Small Italian Town for February and March?

Italy has a winter like the rest of the northern hemisphere, so don't choose a very small town or you'll feel quite isolated. I could spend a quiet month in Pontremoli, Parma, Cremona, Pistoia, Vercelli, Vicenza, Sarzana, and a hundred others.

Neive in Piedmont has just caught my eye.
http://www.lifeinitaly.com/tourism/piedmont/neive
In a wine region, unfortunately without train links to nearby Turin/Genoa.

Some lists for you to peruse ...
http://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2016-03-23/the-10-most-beautiful-small-towns-in-italy
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/minube/10-italian-villages-for-a_b_3290729.html
https://www.buzzfeed.com/ariellecalderon/charming-small-towns-you-need-to-visit-in-italy?utm_term=.ppjN5KorBx#.wqEoqQ59yk

Thanks so much. Which of these would be walkable to markets and to restaurants? We won't have a car so we'll be exploring on foot. We'll google each one of these suggestions, but appreciate all advice.

Look at Spello, a smaller town near Assisi. On the same rail line as Assisi and there are some excellent restaurants there, plus the services you would need for a month's stay.

Lucca might be a good choice as well, it's a city but feels like a small town; stay within the walls.

There are hundreds of others; do you have a particular region in mind?

The warmer the better. No guarantees, but we just left a foot of snow in Montana. Thanks so much.

If you want warmer, I wouldn't choose Piedmont. Even Sicily can be cold in February and March, but I'd certainly look south. We loved Ortygia (Siracusa) and asked a restaurant owner, "What's it like here in January?" "Lots of rain," was the answer. But for those of us in the cold country (Boise's had four times the usual amount of snow this winter), maybe rain isn't so bad!

Selinunte has a small harbor, it's very near the coast in Sicilia. Agrigento is close by, much larger but still not a big city.

On the mainland, Gaeta might be a good choice.

If you want someplace in Calabria, I like Tropea.

In Puglia, there are lots of smaller towns bith along the coast and inland: Barletta, Trani, Otranto, Ostuni, Martina Franca, Locorotondo.

Italy is divided into 20 Regions. Each Region is divided into metropolitan cities and provinces (110 of them in total). These are divided into "comuni" or municipalities (approximately 8,000 in total). Each municipality is divided into towns and villages (approximately 70,000 in total).

Could you be more specific on the type of town you would like to be? Your question is very vague. Smaller towns may have very few restaurants and no markets. Most towns with markets generally have open air markets only once a week, only larger towns/cities may have a few permanent markets every day of the week.

I'd suggest first you decide on which Region. Then the size of the town by population. The general locality (mountain, lake, coast). Whether you want to be within easy reach of cities by public transportation. Also if you need a place where English is spoken to some degree. Some places that are not too touristy will need some knowledge of the local language.

I think if you have a chance for the weather to be somewhat temperate, you should definitely take it, meaning south is better than north, Calabria is better than Piedmont, for example. The downside is that the south (and the east) for the most part is grittier (but I love it), the transportation a little less reliable.

Do your due diligence on your possibilities. For geneological research a couple years ago, we visited the inland mountain village of Sant' Arsenio, about 55 km SE of Salerno, which rarely if ever sees tourists. Advance expectations of a charming hamlet where residents had open arms towards us were not realized, for sure! I knew a little fractured Italian to get by, but it was a struggle communicating and getting things accomplished. A great experience overall, but certainly an eye-opener.

One offbeat place I've read about that is on my Italia 'bucket list' that might fit for you would be the coastal town of Polignano a Mare, on the Adriatic Sea just south of Bari, in Apulia, on the top of the heel of the boot! It looks fascinating, almost more Greek than Italian, as it should because it is believed that it was the site of the ancient Greek city of Neapolis.

Enjoy your planning!

Just a history footnote: there are several Greek-founded cities in Italy originally named Neapolis, the most well-known being Napoli (Campania).

So much info to explore. Thank you all! We were experienced backpackers, but now in our 70s we're most interested in absorbing culture rather than searching for "must-sees." Our greatest travel memories now come from being lost, gazing at natural beauty, people watching, and "being" rather than "doing." Not every understands this, but it comes from the freedom and joy of retirement. We love getting notes of encouragement, so many thanks.

What about some small towns in New Jersey? They have an authentic Italian feel without having to actually go to Italy!