Italy Bucket List: Our Real Take On 10 Popular Destinations (From The Amalfi Coast To Venice)

Imagine sitting at a tiny outdoor table in a crowded restaurant with a buzzy atmosphere set in a narrow cobbled street on a warm evening, eating authentic Neapolitan pizza and drinking a glass of delicious red wine. Welcome to Italy! There are few travel destinations in the world that excite and delight us as much as Italy – we just love its history, attractions, architecture and food.

Across trips in July 2018 and May 2022, we’ve spent a total of 5 weeks exploring the most popular tourist spots in the northern and central areas of the country. The first time we were broke backpackers doing it on the cheap, but the second time we had a much healthier budget so we lavishly splurged on the finer things in life – which was essentially more pizza and more wine.

Our personal favorite places to visit in Italy are Rome, Florence and the Amalfi Coast. Knowing what we know now, they are the three places we’d prioritize if we were short on time and planning our first Italy itinerary all over again. But with more time? Well, that’s what our guide to the most amazing Italian travel destinations is all about, so let’s get started!

Note: Our content is reader supported and contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you and it helps us keep this site running.

Rome

The sprawling and vibrant Eternal City is one of our favorite places to visit in Europe and maybe even the world. Why? Because we love that Rome’s top tourist experiences are centered around ancient history, totally unique architecture, and delicious food. It was always near the top of our bucket list, and even though we’ve already been twice, we can’t wait to go again.

The Colosseum, Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Spanish Steps and countless Piazzas are fascinating to visit, and they’re also places we have trouble putting our cameras down. Here are our favorite photo spots in Rome if you’re interested in photography.

Our top recommendations for Rome are to take a foodie walking tour like this one or a pasta making class like this one through the charming Trastevere neighborhood, as well as joining this unmissable guided tour of the Vatican Museum and this top rated tour of the Colosseum with our favorite tour company called Walks of Italy. We don’t always do guided tours, but places like the Vatican and Colosseum are once in a lifetime sites that should be done right.

We actually tried to visit the Vatican independently in 2018 and got stuck in line for hours, just to be packed in like sardines. It was honestly the worst experience. So we paid extra for this expert guided tour during our second trip to Rome in May 2022 and it was a complete game changer. It’s the tour we recommend to friends, family and clients who book travel planning calls with us.

Important: The Vatican Museum changed its opening time from 9:00 AM to 8:00 AM in 2024, after our 2023 visit. The tour we took used to enter before the public, but now it begins as the museum opens at 8:00 AM. That said, we still think this tour (it’s called Pristine Sistine by Walks of Italy) offers the best value for money vs any other Vatican tour because it’s among the very first to enter, the expert guide hits the major sites in the right order including the Sistine Chapel, and it includes a special “side-door” access straight to St. Peter’s – rather than having to leave the museum and join a separate 1-2 hour line for the basilica. This side door access is only included on guided tours, so it’s a massive perk.

We’d say 4 days in Rome is perfect for a first visit to see and do most of the city’s highlights at a relaxing pace. We found it to be enough time to walk around all areas of the city, tick off the top attractions, see lesser visited places like the Baths of Caracalla and the Borghese Gallery, and soak up the lively energy. That said, we do think three days is still plenty of time to condense the major sights, two days is good enough for prioritizing the Vatican and Colosseum, and even one day is doable by booking this popular Rome in a day tour with Walks of Italy.

So far we’ve stayed in the Centro Storico and Monti, but we’d happily stay in any of these 5 Roman neighborhoods. If it’s your first time, you really can’t go wrong with hotel like Albergo del Senato near the Pantheon, but Dimora ai Fori near the Colosseum in Monti is better for being closer to Termini train station, and Trastevere is where we’d stay if we wanted a base in the liveliest foodie part of the city.

Rome Snapshot

Our verdict: We absolutely love Rome. It’s such a cool city to explore, with true bucket list attractions and amazing food.

Don’t miss: The Vatican, Colosseum and Roman Forum, and Trastevere in the evening.

