Italy is a fascinating peninsula located in Southern Europe, spanning a whooping 301,338 km2 (116,347 sq mi) which stretches from the Alps Mountains in the north to the heart of the Mediterranean Sea in the south.

Also called the “Bel Paese” by locals (the “Beautiful Country” in English), Italy is located in the Northern Hemisphere, with a latitude comprised between 36° and 47° N, (halfway between the North Pole and the Equator), and a latitude of 42° 50′ N.

While not surrounded by water, about 85% of Italy’s external borders are sided by water: 8300km (5157 mi) of coast vs 1930km (1200 mi) of earth-frontiers.

Despite the wide presence of the sea and the two largest islands of the Mediterranean Sea (Sardinia and Sicily), Italy is not a sea country only as it is crossed by two of the highest mountain chains in Europe: the majestic Alps spanning from North-west to the North-east, and the Apennine running from North to South, splitting the country into two parts.

The geographical complexity of Italy, brought for centuries several populations to clash, mix, trade, and co-exist, which ultimately gave birth to a cultural and gastronomical heritage like no other in the world.

In this article, we will order your ideas, plan your next adventure, and help you organize your first visit to our wonderful home country!

Content Summary

Traveling Italy is a journey through history, cultural richness, and taste, where spectacular and diverse panoramas seamlessly blend with warm hospitality, art cities, and an incredibly lavish food tradition.

We Italians often say that “one lifetime is not enough” to witness Italy’s vast artistic, natural, and historical beauty and heritage!

It sounds daunting and intimidating… I know! ahah 😉

Said that, don’t lose hope, as this article is here exactly to help YOU design your traveling itinerary through Italy.

After traveling Italy back and forth, North to South, several times, we cherry-picked just the most unbelievable and unique destinations within our home country.

We believe these places should be at the top of the list for any first-timer’s visit to Italy!

We logically ordered all destinations to optimize traveling times in a convenient 10-day itinerary and here is the result of our hard work 🙂

We hope this article will be helpful to you, and for any questions, you know you can write us in the comments below!

For who is this article

• For travelers willing to discover Italy for the first time, on a fast-paced Italian tour!
• For travelers with limited time available (10 days, or 14-21 days), that want to make the absolute best out of it!
• For travelers that like to draw their path by self-driving or using public transport

For who is NOT this article

• If you’re looking for a pre-organized 10-day tour, this is not the right article for you!
• If you’re looking for a relaxing holiday, I would suggest you see half the things on this list or take double the time!

What you’ll find in the article

• Cherry-picked Destinations by Locals
• Day Trip Itineraries with the hottest things to visit, experience, and eat in each Location
• Curiosities and Fun Facts to make your wandering more Epic!
• Tips on how to move and where to sleep efficiently to make the best out of your limited time! 🙂

In addition, to prepare your trip we also wrote a separate article with 40 Essential Tips to Travel Italy (from an Italian!) 🙂

Now that formalities are out of the way, let’s dive right in! ;D

10 Days to Travel Italy – Full Summary

How to Move Around: Public Transport or Self-Drive

10-Day Italy Itinerary – in Brief

Day 1: Lago di Braies and Alpe di Siusi

Day 2: Lago di Garda (Sirmione, Lazise) and Verona

Day 3: Venice

Day 4: Florence

Day 5: Pisa and Siena

Day 6: Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre

Day 7: Civita di Bagnoregio and Rome

Day 8: Rome

Day 9: Naples

Day 10: Pompei and the Vesuvio

Download the 10 Days-Itinerary

Extra Destinations to Expand Your Trip

Conclusion

1. How to Move Around?

Public Transports vs Self-Drive

As a local Italian, all I can say to you is to do yourself a big favor, and rent a car! Here, you can browse all the offers from Italy’s low-cost car rental companies: https://cars-scanner.com/it 

Why I say to rent a car? Here is why!

Public Transports: don’t waste your precious time!

TRAINS: AVOID AT ALL COSTS IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR TIME!

Trains in Italy are extremely unreliable (especially regional ones!), and I don’t wish anyone to experience trains in Italy!

In all my life in Italy, I hardly can recall a two-legged train trip that didn’t face some issue: one train is late, the second one too, one train air-con doesn’t work, overcrowded wagons, sudden cancellations… believe me it’s just awful.

To give you an idea, the national train company Trenitalia is the worst-rated Italian company on Trustpilot, with an incredible and not-at-all glorious average score of 1.3/5 stars.

Sometimes, taking a train in Italy is the only available option (like for reaching city centers such as Venice or Naples), but with the exceptions of those rare cases, I would suggest you simply stay away: your liver and nerves will thank you later!

BUSES: GOOD VALUE FOR PRICE!

Buses in Italy are much better than trains!

There are three private bus companies:

• Flixbus
• Marinobus
• Itabus

All three companies offer routes between Italian cities and regions at very competitive prices, much cheaper than trains (the cheapest fares start from 2 Euros only!).

Some buses ride also at night, which is great for saving precious time while moving between locations.

Furthermore, all buses are usually clean and have toilets, AC sockets, and Wi-Fi (a whole other experience compared to Italian trains!).

The drawback of buses is that you might need to reserve them well in advance as they often get fully booked and the prices for the last seats usually rise quite a bit!

Furthermore, if you’re low on time (like on a 10-day trip 😉 ), it might be hard to find the right connections at the right times.

All in all, buses are better than trains, but not good enough to support an intensive 10-day Italian exploration!

LOCAL CITY TRANSPORT: SOMETIMES THE ONLY OPTION!

Buses, metros, and trains WITHIN Italian towns and cities are OK.

I don’t say “wow!”, but not even bad, just fine for moving round towns.

On our 10-day journey, you’ll see you’ll often have to rely on local transport, but luckily, thanks to the high levels of tourism in Italy, that transport is both cheap and abundant, which will make navigating cities easy and convenient.

Rent a Car and Self-Drive: that’s the way to Go!

Renting a car in Italy, for the value and freedom of wandering you get, it’s relatively cheap. 

Making fast research on Kayak, we can see that the prices for one-way car rental in Italy (pick-up at one airport, and leaving at another), are pretty reasonable and swing between 25Euro/day (budget) and 40Euro/day (for a premium, 5-people, fully-insured car).

