top 10 cities to visit in italy

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Best places to visit in italy.

Tourists and travel experts have long agreed that Italy is a special place, so much so that the country has become a de facto bucket list destination for just about everyone. Famous for its incredible food, rich historical sites, highly regarded art, charming small towns and picturesque cities, countrysides and coastlines, it's safe to say Italy's offerings are unmatched. U.S. News rounded up the best places to visit in Italy considering a number of factors, from affordability and seasonality to sights and crowds, to help you decide exactly where to go. Have a favorite destination in Italy? Cast your vote below to influence next year's ranking.

Amalfi Coast

Cinque terre, tuscany, italy.

A standard stop on many European vacation itineraries , Rome is not to be missed. Italy’s capital city is a globally renowned cultural and historical powerhouse, boasting everything from ancient ruins and tranquil parks to Michelin-starred restaurants. Here, you'll find the most important relic from the Roman Empire (the Colosseum), some of Michelangelo's greatest works (in the Sistine Chapel), an 18th century Baroque-style fountain (the Trevi Fountain) and, of course, the center of Catholicism (Vatican City). Other can’t-miss tourist attractions in the Eternal City include the Pantheon, the Roman Forum and St. Peter’s Basilica, the world’s largest church.

Situated in the scenic Tuscan valley, Florence woos travelers with old-world avenues leading to picturesque piazzas big and small. While you're soaking up the city's splendor, make sure to stop by the Piazza del Duomo, where the breathtaking Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral is located, and the romantic Ponte Vecchio, a 14th century bridge overlooking the Arno River. Once central to the Renaissance movement, Florence also offers art aficionados the opportunity to see famous pieces by Michelangelo and other iconic artists of that period. As an added bonus, Florence is ideal for a daytrip to the Chianti wine region.

The journey to the cliff-side Amalfi Coast involves heart-stopping, hairpin turns on narrow roads, but travelers agree this is part of the fun. The region covers more than 30 miles of coastline and is home to 13 colorful seaside towns, each with its own story. Positano and Amalfi are the most popular, housing numerous hotels and sights. While here, hike, relax on the beach and eat to your heart's content (there are multiple Michelin-starred restaurants along the Amalfi Coast). For something more off-the-beaten-path, set your sights on Atrani. This humble fishing village boasts medieval whitewashed architecture, winding alleys and authentic Italian charm.

There are few destinations in the world that are quite like Venice. Its uniqueness can largely be attributed to the canals that run through this northern Italian city like roads, carrying water taxis and buses in addition to its fleet of famous gondolas. As such, there is a palpable bustle here that may surprise some first-timers. For a relaxing Venice vacation, seek out the smaller streets and canals away from the busy Grand Canal and St. Mark's Square. Just be sure to stroll across Rialto Bridge and tour the grand St. Mark’s Basilica at least once.

Cinque Terre, located on Italy's northern Ligurian coast, is made up of five picturesque towns – Manarola, Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia and Riomaggiore. Manarola, the region’s oldest town, boasts scenic vineyards, olive groves and a centuries-old bell tower. Meanwhile, Vernazza, often considered one of Italy’s most beautiful villages, is well-known for its picture-perfect houses and grand medieval castle. The Cinque Terre offers an abundance of exciting activities, from boat tours and hiking to cooking classes and wine tastings. While here, don’t forget to save time for exploring the cliff-side Footpath Monterosso trail, a beautiful hiking path connecting Vernazza and Monterosso.

For centuries, this small island off the coast of southern Italy has attracted plenty of famous faces, from emperors to movie stars, due to its gorgeous scenery. Some of Capri's most amazing sights are best seen by boat, including the Faraglioni rock formations and the Blue Grotto, where sunlight turns the water into an unbelievably vivid shade of blue. On land, the Gardens of Augustus and Villa Jovis, an imperial palace, also provide spectacular views. Meanwhile, in the town center, visitors will find high-end shops and restaurants where they can relax after a long day of sightseeing.

Considered the land of the sirens in Greek mythology, Sorrento continues to lure people with its charm and stunning views. Here, vacationers can explore enchanting piazzas or relax near the water before watching the sun set behind the cliffs. Plus, lemons are big in Sorrento – both in size and in popularity – and the area is known as one of the best places in the world to taste authentic limoncello, a lemon-flavored liquor. It's also the perfect base for daytrips and boat tours to nearby Capri, the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii and other popular Italian locales.

Italy's second-largest city is best known for its high fashion, playing host to Milan Fashion Week each winter and home to iconic fashion houses including Giorgio Armani, Prada and Versace. Visitors can peruse such high-end brands at the dazzling Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping arcade. But Milan's architecture (including the Gothic Milan Cathedral and grand Teatro alla Scala opera house) and sites like Castello Sforzesco (which holds nearly 10 museums and exhibitions) are worth a visit on their own. What's more, the city is incredibly walkable, so feel free to explore on foot – with or without designer stilettos.   

Located about 30 miles from Verona, Lake Garda tends to be more approachable and wallet-friendly (if a bit more touristy) than Lake Como. Activities in this recreational hot spot include swimming and windsurfing, as well as hiking and taking a funicular to Mount Baldo. Lake Garda also attracts families with Gardaland Resort, which includes themed hotels as well as an amusement park, water park and aquarium. If you're looking to get away from the crowds, go beyond the main tourist sites to the quieter northern side of the lake, where you'll find the highest mountains and tucked-away towns.

If you're looking for Italy without the crowds, Tuscany is really all it's cracked up to be. Italy's famous countryside offers travelers spectacular landscapes dotted with romantic villas and castles equipped with wineries and superb restaurants. Don’t miss out on a visit to the walled city of San Gimignano, a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its medieval towers. What's more, Tuscan locales like Pisa (which offers much more than its leaning tower) and Siena are an easy drive from top destinations such as Bologna and Cinque Terre, perfect for daytrippers who don't want to stay in one place for too long.

Assisi, a medieval town with religious connections, sits on a hilltop in the lush landscapes of Umbria, just more than 100 miles north of Rome. This peaceful town's biggest draws are its sights dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi, one of Italy's patron saints, including the Basilica of San Francesco, which houses his tomb as well as colorful frescos, and The Woods of San Francesco. Beyond its religious heritage, Assisi is worth a visit for its picturesque streets and sweeping views, while its location also makes it ideal for a truffle hunting excursion or wine tasting tour.

As the location of several ancient Greek legends, Sicily has an almost mythical quality. Once you visit for yourself, you'll see why so many writers were inspired by this island, which happens to be the largest in the Mediterranean. Be enchanted by Sicily's crystal-clear waters and golden beaches. Marvel at Mount Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe, or try hiking up it in summer or skiing down it in winter. Also save time for taking in the many cultures that have called this island home at its various cathedrals and archaeological sites.

This former Roman city in southern Italy is equal parts chilling and impressive. Pompeii was left almost completely intact after it was buried in ash after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79. Its astonishingly well-preserved ruins now provide present-day visitors a glimpse into what life was like during ancient times. True history buffs might also enjoy a trip to nearby Herculaneum, another city that was preserved by the same eruption, while more adventurous explorers should consider hiking to the top of Mount Vesuvius for jaw-dropping panoramas of the Bay of Naples and the Sorrento Peninsula.

Best known for its Shakespeare ties, Verona appeals to fans of "Romeo and Juliet" with themed tours of the sights that allegedly inspired the play. But there is more to this city than its literary link. Verona, located about 15 miles east of Lake Garda, is also home to several impressive attractions and historic buildings (the whole city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, after all). Travelers won't want to miss the Arena di Verona, a first-century Roman amphitheater that is still in use, and Giardino Giusti, a beautifully sculpted Renaissance garden.

Sardinia provides the best of both worlds. Costa Smeralda is all about luxury, with its lush beaches and coves overlooking yacht-filled waters. And away from all of the glitz and glamour of Costa Smeralda, you'll find a more laid-back side of the island, including small medieval towns where Sardinians still practice sheepherding and wear traditional clothing. What's more, Sardinia features several ancient ruins, such as UNESCO World Heritage-listed Su Nuraxi di Barumini.

If you really want to treat yourself on your next vacation, Lake Como is where you want to be. Here, opulent villas and hotels line the shores and sandy beaches beckon to sun seekers. You'll see sleek sailboats and speedboats coasting in the middle of the lake, which is the perfect place to admire the region's surrounding hills. Meanwhile, for a lesson in luxury, tour one of the region’s grand villas; top picks among travelers include Villa Melzi d’Eril, Villa Carlotta and Villa Balbianello. Later, check out the Como Cathedral, a magnificent structure boasting Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architectural styles.

The small, crescent-shaped village of Portofino is known as a vacation hot spot for the rich and famous. The water surrounding Portofino is often filled with yachts and is great for swimming and diving. Plus, the area's beauty and tranquil atmosphere make it an excellent place to unwind. When travelers need a break from relaxing, they can venture just outside of Portofino to check out historical sites like Castello Brown, an ancient military fortress with incredible views of the Marina di Portofino, and Abbazia di San Fruttuoso, a 10th century monastery that can only be reached by foot or ferry.

Thought to have been inhabited 12,000 years ago, Matera is one of the world's oldest continually occupied towns. Located in the Basilicata region in southern Italy, just west of Puglia, Matera's distinguishing features are its sassi (cave dwellings), which were inhabited until the 1950s. While here, look out for the many viewpoints, called belvederes, for a glimpse of the breathtaking cliffside. Visit Sasso Caveoso for the Casa Grotta cave house (inhabited until 1957) and the Santa Maria de Idris, a rupestrian church carved from the rocky landscape. Meanwhile, in Sasso Barisano – the oldest part of the city – you'll find modern comforts like hotels, restaurants and shops.

There are several reasons why Bologna, the capital of northern Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, is often called "la dotta, la grassa e la rossa" ("the learned, the fat and the red"). For one, it's home to the oldest university in Europe, the University of Bologna. The city is also a food lover's dream thanks to its world-renowned cuisine, which includes Italian staples like tortellini and lasagna Bolognese. Bologna even features a gelato university and the food-themed amusement park, FICO Eataly World. Plus, the city boasts an array of terra cotta-roofed medieval buildings, including a pair of leaning towers.

Located in the northwest corner of Italy, Turin is the perfect city break brimming with grand architecture, museums and delightful cuisine. Must-visit attractions include Mole Antonelliana (a former synagogue turned into a cinema museum), the 16th-century Royal Palace of Turin and the Museo Egizio (Egyptian Museum). Once you've toured the top sights, settle into local life by enjoying the city's riverside parks, street markets, football games and historic cafes. At the latter, you'll find unique coffee blends and decadent chocolate, as well as elaborate aperitif hours. On the long list of things Turin does right, you can find these three items at the top.   

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The 15 Best Cities in Italy

TripSavvy / Christopher Larson

If you're planning your first trip to Italy, you may be undecided as to which cities to visit. It's a tough decision, for good reason—Italy's cities offer an enticing mix of scenery, historic and ancient sites, museums and of course, great cuisine and ambiance. What's more, Italy's major cities can easily be visited by train .

The amount of time you have in Italy will likely dictate how many places you can visit there. Many travelers choose the classic itinerary of Rome, Florence, and Venice, perhaps with a side trip through Tuscany. Yet there are so many great places to discover in Italy, it's hard to narrow down any list of "best" cities. But try we must! These are our picks for the top ten Italian cities, each with its own special character and appeal.

TripSavvy / Taylor McIntyre

Rome is the capital of Italy and most likely, your first stop in the country. Rome offers a dazzling variety of sights and experiences. At every turn, you'll discover ancient monuments, ornate medieval and Baroque churches, beautiful fountains, art-filled museums, and Renaissance palaces. The ancient Colosseum is one of the most iconic sites in the world, and modern Rome is a bustling and lively city and has some excellent restaurants and nightlife. Saint Peter's Square and the Vatican City are also easily visited when in Rome.

Unlike anyplace else in the world, Venice is a unique city built over the water in the middle of a lagoon. Venice is one of Italy's most beautiful and romantic cities as well as one of the most popular for visitors to Italy. The heart of Venice is Piazza San Marco with its magnificent church, Saint Mark's Basilica . There are numerous museums, palaces, and churches to visit, and wandering along Venice's canals and getting lost in its maze of narrow streets is always enchanting. Venice is in the northeast of Italy and historically was a bridge between East and West—its architecture retains a Byzantine feel not really found elsewhere in Italy.

Florence is one of Italy's most important Renaissance architectural and art centers. Its Duomo and Baptistery are magnificent but crowded with tourists, as is the large piazza. Florence has several excellent museums with many famous paintings and sculptures, including Michelangelo's "David" and Botticelli's "Birth of Venus." There are also Medici palaces and gardens. Florence is in the region of Tuscany and is the gateway for exploring Tuscany's smaller cities and countryside.

Milan, one of Europe's wealthiest cities, is known for stylish shops, galleries, and restaurants and has a faster pace of life than most Italian cities. It also has a rich artistic and cultural heritage. Its Gothic Duomo, with its beautiful marble facade, is magnificent. Da Vinci's painting of  The Last Supper is one of Milan's top attractions and La Scala is one of the world's most famous opera houses.

Capri has charmed royalty, artists, and celebrities alike with its gorgeous beaches, many gardens, and restaurants. Situated in the Bay of Naples, Capri is a year-round destination that is bursting with tourists every summer. Be sure to get on the water to explore the sea caves (Blue Grotto is a must) and rock formations. On land, consider visiting the famed Villa San Michele before enjoying some high-end shopping, excellent pasta, and a limoncello. Or two.

Naples is one of Italy's most vibrant cities. It lies on the coast south of Rome and is the most important city in southern Italy. Naples retains much of its Baroque character and is a starting point for trips to Pompeii, Herculaneum , and the Amalfi Coast. It holds many historical and artistic treasures, and is famous for its pizza and desserts!

Bologna is known for its beauty, wealth, cuisine, and left-wing politics. Its flat streets are lined with arcades, making it a good walking city in every kind of weather. It has one of Europe's oldest universities. a nice medieval center, and several attractive squares, lined with buildings with porticoes. Bologna is the biggest city in northern Italy's Emilia-Romagna region and its Piazza Maggiore is one of the biggest squares in Europe. Even among Italians, it's considered the culinary capital of the country.

Verona is most recognized as the setting for "Romeo and Juliet" but it's also famous for its Roman Arena (the third-largest in Italy and the venue for a top opera festival. Verona has a good medieval center, Roman remains, an interesting castle complex, and lots of high-end shopping. It's the fourth most visited city in Italy and well worth a stop on a northern Italy train travel itinerary .

A popular day trip from Rome, Orvieto is a striking hill town in Umbria. It's built on volcanic plateau with near-vertical cliff faces and has a long, rich history. One of Orvieto's main highlights is the Duomo. It took close to 400 years to complete and is a masterpiece of medieval architecture. There's also a network of caves and tunnels underneath the city that have been in use for more than two millennia. Tours of Underground Orvieto are available; they leave daily and last for 45 minutes.

Built into a seaside cliff in the middle of Italy’s gorgeous Amalfi Coast, Positano is now a popular resort destination perfect for romance. Its mild climate make this a year-round destiantion but Positano most crowded from April to October. Beyond strolling through town admiring the colorful houses vistors can enjoy fresh seafood, do some shopping at boutiques, or relax at pebble and sand beaches. There are also several hiking options from Positano that follow the coast or go deeper inland.

Turin (Torino), in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy, is a major cultural hub with excellent museums, elegant shops, and good restaurants. There are also some very nice examples of Baroque architecture and historic palaces, famous coffee houses, artisan workshops, and streets with covered arcades.

Genoa is Italy's principal seaport, located in Liguria on the northwest coast of Italy. Genoa has a fascinating modern aquarium, an interesting port area, and a historic center said to be the largest medieval quarter in Europe, with a wealth of churches, palaces, and museums.

Perugia, in central Italy's Umbria region , is a very cosmopolitan city and home to two universities. It hosts a world-famous jazz festival in the summer and its University for Foreigners is a great place to learn Italian. It's a walled city on a hilltop with great views over the valley and has several important monuments and a good central square. Its history goes back to the 9th century B.C.

Cinque Terre

OK, the Cinque Terre is technically five villages but considering that the group as a whole is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, all of them are worth a visit. And they're so close to together that visitors can walk from one town into the next without much effort. This popular tourist destination is famous for the colorful buildings, fresh seafood, impressive hikes, and stunning views. Corniglia is smallest and one of the least crowded villages (it lacks sea access) while Monterosso is the largest and busiest.

Parma may not be on most tourists' radar but the Northern Italian city offers noteworthy food, architecture, and art. Foodies will delight in tasting Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and Parma ham in addition to stuffed pasta. Meanwhile, architecture lovers will be spoiled by the wide-ranging styles on display here. Especially the pink marble Baptistery. That's in addition to a museum of artifacts from the Middle Ages and a national gallery of art with collections spanning 600 years.

Traveling by Train in Italy

Travel between big cities is best done by train as driving in Italian cities may be very difficult and the extensive Italian rail system is fairly inexpensive. Most city centers are well-suited to walking and parts of the city centers are closed to cars without permits. Large Italian cities generally have good public transportation, too.

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12 of the best cities to visit in Italy

By Jaclyn DeGiorgio

Paring Italy down to 12 cities isn’t easy. There are hundreds, and each is as distinctive as it is enthralling, embodying its singular sense of place through its territory, history, architecture, culture, surroundings, cuisine and wine. This list of the best cities in Italy combines some classics with under-appreciated gems. It shouldn’t be considered exhaustive; it’s more of a starting point for the uninitiated, a helpful guidance for anyone looking to expand their Italian horizons.

Bologna, Emilia-Romagna

Bologna isn’t nicknamed “the red, the fat and the learned” for nothing. With red-brick medieval architecture, the soaring Due Torri (two towers), 60 kilometres of 13th-century porticos, the world’s oldest university and sprawling piazzas, the capital of Emilia-Romagna doesn’t need to do much else to impress you – but it delivers. Take in sweeping city views from Piazza Maggiore’s 87-metre-high clock tower, then duck into the Quadrilatero medieval market tucked into the piazza’s side streets. The Pinacoteca Nazionale’s collection includes works by Raphael, Giotto and Titian, while MamBO, the modern art museum, has a wing dedicated to 20th-century Bolognese painter Giorgio Morandi. Italy’s Motor Valley stretches from Bologna to Modena, so automotive diehards can race off to the Ducati and Lamborghini museums. The local cuisine is a strong contender for Italy’s best – enjoy classics at old-timers Diana and Trattoria Serghei, contemporary riffs at Ahimè and Oltre or a meal that couples both at CasaMerlò.

Where to stay in Bologna : Check into one of the modern eclectic suites at  Casa Conoscenti , a revamped 14th-century noble residence with a restaurant and cocktail bar.

Genoa, Liguria

Genoa is a city that everyone seems to know of, but nobody actually knows. It’s true – at first glance, the Ligurian capital’s Mediterranean seafront isn’t as postcard-perfect as the coast’s typical candy-hued villages like Portofino, Cinque Terre and Camogli. But what Genoa seemingly lacks in visual allure, it more than makes up for in substance. Laundry dangles over the timeworn medieval Carruggi district, a dense, twisty-turny warren of narrow, stone-paved viccole crammed with cafes, restaurants and shops. Its quintessential Italian charm is juxtaposed with stately landmarks from the city’s maritime trade heyday, like the sumptuous 17th-century Royal Palace Museum and the  UNESCO-listed Palazzi di Rolli , a single street of 42 noble palaces built between the 16th and 18th centuries. Beach seekers can flit over to Boccadasse, a colourful town on Genoa’s outskirts. On the food front, focaccia from Teobaldo and Al Forno di Albaro is always a good idea and La Forchetta Curiousa and Trattoria dell’Acciughetta prepare delicious local fare.

Where to stay in Genoa:  The glorious  Hotel Bristol Palace  preserves the integrity of its past by fusing 20th-century glamour with just the right amount of modernity.

Naples, Campania

Once you’ve had a taste of the gleefully infectious, beautiful chaos of  Naples , you’re hooked: the buzzing traffic, grand architectural heritage, a lived-in historic centre, enthralling culture and the guileless warmth of its people. Obligatory sights include Caravaggio’s whimsical  Seven Acts of Mercy  at the Church of Pio Monte della Misericordia, Giuseppe Sanmartino’s ethereal  Veiled Christ  at Cappella Sansevero Giuseppe and the extensive Archaeological Museum. Naples’ contemporary art profile is rising at a steady clip. Recent years have seen Gallerie d’Italia open with a dedicated wing and the arrival of an outpost of London’s Thomas Dane Gallery, both joining the ranks of decades-old mainstays like Pan and Madre. Mount Vesuvius rises dramatically over the gulf–hike to its crater or take part in a tasting of Lacryma Christi (Christ’s tears), a wine from grapes cultivated on its slopes. The Pompeii and Herculaneum archaeological sites are south of the city, but if you want to venture further afoot, hop on a ferry to Capri, Ischia or Procida. When you’re in town, digging into a Neapolitan pie at (at least) one of these pizzerias is compulsory: Concettina ai Tre Santi, anything by Gino Sorbillo, 50 Kalò, Diego Vitagliano and La Notizia. If you’re pining for more, two of the world’s best pizzerias can be found in Caserta, just under an hour by car: I Masanielli and Pepe in Grani. Locanda Gesù Vecchio Vesuvius serves excellent traditional Neapolitan cuisine back in the city.

Where to stay in Naples : The artsy  Atelier Inès  is a six-room B&B in the Rione Sanità neighbourhood with an onsite showroom and gallery.

Milan, Lombardy

Italy’s most international city is arguably its most misunderstood. Milan doesn’t fit the standard “Italy mould”, but it’s just as fetching as its more in-your-face counterparts. The Duomo, Galleria Vittoria Emanuele II, La Scala, Brera, Pinacoteca Ambrosiana and Leonardo da Vinci’s  The Last Supper  are all musts, but there’s more to the Lombard capital. Take in the local energy by strolling Porta Venezia, a district buzzing with boutiques, restaurants, cafes, bars, galleries and Art Nouveau facades, or Isola, a regenerated working-class neighbourhood that’s a stomping ground for hipsters and three-piecers alike. Fashion meets art at Fondazione Prada, Armani Silos and Palazzo Morando, whose permanent collection rotates 17th-21st century Milanese costumes, clothes, and accessories, and design devotees will relish Villa Necchi Campiglio and Triennale di Milano museum. An aperitivo at Bar Basso is a must, as is imbibing at one of the innovative mixology hubs that have shaken up the local cocktail scene, like Rita, Carico, Tripstillery, Unseen Bar and Drinc.

CNT Editors

Becky Lucas

James March

Anna Prendergast

Where to stay in Milan : The stupendous  Portrait Milano  occupies a converted 16th-century monastery that hides in plain sight.

Ravenna, Emilia-Romanga

The sublime UNESCO-protected Byzantine mosaics decorating the walls and ceilings of eight churches and baptistries in Ravenna should be on everyone’s bucket list, but the city remains curiously under wraps. After just a few hours in this former Roman and Byzantine capital, it’s easy to see why Dante Alighieri hightailed it there when he was banished from his native Florence. It’s no longer the 14th century, but the appeal of this city by the Adriatic endures. A sea breeze sweeps delicately through the city centre, a pastel pedestrian zone that’s at once tranquil and lively and even a bit romantic – though not cloyingly so. Drop into the refurbished covered market to observe the sfogline, or pasta makers, crafting typical shapes like cappelletti, tagliatelle, strozzapreti and maltagliati by hand. Browse the stalls, then head to Ca’ de Vèn to sip local Sangiovese and Albana wines alongside Romagnola specialities. If you’d like to pay your respects to the father of the Italian language, Dante’s tomb is less than a minute away.

Where to stay in Ravenna : With a rooftop solarium and quiet interior garden,  Palazzo Bezzi  is a pleasant respite in the heart of Ravenna’s historic centre. For more Milan hotels , see our guide to the city's very best places to stay.

Rome, Lazio

Rome  never gets old, but it’s having a moment. Treading the classic route that covers the historic centre, Colosseum, Forum, Vatican, Borghese Gallery, Trastevere and the recently opened Largo di Torre Argentina ruins will keep you busy. Still, the crowds can stifle the Italian capital’s newfangled energy. Head outside the Aurelian walls to the San Lorenzo quarter–an open-air street mural museum to soak it up. New and long-standing galleries, like Materia, Monitor and MLA, have thrust San Lorenzo’s contemporary art scene into the global spotlight–Soho House even chose the district for its first Italy outpost. It is Rome, after all, so you can temper all the modernity with a dose of nostalgia at San Lorenzo’s old-school institutions like Tram Tram osteria and Bar Merani. For a transportive change of scenery, the ornate Art Nouveau buildings of the Coppedè quarter are adorned with Gaudi-esque embellishments. As for eating, Al Moro, Armando al Pantheon and Da Cesare never fail to serve up stellar Roman staples.

Where to stay in Rome : Wellness stands front and centre at the spectacular  Six Senses Rome , which opened in a 15th-century palazzo last year. See our guide to the best hotels in Rome for more inspiration.

Turin, Piedmont

With stately Baroque and Art Nouveau architecture and elegant piazzas, it’s no surprise that Turin draws comparisons to Paris. The splendour of its past as the seat of the House of Savoy lives on in the UNESCO-protected Royal Palace and the loggia framing Piazza Castello. The panoramic terrace at the Mole Antonelliana, the landmark with the unusual square-shaped spired dome, is a must for a gorgeous view of the city’s sienna rooftops sprawling to the foot of snow-capped Alps. The Museo Egizio features one of the world’s largest collections of Egyptian artefacts, and Museo Casa Mollino is the former home of 20th-century architect and designer Carlo Mollino. Lodged in a former Fiat factory, Pinacoteca Agnelli displays the automotive family’s art collection, which includes works by Renoir, Matisse and Picasso, and incorporates the Pista 500, Fiat’s historic rooftop test track turned garden, into the experience. The Piedmontese capital is also the city of coffee and chocolate, two guilty pleasures that come together in the Bicerin, a hot drink born at the same-named café. Just 50 kilometres from Alba, Turin is an ideal jumping-off point for wine pilgrims and truffle hunters headed to Le Lange.

Where to stay in Turin:  The warm, modern, minimalist interior of the  Turin Palace Hotel  is enhanced with pops of colour and complete with a rooftop bar and spa.

Tropea, Calabria

Nothing prepares you for seeing Tropea for the first time. The Pearl of the Tyrrhenian Sea rests on one of Italy’s most mesmerising though little-known stretches of shoreline: Calabria’s Coast of the Gods. Weathered mediaeval facades soar over sandstone cliffs that drop onto white sand lapped by translucent turquoise water. In Tropea’s tangle of narrow streets, garlands of hot chilli peppers hang alongside batches of stringed oval-shaped sweet Tropea red onions–try a scoop of it in gelato form at Gelateria Tonini. The Norman cathedral is home to local treasures, including a 13th-century painting of Madonna di Romania, the city’s patron saint, and a rare 15th-century black wood crucifix. If you’re up for a challenge, ascend 33 metres of stone-hewn steps to the Santa Santa Maria dell’Isola promontory that punctuates the beach. For a change of scenery, explore the vineyards, oil mills, dairies and farms of the unspoiled hinterland or jaunt off to Sicily’s Aeolian islands by boat.

Where to stay in Tropea:  A converted 16th-century convent,  Villa Paola  has 12 elegant rooms and a vast terrace that looks over Tropea’s old town and the turquoise Tyrrhenian Sea.

Florence, Tuscany

There’s no question that  Florence  lives up to its nickname: the cradle of the Renaissance. The Tuscan capital’s dense pedestrian historic centre, a UNESCO World Heritage site, packs plenty to keep your days full: the Duomo Cathedral, the Uffizi Galleries, Piazza della Signoria, the Medici Chapels and Santa Croce. Michelangelo’s David broods confidently in the Accademia, while Donatello’s lesser-known bronze version of the Old Testament hero stands with one foot on Goliath’s severed head in the Museo Ormero. If the dozens of footwear shops don’t keep the whims of shoe lovers at bay, the Museo Salvatore Ferragamo celebrates the work of its pioneering namesake. Cross the Ponte Vecchio to reach the Oltrarno, literally “beyond the Arno”, home to Palazzo Pitti, Boboli Gardens and Piazzale Michelangelo. The artisan boutiques and shops of the vibrant Santo Spirito quarter include leather specialist Quoio and Giulio Giannino e Figlio, one of the city’s oldest stationery shops. Visible from just about anywhere in town, the encircling, cypress-tree-topped hills tease the undulating Tuscan landscape that extends outwards from the confines of the city.

Where to stay in Florence : In the city centre, just a short walk from the crowded cluster, the  St. Regis  is an ornate oasis on the Lungarno with frescoes, marble and gilding.

Venice, Veneto

There’s no place like  Venice . The compact floating city packs one unforgettable moving image after another: gondolas gliding over smooth, murky green canals, water gently lapping the stately Venetian gothic facades in shades of pink and orange, the boisterous Rialto fish market vendors peddling the lagoon’s finest and traversing the bridges as you drift from one sinuous  calla  to another. Saint Mark’s Basilica, Doge’s Palace and the Gallerie dell’Accademia all warrant a visit, as do the galleries that have established Venice as a contemporary art mecca, like the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, the Pinault Collection, and an outpost of Milan’s Fondazione Prada. If the crowds overwhelm, sail off to one of the outer  islands . There’s a chance Murano, world-famous for its glass blowing, will be just as congested as the central hub. Burano might not be as under the radar as it used to be, but the jumbles of rainbow-hued homes and the risotto di gò, made from goby fish, are worth the 40-minute vaporetto ride. If you’re in that neck of the lagoon, dart off to Torcello for the exquisite byzantine mosaics at the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta. Back on the central islands, start your evening with a Venetian-style aperitivo: couple your cicchetti with an  ombra  (shadow) of wine at one of the beloved bacari like Cantinone già Schiavi or All’Arco.

Where to stay in Venice:  The  Gritti Palace, A Luxury Collection Hotel , is an unrivalled timeless treasure with Murano chandeliers, plush fabrics, and splendid views of the Grand Canal.

Catania, Sicily

Selecting one city in  Sicily  is difficult as the entire island’s whimsical fantasia of art, culture and architecture reflects its tumultuous history and conquerings. But travellers tend to backburner Catania, setting out for Taormina immediately after descending on the island. Anchored in the shadows of Mount Etna on Sicily’s east coast, the city, equal parts gritty and elegant, has been obliterated and rebuilt several times over the centuries. Kick off the day local-style, with a  brioscia  (brioche) stuffed with lemon, almond, coffee and chocolate granita at a beloved mainstay like Bar Musumeci and Gran Cafe Salaire, then observe Catania dwellers in action at the historic fish market where glossy red shrimp, gleaming swordfish, and prickly sea urchin chill on beds of ice. The city is one of the UNESCO-listed eight late Baroque towns of the Val di Noto–its most notable architecture is on and around Via Croficeri. Mount Etna’s wines are among the world’s most respected, so look out for them at restaurants or sample some straight from the source at one of the wineries.

Where to stay in Catania :  Palazzo Sangiorgio  opened in a refurbished 17th-century building last fall. The decor incorporates pieces from Gio Ponti, Philippe Starck, and Flos lighting.

Merano, Trentino-Alto Adige

Mereno, the former capital of  South Tyrol , didn’t officially become part of Italy until 1919. The fairy-tale-like city exemplifies Italian charm without neglecting its Austrian roots. Cradled by the snow-capped peaks of the Dolomites, this historic spa town’s unusually mild climate keeps its indoor and outdoor natural therapeutic baths open year-round. The city centre is an assortment of architectural styles: Via dei Portici, a picture-perfect portico-lined street topped with mediaeval pastel facades, stands among the Gothic Duomo and neoclassical and Art Nouveau buildings. Outside the city, the plush gardens of Castello Trauttmansdorff flaunt flora from all over the world, and three tranquil promenades thread the city’s periphery–retreating to one of them might be just as healing as the baths. Austrian influences prevail in the atypically Italian cuisine. Expect assorted sweet and savoury canederli (bread dumplings), Schlutzkrapfen (half-moon-shaped stuffed pasta), and apple strudel. Six Michelin-starred restaurants are in the vicinity, including Ristorante Sissi and Ristorante Prezioso Fragsburg in the city itself.

Where to stay in Merano:  Soaring over the landscape at 1,230 metres, the exquisite  Miramonti  Boutique Hotel features floor-to-ceiling windows so guests can enjoy the view.

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The 15 best places to visit in Italy, from Venice to the Cinque Terre

Nov 19, 2023 • 11 min read

Rome should be the centerpiece of your trip if you’re going to Italy for the first time © Kathrin Ziegler / Getty Images

Home to some of the greatest artworks, historical monuments and food on the planet, and with the kind of varied landscapes that you often have to cross continents to see, Italy elates, inspires and moves its visitors like few other countries.

From its art- and architecture-stuffed cities to its astonishing diversity of natural landscapes – dramatic coastlines, serene lakes, pristine mountains, and those famous rolling hills – picking just a handful of destinations to visit in this wonderful country is no easy task.

So how do you decide where to go? It all depends on what you’re looking for in your Italian odyssey, whether that’s history, art, beaches, hiking or even food. No matter your passion, our list of 15 must-see places in Italy should be your starting point.

Best for history

Once caput mundi (capital of the world), Rome was legendarily spawned by a wolf-suckled boy, developed into a vast empire, rooted itself as the home of the Catholic church, and is now the repository of more than two millennia of art and architecture.

Rome should definitely be the centerpiece of your trip if you’re going to Italy for the first time, but there's simply too much to see in one visit, from the Pantheon and the Colosseum to Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel and countless works by Caravaggio. So do as countless others have done before you: toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain and promise to return.

Planning tip: There’s an overwhelming amount to see here, and with limited public transport in the city center, your choice of hotel can be crucial. Map out the sights you’re most interested in before you book – if you want to be at the Vatican at opening time, for example, don't stay near the Colosseum.

Read more: Italians reveal their under-the-radar vacation spots in Italy

Best for a Renaissance fix

From Botticelli’s Venus , emerging coyly from the water in the Uffizi Gallery , to the mind-boggling dome of its cathedral, Florence is a feast for the eyes. This was, of course, the seat of the Renaissance, and there are knock-out names at every turn – Michelangelo in the Accademia, Donatello in the Bargello, Leonardo and Raphael in the Uffizi. 

Further afield in  Tuscany – Italy's most romanticized region – is an undulating landscape of sinuous cypress trees, olive groves and coveted regional treasures. Glory in the Gothic majesty of Siena and the Manhattan-esque skyline of medieval San Gimignano before exploring the vineyards of Italy's most famous wine region, Chianti , and the rolling, cypress-studded hills of the Val d’Orcia.

Planning tip: You’re best off without a car if you’re sticking to major towns and cities since Tuscany has a good rail network. But if you want to explore the countryside, you’ll definitely need a car. 

