Fodor's Essential Italy 2020
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Italy is the whole package, and it knows it. Covering 116,350 square miles of gorgeous coastlines, mountains, and countryside and with more than 2,700 years of history and culture in all genres, it’s hard to beat the cultural wealth and beauty of Italy’s everyday–whether food, art, fashion, or design. And though Italy is united under the same country code +39, it is a patchwork of personalities—20 regions with distinctly different traditions and terrains.
Since the Grand Tour itineraries of yesteryear, the cities of Rome, Florence, Naples, and Venice have topped the list of must-see destinations. The 21st-century itinerary expands outward for full immersion into Italian culture with an extended lineup that includes the beaches of the Amalfi Coast and Puglia, the food towns of Emilia Romagna, the powdery slopes of the Italian Alps, the fashion of Milan, and the entire island of Sicily.
Capital city Rome leads the country in the center-south Lazio region, and it’s here where the reputation of Italian chaos comes from. Since its 753 BC founding, Rome has been the center of attention. Today’s Eternal City convenes millennia of culture and millions of residents and visitors in its historic center of approximately five square miles. Rome’s ancient history is seen every day in the contemporary Roman landscape whether it’s driving past the Colosseum, watching the pilgrims flow into St. Peter’s Square or queuing up to see Michelangelo’s masterpiece in the Sistine Chapel.
Along with the must-see cities, there are unparalleled experiences that you must do when in Italy, including eating a true Neapolitan pizza in Naples, climbing Sicily’s Mount Etna (an active volcano), driving the head-spinning curves of the Amalfi Coast, taking a midnight gondola ride around Venice, walking the top level of the Colosseum, driving a vintage Fiat through the Tuscan countryside, eating anything in Emilia Romagna, and exploring antiquity at any ancient sites such as Pompeii, Paestum, and Herculaneum.
All Italians would tell you the best way to get to know the country is simply to explore whatever is front of you and on your plate. Italy’s food culture varies from region to region. For pizza and pasta lovers, head south to Naples and Rome, and meat-lovers to Tuscany. Sicily is the country’s breadbasket for its incredible range of fruit and veggies, and seafood and desserts. Emilia Romagna sits on the throne of the country’s gastronomic empire, known for its Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, prosciutto di Parma, balsamic vinegar, and incredible homemade pasta specialties like tortellini. Wine, why not? There is no region where you can’t find an amazing bottle of wine—red, white or bubbles—just look for the area’s strade del vino (wine roads) to lead you in the right direction.
There is never a bad time to visit Italy, whether winter or summer, high season or low season. From November through the end of February, tourism tends to dissipate which makes sites are less crowded and highly requested tickets like Rome’s Vatican Museums, Florence’s Uffizi and Milan’s Last Supper easier to reserve. Spring kicks into high gear during La Settimana Santa (Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter), and from that moment, Italy unleashes events and holidays, and more as the weeks warm up. Crowds accumulate and by mid-June the best place to be are the lesser-visited towns. In the summer months, Italians head to the beach or mountains, and by August, Rome and other big cities are veritable ghost towns. Though the residents have left and infrastructure can be reduced, cities and towns organize summer events such as extended museum hours, outdoor concerts and other events.
Thanks to its unbeatable location in the southern Mediterranean basin, the climate is generally mild in the winters and warm in the summer, but here’s rub: weather varies notably from region to region. The northern regions, like Lombardia, Piemonte, Veneto, and even Emilia Romagna tend to have harsher, longer winters than their southern counterparts like Sicily, Calabria, and Campania where the hot sun seems to shine for 10 months a year. Be prepared, just as each region is climatically different from its neighbor, a drive across a region can vastly change from chilly mountainside and arid plains to scalding seaside.
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Top Destinations
Top Destinations

Rome

Venice

Florence

Naples

Milan

Capri

Sorrento

Turin

Genoa

Lucca

Positano

Bologna

Palermo

Siena

Amalfi

Ravello

Bolzano (Bozen)

Verona

Trento

Cagliari

Trieste

Taormina

Siracusa

Pisa

Parma

Padua

Perugia

San Gimignano

Catania

Ferrara

Volterra

Arezzo

Elba

Merano (Meran)

Ravenna

Procida

Spoleto

Alghero

Herculaneum (Ercolano)

