Italy can overwhelm with choice, so most first trips focus on a handful of legendary cities. Rome delivers ancient ruins and the Vatican; Florence is the open-air gallery of the Renaissance; Venice floats on its lagoon like nowhere else on earth.
Add Milan for fashion and design, Naples for raw energy and the best pizza, and Verona for romance. Further south, the baroque towns of Sicily and the cliffside villages of the Amalfi Coast reward those with more time.
The joy of Italy is that every region feels like a different country, with its own dialect, cuisine and character. Pick three or four places, travel between them by fast train, and leave time simply to sit in a piazza.
🏛️ Rome
Rome is the Eternal City, where 2,800 years of history are stacked layer upon layer beneath your feet. Ancient temples lean against Baroque churches, mopeds buzz around imperial ruins, and golden light spills over travertine facades at sunset. Beyond the monuments, Rome lives through its food: a perfect cacio e pepe in Trastevere, a flaky supplì from a street counter, or an espresso drunk standing at a marble bar. Slow down, get lost in the cobbled lanes, and let the centuries unfold around you.
Colosseum & Roman Forum
The Flavian Amphitheatre, completed in AD 80, once held 50,000 spectators roaring for gladiatorial combat. Today its skeletal arches remain the most powerful symbol of ancient Rome. A combined ticket includes the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, where the ruins of the imperial palaces, the Senate House and the Temple of Vesta sprawl across the heart of the old city. Book online in advance — walk-up queues can swallow an entire morning, especially between April and October.
- Opening hours: Daily 09:00–19:15 (summer), 09:00–16:30 (winter); last entry one hour before closing
- Indicative price: €18 combined ticket (Colosseum + Forum + Palatine), valid 24 hours; free first Sunday of the month
- How to get there: Metro line B to Colosseo station, directly opposite the entrance
Vatican City & St Peter's Basilica
The world's smallest sovereign state packs an extraordinary punch. The Vatican Museums wind through kilometres of galleries before delivering you to the Sistine Chapel, where Michelangelo's ceiling and Last Judgement still stop visitors in their tracks. St Peter's Basilica next door is the largest church in Christendom, crowned by Michelangelo's dome and home to Bernini's bronze baldachin and the heart-rending Pietà. Dress modestly (covered shoulders and knees) or you will be turned away at the door.
- Opening hours: Vatican Museums Mon–Sat 08:00–19:00 (last entry 17:00); Basilica daily 07:00–19:00
- Indicative price: Vatican Museums €20 (online booking +€5 recommended); St Peter's Basilica free; dome climb €10
- How to get there: Metro line A to Ottaviano, then a 10-minute walk to the entrance on Viale Vaticano
Trevi Fountain & Spanish Steps
Nicola Salvi's Baroque masterpiece spills out of the wall of Palazzo Poli in a theatrical cascade of tritons, sea horses and Neptune himself. Tradition says a coin tossed over the left shoulder guarantees a return to Rome — around €3,000 a day is fished out and donated to charity. A 10-minute stroll away, the Spanish Steps sweep up from Piazza di Spagna to the church of Trinità dei Monti, offering one of the city's best free viewpoints, especially in the soft light of early evening.
- Opening hours: Both open 24/7
- Indicative price: Free (eating or sitting on the fountain edge is fined)
- How to get there: Metro line A to Barberini (Trevi) or Spagna (Spanish Steps), both a short walk away
🎨 Florence
Florence is the cradle of the Renaissance, a compact Tuscan city where every street corner seems to hide a masterpiece. The terracotta rooftops, ochre facades and the unmistakable silhouette of Brunelleschi's dome create one of Europe's most photographed skylines. Wander from Piazza della Signoria to the Arno, pause for a glass of Chianti, and let the city's slow rhythm seep in. Florence rewards walkers, gallery lovers and anyone who enjoys lingering over a long lunch.
Uffizi Gallery
Home to one of the world's greatest collections of Renaissance art, the Uffizi houses Botticelli's Birth of Venus, Leonardo's Annunciation and works by Raphael, Caravaggio and Michelangelo. The U-shaped building itself, designed by Vasari for the Medici, is a work of art. Book a timed ticket well in advance to skip queues that can stretch for hours in high season, and allow at least three hours to do the collection justice.
