Italy—where to begin? There are few destinations as universally obsessed over as this southern European jewel. From high-altitude mountain hamlets, to sun-drenched sea villages dotted along wild coastlines, the country’s intense diversity is one of its strongest selling points. One could spend an entire lifetime exploring Italy and still have just scratched the surface.
Informed by its impassioned people, arresting landscapes, ancient history, and about a million other things, Italy is culture in living color. Ernest Hemingway put it best when he wrote: “We only half live over here. The Italians live all the way.” Indeed, la dolce vita imbues just about everything in Italy.
So, why not adopt the Italian mindset and embrace a leisurely approach to traveling here this year? Continue below for a guide to some of the best places to visit in Italy in 2025, with a wanderlust-inducing mix of both iconic and lesser-known locales ripe for discovery.
Road Tripping Through Puglia
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Sun-soaked afternoons in pursuit of hidden swimming holes and spritz-fueled aperitivi are standard fare in Puglia. Six distinct provinces puzzle together Italy’s “heel of the boot,” which warrants renting a car and exploring the region at your own pace. Keen to check out those iconic whitewashed cities? Ostuni is famous for that (though lesser-known Martina Franca and Locorotondo are both just as striking). In search of fresh cheese and wine? Burrata originates from Puglia, as does the flavorful indigenous grape variety, Primitivo. The region’s architecture spans from 17th- and 18th-century examples of Baroque architecture to traditional styles such as the masseria (fortified farmhouses, often converted into hotels) as well as those charming trulli in the Itria Valley. And for days by the sea, head further south to beaches like Torre Sant’Andrea and Baia Dei Turchi for turquoise-hued dips (the former is reached via a short hike through the woods).
Stay Here: Two Italian university professors are the heart behind Don Totu, a six-room Salento retreat set within a restored early-1800s country palace complete with a garden, swimming pool, gym, and spa. Especially enticing is the hotel’s spa (set within a transformed old barn), which features an atmospheric Turkish bath.
Hidden Villages in Basilicata
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