3. The Dolomites

Best for dramatic mountains

Scour the globe, and you'll find plenty of taller, bigger and more geologically volatile mountains, but few can match the romance of the pink-hued granite Dolomites .

Maybe it's their harsh, jagged summits, the vibrant skirts of spring wildflowers, or the rich cache of Ladin legends. Then again, it could just be the magnetic draw of money, style and glamor at Italy's most fabled ski resort, Cortina d'Ampezzo , or the linguistic curiosity of picture-postcard mountain village Sappada . Whatever the reason, this tiny pocket of northern Italy takes seductiveness to dizzying heights.

4. Amalfi Coast

Best for classic beauty

Italy's most celebrated coastline is a gripping strip: coastal mountains plunge into the piercing blue sea in a prime-time vertical scene of precipitous crags, sun-bleached villages and cliffs rearing up behind. Between sea and sky, mountaintop hiking trails deliver Tyrrhenian panoramas fit for a god.

While some may argue that the peninsula's most beautiful coast is Liguria's Cinque Terre or Calabria's Costa Viola, it is the Amalfi Coast that has seduced and inspired countless greats, from Tennessee Williams and DH Lawrence to Elizabeth Taylor, Virginia Woolf and Jackie Kennedy. Of course, its staggeringly romantic looks also make it one of the best places in Italy for couples.

Planning tip: Yes, driving along the Amalfi Coast is one of the world’s most famous road trips, but often it feels like everyone else on the planet has the same idea as you. Traffic can be nose-to-tail, and parking is effectively nonexistent. Instead, take the ferry between towns or travel by public transport .

Best for stepping back in time

Frozen in its death throes, the time-warped ruins of Pompeii hurtle you 2000 years into the past. Wander through chariot-grooved Roman streets, lavishly frescoed villas and bathhouses, food stores and markets, theaters, and even an ancient brothel.

Then, in the eerie stillness, your eye on ominous Mt Vesuvius, ponder Pliny the Younger's terrifying account of the town's final hours: “Darkness came on again, again ashes, thick and heavy. We got up repeatedly to shake these off; otherwise, we would have been buried and crushed by the weight.”

Planning tip: If you have time, the other major city destroyed by the eruption, Herculaneum, is also worth a visit. Much smaller than Pompeii, its buildings are better preserved, and the location – surrounded by its modern descendant, Ercolano – makes the site even more piquant. Like Pompeii, it’s easily reached on the Circumvesuviana train.

6. Emilia-Romagna

Best for foodies

In a region as overwhelmingly foodie as Emilia-Romagna , it's only natural that its capital, Bologna , is dubbed “La Grassa” (the fat one). Many belt-busting Italian classics hail from here, including mortadella, tortellini and tagliatelle al ragù. Shop in the deli-packed Quadrilatero district – home to food stalls since medieval times – then hop on the train for an afternoon in Modena for world-famous aged balsamic vinegar.

Leave room for Parma , hometown of parmigiano reggiano cheese and the incomparable prosciutto di Parma. Wherever you plunge your fork, toast with a glass or three of Emilia-Romagna's renowned Lambrusco – a world away from the sickly sweet wine that was exported in the past.

7. Lago di Como

Best for a slice of luxury

If it's good enough for the Clooneys and vacationing Obamas, it's good enough for mere mortals. Nestled in the shadow of the Rhaetian Alps, dazzling Lago di Como is Lombardy's most spectacular lake. Its lavish Liberty-style villas are home to movie moguls, fashion royalty, and literal royalty, while the lake's siren calls include gardens at Villas Melzi d'Eril , Carlotta , and Balbianello that blush pink with camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons in April and May.

The city of Como itself is a hotbed of arresting architecture, from the Gothic cathedral to Palazzo Terragni – built by the Fascists as their party headquarters, it’s a classic example of Italian 1930s Rationalism and a striking reminder of the atrocities committed by the regime.  

Planning tip: Como is like the Amalfi Coast – the roads are clogged, and parking is a huge problem. Instead of driving, use public transport; there’s an excellent ferry and bus network, as well as a train line along the eastern edge of the lake.

8. Sardinia

Best for beaches and coastline

The English language cannot accurately describe the varied blue, green and – in the deepest shadows – purple colors of Sardinia’s seas. While models, ministers and perma-tanned celebrities wine, dine and sail along the glossy Costa Smeralda , much of the island – the Med’s second largest after Sicily – remains a wild, raw playground.

Explore its rugged coastal beauty, from the tumbledown boulders of Santa Teresa di Gallura and the wind-chiseled cliff face of the Golfo di Orosei to the windswept beauty of the Costa Verde's dune-backed beaches.

But spend time inland too, and you’ll find some of Europe’s finest prehistoric remains: mysterious nuraghi (megalithic buildings), burial sites so grand they’re known as “giants’ tombs,” and the mountain villages of Barbagia, where locals still practice centuries-old traditions.

Best for sheer italianità

Pompeii, pizza and a whole lot of panache – Naples is a city like no other. Layered like lasagna, each strip of history on top of the last, this is a place where (underground) you can walk along ancient Greek and Roman roads, while at street level there are sumptuous churches, baroque palaces and Maradona – Maradona everywhere .

Outside the city, Vesuvius looms over the time capsules of Pompeii and Herculaneum, while in town, living in the shadow of a volcano gives life a sense of urgency. All that makes for a place like nowhere else .

Planning tip: Naples becomes less chaotic from the water. Taking the ferry isn’t only an option if you’re going to islands like Ischia and Procida – you can also take a boat from the city to Sorrento , Positano and the Amalfi Coast.

Best for a fairytale city

“Unique” is an overused word, but in the case of Venice , there’s no better description. This really is a dreamscape of intricately carved palazzos, gilded churches and world-class museums, all floating on water and crisscrossed by quiet canals.

Avoid the temptation to do a quick drop-in visit to see the main sights – the real Venice is in the silent canals and narrow alleyways, which cast a spell on all who move through them. Tick off the Rialto Bridge and Piazza San Marco , but then stay on to experience this most precious, and precarious, of cities.

Local tip: This is not the place to run a tight schedule. Leave time to wander the alleys , look inside the churches and artisan shops you pass, and hop on a vaporetto that’ll chug through the islands of the lagoon.

11. Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso

Best for hiking

If you're pining for a mind-clearing retreat, lace up your hiking boots and explore over 500km (310 miles) of marked trails and mule tracks traversing “Grand Paradise.”

Part of the Graian Alps and one of Italy's very first national parks, Gran Paradiso's pure, pristine spread encompasses 57 glaciers and alpine pastures awash with wild pansies, gentians and alpenroses, not to mention a healthy population of Alpine ibex, for whose protection the park was originally established. At 4061m (13,323ft), the eponymous Gran Paradiso is the park's only peak, accessed from tranquil Cogne.

12. Mount Etna

Best for thrill seekers

Known to the Greeks as the “column that holds up the sky,”  Mt Etna is not only Europe's largest volcano, it's one of the world's most active. The ancients believed the giant Tifone (Typhoon) lived in its crater and lit the sky with spectacular pyrotechnics; today they simply call it idda , or “her.”

At 3326m (10,912ft), she literally towers above Sicily's Ionian Coast . Tackle the climb on foot, on a guided 4WD tour, or stick to the lower slopes, where you’ll find some of Italy’s most exciting wines being grown in the uber-fertile volcanic soil. Sicily is one of the nicest places in Italy to visit, thanks to its extraordinary wealth of history and architecture, its jaw-dropping coastline and, of course, the ever-welcoming Sicilians.

13. Cinque Terre and the Liguria coast

Best for classic coastline

Liguria’s remote Cinque Terre area is coastal Italy at its most spectacular. Five seaside villages wedged between cliffs, encircled by a national park and connected by clifftop footpaths, this is a place where humanity has lived in symbiosis with nature for thousands of years. People have chiseled terraces into the steep cliffs and grown wine here since Roman times; until the 20th century, the locals got about by sea or footpath.

The villages themselves are gorgeous, but spare some time for a hike along the Sentiero Azzurro, the most popular of the paths connecting them. Cinque Terre may be the best known, but Liguria’s coastline is one showstopper coastal village after another – additional highlights include Portofino , Portovenere and Santa Margherita Ligure .  

Planning tip: This is another area where it’s not worth driving – there are ferry services, but our favorite option is the train, which runs along the coast and stops at each of the villages.

14. Valle d’Itria

Best for picture-perfect villages

They look like hobbit houses – small conical-roofed cottages, often stitched together to form a bigger home but always fairytale pretty, whatever the size. Puglia, the heel of Italy’s boot, is famous for its trulli, but you won’t find them all over the region.

Head south of Bari, in from the coast and up onto the high karst plateau, and you’ll find the Valle d’Itria , where the green fields around towns like Cisternino and Locorotondo are dotted with trulli. Alberobello is the center of it all – the centro storico of the town is nothing but streets of them. This is one of the prettiest parts of Italy – truly.

Best for a real city break

Italy’s fashion capital  often gets a bad rap – too international, too organized, not chaotic enough. Don’t believe it. Where else can you go from a Gothic-style cathedral, started in the 14th century, to masterpieces by Leonardo (his Last Supper fresco in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie is a showstopper, but so is the Sala delle Asse in the Castello Sforzesco , which he painted as a trompe l’oeil forest bower)?

Milan's restaurants pull together the best food from the Italian peninsula, it’s home to one of Italy’s rare cocktail scenes, and its fashion houses are transforming the city’s modern art scene with venues like Fondazione Prada , an old distillery now housing works by the likes of Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst, as well as putting on top-notch temporary exhibitions.

Planning tip: Milan doesn’t really have high and low seasons like the rest of Italy does; instead, its hotel rates rocket up and down depending on whether there’s a major event in town. Avoid Design and Fashion Weeks if you're traveling on a budget .

This article was first published June 2021 and updated November 2023

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18 Absolute Best Places to Visit in Italy (+ Map & Planning Tips)

By Author Jurga

Posted on Last updated: February 4, 2024

Planning your first trip to Italy and wondering what are the best places to visit ? This article should help you decide what to see and where to go in Italy, even though the choice might look overwhelming at first.

Italy is one of the most beautiful countries in the world and one of our favorite places that we return to again and again. History, architecture, bustling cities, charming villages, beaches, islands, mountains… Not even to mention the food, wine, and friendly people… This country is incredibly diverse and has so much more to offer than you’d ever be able to do in one trip…

Even after so many trips to Italy , we feel like we just scratched the surface of this incredible country. There is just so much to see and do!

In this article, we share the very best places to see in Italy. This list is not just about the best Italian cities . As beautiful as they are, there is so much more to Italy than its major cities! In this guide, you’ll also find the most stunning Italian regions and islands, coastal areas and picturesque little towns, but also the most beautiful nature and jaw-dropping sceneries.

These are one by one amazing destinations that are each worth a trip from the other side of the world. You cannot go wrong with any of these places! But combine a couple of them together and you’re in for a real treat – one of the best trips you can ever make. Find out!

READ ALSO: 2-Weeks Italy Itinerary

How to use this map:  Use your computer mouse (or fingers) to zoom in or out. Click on the icons to get more information about each place. Click the arrow on the top left corner for the index. Click the star next to the map’s title to add it to your Google Maps account. To view the saved map on your smartphone or PC, open Google Maps, click the menu and go to ‘Your Places’/’Maps’. If you want to print the map or see it in a bigger window, click on ‘View larger map’ in the top right corner.

Here are the best places to visit in Italy:

The Eternal City is an absolute must when visiting Italy for the first time! Without any doubt, Rome is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

I often refer to Rome as the city-museum. And it sure feels like the entire place is one huge open-air museum! Every street, every building, every town square, every park, every church, and every monument breathes centuries-old history.

It’s an incredible experience to see all that art, architecture, and history that you previously only saw in books or in the movies.

No matter how much time you have planned in Italy, you really have to include Rome in your Italy itinerary !

Not to be missed: Colosseum , Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, the Vatican with St. Peter’s Basilica and Sistine Chapel, St. Angelo Bridge and Castel Sant’Angelo, Capitoline Hill.

Nice to see: Campo de’ Fiori market, Trastevere district, Circus Maximus, Baths of Caracalla (and many other Ancient Rome landmarks ), Piazza Venezia, Piazza del Popolo, Borghese Gallery, the Appian Way, Aventine Hill, Belvedere del Gianicolo, and many many more.

TIP: Try to also visit at least a few of the nicest viewpoints in Rome . Many of them are located just next to the most popular sights, and so it’s quite easy to add a few of these to your itinerary.

LEARN MORE: Best Things to Do in Rome

How much time do you need: One full day is an absolute minimum in Rome and – if you plan your 1-day Rome itinerary well – you can get a glimpse of all the main sights. If you want to see all the best places in the city and not just take a picture of the exteriors and rush through everything, plan at least 2-3 days . If you want to explore deeper and get off the beaten path in Rome, you can easily spend 5-7 days in the city.

TIP: Take a look at our suggested 4 days Rome itinerary – it covers all the main landmarks and lots of amazing lesser-known places that will make your trip so much more memorable. See also our guide to the best neighborhood to stay in Rome .

Best time to visit: Rome is a year-round destination, but the best time weather-wise is April-May and September-October. It’s really hot in July and August making it difficult to appreciate the sights. For fewer crowds and cooler weather, consider the shoulder months such as March or November. Read also what it’s like to visit Rome in November .

LEARN MORE: Tips for Planning a Trip to Rome

There are few places in the world that speak to one’s imagination as Venice does. Without any doubt, Venice is one of the must-see places in Italy!

The entire city of Venice and its lagoon with 118 small islands is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And when you see it, you’ll understand why. The whole town is an architectural masterpiece!

The best way to explore Venice is on foot, so prepare to walk. A lot. Stroll the narrow streets, cross hundreds of bridges, and take the time to admire the details of medieval buildings and stunning gothic palazzi (palaces). You should also take a gondola ride! Not only does it give a very different perspective of the city, but it’s also a real bucket list experience.

Not to be missed: Venice canals and Venetian gondola ride , St. Mark’s Square, St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace , Grand Canal, Rialto Bridge, Bridge of Sighs , and the pedestrian waterfront promenade Riva degli Schiavoni.

Nice to see: Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute and an excursion to the nearby islands of Burano and Murano . Libreria Acqua Alta, Campo San Polo, Jewish Ghetto, San Giorgio Maggiore Island, and many churches of Venice. Also La Fenice opera house.

How much time do you need: One day is enough to see the main landmarks of Venice (here’s how to see the best of Venice in one day) . If you make it a very long day, you can even take a short excursion to the nearby islands Murano, Burano, and Torcello. For a more relaxed experience, plan at least two days for all the sights in Venice and the nearby islands. If you want to explore the city deeper, plan 3-4 days. See here a suggested itinerary for 3 days in Venice with tips from a local.

READ ALSO: Best Things to Do in Venice

3. Florence

A trip to Italy, especially for those visiting for the first time, involves visiting lots of cities and towns. And even if you’re not a big fan of city trips, there is one more city that you absolutely should see in Italy, and that’s Florence ( Firenze ).

Florence, the capital city of the Tuscany region, is considered the cradle of the Renaissance. It’s here that you’ll find works of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and many others. The old city center is quite compact, but it’s packed with incredible masterpieces of Renaissance art and architecture.

Not to be missed: Duomo (Florence Cathedral), Baptistery of St. John, Uffizi Gallery, Ponte Vecchio, Palazzo Vecchio and Piazza della Signoria, and the view from Piazzale Michelangelo. Michelangelo’s ‘David’ at the Galleria dell’Accademia.

Nice to see: Palazzo Pitti and Boboli Gardens, Basilica di San Lorenzo and San Lorenzo Market, Piazza Santo Spirito, Basilica of Santa Croce, and the views from the best rooftops in Florence .

How much time do you need: One day is enough to quickly see the ‘musts’ of Florence (see 1 day Florence itinerary ). If you want to visit more museums and explore deeper, then you’ll definitely want to spend at least two days here. Plan an extra day for a tour to the Tuscan countryside (more info below).

LEARN MORE: Best Things to Do in Florence

Italy has 20 regions and, in all honesty, they are all worth a visit. However, if you are traveling to Italy for the very first time, Tuscany is one of the nicest regions to visit. Not only because it’s conveniently located between Rome, Venice, and Milan, but also because it has so much to offer.

Tuscany is home to some of the most beautiful towns in Italy. Florence, Siena, Pisa, Lucca, San Gimignano, Volterra, Prato, Arezzo – all these towns are worth a visit! And there are many, many more…

Tuscany is also known for its picturesque landscapes with rolling hills and winding roads lined with cypress trees. It’s also a great destination for foodies and wine lovers. Some of the best Italian wines are produced in Tuscany! Even if you are not visiting the wineries, make sure to try Brunello di Montalcino and Chianti wines at the local restaurants.

Not to be missed: Florence (see above), Siena (and the impressive Siena Cathedral ), Pisa (see further below), and the stunning landscapes of Val d’Orcia. See also our guide to the best towns in Tuscany .

Nice to see: Lucca, San Gimignano, Montepulciano , Volterra, Pienza, Prato, Arezzo, and the wineries.

How much time do you need: You need at least 2 days for Tuscany – one day in Florence, and one (very packed) day for Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa, and Chianti. If you want to see so much in such a short time, consider this tour that visits all the main highlights in one day.

Ideally, you spend at least 3-4 days in Tuscany as that will give you more time to enjoy all the main sights in a more relaxed way. If you have enough time, I recommend a week in Tuscany. There’s just so much to see and do!

LEARN MORE: Best Towns in Tuscany & Tuscany Itinerary

5. Cinque Terre

No list of the best places to visit in Italy would be complete without mentioning Cinque Terre . This coastal area is so scenic that it’s hard to believe that it’s real!

Cinque Terre is the collective name of five picturesque hillside towns along the coast of the Italian Riviera in the Liguria region. The 5 Cinque Terre towns are Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso al Mare.

These colorful towns are perched between the azure-blue sea on one side and the steep hills dotted with vineyards on the other side. This means that you can’t easily get to Cinque Terre by car and the best way to visit is by boat, by train, or by hiking the Cinque Terre trail between the villages. For more practical information, please check our travel tips for visiting Cinque Terre .

Not to be missed: Manarola, Vernazza, and Riomaggiore.

Nice to see: Corniglia and Monterosso al Mare. Also, the nearby Portovenere and the Gulf of Poets are well worth your time!

How much time do you need: You can see the best of Cinque Terre in one day (also as a day tour from Florence ). If you want to explore deeper and also see some of the stunning coastal areas nearby, plan 2-3 days here.

LEARN MORE: One Day in Cinque Terre & Where to Stay in Cinque Terre

6. Amalfi Coast

The Amalfi Coast in the Campania region is another popular tourist destination in Italy. This area stretches between Sorrento and Salermo and has some of the most beautiful coastal landscapes in Italy. The rugged coastline is dotted with colorful fishing villages and small beaches. It looks like a real-life painting. The Amalfi Coast is also a very popular vacation destination.

The main attractions of this area are the coastal towns of Positano , Amalfi , and Ravello . But also Sorrento and Naples are must-see, just like the famous Mount Vesuvius volcano .

The nearby Capri Island with the famous Blue Grotto and charming Anacapri should also be on your list! Nature and outdoor enthusiasts will love the coastal hike Path of the Gods .

Nearby, you’ll also find the ruins of Pompeii , the ancient city that was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. It’s one of the most interesting places to visit for those who would like to learn more about Roman times.

Not to be missed: Scenic drive along the Amalfi Coast and its three main towns Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello (can also be visited with a day tour ). Also Pompeii is among the top sights in Italy. Capri Island and the Blue Grotto.

Nice to see: Sorrento, Herculaneum, Mt Vesuvius, and the Path of the Gods hike.

How much time do you need: One day is enough to get a taste of what the Amalfi Coast is about. If you have two days, you can also visit Capri. Or you can also spend a week or two here and never get bored… If you want to explore all the main highlights of the Amalfi Coast at a leisurely pace, we recommend at least 3-5 days in the area. Here you can find our guide on where to stay on the Amalfi Coast and here is our guide to the best areas to stay in Naples .

LEARN MORE: Amalfi Coast Itinerary & Amalfi Coast Travel Tips

TIP: You can visit Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast on a day trip from Rome with an organized tour . It will be rushed, but well worth it!

READ ALSO: Amalfi Coast vs. Cinque Terre: which is nicer?

7. Lake Garda

Lake Garda is one of our personal favorite places in Italy. Lake Garda is located in northern Italy, about halfway between Venice and Milan, and can easily be incorporated in your Italy itinerary. It is one of the most scenic lakes in the world and absolutely worth a visit!

Lake Garda is a very big lake. If you want to drive all the way around it, it’s a 150 km (93 miles) drive that would take at least 3-4 hours without any stops or traffic. The best way to explore the lake is by taking a ferry between various towns, but driving the scenic road all the way around the lakes is also an unforgettable experience.

Along the shores of Lake Garda, you’ll find some stunning towns and picturesque little villages. Most famous is the town of Sirmione at the south end of the lake. Malcesine , Limone Sul Garda , and Riva del Garda are also very much worth a visit, even if just to see the northern side of the lake. And there are many more places to explore, but that requires a lot more of your time.

Not to be missed: Sirmione (Castello di Sirmione, Grotte di Catullo, and a boat tour around the peninsula), Malcesine, and a boat ride on the northern end of the lake.

Nice to see: Limone Sul Garda, Riva del Garda, Desenzano del Garda, Garda, Peschiera del Garda, Salo, Bardolino, Torbole, Isola del Garda.

How much time do you need: You can see the main highlights of Lake Garda in one day (by car and/or boat or with a tour ). But you’ll need at least 2-3 days to explore this area a bit deeper. You can find more details in our Lake Garda itinerary suggestions for 1 to 3 days .

LEARN MORE: What to See at Lake Garda

8. Lake Como

Lake Como , just north of Milan, is another stunning lake that also deserves to be on any list of the best of Italy. It’s a place loved by the rich and the famous and you’ll find some grand villas dotting the shores of this lake.

Lake Como is set at the foot of the Alps, just near the border with Switzerland. Many places here have been used as filming locations for countless Hollywood movies. When you’ll see the scenery, you’ll understand why.

Como Lake is not as big as Lake Garda, but it’s quite long and has a very unique shape that looks like an upside-down letter Y. The roads around the lake aren’t very wide and it would take you a good part of the day to drive all around it. Instead, you can take a boat and easily explore the most interesting places in a day or two. There are also car ferries around the middle point of the lake, so you can easily explore the best places by car. Just beware that parking is very problematic.

The main town in this area is Como , located at the south end of the lake. Here you can also take a funicular to the mountain town of Brunate for stunning views of the surroundings. Other nice towns to visit are Bellagio (a must-see), Varenna , and Cernobbio . But the main attraction of Lake Como are its gardens and villas and especially Villa Carlotta and Villa Balbianello .

Not to be missed: Como town , a boat ride on the lake, Bellagio , Varenna , Villa Carlotta, and Villa Balbianello. Take a look at our guide to the best things to do in Lake Como for more info.

Nice to see: Brunate, Menaggio, Villa Olmo, Cernobbio, Lecco, Pescallo, and Ghisallo Pass… Take a look at our guide to the best towns of Lake Como for more details.

How much time do you need: You can see the best of Lake Como in one day, also with a day tour from Milan . You’ll need at least 2 full days if you also want to visit the two most beautiful villas. Count 3-4 days if you want to explore a bit deeper.

LEARN MORE: Info & Tips for Visiting Lake Como

9. Italian Dolomites

With so many incredible towns to visit in Italy, the country’s most beautiful natural attractions often get overlooked by first-time visitors. Don’t make this mistake! The Italian Dolomite Mountains are worth a trip from the other side of the world! The scenery here is simply phenomenal and I don’t say this lightly.

We’ve seen a lot of the world and some of the most incredible mountain scenery in Switzerland , Western Canada, New Zealand, or Norway to mention just a few. Yet, it took us years to get to the Italian mountains… After spending almost a month in this region over several different trips, I can say that it’s as beautiful as it gets.

No matter which mountain pass you drive, which gondola ride you choose, or which hike you make, you’ll find the most remarkable landscapes in the Dolomites!

Not to be missed: Hard to say because every place is so beautiful. The most popular areas for first-time visitors are Val Gardena and Cortina d’Ampezzo with the iconic 3 peaks Tre Cime di Lavaredo . Also the lakes Pragser Wildsee (Lake Braies) and Lake Sorapis are stunning. Marmolada , the highest mountain range of the Dolomites, is also considered a must.

READ ALSO: Best Places to Visit in the Dolomites in Italy

Nice to see: Everything! Check out the Cinque Torri area that offers stunning mountain views and easy access to some incredible Great War sites. Also the mountains of the nearby Trentino region are really beautiful. Check out Val di Fumo , a spectacular place that’s still under the radar of most international tourists.

READ ALSO: Most Beautiful Lakes in the Italian Dolomites

How much time do you need: You can get a glimpse of the Dolomites in a day if you take a guided tour with a local guide. There are day tours from Bolzano, from Venice, or from Lake Garda. But if you are traveling in summer and love hiking, plan at least 5-6 days in the area. Stay in Val Gardena for a few days and be sure to spend several days in the Cortina d’Ampezzo area as well (see our guide to the best places to stay in the Dolomites ).

We’ve been to the Dolomites several times and will definitely go back again. There is just so much to see that you could spend many vacations here!

LEARN MORE: Dolomites Itinerary

Good to know: In winter, you can ski in the Dolomites. There are countless ski resorts in the South Tyrol and Trentino regions. And in summer, it’s a paradise for hiking and other outdoor activities!

READ ALSO: Best Hikes in the Dolomites

One more beautiful town that I feel deserves a mention on this list of the very best places to see in Italy is Verona . World-famous as being the setting for Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’, Verona is known as Italy’s most romantic city. But there is so much more to it than just Juliet’s tiny balcony!

Verona is a very old town with a rich history and beautiful architecture. Its most famous attraction is the 1st-century Roman amphitheater. You can visit it inside during the day or get tickets for one of the many concerts and performances in the evening. There is always something happening here!

The town is compact and you can see a lot in a short time. Stroll around the old town, get just a bit off the beaten tourist path, and you’ll find a great atmosphere of a real Italian town that’s often hard to find in many other most popular towns and cities in Italy.

Not to be missed: Verona Arena, Piazza delle Erbe, Torre dei Lamberti, and Juliet’s House & Balcony.

Nice to see: Castelvecchio, Ponte Scaligero, Piazza dei Signori, Arche Scaligere, and the views from Castel San Pietro.

How much time do you need: Half a day is enough for the main highlights of Verona. If you have one full day in the city, you can cover most of its best attractions. In two days, you can see the best of Verona plus take a tour of the nearby vineyards .

TIP: You can visit Verona as well as Lake Garda as a day trip from Milan . There are also tours from Venice .

LEARN MORE: Best Things to Do in Verona

For many years, I was convinced that Milan was not as beautiful or worth a visit as most other Italian cities. However, my recent visit proved me wrong. Milan is a fascinating city and one of the very few places in Italy where history and modern-day life go so well together. I can’t compare it to any other Italian city as none of them have the same vibe as you’ll find in Milan.

Milan is a bit of a rough diamond and you have to make some effort to explore deeper in order to truly appreciate it. But even if you just visit for a day and focus on the main tourist attractions, it’s still well worth a visit!

Not to be missed: Duomo and Duomo Terraces, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, and ‘The Last Supper’ by Leonardo da Vinci (book months in advance or take a tour !).

Nice to see: Sforzesco Castle, La Scala, Milan canals, Brera & Braidense National Library, Porta Nuova district.

How much time do you need: One day is enough for the main landmarks of Milan (see this guide for more info: one day in Milan ). If you have more time, I suggest taking a day tour to Lake Como .

LEARN MORE: Best Things to Do in Milan

12. Italian Riviera

Italian Riviera is a beautiful coastal area of the Liguria region in western Italy. It’s best known for the picturesque coastal villages of Cinque Terre (mentioned above) and the luxury holiday resort for the rich and the famous – Portofino. But also here, there is so much more to see and do!

This part of Italy is just as beautiful as, say the Amalfi Coast, but you won’t find many tourist groups here. It’s more a place for a repeat trip to Italy than for those visiting the country for the first time and so many tourists never get to see more of this region beyond Cinque Terre. Yet, I think it surely deserves a visit if you can squeeze another day or two in your Italian itinerary.

The biggest city in this area is Genoa, but if you have to choose one or the other, I find that the coastal towns are worth your time more.

Not to be missed: Portofino, Cinque Terre, Camogli (featured image on top of this article).

Nice to see: Genoa, Santa Margherita Ligure, Portovenere.

How much time do you need: You need at least one day for Cinque Terre (see #5 above) and at least one day for Portofino, Santa Margherita Ligure, and Camogli. If you also want to visit Portovenere and Genoa, you’ll need at least 4 days in this region and it will be rushed.

LEARN MORE: Most Beautiful Towns of the Italian Riviera

One of the most unique cities in Italy, Naples , is totally different from any other place in Italy! It’s noisy and crowded, but it’s also home to some of the most interesting historical sights and landmarks. Not even to mention that Naples is the birthplace of pizza. So a visit here is your chance to try the original Italian pizza, as it’s supposed to be.

No matter what you might have heard of Naples, don’t doubt for a second – the city is absolutely worth a visit! Ideally, you combine a trip here with that to the earlier-mentioned Amalfi Coast. But Naples is a fascinating destination in itself!

There is so much to see and do in and near Naples that you’ll have to be really selective about where to go, especially if your time in the area is limited.

Not to be missed: Historic city center (the area around Spaccanapoli and Via dei Tribunali), the Veiled Christ at Sansevero Chapel, National Archaeological Museum, Santa Chiara Monastery, Gesu Nuovo Church, and the views from Castel Sant’Elmo.

Nice to see: Naples Underground, Naples Catacombs, Piazza del Plebiscito, Royal Palace of Naples, Cathedral, Castel Nuovo, Ovo Castle, Via San Gregorio Armeno, Spanish Quarter.

How much time do you need: You need at least one day in Naples in order to see some of the musts. Ideally, you plan at least 2-3 days for the city, plus a few days for its surroundings including a visit to places like Pompeii, Herculaneum, Mt Vesuvius, or the Royal Palace of Caserta. See our guide to the best day trips from Naples for more information about all these places.

LEARN MORE: Best Things to Do in Naples & Naples – Amalfi Coast Itinerary for 10 Days

The centuries-old rival town of Florence, Pisa is another place that most people consider a must-see in Italy. And it’s well worth a trip, even if just to see the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa!

It seems that everyone in the world has seen the famous Pisa Tower (even if just on a pizza box of a local pizzeria in your hometown). But not many people know that there is so much more to see in Pisa than its tower.

Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles) certainly does its name justice! The architecture here is stunning. Most buildings here date from the 11th and 12th centuries. Don’t miss the Duomo, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Baptistery, and the graveyard.

After a visit here, make sure to also visit the city center of Pisa. You’ll find a very pleasant Italian town with more locals than tourists, trendy cafes, restaurants, and nice little shops. When you come here from the busy Piazza dei Miracoli, you won’t believe this is the same town.

Not to be missed: Piazza dei Miracoli with the leaning tower of Pizza.

Nice to see: Pisa town center.

How much time do you need: Half a day is enough for the main highlights and a visit to the city center. You can take a guided tour that covers all the main places in about 2 hours .

TIP: Because it doesn’t require that much time, Pisa is often visited as a half-day trip from Florence or in combination with other places nearby. For example, you can take a day tour from Florence that combines Pisa, Siena, and San Gimignano or a day tour that visits Pisa and Cinque Terre from Florence .

There are also day tours from Rome that visit Pisa and Florence in a day and many other options. In other words, it’s really easy to include Pisa in your itinerary when planning a trip to Italy.

15. Emilia Romagna

Probably one of the most underrated regions in northern Italy, Emilia Romagna is a true hidden gem just waiting to be discovered!

If this place was anywhere else in the world, it would be overrun by tourists. But surrounded by such grand neighbors as Venice, Milan, and Italian Lakes in the north, coastal areas of the Italian Riviera in the west, and Tuscany in the south, Emilia Romagna is often overlooked by most first-time visitors.

However, if you are looking to discover the more authentic side of Italy, you should really consider visiting at least a couple of places in this region. Emilia Romagna is like the best of Italy in one, but without as many tourists. It truly has it all: rich history, stunning architecture, art, beautiful beaches, lively towns, and lovely landscapes. Furthermore, Emilia Romagna offers some of the very best food in the whole of Italy.

Not to be missed: Ravenna , Bologna .

Nice to see: Rimini , Parma, Ferrara, Modena.

How much time do you need: You’ll need at least one day for Bologna (you can easily visit Bologna from Florence for a day too) and at least half a day for Ravenna. If you have more time, you can easily fill 4-5 days in this region.

LEARN MORE: Emilia Romagna Itinerary & Best Things to Do in Bologna

TIP: If you find yourself planning a trip to this part of Italy, make sure to also plan a day for San Marino . While technically not part of Italy, it definitely deserves a mention and a visit!

San Marino is a tiny Republic surrounded by the Emilia Romagna region in Italy. It’s a real fairytale-like destination and well worth your time.

Pro tip: Plan to stay at least one night in one of the San Marino hotels so that you can explore this magical place without the crowds of day-trippers.

LEARN MORE: San Marino

Puglia (Apulia) is a beautiful region in southern Italy, right at the ‘heel’ of this boot-shaped country. Apulia is probably best known internationally for its trulli houses. Trulli are dry stone huts with a conical roof only found in this part of Italy and mostly in Alberobello town and the Itria Valley. These houses are typically painted white, while the roofs are left grey.

If you are looking for more authentic places to visit in Italy, then you should definitely consider this lesser-known region. It has some incredibly beautiful areas and just a fraction of the number of tourists compared to the surrounding regions.

A visit here is about the colors, the smells, the tastes that somehow feel stronger than anywhere else. It feels as if time passes slower here and so this is a wonderful part of Italy for those who like to travel deeper and are looking for more local experiences.

Not to be missed: Trulli houses in Alberobello, Promontorio del Gargano (a scenic drive along the coast following the ‘heel’ between Peschici and Manfredonia).

Nice to see: the 13th century octagonal-shaped Castel del Monte, Lecce that’s often called ‘Florence of the South’, Bari, Cathedral of Trani, Cathedral of Otranto, Taranto, Grotte di Castellana.

How much time do you need: You’ll need a day to explore the Terra dei Trulli and at least half a day for the scenic drive at the Gargano NP. The rest really depends on what you’re planning to visit.

Sicily is not only the largest island of Italy but also of the whole Mediterranean region. The island has nice beaches and breathtaking scenery, and it’s also very rich in history. You can even find ancient temples dating to the 5th-6th centuries BC (don’t miss Agrigento’s Valley of the Temples!).

One of the main attractions of the island is Mount Etna, Europe’s largest and most active volcano. You can visit the volcano with various tours – by jeep, hiking, etc.

