As a long peninsula stretching deep into the Mediterranean from the Alps, Italy’s weather can vary greatly, and there are many destinations that are wonderful to experience outside the normal tourist season. The key sites can be crowded in the peak summer months of July and August, and the heat in the cities can be overwhelming, but this is the perfect time to travel to lesser-known regions and destinations. In winter months the south, especially Sicily, has very mild weather. If you’re more interested in history, food, and culture than beaches, winter can be the ideal time to visit. Our travel advisors are keen to help you explore the best of Italy at any time of year.

Italy is home to perhaps the world’s most famous cuisine, with delicacies and dishes popular with people from millionaires to children and grad students. The dishes that you might be familiar with from Italian restaurants abroad (especially chains like Olive Garden!) are a poor introduction to Italian food, however, as it varies greatly from region to region. Until Italy unified 150 years ago, it was a bewildering hodgepodge of kingdoms, democracies, and a theocracy, speaking different languages. This is reflected in the local foods. Trieste has excellent pastries, but a decent pizza is rare up there, while you’ll be hard-pressed to find a perfect risotto in Sicily. In each region or destination you visit, we’ll provide dining suggestions to help you explore local traditions via food and drink.

Italy is rich in wonders and as one of our friends likes to say “extends from the Alps, to Africa”. Whether you want mountains, lakes, gentle hills, Maldives-style beaches, ancient cities or historic towns, our travel advisors will help you pick the ideal spots for your vacation whether you want to stick to the well-known highlights or visit less famous delights. Wherever you go we’ll make sure it’s the trip of a lifetime. Every time.

Italian cities can be chaotic, especially Naples and Rome, with aggressive drivers, constant traffic jams, and overcrowded subways and buses. Italian cities and towns are best explored by foot, and we prioritize centrally-located accommodations, to help you do so. The high-speed express trains that serve major cities are modern, frequent, and are often the best way to get between destinations quickly. Long distance buses aren’t the most comfortable and are only popular for reasons of cost. They don’t often cover routes not already served by trains. If you’d prefer a door-to-door service over taking the train we can arrange private transfers and include stops along the way.

Italy is generally safe, but you’ll want to keep an eye out for bag-snatchers and pickpockets, especially on public transport or in touristy areas. If driving, be sure not to leave valuables in your car. Although southern Italy is infamous for organized crime, these gangsters are rarely involved in petty crime affecting tourists, preferring to focus on other activities, such as drug trafficking and racketeering. Although you should keep your wits about you in Naples’ old town, its petty crime rates are on par with Barcelona, Marseilles, and Amsterdam.