Italy Travel Guide

GALLERY

2026 2026 Fodor’s Go List Destination

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 More

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.

ULTIMATE EXPERIENCES

Ultimate Italy: The 50 Things You Have to Do Before You Die

Liz Humphreys

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Fodor's Essential Italy 2026

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Fodor's Best of Italy: with Rome, Florence, Venice & the Top Spots in Between

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Fodor's Sicily

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Fodor's Pocket Rome: A Compact Guide to the Eternal City

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Fodor's Amalfi Coast, Capri & Naples

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Fodor's Florence & Tuscany: with Assisi & the Best of Umbria

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Fodor's Venice

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Amalfi

At first glance, it's hard to imagine that this resort destination was one of the world's great naval powers, and a sturdy rival of Genoa...

Venice

Venice is a city unlike any other. No matter how often you've seen it in photos and films, the real thing is more dreamlike than...

Emilia–Romagna

Gourmets the world over claim that Emilia-Romagna's greatest contribution to humankind has been gastronomic. Birthplace of fettuccine, tortellini, lasagna, prosciutto, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, the region...

Sicily

The island of Sicily has an abundance of history. Some of the world's best-preserved Byzantine mosaics stand adjacent to magnificent Greek temples and Roman amphitheaters...

Tuscany

Midway down the Italian peninsula, Tuscany (Toscana in Italian) is distinguished by rolling hills, snowcapped mountains, dramatic cypress trees, and miles of coastline on the...

The Veneto and Friuli–Venezia Giulia

Much of the pleasure of exploring the arc around Venice—stretching from Verona to Trieste, encompassing the Veneto and Friuli–Venezia Giulia regions—comes from discovering the variations...

Sorrento

Sorrento may have become a jumping-off point for visits to Pompeii, Capri, and Amalfi, but you can find countless reasons to love it for itself...

Ravenna

A small, quiet, and well-heeled city, Ravenna has brick palaces, cobblestone streets, magnificent monuments, and spectacular Byzantine mosaics. The high point in its civic history...

Olbia

Amid the resorts of Sardinia's northeastern coast, Olbia, a town of about 60,000, is a lively little seaport and port of call for mainland ferries...

Portovenere

The colorful facades and pedestrians-only calata (promenade) make Portovenere the quintessential Ligurian seaside village; it's often called the “sixth town” of the Cinque Terre—but with...

Alghero

A tourist-friendly town of about 45,000 inhabitants, with a distinctly Spanish flavor, Alghero is also known as "Barcelonetta" (Little Barcelona) for its strong Catalan ties...

Trento

Trento is a prosperous, cosmopolitan university town that retains an architectural charm befitting its historical importance. It was here, from 1545 to 1563, that the...

The Italian Riviera

Nestled between the south of France and the Tuscan border lies the region of Liguria, with verdant and lush mountains to the north and east...

Cagliari

Known in Sardinia as Casteddu, the island's capital has steep streets and impressive Italianate architecture, from modern to medieval. This city of nearly 160,000 people...

Merano (Meran)

The second-largest town in Alto Adige, Merano (Meran) was once the capital of the Austrian region of Tyrol. When the town and surrounding area were...

Lombardy and the Lakes

Lombardy is one of Italy's most dynamic regions, offering everything from world-class ski slopes to luxurious summer lake resorts, and Milan is the pulse of...

Rome

Italy's vibrant capital lives in the present, but no other city on earth evokes its past so powerfully. For over 2,500 years, emperors, popes, artists...

Sardinia

The second-largest island in the Mediterranean, Sardinia remains unique and enigmatic with its rugged coastline and white-sand beaches, dramatic granite cliffs, and mountainous inland tracts...

Bormio

At the foot of Stelvio Pass, Bormio is the most famous ski resort on the western side of the Dolomites, with 38 km (24 miles)...

Cortina d'Ampezzo

The archetypal Dolomite resort, Cortina d'Ampezzo entices those seeking both relaxation and adventure. The town is the western gateway to the Strade Grande delle Dolomiti...

Bressanone (Brixen)

Bressanone is an important artistic center and was the seat of prince-bishops for centuries. Like their counterparts in Trento, these medieval administrators had the delicate...

The Dolomites

The Dolomites, those inimitable craggy peaks Le Corbusier called "the most beautiful work of architecture ever seen," are never so arresting as at dusk, when...

Capri

Fantastic grottoes, soaring conical peaks, caverns great and small, plus villas of the emperors and thousands of legends brush Capri with an air of whispered...

Bolzano (Bozen)

Bolzano (Bozen), capital of the autonomous province of Alto Adige, is tucked among craggy peaks in a Dolomite valley 77 km (48 miles) from the...

Genoa

Genoa (Genova in Italian) was the birthplace of Christopher Columbus, but the city's proud history predates that explorer by hundreds of years. Genoa was already...

Florence

Florence, the city of the lily, gave birth to the Renaissance and changed the way we see the world. For centuries it has captured the...

Madonna di Campiglio

The winter resort of Madonna di Campiglio vies with Cortina d'Ampezzo as the most fashionable place for Italians to ski and be seen in the...

Portofino

One of the most photographed villages along the coast, with a decidedly romantic and affluent aura, Portofino has long been a popular destination for the...

Piedmont and the Valle d'Aosta

Northwest Italy's Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta regions come with a large dose of mountain splendor, bourgeois refinement, culinary achievement, and scenic beauty. Two of Europe's...

Umbria and the Marches

Birthplace of saints and home to some of the country's greatest artistic treasures, central Italy is a collection of misty green valleys and picture-perfect hill...

Milan

Rome may be bigger and wield political power, but Milan and the affluent north are what really make the country go. Leonardo da Vinci's Last...

Puglia, Basilicata, and Calabria

Venture off the traffic-filled highways and explore the countryside of Italy’s boot, made up of the three separate regions—Puglia, Basilicata, and Calabria—each one with its...

Naples

Located under the shadow of Vesuvius, Naples is the most vibrant city in Italy—a steaming, bubbling, reverberating minestrone in which each block is a small...

Pisa

If you can get beyond the kitsch of the stalls hawking cheap souvenirs around the Leaning Tower, you'll find that Pisa has much to offer...

Sirmione

Dramatically rising out of Lake Garda is the enchanting town of Sirmione. "Paene insularum, Sirmio, insularumque ocelle," wrote Catullus in a homecoming poem: "It is...

Herculaneum (Ercolano)

A visit to the archaeological site of Herculaneum neatly counterbalances the hustle of its larger neighbor, Pompeii. Although close to the heart of busy Ercolano—indeed...

Aosta

Aosta stands at the junction of two of the important trade routes that connect France and Italy, the valleys of the Rhône and the Isère...

Siena

With its narrow streets and steep alleys, a Gothic Duomo, a bounty of early Renaissance art, and the glorious Palazzo Pubblico overlooking its magnificent Campo...

Montecatini Terme

Immortalized in Fellini's film 8½, Montecatini Terme is one of Italy's premier terme (spas). Known for their curative powers—and, at least once upon a time...

Castelnuovo Berardenga

The southernmost village in Chianti has a compact center with hilly, curving streets. A plethora of piazzas invite wandering...

Turin

Turin (Torino, in Italian) is roughly in the center of Piedmont–Valle d'Aosta and 128 km (80 miles) west of Milan; it's on the Po River...

The Barolo Region

The Langhe district may not get as much attention as other wine-producing regions in Italy, but the payoff for a visit can be just as...

Courmayeur/Monte Bianco

The main attraction of Courmayeur is a knock-'em-dead view of Europe's highest peak, Monte Bianco. The celebrities and the wealthy who come here these days...

Breuil-Cervinia/The Matterhorn

Sitting in a huge natural basin at the foot of the Matterhorn, this town, once a high Alpine pasture, grew to become one of Europe's...

Asti

Asti is best known outside Italy for its wines—excellent reds as well as the famous sparkling white spumante. The town itself has some impressive reminders...

Treviso

Treviso has been dubbed "Little Venice" because of its meandering, moss-bank canals. They can't really compare with Venice's spectacular waterways, but Treviso's historic center, with...

Vicenza

Vicenza bears the distinctive signature of the 16th-century architect Andrea Palladio, whose name has been given to the "Palladian" style of architecture. He emphasized the...

Alberobello

With more than 1,000 trulli along its steep, narrow streets, Alberobello has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the more...

Gaiole in Chianti

A market town since 1200, Gaiole is now a central destination for touring southern Chianti. A stream runs through its center, and flowers adorn many...

Bari

The biggest city in the region, Bari is a major port and a transit point for travelers catching ferries across the Adriatic to Greece, Croatia...

Procida

Lying barely 3 km (2 miles) from the mainland and 10 km (6 miles) from the nearest port (Pozzuoli), Procida is an island of enormous...

Tremezzo

The dreamy lakeside town of Tremezzo is close to two outstanding and magical villas, as well as sprawling gardens and one of the lake’s grandest...

Camigliatello

Lined with chalets, Camigliatello is one of the Sila Massif's major resort towns. Most of the Sila isn't mountainous at all; rather, it's an extensive...

Alba

This small town has a gracious atmosphere and a compact core, studded with medieval towers and Gothic buildings. In addition to being a wine center...

Urbino

Majestic Urbino, atop a steep hill with a skyline of towers and domes, is something of a surprise to come upon. Though quite remote, it...

Cosenza

A construction boom in the 1950s and '60s encased Cosenza's medieval city—which winds up the hillsides between the Busento and Crati rivers—in a sprawling, traffic-clogged...

The Bay of Naples

If you're lucky enough to travel to Naples by water, a peacock's tail of splendor unfolds before you as you enter the vast Golfo di...

Crotone

One of the most important Magna Graecia colonies in Italy, Crotone was a major cultural center in the 5th century BC, when it was the...

Pozzuoli

Legendary spirits populate Pozzuoli. St. Paul stepped ashore at the harbor here in AD 61 en route to Rome; his own ship had been wrecked...

Como

Como commands the south shore of the lake. In its center, elegant cobblestone pedestrian streets wind their way past parks and bustling cafés. However, it's...

Levanto

Nestled at the end of a valley of pine forests, olive groves, vineyards, and medieval villages lies this sunny seaside town, an alternative and usually...

Ticinese

...

Diamante

A lively and attractive little resort on Calabria's north Tyrrhenian Coast, Diamante styles itself as "the town of murals and peperoncini." The old town center...

Verbania

The quaint town of Verbania is across the Gulf of Pallanza from its more touristy neighbor, Stresa. It is known for the Villa Taranto, which...

Monterosso al Mare

It's the combined draw of beautiful beaches, rugged cliffs, crystal-clear turquoise waters, and plentiful small hotels and restaurants that make Monterosso al Mare into the...

Gallipoli

The fishing port of Gallipoli, on the eastern tip of the Golfo di Taranto, is divided between a new town, on the mainland, and the...

Lecce

Lecce is the crown jewel of the Mezzogiorno. The city is called "the Florence of the south," but that term doesn't do justice to Lecce's...

Maratea

The high, twisty road into the Maratea region affords breathtaking glimpses of the turquoise sea and a gigantic statue of Cristo Redentore (reminiscent of the...

Udine

Udine, the largest city on the Friuli side of the region, has a provincial, genteel atmosphere and lots of charm. The city sometimes seems completely...

Martina Franca

Martina Franca is a beguiling town with a dazzling mixture of medieval and Baroque architecture in the light-color local stone. Developed as a military stronghold...

Ferrara

When the legendary Ferrarese filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni called his beloved hometown "a city that you can see only partly, while the rest disappears to be...

Matera

This town of unique Sassi (cave dwellings) is one of southern Italy's most intriguing places. The so-called New Town is full of elegant Baroque churches...

Cortona

Made popular by Frances Mayes's book Under the Tuscan Sun and film of the same name, Cortona is no longer the destination of just a...

Mattinata

The town of Mattinata is a good center for hikes in the Foresta Umbra and for visiting the Santuario di San Michele. It also has...

Lucca

Ramparts built in the 16th and 17th centuries enclose a charming fortress town filled with churches (99 of them), terracotta–roofed buildings, and narrow cobblestone streets...

Ostuni

This sun-bleached medieval town lies on three hills not far from the coast. From a distance, Ostuni is a jumble of blazing white houses and...

Monteriggioni

Tiny Monteriggioni makes a nice stop on the way north to Colle di Val d'Elsa, San Gimignano, or Volterra. It's hard to imagine that this...

Otranto

In one of the first great Gothic novels, Horace Walpole's 1764 The Castle of Otranto, the English writer immortalized this city and its mysterious medieval...

San Gimignano

When you're on a hilltop surrounded by soaring medieval towers silhouetted against the sky, it's difficult not to fall under the spell of San Gimignano...

Polignano a Mare

This well-preserved, whitewashed old town, perched on limestone cliffs overlooking the Adriatic, makes an atmospheric base for exploring the surrounding area. Film crews and adrenaline...

Viareggio

Tobias Smollett (1721–71), the English novelist, wrote in the 1760s that Viareggio was "a kind of sea-port on the Mediterranean. . . . The roads...

Reggio Calabria

This raw city is one of Italy's busiest ports, where you can find not only container ships and cranes but also a wonderful lungomare (promenade)...

Assisi

The small town of Assisi is one of the Christian world's most important pilgrimage sites and home of the Basilica di San Francesco—built to honor...

Paestum

For history buffs, a visit to Campania is not complete without seeing the ancient ruins of Paestum. A visit to the ruins to stroll past...

The Valnerina

The Valnerina (the valley of the River Nera, to the southeast of Spoleto) is the most beautiful of central Italy's many well-kept secrets. The twisting...

Praiano

Praiano has less wealth and sophistication than its more famous neighbors and more olive and lemon trees than tourists. From afar, it looks as alluring...

Taranto

Taranto (stress the first syllable) was an important port even in Greek times, and it's still Italy's largest naval base. It lies toward the back...

Stresa and the Isole Borromee

One of the better-known resorts on the western shore, Stresa is a tourist town, which provided Hemingway with one of the settings in A Farewell...

Positano

When John Steinbeck visited Positano in 1953, he wrote that it was difficult to consider tourism an industry because "there are not enough [tourists]." Alas...

Trani

Trani has a harbor filled with fishing boats and a quaint old town with cobblestone streets, gleaming medieval churches, and palazzi built from local limestone...

Ravello

Positano may focus on pleasure, and Amalfi on history, but cool, serene Ravello revels in refinement. Thrust over the Bay of Salerno on a mountain...

Tropea

Ringed by cliffs and wonderful sandy beaches, the Tropea Promontory is still just beginning to be discovered by foreign tourists. The main town of Tropea...

Baia

Now largely under the sea, ancient Baia was once the most opulent and fashionable resort area of the Roman Empire, the place where Sulla, Pompey...

Vieste

This large whitewashed town jutting off the tip of the spur of Italy's boot is an attractive place to wander around. Although curvy mountain roads...