Sicily is also a great region for foodies as it has its own distinct cuisine. Sicilian food has been influenced a lot by its history and you’ll find dishes influenced by French, Greek, Arabic, and North African cuisines. Different regions within Sicily can have very different food as well.

TIP: If you’d like to get to know more about Sicilian food and taste a big variety of it, you may want to consider a local food tour . There are some really good tours in all the bigger towns.

Not to be missed: Mount Etna, Valley of the Temples, Taormina (and the nearby villages where The Godfather was filmed), Syracuse (Siracusa), and Palermo.

Nice to see: Villa Romana del Casale in Piazza Armerina, Catania, Monreale, and Erice and Segesta.

How much time do you need: You can see the highlights of Sicily in 3-5 days, but you can easily spend a week or two here as well.

18. Sardinia

Just a little bit smaller than Sicily, Sardinia is also a big island that is a good vacation destination in itself. It has some nice places for sightseeing, but it’s also a popular vacation island with azure-blue waters, rugged coastlines, and dreamy white-sand beaches. It’s a great place to experience the Italian dolce far niente , the sweetness of doing nothing!

If you are looking for a more active holiday, you’ll find plenty to see and do as well. The island interior is mountainous and there are some nice hiking trails here. There are also nice little towns, archeological sites, and little islands to visit…

Sardinia is very different from the rest of Italy, with its own unique culture and food. It offers a lot of diversity in activities, sights, and sceneries and so it’s a great vacation destination for those who want to combine a beach holiday with some sightseeing.

Not to be missed: Costa Smeralda and its La Madalena Archipelago. Nuraghi, fortress-like tower ruins shaped like beehives. One of the oldest nuraghi (1500 BC) is Su Nuraxi in Barumini.

Nice to see: Cagliari, Alghero, and countless beaches.

How much time do you need: You can see some of the main highlights of Sardinia in 2-3 days, but it would be a pity to fly to this island just to tick the box on your Italy bucket list… If you are looking for a more relaxing vacation and want to enjoy the beautiful beaches, you can easily spend a few weeks here.

TIP: If you are thinking of visiting Sardinia, but are not sure where to start, take a look at Strictly Sardinia , a website by my Italian friend Claudia. Sardinia local, she shares all the top tips to help you plan an unforgettable trip.

READ ALSO: Tips & Useful Info for Traveling to Europe

So, this is my list of the absolute best places in Italy. As you can see, many of these destinations can be like a trip in itself, while some others can be visited in just a day or even less.

I hope that these suggestions will help you plan a dream trip to Italy! No matter where you go and how much time you spend, one thing you can be sure of – you’ll want to come back!

For more detailed destination guides and practical tips for your trip to Italy, please check our other articles on the blog via this link: Italy itinerary for 2 weeks . This itinerary covers many of the very best places in Italy in the most efficient way.

READ ALSO: How to Plan a Trip to Europe (+Top Tips)

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Sunday 30th of July 2023

Good afternoon, I was wondering if you have 3 - 4 wks itineraries for Italy? I have already visited the touristy places and would love to visit other regions. Thank you!

Tuesday 1st of August 2023

Hi Carmen, no, we don't have any sample itineraries for a longer duration as the possibilities would be endless. As you say, you already visited many popular places, so you'll never find an itinerary that's perfect for you because most itineraries will most definitely include some of the most popular areas. I also can't imagine you have visited all the 'touristy places' in Italy either ;). We have been to Italy dozens of times and still just scratched the surface of all there is to see... You can spend 3-4 weeks in the Dolomites alone and still not see everything... The best way to plan a trip is pick a few areas that interest you the most and then spend a few days in each exploring it deeper. Good luck with the planning.

Bruce Ogilvie

Wednesday 14th of June 2023

We are travelling to Italy this September. Thanks for your Italy article. Very helpful. Please inform us of where to stay in Florence. $$ and $$$ please. 3 or 4 stars. What area or neighborhood?

Hi Bruce, you can find some information on the best area to stay and our hotel recommendations for Florence in this article. If you are traveling any time soon, book ASAP! Have a great trip!

Tammy Hamilton

Friday 3rd of March 2023

What if you want to do it in three weeks? What do you recommend and how to travel and where to stay

Hi Tammy, take a look at our Italy itinerary for 2 weeks. It has so many additional recommendations that you can easily make it 3 weeks or more. You could start with Naples/Amalfi Coast for 3-4 days, then Rome for 3 days, then Florence (+Tuscan countryside/Cinque Terre/Pisa) for another 3-4 days, Bologna for a day or two, Venice for 2-3 days, Verona for a day, Lake Garda for 2-3 days, Lake Como for 1-4 days, and end with a day or two in Milan. It's just one of the gazillion ways to do it. Once again, take a look at the itinerary I linked to above. It has all the details and suggestions. If I ever find the time, I might publish some more recommendations, but there are so many possibilities that it's really difficult to recommend 'the best' itinerary. Good luck with the planning!

Tuesday 21st of February 2023

What is the best spot/address to take cypress tress picture in Tuscany. The one you have in this post. Thanks.

Sunday 26th of February 2023

Hi Ramesh, there are quite a few places in Tuscany where you will find similar views. The problem is that what you see in reality is often much further away than in the pictures. So if you are looking to take pictures like that - and depending on the place - you'll need a good telephoto lens. Anyway, this picture is from Crete Senesi not far from Siena. There are a few places indicated with this name on Google Maps and they are all quite scenic. If you are looking for this exact spot, you can find it here. Be aware though that it's usually full of people taking pictures, especially at sunset, so it's not as idyllic as it may look in the photos.

Thursday 2nd of February 2023

Hi we plan to have ten days to venice dolomite como and portofino . Where should we start first and how long for every place.any recommendations for the best transportation through this journey. Do you have any recommendations for hotel and restaurant too thank you

Friday 3rd of February 2023

Hi Miley, what you are asking are detailed suggestions for an entire trip itinerary. Unfortunately, I really have no time to offer this service to our readers. Creating a good itinerary for a trip like this takes many hours and everyone has different interests, flies to different airports, travels in different seasons, etc. etc. You might find some inspiration in our 2-week Italy itinerary that has all the details. But it doesn't cover all the areas that you want to see. We do, however, have plenty of articles on our blog that covers all the areas that you want to see in great detail. You can find a lot of them linked in this article, and otherwise, take a look at the overview on our Italy travel page. Good luck with the planning and have a great trip!

10 Best Places To Visit In Italy (Guide + Map)

Thinking over the best places to visit in Italy before planning a big trip?

You have my support: despite my temptation to list almost fifty places to go in Italy on this list, I’ve narrowed it down to the top ten places to visit in Italy along with a few tricks for an ideal tour experience.

Italy has long been considered as one of my absolute favorite places to travel, and despite constantly spending, staying, and exploring the place over three years, I’ll be going back to enjoy the most beautiful places in Italy again and again for all my life.

Before heading on to plan your trip to this wonderful Mediterranean country with my list of the best places to visit in Italy.

Let’s find out the reason why should we need to visit Italy.

Jump ahead to:

Reasons To Visit Italy

Situated in the southern region of Europe, the lady boot-shaped peninsula of Italy is one of the world’s most desired travel destinations for numerous reasons that include captivating cities and countryside, passionate and friendly locals, valued art treasures, and world-class cuisine.

Italy is a destination where you can witness some of the most iconic sites in the world – the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain in Rome, the leaning Tower of Pisa, Milan Cathedral to name but a few. The country is home to the world’s highest number of World Heritage sites – 51 in all and has Europe’s largest active volcano Mt. Etna – a UNESCO World Heritage Site, providing a spectacular viewing of eruptions, lava flows, and vast caves.

It has been world-famous for its pizza, pasta, Colosseum, Milan fashion, opera music, and football – ‘gli Azzurri’ (The Blues – considered as Europe’s Brazil) – offers various other exciting attractions.

There’s the chance to see renowned Renaissance masterwork and shop for premium fashion too. The famous Gothic Milan cathedral (duomo di Milano) and the Santa Maria Delle Grazie convent display Leonardo da Vinci’s representation. St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City exhibit true architectural masterpiece by Michelangelo, Donato Bramante, Carlo Maderno, and Gian Lorenzo Bernini and considered as the most renowned work of Renaissance architecture. Also, Florence is famed for its symbolic architecture and showpieces of art from Renaissance time.

Moreover, Italy offers a stunning range of lush natural scenery and multiple opportunities to escape into nature. Sardinia, Tuscany, Cinque Terre, and the Dolomites all flaunt incredible landscapes and brilliant hiking routes.

You could spend your time in this culturally rich land learning about the lives of the Romans at Rome, witnessing the devastations caused by Mount Vesuvius at Pompeii, or just loitering alongside one of the many Italian lakes.

Indeed, Italy has something very special for every traveler, making it a truly global tourist destination.

Top 10 Places To Visit In Italy

Are you planning your first trip to Italy? Let me tell you, it’s going to be really undecided as to which cities to visit. It’s a tough decision, for some good reasons as mentioned earlier. Moreover, Italy’s major cities and destinations can easily be reached by train.

The amount of time you are planning to stay in Italy will likely decide how many places you can visit there. Many travelers choose the classic itinerary of Rome, Florence, Milan, and Venice, perhaps with a side trip through Tuscany. There are so many stunning and exotic places to discover in Italy, so it’s really hard to nail down any list of the ‘best’ places to visit in Italy. Let’s give it a shot! These are my picks for the top 10 places to visit in Italy, each with its own special character and charm.

Rome! Just hearing the name stirs up some of the most popular architectural monuments in the world – the Colosseum, the Sistine Chapel, and the St. Peter’s Basilica. The history, that spans twenty-eight centuries, making it one of the oldest inhabited cities in Europe and one of the must-see places in Italy .

The most famous places to visit in Rome are a fantastic blend of historical sites, dazzling piazzas and buzzing neighborhoods, world-class museums. For the first-time visitor, Rome should place at or the top of your list. It’s a big, bustling city with main attractions clustered around the historic city center.

Top Attractions : The Colosseum, the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps. Walkthrough the historic heart of Rome, explore Piazza del Popolo, Piazza Navona, and Campo de Fiori, and enjoy dinner in Trastevere.

Estimated Stay: If You are planning to see only the main sites, a rushed two-days stay in the city can able you to visit the highlights. With even more time, you can explore Rome’s each and every corner, take a food tour, and venture into off-beat attractions.

Read More : Rome In 2 Days Itinerary

Venice (Venezia) is one of my personal favorite places in Italy and also makes it to the top of the list for many first-time visitors. Why?

Venice is one of the unique places to visit in Italy, built on a lagoon surrounded by the Adriatic Sea. Moreover, it is compact and perfect to be explored in just a few days’ time.

Venice can be considered as romantic, historic, and magnificent with its canals and gondolas, the architectural piazzas, the colorful towns of Murano and Burano will definitely make you fall in love with this attractive place!

Top Attractions: Take a gondola ride through the city, see St. Mark’s Square, wander along the canals, wade across the Rialto Bridge, and visit the Doges’ Palace and Saint Mark’s Basilica.

Estimated Stay:  Spend at least one full day to see the highlights of Venice. If you are planning to visit Murano, Burano to explore the neighborhoods two to three days are enough.

Florence (Firenze) is undoubtedly one of the best places to visit in Italy. The birthplace of the Renaissance and the art museums are proof of that. Michelangelo’s David, the amazing Uffizi Gallery, and the statues that are on display in the historic city center are breathtaking views to see. Even there are enough towers to climb for panoramic views, gelato to eat, and shops to visit that you don’t have to feel overburden with museum tours on a trip to Florence.

Top Experiences : Don’t miss Michelangelo’s David, the Duomo, Uffizi Gallery tour, wander across Ponte Vecchio, eat gelato, and watch the sunset over Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo.

Estimated Stay : You can rush through the best of Florence in one full day. Florence also makes a great base for day trips to Tuscany (Toscana).

Milan is home to world-class museums, fashionable shopping areas, football, the Duomo, and Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Last Supper’. Almost devastated from heavy bombing during World War II, Milan has since reconstructed and undergone an architectural Renaissance, now shines as one of the wealthiest cities in Europe.

Top Experiences : Witness Da Vinci’s ‘Last Supper’, go shopping at Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, walk top of the Duomo.

Estimated Stay : One or two days. Milan is also considered as one of the best places to visit in Italy with a family which involves a lot of day trips. You can make a nice day trip if you are traveling between cities such as Florence, Lake Como, and Venice.

At the foot of Mt. Vesuvius situated the ruins of the ancient city of Pompeii, which was buried under several feet of volcanic ash. This is your opportunity to stroll through a well-preserved, ancient city and get one of Italy’s best history lessons.

Top Experiences: You can explore Pompeii on your own or can consider hiring a guide or joining a tour to get the best experience.

Estimated Stay: You can visit Pompeii on a day trip from Rome, Naples, or the Amalfi Coast. The maximum duration of this trip will be two hours. You can also hike up to the summit of Mt. Vesuvius for some great experience.

Various books and Hollywood movies keep on flaunting Tuscany’s beauty and this has made us fall in love with this area. Scenic hillside towns climbing up in the midst of vineyards and rolling hills made Tuscany sumptuous and fun to explore. One week in Tuscany can be enjoyable if you are planning to settle down in a Tuscan villa along with some day trips out to the neighboring towns.

Top Experiences : Tour the hill towns of Tuscany. Siena (details below) is one of the larger towns with Florence, Lucca, Sienna, and Arezzo. They are all very unique and beautiful Tuscan towns. Top hill towns include San Gimignano, Pienza, and Volterra.

Estimated Stay : A day trip into Tuscany from Siena or Florence, and visiting a few of the smaller neighborhoods will be able to see some highlights of this scenic area. But with more time, usually three to four days, allows you to be laid back and soak up this region and its wineries.

Pisa is world-famous for its Leaning Tower (well known for Galileo’s gravity experiment from Leaning Tower of Pisa). You might be thinking about whether it’s really worth the visit? Let me tell you, Pisa is worth a quick stop if you are planning to travel from Florence to the Cinque Terre and can take an hour to pose with the tower for those cliché photos along with other travelers and maybe even climb the tower.

Top Experiences: You must try to climb the tower if vertigo is not an issue for you.

Estimated Stay: Two to three hours stay in the city is enough to experience the tower and surroundings.

The city of Romeo and Juliet is located along the Adige River and is considered one of the most charming cities in Italy. This small city is gorgeous but also an underrated Italian destination and is worth the visit, even if you just have a few hours.

You will not regret if you include Verona in your travel plans and might be thrilled you did so.

Top Experiences: The busiest spot is Juliette’s house, can expect a moderate to the heavy crowd there. Stroll across Ponte Scaligero, visit Piazza delle Erbe, visit the Arena di Verona (recent Bollywood movie ‘Rockstar’ shot over there for one of its songs), view the city of Verona from the top of Piazzale Castel San Pietro, and stroll through the city during sunset.

Estimated Stay: I will suggest you stay one night at Verona for experiencing the flavor of this city and stroll the city streets at night when the day-trippers leave.

A hill town in Tuscany, Siena is a great place to visit. Siena is similar to Florence but comparatively quieter and smaller. I am quite sure you will definitely love this place if you are paying a visit.

Top Experiences: Overlook Siena from Torre del Mangia, roam around the cobblestoned streets, visit the Siena Cathedral, and spend some time in Piazza del Campo.

Estimated Stay: If you have more time, spend at least one night here to really experience the best of Siena (or you can plan a day trip from Florence or Tuscany).

Sicily is the biggest island in the Mediterranean, and home to Mt. Etna, the second most active volcano in the world, and has long been considered one of the best places to visit in Italy with family. There is something for every age group, and community on Italy’s largest island, from archaeological sites to family resorts to busy towns and cities. This is a place where you can see ancient Greek and Roman ruins, stunning beaches, scenic towns, and lots of castles.

Top Experiences: Palermo, the capital of Sicily, is an exotic city worth exploring. Visit the Greek Theatre of Taormina, the Aeolian Islands, climb Mt. Etna, and relax on the beaches.

Estimated Stay: You need at least three days to get a taste of what Sicily has to offer. During three days’ time, you can see the historical highlights, chill out on the beach, and visit Mt. Etna.

Read More:  A Step-by-Step Guide On How To Plan A Europe Trip From India

Best Places To Visit In Italy: Travel Map

Italy is so rich in charming, and breathtaking places – I agree, it is not an easy job to pick just some of the most beautiful places in Italy.

However, I believe, this article has inspired you to include some of the places on your Italy bucket list because It’s truly a unique country to visit.

I will try to write on some of the most unique places to visit in Italy in one of my future articles to give an idea of other underrated but equally gorgeous places in Italy that you must include in your travel list.

If you find this article helpful, have any questions, or suggestions for improving the blog please write feedback in a comment.

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25 Best Places to Visit in Italy (+ Map to Find Them!)

Brainstorming the best places to visit in Italy before planning a big trip?

We have you covered: despite our temptation to list a hundred places to go in Italy on this list, we’ve narrowed it down to the top Italy travel destinations… plus thrown in just a few curveballs for good measure.

Italy has long been one of our absolute favorite places to travel, and despite cumulatively spending months exploring, we’ll be returning to enjoy the most beautiful places in Italy again and again for the rest of our lives.

Here are the best places to visit in Italy, from iconic cities to charming small towns to colorful islands!

Table of Contents

How to Choose Where to Go in Italy

The best cities to visit in italy, incredible small towns to visit in italy, nature-focused beautiful places in italy, map of the best places to visit in italy.

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It’s downright impossible to visit all the best places to visit in Italy on one trip–so once you’ve compiled your personal bucket list, you’ll need to narrow it down!

We have almost 100 blog posts about Italy here on Our Escape Clause, covering everything from detailed breakdowns of what to do in certain cities, to the best day trips, to food guides for cities like Rome and Florence .

I’ll link many of our Italy blog posts throughout this guide to the most beautiful places in Italy, but to find additional posts on a specific place (some places, like Rome, have over a dozen), use the search bar in the top-right corner of the screen (or if you’re browsing on mobile, on the pop-out menu).

You can use these posts to help put the backbone of your Italy trip together, as well as plan the more detailed aspects of your vacation.

After reading this guide to where to go in Italy, we recommend reading our suggested 2-week Italy itinerary (with classic suggestions for first-time visitors), our guide to spending a week in Italy that provides several options for structuring your trip, and our step-by-step-guide to planning an Italy trip .

You may also want to check out our Italy road trip guide , our 101 top Italy travel tips , and our suggested Italy packing list .

Nicknamed the Eternal City, Rome is a sprawling, complex city dotted with 2,000+ years of ruins, relics, and memories–and in our opinion, it’s one of the most captivating places to visit in Italy… and also in the world overall.

No trip to Rome is complete without visiting the Colosseum and Roman Forum, strolling up the Spanish Steps, stopping by Vatican City , eating a plate (or several) of carbonara, and tossing a coin in the Trevi Fountain to ensure you return to Rome.

We also highly recommend exploring a couple of Rome’s magnificent art museums, whether that’s the iconic Borghese Gallery or quieter options like Palazzo Spada .

Beautiful, walkable Florence is known primarily for two things: its art, and its food.

As both the Cradle of the Renaissance and the capital of Tuscany, neither of these is surprising!

Touring the famous Uffizi Gallery and visiting Michelangelo’s David at the Galleria dell’Accademia is a must-do for art lovers in Florence. 

Be sure to also stop by the Duomo, stroll across the Ponte Vecchio, watch the sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo, and eat plenty of delicious Tuscan food ! 

Of all the best places to go in Italy, Venice is arguably the most unique: there is simply nowhere else on the planet like the regal city of canals, with its iconic gondolas and architecture hinting at the history of the wealthy empire that once ruled from it.

The best things to do in Venice include visiting Piazza San Marco, marveling at St. Mark’s Basilica, taking a classic Venetian gondola ride, and wandering aimlessly through the less-crowded (but still stunning) corners of the city.

When looking for the best places to visit in Lombardy , you can’t start with anywhere except Milan.

The fashion and business capital of Italy is known for its luxury brands, beautiful architecture, and more modern vibe as compared to many Italian cities–but it still has plenty of history behind it, too, and belongs on any list detailing where to go in Italy.

Visiting Milan’s incredible Duomo (and especially its epic rooftop) belongs at the top of any list of things to do in Milan, followed by getting a peek at Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper.

Other sights include the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Castello Sforzesco, and of course Milan’s famous La Scala Opera House.

The capital of Emilia-Romagna is known, above all else, for its food, which just might be the best in Italy. 

Its charms don’t end there, though. Bologna boasts 3 nicknames: la dotta (the educated, for its history university), la rossa (the red, for its unique architecture), and la grassa (the fat, for the aforementioned epic food). It lives up to all of them.

While in Bologna, be sure to climb the Asinelli Tower for incredible views of the city, hunt down the city’s hidden canals, and visit the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca.

Plus, of course, enjoy plenty of food: tagliatelle al ragu, mortadella, and traditional balsamic vinegar are just a few of the delicacies that the region is known for.

The bustling port city of Naples isn’t everyone’s cup of tea–some would even argue that it doesn’t belong on a list of where to go in Italy. We disagree, though.

Naples has a very, very different vibe than Italian cities located further north, but its unique history, interesting things to do, and of course, pizza, make it well worth a visit.

In Naples, be sure to visit the Piazza del Plebiscito, get underground at the Bourbon Tunnel, San Gennaro Catacombs, or Naples Underground, and visit the magnificent archaeological museum, which is one of the best in Italy and where many of the most impressive artifacts from Pompeii ended up!

Plus, of course, visiting Naples means eating at least a couple of classic Napoli-style pizzas –they truly are better there than anywhere else.

Sicily’s stunning capital city is certainly a bit rougher around the edges than many of the best places to visit in Italy, but that’s no reason to stay away.

With a long and storied history impacted by half a dozen empires or so, plenty of palm trees, and even catacombs filled with mummies, Palermo is an unforgettable place, and utterly captivating if you give it the chance to be.

A trip to Palermo should definitely include a visit to the Palermo Cathedral, a food tour through the city ( Sicilian food is distinctly different from what many foreigners associate with Italian food–plus, you get to eat cannoli), and a stop to check out the Quattro Canti.

The city of Romeo and Juliet is located along the Adige River in Veneto and is arguably one of the most beautiful cities in Italy.

Packed with gorgeous views, colorful architecture, and interesting sights, Verona gets far fewer international visitors than, say, Venice or Florence–but it is easy to add onto a typical Italy vacation and well worth the effort!

While in Verona, be sure to enjoy the view from Castel San Pietro, visit Juliet’s House, and walk across the Ponte Pietra.

Tuscany’s second city was once the military rival of Florence–today, it is better known for its oval-shaped central piazza, its excellent food, and the Palio di Siena, a bi-annual horse race that takes place in the Piazza del Campo, and is a tradition that dates back around 800 years!

Visiting Siena’s Duomo (considered by some to be even more beautiful than Florence’s!) is a must-do when visiting the city, as is strolling around the oval-shaped Piazza del Campo and enjoying the view from the top of the Opera della Metropolitana.

Located on the eastern coast of Sicily, the beautiful city of Siracusa is home to beautiful views and history that dates back to the ancient Greeks (fun fact: the famous Greek mathematician Archimedes was from Siracusa!).

The best things to do in Siracusa include wandering the island of Ortigia (home to Siracusa’s old town), stopping by the many baroque churches (especially the Duomo), visiting the ancient Greek and Roman ruins scattered around, and seeing the Fort of San Giovannello.

Alberobello

With its distinct white-washed trulli (round buildings with cone-shaped roofs), Alberobello is one of the most unique places to visit in Italy and Puglia’s most famous inland sight.

The trulli are absolutely the biggest draw of Alberobello, so the most important thing to do in town is stroll through the Rione Monti, where you will find the biggest concentration of them! However, the quieter part of town, Aia Piccola, also has plenty of trulli and is well worth a visit.

Cinque Terre

Technically, I could list each of the five villages of Cinque Terre separately here (in order: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore), but even though they are technically separate places, Cinque Terre as a whole is one of the best travel destinations in Italy.

These five traditional fishing villages are known for their colorful buildings, their location right on the sea, and of course, their seafood.

When in Cinque Terre, hike from Monterosso al Mare to Vernazza (if you have limited time for hiking, this is the one to do!), enjoy a meal featuring seafood and/or pesto, and watch the sunset over Manarola.

If you have time, consider making it a point to visit all five villages and choose your favorite–ours are Vernazza and Riomaggiore, but ask me again tomorrow. It’s nearly impossible to choose!

Located in the Basilicata region of southern Italy, Matera is known for its ancient “sassi” cave dwellings, which were forcibly emptied by Mussolini in 1952.

Today, the city has reopened and been given new life, and its remarkable beauty has made it one of the most unique places on this guide of where to go in Italy.

In Matera, be sure to visit the Church of Saint Peter and its incredible viewpoint, see the city’s rock churches, and take a walking tour through the maze-like city center in order to learn about complex history dating back 10,000 years while also seeking out incredible views along the way!

Polignano a Mare

As one of the most picturesque beach towns in Italy , Polignano a Mare is primarily known for its visually stunning Cala Porto beach–but like other places in Puglia, the whitewashed architecture, historical buildings, and seafood also shine.

Visiting Cala Porto is at the top of everyone’s Polignano al Mare bucket list–be sure to also enjoy the view of it from above at Balconata sul Mare!

Montepulciano

Truthfully, there are many hilltop towns in Tuscany that are worthy of being considered among the most beautiful places in Italy, but I chose Montepulciano to include here because it is such a delightful example of an idyllic Tuscan town.

With its winding cobblestone streets, beautiful churches, fantastic views of the countryside, and excellent local wine, Montepulciano is not to be missed!

When in Montepulciano, sample the delicious Vino di Montepulciano (ideally at the wine cellar in the center of town), seek out views of the beautiful Church of San Biagio and snap photos at Piazza Grande.

Val di Noto’s Baroque Towns

The Baroque towns of Sicily’s Val di Noto are known for their remarkable architecture, excellent food (especially Modica’s chocolate), and incredible natural setting. They’re also, collectively, a UNESCO World Heritage site!

Siracusa, also included in this guide to beautiful spots in Italy, is technically among these towns, as is the city of Catania. However, the grouping of Ragusa (home to stunning views), Scilici, and Modica (home to incredibly unique chocolate) are a popular and worthy collection of villages to visit in their own right!

Pompeii isn’t exactly a small town, of course, but this incredibly famous archaeological site doesn’t quite fit into any of our categories on this guide to the best places to see in Italy, so I’ll include it here.

In 79 AD, Pompeii (as well as other nearby cities like Herculaneum) was buried by an enormous volcanic eruption from Mount Vesuvius… and it wasn’t seen again until the 18th century.

For this reason, Pompeii offers a positively incredible look into daily life in the ancient Roman empire.

Tour the city on foot (we highly recommend a guided tour), see the haunting plaster casts of victims who were buried alive, and marvel at the small details of life 2,000 years ago that are on display in Pompeii.

Glamorous Lake Como has long been considered one of the most beautiful places in Italy, and the resort-style feel of the gorgeous villas and villages that dot the lake is a testament to its overwhelming beauty.

While visiting Lake Como, be sure to sample a few of the different villages on the lake ( Bellagio , Varenna, and Como are all popular), tour a villa or two, take a hike above the lake for stunning views, and hit the water in a boat!

The stunning island of Capri has been captivating visitors with its gorgeous vistas and otherworldly grottos since the time of Roman Emperors–and 2,000 or so years later, it’s still just as captivating.

When visiting Capri, be sure to take a boat tour around the island, admire the views from the Garden of Augustus (don’t miss the view of Via Krupp looking straight down), ride the chairlift up Monte Solaro, and if you have enough time, tour the magical Blue Grotto.

The magnificent Dolomites are arguably one of the most dramatically beautiful mountain ranges in all of Europe, and whether you’d like to visit for a summer hike or a winter ski session, they are absolutely among the best places to visit in Italy.

The best things to do in the Dolomites include visiting the charming small cities of Bolzano and Cortina d’Ampezzo, hiking to stunning mountain lakes, taking funicular rides to small mountainside towns, and road-tripping the Great Dolomites Road.

Lago di Braies

Instagram-famous Lago di Braies is known as one of the most beautiful places in Italy. 

Framed by the Dolomites and populated by picturesque wooden rowboats, it’s truly a sight to behold.

Renting a rowboat to admire the lake from the water and hiking the circumference of the lake (it takes about 1.5 hours) are among the best things to do at Lago di Braies.

Tuscan Countryside

Known for its rolling hills, golden light, beautiful vineyards, charming villages, and even its hot springs, Tuscany has long been one of the most popular places to visit in Italy–for a very good reason.

In addition to touring its cities and small towns (Florence, Siena, and Montepulciano are also included on this list and are in Tuscany), consider visiting a hot spring, taking a cooking class, going for a hike, and of course enjoying several wine tastings while in the Tuscan countryside.

The Amalfi Coast

Of course, no list of the most beautiful places in Italy would be complete without mentioning the utterly magical Amalfi Coast, which is home to quite possibly some of the best coastal views on the planet.

When visiting the Amalfi Coast, be sure to village-hop a bit–Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello are among the most popular–enjoy views of the coast from the water with a boat tour or rental, and for some of the best views of all, hike the aptly-named Path of the Gods.

The gorgeous island of Sardinia gets far fewer non-Italian–and especially non-European–visitors than coastal retreats like the Amalfi Coast, Cinque Terre, or even Sicily, but that’s too bad… because it is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful places in Italy.

Sardinia’s beaches are known for being some of the best in Italy (and in Europe overall) , so be sure to add several to your list of things to do on the island! 

Visiting ancient ruins, sailing around the island (either yourself or on a tour), visiting the charming city of Cagliari, and checking out the many unique castles and caves all also belong on your list of what to do in Sardinia.

Mount Vesuvius

Mount Vesuvius, primarily known for the 79 AD eruption that buried Pompeii and Herculaneum, is the most famous volcano in Italy and an incredible place to visit.

Visit the crater of Mount Vesuvius (it’s about a 25-minute walk up, you can drive most of the way) to marvel at the smoldering volcano crater and to soak in magnificent views of the Bay of Naples.

Take This Map With You! Click each highlight to pull up the name of the destination. To save this map to “Your Places” on Google Maps, click the star to the right of the title. You’ll then be able to find it under the Maps tab of your Google Maps account! To open the map in a new window, click the button on the top right of the map.

About Kate Storm

In May 2016, I left my suburban life in the USA and became a full-time traveler. Since then, I have visited 50+ countries on 5 continents and lived in Portugal, developing a special love of traveling in Europe (especially Italy) along the way. Today, along with my husband Jeremy and dog Ranger, I’m working toward my eventual goal of splitting my life between Europe and the USA.

6 thoughts on “25 Best Places to Visit in Italy (+ Map to Find Them!)”

Kind of glad you didn’t mention my favorite place in Italy, Luca. Let’s keep it under the radar.?

Ah, if I included everywhere amazing in Tuscany, the post would never end! Lucca is my grandmother’s favorite too, we’ve spent some lovely trips there. 🙂

You’re welcome! 🙂

I will be visiting Italy in Sept 2023 for 8 days. Is it reasonable to spend time in Rome, Florence and Cinque Terre in that time period? If so, how would you recommend I break up the trip?

It’s a tight squeeze, but doable, especially if you visit Cinque Terre on an organized day trip from Florence.

Assuming the 2 days on either end of the trip are travel days, I’d recommend 3 full days in Rome, 1 day in Cinque Terre, and 2 days in Florence.

We talk a lot more about planning a week in Italy here: https://www.ourescapeclause.com/7-days-in-italy-in-a-week/

And we talk about visiting Cinque Terre from Florence here: https://www.ourescapeclause.com/florence-to-cinque-terre/

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24 Best Places to Visit in Italy

Written by Barbara Radcliffe Rogers Updated Oct 6, 2023

Few places rank as high on travelers' bucket lists as Italy. Whatever your taste in travel, you'll satisfy it in this country that is at once exotic and familiar. History, art, food, music, architecture, culture, sacred sites, charming villages, and stunning scenery are all around, and in an atmosphere that only the most confirmed curmudgeon could fail to enjoy.

From the soaring Dolomite mountains in the north to the beaches of Puglia and the ancient temples of Sicily, Italy is filled with outstanding places to see. These range from magnificent natural and scenic wonders to some of the greatest masterpieces of art and architecture the world has known. No matter where you choose, you can't go wrong.

Plan your trip to Italy with our list of the best places to visit in Italy.

2. Florence

4. tuscan hill towns, 6. lake como, 7. amalfi coast, 8. capri & sorrento, 9. the cinque terre, 10. pisa and lucca, 12. pompeii and herculaneum, 13. lake garda, 15. bologna, 16. the dolomites, 21. sardinia, 22. ravenna, map of places to visit in italy.

Both for its history as the capital of much of ancient Europe and for its present-day role as one of Europe's most vibrant cities, for most tourists traveling to Italy, Rome heads the list of places to visit. Relics of its ancient glories—the Colosseum , the Forum , the Pantheon , the Appian Way, and the Palatine Hill —vie with the vast riches of the Vatican as the top attractions.

But between the important sights like the Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo's Pieta, take time to enjoy the city itself. Relax in the Borghese gardens ; eat gelato on the Spanish Steps ; explore the narrow streets of Trastevere ; sip morning cappuccino in cafés; window-shop on the Via Veneto; and toss a coin in Trevi Fountain , so you can return again and again. It will take several trips to see it all.

• Read More: Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Rome

The showcase of the Italian Renaissance, Florence can at times seem like one giant art museum. The Duomo, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore , is a landmark of world architecture , topped by its gravity-defying massive dome.

Together with its marble-inlaid bell tower by Giotto and the octagonal Baptistery with its incomparable bronze doors by Ghiberti, this is one of the world's finest ensembles of Renaissance art.

Half a dozen art museums brim with paintings and sculptures, while more masterpieces decorate its churches and palaces. Before you overdose on art in the Uffizi Gallery and Pitti Palace , stroll through the Boboli Gardens and explore the artisans' studios and workshops of the Oltrarno, or shop for leather in Santa Croce.

• Read More: Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Florence

Who could fail to love a city whose streets are made of water, whose buses are boats, and where the songs of gondoliers linger in the air? It is a magic city, and its major attraction to tourists is the city itself.

The hub of the city is the broad Piazza San Marco, St. Mark's Square , surrounded by several of its top tourist attractions. The great Basilica of St. Mark stands beside the Doge's Palace , and overlooking both is the tall Campanile.

Taking a gondola ride is one of the most romantic things to do in Italy . Gondolas congregate at the end of the plaza in the Grand Canal . In the other direction, a gate under the clock tower leads into a warren of narrow, winding passageways, where you're sure to get lost on the way to Rialto Bridge. But getting lost is one of the greatest pleasures of Venice, where a postcard scene awaits around each corner.

• Read More: Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Venice

The undulating landscape of Tuscany is crowned by stone towns whose foundations go back to the Etruscans. Each sits atop a hill, and many still have the castles and towers that once defended their commanding positions.

