Top 10 destinations in Italy

Italy is a great country, with great food, welcoming, charming and honorable people and it looks extremely beautiful. If there is something no one can deny is that Italian have an unparalleled and fine taste for small details and for the beauty of things. You can easily notice this in their architecture, their cuisine and also their fashion and cars.

I don’t know why, but I have always felt very close to Italian people. Since I starting traveling abroad as a kid to learn English first and then French, my best friends were always Spaniards and Italians. During my Erasmus in Paris, the same story. Now in NY, similar story.

I was lucky enough to meet Lucia. Apart from being a good friend, intelligent and simply amazing, like many other Italians, she loves her country! When she offered me to write a post about Italy, I could only wish she would find the time to get it done (this is not easy at all!). I discovered that on top of everything I mentioned, she is extremely driven and diligent. She got back to me with every possible detail in less than 2 weeks! Italians never cease to amaze me!

Hope you like it. Grazie Mille Lucia!

Some background on Italy

With more than 58 million tourists in 2017, and with a large share of the entire world’s art treasures, Italy is definitely one of the world’s most popular country among tourists. It is considered one of the birthplaces of Western culture. “Il Bel Paese” (that means the Beautiful Country) is known for its arts, architecture, fashion, food, automobiles, design and amazing unique landscapes all over the world. Its beaches, The Alps and its countless lakes are admired by everyone.

The Italian peninsula has been inhabited for at least 200,000 years. It was the homeland of the magnificent Roman Empire it has been one of the most powerful countries in the world.

The mix of cultures that have lived in this small territory gave birth to a very colorful and varied country. This is also true in Italy’s language. On top of the Italian official language, you can find several Italian dialects depending on the region you are visiting. You may even have the impression as you move from region to region that you have changed to a different country with a completely different landscape, food and culture.

Italy is extremely rich in all possible aspects. Making a choice of what to visit and when is harder than in most other countries in the world. To help you out with your decision, we have listed below the top destinations we would suggest. We have also included the best time to visit each destination and what type of traveler may be more suited to each destination.

Hope you find it useful and you enjoy Il Bel Paese.

Rome

• For who? If you like arts, culture, architecture, and history
• When to go? Thanks to its sunny and warm weather all year long, you can go all year round. You can decide to see a romantic and illuminated Rome during Christmas time. Alternatively, you can spend some days in the “Eternal City” during spring when you will have the possibility to enjoy an outdoor lunch in one of the hundreds of typical trattorias. You can also walk around the city under its mild weather and feel like you have been teleported to the ancient Rome Era. While summer is doable, it gets a little bit too warm, so maybe better to avoid July and August.

Rome is vast. Even Romans believe that it is impossible to discover the city in its entirety. As long as you are a human (and maybe even if you’re not), you must visit one the most ancient and beautiful cities in the world.

The perfect trip length is 3 to 5 days. With this time, you can admire the Roman art, architecture, the more than 900 churches, possibly the people with the nicest accent in Italy and excellent food.

You can’t really go wrong. Rome is like an open-air museum as they say in Italy. You will breathe the culture and the beauty as soon as you set your foot in the city. Some absolute musts are the Coliseum (one of the most famous tourist attractions in the world), the Sistine Chapel and the most important church in the world in Vatican City.

Milan

• For who? If you like fashion, design, fancy restaurants and clubs.
• When to go? The most beautiful months to spend in Milan are December where you can admire the Christmas tree in Piazza del Duomo and in spring when you can have long beautiful walks in Parco Sempione.

If you are looking to spend 2 to 3 days in the fashion capital you chose the right city.

Milan is by far the most international city in Italy.

Chris Dee said “In Paris, choosing a dress is a monumental decision. In Milan, it’s a kick”. In the fashion capital you can do things like:

• Do all the shopping you have always dreamt about
• Visit all the most important boutiques of the world
• Admire charming and elegant people walking down the streets of “Il Quadrilatero Della Moda” (means quadrilateral of fashion)
• Admire the glorious Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in which you can find one of the most famous restaurants (Cracco)
• Visit “il Duomo” (Cathedral)
• Walk in the Brera district and having the impression to be in another completely different city with small and stoned streets.
• Try amazing and stylish restaurant and luxury clubs.