Pompeii

Mention Pompeii and most travelers think of ancient Roman villas, prancing bronze fauns, writhing plaster casts of Vesuvius's victims, and the fabled days of the...

Mantua

Mantua (Mantova in Italian) stands tallest among the ancient walled cities of the Po Plain; it may not be flashy or dramatic, but its beauty...

Gardone Riviera

Now pleasantly faded, this once-fashionable 19th-century resort is best known these days for the hilltop estate of the poet Gabriele D'Annunzio, made as an elaborate...

Riva del Garda

Riva del Garda is set on the northern tip of Lake Garda, against a dramatic backdrop of jagged cliffs and miles of beaches. The old...

Caldaro (Kaltern)

This vineyard village, with clear views of castles high up in the surrounding mountains, represents the centuries of division that forged the unique character of...

Gargnano

This small port town was an important Franciscan center in the 13th century. Today, it comes alive in the summer, when German tourists, many of...

Brunico (Bruneck)

Located in the heart of the Val Pusteria, this quiet and quaint town is divided by the Rienza River. The modern part of Brunico is...

Cremona

Cremona is a classical-music lover's dream. With violin shops on every block along its crooked old streets, it is where the world's best violins are...

Canazei

Of the year-round resort towns in the Val di Fassa, Canazei is the most popular. The mountains around this small town are threaded with hiking...

Misurina

Nestled on the shores of Lake Misurina, among the Dolomites, Misurina's high altitude, low air humidity, and total absence of dust mites and air pollution...

Corvara

Corvara is the main town of the Alta Badia, known for its prime skiing and hiking location in the middle of the Sella Ronda. The...

Bergamo

If you're driving from Milan to Lake Garda, the perfect deviation from your autostrada journey is the lovely medieval town of Bergamo, which is also...

Rovereto

A 15th-century Venetian castle dominates Rovereto's compact medieval centro storico, with one of Italy's finest contemporary art museums just steps away. The Trento Museum Pass...

Cernobbio

The legendary resort of Villa d'Este is reason enough to visit this jewel on the lake, but the town itself is worth a stroll. The...

Ortisei (St. Ulrich)

Ortisei (St. Ulrich), the jewel in the crown of Val Gardena's resorts, is a hub of activity in both summer and winter; there are hundreds...

Bellagio

Sometimes called the prettiest town in Europe, Bellagio always seems perfectly adorned, with geraniums ablaze in every window and bougainvillea veiling its staircases, or montées...

Camogli

Camogli, at the edge of the large promontory and nature reserve known as the Portofino Peninsula, has always been a town of sailors. By the...

Fiesole

A half-day excursion to Fiesole, in the hills 8 km (5 miles) above Florence, gives you a pleasant respite from museums and a wonderful view...

Bordighera

Bordighera is an attractive seaside resort with panoramas from Genoa (on a clear day) to Monte Carlo. A large English colony, attracted by the mild...

Costa Verde

...

Finale Ligure

Lovely Finale Ligure is actually made up of three small villages: Finalmarina, Finalpia, and Finalborgo, and makes a wonderful base for exploring the Riviera di...

Nuoro

The somewhat shabby provincial capital of Nuoro is on the edge of a gorge in the harsh mountainous area that culminates in Gennargentu, the island's...

Lerici

Lerici, part of the Riviera di Levante, is on the spectacular Bay of La Spezia, otherwise known as the Gulf of Poets, and is famous...

San Remo

Once the crown jewel of the Riviera di Ponente, San Remo is still the area's largest resort, lined with polished hotels, exotic gardens, and seaside...

Manarola

The enchanting pastel houses of Manarola spill down a steep hill overlooking a spectacular turquoise swimming cove and a bustling harbor. The whole town is...

Vernazza

With its narrow streets and small squares, Vernazza is arguably the most charming of the five Cinque Terre towns, and therefore, usually the most crowded...

Nervi

The identity of this stately late-19th-century resort, famous for its 1½-km-long (1-mile-long) seaside Passeggiata Anita Garibaldi, its palm-lined roads, and its 300 acres of parks...

Parma

Parma stands on the banks of a tributary of the Po River. Despite damage during World War II, much of the stately historic center seems...

Asolo

Once considered the most romantic and charming of Veneto towns, the hamlet of Asolo has unfortunately lost much of its appeal, now that it's given...

Rimini

Rimini is one of the most popular summer resorts on the Adriatic Coast and one of the most popular in Italy. July and August are...

Santa Margherita Ligure

A beautiful old resort town favored by well-to-do Italians, Santa Margherita Ligure has everything a Riviera playground should have—plenty of palm trees and attractive hotels...

Marostica

26 km (16 miles) northeast of Vicenza, 93 km (58 miles) northwest of Venice.From the 14th-century Castello Inferiore, where the town council still meets, an...

Oristano

...

Modena

Modena is famous for local products: Maserati, Ferrari, and opera star Luciano Pavarotti, born near here and buried in his family plot in Montale Rangone...

Cividale del Friuli

Cividale is the most important place for taking in the impressive and beautiful art of the Lombards, a Germanic people who entered Italy in 568...

Porto Cervo

Sardinia's northeastern coast is fringed with low cliffs, inlets, and small bays. This has become an upscale vacationland, with glossy resorts such as Baia Sardinia...

Padua

A romantic warren of arcaded streets, Padua has long been one of the major cultural centers of northern Italy. Its university, founded in 1222 and...

Pula

Resort villages sprawl along the coast southwest of the capital, which has its share of fine scenery and good beaches. On the marshy shoreline between...

Trieste

Trieste is built along a fringe of coastline where a rugged karst plateau tumbles abruptly into the beautiful Adriatic. It was the only port of...

Santa Teresa di Gallura

At the northern tip of Sardinia, Santa Teresa Gallura retains the relaxed, carefree air of a former fishing village. Nearby beaches rival those farther down...

Verona

On the banks of the fast-flowing River Adige, enchanting Verona has timeless monuments, a picturesque town center, and a romantic reputation as the setting of...

Abetone

Abetone is one of the most-visited vacation spots in the Apennine Mountains, where Tuscans, Emilia-Romagnans, and others come to ski. Set above two valleys, the...

Barga

Barga is a lovely little city (one of Italy’s smallest under that classification) with a finely preserved medieval core. It produced textiles—mostly silk—during the Renaissance...

Bologna

Bologna, a city rich with cultural jewels, has long been one of the best-kept secrets in northern Italy. Tourists in the know bask in the...

Arezzo

Arezzo is best known for the magnificent Piero della Francesca frescoes in the church of San Francesco. It's also the birthplace of the poet Petrarch...

Caltanissetta

Caltanissetta, located as it is in the heart of Sicily, offers a unique travel experience, different from the typically crowded tourist destinations in Sicily. It...

Castellina in Chianti

Castellina in Chianti—or simply Castellina—is on a ridge above three valleys: the Val di Pesa, Val d'Arbia, and Val d'Elsa. No matter what direction you...

Castelgandolfo

This little town is the pope's summer retreat. It was the Barberini Pope Urban VIII who first headed here, eager to escape the malarial miasmas...

Colle di Val d'Elsa

Most people pass through on their way to and from popular tourist destinations Volterra and San Gimignano—a shame, because Colle di Val d'Elsa has a...

Frascati

It's worth taking a stroll through Frascati's lively old center. Via Battisti, leading from the Belvedere, takes you into Piazza San Pietro with its imposing...

Forte dei Marmi

Forte dei Marmi is a playground for wealthy Italians and equally well-heeled visitors. Its wide, sandy beaches—strands are 6 km (4 miles) long—have the Alpi...

Nemi

A bronze statue of Diana the Huntress greets you at the entrance to Nemi, the smallest and prettiest village of the Castelli Romani. It's perched...

Greve in Chianti

If there is a capital of Chianti, it is Greve, a friendly market town with no shortage of cafés, enoteche (wine bars), and crafts shops...

Tivoli

In ancient times, just about anybody who was anybody had a villa in Tivoli, including Crassus, Trajan, Hadrian, Horace, and Catullus. Tivoli fell into obscurity...

Montalcino

Tiny Montalcino, with its commanding view from high on a hill, can claim an Etruscan past. It saw a fair number of travelers, as it...

Viterbo

Viterbo's moment of glory was in the 13th century, when it became the seat of the papal court. The medieval core of the city still...

Montepulciano

Perched on a hilltop, Montepulciano is made up of a pyramid of redbrick buildings set within a circle of cypress trees. At an altitude of...

Sorrento and the Sorrentine Peninsula

As a hub for visiting must-see sites—Pompeii and Naples to the north, Capri to the west, and the Amalfi Coast and Paestum to the south—the...

Panzano

The magnificent views of the valleys of the Pesa and Greve rivers easily make Panzano one of the prettiest stops in Chianti. The triangular Piazza...

Marina del Cantone

As the largest (pebble) beach on the Sorrentine Peninsula, Marina del Cantone attracts weekend sun worshippers and foodies drawn by the seaside restaurants here. To...

Radda in Chianti

Radda in Chianti sits on a ridge stretching between the Val di Pesa and Val d'Arbia. It is easily reached by following the SR429 from...

Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi

Because of its panoramic vistas, Sant'Agata was an end-of-the-line pilgrimage site for beauty lovers through the centuries, especially before the Amalfi Drive opened up the...

San Miniato

San Miniato has a history dating to Etruscan and Roman times; today it's a tiny, pristine hill town of narrow streets lined with austere 13th-...

Sant'Agnello

Back in the 18th and 19th centuries, the tiny hamlet of Sant'Agnello was an address of choice. To escape Sorrento's crowds, Bourbon princes and exiled...

Southern Tuscany

In landscapes that range from the green knolls of the Val d'Orcia to the sandy beaches at Punta Ala, this region contains some of Tuscany's...

The Amalfi Coast

Easily one of the most picturesque places on earth, this Italian Eden—situated about two-thirds down the boot on the Tyrrhenian coast—boasts colorful cliffside villages, rolling...

Volterra

As you approach the town through bleak, rugged terrain, you can see that not all Tuscan hill towns rise above rolling green fields. Volterra stands...

Montefalco

Nicknamed the "balcony over Umbria" for its high vantage point over the valley that runs from Perugia to Spoleto, Montefalco began as an important Roman...

Ascoli Piceno

Ascoli Piceno sits in a valley ringed by steep hills and cut by the Tronto River. In Roman times it was one of central Italy's...

Perugia

Perugia is a majestic, handsome, wealthy city, and with its trendy boutiques, refined cafés, and grandiose architecture, it doesn't try to hide its affluence. A...

Gubbio

There's something otherworldly about this jewel of a medieval town tucked away in a mountainous corner of Umbria. Even at the height of summer, the...

Ischia

Although Capri leaves you breathless with its charm and beauty, Ischia (pronounced "EES-kee-ah, "with the stress on the first syllable), also called the Isola Verde...

Orvieto

Carved out of an enormous plateau of volcanic rock high above a green valley, Orvieto has natural defenses that made the high walls seen in...

Atrani

In some respects this stage-set of a medieval town is a secret treasure: set in a narrow valley between two cliffs, this is the smallest...

Spoleto

For most of the year, Spoleto is one more in a pleasant succession of sleepy hill towns, resting regally atop a mountain. But for three...

Cetara

Tourists tend to take a pass on the village of Cetara. A quiet fishing village below orange groves on Monte Falerzo, it was held in...

Todi

As you stand on Piazza del Popolo, looking out onto the Tiber Valley below, it's easy to see why Todi is often described as Umbria's...

Conca dei Marini

A longtime favorite of the off-duty rich and famous, Conca dei Marini (the name means "seafarers' basin") hides many of its charms, as any sublime...

Marina di Praia

Just east of Praiano, the scenic hamlet of Marina di Praia is nestled by the sea at the bottom of a dramatic chasm. This is...

Capri, Ischia, and Procida

The islands off Naples are so different from each other that you wonder how they can possibly be in the same bay—indeed, some would say...

Amalfi

At first glance, it's hard to imagine that this resort destination was one of the world's great naval powers, and a sturdy rival of Genoa...

Venice

Venice is a city unlike any other. No matter how often you've seen it in photos and films, the real thing is more dreamlike than...

Emilia–Romagna

Sicily

The island of Sicily has an abundance of history. Some of the world's best-preserved Byzantine mosaics stand adjacent to magnificent Greek temples and Roman amphitheaters...

Tuscany

Midway down the Italian peninsula, Tuscany (Toscana in Italian) is distinguished by rolling hills, snowcapped mountains, dramatic cypress trees, and miles of coastline on the...

The Veneto and Friuli–Venezia Giulia

Much of the pleasure of exploring the arc around Venice—stretching from Verona to Trieste, encompassing the Veneto and Friuli–Venezia Giulia regions—comes from discovering the variations...

Sorrento

Sorrento may have become a jumping-off point for visits to Pompeii, Capri, and Amalfi, but you can find countless reasons to love it for itself...

Ravenna

A small, quiet, and well-heeled city, Ravenna has brick palaces, cobblestone streets, magnificent monuments, and spectacular Byzantine mosaics. The high point in its civic history...

Olbia

Amid the resorts of Sardinia's northeastern coast, Olbia, a town of about 60,000, is a lively little seaport and port of call for mainland ferries...

Portovenere

The colorful facades and pedestrians-only calata (promenade) make Portovenere the quintessential Ligurian seaside village; it's often called the “sixth town” of the Cinque Terre—but with...

Alghero

A tourist-friendly town of about 45,000 inhabitants, with a distinctly Spanish flavor, Alghero is also known as "Barcelonetta" (Little Barcelona) for its strong Catalan ties...

Trento

Trento is a prosperous, cosmopolitan university town that retains an architectural charm befitting its historical importance. It was here, from 1545 to 1563, that the...

The Italian Riviera

Nestled between the south of France and the Tuscan border lies the region of Liguria, with verdant and lush mountains to the north and east...

Cagliari

Known in Sardinia as Casteddu, the island's capital has steep streets and impressive Italianate architecture, from modern to medieval. This city of nearly 160,000 people...

Merano (Meran)

The second-largest town in Alto Adige, Merano (Meran) was once the capital of the Austrian region of Tyrol. When the town and surrounding area were...

Lombardy and the Lakes

Lombardy is one of Italy's most dynamic regions, offering everything from world-class ski slopes to luxurious summer lake resorts, and Milan is the pulse of...

Rome

Italy's vibrant capital lives in the present, but no other city on earth evokes its past so powerfully. For over 2,500 years, emperors, popes, artists...

Sardinia

The second-largest island in the Mediterranean, Sardinia remains unique and enigmatic with its rugged coastline and white-sand beaches, dramatic granite cliffs, and mountainous inland tracts...

Bormio

At the foot of Stelvio Pass, Bormio is the most famous ski resort on the western side of the Dolomites, with 38 km (24 miles)...

Cortina d'Ampezzo

The archetypal Dolomite resort, Cortina d'Ampezzo entices those seeking both relaxation and adventure. The town is the western gateway to the Strade Grande delle Dolomiti...

