Tourism in Italy

The Colosseum in Rome, one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world.

The city of Venice, ranked many times as the most beautiful city in the world.

Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence

Sassi di Matera

Milan Cathedral is a busy tourist spot in Milan. It is the world's 4th biggest cathedral and took over five centuries to complete.

Arena di Verona

Tourism in Italy is one of the economic sectors of the country. With 94 million tourists per year (2018) according to ENIT, Italy is the fifth most visited country in international tourism arrivals, with 217.7 million foreign visitor nights spent and a total of 432.6 million visitors. According to 2018 estimates by the Bank of Italy, the tourism sector directly generates more than five percent of the national GDP (13 percent when also considering the indirectly generated GDP) and represents over six percent of the employed. People mainly visit Italy for its rich culture, cuisine, history, fashion, architecture and art. Winter and summer tourism are present in many locations in the Alps and the Apennines, while seaside tourism is widespread in coastal locations along the Mediterranean Sea. Italy is also the country with the highest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world (58).

The Roman Empire, Middle Ages, Renaissance and the following centuries of the history of Italy have left many cultural artifacts that attract tourists. In general, the Italian cultural heritage is the largest in the world since it consists of 60 to 75 percent of all the artistic assets that exist on each continent, with over 4,000 museums, 6,000 archaeological sites, 85,000 historic churches and 40,000 historic palaces, all subject to protection by the Italian Ministry of Culture. As of 2018, the Italian places of culture (which include museums, attractions, parks, archives and libraries) amounted to 6,610. Active hotel businesses are 33,000, while non-hotel businesses are 183,000. The tourist flow to coastal resorts is 53 percent; the best equipped cities are Grosseto for farmhouses (217), Vieste for campsites and tourist villages (84) and Cortina d'Ampezzo mountain huts (20).

History

Islands such as Capri became popular in the late 14th century and first decade of the 19th century

The Forum with Vesuvius in the distance. Pompeii is Italy's third and the world's 48th most visited destination, with over 2.5 million tourists a year.

Cinque Terre on the Italian Riviera

Cathedral of Palermo, Sicily

The Amalfi Coast seen from Villa Cimbrone, in Ravello, Campania, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Italy.

Dolomites

Beginnings

People have visited Italy for centuries, yet the first to visit the peninsula for touristic reasons were aristocrats during the Grand Tour, beginning in the late 17th century, and flourishing in the 18th century.

Rome, as the capital of the powerful and influential Roman Empire, attracted thousands to the city and country from all over the empire, which included most of the Mediterranean, Northern Africa, mainland Great Britain (England) and parts of Western Asia. Traders and merchants came to Italy from several different parts of the world. When the empire fell in 476 AD, Rome was no longer the epicentre of European politics and culture; on the other hand, it was the base of the papacy, which then governed the growing Christian religion, meaning that Rome remained one of Europe's major places of pilgrimage. Pilgrims, for centuries and still today, would come to the city, and that would have been the early equivalent of "tourism" or "religious tourism". The trade empires of Venice, Pisa and Genoa meant that several traders, businessmen and merchants from all over the world would also regularly come to Italy. In the 16th and early 17th century, with the height of the Renaissance, several students came to Italy to study Italian architecture, such as Inigo Jones.

Grand Tour

Main article: Grand Tour

Real "tourism" only affected in Italy in the second half of the 17th century, with the beginning of the Grand Tour. This was a period in which European aristocrats, many of whom were British, visited parts of Europe; Italy, Greece and other Mediterranean places were amongst the most popular. This was in order to study ancient architecture and the local culture. The Grand Tour was in essence triggered by the book Voyage to Italy, by Roman Catholic priest Richard Lassels, and published in 1670. Due to the Grand Tour, tourism became even more prevalent – making Italy one of the most desired destinations for millions of people. Once inside what would be modern-day Italy, these tourists would begin by visiting Turin for a short while. On the way there, Milan was also a popular stop, yet a trip to the city was not considered essential, and several passed by, or simply stayed for a short period of time. If a person came via boat, then they would remain a few days in Genoa. Yet, the main destination in Northern Italy was Venice, which was considered a vital stop, as well as cities around it such as Verona, Vicenza and Padua.

As the Tour went on, Tuscan cities were also very important itinerary stops. Florence was a major attraction, and other Tuscan towns, such as Siena, Pisa, Lucca and San Gimignano, were also considered important destinations. The most prominent stop in Central Italy, however, was Rome, a major centre for the arts and culture, as well as an essential city for a Grand Tourist. Later, they would go down to the Bay of Naples, and after their discovery in 1710, Pompeii and Herculaneum were popular too. Sicily was considered a significant part of the trail, and several, such as Goethe, visited the island.

Mass tourism

Throughout the 17th to 18th centuries, the Grand Tour was mainly reserved for academics or the elite. Nevertheless, circa 1840, rail transport was introduced and the Grand Tour started to fall slightly out of vogue; hence, the first form of mass-tourism was introduced. The 1840s saw the period in which the Victorian middle classes toured the country. Several Americans were also able to visit Italy, and many more tourists came to the peninsula. Places such as Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples and Sicily still remained the top attractions.

Like many other Europeans, Italians rely heavily on public transport. Italy is a relatively small country and distances are reduced.

As the century progressed, fewer cultural visits were made, and there was an increase of tourists coming for Italy's nature and weather. The first seaside resorts, such as those in the Ligurian coast, around Venice, coastal Tuscany and Amalfi, became popular. This vogue of summer holidays heightened in the fin-de-siècle epoch, when numerous "Grand Hotels" were built (including places such as Sanremo, Lido di Venezia, Viareggio and Forte dei Marmi). Islands such as Capri, Ischia, Procida and Elba grew in popularity, and the Northern lakes, such as Lake Como, Maggiore and Garda were more frequently visited. Tourism to Italy remained very popular until the late-1920s and early-1930s, when, with the Great Depression and economic crisis, several could no longer afford to visit the country; the increasing political instability meant that fewer tourists came. Only old touristic groups, such as the Scorpioni, remained alive.

After a big slump in tourism beginning from approximately 1929 and lasting after World War II, Italy returned to its status as a popular resort, with the Italian economic miracle and raised living standards; films such as La Dolce Vita were successful abroad, and their depiction of the country's perceivedly idyllic life helped raise Italy's international profile. By this point, with higher incomes, Italians could also afford to go on holiday; coastline resorts saw a soar in visitors, especially in Romagna. Many cheap hotels and pensioni (hostels) were built in the 1960s, and with the rise of wealth, by now, even a working-class Italian family could afford a holiday somewhere along the coast. The late-1960s also brought mass-popularity to mountain holidays and skiing; in Piedmont and the Aosta Valley, numerous ski resorts and chalets started being built. The 1970s also brought a wave of foreign tourists to Italy in search of a sentimental trip Villoresi old charm -The Trip to Italy, since Mediterranean destinations saw a rise in global visitors.

Despite this, by the late-1970s and early-1980s, economic crises and political instability meant that there was a significant slump in the Italian tourist industry, as destinations in the Far East or South America rose in popularity. Yet, by the late-1980s and early-1990s, tourism saw a return to popularity, with cities such as Milan becoming more popular destinations. Milan saw a rise in tourists, since it was ripening its position as a worldwide fashion capital.

