Ultimate Italy bucket list! The best places to visit in Italy and Italy bucket list experiences for your next Italian vacation
Italy has a very special place in my heart.
It is the place where I was born and raised (I am from Rome) but it is also a country so beautiful, interesting and varied, I love it as a tourist too.
I started exploring Italy when I was a child, thanks to my parent’s relentless love for travel.
We used to mix time in a specific location with long road trips and this meant we saw an incredible number of places all over Italy.
The Dolomites and Tuscany became a second home to me and Puglia truly stole my heart!
Now that I have children of my own, I love to explore Italy again and share all of Italy’s most amazing places with them.
Today, I started writing down those I love the most!
Italy is a dream that keeps returning for the rest of your life — Anna Akhmatova, Russian Poet
Find more quotes about Italy here
To help you make practical use of this list, I have organized this what to see in Italy section by region and followed a somewhat North to South order.

Table of Contents
Milan and the Lake Region
The region of Milan is home to many pretty historical towns that can be easily visited as a day trip from Milan itself or make up the stops of a special Italian road trip.
Not to be missed are the city of Bergamo, with stunning medieval walls and town center, Pavia, the ancient capital of the Longobard kingdom and now a thriving university; of course Milan and of course, famous Lake Como, with its pretty views and some one of the most beautiful castles in Italy!
Our guides to Lombardia and Milan:

The Dolomites
The stunning Dolomites, Unesco World Heritage site and hikers paradise.
Not to be missed are the lovely city of Bolzano, which mixes Italian and Austrian influences in the architecture, food and culture, Brunico, Innichen/San Candido, one of the prettiest mountain towns in Italy, stunning lake Misurina and the now Instagram famous Braies lake as well as the incredible Three Peaks of Lavaredo, symbol of the area.
This is also a wonderful area if you are visiting Italy in December: it is the one with the best Christmas markets!
Our travel guides to Trentino Alto Adige:

Veneto – best place in Italy to experience Venice, lakes, mountains and food all in one!
Veneto is one of the powerhouses of Italian tourism and sees some of the most beautiful places to see Italy.
Here you find unique Venice, Verona, home to Juliet’s Balcony and a stunning ancient Roman arena, pretty Lake Garda and also the architectural marvels of the Palladian Villas, a series of beautiful villas by architect Palladio, dotting the Venetian countryside. Seeing all of this is easy and there are several ways to get from Verona to Lake Garda here.
Veneto also has one of the prettiest and most colorful towns in Italy, Burano: picture perfect!
Our travel guides to Venice and Veneto:
Liguria – best destination in Italy to see colorful houses and famous Cinque Terre
Liguria is home to some of the most beautiful places in Italy and a very popular one with visitors from near and far.
Here is where you find the picture-perfect villages of Cinque Terre, (Monterosso, Vernazza, Manarola, Corniglia and Riomaggiore), but also many more places worth seeing for their colorful homes, stunning coastal, views and amazing food.
Head to Porto Venere, San Fruttuoso, Portofino or Varigotti and make sure you explore Genova’s city center to see the best of Liguria (and taste the best pesto!)
Our travel guides to Liguria:
Cinque Terre are one of Italy’s most famous landmarks: find more here.
Sardinia – Sardegna: best destination in Italy for a sea and sun vacation
Sardinia is one of the most beautiful places in Italy for a sea and sun vacation and it also has some interesting and beautiful towns worth seeing.
Do not miss Alghero, a city with a lovely historical center with a distinctive character and peculiar Catalan influence and, for time on the beach, the stunning Maddalena, San Teodoro and Stintino, some of the most beautiful sea destinations in the Mediterranean.
For a holiday in Italy with kids, consider also family-friendly Orosei, perfect with little children.
Toscana – Tuscany: home of many of the most famous destinations in Italy
Tuscany is one of those places so full of beauty, it would almost be easier to say what not to see, than narrow down the best places to visit!