Bressanone (Brixen)

Bressanone is an important artistic center and was the seat of prince-bishops for centuries. Like their counterparts in Trento, these medieval administrators had the delicate...

The Dolomites

The Dolomites, those inimitable craggy peaks Le Corbusier called "the most beautiful work of architecture ever seen," are never so arresting as at dusk, when...

Capri

Fantastic grottoes, soaring conical peaks, caverns great and small, plus villas of the emperors and thousands of legends brush Capri with an air of whispered...

Bolzano (Bozen)

Bolzano (Bozen), capital of the autonomous province of Alto Adige, is tucked among craggy peaks in a Dolomite valley 77 km (48 miles) from the...

Genoa

Genoa (Genova in Italian) was the birthplace of Christopher Columbus, but the city's proud history predates that explorer by hundreds of years. Genoa was already...

Florence

Florence, the city of the lily, gave birth to the Renaissance and changed the way we see the world. For centuries it has captured the...

Madonna di Campiglio

The winter resort of Madonna di Campiglio vies with Cortina d'Ampezzo as the most fashionable place for Italians to ski and be seen in the...

Portofino

One of the most photographed villages along the coast, with a decidedly romantic and affluent aura, Portofino has long been a popular destination for the...

Piedmont and the Valle d'Aosta

Northwest Italy's Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta regions come with a large dose of mountain splendor, bourgeois refinement, culinary achievement, and scenic beauty. Two of Europe's...

Umbria and the Marches

Birthplace of saints and home to some of the country's greatest artistic treasures, central Italy is a collection of misty green valleys and picture-perfect hill...

Milan

Rome may be bigger and wield political power, but Milan and the affluent north are what really make the country go. Leonardo da Vinci's Last...

Puglia, Basilicata, and Calabria

Venture off the traffic-filled highways and explore the countryside of Italy’s boot, made up of the three separate regions—Puglia, Basilicata, and Calabria—each one with its...

Naples

Located under the shadow of Vesuvius, Naples is the most vibrant city in Italy—a steaming, bubbling, reverberating minestrone in which each block is a small...

Pisa

If you can get beyond the kitsch of the stalls hawking cheap souvenirs around the Leaning Tower, you'll find that Pisa has much to offer...

Sirmione

Dramatically rising out of Lake Garda is the enchanting town of Sirmione. "Paene insularum, Sirmio, insularumque ocelle," wrote Catullus in a homecoming poem: "It is...

Herculaneum (Ercolano)

A visit to the archaeological site of Herculaneum neatly counterbalances the hustle of its larger neighbor, Pompeii. Although close to the heart of busy Ercolano—indeed...

Aosta

Aosta stands at the junction of two of the important trade routes that connect France and Italy, the valleys of the Rhône and the Isère...

Siena

With its narrow streets and steep alleys, a Gothic Duomo, a bounty of early Renaissance art, and the glorious Palazzo Pubblico overlooking its magnificent Campo...

Montecatini Terme

Immortalized in Fellini's film 8½, Montecatini Terme is one of Italy's premier terme (spas). Known for their curative powers—and, at least once upon a time...

Castelnuovo Berardenga

The southernmost village in Chianti has a compact center with hilly, curving streets. A plethora of piazzas invite wandering...

Turin

Turin (Torino, in Italian) is roughly in the center of Piedmont–Valle d'Aosta and 128 km (80 miles) west of Milan; it's on the Po River...

The Barolo Region

The Langhe district may not get as much attention as other wine-producing regions in Italy, but the payoff for a visit can be just as...

Courmayeur/Monte Bianco

The main attraction of Courmayeur is a knock-'em-dead view of Europe's highest peak, Monte Bianco. The celebrities and the wealthy who come here these days...

Breuil-Cervinia/The Matterhorn

Sitting in a huge natural basin at the foot of the Matterhorn, this town, once a high Alpine pasture, grew to become one of Europe's...

Asti

Asti is best known outside Italy for its wines—excellent reds as well as the famous sparkling white spumante. The town itself has some impressive reminders...

Treviso

Treviso has been dubbed "Little Venice" because of its meandering, moss-bank canals. They can't really compare with Venice's spectacular waterways, but Treviso's historic center, with...

Vicenza

Vicenza bears the distinctive signature of the 16th-century architect Andrea Palladio, whose name has been given to the "Palladian" style of architecture. He emphasized the...

Alberobello

With more than 1,000 trulli along its steep, narrow streets, Alberobello has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the more...

Gaiole in Chianti

A market town since 1200, Gaiole is now a central destination for touring southern Chianti. A stream runs through its center, and flowers adorn many...

Bari

The biggest city in the region, Bari is a major port and a transit point for travelers catching ferries across the Adriatic to Greece, Croatia...

Procida

Lying barely 3 km (2 miles) from the mainland and 10 km (6 miles) from the nearest port (Pozzuoli), Procida is an island of enormous...

Tremezzo

The dreamy lakeside town of Tremezzo is close to two outstanding and magical villas, as well as sprawling gardens and one of the lake’s grandest...

Camigliatello

Lined with chalets, Camigliatello is one of the Sila Massif's major resort towns. Most of the Sila isn't mountainous at all; rather, it's an extensive...

Alba

This small town has a gracious atmosphere and a compact core, studded with medieval towers and Gothic buildings. In addition to being a wine center...

Urbino

Majestic Urbino, atop a steep hill with a skyline of towers and domes, is something of a surprise to come upon. Though quite remote, it...

Cosenza

A construction boom in the 1950s and '60s encased Cosenza's medieval city—which winds up the hillsides between the Busento and Crati rivers—in a sprawling, traffic-clogged...

The Bay of Naples

If you're lucky enough to travel to Naples by water, a peacock's tail of splendor unfolds before you as you enter the vast Golfo di...

Crotone

One of the most important Magna Graecia colonies in Italy, Crotone was a major cultural center in the 5th century BC, when it was the...

Pozzuoli

Legendary spirits populate Pozzuoli. St. Paul stepped ashore at the harbor here in AD 61 en route to Rome; his own ship had been wrecked...

Como

Como commands the south shore of the lake. In its center, elegant cobblestone pedestrian streets wind their way past parks and bustling cafés. However, it's...

Levanto

Nestled at the end of a valley of pine forests, olive groves, vineyards, and medieval villages lies this sunny seaside town, an alternative and usually...

Ticinese

...

Diamante

A lively and attractive little resort on Calabria's north Tyrrhenian Coast, Diamante styles itself as "the town of murals and peperoncini." The old town center...

Verbania

The quaint town of Verbania is across the Gulf of Pallanza from its more touristy neighbor, Stresa. It is known for the Villa Taranto, which...

Monterosso al Mare

It's the combined draw of beautiful beaches, rugged cliffs, crystal-clear turquoise waters, and plentiful small hotels and restaurants that make Monterosso al Mare into the...

Gallipoli

The fishing port of Gallipoli, on the eastern tip of the Golfo di Taranto, is divided between a new town, on the mainland, and the...

Lecce

Lecce is the crown jewel of the Mezzogiorno. The city is called "the Florence of the south," but that term doesn't do justice to Lecce's...

Maratea

The high, twisty road into the Maratea region affords breathtaking glimpses of the turquoise sea and a gigantic statue of Cristo Redentore (reminiscent of the...

Udine

Udine, the largest city on the Friuli side of the region, has a provincial, genteel atmosphere and lots of charm. The city sometimes seems completely...

Martina Franca

Martina Franca is a beguiling town with a dazzling mixture of medieval and Baroque architecture in the light-color local stone. Developed as a military stronghold...

Ferrara

When the legendary Ferrarese filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni called his beloved hometown "a city that you can see only partly, while the rest disappears to be...

Matera

This town of unique Sassi (cave dwellings) is one of southern Italy's most intriguing places. The so-called New Town is full of elegant Baroque churches...

Cortona

Made popular by Frances Mayes's book Under the Tuscan Sun and film of the same name, Cortona is no longer the destination of just a...

Mattinata

The town of Mattinata is a good center for hikes in the Foresta Umbra and for visiting the Santuario di San Michele. It also has...

Lucca

Ramparts built in the 16th and 17th centuries enclose a charming fortress town filled with churches (99 of them), terracotta–roofed buildings, and narrow cobblestone streets...

Ostuni

This sun-bleached medieval town lies on three hills not far from the coast. From a distance, Ostuni is a jumble of blazing white houses and...

Monteriggioni

Tiny Monteriggioni makes a nice stop on the way north to Colle di Val d'Elsa, San Gimignano, or Volterra. It's hard to imagine that this...

Otranto

In one of the first great Gothic novels, Horace Walpole's 1764 The Castle of Otranto, the English writer immortalized this city and its mysterious medieval...

San Gimignano

When you're on a hilltop surrounded by soaring medieval towers silhouetted against the sky, it's difficult not to fall under the spell of San Gimignano...

Polignano a Mare

This well-preserved, whitewashed old town, perched on limestone cliffs overlooking the Adriatic, makes an atmospheric base for exploring the surrounding area. Film crews and adrenaline...

Viareggio

Tobias Smollett (1721–71), the English novelist, wrote in the 1760s that Viareggio was "a kind of sea-port on the Mediterranean. . . . The roads...

Reggio Calabria

This raw city is one of Italy's busiest ports, where you can find not only container ships and cranes but also a wonderful lungomare (promenade)...

Assisi

The small town of Assisi is one of the Christian world's most important pilgrimage sites and home of the Basilica di San Francesco—built to honor...

Paestum

For history buffs, a visit to Campania is not complete without seeing the ancient ruins of Paestum. A visit to the ruins to stroll past...

The Valnerina

The Valnerina (the valley of the River Nera, to the southeast of Spoleto) is the most beautiful of central Italy's many well-kept secrets. The twisting...

Praiano

Praiano has less wealth and sophistication than its more famous neighbors and more olive and lemon trees than tourists. From afar, it looks as alluring...

Taranto

Taranto (stress the first syllable) was an important port even in Greek times, and it's still Italy's largest naval base. It lies toward the back...

Stresa and the Isole Borromee

One of the better-known resorts on the western shore, Stresa is a tourist town, which provided Hemingway with one of the settings in A Farewell...

Positano

When John Steinbeck visited Positano in 1953, he wrote that it was difficult to consider tourism an industry because "there are not enough [tourists]." Alas...

Trani

Trani has a harbor filled with fishing boats and a quaint old town with cobblestone streets, gleaming medieval churches, and palazzi built from local limestone...

Ravello

Positano may focus on pleasure, and Amalfi on history, but cool, serene Ravello revels in refinement. Thrust over the Bay of Salerno on a mountain...

Tropea

Ringed by cliffs and wonderful sandy beaches, the Tropea Promontory is still just beginning to be discovered by foreign tourists. The main town of Tropea...

Baia

Now largely under the sea, ancient Baia was once the most opulent and fashionable resort area of the Roman Empire, the place where Sulla, Pompey...

Vieste

This large whitewashed town jutting off the tip of the spur of Italy's boot is an attractive place to wander around. Although curvy mountain roads...

Pompeii

Mention Pompeii and most travelers think of ancient Roman villas, prancing bronze fauns, writhing plaster casts of Vesuvius's victims, and the fabled days of the...

Mantua

Mantua (Mantova in Italian) stands tallest among the ancient walled cities of the Po Plain; it may not be flashy or dramatic, but its beauty...

Gardone Riviera

Now pleasantly faded, this once-fashionable 19th-century resort is best known these days for the hilltop estate of the poet Gabriele D'Annunzio, made as an elaborate...

Riva del Garda

Riva del Garda is set on the northern tip of Lake Garda, against a dramatic backdrop of jagged cliffs and miles of beaches. The old...

Caldaro (Kaltern)

This vineyard village, with clear views of castles high up in the surrounding mountains, represents the centuries of division that forged the unique character of...

Gargnano

This small port town was an important Franciscan center in the 13th century. Today, it comes alive in the summer, when German tourists, many of...

Brunico (Bruneck)

Located in the heart of the Val Pusteria, this quiet and quaint town is divided by the Rienza River. The modern part of Brunico is...

Cremona

Cremona is a classical-music lover's dream. With violin shops on every block along its crooked old streets, it is where the world's best violins are...

Canazei

Of the year-round resort towns in the Val di Fassa, Canazei is the most popular. The mountains around this small town are threaded with hiking...

Misurina

Nestled on the shores of Lake Misurina, among the Dolomites, Misurina's high altitude, low air humidity, and total absence of dust mites and air pollution...

Corvara

Corvara is the main town of the Alta Badia, known for its prime skiing and hiking location in the middle of the Sella Ronda. The...

Bergamo

If you're driving from Milan to Lake Garda, the perfect deviation from your autostrada journey is the lovely medieval town of Bergamo, which is also...

Rovereto

A 15th-century Venetian castle dominates Rovereto's compact medieval centro storico, with one of Italy's finest contemporary art museums just steps away. The Trento Museum Pass...

Cernobbio

The legendary resort of Villa d'Este is reason enough to visit this jewel on the lake, but the town itself is worth a stroll. The...

Ortisei (St. Ulrich)

Ortisei (St. Ulrich), the jewel in the crown of Val Gardena's resorts, is a hub of activity in both summer and winter; there are hundreds...

Bellagio

Sometimes called the prettiest town in Europe, Bellagio always seems perfectly adorned, with geraniums ablaze in every window and bougainvillea veiling its staircases, or montées...

Camogli

Camogli, at the edge of the large promontory and nature reserve known as the Portofino Peninsula, has always been a town of sailors. By the...

Fiesole

A half-day excursion to Fiesole, in the hills 8 km (5 miles) above Florence, gives you a pleasant respite from museums and a wonderful view...

Bordighera

Bordighera is an attractive seaside resort with panoramas from Genoa (on a clear day) to Monte Carlo. A large English colony, attracted by the mild...

Costa Verde

...

Finale Ligure

Lovely Finale Ligure is actually made up of three small villages: Finalmarina, Finalpia, and Finalborgo, and makes a wonderful base for exploring the Riviera di...

Nuoro

The somewhat shabby provincial capital of Nuoro is on the edge of a gorge in the harsh mountainous area that culminates in Gennargentu, the island's...

Lerici

Lerici, part of the Riviera di Levante, is on the spectacular Bay of La Spezia, otherwise known as the Gulf of Poets, and is famous...

San Remo

Once the crown jewel of the Riviera di Ponente, San Remo is still the area's largest resort, lined with polished hotels, exotic gardens, and seaside...

Manarola

The enchanting pastel houses of Manarola spill down a steep hill overlooking a spectacular turquoise swimming cove and a bustling harbor. The whole town is...

Vernazza

With its narrow streets and small squares, Vernazza is arguably the most charming of the five Cinque Terre towns, and therefore, usually the most crowded...

Nervi

The identity of this stately late-19th-century resort, famous for its 1½-km-long (1-mile-long) seaside Passeggiata Anita Garibaldi, its palm-lined roads, and its 300 acres of parks...