If you’re traveling alone, public transport might still be cheaper, but if you’re already traveling with more than one person, I would say that renting a car might be all of the more convenient!

Italy is a kaleidoscope of small villages, cities, natural parks, wineries, hills, and anything in between: self-driving gives you the freedom to witness it all at your own pace, leave at the time you want, and most of all, avoid the smelly and overly stressful experience of public transports.

If you have only 10 days at your disposal, I can safely tell you that renting a car is your best option to avoid wasting your precious time dealing with the delays of our unreliable public transport!

Furthermore, being able to self-drive will open up cheaper options for accommodation (further away from tourist city centers), and allow you to reach authentic local restaurants and quaint villages in the countryside (away from expensive tourist hotspots!).

Believe me: if you drive a car in Italy, you can see double the things, with half the stress! :)

Personal tip: if you’re into mobile houses, renting a van or a campervan might also come off even cheaper as you could save quite a penny on accommodation too. The only drawback is that parking in city centers is not always easy and free, while a small/medium-sized car for sure is more convenient 🙂

Italy Itinerary in 10 Days – Brief!

Our 10-days Italy itinerary is a fast-paced journey through some of the most incredible art cities and regions in Italy.

The itinerary starts far north in the quiet and montainous region of Trentino around Alps and mountain lakes, to then descend to southern toward Veneto, Tuscany, Lazio and Campania. 

Of course it could be also made the other way round, but we believe that starting north where Italians are more quiet and “westernized”, and ending up in the noisy and crowded Naples could be a much more interesting and crescent emotional journey 🙂

We inserted in the trip a visit to the most iconic Italian cities such as Rome, Florence and Venice; and added less known ones such as Verona, Siena, Pisa and the villages around the Garda Lake.

At the end of the article, we will leave you more ideas to expand your trip in case you’ll have more days on your hand 🙂

Let’s dive right in!

Day 1: Discover the Alps of Trentino!

Our Italy itinerary starts from the far north of the Peninsula, in the alpine region of Trentino Alto Adige: my home region! 😉

This corner of Italy, often overlooked by fast-paced travelers, is world-renowned for its incredible flora (coniferous forests, mountain wildflowers, grassland plateaus, etc.), fauna (deers, squirrels, brown bears, wolves, etc.) and their giant home: the Dolomites Alps, a 15.942km2 UNESCO World Heritage site of unutterable beauty.

During this first day, you’ll get a chance to witness the wonder of Italian geography, breathe fresh clean air, hike in nature and try an entirely different cuisine compared to what will be coming next 😉

Quick Fun Fact: with 60 sites, Italy is the country with more UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world, (in front of China with 59!). 

Let’s dive right in!

Day 1. Stroll Around Lake Braies, the pearl of the Alps

Lake Braies (“Lago di Braies” in Italian), is located far north, close to the Italy-Austrian border, and here people speak half-Italian and half-German (pretty interesting!).

If you’re self-driving, you’ll be happy to know that there are 3 different parking near the lake where you could leave your car, but know that they get filled up fast in the morning, so better be there before 10.00 – ideally at 9.00 – or you might have to get the public transport to reach the lake (hiking from your hotel is also an option).

Slowly walking around the lake takes approximately 90 minutes.

Alternatively, it’s also possible to rent a rowing boat from a wooden jetty near the parking lot.

Whatever way you choose to visit the lake, just be sure not to forget your camera, as you’ll get mesmerized by the beauty of this place! If you’d like to know more about the things to see and do at Lake Braies, we wrote a Complete Guide to Lago di Braies which you can read here for free 🙂

Once visited the lake, take your car and drive to the village of Ortisei (it takes approximately 90 minutes!).

Day 1. Reach the Altipiano of Alpe di Siusi and Enjoy the Alpine Wilderness

Ortisei is a tiny mountain village (1.236m above sea level, 5900 inhabitants) famous for its artist-carpenters and wood craftsmen.

The roads of this village are jagged with wooden sculptures of animals and people of any kind.

While very picturesque, after a stroll of 30 minutes around the village and perhaps some good lunch, we would suggest you get to the cable car station and get a ride to the nearby Alpe di Siusi!

Here you can see the prices and timetables of the Alpe di Siusi Cable Car.

It’s a 15-minute ride, that will bring you above 2.000msl, to one of the most beautiful and picturesque mountain plateaus in Italy. Here, depending on the season, you can expect fields of snow, fields of flowers, grassland, or anything in between.

We would recommend at least a 60-minute walk to get the complete feel of the place.

In addition to nature, nature, and more nature, you might also find a giant bench on your way (in the photo above) to take funny pictures. 😉

If walking is not your thing (I hope not, as in our itinerary we’ll do a lot of walking ahah), know that sitting in one of the many wooden cottages around the cable car summit and indulging with some traditional “bombardinos” (local yolk-based liquor) and “spezzatino con polenta” (stew with polenta) could be a great option!

In my region we have a local saying that goes “everything is tasty in the mountains”: with fresh air, great panoramas, solemn silence, and the sound of cow’s bells… indeed whatever you eat will taste twice as good! ;D

The last cable car runs back at 17.00 (be sure to check the seasonal schedule), be sure to get it on time as taking a bus back would be a nightmare both logistically and for our itinerary too! ;D

Day 1. Enjoy the Wood Craftmanship of Ortisei and the view from St. Jacob Church

Once down, to conclude the day before sunset, we would suggest you take your car and drive 3-4 minutes up the hill behind Ortisei, to reach the St. Jacob church.

From the nearest parking, the church is reachable with a 10/15-minute hike, the trail is medium-steep but short, you might see some cute alpacas on the way, and the panorama from the top is well worth the effort!

I would suggest you bring with you something to drink as there’s a nice bench just up the church where to sit and enjoy life while watching the sun setting on the Alpe di Siusi!

Forst Beer is a local north-Italian beer that you might want to try too! 🙂

Once you had enough of this view, drive back to Ortisei, get to your hotel, eat, rest, and get ready for the next day!

Day 2: Discover the Garda Lake and Verona

On the second day of our itinerary, we leave Trentino-Alto Adige and we drive south into the region of Veneto, famous for its wine culture and balanced way of life.

