world”.

It truly is a never-ending journey of discovery, but that is just one of many reasons why I love my job!

Ci vediamo la prossima settimana.

Deb