Parma

Parma stands on the banks of a tributary of the Po River. Despite damage during World War II, much of the stately historic center seems...

Asolo

Once considered the most romantic and charming of Veneto towns, the hamlet of Asolo has unfortunately lost much of its appeal, now that it's given...

Rimini

Rimini is one of the most popular summer resorts on the Adriatic Coast and one of the most popular in Italy. July and August are...

Santa Margherita Ligure

A beautiful old resort town favored by well-to-do Italians, Santa Margherita Ligure has everything a Riviera playground should have—plenty of palm trees and attractive hotels...

Marostica

26 km (16 miles) northeast of Vicenza, 93 km (58 miles) northwest of Venice.From the 14th-century Castello Inferiore, where the town council still meets, an...

Oristano

...

Modena

Modena is famous for local products: Maserati, Ferrari, and opera star Luciano Pavarotti, born near here and buried in his family plot in Montale Rangone...

Cividale del Friuli

Cividale is the most important place for taking in the impressive and beautiful art of the Lombards, a Germanic people who entered Italy in 568...

Porto Cervo

Sardinia's northeastern coast is fringed with low cliffs, inlets, and small bays. This has become an upscale vacationland, with glossy resorts such as Baia Sardinia...

Padua

A romantic warren of arcaded streets, Padua has long been one of the major cultural centers of northern Italy. Its university, founded in 1222 and...

Pula

Resort villages sprawl along the coast southwest of the capital, which has its share of fine scenery and good beaches. On the marshy shoreline between...

Trieste

Trieste is built along a fringe of coastline where a rugged karst plateau tumbles abruptly into the beautiful Adriatic. It was the only port of...

Santa Teresa di Gallura

At the northern tip of Sardinia, Santa Teresa Gallura retains the relaxed, carefree air of a former fishing village. Nearby beaches rival those farther down...

Verona

On the banks of the fast-flowing River Adige, enchanting Verona has timeless monuments, a picturesque town center, and a romantic reputation as the setting of...

Abetone

Abetone is one of the most-visited vacation spots in the Apennine Mountains, where Tuscans, Emilia-Romagnans, and others come to ski. Set above two valleys, the...

Barga

Barga is a lovely little city (one of Italy’s smallest under that classification) with a finely preserved medieval core. It produced textiles—mostly silk—during the Renaissance...

Bologna

Bologna, a city rich with cultural jewels, has long been one of the best-kept secrets in northern Italy. Tourists in the know bask in the...

Arezzo

Arezzo is best known for the magnificent Piero della Francesca frescoes in the church of San Francesco. It's also the birthplace of the poet Petrarch...

Caltanissetta

Caltanissetta, located as it is in the heart of Sicily, offers a unique travel experience, different from the typically crowded tourist destinations in Sicily. It...

Castellina in Chianti

Castellina in Chianti—or simply Castellina—is on a ridge above three valleys: the Val di Pesa, Val d'Arbia, and Val d'Elsa. No matter what direction you...

Castelgandolfo

This little town is the pope's summer retreat. It was the Barberini Pope Urban VIII who first headed here, eager to escape the malarial miasmas...

Colle di Val d'Elsa

Most people pass through on their way to and from popular tourist destinations Volterra and San Gimignano—a shame, because Colle di Val d'Elsa has a...

Frascati

It's worth taking a stroll through Frascati's lively old center. Via Battisti, leading from the Belvedere, takes you into Piazza San Pietro with its imposing...

Forte dei Marmi

Forte dei Marmi is a playground for wealthy Italians and equally well-heeled visitors. Its wide, sandy beaches—strands are 6 km (4 miles) long—have the Alpi...

Nemi

A bronze statue of Diana the Huntress greets you at the entrance to Nemi, the smallest and prettiest village of the Castelli Romani. It's perched...

Greve in Chianti

If there is a capital of Chianti, it is Greve, a friendly market town with no shortage of cafés, enoteche (wine bars), and crafts shops...

Tivoli

In ancient times, just about anybody who was anybody had a villa in Tivoli, including Crassus, Trajan, Hadrian, Horace, and Catullus. Tivoli fell into obscurity...

Montalcino

Tiny Montalcino, with its commanding view from high on a hill, can claim an Etruscan past. It saw a fair number of travelers, as it...

Viterbo

Viterbo's moment of glory was in the 13th century, when it became the seat of the papal court. The medieval core of the city still...

Montepulciano

Perched on a hilltop, Montepulciano is made up of a pyramid of redbrick buildings set within a circle of cypress trees. At an altitude of...

Sorrento and the Sorrentine Peninsula

As a hub for visiting must-see sites—Pompeii and Naples to the north, Capri to the west, and the Amalfi Coast and Paestum to the south—the...

Panzano

The magnificent views of the valleys of the Pesa and Greve rivers easily make Panzano one of the prettiest stops in Chianti. The triangular Piazza...

Marina del Cantone

As the largest (pebble) beach on the Sorrentine Peninsula, Marina del Cantone attracts weekend sun worshippers and foodies drawn by the seaside restaurants here. To...

Radda in Chianti

Radda in Chianti sits on a ridge stretching between the Val di Pesa and Val d'Arbia. It is easily reached by following the SR429 from...

Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi

Because of its panoramic vistas, Sant'Agata was an end-of-the-line pilgrimage site for beauty lovers through the centuries, especially before the Amalfi Drive opened up the...

San Miniato

San Miniato has a history dating to Etruscan and Roman times; today it's a tiny, pristine hill town of narrow streets lined with austere 13th-...

Sant'Agnello

Back in the 18th and 19th centuries, the tiny hamlet of Sant'Agnello was an address of choice. To escape Sorrento's crowds, Bourbon princes and exiled...

Southern Tuscany

In landscapes that range from the green knolls of the Val d'Orcia to the sandy beaches at Punta Ala, this region contains some of Tuscany's...

The Amalfi Coast

Easily one of the most picturesque places on earth, this Italian Eden—situated about two-thirds down the boot on the Tyrrhenian coast—boasts colorful cliffside villages, rolling...

Volterra

As you approach the town through bleak, rugged terrain, you can see that not all Tuscan hill towns rise above rolling green fields. Volterra stands...

Montefalco

Nicknamed the "balcony over Umbria" for its high vantage point over the valley that runs from Perugia to Spoleto, Montefalco began as an important Roman...

Ascoli Piceno

Ascoli Piceno sits in a valley ringed by steep hills and cut by the Tronto River. In Roman times it was one of central Italy's...

Perugia

Perugia is a majestic, handsome, wealthy city, and with its trendy boutiques, refined cafés, and grandiose architecture, it doesn't try to hide its affluence. A...

Gubbio

There's something otherworldly about this jewel of a medieval town tucked away in a mountainous corner of Umbria. Even at the height of summer, the...

Ischia

Although Capri leaves you breathless with its charm and beauty, Ischia (pronounced "EES-kee-ah, "with the stress on the first syllable), also called the Isola Verde...

Orvieto

Carved out of an enormous plateau of volcanic rock high above a green valley, Orvieto has natural defenses that made the high walls seen in...

Atrani

In some respects this stage-set of a medieval town is a secret treasure: set in a narrow valley between two cliffs, this is the smallest...

Spoleto

For most of the year, Spoleto is one more in a pleasant succession of sleepy hill towns, resting regally atop a mountain. But for three...

Cetara

Tourists tend to take a pass on the village of Cetara. A quiet fishing village below orange groves on Monte Falerzo, it was held in...

Todi

As you stand on Piazza del Popolo, looking out onto the Tiber Valley below, it's easy to see why Todi is often described as Umbria's...

Conca dei Marini

A longtime favorite of the off-duty rich and famous, Conca dei Marini (the name means "seafarers' basin") hides many of its charms, as any sublime...

Marina di Praia

Just east of Praiano, the scenic hamlet of Marina di Praia is nestled by the sea at the bottom of a dramatic chasm. This is...

Capri, Ischia, and Procida

The islands off Naples are so different from each other that you wonder how they can possibly be in the same bay—indeed, some would say...

Portovenere

The colorful facades and pedestrians-only calata (promenade) make Portovenere the quintessential Ligurian seaside village; it's often called the “sixth town” of the Cinque Terre—but with...

Venice

Venice is a city unlike any other. No matter how often you've seen it in photos and films, the real thing is more dreamlike than...

Cortina d'Ampezzo

The archetypal Dolomite resort, Cortina d'Ampezzo entices those seeking both relaxation and adventure. The town is the western gateway to the Strade Grande delle Dolomiti...

Madonna di Campiglio

The winter resort of Madonna di Campiglio vies with Cortina d'Ampezzo as the most fashionable place for Italians to ski and be seen in the...

Ravenna

A small, quiet, and well-heeled city, Ravenna has brick palaces, cobblestone streets, magnificent monuments, and spectacular Byzantine mosaics. The high point in its civic history...

Bressanone (Brixen)

Bressanone is an important artistic center and was the seat of prince-bishops for centuries. Like their counterparts in Trento, these medieval administrators had the delicate...

Merano (Meran)

The second-largest town in Alto Adige, Merano (Meran) was once the capital of the Austrian region of Tyrol. When the town and surrounding area were...

Sorrento

Sorrento may have become a jumping-off point for visits to Pompeii, Capri, and Amalfi, but you can find countless reasons to love it for itself...

Bolzano (Bozen)

Bolzano (Bozen), capital of the autonomous province of Alto Adige, is tucked among craggy peaks in a Dolomite valley 77 km (48 miles) from the...

Olbia

Amid the resorts of Sardinia's northeastern coast, Olbia, a town of about 60,000, is a lively little seaport and port of call for mainland ferries...

Amalfi

At first glance, it's hard to imagine that this resort destination was one of the world's great naval powers, and a sturdy rival of Genoa...

Alghero

A tourist-friendly town of about 45,000 inhabitants, with a distinctly Spanish flavor, Alghero is also known as "Barcelonetta" (Little Barcelona) for its strong Catalan ties...

Cagliari

Known in Sardinia as Casteddu, the island's capital has steep streets and impressive Italianate architecture, from modern to medieval. This city of nearly 160,000 people...

Genoa

Genoa (Genova in Italian) was the birthplace of Christopher Columbus, but the city's proud history predates that explorer by hundreds of years. Genoa was already...

Rome

Italy's vibrant capital lives in the present, but no other city on earth evokes its past so powerfully. For over 2,500 years, emperors, popes, artists...

Trento

Trento is a prosperous, cosmopolitan university town that retains an architectural charm befitting its historical importance. It was here, from 1545 to 1563, that the...

Portofino

One of the most photographed villages along the coast, with a decidedly romantic and affluent aura, Portofino has long been a popular destination for the...

Florence

Florence, the city of the lily, gave birth to the Renaissance and changed the way we see the world. For centuries it has captured the...

Bormio

At the foot of Stelvio Pass, Bormio is the most famous ski resort on the western side of the Dolomites, with 38 km (24 miles)...

Milan

Rome may be bigger and wield political power, but Milan and the affluent north are what really make the country go. Leonardo da Vinci's Last...

Naples

Located under the shadow of Vesuvius, Naples is the most vibrant city in Italy—a steaming, bubbling, reverberating minestrone in which each block is a small...

Pisa

If you can get beyond the kitsch of the stalls hawking cheap souvenirs around the Leaning Tower, you'll find that Pisa has much to offer...

Abetone

Abetone is one of the most-visited vacation spots in the Apennine Mountains, where Tuscans, Emilia-Romagnans, and others come to ski. Set above two valleys, the...

Stresa and the Isole Borromee

One of the better-known resorts on the western shore, Stresa is a tourist town, which provided Hemingway with one of the settings in A Farewell...

Pozzuoli

Legendary spirits populate Pozzuoli. St. Paul stepped ashore at the harbor here in AD 61 en route to Rome; his own ship had been wrecked...

Marina di Praia

Just east of Praiano, the scenic hamlet of Marina di Praia is nestled by the sea at the bottom of a dramatic chasm. This is...

Tivoli

In ancient times, just about anybody who was anybody had a villa in Tivoli, including Crassus, Trajan, Hadrian, Horace, and Catullus. Tivoli fell into obscurity...

Petralia Soprana

...

Assisi

The small town of Assisi is one of the Christian world's most important pilgrimage sites and home of the Basilica di San Francesco—built to honor...

Alba

This small town has a gracious atmosphere and a compact core, studded with medieval towers and Gothic buildings. In addition to being a wine center...

Ticinese

...

Verbania

The quaint town of Verbania is across the Gulf of Pallanza from its more touristy neighbor, Stresa. It is known for the Villa Taranto, which...

Tremezzo

The dreamy lakeside town of Tremezzo is close to two outstanding and magical villas, as well as sprawling gardens and one of the lake’s grandest...

Gaiole in Chianti

A market town since 1200, Gaiole is now a central destination for touring southern Chianti. A stream runs through its center, and flowers adorn many...

Aosta

Aosta stands at the junction of two of the important trade routes that connect France and Italy, the valleys of the Rhône and the Isère...

Asti

Asti is best known outside Italy for its wines—excellent reds as well as the famous sparkling white spumante. The town itself has some impressive reminders...

Urbino

Majestic Urbino, atop a steep hill with a skyline of towers and domes, is something of a surprise to come upon. Though quite remote, it...

Breuil-Cervinia/The Matterhorn

Sitting in a huge natural basin at the foot of the Matterhorn, this town, once a high Alpine pasture, grew to become one of Europe's...

Termini Imerese

As the last town in the province of Palermo before entering the province of Messina, Termini Imerese is an important commercial port and position along...

Courmayeur/Monte Bianco

The main attraction of Courmayeur is a knock-'em-dead view of Europe's highest peak, Monte Bianco. The celebrities and the wealthy who come here these days...

Sant'Agnello

Back in the 18th and 19th centuries, the tiny hamlet of Sant'Agnello was an address of choice. To escape Sorrento's crowds, Bourbon princes and exiled...

Ortisei (St. Ulrich)

Ortisei (St. Ulrich), the jewel in the crown of Val Gardena's resorts, is a hub of activity in both summer and winter; there are hundreds...

Ravello

Positano may focus on pleasure, and Amalfi on history, but cool, serene Ravello revels in refinement. Thrust over the Bay of Salerno on a mountain...

Cividale del Friuli

Cividale is the most important place for taking in the impressive and beautiful art of the Lombards, a Germanic people who entered Italy in 568...

Gavi

...

Sirmione

Dramatically rising out of Lake Garda is the enchanting town of Sirmione. "Paene insularum, Sirmio, insularumque ocelle," wrote Catullus in a homecoming poem: "It is...

Riva del Garda

Riva del Garda is set on the northern tip of Lake Garda, against a dramatic backdrop of jagged cliffs and miles of beaches. The old...

Turin

Turin (Torino, in Italian) is roughly in the center of Piedmont–Valle d'Aosta and 128 km (80 miles) west of Milan; it's on the Po River...

Trieste

Trieste is built along a fringe of coastline where a rugged karst plateau tumbles abruptly into the beautiful Adriatic. It was the only port of...