It's difficult to choose one above the others, as each has its own architecture, art, character, and story to tell. Fairly bristling with towers and enclosed in walls that are largely intact, San Gimignano looks much as it did in the Middle Ages, when it was an important stop on the pilgrims' route to Rome.

Volterra was an important Etruscan center before the Romans came and still has remains of both civilizations today. The tourist attractions of Arezzo are the legacy of the many artists, architects, and poets who lived there.

Like Volterra, walled Cortona was an Etruscan settlement and later a Roman one, but adds reminders of its Florentine past as well. Cortona is one of Italy's oldest towns. The proximity of these hill towns to the cities of Florence, Siena, Pisa, and Luca fills Tuscany with a concentration of many of the best places to visit in Italy.

Read More: Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Italy

Although Milan is a major entry point for tourists because of its airport, it's often overlooked as a destination of its own. That's a shame, because Milan has one of the highest concentrations of artistic and architectural attractions in all Italy, and for those interested in design and fashion (not to mention shopping), it's a must.

Milan has been the home and workplace for luminaries in all these fields: Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Verdi, Enrico Caruso, Toscanini, and designer Giorgio Armani.

Il Duomo, Milan's massive cathedral, is among the world's most magnificent churches, and finest example of the Flamboyant Gothic style. La Scala is the world's most prestigious opera house, Da Vinci's The Last Supper fills the wall at a monastery, and throughout the city are museums and palaces filled with some of the world's finest art. And no fashionista can resist a stroll through the famed Quadrilatero.

Italy's most beautiful lake, Como has been the favorite summer retreat of the rich and famous since ancient Romans fled Milan's summer heat to cool off in villas along its steep shores. Later villas decorate its tightly clustered towns, especially pretty Bellagio , artfully set on a point where the three narrow arms of the lake meet.

A microclimate makes the western shore of Lake Como temperate even in winter, so the white peaks of the Alps just to the north can be viewed between palm trees and camellias. Don't overlook the town of Como, on the southern shore, well worth a stop before boarding a steamer to explore the lake.

Just to the west of Lake Como is Lake Maggiore, with its own attractions ; to the east is Lake Garda , a summer playground filled with water sports and other things to do.

Read More: Visiting Lake Como: Top Attractions, Hotels & Tours

The high, precipitous Amalfi Peninsula juts sharply into the Mediterranean just south of Naples, forming the southern rim of Naples Bay. It's hard to imagine a more beautiful – or unlikely – setting for the towns that spill down its steep slopes.

Streets in most of these picturesque towns are stairways, and houses seem glued to the cliffs behind them. Flowers bloom everywhere, and below the towns are enticing beaches caught in coves of emerald water. High above the coast is the town of Ravello , where luxuriant gardens frame some of the coast's finest views.

The Amalfi Drive , along the southern coast, is one of the world's great scenic routes, or you can see the coast from the water by taking a 45-minute ferry ride from Sorrento to Positano. You have several options for getting to Positano from Rome .

Read More: Top Attractions & Places to Visit on the Amalfi Coast

The fabled Isle of Capri rises in steep cliffs from the Tyrrhenian Sea, only 20 kilometers from Sorrento. It was the bolt-hole for the Roman emperors Augustus and Tiberius and today attracts a steady stream of tourists arriving on the frequent ferries and hydrofoils from Sorrento and Naples.

Although very small – it is barely six kilometers at its longest – it has two towns, Capri and high above it, Anacapri. The lower town is where to find smart shops and cafés full of people-watchers hoping to spot a celebrity. Anacapri is the site of the lovely Villa San Michele and its gardens.

One of the top things to do on Capri is a trip to the Blue Grotto, a large flooded cave where reflected sunlight makes the water look as though it were lit from inside. At the other side of the island is the beautiful Marina Piccola, a tiny beach at the foot of the cliffs guarded by the craggy Faraglioni sea stacks.

Like Capri, the charming town of Sorrento seems to have been created for pleasure. The views, framed by candy-colored buildings and lemon trees, take in Naples and its bay, Mt. Vesuvius, and Capri. It's a town for strolling, sitting in cafés, and taking day trips to Capri, the Amalfi Coast, or Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Read More: From Rome to Capri: Best Ways to Get There

The five towns that cling to the steep, rocky Mediterranean coast north of La Spezia were almost impossible to reach by land until the railway connected them by tunneling through the headlands that separate them.

Today, the trail along the cliffs that locals once used to travel from town to town is one of Europe's greatest hikes; the shortest and widest of its sections, between Manarola and Riomaggiore is known as the Via dell'Amore, and has finally reopened after several years' closure due to a landslide.

Although hiking the trail is the goal of most tourists, don't overlook the pleasures of lingering in these little villages . Riomaggiore and Vernazza , with their narrow streets dropping down to tiny rock-bound harbors are the most filled with character, and despite its recent popularity with tourists, the Cinque Terre remains one of Italy's most appealing attractions.

The nearby towns of Pisa and Lucca are worth visiting while you're in Tuscany, the first for the exceptional Campo dei Miracoli complex and the other for its endearing charms.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa , actually the campanile for the adjacent cathedral, is a well-known Italian icon, and forms the centerpiece of a UNESCO World Heritage site that also includes the cathedral, baptistery, and Campo Santo.

The highlight of the impressive baptistery is Nicola Pisano's intricately carved free-standing pulpit, a masterpiece of Romanesque sculpture. Completing the ensemble is a museum displaying some of the most beautiful gold and silver work of the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

Nearby, Lucca is one of Europe's most charming towns to explore and enjoy, surrounded by wide walls whose top is a tree-lined park. Inside the walls are beautiful Romanesque and Tuscan Gothic churches, tower houses (one of which you can climb to the top), and a Roman arena that has been "fossilized" into an oval piazza.

The compact historic center of this former Roman stronghold is embraced by a deep curve in the Adige River. Dominating its heart is the remarkable well-preserved first-century Roman arena , scene of the world-renowned summer opera festival.

Several Roman arches are mixed among the medieval and Renaissance buildings, many of which show Verona's long history as part of the Venetian empire. Alongside the river stands the large Castelvecchio , a castle built in the 14th century, guarding a brick arched bridge, Ponte Scaligero.

For all its rich treasury of architecture and art, Verona's biggest claim to tourist fame is based on pure fiction. Verona was the setting for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet , and over the past century, locals have obliged by creating homes, a balcony, and even a tomb for the fictional characters. These are some of the top things to see and do in Verona

In AD 79, Mt. Vesuvius erupted violently and suddenly, engulfing the thriving Roman city of Pompeii and encasing it for more than a millennium in six meters of ash and pumice-stone. The city remained frozen in time until excavations that began in the 18th century uncovered more than half of its buildings and public spaces.

The same eruption also engulfed the city of Herculaneum , but this time in molten lava, not ash. So instead of raining down and crushing buildings with its weight, the lava flowed in and filled the city from the ground up, supporting walls and ceilings as it rose, and preserving them in place.

Also preserved in this airtight seal were organic materials, such as wood, textiles, and food, giving a more complete picture of life in the first century. Details such as eating vessels and even food have been preserved as they were when the disaster struck.

Read More: Visiting Pompeii: Top Attractions, Tips & Tours

Combining dramatic mountain scenery with a wide choice of water sports and holiday amusements, Lake Garda is the most family-friendly of the Italian Lakes . Near Verona, Lake Garda is easy to reach by train, and close enough to be a day trip from Milan .

A favorite place to visit for families , Lake Garda is well supplied with low-key resorts and campgrounds, and at the southern end, the popular theme parks of Gardaland, Gardaland Sea-Life, and the movie-themed Caneva World are magnets for kids. The busiest area is along the southern shore, where there are several beaches with shallow water for young swimmers.

You can rent kayaks, paddle boards, and equipment for water sports at various places along the eastern and southern shores. Winds sweeping down from the mountains that rise sharply at the northern end of the lake make sailing popular there, and at Torbole you'll find some of Europe's best windsurfing and kitesurfing .

Lake Garda is not without tourist attractions to visit. The small town of Sirmione , almost an island at the end of a long peninsula on the southern shore, is approached through the gates of a small castle, which you can tour. Follow the only street past chic boutiques and souvenir stores (Sirmione is a popular place to go shopping) to the beautifully preserved ruins of a Roman villa and spa.

Farther north, Malcesine's castle clings to a rocky promontory above the lake, reached via narrow Medieval streets. For more mountain and lake views, ride the rotating cable car from Malcesine to the summit of Monte Baldo.

At its height in the 13th and 14th centuries, Siena rivaled Florence for its arts and culture, and it still has a wealth of art and architectural treasures. The highlight is the magnificent Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta , whose inlaid marble facade and striped bell tower stand dramatically among Siena's mostly red brick buildings. The cathedral interior is a museum of works by great artists and sculptors, including Donatello, Giovanni Pisano, Bernini, and Lorenzo Ghiberti.

But art treasures are just some of Siena's attractions . The winding medieval streets and broad plazas are inviting places to wander. Piazza del Campo is considered one of Europe's finest medieval public squares. Twice each summer, this gigantic, sloping main square is the scene of a chaotic horse race known as the Palio.

Renowned for its culinary skills and cuisine, as well as for its historic university (Europe's oldest), Bologna is the most appealing city to visit. The elegant arcades shelter the streets from the sun or rain, and beneath them are shops with their original century-old interiors. Follow Via Galleria to admire its old aristocratic mansions.

Life centers around the adjoining Piazza Maggiore and Piazza del Nettuno, where you'll find the magnificent 16 th -century Neptune Fountain and the still unfinished façade of the Basilica of San Petronius.

The other church to see is the atmospheric Santo Stefano, a complex of seven religious buildings built by the Benedictines from the 10th to 13th century. Its two leaning towers, Asinelli and Garisenda, are tall thin pillars of brick and stone, taller than the more famous one at Pisa. These are remnants of medieval times, when families had their own defensive towers attached to their homes.

Read More: Top Attractions & Places to Visit in Bologna

Home to six of Italy's top ski resorts , the jagged peaks of the Dolomites are spectacular at any season, whether the mountains are white with snow and ice, or rising dramatically above lush green Alpine meadows. The most famous town is Cortina d'Ampezzo , one of the top ski resorts in the world .

Other villages of wooden chalets are ski centers, too, and hidden deep in the valleys are more hamlets that curious tourists can discover by following the mountain roads that radiate from the Strada delle Dolomiti, the Dolomite Road .

This year-round route stretching from Bolzano to Cortina d'Ampezzo, is a continuing series of mountain views as it crosses the Passo Pordoi and passes the peaks of the Gruppo del Sella to reveal the Cinque Torri, five peaks overlooking Cortina.

Although the road snakes up and down the mountainsides in switchbacks, it is wide, well-paved, and free of the alarming drop-offs that make so many Alpine roads teeth-clenching experiences. You can pause the drive at several points to take gondola rides for even more breathtaking views of mountains in every direction.

Highlights are the forest-surrounded Lake Carezza, the waterfall in Canazei, and the tree-framed views from Passo di Costalunga. In inscribing the Dolomites as a World Heritage Site, UNESCO called the Dolomites "among the most attractive mountain landscapes in the world."

As the canals characterize Venice, and the Renaissance is the essence of Florence, in Naples, it's the sheer exuberance that will hold you spellbound. It's a boisterous place, its narrow streets filled with color, noise, and life.

You'll find plenty to see and do in Naples , in its treasure-filled churches, its magnificent palaces lavished in the riches of European royalty, and its premier archaeological museum displaying the finds from nearby Pompeii.

Join locals and stroll by the waterfront to savor views of Mt. Vesuvius across the bay, hop a ferry to the island of Capri or magical Sorrento, shop in the glass-domed Galleria Umberto I, and by all means, sample the pizza—Neapolitans claim to have invented it.

The island of Sicily has earned seven places on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list, three for its ancient sites, two for natural wonders, and two for architectural treasures. Some of the finest remaining examples of ancient structures are in Sicily: at Selinunte is one of the largest Greek temples; in Agrigento , at the Valley of Temples, is one of the three most perfect Greek temples anywhere; and the 3,500 square meters of mosaics at Villa Romana del Casale in Enna decorate one of the best-preserved villas in the entire Roman Empire.

Sicily's landscapes, crowned by Mt. Etna, and its spectacular golden-sand beaches match its world-class attractions.

The capital of Palermo is a vibrant city full of color and fine buildings. Nearby Monreale Cathedral is a masterpiece of Norman architecture, its walls covered by 6,340 square meters of the interior walls with intricate mosaics by artists from Constantinople and Sicily. Monreale stands today almost exactly as it was built in the 1100s, and is one of Sicily's top tourist attractions .

Most tourists visit Assisi as the home of St. Francis, and for the Franciscan sites that rose here to memorialize him. The Basilica di San Francesco was constructed over the saint's tomb in the early 13th century and is one of the world's most visited pilgrimage destinations.

Along with the Basilica, a pilgrimage includes other sites closely associated with the saint. The Renaissance church of Santa Maria degli Angeli was over St. Francis' oratory (Porziuàncola ) and the cell in which he died.

St Francis preached and prayed at the 12 th -century Cathedral of San Rufino , and the Gothic Basilica of Santa Chiara is dedicated to St. Clare, the disciple of St. Francis who founded the order of Poor Clares.

Religion is not the only draw for tourists to Assisi. The building and decoration of all these holy sites drew the finest artists of their day, making Assisi a center for the arts and leaving works by great artists that include Giotto and Cimabue. Assisi is a popular day trip from Florence , and there are several ways of getting to Assisi from Rome .

One of the great industrial cities of the north, Turin, unlike Milan, is relatively small and compact, and it's highlights are easy to explore on foot. There is a grandeur to its architecture and its formal layout, designed by the Savoys to show that they were as regal as any of Europe's royal families and could surround themselves with splendor that rivaled Paris.

Its arcaded squares and avenues and royal palaces right in the center set the tone, but that is not all of Turin's charm. A small medieval quarter, Roman sites, and entire neighborhoods of Art Nouveau lend variety, and a riverside park with a complete faux-medieval village prove that Turin doesn't take itself too seriously.

Don't miss the extraordinary Museum of Cinema in a skyscraper that was once a synagogue. Turin's contrasts will charm you—as will its coffee houses and grand cafés.

Read More: Top Tourist Attractions in Turin

This enigmatic Mediterranean island seems worlds apart from Italy, and is itself a land of stark contrasts. Best known for its glamorous Costa Smeralda, the jet-set paradise of luxury enclaves set against the emerald waters of the northeast coast, Sardinia has a lot more to offer adventurous tourists or even the sun-loving beach seeker.

The entire south is ringed with mile after mile of white-sand beaches , and the rugged interior is prime territory for hikers and climbers. Sardinia is a place for travelers who want to explore remote mountain villages, where old traditions not only survive but are a way of life.

The most enigmatic and fascinating attractions are the hundreds of mysterious round stone towers, known as Nuraghe, which dot the entire island and make Sardinia high on the list of unique places to visit in Italy. Prehistoric sites are everywhere and include these towers, sacred wells, "giants tombs," and other ancient structures. Entire Phoenician and Roman cities wait to be explored.

Read More: Top Attractions & Things to Do in Sardinia

This ancient city on the Adriatic is truly unique in Italy. Unlike any other, Ravenna's artistic origins are almost entirely Byzantine, and here you'll find Western Europe's finest collection of Byzantine mosaics , all in nearly pristine condition.

In the sixth century, Ravenna was the seat of the king Theodoric the Great, who was raised in Constantinople, and it became a center for mosaic artistry that reached its zenith here.

Seven buildings decorated with some of the finest examples of mosaic art are included in a UNESCO World Heritage Site. See all of them, but above all don't miss the early 5th-century Neonian Baptistery; the impressive interior of San Vitale; and the jewel-like Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, which UNESCO calls "one of the most artistically perfect" and best preserved of all mosaic monuments.

Read More: Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Ravenna

If Puglia were less remote, it would be one of the country's best-known tourist destinations. Picturing Italy as a boot, Puglia forms the heel — a long stiletto heel reaching southeast into the Adriatic Sea.

The capital city of Lecce is filled with Baroque architecture, magnificent churches with facades intricately carved in local golden limestone. At the very tip of the heel is the Salento, a largely pristine coast of rocky cliffs, soaring headlands, and beaches in the deep coves between them. On the Salento's western shore, some of Italy's most beautiful beaches stretch in kilometers of golden sand.

The eastern shore is protected by the Parco Naturale Regionale Costa Otranto. Its picturesque village of Otranto (see the mosaics in its 12th-century church) is the gateway to the pristine blue-flag beaches on Baia dei Turchi . From the 15th-century castle, you can see across the Adriatic to the mountains of Albania.

At Alberobello, you can see the picturesque villages of trulli, little conical-roofed houses that now constitute a UNESCO World Heritage Site . You can make one of these little houses your home while you tour the region.

Riches from its maritime past have left the port city of Genoa with a rich legacy of Italy's most splendid noble palaces. Dating from the 16 th and 17th centuries, these marble showcases of Italian art and architecture are Genoa's prime tourist attractions and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

But don't overlook the steep, atmospheric streets of the old sailors' quarter above the Old Harbor, or the Aquarium and the Maritime Museum , both overlooking the harbor. One of Europe's best aquariums, it holds more than 10,000 aquatic animals in a state-of-the-art facility that replicates their natural environments; the Maritime Museum is also a draw for families, as it brings the age of sail to life for children.

Take advantage of the numerous funiculars to navigate the city's steep terrain, and don't miss the chance to sample some of Italy's finest cuisine.

More Related Articles on PlanetWare.com

Where to Go from Rome: For a break from the bustle of Rome, you can easily spend a day exploring gardens and attractions in Tivoli , and even farther with the help of our page From Rome to Capri: 5 Best Ways to Get There . For even more suggestions, refer to our page on the Top-Rated Day Trips from Rome .

Where to Go near Florence: You don't have to travel far to find many of the top tourist attractions in Tuscany . Travel west to the lovely walled city of Lucca , and only a little farther to see the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa, with its cathedral and baptistery. South of Florence is Siena, where our Visitor's Guide to the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta will lead you to its greatest treasures.

Where to Go from Venice: The Veneto region is filled with exciting places to visit, such as nearby Padua . The villas of Andrea Palladio are the top tourist attractions in Vicenza , and not far beyond are historic Verona and beautiful Lake Garda .

More on Italy

The Top 10 Must-Visit Cities in Italy

Written by ej ray, destinations | europe | italy | luxury travel | travel.

Looking for the best cities to visit in Italy? From the romantic canals of Venice to the artistic treasures of Florence, an Italian journey promises to be a feast for the senses. Here are our top picks for the best cities to visit in Italy.

Ciao, wanderlust adventurers! Welcome to the enchanting land of Italy, where every cobblestone street whispers tales of history, and the aroma of freshly baked pizza lingers in the air. Get ready to immerse yourself in the splendor of the top cities on your trip to Italy , each offering a unique blend of luxury, culture, and indulgence. From the romantic canals of Venice to the artistic treasures of Florence, this journey promises to be a feast for the senses. So, pack your bags, and let’s explore the cradle of La Dolce Vita. If you fall in love with Italy , you may decide to retire in Italy and live the dream of your life!

As we embark on this journey through Italy’s most enchanting cities, each a treasure trove of history and indulgence, we invite you to discover a luxurious secret that will elevate your travel experience to unprecedented heights. Imagine wandering through the ancient streets of Rome, savoring Tuscan delicacies in Siena, or embracing the romance of Venice’s canals. Now, picture yourself unwinding in the lap of opulence and comfort, courtesy of Le Collectionist’s luxury villa rentals in Italy .

With each city we explore, these exclusive havens become not just accommodations but an integral part of your Italian odyssey. These best cities to visit in Italy mesmerize with their rich history, art, and culture.

Let’s begin our voyage with the eternal glamour of Rome and explore the top cities to visit in Italy.

What's in This Article:

Best Cities to Visit in Italy

Here’s a list of some of the best cities to visit in Italy, each offering its unique charm and attractions:

Rome—The Eternal Glamour

Ah, Rome! The eternal city where ancient wonders meet modern extravagance. From the grandeur of the Colosseum to the luxury of Vatican City, Rome seamlessly intertwines history with luxury. Indulge in delectable Roman cuisine at a charming trattoria and toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain for good luck. Prepare to be dazzled by the city’s timeless beauty and captivating allure.

Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome, Italy. Photo by Fayethequeen via iStock by Getty Images

Florence—A Renaissance Retreat

Step into a living masterpiece as you enter Florence , a city that breathes art and sophistication. Home to the iconic Uffizi Gallery, where Renaissance treasures come to life, Florence enchants visitors with its stunning architecture and world-class museums. Stroll across the Ponte Vecchio, a bridge adorned with artisanal boutiques, and savor a gelato while gazing at the Duomo’s magnificent dome.

Florence, Italy at sunset. Photo by Rudy Balasko via iStock by Getty Images

Venice—Romance on Water

Venice , the city of canals and gondolas, exudes an aura of romantic mystique. Drift along the Grand Canal and explore the hidden alleys, discovering charming cafes and Venetian glass shops. Delight in a private gondola ride under the Bridge of Sighs and relish sumptuous seafood dishes at a canal-side restaurant. Venice is a dreamy escape that promises an unforgettable rendezvous.

Grand Canal in Venice. Photo by Susan Lanier-Graham

Milan—Fashion and Finesse

For the fashion-forward traveler, Milan is a must-visit paradise. A global hub of haute couture, this city boasts the opulent Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping arcade and hosts the prestigious Milan Fashion Week. Immerse yourself in luxury shopping and savor Milanese cuisine at a trendy restaurant. Remember to marvel at the breathtaking beauty of the Gothic-inspired Milan Cathedral.

Milan Cathedral in Italy. Photo by Susan Lanier-Graham

Naples—Gastronomic Delights

Calling all food enthusiasts! Naples , the birthplace of pizza, invites you on a culinary journey like no other. Indulge in wood-fired Margherita pizzas and locally sourced seafood at traditional pizzerias. Explore the historical streets and soak in the vibrant atmosphere of Spaccanapoli. A blend of delectable dishes and vibrant culture awaits in this flavorful city.

Mount Vesuvius looms over the city of Naples. Photo by Giancarlo De Luca.

Verona—Shakespearean Charms

Verona, the city of star-crossed lovers, oozes romance and elegance. Walk through Juliet’s House and stand on her balcony, capturing a moment straight out of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” Explore the well-preserved Arena di Verona, a Roman amphitheater hosting world-class operatic performances. With its quaint streets and captivating history, Verona is a hidden gem.

Bridge Ponte Pietra in Verona on Adige river. Photo by Yasonya via iStock by Getty Images

Turin—Regal Grandeur

Nestled in the foothills of the Alps, Turin is a regal city boasting elegant architecture and refined pleasures. Discover the opulent Royal Palace of Turin and explore the Egyptian Museum, home to an impressive collection of ancient artifacts. Indulge in decadent chocolates and stroll through sprawling piazzas surrounded by the stunning backdrop of the Alps.

Torino (Turin, Italy) at sunrise with the Mole Antonelliana towering over the city. Photo by Fabio Lamanna via iStock by Getty Images

Bologna—Culinary Haven

Prepare to tantalize your taste buds in Bologna, a gastronomic haven renowned for its rich flavors: sample authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and traditional balsamic vinegar. Explore medieval streets, visit the oldest university in the world, and savor handmade pasta dishes. Bologna offers a delectable blend of history, culture, and mouthwatering cuisine.

Bologna, Italy – Skyline of Medieval Two Towers (Due Torri), Asinelli, and Garisenda. Photo by emicristea via iStock by Getty Images

Palermo—Sicilian Splendors

Venture south to Palermo, the vibrant capital of Sicily, where history unfolds against a backdrop of stunning architecture. Explore the Palermo Cathedral and the Palazzo dei Normanni, marveling at their intricate designs. Immerse yourself in local markets, savoring arancini and cannoli. With its mix of cultures and flavors, Palermo offers a unique and exotic escape.

Piazza San Domenico in Palermo, Italy. Photo by Sean Pavone via iStock by Getty Images

Siena—Timeless Beauty

Journey to Siena, a city frozen in time, where medieval charm meets modern luxury. The Piazza del Campo is the city’s heart, hosting the thrilling Palio horse race. Explore the Siena Cathedral and climb its tower for panoramic views. Savor Tuscan delicacies and fine wines while basking in the warmth of Siena’s timeless allure.

Siena Cathedral. Photo by Susan Lanier-Graham

Articles Related to the Best Cities to Visit in Italy

• Rome Travel Tips: Where to Go and What to See on Your Trip to Rome
• Best Historical Places in Europe
• The Art Lover’s Guide to Florence
• Venture to Venice
• Anantara Palazzo Naiadi Rome Hotel: A Luxury Hotel in Rome
• Ultimate Guide to 2 Days in Florence
• Hotel La Gemma, A Luxury Hotel in Florence

When Discovering the Best Cities to Visit in Italy

These top cities to visit in Italy showcase a remarkable blend of history, culture, and beauty. We have discovered a voyage that combines culture with richness and history with hedonism amid the patchwork of Italy’s most spectacular towns. But as our journey ends, I urge you to think about the height of luxury that might make your trip into a remarkable story. Imagine coming home from sightseeing in Florence, a trip on a gondola in Venice, or a gourmet tour of Bologna to find consolation in the embrace of your little refuge.

This is the magic that the Collectionist’s luxury villa rentals in Italy create: a seamless blending of the amazing places we’ve been with the elegance and opulence you deserve for your vacation. As our Italian adventure ends, remember that the Collectionist’s next chapter awaits you. Let  Wander With Wonder be your guide to finding the best things to see and do during your trip to Italy or elsewhere around Europe .

The Top 10 Must-Visit Cities in Italy: Luxury Travel Experiences in Italy

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The 20 best cities to visit in Italy

As Italian, I am very proud of my home country and I would like to share with you my personal list of the 20 best cities to visit in Italy.

Jessica Jessy Around The World

Aug 09, 2023

Italy is a wonderful country, and it’s full of things to see and places to visit. In this article I would like to focus on the cities I consider the most beautiful in the country.

I will list them in no particular order, they are all gorgeous and I couldn't classify them, I just want to let you know what are the 20 best cities to visit in Italy .

Before starting, if you love Italy and you would like to visit it, you could also be interested in the ultimate Worldpackers Italy travel guide . 

The best cities to visit in Italy

1. rome: "the ethernal city".

They call it “ The Ethernal City ”, thanks to its invaluable artistic and cultural heritage, Rome can’t be missed on a list about the best cities to visit in Italy .

Not only it is the capital of Italy, but it’s also the city with the greatest cultural heritage in the country.

If you are planning a trip for the best places to visit in Italy, and you are in love with art, culture and cities, you should definitely include Rome in your visit, and make sure to have at least 5 days to visit it, because it’s really full of things to see and do.

Don’t miss a photo with the famous Colosseo , explore the culture of the Roman Empire visiting the Foro Romano , and don’t forget to taste the delicious typical pasta carbonara .

Don't lose the guide about what to do in Rome in 3 days if you're planning a visit here.

2. Florence: one of the most beautiful cities in Italy

Florence is certainly one of the most beautiful cities in Italy, and it’s definitely worth a visit.

Everybody falls in love with Florence the first time they visit it, and the list of things to see and do in this city is countless.

If you love art you should definitely visit the gallery Uffizi , if you love nature you can’t miss Boboli Gardens , and if you want to bring home the best pictures of the city you should take them from Piazzale Michelangelo , the place with the best view in town.

And since Florence is quite an expensive city, you can have a look at all the volunteering opportunities in Florence , where you can exchange some hours of work for accomodation.

Among those possibilities, you could help with daily tasks at a holiday house in the countryside of Florence or give a hand with cleaning of a 1,000 yr old Tuscan Castle !

3. Visit Siena, the "small Florence"

Not so far from Florence, there is another city which deserves to be on the list of the best cities in Italy to visit , and I am talking about Siena .

They often refer to Siena as a “small Florence”, because it is smaller but equally beautiful.

The truth is that Siena is so amazing that sometimes it is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the entire country.

Famous for the medieval fair of Il Palio , Siena can steal your heart in a minute.

You can start your visit from Piazza del Campo , a stunning square famous worldwide. You’ll wish to take a lot of pictures, trust me. And it’s only one of the beautiful things you can see in the city.

4. Don't miss Venice

Everybody in the world knows Venice , and it’s so famous that it’s often used as a touchstone and a model for other cities which try to resemble it, like for example Aveiro, the so-called "Venice of Portugal" .

Venice is not only one of the best cities to visit in Italy , but also one of the best cities to visit in the world.

You can visit the amazing Piazza San Marco and take a lot of pictures trying to avoid the pigeons, but the real attraction in the city are the canals .

The best thing to do in Venice is to get lost in its canals, no doubt.

5. Naples: the hometown of pizza

Let’s move in the south of Italy and let’s talk about one of the most beautiful cities in this part of the country: Naples .

If you want to enjoy a beautiful scenery over the Vesuvius volcano on one side, and the sea on the other side, Naples is the right place to visit in Italy.

But natural landscapes are not the only thing you can see here, because Naples has also a beautiful city centre full of things to visit, and the city is known to be the hometown of pizza , the most famous and delicious Italian food.

If you want to explore an amazing city and eat the best pizza in the world, you must visit Naples.

This is one of those cities that usually the longer you stay, the more you like. To have that experience, you can try one of the work-exchange opportunities in Naples . 

6. Enjoy the stunning coast of Amalfi

Not so far from Naples we can find another gorgeous city, famous for its sceneries over the sea and the coast, Amalfi .

Amalfi gives its name to one of the most beautiful coast and sea landscape in Italy, the Costiera Amalfitana .

And if you visit the city of Amalfi, you will fall in love with its tiny streets and the amazing Duomo , and you will be able to understand why it deserves to be on the list of best cities to visit in Italy.

7. Go South to Sicily and visit Palermo

If we go further south, we will reach the island of Sicily , and here we can find another beautiful city to include on the list of best cities in Italy to visit . I am talking about Palermo .

Palermo is a very particular city, it is a mix of different cultures, the Norman, the Italian and the Arabic.

The result can be seen in its historical buildings, such as its stunning Cathedral .

Besides the cultural experience, you can also try some of the tastiest Italian dishes, such as the unique cannolo siciliano or the arancino .

Worldpackers has a volunteering position in a hostel of Palermo , where you can help with cleaning and reception tasks in exchange of a place to stay.

More inspiration in  Beyond the glass: eco-volunteering at a winery in Sicily with Worldpackers .

8. Don't miss the baroque city of Lecce

Another city in the south you should definitely visit if you love to experience particular artistic styles is Lecce , in the region of Puglia .

Lecce has a style which is unique in the world, it is called Lecce Baroque .

You can see this style all around the city historical centre, in its buildings, such as the Duomo and the theatre .

Lecce is a city which is worth a visit and deserves to be on this list.

Explore the genuine Puglia's culture while helping at this hostel in the Province of Lecce and stay for free!

9. Matera: the "city of stones"

Matera is one of the most special places to see in Italy. It is called “ the city of stones ” because its ancient part is made by very old stones and is so fascinating.

The ancient stones are very well preserved and Matera is really a piece of history. Walking down its streets you will feel like being on another planet, in another age.

It is impossible not to include Matera on the list of best cities in Italy to visit .

10. Avoid the tourist crowds (and traps) in Urbino

In the centre of Italy we can find Urbino , a very nice city not so visited by tourists.

Trust a local, Urbino is worth a visit and you will be able to enjoy its beauty without being surrounded by tons of tourists because it is still an authentic place.

Don’t forget to take lots of pictures to the amazing Castle of Urbino and try to eat the super famous olive all’Ascolana , a kind of olive unique in the world.

More of the best cities to visit in Italy

So far we have seen 10 of the best cities to visit in Italy, but there are still many more that I'd love to recommend...

11. Visit Milan, the "fashion capital of the world"

Let’s go back to the north of Italy and let’s talk about the city of business and fashion, Milan .

It is famous to be the city of business because the most important companies are all located here, and it’s also the city of fashion , because of the festivals which take place here every year and the amazing and super cool shops you can find in Milan’s streets.

Besides that, Milan also has its nice places and things to visit, such as the famous Duomo and some very pretty spots like Navigli .

You can’t miss Milan if you want to visit the best cities in Italy.

Check all the volunteering opportunities in Milan and stay longer than you expected.

Visit more for less with the  budget-friendly Milan travel guide .

12. Pisa:  much more than just the "Leaning Tower"

Everybody in the world knows the tower of Pisa and everybody at least once dreamed of taking a cool and funny picture with it.

Pisa is famous worldwide thanks to its main attraction, the bell tower of the city's cathedral, and it gets every year so many visitors who want to take pictures of it.

But the tower is not the only thing which is worth a visit and a picture, the whole city is amazing and deserves your attention.

Piazza dei Miracoli and the streets along the river are just two other examples of what Pisa has to offer.

You should definitely include it on your list of top places to visit in Italy .

13. Going north to Turin

Turin is a city in the very north, so close to the amazing Alpes   Mountains , the perfect place if you want to see beautiful sceneries of mountains and snow.

But the city itself has a lot of things to see and do.

You can start your visit from the famous Mole Antonelliana , the most beautiful attraction in Turin, and take a bike ride through its gorgeous squares.

And don’t forget to try agnolotti piemontesi , if you love Italian pasta!

14. Verona: the most romantic city in Italy

Verona is the city of love . The city of Romeo and Juliet, the most romantic city in Italy.

You can visit the real balcony of Romeo and Juliet , and you can breathe love in every street of the city.

And talking about the attractions of the city, don’t miss the Arena and the beautiful churches all around the historical centre.

Verona is really beautiful and it’s also perfect for an elopement.

15. Visit Bologna, the university town of Italy

Did you know that the oldest university in the world is in Italy? It’s located in Bologna , and it’s more than two thousand years old.

Bologna is famous for its university and every year a lot of international students choose to study here and to explore Italy being based in Bologna.

The city also has the longest arcades in the world, they are quite famous.

It’s hard not to mention Bologna if you talk about the best cities in Italy .

16. Take a detour to Ferrara 

Very close to Bologna there is another gorgeous city which deserves to be on the list of top cities to visit in Italy, and it is Ferrara .

With its stunning Estense Castle and its beautiful streets, Ferrara is worth a visit.

Here you can find some of the most delicious dishes of Italian cuisine.

The city is small and you can visit it in one day taking a detour from Bologna.

17. Enjoy cheese and historic buldings in Parma

In the same region of Ferrara and Bologna, there is another city you must visit before going away. I am talking about Parma .

Parma has a great historical background and it was very powerful and important in the past. Today this can be seen in its buildings and squares.

The best place to see is Piazza del Duomo , with the church, but the city is full of historical buildings to visit.

And of course, also in Parma the food is delicious, specially its world famous cheeses. 

18. Spend some time in Ravenna

Let’s move closer to the sea and we will find a very gorgeous city with a strong history, and this is Ravenna .

