Best Places to Visit in Italy

Best Places to Visit in Italy

The Cities (click either  the tab or the photo to explore the travel guide of interest to you)

The Regions (click either the tab or the photo to explore our travel guides to Italy's regions)

Independent States (click either the tab or the photo for our guide to the Vatican)

Tools (click its tab to use the feature of interest)

Our Highway Map tab above can be used to view Italy as seen from detailed satellite imagery.  It is a great way to "see" the countryside - kind of like taking a ride in a hot air balloon.  We also provide detailed maps of Rome, Venice, Florence and Milan.  In these larger towns you can zoom in on the satellite images to examine details of the major monuments (which, of course, are marked on our maps of Italy's major cities).

If you need information about another travel destination, try Googling our site or the Web

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For those of you who want to experience the "other" Italy, consider visiting Tuscany, Umbria or the Italian Lakes. If you prefer seascapes, try Liguria and the Cinque Terre, Campania and the Amalfi Coast, or Sicily and the Aeolian Isles. Whatever Italy is to you, our Italy vacation guide covers all the Best Places to Visit in Italy and can help you plan the trip of your dreams.   So pick a tab from the collection above or a link from the table on the right and get started exploring Italy and planning your next vacation.

Seasonality

The "hottest" time to visit Italy, both in terms of popularity and temperature, is May through September.  Summers in Italy are often marked by hot and humid weather and approximately 85% of the annual influx of tourists is during the same season. Most Italians vacation in August (as do the majority of Europeans), so if you visit then expect crowds, especially at the  beaches.   Service levels at restaurants and hotels to be slightly lower during the peak season, since the staff will be on vacation too. August is not the best time to visit Italy.

One strategy for keeping your cool while vacationing in Italy is to pattern our travel-day to reflect the rhythm of the country.  The mid-day meal is an event, followed by a brief rest to avoid those all-too-warm summer afternoons.  Many shops close around lunch and re-open later in the day.  Early evening is when most towns and cities come alive.  Watch as the locals start their evening stroll in preparation for the day's most important event - the evening meal!

The North and South

All tourists planning to visit Italy should be aware that the north and south feel and look like two different countries (and cultures).  The main demarcation is an imaginary line connecting Rome on the west coast with Ancona on the east coast.  The North has long been aligned with Europe, while the south has associated with the Mediterranean.  The North is practical, energetic and the powerhouse of the Italian economy.  The south (Mezzogiorno) is a declining region, that is poorer and less structured than its northern neighbor (you may have read of the garbage collection problems in Naples, for example). The tidiness and relative order that you might find in Tuscany will not be found in Sicily.  Both regions have their own set of delights, although today more tourists visit Rome and the northern portion of the county than visit the south.  By the way, any visitor to Italy should be prepared to see lots of graffiti. Its deplorable, but unavoidable. 

Background Information on Italy

Read our sections on Italy Travel Information and Italy Facts to prepare for your vacation in Italy.  Be sure to see our new, detailed road map of Italy based on Google Maps that shows the locations of all of our recommendations for the Best Places to Visit in Italy. 

Ciao!

 If you need information about another travel destination, try Googling our site or the Web

   

	Enter your search terms Submit search form
	Web www.ThereArePlaces.com

The black names on the map are links (clickable) to our guide for that  location, (we hope to add an Apulia guide soon)

If you are planning your first trip to Italy, we suggest you begin in Rome. 

• Three or four days in the "Eternal City" will allow you to sample the delights of the city and its surrounding attractions.  If you can add a day, consider making a long daytrip to Pompeii. 
• Make your second stop Florence where you can easily spend a couple of days viewing the city's famous art.
• End your  trip with a tour of the art and architecture of Venice. Visit Murano or Burano for glass or lace.  Finally, be sure to take a ride in a gondola near sunset, if you have the chance.

• Start your trip in Milan and then head for:
• Tuscany
• Umbria
• On your return north try to schedule a few days for relaxing in the Lake Country (Lake Como, Lake Maggiore, Lake Lugano and Lake Garda).
• If the Italian Lakes are not for you, consider spending some time exploring Liguria before your departure.

Alternatively, you might consider a more southerly route including:

• Rome (arrival), immediately head south either for a tour of
• Capri and the Amalfi Coast, or an exploration of
• Sicily (Palermo, Agrigento, Casale, Taormina)
• Returning to Rome for a few days of exploring the delights of the Eternal City.

• Rome

• Tuscany

• Umbria

• The Italian Lakes