by Telegraph Travel experts, The Telegraph, December 3, 2018
An insider's guide into the top places and cities to visit in Italy – and where to stay while you're there – including the best for couples and families, in locations including Venice, Rome, Florence, the Amalfi Coast, Milan, the Italian Lakes, Sicily and Puglia.
Florence
The cradle of the Renaissance, Florence is one of Europe’s great art cities. There's so much exquisite art and architecture, it’s difficult to know where to start. But Florence is also a living city with a vibrant restaurant and nightlife scene, and a lively cultural movida that goes beyond old masters to embrace opera, classical music and contemporary art. Handsome, historic, full of quirky shops and quality crafts, and close to the vine-covered hills of Chianti, it’s one of Europe’s most civilised long weekend destinations.
Where to stay
AdAstra Florence, Tuscany, Italy
9Telegraph expert rating
AdAstra is set in the largest private garden ‘intra moenia’ (between walls) in Europe. The owners have taken the period features (frescoes, vast chandeliers, fine stucco-work and creaky original parquet floors) and added a quirky yet convincing mix of vintage, up-cyled and reclaimed furniture. Read expert review. From £127per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
Firenze Number Nine Florence, Tuscany, Italy
8Telegraph expert rating
If you're looking to combine art and wellness in Florence, this four-star boutique hotel, in a buzzy central location, might fit the bill. After a day's sightseeing, you can pamper yourself in the spa, work out in the gym, or lounge by the fire midst contemporary art and urban-chic furnishings. Read expert review. From £71per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
Venice
Venice never loses its capacity to enchant. There's a reason why it's popular: the sheer loveliness of an exquisite city that seems miraculously built on water. It's important to remember that, even at peak visitor times, you are never more than a bridge and an alley away from a more secluded city, full of secret campi (squares), handsome Gothic palazzi and lively neighbourhood wine bars. In any season, Venice's churches and museums offer antique glories aplenty, but there is also a vibrant contemporary art scene, even away from the Art Biennale.
Where to stay
The Gritti Palace Venice, Veneto, Italy
10Telegraph expert rating
This 15th-century palazzo occupies one of the loveliest spots on the Grand Canal, looking across to the magnificent Salute church, and has equally sumptuous interiors to match, with priceless antiques and frescoes, and a small but exquisite spa. Read expert review. From £370per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
Cima Rosa Boutique Bed & Breakfast Venice, Veneto, Italy
9Telegraph expert rating
A perfect mix of elegance and warmth, Cima Rosa offers five elegant classic-contemporary rooms – three of them overlooking the Grand Canal – and exceptional service from a welcoming female team, creating a home-from-home feel that draws guests back time after time. Read expert review. From £128per night.
Rome
In Rome, classical ruins and early Christian places of worship stand next to – or lie beneath – Renaissance palazzos and Baroque fountains. But there are also great neighbourhood trattorias, quirky shops and a buzzing aperitivo scene. The city’s mild Mediterranean climate is another persuasive draw for visitors from the cool north, but the main draw will always be the pulsating energy of a place which lives life as a form of theatre.
Where to stay
Gran Meliá Rome Rome, Italy
9Telegraph expert rating
When the Gran Meliá Rome on the panoramic Gianicolo Hill bills itself as an urban resort, it doesn’t oversell. Its location in the heart of historic Rome is undeniably urban, while its lush grounds and pools, fine-dining, glam lounge and elegant spa create an all-inclusive, luxury-resort atmosphere. Read expert review. From £195per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
Mario de' Fiori 37 Rome, Italy
8Telegraph expert rating
This nine-room townhouse hotel – the junior partner of the Rome Luxury Suites family – at the heart of the Spanish Steps fashion shopping district offers stylish accommodation for independent travellers who don’t require room service at the press of a button. Read expert review. From £89per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
Milan
Italy’s fashion and design capital, Milan has an international cosmopolitan outlook, a vibrant food and drink scene and scores of hotels to suit all budgets. Historical edifices sit cheek-by-jowl with modern skyscrapers, while a number of the city’s buildings have spectacular interior courtyards that remain largely undiscovered. But what largely draws visitors is the city’s excellent shopping – designer stores line the Quadrilatero D’Oro district, while outlets, high street shops and boutiques are found in all corners of the city.
Where to stay
Mandarin Oriental, Milan Milan, Lombardy, Italy
9Telegraph expert rating
With an enviable location in the city’s modish Montenapoleone district, Milan’s Mandarin Oriental takes inspiration from 1940s Milanese interior décor with soft wall tones and oak wood fittings. Indulge in a two-Michelin starred meal or relax at the elegant Spa with treatments that blend Eastern and Western therapies. Read expert review. From £521per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
LaFavia Milano Milan, Lombardy, Italy
9Telegraph expert rating
With only four rooms, this small and welcoming b&b in Milan’s Porta Garibaldi district has an intimate setting and plenty of character. The sophisticated décor is a tasteful hotchpotch of styles, where Art Deco marries retro with a pinch of ethnic and vintage Seventies. Read expert review. From £89per night.