Ravenna is amazing city and you should add it on your list if you are traveling to Italy.

Not only you can have a trip to the seaside from here, but you also have to see its beautiful city centre and its Byzantine buildings , full of mosaics unique in the world.

You can’t miss all the things Ravenna has to offer.

19. Mantua: another not crowded beautiful destination

Mantua is another Italian city full of history, beautiful churches, delicious cuisine and things to do and see.

It is not so crowded and full of tourists, but as a local I can tell you it is worth a visit and if you go you won’t regret it.

Its Cathedral is certainly one of the most amazing cathedrals in Italy.

Don’t go before tasting its famous pasta filled with pumpkin, it is so tasty!

20. Experience the seaside lifestyle in Genoa

Let’s close the list of top cities to visit in Italy with Genoa , the city you should pick if you would like to live by the sea in Italy.

Genoa is amazing, its tiny streets are so cute and the influence of the sea and of its past as a maritime republic is so strong even nowadays.

The sea here is so blue and if you want to have a glimpse on it you can’t miss a visit to the famous Aquarium , one of the biggest in Europe.

Read the experience of a fellow traveller volunteering in Genoa:  Teaching English and becoming part of an Italian family in Genoa

Ready to pack and explore the best cities to visit in Italy?

This was my personal list of the 20 best cities to visit in Italy , but Italy is the country of wonders and you could spend all day talking about all the things you can see and do in this small but so complete country.

So don't waste another minute and start planning your trip, and let Worldpackers help you save tons of money with all the volunteering opportunities in Italy !

Keep exploring Europe:

• The 19 cheapest cities to backpack in Europe .
• How to travel Europe on a backpacker's budget .
• The cheapest places to live in Europe: 6 dreaming destinations .

The best 12 things to do in Northern Italy: from wine tasting to a gondola ride, discover all the breathtaking spots

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Jessica Lazzarini

Jessy Around The World

an Italian full time traveler. After years planning my full time travel, I finally quit my 9 to 5 job to start exploring the world with a one way ticket. My goal is to visit as many countries as I can and to work as a digital nomad while I am traveling, but also to challenge myself doing travel jobs in the places I visit. I really want to live a lot of different experiences in a way only a real traveler can do.

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12 Best Places to Visit in Italy

Located in Southern Europe, this boot-shaped country is one of the world’s most popular travel destinations for a number of reasons that include art treasures, charming towns, passionate people and top-class cuisine. It’s a place where you can see some of the most iconic sites in the world – the leaning Tower of Pisa, the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain, to name but a few.

There’s the chance to see renowned Renaissance masterpieces and shop for high-end fashion too. Italy offers a magnificently rich array of sumptuous natural scenery and numerous opportunities to get out into nature. Cinque Terre , Sardinia, and the Dolomites all boast incredible landscapes and fantastic hiking routes.

Map of Italy

You could spend your time in this culturally rich land learning about the lives of the Romans, discovering the destruction caused by Mount Vesuvius at Pompeii, or simply lazing alongside one of the many Italian lakes and languishing in the opulence of the Amalfi coast . Italy offers so much to see and do that it would take a lifetime to explore. Plan your trip to this wonderful Mediterranean travel destination with our list of the best places to visit in Italy.

Nearly destroyed from heavy bombing during WWII, Milan has since reconstructed and now shines as one of the wealthiest cities in Europe. Widely regarded as a mega fashion center teeming in designer shops, Milan also attracts many to its surviving world famous treasures like Leonardo da Vinci’s painting, The Last Supper , the La Scala Opera House, the Castello Sforzesco and one of the world’s largest Gothic cathedral .

See also: Where to Stay in Milan

Located in Italy’s northwestern region of Lombardy near the Alps and the scenic Lake District, Milan is a fast-paced city excelling in business, shopping and football. More of a glamorous city with modern architecture and attractions , Milan appears less Italian compared to the country’s predominantly historic cities.

One of the busiest metropolitan cities in the country, Naples is the capital of the Campania region in Southern Italy . As it is nearby famous sites like the Bay of Naples and Pompeii, Naples presents an ideal base to stay while exploring the area.

Naples itself features one of the world’s largest historic city centers with one of the highest concentrations of historical monuments, Baroque churches and Roman ruins, offering an endless feast for lovers of history and art.

Extending beyond the city center, tourists will find scenic landscapes, picturesque villas, stylish hotels and castles in addition to ancient Roman baths and volcanic craters. Top attractions in Naples include the grand Piazza del Plebiscito, the royal palace of the Capodimonte Museum and the National Archaeological Museum , which showcases a marvelous collection of artistic works and artifacts excavated from the ruins of Pompeii .

Many favorite Italian foods originated in Naples and its surrounding area such as pizza , spaghetti and parmigiana. These dishes are taken seriously in Naples and usually feature fresh, locally grown ingredients. Other Naples food specialties include fresh seafood, mozzarella cheese and pastries such as baba, zeppole and sfogliatella.

Located along the Arno River in the northwestern region of Tuscany , the city of Pisa still bears the striking remnants of its former golden days as a commercial empire during the Middle Ages. While the Leaning Tower is a must see, visiting this city only to take a photograph of it’s most popular landmark is like looking at one tree and missing the whole forest. Pisa is so much more than just the Leaning Tower.

Surrounding the famous landmark is one of Italy’s most beautiful squares, the Campo dei Miracoli, or Field of Miracles . This remarkable plaza contains magnificent examples of Italian Renaissance that include the Duomo Cathedral, Baptistry and Camposanto Monument, all of which contain marble features, sculptures, frescoes and historic relics. Sprinkled throughout the plaza are various shops selling souvenirs and bakeries offering tasty biscotti.

Beyond the Field of Miracles, the beauty of the Arno River is what often leaves a lasting impression on many tourists. Because Pisa is divided by the river, there are several charming bridges connecting one side to the other such as the Ponte di Mezzo. The riverbanks on each side present a picturesque setting of residential houses, impressive buildings and greenery.

With 60,000 students, the University of Pisa provides the city with an atmosphere of youth and animation. The streets and waterways of Pisa often play host to lively cultural events such as the Luminara Festival, the Regatta of the Ancient Maritime Republics boat race, and the Game of Bridge, a friendly, medieval contest between the city’s two sections.

9. Italian Lake District

The Italian Lake District stretches across Northern Italy . The southern ends of most of the lakes are relatively flat but the northern ends are mountainous as the lakes reach deep into the Alps. Popular with tourists for over 100 years, the Italian Lakes combine good weather with attractive scenery.

Starting in the west is Lake Maggiore , a narrow lake known for its lush vegetation and picturesque islands. The 40-mile-long lake sits on the southern side of the Alps and extends into the Canton of Ticino in southern Switzerland . Its most popular attraction is Isola Bella , a charming island famed for its royal palace and immaculate gardens.

Catering to celebrities, royals, and affluent visitors, Lake Como is famous for its lavish, dramatic setting and extravagant Renaissance villas. At the heart of the lake is Bellagio , a romantic town with cobbled streets and brightly-colored mansions.

Lake Garda , Italy’s largest lake, offers the perfect mix of history, culture, and outdoor adventure. Stroll through lemon groves in Limone , windsurf in Riva del Garda, or explore ancient castles in Malcesine. On the southern end of the lake sits Sirmione, a popular resort town with Roman ruins, medieval castles, and thermal baths.

Lake Iseo is one of Italy’s lesser-known lakes, although it’s home to the largest lake island in central Europe. Monte Isola is dotted with quaint villages and several stunning 15th-century churches.

The largest island in the Mediterranean, Sicily lies just across from the southern tip of Italy, on the narrow Strait of Messina. Due to its location, it has long acted as a crossroads, so is very distinct from the rest of the country in terms of its history, culture, and cuisine.

This is best exemplified by Palermo , Sicily’s capital and largest city, which was remarkably founded more than 2,700 years ago. Since then, it has been ruled by everyone from the Phoenicians and Romans to the Arabs and Normans, with each civilization leaving behind artistic and architectural treasures and culinary influences.

In addition, a wealth of important archaeological sites lie scattered around the island; these now make for some of Sicily’s most popular tourist attractions . The impressive ruins of the Ancient Theater of Taormina and the age-old edifices in the Valley of the Temples date to the Ancient Greeks; others, such as the mountaintop castles of Erice , were built in medieval times.

Renowned for its rugged beauty, Sicily’s rugged cliffs and secluded beaches are lined by sparkling waters, while fertile farmland and mountains dot its interior. Towering over everything is Mount Etna , one of the world’s most active volcanoes and the highest peak in Italy south of the Alps.

Established upon three hills in the heart of Tuscany , Siena offers tourists a step back into the Middle Ages with its well-preserved historic center and medieval horse racing tradition, famously known as Il Palio . Formerly a wealthy city, the historic center of Siena is one of the most popular places to go in Italy as it still retains many of its stunning works of art and architecture from that time period.

Siena’s Piazza del Campo is regarded as one of the finest Medieval squares in Europe. This fan-shaped plaza is noted for its architectural treasures such as the Fountain of Joy, the Palazzio Pubblico and the Mangia Tower.

Another of Siena’s architectural gems is its Duomo, a stunning black and white cathedral of Italian Romanesque design with exquisite features like marble floors, stained glass, sculptures, paintings and carvings. The piazza is also a good place to relax, watch people and enjoy the local delights of wine, coffee, pizza, focaccia and gelato.

Hosted twice every summer in the Piazza del Campo, the Palio horse race draws huge annual crowds. This 700-year old tradition involves representatives from 17 different districts racing bareback on the cobblestone plaza. Siena is also home to one of Italy’s oldest public universities, the University of Siena, widely recognized for its Schools of Medicine and Law.

6. Cinque Terre

Five quaint fishing villages awash with colors of blue, yellow and pink all hug cliff sides that slope down to the sea. These villages and the surrounding green hills make up the Cinque Terre National Park, one of Italy’s popular tourist destinations. Located in Italy’s northwestern coastal region of Liguria , the villages of Cinque Terre feature some of the country’s most beautiful landscapes that include wine terraces dating back to hundreds of years.

Meaning “Five Lands,” Cinque Terre comprises the five villages of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Vernazza, Monterosso and Corniglia. Riomaggiore boasts a medieval castle and the bustling main street of Via Colombo while Manarola is filled with colorful boats, swimming holes and caves.

Surrounded by olive groves, Vernazza offers a lively nightlife scene. The beautiful beach of Monterossa is lined with resorts while sloping vineyards adorn Corniglia . Rich in agriculture and fishing, the Cinque Terre villages are teeming in cafes and trattorias, which serve locally grown wine, olives, cheeses, pasta, seafood and homemade breads.

Among its many gems, Cinque Terre boasts a centuries-old complex of hiking paths that offer some of Italy’s most stunning coastal views. The Blue Trail, also known as Trail No. 2, is a paved trail connecting all five of the villages and is suitable for all ages.

There are very few cars in Cinque Terre as the villages are all small and easy to get around in by foot. However, all the villages are linked by a rail system that runs regularly from Genoa and La Spezia. Serving all five villages.

5. Amalfi Coast

Situated in Italy’s southwestern region of Campania , the Amalfi Coast is known for its extraordinary beauty that makes it one of Italy’s top tourist destinations . Stretching 30 miles along the southern side of the Sorrento Peninsula, the Amalfi Coast is prized for its picturesque coastline that features shimmering bays, craggy cliffs, lemon tree gardens, multicolored villas and ritzy resorts.

One of the most romantic and posh towns along the Amalfi Coast, Positano ‘s many calling cards include beautiful pebbled beaches, pastel houses, scenic mountains, waterfalls and a 13th century Black Madonna.

One of the larger towns, Amalfi , features lovely plazas lined with restaurants and souvenir shops. Perched on a hill overlooking Amalfi, the town of Ravello is favored for its beautiful villas of gardens and art works as well as its lively art and music festival. Often called the Painted Town because of its many mural-painted houses, Furore also features an enchanting bay.

One of Italy’s most visited tourist destinations, Pompeii is a famous Roman city which was buried under several feet of volcanic ash for nearly 1,700 years after the cataclysmic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius . Excavation of Pompeii began in 1748, and the site is yet to be totally unearthed. The site is located near the modern city of Naples .

A tour of Pompeii offers a fascinating insight into the everyday life of the ancient Roman world. Visitors can walk along the ancient streets to see the remains of shops, bars, bakeries, brothels, baths and residential homes as well as buildings that served as commercial and religious centers.

Some of the most significant structures include the Amphitheatre , the Forum, the Temple of Apollo, the Basilica and the Granary Market, which contains a large number of artifacts and plaster casts of people and dogs that died during the catastrophe. Within the architecture of Pompeii’s ancient buildings, there is a large number of art works and frescoes depicting erotica, mythological characters and hunting scenes.

Near the entrance of the Pompeii site, visitors will find several souvenir shops as well as food vendors selling snacks and beverages. While there are only a few dining options within the site itself, there are several cafes and restaurants located around the nearby train station.

One of Italy’s top travel destinations, Venice is a unique city in that is built upon a lagoon surrounded by the Adriatic Sea. Located in northeastern Italy, Venice is an archipelago of 118 islands all connected by hundreds of beautiful bridges and scenic canals. Of the canals, the Grand Canal is most famous and divides the city into two sections. Picturesque waterways and historic architecture make Venice one of the most romantic cities in the world.

Venice is often crowded and expensive but well worth visiting to see its magnificent landmarks like Saint Mark’s Square and Basilica, Doge’s Palace and Rialto Bridge . One of the most popular things to do in Venice is to take a gondola ride along the Grand Canal. However, it is just as equally enjoyable to ride a vaporetti along the quiet back canals.

Every year, Venice hosts one of Italy’s liveliest Carnival festivals where the streets are filled with people dressed in colorful costumes and masks, and the Grand Canal is packed with fleets of decorated boats and gondolas. A popular souvenir to purchase in Venice is one of the beautifully crafted carnival masks.

See also: Where to Stay in Venice

There are no cars in Venice, so people either walk or ride the water taxis along the canal system. Travelers should note that Venice frequently experiences high water in the spring and fall.

2. Florence

The capital of Tuscany , Florence is often described as a colossal outdoor museum because of its mass of art and architectural treasures. Internationally renowned as the birthplace of Italian Renaissance, Florence is also credited with propagating many artists, inventors, writers, scientists and explorers as well as inventing opera and the florin currency, which lifted Europe from the Dark Ages.

Additionally, Florence is known as the home of the wealthy and powerful Medici dynasty that produced several kings and popes, impacting the entire world in a number of ways culturally, economically and politically.

Florence’s hoard of art masterpieces are found all over the city, contained within the large numbers of museums, stunning churches, like the domed Santa Maria del Fiore , and internationally esteemed art galleries like the Ufizzi and Pitti Palace.

The Piazza della Signoria , the main square, is home to beautiful buildings and world famous sculptures like Cellini’s Perseus with the Head of Medusa, Ammannati’s Fountain of Neptune and Michelangelo’s Statue of David.

Walking is the best way to see the major sites in the city center. Some of the best places to walk include the Ponte Vecchio , a beautiful bridge spanning the Arno River and featuring a number of jewelry shops. Florence’s markets are another good place to spend some time before heading back to your accommodation . The San Lorenzo markets are among the most popular where tourists can find an array of locally grown foods and handcrafted goods.

Formerly the capital of the Roman Empire, Rome today is the government seat and capital city of Italy. Located in the country’s central region of Lazio, Rome is a vast and complex city that is both historic and modern at the same time.

Best known for housing ancient Roman structures and the Vatican City , Rome has endured for more than 2,500 years as an important center for culture, power and religion.

Rome is divided into several districts with its center, the Colosseo district, containing the most ancient attractions like the Colosseum , the Forum of Augustus, Capitoline Hill and the Roman Forum. On the outskirts of the center is Old Rome, featuring the Pantheon, stunning cathedrals, plazas and Renaissance architecture. The Vatican is well known for St. Peter’s Basilica , the Apostolic Palace and Sistine Chapel.

There is so much to see and do in Rome , that it could take months to see it all. However, one way for tourists to experience the best of the city is by taking a hop-on, hop-off bus tour. This bus tour stops at major places of interest and top museums , and tourists are free to get off and on as they wish.

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Reader interactions.

May 12, 2017 at 9:28 am

I have only been to Rome and absolutely love it! we are going to be in Croatia for 3 weeks and I would like to go to Venice or Naples for a couple days, but can’t decide, which one would you go to?

July 13, 2016 at 1:02 am

The best place to visit in Italy is Naples. Its the real Italy and its built right on the water, so the water views are spectacular and since the tourists have not found it the prices are still reasonable. From Naples, it also seems like there are more day trips than the other tourist destinations. From Naples, you can hit Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast very easily, the island of Capri is straight out from Naples, which is a great day trip, but I prefer the Islands of Ischia and Procida. You can hike to the top of Mount Vesuvius, check out Herculaneum, which I like just as much as Pompeii and it is better with kids than Pompeii. Also, if you like shopping, I find that Naples has the best shopping I have found. Much better than Milan. The shops are more reasonably priced than any other city and there are lots of leather or fabric factories right in Naples that you can buy from shops on Via Toledo and other shopping districts and I almost forgot to mention Christmas alley and Spaccanapoli. Probably one of my favorite neighborhoods in Naples. If you are in Rome and you miss the Naples area, you probably made a big mistake. It is too close and there is too much to miss out on this beautiful area.

September 16, 2015 at 12:58 am

every place in Italy I’ve been to is very unique. I love the character of each city. however, having to choose from, yet the best is RomanTIC Venice.

August 24, 2015 at 6:28 pm

I recently visited Italy. I would say that it is one of the most beautiful places in the world. I visited it as part of an overall Europe trip and wanted to stay longer. We visited Rome first. Next we visited Cinque Terra staying in Manarola but completing many of the available walks to the other towns. Absolute bliss. Anyways I believe that cinque Terra should definitely be on your list if you are planning to visit and should definitely be further up this list. I loved Rome and believe that it deserves to be equal with Cinque Terra as they were both divine for their own reasons.

May 7, 2015 at 9:10 am

I absolutely adore Italy. Been to a few both on cruise and by plane ( and Eurostar too ). How I LOVE Sicily ( becos of Godfather ) ; Venice ; Bologna ; Lake Como ; Sardinia ; Milan ; Rome ; Verona ; Naples ; Florence ; Pisa, Livorno….beautiful food, wine, people, scenery. I used to love the UK esp London but now it has to be Italy and everything about it. France comes a close third although it is getting rather tired and shabby.

December 10, 2014 at 5:32 am

Nice Article, if you can not go for longer, the best places have been mentioned. If I could add something, as I am Italian from Venice I could suggest to visit the close places around like Treviso, Castelfranco and the beautiful Bassano del Grappa, the gorgeous Asolo.

Happy travel, Chris

August 14, 2014 at 8:40 pm

Just spent 3 weeks in Italy. travelling through Rome, Florence, Bologna, Amalfi, Sorrento, Pompeii, Venice, MIlan, and went to Pisa on a day trip. MY ORDER of these: 1. Amalfi – Amafli and the Amafli coast is absolutely unbelievable. The most beautiful place I travelled to on this trip. The beach, food and atmosphere is to die for. 2. Venice – what can I say, everyone knows Venice. I found it was a massive tourist trap and over crowded but, the city is beautiful and would go back. 3. Florence. Close to everything, a day trip to Bologna or Pisa is so close, and with attractions like academia (david) and uffizi museums plus much more it is a must do. 4. Rome – Colosseum is amazing, a true wonder and vatican is a must see. So as the city will keep you busy with history and attractions. Didn’t like the atmosphere. BUT is a must 5. Pompeii. Stayed in the actual town of Pompeii as I heard naples was dirty, and all you want to do there is see the ruins. But trust me they were awesome. A must do and could have found itself higher on the list = 6. sorrento and milan – would go to see Capri (Sorrento) and last supper (milan) 8. Bologna – Nice but it was nothing exciting. would just go from Florence if you had half a day to spare

Hope this helps Travellers

August 6, 2014 at 7:09 am

I have been to Rome, and the Amalfi Coast…..both deserve to be there. I think Salerno in the Campania region deserved to be there too.

July 27, 2014 at 1:29 am

You have totally forgotten places in the southern Italy such as Bari, Otranto, Gallipoli, Lecce…. And I think that Dolomites are beautiful too ;).

June 29, 2014 at 12:54 pm

I spent only 5 days in Sicilia. NOT ENOUGH. It’s such a lovely place to visit. Food and people are equally our favorite in Italia. What such an unique experience to climb and walk onto the dark land of Etna at 10000 feet and admire the mediteraneen sea almost smaller than you. I don’t know about Gene and Milan but I will return back to the south for sure. Pompei should replace Pisae. No kidding.

April 22, 2014 at 4:21 pm

you guys sure hit South Italy too, it’s beautiful at well at North Italy.

Grazie Ci Vidiamo Presto!

April 18, 2014 at 2:13 am

Hi guys. I’m Italian, and I’m from Milan. Many people, most of all are Italians, think that Milan is a poor cultural city. That isn’t the truth: Milan has got many treasures that nobody knows.

March 17, 2014 at 4:43 am

I’m Italian and I don’t agree with this list. First of all, Naples is one of the poorest, dirties cities in Italy, second of all, in Milan there are just few things worth visiting (duomo, scala, galleria, castello and Leonardo’s “last supper”) but, of course it’s the city of shopping. Then, Genoa is really dirty too (less than Naples) Finally, In Pisa besides the field of miracles there’s nothing else! I don’t mean that there are the worst cities but they shouldn’t be in the top 10 best Italian cities! I would rather suggest you to visit: Turin, Ferrara, Urbino and Siracusa. But I mean, there are so many beautiful places that it’s hard to tell you which one is the best!!

March 10, 2014 at 5:44 am

This place seems awesome & I can’t wait to go out there in the summer!

September 19, 2013 at 2:45 am

Nothing to say against Genoa but honestly maybe another city from south will be better on that ranking. I mean Palermo. Unfortunaly is knows as the city of the mafia, but it’s so charming and extremely beautiful or Val Di Noto in Sicily there are the most beautiful baroccan churches in Italy and the look-out of the Etna. Sicily have 6 world heritage sites is the second region in Italy after Tuscany that have 7. And deserve to stay in the ranking. No way! From a not Sicilian Guy. I’m from Apulia

August 16, 2013 at 8:53 am

Beautiful Italy!! Fantastic world-known attractions, but also its less frequented areas can also offer an authentic experience, idyllic landscapes and lots of culture, history, enogastronomy. For example, the Maremma in southern Tuscany.. or the Salento in Apulia.. or the Tuscia in Latium

July 23, 2013 at 11:25 am

Verona is a beautiful city. I went there this summer and it was amazing! Lake Garda is also a beautiful place with lots of small villages and towns nearby for shopping!

May 21, 2013 at 12:22 pm

I totally agree that Rome is the best, although I much love Norther Italy, Rome is the best place ever!

May 6, 2013 at 6:18 am

For me, Venice is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It is truly magnificent how the place is surrounded by waterways that made the city more unique than other cities.

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Often referred to as the ‘City of Canals’, Venice is undeniably one of the best cities to visit in Italy . Built on a lagoon, the entire city seems to float, creating a dreamlike atmosphere. The iconic gondolas meandering through winding canals, offer a romantic escape like no other.

St. Mark’s Basilica stands as a testament to Venetian grandeur with its stunning gold mosaics. The Rialto Bridge, an architectural marvel, acts as a vantage point providing picturesque views of the city. Not to forget the bustling Grand Canal, the main waterway lined with ancient buildings narrating tales of historic Venice.

Cuisine in Venice offers unique flavors that are distinct from the rest of Italy. From ‘Sarde in Saor’ (sweet and sour sardines) to the creamy ‘Risotto al Nero di Seppia’ (squid ink risotto), the culinary delights here are sure to tantalize your taste buds.

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The heart of Italy, Rome , famously known as the ‘Eternal City’, is a treasure trove of ancient wonders. Every corner of this city whispers stories of its imperial past.

The Colosseum stands tall, narrating tales of gladiatorial combat, while the Pantheon with its colossal dome stands as an epitome of ancient Roman engineering. Vatican City, a city-state within Rome, houses St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel, showcasing Michelangelo’s renowned frescoes.

Roman cuisine is hearty and flavorful. Savor the traditional ‘Carbonara’ or the Roman-style artichokes known as ‘Carciofi alla Romana’. These dishes, paired with a glass of local wine, encapsulate the Roman essence.

3. Florence :

Florence , the birthplace of the Renaissance, is another of the best cities to visit in Italy . The city’s art and architecture are reminiscent of the time when legends like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo walked its streets.

The Uffizi Gallery houses some of the world’s greatest masterpieces, from Botticelli’s ‘The Birth of Venus’ to Caravaggio’s ‘Medusa’. The Florence Cathedral with its terracotta-tiled dome and the romantic Ponte Vecchio bridge are other remarkable sites that grace the city.

Tuscan cuisine in Florence offers simple yet flavorful dishes. Whether it’s the ‘Bistecca alla Fiorentina’, a juicy T-bone steak, or ‘Ribollita’, a hearty vegetable and bread soup, the culinary landscape here is diverse and delectable.

Milan, often dubbed the fashion capital, offers a mix of contemporary style with historical elegance. Beyond its modern skyscrapers and high-end boutiques, the city harbors historical gems that make it one of the best cities to visit in Italy .

The Milan Cathedral or ‘Duomo di Milano’ is an architectural masterpiece, flaunting intricate Gothic details. Sforza Castle, a historic fortress, now houses some of the city’s best art collections. Art enthusiasts cannot miss ‘The Last Supper’, Leonardo da Vinci’s legendary mural, preserved meticulously in the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie.

Dining in Milan is an experience in itself. From the creamy ‘Risotto alla Milanese’ infused with saffron to the crispy ‘Cotoletta alla Milanese’, a breaded veal cutlet, the city offers gastronomic delights that cater to every palate.

5. Naples :

Naples, with its sun-soaked streets and lively atmosphere, offers an authentic Italian experience. As the gateway to the Amalfi Coast , it’s undoubtedly one of the best cities to visit in Italy for those seeking both adventure and culture.

The Naples Cathedral, adorned with frescoes, is a testament to the city’s religious heritage. History buffs can dive deep into the ancient city of Pompeii, preserved under volcanic ash, or hike Mount Vesuvius, the very volcano that caused its demise.

Of course, a visit to Naples is incomplete without trying its most iconic dish, pizza. In the very place of its origin, indulge in a ‘Pizza Margherita’, with fresh basil, mozzarella, and tomatoes, embodying the colors of the Italian flag.

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6. Bologna :

Known as the culinary heart of Italy, Bologna offers a rich blend of history and gastronomy. The red-hued architecture of the city, interwoven with porticoes, earns it the nickname ‘La Rossa’ or ‘The Red’.

Walking through Piazza Maggiore, you are bound to be struck by its historical landmarks, including the Basilica di San Petronio and Neptune’s Fountain. Bologna’s Two Towers, Asinelli and Garisenda, lean dramatically and have become symbolic of the city. The Archiginnasio, the city’s first unified university, underscores the significance of Bologna as a historic center for education.

Bolognese cuisine is a delightful foray into rich flavors. Dive into a plate of ‘Tagliatelle al Ragu’, commonly known outside Italy as spaghetti Bolognese. This rich meat sauce, paired with fresh pasta, truly captures the essence of the city.

A gem in the heart of Tuscany, Siena is well-renowned for its medieval streets and historical horse races. Every corner of this city paints a picture of its glorious past.

The fan-shaped Piazza del Campo, considered one of Europe’s greatest medieval squares, hosts the famous Palio horse race twice a year. Siena Cathedral, a Gothic masterpiece, boasts intricate facades and a stunning mosaic-laden floor. Every building and brick here is a testament to Siena’s deep-rooted history.

When it comes to food, Siena offers unique Tuscan treats. Dive into ‘Pappa al Pomodoro’, a thick tomato and bread soup, or nibble on ‘Panforte’, a traditional chewy dessert filled with nuts and fruits.

8. Verona :

Famed as the setting for Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’, Verona is a city of romance and history. Beyond its Shakespearean allure, it stands as one of the best cities to visit in Italy .

The Verona Arena, an ancient Roman amphitheater, is remarkably well-preserved and hosts operas and concerts. Juliet’s House, with its iconic balcony, attracts lovers from across the world. The Castelvecchio, a medieval fortress, offers panoramic views of the city and the river Adige.

Veronese cuisine offers a delightful fusion of flavors. Relish dishes like ‘Bigoli’, a thick spaghetti typically served with duck sauce, or the ‘Pandoro’, a golden Christmas bread originating from Verona.

9. Palermo :

A captivating blend of cultures, Palermo, the capital of Sicily, showcases its Arab-Norman history with pride. The city’s bustling streets are a mosaic of historical eras, making it one of the best cities to visit in Italy .

The Palermo Cathedral, a beautiful medley of architectural styles, stands as a testament to the city’s diverse heritage. Quattro Canti, a baroque square, and the bustling Ballarò market highlight the city’s vibrant life.

Sicilian cuisine in Palermo is nothing short of a celebration. Savor ‘Arancini’, deep-fried rice balls stuffed with a variety of fillings, or indulge in the sweet ‘Cannoli’, crispy pastry tubes filled with creamy ricotta.

10. Turin :

Lying at the foot of the Alps, Turin boasts regal elegance, making it a must-visit destination in Italy. The city’s boulevards and squares exude a Parisian charm.

The Mole Antonelliana, initially a synagogue and now a museum of cinema, dominates Turin’s skyline. The Royal Palace of Turin, a UNESCO World Heritage site, showcases the city’s royal past. Not to forget, the Egyptian Museum, which houses one of the most extensive collections of Egyptian artifacts outside of Cairo .

When it comes to Turinese cuisine, expect rich and hearty dishes. Dive into ‘Agnolotti’, meat-stuffed pasta, or enjoy the delicate taste of ‘Gianduja’, a sweet chocolate spread infused with hazelnuts.

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11. Genoa :

Known as ‘La Superba’ or ‘The Proud One’, Genoa is a maritime powerhouse that has made its mark in history as a prominent port city. Its vast maritime heritage and maze of narrow alleys make it a fascinating blend of old and new, and undeniably one of the best cities to visit in Italy .

The Porto Antico, or Old Port, rejuvenated by the famed architect Renzo Piano, is a dynamic hub bustling with restaurants, museums, and an iconic aquarium – one of the largest in Europe . Venture into the heart of the city, and you’ll be welcomed by the grandeur of San Lorenzo Cathedral, showcasing Gothic and Renaissance architectural marvels. The Palazzi dei Rolli, a series of palaces recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, once hosted royalty and are a testament to Genoa’s affluent past.

Genoese cuisine is a sumptuous foray into flavors of the sea and the mountains. The famed ‘Pesto Genovese’, a basil-based sauce that has won hearts globally, finds its roots here. Complement it with ‘Focaccia Genovese’, a soft, olive oil-rich bread, and you have a meal that captures the city’s essence.

12. Lucca :

Lucca, often described as Tuscany’s best-kept secret, is a haven of peace and architectural beauty. Enclosed within well-preserved Renaissance walls, the city offers a pedestrian-friendly exploration, making it one of the best cities to visit in Italy for those who prefer a relaxed pace.

A stroll atop Lucca’s walls offers panoramic views of the city and its surrounding Tuscan landscape. Dive deeper into the city’s alleys, and the San Michele in Foro, a beautiful church standing on the site of an ancient Roman forum, awaits admiration. Another architectural wonder is the Torre Guinigi, a tower distinctively crowned with a clump of holm oak trees, offering a green vantage point over the city.

Lucca’s culinary scene is rooted in Tuscan tradition. Delight in ‘Tordelli Lucchesi’, meat-filled pasta seasoned with a mix of flavors, or enjoy ‘Buccellato’, a sweet bread with raisins and aniseed, best paired with the local wines that capture Tuscany’s rich vineyards.

Conclusion :

Italy, with its mosaic of cities, stands as a testament to varied cultures, rich histories, and unparalleled culinary artistry. Each city, with its unique narrative and aura, offers travelers a window into the country’s soul. Our curated list of the best cities to visit in Italy is just the beginning. Beyond these twelve, Italy hides countless gems, each echoing with tales of emperors, artists, poets, and commoners. As you embark on this Italian odyssey, remember that in every narrow alley, atop every historic tower, and in every bite of authentic Italian delicacy, there’s a story waiting to be embraced. So, set forth with an open heart and let Italy weave its timeless magic around you.

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The 10 most beautiful places in Italy

Italy's list of stunning destinations is seemingly endless. The most beautiful places in Italy? Look no further

Widely regarded as one of the most beautiful countries on earth, Italy is full of beautiful places to visit. With its rich cultural heritage, diverse landscapes and long-standing traditions, there’s a lot to uncover on a trip to Il Bel Paese.

The enduring popularity of Italy means many areas of the country suffer from over-tourism. We’ve done our best to cover the most beautiful places in Italy while highlighting some of the unique destinations you can visit within them to avoid (some of) the crowds. Next time you visit Italy, don’t miss these unique attractions showcasing the best of its nature, culture and history.

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Livia Hengel  is a travel writer based in Rome. At Time Out, all of our  travel guides  are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our  editorial guidelines . This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our  affiliate guidelines . 

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Most beautiful places in Italy

1.  Val d’Orcia

Tuscany needs little introduction. A region beloved for its picturesque landscapes, vast vineyards and curving roads lined with cypress trees, it’s a destination everyone dreams of visiting once in a lifetime. The Val d’Orcia, located south of Siena, is one of our favourite parts of Tuscany to explore, with its charming hilltop towns and numerous wine estates. Don’t miss visiting the thermal village of Bagno Vignoni, with a large pool in its central piazza, wineries around Montalcino, which produce the area’s fabled Brunello red wine, and La Foce, a 15th-century estate with one of Italy’s most beautiful, manicured gardens.

2.  Burano

Venice is more than Saint Mark’s Square. This beautiful, floating city comprises 118 islands scattered throughout the Venetian Lagoon. Hop on a vaporetto and head north in the lagoon to Burano, a small fisherman’s island with candy-coloured houses, lace workshops and tiny alleyways. Don’t miss seeing the leaning tower in the central piazza and enjoying lunch at one of Burano’s trattorias, serving local specialties, including sardines, fish risotto and bussolai (traditional cookies). You can also cross over a footbridge to reach Mazzorbo, a sleepy agricultural island where artichokes and grapes grow in a small vineyard.

📍 Check out more of the best day trips from Venice

3.  Tuscia

The glory of Rome tends to overshadow the Lazio region, which is full of fascinating places that are well worth a day trip. Tuscia, an old Etruscan stronghold located a couple of hours’ drive north, is the perfect region to escape the crowds while enjoying cultural and natural sights. Villa Farnese a Caprarola, a pentagonal 16th-century villa, houses incredible Renaissance frescoes, while the nearby Villa Lante in Bagnaia has exquisite gardens known for their water features. From Viterbo’s thermal waters to Lago di Bolsena’s lakeside towns, there’s a lot to see in the area. Don’t miss the Civita di Bagnoregio, a fairytale village sitting atop a tufa rock foundation, seemingly suspended above a vast valley.

