The 10 best places to visit in Italy

It’s almost impossible to summarize Italy’s beauty, from Verona to Tuscany, and Sicily to Genoa, our compilation of the best places to visit in Italy serves as your guide to exploring the best locations the country has to offer. 

Italy is home to some of the most unique landscapes, beautiful Baroque architecture, innovative cuisine and warm, hospitable people. In fact, the Italians know how to live well and how to appreciate the finer things in life. You will witness this as you spend long hours around the table, chatting until the early hours, eating incredible home-cooked food and drinking great coffee. Read on to discover how you can travel like a local.

Verona

Blessed as the setting for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Verona’s historic significance is palpable as soon as you see the grandeur of its ancient gates, the magnificence of its amphitheater, and the quiet splendor of Juliet Capulet’s balcony.

Follow the UNESCO World Heritage-worthy architecture along the river, dive into old pizzerias, and perhaps even plan your visit around the summertime’s opera performances, held in the 2,000-year-old outdoor arena. Meander the streets of Verona’s Old Town, and immerse yourself in the quintessential Shakespearean atmosphere.

Sicily

Traveling to the island of Sicily is like going skiing off-piste: it’s Italy with a jagged edge, a rough diamond ready to be explored and captivate those intrepid travelers. Arguably boasting Italy’s finest selection of cuisine and wine, and undoubtably one of the best places to visit in Italy as Sicily is mecca for food pilgrims. It also possesses some of the grandest panoramic views throughout the whole of the country, lined with beautiful white-stone monuments.

Sicily is also full of contrasts, from rugged Palermo to Baroque Catania; and from housing an abundance of art masterpieces on the one hand, to being seemingly unaware and unashamed of its limited infrastructure on the other.

Genoa

The capital of the Italian Riviera region of Liguria, Genoa (Genova) has a bit of everything for the quintessential Italian experience. With its romantic port and rolling hills, it was listed as the European capital of culture in 2004. A magical experience comes from wandering aimlessly through the city’s labyrinth of intricate alleyways, passing by hanging gardens and tall buildings with colorful shutters and thin balconies, and popping here and there into one of the many boutique stores. You could spend days getting lost in the Italian splendor.

For those staying slightly longer, the allure of Genoa’s museums and nearby towns Portofino, Rapallo and Santa Margherita will keep you occupied for days, and that’s before you’ve even taken the time to appreciate the mesmerizing, terracotta rooftop panoramas that have come to epitomize Italy’s charm. Last but by no means least, you mustn’t miss the opportunity to spend an evening eating divine fish in one of Genoa’s high-quality restaurants.

Venice

From the slanted buildings to the darkest passageways, Venice hides something new and exciting around every corner, which is why it is top of our list of places to visit in Italy. You’ll soon fall completely head over heels for every single facet and draw the city has to offer. Around the Venetian Ghetto in Cannaregio, you’ll find the perfect opportunity to lose yourself in quiet passages and enchanting backstreets, stumbling across tiny cafes and quaint eateries as you go.

Apart from the delight of walking for hours each day, stopping here or there for an espresso or a refreshing spritz, the main highlights to add to your list include the Peggy Guggenheim Collection museum, St Mark’s Square, and the Basilica di San Marco. Venice is often on most traveler’s lists of ‘must visit places’ but if time allows, we recommend venturing out to explore the islands of Murano and Burano, respectively known for their glass-blowing traditions and lacework.

Cinque Terre

Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso: these are the five UNESCO World Heritage Sites that make up Cinque Terre, and the five villages that hang precariously over the crashing Mediterranean Sea. It tops our list of places you must visit in Italy!

These villages are a tumble of vibrantly-colorful buildings, never failing to evoke a summertime feel. The coastal northernmost town of Monterosso is the only one with a different kind of old-world charm, possessing a more quiet and elegant, resort-like ambience. Cars and bikes are prohibited from entering Cinque Terre’s villages, allowing you to discover the crooked lanes and intricate stairways on foot. The landscape is the main attraction, so make sure to absorb the scintillating scenery before you move on.

Rome

A cultural magnet, Rome is a hub for intellects, artists and historians alike. Arguably the most invigorating and stimulating city in the world, it captures the imaginations of millions every year. Italy’s capital and largest city is an open-air museum where you will find a multitude of fascinating ruins, ornate statues, millennium-year-old churches, and of course, the Roman Colosseum.

The Eternal City boasts the very best of Italy and is simply unmissable for art enthusiasts and history fanatics. Baroque buildings, Renaissance frescoes, and a seemingly-endless list of masterpieces will keep you fascinated for days.

Bologna

Famous for its fabulous selection of restaurants and oozing medieval charm, Bologna is a buzzing university city, yet at the same time manages to be a languid chill-out spot. Its terrific piazzas are filled with people who have just entered an almighty food coma, and are looking to finish the night off with a glass of prosecco. Bologna also boasts one of the most attractive medieval cityscapes and is famous for the 40km of portico arches which link the town center to the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca.

Amalfi Coast

Glinting seas sparkle against heavily-scented lemon groves along the colorful Amalfi. It seems like a fairy tale, however the Amalfi Coast really is this evocative, and a drive through its winding cliffsides will stay in your memory forever.

Positano is one of the Amalfi’s most attractive towns; it limits mass tourism and is one of the only resorts in the world that doesn’t advertise. Sorrento is another big-hitter: boasting stunning scenery, boutique shops with magnificent handicrafts, grand Baroque churches and an abundance of splendid eateries and cafes, here you’ll feel those long summer days and nights expand immeasurably more.

Tuscany’s Florence, Pisa and Siena

An architectural gem, Florence is the capital of Tuscany and is regarded as one of the most important cities for art in Europe – particularly as it’s home to the Uffizi Gallery, which holds hundreds of Renaissance masterpieces. From a high vantage point, take in beautiful panoramas of its rooftops as well as its most iconic landmark, the Duomo, with its colossal red-tiled dome and beautiful green-, pink- and white-tiled facade – a stand-out feature across the horizon.

Many will argue, though, that Siena is Tuscany’s prized possession. Although it doesn’t house artistic treasures, its greatest historic assets are its enduring Gothic architecture and piazzas – one of these being the Piazza del Campo, highly acknowledged as one of the greatest medieval squares and architectural feats in the world. Another example of Siena’s Gothic beauty and preservation is the walled town of San Gimignano. Its hilltop setting is surrounded with rolling green scenery, and its fusion of Gothic and Romanesque architecture makes this gem one of Tuscany’s finest destinations.

Pisa is yet another string in Tuscany’s bow. At its heart, the Campo dei Miracoli boasts iconic medieval landmarks – the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Pisa Cathedral, the Pisa Baptistery, and the Monumental Cemetery.

Pompeii, Naples

Engulfed by Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, Pompeii displays the ancient Roman ruins left after the eruption. An archaeological gem, it is one of the only ancient sites that has been preserved in minute detail. Along with visits to the ruins, treks up Mount Vesuvius offer a chance to climb Europe’s only active mainland volcano, complete with miraculous views over the Bay of Naples. The latter extends from Naples to Castellammare, and along this fine stretch you will find everything from age-old villas to the country’s biggest ancient clothes market.

Make it happen

Has our list of the best places to visit in Italy inspire you to book escape to the cultural bliss of Italy? Then one of our locally-based experts can plan everything for you. Get in touch today to tell them all about your dream Italian trip, and they’ll work up the ideal itinerary.