Choose Your Italy: Endless Ways to Enjoy a Remarkable Country
- Italy's diversity runs deep — every region brings its own distinct landscape, cuisine, artistic heritage and cultural identity waiting to be explored.
- Whatever your passion — art, archaeology, food, wine, hiking or sailing — there's an Italian destination perfectly matched to your interests.
- Road Scholar’s Italy learning adventures range from cooking classes in Tuscany to small-ship voyages exploring southern Italy, Sicily and Malta, helping to ensure you find your ideal Italian learning experience.
Italy is geographically diverse, from the sun-soaked southern beaches of Sicily to the snow-capped Alps in the far north. But geography is just one sense in which “il Bel Paese” seems like many nations rolled into one. There are a score of distinct regions, each with its own cultural signature. With all the attractive options, it can be hard to decide exactly where to explore first! While that seems like a good problem to have, it can be daunting when you’re trying to find just the right Italy for you.
Here are some suggestions based on where your interests lie. DISCLAIMER: Greatness is everywhere in Italy, whether it be artistic, culinary, historic, architectural, oenological or otherwise. So while we’re singling out some places for special recognition, by no means do they lack competition!
Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.
Where Can I Find the Best Art in Italy?
With apologies to Rome, the artistic treasures of Florence are in a league all their own. In the city’s Uffizi Gallery, you can admire legendary works by Da Vinci, Botticelli, Caravaggio and others, while the Medici Chapels contain stunning funerary sculptures by Michelangelo. Magnificent frescoes are seemingly everywhere; those in the Pitti Palace and the Palazzo Vecchio are particularly jaw-dropping. See these treasures on Road Scholar programs including Italian Extravaganza: Rome, Florence and Venice at Their Finest. For a more relaxed rhythm, there’s also Italy at a Slower Pace: The Best of Rome & Florence.
Pantheon in Rome, Italy.
What’s a Top Place to See Great Italian Architecture?
Florence is also no slouch when it comes to buildings, but we give the nod to Rome for architecture. Among its thousands of fountains are a handful by the incomparable Gian Lorenzo Bernini, including his masterpiece, the Fountain of the Four Rivers, in the Piazza Navona. St. Peter’s Basilica represents the acme of Renaissance architecture, while early Rome is well-represented by the Pantheon and the remains of aqueducts, true engineering marvels. Oh, and the city also houses an obscure structure known as the Colosseum. One of our most popular programs in Rome is Rediscovering Rome: Local Culture, Ancient Legacy & Modern Life.
Where Is the Best Food in Italy?
Risotto in Lombardy. Pizza in Campania. Prosciutto and Parmesan in Emilia Romagna. Pesto in Liguria. Truffles in Umbria! You’re not going to starve anywhere in Italy, but there’s something special about the simple, rustic cooking in Tuscany. Amid the region’s gently rolling hills you’ll discover a savory symphony of flavors built on simple ingredients, properly prepared. For those looking not just to enjoy Italian cuisine but to prepare it themselves, Tuscan dishes are approachable even for beginners and offer an excellent foundation of knowledge for all Italian cooking. Our program Cooking, Culture & Countryside in Tuscany includes four cooking classes with a professional chef!
Where Can I Savor Italian Wines?
Tuscany’s embarrassment of gastronomic riches extends to its wines, which include iconic styles like Chianti and Brunello. But we’ll give Piemonte the nod for oenophiles for its Barolo and Barbaresco, rich reds that particularly reward long aging. If you happen to be there in the fall, when the region’s renowned white truffles are in season, you’ll find the combination pure magic. Road Scholars spend several nights on Lake Maggiore in the heart of Piemonte on La Dolce Vita: The Italian Lakes of Como, Garda and Maggiore (and yes, we do travel there during truffle season!)
Which Region of Italy is Best for Archaeology?
Italy has hundreds of archaeological sites, including 62 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the most of any country. Two particularly noteworthy ones, Pompeii and Herculaneum, are in Campania. Not far from Naples, the two Roman-era towns were buried when Mount Vesuvius erupted nearly two thousand years ago. Pompeii is by far the bigger site, but Herculaneum is better preserved. Both offer astonishing glimpses into life two millennia ago, and you can explore them with us on Beyond the View: The Amalfi Coast and Sorrento.
What Is a Top Mountain Destination in Italy?