Crowd factor: Busy at top attractions (especially the Vatican), but surprisingly quiet otherwise.

Biggest regrets: Not joining a guided tour of the Colosseum on either trip, not taking a cooking class or food tour, and not getting to see the Borghese Gallery because we didn’t book tickets in advance.

Ideal stay: Four days to see the highlights slowly, or three days to see it all a bit quicker.

Skip it if: Not interested in big, busy, touristy cities.

Florence

Florence is the beating heart of Tuscany, Italy’s dreamiest tourist destination. We expected to like Florence, but it still surprised us in a big way. It turned out to be a gorgeous city with intricate cobbled streets, lovely piazzas, and more museums than you can shake a stick at. We loved how small, compact and walkable it was – ticking off our list of attractions felt easy. If we were planning a 2-week trip through Italy and wanted to put one chill day in there, it would be in Florence. It has that sort of vibe.

We spent 3 days in Florence and thought it was the perfect amount of time to slowly soak it all in, hit the major attractions, find plenty of great restaurants, and discover a few hidden gem photo spots. Two days would be doable but a rush. In terms of lodging, we stayed at Palazzo della Stufa Residenza D’Epoca near the Basilica di San Lorenzo. It was a great location but next time we’d book Hotel Calimala or Portanera. Here’s our guide on the best areas to stay in Florence if you’re not sure where to book a hotel.

There’s so many fun things to do in Florence, but we highly recommend going up the Torre di Arnolfo in Palazzo Vecchio for an amazing view of the Duomo (see our photo above), visiting Florence Duomo itself along with the five additional sites included on the Brunelleschi Pass (book this in advance), walking across the Ponte Vecchio, seeing David in the Accademia and gazing upon Renaissance masterpieces inside the Uffizi Galleries. If we were shorter on time, we’d 100% join this Florence in a day guided tour with Walks of Italy that covers the city’s major highlights and attractions.

Of all the basilicas and less visited attractions, we’d say the Basilica di Santa Croce is the best to include. We also loved Piazzale Michelangelo for sunset – it was crowded but it had a stunning view over the city. An insider tip we discovered when doing the sunset was to walk further uphill to the terrace at San Miniato, we had the view to ourselves. Or a fantastic alternative we’d definitely do next time is joining this sunset walking foodie tour through Florence’s trendy Oltrarno area.

But what about discovering Tuscany’s famous rolling hills, sunsets, cooking classes and wineries? Honestly, we think Tuscany kind of needs to be a proper trip of its own to do it right. That said, the two ways to do it quickly are to take a guided day trip like this wine tasting experience or this Tuscan towns day trip from Florence into Tuscany, or rent a car in Florence and drive around the region independently for more flexibility but that comes with a bit more stress. We’d rent a car in Novoli rather than Florence train station or downtown to avoid any ZTL congestion fines, and we’d plot a driving route through places like Panzano, Chianti, San Gimignano, Montepulciano, Pienza and Val d’Orcia.

Florence Snapshot

Our verdict: We think Florence has a unique charm, along with a perfect blend of fun things to do, food, size, and vibe.

Don’t miss: The Duomo’s Dome, an evening in Oltrarno, and wine windows in Santa Croce.

Crowd factor: Swarming at the Accademia and Duomo, but not too bad everywhere else.

Biggest regrets: Visiting Medici Palace instead of Medici Chapels, and not having 2-3 days spare for Tuscany.

Ideal stay: Three full days in Florence to see it all comfortably, or five days to include Tuscany.

Skip it if: We wouldn’t skip Florence from a first time Italy trip.

Amalfi Coast

We’d heard mixed reviews about the Amalfi Coast so we arrived with some apprehension, but it turned out to be truly amazing and we couldn’t understand the negativity. Sure it was busy, expensive and not easy to get around (even though we used trains, buses and ferries which we think works better than renting a car), but it was also incredibly picturesque and there were so many amazing things to see and do.