Land and climate

Geography

Main article: Geography of Italy

Köppen climate classification types of Italy

Italy is located in southern Europe and it is also considered a part of western Europe, between latitudes 35° and 47° N, and longitudes 6° and 19° E. To the north, Italy borders Switzerland, France, Austria and Slovenia and is roughly delimited by the Alpine watershed, enclosing the Po Valley and the Venetian Plain. To the south, it consists of the entirety of the Italian Peninsula crossed by the Apennines and the two Mediterranean islands of Sicily and Sardinia, in addition to many smaller islands.

Italy is part of the Northern Hemisphere. The country's total area is 301,230 square kilometres (116,306 sq mi), of which 294,020 km² (113,522 sq mi) is land and 7,210 km² (2,784 sq mi) is water. Including islands, Italy has a coastline of 7,900 km (4,900 mi) on the Adriatic Sea, Ionian Sea, Tyrrhenian Sea, Ligurian Sea, Sea of Sardinia and Strait of Sicily.

Climate

Main article: Climate of Italy

Because of the length of the peninsula and the mostly mountainous hinterland, the climate of Italy is highly diverse. The inland northern areas of Italy (for example Turin, Milan, and Bologna) have a relatively cool, mid-latitude version of the Humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa), while the coastal areas of Liguria and the peninsula south of Florence generally fit the Mediterranean climate profile (Köppen climate classification Csa).

Conditions on the coast are different from those in the interior, particularly during winter months when the higher altitudes tend to be cold, wet, and often snowy. The coastal regions have mild winters and warm and generally dry summers, although lowland valleys can be quite hot in summer. Between the north and south there can be a considerable difference in temperature, above all during the winter: on some winter days it can be −2 °C (28 °F) and snowing in Milan, while it is 8 °C (46.4 °F) in Rome and 20 °C (68 °F) in Palermo. Temperature differences are less extreme in the summer.

Statistics

The table below shows the distribution of national and international visitor nights spent in the 40 most tourist area of Italy in 2017.

Italy overall had 420.63 million visitor nights in 2017, of which 210.66 million were of foreign guests (50.08 percent). With 37.04 million nights spent in hotels, hostels or clinics, the Metropolitan City of Venice has the most visitors.

Italian cities by number of visitors

Rank	Province/Metropolitan City	# of nights in 2017	of whom foreign visitors	Region
1	Venice	37,042,454	27,477,075	Veneto
2	Bolzano/Bozen	32,400,662	22,125,350	Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol
3	Rome	29,833,225	7,046,098	Lazio
4	Trento	17,776,030	7,412,103	Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol
5	Verona	17,293,792	13,388,082	Veneto
6	Rimini	15,967,490	3,808,354	Emilia-Romagna
7	Milan	15,468,199	9,291,198	Lombardy
8	Florence	14,716,466	10,780,968	Tuscany
9	Naples	13,161,395	7,247,964	Campania
10	Brescia	10,463,688	7,472,887	Lombardy
11	Livorno	8,663,572	3,491,172	Tuscany
12	Sassari	7,492,538	4,162,225	Sardinia
13	Turin	7,046,219	1,842,052	Piedmont
14	Ravenna	6,698,702	1,381,666	Emilia-Romagna
15	Salerno	6,029,649	2,098,781	Campania
16	Savona	5,717,487	1,471,811	Liguria
17	Grosseto	5,714,546	1,601,673	Tuscany
18	Padua	5,479,110	2,426,489	Veneto
19	Udine	5,371,339	3,027,318	Friuli-Venezia Giulia
20	Forlì-Cesena	5,357,398	1,027,558	Emilia-Romagna
21	Lecce	5,048,739	949,521	Apulia
22	Siena	4,928,092	2,880,531	Tuscany
23	Perugia	4,689,356	1,699,019	Umbria
24	Bologna	4,607,456	2,101,001	Emilia-Romagna
25	Foggia	4,503,604	697,073	Apulia
26	Genoa	4,082,817	1,945,743	Liguria
27	Belluno	3,806,806	1,208,331	Veneto
28	Aosta/Aoste	3,599,402	1,434,422	Aosta Valley
29	Lucca	3,546,044	1,696,020	Tuscany
30	Messina	3,493,859	2,153,932	Sicily
31	Teramo	3,419,387	523,718	Abruzzo
32	Pesaro and Urbino	3,295,759	729,067	Marche
33	Cosenza	3,290,418	369,693	Calabria
34	Imperia	3,202,619	1,324,925	Liguria
35	Verbano-Cusio-Ossola	3,095,668	2,443,754	Piedmont
36	Como	3,088,807	2,375,038	Lombardy
37	Pisa	3,032,756	1,632,412	Tuscany
38	Ferrara	3,020,136	1,142,220	Emilia-Romagna
39	Palermo	2,981,947	1,703,615	Sicily
40	Ancona	2,954,206	536,167	Marche
	rest of Italy	79,247,316	42,531,760
Total		420,629,155	210,658,786

Italian regions by number of visitors

Semi-temporary data on tourist presences in 2018

According to regional data, in 2018 tourism presences in Italy amounted to 429 million (212.5 million residents and 216.5 million non-residents).

With 69.23 million nights spent in hotels, hostels or clinics, Veneto has the highest number of visitors and ranks sixth in Europe.

# Rank	Region	# of nights in 2018
1	Veneto	69.229.094
2	Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol	47.618.085
3	Tuscany	41.152.681
4	Emilia-Romagna	40.647.799
5	Lombardy	39.115.354
6	Lazio	36.684.847
7	Campania	21.689.412
8	Apulia	15.197.186
9	Liguria	15.183.243
10	Sicily	15.135.259
11	Piedmont	15.100.768
12	Sardinia	14.940.111
13	Marche	9.656.538
14	Calabria	9.212.630
15	Friuli-Venezia Giulia	9.022.550
16	Abruzzo	6.193.473
17	Umbria	6.081.647
18	Aosta Valley	3.606.308
19	Basilicata	2.603.624
20	Molise	482.051
Total		428.844.937

Italian sites by number of visitors

Below is a table with the most visited museums in Italy (data as of 2018)