In this city, you can breathe the taste for the beautiful and if you are an architect or a designer you can’t miss “il Salone del Mobile”, the yearly Milan furniture Fair, during which you can attend many events and see people that come from every corner of the world.

Florence

• For who? If you like arts, history and amazing landscapes
• When to go? The best periods are spring and fall. It’s preferable to avoid the cold months (January and February) and the hot summer months (July and August).

Spending 3 days in Florence is always a good option. Florence is the city of Dante Alighieri, one of the most famous Italian authors. During the Middle Age wrote he “the Divine Comedy”. This masterpiece was written in the ancient Florentine dialect, which gave rise to the current Italian language. People from Florence are very proud of this.

Florence is the cradle of the Renaissance, the city that gave birth to the most famous artists of all time, such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo or Botticelli.

Some of the things you can do in Florence are:

• Visit one of the most important museums in the world, the Uffizi.
• Admire the beautiful landscape just walking across the “Ponte Vecchio” (means old bridge)
• Visit the Giotto’s bell tower and after a climb of 400 stairs, you will have the best view ever of this amazing city.
• Buy an authentic handmade leather bag
• Eat the typical Fiorentina steak, a simply prepared Porterhouse steak, grilled rare, over a wood fire! I’m drooling just from thinking about it…

Puglia, the heel of the boot

• For who? If you like good weather, wonderful beaches, and good food
• When to go? All year round. In Puglia, the sun shines every day of the year with a temperature ranging from 10 degrees Celsius in winter to 40 degrees Celsius in summer. May through September are the best months if you are looking to admire the gorgeous beaches with white sand and light blue water.

Better known as “the heel of the boot”, Puglia is the region located in the south-east of the Italian peninsula. With 400 Km (250 miles) of coastline, it’s one of the most varied regions in Italy.

A perfect road trip in Puglia

If you happen to have 10 days, you can visit the most characteristic places of all the region from the north to the south. This would include:

• Start in the area of Bari and visit Monopoli with its old port
• Polignano a mare, the city of Domenico Modugno and his famous song “Volare”. Here, you will find one of the most exclusive restaurants in the world, Grotta Palazzese. In this restaurant, you will have the possibility to eat in the terrace created in a natural cave with the views to the pristine sea waters.
• As you continue south up to the middle of the region you can visit the Valle d’Itria area, where the fairy tales towns of Martina Franca, Alberobello, Locorotondo and Cisternino are located. These towns are characterized by white small streets, blue skies, and wonderful landscapes. All this area is characterized by “Trulli”, the typical white iconic constructions in stone and thousands and thousands of millennial olive trees.
• In the southern part of Puglia, called “Salento”, there are wonderful beaches with white sand and light blue sea. This area is located on the Jonic side. Continue until the edge of the heel. Here, there is the town called “Santa Maria di Leuca”, where the two sees (Jonic and Adriatic) meet, it’s an incredible sensation having that view!

The food in Puglia, as its landscapes, is also very different from other regions. You will find different meat specialties, delicious fish and sublime wine produced all across the region.

Taormina and surroundings

• For who? If you are looking for amazing landscapes, beaches, culture, and great food
• When to go? All year round. Best May through October if you are looking for some beach time.

This option is perfect for a 4 to 5 days trip. Taormina is a hilltop town on the Sicilian east coast that sits near the active Etna volcano.

Taormina is best known for its Teatro Antico, the Greek-Roman Theater. This theatre is still open today so do not miss one of their representations. Amazing experience!

In addition to Taormina, you could spend a couple of days in the beautiful Siracusa and its old city “Ortigia”, a small island which is the historical center of the city of Siracusa.

You can also plan to make an excursion to the Etna volcano.  This is the tallest active volcano in Europe, peaking at almost 11,000 feet.