We spent close to 2 weeks hopping between Naples, Herculaneum, Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri, Positano, Praiano, Amalfi and Salerno. We’ll admit it was was a bit chaotic with all the moving around, but being able to stay in so many different places was awesome because this area had always been on our Italy bucket list. If we took a standalone trip to this region specifically, we’d cut it down to 10 days on the Amalfi Coast for a more efficient itinerary.

Sorrento was lovely and it was where most of the highest rated foodie tours originated, so we wished we spent an extra day there before moving on. Next time, we’ll book this farm and food experience with olive oil, limoncello and wine or this pizza making class with wine and limoncello tasting. We actually think Sorrento is the perfect place to use as a base for exploring the Amalfi Coast without moving around, which is how we’d probably do it later in life.

Capri turned out to be our favorite part of the Amalfi Coast in pure terms of how much it had going on (we’re not the sit around doing nothing types). We loved our 3 day trip to Capri, hiking miles of coastline, taking a chairlift to Monte Solaro, visiting beaches and gardens, going to the notorious Blue Grotto, and eating in fancy restaurants. Here’s our guide on where to stay in Capri – both sides of the island have their own vibe. You can also buy a pdf version of our 3 days in Capri itinerary to follow during your trip.

Positano was also a relaxing place to spend a few days, despite the steep hills! It definitely felt bougier, it was more expensive, and there wasn’t a huge amount to do, but we still enjoyed the high-end buzz. Praiano was tiny with not much going on, and Amalfi was a bit like Positano but not quite as polished. That said, we did go to a great paper museum in Amalfi, and its Duomo was very photogenic. We walked through the tunnel to Atrani and it was okay, but not as nice as we’d expected.

We also loved hiking Path of the Gods – we went up from Praiano and down into Positano before taking a bus back to our cliffside hotel in Praiano. The traditional way to do it is Bomerano to Nocelle, but we think it’s easier to take a bus from Positano to Nocelle, walk out and back, then bus back to Positano at the end (here’s the bus timetable). It’s a fantastic walk with special views, so we wouldn’t miss it.

Another place we absolutely loved on the Amalfi Coast was Ravello. We took a bus up from Amalfi and spent a wonderful few hours walking around stunning places like Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone which both had magical views over the sea. Getting back to Amalfi from Ravello in the early evening was a nightmare with hundreds of people waiting for very few (and very not on time!) buses, but we managed to team up with a few other travelers and split a taxi back. Read our where to stay on the Amalfi Coast guide for a breakdown of where to book hotels and where to avoid in each place along the coastline.

Amalfi Coast Snapshot

Our verdict: Expensive and logistically challenging, but incredible scenery and uplifting atmosphere. Must see.

Don’t miss: Low key dinner in Sorrento, at least a day exploring Capri, posh dinner in Positano, hiking Path of the Gods, and views from Villa Cimbrone in Ravello.

Crowd factor: Genuinely not as crowded as expected. Capri ferry port was slammed, Amalfi was busier than Positano.

Biggest regrets: Not having more time in Sorrento, booking a hotel too high up in Positano, wasting a day in Praiano.

Ideal stay: Ten days to hop between the major towns and highlights at a reasonable pace.

Skip it if: Don’t want to deal with challenging logistics, not bothered by “sea view” destinations.

Gulf Of Naples

When researching and planning our first Italy itinerary we read so many polar opposite things about Naples. In the end we decided to stay for a few nights to give it a try, and we’re glad we did. It was better than we expected, but if we’re being totally honest we think there are more attractive and safer tourist spots to visit in Italy than Naples. Let’s just say we wouldn’t hurry back like we would Rome or Florence.

So why visit at all? Well, for starters we think the ruins of Pompeii is truly unmissable. The ruins of Herculaneum and hiking up to Mt Vesuvius are also great additions, we enjoyed both despite transport and tickets getting complicated, and Naples is the transport hub for those three famous sites. We also went to Negombo thermal baths in Ischia which was nice and relaxing. So there’s quite a few awesome spots nearby.

Plus, Naples has the best pizza in Italy (we at at Donna Sofia and can vouch for that), a superb archaeological museum with loads of original Pompeii artifacts, a unique Centro Storico with narrow cobbled streets, a lively and bustling atmosphere with down to earth locals, tons of history, and a real authentic feel. It’s the place we recommend to people who want to experience a non-touristy version of Italy.

