Italy has so much to offer. Every city is different to another. You can plan your trip and include everything you can imagine: beach vacation, hiking on the hills or just fun city vacation to explore art and history. Italy has it all, it all boils down to your personal taste. We are gathered couple of more places where we have been in Italy, to help you out to choose you next destination.

Don’t stay in Rome

Italy is not all about Rome, it’s crowded and loud, most touristy part in Italy, I’d say.

When you’re done with visiting Colosseum and Vatican, it’s nice to see other parts in Italy. I strongly suggest you visit the country side of Italy and stay in a country house, it’s totally different and really great experience. We had our best time during our Italy trip in Pucci Country House, Overlooking the Nera Valley in the Umbrian countryside. Pucci Country House is a charming property with original stone walls and wood-beamed ceilings. It’s great to take some time off in there and just enjoy the sun and nature.

Visit Italy’s Beaches

Italy’s summers are extremely hot and humid – perfect for beaches! July and August are the hottest in Italy, with temperatures 35°C and up. We do recommend planning your beach vacation in July, because August is the month when most Italians go on holiday themselves. They like to go outside of the city, to mountains or coast, which means there are simply no room in public beaches and you can easily find yourself searching beach chairs and sunbeds. Also, accommodation prices are highest.

We visited beach called Sperlonga, in July the water was perfect – not cold but warm enough to cool you down. The beach itself was just perfect, white sand with clear blue water, just like from postcard. It may seem crowded at first, but it was surprisingly pleasant. There was no music or loud conversations, only friendlyItalians with their families.

Tip: We tried to find the place to rent sunbeds and umbrellas, but we couldn’t find it. Don’t worry, it’s totally fine to use your beach towel so, you can easily save tens of euros just using beach towel for sunbathing.

Rent a car and explore Italy by yourself

This is the best decision we made. Italy is beautiful with its breathtaking views, but be aware, you cannot drive in the historic centers of most Italian towns. Most definitely not in Bologna, Florence and Rome, you will end up getting a ticket. In Rome traffic is crazy anyway and I can’t recommend driving there to anyone, it’s so much safer to use taxis or public transport. But when you are driving out from city, there’s so much beautiful to see, especially in Tuscany – Sunflower fields, wineries, mountains and breathtaking landscape.

Tip: Gasoline/Diesel is quite expensive in Italy, we recommend renting a smallest car you can, to save some money!

Explore Pisa

Square of Miracles, the main attraction in the city of Pisa, is the Square of Miracles or Piazza dei Miracoli with the most popular The Leaning Tower of Pisa or simply tower of Pisa.

Did you know that the tower started to lean during construction because the foundation was built on soft ground that had difficulty supporting the weight?

It’s known worldwide for its unintended tilt.

Fun fact: The Leaning Tower of Pisa is 55.86 meters (183.27 feet) from the ground on the low side and 56.67 meters (185.93 feet) on the high side.

It’s not all about Pisa tower itself, you should take a look at the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta. This Cathedral is sometimes overshadowed by the leaning tower, but it is a beautiful structure in its own with breathtaking interior, absolute must when visiting Pisa.

Romantic Florence

If you are visiting Pisa, Florence is so close to it that it’s a must to see Florence as well. Florence is the capital of Tuscany region in Italy and its well known for its renaissance art and architecture. Thanks to its Renaissance art, picturesque landscape, tasty food and wine, Florence is definitely the most romantic city in the world and so worth to visit while being at Tuscany region.

Tip: Don’t even think about driving in Florence. There are ZTL zones to protect historical sites, and almost all Florence is in this zone. Entering ZTL zone is guaranteed to get you a huge ticket. Click here to check out ZTL zones in different cities.

Vineyards and olive groves in Tuscany

Romantic getaway under the Tuscan sun, sounds like a dream, right? Well, you can easily choose your holiday accommodations on a genuine wine producing farm. These types of farm stays are called Agritourism in Italy. These are approved farm type of accommodations and they are completely functioning authentic vineyards or olive groves, sometimes both. There you can feel and be part of real rustic Tuscany farm life. It’s a perfect introduction to the real Italy, starting with its traditions to open hearted warm people and hospitality. It really is unforgettable experience and if possible turnoff your mobile phone and just enjoy and recharge your batteries!

Tip: Most of the farms offering vine tasting sessions for a relatively good prices – you don’t want to miss that!

There’s so much to talk about Italy, it truly is a magical country, and it can easily take hours to talk about all of memories and experiences while we were in this amazing country, so stay tuned for a next one! – Thousand Destinations.