This trip would be an excellent option if you want to combine a cultural trip, with nice beaches, some nature activity and some of the most delicious dishes in Italy,

The Aeolian islands

• For who? If you are looking for pristine blue waters, boat trips, and great food.
• When to go? May through September are the best months

If you are thinking to spend 4 to 5 days in Italy during late spring or summer and you are looking for a place where you can do boat excursions, go to exclusive bars, eat at traditional Italian restaurants and admire wonderful landscapes, you should go to the Sicilian Aeolian Islands. They are a volcanic archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea north of Sicily. The name of the islands originates from the Greek word Aeolus, which means wind. The archipelago is composed of 8 islands of different dimensions. Actually, some of them like Alicudi are very small islands where only 120 inhabitants live and where the time seems to have stopped. The most famous of them is probably Panarea, where a lot of VIP use to spend their summer holidays. There is a multitude of luxury hotels, restaurants, and chic bars.

Costa Smeralda

• For who? If you are looking to spend 4 to 5 days on white sand beaches with crystal clear waters, party and eat at high-standing clubs and restaurants.
• When to go? June through September are the best months

The Costa Smeralda is the main coastal area and tourist destination in northern Sardinia. It is one of the favorite locations among the Italian and other European VIPs.

However, you should keep in mind that it is also one of the most expensive locations in Europe. Full of luxury yachts, exclusive resorts, and fashionable clubs.

Along the coast, you can find large white sand beaches with crystal clear water and with an incredible vegetation.

Capri and the Amalfi Coast

• For who? Unique landscape, nice weather, beaches, and great food
• When to go? June through September are the best months

Truly unique! It feels like being inside a perfect painting with all small and colorful houses magically suspended between the blue sky and the iridescent colored sea. If that sounds appealing to you, you should absolutely visit this part of the Tyrrhenian coastline. It was declared one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The Amalfi coast is a 50-kilometer stretch of coastline along the southern edge of Italy’s Sorrentine Peninsula, in the Campania region. Your tour should include Positano, Amalfi, Ravello and also Capri Island. This last is one of the most exclusive summer and tourist destination preferred by VIPs.

In the Amalfi Coast you will taste some of the most delicious Italian dishes and of course, you will drink the authentic homemade Limoncello!

Naples and surroundings

• For who? If you like arts, history, amazing landscapes, and delicious food
• When to go? All year round. It’s really hard not to find the sun here!

In Italy, they say “See Naples and die” (Vedi Napoli e Poi Muori). The point of this sentence is that once you have seen such a beautiful city it doesn’t get any better than that.

With its view to the Vesuvio Volcano, Naples has a soul that you can’t find anywhere else in the world. It’s an amazing city because of its colors, perfumes, history, arts, markets, museums, three castles, and its beautiful dialect.

With 1,700 hectares enclosing 27 centuries of history, listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, the Naples historic city center is the largest in Europe.

Naples is also the city that gave birth to important artists like Sofia Loren and the place where the famous pizza Margherita was born.

During your trip to Naples, you can also visit Pompeii and Herculaneum, the two famous sites which were destroyed and conserved by the eruption of 79 AD of Mount Vesuvius.

Venice

• For who? For everybody
• When to go? All year round

It would be impossible to find someone in the world who never heard about Venice. Venice is one of the most visited cities in the world, with around 60,000 tourists per day. It is located across a group of 118 small islands separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges.

In Venice, you can see boats instead of cars, canals instead of roads, colored houses with sea view and Renaissance and gothic palaces.

Venice has been the main filming location of loads of famous movies and its peculiarity attracts millions of visitors every year.

Apart from Venice, you can also visit the island of Murano where the famous glass objects are handmade.

If you happen to be traveling in Europe check out our post on Spain and Portugal: Top destinations in Spain and Portugal

* Thank you so much once again to my dear Lucia. When I read what you put together I immediately thought about buying a plane ticket to Italy! I really appreciate the time you have dedicated to this.