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4.  Costa degli Dei

If you’re looking for an alternative to the crowded streets of Positano, head further south to the Costa degli Dei – the Coast of the Gods – in Calabria. As its name suggests, this pristine coastline is an otherworldly marvel with crystal-clear turquoise water and soft, sandy beaches. The uncontested ‘pearl’ of the coastline is Tropea, a hilltop town overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, which offers mesmerizing views, Slim Aarons-style. Adventurous travellers will enjoy the Marina di Zambrone (which requires a hike to reach the beach), while Capo Vaticano has beach clubs with loungers for rent.

📍 Find more of the best beaches in Italy

5.  Alta Murgia

Once regarded as the ‘shame of Italy’ for its troglodyte caves and underdeveloped infrastructure, Matera’s lunar landscapes are quickly becoming one of southern Italy’s leading attractions. It’s worth spending a couple of nights in the city before venturing across the vast Murgia park to explore smaller towns like Altamura, famed for its local bread production, and Gravina in Puglia, with its verdant canyons. The park is ideal for nature enthusiasts who will enjoy hiking, cycling and birdwatching across its limestone plateaus, while culture hunters should pay a visit to Castel del Monte, a 13th-century octagonal castle with towering views over the surrounding landscape.

📍 Discover more of the best things to do in Italy

6.  Sorrentine Peninsula

One of the world’s most popular honeymoon destinations, the Sorrentine Peninsula is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful parts of Italy – if not the world. This scenic stretch of coastline, which includes the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento Coast, is filled with dozens of famous seaside towns, cliffside villages, rocky bays and sandy coves that capture the essence of  la dolce vita . It’s hard to beat the crowds, but you’ll find more space – and locals – if you head to towns like Cetara, known for its anchovy production, and Vietri sul Mare, famed for its ceramics.

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7.  Villa Romana del Casale

The largest island in the Mediterranean, Sicily is a true microcosm of Italy – one which has seen empires rise and fall over millennia. As such, it is filled with ancient Greek and Roman relics, from temples and theatres to ornamental estates. Villa Romana del Casale, located in Piazza Armerina (a small town in central Sicily), is one of these. This large, 4th-century villa is best known for its well-preserved mosaics, the ‘Bikini Girl’, featuring young women playing sports and exercising —an extremely rare depiction that challenges gender roles and stereotypes of the time.

8.  La Strada del Sagrantino

As one of the biggest global producers and consumers of wine, Italy is filled with vineyards up and down the boot. Instead of heading to more famous regions, why not explore Umbria’s rich wine heritage on your next trip? A full-bodied red wine made near Montefalco, Sagrantino pairs well with the region’s flavourful cuisine, which includes wild boar, black truffles and gingerbread with candied fruits. And with its rolling hills and fall foliage, the Sagrantino Wine Trail is every bit as beautiful as Chianti or Le Langhe. Nearby, you can visit charming medieval towns, including Todi, Spoleto and Assisi.

9.  Riviera del Conero

Situated on the eastern shore of Italy, Le Marche is blessed with a long and picturesque coastline along the Adriatic Sea – and fewer crowds. Its highlight is the Conero National Park, a nature reserve that covers 18km of nature trails and cliffs overlooking secluded beaches where you can swim in crystalline water. La Spiaggia delle Due Sorelle (‘Beach of the Two Sisters’) is the prettiest bay in the park and is named for two large rock formations that emerge from the sea. You can reach it by sea with ferries from the port of Numana.

📍 Find more of the best hikes in the world

10.  Residences of the Royal House of Savoy

A collection of 22 palaces and castles built by the House of Savoy in Piedmont, these castles in Turin are some of the most lavish residences ever built on Italian soil. The House of Savoy was a European royal dynasty that ruled from the 11th century until the monarchy was abolished in 1946. An enormously wealthy and influential family, the Savoy built several estates to house its members, enjoy recreational activities and host governmental functions. The 17th-century Venaria Reale, often referred to as the ‘Versailles of Italy’, is the most famous venue thanks to its grand hall with intricate stucco features and checkered floors.

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35 of the best cities to visit in italy.

This article may contain compensated links. See our full disclosure here

Want to know the best cities to visit in Italy? There are many to choose from. The cities of Italy are magnificent. Their skylines are marked with domed cathedrals and pointed spires. Narrow cobbled streets lead to vast piazzas and hidden treasures. Laundry waves on lines overhead and mouth watering aromas from kitchens linger in the air.

No matter if it is your first or fortieth visit, no doubt you will pass through some of the beautiful cities in Italy. Each is unique and worthy of discovery. And if you venture away from the most famous cities, you will find places that stay embedded in your travel memories forever. To help you decide where to spend your time, we teamed up with travel writers and photographers from across the world who chose their favorite Italian cities from north to south.

Do you have questions about your upcoming trip to Italy? Join our  Italy Travel Planning Facebook Group  where you can ask questions about your travels – itinerary suggestions, accommodation and restaurant recommendations and more! 

What's in this article

 Top 5 major cities in Italy

Northern italian cities, cities near milan, cities near venice, cities in tuscany, cities near rome, cities in sardinia, southern italian cities, cities in sicily.

•  What is your favourite Italian city?

The most popular cities to visit in Italy are the country’s largest. Bursting with history, food experiences and culture, you could spend a lifetime exploring these cities alone. 

Rome – the Eternal City

“A fool is one who admires other cities without visiting Rome.”

– Francesco Petrarca

Of course you must visit Rome at least once. The Eternal City is one of the greatest on earth and there is something for every kind of traveler. You can’t help but be in awe of how Rome has evolved over the passage of time. This chaotic, beautiful metropolis captures your heart with every corner you turn.

Admire the Colosseum and other incredible relics of Roman times in the Forum and beyond. At the Vatican, marvel at majestic St Peter’s and the Renaissance treasures of the Vatican Museums. Then simply soak up the atmosphere of Rome’s old town. From Piazza Navona to the Spanish steps, around every corner there are cascading fountains and imposing statues collected over thousands of years. Make sure to duck into some of Rome’s 900 churches and discover soaring domed ceilings and incredible mosaics. 

If your travel style is meandering and watching the world go by, head to the Trastevere neighbourhood. Get lost in its winding streets that lead you to the perfect wine bar or trattoria. Here you will find some of the city’s best food and no doubt, over your meal, you will plot your next visit to Rome.

READ: Discover Rome’s best tours .

Venice – La Serenissima

Venice, the city built on water, is nothing short of magical. There is no experience quite like your first trip down the Grand Canal. I guarantee there will be a smile on your face as you meander down Venice ‘s main thoroughfare passing gondolas and stunning palazzi on your way.

Before you reach Piazza San Marco, you pass under the famous Rialto bridge and close to the fish market of the same name. Further along the canal, watch out for the beautiful Ponte dell’Accademia. At San Marco, dodge the pigeons and feast your eyes on the ornate basilica and Doge’s Palace next door. A little further on, you will see the iconic Bridge of Sighs.  

A city this beautiful attracts large crowds so if you want a more serene Venetian experience , head away from the main attractions to the side canals and campi (squares). This is the Venice I love. One of long seafood lunches, the gentle sound of oars treading water and tiny cobbled alleyways and bridges steeped in history.

READ: Click here to discover colourful Burano – an island on the Venetian lagoon.

Florence – the Renaissance city

Sitting on the banks of the River Arno, Florence is a city with a fascinating past, amazing architecture and a thriving food scene. Florence is about art, history and culture and they ooze from every brick in every building.

At its heart you find the incredible 13th century Duomo and its bell tower renowned for its dome and colourful marble facade. These buildings were constructed during the Renaissance period when the city state of Florence was at its peak. To learn more about the city during this time head to the Palazzo Vecchio from where Florence was ruled by the Medici family. A secret passageway leads you to the Uffizi Gallery, home to some of the world’s most priceless artworks.

Cross the Arno via the Ponte Vecchio and stroll up the hill to Palazzo Pitti, home to more art and the beautiful Boboli Gardens from where you can gaze back down over Florence in wonder.

All that culture is bound to make you hungry. There are countless restaurants in Florence. For a quick bite we recommended heading to the impressive gourmet food hall on the first floor of the San Lorenzo market before heading off to explore more of the city and of course your daily gelato !

Florence is also useful base for day trips into Tuscany – Pisa, Lucca and Siena – plus further afield to Bologna, Orvieto and more. 

READ: Our experiene at a Florence market tour and cooking class .

Milan – the modern city

Suggested by: The Crowded Planet

When I opened my blog a few years ago, I made it a special mission to change people’s perspective about Milan , my hometown. More often than not, Milan is dismissed as a grey, uninteresting and expensive city – which by the way is not true, as there are loads of free sights and activities in Milan !

Visitors just rush through en route to other prettier (and more touristy) destinations like Lake Como or Cinque Terre, and when they do visit they just stick to the city centre. In my opinion, Milan is definitely one of the most interesting cities in Italy. The cultural scene is second to none – there are loads of theatres and places to listen to live music, as well as museums and galleries organizing interesting exhibitions.

Milan is also great when it comes to bars and restaurants – there are new restaurants opening each week, and in summer the city becomes a great street food destination! Two of my favourite parts of Milan are Isola, a former working class neighbourhood turned into a hipster hotspot, and Chinatown, home to Milan’s Chinese community since the mid-19th century.

If you’re visiting Milan, being based in one of these neighbourhoods will give you a much more authentic (and a lot less expensive) experience compared to sticking to the city centre.

READ: Our guide to where to stay in Milan

Naples – vibrant city of the south

Suggested by: A World to Travel

Nobody seems to like Naples at first. This city almost never heads the top 5, not even the top 10, of the most impressive or beautiful cities in Italy and many people judge Naples even without knowing it.

Fortunately, today I am here to defend it. Naples is one of my favorite and best cities in Italy, with its narrow streets with clothes hanging outside the windows, its scratched cars and its people with southern Italian character. And of course, with its gastronomy (and especially pizza !) famous throughout the world.

If you stop by, on your way to Sicily from Rome, because you want to visit Pompeii or just to live an authentic Neapolitan experience; do not forget to stroll, walk by the sea and sit in one of its squares for a coffee. It will not disappoint you.

READ: Our 3 day Naples itinerary for ideas on how to spend your time in Naples. 

Italy’s northern cities are diverse and exciting. From the Alpine cities bordering Switzerland and Austria, to Genoa on the Italian Riviera and Ravenna on the Adriatic Sea, there is a city for every taste. This area is also known as the heart of Italian food . Parma is famous for prosciutto (cured ham) and parmigiano reggiano  (known as parmesan) – Italy’s most famous cheese. In Bologna there is even a gelato university.

Verona – city of love

Suggested by: Laugh Travel Eat

Verona is most famous for being the setting of Romeo and Juliet, and as the city of love. One of the most unique things you can do there is visit Club di Giuliette, the Juliet’s Club. They reply to all the letters people send to Juliet from all over the world as her secretary.

However, the romantic experience doesn’t stop there. You can stay right opposite the famous Juliet Balcony at the Relais de Charme Il Sogno di Giulietta. There’s the hidden Giusti Garden with its maze, the Palazzo Vecchio in all its red brick medieval glory, as well as the Roman walls and gates.

Verona is also home to the second largest Roman Amphitheater, which still hosts concerts and gigs with an annual Opera Festival in September – one of the most coveted experiences in Italy . There is no shortage of good food, too. One of my favourite restaurants is the Locanda Navona in Piazza Navona, with its quiet ambiance and delicious menu.

The best gelato I’ve ever had also happens to be in Verona; Gelateria Ballini serves up some delicious flavours with innovative ones like white chocolate with pistachio.

READ: A day trip to Verona from Milan .

Bologna – the gastronomic capital

Suggested by: Karen from Wanderlustingk

Bologna is a fantastic city to visit in Italy. It’s beautiful, historical, and full of fantastic food. Many travelers overlook Bologna in favor of other major cities in Italy, however travelers will fall in love with the slower pace, young feeling (due to the university), the magnificent food, and the many towers around the city.

History lovers will love strolling down the medieval streets of Bologna. Although many of the medieval towers have been destroyed, you can still see the two distinctive leaning towers that can be seen from many points in the city. It’s possible to climb one of the towers for a stunning view of the city! Be sure to try tagliatelle al ragù while you’re in Bologna. Find out what to do there 3 day Bologna itinerary and where best to stay in our accommodation guide and to learn more about food in Bologna click here . 

READ: Our 10 day Italy highlights itinerary .

Bolzano – the German city

Suggested by: Nomad Epicureans

Bolzano is the capital of South Tyrol and still known to most German-speakers as Bozen. Today, 25% of the city’s population speaks German which makes it unique in the Italian landscape. Apart from being known as an educational hub, Bolzano is a popular skiing destination due to its location in the heart of the Alps.

The importance of the mountains is also reflected in some of the city’s most popular tourist attractions, such as the Mountain Museum and the Museum of Archeology. The Museum of Archeology is home to Iceman Ötzi, an extraordinarily well-preserved mummy of a man believed to have lived approximately 5000 years ago and invaluable source of information on pre-historic societies.

Bolzano also makes a perfect base to explore some of the imposing castles located in the area, such as Maretsch Castle. If you can, come in December and visit Bolzano’s famous Christmas Market and try some traditional Bozner Zelten, a soft fruit bread.

Genoa – coastal city on the Italian Riviera

Suggested by: Stephanie from The World As I See It

Genoa is one of my new favourite Italian cities to visit. From its gritty neighbourhoods to its historic streets there’s much to see and do in Genoa. And, there are far fewer tourists than other Italian cities.

Genoa’s main attractions include two castles, the Albertis Castle and the Castle Mackenzie, the family-friendly Genoa Aquarium, the Genoa Cathedral, and Via Garibaldi. Via Garibaldi is a 16th-century thoroughfare with stunning palaces lining each side, and it’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

But if you’re looking for hidden gems and epic views there are two great locations. First is Villetta Di Negro, a park in the center of town, with winding paths lead up, through artificial caves, and around a beautiful waterfall. And at the top you’ll be awarded 360-degree views of the city.

For another great view and neighbourhood, head up to Castelletto. This hilly residential quarter can be reached by funicular or a trek up a steep hill. Grab a gelato and take in the sweeping view of Genoa and the harbour.

Where should you stay in Genoa? The Grand Hotel Savoia or the Melia Genova are both divine and in great locations. And any trip to Genoa isn’t complete without a delectable plate full of the region’s famous pesto. Head to Il Cadraio , near Via Garibaldi, for the best pesto in Genoa.

READ: Discover the pretty towns of the Italian Riviera .

Turin – jewel of the north

Suggested by: James from World Wide Shopping Guide

Turin is a city that has been undeservedly overlooked in favour of cities like Florence and Rome for much too long. Known for being a manufacturing hub – the home of Italy’s car industry – many people assume that Turin is made up of factories and industrial estates.

But, although Turin is industrious, it doesn’t feel like an industrious city. If anything, it feels the opposite. The city is made up of beautiful streets lined with trees, mansions, and coffee shops. The Alps, just an hour and a half from the city, provide an ever constant and beautiful backdrop wherever you look.

There’s plenty to see and do in Turin as well. The Shroud of Turin is probably the city’s most famous attraction, but definitely not its only one. There’s The Egyptian Museum of Turin which is home to one of the world’s best collections of Egyptian artefacts, and Turin itself is the home of Italy’s chocolate making industry and the slow food movement.

In the peak summer months, Turin is considerably quieter than many other Italian cities and this can definitely be a selling point. If you’re looking for a city that has yet to be fully discovered, consider a trip to Turin.

READ: What to eat in Piedmont – the region of Turin.

Parma – historical university city

Suggested by: Mostly Amélie

There’s more to Parma than ham and parmesan! As a vegan and fan of health and wellness getaways, I came not expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised when Parma revealed itself to be a little haven of art, health and vegan food – obviously the art part is not so much of a surprise as we’re talking about Italy!

But Parma as a whole made for a lovely health and wellness getaway I can’t recommend enough. From exploring the Piazza del Duomo where the beautiful marble Battistero is located to roaming the cute little streets and finding health food stores upon health food stores and so many vegan restaurants in Parma, the more I explored, the more pleasantly surprised I got!

My hotel in Parma was located right next door to a lovely spa called Le Monadi where I had a few yoga classes, as well as the pleasure to experience a Tibetan singing bowl sound therapy massage. This treatment is aimed at improving mental clarity and increase physical energy. I left energized and ready to discover more of this exciting city!

Ravenna – historic port city

Suggested by: Calculated Traveller

One city that I loved exploring is Ravenna located in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy.

A perfect town for a day trip, we visited Ravenna via cruise ship and found it to be easy to navigate on foot, with eye candy galore courtesy of the eight Unesco World Heritage sites from the late-Roman and Byzantine period.

Featuring gorgeous, colourful, intricately inlaid mosaics these early Christian churches and monuments are a must-see for lovers of architecture, art, and religious history.  One very affordable 10Euro pass allowed us access to all of the sites.

Once hungry, we had some fabulous pizza at the Mercato Coperto market in the centre of the city. The market is currently under construction but is set to reopen in 2018 as a new and improved haven for local food and wine enthusiasts.

Close to Milan, there are several smaller cities to explore full of relatively unknown treasures. These places are ideal for discovering on a day trip from Milan or as a city break in their own right.

Pavia – a Renaissance gem

Suggested by: Solo Sophie  

Pavia is a stunning city to the South of Milan and a real hidden gem in the Italian landscape. While it may not be as popular as other settlements in the region, it definitely should be!

After all, Pavia is home to one of the oldest universities in Italy, its cathedral is rumoured to have been partly designed by Da Vinci. And the nearby monastery of Certosa di Pavis is thought to be one of the most beautiful examples of Renaissance architecture in Europe. I highly recommend staying at least a night or two in order to truly appreciate all of the city’s attractions

Bergamo – quiet city near the mountains

Suggested by: Just a Pack

Bergamo is an often overlooked jewel in the North of Italy. It’s the quintessential Italian city, with stunning medieval and baroque architecture. Breathtaking views of the surrounding Dolomites make Bergamo one of Italy’s most postcard perfect cities. It’s essential to explore the Città Alta (upper town), with its winding streets and Venetian walls. Here you’ll find the Duomo di Bergamo, the city’s magnificent cathedral, and the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore which dates back to the 12th century.

Stop for lunch or dinner in the Piazza Vecchia, and watch the tables fill up with people stopping for an aperitivo after work. The pasta dish casoncelli alla bergamasca and polenta are traditional dishes in the area, and they’re delicious!

Bergamo is filled with modern accommodation options housed in beautiful medieval buildings, which are affordable but still embody the Italian love for comfort and style. It’s the perfect place for a romantic weekend away, far from the noise and chaos of bigger cities like Milan, you can relax and take in the sheer beauty of Italian architecture and history.

READ: Where to stay in the Dolomites .

Como – gateway to glamour on the lakes

Suggested by: Untold Morsels

Just an hour by train from Milan, Como is a city with a completely different vibe. Como is a bustling city surrounded by the mountain peaks of the Italian Alps and is defined by its position on the lake that bears its name. 

The centre of the city is marked by the imposing Duomo, the Gothic style Santa Maria Assunta, with its impressive dome. Narrow cobbled streets lead to the lakeside marina where you catch ferries to the smaller towns and villages on the lake. You can see the Duomo with the city laid out before it when you take the funicular to Brunate, a hillside town above Como.

Have lunch in the hills or relax lakeside and try the local fish dishes. Visiting a local food festival in Como is a highlight of our Italian travels. So do look out for local celebrations if you are in the area.

Brescia – a true hidden gem

Suggested by: Isabella from  Boundless Roads

I used to visit Brescia many times when I was a kid and used to go and see my cousins but I have never appreciated it so much as I do now. Probably because I am now looking at it with the eyes of an interested traveller coming from Mexico, where I live.

Unfortunately we tend to underestimate what we have at an easy reach. Now, every time I go back to Italy I always go back to visit my cousins and stay a few extra days so that I have the time to walk around the city and explore new corners.

As soon as you arrive in the main square, piazza Duomo, actually in all the historical centre, you cannot help but notice the elegance of the city and the people. Brescia is the capital of a very rich province thanks to a huge industrial growth started a couple of decades ago and the people are known to be a little snob in a way, but most of all very much workaholics.

They won’t go out if they are not perfectly dressed up from top to bottom and their hair are perfectly done. Of course the last time I went I was looking like a tramp as I love comfortable and loose, sporty cloths, besides I had just left my fancy job and heels to live a nomadic life, therefore the last of my concern was how I was dressed. It was nice to look around though, and mingle with the fancy locals.

My cousins would take me around and have aperitifs and pizza in the fancy bars, which I enjoyed a lot and that’s one of the thing that I suggest you should do. It’s very Italian. The best pizza I have eaten was at Capriccio in Piazza Loggia and at Wuhrer a (relatively) laidback Pub set in an old Wuhrer Brewery in a nice garden setting, if it’s summer.

The local aperitif is Pirlo, which is a sort of Spritz. Especially in the summer, everybody is out at night after work in Piazza Duomo and piazzale Arnaldo which has recently become a night meeting point with nice restaurants and bars and that’s where lots of people of all ages gather in the evenings. But this is not what I love the most about Brescia.

I am blown away by the history of Brescia and the uncountable historical buildings, monuments and ancient ruins scattered around the city as a witness of its glorious past. It’s an open air museum and you will be fascinated by its charm.

If you have only a couple of days make sure you walk around Piazza Loggia, Piazza duomo and visit the old cathedral and all the historical center, walk all along Via Santa Giulia and visit among the others, the roman forum which, together with the Monastery of Santa Giulia, world heritage site in 2011, and of course you cannot miss the castle with stunning panoramic views of the city and the romantic sunsets.

But this is not all, there is so much to see, including a huge number of museums and cultural events. I suggest paying a visit to the tourist information center situated in Piazza Duomo or check out their very informative website as they can give information about guided tours of the city and many other precious information to make the best of your stay. Brescia is one of the best cities to visit in Italy.

READ: Discover the slow food movement in Brescia .

Over centuries, the Venetian Republic spread its influence far and wide. Visit the cities near Venice to see how important the merchant city was in the development of these lesser known towns and enjoy their unique character.

Padua – seat of learning

Suggested by: Delve into Europe

I first became acquainted with Padua because I couldn’t find a room in Venice during the Film Festival, and it’s only a half-hour train ride away. The first evening I walked around, I was hooked: busy squares, a whole host of bars and restaurants, amazing architecture. I wanted more.

Padua got under my skin over several visits, as I uncovered a bit more each time. The first place I visited was the Scrovegni Chapel, originally a private family chapel with an incredible fresco cycle by Giotto, what some consider to be one of the precursors of the Renaissance. Art lovers should also seek out the frescoes by Giusto de Menabuoi in the Cathedral Baptistery, a short walk away.

Padua was at one time a major rival to Venice, which you see from the sheer wealth of treasures to be found in the city. The Basilica of St Anthony, known locally as Il Santo, is one of the most amazing churches you could ever see, its domes looking like a medieval city skyline, while its interior is probably the most opulent I’ve ever visited.

Padua was also home to one of medieval Italy’s best universities, where Galileo Galilei lectured in the 17th century, and you can also visit the Palazzo Bo on a guided tour which includes the fascinating Anatomy Theatre and Medicine Hall. The city’s streets are filled with the university’s students at night, especially around the Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza della Frutta, either side of the great Palazzo della Ragione. Across the road from the Palazzo Bo is the 18th century Caffe Pedrocchi, a wonderful spot for a late night espresso.

Trieste – pearl of the east

Suggested by: Michela from  Rocky Travel

Trieste may not be on your itinerary as a first-time-traveller to Italy, but if you plan to visit Venice then Trieste is a must.

To me Trieste is Venice’s sister city on the mainland cause it’s similar in many ways. On the border to Slovenia, Trieste has a rich history in a fabulous natural setting. Here are my suggestions on things to do. Start your visit from Piazza Unità d’Italia, a spectacular square on the sea (one of the largest in the world) from there take stroll along the “Molo Audace”, the 200 stoned walkaway out to sea.

Walk along the beautiful costiera (coastal road and pathway) from Barcola, the main beach of Trieste, to the Miramare Castle (6km) the beloved home to the Habsburg family. The majestic white castle is perched on a promontory and surrounded by a huge park, with very photogenic scenery.

Furthermore, don’t miss out on going on a ride of the famous old “Opicina Tram” from the city centre to the Karst plateau, where you can admire a fabulous panorama of Trieste and walk along the Strada Napoleonica (Napoleonic Way) amidst the forest.

If you are a foodie and love coffee, then you should know that Trieste is the best city in Italy for coffee that beats Naples, (sorry guys!). With over 30 different ways of drinking coffee you will love trying them out. Make sure you visit the famous heritage coffee shops in Trieste. My favourite ones are Antico Caffè San Marco and Caffè Tommaseo.

Treviso – Prosecco city

We went to Treviso on whim and wished we had stayed longer.  Treviso lies to the north of Venice in the heart of Prosecco country. It is a walled city with medieval streets and charming Romanesque churches. 

Once under Venetian rule, the city is adorned with the winged lion of San Marco and it also borrowed another of Venice’s main attractions. Built on the confluence of the  Botteniga and Sile rivers, the city has many pretty canals. These ancient waterways once were the backbone of industry in Treviso but now they are largely decorative. 

You can easily spend a relaxing day wandering the canals and discovering local treasures like the covered fish market Isola della Pescheria. Later, sip a prosecco at one of the many canalside bars and restaurants with the elegantly dressed locals. Then wander the streets admiring frescoed walls and chic Treviso boutiques. 

The cities of Tuscany are some of the most visited in the world. Not far from Florence there are several beautiful towns to discover.

Pisa – city of architectural wonders

Most visitors stop off in Pisa for a few hours to get their mandatory selfies with the leaning tower and visit the wonders of the Piazza dei Miracoli. But the university town of Pisa is worthy of a longer stay.

Pisa was once a great maritime power and rival to Florence. The city straddles the Arno and is home to many beautiful medieval churches and palazzi. It is one of those places to slow down and relax.

For everything you ever wanted to know about the Leaning Tower of Pisa click here

Stroll along the river and across its bridges. Then visit the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Spina famous for its three spires. Stop for a drink or gelato in Piazza Cairoli and watch the city go about its daily business. If you stay in Pisa make sure to rise early or visit at sunset to beat the crowds for a more personal experience of the buildings that are rightly wonders of the modern world.

With great connections to Florence and the surrounding countryside, consider using Pisa as a base for discovering Tuscany . 

Siena – in the heart of Tuscany

Suggested by: Greta’s Travels

Siena in Tuscany , is one of my personal favourite cities in Italy. With its historical medieval city centre and the view over the rolling green hills of the Tuscan countryside it fulfils every Italian stereotype you could ever imagine. The medieval town centre is mostly pedestrian, with car access allowed only to those resident within the the old town walls. Walking through the old town walls feels like stepping back in time.

The lack of cars and medieval bricks surrounding you on every side add to the charm of the place. This magical historic centre has also been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Siena’s famous central square, Piazza del Campo, is one of the most visited attractions of Siena. The fan-shaped square is the site of the Gothic town hall, the Palazzo Publicco and Torre del Mangia, Siena’s characteristic 14th-century tower with white crown.

Piazza del Campo is also where every summer the famous Palio di Siena is held. If you’re visiting Siena in summer, you can’t miss this traditional horse racing event!

READ: Our guide to the Best things to do in Siena .

Lucca – the city of towers

If you plan to spend some time in Tuscany, the pretty city of Lucca is the perfect base.  Lucca is not as well known as neighbouring Florence and Pisa but has charms all of her own. The old town of the city is surrounded by ancient walls that have been converted into a park.

Rent a bike and cruise around the city walls to get your bearings. You will notice nine towers soaring over Lucca. The most famous of these is the Torre Guinigi , once one of 250 defensive tower houses built to help defend the city. Inside the city walls, elegant piazzas and Romanesque churches provide the backdrop for daily life.

It was these very scenes that inspired the music and stories of opera great Giacomo Puccini. Now, each night, there is a short concert of his works at the beautiful Church of San Giovanni. After the concert, dine at one of Lucca’s many restaurants and sample the delicious Tuscan cuisine.

Head out of Rome for the day and you can discover some of Italy’s smaller cities. 

Perugia – Umbrian hilltop city

Suggested by: The World Pursuit

I wouldn’t say there is any main attraction in Perugia to see, but instead, the whole town feels just as you would expect an old Italian town to feel. Perugia is a hilltop town that is the capital of the Umbria region. The streets are cobbled, the buildings are old, and there are not many tourists to be found.

The city is home to a major university, meaning there are many fun things for young people to do here. Buzzing cafes, bars, and hip food scenes are also in this quaint Italian town. In the summer Perugia also plays home to the entire Umbria Jazz Festival, a great experience with beautiful music in the air.

One of the best things to do in Perugia is just stroll along the Roman aqueduct that connects the cities two hills. Walking near Piazza Duomo at the Fontana Maggiore can show you magnificent sights over the Italian countryside. For a great cappuccino with a view make sure to head to Cafe De Perugia. When you are tired of the major tourist hotspots of Rome, Florence, and Pisa head to Perugia for some magical Italian air.

Orvieto – a city above and below ground

Suggested by: Dish Our Town

My favorite Italian Restaurant in New York City serves a wonderful crisp white wine which they simply refer to as an Orvieto. In my imagination, I would transport myself to Orvieto through sipping. The more I sipped, the more elaborate my imagination.

During one of our recent travels, my imagination was manifested. I, along with my family, finally made it to Orvieto, and I hadn’t even had one sip. It was even more beautiful than I ever imagined in my mind. There we were in a beautiful hilltop town, with the most ornate and beautiful cathedral in the region of Umbria crowning the center. Toward the edges, one can go to an overlook and appreciate the most verdant countryside filled with vineyards below.

Orvieto is filled with wonderful little cafes and specialty food boutiques, but it was the gelateria toward the back of the cathedral that tempted us on a hot day. If there is one must-see site, other than the cathedral, it would be the underground city. This labyrinth of caves provides a true understanding of how a civilization that existed thousands of years ago lived their daily lives.

Part of Italy’s DNA brings many of its visitors back in history, and this goes even further back than I had imagined. Oh, and guess what? They drank a lot of wine in those days as well.

DISCOVER: the Best Agriturismo in Umbria .

Sardinia is famous for beautiful beaches and unspoilt nature but there are treasures to be found in its coastal cities too.

Cagliari – castle city by the sea

Suggested by: Claudia from  My Adventures Across The World

Often overlooked for more famous cities on the mainland, Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia, reserves to those who visit some incredible sights and unique experiences. The city is located on the shores of the Mediterranean, but it is on the hills. Pretty much anywhere in town it is possible to have a splendid view – at any time of day.

Cagliari is home to several lagoons, and it is the only place in the Mediterranean where pink flamingoes nest and live, making it a fantastic place to observe wildlife. The city is packed with archeological sites – Villa Tigellio and the Roman Amphitheater being just two; beautiful churches such as the Cathedral and the Basilica di Bonaria.

The historical centre is divided in four parts, Stampace, Marina, San Giovanni and Castello, all characterized by narrow alleys and colorful buildings. Finally, Cagliari boasts some lovely beaches (Poetto and Calamosca are just two of the best beaches in Sardinia), which can both be seen via an easy hike to Sella del Diavolo.

Alghero – city of beaches

Suggested by: Kalena from Lost and Abroad

It’s easy to get lost exploring the small streets and old sea walls of Alghero on the northwest coast of Sardinia. With a complex and intriguing history, the city embraces its past showcasing towering Catalan gothic buildings, such as The Diocese of Alghero-Bosa and delicious local Sardinian food that can’t be found anywhere else.

Alghero is also a great hub to take a boat trip, or easily visit the nearby natural parks, sandy beaches, impressive sea cliffs, and Neptune’s Grotto, a large sea cave housing stalactites that are over two million years old!

After a long day of sightseeing, order a gigantic pizza to share on the rooftop of La Botteghina or taste their lobster pasta, a Sardinian specialty. Wine connoisseurs will be happy to unwind with a glass of local cannonau, the perfect reprieve. For dinner, head to Al 43 di Via Doria for steak topped with foie gras or try their famous lobster roll.

Italy’s southern cities have long been neglected in favour of its more glamorous northern neighbours. That is changing thanks to some well considered development and promotion. There are now plenty of reasons to extend your trip to Italy to the cities down south.

Matera – a city made of stone

Suggested by: Collette & Scott of Roamaroo.com

The city of Matera is one of the main hubs of the Basilicata Region of Southern Italy. This city dates back over 9,000 years to the Paleolithic era and is most known for its sassi, the name for its houses carved out of caves and cliffs. This beautiful city was once condemned as the embarrassment of Italy in the 1950s, when the Italian government shut down the city due to disease.

After decades of shame, Matera was cleaned up and in 1993, this city was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Matera is one of the only cities in the world that has kept its original structure intact for nearly 10,000 years. Visitors will be amazed by the plethora of stone houses and caves etched into the side of the Italian mountains.

While Matera used to be the laughing stock of Italy 70 years ago, tourists can now stay at one of the most luxurious five-star properties in the Mediterranean, Sextantio Le Grotte Delle Civita Matera. This unique hotel allows its guests to sleep in retrofitted caves complete with candlelight and romantic bathtubs. For fine dining, travelers should visit L’abbondanza Lucana or Regia Corte for delicious Italian dining.

Lecce – Baroque city in the south

Suggested by: The Lazy Trotter

If you have never been to Lecce, you better get busy. Take the map of Italy and head south-east, towards one of the most charming and fascinating cities of the boot.

Some people call it the Florence of the south, as Lecce offers to its visitors a number of stunning, baroque, historical buildings. 

Stroll around the streets of the old town, visit the Roman amphitheater, the Duomo cathedral as well as the Santa Croce Basilica – a real masterpiece of baroque architecture.

There are plenty of things to do and see in Lecce: whether you choose to spend the day sightseeing or maybe shopping some local pottery and papier-mâché handicrafts, make sure to save some room for some of the best food you will ever have.

Must try delicacies: pasticciotto, rustico, taralli, orecchiette pasta, meatballs and lots and lots of red wine!

Sorrento – gateway to the Amalfi Coast

Suggested by: Hopping Miles

Sorrento, this Italian coastal town is exudes energy and the vibrant colors of the coast with a backdrop of towering cliffs makes it one of those must visits in Italy. Streets are lined with lemon trees on both sides and houses bear colourful flower pots tumbling down the fence. Sorrento is a busy town filled with tourists and lovely locals who welcome every visitor with a warm smile.