The negativity mostly comes from the mafia, garbage not being collected, and safety at night. And we’ll admit we did find it a bit intimidating walking out of Naples train station, even during broad daylight. We felt like deer in headlights. Plus, the apartment we booked in the Centro Storico had 3 different locks on the door, which speaks for itself really. That said, we didn’t have a single issue. So maybe it’s all just on the surface.

Our advice is go to Naples if you’re a seasoned traveler who feels comfortable with a gritty but authentic place, otherwise book a hotel like Grand Hotel Royal or Maison de Luxe in Pompeii and join this top rated guided tour of the ruins to make the most of your experience. That’s how we’d do the Gulf of Naples before continuing down to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast next time.

Naples Snapshot

Our verdict: Happy we went but wouldn’t rush back to the city itself. Nearby iconic sites make it worth the trip.

Don’t miss: Pompeii ruins, and eating pizza in Naples centro storico.

Crowd factor: Not touristy in the city, Pompeii and Vesuvius were crowded but Herculaneum was quiet.

Biggest regrets: None, we did the Gulf of Naples well.

Ideal stay: We’d say two days is plenty for Naples itself, plus at least one if not two days for Pompeii, Herculaneum and/or Vesuvius.

Skip it if: Rather just get straight down to Sorrento. Can always just visit Pompeii from Sorrento, before getting into the Amalfi Coast.

Venice

Venice is the most alluring city in Italy, right? It’s full of mystery, romance, history and intrigue. But while it might be seductive, it was the one place from our 2018 trip that made us both say “never again!”

To be fair, the 3 nights we spent in Venice were at the beginning of July so it was hot, expensive and ridiculously busy. Plus, we couldn’t really afford to visit many attractions so we didn’t properly “do” Venice. But a few years have passed since then, and if you asked us now that older and wiser, and with more money in the travel budget, we’d jump at the chance to go again – just not in the summer when it’s swarming with tourists.

Despite the obvious overcrowding issues (it now costs 10 euros to enter the city on a day trip), we do think Venice is a super unique and cool place to explore so it really should be on every first timers Italy wishlist. Walking the endless maze of alleys, bridges and canals was a lot of fun – but trust us when we say it was also very easy to get lost, so we recommend tracking your location on a maps app!

There’s tons of museums and basilicas to visit, and there’s almost too many top rated restaurants to choose between. We remember restaurants in Venice being more expensive than Florence and Rome in general, but the food was great. If we went back, we’d book a nice mid-range hotel like Palazzo Veneziano or Palazzo Keller rather than a cheaper budget hotel because part of really doing Venice is having a little splurge and treating yourself.

Venice’s main attraction St. Mark’s Square felt a bit like Times Square to us, just without the flashing lights. We weren’t huge fans and we certainly didn’t waste money eating or drinking in the square. That said, the Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica are unmissable. They’re the two things we’d prioritize above anything else in Venice. This after hours guided night tour of St. Mark’s Basilica would be a really cool and different way to see it without the crowds.

We also took a boat across to Lido to sit on the beach for a few hours, and it was okay but we wouldn’t do it again. Beaches are a dime a dozen and this is Venice. Next time we’d join this popular boat tour to Murano and Burano to see glassblowing and lace being made instead. It looks like a really easy way to get stuck into the other side of Venice.

Finally, the one thing that divides opinion is gondola rides – it’s so cheesy and ludicrously expensive, but at the same time it’s quintessential Venice. We haven’t done one and we probably wouldn’t next time either, unless we joined this extremely popular Venice in a day guided tour which combines St. Mark’s Basilica, the Doge’s Palace and a gondola ride with a walking tour of most tourist sites in Venice. We’d say it’s the best value way to tick off the floating city’s highlights.

Venice Snapshot

Our verdict: We didn’t love Venice but we’d go again with an open mind and we do think it’s a must-visit for most first-timers.