- Opening hours: Tue–Sun 8:15–18:30, closed Monday
- Indicative price: €25 (high season), €12 (low season), free first Sunday of the month
- How to get there: 10-minute walk from Santa Maria Novella station; closest bus stop Galleria degli Uffizi
Ponte Vecchio
The "Old Bridge" has spanned the Arno since 1345 and is the only Florentine bridge to survive World War II. Lined with jewellers' shops whose wooden shutters fold down like medieval market stalls, it is busiest at dusk when the light turns the river gold. Walk across to the Oltrarno side for artisan workshops, leather studios and the magnificent Pitti Palace just beyond.
- Opening hours: Bridge open 24/7; shops generally 10:00–19:00
- Indicative price: Free to cross
- How to get there: 5-minute walk south of Piazza della Signoria
Duomo (Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore)
Brunelleschi's red-tiled dome is the symbol of Florence and an engineering marvel of the 15th century. Climb the 463 steps to the lantern for a heart-stopping view over the city, then visit Giotto's neighbouring bell tower and the octagonal Baptistery with its gilded "Gates of Paradise" doors. The cathedral interior is surprisingly austere — the real wonder is the cupola itself, frescoed with Vasari's Last Judgement.
- Opening hours: Cathedral Mon–Sat 10:15–16:45; dome climb 8:15–18:45 (booking required)
- Indicative price: Cathedral free; combined ticket (dome + tower + baptistery) €30
- How to get there: Heart of the historic centre, 8-minute walk from the train station
🚤 Venice
No city on earth resembles Venice — 118 islands stitched together by 400 bridges, where boats take the place of cars and the soundtrack is lapping water and church bells. Visit early morning or late evening to escape the cruise-ship crowds and you will discover a melancholy, gilded labyrinth of palazzi and tiny squares. Get pleasantly lost: the best moments in Venice are always the ones that happen between map points.
St. Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco)
Napoleon called it "the drawing room of Europe" and the description still fits. Framed by the basilica, the Doge's Palace and the soaring Campanile, the square is theatrical at any hour: orchestras playing outside historic cafés, pigeons wheeling overhead, and at high tide the famous acqua alta turning the paving into a mirror. The view from the top of the Campanile, reached by lift, takes in the lagoon and on clear days the snowy Dolomites.
- Opening hours: Square open 24/7; Campanile daily 9:30–21:15 (summer)
- Indicative price: Square free; Campanile €12
- How to get there: Vaporetto lines 1 or 2 to San Marco-Vallaresso
St. Mark's Basilica
Glittering with more than 8,000 square metres of gold mosaic, St. Mark's is a Byzantine fantasy unlike anything else in Western Europe. The four bronze horses on the loggia are replicas — the originals, looted from Constantinople in 1204, are inside the museum. Don't miss the Pala d'Oro, a jewel-encrusted altar screen with more than 2,000 precious stones, or the views from the upper terrace looking directly down onto the piazza.
- Opening hours: Mon–Sat 9:30–17:15, Sun 14:00–17:15
- Indicative price: Basilica €3; Pala d'Oro €5; museum €7
- How to get there: East side of St. Mark's Square; book online to skip the queue
Doge's Palace and a Gondola Ride
The pink-and-white Doge's Palace was the seat of Venetian power for a thousand years. The Secret Itineraries tour takes you through the prisons (where Casanova was held), the torture chamber and across the Bridge of Sighs. Afterwards, splurge on the quintessential Venetian experience: a gondola ride through the quieter back canals at sunset, when the city is at its most romantic.
- Opening hours: Palace daily 9:00–18:00; gondolas operate roughly 9:00–19:00
- Indicative price: Palace €30; gondola €90 for 30 minutes (€110 after 19:00)
- How to get there: Adjacent to St. Mark's Square; gondola stations throughout the city
✨ Milan
Italy's design and finance capital is the country's most cosmopolitan city, where Gothic spires share the skyline with sleek skyscrapers. Milan rewards a slower look: behind the famously reserved facade you'll find quiet courtyards, world-class museums, an aperitivo culture that has spread across the globe, and some of Europe's best shopping. Two days are enough to scratch the surface; design week in April transforms the whole city into an open-air gallery.
Duomo di Milano
The world's largest Gothic cathedral took nearly six centuries to complete and bristles with 3,400 statues, 135 spires and 55 stained-glass windows. The rooftop terraces are the highlight — a forest of marble pinnacles you can wander between, with the gilded Madonnina at the apex and, on clear days, the Alps gleaming on the horizon. Inside, look for the meridian line embedded in the floor and the macabre statue of St. Bartholomew carrying his own skin.
