Fodor's Essential Italy 2024
For over 80 years, Fodor's Travel has been a trusted resource offering expert travel...
Italy is the whole package, and it knows it. Covering 116,350 square miles of gorgeous coastlines, mountains, and countryside and with more than 2,700 years of history and culture in all genres, it’s hard to beat the cultural wealth and beauty of Italy’s everyday–whether food, art, fashion, or design. And though Italy is united under the same country code +39, it is a patchwork of personalities—20 regions with distinctly different traditions and terrains.
Since the Grand Tour itineraries of yesteryear, the cities of Rome, Florence, Naples, and Venice have topped the list of must-see destinations. The 21st-century itinerary expands outward for full immersion into Italian culture with an extended lineup that includes the beaches of the Amalfi Coast and Puglia, the food towns of Emil...
Read MoreItaly is the whole package, and it knows it. Covering 116,350 square miles of gorgeous coastlines, mountains, and countryside and with more than 2,700 years of history and culture in all genres, it’s hard to beat the cultural wealth and beauty of Italy’s everyday–whether food, art, fashion, or design. And though Italy is united under the same country code +39, it is a patchwork of personalities—20 regions with distinctly different traditions and terrains.
Since the Grand Tour itineraries of yesteryear, the cities of Rome, Florence, Naples, and Venice have topped the list of must-see destinations. The 21st-century itinerary expands outward for full immersion into Italian culture with an extended lineup that includes the beaches of the Amalfi Coast and Puglia, the food towns of Emilia Romagna, the powdery slopes of the Italian Alps, the fashion of Milan, and the entire island of Sicily.
Capital city Rome leads the country in the center-south Lazio region, and it’s here where the reputation of Italian chaos comes from. Since its 753 BC founding, Rome has been the center of attention. Today’s Eternal City convenes millennia of culture and millions of residents and visitors in its historic center of approximately five square miles. Rome’s ancient history is seen every day in the contemporary Roman landscape whether it’s driving past the Colosseum, watching the pilgrims flow into St. Peter’s Square or queuing up to see Michelangelo’s masterpiece in the Sistine Chapel.
Along with the must-see cities, there are unparalleled experiences that you must do when in Italy, including eating a true Neapolitan pizza in Naples, climbing Sicily’s Mount Etna (an active volcano), driving the head-spinning curves of the Amalfi Coast, taking a midnight gondola ride around Venice, walking the top level of the Colosseum, driving a vintage Fiat through the Tuscan countryside, eating anything in Emilia Romagna, and exploring antiquity at any ancient sites such as Pompeii, Paestum, and Herculaneum.
All Italians would tell you the best way to get to know the country is simply to explore whatever is front of you and on your plate. Italy’s food culture varies from region to region. For pizza and pasta lovers, head south to Naples and Rome, and meat-lovers to Tuscany. Sicily is the country’s breadbasket for its incredible range of fruit and veggies, and seafood and desserts. Emilia Romagna sits on the throne of the country’s gastronomic empire, known for its Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, prosciutto di Parma, balsamic vinegar, and incredible homemade pasta specialties like tortellini. Wine, why not? There is no region where you can’t find an amazing bottle of wine—red, white or bubbles—just look for the area’s strade del vino (wine roads) to lead you in the right direction.
There is never a bad time to visit Italy, whether winter or summer, high season or low season. From November through the end of February, tourism tends to dissipate which makes sites are less crowded and highly requested tickets like Rome’s Vatican Museums, Florence’s Uffizi and Milan’s Last Supper easier to reserve. Spring kicks into high gear during La Settimana Santa (Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter), and from that moment, Italy unleashes events and holidays, and more as the weeks warm up. Crowds accumulate and by mid-June the best place to be are the lesser-visited towns. In the summer months, Italians head to the beach or mountains, and by August, Rome and other big cities are veritable ghost towns. Though the residents have left and infrastructure can be reduced, cities and towns organize summer events such as extended museum hours, outdoor concerts and other events.
Thanks to its unbeatable location in the southern Mediterranean basin, the climate is generally mild in the winters and warm in the summer, but here’s rub: weather varies notably from region to region. The northern regions, like Lombardia, Piemonte, Veneto, and even Emilia Romagna tend to have harsher, longer winters than their southern counterparts like Sicily, Calabria, and Campania where the hot sun seems to shine for 10 months a year. Be prepared, just as each region is climatically different from its neighbor, a drive across a region can vastly change from chilly mountainside and arid plains to scalding seaside.