During this day, you’ll get a chance to admire the largest lake in Italy (the Garda Lake!), try some of the most renowned Italian wines, and stroll around the romantic city of Verona, the city that inspired the Shakespearan’s tale of Romeo and Juliet.

Day 2. Drive to Lago di Garda

Once wake up, we would suggest you leave your hotel before 9.30/10.00 o’clock, as driving to the southern part of Lake Garda from Ortisei could take up to 3 hours in case of bad traffic.

Lake Garda, with an extension of 370km2, is by far the largest lake in Italy and it’s situated between the regions of Trentino, Veneto, and Lombardy.

In our itinerary, due to the limited amount of time available, we will visit it only from the Veneto side, but truly every coast has its flavor and peculiar beauty 🙂

The lake is jagged with beautiful little villages, and every corner invites you to sit, breathe in the organized nature (it’s plenty of parks and gardens!), forget the time, and enjoy life with a good aperitivo!

I would suggest you choose one or a maximum of two villages (they are all beautiful!!!) and take your time to breathe in the Lake Garda vibes! 😉

Day 2. Visit Bardolino, Lazise or Sirmione… and drink some excellent wine! 

These are three popular ideas where you could spend the afternoon, but surely there are more!

Bardolino is a posh and classy destination with a long coastal walk/cycling lane, famous for the homonymous ruby red “Bardolino” wine.

Lazise is an ancient medieval town and another wonderful strolling and chilling destination to admire the Garda Lake.

This village is also famous for its thematic parks: Gardaland (is the largest thematic park in Italy and an incredible experience for children and adults! – with more days available, I would recommend it!), Canevaworld (the largest waterpark in Italy), and Movieland (for movie fans!).

Sirmione is a tiny peninsula that stretches inside Lake Garda from the South (in the photo above) and hosts some of the most suggestive thermal baths in Italy, from which you can drink Prosecco and watch the sun setting in the lake.

Walking each village takes approximately one hour, but consider 2-3 hours for having a good lunch and ice-cream/coffee breaks!

After a good stroll, a good lunch, and a good glass of wine (or two!), we would suggest you reach Verona as your next base destination (it’s just 30 minutes away!).

Day 2. Spend the Night near the Arena in Verona

The city center of Verona is big, but not humongous, and can be walked in its entirety in a couple of hours.

Verona’s main attraction is the huge Roman theater in its center (called “the Arena“) in the famous Piazza Bra, which dates back to 40-42 A.C.

The Arena, it’s one of the largest Roman theaters still standing today and the most well-kept (it has still the floor, unlike the Coliseum). It can accommodate up to 30.000 people, and it’s still used today for concerts, and opera events!

From the Arena, we suggest you walk via Mazzini (the high-end shopping road), until Piazza delle Erbe where you can find some local markets and spot a whale’s rib hanging from a balcony.

Last but not least, don’t forget to visit the house of Juliet, see the iconic balcony, and touch Juliet statue’s chest for a blessing of love and luck.

End the night with a good Italian dinner: close to the Arena there’s an incredible pizzeria – to us is one of the best we tried in Italy so far – called Peperino where they prepare traditional pizzas as well as modern ones, with so many different kinds of flours and doughs!

If you want to accompany with some wines, we can recommend the Valpolicella (red), the Recioto di Soave (sweet and gold), or a good Bianco Veronese (white).

If you’re more into beers (like me!), go with a Peroni Nastro Azzurro (the most famous Italian beer of all!).

Day 3: an adventure through the channels of Venice

You cannot have a complete Italy travel itinerary without including at least a day in Venice! So here we are!

During this third day, we will venture through the channels of “la Serenissima” (as Italians address Venice) and uncover its secrets!

Day 3. Arrive Comfortably at the Central Station by Train

As probably you can guess, in Venice there are no roads, just waterways!

Because of that coming with the car is not an option!

Yes, you could park in the nearby city of Mestre and take the train from there.

But on second thought, when you add up the hassle of driving from Verona to Venice, finding parking (and paying for it), walking to the station, getting the train to Venice, and doing everything again in the opposite direction in the evening… it doesn’t sound smart at all!

A much better solution would be to take the train from Verona Porta Nuova (the main station of Verona), and with just one train ride, arrive at Venezia Santa Lucia Station (in the heart of Venice, and just in front of Canal Grande (“the Grand Canal”, which marks the beginning of Venezia city).

The train ride takes approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes and costs just 10,20 Euros.

Trains are pretty frequent too, with at least a couple of trains an hour from morning to late evening (the last trains from Venice leave after 22.00!). You can check prices and timetables on the official Trenitalia website (national train company).

PS. I know at the beginning of the article I said to stay away from Trenitalia, but this is one of the few rides that generally always works, as it connects Venice to the mainland ;D

Anyway, once you get out from Venezia Santa Lucia station, you’ll be ready to explore Venice on foot!

Day 3: Get Lost in the Old Town until Ponte di Rialto

I traveled to dozens of countries and cities in my life, but I never found a city where it’s so fun to get lost like in Venice!

Venice is an intricate labyrinth of alleys, houses, tiny shops, bridges, jetties, balconies, art and culture… it’s crazy how complex it is!

The main routes are full of tourists, but you can just venture yourself a couple of streets right or left, and you’ll be entirely alone!

Personally, to start the morning I would suggest you follow the road signs (very tiny indeed and sometimes hard to notice!), until reaching the Ponte di Rialto (“Rialto’s Bridge”), one of the most famous and iconic bridges of Venice.

To reach it, you’ll have to cross most of the old town, and you’ll get a chance to admire the complexity of the channels, the houses built on stilts (fun fact: all of Venice is built on stilts!), and the water traffic (ambulance boats, police boats, ferries, traditional Venetian gondolas, etc.).

If you get hungry, be sure to stop at Fried Land and grab a fast-food takeaway pasta.

The first time a friend told me about this place, I raised an eyebrow: what is takeaway pasta? And fried? Oh my god… what I was missing, it’s just crazily good (and also well-priced, we paid just 8 euros to get stuffed! 🙂 ).

Day 4: Visit Piazza S.Marco, then chill with a Campari-Spritz!

After the Rialto bridge, it will be time to walk to Piazza San. Marco to witness the homonymous Basilica di San Marco (which, fun fact, is slowly sinking in the sea).

I know, Venice is a lot of walking, but it’s in my opinion the best way to truly experience the city.