Alberobello

With more than 1,000 trulli along its steep, narrow streets, Alberobello has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the more...

Castelnuovo Berardenga

The southernmost village in Chianti has a compact center with hilly, curving streets. A plethora of piazzas invite wandering...

Bari

The biggest city in the region, Bari is a major port and a transit point for travelers catching ferries across the Adriatic to Greece, Croatia...

Montecatini Terme

Immortalized in Fellini's film 8½, Montecatini Terme is one of Italy's premier terme (spas). Known for their curative powers—and, at least once upon a time...

Camigliatello

Lined with chalets, Camigliatello is one of the Sila Massif's major resort towns. Most of the Sila isn't mountainous at all; rather, it's an extensive...

Cremona

Cremona is a classical-music lover's dream. With violin shops on every block along its crooked old streets, it is where the world's best violins are...

Cosenza

A construction boom in the 1950s and '60s encased Cosenza's medieval city—which winds up the hillsides between the Busento and Crati rivers—in a sprawling, traffic-clogged...

Perugia

Perugia is a majestic, handsome, wealthy city, and with its trendy boutiques, refined cafés, and grandiose architecture, it doesn't try to hide its affluence. A...

Crotone

One of the most important Magna Graecia colonies in Italy, Crotone was a major cultural center in the 5th century BC, when it was the...

Cernobbio

The legendary resort of Villa d'Este is reason enough to visit this jewel on the lake, but the town itself is worth a stroll. The...

Diamante

A lively and attractive little resort on Calabria's north Tyrrhenian Coast, Diamante styles itself as "the town of murals and peperoncini." The old town center...

Polizzi Generosa

Once a critical and thriving city during the Middle Ages, Polizzi had "Generosa" added to its name to signify the generosity and richness of its...

Gallipoli

The fishing port of Gallipoli, on the eastern tip of the Golfo di Taranto, is divided between a new town, on the mainland, and the...

Frascati

It's worth taking a stroll through Frascati's lively old center. Via Battisti, leading from the Belvedere, takes you into Piazza San Pietro with its imposing...

Lecce

Lecce is the crown jewel of the Mezzogiorno. The city is called "the Florence of the south," but that term doesn't do justice to Lecce's...

Marina del Cantone

As the largest (pebble) beach on the Sorrentine Peninsula, Marina del Cantone attracts weekend sun worshippers and foodies drawn by the seaside restaurants here. To...

Maratea

The high, twisty road into the Maratea region affords breathtaking glimpses of the turquoise sea and a gigantic statue of Cristo Redentore (reminiscent of the...

Bellagio

Sometimes called the prettiest town in Europe, Bellagio always seems perfectly adorned, with geraniums ablaze in every window and bougainvillea veiling its staircases, or montées...

Martina Franca

Martina Franca is a beguiling town with a dazzling mixture of medieval and Baroque architecture in the light-color local stone. Developed as a military stronghold...

Positano

When John Steinbeck visited Positano in 1953, he wrote that it was difficult to consider tourism an industry because "there are not enough [tourists]." Alas...

Matera

This town of unique Sassi (cave dwellings) is one of southern Italy's most intriguing places. The so-called New Town is full of elegant Baroque churches...

Herculaneum (Ercolano)

A visit to the archaeological site of Herculaneum neatly counterbalances the hustle of its larger neighbor, Pompeii. Although close to the heart of busy Ercolano—indeed...

Mattinata

The town of Mattinata is a good center for hikes in the Foresta Umbra and for visiting the Santuario di San Michele. It also has...

Ostuni

This sun-bleached medieval town lies on three hills not far from the coast. From a distance, Ostuni is a jumble of blazing white houses and...

Camogli

Camogli, at the edge of the large promontory and nature reserve known as the Portofino Peninsula, has always been a town of sailors. By the...

Parma

Parma stands on the banks of a tributary of the Po River. Despite damage during World War II, much of the stately historic center seems...

Gargnano

This small port town was an important Franciscan center in the 13th century. Today, it comes alive in the summer, when German tourists, many of...

Levanto

Nestled at the end of a valley of pine forests, olive groves, vineyards, and medieval villages lies this sunny seaside town, an alternative and usually...

Mantua

Mantua (Mantova in Italian) stands tallest among the ancient walled cities of the Po Plain; it may not be flashy or dramatic, but its beauty...

Otranto

In one of the first great Gothic novels, Horace Walpole's 1764 The Castle of Otranto, the English writer immortalized this city and its mysterious medieval...

Gardone Riviera

Now pleasantly faded, this once-fashionable 19th-century resort is best known these days for the hilltop estate of the poet Gabriele D'Annunzio, made as an elaborate...

Monterosso al Mare

It's the combined draw of beautiful beaches, rugged cliffs, crystal-clear turquoise waters, and plentiful small hotels and restaurants that make Monterosso al Mare into the...

Polignano a Mare

This well-preserved, whitewashed old town, perched on limestone cliffs overlooking the Adriatic, makes an atmospheric base for exploring the surrounding area. Film crews and adrenaline...

Ferrara

When the legendary Ferrarese filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni called his beloved hometown "a city that you can see only partly, while the rest disappears to be...

Reggio Calabria

This raw city is one of Italy's busiest ports, where you can find not only container ships and cranes but also a wonderful lungomare (promenade)...

Padua

A romantic warren of arcaded streets, Padua has long been one of the major cultural centers of northern Italy. Its university, founded in 1222 and...

Taranto

Taranto (stress the first syllable) was an important port even in Greek times, and it's still Italy's largest naval base. It lies toward the back...

Verona

On the banks of the fast-flowing River Adige, enchanting Verona has timeless monuments, a picturesque town center, and a romantic reputation as the setting of...

Trani

Trani has a harbor filled with fishing boats and a quaint old town with cobblestone streets, gleaming medieval churches, and palazzi built from local limestone...

Barga

Barga is a lovely little city (one of Italy’s smallest under that classification) with a finely preserved medieval core. It produced textiles—mostly silk—during the Renaissance...

Tropea

Ringed by cliffs and wonderful sandy beaches, the Tropea Promontory is still just beginning to be discovered by foreign tourists. The main town of Tropea...

Cortona

Made popular by Frances Mayes's book Under the Tuscan Sun and film of the same name, Cortona is no longer the destination of just a...

Vieste

This large whitewashed town jutting off the tip of the spur of Italy's boot is an attractive place to wander around. Although curvy mountain roads...

Lucca

Ramparts built in the 16th and 17th centuries enclose a charming fortress town filled with churches (99 of them), terracotta–roofed buildings, and narrow cobblestone streets...

Siena

With its narrow streets and steep alleys, a Gothic Duomo, a bounty of early Renaissance art, and the glorious Palazzo Pubblico overlooking its magnificent Campo...

Monteriggioni

Tiny Monteriggioni makes a nice stop on the way north to Colle di Val d'Elsa, San Gimignano, or Volterra. It's hard to imagine that this...

Monte Argentario

Connected to the mainland only by two thin strips of land and a causeway, Monte Argentario feels like an island. The north and south isthmuses...

San Gimignano

When you're on a hilltop surrounded by soaring medieval towers silhouetted against the sky, it's difficult not to fall under the spell of San Gimignano...

Como

Como commands the south shore of the lake. In its center, elegant cobblestone pedestrian streets wind their way past parks and bustling cafés. However, it's...

Volterra

As you approach the town through bleak, rugged terrain, you can see that not all Tuscan hill towns rise above rolling green fields. Volterra stands...

Costa Verde

...

Sorano

...

Nuoro

The somewhat shabby provincial capital of Nuoro is on the edge of a gorge in the harsh mountainous area that culminates in Gennargentu, the island's...

Montefalco

Nicknamed the "balcony over Umbria" for its high vantage point over the valley that runs from Perugia to Spoleto, Montefalco began as an important Roman...

Gangi

Straddling the Madonie, this ancient Greek town is a fascinating place to visit. The village seems to be magically carved out of the mountains and...

The Valnerina

The Valnerina (the valley of the River Nera, to the southeast of Spoleto) is the most beautiful of central Italy's many well-kept secrets. The twisting...

Mistretta

...

Corricella

Perched under the citadel of the Terra Murata, which encompasses Palazzo d'Avolos (a 1500s palace-turned-prison and now cultural center), the Marina Corricella is Procida's most...

Bergamo

If you're driving from Milan to Lake Garda, the perfect deviation from your autostrada journey is the lovely medieval town of Bergamo, which is also...

Milazzo

...

Oristano

...

Patti

...

Porto Cervo

Sardinia's northeastern coast is fringed with low cliffs, inlets, and small bays. This has become an upscale vacationland, with glossy resorts such as Baia Sardinia...

Petralla Sottana

This town in the heart of the Parco delle Madonie is filled with oodles of natural beauty. On the border of Palermo province and the...

Pula

Resort villages sprawl along the coast southwest of the capital, which has its share of fine scenery and good beaches. On the marshy shoreline between...

Santo Stefano di Camastra

...

Santa Teresa di Gallura

At the northern tip of Sardinia, Santa Teresa Gallura retains the relaxed, carefree air of a former fishing village. Nearby beaches rival those farther down...

Castelgandolfo

This little town is the pope's summer retreat. It was the Barberini Pope Urban VIII who first headed here, eager to escape the malarial miasmas...

Agrigento

...

Nemi

A bronze statue of Diana the Huntress greets you at the entrance to Nemi, the smallest and prettiest village of the Castelli Romani. It's perched...

Caltagirone

...

Viterbo

Viterbo's moment of glory was in the 13th century, when it became the seat of the papal court. The medieval core of the city still...

Caltanissetta

Caltanissetta, located as it is in the heart of Sicily, offers a unique travel experience, different from the typically crowded tourist destinations in Sicily. It...

Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi

Because of its panoramic vistas, Sant'Agata was an end-of-the-line pilgrimage site for beauty lovers through the centuries, especially before the Amalfi Drive opened up the...

Cetara

Tourists tend to take a pass on the village of Cetara. A quiet fishing village below orange groves on Monte Falerzo, it was held in...

Eraclea Minoa, Torre Salsa, and Sant'Angelo Muxara

...

Fiesole

A half-day excursion to Fiesole, in the hills 8 km (5 miles) above Florence, gives you a pleasant respite from museums and a wonderful view...

Atrani

In some respects this stage-set of a medieval town is a secret treasure: set in a narrow valley between two cliffs, this is the smallest...

Licata

Although its outskirts are unappealing, Licata retains a small and lively historic center, and anyone interested in history of the American landings in Sicily during...

Conca dei Marini

A longtime favorite of the off-duty rich and famous, Conca dei Marini (the name means "seafarers' basin") hides many of its charms, as any sublime...

Mazara del Vallo

Until recently, few travelers visited Mazara, but in the late 1990s local fishermen caught in their nets an extraordinary ancient Greek bronze of a dancing...

Paestum

For history buffs, a visit to Campania is not complete without seeing the ancient ruins of Paestum. A visit to the ruins to stroll past...

Pantelleria

...

Praiano

Praiano has less wealth and sophistication than its more famous neighbors and more olive and lemon trees than tourists. From afar, it looks as alluring...

Porto Empedocle

The birthplace of writer Andrea Camilleri, who wrote the incredibly popular Inspector Montalbano series that became an equally popular television series, Porto Empedocle is a...

Baia

Now largely under the sea, ancient Baia was once the most opulent and fashionable resort area of the Roman Empire, the place where Sulla, Pompey...

Sciacca

...

Pompeii

Mention Pompeii and most travelers think of ancient Roman villas, prancing bronze fauns, writhing plaster casts of Vesuvius's victims, and the fabled days of the...

Selinunte

Numerous Greek temple ruins perch on a plateau overlooking an expanse of the Mediterranean at Selinunte (or Selinus). The town is named after a local...

Brunico (Bruneck)

Located in the heart of the Val Pusteria, this quiet and quaint town is divided by the Rienza River. The modern part of Brunico is...

Canazei

Of the year-round resort towns in the Val di Fassa, Canazei is the most popular. The mountains around this small town are threaded with hiking...

Aci Castello

An ancient fishing village, this little town sits 49 feet above sea level and takes its name from the 11th-century Norman castle that dominates the...

Rimini

Rimini is one of the most popular summer resorts on the Adriatic Coast and one of the most popular in Italy. July and August are...

Caldaro (Kaltern)

This vineyard village, with clear views of castles high up in the surrounding mountains, represents the centuries of division that forged the unique character of...

Corvara

Corvara is the main town of the Alta Badia, known for its prime skiing and hiking location in the middle of the Sella Ronda. The...

Aci Trezza

Aci is a mythological river that is said to have flowed from the wellsprings of Etna to the sea. According to the ancient Greeks, it...

Modena

Modena is famous for local products: Maserati, Ferrari, and opera star Luciano Pavarotti, born near here and buried in his family plot in Montale Rangone...

Castelmola

...

Catania

The chief wonder of Catania, Sicily's second city, is that it's there at all. Nearly every century has seen its share of tragedy for the...

Misurina

Nestled on the shores of Lake Misurina, among the Dolomites, Misurina's high altitude, low air humidity, and total absence of dust mites and air pollution...

Messina

...

Rovereto

A 15th-century Venetian castle dominates Rovereto's compact medieval centro storico, with one of Italy's finest contemporary art museums just steps away. The Trento Museum Pass...

Mount Etna

...

Bordighera

Bordighera is an attractive seaside resort with panoramas from Genoa (on a clear day) to Monte Carlo. A large English colony, attracted by the mild...

Riposto

This seaside village is said to be named for the primary business that used to dominate its shores: a depository for barrels and goods before...

Finale Ligure

Lovely Finale Ligure is actually made up of three small villages: Finalmarina, Finalpia, and Finalborgo, and makes a wonderful base for exploring the Riviera di...

Savoca

Located on a ridge amid a pair of tremendous hills, Savoca sits at the end of a 2-mile stretch of road that serpentines up from...

Lerici

Lerici, part of the Riviera di Levante, is on the spectacular Bay of La Spezia, otherwise known as the Gulf of Poets, and is famous...

Taormina

The view of the sea and Mount Etna from Taormina's jagged, cactus-covered cliffs is as close to perfection as a panorama can get—especially on clear...

Manarola

The enchanting pastel houses of Manarola spill down a steep hill overlooking a spectacular turquoise swimming cove and a bustling harbor. The whole town is...

San Remo

Once the crown jewel of the Riviera di Ponente, San Remo is still the area's largest resort, lined with polished hotels, exotic gardens, and seaside...

Nervi

The identity of this stately late-19th-century resort, famous for its 1½-km-long (1-mile-long) seaside Passeggiata Anita Garibaldi, its palm-lined roads, and its 300 acres of parks...

Vernazza

With its narrow streets and small squares, Vernazza is arguably the most charming of the five Cinque Terre towns, and therefore, usually the most crowded...

