Italy

It’s pretty much impossible not to fall in love with Italy.

Whether it’s cruising down the canals of Venice, eating pizza in a piazza in Naples, shopping in the fashion capital of Milan or driving along the scenic roads of the Amalfi coast, exploring the wonder of Rome, there’s truly something for everyone in one of Europe’s most popular destinations.

There are plenty of things to do in Italy no matter what time of year you visit, from the magical Christmas markets that light up the festive period and famous Carnevale di Venezia in February to eating gelato on the beaches of Sardinia and Puglia during the hot summer months or going wine tasting in Veneto’s Prosecco vineyards during the lively September harvest.

While in Tuscany there is Pisa, Lucca, Florence and nearby Tuscan towns to explore.

And the food. Oh the food. There’s no country in the world that does food quite the way the Italians do.

Of course there’s the pizza, pasta and all-important coffee (be sure to order Italian coffee correctly) most people associate with Italy, but Italian food is so much more than just that. Italian cuisine is seeping with tradition and history, with an abundance of regional specialties made using only the finest locally-sourced seasonal ingredients. Sardinia and Rome are a world of cuisine on their own.

It’s the fresh seafood caught by local fishermen in the small coastal towns, the hearty risottos of the mountainous north, the infinite regional varieties of tasty focaccia and, of course, the locally produced wines which must accompany every meal.

Italy is certainly not a country that can be visited once and ticked off the bucket list. It’s a place that must be returned to time and time again to experience all of its majestic historic cities, colourful coastal towns and diverse natural beauty.

My most popular guides to Italy include:

Italy Travel Guides

18 Best Things To Do In Rome (with Insider Tips)

Published:

Rome, Roma, the Eternal City. Whatever you call it, there’s no denying that Italy’s capital city, Rome, is one of the most beautiful and fascinating cultural cities in the world. With a complex history that dates back thousands of years, there’s an almost endless supply of ancient ruins, incredible architecture, world-renowned landmarks, and fascinating museums to explore. The city also has lots of great shopping and a fantastic food scene. When I first visited, I felt like someone had rounded up all of the famous things I’d ever seen in movies and and read about in books and dumped them … Read more

20 Very Best Things To Do In Puglia Italy

Published:
round white trulli houses with thatched roofs in Alberobello puglia italy

Puglia has much to boast about: skirted by both the Adriatic and Ionian seas, the heel of Italy’s boot is a dichotomy of flat, sandy coastal lands and hilly interior, scattered with olive trees . A pioneer of the slow food movement, where the simple life dominates, Puglia is the real dolce vita; yet it remains relatively untrampled by international tourists.  In this guide to the best things to do in Puglia, I’ll introduce you to a part of Italy you may not have met before and by the end of this article, I’m sure you’ll be adding Puglia to your Italy bucket … Read more

Where To Eat In Sardinia Italy – Best Restaurants

Published:
Culurgiones pasta from sardinia in a tomato sauce

Ever had one of those trips where sightseeing takes a back seat and you end up spending close to eight hours a day languishing over super long lunches and dinners that stretch on to midnight? No, well, I can highly recommend it. Spending time lingering over one of the best diets in the world (Sardinia is in one of the famous Blue Zones), has surely got to be integral to the longevity of the people of Sardinia. In this post, I’ll share with you the many restaurants I visited on my trip to Sardinia. I took a road trip from … Read more

10 Best Things To Do in Verona, Italy

Published:
Verona View

The historic city of Verona is one of the most interesting and beautiful places in Italy’s Veneto region, and despite often being overshadowed by nearby Venice, it is somewhere which should certainly be added to any northern Italy itinerary. Dating back to 89 BC, Verona is filled with impressive historical architecture, beautiful ancient churches and an Arena which is even older and arguably better preserved than Rome’s Colosseum. The city is also known for its connection to Shakespeare’s tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet. Verona isn’t the largest city and all of the main attractions are easily walkable from each … Read more

Best Restaurants In Venice – Tried & Tested

Published:

Let’s be honest, the idea of eating Italian food in Italy is part of the reason you booked your trip, right? It’s certainly one of the reasons I keep returning to the boot shaped country. Which is why I was so supremely disappointed when I got to Venice and for the first time in all of my visits to Italy, I found bad food.  Wait? What? There’s bad food in Italy? I’m afraid so and it seems almost exclusively found in Venice. Before you click off, disgusted with me, Venice and life as a whole, hang on. You can find … Read more

40 Best Things To Do In Milan, Italy

Published:

I had a draft of this blog called: Milan – the city that never satisfies. Because until this trip (my 4th to Milan), that’s how I felt about the city. Perhaps it was because I’d only ever spent one day in Milan. Or it was because most of articles about things to do in Milan list a series of churches (not so high on my tourist list). Whatever reason, I didn’t quite get Milan. Until this trip. Walking from dawn to dusk, I explore the city properly and realised there is actually a lot of things to do in Milan. … Read more

Italy’s Prosecco Region is Just One Hour from Venice

Published:
Wine tour from Venice Prosecco Region Visit Prosecco Italy Views

I conducted an entirely unscientific survey over the festive fizz period of December – I asked everybody with a glass of Prosecco in their hand if they knew that the Prosecco region was just one hour from Venice in Italy. Results: 10o/10o people didn’t know (or some number like that). The ensuing conversations went a little something like this: Prosecco drinker: You can take a Prosecco wine tour from Venice? Me: Yep Prosecco drinker: It’s only an hour away? Me: Yep Prosecco drinker: So, I didn’t need to go on that bl%$dy day trip from Venice to Murano to look … Read more

25 Cultural Things To Do In Sardinia Italy

Published:
Where to go in Sardinia - castelsardo

Want to know the best things to do in Sardinia? Read on… I’d always thought Sardinia would be a beach-based trip for me – after all, isn’t that why most people fly into what is Italy’s largest island? However, there’s not much you can do to talk me into sitting on a beach in November (even in Italy), so I ended up driving through the island instead. From Cagliari in the south to Olbia in the north, I cut a path through the very interior of Sardinia and what I found there surprised me: a craggy topography dotted with hilltop settlements, … Read more

Sardinian Diet – What They Actually Eat in Sardinia

Published:

Francesco Cetti once said, “There is not in Italy what there is in Sardinia, nor in Sardinia what there is in Italy.” The 18th century zoologist was probably talking about the wildlife. Probably. But he could equally have been talking about Sardinian food. I’m fast loosing count of the number of times I’ve been to Italy, but my sojourn to Sardinia was the first time I’d visited one of the country’s islands. And, for the first time in a long time, it felt like I was experiencing Italy anew. Located west of the bulk of the boot of Italy, Sardinia is the country’s … Read more

How To Order Coffee in Italy

Published:

Even if you’re decked head to toe in Gucci and are sauntering around Venice, Florence or Rome with all the panache of an Italian superstar, there’s still a very simple way to tell whether you’re a local or not: how you order coffee. Believe it or not, there is a huge (and unhelpfully unspoken!) protocol for how to order coffee in Italy. Of course, many of you won’t actually give a stuff and you’ll boldly step forward and order whatever the hell you like. Mocha-choca-frappa-latte, please. However, if you do care about being judged by the Italians for your poor … Read more