Name one person you know who hasn’t been to Italy or doesn’t want to go.. There aren’t many, are they?
I get it. All the talk about the dolce vita, the charming places, the incredible food, the unbelievable old sites, and the stunning vistas has placed Italy at the top of your bucket list too.
For years and years you’ve dreamed of the day you would get to go, and now the time to finally plan that holiday has finally come.
But wait.., with 20 regions and over 140 cities, where do you even start?
If you are asking that question, or wondering whether you’ve chosen the right destinations, this post is for you.
We’ll look at the best places to visit in Italy for the first time, with tips for visitors coming from Europe as well as those coming from farther away. I will give you my top destinations, including the popular ones worth visiting as well as those spots you don’t hear as much about but should. I’ll even include itinerary ideas for those who like a multi-destination trip.
If that sounds amazing, take a moment and enjoy the read.
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Table of Contents
Coming From Europe?
If you are visiting Italy from Europe, you are lucky, because you can come and go as you please. Plus, flights are usually not as expensive, and we are lucky to have plenty of great low-budget airlines.
My tip for Europeans visiting Italy for the first time is to take it easy. Don’t jam pack your holiday, because you can always come back.
You can do like me, and focus your holiday on just one region at a time, base yourself in one of the main cities, and take day trips to explore the other popular cities, sights, and charming towns. The perfect length of time for this type of holiday is, in my opinion, at least 7 days.
If you are coming to Italy with the intent of exploring a region to move to later on, I would advise on spending as much time as possible, or at least a month. However, I doubt you are going to be doing that the first time you come to Italy.
The other option, which works better if you are visiting for a longer period, is to split your holiday into two parts and visit two nearby regions, or two well connected ones.
If you opt for the latter, I would suggest spending 5 to 6 days in each region, for a total of 10 to 12 days.
Coming From The US Or Another Continent?
Many of my American readers tend to see Italy as a bucket list holiday, one you plan and save for well in advance.
If you are in the same boat, you’ll likely prefer to come to Italy for a longer vacation, usually 10 to 14 days.
Keeping that in mind and also the fact that you are less likely to travel to Italy every year, it makes sense to want to explore as much as possible.
The question is this: how do you do it in a way that feels like you are seeing a lot but doesn’t overwhelm you or leave you feeling like you haven’t had any time to truly stop and soak in the culture and dolce vita?
My answer is always the same – less is truly more.
If you pick the right spots, they will make your holiday so memorable that you won’t feel like you’ve missed out on all the others. When you come back in a few years time, you can get to those too. It’s not like they are going anywhere!
And if you are someone who truly wants to savor as much as possible, even if that means hopping from city to city nearly every day, I suggest choosing two cities to base yourself in, and then take as many day trips as you want.
Because you’ll likely need to fly into and from Rome or Milan, I’d suggest visiting Northern and Central Italy for your first time, and leaving the South for your second visit.
Of course, that doesn’t count if you are coming to Italy for a month or longer. In that case, the whole country is your oyster!
Top Places To Visit In Italy For The First Time
Before giving you any more tips, we need to look at the destinations that are worth visiting when you come to Italy for the first time.
Popular Destinations
Let’s start with listing the most popular Italian destinations, the same ones you always see on social media:
- Rome
- Venice
- Milan & Lake Como
- Florence & Tuscany
- Naples and the Amalfi Coast
Before I go any further, I’d like to point out that travel preferences are obviously subjective, but I always try to give you a mix of my opinions, actual data, and real facts.
The list above includes the most visited places in Italy by foreigners in 2025 in order from the most visited to the least.
If you have the time to visit all of them during your first trip to Italy, and you want to start with the most iconic places, that’s going to be a trip of a lifetime.
Rome
If you can only pick one city to visit from all of them, I would definitely pick Rome.
Not only it’s the capital but, in my opinion, is the heart of Italy. It’s the place where you see where it all began.
The food is incredible, the people are amazing and have a very unique personality, the shopping is really good, and of course Rome beats every other Italian city when it comes to top sights to visit, including the Vatican.
