Are you wondering why travel to Italy? You landed in the right place. Here we give you many good reasons to visit Italy any time, any season.
For years Italy has been one of the most popular travel destinations for tourists from the world over who book the most different Italy private tours. Culture, beauty, food, history, this small European country has it all and the reasons to visit Italy are endless.
Thanks to its huge cultural heritage, the places to visit in Italy can keep you busy for a lifetime. If thousands of years of history, the world’s highest ratio of artwork per capita and one of the most romantic languages is not enough to make you decide why you should visit Italy, read on and get inspired to book that ticket and plan that trip to Italy.
So, why should you travel to Italy?
If you are overwhelmed by the things to do and places to see and you haven’t booked your ticket yet, here are some good reasons to visit Italy as soon as possible.
Cultural diversity
Every region is a small “country”. Italy as a unified nation is relatively young, and before the unification, it was a collection of small states and kingdoms. That diversity is still present.
Even though now we speak the same language, every region has its own dialect (in some like Sardinia it’s still a proper language. Sardinian, in particular, has been recognized by the European Union as a minority language), cuisine, history, culture, and traditions.
While a 2-week Italy itinerary won’t be enough to experience all that the country has to offer, it’s a great start to get a taste of it. Especially if it’s your first trip, classic destinations like Rome, Florence, Venice, and the Cinque Terre might be on your list, but if you come back again, I totally recommend getting off the beaten path.
Make sure you read out article on the regions of Italy.
The Food
Very little introduction is needed here. If you have to come up with even only one of the reasons why you should go to Italy is that Italian food is the most famous, appreciated and copied in the world. Wherever you go, you will always find “Italian restaurants” or Italian specialties on the menu of international eateries. How many Italian flavors are in those dishes, it’s debatable, but still, the “Italian” factor is always a winning sales pitch.
Needless to say, in the Bel Paese you find the real deal, so Italian food is definitely one of the reasons to visit Italy. Here too, region after region you will discover new flavors, recipes, ingredients, cheese, like Pecorino or Fossa cheese, bread, sauces, and much more.
If you are planning a trip to Rome, you might want to check out my eBook for foodies “Tasting Rome by Neighbourhood“. Here I suggest five daily itineraries with the best restaurants to try in five different neighborhoods as well as the top landmarks to visit. Different types of restaurants are chosen among the very best and where locals go. You won’t find these in mainstream guidebooks!
While, if you are planning a trip to Florence, another of Italy’s major destinations, you can join one of the local Florence food tours.
Cakes and pastries
I know this should be in the above category, but cakes, pastries, and cookies deserve their own space and they definitely make it one of the reasons to go to Italy.
In Italy cakes and pastries vary depending on the season, region and holiday or festival. Carnival, Christmas, Easter, every holiday brings different dishes and different sweets. In Sardinia for Carnival, you will find the typical zippole, fatti fritti, and chiacchiere, while for Easter ricotta-filled pardulas are all over the place.
For Christmas, you will find everywhere the Panettone or Pandoro and for Easter the Colomba (Dove), even though these traditions were born in northern Italy, Milan.
While they are sold by the big brands in every shop and supermarket, all these cakes are best bought in the traditional bakeries that have been making them for decades or centuries.
The Style
If you are still wondering why travel to Italy, a full immersion in everything stylish can well be a good reason. From clothes to shoes to homeware furniture and accessories, any store that wants to attract customers in big numbers just needs to throw in some “Made in Italy” motto in their advertising.
From the biggest brands famous all over the world like Armani, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana or Valentino, to names that are more popular in Italy like Germano Zama, Marella, or even Sandro Ferrone, for clothes, or Nero Giardini for shoes (one of my very favorite brands for shoes), going window shopping in Italy can give you a headache.
The People
Let’s face it, Italy is also worth visiting for its people. Loud, food-obsessed, and friendly, during your trip to Italy you are likely to make some new friends. First of all, in Italy, you can do Couchsurfing and this is one of the ways to know the local people and lifestyle.
But also hanging out at night in clubs or pubs, participating in some local festivals and tours, and going to the beach or ski resort, are all opportunities to meet and bond with the residents or domestic tourists.
And getting back to the cultural diversity of point #1, this applies to the people too. In fact, if you explore different regions, you will meet different people.
Art and Architecture
Among the reasons to travel to Italy, art and architecture are a big one. While Florence is the undisputed star when it comes to the artistic heritage, the other cities stand quite imposing too in this field. From Rome to Venice, from Catania to Verona to Perugia, wherever you go in Italy you will be hardly met with a lack of art masterpieces.
