Italy has it all. Beautiful Mediterranean coastline,
spectacular mountains, picturesque old towns and incredible cultural heritage. Delicious
cuisine is just a cherry on the top of one of the best countries to visit in the world.
As a tour guide I can't wait to show you 20 best places to visit in Italy. We are starting in the
foothills of the Italian Alps with the largest lake in Italy, lake Garda. It's clear waters,
dramatic surroundings, and rich heritage are the main reason for its popularity.
25 picturesque villages around the lake shore are rich with historical monuments, castles,
and fortresses. They are connected by ferries or can be reached by a spectacular road following
the entire shoreline. Lake offers astounding beauty, many photo ops, refreshing waters,
and incredible cuisine. Just one hour drive from lake Garda is beautiful medieval Verona. The
setting of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet was built around the meandering Adige River. It's
incredible artistic heritage and history includes one of the best preserved Roman Arenas in the
world. Beautiful medieval architecture, old city gates and city walls, windy streets and charming
old squares made the city of Verona, a Unesco World Heritage Site. But there are also castles,
museums and world-famous concerts and opera performances in the Roman Arena.
In the heart of the Italian Alps is one of the most spectacular mountain passes
in the world. Stelvio pass is the second highest pass in the Alps and also one of
the greatest driving roads in the world. It has 75 hairpin turns and is a must for every cycling,
motorbike and petrolhead enthusiast. The road was built in the early 1800s by the
Austrian military as at the time here was the border between Austro-Hungarian
empire and the Italian kingdom. No wonder that spectacular alpine panorama more than
2700 meters or 9,000 feet above the sea level attracts so many visitors.
Northern Italy is also home of Milan, the city that celebrates Leonardo da Vinci's inventions and
guards his most famous fresco, The Last Supper. Most impressive symbol of Milan is a stunning
cathedral that took nearly six centuries to complete. From its rooftop you can get
spectacular views. Cathedral and the world-famous opera house are connected by world's oldest
shopping gallery. Beautiful shopping mall from the 1800's houses some of the most exclusive shops,
bars, and restaurants. Milan also has one of the most important art collections in Italy,
one of the largest science and technology museums in Europe and in its castle you
can visit a collection of museums. Here are also famous high-end shopping districts and charming
neighborhoods with restaurants and bars serving famous Campari appetitive that was invented here.
We're moving to central Italy and it's famous Tuscany region. A gem among beautiful tuscan
towns is Lucca, birthplace of world-famous opera composer Puccini. Picture-perfect medieval town
is still surrounded by massive town walls that are nowadays used as a pedestrian promenade. They
are still protecting historic cobblestone streets, beautiful and unique squares,
and greatly preserved medieval architecture. Town has many beautiful churches like San Michele in
Foro and the St Martin Cathedral. You can also climb on the top of medieval towers like The Clock
Tower and Guinigi Tower that provide a fantastic view of the historic city center. Uniquely Italy
completely surrounds two independent states and one of them is San Marino. Europe's third smallest
state is situated on the slopes of Mount Titano, not far from the Adriatic coast,
offering spectacular views. Impressively, San Marino is the world's oldest republic,
with the oldest written constitution still in effect. Beautiful capital on a mountaintop has
three distinct towers overlooking the rest of the country. According to the legend,
the republic was founded by a stonemason from Dalmatia named Marino. As a christian,
Marino was persecuted by roman emperor Diocletian and eventually he found
refuge on Mount Titano. As a stonemason he build a church and thus founded San Marino.
Moving further south is one of the oldest, still inhabited cities in the world,
Matera. This unique cultural and architectural gem is built on a rocky outcrop with houses and
churches built in the natural caves and connected by a maze of narrow streets. The cathedral on the
top of the city offers stunning views. People in Matera have lived in caves for millennia until a
complex of cave dwellings was evacuated in the 1950s. Due to poor living conditions,
cave dwellings have been renovated as a historic tourism destination with hotels,
small museums, restaurants, and a vibrant arts community.