So if you live pretty close to Italy and are planning your first trip there, I would focus on exploring Rome and soaking up all it has to offer.
My favorite season to visit Rome is early Spring.
Rome & Venice
Pairing Rome and Venice would make the best authentic first time holiday in Italy, and here’s why.
- It’s really simple. No other cities in Italy hit quite the same way.
- They are both unique, but in different ways.
- They both feel like open air museums, but again they have a very different aesthetic.
- They are both old cities with a rich history, perfect for history and art lovers.
- They are both very romantic, perfect for a couple’s first trip, and great for proposing.
- They have incredible cuisines that offer very different iconic dishes.
- By visiting both you’ll get a taste of central and Northern Italy.
- You can get from Rome to Venice in just over 3 hours.
What About The Others?
No matter your interests, I would still suggest Rome and Venice as the top two destinations everyone must visit in Italy.
However, if you are set on visiting something based on your passions, here are a few pointers I can give you.
Pick Milan if you love fashion, and have been dreaming of visiting the fashion capital for a long time. If I had to pair it with another top city, it would be either Rome or Venice.
Pairing Milan and Rome would make you experience the incredible and beautiful contrast between the two – the first is raw and authentic, the second is more elegant and polished.
Milan and Venice are perfect pairings if you love luxury, shopping, and don’t mind spending a little more. They are also both in the North of Italy, very well connected, and easy to fly into and depart from.
The most popular pairing is Milan and Lake Como, with Bellaggio being the most popular destination on the lake, but not the easiest to get to — you need to take a train and a ferry from Milan. On the other hand, Varenna is considered one of the most beautiful spots on the lake and it’s only a train ride away. It is however smaller.
Visiting Tuscany is many people’s dreams, especially if you love the countryside, vineyards and wine tasting. If you do, I get it. There’s nothing wrong with planning a more relaxing Italian trip. You can choose to stay in Florence for part of your stay, or take a day trip. Either way, I would still suggest fitting Rome in your itinerary. It’s just a ninety minute train ride away.
Finally, but not least, if you love the sea and beach holidays, you might want to visit the Amalfi Coast. I personally never visited it, and while I think it has a lot of beautiful spots to offer, I have a feeling it’s a little overrated, especially the most popular spots. It can also get very crowded, it’s mostly stairs and hills, it’s really expensive, and I wouldn’t suggest it if you don’t like beach holidays.
Having said that, if you do love the latter, I would suggest choosing less popular spots, like Ravello and pairing it with a stay in Naples.
Naples is definitely a place to visit if you love Italian food, and want to experience the authentic Neapolitan dishes you know and love, including pizza, mozzarella and baba. However, it’s not the first place I would suggest visiting in Italy because of the following reasons – it’s one of the least safe destinations, it’s very chaotic, and a little overwhelming, especially when you are not used to traveling in Italy.
Best Places To Visit In Italy Away From The Crowds
If you are new to anything Italian, and have just started your research now, you might not know much about these other destinations I am about to mention.
Others, you might have heard of them but you’ve never considered visiting. Let me tell you why you should.
Here are 10 cities I think you should consider adding to your first time in Italy itinerary, depending on your interests and what you are after. Each offers something truly unique and is not as popular as the top 5 destinations I listed above.
- Bolzano and the Dolomites for exploring the breathtaking Italian mountains and seeing a completely different side of Italy. There’s nothing like combining one or two popular cities and then escaping to the mountains to end your trip in pure bliss.
- Bologna and Emilia Romagna for tasting the best Italian food and experiencing la dolce vita away from the crowds. Let me just say that if you are a foodie, combine Rome and Bologna and come thank me later.
- Verona, known as the little Rome, it’s one of the most romantic spots in Italy thanks to Romeo e Giulietta, but also a city full of surprises.
- Polignano a Mare, Puglia, for a more authentic beach holiday in Southern Italy. If you are dreaming of a beach holiday but can’t afford the Amalfi coast, consider Puglia.
- Turin & Trieste for coffee culture lovers. Each of them has a lot more to offer.
