Explore this map, I made as the ultimate Italy guide, to get inspired and discover the places that will become the highlight of your next trip. Many of the places in this map will have helpful booking links and/or links to social media posts with more inside information.
I see all my Guide Maps as perpetual works in progress and will do my best to add to and update them as my knowledge expands.
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Venice, the capital of northern Italy’s Veneto region, is built on more than 100 small islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. It has no roads, just canals – including the Grand Canal thoroughfare – lined with Renaissance and Gothic palaces. The central square, Piazza San Marco, contains St. Mark’s Basilica, which is tiled with Byzantine mosaics, and the Campanile bell tower offering views of the city’s red roofs.
Set on a private island in the Venetian lagoon, this palatial resort is a 13-minute ride via a boat shuttle from Piazza San Marco and a 9-minute boat shuttle ride from the Bridge of Sighs.
This floating book store is great place to find postcards and other souvenirs and has a gondola in the back that you can sit in and take photos for free
One of the oldest cafes in the world, favorite of Casanova, Hemingway, and Dickens. Neo-Baroque splendor & modern art at an iconic 1700s cafe, turning out coffee, cocktails & snacks.
$$$$ Opulent, rooftop dining room in Hotel Danieli serving classic Venetian cuisine overlooking the city.
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Florence
Florence, capital of Italy’s Tuscany region, is home to many masterpieces of Renaissance art and architecture. One of its most iconic sights is the Duomo, a cathedral with a terracotta-tiled dome engineered by Brunelleschi and a bell tower by Giotto. The Galleria dell'Accademia displays Michelangelo’s “David” sculpture. The Uffizi Gallery exhibits Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus” and da Vinci’s “Annunciation.”
$$$ Tuscan dishes like Florentine T-bone steak, plus a big wine list, under 16th-century brick vaults.
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Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in central Italy. Its capital, Florence, is home to some of the world’s most recognizable Renaissance art and architecture, including Michelangelo’s "David" statue, Botticelli’s works in the Uffizi Gallery and the Duomo basilica. Its diverse natural landscape encompasses the rugged Apennine Mountains, the island of Elba’s beaches on the Tyrrhenian Sea and Chianti’s olive groves and vineyards.
In a monastery on over 2 hectares that dates from 1314, this elegant, rural hotel is 2.7 km from the Duomo di Siena cathedral and 4.2 km from Siena train station.
The Terme di Saturnia are a group of springs located in the municipality of Manciano in Italy, a few kilometers from the village of Saturnia.
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Rome
Rome (Italian and Latin: Roma, pronounced [ˈroːma]) is the capital city of Italy. It is also the capital of the Lazio region, the centre of the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, and a special comune (municipality) named Comune di Roma Capitale.
On a cobblestone street amid eateries, this elegant hotel with a stone exterior is an 8-minute walk from fine art exhibits at Museo Nazionale del Palazzo di Venezia and 10 minutes on foot from the iconic Pantheon. It's a minute's walk from the nearest light rail station.
Colorful Trastevere is a funky, bohemian area that clings to its centuries-old, working-class roots. It's known for traditional and innovative trattorias, craft beer pubs and artisan shops, as well as simple B&Bs and budget hotels. From the pre-dinner passeggiata (promenade) until late, a young crowd buzzes around Piazza di San Calisto and Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere, the site of a gilded, mosaic-filled church.
$$ A pasta & pizza restaurant with pastel-toned, country-style interiors, set on a tranquil piazza.
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Vatican City
Vatican City, a city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy, is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. It's home to the Pope and a trove of iconic art and architecture. Its Vatican Museums house ancient Roman sculptures such as the famed “Laocoön and His Sons” as well as Renaissance frescoes in the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel, famous for Michelangelo’s ceiling.
Multiple galleries of classical & Renaissance art masterpieces, plus the Sistine Chapel frescoes.
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Naples
Naples, a city in southern Italy, sits on the Bay of Naples. Nearby is Mount Vesuvius, the still-active volcano that destroyed nearby Roman town Pompeii. Dating to the 2nd millennium B.C., Naples has centuries of important art and architecture. The city's cathedral, the Duomo di San Gennaro, is filled with frescoes. Other major landmarks include the lavish Royal Palace and Castel Nuovo, a 13th-century castle.
Pompeii is a vast archaeological site in southern Italy’s Campania region, near the coast of the Bay of Naples. Once a thriving and sophisticated Roman city, Pompeii was buried under meters of ash and pumice after the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. The preserved site features excavated ruins of streets and houses that visitors can freely explore.
The Amalfi Coast is a 50-kilometer stretch of coastline along the southern edge of Italy’s Sorrentine Peninsula, in the Campania region. It’s a popular holiday destination, with sheer cliffs and a rugged shoreline dotted with small beaches and pastel-colored fishing villages. The coastal road between the port city of Salerno and clifftop Sorrento winds past grand villas, terraced vineyards and cliffside lemon groves.
Sorrento is a coastal town in southwestern Italy, facing the Bay of Naples on the Sorrentine Peninsula. Perched atop cliffs that separate the town from its busy marinas, it’s known for sweeping water views and Piazza Tasso, a cafe-lined square. The historic center is a warren of narrow alleys that's home to the Chiesa di San Francesco, a 14th-century church with a tranquil cloister.
Positano is a cliffside village on southern Italy's Amalfi Coast. It's a well-known holiday destination with a pebble beachfront and steep, narrow streets lined with boutiques and cafes. Its Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta features a majolica-tiled dome and a 13th-century Byzantine icon of the Virgin Mary. The Sentiero degli Dei hiking trail links Positano to other coastal towns.
Salerno is a port city southeast of Naples, in Italy. Atop Monte Bonadies, the centuries-old Arechi Castle has sea views, plus Museo Medievale del Castello, exhibiting medieval ceramics and coins. In town, built on the ruins of a Roman temple, is Salerno Cathedral. It has Byzantine bronze doors, a baroque crypt and a marble altar. The terraced Minerva’s Garden has been growing medicinal plants since the 14th century.
Milan, a metropolis in Italy's northern Lombardy region, is a global capital of fashion and design. Home to the national stock exchange, it’s a financial hub also known for its high-end restaurants and shops. The Gothic Duomo di Milano cathedral and the Santa Maria delle Grazie convent, housing Leonardo da Vinci’s mural “The Last Supper,” testify to centuries of art and culture.
Set in a restored 17th-century residence, this refined hotel is a minute's walk from tram and bus stops, and a 17-minute walk from both the Piazza del Duomo square and the Royal Palace of Milan.
Navigli is known for its twin canals and its cobblestone streets packed with contemporary art galleries and vintage stores. The neighborhood is central to Milan nightlife, with dining options ranging from pizzerias and waterside trattorias to edgy clubs on barges. Viale Papiniano flea market and the monthly Mercatone dell’Antiquariato attract crowds in search of leather accessories, jewelry and antiques.
In a lakefront complex of 14th- to 18th-century buildings, this genteel hotel is 11 minutes' walk from Varenna Esino train station and 4 km from the ancient Roman fortress Castello di Vezio.
Small group maximum 10 guest boat tour of Lake Como. There will be music and an open bar with prosecco, soft drinks, and water. There will be opportunity for swimming.