Best of Italy - Rick Steves (2016)

Introduction. North Italy

Bella Italia! Italy has Europe’s richest, craziest culture. It bubbles with art, emotion, corruption, and irate ranters shaking their fists one minute and walking arm-in-arm the next. Accept Italy as a package deal—the exquisite with the exasperation. It’s the sum of its amazing parts that makes it my favorite country.

Savor your cappuccino, dangle your feet over a canal, and imagine what it was like centuries ago. Ramble through the rubble of Rome and mentally resurrect those ancient stones.

Italy is the cradle of European civilization—established by the Roman Empire and carried on by the Roman Catholic Church. Here you’ll stand face-to-face with some of the world’s most iconic images from this 2,000-year history: the ancient Colosseum, Michelangelo’s David, Botticelli’s Venus, the playful Baroque exuberance of the Trevi Fountain, and the island city of elegant decay: Venice.

Beyond these famous sights, traditions live within a country that is vibrant and modern. Join the locals for their ritual evening stroll—the passeggiata. Seek out homemade gelato, dodge motor scooters and pickpockets, and make time for il dolce far niente (the sweetness of doing nothing). Write a poem over a glass of wine in a sun-splashed village. Italy is for romantics.

THE BEST OF ITALY

In this selective book, I recommend Italy’s top destinations, offering a mix of lively cities and cozy towns, from brutal but bella Rome to tranquillo villages.

The biggies on everyone’s list are Venice, Florence, and Rome. But no visit to Italy is complete without seeing the countryside, from the coastal villages of the Cinque Terre to the hill towns of the heartland. For a dose of southern Italy, dip down past Rome to gritty Naples, seaside Sorrento, and the scenic Amalfi Coast.

Beyond the major destinations, I’ll briefly cover the Best of the Rest—great destinations that don’t quite make my top cut, but are worth seeing if you have more time or specific interests: Milan, Varenna (on Lake Como), Verona, Padua, and Pisa.

To help you link the top sights, I’ve designed a two-week itinerary, with tips to help tailor it to your interests and available time.

THE BEST OF VENICE

Frozen in time, the island city of Venice still looks much as it did centuries ago, speckled with fanciful domes and pinnacles. It’s a city of churches, sensuous paintings, powdered-wig Vivaldi concerts, faded grandeur, and eternal romance.

Explore the back lanes and canals to find a Venice without tourists.

Ascend the Campanile bell tower for a sky-high view of Venice.

Hiring a gondolier can be worth the splurge. You’ll pay more at night, but the experience is magical.

Long an emblem of the city, fanciful masks capture the anything-goes spirit of Carnevale, celebrated with gusto in Venice.

Exotic inside and out, St. Mark’s Basilica sports bulbous domes topping a church slathered with gold mosaics inside.

Ride a vaporetto water bus down the Grand Canal—Venice’s grandest thoroughfare—passing gondolas and a parade of palaces.

Spanning the Grand Canal with style, the Rialto—Venice’s signature bridge—leads to a lively open-air market.

THE BEST OF THE CINQUE TERRE

This string of five villages dotting the coast of the Italian Riviera is a marvelous place to take a vacation from your vacation. The villages, which each have a distinct and engaging personality, are connected by trains, hiking trails, and boats. There’s no checklist of sights—just a scenic hike, succulent seafood, delightful towns, and sparkling Mediterranean views.

Vernazza, the cover-girl town of the Cinque Terre, has long been my favorite.

Seek out the regional specialties: tegame (fresh anchovies with potatoes and tomatoes), pesto, and antipasti ai frutti di mare (mixed seafood).

Manarola poses for your picture.

Enjoy a stroll along Vernazza’s breakwater at sunset when colors deepen and glow.

Splash!

Little groceries make picnicking easy.

Spend a day hiking trails that connect the towns.

The most resort-like town on the Cinque Terre, Monterosso has the longest beach and best nightlife.

THE BEST OF FLORENCE

Florence hosts the Uffizi Gallery’s world-class collection of Renaissance art, Brunelleschi’s dome-topped cathedral, and Michelangelo’s David. The compact core offers the greatest hits of the Renaissance against a lively urban backdrop of high fashion, zippy Vespa scooters, and Italy’s best gelato.

