Travel through Italy in 7 essential stops

In Venice, you float. There's something hypnotic about the way the water slips between stones and facades, as if time had surrendered. In this city, movement happens in slow motion. Boats pass by in silence or with the hypnotic whistle of a gong player, footsteps sound muffled on the wooden walkways. The facades, some on the verge of disintegration, others recently restored, seem to breathe together, each with its own story.

Strolling through the San Polo neighborhood, amidst clothes lines and tiny courtyards, takes you to another level. And if you cross the Rialto Bridge (the oldest of the four bridges), you can take a brief but memorable break at the Italian restaurant Da Mamo , serving a variety of pasta di mare and pizzas. Nearby, Suso Gelatoteca maintains its status as a temple of sweets: its creaminess is undeniable, even when the line wraps around the corner. Piazza San Marco is that postcard that seems unchanged, even if you've seen it a thousand times in movies. The scattered tables and chairs in light tones extend in front of the imposing St. Mark's Basilica , guarding the heart of the city.

There's no rush here. The best of Venice happens when you sit by a canal, watching the water reflect history, and letting the echo of a gondola drift through you, soft and eternal.

From the Venetian Lagoon, Burano and other islands like Murano offer an alternative getaway to explore the floating life of Veneto in a more leisurely manner.

The vaporetto departs from Fondamenta Nuove , and as it moves away from the city center, it also moves away from the city's hectic pace. In about 20 minutes, you reach Burano , a symphony of color that seems to have sprung from the palette of a painter enamored of vibrant pastels.

The facades, arranged in a legally regulated chromatic harmony, create a vivid postcard that's impossible not to photograph... and impossible to forget. Everything on this island is more intimate, almost miniature: narrow streets that barely fit a bicycle, windows that almost touch each other, and curtains that flutter in the doorways as if breathing in the wind.

Burano is a place that invites you to explore slowly. It's a place that invites you to observe, to imagine what everyday life is like in such a colorful, unique setting. No outstanding culinary experience surpasses the simple act of walking through its alleys: here, the eyes do the eating.

Lake Garda stretches out like an elongated mirror between mountains, with an atmosphere more reminiscent of northern Europe than southern Italy.

Here, the light falls differently: there's no vibrant warmth, but rather soft, almost cold reflections that seem designed to soothe. Everything invites you to slow down.

From Malcesine , one of the most charming villages bordering the lake, the landscape becomes harmonious: balconies full of flowers, bicycles propped up, cobbled streets where everything seems to flow with order and serenity.

Further south, in Torri del Benaco , on the lakefront, the terrace of the Alla Grotta restaurant overlooks the water like a privileged balcony. From there, with an Aperol Spritz in hand and a plate of freshly made carbonara pasta, the lake reveals itself in all its splendor.

About a ten-minute walk away, Spiaggia torri più vicino offers another way to admire it: swimming among the swans or simply letting the water silently surround you.

Garda leaves a feeling of balance. It's the kind of place you'd return to with a book, or nothing at all. Just to be.

Rimini is a summer that repeats itself, with all that that means

Heading south along the east coast and passing through Venice again, we find Rimini : a city that, at first glance, might seem unremarkable. But beneath its nostalgic seaside resort exterior, there's more history and life than one might expect.

Rimini is like that place you return to without surprises, and yet it captivates you.

Like an Italian Benidorm , it has something of a mirage about it. One expects to find vintage decadence, remnants of its 1960s splendor, and a certain architectural melancholy. And one finds it, especially in the silhouette of the Gran Hotel Rimini , with its slightly worn but still imposing Art Nouveau architecture.

And yet, there's an overflowing energy: crowded streets, an endless beach with rows of perfectly aligned umbrellas, and a calm sea that seems made more for cooling off than for swimming.

The interesting thing is in this friction : between the old and the functional, the kitsch and the familiar. Rimini doesn't try to surprise. Here, people don't come to discover, but to relive a familiar summer. And in this repetition, there is an honest beauty.

But amid all these contrasts, Rimini holds a discreet gem: Borgo San Giuliano , its artistic district. A former fishing village with colorful houses, narrow streets, and murals that pay homage to Federico Fellini and the local culture. Walking through it is like delving into a more intimate and creative version of the city.

In his kitchen, the same applies: simple, authentic flavors , unpretentious. Nothing can go wrong with a good piadina , that dough made of wheat, olive oil, water, and salt that becomes a classic when filled with cheese, cured meats, or fresh vegetables.

A place where you can try it properly: Lella al Mare , without needing much more.

Along the seafront, there are retro-style playgrounds, ice cream parlors that seem stuck in time, and terraces where everything hasn't changed. And that, precisely, is part of its charm.

Rimini doesn't pretend to be more than what it is. And that, today, feels almost liberating.

Florence is imposing. Not so much for its size, but for the symbolic weight of its history. Walking through it is like exploring an open-air museum where names resonate like chapters in an art book: Brunelleschi , Botticelli , Dante . But there is also the other Florence, the one that seeps through the alleys, the one that smells of leather and freshly brewed espresso, the one that pulses with its own rituals.

The Duomo , of course, is unavoidable. As is stopping for breakfast at Cibrèo Cafe , or lunch at La Bussola , a classic restaurant that has preserved the Florentine essence since 1960.

It's when you cross the Arno into the Oltrarno neighborhood that the city tones down. There, artisan workshops are still alive, facades bear the marks of time, and bars are designed for their residents. The beauty here is less obvious, but more sincere.

And to close the day, climbing to the Piazzale Michelangelo viewing platform at sunset is a cliché that justifies itself. The sun sets over the terracotta rooftops, the bells ring in the distance, and for a moment, everything falls into place: the cultural density, the everyday, the eternal.

Before exploring the five villages of Cinque Terre , it's worth stopping in La Spezia , an often overlooked port city that strikes a striking balance between local life and the sea. With a stunning bay and a relaxed pace, La Spezia acts as a natural gateway to this coastal region.

A few kilometers south is Portovenere , a town that isn't officially part of the Cinque Terre National Park, but could very well be its sixth jewel . Its colorful houses line the sea like a vivid watercolor, and its port, frozen in time, invites you to wander leisurely and join the local bathers in waters a blue reminiscent of Portofino.

This is where you'll find Trattoria Tre Torri , a family-run restaurant where the flavors of the sea take center stage. Pasta ai frutti di mare is the signature dish, served on tableware illustrated with the iconic harbor facades. Dining here is like savoring the Mediterranean in its purest form, while the sea views turn every bite into a memory.

Cinque Terre is one of those destinations that instantly captivates. Its five coastal towns—Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore— do not form a single place, but rather five distinct versions of the same rugged landscape.

Each has its own rhythm , its own way of looking out to sea, embracing the mountains, and narrating life among the cliffs. Monterosso, with its beaches; Vernazza, with its colorful little port; Corniglia, suspended between terraced vineyards; Manarola and Riomaggiore, which seem to hang from the cliffs, each with its own light.

The journey between them can be made by train, but it's on foot—especially in the stretch between Vernazza and Monterosso —that the connection between landscape and tradition is truly understood. Walking its paths is like looking Italy in the eye , step by step, to the rhythm of the sea.