Travel tips Italy 2024: tips from the editors

A fresh year means new travel plans, and of course Italy is back on our list for 2024. Are you there? Whether it is just a few days during the spring holidays, May holidays or autumn holidays, Italy always knows how to surprise. Here we would like to share our editors' recommendations for the coming year.

1. Visit the capital of Sardinia, Cagliari – Myrthe Claus

My travel tip for 2024 is Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia.

Built on 7 hills just like Rome, with all kinds of height differences in the city itself, the beautiful view from the Bastioni Saint Rémy, narrow streets that start on wide avenues and boulevards with majestic buildings, the hustle and bustle in the historic center and the cheerful nightlife that continues until the small hours, the many small restaurants with delicious food, the beautiful beaches of Poetto with crystal clear sea water and the flamingos that you can view 'in the wild'.

That's all you really need for a great holiday!

Want to read more about Cagliari? Browse our articles.

2. Discover medieval Varzi (Pavia, Lombardy) – Stef Smulders

Varzi is a lively medieval town in the Staffora valley between the hills of the Oltrepò Pavese, about 100 km south of Milan.  

Writings dating back to 993 already bear witness to Varzi. Characteristic is the long narrow street with porticos, the passages under the crossing first floor of the old houses (these arose because taxes were only levied on the basis of the surface area of ​​a house).

In the medieval street there are several churches such as the Church of the Reds (the Brotherhood of the Holy Trinity met here, whose members wore a characteristic red cape) and the Church of the Whites (members with the usual white cape). , the Romanesque Cappuccini Church with frescoes from 1594, the San Germano Church (1620) and the parish church of San Columbano (1616). There are also several medieval towers still standing.

Varzi is also known for its special sausage, the salame di Varzi, which can only be made (and for sale) here.

3. Go to the city with the most Catalan influences: Alghero in Sardinia – Sarah Monni

Yes, I do have some suggestions! The first that comes to mind is Alghero in Sardinia. A small town, but always very lively and with many beaches in the area. What is special is that there are many Catalan influences here. Part of the (older) population even still speaks Catalan. In addition, the Discovery Sardinia Festival will take place there in 2024.

I also think about:

• Bosa, also in Sardinia (known for its colorful architecture. A bit smaller, perhaps more for a day trip)
• Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast (known for its limoncello)
• Polignano al Mare in Puglia (voted most friendly place in the world)

4. Look higher in the Italian mountains this season – Willemijn Lindeboom

A general tip for 2024/ Visit the Italian mountains in the summer. It is cooler and beautiful, the food is delicious and there is plenty to do such as walking, golfing, cycling (with an electric bike of course unless you are very sporty), swimming and of course resting and enjoying the view. 

Visit the beautiful cities outside the high season or even in winter. Cities are ideal for the colder and dark months because there are lights everywhere so the days can be long and the atmosphere is special. Too bad about that nice cool ice cream, but you can drink a nice hot chocolate, for example.

5. Go to Florence and look for the Florentine version of the FEBO – Janneke Verdonk

Lonely Planet has named Tuscany and Florence among the best destinations for 2024. And in addition to all the highlights that have already been written about, there are also plenty of unknown things to visit in this city.

After you have visited the Duomo, the Uffizi, the Palazzo Vecchio or something else beautiful, look for the buchette del vino, literally 'wine holes'. These are a kind of small holes in the facades of many Florentine palazzi through which passers-by could buy a bottle of wine, a tradition dating back to the 16^e century that has been revived.

Wealthy Florentine families, who often had vineyards in the countryside, sold their surplus wine in this way and thus avoided taxes. There were also families who placed some food and wine in such an opening for the poor.

In Florence there are more than 150 of these holes with their characteristic shape through which a bottle of wine fits, often with a wooden door. Many of these holes are bricked up, but some are open. 

A bottle of wine is no longer sold there, but you can buy a glass of wine. If you see some people standing on the street with a glass of wine, then there is certainly such a buchetta del vino near. 

There also shines one buchetta to be where you can order an ice cream. If you don't feel like searching, you can always click the special website see where you can get a glass of wine from the wall.

6. Secret tip: Corleone in Sicily – Aart Heering

Once a notorious mafia hub - not only because of the film - but now a fairly quiet typical Sicilian agricultural center. But with an Anti-Mafia Museum and local  Il Padrino liqueur.

Further attractions: a waterfall, a steep rock massif with beautiful views over the Sicily interior and a nature reserve with beautiful hiking trails. More than an hour by bus from Palermo, but also perfect as a stage on a driving tour through Sicily. 

An extensive article about Corleone and the surrounding area will follow soon!

7. Oltrèpo Pavese wine region – Niels van Laatum

The wine region remains a well-kept secret for me Oltrèpo Pavese. A mountainous area (up to 1700 meters) in the Italian province of Pavia (Lombardy region) sandwiched between Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna and Liguria. 

Behind the rolling vineyards, on clear days you can see the snow-capped peaks of the Alps in the distance. You will find unique grape varieties such as uva raraThey make good spumantes from Pinot Nero and don't be surprised that when you order a glass of red wine in a bar or café it is red, sparkling and chilled!

The food is local, classic and very extensive. This is what Wikipedia says about it: in the hills, which are rich in vineyards, there are more than 4.000 wine cellars, which employ a fair number of residents and generate a fair number of products. 

In the mountain area, a little known area, there are still small producers of cheese, honey, cold cuts (salami from Varzi, as already recommended above by local Stef Smulders), fruit, producers who have chosen to breed endangered native animals, producers who fight against the exodus of the area and contribute to the recovery of uncultivated land, and restaurateurs who use these products to revive typical dishes.

8. Experience the magic of Lake Como – Edward Hendriks

Lake Como attracts tourists from all over the world, following in the footsteps of many celebrities who own a villa on the shores of this magical lake. This is all for good reason, because the atmosphere here is truly enchanting. I've been here a few times now and I can understand why many here dream of their own holiday home or apartment.

If you have the option, choose to stay during the May holidays or the autumn holidays. You may have to be a bit lucky with the weather, but the atmosphere is much more laid-back, the tourist crowds are less intense and the prices of accommodations are not nearly as excessive as in the high season. This way you can book a nice hotel or a holiday apartment with a swimming pool and a view of the lake, without it costing you a fortune.

If you are not lucky with the weather, then that is of course a shame, but also... less nice weather there is a lot to do around Lake Como. For example, you can visit a spa, visit the monumental villas, go shopping in Como, go mountain biking in the mountains around the lake or walk the Greenway del Lago di Como.

Extra plus: you can drive here in less than a day with your own car.

Those were our travel tips for Italy in 2024! Do you have any good tips for this year? Please let us know in a comment below this article, or write your own tip send it to the editor.