The 30 greatest holidays in Italy for 2025
Ah, Italy. It is a perennial favourite, of course, with its cradles of culture – Venice, Rome and Florence – attracting the bulk of tourists. But there is so much more to be discovered away from the big-hitting highlights.
Visitors are increasingly seeking out lesser-known destinations to escape the crowds, favouring trips in shoulder season where possible. Outdoor activities, such as hiking and cycling holidays, remain popular choices, while wellness tourism, experiential activities and rail travel are on the rise.
While Tuscany’s rolling hills have long been the go-to rural escape for British travellers, they are only part of the story. Hit TV series such as The White Lotus have put Sicily firmly on the tourist map, and there is a wealth of experiences to be had, including sailing the volcanic Aeolian Islands on a classic wooden windjammer.
And while we have listed some firm favourites in our list, we hope to inspire you with getaways that are not your conventional Italy holiday, too, from learning about Ladin culture in the German-speaking Alta Badia region to horse-riding through the wilds of Molise in central Italy.
Prices and temperatures soar in July and August so, if you can, try and visit outside these months. If you can only travel then, but don’t like the idea of overly hot weather, make for the mountains instead, where altitude will give you a welcome respite from the stifling heat further south.
Skip ahead to explore:
Best for culture
1. Join the Roman Jubilee
All eyes are on Rome this year as it celebrates the 2025 Vatican Jubilee, with about 35 million visitors expected to visit the Italian capital. The beginning of the jubilee was officially marked on December 24, 2024, with the opening of the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica.
Onefinestay offers a range of carefully curated holiday rental apartments and homes in the capital, with prices starting from £209 per night. A 24/7 concierge service is available to all guests, with services including private chefs and babysitting services. Plan the perfect trip to Rome with our expert guide.
2. Visit Gorizia and Nova Gorica
When the border fence that divided Nova Gorica (Slovenia) from Gorizia was torn down in 2004, people on both sides came together in celebration. This year, the two border towns have been named joint European Capital of Culture 2025, with a host of events taking place to celebrate their rich heritage. The wider region of Friuli Venezia Giulia will celebrate with music concerts by big names such as Alanis Morisette, Sting and Robbie Williams, and exhibitions by renowned photographers and artists including Steve McCurry and Andy Warhol.
Kirker Holidays offers a 3-day short break to Trieste from £1,196 per person, based on two sharing, including returns flights from the UK, accommodation with breakfast at the 5-star Savoia Excelsior Palace, a full-day private excursion to Gorizia and Nova Gorica with a driver-guide.
3. Enjoy opera in Le Marche
The Adriatic coastal town of Pesaro in the Marche region has a long (and strong) musical tradition, with over 80 musical festivals held annually. The most prestigious is the Rossini Opera Festival in August (the city is the birthplace of the composer), although it’s not only Pesaro that excels in operatic tradition – the Marche’s Macerata Opera Festival celebrates its 61st anniversary this summer with three works including Verdi’s Rigoletto and Macbeth.
Scott Williams’ latest addition to its portfolio is Casa Aria, set in the Marche countryside. Sleeping up to 10 in six bedrooms, it comes with a panoramic swimming pool, sauna and steam room, with prices starting from £8,685 per week.
4. Mountains and music in the Dolomites
Sound of the Dolomites sees musical performances take place at sunrise in striking open-air settings in the heart of Trentino, with concert locations reachable via gentle hikes. This year, the festival celebrates its 20th anniversary, with an extended calendar of performances running from late August to early October.
Sound of the Dolomites concerts are free to attend. Stay at mountain hut Rifugio Fuciade from £95pp or overnight in Trento, the capital city of Trentino, at Hotel America, where doubles start from £180.
5. Explore Sicily’s Agrigento
Since the bijou town of Taormina featured in comedy-drama series The White Lotus, Sicily has firmly been on visitors’ itineraries. This year, the spotlight is on Agrigento, Italy’s Capital of Culture 2025, with its beautifully preserved fifth-century Doric Temples. The city will celebrate with a rich cultural programme, including a live performance by Italian operatic pop trio Il Volo at the Valley of the Temples.
Peter Sommer Travels’ Exploring Sicily expert-led tour costs from £5,965pp including 13 nights at select boutique hotels, all meals (except 2 lunches/2 dinners), wine with evening meals, transfers, local transport, two specialist guides, all entrance fees and a wide variety of archaeological, cultural and gastronomic experiences.