Turin is a more quiet metropolitan Italian city that gives you access to incredible Alpine towns and lakes, including Ivrea and Lake Maggiore. It’s also the chocolate capital of Italy. - Trieste, on the other hand, is really close to Venice and is a port city with a mixed culture, a gorgeous old town, and an incredible fish cuisine.
- Taormina, for a luxury beach vacation that’s not the stereotypical Portofino or Sorrento.
- Matera, if you want to visit the oldest city in Italy and love history.
- Alberobello, Puglia, if you are intrigued by unique architecture, the trulli are a must-see.
- Genoa, if you want to see a side of Italy you’ve never seen before, this is probably one of the most underrated Italian cities you can explore and discover on your own since not many people talk about it.
10 Italy Trip Itinerary Ideas
As I promised you at the beginning of this post, I want to also give you a few itinerary ideas that include a mix of popular and lesser known places in Italy.
Let me first remind you that I have already listed a few great pairings including the most popular destinations, so you should start there.
I’d also like to point out that I always try to suggest destinations that are well connected by train, as I imagine you’d likely want to avoid taking an extra flight.
Without further ado, here they come!
Venice + Bolzano – a great combination if you don’t want to travel too much in between, but perhaps want to spend more time taking day trips. These two regions are close and have a lot to explore.
Rome + Venice + Bolzano – this allows you to visit the capital, the city on water and then escape to the mountains with just a 2 hour train ride from Venice.
Rome + Bologna + Bolzano – if you want to experience the most iconic city, the Italian food capital, and then escape to the mountains, there’s no better combination. At the end, you’ll truly feel like you’ve learned and experienced a lot about Italy, without the overwhelm of having to fit it all in.
Bologna + Bolzano – best for those who want to start with visiting Italy away from the crowds, and want to focus on food and nature.
Rome + Bologna + Venice + Bolzano – this would be my dream trip, because it gives you the best of everything, including the history and culture, the food and the mountains.
Rome + Trieste – more budget friendly as Venice can get expensive, but staying in Trieste allows you to take a day trip in just over 90 minutes. You’ll also get to experience a hidden gem, also great if you love a beach destination.
Florence + Milan + Verona – perfect if you’d like a combination of history, art, shopping that feels more upscale.
Rome + Puglia (Alberobello and Polignano a Mare) – if you don’t mind taking a flight and hiring a car. Driving to Polignano a Mare is advised, although you could take a taxi from Bari. Bari is well connected to Alberobello by train. This itinerary will give you a mix of history, culture, beach, and countryside.
Rome + Taormina – you’ll need to take a flight from Rome to Catania and then a train or taxi to Taormina. This will give you a very authentic holiday that’s focused on culture and food and beauty, but you’ll be experiencing the contrast between the centre and the south. It’s also a great way to combine city and sea.
Florence + Bolzano – this is an itinerary I followed back in October 2023. We spent 6 days in Bolzano followed by 6 days in Florence. The contrast was very evident, and it’s really nice to go from the mountains to the city, although I would prefer it the other way round. However, I feel Florence is overrated, so I would have preferred pairing Bolzano with Rome. On the other hand, my husband loved Florence, so don’t be influenced by my opinion. I always like to share my point of view, but I never expect it to become yours.
If you’d like to read about our Florence + Bolzano trip, you can find plenty of guides about each region:
More Italian Travel Inspiration
I hope this guide has helped you clear your mind about the places you were thinking of visiting in Italy. Or maybe, you had no clue, and you are leaving with one or two itinerary ideas you like.
Either way, may I ask you to give it a heart and share it with a friend or two?
I’d like to invite you to join Buona Settimana – my Italian newsletter. It’s like chatting with an Italian friend once a week about travel, food, fashion and life. Inside the newsletter, I share many travel anecdotes about Italy I don’t share on this blog. You can join via one of the signup boxes in this post.
If you loved this style of post, you are going to enjoy these other ones:
7 Cities In Southern Italy Worth Visiting
Italy Gems Bucket List Destinations
Best Christmas Destinations In Italy
Thank you for reading.
A presto,
Alessia
