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Discover the best of Italy’s big-name cities along with smaller gems that make you feel closer to everyday Italian life.
Every stop comes with its own headline moments, from historic streets and grand piazzas to galleries packed with Renaissance artworks.
As you travel, Italy’s regional flavours come into focus, from classic dishes and pasta traditions to local wines worth making time for.
On a Travelsphere escorted tour, the practicalities are handled for you, so you can focus on enjoying each city rather than juggling tickets, transport and timings.
You’ll still have free time to wander, shop, pause for a coffee, or settle in for a long lunch when you find a place you love.
When looking for the best cities to visit in Italy, you really are spoilt for choice with classic options such as Rome and Venice, while smaller, character-rich places like Lucca offer an authentic sense of everyday life and delicious regional specialities.
Read on to discover Travelsphere’s top 12 best cities to visit in Italy, including showstoppers full of Renaissance art to smaller cities that will leave you keen to discover more of what this beautiful country has to offer. Every destination featured can be experienced on Travelsphere’s Italy tours, with the ideal blend of guided highlights and real free time to explore.
Italy’s capital city, Rome, often called the “Eternal City,” is a must-see for anyone visiting Italy. It is a place where thousands of years of history sit right next to busy, modern streets. Walking through Rome feels like being in an outdoor museum.
No visit is complete without standing in the shadow of the Colosseum, the world’s largest ancient amphitheatre, and wandering the Roman Forum, once the centre of public life. Nearby, the Pantheon showcases architectural genius with its unsupported dome. Across the Tiber, Vatican City houses the breathtaking St. Peter’s Basilica and the iconic Sistine Chapel, home to Michelangelo’s legendary frescoes.
Beyond the monuments, Rome captivates with its atmosphere and the chance to enjoy everyday Italian pleasures. Toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain to ensure your return, or enjoy people-watching on the Spanish Steps. For an authentic taste of Roman life, head to the Trastevere district to enjoy traditional pasta carbonara and aperitivo at a candlelit trattoria.
On Travelsphere’s Grand Tour of Italy, a day at leisure offers the opportunity to take in the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. You can also join an optional excursion to the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel.
Venice is one of the most recognisable cities in the world, built on a cluster of 118 small islands linked by over 400 footbridges. Since there are no cars, the city relies entirely on its canals and winding narrow walkways, giving it a peaceful, romantic quality that feels frozen in time.
The heart of the city is St. Mark’s Square, where you will find the golden St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace, a masterpiece of Gothic architecture. A walk across the Rialto Bridge is a must. The oldest and most famous crossing in the city, it offers a great view of the busy Grand Canal. For a quieter but equally stunning sight, head to the Santa Maria della Salute. This massive, domed church sits at the entrance to the canal and is one of the most photographed landmarks in Venice for its grand design and history.
On Travelsphere’s Italy tour, a guided walking tour will take you to the city’s key sights: St Mark’s Square and Basilica, the Doge’s Palace, the Rialto Bridge, and Scala Contarini del Bovolo.
Beyond the main tourist spots, Venice is best enjoyed by getting lost in its quiet backstreets. A slow walk through its alleyways, a café stop, a browse near markets, and the option of a boat ride in your free time can all deepen your enjoyment of this city. Be sure to stop at a local wine bar to try cicchetti, which are small Venetian snacks.
Bologna is one of those cities that people often come to love more than they might expect. Sitting in northern Italy between Florence and Venice, it’s often described as Italy’s culinary capital, making it a dream destination for food lovers.
Known in Italy as La Grassa (The Fat One), the city is the birthplace of dishes like bolognese sauce, mortadella, and handmade tortellini. Walking through the Quadrilatero, the city’s historic market district, you will find stalls overflowing with fresh pasta and local cheeses that showcase the incredible food culture of the region.
The city is also known for its striking architecture, characterised by miles of elegant porticoes. These covered walkways allow you to explore the streets and shop regardless of the weather. In the city centre, you’ll find Piazza Maggiore, a grand square home to the Basilica of San Petronio and the Neptune Fountain. You can also get a street-level view of the two iconic medieval leaning towers that define the skyline.
On Travelsphere’s Grand Tour of Italy, Bologna is a stop with guided sightseeing of the city’s historic centre, helping you understand its character.