6. Become immersed in Ladin culture
Alta Badia and Val Gardena are home to the Ladin people, who settled here thousands of years ago and share age-old traditions, customs and a common language in Ladin, part of the Romance family. Visitors can learn about Ladin culture through the “Nos Ladins” programme in Alta Badia; past experiences include hands-on classes with a local baker and time spent with a luthier at her workshop, learning about the art of violin making – the instruments are handcrafted using pine wood sourced from the surrounding forests.
First opened in 1932, Pralongià is the oldest and highest mountain hut on the Pralongià plateau, with double rooms starting from £106pp per night, half board.
7. Meet the artisans of Florence, Venice & Perugia
A recently launched foundation helps visitors scratch beneath the surface of three of Italy’s cities, introducing them to Florence, Venice and Perugia’s hidden artisans. The Place of Wonders seeks to safeguard and promote artistic craftsmanship, providing exclusive access to family-run workshops, including a scagliola plaster atelier in Florence, a jewellery studio in Venice, and – from spring this year – a historic mill producing Umbrian textiles in Perugia.
Experiences are based on voluntary donations that go towards funding full scholarships for Italian craft students. In Florence, visits can be organised through The Place Firenze, where rooms are priced from £580; in Venice, through Londra Palace Venezia, where rooms are priced from £555; in Perugia, through Borgo dei Conti, where rooms are priced from £641. Plan the perfect trip to Florence with our expert guide.
8. Music and treats in Umbria
The annual Umbria Jazz Festival pulls in quite a crowd, with an exciting line-up of artists playing in the regional capital, Perugia (Lionel Richie and Mika are set to perform at this year’s festival). Jazz aside, Perugia is renowned for its exquisite chocolate, celebrated yearly during the Eurochocolate Festival. And if you’re seeking a way to burn off your energy, you can do so by walking Sellano’s Ponte Tibetano, which stretches half a kilometre over the Vigi River valley at a record height of 175m – it’s said to be Europe’s highest suspension bridge.
Essential Italy offers a selection of villas in Umbria, with prices starting from £1,990 per week.
9. Cruise to the opera in Verona
The Arena di Verona Opera Festival has an incredible programme of events taking place throughout the summer, from operas to other musical performances by world-renowned artists. You can take in northern Italy’s rich theatrical culture with an opera cruise from Venice to Mantua, visiting iconic venues along the way such as Venice’s La Fenice and Mantua’s Teatro Bibiena; the trip includes a performance at the Arena di Verona – this year, it’s Verdi’s Aida.
The week-long journey Opera Cruise with European Waterways aboard the 20-passenger hotel barge La Bella Vita is priced from £5,100pp and includes all meals, alcoholic beverages, daily excursions, en suite cabin accommodation, a deck-top spa pool and local transfers. Flights not included.
Best for history
10. See the saints and sights of Umbria
2023 marked the start of three years of celebrations to celebrate the life of Saint Francis of Assisi, who left an indelible mark on Umbria, with no shortage of monasteries, shrines and pilgrimage routes associated with his life. This trip includes Francis’s birthplace of Assisi, taking in the spectacular frescoes of the Basilica di San Francesco along with the Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli, where Saint Francis announced he would cultivate poverty, founding the Franciscan movement. The holiday also includes a wine tasting tour and a leisurely boat ride across Lake Trasimeno, where Hannibal famously defeated the Roman army during the Second Punic War.
Ramble Worldwide’s Sights and Delights of Umbria trip costs from £1,479 pp including seven nights’ half-board with one lunch, wine with evening meals, flights, transfers, local transport, guided walks, wine tasting tour and lunch at a local vineyard.
11. Marvel at the finds in Pompeii
Every few months or so, archeologists make new discoveries in Pompeii that offer an incredible insight into Roman domestic life. Last year, artworks depicting scenes from Greek mythology were uncovered, while the previous year, the site’s Casa dei Vettii reopened after 20 years’ restoration, revealing head-turning frescoes. As well as Pompeii and nearby Herculaneum, this tour includes a visit to Cumae, the first Greek settlement in mainland Italy, and Paestum, an ancient Greek city home to three wonderfully preserved Doric temples.
Martin Randall’s 6-day Pompeii & Herculaneum – Antiquities of the Bay of Naples is priced from £2,720pp and includes B&B accommodation, return flights with BA, two lunches, three dinners with wine, an expert lecturer, tour manager and local guides.
