What to do in Italy: between art cities, dolce vita and small everyday pleasures 🌏🇮🇹

Italy has that rare gift of enchanting at every street corner. Between ancient ruins and Renaissance palaces, neighborhood trattorie and clear water coves, each region tells a different Italy. If you're planning a trip to Italy, you're in the right place: this guide helps you choose your stops, avoid traps, and enjoy fully — while staying easily connected everywhere in the country. And if you want an overview of data packages to travel connected with ease, take a look at the GoMoWorld page dedicated to Italy, accessible directly by clicking here, naturally, to go to Italy.

What strikes you in Italy is the density of things to see and do in a territory that is ultimately quite compact. Rome, Florence and Venice alone justify a first trip. But as soon as the suitcase is unpacked, you discover another Italy, more everyday: espresso standing at the counter, the evening passeggiata, the crispy morning bread, the market vegetables, the conviviality. And then there's the art of taking your time, extending lunch on a piazza terrace, entering a church to cool down and looking up at a frescoed ceiling.

This guide will take you from north to south, with itinerary ideas, 2024–2025 logistical advice, tips to avoid crowds, and key points on connectivity to keep your tickets, maps and reservations at hand.

Time-saving tip: in major Italian cities, book museums and major sites several days in advance, ideally at opening times or late afternoon for smoother visits.

Italy can be visited year-round, but each season has its personality. Spring (April-May) is superb for light and freshness, autumn (September-October) for mild temperatures and grape harvests. Summer brings a very festive atmosphere, festivals and long nights, but also heat and crowds, especially on the coasts. Winter is magical for art cities (fewer crowds, great exhibitions) and Christmas markets in the north, not to mention the mountains.

If you're considering the Amalfi coast, Cinque Terre or Puglia, favor June and September. For Sicily, the heart of summer is hot but the sea breeze helps, and the evenings are fantastic. For hiking in the Dolomites, aim for July-September.

Weather tip: the heat can be intense in July-August in cities. Plan your indoor visits in the afternoon (museums, churches), and enjoy mornings for outdoor walks.

Rome and Lazio, an open-air museum

Rome is a sublime chaos ordered by twenty centuries of history. Start with the Colosseum and Forum, before heading to the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona. The Vatican deserves a day, between the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica with its dome climb. Walk along the Tiber at dusk, cross Trastevere, and treat yourself to a carbonara in a neighborhood trattoria.

Rome is best appreciated at a slower pace: plan at least three nights. A detour through the Baths of Caracalla or the Appian Way gives you another face of the city, more contemplative. And save half a day for the Galleria Borghese if you love sculpture.

Practical reminder: ZTL zones (limited access) are common in historic centers. If you rent a car, check access, at the risk of automatic fines.

Florence, Tuscany and the art of living

Florence is the city where every facade tells the Renaissance. The Uffizi Gallery, Duomo and Ponte Vecchio are unmissable, but also get lost in Oltrarno to discover artisans and family trattorie. From Florence, branch out to Siena, San Gimignano or Chianti for gentle landscapes, dotted with cypresses and olive groves. Renting a car for 2–3 days of Tuscan roads is a pleasure, provided you avoid historic centers with the car.

Food-wise, try ribollita, bistecca alla fiorentina, and Chianti Classico wines. Tuscany lends itself wonderfully to slowness: a countryside house, two or three villages per day, and unforgettable sunsets.

Venice and Veneto, along the water

Venice is a fragile dream. The secret to enjoying it? Sleep in the city and go out early in the morning, when the alleys are calm. The unmissables: St. Mark's Basilica, Doge's Palace, Rialto Bridge, but also less crowded neighborhoods like Cannaregio or Giudecca. Take the vaporetto to Burano and its colorful houses, or to Torcello for a leap in time. Padua and Verona, both nearby, wonderfully complement a Venetian getaway.

Useful info 2024–2025: access fees for day visitors are applied on certain days in Venice. Check the official calendar and book if necessary to avoid setbacks.

Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi coast

Naples, intense and vibrant, is discovered through its streets, baroque churches and incredible culinary scene. Try Neapolitan pizza (of course!) and head to Pompeii or Herculaneum for the day. If you love dramatic landscapes, the Amalfi coast is one of Europe's most beautiful: Amalfi, Positano, Ravello... But expect winding roads and high prices in high season. A smart plan: stay in Salerno, Sorrento or Minori for more calm and controlled budget, and reach the star villages by bus or boat.

Puglia, between trulli and Adriatic

The heel of the Italian boot charms with its white stone villages, endless olive groves and turquoise waters. Alberobello and its trulli, the very photogenic Polignano a Mare, baroque Lecce, and the Salento peninsula make up a perfect region for a summer road trip. Here, we slow down, swim, eat orecchiette and return at the blue hour, salty and happy.

