Italy travel guide

I fell in love with Italy on a trip organised by the art tutor of my sixth-form college. We travelled in an old VW van, driving from the Alps right down to Sicily. We slept in campsites, set up easels in pigeon-flocked piazzas, and, for six weeks, generally had a fantastic time. That trip not only kick-started my ardour for Italy, but for travel itself. Back then (don’t even think to ask when) there were no cruise ships clogging Venice, nor indeed many tourists. You hardly had to queue for the Uffizi; certainly not for the Sistine Chapel. Puglia was truly wild, and Sicily even more so. I remember my first taste of pizza, bought from a truck on an empty tamarisk-backed beach, then falling asleep on the van’s roof while the sky exploded with stars. I didn’t even mind the mosquitoes.
Since then I have visited every year and, yes, it’s changed, but the magic holds. What do I mean by that? Well, Italy for me is not just about copious art treasures and fantastically preserved cities. It’s as much to do with gazing out to sea at dusk and letting that milky-blue light act as a balm to your eyes. It’s there in the egalitarian spirit of its bars, the any-age-welcome chattiness you find both in the morning (and how quickly they can make fuss-free cappuccino) and during aperitivo hour. Magic exists in the smell of a calle: a melding of warm ancient stone, of bread just baked, or some delicious ragu and the echoing hum of chattering voices. And it is certainly present at passeggiata — the proud evening parade of babies and toddlers, of old men sucking ice creams, and flirting couples. For me, Italy is as much to do with its people as the country itself.
Main photo: Orta San Giulio island in Piedmont, Italy (Getty Images)
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There’s very little that a trip to Italy can’t offer, however discerning your tastes. If you want to dip into the bounty of its art and architecture — be it Roman, Renaissance or baroque — then you should factor in a city break to Rome, Florence or Venice. Bear in mind that these three get packed in peak season, and are more pleasant to visit in shoulder seasons, or even winter.
The same holds true for Pompeii and Herculaneum. With recent excavations having uncovered a well-preserved Roman chariot and a painted fast-food counter, Pompeii is having a bit of a moment. Book a guide before you go rather than opting for one of the touts at the entrance.
However, if culture is not your thing and you’d rather be dazzled by pretty seaside towns, consider the fishing villages of Liguria’s Cinque Terre. You can travel by train to each one, or hike from village to village. The Amalfi coast, where terracotta and pastel houses come stacked like opera boxes above horseshoe bays, is certainly dazzling — but in peak season it’s rammed. Save a visit here for May or late September.
Beaches are generally peerless on the Adriatic side, particularly around Rimini, then further south in Puglia (I recommend the lesser-known Punta Prosciutto, 40 minutes west of Lecce). The more famous the resort, the more likely those white sands have been bagged by expensive and ritzy beach clubs.
If you want to be by water, but not necessarily at a beach, consider the Italian lakes. George Clooney has given gorgeous Lake Como extra sheen, but there are quieter lakes that are just as lovely: I recommend Orta, Iseo and Trasimeno.
Finally, to Tuscany. With its cypress-studded hillsides, vineyard-clad valleys and hill towns, Tuscany is as dreamy as a Leonardo da Vinci backdrop, particularly south of Siena: hike, explore its towns, or stay put in a honey-toned villa. Whatever you choose, don’t miss out on the wine.
When it comes to accommodation, Italians are generally pretty imaginative — witness the growing trend for transforming abandoned rural villages and hill towns into alberghi diffusi, or scattered hotels. I have stayed in a number of these and the best skilfully balance preservation of the past with seamless updates worthy of five-star ratings. Some still have elderly residents, happy to stay in their freshly restored homes rather than see their village die. The format usually comprises a bunch of guest houses or self-catering options, sometimes a grand rural hotel in what was the castle, then inevitably a café and charming restaurant. If you’re after a Tuscan wine tour, consider the medieval hamlet of Borgo Lucignanello Bandini in vineyard-stuffed Montalcino. Hikers will like Albergo Diffuso Locanda Senio, in the village of Pallazzuolo (between Florence and Bologna), or Abruzzo’s stone cottages known as Sextantio, in Santo Stefano di Sessanio.
