Italy

Italy is our second-largest destination, and it is easy to see why. Rome is a city of layers, from the Colosseum and the Forum to the Vatican, baroque piazzas and fountains. Florence holds the Uffizi, Michelangelo’s David and the great dome of its cathedral. Venice, built on more than a hundred small islands, still moves by boat. Each is wonderful on its own, and the fast trains between them make it simple to see all three.

Further south, Naples is the gateway to Pompeii, Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and Capri, where the coast road winds above the sea. Tuscany brings Pisa, Siena and the towers of San Gimignano, and the north offers Milan’s fashion and Leonardo’s Last Supper, Lake Como, Verona, Padua, Bologna and the Italian Riviera at Portofino and Genoa. Palermo and the rest of Sicily feel like a different country again.

Food and drink

Every region cooks differently. Pizza in Naples, cacio e pepe and carbonara in Rome, bistecca alla fiorentina in Florence, risotto in Milan, tagliatelle with ragù and mortadella in Bologna, arancini in Sicily. Wine is everywhere, from Chianti and Brunello in Tuscany to Prosecco in the Veneto and Barolo in Piedmont. Gelato, espresso and the early-evening aperitivo are daily rituals.

How to travel

Our Italy rail tours link Rome, Florence and Venice by high-speed train, and Italy and Greece can be combined by rail. City breaks, day tours from Rome and Naples, private guided walks and photo shoots at the Colosseum suit shorter stays. For the countryside, our self-drive routes cover Tuscany and northern Italy, the Italy loop from Rome, and Calabria with Sicily. Private van tours bring Italy together with France, Switzerland and Central Europe.