Look into the eyes of Michelangelo’s David to see the quintessential Renaissance Man.

Florence’s cathedral, the Duomo, is topped with a strikingly graceful dome—the biggest since Rome’s Pantheon—thanks to architect Brunelleschi.

Palazzo Vecchio, on Florence’s main square, has a soaring tower you can climb.

The wide Arno River is spanned by the historic Ponte Vecchio, with central Florence on the left and the unvarnished Oltrarno neighborhood on the right.

The city is famous for having Italy’s finest gelato. Artiginale means made on the premises.

You can reserve ahead for the Uffizi Gallery’s wonderful collection of Renaissance art, starring Botticelli’s lovely Birth of Venus.

THE BEST OF THE HILL TOWNS

The top towns of the country’s heartland are proud Siena, divine Assisi, and classic Orvieto. Siena is the biggest, with the most sights, from the magnificent red-brick Il Campo square, towering city hall, and massive cathedral, to the frenzied Palio horse race. Spiritual Assisi is graced by the powerful Basilica of St. Francis. Orvieto and its tiny hill village neighbor, Civita, are small, cute, and perched on pinnacles.

Adorable Civita di Bagnoregio, high atop a pinnacle, is reachable only by a path.

Pilgrims and art lovers come to Assisi’s Basilica of St. Francis, drawn by the saint’s divine message and Giotto’s down-to-earth frescoes.

Tuscan cuisine is reason alone to visit. This chef serves cheese with tasty toppings.

Orvieto is famous for its ceramics, Classico wine, and cathedral (interior pictured here).

The Tuscan countryside offers sublime views.

During Siena’s Palio horse race, each neighborhood waves its flags and cheers wildly for its horse to win.

Conversation flows with Classico wine.

The facade of Siena’s Duomo is lively and colorful.

THE BEST OF ROME

Rome, Italy’s capital, is studded with Roman remnants and floodlit-fountain squares. From the Vatican to the Colosseum, with crazy traffic in between, Rome is wonderful, huge, and exhausting. The crowds, the heat, and the weighty history of the Eternal City where Caesars walked can make tourists wilt. Recharge by taking siestas, gelato breaks, and after-dark walks, strolling from one atmospheric square to another in the refreshing evening air.

The much admired Pantheon—which had the world’s largest dome until the Renaissance—is nearly 2,000 years old (and doesn’t look a day over 1,500).

Raphael’s School of Athens in the Vatican Museums embodies the humanistic spirit of the Renaissance.

In the Colosseum, gladiators fought wild animals and one another, entertaining crowds of up to 50,000.

Smiles are free at this Rome ristorante.

Brightly garbed guards at St. Peter’s Basilica take their work seriously.

At the Trevi Fountain, toss in a coin and make your wish to return to Rome. It’s always worked for me.

Michelangelo’s dome tops St. Peter’s Basilica.

THE BEST OF NAPLES, SORRENTO, AND THE AMALFI COAST

This region south of Rome is worth a three- or four-day excursion. The colorful port of Naples, with its impressive Archaeological Museum (containing Pompeii’s best artifacts), makes an ideal half-day stop between Rome and Sorrento. The seaside resort of Sorrento serves as a fine home base, with connections to nearby sights: ancient Pompeii, the island of Capri, and the Amalfi Coast—Italy’s Coast with the Most.

Naples has a vibrant street scene.

Enjoy pizza in its birthplace—Naples.

The cliff-hanging road along the Amalfi Coast offers thrilling views of villages spilling toward the Mediterranean.

Three generations straddle one motorbike.

Explore ancient Pompeii, the Roman town buried and preserved in volcanic ash for centuries.

Mt. Vesuvius looms over Naples and the surrounding region.

