Italy Holidays

Got a crush on pasta and gelati? Can’t resist the cravings for a bottle or two of Peroni? Well, if you can see past your waistline then the only problem you’re going to have during your time on an Italy holiday is working out where to start and finish.

Rome is the first stop in any visit and if the history behind the rise-and-fall of the Roman Empire is just a bit too heavy and the Pope isn’t in the Vatican to say hello, then either splash the cash on a café round the Trevi fountain, or head to Testaccio where nightclubs, bouncers and badly-parked cars line the streets. If the loud music is too much, Campo dei Fiori is full of cheap pubs and bars and the chance to stand in the middle of the square with a beer, just as the Italians do. Make sure you also take the opportunity to hire a scooter to get around the town.

If you’re choosing to visit Italy during the winter, make sure you don’t forget to head North and join February’s Venice Carnival, a three-day binge of eating, drinking, partying and people hiding behind disturbing masks and period costumes. Or you could just grab a gondola and lay some opera on the lucky locals.

West from Venice arguably lies the soccer centre of Europe, Milan and one of the easiest places to get a free meal – many of the bars leave selections of their menus on the counters during the early evening to encourage you to dine there later. Hit a few in a row and it’ll save you money to blow in the discos of party street Corso Como later than night.

Florence, Parma and Verona offer cultural and historical side-shows but another essential stop is the Tuscany town of Pisa, making sure you catch sight of the town’s slowly falling tower.

Finally if you’re heading south, aim for the golden beaches of Sicily where you can hang out and gorge on Mediterranean seafood in the shadow of Europe’s largest live volcano – Mount Etna, and if you’re short of cash, there’s always call for help in the massive orange and lemon orchards.

^ Back to top