Italy: Cities and Regions

Milan and the Lake District It’s often said that Italy’s more industrialized northern region has more in common with bordering France and Switzerland than with the rest of Italy. It also includes some of Italy’s most picturesque mountain landscapes and the capital of Italy’s fashion industry, Milan. See our Milan and the Italian Lakes Travel Guides

Italian Riviera Bask in the coastal splendor of San Remo, Portofino, and Cinque Terre on the Italian Riviera. The once-powerful maritime city of Genoa, boyhood home of Christopher Columbus, and the French-influenced city of Turin, home of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games, are nearby.

Venice and The Veneto With its maze of canals and decaying, sienna-colored buildings, the famously-sinking city of Venice is unmatched for romance, even when it’s mobbed with tourists (as it usually is). The nearby countryside is dotted with villas designed by Renaissance master Palladio. See our Venice Travel Guide

Florence and Tuscany It’s hard to think of another city with as many masterpieces of Renaissance art and architecture as Florence. The nearby hill towns of San Gimignano, Assisi, and Siena – set amid Tuscany’s emblematic cypresses and vineyards – are sights in themselves. And don’t forget that tilted tower in Pisa. See our Florence and Tuscany Travel Guides

Rome Formerly the splendorous center of the vast Roman Empire, today’s Rome is a multilayered treasure trove of ruins and art that span centuries. The Vatican, dazzling Baroque churches, and the imperial glory of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum are all within reach. See our Rome Travel Guide

Naples, the Amalfi Coast, and Pompeii Naples is a zany, bustling city with a unique flavor – some stay to see the Archeological Museum and sample the street life while others move on to the stunning Amalfi Coast, with its cliff-hugging architecture, or to the ancient ruins at Pompeii. See our Positano and the Amalfi Coast Travel Guides

Southern Italy Most tourists don’t venture below the Amalfi Coast, but those who do can experience the glorious mozzarella of Campania, remarkably intact Greek temples in Paestum, and the once-inhabited Neolithic caves of Matera.

Sicily Visit the magnificent mosaics of Monreale, the ruined temples of Agrigento, and, in the southeast corner of the island, the three charmed cities of Syracuse, Catania, and Taormina. Don’t leave without getting lost amid the narrow lanes of the island’s biggest city, Palermo. See our Sicily Travel Guide

Bologna Home of the oldest university in Europe (founded in 1088), Bologna is a sienna-colored gem of gastronomic delights. Best of all, it’s pleasantly free of the tourist crush that descends upon perennial favorites like Venice and Florence.

Umbria Next door to Tuscany lies Umbria, a gentle landlocked region called “the green heart of Italy” for its rolling green countryside, peaceful valleys, hill-clinging towns, and important religious buildings and monuments. See our Umbria Travel Guide