Don’t miss: St. Mark’s Basilica, Doge’s Palace, Rialto Bridge and generally getting lost among the canals.

Crowd factor: It’s busy everywhere.

Biggest regrets: Walking from the train station to our hotel with suitcases, rather than taking the water boat. Wasting time at Lido, and not the travel budget to actually experience Venice.

Ideal stay: We’d say two full days to see it all, only increasing to three if plenty of activities are booked.

Skip it if: Don’t want to deal with manic crowds or overpriced everything.

Cinque Terre

The Cinque Terre or “five lands” is a stunning region near La Spezia with five coastal towns interconnected by a train line and a scenic hiking path. We remember arriving with no expectations but being pleasantly surprised by how photogenic the towns of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso al Mare turned out to be.

On our first day we took a train to each of the five towns to get a feel for them, and we determined that Corniglia was our least favorite. But we especially liked Vernazza’s colorful cliffside buildings and Monterosso al Mare’s beach, so on our second day we hiked between the two furthest north towns on the coastal path and it was fantastic. The sea views were amazing and it felt like we were doing the Cinque Terre properly.

We considered staying in one of the towns but ended up booking a hotel near the train station in La Spezia instead so we could drop our bags off and take easy train shuttles into the towns. It worked okay, but next time we’d definitely stay in one of the towns, probably at a place like Camere Giuliano Basso in our favorite town Vernazza. We missed out on that feeling of being two of very few people left late in the evening and awake first thing in the morning with no day-trippers around, and we felt like that was a mistake.

Overall, we thought the colorful buildings perched on rugged cliffs, small sandy beaches, and rocky coves more than lived up to the hype. And both the train and especially the hiking path worked great to connect between them. But one of the things we found surprisingly disappointing was the lack of highly rated restaurants in the coastal towns. So other than grabbing a slice of pizza for lunch, we ate breakfast and dinner in La Spezia instead.

Overall, we wouldn’t say the Cinque Terre is absolutely essential to your first time in Italy, but it’s a lovely place to spend a few days if you have extra time or you’re looking for something a bit different.

Cinque Terre Snapshot

Our verdict: Not essential for a first visit, more of a “luxury” for Italy trips with 3+ weeks.

Don’t miss: Hiking between Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare.

Crowd factor: Not too busy, even on the trains.

Biggest regrets: Staying in La Spezia instead of a coastal town.

Ideal stay: Two days is easily enough, even a day trip is doable from somewhere like Florence.

Skip it if: Sticking to the “core” Italy tourist destinations.

Milan

Milan is well known as being one of the “big four” fashion capitals of the world, but it also has two famous football teams (Inter and AC), tons of museums and basilicas, stunning architecture, and one of the most famous opera houses on the planet called La Scala.

After Rome, Milan is Italy’s second city, so it’s overflowing with plenty of classy hotels and amazing restaurants. We passed through Milan quickly when we went to Lake Como, without really going into any attraction at all. It was a real shame but we just didn’t have the time to explore and we wanted to see the lake over the city. So we’ll start our next Italy itinerary with a good few days in Milan to make up for it.

Top of our agenda will be seeing Da Vinci’s The Last Supper in the Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie. But we’d have to get organized and book tickets for it the second they’re released because they sell out instantly. Tickets become available in March for May-August visits, in July for September-December visits etc. If tickets were sold out we’d try to book this Milan highlights tour which includes coveted Last Supper tickets along with the Duomo and other popular spots, but those tours also sell out fast.

Also on our list would be taking a tour of the stunning Duomo di Milano which we’d book in advance, walking around Parco Sempione and seeing Castello Sforzesco, seeing art exhibitions in Pinacoteca di Brera, eating food in the stunning Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, and hopefully having the chance to watch an opera at La Scala.

We’d plan to stay at a hotel near the Duomo like the aptly named Duomo Hotel or a little further northwest at Palazzo Segreti which is closer to better restaurants and slightly less touristy. And we’d love to join this early evening foodie tour to see a different side to Milan.

