Tuscany is stunning, but it’s also crowded, expensive, and increasingly on every traveler’s radar.
These 5 Italian regions give you everything Tuscany does — rolling hills, incredible food, medieval towns, world-class wine — at a fraction of the price.
The 5 Italian Regions That Beat Tuscany
Ranked by which region gives you the biggest step up from the Tuscan crush.
1. Sicily
Sicily is Tuscany’s biggest rival that nobody quite thinks of as a rival.
You get medieval hilltop towns, baroque cities, ancient Greek temples, and some of Italy’s best food.
The wine scene is having a serious moment too, especially the reds coming off Mount Etna’s volcanic slopes.
Best of all, prices feel like a different decade almost everywhere outside Taormina.
Top Places to Visit in Sicily
- Ragusa Ibla: A honey-colored baroque hill town rebuilt after an earthquake, uniformly gorgeous from end to end.
- Cefalù: A golden Norman old town squeezed between a giant rock headland and a sandy beach.
- Syracuse & Ortigia: An ancient Greek city on a tiny island connected by bridges, with narrow lanes and seafront cafés.
- Noto: The undisputed capital of Sicilian baroque, best seen at golden hour when the whole town glows.
- Mount Etna: Europe’s largest active volcano, ringed by lava-soil vineyards producing some of Italy’s most exciting wines.
2. Puglia
Puglia is Italy’s heel, and it’s having the moment Tuscany had 20 years ago.
You get whitewashed hilltop towns, cone-roofed trulli houses, and coastline along two different seas.
The food is some of the country’s best — burrata was invented here, after all.
And prices across the region make Tuscany look absurd.
Top Places to Visit in Puglia
- Alberobello: A UNESCO-listed town of whitewashed conical trulli houses found nowhere else on earth.
- Ostuni: The “white city” — a hilltop old town of blindingly white lanes with sea views.
- Lecce: Nicknamed the “Florence of the South” for its intricate baroque architecture in honey-colored stone.
- Polignano a Mare: A cliff-top town perched over the Adriatic with one of Italy’s most famous cove beaches.
- Matera: Technically just over the border in Basilicata, but a must-add — an ancient cave city that’s simply unforgettable.
3. Piedmont
Piedmont is arguably Tuscany’s closest cousin — the same rolling hills covered in vineyards, the same slow-food philosophy, the same medieval villages perched above the countryside.
But the Langhe wine region gives you Barolo and Barbaresco, which many wine lovers rate above any Tuscan red.
Alba is the white truffle capital of the world. And elegant Turin makes a stylish, walkable base at a fraction of Florence’s prices.
Top Places to Visit in Piedmont
- Alba: The truffle capital, with a beautiful medieval old town and a legendary autumn truffle fair.
- Barolo & La Morra: Wine villages in the Langhe hills where you can taste Italy’s most famous reds at their source.
- Turin: An elegant, arcaded royal city with grand cafés, chocolate shops, and views over the Alps.
- Lake Orta: Lake Como’s quieter, prettier little sister, with a car-free island monastery.
- Sacra di San Michele: A dramatic 1,000-year-old abbey perched on a mountaintop, the inspiration for The Name of the Rose.
4. Umbria
Umbria is often called “the next Tuscany” or “Tuscany without the tourists,” and it’s the closest direct match on this list.
You get the same rolling hills, the same medieval hilltop towns, and the same excellent wine and truffles.
The only difference is that you’ll actually find a table for lunch — and you’ll afford the bill when it arrives.
Top Places to Visit in Umbria
- Assisi: The pink-stone hilltop town of St. Francis, glowing gold at sunset.
- Orvieto: A dramatic town perched on volcanic cliffs, with one of Italy’s most stunning cathedral facades.
- Spello: A flower-draped medieval town famous for its June flower-carpet festival.
- Perugia: Umbria’s lively capital, a chocolate-making city with a hilltop old center.
- Lake Trasimeno: Italy’s fourth-largest lake, ringed by fishing villages and vineyards.
5. Emilia-Romagna
Emilia-Romagna is Italy’s undisputed food capital, and if eating is a big part of why you travel, this region beats Tuscany hands down.
Parmigiano-Reggiano, prosciutto di Parma, balsamic vinegar, tagliatelle al ragù, and mortadella were all born here.
Beyond the food, you’ll find beautiful medieval cities and world-famous Byzantine mosaics — and far fewer international tourists than Tuscany gets.
Top Places to Visit in Emilia-Romagna
- Bologna: Italy’s greatest food city, with 40 kilometers of UNESCO-listed porticoed streets to wander.
- Parma: An elegant, prosperous city famous for its ham, cheese, and beautiful pedestrianized center.
- Modena: Home of balsamic vinegar, Ferrari, and one of Italy’s most stunning Romanesque cathedrals.
- Ravenna: UNESCO-listed for its extraordinary Byzantine mosaics — some of the finest anywhere in the world.
- Ferrara: A perfectly preserved Renaissance city with a moated castle right in the middle.
Final Thoughts on Italian Regions That Beat Tuscany
Tuscany will always be Tuscany, but it’s certainly not the only version of Italy worth flying for.
Each of these five regions gives you the same rolling countryside, medieval charm, and world-class food that made Tuscany famous — just with room to actually enjoy it.