Castellammare del Golfo

Of the series of seaside towns and resorts strung along the coast west of Palermo, Castellammare del Golfo is the biggest and the most attractive...

Bologna

Bologna, a city rich with cultural jewels, has long been one of the best-kept secrets in northern Italy. Tourists in the know bask in the...

Santa Margherita Ligure

A beautiful old resort town favored by well-to-do Italians, Santa Margherita Ligure has everything a Riviera playground should have—plenty of palm trees and attractive hotels...

Corleone

...

Asolo

Once considered the most romantic and charming of Veneto towns, the hamlet of Asolo has unfortunately lost much of its appeal, now that it's given...

Erice

Perched 2,450 feet above sea level, Erice is an enchanting medieval mountaintop aerie of palaces, fountains, and cobblestone streets. Shaped like an equilateral triangle, the...

Marostica

26 km (16 miles) northeast of Vicenza, 93 km (58 miles) northwest of Venice.From the 14th-century Castello Inferiore, where the town council still meets, an...

Favignana

...

Treviso

Treviso has been dubbed "Little Venice" because of its meandering, moss-bank canals. They can't really compare with Venice's spectacular waterways, but Treviso's historic center, with...

Levanzo

Levanzo (with the accent on the first syllable) is the smallest of the Egadi islands and makes even Favignana, just 4 km (2½ miles) to...

Udine

Udine, the largest city on the Friuli side of the region, has a provincial, genteel atmosphere and lots of charm. The city sometimes seems completely...

Marettimo

The most remote of the Egadi Islands, Marettimo (pronounced with the emphasis on the "E") has the smallest population, the least development, and a complete...

Vicenza

Vicenza bears the distinctive signature of the 16th-century architect Andrea Palladio, whose name has been given to the "Palladian" style of architecture. He emphasized the...

Marsala

Marsala is readily associated with its world-famous, richly colored eponymous fortified wine, and your main reason for stopping may be to visit some of the...

Arezzo

Arezzo is best known for the magnificent Piero della Francesca frescoes in the church of San Francesco. It's also the birthplace of the poet Petrarch...

Mondello

Beyond the hulking elevation of Monte Pellegrino, this seaside resort offers a refreshing break from the heat and crowds of Palermo in the summer months...

Castellina in Chianti

Castellina in Chianti—or simply Castellina—is on a ridge above three valleys: the Val di Pesa, Val d'Arbia, and Val d'Elsa. No matter what direction you...

Monreale

Only a short drive or bus ride from Palermo, the sleepy town of Monreale is well worth the effort of a visit just to see...

Colle di Val d'Elsa

Most people pass through on their way to and from popular tourist destinations Volterra and San Gimignano—a shame, because Colle di Val d'Elsa has a...

Palermo

Once the intellectual capital of southern Europe, Palermo has always been at the crossroads of Mediterranean civilization. Favorably located on a crescent bay at the...

Forte dei Marmi

Forte dei Marmi is a playground for wealthy Italians and equally well-heeled visitors. Its wide, sandy beaches—strands are 6 km (4 miles) long—have the Alpi...

San Vito Lo Capo

...

Greve in Chianti

If there is a capital of Chianti, it is Greve, a friendly market town with no shortage of cafés, enoteche (wine bars), and crafts shops...

Scopello

Located on the craggy coast of the Golfo di Castellammare and originally inhabited by workers of the nearby tonnara, or tuna fishery, the village of...

Montalcino

Tiny Montalcino, with its commanding view from high on a hill, can claim an Etruscan past. It saw a fair number of travelers, as it...

Trapani

...

Montepulciano

Perched on a hilltop, Montepulciano is made up of a pyramid of redbrick buildings set within a circle of cypress trees. At an altitude of...

Ustica

...

Panzano

The magnificent views of the valleys of the Pesa and Greve rivers easily make Panzano one of the prettiest stops in Chianti. The triangular Piazza...

Modica

...

Radda in Chianti

Radda in Chianti sits on a ridge stretching between the Val di Pesa and Val d'Arbia. It is easily reached by following the SR429 from...

Noto

If Siracusa's Baroque beauties whet your appetite for that over-the-top style, head to Noto, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Lying about 40 minutes away on...

San Miniato

San Miniato has a history dating to Etruscan and Roman times; today it's a tiny, pristine hill town of narrow streets lined with austere 13th-...

Palazzolo Arceide

...

Viareggio

Tobias Smollett (1721–71), the English novelist, wrote in the 1760s that Viareggio was "a kind of sea-port on the Mediterranean. . . . The roads...

Ragusa

Ragusa, with its undulating topography, is divided into two parts: a modern city (Ragusa Superiore) with some handsome architecture amid a modern mess, and a...

Elba

Elba is the Tuscan archipelago's largest island, but it resembles nearby verdant Corsica more than it does its rocky Italian sisters, thanks to a network...

Scicli

...

Pitigliano

From a distance, the medieval stone houses of Pitigliano look as if they melt into the cliffs upon which they are perched. Etruscan tombs, which...

Siracusa

...

Ascoli Piceno

Ascoli Piceno sits in a valley ringed by steep hills and cut by the Tronto River. In Roman times it was one of central Italy's...

Caccamo

A stunning medieval mountain town filled with charm and character, visiting Caccamo is like taking a walk through a period-drama film set. Its highlight is...

Gubbio

There's something otherworldly about this jewel of a medieval town tucked away in a mountainous corner of Umbria. Even at the height of summer, the...

Capo d’Orlando

...

Orvieto

Carved out of an enormous plateau of volcanic rock high above a green valley, Orvieto has natural defenses that made the high walls seen in...

Castelbuono

A beautiful mountain town, Castelbuono is filled with picturesque side streets, stunning views, and lots of small art galleries and artisan stores selling local folk...

Spoleto

For most of the year, Spoleto is one more in a pleasant succession of sleepy hill towns, resting regally atop a mountain. But for three...

Castel di Tusa

This seaside town is a beautiful place to stop and admire the Tyrrhenian Sea, with limestone pebble and coarse sand beaches that have regularly been...

Todi

As you stand on Piazza del Popolo, looking out onto the Tiber Valley below, it's easy to see why Todi is often described as Umbria's...

Cefalù

The jewel of the Tyrrhenian Coast is no doubt Cefalù, a classically appealing old Sicilian town built on a spur jutting out into the sea...

Collesano

This village, which is deep in the Madonie Mountains, is a picturesque place with ancient winding streets and charming stone houses huddled together on the...

Procida

Lying barely 3 km (2 miles) from the mainland and 10 km (6 miles) from the nearest port (Pozzuoli), Procida is an island of enormous...

Portovenere

The colorful facades and pedestrians-only calata (promenade) make Portovenere the quintessential Ligurian seaside village; it's often called the “sixth town” of the Cinque Terre—but with...

Venice

Venice is a city unlike any other. No matter how often you've seen it in photos and films, the real thing is more dreamlike than...

Cortina d'Ampezzo

The archetypal Dolomite resort, Cortina d'Ampezzo entices those seeking both relaxation and adventure. The town is the western gateway to the Strade Grande delle Dolomiti...

Madonna di Campiglio

The winter resort of Madonna di Campiglio vies with Cortina d'Ampezzo as the most fashionable place for Italians to ski and be seen in the...

Ravenna

A small, quiet, and well-heeled city, Ravenna has brick palaces, cobblestone streets, magnificent monuments, and spectacular Byzantine mosaics. The high point in its civic history...

Bressanone (Brixen)

Bressanone is an important artistic center and was the seat of prince-bishops for centuries. Like their counterparts in Trento, these medieval administrators had the delicate...

Merano (Meran)

The second-largest town in Alto Adige, Merano (Meran) was once the capital of the Austrian region of Tyrol. When the town and surrounding area were...

Sorrento

Sorrento may have become a jumping-off point for visits to Pompeii, Capri, and Amalfi, but you can find countless reasons to love it for itself...

Bolzano (Bozen)

Bolzano (Bozen), capital of the autonomous province of Alto Adige, is tucked among craggy peaks in a Dolomite valley 77 km (48 miles) from the...

Olbia

Amid the resorts of Sardinia's northeastern coast, Olbia, a town of about 60,000, is a lively little seaport and port of call for mainland ferries...

Amalfi

At first glance, it's hard to imagine that this resort destination was one of the world's great naval powers, and a sturdy rival of Genoa...

Alghero

A tourist-friendly town of about 45,000 inhabitants, with a distinctly Spanish flavor, Alghero is also known as "Barcelonetta" (Little Barcelona) for its strong Catalan ties...

Cagliari

Known in Sardinia as Casteddu, the island's capital has steep streets and impressive Italianate architecture, from modern to medieval. This city of nearly 160,000 people...

Genoa

Genoa (Genova in Italian) was the birthplace of Christopher Columbus, but the city's proud history predates that explorer by hundreds of years. Genoa was already...

Rome

Italy's vibrant capital lives in the present, but no other city on earth evokes its past so powerfully. For over 2,500 years, emperors, popes, artists...

Trento

Trento is a prosperous, cosmopolitan university town that retains an architectural charm befitting its historical importance. It was here, from 1545 to 1563, that the...

Portofino

One of the most photographed villages along the coast, with a decidedly romantic and affluent aura, Portofino has long been a popular destination for the...

Florence

Florence, the city of the lily, gave birth to the Renaissance and changed the way we see the world. For centuries it has captured the...

Bormio

At the foot of Stelvio Pass, Bormio is the most famous ski resort on the western side of the Dolomites, with 38 km (24 miles)...

Milan

Rome may be bigger and wield political power, but Milan and the affluent north are what really make the country go. Leonardo da Vinci's Last...

Naples

Located under the shadow of Vesuvius, Naples is the most vibrant city in Italy—a steaming, bubbling, reverberating minestrone in which each block is a small...

Pisa

If you can get beyond the kitsch of the stalls hawking cheap souvenirs around the Leaning Tower, you'll find that Pisa has much to offer...

Abetone

Abetone is one of the most-visited vacation spots in the Apennine Mountains, where Tuscans, Emilia-Romagnans, and others come to ski. Set above two valleys, the...

Stresa and the Isole Borromee

One of the better-known resorts on the western shore, Stresa is a tourist town, which provided Hemingway with one of the settings in A Farewell...

Pozzuoli

Legendary spirits populate Pozzuoli. St. Paul stepped ashore at the harbor here in AD 61 en route to Rome; his own ship had been wrecked...

Marina di Praia

Just east of Praiano, the scenic hamlet of Marina di Praia is nestled by the sea at the bottom of a dramatic chasm. This is...

Tivoli

In ancient times, just about anybody who was anybody had a villa in Tivoli, including Crassus, Trajan, Hadrian, Horace, and Catullus. Tivoli fell into obscurity...

Petralia Soprana

...

Assisi

The small town of Assisi is one of the Christian world's most important pilgrimage sites and home of the Basilica di San Francesco—built to honor...

Alba

This small town has a gracious atmosphere and a compact core, studded with medieval towers and Gothic buildings. In addition to being a wine center...

Ticinese

...

Verbania

The quaint town of Verbania is across the Gulf of Pallanza from its more touristy neighbor, Stresa. It is known for the Villa Taranto, which...

Tremezzo

The dreamy lakeside town of Tremezzo is close to two outstanding and magical villas, as well as sprawling gardens and one of the lake’s grandest...

Gaiole in Chianti

A market town since 1200, Gaiole is now a central destination for touring southern Chianti. A stream runs through its center, and flowers adorn many...

Aosta

Aosta stands at the junction of two of the important trade routes that connect France and Italy, the valleys of the Rhône and the Isère...

Asti

Asti is best known outside Italy for its wines—excellent reds as well as the famous sparkling white spumante. The town itself has some impressive reminders...

Urbino

Majestic Urbino, atop a steep hill with a skyline of towers and domes, is something of a surprise to come upon. Though quite remote, it...

Breuil-Cervinia/The Matterhorn

Sitting in a huge natural basin at the foot of the Matterhorn, this town, once a high Alpine pasture, grew to become one of Europe's...

Termini Imerese

As the last town in the province of Palermo before entering the province of Messina, Termini Imerese is an important commercial port and position along...

Courmayeur/Monte Bianco

The main attraction of Courmayeur is a knock-'em-dead view of Europe's highest peak, Monte Bianco. The celebrities and the wealthy who come here these days...

Sant'Agnello

Back in the 18th and 19th centuries, the tiny hamlet of Sant'Agnello was an address of choice. To escape Sorrento's crowds, Bourbon princes and exiled...

Ortisei (St. Ulrich)

Ortisei (St. Ulrich), the jewel in the crown of Val Gardena's resorts, is a hub of activity in both summer and winter; there are hundreds...

Ravello

Positano may focus on pleasure, and Amalfi on history, but cool, serene Ravello revels in refinement. Thrust over the Bay of Salerno on a mountain...

Cividale del Friuli

Cividale is the most important place for taking in the impressive and beautiful art of the Lombards, a Germanic people who entered Italy in 568...

Gavi

...

Sirmione

Dramatically rising out of Lake Garda is the enchanting town of Sirmione. "Paene insularum, Sirmio, insularumque ocelle," wrote Catullus in a homecoming poem: "It is...

Riva del Garda

Riva del Garda is set on the northern tip of Lake Garda, against a dramatic backdrop of jagged cliffs and miles of beaches. The old...

Turin

Turin (Torino, in Italian) is roughly in the center of Piedmont–Valle d'Aosta and 128 km (80 miles) west of Milan; it's on the Po River...

Trieste

Trieste is built along a fringe of coastline where a rugged karst plateau tumbles abruptly into the beautiful Adriatic. It was the only port of...

Alberobello

With more than 1,000 trulli along its steep, narrow streets, Alberobello has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the more...

Castelnuovo Berardenga

The southernmost village in Chianti has a compact center with hilly, curving streets. A plethora of piazzas invite wandering...

Bari

The biggest city in the region, Bari is a major port and a transit point for travelers catching ferries across the Adriatic to Greece, Croatia...

Montecatini Terme

Immortalized in Fellini's film 8½, Montecatini Terme is one of Italy's premier terme (spas). Known for their curative powers—and, at least once upon a time...

Camigliatello

Lined with chalets, Camigliatello is one of the Sila Massif's major resort towns. Most of the Sila isn't mountainous at all; rather, it's an extensive...

Cremona

Cremona is a classical-music lover's dream. With violin shops on every block along its crooked old streets, it is where the world's best violins are...

Cosenza

A construction boom in the 1950s and '60s encased Cosenza's medieval city—which winds up the hillsides between the Busento and Crati rivers—in a sprawling, traffic-clogged...

Perugia

Perugia is a majestic, handsome, wealthy city, and with its trendy boutiques, refined cafés, and grandiose architecture, it doesn't try to hide its affluence. A...

Crotone

One of the most important Magna Graecia colonies in Italy, Crotone was a major cultural center in the 5th century BC, when it was the...

Cernobbio

The legendary resort of Villa d'Este is reason enough to visit this jewel on the lake, but the town itself is worth a stroll. The...