THE BEST OF THE REST

With extra time or interest, splice any of the following destinations in northern Italy into your itinerary. You might fly into or out of bustling Milan, which has Leonardo’s The Last Supper. The laid-back village of Varenna on Lake Como is relaxing. Engaging Verona has an ancient Roman amphitheater, plus Romeo and Juliet sights (the play was set here). Padua features the pre-Renaissance genius of Giotto’s art, a pilgrimage site, and market squares bubbling with life. Pisa’s tipsy tower is an icon we all remember from our childhood—now you can climb to the top.

In Milan, Leonardo’s The Last Supper is still compelling, even as it fades.

Ascend the rooftop of Milan’s Duomo for views of the spires, buttresses, and cityscape.

The music-loving town of Verona stages operas in its ancient Roman Arena.

The dreamy village of Varenna on Lake Como whispers honeymoon.

Pisa’s famous tower leans out from behind the Duomo.

Padua’s market squares are fun for browsing.

In Padua, Giotto’s groundbreaking frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel beautifully illustrate the lives of Mary and Jesus.

TRAVEL SMART

Approach Italy like a veteran traveler, even if it’s your first trip. Design your itinerary, get a handle on your budget, line up your documents, and follow my travel strategies on the road.

Designing an Itinerary

Choose your top destinations. My itinerary gives you an idea of how much you can reasonably see in 14 days, but you can adapt it to fit your own interests and timeframe. If you’re fond of small towns, linger in the hill towns and on the Cinque Terre. Art lovers are drawn to Florence, and historians head to Rome and Pompeii. Honeymooners hustle to Lake Como. Photographers want to go everywhere.

Decide when to go. Peak season (roughly May-Oct in the north and May-June and Sept-Oct in the south) comes with crowds, heat, and higher prices. The heat in July and August can be oppressive, especially in the south. Between November and April, expect cool weather, shorter hours at sights, and fewer crowds and activities. If you’re traveling in winter when waves batter the shores, skip the Cinque Terre and Amalfi Coast.

Connect the dots. Link your destinations into a logical route. Determine which cities in Europe you’ll fly into and out of (begin your search at Kayak.com). Decide if you’ll be traveling by car or public transportation or a combination. A car is particularly helpful for exploring the hill-town region (where public transportation can be sparse), but is useless in big cities (park it). Trains are faster and more expensive than buses (which don’t run as often on Sundays). To determine approximate transportation times between your destinations, study the driving chart (here) or train schedules (www.trenitalia.it or www.italotreno.it for domestic journeys, www.bahn.com for international trips). Compare the cost of any long train ride in Europe with a budget flight (check Skyscanner.com for cheap flights within Europe).

Fine-tune your itinerary. Figure out how many destinations you can comfortably fit in the time you have. Don’t overdo it—few travelers wish they’d hurried more. Allow enough days per destination. Avoid visiting a town on the one day a week that its major sight is closed. Check if any holidays or festivals will fall during your trip—these attract crowds and can close sights (for the latest, visit Italy’s website, www.italia.it). For detailed suggestions on how to spend your time, I’ve included suggested day plans for destinations in the chapters that follow.

Rick Steves Audio Europe

My free Rick Steves Audio Europe app makes it easy for you to download my audio tours of many of Europe’s top attractions. For this book, the audio tours cover major sights and neighborhoods in Venice, Florence, Assisi, and Rome. Sights covered by my audio tours are marked with this symbol: . The app also offers a far-reaching library of insightful travel interviews from my public radio show with experts from around the globe—including many of the places in this book.

The Rick Steves Audio Europe app and all of its content are free. You can download it via Apple’s App Store, Google Play, or the Amazon Appstore. For more info, see www.ricksteves.com/audioeurope.

Average Daily Expenses Per Person: $170

Balance intense and relaxed days. After a busy day of sightseeing, plan some downtime. Follow up big cities with laid-back towns. Minimize one-night stands to maximize rootedness; it’s worth taking a train ride (or a drive) after dinner to get settled in a town for two nights. Staying in a home base (like Florence) and making day trips can be more time-efficient than changing locations and hotels.

Give yourself some slack. Every trip—and every traveler—needs slack time (laundry, picnics, people-watching, and so on). Many travelers greatly underestimate this. You can’t see it all, so pace yourself. Assume you will return.

Ready, set... You’ve designed the perfect itinerary for the trip of a lifetime.

