January is the perfect month for anyone who loves off-season motorhome travel. You don’t need long holidays or complicated plans: 2–4 days, a few easy itineraries and a desire to slow down are enough.
It’s also ideal for international travellers on a longer tour, who want to discover a more authentic Italy, far from the best-known destinations.
With Agricamper, you can rely on unlimited free 24-hour stopovers at farms across Italy. It’s a simple, respectful way to experience the territory, sleep surrounded by countryside, and keep your trip stress-free. To get started, you can download the app and try the free Demo version to instantly see on the map where the stopovers in Italy are located.
Here are a few short motorhome itinerary ideas for January: lesser-known routes, yet full of identity, nature and history.
Alto Monferrato and Val Bormida
Piedmont hills between castles and back roads
Alto Monferrato is a borderland: underrated, quiet and full of surprises. In January, it offers silence and villages that feel suspended in time.
A great place to start is Acqui Terme, an elegant, compact town where you can explore the historic centre at an unhurried pace—and where the thermal spring fountain still steams even on the coldest days. From here, head into the heart of Alto Monferrato along scenic hill routes linking small stone villages such as Visone, Grognardo and Cartosio.
Continuing into the Piedmont side of Val Bormida, the landscape remains rural and authentic. Spigno Monferrato is an ideal stop to take in the village’s historic architecture, set in a gentle hillside setting that naturally invites you to pause and slow down.
If you’d like a closer connection with nature, a detour to the Sacro Monte di Crea, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, offers hill trails that are accessible even in winter—perfect for short walks through woodland, historic chapels and panoramic viewpoints over Monferrato.
Local cuisine rounds out the trip with simple seasonal dishes such as agnolotti, polenta, country-style soups and traditional desserts made with hazelnuts, typical of Piedmont’s hills.
Val Trebbia and Val Tidone
Quiet Apennines between villages and rivers
Between Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy, Val Trebbia and Val Tidone are among the most authentic areas of the northern Apennines. In January the landscape becomes more essential, and the journey turns slow and deeply restorative.
The ideal starting point is Bobbio, a medieval town crossed by the famous “hunchback bridge.” Its compact historic centre is easy to explore even in winter, with alleys, small squares and river views. From here, follow the Trebbia River—one of Italy’s most scenic—through a landscape of woods, riverbanks and tiny hamlets.
Continuing along the valley, a stop in Travo lets you discover a discreet village surrounded by hills and cultivated fields. Further up the upper valley, places like Corte Brugnatella open onto wide views and a pleasant sense of remoteness—ideal for off-season travellers looking for a true stop in nature.
Val Tidone, running parallel and gentler in character, offers a different but complementary landscape. The hills are softer and more open, marked by vineyards, fields and small towns such as Pianello Val Tidone and Ziano Piacentino. Quiet back roads invite you to slow down and stop without a rigid plan, turning the trip into a string of spontaneous discoveries.
Local food warms up the journey with hearty, winter-friendly favourites: anolini in brodo, pisarei e fasö, polenta and other country traditions—perfect after a day outdoors before returning to the motorhome.
A lesser-known Garfagnana
Tuscan mountains and historic walking routes
The Garfagnana is a different Tuscany—far from the most iconic images and main tourist flows. It’s a mountainous, rugged and authentic land that, in January, reveals itself in its most honest form.
A perfect base is Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, a lively historic centre even off-season, dominated by the Ariosto Fortress. From here, head deeper into the valley along roads following the Serchio River and linking lesser-known villages such as Pieve Fosciana and San Romano in Garfagnana, where daily life still follows the rhythm of the seasons.
As you continue towards the inner areas, the scenery becomes more alpine. Vagli di Sotto, overlooking a man-made lake, feels especially atmospheric in winter, when silence and low light amplify the beauty of the place. Nearby, Isola Santa seems almost out of time: a tiny stone hamlet nestled among mountains and surrounded by water—perfect for a contemplative stop.
If you enjoy walking, Garfagnana has historic trails that remain accessible even in the colder months. Some sections of the Via del Volto Santo offer short walks through woods, ancient routes and panoramic viewpoints—ideal for travellers who like to alternate driving with a gentle hike.
Local food is deeply tied to the land and to winter. Dishes such as farro soup, necci and castagnaccio speak of a rural tradition made of simple ingredients and honest flavours—perfect companions for slow travel.