If you’re not fit enough though or have some mobility problems, you might also want to consider getting a boat ride with the local “Vaporetto” (bus-boat) or get a Venezia Unica City Pass for around 50Euro which grants you unlimited boat rides during the day and access to all Venice’s museums such as the Peggy Guggenheim Collection or the Music Museum.

St. Marco Square is famous for being home to the largest Carnival celebrations in Venice (if you’re traveling in February/March you’ll love it!). Even if you’re out of season though, the place is just incredible and leaves most tourists astonished with their mouths wide open.

And here we go with an insider trip! Most people when arriving at this square after walking Venice’s alleys, feel like they want to drink something and just sit down at the first bar around. Please DON’T! Or at least not before double-checking the prices of the beverages you’re going to order!

Piazza San Marco is known to be one the most expensive places in Italy, and there have been countless stories of bars “scamming” tourists by charging several hundred euros for a couple of coffees. 

So, instead of stopping here, my suggestion is to just walk by the Basilica and reach the sea on its right side: there you will find plenty of bars with a good view and beverages not cheap, but at least not so overpriced too (an Aperol or Campari spritz could be 6-7Euros, nothing bad considering you’re in one of the most touristy places in Italy!).

Day 3: Get a Boat Trip to Murano and Witness the Glass Craftsmen at Work!

Once seen Rialto and Piazza San Marco, it’s time to experience a boat trip around the Venetian Laguna.

I would suggest you get a three-legs boat trip from San Marco to Burano, from Burano to Murano, and from Murano back to Venice station.

Burano is a tiny nice island famous for the colorfulness of its houses, which could make up for a pleasant 30-40-minute walk.

Then, move to the island of Murano, where you can get a chance to see master glass craftsmen in action, creating the most various glasses, lamps, and sculptures straight from the oven.

The glass of Murano is one of the most luxurious and expensive in the world, and when you see it you’ll understand why: it’s just so incredible what they can do, in the hands of expert artisans the melted glass looks like burning chocolate!

Personal tip: try to plan your attendance at a glass-crafting exhibition in advance! Usually, there are always tickets available, but the events happen only 2-3 times a day, and missing the right time would be a pity. You can check the Glass Factory website for hours and tickets (they cost only 5 euros online 🙂 ).

Once finished with the islands, it will be time to take the train back to Verona, and get some well-deserved sleep 🙂

Day 4: Florence, the Cultural Capital of Italy

New day, new adventure!

On the fourth day of our itinerary, we will leave Verona and drive south, crossing Emilia-Romagna (another wonderful region, that we were not able to cram in our 10-day itinerary, but undoubtedly worth visiting if you have more time!), and reaching the heart of Tuscany: Florence!

The trip takes 3 hours (quite long!), so we would suggest you leave early in the morning to be in Florence at least by midday! 🙂

Florence is by many considered the “artistic capital” of Italy, as in the centuries it has often been the Italian center for innovation both in science and arts.

Several have been world-recognized artists born in this city (such as Michelangelo, Giotto, or Leonardo da Vinci just to name a few!), but also writers (such as Dante Alighieri) or architects (such as Brunelleschi!).

The footprints of those gigantic artists are still visible all over Florence, in the architecture, in the decorations, in the paintings and sculptures…Florence is a city that breathes art from every window, and that’s why we are going to dedicate a full day to visiting it!

Day 4. Visit the Uffizi Museum and see the Venus of Botticelli

Le Gallerie degli Uffizi is one of the most famous art museums in the world and welcomes every year more than 2 million visitors (more than 5000 people a day!).

In this museum, you can witness the famous Venus of Botticelli, as well as a wide array of masterpieces from Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Giotto, Raffaello, Tiziano, Caravaggio, and many more giants of classic art!

To visit the Uffizi is imperative to book well in advance: you will not be able to buy a ticket the day you arrive!

The courtyard in front of the museum is always crowded by both people with tickets queueing and people without a ticket hoping some places will free up, frank, ly it’s quite a mess (like queues generally go in Italy ahah).

Book online through the official website, be there on time, and you’ll save up a lot of time and stress!

Day 4. Have lunch with a Fiorentina Steak and good Tuscan Wine!

Once you’re done with the Uffizi and have seen the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) just outside the galleries, you’re going to be deadly hungry!

If you like steak, you cannot leave Florence without trying its most classic signature delicacy: the “Fiorentina”!

The “Fiorentina” is a Tuscan steak that comes in different weights, but usually between 1 and 2 kilos.

Personal opinion: medium-raw is best, but of course, everyone has different tastes!

To accompany the Fiorentina, you can choose between a plethora of Tuscan wines such as the Lambrusco, the Brunello di Montalcino, the classic Chianti, the Vernaccia from San Giminiano, the Carmignano, the Vino Nobile from Montepulciano…, anything you will order you can’t go wrong, they are all “S-Level” wines! ;D

If you’re vegetarian or vegan instead, I might suggest the OV Osteria Vegetariana, a local restaurant that specializes in vegan food. After all, among the best local foods there are many veg dishes too!

Day 4. Walk the 414 steps until the top of the Cathedral of Santa Maria al Fiore

I hope you didn’t eat too much… I know it’s impossible to keep it together in Italy…but still! ahah 😉

After lunch, to “help the digestion”, we would recommend you to visit the Basilica of Santa Maria al Fiore and get a ticket to the top of the church (tickets are sold just in front of the entrance or online at the official website!).

The dimensions of the church are unbelievable, and on every step, you will ask yourself how they were able to build something so massive and yet, decorate it in such a classy way!

The climb to the top takes some time (414 steps!!), and depending on your fitness level, also some breaks.

Through the walk, you can see the inside of the church from above, and get a closer look at the affreschi of Federico Zuccari that adorn the church’s roof.

The last part of the climb is the most exciting, right inside the “cupola” made by Brunelleschi himself, which ends up at the summit where it’s possible to see all of Florence from above!

If you want to get a good view of the whole church itself instead, after the Cathedral you can descend and climb once more onto the “Campanile di Giotto” (access comes with the same ticket), the tower-like building just in front of the church (400 steps more! eh eh).

Once done, you can just spend the night strolling the city, live the Florence night vibes, and eventually go to your hotel for a shower and a good night’s sleep!

