Attraction
Colosseum
The Flavian Amphitheatre, completed in AD 80 under Titus, is Rome's defining ancient monument and the centrepiece of the Parco archeologico del Colosseo.
Italy combines ancient history, art, varied landscapes and one of the world's best-known food traditions. Rome, the capital, is the usual starting point, with the Colosseum, the Vatican and centuries of architecture. Florence is known for Renaissance art and the Uffizi Gallery, and Venice for its canals and lagoon. In the north, Milan is a centre for fashion and design, while Lake Como and the Dolomites draw visitors for scenery and walking. Tuscany and Umbria are known for hill towns and wine. In the south, Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast are popular, and the islands of Sicily and Sardinia have their own food and history. Fast trains link the main cities.
Attraction
The Flavian Amphitheatre, completed in AD 80 under Titus, is Rome's defining ancient monument and the centrepiece of the Parco archeologico del Colosseo.
Attraction
Milan's Gothic cathedral, begun in 1386 and finished only in the 20th century, with marble spires, a gilded Madonnina and walkable rooftop terraces.
Attraction
One of the world's great archaeological museums, holding the Farnese sculptures and the mosaics, frescoes and objects excavated at Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Attraction
Venice's cathedral on Piazza San Marco, a Byzantine-influenced church consecrated in 1094 with gold-ground mosaics, the Pala d'Oro altarpiece and the original bronze horses.
Attraction
Florence's great picture gallery, built by Vasari for Cosimo I de' Medici, with Botticelli, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian and Caravaggio.
Attraction
Small baroque chapel in the historic centre, famous for Giuseppe Sanmartino's marble Veiled Christ and the mysterious anatomical machines in its basement.
Café
Venice's historic coffee house on Piazza San Marco, serving since 1720, with ornate rooms, tables on the square and a programme of live music.
Café
Florence's oldest café, founded in 1733 by the Swiss Gilli family and on Piazza della Repubblica since the early 20th century, with its original Belle Époque…
Café
Grand historic café founded in 1860 opposite the Royal Palace, with neoclassical and Liberty-style rooms, pastries, gelato and classic Neapolitan coffee.
Café
A pastry shop founded in 1824, part of the Prada group since 2014, known for its old-world bar, cakes, chocolates and panettone.
Café
Founded in 1938 near the Pantheon, Sant'Eustachio roasts its beans over wood and is famous for its sweet, creamy Gran Caffè.
Café
A historic café on Piazza San Marco, run by Giorgio Quadri from 1775 and now by the Alajmo family, serving coffee, tramezzini and pastries with live…
Hotel
A five-star hotel in two Renaissance palaces set in one of Florence's largest private gardens, with a Michelin-starred restaurant, spa and outdoor pool.
Hotel
Historic five-star hotel on the Via Partenope seafront, welcoming guests since 1882, with 160 rooms and a ninth-floor restaurant overlooking the bay.
Hotel
A grand hotel on the Riva degli Schiavoni, a few steps from the Doge's Palace, set in the Gothic Palazzo Dandolo and welcoming guests since 1822.
Hotel
Open since 1893 at the top of the Spanish Steps, the five-star Hassler has 82 individually designed rooms and the Michelin-starred Imàgo restaurant.
Hotel
A five-star hotel with 108 rooms and suites beside the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, steps from the Duomo, with a cocktail bar and restaurants.
Hotel
A grand hotel open since 1863 near La Scala and Via Montenapoleone, where Giuseppe Verdi lived for 27 years, with 95 rooms and suites.
Bar
The historic aperitivo bar at the Duomo entrance of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, serving Campari-based drinks since 1915.
Bar
A celebrated cocktail bar in Monti that features on the World's 50 Best Bars list, open nightly with creative drinks and a smart casual dress code.
Bar
Giuseppe Cipriani's bar near the San Marco waterfront, opened in 1931, where the Bellini and carpaccio were created, and a declared Italian national landmark.
Bar
Discreet cocktail bar near the seafront founded by Alex Frezza, styled like a 1920s jazz lounge and ranked among Europe's 50 best bars.
Bar
A cocktail bar and restaurant in a medieval building near Santa Croce, ranked among the world's 50 best bars, with inventive low-waste drinks.
Bar
Bourbon-themed cocktail bar in the Vomero, hidden behind a sliding painting, with five rooms named after the Bourbon kings and dishes from the monzù tradition.
Restaurant
Florence's three-Michelin-star dining room, opened in 1972 by Giorgio Pinchiorri and Annie Féolde, famous for its formal service and extraordinary wine cellar.
Restaurant
Two-Michelin-star restaurant in Palazzo Venart on the Grand Canal, where chef Donato Ascani cooks lagoon produce and grilled dishes for Enrico Bartolini's group.
Restaurant
Historic pizzeria run by the Condurro family, serving only marinara and margherita in a plain dining room on Via Cesare Sersale since 1930.
Restaurant
Heinz Beck's rooftop restaurant at the Rome Cavalieri was the first in the city to earn three Michelin stars and remains its only three-star table.
Restaurant
A family-run trattoria in the old Cinque Vie quarter, serving risotto alla milanese, ossobuco and cotoletta since 1933.
Restaurant
One of Milan's oldest restaurants, open since 1880 near Porta Garibaldi, with a preserved period interior and traditional Lombard cooking.
Thing to do
Guided walk 40 metres beneath the old town through Greek and Roman cisterns, Second World War shelters and the hidden remains of a Roman theatre.
Thing to do
Milan's medieval canal quarter around the Naviglio Grande and the Darsena, known for its waterside walks, aperitivo bars and monthly antiques market.
Thing to do
The 1869 hilltop terrace above San Niccolò with a bronze David and the classic panorama of the Duomo, the Arno bridges and the Palazzo Vecchio.
Thing to do
Venice's historic food market beside the Rialto Bridge, with a fish market under the Pescheria loggia and fruit and vegetable stalls in the surrounding squares.
Thing to do
Rome's 13th rione, across the Tiber from the centre, is a web of cobbled lanes, ancient churches and trattorias that comes alive in the evening.
Thing to do
Milan's old artists' quarter of cobbled lanes around the Pinacoteca di Brera, filled with galleries, design shops, cafés and restaurants.
Tour operator
A Florence tour company founded in 1996, known for its Original Florence Walk, skip-the-line Uffizi and Accademia tours and after-hours museum visits.
Tour operator
Guided tours of a 19th-century Bourbon tunnel beneath Monte di Dio, used as a wartime shelter and later as a dump for cars, scooters and statues.
Tour operator
A non-profit of expert women instructors teaching voga alla veneta, standing Venetian-style rowing, in traditional boats from Cannaregio, all year round.
Tour operator
A Rome-based tour company running small-group and private tours of the Vatican, the Colosseum and the city's underground sites.
Tour operator
A long-established Milan travel company running city tours, Last Supper visits, Navigli boat trips, hop-on hop-off buses and day trips to Lake Como.
Tour operator
Small-group food tours of Naples, including an evening pizza and drinks walk through the historic centre and a morning street-food tour of the Spanish Quarter.
High-speed trains connect Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan and Naples. A car is helpful for the countryside, such as Tuscany, Puglia and Sicily, though driving in city centres is often restricted.
April to June and September to October bring warm weather and fewer crowds than July and August. Winter is quieter in the cities and is ski season in the Alps and Dolomites.
Popular choices include Florence, Venice, Milan, Naples, the Amalfi Coast, Tuscany, Lake Como, Sicily and Puglia.