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Top Destinations
Top Destinations
Sicily
Rome
Tuscany
Florence
Naples
The Dolomites
Capri, Ischia, and Procida
Amalfi Coast
The Veneto and Friuli–Venezia Giulia
Emilia–Romagna
The Italian Riviera
Puglia, Basilicata, and Calabria
Milan
Lombardy and the Lakes
Sardinia
Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta
Capri
Sorrento and the Sorrentine Peninsula
Sorrento
The Bay of Naples
Genoa
Ischia
Side Trips from Rome
Bologna
Emilia
Turin
Positano
Palermo
Amalfi
Lake Como
Verona
Lake Garda
Cagliari
Bolzano (Bozen)
Ravello
Trieste
Trento
Siracusa
Padua
Lucca
Parma
Cinque Terre
Taormina
Procida
Ferrara
Catania
Merano (Meran)
Alghero
Ravenna
Modena
Cortina d'Ampezzo
Lake Maggiore
Bergamo
Pisa
Matera
Herculaneum (Ercolano)
Vicenza
Treviso
Alba
Como
Arezzo
Romagna
Stresa and the Isole Borromee
Lecce
Pozzuoli
Cremona
Acireale
Asolo
Udine
Greve in Chianti
Trapani
Madonna di Campiglio
Viterbo
Bari
Aosta
Erice
Courmayeur/Monte Bianco
Montalcino
Pompeii
Riva del Garda
Portofino
Corvara
Ortisei (St. Ulrich)
Bordighera
Cernobbio
Mt. Etna
Oristano
Nuoro
Pula
Gardone Riviera
San Remo
Portovenere
Cefalu
Brunico (Bruneck)
Modica
Porto Cervo
Vesuvius
Frascati
Conca dei Marini
Bellagio
Cosenza
Gallipoli
Asti
Sirmione
Camogli
Santa Margherita Ligure
Enna
Noto
Baia
Colle di Val d'Elsa
Tropea
Misurina
Taranto
Lerici
Montepulciano
Bressanone (Brixen)
Mantua
Cetara
Agrigento
Cividale del Friuli
Monterosso al Mare
Trani
Tivoli
Marostica
Ostuni
Ragusa
Alberobello
Bormio
Castelgandolfo
Pienza
Rimini
Reggio Calabria
Praiano
Atrani
Breuil-Cervinia/The Matterhorn
Vieste
Paestum
Olbia
Finale Ligure
The Barolo Region
Tremezzo
Rovereto
Lipari
Castellina in Chianti
Gargnano
Aquileia
Sant'Antioco
Naturno (Naturns)
Crotone
Vernazza
Otranto
Sant'Agnello
Panzano
Marina del Cantone
Mattinata
Piacenza
Busseto
Pavia
Cortona
Diamante
Castelmola
Messina
Camigliatello
Maratea
Sassari
Polignano a Mare
Piazza Armerina
Marsala
Caltagirone
Ticinese
Sestriere
Sestri Levante
Canazei
Riomaggiore
Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi
Verbania
Giardini Botanici Hanbury
Manarola
Ostia Antica
Corniglia
Caldaro (Kaltern)
Scicli
Faenza
Nemi
San Marino
Selinunte
Palestrina
Ariccia
Martina Franca
Monreale
Nervi
Imperia
Albisola Marina
Furore
Ceglie Messapica
Costa Verde
Malcesine
La Spezia
Castrovillari
Levanto
Castel del Monte
Elba
Salina
Rivoli
Castelnuovo di Garfagnana
Sacra di San Michele
Montecatini Terme
Castelsardo
Fiesole
Barga
La Maddalena
Cumae
Caprarola
Chiavari
Tharros
Stromboli
Imola
Santa Teresa di Gallura
Albenga
Marina di Praia
Castello Fenis
Venaria Reale
Filicudi
Saluzzo
Panarea
Bagnaia
Segesta
Alicudi
Lago di Carezza
Settignano
Alassio
Passo dello Stelvio
Oplontis (Torre Annunziata)
San Pietro
Castelnuovo Berardenga
Aliano
Carrara
Rende
Buonconvento
Monteriggioni
Monte Argentario
Montelupo
Bagno Vignoni
Empoli
Fonni
Abbazia di Sant'Antonio di Ranverso
Giglio
Massa Marittima
Livorno
Bard
Barumini
Chianciano Terme
Chiusi
Forte dei Marmi
Bagni di Lucca
Asciano
Chiusa (Klausen)
Locri
Pizzo
Bardonecchia
Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore
Peschici
Avigliana
Caccamo
Abetone
Cervo
Cogne and the Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso
Gaiole in Chianti
Novara
St. Vincent
Giara di Gesturi
Stilo
Casale Monferrato
Vercelli
Golfo Aranci
Santo Stefano di Camastra
Parco dell'Orecchiella
San Giovanni Rotondo
Foggia
Caltanissetta
Grotte di Castellana
