Best Places to Visit in Italy

Are you planning a trip to Italy? If so, be prepared to fall in love with an extraordinary country. The food, the wine, the history, the art and architecture, the quaint, hillside towns in Tuscany, and the underrated Dolomites…there is something here for everyone.

The list of places to visit in Italy is long. So long, in fact, that it would take months to see all of them. Most people have just a week or two to explore this amazing country. Here is a list of some of Italy’s best destinations, a good starting point for having the best holiday here.

Best Places to Visit in Italy

Rome

There is so much history, so much art, and so many amazing sites to visit that Rome cannot be missed.

Top Experiences:  The Colosseum, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel, and the Borghese Museum.

How Long: You can hit the main sites in a rushed, one day tour of the city. Three to five days is ideal to see most of what Rome has to offer, as wells as exploring its nooks and crannies.

Florence

Florence is the art capital of the world. It is also a gorgeous city best seen by climbing its numerous towers.

Top Experiences: See Michelangelo’s David, climb the Duomo, tour the Uffizi Gallery, stroll across Ponte Vecchio, eat lots of gelato, and watch the sunset over Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo.

How Long: You can race through the best of Florence in one day, however, two to three days allows you to slow down and visit some worthwhile off-the-beaten-path spots.

Tuscany

Oh, Tuscany, how we fell in love with you. With scenic, picturesque hillside towns rising up amidst vineyards and rolling hills, Tuscany is gorgeous and a joy to explore. You could easily spend one week in Tuscany, settling down in a Tuscan villa, with day trips out to the surrounding towns.

The view over San Gimignano

Best Experiences: Tour the hill towns, like San Gimignano, Montalcino, Montepulciano, and Pienza.

Siena

Technically, Siena is a hill town in Tuscany. But it is such a great place to visit that it deserves its own mention. Siena is similar to Florence, but quieter and smaller. We actually liked Siena more than Florence. There’s just something about this town that we fell in love with. You may fall in love with it too.

Venice

Venice is one of our favorite spots in Italy. Why? It is small and compact, perfect to be explored with just a few days time. Venice is romantic, historic, and gorgeous. The canals, the gondolas, the architecture, the colorful towns of Murano and Burano…what is not to love?

Best Experiences:  Wander along the canals, take a gondola ride through the city, see St. Mark’s Square, walk across the Rialto Bridge, and visit the Doges’ Palace and Saint Mark’s Basilica.