#	Site	City	Visitors
1	Pantheon	Rome	25.505.971
2	Pompeii	Pompei	13.019.202
3	Royal Palace of Caserta	Caserta	12.376.591
4	Galleria degli Uffizi	Florence	11.986.405
5	Villa di Poggio a Caiano	Florence	10.186.141
6	St. Mark's Basilica	Venice	5.877.142
7	Palace of Venaria	Venaria Reale	5.171.956
8	Museo delle culture (MUDEC)	Milan	5.083.801
9	Lucca Cathedral	Lucca	5.043.621
10	Museo e Tesoro del Duomo di Monza	Monza	4.873.795
11	Cattedrale di Santa Maria	Pisa	4.848.448
12	Museo di Storia Naturale del Mediterraneo	Livorno	3.943.285
13	Museo dell'Opera della Metropolitana di Siena	Siena	3.502.875
14	Casa Natale Santa Cabrini	Sant'Angelo Lodigiano	3.318.039
15	Anfiteatro Arena	Verona	2.117.800
16	Musei Civici di Padova – Arte Moderna e Medievale e Archeologica	Padova	2.096.827
17	Parco Archeologico di Naxos Taormina	Taormina	2.055.045
18	Miramare Castle	Trieste	1.947.898
19	Museo Civico di Palazzo Chiericati	Trieste	1.903.410
20	Mambo – Museo d'Arte Moderna di Bologna	Bologna	1.530.454
21	Complesso Monumentale Palazzo Reale e Cappella Palatina	Palermo	1.487.849
22	Museo Arcivescovile	Ravenna	1.483.762
23	Museo delle Scienze	Trento	1.346.765
24	Musei di San Domenico	Forlì	1.341.415
25	Museo Civico Castello Ursino	Catania	1.281.824
26	Parco Archeologico e Paesaggistico della Valle dei Templi	Agrigento	1.114.375
27	Storico Giardino Garzoni e Collodi Butterfly House	Pescia	1.011.500
28	Galata Museo del Mare	Genoa	1.002.400
29	Galleria Nazionale di Parma	Parma	943.437
30	Parco E Museo del Volo – Volandia	Somma Lombardo	917.331
31	Museo Ferrari	Maranello	895.659
32	Scaligero Castle	Sirmione	887.307
33	Area Archeo della Neapolis e Orecchio di Dioniso	Syracuse	805.910
34	Statua Colossale di San Carlo	Ancona	763.272
35	Musei Civici – Palazzo dei Musei	Reggio Emilia	730.970
36	Complesso Monumentale del Castello e Parco di Racconigi	Racconigi	705.362
37	Museo Artistico E Storico di Palazzo Borromeo	Stresa	647.694
38	Museo di Palazzo Ducale	Mantua	646.754
39	Museo della Città Luigi Tonini	Rimini	637.482
40	Museo del Tesoro della Basilica Papale di San Francesco	Assisi	629.362
41	Parco dei Mostri, Sacro Bosco di Bomarzo	Bomarzo	600.684
42	Pinacoteca e Museo Civico di Palazzo Mazzetti	Asti	581.550
43	Pozzo di San Patrizio	Orvieto	569.990
44	Parco archeologico di Segesta	Segesta	554.800
45	Casa Museo Villa Monastero	Varenna	540.626
46	Pinacoteca Accademia Carrara	Bergamo	527.363
47	Pinacoteca del Seminario Vescovile	Rovigo	522.754
48	Villa Carlotta	Tremezzina	487.406
49	Rocca demaniale di Gradara	Gradara	463.110
50	Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Paestum	Paestum	462.789
51	Basilica Patriarcale	Aquileia	461.844
52	Gorizia Castle – Museo del Medioevo Goriziano	Gorizia	458.634
53	Museo Regionale Villa Romana del Casale di Piazza Armerina	Piazza Armerina	403.288
54	Area di Sosta "Plessi"	Bressanone	395.431
55	Malaspina Castle	Massa	363.197
56	Casa Leopardi	Recanati	359.244
57	Fort Bard	Bard	354.246
58	Abbazia di Fossanova	Priverno	349.989
59	Museo Preistorico della Val Varatella Nino Lamboglia	Toirano	321.278
60	Basilica di San Francesco	Assisi	321.104
61	Castel del Monte	Andria	301.911
62	Abbazia di Montecassino	Montecassino	300.323
63	Sacro Monte di Crea	Serralunga di Crea	299.814
64	Museo Archeologico Nazionale	Reggio Calabria	299.394
65	Galleria d'Arte di Palazzo Bellini	Comacchio	271.205
66	Fondazione Museo del Violino Antonio Stradivari	Cremona	253.731
67	Museo del Castello. Collezioni Civiche Archeologiche U. Formentini	La Spezia	249.791
68	Area Archeologica Su Nuraxi	Barumini	246.296
69	Storica Casa Grotta di Vico Solitario	Matera	231.694
70	Museo della Rocca Viscontea di Castell'Arquato	Castell'Arquato	229.173
71	Museo Civico	Summonte	224.543
72	Trullo Sovrano	Alberobello	213.091
73	Parco Archeologico di Siponto	Manfredonia	212.503
74	Ricetto Candelo – Ecomuseo Della Vitivinicoltura	Candelo	211.638
75	Sacrario Militare di Cima Grappa	Crespano del Grappa	197.883
76	Museo dell'Intreccio Mediterraneo	Castelsardo	186.794
77	Museo Nazionale e Parco Archeologico Archeologico di Egnazia G. Andreassi	Fasano	183.189
78	Museo Archeologico Piceno	Cupra Marittima	181.398
79	Area Archeologica Tharros	Oristano	159.988
80	Museo Abbazia Benedettina di Santa Maria in Silvis	Sesto al Reghena	157.673
81	Sforzesco Castle	Vigevano	156.724
82	Museo della Vita e delle Tradizioni Popolari Sarde / Museo del Costume	Nuoro	156.660
83	Museo delle arti di Catanzaro	Catanzaro	150.463
84	Cisterne Romane	Fermo	146.913
85	Forte Santa Tecla	Sanremo	146.278
86	Area Archeologica del Teatro Romano di Benevento	Benevento	137.303
87	Area Archeologica di Nora	Pula	129.589
88	Museo Archeologico Nazionale del Melfese Massimo Pallottino	Melfi	129.071
89	La Castella	Capo Rizzuto	128.175
90	Museo Archeologico Nazionale d'Abruzzo	Chieti	123.741
91	Parco Archeologico 'Citta' del Tufo'	Sorano	123.408
92	Birthplace of Gabriele D'Annunzio Museum	Pescara	120.642
93	Museo della Carta e della Filigrana	Fabriano	120.219
94	Museo Provinciale Murattiano	Pizzo	118.125
95	Fortezza e Museo delle Armi e Mappe Antiche	Civitella del Tronto	106.715
96	Museo Archeologico Nazionale	Taranto	89.456
97	Museo Naturalistico Centro Visita Cupone	Spezzano della Sila	83.339
98	Area Archeologica di Cava D'Ispica	Modica	80.773
99	Museo della Grande Guerra in Marmolada-Onlus	Rocca Pietore	74.913
100	Museo Civico	Niscemi	73.317
101	Sacro Monte di Varallo	Varallo	64.819
102	Frantoi Ipogei di Palazzo Granafei	Gallipoli	62.844
103	Museo dei Misteri	Campobasso	60.361
104	Castello Piccolomini	Celano	50.327
105	Abbazia di Farfa	Fara in Sabina	44.753
106	Museo Valtellinese di Storia e Arte	Sondrio	33.515
107	Santuario Italico	Pietrabbondante	31.790
Total visitors			161.015.377

Arrivals by country

Most visitors arriving in Italy in 2018 were citizens of the following countries:

