Piazza del Campo in Siena, Italy’s perfect medieval city.Credit: iStock
Over the course of more than 40 years, I have lived in Rome and Venice and visited my selection of Italy’s 20 best cities multiple times. I therefore bring my prejudices to bear.
Others will have different passions and rank cities accordingly. Shoppers will relish Milan more than I do. Gastronomes will place Bologna higher. Those who love Italy’s earthier Latin cities will favour Naples and Palermo.
Be warned – what Italians call a city, we might call a town, in part a legacy of Italy’s medieval city-states. Once a city, always a city – even if these “cities” today are not what they were. Missing from my list are former cities such as Lucca, Matera, Urbino and Ravenna – for all that they are superb places to visit.
Then there’s the Big Three: Rome, Florence and Venice. These cities are some of the world’s busiest and visiting can be dispiriting, as anyone who has endured the crush of the Sistine Chapel, St Mark’s Basilica, or the Uffizi, among others, will know. So these are cities I rank with misgivings.
What about you? What would your list look like; what would your top choice be – and why? Post a comment below or write to us (details below).
20. PADUA, VENETO
The Piazza dei Signori in Padua, Veneto. Credit: Adobe Stock
The lowdown Padua suffered from World War II Allied bombing but somehow emerged with one of the country’s finest artistic creations – Giotto’s 14th-century fresco cycle in the Cappella Scrovegni – intact. It also has a fine ensemble of civic museums and a shrine, the Basilica di Sant’Antonio, to Saint Anthony of Padua. But the proliferation of the modern amid the medieval remains a reminder of what the city has lost.
How to get there Padua, the capital of the eponymous province, is only 40 kilometres from Venice, from where the fast train trip can take as little as 15 minutes.
Where to stay A stone’s throw from the civic museums and other key sights, the Palazzo Mantua Benavides (palazzomanutabenavides.com) has doubles from $399 and offers eight elegant suites or apartments, with pretty outdoor spaces.
19. GENOA, LIGURIA
Piazza de Ferrari, the historical centre of Genoa, Liguria.Credit: iStock
The lowdown Genoa (visitgenoa.it) has its fans, those who relish honest working ports with a gritty edge, a briny charm and earthy local neighbourhoods. But this is a hard city to love outside its labyrinthine historic core of narrow alleys, churches, and 18th-century palaces, its medieval and later charms tempered by a fractured waterfront – partially redeemed by one of Europe’s finest aquariums – and an often down-at-heel hinterland.
How to get there Genoa, capital of the Liguira region, is around 90 minutes by train from Milan or three and a half hours from Florence.
Where to stay Le Nuvole (hotellenuvole.it) has pared-back but modern and comfortable doubles in the city centre from around $175, including breakfast.
18. LECCE, PUGLIA
An ancient Roman theatre in Lecce, Puglia.Credit: Adobe Stock
The lowdown Lecce (visitlecce.eu), located on the Salento Peninsula in southern Puglia is often exaggeratedly described as the “Florence of the Baroque”. True, churches such as Santa Croce and the Duomo are magnificent, but the gems are scattered, and while much of the city is pleasant enough to wander, it’s a place that can be happily explored in a morning.
How to get there Take the train from Brindisi, the port city 40 kilometres to the north, with the quickest service taking only 19 minutes. Alternatively, it’s about a five-hour train trip from Rome.
Where to stay Lecce has a plethora of low-cost hotels in the old city, but for something special, stay at the historic and beautifully updated Palazzo Tafuri (palazzotafuri.com), with doubles from $550 .
17. PISA, TUSCANY
The Piazza dei Miracoli and leaning tower, Pisa, Tuscany.Credit: Adobe Stock
The lowdown Pisa (turismo.pisa.it) and its strategic importance saw Allied bombs rain down in 1943, destroying much of the city’s historic fabric while sparing the Leaning Tower and adjacent cathedral and Baptistery. The Arno River adds charm, students support a lively nightlife and corners of medieval interest survive. But beyond that glorious ensemble around the Tower, Pisa is a likeable but largely workaday city.
How to get there Pisa, the fifth-biggest city in Tuscany with a population of under 100,000, is an hour by train west from Florence.
Where to stay The modern NH Pisa (nh-hotels.com) combines keen prices – doubles from $134 – with a location right by Pisa Centrale station, around 20 minutes walk from the Leaning Tower.