Trip Costs per Person

Run a reality check on your dream trip. You’ll have major transportation costs in addition to daily expenses.

Flight: A round-trip flight from the US to Milan or Rome costs about $1,000-2,000.

Public Transportation: For a two-week trip, allow $370 for second-class trains ($500 for first class) and buses. You’ll usually save money buying train tickets in Italy, rather than buying a rail pass before you leave home (for more, see here).

Car Rental: Allow roughly $230 per week, not including tolls, gas, parking, and insurance (theft insurance is mandatory in Italy). Rentals and leases are cheapest if arranged from the US.

Budget Tips: It’s possible to cut your daily expenses to about $90 per day, particularly outside of the big cities. Cultivate the art of picnicking, stay in hostels or basic hotels, and see only the sights you most want to see. When you splurge, choose a special experience that you’ll always remember (such as a gondola ride or food-tasting tour). Minimize souvenir shopping—focus instead on collecting wonderful memories.

Here’s an itinerary for an unforgettable two-week trip that’ll show you the very best that Italy has to offer. It’s geared for public transportation (mainly trains and a few buses), but can be traveled by car (ideally rent the car when leaving Siena, to further explore the hill-town region).

Adding Naples, Sorrento, and the Amalfi Coast

To add these southern destinations (and lengthen your trip), insert them after Orvieto. After your southern loop, enjoy a grand trip finale in Rome, which has good flight connections to the US.

Alternatively, to fit this southern loop into a 14-day trip, drop whatever destination (such as urban Florence) that isn’t a must-see for you.

Travel Strategies on the Road

Be your own tour guide. As you travel, get up-to-date info on sights, reserve tickets and tours, reconfirm hotels and travel arrangements, and check transit connections. Upon arrival in a new town, lay the groundwork for a smooth departure; confirm the train, bus, or road you’ll take when you leave. You can find out the latest by checking with tourist-information offices (TIs) and your hoteliers, and doing research on your own by phone or online.

Take advantage of deals. You’ll find deals throughout Italy (and mentioned in this book). For example, city transit passes (for multiple rides or all-day usage) decrease your cost per ride. To take the financial bite out of sightseeing, consider combo-tickets and sightseeing passes that cover multiple museums. Some hotels give a discount for payment in cash and/or longer stays.

Try alternatives to restaurants. Italian restaurants are often closed when we’re hungry, particularly for dinner. Compared to our standards, Italians eat late, having lunch—their biggest meal of the day—around 13:00 to 16:00, and dinner starting about 20:00. To cope, try picnics, delis, cafeterias, pizzerias, or the ubiquitous corner bar for panini sandwiches and more. Note that bar pricing is tiered: If you stand at the bar, you’ll pay less than customers who are seated at tables and served by wait staff. In the bigger cities, consider taking a food-tasting tour; they’re pricey, but think of it as a tasty meal peppered with cultural insight.

Beat the summer heat. If you wilt easily, get a hotel with air-conditioning, start your day early, take a midday siesta at your hotel, and resume your sightseeing later. Join the passeggiata, when locals stroll in the cool of the evening.

Find religion. Churches offer some amazing art (usually free), a respite from heat, and a welcome seat. A modest dress code (no bare shoulders or shorts for anyone, even kids) is enforced at larger churches, such as Venice’s St. Mark’s and the Vatican’s St. Peter’s, but is often overlooked elsewhere.

Outsmart thieves. Pickpockets abound in crowded places where tourists congregate. Be alert to commotions, such as people clustering around you asking for help. Keep your cash, credit cards, and passport secure in a money belt tucked under your clothes; carry only a day’s spending money in your front pocket. Don’t set valuable items down on counters or café tabletops, where they’re easily forgotten or quickly stolen. In case of theft or loss, see here.

One of the best ways to connect with Italian culture is through its food.

Be proactive to minimize the effects of potential loss. Keep your expensive gear to a minimum. Bring copies of important documents (passport, debit/credit cards) to aid in replacement if the originals are lost or stolen. While traveling, back up your digital photos and files frequently.