Tuscany
In so many other parts of the world, culture is an optional extra, something you do in your spare time. In Tuscany, it’s at the root of everything – though not in an elitist way. A Piero della Francesca fresco exudes the spirit of a region that has long spent its money on beauty and quality. But so does a bowl of ribollita soup, made with seasonal cavolo nero and served with a spiral of just-pressed olive oil. Tuscany also combines fierce pride and care for detail with unpretentious, down-to-earth manners, and it has a collection of handsome art-filled, historic towns with more than enough to see, do, eat and drink to fill a long weekend.
Where to stay
Borgo Santo Pietro Chiusdino, Tuscany, Italy
9Telegraph expert rating
This romantic luxury country house hotel in a little-visited corner of Tuscany is one of Italy’s great boutique retreats, with a Michelin-starred restaurant, acres of verdant grounds and a remit for self-sufficiency that even extends to its spa and bath products. Read expert reviewCheck availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
Locanda Rossa Capalbio, Tuscany, Italy
9Telegraph expert rating
Close to Capalbio, an underrated gem on the coast which has long been a preferred getaway for well-heeled Romans, this country villa is the perfect launch pad for Tuscany's pretty beaches, as well as the picturesque town itself, but one can just as easily just stay happily on the estate for the entire stay. Read expert review. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
Amalfi Coast
The fabulous coastline between Sorrento and Ravello, with its switchback road that hugs the cliff and curls around the deep bays that protect the towns and villages along the way remains as glamourous, compelling and historic as any summertime destination in Europe, with breathtaking views, jewel-like colours and hillsides spilling with citrus groves, olives and vines. Happily, the hotels along the way live up to their surroundings with ease. Many of them are family-run, sometimes for generations, and display an integrity and depth of service rarely seen in the United Kingdom.
Where to stay
Hotel Santa Caterina Amalfi, Amalfi Coast, Italy
9Telegraph expert rating
A mix of familial warmth, glamour and professionalism makes Hotel Santa Caterina stand out from the competition. Now run by the fourth generation of the family that opened it as a hotel in 1904, it’s the sort of homely yet sophisticated place that you long to return to (repeat bookings amount to nearly 40 per cent). Read expert review. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
Casa Privata Praiano, Amalfi Coast, Italy
8Telegraph expert rating
Stylish yet relaxed Casa Privata is hidden away in the back lanes of low-key Praiano, set in a dreamy, rambling garden. It is the sort of bucolic retreat that can be hard to come by on the tourist-frenzied Amalfi Coast. Read expert review. From £238per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
The best hotels on the Amalfi Coast
Italian Lakes
The Romans were first to see the potential of the Italian lakes as a holiday destination. They built their sumptuous villas in some of the prime positions around Como and Garda, where the southern foothills of the Alps sweep down towards the Mediterranean and the fertile plains of northern Italy, forming some of the most beautiful landscapes in Europe. Modern tourism has transformed the towns, but the lakes, mountains and views are as beautiful as they were 2,000 years ago, and the villages, Baroque gardens and lakeside hotels are still wonderful places to enjoy a holiday, especially during the long, warm autumn.
Where to stay
Grand Hotel Tremezzo Lake Como, Italy
9Telegraph expert rating
Elegant, stylish and fashionable, the Grand Hotel Tremezzo stands majestically on the western shore, offering sophisticated interiors combining strong colours and classical details. Sun yourself by the floating pool, sip cocktails on the terrace or zip along the lake in one of the hotel’s chic water limousines. Read expert review. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
Hotel Villa Arcadio Salo, Lake Garda, Italy
9Telegraph expert rating
Set on a hillside amid olive groves and fruit orchards overlooking the lake, Villa Arcadio is set in a beautifully restored building with original fresco motifs and vaulted interiors. There's an inviting swimming pool, a fitness trail winding through wooded slopes and an excellent restaurant offering creative cuisine. Read expert review. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
Sicily
Sicily has long been a crossroads and crucible of Mediterranean culture, and the island today is a fascinating palimpsest in which Greek temples, Norman churches and Baroque palazzos emerge from the rich fabric. But it also has natural wonders aplenty, from the smoking craters of Mount Etna to the still relatively undiscovered beaches of the southern coast. With parts of the island on the same latitude as the North African coast, Sicily has a mild climate that makes it an attractive destination for much of the year.
Where to stay
Belmond Villa Sant'Andrea Taormina, Sicily, Italy
9Telegraph expert rating
Set among subtropical gardens on its own private stretch of beach on the Bay of Mazzarò, this luxurious hotel oozes understated elegance. Contemporary artworks give the sophisticated rooms a splash of colour, and marry well with classic Italian furnishings. Read expert review. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
Monaci delle Terre Nere Zafferana Etnea, Sicily, Italy
9Telegraph expert rating
With its sapient design mix, organic food, stellar wine list and verdant grounds, Monaci delle Terre Nere appeals most of all to stressed city-dwellers in need of some rural detox. Many guests go nowhere but spend their days lounging by the pool, a cool blue splash amidst citrus and olive groves. Read expert review. From £114per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
Puglia
With Puglia's ancient sites and unfussy charms, Italy’s most secluded coast makes a rewarding alternative to the tourist-laden north. From its olive trees, whitewashed, hilltop towns, scorched earth and unforgiving heat, Puglia can seem closer to the melting pot of Greece than the grandeur of Rome. It’s not that the Renaissance bypassed southern Italy, but it certainly left fewer calling cards. Don’t come looking for picture-perfect art towns, formal gardens or trophy villas: the draw of Apulia, as it is known in English, is in the unexpected.
