The Ultimate Mountain Getaway in a Small Italian Village
When you think of the ultimate mountain getaway, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Is it somewhere located here domestically in the US like the Rockies or Appalachian Mountains? Or is it somewhere international like the Swiss Alps?
Well I found the perfect mountain getaway spot, and it's a hidden gem tucked away in a small village in Northern Italy called San Bartolomeo Val Cavargna.
How did I find this small Italian village?
When I first looked into international destinations to go to as a digital nomad, I went to Airbnb's website, picked some random dates, put the location as Europe, and zoomed out on the map. You get a little bit of everything when you do this, and I really didn't have any criteria at that time except to find cool destinations to go to. I also didn't seriously have plans to go international but I figured it couldn't hurt to look all over the world.
That's what caused my perspective to shift on wanting to stay in the US and travel domestically. I found so many cool options in really neat destinations for way cheaper than the boring cookie cutter homes that are overpriced in the US.
And that's when I stumbled upon the Airbnb listing that I couldn't live without (or without traveling to at some point!). I knew I had to go here. I just didn't know when. For months, I showed the listing to friends and family. I kept checking its availability, which slowly started to fill up.
When I first found it, I actually considered booking it for two months, which is about the amount of time I had been spending in each destination up until that time. There were two things that stopped me. One was I didn't know if I was ready to stay in an international destination for two months since I hadn't gone to Europe alone at that point. And two, I wasn't sure how the internet connection would be, and I need a good internet connection to be able to work remotely.
When did I stay in this small Italian village?
As I was making my way around Europe for 3 months over the summer of 2023, I had planned out the first month, July, ahead of time, then left the time open between visiting my friend in Rome at the beginning of August to the time I was meeting my other friend in Switzerland at the beginning of September.
I was making my way from southern Italy to Switzerland, and I wanted to have time to stay in many destinations between the two. I continued looking at the Airbnb listing, and because it was so much closer to when I needed to stay there, less dates were available. The dates I actually wanted to book weren't available. So I ended up adjusting my timeline a little bit to be able to go there at the end of August.
I stayed there for 5 nights, from Sunday to Friday, then it was off to my next destination.
What makes this small Italian village the ultimate mountain getaway?
The Incredible Mountain Views
Need I say anymore? But in all seriousness, waking up to these incredible views was the most peaceful, relaxing way to start the day. I would make my cup of coffee, and head outside to the balcony to swing in the hammock for a while before starting the day. I also found myself gazing out the windows at the view for extended periods of time.
The Remote Location
The village of San Bartolomeo Val Cavargna itself is nice drive up a super curvy road in the mountains. You're pretty far away from the nearest town that's not a village, but you're not completely away from civilization. There are people and other houses around. There are two bars, a pizza shop, a grocery store, a bank, a pharmacy, a construction company, a general store, two churches, and a dentist in the village. There are a few neighboring villages within eyesight. There's not really much close by, but that's the point. It's a getaway!
I should add though, it's about a half hour drive down the mountain to a town called Porlezza where there's lot more to do, grocery stores, restaurants and more. That town is on the coast of Lago di Lugano and has some pretty spectacular lake views. Speaking of Lugano, San Bartolomeo Val Cavargna is also only about an hour drive from Lugano, which is likely where you'll fly into to get there.
If you're looking for a relaxing mountain getaway with stunning views and a breath of fresh air, look no further than the small Italian village of San Bartolomeo Val Cavargna. This tiny town is what dreams are made of, and I hope to go back there someday myself!
