An Italian woman shares the under-the-radar villages you should visit if you're trying to avoid tourists

Matera is one of the most impressive villages Teso's visited.My Corner of Italy

• Isolated and picturesque villages fit the bill of an ideal post-lockdown vacation. The good news is that countries like Italy are filled with small towns waiting to be explored.
• Laura Teso, an Italian blogger, doesn't like crowds and has traveled throughout Italy.
• Teso shared some of her favorite villages in the country, so you can start daydreaming about your next adventure.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends avoiding all nonessential international travel during this time. If you decide to travel, follow the CDC's recommendations in the Global COVID-19 Pandemic Notice.

Laura Teso has lived in and explored Italy her entire life.

She's currently based in Padova, a city sandwiched between Venice and Verona in the Veneto region of the country.

When she's not exploring her city's 800-year-old covered market or the oldest botanical garden in the world, she's traveling across the country and exploring small villages and towns.

Teso told Insider that she naturally gravitates toward lesser-known villages.

"It's where the true Italian atmosphere is," she told Insider. "It's a place where time stops and where I feel joy. I can breathe. I can relax."

After spending months in lockdown, Teso shared that she's finally comfortable enough to take domestic trips throughout her region.

While Italy's borders are still closed to US travelers, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends avoiding all nonessential international travel during this time, these Italian cities will leave you daydreaming about your next destination.

Here are 15 of Teso's favorite Italian destinations. You can find guides, itineraries, and more on her site, My Corner of Italy.