Sorrento makes a great base city for day trips to Amalfi coast, Naples and Capri . I’d say, while planning your Italy itinerary, do not ever miss a trip to Capri and a drive in the winding roads of Amalfi Coast! Also, while in Sorrento , do not miss the wood fired pizza from any of the pizza shack and Sorrento’s famed lemonade!

READ: Capri boat tour: the perfect day trip from Sorrento.

Pompeii – an ancient city, now destroyed

Suggested by: Don’t Forget to Move

Although Italy has a plethora of incredible cities, our favorite place we visited was Pompeii. It’s incredibly unique and full of history. For those that don’t know Pompeii, it’s an ancient Roman city just 40 minutes from Naples by train. In 79 A.D. the volcano Mount Vesuvius erupted, covering the city in meters of ash and killing about 2000 people. Pompeii was left undiscovered until over 1500 years later when it was found that the ash had preserved the city exactly as it was.

Walking through the cobblestone streets you can see houses, community buildings and yes, skeletons covered in ash but perfectly intact. It can be a bit disturbing to see deceased town residents, especially because the volcano is still active and could really erupt at any second.

But there’s really no other place like Pompeii to see an ancient city frozen in time. If you want to visit Pompeii, your best bet is to stay in Naples and take the train in. There are shops and restaurants outside the site that sell decent meals and snacks.

Sicily has a raw energy and beauty that grabs you with all your senses. Explore its cities and you will discover the beating heart of this Mediterranean island.

Palermo – vibrant capital of Sicily

Suggested by:  By Jennifer (aka Dr. J) from Sidewalk Safari

Palermo is a riotous mix of food, culture, and grit. Experience Palermo’s street food culture by signing up for a Streat Palermo tour . Try Sicilian specialities you might not be brave enough to try otherwise like pane ca’ meusa (a spleen sandwich). Sicilian gelato is the best in the world. Now imagine this: instead of serving gelato in a cup or cone, shops in Palermo serve you an ice cream sandwich on brioche!

Palermo’s Teatro Massimo is the third largest opera in Europe and also played a pivotal role in The Godfather III. Watch visitors re-enact the final shoot-out on the steps while locals roll their eyes. Pretty much every visitor to Sicily is curious about the mafia. We felt perfectly safe on our visit but the surroundings in Palermo lend to the feeling that someone from ‘The Family’ might be watching.

At Palermo Cathedral, we heard Father Puglisi’s story. Now considered a martyr by the church, he was “taken out” by the mob for his work to protect children from organized crime. This undercurrent still exists and makes for an heart-racing backdrop to a visit to Sicily.

Ortigia – romantic city by the sea

Suggested by:   Jack and Jill Travel the World   

Ortigia is the historical center of the city of Siracusa, Sicily . It’s located on an island, connected to the modern part of Siracusa by a short bridge. There are enough things to do in Ortigia to occupy a casual traveler for at least a couple of days.

We rented an Airbnb just around the corner from the market and I’d make a trip there every morning. I ordered my espresso from Fratelli Burgio , and sip it while standing on the counter, surrounded by fresh deli meat and cheese, while watching the market come to life. Being an island, the seafood is particularly fresh. Ortigia is especially known for its swordfish, and you’ll find plenty of it in the market.

Do not miss the sandwich from Caseifico Borderi . Don’t expect a menu, but expect a line. Andrea is a true sandwich artist, he makes what he wants with a flourish, a smile, and a conversation. Other than being known for its food, Ortigia is simply a fun city to walk around. The main waterfront area around Fountain Arenusa is particularly scenic.

The island has plenty of reminders that it has been around for a very long time. Close to the entrance to the island lies the remnants of the Temple of Apollo, dated to the beginning of 6th century BC.

The main cathedral is worth a peek in. It has incorporated the original Greek columns from 5th century BC. If you go to Hotel alla Giudecca , you can take a tour to Europe’s oldest Jewish bath (mikveh). These subterranean baths, dated from where Jews had lived on the island until they were expelled in 1400’s, had lain hidden here until 1989.

For its small size, Ortigia packs quite a lot. I haven’t even mentioned the various attractions located across the bridge on the mainland. It’s definitely worth a visit when in Sicily.

Noto – heart of the Baroque valley

Suggested by: 203 Challenges

Even if you have a very short time in Sicily, make the Baroque town of Noto your priority. You don’t need a guide or a map to enjoy the honey-shaded buildings of the old town. Let yourself get lost is the best advice to follow here.

Don’t leave without getting to the top of the tower of San Nicolo church for a breath-taking panorama of the town.

Messina – Sicilian harbour city

If you are traveling to Sicily via the mainland, chances are you will arrive in Messina. This harbour city is the gateway to Sicily but is worth exploring for a few days before you explore the rest of the island. Messina has had a troubled past. The city was almost completely destroyed by an earthquakes in 1783 and 1906 and Allied attacks in World War II.  Today the city is one of the most important hubs in Sicily thanks to its resilient citizens.

Religion plays a great part in the daily lives of the people of Messina and there are several festivals throughout the year marking significant events on the Catholic calendar. These cultural events are an incredible sight and worth seeing even if you are not religious. Huge floats depicting scenes from the bible are hauled along Messina’s wide boulevards by parishioners of its many churches holding candles.

There are several notable landmarks including an impressive astronomical clock that puts on a 12 minute show at midday. My enduring memory of Messina, however, is their granita breakfast. Warm brioche straight from the oven is dipped into delicious coffee or chocolate granita (Sicilian gelato).

READ: Discover Sicily’s favourite desserts .

Catania – at the base of Mount Etna

Catania is crazy, vibrant and cool. Lying in the shadow of Mount Etna, the city’s history has been shaped by volcanic activity over the centuries. No wonder then, that the people celebrate their patron saint, who is said to have stopped several Etna catastrophes, with such fervour.

Twice a year in February and August, the people of Catania celebrate Sant’Agata with processions, fireworks and feasting. This festival attracts over 1 million people to the Baroque piazzas and streets of the city. 

If you’re not visiting Catania during the festivals, you can pay your respects to the saint at the city’s Duomo – the focal point of the city. From there explore some of the cities museums and the ancient Greek theatre. And don’t miss the famous La Pescheria market where local fisherman tout their wares, hauled from the Ionian Sea that very morning. 

  What is your favourite Italian city?

I can’t choose and it seems there is a lifetime of exploring to be done. And then you’ll have to move on to the small Italian towns and villages which have unique charms of their own.

We love Italy! You can find all of our articles on our favorite country here or to start planning your trip to Italy visit these pages:

· 10 day Italy itinerary – covering Rome, Florence, Venice and more · 5 days in Rome · 101 travel tips for Italy · What to pack for Italy – including a packing list · Why you need travel insurance for Italy

Disclaimer – Untold Morsels assists our readers with carefully chosen product and services recommendations that help make travel easier and more fun. If you click through and make a purchase on many of these items we may earn a commission. All opinions are our own – please read our  disclosure  page for more information.

The creator, writer and photographer behind Untold Morsels , Katy has been travelling and tasting the world since she was a teenager.

Now the proud mum of twins, she hopes they grow up to share her passions of great food, wine and travel. Favourite destination: Italy

• Italy Tours
• Italy Travel Guide
• Where to Go in Italy

10 Best Places to Visit in Italy: Top Destinations

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From the sparkling waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea to the fairytale setting of the Italian Alps and everything in between, there is something in Italy to entice every kind of traveler. Italy is a beautiful country, bursting with history, great food and great wine. Foodies and adventurers, and art or history aficionados will all fall in love with the experiences this country has to offer. No matter what you travel for, if you’re looking for the best places to visit in Italy, then we have got you covered!

1. Florence

Florence is unarguably one of the best places to visit in Italy if you’re interested in the artistic heritage of the country. You can see the duomo with its incredible domed roof and enjoy some breathtaking artwork in the cradle of the Renaissance. It’s an easy city to explore on foot and you’ll have no trouble navigating. 

Highlights:

• The Uffizi Gallery features a collection of some of the best artistic masterpieces in the world and no visit to Florence is complete without exploring this gallery.
• Walk across one of the most famous bridges in the world, the Ponte Vecchio, and browse the picturesque shops along the way.
• If you’re a meat eater, you can’t leave Florence without trying the bistecca Fiorentina . The Florentine steak is the city’s specialty dish and is mouth-wateringly delicious!

Venice is famous for its beautiful canals filled with picturesque gondolas that can take you  through the city. It’s also small enough to explore by foot over a few hours, a trip that will take  you through the city’s beautiful streets and give you some incredible views of ornate marble  buildings juxtaposed against glistening lagoons.

• Visit the Palazzo Ducale, or Doge’s Palace, and check out one of the city’s most memorable (and opulent) landmarks.
• Snack on some gelato from a local café as you take in the sights of the Grand Canal before hopping on a gondola to explore Venice’s winding canals.
• Experience the Carnevale di Venezia (the Carnival of Venice) in February, where three million people dress up in masquerade costumes and dance all through the night. Join in the celebration!

Our tip: Cafes in Venice can get a little pricey if you want to sit down and enjoy your coffee. You can get a cheaper drink in true Venetian style by going to a coffee al banco . Instead of chairs, these cafes are standing room only. Save a few euro and get a real Italian experience!

From the Colosseum to St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome is an incredible city to explore. It’s a vibrant cultural hub with something new to discover around every corner. The ancient Romans called it the “Eternal City” because they believed that it would always stand, and it has! A walk through Rome is like walking into history. You may want to check out this helpful Rome travel guide to plan a perfect trip to Rome.   

• Visit the Vatican, where you can see some of Rome’s most iconic sights, like the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica.
• Walk through history on a Colosseum tour. Since you’ll be in the neighborhood, we recommend stopping over at the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, some of Rome’s oldest and most important historical sites.
• Snap some drool-worthy photos before tossing a coin into the Trevi Fountain. There are over 1300 fountains in Rome, but the Trevi fountain is easily the most beautiful.

Tuscany is Italy’s heartland, where wine, Renaissance art, and picturesque natural vistas go hand  in hand. It’s one of the best places to visit in Italy to get a real sense for Italian culture and, of  course, food. It is also the birthplace of many famous figures, like Michelangelo, Dante Alighieri, and Leonardo da Vinci, among many others. Everywhere you go you will find artistic and  architectural masterpieces.

• Sample wine in some of Tuscany’s famous wineries that will take you to Chianti, Bolgheri, and Montalcino, among others.
• Snap a photo holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa and then head inside and climb to the top of the tilted tower for some stunning views.
• Eat like a Tuscan with some classic Italian comfort food that won’t cost you much. Ribolitta is a village-style stew that epitomizes this region.

Our tip: If you head to Tuscany in November, take a trip to San Miniato. It’s one of the most prolific regions in Europe for harvesting truffles, including the elusive white truffle. For 15 days each November the city hosts a truffle fair where you can eat some truly incredible food and pick up all kinds of truffle-based goods to bring home.

If you’re looking for something a little more cosmopolitan, take a trip to this bustling city, home to the 8th largest duomo and also one of the top fashion capitals of the world. Unlike many other Italian cities, life here moves at a fast pace. Do some shopping during the day, visit the opera, then hit the town for some of Italy’s best cocktails.

• Even if you’re not much of a shopper, take a wander through the absurdly beautiful Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Italy’s oldest shopping mall. If you are a shopper, welcome to heaven!
• You can’t go to Milan and not see the Milan Cathedral; it looks like something straight out of a storybook and is conveniently located in the heart of the city.
• Spend an evening experiencing the opera at one of the most prestigious opera houses in the entire world: Teatro alla Scala.
• Marvel at Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic masterpiece, “The Last Supper”. Although a visit to see it will take up less than an hour of your day, tickets can sell out months in advance so book your tickets early to make sure you don’t miss out!

6. Amalfi Coast

As far as Italy destinations go, you can’t go wrong with a trip to the beautiful Amalfi Coast. If  you’re somehow tired of Tuscany’s rolling hills, the Amalfi Coast is the change of scenery you  need. The whole of the coast is dotted with colourful Aegean villages nestled into the cliffs and  set against the sparkling blue waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Even by Italian standards, this area is  laid-back and slow moving. It’s the perfect place to relax, in a setting that will constantly delight  and surprise you.

You may also want to check out our travel guide for Amalfi coast .

• Make sure to stop in at the town of Amalfi itself. It’s one of the biggest coastal towns and features a gorgeous duomo , not to mention the town’s charming pastel buildings.
• Visit Ravello for the best sunsets on the Amalfi Coast. This chilled out village is perched on a hillside, with the Villa Rufolo at the top. It’s the perfect place to relax and enjoy the sunset views.
• Sip limoncello in Sorrento. This delicious citrus liquor is the perfect aperitif and you won’t find a tastier version anywhere else!
• Visit the island of Capri, home to the magical Blue Grotto. Inside the cave, the water glows a vibrant shade of blue that will leave you stunned — and makes for a great photo opportunity.

Whether you’re a foodie or an archeological enthusiast, there is something for everyone to do in Naples.  This sprawling city sits in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea. It’s the birthplace of pizza, so you’ll never be far from a pizza shop that will  change your life. It’s also a great hub if you’re interested in visiting the archeological sites of  Pompeii or Herculaneum, the cities that were destroyed by a volcanic eruption in 79 AD.

• Climb Mount Vesuvius for some dizzyingly beautiful views of Naples and the surrounding region.
• Eat lots of pizza! There are hundreds of pizzerias in Naples serving up some of the best pizza you’ve ever had. Stick to places certified by the Associazione de Pizza Napoletana for the best places in town.
• Check out Naples’ underground history with a tour of the San Gennaro Catacombs.

Our tip: Naples has a bad reputation as a seedy city controlled by the mafia. While the rates of petty theft are higher than elsewhere, as a tourist, you’re unlikely to run into any trouble and certainly not with the mafia. Keep your wits about you like you would in any city you travel to and you’ll be fine.

8. Italian lake district

Italy’s Lake District combines mountain vistas and crystalline lakes with medieval fortresses and beautiful lakeside towns. There are five major lakes among the most stunning lakes in this region and each one has its own flair and character to its accompanying cities. This area is popular year-round as you can hit the beach on a sunny day, participate in some exhilarating adventure sports, or come in the winter for a ski trip in the Italian Alps.

• Enjoy the latest in haute cuisine at the Bellagio Mistral, a Michelin-starred restaurant on the shores of Lake Como.
• Visit the island of Isola Bella. Take a leisurely walk through the gorgeous cultivated gardens and explore the huge baroque castle!
• Spend an afternoon relaxing in the shadow of the mountains and playing in the crystalline waters of Lake Garda. It is popular for swimming, with its diverse scenery that ranges from stark cliffs to rolling vineyards and sandy beaches.
• Head to Lake Ledro for an afternoon. After the construction of the Riva del Garda dam, the remains of a bronze age village emerged from the receding water. Plus, you’ll find some great art installations in the woods around the lake.

9. Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre is made up of five different seaside towns, which are together a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They’re all gorgeous and offer spectacular views of the sea, but the most picturesque is Riomaggiore, with brightly coloured houses clustered together on the hillside. A staircase above the harbour will lead you to some incredible sunset views. While each village has something different to offer, you really can’t go wrong with any of them.

• Relax on Monterosso al Mer’s sandy beach – the only sandy beach in Cinque Terre – and sip on some of the region’s famously crisp Ligurian white wine, sciacchetrà.
• Sample some of Cinque Terre’s famous pesto. You can’t leave here without enjoying one of the many pesto dishes on offer.
• Walk along the coast on the Via dell’Amore, the Path of Love, that connects Riomaggiore and Manarola. If you’re up for it, you can walk the whole 12-kilometer trail from Monterosso to Riomaggiore too — just make sure to check in with the park offices to see if there are trail closures before you set out. Check out our recommended Cinque Terre hikes !
• Try some of the Cinque Terre’s unique street bread, farinata . It’s made from chickpea flour and has the remarkable effect of helping you stay hydrated on sizzling summer days.

Our tip: If you can help it, don’t go to Cinque Terre in the summer. Air conditioning is scarce in the sweltering summer heat, as is accommodation. During the summer months the population skyrockets. The villages have around 4000 residents between them but receive over 2 million tourists. It’s best visited during the shoulder seasons.

Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean and one of the most culturally diverse parts of  Italy, as it has been influenced by the many different cultures that have settled the island  throughout history. No trip to the island is complete without spending a couple of days in  Palermo, Sicily’s capital city, where you can browse the city’s famous market places or explore  the fascinatingly diverse architecture before heading to the coast, where you can find  archeological sites, fishing villages, and volcanoes.

• You’ll be dazzled by the golden mosaics of Monreale Cathedral, outside Palermo. It took over 2100 kg of pure gold to create.
• Climb up to the crater of the Etna Volcano for some jaw-dropping views of the island!
• Hike to the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, Sicily’s most famous archeological site, with eight different temples. The best preserved (and most picturesque) are the Temple of Hera and the Temple of Concorde.

Our tip: If you want to spice up your trip with something unique, visit the Catacombe dei Cappuccini in Palermo. Up until the late 1800s, mummification was a regular practice on the island. You can see thousands of embalmed Sicilians in the catacomb; it’s sure to be one of the most unique activities you do in Italy. 

There’s a reason Italy is such a popular destination. Even if you're confused about which places to visit for the perfect Italy tour , you can always connect with our local travel experts  and create your very own customized tour to Italy , but no matter where you end up you’ll find beautiful architecture, delicious Italian food , and warm-hearted people in every corner of the country. You could spend a lifetime exploring the cities and coasts and still have more to discover, but if you don’t have a lifetime, here are the best places to visit in Italy to make the most out of your trip.

For more information, read our travel article on how many days to spend in Italy or best time to visit Italy . 

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The 10 best places to visit in May

M ay is that splendid time of year when the sun plays peek-a-boo with the clouds a bit more confidently, and the flowers have finally decided that, yes, they will show off for a while. If you've been bitten by the travel bug (and honestly, who hasn't been at some point?), May is your golden ticket to adventure.

It's that magical time when the entire world seems to be on the cusp of something wonderful. From cities that buzz with festivals and events to serene landscapes where the only soundtrack is the gentle whisper of nature, the world is truly your oyster.

But where to jet off to, you ask?

Whether it's the pulsing of busy streets, awash with color and life, or the tranquil allure of coastal towns where the ocean sings lullabies at sunset, May's diverse palette offers something for every traveler.

Here are the 10 best places to travel in May.

Tuscany, Italy

Tuscany in May is absolutely enchanting, offering a perfect blend of delightful weather and vibrant landscapes that make it a prime destination for travelers.

Imagine wandering through rolling hills, draped in the fresh, green hues of spring, with wildflowers adding splashes of color as far as the eye can see. The temperate climate is ideal for exploring picturesque villages, historic vineyards, and awe-inspiring art cities like Florence and Siena without the sweltering heat or crowds of peak tourist season.

Related: Everyone is going to Sicily — try these 7 underrated places in Italy instead

May also brings a sense of renewal and celebration to the region, with numerous local festivals and events that showcase Tuscany's rich culture, exquisite cuisine and world-renowned wines. It's a time when you can truly immerse yourself in the authentic Tuscan lifestyle, making memories that last a lifetime.

TPG tip : Toscana Resort Castelfalfi just reopened this spring after a mega two-year renovation, with brand-new villas, a new 22-seat restaurant in its medieval castle and a brand-new partnership in its spa with Thai wellness brand RAKsa. You can book rooms for around $1,000 or 66,666 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per night.

Charleston, West Virginia

Heading to Charleston , West Virginia, in May? You're in for a real treat! From May 24 to 26, the city comes alive with the Vandalia Gathering, a festival that's all about celebrating traditional Appalachian dance, music and crafts.

Imagine spending your days immersed in the rich cultural heritage of West Virginia, tapping your feet to the rhythm of fiddles, banjos, mandolins and guitars. And when night falls, the State Theater lights up with concerts by some of the most talented traditional Appalachian musicians. It's not just about the music and dance, though. You'll also get to try some incredibly delicious food that will leave you wanting more.

And if you're up for more adventure, take a short drive to America's newest national park — New River Gorge National Park and Preserve . About an hour from Charleston, this park is a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts, offering hiking, biking, rock climbing, camping and world-class whitewater rafting, all set against the stunning backdrop of West Virginia's natural beauty. And the best part? There's no entry fee.

TPG tip : Charleston has your choice of national chains, like the Four Points by Sheraton Charleston (available from $114 or 15,500 Marriott Bonvoy points per night) and more. But if you're looking for a unique stay, try a night at the Brass Pineapple Bed and Breakfast . The cozy inn offers guest rooms (from $209) with private bathrooms and is furnished with pristine Victorian antiques.

Related: The 17 best hotels in Charleston, from historic inns to modern stays

Scottish Highlands, Scotland 

Oh, the Scottish Highlands in spring — what a spectacle! Picture yourself, kilt donned, golf club in hand, embarking on an adventure that takes you back to the 15th century.

Yes, that's right. Golf, a sport born in Scotland, still thrives here, especially during the Kilted Open, which takes place May 17-19. This isn't just any golf tournament; it's a celebration of Scottish heritage, complete with kilts, team spirit and a competitive edge for the most creatively named team.

The venue? None other than the historic Braemar Golf Club, nestled in the breathtaking Cairngorms National Park, dating back to 1902. Here, amid the watchful eyes of golden eagles and stags, players get to experience golf in its most majestic setting. And this year introduces an even more exclusive twist — the chance to play on the royal grounds of Balmoral Castle, a privilege previously unheard of for golf enthusiasts.

TPG tip : Fife Arms is the quintessential hotel for a Highlands stay and costs about $406 per night.

If you're plotting a May getaway, Maryland beckons with its famed Chesapeake Bay crabs, casting a spell on seafood lovers. As Capri Cafaro — TV host and creator of " America the Bountiful ," a new food and travel series airing on PBS member stations nationwide — eloquently puts it, "May is the perfect time to visit Maryland as it's prime time for its famous Chesapeake Bay crabs."

Imagine journeying to the Eastern Shore, where the essence of summer unfolds early. At Big Owl's Tiki Bar , a grapefruit crush in hand marks the beginning of relaxation. At the same time, a bushel of crabs at Fisherman's Inn Crab Deck in Kent Narrows invites you to indulge in the quintessential Maryland experience.

Alternatively, Annapolis presents a more subdued charm for those seeking tranquility. Meander through its historic cobblestone streets, soaking in the state capital's rich heritage. Cafaro recommends a culinary tour that includes "crabcakes at the historic Middleton Tavern , diving into crab dip at Buddy's Crab and Ribs , or taking a water taxi to explore the harborfront area."

TPG tip : Book a room at Fairfield Inn & Suites for around $140 or 21,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night.

Barcelona in May is an absolute delight, offering the perfect day ("un día perfecto") with fewer crowds, gentle weather and days that stretch on invitingly.

Imagine meandering through the enchanting streets of the Gothic Quarter with ease, capturing the awe-inspiring beauty of Sagrada Familia without the summer crowds, or savoring the city's finest tapas without the wait.

For those who revel in music, Primavera Sound kicks off May 30, featuring an impressive lineup, including Lana Del Rey, SZA and Charli XCX.

Transport to this mesmerizing city is becoming even more accessible. United Airlines is set to bridge San Francisco and Barcelona with a daily flight starting in May. American Airlines will introduce a direct flight from Dallas-Fort Worth in June, making the journey to Barcelona's wonders more convenient than ever.

TPG tip : Almanac Barcelona is available for around $867 or 57,800 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per night.

Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

The Galapagos is pure magic for anyone who loves getting up close with wildlife. Imagine swimming alongside tropical fish, bumping flippers with penguins or chilling with sea lions on the beach. And let's not forget the tortoises that look like they've stepped right out of prehistory, those comical blue-footed boobies doing their dance and iguanas sunbathing like they own the place.

May is the time to be there, especially if you're into the whole David Attenborough scene. You'll catch the blue-footed boobies in their flirtatious glory — it's their mating season. Plus, it's the last call for the warm season, so the water is just perfect. Think crystal-clear views of the underwater world, which is pretty much unbeatable.

Related: My first cruise to the Galapagos: The good, the bad and the absolutely adorable

TPG tip : And if you're wondering how to make the most of it, check out what Geographic Expeditions has going on. It offers cozy group trips — seven, nine and 10 days long. You get to snorkel, glide through mangroves on Zodiac charters and have naturalists fill your brain with cool facts about everything you're seeing. It's like stepping into a documentary.

Memphis 

May transforms the Tennessee city into a vibrant hub of culture and cuisine, thanks to the Memphis in May International Festival. This monthlong celebration kicks off with the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest from May 15 to 18 at Liberty Park. It's one of the nation's most esteemed, attracting pitmasters globally to showcase their culinary prowess. Visitors can get a taste of the action with general admission, or for a more immersive experience, opt for the Kingsford Tour of Champions or BBQ Alley.

But the festivities don't end there. On May 25, the streets of downtown Memphis come alive with the Great American River Run. Starting on the iconic Beale Street and winding past cherished city landmarks, it offers a unique perspective of Memphis, whether you're running, walking or cheering on participants.

Memphis in May also serves as a cultural exchange, honoring a different country each year. France is in the spotlight this year, with various speakers, artists, and celebrities appearing at events designed to foster connections between Memphis residents and visitors, and French culture.

TPG tip : Stay at Hyatt Centric Beale Street Memphis for around $259 or 12,000 World of Hyatt points per night.

Greenville, South Carolina

If you're looking for a place that's buzzing with life, especially in spring, you've got to check out Greenville, South Carolina. You can stroll down quaint tree-lined Main Street, popping into more than 120 locally owned eateries and boutiques, and catch a ride on the free trolley that meanders through this mile-and-a-half stretch of pure charm.

Come Wednesday nights, the city has this cool tradition where everyone gathers for movies in the park at dusk. It's free and outdoors — the perfect way to spend a balmy evening. And if you're into music, you're in luck because Thursday and Friday nights here mean free outdoor concerts. Picture this: a gentle South Carolina breeze, your favorite tunes floating in the air, surrounded by a community of music lovers.

For art lovers, Greenville shines during Mother's Day weekend with Artisphere. Main Street transforms into a vibrant gallery with artists from around the globe showcasing their work, as well as live art demos and performances that light up the city.

If you're around in late May, check out Gallabrae, the Scottish Games held Memorial Day weekend. It's a full-on celebration of Scottish culture with games, dance and music that's a blast for families or anyone looking to have a good time.

TPG tip : Book a room at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Greenville-Downtown for $154 or 32,000 IHG One Rewards points per night.

Grand Junction, Colorado 

If you're eyeing a trip in May, Grand Junction, Colorado, should be high on your list, and here's why: wild horse foals, just days old, playing under the vast Colorado sky in the Little Book Cliffs.

This spot is one of only four herd management areas in the state where you can see wild horses living freely, echoing the American West's vibrant history. These aren't just any horses; they're the descendants of those owned by Native Americans, Spanish explorers, ranchers and even the U.S. Cavalry.

Heading to the Little Book Cliffs is an absolute must-do for horse lovers or anyone captivated by nature's unspoiled beauty. With such a genetically diverse herd, you're in for a treat — you could spot everything from palominos to paints and maybe even a curly. Plus, the nearby orchards are a sight for sore eyes, with their cherry and peach blossoms in full bloom.

TPG tip : Stay at the Hotel Maverick , built against Grand Junction's sprawling red rock canyons on the campus of Colorado Mesa University, for around $209 or 13,933 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per night.

Sao Paulo, Brazil

Considered one of the best times to visit, May in Sao Paulo hits that sweet spot of its shoulder season, where the climate is just right — warm but not too hot, and the rainy days take a backseat.

This is when the city truly comes alive, hosting some of its most anticipated events. There's ILTM Latin America from May 7-10, a premier gathering that puts the spotlight on luxury travel trends and destinations from around the globe.

Then, as mid-May rolls around, the city gears up for Virada Cultural, a 24-hour marathon May 18 and 19 that transforms Sao Paulo into a vibrant tableau of its rich cultural tapestry. From electrifying dance performances to captivating theater shows, it's a nonstop celebration of the arts that showcases the city's dynamic spirit.

TPG tip : Centrally located in the heart of the vibrant city near the lively Avenida Paulista, Rosewood Sao Paulo — available for $673 or 44,866 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per night — is a respite in the bustling city.

Related reading:

• Key travel tips you need to know — whether you're a beginner or expert traveler
• The best travel credit cards
• Where to go in 2024: The 16 best places to travel
• 6 real-life strategies you can use when your flight is canceled or delayed
• 8 of the best credit cards for general travel purchases
• 13 must-have items the TPG team can't travel without

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

10 Best Places to Travel in July

There’s plenty of sunshine, sand, and celebration to go around come july..

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It’s school holiday time, which makes it peak summer in the Northern Hemisphere. But don’t assume the traditional beach getaway or cabin rental is the way to go.

Why not spend Independence Day overseas in a place that officially celebrates it with the United States, or slip on a costume or two to celebrate Marvel and more at a confab in California ?

Then again, it’s also a fine time to venture to Australia and immerse in the traditions and practices of Indigenous culture there.

You deserve a vacation this month, and we have 10 places that are well worth visiting in July.

1. Jutland, Denmark

July is great for: experiencing Independence Day through another country’s eyes

The largest celebration of July 4 overseas takes place in the northernmost reaches of Denmark , in Jutland. Much as we do stateside, locals there celebrate the holiday with a fireworks display and speeches from prominent public figures from both countries—past headliners have included Dionne Warwick, former ambassador Rufus Gifford ,and Frederik X, the recently installed king. It’s a legacy of efforts by one emigrant Dane, Max Henius, who lived in the United States; he corralled his fellow ex-countrymen to contribute money to allow them to buy 200 acres of hilly land inside Denmark’s largest forest. They gifted it to the then-king more than 100 years ago, with two provisos: first, that it would be preserved as wilderness and, second, that it could be the site of a celebration of the links between both countries.

On Independence Day proper, the fireworks burst out at midnight; the following day, there’s a banquet for hundreds of attendees followed by music and dancing.

Don’t forget, either, that you’re right by Klitmøller, aka Cold Hawai‘i, where a meteorological anomaly creates superb surfing at more than 30 designated spots.

Where to stay

Book now: Pier 5

Perch on the waterfront in Aalborg at this recently refreshed midmarket property, its 154 rooms now have a midcentury-inflected decor, with dark walls and mod wooden furniture.

How to get to Jutland

It’s a two-hour flight from Copenhagen to Aalborg, the regional airport here; Copenhagen has nonstop service to Atlanta and Chicago among others, while American offers a seasonal service from Philadelphia for summertime.

Decompress from Anguilla’s action by spending a few hours on some of the prettiest beaches in the region, whether it be mile-long Maundays Bay or the quiet Long Bay.

2. Anguilla

July is great for: calypso, Carnival, and captains racing open hull craft

The 15,000 or so inhabitants of this 40-square-mile island burst into raucous joy each July when Carnival—officially the Anguilla Summer Festival —takes place over three weeks: this year’s dates are July 21 to August 11, with Emancipation Day celebrated on August 5. This marks the time when enslaved Africans in British dominions were freed in 1838.

Carnival’s program includes the usual festivities, like beach parties and street food stands, a Calypso contest, and plenty of pageantry, too, including a Miss Anguilla competition. Notably, there’s a major focus on boat racing, one of the island’s prime pastimes. Today, that tradition is celebrated in these daytime boat races with open hull craft; head to Meads Bay and Sandy Ground to watch them. It climaxes with the Champion of Champions race , held on the final Sunday of Carnival.

Book now: Cap Juluca

The Belmond-operated property is one of the loveliest places to stay on the island; by early summer 2024, it will have opened its $8 million, Guerlain-operated spa.

How to get to Anguilla

This was traditionally a harder-to-reach island nation, requiring a connection by air from San Juan or a ferry ride over from Sint Maarten. Now, though, American Airlines operates a direct nonstop flight from Miami every day.

The joys of watching the Olympics will be particularly vivid in Paris.

Photo by Bertrand Gardel/age fotostock

3. Paris, France

July is great for: the Olympic spirit

Expect a little extra je ne sais quoi from this Olympics, the first summertime games to be held without restrictions since the pandemic. It runs from July 26 through August 11 (the Paralympics follow starting August 28).

The entire city will be dragooned into serving as a de facto stadium for the duration, with clever repurposings of various buildings—the shuttered Grand Palais will partially reopen, for example, so that its nave can serve as the site of fencing and taekwondo contests, while the pyramid-shaped Bercy arena in the east will be where basketball and gymnastics take place. The only new, permanent venue built for the Games is the Aquatic Center, which is right on the edge of Saint Denis and will be converted into a community pool after the Olympics.

And if you want to catch the debut of breakdancing as part of the Games, head to Place de la Concorde, the central square best known as the onetime site of the Marie Antoinette–beheading guillotine.

Book now: Bulgari Paris

The glitzy spot sits in the heart of the so-called Golden Triangle, just off the Champs-Elysées. It’s carved out of a forlorn onetime post office, reimagined as a luxury, 76-room hotel.

How to get to Paris

Don’t forget there are two airports in Paris, the better-known international hub CDG and the lesser-known ORY. Check out prices to the latter on some alternative carriers: All biz startup La Compagnie flies from EWR, for example, while Air France’s low-cost offshoot French Bee connects ORY with EWR, SFO, and LAX nonstop.

You don’t have to be an Olympian-level athlete to enjoy sights like the Garden of the Gods park.

Courtesy of Melanie Magdalena/Unsplash

4. Colorado Springs, Colorado

July is great for: an alternative way to celebrate the Games

If your budget, whether time or money, doesn’t quite stretch to a transatlantic trip to the Olympics proper, consider instead a jaunt to this town in the Rocky Mountains that’s the spiritual home of the games stateside. The U.S. operation priming athletes for both the Olympics and Paralympics has its HQ here, and the 60,000-square foot U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum is one of the best ways to immerse yourself in the games without actually being there. Exhibits include the scoreboard that marked the USA men’s ice hockey win over the USSR at the 1980 games; there are interactive installations too.

The training center in town won’t be full of the best athletes as they’ll be competing in the real games, but you can watch the games on a giant screen in the Museum Plaza. If you still want to test your prowess, head over to Manitou Springs, where there’s a dizzying via ferrata installed at the Cave of the Winds Mountain Park; the six-year-old course spans more than 2,700 feet of elevation.

Book now: Garden of the Gods Resort & Club

Garden of the Gods Resort has a storied history—both John Wayne and Walt Disney stayed there after its opening in 1951—and includes a 27-hole golf course and three outdoor swimming pools. Even better, the 116-key property completed a major renovation of all its guest rooms, suites, and dining venues late last year.

How to get to Colorado Springs

For the easiest access to Colorado Springs, consider Southwest, which runs to eight cities, including Baltimore and Phoenix.

5. Tulsa, Oklahoma

July is great for: rocking out in an underappreciated Music City

In 1972, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Leon Russell founded Church Studios (in a deconsecrated building, hence the name) in his native Tulsa, a recording hub that quickly attracted everyone from Stevie Wonder to Bob Dylan. Russell was a pivotal talent in the 1960s pop era, working as part of the Phil Spector–led Wall of Sound crew and bringing his distinctively Tulsa tastes in music—a fusion of gospel, blues, and country—as an influence.