The other great thing about Milan is its location within Italy and its connectivity to many other popular parts of Europe. It’s close to the Alps and Dolomites for hiking or skiing, the French Riviera isn’t far away, other countries like Switzerland and Austria are nearby and finally the famous Italian lakes are just a stones throw away. We think this makes Milan one of the most appealing hubs to use for onward travel.

Milan Snapshot

Our verdict: Really liked the small amount of Milan we saw and can’t wait to do it properly next time.

Don’t miss: Da Vinci’s The Last Supper is the real highlight, touring the Duomo, opera at La Scala.

Crowd factor: Not as touristy and overcrowded as Rome, but a big city with a lively atmosphere.

Biggest regrets: Not having enough time to really see the city.

Ideal stay: We think two full days would be enough if planned well.

Skip it if: Short on time in Italy and want to see a lake over the city.

Lake Como

Is Lake Como on your Italy bucket list? It was on ours too, and for the most part our 2-day visit didn’t disappoint. The mountainous scenery was spectacular, the small lakeside towns were incredibly attractive, and the whole place had that over-the-top ritzy and glamorous appeal we expected. But while it was idyllic, there were definitely some negative aspects too.

First, it was much quieter than we expected so the atmosphere was a bit drab. Second, there wasn’t a huge amount to do so we ended up twiddling our thumbs at times. And third, the ferry timetables might as well not have existed because they made it up as they went along – and when we asked when the very late ferry would arrive, the guys operating them laughed at us and said “whenever it arrives”. It’s funny to look back on, but it wasn’t at the time.

Oh, and the only time we got those postcard perfect lake-and-town views (like in our photo above) was from the public ferries as we floated between Varenna, Bellagio and Menaggio. So we ended up riding ferries a lot just to take real and mental images of the towns backed by mountains. We found that without a rental car there wasn’t much we could do or see other than eating and drinking in the three main towns. We’d have liked to visit Villa del Balbianello (from Star Wars and Casino Royale) but it’s a pain to reach independently.

We also didn’t bother going to the city of Como at all, instead we took the train from Milan to Varenna and stayed in a cute B&B called Tosca House. Staying in Varenna was the right call and the B&B was an affordable gem among a sea of very expensive lodging options. It was located between the train station and the public ferries to Bellagio and Menaggio. Honestly, we think Lake Como would be a much better experience on a luxury Italy trip with the budget to stay at a swanky Bellagio hotel like Belvedere Bellagio.

Mark drove around Lake Lugano and Lake Maggiore years ago with his dad and they were way less touristy than Lake Como. One of the reasons Lake Como is so touristy is because it’s easy to access as a day trip or overnight stay from Milan by train, bus or a day trip tour like this one. Next time we’d like to drive around Lake Garda instead because it looks stunning.

Lake Como Snapshot

Our verdict: Glad we saw it but wouldn’t go back unless we had a very healthy budget.

Don’t miss: Eating and drinking in Varenna and Bellagio.

Crowd factor: Busy during day but very quiet at night.

Biggest regrets: Not having the budget to do Lake Como properly.

Ideal stay: Two days is more than enough time.

Skip it if: Traveling on a tight budget, don’t love sitting around.

Siena

Heading back to Tuscany, we want to highlight Siena specifically because we really enjoyed our 3-day stay in the much smaller, quieter, and more affordable version of Florence. Just like Florence, Siena had its own photogenic Duomo, narrow cobbled streets and a huge piazza with a tower to go up for views over the city (the tower in our photo above). But unlike Florence, the town was pretty much tourist-free.

Now, Siena definitely didn’t have the same energetic buzz and chaotic-in-a-good-way vibe as Florence, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. We’d just spent almost two weeks on the Amalfi Coast and four action-packed days in Rome, so we really needed something a bit more relaxing and Siena was just what the doctor ordered.

We devoured delicious food and wine in restaurant cellars, sipped on amaretto sours from bar balconies above the vast Piazza del Campo, went up the Duomo and Palazzo Pubblico tower, walked around Fortezza Medicea, and generally just watched the world go by. It was such a nice break from constant attractions and days brimming with activities or travel.