Where to stay
Borgo Egnazia Fasano, Puglia, Italy
9Telegraph expert rating
A luxurious imitation citadel that has put Puglia on the map among celebrities, sybarites and affluent families, offering meticulous service, high contemporary design, a range of restaurants and an indulgent spa. Read expert review. From £205per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
Masseria Cimino Savelletri, Puglia, Italy
8Telegraph expert rating
An 18th-century farmhouse, near the coast, which was once an old resting stop for travellers along the Appian way. Come here for an authentic slice of Puglian rural living (with high-quality bedsheets). Read expert review. From £138per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
Umbria
A few years ago, Umbria was known, if at all, as Tuscany’s less alluring sister. Not any more: these days Italy’s 'green heart' is every bit as celebrated as its more famous neighbour. The reasons are simple: the region has all Tuscany’s attributes – and a few more. True, it doesn’t have the big set pieces of Florence and Siena, but it does has a coronet of far more intimate and easily visited hill-towns – Perugia, Assisi, Orvieto, Gubbio, Todi, Spoleto and Norcia. Each has enough to keep you busy for a day or more, and none is more than a few miles from the next, making Umbria manageable and straightforward to explore.
Where to stay
Locanda Palazzone Orvieto, Umbria, Italy
9Telegraph expert rating
With splendid views across the vineyard-covered hills to Orvieto perched dramatically on the distant clifftop, Locanda Palazzone will have you at hello. The 13th-century wine estate's monastic-chic interiors, heartfelt hospitality, array of activities, and impeccable dining only make the coup de foudre complete. Read expert review. From £149per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
Palazzo Seneca Norcia, Umbria, Italy
9Telegraph expert rating
In what might be the least-likely location imaginable for one of the world’s finest hotels, Palazzo Seneca draws visitors from across the globe to the tiny walled town of Norcia, high in Umbria’s Sibylline Mountain National Park, to savour its flawless décor, unparalleled service and Michelin-starred restaurant. Read expert review. From £111per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
Liguria
Head to the balmy, maritime Liguria, but not necessarily to the Cinque Terre, five tiny villages on a spectacular cliff-edged coast. There’s also lesser known quaint coastal towns such as Portovenere and Sestri Levante. Or there’s Portofino, pretty as a paintbox with its tall pastel houses cradling a harbour lined with bars and restaurants, and presided over by a pine-shaded castle. Nestling into the bay where the Portofino promontory joins the main coastal sweep, Santa Margherita Ligure is one of Liguria’s most attractive resort towns, all Belle Epoque grand hotels and upmarket bathing establishments – but with a handsome old town that’s full of quirky little shops and tempting bars and restaurants.
Where to stay
Belmond Hotel Splendido Portofino, Liguria, Italy
9Telegraph expert rating
Housed an in a 16th-century monastery building with fabulous views over the bay of Portofino, the luxurious Splendido is one of Italy’s Grande Dame hotels. With its excellent facilities, delicious food and exceptional service, you may never want to leave, but there’s lots to do in the area to tempt all the same. Read expert review. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
Hotel Argentina Portofino, Liguria, Italy
8Telegraph expert rating
Set back from romantic Paraggi Bay, Hotel Argentina makes for a quiet retreat for those seeking an authentic Ligurian experience. Just a short jaunt from historic Portofino, the hotel offers a simple interior design in a desirable location at a price that won’t break the bank. Read expert review. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
Sardinia
Sardinia has some of the Mediterranean’s most seductive beaches, yet within tootling distance of some great restaurants, agreeable bars and the soothing evening ritual of the passeggiata. When you’ve had your fill of beaches, there’s plenty more to divert you: the magnificent rugged landscape of the granite interior, the fabulous seafood and, for history buffs, the strange and evocative remnants of Sardinia’s ancient nuraghic culture, not to mention a scattering of Carthaginian and Roman ruins, Pisan churches and Spanish Baroque.
Where to stay
L’Agnata di De André Sardinia, Italy
8Telegraph expert rating
Arriving at this ivy-draped hotel buried within a thickly wooded valley is like stumbling on a precious secret. It was the Sardinian home of the late Fabrizio De André, one of Italy’s most loved troubadours, and today offers discreet luxury and total repose in a stunning setting. Read expert review. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
Villa Las Tronas Hotel & Spa Alghero, Sardinia, Italy
8Telegraph expert rating
An elegant Sardinian hotel in Alghero, with welcoming, old-fashioned (in a good way) rooms that give you the sense of being a guest in some old marchese’s manor house by the sea. There’s a spa, a gym, a luscious saltwater indoor pool, an outdoor pool, a billiards room, lovely gardens and fantastic breakfasts. Read expert review. From £149per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
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