The Best Tour of Italy, an Itinerary through Italy Best Destinations

A journey of beauty through Italy Attractions

Which is the best part of Italy to visit? What to see in Italy? and the best tour of Italy? Italy is so incredibly beautiful and with so many different attractions and varied scenic landscape, from north to south, that a lifetime would not be enough to visit all! Italy is synonymous with beauty 🙂

What I’m going to make here is a (very) personal selection of the best Italian destinations that should not miss in a great tour of Italy. And you can also add this incredible list of the most beautiful villages to visit in Italy.

Being among the most appealing and intriguing regions in Italy, Tuscany is going to be present with quite many special places to visit!

You should be able to cover the best tour of Italy in about 15 to 20 days. My suggestions here are a great Italy itinerary of 15 days.

The following travel itinerary across Italy will make you discover some of the most legendary art towns like Venice, Florence, and Rome, as well as smaller yet fabulous hill towns and tiny medieval villages. Some can say that most of the following Italian destinations are touristy, but they are must-see anyway 🙂

 

What to see in Italy, the Best Tour of Italy

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• Lake Como, so romantic!

Located in northern Italy, the Como Lake enjoys one of the most suggestive Italian landscapes and is one of the most popular destinations for tourists from all over the world.

The beauty of the lake is breathtaking! Stunning vistas, scenic mountains all around, fantastic villas right facing the water. It’s not surprising that it was a location for Star Wars, Episode II.

A romantic dinner in one of the many good restaurants over the lake will make your stay unforgettable.

• Venice, miracle on the water

Venice is unique in the world! a wonder, an authentic miracle on the water, and a open air museum! Visiting Venice means to live an extraordinary experience. Venice is full of beautiful places to visit; Piazza San Marco, the Rialto Bridge, Il Ponte dei Sospiri, San Marco bell tower, the Gallery of Accademia, the Guggenheim Collection.

Venice also offers a lot to do, like a romantic gondola ride, and anywhere you look the vista will be unforgettable. The wonderful Carnival of Venice is one of the most beautiful and famous in Italy. This is one of those incredible places to visit at least once in a lifetime!

 

• Cinque Terre, unique landscape by the sea

“Cinque Terre” refers to one of the most scenic and suggestive coastline of Italy, a Unesco World Heritage Site. We are in the Liguria region, north of Tuscany, a destination rich in breathtaking and unspoiled landscapes and traditions.

The Cinque Terre include the small and characteristic fishing villages of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore, all overlooking the blue sea. The mountains, right facing the sea, are cultivated with vines and olive trees. The typical products of this land, like olive oil and wine, are renowned. This is the land where the delicious pesto sauce comes from.

• Pisa and the Leaning Tower

Pisa offers its visitor an authentic miracle of architecture. Piazza dei Miracoli – the Field of Miracles, dominated by the famous Leaning Tower, is a masterpiece like no other in the world; an overwhelming complex of beautiful historical buildings in white Carrara marble standing side by side over a vast green field. A perfect picture! The Miracles’ Square is a must visit!

• Florence and the Chianti wine region

Florence, the best Renaissance art town in the world, needs no introduction! Its wonderful skyline is made unique by the beautiful Cupola. The Gallery of Uffizi, the David, the Ponte Vecchio…Florence is an endless treasure to discover! Near Florence is Chianti, the quintessential image of Tuscany, with vines, olive groves, forests, verdant hills, medieval castles…a splendid countryside, and great wines.

 

• San Gimignano, medieval village by beautiful towers

San Gimignano is universally known thanks to its incredible raw of medieval towers, as many as 72 during the medieval period! But every corner, street, building or alley of San Gimignano is a masterpiece, as is its lovely surrounding Tuscan countryside.

• Siena and the Val d’Orcia

Siena is one of the most fascinating and impressive cities of Tuscany and Italy; medieval streets, splendid squares, historic palaces, make this art town absolutely exciting! From Piazza del Campo and the Torre del Mangia, to the Civic Museum and the stunning Duomo, Siena is all to explore! It’s the ideal destination to base in Tuscany or pass a great weekend. The surrounding hills are enchanting and provide a lot of interesting day trips, especially to the magnificent rural area known by the name of Val d’Orcia, a paradise!

Twice a year, Piazza del Campo becomes the stage for the Palio of Siena, a spectacular horse race that must be experienced at least once in a lifetime.

• Assisi, beautiful and suggestive hill town

Visible for miles around and birthplace of St Francis, Italy’s most beloved saint, Assisi is a beautiful and intriguing hill town in Umbria. Million people come here as an act of faith, while many come to admire the stunning frescoes by Giotto and Lorenzetti in the magnificent Basilica di San Francesco.

Assisi is a real beauty and its atmosphere incredibly suggestive. The mountains and the landscape surrounding Assisi are magical. While there, if you have time, also take the chance to visit the near Perugia.

 

• Pitigliano, village suspended on the tufa

You see Pitigliano and you soon fall in love with it! This ancient village suspended atop a hill on a tuff promontory to the south of Tuscany, is breathtaking. The place is very scenic and can be seen from far, while the landscape surrounding it, is all made of verdant hills, valleys, and rivers. The houses of the village are built on the very edge of the cliff, that is surrounded on three sides by ravines that are full of caves, carved into the tufa stone.

• Orvieto and Civita di Bagnoregio

Both towns are among the most beautiful villages in Italy. Orvieto, high on a tuff promontory in the Umbria region, will enchant you with its bewildering Duomo, its breathtaking panorama, and great food and wine. Civita di Bagnoregio, in Lazio, on the border with Tuscany, is probably the most surprising and peculiar hill town ever seen!

Doomed to fall down, this suspended town, is absolutely surreal and irresistible!

 

• Rome, the beauty!

Considered by many the most beautiful city in the world, Rome is a living museum, a city where every corner, every church and every square hide secrets and ancient stories all to live and discover. The beauty of Rome is actually overwhelming. Rome is deeply rich in history; the city reached its maximum splendor during the period of the Roman Empire, starting from the 1st century BC.

Countless are the symbols of Rome; the famous Colosseum, the amazing Fori Imperiali– Imperial Forums, the immense Church of San Pietro, home to the Vatican. Do not miss the Sistine Chapel (Cappella Sistina), one of Michelangelo’s masterpieces housed within the walls of the Vatican; you’ll stay speechless!

 

• Amalfi Coast, a paradise facing the sea

Amalfi is the wonderful little gem facing the sea, that gives the name to the famous Costiera Amalfitana, spectacular coastline in the Campania region, south of Italy. Here is a landscape of rare beauty, something truly unforgettable. The Amalfi Coast is striking for the wild beauty of its coastline. From Maiori, Minori, up to Cetara, Ravello, Positano, and Amalfi, this place has bewitched the world, from film stars to ordinary people.

The many villages on the coast are small jewels, colorful and full of life, often set in scenic locations from which you can admire the lush vegetation of the coast and the blue sea. Ravello reveals a breathtaking panorama.

Beautiful lemon trees adorn the coast, their perfume is unique. From lemons are produced a myriad of different local products; sweets, perfumes, essences, dishes, and the famous and delicious liqueur called limoncello.

Find The Best Tour of Italy on the Map!

 

How to plan a trip to Italy? Would like a personalized travel itinerary to visit Italy? Contact me on the TuscanyChic Forum!