Italy is known for its amazing art, architecture and food. The birthplace of the Renaissance and epicenter of the Roman Empire, this European virtuoso groans under its cultural cachet.
The challenge isn't so much where to go, but how to get there. Every trip can be turned into a once-in-a-lifetime experience with these best things to do.
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It is possible to see Italy's Eternal City on the back of a Vespa moped at a fast pace. From the Roman Forum to Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums, there's a lot to see and do.
Before you leave, toss a coin into the pool below the wild horses and the cascading rockfalls to ensure a return visit to this captivating city.
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The Aosta Valley is home to some of the best winter sports facilities on the planet. Courmayeur is where winter skiers cross glaciers and return via cable cars.
There are hiking trails in the Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso when the snow is gone. The Franco-Italian valley has a local language called Franco-Provenal.
The city of Italy's most spirited urban hub is a curious mix of nail-biting history, classical art and a grungy grassroots cocktail of frescoed ruins. Street life in Napoli is like a grand opera and is characterized by drama.
Visit the oldest market in Naples, shop for swordfish heads and sweet ricotta pastries, admire Mt Vesuvius views from the Lungomare seafront, and join the after-dark passegiatta. You must count on drama 24/7.
Sicily is the eternal crossroads of the Mediterranean and it has a lot to offer. Syracuse was the biggest city in the ancient world and an important part of classical Greece. Sicily's timeless beauty is encapsulated by its archaeological ruins, which rise out of lush citrus orchards and the Mediterranean.
Greek dramas, live music and more can be found in Syracuse's great amphitheater. There is a show on the antiquity stage at Teatro Greco.
The city of Florence has a cinematic feast of Renaissance palazzi, medieval-frescoed chapels and art museums. Millions of people visit the Uffizi every year to see the Renaissance works. The Uffizi Diffusi project encourages art buffs to trek across Tuscany on foot, by bike or car, following an untrodden trail to Italian masterpieces.
The sustainable tourism project is trying to diffuse Florence's heavy tourist load by bringing pop-up galleries to the fortresses and hilltop villages. It leads visitors off the beaten track and allows them to see artworks that were inspired by the rolling hills, cypress alleys and silver olive groves of Tuscany. On the Uffizi website, you can find current venues.
There is no going back if you want to eat rare white truffles from the vine-striped countryside around Alba.
Piedmont, birthplace of the Slow Food movement, serenades gourmets with sweet creamy hazelnuts from the rolling Langhe hills and silky chocolate in cafes in elegant Torino. Nebbiolo grapes become magical Barolo and Barbaresco wines, and lavish banquets pair these treats with sacrosanct aperitivo.
One delicious mouthful at a time is the planning tip.
The medieval Via Francigena is one of Italy's best walking and cycling trails. The alternative to Spain's Camino de Santiago is a route that goes from England to Rome in less than a day.
The scenic Italian section mooches at a meditative snail's pace through Tuscany and Lazio, breaking for breath at beautiful hilltop villages, volcanic lakes, Etruscan ruins, remote monasteries and enchanting emerald hills.
The Amalfi Coast is one of Italy's most glamorous destinations, whether you want to live the high life with spritz-sipping A-listers in Positano or look for a wild swimming spot. The dramatic coastal strip has thrills and spills to suit every taste and budget.
The "Path of Gods" is a hiking trail that has a positive view of the stars.
The five villages pinned to a jaw-dropping backdrop of terraced vineyards, wave-carved cliffs and blue sea on the Italian Riviera are nothing short of stunning. The celebrity villages are bursting at the seams in the summer, but the fall vendemmia is different.
It's a good idea to come in fall for days of walking along quiet cobbled lanes and hiking through vineyards perfumed by macchia. It is an experience that will stay with you for the rest of your life, the sight of local pickers happily harvesting the grapes that go into the sweet fortifiedSciacchetr, and sipping the resulting vintages in a Corniglia or Riomaggiore wine bar with vertig
il bel paese, or the beautiful country, has a beach-laden island with your name on it. There are many islands in the Mediterranean, Ionian, Adriatic and Tyrrhenian seas. Venice alone is made up of 17 islands, and Sicily and Sardinia are the biggest and busiest islands.
Panarea in Sicily's Aeolian archipelago attracts celebrities and the super-rich. There are thermal spas in Volcanic Ischia.
There is a planning tip for traveling with nature lovers. There is a peaceful salt marsh and mudflats teeming with birdlife in the Grado lagoon on the country's northeast border with Austria and Yugoslavia.
Tourists flock to Venice because of its dreamy canals and ethereal fogs. 25 million people visit the Basilica di San Marco every year to take selfies under the Bridge of Sighs. A tourist tax, turnstiles at city entrances, and advance reservations via an app are all on the drawing board. There will be an entry fee for day-trippers in January of next year.
If you want to make a difference in Italy's most mobbed city, come out of season and don't go on a day trip. Stay for a few days using the community-powered, home-sharing platform Fairbnb and meet Venetians who are passionate about their city. Local restaurants with lagoon-caught seafood are more likely to serve it at meals.
The Abruzzo region doesn't have the glamour of Amalfi or the culture of Rome, but it does hit the spot for travelers who are looking for animmersing, emotional brush with rural Italy and its people. The Abruzzo region was hit by an earthquake in 2009, but is slowly recovering.
There is a new outpost of Rome's MAXXI in the town of L'Aquila. The sextantio albergo diffuso program is located in Santo Stefano di Sessanio. The icing on the cake is being able to spot rare Marsican bears.
The article was first published in October of 2011.
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