- Opening hours: Daily 9:00–19:00; rooftop until 21:00 in summer
- Indicative price: Cathedral €10; rooftop by lift €20, on foot €15
- How to get there: Metro M1 or M3 to Duomo
The Last Supper (Cenacolo Vinciano)
Leonardo da Vinci's most famous mural covers one wall of the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Painted between 1495 and 1498 using an experimental technique that began deteriorating almost immediately, it has survived bombing, restoration controversies and 500 years of human curiosity. Visits are tightly controlled — just 35 people every 15 minutes — so book weeks (ideally months) ahead. The 15 minutes you get with the painting feel like a privilege.
- Opening hours: Tue–Sun 8:15–19:00; reservation mandatory
- Indicative price: €15 plus €2 booking fee
- How to get there: Metro M1 or M2 to Cadorna, 5-minute walk
Teatro alla Scala
One of the world's most famous opera houses opened in 1778 and remains the temple of Italian opera. The acoustics are legendary; the audiences are notoriously demanding. Even if you can't catch a performance, the museum on the side of the building lets you peek into the gilded auditorium and explore costumes, instruments and portraits from three centuries of musical history. Standing-room tickets for performances start at remarkably low prices if you queue on the day.
- Opening hours: Museum daily 9:00–17:30
- Indicative price: Museum €12; opera tickets from €20 (gallery) to €300+
- How to get there: 3-minute walk from the Duomo through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
🌋 Naples
Loud, chaotic, mesmerising — Naples is the antithesis of polished Italian tourism and the better for it. Scooters weave through narrow streets hung with laundry, espresso is served scalding hot in tiny cups, and the food (pizza, sfogliatella, ragù that simmers for a day) is arguably the best in the country. Use Naples as a base for Pompeii, Herculaneum, Vesuvius and the islands of the Bay, but give the city itself at least two days.
Pompeii Archaeological Park
Frozen in time by the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79, Pompeii is the largest and most evocative ancient site in the Mediterranean. Allow at least four hours to walk the volcanic-stone streets, peer into intact villas with their vivid frescoes, and stand in the amphitheatre where gladiators once fought. Highlights include the Villa of the Mysteries, the Forum baths and the haunting plaster casts of victims preserved exactly where they fell.
- Opening hours: Daily 9:00–19:00 (April–October), 9:00–17:00 (winter)
- Indicative price: €22 (single site); €27 combined with Oplontis and Boscoreale
- How to get there: Circumvesuviana train from Napoli Garibaldi to Pompei Scavi (35 minutes)
Naples Underground (Napoli Sotterranea)
Forty metres beneath the chaotic streets lies a hidden city of Greek and Roman tunnels, aqueducts and cisterns used as air-raid shelters during World War II. Guided tours descend by candlelight in places, squeeze through narrow passages and emerge into vast underground chambers. It's an unforgettable contrast to the bright, noisy city above and a brilliant introduction to Naples' impossibly long history.
- Opening hours: Daily tours hourly 10:00–18:00 (English at noon and 16:00)
- Indicative price: €15
- How to get there: Piazza San Gaetano in the historic centre; metro Dante or Università
National Archaeological Museum
Most of the best finds from Pompeii and Herculaneum ended up here, in one of the world's greatest collections of classical antiquities. The Farnese marbles, the erotic frescoes in the Secret Cabinet, and the breathtaking Alexander Mosaic justify the visit on their own. Combine it with Pompeii in the same trip and the ruins suddenly make far more sense — you've seen the paintings and statues that once filled them.
- Opening hours: Wed–Mon 9:00–19:30, closed Tuesday
- Indicative price: €22
- How to get there: Metro line 1 or 2 to Museo / Cavour
💕 Verona
Verona's pink-marble streets, Roman arena and Shakespearean balcony have made it one of northern Italy's most beloved small cities. It is also a serious wine and food destination, perched at the gateway to Valpolicella country and Lake Garda. A long weekend is plenty: wander the historic centre, catch an opera in the arena on a summer evening, and treat yourself to a glass of Amarone with a view over the Adige.
Arena di Verona
This astonishingly intact 1st-century Roman amphitheatre once held 30,000 spectators for gladiatorial combat; today it hosts the world's largest open-air opera festival every summer. Even outside festival season you can climb to the upper tiers for a panoramic view of the city. During the festival (June–September), watching Aida or Carmen as the stars come out over the limestone tiers is an unforgettable experience.