16. TRIESTE, FRIULI-VENEZIA GIULIA
Church of St Antonio Thaumaturgo at the northern end of the Canale Grande, Trieste, Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Credit: iStock
The lowdown Trieste (italia.it) bears the stamp of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, of which it was a part until it was surrendered to Italy after the First World War. While its scale and grandeur are those of an imperial capital, today, it is a place curiously apart, a city where daily life combines the Italian and the more exotic, where you can eat both pasta and goulash.
Where to stay The Albero Nascosto (alberonascosto.it) offers bed and breakfast double from $275, in an intimate refuge with charming owners, close to the sights and Via di Cavana, the city’s prettiest street
How to get there Trieste, the capital of the autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, is about two hours by train north-east of Venice.
15. MODENA, EMILIA-ROMAGNA
Modena, an unsung city.Credit: Getty Images
The lowdown Modena? Who goes to Modena? Petrolheads, for one, go to Modena (visitmodena.it) with its hinterland: the past or present home of Ferrari, Bugatti, Maserati and Lamborghini. Marques have factory tours and sleek museums, while the otherwise unsung city contains one of northern Italy’s finest cathedrals, an immense ducal palace, and Mercato Albinelli, one of Europe’s loveliest food markets.
How to get there Modena is 90 minutes north from Milan by train and two hours by train south-west from Venice.
Where to stay Modena is not strictly a tourist destination and has few central hotels, but the recently renovated Sant’Eufemia 30 (santaeufemia30.com) offers four characterful rooms that would be the envy of far more celebrated cities, from $395, bed and breakfast.
14. PERUGIA, UMBRIA
Perugia Old Town, Umbria.Credit: Adobe Stock
The lowdown Navigate the suburbs and roads crowding its approaches, and Perugia (italia.it), Umbria’s regional capital, remains a simple hill town at heart with Etruscan and Roman roots – and the remains to prove it – and a historic core filled with artistic and architectural masterpieces. Pride of place goes to the Palazzo dei Priori, one of Italy’s greatest civic palaces and the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria.
How to get there By train, Perugia is around two hours south-east from Florence or three hours north of Rome.
Where to stay Beware the many “Perugia hotels” that are actually outside the old city and stay at the historic Locanda della Posta (locandadellapostahotel.it), with doubles from $256, including breakfast.
13. MILAN, LOMBARDY
Milan Gallery, a popular attraction for visitors.Credit: Adobe Stock
The lowdown Italy’s second city, Milan (italia.it) is brisk and businesslike. Modern and northern European in manner and appearance, its gods are design, fashion and finance. Art and culture can seem marginalised, though opera at La Scala, the Duomo and Brera art gallery provide dazzling exceptions, and Leonardo’s Last Supper, for all its faded splendour, remains a point of pilgrimage.
How to get there Milan, Italy’s second most populous city, has two airports, Linate and Malpensa, the former for intra-Europe flights, the latter being the international airport: Linate is closer to the centre, but both are easy metro, bus or taxi rides, as are all the sights.
Where to stay In a city of often eye-wateringly expensive hotels, Antica Locanda dei Mercati (locanda.it) is a relative bargain, with doubles from $320. It’s a small hotel in the centre – with an even smaller lift
12. TURIN, PIEDMONT
Landmark building Mole Antonelliana in Turin, Piedmont.Credit: Getty Images
The lowdown “Turin is not a city to make a fuss about”, American writer Henry James declared in 1877. It’s still a common perception of a place usually known for its Fiat manufacturing connection. Today, that perception of Turin (turismotorino.org) is wrong with the city’s restored Baroque centre as elegant as any in Europe, full of galleries and museums, parks and riverside walks, historic cafes and outstanding restaurants.
How to get there The train service to Turin, the capital of the Piedmont region, is a 50-minute ride south-west from Milan.
Where to stay The five-star Grand Hotel (grandhotelsitea.it), with doubles from $203, is Turin’s traditional grande dame, with a great location and reasonable rates
11. BOLOGNA, EMILIA-ROMAGNA
Piazza Maggiore square and San Petronio church in Bologna, Emilia- Romagna. Credit: Adobe Stock
The lowdown If judged on its food alone, Bologna is among Italy’s finest – dubbed La Grassa (“The Fat One”) – it has a culinary tradition even other Italians acknowledge. But it can be a challenging place in winter (fog, bitter cold) and high summer (debilitating heat) and the historic core – for all its pleasing arcades, piazzas, palaces and towers – is surprisingly small.