Treviso

Greve in Chianti

Matera

Prato

Pistoia

Vicenza

Bergamo

Montepulciano

Cortina d'Ampezzo

Assisi

Cortona

Modena

Cremona

Gubbio

Castellina in Chianti

Pozzuoli

Orvieto

Radda in Chianti

Trapani

Aosta

Como

Courmayeur/Monte Bianco

Udine

Ortisei (St. Ulrich)

Forte dei Marmi

Asolo

Montalcino

Gaiole in Chianti

Lecce

San Miniato

Madonna di Campiglio

Viterbo

Alba

Portofino

Corvara

Acireale

Noto

Colle di Val d'Elsa

Fiesole

Stresa and the Isole Borromee

Conca dei Marini

Vesuvius

Bellagio

Massa Marittima

San Remo

Saturnia

Panzano

Gardone Riviera

Baia

Riva del Garda

Chianciano Terme

Modica

Lerici

Pienza

Castelnuovo di Garfagnana

Montecatini Terme

Sirmione

Portovenere

Nuoro

Brunico (Bruneck)

Bormio

Santa Margherita Ligure

Pompeii

Todi

Asti

Gallipoli

Mantua

Monte Argentario

Vieste

Tropea

Trani

Bari

Porto Cervo

Agrigento

Mt. Etna

Ragusa

Enna

Pula

Carrara

Tivoli

Frascati

Misurina

Sansepolcro

Cetara

Bressanone (Brixen)

Rovereto

Praiano

Breuil-Cervinia/The Matterhorn

Oristano

San Quirico d'Orcia

Empoli

Camogli

Marostica

Cosenza

Alberobello

Urbino

Bordighera

Barga

Atrani

Pitigliano

Erice

Olbia

Cividale del Friuli

Naturno (Naturns)

Giardini Botanici Hanbury

Livorno

Castelnuovo Berardenga

Castelmola

Aquileia

Paestum

Monterosso al Mare

Ostuni

Rimini

Otranto

Finale Ligure

Montelupo

Lipari

Piacenza

Giglio

Tremezzo

Viareggio

Abetone

Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore

Spello

Sovana

Gargnano

Pavia

Cernobbio

Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi

Marina del Cantone

Montefalco

Reggio Calabria

Sestriere

Bagno Vignoni

Mattinata

Sassari

Sant'Agnello

Taranto

Vernazza

Buonconvento

Canazei

Bagni di Lucca

San Pietro

Camigliatello

Messina

Passignano

Ticinese

Monteriggioni

Crotone

Castelgandolfo

Sestri Levante

Busseto

Imperia

Selinunte

Verbania

Caltagirone

Cefalu

Marsala

Maratea

Ostia Antica

Albisola Marina

Palestrina

Marina di Praia

Castel del Monte

Caldaro (Kaltern)

La Spezia

Piazza Armerina

Nemi

Monreale

Manarola

Faenza

San Marino

Ariccia

Furore

Ceglie Messapica

Malcesine

Riomaggiore

Ascoli Piceno

Vinci

Asciano

Valnerina

Albenga

Chiavari

Levanto

Loreto

Corniglia

Settignano

Lago di Carezza

Polignano a Mare

Caprarola

Cumae

Chiusi

Deruta

Diamante

Sant'Antioco

Tharros

Santa Teresa di Gallura

Scicli

San Marcello Pistoiese

Imola

Martina Franca

Rivoli

La Maddalena

Stromboli

Alassio

Costa Verde

Panarea

Salina

Segesta

Fonni

Bagnaia

Filicudi

Oplontis (Torre Annunziata)

Barumini

Rende

Venaria Reale

Passo dello Stelvio

Peschici

Parco dell'Orecchiella

Abbazia di Sant'Antonio di Ranverso

Saluzzo

Bard

Sacra di San Michele

Castello Fenis

Nervi

Aliano

Castrovillari

Cogne and the Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso

Novara

Caccamo

Foggia

Caltanissetta

Narni

Dobbiaco (Toblach)

Vercelli

Alicudi

Golfo Aranci

Casale Monferrato

Avigliana

Bardonecchia

Locri

Pizzo

Grotte di Castellana

Savona

Giara di Gesturi

Chiusa (Klausen)

Castelsardo

St. Vincent

Cervo

Stilo

San Giovanni Rotondo

Santo Stefano di Camastra

Taggia

Rome

Venice

Florence

Naples

Milan

Sorrento

Turin

Genoa

Lucca

Positano

Bologna

Palermo

Siena

Amalfi

Ravello

Bolzano (Bozen)