Day 5: Siena and Pisa in Tuscany

After Florence, we continued our trip throughout Italy by visiting two other very influential Tuscan cities: Siena and Pisa.

The first one, is an impressive mix of historical architecture and medieval heraldic traditions, while the second it’s most famous for its tilted tower.

Day 5. Learn about Siena’s curious factions and indulge with the local delicacies!

About one hour drive from Florence we encounter Siena, an incredible medieval town were old traditions and heraldic ceremonies are today as actual as they’ve been ever before!

The old town indeed, is divided in 17 parts called “Contrade”, and every one of them is represented by a symbol: Eagle, Caterpillar, Snail, Little Owl, Dragon, Giraffe, Porcupine, Unicorn, She-wolf, Seashell, Goose, Wave, Panther, Forest, Tortoise, Tower and Ram.

Flags of each city quartier are exposed on windows and in shops by locals and are also one of the most popular tourist souvenir in town. 

If you’d ever buy one to “mix in more” in the city’s heraldic atmophere, just pay attention not to swing it in the wrong quartier: some quartiers are friends, while other are eternal rivals and people around the streets might frown upon seeing you with their enemy’s flag eheh ;D

Of course, nothing bad would happen, as locals are used to distinguish tourists, but still!

Places to visit in Siena are the Torre del Mangia (the highest tower in town), the Duomo (largest Romanic church) and of course Piazza del Campo (an enormous circular square placed in the right middle of the city.

Piazza del Campo is also the theater were all the Contrade challange one another twice a year in the “Palio di Siena”, a medieval horse-riding race were the winner gets an embroidered tapestry (the “Palio”) and a bag of medieval silver coins.

The race takes place every year on the 4th of July and 16th of August.

During those days Siena is surely overcrowded, but the race and the post-race celebrations are an event incredible to witness, so if you get the chance to visit during those days, be sure to attend this crazy tradition! 🙂

Even if you’re not attending on one of the Palio’s days, don’t worry, there’s so much more to do in Siena like EATING! 😀

Siena offers indeed a very peculiar cuisine and the incredible amount of overly-Italian tiny restaurants placed all over its small medieval alleys will make you go crazy: mamma mia!! 😀

The foods I would recommend you to try here are surely pasta, and specifically:  pici pasta (like spaghetti but much fatter), pappardelle in hare sauce (if you like strong tastes!), Cinta Senese meats, ribollita stew, wild boar meat and panforte cake.

Day 5. Drive to Pisa and take a Funny Photo with the Tower!

After a good lunch, you can take the car and drive to Pisa for the late afternoon: it takes approximately 2 hours from Siena.

Pisa is not a huge city (90.000 inhabitants) and apart from the tower, the cathedral and the Duomo square there’s not much else to see.

Still, just for the tower, it’s well worth a visit, the place it’s incredible! 

Personally, I would recommend you to allocate at least 1 hour to see the centre of Pisa 🙂

Day 5. Climb to the Top of the Tower and feel the incline!

If you’re wondering whether it’s possible to go up the Pisa tower…well yes, and it’s well-worthy too!

Going up and down the tower takes 20-30minutes only, and it’s possible every day from 9.00 to 18.00.

The ticket price is slightly hefty (20 Euro), which made me wonder if it was worth it.

After having climbed the tower myself, I have to say yes...it’s a one-of-a-kind experience: at the beginning, the gentle tilt seems too much and the feeling is for the tower to be falling off.

Then, climbing step by step the confidence that nothing will happen builds up, and on top the view of the nearby Cathedral and the city is wonderful 🙂

The thing I remember most about our journey to Pisa is not even the tower itself, but the feeling of climbing the steps tilted…it’s too strange yet so fun to think back! 😀 

Day 6: A Memorable Day through the “Cinque Terre” National Park

The Cinque Terre (“Five Lands” in English) is composed of five colorful, quaint, and incredibly Italian villages positioned between the Tyrrhenian Sea and the mountains behind.

Some of the five “Terre” can be reached by car, but nobody in their right mind would attempt to do it!

Roads are kinked, slow, overly steep and most of the time also closed to non-residents: in two words, just NO!

The right way to reach and visit the Cinque Terre is either stopping to Monterosso or Riomaggiore (the most north and the most south village), park the car nearby in private parking, take a one-day train ticket (yes, train!) and hop on and off to visit each of the five “lands”.

Alternatively, you can get the train to Riomaggiore directly from La Spezia central station (leaving the car at your hotel for the day!).

Visiting all five lands in a single day is possible (we did it ourselves), but surely need to start early in the morning and come back at sunset!

Let’s go with order!

Day 6. Drive and Park near Riomaggiore

If you don’t mind some stairs, I would suggest you to leave the car (or caravan!) on the road above Riomaggiore. 

Riomaggiore it’s the southern village in Cinque Terre and only 20 minutes from La Spezia (where I suggest to sleep), so by starting your journey from here you can cut on driving times.

If you want to look for parkings, I suggest you to check out the app Park4Night (it’s for caravans mainly, but shows off also parkings for normal cars and that’s how we found our free parking in such a place with so few parking slots!).

I will not tell you how beautiful is Riomaggiore, because truly every one of the five lands is mesmerizing beautiful and I would just keep repeating myself… I tell you, just prepare to enjoy the Italian Bella Vita (“beautiful life”) at its finest, that’s all 😉

Day 6. Get a Local Train-Ticket to move around the Cinque Terre 

Once you’re finished with Riomaggiore, you have either the option to walk to the next land or take the train.

Walking normally takes between one/two hours, and while it surely might be tempted by good weather, I would suggest you still take the train if you’re low on time (don’t worry, you’ll walk plenty anyway!).

If you could stay 2-3 days, then trekking all the way would be an option, but that’s not the case with our 10-days Italy itinerary 😉

You can buy train tickets from any train station in any station in the Cinque Terre. The rides last about 2-3 minutes each, and might be very crowded on good days. The price of a single ride is 5 to 12 Euro, which for a 2-3 minute ride might feel like a little theft.

Many people, for this reason, don’t even make train tickets as the rides are so short and the probability of being checked very low (it happened to us also a couple of times as we were in line for tickets but the train was coming and we were low on time… eh eh).

