An expert’s honest review of every major city in Italy

There are many ways to compare Italian cities: food, wine, art, architecture, culture, scenery and the intangibles of charm and crowd-free streets.

But what if simple size had a role? What if we looked at cities from the starting point of population? Cities grow and decline over many generations. Do the reasons that caused a city’s rise or fall colour its contemporary appeal?

Introducing size – below we look at Italy’s 30 largest towns and cities (a list which, notably, doesn’t include Venice or Siena) – often brings entirely overlooked destinations into the reckoning. Mestre and Brescia in the north, say, or Taranto, Foggia and Messina in the south, among others.

It’s an interesting exercise, illustrating, for example, how Italian cities with ancient roots – that’s most of them – often prosper today as busy ports or industrial centres of little appeal. But also how ancient roots mean it’s hard to find any city in Italy, whatever the size, without a compelling historic heart.

The ranking below orders cities by the size of their central metropolitan population (the larger the city, the higher the ranking) and also offers a mark out of 10 assessing their all-round visitor appeal.

*Population figures are for 2024 from Istat, the Italian National Institute of Statistics.

30. Pescara

Population: 116,596

Pescara’s appeal is simple: sea and sand. Italians come here in summer for family-friendly beaches – Silvano, Pineta, Francavilla and Montesilvano are the best – small hotels, keen prices and a traditional, easy-going holiday. Culture, not so much, but the town is also a gateway to the Gran Sasso and Abruzzo’s other great mountain parks. My verdict: 5/10

29. Rimini

Population: 118,673

Beach resorts in Italy – in Europe – don’t come much bigger than Rimini. There’s nowhere better if you want well-groomed sand, regimented rows of loungers, nightclubs galore, and plenty to do for children, teens and party-loving 20-somethings. But also, surprisingly, a lovely little historic centre, with Roman remains, plenty of green spaces and a fine castle, cathedral and city museum. 6/10

28. Monza

Population: 119,618

Monza is an industrial powerhouse but no casual visitor is here for the economy. Certainly not around the weekend of the Italian Grand Prix, which attracts over 300,000 visitors to the famously fast Monza Autodromo racetrack. A 10/10 destination for such fans. Not a petrolhead? Then not much doing, though a glorious façade and remarkable interior frescoes make the city’s cathedral a gem. 2/10

27. Perugia

Population: 120,137

Umbria’s capital is atypical – a medieval hill town at heart, but without the obvious charm and prettiness of the region’s other smaller hill towns. Brave the outer suburbs, though, and there’s much to admire, from Etruscan and Roman remains to Gothic palaces, Renaissance fresco cycles and one of central Italy’s premier art galleries. 8/10

26. Salerno

Population: 125,797

Salerno is set to become better known, if not in its own right, then – thanks to a revamped airport – as a gateway to the nearby Amalfi Coast. True, it took a battering in the Second World War, but, as ever, the old centre has charm aplenty and it’s hard to beat as a quiet, easy-going and good-value base for Amalfi, Cilento, Vesuvius, Pompeii and the temples at Paestum. 6/10

25. Reggio nell’Emilia

Population: 133,296

Visitors overlook Reggio. They shouldn’t. It has the usual cultural appeal – the baroque in the Basilica della Ghiara, the medieval in Piazza Prampolini – but also the odd unexpected turn, not least the extraordinary modern Mediopadana railway station. Plus dozens of parks, miles of hiking and cycle ways and – this being one of Italy’s gastronomic heartlands – superb food and wine. 7/10

24. Foggia

Population: 137,032

Pity Foggia: earthquake-damaged, bombed in 1943 and in the wrong part of a trendy region (Puglia), stranded to the north of the places most people want to go. More fool them. There’s nothing showy or touristy here, no real cultural treasures, just an untouched, traditional town. Which means washing across the streets, kids playing and Italians – pretty much only Italians – doing what Italians do: drinking coffee, eating great food and enjoying life’s simple pleasures. 5/10

14. Parma

Population: 146,290

You should visit Parma, it’s that simple: for its food, of course (Parma ham, Parmesan and more), but also for a wonderfully walkable old centre gathered around a first-rate art gallery and a magnificent cathedral and baptistery. This is also one of Italy’s richest cities, so a gently prosperous air prevails, which, among other things, means some superb shopping. 10/10

23. Mestre

Population: 147,662

Venice’s dwindling population is rightly lamented. But there are reasons people have left, and Mestre is among the culprits, if that is the right word for an industrial town and port on the mainland that since the Fifties – thanks to its jobs, housing and modern infrastructure – has absorbed former Venetians as its peerless neighbour has shrunk. But are you going to visit? No, you are not. 1/10