12. Puglia’s trulli and villas
Occupying the heel of Italy, Puglia has increasingly been on visitors’ radars in recent years, and little wonder – its whitewashed villages, Baroque architecture and powdery beaches with turquoise waters are a major draw, as is the region’s cuisine, heavily influenced by the region’s former Greek and Spanish rulers. The Apulian masserie (farmhouses) and famous trulli, distinctive conical buildings built as temporary storehouses or dwellings, have been converted into chic guesthouses and luxury villas.
Mandarin Oriental Exceptional Homes offers holiday homes in Puglia, including the ten-bedroom Masseria Pistola, which combines original architectural features, including conical trulli ceilings and gable-roofed arches. Prices start from £1,430 per night.
Best for luxury
13. Live La Dolce Vita on the Orient Express
Launching in spring this year, La Dolce Vita Orient Express will see eight itineraries whisk guests across some of Italy’s most panoramic landscapes. Carriages exude all the glamour of the 1960s and 1970s, with rich velvets and lacquered ceilings in deep sensual hues. All cabins are en suite, and you’re in for a culinary feast too – the cuisine is curated by three Michelin-starred chef Heinz Beck, with menus reflecting the culinary traditions of the regions the trains are travelling through.
Prices for a one-night itinerary aboard La Dolce Vita Orient Express (+44 2030244949; orient-express.com/la-dolce-vita) start from £2,900pp in a deluxe cabin and £3,900pp in a suite.
14. Luxuriate in the boutique rooms of Positano
Franco Zeffirelli was one of Italy’s greatest opera and film directors, whose adaptations of Shakespeare tragedies brought him international fame. His former home is now a boutique hotel, set in a dramatic location perched on a cliffside above Positano on the Amalfi Coast. It comprises six villas dotted around lush gardens, with secluded terraces and hidden pools shaded by tropical plants; a seventh villa is set to open this year. In the main villa, you can see Zeffirelli’s memorabilia and family heirlooms, with original sketches for his sets also on display.
Treville Positano offers doubles from £675 on a B&B basis. Plan the perfect holiday on the Amalfi Coast with our guide.
15. Winter in Lake Como
Lake Como’s iconic Villa d’Este remains open once again this year throughout the autumn and winter, paving the way for an extended lake season. December is a magical time to visit, with the gardens – listed as a National Monument – bedecked with fairy lights in a spectacular display, and a cosy winter glasshouse where you can sit back with winter-themed cocktails as you take in panoramic lake views. The hotel’s Snow Dream adventure whisks guests by helicopter to some of the Alps’ best ski resorts for a day on the slopes accompanied by an expert guide.
Doubles at Villa d’Este start from £700. Prices for the Snow Dream adventure available upon request. Plan the perfect trip to Lake Como with our guide.
Best for beaches and coast
16. Discover Calabria’s sun, sea and culture
Occupying the toe of Italy, sun-kissed Calabria remains off the beaten track to Brits. This trip introduces visitors to the region’s rich heritage, taking in Greek ruins, seaside towns, powdery white sand beaches and sweeping sea vistas. You’ll visit the medieval town of Gerace and the ancient Greek ruins of Locri, ending your trip at Paestum in Campania, home to three wonderfully preserved Doric temples.
Esplora Travel’s Calabria tour costs from £2,990 pp including eight nights’ full board and wine with meals, transfers, all local transport, entrances and tour guide fees. Flights not included.
17. Fitness on the Tuscan Archipelago
Nearer to Corsica than Tuscany, Capraia is the remotest island of the Tuscan Archipelago, and its only volcanic island, with steep cliffs dropping into deep blue waters home to groupers, barracuda and amberjack – there’s great snorkelling and diving to be enjoyed. An exclusive new fitness retreat immerses visitors into the island’s rugged scenery, with open-air lifting, yoga, hiking and breath work, complete with organic meals prepared by experienced chefs.
Wild Fitness retreats start at £2,674 per person per week at Forte San Giorgio, a listed national moment that has been converted into a sleek island retreat with 11 bedrooms, terraces for sunbathing, and two infinity pools. The fort is also available for exclusive buy-out hire.