Florence is often called the “Cradle of the Renaissance” and is a must-visit city for anyone who loves art, history, and beautiful architecture. Located in the heart of Tuscany, the city feels like a giant gallery, with masterpieces in the form of statues and elegant stone buildings at every turn. It is a very walkable city where you can easily explore the historic centre on foot.
Travelsphere’s Treasures of Tuscany & Florence escorted tour includes time to enjoy the city and its iconic sites, including the impressive red-tiled dome of the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and the medieval Ponte Vecchio bridge lined with jewellery shops. After that, why not get a taste for Florentine life in the Mercato Nuovo, or shop for handcrafted souvenirs made from paper or leather in one of the city’s many markets?
Food and drink in Florence are part of Tuscany’s wider appeal. Florentine fare, such as ribollita (a hearty vegetable and bread soup), is made with seasonal produce and is wonderful enjoyed with a glass of Chianti.
Between the world-class museums like the Uffizi and the charming, narrow streets, Florence offers a perfect mix of high culture and a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere.
While its Leaning Tower is a highlight, the medieval city of Pisa has much more to offer. It sits in western Tuscany and is a vibrant university city known for its pale stone architecture and sparkling views of the Arno.
On tours that include Pisa, you’ll typically take in the key sights around the Piazza dei Miracoli, including the Cathedral and Baptistery. Beyond the square, the city offers a relaxed, authentic Tuscan atmosphere. You can walk along the Arno River to see colourful buildings and the tiny, jewel-like church of Santa Maria della Spina. Pisa’s streets are filled with affordable cafés and lively bars, especially around Piazza delle Vettovaglie. It is a perfect city to explore on foot, blending world-class landmarks with a charming, everyday Italian pace.
Enjoy Pisa on Travelsphere’s Treasures of Tuscany & Florence and The Italian Riviera, Portofino & the Cinque Terre escorted tours.
Orvieto is a stunning hilltop city in the Umbria region, perched high atop a volcanic cliff. Thanks to its location, the city offers some of the best views in Italy, looking out over green valleys and vineyards. It feels worlds away from the busy pace of larger cities, making it a perfect spot for travellers who want to slow down and enjoy a more traditional Italian atmosphere.
Orvieto’s star attraction is its Gothic Duomo, a cathedral with a striped façade and mosaics. Inside, there are frescoes by Luca Signorelli that inspired Michelangelo. Another fascinating site is St. Patrick’s Well, a deep, double-helix well that you can walk down to see the impressive engineering of the past.
You can also explore artisan shops, wine bars, and quiet piazzas as you wander the city’s medieval streets, making it a wonderful place to soak up the atmosphere.
As a named stop on Travelsphere’s Grand Tour of Italy en route to Rome, you’ll spend time in Orvieto’s historic centre, with the cathedral area as a natural focal point, and you’ll have the option to explore the Orvieto Underground, a maze of tunnels carved into volcanic rock.
Lucca is one of Tuscany’s most charming hidden gems, with massive Renaissance walls that completely encircle the city. Today, these walls have been turned into a tree-lined park where you can walk or cycle, with views of the rooftops.
Inside, the town is a peaceful maze of narrow streets and medieval churches. You shouldn’t miss the Piazza dell’Anfiteatro, a unique oval-shaped square built on the ruins of a Roman arena. Lucca is easy to navigate and full of architectural details to enjoy while exploring.
With its quiet atmosphere and beautiful gardens, Lucca offers a perfectly preserved slice of historic Italian life.
On Travelsphere’s Treasures of Tuscany & Florence tour, you’ll have time to take in Lucca’s medieval and Renaissance character, with key sites like St Martin’s Cathedral helping to anchor your visit. It’s a relaxed contrast to the bigger, busier tourist cities.
Sorrento is a beautiful coastal town that sits on high cliffs overlooking the Bay of Naples. It is one of the most popular places to visit in southern Italy. Here you can enjoy a seaside vibe, smart shops, and sunlit cafés, along with easy access to nearby sights such as Pompeii, the island of Capri, and the Amalfi Coast.
The city works well as a relaxing base for wider exploration of the coast, including Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast, but there’s plenty to enjoy in Sorrento itself. After losing yourself amongst its elegant squares, such as the Piazza Tasso, lined with bustling shops and cafés, why not stop to try its most delicious export, Limoncello? Made from the lemons grown in local groves, it’s the perfect aperitivo after a day spent in the southern sun.