However, this is my shortlist.
For culture lovers, the cities of art such as Siena, Lucca, Pisa and of course Florence are not to be missed.
If you want to experience hilltop villages, then you want to seek out Monteriggioni, San Gimignano, Montalcino, Montepulciano, Monticchiello, San Quirico d’Orcia, Pienza and Cortona, historical gems perched on hilltops overlooking the Tuscan countryside.
For thermal springs and wine, you want to head to Bagno Vignoni or Saturnia where you can bathe in the most famous natural thermal springs of Tuscany and taste some of the most delicious wine in Italy.
Looking for wineries and wine tasting? Then plan a day trip from Florence to the Chianti area for a wine-filled Italy bucket list experience.
Emilia Romagna – the best destiantion in Italy for foodies and home to the best mosaics in Italy!
Emilia Romagna is mostly associated with food and wine but has more than delicious food to offer!
As well as beautiful Bologna and Parma, great places to mix sightseeing and food tours, make sure you also visit Ravenna, home to stunning Byzantine mosaics.
One of the best places to see in Italy for art lovers and those interested in seeking out off the beaten path Italy destinations.
Rome
This one needs no presentation! Rome is my home town and a city that promises to captivate you at every corner.

You can find my travel guides to Rome here:
Umbria – the ‘Green heart of Italy’
Umbria is often considered the little sister of Tuscany but has amazing locations that make it stand out on its own.
Dotted with historical towns of unparalleled beauty, here you can visit Assisi, the birthplace of St Frances, many hilltop villages and Medieval and Reinassaince towns such as Orvieto, Citta’ di Castello, Spello and Perugia.
Something special: If you come to Italy in Italy in June, you can experience the stunning blooming in Castelluccio, a place that seems out of a painting!
Campania – the stunning home to Amalfi Coast, Pompeii and Capri
History lovers will find a corner of heaven in Campania, where you can find 3 of the most beautiful and important historical sites in the whole of Italy.
Famous Pompeii, smaller yet wonderful Hercolaneum with and also the lesser-known site of Paestum.
Three sites with perfectly preserved Greek and Roman ruins unique in Italy and the world.

If you love royal palaces, you cannot miss the stunning one hosted in Caserta.
Now UNESCO world heritage site, the palace (reggia) has beautiful gardens, glorious interiors and hosts the famous Palatina library, decorated with stunning decorated with reliefs and frescoes
For amazing views, a mix of glamorous cafes and local feel streets and some of the most beautiful sea views you will ever get make sure you take the time to visit Capri and take a boat tour around the island before mixing with the beautiful people for aperitivo in piazzetta.
If you prefer a quieter pace, then head to Ischia instead, a small island with stunning views, amazing spa opportunities and a more local feel.
In Campania, you also find the most famous and the most glamorous coastline in Italy, the Amalfi Coast is the quintessential Italy bucket list item.
Visit glamorous Positano, beautiful Amalfi, stunning Ravello, and enjoy the family-friendly side of the Amalfi Coast in Sorrento and Minori: everywhere, you will find stunning views, breathtaking drives, glimmering sea and food to die for.

Matera
Basilicata has a gem: Matera. Capital of culture 2019, Matera is a very special place in Italy.
Built in very peculiar geographic conditions, the town is famous for its sassi, cave dwellings inhabited since Paleolithic times, it is one of the most hauntingly beautiful places in Italy and one not to be missed
You can read our guide to Matera here.

Puglia – Apulia
The heel of the Italian boot has been a secret Italians have kept for themselves for the longest time and is a real gem, with stunning Unesco heritage site, beautiful sea and gorgeous towns (and food!)
Places not to be missed are Alberobello and its peculiar trulli, the city of Lecce, with churches and art so beautiful to be dubbed the Florence of the south.
Also, worth visiting are Trani and Castel del Monte, gems of medieval times, and the white cities of Martina Franca, Locorotondo, Ostuni, Otranto, Gallipoli and Santa Maria di Leuca.
You can find all the best places to see in Puglia in this guide to the region and our recommended Southern Italy itinerary in Puglia and Matera here.

For one of the most famous views in the area, don’t forget to also go to Instagram famous Polignano al mare, stunning and with one of the best beaches in Bari and the surrounding area.
Sicily
Sicily has so much to offer its visitors it may alone take up all the spots in this Italy must-see list!
However, these are some of the highlights you should include in a Sicily itinerary.
Lovers of architecture should not miss Catania, Palermo, Monreale, Modica and Val di Noto, land of Montalbano.
Fun fact about Sicily: as well as famous for cultural tourism, it is a wonderful producer of chocolate!

History lovers will get the breath knocked out of their lungs by the beauty of Siracusa, Taormina and the Valley of the temples and all visitors will fall in love with small villages and beautiful nature in Erice, Riserva dello Zingaro (Scopello is so pretty!) and the wonderful smaller Sicilian islands.
I hope you enjoyed this overview of some of the best places to visit in Italy and gave you inspiration for your Italy bucket list!