Traveling to Italy (When to go, Where to Stay)

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Italy > Traveling in Italy

- the Italian lakes, among which Lago di Garda and Lago di como, beautiful lakes in Northern Italy
- Italian Alps and The Dolomites - some of the most beautiful mountains

Other interesting destinations
- Calabria and its pearl Praja a Mare:one of Italy's best kept secret)
- Ischia: together with Capri, a great site in the Bay of Naples
- Cinque Terre: five tiny, scenic, towns strung along the steep vineyard-laced coast of Liguria)
- Elba, the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago, and the third largest island in Italy after Sicily and Sardinia
- Vatican City (the independent city-state and seat of the Pope, head of the Roman Catholic Church)

Italy
(Eyewitness Travel Guides)
by DK Publishing

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Superlative destinations

The 5 most romantic destinations in Italy:
Venice, Rome, Capri, Verona, Positano

5 most exclusive destinations in Italy:
The most exclusive (and expensive) destinations in Italy: Venice, Portofino, Praiano, Costa Smeralda, Capri.

Rome is particularly beautiful at Christmas time, the combination of colored lightning and secular buildings and ruins, has something magic. Some consider the best time to go between April and June as the flood of school holidays hasn't yet hit the roads, the countryside is at its fullest bloom and the weather isn't uncomfortably hot yet.

Others prefer the late season, especially if they are looking for a more relaxed beach vacation, which may be planned as late as October, for example in Sicily and Sardinia. You may also want to organize your stay in function of one of the many annual festivals, whether wine-tasting, gastronomic celebrations or musical events. (read more about festivals).

What to visit

If you plan to travel all over Italy, we recommend you alternate travel highlights such as the cities of Rome, Venice, Florence, Ravenna, Pisa, etc, with lesser known destinations in Italy. That is both more relaxing, as well as intellectually and culturally more gratifying than accomplishing a sightseeing-marathon through several sites, without even having the time to appreciate the local atmosphere, colors and tastes.

If you have just a couple of days to spend in Italy, the places that you should definitely not miss are the historical cities of Florence, Rome and Venice. Read more about our Top 5 favorite places in Italy and 10 most famous cities of Italy.

For those of you who have already been to Italy before and are now looking for something different, we have selected these guides that reveal hidden gems and secret places, small little towns, etruscan heritage, as well as travel guides for garden lovers and wine tasters.

Specialty travel

For those who like to travel off the beaten track and independently of larger organized group trips, we have selected these guides with cycling and walking tours through Italy.

Christmas at Saint-Peter's

Photo by My Walkabout Photography

Where to stay

Italy offers a very wide range of accommodation, from the luxury hotels, with fabulous spa and golf facilities to B&B and self-catering types of accommodation, to be combined or not with an activity holiday.

Agritourism in Umbria, Italy

Photo: Daniele Morra

An alternative to the traditional hotels and hostels are the agriturismo (agritourism, comparable to the gîtes in France), a style of self-catering accommodation in which hospitality is offered on farms, wine producing properties and mountain chalets, but also in villas and ancient castles.

Photos of the YourGuidetoItaly.com banner (from left to right): (on campus) Sean Locke, (red deckchair) Valentina Jori, (chianti botlle) Donald Gruener, (Vitruvian man) Jodie Coston, (coliseum), Roberto A Sanchez, (Fiat 500) Luca di Filippo. Photo of 'Rialto bridge' by S. Greg Panosian.

Living, Studying, and Working in Italy:
Everything You Need to Know to Live La Dolce Vita
by Monica Larner

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YourGuideToItaly.com
your independent guide to Italy and the Italian culture

When to go

About every season has something to offer in Italy. A personal event, such as a Honeymoon may also be an excellent occasion to visit romantic Italian cities such as Venice and Florence.

Read more about agritourism in Italy.

See also: Top luxury hotels in Italy: Six places that must be visited - if you can afford it. Old fashioned luxury in the style of yesteryear: exquisite places, uncompromising luxury. Italy is synonymous with style and any stay in Italy should be likewise.

Italy: The Best Travel Writing
from the New York Times
by Umberto Eco (Foreword), Olivier Bernier (Author), Frank Bruni (Author), Shirley Hazzard (Author), Alison Lurie (Author), etc.
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Sightseeing & Going Out

One Hundred and One Beautiful Small Towns of Italy
by Paolo Lazzarin
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Frommer's Italy 2010 (Frommer's Complete)
by Darwin Porter (Author), Danforth Prince (Author)
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