You can enjoy the sights and flavours of Sorrento and the Sorrentine Peninsula on Travelsphere’s Italy tour.
Lecce is often called the “Florence of the South” due to its incredible wealth of Baroque architecture. Located in the sun-drenched Puglia region, the city is synonymous with its unique Lecce stone: a soft, cream-coloured limestone that local artists carved into elaborate shapes and patterns centuries ago. As you walk through the historic centre, you will see this golden stone everywhere, from the highly decorated front of the Santa Croce Basilica to the grand Piazza del Duomo.
The city also hides a deep history, best seen at the Roman Amphitheatre, which sits right in the middle of a busy shopping square. Beyond the sights, Lecce is known for its relaxed pace and delicious local treats, like the pasticciotto pastry.
Lecce is a perfect example of a rewarding city that some travellers might not choose if planning alone. With Travelsphere, it’s woven into the itinerary, so you get the key context, then time to enjoy the atmosphere.
Close to Naples and easily reached from Sorrento, Pompeii is a historic city that was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. The archaeological site is like a huge open-air museum, allowing visitors to understand the Roman world in incredible detail. Streets, public spaces and everyday buildings remain preserved here, offering a vivid sense of life before the eruption. If you’re interested in history, it’s essential.
On Travelsphere’s Amalfi Coast, Pompeii & Capri and Pompeii, Paestum & Herculaeneum escorted tours, expert local guides can lead you through the well-preserved city ruins and tell the stories of how people lived, worked, worshipped and socialised nearly two thousand years ago.
Located in southern Basilicata, Matera is one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities. Its Sassi are remarkable neighbourhoods engineered into the limestone, with homes, churches, lanes and water systems carved and adapted over generations. Families lived in these extraordinary communities until the 1950s.
On Travelsphere’s Pulgia & Basilicata tour, you’ll enjoy a guided tour of the UNESCO-listed Sassi, learning how people lived, and in many cases still live, within these stone spaces.
Taormina is a hilltop city on Sicily’s east coast, boasting an ancient Greek Theatre with views of Mount Etna and the Ionian Sea. Its lively Corso Umberto is lined with shops and cafés, perfect for a relaxed stroll. You can explore public gardens, visit the pebble beaches of Isola Bella, and enjoy the lively evenings as the city comes alive.
Taormina’s food scene is a highlight, too. Enjoy Sicilian granita, arancini (traditional fried rice balls stuffed with a savoury filling, such as ragu), or fresh seafood here. On the Grand Tour of Italy with Travelsphere, you’ll have time for guided sightseeing and independent exploration in your free time.
One of the pleasures of exploring Italy on a Travelsphere tour is that the logistics are handled for you, so you can simply enjoy your experience. Hotels are carefully chosen for their comfort and location, and itineraries are created to strike the perfect balance between guided touring and independent exploration.
Many itineraries include optional experiences that let you tailor the trip to your interests without having to plan from scratch.
With an expert Holiday Director and local guides, you’ll benefit from invaluable insight into the destinations and sights you visit. Plus, with all your transport organised for you, multi-stop itineraries become effortless and enjoyable.
If reading this has you picturing sun-warmed piazzas, church bells echoing down narrow lanes, and the pleasure of arriving in a new city with everything taken care of, you’ll find plenty of inspiration (and itineraries) on Travelsphere’s Italy tours page.
Part of the Royal Geographical Society collection, travel from top to toe and explore Italy’s famous landmarks. Visit iconic cities Venice, Florence and Rome and discover the hidden gems of Pompeii, Sicily and more.
This relaxing tour takes in the iconic monuments of Pisa and Florence, beautiful medieval towns, and the stunning vineyards of Chianti.
Uncover captivating stories, marvel at majestic ruins and wander the well-preserved streets of some of Italy’s most fascinating archaeological sites.
Pastel-coloured villages perched on dramatic cliffs overlooking the azure sea - it's this picture-postcard scenery that makes the Amalfi Coast so special.
These two spectacular regions in Italy’s heel abound with incredible sights. Look out for traditional Trulli houses, Sassi cave dwellings and ornate Baroque buildings.
Created on: 14th August 2026