The aforementioned Alps really are spectacular, and one of the best ways to experience them is to hike them — which you can do on the Road Scholar program, Alpine Hiking in Austria and Italy: From Tyrol to the Dolomites. You’ll explore charming villages and hamlets like St. Ulrich and Daunei, visit Otzi, the 5,000-year-old mummy found in the glaciers, hike to alpine huts and enjoy delicious, hearty local meals.
Where Can I Enjoy the Italian Seaside?
If you prefer whitecapped waves to snow-capped mountains, Sardinia’s La Maddalena Archipelago National Park boasts some of the most beautiful beaches in all of Italy. Spend an afternoon exploring them and the surrounding towns on Stunning Sardinia: From the Ancient World to the Costa Smeralda. (You’ll also be fascinated by Sardinia’s prehistoric ruins dating back thousands of years.)
The Dolomites.
Where Should I Go For Good Hiking in Italy?
Italy rewards hikers with tremendous vistas — not just in the mountainous north, but nearly everywhere else, as well. You can lace up your boots and explore the idyllic cliffside villages of the Italian Riviera on Hiking the Cinque Terre or lose yourself in the rolling hills of Tuscany on Walking & Hiking in Idyllic Tuscany and Mystical Umbria, in addition to our adventures in the Alps.
What’s the Best Way to Explore Italy By Ship?
If it’s sailing, not hiking, that floats your boat, you can explore Sicily, Malta and more on Southern Italy, Malta & Sicily — A Small Ship Voyage. Between Malta’s stunning megalithic structures (among the oldest in the world), Sicily’s spectacular Greek ruins and the idyllic island of Capri, there’s plenty to learn and plenty to savor on this exclusive journey aboard a mega-yacht.
The Amalfi Coast.
When Is the Best Place in Italy to Spend Winter & the Holidays?
Crowds in Italy are greatly diminished in the winter months, when the weather is pleasantly cool (especially in the southern islands), the pace is more relaxed and it’s easier to take full measure of the places you explore. You can take a winter journey with us on Winter in Italy: Taormina & Sicily’s Culture & Cuisine, Winter in Malta: Thousands of Years of History & Culture or Winter in Italy: A Window Into the Slow Life of Cilento. You should also know that the holidays are pure magic in Italy. We have separate Christmas learning adventures in Florence, Sorrento, Assisi and Rome, plus New Year’s programs in Sorrento and Florence.
What’s a Surprising Hidden Gem in Italy?
Our choice for a less-traveled — but endlessly rewarding — region is Abruzzo. In central Italy on the Adriatic Sea, it’s home to well-preserved medieval villages, dramatic mountain landscapes, centuries-old traditions, exceptional wines and amazing food, most notably arrosticini, addictive mutton skewers roasted over an open flame. Experience those things on The Hidden Medieval Villages of Abruzzo.
Those are just a few of the ways you can “choose your Italy.” And Road Scholar offers even more! You can embark on an independent living and learning adventure of a month or more. Join us on a women-only program, or one that allows you to choose your own pace. You can even take a memorable journey with a grandchild or your whole family. Where will you choose for your Italian avventura?
Frequently Asked Questions
Where should first-time visitors go in Italy?
Many first-time visitors start with Rome, Florence and Venice, which bring together Italy's best-known art, architecture and history. You can see all three on The Best of Italy: Rome, Florence and Venice.
How can I see Italy beyond the tourist crowds?
Go with local experts, at quieter times or to less-traveled places. On Italy at a Slower Pace: The Best of Rome & Florence, an expert-led after-hours private visit to the Sistine Chapel takes place when the tourists have gone home for the day. Winter brings fewer crowds and a more relaxed pace, as on Winter in Italy: A Window Into the Slow Life of Cilento. And Abruzzo, with its medieval villages and mountain landscapes, is a good less-traveled region to start with: explore it on The Hidden Medieval Villages of Abruzzo.
Where should returning visitors to Italy go?
Look beyond the classic cities to the Italian Lakes, the Dolomites, Sicily and Puglia in southern Italy. Good places to start are La Dolce Vita: The Italian Lakes of Como, Garda and Maggiore and Treasures of Sicily.
See all our programs in Italy!
John Watters is an aficionado of the eclectic — quirks of history, unusual places and
whimsical pursuits. When he’s not crafting more mainstream pieces for Road Scholar, he sometimes reports on things off the beaten path — or just offbeat. His professional
expertise is derived from a long career as an advertising writer and creative director, while his personal expertise with vacuum cleaners and lint rollers is derived from a long association with Bernese Mountain Dogs.