18. Rocks and carvings in Sardinia
Porto Flavia in southern Sardinia is an extraordinary sight: a 1920s port terminal carved into the rockface along the Masua coastline. You can admire it from the water as you take part in a diving or snorkelling tour, travelling by boat from the port of Portoscuso to Pan di Zucchero, a towering sea stack whose underwater white limestone reefs are coated in sponges and inhabited by rich marine life.
Sardinian Places offer holiday stays in Southern Sardinia, with seven-night self-catering packages starting from £1299 including flights and car hire based on two people sharing. A half day diving tour with Ajoo Dive costs from £90 (snorkelling trips from £43), and includes boat transfers, guide and all diving equipment. Plan the perfect holiday in Sardinia with our guide.
19. Cycle coast to coast
Inhabited since the Palaeolithic, Matera’s extraordinary setting – a jumble of cave dwellings carved into tufa rock – have made it the perfect backdrop for films of a biblical bent. This new coast to coast guided cycling holiday takes you from Puglia’s Monopoli on the Adriatic to Campania’s Paestum on the Tyrrhenian Sea. You’ll stop off in Matera to explore its Sassi, ancient cave dwellings, before crossing the Murgia plateau and cycling across Basilicata’s heartland to reach the west coast.
The eight-day trip with Saddle Skedaddle is priced from £1,995pp and includes accommodation (a mixture of B&B and half-board), full support service and airport transfers. Flights (from £200pp) and bike hire (from £230pp) not included.
20. Sail, paddle and snorkel in the Aeolian Islands
The ruggedly beautiful volcanic Aeolian Islands can get exceptionally busy in summer, with prices hitting a peak in July and August. Experience all the beauty of the archipelago away from the crowds aboard a classic wooden windjammer sailing boat, with daily trips ashore to explore the islands. There are plenty of opportunities to swim and snorkel in secluded coves, and there are SUPs and kayaks for guests, too.
The eight-day Aeolian Islands sailing trip aboard Florette with VentureSail is priced from £1,540 on a half-board basis, including six meals, full crew and tuition, all tender trips during the voyage to and from the boat, and equipment.
Best for food
21. Eat your way through Emilia Romagna
This region is Italy’s foodie heartland, the home of Parmesan cheese, Parma ham, balsamic vinegar and lasagne. This gastronomic tour in the company of chef, broadcaster and food writer Valentina Harris includes a pasta-making class, visits to local markets, artisans and food producers complete with behind-the-scenes tours, along with cultural trips to galleries and museums, refuelling here and there with hearty meals at traditional restaurants.
Kirker offers the Italy’s Gastronomic Heart tour from £2,847pp for five nights, including return flights, accommodation on a B&B basis, two lunches and three dinners and all entrance fees.
22. Wine tasting tours and gourmet delights in Piedmont
The vine-clad hills of Piedmont’s Langhe-Roero and Monferrato are real wine and foodie territory. Some of the world’s best wines are produced here, including fine Barolos and Barbarescos, while this year sees the region’s famous Alba Truffle Fair celebrate its 95th anniversary. Complete with 1920s wooden carriages, the historical food and wine TrEno rolls through the landscape, with several itineraries to choose from, including a trip to the Underground Cathedrals of Canelli, a vast network of cellars and tunnels dug into limestone hills. All trips include wine tasting on board and a traditional lunch accompanied by local wines.
Stay at La Villa Hotel, a 15-minute drive east of Nizza Monferrato, where rates start at £230. The Canelli TrEno experience costs £150pp.
23. Mastering the culinary traditions of Mount Etna
The volcanic soils of Sicily’s Mount Etna are known to produce excellent wines along with outstanding agricultural produce, including plump lemons, olives and pistachios. You can get a flavour for the region’s rich cuisine at Palazzo Previtera, a centre for contemporary art with rooms on the slopes of the peak, with foodie experiences including foraging for hazelnuts and wild herbs at a nearby farm, joining a local shepherd to learn about Sicilian cheese making, and hands-on Sicilian cooking classes in the Palazzo’s kitchen. This spring sees the opening of its first restaurant, with fusion dishes marrying Scandinavian and Sicilian flavours.
Palazzo Previtera offers rooms starting from £153 on a B&B basis. Foodie experiences start from £30 per person.
