Italy Vacations

For those who do not mind being a little chilly, January and February are months when Florence is less crowded and travel fare is much cheaper. Spring and fall would the best time to visit, when temperatures are much more tolerable and the excitement in all of these places is at its highest. Being in a Mediterranean climate, Florence’s weather can get quite hot in the summer months, hovering in the 80s.

The city is best-visited any time between April to June and September to November, depending on what one desires to do during their Venice vacation. The December to March period is avoided because of heavy downpours that occur. July and August tend to be hot and humid and the local beaches on the mainland are the only refuge. During fall and spring, there are fewer people visiting Venice and the weather is pleasant too, which makes it the ideal time for those wishing to avoid the crowds. May to September is the time to travel to Venice to soak in the ambiance of festivity and revelry.

For a more Italian experience, visit between April and June, and late September through October. Beach towns are vibrant and packed throughout summer (especially August), then sleepy and cold from November to February. High season spans across Italy from July through mid-September, with the exception of hot, humid August -- many hotels, shops and restaurants close and Italians head to the coast.

Italy is especially festive with fireworks and pageantry during Holy Week, Easter and Christmas. For a uniquely Italian experience, celebrate the feast days of the city's patron saints: Saint Mark, Venice (April 25), Saint John the Baptist, Florence (June 24) and Saints Peter and Paul, Rome (June 29).

Experience medieval pageantry living on in the Palio di Siena (July 2 and August 16). Each year, thousands of onlookers watch ten Sienese jockeys race their horses around the Piazza del Campo in honor of the Assumption of Mary.

Learn to cook a delicious four-course meal at a private residence at the Small-Group Italian cooking class.

Popular among locals, Trattoria Sabatino is one of Italy's most affordable restaurants.

The Jazz Club Piano Bar in Florence may not be as authentic as New Orleans, but it does feature quality music that is sure to please anyone looking for a good time.

Amon offers the best kabobs in the city, while llLatini is famous for its rabbit.

Piansa is a local favorite among Florence coffee shops known for its fair prices and homemade coffee.

The huge pizza slices offered at very reasonable prices by Pizza al Volo in Campo Santa Margherita are most welcome.

For the Venice experience of eating by the beautiful lights of the canal, opt for one of the restaurants that line the Rialto Bridge like Risorante Al Buso.

Trying trademark seafood at Venice is incomplete without trying the risotto alleseppie—rice cooked in cuttlefish ink—at Hostaria da Franz.

Taste the crystallized fruit cakes of Pasticceria Tonolo, an over-century old patisserie.

The Dry Tour in Venice is among the best wine bars in Italy with the best atmosphere.

Practice your Italian literature with some vino and wordsmiths in a Roman book bar. Find a crop of them in the Travestere (namely, Bibli) and the hip pockets of Mattatoio.

Enjoy the open-air opera house Macerata Opera. The structure was built between 1820 and 1829 and is considered to be one of the most highly-renowned neoclassic buildings in Italy.

Maremma wines have been causing a stir in the wine world with their experimental grape blends and techniques. Hit the Maremma trails to explore wineries and festivals.

See New Orleans from a Naples perspective. This rugged bar serves cold beer on tap, live jazz and that Big Easy vibe.

The birthplace of the Renaissance still welcomes thousands of travelers from all over the world to its cobblestone streets, famous museums, and world-renowned restaurants. For those seeking the light, the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore features the largest brick dome ever constructed and is the main church of the city, seen from all over. The Ponte Vecchio is the city’s only surviving bridge from the Medieval period, still lined with seemingly floating establishments selling precious gifts. Florence is certainly one of Italy’s most popular travel destinations, with many splendid gardens, courtyards, and gallery after gallery of classic art. The capital of Tuscany balances its overflowing historic centers with epicenters of contemporary fashion and has the distinction of being one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

The statue of David at the Academia di Belle Arti is a must-see—Michelangelo’s most recognizable creation.

Giotto's Campanile is a popular with visitors, climb up the tower to see the fantastic views from the observation decks.

The Medieval Basilica di San Miniato al Monte sits atop one of the highest points in Florence.

The Opera at Mark's Anglican Church provides opera lovers with fantastic presentations.

For those looking to view some of the world's best collection of sixteenth century sculptures, the Piazza della Signoriais a top Florence travel destination.

Museo di San Marco is home to Florence's largest sacred art collection and a definite highlight of a gallery tour.

The Baptistry is one of Florence's oldest buildings. Built in the eleventh century, this popular building attracts visitors through its bronze doors.

The Basilica di Santa Croce is the largest Franciscan Church in Italy and the home of funerary monuments for famous Florentines.

The Boboli Gardens behind the Pitti Palace is one of the most elegant official state gardens you will ever see, with some Roman statues to boot.