Rank	Country	Number
1	Germany	12,184,502
2	United States	5,656,740
3	France	4,737,464
4	United Kingdom	3,781,882
5	China	3,200,847
6	Switzerland	2,925,321
7	Austria	2,612,706
8	Netherlands	2,197,870
9	Spain	2,175,267
10	Russia	1,616,902
11	Poland	1,472,832
12	Belgium	1,270,802
13	Australia	1,050,585
14	Japan	1,026,369
15	Brazil	1,025,070
16	South Korea	996,346
17	Canada	886,053
18	Czech Republic	839,207
19	Sweden	739,976
20	Argentina	708,987
21	Denmark	663,581
22	Israel	605,076
23	Hungary	565,206
24	India	555,223
25	Ireland	434,888
26	Turkey	402,569
27	Norway	398,908
28	Portugal	375,391
29	Mexico	358,626
30	Greece	341,716
Total international visitors		63,195,203
Total visitors		128,100,932

Nights spent by country

Rank	Country	Number
1	Germany	58,645,390
2	United States	14,546,868
3	France	14,197,976
4	United Kingdom	14,043,501
5	Netherlands	11,037,222
6	Switzerland	10,679,102
7	Austria	9,519,898
8	Poland	5,743,920
9	Spain	5,684,438
10	Russia	5,382,255
11	China	5,287,714
12	Belgium	4,912,441
13	Czech Republic	3,903,499
14	Denmark	3,296,288
15	Australia	2,795,291
16	Sweden	2,566,196
17	Brazil	2,546,197
18	Romania	2,510,265
19	Canada	2,398,572
20	Japan	2,238,222
21	Hungary	2,028,427
22	Ireland	1,734,636
23	Norway	1,285,585
24	Greece	852,765
	Other extra-European countries	16.625.327
	Other European countries	12.048.551
Total international nights spent		216.510.546
Total nights spent		428.844.937

Factors of tourist interest

There are many factors that drive tourism interest to Italy.

Artistic-cultural tourism

Further information: Architecture of Italy, Italian art, List of cathedrals in Italy, List of palaces in Italy, List of castles in Italy, and List of museums in Italy

Royal Palace of Caserta, Campania

Italy has a vast and important historical-architectural heritage, both in terms of the quantity of artefacts, as well as in terms of conservation, and in terms of intrinsic artistic-cultural value. For example, Italy boasts the largest number of sites indicated in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

In general, the Italian cultural heritage is the largest in the world since it consists of 60% to 75% of all the artistic assets that exist on each continent, with over 4,000 museums, 6,000 archaeological sites, 85,000 historic churches and 40,000 historic palaces, all subject to protection by the Italian Ministry of Culture. In 2013, the value of the artistic and cultural heritage alone was estimated at 5.4% of Italian GDP, approximately €75.5 billion, capable of employing approximately 1.4 million workers.

According to the Eurostat report of 2019, Italian tourism is first in Europe in terms of the number of jobs generated (4.2 million) and third for the average visitor expenditure and the share of revenues of the national sector compared to the European total (€48 billion, 12% of the total).

Seaside tourism

Further information: List of beaches in Italy

Sea in Otranto, Apulia

Four different seas surround Italy in the Mediterranean Sea from three sides: the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea in the south, and the Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea in the west. Including islands, Italy has a coastline of over 8,000 kilometres (5,000 mi). There are numerous famous coastal stretches.

Italian coasts include the Amalfi Coast, Cilentan Coast, Coast of the Gods, Costa Verde, Riviera delle Palme, Riviera del Brenta, Costa Smeralda, Trabocchi Coast and Italian Riviera.

Beaches and cliffs are dotted with various accommodation facilities, such as bathing establishments, hotels and restaurants, resorts, agritourisms, night and day gathering centers, parks, piers and marinas, as well as numerous historic and artistic centers, which combine interest in the bathing activities to those for leisure, nature and art.

Underwater tourism

Submerged Archaeological Park of Baiae

Further information: List of Marine Protected Areas of Italy

Underwater tourism, both of a naturalistic type and linked to underwater archaeology, is also present. For the naturalistic underwater type, noteworthy locations include the Portofino Marine Protected Area (located between the municipalities of Camogli, Portofino and Santa Margherita Ligure), the island of Giglio, the island of Capraia, and the Maddalena archipelago.

For the underwater archeology type, noteworthy locations include Taormina, Capo Passero, Ustica, Noto, Marettimo, Marzamemi, Santa Maria di Castellabate, Gaiola, Ischia, Campi Flegrei, Pantelleria, Syracuse, Gnatia, Isole Tremiti, Manduria and Isola di Capo Rizzuto.

Lake tourism

Further information: List of lakes of Italy

Lake Trasimeno

There are more than 1000 lakes in Italy, the largest of which is Garda (370 km² or 143 sq mi). Other well-known subalpine lakes are Lake Maggiore (212.5 km² or 82 sq mi), whose most northerly section is part of Switzerland, Como (146 km² or 56 sq mi), one of the deepest lakes in Europe, Orta, Lugano, Iseo, and Idro. Other notable lakes in the Italian peninsula are Trasimeno, Bolsena, Bracciano, Vico, Varano and Lesina in Gargano and Omodeo in Sardinia.

Many Italian lakes are dotted with various accommodation facilities, such as hotels, restaurants and resorts, agritourisms, parks, piers and marinas, as well as numerous historic and artistic centers. On the Italian lakes it is possible to go windsurfing, canoeing and sailing, fishing and scuba diving, while on their surroundings it is possible to go hiking, either on foot or by bicycle. Lakeside noteworthy locations include Mergozzo, Cannero Riviera, Cannobio, Avigliana, Orta San Giulio, Torno, Bellano, Menaggio, Castellaro Lagusello, Tignale, Malcesine, Gardone Riviera, Molveno, Tenno, Ledro, Panicale, Bolsena, Nemi, Trevignano Romano, Civitella Alfedena and Gavoi.

International lake tourism in Italy has been able to establish due to the sounding board created by some celebrities of the international jet set, well known by the general public. The purchase of a holiday residence along Lake Como by actor George Clooney was very publicized in 2001, as well as the marriage of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes in 2006 in the Castello Orsini-Odescalchi, along Lake Bracciano.

Mountain tourism

Further information: List of mountains in Italy

Cortina d'Ampezzo in winter

In Italy there is both winter and summer mountain tourism. Despite a not particularly harsh climate compared to other countries located at more northern latitudes, Italy manages to attract tourists who practice in winter sports due to the presence of numerous mountain ranges (the percentage of mountainous territory is around 35%).

Among these are the Alps, the highest mountain range in Europe, and the Apennines, equipped with numerous winter sports and accommodation facilities. In the north the most famous ski resorts are in the Dolomites and Cortina d'Ampezzo, as well as in the Valle d'Aosta, while in the center-south Abruzzo is the mountainous region with major ski resorts in Roccaraso, Ovindoli, Pescasseroli and Campo Felice.

As for mountain summer tourism, noteworthy locations includes Ponte di Legno, Courmayeur, Val di Fassa, Abetone and Ceresole Reale. During the summer, in the Italian mountains, there are itineraries and paths, both on foot and by bicycle, where it is possible to admire naturalistic beauties, historic and artistic centers, glaciers, lakes, as well as practice numerous sports activities such as mountaineering, paragliding, rafting and hang gliding. In the Italian mountains there are a large number of agritourisms, baite and resorts, as well as hotels and restaurants.

