Tourism in Italy

In a former quarry in Naples, thousands of anonymous skulls and bones sit in the cool half-light of a vast chamber carved from volcanic rock. Cimitero delle Fontanelle can look unsettling at first glance, particularly around Halloween, but its real story is one of care rather than fear.For gene

Halloween in Italy in 2026 lands over a long weekend, with 31 October followed by Ognissanti on 1 November and All Souls’ Day on 2 November.

November is a wonderful month for a short break in Italy.

Rome in a day can feel like a whistle-stop tour, but a well-planned route makes the big sights manageable. Stay longer, and there is time for quieter neighbourhoods, ancient roads, galleries and proper Roman meals.Rome is enormous, busy and not especially kind to rushed itineraries.

The famous chocolate festival returns to Perugia’s city centre from 14 to 23 November 2025, under the theme “The Festival Among the Clouds”. There’s no better way to enjoy this Umbrian city than by taking part in tastings, workshops, and shows, while also soaking up its historic charm and stunning views. Here’s what you need to know about Eurochocolate 2025.

If the beach isn't your style, Italy's mountains offer a wonderfully atmospheric alternative, especially as autumn begins to paint the landscape in warm colours. There's nothing more charming than a countryside hideaway where you can unwind with loved ones and escape the pace of everyday life.

There is an Italy that sits outside the usual mass-tourism circuit: Apennine villages, quiet countryside, lesser-known lakes and stretches of coast where getting onto the beach does not mean joining a queue. This is also the Italy that a growing number of foreign buyers are choosing when it comes to purchasing a home. Data compiled by Gate-away.com for the first half of 2026 points to international demand following a different path from major tourist flows. It is more spread out, more curious and more deeply drawn to everyday Italy.

Tuscany is much bigger than Florence, and its most memorable corners often sit beyond the capital’s museum queues and busy central streets.

The traditional Italian holiday calendar has long revolved around July and, above all, August.

With more than 7,500 km of coastline, Italy has seafront promenades that are far more than simple walks beside the sea. For a sunset stroll or an evening wander, here is a selection of the most scenic seafront promenades in Italy, spanning the country from north to south, along with the features that set each one apart. Some, including Bari and Caorle, still tend to sit outside the usual tourist radar.

Italy’s summer tourism market is showing stronger demand in 2026, with bookings rising across major cities, lake destinations and mountain resorts, according to data from property-management operator Halldis by Vita.The company reported a 12% year-on-year increase in bookings for June to August 2026

Friuli-Venezia Giulia is an autonomous Italian region. Yet the two names joined by a hyphen point to areas shaped by different histories, languages, landscapes and cultural influences.Friuli occupies the western and central part of the region, while Venezia Giulia sits to the east.

A car-free village reached only by cable car, a queen’s castle overlooking glaciers, a village reshaped around esoteric symbols, and crotti where cold air blows out from deep inside the rock. The Italian Alps hold small worlds with strong identities, where the setting is not merely a backdrop: it finds its way into homes, food and daily habits.

Sometimes a film is enough to draw in tourists, as the effect of The Devil Wears Prada 2 on Milan shows.

Paying more than €300 a week for a parasol and two sun loungers is no longer unusual. In 2026, beach club prices have risen again. Codacons estimates a year-on-year increase of 12.9%, while Altroconsumo reports a 6% rise compared with 2025 and a 24% increase over five years. It is a sizeable cost for holiday budgets, with major differences between resorts and even between rows of parasols. A price comparison based on 222 beach clubs across 10 destinations shows where costs are highest and where a better deal may still be found.

A 3,000-year-old poem is becoming a modern travel itinerary. Since the cinema release of the blockbuster Odyssey on 16 July, locations selected by Christopher Nolan have climbed to the top of travellers’ searches.

One place in Italy has been ranked Europe’s happiest tourist destination. The village on the Amalfi Coast achieved a perfect score of 100 out of 100 in a study measuring where travellers experience the most genuine joy. But how is a place’s happiness measured? A recent study by JustCover attempted to answer that by analysing more than one million reviews left by tourists at all kinds of venues: attractions, national parks, viewpoints, resorts and iconic destinations across 155 of the world’s most popular places.

August in Italy revolves around Ferragosto, the public holiday on 15 August, when plenty of shops and smaller businesses close and cities can feel unusually quiet.

Walking among stone walls, towers rising above the hills, and cobbled lanes that seem frozen in time is an experience Italy does particularly well. The most beautiful medieval villages in Italy tell the story of an era shaped by castles, Romanesque churches and communities perched high up for protection, places that have since become popular travel destinations.

August is Italy’s busiest holiday month, and prices rise sharply in the country’s best-known seaside resorts.

A reopened flight route, a surname spotted on the village bell tower, a recipe scribbled in pencil: sometimes that is all it takes to trigger a return ticket.

Planning a trip to Italy should be about choosing the right piazza to stay near and arguing over which gelato flavour wins, not dealing with fraud.

Italy in summer has its own rhythm. Cities empty out, beaches fill up, dinners stretch late into the evening and daily life shifts around the heat. Many of the common mistakes tourists make in Italy during peak season aren’t about rudeness.

Castles have always carried an air of mystery, guarding fascinating stories: hidden secrets, traces of distant eras, and tales of nobles, ladies and knights. Across Italy, from north to south, there are castles, fortresses and strongholds that attract thousands of visitors each year, all keen to uncover their history and soak up the atmosphere as they wander through grand halls and silent courtyards.

Caorle immediately stands out for its historic center of pastel-colored houses overlooking the sea, a unique cylindrical bell tower in Italy, and a waterfront transformed into an open-air art gallery. For summer, this Veneto town also boasts two golden beaches, while its seafood cuisine is also worth considering.