Ancient ruins, Renaissance art, coastal villages, and the world's greatest food and wine — Italy's essential destinations from north to south.
Walking the preserved streets of Pompeii frozen in time by the 79 AD eruption, then hiking to Mount Vesuvius's crater overlooking the Bay of Naples, creates an unforgettable volcanic history double experience.
Italy's food capital and the home of Europe's oldest university gives visitors authentic porchetta sandwiches, mortadella, fresh pasta, and a passionate university city atmosphere that Milan and Rome cannot replicate.
Five colorful fishing villages cling to dramatic cliffs above the Ligurian Sea, connected by scenic hiking trails and ferries. Vernazza, Manarola, and Riomaggiore are among Italy's most photographed destinations.
Italy's food culture — Neapolitan pizza, Bologna's ragù bolognese, Modena's balsamic vinegar, Sicilian arancini, and the strict ritual of morning espresso at the bar — is a lifelong education in flavors.
The UNESCO-listed Dolomite mountains in northeastern Italy offer some of Europe's most dramatic scenery — vertical limestone towers, alpine meadows, cable cars, and world-class skiing in winter and hiking in summer.
Navigating Venice's 150+ canals by gondola and water bus while exploring the Doge's Palace, St. Mark's Basilica, and the maze of medieval bridges and alleys creates an experience unlike anywhere else on earth.
Italy's largest island contains Greek temples older than those in Greece itself (Agrigento, Selinunte), Norman cathedrals, volcanic Mount Etna, and a unique Arab-Norman-Greek cultural fusion nowhere else found.
The Uffizi Gallery housing Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera, Michelangelo's David at the Accademia, Brunelleschi's Duomo, and Ponte Vecchio make Florence the undisputed capital of Renaissance art.
The baroque villas and manicured gardens of Villa Carlotta, Villa Balbianello, and Villa del Balbianello set against Como's Alpine-framed lake created the backdrop for countless films and represent Italian lakeside perfection.
The world's smallest sovereign state packs extraordinary art into St. Peter's Basilica, St. Peter's Square, and the Vatican Museums culminating in Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling — arguably the greatest artwork ever created.
Driving through Tuscany's rolling hills of golden wheat, cypress trees, medieval hilltop towns, and Chianti vineyards while stopping for pecorino cheese and Brunello di Montalcino wine is Italy's ultimate countryside experience.
The spectacular cliff-hugging coastal road between Sorrento and Salerno passes through impossibly picturesque villages — Positano, Ravello, Amalfi — above the deep blue Tyrrhenian Sea. Italy's most cinematically beautiful drive.
“Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius”
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