Hill tourism

Langhe hills, Piedmont

Further information: List of hilltowns in Northern Italy, List of hilltowns in Central Italy, and List of hilltowns in Southern Italy

Italy has a predominantly hilly territory (equal to 41.6% of the total area). The best known Italian hilly areas in the world are Langhe, Montferrat, Brianza, Berici Hills, Euganean Hills, Chianti, Colline Metallifere, Alban Hills, Gargano and Murge, while notable locations include Erice, Civita di Bagnoregio, Maratea, Ravello, Urbino, Brisighella, Cortona, Asolo, Ostuni and Cervo.

The attraction of tourists to the Italian hills is mainly due to the mild climate, natural beauty and landscape, and historic and artistic centers, with agritourisms, resorts, hotels and restaurants that are widespread in these territories.

Spa tourism

Spa in Bormio, Lombardy

Italy has one of the largest number of spas in the world, and are appreciated internationally for the quality and effectiveness of the services and treatments offered. This is also due to secondary volcanic phenomena that give rise to the emission of water, vapors and mud enriched by substances present in the Italian subsoil.

Its origins are very remote, it is known that the ancient Greeks had already discovered its healing properties, but the greatest admirers of antiquity were undoubtedly the ancient Romans who made it an aspect of their social life.

The most renowned Italian spas are located in the localities of Abano Terme, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Bibione, Chianciano Terme, Montepulciano, Saturnia, Montecatini Terme, Contursi Terme, Castellammare di Stabia, Bagni San Filippo, Sirmione, Bormio, Viterbo, Pantelleria, Vulcano, Montegrotto Terme, Pescantina, Salsomaggiore Terme and Ischia.

Religious tourism

Further information: List of cathedrals in Italy

Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome

There are numerous pilgrimage destinations in Italy, first of all Rome, the residence of the Pope (who is its bishop) and the seat of the Catholic Church. The city is a pilgrimage destination especially during the main events of Catholic religious life, especially during the Jubilees. Although his figure is not officially recognized by the faithful of other Christian denominations, the presence of the Pope in Rome also attracts others, and is an important figure within the Christian creed.

In addition to the Holy See, there are numerous pilgrimage sites given by the presence of relics and remains of important figures linked to Christianity, rather than by the memory of events that have occurred that the faithful consider miraculous.

Naturalistic tourism

Further information: Fauna of Italy, Flora of Italy, List of botanical gardens in Italy, List of gardens in Italy, List of national parks of Italy, List of regional parks of Italy, and List of Marine Protected Areas of Italy

Flamingos in the delta of the Po river

In Italy there are several protected areas of various types: natural, mountain or marine parks, regional or local parks, natural, wildlife or zoological reserves. In addition to this there are numerous natural sites not necessarily protected by a park.

The parks of Italy include areas of land, sea, rivers and their banks, lakes and their environs which have environmental or naturalistic importance and are often valued for their landscape features and for representing particular local traditions. National parks cover about 5% of the country, while the total area protected by national parks, regional parks and nature reserves covers about 10.5% of the Italian territory, to which must be added 12% of coasts protected by marine protected areas.

Italy has one the highest level of faunal biodiversity in Europe, with over 57,000 species recorded, representing more than a third of all European fauna. The fauna of Italy includes 4,777 endemic animal species. Italy's varied geological structure contributes to its high climate and habitat diversity. The flora of Italy was traditionally estimated to comprise about 5,500 vascular plant species. However, as of 2005, 6,759 species are recorded in the Data bank of Italian vascular flora. Italy has 1,371 endemic plant species and subspecies. Italy has many botanical gardens and historic gardens, some of which are known outside the country.

Business tourism

Fiera Milano

Business tourism enlivens entrances to the country and constitutes a fundamental part of the sector. This type includes those who use the accommodation facilities for business trips or to participate in events related to the production or marketing of various goods developed within the most disparate economic sectors. By way of example, the following are reported:

• the Milan Motorcycle Show, one of the most important exhibitions in the world dedicated to motorcycles.
• the Venice Film Festival is the oldest film festival in the world and one of the "Big Three" alongside Cannes and Berlin.
• the Milan Furniture Fair is the most important showcase for the interiors and furnishings of the world.
• the Milan Fashion Week, held twice a year, is one of the most import worldwide
• the Genoa International Boat Show, one of the world's premier boat shows, held every year towards the end of September.
• the Euroflora, held in Genoa every five years, is the most important floral festival in Europe.
• the Terra Madre Salone del Gusto in Turin is an international gastronomy exhibition held every two years.
• the Turin International Book Fair is one of the largest book fairs in Europe.
• the Lucca Comics & Games is an annual comic book and gaming convention in Lucca, the most important exhibition in Europe and second in the world after the Comiket in Tokyo.

Food and wine tourism

Further information: Italian cuisine, Italian wine, and Italian meal structure

The traditional recipe for spaghetti with tomato and basil sauce

Italian cuisine is one of the best known and most appreciated gastronomies worldwide. Italian cuisine includes deeply rooted traditions common to the whole country, as well as all the regional gastronomies, different from each other, especially between the north and the south of Italy, which are in continuous exchange. Many dishes that were once regional have proliferated with variations throughout the country. Italian cuisine offers an abundance of taste, and is one of the most popular and copied around the world. Italy is the world's largest producer of wine, as well as a country with the widest variety of indigenous grapevine varieties in the world.

Italy has a large number of traditional specialities protected under EU law. From the 1950s onwards, a great variety of typical products of Italian cuisine have been recognized as PDO, PGI, TSG and GI by the Council of the European Union, to which they are added to the Indicazione geografica tipica (IGT), the regional Prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale (PAT) and the municipal Denominazione comunale d'origine (De.C.O.). In the oenological field, there are specific legal protections: the Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) and the Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita (DOCG). Protected designation of origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indications (PGI) have also been established in olive growing.

The cuisine is therefore often a reason for tourism in the peninsula, perhaps combined with one or more reasons previously described. There are countless food festivals and fairs spread throughout the area, from small agricultural centers to large metropolises. The hospitality sector is slowly updating by including cultural food and wine elements in its offer to tourists, both in traditional hotels and in specially created structures such as agritourisms. In 2018 the food and wine expenditure by foreign tourists amounted to 9.23 billion euros, with an average expenditure of 117 euros each.

Sports tourism

Opening ceremony of the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics

Tourism linked to sporting events is capable of attracting fans of various disciplines who, in several cases, then decide to stay to visit the country. In addition to events of a global nature, capable of attracting a large number of visitors for a longer period of time (for example the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics or the 1990 FIFA World Cup), minor events also contribute to the development of this factor of tourism, such as individual international matches of various sports (for example the home matches of Italy during the Six Nations Championship or the matches of clubs of various sports involved in continental competitions) or tournaments of more local importance.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites tourism

Further information: List of World Heritage Sites in Italy

Italy is the country with the highest concentration in the world of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. As of 2021, Italy has a total of 58 inscribed sites, making it the country with the most World Heritage Sites just above China (56). Out of Italy's 58 heritage sites, 53 are cultural and 5 are natural. 50% of the tourists who visit the UNESCO heritage sites in Italy are foreigners, and of these, 75% are in Italy for a cultural holiday.