Sicily, island-world

Sicily is Italy plus Africa, plus Greece, plus the Mediterranean. Palermo is a sensory shock of markets, Arab-Norman architecture and golden churches. Mount Etna, majestic, watches over Catania and Taormina, perched on its natural terrace facing the sea. The Valley of the Temples in Agrigento is one of the most beautiful ancient sites in the world. Plan at least a week for a good overview of the island, more if you tour it.

Milan, the lakes and the Dolomites

Milan combines design, fashion and culture. The Duomo impresses, the Quadrilatero d'Oro shines, and Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper" must be booked well in advance. To the north, the lakes (Como, Maggiore, Garda) offer villas, gardens and enchanting villages. Further east, the Dolomites display postcard landscapes, perfect for hiking in summer and skiing in winter. The refuges are memorable and the cuisine, mountain-style and comforting.

For parks and mountains: check trail conditions and refuge reservations in high season. Parking is sometimes limited — arrive early.

The pleasure of Italy is also played at the table. A few simple guidelines will help you eat well, often and without fuss. Look for trattorie frequented by locals, avoid ultra-touristy multilingual menus right next to major attractions, and stick to regional specialties. A carbonara in Rome, a cacio e pepe too; a ragù in Bologna; cicchetti in Venice; seafood in Puglia; arancini in Sicily. Eat standing at the counter for coffee, the price is often sweeter.

Bill-wise, the "coperto" (cover charge) is sometimes charged at restaurants; it's not a trap, it's the custom. Tap water is generally drinkable and you can ask for a carafe ("acqua del rubinetto"), although some places insist on selling bottled water.

Gourmet and smart: when possible, have lunch outside the too obvious "spots" and move two streets away from attractions, quality rises and prices fall.

The train is often the best way to connect major cities. High-speed lines between Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome and Naples are fast, frequent and comfortable. Book your tickets in advance for better rates. To explore Tuscany, Puglia, Sardinia or certain areas of Sicily, a car is very practical, with precautions related to ZTL in historic centers. Ferries complement the arsenal well: very useful for the Aeolian Islands, Capri, Ischia, or to reach Sardinia.

City traffic is rarely pleasant. If you stay in a historic center, favor train or bus to get there, then walk: Italy is best enjoyed on foot.

Major Italian cities are organizing to better distribute flows. This translates into visit slots, advance booking policies, or even specific fees on certain very busy days. Nothing dramatic if you anticipate a bit. Payment-wise, contactless is well accepted, but keep some cash for small cafes, markets or parking.

The tourist tax ("tassa di soggiorno") exists in many cities: it's paid at accommodation, often in cash, and varies by category and destination. Also keep your valid transport receipts on buses and metros.

Serene organization: centralize your tickets, QR codes, reservations and maps on your phone and keep offline copies. A good mobile connection simplifies everything, especially on multi-city itineraries.

Traveling well organized also means traveling well connected. With GoMoWorld, you install a single eSIM that works in more than 200 destinations, including all of Italy, without a physical SIM card. Once the eSIM is installed via the app, you buy and activate your data plans according to your needs, whether you're in Rome, the Dolomites or Sicily.

Here are the offers available for Italy, valid in 2024–2025 at the time of publishing this guide, to activate when you decide:

• 30-day plan: 75GB for €29.99
• 30-day plan: 50GB for €19.99
• 30-day plan: 15GB for €10.99
• 7-day plan: 4GB for €3.99

Concretely, you can buy your plan on the website or directly in the app. eSIM installation is done exclusively in the GoMoWorld app (no QR code), and you must manually activate the plan on the day you want to start the data. As long as a plan is not activated, it does not expire, so you can buy in advance without stress. All plans allow connection sharing (hotspot), convenient for connecting a computer or children's tablet. And as a bonus, the app includes a VPN to encrypt your traffic on public Wi‑Fi and keep peace of mind.

Connectivity tip: install the eSIM before leaving, from the app. Once there, press "Start" when you need it. And if your stay extends, buy another plan in one click, without reinstalling anything.

Other useful advantages on the road: a single eSIM is enough for your next trips (Europe, Asia, Americas), customer support is based in Europe, and the connection goes through quality local mobile networks. It's data only — perfect for navigation, reservations, translations, video calls, maps, and your favorite messaging apps.

A classic week: art cities gently

• Rome (3 nights): arrival, walk in the historic center, Vatican, Trastevere. Take time to savor evenings on the piazze, with artisanal gelato in hand.
• Florence (2 nights): Renaissance, Duomo, Uffizi, walk in Oltrarno. If you have some time, escape to Pisa or Siena.
• Venice (2 nights): arrive early or late to avoid crowds, explore Cannaregio and Dorsoduro, head to the islands.

This itinerary favors train connections, fluid and fast between these three Italian stars.

Ten to fourteen days: from north to south

• Milan (1–2 nights): Duomo, Galleries, design, aperitivos.
• Lakes (1–2 nights): Como or Garda for elegant lakeside scenery.
• Florence and Tuscany (3–4 nights): base in Florence then car loop to Siena, Chianti and Val d'Orcia.
• Rome (2–3 nights): antiquities and dolce vita.
• Naples and Amalfi coast (2–3 nights): Pompeii, pizza, cliffside villages.