Diamante

A lively and attractive little resort on Calabria's north Tyrrhenian Coast, Diamante styles itself as "the town of murals and peperoncini." The old town center...

Polizzi Generosa

Once a critical and thriving city during the Middle Ages, Polizzi had "Generosa" added to its name to signify the generosity and richness of its...

Gallipoli

The fishing port of Gallipoli, on the eastern tip of the Golfo di Taranto, is divided between a new town, on the mainland, and the...

Frascati

It's worth taking a stroll through Frascati's lively old center. Via Battisti, leading from the Belvedere, takes you into Piazza San Pietro with its imposing...

Lecce

Lecce is the crown jewel of the Mezzogiorno. The city is called "the Florence of the south," but that term doesn't do justice to Lecce's...

Marina del Cantone

As the largest (pebble) beach on the Sorrentine Peninsula, Marina del Cantone attracts weekend sun worshippers and foodies drawn by the seaside restaurants here. To...

Maratea

The high, twisty road into the Maratea region affords breathtaking glimpses of the turquoise sea and a gigantic statue of Cristo Redentore (reminiscent of the...

Bellagio

Sometimes called the prettiest town in Europe, Bellagio always seems perfectly adorned, with geraniums ablaze in every window and bougainvillea veiling its staircases, or montées...

Martina Franca

Martina Franca is a beguiling town with a dazzling mixture of medieval and Baroque architecture in the light-color local stone. Developed as a military stronghold...

Positano

When John Steinbeck visited Positano in 1953, he wrote that it was difficult to consider tourism an industry because "there are not enough [tourists]." Alas...

Matera

This town of unique Sassi (cave dwellings) is one of southern Italy's most intriguing places. The so-called New Town is full of elegant Baroque churches...

Herculaneum (Ercolano)

A visit to the archaeological site of Herculaneum neatly counterbalances the hustle of its larger neighbor, Pompeii. Although close to the heart of busy Ercolano—indeed...

Mattinata

The town of Mattinata is a good center for hikes in the Foresta Umbra and for visiting the Santuario di San Michele. It also has...

Ostuni

This sun-bleached medieval town lies on three hills not far from the coast. From a distance, Ostuni is a jumble of blazing white houses and...

Camogli

Camogli, at the edge of the large promontory and nature reserve known as the Portofino Peninsula, has always been a town of sailors. By the...

Parma

Parma stands on the banks of a tributary of the Po River. Despite damage during World War II, much of the stately historic center seems...

Gargnano

This small port town was an important Franciscan center in the 13th century. Today, it comes alive in the summer, when German tourists, many of...

Levanto

Nestled at the end of a valley of pine forests, olive groves, vineyards, and medieval villages lies this sunny seaside town, an alternative and usually...

Mantua

Mantua (Mantova in Italian) stands tallest among the ancient walled cities of the Po Plain; it may not be flashy or dramatic, but its beauty...

Otranto

In one of the first great Gothic novels, Horace Walpole's 1764 The Castle of Otranto, the English writer immortalized this city and its mysterious medieval...

Gardone Riviera

Now pleasantly faded, this once-fashionable 19th-century resort is best known these days for the hilltop estate of the poet Gabriele D'Annunzio, made as an elaborate...

Monterosso al Mare

It's the combined draw of beautiful beaches, rugged cliffs, crystal-clear turquoise waters, and plentiful small hotels and restaurants that make Monterosso al Mare into the...

Polignano a Mare

This well-preserved, whitewashed old town, perched on limestone cliffs overlooking the Adriatic, makes an atmospheric base for exploring the surrounding area. Film crews and adrenaline...

Ferrara

When the legendary Ferrarese filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni called his beloved hometown "a city that you can see only partly, while the rest disappears to be...

Reggio Calabria

This raw city is one of Italy's busiest ports, where you can find not only container ships and cranes but also a wonderful lungomare (promenade)...

Padua

A romantic warren of arcaded streets, Padua has long been one of the major cultural centers of northern Italy. Its university, founded in 1222 and...

Taranto

Taranto (stress the first syllable) was an important port even in Greek times, and it's still Italy's largest naval base. It lies toward the back...

Verona

On the banks of the fast-flowing River Adige, enchanting Verona has timeless monuments, a picturesque town center, and a romantic reputation as the setting of...

Trani

Trani has a harbor filled with fishing boats and a quaint old town with cobblestone streets, gleaming medieval churches, and palazzi built from local limestone...

Barga

Barga is a lovely little city (one of Italy’s smallest under that classification) with a finely preserved medieval core. It produced textiles—mostly silk—during the Renaissance...

Tropea

Ringed by cliffs and wonderful sandy beaches, the Tropea Promontory is still just beginning to be discovered by foreign tourists. The main town of Tropea...

Cortona

Made popular by Frances Mayes's book Under the Tuscan Sun and film of the same name, Cortona is no longer the destination of just a...

Vieste

This large whitewashed town jutting off the tip of the spur of Italy's boot is an attractive place to wander around. Although curvy mountain roads...

Lucca

Ramparts built in the 16th and 17th centuries enclose a charming fortress town filled with churches (99 of them), terracotta–roofed buildings, and narrow cobblestone streets...

Siena

With its narrow streets and steep alleys, a Gothic Duomo, a bounty of early Renaissance art, and the glorious Palazzo Pubblico overlooking its magnificent Campo...

Monteriggioni

Tiny Monteriggioni makes a nice stop on the way north to Colle di Val d'Elsa, San Gimignano, or Volterra. It's hard to imagine that this...

Monte Argentario

Connected to the mainland only by two thin strips of land and a causeway, Monte Argentario feels like an island. The north and south isthmuses...

San Gimignano

When you're on a hilltop surrounded by soaring medieval towers silhouetted against the sky, it's difficult not to fall under the spell of San Gimignano...

Como

Como commands the south shore of the lake. In its center, elegant cobblestone pedestrian streets wind their way past parks and bustling cafés. However, it's...

Volterra

As you approach the town through bleak, rugged terrain, you can see that not all Tuscan hill towns rise above rolling green fields. Volterra stands...

Costa Verde

...

Sorano

...

Nuoro

The somewhat shabby provincial capital of Nuoro is on the edge of a gorge in the harsh mountainous area that culminates in Gennargentu, the island's...

Montefalco

Nicknamed the "balcony over Umbria" for its high vantage point over the valley that runs from Perugia to Spoleto, Montefalco began as an important Roman...

Gangi

Straddling the Madonie, this ancient Greek town is a fascinating place to visit. The village seems to be magically carved out of the mountains and...

The Valnerina

The Valnerina (the valley of the River Nera, to the southeast of Spoleto) is the most beautiful of central Italy's many well-kept secrets. The twisting...

Mistretta

...

Corricella

Perched under the citadel of the Terra Murata, which encompasses Palazzo d'Avolos (a 1500s palace-turned-prison and now cultural center), the Marina Corricella is Procida's most...

Bergamo

If you're driving from Milan to Lake Garda, the perfect deviation from your autostrada journey is the lovely medieval town of Bergamo, which is also...

Milazzo

...

Oristano

...

Patti

...

Porto Cervo

Sardinia's northeastern coast is fringed with low cliffs, inlets, and small bays. This has become an upscale vacationland, with glossy resorts such as Baia Sardinia...

Petralla Sottana

This town in the heart of the Parco delle Madonie is filled with oodles of natural beauty. On the border of Palermo province and the...

Pula

Resort villages sprawl along the coast southwest of the capital, which has its share of fine scenery and good beaches. On the marshy shoreline between...

Santo Stefano di Camastra

...

Santa Teresa di Gallura

At the northern tip of Sardinia, Santa Teresa Gallura retains the relaxed, carefree air of a former fishing village. Nearby beaches rival those farther down...

Castelgandolfo

This little town is the pope's summer retreat. It was the Barberini Pope Urban VIII who first headed here, eager to escape the malarial miasmas...

Agrigento

...

Nemi

A bronze statue of Diana the Huntress greets you at the entrance to Nemi, the smallest and prettiest village of the Castelli Romani. It's perched...

Caltagirone

...

Viterbo

Viterbo's moment of glory was in the 13th century, when it became the seat of the papal court. The medieval core of the city still...

Caltanissetta

Caltanissetta, located as it is in the heart of Sicily, offers a unique travel experience, different from the typically crowded tourist destinations in Sicily. It...

Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi

Because of its panoramic vistas, Sant'Agata was an end-of-the-line pilgrimage site for beauty lovers through the centuries, especially before the Amalfi Drive opened up the...

Cetara

Tourists tend to take a pass on the village of Cetara. A quiet fishing village below orange groves on Monte Falerzo, it was held in...

Eraclea Minoa, Torre Salsa, and Sant'Angelo Muxara

...

Fiesole

A half-day excursion to Fiesole, in the hills 8 km (5 miles) above Florence, gives you a pleasant respite from museums and a wonderful view...

Atrani

In some respects this stage-set of a medieval town is a secret treasure: set in a narrow valley between two cliffs, this is the smallest...

Licata

Although its outskirts are unappealing, Licata retains a small and lively historic center, and anyone interested in history of the American landings in Sicily during...

Conca dei Marini

A longtime favorite of the off-duty rich and famous, Conca dei Marini (the name means "seafarers' basin") hides many of its charms, as any sublime...

Mazara del Vallo

Until recently, few travelers visited Mazara, but in the late 1990s local fishermen caught in their nets an extraordinary ancient Greek bronze of a dancing...

Paestum

For history buffs, a visit to Campania is not complete without seeing the ancient ruins of Paestum. A visit to the ruins to stroll past...

Pantelleria

...

Praiano

Praiano has less wealth and sophistication than its more famous neighbors and more olive and lemon trees than tourists. From afar, it looks as alluring...

Porto Empedocle

The birthplace of writer Andrea Camilleri, who wrote the incredibly popular Inspector Montalbano series that became an equally popular television series, Porto Empedocle is a...

Baia

Now largely under the sea, ancient Baia was once the most opulent and fashionable resort area of the Roman Empire, the place where Sulla, Pompey...

Sciacca

...

Pompeii

Mention Pompeii and most travelers think of ancient Roman villas, prancing bronze fauns, writhing plaster casts of Vesuvius's victims, and the fabled days of the...

Selinunte

Numerous Greek temple ruins perch on a plateau overlooking an expanse of the Mediterranean at Selinunte (or Selinus). The town is named after a local...

Brunico (Bruneck)

Located in the heart of the Val Pusteria, this quiet and quaint town is divided by the Rienza River. The modern part of Brunico is...

Canazei

Of the year-round resort towns in the Val di Fassa, Canazei is the most popular. The mountains around this small town are threaded with hiking...

Aci Castello

An ancient fishing village, this little town sits 49 feet above sea level and takes its name from the 11th-century Norman castle that dominates the...

Rimini

Rimini is one of the most popular summer resorts on the Adriatic Coast and one of the most popular in Italy. July and August are...

Caldaro (Kaltern)

This vineyard village, with clear views of castles high up in the surrounding mountains, represents the centuries of division that forged the unique character of...

Corvara

Corvara is the main town of the Alta Badia, known for its prime skiing and hiking location in the middle of the Sella Ronda. The...

Aci Trezza

Aci is a mythological river that is said to have flowed from the wellsprings of Etna to the sea. According to the ancient Greeks, it...

Modena

Modena is famous for local products: Maserati, Ferrari, and opera star Luciano Pavarotti, born near here and buried in his family plot in Montale Rangone...

Castelmola

...

Catania

The chief wonder of Catania, Sicily's second city, is that it's there at all. Nearly every century has seen its share of tragedy for the...

Misurina

Nestled on the shores of Lake Misurina, among the Dolomites, Misurina's high altitude, low air humidity, and total absence of dust mites and air pollution...

Messina

...

Rovereto

A 15th-century Venetian castle dominates Rovereto's compact medieval centro storico, with one of Italy's finest contemporary art museums just steps away. The Trento Museum Pass...

Mount Etna

...

Bordighera

Bordighera is an attractive seaside resort with panoramas from Genoa (on a clear day) to Monte Carlo. A large English colony, attracted by the mild...

Riposto

This seaside village is said to be named for the primary business that used to dominate its shores: a depository for barrels and goods before...

Finale Ligure

Lovely Finale Ligure is actually made up of three small villages: Finalmarina, Finalpia, and Finalborgo, and makes a wonderful base for exploring the Riviera di...

Savoca

Located on a ridge amid a pair of tremendous hills, Savoca sits at the end of a 2-mile stretch of road that serpentines up from...

Lerici

Lerici, part of the Riviera di Levante, is on the spectacular Bay of La Spezia, otherwise known as the Gulf of Poets, and is famous...

Taormina

The view of the sea and Mount Etna from Taormina's jagged, cactus-covered cliffs is as close to perfection as a panorama can get—especially on clear...

Manarola

The enchanting pastel houses of Manarola spill down a steep hill overlooking a spectacular turquoise swimming cove and a bustling harbor. The whole town is...

San Remo

Once the crown jewel of the Riviera di Ponente, San Remo is still the area's largest resort, lined with polished hotels, exotic gardens, and seaside...

Nervi

The identity of this stately late-19th-century resort, famous for its 1½-km-long (1-mile-long) seaside Passeggiata Anita Garibaldi, its palm-lined roads, and its 300 acres of parks...

Vernazza

With its narrow streets and small squares, Vernazza is arguably the most charming of the five Cinque Terre towns, and therefore, usually the most crowded...

Castellammare del Golfo

Of the series of seaside towns and resorts strung along the coast west of Palermo, Castellammare del Golfo is the biggest and the most attractive...

Bologna

Bologna, a city rich with cultural jewels, has long been one of the best-kept secrets in northern Italy. Tourists in the know bask in the...

Santa Margherita Ligure

A beautiful old resort town favored by well-to-do Italians, Santa Margherita Ligure has everything a Riviera playground should have—plenty of palm trees and attractive hotels...

Corleone

...

Asolo

Once considered the most romantic and charming of Veneto towns, the hamlet of Asolo has unfortunately lost much of its appeal, now that it's given...

Erice

Perched 2,450 feet above sea level, Erice is an enchanting medieval mountaintop aerie of palaces, fountains, and cobblestone streets. Shaped like an equilateral triangle, the...

Marostica

26 km (16 miles) northeast of Vicenza, 93 km (58 miles) northwest of Venice.From the 14th-century Castello Inferiore, where the town council still meets, an...

Favignana

...

Treviso

Treviso has been dubbed "Little Venice" because of its meandering, moss-bank canals. They can't really compare with Venice's spectacular waterways, but Treviso's historic center, with...

Levanzo

Levanzo (with the accent on the first syllable) is the smallest of the Egadi islands and makes even Favignana, just 4 km (2½ miles) to...

Udine

Udine, the largest city on the Friuli side of the region, has a provincial, genteel atmosphere and lots of charm. The city sometimes seems completely...

Marettimo

The most remote of the Egadi Islands, Marettimo (pronounced with the emphasis on the "E") has the smallest population, the least development, and a complete...

