#15 Beautiful Places and Cities To Visit In Italy

There are so many incredible places and cities in Italy; where to begin? As a country that allures and inspires just about all who encounter it; Italy is the source of some of the world’s most incredible art, culture and history, but its natural attractions are just as dazzling as its man-made ones.

1. Venice

Venice never fails to bedazzle anyone who visits it. The faded colors of the architecture reflected in those iconic canals, through which gondolas lazily glide, the dazzling splendor of St Mark’s Square, the absolute lack of traffic or exhaust, the incredible quality of the light, enhanced by those watery passages – it’s utterly otherworldly. Spend your days wandering the narrow lanes and crossing the bridges that span the canals; culture vultures can feast on the art and architecture, and hedonists should plan their visit to coincide with the gilded masks, spectacular headpieces and all night partying of February’s Carnevale. Take a day trip to Burano which, with its houses painted in a candy store of colors, is Instagram heaven.

2. Naples

Yes, it’s got a slight down-at-heel, gritty character to it, which often causes people to compare it unfavorably to glossier cities like Florence, but there’s an authenticity to Bella Napoli that makes it wonderfully compelling. Join a game of football in a square, stuff your face with some of the best pizza you’re ever likely to taste, marvel at the nearby Mt Vesuvius and take a day trip to the ancient ruins of Pompeii. If you have a taste for the macabre, check out the piles of human bones at the Fontanelle underground ceremony, making sure that you end your day on the more cheerful note of enjoying an aperitivo in Piazza Bellini, where the locals throng.