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.
Find a Hotel
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
Canazei
Sestriere
Riomaggiore
Sestri Levante
Manarola
Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi
Corniglia
Verbania
Ostia Antica
Giardini Botanici Hanbury
Caldaro (Kaltern)
Ticinese
Scicli
Faenza
Palestrina
Nemi
San Marino
Selinunte
Martina Franca
Ariccia
La Spezia
Castrovillari
Elba
Castel del Monte
Levanto
Monreale
Nervi
Imperia
Furore
Malcesine
Albisola Marina
Ceglie Messapica
Costa Verde
Castelsardo
Rivoli
Castelnuovo di Garfagnana
Sacra di San Michele
Montecatini Terme
Salina
Barga
La Maddalena
Chiavari
Cumae
Imola
Santa Teresa di Gallura
Caprarola
Albenga
Marina di Praia
Stromboli
Tharros
Filicudi
Saluzzo
Segesta
Castello Fenis
Alicudi
Panarea
Bagnaia
Alassio
Fiesole
Venaria Reale
Passo dello Stelvio
Oplontis (Torre Annunziata)
Lago di Carezza
San Pietro
Castelnuovo Berardenga
Aliano
Carrara
Rende
Buonconvento
Monteriggioni
Monte Argentario
Montelupo
Bard
Bagno Vignoni
Empoli
Fonni
Abbazia di Sant'Antonio di Ranverso
Giglio
Massa Marittima
Chianciano Terme
Chiusi
Bagni di Lucca
Forte dei Marmi
Asciano
Barumini
Livorno
Taggia
Pizzo
Casale Monferrato
Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore
Peschici
Avigliana
Novara
Abetone
Chiusa (Klausen)
Cervo
Cogne and the Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso
Caccamo
Gaiole in Chianti
Caltanissetta
St. Vincent
Golfo Aranci
Stilo
Giara di Gesturi
Vercelli
Bardonecchia
Santo Stefano di Camastra
Parco dell'Orecchiella
San Giovanni Rotondo
Locri
Settignano
Savona
Passignano
Dobbiaco (Toblach)
Grotte di Castellana
Foggia
Rome
Florence
Naples
Milan
Sorrento
Genoa
Bologna
Turin
Positano
Palermo
Amalfi
Verona
Cagliari
Bolzano (Bozen)
Ravello
Trieste
Trento
Siracusa
Lucca
Padua
Parma
Taormina
Catania
Lucca
Catania
Procida
Ferrara
Alghero
Merano (Meran)
Ravenna
Siena
Modena
Cortina d'Ampezzo
Bergamo
Mount Etna
Pantelleria
Herculaneum (Ercolano)
Matera
Vicenza
Pisa
Treviso
Pistoia
Alba
Arezzo
Prato
Como
Cremona
Pozzuoli
Eraclea Minoa, Torre Salsa, and Sant'Angelo Muxara
Lecce
Stresa and the Isole Borromee
Messina
Madonna di Campiglio
Asolo
Greve in Chianti
Udine
Acireale
Trapani
San Gimignano
Forte dei Marmi
Viterbo
San Miniato
Taormina
Mazara del Vallo
Courmayeur/Monte Bianco
Erice
Agrigento
Aosta
Bari
Cernobbio
Riva del Garda
Mt. Etna
Volterra
Nuoro
Ortisei (St. Ulrich)
Portofino
Caccamo
Pula
Corvara
Palermo
Bordighera
Montalcino
Pompeii
Oristano
Vesuvius
Brunico (Bruneck)
San Remo
Noto
Bellagio
Marsala
Castelbuono
Porto Cervo
Capo d’Orlando
Portovenere
Gardone Riviera
Conca dei Marini
Cefalu
Modica
Frascati
Asti
Petralla Sottana
Polizzi Generosa
Cortona
Taranto
Sirmione
Aci Castello
Tropea
Misurina
Lerici
Aci Trezza
Noto
Punta del Faro
Santa Margherita Ligure
Mantua
Montepulciano
Sciacca
Baia
Camogli
Gallipoli
Bressanone (Brixen)
Palazzolo Arceide
Enna
Colle di Val d'Elsa
Cosenza
Siracusa
Alberobello
Marostica
Tivoli
Castelgandolfo
Trani
Monterosso al Mare
Empoli
Agrigento
Bormio
Milazzo
Cetara
Ostuni
Enna
Pisa
Cividale del Friuli
Ragusa
Carrara
Reggio Calabria
Castelnuovo di Garfagnana
Vieste
Arezzo
Abetone
Olbia
Breuil-Cervinia/The Matterhorn
Pienza
Finale Ligure
Montecatini Terme
Paestum
Savoca
Viareggio
San Vito Lo Capo
Rimini
Castel di Tusa
Tremezzo
Petralia Soprana
Rovereto
Mistretta
Selinunte
Termini Imerese
Praiano
Atrani
Pavia
Acireale
Sant'Antioco
Gargnano
Mattinata
Diamante
Gavi
Santo Stefano di Camastra
Patti
Crotone
Montelupo
Piacenza
Sant'Agnello
Marina del Cantone
