Italy Travel Guide: Rome, Florence, Amalfi & Where to Go in 2026

Both, eventually — but for a first wine trip, the answer depends on your appetite. Tuscany is cinematic and well-trodden (Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, all Sangiovese-based), with countryside that delivers exactly what you imagine. It's also more set up for visitors, with many estates welcoming walk-ins. Piedmont is more refined and ceremonial — Barolo and Barbaresco from the Nebbiolo grape, UNESCO-listed Langhe hills, and white truffles in Alba in autumn. Estates expect appointments. If it's your first Italian wine trip and you like rustic-elegant, choose Tuscany; if you want serious, structured wines and don't mind planning ahead, choose Piedmont. Three to four nights in one region beats hopping between both.

Avoid restaurants with photographic menus, anyone called "Mama" outside, and the entire stretch from the Trevi Fountain to the Pantheon. Romans eat in Trastevere (try Da Enzo al 29 for cacio e pepe — book a week ahead), Testaccio (the old slaughterhouse district, now Rome's food spine — Flavio al Velavevodetto for carbonara done properly), and the Monti neighbourhood near Termini for newer-wave cooking. Lunch is 1–2:30, dinner doesn't start before 8. Coffee at the counter is €1.20; sitting at a table can triple that. Tap water in Rome is famously good — fountain water from the nasoni too.

The Cinque Terre coastal trail is beautiful but exhausting in crowds. Three serious alternatives: the Path of the Gods (Sentiero degli Dei) on the Amalfi Coast — 7km of ridge-walking from Bomerano to Nocelle with the Tyrrhenian Sea below; the Tre Cime di Lavaredo loop in the Dolomites — 10km around three of the most photographed peaks in the Alps (do it in late June or September to avoid both snow and crowds); and the Sentiero del Viandante along the eastern shore of Lake Como — 45km divided over three or four days, with osterie at the end of each stage. For something most foreigners miss, the volcanic crater rim of Vulcano in the Aeolian Islands gives you a 1-hour climb and an active fumarole at the top.

Italy is one of Europe's most seismic countries — the Apennine spine produces regular moderate quakes (L'Aquila 2009, Amatrice 2016), and active volcanoes include Etna, Vesuvius, Stromboli and the Campi Flegrei caldera near Naples. For travelers, this is something to be aware of, not anxious about. Tour operators on Etna and Stromboli follow daily activity bulletins from INGV (Italy's National Institute of Geophysics) and close access when alert levels rise. If you're staying near Vesuvius or the Campi Flegrei, download the Civil Protection app for alerts. Significant tourist injuries from these systems are rare. The bigger practical issue is that volcanic activity occasionally closes Catania airport for ash — keep flexibility in onward bookings if you're flying through Sicily.

For Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan and Naples — no. Italy's high-speed rail (Frecciarossa and Italo) is excellent: Rome to Florence in 90 minutes, Florence to Venice in 2 hours, all cheaper and less stressful than driving. Rent a car when you're going rural: Tuscan countryside, Puglia, Sicily outside Palermo and Catania, the Dolomites, Lake Como villages. ZTL zones (limited traffic zones) in every historic city centre carry automatic fines if you drive in by mistake — leave the car at a garage outside the walls. Italian drivers are fast and impatient on autostrade but follow the rules; the real difficulty is parking in small towns. See our car rental services guide for booking tips.