Best for outdoors
24. Cycling in the Alps & Dolomites
The Alps and the Dolomites offer superb cycling terrain, home to some of the world’s most famous climbs. On this 331-mile-long trip, you can work your glutes (and a sweat) as you climb the Passo Stelvio, famous for its steep 48 hairpin bends – you’ll be rewarded with awe-inspiring vistas and the chance to refuel with top notch fare at mountain restaurants. This year’s tour includes a new off-bike forest bathing experience.
The 10-day Best of the Alps and Dolomites with Italy Bike Tours is priced from £4,142 per person, and includes 9 nights in alpine hotels on a B&B basis, 6 dinners, fully guided daily cycling tours and mechanical support.
25. Wild wanders in Abruzzo’s national parks
This east-coast region is home to some of Italy’s wildest landscapes – the Gran Sasso and Majella are among the highest massifs in the country outside the Alps, with wild animals including wolves, endangered Marsican brown bears and chamois roaming the dense beech forests. This five-night tour combines e-biking and walking, taking visitors across the Majella and Gran Sasso National Parks along quiet paths that meander through forested valleys and high plateaus, stopping off to refuel with hearty mountain fare.
The five-night trip with The Slow Cyclist costs £3,250pp, and includes airport transfers, tour guides, accommodation, meals, all activities, e-bikes and helmet hire. Flights not included.
26. Horseriding heaven in Molise
Sleepy, mountainous little Molise, snugly tucked away in central Italy, remains well off the tourist radar – and there’s no better way to explore this rugged region than on horseback. A recently launched trail ride follows the region’s tratturi, ancient sheep and cattle-driving routes used by shepherds and herders to move their flocks from high pastures to the lowlands in winter.
The Tratturi Altomolise Trail with Far and Ride costs from £950pp including six nights’ accommodation in shared rooms, all meals, wine and beer with lunches and dinners, five days of riding and transfers to/from Isernia train station. Flights not included.
27. Family fun at a Tuscan farm
With over 40 experiences on offer (and counting), this vast farm estate in the Tuscan countryside ensures plenty of fun for all the family. Comprising a medieval borgo [a hamlet] plus acres of vineyards and woodland, Castelfalfi now also has an adventure park complete with high ropes courses, archery and falconry. Parents can enjoy a round or two on Tuscany’s largest golf course, then unwind at the adults-only spa with a heated indoor-outdoor swimming pool while children let off some steam at Falfy Kids’ Club, complete with mini golf and petting farm.
Double rooms at Castelfalfi from £510 including breakfast.
28. Wild swimming and wildlife in the Apennines
In the heart of Tuscany lies the WWF-affiliated Oasi Dynamo nature reserve, harbouring rare species of plants and providing a rich habitat for wildlife including deer and wolves. Accessible only by guests staying at Oasyhotel, the reserve offers nature-immersive experiences from wolf tracking, horse riding and night safaris to wild swimming, kayaking and stargazing sessions.
Stays at Oasyhotel start from £386 per lodge per night including breakfast, minibar access, e-bike usage, access to private lake and water sports and valet parking. Plan the perfect holiday in Tuscany with our guide.
29. Tackle Trentino’s vie ferrate
Scenic high-altitude trails crisscross the Dolomites, many equipped with vie ferrate – mountain routes with rungs, ladders and steel cables that cling to steep rock faces, making for an exhilarating way to take in the mountain panoramas. Two to seven-day experiences in the dramatic Pale di San Martino massif take hikers along scenic trails through the Parco Naturale Paneveggio, crossing several vie ferrate and overnighting in traditional mountain huts.
Ferrata packages with Palaronda Trek cost from £165pp for two nights on a half-board basis. Flights not included.
30. Go to new heights on The Matterhorn Alpine Crossing
It may be Italy’s smallest region but the Valle d’Aosta has no shortage of awe-inspiring scenery (it’s home to Mont Blanc, after all). The Matterhorn Alpine Crossing connects the ski resort of Cervinia with Switzerland’s Zermatt, offering views of the Matterhorn from the moment you step onto the cable car until you reach the summit. In summer, over 250 miles of hiking trails crisscross the mountain peaks, with marmots and chamois a common sight.
Macs Adventure offers the self-guided, six-day Tour of the Matterhorn South for experienced hikers, with two glacier crossings with experienced guides. Ending in Zermatt, the tour is priced from £1,315 and includes B&B accommodation in traditional mountain huts and hotels, three dinners, a qualified guide, route notes and maps. Flights not included.
The article was first published in April 2023 and has been revised and updated. Prices were correct at the time of writing.