Three years ago, the city established a formal program to honor this heritage: Tusla Music Month , which takes place every July, with giveaways and discounts at a variety of local venues. Don’t miss a show at Cain’s Ballroom, a National Register of Historic Places venue that celebrates its centenary this year. In July, the program includes a gig from ’80s rock icons The Pretenders.

Book now: The Brut Hotel

This brand-new, 82-room hotel is housed in a 1950s brutalist apartment complex, from which it earns its name; the reimagined site includes a superb rooftop restaurant with killer views run by local chef Rob Stuart.

How to get to Tulsa

There are more than a dozen direct nonstops from around the country, whether the Allegiant-operated route from LAX, Southwest from St. Louis or Delta’s daily service from Salt Lake City. Delta also added a new route from LGA starting in May this year.

While the Great Barrier Reef spans more than 1,400 miles of prime Queensland coastline, head interior to learn about its Indigenous culture.

Photo by Manfred Gottschalk/age fotostock

6. Cairns, Australia

July is great for: immersive Indigenous contemporary culture

Midwinter in Australia is the best time to head to the tropical north of Queensland, when the weather remains in the 60s and 70s with lower humidity and rainfall. Still, many make the mistake of heading off the coast when there’s ample reason to idle on the mainland; there’s a rich Indigenous culture here, centered in and around the Daintree Rainforest. (You can even experience the reef through the ideas of First Nations storytellers via the Dreamtime Dive & Snorkel program. )

This month, First Nations culture is particularly foregrounded thanks to the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair , which runs July 25–28 at the Cairns Convention Center. It showcases work by Indigenous artists in all media, yoked together under this year’s theme, “Country Speaking,” which intends to provoke dialog between those whose history with the country dates back more than 60,000 years and those whose ancestors arrived here far more recently. There will be satellite exhibitions around town at various galleries and parks, as well as performances, workshops, and children’s art.

Book now: Silky Oaks

Hole up in the rainforest canopy with one of the tree-house-like rooms, many of which sit cantilevered over the Daintree River amid the foliage. Make sure to book a room with one of the round, alfresco tubs, which sit on the terrace amid the greenery.

How to get to Cairns

The best of the international touchdowns in Australia for Cairns is undoubtedly Brisbane (United or Delta via SFO, United or American via LAX). From Brisbane, it’s about a 2.5-hour flight north.

If you join those wearing costumes, make sure to pack something stretchy to wear.

Photo by Steady Hand/Shutterstock

7. San Diego, California

July is great for: indulging your inner nerd

From July 25 to 28 this year, cosplay’s spiritual home returns to San Diego . There are look- and sound-alike fests around the country and the world—although San Diego Comic Con has threatened legal action against many imposters—but the appeal of this OG fanfest is its location, only a few hours from the heart of Hollywood. The convenience for A-listers to make public appearances here is obvious, and it’s become an increasingly starry confab and an unparalleled launchpad for genre films above all: Remember when the Avengers assembled here for the first time, two years before the namesake movie?

Last year’s talent roster was dimmed by the Hollywood strikes, leaving major players like HBO to skip the celebrations. Expect them to return in full force this year. (Marvel president Kevin Feige has been a regular in the past.)

Book now: The Alma

The 211-room Kimpton hotel in the downtown Gaslamp Quarter was once part of its Palomar mini-chain, but has just reopened with a new name and a snazzier decorative scheme that draws on classic Mexican textiles.

How to get to San Diego

Take your pick: If you’re not close enough to drive, there’s Alaska-run service from Spokane or Jackson Hole, JetBlue from Boston, and Allegiant from Medford, Oregon.

The Palio di Siena is held twice each year.

Photo by M. Rohana/Shutterstock

8. Siena, Italy

July is great for: a unique horse racing spectacle

Oh, the Palio, that hard-to-describe mashup of horse race, NASCAR, and street party that dates back centuries in the Italian town of Siena. Each summer, there are two races, the first on July 2 and the second on August 16, though it’s the July race that dates back the furthest; the second one was added in the 18th century.

The Palio di Provenzano, as this month’s iteration of the race is known, effectively blocks off the entire center of the city, in and around the clamshell-shaped campo: Only 10 of the 17 districts or contrade can compete at any one time, chosen both by lottery and by whichever didn’t participate in the race that month last year. It’s a startlingly quick event, usually over in 90 seconds or so, when the first horse—with or without its rider—crosses the finish line. Whichever neighborhood triumphs will see the hardest partying in its wake.

Book now: Grand Hotel Minerva

To make the most of the region’s sightseeing opportunities, take an hour-long train ride north to Florence and stay at the family-run luxe Grand Hotel Minerva. Its rooftop pool and terrace offer a 360-degree view of the city, right on Piazza Santa Maria Novella.

How to get to Siena

Instead of the Florence airport, which has a short runway that makes it vulnerable to changing weather, opt for Pisa. It’s a bigger airport with better connections; you can find a low-cost intra-Europe flight on Ryanair to any of the major international gateways from there.

Salzburg Festival’s founders include composer Richard Strauss.

Photo by canadastock/Shutterstock

9. Salzburg, Austria

July is great for: the Olympics of classical music

For classical music buffs, Salzburg’s summer festival needs no introduction: The five-week program in Mozart’s birthplace offers some of the world’s finest performances across all genres, with more than 200 opera, theater, and concert events. It was first established in 1920, and quickly earned accolades across the world, notably under the artistic direction of Herbert von Karajan for more than three decades until 1988.

This year’s program includes Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito , his last stage work that superstar mezzo Cecilia Bartoli will perform here. Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Florez will also appear this summer—he’ll sing an assortment of works by Rossini, Bellini, Verdi, and more on August 18. The charmingly kooky Les Contes d’Hoffmann by Offenbach will see Benjamin Bernheim in the title role, under the direction of acclaimed French director Mariame Clément.

Book now: Rosewood Schloss Fuschl

The second Austrian location for the Hong Kong–based luxury chain is intended to evoke a fairy-tale castle when it opens this summer, right on the shores of the turquoise blue Lake Fuschl right outside of Salzburg. The renovation of a 15th-century landmark, originally built for Austrian royalty, will feature 98 rooms (including six self-contained chalets).

How to get to Salzburg

Frankfurt is the major international hub, with service to many cities—check out low-cost carrier Condor from Phoenix, for example. It’s an hour or so quick connection by plane down to Austria’s second city.

A traditional canoe lets you explore Botswana’s Okavango Delta without the din of a 4x4.

Photo by Ger Metselaar/Shutterstock

10. Okavango Delta, Botswana

July is great for: a near-silent safari

It’s widely known that the Northern Hemisphere’s summer is a smart time to go on safari, as the wintry conditions in the savanna mean that greenery is sparse and so animals are easier to spot. That’s not the case here, the world’s largest inland delta; in fact, the water level here is at its highest now during supposedly dry season, mostly because the rainfall that deluges Angola’s highlands in summertime takes so long to meander down to pool on the plains.

The reason to visit this region now, though, is that you can explore without revving up the noisy 4x4: There’s an otherworldly magic to gliding over the waters in a traditional canoe or mokoro in near-silence, eyeballing unfamiliar insects and flowers up close and seeing animals unaware of your presence nearby.

Book now: Tubu & Little Tubu

Luxe operator Wilderness has reopened this twin camp in the Delta’s northwestern Jao Reserve after a gut renovation that entirely reimagined the property but retained one aspect: its reputation as a prime place to easily spot lion and leopard both.

How to get to the Okavango Delta

The easiest intercontinental gateway to Botswana is Johannesburg in South Africa—connect from there to the capital of Maun, and then you’ll likely need to take a charter puddle jumper to most safari camps.

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Ronna McDaniel, TV News and the Trump Problem

The former republican national committee chairwoman was hired by nbc and then let go after an outcry..

This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.

From “The New York Times,” I’m Michael Barbaro. This is “The Daily.”

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Today, the saga of Ronna McDaniel and NBC and what it reveals about the state of television news headed into the 2024 presidential race. Jim Rutenberg, a “Times” writer at large, is our guest.

It’s Monday, April 1.

Jim, NBC News just went through a very public, a very searing drama over the past week, that we wanted you to make sense of in your unique capacity as a longtime media and political reporter at “The Times.” This is your sweet spot. You were, I believe, born to dissect this story for us.

Oh, brother.

Well, on the one hand, this is a very small moment for a major network like NBC. They hire, as a contributor, not an anchor, not a correspondent, as a contributor, Ronna McDaniel, the former RNC chairwoman. It blows up in a mini scandal at the network.

But to me, it represents a much larger issue that’s been there since that moment Donald J. Trump took his shiny gold escalator down to announce his presidential run in 2015. This struggle by the news media to figure out, especially on television, how do we capture him, cover him for all of his lies, all the challenges he poses to Democratic norms, yet not alienate some 74, 75 million American voters who still follow him, still believe in him, and still want to hear his reality reflected in the news that they’re listening to?

Right. Which is about as gnarly a conundrum as anyone has ever dealt with in the news media.

Well, it’s proven so far unsolvable.

Well, let’s use the story of what actually happened with Ronna McDaniel and NBC to illustrate your point. And I think that means describing precisely what happened in this situation.

The story starts out so simply. It’s such a basic thing that television networks do. As elections get underway, they want people who will reflect the two parties.

They want talking heads. They want insiders. They want them on their payroll so they can rely on them whenever they need them. And they want them to be high level so they can speak with great knowledge about the two major candidates.

Right. And rather than needing to beg these people to come on their show at 6 o’clock, when they might be busy and it’s not their full-time job, they go off and they basically put them on retainer for a bunch of money.

Yeah. And in this case, here’s this perfect scenario because quite recently, Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee through the Trump era, most of it, is now out on the market. She’s actually recently been forced out of the party. And all the networks are interested because here’s the consummate insider from Trump world ready to get snatched up under contract for the next election and can really represent this movement that they’ve been trying to capture.

So NBC’S key news executives move pretty aggressively, pretty swiftly, and they sign her up for a $300,000 a year contributor’s contract.

Nice money if you can get it.

Not at millions of dollars that they pay their anchors, but a very nice contract. I’ll take it. You’ll take it. In the eyes of NBC execs she was perfect because she can be on “Meet the Press” as a panelist. She can help as they figure out some of their coverage. They have 24 hours a day to fill and here’s an official from the RNC. You can almost imagine the question that would be asked to her. It’s 10:00 PM on election night. Ronna, what are the Trump people thinking right now? They’re looking at the same numbers you are.

That was good, but that’s exactly it. And we all know it, right? This is television in our current era.

So last Friday, NBC makes what should be a routine announcement, but one they’re very proud of, that they’ve hired Ronna McDaniel. And in a statement, they say it couldn’t be a more important moment to have a voice like Ronna’s on the team. So all’s good, right? Except for there’s a fly in the ointment.

Because it turns out that Ronna McDaniel has been slated to appear on “Meet the Press,” not as a paid NBC contributor, but as a former recently ousted RNC chair with the “Meet The Press” host, Kristen Welker, who’s preparing to have a real tough interview with Ronna McDaniel. Because of course, Ronna McDaniel was chair of the party and at Trump’s side as he tried to refuse his election loss. So this was supposed to be a showdown interview.

From NBC News in Washington, the longest-running show in television history. This is “Meet The Press” with Kristen Welker.

And here, all of a sudden, Kristin Welker is thrown for a loop.

In full disclosure to our viewers, this interview was scheduled weeks before it was announced that McDaniel would become a paid NBC News contributor.

Because now, she’s actually interviewing a member of the family who’s on the same payroll.

Right. Suddenly, she’s interviewing a colleague.

This will be a news interview, and I was not involved in her hiring.

So what happens during the interview?

So Welker is prepared for a tough interview, and that’s exactly what she does.

Can you say, as you sit here today, did Joe Biden win the election fair and square?

He won. He’s the legitimate president.

Did he win fair and square?

Fair and square, he won. It’s certified. It’s done.

She presses her on the key question that a lot of Republicans get asked these days — do you accept Joe Biden was the winner of the election?

But, I do think, Kristen —

Ronna, why has it taken you until now to say that? Why has it taken you until now to be able to say that?

I’m going to push back a little.

McDaniel gets defensive at times.

Because I do think it’s fair to say there were problems in 2020. And to say that does not mean he’s not the legitimate president.

But, Ronna, when you say that, it suggests that there was something wrong with the election. And you know that the election was the most heavily scrutinized. Chris Krebs —

It’s a really combative interview.

I want to turn now to your actions in the aftermath of the 2020 election.

And Welker actually really does go deeply into McDaniel’s record in those weeks before January 6.

On November 17, you and Donald Trump were recorded pushing two Republican Michigan election officials not to certify the results of the election. And on the call —

For instance, she presses McDaniel on McDaniel’s role in an attempt to convince a couple county commissioner level canvassers in Michigan to not certify Biden’s victory.

Our call that night was to say, are you OK? Vote your conscience. Not pushing them to do anything.

McDaniel says, look, I was just telling them to vote their conscience. They should do whatever they think is right.

But you said, do not sign it. If you can go home tonight, do not sign it. How can people read that as anything other than a pressure campaign?

And Welker’s not going to just let her off the hook. Welker presses her on Trump’s own comments about January 6 and Trump’s efforts recently to gloss over some of the violence, and to say that those who have been arrested, he’ll free them.

Do you support that?

I want to be very clear. The violence that happened on January 6 is unacceptable.

And this is a frankly fascinating moment because you can hear McDaniel starting to, if not quite reverse some of her positions, though in some cases she does that, at least really soften her language. It’s almost as if she’s switching uniforms from the RNC one to an NBC one or almost like breaking from a role she was playing.

Ronna, why not speak out earlier? Why just speak out about that now?

When you’re the RNC chair, you kind of take one for the whole team, right? Now, I get to be a little bit more myself.

She says, hey, you know what? Sometimes as RNC chair, you just have to take it for the team sometimes.

Right. What she’s really saying is I did things as chairwoman of the Republican National committee that now that I no longer have that job, I can candidly say, I wished I hadn’t done, which is very honest. But it’s also another way of saying I’m two faced, or I was playing a part.

Ronna McDaniel, thank you very much for being here this morning.

Then something extraordinary happens. And I have to say, I’ve never seen a moment like this in decades of watching television news and covering television news.

Welcome back. The panel is here. Chuck Todd, NBC News chief political analyst.

Welker brings her regular panel on, including Chuck Todd, now the senior NBC political analyst.

Chuck, let’s dive right in. What were your takeaways?

And he launches right into what he calls —

Look, let me deal with the elephant in the room.

The elephant being this hiring of McDaniel.

I think our bosses owe you an apology for putting you in this situation.

And he proceeds, on NBC’S air, to lace into management for, as he describes it, putting Welker in this crazy awkward position.

Because I don’t know what to believe. She is now a paid contributor by NBC News. I have no idea whether any answer she gave to you was because she didn’t want to mess up her contract.

And Todd is very hung up on this idea that when she was speaking for the party, she would say one thing. And now that she’s on the payroll at NBC, she’s saying another thing.

She has credibility issues that she still has to deal with. Is she speaking for herself, or is she speaking on behalf of who’s paying her?

Todd is basically saying, how are we supposed to know which one to believe.

What can we believe?

It is important for this network and for always to have a wide aperture. Having ideological diversity on this panel is something I prided myself on.

And what he’s effectively saying is that his bosses should have never hired her in this capacity.

I understand the motivation, but this execution, I think, was poor.

Someone said to me last night we live in complicated times. Thank you guys for being here. I really appreciate it.

Now, let’s just note here, this isn’t just any player at NBC. Chuck Todd is obviously a major news name at the network. And him doing this appears to just open the floodgates across the entire NBC News brand, especially on its sister cable network, MSNBC.

And where I said I’d never seen anything like what I saw on “Meet the Press” that morning, I’d never seen anything like this either. Because now, the entire MSNBC lineup is in open rebellion. I mean, from the minute that the sun comes up. There is Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski.

We weren’t asked our opinion of the hiring. But if we were, we would have strongly objected to it.

They’re on fire over this.

believe NBC News should seek out conservative Republican voices, but it should be conservative Republicans, not a person who used her position of power to be an anti-democracy election denier.

But it rolls out across the entire schedule.

Because Ronna McDaniel has been a major peddler of the big lie.

The fact that Ms. McDaniel is on the payroll at NBC News, to me that is inexplicable. I mean, you wouldn’t hire a mobster to work at a DA’s office.

Rachel Maddow devotes an entire half hour.

It’s not about just being associated with Donald Trump and his time in the Republican Party. It’s not even about lying or not lying. It’s about our system of government.

Thumbing their noses at our bosses and basically accusing them of abetting a traitorous figure in American history. I mean, just extraordinary stuff. It’s television history.

And let’s face it, we journalists, our bosses, we can be seen as crybabies, and we’re paid complaining. Yeah, that’s what we’re paid to do. But in this case, the NBC executives cannot ignore this, because in the outcry, there’s a very clear point that they’re all making. Ronna McDaniel is not just a voice from the other side. She was a fundamental part of Trump’s efforts to deny his election loss.

This is not inviting the other side. This is someone who’s on the wrong side —

Of history.

Of history, of these moments that we’ve covered and are still covering.

And I think it’s fair to say that at this point, everyone understands that Ronna McDaniel’s time at NBC News is going to be very short lived. Yeah, basically, after all this, the executives at NBC have to face facts it’s over. And on Tuesday night, they release a statement to the staff saying as much.

They don’t cite the questions about red lines or what Ronna McDaniel represented or didn’t represent. They just say we need to have a unified newsroom. We want cohesion. This isn’t working.

I think in the end, she was a paid contributor for four days.

Yeah, one of the shortest tenures in television news history. And look, in one respect, by their standards, this is kind of a pretty small contract, a few hundred thousand dollars they may have to pay out. But it was way more costly because they hired her. They brought her on board because they wanted to appeal to these tens of millions of Americans who still love Donald J. Trump.

And what happens now is that this entire thing is blown up in their face, and those very same people now see a network that, in their view, in the view of Republicans across the country, this network will not accept any Republicans. So it becomes more about that. And Fox News, NBC’S longtime rival, goes wall to wall with this.

Now, NBC News just caved to the breathless demands from their far left, frankly, emotionally unhinged host.

I mean, I had it on my desk all day. And every minute I looked at that screen, it was pounding on these liberals at NBC News driving this Republican out.

It’s the shortest tenure in TV history, I think. But why? Well, because she supports Donald Trump, period.

So in a way, this leaves NBC worse off with that Trump Republican audience they had wanted to court than maybe even they were before. It’s like a boomerang with a grenade on it.

Yeah, it completely explodes in their face. And that’s why to me, the whole episode is so representative of this eight-year conundrum for the news media, especially on television. They still haven’t been able to crack the code for how to handle the Trump movement, the Trump candidacy, and what it has wrought on the American political system and American journalism.

We’ll be right back.

Jim, put into context this painful episode of NBC into that larger conundrum you just diagnosed that the media has faced when it comes to Trump.

Well, Michael, it’s been there from the very beginning, from the very beginning of his political rise. The media was on this kind of seesaw. They go back and forth over how to cover him. Sometimes they want to cover him quite aggressively because he’s such a challenging candidate. He was bursting so many norms.

But at other times, there was this instinct to understand his appeal, for the same reason. He’s such an unusual candidate. So there was a great desire to really understand his voters. And frankly, to speak to his voters, because they’re part of the audience. And we all lived it, right?

But just let me take you back anyway because everything’s fresh again with perspective. And so if you go back, let’s look at when he first ran. The networks, if you recall, saw him as almost like a novelty candidate.

He was going to spice up what was expected to be a boring campaign between the usual suspects. And he was a ratings magnet. And the networks, they just couldn’t get enough of it. And they allowed him, at times, to really shatter their own norms.

Welcome back to “Meet the Press,” sir.

Good morning, Chuck.

Good morning. Let me start —

He was able to just call into the studio and riff with the likes of George Stephanopoulos and Chuck Todd.

What does it have to do with Hillary?

She can’t talk about me because nobody respects women more than Donald Trump.

And CNN gave him a lot of unmitigated airtime, if you recall during the campaign. They would run the press conferences.

It’s the largest winery on the East Coast. I own it 100 percent.

And let him promote his Trump steaks and his Trump wine.

Trump steaks. Where are the steaks? Do we have steaks?

I mean, it got that crazy. But again, the ratings were huge. And then he wins. And because they had previously given him all that airtime, they’ve, in retrospect, sort of given him a political gift, and more than that now have a journalistic imperative to really address him in a different way, to cover him as they would have covered any other candidate, which, let’s face it, they weren’t doing initially. So there’s this extra motivation to make up for lost ground and maybe for some journalistic omissions.

Right. Kind of correct for the lack of a rigorous journalistic filter in the campaign.

Exactly. And the big thing that this will be remembered for is we’re going to call a lie a lie.

I don’t want to sugarcoat this because facts matter, and the fact is President Trump lies.

Trump lies. We’re going to say it’s a lie.

And I think we can’t just mince around it because they are lies. And so we need to call them what they are.

We’re no longer going to use euphemisms or looser language we’re. Going to call it for what it is.

Trump lies in tweets. He spreads false information at rallies. He lies when he doesn’t need to. He lies when the truth is more than enough for him.

CNN was running chyrons. They would fact check Trump and call lies lies on the screen while Trump is talking. They were challenging Trump to his face —

One of the statements that you made in the tail end of the campaign in the midterms that —

Here we go.

That — well, if you don’t mind, Mr. President, that this caravan was an invasion.

— in these crazy press conferences —

They’re are hundreds of miles away, though. They’re hundreds and hundreds of miles away. That’s not an invasion.

Honestly, I think you should let me run the country. You run CNN. And if you did it well, your ratings —

Well, let me ask — if I may ask one other question. Mr. President, if I may ask another question. Are you worried —

That’s enough. That’s enough.

And Trump is giving it right back.

I tell you what, CNN should be ashamed of itself having you working for them. You are a rude, terrible person. You shouldn’t be working for CNN.

Very combative.

So this was this incredibly fraught moment for the American press. You’ve got tens of millions of Trump supporters seeing what’s really basic fact checking. These look like attacks to Trump supporters. Trump, in turn, is calling the press, the reporters are enemies of the people. So it’s a terrible dynamic.

And when January 6 happens, it’s so obviously out of control. And what the traditional press that follows, traditional journalistic rules has to do is make it clear that the claims that Trump is making about a stolen election are just so abjectly false that they don’t warrant a single minute of real consideration once the reporting has been done to show how false they are. And I think that American journalism really emerged from that feeling strongly about its own values and its own place in society.

But then there’s still tens of millions of Trump voters, and they don’t feel so good about the coverage. And they don’t agree that January 6 was an insurrection. And so we enter yet another period, where the press is going to have to now maybe rethink some things.

In what way?

Well, there’s a kind of quiet period after January 6. Trump is off of social media. The smoke is literally dissipating from the air in Washington. And news executives are kind of standing there on the proverbial battlefield, taking a new look at their situation.

And they’re seeing that in this clearer light, they’ve got some new problems, perhaps none more important for their entire business models than that their ratings are quickly crashing. And part of that diminishment is that a huge part of the country, that Trump-loving part of the audience, is really now severed from him from their coverage.

They see the press as actually, in some cases, being complicit in stealing an election. And so these news executives, again, especially on television, which is so ratings dependent, they’ve got a problem. So after presumably learning all these lessons about journalism and how to confront power, there’s a first subtle and then much less subtle rethinking.

Maybe we need to pull back from that approach. And maybe we need to take some new lessons and switch it up a little bit and reverse some of what we did. And one of the best examples of this is none other than CNN.

It had come under new management, was being led by a guy named Chris Licht, a veteran of cable news, but also Stephen Colbert’s late night show in his last job. And his new job under this new management is we’re going to recalibrate a little bit. So Chris Licht proceeds to try to bring the network back to the center.

And how does he do that?

Well, we see some key personalities who represented the Trump combat era start losing air time and some of them lose their jobs. There’s talk of, we want more Republicans on the air. There was a famous magazine article about Chris Licht’s balancing act here.

And Chris Licht says to a reporter, Tim Alberta of the “Atlantic” magazine, look, a lot in the media, including at his own network, quote unquote, “put on a jersey, took a side.” They took a side. And he says, I think we understand that jersey cannot go back on him. Because he says in the end of the day, by the way, it didn’t even work. We didn’t change anyone’s mind.

He’s saying that confrontational approach that defined the four years Trump was in office, that was a reaction to the feeling that TV news had failed to properly treat Trump with sufficient skepticism, that that actually was a failure both of journalism and of the TV news business. Is that what he’s saying?

Yeah. On the business side, it’s easier call, right? You want a bigger audience, and you’re not getting the bigger audience. But he’s making a journalistic argument as well that if the job is to convey the truth and take it to the people, and they take that into account as they make their own voting decisions and formulate their own opinions about American politics, if tens of millions of people who do believe that election was stolen are completely tuning you out because now they see you as a political combatant, you’re not achieving your ultimate goal as a journalist.

And what does Licht’s “don’t put a jersey back on” approach look like on CNN for its viewers?

Well, It didn’t look good. People might remember this, but the most glaring example —

Please welcome, the front runner for the Republican nomination for president, Donald Trump.

— was when he held a town hall meeting featuring Donald J. Trump, now candidate Trump, before an audience packed with Trump’s fans.

You look at what happened during that election. Unless you’re a very stupid person, you see what happens. A lot of the people —

Trump let loose a string of falsehoods.

Most people understand what happened. It was a rigged election.

The audience is pro-Trump audience, was cheering him on.

Are you ready? Are you ready? Can I talk?

Yeah, what’s your answer?

Can I? Do you mind?

I would like for you to answer the question.

OK. It’s very simple to answer.

That’s why I asked it.

It’s very simple. You’re a nasty person, I’ll tell you that.

And during, the CNN anchor hosting this, Kaitlan Collins, on CNN’s own air, it was a disaster.

It felt like a callback to the unlearned lessons of 2016.

Yeah. And in this case, CNN’s staff was up in arms.

Big shakeup in the cable news industry as CNN makes another change at the top.

Chris Licht is officially out at CNN after a chaotic run as chairman and CEO.

And Chris Licht didn’t survive it.

The chief executive’s departure comes as he faced criticism in recent weeks after the network hosted a town hall with Donald Trump and the network’s ratings started to drop.

But I want to say that the CNN leadership still, even after that, as they brought new leadership in, said, this is still the path we’re going to go on. Maybe that didn’t work out, but we’re still here. This is still what we have to do.

Right. And this idea is very much in the water of TV news, that this is the right overall direction.

Yeah. This is, by no means, isolated to CNN. This is throughout the traditional news business. These conversations are happening everywhere. But CNN was living it at that point.

And this, of course, is how we get to NBC deciding to hire Ronna McDaniel.

Right. Because they’re picking up — right where that conversation leaves off, they’re having the same conversation. But for NBC, you could argue this tension between journalistic values and audience. It’s even more pressing. Because even though MSNBC is a niche cable network, NBC News is part of an old-fashioned broadcast network. It’s on television stations throughout the country.

And in fact, those networks, they still have 6:30 newscasts. And believe it or not, millions of people still watch those every night. Maybe not as many as they used to, but there’s still some six or seven million people tuning in to nightly news. That’s important.

Right. We should say that kind of number is sometimes double or triple that of the cable news prime time shows that get all the attention.

On their best nights. So this is big business still. And that business is based on broad — it’s called broadcast for a reason. That’s based on broad audiences. So NBC had a business imperative, and they argue they had a journalistic imperative.

So given all of that, Jim, I think the big messy question here is, when it comes to NBC, did they make a tactical error around hiring the wrong Republican which blew up? Or did they make an even larger error in thinking that the way you handle Trump and his supporters is to work this hard to reach them, when they might not even be reachable?

The best way to answer that question is to tell you what they’re saying right now, NBC management. What the management saying is, yes, this was a tactical error. This was clearly the wrong Republican. We get it.

But they’re saying, we are going to — and they said this in their statement, announcing that they were severing ties with McDaniel. They said, we’re going to redouble our efforts to represent a broad spectrum of the American votership. And that’s what they meant was that we’re going to still try to reach these Trump voters with people who can relate to them and they can relate to.

But the question is, how do you even do that when so many of his supporters believe a lie? How is NBC, how is CNN, how are any of these TV networks, if they have decided that this is their mission, how are they supposed to speak to people who believe something fundamentally untrue as a core part of their political identity?

That’s the catch-22. How do you get that Trump movement person who’s also an insider, when the litmus test to be an insider in the Trump movement is to believe in the denialism or at least say you do? So that’s a real journalistic problem. And the thing that we haven’t really touched here is, what are these networks doing day in and day out?

They’re not producing reported pieces, which I think it’s a little easier. You just report the news. You go out into the world. You talk to people, and then you present it to the world as a nuanced portrait of the country. This thing is true. This thing is false. Again, in many cases, pretty straightforward. But their bread and butter is talking heads. It’s live. It’s not edited. It’s not that much reported.

So their whole business model especially, again, on cable, which has 24 hours to fill, is talking heads. And if you want the perspective from the Trump movement, journalistically, especially when it comes to denialism, but when it comes to some other major subjects in American life, you’re walking into a place where they’re going to say things that aren’t true, that don’t pass your journalistic standards, the most basic standards of journalism.

Right. So you’re saying if TV sticks with this model, the kind of low cost, lots of talk approach to news, then they are going to have to solve the riddle of who to bring on, who represents Trump’s America if they want that audience. And now they’ve got this red line that they’ve established, that that person can’t be someone who denies the 2020 election reality. But like you just said, that’s the litmus test for being in Trump’s orbit.

So this doesn’t really look like a conundrum. This looks like a bit of a crisis for TV news because it may end up meaning that they can’t hire that person that they need for this model, which means that perhaps a network like NBC does need to wave goodbye to a big segment of these viewers and these eyeballs who support Trump.

I mean, on the one hand, they are not ready to do that, and they would never concede that that’s something they’re ready to do. The problem is barring some kind of change in their news model, there’s no solution to this.

But why bar changes to their news model, I guess, is the question. Because over the years, it’s gotten more and more expensive to produce news, the news that I’m talking about, like recorded packages and what we refer to as reporting. Just go out and report the news.

Don’t gab about it. Just what’s going on, what’s true, what’s false. That’s actually very expensive in television. And they don’t have the kind of money they used to have. So the talking heads is their way to do programming at a level where they can afford it.

They do some packages. “60 Minutes” still does incredible work. NBC does packages, but the lion’s share of what they do is what we’re talking about. And that’s not going to change because the economics aren’t there.

So then a final option, of course, to borrow something Chris Licht said, is that a network like NBC perhaps doesn’t put a jersey on, but accepts the reality that a lot of the world sees them wearing a jersey.

Yeah. I mean, nobody wants to be seen as wearing a jersey in our business. No one wants to be wearing a jersey on our business. But maybe what they really have to accept is that we’re just sticking to the true facts, and that may look like we’re wearing a jersey, but we’re not. And that may, at times, look like it’s lining up more with the Democrats, but we’re not.

If Trump is lying about a stolen election, that’s not siding against him. That’s siding for the truth, and that’s what we’re doing. Easier said than done. And I don’t think any of these concepts are new.

I think there have been attempts to do that, but it’s the world they’re in. And it’s the only option they really have. We’re going to tell you the truth, even if it means that we’re going to lose a big part of the country.

Well, Jim, thank you very much.

Thank you, Michael.

Here’s what else you need to know today.

[PROTESTERS CHANTING]

Over the weekend, thousands of protesters took to the streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in some of the largest domestic demonstrations against the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since Israel invaded Gaza in the fall.

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

Some of the protesters called on Netanyahu to reach a cease fire deal that would free the hostages taken by Hamas on October 7. Others called for early elections that would remove Netanyahu from office.

During a news conference on Sunday, Netanyahu rejected calls for early elections, saying they would paralyze his government at a crucial moment in the war.

Today’s episode was produced by Rob Szypko, Rikki Novetsky, and Alex Stern, with help from Stella Tan.

It was edited by Brendan Klinkenberg with help from Rachel Quester and Paige Cowett. Contains original music by Marion Lozano, Dan Powell, and Rowan Niemisto and was engineered by Chris Wood. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly.

That’s it for “The Daily.” I’m Michael Barbaro. See you tomorrow.

• April 2, 2024   •   29:32 Kids Are Missing School at an Alarming Rate
• April 1, 2024   •   36:14 Ronna McDaniel, TV News and the Trump Problem
• March 29, 2024   •   48:42 Hamas Took Her, and Still Has Her Husband
• March 28, 2024   •   33:40 The Newest Tech Start-Up Billionaire? Donald Trump.
• March 27, 2024   •   28:06 Democrats’ Plan to Save the Republican House Speaker
• March 26, 2024   •   29:13 The United States vs. the iPhone
• March 25, 2024   •   25:59 A Terrorist Attack in Russia
• March 24, 2024   •   21:39 The Sunday Read: ‘My Goldendoodle Spent a Week at Some Luxury Dog ‘Hotels.’ I Tagged Along.’
• March 22, 2024   •   35:30 Chuck Schumer on His Campaign to Oust Israel’s Leader
• March 21, 2024   •   27:18 The Caitlin Clark Phenomenon
• March 20, 2024   •   25:58 The Bombshell Case That Will Transform the Housing Market
• March 19, 2024   •   27:29 Trump’s Plan to Take Away Biden’s Biggest Advantage

Hosted by Michael Barbaro

Featuring Jim Rutenberg

Produced by Rob Szypko ,  Rikki Novetsky and Alex Stern

With Stella Tan

Edited by Brendan Klinkenberg ,  Rachel Quester and Paige Cowett

Original music by Marion Lozano ,  Dan Powell and Rowan Niemisto

Engineered by Chris Wood

Listen and follow The Daily Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music

Ronna McDaniel’s time at NBC was short. The former Republican National Committee chairwoman was hired as an on-air political commentator but released just days later after an on-air revolt by the network’s leading stars.

Jim Rutenberg, a writer at large for The Times, discusses the saga and what it might reveal about the state of television news heading into the 2024 presidential race.

On today’s episode

Jim Rutenberg , a writer at large for The New York Times.

Background reading

Ms. McDaniel’s appointment had been immediately criticized by reporters at the network and by viewers on social media.

The former Republican Party leader tried to downplay her role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election. A review of the record shows she was involved in some key episodes .

There are a lot of ways to listen to The Daily. Here’s how.

We aim to make transcripts available the next workday after an episode’s publication. You can find them at the top of the page.

The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Mike Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, John Ketchum, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Dan Farrell, Sophia Lanman, Shannon Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Summer Thomad, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez and Brendan Klinkenberg.

Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Sofia Milan, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Renan Borelli, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson and Nina Lassam.

Jim Rutenberg is a writer at large for The Times and The New York Times Magazine and writes most often about media and politics. More about Jim Rutenberg

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