Your ultimate guide toItaly

With so much culture, food and charming countryside on offer, it can hard narrowing down what to do in Italy.

Gourmands will love discovering authentic pizza, pasta and parmesan, while anyone with an interest in culture will be blown away by the baroque architecture and world-famous museums of Rome, Foligno and Bologna.

Mediterranean beaches, sleepy seaside towns like Sorento and rolling vineyards that produce world famous reds can’t fail to impress. And come winter, the Dolomite Alps offer a
host of lesser-known ski resorts for sports lovers seeking an authentic European experience.

Here are some of the best places to visit, no matter what you’re looking for.

Best Italian Beaches

With 7,600 km of coastline, it’s no surprise that Italy is home to some of Europe’s best beaches. In summer, Italians don their speedos and join the throngs of foreign tourists soaking up the rays, but at other times of year you can expect to have the beaches entirely to yourself.

La Costa Degli Dei (the Coast of the Gods) in Calabria has dramatic cliffs and talcum-soft sand – Marasusa is particularly impressive. The island of Sardinia has some of the best
beaches in Italy and is a paradise for water sports with countless beautiful coves lapped by the turquoise water of the Mediterranean Sea.

Tours and Deals

There is so much to discover in Italy that a guided tour can be the best way to get under the destination’s skin. In Autumn, truffle hunting with dogs is a quintessentially Italian activity, while architecture tours can help unearth some of a city’s lesser known gems.

Food market tours, archaeology tours and art tours all lend invaluable insights, particularly when led by locals. And what better way to explore the Amalfi Coast than in a vintage fiat, roof down to capture the smell of the lemon groves?

Best things to do in summer

There are so many ways to live the dolce vita in Italy in the summer months that it can be hard to choose. Exploring the historic towns of the Cinque Terre is always a good option, but if you’re travelling in a group why not rent your own rambling villa in the hills of Tuscany? It’s the perfect way to escape the crowds, and many come with pools and vineyards.

Island hopping is a fabulous way to experience several destinations in one trip. Ponza has lovely beaches, while Elba is speckled with dreamy towns where locals gather in the squares to play backgammon and sip aperitifs in the warm evenings.

What to see in Rome

Steeped in history and oozing style, Italy’s capital is one of the most inspiring cities in the world. But how do you choose what to see in Rome?

The legacy of the Roman emperors is everywhere from the Colosseum to the Pantheon, while the Vatican is one of the most important religious sites in the world.

Crane your neck in the Sistine Chapel to glimpse Michel Angelo’s most famous painting, flick a coin into the Trevi Fountain for luck and head to the Flaminio district for hip bars and MAAXI, a contemporary art museum designed by Zaha Hadid.

Italy’s food culture is world famous and rightly so. Food is at the centre of most Italians family and social life, hardly surprising given that meals are traditionally four courses.

Expect to settle in for several hours… no wonder siestas are still so popular!

Pasta, cheese and wine are the foundations of the foodie scene, but there’s plenty more to discover. Feast your eyes on Italy’s famous foods here.

Head to Naples for Pizza

One experience that every travelling gourmand has to try is an authentic pizza, eaten in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius in Napoli’s historic streets.

Purists should head to Da Michele in Forcella, a 150-year-old slice of pizza history which still only serves margarita or marinara.

The well-heeled Vomero neighbourhood has several local institutions, while Secondigliano has plenty of neighbourhood gems and is so close to the airport you could even get a pizza
on your layover.

Find Italy’s best pasta

Think of Italian food and freshly-rolled pasta is probably one of the first things that springs to mind. Each region has its signature dish (and they all think theirs is the best, naturally!), so finding Italy’s best pasta is a great focus for your trip.

There’s crespelle alla Fiorentina (soft folds stuffed with real ricotta) in Florence and spaghetti alle vongole (with clams), best enjoyed on a romantic clifftop in Campania. Pesto
from Genoa and black truffle stringozzi from Umbria.

And where do the Romans go for their pasta? Find out here with our insider’s guide to Rome.

Italy’s best gelato

One scoop of soft, smooth Italian gelato and you’ll be off bog-standard ice cream for good.

Luckily it’s hard to walk down any street in Italy without passing a gelataria.

The pistachio flavour from Spoleto’s Gelateria Crispini in Bologna has been named the best in the world, although locals claim ice cream was actually invented in the Valle di Cadore, among the snowy peaks of the Dolomite Mountains.

In Sicily, Gelati DiVini is known for pioneering flavours such as olive oil, muscat and ricotta. However, no place is more well known and respected than Cafe Sicilia in Noto, Sicily.

Italy’s best wine tours

What better way to explore the Amalfi Coast than with a glass of wine in hand? A mouth-watering culinary tour with celebrity chef Amanda Tabberer is the perfect way to experience the area’s excellent wines, alongside the fresh shellfish and enormous lemons for which it is famous.

Alternatively, make your own tour of Italy’s best free wine producers… all you have to do is hire a car and call up your favourite wine maker to say that you’re in the area.

Chef Enrico Paradiso particularly rates those near the Slovenian border and you can find his recommendations here.

If you like your reds big and boisterous, a wine tour through Chianti or Piemonte is in order, while prosecco lovers should head to the Treviso province in northern Italy.