Vicenza

Vicenza bears the distinctive signature of the 16th-century architect Andrea Palladio, whose name has been given to the "Palladian" style of architecture. He emphasized the...

Marsala

Marsala is readily associated with its world-famous, richly colored eponymous fortified wine, and your main reason for stopping may be to visit some of the...

Arezzo

Arezzo is best known for the magnificent Piero della Francesca frescoes in the church of San Francesco. It's also the birthplace of the poet Petrarch...

Mondello

Beyond the hulking elevation of Monte Pellegrino, this seaside resort offers a refreshing break from the heat and crowds of Palermo in the summer months...

Castellina in Chianti

Castellina in Chianti—or simply Castellina—is on a ridge above three valleys: the Val di Pesa, Val d'Arbia, and Val d'Elsa. No matter what direction you...

Monreale

Only a short drive or bus ride from Palermo, the sleepy town of Monreale is well worth the effort of a visit just to see...

Colle di Val d'Elsa

Most people pass through on their way to and from popular tourist destinations Volterra and San Gimignano—a shame, because Colle di Val d'Elsa has a...

Palermo

Once the intellectual capital of southern Europe, Palermo has always been at the crossroads of Mediterranean civilization. Favorably located on a crescent bay at the...

Forte dei Marmi

Forte dei Marmi is a playground for wealthy Italians and equally well-heeled visitors. Its wide, sandy beaches—strands are 6 km (4 miles) long—have the Alpi...

San Vito Lo Capo

...

Greve in Chianti

If there is a capital of Chianti, it is Greve, a friendly market town with no shortage of cafés, enoteche (wine bars), and crafts shops...

Scopello

Located on the craggy coast of the Golfo di Castellammare and originally inhabited by workers of the nearby tonnara, or tuna fishery, the village of...

Montalcino

Tiny Montalcino, with its commanding view from high on a hill, can claim an Etruscan past. It saw a fair number of travelers, as it...

Trapani

...

Montepulciano

Perched on a hilltop, Montepulciano is made up of a pyramid of redbrick buildings set within a circle of cypress trees. At an altitude of...

Ustica

...

Panzano

The magnificent views of the valleys of the Pesa and Greve rivers easily make Panzano one of the prettiest stops in Chianti. The triangular Piazza...

Modica

...

Radda in Chianti

Radda in Chianti sits on a ridge stretching between the Val di Pesa and Val d'Arbia. It is easily reached by following the SR429 from...

Noto

If Siracusa's Baroque beauties whet your appetite for that over-the-top style, head to Noto, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Lying about 40 minutes away on...

San Miniato

San Miniato has a history dating to Etruscan and Roman times; today it's a tiny, pristine hill town of narrow streets lined with austere 13th-...

Palazzolo Arceide

...

Viareggio

Tobias Smollett (1721–71), the English novelist, wrote in the 1760s that Viareggio was "a kind of sea-port on the Mediterranean. . . . The roads...

Ragusa

Ragusa, with its undulating topography, is divided into two parts: a modern city (Ragusa Superiore) with some handsome architecture amid a modern mess, and a...

Elba

Elba is the Tuscan archipelago's largest island, but it resembles nearby verdant Corsica more than it does its rocky Italian sisters, thanks to a network...

Scicli

...

Pitigliano

From a distance, the medieval stone houses of Pitigliano look as if they melt into the cliffs upon which they are perched. Etruscan tombs, which...

Siracusa

...

Ascoli Piceno

Ascoli Piceno sits in a valley ringed by steep hills and cut by the Tronto River. In Roman times it was one of central Italy's...

Caccamo

A stunning medieval mountain town filled with charm and character, visiting Caccamo is like taking a walk through a period-drama film set. Its highlight is...

Gubbio

There's something otherworldly about this jewel of a medieval town tucked away in a mountainous corner of Umbria. Even at the height of summer, the...

Capo d’Orlando

...

Orvieto

Carved out of an enormous plateau of volcanic rock high above a green valley, Orvieto has natural defenses that made the high walls seen in...

Castelbuono

A beautiful mountain town, Castelbuono is filled with picturesque side streets, stunning views, and lots of small art galleries and artisan stores selling local folk...

Spoleto

For most of the year, Spoleto is one more in a pleasant succession of sleepy hill towns, resting regally atop a mountain. But for three...

Castel di Tusa

This seaside town is a beautiful place to stop and admire the Tyrrhenian Sea, with limestone pebble and coarse sand beaches that have regularly been...

Todi

As you stand on Piazza del Popolo, looking out onto the Tiber Valley below, it's easy to see why Todi is often described as Umbria's...

Cefalù

The jewel of the Tyrrhenian Coast is no doubt Cefalù, a classically appealing old Sicilian town built on a spur jutting out into the sea...

Collesano

This village, which is deep in the Madonie Mountains, is a picturesque place with ancient winding streets and charming stone houses huddled together on the...

Procida

Lying barely 3 km (2 miles) from the mainland and 10 km (6 miles) from the nearest port (Pozzuoli), Procida is an island of enormous...

Lombardy and the Lakes

Lombardy is one of Italy's most dynamic regions, offering everything from world-class ski slopes to luxurious summer lake resorts, and Milan is the pulse of...

Piedmont and the Valle d'Aosta

Northwest Italy's Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta regions come with a large dose of mountain splendor, bourgeois refinement, culinary achievement, and scenic beauty. Two of Europe's...

Emilia–Romagna

Tuscany

Midway down the Italian peninsula, Tuscany (Toscana in Italian) is distinguished by rolling hills, snowcapped mountains, dramatic cypress trees, and miles of coastline on the...

Umbria and the Marches

Birthplace of saints and home to some of the country's greatest artistic treasures, central Italy is a collection of misty green valleys and picture-perfect hill...

The Italian Riviera

Nestled between the south of France and the Tuscan border lies the region of Liguria, with verdant and lush mountains to the north and east...

Puglia, Basilicata, and Calabria

Venture off the traffic-filled highways and explore the countryside of Italy’s boot, made up of the three separate regions—Puglia, Basilicata, and Calabria—each one with its...

The Dolomites

The Dolomites, those inimitable craggy peaks Le Corbusier called "the most beautiful work of architecture ever seen," are never so arresting as at dusk, when...

Sicily

The island of Sicily has an abundance of history. Some of the world's best-preserved Byzantine mosaics stand adjacent to magnificent Greek temples and Roman amphitheaters...

Sardinia

The second-largest island in the Mediterranean, Sardinia remains unique and enigmatic with its rugged coastline and white-sand beaches, dramatic granite cliffs, and mountainous inland tracts...

The Veneto and Friuli–Venezia Giulia

Much of the pleasure of exploring the arc around Venice—stretching from Verona to Trieste, encompassing the Veneto and Friuli–Venezia Giulia regions—comes from discovering the variations...

The Bay of Naples

If you're lucky enough to travel to Naples by water, a peacock's tail of splendor unfolds before you as you enter the vast Golfo di...

The Amalfi Coast

Easily one of the most picturesque places on earth, this Italian Eden—situated about two-thirds down the boot on the Tyrrhenian coast—boasts colorful cliffside villages, rolling...

Sorrento and the Sorrentine Peninsula

As a hub for visiting must-see sites—Pompeii and Naples to the north, Capri to the west, and the Amalfi Coast and Paestum to the south—the...

Side Trips from Rome

Less well known than neighboring Tuscany, Lazio, the region that encompasses Rome, is often bypassed by foreign visitors. This is a pity, since the area...

The Aeolian Islands

Off Sicily's northeastern coast lies an archipelago of seven spectacular islands of volcanic origin. The Aeolian Islands (Isole Eolie) tempt with superb snorkeling and lazy...

Ischia

Although Capri leaves you breathless with its charm and beauty, Ischia (pronounced "EES-kee-ah, "with the stress on the first syllable), also called the Isola Verde...

Southern Tuscany

In landscapes that range from the green knolls of the Val d'Orcia to the sandy beaches at Punta Ala, this region contains some of Tuscany's...

Mount Etna and Eastern Sicily

Sicily is a land of dramatic juxtapositions, and nowhere is that more evident than its eastern coast. From white sandy beaches on the northeastern tip...

Central Sicily and the Mediterranean Coast

Despite being home to two of the most famous sights in Sicily—the Greek temples of Agrigento and the Roman mosaics of Piazza Armerina—this is an...

The Tyrrhenian Coast

The suggestive coastline of the Tyrrhenian Sea on Sicily's northern end is dotted with a mixture of pebble beaches and white sandy beaches interspersed by...

Palermo and Western Sicily

Palermo and western Sicily have a character very distinct from Sicily’s other regions, a difference attributable to its strong North African imprint deriving from the...

The Barolo Region

The Langhe district may not get as much attention as other wine-producing regions in Italy, but the payoff for a visit can be just as...

Siracusa and the Southeast

If you want to experience Sicily at its most beautiful then head to the southeastern portion of the island, where you can explore stunning baroque-style...

Capri, Ischia, and Procida

The islands off Naples are so different from each other that you wonder how they can possibly be in the same bay—indeed, some would say...

Lombardy and the Lakes

Lombardy is one of Italy's most dynamic regions, offering everything from world-class ski slopes to luxurious summer lake resorts, and Milan is the pulse of...

Piedmont and the Valle d'Aosta

Northwest Italy's Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta regions come with a large dose of mountain splendor, bourgeois refinement, culinary achievement, and scenic beauty. Two of Europe's...

Emilia–Romagna

Tuscany

Midway down the Italian peninsula, Tuscany (Toscana in Italian) is distinguished by rolling hills, snowcapped mountains, dramatic cypress trees, and miles of coastline on the...

Umbria and the Marches

Birthplace of saints and home to some of the country's greatest artistic treasures, central Italy is a collection of misty green valleys and picture-perfect hill...

The Italian Riviera

Nestled between the south of France and the Tuscan border lies the region of Liguria, with verdant and lush mountains to the north and east...

Puglia, Basilicata, and Calabria

Venture off the traffic-filled highways and explore the countryside of Italy’s boot, made up of the three separate regions—Puglia, Basilicata, and Calabria—each one with its...

The Dolomites

The Dolomites, those inimitable craggy peaks Le Corbusier called "the most beautiful work of architecture ever seen," are never so arresting as at dusk, when...

Sicily

The island of Sicily has an abundance of history. Some of the world's best-preserved Byzantine mosaics stand adjacent to magnificent Greek temples and Roman amphitheaters...

Sardinia

The second-largest island in the Mediterranean, Sardinia remains unique and enigmatic with its rugged coastline and white-sand beaches, dramatic granite cliffs, and mountainous inland tracts...

The Veneto and Friuli–Venezia Giulia

Much of the pleasure of exploring the arc around Venice—stretching from Verona to Trieste, encompassing the Veneto and Friuli–Venezia Giulia regions—comes from discovering the variations...

The Bay of Naples

If you're lucky enough to travel to Naples by water, a peacock's tail of splendor unfolds before you as you enter the vast Golfo di...

The Amalfi Coast

Easily one of the most picturesque places on earth, this Italian Eden—situated about two-thirds down the boot on the Tyrrhenian coast—boasts colorful cliffside villages, rolling...

Sorrento and the Sorrentine Peninsula

As a hub for visiting must-see sites—Pompeii and Naples to the north, Capri to the west, and the Amalfi Coast and Paestum to the south—the...

Side Trips from Rome

Less well known than neighboring Tuscany, Lazio, the region that encompasses Rome, is often bypassed by foreign visitors. This is a pity, since the area...

The Aeolian Islands

Off Sicily's northeastern coast lies an archipelago of seven spectacular islands of volcanic origin. The Aeolian Islands (Isole Eolie) tempt with superb snorkeling and lazy...

Ischia

Although Capri leaves you breathless with its charm and beauty, Ischia (pronounced "EES-kee-ah, "with the stress on the first syllable), also called the Isola Verde...

Southern Tuscany

In landscapes that range from the green knolls of the Val d'Orcia to the sandy beaches at Punta Ala, this region contains some of Tuscany's...

Mount Etna and Eastern Sicily

Sicily is a land of dramatic juxtapositions, and nowhere is that more evident than its eastern coast. From white sandy beaches on the northeastern tip...

Central Sicily and the Mediterranean Coast

Despite being home to two of the most famous sights in Sicily—the Greek temples of Agrigento and the Roman mosaics of Piazza Armerina—this is an...

The Tyrrhenian Coast

The suggestive coastline of the Tyrrhenian Sea on Sicily's northern end is dotted with a mixture of pebble beaches and white sandy beaches interspersed by...

Palermo and Western Sicily

Palermo and western Sicily have a character very distinct from Sicily’s other regions, a difference attributable to its strong North African imprint deriving from the...

The Barolo Region

The Langhe district may not get as much attention as other wine-producing regions in Italy, but the payoff for a visit can be just as...

Siracusa and the Southeast

If you want to experience Sicily at its most beautiful then head to the southeastern portion of the island, where you can explore stunning baroque-style...

Capri, Ischia, and Procida

The islands off Naples are so different from each other that you wonder how they can possibly be in the same bay—indeed, some would say...

Capri

Fantastic grottoes, soaring conical peaks, caverns great and small, plus villas of the emperors and thousands of legends brush Capri with an air of whispered...

Vulcano

True to its name, the island of Vulcano has a profusion of fumaroles sending up jets of hot vapor, although the volcano itself has long...

Stromboli

...

Salina

...

Panarea

Panarea is the smallest of the islands but has some of the most dramatic scenery, including wild caves carved out of rock and dazzling flora...

Lipari

The largest and most developed of the Aeolians, Lipari welcomes you with distinctive pastel-color houses. Fields of spiky agaves dot the northernmost tip of the...

Filicudi

Just a dot in the sea, Filicudi is famous for its unusual volcanic rock formations, the enchanting Grotta del Bue Marino (Grotto of the Sea...

Alicudi

The most remote of the Aeolian Islands, Alicudi is in an off-the-beaten-path world of its own. Inhabited full-time by around 120 people and 16 mules...

Capri

Fantastic grottoes, soaring conical peaks, caverns great and small, plus villas of the emperors and thousands of legends brush Capri with an air of whispered...

Vulcano

True to its name, the island of Vulcano has a profusion of fumaroles sending up jets of hot vapor, although the volcano itself has long...

Stromboli

...

Salina

...

Panarea

Panarea is the smallest of the islands but has some of the most dramatic scenery, including wild caves carved out of rock and dazzling flora...

Lipari

The largest and most developed of the Aeolians, Lipari welcomes you with distinctive pastel-color houses. Fields of spiky agaves dot the northernmost tip of the...

Filicudi

Just a dot in the sea, Filicudi is famous for its unusual volcanic rock formations, the enchanting Grotta del Bue Marino (Grotto of the Sea...

Alicudi

The most remote of the Aeolian Islands, Alicudi is in an off-the-beaten-path world of its own. Inhabited full-time by around 120 people and 16 mules...

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