Trento

Cagliari

Verona

Trieste

Siracusa

Taormina

Parma

Pisa

Padua

Catania

San Gimignano

Perugia

Ferrara

Elba

Arezzo

Volterra

Merano (Meran)

Ravenna

Procida

Alghero

Spoleto

Herculaneum (Ercolano)

Treviso

Greve in Chianti

Matera

Prato

Bergamo

Montepulciano

Vicenza

Pistoia

Cremona

Assisi

Modena

Cortina d'Ampezzo

Cortona

Pozzuoli

Orvieto

Radda in Chianti

Gubbio

Castellina in Chianti

Trapani

Montalcino

Como

Courmayeur/Monte Bianco

Asolo

Gaiole in Chianti

Lecce

Ortisei (St. Ulrich)

Udine

Forte dei Marmi

Aosta

Acireale

San Miniato

Viterbo

Colle di Val d'Elsa

Madonna di Campiglio

Corvara

Noto

Fiesole

Portofino

Stresa and the Isole Borromee

Alba

San Remo

Bellagio

Saturnia

Vesuvius

Massa Marittima

Panzano

Conca dei Marini

Modica

Brunico (Bruneck)

Pienza

Bormio

Pompeii

Baia

Castelnuovo di Garfagnana

Riva del Garda

Lerici

Nuoro

Portovenere

Montecatini Terme

Chianciano Terme

Gardone Riviera

Santa Margherita Ligure

Sirmione

Bari

Monte Argentario

Todi

Mantua

Vieste

Tropea

Asti

Trani

Gallipoli

Pula

Mt. Etna

Agrigento

Ragusa

Frascati

Porto Cervo

Tivoli

Carrara

Misurina

Enna

Empoli

Praiano

Olbia

San Quirico d'Orcia

Oristano

Alberobello

Bressanone (Brixen)

Bordighera

Rovereto

Cividale del Friuli

Marostica

Camogli

Breuil-Cervinia/The Matterhorn

Cosenza

Cetara

Urbino

Erice

Pitigliano

Atrani

Sansepolcro

Barga

Rimini

Piacenza

Giardini Botanici Hanbury

Pavia

Aquileia

Paestum

Monterosso al Mare

Montelupo

Otranto

Cernobbio

Finale Ligure

Ostuni

Castelmola

Gargnano

Abetone

Naturno (Naturns)

Tremezzo

Marina del Cantone

Spello

Livorno

Montefalco

Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi

Sovana

Castelnuovo Berardenga

Viareggio

Giglio

Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore

Canazei

Ticinese

Sestriere

Crotone

Vernazza

Sassari

Buonconvento

Passignano

San Pietro

Reggio Calabria

Camigliatello

Messina

Sant'Agnello

Bagno Vignoni

Mattinata

Taranto

Bagni di Lucca

Castelgandolfo

Sestri Levante

Monteriggioni

Busseto

Faenza

Ariccia

Ceglie Messapica

San Marino

Albisola Marina

Marsala

Caldaro (Kaltern)

Imperia

Furore

Palestrina

Castel del Monte

Marina di Praia

Cefalu

Maratea

Caltagirone

La Spezia

Verbania

Piazza Armerina

Ostia Antica

Monreale

Nemi

Manarola

Malcesine

Selinunte

Ascoli Piceno

Asciano

Valnerina

Vinci

Riomaggiore

Lago di Carezza

Albenga

Imola

Chiavari

Levanto

Loreto

Diamante

Caprarola

Cumae

Tharros

Chiusi

Scicli

Polignano a Mare

Santa Teresa di Gallura

Sant'Antioco

Deruta

Rivoli

Martina Franca

San Marcello Pistoiese

Corniglia

Settignano

Barumini

Nervi

Costa Verde

Fonni

La Maddalena

Oplontis (Torre Annunziata)

Alassio

Passo dello Stelvio

Bagnaia

Parco dell'Orecchiella

Segesta

Rende

Saluzzo

Sacra di San Michele

Aliano

Peschici

Bard

Castello Fenis

Castrovillari

Venaria Reale

Novara

Cervo

Locri

Narni

Golfo Aranci

Vercelli

Stilo

San Giovanni Rotondo

Foggia

Grotte di Castellana

Casale Monferrato

St. Vincent

Bardonecchia

Caltanissetta

Avigliana

Chiusa (Klausen)

Caccamo

Savona

Santo Stefano di Camastra

Castelsardo

Dobbiaco (Toblach)

Giara di Gesturi

Taggia
