Foliage in the City: The Most Beautiful for the Autumn Spectacle

10 Cities and Towns in Italy Surrounded by Nature That Turn Shades of Orange, Yellow, and Red in Autumn

Where to Admire Foliage in the City? In autumn, the forests light up in orange, yellow, and red under the warm sun that warms mountains, valleys, and parks throughout Italy.

The phenomenon known as foliage is a great reason for a dip in nature, showcasing breathtaking displays that will make you feel like you're in a painting between October and November.

Therefore, we've selected 10 towns and villages from all over Italy to set off for forests and natural parks where you can admire the foliage.

In Aosta Valley, you should visit Châtillon, an ancient village at the foot of the Matterhorn.

Here, the park of the "Passerin d'Entrèves" castle is a perfect observation spot for foliage thanks to the numerous maple trees of various species turning red. Don't miss the French Renaissance garden, open until mid-November.

Also in Châtillon, you can visit the Gamba castle park, which is home to over 150 trees, including colorful maples and beech trees, along with some monumental plants.

Moreover, in the surroundings of Châtillon, you can explore the mixed forest of Col de Joux, predominantly made up of conifers, which surround the brilliant green foliage of wild cherry trees.

Bagno di Romagna is a small village in the Apennines, in the heart of Tuscan Romagna, ideal for a weekend of wellness among nature, spas, culture, and gourmet food.

This year, from October 21 to 23, Bagno di Romagna will host the Fall Foliage festival: three days dedicated to exploring the Casentino Forests National Park, which transforms into a true spectacle in autumn.

The Casentino Forests, situated in the Tuscan-Romagna Apennines, are considered among the most colorful in Italy.

They host over 40 species of trees that turn into a thousand different shades in autumn. The best observation points are the summit of Monte Penna, which dominates the Forest of Lama, or the Campigna Forest.

Ville d'Anaunia is a municipality in the autonomous province of Trento from which it is worth setting off to explore the Non Valley, one of the best places in Italy to admire the phenomenon of foliage.

In addition to apple orchards and vineyards that turn red in autumn, you must see Lake Tovel, located at 1178 meters within the Adamello-Brenta Natural Park, in the municipality of Ville d'Anaunia.

It is a wonderful mirror of clear water, at the foot of the Brenta Dolomites, completely surrounded by woods that turn red, orange, and yellow in autumn. This natural spectacle is reflected in the water, creating a charming view that resembles a painting.

Throughout October and until November 6, the Foliage Train returns. A 52 km route connecting Italy to Switzerland via the historic Vigezzina-Centovalli railway, described by Lonely Planet as one of the 10 most beautiful railways in the world.

Domodossola and Locarno are the two endpoints of the Foliage Train, traversing 52 kilometers, 83 bridges, and 31 tunnels in just under two hours.

From the window, you will see spectacular views and scenic glimpses illuminated by the autumn colors of the Val d'Ossola, the Vigezzo Valley, the Centovalli, the upper Piedmont, and the Canton Ticino.

A colorful picture, with the woods turning all shades of red, yellow, and orange. You just have to choose whether to set off from Domodossola, the historic village of Piedmont, or from Locarno, a Swiss town in the Canton of Ticino.

Santo Stefano d'Aveto is the most important center of the Aveto Valley, in Liguria. The municipality is part of the Aveto Regional Natural Park, where you can witness the spectacle of foliage in autumn through walks, trekking, or horseback riding.

In particular, to admire the explosion of autumn colors, you should immerse yourself in the beech forest of Monte Zatta, considered one of the most scenic in all of Liguria.

Peschici is a beautiful village in the province of Foggia and the ideal destination in Puglia from which to explore the Umbra Forest, in the heart of the Gargano National Park.

Considered the green lung of the Gargano National Park, the Umbra Forest houses ancient trees and over 2000 plant species, including oaks, maples, and Aleppo pines that turn red in autumn.

But the most important and representative tree of the forest is the beech, which can reach heights of 30 meters. Its beech forests have become a UNESCO site, and every autumn they don the warm colors of the season.

An ancient city of the Sabines, Norcia boasts a great historical and artistic heritage to discover.

Moreover, the city that gave birth to St. Benedict, the first monk of Christianity and founder of the Benedictine order, is located in the heart of the Sibillini Mountains National Park, whose peaks reach 2000 meters in height, a paradise for observing autumn foliage. The park extends for almost 70,000 hectares among oaks, Aleppo pines, downy oaks, turkey oaks, and beeches.

In the area of Castelsantangelo sul Nera and the Infernaccio Gorge, the beech trees ignite the hills in autumn, while the Cavaliera Macchia of Forca Canapine becomes an explosion of yellow and red.

Known as "the terrace of Abruzzo", Chieti is situated on a hill at an altitude of 330 meters and offers wonderful views of both the sea and the mountains.

One of the oldest towns in Italy, Chieti is also the ideal base to discover the Majella Park.

In autumn, you should especially see the Lama Bianca Forest, a few kilometers from Sant'Eufemia a Maiella, where the beeches turn red, and the Orfento Valley, long referred to as 'The Enchanted Valley', which ignites with autumn colors between October and November.

San Giovanni in Fiore is a picturesque mountain village located in the heart of the Sila National Park, in Calabria.

Known as the "capital of Sila", the village is a good starting point to explore the Calabrian park, which spans 150,000 hectares across the provinces of Cosenza, Crotone, and Catanzaro.

Walking through the trails of the reserve, you will see a sea of turkey oaks and chestnuts as far as the eye can see, which grow between 800 and 1,000 meters, giving way to pines, beeches, and firs as the altitude increases.

Therefore, Sila in autumn offers a kaleidoscope of shades from the intense green of evergreens to the yellow of poplars, to the red of maples, and the brown of beeches.

Petralia Sottana is a Sicilian village that stands at an altitude of 1000 meters, in the metropolitan city of Palermo and in the heart of the central massif of Madonie Park, in a privileged territorial and scenic position for nature and the environment.

The Madonie Park, which covers 5,891 hectares and hosts numerous geological sites protected by UNESCO, is the ideal destination to admire the Sicilian autumn.