After our journey, we found out about the possibility of making a single Train Pass ticket for the full day, which costs between 19-32 Euro (depending on the day of the year), but that gives access to unlimited rides (ideally you will need 5 rides, 4 between the lands and one to come back to your starting point! 🙂 ).

Day 6. Take a Hike or Stroll by the beach with the Tyrrhenian Sea as backdrop!

All villages are immersed in nature and gardens, and there are always plenty of options for those willing to stretch their legs.

I enjoyed strolling through the Gardens of Manarola (full of white scarecrows almost as to re-create a nativity scene on the hill), on the beach of Monterosso, in the tiny dock of Vernazza and, most of all, climbing up the 105m of altitude gap to reach Corniglia.

The high season in Cinque Terre is surely the summer, while spring and autumn are excellent for walking too!

In winter most shops and restaurants are closed as the tourist inflow is much lower, but it means also lower prices and fewer crowds: for sure a more private experience!

Day 7: The Dying City and Road to Rome!

Today is going to be a driving day because, from the north part of Tuscany, we will enter the Lazio region and reach the capital city of Italy: Rome!

Before that though, there’s a little somewhere I would suggest you stop, and that’s Civita di Bagnoregio, also known as the “Dying City” 🙂

Day 7. Walk to Civita di Bagnoregio, also known as the dying city

Civita di Bagnoregio, is a striking medieval hilltop town in central Italy, perched atop a fragile plateau of volcanic tuff in the Lazio region.

Founded by the Etruscans over 2,500 years ago, the town is now home to fewer than 20 year-round residents, a stark contrast to its bustling past.

The town’s precarious position, eroded by wind and rain, has earned it the nickname “The Dying City,” as landslides and seismic activity have gradually isolated it from the surrounding landscape and its inhabitants have been increasingly moving out in search for more comfort and a more “normal” life.

Civita is indeed acessible only by a pedestrian bridge (although we saw a police jeep climbing the incredibly steep entrance road!).

The unique geography of this place is crazy to witness, and its ancient history draw thousands of tourists each year, even as its population dwindles 🙂

Day 7. Glass of wine with the view, and then drive to Rome to relax for the night!

All of Civita could be visited in around one hour, but I would suggest you allocate around 90 minutes for a complete chill-out visit. 

To access the city, you need to get a ticket at a stand right before the bridge. The price is just 5 Euro 🙂

The nature around the city is impressive, with the ravines reflecting the sunlight with countless shades of oranges, greys, and reds.

The city itself is pretty cute: old houses, picturesque tiny gardens, and a couple of bars where to drink an aperitivo at normal prices!

A highlight is the Giardino del Poeta (Poet’s Garden), a tiny garden adorned in an artistic way with Mediterranean plants and a local km-0 shop with probably the best views from Civita on the ravines.

To enter you need to leave a free offer, or you can simply buy some local products. The view, the peace, and the silence away from the crowd are well worth the tiny entrance fee 🙂

Once you’re done with Civita, it will be time to get back in your car and drive the two hours more that separates you from your next destination: Rome!

Depending on when you arrive, you might get the time to check in and stroll around Rome, eat something yummy, and get ready for the next exploration day! 🙂

Day 8: Rome, the “Eternal City”

Rome is a world and there would be so much to say!

In this post, I will simply indicate to you the places not to miss, but if you want to know more about Rome I will leave you here two articles I wrote specifically about it:

• 15 Interesting Facts you Didn’t know about Rome
• Rome Foods: 15 Roman Mouth-Watering Foods You Need to Try in Rome!

Said that, let’s go back to the Eternal City… over 2700 years of history... the largest European city by extension… it’s just so rich, huge, complex, gorgeous, stunning…I don’t have words to describe Rome, when you see it, it leaves you speechless (or at least that’s what happened to me!).

Visiting Rome in just one day is a mission impossible, but we’re here to make the best out of your single day!

Of course, seeing it all in one day is IMPOSSIBLE, but surely you can see the highlights, feel its magnitude, and get impressed by the layers of history that sum up with one another in every brick, fountain, architectural style, and pasta dish!

I could write a 10-day itinerary in Rome alone! eh eh

Said that, trust me that one day will be great, and eventually you know you can always come back for more…Rome didn’t go anywhere for almost 3000 years, and it looks like it will be their way after us too! ù

Let’s dive right into our day trip! ;D

Day 8. Get Stunned by the Monument to King Vittorio Emanuele II

Don’t know where to start?

Start from the Monument to Kind Vittorio Emanuele II.

Erected after the Second World War, the sheer size of this monument will make your head spin!

Entrance is free, and the visit takes about 20 minutes.

From here you can get a great view of the Venezia square, the tomb of the “Milite Ignoto” (“Unknown Soldier”), and in general of the city from above.

Day 8. Visit the Foro Romanos and the Coliseum

Just behind the monument, you can visit the Foro Romanos (ruins of ancient Roman squares) and its majesty the Coliseum, the largest Roman arena in the world which dates back to 72 A.C.

A standard ticket entrance for adults costs 16 euros (to which I would suggest adding an audio-guide for 10 euros more) and the visit lasts around one hour. Tickets can be purchased online through the official Coliseum website, which will help you skip the tourist lines at the ticket offices too!

Day 8. Take a stroll in Vatican City and get a chance to see the Pope!

After the Coliseum, you can take a long stroll through the alleys and streets of Rome. 

Getting impressed here is normal. Sometimes walking in Rome you’ll just pass by one of the greatest architectonical masterpieces you’d ever come across in your life, and not even notice them because of how many much bigger and mastodontic things there are around!

Seriously… to give you an idea there are over 900 (!!!) churches in Rome, and taking a middle-sized one of them and moving it to another country, it would probably become a touristic highlight!

While getting lost, try to follow the direction toward Vatican city.

Vatican city is the smallest country in the world, which is right in the middle of Rome!

The country consists in only few buildings and the St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest church on Earth and a must-visit for any first timer in Rome!

The square is humongous, and if you happen to be here on Sunday or any festive day, be sure to pass by at 12.00 as the Pope will come to its window to read the Angelus pray.

If you’re passioned about Christian history or religion, you might also consider a visit to the Vatican Museums, a visit through the alleys of St.Peters Basilica, plenty of statues, affreschi and religious artefacts.

