Country guide
Italy travel guide
Our route team has mapped 14 destinations in Italy across 4 curated routes, adding up to 135 places to eat, see and do. The most common route styles are adventure, beaches and food journeys. Trips run 6–8 days, most often 6 days.
- Destinations
- 14
- Places
- 135
- Curated routes
- 4
- Trip lengths
- 6–8 days
- Routes favor
- Apr – Oct
Where our routes go in Italy
Tap a dot to open that destination's guide.
14 destinations in Italy
Ordered by how many of our curated routes stop there, then by how many places we have picked.
Bolzano
See · Shop · Do
Chianti
See · Shop · Drink
Cortina d'Ampezzo
Do · Eat · Outdoors
Florence
See · Eat · Outdoors
Palermo
See · Do · Shop
Siena
See · Do · Drink
Syracuse
See · Outdoors · Eat
Taormina
See · Shop · Outdoors
Val d'Orcia
See · Eat · Drink
Amalfi
See · Drink · Outdoors
Positano
See · Outdoors · Do
Ravello
See · Do · Shop
More destinations
Best of Italy
Our curated picks by theme, drawn from the places our route editors chose for their routes.
- Best restaurants28 picksRifugio Averau · Da Gemma · Gasthaus Vögele
- Best bars & cafés18 picksCantine Contucci · Castello di Verrazzano · Benanti Winery
- Top things to do40 picksMuseo Civico · Neapolis Archaeological Park · Messner Mountain Museum Firmian
- Best outdoor spots16 picksAlcantara Gorges · Grotta dello Smeraldo · Lago di Braies
- Best places to shop8 picksPiazza delle Erbe Market · Antica Macelleria Falorni · Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella
Places worth planning around
A short sampler from the 135 places in Italy, starting with those featured on the most of our routes.
EatGasthaus Vögele
Old-town tavern serving South Tyrolean dishes in wood-paneled rooms.
EatAntica Macelleria Cecchini
Dario Cecchini's butcher shop and restaurants serving bistecca and Chianti meats.
DoCinque Torri
Chairlift to five rock towers with restored WWI trenches.
EatAll'Antico Vinaio
Huge schiacciata sandwiches stuffed with salumi and pecorino.
ShopBallarò Market
Busy street market for produce, fish and fried snacks like panelle.
ShopAntica Drogheria Manganelli
Grocery since 1879 selling panforte, local wine and oils.
Curated routes through Italy
4 routes with at least one stop here.
Best time to visit Italy
Of the 4 routes here with a recommended season, at least half point to Apr – Oct. June and September are the most-recommended months (4 of 4 routes).
Climate averages (NASA POWER, 2001–2025) for 13 of our destinations here: July is the warmest month, with average highs near 84°F (29°C), and January the coolest at about 48°F (9°C). November is the wettest, around 4.1 in (103 mm) of rain, and July the driest at about 1.7 in (44 mm).
NASA POWER is a gridded model (roughly 50 km cells), so coastal and mountain spots read as regional averages.
Weather by destination
Getting around Italy
Legs between consecutive stops on our routes. Distances are straight-line estimates, not driving distances.
- Sorrento → Positanoabout 9 km (6 mi) straight-line
- Positano → Amalfiabout 10 km (6 mi) straight-line
- Florence → Chiantiabout 21 km (13 mi) straight-line
- Bolzano → Val Gardenaabout 26 km (16 mi) straight-line
- Chianti → Sienaabout 29 km (18 mi) straight-line
- Val Gardena → Cortina d'Ampezzoabout 36 km (22 mi) straight-line
- Siena → Val d'Orciaabout 39 km (24 mi) straight-line
- Taormina → Syracuseabout 86 km (54 mi) straight-line
- Palermo → Taorminaabout 171 km (106 mi) straight-line
Planning a trip to Italy
How many days do you need for a trip to Italy?
Our 4 curated routes with stops in Italy run 6–8 days, and 6 days is the most common length.
What are the best places to visit in Italy?
Going by how often our route team includes them, the most-featured destinations in Italy are Bolzano, Chianti, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Florence and Palermo. Bolzano alone has 10 hand-picked places in our guides.
When is the best time to visit Italy?
At least half of our routes here recommend Apr – Oct. NASA POWER averages put the warmest weather in July and the most rain in November.
Where can I find the best restaurants in Italy?
See our curated picks: best restaurants in Italy, chosen from 28 places in our curated routes. We also have lists for bars & cafés, things to do, outdoor spots and places to shop.
Nearby countries
Take your crew to Italy
Start from one of our Italy routes in TripsCircle, then shape it together: shared itinerary, polls for the big decisions, split expenses and packing lists.