Italy Travel Guide

Raw, theatrical, and energetic, Naples is the birthplace of pizza and Western Europe’s most affordable major city. Ancient Greek street grids, baroque churches, and quick trains to Pompeii and Herculaneum make it an unbeatable budget destination.

La Grassa (the fat one), La Dotta (the learned one), and La Rossa (the red one). Bologna is home to Western Europe’s oldest university, 40 kilometers of UNESCO stone porticoes, and Italy’s most celebrated food culture.

Italy’s first capital boasts grand royal Savoy palaces, historic chocolate and coffee cafes, and world-class museums with far smaller crowds and lower costs than Milan or Rome.

Framed by a bend in the Adige River, Verona features a remarkably intact 1st-century Roman Arena that still hosts summer opera, pink limestone piazzas, and Shakespearean romance.

Italy’s greatest maritime republic combines Europe’s largest medieval old town with grand UNESCO palaces along Via Garibaldi and the birthplace of basil pesto and crispy olive oil focaccia.

Beyond the iconic Leaning Tower on the green lawns of the Field of Miracles, Pisa is a historic university town with pleasant river Arno promenades and very low budget food prices.

One of Europe’s greatest preserved medieval cities, Siena is famous for the shell-shaped Piazza del Campo, the biannual Palio horse race, and a stunning black-and-white striped Gothic cathedral.

Sicily’s chaotic, magnetic capital features Arab-Norman golden cathedrals, Byzantine mosaics, and Europe’s most vibrant street food markets at deeply affordable southern Italian prices.

Built from black volcanic lava stone at the base of Mount Etna, Catania has a raw baroque beauty, an electrifying morning fish market, and serves as the gateway for ascending Etna on a budget.

The vibrant capital of Puglia boasts an ancient seaside fortress town (Bari Vecchia) where grandmothers roll fresh orecchiette pasta on outdoor tables, and serves as the transit hub for Matera and the Valle d’Itria.

Known as the Florence of the South, Lecce is an open-air showcase of exuberant Salento baroque architecture carved from honey-colored soft limestone, with Roman ruins and unhurried southern charm.

One of the world’s oldest continually inhabited cities, Matera’s famous Sassi are ancient cave dwellings carved directly into the limestone ravine. Once an impoverished slum, it is now an enchanting UNESCO wonderland.

Often overlooked as just a budget airport hub for Milan, Bergamo is a jewel. The hilltop Citta Alta is enclosed by massive Venetian stone walls, with a historic funicular and delicious polenta dishes.

Perched on cliffs facing Mount Vesuvius across the Bay of Naples, Sorrento is the smartest budget transport base for visiting Pompeii, Capri, and the Amalfi Coast without paying Amalfi resort rates.

The gateway to the Italian Dolomites, Bolzano (Bozen) blends South Tyrolean alpine culture with Italian flair. German and Italian are spoken equally, beer gardens serve speck and knodel, and mountain cable cars depart right from the edge of town.

Rolling cypress-lined hills, Chianti vineyards, medieval hill towns (San Gimignano, Montepulciano), and Renaissance art. Regional trains connect major valleys cheaply without car rentals.

Sheer limestone cliffs plunging into cobalt waters, pastel villages clinging to rock faces, and terraced lemon groves. By basing in Sorrento or Salerno, budget travelers avoid exorbitant cliffside room rates.

Five vibrant fishing villages (Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore) linked by coastal hiking paths and a high-frequency tunnel train that runs every 15 minutes.

Y-shaped glacial alpine lake surrounded by dramatic peaks, elegant lakeside villas, and stone villages. Frequent regional trains from Milan make it one of Italy’s easiest day trips or weekend escapes.

Jagged pale limestone towers, alpine pastures (Alpe di Siusi), and dramatic mountain passes. World-class hiking, rifugio hut culture, and efficient public bus networks make it accessible on a budget.