The tickets cost 20 Euros, and it’s better to buy them quite in advance online. The queues also are pretty long and usually a 30-minutes wait before entrance is the norm 🙂

Day 8. Get lost in the complexity of the “Great Beauty”

After the Basilica of San Pietro, there are countless other places you might want to see in Rome:

• the Campidoglio (home of the President of Italy),
• the Pantheon (a giant circular tomb where the rest the last two Italian kings),
• the Piazza di Spagna’s staircases
• and of course the majestic Trevi’s fountain (where throwing a coin and making a wish it’s a must!) 😀

Anything in between is awesome too (you’re in Rome after all!) 😉

I would suggest you before venturing to Rome watch Paolo Sorrentino’s movie “La Grande Bellezza” (“The Great Beauty” – watch the Trailer on Youtube) as it’s an incredible tribute to Rome’s timeless beauty and sure it will be of inspiration for you and helping you choose the places you’d like most to see in your one-day tour 🙂

Day 6. Finish your day by Eating in a local Restaurant in Trastevere!

No trip to Rome is perfect without eating some traditional food!

While I cannot point you to a single restaurant where to eat the most delicious food in Rome (basically everywhere!), I want to spend two words for a tiny restaurant that provides a very peculiar and memorable experience.

That’s the restaurant “La Parolaccia”, in the location of Trastevere. 

Hidden among many other classy restaurants in the area, this place could be easily overlooked by unknowing tourists, but it’s one of the most famous restaurants in Rome (and you should reserve a table in advance!).

The uniqueness of this place is the incredibly rude (in a nice way!) trait of the personnel that during the night will insult you and send you to f**k off in any (funny) way possible.

“Parolaccia” in Italian means indeed “swear word”, and that’s exactly what servers are using here to greet and serve their clients.

The atmosphere is playful, extremely Roman, fun, and irreverent... if you can take jokes, you’ll love this place!

Food and drinks are abundant and well-priced too, and for the fun, you can have here with friends or in couples, I would say that the quality-price deal is spot on! 😀

Day 9: Eat, eat, eat, and follow the flow in Naples!

Ok, now it’s time to leave your car and get a train.

Yes, you heard me right...train!

I know that at the beginning of the article, I said that trains in Italy are a nightmare (and they are!), but trust me, your worst nightmare could be getting stuck with your car in the traffic of Naples (and maybe not finding anymore your rented car once parked 😉 ).

So, park or give back your car to the rental company, and take the train from Rome to the heart of Naples.

Now we are moving from to Southern Italy, and you’ll see what a cultural shock will be compared to what you have been experiencing the first days in Trentino or Veneto! 😉

From the moment you go out from the central station in Naples, there will be two constant things: crowds and foods, foods and crowds, crowds and foods, foods, and crowds… etc… etc… etc…

Naples is seen by many as the Italian capital of food: it’s the birth-place of Pizza, but also of many kinds of pasta such as the Pasta con Provola e Patate (cheese and potato pasta) or the Pasta al Ragu Napoletano (Neapolitan ragu pasta), and let alone sea foods and sweets!

Other things you cannot miss in Naples apart from the Pizza and the Calzone (closed re-filled pizzas) are the Cuoppo (paper bowls of mixed fried seafood), the Babà (rum-filled cakes), and the Frittata di Maccheroni (fried cake made out of Maccheroni pasta).

I know, what you are thinking…you would need three stomachs to try everything in one day… and while that might be partially true…know that in Naples eating never ends!

Breakfast time falls into lunch times which stretch into dinner times…any time is good for eating in Naples and restaurants hardly ever close! 😉

Day 9. Walk from Naples train station to Spaccanapoli

The most iconic street in Naples is called “Spaccanapoli”, which translates as “Breaking Napoli”.

This is a street that stretches through the center of Naples and divides it into two parts.

It’s the most crowded, popular, loud, chaotic, and yet eclectically funny street in Naples (be sure to keep your wallet safe!).

This street is full of crazy shops, restaurants, street food vendors, clothing chops, and much much more!

An adventure to walk by for sure.

Note: Naples, compared to all other Italian cities is very, very crowded, and here you’ll never be alone in a street! Some people get scared and claustrophobic when they first witness the mess of Naples. My tip is just to take it VERY easy, and go with the flow. After an hour or so, you’ll get into the local mood and start to enjoy the mess around you 😉

Day 9. Eat the best Pizza of your life…and much more!

In Naples, food is top-notch, everywhere!

Great food, after all, is just a synonym of Naples itself!

Said that, if you want to try a truly iconic and famous Pizza, there’s a place you could try: the Antica Pizzeria da Michele, also called the “temple of Pizza”.

This centenary Pizzeria, not far from the train station, is among the most known in Naples and offers only two kinds of Pizza: Margherita and Pioggia (Margherita with double mozzarella).

All the ingredients used are naturally sourced from locally produced and certified through blockchain technology (crazy for a pizzeria eh?!).

The special about this pizzeria is that you cannot reserve a table here (as it would always be full anyway).

Instead, you need to walk to the pizzeria’s front and pick a ticket number (like in supermarkets!), and then wait for your turn to be seated (better to go early morning before 11.00 to get a ticket, or afternoon before 17.00).

The Pizza here is cheap, barely 6 Euro for a Margherita.

The restaurant is not fancy at all, just basic, but clean and friendly.

The reason why people come here is not for the service or the place but only for the pizza, which is damn tasty!

Try and let me know ahah ;D

Day 9. Go with the Flow, this is Italy at its best!

In Naples there is no order, there are just surprises! 

You can spot Diego Armando Maradona’s murals on a church, you might stumble in some random middle-aged guy singing Pavarotti’s Nessun Dorma from his home’s balcony (seriously!) or you can find any possible character for building a Christmas nativity scene in via Gregorio Armeno (they also have miniatures of Joe Biden, the Pope, or even Elon Musk!).

The architecture is as varied as the people that populate Naples and so are shops, street vendors, and restaurants!

Last but not least, here more than anywhere in Italy, people scream and speak with their hands!

The common belief is that Italian hand gestures find their origins in Naples, as the city has been conquered countless times throughout history and people started creating a common hand language to overcome language barriers and communicate with one another!

Places you might want to check out in Naples are Castel dell’Ovo, Palazzo Reale, Castel Sant Elmo, Underground Naples, and the Catacombs of San Gennaro 🙂

Day 10: it’s Vulcano time!