22. Cagliari

Population: 149,257

Sardinia’s port capital has lots of industry and a surfeit of the modern, but also a touch of appeal in the usual, unsullied historic core, a decent cathedral and as a base for exploration farther afield to places such as the fifth-century San Saturnino – one of Italy’s earliest churches – and access to some of Sardinia’s many fine beaches. 6/10

21. Livorno

Population: 153,773

Time was, in the age of the Romantic poets, when Livorno (also known as Leghorn) appealed to visitors. Who goes now? Hardly a soul. What happened? More than one hundred Allied bombing raids aimed at destroying an important port. True, the fish and seafood are good, and enough pretty corners survive to make a trip worthwhile. But this is Tuscany, and with Siena, Florence and other temptations at hand, who’s going to find the time? 5/10

20. Modena

Population: 158,886

Modena is Italy’s motor city, with museum and factory visits possible to car and motorbike makers based nearby such as Ferrari, Maserati, Bugatti, Ducati and Lamborghini. But it also has fine museums and one of the great Italian cathedrals, along with the excellent food you’d expect of a city in Emilia-Romagna, one of Italy’s gastronomic heartlands. Don’t miss the Mercato Albinelli, a superb market. 7/10

19. Reggio Calabria

Population: 169,140

Places on the way to somewhere more interesting always have a tough time. With Sicily dazzling across the Strait of Messina, Reggio Calabria usually seduces only those with a passion for the ancient world. The Museo Archeologico here houses the fifth-century BC Bronzi di Riace, a pair of bronze Greek warriors believed to be the work of Phidias, one of the great sculptors of antiquity. 5/10

18. Taranto

Population: 181,082

For Taranto, read Foggia (see above) – in high-profile Puglia, but virtually unvisited – and add it to the list of gritty, sometimes run-down and mostly modern ports in Italy’s Top 30. But as no one comes here, there’s a reason to visit. Join the locals eating, drinking and strolling along the waterfront and Via Federico di Palma. See the Aragonese castle and the splendid museum, then spend the afternoon on the beach at Marina di Pulsano. 4/10

17. Prato

Population: 181,820

No excuse to avoid Prato, even if you’ve never heard of this Tuscan city, long a textile hub and the probable source of any “Made in Italy” clothes you may own. No excuse, because it’s an easy 20-minute journey by train from Florence, and because within its modern outskirts lies a medieval and Renaissance heart as glorious as any in Italy. Donatello’s pulpit and Filippo Lippi’s cathedral fresco cycle alone make a trip worthwhile. 8/10

16. Brescia

Population: 184,826

Brescia often receives a bad rap: too modern, too industrialised, too many Fascist-era rebuilds. All true. Nearby Bergamo boasts more obvious attractions. And yet. The city has northern Italy’s best Roman remains – the archaeological park is a World Heritage Site – the San Salvatore monastic complex (now a museum) is remarkable, and the medieval and Renaissance core, grouped around Piazza della Loggia, is as pretty as you like. 7/10

15. Trieste

Population: 187,056

Trieste’s former Austro-Hungarian links – it was a major Habsburg port – combined with an Italian and Balkan heritage, has left it a strange and less than satisfying hybrid. Casual visitors will find the odd characterful street, a decent cathedral and a couple of grandiose squares that wouldn’t be out of place in Vienna. But much is modern and a little melancholy, cut off from the Italian mainstream and lacking its former imperial purpose. 5/10

13. Padua

Population: 203,725

Padua lies just half an hour by train from Venice, and there’s its problem. Who’s going to choose Padua over Venice? Obvious solution, see both. Allied bombs – again – damaged much of the old city but miraculously missed its artistic star turns: Giotto’s fresco cycle in the Cappella degli Scrovegni, one of Italy’s masterpieces, and the Basilica di Sant’Antonio, among the country’s most important points of pilgrimage. 7/10

12. Verona

Population: 219,103

Easy, this one: Verona is a must-see. Enough art and architecture – Roman, medieval and Renaissance – to keep you entranced over several days; a lovely hill-framed, river-fringed setting; and the perfect base for visiting other fine towns such as Vicenza, Padua and Mantua. Lake Garda, too, is nearby, with the Dolomites just beyond. And come summer, the city’s Roman amphitheatre hosts one of Europe’s major opera festivals. 10/10

