Places to visit in Italy
Short, practical tips for the towns and cities our artisans, producers and tour operators come from, so you can plan a trip around real places and real makers.
Lazio
Lombardy
Tuscany
Florence
The Renaissance city, and still a centre for leather, paper and goldsmith workshops.
Siena
A medieval Tuscan city built around the shell-shaped Piazza del Campo.
Montepulciano
A hilltop Tuscan town known for Vino Nobile wine, with Renaissance squares and views over the Val di Chiana and Val d'Orcia.
Lucca
A walled Tuscan city where you can walk or cycle along the top of the Renaissance walls.
Pisa
Home of the Leaning Tower, in the Piazza dei Miracoli with the cathedral and baptistery.
San Gimignano
A hill town famous for its medieval stone towers and its white wine.
Pienza
A small Renaissance town in the Val d'Orcia, planned in the 15th century by Pope Pius II.
Cortona
A hill town of Etruscan origin on the Tuscany and Umbria border, with views over the Val di Chiana.
Veneto
Umbria
Assisi
The hill town of St Francis, with the UNESCO-listed Basilica of San Francesco.
Spoleto
A small Umbrian city with a Roman theatre, a medieval fortress and the Festival dei Due Mondi.
Perugia
Umbria's hilltop capital, known for chocolate, jazz and a lively university quarter.
Orvieto
A town on a tall tuff rock in Umbria, known for its Gothic cathedral and its white wine.
Montefalco
A small hill town in Umbria, known as the home of Sagrantino wine and sometimes called the balcony of Umbria.
Norcia
A walled town in the Umbrian Apennines, famous for black truffles, cured pork and as the birthplace of St Benedict.
Cascia
A small Umbrian town and a major pilgrimage site, the home of Santa Rita da Cascia.
Terni
A city in southern Umbria, the city of St Valentine, and the base for the Cascata delle Marmore waterfall.
Todi
A quiet hill town above the Tiber valley, built around a medieval main square.
Gubbio
A walled medieval town on the slopes of Monte Ingino, famous for its Corsa dei Ceri festival.
Spello
A small, flower-filled hill town near Assisi, known for olive oil and the Infiorata flower festival.
Narni
A hill town in southern Umbria, with underground tunnels and Roman bridge ruins.
Trevi
A hill town between Spoleto and Foligno, known for olive oil and the black celery of Trevi.
Emilia-Romagna
Rimini
A beach resort on the Adriatic and the hometown of film director Federico Fellini, with Roman sites in the old town.
Riccione
A lively Adriatic beach resort just south of Rimini, known for nightlife and shopping.
Bologna
A university city with miles of porticoes and some of Italy's best-known food.
Ravenna
A small city with some of the finest early Christian and Byzantine mosaics in the world.
Modena
A food city, home of traditional balsamic vinegar and the starting point for Ferrari country.
Parma
A food and music city, known for Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and Parma ham.
Ferrara
A Renaissance city with a moated castle, wide streets and intact city walls you can cycle.
Campania
Naples
The birthplace of pizza, with Pompeii and the Amalfi coast within reach.
Positano
A cliffside town of pastel houses on the Amalfi Coast, with a pebble beach and steep stairways.
Amalfi
The historic town that gave its name to the coast, with a striking cathedral on the main square.
Sorrento
A town on the Sorrentine peninsula, a convenient base for Pompeii, Capri and the Amalfi Coast.
Capri
A small island in the Bay of Naples, known for its cliffs, gardens and the Blue Grotto.
Pompeii
The Roman city buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79 and preserved under ash.
Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Travel guides on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA). Tips are our own summary. Check official sites for current dates and prices.