Last day of our itinerary...let’s go vulcanic! 😀

By taking the train from Naples central station, for few euros and in less than half-an-hour you can reach Pompei, the ancient Roman ruins of a village that has been annihilated by the eruption of the Vesuvius in the 79 A.C. 

Pompei actually is not only ruins though, but it’s also a modern touristic village that attracts visitors from all over the world 🙂

Once in Pompei, you’re going to be likely stopped by sellers on the road willing to sell you their tours as “the best and only”.

Just thank them and move on…

To reach the Vesuvio, there’s a convenient local bus (called “EAV”) starting from Piazza Anfiteatro (just in front of Pompei’s ruins) that can bring you from the village up to 1000m.s.l. on the sides of the Vesuvio in just 55 minutes and for just 2,70Euro 😉

Here is a timetable too, so please avoid getting scammed! 😉

Day 10. Reach the Vesuvio…and Climb it! 🙂

From the bus stop to the summit, the only way is walking.

The road is steep and better early morning (in summer to avoid the heat) or at midday (in cold weather).

The whole walk will take approximately 20 minutes, and once up you’ll probably will want to spend at least 90 minutes around the crater and enjoying the view.

The Vesuvio Vulcano is truly massive, and there’s smoke coming up from the mouth of the Vulcano which smells slightly like sulfur.

There is a small dirt road that goes for 3/4 of a circle around the crater, which is very enjoyable to walk and which boasts incredible views of Naples, Sorrento, and, on a clear day, of Capri island too!

Last but not least, there’s also a tiny bar that sells well-priced Nastro Azzurro beer for just 3 Euro/bottle… and believe me, there’s nothing better than enjoying an ice-cold beer while starring the inside of a volcano! 😀

Day 10. Visit the Archeological Site of Pompei

Once finished with your Vulcan exploration, take the bus back to the start and get ready for the final stop for our itinerary: the Pompei Archeological sites! 

Pompei ruins are an incredibly well-preserved ancient Roman town, where you can stroll freely and imagine how life was over 2000 years ago.

There is a colosseum, there are gardens, ancient statues, painted houses, ancient roads, fountains, squares… before the catastrophe was one of the most affluent Roman cities after Rome!

Note: in Pompei, there are no cartels or info about what you have in front (which is pretty sad, to be honest), so audio guides are almost a must-have if you want to know the story of the place.

I actually downloaded a free audio guide on my phone and that worked just fine for us, but of course, the official audio guide is much more complete (as we already knew the history of Pompei from school, we didn’t feel the need to take it, but we also didn’t expect so few information inside the park).

After a couple of hours strolling around Pompei, it will be time to find your route back to your hotel, airport, or end-trip point as this was, sadly, our last stop for this incredible and fast-paced journey through the marvels of Italy! 🙂

Download our Italy 10-day Itinerary for Free!

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Extra Destinations to Expand your Trip!

Got More than 10 days on your hands? You’re in luck!

The 10-day itinerary we’ve seen until now is pretty fast-paced, with a lot of driving, walking, and explorations all crammed into 10 days.

The same itinerary with all Italian’s must-see attractions could be done in double the time with less hurries too, and for sure in each place, there would be much more to see 🙂

That, if you’d like to add some new destinations, here is what we would recommend to you:

1+ Day options:

• Add one day in Rome (Lazio)
• Lake Tovel (Trentino), an idyllic and peaceful mountain lake with a curious history (half-day)
• Madonna della Corona Church (Veneto), an unbelievable church built on a mountain creek  (half-day)
• Gardaland Theme Park (Veneto), the largest theme park in Italy – in my opinion better than Disneyland Paris (full-day)
• Lucca (Tuscany), a wonderful city close to Pisa enshrined in medieval walls, which make up for a nice half-day walk!

2+ Days Option:

• Visit Bergamo and Milan (Lombardy), not among my favorite cities, but if you’re into football or fashion, you might want to check them out! 🙂
• Lake Como (Lombardy), visit Bellagio, and take a boat trip to one of the most gorgeous lakes in Italy!
• Bologna and the Food Valley (Emiglia Romagna) – where many certified DOP products are produced

3+ Days:

• Capri, Sorrento, and the Amalfi Coast (Campania) explore south of Naples some of the most Italian places in Italy!
• Matera (Basilicata), the “City of Stone”, one of the most incredible  and cheap Italian cities, is located away from mass tourism in the Southern region of Basilicata

7+ Days

• Puglia, a region characterized by wonderful beaches, olive trees, great hospitality, and amazing fish food. Here are the best Apulian beaches to visit! (4 Days minimum)
• Sicily, the Southernmost region in Italy, it’s a world on its own and an island where Italian hospitality and slow life are at their best!
• Sardinia, the Eastern-most region in Italy, Sardinia is an island famous for its emerald beaches and wilderness

If you want to discover more about Italy, I will also leave you here some interesting articles we wrote about our beloved home country:

• 100 Interesting Fun Facts about Italy
• 40 Essential Travel Tips to Travel Italy (from an Italian!)

Conclusion

Here we are at the end of this huge guide!

In our 10 day Itinerary through Italy we have crossed a large chunk of our peninsula, starting from the Alpine Trentino, passing the giant Garda Lake, the romantic city of Verona, the channels of Venice, the cultural capital of Florence, the medieval towns of Siena and Pisa, the picturesque 5 Terre, Civita di Bagnoregio, the eternal city of Rome, the chaotic Naples, we climbed a vulcano and also seen the Pompei archeological site!

Of course, 10 days is just enough to scratch the bare surface of Italian culture and its complexity, discover its ever-changing panoramas, and taste a few of the thousands of foods and wines from the local Italian tradition.

With this itinerary we didn’t pretend to show you the “whole of Italy” (that would be impossible), but surely by surviving these 10 fast-paced days of exploration, you will get a comprehensive feel of what Italy is like, how incredibly different regions are from one another, and what a goldmine of experiences Italy truly is!

If you have any doubts, any questions or would simply like to share your experience,

feel free to write us a comment below! (We love to exchange ideas and a couple of words with fellow travelers! 😉 ).

We wish you a wonderful time planning your Italian trip itinerary,

and we’ll see you in the next article!

Ciao! 😀