11. Messina

Population: 219,948

A gateway to Sicily, perhaps, but Messina’s had it bad. A catastrophic earthquake in 1908 razed much of the old city and in 1943, Allied bombing delivered a second battering. Few visitors have it on a Sicilian itinerary after disembarking the mainland ferry. Art lovers, though, should pause and visit the superb Museo Regionale, which amongst many treasures has masterpieces by Antonello da Messina and two major works by Caravaggio. 4/10

10. Bari

Population: 277,387

Bari is picking up. Once, visitors to Puglia flew here and immediately drove to somewhere better known. Now, if they’re sensible, they know to linger. Modern suburbs crowd the old town, but what an old town: an atmospheric labyrinth of streets and alleys home to the 12th-century Cattedrale di San Sabino and Basilica di San Nicola, supreme examples of the Norman-influenced Romanesque architecture for which this part of Puglia is renowned. 7/10

9. Catania

Population: 290,927

Living under Europe’s most active volcano, Mount Etna, has brought Catania mixed blessings. Lava engulfed the city in 1669 and an earthquake virtually destroyed it in 1693. But the latter brought a beautiful Baroque rebuilding – the old centre is part of a World Heritage Site – and many visitors heading for Etna use the city as a base. But Catania is big and mostly dour. Stay close to Piazza del Duomo or find a more amenable base in Siracusa to the south. 5/10

8. Florence

Population: 349,296

Hard to criticise one of the world’s greatest artistic cities but we must: there are just too many visitors. And more or less year-round, dismal weekdays in January and February excepted. What to do? Florence is rightly popular. You want to see its streets, squares, the Uffizi, Michelangelo’s David, Brunelleschi’s dome and much more. Perhaps a dismal weekday in February is the answer. Or gritted-teeth submission to the throng. 9/10

7. Bologna

Population: 366,133

Food is Bologna’s calling card; Italy’s best, the locals will tell you. Perhaps – there are plenty of contenders: let’s say it’s very good, but add that the flourishing capital of Emilia-Romagna, an agricultural and industrial powerhouse, also attracts by virtue of its tightly knit old centre a pleasing medieval patchwork of brick arcades, towers, churches, palaces and museums. 8/10

6. Genoa

Population: 580,223

Gritty Genoa is a place for old Italy hands; for those who have already visited many of the county’s more celebrated cities. As ever, there’s plenty to see but the port backdrop makes it hard to love. The waterfront Acquario is among Europe’s finest and the historic centre has the usual medley of churches, piazzas and – especially – palaces. But is it worth a special visit? Not if you’re still new to Italy’s charms. 5/10

5. Palermo

Population: 648,260

As with Sicily, so with Palermo: some of Europe’s loveliest things but also some of its ugliest. The city has been tidied up a touch in recent years, but its traffic, bustle and sense of decaying Baroque grandeur may still not be to all tastes. At its best, though – in sights bearing the stamp of its former Arab, Norman and Spanish rulers – it is captivating. 7/10

4. Turin

Population: 870,456

Turin labours under a common but now outdated perception: that it’s an almost entirely industrial city rooted in its century-long association with car giant Fiat. In fact, Turin’s restored Baroque centre today is as elegant as any in Europe, full of galleries and museums, parks and riverside walks, historical cafés, and – being close to truffle and fine-wine country – some outstanding restaurants.8/10

3. Naples

Population: 959,470

Old Neapolitan saying, paraphrased: visit Naples for a day, you’ll hate it; for a week, you’ll love it; for a year, you’ll never want to leave. There’s something in it. On first acquaintance, Naples’s in-your-face hustle can be off-putting. But adjust to the pace, accept the often down at heel, and this is a place of numerous artistic and other treasures, as well as a base for the likes of Pompeii, Vesuvius, Capri and the Amalfi Coast. 8/10

2. Milan

Population: 1,236,837

Milan is no fun at all in its immense industrial and suburban sprawl. By many metrics, this, not Rome (see below), is Italy’s largest city. And by many measures also barely Italian: brisk, efficient, business-oriented; a southern suburb of Paris, say the sceptics. True, the centre has none of the obvious period charm of Rome, Florence or even Turin, but then opera at La Scala, the cathedral, the Brera Art Gallery and Leonardo’s Last Supper take some beating. 8/10

1. Rome

Population: 2,318,895

Big back then, big now. But size today brings modern Rome problems, not least the sheer weight of people, visitors included. Never seen the Eternal City, however? Unthinkable – nowhere else has its variety and concentration of artistic, historic, religious and architectural riches. As elsewhere, accept mass tourism – you can’t beat it – and seek out the revelatory moments that will make it all worthwhile. 10/10