Guard your time, energy, and trip. Taking a taxi can be a good value if it saves you a long wait for a cheap bus or an exhausting walk across town. To avoid long lines, take advantage of the crowd-beating tips in this book, such as making reservations in advance, or arriving at sights early or late. In Rome and in Venice, you can buy combo-tickets at lesser visited sights (like Rome’s Palatine Hill) to get into more popular sights (like the Colosseum) without a wait. When problems arise (a train strike, a bad meal, musty room, or being overcharged), keep things in perspective. You’re on vacation...and you’re in Italy!

Attempt the language. Many Italians—especially those in the tourist trade and in big cities—speak English, but if you learn some Italian, even just a few phrases, you’ll get more smiles and make more friends. Practice the Survival Phrases near the end of this book, and even better, bring a phrase book.

Connect with the culture. Enjoy the friendliness of the Italian people. Ask questions—many locals are as interested in you as you are in them. Slow down, step out of your comfort zone, and be open to unexpected experiences. When an interesting opportunity pops up, say “Si!”

Happy travels! Buon viaggio!

Before You Go

Make sure your passport is valid. If it’s due to expire within three months of your ticketed date of return, renew it. Allow up to six weeks to renew or get a passport (www.travel.state.gov).

Book rooms well in advance, especially if your trip falls during peak season or any major holidays or festivals. For tips on making hotel reservations, see here.

Reserve or buy tickets ahead for major sights, saving you from long ticket-buying lines: in Florence, for the Uffizi Gallery and Accademia (or buy a Firenze Card upon arrival); in Rome, for the Borghese Gallery and Vatican Museums; and in Milan, for Leonardo’s The Last Supper. Details are in the chapters.

Consider travel insurance. Compare the cost of the insurance to the cost of your potential loss. Check whether your existing insurance (health, homeowners, or renters) covers you and your possessions overseas. For tips, see www.ricksteves.com/insurance.

Call your bank. Alert your bank that you’ll be using your debit and credit cards in Europe; also ask about transaction fees, and get the PIN number for your credit card (see here). You won’t need to bring euros for your trip—instead, withdraw euros from cash machines in Europe.

Bringing your phone? Consider an international plan to reduce the cost of calls, texts, and data (or rely on Wi-Fi instead). See here for different ways to stay connected in Europe.

Download apps to your mobile device to use on the road, such as maps, transit schedules, and my free Rick Steves Audio Europe app.

Watt’s up? Bring an electrical adapter with two round prongs (sold at travel stores in the US) to plug into Europe’s outlets. You won’t need a convertor, because newer electronics—such as tablets, laptops, and battery chargers—convert automatically to Europe’s 220-volt system. Don’t bring an old hair dryer; buy a cheapie in Europe.

Drivers, get an International Driving Permit (sold at AAA offices in the US, www.aaa.com, see here) and bring your license, too. Driving is prohibited in some city centers and violators face big fines; for more, see here.

Pack light. You’ll walk with your luggage far more than you think (see packing list on here).

Refer to the Practicalities chapter, where you’ll find everything you need to know to travel smoothly in Italy.

Get updates to this book at www.ricksteves.com/update.

Key to This Book

Updates

This book is updated regularly—but things change. As soon as you pin down Italy, it wiggles. For the latest, visit www.ricksteves.com/update.

Abbreviations and Times

I use the following symbols and abbreviations in this book:

Sights are rated:

Tourist information offices are abbreviated as TI, and bathrooms are WCs. To categorize accommodations, I use a Sleep Code (described on here).

Like Europe, this book uses the 24-hour clock. It’s the same through 12:00 noon, then keeps going: 13:00, 14:00, and so on. For anything over 12, subtract 12 and add p.m. (14:00 is 2:00 p.m.).

When giving opening times, I include both peak season and off-season hours if they differ. So, if a museum is listed as “May-Oct daily 9:00-16:00,” it should be open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. from the first day of May until the last day of October (but expect exceptions).

For transit or tour departures, I first list the frequency, then the duration. So a train connection listed as “2/hour, 1.5 hours” departs twice each hour, and the journey lasts an hour and a half.