Bernini, Borromini, Michelangelo, Donatello, Caravaggio, Canaletto, Canova, Giotto are all big names all over the country, but traveling around different regions you will also enjoy paintings, sculptures, palaces and churches by local artists that are lesser-known even though play a great role in making Italy the world’s number one destination for art holidays.
This being said, the architecture worth seeing in Italy is not only the royal palaces and noble villas but also the private houses. Each and every region and city you will explore, from Sicily up to Trentino Alto Adige, will have a different architectural style. This is what makes the whole country beautiful and gives harmony to its streets.
If you have limited time, our article will help you decide whether you should visit Rome or Florence!
The History
Partially connected to the point above, Italy has also a huge historical heritage. In this, too, different regions have a different past.
Rome will show you the traces of a mighty ancient empire, the Papal Kingdom, and Renaissance noble families, in Florence you will travel through Middle Age and Renaissance times, Middle Age imprints are also shown in the towns of Viterbo, Bracciano, Perugia, or even Venice. While Sardinia has a wonderful display of the Bronze Age with the nuraghi stone towers and villages belonging to the island’s ancient civilization.
If you are a history buff, you will definitely be spoiled for choice on the places to visit in Italy, but even if you want a diverse holiday and devote only some days to historic sites, this is one of the most fulfilling reasons to visit Italy.
Natural landscape
Alongside a huge cultural diversity, in Italy, you will find also a great diversity of natural landscapes. Despite being a small country, it boasts an incredible diversity of natural landscapes: in one region you have stunning beaches (see Sardinia), in one mighty mountain peaks that attract ski fans all winter like the Dolomites of Trentino Alto Adige and Veneto, or the Alps in Valle d’Aosta.
One region is all about soft rolling hills (I’m thinking about Tuscany here), and another is a thin stretch of rugged coast and steep mountains, just like France-bordering Liguria.
The Festivals
Every season has its own festivals in Italy. We are not talking only about the national holidays such as Christmas, Easter, Ferragosto, or Carnival, which every city celebrates in a different way, but also and especially local festivals, usually organized in honor of the town’s saint patron or some other date important for the area.
In every region, there are religious festivals and “sagre“, food fairs where the focus is on a particular dish or ingredient, from the sagra of the mushroom to one of the ravioli dumplings to the one of the asparagus. If this is not one of the reasons to visit Italy, I don’t know what is.
Sports Holiday
Whether you like to swim or ski, Italy has it all. Depending on your preferences and your reasons to visit Italy, you need to consider what your ideal season will be.
If you are into beaches and swimming, for sure your Italian trip will have to be in summer. Even though southern Italy has a mild winter, it’s still too cold for the beach. If you would like to ski in the Italian Alps, book your trip to northern Italy in winter.
Italy offers also other sports opportunities, such as surfing, kite and windsurfing, plenty of hiking and trekking routes all over the country and in every region.
Beauty
Linked to all the points above, beauty hiding around every corner is one of the favorite reasons to visit Italy. Medieval towns, Roman cities, lakes, mountains, Italy is pretty all around and truly heaven for photographers.
This is also one of the reasons why tourists visit Italy more than once. Let’s say you traveled to Rome and you liked the Italian vibe but the capital is way too hectic for your next holiday. Problem easily solved, next trip can be to Sardinia, Sicily or some Tuscan countryside.
It’s not that expensive
Among all European or western countries, one of the best reasons to visit Italy is that it is not that expensive. Prices vary depending on the cities and regions, and obviously on the season. Being popular for beaches and sea resorts, Sardinia and Sicily are more expensive during summer, especially for hotels and renting a house.
In Rome, prices also change depending on the season, even though being popular all year round, the difference is less than in other places. The same applies to other big tourist draws like Venice and Florence, always listed among the places to visit in Italy.
Check out our extensive Italy travel guide for a cost breakdown, very handy when organizing your trip and the budget for it.
It’s a must-see destination
Are you still wondering why go to Italy? That’s right, you need to visit Italy at least once in your life just because it’s a must-see destination. Not to brag about it, but with so much art, history and beauty, Italy has been a favorite destination for years.
Such a wealth of options for places to see and things to do naturally makes it an easy travel choice. After your first Italy trip, it’s up to you to decide if you want to come back or not, but here we are pretty confident you will.
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