Historic villages tourism

Anversa degli Abruzzi, Abruzzo

The historic Italian villages are attracting an increasing number of tourists. These villages are part of I Borghi più belli d'Italia (English: The most beautiful villages of Italy), an association that includes, as of November 2021, 325 villages and that organizes initiatives within the villages, such as festivals, exhibitions, fetes, conferences and concerts that highlight the cultural, historical, gastronomic and linguistic heritage, involving residents, schools, and local artists. The club promotes numerous initiatives on the international market. In 2016, the association signed a global agreement with ENIT, to promote tourism in the most beautiful villages in the world. In 2017, the club signed an agreement with Costa Cruises for the enhancement of some villages, which are offered to cruise passengers arriving in Italian ports aboard the operator's ships.

The Bandiera arancione is a tourist-environmental quality recognition conferred by the Touring Club Italiano (TCI) to small towns in the Italian hinterland (maximum 15,000 inhabitants) which stand out for their quality hospitality. The idea was born in 1998 in Sassello (in Liguria), from the need of the regional body to promote and enhance the hinterland. The TCI therefore developed an analysis model (called territorial analysis model or MAT) to identify the first deserving localities. Subsequently, the recognition was promoted on a national scale, identifying small places of excellence in each region. The group, as of June 2021, includes 252 villages. The project is the only Italian one included by the World Tourism Organization among the programs successfully implemented for the sustainable development of tourism worldwide.

Nightlife tourism

Navigli in Milan, Lombardy

The nightlife in Italy is attractive to both tourists and locals. Italy is known to have some of the best nightlife in the world. The best known Italian destinations for nightlife are:

• Milan (Lombardy), in particular Navigli, Brera, Isola, Porta Romana, Lambrate, Idroscalo, Corso Como, Corso Sempione and Colonne di San Lorenzo;
• Florence (Tuscany), in particular the neighborhoods of Oltrarno, Santo Spirito and Santa Croce;
• Rome (Lazio), in particular the neighborhoods of Pigneto, San Lorenzo and Ostiense;
• Venice (Veneto), in particular the neighborhoods of Erbaria, Fondamenta Misericordia and Santa Margherita;
• Salento (Apulia), in particular Gallipoli, Otranto and Lecce;
• Riviera of Romagna (Emilia-Romagna), in particular Riccione, Rimini and Milano Marittima;
• Jesolo (Veneto);
• Riviera del Corallo (Sardinia), in particular Alghero;
• Ischia (Campania);
• Coast of the Gods (Calabria), in particular Tropea, Capo Vaticano and Scilla.

Regions

Northwest Italy

The Fénis Castle, 13th century (Aosta Valley)

Further information: Northwest Italy

Regions: Piedmont, Liguria, Lombardy and Aosta Valley

Home of the Italian Riviera, including Portofino, Sanremo, and of Cinque Terre. There are many historic cities in this part of Italy: Turin, the manufacturing capital of Italy, Milan, the business and fashion capital of the country and the important port of Genoa are the most popular tourist destinations of the area.

Other cities like Aosta, Bergamo, Brescia, Como and Mantua have a rich cultural heritage, which share the region's visitors with beautiful landscapes such as the lakes Garda (with Grottoes of Catullus and Gardone Riviera), Como (with Bellagio and Varenna) and Maggiore (with Borromean Islands and Angera). There are also important ski resorts like Sestriere, Courmayeur, Breuil-Cervinia, Livigno and Bormio.

Northeast Italy

Bologna, Emilia Romagna.

Further information: Northeast Italy

Regions: Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol and Veneto

This part of Italy also boasts several important tourist attractions, such as the canal-filled city of Venice, the cities of Verona, Vicenza, Padua, Trento, Bolzano, Cremona, Bologna, Ferrara, Parma, Ravenna, Cesena, Rimini and Trieste.

There are also several mountain ranges such as the Dolomites, the Carnic and Julian Alps and first-class ski resorts like Cortina d'Ampezzo and Madonna di Campiglio. These four regions offer much to see and do. The area has a unique cuisine, including wines and dishes such as Prosecco and Tiramisu in Veneto and Cotechino, Ragu and Parma ham in Emilia Romagna, San Daniele ham and D.O.C. wines in Valpolicella, Lake Garda, Valdobbiadene, Trentino and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

Central Italy

View of Lucca, Tuscany, from the Torre Guinigi

Further information: Central Italy

Regions: Lazio, Marche, Tuscany and Umbria

This area is possibly the most visited in Italy and contains many popular attractions as well as sought-after landscapes. Rome boasts the remaining wonders of the Roman Empire and some of the world's best known landmarks such as the Colosseum.

Florence, regarded as the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, is Tuscany's most visited city, whereas nearby cities like Siena, Pisa, Arezzo and Lucca also have rich cultural heritages. Umbria's population is small but it has many important cities such as Perugia and Assisi. For similar reasons, Lazio and Tuscany are some of Italy's most visited regions and the main targets for Ecotourism.

This area is known for its picturesque landscapes and attracts tourists from all over the world, including Italy itself. Pristine landscapes serve as one of the primary motivators for tourists to visit central Italy, although there are others, such as a rich history of art.

Southern Italy

Trulli in Alberobello, Apulia.

Further information: Southern Italy

Regions: Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Abruzzo, and Molise

Southern Italy (also called Mezzogiorno) is well known for the cuisine, that offers a wide choice of food at lower prices. It is also known for the pairing of Mediterranean clime with the beautiful beaches of each region, an important element for local tourism. Naples is the most visited city in the area, and the ruins of Pompeii are the most visited sights.

Other important tourist destinations include the Amalfi Coast, Ravello, Benevento, Caserta, Salerno and Pozzuoli. The natural parks of Abruzzo, the greenest region in Europe, include the Abruzzo National Park, the National Park of Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga the Maiella National Park and Sirente-Velino Regional Park which attract thousands of visitors due to more than 30 protected Nature Reserves and the presence of 75% of all Europe's living species.

Apulia, which includes the historical cities of Lecce and Bari and villages composed of trulli; like Calabria it is famous for its coasts. Basilicata is very famous for so-called Sassi di Matera. The main city of Molise are Campobasso and Isernia, the most important sight is the Basilica of Castelpetroso. Calabria coasts are very appreciated by tourists; the capital city is Catanzaro but its most populated city is Reggio Calabria.

Insular Italy

La Maddalena, Sardinia

Further information: Insular Italy

Regions: Sardinia and Sicily

Sicily, the largest island in the country, is a diverse and popular tourist island, famous for its archaeology, seascape and unique Sicilian cuisine. There are many important cities such as Palermo, Messina, Catania. An important sight is Val di Noto that offers a lot of Late Baroque cities built after the catastrophic earthquake of 1693.

