Best Things to Do in Italy (2026 Guide)

Italy is the country that invented the concept of the Grand Tour for good reason. The best things to do in Italy are distributed across a boot-shaped peninsula 1,200 kilometres long: the Colosseum and Vatican Museums in Rome, the gondolas and Grand Canal of Venice, the Uffizi Gallery and Brunelleschi’s dome in Florence, the Amalfi Coast’s vertiginous cliff-top villages, Sicily’s Valle dei Templi (better-preserved Greek temples than in Greece itself), the Cinque Terre’s painted fishing villages on Ligurian cliffs, and the Dolomites’ pink-tinged limestone peaks above Bolzano. Italy rewards those who go deep into one region rather than rushing between its headline attractions; every Italian city, even the small ones — Orvieto, Siena, Ravenna, Lecce, Matera — contains an art collection or archaeological site that would anchor a major museum anywhere else in the world.

Best time to visit

April-May and September-October are Italy’s finest travel months: comfortable temperatures, accessible coastal and mountain regions, and crowds below peak levels. Venice, Rome, and Florence in July-August are extremely hot and extremely crowded — visit early morning and late evening when the light is best and the crowds are thinner. Easter week (the greatest Catholic spectacle) and the Venice Film Festival (late August-September) require advance booking. The Palio di Siena horse race (July 2 and August 16) is one of Europe’s most extraordinary civic events. Christmas markets are excellent in the Alpine north (Bolzano, Trento, Merano).

Getting around

Italy has excellent Freccia high-speed rail: Rome to Florence (1.5 hours), Rome to Naples (1 hour), Milan to Venice (2 hours), Milan to Rome (3 hours). Budget airlines (Ryanair, easyJet) serve smaller airports (Bari, Catania, Palermo, Cagliari). Driving is rewarding in Tuscany, the Amalfi Coast (narrow roads requiring full concentration), and Sicily. Island access: Sardinia and Sicily by ferry or short flight; the smaller islands (Aeolian, Pontine, Tremiti) by summer ferry. Venice has no cars; boats serve the city.

What to eat and drink

Italian cuisine is the most regionally varied in the world: every Italian region (and often every city) has dishes that do not appear on any other Italian menu. Rome: cacio e pepe (pasta with pecorino and black pepper), supplì (fried rice ball), coda alla vaccinara (oxtail stew). Naples: pizza Margherita (invented here, the only one worth having). Bologna: tagliatelle al ragu (the original — not ‘spaghetti bolognese’) and tortellini in brodo. Sicily: arancini, cannoli, pasta con le sarde. Amatriciana, carbonara, rigatoni all’Amatriciana: the Roman classics that should be eaten in Rome. Wines: Barolo and Barbaresco (Piedmont), Brunello di Montalcino (Tuscany), Amarone (Veneto), Nero d’Avola (Sicily), and the Prosecco of Valdobbiadene.

Regions to explore

Rome & Lazio — The Colosseum, Roman Forum, Vatican Museums, St Peter’s Basilica, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Villa Borghese, and Tivoli’s Hadrian’s Villa (UNESCO, 1 hour by train). Allow 4-5 days minimum.Florence & Tuscany — Uffizi, Accademia (David), Duomo complex, Oltrarno, Chianti wine country, Siena, San Gimignano, Pienza, and the Val d’Orcia UNESCO landscape.Venice & the Veneto — Grand Canal, Doge’s Palace, St Mark’s Basilica, Rialto Market, and the islands of Murano (glass), Burano (lace and colour), and Torcello (the oldest church in the lagoon).The Amalfi Coast — Positano, Ravello, Amalfi town, and the Path of the Gods walking trail (5-hour coastal hike). Best visited May-June and September — August is dangerously crowded on the single coastal road.Sicily — Valle dei Templi (Agrigento), Mount Etna, Taormina, the Baroque cities of the southeast (Noto, Ragusa, Modica), and the island of Ortigia (Syracuse — one of Greece’s greatest ancient colonies).