Italy is twenty different countries sharing one flag. Every region has its own language, traditions, flavours and its own way of welcoming you.
Italy has one problem: it is almost impossible to see it all. And this leads many travellers to build impossible itineraries: ten cities in very few days, constant movement, no place truly experienced. It is one of those countries that everyone believes they know. Rome, Venice, pizza, gelato. An image you find everywhere.
The problem is that this image tells only a small part of the story. Italy is twenty different countries sharing one flag. From North to South you will find cultures, rhythms and cuisines so varied you cannot imagine. Every region has its own language, its own traditions, its own flavours and its own way of welcoming you.
Understanding this changes everything. Stop looking for Italy — start looking for the right region for you. Better to choose less and go deeper.
Small, wedged between the mountains and the sea, beautiful. Genoa is a city whose flavours and history capture the very essence of Italy. Who hasn't heard of pesto or focaccia? The cuisine will definitely not disappoint. The Cinque Terre are something extraordinary — we say this knowing full well how crowded they can get. The secret is knowing when to go, which path to take, how to experience them without being swept away by the crowds. We've been there and can recommend our own itinerary.
The beating heart of the Italian economy, with Milan as its protagonist. Milan is not our favourite city, we say this honestly. But it would be a mistake to underestimate it. It is strategically located and hides corners that most tourists never find. We've explored it enough to know where to look. Lake Como is another well-known and touristy spot. And since we grew up near Lake Garda, we are rather biased. We toured it entirely by campervan over three days and we cannot deny that there are corners of this lake that are truly breathtaking.
Honestly: Piedmont is a region we are still discovering. We have visited Turin, which is already worth the trip on its own — a city that surprises you if you're expecting a typical Italian city. It has a character all its own, with a gastronomy and history that very few people expect.
Our home. Here we cannot go wrong — we know it inside out, from the most famous Dolomites to trails that don't appear on any map, from alpine huts to hidden lakes. If you're looking for real mountains, breathtaking landscapes and clean air, start here. We've written a dedicated article — you'll find it here.
Everyone stops in Venice, and rightly so, but they miss everything else. There are other cities like Verona, Vicenza, Treviso and Padua that are well worth knowing. Stefania: I know Padua well, having lived there for three years during university, and I know how to surprise visitors who arrive without expectations. And then there are hidden villages, old-fashioned local festivals, and taverns...
Two cities off all tourist itineraries, and for that reason still authentic. Trieste, with its historic cafés where time seems frozen in the 1800s and the Miramare castle overlooking the sea like a novel. And Udine, a quiet gateway to the Friulian Dolomites, still almost deserted, with a simple and ancient cuisine that tells the story of this land better than any guidebook.
The main protagonist, for us, is the food. We dare you to come back without a few extra kilos — and you won't regret it. Bologna is extraordinary, but as always the real Emilia Romagna is found in hidden villages, in trattorias, among families who make fresh pasta on Thursdays as they always have. It's worth knowing that one of the walks we talk about here — the Via degli Dei — starts right in Bologna and crosses the Apennines all the way to Florence. Stefania: Having crossed this region on foot, I can confirm that I didn't rush through it. If you want, I can show you how to live it authentically.
Perhaps the most famous region in the world and perhaps the hardest to experience well for exactly that reason. Florence, Siena, the Chianti, the Val d'Orcia: a concentration of art, landscape and gastronomy that is hard to match. But it's also the region where it's easiest to fall into the tourist trap. We'll help you find a more authentic Tuscany — the one with the less obvious corners, the villages that don't make magazine covers, and the restaurants where you actually eat well.
There is a Tuscany that exists in a quieter, less photographed version. It's called Umbria. Hills, medieval villages, truffles, wine and sincere hospitality. Perugia, Assisi, Orvieto, Spoleto — slow rhythms, different light, ancient flavours and a warmth that feels genuine. It's one of Italy's most underrated regions, and for that reason still wonderful.
Rome is one of our favourite cities in the world — we say this without reservation. Yes, it's touristy. Yes, it's chaotic. But it has something no other city in the world has: the constant feeling of walking inside history. We've managed to rediscover its hidden flavours and less crowded streets.
The heart of the Mediterranean: in all its beauty and chaos. Naples, pizza, Vesuvius, Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast, Ischia, Capri. A concentration of beauty that you either love deeply or struggle to understand. Naples in particular is a city that needs to be discovered knowing where to look — chaotic on the surface, extraordinary within. We won't even describe the food: some things have to be lived. And the irony of true Neapolitans will make you fall in love with this region before you've even seen it all.
A region that has exploded in recent years, and not by accident. Some of Italy's most beautiful sea, towns like Alberobello, Ostuni and Lecce that surprise with their beauty and authenticity. We visited the wild coastline and also the hinterland. Stefania: I also crossed this region on foot, discovering its real traditions and the stories of the farmers I met while walking.
The walk I mentioned starting in Puglia from Bari — the Via Peuceta — took me all the way to Matera. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, but calling it simply a city would be an understatement. Matera is carved into rock, built through time, lived in a way that resembles no other place. An almost completely unexplored region that is only just beginning to make itself known. Going there now is still a privilege.
Wild, authentic, spicy... in every sense. Incredible coastlines and a flavourful cuisine. It's a region that demands curiosity and some willingness to forgo comfort, but rewards every effort with experiences you won't find anywhere else. For those who want Italy unfiltered.
For us it's a continent unto itself. Greek, Arab, Norman, Spanish — every domination left something behind. Palermo, Agrigento, Syracuse, Etna, the Aeolian Islands. It would deserve months to experience it fully and even then you'd feel you'd seen only a part of it. It does have one flaw: once you try its street food, it's hard for anything else to satisfy you in the same way. Experienced exclusively with locals, we can reveal all the secrets of how to live it to the fullest.
The sea is among the most beautiful in the Mediterranean, but it's the interior that truly surprises: nuraghi, forests, villages where an ancient language is still spoken and where traditions are not folklore for tourists but real life. It's not just a beach destination. It's a civilisation that chose to preserve itself in silence, far from everything. And for that it is all the more precious.
Do you have a region in mind but don't know where to start? Write to us: 20 minutes of free call to build your itinerary together.