The top 10 best Italian cities to visit

The UNESCO-protected capital of Tuscany is one of the world’s most beautiful treasures. This exquisite Italian city has hardly changed since the Renaissance, and you’ll see incredible art and architecture around every corner.

Wander down any of its narrow, cobbled streets and you’ll find fresco-decorated churches, medieval chapels, grand 15th-century palaces, marble basilicas, stylish boutiques, picture-perfect bridges and elegant restaurants. 

Whether you love art, or you simply want to spend time in one of the most beautiful cities in Italy, Florence is for you.

Don’t miss: The Uffizi Gallery has Italy’s best collection of Renaissance art

Trevi Fountain, Rome

For history buffs, the city of Rome is top of our list. As the capital of the Roman Empire, and, of course, Italy, wealthy Rome is full of historic and architectural masterpieces.

See the iconic Colosseum for yourself, as well as the Pantheon, Piazza Navona and, of course, the Trevi Fountain. You can also visit Vatican City, the centre for the Roman Catholic Church, which boasts the imposing Renaissance St Peter’s Basilica and of course the world-famous Sistine Chapel.

When you’re not looking at the city sights enjoy an authentic Italian gelato and an expresso in one of its many cafés.

Don’t miss: The Pantheon is the best-preserved monument of ancient Rome

Venice

Venice is so iconic it’s sometimes easy to overlook as it seems so familiar, but if you take time to visit this jaw-dropping Italian city you won’t be disappointed. Decayed grandeur, bobbing gondolas, imposing piazzas, domed cathedrals and romantic bridges over narrow canals… Venice has it all. Forget the gondola ride, instead stroll through St Mark’s Square, seek out the tiny little restaurants to try authentic Italian dishes, or go shopping for the best Italian cameos and Murano glass in the shops on the Rialto Bridge.

Don’t miss: Doge’s Palace is a masterpiece of Venetian Gothic architecture

Naples

Situated on the pretty Bay of Naples in southern Italy, Naples is one of Italy’s oldest and largest cities where modern life and ancient history live side by side. This Grand Dame of Italy has so much to offer from its beautiful beaches, pretty islands and pizzerias to its elegant pastel-coloured buildings, Roman ruins and dominating Mount Vesuvius. Enjoy a drink in Piazza Bellini, taste the best pizza you’ve ever had at Sorbillo, visit the ruined city of Pompeii and take a funicular to Castel Sant’Elmo for spectacular views over the city, bay and islands beyond.

Don’t miss: The fashionable Chiaia district on Naples’ seafront

Piazza Duomo, Milan

Milan may be Italy’s centre of fashion and design, but this compact little city has a warm heart. A stroll around its streets reveals the famous Duomo, the city’s imposing Gothic cathedral with 135 spires, and the Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie, celebrated home of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper.

Try traditional Milanese cuisine in one of the city’s many excellent restaurants and go shopping in the Galleria – a 19th-century glass-domed shopping arcade.

Don’t miss: Da Vinci’s The Last Supper in the Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie

Verona

This beautiful Italian city is forever remembered as the setting for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and although you can still walk through the narrow streets to stand underneath Juliet’s balcony, there’s a lot more to explore.

There’s a tangible sense of history in Verona’s old Italian piazzas, countless churches and narrow twisting lanes, and nowhere is this more visible than in the city’s huge Roman Arena. Once the setting for gladiatorial battles and chariot races, today the Verona Arena is a giant open-air opera house, drawing around 500,000 visitors each year to its Opera Festival. For lovers of classical music, and opera in particular, this spectacular annual event is not to be missed.

Don’t miss: Verona Arena, setting for the annual Verona Opera Festival

Leaning Tower of Pisa

While Pisa may be best known throughout the world for its famous Leaning Tower, the city has been an elite seat of learning in Italy since the 1400s. As such, it has a thriving and vibrant student population, bringing with it a lively restaurant and bar scene.

This, balanced with its serene and beautifully maintained Renaissance piazzas and Romanesque buildings – and of course its iconic Leaning Tower – gives Pisa a unique buzz and friendly charm that’s unlike any other Italian city.

Don’t miss: One of Italy’s most famous landmarks, the Leaning Tower of Pisa

Amafi Coast

Sorrento is a lovely coastal city, full of old Italian character and historic charm. This is the place to dip your toe into the delights of the chic Italian Riviera or the glamorous Amalfi Coast, whilst enjoying simple Italian pleasures like eating ice-cold gelato or trying a zesty limoncello – and perhaps even visiting one of the local lemon groves.

With its backdrop of steep hillsides dotted with genteel Italianate houses and, on a clear day, views all the way to Mount Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples, Sorrento is simply beautiful. It’s also the jumping off point for visits to the laid-back island of Ischia or exquisite Capri, the so-called ’jewel in the Bay of Naples’.

Don’t miss: Piazza Tasso, Sorrento’s cultural heart and historic main square

Cagliari, Sardinia

The capital of Sardinia has the youthful energy of all the best Italian cities – Vespas zip along streets and lively cafes spill onto pavements – but it also feels richly Mediterranean with golden stoned palazzi and palm-lined boulevards. Set by the sea in the extreme south of the island, Cagliari has a long history, evidenced in its old city ramparts, 13th-century cathedral and crowning hilltop citadel.

About an hour’s drive inland from the capital, Su Nuraxi is a fine example of Sardinia’s famous and unique Megalithic stone structures known as Nuraghi. Stepping through the remains of the towers, defensive walls and crescent-shaped courtyard in this UNESCO-listed site is like stepping back in time.

Don’t miss: Cathedral of Santa Maria, Cagliari

Interior of the Palatine Chapel of Palermo, Sicily

Sicily is Italy’s largest island and Palermo is its brilliant, beautiful capital. The city is full of reminders of Sicily’s ancient past, as well as its position in the Mediterranean between Italy and Africa.

From the glittering gold mosaics in the exquisite 12th-century Palatine Chapel to the curves, arches and geometric patterns carved into its cathedral façade, Palermo’s mix of Byzantine, Arabesque, Gothic and baroque architecture makes for a surprise at every turn. The city’s abundant open-air markets, souks and street stalls are also some of the best places to buy Italian and Sicilian treats to take home.

Don’t miss: Palatine Chapel, one of Palermo’s top attractions

Our Italy tours include those which focus on a particular Italian region like the Italian Lakes or Southern Italy, and others like our Grand Tour which takes you from the cultural highlights of Venice in the north to sun-drenched Sicily in the south, visiting many of our top ten cities en route.

Browse our full range of Italy tours and holidays online, or order a free brochure today.