How to get there Florence, directly south of Bologna, is the nearest of the bigger cities. The fast train from there takes 33 minutes.
Where to stay A great location with keener prices than its near rivals – doubles cost from $217 – the Phi Hotel Bologna (phihotelbologna.com) an excellent base for exploring the city.
10. PALERMO, SICILY
The Capo market in vibrant Palermo Sicily.Credit: Adobe Stock
The lowdown Big, bustling and a little battered, the Sicilian capital Palermo (visitsicily.info) is not for the fainthearted, and its faded baroque grandeur is not to all tastes. But it is a city of vibrant character, tradition and history, filled with extraordinary monuments – not least the sublime Palazzo dei Normanni – to its past Arab, Norman and Spanish rulers, as well as magnificently decorated churches.
How to get there Fly from Rome to Palermo, where the airport is 35 kilometres from the city and use the Terravision bus shuttle (terravision.eu) to access the historic centre.
Where to stay The Planeta wine-making dynasty has opened an apartment hotel (planeta.it) in the family palazzo in a safe and convenient part of the city, with doubles from about $200.
9. PARMA, EMILIA-ROMAGNA
Dinner on the Palazzo del Guvernatore, Parma, Campania. Credit: Adobe Stock
The lowdown Refined and genteel, quietly prosperous Parma (parmawelcome.it) is a place to shop for food and fashion, indulge in excellent restaurants, and explore the 11th-century cathedral and other monuments of a small but exquisite historic quarter. Leave time for the Palazzo Pilotta (1611), home to a beautiful Renaissance theatre and the Galleria Nazionale, with works by Leonardo da Vinci, Canaletto and Correggio.
How to get there Take the train from Milan – on the fastest service, it’s a 51-minute journey.
Where to stay Al Battistero d’Oro (albattisterodoro.com) is a characterful B&B housed in an 18th-century palazzo in the centre of the city, with doubles from $209.
8. NAPLES, CAMPANIA
Mount Vesuvius and the Gulf of Naples.Credit: iStock
The lowdown Naples (visitnaples.eu) divides. If your notion of Italy involves cliches like washing-hung streets and a degree of passionate chaos, this is the city for you. If not, you may want to avoid the heat and hustle, but you would be missing a place like no other and one where the scenic and cultural attractions – Pompeii, the Museo Archeologico, the Amalfi Coast – are among Europe’s finest.
How to get there Though the distance south-east from Rome to Naples is 225 kilometres, high-speed trains will get you there in just 70 minutes.
Where to stay The Grande Hotel Vesuvio (vesuvio.it), which has doubles from $778, is the luxury option. The central Domus Deorum (domusdeorum.com), with doubles from $236, is the more reasonable central choice.
7. VICENZA, VENETO
Vicenza: small and perfectly formed.Credit: iStock
The lowdown Urbane Vicenza (vicenzae.org) is small and perfectly formed, but then what would you expect from a city scattered with buildings by influential architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580)? Many of the master’s works survive, not least the Basilica and Teatro Olimpico. Enjoy streets lined with elegant shops, restaurants and cafés, and enough museums, villas and gardens to keep you happy.
How to get there North-west from Venice, Vicenza is a 45-minute trip by train or from Rome to the south, under four hours by the fastest service.
Where to stay You’ll find elegant rooms in the Relais Santa Corona (relaissantacorona.it), with doubles from $187, while Portico Rosso (porticorosso.it), with doubles from $163, is a quiet B&B with a lovely garden 10 minutes walk from Vicenza’s main street.
6. FLORENCE, TUSCANY
Heavenly vistas including the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore church and old town in Florence.Credit: Adobe Stock
The lowdown Too big and too busy, Florence (feelflorence.it) comes with qualifications. But can you have too much art and architecture? Of course not, though the Tuscan capital does take effort to enjoy: you’ll need to book to see the Uffizi or David and only by walking away from the centre, to the Oltrarno district, say, or to the exquisite hill-top church of San Miniato, will you find a degree of peace.
How to get there Fly to Rome and take a 90-minute fast train from the Italian capital north to Florence.
Where to stay Reasonably priced central hotels are scarce in Florence, which makes the plain but comfortable Davanzati (hoteldavanzati.it), doubles from $250, something of a bargain in this most popular of cities.
