Novara, Italy

Capital City

With a population of just 102,000, Novara is a small, sleepy city that serves mainly as a logistics hub between Milan and Turin. While it has a historic old town and a few architectural highlights like the imposing San Gaudenzio Basilica, day-to-day life here can be a slog of bureaucratic headaches. Winters are bitterly cold, and the lack of an international airport means you'll have to drive 30 km to reach the nearest major airport at Malpensa. Overall, Novara is best suited for those seeking a quieter, more affordable alternative to Italy's larger cities, but it offers little in the way of excitement or convenience.