- Opening hours: Tue–Sun 9:00–19:00; performance days from 13:30
- Indicative price: Daytime visit €12; opera tickets from €30 (stone steps) to €250+
- How to get there: Piazza Bra, 15-minute walk from Porta Nuova station
Juliet's House (Casa di Giulietta)
The 13th-century house with its famous balcony has only a tenuous link to Shakespeare's play — but that hasn't stopped it becoming one of Italy's most visited sights. The courtyard walls are layered with love notes, and a bronze statue of Juliet awaits the traditional touch (her right breast is now polished to a shine). It's gloriously kitsch; lean into it, or admire the balcony for free from the courtyard.
- Opening hours: Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00
- Indicative price: Courtyard free; house museum €12
- How to get there: Via Cappello 23, 5-minute walk from Piazza delle Erbe
🌅 Palermo
Sicily's capital is a glorious, slightly dishevelled palimpsest of Phoenician, Greek, Arab, Norman and Spanish influences. Bustling street markets, glittering Byzantine mosaics, baroque churches and some of Italy's best street food (arancini, panelle, sfincione) crowd into a few square kilometres. Palermo is more raw than Florence or Venice, and infinitely more rewarding for travellers who like a city with a pulse.
Palermo Cathedral
A bewildering, brilliant collision of architectural styles — Norman foundations, Gothic windows, Arab arches and a Catalan-influenced portico — the cathedral has been rebuilt and remodelled for 800 years. Inside lie the tombs of Sicilian kings including Frederick II. Climb to the rooftop for sweeping views over the old town and the mountains beyond, and don't miss the treasury with its medieval crowns and jewels.
- Opening hours: Mon–Sat 7:00–19:00, Sun 8:00–13:00 and 16:00–19:00
- Indicative price: Cathedral free; combined ticket (roof + crypt + treasury) €15
- How to get there: Corso Vittorio Emanuele, central Palermo
Cappella Palatina
Tucked inside the Norman Palace, the Palatine Chapel is widely considered one of the most beautiful religious interiors in the world. Every surface glows with golden Byzantine mosaics depicting biblical scenes, while the ceiling is a masterpiece of Arab muqarnas carving. Built in the 12th century by Roger II, it is the perfect physical expression of medieval Sicily's multicultural civilisation.
- Opening hours: Mon–Sat 8:15–17:00, Sun 8:15–13:00
- Indicative price: €19 combined with the Royal Apartments
- How to get there: Piazza Indipendenza, 10-minute walk from the cathedral
Ballarò and Vucciria Markets
The historic street markets of Palermo are pure theatre. Vendors sing the praises of their wares in dialect, swordfish heads gleam on ice, and the air is heavy with frying panelle and grilled stigghiola. Ballarò is the most vibrant by day; Vucciria comes alive at night as a riotous open-air bar. Eat your way through both — it's the cheapest and best meal you'll have in the city.
- Opening hours: Roughly 7:00–14:00 (Ballarò); Vucciria evenings until late
- Indicative price: Street food €2–5 per item
- How to get there: Both within 10 minutes' walk of the cathedral
🏖️ Positano
The most photographed village on the Amalfi Coast tumbles down the cliff in a cascade of pastel houses, bougainvillea and lemon trees. There is essentially one main street — a series of steep staircases — leading to a small pebble beach where wooden fishing boats are still pulled up beside the sun loungers. Stay overnight to see Positano at its best: dawn and dusk, after the day-trippers have gone.
Spiaggia Grande and Church of Santa Maria Assunta
The main beach is small, lively and ringed by restaurants where a plate of linguine alle vongole with a sea view is the local rite. Behind it stands the church with its distinctive majolica-tiled dome, home to a 13th-century Byzantine icon of the Black Madonna. The combination of beach and church, framed by the cliffs, is the classic Positano postcard.
- Opening hours: Beach 24/7; church daily 8:30–12:00 and 16:00–20:00
- Indicative price: Beach free public section; sun loungers €20–40; church free
- How to get there: SITA bus from Sorrento (50 minutes) or Amalfi (40 minutes)
Path of the Gods (Sentiero degli Dei)
One of Europe's most spectacular coastal hikes runs along the ridge high above Positano, with vertiginous views of the coastline, the island of Capri and the deep blue Tyrrhenian Sea. The classic route starts at Bomerano and finishes with a knee-trembling descent of 1,500 steps into Positano. It takes three to four hours and is best in spring or autumn when temperatures are kinder.