Passignano
Dobbiaco (Toblach)
Savona
Taggia
Rome
Florence
Naples
Milan
Sorrento
Genoa
Bologna
Turin
Positano
Palermo
Amalfi
Verona
Cagliari
Bolzano (Bozen)
Ravello
Trieste
Trento
Siracusa
Padua
Lucca
Parma
Taormina
Catania
Lucca
Ferrara
Procida
Catania
Merano (Meran)
Alghero
Ravenna
Siena
Modena
Cortina d'Ampezzo
Herculaneum (Ercolano)
Matera
Vicenza
Pisa
Pantelleria
Mount Etna
Bergamo
Treviso
Pistoia
Alba
Como
Prato
Arezzo
Stresa and the Isole Borromee
Lecce
Eraclea Minoa, Torre Salsa, and Sant'Angelo Muxara
Messina
Cremona
Pozzuoli
Udine
Asolo
Acireale
Madonna di Campiglio
Greve in Chianti
Trapani
Courmayeur/Monte Bianco
Viterbo
Bari
Taormina
Mazara del Vallo
Forte dei Marmi
San Gimignano
Aosta
Erice
Agrigento
San Miniato
Pompeii
Riva del Garda
Palermo
Cernobbio
Caccamo
Nuoro
Corvara
Bordighera
Oristano
Portofino
Mt. Etna
Montalcino
Ortisei (St. Ulrich)
Pula
Volterra
Modica
Vesuvius
Gardone Riviera
Brunico (Bruneck)
Capo d’Orlando
Noto
Bellagio
Cefalu
Castelbuono
Marsala
Porto Cervo
Portovenere
San Remo
Conca dei Marini
Frascati
Cortona
Gallipoli
Mantua
Tropea
Taranto
Asti
Sirmione
Cosenza
Santa Margherita Ligure
Colle di Val d'Elsa
Noto
Camogli
Lerici
Palazzolo Arceide
Baia
Polizzi Generosa
Punta del Faro
Enna
Aci Castello
Montepulciano
Siracusa
Bressanone (Brixen)
Aci Trezza
Misurina
Petralla Sottana
Sciacca
Castelgandolfo
Agrigento
Trani
Marostica
Monterosso al Mare
Milazzo
Ostuni
Pisa
Tivoli
Ragusa
Cividale del Friuli
Bormio
Cetara
Enna
Alberobello
Empoli
Reggio Calabria
Olbia
Vieste
Pienza
Carrara
Abetone
Arezzo
Viareggio
Mistretta
Castel di Tusa
San Vito Lo Capo
Tremezzo
Rimini
Paestum
Castelnuovo di Garfagnana
Petralia Soprana
Praiano
Finale Ligure
Atrani
Termini Imerese
Montecatini Terme
Savoca
Breuil-Cervinia/The Matterhorn
Selinunte
Rovereto
Vernazza
Piacenza
Busseto
Mattinata
Patti
Naturno (Naturns)
Sant'Antioco
Acireale
Piazza Armerina
Aquileia
Pavia
Crotone
Santo Stefano di Camastra
Cortona
Gangi
Diamante
Marina del Cantone
Montelupo
Gavi
Gargnano
Scicli
Otranto
Collesano
Sant'Agnello
Trapani
Castellina in Chianti
Panzano
Riposto
Castellammare del Golfo
Piazza Armerina
Camigliatello
Ustica
Licata
Maratea
Messina
Sestri Levante
Livorno
Favignana
Mondello
Sestriere
Barga
Sansepolcro
Polignano a Mare
Ostia Antica
Canazei
Monteriggioni
Ticinese
Corniglia
Castelmola
Caldaro (Kaltern)
Sassari
Marsala
Riomaggiore
Manarola
Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi
Verbania
Giardini Botanici Hanbury
Caltagirone
Ariccia
Malcesine
Scicli
Nemi
Palestrina
Caltagirone
Monreale
Martina Franca
Furore
Elba
Nervi
San Marino
Imperia
Costa Verde
Bagheria
Corleone
La Spezia
Ceglie Messapica
Albisola Marina
Bagni di Lucca
Sperlinga
Selinunte
Castrovillari
Faenza
Santuario della Verna
Castel del Monte
Porto Empedocle
Levanto
Chiavari
Castelsardo
Albenga
Ragusa
Santa Teresa di Gallura
La Maddalena
Monreale
Scopello
Marina di Praia
Cumae
Tharros
Caprarola
Rivoli
Marettimo
Sacra di San Michele
Levanzo
Imola
Fiesole
Vinci
Montecatini Terme
Castelnuovo di Garfagnana
San Marcello Pistoiese
Colle di Val d'Elsa
Barga
Sortino
Bagnaia
Oplontis (Torre Annunziata)
Lago di Carezza
Passo dello Stelvio
Alassio
Segesta
Monte Argentario
Bagni di Lucca
Bagno Vignoni
Asciano
Monteriggioni
Bard
Carrara
Montelupo
Modica
Aliano
Venaria Reale
Riserva Naturale dello Zingaro
Mozia Island
Chiusi
Settignano
Fonni
Forte dei Marmi
Rende
Castelnuovo Berardenga
Massa Marittima
Caltabellotta
Livorno
Castelmola
Barumini
