Deserted streets, abandoned shops, medieval houses and villages, ancient ruins Etruria, castles haunted by ghosts and legends. This is the Tuscany from the “ghost town”, the least known and distant from the Renaissance glories. Places at risk of abandonmentbut with a unique charm and with an often dramatic past like the plot of a mystery or the screenplay of a TV series.
Exploring these villages means taking a dive into history, and into memories that have faded or need to be reconnected. Tuscany hides at least 20 ghost towns, each with their own story to tell. Let’s find out why visit themespecially when you are looking for a refuge from the daily chaos.
What are ghost villages in Italy?
The ghost villages in Italy are therelocations once inhabited and now abandoned, often due to natural disasters, past wars or migrationthe. Italy, with its people over 8000 villages and historic centersboasts at least one uninhabited village in each region.
Some of these uninhabited centers are affected by urban redevelopment works and measures to encourage their repopulation.
These places, although in ruins, maintain a particular charm that attracts history buffs and curious people from all over the world.
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Which ghost towns to visit in Tuscany?
Tuscany is among the Italian territories where these ghost cities hide, often perched on the hills or clinging to the rocks of the Apennines.
Rocca San Silvestro, an ancient mining village,
, are just two examples. Other villages, such as Bugnano and Col di Favilla, were abandoned due to their difficult accessibility or due to infrastructural changes. Places such as Poggio Santa Cecilia and the Island of Pianosa are uninhabited for different reasons, while Serelli and Roveraia bear the scars of the Second World War still visible as traces of a past that must never return. These villages evoke a melancholic charm, framed by the natural beauty of the Tuscan landscapes.
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Ghost towns to visit in Tuscany: 20 selected villages
Various sites and groups on social media share information on how to reach these villages, what to visit and how to organize where there are restrictions in place to access them. Here’s one selection:
Toiano (Palaia, Pisa)
Ancient medieval village with a castle and a drawbridge, abandoned but still visitable. Inserted by FAI in the “places of the heart to be saved”is a center of great photographic interest.
Brento Sanico (Firenzuola, Florence)
The village is abandoned since 1951, when the last family left. Brento’s decline is due to the construction of modern motorways and state roads in the post-war period, which took away its strategic importance from the town.
The name, of Germanic origin, means “well protected from the elements of the wind”.
Buriano (Pisa)
It is found at Montecatini Val di Cecina, and is destined to become a resort village. Purchased by a Swiss group, it is expected to be transformed into a 120-seat accommodation facility, although it is currently still in a state of abandonment.
Castelnuovo dei Sabbioni (Cavriglia, Arezzo)
Uninhabited since the 1960s due to safety problems due to lignite extraction. Today it houses the MINE – Museum of Mines and Territory.
Careggine Factories (Careggine, Lucca)
An ancient village submerged by the artificial lake of Vagli, it re-emerges only when the waters are emptied for maintenance, bringing to light some ghostly houses, a Romanesque church and a three-arch bridge.
Rocca San Silvestro (Campiglia Marittima, Livorno)
Inhabited center founded in the 10th-11th century and abandoned with the closure of the mines. It can be visited in the San Silvestro Mining Park.
Bugnano (Bagni di Lucca, Lucca)
Consisting of approximately 50 houses, it was abandoned due to difficult accessibility. It is located under the Villa Mountains, and is particular for the presence of dense vegetation that has taken over its spaces between paths and remains of the village.
Villa Saletta (Palaia, Pisa)
Medieval village that only comes alive in summer for the usual popular theater festival. Abandoned for decades, it retains a particular charm.
Formentara (Zeri, Massa and Carrara)
Ancient summer pasture for shepherds, with around 30 homes and an oratory dedicated to San Bartolomeo.
Col di Favilla (Stazzema, Lucca)
In the 1960s the construction of an alternative road took over this villagetoday reachable through various paths that cross nature.
Lucchio (Baths of Lucca, Lucca)
Considered the most perched and hidden town in Tuscany, with an ancient fountain and a fortress that can still be visited.
Stove (Vicchio, Florence)
Former railway village, uninhabited after the mine closed. Ideal for lovers of old railways.
Mirteto (San Giuliano Terme, Pisa)
12th century monastic village, with a Romanesque church still accessible. Many buildings are unsafe.
Pianosa Island (Campo nell’Elba, Livorno)
Historic prison, now deserted and can only be visited with restrictions. It was Sandro Pertini’s prison. Until 1998 it was a maximum security penal colony, suitable for exile or an escape from the daily frenzy.
Poggio Santa Cecilia (Rapolano Terme, Siena)
A hamlet dating back to the 12th century, Garibaldi stayed there for treatment. Today it is completely uninhabited; a real ghost town to discover.
Bivignano (Arezzo)
Ancient agricultural village with a church and the remains of a castle. Destroyed during the Second World War, it bears the signs of its abandonment.
Calbi (Arezzo)
Located on the slopes of Monte Lignano, abandoned for decades. The wall facings and the bell tower on the façade of the Church of San Pietro are still evident and can be visited today;
Castiglioncello (Florence)
Abandoned since the eighteenth century, when the ancient road was replaced by one in the valley bottom.
Reachable on foot, not to be confused with Castiglioncello sul mare, one of the most interesting coastlines in Italy with traces and testimonies of the Etruscan civilisation.
Cavagliano (Prato)
Abandoned after the war, today reduced to ruins. It deserves a stop especially for the natural context in which it is located.
Montgenili (Siena)
Located near Radicondoli, between the valleys of the Cecina and Merse rivers, is largely closed to the public, but a section can still be visited. Despite being uninhabited for over a century, the village is perfectly preserved, with original details dating back to the year 1100.