Italy also has amazing islands and its second largest is Sardinia. It is famous
for some of the best beaches in Europe thanks to its emerald sea. Unspoiled interior of the
island holds a rich cultural heritage as an ancient Nurage civilization left
behind cone-shaped megalithic towers. On the coast you can find charming medieval
villages like Castelsardo. Sardinia’s turbulent past is still visible in the
beautiful coastal town of Alghero with the traces of the island's Catalan past. But the
beauty of the island can also be admired underground inside its beautiful caves.
But the biggest mediterranean island is Sicily. Besides beautiful beaches and ancient salt pans,
Sicily is also famous for its amazing Greek, Roman, and Norman heritage. Its capital city,
Palermo, has a stunning Norman royal palace and Norman cathedral. But the greatest example of
Norman architecture is a stunning Monreale Cathedral from the 1100s, decorated with
stunning golden Byzantine mosaics. Even in the charming coastal town of Cefalù you can
admire an impressive Norman cathedral. One of the best examples of Sicily's rich history is
the mountaintop village of Erice where Norman architecture is mixed with Roman
and Greek remains. Sicily is also home of one of the best-preserved Greek temples
that are still around, despite the threat from an active volcano, Mount Etna. Right under the
volcano rises a beautiful coastal hilltop town of Taormina with ancient Greek-Roman theater.
Heading back to the very north of Italy where the Alps are creating one of the most stunning
landscapes in Europe. Part of the Italian Alps, known as Dolomites, is famous for its distinctive
color of the mountains, vertical walls, sheer cliffs, and narrow, deep and long valleys all
part of of Unesco World Heritage. Mountain peaks and glaciers can be reached by mountain trails or
gondolas. Dolomites are popular all year round thanks to its stunning roads and great mountain
passes offering spectacular mountain landscapes. Valleys like Val Gardena are home of small alpine
villages and charming towns serving as a starting point for summer and winter sport activities.
On the foothills of the Alps is another beautiful lake with some of the most romantic
and and picturesque sceneries in the world. Lake Como is shaped like an upside-down Y with three
slender branches that meet at the resort town of Bellagio. The entire coastline is dotted with
charming villages and towns with beautiful villas and mansions overlooking the water. The best way
to see them is taking a boat tour as most of them are not visible from the street. In summer months,
the lake becomes a popular place to swim and play water sports. The hills surrounding the
lake have hundreds of trails, offering great hiking and climbing opportunities.
Rolling Tuscan hills are home to a spectacular medieval skyline. San Gimignano is crowned with
incredible stone towers from the 12 and 1300s. Medieval skyscrapers were a symbol of wealth
generated by cultivating the world's most costly spice by weight, Saffron. San Gimignano is still
encircled by its medieval defensive walls that preserve the town. At its heart is the
13th century main square surrounded by towers. One of the gems is a 12th century cathedral
with incredible frescoes. But the town is worth visiting just to taste the gelato, as on the main
square you can find two gelato places that won the official title of the best gelato in the world.
Next is another Tuscan town, a true embodiment of a medieval city. Siena sits on three Tuscan hills
and is also surrounded by a medieval fortified wall. Town is a living and breathing monument
with winding medieval streets, old gothic houses, palaces, and churches. In its heart is a unique
shell shaped town square with beautiful town hall and impressive tower that offers wonderful views.
Unique square also hosts one of the craziest horse races in the world, famous Palio. Despite
the fact that it was never finished, Siena has one of the most striking cathedrals in Italy.
Inside and out this 13th century cathedral is filled with priceless artwork. Finally,
here is the capital of Tuscany, Florence. This amazing city of art is known to be the birthplace
of the Renaissance and holds some of the biggest masterpieces, including the world-famous statue
of David. Here are some of the best museums and art galleries in the world, like Uffizi
Gallery and Accademia. The city has impressive architecture like the famous Ponte Vecchio bridge,
impressive palaces and beautiful squares adorned with amazing statues and fountains. But the
most impressive building of Florence is its 14th century cathedral, famous for its beautiful marble
facade, and the biggest brick dome on the planet, a breathtaking feat of medieval engineering.