- Opening hours: Daylight hours; not recommended in heavy rain
- Indicative price: Free; bus to Bomerano €2
- How to get there: Local bus from Amalfi to Bomerano, then signposted trail
🍝 Bologna
Italy's gastronomic capital is also one of its most underrated cities. The historic centre — Europe's largest after Venice — is laced with 40 kilometres of porticoes that keep you dry in rain and shaded in sun. Bologna is studenty (its university is the oldest in the Western world), red-bricked, food-obsessed and refreshingly free of the cruise-ship crowds. Plan around long lunches; the ragù alone justifies the trip.
Piazza Maggiore and the Two Towers
The vast main square is the social heart of the city, flanked by the unfinished facade of the Basilica di San Petronio (the world's fifth-largest church) and the Renaissance Fountain of Neptune. A few blocks away lean the Two Towers, Garisenda and the taller Asinelli — survivors of the dozens of medieval skyscrapers that once gave Bologna its skyline. Climb the 498 steps of Asinelli for a sea of red rooftops.
- Opening hours: Square 24/7; Asinelli Tower daily 9:45–17:30 (booking required)
- Indicative price: Square and basilica free; Asinelli Tower €5
- How to get there: 15-minute walk from Bologna Centrale station
Quadrilatero Food Market
The grid of narrow streets behind Piazza Maggiore has been Bologna's food district since medieval times. Stalls overflow with mortadella, parmigiano, prosciutto and fresh tortellini twisted by hand. Many shops double as tiny bars where you can stand at the counter with a glass of Pignoletto and a board of cured meats. It's the perfect lunch — or, equally happily, the perfect breakfast.
- Opening hours: Roughly Mon–Sat 8:00–20:00; some shops open Sunday morning
- Indicative price: Tasting plate with wine €10–20
- How to get there: Via Pescherie Vecchie, just east of Piazza Maggiore
⛰️ Turin
Once the seat of the House of Savoy and Italy's first capital after unification, Turin is an elegant, slightly formal city of arcaded boulevards, grand cafés and baroque palaces, ringed by the snowy Alps. It is the home of vermouth, gianduja chocolate and the Slow Food movement, and the spiritual capital of Italian car design. Turin feels distinctly more French than its southern cousins — and is all the more interesting for it.
Mole Antonelliana and National Cinema Museum
The 167-metre Mole was originally designed as a synagogue and is the tallest brick building in Europe. Inside, the dazzling National Cinema Museum spirals up around the central hall, with film clips, props and memorabilia from the silent era to the present. A glass lift shoots you to the panoramic terrace at 85 metres for an unbeatable view of the city framed by the Alps.
- Opening hours: Wed–Mon 9:00–20:00, closed Tuesday
- Indicative price: Museum €17; museum + lift €20
- How to get there: Via Montebello 20, 15-minute walk from Porta Nuova station
Egyptian Museum (Museo Egizio)
Outside Cairo, this is the most important museum of Egyptian antiquities in the world, with more than 30,000 objects spanning 4,000 years. Highlights include the intact tomb of the architect Kha and his wife Merit, the Tomb of the Unknown and a magnificent statuary gallery dramatically lit in dark, mirrored halls. Allow at least three hours; the museum's modern layout makes it surprisingly easy to navigate.
- Opening hours: Tue–Sun 9:00–18:30, Mon 9:00–14:00
- Indicative price: €18
- How to get there: Via Accademia delle Scienze 6, central Turin
Historic Cafés (Caffè Al Bicerin and Baratti & Milano)
Turin invented the espresso machine and perfected the art of the historic café. Al Bicerin, open since 1763, is the home of the eponymous drink — layered espresso, melted chocolate and cream — once a favourite of Cavour and Nietzsche. Baratti & Milano on Piazza Castello dazzles with belle-époque gilt mirrors and house-made gianduiotti chocolates. Both are time machines and both serve excellent cake.
- Opening hours: Roughly daily 8:30–19:30; closed Wednesday at Al Bicerin
- Indicative price: Bicerin €6–8; cake and coffee €10–15
- How to get there: Al Bicerin: Piazza della Consolata; Baratti: Piazza Castello