For a city break you’ll have plenty of choice, from a simple pensione to chic boutique hotels or a deluxe five-star in an architecturally noteworthy building. Alternatively, rent an apartment. Venice was the first city to catch on to the trend and now has a number of gorgeous apartments available, often in Grand Canal-facing palazzi.
Puglia is, of course, the place for those conical-roofed trulli houses, and they have earned the town of Alberobello Unesco world heritage status. They’re an ideal choice in summer, or indeed any time of the year, as the stone keeps cool when you need it and provides warmth in winter months.
For beach lovers, Italy has good campsites, family-run alberghi, or push the boat out at one of its spectacular coastal hotels. The best include Portofino’s Belmond Hotel Splendido, then, in Positano, Le Sirenuse, or try Hotel Il Pellicano in Porto Ercole, Tuscany.
• Best luxury villas in Tuscany• Best hotels in Florence• Best hotels on the Amalfi coast• Best hotels in Venice
Inevitably, Italophiles have bagged their favourite part of the country and, in peak season, parts of Tuscany, Puglia, much of Capri and the northwestern coast of Sardinia become laden with holidaymakers. All is not lost, and Italy still has some attractive, lesser-known alternatives. Consider Le Marche on the eastern side of the peninsula. It has undulating farmland and ancient hill towns (such as Raphael’s birthplace, Urbino), that easily match any Tuscan counterpart, alongside 100 miles of coastline with plenty of good sandy beaches. It is also significantly more affordable.
If a Venice city break leaves you yearning for breathing space, head for its hinterland. The Veneto is a fascinating region, home to prosecco-producing vineyards and dreamy, less-visited towns. I recommend a stay at Asolo where both Robert Browning and Freya Stark once lived. Alternatively, combine a visit to Venice with a stay on its Lido. Many of the hotels here have bikes, and you can cycle the length of the Lido, hop on a ferry and cycle as far as the island of Chioggia.
Calabria has yet to reach Puglia’s popularity, but it has its attractions. It’s like the Amalfi Coast without the crowds, and charming towns such as Santa Maria di Castellabate retain their authenticity. Popular with Neapolitan families who flock here for its sandy beaches, it is rare to hear an English voice. Stay at the Palazzo Belmonte, the only seaside palazzo in Italy. Here, gorgeous gardens overlook the sea and you’ve a good choice of self-catering apartments within its stone walls. And don’t miss the ancient ruins at Paestum — just a 20-minute bus ride away.
If Portofino is beyond your budget, try neighbouring Camogli. This dreamy Ligurian seaside town comprises colourful houses overlooking a surf-bashed beach. Lively but unpretentious, it has some great little restaurants and bars, and a regular ferry service to take you along the coast.
Travel in the winter months for skiing obviously, but when it comes to Italian city breaks, there’s no real bad time to visit. The weather is most pleasant during spring and autumn, and you’ll benefit from lower prices and fewer crowds. This, incidentally, is also the best time to travel if you’re planning to hike. Summers can be hot and muggy, especially in July and August, but the sultry evenings offer up a charm that’s hard to compete with, and the extra heat will help make the cool waters of the lakes or the sea all the more alluring.
• Best time to visit Italy
When’s the best month to visit Italy?I recommend early June for most of Italy. The weather has warmed up, the countryside around Tuscany and Umbria is peachy-perfect, and schools have yet to release their charges on to the beaches. Towards the end of June hotel prices start to rise, but not cripplingly so. It’s a good time to visit the islands too, particularly Sardinia, Ischia and Sicily.
What’s the easiest way to travel around Italy?The cliché about poor driving carries some truth, so rent something solid and sensible. Alternatively, trains, high-speed and local, link even small towns with the rest of the country and are generally efficient and affordable.
What’s considered rude in Italy?So you’ve perfected your “ciao” — just don’t use it on strangers. Always, greet shopkeepers with a polite “buonasera, signor/signora”, and a “grazie” as you leave. Never try to share a pizza with an Italian — they hate it. Never ask for parmesan on seafood pasta; it’s a complete no-no. And while Italians are used to us drinking cappuccinos after 11am, they still think we’re daft.
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