The Amalfi coast is a 50 km stretch of coastline along the southern edge of Sorrento peninsula,
where mountains and sea come together. Amalfi is another Unesco World Heritage Site as it offers
some of the most stunning views in Italy. Here sheer cliffs plunging to the sea and you can enjoy
its amazing scenery either from a yacht or from well-marked trails, as this is also one of the
country's top spots for hiking. All the towns of the Amalfi coasts are connected by a stunning road
along a rugged shoreline. Entire coast is dotted with small beaches and pastel colored fishing
villages and towns adorned by the jet set. Here are some of Italy's finest hotels and restaurants
and endless stairways and narrow alleys. But Italy has another stunning stretch of rugged
coastline with an iconic string of centuries-old seaside villages known as Cinque Terre. A string
of five, remote and for old fishing villages set in the most dramatic coastal scenery
is another Unesco World Heritage Site. Steep landscape, where cliffs meet Mediterranean sea,
leaves no space for a proper beach, but there are steep man-made terraces to cultivate grapes and
olives. Five sleepy Italian fishing villages have become one of the most famous coastal landscapes
in the world and are no longer isolated as they once were. You can reach them by train or by
hiking as walking trails offers stunning views of the rugged coastline. But the best way to
reach the villages is by boat as you'll be able to get a proper view of their unique setting.
Of course, no list of Italy can be complete without world-famous Pisa. Its 800 years old
defensive walls have preserved one of the finest architectural complexes in the world,
The Square Of Miracles. It includes a beautiful round marble baptistry,
walled marble cemetery and a white marble medieval cathedral. Church is the biggest,
the richest, and the oldest building on the square with a striking, alternating black and
white marble interior packed with stunning medieval masterworks. But the biggest star
of the square is the cathedral's leaning bell tower. The rest of the town is also impressive
like the Knight’s Square ,dominated by a palace that served as a center of power in medieval Pisa.
The capital city of Italy is one of Europe's most beloved destinations. For centuries, Rome
control the destiny of all civilizations known to Europe. Eternal city was founded on top of the
seven hills and carries unparalleled history that left behind the impressive monuments,
great archaeological sites, beautiful buildings, palaces, squares, and fountains. Besides the Roman
remains, the city is rich with some of the best Renaissance and Baroque masterpieces.
Some of the landmarks are world-famous, like the Colosseum, the Trevi fountain, the Spanish steps,
and the Pantheon to mention just a few. It is therefore no surprise that the complete historic
city center is on the Unesco World Heritage list. Rome also includes second independent state inside
Italy, The Vatican city. The smallest country in the world is the seat of the Roman Catholic Church
and home to the Pope. Its 600 residents include the Swiss Guard that has been protecting the Pope
since the 1500s. Inside the Vatican museum is one of the world's greatest art collections and
world-famous Sistine chapel. But the landmark of the Vatican is its huge elliptical square,
framed by the colonnades leading to the largest church in the world. St. Peter's
basilica was built over Apostle Peter’s Tomb, as he was executed and buried here by Roman
Emperor Nero. Original church was replaced by the present basilica in the 1600s and is one of
the greatest Renaissance architectures, designed by the best artists and architects of its time.
But the most picturesque and most special place in Italy is Venice. City built on more than 100 small
islands in the Adriatic lagoon has no roads, but an ancient network of canals connected by over 400
bridges. The most famous bridge, Rialto, spans across the main avenue, The Grand Canal lined
with beautiful floating palaces. Unimaginable wealth and art are concentrated around spacious
and spectacular San Marco square. Here is st. Mark's basilica, covered with golden mosaics
and amazing artwork. Next to it is the Doge's Palace, the seat of power with the most impressive
rooms decorated with incredible art. All around Venice are numerous romantic places and hidden
spots full of history and charm. Thanks to its amazing architecture, art, and beauty,
collected in more than 1,000 years of Venetian Republic, Venice has been declared as the most
beautiful city in the world over and over again. You can learn more about Venice and other best
places in Italy by checking out my playlist. Thanks for watching and see you next time.