I lived in Italy for 4 months and explored all around the country. Here are some of the best places to visit in Italy!

SORRENTO + THE AMALFI COAST

One of the most magical places in Italy is the Amalfi Coast. Everyone wants to go to Positano, which is a beautiful city (don’t get me wrong), but my absolute favorite spot on this coast is Sorrento. Sorrento is a beautiful town that has hotels overlooking the water, and it is easy to get everywhere on the Amalfi Coast from Sorrento. If you are visiting Italy, you have to add this area to your list for the most gorgeous views and ocean views.

Where to stay in Sorrento?

  • For a luxurious option: Grand Hotel Ambasciatori is an absolutely stunning hotel perched along a cliff on the Amalfi Coast. It is one of my favorite hotels I have ever stayed in due to the beautiful grounds, 5 star service, and the breakfast is the best I have ever had…. homemade nutella… do I need to say more?

  • For a budget option: Hotel Regina Sorrento is a great alternative if you’re not looking for a 5-star hotel and a huge price tag. This hotel is in a perfect location and they were so accommodating to me. I loved my stay there and highly recommend if you are more on a budget!

Things To Do In Sorrento:

  • Walk around the cute shops and make sure to stop into Sorrento New Style, which is a gorgeous handmade jewelry store owned by the cutest older couple

  • Enjoy all of the beautiful overlooks of the water throughout the town

Looking for more things to do in Sorrento? Linked here is my top 10 things to do in Sorrento, Italy blog post.

ROME

Rome is where I studied for four months and the city is so much more than the touristy spots that everyone goes to. It has so many hidden gems and some of the best food on the planet! I highly recommend visiting Rome on your Italy vacation, as the food, sites to see, and history are unmatched.

Where To Stay In Rome?

  • Rome Cavalieri, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel is the best place to stay in Rome in my opinion. I stayed here and even though it is a bit out of the city, it is like an oasis with a pool, spa, and gardens. They have a free shuttle too that takes you right to the Spanish Steps area which is very helpful. Especially after a long day of walking around the huge city of Rome, it is so nice to come back to a nice area that overlooking the city.

  • Finding an Airbnb is also another great option that is much more budget-friendly- and if you can find one in the area of Trastevere, then you are in luck as that is the best area to stay in!

 See this blog post here for the top 10 unique things to do in Rome.

PUGLIA

Puglia is an up-and-coming area of the southern part of Italy that was absolutely amazing. I spent over a week here and there was so much to see. Mostly the Italians vacation here, but it is gaining attention by American and other European tourists in recent years. From ancient olive trees to old cities, Puglia stole my heart!

How Did We Explore Puglia?

  • Puglia is a fairly large region and there is so much to see! That’s why we hired Pietro who owns Puglialy tours. Our trip to Puglia would not have been the same without him. Him and his driver took us everywhere and he explained to us things about the sites we were seeing. It was an extremely unique tour and I will never forget it. Highly recommend hiring him when you take a trip to Puglia!

Where To Stay In Puglia?

  • Since Puglia is a large region, there are a lot of places you can stay. One of the best things to do is choose a base town that is in the middle of everything you want to go to.

  • We stayed in the town of Ostuni, at the B&B Casa d'Autore. This place was basically a renovated palace, and had excellent breakfast, service, and was super cozy. Ostuni was a great town to stay in the majority of our time there because it was centrally located and had a lot of great restaurants that we could try at night.

  • At the end of our trip, we did a few nights in Monopoli, which is a cute, seaside town. Here we stayed at the Don Ferrante. This was a luxurious 5-star boutique hotel and it did not disappoint. Perched over the water, the views were incredible. The breakfast was also absolutely amazing and we got a wonderful massage at the hotel as well. Highly recommend staying here if you decide to stay in Monopoli.

TUSCANY

Tuscany is a gorgeous escape into the Italian countryside for wine lovers and foodies alike. If you have time during your Italy vacation, I highly recommend going to Tuscany for a day from Florence or even for a few hours to visit a winery if you can.

Going to Florence? Tuscany Is Close By!

If you are visiting Florence on your trip, it is very easy to get to Tuscany. One option is you can take a train to Florence and then get picked up by the train station by a wine tour company that will then take you to Tuscany.

I highly recommend doing a wine tour with the company Fun In Tuscany for the best wine-tasting and food experience. It was one of my favorite things I had done in Italy and the wineries they took us to were absolutely breathtaking regarding the views, and the wines were delicious.

VENICE

I had very high expectations for Venice, and I do believe that everyone should see Venice at least once in their lifetime. However, I would personally not recommend going to Venice for more than two days at the most. There is about a days worth of stuff to see in the city, unless you go to neighboring islands which I didn’t do but recommend.

I went for 3 nights for the Venice Carnival in February of 2022 and it was honestly too much time in Venice. It was so cool doing the gondola ride and seeing all of the costumes for the carnival, but I was disappointed by the quality of food and things to do in the city. I know some people that absolutely adore Venice, but it just wasn’t my place! If you can visit Venice during your trip to Italy, great! If not, don’t sweat it!