Italy
Italy89 guides across 15 destinations — where to go, when, what it costs and what to eat.
Destinations in Italy
Practical essentials for Italy
Euro (EUR)
Italian; English is spoken in hotels and tourist businesses but thins out quickly in smaller towns
Type C/F/L, 230V 50Hz (Type L is the Italian three-pin)
Frecciarossa and Italo high-speed trains link the major cities in a few hours; in town you buy a local paper ticket such as Rome's €1.50 BIT and validate it as you board.
Service is included and tipping is uncommon — a few euros for genuinely good service is plenty, and the coperto on the bill is a cover charge, not a tip.
Tap water is safe to drink everywhere, although restaurants will normally bring bottled.
Right-hand side; a UK or EU photocard licence is accepted, though hire companies commonly require an International Driving Permit as well.
112 (single European number; the old 113, 115 and 118 route to it)
Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.
Recent stories from Italy
The Italian Coast, Taken Slowly: Cinque Terre to Amalfi
Two of Italy's most famous coastlines sit a full day's travel apart — how to choose one, where to base yourself, which trails are actually open, and why the evening is the whole point.
Florence's Unmissable Experiences, Ranked
Seven Florence experiences ranked, with the order to do them in, what they cost, when to book, what to skip and the hours that make or break each one.
Where to Eat Real Pizza in Naples: The Complete Guide
Naples invented pizza and still sets the terms: which ovens matter, in what order to visit them, what it costs, when the city works, and which queues are worth standing in.
A Rainy Day on Lake Como: The All-Indoor Route
Low cloud on the lake is atmospheric rather than tragic. A day of silk, a duomo, a villa museum and a covered ferry deck — built entirely from things that work better in bad weather.
Florence in Three Days: The Perfect Route Through the Heart of Tuscany
Three days genuinely cover Florence's classics, but only if you book the timed tickets before you fly and walk the city in the right order — here is that order, with what to skip and what it costs.
Boutique or Grand: Choosing Where to Stay in Venice
In Venice the hotel question is really a question about theatre: whether to sleep inside the spectacle or watch it from a quiet wing, and how that choice plays out sestiere by sestiere.
Where to Stay in Pisa: The Areas to Book, and the Ones to Skip
Pisa has two centres of gravity — the marble spectacle in the north and the living student city on the Arno — and which one you sleep in decides what kind of trip you get.
The Storied Hotels of Rome: Where to Stay, Neighbourhood by Neighbourhood
In Rome, the address is half the experience. From the grand names above the Spanish Steps to hilltop resorts overlooking the dome of St Peter's, here is how to choose your Roman base.
Pick the Street, Then the Bed: Bologna at Three Budgets
In a city you can cross on foot in twenty minutes without opening an umbrella, what separates one Bologna hotel from another is not distance from Piazza Maggiore but what happens outside the window at one in the morning.
The Sweet Side of the Cinque Terre: Gelato, Sciacchetrà and Seaside Cafés
Liguria's famous five villages are known for pesto and anchovies — but stay for dessert. Lemon groves, a legendary sweet wine and gelato eaten above the harbour make the case.
Catania Has One Morning Bus Up Etna. Build Three Nights Around It.
Three nights in Sicily's lava city, ordered around a single early departure for the volcano and a fish market that has packed up by lunchtime.
Green Siena: gardens, ramparts and easy country escapes
Medieval Siena keeps its countryside close: a hidden valley inside the walls, fortress ramparts made for sunset, a historic botanical garden and the sculpted hills of the Crete Senesi beyond.