Tordino Valley and the Teramo hills
Abruzzo between villages and gentle landscapes
The Tordino Valley and the Teramo hills reveal an Abruzzo that is rarely told—away from the best-known destinations and perfect for anyone travelling by motorhome, campervan or caravan.
Your trip can start in Teramo, a compact, easy-going city ideal for a walk through the historic centre among squares, churches and river views. From here, drive up the Tordino Valley on quiet roads linking the inland area to the mountains. A key stop is Castelli, known for its ceramics tradition, perched on a ridge with open views towards the Gran Sasso massif.
Continuing north, Civitella del Tronto is one of the most striking stops. Its Bourbon fortress—among the largest in Europe—dominates the surrounding landscape and offers wide, quiet panoramas, especially captivating in winter when visitor numbers are low.
As you descend towards the hills, the scenery softens. Atri, with its cathedral and the “calanchi” badlands around it, strikes a perfect balance between nature and history. Small towns in the Teramo hills, such as Notaresco, tell the story of an agricultural, genuine Abruzzo—fields, rows of vines and quiet secondary roads made for slow travel.
Hillside trails and paths between countryside and river allow short walks even in the colder months—ideal for breaking up driving stages and experiencing the territory at an unhurried pace. The close proximity of sea, hills and mountains makes this itinerary surprisingly varied, even in just a few days.
Local cuisine adds warmth with dishes deeply tied to winter, such as maccheroni alla chitarra, scrippelle in brodo and the traditional virtù teramane—an expression of a rich, rural food culture.
Sannio (Benevento area)
Italy’s inland: history and a strong identity
The Sannio area around Benevento is one of the most authentic parts of inland Italy—often driven through without being truly explored. In January, far from any crowds, this territory reveals its deepest identity: rolling hills, hilltop villages and a pace of life that still follows the seasons.
The trip can start in Benevento, a city with millennia of history. A walk past the Trajan’s Arch, the Roman Theatre and the historic centre immediately connects you with the region’s Samnite and Roman past. From here, head inland on quiet hill roads—perfect for slow travel.
A must-see stop is Sant’Agata de’ Goti, a spectacular town perched on a tuff outcrop. In January, the silence wrapping the historic centre makes the walk even more atmospheric, with alleys, viewpoints and medieval architecture. Continuing north, places like Cusano Mutri reveal a mountain Sannio that feels genuine and rooted, framed by the ridges of the Matese.
For nature lovers, hill routes and the trails of the Matese Regional Park offer walks that are often manageable even in winter—especially at lower elevations—where the landscape alternates between woods, pastures and open views.
Sannio’s cuisine follows along with simple, satisfying dishes rooted in rural tradition and the colder season: cicatielli, legume soups, cicerchie, traditional taralli and other recipes based on local ingredients.
Sinni Valley
Inland Basilicata between parks and archaeology
The Sinni Valley is one of Basilicata’s lesser-known areas—and precisely for that reason, one of the most fascinating to explore in January. It’s a wide territory with little human impact and a deep connection to nature, ideal for anyone travelling by motorhome, campervan or caravan and looking for an experience away from the busiest routes.
A natural starting point is Viggianello, a hilltop village marking the gateway to the Pollino National Park. From here, the view opens onto mountains, woods and valleys that in winter take on sober yet intense colours. Continuing along the valley, you reach Rotonda, a compact, tidy historic centre, perfect for a quiet stroll through alleys and viewpoints.
A meaningful cultural stop is Policoro, where the archaeological museum tells the story of Magna Graecia and the ancient relationship between people and the land. Even in winter, the Ionian coast invites long seaside walks in a quiet, off-season atmosphere.
Local cuisine rounds out the journey with dishes tied to Lucanian tradition and wintertime comfort: lagane e ceci, rafanata, peperoni cruschi, rustic soups and durum wheat bread—symbols of an essential, genuine food culture.
Conclusion
Choosing lesser-known destinations means experiencing travel in Italy with a different perspective. In January you’ll find quieter roads, villages that feel alive yet peaceful, and a more spontaneous welcome. It’s the ideal time for slow, mindful and respectful trips in Italy.
January is the perfect month to get back on the road without rushing. 2–4 day motorhome mini-trips let you discover lesser-known areas, immerse yourself in the landscape and rediscover the joy of essential travel.
With Agricamper you can stop for the night at an agriturismo, a winery or a farm, always with respect for the land and the people who live and work there.
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