Collesano
Castellina in Chianti
Gangi
Busseto
Vernazza
Scicli
Piazza Armerina
Panzano
Otranto
Cortona
Trapani
Naturno (Naturns)
Aquileia
Giardini Botanici Hanbury
Sassari
Ticinese
Marsala
Verbania
Ustica
Riposto
Piazza Armerina
Messina
Sansepolcro
Mondello
Licata
Sestri Levante
Castellammare del Golfo
Castelmola
Caltagirone
Favignana
Livorno
Sestriere
Barga
Canazei
Corniglia
Camigliatello
Maratea
Ostia Antica
Riomaggiore
Caldaro (Kaltern)
Polignano a Mare
Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi
Manarola
Monteriggioni
Martina Franca
Scicli
Monreale
Faenza
Bagni di Lucca
Caltagirone
Ceglie Messapica
Palestrina
Corleone
Nemi
Costa Verde
Santuario della Verna
Elba
San Marino
Porto Empedocle
Selinunte
Malcesine
Ariccia
Sperlinga
Castrovillari
Bagheria
Levanto
Castel del Monte
La Spezia
Furore
Imperia
Albisola Marina
Nervi
Santa Teresa di Gallura
Tharros
Rivoli
Cumae
Monreale
Albenga
Scopello
Ragusa
Imola
La Maddalena
Castelsardo
Marettimo
Caprarola
Sacra di San Michele
Levanzo
Chiavari
Marina di Praia
Vinci
San Marcello Pistoiese
Castelnuovo di Garfagnana
Colle di Val d'Elsa
Montecatini Terme
Barga
Modica
Sortino
Bagnaia
Oplontis (Torre Annunziata)
Lago di Carezza
Passo dello Stelvio
Alassio
Segesta
Massa Marittima
Bagni di Lucca
Bagno Vignoni
Asciano
Montelupo
Castello Fenis
Riserva Naturale dello Zingaro
Castelnuovo Berardenga
Carrara
Saluzzo
Monteriggioni
Mozia Island
Chiusi
Buonconvento
Venaria Reale
Forte dei Marmi
Empoli
Chianciano Terme
Aliano
Livorno
Caltabellotta
Castelmola
San Pietro
Rende
Giglio
Parco Nazionale Casentino
Barumini
Monte Argentario
Fonni
Fiesole
Bard
Giara di Gesturi
San Giovanni Rotondo
Vercelli
St. Vincent
Novara
Casale Monferrato
Dobbiaco (Toblach)
Stilo
Pizzo
Taggia
Locri
Foggia
Cervo
Peschici
Golfo Aranci
Grotte di Castellana
Chiusa (Klausen)
Passignano
Gaiole in Chianti
Parco dell'Orecchiella
Gibellina
Segesta
Cefalù
Caccamo
Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore
Bardonecchia
Caltanissetta
Avigliana
Abetone
Settignano
Santo Stefano di Camastra
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
Recent Forum Posts
Recent Forum Posts
-
V
Southern Italy-tours and classes ideas
Virginiafish started Apr 8, 2024 |Last reply 9 hrs ago 16 replies 481 views -
C
Falling in love with Italy again! Lake Como, Cinque Terre and Tuscany
Coral22 started Apr 6, 2024 |Last reply 10 hrs ago 43 replies 1926 views -
M
Italy Regional Rail Pass Tip
Meckleychina started Nov 14, 2023 |Last reply 13 hrs ago 14 replies 1428 views -
M
France or Italy for month in November
MPLux started Apr 14, 2024 |Last reply 16 hrs ago 15 replies 795 views
Guidebooks
Guidebooks
Our worldwide travel correspondents bring you the best and most up-to-date coverage of over 7,500 global destinations.
Shop NowFodor's Essential Italy 2024
For over 80 years, Fodor's Travel has been a trusted resource offering expert travel...
Fodor's Best of Italy: Rome, Florence, Venice & the Top Spots in Between
Whether you want to visit the Colosseum in Rome, go designer shopping in Milan, or take a...
Fodor's Rome 2024
For over 80 years, Fodor's Travel has been a trusted resource offering expert travel...
Fodor's Florence & Tuscany: with Assisi & the Best of Umbria
Whether you want to tour Brunelleschi's Dome, marvel at artwork in the Galleria degli...
Fodor's Sicily
<p><b>Whether you want to hike Mt. Etna, explore Palermo, or eat like a duke...
Fodor's The Amalfi Coast, Capri & Naples
For over 80 years, Fodor's Travel has been a trusted resource offering expert travel...