THEEurope is a wonderful cultural kaleidoscope, full of history, art and traditions. As is natural, large cities are almost always valued, such as Roma, Paris, London, Amsterdam, etc., which fill up with tourists every year. However the Old World it is also made up of small, more or less hidden pearls, which can be a beautiful and often unexpected surprise for the traveler who decides to visit a European country. Precisely for this reason the CNN has compiled a list of 15 most beautiful small towns in Europe. Among these, the US agency also included two Italian cities: Anghiari (Toscana) to Mazara del Vallo (Sicily).
Top 10 of the most beautiful small towns in Europe according to CNN
At the top of the ranking of the most beautiful small cities in Europe, the CCN has placed the splendid Giethoorn (Netherlands). This city is also called the "Dutch Venice”, Due to the almost exclusive presence of channels. In second place is the medieval one Guimarães (Portugal), characterized by its medieval structure, which has remained intact since the XNUMXth century. Then follows Roscoff (France), port city of the Brittany famous for pink onion and thalassotherapy. One step below the podium comes the Italian Anghiari (in the province of Arezzo). According to CNN it is a pedestrian labyrinth made of alleys and streets on a roller coaster with buildings built by the "men of arms" of the Renaissance period. The journalist Julia Buckley (author of the article) also recommends visiting the Museum of the Battle of Anghieri. Then follows Nauplia (Greece), the first capital of modern Greece, with its Venetian-built castle and its interesting historic center.
In sixth place there is Mostar (Bosnia-Erzigovina) with its "Old Bridge”, The bridge built by the Ottomans in the XNUMXth century. The seventh place is dedicated to the splendid Mazara del Vallo (Sicily), one of the symbolic cities of the "melting pot"Which represents the Sicilia. According to the CCN, the neighborhood kasbah it would be like one North African Medina. Also worth seeing Dancing Satyr, an ancient bronze statue of Greek origin found in 1998 and today preserved at Museum of the Dancing Satyr. It follows in the ranking Clovelly (UK). It is an interesting fishing village in the county of Devon, characterized by the absence of cars (it is in fact located at the bottom of a cliff). in the ninth place there is Dinkelsbuhl (Germany), a town with wooden houses located in the "Romantic Road" German. Closes the top 10 of the most beautiful cities in Europe Korcula (Croatia), with splendid buildings carved out of stone, but also of Venetian construction.
Why visit small towns and villages
Mazara del Vallo and Anghiari are two splendid cities that deserve their place in this ranking (which also includes the cities of Kenmare in Ireland, Piran in Slovenia, Queen in Norway, Regencos in Spain and Tarnów in Poland). However, it must be remembered that the whole of Italy (but also Europe in general) hides many other small pearls to be discovered. When planning a trip it could in fact be interesting to consider the lesser-known villages and cities (even just for a trip out of town). For example you could visit Vigevano (Lombardy), with its castle and the ducal square drawn by Leonardo Da Vinci, Tindari (Sicily), with its splendid archeological area or the charming Orta San Giulio (Piedmont), located on the bank of the Lago d'Orta. In fact, we often end up being surprised in a positive way. Seeing is believing.
Cover photo: © Lorenzo Casserà - Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