Craving sea spray and beaches? Replace the lakes with Cinque Terre, to explore on foot and by train.

Two weeks and more: heading to the islands

• Sicily (7–10 nights): Palermo, Monreale, Agrigento, Ragusa, Syracuse, Taormina, Etna. Rent a car for flexibility.
• Sardinia extension (4–6 nights): sublime beaches, crystal water, sun-soaked villages.

Itinerary tip: in summer, avoid multiplying hotel changes. Two to three well-chosen bases will gain you comfort and budget (and spare you repacking every day).

Extensions to other nearby destinations

Italy combines very well with several neighbors or Mediterranean "cousins". After a few days in Tuscany, head southwest for a week in Spain between Barcelona and Andalusia. From Milan, a TGV takes you to the French Riviera, perfect before heading to France to explore Provence or Paris. A road trip in Puglia also pairs very well with Greek islands, if you crave escape in Greece. Finally, for a cultural split after Rome and Naples, why not plan a next trip to Morocco, between medinas, desert and ocean?

Accommodations in historic centers have tremendous charm, but the price reflects it. For a good compromise, look for slightly outlying neighborhoods, well connected by bus or tram. Anticipate "star" museums and use early morning slots. Meal-wise, you can easily maintain a reasonable budget by favoring osterie and trattorie, with a cappuccino in the morning (rather than at dessert, which is less done in Italy), a panino at lunch, and a real dinner in the evening.

Paid panoramas (domes, viewpoints) offer beautiful photo memories, but choose one per city to avoid lines. Finally, look at walking or cycling maps, many cities offer bike paths or extensive pedestrian zones.

Think practical: always keep a margin of 10–15 minutes before your reserved slots to absorb a crowded metro, an unanticipated ZTL, or a slightly long security line.

Make sure you have your tickets, QR codes and passes stored locally. The phone camera serves as a universal scanner to keep your documents. In very crowded places, keep bag and phone in front of you. The GoMoWorld app integrating a VPN, activate it on public Wi‑Fi in stations, hotels and cafes to secure your data. And since all GoMoWorld plans allow hotspot, you can share your connection with other devices without complication.

If you're going to several countries in a row, good news: a single GoMoWorld eSIM is enough for the whole world, with on-demand plan activation. Your unactivated plans don't expire, so you can prepare Europe this summer and Asia this winter without rushing.

Off the beaten path: keep an offline map ready in your favorite app. And if you get lost — all the better — that's often how you find the best cafe of the trip.

• Major reservations: highly demanded museums, Colosseum or Uffizi slots, "Last Supper" in Milan, Doge's Palace in Venice.
• Transport: high-speed train tickets, car rental for Tuscany or Puglia if needed.
• Accommodation: anticipate in high season and check ZTL access policy if arriving by car.
• Connectivity: install GoMoWorld eSIM in the app, buy the appropriate plan (for example 15GB for a long weekend, 50GB or 75GB for a 10–30 day road trip), and activate on D-day.

It all depends on your pace and usage. For an urban week, a 7-day 4GB plan for €3.99 may be enough if you mainly use hotel Wi‑Fi and limit video calls. For a two-week trip with navigation, translations, reservations and occasional video calls, the 30-day 15GB plan for €10.99 is an excellent compromise. If you work on the road (light remote work, intensive navigation, streaming), favor 50GB for €19.99. And if you never want to watch the meter, the 75GB for €29.99 gives you a nice margin, especially if you share the connection with a second device.

Remember you can buy multiple plans in advance and activate only one at a time. If you have days or data left at the end of your stay, it's all benefit for a next visit to Italy.

Total serenity: eSIM installation is done only in the GoMoWorld app (no QR code). Once the eSIM is in place, you buy, activate, recharge — and that's it. Simple, fast, effective.

• Early morning, Rome is yours. At 7 am at the Pantheon, you'll almost hear your steps echo.
• In Venice, leave the Rialto–San Marco axis and walk around the Arsenal and Via Garibaldi for a more local atmosphere.
• In Florence, Oltrarno is perfect for an aperitivo at sunset.
• In Puglia, a late afternoon swim at Polignano a Mare, then a late dinner, will leave a very nice memory.
• In Sicily, try a granita at breakfast in Catania or Syracuse — in summer, it's bliss.

Italy cannot be summed up, it must be lived — in small sips, through its squares, its cafes, its museums, its markets. Take your time, plan the essentials, accept the rest as it comes. And to keep that invisible thread that simplifies everything — maps, tickets, reservations, video calls to family — keep it simple: a single GoMoWorld eSIM for your entire trip, plans that activate on demand, a hotspot to share, and an integrated VPN for serene browsing. Whether you're going to Italy, extending to France, thinking of the sea in Greece or the energy of Spain, you can travel light — in your bag, as in your head.

Buon viaggio!