24 Places in Italy to Inspire Your 2024 Travels

Issue #67

Camogli, on Liguria’s Riviera di Pontente, is a top travel pick for 2024

Are you ready to plan a trip to Italy this year? By now, most major publications have come out with their lists of the best places to travel in 2024 and it should come as no surprise that Italy is on many of them. Like last year, I’m putting my own spin on the ‘Where to Go’ lists by highlighting 24 places within Italy to inspire your 2024 travels. Some are places I visited this year and would wholeheartedly recommend, while others are on my personal wish list for 2024. I chose not to repeat any of the destinations on last year’s list, but you’ll find different cities and towns from some of the same regions featured.

Some of these places have compelling reasons for why you should visit in 2024, but as I said last year, I think people usually choose where to travel based more on personal reasons than because some swanky new hotel just opened. (Not that there’s anything wrong with swanky new hotels—but there are so many other reasons to travel!) So while you’ll see some popular destinations on this list, my emphasis is mainly on under-the-radar places you might not have considered. 

Read on for my picks, organized from north to south.

Venice is taking measures to protect the city from overtourism

Friuli-Venezia Giulia

Tucked into Italy’s northeast corner, bordering Slovenia and Austria, Friuli-Venezia Giulia is one of five autonomous regions with a special status. Its capital of Trieste retains traces of the Austro-Hungarian empire, while Udine was declared the country’s most liveable city in Il Sole 24 Ore’s annual Quality of Life index. 

Valle d’Aosta

Italy’s smallest and least populated region is a land of dramatic mountains and flowing rivers tucked into the country’s northwestern corner. Bordering France and Switzerland, it has two official languages (Italian and French). Like the Dolomites, it’s popular among Italians for skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer and gets few international travelers.

Venice

Starting this year, Venice is limiting the size of tour groups to 25 and will do a test run of the widely discussed entry fee for day-trippers in an effort to combat overtourism, but the best way to avoid the crowds is to go in the off-season. Last year, I visited in November and the city was busy but not overcrowded. The weather was fantastic. Soft shell crabs were in season. There are a couple of fabulous new hotels and enduring attractions like the Galleria dell’Accademia and the Scuola Grande di San Rocco covered in Tintoretto paintings.

Verona

You might want to pair Venice with a few days in Verona, known as the hometown of Romeo and Juliet. You’re likely to find crowds around Juliet’s home (now a museum), but there are plenty of other things to do, like visiting beautiful Renaissance gardens, the Roman Theater, and Archeological Museum. 

Vicenza

Some sources claim that a pair of medieval castles in a small town in the province of Vicenza is actually the true inspiration for Romeo and Juliet. Whether or not it’s true, Vicenza is home to a staggering 4,300 villas, including 23 designed by Andrea Palladio, one of the most influential Renaissance architects to ever live. The province is home to the towns of Asiago (yes, the cheese is named for the town) and Arzignano, where Olivieri 1882 is located. It’s also the birthplace of grappa.

Lake Garda

Lake Como always gets all the glory, but Lake Garda is actually Italy’s largest lake. Straddling Lombardia and the Veneto, it draws people to its shores to swim, sail, and stroll in the summer. Some of the top towns to visit include Riva del Garda, Sirmione, and Peschiera del Garda. I’m curious to see how it compares to its more famous neighbor.