Sardinia is a large island some 250 kilometers west of the Italian coastline. It includes several popular tourist attractions and has several beaches and archaeological ruins. It is also known for its beaches, that are among the most beautiful in the world, and include the famous pink beaches in the archipelago of La Maddalena.

The most popular cities in Sardinia are: Cagliari, Sassari, Alghero, Olbia and Porto Cervo. Porto Cervo, located in Costa Smeralda, is a popular summer destination famous for its beaches and clubs among high-income earners.

Ancient resorts

Italy has some of the world's most ancient tourist resorts, dating back to the time of the Roman Republic, when destinations such as Pompeii, Naples, Ischia, Capri and especially Baiae were popular with the rich of Roman society. Pompeii is currently Italy's third the world's 48th most visited tourist destination, with over 2.5 million tourists a year

Cities

Rome

Main articles: Tourism in Rome and List of tourist attractions in Rome

Further information: Rome

The Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine.

Rome is the capital city of Italy. It is also the capital of the Lazio region, the centre of the Metropolitan City of Rome, and a special comune named Comune di Roma Capitale. Rome is the country's most populated comune and the third most populous city in the European Union by population within city limits. Rome is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, within Lazio (Latium), along the shores of the Tiber. Vatican City (the smallest country in the world) is an independent country inside the city boundaries of Rome, the only existing example of a country within a city; for this reason, Rome has sometimes been described as the capital of two states.

Rome is often referred to as the City of Seven Hills due to its geographic location, and also as the "Eternal City". Rome is generally considered to be the "cradle of Western Christian culture and civilization", and the center of the Catholic Church. Rome's history spans 28 centuries. While Roman mythology dates the founding of Rome at around 753 BC, the site has been inhabited for much longer, making it a major human settlement for almost three millennia and one of the oldest continuously occupied cities in Europe. The city's early population originated from a mix of Latins, Etruscans, and Sabines. Eventually, the city successively became the capital of the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, and is regarded by many as the first-ever Imperial city and metropolis. It was first called The Eternal City (Latin: Urbs Aeterna; Italian: La Città Eterna) by the Roman poet Tibullus in the 1st century BC, and the expression was also taken up by Ovid, Virgil, and Livy. Rome is also called "Caput Mundi" (Capital of the World).

Rome has become increasingly popular as a tourist destination globally. 45.6% from 2006 (6.03 million), Rome hosted 8.78 million international tourists in 2014, placing itself as the 14th most visited city in the world. Popular tourists attractions in the city include the Colosseum, St Peter's Basilica, the Pantheon and so on, all of which are part of the World Heritage property. Other main sights in the city include, the Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, Roman Forum, Castel Sant'Angelo, the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Spanish Steps, Villa Borghese park, Piazza del Popolo, the Trastevere and the Janiculum.

Milan

Main article: Tourism in Milan

Further information: Milan

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the Milan Cathedral and the Royal Palace of Milan in Piazza del Duomo.

Milan is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. Milan is considered a leading alpha global city, with strengths in the fields of art, commerce, design, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, services, research and tourism. Its business district hosts Italy's stock exchange (Italian: Borsa Italiana), and the headquarters of national and international banks and companies. In terms of GDP, Milan is the wealthiest city in Italy, it has the third-largest economy among EU cities after Paris and Madrid, and is the wealthiest among EU non-capital cities. Milan is viewed along with Turin as the southernmost part of the Blue Banana urban development corridor (also known as the "European Megalopolis"), and one of the Four Motors for Europe.

Milan is one of Europe's most important tourist destinations, and Italy's second; with 6.05 million international arrivals as measured in 2014, it placed itself as the 24th most visited city in the world. According to a particular source, 56% of international visitors to Milan are from Europe, whilst 44% of the city's tourists are Italian, and 56% are from abroad. The most important European Union markets are the United Kingdom (16%), Germany (9%) and France (6%). According to the same study, most of the visitors who come from the USA to the city go on business matters, whilst Chinese and Japanese tourists mainly take up the leisure segment.

The city boasts several popular tourist attractions, such as the city's Duomo and Piazza, the Teatro alla Scala, the San Siro Stadium, the Vittorio Emanuele II Gallery, the Sforza Castle, the Pinacoteca di Brera and the Via Monte Napoleone. Most tourists visit sights such as Milan Cathedral, the Sforza Castle and the Teatro alla Scala, however, other main sights such as the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio, the Navigli and the Brera district are less visited and prove to be less popular.

The city also has numerous hotels, including the ultra-luxurious Town House Galleria, which is the world's first seven-star hotel, ranked officially by the Société Générale de Surveillance, and one of The Leading Hotels of the World. The average stay for a tourist in the city is of 3.43 nights, whilst foreigners stay for longer periods of time, 77% of which stay for a 2-5 night average. Of the 75% of visitors which stay in hotels, 4-star ones are the most popular (47%), whilst 5-stars, or less than 3-stars represent 11% and 15% of the charts respectively.

Naples

Further information: Naples

San Francesco di Paola, Naples, in Piazza del Plebiscito.

Naples is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan. Founded by Greeks in the first millennium BC, Naples is one of the oldest continuously inhabited urban areas in the world. In the ninth century BC, a colony known as Parthenope (Ancient Greek: Παρθενόπη) was established on the Island of Megaride. In the 6th century BC, it was refounded as Neápolis. The city was an important part of Magna Graecia, played a major role in the merging of Greek and Roman society, and was a significant cultural centre under the Romans.

Its historic city centre is the largest in Europe and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Naples is also near the famous volcano Vesuvius and the ruins of the ancient Roman towns of Pompeii and Ercolano. Before italian unification it was the capital of Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and the most important and populated city of Italy. Naples is well known for cuisine, especially for pizza. In the city there are many tourist attractions, such as the Royal Palace, the basilica of Santa Chiara, the Gesù Nuovo (New Jesus) church, Castel dell'Ovo, the Castel Nuovo, the Castel Sant'Elmo, the city's Duomo, the Real Teatro di San Carlo (the oldest continuously active opera house in the world), the Palace of Capodimonte, the Naples underground geothermal tunnels, the Via Tribunali, Spaccanapoli street, the Veiled Christ (one of the world's most remarkable sculptures), the various catacombs around the city (for example the Catacombs of San Gennaro, or the Fontanelle cemetery, or the Catacombs of Saint Gaudiosus), the Umberto I Gallery and the Via Toledo with its metro considered one of the most beautiful of Europe.

The Archaeological Museum of Naples is the most important in the world regarding Roman history, also include Egyptian and Greek finds. It is the home of the Federico II, the oldest public and secular university in the world, and of the L'Orientale, the oldest school of Sinology and Oriental Studies in Europe. Naples also boasts one of the most picturesque waterfront promenades, and charming locations at Gaiola Island and Marechiaro. Close to Naples there are a myriad of world-renowned tourist attractions such as the Amalfi Coast, Capri island, Ischia island, Procida island, the picturesque city of Sorrento, and the city of Salerno.

Florence

Further information: Florence

Piazza della Signoria in Florence with the Palazzo Vecchio and the Loggia dei Lanzi

Florence is a city in Central-Northern Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,084 inhabitants in 2013, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.