The Planetarium in Florence is popular with both adults and children as it features a plethora of astronomical reproductions.

Travelers continually succumb to the alluring charms of Venice, finding themselves involuntarily saying, “Ah, Venice” randomly during their trip. Venice is technically a lagoon city made of over 100 small islands, making it a one-of-a-kind and immensely interesting place to visit. From its world famous canals (rather than regular roads) to its seemingly endless supply of quaint and elegant housing, travel to Venice has to be on any serious European tour. The Canal Grande acts as the city’s main highway, carving a giant ‘S’ through the city. If followed from end to end, a tourist can see the city’s history up-close and personal. Hire a noble gondolier on this journey of sightseeing, or take a more frequent vaporetti (water taxi) to get from restaurant to restaurant and so forth.

Doge's Palace houses many old institutional chambers and prisons, including the one where Casanova was jailed.

Scoula Grande di San Rocco is a guild house with a huge collection of original art all through its interior.

St. Mark's Basilica is one of the most famous Byzantine structures in the world.

San Giacomo di Rialto is tentatively dated around 421 AD, making it perhaps the oldest church of Venice.

Rialto Bridge on San Polo boasts an 800-year history, great to walk over or ride under.

Walk the Zattere along the Giudecca Canal to view a gondola-in-the-making.

Visit nearby Murano and Burano, the other more remote inhabited “islands” in Venice.

Voga Longa is the annual boat race on the canals, colorful and exciting.

Regata Storica is a magnificent display on the Canal Grande of about a hundred types of Venetian boats depicting Venice's eventful and rich past.

Piazza San Marco, famous from film and probably your dreams, is the place to be for fun and romance.

Get sucked in by terrain aglitter with lakes, islands and charming towns. Navigate Lake Maggiore's Borromean Islands, including artistic gem Palazzo Borromeo on Isola Bella. Visit the serene Orta San Giulio on Lago d'Orta, or Lake Como set against the snow-capped Alps. Shake it up with a trip to Gardaland -- the third largest theme park in Europe.

Ciao Prada, Gucci and Versace! Stock up on Italian gear in the Galleria Vitorrio Emanuele II, one of the world's most upscale shopping malls. Dine by the Stazione Centrale, thin hit the vibrant nightlife in Porta Ticinese, Brera and Navigli.

Peer into the gladiator and toga worlds of the Roman Forum and Colosseum. See the sun spill onto the Pantheon's marble floors, and toss coins into the Trevi Fountain. Climb the Spanish Steps, and drink grappa in Campo de'Fiori. Explore Vatican City's spiritual and artistic treasury: St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel.

Visit Naples, Capri, Anacapri and Sorrento, a popular resort town on the Amalfi Coast. Spend time in the cliff-top towns of Amalfi and Positano where pastel buildings hug the coastline. Find the ruins of Emperor Tiberius's villa just east of Capri town.

Zesty and spiced with gastronomic traditions, bring your appetite to this pizza capitol. Burn calories shopping the Galleria Principe di Napoli, or hiking the dormant Volcano Solfatara. Relive Pompeii history in ancient ruins, and refuel on gelato and limoncello. Visit on St. Joseph's Day (March 19) for a festival filled with zeppole.

Art star Florence draws sculptors, poets and Vespas to its winding streets and rustic piazzas. See Botticelli's goddesses, Giotto's Madonnas, and the etched world of Durer in the Galleria degli Uffizi. Meet the Statue of David, twirl your spaghetti in Oltrarno, and laugh with the satyrs at the Fountain of Neptune. Shop the open-air market near Piaza del Mercato Centrale followed by a night of opera at the Teatro Verdi.

Swim off the island's golden beaches, and enjoy a bella sera of Malvasia wine and fresh-caught seafood. Climb a rope near the unpredictable Mount Etna -- the largest live volcano in Europe. View the Byzantine mosaics adorning the Palatine Chapel in Palermo.

Salute wine country. Wander medieval towns (Siena, San Gimignano, Monteriggioni) where art galleries, cathedrals and trattorias are edged in rolling vineyards. Soak in therapeutic hot mud baths or go rafting at Marmore Falls. Visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa or the Isola d'Elba to swim in the azure-blue sea.

This painterly paradise is home to green meadows, the Apennine Mountains and medieval towns Perugia and Assisi. Swim and sunbathe in Lago di Trasimeno and climb the Rocca Maggiore fortress. Visit the cliff-top town of Orvieto for gnocchi, and marvel the frescoed Duomo di Orvieto.

Take a gondola through the watery streets of Venice to churches, museums and more. Stroll zigzagging paths dotted with cafes, markets and shops. Snap photos of the Rialto Bridge and see the flurry of pigeons in Piazza San Marco. Visit the famous gardens of Villa Pisani in Stra village, and the shoe museum in Villa Foscarini Rossi.