We wouldn’t prioritize Siena over Florence, but we would consider combining them into the same Italy trip, even without renting a car. Siena was an easy stopping off point between Rome and Florence during our 2023 Italy trip, but next time we’d definitely rent a car and drive a one-way 3-5 day route through Tuscany’s highlights.

Two nights was more than enough time for us to see everything in Siena and find a few great restaurants like Osteria Permalico and Osteria Cice. Honestly, just the one night would have been plenty. It’s also worth considering that Siena could be a better base for taking intimate wine tours like this one because far fewer people are starting tours from Siena vs Florence.

Siena Snapshot

Our verdict: Lovely, relaxing and picturesque escape from the crowds.

Don’t miss: Duomo and Palazzo Pubblico towers for views, affordable food and wine.

Crowd factor: Nowhere near the tourist hordes of Florence, very quiet at night.

Biggest regrets: Not renting a car to explore further into Tuscany.

Ideal stay: One night is ample to see Siena, but two nights is ideal for a relaxing break between Rome and Florence. If driving Tuscany, we’d stay in a farmhouse somewhere near Pienza or Montepulciano instead.

Skip it if: Short on time for Italy and focusing on the major cities.

Sardinia

Let’s move away from mainland Italy and head out into the Mediterranean Sea to the surprisingly large island of Sardinia. Mark’s dad once had a small boat in Alghero marina for a few years, so he used to take 3-4 cheap Ryanair flights a year from England to Alghero to take advantage of the free accommodation!

The charming old town of Alghero with its obvious Spanish influence, lovely cobblestone streets, and encircling 16th century stone sea walls is a lovely place to walk around on a warm evening with a tasty gelato after dinner. There aren’t many tourists around (especially compared to the likes of Rome, Florence and Venice), and it feels more like a beach vacation than a city break.

Oh, and here’s an insider tip – Alghero’s best beach isn’t the one closest to the old town, it’s actually the white sands of Spiaggia di Maria Pia which is a little further to the north. Mark would run up the beach most mornings and spend a few hours on the beach before heading back to Alghero for a pizza and wine lunch.

And there’s a lot more to Sardinia than just Alghero. In the northeast you’ve got celebrity spotting and white sand beaches in the Costa Smeralda (Emerald Coast), or San Teodoro for a cheaper version with the same beauty. And to the south is the lively and historic port city of Cagliari with more superb sandy beaches, or the stunning protected coastal area near Villasimius.

We know Sardinia isn’t going to be on everyone’s Italian bucket list, but it’s a great less-visited place to include on a second or third trip to have a break from the hustle and bustle. Next time we visit Italy we want to spend a few days in Sicily in the south for a totally different type of island stay. We’d say they’re the two beachy-island style places to consider adding to the classic Rome, Florence and Venice itinerary.

Sardinia Snapshot

Our verdict: Fantastic for a few days relaxing on the beach without Rome-level tourists.

Don’t miss: Beach life, Alghero’s old town, national parks, boat trips.

Crowd factor: Very quiet.

Biggest regrets: Not having time to rent a car and drive the whole island.

Ideal stay: Two days minimum to hit the beach and recharge between major city itineraries.

Skip it if: Don’t like the beach, don’t have time.

Next Steps

We he hope our guide helps you figure out where to visit in Italy.

If you’d like more personalized help, book a 1-on-1 call with us and we’ll help you choose the best places to visit based on your travel style, answer any questions you have, and walk you through planning the best possible itinerary. See how we can help you.

Still researching for your trip?

• This is our 14 days in Italy itinerary.
• Here are the top things to do in Capri.
• This is our Amalfi Coast itinerary.
• These are the top things to do in Rome.
• Here are the top things to do in Florence.

Finally, if you’ll be visiting more places on the same trip, we recommend reading our Italy travel guide for more helpful tips and advice.

Happy Travels,

Mark and Kristen

Find our guide helpful? Pin it for later!

All Rights Reserved © Where Are Those Morgans, LLC. Republishing this article and/or any of its contents (text, photography, maps, graphics, etc.) in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.