Florence was a centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of that era. It is considered by many academics to have been the birthplace of the Renaissance, becoming a major artistic, cultural, commercial, political, economic and financial center. During this time, Florence rose to a position of enormous influence in Italy, Europe, and beyond. Its turbulent political history includes periods of rule by the powerful Medici family and numerous religious and republican revolutions. From 1865 to 1871 the city served as the capital of the Kingdom of Italy (established in 1861). The Florentine dialect forms the base of Standard Italian and it became the language of culture throughout Italy due to the prestige of the masterpieces by Dante Alighieri, Petrarch, Giovanni Boccaccio, Niccolò Machiavelli and Francesco Guicciardini.

The city attracts millions of tourists each year, and UNESCO declared the Historic Centre of Florence a World Heritage Site in 1982. The city is noted for its culture, Renaissance art and architecture and monuments. The city also contains numerous museums and art galleries, such as the Uffizi Gallery and the Palazzo Pitti, and still exerts an influence in the fields of art, culture and politics. Due to Florence's artistic and architectural heritage, Forbes has ranked it as the most beautiful city in the world.

Florence plays an important role in Italian fashion, and is ranked in the top 15 fashion capitals of the world by Global Language Monitor; furthermore, it is a major national economic centre, as well as a tourist and industrial hub. It is the 4th richest Italian city.

Venice

Further information: Venice and List of palaces in Venice

Venice, with the Rialto Bridge in the background.

Venice is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The islands are in the shallow Venetian Lagoon, an enclosed bay lying between the mouths of the Po and the Piave rivers (more exactly between the Brenta and the Sile). In 2020, 258,685 people resided in the Comune di Venezia, of whom around 55,000 live in the historical city of Venice (centro storico). Together with Padua and Treviso, the city is included in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area (PATREVE), which is considered a statistical metropolitan area, with a total population of 2.6 million.

The name is derived from the ancient Veneti people who inhabited the region by the 10th century BC. The city was historically the capital of the Republic of Venice for over a millennium, from 697 to 1797. It was a major financial and maritime power during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and a staging area for the Crusades and the Battle of Lepanto, as well as an important center of commerce—especially silk, grain, and spice, and of art from the 13th century to the end of the 17th. The city-state of Venice is considered to have been the first real international financial center, emerging in the 9th century and reaching its greatest prominence in the 14th century. This made Venice a wealthy city throughout most of its history. After the Napoleonic Wars and the Congress of Vienna, the Republic was annexed by the Austrian Empire, until it became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1866, following a referendum held as a result of the Third Italian War of Independence.

Venice has been known as "La Dominante", "La Serenissima", "Queen of the Adriatic", "City of Water", "City of Masks", "City of Bridges", "The Floating City", and "City of Canals". The lagoon and a part of the city are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Parts of Venice are renowned for the beauty of their settings, their architecture, and artwork. Venice is known for several important artistic movements—especially during the Renaissance period—and has played an important role in the history of instrumental and operatic music, and is the birthplace of Baroque composers Tomaso Albinoni and Antonio Vivaldi.

Although the city is facing some challenges (including an excessive number of tourists and problems caused by pollution, tide peaks and cruise ships sailing too close to buildings), Venice remains a very popular tourist destination, a major cultural centre, and has been ranked many times the most beautiful city in the world. It has been described by the Times Online as one of Europe's most romantic cities and by The New York Times as "undoubtedly the most beautiful city built by man".

Other cities

Pisa, Tuscany.

The Mirror Gallery of the Royal Palace of Genoa.

• Palermo—ancient capital of the Kingdom of Sicily and of the Holy Roman Empire under Frederick II. It is noted for its history, gastronomy and architecture; the particularity of the city (such as the rest of Sicily) is that is a meeting point of Greek, Roman, Arabian, Norman and Aragonian cultures.
• Bologna—home of the first university in the western world. This city has a rich history, culture, and technology. Bologna is well known for its cuisine.
• Bari—is well known as a port and university city as well as the city of Saint Nicholas. Capital of Apulia and second most important economic centre of Southern Italy after Naples. The city has a rich culture and history.
• Genoa (Genova)— the Republic of Genoa was one of the most important maritime republics of the Middle Ages. Very wealthy and diverse city. Its port brings in tourism and trade, along with art and architecture. Genoa is the birthplace of Christopher Columbus and the originator of jeans.
• Pisa—the Republic of Pisa was one of the medieval maritime republics, and the city has many medieval palaces and squares. Home to the unmistakable image of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Very touristy city. Famous too for the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa.
• Turin (Torino)—first capital of Italy, after being the capital of Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, which had promoted national reunification. The city has a rich culture and history. Home of the FIAT, the most important industry in Italy, Turin is a well-known industrial city, based on the aerospace industry and, of course, automobile industry. Home of the 2006 Winter Olympics.
• Verona—it is one of the main tourist destinations in northern Italy because of its artistic heritage and several annual fairs and shows as well as the opera season in the Arena, an ancient Roman amphitheater.
• Padua (Padova)—it is picturesque, with a dense network of arcaded streets opening into large communal piazze, and many bridges crossing the various branches of the Bacchiglione, which once surrounded the ancient walls like a moat.

Other popular destinations

Mantua, Lombardy.

Apart from Rome, Milan, Naples, Venice, and Florence are the top destinations for tourism in Italy. Other major tourist locations include Turin, Verona, Bari, Padua, Bologna, Mantua, Messina, Perugia, Palermo, Genoa, Sicily, Sardinia, and Salento.

Two factors in each of these locations are history and geography. The Roman Empire, Middle Ages, Renaissance and the following centuries of the history of Italy have left many cultural artifacts that attract tourists. Winter and summer tourism are present in many locations in the Alps and the Apennines, while seaside tourism is widespread in coastal locations along the Mediterranean Sea.

Italy is home to fiftyeight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, more than any other country, including many entire cities such as Verona, Siena, Vicenza, Ferrara, San Gimignano, Urbino, Matera, Pompei, Noto and Siracusa. Ravenna hosts an unprecedented eight different internationally recognized sites.

Hotel categories in Italy

The Tremezzo Grand Hotel on Lake Como.

In Italy there is a broad variety of hotels, going from 1-5 stars. In 2005, there were 33,557 hotels with 1,020,000 rooms and 2,028,000 beds. The number of hotels, according to their rating, in 2005, went like this:

7-star hotels: 1 with 25 rooms (the Town House Galleria located in Milan).

5-star hotels: 232 with 20,686 rooms and 43,150 beds.

4-star hotels: nearly 3,700 with 247,000 rooms and 502,000 beds.

3-star hotels: 14,500 with 483,000 rooms and 940,000 beds.

2-star hotels: 5,000 with 116,000 beds.

1-star hotels: 2,000 with 157,000 beds.

See also

• ENIT

Notes

This article includes text copied from http://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Italy, an article from Wikivoyage whose text is published under the CC-BY-SA 3.0 licence.

External links

• Official website ENIT: Italian Government Tourist Board
• Official website Italia.it: Italian Tourism Official Website
• Italy travel and tourism at Curlie