City
Florence
Italy
The cradle of the Renaissance, with a famous dome, world-class galleries and a walkable medieval core.
Southern Europe
Italy
Ancient ruins, Renaissance masterpieces, island coasts, Alpine peaks and some of the best food on the planet, all packed into one boot-shaped country.
For storytellers
Why Italy matters
Italy is the country that makes people say they could just live here. In one trip you can walk through a Roman arena, stand in front of Renaissance paintings, ride a boat through Venice, hike under jagged Dolomite peaks and eat a plate of pasta that ruins every other pasta for you. Every region has its own food, dialect and pride, so a few hours on a train feels like crossing into another country. It is crowded in the big hotspots, but a single wrong turn usually leads to a quiet square, a family-run trattoria and the real Italy.
Talking points
- More than fifty UNESCO World Heritage Sites, among the most of any country, from Roman ruins to whole hill towns.
- Regional food is fiercely local: what you eat in Bologna, Naples and Palermo is genuinely different.
- Fast trains connect Milan, Florence, Rome and Naples, so a classic route needs no car.
- Within a day you can go from Alpine ski slopes to a Mediterranean beach.
- Cities are best explored on foot: the historic centres are compact and packed with surprises.
Free to read aloud or adapt in your video. Check facts that matter to you against an official source before you publish.
- Capital
- Rome
- Languages
- Italian
- Currency
- Euro (EUR)
- Best time to go
- April to June and September to October for pleasant weather and manageable crowds. July and August are hot and busy; winter suits cities and the Alps.
Where to base yourself
Cities and towns in Italy
City
Rome
Italy
The Eternal City, where ancient ruins, Baroque fountains and lively piazzas share the same street.
City
Venice
Italy
A city of canals and bridges built on a lagoon, with no cars and a fairytale skyline.
City
Milan
Italy
Italy's fashion and design capital, with a spectacular cathedral, Leonardo's Last Supper and an aperitivo habi...
City
Naples
Italy
Loud, passionate and delicious: the birthplace of pizza, with Pompeii and Vesuvius on its doorstep.
Town
Amalfi
Italy
The historic seaside town that gave the coast its name, with a striking cathedral.
City
Bologna
Italy
A red-brick university city of endless porticoes, leaning towers and some of Italy's best food.
Town
Capri
Italy
A rocky island of glamour, sea caves and sea-stack views just off the Sorrento coast.
Town
Como
Italy
An elegant lakeside town at the southern tip of Lake Como, with a cathedral and funicular.
Village
Manarola
Italy
A Cinque Terre village stacked on a rock above the sea, famous for its sunset views.
City
Matera
Italy
A city of ancient cave dwellings carved into a ravine, once one of Europe's poorest, now a UNESCO site.
Show all 32 cities and towns
City
Palermo
Italy
Sicily's capital: a chaotic, layered city of Arab-Norman churches, street markets and street food.
City
Siena
Italy
A perfectly preserved medieval city with a shell-shaped square and a ferocious horse race.
City
Syracuse
Italy
Once a leading Greek city in the west, now a coastal city with an island old town.
Village
Vernazza
Italy
A fishing village in Cinque Terre with a small harbour, a castle tower and coloured houses.
City
Verona
Italy
The city of Romeo and Juliet, with a Roman arena that still hosts opera under the stars.
Town
Alberobello
Italy
A town of white conical-roofed stone houses called trulli, found nowhere else in such numbers.
Village
Bellagio
Italy
A picture-perfect village at the point where Lake Como splits into two branches.
Town
Cortina d'Ampezzo
Italy
The queen of the Dolomites, a chic mountain town surrounded by dramatic peaks.
Town
Sorrento
Italy
A cliff-top resort town on the Bay of Naples and the main gateway to Capri and the Amalfi Coast.
City
Turin
Italy
An elegant northern city of arcades, royal palaces, an Egyptian museum and the birthplace of Italian coffee cu...
City
Cagliari
Italy
Sardinia's hilltop capital, with a medieval quarter, panoramic terraces and a city beach.
City
Genoa
Italy
A rugged port city with a vast aquarium, grand palaces and one of Europe's largest medieval centres.
Town
Ortisei
Italy
The main village of Val Gardena, a gateway to Seceda, Alpe di Siusi and the Dolomites.
City
Ravenna
Italy
A small city whose early Christian churches glitter with some of the world's finest mosaics.
Top places
What to see in Italy
- Top places
- Church, mosque or temple 32
- Ruins 15
- Historic site 14
- Neighbourhood 11
- Scenic route 8
- Palace 8
- Museum 8
- Market 7
- Castle 7
- Viewpoint 7
- Garden 7
- Beach 7
- Square 6
- Island 6
- Monument 5
- Lake 4
- Bridge 4
- Mountain 4
- Entertainment 3
- Art gallery 3
- Tower 3
- Cave 3
- Festival or event 2
- Shopping 2
- National park 2
- Stadium 2
- Food and drink 1
- Spa and wellness 1
- Park 1
- Theme park 1
Historic site · UNESCO
Colosseum
Rome, Italy
The vast Roman amphitheatre that has become the symbol of the Eternal City.
Church, mosque or temple · UNESCO
Florence Cathedral
Florence, Italy
The Duomo, topped by Brunelleschi's enormous red-tiled dome.
Scenic route
Grand Canal
Venice, Italy
Venice's main waterway, lined with palaces, best seen from a public water bus.
Church, mosque or temple
Milan Cathedral
Milan, Italy
A huge Gothic cathedral of white marble with thousands of statues and a roof you can walk on.
Church, mosque or temple · UNESCO
Pantheon
Rome, Italy
A nearly two-thousand-year-old temple with a perfect concrete dome and a circular opening to the sky.
Ruins · UNESCO
Pompeii Archaeological Park
Naples, Italy
A Roman town frozen in time by the eruption of Vesuvius.
Church, mosque or temple
St Mark's Basilica
Venice, Italy
Venice's glittering Byzantine-style cathedral covered in golden mosaics.
Art gallery
Uffizi Gallery
Florence, Italy
One of the world's great art museums, packed with Renaissance masterpieces.
National park · UNESCO
Cinque Terre National Park
Vernazza, Italy
Five clifftop fishing villages linked by trails, trains and boats.
Palace
Doge's Palace
Venice, Italy
The Gothic palace of the Venetian rulers, with grand halls and a prison across a bridge.
Mountain · UNESCO
Mount Etna
Italy
Europe's most active big volcano, with trails and cable car access.
Square · UNESCO
Piazza del Campo
Siena, Italy
Siena's shell-shaped medieval square and the stage of the Palio.
Missing something in Italy?
Add a place you love. We review every suggestion before it goes live.