Things to do in Italy: Travelzoo deal experts share their tips

Boasting the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world, artistic treasures aplenty, and world-renowned, mouth-watering food, Italy delights even the most demanding travellers.

Whether you want to visit the Colosseum and hark back to the days of gladiator battles, gorge on meat platters and wood-oven pizzas, sip on crisp wine, visit colourful fishing villages, or shop luxury designer brands, our Deal Experts have put together their top travel tips to help you plan your trip.

Eating & drinking

If you are a meat-lover and find yourself in Florence, be sure to sample the local speciality, bistecca alla fiorentina, which is an enormous steak cooked on a charcoal grill. Many restaurants in Florence claim to do the best version of this but the quality, size (and price) can vary widely. If you want to enjoy a true Tuscan food experience and go where the locals go, head to Del Fagioli. It's a little out of the way, but well worth the trek!

Have a gelato at Gelateria del Teatro in Rome. It uses fresh, authentic ingredients; you won’t find any bright-blue bubblegum flavours here! Try the rosemary, lemon and honey flavour, it's divine.

Touring the farms and producers in Sicily is a good way to see the countryside. Highlights include donkey-meat salami (surprisingly tasty!), and pistachio liqueur.

In Rome, head to La Prosciutteria Trevi. The wine was lovely, and they do huge prosciutto platters on wooden boards, with cheese, meats, and olives. It’s a really narrow restaurant, and doesn’t look like anything special from outside, but there was always a long queue of people waiting to get in around meal times.

Enjoy a seaside lunch in Positano at Le Tre Sorelle (The Three Sisters, pictured above). It's the perfect setting for a crisp glass of wine and a mozzarella pizza with gorgeous ocean views.

In Naples, the home of pizza (and my heart), head to Pizzaria la Notizia for the best pizza in town (especially great if you like football and their home team of Napoli).

Must-visit places

Visit the towns dotted along the Amalfi coast (main image) — Positano, Sorrento, Amalfi, Ravello, Praiano. They're picturesque and colourful, with rustic buildings cascading down the cliff sides, and the sea views from the coastal roads are stunning. There are lots of day tours that run from Sorrento and visit each town.

Do not drive yourself. Parking is a nightmare and extremely expensive. Get the bus instead, or book a tour that includes transport.

Visit Procida in the Bay of Naples — a fishing village on an island that's a 40-minute hydrofoil ride from Naples. Often ignored because people more commonly visit Capri and Ischia, it has colourful houses, Medieval streets, teenagers cruising on mopeds — this is true Italian life. Head to Terra Murata (the highest point on the island) and stop off at Abbazia di San Michele to enjoy amazing views across the bay from the terrace.

In southeast Italy, Bari is a lively, cosmopolitan city on the coast. If you head north from there, there are some nice coastal towns that are popular with locals and not too touristy, like Trani and Bisceglie.

Unique experiences

For stunning scenery, visit Cinque Terre: five picturesque villages nestled in the rocks on the coast of northern Italy. Take a train from the first village to the last, and then walk back along the coast (about 11 miles). If you get tired, you can always hop on the train back, rather than walk.

An experience that particularly marked me in Umbria was the flowering of Castelluccio di Norcia, in Monti Sibillini National Park. Every year in May and July, lentils, poppies, daffodils, and violets bloom on the plains, creating an amazing, giant mosaic of colours that you can walk through.

Renting a villa in Tuscany (pictured above) among friends and family is a relatively inexpensive holiday option. It's a relaxing, picturesque getaway, and there are plenty of cities within easy reach for day trips.

Shop in style at The Mall, set in the Tuscan countryside, about 40 minutes' drive from Florence. It features over 30 luxury designers, including the likes of Roberto Cavalli, Gucci and Valentino.

Money-savers

In Venice, if you head down the back streets near St Mark’s Square, there are lots of nice coffee bars with espressos for a lot less than the hefty prices on the piazza.

Rapallo (pictured above) is often overlooked in favour of Portofino. It's just as beautiful and so much cheaper! Take a walk along the beautiful red-brick promenade of Lungomare Vittorio Veneto.

Pre-book airport transfers. Taxi drivers have a reputation for hiking up fares for tourists. A little research before you go can go a long way.

Where to go for a long weekend in Italy.
Travelling Italy by water.
Italy's best cycling and hiking routes.
When's the best time of year to visit different parts of Italy.
Where Italy's best beaches are.
Italy's best food cities.
Our Italian wine guide.
Italy's top archaeological sites.

Check our latest deals on holidays in Italy.

The following deal experts from Travelzoo’s London and Manchester offices contributed to this post: Holly Follett, Emma Lord, Nick Elvin, Katie Warwick, Niki Sehmbi, Robert Bearne, Raffaele Catalano, Joel Brandon-Bravo, Audrey Plou, and Stephen Dunk.