5. VERONA, VENETO
Verona at sunset over the Adige River.Credit: iStock
The lowdown Verona (visitverona.it) is northern Italy’s loveliest city after Venice, its historic quarter preserved within a broad curve of the River Adige; its ancient skyline little-changed since Shakespeare imagined it as Romeo and Juliet’s setting. At its heart lie the old Roman amphitheatre, the magical setting for Italy’s finest opera festival, and two beautiful squares, Piazza Bra and Piazza dell’Erbe.
How to get there Verona is just under an hour from Venice on the fast train and 90 minutes from Florence.
Where to stay The Hotel Indigo Verona - Grand Hotel Des Artes (indigoverona.com) has doubles from around $200. It’s not in the historic core, hence the reasonable rates, but it’s an elegant, art-filled retreat that’s still within a few minutes’ walk of the key sights.
4. MANTUA, LOMBARDY
Mantua deserves more visitors.Credit: Adobe Stock
The lowdown Mantua (Mantova) is Italy’s last great undiscovered city. Why it sees so few visitors is difficult to know – no convenient airports, perhaps, or the fact that its medieval heyday was followed by centuries of obscurity. It’s a wonderful, romantic city, threaded by canals and beautifully situated on a trio of tranquil lakes. It also has two of Europe’s finest historic sights in the form of Palazzo Te and Palazzo Ducale.
How to get there It’s two hours by train from either Milan or Florence (fast train) to Mantua, and 2.5 hours from Venice.
Where to stay The Palazzo Castiglioni (palazzocastiglionimantova.com), with doubles from $475, is located on Mantua’s main Piazza Sordello. A special place to stay, it’s still owned by descendants of Baldassare Castiglione, author of The Book of the Courtier (1527), a handbook of courtly etiquette that became influential across the courts of Europe.
3. ROME, LAZIO
Rome’s glorious history in full view from Castel Sant’ Angelo. Credit: Adobe Stock
The lowdown Rome (turismoroma.it), capital of both Italy and the Lazio region, is without equal. No other city can match its artistic, historic, religious or architectural riches, but it also suffers from a raft of modern problems and a weight of people. And yet, as you despair of the traffic and pollution, you’ll experience, say, the Colosseum by moonlight or sunlight streaming into the Pantheon, forgiving the city its problematic present and seeing only its glorious past.
How to get there During the European summer, Qantas operates three flights a week from Perth to Rome, while Emirates flies to Rome from Australia via its Dubai hub. See qantas.com; emirates.com
Where to stay The little-known Hotel Navona (hotelnavona.com) is a gem, with a superb central – but quiet – position close to the Pantheon and keen rates – doubles from around $246 – for a hotel in the heart of Rome
For more on Rome, read Traveller’s comprehensive destination guide.
2. VENICE, VENETO
Go beyond the grand canal in Venice, Verona.Credit: iStock
The lowdown Venice (visitvenezia.eu) has problems but as a visitor, the answer is to approach the world’s still most beautiful city at an oblique angle. Come in winter. Avoid St Mark’s on first acquaintance. Visit the periphery – Cannaregio and Castello in the north; the old Ghetto; the streets around Madonna dell’Orto. Explore the backwaters beyond San Giovanni in Bragora and around Campo San Giacomo dell’Orio.
How to get there Fly to Venice’s Marco Polo airport and choose one of several shuttle options to the city centre. For celebrity-like glamour, take a water taxi.
Where to stay Make for a peaceful corner of the San Polo district and check in to the well-priced Palazzo Morosini degli Spezier (morosinideglispezieri.com), where the mini-apartments come with a small kitchen to help cut costs. Doubles from $330.
1. SIENA, TUSCANY
Clear skies in central Siena. Credit: Adobe Stock
The lowdown Siena (visitsienaofficial.it) is Italy’s most perfect medieval city. Steeped in art and history and still bound within its walls, it is a seductive medley of the intimate and the grandiose, of soaring churches and sleepy squares. From the Campo, its glorious main piazza, to a labyrinth of picture-perfect streets, it is neither too big nor small; a city still linked to its past – witness its centuries-old Palio horse race – but with a timeless sense of community that makes it an eminently civilised place to live, and to visit, in the present.
How to get there Regional trains cover the trip between Siena and Florence, to the south, which takes up to 90 minutes. The train station is outside the centre; the bus can be quicker and drops you in the heart of things.
Where to stay A peaceful location still close to the key sights combined with a beautiful garden and stately, aristocratic rooms make the Palazzo Ravizza (palazzoravizza.it) an ideal base from which to enjoy Siena. Doubles from $157, with breakfast.
This story is an edited version of article originally published by The Telegraph, London.
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