Parco Nazionale Casentino
San Pietro
Empoli
Buonconvento
Castello Fenis
Saluzzo
Chianciano Terme
Giglio
Caccamo
Bardonecchia
Golfo Aranci
Stilo
Giara di Gesturi
Gaiole in Chianti
Peschici
Gibellina
Dobbiaco (Toblach)
Taggia
San Giovanni Rotondo
Chiusa (Klausen)
Pizzo
Grotte di Castellana
Locri
Cefalù
Foggia
Segesta
Vercelli
Santo Stefano di Camastra
St. Vincent
Cervo
Novara
Parco dell'Orecchiella
Casale Monferrato
Passignano
Caltanissetta
Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore
Avigliana
Abetone
Erice
Savona
Sicily
Tuscany
The Dolomites
Capri, Ischia, and Procida
Amalfi Coast
The Veneto and Friuli–Venezia Giulia
Emilia–Romagna
Puglia, Basilicata, and Calabria
The Italian Riviera
Lombardy and the Lakes
Sardinia
Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta
Pisa, Lucca, and Northwest Tuscany
Mount Etna and Eastern Sicily
The Tyrrhenian Coast
Sorrento and the Sorrentine Peninsula
Central Sicily and the Mediterranean Coast
Chianti, Siena, and Central Tuscany
The Bay of Naples
Palermo and Western Sicily
Ischia
Side Trips from Rome
Emilia
The Aeolian Islands
Chianti
Lake Como
Lake Garda
Siracusa and the Southeast
Cinque Terre
Arezzo, Cortona, and Eastern Tuscany
Lake Maggiore
Romagna
The Barolo Region
All Destinations
Expand All Collapse All
Puglia, Basilicata, and Calabria
- Alberobello
- Aliano
- Bari
- Camigliatello
- Castel del Monte
- Castrovillari
- Ceglie Messapica
- Cosenza
- Crotone
- Diamante
- Foggia
- Gallipoli
- Grotte di Castellana
- Lecce
- Locri
- Maratea
- Martina Franca
- Matera
- Mattinata
- Ostuni
- Otranto
- Peschici
- Pizzo
- Polignano a Mare
- Reggio Calabria
- Rende
- San Giovanni Rotondo
- Stilo
- Taranto
- Trani
- Tropea
- Vieste
Sicily
- Acireale
- Agrigento
- Alicudi
- Caccamo
- Caltagirone
- Caltanissetta
- Castelmola
- Catania
- Cefalu
- Central Sicily and the Mediterranean Coast
- Enna
- Erice
- Filicudi
- Lipari
- Marsala
- Messina
- Modica
- Monreale
- Mount Etna and Eastern Sicily
- Mt. Etna
- Noto
- Palermo
- Palermo and Western Sicily
- Panarea
- Piazza Armerina
- Ragusa
- Salina
- Santo Stefano di Camastra
- Scicli
- Segesta
- Selinunte
- Siracusa
- Siracusa and the Southeast
- Stromboli
- Taormina
- The Aeolian Islands
- The Tyrrhenian Coast
- Trapani
Tuscany
- Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore
- Abetone
- Arezzo
- Arezzo, Cortona, and Eastern Tuscany
- Asciano
- Bagni di Lucca
- Bagno Vignoni
- Barga
- Buonconvento
- Carrara
- Castellina in Chianti
- Castelnuovo Berardenga
- Castelnuovo di Garfagnana
- Chianciano Terme
- Chianti, Siena, and Central Tuscany
- Chiusi
- Colle di Val d'Elsa
- Cortona
- Elba
- Empoli
- Forte dei Marmi
- Gaiole in Chianti
- Giglio
- Greve in Chianti
- Livorno
- Lucca
- Massa Marittima
- Montalcino
- Monte Argentario
- Montecatini Terme
- Montelupo
- Montepulciano
- Monteriggioni
- Panzano
- Parco dell'Orecchiella
- Passignano
- Pienza
- Pisa
- Pisa, Lucca, and Northwest Tuscany
Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta
- Abbazia di Sant'Antonio di Ranverso
- Alba
- Aosta
- Asti
- Avigliana
- Bard
- Bardonecchia
- Breuil-Cervinia/The Matterhorn
- Casale Monferrato
- Castello Fenis
- Cogne and the Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso
- Courmayeur/Monte Bianco
- Gavi
- Novara
- Rivoli
- Sacra di San Michele
- Saluzzo
- Sestriere
- St. Vincent
- The Barolo Region
- Turin
- Venaria Reale
- Vercelli
Top Experiences
Top Experiences
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